I cup my hands tightly around my ears, pushing to the point where everything around me were soft muffles. I sighed in contentment because it was a great release, my thoughts finally coming together, piecing and stitching like sewing a wound. But the release was short lived - because closing off my hearing may have escaped me from the shrill screams, but my mind was no better. Damned if I do. Damned if I don't. My thoughts were racing, shuffling like files in a computer, trying to store every bit of information as possible.
How did I get here?
How could this have happened?
Why is it every time I am happy I am ripped away from it, only able to enjoy small pockets of that happiness until the darkness shrouds over it, shutting everything down?
The cold, hard surface underneath me was wet from old pipes dripping above me. My hands stayed tight and I began to rock, back and fourth. I felt myself slipping in and out of unconsciousness, my eyes wearing down but my mind begging not to sleep. Because I could only think of one think, the only thing that mattered.
Edward.
My heart began to hurt at the thought of his name, my lips forming a whimper that escaped, muted by the screams of my cellmates. Where was he? Is he okay? Where did they take him?
Why are they doing this?
I held myself in tighter, pressing my lips together as tears rolled down my cheeks. I tried to take myself back, take it all the way back to the beginning of yesterday. I wanted to close my eyes and wake up in my bed in Cebu, with Edward by my side. The sounds of the rolling ocean, the smell of sandalwood in the air, cold fingers running down my bare side. I wanted it back. I wanted it all back. This is just a dream. It's just a dream. It's not real.
But reality is a dull knife in the back. It will remind you to always turn around.
llTSIPWRll
Forty-Hours Ago
"You are the sweetest thing I have ever tasted." Edward moaned his approval, kissing just underneath my navel. I giggled at his fingers which danced along my smooth skin, ice trailing from it's wake, willing me forward and my lips to his. "You don't know how long I have waited for you."
"You are always so affectionate when you have been gone." I noted, running my fingers through his soft auburn hair.
"I'd like to think I am always affectionate." He glowered at me. I smiled and nipped his chin, my hands dipping beneath his arms and over his bare back.
"You are. But you are exceptionally affectionate when you come home." I assured him, feeling his lips dip down to my neck, pressing along the aching mark.
"Because it feels like when I am apart from you, half of me is missing. There is a gaping hole. And I'm never myself until I return home. And when I see you..." His hand flattened against my stomach, running across and to my chest, his own swelling as he countered the reaction he had on me, my body lifting slightly to feel more. "...When I touch you..." He gripped just underneath my breast, squeezing very gently. "When I kiss you..." He leaned down, his lips hovering over mine with a smile. "It is incredibly overwhelming. Like I can't get enough."
"You are addicted to me." I laughed, feeling some of his weight on top of me. Edward was always very careful with me and at first it had sparked an annoyance inside of me, but now - now I know he has to be. But he never skimmed, he was never afraid of letting go as much as he needed to. And I loved the feeling of him - the feeling of his weight over me, his hard and cold body holding me tightly.
"My own personal brand of heroin." He breathed and I tilted my head up towards him, his red eyes gleaming with an excitement that sent shocks of energy through me. I knew another reason why he was so affectionate - because tonight would be our night. The threat of Victoria was gone and we no longer had to worry about my safety when it came to her.
When Edward said he had not found the body - I was doubtful. Victoria was clever and I had told Edward he was underestimating her. But when he arrived home he pulled up an article all in Russian, but the picture was clear as day. It was a picture of Victoria, one that looked like it was taken as a high school yearbook picture. She was smiling brightly, her green eyes blazing and her red hair furiously curling around her. The sight made me sick to my stomach, because to someone else she seemed like an innocent young woman. But to me... She made my life a living nightmare. Edward easily translated it for me.
Dead American Woman Found in Ural River.
There was a long description underneath her picture that Edward refused to read but I had snuck his phone into the bathroom and translated the article my self, curiosity getting the best of me.
Abrasions.
Broken bones.
Gaping wounds, in the form of bite marks.
Head nearly decapitated.
I felt my knees go weak and suddenly regretted reading into it. The rest of that night I had willed myself to forget about Victoria and her painful death and focused on what was important - that the dangers were lifted and Edward and I could move on. The air was lighter around us, we were carefree and playful. There was no sense of dread hanging around us like before. For once we could feel safe and completely lose ourselves into each other.
