Chapter 34: Bella rising,
Bella's POV:
In the darkness recesses of my mind there I was, falling inside a black void. Not knowing if I get anywhere at all. There was pain yet any other feeling was so far away it was exceedingly difficult to have an intelligent thought when the pain was at its worst. My everything is agony, and it is consuming with its flames that burn all through me. I wanted to speak to the gentle voices that broke through the haze of agony, but the utterances were so disjointed and obscure. Yet I wish to speak anyway to give some sign that I was still here, but it was only mere hope. Because nothing would form as the fire filled me.
I had no perception of time any longer, but soon I saw a light. I grasped around me like a child learning to swim to get to it, but it was so fruitless. I screamed in frustration. I wanted to go home I knew my little ones needed me, Caius too. I began to cry. More pain. Then suddenly, I realized it was not by my efforts, but as if an unseen current formed. I sped towards it uncontrollably, then with a jarring sensation, I was out of my nightmare. Then my eyes fluttered open.
As my new world drifted back to me, I focused. I saw someone from my peripheral vision come towards me. I sat up right suddenly and leapt off the table. I cocked my head to the side as the figure of a man came to me standing before me.
"Hey," a familiar male voice called, then I suddenly knew him.
Caius. I sighed and relaxed. A soft purr rose from deep within his chest and I started to close the distance between us.
"Oh Bella, I'm so glad you are alright,'' Caius said breathing out in a rush.
His expression was so concerned and pained for my welfare. I move swifter then as I saw in his expression all that I needed to know, and I went into his arms. His body trembled and I knew he needed me. Sometimes the only cure for fear is your lover's touch. My hands roamed his tense back that rippled with every stroke. I cuddled into him and nestled my head just under his chin.
Within moments, the embrace sent a sweet sensation of peace and contentment. I reveled in his love as we explored each other. It is as if we just met for the first time. How warm he was now which surprised and delighted me. His body was yielding, he moved as I tested my strength, and his body fits so well against mine. His skin was soft, not hard as a stone like before. He reached and drew my hand up to his lips. Caius pressed his cool sweet lips over my sensitive knuckles. "Enchanting my love," He whispered, "The change has heightened your natural beauties." Soon after his kiss, he pulled me along with him to the nearest mirror.
"Well Bella, what do you see? "
I gazed, amazed at the woman in the mirror before me. She was a goddess! My body was curved in all the right places and my face like porcelain, lips red as rubies, eyes furrow as a cat's fierceness but stunning. Then, as I turned to look at my perfect backside, Caius growled scooped me up and held me bridal style.
"All mine! You're my sweet mate." he said possessively.
It should have offended me on some level. God knows I hate being owned but you know, it kind of turned me on. I wanted him more than ever before. His touch, the lips, his eyes and that voice. It commanded me and excited me at the same time. I breathe in and oh yes, that scent. His male Musk combined with lust had me delirious with need. The fragrance I had always known had been dramatically enhanced since my transformation.
Caius's POV:
She's mine! Her sweet fragrance consumed me, tearing at my resolve to take it slow. I studied her form and let my fingers travel over naked flesh that her clothes did not cover. The electric pulses from her skin ran through me, teasing my sensitive nerves, causing me unexpected pleasure. Her body now, the same as mine was soft and just the right temperature, not like before when she was human. I remembered how her heated body warmed my cold skin. Her gorgeous breasts and flat belly were perfect. The accentuated hips became her, and the long legs were beyond sexy.
I carried her over to our bed and laid her down. I looked at her for a moment. Her hair now sprayed out on the pillow. Her pale limbs resting, one leg bent at the knee and the other laid straight. Her arms one hand above her head and the other comfortably at her side. Her desire called to me, but I had to do something. What was it? I can hardly remember. Damn it!
She raised her hand and curled her pointer finger, beckoning me to come to her. A shutter of pleasure quake threw me to her, but we did not touch. Then it happened, the mental link with both shared connected us intimately.
Caius, I need you more now than ever.
I reacted immediately and began to show her my fantasy. I told her every detail without fear of judgement. She now understood me and responded by sending everything back, confessing how badly she wanted me as well.
Caius, did you not know how much I enjoy your love making? It has been so long. Ever since I became pregnant, we sustained from sex. Don't you burn as I do?
Oh yes, Bella. I miss your sweet love too.
Yet there was something looming up in my mind, haunting me. It was trying to tell me something, but I found myself giving into her …
She wrapped her arms around me then drew me down despite of my inner voice that nagged me. I bent down and open myself to her completely. Unexpectedly, she bit me sending her venom into my skin in my neck. An act of claiming. I yelled in shock but was silenced by her searing lips when she kissed me hard and rolled me over, sitting on top. Her eyes bore into mine possessively and it amused me. What fun! Now we can struggle for dominance. Just the game I like.
