A/N: Sorry the updates have taken so long and I apologize ahead of time for writing mistakes: it's final exam week here on campus and being a senior level student has taxed the crap out of my time. Summer is iffy; updates may be a little sporadic but please bear with me. I won't abandon this story. I know this chapter's kind of short, but it's the best I can do right now. Thanks again for all the reviews
The plane ride was fairly uneventful. Carlisle's arm was around Esme and she was resting against him. Since she had just slept last night, there was no tiredness in the physical sense. Today had gone in such a rush…she'd hardly had time to take it all in. They'd made two stops, but Carlisle had promised her that they were very close to their destination. A boat ride later found them on a small island.
"This island is owned by our family," Carlisle said, taking the suitcases from the small foreign man on the boat, "we can stay here as long as we want."
There was a house up ahead, small and white. It looked like a little cottage. Bright tropical flowers, some as big as Esme's spread out hand, were blooming everywhere. The heavily perfumed air was almost too much for her vampire senses to handle. The kitchen was stocked with fresh bottles of blood and sparkling crystal dishes. The east side of the house had a wonderful view of the ocean and the west side had a wonderful view of the jungle. Night had fallen and Esme busied herself with unpacking their things. Carlisle gently took the suitcase out of her hands and unceremoniously dumped it on the dresser.
"There's time for that later," he said suggestively, "we have all the time in the world."
Esme would have blushed brightly if she'd been human. He seemed to pick up on the slight nervousness and kissed her on the cheek.
"Want to go swimming?" he asked.
"Sure," she said uneasily.
"I'll meet you out there," he said, stroking her cheek. She watched him unlatch the second story window and dive out as if it were a mere three feet. He barely made a sound when he landed and she heard the rustle of clothes. When she finally worked up the nerve to look down, she saw his clothes hanging on a tree branch. A glistening patch lit by the moonlight indicated where he was in the water.
"He's seen me naked once," Esme reminded herself, "why am I making such a big deal of this?"
She rifled through the suitcase but could find nothing resembling a swimsuit. Stripping down to the lacy undergarments and leaving the wedding dress on a chair, she dove after Carlisle.
It startled her when Carlisle's arms encircled her waist. It was okay that he held her here under the water; oxygen was desirable but not necessary. She watched in awe as a group of tropical fish passed by them. Darkness meant nothing to her; she could still see in perfect clarity though the colors were different.
They swam under water for God only knew how long. When they finally broke the surface again, the moon had risen high in the sky.
"It's getting late," Carlisle commented before they dissolved into laughter. Time…who needed time anyway? All it did was make you age and worry and panic over things. They had all the time in the world…it was heavenly. She gazed up at the sky and the stars seemed endless. In her human vision, they had seemed like mere pinpricks of light. Now, each seemed to come to life. They had their own colors and she could figure out which ones were closer.
"I never get tired of looking at them," Carlisle answered her thoughts, "it's like they draw their own patterns if you look closely enough…I mean besides the zodiac signs."
They came to rest in the shallow surf. The water was pleasantly cool as it whooshed in and out over them. Carlisle smiled and kissed her, his movements keeping time with the surf. They came together under the moon as the tide came in. They didn't stop until the sky lightened with a powerful sunrise.
The day dawned warm and muggy, but the heat and dampness didn't affect them. Esme marveled at the ability to swim underwater without needing to resurface and breathe. They swam all the way to where the coral reefs were. They chased after the brightly colored tropical fish and watched a dolphin pod go by. After a quick blood break, they went exploring in the jungles.
Esme caught the scent of something that smelled absolutely amazing. A growling sound came from overhead. A panther was crouched in the tree limb above them.
She turned to look at Carlisle, whose eyes had suddenly gone black despite having just drank.
"Is it okay if…" she started to ask, but Carlisle had already sprung. He slammed into the panther and knocked it out of the tree. His teeth snapped into the panther's jugular vein and the acidic smell of venom permeated the air.
"Come on," he said huskily to Esme, "have some."
She sank her teeth into the other side of the giant cat's neck.
Oh, my….
It was strange how the blood seemed to taste better directly out of the arteries. The flavor was richer and the texture was much smoother. It pooled like velvet in the bottom of her stomach and it even seemed to sate her appetite better.
Carlisle raised up and licked the blood off of his lips. His eyes were once again the bright golden that she was accustomed to.
"Now you see why we take our hunting trips every now and then," he told her, "not only does the blood taste better, we satisfy our natural instincts as well. Every now and then, it's good for us…it keeps us out of trouble with humans."
Esme nodded.
"And yes, it's perfectly okay to hunt here. This island is owned by our family, so the animals are all literally fair game."
"Can we hunt for dinner as well?"
"Absolutely. Now, what would you like to do in the meantime?"
She laughed awkwardly.
"I was actually hoping just to lounge around in that nice living room and watch a movie."
"All right. Let's go."
His suggestive smile said that they probably wouldn't even make it through the credits.