AN: Hey y'all! I hope I didn't make you wait too long for this. I won't ramble, so you can get to the good stuff :D
Huge thanks to DelphiusFanfic and Harrytwifan for helping me get my stuff in order. They are truly rockstars.
I don't own Twilight.
JPOV
Oh, Jesus fucking Christ, my mate's blood was heaven. It flowed hot, rich, and wet over my tongue as I sucked and swallowed rapidly, not allowing a drop escape. A satisfied growl ripped from my chest and I gripped his shoulders.
Emmett's voice floated into my ears, telling me to stop. This was Edward, my love and mate, and I was drinking from him like he was nothing. Pulling my mouth from Edward's neck, I licked the wound to seal my bite mark, and Edward started writhing on the bed, panting. My venom was taking hold.
My mate screamed then, a long, drawn out wail, and my heart ached for him. I knew how he was feeling, but part of me was happy it was my venom in his veins. It was another way I had marked him as mine, and mine alone.
I would never forget the searing pain, like fire rushing through my veins. His back arched off the bed briefly, and I settled myself beside him, back against the headboard. Gently, I stroked his hair off his forehead and leaned down to talk in his ear. I had to try to comfort him. As much as I wanted him to be part of my family, I didn't like the journey he had to take to get there.
"Edward, my love, I'm here," I whispered. "I'm not going anywhere. The burning will be over soon." He continued to groan and cry out, lost in his pain. I took his hand and held it firmly.
I didn't know how much time passed before Edward went quiet, lying still. The entire time he was grunting, whining, and whimpering, I maintained my vigil of talking in his ear, hoping he heard me. As more time passed between his noises, I looked up to see only Carlisle and Emmett in the room.
"Where's everyone else?" I asked.
"The girls are cooking and Edward's family is sleeping," Carlisle informed me.
"How long so far?"
"Just over twenty four hours."
"Are his parents and Bella alright?"
"Yes. They were shocked when Edward started screaming, and left the room shortly after, but they're okay."
Nodding, I looked back at Edward. He was so still, but I knew the pain he was feeling inside. In that moment, I wished I could read his mind. Was he cursing me? God? Fate? I prayed he wasn't. For a brief moment, I regretted the decision to turn him.
The minutes turned to hours, and I resorted to pacing near the French doors. My mate still hadn't moved an inch; I could still hear his heart beating. The room was silent as we waited, only broken by the murmuring of our combined families in the other rooms. Elizabeth and Edward Sr. came in once; she looking saddened and frightened, he looking haggard. They were worried for their son.
Carlisle assured them the change was going according to plan, and they took a moment to watch Edward as he continued to lay silent. They only stayed a few minutes, then kissed his forehead before retreating back downstairs.
Finally, Emmett announced, "Two days. Not too much longer now."
Without taking my gaze from the bright sand outside, I nodded. Of course, I was upset because I caused my mate to be in pain, but I was also excited for his awakening. He would be flawless. We could hunt together, wrestle in the yard, and we could finally make love without inhibitions. Christ, I couldn't wait.
It was about four in the afternoon of the third day when Edward's heartbeat started to rise. I once again sat next to him on the bed, combing my fingers through his hair. As I studied his face, I noticed small changes. His lips were full, smooth, and red. The tone of his skin had lightened, leaving no more trace of the trademark blush I loved so much. I stroked the back of a finger along his cheekbone, and his skin was no longer searing mine; he was cooling down.
A jolt of excitement raced through my chest at the realization that his transformation was almost complete. In a mere few hours, he would wake in this new life, and we would be inseparable.
"Edward," I murmured into his ear, "Only a few hours left, babe. You're going to wake soon, and I can't wait. You are so beautiful, my mate."
I didn't think Edward could be any more gorgeous as on the day we met, but each minute that passed proved me wrong. He was becoming more pale, his cheekbones more defined, and his skin was hardening. I wondered what he would think of his new body.
The noise in the house became a bit louder and I could feel the tension in the air. I moved away from Edward's ear and sat on the edge of the bed, anxiously waiting for him to wake. His heart was beating sporadically: two beats, silence, then a rush of frantic beats would follow. The venom was making its last changes to my mate.
