Flight of the Phoenix
Chapter Sixteen – Thrills, Chills and Spills
Now, don't get me wrong, I was and had always been a Michael Jackson fan since his appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. He had raw natural talent that was displayed in every word he sang and in every move he danced.
But Emmett had been goading me to wear that leather suit for decades when he'd bought one, insisting I wear it for Halloween.
He'd had it in his closet ever since. It was the "if Edward loses a bet" plan. I hadn't lost a bet, of course – it helped to be able to read Alice's mind. Bella must have picked this from either Emmett or the little fairy herself. Traitors.
I sighed, knowing that I had no other choice. I'd do anything for Bella. If I had to dress up and dance for her, I would. I'd even do all the dance moves if it meant I would hear her laugh or see her smile. I smiled, suddenly aware that it didn't matter if Emmett would think I was making a complete ass of myself. As long as Bella was happy, I'd be willing to take it.
I closed the laptop and checked the entire house to make sure everything was locked up and quickly checked the neighborhood to see if there were any suspicious minds around.
All seemed quiet in the neighborhood. I made my way back to Bella's room. I had cleared up everything broken and ruined and thrown it out after Bella had fallen asleep. I quickly scanned the room. There was nothing left that we hadn't nailed down.
After Bella's unintentional use of her powers while she slept, Jasper and I had both decided that it would be safer to nail down anything that was heavy. That meant her desk, dresser and mirror. I quickly discarded my clothes, knowing she'd be upset if I wasn't lying by her.
The moment my body lay beside her, she curled up against me and sighed. I closed my eyes and welcomed the warmth of her small body. Upon closing my eyes, I realized that I could openly hear Bella's dreams.
That had never happened before. I concentrated on her thoughts. It sort of felt like I was trying to see through a filter. There were images that were unclear and unfocused, while others looked sharper.
Bella's Dream…
There was a hill in the distance with a lone figure standing, wearing a red hooded cloak. The figure's head was down. The face was cast in shadows.
Suddenly, an army of black cloaked figures circled around the figure.
Though I had never met any of the people in this dream, I knew of them. I'd seen them in Carlisle's memories and paintings.
Aro, was among them, a leader among those that believed they were above all others. There were others, those that Carlisle knew were part of The Guard. There were two small figures among them, but the sense of power coming from them was enough to intimidate even me.
The cloaked figure raised its head, looking at Aro. Though I could not see the face, something was oddly familiar.
A pale hand was extended toward Aro, which he took immediately. With his hand clasped around the small hand, his face became hard and angry. He looked like he was in pain.
The pale figure smiled suddenly, her whole face lit up.
"Thank you, Aro. You've given me all I needed."
Then suddenly, all hell broke loose. Every figure fell to their knees, screaming in agony.
Aro roared and screamed clutching his head, his eyes still fixated on the figure.
"For their lives, I will spare none in my wake."
Two hands clasped the edges of the hood, removing it slowly. Dark mahogany hair fell in long, full curls spilling down her back. Her red eyes were cold and harbored no soul. It was gone, not for what she had become but what had happened.
All the bodies burst into flames, turning into putrid ashes as she stepped over them, sparing no one, as she had claimed.
A breeze lifted the still-burning ashes of my kind and they swirled around her as she continued down a trail. Once she came to her destination she called out in a whisper.
"I'm coming, my love."
Then she disappeared in a plume of flames.
Bella sat up screaming and sobbing. She shook her head as I took her in my arms.
"It's just a nightmare, Bella," I said, trying not only to reassure her but also myself. "Nothing you saw in that dream is possible."
"How can you say that? All those vampires they're real, aren't they?"
"Yes."
"Why? Why would they kill you and your family?"
"Bella, it wasn't real. Please, calm yourself."
She continued to cry in my arms, and then my phone rang. I quickly picked it up from the floor before answering. "Alice."
"I had the same vision."
Then silence as she hung up.
Bella cried, reading the thoughts in my head. It wasn't a dream, it was an actual vision. I took her in my arms, allowing her to cry herself to sleep.
They were coming for her, and for some reason she was standing alone.
As she slept, my mind went over her vision continuously as I tried to figure out why and when. She had obviously been changed, and her eyes were red, indicating that she was a newborn. Or was she? Was it possible she had been on a human blood diet in the vision?
Even so, none of it made real sense. Why would she be alone? Why would my family and I be gone? Why would the Volturi choose to kill us?
Bella stood as a liability to our kind, but I knew enough of Aro to know that he wouldn't want Bella dead. He would want her to become one of us, so that he could claim her. She would be a prized possession to him.
