Twenty-Six Chromosomes
Seth sat crouched by a window staring out at the dreary sky as it began to lighten with the sunrise. More rain fell from the sky. The summer had ended and fall approached. Soon the leaves would be changing and dropping from their branches. It was usually his favorite time of year.
Tara left him alone for a short while as she showered and changed. He'd been staring at his phone for the longest while, afraid to pick it up and make the call, aching to know how his mother was doing. He feared the worst; that Leah told her about his attack on her and that she would never speak to him again. Finally, he just gave in and grabbed the phone, punching in the numbers. He listened as it continued to ring until there was a click on the other end followed by a long paused and shallow breathing. A small voice whispered. "Seth?"
He closed his eyes and smiled. It was good to hear her voice. "Mom…"
"Seth! Seth! You're alive!" her voice cried.
"Calm down mom. It's okay… I'm okay."
She started sobbing.
"Please don't cry," he begged feeling like he'd failed her.
She sucked in a deep breath between sobs. "Are …you…?" she couldn't utter the words.
"I'm here. That's all that matters."
She quietly absorbed the information taking deep breaths.
"I miss you," he said breaking the silence.
"I miss you too," she whispered.
"Did…you talk to Leah?" he cringed thinking about what she might've told her.
"No. She isn't answering her phone. I called Jacob but he said she hurt her arm while they were hunting and she was resting."
He exhaled with relief. Then he had another thought. "Mom…?"
"Yes?"
"Does Charlie know?" he asked.
She paused. "No…no, not yet. He thinks you're still in the hospital. He's been very busy with work but he's really been wanting to go see you."
"Okay. Just…don't let him come near here. Please…."
She knew what that meant. "I'll do my best. But…I'd like to see you."
He detected the pain in her voice. "I know. I'm not ready yet though. I just need time. I don't want to risk hurting you….Do you understand?"
Sue began crying again and it crushed him. He wanted to run over there and see her face but he knew he couldn't.
"Are you gonna be okay mom? I'm really worried about you."
She regained her composure so she could talk. "I'll be alright. I just …"
He waited, fearing what she would say next.
"….I'm just glad to hear your voice."
He smiled. "Me too. I love you."
"I love you too Seth."
When the call ended, he hung his head. His heart felt heavy, having no idea when or even if he'd see his family and friends again.
Tara interrupted his moment when she came into the bedroom wearing a fresh pair of jeans and a clean new shirt borrowed from Alice. It was a little on the frilly side, sleeveless with blue and teal patterns. She towel dried her hair as she walked in and noticed Seth sitting quietly, looking like something bothered him. He twirled his phone in his hand with a blank stare on his face.
"Hey, you okay?"
His eyes panned up and he nodded. "I called her."
Her eyebrows rose. "You did?" She worried it didn't go well from the looks of his face. "Well..?"
"She …was happy to hear my voice."
Tara walked over to him and tossed the wet towel on a chair. Then she touched his arm. "Isn't that good?"
He nodded.
"So why the sad face?"
"It was just emotional. She cried a lot and all I could do is tell her everything would be okay and not to worry but…. I can't even be there to comfort her."
She couldn't think of anything to say to make him feel better. She knew this part would be hard; being trapped here away from loved ones and adjusting to all the changes. It wouldn't be easy, but she hoped she and the others could get him through it. Tara did the best thing she could think to distract him, at least for a little bit. She stepped a little closer and started running her fingers through his hair. As they slid across his scalp, his head tingled and he instantly closed his eyes and felt at ease. His mind drifted away from the stress and instantly switched to a variety of other sensations.
"You know what I'm happiest about?" she asked him.
"Hmmm…what's that?" he moaned.
"I'm just so glad that after the transformation, when you came to…. you still wanted me."
He opened his eyes and looked straight at her. "Why would you think I wouldn't?"
Her hand stopped and slid to his shoulder. She shrugged timidly. "I just thought that the imprinting is what made you fall in love with me and I worried if I turned you, …maybe that part of you would be gone."
He started to chuckle shaking his head.
"That's funny to you?" She frowned.
He took her hands in his. "No… I don't mean to laugh, it's just….I didn't think I could possibly desire you any more than I did before, not until I woke up and saw your beautiful face staring at me. Tara, I can barely take my eyes off you when you're in the room. Even though my heart doesn't beat anymore…it's like it moves when you're near me."