My door opened and Esme, followed by Alice, entered. They both wore radiant smiles and Alice chirped, "It's almost time!" She walked to the opposite side of the bed. "Wow, look at him!"
Pride filled me at my sister's compliment and I smiled at her. "He is magnificent."
Suddenly, Edward's heart started to beat incredibly fast. I trained my eyes on his face, waiting, savoring the sound of each beat. In just a moment, the rhythm would start to slow until it eventually stopped, and I wanted to be the one he saw first as he woke.
My other half gasped loudly, arching his back, then laid still once again. His heartbeats were slowing. I counted them in my mind, wondering just how many he had left. I wasn't paying attention to the time anymore. Alice took care of that.
"Ten seconds," she whispered.
Ten seconds that felt like forever. The last beat of my mate's heart echoed in my ears and I committed it to memory. This was the most important moment in my life.
The room was completely silent. The whole family was waiting for Edward to open his eyes. Emmett walked up close to me, ready in case he tried to run. We all knew he was going to be scared of his new self; we all were when we woke to this life.
Edward's eyes opened suddenly, and yet, he continued to lay still as stone. The brilliant emerald of his eyes was replaced by a deep crimson, and Jesus, it was incredible. He was fucking stunning.
"Edward?" I whispered, reaching to touch his face. With his new vampire speed, he sat up, pulled his knees to his chest, and covered his face.
Moving closer to him, I slowly and carefully moved his hands away from his face. "It's alright," I said gently. "Look around. See with your new eyes."
Edward raised his head and glanced around the room quickly.
"I can see...everything," he whispered.
"Yes," I smiled. Then, without thinking, I made a mistake. "What do you smell?"
Inhaling deeply, he immediately tensed and his eyes widened. With a hand clasped around his throat, he tensed, ready to spring.
Oh fuck. He caught the scent of his parents' and sister's blood.
"Em," I barely managed to mutter before Edward sprang up from the bed, intent on finding the source of what his throat was screaming for.
Emmett caught Edward around the torso as he leaped for the door and wrestled him to the floor. Edward let loose a feral half growl, half scream as he struggled to get away. The instinctual urge to defend him, protect him, hit me hard. I hated the way Emmett was touching him, but all I could do was stand there in shock. Edward was such a gentle and caring human, I never expected this.
"Dammit, Jasper, help me!" Emmett yelled. "He's too strong!"
All at once, my shock disappeared and I raced to help my brother. Pain filled me as I saw Emmett sitting on Edward's chest as he wiggled and raged beneath him.
"Scoot down and sit on his legs, Em," I said, and took my place on Edward's chest.
"Get off of me!" my mate screamed. I took his face firmly in both my hands.
"Edward, look at me," I commanded harshly. He ignored me, continuing to growl and writhe. "Edward!" I yelled, holding him even tighter, and he finally looked at me.
"It hurts, Jasper," he said, still clutching his throat. "I need..."
"I know," I said quickly. "Emmett, Carlisle, and I are going to take you to the mainland to hunt."
"Can't wait!" he panted harshly.
"Hold your breath, and the smell will go away," I instructed. "We don't have to breathe, remember?"
Edward's eyes never moved from mine as he stopped breathing.
"Better?" I asked.
Nodding minutely, he answered, "A little, but I want the burning to go away."
"It will," I reassured him. "We have to get you to the boat first. We'll take care of you, but you have to calm down."
Maybe it was the promise of quenching his thirst, I didn't know, but he relaxed almost immediately. Realization dawned on his beautiful face.
"Help me, Jay," he whispered. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
Nodding, I said, "Move, Emmett."
Emmett got to his feet and I wasted no time getting Edward upright and into my arms. He held me tightly, burrowing his head into my chest.
"Damn, you're strong," I commented. With a chuckle, he slightly loosened his hold.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
"It's alright. Remember to hold your breath. We're going to take you to hunt now," I told him. He let me go, but kept my hand in his, looking around once more. The girls had cleared out when he started panicking, going to the living room to watch over his family. Carlisle and Emmett stood in front of us, smiling.
