A/N: You might have noticed I upped the rating for this fic to M, that's because of this chapter and beyond. I've never really written a sex scene or anything like that before, so I'm branching out a bit, experimenting. Things get a little hot and heavy in this chapter, you've been warned.
When Eliza wakes up, her eyes are still heavily lidded, her limbs weighed down from sleep. Her arms and legs are wrapped around something...no someone. It reminds her of how she would curl up with a pillow when she slept alone, in need of comfort in any form, even just having her own body heat radiated back to her. But the texture wasn't the same, her fingertips traced the fabric, a starched cotton that held a crisp smell, like firewood.
She startles as the thought registers, moves to scramble away but he holds her in place. Eliza can hear the smirk in Caius's voice as he purrs, "Good morning, Elizabeth." She tilts her head forward, realizing that the two are sprawled in bed together, her body curled around him. Was she cuddling with a vampire? It sounded like the fantasy of a thirteen-year-old, yet there she was. Eliza smiled sheepishly, ducking her head so she doesn't have to meet his eyes, blushing when she realizes that she is in her traditional sleepwear: a simple t-shirt and the cotton underwear she had worn that day. She assumed if she checked the floor she would see her jeans, boots and socks on the floor, right where she kicked them off.
Eliza was a creature of habit, she hated having things on her feet when she slept, not to mention she had her friends would joke 'home is where pants aren't'. She searches her memory, though it seems to fade as the previous nights hours continued. She had drank a touch too much last night, a thought confirmed by the raging headache slowly overwhelming her conscious. "Did we….?" Eliza is unsure how to even ask, though Caius does not even react, he simply sits up in the bed, moving her to a seated position as well, her back resting against his chest. His chin is tickled by the hair on the crown on her head, though both parties are resting quite comfortably.
"Did I help you into bed because you were drunk? Yes. Did you insist on being held? Yes." Caius informs as though it were obvious, though it makes Eliza blush scarlet. "Apparently you also got Demetri to buy you cigarettes because otherwise you would have cried and when my brothers or I asked you about it, you would have said Demetri made you cry." They both chuckle then, Caius in amusement and Eliza in mortification, a nervous giggle. She was brash when she drank or smoked, she knew that, but to order Demetri around? The thought was horrifying.
Yet what haunted her most was her dream, her nights were plagued with visions as of late, strange, abstract things. But last night was different, it felt so real it rattled in her bones. Perhaps because it was a construct of a memory.
A subtle growl filled the room, causing Eliza to curl her legs slightly, it was her stomach, she wanted to die right then and there. Caius brushed his lips across her hairline, hiding his amusement beneath the stands of umber brown. There was a sense of wholeness that reminded her of when she would attend bonfires growing up, the feeling of togetherness, of oneness, reflected in the flames reproduced simply through Caius's fingers splayed boldly across her hip, in the dip between her t-shirt and underwear.
"Rumor has it you enjoy cooking." Caius informed her, one hand tracing her flesh lazily while the other began to play with her hair, lifting the strands into the light, watching them reflect the glow.
"Who told you that?" The pleased tone of her voice reflects that it is true, she was the eldest child with two working parents, cooking was somewhat expected of her. But she had grown to enjoy it, partly because she could make whatever she wanted with the knowledge that her sibling's contribution would be to wash the dishes.
"Doesn't matter." Caius dismisses, moving to sit up and bringing her with him, so that her legs are sprawled across his lap and their faces are but inches apart. "Do you know what you said to me before bed last night?"
There's a fierceness in his grin that both terrifies and excites her, the later weighing more heavily. She shakes her head no as he leans in closer, his breath tickling her lips, causing her to bite her bottom one slightly. "Kiss me when I'm sober." Caius repeats, crashing his mouth onto hers, a clash of teeth and tongue that makes the world spin. Eliza moves to adjust to the new development, her mind conjuring an instinctual urge that manifests in her fingers in his hair, clutching at the scalp and bringing his body closer to hers, chest to chest. It's a strange sort of dance, one moving to outwit the other. When Eliza tugs on his hair, he growls in pleasure and matches her move with one of his own, his hand skating down her back, resting firmly on the thin cotton that separates his hand from her bare ass.
Caius moves from her swollen lips to kiss her jaw harshly, moving down the arch of her neck and pausing at her pulse point, his tongue darting out across it before he stops himself, sitting back to simply watch his mate pant before him: hair a mess and eyes wild, grinning despite herself. There's a flash of fear when she realizes his eyes are black as pitch, but it recedes as her breathing evens out and she mumbles out simply, "Well...damn…" It was not how she expected the morning to turn out, though her mind recalled vaguely asking him to do what he had just done last night, only for him to say she was too drunk to consent. Her heart warms with the context, the respect of her sense of self, the fact that he was a gentleman.
