AN1: Hope it didn't take too long to update. This chapter comes in at around 9k and it's a pretty important one. It was hard to write but I'm happy with how it came out :).
AN2: I asked last chapter if people would like for me to recommend the FanFiction I like to read. The overwhelming response was yes, you would like recommendations! So every chapter I'll include something.
Just so you know the fics I recommend will be from any genre, any fandom and any state of completion. I will not be recommending only Twilight fics (though there will be some), but instead I will be recommending fics and authors that in my book fit the following three criteria.
Well Written: The fic will have believable characters and motivations, have a logical well executed plot, and show a command of the English language. So many fics have so much potential but fail so hard in these areas. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine :)
Highly Entertaining: Because a fic is only really good if you it forces you to stay up way past your bed time. Ok that's an exaggeration but not too far from the truth. Something can be well written but be a bore, like a dry history book. Another way to describe this point is that I will only recommend stories that have blown my mind in one way or the other.
They have that X factor: This isn't really quantifiable but it's an amalgamation of things. Things such as, how long do I remember this fic after I'm done with it? Do I feel it deserves to contend in a spot for one of my favorites of all time? Are there aspects of it/scenes that blew me away and stick with me long after the fact? It's just that little something extra that makes a work special.
I'll also make an effort to include many Femslash stories and stories that I think are great but unfortunately have not achieved widespread popularity for whatever reason.
That being said…
This Weeks Recommendation: Applied Cultural Anthropology, Or by jacobk. This is one of my absolute favorite stories right now and I feel it deserves to be at least twice as popular as it is. It's a Harry Potter story. It's not romance and it's not focused on Harry. It's a 'what if' story of what would have happened if Hermione Granger (the main character of the fic) had been sorted into Slytherin instead of Gryffindor. This story, like jacobk's other work is amazingly intelligent, compelling and well written. Hermione feels very much in character but with all her annoying traits somehow made to be endearing. It is a beautiful adventure story and if you appreciate smart exciting writing do yourself a favor and give this fic a chance. You won't regret it.
If you like a fic I recommend let me know somehow. I would love to know if people are enjoying my recommendations.
AN3: I should have done this a long time ago but I decided I'm going to start replying to my reviewers. So please sign in when you review so I can answer any questions, send you a thank you, and so forth.
On to the chapter. Enjoy!
00
The door was thrown open violently, Victoria storming through while still carrying Bella bridal style. Bella had struggled and tried to get down as they reached the house but Victoria was having none of it. The teenager decided it was better if she stopped squirming, though she did feel a bit intimidated being carried by a barely rational Victoria. The vampire was holding her tight enough that it was almost painful but Bella was too worried about the volatile situation to voice concern.
Victoria kicked the door closed behind her and took Bella straight to the bathroom. She sat Bella down on the sink before bending down to retrieve something from the cabinet. When she came up holding a first aid kit Bella was confused until she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was a filthy mess seemingly from head to toe and had a gash on her forehead that had bled freely down the side of her face. Funny how she hadn't noticed that in all the excitement. Still you'd think she of all people would be more aware if she was bleeding in front of a vampire.
Moving at vampire speed Victoria applied disinfecting alcohol to a towel and began to clean the wound on her forehead. The sudden burning sting made Bella jerk her head back in surprise at the pain. Victoria grabbed Bella's chin with her free hand, fingers stronger than chorded steel and forcibly held Bella in place none too gently. The strength in those hands surprised her and it reminded Bella just how fragile she was in comparison to the vampire. The witch looked into the eyes of her protector and saw that they were still pitch black. She didn't see any sign that Victoria had begun to return to herself. Victoria worked to clean Bella's wound gently but with an intensity that was intimidating.
"Victoria? Are you here with me?" she asked tentatively looking for any sign of recognition. Victoria said nothing, she didn't even acknowledge her.
Bella tried to relax and allow the vampire to do what she wanted knowing that Victoria was running on her instincts to protect her and take care of her. It didn't take long for Victoria to finish cleaning the gash on her forehead and she saw the vampire begin to inspect her and breathe deeply, trying to see if she could smell any more wounds on Bella.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" asked Victoria, her voice strange, deep and scratchy. Though in truth she wasn't really sure Bella just shook her head.
"You need to get clean. Get in the shower," said the vampire while carefully enunciating, as if the task of speaking was difficult.
"Sure," said Bella feeling off balance. "You're not going to leave the house while I'm in there are you?"
Victoria didn't reply but leveled an impatient glare on her.
"Uh, ok I'm going…" she said, "Um would you mind leaving so I can get undressed?"
Victoria didn't reply but instead shifted her weight and took a threatening half step in her direction. The vampire's eyes flickered toward the shower before bringing them back to her. Bella got the idea that Victoria wasn't leaving and would probably physically throw her in the shower if she didn't hurry up.
"Just don't go anywhere," the girl muttered as she got down from the sink. She blushed as she realized she was going to have to get undressed while Victoria was staring at her hard enough to burn. Not feeling quite brave enough to do that Bella stepped into the shower fully dressed and pulled the semi translucent curtain closed behind her.
