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As always, kisses and hugs to my wonderful Beta SarcasticBimbo, without which you wouldn't have had Edward's POV, and my sharp-eyed proofreader SandPrincess Fanfiction.
Chapter V: Discerning Thoughts and Sudden Realizations
EPOV
The intrusive smell of banana and soot assaults my senses as I stand appalled at the clever stunt executed by that minx. For as much anger as I feel towards the odious situation, I could not help but feel a tinge of admiration at her boldness.
I do not even know why I am astonished by her prank. Her boldness has been evident through our brief and hostile interaction.
She confounds me at every turn with her unexpected behaviour. She had defended us when she was under no obligation to do so, and had bravely confronted me for my rude behaviour.
Most humans would never have dared to look at us in the eye for more than a few seconds, and yet, she directly stared into my eyes, castigated me for glaring at her, and even labeled me an 'asshole'.
I do admit that my attitude towards her afterwards was horrible and inexcusable. At the time, my judgment was clouded with feelings of confusion, hunger, and assault.
I had not hunted for three weeks and the sudden, potent scent of her blood assaulted my senses and made my throat burn with hunger. It rendered me confused and feeling furious at this beautiful creature who was able to unnerve me to such a degree.
Nevertheless, I have to deflect the conversation even if that means I have to behave horribly to her so as to avoid any conversation about my reaction to her scent.
That scent!
I can still taste it on my tongue.
Throughout my existence, I have never come across a scent as intoxicating and alluring and intoxicating as hers. The fragrance of lavender, gardenias, and coconut is driving me mad with lust.
Reason evades my mind when I am surrounded by her scent. I could barely stop myself from pouncing on her and ravishing that beautiful body of hers then and there, watching it writhe and shudder beneath mine.
In addition to her lovely scent, her fiery spirit and boldness causes my body to stir in ways that I have never before experienced. I do not claim to be innocent and inexperienced, but throughout my existence, no woman has ever stirred such feelings of passion and lust in me.
That is why I love to irritate her even if it makes me seem like an asshole. Her reactions are always unpredictable and sometimes even a little explosive.
Which would be why I find myself standing here with exploded banana on my face and my siblings' laughter echoing in my ears.
Regardless of what I may have done, her reactions are raw and primal, which drives me insane with desire. The desire to hold her in my arms, but being unable to, is a sweet torture that I would gladly endure.
I would rather see the fire in her eyes instead of the sadness it held when she was sitting by herself in the cafeteria. Seeing the sadness in her beautiful hazel eyes caused a feeling of pain deep in my chest. That is why I resorted to angering her this morning, anticipating that the stunt would make her react and remove the sadness etched in her eyes. But for the life of me, I could not have anticipated this!
That signature smirk of hers and finger wave were the icing on the cake. She had just thrown down the gauntlet.
It shocked my siblings but it at least got them to shut up. I could hear varying thoughts in their minds: Jasper and Rosalie were shocked and a little awed at what Bella had the audacity to do. Alice was blocking me but I could almost feel the smugness she felt. Emmett thoughts, though, were filled with a respect for Bella that bordered on worship.
"Dude, that was genius! I wish I had thought of doing this sooner. I like this little human; she has balls! I bet she would make an excellent accomplice in my awesome, legendary pranks. She managed to piss Eddykins off, that's for sure. HA! Look at his face! I think I'll start calling her Hells Bells."
The one thought that surprised me the most of all, though it shouldn't have, since she has been keeping her thoughts hidden from me throughout the day, was Alice's.
"It was so much better to see this first-hand than in a vision. I'm so proud of Bella for standing up to Edward and managing to get under his skin. She will be able to keep him on his toes in the future, especially since his ability doesn't work on her. Yes, Edward, I know you can't hear her and you should tell the family that, soon."
I stared at her in surprise, though I should have known she would foresee this problem. Between my mind reading ability and Alice's precognition it isn't possible to keep a secret in our family.
