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Chapter 196
Bachelor Party 2
Edward
It was approaching noon; our guests had settled in for the time being and they were already looking for Ced and me.
Looking for us in the basement had not occurred to anyone.
People put on the various winter jackets and other accessories.
At least all except Billy and Carlisle. Wherever it would go now, Billy would be driven.
The rest of us walked through the winter wonderland, passing Alice's cottage, one marveled at my house, but we kept walking along the Saco River. Ced, meanwhile, sat on Seth's shoulders while I walked between Marcus and Jake.
"It's good to have you here, Marcus," I said sincerely.
"See!", Jake commented smart-alecky.
I bristled.
"Did you assume something else?", I asked Marcus.
He shrugged his shoulders, but said nothing in response.
I stopped and listened to his thoughts for a brief moment. He also stopped, knowing of course what I was doing, and strained his thoughts in another direction. However, I had already heard enough.
He liked being here, even right now, but somehow he also felt out of place. After all, he no longer belonged to it.
"It doesn't matter how outlandish it seems to you. You belong to us, Marcus, no matter what has happened in the past weeks. Every one of us is happy that you are with us," I explained to him.
Again he shrugged his shoulders and now looked through the area with a somewhat embarrassed smile.
"Told you so!", Jake followed up with.
"Yes, you did," Marcus admitted.
I put an arm around each of my sons' shoulders and we continued walking.
"Do you actually know what else is planned?", I inquired curiously.
"Not really. Alice did drop a few cues, but again, so fast and excited that I didn't even understand half of it," Jake said.
So we strolled on and made a little snowball fight on the way, where especially Ced rubbed me with snow. With the active support of his big brothers. But then we arrived. We were almost at the end of our fenced property, right on the frozen water and here stood a log cabin.
So to speak. I knew the cottage. The previous owners had left it to us, but I actually remembered it as being more ready for demolition. Instead, my siblings had obviously restored it.
It was an open and very spacious log cabin. It was virtually missing the walls. There was only the lower part of it, otherwise the roof was supported on various pillars. Only the back wall of the hut was there. Into the hut, this wall formed an implied kitchen. A water faucet with a large sink. This was the 'kitchen'. On the other side of this wall were the sanitary facilities, as before, but I suspected that my siblings had extensively renovated these as well. Tables and benches stood around a large walled fireplace. Canvas sheets were coiled on the roof post, which could be lowered and attached to the railing.
In combination with the fire, this would be a way to warm up the cabin a bit.
Crates of beverages were stacked in a corner. Cutlery, glasses, and dishes were ready. On a table stood an almost old-fashioned music system. For sound carriers and with speakers that were connected by cable. But also a lot had been brought around the hut.
Our baseball equipment was there. Apparently we also had a portable climbing wall which leaned against the cabin. Not ten feet high, but it would be an interesting challenge for the kids. Inflatable full body suits so that one looked like an overweight sumo wrestler. A few meters next to the hut was also a little slope, where various equipment was ready to slide down it. And some more. In short: there was a manifold of activities. Even my camera was thought of.
With this statement, a van arrived. Carlisle brought not only Billy in his wheelchair, but also some food. Muffins, waffles, cakes, but also savory items such as wraps, salmon or minced meat in puff pastry rolls, fruit in small preserving jars.
Sufficient so that the humans among us would not have to starve. Not even the wolves.
Luces and Deacon - next to Ced the youngest among us - immediately jumped on the climbing wall, supervised by Jake and Marcus, while we vampires quickly cleared everything out of the van.
Seth turned on music, Charlie pushed Billy into the cabin, Seth and Paul tackled the fire pit, Cookie watched very closely as the plates of food were placed.
Something could fall down.
And Ced tasted to see if the waffles were edible.
It turned out to be a really nice afternoon. I slid down the slope a few times with Ced, but the record for who slid the farthest was held by Charlie.
Despite his now sixty years.