Trying not to think about what the vampire could and couldn't see through the curtain Bella turned on the shower and stripped. Taking off her clothes was more of an ordeal than she had thought it would be. She was bruised and battered all over and the motions let her know that she was seriously going to feel getting tossed around by zombies in the morning. She carefully put her coat and her jewelry on the toilet and just let the rest of her clothes drop to the floor of the shower. Worried about the vampire standing just a few feet away Bella took the fastest shower of her life scrubbing her skin roughly and washing her hair as fast as her fingers would allow.
When she finished she turned off the water risking a glance at Victoria as she stuck her arm out to reach for a towel. The vampire had not moved but she was opening and closing her fists in agitation. If Bella had to bet she'd say Victoria was doing that without even being aware of it. She looked agitated and like she was only standing still for the sake of Bella. Quickly the girl wrapped herself in the towel and stepped out of the shower.
Standing in front of Victoria in only a towel might have normally had her thinking less than pure thoughts but in this particular case it was not to be. The redhead was a mess, her clothes torn and covered in dark colored blood and gore from when she tore apart that pack of zombies. Bella clutched the towel tightly around herself as she quickly considered her next move.
"Tori…" she began, feeling uncertain "you need to take a shower too. You can't stay in those clothes, you're covered in zombie goo."
At first the vampire didn't respond. Knowing that she would want to feed Bella used that to try to persuade her.
"You can't hunt like that. I'm sure it can't smell good to you. Plus you can't really take care of me like that. Take a shower please?"
Bella wasn't sure which of those things got through to the vampire but Victoria stared at her for a few long moments before she took off her jacket and began to take off her shirt completely uncaring that Bella was standing right in front of her. The young witch made a squeaking sound before she squeezed past the stripping vampire and practically ran to her room.
Once safely in her room Bella began frantically drying her hair as she tried to think how she was going to keep Victoria at home. Unfortunately at that moment her brain refused to come up with any helpful ideas. Bella at least could breathe a small sigh of relief as she heard the shower start up knowing that she had at least a few minutes.
Normally Bella would put on whatever clothes she used as pajamas but she couldn't help but feel a confrontation might be on horizon. She put on underwear, jeans and a pink polo shirt feeling much more secure about a possible face off wearing street clothes. Going by the first idea that popped into her head Bella went out to the living room and hooked up her IPod to play a mix of more mellow relaxing music. It might not help but at that point anything was better than nothing.
Bella was so consumed trying to think of what she could and should be doing that she didn't hear the shower turn off much earlier than she had anticipated. She almost jumped out of her skin when she caught the barest glimpse of a completely nude Victoria turning a corner into her room. Though she only caught a flash of naked flesh Bella couldn't help but stare at the spot Victoria had disappeared around long after she was gone.
Ok note to self vampires being driven by their instincts have no concept of modesty… oh boy…. So not a good time for my brain to stop working because I almost saw a naked Tori. Oh by stars and magic I almost saw a naked Tori!
Realizing she wasn't going to come up with any brilliant last minute plans Bella sat down nervously on the couch. She cradled her head in her hands feeling frustrated, worried and a little rattled. There was nothing to it she was just going to have to wing it and play it by ear.
Very soon after that Victoria exited her room wearing dark jeans and a black sleeveless top. A sure sign that the vampire wasn't all with it was that she was completely barefoot. Victoria gave Bella a long assessing look before heading straight towards the door.
"Wait, stop," said Bella pleadingly from where she was sitting on the couch.
Victoria turned to look at her hardly slowing down. Then she turned back towards the door dismissing the young witch completely.
"Tori! You can't go out tonight, you're not in your right mind. You could hurt a lot of people, create a lot of problems. Tori stop," pleaded Bella.
The vampire ignored her and was almost at the door. Bella scrambled frantically to think of what she could say to stop her.
Even if she hates me when she's normal her instincts seem to be all about protecting me. I'm going to have to play off that and hope it works.
Victoria was all the way to the door and reaching for the handle when Bella spoke up.
"I don't feel safe."
The vampire's hand froze over the doorknob. She doesn't say anything but Bella can tell that at least she's listening now. The girl licked her lips before continuing.
"I'm scared," began Bella, "so much has happened tonight. I'm exhausted and don't think I could defend myself right now. But more than that I really don't want you to leave."
At first Bella thought to make something up that would appeal to Victoria's instincts but to her own surprise she found herself voicing things that were true that she hadn't even consciously realized at that point. Her little speech to Victoria was becoming much more raw than she originally had planned.
Victoria didn't remove her hand from the doorknob but she turned her head just enough to be able to see Bella out of the corner of her eye. Bella could see she was getting through. Though it made her a little uncomfortable to spout so much honesty it seemed to be working so she let the freeflow of words continue to tumble out of her lips.
"I know me. Right now I'm barely holding together because I'm trying to get you to stay but I know that pretty soon I'm going to fall apart. You've seen it before, you know. Knowing you're close makes me feel better when I'm like that, it's really the only thing that makes me feel better when I get that way. I really need you to stay. Please don't go," pleaded Bella, her voice breaking.
After a long moment of stillness Victoria took her hand from the doorknob and turned just enough to be able to look at Bella over her shoulder.
"I need to hunt Bella," she said. This time Victoria sounded more in control though her voice was still far from being completely normal. Her eyes were still black and Bella could tell Victoria was still very much in the grip of her vampiric nature.