"Are you still..." I paused him with my lips, clawing my fingers to his side.
"Don't start with me." I sighed, nipping at his lips before resting my head back down on the pillow. He hovered over me with a smile, his pointer finger hooking and running across my cheek. "Do you want this?"
"Of course I do. I just want to make sure you want it." He said softly.
"I do."
"I do too."
"Good." I sighed.
"Tonight." He promised with a kiss that sent a shock of electricity through me, charging every nerve into a haywire, making me feel as if I were invincible. Tonight was our night. Tonight we would finally take ourselves to the step that had been chained for so long. We broke it. We fought through it. We deserved this.
We would complete the bond. It is what his kind calls mating by the mark. With the venom he puts in and how my body reacts to it, I will have enough energy to mark him as well. This will be the bond that locks us together. This will be the moment of truth - the moment that will seal our fate. The nerves were high, but I was ecstatic with happiness that filled every pour. Of course being one with him physically sent me in a wave of soon-to-be pleasure, but the idea of us marking each other. Of me marking him. Forever. It made my stomach flip with anticipation.
"I will be yours." I said softly, brushing away his auburn hair.
"I will be yours." He looped his arms underneath me with a smile, bringing me close to him as our chests touched.
"You will be stuck with me forever." I smirked, nipping at his nose.
"That's not so bad." He gave me a lopsided grin, our fingers find each other and intertwining. "I could think of worse companions."
"Like who?" I wondered.
"Like... Alice." Edward shuddered above me. "Sometimes I wonder how Jasper can even manage her." He laughed and I pinched his abdominals as my nose scrunched up.
"Watch it." I warned, "She could probably rip you to shreds now."
"I'd like to see her try." He challenged. "She barely scratched me last time." He said and his words didn't sit right with me.
"It looked like she split your cheek in half." I said, my finger ghosting over his marble cheek.
"To me, that is like scraping the top of your knee. It only stung. I'm sure when you turn, you could do worse." He said and I gasped, shaking my head.
"I wouldn't ever hurt you..." He stopped me with a smile, lifting my body up and onto his lap as I straddled him efficiently.
"Not intentionally... But when you are turned and we are intimate... Things happen." He said, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "We will be rough. Because we will be allowed to."
"You will be rough with me?" I asked, my voice quivering in anticipation.
"I won't be gentle." He growled, kissing at my neck.
"Turn me now." I gasped, feeling his hips run into mine. He chuckled darkly, hands splayed across my back as he rocked me against him.
"Not yet. I have to mate you first." He kissed my mark that sizzled with desire. "Tonight, we will take it one step at a time. The bond is something to be enjoyed mentally and emotionally. The physical comes afterwards."
"And for a long time?" I said hopefully.
"I will keep you in this bed for weeks. And we will do nothing but be one together. And after we have come down from the high, we will embark on your change." He cradled my cheek in his hand. "Everyday spent with you, I have been prolonging the future. Logically, I do not want to change you. But emotionally, I do. I want to be with you forever. And no one else. And the thought of losing you makes me unbelievably weary." He said as I wrapped my hands around his neck, listing to his proclamation. "Even with Victoria gone, my world is not safe for you. And I know that for you to be fully apart of it, you need to be changed."
"You won't fight me on this anymore?" I whispered.
"No." He said, kissing my lips. "This is what needs to happen. You need to be changed to be with me in my world. It won't be now. But it won't be long."
llTSIPWRll
"Please! Please! Where is my daughter?! Where is she?! What have you done to her?!" The voice screamed down the dark hall, a body in a red cloak passing by in a blur, ignoring the woman's pleas. I was numb to the screaming now, my hands at my sides as I stared at the darkened ceiling above me.
Droplets fell around me, the screaming subdued as nothing but scratches on the floor and pitiful whimpers echoed down the hall. At one point - it had gotten so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat. I closed my eyes and imagined the plush white blankets underneath me, the sounds out my window - the hands all around me.
Warm tears trickled around my lids as they slid down my cheek, my lips pressing together as I felt the mark on my neck tingle slightly.
It was the only connection I had with him.
