WARNING: CONTAINS MATURE THEMES OF SEXUAL DOMINATION. PLEASE DO NOT READ IF THIS IS OFFENSIVE TO YOU.
This is a Carlisle/Emmett Slash.
Summer 1936
Carlisle's POV
Shame.
It washed over me in a tsunami of emotion unlike any I had ever known. The only small comfort I took from my overwhelming misery was knowing that Edward was there witnessing it, reading it in my thoughts. He would discern even as he stood glaring at me now, that nothing he felt could equate with my own feelings of disgust over my behavior.
Feeling his gaze upon me, I forced my head from my hands and looked at him. I did not see the outrage on his face now, as I had moments before. He appeared confused, uncertain and a little fearful of me. Wonderful, not only was my wife, petrified, but now I was scaring my son.
"Carlisle, what is wrong with you?" Edward spoke barely above a whisper, fearing I presumed, another outburst of the same or greater magnitude than the last.
I'm sorry Edward. Please forgive me. I will explain, but now I must talk to Esme. I can't bear the thought of her judgment of me in the same context as her husband.
"She doesn't think of Charles as her husband anymore." Edward corrected, though I saw little to distinguish the difference between us at the moment.
Did you see where she went?
"To the river I think, on the hill overlooking the island."
I nodded. It was her favorite place to read and draw or catch a moment of private time.
As I moved to follow her I felt Edward's hand on my arm. I turned and found him studying me scrupulously.
"Carlisle? You won't hur…scare her?"
The pain in my face must have given him his answer, as his fingers slid from my arm and he nodded, his face carrying the agony of a son that for the first time, saw his father in a less than favorable light.
I ran out the door to where I knew I would find her, my darling sweet wife; the women that for the last thirteen years had made me as happy as I'd been in the previous almost three hundred. How could I have reacted as I did? She was terrified; I didn't have to think hard on the memory of only a quarter of an hour before to realize that. The face, that looked at me wide eyed and frantic as she sought an escape from the room that held the husband she thought she knew so well was seared in my memories forever.
I found her on the hill as Edward said. It pained me to see her body stiffen as she smelled my approach. But she wouldn't run. She had too much pride for that. She simply waited, not turning around or acknowledging me in any other way as she felt my approach.
"Esme?" I spoke softly, gently, hoping it would be enough to mend her tattered confidence in me. I was not the monster I'd been just a few short minutes ago. "Esme, please forgive me. I can't bear the thought of you being afraid of me. I can explain. Please Esme."
I saw her body shudder, knew she was crying and felt my face contort as a sob threatened to escape my lips. How could I have lost control like that, in front of my own wife? I knew her frailties, her insecurities, but in that moment it didn't matter, in that moment, I was out of control, demanding she submit to my authority over the family.
I heard her suck in a breath. "Yes please explain, I've never seen you like that Carlisle. Never."
"I will my darling, but please turnaround, please come here, I only want to hold you." I held my breath, a leftover human response, anticipating her rejection, hoping for her forgiveness. For a moment I thought she would not concede to my request, but then, very slowly, she turned to face me.
The look on her lovely face was devastating to me and I almost wished she hadn't acquiesced. It crushed me to see her mistrust, her fear. I had everything I could do not to fall at her feet and cry out my shame. But that too would have scared her, reinforcing her suspicions that I wasn't that man she thought I was. My weakness would be almost as unnerving as my bullying had been; all my attributes a sham, her belief in me a lie. I had to convince her that her faith in me had not been in vain or she would never believe what I had to tell her next.
I held my arms out to her, another opportunity for her to reject me, but instead she raised her chin and walked into my embrace, giving me another chance, trusting me. I pulled her stiff body to me burying my nose in her hair, reveling in her delicious sweet scent; thankful that I would be given an opportunity to explain my grievous actions to her before she shut me completely out.
But how would I go about doing that? The image from just moments ago of me throwing Emmett against a wall, first as a defensive reaction when he lunged for me, then in an aggressive posturing I'd never felt before, never towards another vampire and certainly never towards my own creation, my own child. The rage, the absolute fury that overtook me in that brief moment was all consuming. Nothing, not Rosalie, hissing and spatting at me in protection of her mate who lay sprawled in the rubble that had been the exterior wall to my den, nor Esme who stood at the doorway of the room her hand over her mouth as she looked first to Emmett, than me, than Emmett again, could contain it.
Now as I held my wife, rocking her back and forth, my lips moving through her hair, I had time to reflect on my actions, compose myself, and confess to her the true nature of our species. In that moment in the den when I felt Emmett's predatory stare, smelled his lust, not directed at his wife, but at me, it came to me. I knew from which Emmett's desire sprung. When he'd charged me, I'd only reacted, tossing him threw the wall with a flick of my wrist, thankful in that moment that he'd lost most of his newborn strength, but wary of the incredible strength he still retained, would always have. Esme's screams at us to stop had only provoked me and I'd reacted without thinking when I sprung at her, towered over her cowering form, dominating my mate in presence alone, willing her away from this interaction that she could not, should not be part of.
Edward, upon hearing the commotion and his mother's silent pleas had appeared on the scene too stunned to react, but the look of horror on his face was enough to break the spell that held me, allowing Esme to crawl from under my towering form and Rosalie, a chance to drag Emmett away.
I hadn't spent years in Volturi not to understand the significance of this encounter and everything came back to me in a flash, all the conversations, I'd had with Aro, all the times I'd witnessed the grab for power from the brothers, by one of the guard or other visiting vampires. I would have been impervious to it had not Aro explained it to me, warned me in effect. Hadn't I fought off the advances of several of the Volturi females just to keep myself immune to the brother's influences? They couldn't touch me, couldn't bend me to their will unless I'd coupled with another first. .
But now I was mated and I brought in a male that was also mated. It didn't take me long to understand that I'd set this whole confrontation in motion the day I changed Emmett. Would I have done anything different if I had a chance to think about it? Probably not, but I still had to explain what was happing, what was still to come, to my wife.
"Esme…Esme, I'm so sorry, can you forgive me?" I whispered into her hair, feeling her body relax against me, melting into my own.
"Carlisle, please tell me what happened back there. That wasn't you, that man I saw, it wasn't you," Esme said against my shirt, her fingers clinging to my arms as she tried to convince herself that I wasn't turning into her former husband Charles, charming and personable one minute and violent and unpredictable the next.
