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by cjmuehlb

How does Carlisle control a coven full of strong willed males? This is a exploration into coven dynamics. Includes scenes of sexual dominance. A collection of ONE SHOTS in this genre. CARLISLE/EDWARD/JASPER/EMMETT SLASH & some Bella. All canon couples ;o

5. Control

DISCLAIMER: SM owns all Twilight characters and settings. No copyright infringement intended.

WARNING: Strong sexual content, dominant/submissive subject matter, slash and a lot of hetro sex this time.

This chapter is being written completely from Edward's point of view.

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Honeymoon - Fade to black? I think not.

I carried Bella from the water feeling her body shudder against me; my cold flesh and her warm skin were not separated by clothing or the protection of a blanket as in the past, but the heat of her desire did not dissipate and I felt her erect nipples rubbing against my chest as she clung tightly to me, causing my own body to shudder but for an entirely different reason. My frozen vampire body truly felt alive for the first time in my long dead life and I knew there would be no turning back, the fear, the outright paranoia that I would lose control and hurt Bella, still a real possibility, but my desire and hers, blinded me to my concerns and reservations; I would take her tonight as a husband did his wife.

The warm tropical sultry breezes wafted through the bedroom as I laid Bella in the middle of our marital bed in all her naked glory. She was beautiful beyond words, breathtaking in her unabashed languorous state, staring up at me as I stood over her, the trust and love swirling in the depths of her glorious brown eyes. The burn of my thirst for her blood was muted; instead I was assaulted with another odor, one that I was familiar with and had fervently resisted for several months. It was that of her arousal, strong and fragrant, not encumbered by clothing or tempered with her embarrassment. I sucked in the delicious aroma for the first time, letting it drive my own arousal, feed my own need and I could feel the stiffening of my male member between my legs in response to that odor.

Somewhere in the back of my mind like a pesky little gnat, I heard Carlisle's voice, his words of advice that I'd actively sought in order to prepare myself for this very night, burying my embarrassment under the pretext of keeping Bella safe, but also needing to understand what I could expect from my first sexual experience and how I could satisfy Bella's wants and my needs without losing control. I could never lose sight of Bella's humanity, could never give myself over to the beast and even though Carlisle frowned on my analogy and that particular word for the bloodlust within me that hungered for human blood in general and was ravenous for Bella's blood in particular; Carlisle didn't deny that this beast would also drive my passion and my primal urges to mate and could be just as deadly. His obvious expressions of concern over my intention to engage in sexual intercourse with a human Bella exaggerated my fear and convinced me that it could not safely be done so I would leave it up to her to call off our wedding as I could not keep my end of the bargain.

But Carlisle assured me it would be safe by doing the very thing I was loathe to consider. I was to give myself over to my instincts, let them dictate my sexual drive and concentrate solely on reining them in as dictated by the very fragile human. To me this was a contradiction of all reason; common sense screamed at me to remain tightly in control of the vampire side of my being and ultimately allow the human side to dominate. A disagreement ensued and by not having Carlisle's approval that I was pursuing the right path, I found a second reason to call off this ridiculously dangerous rush into intimate contact with the very reason for my existence. But I couldn't back out; I couldn't disappoint Bella and I didn't have the will to resist the absolute need to take her as my wife in every conceivable way.

So in the end it was my total inexperience that drove me to follow the advice that I didn't agree with but came from the man I had the utmost respect for and whose judgment I trusted completely. I would follow my instincts and give myself over to my primal self while carefully monitoring my behaviors as if I was a third party in my own head, fiercely controlling those instincts so as not to put Bella in any danger. I was so desperate, so anxious that all would go well, that I went so far as to suggest that Carlisle discreetly accompany us on our honeymoon to ensure that I kept Bella safe, but without batting an eye Carlisle convinced me that wouldn't be wise; if I felt any threat from another male I could hurt her all in the misguided effort to protect her.

I was mortified when Bella told me that Carlisle had broached her on our upcoming intimacy. She refused to provide details, but giggled whenever she thought of the conversation which did little to alleviate my worries. As much as it pained me to admit it, I was not much help in preparing Bella on what to expect from our first encounter together. I had never experienced sexual release with another being, human or vampire and I had little in the way of data to suggest what instinctual sexual needs drove our species. My intimate knowledge of the matings within our family though educational, was primarily based on human emotions and responses. I could honestly say that I'd never witnessed the first few matings of any of my family members, too embarrassed to be within earshot of those encounters during my early years. It was only later, with three mated pairs sharing the same roof that I found it tiresome to disappear whenever they chose to engage in intimate acts and I caught glimpses of their lovemaking that did not seem out of the ordinary given my vast medical education and decades worth of exposure to adult themed films.

Now, as I looked down at my lovely naked bride, I tried to push everything away and let myself be guided by instincts, be they vampire or human and my only conscious thought would be to keep Bella safe. When she reached up her arms to me, I allowed myself to be pulled down, not on top of her as was her obvious intent, but to the side, careful to leave a few inches of space between us so I could touch her freely and not have to worry about hurting her with the weight and hardness of my body.

Her mouth covered mine in a frantic kiss, but upon feeling the first tentative probing of her tiny tongue against my lips, I aggressively invaded her mouth with that of my own, I could not risk her exposure to my sharp teeth. We both moaned at the contact of our mouths, our noises just guttural sounds deep in our throats. We'd kissed before of course, but never this deeply, never to this extent and never completely naked. As I devoured her mouth with that of my own, I slide my hand across her smooth flat belly feeling the goose bumps rise on her flesh in response to my cold touch, but ignoring her shivers, refusing to spoil the moment to address my endless concern for her comfort in light of our vastly different body temperatures.

Tonight I would give her everything she'd beg for for so many months and everything I'd denied myself, partly out of chivalry and common decency, but mostly because I was afraid. When my hand curled around the gentle swell of her breast she gasped and pressed herself into it, moaning softly. I gently touched the tip of her nipple, pulling back to watch the expression on her face, gauging her sensitivity to my touch, determining how much pressure she could handle before I went any further. But my light feathery touches weren't enough and I felt her hand cover mine, showing me how she wanted to be touched…squeezed, lifting her head to find my mouth again, sucking my lips into hers and biting down, growling as she did so.

I was so careful, so cognizant of her tender lips, resisting the need to crush mine against hers and trying to concentrate instead on the delightful sweet taste of her lips and mouth as she moaned and withered against me. It was she that finally pulled away and I heard her gasp for air, but when I tried to pull back to give her the space she needed, she grasped the back of my head and forced it down, forced me lower directing me to the tender mounds of flesh that I carefully cupped, one in each hand.

With her hands in my hair, pulling me to one soft breast, I tentatively licked at the taut nipple, pulling back in alarm when a sharp almost silent cry burst from her lips, but as I was to understand, this was a cry of pleasure and so tentatively, I pressed my mouth on her again, this time covering the rosy bud with my lips first in a cold kiss, then a gentle suckle.

"Oh, Edward….oh yes, please baby…that feels so…"her breath was one long continuous whisper. It was the first time either of us spoke upon entering the room and her words ignited me. I was doing it right. So far, I was in control.

I switched to her other breast, licking my way around the areola before pulling it into my mouth, feeling her body arch up, wanting more, pressing herself against me. I sucked harder, drawing more of the exquisitely soft flesh in, covering my dangerous teeth with my lips. I slid my arm around her holding her up, supporting her, her cries of delight the most beautiful music I'd ever heard. She wrapped both arms around me holding my head tightly to her.

"Yes like that…" I heard her whisper so softly it almost sounded like a thought rather than words from her lips and I repeated the action that earned her praise, licking around her nipple then sucking it into my mouth and was reward again as she groaned and uttered additional appreciate murmurs.

She was more in my arms then she was lying on the bed. Her head was thrown back, her chest thrust up so that I might enjoy the benefits of feeding off both breasts at my discretion and I did, moving from one to the other, than back again; experimenting with my tongue and lips, enjoying the endless shudders, no longer a reaction to the chill of my body, but the pleasure I was deriving with the simplest of physical intimacies. I was so engaged in worshiping her glorious perfect feminine parts that I'd given little thought to the rest of her body until she spread her legs. Perhaps it was her way to signal her need or perhaps she was just shifting position, but either way the scent that was released was overpowering and at the precise moment it hit my nostrils my mouth closed around her breast and I bit…almost.

Her cry of pain brought me back and in an instant I was out of her embrace and across the room, slamming into the far wall as far away from her as the space would allow. Her eyes locked with mine, but there was no fear in those eyes, only astonishment and concern for what I knew she saw on my face. I felt it, the horror of what I'd almost done and I had no doubt that she could see it too.

