Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all.
A/N: Ok, just as a note. I am not a lemon writer. I feel it is my weakest area…so know when you read this that I acknowledge my limitations. :)
Heard this song the other day and felt it appropriate for this chapter. Sarah McLachlan – Forgiveness: From the Laws of Illusion album.
Edward POV
Taking one of her hands, I raised her wrist to my mouth, covering the faint script there with my lips. Unwanted. "From the first moment I saw you…my sin has been that I wanted you too much. I still do. You hold my salvation or destruction in the palm of your hand, Bella. You are my mistress in every sense of the word." I placed her hand in my hair, silently begging her to bury her fingers in it. She had no clue what it did to me to feel her fingers tugging at me, the lust and sense of her ownership over me it engendered. I brought her other wrist to my lips. Unloved. A harsh laugh was torn from me as I grazed the faint tattooing with my lips. How many more suitors would it have taken to prove to her just how loved she was? "If you were more loved, I would have gone crazy. So many others love you deeply, and it was acid to my mind to realize they may be so much better for you. But, I will tell you this; I will not do anything to make you regret choosing me, Bella. Tonight, I am going to drive any thought out of your head that you were ever unloved or unwanted. I plan to worship every inch of your body, making sure that you carry the memory of my love in every pore."
I heard her hiss as I placed her hand above my long dead heart and settled my lips against her throat. I felt the vibrations of her body against mine and incredibly felt myself grow harder and bigger.
"I need to calm the fuck down," I thought, borrowing Emmett's favorite statement to me. There would be time for the hard and fast stuff later. I wanted to make love to my wife the first time. MY WIFE! I lost a little control and snarled into her neck on instinct, knowing that the woman…my mate…who was lying below me had chosen me. My wife…
Yes, yours, and you are mine. Her voice snapped into my head.
The whimper of need that escaped me would have sounded pathetic except for the fact that it let Bella know the amount of control she had over me. I wanted to shout from the roof of the castle in joy. Mine…here now…no barriers…not even the shield of her mind.
"I love you," I murmured gruffly against her throat, letting every emotion and thought I felt come into my mind so that she could see the depths of the feelings holding me bound to her. "I have existed believing the only way I could feel was to hurt, Bella. The pain was my constant companion and made me the shell of a man I was when you found me. You overwhelmed me, ensnared me, and irrevocably changed me…and all I can do is ask for forgiveness."
It has already been given. I Love You, Edward. The intimacy of her inner voice broke what little control I had. The thrill of feeling the connection with her caused a grin to spread across my face. She responded in the same way, and I realized she would never be able to comprehend how perfect she was to me.
My fingers spread through the fine waves of her hair, anchoring her face to the red silk of her bed. The deep brown and auburn strands caressed the skin of my fingers, and for a few moments, I relished the slide of it across my sensitive tips. I spread it like a halo around the cherished features of her face. Her skin was luminous, and I brushed my thumbs across her graceful cheekbones.
I miss the sound of your heartbeat, but I think I will miss your blushes more. They made you seem so alive.
I looked like a tomato; how could that be endearing?
"It was beautiful," I murmured, contradicting her opinion of herself. I heard a faint comparison in her head of "voice like velvet" and smirked.
I let her see one of my most cherished memories…one that had sustained me during the hellish time I'd been gone…of her lying on her bed at Charlie's. It was one of the few times I'd allowed myself to risk placing my body on her, pinning her to her bed. I let her relive my emotions, my lust, my love through my memories. Human Bella lay spread out like a sacrifice before me. "Thump, thump." "Thump, thump," came the sound of her heart clearly from my memory. It had been like a literal beacon signal, calling me to the place I would find nirvana. Wafts of pure sin from her arousal and blood surrounded me as I watched the pink of her passion cover her face. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide in amazement at the unexpected display of aggression I'd allowed and the feel of my body pressed to her. Her pupils were dilated in her lust, and her glistening lips had been parted drawing pants of air in, stirring it around us. She was beauty incarnate, my vixen, my siren. Venom had surged strongly into my mouth, and my every instinct had been to bury my teeth in her neck as I surged our bodies together, ripping through her and my innocence. The contact had only lasted mere seconds then, but my memories of it had helped to soothe hours and hours of agony since. I'd believed it would be the closest I ever came to making love to her.