Bella woke up slowly as the morning rays filtered through her window. Her brown eyes fluttered open, our eyes locking.
"Say something," she whispered.
"You live," I said, hoping she understood the statement. We'd both been worried about her last vision, where she died. This new vision meant that she would live past the two weeks where her visions stopped, meaning that she'd live through her transformation. It also meant that I didn't kill her because of my thirst.
She nodded but hesitated. "Someone made the decision to destroy your family, which must have triggered the vision. If the vision is accurate, they must have succeeded."
I sighed, touching her face with my fingertip, tracing her full lips. "Yes," I whispered, "but you live."
Bella shook her head. "I will not live an eternity without you, Edward. What is forever if you are not there by my side?"
I pulled her in my arms and lay on my back, placing her on my chest, "I wouldn't want forever without you either, Bella."
"I'm trying to understand why. If my future suddenly disappeared after two weeks, what changes that future? Why can't I see what happens after that? To suddenly see a future that seems far off, why? Can the wolves be involved? That may be the only reason why we can't see the attack on your family."
I shook my head. "I don't know, Bella. What we do know is that James and Victoria know of Alice's visions, maybe…"
"He decided last night to go to the Volturi," she said.
I nodded, causing Bella to ponder for a moment. "He's playing mind games. He's trying to scare us into running or hiding. He'd probably thinks that we'll make mistakes if we do."
"That makes sense. He may be using Alice's visions to his advantage."
Bella sighed and laid her head on my chest. My fingers ran through her hair. "Your family?"
"Will be here in a few hours," I answered.
"Edward," she whispered lowly.
"Hmm." My arms tightened around her as I smelled her scent sweeten further.
She kissed my bare chest and continued her ascent, taking my nipple in her mouth. I groaned, throwing my head back in her pillows.
"Bella," I gasped, stopping her ministrations before she continued further. "Not here, love." My hands skimmed up her back before running through her soft hair.
She looked up at me in question. "Why?"
"Trust me, not here."
Bella's eyes narrowed, about to object, but I brought her lips to mine. Her objection was lost in her soft moan as my tongue slipped into her mouth with ease, caressing the soft muscle.
I quickly wrapped the sheets around our bodies and ran out of the house. She didn't seem aware of what I was doing as I made my way to the meadow. I came to soft halt just under a canopy of trees and pulled away from her lips just enough to taste her skin along her jaw and neck.
"Wha… when… oh God, Edward," she rambled incoherently. She stopped talking and allowed herself to be lost in the sensations.
My lips continued down her neck, the quickening staccato of her pulse under my tongue. Careful to keep my teeth from her skin, I sucked at the point. Her soft sounds increased in volume just as her hands started to wander. I growled slightly when her hands tugged urgently on my hair.
Even though I'd left her thoroughly exhausted just twelve hours ago, she was seeking more. Now that I knew I could handle touching, feeling her, I would never deny her. As if I could or would.
There was no going back to light kisses and touches. My own heaven here on Earth was in her arms. Holding her, touching her and loving her, I knew then her lifetime was no longer enough.
Bella suddenly gasped as a vision whirled in her mind…
We were running along one another, her hair whipping behind her. Though I was the fastest in my family, with her newborn strength and power she was faster. Her laughter could be heard while she passed me and dove off the cliff. I heard the splash of water before I even made the jump.
The cold water was barely noticeable against my skin as it rushed around me until I found the surface of the water. I looked around me, but she was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, I felt her small hands tugging at my jeans.
I laughed, diving underwater, and found her grinning mischievously with my torn jeans in her hands. I swam toward her and took her in my arms, our shredded clothes floating around us, forgotten, as her lips met mine.
The vision swirled to a stop, and I watched Bella's eyes water just as a smile graced her lovely face. "You've made your choice."
I had made my choice – I wanted forever.
I returned my lips to hers with an intensity that would have bruised her easily. Her lips warmed under my own, automatically healing her.
I groaned, enjoying the pleasant heat radiating from her. Her whole body tingled with same intense warmth as I pulled us down to our knees. Laying the sheet on the ground below us, I gently laid her back. I hovered over her soft, warm body, acclimating to the intense sensations that were brought forth with every moan, gasp and touch.
I continued tasting every exposed inch of soft skin as I descended down her body. I started a wet, tingling trail across her collarbone, at the hollow of her throat, lavished attention to each raised peak until I swirled my tongue around her navel.
