Her eyes flared with a living flame at his words. But Edward took no time to admire them before lowering to her lips.
Slowly, he pressed his body atop hers. And as they melded together, Edward felt the softness of her breasts, the rigidness of her muscles.
He would always be enchanted by the duality of his mate. She was both delicacy and strength. Gentle but resilient.
He trailed his fingers down her sides, not knowing where to start. He could never touch enough skin, kiss enough flesh.
He felt frantic.
Uncontrollable.
Edward broke their kiss to drag his teeth along her throat; pressing his canines where he felt her lifeblood thrumming most.
As his hands lowered to clutch the flesh of her ass, he wondered what her blood would taste like after being mated. Would she be as sweet as she had been under that mountain? Or perhaps that much richer with the bond newly intact?
But all of that could wait. What his beast longed for was something far different from blood.
Edward longed to be inside her. To feel them merge as one until it felt like his only purpose became her pleasure.
"What do you want from me, Bella?" Edward rasped against her shoulder. His hands had no beginning or end as they rose to tease her breasts, her sides.
She shivered.
But she gave no answer besides that. And knowing he caused his mate to go speechless made his beast growl. A sound that soon turned into a groan as Bella scraped her nails along his back.
"You know very well what I want," she finally answered, opening her legs to make her point.
His cock twitched against her stomach.
"Really?" Edward teased, but he was struggling to keep his head straight. If he didn't keep their banter, he was afraid he would lose control altogether.
Edward peppered kisses along her jaw, and Bella caught his passing lips. He had been ignoring them, content to taste every part of her before they were finally joined.
But Bella was insistent on a far different plan. And when his mate twinned her hands in his hair and ground against him, Edward growled.
"Let me look at you." He gently parted from her and went onto his knees. And Edward had to catch his breath as he drank in her form from head to toe.
And he memorized it.
Because Gods, was it a sight to behold.
Bella hid no amount of her desire as she gazed up at him with intent eyes. Her lips popped open as she waited.
Edward grinned at her labored breathing, her peaked breasts and clenched stomach moving in accordance. And finally, he dragged his eyes to the wetness between her thighs and he growled at the sight.
"Beautiful," he breathed.
"Are you just going to stare?" Bella opened her legs wider. And Edward gave a low snarl. She was practically dripping for him.
"Devious minx." He scraped a broad hand from her neck to her stomach, satisfied when she let out a shudder.
"Wicked Lord," she returned with a knowing smirk.
Edward trailed lower, tracing her navel. But he made sure to stop before he reached where she wanted him most.
Bella arched her hips in impatience.
"So eager," he tsked, and she scowled at him. But her face changed as Edward swiped a thumb along her wetness.
"Tease," Bella shot right back when he again paused. Edward flashed her his canines as he took hold of her hips.
And with one swift tug, her hot center was met his aching cock.
"Care to feel my own eagerness, mate?" he grinned, pressing against her.
"Like I said. Tease." she narrowed her eyes, but her body told Edward otherwise; that she was enjoying the anticipation as much as he.
For her chest fluttered as he slowly pushed himself inside. He knitted his brows in concentration; his cock filling her inch after inch.
By Gods, the feel of her warmth wrapped around him was nothing he had ever encountered. It was an effort not to slam into her.
His beast wanted the claiming fast and brutal. But Edward had plans to savor his mate completely and thoroughly.
After what felt like moments and eons alike, he was finally seated all the way. The feeling was glorious and agonizing at the same time. And Bella's core seemed to bloom.
"Are you all right?" He waited for her to adjust. He took her hand in his, their fingers twining together.
"Yes. Keep going." Bella let out a long moan, squeezing his palm in urging. And Edward internalized a groan of his own.
But he obeyed, every so carefully pulling out before slowly pushing back in. Bella gasped at the sensation, her brows drawing in concentration.
He paused. Was she in pain?
"Bella, love—"
"Keep going," she interrupted, her hands sliding to grip his forearms. Edward hesitantly kissed her fingertips.
