Chapter 14: Unexpected Sensations

Edward POV

I was starting to get seriously worried. Not only did I have to deal with my own changing body, but the wolves wanted to tear me to shreds. As if I asked for this to happen. And now, surely, the Volturi were coming for me too. How could it get any worse? I really didn't think it could. Honestly, there was no possible other thing that could make this whole experience worse.

Sighing heavily, I rubbed my eyes with my spare hand.

We had to kill them, right? I mean, they were going to kidnap me otherwise. Besides, Ubaldo had it coming. What kind of idiot taunts a giant supernatural wolf? I scoffed to myself at the memory, but my mirth died when I remembered the other man that had been killed.

Santiago. There would be retribution for that. An involuntary shudder ran up my spine. Surely, they would send their best Guards to exact their revenge. Alec, Jane... It seemed inevitable to me.

Shaking my head, I tried to clear my mind of those bone-chilling thoughts. Carlisle could defeat them. We all could, if we stood together. I had already promised to stay inside until I was all "better". My family could easily protect me in the house, especially with the added benefit of what amounted to guard dogs surrounding the place.

I would be safe. They would keep me safe. They had to.

Feeling reassured, I tucked myself back into my flannel drawstring pants and flushed the toilet, before heading back into the living room.

Jasper POV

We were all gathered in the living room, just hanging out and doing our own thing. Everyone was serene and calm for the most part, trying to distract themselves from the impending threat of the wolves. Jacob's pack were all outside patrolling at the moment, so we finally had a chance to relax after all of the madness in the woods. Everyone was succeeding, and it was finally peaceful. Everyone that is, except Edward. Outwardly, he appeared to be fine, expertly filling out a crossword puzzle. But on the inside, he was feeling anxious. I brushed it off—I was pretty used to feeling that from him by now—and went back to reading my Civil War anthology. It was a fun diversion for me; I loved discovering all of the inaccuracies.

Suddenly, the calm was interrupted by a powerful wave of thirst. I felt paralyzed by it as it washed over me. I had a hard time keeping my own thirst in check, so this new wave only intensified the ever-present sensation. The sudden change in ambience mounted rapidly and I quickly felt overcome by it. The thirst was beginning to cloud my rational mind.

There was a gust of terror which swirled in the air with the thirst, and Edward's head jerked in my direction. He met my eyes, projecting wariness as he wrapped his arms protectively around his midriff. He was silently pleading with me not to hurt the baby, not trusting me at the moment.

I'm not going to hurt the baby! I thought, offended. It got pretty old, everyone thinking I had so little self-control. I suppose they had reason to, but I wouldn't go and eat a baby, Jesus!

Glancing around the room, I wondered, Who the hell is so goddamned thirsty?

Edward and I shared a brief look and nodded to each other. We began to survey the room. Everyone seemed to be at peace. Rosalie looked bored as Alice prattled on about shopping, Carlisle and Esme were each reading a book, snuggled together on the loveseat, and Jacob was eating chips and watching the game with Emmett and Billy. I looked back at Edward and it didn't seem like he was picking up on anyone's inner struggle with extreme thirst either.

Just then, I felt a clawing pain in my gut as Edward hunched forward, groaning and clutching at his belly. Carlisle was immediately by Edward's side asking if he was okay. There was a sudden flare-up of the thirst, and Edward's hands flew to his throat, his eyes widening as he was consumed by the thirst. I felt every second of his pain, my body beginning to tremble from the effort to hold myself together. Carlisle's eyes, as well as everyone else's, were trained on Edward however, growing ever more concerned.

"Edward! Are you alright?" Carlisle asked desperately, tugging at Edward's shirt sleeve, trying to get an answer. But Edward could not answer. He could probably think of nothing but the fire in his throat.

Jacob rushed to his mate's side, his heart racing and his fear escalating. The rest were frightened too. All of these debilitating emotions in the room were starting to drive me mad. The thirst was the worst of it though, and it continued to burn Edward and I with a blue flame.

Abruptly, the thirst disappeared, making both Edward and I sigh in relief, our tensed shoulders relaxing. Finally released from the grip of the thirst, I glanced around the room to find all eyes trained on both of us now, waiting for answers we didn't have.

"Edward! Tell me what happened!" Jacob demanded when he found his voice again. He was frightened.