What did she mean by saying "in the future?" Does it imply that she sees Bella and me continuing our rather fierce interaction?
The thought of any future with Bella brings a sudden smile to my face. I quickly mask it to avoid unnecessary questioning. I know that Jasper would be able to detect my rapidly changing emotions, but he would refrain from outwardly commenting on it out of respect for my privacy.
Edward, your emotions are all over the place. If you need me, brother, I'm here for you.
I'm extremely grateful for having Jasper as a brother. Unlike Alice, he does not press on matters; he simply provides me assistance when I ask.
It doesn't escape my notice that my devious sister has blocked her thoughts from me once again. I am far too delighted at the prospect of having any future interaction with Bella to be bothered by Alice.
She is right, though, I should tell my family about my inability to read Bella's mind. How they haven't been able to figure that out on their own, though, is a mystery to me. Surely, they can't think that I would have let her do what she had done to my car if I had read it in her mind?
I ignore the sound of phones clicking, capturing my embarrassing state, and get into the driver's seat with my siblings following suit.
On the drive home, I decide to tell my family about my inability to read Bella's mind. I can almost visualize the scene unfolding in my mind: Emmett would be amused and his admiration for Bella would increase. Jasper would be more cautious, not wanting this inconvenience to cause future problems for our family and his Alice. Alice, on the other hand, would probably be thrilled, seeing me unnerved, and enjoy seeing visions of Bella and I shouting at each other . And, as for Esme and Carlisle, they would be happy for me, knowing that a girl has finally caught my attention.
Five minutes later we reach our haven. Alice called a family meeting on the way home and now we are sitting at the dining room table waiting for Carlisle to return from the hospital.
"Edward, dear, what happened? Why do you smell of banana? Did Emmett do this?" Esme asks, giving Emmett a reproachful look.
"Hey! Why does everyone always blame me?" Emmett asks with a pout.
Everyone, except for me, rolls their eyes. I cut in before he says anything else. I don't want to repeat myself twice.
"I will explain everything when Carlisle arrives. Now if you will excuse me, I must take a shower."
~E&I~
The sound of the Mercedes engine could be heard from the main road.
A few minutes later the car is parked in the driveway and Carlisle steps through the front door.
His thoughts are unassuming. They simply convey curiosity.
He does not immediately think of the worst and that makes him the best of us all. His unfailing confidence and trust in his family astounds me.
He walks into the dining room, kisses Esme's cheek in greeting, and sits at the head of the table, holding her hand in his.
He glances at each of us calmly and asks, "Why have you called a family meeting, Alice?"
I answer, in her stead, again. "Carlisle, she has called a family meeting because there has been a- recent development. I am sure you have heard of a Bella Swan who has recently moved here."
He nods his head. "Yes, Chief Swan's daughter. Even the hospital staff has been talking about her. Some of them have conjured, uh, I would say borderline wild theories for her coming to live here." He says the last sentence in a disapproving tone.
I am surprised at his choice of word. "What are these wild theories?"
He looks at me curiously and says. "Some of the staff have been speculating that she moved here because she was involved in gang related activities or because she caused problems at the school she attended while living there with her mother. Others are speculating that her mother sent her away to enjoy spending time with men."
He then adds. "This would not be an issue had they speculated amongst themselves, except, they have been conveying their speculations to patients. The incident happened a few times with me present and I had to lecture them after about acting professionally."
Anger flares up in me and I clench my fist under the table in order to stop myself from punching something or preferably tearing someone apart. I am surprised at my reactions where Bella is concerned, but I should not be, especially since she has become someone special, wonderful, and incredibly beautiful for me.
A wave of calm washes over me and I am thankful for his gift.
You're welcome, Edward.
I could not imagine why anyone would assume that Bella might be violent. Bella can sometimes be hot-headed and an absolute minx, but she is kind, smart, sensitive, quick-witted, and positively lovely. What could have possibly compelled them to speculate such horrible things about her?