"I love you," he said. And she eased.
"I love you too."
His next thrust, Edward pushed himself even further. Bella closed her eyes as her mouth popped open.
Did it feel good, he wondered? Did humans enjoy the flesh the same as Fae? All the questions were spinning around his mind as Edward carefully watched her reactions.
And he was about to ask again, when she whispered, "Faster. Please."
His beast rumbled its answer. But he remained.
So Bella gave Edward no more leave before rising to kiss him. Her mouth was insistent and commanding; silently ordering him to do what he was burning to. To claim her.
"Let it all go," she said against his mouth. It sounded more like a prayer than anything. There was a surge of relief that he felt at the words. So much so, that Edward allowed himself to kiss her back.
Her tongue was furious against his, and he groaned into her open mouth. Meeting her lips in the savage if not desperate dance.
And then he slammed his hips into her.
Her body jolted upwards from the intensity. But her moan was like nothing he had ever heard.
So Edward did it again. Slowly gaining speed with each increasing stroke.
Bella moaned each time he was fully inside her.
Everything from her breath, her sighs, to her hands, encouraged Edward in the best way: to give her more and more until she was too breathless to say so.
He let out a grunt when her own core started to clench to meet him. And he felt himself become unhinged.
He was struggling to keep his beast's leash held. Edward had been holding it so carefully for so long. But every time his mate whimpered against him, his grip on that lease slipped.
"You're still holding back," Bella breathed into his ear. Her body was flush against him, a leg wrapped around his hip. But still, it wasn't enough.
Edward wanted her closer.
He let out a ragged breath; fighting his instinct not to just barrel into her. But then Bella started to whimper into his neck with each thrust, and he started losing that fight.
He quickened his pace. Bella hushed her lips against his ear. Edward longed to kiss her again, to breathe in her every breath like it was nourishment.
But he was afraid if he did, Edward would consume her completely.
Instead, he hushed over and over, "I love you. And you are mine." In every language he knew, Edward murmured how much he cherished her.
And even if she couldn't understand the words, Bella's muscles seemed to melt further.
Then she tightened her hold. Edward felt the scrape of her teeth along his shoulder. And his heart faltered.
"Gods, it's like I'm catching fire," she murmured, kissing where she had punctured his skin. But her skin remained without flames.
He could only hum his answer. Words escaped him as his beast roared for more. For Edward to give her not just burning pleasure to fester inside, but endless, ever-surging waves to carry her away.
"More," she ordered the same. And by the Gods, he was going to give it to her.
He carefully wrapped her arms tighter around his neck. And finding a new angle, Edward's hips went into overdrive.
They both moaned at the new depth. But Bella cried out when he reached that special place inside her.
"Edward," she whimpered, her hips now meeting him for every thrust. He only went faster.
He was becoming drunk on the feel of her, of the sounds she was making. And Edward realized he was no longer in control. He felt it crash as thoroughly as each stroke he gave.
"Oh!" Bella gasped as he turned them onto his back, bringing his mate astride him.
Her eyes were wide with a mix of shock and hesitation. But he gave no pause before he guided her hips to move.
She softened immediately, and he gave a snarl at the sight ... at the sensation. Now he was reaching deeper than ever before.
Bella slowly found her courage as Edward's eyes grew hooded. He could only stare as she clutched her neck with a gasp, his mate panting as he found new pleasure in their position.
"You're spectacular," he said, Edward's attention dropping to where they joined.
Over and over, he slammed into her. And each time, it brought another glorious sound from Bella's lips.
"I think I'm—" her words shot off with a cry as he grasped her entire weight into his hands, making his own pace.
Her breasts bounced as he drove into her. His stamina somehow increased as he sat up to hold her to his chest; his pace never finding fault.
His mate was nothing but squeaks and whimpers as Edward continued his furious rhythm.