It was so much stronger now - not like it used to be. I could feel him. I could feel every motion he made, every breath he took - every ounce of emotion that filled his body. It was intensified and the electricity was burning between us. He wasn't far, I knew that was for sure. Somewhere in this building - I could feel it. I could feel every bit of him.
And he could feel me. Because we were bonded by our marks and it was the only shred of hope we had. The only connection knowing that we were alive. Not okay. Just alive. Breathing. Moving. And the ache I felt was agonizingly torturous. It was inappropriate. But that was how the bond worked. And we were split before we could move forward, everything crumbled around us.
But I still felt it.
But the fear consumed it.
And I didn't want to feel afraid. Because I didn't want him to feel it. But I knew I didn't have to wonder if he felt my fear.
Because I could feel his.
llTSIPWRll
Thirty-Two hours ago.
I stood in front of the mirror, chewing at my already chapped bottom lip. My hair was naturally waving down the front of my chest, dipping in front of the top of the black silky nightgown. It was short, stopping just below my bottom, but it squeezed to me tightly and I knew Edward would like it. I leaned forward and ran water down my arms to cool my heated skin. I was flushed from my chest, down to my legs.
Nervous couldn't even touch how I truly felt.
And I knew it wasn't sex yet, but it felt just as - or even more so important. This would be the bond that attached us forever and afterwards there was no going back. I was ready - I was so unbelievably ready. But that didn't relax the nerves that shot through me.
I heard a noise from the bedroom, my head turning to the closed door. He was waiting for me patiently and I turned to the mirror, my eyes fixing on my reflection. I gave myself a pep talk, taking deep breaths to relax my hammering heart as I stepped back and to the door where I slowly opened it.
The room was empty, or so it seemed. The doors of the balcony were wide open to the starry night sky as the wind carried the sheer white curtains in the air, dancing towards the bed. I turned to the bed that was hidden by the canopy, but there was no mistaking the dark red eyes that watched me behind them.
I could see through the sheer fabric, that he was unclothed and I had suddenly felt overdressed. My toes inched towards the side of the bed, still covered by the canopy as I watched him stare at me with a hooded gaze. I picked up the straps of my dress and pushed them down my arms, the fabric swooshing to my feet and leaving me naked.
My fingers divided the canopy, an opening allowing me full sight of him. I took in a deep breath and gauged his reaction. He did not move, didn't breath. His eyes gazed into mine, my leg lifting slightly as my knee touched the bed, the canopy falling down my back as I was fully entered underneath it.
I inched closer and very swiftly, he was in front of me. He gripped my hands and held me still, kissing my neck and down my front. I closed my eyes, as my cheek rested at the top of his head, my lips parting as he placed an open kiss to my nipple, then scattering across my breasts. He gripped my backside, pushing me to him as my arms fell around his neck.
"I want you for eternity." He sighed against my skin, lifting me full onto the bed.
"Then take me." I told him, feeling my body hit the bed gently, his lips ravishing every inch of skin. My mouth dropped when he hit my thighs, kissing and nipping at my hot center that begged for him. I held back a moan, closing my eyes tightly as the silk sheets crumpled underneath my fingers. "Edward..."
"You are beautiful." He was face to face with me, his fingers touching at my cheek. "And I would never want anyone else but you. It has always been you, Isabella. Always."
"Please..." I cried, tears slipping down my cheeks. He shushed me gently, coaxing me to relax as he kissed my tears away.
"Shh. Feel it." He whispered, gripping my back and pulling me up to him. "Feel everything." I felt his chest against mine, his hands on my back, his erection against my stomach - I felt his chest where his once beating heart was and my eyes flickered up to him. "Do you feel this?" He asked, the electricity between us so palpable that I could grasp it in my hands. "This is only the beginning of forever."
"Forever." I nodded, pressing my lips against his. He laid me down back onto the bed, his fingers running up and down my side.
"My venom will fill you, Isabella. It will be the most that has ever been inside of you." He said, kissing at my neck.
"What do I do?" I asked in a brief panic.
"You will know." He assured me. "Trust your instincts."
Instincts? I bit at my lip, feeling him kissing around my collarbone. I whimpered under my breath, his hips motioning against mine, his shaft rubbing against my core. I felt my stomach twisting, my fingers raking down his back. "It won't be enough to change you. But it will make you strong enough to mark me."
