Chapter 29
Surprises
It''s dark in the room. It's the kind of total darkness that leaves you confused about direction and makes you trip over furniture if you get up and walk around. It's the kind that confounds even vampire vision. I snuggle into his closeness. I can't see him but I can feel him, and he's the only thing that matters to me. His hands lightly teasing over me. His body, blissfully naked against mine. His mouth on the back of my neck. He turns me to face him, and I nestle in the circle of his arms, feeling the press of his body along mine.
I'm so spent, even the thought of making love with him again has abandoned me. He lies harmless as an extinct volcano...well, dormant at least. No rumbles of fire within him as yet. I sigh contentedly as I press my face against the base of his throat, inhaling his fragrance.
"I love you." His soft murmur against my hair breaks the silence of the room.
"I know." I giggle softly and kiss the hollow of his throat. "You love me so much I'll be lucky if I can walk in the morning."
He groans and pulls me up, so we're face to face. "It's more than that, Bella." His breath brushes my cheek. "I... I can't even put into words how deeply I feel for you. I mean... I don't want to minimize what I had before. I don't want to compare you... you understand... right?"
"I know what you mean." I'm glad he can't see my face, because he would know that there are comparisons. I've already unwillingly compared them.
"But it's like with you there are no limits. I've never felt so completely accepted before. Fighting to win my father's approval left me with this need to always be what someone else wants me to be. It's like even in love I played a role. But not now. You give me permission to be... just me. Do you know how amazing that is? In three hundred and seventy-five years, this is the first time I've felt so loved and accepted."
His admission humbles me. I'm stunned that I can give this perfect man something he never had before. I don't want to think about our pasts, but it's there in his admission. I would have thought they had perfection. I would have thought I'd be in her shadow.
He seems to know where my mind has gone. "She'd been abused. Not only that, but she was refined and proper. Women raised back then were just different than they are now. Some things were always off limits. I never went out of bounds with her... she needed to know she was safe with me – even when it was impossible to hurt her."
"He..." I feel like it's unfair to him, to share what was private between us. But I want to share it because it's a part of me too. "...he was always so protective of me, especially when I was human. His protection often made me feel rejected. I was covered in bruises after our first time. He was horrified and didn't even want to touch me after that. The bruises didn't hurt as much as his rejection did."
"I'm sorry. I guess I'm lucky you can't get bruised." He holds me snugly.
"It didn't help that I conceived on our honeymoon. Even after my change, there was always Nessie to worry about. I used to envy Emmett and Rosaile in the way they were always so unrestrained with each other. I mean it's not that he had no passion – he did – but he often behaved as if he thought it was something wrong with him. I always felt like he wanted – needed – me to be better. He fell for the sweet girl next door, and I couldn't stray too far from that image." He rubs his cheek against mine as I reveal what he may not know about me.
"I was a child of divorce. Even as young as I was, I felt like it was my fault. Maybe if I didn't get dirty making mud pies... maybe if I wasn't so clumsy... maybe if I was prettier, mommy and daddy would stay together. In the back of my mind, I always feared that if she could leave my daddy, she could leave me. I learned to take care of my mom, since it made me useful. I did the same for my dad. There was always a part of me that felt like I was unworthy to be loved and accepted for who I was." His arms tighten around me.
"I loved him so much, so fast. I was always afraid he would discover that I wasn't special or lovable, and leave. And then he did. Don't ever leave me – even to protect me."
"Never. You are special and you are lovable. I want to know all of you. I want you to know there's nothing you can't share with me. Even if it's dark and makes you feel ashamed, I'll still love you. Gabriella hid her needs from me, and I lost her. You don't have to hide anything from me."
"I never told him... I think I liked the danger. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, but there was always that dangerous undercurrent that said he could. I think it's what attracted me to Jacob as well, when I wasn't the least bit interested in him when he was just a boy. There's this charged atmosphere that's almost electric. It's like I could feel this adrenaline rush just being around them. I imagine lion tamers must feel it. I felt it with Aro as well – that feeling of being in the presence of a barely controlled predator."
