Okay, so this took forever because I'm really nervous about posting it. I love this chapter and I hope you do too! Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Nessie's POV:

On Saturday, I ran out of blood.

The party, or more likely the alcohol, had drained me and I spent most of the rest of the weekend curled up in bed with a bad stomachache. Carlisle had sent me an email ensuring me that the package he'd sent would arrive Monday afternoon. I could last until then, so I drained my last blood bag right before I went to sleep.

From the moment I woke on Monday I had my phone in hand, anxious for the buzz that would be an email from the front office, informing that I had a delivery waiting for me.

Early American History passed in a blur of glances between Jake and I. I tried not to glare but I must've not been doing a very good job because he kept sending me confused and slightly hurt faces. I reckoned he deserved it, after being a stalker and sniffing (literally) around my dorm building in the middle of the night. What a creep.

But he looked so miserable and totally exhausted and by the end of class my heart was aching to go to him. I tried to stamp it down, hating the impulse and where it had come from but when Caitlin and I were leaving the classroom, I found myself drifting close enough to brush my arm against his. He froze and the heat soared through us both. I watched his ears turn slightly pink despite his dark, tan skin and then Caitlin was tugging on my arm and we were headed to lunch, where I spent most of the hour wondering if I had imagined the whole thing.

"You, Earth to Nessie!"

I raised my head to meet the worried glances of Caitlin, Selena, and Abbey. "What?"

"I've been saying your name for like five minutes. Are you okay?" Abbey asked.

I shook my head. I needed to get my shit together. These girls weren't going to put up with the bizarre new girl for much longer. "Sorry, I didn't sleep well."

"The first week of school is the hardest." Selena said with a vague sense of sympathy.

This wasn't true. All we'd done, in every class, everyday, was go over the syllabuses and been given ginormous books that I had to assume had been specifically selected to torture us with boredom. I smiled wryly at Caitlin who flicked her head in a 'don't bother' sort of way.

"Yea," I agreed. "It was tough."

Of course, my week had been crueler than most but they didn't need to know that.

I checked my phone again although I knew that I didn't have a message. It was late afternoon and the mail should have been delivered already. The tingles of thirst were growing sharper by the second causing tiny pinpricks to erupt all over my skin. If I didn't get those blood bags soon, I'd have to try the animals in the woods again.

I sent Embry a text asking if they'd had any luck figuring out what was wrong with the deer but he didn't reply.

After classes, I went by the front office but the woman behind the desk said nothing had been delivered for me. I went back to my room, sent Carlisle another desperate email and tried to distract myself from the thrumming of starvation that was beginning to settle into my bones.

When Caitlin got home, I pretended to be asleep.

I waited until she got in the shower the next morning before rolling out of bed. I was afraid if I saw her, or any human right now, they'd turn into breakfast. I felt shaky and unstable; I hadn't really slept. I was out of options. I had to hunt.

I dressed quickly but not in my uniform. I'd need an excuse later as to why I wasn't in classes but I couldn't think straight just then because suddenly the bathroom door was opening and Caitlin was hopping out on one foot, bathrobe clad, pressing a towel to her knee as thick strands of crimson fell down the leg she held aloft.

"Shaving is so dangerous," she said dryly but I barely heard her. My fangs spiked in attention, my eyes trained on the rich red of her blood against her pale white skin. My whole body jerked with the crushing need that sprang up and I threw myself away from her, toward the door.

"Ness-you okay?"

I tried to nod and then I was running down the hall, faster than was safe but it couldn't be helped. The school was just beginning to wake up and the campus was still blissfully empty. I raced across the quad, straight for the woods, staring down at my feet.

So I didn't notice Jake until I'd plowed into him and he'd instinctively wrapped his arms around me so I wouldn't fall. I tried to pull back but he held me close. "Are you alright?" His breath ghosted across my ear and I shivered.

"Get away from me," I said but there was no passion behind it and his grip only tightened when my legs went flimsy. He smelled so good, rugged and alive and like the woods and every part of my body cried out for him, for his blood.

"What's wrong?" His voice was strained; a few octaves deeper than usual, so completely male and the hunger in me throbbed in a new way.

"I'm out. I haven't fed in-"

"Shh!" Through the murky cloud that was my brain, I could hear it too: people, walking, talking. The day was beginning and I was in deep shit. "Let's get you out of here."

He whisked me away before I could say a word and before I realized where we were going, he had us in his empty classroom and was locking the door.

I leaned against the desk, blinking tightly, trying to focus my vision. "I need to hunt."

"You can't. We still don't know if it's safe."

I clenched my fist and stepped further away from him. The scent of Jake's blood was a desperate Siren's call and I finally understood what my father meant when he talked about the desire my mom's blood had held for him. "I'm running out of options here. Carlisle sent me more blood bags but they haven't arrived yet and I…can't…"

I swayed on my feet and Jake was surrounding me in an instance. "Feed from me."