With my brothers, I fought a battle in the inflatable suits. All together we played a baseball game with Billy, Charlie, and Ced as umpires.
Ced looked at me very darkly as I argued with Marcus about whether I had reached the target base before or after the ball. I thought I was safe. Marcus did not.
We also did such childish things as sack races, or running a short distance with one leg of each running partner tied together. With the - former - wolves I broke a hole in the frozen water of the Saco River basin with appropriate tools so that Charlie could fish.
I stood there for some time with him and Paul and let them both enlighten me about fishing. They shared this passion with each other.
Jazz and Em had even planned a little treasure hunt through this back part of our compound. Similar to an 'Escape Room', puzzles had to be solved or tasks had to be fulfilled in order to get to the next clue. Partly so tricky and challenging that even the adults were challenged. At the end, a treasure chest with all kinds of sweets awaited us.
Alice even came by us guys once, but she just asked Jake to pick someone up at the airport without telling him who it would be.
Rather inadvertently, I got in Alice's mind who it was.
"You should put on something decent," I merely advised Jake, whereupon he looked at me rather befuddled.
He left.
Pondering who he would pick up now. Him, of all people. And then in decent clothes. What were decent clothes anyway?
I smirked at his thoughts.
There was a reason why Alice asked Jake for this favor and didn't drive herself to Portland, but I kept my mouth shut.
Alice had also brought me Ced's backpack, which had a fresh bottle of blood hidden in it, since she didn't know if Ced wanted to stay here or go with her to the female company.
Ced wanted to stay, as he demonstrated quite clearly. He clung to me, touching me on the back of the neck, as if I wanted to send him away.
He was a boy, and all the other boys were here too.
"You're right, my darling. The ladies would just coddle you too much anyway," I said. Not entirely without ulterior motives. Bella would certainly like to have our baby with her, just as I liked having him here.
Ced considered my words as I had intended.
It wouldn't actually be so bad to be with the girls. They always took such nice care of him. Mommy would be there. Leah. Becky ...
"You can stay with us for a bit and then go to Mommy and the others later," I suggested diplomatically.
He nodded decisively.
"But you don't bring him over, you have him brought over!", Alice was still threatening me.
Crap! I thought I could have stolen a few more minutes with my angel.
On the side walls, the linen sheets had been lowered in the meantime and the blazing fire spread a pleasant warmth. So I diapered Ced in it on one of the tables, but then went for a little stroll with him, Cookie, and David. The blood would certainly have been put into an opaque bottle by Alice, but I also wanted Ced to get some rest.
"I can't believe what Alice has been up to in these few days!", I brought out just as David was giving the bottle to my baby who was in his arms.
We had found a fallen tree on which he was sitting. Cookie sniffed the closer environment extensively in the meantime.
"Without me noticing. I mean, I saw her every day at school. We were out all evening on Tuesday. But I didn't hear anything about her planning! Or the things she came up with!"
"Well. You're not getting any younger," David teased me.
I didn't have anything quick-witted to say in response.
"The main thing is that tomorrow you will be very happily married, and you can also look back on today with joy," he then stated.
"Yes. Both!", I confirmed dreamily, and we discussed the topic in a little more detail.
This day was really nice. Although our ladies were not there, there was a very peculiar atmosphere that I couldn't really explain. Like when we had spent the day together when our mates were in New York. There was a somewhat harsher tone, although it was not offensive or anything like that. Men of various ages were enjoying themselves regardless of their age. Billy and Charlie were fooling around with the kids as if they were only half old. The rest of us also acted much sillier than we would in ladies' company. We played with the boys more rowdily than we would under worrying mothers' eyes.
Men among themselves were strange creatures. Age-independent! Or was it because of the fact that they then suddenly all fell back to the same age in the spirit? We were not sure.
Ced dozed off a bit after emptying the bottle.
My all-too-big boy who, by his own admission, was way too big for a nap.