"I'm all yours Caius, every kiss, every touch, every inch of this …" She says as she strips her gown, now only in her underwear.
I gasped inwardly and she grinned at my surprise. She knew right there, she had me. I would do anything for her. I worked at taking my own clothes off with the excitement as I greedily took in every inch of her body with my eyes. That moan on her lips as she gazed at my naked chest showed me more desire, she had for me. Frustration sent me beyond my limits as I heard her speak in my mind revealing all she like to do to me.
You and me Caius all night long.
Yes, Bella I will make you chant my name in again and again in uninhibited ecstasy.
However, before we begin the nagging inkling that we had to stop playing with this entered my mind. So, I sent out a caution.
We must stop because there's something we must do Bella.
Suddenly, I was shaking out of our intimacy as my brothers and Carlisle entered with Esme in tow. Shit!
I stood awkwardly in silence as Bella grabbed for her discarded dress and I set up to help her. After we dressed, I turned to my uninvited Guest.
"Have you all heard of the little thing call knocking? "I say, but not too angrily because I was so embarrassed.
"We heard a roar and a struggle, we thought …" Aro begin to explain as his voice trailed off after observing my face.
If I had been human, it would be bright red for shame, however only my anger showed instead.
Bella came to my side and lean into me as I wrapped a protective arm about her.
"We were em…." I began to explain.
"We get it, old friend. "Carlisle shoots me a smile as he waved away my confessions.
Marcus step forward, clearing his throat.
''Caius, have you forgotten that Bella needs Feed?"
I snap my fingers and turn to her. "Oh yes, I knew we needed to do something! "
"Shall we go my dear?"
I saw her clutch her throat then nod. She followed me out close behind. Into the Dungeons we descended ….
Bella's POV…
As I trailed behind Caius for my very first meal to our Dungeons, the further we traveled down to the depths of the Castle, the more stifling and putrid the air turned. With the horrible smells came an inviting one, blood. I quickened my pace slightly, excited by my instincts that were taking over. I was strangely curious about my new existence and it replaced the daunting feeling that I repressed inside about what I must do.
Suddenly, screams of fear and agony came rushing to my sensitive vampire ears that clutched at my heart strings. I stopped proceeding then, hesitating. Caius sensed my anxiety and halted. He turned to face me with a mixture of concern and impatience.
"We really must get you to feed my love," he said reaching for my hand.
"Caius, there's so many humans down here, "I say taking my hand away then holding myself, as if I could somehow Ward off the chill of horror I was suddenly experiencing.
Caius chuckled. "Ah them, I suppose you are referring to the perpetual annoying sounds of our pray my dear."
"Human cries, yes! " I shouted.
I watched him move towards me and heard him sigh as he observed my weariness. I did not like the endless sound of suffering. It racked my nerves and overloading my brand-new vampiric senses.
"I see your sensibilities are touched with your old human ways, "he said, wrapping his loving arms around my waist and pulled me into them. "Give it time, and soon you will get used to being my vampire Queen."
"But all those people Caius, "I say, leaning into his body for comfort that he provided for me.
"They're our prisoners, the unfortunate ones that had vampire contact and know of our secret," Caius explained, then thoughtfully rubbed his jaw. "Also a few vampire lawbreakers that we decided who needed a worse sentence than death."
"Do you not feel pity for the innocence? "
Caius nods, "Yes my love, that is why when their time comes, we will kill our prey swiftly before they can feel any pain or fear."
We came eventually to an ancient iron door after he guided me onward. I watched with rising anticipation. I was going to feed on blood for the very first time. It was crazy I was feeling so much emotion at the same time. Was it fear, doubt, dread, or perhaps a form of anxiety I could not understand? It was this I could not grasp its source. As we entered in the jail beyond the black bars, milled humans pacing, as they saw us, they rushed back at the sound of our approach. Some however, were disoriented with mental stress. Others were talking to themselves or laughing insanely.
I was speechless. As I looked into their eyes that held such vacant stares and recoiled. Caius spoke to me gently.
"Sad isn't it? "
I merely nodded instead of responding with words, for nothing could describe how I felt. If I were still human, I would have begged for him to Take Me Out of this place immediately, but I will not this time. I admit I wanted the blood and it called me too much to turn back now. As we passed on by, guard stood grave and watchful. They bowed with respect and open the door for us to enter.
We finally came to a chosen cell and I watched as Caius open the lock with a key he produced from his pocket. Caius turned to me and whispered so that only I could hear.
"Now you must be quick. Do not let any suffer, after all they suffered enough."
"Alright," I said, and then crouched and ready myself to attack.
