Full Summary:
Bella has tried to resist. She has cried her tears out, she even has begged. But still the fact wouldn't change. She is Edward Cullen's new wife (property), and she'll stay that way.
At the same time, a hot-headed werewolf is searching for his missing brother and mate. When he found out that Edward Cullen, the werewolves biggest enemy, was the one responsible for them, what better ways for him to take revenge aside from claiming his lovely wife?
That is, if the lethal vampire hasn't kill her yet.
Hello! So, this is supposed to be the first time I'm writing something...racy. I take a common cliche, arranged marriage, and try to twist it around for something new. Some of the elements might be familiar to you, but I'll try to make things exciting and hot.
I
The Sacrificial Virgin
Bella Swan was doomed.
There was she was, sitting in front of a gloriously-shaped mirror provided only for brides-to-be. Her face, naturally beautiful to begin with, became even more beatific with the touch of make-up that her own mother applied. Her hair, usually just fell to her back, was now up in a neat but complicated hairdo. Her lips were red; her skin was pinkish pale, contrast with her dark hair. With her fragile features, people would find it easy to relate her to a princess of Snow.
White wedding dress wrapped her petite figure. A lot of laces and sprinkles of expensive diamonds embellished the dress, but the cuts were innocent enough to not suggest any sensuality.
Brides weren't supposed to be lascivious, anyway.
"Bella, please don't cry anymore…"
Brides weren't supposed to weep, either.
"M-Mother…" Bella tried to talk in between her sobs. Her mascara had already ruined her cheeks again, but she could hardly care about it. "Should I?"
Renee Swan needed good ten seconds to calm herself. Even though she was the one who'd repeatedly told her daughter to not cry, she in fact was twice as miserable as Bella. Eighteen years old, she'd spent eighteen years old raising her favorite daughter, showering her with love and passion that her father wouldn't give. Now, after her daughter had grown into a graceful, loveable young woman, she'd have to accept the fact that she'd lost her.
Forever.
"Yes." Renee said, her tone firm, "Yes, you should."
Bella noticed that, behind that strict voice, there was restrained longing; a wish that wouldn't be fulfilled, no matter how hard they both begged.
Because her father had signed the treaty. In the name of people of Phoenix.
"My husband.. my husband is going to be Edward Cullen," it was futile, she knew, to plead like that. Nothing that came out from her mouth would make anyone sympathize with her and drag her back from the wedding. No one would willing to take up her position, neither did they sure if Edward Cullen would accept any other woman aside from her.
Bella Swan was the sacrificial virgin, and she would save the people.
"I heard that Edward is a handsome young man," her mother tried to console her, but she didn't find that Edward's good looks comforting at all.
"Mother…"
Renee averted her gaze. "Don't do this to me,"
Bella stared at the reflection of her mother. She looked like her, except Renee had laugh lines and smaller eyes. When she was still a kid, her grandparents had remarked at how similar she was to Renee. But now that both grandparents had dead, no one would give her the best compliment again.
There was mascara streaks ravaging her cheeks, tears mixed with the chocolate color of mascara made funny spots on her pale face. On usual circumstances, her mother would laugh along with her and said how ridiculous she looked. But now Bella wasn't sure if Renee would look at her again. Neither she was sure that she'd have the heart to take the last look of her mother again.
Trying her best to resist the blazing tears, she fixed her face by herself. She took the compact powder and reapplied it to her face. A little touches of blush-on below her cheekbones to emphasis the hollow of her cheek. Eyeliner that decorate her eyes, accompanied with her mother's mascara and other things that passed as make up.
Once she was done, she could be easily declared as Phoenix's most beautiful maiden. But curse the beauty that she was bestowed to, for it was the sole reason why her father sacrificed her to Edward Cullen, a dangerous vampire who could be a threat to Phoenix.
Vampires came out to the world twenty years ago, when the breed of werewolves and witches somehow exploded and villagers could easily find one in the back of their yard. Compared to the unpredictable nature of the werewolves, Vampires were preferable to humans. At least they had been one before they started to need blood to survive.
