I waited in perfect silence while I allowed my body to become attuned to my surrounding environment. I knew that my true love was not far from where I stood, but he kept perfectly still to allow me to concentrate.

I listened for every sound of the forest. I smelled every change in the slight breeze. I allowed my mind to wander, to hear the sound of the pulsating hearts of the nearby creatures.

At first, I felt the hundreds of tiny heartbeats of song birds flitting overhead and the noise drove me mad. However Edward had whispered in my ear to concentrate and search for the stronger hearts, for the larger prey.

A swift breeze brought a new scent to my nose. It was the smell of blood, somewhat subdued, but igniting my thirst all the same. I allowed my rational thinking to detach itself from my body and allowed the instincts to gain control. A low growl rumbled from deep in my chest, and I slipped into a crouch.

I knew that the grizzly bear was half a mile from where I stood, due north of my position. I felt my mouth begin to water and I realized that venom was starting to ooze from my glands. I held on to my last bit of self-control as I looked at Edward once more and he gave an approving nod. With that gesture, I released my remaining humanity and became a purely instinctual being.

My crouch deepened and I tensed for the attack. I heard the grizzly padding through the forest and waited as he stopped to rub against a tree. In that moment I was upon the bear. I wrapped my arms around the bears neck and snapped it with one deft movement. In the next second, I had sunk my teeth in the exposed skin of the dead bear's neck. And then, I began to drink.

The warm liquid flooded into my mouth and down my throat. It was such an invigorating emotion, to be sucking the life from an animal and converting it to sustain my own survival. I drank and drank from the bear's neck, relishing in the taste. I had never imagined something so sweet, so fulfilling!

Once the bear was completely drained of the red fluid, I pulled back from the neck and wiped my mouth with my hand. In my human life, the sight of the blood on my hand would have caused me to faint. Now however, it just ignited my thirst even more. I bent my lips to my hand and sucked the remaining warm liquid from my skin. Once, my hands were clean, I felt a cool touch on my shoulder.

I looked up and saw Edward's deep golden eyes staring into my own. With that loving look I came back to myself. I let the instincts subside and became Bella once more. I straightened up and smoothed my unstained blouse.

"How did I do?" I asked hesitantly towards my love. He continued to stare at me with an intense look. I was afraid that I had done something wrong and I shrunk back a bit.

He sensed my movement and came to wrap his arms around my waist. "You were amazing Bella. Simply stunning. I had forgotten insanely powerful a newborn was and your strength is even greater than most. And to take on a grizzly bear for your first kill! Most people go for a deer or a fox or something. Emmett is going to be disappointed that he missed his favorite meal," he smirked. He was praising me! I was thrilled and a sense of great excitement filled my being.

I heard a slight rustle behind us and I spun around to see Emmett coming into the clearing. "Ah Bella! You took my bear! Guess I was too far away to get there before you," Emmett pouted.

Edward burst out laughing and I joined in the chuckling. Emmett just continued to look disgruntled and stalked off into the forest murmuring under his breath. Edward just shook his head with laughter and watched his brother go.

"Don't worry about him Bella, he just doesn't like missing out on a good grizzly. I'm sure he will find another one. Now the fun part is over. Time to dispose of the evidence." With that statement, Edward grabbed a nearby oak tree by the base and wrenched his arms upwards. With a sickening crack, the tree was lifted the roots into the air. Balancing the immense tree in one hand, Edward grabbed the bear by the scruff of the neck and threw it into the hole where the tree had just resided. He then proceeded to stick the tree back in the hole and fixing it in its original spot. It looked like the whole scene had never happened with the exception of the trace amounts of dried blood on the nearby ferns. No matter. Those would be washed away with the next rainfall.

I looked mildly shocked as I witnessed this whole event. My bloody evidence was gone and Edward had just held an 80-year-old tree in one hand and planted it back in the earth. He smiled his crooked smile at me and came over to cradle my chin in his hand. "And that is how you get rid of the body," he smirked. I laughed at him and stood on my toes to reach his lips. He kissed me softly for a moment before breaking away.

"You have no idea how wonderful it is to be able to kiss you and not have to worry about your safety the whole time," Edward mused. And then he reached down and kissed me with such passion, such earnest that I was momentarily stunned. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tangled my fingers in his hair, and kissed him back with equal enthusiasm. I felt his hands slide around my waste and slip under the cloth of my shirt to trace along my back.