Esme's thoughts mirror mine. Always compassionate, she feels sad and angry that anyone would say such things even in speculation. "The poor dear. Why would anyone say such horrible things? Carlisle, why are those dreadful people still working there? That's very unprofessional of them."
"I have been wondering about that as well, dear." His thoughts show the gossip at the hospital and I feel my anger coming back.
He muses. "I wonder…. Is she biracial?"
He then looks at me and I can see in his mind what I have been pondering all throughout the day.
A sudden crack of wood erupts in the room.
"Edward!" Esme cries in shock.
I look down and see that in my rage, I had accidentally broken the side of the chair in which I was sitting. Where once there was wood, now is a handful of dust.
"I apologize Esme, I don't know what came over me." I tell her remorsefully. I take a few deep breaths in order to calm myself and think clearly.
She looks at me with a look of concern.
Edward, dear, what is going on with you?
Under her concern, I notice there is an undercurrent of hope in her tone…
I look around, noticing everyone, except for Alice, is looking at me curiously.
Carlisle still waits patiently for me to respond.
"I- Carlisle, to answer your question; yes, she is. However, everyone at school has been thinking that she looks black and that there is nothing white about her besides her hair and eyes. Most of them have been scared of her, thinking she would attack them. However, those thoughts were not as vile as some that have been circling in a few of the students' minds." I become angry at the end of my response.
I could not bear to tell them those vile thoughts, for fear of breaking Esme's favourite table.
Jasper tries to calm me down again, but I ignore him and recall those thoughts of racist slurs and the desire of some of them to "discipline her" in order to "shut her loud, black mouth."
Just recalling those thoughts makes me see red and I want nothing more than to tear their bodies apart and make them beg for mercy for thinking those thoughts about my girl.
My girl?
Yes, mine! Growls a voice from within.
I find myself wanting that more than anything. She is both wonderful and irritating, and I want to protect her from the horrors of the world. It is probably ironic that I, a vampire, want to protect her. Despite that, I know I could and would never hurt her.
Edward, please, you're driving me mad here. I can barely control the rage and possessiveness that is rolling off of you.
I could hear the shocked thoughts of my family; Rosalie's being impatient. She asks, "What does she have to do with us besides pranking you this afternoon?"
Carlisle and Esme give me a questioning looks, while the rest of my siblings try to keep a straight face. Emmett's already failing.
I tell them about Bella's ingenious prank while Emmett began to laugh like an idiot. My parents listen patiently and did not laugh at the situation. Even their thoughts did not reveal humour, I truly could not ask for better parents.
"Edward, I don't understand one thing. Why did she pull that prank on you?" asks Esme.
My siblings have been wondering that as well, and now they are asking me, in their minds, the same question that Esme voiced out loud.
I feel ashamed as I tell them my first encounter with Bella and my horrible behaviour with her.
"Edward! That was very rude, why would you do that to the poor girl?" Esme says disapprovingly.
Jasper could feel the emotion that went through me as the memory of her scent fills me with desire. I discreetly glance at him sitting across from me and he smirks at me without the family noticing.
Embarrassment courses through me as I struggle to delicately explain the situation.
I take an unnecessary breath and say. "Her scent caught me off guard and I reacted in a rash manner."
They wait for me to continue, not interrupting as I try to gather my thoughts.
"She-, her scent, I have never experienced this feeling as strongly before. It fills me with desire and I find myself wanting her." I rush through my reply.
Understanding passes through Carlisle and Esme and they look at each other without saying anything. Then both turn at me with smiles on their faces and glee in their eyes, while blocking their thoughts from me.
Emmett begins to guffaw loudly and exclaims. "Eddie's horny for a girl!" HHAAHHAHAHAHAAHHA I bet Bella would rip him a new one!
Rosalie slaps him on the back of the head. "Dumbass!"
