Cullen's Hound

Ch. 5: Forgotten Memories

RPOV

It had taken more than a few hours to calm down after I learned what are so-called Leaders had done, not just to so many humans but my Bella as well. MY Bella, that was the thought that prevented me from doing something stupid; like flying to Italy and personally ripping Aro to bits. The emotions that I hadn't understood became crystal clear when I instinctively called her my mate. My very soul sang with the love I had for the not-so-human girl.

Once Carlisle and I had calmed down, we discussed our next move. It was during that conversation that reality had set in for my father. Our family was at risk, just by taking in Bella Swan. The Volturi would not be pleased if they ever learned of it. In order to keep the others safe, we agreed not to discuss what we had learned of my love's past or The Network. This way, if anything should happen to the two of us, the Italians would have no reason to go after them.

As for The Network went, we would both volunteer our services secretly, of course. Carlisle would be able to put his centuries of medical knowledge to good use as he studied Swan's Syndrome and how powers manifested in those with it. At the moment, that meant Bella. Just the thought of her sent me into a blissful haze, she had just fallen asleep when I decided to come home and pack some clothes, shower and change.

I had rushed downstairs and was about to leave when Dina and Jasper came home from their hunt.

"What's the rush, Sissy," Dina asked without prying into my thoughts.

"Bella's my mate and I'll be staying with her while she is in the hospital," I gushed.

"About time you figured it out, it was killing my Jazz," she shot back and I stuck my tongue out at her as I fled through the front door.

BPOV

I had woken up alone and panicked because I'd been having a nightmare. There were no sights or sounds, just smells and vibrations. There had been a familiar spice smell, along with the overpowering rusty salt scent that meant blood. From the way it permeated the room, there had been a lot of it. A niggling feeling in the back of my mind told me this wasn't just a dream. I growled in frustration when I couldn't make sense of the feeling.

My body rolled to the side and I inhaled the lingering scent of Rosalie. The scent of spice, roses and home. I inhaled more deeply then was suddenly catapulted by into the past as that elusive memory bubbled to the surface.

I had been nine; Daddy had taken me on a trip to Volterra, Italy, for the St. Marcus' Day celebration. He told me we were going on a tour of the castle. There had been something wrong with the tour, I felt it and so had Daddy. We were taken to a room and it was filled that spice scent interwoven with other things. Then there was that horrible smell of blood and the vibrations that could only be caused by the echoed screams of our fellow tourists. Somehow, we managed to escape with our lives.

The air shifted as the door to my room opened, but my sense of smell was confused by an ungodly amount of perfume that wafted into the room. Once more, the air shifted with movement then there was an envelope pushed under my fingers. The vibrations as the door closed then the dissipation of perfume were indications that I was alone again. My fingers made quick work of investigating the envelope.

It had been made from a heavy paper stock that I was familiar with. The one specifically designed for use with brail printers. The fingers of my left hand traced over the front of it and found the distinctive raised bumps that spelled out my name. I opened the envelope and removed a single sheet of paper. Once I unfolded it, I read the mysterious missive.

My Angel,

I've been watching over you since I learned of my beloved Charlie's death. It has been difficult trying not to be detected my your new guardians, the Cullen's. I apologize for the perfume, but it was meant to keep my scent from them until the time is right.

By now, their scent has triggered memories long buried in your mind of your disastrous trip to Volterra. It would be only a matter of time before your memories brought you to me, so I had a choice to make. What I have chosen is to tell you as much of the truth as you need to know at this moment.

The monsters you and your father encountered in Italy were vampires; just as the Cullen's and myself. The Italians are the despotic rulers of my kind and they are evil. Among vampires, as among humans, there are good and bad. Myself, the Cullen's and others like us, are good. We try to make the best of our situation, so we drink animal blood to retain as much of our humanity as we can. That is not to say that there are not occasional slips, but we endeavor to be the better than our monstrous kin.

You, and other children like you, are special. I have no doubt you understand what I mean. The Cullen's are friends of mine and can be trusted. Rosalie above all the rest, I am happy you have found her.