"I must be a let down for you." His voice is soft and sad.
"Not at all!" I hold him tight, and kiss his face in the dark. "You are the kindest, gentlest, most compassionate, controlled man I know. I adore that about you. "But I feel there is so much more to you... a power and a passion that's been held in a cage by the strongest of wills. It's like going to the aquarium and watching the sharks swimming behind the glass. The glass wall has to be strong to hold in so much raw power – am I making any sense?"
"I think you understand me. I've always had to make sure those sharks can't threaten anyone on the other side of the glass."
"Maybe I want to get in the tank and swim with the sharks."
"Bella... " He groans. "You better be careful, you could get eaten."
I smile and catch his lip between my teeth, just to tease him. "I was hoping you'd say that...but maybe we should recover a little first."
He makes a soft noise deep in his throat that sends shivers through me. The volcano awakens.
The predawn light outlines his body. We're at opposite ends of the bed, and I trace my fingernails lightly over his feet. He flinches away. I run my hands over his legs, and the hair tickles my palms. He's so strong and solid, I just want to knead his flesh like a masseuse. I reach his knees and move closer to the center of the bed so I can explore his thighs. I don't want to initiate another round of lovemaking, but I want to touch him. Everything that used to be off limits is now married to me!
I pounce on him, and lie across his lower back. He relaxes on his stomach with his face pillowed on his arms. I caress up his thighs, letting my hands delve between them, and back over his round bottom.
"Bella, what are you doing? I thought you were too tired to go again."
"I'm never too tired for you. But I don't want to make love... yet. I just want to touch you, and playwith all your interesting man parts. I especially like this part." I squeeze his glutes, and he moans softly. I let my fingers explore the crevice between.
"Bella... what are you up to?"
"Don't worry, you haven't used it for anything nasty in over three hundred years." I massage his behind, and slide my hands down his thighs. "In fact, except for sitting, and filling out your pants in that sexy way, it's practically wasted space. I think you should just let me have it. I'm sure I could find something to do with it." I kiss his firm derriere. "Maybe I could plant some flowers here..." I kiss his other cheek. "...or use it as a jewelry box." I nip him and giggle as he rolls over.
"Are you quite finished taking my inventory?" he asks, as I crawl up his chest and lie on top of him.
"Nope. There's a lot more of you I still want to touch, and taste, and kiss."
"You're incorrigible!"
"I know... incorrigible, that's me." I smile at him.
"I love you like crazy, even if you want to plant flowers in my arse."
His comical look, his words, and the absolute happiness I feel with him, overwhelms me and I laugh out loud. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk like that! Doctor Cullen, what would your patients think?"
"I can only speak for the men." He holds my face in his hands and kisses me thoroughly. "They would be jealous – that I have this beautiful, passionate, sexy, funny, incorrigible wife, and she's lying naked on me... no doubt they would envy me."
"I don't think I ever want to get dressed again. I wish there was a way to just lounge around naked with you from now on."
"You are so cute! I love that idea, but I think you'd get tired of me."
"I'm never going to get tired of you Carlisle. I love this... I love you."
"Well, I think we've got a few responsibilities that sort of demand getting out of bed, and dressing."
"Name one." I slide my hands around and squeeze my new favorite part.
"Yanna." He returns the favor.
I groan. "Aw, that's not fair... Alice can handle her. Name one more."
"Jasper."
"Buzz kill. Alice can handle him too." I kiss his nose. "It's settled then; you and me, alone and naked, forever."
"Fine. You and me, alone and naked, for... at least a few more hours."
"Aww, it sounds like the respectable Doctor Cullen is coming back to ruin my fun."
"I know how you feel. He ruins my fun too." He kisses me... kisses me so hungrily it steals my will. He flips me, and continues to kiss me in a way that threatens to initiate a one more time in my body. Then he stops and abruptly pulls away.
"Come on Missus Cullen, let's take a bath." He holds his hand out to help me up.
"What? Why?" He wants to leave our cozy little nest now that the sun is up and I can see him clearly.
