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(BPOV)

My life was almost whole and complete. I was in the arms of the most wonderful and compassionate man. The last few hours ,ever since the pain subsided, had been spectacular. Words can't even describe how happy I truly am.

Being unbreakable had altered the course of our physical love to a whole new level. I, for one, would never regret my decision. Equality was the one missing piece of the puzzle to my and Edward's relationship.

I was a little disappointed that I didn't possess a special ability. I wasn't granted the power to read one's mind or even foresee the future. Instead I gained agility, stamina, dexterity, strength, and superb hearing, just as all vampires did. I was so grateful that, for once in my life, I moved with grace and poise.

I was never a vain person so I hadn't even thought to look in a mirror to see myself through new eyes. That is, until Edward mentioned how beautiful I was and pointed at the stranger in the floor length mirror before us. I stared at the mirror, slowly taking in my new appearance. I was fluid even in stillness and my flawless face was pale as the moon against my dark, heavy hair. I was unquestionably breathtaking, every bit as beautiful as Alice or Rosalie.

Despite the red eyes staring back at me, I was beautiful. As I appraised myself, with my mouth agape, I began to recognize my old self in my new form. I could not have been this beautiful as an immortal had I not possessed such qualities in my human life. I smiled in spite of myself, as pride and self assurance washed through me.

My breast heaved with my unnecessary breathes and my hair flowed around my face as I spun around looking in the mirror admiring every inch. As I was mid turn, Edward captured my lips kissing me with so much passion that my knees felt weak.

We continued making love for the remainder of the night, admiring each other and speaking silent conversations. Allowing only our bodies to say what our hearts felt. Not having my body tire and give out at the end of the day was an added bonus. I knew Edward missed my sleep talking, his only opportunity into my mind, but he didn't seem to be displeased with how he would now be spending his nights.

My mind was processing all the new sensations my heightened senses brought. My emotions were far stronger than I was used too. I knew I had to figure out if Renee was safe in Florida, but I was easily distracted. With each stroke of Edward's caress or his perfect lips on mine, a new flame of desire would course through my body overriding everything else, even thirst.

All too soon, Edward reminded me that I had to feed. "Bella love, we need to get you fed. Carlisle and Alice will be back soon. He expects you to have hunted before he returns."

"Okay, so where are we going?" I was excited to use the knowledge gained from my long talks with Carlisle prior to the wedding. I was aware that my thirst would be overwhelming and anticipated it.

"I was thinking about going to the west side of the island. The animals are smaller, but plentiful. Some deer roam the area, a great start for a vegetarian newborn. How does that sound?" Edward said as he brushed a stray hair from my face. I was surprised that my desire for Edward was far more powerful than my thirst. It took all my willpower to not let desire consume me. I knew I needed to hunt because the burn scorching my throat was becoming intolerable.

"Sounds great, not to mention, no humans." I was determined to keep my kill count at zero. This private paradise was the ultimate place to assure that I would not harm anyone.

Edward and I took off in a sprint towards the west side of the island in search of my first meal as a vampire.

It was a peculiar sensation, the balance between the speed and the clarity. I was expecting to become winded, but my breathe came effortlessly. I knew Edward was fast, but my leaping bounds stretched longer, and soon he was trying to keep up with me. It was exhilarating running with Edward. The freedom of not being the clumsy human was an exuberant feeling.

I had seen most of the island; however my human eyes were too weak too take in the magnitude of such beauty. I rocketed over, under, and through the thick jade maze at a rate that should have reduced everything around me to a streaky green blur. Instead, I could see the prisms of rainbow colored light shining through the thick canopy above us. The forest was much more alive than I I'd ever known- the insects scavenging for food, the wings of the exotic birds fluttering above my head and small creatures whose existence teemed in the shrubs around me.

I was so engulfed in the tropical heaven surrounding me that I soon forgot I was hunting. "Bella, we should stop here. I wasn't planning on taking a swim." Edward mused as he lightly laid his hands on my shoulders.

"Oops!" I giggled and then said "So what are we hunting?"

"We had some Marsh Deer brought to the island. Carlisle likes to keep the island stocked so we don't have to hunt on the mainland all the time. I would prefer to have jaguar here but the island is too small for such a large predator." Edward said with a slight smirk.

I tried to picture the idea of a jaguar on Edward but I couldn't quite shake the fear that crept up my spine as I shivered.

"Bella, concentrate please. Now, close your eyes and listen. What do you hear?" Edward instructed. I could hear everything; his perfect voice, my breathing, the whisper of the birds, leaves rustling in the breeze, insects scurrying about. I knew he meant food so I let my ears range outward, seeking something other than the small life that hummed around me. I heard lapping tongues, the loud thudding of hearts, pumping thick streams of blood…..