I realized we were both growling subtly at the effect the memory had on me and her.
"HOW did you keep from killing me?" she asked in amazement, finally seeing just how strong her call had been for me as my singer. She gazed sincerely into my eyes, attempting to understand. I could feel her own hunger rising, as she lived the thirst through me.
I smiled softly down at her. "As I said before, it was not acceptable. I could not be the cause of your death. It just wasn't an option. Do you not see how beautiful you were as a human? You mesmerized me even then. However, I want you to know Bella; you are exquisite as an immortal. I've seen you as a vampire many times in Alice's visions, but they did not do you justice. I don't love you anymore than I did then; I just am able to love you with a whole lot less restraint."
Her groan of pleasure pulled me to taste her. I placed my lips over the right cheekbone and feathered kisses across the delicate structure. It led to her ear, and I took an extraordinarily long time tracing the lobe before nibbling. A growl of pleasure erupted from me when she moved her hips under me, rubbing against my hardness.
"My love…" I whispered softly breathing across her slightly damp skin. She shuddered in reaction, her hand cinching in my hair. "God…you have no idea how much I love feeling you do that," I said, sliding my mouth and tongue along her chin. She attempted to lower her lips to mine, but I wanted to nibble at her other ear as well.
I softly brushed her hair away from the delicate skin just behind her ear, sucking it gently into my mouth. Her fragrance surrounded me, and I could conjure the sound of her heart. I slid my free hand across the silk of her dress and placed it to where my fingers lay across the swell of her breast, just over her dormant heart. I felt her nipple pebble in reaction and a desire to have my hand on her, plucking at her, raced through her mind. I sent her a vision of my mouth there, sucking her into the warmth. She pushed her breasts against me in silent plea.
I chuckled softly, not willing to move just yet. Patience, Love. I moved my lips, drinking in the essence that still lingered at the curve of her neck. She still had enough of her human blood within her body that it wasn't hard to recreate my ultimate fantasy…of biting her during sex. It didn't throb with her pulse, but the scent was still there…beckoning me. I ran my tongue across her skin collecting her taste, savoring it, allowing it to soak into the rough texture of my tongue. My hand clenched softly, and I quickly moved it behind her shoulder to pull her closer into my searching mouth. I used the greater access to bite softly at the strong muscles leading down to the soft line of her shoulder. She moaned at the feel of my teeth against her. My monster raised his head.
I broke away for a moment, panting, but she used the fingers laced into my hair to press my lips firmly against her again. Again, Edward… I grazed my teeth along her collar bone, just hard enough to bring pleasure without cutting the skin. The silk of her dress kept me from going further.
"May I?" I asked, pulling back to look into her lust laden ruby eyes.
She followed the retreat of my body and sat up. I stood to move around behind her. I knew the revealing of her flesh, one small inch at a time, would be an incredibly erotic visual feast. Once again, I took a few moments to run my fingertips through her long hair, enjoying the slide of silk through them. I brought a section to my nose to inhale the scent deeply, committing it to memory and noticed the slight vibration of her body. Grabbing the mass of it, I wrapped the length around my fist several times and pulled her a little impatiently back into me. Closing my eyes, I ran my fingertips across the delicate arch of her neck, causing goosebumps to rise along her skin. She hissed in impatience, and I moved my lips to murmur against the skin of her neck. "Allow me my moments, Bella. Making love to you…I've spent years dreaming of it…before I even knew it would be to you. You were always just an unobtainable fantasy until you walked into the high school in Forks. Then you used your hair to hide from me so many times. I wanted to snatch it out of my way that first day."