Her mate simply chuckles before repositioning her on the bed, as if he were a little girl ensuring her doll were taken care of, allowing her to sit comfortably while he flits with vampiric speed to the large wardrobe. She glances about, quickly realizing that they are in his room, but the bed was not there before. "When did you get a bed in here?" It's an impressive piece of furniture, mahogany head and footboard with high thread-count sheets. It blends with the room as if it had always been there.
"I ordered it to be brought up after you left." He replies simply, plucking through articles of clothing. He surprises her with a simple sundress, a cream color of knee length. "As well as other female and human necessities." She giggles at the thought of him fretting over her, it's cute, though she would never admit it.
Eliza notices when the fabric is in her hand that it smells of him faintly, as if he had purposely surrounded it with his own clothing so the scent would rub off. "But vampires don't sleep." She speaks as if it were obvious and considering she had yet to encounter a coffin, it seemed to be plausible.
"Who says I had it brought up for sleeping?" There is a promise in his words, as if what they had just done in that very bed were just a taste. Blushing scarlet, she slips into the bathroom, changing quickly before noticing that the bathroom counter has two sinks, both sides now populated when there was only one side filled before. Every item from her luggage had been reproduced in fresh packaging, from her toothpaste to her brand of floss. It startled her, the thought that someone had gone through her things. She understood from their point-of-view it was caring, but to her it was just too creepy. Eliza tried to block out the connotations behind the items and simply use them, brush her hair and teeth, put on her makeup. Her hangover hangs over her head, her limbs heavy and her stomach pitching a fit to be fed.
When she exits the bathroom, she blurts out a question that pulled on her mind, "Caius, are you marking me with your scent?" The crisp scent she knows to be his clings to the dress, a claim staked. When he raises an eyebrow at her, she continues, "My parents have this dog, his name is Bear, coolest dog, but he's possessive. Like, if my brother comes home from someone's house that has a dog, Bear flips out, startings whining and groaning before Louis, like you just broke his heart. He acted like Lou was cheating on him by petting other dogs, because he could smell other dogs on him." She ends her story with her hands on her hips as Caius turns sheepish for a moment before morphing into aloof, shrugging his shoulders.
"I don't know what you mean." He grins then, looking her over. "Everyone can see you're mine simply by looking at you." His eyes dip to her lips, causing her fingers to press against them, they were swollen from his kiss. Eliza glares at him and huffs in indignation.
"Will you show me to the kitchen? I'm starving, and humans eat you know." She changes the subject quickly, as if it erased the clear markings he had left on her. What's strange is that she is not embarrassed that anyone knows what had taken place, how it would one day spiral further no doubt, what worried her was what Marcus or Aro would say. She had barely pecked either of them, while Caius had attempted to devour her from the start. He was forward, commanding, and though she would never admit it, completely her secret fantasy when it came to a partner. Eliza was attracted to the strong, brash type, those who were cunning and forward. There were qualities in each of the three brothers that drew them to her, but in terms of instant chemistry, it was Caius who put his brothers to shame. There was passion with Caius were she found comfort in Marcus and mental stimulation in Aro.
Even now, when most would allow her to shy away, he happily put his arm around her waist, leading her out the door and down the hall. Eliza's head beats with every step that echoes across the walls, she regrets having that final round the night before. The kitchen is immaculate, all chrome fixings and granite counters, Eliza just about drools at the smell of coffee percolating next to the stove. Caius hangs by the door, content to simply watch her move. She studies the contents of the cabinets, seeing where the bowls and plates are before finding the mugs. The coffee sloshes in the ceramic, strong and dark, she inhales deeply before moving to the fridge. "Oh thank Christ, actual coffee creamer!" Elizabeth cradles the container to her chest as if it were a gift from above before topping off her drink.
Caius's head lilts slightly towards the ajar door before his lip curls. "I'll leave you to your breakfast." He seems annoyed at having to leave, but he is gone in a flash. Eliza smiles though, happy for a moment alone to collect her thoughts. She stands idle for a long beat, drinking a mug of coffee and gathering herself. When her head no longer feels overflowing with concrete, she begins to search the kitchen, pulling out utensils.
"I see a bad moon rising…" She switched between humming and singing as she moved, gathering eggs, bacon and butter from the fridge, a sack of potatoes from underneath the counter. "I see trouble on the way…" Eliza had just begun to shred the washed potatoes when she just about jumps out of her skin at the sight of her cousin, immobile in the doorway.