"No Esme, I'm not the man you saw, but that is only because you did not see a man, you saw an animal and I am that animal." Bluntness would be my shortest way to redemption, but I wasn't sure it was the wisest as I felt my wife stiffen once again in my arms.
She pulled back and looked at me sharply. "What does that mean?"
"Esme, there is something about us that I must tell you, something that separates us from humans, and I am not talking about all of the obvious things, I am talking about something more primitive, more instinctual, more animalistic."
"What Carlisle?" Anxiety was creeping into her voice. She gripped again and again at my arms.
"Come let's sit; I motioned to our favorite place under a large sycamore tree. Once we were settled on the lush grass, her small frame tucked between my legs her back pressing against my chest in one of our favorite embraces, she relaxed some and leaned her head back against me.
"You must tell me Carlisle, tell me what is bothering you, what is wrong with you. Don't hold anything back. Please…"
"Emmett is going to try and take over this coven." I would hold nothing back.
"What….take over…..what are you talking about Carlisle?" The fear was creeping back into her voice. This conversation would take its toll on my wife.
"Emmett is going to challenge me for leadership of this coven."
"Stop calling us that. We are not a coven, we are a family. It's ridiculous. You are his father, take over indeed. I'll….I'll thrash him myself if he disrespects..."
"Esme…Esme," My fingers slipped through her caramel locks. "We are never going to get through this if you don't let me tell you. Arguing about it won't change anything."
"Fine." There was my Esme, arms crossed and pouting in my arms. I felt a little better.
"I know we are a family. You are my wife; Edward, Rosalie and Emmett are my children, are our children. But darling, we are not human, no matter how much we want to pretend we are." I nuzzled her hair, her naivety part of what endeared her to me. "We are and always will be ruled by our instincts. They will always dominate who we are. We are at the mercy of them. Like hunting, our bloodlust; it can be hard, if not impossible to resist the call that drives us, controls us, rules us. That is what has happened with Emmett."
"But what has happened, Carlisle, I don't understand." She reached back with her hand and stroked my head.
"Two males cannot co-exist in the same coven peaceably unless one establishes dominance over the other." The words came out in a quick rush. I hesitated, waiting for the next question and when it didn't come I continued. "Emmett is trying to establish his dominance over me so he can take over leadership of this coven.
"I see. And what does that mean, how does one dominate the other?"
She would ask that. Of course she would.
"In order to establish dominance in most cases one male has to couple with another, has to have, I suppose you could say sexual intercourse." Only my bloodless body kept me from blushing.
"Wha..at?" Esme was turning in my arms to look at me.
"It's a form of dominance. It's prevalent with other species of animals. It's part of nature. It's who we are."
"Wait. Are you….are you saying….Emmett wants to have relations with you?" Esme gasped but a small giggle escaped her lips.
"Not exactly." How could I explain this to my innocent wife? She was the most human amongst us.
"Honestly Carlisle. I'm not a child. Tell me exactly what you mean."
I sighed. Why was I having such difficulty verbalizing this? I was a doctor for God's sake.
"I've witnessed it, when I was in Volterra. It's a violent act. Desire, lust, play a part in it, but its purpose is to exercise the right to take what one perceives they own. Only sexually active males feel this need to establish themselves in a coven of other males. That's why we've never had an issue with Edward. He has none of the urges that Emmett does, it wouldn't even occur to him to challenge me. Edward perhaps more than any of the rest of us, is not in touch with this more primitive side of himself. It will manifest itself should he ever couple with another female or find a mate, but until then, he still lets his memories of his human life dictate how he behaves within our little family unit."
"But what of you Carlisle, why now, why hasn't this been an issue for you since you and I were….mated." Esme had settled herself back in the comfort of my firm embrace, understanding that I could speak more freely without her eyes on me.
"No one has challenged me. Edward had never been a threat. He defies me truly as a son does a father, not as a male vampire would another male. And Emmett has only just begun to feel antagonistic towards me. As a newborn his bloodlust was his biggest need, and Rosalie kept him ummmm…occupied and under her control as much as she could, but I can see now that he's getting more and more frustrated. He doesn't understand what is happening to him any more than the rest of you do, but he doesn't need to understand it, his instincts will take over; it's only a matter of time.
"And when that time comes, what will happen?
"If I let this go on, he will attack me…." As Esme gasped, I quickly went on. "He is only protecting his mate, Esme. If he had any control over himself he would be horrified by his actions. My guess is he's lamenting over his behavior today as it is. But he will do it again. Each challenge will get more severe unless I put a stop to it and the only way I can put a stop to it is to….is to meet his challenge, dominate him.
"Have relations with him…?" Esme whispered horrified. "Carlisle how could you?'
"Esme…Esme…." How could I explain this to my wife? She was thinking like a human. If she would just indulge in her vampire sensibilities she would not be repulsed by the image of her husband taking her son.
"I can assure you sweetheart that there is nothing in this encounter that you could call relations as you know them. But understand that if I don't take him, couple with him only two things will happen. He will take me, or he will kill me, there is no other likely outcome."
I hadn't meant to say it, mention the danger involved; it had slipped out without consideration for Esme's reaction. I didn't have to wait, in seconds she was out of my arms and standing some distance from me, her eyes wide with shock, looking at me like I'd just sprouted another head.
"Whaa…at." She managed to gasp, her mouth working as she attempted to say more.
I sprung up and approached her slowly my hands in front of me. "Esme…Esme. Please, it's not like that. It would never come to that. I should never have said anything."
"No. I want to know everything, but Carlisle….kill you?" She pressed her tiny hand to her lips.
"Sweetheart that is not going to happen, I just wanted you to know that this is unavoidable, there is nothing, no words that can stop it." I said gently, taking her in my arms again. "But there is one alternative."
"What Carlisle, anything?"
"We could leave."
"Leave?" Another gasp. "What do you mean leave?"
"We could leave, separate, or even, ask them to leave."
"What are you talking about? Ask our children to leave us?" Esme was on the verge of tears. She'd lost one son as an infant and another, Edward, when he rebelled against our lifestyle for a short time. The thought that she could lose her entire family was too much.
"We would leave Emmett and Rosalie. Rosalie is mated to him so she will go wherever he goes. Edward would come with us. He is loyal to me and is not under the influence of a dominate leader." I explained thankful in retrospect that Edward had not found Tanya desirable.
