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Chapter 14- The Only Way

"Now I ain't sayin' it's right or it's wrong,
But maybe it's the only way."
-Martina McBride, Independence Day

Garrett POV
None of us moved as Bella helped Jasper to his feet and started out of the room. Peter and I must have regained our senses at the same time, because we crashed into each other just as we reached the door. "Damn it Peter, get out of my way! He can't take her out alone- he's not strong enough!"

"No! You get out of my way! He shouldn't be left alone with a newborn! She could turn on him and hurt him worse than he already is!" Peter shot back as he shoved me, "I just got him back, I can't lose him again!"

Charlotte whistled shrilly and we looked up to see her in the hallway with her arm around Jasper's waist. Bella supported him from the other side, and his strange silver eyes glimmered with humor at our predicament. Sighing in defeat, I let Peter walk out and I followed behind them.

I refused to feel guilty for not offering Bella a chance to hunt animals, but she had seemed so determined to forget the Cullens, that I didn't want to risk her wrath, or have an underfed newborn on my hands either. I told myself that if she had asked, I would have happily let her feed from Bambi, but she was content with our diet- until her recent slip, that is.

Our progress was slow, and Jasper was clearly weak as he walked at a human pace between the girls, chatting quietly and catching up on the past few years. Bella gave him a very broad overview of her time with the wolves, but I could feel flashes of anger and vengeance as Jasper couldn't quite keep hold of his gift.

Peter and I followed silently, but I could tell he was worried by the tense set of his shoulders, and the way his eyes darted around constantly. I really didn't think Maria was coming back, but if she could find us, then anyone could. I'd rather not meet the Cullens with Jasper out of commission, and Charlotte had been useless since he arrived.

Pulling back on Pete's arm, I put a little more distance between us and the group we were following. He look at me questioningly when I leaned over to ask him what had been bothering me for a while. "How do you do it?"

His brow furrowed in confusion, he responded, "How do I do what?"

Not quite comfortable with what I wanted to ask, I still forged ahead, "How can you share your mate like that? Don't you get jealous? I mean, I can't imagine Bella-" It seemed pointless for me to worry about something like that, when I still hadn't been with her myself, but I hadn't missed her arousal when Peter and Jasper were kissing earlier.

Peter threw his head back and laughed, not endearing him to me at all. Their odd situation had never bothered me before, it was just something I chose to ignore, and I tried not to visit when Jasper was there. It was just a part of who they were, and it wasn't until I had a mate of my own that I could appreciate the pull of a mate, and the jealousy and possessiveness that came along with it.

"No, I don't get jealous. If I did, I would probably be more put out with Char than with Jasper. He was mine first, and I was his. Finding Charlotte put a wedge between us at first, but she eventually accepted us both, and it just worked. I need them both, and I love them both. That's it." It was hard to mistake the look in eye as he gazed ahead at his mate and his sire. It was clearly something I would never understand.

We stopped when Charlotte propped Jasper against a tree and took off with Bella on her heels. Peter stayed behind while I followed at a distance, not wanting to disturb the girls' hunt. They moved silently through the trees, using hand signals to communicate and stalking their prey like the beautiful predators that they were.

Charlotte quickly grabbed a pair of deer and knocked them unconscious to take back to Jasper. I lost sight of Bella for a minute when she hopped up into the trees after a mountain lion. I had been hunting with the Cullens several times over the years, but I had never seen anything quite as sensual as my mate pouncing gracefully on the large cat.

The lion screamed in protest as Bella tackled it to the ground and began to drink. I had to hold back a laugh at the disgusted face she made, until she finally gave up and spit out the last mouthful. The cat was still struggling so she broke its neck to carry the leftovers back to Jasper as well.

I took the cat from her when she walked closer, and she immediately looked for a stream to wash her hands off. I couldn't help but chuckle as she shot dirty looks at the animal in my arms, and the ones Char was dragging behind her. "How can he eat that shit?" she finally asked. "It tastes like rusted dirt!"

Charlotte giggled, "I know, but it makes him feel better, so we don't try to argue with him anymore. It's about the only good thing he got from that bitch he was married to."

