Disclaimer: i do not own Twilight - i don't even want to! i do want to own a few good hours of sleep!

CHAPTER SEVEN

"So tell me who's making these rules
And if you like to break rules too
'Cause if you do then baby I'm following."

~Christina Perri

Edward

My mate startles awake, her heartbeat loud in the quiet of my chambers, the breath in her breast stuttering as tiny bumps break out across her fuzzy skin. Her entire tiny body trembles in a fine vibration.

I was not as familiar with human sleep patterns as I should be – was this a normal, nightly occurrence?

Something I would have to look forward to every night?

The vibration against me was…interesting, after all.

"Bella?"

Her little naked body tenses in the protective caging of my body; I am wrapped tightly around her, my legs holding hers close and my arms crossing over her chest.

Wanting to comfort her, I press my lips against the skin of her delicate neck where I had sunk my fangs into the membrane, where her fragrance from the traditional bridal bath is the strongest.

She smells intoxicating.

She smells like me.

And our mating.

Musky and sweet and arousing.

My mate seems to relax in my embrace, which brings me great relief and pleasure. I had feared that our joining would frighten her, but she responded to it well.

She seemed to enjoy it greatly.

She barely even hesitated when the time to bite had come.

Perhaps she is more Leumian than she thinks.

Though she has relaxed some, she continues to faintly tremble every few moments.

"Are you ill?" I ask fearfully, my mind flashing to the horrible memories from her first days on Leumin – so sick she was dying.

Could she sustain her life on my planet? Would I always worry about losing her to whatever poisons her half-human body could not tolerate?

"Nightmare," she murmurs, pressing closer to my chest.

I frown, unfamiliar with the term. I thought humans dreamt while their eyes are closed. "What is a nightmare?"

Bella shifts in my arms, turning in the tight hold I had on her to face me, her hands splayed across my chest. "It's a bad dream."

My frown grows deeper. Dreams had morals and virtues – they could be considered good or bad?

Humans are strange.

But her oddities are endearing.

I inhale her scent again, faltering on how to deal with the particular emotions the slight aura around her body is indicating. I had seen her with flame colored red rage and clear blue concentration and yellow confusion and even pleasure purple passion.

The dark blue hovering around an inch away from her skin was new – something I had not ever seen a Leumian with this color either.

Of course, all Leumian can sense auras, though Bella had never indicated this latent talent.

Then again, she seemed to have enough talents to worry about.

The shocking – though that was more arousing to me than anything.

And the control over metal.

I clear my mind and throat. "Do you want to talk about it?" I ask, unsure of my question in that I was sure she did not want to talk about it.

But Bella did seem to like honesty. And talking.

And being quiet.

She is unlike anything I have ever seen.

Better and so much more than anyone I had ever met.

Bella sighs, her warm breath tickling my skin. "It was just my father's face. Something is wrong, I think. Or will be wrong. I'm not that kind of psychic, though, so I don't know. It's just a gut feeling."

I could sympathize about feeling unease with one's father.

My own father seemed to be planning something, I think.

I could be paranoid.

Or not.

What mattered now was to keep Bella safe.

And now that we are fully mated, our blood mingling together between two bodies, I would be able to protect her.

Forever.

I run my hand down the length of her smooth back, her skin so soft under my hand. My fingers curl over the pronounced curve of her hip and I pull her closer to my body so that our hips are aligned.

My body feels tense.

Taut with excitement.

I want her again.

And probably more after that.

"But I don't think there's anything to talk about," Bella continues, her voice filled with air. Breathy.

I like the sound.

I want to hear it again.

Constantly, really.

I wonder if she is capable of making more Leumian-type sounds; the hisses and purrs of the female population of Leumin.

I think perhaps she can.

The sounds she made last night were similar.

The moans.

The higher pitched sounds.

All of them amazing, fascinating, in their own right.

And then her aura shifts to purple and I can feel my body responding, pressing insistently against hers.