"I….I don't think I could do that Carlisle." Esme whispered in a shaky voice.
"Of course you couldn't my love. No mother should ever be asked to part with her children. I would never expect you to, nor will you have to." I kissed her sweet smelling hair. "Please trust me Esme when I say everything will be fine. It will work out. Emmett is only a year old. I've been around for hundreds of years. I know what I'm doing. I would not risk us if I didn't think so."
I felt her nod against my chest. I was glad Esme couldn't see my face. I'd never been good at lying to my wife.
The tension in the house did not subside with the incident in my den. Emmett had actively avoided me for the days following it even before I sent him and Rosalie out hunting for a few weeks while the house was repaired. Explaining the large hole in the side of our house to the workman that came to fix it had been a challenge all on its own. Edward finally conceded and drove his precious Lincoln Roadster into it, adding more destruction to the room and destroying the sacrificial car.
My son had been particularly watchful of my behavior around Esme, fearing for his mother's safety as he couldn't hope to understand what triggered my domineering reaction, worried that my unpredictable behavior was not just a one time occurrence. With Emmett's absence, my calm demeanor returned and soon his fears were placated. I could not explain to my son what was looming in our future. He would not understand or if he did, he might try intervene which had its own disastrous set of consequences that I didn't want to contemplate
Upon Emmett and Rosalie's return, the strain in the house was palpable. Emmett, remained bullish and in poor spirits. Even during his newborn year as he fought his unending thirst, his disposition had been gregarious and jovial, yet little of that endearing spirit remained; replaced by a brooding shell of his former self. Edward tried to run interference between us, even tempering his own personality to appear more playful and extroverted cajoling Emmett into games and wrestling matches that he usually didn't instigate. The latter concerned me. In his foul mood, Emmett could inflict some serious damage on his brother without intending to. I could delay the inevitable no longer. Emmett needed to be dealt with. Procrastination would not lesson my burden and responsibly and for the first time, I would need to prove that I was worthy of the title of coven leader.
Edward's POV
I didn't recognize the danger at first to absorbed in the thrill of the run, exhilarated that my speed would go unmatched; Emmett could no longer beat me in an all out sprint. We'd been running along the river's edge traversing through the foliage with little regard to the denseness of it, always heading south, away from people, civilization and any chance that Emmett might encounter human scent. I outpaced him by a good margin and could hear his curses under his breath as he too realized his days of beating me in a foot race were over.
I'd almost missed them, the mumblings of human thoughts so skilled I'd gotten in blocking them out. I didn't like to think about my time away from Carlisle and Esme, when I finally unleashed the monster inside of me, tried to refrain from thinking about it as much as I could, but if there was some minuscule piece of good that came from my dabble on the dark side, it was my ability to block human thoughts. I'd developed the skill quite unexpectedly. Carlisle thought it might be a defensive mechanism. My vampire brain adapting to my special gift, limiting its effectiveness when I fed to shroud the thoughts of those condemned souls whose dying thoughts could still haunt me, even as I'd tried and found them guilty of heinous deeds against humanity. When I realized the error of my ways and returned to Carlisle, humbled and ready to embrace the vegetarian lifestyle again, I found I could block humans much more effectively then before my bout with rebellion.
Now this newfound ability was disadvantageous. We were approaching the humans fast; whoever owned these thoughts, still out of Emmett's range of hearing and smell, but not for long. Did I have enough time to stop him?
Abruptly I slowed and felt Emmett gain rapidly. He wouldn't slow to see what brought me up sharply, he was too competitive for that but I could take advantage of his never ending need to show off his superior strength. Just as he brushed by me I swung abruptly to the side and clipped his shoulder sending him tumbling through the underbrush that collected along the isolated riverbank. I heard a splash, more curses as he found himself in the water and his thoughts, full of retaliatory options.
I was prepared for his good natured attack and let him catch me as he shot up from the river and over the bank in one powerful thrust of his legs, our bodies tumbling end over end into a small grove of trees. I was immediately up, prepared to head towards home, lead him away from the dangers that only I could hear, but felt him grapple with my legs as he attempted to pull me down again. Then it happened. The wind shifted, a gust blew across the fenland where we wrestled and I smelled it, humans, their scent sweet and ripe wafting in the late summer breeze.
Emmett's head snapped up and I was quickly forgotten as he tossed me aside, springing to his feet. He threw back his head sniffing hungrily at the scent determining the location of the source before he began to hunt. If I had time to contemplate it, I would have acknowledged that he was making progress towards his control. As a newborn he would have bolted, the scent driving him into a frenzy with its delectability. He would have crashed through the trees recklessly, searching for the human behind it, the term hunting, hardly applied as he would find his victim more through trial and error then any skill.
As he burst into a run towards the general direction of the scent, I sprang up and quickly followed him. There would be little question that I could catch him, but how would I contain him. The waning of his newborn strength, aside, he was and would always be much stronger than me.
"Emmett…..Emmett no," My voice was barely audible, but he could clearly hear me if he chose too. "You must ignore that scent, Emmett, think about it. It's a family, children. Please…." Panic filled me but it wasn't just for Emmett's need. I could feel it too. Feeding off of his thoughts, his memories, his burning desire for human blood, my bloodlust was growing, my control slipping. If I didn't stop him, I would be there with him, fighting over and feeding off them too.
Disregarding the danger he presented to me, I shot through the woods after him. He was too far gone in his bloodlust, he did nothing to protect his back, and I easily brought him down. We crashed through the trees, the vegetation offering little resistance to the onslaught of our boulder like bodies.
"Emmett, no you can't. Listen to me; think of Rosalie, you must ignore that scent…." Pleading was having little effect. I felt my brother's muscles tighten under me and even prepared for it, I couldn't stop him as he flung me aside a roar of anger escaping his lips.
"Leave me be...or…or I'll hurt you." He hissed, jumping to his feet again sniffing the air for the scent that was briefly lost in the swirling of southeastern winds. His eyes were wild, his thoughts a churning mix of thirst and need and…and something I couldn't identify. He was dangerous and it wasn't just his bloodlust. There was something predatory about him, not evil, not even bad, but animalistic and primitive; he was being governed completely by instinct. The human in him was crushed under the weight of his bestial desires.