"Edward, it's alright. I'm fine," she said looking down at the breast I almost bit and touching it tenderly. "No damage done."

"What? How can you say that? I almost bit you. I almost…I almost…" I couldn't find the words to express my disgust with myself and there was Bella looking all calm and confident.

"It felt sort of good…"

"Bella," I moaned, gripping my hair in anguish. I could see she wasn't taking it seriously at all, could see once again that she didn't understand the danger she was in. I turned from her; my organ still throbbed with need. Despite almost biting her, almost ending her human life and perhaps, if I'd tasted her blood, almost ending her life completely, I still desired her, still wanted her in that way and it disgusted me.

"We can't do this Bella…we can't. I'm sorry. I know I promised, but you promised too. You said we could try it and if it didn't work you'd be all right with that. It's not going to work Bella; I can't do it. I can't risk it." I sucked in a breath to calm myself and was hit with another concentrated whiff of her arousal. The beast in me lapped it up; I could taste her on my tongue and I groaned as the traitorous organ between my legs twitched in response to it.

"Stop…" I whispered as if she could control her desire at her whim. The need to reach down and stroke myself was almost overwhelming. Everything, every sense was tuned in on that smell not unlike the day she walked into my life and I smelled her blood for the first time. I had pondered killing every child in that classroom to feed off of her, taste her, drawing her delectable nectar into my body and relishing the incredible rush of power and pleasure that would course through my veins. Her scent of arousal was all of that and so much more and this time with one hand supporting myself against the wall, I did reach down, my body convulsing as my fingers made contact with the center of my sexual self. I needed a release as desperately as I needed to taste her blood and I could satisfy at least one of those needs without hurting her.

And then I heard it. It might have been my name, but it didn't come out as anything resembling human speech. Instead, it was a very soft, very subtle purring sound. Not like a vampire would make, not a noise from the diaphragm, but still, it called to me in the most primal of ways and that combined with her scent….I groaned.

Slowly I turned and what I saw would shock me for all time. It was still Bella, still on the bed, still waiting for me, but this Bella had a look on her face that was…well…predatory. But it wasn't even her salacious penetrating stare that had me spinning around abruptly. This Bella was on her hands and knees on the bed, looking at me from under her arm with a sly smile on her lips…waiting.

"Noooo…." was all I could manage, but I was already moving forward, covering the space in an instant, dropping down at the end of the bed between her legs where that intoxicating smell was coming from. I was the beast now, I couldn't think beyond that heavy musky stench, the fragrance drawing me in like a fish caught on the end of a hook. I was powerless to resist its call. I let it invade my senses, hungrily sucking at the air, feeding the beast, my eyes devouring her feminine parts, catching ever detail, every crevice, every hidden fold that would need to be explored. Even my sharp hearing implored me to get closer, the sounds of her rapid heartbeat, the blood rushing through her veins, the licking of her lips, the murmurs of desire and finally the sounds of flesh as she clenched and unclenched her muscles.

She was calling to me in the most primitive of ways, presenting herself to me as an animal, the beast within me recognizing the pull of her womanly heat. My hips involuntarily thrusted forward…once…twice. I needed her, needed to fill her, my body begged for it. Sinking to my elbows, I leaned forward at the precise moment she arched her back, exposing herself to me and I felt the heat of her center bathe me in her scent. I was past thinking clearly, past worrying whether I could keep from hurting her, past analyzing all the million little things that could go wrong. I needed this, needed her, needed to taste her.

When my tongue finally made contact with the folds of her delicious moist core, I was conscious of her cries, heard the undecipherable garble spew from her lips and visibly saw her spread her legs wider giving me greater access. I tasted her again and again, growling with satisfaction, finding nothing more enticing than the flavor of her desire. I wasn't consciously aware of closing my mouth on her until I heard her audible scream, but this time, it didn't drive me away, didn't scare me off; instead it fed my fervor and I sucked harder, my face pressing tightly against her, pushing her forward, even as she tried to brace herself and push back. Hungrily I licked her, my ears now tuned to her soft cries of contentment, her little grunts and groans, even growls, primal growls and each one encouraged me, encouraged the beast. I answered her with growls of my own, communicating my desire for her, my lascivious craving for her. When she finally released, I felt the warm juices on my tongue and hungrily lapped at them, unable to compare it to any other taste I'd ever experienced or would want to experience again. No blood was so powerful, not even her blood drew me and satisfied me as the taste of her sex.

My hips were thrusting forward wildly of their own accord and I reluctantly pulled back from her warmth, sliding up her back, feeling for the first time her entire naked body pressed against mine. She was gasping and crying, rocking underneath me, but the instant I impaled her with my aching organ I felt her freeze under me, felt her muscles clench down on me and I groaned in a mixture of sheer bliss and unmasked lust, unable to stop myself or the thrusts that were driven by the beast.

Whatever concern I still had for her safety was squelched under my need to release myself into her, flood her with my venom, fill her with my essence and make her mine. She didn't protest, didn't struggle or resist in any way, completely open to me and my invading shaft that was not so pliable as a mortal male. Any attempts to match my thrusts were quickly abandon and she let me manipulate her as my desire dictated. Only her grunts and occasional cries of pleasure assured me that I was accommodating her needs while satisfying my own.

I counted. It was the simplest way I could describe it. I counted. With each thrust I counted, one/one thousand, two/one thousand and so on. It was the mantra I repeated over and over in my brain. It would only be later that I was aware that I did it. I was counting out my strokes, keeping them in check, recognizing even in my frenzy that a human being couldn't tolerate a full on assault from my body. I held her in place with a hand on the curves of her hips and counted until I felt the most overwhelming sensation in my testicles, the tightening, the rush and finally the release. The bestial roar that escaped my lips was not human and it was in that single moment that I truly lost control, pushing her forward, my teeth bared, ready to bite down on the tender flesh of her shoulder, before finding the pillow and tearing into it as I bent her under me in a tight little ball and allowed my venom to fill her in one long release.

As she was flooded with my icy semen her body quaked and shuddered under me, her frenzied cry shocking in its intensity, her weak human muscles clamping on me again and again attempting to draw the last bit of fluid from my slightly deflated organ. Eventually, her limbs gave out and I lowered her to the bed gently following her, covering her, my member still filling her, ready to take her. Now that I finally had her, I never wanted to be apart from her again.

"Well that was…interesting," Bella said softly, after several minutes of silence.

"Was it, love? Is that how you would describe it…interesting? I didn't hurt you did I?" I nuzzled her neck feeling confident I hadn't and proud of myself for finally completing the act.

"Hardly," she purred stretching against me, whimpering when she felt me slip from her.

Gathering up a blanket, she wrapped herself in it and pressed back against me contentedly. We lay silent for awhile. I assumed Bella would need time to recover and would want to sleep so I lay contentedly wrapped around her, appraising our coupling, assessing my performance and evaluating how I managed to contain the beast and complete the act without hurting her. Just when I was at the height of smugness, a thought occurred to me and I stiffened.

"What is it baby?"

"How did you know to do that?" I asked, suddenly wary.

"Do what?"

"Entice me…lure me…call to me?"

"Is that what I did," she giggled, but didn't elaborate.

"Carlisle!"

This time she suppressed her laughter but I could feel her body shake against me.

"What did he say," I demanded, suddenly irate by his interference.

"Calm down Edward, he was only trying to help us."

"Tell me," I said, feeling no calmer but trying to appear so.

"He told me that it was likely something would freak you out and you wouldn't go through with it, unless I helped you."

"He said what?" I growled not understanding why I was so annoyed with my father.

"Okay well he didn't say freak you out, but something to that effect. Edward, please don't make a big deal out of this." She turned in my arms and cupped my face in her tiny hands. "He said I would have to appeal to your animalistic nature, that you would need to draw from a primitive part of yourself and I could help you do that by presenting myself to you in a certain way."

"Whaa…t? He said what!"

"He said, instinctually vampires do not make love like humans. You…well you mount your females." Another giggle. "Those are his words this time, not mine."

I rolled on my back, bringing Bella with me. She raised herself on her elbow and stared into my face.

"Now Edward. Don't go off on Carlisle. He was only trying to help and it wasn't you that had to sit there and listen to him tell me how I could lure you. It was absolutely embarrassing, but I was willing to do anything to make this happen."

I must have been lying there with my mouth hanging open for some time, because eventually I felt Bella's hand under my chin forcing it closed.