She stilled, and I used the tip of my nose to trace the line of her hair against the creamy white skin, ending my exploration by placing a soft kiss just behind each earlobe. Gently placing the mane of her hair across her shoulder, I brought my slightly shaking hands to the zipper that kept me from viewing the most alluring body I'd ever seen. Inches of glorious unblemished skin were only interrupted by the rose colored silk of her bra, and matching panties. Using my hands to smooth along her shoulders, her dress fell down her arms, and she lifted subtly to pull the wine colored sheath off her body. The glimmer of the material caught my eye as it fell to the floor from her toss.
"Edward, remove your shirt, please." What was I even wearing? I wondered…had I even been appropriate for our wedding. I couldn't remember. She giggled softly, realizing just how distracted I'd been.
My white silk shirt joined the maroon of her dress. She leaned subtly back into me, bringing our skin together, and pleasure burst across us both. We'd been so hurried the last time…so rushed to find pleasure that we'd forgotten to just enjoy. Her head rested against my chest, and she turned her face slightly into me. I used the tips of my fingers to caress the length of both of her arms, mesmerized by the uninterrupted view of the slenderness. She finally grabbed my wandering hands, linking our fingers so that she could run her fingertips across the top. She seemed mesmerized by the play of bone and muscle.
She then ran her fingertip across the thick band on my finger, and for a moment, sexual tension was tempered. "I can't believe he found a band so quickly." She brought it closer to look at it. It was wide, designed in the Etruscan style. I'd noted it briefly when I'd run my fingers through her hair and wanted to chuckle at his ingenuity in producing the ring. It was perfect…a perfect representation of us…a perfect way to announce to anyone who saw it that I was actually his as well now. Designed of platinum, the outer edges were channels lined with exceptional quality small topaz stones. The inner section had been intricately designed with a motif of hissing, swan like creatures interlaced with multiple Fleur-di-lis.
She turned to me for an explanation. "Yes, I heard his thoughts about it. As he stated, it was made in Rome but many centuries ago. It was a hand crafted gift to him from someone who wanted to honor him, to garner his support. The style was to pay tribute to his 'ancestors.' The swan? I have no clue other than it was a popular motif of the time and generally stands for eternal love, as swans mate for life. I believe there is a pendant of great value in the Hermitage Museum that has a similar design from around the same time. The Fleur-di-lis is a traditional sign of royalty. Most individuals associate it with France, but Florence actually uses it as well in their coat of arms. It is signifies a triad of leaders most humans associate with biblical principles…the father, the son, the holy ghost."
"And vampires?"
I raised my eyebrow at her in humor. "What triad do you know in our world? The topaz stones for my eyes, the swan for my love, and the Fleur-di-lis for my masters. He found great humor and pride in handing you this particular ring, my Love."
She smoothed her fingers across my hand again and whispered shyly, "We can find something different if it bothers you."
She was worried about the significance of the triad. I was thrilled about the significance of the swans. I leaned up and pressed my chest to her back, placing my lips at the corner of her delightful ones. "It will never leave my finger. Your hand placed it there, and I will protect it with my life." I hissed softly when she brought the tip of my ring finger to her mouth. She nipped slightly before sucking it into the warmth and swirling it with her tongue, looking up at me under the cover of her long lashes.
"I love my ring as well, Edward. It was your mother's?"
I nodded softly, choked with great emotion. I could never explain to her how much I liked seeing it on her finger, but then I saw the joy in her eyes, because in fact she could see…could feel it. A soft moan of contentment gathered between us as Bella connected our lips again. This time she twisted her body getting on top of me, and slowly pressed us to the bed. Her lips softly feathered over mine before she took my bottom lip into her mouth to suck at it. She nibbled softly at the flesh before she slowly pressed for me to open wider. Then I had the exquisite pleasure of feeling her tongue brush over mine. We spent soft moments of tasting each other, tongues softly exploring and then as the time passed becoming more aggressive.