"The baby's alright," Edward reassured him. Turning to Carlisle, Edward described what happened. "There was a sharp cramping pain in my side, and then I got unbearably thirsty." There were several gasps heard around the room as the vampires identified with his pain. "It was so strange—I haven't wanted or needed blood since this whole thing started!"

"Why would you suddenly be thirsty again? What's different about now?" Carlisle asked, mostly to himself.

"Nothing! I've been feeling normal!" Edward insisted. "Well, relatively."

He wasn't lying, his emotions had been perfectly normal up until a few minutes ago. Then suddenly, it dawned on me. I couldn't figure out who was projecting the feeling of thirst before, but I hadn't considered all of the options. I hadn't considered the baby. Of course it was thirsty. It was half-vampire, after all. And Edward had only been eating human food throughout his pregnancy, so its need for blood was strong.

Edward was staring at me, and when our eyes met, he said, "I think you're right, Jasper."

Everyone looked from me, to Edward, and back again, reminding me of spectators at a ping-pong match. Edward turned toward Carlisle.

"Jasper felt the thirst before it hit me, but he couldn't figure out who the feeling was coming from. It was the baby, Carlisle. The baby is thirsty."

"Shit," Jacob muttered.

Edward turned back toward Jacob and gave him a pointed look. "Yeah, 'shit' is right. Because the thought of drinking animal blood makes me want to vomit right now. Maybe the baby wants human blood."

"Oh God!" Esme gasped, her hand flying up to cover her horrified expression. Billy was equal parts stunned and seething. Alice's eyes unfocused as she tried in vain to see if Edward would kill anybody. Emmett and Rose just stared on in shock.

"No! You can't feed from humans! It will only give the pack a real reason to attack! It would break the treaty!" Jacob cried, extremely agitated but trying really hard not to freak out.

"Jake, I don't want to do it, but I think I might have to. For the baby." Edward was being sincere, and after a small moment of hesitation, Jacob believed him. Billy's anger, however, was building.

At that moment, Carlisle had an epiphany. He met Edward's gaze and they had a short, silent conversation, ending with a nod from Edward.

"What if it were you, Jacob?" asked Carlisle. "Would that break the treaty?"

"Fuck the treaty! I'm not murdering anybody!" Jacob shouted, utterly shocked that he was being asked to do this.

Billy mirrored his son's emotions, but did not see it as his place to interfere yet. He was outnumbered after all - Billy hadn't forgotten that fact.

"No, Jacob, that's not what I meant," Carlisle said quickly. "I mean, what if it was your blood he drank?"

Jacob was silent for a moment as realization dawned on him. Jacob met his father's eyes and they shared a long look. Jacob wanted to help—everyone knew he would do anything for Edward and the baby—but he was afraid of what would happen. Billy was relieved that Carlisle hadn't meant for Jacob to commit murder. And although he was apprehensive about a vampire biting his son, he knew that Edward wouldn't kill his boy. All of this, they were communicating wordlessly, as only a father and son could. Only Edward and I had some idea of what was going on.

Finally, Jacob looked up, glancing between Edward and Carlisle, before his gaze settled on our coven leader.

"Oh, er, no, I guess it wouldn't violate the treaty…"

Edward walked over to Jacob and embraced him. He placated Jacob, whispering softly in his ear, even though we could all hear him anyway.

"Listen, Jake. Why don't we try it and if you feel uncomfortable, we'll figure something else out."

Edward was aroused by the idea of drinking his mate's blood, and he was really hoping Jake would agree, although he hid the desire beneath the surface.

"I could try to sign out some blood from the bank at the hospital to supplement as needed," Carlisle offered. He was trying to ease Jacob's nervousness.

Jacob looked from Edward to Carlisle, then back to Edward. He was reluctant and apprehensive, but still willing to try. He nodded solemnly.

"Okay, I'll try it."

Jacob POV

I was beyond terrified.

Never had I let Edward bite me before. I feared the pain of his teeth tearing into my flesh, the burn of his venom and how it might react with my shifter blood. Would it hurt more or less than if I were a regular human? Would I be at risk of turning into a bloodsucker myself?

"I don't think so," Edward said, responding to my thought. He climbed up on the bed and sat next to me, leaning his back against the headboard. I looked up at him from my position lying down, and he smiled gently at me. Of course, he would know I was frightened.

"Besides, I'm not even sure how venomous I am right now."