The wars between the vampires and werewolves lasted for years and years, before finally, the cold-blooded stones was able to drive off the furry beasts away from the civilizations. It had been a hard fight, and the toxic of it lasted even longer than the war.
Humans were now deprived of their previous wealth, and with a lot of vampires around due to their previous acceptance, humans could no longer provide for the undead. The supply for paid blood was diminishing quickly, and it didn't take long before vampires started to ravage villages in search for food.
What was hell before turned into something worse. Werewolves might attack humans, but they could also attack pets and animals. As for vampires, their strongest desire was human blood.
As the reign of Vampire domination started, everything became uncontrollable. They no longer went to the blood bank in search for dinner. They went to houses. They no longer showed the previous scruples that they seemed to had a few years ago. They took victims mercilessly. Their population didn't exactly grow by much, but humans were shrinking and shrinking, to the point of near extinction. It was back to the jungle rule, the strong eat the weak. And it was meant to be literal.
Now, sacrifices was something common.
And Bella was one of them.
"He hasn't come."
"Oh, God… what do we do?"
The ceremony had been postponed for more than fifteen minutes. Nearly everyone invited had come, though the bride's side was a lot more crowded than the groom's. Some people even migrated to the groom's side, just to make the view less pathetic. Edward Cullen didn't have friends in Phoenix. Even they weren't sure if he had friends in any country.
He was, after all, a vampire. And vampires weren't known to be socializing.
Bella waited patiently in front of the altar. For once, the wedding only scared her only half as much as the usual. Edward, her groom, had been late. There was slim possibility that he wouldn't come here. Even though the chance was only one in a hundred, she'd dared to bet in that one point.
"Does he decide to break the treaty?" Charles Swan whispered the thing that everyone in the town feared.
In only just a second, the tension started to overwhelm nearly every single person in the chapel. The relaxing music and the flowers and the food surrounding them couldn't be the source of comfort, as the image of Edward started to sneak in into their minds. Edward equaled death, blood, mortality, everything in the world that wasn't pleasant. It was a truism that everyone had planted in their subconscious ever since the vampire moved into the tiny town of Phoenix.
"Don't…" a woman shrieked, "for the love of God, please don't let him!"
Bella had to flinch at her screech. As a vampire, and a professional mercenary, Edward was indisputably feared. The rumor of his strength had spread all over the world, and his merciless heart had made him killed hundreds of humans, men, women, or children. He'd married a few times in his 117 years of live, and all of his wives ended up dead.
And she was going to be one of his corpse brides.
It was just a treaty between him and her father, the mayor of Phoenix. Charles made Edward promise that he wouldn't attack his precious town, and he'd let him have the most beautiful girl he could find.
That said girl was her, Bella Swan, his own daughter.
At first she refused to believe that her father wanted to sacrifice her. Despite the roughness in his eyes everytime he stared at her, and the way his voice adopted an annoyed tone everytime he talked to her, she still believed that deep inside, he still held her dearly. The fact that now he sent her to save his people made her believe that he didn't consider her family.
"It's already thirty minutes.." even the priest was perspiring in anxiety.
Veil covering her face, a bouquet of flowers on her hand, Bella bent her head down in disappointment. With every ounce of her last willpower, she tried to repress the tears that started to muster on her eye sockets. Everyone expected her to be his bride, the last thing she'd do was dishearten them by having a ravaged face. Edward must be satisfied with her, he shouldn't consider her ugly, because if he thought so, then it'd be the end of Phoenix.
Just before the tension was enough to make one faint, the door suddenly flung open, exposing Edward Cullen's bloody figure standing in the doorway.
Even though a few dared to exhale in relief, the situation still didn't let them to breathe properly. Yes, the worries of Edward attacking this village could now vanish, but there was another fear; the fear of having Edward's presence among them.
