Chapter 123

Bella

I was enjoying my new life with all its advantages, I was faster and stronger than Jazz for now. Even stronger than Emmett according to my husband and that I was looking forward to testing out. The only thing that worried me was hunting, the thought of hunting an animal and killing it with my bare hands or teeth made me feel quite nauseous but Jazz assured me it would be instinctual and we swam back to the mainland to try my luck. It was actually a forested island we found ourselves on and I stood listening as directed by Jazz although I was rather distracted by the outline of his body reflecting in the moonlight. He looked over at me questioningly one eyebrow raised and I grinned, he'd felt my emotions sure enough!

I heard low rhythmic thumping sounds and my mouth filled with venom, my throat now scorching it was so hot and without thinking I set off in pursuit understanding what I was hearing was the heartbeats of possible prey. I stopped when I knew I was close to some animal to look around but dismissed the capybara as not good enough for my first kill, I wanted it to be spectacular though Jazz seemed perplexed by my passing up the chance of a meal. Instead I carried on silently the thumping noises becoming louder as I approached an altogether different prey. Peering through the undergrowth I saw an armadillo but it wasn't this I had in my sights but the animal stalking it, a jaguar. Now that was what I wanted and I sprang out into the open landing close to the big cat which tried to escape but it wasn't quick enough to evade me and I sank my teeth into its neck instinctively drinking down the warm salty blood as if it were cool spring water, feeling the burn in my throat ease with every mouthful.

Jazz and I made love after that in the forest staying there for three days as I quenched my raging thirst until finally it became almost a distant memory and I wasn't disgusted at all, it seemed so natural. On our way back to the beach on the third day, ready to swim back to Isle Esme we came upon the tracks of some fishermen and Jazz grabbed me thinking I would go after them. Admittedly the scent of their blood made my mouth water again but I knew killing humans was somehow wrong for me and resisted the urge much to his amazement.

"Bella you are a one of a kind and I think the way things are going we'll be back in the States soon. I have no idea how you manage it but nothing seems to be phasing you. My special and extremely beautiful mate."

"Are you sure? Don't forget Kat and Skye are at home, I don't want to attack or frighten them."

"We'll do a test on our way home but I just know you'll pass with flying colors. Mind I think maybe we should find a home of our own, at least for a while."

"Really? Why?"

He smiled at me with that smoldering look on his face and I understood,

"Right, maybe we should. Where did you have in mind?"

"Maybe a few hours run from the house, that should give us some privacy. Maybe we can find somewhere before we go back and show you off."

Jasper

I could not believe just how cool and controlled my mate was even if she was a shield but then Charlie hadn't taken long to fit in and be safe around humans although he had slipped. I wouldn't let that happen to Bella it would distress her too much. I had a place in mind about two hundred miles from Esme's place and I thought Bella would love it but we would see, if not then we'd look again.

To give Bella a chance to become used to humans around we left the island and moved into a small hotel on the mainland and I took Bella out each night to mix with humans before hunting. She was terrified the first couple of nights but started to relax once she accepted she could control her thirst around humans. When I asked her how she did it she just shrugged,

"If I feel my thirst getting bad I just cut myself off from it. I guess its a kind of shield like dad has, whatever it is I'm grateful but you won't leave me will you?"

"Never darlin' I'm stuck to you like glue for ever."

It was about three weeks before Bella felt confident enough to take a flight back to the States. We could have gone overland but she knew a flight would be quicker and test her control best. I had kept in touch with Carlisle during our stay and I guess he wasn't as surprised at Bella's control as I was but then he'd experienced Charlie's change where I had not. He promised to tell the others we would be back in a few weeks understanding we needed to find a base of our own.

"Kat keeps asking me when you'll be back and Skye has started to speak, or at least Esme and Rose tells me its words. I'm not sure I can say I understand what she says but then I'm not a woman."

When I told Bella about Skye's advances she was pleased, I knew she had a very soft spot for the child she had mothered in that cellar, a special bond that would never be broken. And of course Skye would see Bella's change when they met. She understood what we all were even if she couldn't vocalize her knowledge, at least not yet but it sounded like it wouldn't be long now.

During the flight I kept hold of Bella's hand and monitored her emotions ready to act if she started to become distressed but I needn't have worried, she managed the flight without more than a few twinges which she soon fought down and when we touched down I could see the look of triumph on her face.

Deciding not to push things we booked into a motel and went to hunt in the nearby woods finding some deer which while not as exciting or refreshing as the jaguar in Rio did quench our thirsts. We were due to leave the next morning to look at the house I had in mind but Bella had other idea's and it was two days before we came up for air and another before we set off house hunting, my mate was insatiable which suited me just fine.

As I suspected Bella fell in love with the house, a small ranch style house with a paddock for a couple of horses and a small stable block. The deal was soon done and she threw herself into furnishing the place to her own tastes which like mine were simple and rustic. The place looked homely without the many overbearing extras Alice tended to add to Esme's interior designs. I thought Esme would be impressed with Bella's tastes. We didn't have to wait long to find out because once Esme knew our address she and Charlotte brought the girls to visit and Kat was overjoyed to find Bella had furnished a room especially for her whenever she wanted to visit.

I noticed every other sentence of hers included a reference to Peter or Felix and couldn't help a smile. Skye meanwhile had found the heap of wood shavings I hadn't had time to move after hanging new doors and was busy scattering them throughout the ground floor, she was going to be quite a handful as she grew up, but a funny handful not a pain.

We heard the latest news, Peter was home tutoring Kat and had a run in with the authorities who weren't happy that he wasn't a registered teacher but of course he persuaded them he was the right man for the job and Kat passed her exams with flying colors.

Of course she wasn't always sweetness and light, she'd filled Peter's boots with shaving foam after he refused to let her go to the fair after she was rude to Charlotte and earned yet another sanction, a week's housework while Charlotte was away with Alice and Garrett buying clothes for Kat and a new range for the house. We decided we had to see Peter the dad and arranged to visit for Skye's birthday which Kat was helping to organize having loved her own with all the crazy things Peter had arranged for her.