Full lips press against my birth markings, trailing up to my neck; I roll onto her body, pressing her against my warm bed and shifting my hips against hers until I am gliding against the fragrant slickness between her thighs.

So wet.

And warm.

And mine.

A growl grows in my chest.

My fangs grow.

Bella gasps.

I pull my body away, ripping my lips from the smooth skin of her neck. "Are you hurt?" I can barely contain the panic invading my body – she is so fragile compared to me, so easily breakable.

And I am not so breakable.

What if I had hurt her last night without realizing it?

I had never been with another.

I wouldn't have realized if I caused her an unusual amount of pain.

Would she have let me know?

Bella shakes her head insistently, pushing on my chest until I fall into the pressure of her hands, my back resting on my bed. "I can deal with it."

I swallow.

I am aroused by her forceful tone, amused that I find her stubborn, quiet qualities so endearing.

She is truthfully perfect for me.

And I am especially glad that she had the grace to accept me after my atrocious mistakes when she moves to straddle my waist.

She is pressed against the most sensitive part of me.

Driving me mad with arousal.

Lust.

I feel my fangs push against the skin just under my bottom lip as my hands come to rest on her hips as she grabs hold of me; so very slowly, with a small sigh of relief, I think, Bella lowers herself onto me.

Taking me in.

Accepting me.

Gripping me.

Warm, wet fragrance encasing me tightly, fluttering around me as small puffs of gentle pink rises in Bella's cheeks.

Exquisite.

Her breasts are milky pale, like the rest of her body, but firm and soft and larger than other Leumian women – just the perfect size of my hands as I reach up to trace the full curve of her chest.

So soft.

So smooth.

Bella moves her hips slightly, wiggling on top of me – left, right, front, back, in a small circle, in a fluid random movement. It all feels amazing, even more so as she leans forward to capture my lips with hers; something humans seemed to like to do.

Typically, Leumian's did not kiss.

There was no need to, as we exchanged blood.

But I had no problem kissing my Bella.

It was very enjoyable.

Her soft mouth pressed against my own.

Stroking my fangs gently.

Nipping at my mouth.

Slowly, we set a pace that draws out our pleasure, my hips rising up to meet hers on her down, circling motion.

Flesh meeting flesh.

Smooth, moist sounds coming from where our bodies are mingling.

Constant sparks of pleasure.

Clenching that milks me, sparks shooting down my spine and around my skin.

My damp mate collapses in a seemingly boneless heap on top of me, our bodies still intimately attached.

Leaving me still where I long to remain.

For as long as I am able.

I revel in the close contact, simply content to have her in my arms after our mating.

The humans called it cuddling.

I find that I quite like it.

Before I even realize it, Bella is sitting up and away from me, her eyes wide. "Am I going to get pregnant?" she blurts, her eyes positively worried.

Her face is so expressive.

So alive.

I feel my chest shaking in laughter before the noise reaches my ears. "No," I manage to say.

She was adorable in her sudden concern.

"Oh."

I tilt my head. "Do you want to be?"

"I don't know," she whispers, looking down and away from me.

How curious.

A female who did not know if she wanted to bare a child.

It must be the more human side of her.

I inhale her scent again. "You won't have to worry about it for another month."

The perfect lines of dark hair above her eyes furrow. "What?"

"Leumian females can only get pregnant during heat."

The color of her face pales significantly. "Heat?"

I frown, trying to understand her reaction.

It did not seem healthy that her face should become that shade.

It is then that I remember humans do not have a heat cycle – but, based on her scent, Bella's was only a month or so away. Maybe less because she is human.

Bella is nodding, a far away look in her eyes as she moves off me.

I miss the contact instantly.

She did not need to move.

I frown and reach for her smooth skin, more than ready to practice before her heat comes on.

"Will you show me your stars today?"

