BPOV
I swear the clock is moving backwards. I'm sitting in Government class, my last class of the day, and time could not be going any slower.
It feels so weird to be back in school after this weekend. I feel like a completely new person, but here I am doing the same things that I've always done. This weekend I bonded and mated with a vampire. I was treated as an adult and participated in life-altering situations. Now I'm stuck in this torture chamber where I have to ask permission to go to the restroom.
When the bell rings, I'm out the door before anyone else is even out of their seats. Edward is leaning against my locker waiting for me and his face lights up when he sees me. I launch myself into his arms and am barely able to stop myself from wrapping my legs around his waist. He catches me easily and takes a deep inhale of my scent.
"Well hello there." Edward says in my ear chuckling softly.
"Hi" I whisper back.
"You ready to go, love?"
"Yeah just let me put my bag in my locker. I don't have any homework and I don't want to lug it back and forth." I tell him.
I let go of his neck reluctantly and hurry to put my bag away.
"Alright let's go." I say and he grabs my hand and leads me out to the Volvo.
Alice and Jasper are already there waiting on us when we get to the parking lot, so we all hop in. When we pull in the Cullens' driveway, Alice and Jasper jump out of the car and run into the house. Turning to Edward, I reconsider staying here with his whole family.
"Edward do you want to go back to my house? My dad won't be home for awhile." I tell him.
"Sure, love, that sounds great."
As he puts the car in reverse, he grabs my hand. I can feel his excitement and intensity. I know it's been hard for him today to be around everyone at school, including boys who were thinking about me. It's been difficult for me to come out of our weekend bubble too.
Edward squeezes my hand like he's agreeing with my thoughts but doesn't say anything.
When we get to my house we walk hand in hand to my room and lay together on my bed. I'm nestled on his chest like always and my hands are on his stomach under his shirt so that I can touch his skin. His fingers are dancing up and down my arms tickling me and raising goosebumps on my skin. We don't say anything, e don't need to, our bodies have their own form of communication.
"I love you, Bella. Everyday I think it's impossible for me to love you more, but then I do. You amaze me." He whispers to me and my heart skips a beat.
"I love you too, Edward. So much." I tell him.
I love these moments between us, quiet and intimate.
"Me too, love" Edward says answering my thoughts.
I was upset when I first learned that he could read my mind, but now I kind of like it. I don't have to talk for him to know what I'm thinking, and I'm never misunderstood because he knows my exact motivation before I even open my mouth.
"I'm glad to hear that sweetheart. I was worried when it first happened that you would be upset. I would never want to upset you, but I am ecstatic that I can read your thoughts. You have a lovely mind."
"Mmm" I hum in reply.
"So what time is your dad going to be home?" he asks me after a few minutes.
"Probably around six, like normal. Why?"
"Well I have a few ideas about how we can use our time."
Catching up quickly to his train of thought, I decide to play coy.
"Hmmm and what would that be?" I ask him innocently with big eyes.
He growls and rolls on top of me.
"Oh you'll find out." He growls into my ear.
Mmm I love it when Edward takes charge.
Laying naked in Edward's arms, I can feel the electricity crackling between us. We just got done making love and it just gets better every time.
"I love you, Bella" Edward whispers in my ear.
"I love you too" I sigh.
"We should probably get up. Your dad will be home soon."
"Yeah I guess. I need to start dinner anyway."
When I sit up, his still-hard manhood slips out of me making me whimper. I hate it when we disconnect. When we're together in every way is the only time I feel complete.
"I know love. Me too." He tells me while running his fingertips all over my body.
Reaching down for my clothes that are tossed all over the room, Edward pouts. His sad face makes me giggle.
"I'm sorry sweetheart but I don't think it would go well if my dad came home and found us naked together."
"Yeah I suppose you're right. It's just a shame to cover your perfect body."
I just roll my eyes at him.
Once we're both dressed, we head down to the kitchen to make dinner. I'm just going to make cheeseburgers with all of the fixings, salad, and fries. I brought some cookies home from Edward's house this weekend so we can have that for dessert. Easy and simple.
"Edward will you make the salad? I think you're a pro now."
"Yeah sure love but I'll have to get my special gloves." He smirks at me.
I just laugh at him.
He takes out all of the vegetables for the salad and starts chopping them and putting them into the bowl I gave him. He's doing a pretty good job so I go back to frying the hamburgers on the stove.
"All done, love. The best salad you'll ever have." He tells me and waves his hands around the bowl like Vanna White.