Her frown started turning into a smile.
"There's not a doubt in my mind that we were meant to be together. It's like you've been waiting for me all this time, to come into your life." He put his hands on her hips and looked her in the eyes. "I dunno…maybe this is just fate. Maybe I was destined to be this so I could always be with you. I'm starting to believe that anything is possible."
She's smiled and put her forehead to his. "Maybe so," she whispered before putting her lips to his.
Their kiss was abruptly interrupted by a knock on the door. Seth groaned.
"Mmm, probably for the best. Let's try and keep a few rooms in tact shall we?" she grinned.
It was Carlisle. He had some news to share with them about his findings and was gathering everyone together downstairs so he could share his new discovery.
Esme, Edward and Bella waited in the living room for the test subject to arrive, as well as all the others. Emmett stomped into the room a little reluctant. He was just in the middle of a good basketball game when Carlisle interrupted him. "Ok this better be good! The Sonics just scored and I got some money on this game!"
Alice strolled in behind with Jasper. "Won't matter...they're gonna lose anyway."
"Ugh! Alice! Come on…totally un-cool!" he whined at his sisters prediction.
"Twenty bucks." Jasper whispered to him.
"Hey, I don't suppose you happened to see my foot in your ass in the future too? That's cheating you know!" he complained.
"Sorry, it just came to me. And it's not my fault your team stinks," she added.
There was the sound of someone clearing their throat in the room. "Do you guys mind?" Carlisle interrupted.
Emmett folded his arms and groaned unhappily leaning against the wall.
"So …what's up doc?" Seth asked amusingly. He figured it must be something important since he dragged everyone together for a meeting.
"You have two extra chromosomes," he said with a grin.
Seth looked a little disappointed at first but he was also a little confused. "Uh…so how many is that?" he couldn't recall how many Jacob said they had.
"Twenty-six."
Seth blinked at him curiously. Telling he was still a bit confused, Carlisle continued to explain. "I discovered Jacob had twenty-four when I tested him. Vampires should only have twenty-five. You've gained one. It's simply fascinating." He grinned.
"I'm glad you're amused," he smiled.
"You're a one of kind Seth. You gotta admit, it's pretty amazing."
Seth shrugged. "Okay, so I'm special but, in what way?"
"We know you're non-venomous, for one."
"Yeah I'm pretty glad about that, but it doesn't seem I've gained any special powers or anything."
"Sure you did. Didn't you see what happened today when Leah tried to bite you? It didn't even penetrate!" Emmett commented. Seth looked at his arm trying to remember now. He didn't even realize she'd bit him first causing him to react. He only remembered her trying to attack Tara.
"This is true. Perhaps you're stronger than you think. I'm starting to wonder about the rest of your abilities," Carlisle added.
"Well if she didn't hurt me, the I suppose none of them can….which also means they could never stop me if I attacked someone. That's makes me dangerous." He frowned.
"Good thing you're not venomous," Jasper pointed out again. "Even for a new-born, you seem to be much faster than expected. If your body is impenetrable then what are the other possibilities, I wonder?"
Seth started thinking about it, curious himself now as to what else he was cable of…or not.
"Seth no." Edward said reading his thoughts. He didn't agree with an idea that just popped in Seth's head.
"Why not?" he shrugged.
"Because you could die that's why. It's too dangerous." Edward argued.
"Well, how else will I know?"
"You don't need to Seth!"
"What? What are you thinking?" Tara asked.
"There's only one way to destroy a vampire right?" Seth hinted.
"Oh!" It suddenly clicked in Emmett's head. "Combustion."
Tara realized what he was thinking of trying. "No! No way! Why would you even wanna test that theory?"
"I dunno. I guess I'm just curious now." He leaned in with a grin. "I'm special, remember?" He winked jokingly. "I've got extra chromosomes…whatever that means, so what if I'm indestructible… aren't you even the least bit curious?"
"No, I'm not," she shook her head and folded her arms very serious.
The others certainly were however, but didn't want to admit to it.
"It's a tempting proposition to find out but it's not worth your life," Carlisle agreed.
"Yes but the one thing that makes a vampire so flammable is the venom…our bodies are full of it. However… since you have none, my guess is you wouldn't burst into flames if your skin came in contact with fire as the rest of us would," Jasper pointed out.
Tara turned and frowned at him with disapproval.
"It's…uh, just theory though," he added.
"Don't encourage him," she growled.