"Come on... I want to see you wet – again." I wonder if that's some sexual innuendo, then I remember our time on the island. I take his hand and step out from behind the drapes, over the bed frame, and down from the platform.
I'd forgotten about the tub. It's a massive concoction of porcelain and gilt. It's also surprisingly hooked up to modern plumbing, and he eagerly sets the water to fill it. Before we get in, he pulls me close, and we just stand, pressed together, as our eyes take each other in.
"I am so happy.... my god, Bella... I just can't contain it. I tried to pretend I didn't need to be loved... I've gone without it before. I just thought I needed to be a man and get over it. I was so wrong. You... this is precious. You have given me so much more than I dreamed was possible."
"I could say the same about you. I just don't have the words... you saved my life, and made it worth living again." The water gushing into the tub stops our own gushing.
We sit in the tub, with no bubbles or oils, just heat and wet, and nakedness. He looks good wet, especially when I dump water over his head to relax his hair out of it's severe style. He didn't expect the dousing, and his counter attack pulls me underwater. His playfulness is unexpected, and in no time, we've made a mess of each other and the floor.
Even more water splashes out when I climb into his lap to take care of his sudden arousal. He glides into me, and I love the feel of him filling me. He's larger. I try not to think about comparisons, but my body is quite conscious of the difference. With my legs around him, he stands, lifting me out of the tepid water. I appreciate vampire strength, as he carries us both from the tub, and back to our nest, without losing our precious connection.
Our honeymoon respite ends a few hours later, with the ringing of his phone. It's only nine o'clock, but life is fighting to reclaim us. Alice is on the line, wanting to know when he'll be available to take care of his patient. She's already helped her with three meals, and a few bathroom visits.
I can hear her. "I haven't had those kinds of needs in over a hundred years myself. I forgot how tedious they could be... I mean I really forgot! Plus I think her bandage needs to be changed after last night. Did you really take off part of her skull and put it back together? And just where are you anyway? You know I try not to concentrate on your future unless there's danger, but if I don't see your face soon, I'm going to go down that path! I assume Bella's with you? I'm trying not to be nosy, but Yanna's worried.
He calmly reassures her, and makes the right excuses. I grin when he doesn't breathe a word about our marriage. It's still our secret.
I roll onto my back and stretch like a lazy cat. "I can't believe you told her you were taking care of a near drowning victim. You're lucky she can't tell when you're lying.'
"I wasn't lying. I nearly drowned you, and you are my victim. And I did take care of you, didn't I?" He kisses me, and I just want to pretend that we don't have to get up and get dressed.
"And how do I play into your little misinformation scheme?"
"You came along for moral support." He kisses me. "Your presence was invaluable." He stands and leaves our bed, then looks back at me longingly. "Come on my beautiful wife, we've got to go back to the real world."
Wife. I'm feeling a little stunned as I get out of bed, and get dressed again. We made love all night, and yet I'm still not used to the idea of being his wife. I watch him, as he dresses in the same clothes we tore out of yesterday. It's like he's putting the Doctor Cullen costume back on. I want to hold onto Carlisle, and love, and lover, and even husband, just a little bit longer. I steal his tie as it rests around his neck.
"What are you doing with my tie?"
"I'm keeping it as a souvenir – and I want this too." I reach into his pocket and pull out the silk cord he'd wound around our hands.
"Anything else you want?" His eyes feast on me.
"Oh yes... so much more." We're dressed and wrapped in each other's arms, and I just want to tear the clothes from him again.
"So, how long do you thing Yanna and Alice will be able to deal with each other?" His words make me groan.
"I know, I know. It's just going to be hard to be with you, and not be with you."
"Well, everyone thinks we're engaged. So now I can kiss you in public." He demonstrates with a kiss. "And I still have the key." We both look around at the room we've so thoroughly messed up. "Maybe we'll tidy up first, tonight." Tonight? I look up at the mischievous smile on his face. We're not going back to the way things were. I love this man!