"Honestly, Edward, I wanted to crawl in a hole, but he was right. It worked didn't it?"

"Tell me exactly what he said," I whispered.

She stroked my chest, I assume trying to soothe me before attempting to explain.

"I'm not sure what is worse, being instructed in the art of vampire love making by your father or repeating it to you, but okay here it goes." She smiled and a pleasing rosy blush touched her cheeks. "He said that you would most likely try to make love to me like a human, but it probably wouldn't work, so if you needed any encouragement, I should get on my hands and knees and present myself to you. The odor and position of my body would drive your vampire instincts and you wouldn't be able to resist me. He said vampires are closer to animals then humans on a sexual level and even though you can't reproduce, your body is automatically programmed to respond to a female that is obvious expressing her need to be mated with. By assuming the position, I or any female is inviting a male to mate with her with the intention of reproducing and it would be impossible for the male to ignore it. And as it turns out, he was right."

"Bella, I could have hurt you." I was so astounded by Bella's matter of fact explanation that I could barely speak.

"Carlisle said that since you wouldn't be overcome with trying to make love like a human and controlling your bloodlust and reining in your strength, you would be able to concentrate better. You would be mating with me as an animal, but controlling yourself as a human. You wouldn't be concentrating on trying to pleasure me, but only trying to achieve your own release successfully coupling with me as an animal would.

"I can't believe he talked to you like that." My anger was back. How dare Carlisle speak so crudely to my Bella. "What else did he say?"

"He said it would be lonely and I might feel disconnected afterward, but it was a means to an end if I was determined that we consummate our marriage." Bella said amiably, obviously not the least bit bothered by the conversation now. "And, like I said, I could have died of embarrassment, but he was completely professional about it. There was something he was wrong about though."

"What? I hurt you didn't I? " I cupped her face in my hands, staring imploringly into her eyes. "Bella you have to tell me."

She sighed, and smiled. "No baby you didn't hurt me. Carlisle was wrong because he said I would feel disconnected and I feel anything but that. It was, in the words of our dear Alice, simply fabulous."

I groaned and collapsed on the bed. Carlisle and I would be having a serious talk when we got home. I was a married man now. He couldn't continue to treat me like a child and he certainly had no right to help Bella plot against me when I was only concerned for her safety.

"We won't be doing it again until you're changed. I fulfilled my end of the bargain. We just got lucky that you didn't get hurt. But no more Bella. It's just too dangerous," I said as firmly as I could, preparing for her tears and protests. But she surprised me by leaning over me and applying a kiss to my closed mouth.

"Oh Edward, you are so cute when you get bossy. But you should know, Carlisle also told me something else. He said females have all the sexual power in a mated relationship so I'm pretty sure that I can have you whenever I want you."

Before I had a chance to stutter out a response, she'd unwrapped herself from the blanket and rolled onto her stomach, spreading her legs and lifting herself up on her knees just a little, but a little was all it took. I smelled her again and it immediately triggered the inevitable reaction as I felt myself lengthen against my thigh. I growled out my desire and she responded in kind with a tiny little growl herself. It appeared that Carlisle was right.

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Duluth (one month after Bella's change)

I drained the deer in seconds and tossed it aside. I wasn't hungry. I'd fed more in the last few weeks then I had since I was a newborn. It was the only way I could be with Bella and I wanted to be with her every step of the way. I couldn't push that responsibility on my other family members, not when she was so confused and scared. But was she scared? I assumed she was, but I couldn't know for sure. I couldn't get close to her. She wouldn't let me get close to her and this terrified me.

Carlisle said it was too be expected, but he'd never warned me of it, never suggested it was even a possibility. How could my Bella forget me, forget that I was her mate, that we were married, meant to be together for all time? How was that even possible?

No, she hadn't forgotten completely. From the moment she opened her eyes from a long three day burn she recognized me as she did the other members of our family. She knew who we were and after several minutes of acclimating to her surroundings she relaxed her defensive crouch and accepted us as her coven. But she showed no greater deference to me than any of the others and given her rather aggressive reaction to my general presence, I wasn't even sure if she liked me, never mind recognizing me as her mate. When she wasn't hissing and spatting at me, she was throwing things at me. Esme was at wits end and she blamed me for Bella's animosity; telling me to quit aggravating the newborn.

But I was only trying to reestablish our connection, our love and passion, everything that made Bella my mate. This newborn Bella wouldn't permit it. She refused to allow me to get close to her other than as another member of her coven and she only took direction from Carlisle or Esme. Any input from me was met with disdain and contempt and a flying antique vase.

The rest of my family did not share my sense of horror at Bella's behavior. In fact, it provided Jasper and Emmett with endless amounts of amusement. At wits end I finally cornered Carlisle, my terror overriding the awkwardness of the situation. Carlisle was not as blatantly amused as my brothers, but he appeared completely unconcerned and tried to assure me that Bella would come around. Mates were mates and nothing could distract from that, not even Bella's change into a vampire.

Granted, he had seen no humans mated to a vampire before their change so he had no firsthand experience, but if there was any credibility to the bond that tied a mated pair, even turning Bella into the undead and a completely difference species would have no impact on the tie that bound us. I found his argument completely lacking in any credibility and when I attempted to argue on the merits of his opinion, because I was sure it was only an opinion, he pointed out that he had seen several vampires refrain from killing humans because they had, in the split second before the deadly bite recognized their mate in the human prey and were able to deny their bloodlust when it would have been at its most powerful. Never had he seen where the turned human rejected his or her creator afterward and cited Eleazar and Carmen as an example.

But then he told me something else, something that would have brought a blush to my face if blood still flowed through my veins.

"Edward, you have to understand that Bella's newborn instincts are driving her right now and her number one priority will be feeding. That will change, change fairly quickly, but I can see her indifference to you is upsetting you so if you want to move the process along, you just need to mate with her."

"M…mate with her?" I felt my jaw drop, shocked by Carlisle's suggestion. "In case you haven't noticed, I can't get anywhere near her, let alone mate with her."

"Edward." Carlisle wasn't trying to be condescending, but I felt irritated none the less, especially when he smiled patiently at me. "You can mate with her. Newborns are particularly sexual and respond to any signs of sexual arousal. You will have to drive it. In other words, you will have to become aroused yourself through physical stimulation or whatever means you choose, but once you are in that state she will respond to it and it will be fairly easy for you to mount…"

"Enough." I couldn't stand to listen to this anymore. "What you're suggesting, it's…it's just wrong."

"Edward," there was that tone again. "Son, you need to put aside what you feel is proper. You are married to her, you have successful made love to her. She is your mate. You need to deal with Bella on her level, as a newborn, controlled by her instincts; that or wait, those are your only two options."

"How long before she sees me as her mate if I wait?"

"Usually we can expect to see control between six and nine months, but…"

"Six to nine months!" I shouted pacing rapidly back and forth in Carlisle's office. That was too long; I couldn't wait for Bella for six to nine months.

"Edward."

"Stop treating me like a child, Carlisle," I snapped.

"Then stop acting like one." There was a low rumbling growl coming from somewhere deep within Carlisle's chest and I felt his penetrating stare even as I averted my gaze.

I held my breath, knowing what would follow. It was the scent I had to be wary of, but still I felt a softening in my anger, a weakening of my posture and before I knew it, my chin hit my chest. I knew better than to speak, my mouth tended to get me in trouble more often than not.

"Now, I'm not about to debate this. I've given you an option. Whether you choose follow it or wait is entirely up to you. But rest assured son, Bella will remember you and she will come back to you, so only your patience is necessary at this point." Carlisle was packing up the papers on his desk, getting ready for his shift.

"Six to nine months isn't so long," I said more to myself than him. I saw Carlisle's lips twitch in a smile.

"No, son, it's not long at all."

But it was long, excruciatingly long and now as I ran through the trees sniffing the air looking for Bella's scent, I pondered Carlisle's words. I was too mortified to ask him what he meant, how one went about mating with a hostile newborn. Would it be obvious? It seemed like Carlisle would have went into a little more detail, but then I hadn't exactly been receptive to the idea.

There it was. Bella's scent and fresh blood; she'd made a kill. I was upon the deer carcass in a few strides, but her scent kept going, drifting in the wind, another deer, but no Bella. I felt a little panicky now. Bella usually didn't run too far from me. The deer were plentiful here in the arrowhead region of Minnesota so hunting was simple, hardly hunting at all. The deer practically ran into us, especially when we surrounded them, but Bella was running, away from me. Why? I ran faster, her scent was strong, she was close. And then it hit me, another scent, another scent of a vampire. Bella wasn't running away from me, she was running after another vampire!