"Jesus Christ, Jake!" Eliza curses, the half shredded spud making a dull thud as it falls into the bowl she was cutting it over. "You're a damn shadow."
"And you're sober at last." Jake teased in response, moving to wash his hands in the sink next to her, "Lizzie's hangover breakfast, the best eggs you've ever tasted!" He takes the potato from her and eases her to the side, taking over potato duty.
"Keep your voice down." Eliza grouches, allowing him to shred what would become hash browns while she gets the oil on a low heat for them before starting on scrambling the eggs. "I've missed you, Jacob." They share an easy smile, both reminded of the mornings after sleepovers at their grandmother's home, how she chided them to get along while helping in the kitchen.
"How you holding up?" Jake asks after a beat, stealing glances at her when he thinks she is not looking. His fingertips are pruning from the potatoes as the shredded pile grows larger before him.
"Put those on the stove." Eliza orders, pointing a finger at a deep dish with a thin layer of oil and salt. She sighs, taking the potatoes from him and placing them in the pan lightly lined with oil, biding her time. "Do you remember the first year we all went hunting together?"
"Yeah, you and Tory got into that huge fight just before and-" Jake pauses when he sees the look on Eliza's face, she has no wish to talk about the day she stopped calling Peter 'Dad'. He furthers his words along, "I shot at a buck and missed by a mile, he took off running right at you and you just raised your gun and…" He trails off, his mind recalling the moment, the echo of his shot in the valley, how Eliza had already been aiming at the creature but it was not until it turned her way that she took her shot, the crackle seemed louder than the first bullet, entering the buck's lungs, a clean shot despite the short time to adjust her aim.
Eliza nods in confirmation, though she doesn't look at him. She focuses on cooking, making sure the bacon doesn't burn. "I keep having this dream about it, it's weird. I'm standing by this stream when I hear the shot, but you aren't there anymore, it's just me and this deer coming right at me and I'm rooted to the spot. And suddenly, it's not the deer coming at me at all, it's this...man, just walking." A splotch of grease pops up, she hisses in pain when it touches her hand. "But he doesn't look like a man, his hair is frozen on the end, like he went in the snow with it still wet. And he's just looking at me with this bright smile and he opens his mouth like he's going to say something...my name, I don't know...but this raven comes out of nowhere, scares the shit out of me, and instead of a deer, I shoot the raven instead. The recoil is so much stronger than in reality, and I go falling back and the man goes to grab my hand, but this salmon leaps out of the water as I fall in and tries to attack him. And the last thing I remember is just...sinking into the water with this white fish circling above me…"
Jake's lips are a thin, white line as he chews over what she has said. Eliza keeps moving, as if afraid to be still, stirring the pans on the stove before draining her mug and moving to refill it. "I know Nana is better at dreams than me, but have you considered it has something to do with...what's been happening lately?" He waves his hand generally, as if putting her life under an umbrella. "Or maybe Sam being alive after you thought she was dead is dreading up other stuff?"
She laughs dryly, fixing herself another cup of coffee before turning the flame on low underneath the eggs. "My shrink would say it's my way of handling life, looking through the lense of a situation I'm in control of or some bullshit. Who really knows? Nana would probably say it's a message from the ancestors or something."
Jake copies her movements, finding a mug in the cabinet on his second try before filling it to the brim and sipping it black. "Look, Liza, I'm not sure what you want me to tell you, or if you want to hear anything specific at all. It's a lot to take in, vampires, shapeshifters…" He sips from his coffee as an excuse to drift off, though the frown remains, marring Elizabeth's face.
They let the silence simmer as Eliza removes the bacon from the pan, placing the strips over a plate topped with paper towels to avoid excess grease. She sloshes the eggs into the grease filled pan and Jake startles.
"That's how your eggs taste so good!" He laughs as she shakes her head. Using a wooden spoon she turns the food, keeping it from burning. "Bacon grease!"
"It's magic." Eliza japes, joining in on his laughter. Jake's laugh had always been contagious.
The door swings open to reveal a sour faced Victorya, who brightens when she loudly sniffs the air. "Oh my god, Eliza's cooking." Jake pulls a mug down and fills it, draining the last of the pot into the ceramic and handing it to her. She sniffs it before looking over at her sister's and switching them out while Eliza's back was turned. Tory presses a finger to her lips at Jake, who barks out another laugh.
Eliza glances between the mug on the counter and her sister, "My mug was blue, why is this one red?" She pointed at the black coffee and then at Tory, "Thief." There's a smile in her words, Eliza rolls her eyes and gets the creamer out, deciding a full mug is better anyways.