I reached behind her and unsnapped her bra, wanting to feel her flush against me. She rose to straddle my body, and I was stunned at the beauty of her. She threw her hair behind her shoulders, and I was able to look on the expanse of creamy white skin, her high breasts. As I gazed into her lust laden eyes, I placed my hands at her waist and softly began the transverse upwards. My thumbs came to rest under the weight of her breasts, pressing them high into the air as I rubbed the soft skin underneath. Her nipples pebbled harder and I could no longer deny my need. I sat up to take one in my mouth, rubbing the tip with my tongue. Bella screamed my name, and my hips ground into the heat above them. My arm wrapped around her back, pulling her into me as I stroked her other nipple with my thumb. I alternated between nibbling, licking, and sucking to tantalize them both. I'd been right…I could stay focused on this area of Bella's delectable body for hours. I attempted as much as possible to ignore the grinding of her wetness against me, but I knew I was losing the battle.
"Edward…god…." She tugged at my hair as she rotated into me, dragging herself across the length of my arousal. "Gonna…" I could feel it…she was on the cusp, and so I bit slightly into the swell of flesh I was worshipping and grabbed her hip with one free hand to secure her tightly to me so that I thrust against her, sending her over the edge. A fresh wave of her scent wafted to me just before her body went rigid, and she drew a gasp of air into her body. I brushed my hands along the strong muscles of her back, soothing her, until I felt her begin to shudder against me. She slumped slightly, laying her face on the top of my head. "You are going to kill me," she muttered in satisfaction.
"Impossible, that is only the beginning," my husky voice replied. I wanted nothing more than to tear her panties from her and dive into her body.
She groaned in need, putting her lips at my ear. "Really…what's stopping you?"
I chuckled darkly. She found herself flipped to the bed below me, her silk panties in shreds. The plane of her abdomen caught my attention, and I placed my cheek to it, smoothing our skin against each other in an attempt to calm myself. The smell and heat of her hit me full force, and I was surprised she didn't growl at the way I gripped her hips. I opened my mouth to draw it in and became truly drunk on the essence of her. I knew for a fact how intoxicated I would be from her taste, and after allowing a snarl to erupt from my chest, I began moving to the very core of her.
"Edward…I want…I want to taste you…"
"Later!" I growled, going all primordial male on her. She chuckled at my self realization.
Her gasp as my lips met her heated flesh stopped her verbal directions, but that didn't stop the internal dialogue.
What do you want Bella?
Your lips on me, your tongue on me. My lips on you, my tongue tasting you.
The last vision she sent me, of her ruby red lips surrounding me, driving me insane, made me freeze, my body throbbing wickedly. I nipped her clit in payment and all wicked thoughts…other than what my lips felt like on her disappeared from her mind. I groaned in bliss when her fingers tangled through my hair holding me to her, and she rocked her hips into my face. The taste bloomed over me, filling my mouth and senses as it had the first time I tasted her. She was wet from her earlier orgasm, and I lapped at her, running my tongue through her folds and diving into her, mimicking what I fully intended to enjoy soon. When I swirled around her clit, she hissed in pleasure.
Again, Edward…please. Even her mental voice was harsh in her need.
I did as ordered but flattened my tongue against her, knowing from the tension throbbing through her that it would be all that it would take. She shattered against me again, panting my name. Was three times too much to do before I joined with her? I was afraid our first time would hurt her, and I wanted to make it as memorable as possible…so that she would have more pleasure than pain to remember. I moved my fingers to her wetness and smoothed across her, sliding into the scalding tightness of her body to delicately stretch her.
"Oh…my…god. Edward, please…please. I need you inside of me." She put her hands to the side of my face and pulled me to face her. I saw the black of her eyes as I continued to pump inside of her slowly, stretching gently.
"Edward," she growled, attempting to threaten me against what I wanted from her.