He locks the door behind us, and hand in hand we walk back to my suite and the real world. Alice and Yanna both look at us suspiciously, but he's so calm and composed, it soon passes. I thank Alice for all her help, and she shrugs it off. Before we settle back into normal, she notices my ring. They both exclaim over it, and I'm embarrassed at how observant Alice is. She exclaims over the four C's, including the color and the carat of the diamonds. I finally slide my hands into my pockets, where I can fondle his tie and the cord. Carlisle saves me when he asks what the two of them have been up to while we've been gone.
"We've actually spent a lot of time working on the hybrid database. A lot of people have already added their recollections to our archives, and it seems a couple hybrids have already discovered who their mothers were, and found existing family. It's catching on so fast, especially once we added the privacy feature, so the vampires can add their information anonymously. Sometimes the information's a little vague, like 'I saw a guard member drag a screaming red haired girl down the third floor hallway on this date.' But we've been able to add up so many of these bits of information."
"So... even if Joham charmed them, their memories still work?"
"Not always. Some of the anonymous entries speak of a sort of hypnotic memory suppression. He would repeatedly suggest that 'you don't want to remember this,' and it worked quite well. One account claimed those memories stayed buried until very recently. We've got another account, of a vampire who fathered a child he didn't even remember. The child it seems, has disappeared, and he's been unable to locate her, now that he remembers she exists."
Yanna speaks up from the bed, where Carlisle's busy checking her head now that he's removed the bandages. "Some of them ran away. I remember now... I think it was half a dozen hybrids and two female vampires. They walked away from the training center, and no one could locate them." She looks puzzled. "I feel like I should remember them, but I can't."
"Maybe we should see if we can find them." Alice looks thoughtful. "Eight people shouldn't be able to just disappear."
Carlisle finishes changing the bandages, and gathers up his things. "You're healing very well – definitely faster than human – but not quite where you should be. This is promising though. Maybe your metabolism is correcting itself."
"So I should be able to move like normal again?" She looks so hopeful, I hate to see his look of doubt.
"Different injuries heal at different rates. Skin and bones tend to heal faster than brain injury. But I'm not going to say it can't happen; only that you'll still need to work hard at your own recovery." With that, Alice takes her laptop and the work they were doing on the database, and leaves the room. We spend the rest of the morning working with Yanna, trying to help her walk and then to feed herself at lunchtime.
A timid knock at the door brings a surprise. Arianna, looking so timid I'm afraid she'll flee, stands at the door. "I want to help." She looks beyond me, to where Yanna sits with her lunch tray, struggling to hold a glass. Tears come to her eyes and her heart races.
"Come in... please." Yanna calls to her around me. "I'm just in here learning to play with my food." I usher Arianna into the room, and she stands silently, watching. My vision picks up her shaking as Yanna spills beef broth onto a bib around her neck.
"Why don't you take my seat, Arianna," I offer.
"No." Carlisle stands. "Take my seat." He doesn't waste any time in having her sit down beside Yanna, where he'd been guiding her hands. "You can help her, by steadying her arm, while she holds the spoon.
"She's right handed... why is the spoon in her left?"
"Doctor Cullen wants me to learn to use my weaker hand." Yanna's answer forces Arianna to actually look at her. "The right one works fine, but the left wants to see me covered in soup."
"I'm so sorry..."
"Stop." Yanna interrupts her. "I"m sorry, and you're sorry, and there' s not enough room in here for a pity party." She smiles and winks at Carlisle. "If you want to help me, I'd really appreciate it, then Doctor Cullen can hold Bella's hand instead of mine." I feel guilty, but he holds my hand tighter. I hadn't even realized we were doing it.
Arianna is very helpful, once she gets past her feelings of guilt. After her meal, she offers to take Yanna for a walk in her chair. Yanna seems happy for the chance to get out of the room, though she worries about not being able to wash her hair. Carlisle makes sure they've got the numbers to reach us, and we watch them go.
I straighten the bed, and I'm cleaning up her lunch when he takes the tray from my hands. "You don't have to make yourself useful. Besides, I need you more." We leave the room and rush across the hallway to his room. He pulls me down onto his couch and we practically attack each other. I've got my hands in his hair, and my mouth is taking inventory of his, when there's a knock on the door.