I watched, transfixed, as his pulse thumped powerfully beneath his warm, tan skin. "I can't." I licked my dry lips.

"Well, I can't let you leave this room. You'll kill one of my students if you try to run right now." His fingers slid up my jaw and into my hair, directing my eyes up to meet his. "You won't hurt me."

I gasped, half-laugh, half-sob. "You smell too…I won't be able to stop. I've never fed from a human before."

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm not human." He smiled at me with such tenderness that it managed to calm me down some.

"This will change everything," I whispered.

He laughed then, a terrible, watery noise. "I'm not too crazy about the way things are." He reached up and undid the top buttons of his fancy dress shirt that was officially wrinkled beyond repair. He tugged the stiff material away from his neck and exposed just a hint of his chest. I swallowed. His collarbone was unfairly sexy.

He clasped his too large hand around the back of my neck and dragged my mouth to the naked column of his throat. His skin caught on my lips, sticky, hot, hungry. "Jake, thank-"

"Drink up," he said, rasping over the phrase.

I sank my fangs in and went to heaven.

For me, blood had always been but a mere necessity, a means to an end, as essential and unnoticeable as air. But drinking from Jake, directly from his life's source…

I could feel his soul, burning bright and pure beneath my skin. He ran into my veins, soaking me in strength and love. I whimpered, certain that I was undeserving of so much untainted goodness.

He groaned and I sucked deeply; his blood, vibrant as sunlight, sweeter than hope, surged over my tongue. My legs found their rightful perch around his waist and my arms held him closer. I tangled my fingers into his hair and he gripped my thighs.

Somehow we moved to the desk and he set me down, freeing his arms. His hands ran down my body, sparking fire in my veins wherever he touched. He palmed my ass, urging me closer until I could feel his erection pressing into my inner thigh.

I was so charged, his desire seeping down into the depths of my bones. I pulled back, overwhelmed. I licked my lips clean of his blood and pressed my mouth over his wet gaping lips.

He cradled my face, so gently, holding me the way all men should hold someone precious to them. I hesitated, not from fear or uncertainty, but because I wanted to memorize every heady sensation, all the subtle pressures of his fingers against my cheeks. Our mouths moved together, soft but tantalizing and it wasn't as messy or desperate as it should have been. He kissed me deliberately, every move perfectly crafted to drive me crazy and I had no idea what I was doing but I was apparently doing everything right, if his strangled whimper was any indication. He licked my lips and I fell apart, softly crying out when his tongue pressed gently, fully into mine. I was sure I had never really lived until that very moment.

Jake eased back, shakily moaning in between desperate gasps of breath. He slid his open mouth up my nose and over my temple as I panted against his shoulder. He pressed baby kisses along my hairline, his breath warm and sweet on my clammy skin. He was still hot and firm against my leg. I kissed the bite mark on his neck, soothing my tongue over the deep puncture wounds while I raked my nails down the front of his chest, toward his hard cock, delirious with the craving to know every inch of his body.

He grabbed my wrist before I could reach the button on his jeans. "Bad idea," he whispered. "I have to give a lecture in five minutes."

The bell rang, jarring us back into harsh reality. He started buttoning up his shirt while watching me with an awed expression. "You feel better?"

I could only nod. 'Better' wasn't the right word. There were no words. 'Elated' came close but it wasn't enough.

"Get out of here," he said, amused and entirely too pleased with himself.

"What about class?" My voice was not my own. It was older, worldly, the voice of a woman who had felt love.

He cupped my neck, his thumbs trailing softly over my jaw. "I'm not going to be able to do anything but kiss you if you stay." He ran his fingers through my hair.

"That wouldn't be very appropriate."

He snorted a quiet laugh. "Afraid not."

I nodded and hopped down from his desk. I straightened my clothes to stall a little longer. I didn't want to leave, couldn't imagine being parted from him now, after all that. I turned back, my hand on the doorknob. "I feel like I need to buy you dinner."

His answering grin lit up his entire face. He looked years younger when he smiled like that. "We'll talk…later. We'll figure this out."

"Tonight?" I asked.

Delight flared in his eyes. "If you want."

I wanted. "I'll meet you at your place. Around seven?"

"I'll be there."

There was a knock at the door and Jake peeked through the window before sighing in relief. "Its just Embry," he said while swinging the door open for him.

"'Just Embry,' he said mockingly. "Good to know how much you care bro." He slumped into the room but perked up quickly when he saw me. "Hey Ness! How's it going?"

I couldn't help but smile and Jake had to bite his lip to stop from laughing.

"Really fucking good."

Embry frowned at me but simply said, "Glad to hear it."

"Happy to say it," I replied brightly before practically dancing out of the room.