"Bella," he growled into her neck, letting his breath brush the shell of her ear. She shuddered around him. "Now it's your turn to let go," he ordered, feeling his own tightening low in his gut. Edward was so dangerously close too. But he wanted her to go first.
When she said nothing, he brought his thumb between them to rub her bundle of nerves.
"Come for me, love," Edward ordered, taking her lips between his and sucking. She groaned, and his magic came into the thrall then. His mist kissed along every inch of her skin his hands could not.
Bella's breath caught as his invisible magic licked at her breasts, at her neck, that place beneath her ears. Every place he could think of, his mist whispered against as her body slowly neared the edge.
And then Bella started to burn; her body shimmering with the ebbing heat of her impending climax. Her hair began to turn towards flame, and Edward's mist encouraged her to burn that much hotter.
Edward growled as he turned their bodies over again; carefully cocooning Bella in his arms as he laid her beneath him.
He hiked her legs around him, his shadow magic brushing against her brightness. But it was no match as Bella's magic started to burn the bed around them.
The flames created a nest, but Edward felt no burns as he gave his mate everything he had. All his fears, his doubts, his regrets. He wanted her to burn them into oblivion.
Her eyes met his at that moment, the brown of them turning into liquid fire as Edward beheld his mate.
He mashed his lips to hers suddenly; desperate to swallow her very essence. Their tongues and teeth seemed to meld in an inferno of their own.
And then Bella finally spiraled over the edge.
She cried out as her orgasm consumed her; his mate's whole body shaking as she found her climax around him.
Her magic erupted right alongside her, and Edward had to extinguish each fireball with his mist, so they didn't burn down the entire house.
Bella only continued burning. It made her skin white-hot as it created a glowing halo of light around her.
And Edward could do nothing but stare.
Bella watched him too. His mist turning into dark shadow as it swirled between their bodies and mingled within the halo.
And he could help it no longer. The longing made Edward bend and sink his canines into the base of her neck.
His inner Fae beast roared as her taste as it coated his entire senses. She tasted richer and more heavenly than ever before.
So much so, her blood was the final push that sent him spiraling into his own pleasure.
Edward threw his head back as he finally let loose. His magic burst outward, extinguishing Bella's flames in the process.
The townhouse shuddered from the force.
When he gained enough strength, Edward rolled them to the side. He held Bella against him as their breathing started to return to normal.
They both seemed content to listen to Bella's flames pitter out around them. His mist smothered each one with a gentle hiss. Edward didn't care what damage they had caused.
It was worth any singed drapes or furniture to watch his mate come undone.
Edward had to admit he was sad to extinguish them in the first place, but he didn't want her burning down his mother's house on their first stay there.
"Well, that was something," Bella smiled over her shoulder, a bit of her light dimming around her as their pleasure subsided. Edward frowned to see it dissipate.
"That was definitely—" he cut himself off to capture her lips. Bella deepened the kiss, arching her back against him. And just like that, Edward was ready again—"More than something," he growled.
Bella hummed her agreement. She let go of his hand to trail her own along the back of his neck, and she held him there, "Although I would love nothing but to repeat that many times, I think you promised me a tour and introductions."
"Did I?" Edward quirked.
Bella opened her mouth to answer when he pulled her flush against him. He was still inside her, hard and ready once more. Her eyes drooped close with a groan.
"Forget the dumb tour," she breathed. And so they continued with a far different tour. One that also included an alternative set of introductions.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
They had only stopped after making love in the kitchen. And then again in the bathroom for good measure. Edward only halted when Bella's stomach growled. He had been in the middle of taking her against the marble vanity.
Both resigned to eat again, since they had been at it for hours. And Bella had not realized they had long since burned off their soup with all their exercise.
"You need to get back to your fighting weight," Bella said as she bit a piece of bread. Edward had only just shuffled on some clothes. Only enough to run out to purchase a loaf from the bakery across the street.
She had been sad to see him go. But that had turned into anticipation as Edward displayed a slab of fine looking pork on return.
He had bought it at the nearby butchery. And Bella realized how she could get used to living here with so many places nearby to purchase food.
