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Entry in THE CANON TOUR-TWILIGHT ROUND
story title: Blood is Thicker
Summary: What if Edward didn't skip blood typing that day in Biology class?
Plot bunny enticer/beta/pre-readers: LJ Summers, u2shay, NKubie
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Blood is Thicker
Bella's theories on what I am are amusing to say the least; and startling to say the most. We were chatting during lunch, and it seemed so normal. Although the content of our conversation could have been read in any number of ways to one who didn't know exactly what we were talking about. It was probably better that way.
Feeling like I had to warn her one more time, I asked, "What if I'm not a superhero? What if I'm the bad guy?"
She guessed, "You're dangerous?" At my nod, she added, "But not bad. No, I don't believe that you're bad."
"You're wrong."
Before we could discuss this further, Bella glanced at the clock and leaped to her feet. "We're going to be late!"
She was right about that, at least. I'd been chuckling over her theories about what I am and found it hard to believe that I'd lost track of time myself. Verbally sparring with this young woman was enjoyable. I think she liked it, too.
I had heard Alice leave with Jasper about twenty minutes previously. They were ditching for the rest of the day. She'd said that Jasper needed a break from the pulsing heartbeats around us. He'd had several close calls already. Her focus was totally on him and keeping him out of trouble. They'd meet us at home later…much later. Alice was thinking that a trip into Canada might be in order; she hadn't decided yet.
Tucking the lemonade cap from her lunch into my pocket, I followed Bella as she rushed toward Biology.
Finally giving into whatever this was between us—accepting the opportunity to get to know her, this human enigma—took some of the stress off of me. As I'd told her earlier, if I was going to hell, I may as well go thoroughly. She'd smiled at that comment and I'd smelled the first stirrings of arousal from her. It was obvious that she liked me, too, that she felt this connection between us.
Mr. Banner wasn't in the room when we arrived and I thought about pressuring her into telling me more of her theories. Before I could do so, he arrived, balancing an assortment of items in his hands.
His mind was quite jovial as he thought about what we were going to do. He'd just gotten the call that the Red Cross was having a blood drive next week and he liked giving the students the opportunity to help others. Blood typing was one of his favorite hands-on classes. There was always the chance for drama, in the form of fainting students. He was thinking, "So sue me, I like to see them all discombobulated."
I felt trapped as I realized what this meant: Vampire, in a room full of bleeding children.
Now that I had started speaking with Bella, she'd surely notice if I took in a deep breath and then didn't speak for the rest of the hour. But the thought of smelling her blood, sensing it flowing, even if only from the small jab of the lancet, caused venom to flood my mouth. I swallowed madly, trying to get a modicum of control.
By the time that I had decided to fake illness myself and escape, the first students had their fingers pricked and Bella was laying her head down on her arm, a sheen of sweat on her brow. Mr. Banner reached us and asked her if she was feeling ill and needed to go to the office. She nodded weakly and I heard Mike think, "I can take her," but before he could get the words out, I volunteered and slipped my arm around her waist.
Bella was nearly limp in my arms as I gathered her against my side. The smell of blood wafted through the room from the bleeding fingers of eight children. The monster inside me took a deep breath and began roaring from where I had him chained. Some of the blood was sweeter than others and my mouth again filled with venom. I knew that Bella's blood, as my singer, would be the sweetest of all.
I had already let my guard down when I decided earlier to befriend her, to see where this connection between us would lead. Now with the blood flowing from humans on all sides of me, all of my defenses came down with a suddenness that shocked me.
One of the boys at the table next to us lifted his especially gory finger up for his tablemate to see. The scent of blood was now thick in the air as Bella gasped at the sight and she collapsed completely against me. She was out cold.
Her body heat, along with the beating of her heart, made the decision easy, and I gave in…completely and irrevocably.
With the permission of the teacher, I left the room with Bella slumped against my side. Instead of taking her to the office, I slipped around the corner of the school, swept her into my arms and raced into the nearby woods.
Listening intently, I could hear that no one had seen me leave the premises. Mr. Banner was thinking, "One down, how many to go?" as he chortled to himself. Little did he know…
I was exceedingly grateful that Alice was gone. With any luck she'd be so intent upon Jasper that she wouldn't see what I was up to before it was too late. Too late for what? I had no clue. I ran in the opposite direction from the one I knew she and Jasper had taken.
What was I going to do? I only had a broad outline in mind; I wasn't set on any one course of action. All I really wanted to do was to be close to Bella. Very close. I'd decide later just how close that was going to be.