Bella shook her head as if to deny it. "You'll probably lose control if you're around humans. It's so dangerous for you to be out like this. It could hurt us if you do, it could hurt me. There is also a small chance something else could find us tonight, find me. Please stay. I really need you to stay."
Victoria made a low throaty noise that was halfway between frustration and anger. "I can't. I need to hunt. Shouldn't be around you until I do," she said, and Bella could see her muscles and shoulders tense as Victoria struggled, her instincts tearing her in two different directions.
Bella swallowed. She understood the problem. However there was no way she could just let Victoria walk out the door, not with how dangerous she was at that moment. Bella's heart rate sped up and her palms began to sweat. There was only one solution she could see.
"You don't need to hunt. You just need to feed," said Bella, swallowing the lump in her throat. "You can feed from me."
When Bella said that Victoria turned to face Bella completely, moving so fast Bella's human eyes almost couldn't follow. She stared at the girl with a fierce intensity and naked hunger in her gaze that shocked the young witch. She had never she seen Victoria look at anything or anyone like that before.
"You don't know what you're saying," growled Victoria, "that really would be a bad idea." Bella could tell the vampire was making a great effort to stay where she was and keep the physical distance between them.
Bella took a shaky breath. Reason wasn't going to work here. The vampire nature operated purely on instinct and emotion. She had to go for that if she wanted to make Victoria stay.
"You've always said I'm probably the most delicious human you've ever smelled," said Bella, "and I don't want you going out for anyone else's blood. I want you to have mine."
"Stop," protested Victoria but it came out somewhat weakly, "I mean it. You don't know what you're asking, you don't know what I'm capable of. Trying to protect you."
"You've tasted my blood twice before," she countered "this wouldn't be any different. I want you to stay to make me feel safe. Stay and feed on me Tori."
"Bella…" said Victoria sounding pained, "stop tempting me like this. My control is threadbare right now. I want… I could hurt you. You don't want me doing this."
"I do want you to," she said even though she was extremely nervous and she was sure Victoria could sense that. "Besides you don't have to worry so much. You can't seriously injure me or kill me remember?"
"That's not exactly what I'm worried about," she said in a low growl, "I… I might not be able to control myself at all like this. Everything's too close to the surface. Don't want to hurt you." However even though she said that Bella could see the resolve of the strong willed vampire cracking. She was leaning forward and inching towards Bella seemingly without conscious thought.
Bella wasn't sure what Victoria was so worried about but she didn't feel she had the luxury to worry about it right then. She only needed to give Victoria one final push. The only thought in her mind was getting the vampire to feed on her so she wouldn't be a danger to anyone else.
The witch wasn't stupid though and she was justifiably nervous. Even with her safety net tempting a vampire in Victoria's state seemed like a foolish idea. Still in the end she would survive. The same couldn't be said of anyone else.
Bella knew how blushing made a human smell more tempting to a vampire. Blushing was simply bringing blood to the surface of the skin and such a thing could be simulated easily enough in other ways. Bella laid herself down on the couch with her head on the armrest, aware of Victoria's eyes tracking every little movement she made with the intensity of a cat hunting small prey. Nervously she pushed her hair out of the way and turned her head to the side fully aware of how she was placing herself in a vulnerable position by deliberately exposing her neck.
"Bella…" growled out Victoria breathily, her voice a mixture of want, warning and literal pain from holding herself back.
Bella swallowed nervously as she brought one hand up to her neck. "I remember you telling the Cullens I was yours," the girl said a bit shakily, "so-… so come and take what's yours." With that Bella used her nails to scratch the skin of her neck viciously almost hard enough to break the skin. Her skin very quickly turned red as blood rushed to the surface increasing the visual and olfactory temptation for the vampire.
With a snarl Victoria's flimsy restraint finally broke. Before Bella knew what happened Victoria was straddling her hips on the couch. She held herself up with her arms, their bodies close but not quite touching. Bella's heart began to pound as she suddenly found Victoria's face less than a foot away from hers.
With black eyes and bared fangs Victoria gave out a low growl deep in her chest, so low it was almost below the range of human hearing. The vampire began to grind her hips against Bella seeking friction between her legs. Bella was too stunned by the hungry vampire suddenly on top of her to relax. Victoria's hands began to clamp down on whatever she was holding and Bella could hear tearing and snapping noises as she crushed the frame of the couch. The casual display of frustrated power both excited and worried the witch.
Slowly, so slowly Victoria began to lower her head towards Bella's neck. Without conscious thought Bella turned her head to the side exposing her delicate neck to the vampire just inches above her. Anticipation and adrenaline flooded Bella's body making her heart beat faster and making her nearly irresistible to the vampire above her.
Bella gave a little involuntary jerk as she felt the tip of Victoria's nose touch her neck. The vampire slowly moved her nose up and down her neck along the large blood vessels while inhaling deeply, taking in as much of Bella's scent as she could. Bella felt like a sacrificial lamb but she found that it's fine, she doesn't care, she doesn't care as long as it's Tori. Still that does little to calm her down. Her whole body felt hyper sensitive and on edge.
The bite came without warning. Victoria's fangs struck breaking layer after layer of skin until they found the hot blood they sought. Bella whimpered, surprised by the sudden painful intrusion. One of Victoria's hands tangled in Bella's hair holding the girl in place as the vampire began to drink her blood.