"What fighting weight? Am I too slender for you?" Edward teased, turning over the loin in the pan. It made a lovely sizzle that sent more heavenly aromas into the air. And Bella's mouth started to water.
But not just from hunger: at the sight of Edward in nothing but a sleep shirt and trousers, cooking for her as if they had been together for decades.
Who knew her mate could cook at all?
But sure enough, Edward seemed at home as he splashed a bit more salt and pepper onto the browning meat.
And suddenly, Bella was ready for round five.
"I didn't mean it that way," she said with a steadying breath. Because Edward was anything but slender. Bella didn't think she would ever get used to his beauty. And that included his perfect body, "All I mean is that Victoria took too much. The Spring Court took too much. Ever since you explained everything, I can see the truth in your appearance."
"And how are you going to see me back to proper physical fitness?" Edward smiled, his eyes eating up her own body. Bella blushed at his stare.
"Hush it you, I'm serious. I would soon see a tan back to your skin, and brightness back to your hair as well. More so than it is now."
"You've thought about this quite a lot, have you?"
"Yes. And for the rest of my days, I would have us well fed, seeing plenty of sun," she said rather sternly. No more starving in a hut for her. And no more gray sky in a foreign court for him.
Edward's brows furrowed, "What do you mean the rest of your days? Don't you mean the rest of our days?"
"The books I read were clear that demi-Fae are no immortals," she said matter of fact. Even if her heart sank to say it, "There will be a day when I die, Edward. But whatever time I have left, eternity or not. I want to cherish it with you."
"Don't speak of death," he said; his hand clenching on the pan's handle the only sign of stress. "Not on like a day today. And surely not when I am so thoroughly happy."
Bella nodded, but she still felt a grimness in her heart. No matter their happy ending, one thing still remained in the back of her head.
That it would have to end.
Thankfully, a knock interrupted both her and Edward from voicing further thought on the matter.
"Oh Gods," he groaned loudly, turning off the stove burner in a rush. Bella flashed her eyes in question.
"What's wrong? Who is it?"
"It's everyone." Was all he said as he hastily plopped their meal onto a platter. Edward only stopped to give Bella a once over, "Do you wish to change into anything else before meeting them? Because now is the time."
"Them? Who is them?"
"The rest of my court," Edward said, running a hand down his face, "You already met Emmett. Now you have to meet Rosalie. And I bet Jasper and Alice are also with them. All of them will have questions about our future. About marriage and children. I thought I could postpone it further."
She didn't answer. Bella's face only heated at his words.
Of marriage and children. With Edward.
To be honest, she had been so caught up in them being mates she hadn't thought of anything else.
But to hear the dread in his voice, that made her face burn hotter.
"Do you not want any of those things?" she asked hesitantly as he stalked out of the kitchen towards the door. His head shot back to her.
"Gods, of course, I do! I want all of it. But only if you do too."
Bella swallowed. "Whatever anyone demands we will handle the rest. Now go, answer the door."
He gave her a quick smile, pausing to place his lips on hers, "I love you no matter what," he said, his hand going to the doorknob. "But prepare yourself, love. This bunch is not easy to handle."
"We heard that!" A stern feminine voice called. Most likely, Rosalie.
"Yeah, and we know just what you two were doing before-hand. So don't act all high and mighty now," another voice chuckled. The sound was booming and boastful. Unmistakably Emmett.
Bella had to hide a giggle, as Edward rolled his eyes.
"Ready?"
"Ready," she grinned just as Edward retched open the door.
And sure enough, standing on the doorstep was Emmett, and a blonde female. Jasper and Alice behind them.
"Took you long enough!" Emmett threw his hands up, and Edward shot Bella a secretive smile.
She only turned to the lot of them, letting out a breath as she prepared for the new chapter in her life. And eternity or not, she vowed not to take a minute of it for granted.
And as sure as Bella kept that in mind, her slice of happiness would be long enough indeed.