"Ow, Rosie! What was that for?" He asks with a pout.
"This is serious, Emmett!" Rosalie says angrily.
"Rosalie, language," admonishes Esme with a scowl on her face.
"Emmett, be more tactful. Your brother is going through a difficult time and he could use our support."
"Sorry, Mom," they say, with their heads down.
Rose raises her head again, not able to keep her thoughts to herself any longer.
"Esme, what he needs to do is to stay away from her. We can't associate with a human," she states in disgust.
I'm not going to have to move again because of some disgusting human!
"You would do well to keep quiet, Rosalie!" I snarl at her threateningly.
Emmett growls at me in warning, inclining his body into a protective stance.
Watch it, brother, I don't want to fight with you over this, but I will if you threaten Rosie again.
We stare each other down when Alice suddenly says, "She's not a threat to the family, she will be part of this family someday. I've seen it."
That is, if you take the stick out of your ass, Edward.
My head snaps at her in surprise. "Alice, what have you seen? Tell me!"
She regards me for a moment before showing me vision after vision of Bella and me holding hands, Bella and me in my meadow in each other's embrace kissing passionately, Bella writhing in my arms, her eyes rolling back in pleasure, as I lovingly kiss and worship every inch of her.
As I see the visions a huge smile spreads across my face and I find myself wanting them to be true, with every fiber of my being.
The moment I desire this Alice's visions shift and I see a red-eyed Bella, with paler skin, running alongside me, hunting with me, surrounded by my family.
The vision of Bella as a vampire takes my breath away. She is beautiful as a human, however, she will be a goddess as a vampire. Venom pools in my mouth, responding to my desire to forever mark her as mine, and I swallow it down.
"Alice, why didn't you show me this sooner?" I ask her, annoyance toning my voice.
"If I had told you, you wouldn't have reacted the way you did with Bella, and the consequent fight between you two wouldn't have happened. It was important that her defenses go down as they did in order for her to indirectly let you in," she explains, as her eyes beg me to understand her decision to keep me out of her visions.
Then, her face lifts into a devious smile as she adds, "Besides, I wanted you to be knocked off your feet from the prank and let yourself loose for a bit."
I glare at her, nevertheless, I find myself struggling to keep a smile off my face and she gives me a bright grin.
Carlisle, perceptive as ever, calmly asks, "How was she able to take you by surprise? Did you not read her mind?"
Everyone besides Alice looks at me expectantly, waiting for me to answer that question. I am surprised it took them this long to ask this.
I look Carlisle straight in the eye and say. "I was taken by surprise because I can't read her mind."
Almost everyone gasps in surprise, both mentally and physically, and if the situation were not serious I would have laughed.
Rosalie is the first one to react. "Carlisle, we have to take precautions. He just wants to fuck her because she smells great. I'm not going to risk my life because he can't keep it in his pants. And I don't care what Alice has seen, her visions are subjective and can change in an instant, you know this! Do what is right, Carlisle," she exclaims angrily.
I roar at her thoughts of "precautionary measures" and find myself standing with fists clenched at my sides and the chair I was sitting on strewn on the floor in pieces. "Don't you dare speak that way about her! She is more than the meaningless pursuit you are trying to make it seem to be. I will not let you, or anyone else harm her as long as I exist." I snarl at her.
Emmett quickly stands in front of me, a foot taller than my 6'2", staring in warning at me.
"Don't force me, bro," he says imploringly.
Jasper speaks up for the first time, interrupting our stare down. I'm sorry Edward, I have to tell them in order not to let this get out of hand.
"Edward's emotions are more complex than that, Rose. Despite the potent lust and possessiveness, he also feels protective towards her, and at times I have sensed feelings of adoration and tenderness," he states confidently, although he is hiding something else, his answer is enough to shut Rosalie up.
I send my gratitude to Jasper, and he nods his head. Don't mention it, brother.