Bella had never seen Edward before, but she didn't need anyone to confirm that the tall man who was approaching her was him. The blood that smeared his clothes proved it all. A splattering of blood colored his left cheek, and his clothes were torn in some places.
But even though his garb was imperfect, his face made it all up. Her mother wasn't lying when she said that Edward was a handsome young man. Even though he was 117 years old, he looked as if he's in his early twenties. His cheekbones were high, and that made the shadow below his cheek striking. Strong jawline held his face upright, with chin that's slightly jutted out deviantly. His features and bone structure was perfect, which may explain why many women ogled at him as he bypassed them.
As he got nearer, Bella could scrutinize him for more. Straight nose, pale lips that had shape everyone'd die for. His skin complexion was pale, far paler than hers, or anyone she'd ever met. The unhealthy look, however, came off as beautiful when it's accompanied with jet black colored hair that framed his face elegantly. His eyes were obscured by his bangs. But it was easy for Bella to see the yellow light that radiated from the gap of his bangs.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Edward said to her father, "the last Lycan was pretty strong."
He was met by a silent nod from his father. Edward didn't plan to spend long time chatting with him, proved by the way he quickly disappeared, only to appear again in front of her.
With their distance only a few inches, Bella couldn't help but notice the blood on his clothes and his face. She always hated blood, the smell of it, the color, she disliked it. Edward noticed her staring, and took a glimpse to her.
Angry amber eyes met with soothing brown.
He held their eye contact for a while, and that alone had made Bella lost her ability to take control of her eyes. Those orbs of his.. she couldn't describe it, but inside it, they held indescribable power that she dreaded. No matter how frantic she was to avert her gaze, she couldn't. The amber orbs seemed to hypnotize her, making her feel as if she was drowning into a pool of blood.
She finally could cooperate with her body again when Edward turned his head to the priest.
"Start now," he ordered.
"O-Okay," the priest blanched, and he coughed it off to regain his composure. His shaking hand was holding a bible, and he announced aloud, "Edward Cullen-"
"I do," Edward said, not bothering the older man to finish his sentence.
He turned around to face her, face still expressionless as he took out a diamond ring from his thick layer of clothes. There was a small splatter of blood in it, and he rubbed the ring to his arm. His other hand progressed into taking her hand, and she suddenly felt like she'd been shot with thousands of needles as they had body contact.
His hand was so cold; it was smooth, like porcelain, but hard and cold. She felt like she'd been held by a statue. Edward's face remained unfathomable as he slipped the expensive ring to her finger.
Realizing that nothing could stop the vampire from doing so, the priest only pretended that it was appropriate. He rubbed his creased forehead, then continued, "And you, Bella Swan, would you-"
"She does," he voiced out for her.
Bella flinched at him. Anger started to creep to her body as her blood started to boil. A wedding ceremony supposed to be something sacred, something that shouldn't be done in haste. For five years, she'd been dreaming about her white wedding, but fate had crushed all of them. She was married three years earlier than she wanted, and her groom was someone she knew only through rumors mouth to mouth.
Not only that, the man showed it very clearly that he wasn't interested in proper wedding, too.
She threw the priest a demanding look, "Please, repeat my vow." At least if the wedding couldn't go her way, she should get her vow in complete sentence.
The old man gnawed on his lip. It couldn't be more obvious that hesitation put him off. The man before him was dangerous, and in just split of second, he and everyone here could die if he's enraged. But the woman beside him, she had always been his favorite kid. Polite, and beautiful, she seemed to bring joy in every place she'd been.
"Bella Swan, would you accept-"
"Stop it." Edward said.
Bella's brows furrowed, "But-"
Without waiting for her to finish, he'd taken his ring from the tremulous ring bearer. He didn't even give it a second look and just slipped it onto his pocket. Bella's eyes rounded as it's her job to give the ring to him.
The tears were even harder to repress, now that she had anger mixed with disappointment and anxiety. If only she didn't have the whole villagers lives in her hand, she'd be punching the heartless vampire before her. It was unacceptable, in her opinion, to make fun of a wedding ceremony.