I want to pretend we're not there, but he struggles away from me, buttoning and tucking his shirt as he gets up. I almost forget to straighten my own clothes. He opens the door, and Alice rushes in. She's about to say something, when she gets a good look at us.
"Oops. Sorry... I guess I'm not used to you two being an official couple," she grins. "I'll try to be more careful." She reaches up and correctly buttons his shirt, which was misaligned. Then she smooths the tangles from my hair. "But now that I'm here, I've got something I need to show you." She opens up the laptop and sits on the couch, leaving us to take seats beside her.
"I've been taking the information submitted by the members of the database, and I thought to cross-reference it with Italian newspapers. I've gone back twelve years, and I've come up with a lot of missing people. I assume that the Volturi hunted from those who wouldn't be missed, and there are a surprising number of missing persons from hospitals, jails, prisons, nursing homes, homeless shelters, bars, and mental hospitals. I started a list of the missing, and the dates they disappeared. I've flagged them in black if they're seemingly expendable, blue if they're the kind to attract attention, and red if they're healthy women of child bearing age. They can of course have more than one check."
"I've found Yanna's mother, but there's another with a red and blue check." She shows us the article about a young woman who'd disappeared from a nightclub in Milan. Her friends claim she'd left with a strange man, and they never saw her again. Her boyfriend was investigated, and her parents offered a reward for information leading to her whereabouts. Then there's this one who disappeared from a mental hospital. They don't seem related, until you take into account these ones..." She shows us several names with black checks.
"I've spoken with Anton, and I know that some of these are some of the victims the Volterrani guided into Heidi's net. And some of them are those she collected on her own. But these two stick out. Most missing persons in Italy usually turn up or get explained in some way. But these two stayed missing. Then I paired it with a few accounts on our database, and it looks as if these two women were kept here at the same time as Yanna's mother. This was before Joham came here!" She looks at each of us to see if we understand her.
It hits me before Carlisle gets it. I guess I have an easier time thinking of the Volturi leadership as being rotten. "Caius didn't make a hybrid alone; they all three did!" I look at the three names and wonder what happened to the children.
Carlisle voices my concern. "What happened to them? Yanna's the only one her age I've run across in the past two years."
"Maybe they ran away." Alice reminds us of one of her earlier findings.
"They couldn't have, Demetri would have found them with ease." Carlisle points out the flaw, but he doesn't know what Yanna shared with us.
"Demetri couldn't look for them, if he was being charmed by Joham. Johan's charm canceled out their abilities. It's why they relied on newborns when they went to Denali. He didn't have to keep Caius and Aro charmed, since he had their daughters as leverage. Aro wasn't charmed in the war, but he was controlled by Caius.
Carlisle seems deep in thought for a moment. "We need to talk this over with Aro. He's been keeping secrets."
"I think he's spilled a few." Alice indicates her computer. "I've got one very well informed anonymous contributor. I think he's putting a lot of answers into the database." She looks at both of us. "What if he's trying to find someone? I mean if he had a hybrid child before Joham, and it's not Aurora, they could still be out there somewhere. Yanna said she thought she should know the runaways. If Aro and Marcus had children at the same time, she'd have to know them."
Something else bothers me. I remember Jasper telling me that Gemma had given birth several times, and someone had messed with her memory. "What if one of the runaways could manipulate memories? Yanna doesn't remember them. One of the vampires who gave his account in the database mentioned not remembering he had a child. And Gemma has had her memories altered."
"It's possible... Oh my god!" Alice jumps up so suddenly her laptop slides to the floor. I narrowly catch it as she begins to shake. She stares into space, clearly in the midst of one of her visions. "No Jasper, not yet!" She turns and we're right behind her as she runs from the room. I have no idea where she's going, but she's running as if she fears for his life.
We wind up in the cafe, among the hybrids finishing their late lunches. We're too late, and Jasper and Aro face off in the middle of the room. They both turn as Alice stops, sliding slightly in her flat shoes.
Jasper points toward her. "My wife – the woman you dared defile!"
