110

I spent my three-day burn on a tiny island near Rio with the love of my life right next to me, waiting for my body to succumb to the venom.

Her venom.

We didn't want to use Bella's ties with the government, but when I found out that she wouldn't be allowed to come with me, that I wouldn't be able to wake up to her, we made a call. Renee was able to pull strings. When I found out that the syringe they were going to plunge into my heart was some random vampire's venom, I asked for one more thing.

If Bella couldn't bite me, then I wanted it to be her who changed me.

When time came down to it, a doctor had to be the one to actually administer it, but knowing it was her venom made all the difference.

She held me for the entire seventy-two hours. She listened to me scream in agony and plead for death.

I tried to keep quiet. I didn't want her to know I was suffering, but it wasn't something I could avoid. It felt like I had molten lava coursing through my veins, and at times, I was delirious. I tried to remind myself that she was there, waiting for me at the end of the line, but I couldn't hear or feel her.

All I could hear were my screams echoing through my mind. All I could feel was the burn.

And right when I thought I couldn't handle anymore, my heart gave one final thump, and my new life began.

Her eyes were the first thing I saw in my second life, and I'd go through those three torturous days a hundred times over if I had to.

Bella made sure I had the best blood they offered, and it did nothing to quench the thirst.

I'm so glad they put us on an island in the middle of nowhere to get accustomed to things because there were moments when I thought about swimming to the nearest town and draining someone. Knowing there was something in the world that would ease the pain in my throat was tempting.

But I made it.

Alice was on the opposite end of the island, going through the same thing I was, and she made it too.

It was easier having her there. We were able to focus on getting accustomed to our new lives together until they took her to a different area to test her abilities.

Unfortunately, the venom didn't awaken some dormant power in me. I was just super strong and fast, your everyday run-of-the-mill vampire.

Me. Edward Cullen. A Vampire.