A/N: next chapter
PS: I know there are a lot of spelling mistakes in this, sorry my bad.
"Tell me again Jakey."
Jacob gave a sigh as he looked down at the blond clinging to his arm, with a lovesick look in her eyes and a slight pout on her lips as they stood by a tree in the back yard.
Siobhan had let him take a break from training and Emmett and Embry took his place. The Irish vampire was having the most fun coaching the wolf on how to beat an opponent without using brute strength, while Emmett grumbled and complained every time Embry actually managed to knock him down using nothing but his tail or paw.
"Why do you insist on hearing me tell you this story over and over again, Tanya?"
Just then Embry knocked Emmett down for the third time in a row, this time pinning the vampire beneath him as he phased back to his human form.
"Gotcha again."
Emmetts eyes were narrowed in annoyance just before they flickered down and the vampire smirked. "Hey, I'm not complaining."
Kate gave a loud whistle as she cat called him a few feet away where she sat with Garret watching while Zafrina playfully sparred with Will, tickling the boy and making him squeal everytime she caught him.
Embry blushed as he realised that he'd forgotten he's completely naked. Siobhan gave a hearty laugh while Emmett's smirk got even wider.
Now totally embarrassed Embry started to shift back when Emmett stopped him short, "For the record, you're making up for turning me into a training dummy later."
The wolf's eyes narrowed down at his vampire until he moved down to give Emmett a quick kiss. "You'll have to beat me first."
With that Embry phased and jumped back, before he crouched in front of Emmett. Siobhan gave a wide grin.
"Well, you heard him muscles, I'd get to it if I were you." The woman teased in that thick irish accent as she walked over to the other side of the yard to get a better view.
Tanya sighed in that incredibly sad way she had learned would make Jacob bend to her every will, "Its a beautiful distraction from my sad existence." The blond said dramatically as she looked up at the shifter with her gold eyes. "Besides I'm making notes so I'll be able to woo my own wolf should I ever come across him."
"Curly-"
"Please Jacob."
Jacob groaned, "Fine."
Tanya gave a squeal as she quickly moved up to place a kiss on Jacob's cheek before going back to wrap her arms around his. The vampire let out a deep unnecessary breath as the werewolf hybrid's heat warmed her skin. "Now tell me, how did Edward make you his mate."
Jacob sighed as he looked around the the yard, wondering how on earth he ended up with a female vampire permanently attached to his arm while Edward was off doing...
Whatever it was he was doing.
The passed three weeks had been rough on everyone, but thankfully things had calmed down somewhat since there weren't anymore vampires randomly showing up in Forks and Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Rosalie had come back from their world wide recruit.
The Denali had arrived first, all except for Irina of course since the vampire still bared a grudge against the Cullens and wolves alike and refused to help Carlisle with anything unless she was allowed to exact her revenge for her mates death.
Unfortunately, even with Irina's absence the initial meeting hadn't gone as well as Carlisle had hoped. If finding a pack of werewolves living at the Cullen mansion and being told of Jacob's transformation wasn't enough of a shock, the Denali's were almost pushed over the edge when they saw Will for the first time.
At first the sister coven had assumed that William was just a human child since he looked normal enough, until the child ran clear across the woods and back at an incredible speed just before pushing over a tree ten times his size.
Needless to say the Denali freaked.
They were Volturi law purists after all, so finding out that the Cullens had created an immortal child was nothing less than horrifying. The only one who even agreed to at least listen was Carmen, a woman who Jacob later learned was Eleazar's mate.
The woman was incredibly sweet and kind, and Jacob found himself relating her to Esme.
Thankfully Carlisle managed to convince them to stay for at least a few days to watch and see for themselves how the child grew.
It took less than four days for them to come around maybe even less, since William already had Kate and Tanya twirled around his little finger by day two. It was also on this day that Eleazar informed Jacob of his gift.
Telekinesis.
Of course Jacob had been trying to hone his ability ever since the Bella incident a few weeks before, but so far the shifter hadn't been able to do more than move a pencil a few inches on a table.
Which is why Kate started training him.
The blond vampire used the example of her own gift to teach Jacob how to force out his gift.
Next came Zafrina and Senna.
Two of the craziest looking vampires Jacob had ever seen in his entire life, but also two of the most insightful.
Unlike the Denali, the amazons hadn't reacted half as shocked as they did when they saw William and Zafrina didn't seem nearly as bothered with the werewolves stalking around the home as she should have been.
Quite the opposite really.
After seeing Leah and Paul phase just after their arrival, Senna had almost beamed while Zafrina gave a soft smile as she said.