I no longer ran casually, taking care not to startle her. I ran as fast as I could. I had her scent, tracking her was not a problem and though she could possibly outpace me in an all out footrace, she was not running at top speed and I was gaining on her quickly. The terror of the discovery of the unknown scent built up like bile in my belly. Who was this imposter that dare invade our territory? Surely he smelled our scent, it would have been all over the area; we hunted here often. I tried not to consider another possibility, the one that didn't have him running from Bella but rather leading her away from the safety and sanctity of the rest of the coven. I was flying now, a low growl emanated from my lips, growing louder with each step. If Bella was in danger, if this vampire dared to touch her, harm her in any way, I would rip him to shreds.

So caught up in imagining how I would tear this stranger limb from limb, I almost overran Bella's scent. My legs locked, my feet skidded into the ground creating furrows in the frozen soil and I came to an abrupt halt at the edge of a clearing. I was struck immediately by the odor. It hit me as hard as if I'd run straight on into Emmett's massive chest and I was almost thrown back by the sheer force of it.

There was my Bella's scent, the scent that called to me from the moment she walked into my life, not of her blood, but her unique odor that would be forever burned in my mind, but beyond that scent was another. It vaguely resembled Bella as a human, something I shied away from during our courtship fearful of what it might awaken in me; then later, even after we were married, I understood it's power how she could use it to provoke my vampire instincts and how I inevitably responded to it. This new scent was purely vampire and it spoke to me on a completely different level, an animalistic primitive calling that was almost as hard to resist as the draw of Bella's blood. This was the call of her arousal as a vampire and everything about it screamed mine.

Any confusion I had over Bella's sudden state of arousal was elucidated in the next second or two by another odor that burned my nostrils instigating what I presumed was Bella's interest. It wasn't me she was responding to but the one she'd been chasing. His pungent stench was overpowering and with it he was drawing my Bella too him, doing exactly what Carlisle suggested I do, engaging her with his arousal.

I went unnoticed by both of them as I stepped from the tree line, my mouth agape, the growls silenced, my eyes wide with horror. Bella was in a crouch, one hundred yards from me. What remained of her clothes were covered in blood from her recent feedings and she was hissing softly at the stranger that stood less than fifty feet from her. He was tall, fair haired, thin and regal in appearance, dressed in fashionable clothing and reasonably clean. His stance suggested he was long of this world, hardly unfamiliar with vampire ways particularly when I saw his lustful thoughts as he eyed Bella inquisitively. I couldn't take it, couldn't bear to see how he desired Bella, how he lured her forward with his retched stink, how he ogled her exposed breast and imagined what he would do with her when she was close enough for him to pounce. I felt the slow burning rage build with the progression of his thoughts, my desire to kill only held in check by my absolute shock at the scene before me, keeping me frozen in place.

I knew that she would go to him, go to him willingly and I could only watch Carlisle's advice play out before me, only it wasn't me that was fueling her newborn urges, it was a stranger, someone not afraid or embarrassed to use his vampire instincts to get what he wanted, understanding her newness and what would compel her. I felt like a child in the company of an adult, older and wiser and he was luring my Bella away from me as surely as if he were enticing her with the chivalry and respect demanded by the human woman of my time. But she wasn't human any longer, wasn't driven by the same needs and until this very moment, I hadn't understood it, but now that I did, I found my knees were locked in place and I couldn't move, couldn't reveal my presence; my confusion and inexperience leaving me incapable of acting against the masterful control of the vampire before me.

His movements were subtle. He knew he was dealing with a newborn. Everything he did was deliberate and slow. He didn't speak, words wouldn't bring the object of his seduction to him. He was driven by his animalistic needs and she by hers and no words needed to be exchanged to make his intentions clear. He was mirroring her crouch, rocking from foot to foot appearing to anticipate her next move, teasing her by suggesting he would dodge away if she reached for him. His eyes never left hers, drawing her to him, dazzling her in a way only a vampire could do, but she was a vampire too and she might have been able to resist his influence if she was not being enticed by his scent, a scent that she would not be able to defy. Arousal was arousal, I was only beginning to see that the object of that arousal was irrelevant.

Bella wanted him. That much was evident. She was inching forward, licking he lips. Her eyelids were drooping closed as she was overcome with her lust. This Bella was not the one I knew, the soft sweet, human one. This Bella was as much predator as she was the prey and she was driving her need as surely as she was being overcome by it. From time to time, her lips parted and she drew in a breath, hungrily absorbing the scent that was fueling her desires. She was making an odd noise, one associated with pain, but I knew it wasn't pain she felt, but the unrelenting yearning to be filled with the essence of the male before her. Another powerful wave of his maleness washed over her and she lapped it up as surely as if she were lapping at the blood of her prey.

I wanted to turn away, runaway from what I was about to witness. There was no doubt that they were completely locked in to each other's desires. Neither had noticed my presence even as the wind shifted and swirled and still I remained frozen, unable to stop what was inevitable. As unbearable as it was to witness my mate's defilement, I could not force myself away. They were circling each other now, drawing closer to each other as if their bodies were being pulled together by an invisible force. A purring sound was emanating from the stranger, encouraging her, his desire evident, his need almost uncontrollable.

With each flash of his thoughts, I cringed; his intentions were to reach out with his hand, letting her find it, come to him, rub against him, giving her the control that would soothe her, alleviate her worries if she still held any. He was confident that she would be unable to resist him, still he didn't want to battle her, his wariness of her newborn strength suggesting he'd done this before. No, he was patient and would let her approach him, rub herself against him, giving the illusion that she was the seducer. And when he was confident that she was lost to her instinctual needs he would slide his hand up and cup her bare breast and she would melt against him, matching his purrs with those of her own, unable to resist the careful manipulation of his hands as he turned her, rubbing himself against her, feeding his arousal and letting her understand his desires for her and then he would rip away whatever fabric remained between them and bend her over and…

The scream of rage I heard startled me as much as it did the two vampires in front of me engaged in their ritualistic mating dance and it took me a moment to understand that the agonizing sound was coming from me. I was already sprinting across the open field, running past a frozen Bella, whose newborn mind wouldn't yet be able to shift focus and absorb my presence as quickly as the other one. He tried to dodge away from me, but I saw his thoughts before he had time to react and sprung on him, the primal roar that tore through my body and out my mouth left little doubt as to my intentions.

Initially, I held the advantage of a surprise attack and driven by my rage, I propelled him across the clearing, felling trees and smashing boulders that were in the way of the projectile of his body. But after my initial assault that failed to inflict true injury on my opponent, I found myself thrown from him, my body toppling end over end and only my fingers digging into the ground stopped my momentum. His snarls and hisses warned me of his approach and I dived away from his airborne body only milliseconds before he attempted to crush me into the ground. My rage drove my attack, I was no more than a mindless newborn myself, relying completely on instinct and the obvious kill, forgetting all that Jasper and Carlisle had taught me in the art of hand to hand combat.

Screaming as I ran, I charged him, using my gift to guide me and when he dodged left, I saw and pounced, my teeth sinking into his shoulder, drawing a scream of surprise and pain from him and a satisfied snarl from me. But as quickly as I glorified in my bite, I felt a hand under my chin pushing up as he ignored the clench of my teeth on his flesh even as I tore a chunk of it from his body, refusing to unlock my jaw under his assault. He held my jaw and squeezed, forcing me to release him, but defiantly I spat his own flesh at him, my hand gripping his jaw in a similar fashion and we rolled over and over on the ground, neither of us relinquishing our hold, giving no one the advantage, locked in an embrace that saw neither of us rise as the victor.

As minutes pasted and our standoff remained, I was distracted; I could not detect Bella and my distraction changed to fear. Had she run away? My failure to concentrate was all that my opponent needed and without any warning, his hand wrapped around my wrist, his other slide down around my throat and simultaneously, he began to squeeze. The attack on two fronts drew a scream from my lips and I loosened my hold around his neck in response which was exactly as he anticipated. He twisted away from me releasing my wrist and using his free hand to grasp my head; his fingers tightened and then he was behind me, driving me forward into the ground. I did not need to see his thoughts to understand his intentions now. He was in the optimal position for the kill, he only had to wrap his arm around my head and he would be able to rip it from my body. I roared one finally time, using all my strength to break free of him, but his mind was clear of doubts, his intentions obvious, he confidence in the outcome, dictated what was inevitable. Except he forgot about Bella.

