A/N: There was some slight confusion to the end of 53 regarding Mordred/Jasper. He appeared to Rosalie as a ghost; he is not an immortal. That is why he was iridescent in the moonlight. Sorry for the confusion. And yes, he knows the secret. :)
There is a lemon slice in here; hope you enjoy!
IPOV
What a day!
Preparations for Edward's crowning were underway. He was to officially become king tomorrow and start his duty immediately. I knew that he was not exactly happy about how things turned out.
"I don't know if I can be king," he told me the night that Morgan spilled everything. "Arthur was a great leader. What about me?"
I reminded him that he was second to Lancelot as a Knight; that was pretty impressive. He commands authority and respects everyone. Plus, what else is he going to do with his immortality?
That started a fight.
He told me that he wasn't given a choice in that either; he just woke up one day and Poof! he was immortal. He said he understands why his mother did what she did, to save her children, but he wanted to be given the choice.
"I probably would have said yes regardless," he told me. "But not getting the opportunity to consider everything makes me angry."
He became angrier when I suggested becoming immortal.
"NO!" he yelled. I looked at him in surprise. His golden eyes had darkened to an amber color. I could tell he was upset. "I refuse to have you go through what I went through."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Shouldn't it be my decision? You just talked about not getting the choice; shouldn't I?"
He stared at me. "You'd want to?"
I nodded. "Edward, you were on the brink of death; that's why everything was so bad. Morgan has already promised me that it can be done easily. 'You would be the first one not mortally wounded that we would change,' she told me. 'But we can do it.'"
Edward ran a hand through his hair. "As your King, I can order you to not."
I narrowed my eyes. "And as your girlfriend, I can make life in the bedroom for you very difficult."
He saw my point of view then.
I chuckled to myself as I waited for him to come. We had decided to make love one last time as knight and lady-in-waiting then. Everything changes tomorrow, but tonight we needed time together.
I didn't know what to expect. Although I was craving another opportunity to make love to him, I could tell he was distracted today. So I thought I would play it cool and see.
There was a soft rap at my door. He opened it slowly and stuck his head in. When he saw me, he smiled and entered, shutting the door behind him.
"Hi," he whispered.
I didn't answer. Instead, I crossed to him and wrapped my arms around his torso and laid my head against his chest. His strong arms encircled me immediately.
"Hey, hey. What's this about?" he asked, kissing the top of my head.
I shrugged. "I missed you, that's all."
He chuckled. "I missed you as well."
I sighed. "You'll have to choose a queen, you know." I felt him go rigid against me.
"I only want you."
"That's not your decision to make."
"I am the King; of course it's my decision. I'll be the one who makes the rules."
"The citizens won't allow it."
"Damn them!" he said, tensing in my arms. I felt his tighten around me. "You, Isabella, will be my queen. That decision is final. If the court doesn't like it, too bad. They can remove me as king."
I shook my head against his chest. "You don't want that."
He pressed another kiss against the top of my head. "What I don't want is to spend my life without you."
We were silent then, lost in our thoughts. I knew he wanted me as queen, he told me the other night. And I wanted to be his queen. So badly. But I don't know how we can get away with it. I come from an ordinary background. I am a commoner. My family is respected, but we are far from royalty. So how can the court of Camelot allow it?
Suddenly Edward tipped my chin up and kissed me. It quickly became heated and we were pawing at each other. There was a loud crash as his belt and sword fell to the ground, but that didn't deter us in the least. Frantically we began removing the other's clothes, needing to feel skin beneath our fingertips. Once his shirt was off, I ran mine down his torso slowly.
He closed his eyes and moaned. "Isabella, you have no idea how good that feels." I smiled and continued. I traced light patterns over his nipples, causing them to perk up and then moved down to his ribs where I felt the contours against the pad of my skin. Finally, I placed my hand over his heart and held it there. There was an odd sensation that I felt, but I couldn't place it yet.
He opened his eyes slowly and smiled at me. He mimicked my actions perfectly. We stood, naked before each other, sharing a private moment.
Words were not needed. We loved each other; that much was obvious. I knew that no matter the outcome, we will be together. I was okay with being a king's mistress if that was how it was to be. I could handle that. What I couldn't handle, however, was never seeing him again. I lost him once; I don't ever want to repeat that.
"So beautiful," he whispered, pulling me from my thoughts. I smiled and rose up on my toes to kiss him. He began walking me backwards to the bed. I started to fall when my legs hit the back of it, but he reached out and grabbed me. He chuckled and laid me down gently.
"I'll never let you fall," he said.
Edward placed kisses over my entire body. Not one inch was left unexposed. I ran my fingers through his disarrayed hair and hummed in appreciation.
"I can't believe no one got to enjoy you while I was gone. Not that I'm complaining," he said to my bellybutton. I laughed.
"I wasn't interested, Edward. Why don't you believe that?"
He shrugged and stuck his tongue out, tracing my navel. "Because you are amazing, Isabella. You are beautiful and funny and considerate. Any man would be lucky to have you."