Seth grinned. His curiosity got the best of him and he dashed into the kitchen and took the grate off one of the burners on the stove. They all quickly followed him.
"Only one way to know for sure, right?" He winked as he turned the knob on the stove to high, igniting the flame.
"Seth, no! I really don't want you to do this!"
"Tara, you heard Jazz, I'm not even venomous. Even if I get a little singed I'll probably heal anyway? Right?"
"Uh, well actually…"
Jasper started to speak but Emmett nudged him in the ribs and cut him off. "Hey I'm not cleaning up the mess if this goes badly," he said.
Tara groaned. "Carlisle, will you please talk some sense into my husband before barbeques himself."
"Seth, there's really no need to prove this to anyone," the doctor said to him.
"Oh come on…I know you're all dying to know. I can see it in your faces." He said looking at each one of them. Tar's was the only one with a definite frown of disapproval on it.
Edward sighed. "You'll have to babysit him closely, even if you stop him now I'm sure eventually he's gonna try this when you're not around," he said to Tara. Once a vampire had their mind set on something, it was difficult to persuade them out of it. Having endless hours to think about the subject, he knew it would be only a matter of time before he'd eventually test the theory and see, just to appease his inquisitiveness.
Seth turned the knob on the gas range and ignited the flame.
"Seth!" Tara stomped her foot and yelled.
He sighed and then turned to the fortune teller. "How about it Alice? Can you see me now that I'm one of you? Do I die tonight?"
Alice smiled. "Hmmm, well I can still see Tara in her wedding dress so… I'd have to say, no."
Seth grinned and then turned to the flame. Tara anxiously grabbed his arm. He held her hand tightly with his right one and reached out with the other, slowly moving it closer to the heat. His hand came so close should have caused pain, but he felt nothing more than a mild tingly sensation. Everyone nervously continued to watch as he then pointed one finger and slowly inched it even closer to the flame. He paused nervously at first, then quickly stuck it in and then jerked his hand back waiting to feel something, but still nothing more than a mild tingle. Then again he inched his whole hand forward, slowly this time, putting the tips of his fingers the flame and yanking them back. He looked at his hand - no damage. Suddenly he jerked his hand back and forth a few times stabbing at the fire with his finger.
Nothing still.
He chuckled, ready to put it to the real test now. He turned his head, taking one quick look at Tara. Then finally he looked back at the fire and feeling brave, he stuck his entire hand in it. He counted two seconds. Nothing happened.
Everyone exhaled with relief, until suddenly he let out a scream that made them all jump. Tara grabbed his hand and yanked it back fearing he caught fire.
Seth's eyes bulged and he gripped his hand as he howled. "Ahhhhhh, ahhhh owww, ow…. " They all started at him eye's wide until Seth's painful cries turned into laughter.
"Ha-ha! Naw, I'm just kidding!" He said with a enormously mischievous grin, letting them off the hook of his little prank. "LOOK! It doesn't even hurt!" he said sticking his hand back into the fire and holding it there while laughing.
Tara's eyes widened realizing she was fooled. Emmett threw his head back laughing. It was the best joke he'd seen in a while. The others just groaned except for Tara whose panicked expression quickly turned to anger. "You…you…BIG JERK!" she shouted as she started punching him in the chest. "Don't ever do that to me again!... I thought you were burning!" She continued to throw punches at him but Seth just continued to laugh, not even at all affected by her repeated strikes to his face and body. It felt like someone batting him with a cotton ball.
He grabbed her around the waste and pulled her towards him still chuckling at his own twisted humor. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry …come on it was just a joke. Don't be so angry."
Tara noticed her hands stung each time she hit him. She also noticed he didn't even flinch. Not even when she hit him pretty hard a couple times trying to make her point. She tried making it hurt, but it didn't.
She looked at him frustrated.
"What?" he said, noticing her bizarre stare. Then she suddenly cocked her fist back and punched him straight in the jaw. The blow didn't even affect him. He felt nothing…but Tara did. She growled and shook her stinging hand. Even though Seth didn't feel it, he didn't understand the act of aggression she just conveyed on him. "Hey! Have you lost your mind! I said I was sorry!" he shouted.
Tara looked at the others. It was anomalous. "Doesn't that even hurt?" she asked.
"What? Your little tickle slaps? Hardly," he laughed.
Tara fumed. "Emmett!" she called out. "Do you mind?"