I saw her charge him through his eyes. She was enraged, her red eyes blazed with her fury. I felt his grip on my throat loosen as he raised his arm to defend himself against her onslaught, but it did little good. He was thrown from me as she hit him with all her newborn strength and scrambling free from his hold, I turned and watched through my own eyes as she tackled him, instinctually understanding her superior strength and attempting to wrap her arms around him, crushing him to dust. He too saw the danger, but his thoughts were not wild and uncontrolled. He was a skilled fighter and sprung up into the air avoiding her attempt to grab him, leaving her nothing to grip but air. She screamed her frustration and turned to find her allusive prey, but it was too late. He dropped from the trees and had her head in his grip only an instant away from doing the very thing he'd almost done to me seconds before.

"Noooo," I screamed as I charged him, but upon seeing him hold her up in his arms, his eyes locking with mine, I felt a terror unlike anything I'd ever known.

"Stop," he snarled and I didn't need to read his thoughts to understand his intentions. I did as I was told and froze in place, not so much as taking a breath lest the rise and fall of my chest spur him into administering the lethal deed that would end her life. Where moments before he was ready to mount her, now he would kill her and feel no great loss in the process.

"Let her go," I whispered, my tongue felt thick and dry in my mouth as I looked at Bella helpless in the arms of her potential killer.

"Let her go? So you both can attack me? I don't think so," the vampire spoke calmly, readjusting his grip on Bella who squirmed futilely against his death hold.

"We won't, we'll go." My voice sounded pitifully contrite. I would do nothing to jeopardize Bella's life, even if I had to beg him to spare her.

"Ahhh, and what makes you think I'm so stupid to believe such lies," the vampire said. Bella growled in his arms and he tightened his grip. "Do you want to kill me, young one?"

I cringed as she hissed and snarled, unable to control her reaction.

"I thought so," and then he surprised me by laughing. "What is your name?"

I looked at him incredulously, not sure I'd heard him correctly.

"Your name?" he repeated more slowly.

"Edward."

And this one?" He shook Bella a little, laughing again when she snapped her teeth at him.

"Bella."

"Why is it, Edward, that you let this newborn run around unsupervised and why is she covered in animal blood?"

"She wasn't running around unsupervised, we were hunting. We don't feed from humans, we feed from animals; that should explain the animal blood." I heard the tenor of defiance creep into my voice. I had to concentrate. Bella's life was in danger.

"Interesting, that explains the color of your eyes," the vampire said thoughtfully. "So you are her creator?"

When I shook my head, he cocked his head in surprise and raised his eyebrows questioningly?

"My fa…my coven leader created her, I am her mate."

I shifted uncomfortably. A human habit and he noticed. His thoughts conveyed his confusion, but I could not respond further without revealing my gift.

"Your mate? If she's your mate, why did she react to me as she did? My scent would have had no influence on her if she were mated." Bella squirmed in his arms. He raised his eyebrows at her response and then smiled knowingly at me. "Ahhh, I see. You haven't mounted her yet."

I might as well have been standing in Carlisle's study having the same conversation with him. My first impression of him was accurate. He was refined, worldly and experienced. I felt like a child under his amused stare. Was it only I that was so clueless that I didn't understand how and what I needed to do that apparently was so natural to everyone else.

He didn't have to be a mind reader to feel my discomfort and I stiffened when he chuckled, taking my silence for confirmation of what was completely indisputable.

"So Bella, what do you have to say about all of this. Is Edward your mate or are you just protecting him as part of your coven?" His lips pressed against her hair and he sucked in her scent smiling directly at me, enjoying himself as she squirmed against him.

I didn't move, I didn't breathe, Bella's life still rested in his hands. It was only when Bella looked directly at me and I found myself sinking into her eyes, that were no longer brown but no less beautiful, that I saw first her understanding and then her shame.

"Edward is my mate," she said softly, breaking our gaze, and tearing a hole in my heart.

Again the vampire surprised me by chuckling. "Then I suppose I can't kill you without condemning myself to the unending wrath of your mate for all the rest of eternity. You're lucky I'm peaceable by nature."

Then to me, "Can you control her?"

I nodded, hardly able to believe my ears.

He shook his head and smiled. "That remains to be seen, but here you go."

And in that instant, the breath I'd been holding was forcibly expelled as Bella's body was flung into mine. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to still her trembling, sucking in her scent that was blissfully free of the accompanying burn, but no less painful in its own right. I'd almost lost her before I truly had her and now I wanted to hold her and never let go. I gave no thought to the fleeing vampire who only stopped to pick up the chunk of flesh I spat at him before disappearing in the woods. I could not blame him for my failure to secure Bella at my side. It was my fault, my fault and Carlisle's for not warning me.

But before I could think further on it, she was wrestling free of my arms and for a brief moment I wondered if the vampire who left without revealing his name, understood my weakness better than I did. But she didn't run; instead she raised her hands to her face and started to cry.

"Bella, my love, what is it, what's wrong?" I held my hands out helplessly to her, my heart breaking all over again as she shied away from me. She hated me, that was it, she didn't love me, Carlisle was wrong. Something was different, something had happened during her change. Now, not only had I lost my mate but I'd stolen her human life away, condemning her to an immortal life without anyone to love.

"Bella, please, tell me what's wrong?" I had to make her say the words that would break my heart once and for all.

But she surprised me when she finally looked up shaking her head sadly, her face contorted in pain. "I'm so ashamed, Edward. I don't know what's wrong with me, why I reacted like I did. At first, I was chasing him to see who he was, but then…then…that smell…it was just…I couldn't control myself. I wanted him…I wanted him in th...that way."

She was no longer looking at me, staring off into the trees, but when I stepped forward to comfort her, her head snapped back and she hissed at me, stopping me in my tracks. I held out my hands to her in a defensive manner. How could I show her I meant her no harm and that I understood what she was feeling?

"Bella, please, you can't help it. Remember what Carlisle told you about the human scent, how you would react when you smelled it?"

"He wasn't human,"she spat, the disgust with herself manifesting into anger towards me.

"But it's the same thing, don't you see love," I whispered, thinking of Carlisle's odor and how he used it to control me and my brothers. "You were responding to his scent as you would a human's, but for an entirely different reason. The scent, the draw is very difficult to resist; it's part of being a vampire. You are controlled by instinctual needs and desires and it will be very hard for you to resist the call of them."

"You're just saying that. Leave me alone…I want you to leave me alone," her hisses left little room for argument and I took a step back, but then a voice from the woods drew both our attention. Our enemy was back.

"Bloody hell," the words reverberated through the trees, followed by laughter. "Show her, you fool."

Part of me wanted to run charging into the trees and destroy the stranger once and for all, but I was Carlisle's son after all and years of gentle parenting, stern lectures and chiding quips, had left me conditioned for guidance from an older wiser vampire, despite my often insolent attitude. I needed to listen to myself and allow my instincts to rule, the human in me was making me miserable; it was time for the vampire to emerge. But I didn't want an audience.

"Could you give us some privacy then," I yelled into the trees.

More laughter. "You must trigger her desires and you can only do that with your own arousal, she won't respond to you if she can't smell you."

"Go away," I roared. I would have continued the argument if Bella hadn't turned at that very moment and bolted in the opposite direction. I could not let her get away again and I shot after her. Within moments I was at her side, running stride for stride. She was not running as fast as she could; her emotions were affecting her and with her hands pressed against her face, she could not utilize the natural motion of her body to increase her speed.

I concentrated on her, first on her scent like lavender and freesia, remembering the draw of her blood, my singer, so closely tied to sexual desire; then the scent of her during human arousal, her teenage hormones driving me insane with lust and with each moment I resisted her, the intensity of my desires would increase and finally Bella in my arms as my wife, completing the act that would bind us as a married couple, caving in to Bella's desires despite my fears, controlling myself so that I could not only give her pleasure, but find my own release.

I had slowed, falling well behind Bella, imagining her body, her soft, warm human body. How, after our initial mounting, I took her again and again, as much as she could humanly take. We never varied our positions, never attempted anything new, I was too fearful to try and she was too conscious of the power she welded when she would rise to her hands and knees, spreading her legs, releasing her scent, encouraging me, begging me to fill her, wanting me deeper…harder….opening herself up to the deposit of my seed.

