Thanks to all of you who read the re-write of Chapter One. As promised- here's Chapter Two. Such a better version (Thanks to my wonderful beta- kikithebookworm- you're a doll!)
Chapter Two- Morning Passages as performed by Philip Glass
"Edward." I breathed. I heard a low, menacing growl by my ear. I became vaguely aware of the cold body next to mine and the night sky above me before the burning pain took over once more. I screamed, thrashing on the ground. My entire body felt as if it was engulfed in flames, icy and hot all at once. I couldn't feel anything but the scorching pain, licking at every single inch of my body. I screamed once more, begging for it to stop before succumbing to the darkness.
I was in my bedroom, sitting on my bed, listening to my lullaby that he had composed just for me. It was beautiful and moving, and made me feel every ounce of love he had for me. I heard a soft thump, and looked up, my eyes finding his golden orbs, and I was home. In seconds he was at my side, his hands in my hair and his cold, marble body next to mine on my bed. We talked and he laughed; it was soft, musical, a melody I could listen to forever. I was suddenly overcome by pain, screaming out, "Edward!" He brought his hands to my face, cupping my cheeks, kissing the tip of my nose.
"Hush darling, it's almost over."
"Don't leave me." I muttered. A cold shape next to me shifted closer. I felt a weight across my chest. Opening my eyes, I found bright, glittering stars above me. Again, the moment I became semi-conscious, the pain returned. The fire blazed across my body, making me cry out. Tears were falling down my cheeks and I felt icy cold fingers wipe them away. Soft lips kissed my forehead, but they were so cold against my flaming skin. I pushed them away. "No!" A growl made me recoil, and I began to shake. The burning ate away at every single molecule of blood in my body. I screamed and thrashed, flailing my arms. I felt someone restrain me before passing back out.
I was on the beach, sitting on a piece of driftwood. The sun was setting and the waves were slowly lapping at the sand. My Jacob was seated beside me, radiating warmth. His arm was around my shoulders and I snuggled deeper into his chest, inhaling deeply. He smelled of cinnamon, pine, and soap, but mostly, he smelled of sunshine. Mmmmm, my own personal bit of sunshine. I smiled wide and he returned the smile, and I was home. There was an itching in my chest, but I disregarded it. His smile faded and his eyes were wide with fear. "Jacob? What's wrong?"
"How could you Bella? How could you do this to me?"
"I…I..." The burning in my chest could no longer be tolerated and I screamed in pain. Jacob stood up and ran away. "No! Come back! It hurts!"
"Just a little while longer, love," a voice told me.
"I can't take it anymore." I whispered, panting. The burning had been replaced by a dull, stinging pain. The flames no longer licked at my body. Instead, knives were diving into my skin: my chest, my arms and legs, my scalp, even my gums. My teeth ached. My eyes fluttered open to find a gray sky. I slowly became aware of the wetness of my body, and how there was no longer a cold body next to mine. Mildly conscious, I sat up, my hands feeling my body, fingers running through my hair. What am I doing here? I wondered. It was then that I remembered my wish. I was becoming immortal- I was becoming one of them. My eyes focused, and I saw a man sitting nearby, under the cover of huge trees, watching me. A smirk spread across his face and his red eyes pierced mine as they had earlier. My eyes fluttered, my breath hitched, and I felt like I was falling. I collapsed back onto the ground, fading into darkness.
"Bella, darling, you've changed." His voice was soft and sad.
My eyes searched his. "I thought you would be happy?"
He shook his head, responding solemnly, "I never asked for this. You were supposed to grow old, Bella. You were supposed to have children and get married. Have a regular life. Instead you sold your soul to the devil."
"No! No, I, I… I did this for you! We can be together now!" He turned to leave, "No! Don't go! I need you! Please stay!"
"I'm not going anywhere," a musical voice called out to me.
I felt my heart beat slowing. Thump, thump, thump; thump, thump, thump; thump, thump; thump, thump; thump; thump…. Thump. Then it stopped. My heart stopped and blood was running cold through my veins. I no longer needed a beating heart. I no longer needed warm blood. I no longer needed to breathe.