It hurt at first but after a few seconds the pain numbed and she began to feel an euphoric tingling pleasure spreading out from where Victoria's fangs were buried in her throat. Vampire saliva was designed to numb the pain of their bite and give a nearly addictive pleasure to their victims. Bella's hand went behind Victoria's head and the girl pulled the vampire even closer, small pleasurable whimpers escaping her throat as the vampire saliva made the area around the bite light up with intense nearly sexual sensations.
Victoria's hold and feeding on her neck were rough, almost frantic. Bella could hear the sounds of Victoria swallowing and her nose was filled with Victoria's scent and the coppery smell of her own blood. Bella clung to Victoria, a part of her delighting in the intimacy of the act despite her worries about the vampire being less than fully in control. She was trapped beneath the vampire and while she wasn't helpless she felt helpless to resist. Subsumed with pleasure it was a terrifying and intoxicating feeling.
Victoria continued to drink and before long Bella began to feel light headed. Just as she began to worry that the vampire was taking too much Victoria pulled her fangs free from Bella's neck, taking a few seconds to delicately lick the small trails of blood leaking out from the twin wounds. Bella shuddered at the feeling of Victoria's tongue against her skin and the vampire's obvious delight in tasting her blood. The redhead pulled back slightly and Bella breathed a sigh, feeling disappointed and relieved that it was over. Assuming Victoria was finished with her Bella tried to sit up. A rough hand on her chest kept her firmly down.
"Victoria, what-?" Bella began before she caught the look on her protector's face.
She had expected the feeding would have helped to bring Victoria back to normal but one glance told Bella her hope had been naïve. Victoria had a tiny wicked smile on her face, triumphant and vicious, like a lioness who unexpectedly found a young fawn pinned beneath her. The vampire wasn't the least bit shy as she sat up slightly, letting her eyes rake intimately down Bella's body while she held her down. Bella squirmed and rubbed her legs together at the scrutiny feeling self-conscious. When Victoria's black eyes came back up and settled very deliberately on her chest Bella had to fight the urge to cover herself up with her hands.
In a lightning fast move that caught Bella off guard Victoria grabbed the girl's shirt by the collar and pulled, ripping her shirt open down the middle. She ripped it all the way to the hem so it hung open like an unbuttoned dress shirt. Bella's eyes widened and she tried to scoot back as she suddenly realized she may have gotten into a lot more than she had bargained for. The vampire easily held her in place and her gaze felt like a brand on Bella's skin.
"Tori…" Bella began sounding a little scared.
She trailed off, losing her train of thought as the vampire opened her ripped shirt like she was unwrapping a present. Bella felt a furious blush that went all the way to her chest as Victoria intently took in the sight of her bra covered breasts. Clad in a simple white bra Bella didn't think her chest would be very exciting to look at but the vampire seemed to disagree. Her breasts weren't large like Victoria's but they weren't small either and Bella felt an odd mix of discomfort and pleasure as black eyes hungrily drank her in.
Oh God, is this really happening to me?
It took Bella a few moments to realize that Victoria wasn't just looking at her breasts but was also focusing on a spot high on her left tit. She would have wondered about that but all thoughts fled her mind as Victoria lowered her head down to her chest.
Victoria's hot wet tongue leisurely traced the upper curvature of Bella's left breast. It wasn't the most sensitive spot but the feel of it still left Bella shuddering and breathless. The teen was feeling nervous and uncertain but in spite of that she could feel her nipples hardening and an ache begin to build in between her thighs. She wanted to run. She wanted Victoria to pull her bra down and take her nipple in between her teeth. The girl was confused but there was no doubt that she was getting more and more aroused with each passing moment.
Victoria breathed in deeply taking in Bella's scent right above her breast. The vampire opened her mouth and without warning struck, sinking her fangs deep into the tender flesh right over Bella's heart. The girl gave out a cry of pain and surprise arching her back unconsciously. Instinctively she brought her hands to Victoria's head and dug her fingers into her scalp, though if it was to push her off or pull her closer she didn't know.
The pain was invasive and sharp but it was quickly replaced by different sensations. Victoria's saliva quickly numbed the wound and a tingling aching pleasure began to radiate from the bite. The girl could feel Victoria's jaw working on her breast as the sensation spread across the tender flesh. The heat seemed to concentrate on and inflame her sensitive nipple. Bella clutched at Victoria and whimpered as her erect nipple became extremely sensitive and even the feeling of it rubbing against her bra sent little jolts straight to her sex.
The vampire didn't stay on her chest overly long already having taken a good amount of blood from her neck. When she pulled away Bella regretted the loss, feeling a little violated and incredibly aroused. The vampire however wasn't done with her yet. She gently sat Bella up on the couch and grabbed one of her arms in both hands. Ever so slowly she scented Bella's skin from her wrist all the way to her elbow.
Bella didn't know what was going on but she made the split second decision to allow whatever the vampire wanted to do to happen. She comforted herself with the knowledge that Victoria could not truly hurt her. Still she couldn't help but feel like a virgin sacrifice, offered to the hungry beast to save others who would have been her prey. Bella was torn in two directions, loving and fearing the attentions of a Victoria who was barely aware of what she was doing.
Victoria bit her on the crook of her elbow targeting the large vessels running through there. Bella hissed in pain but soon it was replaced by the tingling euphoria of the vampire's saliva. The witch didn't resist as seconds later Victoria grabbed her other arm and brought it to her mouth this time sinking her fangs into Bella's wrist.