I pause, my fingers just barely grazing her tiny waist, and look out the window – we have slept for a very long time as the sun is past its high point. But the weather seems agreeable.

I smile and kiss her hand, looking into her light eyes. "Of course,"

Did she know I would do anything she asked of me?

Reluctantly, I allow my mate to separate from me so that we may get dressed. Bella bathes quickly but the scent of our mating is still ripe on her skin.

A possessive part of my mind gloats with glee – every male that passes her will know who she belongs to.

And how much she belongs to me.

And what we have done.

My mate dons a deep cobalt dress, the neck high but her shoulders and back bare as the hem grazes the tops of some dark slouchy knee-high boots.

Only an inch of the pale skin of her leg is visible.

Enticing.

I want her in my bed when I see her, the dark blue of the dress dramatically making her skin more creamy, her eyes more blue and her lips redder. Her dark, short hair is in messy wavy lengths – she looks so desirable.

I almost did not want to let her outside.

But that would be selfish.

And my mate's wants now came before my own.

As they should.

Unlike yesterday, where the hallways of the palace were cleared in respect to our ceremony, we are cheered by Leumian servants and citizens, their cheerful calls loud with excitement. Royal mating ceremonies were rare and the population of the planet had a certain fascination with seeing the newly mated couples, though the ceremony itself was private.

Bella's face is stained with the pink shade again as several women drop to the ground, bowing before her in hopes to gain favor. As a royalty, Bella is now entitled to pick a maid that might help her dress or deliver messages.

I have a feeling, though, that Bella would decline a maid's services.

Once we make it outside the palace, Bella breathes out a sigh of relief.

It seems that she does not like great amounts of attention.

I file that away for later inspection – perhaps I could make her life more private.

She might like that.

"Where are you taking me?" she asks, a small laugh in her voice.

I like her laugh.

It reminds me of the summer moons lining up.

And of the small noise she makes when my hand grazes a spot on her stomach.

Light and airy.

"I thought you might like to see the sea up close," I tell my mate, imagining her shredding her boots and wading into the clear water, playing with the bright corals and sea life.

Her face lights up.

She smiles with her teeth.

My mate is easy to please when I am not making mistakes.

Like all Leumian, it seems that she enjoys nature.

I think she would especially like the luka – millions of small, rainbow colored fish that breed in the colorful corals and are notoriously playful.

Children have always enjoyed playing with them.

And my mate needed to be carefree like a child.

We make it to the white sand beach while the sun is still bright in the sky. Bella had walked beside me wide-eyed through the dense forest, her fingers gently touching the large green leafs of our tall trees and the smooth bark of our trees, the tall grasses and large, blooming flowers growing from rocks and roots.

Before we stand on the sand, Bella insists on taking off her shoes, explaining quietly that she had never been to Earth beaches.

This was appalling to me, though it should not have been.

It was a well-known fact that humans had almost killed their planet. Perhaps Earth beaches were non-existent, now.

Bella seemed to cherish the life of Leumin.

Another reminder of her hybrid blood running through her veins.

Another example of why she is absolute perfection for me.

A chilling wind blew from the south, fluffing her skirt around her hips, and I find comfort in the fact that the dark cape around my neck will be able to shelter her delicate skin when the weather changes.

And it will.

Soon.

That is the way of Leumin – quick, often violent, weather changes in between calm periods.

Unpredictable.

And a threat to my half-human mate.

The cape around my neck is made with a special Leumin fabric that keeps the body cool and warm and provides shelter from acidic rain, should that happen again.

I would give it to Bella in the small seconds between her heartbeats if she needed it.

Bella leaves my side, dipping her tiny toes – five of them, where Leumin have four – into the clear water, her skin the same shade under water as it is in the sun. I smile at her startled yelp.

The water on Leumin is very, very cold. Not that any Leumian would notice it; we do not process temperature in the same way that humans do. We are neither cold nor hot in our cores.

It seems that my mate takes on another human quality.