I hadn't noticed anything in his thoughts leading up to it. He was just Emmett, my new burley brother, boisterous and rambunctious. He'd come crashing into our lives, with his magnanimous personality from the moment of his change. He was such an unlikely addition. Hardly someone I would imagine that scholarly Carlisle would decide to change on his own but at Rosalie's unlikely request, he had. This crude, loud, hardly refined, bear of a man invaded our lives and became Rosalie's mate, much to our parent's astonishment. Rosalie had been changed for me. Carlisle never confirmed it or actively acknowledged it, but I'd gathered bits and pieces from his thoughts. I was thankful for Emmett in a way the rest of my family didn't understand. He'd released me from my responsibilities to Rosalie. The looks she gave him, the smells that emanated from her when he was around, it was all the proof I needed that she loved him, more proof than I needed. I could barely tolerate being in their presence. But he brought something to the family that was sorely missing; joy and good humor and despite his poor control coupled with his uncannily dangerous strength that made containing him a challenge; our family was more complete with him in it.
But something had changed, crept up on our happy little household in the past few months. I saw it now, ever since Carlisle had tossed him through the wall of the house, it was hard to miss. I still shuddered to think about that day. Hearing the crashing, the thoughts, particularly Esme's, terrified of Carlisle, it was unfathomable to me, yet when I ran to the den, I couldn't deny what I was seeing. Emmett in a rage at Carlisle, being held back by his mate who looked ready to attack him as well. And Carlisle, gentle understanding Carlisle, standing glowering over Esme, backing her into a corner as she tried to protect her out of control son from her domineering husband. There had been nothing in Carlisle's thoughts at that moment, nothing that I could recognize in him as the man I knew and it terrified me. I, more than anyone, even Esme, thought I knew and understood my creator. I'd been privy to his thoughts from the moment of my change. Yet this man, this beast that stood berating his wife with his posture alone, was a stranger to me.
When Emmett had been forced into exile to accommodate the workman who's blood would be too tempting for him, Carlisle was back, the Carlisle I knew. All his thoughts neatly organized, as they should be, only his grief and shame over his behavior towards Esme, reaffirming that I hadn't imagined the entire thing.
Now as I lunged for Emmett again, I was reminded of Carlisle, for in Emmett's thoughts I could see nothing of the brother I knew. Just his thirst and the empty endless void that concealed the essence of his humanity and how he was going to grab me around the neck and twist…
Edward no. Carlisle's inner voice. He was approaching fast downwind from us.
My arms were locked around Emmett's waist, one of his arms trapped against his body dragging him down, trying to keep him from twisting around, even with one arm, one hand he might just be strong enough to…
Edward you must let go, he's too dangerous.
I resisted Carlisle's instructions. If I could just hold him, Carlisle would be there to help me, we could stop him. I didn't want to move again and this was a family. They would be missed; their deaths not easily explained away like we'd had to do with that lone hunter or unfortunate transient. Besides, there were children too and our bloodlust didn't discriminate.
I felt the grip of Emmett's fingers in my hair. My arms were still locked around him, but it didn't stop him from grabbing at me with his free hand.
"Emmett, think about this, what you are doing. Where is the brother I know? Think about your mate." I attempted to keep my words soft, soothing, despite my panic. His mind was devoid of the Emmett I knew, he was no longer the brother I'd come to love. I felt pain as his large hand clamped around the base of my skull, sliding lower, tightening.
I was not prepared for the ferocious roar that reverberated through the trees, so deafening, it was entirely possible that those hapless humans some miles away, could have heard it. I lurched against my brother, momentarily confused, feeling the attack was coming from behind us, the danger behind me, not from the raging beast I still held in my grip. His hand had loosened from around my neck, a reprieve that allowed me to spring free of him, to better calculate another inroad of attack, hopefully one that would allow me to wrap up both of his arms.
The roaring didn't subside however and my attention was pulled from my brother who was on his feet facing his bigger nemesis, his bloodlust, amazingly no longer take precedence over everything else. I was stunned into inactivity as I turned to face Carlisle, his thoughts once again, a vacant raging cloud; his focus entirely on Emmett.
"You won't be hunting humans today, Emmett." He growled, his eyes, onyx marbles in his skull, his lips pulled back in a sneer. This was not the Carlisle I knew. This was the Carlisle from the den of a month ago; the one that sent his beloved wife cowering from him in terror.
I crouched and growled at this stranger, finding camaraderie with my brother for the first time. This beast was much more dangerous than Emmett and his uncontrollable bloodlust.
"It's our nature, it's our way. I'm tired of feeding off of animals." Emmett hissed. He took no notice of me ready to defend him. His thoughts were only on the predator before him.
"You will not hunt humans." Another snarl from the incarnate of my gentle father. "I did not create you to become a murderer."
I tried to stand upright. This was Carlisle. I was growling at Carlisle. A beast, a monster would not be trying to stop Emmett. I had to refocus, help him. Emmett was the problem, not Carlisle.
"You can't have Rosalie and feed off of humans, she would never tolerate it." I tried a softer approach. The shift of the wind made it easier to forget about the humans, but I could still hear them. Another shift and their scent would be back tempting us again.
Edward, you need to leave us. This is between Emmett and I. The clearing in Carlisle's mind was brief as he spoke to me, but he never looked away from Emmett, he never acknowledged me in any other way. As quickly as it was there it was gone and again I was left with swirling blackness of his fury.
Emmett's posture had not changed, but the lack of human scent had made him less infuriated. He was facing Carlisle down, and neither of them seemed prepared to give in to the other. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined Emmett challenging Carlisle in this manner. Even at my worst as a newborn I hadn't acted so aggressively. Even at Emmett's worst, he had been conciliatory; apologizing as he physically cast us aside as we tried to restrain him from a stray human scent. This Emmett was a stranger to me. He was manifesting himself into something completely different than the man I knew. Yet Carlisle's reaction was similar, they both appeared to be metamorphosing into other beings, other entities completely in sync with each other. It was I that seemed not to understand what was happening.
Feeling the situation had peaked and we were no longer at a stalemate, I started backing away from the glaring pair. "I'll check on the humans. Send them on their way, if Carlisle's roaring hasn't already done that." I tried levity, assuming the worst was behind us, it wasn't until I saw Emmett's glare shift from Carlisle to myself that I realized the grievous miscalculation I'd made. I saw it in his mind, before he charged. I was jeopardizing his food source. I was going to take what was rightfully his. I barely had time to bring my hands up protecting my vulnerable neck before he hit me.