I smirked and enjoyed the sight of her losing the fight as passion flashed across her face, and her mouth slackened softly as I pushed slowly back into her swelling body again. Her face was a masterpiece as she prepared to orgasm. Her eyes were heavily hooded in desire, and she ran her tongue across her lips leaving venom to glisten there. Her hair fanned out around her in a riotous mess as she arched subtly into me. I ran my thumb across one of her nipples as I curved my other fingers inward and was enthralled by the soft shudders that followed as she twisted and arched against me again, hands grasping at my biceps forcefully, face frozen in the throes of release. She slumped down into the bed in satiation and finally opened her eyes to look at me, questions in her eyes. "How?"
"Decades and decades of being the unwilling witness to the sexual conquests of my family and viewing the fantasies of a multitude of humans can teach even a hundred year old virgin a few things," I admitted bashfully while at the same time calculating in my mind just what I could accomplish in the time we had left.
Her eyes widened in realization before her eyes lit in anticipation. "Oh my…I've never thought about it that way."
She wrapped her arm around my shoulders and turned us to where she straddled me again. She ran her fingers across the structure of my face and then down my chest, lacing through the fine hairs there. She proceeded to nibble at my jaw, alternately sucking at my skin and licking across it. I was hard as a rock, and the feeling of her hands and lips across my skin set fire to my body, pressing me closer to losing what little control I had. I enjoyed though the play of interest across her face as her eyes followed the pathways she took in her exploration. Finally, she moved lower to unbutton my pants and run her hand across my abdomen. I watched her eyes as she watched the inches of my flesh appear as she pulled my pants and boxers slowly down my legs.
"You're beautiful," she whispered softly.
I shook my head and smirked at her. "I'm not certain a thoroughly aroused male body is considered beautiful, Bella."
"Yours is."
I leaned up and connected our lips, bringing her body against mine. I growled when her breasts touched my chest, and her heated sex settled against my erection. Can't last much longer…
"GOOD!" she hissed against my lips. "Make love to me."
I chuckled in pain and joy to hear those words. "I thought that is what I'd been doing."
I buried my hands in her hair and let go, bringing her lips back to me. I plunged my tongue into her mouth, demanding a reaction. Her hands found me slicking across my ribs and stomach to touch me. My eyes rolled back into the back of my head, and my mouth tore from hers as I uttered a curse.
"Edward Cullen!" she snickered as she brushed her hand up and down my length. I was incapable of responding.
Unintelligible sounds escaped my throat as a burn like venom spread through my bones and body, pulling at my abdomen. Her gentle caresses were heaven and hell combined as they ghosted across me, and I was literal putty in her hands as certain fantasies of the last year came to fruition. Bella leaned down and started a passionate kiss as she continued to run her small hands across me. When she circled me and began to apply pressure, my hips moved against her, increasing the friction, and I broke the contact between our lips to growl out her name. It was exquisite torture, but I startled when she started kissing down my chest. As much as I lusted to feel her lips wrapped around me, I would explode if she touched me like that, and I wanted the first time to be in her body. I rolled us across the bed once more, ending up with our bodies perfectly aligned.
I looked down into her face, amazed at her beauty. My love…the reason for my existence. When she smiled softly, I contemplated the significance of the moment, the culmination of all my dreams and hopes…all her hopes and dreams. It all came down to this…
"Edward, all I ever dreamt about was being with you forever," she sobbed out.
"Bella, you are mine forever," I murmured just before softly pushing into her.
The tightness and wet heat of her threatened to break all my ability to focus and go slow. When I ran up against the proof of her innocence I gritted my teeth and dropped my forehead to hers so that I could look directly into her eyes. "I'm afraid there isn't much I can do about it hurting the first time."
I muffled my shout of ecstasy as she wrapped her legs around me and pulled my body fully into her. We both gasped at the feeling of completion our eyes locked in looks of surprise and adoration. I was surrounded in heat…amazing, scalding, all encompassing heat…nestled in the body that was home to me. MINE! I heard run through her mind.
"Yes, mine."
Who moved next and started the beautiful symphony of our first time of making love really was a mystery, I believe our bodies and hearts finally did what our minds and wills had so long kept us from doing…we acted as one.