"Please." I muttered. He was kissing up my jugular, down the side, inching so close to the mark that burned so intensely that it was nearing painful. He was so close, his mouth open as his tongue swept across my neck. "Edward!" I called out, feeling his teeth snap shut around the mark.
llTSIPWRll
I began writhing on the floor, my eyes closing shut as the girl next to me moved to the far end of the cell. My fingers dug into the stone underneath me, my lips pressing together to hold it all in.
He was in pain.
I could feel it.
I could feel every second of it.
Edward!
Like blasts of glass shards penetrating my body, over and over and over and over again. My fists slammed against the floor, my throat burning from the screams and then suddenly - it was gone.
I was breathing heavily, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"Someone help! She's gone crazy!" My cellmate screamed, but I twitched on the floor, the heat of the blood rushing back down my body as sweat beaded my forehead.
"Edward..." I said pitifully as I began to crawl. I hit the bars, grabbing them forcefully and trying to shake my way out. "Edward...!" I called out again, feeling my vision blur. And there was a bloodcurdling scream and when I felt light headed - I realized it was me.
llTSIPWRll
Thirty-one hours ago.
My head fell back, my hair swaying against my skin as my nail scratched down pale skin. My eyes flickered open, seeing him staring at me longingly. I brought my hands to his chest, pushing him down and he quickly fell from the force. The venom was filling my veins, pumping into my blood stream.
He didn't take - he just gave.
And it was my turn to give back. I kissed his abdominals, sweeping my lips up to his chest and to his neck as my fingers danced down his arms. He began speaking, something I wasn't paying attention to - I was trusting my instincts, I was letting them lead me and I felt like I was as stronger as ever.
My mark was burning intensely, his venom dripping around it as his body beckoned at me like a light. Some parts were brighter than others. His hands reached up, gripping my hips as I grounded out against his hard erection. He glared at me but I only bit at my lip, gripping his hands and pressing them to my breasts.
I knew what I had to do - but my body was yearning for him. He hissed at me and I responded with a kiss, purring against his lips. Reaching down his chest my lips touched his pecs, tingling farther and farther I heard him groan above me.
I was getting so warm. My body was shaking - my mark was sizzling. And as my lips hovered over where his heart used to beat - I knew.
And in that moment - I saw everything. I saw a little girl with pigtailed braids and a torn up teddy bear - I saw a beautiful man with bright red eyes who beckoned her to him. I saw him holding her hand and singing her to sleep. I saw the love and adoration in his eyes and I saw the fear when she was gone.
I saw him at the mansion in Italy and in his bed in Hilo. I saw him in the ocean and in his car and I saw him on the chair in Cebu, reading his paper. I saw him naked in the shower, pulling me in with him. I saw him when he was happy, scared, angry, protective - I saw everything inside of him in and out and when I heard him gasp, I knew he saw everything too.
My teeth came out and I broke the skin easily. I felt a hand against my side and a low moan as everything around me melted. I heard my name being called.
"My little doe. So beautiful." The voice said, the giggle following afterwards. "I promise I will always protect you. I will always love you. Forever."
A loud growl pulled me from the vision, my back hitting the bed as I felt my legs prying apart. My eyes opened to Edward who gripped my hips and very swiftly - very smoothly, I felt him enter me. I tilted my head back and screamed out in pleasure, the sensation of him inside of me causing me to shudder.
My eyes opened to him above me and I tried to move but he growled at me in warning. And I knew, that this was part of it. That we were to be conjoined in every sense of the word. He stayed still above me, staring down into my eyes as he pecked at my lips. My eyes trailed to the broken skin of his chest, just above his heart - no blood, but a mark of teeth that was now white like scarred tissue.
Leaning down he brought his forehead to mine, his hips gently moving as my mouth gaped open. I wasn't prepared - but it was so incredibly blissful feeling him apart of me. My heart beat at a rapid pace, my mark pulsing with his as his fingers tangled into my hair.
"Isabella..." He muttered softly, but his lips had not moved. I could hear him in my head - I could feel him inside of me - and not just physically. I could feel his very existence running through my veins, coursing inside of my bones - pulsing with my heart. And he could feel it too and the feeling was so intense that I was slipping away from him.
"My mate." He whispered longingly.
