Chapter 2

What a feeling, this rapture, this… slight against all things holy, you can palpably taste the sin in the air. Only I truly know what its like to be held in his arms, these laser-cut pieces of marble encircling my body, drawing my warm flesh against his icy stone. It felt good knowing that I was his only, although, as always, my irrational fear that I was a coma patient about to wake from this in a hell without him… I could face hell with him, if it means to be damned to be with him, then so be it.

"Edward, do you know if ill ever be able to break this habit?" I asked, as his lip slowly parted to reveal my answer.

"And what habit would that be, dearest?" like an angel from the '20s, his speech usually made most think he was stuck up, but I knew it was his… how did word it… "old-fashioned sensibilities", and I loved him for it.

"The habit of nearly fainting when you hug me" I replied, nearly too sheepish.

" I can only hope, that it is never Bella, just like don't want to lose the flush in your cheeks…" he trailed off, I could see it in his eyes, he was seeing me after the change, when I wouldn't flush from his touch anymore. Little did he know I was just as worried, the wedding was only a week away, now I was worried he would lose interest in me the moment my heart ceased beating, but I had little time to think now, there was something Edward was excited to show me, and apparently involved a blindfold and the entire family.

"Bella, you can come out of your head now, we are here." he whispered softly in my ear as he helped me out of the passenger side of the Volvo, well, a lot less helping and a lot more carrying was involved, but I didn't mind, not one bit. I felt ground beneath my feet and smelled Esme's beautiful scent behind me, and I felt the blindfold fall away, and as my eyes adjusted to the light I saw red, a lot of it, sitting before me. Whatever it was it looked fast and it definitely looked expensive.

"Not to sound ungrateful, or dumb, but… what is it?" I asked unsteadily, shaken by the gorgeousness of the machine in front of me, its windows were tinted black and it sat about 2 inches from the ground, I ran my fingers over the two vents in the hood not quite sure what it was.

"It's a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, isn't it cool!" shouted Alice, who looked like she was on cloud nine just telling me what it was that I was running my fingers over. It was beautiful, but I knew I couldn't accept it.

"This is to much guys, thank you but how do I tell Charlie about this?" I was truly worried what my father would think, he already found Edward nearly criminal for asking me to marry him, now that I have a new car, he'll arrest him for auto theft just to keep him away for a few days.

"It was a wedding gift from us, all of us" said Carlisle "It truly is from all of us, Rosalie actually picked the color for you, she said it matched her BMW and would look nice sitting next to it." Carlisle finished with a chuckle. I snuck a glance at Rosalie and even she look elated, I couldn't help but hug every single one of them and mouth a thank you to Rosalie. I had always believed that she hated me, but this… this was incredible. She smiled at me and with a quick hug she was gone, back into the house.

Carlisle smiled at me while Edward took my hand to walk me around the car, showing me everything on it.

"Thank you guys so much, this is amazing" I said as I looked around the car at the black wheels, I knew it had Rosalie's touch added to it, it didn't look stock but it didn't look too extreme, even so, it still looked ready launch in to space even sitting still, this couldn't possibly be my car.

"We are glad you like it Isabella, think of it as a welcome to the family gift" Esme said as she walked over to Carlisle to give him a small peck on the cheek, and as so they headed inside. Leaving Edward to give me a tour of the interior, but as soon as he opened the door I noticed a problem… a very big problem.

"Edward, there are three pedals in this car, what does that third one do?" I asked as I looked around the inside.

As he laughed I couldn't help but notice it was this time truly at my ineptitude towards cars and all things mechanical, I felt stupid and knew that I was blushing.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, it's a stick shift, I guess I should have realized I would have to teach you how to drive it, don't be ashamed," he said as he noticed the ruby color flooding my face," Its okay, I promise, its very easy" and as he said that I realized I was being plopped into the drivers seat.

"Lessons start tomorrow but for now just get a feel of everything".

I knew this was an incredible machine, there were gauges and dials everywhere, I wouldn't know where to look when I was driving, at the road or the little needles all over the dash.

"Edward, how am I supposed to explain a brand new car to Charlie, he will flip if this is in the drive way when he gets home." I stated, imagining my own father coming inside just to arrest me for auto theft.

"Its okay Bella, it was a gift, from the family, that you can tell him, and I'm sure he will understand, its not unusual to get useful things as wedding gifts." He stated, he seemed so sure that Charlie would be okay with this. "Lets take it for a test drive, I'll drive it for today, then we can teach you tomorrow how to drive this car."

As he buckled me in I caught the smell of his hair and put his face in my hands and pulled his lips to mine, and as we kissed my fears melted, I knew he would always be mine.

Chapter 3 Preview

'Im standing on the edge of a cliff, looking out into the violence of the ocean, and it just reminds me of the war in my head.' He thought as he watched the wave's crash before him, the wind blowing his shaggy fur in every direction.

'Sam has been calling me for weeks, yet I don't answer, even though I am second in command, as the blood alpha I can choose to disobey his orders, he doesn't own me' he thinks angrily as he turns his back on the ocean, ignoring its howl, to replace it with his own.

'They must already know what my plan is, how I plan to solve my own problem, how I intend to end it… I only worry that not even the fires of hell will be able to melt my cold heart' With that final thought he raced into the woods, outrunning his thoughts, outrunning the wind, leaving all sensibilities behind, in return replacing them with every impulse he has ever wanted to fulfill.