M

My mind tried to process what I'd just read. While part of me was shocked, the greater part was not surprised at all. Shakespeare said that there were more things in Heaven and Earth and I'd always been a bit of a true believer. The part that upset me was that I should've figured it what M was along time ago. The woman that brought some joy back to my father, I just realized, never had a heartbeat. The most puzzling part of the letter had been her parting line. What did she mean?

The fact that M and Rosalie were vampires should've made me run for the hill, but I wasn't scared. I let thoughts of M fade into the background so that I focused all my attention on my impressions of Rosalie.

First, there was her scent, spice and roses. It drew me to her like a moth to a flame because it was both soothing and…stimulating. When her arms were around me, I felt as if I was home, safe and cared for but also made my heart flutter and my breath hitch. Her body temperature was cold, but not too cold. I had always run a little cooler than normal myself, so I enjoyed the cold. One of the results of that is that winter is my favorite time of year.

I thought about how she held me last night then through the morning. The softness of her skin and the way I fit snugly as she pressed her body into min. Her hands gently stroked my arm and hair. My breathing became labored as I lost myself in the remembered sensations. Heat pooled between my thighs as my sex began to ache and throb. My thoughts drifted to fantasies of her touching my most private of places, followed closely by me touching hers.

The fingers of my right hand tingled with the need to sate the overwhelming desire that coursed through me. I was familiar with the feeling; I was deaf and blind, not dead. My body had needs just like everybody else's. However, being the freak that I was, sex was just something I would never experience outside of self-love. I accepted long ago that I would die a virgin. The need had never been this bad before.

What little rational thought I had left understood that it wasn't just the need for sex, but the need for Rosalie that increased the throbbing in my sex by the second. There was an emotional undercurrent that went beyond the physical gratification. When she had held me, her soul cried out to mine in desperate need of being loved. My soul filled with that love and wanted desperately to give it to her. No, I needed to love her; I love her, plane and simple. From the first time I caught her scent at school, I was hers; I knew that now.

My epiphany, however, did little to ease the burning desire that consumed me. In fact, the knowledge that I loved the strange girl who was also a vampire, only added fuel to the flame. With a mind of its own, my hand found its way under the waistband of my soaked panties then traveled Southward to where the fire burned hottest. My fingers worked their magic at a furious pace until I plummeted over the edge of the Abyss in ecstasy. I vaguely felt vibrations in my throat, but whether I screamed or not was nothing I cared about at the moment.

I knew that Rosalie would be back any minute and that the scent of my arousal would be thick in the room. Carefully, I got out of bed then fumbled around until I found the window that I cracked open. Then, still fumbling, I located the bathroom and decided to take a shower. The Cullen's had brought some clean clothes from my house when they visited earlier, so I hadn't taken me long to find clean panties. The hot water felt good as it cascaded down my body. Tension I hadn't realized that I had gently eased away. When I finished, I dried myself off, put back on my hospital gown along with clean panties then went back to bed to await Rosalie's return.

RPOV

I wandered around outside the hospital for a bit after I arrived so that I might calm down. Every instinct I had told me to rush up to Bella's room and claim her as my own. She didn't know me from Eve, how could she love a monster like me. I may never have tasted human blood, but I butchered Royce and his friends for what they'd done to me without remorse. Ironically, I'd ended up under Bella's window and heard her softly moan as she thrashed about. Obviously, the girl was in the middle of a bad dream. Instantly, I felt guilty for leaving her alone.

My eyes swiftly scanned the area for my witnesses then I jump into the tree in front of her window. What I saw made me almost fall back out. I had expected her to me in the throes of some bad dream, only to look in to see her touching herself. The scene had frozen me in place and spiked my own arousal. She had been close to the edge and climaxed seconds later while whispering my name.

I continued to watch as she fumbled about the room, and then opened the window. Then she found clean panties and fumbled into the bathroom. The sound of the shower running had brought me back to reality. When the mixed scent of her arousal and climax drifted through the open window, I moaned with longing. My mind needed to be clearer before I walked back into that room, so I jumped down from the tree and walked back to the front entrance at a slow, human pace.

The rest of Bella's hospital stay would be interesting.