"Wakey wakey, darling of mine," a sweet velvety voice called. I felt a strong hand brush my cheek. My eyes fluttered open. "You are mine now." A beautiful man was peering over me, his face just centimeters from mine.
Immediately, I jumped away from him, finally coming to my senses. At the same time, I was met with a sense of vertigo, very nearly falling over. My eyes grew wide as I realized what had happened. My hand slid to the part of my breast where my heart should have been beating. It was lifeless. I looked at my skin in amazement: I was sparkling. I giggled as if I were drunk. I took in everything that surrounded me: the sights, the sounds, the smells. It was like I couldn't concentrate on anything, but everything was so crystal clear. I suddenly felt this intense burning sensation in the back of my throat that went all the way down to my stomach. Was I hungry? Was I sick? I looked at the vampire in front of me, an all-knowing smile fettered across his face.
"Do you know where you are, child?" he asked.
I shook my head, looking at the wonderful creature that was in front of me. He was beautiful, tall, dark, creamy skin, and blood-red eyes. For some reason, his eyes were haunting, but safe.
"Do you even know who I am?" he asked, impatiently.
Again, I shook my head. I heard him mutter, "Damn," which would have been inaudible for a normal person. He approached my slowly, and I took a cautious step back. He shook his head, his arms outstretched, and called to me, "Come to me love. Let me remind you of who you are," he said sensually.
I put one foot in front of the other, slowly making my way to him. He engulfed me in his arms, kissing my forehead. His voice was soft, "I'm Laurent. You are Bella. We are mates." His words were simple, and seemingly factual. I had no way of knowing if it was the truth or not. One of his hands snaked up to my chin, pulling my face up to his. I was frightened, but entranced by his ruby red eyes. His lips parted, as did mine, and at long last, they met. As we kissed, alarms were going off in my brain like little synapses. This is wrong, they screamed. I was mentally arguing with myself when I felt another hand in my hair, pulling me closer to him, deepening the kiss. His kiss screamed, this is right! Believe me! I hushed the alarms and kissed him back, forcibly. I didn't realize how forcibly until I tasted a metallic elixir that awakened all my senses. I heard him laugh against my lips, and I growled.
He broke the kiss, "I think it's time to go hunting. You seem hungry." He took my hand and led me into the trees. Hungry. Yes, very very hungry, I thought, wishing I could bring my lips back to his, so as to drink that sweet tonic of his life.
As we headed into the forest, I looked around where we were. The place felt familiar, but I couldn't place why. The sun was starting to set across the horizon, indicating it was twilight. I felt like I could hear for miles, and the smells, those tantalizing, beautiful smells. I heard heartbeats of every beast, large and small, in the forest. I was curious- of my speed, my ability to fight and my strength. He took off running and once I pushed myself to full speed, I kept up with him easily, knowing that I could go faster. The smells were everywhere, so delicious and alluring. I heard a heart beating, regularly at first, then picking up speed. Something was afraid of me.
We came to a fallen log and I jumped on it, perched on my haunches. It was just beginning to rain, and I could hear every rain drop as it fell on the ground and trees. I inhaled deeply, taking in the smells of the forest. It smelled of cedar and pine, of fresh dirt and moss and most importantly, that metallic scent that took precedence of all other things. I inhaled again, picking up the trail of my prey; a breeze was coming from the north. I stalked towards it, silently, letting my inner animal take over. When I reached the clearing I saw it- a mountain lion. The lion moved into crouching position at the same time I did. Hunger took over- it didn't matter that I didn't know how to take down this majestic beast. All I could focus on was its blood, running fluid through its veins. I pounced, sinking my teeth into its neck, my venom rendering the animal numb. Its blood rushed down my throat into my stomach, soothing that burning pain. I could feel this blood giving me even more strength. I felt like I could take on an entire pack of lions. I heard movement behind me, and my head whipped around. "Mine." I stated clearly. Laurent raised his hands and back off. I went back to pulling the blood from the lion's body, allowing it to give me strength and warm me from within. When I finished, I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and stood up.
"Did you enjoy your first kill, love?" Laurent asked. He was leaning casually against a huge pine tree, and he looked like a god. "I can show you something that tastes so much better."