Suddenly I was falling backwards and landing on a soft bed of ferns. Edward's lips never left my mouth and he continued to explore my body with his hands. I felt his fingers slide from my shoulders to my waist and down to my hips. I shivered slightly with the feeling and he momentarily looked up into my eyes. They burned with such passion and emotion that I could not break the gaze. Slowly he brought his hands up to my face and began to trace the patterns of my expression. His fingers moved from my temple down my nose to run along my jaw-line.

I heard a small cough and I was forced to break the moment. I looked up and saw Alice and Jasper standing there with smirks on their face. "It's not nice to spy on people Alice," Edward said with a teasing tone. "Unless you want me in your head next time you and Jasper are alone." He smirked at them and turned his loving gaze back to me.

"I definitely like being less breakable. It has its perks," I said while trying to calm my breathing. The moment of passion had left me gasping for breath. I could undoubtedly get used to this.

Edward slowly stood up and offered me his hand. I took it and he yanked me up into his arms. I molded against his chest and breathed his sweet scent in. He had his face in my hair and seemed to be doing the same. We stood there for a few moments and finally loosened the hold on each other.

"Okay you two, you can get a room when we are finished hunting but for now, I am stealing Bella while you can concentrate long enough to hunt with Jasper, Edward," Alice stated matter-of-factly. I felt Edward tense slightly next to me, and I groaned at the prospect of being away from my love for any period of time, no matter the length. However, I knew that he needed to hunt and wouldn't be able to concentrate while he was still drinking in the glory of my new form.

"And don't worry, I don't see us running into any trouble Edward so she will be safe with me." Edward's tensed body relaxed somewhat and he seemed to accept the logic. He kissed me softly on the forehead and took a deep breath of my hair. Alice then proceeded to take my hand and try to drag me away. She was unsuccessful, and it took me a second to realize that she was trying to move me. I guess I really was stronger than everyone right now.

I took one last look at my true love and sprinted into the trees, following my sister. We ran a short while before emerging into the parking lot where our cars sat. I looked at Alice with a confused expression.

She grinned at me, "I told you I let you win last time. Now I'm going to prove it." She skipped lightly over to her canary yellow Porsche and slid into the front seat. I fingered my key in my pocket and had a moment of hesitation. What if I lost control of my car and Edward wasn't there to save me? What if I crashed my beautiful present? Seeming to read my mind, Alice rolled down her window and shouted to me, "You won't crash! Now let's go! First one back to the house wins!"

I gave in and walked over to my Lexus. I started the engine and pulled the car out to face the road. Alice pulled behind me and gave a light tap of her horn. Well if she wanted to give me the lead, her loss. I pressed my foot down on the gas with no hesitation this time. I was suddenly flying and everything was passing in a blurred mix of greens. I looked in my rearview mirror and to my immense surprise, Alice was right on my tail.

I professionally maneuvered the turns, always keeping an eye on the bright yellow 911 Turbo on my tail. Suddenly we came to a straight stretch of road and the Porsche was no longer behind me. It was right next to me and quickly gaining speed. I looked over and Alice smiled at me and gave me a little wave. I looked down at the speedometer which read 170. Stupid Turbo part of her car. I ground my teeth together. I had no idea what the max speed of my car was but I didn't want to push it too hard. Last thing I need was to blow the engine.

I looked up and realized that I was now the one tailing Alice. I also noticed that the blurred scenery was becoming more recognizable and I knew that we must be almost home. Alice suddenly slammed on her brakes and skidded the car to take a right into the Cullen's driveway. I did the same and I was impressed with the ease in which I performed the move.

We raced through the twists and turns of the driveway and finally skidded to a stop in front of the massive white house. Alice stepped out of the car with a huge grin on her face. "Oh man, I have never opened my car up like that before! It was absolutely amazing!" She was so giddy with excitement and I couldn't help breaking into a huge grin myself. "Told you I would win!"

"Well you probably saw a vision of you winning so you knew what to do," I jabbed at her with a playful grin on my face. I didn't mind losing to Alice when it made her so ecstatic. Suddenly a thought hit me. "Um Alice, how are Jasper and Edward going to get home now?"

"Well its not that far of a run, but they can all fit in Rosalie's car. She has four seats," she remarked. I sighed. That meant even longer that I was going to be away from Edward. "Now come on! We are going inside and I am going to do your hair!"

I groaned very audibly. "Alice..." I whined. She didn't listen however and proceeded to take my arm and pull me into the house. I knew that I had an hour of hair do creations in my future. I sighed and relented, allowing myself to be dragged up into Alice's room.