His screams of rage, surely equaled Carlisle's in their intensity, but it was his physical attack that had my attention. I struggled against him, my hands against his chest, keeping just far enough away from his snapping teeth to protect my neck, but could do little else against his violent onslaught.
Carlisle was on him an instant later, throwing Emmett from me, the projectile of his body taking the tops off of several trees. I was yanked to my feet, Carlisle's intense dead black eyes, sending shudders through me, again he was the beast. You will go back to the house Edward. You put me at risk with your presence here. You put Emmett at risk. Do you wish for me to destroy him?
I opened my mouth to speak… to protest. I couldn't leave Carlisle here to deal with that….that beast of a brother that was closing on us fast, enraged and mindless of our relationship to him.
Carlisle felt him coming and turned at the last possible second, a fist connecting soundly with Emmett's head sending him sprawling again.
"LEAVE! NOW! EDWARD! GO BACK TO THE HOUSE!" The words, an explosive roar coming from Carlisle's lips. Said for Emmett's benefit as well as my own, there left little doubt that Carlisle wanted me gone and not toward Emmett's humans, whose lives still hung in the balance, should the wind shift again. Carlisle's disregard for their lives did more to spur me towards home than the ferociousness of his tone. It was too uncharacteristic, too heartless and reminded me again that the man I knew and loved didn't currently occupy the body of the one that stood before me.
I slipped from his grasp, keeping one wary eye on my brother who was once again fixated on Carlisle, circling him and as I turned to run, I wondered if I would ever see either of them again.
Emmett's POV
His black eyes stalked me as I circled him, never leaving mine, not even blinking. Their intensity was intimidating, but I couldn't look away. This…this beast before me was no longer my creator, no longer my father, I no longer took comfort from his presence or sought his advice or basked in his approval. He represented everything I feared, everything I loathed, everything I desired, everything I craved. I needed what he had; I needed him to…to…to…..what?
I heard him yell, saw Edward bolt. A small part of me softened at the knowledge that he was gone. I wouldn't have to hurt him. And I almost had. The urge to destroy him had been strong. What was wrong with me? He was my brother he was just trying to stop me from….humans. The venom filled my mouth at the thought, I tilted my head back, forgetting about Edward, smelling the breezes, the wind had shifted, that delicious scent was out there, I just had to wait; it would come back to me again, that teasing tantalizing smell. And when it did, I would latch on to it let the thick air slide between my lips, tasting it, feeding on it before I ever got to them. And with Edward gone, I would get them all, three or four at least, each one more delicious than the next and I would take my time feeling their blood pump into my mouth. I'd be neat, not wasting a drop, as neat as my dear Rosalie, who never looked like she fed, daintily dabbing her lips as she stood up from the drained carcass. Just thinking about her…
"Emmett!"
A snarl escaped my lips at the sound of his voice.
"You! This is your fault…all of this. YOUR FAULT!" I screamed at the fiend before me. My need to charge him, take him down was overpowering, but as he crouched, waiting for me to do that very thing, I hesitated.
"Emmett. I know you can't help it son, how you feel. I'm sorry." This was Carlisle. His voice was soft, soothing, lulling me into remembering him.
"I…I…need to protect my mate." The words slid from my mouth, but I was confused. What did I mean by that? I never referred to Rosalie as my mate. She was my wife, she would be aghast to hear me call her my mate, like we were animals. Yet understanding shown in Carlisle's eyes; no longer black they were the familiar soft buttery ochre. I relaxed my crouch as well. The feeling had past. Whatever it was. And now I only felt foolish.
"Come, we'll talk later. Let's go for a swim." Carlisle turned his back on me, assuming I would follow. And I did, I didn't understand what was happening, why my moods had been so foul, my rages so intense, different from my newborn fury, this seemed to have a purpose. I felt I was being led somewhere, towards some rationale that would ultimately present itself to me.
I sniffed the air suspiciously but Carlisle's scent was pure, nothing alerted me to a trap. It would be okay. I'd swim with Carlisle and then head home to Rosalie, the humans…I could resist them. I just had to concentrate and not smell. Concentrate on Carlisle. We would swim and he wouldn't suspect anything. I'd just wait, not now, he was lethal on land, but once we were in the water, when his mind would be elsewhere; then I'd….I'd know what to do.
Carlisle's POV
I could hear Emmett's soft footsteps behind me. The softening of his expression when I'd suggested a swim made me comfortable enough to turn my back on him and suspected it would ease his suspicion of my motivations. Having Edward safely out of the picture gave me more options when dealing with Emmett who had very nearly injured his unsuspecting brother. Edward's scent had dissipated. He was not lurking in the trees. Now would be the time. My only dilemma was defusing the already volatile situation. Emmett was antagonized first with the scent of humans, than Edward's unguarded attacks and finally my unexpected presence. I had no choice but to expose myself as the threat I was in order to get Emmett to focus on me, distracting him from the fury he felt over Edward's interference.
A swim seemed a good way to defuse the situation. As I ran to our favorite location of the river for what was usually a relaxing pastime, I stripped off my clothes, hoping Emmett would follow suit. The situation with Emmett would end today. It was too dangerous, his outrageous mood swings too aggressive, especially for Edward who didn't understand the peril he was in with each encounter he had with his brother.
I dived into the lukewarm water, my naked marble flesh offering no resistance and my strokes propelled me upstream against the current, leading Emmett as far away from the unsuspecting family of humans that had had the misfortune of stopping along this particular part of the river for a summer day outing. Relief washed over me as I heard Emmett slice through the water behind me, his powerful strokes thrusting him forward so he was only yards behind me.
It occurred to me that Emmett might have seen the advantage to this swim himself and be setting me up for his own attack. I would have to be cautious. Unlike me, Emmett would be relying entirely on instinct. He did not know what drove him, what need burned in him, what role he had to play. He would not understand that to relieve this urge, this need almost as strong as his need to feed, he would have to give himself to the primitive beast that raged under his human façade and forcibly subdue me.
I too, had no experience, but I did know what awaited me, what awaited him. My time with the Volturi was not just about literature and pursing the arts and sciences. My knowledge was vast; decade's worth of witnessing first hand, the inner workings of the most powerful vampire coven in the world had prepared me. But there was one incident that I would focus on above all others, the one that most closely resembled what I would be facing with Emmett now.