Bella could finally see a pattern to what was going on. The vampire was marking her like last time except this time instead of using her scent she was leaving bite marks all over her body. Bella thought she should feel indignant that Victoria marring her skin in her possessiveness but… Bella couldn't dredge up any protest. Magic help her she liked it, she liked seeing and feeling proof that the vampire treasured her, that she was important to the vampire. It made it easy to pretend that there were no troubles between them, that everything was and would be fine.
Bella closed her eyes as she felt Victoria's hands slip under her torn shirt and gently grip her waist. The vampire lowered herself down slowly and pierced Bella's flesh with her fangs just beneath her ribs. She stayed just long enough for the pain to morph into pleasure before moving on and marking Bella again on her opposite hip. Bella jerked a little with each bite, each new little pain simultaneously frightening and somehow satisfying.
Things suddenly escalated for Bella when Victoria snaked her fingers into the waistband of her jeans. Victoria looked up and met Bella's eyes with a searing intensity that made Bella's mouth dry. Victoria's bloody lips quirked up ever so slightly before she pulled. She easily tore away the jeans like paper, tearing them in two and roughly stripping them off Bella. In a flash Bella suddenly found herself in nothing but a bra, panties and a very torn shirt.
Victoria lowered herself down to the carpet kneeling in front of Bella. The girl's heart was in her throat as Victoria gently, delicately lifted her bare foot and brought up to her mouth. The vampire took her time, smelling the blood just under the skin and giving Bella's foot a few bloodstained kisses. She turned Bella's leg out and the teen was very aware just how much this exposed her sex. Bella was positively shaking with a torrent of conflicting feelings, her breathing becoming faster and her heart beating harder, as Victoria brought her lips to the back of Bella's foot. She bit hard on the vein deep behind the Achilles tendon. It was by far the most painful bite yet and Bella yelped, the pain momentary shaking off some of her arousal.
As before Victoria only held on for a few moments before pulling out. She moved quickly, more frantic now as she grabbed Bella's other leg. With considerably less warning this time she bit hard in the back of Bella's knee. The witch scrunched her eyes in pain but soon that turned to keeping her eyes closed as an euphoric heat traveled up and down her leg. The sensation was something akin to a massage, warm heat and the world's best drug all at the same time.
With her eyes closed Bella didn't notice the fangs leave the back of her leg. Instead she felt a hand on her knee forcing her legs to open wider. Bella's eyes opened when she felt Victoria's tongue caressing her inner thigh dangerously close to her sex. Knowing what was coming next Bella felt a moment of panic.
"No, wait-!"
Victoria didn't listen and she didn't wait. She bared her fangs and bit deeply into Bella's inner thigh seeking the large artery to be found there. The girl cried out, half moan and half protest at the intrusion she wasn't sure she wanted. There was nothing she could do however unless she wanted to use the collar and she wasn't willing to go that far again unless she had to.
The pain quickly faded as the saliva got to work and the reason Bella didn't want to be bitten there soon made itself known. The hot intense feeling of euphoria spread out from Victoria's fangs and shot straight into Bella's sex. Her pussy spasmed and clenched against her will as a moan unwillingly escaped her throat. She felt like her sex was linked the directly to the mouth and fangs draining hot blood from her inner thigh. To her mortification and embarrassment Bella felt herself getting massively wet almost instantly.
Bella knew that was going to happen and she felt embarrassed and humiliated. Victora's face was literally only inches from sex and she was soaking her cotton panties straight through. Bella covered her face feeling more self-conscious than she could ever remember feeling. There was no way in the world the vampire could miss the smell of her arousal, so close to the source even a human would have been able to smell it. Bella's desire for Victoria was no longer a secret but to have it advertised so blatantly left Bella feeling exposed and vulnerable and beyond mortified.
The girl expected Victoria to let go quickly like she had before but the vampire didn't. Her nostrils flared and Bella realized nervously that Victoria was fully scenting her arousal. The hands grabbing her thighs squeezed harder, blunt nails digging uncomfortably into her flesh. Bella watched as Victoria's jaw began to work more feverishly, more insistently, teeth digging harder into the meat of her thigh.
The vampire seemed to get more and more excited and frantic, channeling all that churning energy into biting Bella, sucking blood and gnawing at the wound frantically, almost manically. The smell of Bella's soaking pussy seemed to drive her into a frenzy as she tore into Bella and pulled on her blood with careless abandon. Bella hissed in genuine pain at the rough treatment. Even with the vampire saliva Victoria's attentions to her inner thigh were becoming more painful and damaging than pleasurable and the vampire didn't seem aware of what she was doing.
Bella's head swam. Victoria was taking much more blood than she should. While the vampire wouldn't be able to drain her she could leave her weak and useless for days and they couldn't afford that. Momentarily forgetting her embarrassment she reached down and tangled her hand in Victoria's red locks, trying to gently pull her off her thigh.
"Victoria, you're taking too much. You need to let go," she said, blushing as she did.
The vampire didn't seem to hear her and her tugs at her hair were ignored. If anything the vampire doubled down and bit harder into Bella's flesh. Despite the numbing the girl winced.
