Disclaimer: These are not Stephanie's vampires.
Chapter Seven
Isabella Swan
Instinctively, I step as far away from Edward as I'm able to – which isn't far, as his hands are immobile against my hips. His face is frozen as he stares at my neck, that special glint in his eyes gone, replaced with startling anger. Two undeniable fangs emerge with a faint click so quickly that I can't even understand how it happened; I can't deny that his vampirism has made me insanely curious and I want to know how it all works.
I take a moment to really look at his fangs – they are long, brushing past his lower lip to indent the skin just below, and bright white near the gums, until they fade into perfectly sharp, delicate translucent points. They are both beautiful and clearly deadly.
And his aristocratic face seems to transform just a bit when they are drawn out – his lips look fuller, darker, his skin is a shade paler and his eyes seem to glow just a little bit, the minty green color now reflecting the dim light of my room back at me.
Even as stunningly handsome as he is in this moment, I feel the furious pumping of my heart – I feel my fear. I want to reach up and cover my neck, protect my easiest artery from becoming a target.
It's not Edward I'm afraid of, though. It's his inner monster – the visibly primal one that he keeps locked up.
His body is too still – a different kind of still that makes my skin break out into gooseflesh. This is the kind of stillness that predators have, the calculated, cold stillness that can get dangerous rather quickly.
I try to back away again and he growls at me.
He growls at me.
I briefly consider this an amusing thought to have, until I recognize how serious this could be. The growling is more of a warning than a threat, so I remain warily where I am.
Edward stands suddenly, the entire length of his body brushing against mine faster than I can process it – aside from the fact that it felt good, of course. He is using his considerable height to loom over me and there is barely two inches of space between us.
Edward bends until his face is level with my own, his glowing green eyes eerily hypnotizing me to stay still. His hands move quickly, deftly dipping under the thick fabric of my sweater and trailing across the skin of my hips; my turtleneck sweater is laying across my pillow before I can even protest, and I am starkly glad that I'd worn a bra today, cotton or not.
His hand moves again, gently titling my chin back so he can get a better look at my neck.
He growls again, though it seems to be gentler, more of a pained sound than before. Edward leans forward, brushing his nose against the bruises on my neck, and blows his cool breath across my skin.
My entire body reacts – I shiver, my nipples tighten and I lean into his hands. I don't even stop to consider the dangers of what is happening right now, like the fact that I'm being held in the embrace of a vampire whose fangs are out. Instead, without my consent, my head tilts back further.
I'm operating on two levels – my rational side, which is doing nothing but observing at the moment, and the side that seems to automatically belong to Edward, which is eagerly bending to whatever his will may be.
"Does it hurt?" he rumbles, his deep voice dipping into tiny growls between the words.
"No," I breathe.
"He marked you," Edward tells me. "I can fix that."
I feel my brows shoot up, questions blaring through my fogged mind. Being this close to Edward so suddenly has left me so compliant, so willing to do anything he wanted. "What?"
Edward's hand on my chin moves slowly down my neck and around to the back of my head, where he threads his long fingers into my hair, loosening the tightness of the braid. "I can fix it," he breathes onto my skin, moving his other hand down to the small of my back, where he holds me tightly against his hard body.
I shiver again, somehow not freezing though I am pressed up against his coldness. "What would you do?"
Edward's lips carefully press against my throat, his fangs just barely scraping against my skin. "I would give you some of my blood."
I freeze, my mind suddenly moving a mile a minute.
Blood.
His blood.
I don't bother to struggle against his hold – because I don't want to and I don't feel like I should struggle – but I do feel my breathing skyrocket.
I don't know whether it's from anticipation or fear anymore.
Edward kisses the point between my shoulder and neck again, inhaling deeply.
"What would that do?"
I think I feel him smile against my skin. "It would create a bond between us."
"A bond."
"Yes."
"What kind of bond?"
This time, I'm sure that he intends to scrape his fangs against the skin of my shoulder, because it feels so deliberate – it doesn't hurt, doesn't draw blood. Rather, it makes my back arch so that my breasts are pressed against his chest. I feel like I should be self-conscious by now, being the only one in the room without a shirt, but I don't – my body just yearns to be closer to his.
"It is a blood bond," he tells me. "When I give you my blood, I will be able to find you wherever you are and your body will call for mine."
"I'll want to have sex with you?"
He laughs against my skin, pulling back. "I would hope you want to have sex with me now, but yes, you'll want to."
I close my eyes. "Will I…have to?"
I feel Edward looking at me. He does not answer until I open my eyes. "No, princess. You will never have to do anything you don't want to."
I swallow, my mind made up. "Then I would rather not drink your blood."
Edward nods slowly, kissing my cheek, then my shoulder again before pulling back, his cold hands trailing slowly across my exposed skin. "That's fine," he smiles, his fangs slowly retreating. "I know you will eventually want to."