"I didn't defile her..." Aro sneers. "...she enjoyed my attention. She came to me of her own free will. Perhaps she wanted a real man for a change." I can see the look on Jasper's face turn murderous.
He barely reins in his emotions. "Enough! I challenge you on the field of honor. Come out and face me like a man if you dare. Or are you only able to skulk around in the dark, stealing what doesn't belong to you. I challenge you, Aro. A duel between you and me. You may choose the time and place, we'll each choose our weapons, and we'll settle this like men – if you know how!"
"Fine! Tonight at eight o'clock in the audience chamber. Don't forget to bring your second; you'll need someone to carry you out when I'm finished with you." He raises his voice. "No one touches Jasper Whitlock until this matter is resolved." Aro turns gracefully and comes our way. He bows to Alice and me with a smirk. "Ladies." He walks away, and takes Arianna's hand as he passes her. I hadn't even seen her and Yanna with all the drama.
I hurry to collect Yanna, and Alice clings to Jasper. "Well, that went as well as could be expected." Carlisle sounds optimistic as he takes my hand. Jasper and Alice join us.
"So, can I count on you to be my second?" Jasper smiles enthusiastically at Carlisle.
"You're not going to need a second, you're going to wipe the floor with him." Carlisle takes hold of Yanna's chair, and pushes her back the way we came. We all follow along.
Jasper walks alongside Yanna, talking to her. "It's good to see you made it through, Dora – I mean Yanna. That's going to take a little getting used to. I heard it was touch and go for a while. I never would have thought Arianna could do so much damage."
"She has a lot of rage inside. You shouldn't have stirred up her memories." Her voice is soft, but her words have a strong impact on him. He stops the chair, and squats down at her level.
"I am truly sorry, if my actions put you or anyone else in jeopardy. I hope to one day apologize to Arianna as well."
"Just win the fight tonight." She smiles as he kisses her cheek. "A lot more than your own future could be determined in this conflict. If Aro loses, it will weaken his standing among the older Volturi. If he wins, it could strike a blow against the council. He understands this better than any of you." She looks at each of us meaningfully. "He's been playing this game for centuries. Don't expect it to be an easy battle, and do not expect him to play fair."
We go to Carlisle's room to congregate, and he pulls something from his closet that makes us gasp. "Sweet Jesus, I never thought I'd see this again!" Jasper looks awed as he takes the sword from Carlisle. "I thought my Civil War officer's cutlass was hanging on the wall back in Forks."
"It was. But your wife is very resourceful, and she had Nessie ship it. Be careful with it, it's had a new edge put on it. It turns out the way they make them dangerous is with a dusting of vampire ash forged into the metal."
He tests the sword's balance, and smiles. "It's a good thing I didn't rise too high in the ranks. Some of the higher officers received more decorative weapons, trimmed in gold. They're beautiful to look at, but absolutely useless in a fight. I remember how to use this." He swings it with a flick of his wrist. "So, what do you think Aro will be using?"
Yanna speaks up. "Aro will be using a spear. He's had some training as a Roman Legionnaire."
"How do you know these things?" The girl stuns me with all her tidbits of knowledge.
"Arianna told me, before she had to leave."
With five hours until the duel, we decide to split up and make the most of our time. Alice and Jasper leave first, holding hands as they slip off to their own suite. Carlisle helps me take Yanna to our room, and we're both impressed that she can use the walker to take care of her own personal needs in the bathroom. Afterward, she claims she wants to rest, and we help her lie down.
All tucked into the bed, she looks up at us with a sly little smile. "You two can leave. You don't have to babysit me. I feel fine now that my head doesn't hurt, and I'll yell if I need anything." She makes a little shooing motion. "I'll see you in a few hours, and I'll yell if I need anything." She's got the phone, and the remote within her reach.
I go through my things and pack a small bag. I'm still in the same clothes I had on yesterday, and I feel the need for a shower. While I'm thinking about it, I reach into my pocket and take out his tie, and the silk cord. I tuck them into my suitcase with a smile. It's real.