"Perhaps this will seem more like home after all."
Then came Garrett who had been amazed and simply fascinated at the shifters and spent most of his time around them asking questions whenever he wasn't preoccupied with Kate.
There's really no mistaking that this guy is one of Carlisle's friends.
Next was the Egyptian coven.
Amun, Kebi, Bejamin and Tia.
Bejamin had been helping Jacob further hone his gift since his own was similar in kind, with the only difference being that whereas Jacob could move objects of any kind Benjamin could only influence the elements.
The only problem Jacob had with this coven, other than the fact that they kill humans, was Amun.
The man is a proverbial control freak and Jacob found himself wishing for him to leave despite the fact that they'll need him against the Volturi. Especially since Amun has been staring at the alpha and eyeing all the other wolves since the moment he saw Bejamin helping him develop his ability.
And then there came Jacob's favourite group of bloodsuckers.
The Irish coven.
Siobhan is strong, confident and has an incredible sense of humour. The woman carried a presence all her own that somehow went beyond that of any normal vampire coven leader. So much so that if Siobhan was a wolf then Jacob had no doubt in his mind that she'd be the alpha. Maggie was adorable, if not a little forward, like another version of Alice. Without the hyperactive sugar rush, but not as restrained as the psychic either. Liam was quiet for the most part choosing only to stick by Siobhan's side, never wandering too far away.
Jacob spent most of his time with the Siobhan. He'd use his new ability to throw objects at her and push her back with them to increase his strength, while the redhead's impressive strength provided quite the resistance forcing him to push it further.
As the days passed a couple more showed up.
Some nomads like Mary, Randall and Alistair, before Alistair turned tail and ran of course.
Jasper's friends Charlotte and Peter, both of whom took an immediate liking to Seth not only because he was the empath's mate but because the boy seemed so open towards them regardless of what they were and what he was.
Unfortunately the other wolves weren't coping as well as Seth in the beginning.
It was a problem that a lot of them were going through.
Since Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie had left Forks to look for witnesses to testify for them, Seth, Leah, Embry and Paul were left behind.
It wasn't that the vampires didn't want to take their mates with them, the problem is that if they came across any vampires on their trip, they would most definitely not stop to listen once they caught the scent of shifter in the air.
So the wolves were left to suffer home in wait.
Things were made especially hard since the vampires that kept showing up fed on humans and the shifters had to fight against phasing, or growling uncontrollably.
But as the days moved on they were forced to adjust.
For reasons that cannot be explained, Senna had taken an instant liking to Paul, so the quiet girl would often leave her sisters side in favour of hanging around the shifter instead. Especially when Paul was in his wolf form. No matter how many times Paul growled, barked and snarled at her Senna was always there watching with a smile on her face.
Until Paul just gave up and let her be, something that would later annoy Rosalie to no end.
Leah and Embry were tormented by the plague that is Maggie, since the truth detecting vampire had take it upon herself to follow the two shifters around and point out every single lie they told. Even when they were in wolf form and most likely just thinking to themselves.
Fortunately things weren't as difficult for Seth and Jacob of course.
The sandy wolf has never really been all that uncomfortable around vampires of any kind so it didn't take him much to get used to the new guests.
Jacob still had urges to phase and rip through some vampire bodies on occasion, but his vampire half kept his wolf half under control and eventually the presence of the human eating bloodsuckers didn't bother him anymore.
That is until 'they' showed up...
Jacob looked away from Tanya just as he was telling her about his and Edwards first kiss, a memory that still made him blush, when his eyes suddenly snapped up and he looked across the yard.
Seth was sitting next to Benjamin and Tia watching with a bright smile as the elementalist levitated water and made it spin and turn. Jasper was standing a few feet away as he kept an eye on Seth while Peter and Charlotte endlessly teased him about his infatuation with his new pet. Of course Emmett and Embry were still being coached by Siobhan while Liam and Maggie watched a few feet away.
Senna had gone back to her sisters side, Paul and Rosalie took a trip to Seattle since the blonde was having strange difficulties not killing the amazon that insisted on hanging around her mate. Randall and Mary were hunting out of State. And the rest were scattered across the house.
Just then Jacob paused when he realised that he hadn't seen Leah since an hour after Edward left that morning. The alpha shrugged when he realised that she mustve gone hunting with Alice. Jacob's throat started to burn.
He really needs to remember to take Will hunting tonight.
And at that very thought Jacob suddenly realised.
"Where's Sue?" Jacob asked as he looked down at Tanya. "Is she in the kitchen with Carmen and Esme?"