Edward tossed away her veil, revealing her face. He stared at her for a moment, his red eyes studying every inch of her face with such precision. An approving nod came from him, before then he draped his cold hand on her bare shoulder and bent down, his mouth aiming for hers.
Bella had to wince at their first kiss. His lips, like his hand, were also cold, lacking with emotions that humans would have. She couldn't help balling her fist as she closed her eyes, trying to imagine that the one she's kissing was her knight in shining armor, someone whom she loved with all her heart. But still, his cold skin always succeeded to interfere with her thoughts. The only good thing that she could point out in this lame kiss was the fact that Edward didn't bare his fangs.
A moment later, he pulled away from her. The place was still silent, as prickling tension burdened the guests. There were no applauses; no crying out of happiness, there was no warmth that she always hoped in her wedding. Her father had signed the contract with Edward a few weeks earlier, so they didn't have to sign it again.
Edward took her by the wrist, before then in just a second, she was already carried by him. His chest was hard and cold despite being wrapped by a few layers of clothes. There was blood staining his clothes, and some of it was sapped by her white wedding dress as well. Bella's heart palpitated loudly, sometimes she'd afraid that her heard might break her rib bone because it's beating too wildly.
Everything was too much for her to contain. Her father didn't even look at her again, and her mother was sobbing silently at the back of the room. Her dreams had been shattered to pieces by someone she barely knew, and probably, the said man would be the one who'd take her life. She tried to look up and got a very clear view of her now husband. Yes, indeed, he was devastating, like every vampire. But just good looks wouldn't do for her. She hoped for a husband that would understand her. And someone she'd love.
How could she love a vampire who took her as wife by force?
And then, enraged by her mixed feelings and vast disappointment, her heart gave out and Bella passed out on his arms. Right after Edward passed the doorway of the chapel.
When Bella woke up, she was already in an unfamiliar place.
The room she'd been was dark, crafted with thick red wood that could cost twice as much as her dress. The design interior screamed antique, as the place was polished with goods that came from centuries ago. Places like this had never comfort her, the large spaces and the inaudible situation. She liked houses that were not too big or too silent, for she liked being in security and comfort.
She sat on the bed, it was surprisingly squishy that she always found herself sinking and sinking even though she'd tried to have her back straight.
Where am I?
"You're in my room." Edward's soft, muted voice drifted off somewhere along the room, answering her question. Bella's shoulder got a sudden jolt upon hearing his voice. She remembered had had his hand on her shoulder and attempted to wash off the everlasting sensation by hugging herself.
Oh, right, she shouldn't be asking for that. She was, after all, married to him. It was logical for him to bring her to his house.. and place her in his bed.
Bella tried to spot Edward's position. At least, when she knew where he was, her insecurity would be minimized. Edward was sitting on the armchair across her; his clothes weren't the ones that'd been bloodstained. His hair looked damp, not spiky like it'd been, as bathrobe loosely covered his body. According to the heat that filled the air forcefully, Bella assumed that he'd just taken shower.
Instinctively, Bella placed her arms across her chest.
"You were unconscious." Edward informed, his red eyes straight to hers.
"I-I'm aware of that." Bella said, trying her best to look brave.
For a vampire, Edward looked calm and sincere. Vampires were quite rare in the world, but most of them were ruthless and always filled with bloodlust. That's why many people tried to hunt them down. Only a few could pass and have a job, one of them was the man in front of her. But even though he'd been used to living among human and all, there must be a little corner on his mind that revealed his true nature: a monster.
Edward closed his eyes. "You don't have to be that afraid," he said, there was a slight irritation coloring his voice.
"You've.. You've killed a lot of people."
He shrugged it off nonchalantly, "I have to eat."
"Then I am here to serve as your food?" even Bella herself was surprised when she heard her mouth letting out those defiant words. Almost immediately after she said that, she clamped her hands over her lips, goosebumps appeared on her arms as she saw Edward bowed his head, making his face unreadable.