With every heavy breath I took, I smelled her musky, sweet scent from her arousal. It was driving me crazy. I wanted to give her sex the same attention as the rest of her body, but I worried that it might be too much. I laid my head on her belly, trying calm the tension in my body. I really wanted to taste her.
Bella's fingers tenderly ran through my hair as I reigned in my control.
"Edward, I will be able to stop you if you hurt me," she whispered.
I shook my head. "I really want to but…" I muttered, unable to continue. Her aroma was so strong. "You won't be able to stop me, Bella. You have to understand that," I growled, as anger ripped through me. I could hurt her, she must know that.
Suddenly, I was forcefully thrown from her body and hit a tree about one hundred yards from Bella.
I looked up, and I was met with an awesome sight.
A fallen angel – a very angry angel.
Her hair whipped behind her, the sheet wrapped around her chest and around her hips, the fabric billowing around her. The tips of her toes skimmed the ground floor as leaves swirled around her delicate features.
"Did you expect that, Edward?" She was fierce, but at the same time vulnerable. She still believed that I didn't really want her.
I shook my head and took a tentative step towards her.
"I can fight you off if necessary, Edward. Don't underestimate me because I'm human. In fact, I've been holding back."
My eyes widened. What the hell did that mean? There was something else nagging me, something I wasn't used to feeling.
Fear.
Bella cocked her head to the side, and then her eyes widened. She gasped, covering her mouth and shaking her head. She fell to the ground, and I quickly made my way to her, wrapping my arms around her.
"I felt it. I felt your fear. You fear – me. I'm so sorry. Sorry, please forgive me." I remained quiet as she sobbed lightly against my chest.
"Yes, I do fear you. I won't lie to you. Bella, be honest with me. Could you… kill me if you had to?"
Bella shook her head. "I would never!"
"No, Bella, I know you don't want to. What I'm asking is, could you kill one of us if you had to?"
"You said once that a vampire has to be torn to pieces and then burned," she stated.
"Yes," I said.
"Yes, I can."
"How do you know?"
"I could tear you apart if I wanted to, by using the same force as my restraints. I could also heat up the venom in your body, causing it to ignite."
I shook my head. "I've been with you almost every moment, how do you know these things?"
"Last week, do you remember when you went hunting by yourself?"
I nodded. "Well, I had a vision of how to save me, and I had to do some experiments. Jasper volunteered."
I pulled away to look at her as she continued. "I didn't want to do it. Both Jasper and Carlisle insisted on testing my limits. You should see the obstacle course they are going to set up while they're here. Jasper fears me, I know that much. He's afraid that when I'm a newborn, I'd kill you all."
"How did Jasper volunteer?"
Bella bit her lip nervously. "Um, using my telekinesis I can rip limbs off."
"That's why Jasper had to feed so often last week, not to mention he kept rubbing his right shoulder."
Bella nodded.
"Why did you keep this from me?"
Bella smiled, cocking her eyebrow. I scowled.
"Damn, I really don't like being in the dark."
Bella smiled timidly and laid a circuit of kisses, distracting me. I really wanted to know more about these experiments, and about the other things she was keeping from me. But she was really good in her method of distraction.
"Don't worry, after this weekend everything should be revealed," Bella said cryptically. She pushed me down onto the grass and leaves of the forest floor. She straddled me, her thighs tightening around my torso. I groaned, gripping her hips instinctively, a fire igniting under my fingertips.
"Honey, remove your hands and put them on the ground," Bella whispered as she licked a trail down to my navel.
"Oh… B… Belllllla," I groaned, as her warm center grazed my erection. I restrained my hands on the ground, my finger dug into the pliable dirt. Bella continued licking and nipping my abdominal muscles. Her lips hovered over my hip, laying short licks sporadically.
If she continued this way, I was going to climax before I even managed to get inside her. I groaned, debating on pulling her up. So, I settled on screaming the thought in my head.
She chuckled. She was enjoying this.
Then, I felt her mouth.
"Oh God…" I gasped. The instinct to thrust upward, further into her mouth, was staggering. Bella quickly placed an invisible restraint against my hip, not allowing me to move.
I moaned deeply as her warm tongue swirled around the sensitive head of my erection.
"Do you want me to stop?" Her thoughts registered.
"Yes. No. God, no." I should tell her to stop. It wasn't right for her to be doing this. I'd been born and raised as a gentleman, and I should not allow this. Her teeth scraped along the underside of my cock, and all those gentlemanly thoughts flew out the window.