It had taken quite a bit of adjusting on the part of the vampire guests to adjust to Sue's presence at the Cullen mansion as well. But most of them kept themselves under control, since Alice insisted that Sue's part in the Volturi's arrival was important and they might not have much time to go get her if they suddenly decide to come early.
Even Peter and Charlotte controled themselves, although credit to that goes to the fact that Sue is Seth's mother.
Even with all the vampire's co-orporation, the Cullens and the pack always made sure to keep an eye on the tribal leader.
It's not like they were worried someone might accidentally eat her or anything, but it was still best to know where the Sue was at all times.
"No," Tanya said with a slight shake of her head, "Carmen and Esme went hunting with Leah and Alice."
"So she's with Carlisle and Eleazar?"
"No."
"Well where is she?"
"With Vladimir and Stefan in the living room."
Jacob tensed.
"Tanya."
"Yes, Jakey."
"How long has Sue been alone with them?"
The blond shrugged as she lifted a hand to stare at her nails, "About an hour."
"Jesu-... Tanya?!"
"What?" The blond blinked as she stared up at Jacob with amusement. "You said to make sure the romanians don't corrupt Will you never said anything about corrupting Sue."
"Why am I not I surprised?" Jacob said with exasperation as he pulled out of Tanya's grasp and moved in a blur across the yard straight for the house. When he got to the living room he found Sue seated on the couch with Stefan sitting on her right side while Vladimir sat on a chair on the other side of the room, reading one of Carlisle's history books.
The romanians.
They have been a pain in Jacob's ass since the moment they arrived in Forks.
It was obvious what they were after, after all they weren't exactly keeping it a secret.
They wanted a war with the Volturi.
At any cost necessary.
"Romania is beautiful this time of year." Stefan cooed while Vladimir gave a snort of amusement on the other side of the room. Stefan had only glanced at his coven mate before bringing his attention back to Sue. "Snow covers every inch of the ground and the tree's are donned with millions of ice crystals hanging off the leaves, catching the sunlight that beams through the clouds and sparkling like diamonds."
"Sparkling in the sun," Sue raised an eyebrow at the vampire as she looked him straight in the eye. "Like you do?"
Stefan blinked in surprise and Vladimir let out a loud laugh, regardless of the fact that he was also being insulted. Jacob had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing.
Once the shock had passed Stefan smiled in amusement, "Ah, always such fire my little Zana."
Jacob rolled his eyes and decided to put an end to the tribal leaders torment. "Sue."
The quileute woman looked up at the door way and looked like she wanted to give a sigh of relief.
"Yes Jacob."
"Seth needs you, outside."
Sue gave a quick nod and immediately stood to leave the room when Stefan stood as well, the vampire took her hand and placed a kiss on the back. "Until later Susan."
"Yes, much much later."
The quileute woman pulled her hand from his grasp and left the room with Jacob in tow, when they heard Vladimir break out in a fit of laughter.
Jacob caught up with Sue just as they left through the door and it closed behind them.
"Sue, stay away from Dracula one and two."
"I tried," Sue growled as she shot a glare up at Jacob, "He cornered me an hour ago right after Carlisle and Eleazar left."
Jacob frowned when his eyebrows suddenly furrowed in thought, "Wait, what the hell is a Zana?"
"I have no idea. Where's Will?"
"With Kate and Zafrina."
Sue looked up to where Jacob was pointing and gave a sigh of relief. The woman had looked just in time to catch Kate send a bolt of electric shock that knocked Garret flat on his ass just as the nomad tried to touch her. "Finally something normal."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Freedom.
Its a concept that had long ago eluded Benjamin and for the most part, the elementalist had accepted that fact.
He lost his freedom the moment that Amun had taken him away from his uncle and his teeth broke through his skin. He'd spent many years in the temple alone with only his sire and Kebi for company but even that wasn't much at all.
Benjamin has always known that Kebi only put up with him to keep her mate happy, so she rarely ever paid much attention to anything he did and Amun only found interest in him when it had something to do with his gift.
Which is why it wasn't too long before he went looking for Tia.
The life of a vampire especially one forced into his isolation was incredibly lonely and Benjamin was often plagued by thoughts of how things used to be before he was turned.
He missed the crowded streets of Cairo, he missed the sly street vendors that had tried to swindle him on more than one occasion. Promising him the moon and the stars all for just a few pieces of silver or gold. He missed the scent thousands of herbs and spices all mixed together with the scents of perfumes and sweet oils from the thousands of stalls that all huddled up on the dusty streets. The crowds of people that watched in shock and awe as he used his gift to put them under his spell, all cheering and gasping while his uncle watched from afar.