"Edward..." I cried out but he shushed me, singing me to sleep.
llTSIPWRll
The silence welcomed me like an old friend, my lips dry and my eyes closed. I didn't know how long I had been down here - long enough to see ninety-six women, men and children come and go.
I wondered if I would die in here.
If my bones would cover the corner of this cell and then slowly turn to dust. I wondered if I would ever see all who I loved again. I wondered where they were, what they were thinking, if they were safe.
Isabella.
I let out a choking sob.
My mate.
I tried to absorb it, tried to feel him inside of me but I was so weak. No matter what I had been through - I was still human. And weeks without food and days without water... I was breaking so slowly.
Edward.
I tried to throw my thoughts to him, tried to send them all his way. I love you, I love you, I love you... I said it over and over again because I needed him to feel it. And when the mark on my neck pulsed with a soft beating warmth, I knew he did.
llTSIPWRll
Twenty-two hours ago.
My eyes flickered open to the room painted with a soft orange. The sunset was filtering in, the gulls cawing out the window as a soft patter of rain hit the roof. An ache deep in my belly awoken me quickly and I bit my lip at the intensity of the ache. My mark burned with a deep desire and I squeezed my legs shut, feeling the wetness dripping. My cheeks flushed with red and I looked to the side of me, reaching out for Edward who wasn't there.
"Edward.." I whispered, rubbing at my eyes as the ache made itself known. I slid off the bed and wobbled to the bathroom where I moaned gently at the jolt of energy inside of me. "Edward..." I moaned again, ready to call for him once more because the ache was unbearable - I was wanton. And I wanted every inch of him as the memory of him inside of me brewed. I nearly fell to my knees as the mark on my neck felt as if it were blistering my skin.
But all too suddenly - like a snap of a band, it was gone.
A clash downstairs urged me out of the bathroom and the burn had faded into dark and cold. I gripped my nightgown and shimmed it on as a something fell over me - a sense of worry, a sense of dread.
"Edward?" I called out, stepping onto the floorboard that creaked underneath me.
My mark was sending chills of ice down my body - something I had never felt before. Fear. It was all fear and when another sound down the stairs wracked through the home I quickly fled down them, walking down and into the destruction of my home.
I cried out, the living room in pieces - the couch split into two, the piano crumbled into pieces, the walls stripped from wallpaper and paintings and flower vases shattered on the ground.
"Edward!" I screamed, tears forming in my eyes as I dashed out the backdoor. The sky was blood red from the sunrise, the wind picking up as I felt a presence near me. I whipped around, a unknown man quickly grabbing my shoulders and holding me tight in his grip. The venom still lingered in my body, the man struggling to keep me captive as I resisted him. He screamed at me to stop, threatening my life but I wouldn't budge.
"Stop moving or I will kill him." The voice said and I instantly stopped, tears falling down my cheeks.
"Where is he?!" I cried out, feeling my body pressed into the wall.
"Felix! I will kill you!" I heard Edward behind me. "Bella! Are you okay?"
"Edward!" I cried out, my cheek pressing into the wall as I tried to turn to look at him.
"Stop moving!" The man warned again. He suddenly took in a deep breath, his voice shuddering behind me. "Newly bonded. Yet - not physically. Entirely." He chuckled behind me, petting my hair. "I can take care of that need inside of you, Bella."
"Do not touch her!" Edward growled ferociously.
"Can't you smell it, Demetri? She is so wet." He chuckled, touching down my front. I resisted against him just as a loud thunder clap echoed in the house - one I soon realized was a snarl from Edward.
"Get your hands off of..." He stopped mid-sentence, his voice shaking off as I felt pain rack through my body. I screamed at the shock of it, my body flying down onto the floor as I turned to see Edward just feet away from me, shirtless and twitching on the ground.
"Edward..." I muttered his name, blinking through tears as I tried to make sense of what was happening. Just above him stood a girl with blonde hair wrapped tightly in a bun on top of her head, her bright red eyes staring down at Edward who continuously shook on the ground, his eyes clenching in pain. And soon I realized - she was doing it with her mind.
"Stop! Stop! Please, stop!" I cried out, the girl breaking her eye contact just as Edward let out a loud breath of air. He was quickly up, but he was weak and a blonde haired man had him pinned down on the floor before he even had a chance to get to me. The man behind me, Felix, grabbed me by the shoulder and pulled me up.