"Victoria come on. Please stop, please please stop," she said, tugging harder at her hair and very much not sounding like she was whining.
The vampire didn't stop but just shifted her grip. One arm snaked around to circle around her thigh, holding Bella closer, refusing to let go.
Bella licked her lips. This wasn't working. She was going to have to appeal to those protective instincts again. Gently she tried to pull Victoria's head up towards her. "You're hurting me Tori. If you take any more I'm going to be weak and defenseless for days. We have somebody new after me now remember? You need to st-"
There was a flurry of movement and Bella found herself on her back with a heavily panting vampire on top of her. She looked wild, out of control, and so inhuman with red blood on her lips and fangs. Her hand reached down and fisted around the waistband of Bella's panties.
Bella's hand snapped down and covered the hand that was bunched in her underwear stopping it from doing anything further. It was clear that the vampire was less than a second away from ripping Bella's panties clean off. When Bella looked up to see Victoria's face she was somehow still shocked by what she saw. There was a raw animalistic hunger there that Bella just knew had nothing to do with blood and everything to do with sex. Victoria wanted her, something Bella had hoped for but had never really thought would happen. If she let her Bella knew Victoria would rip her panties off and fuck her, fuck her until she couldn't tell up from down and couldn't remember her own name.
By the look Victoria was giving her she might end up getting fucked even if she didn't give the vampire permission. Bella began breathe faster and her heart started to pound furiously in her chest.
These changes were like a tempting aphrodisiac to the vampire. When Victoria began to pull her panties off Bella's eyes widened in alarm.
"No!" she yelled, sounding scared.
Bella wanted Victoria. She had wanted her badly for years, the vampire featuring prominently in nearly all her fantasies. Despite all that Bella was still inexperienced and a virgin. The vampire above her would claim her harsh and rough while not being in full control of herself and Bella was finding the prospect far too intimidating. She pulled on the hand grabbing the elastic band of her underwear trying to get Victoria to stop.
Victoria almost slapped her hand away and would have taken what she wanted anyway if she hadn't seen the look on Bella's face. The girl was looking at her wide eyed and frightened and definitely not willing even through the smell of her desire positively choked the air around them. Victoria could take her anyway, make her want it and enjoy it even with all of the girl's reluctance. However she was aware enough to know it would hurt her Bella in the long term and that was something she could not allow. Slowly, jerkily as if she were arthritic she uncurled her hand from where it had been tangled in Bella's underwear. Despite how difficult and painful it was to pull back the look of relief on Bella's face told her she had made the right choice.
Slowly this time, delicately, Victoria lifted Bella up and positioned herself behind her. The vampire sat most of the way up leaning against the arm rest dragging Bella up in between her legs. The girl was still apprehensive, worried that Victoria might still lose control and force herself on her in what would be at least a semi non-consensual manner. Instead Victoria nuzzled her neck from behind on the same side as the bite on her neck. Then she started to 'obsess' over the bite.
Victoria began to nip and lick at Bella's neck right where the vampire had just minutes ago fed on her. She began to lick, suck and bite the skin almost desperately and Bella could tell it was a way for her to release her frustrated tension. Bella allowed herself to relax, turning her head slightly to allow her better access. Victoria let out a pleased growl of appreciation as she pulled, nipped and obsessively attended the bite. It kind of hurt, the skin was already bruised and delicate, but the vampire saliva reentering the small holes on the side of her neck eased away most of the discomfort. It was a bit strange but Bella allowed it and before long found herself enjoying the attentions of the vampire who held her tightly and seemed to be obsessing over her like there was nothing else in the universe that mattered.
They lay in that position a long time, Victoria at Bella's back, holding her, lavishing continual attention on the bite marks on her neck. At some point early on Bella grabbed the throw blanket on the back of the couch and covered them with it making the scene feel more intimate and making Bella feel better about being stripped down to just her underwear. Eventually after some time had passed Victoria's frantic attentions began to slow, calming down, until after another thirty minutes only the occasional long lick or nip on her neck remained. Bella was exhausted and the soothing music she had set to play earlier was making her drowsy. Eventually she dozed off in Victoria's arms as the vampire continued to hold her, obsess over her, lick and nip at her like she was the most precious thing in the world.
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Sometime later in the night Bella woke up. The first thing she noticed was how heavy Victoria's unique flower and spice scent was all around her. Bella never could figure out what flower Victoria smelled like but the closest thing that came to mind was that she smelled like jasmine. As her mind cleared up she realized she was still on the couch with Victoria still holding her from behind and still very much in her underwear and one horribly torn up shirt. However the throw blanket over them made sure that Bella was comfortable instead of self-conscious. Feeling Victoria pressed up behind her, being wrapped tightly in her arms, well it was an amazing way to wake up. If Bella could she'd choose to wake up the same way every single day.
Victoria must have sensed her wake up because she nuzzled her cheek gently, almost playfully, free from the frightening intensity that had possessed her earlier.
"Tori? Are you… ok now?" Bella asked tentatively.
"I'm… better. Not a hundred percent, but I think I can keep myself from completely losing control." Her voice still sounded a little stilted but it was much closer to her usual voice than it had been before.