I barely acknowledged the ache of my arousal when I smelled her circling back, her desire undeniable, feeding my own. Now she was focused on me, her eyes were drawn to me, the hungry in them directed at me and I could only respond as she crouched in front of me, her steps synchronizing with mine, our mating dance, no less instinctive as any that could be found on a wildlife TV show. If I felt a fluttering of jealousy that her attentions were displayed in similar fashion only minutes earlier with a completely different vampire, it was quickly suppressed with the power of having taken what was rightfully mine before a mounting had occurred. I was the dominant one and I would take my mate once and for all. She would be mine for all time from this day forward; of this I had no doubt and her attentions would never be focused on another male again.

I felt her desire, her need and as was the case with the scene I witnessed in the clearing, I let her come to me. I'd always had control, always been able to beat my instincts back and let my humanness rule me. I was on par with Carlisle in that respect, but I had to let that part of me go, couldn't think about this coupling as a human. We were just animals, uncivilized and appalling lacking in discretion. Proper etiquette and human appropriateness would not help me or her and so I pushed away all thoughts, forgot about the vampire in the trees that might very well be watching us now and concentrated on the beautiful women before me, her ripped clothing exposing enticing flesh, the swell of her breast, a glimpse of a nipple, not as rosy and pink as human Bella, but achingly desirable all the same.

My jaw locked, I clenched my teeth, snorting as a particularly strong gust of wind filled my nose and I forced my lips apart licking at the air, my eyes closed in utter bliss. She was near; her breath was against my face as she too drew in the scent from my body that called to her. I opened my eyes when I felt the first touch of her lips against my throat. Slowly I raised my hands holding them still, letting her rub herself against them flinching as she nipped at my neck and growled.

I remained frozen, waiting, not wanting to scare her off when I had her so close and it was only when I felt her hand between my legs that I knew she wouldn't run, that she'd found the instrument that could quell the burn. Her murmurs of desire and need were what I longed to hear and I reached out pulling her to me roughly, not in an embrace, but a compelling urge to feel her body against mine, wanting to thrust against her, releasing the need that was becoming a painful reminder of my ultimate objective. She was growling, biting at my neck, her legs had straddled my thigh and she was rubbing against me, demanding my attention which I slowly, very slowly reciprocated.

I cupped her bare breast in my hand; her flesh felt as warm to me as it had when she was human. We lost nothing in her transformation to vampire; everything about her was the same to me, except for the burning thirst in my throat and the feeling of terror I felt that I would lose control and hurt her. Now I had no such fears and I gripped her breast, pinching it, drawing a cry of pleasure and a warning growl from her lips; and I liked it, answering her with one of my own. My other hand tore at the fabric that still covered her, leaving her topless and then with both hands I kneaded her, pinching and pulling roughly, feeling my desire increase with every snarl, every bite, every thrust of her heat against my thigh.

When her hands became more purposeful, gripping my member, pulling at it impatiently through the thin fabric, I pushed her away, sending her staggering back several feet. I'm not sure what motivated me, why I felt this confident rush and the need to express my control, but for a change I didn't question myself, didn't review and analyze every emotion I was feeling. Bella crouched and hissed at me, but her delicious smell didn't subside. She wanted me as much as I did her. As I hoped, she sprung at me and I caught her in my arms, gripping her hair and forcing her head back when she attempted to bite me again. So far she hadn't broken my skin, but I had little doubt she would if I baited her too much. I didn't relish the pain of a bite any more than I wanted her to feel regret for the scar that would be with me for all time.

I lifted her up in my arms, my hand still in her hair and pressed my mouth against her skin, feeling her relax slightly, but it was only when my mouth found her breast that I felt our connection. Growling softly, I nursed on the nipple as she clawed at my shoulder her fingers digging into me painful, whimpered murmurs emanating from her lips. I felt the throbbing in my groin, I wouldn't last long, but I wouldn't rush what would be the first mating of the rest of our eternal life together. Feeling that my mouth and occasionally my teeth would keep her still in my arms, I released her hair and slip my hand down her back ripping at what remained of her bloody clothing until she was completely exquisitely nude in my arms. She pressed herself against me, moaning with need, drawing her legs up and around my waist, thrusting herself against me and protesting through frustrated moans when I released her nipple. But I was only moving to the other one and devoured her breast, sucking in as much as my mouth would hold before slowly releasing it, teasing the tip of the puckered bud with my lips. My fingers slid down around the curve of her buttocks and between her legs, tentatively touching her in the core of her femininity, feeling her heat and desire as she frantically worked herself against my invading digits.

No words were spoken during the prelude to our coupling. We were little more than animals fulfilling the bestial needs of our bodies so there would be nothing that could be expressed through dialogue that we didn't already know, feel and understand. Only the fabric of my trousers kept Bella from securing herself on me, her need was not dictated by position, only the thickness and length of my appendage could provide her relief, but I was not going to be denied my right as the male member of this pairing to take what was mine in the most primal of fashions.

Abruptly, I released Bella's breast and she cried out in displeasure when I broke free of the grip of her legs around my waist. Before she could pounce on me again, I flipped her around in my arms and forced her down on the ground, her growls changed from frustration to titters of anticipated delight. Dropping to my knees behind her, I pulled myself free of my trousers and practicing control like I never had before, I teased her with the length of my maleness, my hips thrusting forward and back simulating a mounting without the penetration. She growled and moaned beneath me, arching her back pressing her rump back, crying out as I tormented her.

I could hold back no longer. My hips starting to thrust of their own volition and even though I held the dominant position it was Bella that completed the act by wiggling her hips and sinking lower to catch me. I gasped as I slid into her, her accompanying moans spurred me on and I began thrusting into the warmth that drew me, a moth to a flame; first long slow strokes, then harder rapid ones, driving her forward, ignoring her screams, delighting in the slick tunnel of her love, feeling no different than my human Bella's sweet center only this time I had no fear that I would hurt her.

I held her hips firmly trying to control the depth and tempo of my thrusts and when I couldn't contain her, I slid my arms up her back griping her shoulders, pulling her back to me, my hips pumping furiously into her as she grunted and growled and snarled beneath me. But it was only when I felt the pressure in my testicles and the first ripple of my orgasm that Bella screamed my name, her body shuddering in pleasure clamping down on my invading member, her muscles so much stronger, constricting around my maleness, milking it, her body instinctively pulling my fluid into her.

I held her around the waist long after I expelled the last of my semen into her, feeling intense relief that I finally held her, my mate in my arms. She relaxed under me, no sign of the paranoid spiteful newborn in sight, but had it worked? Did my Bella finally recognize me as her mate or was I just a release for her highly sensitized sexual need?

"Bella, my love, talk to me." I slid from her and sat back on my haunches, my exhilarated feeling quickly disintegrating as Bella lay motionless beneath me. "Please Bella."

Slowly she untangled herself from my legs and rolled on her back, but her face held none of the rage of the weeks since her turn. Her eyes though still reddish in color were tranquil and content and a small smile played on her lips.

"Thank you Edward, I remember now," she said lazily. She lay with her hand over her head, pulling at her hair and I marveled at her uninhibited behavior.

"We're mates Bella," I said cautiously.

She smiled slowly. "Yes baby I know. I love you."

Leaning over her, I kissed her tenderly on the lips and let her pull me down on top of her. Bella was back, my Bella was back. Thank God.

So content was I lying in Bella's naked embrace that I completely forgot about the vampire that almost enticed my mate to couple with him until he spoke from the trees.

"Well done, Edward. Tell Carlisle I'll stop back for a visit after I see Eleazar. I hear he has some females that aren't as volatile as your Bella." Laughter.

---

"That's it, that's him! That's the rotten bastard that almost…he almost…you have to call Eleazar right now." I practically screamed at Carlisle, trying to ignore the amused expression that crossed his face from time to time. He was flicking through his memories of all the vampires he knew finally hitting on the one that had almost violated my Bella.

"Ahhh Nigel. I should have guessed; he enjoys carnal pleasures more than most and still hasn't found a mate it seems," Carlisle said thoughtfully, but I noticed that his face was anything but alarmed. He had that expression on his face; I'd seen it before, usually following one of Alice's visions of a visit from one of his old friends. He was looking forward to Nigel's visit.

"Absolutely not. I forbid it. There is no way that…that man is coming anywhere near this house again. I'll kill him." This time I did scream ignoring the bombardment of questioning thoughts from the others in the house and Bella's whimpers from our room.

"Edward, enough. When he comes you can leave, problem solved. He won't stay long." Carlisle was not rising to the bait, but he looked annoyed. I knew what was coming if I didn't get myself under control.

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I thought I would appeal to reason. "Bella can't travel yet, she's still a newborn. When do you think he might come back?"