I sniffed the delicious scent that waft around me as Caius swung open the jail door. My eyes swiftly adjusted to the darkness, however there was a fog of smoke from the torches that even my new eyes could not penetrate. This did not deter me at all. I felt the muscles rippling, coiling to spring. My relief from the burn was on the other side of the fog and I knew soon my torment will be over.
Suddenly, a cry of rage ripped through me as the humans shouted at me to stop, then I sprang, instead of hesitating. I flitted through the fog, and I found a source of the cry as the young couple huddled in the back. Though pity tried to surface, I pushed it away I need to have that blood and end my suffering. I landed soundlessly next to them and grabbed the woman first. And in one fluid motion I broke her neck and bit down. It was hardly enough to satisfy me. I drained her within a minute, growling in hunger I caught the man by the shoulders and bit head off with a roar. I heard as the coveted substance gushed from his severed veins down my throat. It was sweet bliss when I finished. I dropped him; Caius flitted to my side again.
"That was really good. The first feeding is a great success., "He said gathering me into his arms.
After a long embrace, he pulled back then looked me over. He chuckled as he saw my obvious pleasure as he heard my shameless purr.
"I believe you are now sated and seeing that you are no worse for wear, I've decided to give you a little surprise now than later. "
I looked up at him with a quizzical expression, but he shook his head. "No, my love, I will not spoil it by giving it away, so follow me."
At his command, I walked behind him further into the dungeon, down a large double door that four guards stood at attention. By the light of the ancient torches, I saw Caius motion for them to move. They obliged him quickly then opened the doors.
I went in, following Caius after he took one torch from the wall. Inside the torch revealed a vast chamber that contained tools torture. A pendulum of fire instead of a blade laid in the center, a rack in front of a fireplace and this branding irons hung near a roaring fire that lit up the room. Shadows played about every wall and surface illuminating to me the prisoners chained to the wall. Most heads hung with despair and an unimaginable fear hung in the air.
Caius motion me to remain as he stepped in front of a man whom by what I can tell had been brutally tortured and mistreated. What was this? It was genuinely surprising but not in a good way. All was soon answered before I could speak as Caius snatched a man by his filthy hair that was coated in venom and grime and then forces hanging head up. I gazed at the dull Amber orbs of Edward opening slightly to see me standing before him. He was truly altered. His white perfect skin bore marks of his treatment that were slow to heal for his lack of blood. The once clean designer jeans and shirt barely held together as they hung in tatters. When his tired eyes met mine, they widened in shock and horror as he took in the sight of me with Caius.
"Here, before you my love is a vampire that deserves a greater pain than death, your former boyfriend Edward:" he announces as he beckons me forward.
I sucked in my breath at the realization. Him! I growled at the pathetic sight of him. Memories surface from the vast resources of my brain and the scenes of the incident rolled over in my mind's eye. I was not prepared for the images that careened before me. Immediately grief mixed with pain filled me, it was emotional agony. The experience of these memories playing over again like it was happening to me all over again. I could not take the fear, pain and humiliation of it all, so I rushed him and swiftly snatched throat and squeezed. He gagged as he struggled, but in vain as the strength in the unrelenting grip held him firm.
"Now my darling Bella, have had it!" Caius ordered.
Another snarl rises inside me. Edward cried out as I started to tear him limb from limb. My newborn strength surged through my being as I work to remove my attacker from my life. I had enough of this human pain, I will no longer play the victim. I am a vampire now and I never will again be weak.
"No more! I cried out.
Caius watch me with Glee shining in his Crimson eyes. Then without reservation I delivered a mortal blow to his head. I plummeted him until his head was laying in pieces at my feet. It was over. Edward is dead.
Caius came to me and pulled me into much needed embrace.
"You can have peace now Bella. I saved him for you and tortured him all this time. While waiting for this day so you can have your revenge, "he said softly to me as he stroked my hair.
"I'm more relieved than anything. Is that normal? I mean I just killed him. "
He pulled me back and lifted my chin because I was so fearful and ashamed to look into his eyes. I never experienced this rage and a flood of emotion like that. It was unsettling to see how emotion could control my actions. I will have to be more mindful from now on.
"It's alright, my dove. Your newborn state will have your emotions running high and strength second to none for a few months, but no worries. It will fade. I will help you cope. As for him, "he said with distaste, "Edward is not worth your concern or tears, he would have raped and hurt you trying to tear us apart. But it will not, his plans were all in vain, nothing not even that would have stood in my way. I love you too much. "
"Oh Caius, "I began as he caught my lips tenderly with his own.
Our kiss became passionate, but as the screams of the humans echoed through the peace that filled the moment. It shrilled all around, we broke apart grimacing to the noise that soon became intolerable.
"Come my sweet Bella, we must away. A vampire sensibility is overwhelmed in this kind of environment. Besides, I want you to see our children now. "
I smiled, my babies. "Yes, let us hurry, I'm just aching to meet them. "
"
"