Bella just nodded slightly unsure of what to say. Throwing caution to the wind she leaned her head back and let it rest on Tori's shoulder. Victoria seemed to accept it and once again nuzzled her neck over the bite but didn't start worrying it again with her mouth. Turning her head slightly Bella caught a glimpse of Victoria's eyes. Disturbingly they were still black but that slightly unfocused look that said Victoria wasn't fully in control of herself was gone.
Bella let out a shuddering breath as she closed her eyes and relaxed.
"Why?" Bella asked suddenly.
The vampire shifted slightly behind her. "Why what?"
"Why…" do I feel like I very nearly lost my virginity tonight? Why exactly was it that you lost control so badly? Why do I feel like something shifted? "… why did you do all that to my neck?"
Victoria spoke next to her ear, making the conversation very intimate. "Vampire bites usually heal in a few days. Keeping the bite open with my saliva for as long as I did will make it scar. As long as you're alive you'll have my mark on you."
Bella had to resist the urge to bring her hand to her neck. Victoria had permanently marked her. "Why would you do that?" she asked, sounding confused and a little vulnerable.
Victoria's arms tightened around her and the vampire's legs wrapped over Bella's like she was trying to pull the girl in as close to her as she could. "You. Are. Mine." she said a little viciously into her ear, "you belong to me. You are my human. Now any vampire who looks at you will instantly know you're taken. You're never going on any 'dates' again or I'll kill whoever you're with and find other ways to remind you just who it is you belong to."
That was when Bella knew that while Victoria may have been more in control of herself she definitely wasn't one hundred percent yet.
"You say the most romantic things," Bella joked weakly not sure how to respond or what it all meant.
Victoria just growled at her lightly and nuzzled her a little too aggressively. In spite of everything it still felt really nice.
Bella didn't know for sure but she started to think that maybe Victoria's current state was something like an inebriated human's. Her filers might be down and Bella might get her to open up about things she would never normally share. Or so she hoped. It seemed like a reasonable theory. With that in mind Bella spoke again.
"Were you jealous that I went out with Edward?"
"I wanted to kill him," she responded, trailing one of her hands on Bella's stomach. "I wanted to kill you too, though that would sort of defeat the point now wouldn't it?"
"Like, literally kill him or just figuratively?"
"Rip his head off and fuck you next to his burning body. So yeah I'd say pretty literally."
Despite the grim topic Victoria's words caused her pussy to clench in response. She had to bite her tongue to keep any sound from escaping.
"So you want me?" Bella asked tentatively.
"I don't need to want you. You're already mine."
That wasn't quite the way in which Bella had meant the question but she didn't have the guts to just come out and say it any more plainly. Besides it wasn't like she didn't already know the answer. She just wanted or needed to hear it again because to her it just seemed so unbelievable.
Some part of her was sure this wasn't entirely healthy but right then Bella found she didn't care. She loved this new possessive side that Victoria has shown over the last few days and to know that at least some part of her found Bella desirable was a bonus of epic proportions. Victoria was absolutely right. Bella had realized earlier that night that her heart did belong to the vampire. Maybe everything else did too.
It was so messed up. Victoria was essentially an unrepentant mass murder. But she couldn't find it in herself to try and fight whatever was happening between them.
Then Bella remembered the night two nights before – had it really been just two nights before? – at the Cullen place when Victoria had gotten into a fight with Edward over Bella. She remembered how the vampire had scent marked her and had been so possessive… and how it all went to hell right afterwards. After she regained her right mind it was obvious that Victoria was pissed about what had happened. She didn't want to show or feel that side that felt something for Bella because part of the vampire resented and hated her. When Victoria regained full use of her senses chances were things would get extremely unpleasant between them.
A wave of sadness and depression washed over Bella. Even after everything that had happened they would probably go back to square one the next day, maybe they would even backtrack further than that. She felt helpless and so very tired of it all. She knew, knew that Victoria had more than platonic feelings for her now. How could Bella even start to fix all this?
Right at that moment a new track began to play on the soft music mix Bella had selected.
Optional Listening – Let Her Go by Passenger
Bella laughed out loud nervously. That song… sometimes the Universe wasn't one for subtle hints. Sometimes it just clobbered you right over the head with them.
She had to tell her. Maybe she should have told her as soon as she had made the decision. Either way Bella suddenly couldn't remember why she had been keeping it from Victoria. Suddenly she couldn't wait to get it out and deal with whatever came afterwards.
"Tori…" Bella began, unsure of how to say this and deciding to just go straight to the point, "I uh… I-I I'm going to find a way to take the collar off. So I can take it off. I'm going to take it off. So you don't have to wear it anymore. I uh decided to do it a few days ago."
Bella knew she was babbling but she was nervous. She could feel the vampire behind her stiffen. Long moments passed and Victoria said nothing. It made Bella even more nervous and without any conscious decision she began to spill everything she had been thinking the last few days.
"I never really thought too hard about how this all affects you you know, because I was scared to but you… you made me face up to it that night when we went to the Cullens. I don't want you to die, I love you, you've always taken care of me even if it was just something you had to do to say alive. I-I think we both know how this is going to end. I'm not going to be alive for much longer. They only have to get lucky once and I have to be lucky every time, I almost died twice tonight. I'll be shocked if I live to be twenty five. When they finally get me I can't… I can't stand the thought of you dying too."