"It's so cold!" she says, her eyes huge and accusatory.

Should I have warned her?

I falter for a second.

Instead of demanding an answer from me, Bella asks another question. "Is the water ever warm?"

I feel my shoulders shrugging. "Leumian does not have seasons. It is erratic all year long."

Bella begins to ask several quick questions about Leumin and I struggle to keep the smile off my face.

My mate is interested in my planet.

Her planet.

I answer every question she has as she wades deeper into the ocean, the water licking at her slim calves. The luka surround her feet, helping Bella keep her balance in the random waves rising on the tide.

Bella giggles when the luka tickle her skin.

I grin and hold my arms out when Bella dashes out of the water.

Her small weight hits my chest.

And I hold her as close as I can, her body so much warmer than my own.

She is mine.

Bella shivers against my chest.

Hastily take the cape from around my neck and settle it around her narrow shoulders, hiding all of her skin in dark material that ends halfway to her ankles.

On me, the cap falls to my thighs.

She is so much smaller.

Nearly everything about my mate screams for her fragility and need to be protected – her size, her beauty, and the fragility of her body.

Bella can also defend herself.

She did not need me.

But she seemed to want me.

That is enough for now.

We leave the cooling beach, the sun moving down lower as the winter moon, Solistia, wakes from her slumber. Soon, the summer moon, called Esterlie, will join her.

And then we can watch the stars.

"Edward."

I look down at my tiny mate, her searing hand wrapped up tightly in mine.

A human gesture that I enjoy.

"Would we be able to see the Skye clan's palace?"

I do not pause my measured stride though I am shocked at her request. Of course, I know where it is as it is frequently visited as a reminder of the past.

Before I can jump to conclusions, I remind myself that Bella has been showing an interest in my home.

I would not be the one to halt that interest.

So, I change our course and we move further into the valley; the trees become larger, the grass shorter and the flowers more wild. Bella observes the changes with a greedy eye and I am reminded of her intelligence.

She wants to learn everything.

Know and understand everything.

When we come across the ruins of the Skye palace, Bella gasps.

And I feel that gasp deep within myself, especially when her aura shifts to indigo – her sadness and grief mixing together.

I instantly regret that my family has done nothing to restore the old skeleton of the palace. We should have.

"Is it safe to enter?" my mate implores, taking several small steps towards the palace.

I glance at the crumbling walls and nod. "Yes, but I do not want us to linger if heavy winds begin."

I hope that my condition is not out of line.

But I only want to please her.

And keep her safe.

Bella gazes steadily at me. "Let's go."

A/N: so, sorry about the delay in posting - i had exams this week so i spent all last week studying and i had my last one today. so...chapter! from Edward's head! he seems to think a lot simpler than Bella. *shrugs*

to answer a few reviews... TwilightFann1969 asked how often i update - i update when i can, usually right after the chapter is written and never more than two weeks apart. sometimes, a few updates in one week.

scareDcat - i think it's awesome that you found this through Facebook; taking 20 chapters for Edward and Bella to get together annoys me, as well.

Twilight Rocker 12 - Hairy also means Awesome! you had me in tears!

JLS0823 - i have a soft spot for Alice :)

Sprite007 - the only birth marking's Bella has will be the seemingly random freckles on her back that actually for spirals. they might change in the future... ;)

Flavia - i think i got your pregnancy question answered!

YesMyRealNameIsBella - gosh, your imagination is way better than mine! lol

dipsydoodle - there is more to Renee's story than we know at the moment but you are partially right!

and, extra special shout out to FLOW LIZ, who was the first review of the last chapter! i love this story too!

and my last piece of business, i joined Facebook. i'd love to talk to you guys! you can find me from my fanfic profile (click the link for homepage) or

http:/ www. facebook. com /#!/ profile. php? id= 100003400429334 (without the spaces, of course)

as always, be brutally honest. i can take it.

~cupcakeriot