The occasion was as clear in my vampire brain as if it had taken place yesterday rather than two hundred years ago. Aro had a young vampire, a vampire blessed with the amazing gift of strength. The vampire, Felix, had been with the Volturi for over a decade and had moved up the ranks quickly with his obedience and loyalty. He was rather uneducated and certainly didn't appreciate the vast libraries and tremendous historical resources at his fingertips. I'd found him to be rather dense and uninteresting, his apparent pleasure and skill in decapitation rather distasteful and I seldom had any interaction with him.
As his attention began to wander and he started spending more and more time away from Volterra, pursuing interests outside of those of the brothers and the guard, Aro's worry that he would lose the brute, forced him to intercede in what would normally have been a natural if not instinctual occurrence. As was with me, Aro began enticing the young vampire with females, other members of the guard, guests of the Volturi. But unlike me who knew of Aro's motivatioins, the young vampire quickly fell under their spell and was lured in by their feminine wiles.
As with all vampires, once sexually active, he could be bent to the will of the coven master or in this case coven masters, and though he always had the option to leave, his will would no longer be his own. That was assuming that one of the brothers could couple with him. Because though the brothers were afforded an array of protection from their gifted vampires, they could not utilize those resources and had to act of their own volition; they had to interact directly with their subject. Aside from the physical danger, there was always a risk that tables would be turned and the brother would be mounted and forced to submit. The beauty of having three males ruling a coven, unheard outside of the world of Volterra was that the other two brothers could and would intervene either to force the submission themselves or kill the unlucky vampire that successfully mounted the third brother.
In this case, because of the young one's superior strength, Aro and Caius took him together. Felix had become increasing aggressive and confrontational. The other vampires scurried away from him when he entered the room. Only Jane and to a lesser extent Alec had little to fear from him.
Aro lured him with his hypnotizing magnetism into a deserted wing of the castle. Other than me, Caius and some unsuspecting historians, the room was vacant of the usual guards. The situation would be violent and interference by any of the guard would negate the influences of the brothers and could align Felix with the wrong vampire.
I, in my curiosity did not leave as the other vampires scattered. I was oblivious to the odd scents that infiltrated the room. Of course I'd heard allusions to the brothers coupling with their subordinates, but this was the first time I'd viewed it firsthand. My senses were not attuned to the changing atmosphere, the tensions, the unusual posturing of the brothers and their tolerance of the young vampire's aggressiveness much to my amazement. The only senses I could rely on was my eyes and I was captivated as Aro, for the first time in my presence, assumed an aggressive crouch with Felix mimicking his actions. The air was thick with lust, both the brothers and Felix exuding the musty odor, as I, confused by the smells, slid back behind a tapestry, my curiosity at the encounter holding more pull then my unease and confusion.
With a subtle bob of his head, Aro instigated the perception of attack, which brought Felix forward with a roar of rage. But it was never Aro's intention to pursue an assault, and he caught Felix by the throat lifting him up, letting the outraged vampire clamp his massive hands on to him as Caius, with speed that I didn't know one of the ancient ones possessed, stripped free of his robes and under garments and wrapped himself around the unsuspecting Felix as he grappled with Aro. In a practiced action so quick, I almost missed it; Caius had stripped Felix of his breeches and proceeded to thrust against Felix's exposed back side in what I could only describe as a sexual act.
Having no experienced myself, I still was no stranger to the act of intercourse. The Volturi castle offered some privacy for those that choose to seek it, but sexual encounters were not necessarily perceived to be a private act and on more than one occasion I'd stumbled across a coupling, my senses warning me of the encounter even as their lack of discretion and my immense curiosity didn't steer me away from the viewing of it.
But this was different. As Caius thrust forward, effectively securing the young vampire under him with his penetration, forcing him down, the now forgotten Aro slipped free of his grasp. I could see little in this act that represented the playful trysts between young lovers. This was about power, control and the conquest of a dominate vampire over another. I could feel Felix's concession as he pressed himself back against his master, his desire to submit obvious in his posturing and whimpers and whines as Caius, no longer fearing for his safety, used the powerful vampire beneath him seeking his release. If not for the rapt look of pleasure on both participants face, I would have concluded that this act was functionary and emotionless, another form of punishment committed by the male organ rather than teeth or the ripping of a limb from a body.
So absorbed in the spectacle before me, I barely noticed Aro as he moved away from the coupling and only with effort did I look up and find him staring at me, a slight smile on his face. I understood in that moment that Aro's perceived acts of kindness in finding me a mate, throwing one young female after another in my path, had little to do with my sexual well being and everything to do with his desire to secure me under his rule. It would be the catalyst for my leaving Volterra, that and the unrelenting pressures to feed on humans. I feared that if I ever fell under Aro's control, it wouldn't be long before I would lose control of my bloodlust, influenced by my masters to submit to their feeding habits.
Now, as I felt Emmett, slicing through the water behind me, I would use what I witnessed with Felix to control that massive boy who in pure strength had no equal in our family and outside of Felix was the strongest vampire I knew. I could not smell underwater, so Emmett's intentions did not immediately reveal themselves, but I was prepared when I felt his fingers lock on my ankle, pulling me too him.
Twisting in the water, I brought my knee up catching him in the chest with a hard blow. His grip around my ankle loosened and with my freed foot, I delivered another hard kick that sent him up and out of the water. His roars reverberated from above me and I let myself sink to the bottom of the river, my feet settling on the rocky riverbed. I saw Emmett dive back down towards me and just as he appeared ready to wrap his arms around me, I thrust upward and forward with such force I flew several feet above the water's surface myself, offering me a brief opportunity to survey my surroundings before crashing back down into the water again.
We were at a narrow part of the river, the current strong and the river bank steep. Huge trees hung over the water, there branches stretching out on either side, almost reaching across to the other. The setting was ideal for what I had planned.
Because we could not smell underwater, I was offered a reprieve from Emmett's immediate attack and again allowed myself to sink to the bottom. Securing my footing against some boulders, I peered into the water around me and after a moment, I saw Emmett, his face contorted in a fit of rage, his eyes black, his teeth pulled back in a muffled growl that I could hear rumbling through the water. He anticipated incorrectly that I would shoot towards the surface again, but just as I was ready to spring up, I pulled down and he overshot me, his body angling upward anticipating my thrust towards the surface. I slide behind him and sprung, breaking the surface of the water again, but this time I knew what to expect and grappled for a tree branch throwing my body around it, and pulling myself up.