To her shock, Edward chuckled lightly. When he lifted his head, there was a impish smirk on his face. "No, you are my wife. You will do what wives do."
To this, Bella had to blush.
Her redded skin seemed to excite the man, "although, if you're being irritating… I'll kill you."
This kind of treatment was expected, but still her body shook tremulously as the respond of his words. She was still wearing her wedding dress, there were a few red spots on some places, result of being carried by a bloodstained man.
Her sheer disgust didn't go unnoticed by him, "You hate blood, I presume."
"It makes me sick." She said truthfully.
He didn't seem offended by it, "There's blood wavering inside your body." He pointed out, his head rested on his palm as his chin pointed at her.
His reply was quick and hit the right place. Bella had to clutch harder on her dress to prevent her from blushing even harder. This man must know exactly how to infuriate a human, and especially a woman; the way his eyes stripped her naked, and how his tongue occasionally licked his lips upon seeing hers. His seduction was subtle and faint, but she couldn't fail to see how lust started to flare his body. One thing that she was still uncertain was the subject of his lust, was it her blood or her body?
There was a dead silence ensued. Edward waited for her to reply patiently, his eyes never left her. If he were a human, then Bella was positive that she'd be having seizure. Edward was sure handsome, sometimes his beauty exceeded humanity. But then again, he was barely a human. And he got money, even though through killing and a lot of torturing. Intelligent, calm, and sexually attractive, he should be the husband every woman would dream for.
Except, he was a vampire, and killing human was one of his everyday routine. His heart had been stopped, which may explain why his marriages had never stand for more than three months.
Three months, that's the remaining days she had before she was stuffed into a coffin.
Just suddenly, Bella was struck by the memories of the people from her town. Her father, her mother, her friends whom she'd left. Her favorite place that she knew she'd never be able to visit anymore, her dreams of being a teacher, which wouldn't be achieved. Her future was crushed, just to be the wife of this inbred.
What had she done wrong, really?
Something warm strolled on her cheek, and then she'd just realized that she'd been crying. She tried to bit on her lower lip to reduce the sobbing, so that Edward wouldn't be offended, but she couldn't.
She almost shrieked when Edward was already on his feet. "Get up," he ordered her.
Bella obeyed, she jumped off the bed, and then flattened her dress, trying to look as presentable as she could be. Her efforts almost came to no avail, now that she still crying and her make up had been ruined, but Edward didn't seem to mind it.
He walked to her direction, kept getting closer and closer. With his beautiful, statuesque figure, she shouldn't be afraid, but his aura made him felt fear that she couldn't explain. She started to fidget when he stopped, right a few inches before her.
Another familiar cold attacked her body as she felt his finger touched her chin, then gently lifted her head up so that she was staring at him. His blood colored eyes were fixed only to her.
"What's your name again?" he asked with his velvet voice.
"H-Bella." She answered, knowing no other way out.
He held all the movements in abeyance for a moment, and there, he looked like a statue. His cold fingers still gave her freezing needling all over her body, but she could only concentrate at his calculating, meticulous eyes. He was giving her an overview, the value of her existence was decided now.
When he was done, he let out a loud exhale, "Your father wasn't lying when he said that you're very beautiful." His fingers slowly moved to her cheek, carefully, but determinedly stroking it.
One of her teardrop met with his finger, and he received it, holding the salty tear on his index finger. Still now leaving her eyes, he brought his hand to his lips and licked her tears.
Was that a smile that she saw in that fleeting moment?
She didn't have the time to think about it, now that Edward already placed his hand on the hollow of her throat. She lifted her head to allow him a better access, and he seemed to be grateful about it. With such precision, he caressed her throat, slowly down to her chest, until the hem of her dress.
In this point, there was hesitation on Edward's movement. But it only stayed for a mere second. His fingers, though his nails were cut short, proved to be sharper than knives when necessary. With his index finger, he made a cut right on the center of her edge of the white clothing. After a nearly inaudible 'crass' was heard, he continued slashing her dress.