"I'm sure it will be, babe. You can put it into the fridge until everything else is done. The fries have a little bit longer and the last of the burgers are frying."
"Okay just be careful, love. Maybe I should do it." He tells me with a worried face.
"Edward, I love you but I like to cook on my own." I tell him gently but seriously.
"Okay but if you change your mind, I'll be here."
"I'm sure you will." I grumble.
A few minutes later I'm talking the burgers off of the pan when Edward stiffens. He grabs me around the waist and holds me close to him while hissing and growling.
"Edward what's wrong? What happened?"
"I have to go love. I will be close the whole time but I have to go. I will explain later. Just…be careful." He tells me and kisses me quickly before he disappears.
What the heck is going on? Why would Edward leave if he thought I was in danger? What am I in danger from?
The door bangs open making me jump off of the floor in shock.
"Bells!" my dad yells out. It sounds like there's another set of footsteps behind him.
"Hey B I invited Billy and Jacob over for dinner. Is that okay?" he asks as he comes into the kitchen with the two men behind him. I've known Billy and Jacob my whole life. I don't see them very often but I did when Jacob and I were kids. Since I've come to live with my dad, Jacob has come over a few times with his dad. We talk when he's here but we aren't really friends.
The physical differences between Jacob then and now are staggering. He was always a baby faced kid with hair down to his waist who still had some baby fat on his body. Now his hair is short and he is completely ripped. He's wearing a cut off t shirt with jean shorts. His face which was always kind and open, is now callous and angular.
"That's fine dad. I'll just throw a couple more burgers on." I tell him as I take an involuntary step away from the men.
"Thanks Bells." My dad says before stepping behind Billy's wheelchair. "You ready for the game Billy?" he asks.
"You bet." Billy answers as my dad pushes him into the living room. "Nice to see you, Bella." He says as he goes by.
"You too, Billy." I tell him timidly.
"Come on Jake." Billy grunts out.
"That's okay. I'll just stay here, dad." Jacob answers. His face is very intense. His eyebrows are scrunched together and it looks like he's angry about something. I don't know what it could be that's bothering him, but he's starting to make me uncomfortable.
Billy doesn't answer, he just shrugs his shoulders and focuses on the game.
"Hey Bella." Jacob says sitting down at the table. He stretches his long legs out and props them in another chair.
"H-hi Jacob." I tell him taking another step back away from him.
"Do you need any help?"
"No thank you. I'm fine."
"So how is school? You're a senior right?"
"Yeah. School's good. I'm ready for it to be over though. Only about 7 more months."
"Yeah I bet. I was so glad when dad let me drop out of school and be homeschooled. I have too much stuff to do right now. Sam is pretty demanding."
"Who's Sam?" I ask confused.
"Sam Uley. He is the leader of my group…of friends. We spend a lot of time together." He tells me. He's being very odd and a little rude.
"Um okay." I reply awkwardly.
"So how are your friends? Weren't you close with Angela and Jessica? I see them down at the Rez every now and then when they go surfing."
"Yeah we're friends. We aren't as close as we used to be, though."
"Really? Who are you close with now?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. His voice is starting to sound harsh and he has a permanent scowl on his is his problem?
"Um I've recently gotten close with a girl named Alice. She's in my class and her brother just moved here. Her brother, Edward, and I are dating. We've been together for a few months."
"Alice and Edward? What's their last name? They sounds familiar."
"Um their last name is Cullen."
"You're dating a Cullen?" he asks and I hear him mumbling something like 'that explains the smell'
"Yes I am" I tell him confidently turning to the stove and flipping the hamburgers. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"Of course I do!" he says loudly, "How well do you know those leeches?"
Leeches? Is that a coincidence? How much does he know about them?
"I know everything about them Jacob. Edward and I have no secrets."
"Yeah" he snorts, "you might want to reconsider that Bella. I bet there is one big secret he has."
"Jacob, what is your problem?" I ask him. I'm mad now. How dare he? "Edward and I have no secrets at all."
"So you know?" he says as he stands up and moves closer to me. I try to step back, but the counter is behind me.
"I…I don't know what you mean Jacob." I stammer out.
"You do know." He says and his eyes darken with anger.
"Jacob what is wrong with you?"
"How can you be in a relationship with him Bella? He's a parasite."
"You don't know anything about him" I whisper-yell at him. I'm trying to keep my voice down so my dad doesn't hear although maybe it would be good if he did. If he came in here it would be an excuse for me to get away from Jacob.
"Bella did you…" he asks leaning towards me and flaring his nostrils. "Oh my god! You had sex with him! How could you do that? How could you let him defile your body like that? You're disgusting Bella."