I saw him break the surface of the water and for the first time scent played a role in this encounter. His was as I remembered from the day in the den, heavy and dank, his desire manifesting itself in the air around us. I was not surprised by the draw it had and did not fight the reaction of my body to it. I felt the tightening in my loins as the venom flooded my organ. He on the other hand had no such experience with this potent odor. Any familiarity through my couplings with Esme was overpowered by a more pungent smell of all consuming lust, born of power and dominance.
Given a respite from his need to attack me, he slung his head back letting my odor wash over him, sucking it in through his nose and mouth, the aroma alluring to him in a way that would rival the scent of any human. In fact I was fairly certain that if that little family came floating by in a rowboat at that moment, Emmett would be oblivious to them so overcome by the powerful instinctual draw of my lust. It was calling to him, demanding a reckoning in one form or another. The outcome not yet decided but the anticipation of it dominating all of his thoughts.
The Volturi brothers had the unique gift of control and could ward off and even expel the intoxicating odor until they were in a position to utilize it to its fullest potential. I had no such gift, my need, my desire rolled off me in wave after wave; it's potency obvious in Emmett's reaction to it. I too, was being drawn to his scent, my mouth filling with venom again and again as I fought the urge to drop from my perch in a futile attempt to take him in the water. Hearing about it, witnessing it, had not prepared me for the draw of it and I felt as inexperienced as Emmett, despite all my years of study and introspective on this odd idiosyncrasy of our species.
With some effort I struggled to focus and ran along the tree branch towards the steep river bank. Emmett too, struggling under the effects of our mutual lust, shook himself of the trancelike state he was in and seeing my destination, he swam to the shore in seconds, his hands gripping the rocky protrusions that hung over the water.
I tried to focus on the brother's taking of Felix. I didn't have a co-leader in my family, so I would have distract Emmett another way. I stood in the crook of the tree branch, willing Emmett to move closer and as he struggled with the steep embankment, his growls growing with frustration and need, I sprung from my perch. My mark was off, and I landed short of him, but as I anticipate, it didn't matter. His hands were firmly wrapped around an exposed tree root, and fearing he'd put himself in an even more perilous position he was hesitate to let go of it and fall back into the river. His hands were otherwise occupied, just as Felix's had been when he gripped Aro, leaving me free to spring on his unprotected back.
A growl ripped from my lips as I landed on him, my arm wrapping around his neck in a choke hold, my teeth snapping the air next to his ear. I needed to let myself go to the animal within me, let it take over, guide me, empower me and I sucked in another whiff of the delectable scented stink as I felt us fall through the air, Emmett letting go, but too late to detach me before we hit the water.
The river's current drew us in, our bodies churned in the turbulent water, rolling us at its whim, Emmett trying to break free as I clung to the wild bucking beast beneath me refusing to relinquish my grip on him. Because of my dominate position, the water proved more of a hindrance to the powerful young vampire under me. He could not use the scents from our bodies to drive his need. He was weakening even as he felt me slither down his body, my engorged manhood sliding along his back, between his buttocks, my body already thrusting with its need.
His mistake came when he let us drift to the bottom of the river. His intent was to mimic my actions of earlier and use it to propel himself up and out of the water. But what he failed to realize was that I too could use the foothold to my advantage and as my feet touched the ground I used the leverage and thrust up feeling myself sinking into him, his body taking all of me as he'd bent and squatted, preparing to spring.
In that moment, everything changed. I felt it, felt the sagging of his body, the expulsion of whatever unneeded air he was holding in his lungs and I struggled to control both our bodies as his momentarily went slack. Another thrust and I felt a moan bubble from my lips, my desire to use him was only placated by my need to get him to the surface. A watery coupling was not what I had in mind. Emmett appeared to feel the same as the next time his feet touched a flat surface he sprung up, bringing me with him. He wasn't completely under my control, snarling as we broke from the water.
I still held him around the neck and now I was impaled in him, but he was not ready to submit, his arms were reaching back, trying to pull my body from him as he staggered from the water our movement downstream carrying us to a more gradual incline, a more suitable place for this coupling. I used his momentum and urged him forward, his body collapsing under me in a heap. His struggles to throw me off were muted as once again we were assaulted by the scents that seeped from our bodies.
The difference was hardly perceptible, but I felt it, noticed it at once and I suspected Emmett did as well. As my lust became the encompassment of power and dominance, his changed, sweetened, conceded. I sucked it in hungrily, that tantalizing aroma feeding my own desires and I began thrusting with my need. The feeling was overwhelming, never had I experienced such pure raw power, such a desire to dominate, such a need to control another being. Now I understood it, understood everything that had been so foreign to me so many years ago when as young vampire, I'd never imagined such overpowering urges could not only exist, but rule me.
Even my mating with Esme, delightful and decadent in its sweetness and love did not match this uncontrollable urge I had to fill Emmett with my venom, make him submit to my desire, concede to my power. Each stroke brought a grunt from my lips, each withdrawal, a growl. I had an urge to bite, saw the exposed flesh under me and swallowed back the venom again and again. I could resist it unless he fought me. I allowed my teeth to graze along his neck, his shoulder, warning him of the danger I pose to him. He shuddered beneath me perhaps in fear, but there was something else, another need taking hold of him, presenting itself to me in his whines of concession, his whimpers of submission and finally his groans of pleasure.
Gradually, my grip around his neck loosened and I sat back, letting his body dictate the depth of penetration from my organ. I arranged him to better satisfy me; pushing his head down, pulling his hips back against me, my fingers digging into his flesh with each thrust, forcing us up the embankment with the power behind my strokes. I felt his muscles working around me, milking me and this new sensation, caused ripple after ripple of delighted purrs to rumble from my lips. The feeling was amazing. Not just the sensation of my organ being stroked and kneaded, but the pure animalistic sensation of having another give himself so fully, especially one of Emmett's strength. Never had I desired to control another being in the manner that I controlled him. It was intoxicating, exhilarating and as the tempo of my thrusts increased, I felt Emmett shudder under me, his own hips thrusting into the ground as he sought his release, the smell of his venom as it spilled into the earth burning my nostrils.