"Still as weak as you were as a child." He growled and I turned quickly to look at him, getting a glimpse of his broad features that were strikingly familiar.
"Well, then." A voice beyond me said, the front doors opened as a the thin man walked in the door. I knew him instantly - knew exactly who he was by the long black hair and red dagger eyes. "Isabella." Aro said to me with a sicking smile. "I would love to say it is splendid to see you again, but under the circumstances..."
"She had nothing to do with it!" Edward groaned from the floor, the man Demetri pushing him farther in.
"I'm sure she didn't. And I'm sure she has no idea what we are speaking about," Aro said as he glanced to me. I looked at him in utter confusion - still trying to reel in everything that was happening. "You really don't know, do you?"
"I don't care what you want..." I cried, shaking my head. "Please, just don't hurt him. Whatever he did... Take me."
Aro stifled a laugh and stepped forward, glass crushing underneath his shoes. Edward struggled to get up and the blonde girl had looked back to him, Edward writhing in pain again that shook me to my core.
"Jane." Aro waved his head, Jane nodding and stepping away as Demetri kept his hold on Edward who stared agonizingly up at me. "Miss. Swan, I do believe that there hasn't been much explained to you. And I appreciate that my people follow my rules. And those who break them reap the consequences. Wouldn't you even like to know what he has done?"
"Take me." I grounded out once more.
"Bella..." Edward said through a groan.
"How extraordinary. You would give up your life for someone like us. A vampire. A soulless monster." Aro said with a smile, his hands rubbing together.
"You don't know a thing about his soul." I moved against Felix's grip who held me tightly, my eyes pinpointing on Aro. He looked thoughtful for a moment, his eyes wandering to my neck. He looked down to Edward who laid on his stomach, weak and motionless.
"Turn him around." Aro said and Demetri did as told, turning Edward's limp body onto his back. I felt the tears stinging at my eyes and I inched closer, Felix giving me a warning growl in my ear. "How marvelous! You two have bonded." He laughed, stopping just in enough time to swiftly move towards me, catching me off guard.
"Aro!" Edward growled.
"But he hasn't fulfilled the need yet, has he? Is it agonizing, yet? I can already smell your arousal." He laughed as Edward snarled protectively behind us. I turned my face away. Aro gripped my chin and pulled me to look at him, glaring into my eyes. "Such a beautiful girl you turned out to be, little doe." He smirked and my eyes widened at the name. "Isn't that what he used to call you?"
"Alec?" I breathed.
"Not Alec." Aro laughed, shaking his head as he turned around. "I'm disappointed in you, Edward. You truly have told her nothing, have you?" He tsked as he turned back around to me. "The plane is waiting. Sedate her."
"Wait!" I screamed, Aro stepping as Demetri pulled Edward from the floor, dragging him away. "Edward!" I cried out as the woman followed behind them, a sharp twinge of pain entering into my arm and soon - I felt blackness.
llTSIPWRll
I had wondered, briefly, how long I had truly been here. There was no point on dwelling on it - I was just curious. But the days and nights blurred together down in the familiar dungeon of cages that were rowed together, humans lifelessly waiting with no shred of hope. Donors. Slaves. That's what we were.
I was back where I started.
And I wondered if I was ever destined for happiness.
Sitting in the dark room, the scent of mold and rust filling my nose and the sight of nothing but darkness had told me that my assumptions were true. This was my life - forever.
Hours turned into days. Days into weeks. I was a zombie, head ducked in my chin and sleeping in the corner. I was so weak. I heard screaming - but that was nothing knew. You become accustomed to it - it's almost as if it is a beckon of hope, knowing you aren't the only one suffering.
I was on the edge slipping fast and I knew it. And when I was so far beyond help, I had even sworn I saw a light. The screams were louder, the bright white light growing by the second. There was a sense of good that washed over me, but I ignored it. There was no use in getting my hopes up. And when I felt arms around me, I simply slipped back into the darkness, allowing whatever it was to carry me off.
Confused yet? Lots of explaining on what's going and background stories will be completed in the next few chapter. We will find out everything. Anyone has any guesses what may be going on? Love to hear your thoughts. Until next time, little does.