Bella wrapped her legs around my hips, bringing our bodies more flush against each other. The position allowed me to go further, and the slickness of her sex drove me crazy. I grasped her hips, angling her body more, and I drove deeper, faster, wilder against her. Miraculously, I felt her begin to swell again like a vise grip around me. "Fuck…fuck…fuck…not yet…" I muttered internally, enjoying the push and pull of her around me wanting it to continue forever.
"I want to feel you…feel you come apart inside of me…Edward…please." She then screamed my name as her walls milked me.
"Please." The magic word.
Everything in my body focused on the feel of her…wrapped around me…seeing her head thrown back in abandoned…neck exposed, and I snapped. My teeth sank into her neck as I exploded, grinding into her selfishly, rocking my hips back and forth to prolong the mind encompassing feeling of claiming her. Our bodies took over, sinking our minds into the delicious oblivion, riding out the rest of the waves.
Aftershocks rocked through my body for what seemed to be minutes as I lay on top of her, totally satiated and at peace. Then, horror rose in my mind as I realized I still had my teeth buried in her, and I heard the faint hissing noise filter through the roaring of lust that had drowned out everything else.
I instantly released her to push myself to my elbows, appalled at what I'd done. I began to babble apologies, but instead of anger, I found longing in her eyes and thoughts. She gently pushed my mouth back to where the vibrant red mark stood out against her creamy flesh, asking for ministration. I gently licked the area, sealing it with my venom, blowing air across the angry flesh before placing gentle kisses along the proof of my animal nature.
"That is verification that I would have killed you had we attempted this while you were human," I said softly in a sex roughened voice.
"Hmm…"she responded, her body stirring against where I was still connected to her and already growing hard again. "…I disagree. I think you just knew you didn't have to hold back any longer. You are just lucky that I didn't do the same to you."
The thought of Bella's teeth on me, marking me as hers, was all I needed. I turned to my back, taking her with me. Her eyes rolled back into the back of her head when I pulled her snug against me then raised her hips upward to pull her back down again aggressively. She took over, bringing our bodies together in a primal way, and I gave over control. No one could ever call Bella stupid or not a fast learner. Within a minute, I felt our bodies tensing again and cried out her name as I felt her teeth tearing into the flesh of my neck at the exact moment I shot my venom deeply into her convulsing body.
Gasps of unnecessary air were the only noises as Bella provided the same aftercare to the excruciating burn of the area…pain and pleasure becoming an intoxicating mixture. She finally slumped down on me, and my hands went to her back, softly stroking the silk like skin in a comforting manner.
"I love you, Bella Cullen. Nothing in my fantasies prepared me for just how perfect…how consuming that was."
She laughed lightly, and I felt the stir of her breath across my chest. "You have no idea," she whispered. Our connection had gone for the moment, but I guessed it would return the minute we started again.
"My only regret is that I didn't hold out as long as I would have liked," I admitted with a certain amount of embarrassment. "I promise the next time won't go so quickly."
She shuddered against me, and I pulled her face off my chest to see the look on her face. She was incredulous. "Longer?" she squeaked. "You ARE going to kill me," she joked.
I smirked and shook my head at her softly. "I have just a little over twenty-four hours to make love to you. I have years and years of fantasies stored up here," I tapped my temple. "But first, shower or bath?"
She looked at me in confusion for only a bare moment. "Which do you prefer?" she challenged with a seductive quirk of her eyebrow.
"Well, since I have exactly one more warped fantasy associated with a shower than a bath…"
Minutes later as the hot water flowed over us, I murmured against her shoulder as I entered her from behind, "I promise a recreation in the bath before I leave." Her purr of pleasure was my only answer.