It was too much, and with a final growl of pleasure and uncontrollably need, I sunk my teeth into his shoulder, my body trembling at the sounds of his whimpers and I buried myself into him as deeply as I was capable, feeling the pent up release of my icy semen burst forth in a fountain of unequivocal pleasure. He continued to wither under me, pain from my bite and pleasure from my venom that acted as a drug even upon its release, leaving its living receptacle shuddering in delight long after the sexual act was over.
We lay as we were for some time after the expulsion of our seed. I felt no great urge to relinquish my position and Emmett was too pacified to make an attempt to dislodge me. Tenderly I tended to the bite I'd inflicted on Emmett's shoulder. He would be marked by me for all time.
I was still too in awe over the experience to offer much in the way of conversation. Nothing, I'd seen in Volterra had prepared me for what I'd just experienced. I had an idea, a contemplation of what it involved, but the emotional toil, the utter change in my outlook on this instinctual side of our animalistic nature was profound. It had awakened something in me that I never knew existed until that moment.
I considered Edward and his lack of mate and felt a disappointment that I couldn't extend this pleasure to him, take my pleasure from him and it made me feel a little bit guilty, a little bit too much like Aro, as I understood now why he had tried so hard to get me to take a mate or at least couple with another female. Edward could always leave me, I would always be at the mercy of his whims, but Emmett was mine, would be for all time, unless he could find it in himself to challenge me again. And as the master of the coven, as the father of this family, it put me at ease knowing that Emmett would not abruptly leave me, not as long as I held this influence over him which meant Rosalie wasn't going anywhere either. Only Edward could stray and in my selfishness, I now knew of a way to keep that from happening.
Eventually I withdrew from Emmett; my organ ached after suffering through the onslaught of our bodies but it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. I felt and fought down the desire to take him again and instead pulled him to his feet.
"Are you alright son?" I asked gruffly, my voice thick with emotion.
"Hell yeah." Emmett replied, but his voice was barely a whisper, his eyes darting away from mine.
"I know you're confused son and to be honest, I'm not sure I can provide you with all the answers you seek, but we will talk about this later. I'll tell you everything you need to know that might help you understand what just happened." I placed my hand on his shoulder, trying to will him to look at me, but it was too soon for that. Emmett would need to come to terms with these new emotions and feelings that were not part of his original makeup in order to better accept his role within the family.
"Come, let's get dressed. I'm sure Edward is beside himself with worry which can't be doing much to put Esme and Rosalie at ease."
We made our way home slowly. I initiated the conversation of his bloodlust and the near miss with the humans, my foremost concern now that I had subdued him.
"Emmett, if you don't feel you can control yourself, you can only hunt when I'm present which means longer spells between hunting trips. My shift at the hospital limits the time I can get out and hunt."
Emmett stopped abruptly and though he didn't quite meet my eyes, his head was up looking vaguely in my direction.
"That was a mistake, it wasn't just the smell. I can control my attraction to the smell. I've done it in the past and the humans were a lot closer. I just wanted to….to hunt humans…because…." His voice trailed off and he ducked his head again.
"Because you were defying me." I finished for him.
He nodded. "It won't happen again."
"Emmett, don't feel ashamed if you are having trouble. It took Esme two years before she felt she could control herself around human scents. Don't be afraid to ask for my help. I would rather that, than have to move again, and I'm sure Edward would make your life miserable if he was forced to give up his classes." A thought occurred to me and I chuckled. "So if you truly want to find a way to antagonize your brother, let it be anything but that."
He nodded again and smiled briefly, both of us contemplating Edward's reaction to a request to transfer colleges, again. But as we approached the house our mood turned somber.
"Emmett, Esme knows what is coming, she understands what happened. I explained it to her as best I could, but Edward and Rosalie, especially Edward, will not. You can tell your mate, your wife anything you wish. She will draw from her instincts and pick up on our scents so explaining to her should be fairly simple, but leave Edward to me and guard your thoughts. I doubt he will question you about it anyway."
I could see my wife in the window of our unused dining room and the moment she saw us, she disappeared and emerged from the front door, her hand pressed against her lips.
As she approached I saw the pensive look on her face as she glanced from me to Emmett and back again, her eyes looking questionably into mine, searching for answers that should be obvious in our smells and posture. I refrained from commenting and in a visible transformation from human to vampire, I saw her nostrils flair, her eyes flutter as she took in the scents of our bodies, the telltale sign of what transpired between me and her son less than an hour before.
Observing my wife and gauging her reaction to a motionless Emmett, I missed the rapid approach of Edward. He too must have been watching for our approach and I vaguely wondered if he'd hidden himself in the woods downwind from us, and watched me force submission from his brother. His eyes were curious, he was reading Emmett's thoughts, or what there was of them; he would get nothing from me. His eyes widened as he too picked up the unusual odor, the dulling stench of the aftermath of our lust, not like the smell he was familiar with signifying the coupling of us with our mates. I anticipated his questions, but his wariness made me wonder if he would pursue it. Instinctually he would recognize something had occurred between us but putting it into words was not easily done.
"Rosalie is upstairs Emmett, she's waiting for you." My wife spoke softly, her hand tentatively touching his face.
He shifted, his posture suggesting permission to be released and when I nodded my consent, he darted from the three of us to the comfort and waiting arms of his mate. Rosalie would not be a problem for me. Females never were.
I held out my arm to my wife and she snuggled under it, her relief evident in her shy smile. "How about a swim sweetheart? It's a beautiful day."
She nodded and glanced at Edward. My son's ability to read minds could be challenging, but on this day, I counted my blessings as he glanced at me smiled a little, then shook his head. "No, I think I'll give the two of you your privacy." He turned and ran to the house before Esme could try and cajole him into joining us.
"He spends too much time alone Carlisle." She sighed.
"Don't worry, my darling. He won't be alone forever. One day he will find her, hopefully very soon." It couldn't come soon enough for me.
Author notes: For those that are wondering why I didn't include more insight from Emmett. I can only say that I've never had a tight bond with him as a character so it's hard for me to speak for him.
Originally Submit was to be a Carlisle/Edward oneshot only, but if I can come up with original ideas I will try to add additional oneshots. Next one will be Carlisle/Jasper.