"Not at all!" he grinned cracking his large knuckles knowing exactly what she wanted him to do. He didn't mind missing his game so much now.
As Tara stepped out of the way, Seth watched as the brawny vampire came at him and he panicked. "Wait what…?"
"Don't take this personal okay?" he said to Seth just before he punched him – Hard!
Nothing.
"Hey! What the heck are you trying to do?" Seth shouted.
Emmett was baffled. He struck even harder this time. Seth still didn't even budge. His body still stood strong like solid iron bolted to the ground. It was as if a human hand had struck him. Emmett started getting annoyed. "Okay, could you at least act like this is hurting you? You're damaging my ego here," he complained.
"What?" Seth shrugged.
Edward had a thought. "Um…Bella. Could we borrow your talents for a moment?" he asked sweetly.
"No problem." She grinned and stepped forward cracking her knuckles just like Emmett did.
Seth started figuring it out their plan.
"Uh…wait a sec now," he said nervously.
Bella concentrated hard and then nodded at Emmett. He cocked his fist back but as soon as he went to hit Seth his hand missed and went right past Seth's shoulder. Emmett immediately struck again but his hand went past Seth's head on the other side.
"Quit dodging me!" Emmett whined.
"No way!" he said leaping around trying not to get hit.
"Oh,h I see…" he laughed. "You're not afraid to stick your hand in a little flame but you're scared of me," he teased.
Just then Seth stopped moving and Emmett hit him right dead center in the chest but his fist bounced off with a loud thud. Emmett growled clutching his aching hand and before he even saw it coming Seth threw a punch, knocking Emmett across the room in a defensive counter. His head hit the island cracking the granite counter top.
Esme clenched her teeth together and groaned. Rarely did they ever see her lose her temper but there were a few occasions. She had to have a lot of patients to be able to deal with new born vampires. They went through a lot of broken furniture and patched a lot of dry wall over the years.
Everyone just stared in awe at what they witnessed.
"Uh…I am SO sorry Mrs. C." He cringed feeling pretty horrible for all the damage he'd caused to the house.
Emmett rubbed his sore head as he got up and gave Seth an unpleasant look.
"No hard feelings?" Seth said to him with a grin. Emmett growled in reply.
"In Seth's defense, you did provoke a baby vampire," Jasper said.
"So why didn't my shield work?" Bella asked.
"I think because it had nothing to shield Emmett from. Seth's strength is a part of his genetic make-up. It's simply not a gift, it's what he is," Edward explained.
"Fascinating," Carlisle gleamed.
Emmett huffed and stomped back into the other room to watch the rest of his game. Jasper followed to collect his bet money and the girls went back to their previous activities. The rest of them stayed to clean up the kitchen.
"I'm really, really sorry Esme," Seth said to her again after s he swept the crumbled granite chunks into a dust pan and emptied them into the trash. She sighed. "I know you are. I also know you didn't mean to do that. We shouldn't have let Emmett treat you like a punching bag, even though you didn't seem to feel a thing."
"I really didn't. I didn't mean to hurt him either. It was just a reflex."
"We know sweetie." She patted his shoulder.
As they finished cleaning up, Carlisle took a call on his cell. It was Jacob calling to tell him they were on their way over and why. Edward's expression suddenly went from happy to distress when he listened in. Jacob also expressed his concern about Seth being in the house when they arrived. Not wanting to take any chances, Edward agreed allowed Tara take him to their cottage while Carlisle examined Renesmee. Everyone got a huge shock when they saw her getting out of the car. She looked nearly full term now.
Edward's feared the worst the instant he saw her. It was almost surreal and entirely too familiar to him. He immediately ran to her to help get her inside. "Do you need me to carry you?" he asked her.
She rolled her eyes. "I'm pregnant dad, not crippled," she said waddling towards the house.
"You look…" he started to speak but then got a mental message from Jacob warning him not to mention her size in any way.
"…uncomfortable," he finished trying to carefully phrase his sentence.
Renesmee gave him an annoyed look. "I feel great dad. Strong as ever. Please don't start fussing over me. This is no big deal."
He walked by her side and offered his hand to her as she started up the front steps. "You are my only daughter sweet heart. If I can't fuss over you, I have no one else," he smiled.
She smiled back. "Well don't worry, pretty soon you're about to have two more kids to fuss over," she replied.