"Soon. Carmen thinks Nigel is a bad influence on Eleazar so the visit won't last long and I didn't say anything about Bella going anywhere, just you." His absolute refusal to sympathize with a highly inappropriate visit from this scoundrel was unbelievable to me.

I opened and shut my mouth several times trying to find words that wouldn't land me on my hands and knees, but as it turned out, I didn't need to speak.

Edward, relax. You've coupled with Bella; she is yours for all time. Nothing Nigel could do would draw Bella from your side. What Nigel did was not wrong. He found a newborn alone and he tried to defuse the situation in a way that was safe for both of them. He wouldn't have known that she was your mate and he was not trying to steal her from you. You should be thankful it was he that found Bella or we could be mourning her loss rather than celebrating your mating.

"He almost killed her. He almost killed me. If Bella hadn't intervened, I would be dead." I would play to his sympathies as a father. "I assume Esme wouldn't want him in her house if he killed me or would I be wrong?"

I wasn't sure what was more aggravating, the laughter from my family from various places in the house or Carlisle rolling his eyes at my dramatics.

"Let's not worry about this now. Nigel has a tendency to get distracted. He may not come at all."

"Fine." Storming from the room, I brushed off Esme's hand and bound up the stairs to my room. Immediately, Bella's scent calmed me. For as horrible as this day had been, it was perhaps the best day of my life. Bella was mine, mine forever and what's more I was hers, she saw me as her mate and would love me for all time.

"Edward, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault," she whispered, rushing into my arms. "I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be ridiculous, love. You were only reacting to your instincts and if I'd been keeping a closer eye on you, Nigel would never have gotten near you." I kissed the top of her head, then forehead, then nose and finally her sweet mouth, devouring her lips, relishing her taste and touch as she pulled me to her hungrily, painfully. I pushed her against the door, conveniently shutting it and thrust against her spread legs. She was dressed in a lovely blue dress, a dress that was soon in shreds on the floor beneath her feet. As I entered her for the second time that day, I understood the uncontrollable desire that Emmett had tried to explain to me during his newborn days when he and Rosalie mated with uncontrolled abandon, often several times a day. My desire for my mate was overpowering and as Bella eagerly wrapped her legs around my waist trapping me in place, I knew it was the same for her. As a human, she'd been shy about engaging in intercourse when my family was within earshot, but it was obvious by our grunts and growls, that neither one of us had any problem with PDAs any longer.

---

It was the laughter that finely set me off. I was use to my brothers teasing, had experienced Emmett's crudeness nonstop for almost seventy years. With Jasper's arrival things hadn't improved and now there were two of them to provoke me. It was the timing more than anything; still nursing my wounded ego that had a stranger connecting with my mate before I did, guiding me in a way that I should have already known and witnessing the act despite my calls for privacy. Then being subject to Carlisle's scolding with everyone including Bella within earshot was almost more than I could take. But I did have Bella and I did have a distraction, that was until Alice decided she needed borrow Bella for another fitting, her body had slimmed down and toned up after her change and she needed a new wardrobe according to Alice.

So now with my mate not around to distract me and the girls otherwise occupied, Emmett's innuendos and Jasper's occasional snickering was taking its toll.

"Not sure why you're so touché Bro. You've been complaining about Rosalie and I and our noisy lovin' for years. I'm just having a little fun. Lighten up."

"Back off Emmett," I growled.

"I was a little worried about you. Sex with a human is one thing, sex with a vampire, well that's entirely differently, but I see your still walking."

"Emmett, that's enough," Esme called down from upstairs.

Great, now Esme had to defend me. I decided to ignore him, but if it wasn't his mouth it was his thoughts.

So how many positions have you tried so far?

Still ignoring him.

Ahhh, still only going doggie style. Don't worry Bro; you just need a little practice. Those females can be nasty as newborns. Better to keep them on their hands and knees in the…

Perhaps if the incident from earlier in the day hadn't happened I would have responded differently, but I was still hurting, still humiliated and mortified that I had witnesses to my ineptness. But it would end now. I may not have been able kill Nigel, in fact he very soon could be a guest in our house, but by all that was in me, I was done with Emmett's childish teasing.

I charged him as he sat with his back to me on the railing surrounding our porch staring out over the great lake, waiting for Rosalie. He managed to turn at the precise moment I sprung, but it was too late, I had him down on his back before he could defend himself, my teeth snapping dangerously close to his neck.

"Have you lost your mind, Edward. Get off me," Emmett said rather nonchalantly given that my teeth were only inches from his vulnerable neck.

Now that I had him down, I felt like a bigger fool, unable to comprehend how I'd arrived in this predicament, completely overreacting…again. None of us took Emmett's comments seriously; it only encouraged him to pursue it further. Even Carlisle's reprimands failed to distract him for long, so I wasn't sure what I could do to change a temperament that was so concretely defined.

Jasper's snarls from somewhere in the house drew my attention. I wasn't worried about an attack from both fronts. Both Emmett and I were susceptible to Jasper's influence and if he chose to use it, neither of us would be immune to it. Emmett would be as defenseless as I. But I didn't want Jasper to sap me of my virility just when Bella and I had reconnected; still I had to make a point.

"No more talk about Bella and I, do you hear me Emmett. I won't have you embarrassing her with your vulgar comments," I hissed poking my finger into his chest for emphasis.

"Okay…okay, just having a little fun." He held up his hands in surrender.

I jumped up and spun around, preparing to remove myself from any further confrontations with my annoying brother by retrieving Bella and disappearing into our room, Alice be damned, but I had only taken a couple of steps before I heard a snicker.

"I wouldn't try sixty-nining it until you know her bite reflexes are under control."

To say I took Emmett by surprise was an understatement. I never made a sound when I turned on him for the second time. He had just gotten to his feet and was brushing himself off, paying no mind to me, obviously assuming I was all bluster and no bite, but he was wrong.

My full on silent charge threw him across the yard dredging a crater up in the middle of our long narrow driveway. The explosive noise of my assault was deafening even by human standards. I was barely conscious of the thoughts of my family so focused was I on the vampire in my grasp barely able to keep me at arm's length.

Jezus, get it under control. You're starting to tick me off.

But I was beyond words of reason, beyond remembering it was my brother I held in a death grip in my arms. He was Nigel attempting to steal my mate away from me; he was every male vampire I'd ever known and every one that I'd yet to meet and all were dangerous to Bella, my Bella. He needed to be destroyed. I drove him across the yard, my legs pumping, keeping him off balance, snapping at his neck that was just beyond my reach, his massive hand planted in my chest, letting himself be driven by my momentum to keep me from closing the necessary four inches to his throat. He stopped verbal communication realizing I was beyond it and let his own instincts rule him turning himself into a formidable adversary.

I heard the screams of the females, but only Bella's stood out above the rest. But her cries of confusion and panic only spurred me on, the need to protect her against whatever danger she was reacting to was overpowering and I wasn't of clear mind to understand it was me that was driving her alarm.

I could do little to stop Emmett as he gave up trying to throw me from him and instead forced us into a series of rolls trying to break my hold on his shoulder and throat, of which I could clearly see was his intention and could do nothing to stop him. Years of wrestling him had shown me his weaknesses, but it was he that benefited from those friendly and some less than friendly battles. He knew how I could use my gift and how he could disable it. Sending us into a succession of rolls took no conscious thought from him and utilized his strength whilst weakening my grip.

I was conscious of Jasper's warning growls very near, but even he was too late to stop us using his beta status unless he actively accosted us first, dangerous when two vampires were already engaged in a all out brawl, but he would not remain inactive he would try and separate us, it was his duty, his responsibility to keep the coven stable, the females safe. But he wasn't the only one that might control us and I flinched when I heard the sound of his car and the invasion of his thoughts that didn't appear to be directed at me.

Is it that time then?

I was vaguely aware of the slam of a car door.

"No, leave them Jasper, let's see where this leads." Carlisle's voice firm but not alarmed. He was near the voices of the females and from time to time I could hear his words of comfort directed at Bella.

Jasper's growl continued sporadically, but I took no further notice of it as my grip around Emmett's neck was jarred loose when we crashed into a pile of rock. Seizing on his advantage, I felt his hand close around my throat and his breath against my neck. His thoughts were blank, he was reacting on instinct, not a conscious strategy, my advantage was lost and I would be at the mercy of his superior strength.

I might as well have been a rag doll in his arms when he yanked me to my feet, lifting me in the air, denying me the leverage I would need to break free of him. Only a quick jerk of my head kept Emmett's teeth from finding their mark on my neck and for the first time I felt I was no longer predator, but prey. I roared out in frustration trying to throw him off me, struggling wildly like an animal caught in a trap and like every animal I'd ever caught and killed, I couldn't seem to stop myself even when I realized that those very struggles were doing much to drive his urges. He was feeding off of the need to squelch the frenzied vampire in his grip and he would do it by exterminating me.