The air was cool as I ran through the woods and Bella began to wake. I held her closer and told her to close her eyes. She glanced around and when she saw the trees rushing by she turned a bit greener and obeyed me. I felt her shiver as she tucked her face into my neck, but I didn't know if it was from fear or cold.
"Where are we going?" she whispered.
I didn't answer as I continued running. I didn't want to focus on my destination, hoping to keep Alice in the dark. I focused on just getting there, without thinking specifics. It might buy me some time. I don't even know what I need the time for. But I know that I need something.
Twenty minutes later I turned south and ran another three miles before stopping at the tree line just off the beach. I stood Bella up and she leaned against a nearby tree as she tried to find her balance. The color was back in her face, but I could smell the adrenaline of her fear as she watched me pace back and forth in front of her.
Her eyes were wide and she started to say something, twice, before she could actually articulate a sentence. Finally, she took a deep breath and asked, "Where are we? What's happening?"
Good questions.
Why had I taken her?
Why were we on the west side of the Quileute Reservation, on the narrow strip of national forest, far from my family's reach? They wouldn't be able to come to us directly either. They'd have to go around the boundaries set by the treaty; again buying me time.
Why here, why now?
A slow drizzle started before I could come up with any answers and the moisture accentuated her scent. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was beside her, my arms wrapped around her and my nose buried in the crook of her neck. I breathed deeply, enjoying the rich aroma of her blood.
She stiffened immediately; the smell of fear—and arousal— filling my lungs.
The fear I understood, but the arousal? Not so much. But it was welcome, making her scent even more enticing. The monster purred as he smacked his lips. I agreed. Why should I wait? She was mine. This is what I needed, what I wanted. Bella, all of her.
Yes, he growled, ours.
"Edward? What's happening? Why aren't we at the school? What are we doing here?"
Again, good questions.
And I had an answer this time.
"You are mine."
Her hands came up to my chest and she tried to push me away. Of course, she couldn't, but I allowed a little space so that I could look into her face.
"Your eyes are black, they were gold earlier." Another spike in her scent told me that she was becoming aware of just how bad I could be. Finally her self-protective gene was kicking in. It was about time.
"I told you I was dangerous and you said that yes, I was, but that I wasn't bad. You were wrong."
Bella's heartbeat was so loud that I knew that any vampire within a one mile radius would be able to hear it. It was a good thing that there weren't any. Listening with my gift, I heard no one anywhere near us.
I wouldn't share.
"No, this isn't happening." Bella tried to pull away from me, but I closed the small gap that was between us so that she was pressed completely against me. Her heat permeated my body, filling me with a warmth that I hadn't felt in decades. It was marvelous.
"Yes, this is happening." Again, I wasn't sure just what this might be, but the longer that I held her the clearer my decision became.
Mine.
Now to decide: Mine for right now? Or mine for all time?
The monster stated his choice as he roared for right now and my fingers clenched around her waist. Her whimper of pain brought me back to myself and I eased the pressure, just a little, but enough.
I fought back as I remembered how I wanted to see just what this was between us. This spark of something that we both felt each time we touched, this connection that we both sensed. The fact that I wanted to learn what was in her mind, what thoughts she had, what dreams.
If I took her now, as the monster decreed, I'd never know.
But think how sated we'll be, he chuckled. We'll never taste anything like her again. She's our singer. She's beyond luscious. Emmett had two singers…we deserve one.
My fingers tightened again and she cried out this time.
"What are you, Edward? You're so cold, you're so fast, your eyes change colors. I don't understand! Please make me understand!"
Her voice was a plea and I could smell the tears as they rolled down her soft cheeks. My face was still pressed to her shoulder and as the tears touched me, I felt guilty.
All of the others that I had killed in my rebellious years had been evil. This woman was only responsible for being my singer. That thought caught me up short.
After living seventy years on the moral high ground, could I really set that aside?
The monster roared out a resounding YES.
As I leaned in and lightly pressed my teeth to Bella's carotid artery, she surprised me by leaning into me and wrapping her arms tightly around my waist.
"Edward, I trust you. You warned me earlier that you were bad, but you aren't. I feel you fighting this. I don't even know what this is, but I feel you struggling with it." Her warm nose pressed beneath my jaw and her breath fluttered across my cold skin. I felt the power of it and a shiver slipped down my spine.