Carlisle got the ultrasound out first thing and started looking around, rolling the probe over her abdomen. The little peas in her belly had grown much larger. Only a few days ago they looked at the tiny silhouettes in her abdomen that were forming arms and legs and fingers and toes. Now they both looked more defined, more like babies all curled up in a ball. One of them was sucking a thumb. The girls all hovered around, awing and cooing at the image. They were all enjoying experiencing pregnancy vicariously through Renesmee.
The doctor started to focus more on the baby in the back now. He kept trying to get a good image but it was hidden. Edward listened to his thoughts as he rolled the probes over and under examining the picture on the screen.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
Carlisle hesitated.
This guy seems to be a little smaller than the other one. It concerns me but we'll just keep an eye on him. The amniotic fluid levels appeared low as well but he didn't mention it to her. Only Edward knew now that he was listening to all his thoughts.
"Him?" Renesmee noticed the word he used was a gender and not and it this time.
Carlisle grinned at her. He rolled the probe a little lower and pointed. "Mmm, yup. If I remember my biology correctly, that's definitely a him." He winked.
"And the other?" she asked.
"Both boys," see replied
Renesmee smiled from ear to ear. The girls were all taking turns hugging her.
"Hey don't squish them!" Jacob complained.
"Oh don't worry Jake. We'll all be very careful with her," Esme assured him.
"I'd like to keep you here a while to keep an eye on things," Carlisle added.
"How long?" Jacob questioned.
"Just a few days hopefully. I'd like to monitor them just till I'm sure there are no problems and then you can go home."
She shrugged her shoulders. "Okay sure. It's just a few days."
Carlisle set her up in a comfortable bed near the television. He kept the monitors on her belly to track the babies' heartbeats and activity. The all girls took turns feeling them kick while Emmett and Jasper tuned in to some boxing. Emmett was trying to gain back some of the money he'd lost.
Edward made a call to see if Tara would be able to handle Seth alone for a few days explaining that they needed to keep Renesmee there for a bit longer than expected. Tara of course had no problem with it. She assured Edward she would keep a close eye on him and call if they needed anything.
"Oh and one more thing…" Edward said just before hanging up.
"What's that?" Tara asked.
"Try not to let him destroy the house."
The Cottage
Seth had only been there couple times before but he'd never actually gone in the house.
He walked around, looking at everything. Though the place was small, he took his time giving himself a tour, observing the designs and features on all the items throughout the place. An object as simple as a wood picture frame was simply fascinating to him - each grain in the wood, clearly visible to his keen eyes. It amused Tara to watch him wander about curiously. He was like a blind man seeing the world for the first time. He started to understand why vampires became so easily distracted at times. He spent nearly thirty minutes alone just studying the texture of the ceiling, counting the cracks and the patterns. Simple items he took for granted before had so much more appeal to him now. When she finally managed to get him to sit still and watch a movie with her he became distracted again between thinking about his mother, Leah, Jacob and then without realizing it, be began counting the fibers in the carpet. He was finally interrupted by the phone in his pocket when it started to buzz.
"Edward?" Tara asked.
Seth pulled it out and looked at it. "Nope, it's Ness." He smiled reading her text.
Sorry I got you kicked out of the house. Jake told me everything! How are you handling it?
"What's she saying?" Tara asked.
"She's apologizing for getting me kicked out of the house."
Tara giggled. It was just like Renesmee to think about others before herself.
"And she wants to know how I'm doing."
No worries. How are the babies?
Fine so far….I can't see my feet anymore!
LOL Send me a pic
Kk. One sec.
Within less than a minute a picture came through.
"Holy cow! Look at her!" Seth said.
Tara grabbed the phone and gasped. "She's huge! That happened over night?"
"Guess so."
You sure there are only two babies in there? LOL
Hey! I can still break your other arm you know!
Ha! Not anymore. Didn't you hear… I'm like a super vampire.
LOL Cool! Maybe they'll make a comic book out of you.
He laughed. Perfect!
OK. Your turn. What does vampire Seth look like?
He got an idea. He googled a picture of Nosferatu and downloaded it, then sent it to her.
He waited.
SETH!
He snickered.
No fair! You got to see me!
He sighed.
"What on Earth are you two going on about?" Tara asked.
"She wants a picture of me now."
Tara shrugged. "So, send her one." She grabbed the phone from his hand.
"Hey…"
She held the phone up to him. "Show me your teeth." She winked but he just frowned.