Too caught up in my own survival to take much notice of those around me, I was quite unexpectedly flung loose of Emmett's grip and tossed over the side of the rocky hundred foot cliff and into the depths of Lake Superior. I came up spitting a mouth full of water and it renewed my efforts to take down the vampire that had continuously and without apology tormented me for the better part of three quarters of a century. I roared my intentions scaling the cliffs in a few bounds, prepared to meet Emmett head on, but it was only when I cleared the rocky cliff that I realized my mistake.

I should have been listening to Emmett's thoughts; if I had I would have understood that he was no longer engaging me, no longer concerned about me at all. For a startling moment I hesitated, taking in the scene before me. Emmett was on the ground with Jasper standing over him, not holding him, not touching him at all, but his stance spoke for his domination and it was all he needed to keep Emmet under control. So caught up in that visual image I didn't see, hear or smell my own subduer until I was hit full on by a rock hard body.

Unlike Jasper who was relying solely on his rank and the power of his scent to control Emmett, Carlisle overwhelmed me with all of that plus the momentum of his driving body. I was down before I had a chance evade him, before I even had a chance to hold my breath and that was all he needed. It was all over.

Later, I would feel Carlisle's attack on me was excessive. Hadn't Emmett showed an equal amount of rage and aggression once I engaged him yet he was only subject to Jasper's dominant posturing? I on the other hand was dealt with under the full wrath of power from the coven leader. I was beneath him in an instant sucking in the overwhelming stink of his arousal before I even realized it. My body was no longer under my control. I was completely Carlisle's and he was not going to stop with a mere warning this time.

His hand clamped around my neck forcing my face into the ground, his other hand was ripping at the clothing separating him and me and this time he wasn't interested in preserving his clothing tearing the front of his trousers open frantically. I barely had time to adjust my position and spread my legs for him when he was forcing himself into me, groaning as my hard flesh folded around him encasing the length of his manhood in willing submission. His growls increased in volume as he thrust into me, not holding back, ramming at me aggressively releasing his own pent up needs with every thrust. I braced myself against the ground with my elbows, concentrating only on satisfying him, my need to surrender to his appetite for dominance taking precedence over everything else. My own member was engorged, but I put aside my own release in an attempt to gratify him. My response to his stench, to his presence, his posture and his obvious demands was all I existed for at that moment and I rocked back against him, clenching my muscles, milking him, groaning out my own pleasure when I felt the first rush of his venom shoot into me.

His grunts were timed in concert with the spurt of his semen, his hips slapping against me in a thunderous crescendo of a violent assault of bestial lust until he was spent. He held no compassion for me this time, his body was rigid, his organ remained firmly embedded in me impaling me in place, refusing to relinquish his dominance over me and I could only whimper out my submission to appease him trying to suppress the quivering in my body that threatened to turn into a purr as I was assaulted again and again with the stimulating sensation of his venom as it coursed through my lower regions, the effects long lasting and completely incapacitating. When he bent over me near my neck my body tensed in preparation for the bite I knew I deserved, but instead of pain of body I was forced to acknowledge my transgressions.

"I will only let you up if you can show that you have control. Do you have control?" he hissed against my ear.

I nodded meekly, my face buried in my forearms.

"Do you understand what brought you here beneath me?"

Again I nodded.

"I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I hadn't gotten home in time."

I grunted as Carlisle reinforced his words with another thrust of his hips.

Behind him I was aware of the others. They were silent, but their thoughts left no doubt what their opinion was of me at the moment. Only Emmett and Esme were not planning my demise and Bella appeared mortified by my position, but curious about what brought me there.

"Pay attention, Edward," another thrust and my responding grunt.

I am very aware of your heightened sexual state which in turn makes you less tolerant of those around you, but if you are going to exist as part of this family you must get your aggression under control.

I felt my shoulders slump and my head sag into my arms. Was Carlisle going to drive me from my family? And what of Bella, she would come with me, but how could I manage her as a newborn away from the others when I could barely control her within our own territory. It had disaster written all over it.

I felt Carlisle's arm around my chest, pulling me up; felt him shift, the pressure of his organ still a formidable instrument in controlling me.

Don't be ridiculous, Edward.

Carlisle had some mind reading abilities of his own.

I'm not going to make you leave us, but if I have too force you under me every single day to soften your behavior, I will. Don't doubt that. I can't say Bella would be too happy. Coupling during your first weeks together is a bonding experience and quite helpful in keeping a newborn under control, but I doubt you would be able to mount her successfully if you are constantly forced to submit to me.

I nodded sighing with understanding and relief, but abruptly his thoughts shifted and I felt myself buck against him in response.

You need your release, don't you?

I whimpered.

You have my permission to obtain it.

I wasn't sure what that meant. My hands remained trapped with my head pressed into them. Carlisle showed no inclination to disengage himself from me which left me on my knees with no way to generate the friction I needed.

When I made no move to relieve myself, Carlisle sighed and in his thoughts I heard him ponder how I managed to mate with Bella at all, but I didn't have a chance to react to his words or feel even the tiniest amount of humiliation when his hand closed around me generating a cry of surprise and relief from me.

Slowly at first, then with greater urgency, I thrust into his fist as he tightened his grip around me and the rocking stimulated me further as I felt him lengthen inside of me, his desire renewed. A mewling sound spilled from my lips and I pushed back against him searching for a release that was completely different from pursuing and taking my mate, but the pleasure of passive acceptance and willing submission to a dominate vampire was equally pleasurable and hardly comparable

Just as I was approaching my climax Carlisle abruptly pulled himself from me and released my member. He was attempting to control his own desires to further his power over me and reinstate it to himself, not allowing himself to succumb to simple pleasures of the body. It was an exercise in control and an expression of power. I was unable to exert the same such control, my hips pumping uncontrollably, aggressively thrusting into the air, doing little to complete my release and I was loathe to reach down and manipulate myself as Alice's thoughts suggested I do. One didn't take kindly to being prompted to masturbate by a sister.

Instead I pressed myself into the ground and a few punctuated thrusts later, I deposited my venomous semen into the mother earth herself, collapsing as my body quivered and convulsed, still influenced by Carlisle's venom buried deep within me. Humiliated by my behavior and unable to face my family, I buried my face into the ground and refused to move and perhaps respecting my discomfort, I heard them gradually disperse and only Emmett's thoughts of a payback managed to draw me from my lethargy. I rolled over onto my back.

Bella was immediately standing over me, her fingers pressed against her lips. I couldn't imagine what she thought, but if what Carlisle always told me was true, she would understand on some primal level what had just occurred without any further explanation from me which is exactly why I tried to explain.

"Bella, I…I…I'm sorry you had to witness that. It was my fault…I was upset and Emmett just wouldn't quit. Carlisle did what he had too. He says you will…"

"Enough Edward, you don't have to say anything else." Before I could utter a single word of protest, she was straddling me, her new dress billowing around us as she settled on me.

She rocked against me for a moment, testing my ability to accommodate her, already revealing that she understood the power of Carlisle's influence on me and his ability to steal my manhood, but my desire for her and our newfound sexuality trumped his dominant influences and I eagerly responded to her carnal ministering. Her lips were on mine before I could say another word, her tongue hungrily exploring my mouth and I lay back at the mercy of her frantic hands and mouth, feeling her heat against my much abused member and relishing her desire as much as musing over our uninhibited behavior. Given the lectures and abuse I'd given Emmett over the years, I felt an apology was in order. I felt no qualms about taking my mate in the middle of the yard or rather having her take me. I also thought it important that I share with him that this was position number three and the day wasn't even over yet.

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Author Notes:

***Nominated for the The Vampie Awards - Best Slash*** Voting closes February 28. .com/vampawards

I have to admit I'm not completely sure that this chapter fits with the others, but I wanted to tie some of the dominant/submissive behaviors into Edward and Bella's relationship as requested by readers and reviewers. But in some ways the first four oneshots read like educational material and this one reads like porn, or is it just me. ;o)

I also had requests to have Carlisle reestablish himself over Edward or one of the others, so I was able to incorporate that into this story. If you are wondering about Edward and Emmett's confrontation and why it didn't progress into a dominate-submissive encounter; well Carlisle waited to see if it would turn into that type of confrontation but he and Jasper interfered when it got too aggressive.