Ch. 33 For the Love of Blood

Blood. It's all there was to this life, and I was ok with that, more than ok with it. Was it really such a short time ago when I was working around it all day, and not appreciating it for the wonderful sustenance it was? Blood never disappointed me. It was warm, wet, fresh from the tap. I never saw their faces. It didn't matter. The flavor was what mattered, and the more I drank, the more I could tell the distinct differences. I was becoming quite the blood connoisseur. I think Aro got the most pleasure from watching me enjoy at meal times...freak. But as long as the blood continued to flow, who gave a shit what he thought?

How long had it been since that first wonderful experience? Days? Weeks? Years? I had lost count. As a human I couldn't recall being such a glutton, but now? I would gladly pronounce myself as such if it meant more blood for me. Hell yes!

"Iris, I'm so happy you've taken to our life, but I'm afraid it's time to practice a bit of...restraint." Restrain yourself, bastard. You just want more blood for yourself.

Aro heard my thoughts, of course, since he kept his hand on my shoulder. He let out a light laugh. "Oh you do bring so much life to the castle. But no, it is not myself I am concerned about. It has been a year. You are no longer in the newborn stage, and you should be able to space out your feeding times much better now."

A year? Well, that answers that question. But fuck him and his judgements about me. I'll take what I want. I can have everything here, remember, master? Creepy Jackass.

Suddenly he was not happy, slightly deranged Aro. He became Aro, master of masters, fear-inspiring leader of all vampires. "You must not forget who you are addressing, young one. You may think yourself free to do as you wish or believe that I might release you from this life if you push hard enough, but I have lived many lifetimes. I can guarantee that there are far worse punishments than death. You will obey me." He spit the last two words at me, and I froze in shock.

I stood, squared my shoulders, and pushed his hand away from me. "Bring it, old man." I spit back at him.

"Jane?" He called casually. Shit.

"Please remind Iris what will happen when she doesn't address her elders in the appropriate way."

"Yes, master." Her angelic child-like face was very deceptive indeed because when she smiled like that, you could tell she was no angel. She was a demon from the darkest recesses of hades reanimated.

Hours and hours and hours and hours. The pain would never end. It would only continue forever this way. But this pain was nothing. Aro thought that physical pain would break me? Hah. What a joke. Don't think it, Iris. Keep it safe, tucked away. Think of blood...warm, delicious, free-flowing blood...

•PTaT•

(BPOV)

"It's only been a year, Edward."

"Only." He scoffed.

He and I had grown closer over the last twelve months. He had built up a tolerance to my scent, so that we could work together to search every avenue for Iris, starting with the Volturi, but no luck. It was as if she vanished into thin air, which maybe she had...no, I had to stay positive for him. He was...not being so positive currently. He looked like a hundred year old vampire, deathly pale, with dry, cracked skin.

It was just so impossible. She could be anywhere, be anyone, but I didn't think she would take over anyone else's body. It didn't make sense. She hated herself for taking over my life. No, she wouldn't do that. So then what? Where was she? Alice couldn't see her, not anymore. She used to get flickers every now and again, but it was too fast or not enough to tell what she was doing. Those visions had stopped months ago. Alice kept telling Edward she thought that Iris wasn't making any decisions anymore, but she didn't think she was dead. Maybe she just said that to make us all feel better...

"You need to hunt. Please, we will think of something. Just take care of yourself. Iris will never forgive me if she sees you like this. It was her one last wish that I take care of you, and I will do that in the best way I can."

"You're nothing like her, you know that?" He almost smiled.

"Gee, thanks."

An actual sound almost resembling a laugh came out of him. "No, I just meant that you're too...passive. She was amazing, but she wouldn't take no for an answer." He smiled to himself. Poor Edward. It must be so awful to be trapped this way, in limbo.

"Is. She is amazing." I corrected him with a pointed look.

"Yes. She is..." His voice was off, but I didn't know what to say.

"Jake will be here soon." We had actually started dating. I know Iris had thought the idea was so appalling, but he's sixteen, just two years different from me. Bedsides, ever since he phased, he might as well be twenty-five, but I won't tell him that. He had enough ego that I needed to deflate.

"Right, sorry. I just...it's nice to not have to hear so many thoughts all the time. I'm sorry to keep you from him." He was so formal when he got embarrassed. It was endearing. I could see the appeal, but it wasn't what Iris had thought. He felt like a brother to me. A strange, vampire, sulky older brother, but a brother all the same.

"Don't apologize. You're not Superman. You need to slow down sometimes too. It can't be healthy to be so anxious all the time." I teased and he smiled to himself. "We will find her."

I guess the silver lining of this odd situation was that I got an extended family out of it all. It had only ever been my parents and me, and later Phil, but now I had a huge family made up of the vampires and the wolves. They didn't exactly get along all the time, but they were trying. Iris had rolled her eyes enough at them that they too began to see the ridiculousness of their feud, especially when Laurent returned for me, giving them a common enemy.

Apparently the "reformed" vampire had just been biding his time to attack. None of us could figure out what was wrong with him though. He kept running along the border of Forks and La Push, obviously trying to get to me, but he was hiding his thoughts and plans from Edward and Alice. He somehow always seemed to get away at the last second...

Because of this, I always had either a wolf or a vampire with me at all times now. It was annoying, but also kind of nice. I never had to worry about falling or tripping because someone was always there to catch me. Edward shared all the same classes with me in school, and I sat with the Cullens at lunch. After school, I went to La Push and spent most of my days with Jake, and either he, Alice, or one of the others would follow me home in the evening, and watch over me by patrolling outside while I slept. I hated that they were doing all of this for me, sacrificing so much of themselves, putting themselves in danger, but I learned from Iris to not be ungrateful. They cared about me for some reason, so I should let them show it.

Just then, Jake jumped through my window and nodded to Edward as he left the same way before turning back to me. "Hey beautiful, I missed you. Are you tired already?" He kissed my forehead and held me close as I reveled in the warmth that was Jacob Black, my personal sun.

"I guess...it's just so hard to see him suffer this way. Where is she?"

"Hey, stop that. Let us worry about the supernatural. You need to be studying. Your finals are coming up, right? Dartmouth won't take any losers. They might reconsider their offer to you." I couldn't help but smile at Jake. His eternally good mood was contagious.

"I'm not totally useless, you know. Iris lived inside of me for two months. None of you can say that..."

"Sorry, you're right. I love you, Bella."

"You too, Jake." He leaned down—he towered over me with his now six-foot-seven frame—and picked me up to kiss me while he carried me to the bed. Charlie would lose it if he knew Jake was here now, but I was eighteen. What was he going to do about it? Plus, he loved Jake like his own son. Jacob also had a way of explaining himself out of anything.

I went to sleep in a state of total bliss, my werewolf at my side. Thank you, Iris.

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