̴
The slanting of the morning sun through the windows of the doors that led out onto her balcony heralded the end of our impromptu honeymoon. Sorrow lanced through me, knowing I had to leave. Why…why now? After all the time we'd spent apart, I was to be sent away again. I knew there was no way to convince Aro to change his mind. My only hope was to quickly complete my mission and get back to her. The sound of Aro, Sulpicia, Caius, Athenodora, and Marcus entering their suites was a subtle reminder. I wanted to laugh…it didn't matter that they had been across the castle. I was certain that they had heard many of our uninhibited shouts. I was just grateful that they hadn't been able to read our minds. It would be bad enough that Aro would share it all as soon as he touched one of us…it was only a slight payback for the lack of privacy I gave all those around me. I felt Bella's arms tighten around me, most likely in reaction to similar thoughts.
"I am going with you," she murmured.
It was an enticing thought, but I knew Aro wouldn't allow it. First, I wouldn't pay one moment of attention to anything going on around me if she was there. Second, he knew he would have no greater impetus to assure my expedient compliance with his orders. Third, it was too dangerous, but I wasn't stupid enough to say that to her…she would hand me my ass on a platter for even suggesting it.
I hugged her, pulling her into my body and placing my lips at her hair line to feather kisses across it. I kissed every inch of her face before I was through. The moment was poignant, and even though I would never satisfy myself with her body, for now just holding her close to me was enough. We reeked of each other, and a shower was definitely in order. I gathered her to me and proceeded to take us to the large enclosure. The soft caresses we exchanged were designed to assure each other, not entice, and it was with great sorrow that I went to open the door. I had to go to the room where I'd placed my stuff in order to pack a bag and chuckled when I saw my stuff piled in front of the doorway.
Bella moved to my side and laughed. "Let's put it on the bed, and we'll unpack when we return. Can you find what you need?"
I grinned, reaching for the bags but heard Aro heading my way. She isn't going with you, Edward.
Let him face her wrath, not me. I would enjoy being the spectator instead of the focus.
̴
I wouldn't say goodbye I swore as I turned to face my family and my wife. I kept chanting that as I was hugged and kissed by them all. Aro handed me a missive to give to the leader of the coven to which I was being sent as the emissary. Marcus and I exchanged a few moments of silent communication. He nodded in answer to my raised eyebrow. Carlisle…my father…came next. I couldn't speak, choked with emotion. His golden eyes conveyed his distress as I clung to him in an unmanly manner. No words were necessary. There was nothing left other than the adieu that was tearing my heart out.
I reached into the pocket of my jeans and pulled out the new phone that I'd found included in the stuff that Emmett and Jasper had piled before Bella's door. My order had arrived while I'd been hiding out with Marcus. The matching one remained for my use within the same pocket.
"Bella, I've programmed mine and Jacob's number already. Alice or Rosalie can help you with the rest of the family's. Every evening…I promise, and please call Jacob and give him my number as well."
She nodded her head, attempting to hold the sobs in. She turned and snarled at Aro, letting him know exactly what she thought of what was occurring. The leader miraculously didn't flinch, but of course she'd torn into him with much more gusto earlier. Her snarl was adorable in comparison to the fury he'd faced. She grabbed me in a bone crushing hug.
"Love…I have to go," I finally said, hearing the impatient stir of those I was to follow.
One lone moan of agony escaped her before I connected our lips in a gentle, heart exposing, mind shattering kiss.
"Love you," we murmured at the same time just before breaking apart.
I couldn't look back as I walked out of the room. It would destroy me to see the unshed tears in her, my mother, and sisters' eyes.
A/N: Thanks so much for all of you who have PM'd or emailed me – or left a review. I love hearing your theories as to where this is going.
If you are reading Full Moon Rising, the sequel to Harvest Moon, I'm honored to announce that Harvest Moon was nominated over at the Twilight Original Character Awards for best Supernatural Story, and Most Original Plot. Please go over and give it a vote if you feel led.
http:/ originalcharacterawards (dot) blogspot (dot) com/
As always, I want to thank my Beta – please check out her stories here on FF and on Twiwrite – they are incredible:
hopeforastalemate – A better name for this woman would be Volturi Girl. She challenges me constantly to stretch my limits, and was gracious enough to beta this for me in a pinch, even when she isn't as enthusiastic about the totally cannon world.