I'm completely speechless. I can feel tears at the back of my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. Jutting out my chin, I look him dead in the eye and say "You don't know anything about this Jacob. Nothing. You need to mind your own business."
Taking the burgers off the stove, I turn it off and head to the living room.
"Dad, I don't feel very well. I'm going to head up to my room. Dinner is done. The salad is in the refrigerator and the burgers are on the counter. You might want to check on the fries in the oven, they will need taken out soon."
"Are you okay Bells? You don't look very good. Do you think you should go to the doctor?" he asks getting off the couch and coming over to me.
"No it's fine. I just need to go rest." I tell him as he checks my forehead for a fever.
"Okay well I'll take care of everything down here. Do you want me to bring you a plate later?"
"No it's fine. I just want to go to sleep. I'll feel better in the morning. Goodnight." I tell him and turn to go upstairs while he takes his seat back on the couch. Unfortunately I have to go through the kitchen to get to the staircase.
"Bella" Jacob calls to me as I enter the kitchen where he is still standing by the counter. His body is tense and his fists are even clenched.
"What Jacob?" I hiss at him.
"Tell your little boyfriend to remember the treaty. We'll be watching." He says ominously.
I can't find the breath to reply so I don't, I just glare at him and head to my room. I barely get the door shut behind me before I burst into tears. Falling forward, I expect to make contact with the floor, but instead cool hands catch me and pull me to a cold chest.
"Love it's okay. I heard what he said. Everything is going to be okay. Trust me." He tells me as he rubs his hands along my back.
"Edward he knows what you are." I hiccup into his chest.
"I know love but it's okay."
"Why did you leave? Why did you have to leave? I needed you." I cry harder into his chest.
I know it's not fair to put this on him. I shouldn't have said it, and I can almost hear his heart breaking.
"I'm so sorry love. I had to leave. Jacob is very sensitive right now. If I had stayed, he would have seen us together and that could have pushed him over the edge. I will do anything to keep you safe. Always. I'm so sorry I had to leave to make that happen. I promise you were never in danger. I was outside the whole time listening and watching."
"But I don't understand" I'm crying so hard that I can hardly breathe.
"I know sweetheart. I'll explain it all to you as soon as you calm down. You need to breathe."
It feels like a hand is locked around my throat and is squeezing. I can't catch my breath; I'm trying, but it's not working. My heart is pounding in my chest and feels like its going to explode. I pull my hands off of Edward's back and bring them to my chest to claw at my shirt. It feels like it's strangling me.
"Bella" I can barely hear Edward's voice even though he's speaking in my ear.
"Bella breathe love. Just try to slow your heart rate."
He doesn't understand. I can't. I whimper to him and he goes into action. He rips his shirt off before ripping my shirt and bra off in one motion. He spins me around and pulls my back to his chest.
"Feel me love. Feel my breaths. Try to focus on them and breathe with me. You can do this." He whispers in my ear. Having his bare skin touching mine is already helping my heart rate calm down. Closing my eyes, I focus on the feeling of his chest on my back. As he inhales it puffs forward and then goes down when he exhales. I do my best to focus directly on his breathing and try to match mine to his. With each breath it gets easier and eventually I'm breathing normally. There are still tears streaming down my face but my chest doesn't hurt anymore and I can breathe comfortably.
"There you go" Edward coos to me, "Is that better?"
I just nod at him as I continue to concentrate on my breathing.
Once I've fully calmed down, I turn so that I can face him and wrap my arms around him.
"Jesus Bella you scared me." He whimpers as he puts his forehead to mine and closes his eyes.
"Im sorry" I croak out.
"It's okay love. I'm just glad I got you calmed down. I don't know how we would explain it to Charlie if I had run downstairs with your unconscious body so we could take you to the hospital."
I huff a laugh.
"Yeah that probably wouldn't go over well."
"Definitely not. Come on let's go lay down so we can talk."
"Okay." I tell him. "Will you grab me a nightgown out of my drawer?" My dad is probably going to check on me at some point and I don't want to be naked.
He frowns but nods. I know he understands despite the fact that he would rather I be naked.
He chooses a plain black nightie that is short but really comfortable. It's one that I've had for a long time and it's my favorite. I love it because it's really soft and stretchy. He helps me take my pants off before slipping the nightgown over my head. I feel like a zombie as he dresses me carefully.
Once I'm dressed, he helps me lay down and pulls me onto his chest like always.