"Edward, Emmett, sit down," Carlisle says calmly, authoritatively. Emmett sits down while I run to the living room and bring in another chair, mumbling an apology to Esme as I sit down.
"Rosalie, I know you are concerned about the safety of the family, though there is no need to act rashly," he stares at her sternly, then at the rest of us.
She looks down angrily, her respect for Carlisle stopping her from defying him. He then looks at Alice. "How solid are your visions?"
"They become more solid and clear every second, Carlisle. I have never seen any human's future that far. The clearest vision of her is her becoming a vampire, though the circumstances by which she becomes one change." she explains as she sifts through the future.
Carlisle nods, and with a tone of finality says, "We are to continue with our lives here, and no one is to harm Chief Swan's daughter." I growl at that, which Carlisle ignores, continuing. "When she becomes aware of our vampire nature, and it will happen eventually," he says, holding a hand up to silence Rosalie, as she was about to interrupt, "we will discuss that matter when the time comes."
He then stares at me with that secretive smile he gave me earlier then looks at Esme adoringly, squeezing her hand before they both stand up and go to their bedroom together.
I smirk at Rosalie as she gives me a death glare, Emmett quickly takes her out to hunt, but not before giving me a look of disapproval at taunting his mate.
Everything will be fine Edward, you need to go and hunt, though, before you break anymore of Esme's furniture. Alice laughs, before grabbing Jasper's hand, who claps his hand on my back, before running to the forest to hunt.
Wanting to hunt alone, I run to the Canadian border for better game. As I run, I feel the tension of the afternoon leaving my body.
I love to run, it's one of the few times I can truly let go of the human facade and give in to my vampire nature.
My feet barely touch the ground as I silently make my way through the dense trees. The animals in the forest scurry away as they sense my approach, hiding beneath the bushes, or in the trees. I am not interested in the small, tasteless, and unchallenging game. I crave something bigger, fiercer, and fleshier, to quench my hunger.
After thirty minutes of running, I reach the Canadian forests. My heightened senses help me listen closely and search for a suitable kill.
I stop in the middle of the forest, and close my eyes, sniffing the air around me, trying to catch the scent of prey.
The north wind blows a strong and spicy scent into my nose; mountain lion. The mouthwatering smell burns my nose and I instinctively emit a low growl of pleasure. I follow the scent and begin to quicken my pace as it overpowers my senses. As the scent becomes stronger I begin to slow down into a silent advance, then come to a complete standstill a couple of miles further. I hear its thudding heart, as it pumps blood through the large animal. I sense it scratching against a tree situated to the far left of my path, its paws making the sound against it.
My legs carry me towards the lion. The closer I get to it the more energy surges through me. After a few seconds, I reach a large boulder and silently jump onto it. I crouch; my gaze is heightened by the excitement running through me.
The large brown-furred lion is now lazily sprawled out against a tree, opening its snout in a large yawn.
I smile predatorily as I growl at the back of my throat, startling it from its lazy rest.
The lion jumps at my growl and turns its head, looking straight at me. Emitting an angry growl of its own, it shifts to defend itself.
The sudden startle has caused adrenaline to run through its veins, enhancing its scent, causing venom to pool in my mouth. However, this time, I don't swallow it; I let it coat my teeth and tongue.
I smile maliciously at the lion, deliberately showing my teeth to provoke it further as I jump down from the rock I was crouched on.
It roars at me, baring its teeth, slowly advancing towards me in its catlike gaunt, preparing to attack.
My hands spread to my sides and I hiss at it in challenge, my muscles taut in anticipation.
The mountain lion sprints towards me in anger and jumps, aiming for my throat with its teeth bared. The second it jumps I leap at it, the force of my lunge knocking it backwards on the ground, providing me an opening at its jugular. I sink my teeth into its furry neck, ignoring the roar of pain coming from the animal. The spicy, hot liquid runs down my throat, and soothes the burn there. I can feel the blood spreading through my system, reinvigorating every muscle. The animal is caged in my arms as I devour every last drop of blood it has to offer.