"No toast?" Tory asks, glancing around as the food finishes being cooked. She has already stolen a piece of bacon, nibbling on it. She's pleasantly surprised by the human like quality of the room, fresh, modern food was not a vampire's concern, yet here it was, for Eliza's benefit no doubt.
"Make some." Eliza replied dryly, "I'm already cooking eggs, bacon and hash browns, your favorite. Toast wasn't high on my agenda." Jake busies himself with setting the table before she has a chance to command him to do something, which pleases her.
Tory sighs dramatically, but hunts through the cabinets until she finds a loaf of sourdough that seems to be locally bought, since it smelled heavenly and did not have any slices yet. "Do you know where a cutting board is?" She asks, causing Eliza to point to a piece of wood jutting from the top cabinet. Tory pulled it out, revealing a cutting board she could use with ease.
Eliza moved to put the readied food on the island in the center of the kitchen as Tory toasted the bread. They dished out the food while the bread browned and smiled at one another. "I can't remember the last time we ate together like this." Eliza muses as she begins to eat some egg.
"I can, we went out to dinner for mom's birthday. It was right after everything calmed down." Tory shoots back, causing Eliza to frown. She remembers coming home for spring break to tension in the air, the pack on edge.
"What made everyone so riled up?" She questions, Jake and Tory share a look that makes Eliza wonder just how out of the loop she had been.
"Bella being turned into a vampire. It broke the treaty." Jake finally admits after swallowing a large mouthful of food. He continues to eat, like it's going to protect him from speaking.
"The treaty." Eliza repeats slowly, is she supposed to know what that means?
"The one our great-grandfather signed with the Cullens. No one gets turned and no vampire steps foot on our land." Tory supplied, as if the answer were obvious.
"So how am I just finding out all of this?" She barked, gritting her teeth. Eliza's food was half eaten, her fork jabbing at the food with anger.
"It was on a need to know basis. The wolves and imprints of the wolves." Jake replies, though it is then that Eliza realizes what that means.
"You and Seth…" The dots all come together at once, she had said he had puppy love, but her mother said no, it was young, old love. Eliza hadn't understood what she meant until the moment she laid eyes on her own mates. It was a new feeling, but an ancient one.
"After Seth shifted for the first time, he said the world didn't matter without me in it." Tory confesses, "So when he took Jake's side, and he imprinted on Nessie, it was the right thing to do." She shrugs, unsure of what else to say.
"Does Louis know?" Eliza asked, "Do mom and Peter know?" Tension rises in the air, she wants to scream.
"Aunt Bayak knows because she's on the Council, Uncle Peter knows because...he used to be a shifter." Jake confesses, Eliza contemplates stabbing him with her fork. "He hasn't turned wolf in years, but he did imprint on your mom, he really loves her." He smiles, like it's a comfort to know her mother and stepfather were happy.
"Does Louis know?" Eliza repeats, causing Tory to avoid her eyes. She searches her mind for a clue, remembering how much he seemed to have grown up while she was gone. She had thought it was just nostalgia, that he seemed so much bulkier than before she had left for school. Over summer, he ate like a beast, always ravenous. "Is he…?"
"He turned about two months ago. Sam called me." Jake says after a beat of silence. "It's in his blood, Liza, it's normal."
"My brother turns into a giant dog, and that's normal?" Eliza shouts, chair skidding backwards as she stands in indignation. "Jesus Christ, Jake, nothing about this is normal!" He said it was in his blood, but was it in her's? Her mind conjured the word she had long buried, what Tory had called her the day she left to go hunting. The younger sister was mad, jealous that Eliza was getting more attention from her father than Tory was, so she had played a card she knew would hurt, "He's my dad. Your's is a dead white man, you're just a Hokwat." The word stung, it was a tribal word, the tongue of their ancestors, it meant a non-Indian, a white person. She hated her light skin that day, her non-black eyes and her brown hair. When Peter congratulated her on her shot that day, she had thanked him and called him by his first name. She might as well have shot him in the heart.
"Eliza, calm down." Jake warned, glancing about the room, wondering why it was suddenly so cold.
But Eliza refused, jetting out the room and down the hall. She ran, not even knowing where, though she watched Demetri follow on her heels.
"She's fine, Demetri. I want to talk to her." Athenodora called, Eliza almost running into her in her panic. The vampire watched her with open awe, "Aro was right, you look like the effeminate version of Amare." Her smile was honest, but frighteningly wide.
Eliza, startled like a colt, steps back from the woman. "Who are you?"
"A friend of Fate." She replied, "I've been waiting for you."