When Edward's skin is no longer touching my own, I feel a flash of embarrassment over my body and feel my face heat up. Edward doesn't seem to notice, as his eyes are drawn to my chest and then to my neck; he frowns. "I don't like to see his mark on you, though."
"He's dead," I say flatly, turning towards the skinny built-in closet that all dorm rooms seem to have. I pull on the large Navy shirt that I always sleep in and stop, looking down at my floral jeans. I didn't usually sleep with pants and it didn't seem like Edward was going anywhere anytime soon. I sigh, stepping out of my jeans and for once being thankful that my body is so small and willowy; the oversized shirt almost touches my knees, so Edward doesn't see anything he shouldn't, though he does make a low, appreciative sound in the back of his throat. When I turn back to him, his eyes are bright and lingering on my legs. "Stop looking."
"I really don't want to stop looking, Bella," he says, forcing his eyes up to my face. "You are…extremely attractive to me."
I raise a brow, shooing him off my bed so I can sink under the covers. I'm so tired at this point that I could honestly care less if he stayed or left, though I had a feeling he would be staying. "My blood or my body?" I ask after yawning.
Edward sits beside me on the bed, carefully unbraiding my hair. "Honestly? It's both. I want to taste you, drink you in, inhale your essence almost as much as I want to lay with you and feel your warmth…"
I inhale sharply, shivering, responding to his voice and trying not to let it show. "I see."
Edward smirks. "I'll bet you do. May I stay with you?"
I nod, feeling calm in his presence – feeling safe and protected and cherished – even though it was probably too soon to feel any of those things.
There was something wholly unexplainable about Edward.
Even more unexplainable was the way I was quickly feeling for him.
It just was.
It isn't long until I am falling asleep, Edward's fingers carefully combing through my hair, lulling me into a peaceful slumber that doesn't remain as peaceful as it should be.
The nightmare doesn't begin as it usually does. I am sitting in the cab of a carriage, a slow drop of rain leaking onto the floor. My father is standing outside, his overcoat getting soaked and his top hat is losing it's shape.
We had been on our way to a New Years party when our driver had stopped the carriage to report a broken wheel; he'd left to visit one of the houses a few miles back to see if there were any spare parts he could purchase. Father had taken it upon himself to search for another ride, though he had absolutely no experience doing so. It was not hard to find another ride in Paris.
I hear the hooves of a horse and I think that maybe our driver had finally come back with our mare and the wheel, but looking out, I only see an approaching carriage and my father trying to wave it down.
The carriage stops and I can hear Father conversing with the driver in his broken English. We had barely been in the New World for a few months, but Father had known English for years – I, however, was still speaking in French.
I couldn't understand any English.
Father hurries through the rain and escorts me into the new carriage. The sole passenger is a man not many years older than me – he is very handsome and seems to pay me much silent attention, his oddly bright green eyes traveling over my face. He speaks with Father for a few moments and I wonder if he is maybe asking about me, though I do not hear my name.
Soon after, the carriage stops in front of one of the large Georgia homes.
Hours pass and, occasionally, I feel eyes on me. A young man asks me to dance in stilted French and I smile, allowing him to escort me onto the dance floor.
We share a fast paced dance and I laugh freely, enjoying the fast movements.
And then, the handsome man from the carriage cuts in.
He feels cool as he holds me through the dance and he whispers soft words to me. I answer in confused French and he frowns for a moment.
That is when the count down for the New Year begins.
The handsome man grins at me but is called over by other men who are nearly as handsome as he is.
He walks away with regret on his face.
Do his friends not want him associating with a French girl?
I was not aware of that type of segregation in the New World.
I frown, hearing the numbers count down further, hearing glasses clinking and the people around me growing more excited.
And then, there is an explosion.
I feel my body thrown to the side and I am hit with something hard and hot.
My world turns black.
Sometime later, I feel heat all around me and the feel of smoke in my lungs.
I cough and squint my eyes open.
An unharmed vision of the handsome man is kneeling beside me, his cold hands fluttering over my body.
My lungs feel slow.
Breathing hurts.
The man looks like he is in pain, like he is about to cry.
I don't think he notices my open eyes.
And then, breathing becomes too difficult.
The smoke is too thick and it feels like my lungs are being burned.
My world is dimming again and I realize I'm dying.
But through it all, I can see the man speaking words and I hear a frightening growling.
My breathing stops.
I sit up in bed, breathing hard, panic in my thoughts and my heart hammering away in my chest. Tears are in my eyes and my mind is whirring.
"Bella? Princess, what's wrong?"
I look at Edward and his familiarity hits me hard.
Those eyes.
"You," I say, my hands shaking as I push the sheet off my legs.
Edward moves off the bed, his brows drawn up in the middle. He watches as I begin to pace, my hands pushing roughly through my hair.
After watching me work a hole into my floor for a few minutes, Edward stops me, stepping into my path. "Bella, what happened?"