Bella's giggles filled my head as she continued licking along my length. One of her warm hands wrapped around the base, and then she wrapped her lips around me, taking me in. I groaned. The instinct to thrust was thwarted by the hold she had on my hips. I was happy about this, since I couldn't hurt her, but at the same time I was frustrated because I wanted to move with her.
Bella hummed around me, causing an excruciatingly wonderful vibration throughout my erection. I was close, too close.
"Bella, stop. I want to be inside you when –"
"Okay," she whispered. She gave me a few more licks before she started another circuit of exploring with her tongue and lips. Her knees were on each side of my torso, and I realized I still couldn't move my lower body.
"Love… can you… ugh… can't move," I babbled in between pants.
"Mmm, sorry," she moaned softly. I bucked my hips after she released me.
"Bella," I groaned, feeling the wetness coming from her. The urge to taste her was overwhelming. I managed to flip us when I suddenly felt the restraints on me again.
"You won't be able to, Edward," she whispered quietly, as she licked my Adam's apple.
"What… why?"
"I've already seen it. I had to stop you again. You're not ready yet. Soon, I promise."
I groaned in frustration, causing Bella to sit up. I looked up as her as my hands ran up her thighs.
"We have to get you used to me first, Edward. I've seen different scenarios and yes, I have to admit you do hurt me. Then you go all, what does Alice call it, 'emo' on me and not touch me for weeks."
"How do I hurt you?"
Bella bit her lip wondering if she should continue. She sighed, "Um… you're a little too rough and break my hip."
My eyes widened, and I was fucking horrorstruck. I wouldn't do that to her. I wouldn't ever.
"I survived and healed in a matter of a week with my powers, but you refused to touch me again until I'm changed."
"You saw all that right now?"
Bella nodded. "Please don't dwell on this. I know how to make sure you don't lose control."
I sighed and nodded. "How's that?"
"Easy. I have to be in control," she purred.
I groaned deeply, running my hands along the inside of her thighs until I met her core. She moaned softly. "Bella," I said huskily.
"Yes," she moaned, my fingers circling her clit.
"I'm tired of dwelling on this."
She moaned again. "So am I." She shifted slightly, and I felt her warmth on the tip of my cock. She eased down on me, and the fingers of my right hand still circled and touched her there. My left hand was on her backside, gripped, and squeezed until she had completely enveloped me.
I groaned and thrust upward, my hands digging into her skin. Bella moaned and threw her head back and sat further back. Her hands ran over mine in warning. I loosened my grip, and she showed me just how much pressure I could exert without hurting her.
All around us leaves and forest debris rose and swirled, as we continued our union. One of my hands stroked over her hip, around her backside to the small of her back. My fingers splayed across the middle of her back pushing her closer to me. I propped myself up on my other arm and kissed her along her neck and chest. Bella mewled as I took one of her pink nipples in my mouth.
Her movements become more urgent, faster and harder as she used my body to bring her closer. Closer to the pleasure she craved and deserved. I thrust upward, gauging and aware of the strength to ensure I didn't hurt her.
Her body started to move against me erratically as she sought her climax. She needed a push to bring her over the edge. My hand on her back grazed her backside and over her hip and rubbed softly against her clit.
She moaned deeply, increasing the force of her movements. I groaned because I was so close, but she needed to cum first.
Unaccustomed to talking like this, I needed something to bring her over the edge. "Bella… ugh… you feel so good. I love watching you like this."
Bella moaned. "Yes, Edward."
My eyes snapped open, and I watched as her eyes fluttered closed as she screamed. Her walls clenched around me. Unable to resist the siren call of her ecstasy and warmth as it flowed around me, I came – hard.
I quickly removed my hands from her and drove them into the ground, roaring as I trembled with the fierce sensation of her around me, spilling inside her.
Bella fell on my chest, panting, sweating, her hair wild and matted around her face. She'd never looked more beautiful, as the flush of her climax claimed her skin.
I wasn't sure how long we lay there, but I knew we needed to get back and cleaned up before my family arrived.
"Sorry, but I brought you some things. There's a riverbed about a mile north. Get cleaned up," Alice quipped in my thoughts.
"Oh God, this is so embarrassing," Bella whispered against my chest.
"She can't see us, love."
Bella shook her head. "She saw what happened though, in a vision."
"Yes, she must have."
"Sorry," Alice called out.
"It's fine, Ali. How long do we have?" Bella asked.
"Everyone will be here in about thirty minutes, and no, you don't have time for another round, Edward," Alice said, coming into the clearing just as I threw the sheet around us.
Alice had her hand clasped over her eyes while she sat a brown duffel bag on the ground.
"Oh God, Ali!" Bella cried out, mortified.