The thirst flared again. I tried to swallow and then sighed. It felt like the sides of my throat had sucked closed.

"To the northeast? I can hear light hooves, stepping softly on the moist ground, in a small clearing, drinking from a nearby stream." I said smugly.

" Yes. Now, wait for the breeze and tell me what you smell?" his tone was approving.

Mostly him and his honey-lilac-sun aroma. But the rich, exotic floral scents of the passion fruit and orchids, the fruit of the Uvaia trees, the earthy smell of moss and ferns that bedded the ground were prominent. And then reaching out again, the clean smell of the water. I focused toward the water and found the scent that must have gone with the lapping noise and the pounding heart. Another warm smell, rich and tangy, stronger than the others. I wrinkled my nose. "Deer don't smell very good."

He chucked. "I know- it takes some getting used to herbivores. The meat-eaters smell more like humans."

"I don't suppose there are any meat-eaters around are there?"

"No plenty of deer though." he said.

I snorted and said, "Let's hunt some stinking herbivores. What do I do now?"

His voice sounded like he was smiling. "What do you feel like doing?"

I thought about that, my eyes still shut as I listened and breathed in the scent. Another bout of baking thirst intruded on my awareness, and suddenly the warm, tangy odor wasn't quite so objectionable. At least it would be something hot and wet in my desiccated mouth, my eyes snapped open.

"Don't think about it," he suggested as he lifted his hands off my shoulders and took a step back. "Just follow your instincts."

I let myself drift with the scent, barely aware of my movement as I ghosted down the incline to the narrow meadow where the stream flowed. My body shifted forward automatically into a low crouch as I hesitated at the fern fringed edge of the trees. I could see a big buck at the streams edge, and the shadow-spotted shapes of the four others heading eastward into the forest at a leisurely pace.

I centered myself around the scent of the male, the hot spot in his shaggy neck where the warmth pulsed strongest. Only thirty yards - two or three bounds - between us. I tensed myself for the first leap.

It wasn't much of a fight as I brought down the buck. My teeth unerringly sought his throat, and his instinctive resistance was pitifully feeble against my strength. My jaws locked easily over the precise point where the heat flow concentrated.

It was effortless as biting into butter. My teeth were steel razors; they cut through the fur and sinews like they weren't there.

The flavor was wrong, but the blood was hot and wet and it soothed the ragged, itching thirst as I drank in an eager rush. The buck's struggles grew more and more feeble, and his cries choked off with a gurgle. The warmth of the blood radiated throughout my whole body, hearing even my fingertips and toes.

The deer was finished before I was. The thirst flared again when he ran dry, and I shoved his carcass off my body in disgust. How could I still be thirsty after all that?

My newborn bloodlust was unsatisfied. I crouched and leapt onto an unsuspecting doe that lingered in the forest to the north.

After two does and the buck, my thirst wasn't completely quenched. "Why am I still thirsty?" I knew that thirst was an inescapable part of this life.

"Because your young." he simply stated before heading to the northwest.

We found another herd of deer a few miles from the last herd. After I drained another doe, I stood back and decided to watch Edward as he took down a large buck.

All the times that I had wished that Edward would not leave me behind when he hunted, I had secretly been just a little relieved. Because I was sure that seeing this would be frightening. Horrifying. That seeing him hunt would finally make him look like a vampire to me.

However, it was a surprisingly sensual experience to observe. His smooth spring was like the sinuous strike of a snake; his hands were so strong, so completely inescapable, his full lips were perfect as they parted gracefully over his gleaming teeth. He was glorious. I felt a sudden jolt of both pride and desire. He was mine. Nothing would ever separate him from me now. I was too strong to be torn from his side.

He was very quick. He turned to me and gazed curiously at my gloating expression.

"No longer thirsty?" he asked.

I shrugged. "You distracted me." as I caressed his face, trailing my fingers along his jaw.

He laughed. "Are you done for today? Or did you want to continue?"

"Done, I think." I felt very full, sort of sloshy, even.

He took my hand in his and pulled my arm around his neck. He locked his other arm around my waist and pulled me tight against his body. Swiftly he scooped me up into his iron grasp before gently laying me down on the ground.

He crashed his lips into mine; it was as if his touch, his lips, his hands, was sinking right through my smooth, hard skin and into my new bones. To the very core of my body.

I hadn't imagined that I could love him more than I had. My old mind hadn't been capable of holding this much love. My old heart had not been strong enough to bear it.

Maybe this was the part of me that I'd brought forward to be intensified in my new life. Like Carlisle's compassion and Esme's devotion. Maybe I would just love Edward more than anyone in the history of the world had ever loved anyone else. This I could live with.