I avert my eyes, looking at the dawning of a new day and knowing I only got a few hours of sleep. "I've met you before, haven't I?"
Edward is silent, prompting me to look at him.
"How did you find out?" he asks quietly.
My mind feels frozen, going over the past several hours – Edward saving me, Edward getting me home, Edward laying kisses on my body, Edward offering his blood, Edward putting me to sleep.
Edward not pressuring me.
Edward helping me.
Edward being loving towards me.
What do I have to be mad – or scared – about?
Edward hadn't done anything wrong.
But from the looks of it, it seemed like there was a lot of explaining to do.
I turn to face Edward fully, letting my eyes meet his and feeling a total shock pulse through my body.
Even without taking his blood, I feel so drawn to him. I realized, with no small amount of disbelief, that my life had just become the vampire version of Cinderella. Except that I didn't lose a shoe once upon a time; I lost my life.
I also realized, somewhat reluctantly, that I belonged to him – that my blood was his.
I'm sure Edward had a word for what this was.
And even though I was due at my Dad's house in a handful of hours, even though I was operating on barely any sleep, I was prepared to find out the answers.
A/N: This quick update is a HUGE thank you to all of you who left me encouraging words and your own experiences as the mother or daughter in your reviews. You all have no idea how much better you made me feel and I found such strength hearing from all of you that I was inspired to write this chapter. So, again, thank you. I'm often stunned by how close the fandom can bring people.
Reviews!
SrslyGiGi – I'm on a cliffhanger-roll, it seems lol
Kimmie41 – Ha! Sorry! No EPOV yet. Go ahead, keep pouting!
sujari6 – Ah, yes, the end of Paul. A great thing indeed!
Flavia Ribeiro – He found 'em alright lol
IDreamOfLullaby's – I'm your favorite? Yay me! Thank you!
Pumpkinmykitty – Thank you for the mother's perspective. Glad you loved the chapter!
angelari7 – I did smile! It took me a little while to get the joke because I had to figure out that a que is a line…but it did make me laugh lol
LazerBeams – Did Edward's reaction disappoint?
Debslmac - :D
Ordinary-girl-XD – I'm trying to do a bi-weekly update (Wednesday and Saturday) but there probably will be quick updates like this, too. Just…keep an eye on your email, I guess? Lol I'm not very consistent.
Headinthecloudsss – Not quite a "singer" in the Twilight sense. Edward doesn't feel drawn to drain her, he just really wants to mate her….It'll be explained later on!
Maggiejoma – Yes! Bella knows the truth…kind of!
Valentine Rain – Aww, I got a hug! Lol Thank you!
B – You know, I couldn't even tell English was your second language. Your review was touching.
Darkward Darling – I love your username lol I don't know how dark my Edward is going to be, we'll see…
Adipocere – Thank you for the objective stance you provided. Everything you said made perfect sense.
Kaygou – Right? We'll figure our own lives out! No need for mom to step in! lol
LunaDiSangue85 – Again, thank you so much for what you've said!
Holidai – I had to add in some humor! And yay for Paul being dead and Bella being happy about it!
Louisepark – I feel so special! I hope you don't read the updates when driving! Lol
CdrIvanova – Uhmmm…I'm not even sure how he gets that window open. Vampire voodoo?
amberosia1 – lol Maybe Edward should have said that! Though Paul probably wouldn't have tasted like chicken!
YesMyRealNameIsBella – Yep, no XFactor for us, either. I think it comes back in November, along with Glee and New Girl. At least that gives me time to catch up on my Halloween movies!
twilight-saga-lover95 – I totally get what you're saying lol He was being a gentleman about…murdering, which just doesn't seem right!
Maysnrs – Edward being unhappy was an understatement lol That overreacting fool!
james3142 – Seriously, if I am ever in El Paso, I'm taking you up on that lol I'm almost convinced he opens the window with a nail file or something!
Lilypad10 – Ah, merging memories? Hmmm, we shall see.
Krystalwinds1990 – He'd kill Paul twice, I bet, if he could!
Edward's spouse – I do like being different in my writing. It's like getting a nice mental high-five all the time.
vampyregirl86 – He's still mad! Lol Even if he did kill the guy!
Michangelina – Thank you! And you're so right! You stay strong, too!
Tiffyboocullenjonas, FLOW LIZ, wendemyre, lovestwilight2010, radar1999, Welcome2MyWorldxoxo and dinotopian – Thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I'm thrilled that each of you are loving the story! Tune in next time!
And super special shout out to the first review of the last chapter, Twilight Rocker 12 – My day did get better! I have all these amazing people reading and writing me these awesome reviews, of course everything is going to get happy again!
Okay, I'm off to watch Easy A with some hot chocolate! A sidenote! Adele had her baby! It's a boy! Can anyone imagine how beautiful that baby's lullaby is going to be?
As always, be brutally honest. I can take it.
~cupcakeriot