If that was supposed to reassure me, it didn't work. Edward's smile faltered. "Listen, Jake. I can't promise it won't hurt at all, but I can promise that I'll suck out any stray venom from your bloodstream."

"Gee. Thanks."

Edward sighed and broke eye contact with me. "Let's just forget it. Carlisle will get some blood from the hospital. The baby can wait until tomorrow."

That manipulative bastard, using the baby to get his way. Don't think that I don't know what you're trying to do.

Edward put his hands up defensively. "I'm not trying to do anything! I am sure the baby can wait until tomorrow. She's waited this long, right? So let's not think about it anymore."

He started to get under the covers and when he was comfortable, he cuddled up to me on his side, laying his head in the crook of my arm. I ran my fingers through his hair, eliciting a light purr from him. I was relieved that Edward appeared to have let me off the hook without holding a grudge, but worry for the well-being of the baby was nagging at me now. I mean, how long would the baby have to wait? When did Carlisle get home from work?

"Not for another ten hours. He had to work a double today. Someone called in sick."

Fuck. I couldn't let the baby go that long without the blood it needed. Hell, I couldn't make Edward suffer through that terrible bloodlust again either.

Knowing now that I would submit to him, my mate softly kissed the side of my chest, trailing his lips up to my neck, where he nuzzled his face into the crook, inhaling deeply. My cock twitched, I couldn't help it. I loved when he smelled me like that, because I knew how hot it made him.

"I'll make it good. I promise," he murmured, his voice husky, before running the tip of his tongue along my jugular.

I gasped at the sudden sensation of his cool, wet tongue against my feverish flesh, my cock filling fast. He pressed his teeth to the skin covering my pumping artery. I've never been more aware of the rushing life blood running through my veins. Before I could lose my nerve, I thought to him,

Do it.

No sooner were the words out of my mouth when I felt the sharp sting as my flesh tore, his teeth sinking in deep, puncturing the vessel containing my blood. I cried out loudly at the sudden, stinging pain, the venom feeling like a jolt of electric shocks, prickling at my nerves. Then there was a pulling sensation as Edward began to drink. I felt like someone was tugging at something deep in my groin, and the flames of desire spread through my body with every long swallow. I could feel his lips molded around my wound, carefully sealed so he wouldn't lose a drop of my precious liquid, and the gentle push and pull of his lips as he drank was making my cock throb painfully.

I groaned, clutching his shoulder, humping the air, begging for friction. Edward moved until he was half draped over me, his thigh resting between my legs. His cloth-covered cock brushed against my hip, and damned if he wasn't just as hard as I was. We ground our cocks against each other as he drank, the coil in my belly tightening to the point of bursting. My vision began to blur and the sensations at my neck and between my legs intensified. There was no more blood left for my brain—it was all going to two different, more important locations. When Edward reached down to cup my balls through my briefs, it was too much. I came with a cry, filling my underwear. Edward moaned against my neck and I felt him release into his pants.

Carefully, he extracted his teeth from my neck and swiped his tongue across the bite. The venom stung as it sealed the wound, my healing ability taking over from there. Not wanting to disturb my neck as it healed, Edward laid beside me as we came down from our mutual high.

We didn't say a word. We didn't need to. We both just laid there beside each other, reveling in our blissed out states. Soon, my body was screaming at me to get some rest so that my blood count could be restored. I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard Edward gasp. I sat upright, looking down at him. His hand was resting on his belly and he was smiling. He met my gaze and his eyes were glistening with tears.

"Jacob. She moved."

Aro POV

It had been two weeks and still no word from Ubaldo and Santiago. They were meant to return from America after a few days at most. It could only mean two things. Either they were dead or they had defected.

I could understand it more from Ubaldo if he decided to run; he was a fairly new acquisition. But Santiago's loyalty to us was strong, and it seemed unlikely that he would branch out on his own. As much as I didn't want to believe it, it appeared that Santiago, at least, had to be dead. And he was my best strong-arm.

Could Carlisle have killed them to protect the secrecy of his experiment? No, I didn't think Carlisle had it in him. But any one of his minions could have been the culprits.

It seemed to me that there was only one thing to do.

Go to Forks and find out for myself.

A/N: I've entered an anonymous contest called The Summer it All Began. Check out the FFn page and read the stories, try to figure out which one is mine and vote! Voting starts this Saturday, June 16th!

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