Bella was literally twitching with the desire to question Charlotte, I could almost see the questions in her eyes. She glanced at me and I nodded; they had never been shy about their involvement and I thought it was better she get her information firsthand. "Um, Charlotte?" she asked hesitantly. "Can I ask you about you and Peter's relationship with Jasper? I mean, I thought Alice was his mate."

Charlotte cut her off with a growl, and I barely managed not to answer her with one of my own, but I knew this was a touchy subject for her. "Look, that little pixie bitch was never his mate, and we told him that over and over. Do you know why he came back to us the first time, less than a year after he left with Alice? He told us that she was disgusted by his scars. Can you imagine how it felt for him, an empath, to feel her revulsion every time he took his clothes off? She tore him down so she could mold him the way she wanted."

Bella was stunned and I had to nudge her to get her moving again so we could get Jasper fed. I watched as she processed what Char had told her, and I knew she was probably going over her memories of her time with the Cullens. "I can't believe her. Jasper is worth fifty of that bitch. She thinks she's better than everyone and she was always trying to dress me a certain way- I was her little Barbie doll. And Jasper," she snorted a laugh, something I was finding more adorable each time she did it.

Fuck, I'm losing my man card. She is sexy, not adorable. Sexy. Oh yeah, she's still talking... "Jasper was wearing corduroy pants and prissy little turtleneck sweaters. Come to think of it, she always wanted as much of his skin covered as possible. I know we were talking about scars after James bit me, and he had to roll his sleeves up so I could see some of his scars. It's was summertime! Why the hell was he wearing long sleeves? Fucking Alice. I'm serious, I'm gonna kill her."

I felt a twinge of fear at the idea of my mate fighting anyone, even that useless midget, but Char just laughed and sped up her run, "Get in line, Sugar. Get in line."

Peter was leaning against the tree with Jasper when we got back, and it was clear they hadn't been sitting idly while we hunted. Jasper perked up at the smell of the disgusting blood, and began to feed as soon as Char handed him the first deer. I was a bit surprised that he didn't have any issues with us all standing there watching him, but he just drank until they were both dry.

I walked over with the mountain lion and tossed it on his lap. "Here's Bella's leftovers, she wasn't too impressed."

Jas raised his eyebrow at her as he bit down, but she just shivered and pretended to gag. I wrapped my arms around her when she came to lean against my chest, enjoying having her close to me again. By the time he drained the cat, his eyes were a lighter champagne color instead of the typical Cullen gold, but he seemed healthier overall.

Bella tipped her head up and smiled at me, reaffirming my opinion that my mate was sexiest woman I had ever met. Her eyes were getting darker and her breathing hitched as she looked at my lips. I groaned when she ran tip of her tongue over her full bottom lip, and I couldn't hold back any more.

I leaned over to capture that lip with my teeth, biting down lightly before caressing it between my own. Her tongue sought mine out as I lifted her up and wrapped her legs around my waist, which seemed to be our favorite position. She started to grind herself against me, and I managed to squeak out a few words, "Wait- the others!"

Bella raised her head and glanced around. "They're gone," she whispered, right against my mouth. "I need you, Garrett. Please, I need you now!"

Through the haze of lust clouding my head, I found a sturdy tree to press her back against, before attacking her mouth fiercely. Her nails scratched my scalp as she pulled my head closer. I felt like every nerve in my body was alive, twitching in a rhythm like a human heartbeat. My instincts were screaming- I had to claim my mate.

My shirt disappeared as she shredded it, while she pulled hers off in one smooth movement. I froze in shock when her perfect breasts appeared- she still refused to wear a bra most of the time. I wrapped my left arm more firmly under her butt to support her, while my right hand moved of its own volition up to tentatively stroke one soft pink nipple. "Beautiful, just beautiful," I breathed softly.

"Garrett," she whined, tipping her head back for a moment, before she leaned forward and took possession of my mouth again. She pressed her breast fully into my hand and I couldn't stop myself from massaging it and rolling the nipple through my fingers. Her head fell back against the tree again, and I took the opportunity to lean over and capture her other nipple between my lips. The taste of her skin was exquisite, and I knew I would never tire of her unique scent and flavor, only enhanced by her heady arousal.