"Well that's not gonna work." She snapped a picture of his eyes, then forwarded it to her and handed him the phone back.
Renesmee answered back. OMG! she replied.
Yeah…
It will all be ok…you'll see.
Hoping…
I miss u. Jake too.
Miss u too kid.
There was a short pause before she replied.
Ooh pizza's here!
Wish I could say I was jealous he replied.
LOL We've totally traded diets haven't we?
Think so. Go feed your babies. ttyl ~ Seth
He stuck his phone back in his jeans pocket and tried to get back into the plot but so many other things kept running through his mind. He couldn't believe how busy the mind of a vampire was. The distractions were nice however, keeping his mind off worrying and the constant burning in the back of his throat.
As the day passed and the night approached, Seth ran out of things in the house to occupy his mind. By the middle of the night he was pacing and staring out the window. The house started feeling like a prison now and he wasn't quite sure how long he would be able to tolerate being cooped up like a caged animal until his desire to hunt and kill faded – if it ever faded.
Even though he enjoyed hunting the elk and the way its blood smelled and tasted, he had no idea how it compared to human blood. It was something he had not had the opportunity to experience yet and he was afraid to get anywhere near it. He wasn't sure if anyone would be able to stop him now if he came in contact with a human and couldn't control himself.
"You look troubled again." Tara noticed.
"Yeah…it's just…I'm going crazy. I'm bored. It's three a.m. and I'm usually sleeping at this hour. I don't know how you do it. I guess I can see why you guys are all ridiculously smart, having have a gazillion hours on your hands so you can just read and studying arts but I'm just not that kinda guy. I like being outside, riding my motorcycle and hanging out at the beach. Heck, I'd rather be fixing a car than cooped up in here like this."
"We're not all like that. I mean you'll learn everything you do faster and easier, but we all cling to the things we liked before the change. Emmett spends hours watching and playing sports. It's what he loves. Alice likes fashion and Esme like home making and charity work….once you feel comfortable around humans again you can go back to working with Jacob. I don't see why not."
He gave her battered look. "I can?" he paused and she waited for him to continue. "I…I can't even stop thinking about ….I wanna …"
He struggled to get the words out but Tara instantly saw it in his face what he needed. "You're thirsty?"
He nodded.
"Be right back then." Tara left the room and returned in a matter of seconds with a couple pints of blood.
"Here... Carlisle made sure the place was stocked up. This way you don't have to risk leaving."
He just stared at the bag.
"What's wrong?"
"I liked hunting."
"I know, I'm sorry but we can go later when you have more escorts."
Tara helped him out by putting a small tear in the top so he could smell the blood inside. His throat fired up. He wanted it badly.
"Go ahead. You know you want it." She held it out offering it to him. She watched him wide eyed as he put his lips to the opening and began drinking. The bag was empty in seconds.
"More?" she asked.
He nodded. His body trembled, aching for the blood.
She quickly brought him more and fed him until he seemed more calm and satisfied. "You shouldn't let yourself go that long. If you desire to feed you should just say something. You need more blood than we do right now because you're so young." She explained.
He nodded. "I suppose, I just hate to admit it."
"Admit what?"
"That I really want it. I can't even wrap my head around it. It's all I think about…well almost all I think about," he touched her face with one finger caressing her cheek with it.
She grinned.
"But…" he looked guilty even as he said it. "I liked the feeling of hunting something down and killing it and the taste. The satisfaction I got from it. It scares me."
"But Seth, you've hunted game before…as a wolf."
"I know but…this was different. There was something more savage about it. I hunted for survival before. This was pure enjoyment."
She nodded. "It's our natural instinct – we're hunters. Didn't you enjoy hunting vampires too? Wasn't there some thrill in it for you at times?"
He nodded.
"It's just part of what you were. It's was your natural instinct to hunt them and to protect the ones you loved."
"I don't like this new feeling. I'm worried humans will look like prey to me."
She looked at him straight in the eyes. "They will…at first. They'll smell like it but you'll know the difference. When you see the faces of the ones you care about, your heart will tell you it's wrong. Trust me. It took me a long time but I managed to do it with complete strangers."
"Accidents happen though sometimes…don't they?"
She touched his cheek. "Don't worry. I'm gonna keep my eye on you." She smiled.