After the last drop is gone, I raise my head and take quick breaths, as I drop it to the ground.
Slowly, the thrill akin to an adrenaline rush leaves my body, as I gulp down air.
I look down at the once majestic animal, now lying dead at my feet. I gently bury it under the tree trunk it was lying against.
Not desiring to return to the couples at home, I climb up a tall tree and on to the top branches.
Sitting on a branch I look at the enchanting scenery ahead of me. The last sun-rays of the day emit an orange and purple glow that melts into the dark blue sky. It is as if the rays are trying to reach and grasp the faint moon. For all the beauty of nature laid before me, I could only see a mesmerizing pair of hazel eyes, a hint of orange and brown in them, staring at me.
I feel entranced and excited as I picture the same ferocity in her eyes before I devour her mouth in a passionate kiss.
My cock stirs in my jeans at that mental image. I picture her responding with passion, raking her hands through my hair, while I crush her body to mine by the waist, one of my hands making its way to her luscious ass hard, eliciting a moan from her.
I palm myself at that mental image, groaning as pleasure surges through me. Quickly unbuckling my pants and taking them down, along with my boxer briefs, my cock springs free from its confines. Hard and throbbing, precum already leaking from the head, I grasp it tightly, spreading the precum over my shaft and begin to stroke myself. Fuck that feels so good.
I picture myself licking, biting and sucking along her neck... her collarbone, making her shudder and moan in pleasure. She rubs her hot core against my thigh craving release as I tease her neck and shoulder with open mouthed kisses.
"Edward," she moans breathily, begging me for more.
"Fuck yes!" I hiss, my breaths coming in short gasps and growls as my orgasm nears quickly. I begin to stroke my cock harder and faster, my hips rocking in time with my strokes on their own as I lose myself into the fantasy.
I'm not going to last much longer.
I chuckle against her ear, biting her lobe then proceeding to suck on it, earning a shudder from her. Suddenly, she pushes me away with passion and lust burning in her eyes. She quickly pulls my pants and underwear down, kissing me hungrily as she strokes my cock firmly a few times, before dropping to her knees.
At that mental image, the most powerful orgasm rocks through my body. A roar of pleasure escapes my mouth, scaring birds and animals away. The sound of a cracking branch follows. Thick streams of cum shoot from my cock as I continue rapidly stroking myself, until the euphoric feeling leaves me.
Even after my orgasm subsides, my body continues to shudder. I take lungfuls of air to calm myself down.
Fuck, that felt so good.
If a mere fantasy has left me with the most powerful orgasm I've ever experienced, I could not imagine how sublime actually being with her would be.
My orgasm washes away all the conflicting feelings from the past two days. It leaves my body relaxed and content for the first time in my entire existence. Not even one of my previous sexual encounters had left me in such a state of euphoria.
I find myself leaning against the tree. Looking around, I notice a few branches completely broken from where I was holding on to them. I was not even aware I had broken some, in my state of pleasure.
That is how wild she makes me.
I buckle my pants in place and close my eyes, a smile making its way to my lips. The feelings that once confused me, surge through me again; however, now in my state of relaxation, I calmly examine through my feelings and allow them to envelop me.
I open my eyes again, the smile never leaving my face. Never in my existence had my thoughts been so clear.
The feelings that had once confused and irritated me, could be explained in one word: love.
I have fallen in love with her. Deep down, I knew that from the moment I laid eyes on her, I had fallen for her, but was too stubborn to admit it. My heart and body had recognized her for what she was. My brain had finally caught up. Even Jasper had realized I had fallen in love, but had chosen not to reveal the information, leaving me to realize it for myself.
Bella Swan is my mate; she is the reason for my existence.
I jump down from the tree and run back to Forks: where my heart resides.
Leave me your thoughts :)