She wiggled her hips and I worried for a moment that she wanted to stop. I was so far past the point of no return that I couldn't even see it anymore, and I honestly didn't know if I would be able to stop if she pushed me away. Relief flooded me when she reached for the button on my jeans, easily manoeuvering it out, followed carefully by the zipper. The only thing between us now was the thin, soft material of her yoga pants, so easily torn away in just seconds.

I set her down gently so I could ease her pants down, not wanting her to be left without any since she already destroyed my shirt. She kicked them off eagerly, and I took just a second longer to pull off my boots and toss my jeans the same way her pants went.

We stared at each other in silence for a moment, breathing heavily and growling softly. I flinched in surprise when she reached out and pushed me back, with her small hands on my chest. I fell flat on my back, and looked up at her in worry, but she quickly climbed on top of me and shimmied down so that her moist center was pressing directly on top of my aching cock. "Oh, Bella." This had to be a dream. Somehow, I must have fallen asleep and I was dreaming of finally taking my mate.

"You're not dreaming, sweetie. Now hold on tight." My eyes flew open just in time to see her raise up enough to sink straight down on me in one long stroke. "Oh, fuck!" she cried, while I couldn't hold in a roar of pure pleasure. There was nothing that compared to finally being one with my mate. I could die in that moment and be a happy man.

She smiled down at me as I raised my hands to grasp her hips, lifting her slowly up and down and enjoying the smooth, sensual movements of her perfect body. The frantic need had passed and we settled in to a steady pace of lifting and lowering, learning the rhythm that worked best for us. Finally, needing her closer, I pulled her down on my chest and raised my head to meet her beautiful lips. She was still on top, but I dominated the kiss, stroking her tongue in time with my thrusts up into her body.

She pulled away and rested her forehead on mine, looking straight into my eyes and I couldn't have stopped the words if I had tried. "Bella, I love you, sweet girl. I love you so much." My rhythm stuttered a minute as I panicked about her reaction, but she just leaned over and pressed her lips lightly to mine once more.

Her eyes darkened and I felt her walls tighten even more as I reached to press my thumb against her clit, rubbing furiously in hopes that I wouldn't climax before she did. She screamed my name as my orgasm exploded out of me, and it took me a few seconds to realize I had pulled her down and sunk my teeth into her neck. I barely registered the taste of her venom- it really was as good as they said- before I pulled back and licked the wound to seal it.

"I'm so sorry, little one. I didn't mean to do that without asking you first. I-" her soft hand came up to cover my mouth and I looked into her bright eyes that now had a faint orange tint to them. She was smiling bigger than I had ever seen, and she leaned over to brush my hair out of my face and place a kiss on my forehead.

"Shh, Gar. It's ok. I think you owed me, I'm just glad you didn't suck me dry like I tried to do with you," she giggled. Giggled! She was laughing and looked so relaxed and... in love? Her next words had me stiffening in her again almost instantly. "And Garrett? I love you too. Thank you for being so patient with me. I'm really glad you found me."

We snuggled together again, just enjoying being connected, until Peter's voice rang out through the trees, "Oh, fuck yeah! Major!"

I immediately panicked when I realized what just happened. Jasper must have been projecting again. What if she really wasn't ready yet? What if she hates me now? What if-

"Shh, sweetie. Don't worry. I knew what Jasper was doing- I actually asked him to do it. I've been wanting you for a while now, but I was afraid I would freeze up or back out again. I just needed a little nudge in the right direction, and a bit of confidence. I hope you're not mad at me," I relaxed a little with each word she said, and couldn't find any part of me that was angry over Jasper's interference.

"No, sweet girl, I could never be mad at you. I love you so much and I'm so grateful that you trusted me with this, with your precious body, and especially your heart. I will treasure you for the rest of eternity," I pulled her down for one more kiss, before making myself lift her off of me so we could stand to dress. "Now let's get out of here before they catch us. I think we can find somewhere more secluded to continue this little activity. Unless you're tired of me already?"

She giggled again, the sound of windchimes ringing out, and leaned into my embrace. Everywhere our skin was connected, I felt warm currents of electricity. This truly was heaven.

AN: Happy chapter, yes? ;)