She said she trusted me, me the vampire that had his very sharp teeth pressed to her neck. One small movement and the blood rushing beneath her skin would be pouring down my burning throat. One small bite and she'd be feeding me the meal of my lifetime…and hers.
More of her tears rained down on me. I felt the sorrow and the loss in each one. Closing my lips over my teeth, I pulled back the smallest amount. I had to weigh this choice carefully. If I proceeded, the tears would stop. Her heart would stop. The mystery would be over and I'd never know what the answer to the riddle of her silent mind was.
If I continued, I'd know fulfillment like never before. Emmett, in the darkest corner of his mind still thought about the singers that he drained. He still thought of the satiation that he felt. Yes, he also felt guilty to some extent for breaking from his animal diet and killing humans, but his regret for not savoring the experience was stronger. And he felt sorry about that, too.
Bella squirmed a little, trying to get some space between our bodies. The movement of her hips as they moved against mine caused my body to respond to hers. I gasped as I pressed a hand to her lower back and pushed her closer to my pelvis. The heat from her body seared me.
I needed more of it.
Grabbing the neck of her shirt, I flicked my wrist and shredded it from her shoulders. Her pink cotton bra covered her to some small degree. Her flesh was pale, nearly as light as my own. Another flick and my shirt was gone and I leaned close to her, reveling in the heat of her skin pressed to mine. Hers immediately pebbled as the chilly air surrounded us.
Her gasp brought my attention back to her face. I met her eyes and saw an awareness there. She did feel the connection we shared and even though she was afraid of my actions, there was some part of her that was drawn to me, still.
I could understand that.
I was drawn to her, too. An urge stronger than anything I'd ever encountered began to grow inside me. I needed something else, something more.
Leaning down, I placed an open-mouth kiss on the point of her shoulder. Once again she gasped. I knew it was from arousal, as I could smell it thick and heavy in the air. Giving in to my need, I kissed her again, closer to her neck this time. A shiver passed through her body and I pressed her firmly to the cradle of my thighs.
Slowly her head tipped back and I couldn't tell if it was from me pressing my lips to her skin, or if she was giving in to me. But suddenly her throat was bare and vulnerable before me. Starting again, I licked a delicate line from her shoulder to the space just below her ear. I blew lightly over the path of venom that I'd left. Bella's shiver was more pronounced and now she was the one pressing closer to my body.
A growl left my lips and one thought screamed in my mind.
Mine.
Her voice came to me. "Yes, yours, probably from the first moment I saw you…" I'd apparently been growling the word out loud. She did feel the connection and she wanted it too. She wanted me, she wanted this.
Now to decide what this was going to be.
I realized my time was running out when I heard Alice in my mind. Jasper was not far behind and the rest of the family was coming on strong.
From their minds I could tell that they were only about three miles away. That distance was mere moments to a vampire coven who was desperately trying to stop me from doing something that we all considered to be evil.
Yes, I know that if I do this—if I make this choice—all hell is going to break loose.
Bella was ignorant of the issues at stake. She had her hands in my hair, trying to pull me closer as she ground her softness against my steel. She was whimpering again, but this time in need. I finally allowed my lips touch hers and she opened to me immediately. My own moan was caught between us as I let my tongue slip between her lips.
As divine as she smelled, her taste was ambrosia. The warmth of her mouth against my tongue nearly brought me to my knees. I wanted to spend the next hours, days, weeks just exploring her mouth.
They're close; I can hear her heart beating…
I hope we aren't too late…
What is he thinking? We're going to have to move again!
Can't blame him…she's his singer…
If he's killed her, we'll have to make it look like an accident. Rose will like that we'll have to kill him too…
Edward, you have to make the right choice…
That thought, sent to me from Alice, caught my attention the most. What was the right choice in this situation?
Mine for right now? Or mine for all time?
I'd let fate decide. Would my family arrive in time?
Kissing Bella deeply one more time, I moved my mouth to her ear and whispered, "I'm sorry. I wish…I hope…"
I moved to her neck and bit her deeply. I began to drink as her screams rang out through the misty woods.
A/N Have you ever read THE LADY OR THE TIGER by Frank Stockton? This fic reminds me of that and it may you as well.
So...is she dead? Or dead-ish?
My daughter and LJ Summers say: DEAD
u2shay, NKubie say: Dead-ish
Someone asked if there was a RIGHT answer...well, I have MY answer...would be interested to know what you think...
I have an epilogue in the works...if anyone is interested.
Thanks for reading!
Kathie