The slow movement made her shivered, especially when his hard fingers med contact with her soft chest and her stomach, the private parts of her body. She'd never had anyone except herself to touch her. Not that now she minded it, though, the sensation, even though dangerous and death defying, was.. say, thrilling.
After Edward's finger had reached the bottom of her stomach, he pulled it away and slowly tore off her dress, up front. Bella was not exactly naked, as the bottom part of her body was still covered with the white skirt, but when there was no the top to cover her torso and her breasts, it only let a little for him to imagine.
He stared at her breasts for a very long time, it couldn't be classified as leering, as he looked very calm as he did that. Embarrassed by this open staring, she tried to cover herself up, but her body wouldn't cooperate with her. She bowed her head down to save her some dignity, even though he was her husband and they'd officially wedded, she still found it hard to be stripped naked in front of him.
"Edward.."
"Sshh.."
He outreached his other hand, his aim was to her chest. This time, Bella practically forced her body to catch his wrist, but he removed her hand.
"I want to touch you." he said, almost indifferently, there was however, that little corner that was filled with lust and desire.
The authority in his voice made her succumbed, and then he placed his hand on the upper part of her breasts, before then, slowly, he moved it down. Never Bella saw anyone looked as transfixed as he; he was acting as if her body was the most fragile, beautiful thing that he'd ever seen, that only could be touched with the greatest care.
But even though he'd been careful, Bella couldn't help arching her back as his cold skin met with her nipple, trapping it between his fingers. That area was so sensitive, even for her. Her slight trembling only stimulated him for more, as he then cupped her breast, and started to apply more pressure.
"Bella…" he whispered to the side of her throat, his other hand was on her nape, supporting her thrown back head. Never had she felt as helpless as now. He wasn't threatening her, he even wasn't holding any weapon, and yet, he'd make her this weak. Even breathing was hard to do, when she felt the bridge of his nose on her cheek and his lips on her throat.
Just before she tried to steel her resolution, he licked her neck, sending more freezing shivers to her body. His hand cupped her breast harder, and she almost shrieked at the pressure, but he only whispered at her, almost lethally.
"True, I've killed a lot of women."
His smell was distinctive, and it started to become prominent to her five senses. The hand that was on her nape was now slowly going down to her stomach, tracing her skin in the progress, sending an unexplainable jolt to between her legs.
"But I'll let you live, Bella," he continued in between his sucking and his licks. His voice became dangerously husky as he uttered her name. Bella threw her head back even more, unconsciously wanting him to explore her body. His hand, one was one her chest, the other one was trying to tear off the skirt. Her hands desperately trying to stop him, though contradictive with what her hormones demanded.
With a sudden yank, she was completely naked and powerless, supported by only his arm that snaked around her waist; her wedding dress was forgotten on the floor.
"Because you're my woman."
After he said that, he pulled away, leaving her hyperventilating like crazy. Sweats covering her body, and that's when she realized that she was perspiring like a pig. Her hair was damp to her forehead, as her eyes were a light darker than the usual.
"E-Edward…" she called out his voice.
He looked at her for the last time, (and for a pretty long time, too) before then he turned away his body. "Take a shower. You're all dirty."
Her lip was caught in between her teeth upon hearing that. Red started to dominate her skin color as she crossed her arms over her breasts. Embarrassment overwhelmed her body as she obediently followed her husband's lead to the bathroom.
Her wedding dress was all torn.
That night, they slept together in the very same room, with her dress still laid on the floor. For once, she was afraid that he might try to touch her again, or maybe, cause some wounds. But quite to the contrary, he didn't do anything. In fact, he stayed as far from her as possible.
In their first night, Bella hadn't lost her virginity.
Author's Note:
What do you think of this story? I hope that people will like it, and if you do, please show it because I'm still not sure whether or not I need to continue.
Thank you so much for reading!