Carlisle takes my hand and leads me from the room. In the hallway we catch sight of Aro leaving his room as well. We stand and stare for a moment, then he nods and walks away. In the quiet of Carlisle's room I breathe a sigh of relief.
"That was awkward." I snuggle into Carlisle's arms. "Is it too much to hope that this could all end well? Yanna's right, this could seriously blow up in our faces." His hands glide over my back. "I just... there's so much wrong here! If he wins, it could really put the council in jeopardy. It could keep Volterra stuck in the past, and the hybrids will continue to face all their problems and challenges, with no one to speak for them."
He tips my head up and kisses me. "Carlisle, what if Jasper loses?" I feel a sense of dread at the thought. He kisses me again. His tongue delves into my mouth, and his hand squeezes my behind, pulling me tight against him. He's aroused.
I pull away from him. "How can you think of that now? In a few hours, Jasper will be fighting for his life! Carlisle, what are we going to do?"
He sighs. "Alice and Jasper are setting the example I intend to follow." He snugs me against his body, and his mouth plunders mine. This isn't his soft, sweet courtship kissing, this is hungry and possessive. One arm holds me tight against him, leaving his other hand free to caress my body. I want to go where he's leading, but my mind doesn't want to let go of the worries. He already knows how to read my cues, but instead of giving up and backing away, he attacks.
A growl escapes him, and he presses me back several steps until I'm pinned against the wall. His hips grind against me, and his kiss moves from my mouth and down my throat. My hands unconsciously find his hair as his lips trail down to the vee of my shirt. I'm shocked when he tears the collar with his teeth, and his hands shred the fabric, and yank it from me.
In seconds, I've forgotten Alice, Jasper, and everything else associated with the duel. The only duel on my mind is between him and me. Exposed from the waist up, he feasts on me, and his hands yank the waist of my pants. The clasp gives way before he shucks me out of them, taking everything with them on their way to the floor. He kneels before my nakedness, and he's fully dressed.
He parts my legs, and his mouth and tongue go to work on me in a way that makes me gasp as my legs threaten to spill me to the floor. Intense pleasure radiates through me, as my fingers tear helplessly through his hair. When he relents, I slide down the wall and join him on the floor.
He unfastens his pants, and without a word, he takes me there on the floor – unrestrained.
Hard, fast, and explosive; he shows me what a vampire can do. I cry out, gasp, squeal, moan, and scream through his relentless assault. I'm reduced down to the waves of pleasure he's driving into me. The pulsing push pull of friction, multiplied and intensified with his manic repetition. He uses my body, hard and uncompromising, and I love it! I cling to him, as inarticulate sounds and fragments of words escape me. It's so much pleasure I can't contain it. Again and again my body reaches it's climax, but he pushes me beyond. When he finally finishes, he cries out, and his head rocks back on his shoulders, and his eyes squeeze shut.
He collapses onto me, as I gasp and shudder with aftershocks. I'm stunned as we lie still and silent, but for our panting breaths. I feel like someone should be coming to save us, after such a tempestuous storm of passion.
He raises up on his elbows and looks down at me. His face is so hard to read. "I am so sorry... I didn't mean to be so rough. Oh Bella, I didn't mean..."
"Hush." I look up at him and pull his face to mine. "I love you. I'm not hurt. I'm a little... overwhelmed. You caught me by surprise, but it was good – really good." He still looks so concerned. "Are you okay?"
A tiny smile sneaks onto his face. "I tear your clothes off and ravish you mercilessly, and you ask if I'm okay? Are you serious?"
"You distracted me from my worry, and made love to me passionately. I adore you. And yes, I'm worried that you might feel guilty and think you hurt me. And I'm a little worried that you might think less of me, because I enjoyed it. I mean if you want me to be a delicate flower..." He crushes his lips to mine and we kiss greedily. He engages my senses and steals my will. If I didn't love him before making love, I most certainly wouldn't have been able to stop afterward.
We lie on the floor a bit longer, then he helps me up. "I"m sorry about your clothes..."
"Don't be, they're just clothes. Your shirt's a loss too." I didn't realize it, but I'd clawed through the fabric at some point.