He cringed at the thought wondering how odd this must all seem to her. "So aren't you even weirded-out by watching me drink blood?" he asked as he fumbled with the empty bag in his hand.
She shook her head. "Not, not at all. It's actually a thrill for me to watch you."
He cocked and eyebrow. "Uh, oh… really?"
"Mmm-hmm. A little entertaining too I might add. You're a very messy eater," she said with her eyes staring at the blood on his shirt that dripped down.
He looked down at the red stain and groaned. "Shoot. This will never come out."
"It's hard to get it all out of the fibers too. You'll have to write this one off," she said.
He pulled it off and threw it in the crackling fire place.
He tossed the empty bags in there as well.
"Next time I'll just have to feed you naked in the bath tub," she teased.
It made him laugh.
"You still have some on you." She said as she reached up and wiped his blood smeared lips with her fingers, then held up her palm and showed him the blood on her hand. It pleasantly surprised her when he quickly grabbed it and began licking it off.
His tongue brushed each finger and then worked its way to the center of her hand. "Did I get it all?" he asked looking for more.
She shook her head when she spotted some drops that fell at the base of his neck and she slowly leaned in and licked them off his skin. The feel of her tongue sent a charge through his entire body. He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her hair as it brushed his cheek.
"Mmm, your scent is intoxicating. I can actually taste you."
"What do you smell?"
"It's like lilacs and… strawberries, hundreds of them."
She smiled and slid her hands up his smooth hard chest. "Do you like it more than chocolate cake?"
"Much more."
She lifted her heals off the ground and reached up to him, pressing her mouth to his, softly at first just brushing his lips, tasting his breath as he nervously exhaled. The sensation was overwhelming and the taste of blood on his tongue aroused her. Tara's slid her hands around the back of Seth's neck, entwining her fingers though his hair as she deepened her kiss. Her tongue met his, absorbing the remnants of copper and salt at lingered in his mouth. .
Seth suddenly felt a new desire and an urging that he could not suppress. When his hand drifted down underneath her bottom, he pulled her body against his, lifting her off the ground. When Tara wrapped her legs around his waist his conscious mind no longer controlled his actions. There was a quick sound of fabric ripping and then before he realized it, he was on the bed, crushing Tara's naked body against his own. Her body writhed and trembled under his. He couldn't contain his energy and his desire to have her consumed him. Shrieked with each rhythmic movement he made. There seemed to be no end to his desires. Once he felt a quick release of tension, another current of yearning desire followed. Tara's hands gripped the cushions beneath her. Her fingers bore into the mattress and she called out his name in a high pitched wail that suddenly made him aware of his surroundings.
"No!" he thought.
In an instant, Tara found herself alone on the bed. She lifted her head looking around for her partner who'd abruptly got up and left her bewildered and state of tingling perplexity. He was huddled on the floor back against the wall with his hands in his face. She instantly rushed his side. "Seth!" What's wrong?
"Oh Tara, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Oh God. I'm such a monster"
"What?" She touched his shoulder. "What are you talking about?"
"I didn't mean to hurt you. I …I could stop myself. I-I couldn't control it. I wanted you so bad…I …aw man…" he rubbed his head, clenching his fingers in his hair,
Tara sat for a moment in a dazed state then suddenly burst out in laughter. "You didn't hurt me!"
A confused face surfaced from behind his palms. "But…you…sounded so …um. You were practically screaming."
She bashfully buried her face into his shoulder, chuckling. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so noisy. I couldn't help it.
"So… you're okay? I didn't hurt you?"
"No, no." She caressed his head. "I wasn't in any pain, everything felt good. Really good. You just, um…made me …well you know…" She felt at a loss for words.
"OH." It suddenly he understood "But, you've never done that before…well I mean, not like that."
She demurely shook her head. "Well no. I couldn't before. I was always careful with you. I could never really let go without hurting you. But this time was different. There were no limits for me. You didn't nothing wrong."
"I wasn't too rough with you?" He felt a terrible guilt remembering his actions now. There was no tenderness or affection. It was purely carnal passion that he'd craved and sought from her. He'd never felt so animalistic before and though he felt disgusted with himself, he craved to do it again.
"Of course not. This is …well, normal. Don't feel bad just because you want me."
"But…like that?"
"It will always be intense because all of your senses are heightened. Once you learn some restraint though, you'll learn to be gentle again. Just like with hunting. It'll take time to learn control….and practice. Now…come back to bed."