But most of all he missed Tia.
The smart and cunning young girl who became his best friend only days after his aunt passed and he started living with his uncle. So he managed to escape Amun and went to go see her and almost left when he found that she was married.
Tia was wonderful, worth so much more than the cursed existence he's being forced to live. If her husband made her happy then Benjamin wouldn't ask for anything more.
Of course Tia wouldn't be so easily deterred and in that incredibly cheeky way that was Tia insisted on leaving with him so he wouldn't be bored to death for all eternity.
But still even with Tia there, the elementalist still wanted so much more from his existence.
Benjamin smiled at the young boy that sat in front of him as he waved his hand over the filled glass and the water inside rose up in a stream. A bright smile broke out over Seth's face as a the elementalist made the stream separate into smaller drops of water before he made them twirl and swirl in random patterns.
The vampire's head tilted to the side in slight wonder at how childlike the shifter seemed to be despite his somewhat older appearance and he could almost feel Tia's warm smile as she watched Seth as well.
It was quite the shock when they arrived in Forks and discovered the scent of werewolf not only near the reservation, but all around the Cullen mansion as well. Amun had been ready to leave the moment they arrived and were assaulted by the scent of wet dog, fortunately Benjamin had been adamant in staying to find out what Carlisle needed help with before simply leaving without hearing the coven leader out first.
It was unbelievable.
The Cullens had not only changed a werewolf into a vampire hybrid of somesort, but they had also mated a pack of shifters. Benjamin has always held a strong sense of fascination whenever it came to the Olympic coven. Not only because they denied instinct by feeding on animals, but also because of how Carlisle governed his coven.
Like they weren't even a coven at all.
Like they were a family.
Carlisle was more like a father than the vampires sire and leader and Esme doted on them like she was the one that gave birth to them.
He's heard many stories of how Emmett and Rosalie would sometimes break away from the coven to go on long honeymoons that sometimes went on for years and the trips that Jasper and Alice also took only they didn't stay away for too long before going back.
They were a coven meant to stay together at all times and yet, the Cullens seemed to have all the freedom in the world.
Part of him has always envied that, but he never did anything about it. Because regardless of how he felt Amun is the one that turned him.
He is Benjamin's sire.
Despite the fact that the elementalist would never have wanted this kind of existence for himself and the fact that Tia would leave with him should he ever wish to do so, he still didn't have a reason to abandon his master just yet.
As Benjamin made the water float higher up into the air, he noted with amusement at how Seth's head moved up with it. It amazed him to no end how this seemingly innocent child could turn into a wolf the size of a horse in no more than five seconds.
Benjamin's nose scrunched up a little as he took an unnecessary breath and the scent of wet dog clung to his nostrils. The smell was still something that the elementalist was yet to adjust to, but fortunately it was getting better.
Tia had noted, the night before when they passed Jasper's room and saw Seth sleeping while the empath read a book near the end of the bed, that she's been able to sense some other scents underneath the wet dog smell. It was a promise that the smell would eventually fade the more time they spent around the shifters, so spending time around their so called mortal enemies became easier and easier every day.
But Jacob was different.
Although Jacob didn't smell like any of the werewolves, his scent wasn't exactly pleasant either. If Benjamin had to place it, he'd say it smelled like fresh water. You can't so much smell it as taste it and even then there's no definable trait you could link it to.
Another thing that held Benjamin's interest was the pack and how they worked. From what Carlisle explained Jacob was their alpha, which meant that the wolves followed his orders. Much like a coven leader only much more dominant in the eyes of his pack and Bejamin couldn't help but wonder,
"What is it like?"
Seth's eyes went back down to lock onto Benjamin as his face twisted in confusion.
"What's what like?"
"Being in your pack," the elementalist explained as he made the water join and spread into a circle. "Does it work the same way as a coven?"
Seth shrugged as he brought his gaze back up to where it was before, "I guess it depends on the coven."
This time Tia's head tilted in slight confusion as well, "What do you mean?"
"Well, if you mean is it like a normal vampire coven then no. I don't think it is. But if you mean a coven like the Cullens, then yeah... Sorta."
"Sorta?" Benjamin sounded out the word like he was trying to decern its meaning.
"Yeah, I mean, being in the pack is like being part of a family but more than that. Especially with the whole mindlink thing."
Tia leaned forward on her knees and she frowned with her top lip caught between her teeth, a human habit she'd taken with her after her change. "Mindlink?"