"Why are you so upset love?" he asks me. "Is it because he knows that I'm a vampire or is it something else? I can hear your thoughts but I still wish you would talk to me."
"It's just everything. Can't you get in trouble because he knows about you?"
"No love. I'll explain more in a few minutes, but they are supernatural creatures just like us. They know what we are instinctively. No one had to tell them." He tells me while running his fingers through my hair. "Now what else is bothering you?"
"He knew we had made love, Edward. He said you had defiled my body. How could he take something so beautiful and make it sound so disgusting? Why would he do that?" I cry to him.
"He said I was disgusting." I whisper almost inaudibly.
He growls deep in his chest. It's nothing like the erotic growls that he releases while we're being intimate.
"He's wrong love. He's the disgusting one. He has no right to talk about us making love at all, let alone pass judgement on it. Our physical relationship is the most pure and beautiful thing in the world. He doesn't understand and he doesn't need to. He could smell our scents mixed inside of you because he has enhanced senses, that's how he knew. He had no right to discuss it with you."
"Edward…what is Jacob?"
He sighs before answering me.
"The entire La Push tribe are descendants from wolves. They believe themselves to be werewolves but thats not technically what they are. There are real werewolves out there that change when there's a full moon and become senseless beasts. Their instinct is to hunt vampires. They are one of the other creatures on Earth that can hurt or destroy us. Jacob's tribe are shape shifters. They turn into a werewolf at will. When they get angry it can force them to phase, but with practice they can control it. They're instinct is also to kill vampires. We met them when we first came here several decades ago. Jacob's grandfather was the chief then and made a treaty with us. They saw that we weren't the human drinking monsters that they had come across before. As long as we stayed off of their land and continued to only hunt animals, they wouldn't attack us or tell any one what we truly are."
"Wow so Jacob is a werewolf."
"Sometimes." He says with a smirk.
"Why did he tell me to remind you about the treaty? What does that have to do with us being in a relationship?"
"Well the treaty is very specific to say that we can't bite a human. That means if I were to…bite and change you into a vampire, it would violate the treaty." He says hesitantly.
"Is..is that something that you want?" I ask him. I've always just assumed he would make me like him someday, but we've never really talked about it.
"The choice is purely yours to make, love. It is a big decision and not one to be taken lightly."
"But what would you think if I chose to be changed? Would you still want me if I was a vampire?"
"Of course I would Bella." He says shocked. "I will always want you. I just can't ask you to give up your life and family for me. I want nothing more than to have you for all eternity, but it would be the most selfish thing I'd ever do."
"Edward it isn't selfish of you to want me forever. I want that too. I will want to be human for a little while so that I can spend some more time with my dad, but I definitely want to be turned. I have from the moment I first saw you."
"If that's what you want, love, I have no objections, but if you change your mind that is okay too. You have to do what is right for you. It will be very difficult to give up your family and all of your human friends."
"Yes it will be hard, but it would be impossible to give you up. When I think about losing you, I physically ache. I can't live without you and I know you feel the same about me. There's never been a doubt in my mind that when the time came you would change me."
"Okay." He says simply. "We'll need to talk to Carlisle and discuss the timing and also the circumstances to which its done. We will probably have to fake your death but maybe if we went off to a far away college, you could email your dad and talk on the phone. That would give him a few years. Carlisle knows more about these things, so we'll talk to him about it."
"Okay "I tell him and yawn into his chest. We're quiet for awhile until Edward suddenly perks up.
"Your dad's coming up to check on you. I'll be back when he's gone." He tells me before he disappears.
Less than 5 seconds later, there's a soft knock at my door and my dad sticks his head in.
"Hey can I come in?" he asks shyly.
"Sure" I tell him while pulling the covers up to my shoulders. I don't need my dad seeing my low cut nightgown. Awkward.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm okay. Just a headache and tired. I should be fine tomorrow."
"Well if you're not, I'll call into the school for you. You just had a serious head trauma not long ago. Don't push yourself."
"Okay dad but I think I'll be fine."
"Okay Bells. I'll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams."
"Night dad." I tell him before he ducks out of my room closing the door softly behind him.
Edward appears at my bedside and slides back in with me.
"Jacob and Billy just left. Jacob was nagging Charlie to come up here and check on you. He was hoping that Charlie would catch me here."
"He's going to be a problem isn't he?" I ask annoyed.
"Maybe, but don't worry we'll handle it." He tells me as I yawn again.
"Go to sleep love. I'll be here in the morning."
"Mmmkay goodnight."
"Sweet dreams, angel."