My eyebrow raised and I smiled, "There is something that tastes better than that?" I asked, motioning to the carcass on the ground. It was the first time I heard my voice, and I was floored by how angelic and beautiful it sounded.
"Oh yes." He mumbled, walking over to me slowly. "Something much, much better." His voice was low, and his eyes were full of lust. When he reached me, my body took over, as if it knew exactly what to do. My body yearned for his embrace, or at least I thought it did. When his arms enclosed me, the synapses were exploding once more. Wrong, wrong, wrong they screamed. I closed my eyes and opened them again, and for a brief second, Laurent's face was replaced by a much more beautiful one. I closed my eyes and shook my head. "The blood you just feasted on should be bringing back some memories." He spoke into my hair, as he kissed my head. I nodded and closed my eyes. Memories slowly rolled by: my wish for immortality, my promise to be his mate, the meadow. The meadow! Then a memory struck me like lightening.
"Edward." I whispered.
"Yes, Edward" he said snidely. "It would be good of you to remember who granted you your wish, Bella. Speaking of him, why did he leave?"
I stood still for a second, and cocked my head to the side, trying to remember. "Why did he leave? I… I…" My eyes wavered, flashing left to right. "I don't remember."
He cocked an eyebrow. "You don't remember?"
I shook my head. "No." I looked up at him, aware that he was disappointed. "Maybe some more blood will refresh my memory?" I asked innocently. He snickered and took my hand.
"Actually, Bella, I think it's time we got to know each other." He moved closer still, bringing his hands up to my cheeks, caressing ever so slightly. Our eyes met, and moments later, so did our lips. It was heaven and hell wrapped into one. My insides were screaming, my heart torn. I still couldn't decide if this was right or wrong. I kissed him back, trying to convince myself that this was right. His large, rough hands roamed my body, and mine were wrapped around his neck. I could feel him tugging at my shirt, and I moaned in dispute. He took it as a moan of pleasure and began tugging my shirt up.
"No." I mumbled against his lips.
"Yes." He firmly replied, this time settling on ripping my shirt off and flinging it to the ground. I was wrapped up in his arms, my own arms covering my breasts. I felt vulnerable and naked.
I broke the kiss, "No." The kissing I thought I could handle, but this type of intimacy felt forbidden.
His red eyes narrowed, "I don't care what you want. You promised to be my mate and give me whatever I asked. Now I want you." His hands latched back onto my body and I could feel rage forming inside me. I grabbed his hands and forcefully removed them from my body.
"I said no," releasing his hands at his sides.
"And I say yes!" he yelled. He grabbed my body and pushed me up against a tree, his lips attacking my neck and naked collarbone. Something animalistic came over me and the next thing I knew, I was alone and Laurent was 30 yards away from me, hanging from a tree. With lightening quick speed, I was up the tree, and brought him back down to the ground by his throat.
"I said no." I snarled, my hand closing around his neck. He squirmed in response, unable to break the hold. "It would be good of you to remember who is stronger here, Laurent." His voice made strangled sounds and his legs were flailing. I released him slowly and his hand went up to his throat, massaging it. His face was angry and full of content. My own anger was starting to dissipate and my mood was becoming normal once more. I apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm just… not ready." I turned around, becoming aware of my current state of dress. My arms flew up to cover my chest defensively. I felt something warm being placed on my shoulders. I twisted my body and found Laurent to be standing there, half naked, his shirt now around my shoulders.
"Put it on." His voice softened, "I'm sorry." I pulled the shirt on over my head, reveling in the soft fabric and warmth. I brought myself closer to him and my hands cupped his face. His eyes closed and I kissed his nose. He smirked slightly.
"It's okay. We just need to learn to control ourselves. Your sexual craving is about as bad as my blood craving."
He laughed and took my hand. "Let's go hunting, love." I smiled up at him and followed his lead. The synapses, although much softer, were still exploding. They seemed to be telling me that this might not be exactly right, but it was right for right now.
Please review!! I'd love to know what ya'll think of the changes!!! Thanks loves!
xoxo