"Right, you guys don't have that." Seth looked back down at her and smiled, "well the simplest way I could put it is when we phase were able to read each others minds, but its not like Edward does. Like when Jake was seeing Edward, even though he tried to hide it. The whole pack could feel that there was something different. He'd slip up sometimes and we'd feel how he felt about Edward, like...like we felt what he felt you know."
"You feel each others emotions, like Jasper does." Benjamin asked and Seth pursed his lips in thought.
"Well, its more like we experience them... Damn, Jake would be able to explain it so much better than me." The boy sighed in frustration and Benjamin couldn't help but smile.
"Jacob is your alpha correct?"
"Yeah, he didn't want to be at first but after the thing with Sam he had to."
"Had to?" Tia frowned, "Why what happened?"
"Jake told him about Edward and Sam gave him an alpha order to force him to stay away, but then Jake turned alpha on him so he couldn't order him around anymore." Seth beamed, "It was so cool, Jacob left the pack and we followed him. Jake says it felt like chains were breaking apart, like something inside of him broke free."
"Broke free." Benjamin said more to himself when he felt Tia's hand go down onto his shoulder to give a slight squeeze and he realised that the water he had levitating in the air was starting to float down and he quickly forced it higher up. It's strange, but he and Jacob had a lot more in common then he realised. Both of them were trapped, stuck in an existences they couldn't control only Jacob managed to escape.
"And when Jacob left this Sam's pack, you left with him."
"Yip, Jake's a better alpha than Sam ever was anyway. With Sam everything was an order, like an obey or die kinda thing." Seth gave a laugh as he looked back up at the swirling water. "But Jake isn't like that, he let's us make our own decisions. He's like a big brother, we draw strength from him."
"I see."
Benjamin kept the water spinning for a few more moments until it came back down and streamed back into the glass and Seth's gaze followed it until a hand suddenly came down on the boy's head to push it down.
"Geeze, C'mon Jake knock it off!"
Benjamin looked up to find the werewolf hybrid smiling down at Seth as he ruffled the shifters hair, making it fall into his eyes.
"I thought you said you'd get Alice to cut your hair."
"She went hunting with Leah this morning, they won't be back till later." Seth growled in annoyance as he soon as Jacob's hand moved away from his hair and he tried to push the longer strands back flat against his head. "Besides Jazz said he likes it this way."
Jacob rolled his eyes as he shoved his hands in his pocket, "You wanna go hunting with me and Will later?"
"What about Edward?"
The shifter sighed as he raked a hand through his own shoulder length hair, "Emmett said Edward is out running some kind of errand, don't when he'll be back. Besides, Will's eyes are starting to change so I want him to feed before we go to see my dad at Charlie's tomorrow."
Seth shrugged, "O.K, Jasper needs to feed too anyway, right Jazz?"
Benjamin saw the empath turn back towards his mate and give him a smile.
Jacob nodded, "Alright, we'll leave at sunset."
Benjamin looked up at Tia silently asking with his eyes and Tia nodded eagerly with a smile.
"May we go as well?"
The elementalist suddenly asked making Jacob stare at him before he gave him a sheepish grin, "Well we're probably gonna hunt some deer so I-"
"Don't you feed from humans?" Seth interrupted with a curious tilt of his head.
"Yes we do, we just want to observe."
"We've never seen vampires hunt animals before," Tia explained with a smile, "I am curious to see how it works."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." Benjamin said with a sure nod as his eyes fixed on the boy he realised was so much more like him than he could have possibly imagined. Jacob looked over his shoulder at Jasper and the empath gave a slight shrug. After taking a deep breath the alpha finally answered.
"I guess just watching can't hurt. We'll head out at sunset."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
They had only meant to catch it.
Just see if there was as much sport in hunting an animal as there is hunting a human.
For all his faults, Amun wasn't like most vampires that treated humans like they were nothing but livestock meant to be slaughtered and fed from. The coven leader had as much respect for humans as he had for all other living things.
Amun didn't kill because he wanted to but because he had to. The humans were a means of survival. They needed their blood in order for them to exist, but that doesn't mean they have any less right to live than vampires do.
It was an odd balance between need and indifference.
They feed from humans because they have to, no more no less.
But as Benjamin stood over the carcas of the three year old buck he couldn't help but wonder.
The Cullens didn't need to feed on humans to survive, they managed to live solely on the blood of animals. So how is his way any better than theirs.
Tia stood beside him with a thoughtful frown on her face.
They hadn't meant to kill it.