"Welcome to the family, son," Carlisle told him.
"Yeah, bro. You look great!" Emmett piped up.
Edward gave them a shy smile. "Thanks." I knew that if he were still human, he would have been blushing, and I didn't miss it like I thought I would. We were the same, and he was mine for eternity. That made up for his human traits I had lost.
"Come on," Carlisle said. "He really needs to hunt."
On the way to the boat, I watched, amused, as Edward took in his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was that his skin was just like the rest of ours. Holding his hand in front of his face, he marvelled at the diamond-in-light shimmer.
"Wow," he said, causing the rest of us to laugh. I had a hard time watching where I was walking, thanks to his ethereal beauty. All I wanted to do was pin him down and ravage his new body, showing him what he missed as a human. That would have to come later, after his thirst was satisfied.
During the ride to the mainland, Edward continued to hold my hand tightly while looking out over the water.
"What are you thinking?" I asked quietly.
"Everything is so different," he replied. "It's almost like I couldn't see clearly before. I notice we're the same temperature, too. My hearing is so sharp now, noises come from everywhere."
"I know it's confusing for you. You'll adjust in no time," I reassured him. "After you feed, you'll be more focused so you can explore what you can do."
He was quiet for a moment.
"I can't believe I acted like I did when I woke up," he said so quietly, only I could hear.
"It was a natural reaction. No one's going to fault you for that. Besides, once you calmed down a little, you realized what was happening and asked for help. That makes all the difference."
He turned to face me.
"You don't think my parents will be upset?"
"No, I don't," I answered. "Carlisle and Esme warned them what you would be like. They even offered to take them out sight seeing, but they refused."
Edward shook his head with a small smile. "That's my dad's doing. He always says 'in for a penny, in for a pound'."
Chuckling, I told him, "I don't think Jacob was too pleased, though."
"He shouldn't have been there in the first place," he snorted.
Silently, I agreed with him.
The trip took a little longer than normal, because we went around the city to the forest. After tying off the boat, we took Edward into the dense trees. With Emmett and I on each side of Edward, Carlisle stood to face him.
"Close your eyes, son, and tell me what you smell," he instructed.
Edward did as he was asked and responded immediately with, "Everything."
Chuckling, my father said, "Concentrate. Use all of your senses."
Within seconds, Edward took off running. Holy fuck, he was fast! We ran through the forest at top speed, letting Edward lead, and came to a halt when he stopped short and crouched with a hiss. We were on a slight hill, and upon looking over the edge, we saw four cheetahs lounging in the shade.
Edward leaped, landing on one of them and startling the rest into fleeing. The animal didn't have time to put up a struggle as my mate bit into its neck and drank greedily. Blood escaped one corner of his mouth and dripped off of his chin. When the cat was drained, he threw it aside, wiped his chin, and licked the blood off of his hand.
As he looked up at us with blood still on his lips, want like I had never known shot through me in a delicious wave. This was how my mate was meant to be.
I didn't have time to admire his perfect form any longer because he took off in the direction the other cats had fled. We followed again, and after finally drinking his fill, he threw aside his fourth drained animal and slowly got to his feet.
"Feeling better?" I asked, walking to him with a smile.
"Much," he grinned, licking his lips.
My God, he was sexy. Streaks of blood decorated his forearms and neck, his shirt was ripped at the bottom, and he had a hole in one of the knees of his jeans. In his wide-eyed innocence of his first hunt, he had no idea how erotic he looked, or how much I wanted to take him right where he stood. The idea of future blood play flitted across my mind, and I had to convince myself now was not the time.
"Are you still thirsty?" Carlisle asked him, cutting off my train of thought.
"I don't think so," he answered. "I feel really full now."
"Good. Shall we go back?"
Edward nodded, walked up to me, and took my hand. "Run with me, Jay," he beamed, and took off, back the way we had come, heading for the boat.
Hope y'all liked it! Till next time,
Penny