"Then you better keep that luck," I teased. He raised his eyes to mine. The fire burning in them would have brought me to my knees if I wasn't already lying down.
"I love you," he said sincerely.
"I love you back."
He moved further south and nudged my legs apart. Placing his left hand under my right thigh, he gently bent it so my knee was sticking in the air, my foot on the mattress. He pushed my left leg farther away and looked at the place screaming for his attention. He was so focused on it that Mordred's army could attack again and he wouldn't budge.
Slowly, he leaned in. When he reached my folds, he stuck his tongue out and took a long swipe. I gasped and my back arched at the sensation. Sensing that was good, he did it again, but paused ever so briefly with his tongue against the folds. It was probably a nanosecond, but it was enough to send a shiver down my spine.
He was going to be the death of me.
"Edward," I said breathlessly. I saw him smirk as he did it again. My back arched and my hands reached out, gripping his hair and holding him in place.
He continued his slow torture for what felt like an eternity. Every time I was close to the brink, he would change tactics and bring me back. I was panting hard and sweating, and so ready for a release. I didn't think I could handle one more go around.
When his mouth enclosed my clit, I saw stars.
But it didn't push me over the edge. Don't get me wrong; it felt fantastic and I couldn't stop moaning, but it was as though my body was used to it. It wanted something new. He licked and sucked my engorged clit and I let him because it still felt amazing.
He pushed me over the edge when he slowly pushed two fingers in me.
I screamed out his name as the knot in my stomach burst, sending me flying. I could feel him pumping in and out while the pressure on his mouth tightened. He was not going to go easy on me.
And I didn't want him to.
As soon as that orgasm was done, I felt another one building. The pressure of his mouth increased and I felt a third finger slip inside my folds. His chin occasionally brushed my entrance, his stubble rubbing against it. The rough feeling against my already sensitive area was mind blowing.
He reached his right hand out and fondled my left breast, all the while still pumping his left fingers in and out of me. I came a lot quicker the second time and slammed my legs against his head as I cried out, not caring who heard me.
Once it subsided, he slowly and torturously pulled out. I whimpered at the loss of contact, but couldn't move. I was spent. I reached for him, determined to reciprocate, but he just shook his head.
"Some other time," he said as he brushed a piece of hair out of my face.
"But I want to," I said. He was clearly at attention and it looked painful.
He chuckled. "I know. I appreciate that. But seriously, not tonight. Seeing you get off twice is enough for me. I promise. Besides," he waggled his eyebrows. "Once I am king I can order you to give me fellatio."
I rose up and smacked him on the arm. He chuckled. "Doesn't mean I'll do it."
He smiled. "Oh, I think so. Unless you want your brother to hear about this?"
My eyes grew wide. "You wouldn't?"
"Try me."
For a moment, I was worried he might be serious. But the mischievous look in his eyes told me was just playing. "Only if you're good," I said.
He pouted. "I'm good at everything."
"So you say."
It was his eyes that went wide this time. When he realized I was joking, he enveloped me into a big bear hug. He sat us down on the bed with his back to the wall and me in his arms.
"Let's just stay like this tonight," he said quietly.
I nodded.
We held onto each other, listening to the other breathe. We watched the moon come out and light up the sky and the stars follow it. It was a beautiful night.
"You need to order all nights should be like this," I said, gesturing to the window.
"Duly noted."
I sighed and snuggled against his chest. Surprisingly, the sound of a heartbeat was present.
THAT was the sensation I felt!
"Edward?"
"Yes, Isabella?"
"Why does your heart beat?"
He shrugged. "It just does. Morgan said it always will. She never gave me an answer and I never really asked. She said that hers and Merlin's beat as well. While human hearts wear out, immortals don't. I think she put a covering over it to protect it."
"A covering?" He could hear the disbelief in my voice.
"I'm not sure. Like I said, she didn't tell me. That is all I can come up with. Regardless, my heart will always beat for you."
I placed my hand over his heart again. "So this means I can do this for all of eternity?"
He sighed, picking up on what I was asking. "If you wish."
I jolted up and placed my lips on his, letting him know how much I appreciated his comment. "Thank you!"
He held my face in his hands, rubbing the apple of my cheek. "I'm not happy about this. I'm not sure that immortality is all it's cracked up to be. But the thought of living without you again for any length of time does not sit well with me. So I have no choice."
His eyes showed honesty and sadness, but most importantly, love. I smiled as I stared into the beautiful golden pool of the man I loved.
Together forever.
I kissed him again. And a third time for good measure.
"You won't regret it."
A/N: Edward is finally warming up to the idea of immortality. Good thing too, since he is one.
Chapter 55 should be up by this weekend. I hope it satisfies all of you and that you enjoyed this story. If you like my style, please visit my page and check out my other work. I'm not above pimping myself out. :)
Thank you, as always, for reading. Reviewers will receive one last preview.