They left the Cullen mansion at sunset and followed Jacob, Will, Jasper and Seth to a hunting ground that they didn't use as frequently.
Benjamin had watched in awe when Jacob phased in front of him. He'd never seen the werewolf hybrid in anything other than his human form before so seeing the boy he'd associated with vampirism change into a large white wolf with bleeding red eyes was quite the shock.
Will had gotten on Jacob's back and the shifter carried his son all they way into the woods while Seth phased as well and the vampires ran along side them.
When they got there Jacob and Will went one way while Jasper and Seth went another. Benjamin and Tia decided to follow the hybrids and watched as the father and son began their hunt.
It was different but not all that strange, how Jacob would silently stalk a small group of deer they'd found near a creak and waited to watch the animals for a moment. William had gotten off of his fathers back and stayed at a close distance while Jacob selected his prey before they took off.
When hunting a human, vampires usually go for the art of seduction. They lure the human towards them and make them submit before going in for the kill or sometimes if the target actually manages to resist them there's a slight chase, where you steer them into seclusion smelling their fear and hearing their hearts pump blood furiously through their veins.
But Benjamin and Tia learned that while hunting animals was similar it was also just a little bit different. There's fear, anxiety a chase but unlike hunting humans with animals there were no restrictions.
It was an predatory dance of raw instinct, a moment when humanity could be lost for just a second without the guilty after-effects of taking the life of a mother or father or first born child.
Curiosity had gotten the better of the two and they decided to give it a try.
Benjamin and Tia broke away from watching as Jacob's large jaw clamp down on the deer's neck before he stepped back so his son could feed. They found a lone buck just a mile out from where they were before.
And again they didn't mean to kill it.
Just stalk it chase it and maybe catch it, but after the animal began to struggle Tia had to take a stronger hold on the buck than she had anticipated and accidentally broke it's neck.
The egyptian vampires stared down at the animal, not exactly sure what to do with it now that they'd killed it. Benjamin crouched down and moved a hand to stroke the creatures deep brown coat, the buck was still warm and the elementalist couldn't help but wonder how the creatures blood would taste.
He felt Tia's hand come down on his shoulder and looked back at his mate, silently asking her like he always does and the girl shrugged.
"I don't know. If you try it, then I will too." Tia said thoughtfully as she ran the finger on her free hand across the deer's coat. "I admit, I'm a bit curious about this as well, but if you wish for us not to then we won't."
Benjamin gave a nod and looked back down at the buck, before lifting up the animals head when Tia suddenly stopped him short.
"Amun will not be pleased."
"I'm aware of that."
Tia nodded and Benjamin suddenly moved, the vampire sunk his teeth into the animal's coat and ripped out the fur covered skin insulating the flesh before biting down on the wound to let the animals blood flow into his mouth.
It was odd.
Not as revolting disgusting as the stories he'd heard but not exactly pleasant either.
It held none of the sweet thickness of human blood, the smell wasn't as pleasant and it was in no way as filling as feeding on a human is.
If Benjamin had to describe it he'd say it tasted like fresh water.
It was actually quite refreshing.
Human blood instantly sends you into a state of blissful euphoria that goes straight to your head, making you feel whole while the sweet taste rushing to your head made you feel slightly intoxicated and warm all over.
But the animal blood didn't.
Yes there's that brief exhilaration and ecstasy every vampire feels when the coat of blood reaches your tongue, but it doesn't last too long and the warmth fades quickly. It doesn't fill as easily, but Benjamin actually felt his mind start to clear a little more as the buck's blood ran down his throat.
Like a drunken haze was slowly being washed away.
The elementalist could feel Tia's shoulder bump into him as she lifted part of the animal and bit down as well.
It was strange how the knowledge of his mate being so close to him, filled him with a sense of devotion that somehow felt clearer now than it had before.
He remembers one of the Denali, Eleazer, explain to Jacob once that feeding on animals allowed them to build relationships and close bonds to one another. Their sense of humanity is heightened since they don't take the lives of others to improve their own.
He didn't think too much of that conversation before, but now he was starting to wonder.
The elementalist lifted his head from the carcass and took a deep breath while a trail of blood ran down his throat and he was immediately hit with the scent of the boy he realised he had so much in common with.
The boy whose scent could be tasted as fresh water.
A scent he'd linked with the taste of freedom.
Jacob's eyes were a red with touches of gold burning in the irises from feeding as he stood next to Will, whose normally bright green eyes were momentarily gold from his meal.
