Ch. 74 Cold Shower
I opened my eyes, and we were all standing in front of the manor.
"Woo! We're back!" Emmett was clapping his hands together like those weirdos who clap at the end of a long flight, and Rosalie rolled her eyes but smiled at her goofy mate.
I couldn't make fun of him because I was so overjoyed and relieved to be back home too. "You did it, baby! Oh, Mommy is so proud!" I kissed Thea's face and she giggled.
"Thank God." Edward sighed, rubbing his eyes. He finally released a deep breath he had been holding.
"Amazing..." Carlisle looked around him in wonder as he grabbed Esme's hand and walked with her to the house.
I moved to stand near Edward. "Are you ok?" He was breathing a little faster than normal, and his eyes were blank.
"I just can't believe that I did that. I tried to fight it, truly, but she just overwhelmed me...Love, I'm so sorry..." I hated seeing him this way.
"Edward, it's alright...We're back. We have plenty of time to prepare for if or when we ever see her again. Remember when you guys told me that I'm not allowed to be upset about things that haven't technically happened yet? Well, now it's your turn." Talk about dodging a fucking bullet...I kissed his cheek, and his lips turned up into a slight grin. I noted that his golden irises were now flecked with red, and Edward sighed again as he saw them reflected in my mind.
He then reached for our tiny daughter and looked to her seriously. "Thea Elizabeth Cullen," Uh oh...he just middle named her. "No more drifting without Mommy's or my permission. Mommy will stay here with us—" he looked to me, and I nodded. "—and you will stay with us too." He squinted at her for a moment as he listened to her telepathically.
"No, not even across the room. No more drifting, not until you are much older." His voice was soft but stern. It was very odd to watch what appeared to be a one-sided conversation with a baby. I looked back and forth between the two of them. "Yes, thank you for getting Mommy back, but next time wait for me to tell you to go. Do you understand?" He waited. "Good."
"Did she even get that?!" I asked incredulously.
"Perfectly." Edward smiled and kissed Thea. "Now it's off to bed for you, little miss." She smiled up at had him cheekily. "No, no more drifting! We will take you to your room until you can walk." Edward pinched the bridge of his nose clearly stressed out with our child already.
"May I?" Rosalie appeared beside us, reaching in question for Thea. I nodded to her in thanks as she walked back to the house.
"Well, you wanted a daughter..." I shrugged as I recalled all the times I drove my parents insane over the years, but those assholes deserved it. "You really should have vetted your mate out better. Have you met me? You should have known what you were getting yourself into..." Edward chuckled and kissed me lightly.
"Have I told you how lovely you look by the way?" His eyes were twinkling in the setting sun.
"No." I made a goofy face. Am I still pretty now?
Edward laughed harder. "You are absolutely the most beautiful piece of my world. Now that I can breathe again, you're taking my breath away." Smooth talker...Edward winked at me, his mood finally seeming to recover from the trauma of our trip.
"I need to hunt." I said bluntly as the burning in my throat came to the forefront of my mind.
"Should I get Jasper and Emmett?" Edward's expression grew weary.
"Iris! You're gorgeous...And Jazz and I will come with you. Emmett and Rose are a little preoccupied..." Alice made a face as she appeared beside me. Ew. I had a flashback of the time I drifted to Rosalie. Ahhhhhhhhhhh I can't wash my brain out! Ewwwwwwwwahhhh!
"Iris!" Edward was scrubbing at his eyes and grimacing. "I'll never unsee that!" I'm sorry! I couldn't help it!
"What?" Alice asked in confusion.
I couldn't make it stop. Naked Emmett over and over! "How do you think I feel?!" Ugh Barf!
"I know how you feel, unfortunately..." Jasper looked like he wanted to vomit.
"I'm so sorry, love." Edward was still grimacing but couldn't contain his laughter at Jasper.
"Let's just go. I need a distraction..." I groaned, and then I smiled at him before turning to run deeper into the woods to hunt. "I'll race you! Last one there's a rotten egg!"
"Heaven forbid one of us be the rotten egg." Edward rolled his eyes with a smile, and chased after me.
Edward was the fastest of the group, obviously, but my natural height and leg length combined with my newborn strength gave me an advantage.
"Hah! I won fair and square!" I screamed triumphantly with my hands up in the air when we reached a few miles into the woods. Suck it, Cullen! And don't you dare say—
"I let you win." He laughed, finishing my thought as he stopped in front of me.
"No fucking way! I had you. You might easily beat me a year from now, but I had you then!" Don't you dare steal my thunder!
"Iris."
"Don't argue—" You know I won!
"No, look." He grabbed my shoulders and spun me around.
A couple hundred yards away, there was a bear. "There aren't bears in Scotland." I furrowed my brow at the animal.
"Apparently there's at least one, but that wasn't my point. You didn't even realize it was standing there." He was smiling ear to ear.
"And...?" Had my husband lost his mind?
"The bear is full of...blood." He said the last word carefully watching me.
What? "You're right!" Holy shit.
"And earlier with Bella...you were able to stop too. Iris. I think you're going to be fine." He picked me up to spin me around.
I shook my head in a daze...how? I mean, I could smell the bear there, hear it's beautifully wet heartbeat, but there was only mild appeal. Then there was Bella. I could smell her too earlier, and I remembered wanting to drink from her for a few seconds at least when my guard was down...but now when I thought about her scent, she too only held mild appeal.
"Do you think that since I've been a vampire before, I can skip the frantic newborn stage...?" I hope that's right...
"I don't know. I hope so...or maybe we just surprised you earlier, and you would have been just fine anyway. You didn't seem to be as mentally primitive when you woke up as when you were pregnant." Umm, thanks...? Edward chuckled. "I only meant that I'm hoping you will be able to maintain control. Go ahead and try." Edward nudged me toward the bear.
I looked back at my babysitters. "We're right here." Jasper affirmed with tight lips. He must be reading my hesitance.
"Ugh! Just hurry up! I want to show you all the post-change clothes I got for you!" Alice bounced up and down. Leave it to Alice to be worried about my wardrobe at a time like this...
"Ok..." Shit. Control, Iris. Gotta keep a short leash...
I crouched down low to the ground, and took a slight sniff in the air. I could still smell the bear, AND I still seemed in control. Ok, test one passed...
I moved a few hundred feet closer, climbing up and perching in a tree. I listened for the rhythmic pulsing of the bear's heart. Blood...blood...blood...it seemed to be saying, and I closed my eyes, fighting the urge to pounce just yet. Remember Bella. Remember how you took care of her when she was in danger. Control. Hey! I'm still coherent and thinking to myself. Cool. Test two, passed.
I moved even closer, being as quiet as possible, and took a deeper breath in and thought about how it would feel when my teeth pierced through the thin skin of his neck, how the blood flowing out from the animal would pour into my venom-filled mouth and slowly trickle down my throat in thirst-quenching surges. Blood...blood...blood...Bella...Bella...No, stop! ...I'm still in control. Yes! I can do this.
I looked to the bear which was only twenty feet away now, grinning as I held on to my newly-gained restraint, and I pounced, landing on his back. I wrapped my legs around his center and yanked the fur-covered head back at his crown, lengthening his pulsing carotid and sank my teeth through the warm skin. Bloooooood.
I drank and drank until the animal ran dry. It wasn't enough.
Blood! Blood! Blood! Bella! Wait, what...? Bella. Oh, slow your roll, Iris...
Hah! Hey! I did it! Wow, who knew that Bella Swan was just the cold shower I needed to cure my insatiable thirst?
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