"It's too bad... these are the same clothes we wore for our wedding." He smiles as he removes his shirt and takes in the tears. I look at the pile of ruined clothes. It's hard to feel sentimental over the destroyed casual clothes. "I guess we'll just have to do it again, so we can put the clothes away as a reminder."
For just a second, I think he's talking about making love the same way again, then I realize he's talking about another wedding. I just look at him in disbelief.
"We really have to now... unless you want to tell Alice we already got married and she missed it. She's not going to be happy with you if you cheat her out of planning a wedding." He grins as he finishes undressing.
"With me? You're the one who couldn't wait another day!"
"I didn't hear you complaining." He teases. "All you had to say was: "No Carlisle, I couldn't possibly marry you like this. I don't want to be your wife, and hide away and have hours of hot sex."
"That's all I had to say?" I smile up at him. "I don't think I could have done that." I kiss his sweet face. "I was raised to tell the truth, and that would have been a blatant lie." I wrap my arms around him. "I loved our secret wedding. And I really loved our secret honeymoon."
I brace my hands on his shoulders and hop up, wrapping my legs around him as he holds me tight. He carries me into his bathroom and in minutes we're together in the pouring water. I'm surprised that we can have this closeness and relative normalcy so soon. I love being naked with him, and discovering new things about him. But there's a freedom that this is Carlisle. I know him. It means that I can be completely at ease with him.
After our shower we're dressed and relaxing on his couch. He's done a good job of keeping me distracted, and every time I ask anything about the duel, he kisses me, or touches me. It's a game we play, and I delight in making him think of more inventive distractions. It comes as a surprise when it's time to get ready to go.
We put ourselves back together, and try to look respectable. We go get Yanna, and with her in her chair we meet Alice and Jasper in the hallway. I hug him tight, and wish him luck. He tries to act as if it's no big deal, but we can all feel his nervousness. Alice looks terrible, and I hug her too.
We walk to the audience chamber, and I can't help but remember how much I hate the place. The open expanse makes it perfect for large gatherings, but there's also room for a fight. As we enter the room, the crowd parts to allow us to move right up to the place where the fight will take place. There's a barricade to keep everyone back, and we stop behind it.
Jasper kisses his wife, before he takes his sword and leaps the barrier. Aro is sitting on his throne, as if he's above the whole proceeding.
"Pity to see you made it. I was hoping you'd see reason and back down." Aro sneers down at him. "As much as I'd like the opportunity to fight with you, I've decided to allow my second to have the honor. I don't think you'll pose much of a threat to him either." He motions, and Reese leaps the barricade and faces Jasper from the other end. "If you'd rather concede, I'll show lenience for your crimes – you won't have to die for what you've done."
Yanna tugs my hand and I bend to hear her whisper. "This is awful! Reese isn't Quileute, he's Inuit. He doesn't change into a wolf – he's a bear!" I can see Carlisle and Alice have both heard her. But it doesn't seem to matter, as Jasper accepts the substitution, with a comment about Aro's cowardice.
Reese looks at Jasper as if he's a boy playing a man's game. He's a foot taller, and probably outweighs him by a hundred pounds – they're clearly mismatched. "Looks like it's you and me, leech!" He has a strange looking weapon that looks like a long, sharp knife with a bone handle. He holds it absently, like he's not even planning to use it. They stare at one another across the floor.
Aro sits up and intones. "Begin!"
A/N: I know it's not fair to end the chapter on a cliffhanger. But my chapters keep stretching themselves. As it is, I'm not sure I'll be able to finish this in thirty chapters plus an epilogue. I tend to get long-winded, especially when I see the end is near, and there are so many loose ends still dangling. There's still some good stuff ahead. Thanks for being faithful to my story, I appreciate all of you!
I've also been meaning to thank those of you who are reading this from another country (as in not the U.S.) Each time I look at the traffic stats, I'm awed that my little story might be enjoyed by people around the world. I give you extra thanks if you don't speak or read English, as I know the translation programs have difficulty with English, especially as it's mangled by Americans.