The great white wolf stared down at him with something akin to worry in his eyes as they slowly moved between him and the still feeding Tia. Even Will seemed concerned as his eyebrows were knit together in a tight line and his bottom lip was caught between his teeth.
Tia looked up and licked the blood from her lips and Jacob gave them one more look before he gestured with his head back towards the way they came and turned to walk back when Will spoke.
"Uncle Jazz and uncle Seth are done. Pappa said we have to go back now."
Tia and Benjamin stood quickly wiping the blood from their mouths, the elementalist opened the ground beneath the buck and the carcass fell inside before he closed it again.
The girl smiled up at Benjamin as she intertwined her fingers with his and he returned it as they followed the hybrids back towards the house.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Jacob gave a sigh when a hard cold pressed against his back and Edward's arms wrapped around his waist, before placing a kiss on the bite mark on his neck.
He'd already heard the infamous black Volvo pull into the drive way just a few seconds ago and heard Edward whisper something to low to hear from his distance to Zafrina. So he wasn't all that surprised when he suddenly felt his vampire wrap around him.
"Kissing up to me won't make up for disappearing all day." Jacob said as he leaned back and almost growled when he felt Edward smirk against his skin.
"I had a quick errand to run."
"What kind of errand?"
"You'll find out soon enough." Edward whispered making Jacob glance up at him when the vampire suddenly looked up at the two in the dining room that his wolf was staring at before.
Benjamin and Tia sat by the table as they spoke to Tanya and Kate. The egyptian vampires seemed to be in much higher spirits than Edward had seen them that morning as the talked and laughed while the blonde sisters argued over some other thing. The telepath watched as Benjamin glanced down at Tia with a warmth he hasn't seen in those burgundy red eyes before while Tia returned it, placing a kiss on her mates cheek before laying her head on his shoulder.
"Those two seem different." Edward commented casually when Jacob let out a sigh and mumbled under his breath.
"For good reason."
Edward frowned at that and moved his head to the side so he was staring down at Jacob's profile when a memory flit through the shifters mind.
He saw Jacob and Will hunting, stalking a few deer before they fed when the memory suddenly rushed by and he saw Benjamin and Tia kneeling down over a brown buck. Benjamin had lifted his head up and he took a deep breath, showing a trail of blood running down his neck while his lips were stained crimson red.
Edward tensed at the memory and Jacob gave the arm wrapped around his waist a brief squeeze to bring the vampire back.
"Does Amun know?" Edward whispered quietly in Jacob's ear and the shifter shook his head.
'No, I doubt he even knows that Benjamin and Tia left with us.'
Edward gave a nod as he continued to watch them, "I think it's best if he doesn't know for now, hopefully it was just curiosity."
"Hopefully."
"Where's Will?"
Jacob leaned back a little more so his weight was resting entirely on Edward as he soaked up the vampires cold skin, "With Mary and Randall out back. Alice and Leah are keeping an eye on them while Mary shows Will some technique she learned on the road."
"O.K," Edward said as he placed another kiss on Jacob's neck, "C'mon there's something I want to show you."
Jacob looked up at that and stood up straight to turn and stare at the vampire in confusion, "Show me what exactly?"
"What I've been doing all day." The vampire smiled as he took Jacob's hand and pulled him along with him, dragging the boy up the stairs towards their room. Jacob frowned when Edward stopped at the door and pulled the wolf in front of him.
"Ready?"
"For what?"
The telepath smirked as he pushed the door open and Jacob gaped.
It was like a whole other world stood on the other side of the door way and Jacob tensed when a cool breeze brushed up against his skin, carrying the sweet scent of wildflowers, earth and pine. Edward gently nudged Jacob inside (or rather outside?) And the shifter stepped on the dirt and grass beneath his feet hearing and feeling the crunch beneath his shoes as a twig snapped in half.
"Edward?"
"Relax."
The vampire cooed as he urged Jacob deeper in.
They stood before a large waterfall, water rushed down over a cliff up ahead and down into the pool below making the air humid and cool. There were flowers all round the brush surrounding the area where they stood. Evening lily's and flowers glowed in bright reds and violet almost blue hues, while the moon stood full and bright along with the stars up in the sky.
It was beautiful.
Jacob gaped at the scene a little more when Edward stopped and he turned back to stare at the vampire, "How did you-"
"I asked Zafrina for a little help." Edward smiled as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on his forehead before pulling back, "I saw this place in her mind a few days ago and the first thing I thought was how I'd love to take you here when I ask you, but leaving Forks right now wouldn't be a good idea so I went for the second alternative."