"I love my nickname, Bella." Alice said giggling before taking off.
I quickly gathered Bella in my arms along with the bag and ran towards the rushing riverbed. We washed each other up and played in the water for a few minutes before heading back to see my family.
We walked into the living room where my family was waiting. The second Emmett saw me, his whole cool demeanor changed.
He started laughing his ass off.
"Emmett, please don't start," Bella snarled, quite beautifully in fact, causing a stir within my body. Bella turned to look at me, cocking an eyebrow.
"Not now, Edward," she hissed, feeling the lust radiating from me.
Oh.
That little not-so-subtle exchange caused my whole family to laugh. Bella shook her head, her blush coloring cheeks and neck, doing nothing to dispel the urge to run back into the forest again.
"Edward, tone it down," Jasper chastised.
I rolled my eyes and stepped up to wrap my arms around Esme, who was beaming, "Hello, mother," I said, kissing her forehead.
"Edward," she murmured.
We exchanged pleasantries for a while. The whole time Emmett was screaming obscene questions and thoughts in my head. He vibrated with anticipation of the planned events of the weekend.
First, my dance for Bella, which reminded me – I really needed to talk her out of that.
Second, a match between Emmett and my, an experiment to see if Bella could successfully block my powers.
Third, apparently my father and Jasper had some training session for Bella.
Fourth, a baseball game among humans, and then we'd show Bella how we played.
Bella turned her attention to Carlisle. "Did you bring everything?" Carlisle nodded and motioned toward the kitchen counter. The family and I followed behind them. Carlisle started removing lab equipment while Alice came from their car with more of the larger pieces.
"What the hell is going on here?" I asked, frustrated.
"I told you I have a theory to heal my aneurysm before we attempt my transformation," Bella said cautiously. "Carlisle agrees that it's plausible, and we're going to test my ability to do it."
I shook my head in confusion. None of my family seemed to know what was going on beside my father, Bella and Alice.
My father held up a thin beaker with a silvery fluid at the bottom – venom.
Bella took the beaker from my father, placing it in a holding stand. Bella seemed to concentrate on the contents of the beaker.
"How long and what temperature?"
"My lab experiments indicate that the venom starts to evaporate around forty-five degrees Celsius, and you'd need to do it for at least thirty seconds for one ounce."
"Okay, like Edward said, what is going on here?" Esme asked, concern etching her face.
"Time me," Bella said, ignoring my mother's question.
"Go," Carlisle said.
The liquid started to bubble and then it dispersed in the air in tiny molecules. "Perfect, twenty-nine seconds," Carlisle said, smiling at Bella.
"Bring out another sample," Bella said morbidly.
Carlisle complied, unsealing another tube and placing it in the stand. Bella concentrated again, but this time the liquid ignited into blames until it burned off.
"Damn, I can't get a hold of it," Bella cursed through clenched teeth.
I grabbed her arm, turning her toward me. "What the fuck is going on, Bella?"
"Edward," Esme whispered, placing her hand on mine, because I was already bruising Bella's delicate skin.
I took a deep breath and loosened my hold on Bella's arm. "Tell me, now."
Bella bit her lip and looked at Carlisle. His expression was stoic, except his lips were pursed in a thin line. Alice gasped suddenly, her thoughts blocked from me.
I roared, stepping away from them. "You give me hell for keeping something from you, but when you do, it's alright!"
"You were keeping something from me because you felt you need to keep me in the dark to protect me. I'm not doing that."
"The hell you aren't!"
"Calm down, son," Carlisle said calmly.
"I'm keeping quiet not to protect you, but to protect your family."
"What?"
Bella sighed. "The theory I suggested could work or it could kill me."
I looked at her in question.
Heat.
Evaporation.
Venom in a small dosage.
Then I noticed Carlisle with something in his hand. Then all of this became clear.
Bella was right to keep me in the dark because there was no way I would allow them to do this to her.
"Edward, calm down," Bella said. Jasper was by my side, trying to soothe me, and with Bella bombarding me too, it almost worked – almost.
I lunged at Carlisle, causing the syringe in his hand to tumble in the air. Jasper and Emmett grabbed hold of me. I roared and struggled against them.
"Now, Carlisle! Now," Alice screamed. Carlisle's hand curled around the syringe in midair as his other arm curled around Bella.
"I love you," Bella whispered, as my father plunged the needle, cracking her skull, into her head.
I roared, feral, as I watched her eyes fluttered closed, collapsing in my father's arms.
AN: Beta's by lisa89, thanks bb! Erica