Bella began to sob because she really did think that and she had never shared it with anyone before. Over the last few days though, like so many other things, Bella found that she could no longer ignore those kinds of thoughts. She spun around in the vampire's arms and wrapped her arms around her waist burying her head in the vampire's stomach. Bella began to talk as pained sobs wracked her body.
"I only have you and you hate me. Part of you hates me because I'm the reason you were collared and I never looked for a way to get you out of it. Maybe I'm better off dead. I think you're going to leave me as soon as you can and I'm scared, so scared… Tori I'm so scared I don't know what to do. And you know what? If you leave after I take the collar off I wouldn't even blame you. You never asked to get dragged into this. I don't want to see you getting hurt."
Bella clung to Victoria like a lifeline, ruining her shirt with crying and tears. Victoria sat frozen, not moving, but Bella was too lost in her own world to notice or care. Everything she had been holding inside was coming out and couldn't be stopped.
"I'm so tired of being scared all the time, tired of running wondering if you really give a damn about me. I hate it Tori, I hate it. Everyone I love is dead except you and you're going to leave… oh God. I don't have anybody. Maybe you should kill me before you leave. I'd rather die by your hand than at the hand of those basta-"
Bella was interrupted by Victoria's hand on her chin lifting her head up to look at her. She made Bella look her in the eye, black orbs against tear stained red. Bella looked up at Victoria questioningly, looking weak and vulnerable and completely ready to break. Right then one word from Victoria could have completely shattered her world for good.
"I don't hate you," she spoke clearly, "I hate your parents, I hate this collar, I hate my situation. I hate the Volturi, I hate wizards, I hate magic. I hate everything about this. I tried to hate you too but I couldn't. I never could. Resentful, angry yes but never hated you. Never you." As she said that she gently brushed Bella's hair out of her face with more tenderness than Bella could ever remember her showing.
"The collar… when you take it off… I don't know what's going to happen. But I won't just abandon you. I may do a lot of things but just leaving you behind won't be one of them."
There was an ominous quality to the way Victoria said that but Bella didn't notice. Instead she was focused on the words. She squeezed Victoria's shirt gingerly, as if unsure. Hesitantly she searched Victoria's face.
"Really?" she asked, and though she tried to hide it the shaky hope in her voice came through anyway.
Victoria began to soothingly caress Bella's back. "Yes really. I can't just walk away anymore. Probably not since I held you after your parents died."
Bella wanted to believe her but part of her couldn't right away. It was too much of a one eighty from what she had believed for so long she had a hard time accepting it after just a few words. She gripped Victoria's shirt tightly and buried her head in her stomach again.
"Please don't leave me," she cried feebly.
Once again Victoria gripped her chin and gently but firmly lifted Bella up. Bella had only a second's warning before Victoria's lips cover hers in their first kiss. Victoria's hand on the back of her neck held her in place while the other caressed her face. Bella was frozen in shock for a few long moments before she melted, completely giving herself over to Victoria and her warm lips.
It wasn't a kiss of romance or passion. It was a kiss of comfort and reassurance, a kiss of fondness and affection designed to cut through all of Bella's doubts and insecurities. Victoria's feelings for the girl ran deep and though she had always in the past balked at expressing them in this case she felt that it was needed. Knowing that the girl intended to set her free made the vampire feel that she could now express at least some of her feelings for the girl who had been her charge for so long.
It wasn't a terribly long kiss but it was everything it needed to be. Bella slowly opened her eyes, looking a little star struck and maybe mildly concussed. Victoria looked into her eyes and put everything she could into her words.
"You're mine. I'm not going to leave you."
And Bella believed her.
The girl clung to Victoria and cried again but this time they were different tears. This time they were tears of relief and devotion to the vampire who had saved her life so many times. She needed the emotional release and Victoria held her while she cried, running her fingers through her hair and whispering soothing nothings to the girl. Bella just clung tighter and fell a little bit more in love with her vampire.
00
Bella realized she had fallen asleep when she was half woken up by Victoria picking her up bridal style. Sleepy and unwilling to wake up all the way Bella wrapped her arms around Victoria's neck and let the vampire carry her.
Victoria carefully put her to bed making Bella sigh happily. The room was pitch black, not that Bella made any effort to open her eyes. By the smell Bella realized that she is not in her bed but in Tori's. She knew there must be some significance to that but she was much too sleepy to think of what it might be.
Bella was momentarily woken a little more when she felt Victoria remove her torn shirt and then her bra. If she had been more awake Bella might have panicked but as she was it only made her mildly aroused as she idly wondered if Victoria was going to molest her. In her sleepy state she would have let Victoria do anything she wanted.
Instead she felt the bed dip and Victoria spoon against her back. The vampire threw her bare leg over Bella's and wrapped her arms around her in a clearly possessive way. Bella felt the vampire end up half on top of her idly noticed Victoria had placed herself between Bella and the door. It brought a tiny sleepy smile to Bella's face.
Others might have felt suffocated but Bella didn't. She felt protected, treasured and slightly aroused and was the most content she could remember feeling in a long, long time. She reached for Victoria's hand and entwined their fingers together.
"I am your human you know," she murmured.
"Of course you are," replied Victoria arrogantly, but underneath Bella could hear the pleased note in her voice.
Zombies and vampires were for tomorrow. Bella went to sleep feeling loved for the first time in a very long time.
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Thoughts? As always reviews motivate me to write faster.