Jacob gave a nod and gulped at the strange tension he could feel coming from Edward when the telepaths words registered completely. "Take me here when you ask me what?"
"Jacob, I love you." Edward took a step back while he held the alpha's hand, "I think of the moment we met as my second rebirth. You've given up a lot for us to stay together and you've gone through so much pain, but I promise that I'll spend every moment of my existence loving you to make up for that pain. I can't imagine what I could have possibly done to deserve someone like you, but I thank every higher being in exsitance every day for letting me have you."
"I've already done this before, but I wanted to do it right this time." The vampire then went down on one knee and Jacob's eyes went wide, "I know you're probably sick of hearing me say this, but... I'm yours and you're mine, I've known that since the moment that we met, but right now I want to ask you if you'll make it official."
Jacob swallowed hard, while Edward let go of his hand to fish around in his pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. The vampire open the small little container and pulled out a platinum wedding band, before looking up at his wolf and taking his left hand.
"Jacob Ephraim Black, will you marry me-"
Edward expected a lot of different reactions from Jacob. The first one was where he hoped that the shifter would say yes, the second was where he hoped that Jacob wouldn't say no. Then another where he expected Jacob to be less than pleased as he accused the vampire of treating him like a girl. He expected Jacob to maybe pass out, although that was unlikely, Jacob to curse at him which was very likely. He expected Jacob to phase and kill him.
Worst case scenario.
And yet somehow during all these imaginary scenario's he neglected to think of one.
Jacob moved before Edward had even finished his sentence, practically tackling the vampire to the floor as he sealed their lips together in a passionate kiss. Edward smiled into it and wrapped his arms around Jacob's waist making sure to keep a good hold of the ring in his hand while the wolf devoured his mouth.
'Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes!'
A few more moments passed until Jacob pulled back and smiled at Edward with a deep blush on his face.
"Yes."
Edward's face split into a large grin and he lifted his hand to show Jacob the ring. The shifter sat up on his lap stared at the deep silver ring that had one orange stone, one pearl and one bright yellow stone between them while a thin band of diamonds connected them and went around the ring. There was an engraving on the inside that read, "For All Eternity."
Edward sat up and took Jacob's hand to slip the ring on his finger as he spoke. "They're our birth stones. Garnet for you, a pearl for me and topaz for Will."
"It's perfect." Jacob smiled as his hand clenched around Edward's, "So this is what you've been up to all day?"
"All week actually, I've been on the phone with the jeweller for a while. Then I had to go pick it up today."
"You didn't have to do all this."
"Yes I did," Edward said sternly as he combed a hand through Jacob's hair and brushed one side behind his left ear while the other hung over his face, "I would've gone to the stars and back if I had to."
The wolf frowned at that and Edward briefly wondered why,
'God, you're so cheesy'
Edward glared at Jacob while the shifter just grinned.
"Why am I agreeing to this again?"
"Because you love me." Edward answered and Jacob leaned forward to steal a quick kiss.
"I meant other than that."
The vampire shrugged, "Because I'm a great shag?"
Jacob stopped to stare before giving a snort, "Did you seriously just say 'shag'? Who are you, Austin Powers?"
"Would you prefer the term fuck?"
"I'd prefer it if you didn't talk like that, it's disturbing."
Edward arched an eyebrow at that, "You didn't seem to find it disturbing last night, in fact if I remember correctly you had an entire vocabulary of words surrounding my-"
Jacob covered the vampires mouth with his hand, "Don't go there."
Edward just grinned seductively up at Jacob, "So Jake, you wanna shag?"
Jacob flushed and glared at the vampire when-
"Hey Jakey can you-" the sentence was brought to an abrupt halt as a high pitched squeal murdered every ear in the house. The forest, waterfall and flowers around them suddenly vanished and Jacob looked up to find Zafrina rubbing her ear in the corner of Edward's room while Tanya stood in the door with a beaming smile on her face, before she darted inside and grabbed Jacob's left arm to stare at the ring.
"It's so beautiful!" The blonde cooed as she placed her free hand against her chest before looking down at Edward, "Did he say yes?"
Jacob rolled his eyes, "Yeah Curly I said ye-"
"Kate!" Tanya interrupted as she dragged Jacob up off the floor and out of the room.
"Tanya!" Jacob yelped as he was dragged downstairs while Zafrina just looked down at Edward who seemed to be quite annoyed at being interrupted and she gave him a smile.
"Perhaps you can shag later, whatever that means."
A/N: yip super fluffly chapter end
I hope it wasn't too mushy
The next two chapters will be the last
Please review