David looked down sentimentally at my baby in his arms.
He was contemplating. Ced was only six and a half weeks old, but already looked like a good half year.
"We're hoping to stay at Bella's house until summer before your kids realize he's growing way too fast," I interjected into his musings.
"Daniel has already asked me about it, but I told him it was because of that growth disorder Carlisle suggested at Christmas as an explanation for the rapid pregnancy."
"If there is no other way than to hide him from people, we will still be here. You won't lose sight of your godson. Nor your best female friend," I assured.
"And my best friend?" he dug deeper, smiling.
"Not even that one," I promised this too. "Because you are also my best friend!"
We walked slowly back and Ced perked up with each yard while the 'crowd' approached.
Carlisle had been away in the van in the meantime. He had taken some empty plates of food, dirty dishes and the like, only to come back with new food.
Well. There were wolves present and Marcus, even though Jake was still on the way. I thought about my older son. Wished him good luck.
Carlisle also brought a sacred box, which David immediately received.
His spice box for barbecue. Very sacred! Untouchable for strangers!
In contrast, he let the vampires get his grill out of the van.
That one wasn't nearly as sacred, apparently.
His three boys quickly realized what David was preparing.
Four-Hour Spareribs. General enthusiasm of the younger audience followed.
The Native Americans, however, appeared to be critical. In La Push, a barbecue was always celebrated, but apparently they could still learn something from David. They talked shop about barbecue.
It was afternoon and I had dealt with pretty much all the guests in due scope in different activities. Only with Billy not yet in due detail.
So I sat down with him. He had a blanket over his legs and a cup of coffee in his hands, but he wasn't cold, as he assured me.
"That little whirlwind of your sister has really come up with all kinds of things. It's very nice to see all the kids here letting off steam and the grown men acting like kids again," he noted with a smile as he watched them all.
David's kids, Marcus, and Ced were trying their hand at making an oversized snowman. Constantly interrupted by some snowballs. My brothers were trying to make an even bigger one and wanted to get an advantage. Carlisle and Charlie watched the spectacle up close.
"It's not exactly in line with standard bachelor goodbye rituals, but Alice knows how much I care about family. That includes not only the twins and Ced, but Marcus, David and his own, but also you and Charlie," I countered.
"I'm really honored to be invited, but I don't really have anything to do with your marriage."
"You're the grandfather of our children," I said, and he nodded in affirmation as Ced suddenly cried out.
But I immediately smiled.
He had only been startled when Emmett was with him with a handful of snow, and it slipped down his collar. Marcus tried to get the snow out, but would not be able to accomplish that to my son's satisfaction without taking him off. Ced grumbled considerably, which is why Marcus ultimately brought him to me. It was considerably warmer this close to the fire pit than outside the cabin. So I pulled his hat off his head and his jacket off and freed him from the remaining snow. Marcus also handed me a towel before David's boys called him back for reinforcement.
"Marcus is really a nice fellow," Billy stated. "Too bad he won't be my grandson-in-law. How is Leah doing overall?"
I briefly pondered whether this kinship designation officially existed at all and would try to Google it when the opportunity arose. Bella had talked to the people from La Push on the phone all the time after Nanuk had passed away. They had been worried about Leah. Even after Leah had awakened from her darkness, the Native Americans had always been kept informed. But all this information was, of course, only worth half as they did not see Leah in person.
So now I reported that Leah was doing really well.
The first days were still difficult. We didn't really know how to deal with her. We didn't want to conjure up any bad memories. Much like when Marcus had broken up with Leah. But with each passing day, Leah was feeling better, and it seemed that she had finally found herself again after talking to Akai. Since then, she actively worked to make every day the best of her life. Well, at school this might not have been a very easy task, but otherwise she really tried. Even if it was just little things. Like watching one of her favorite movies while eating three bars of chocolate. She also did such unimportant things very consciously.
Charlie and Carlisle sat down with us, and I now took the opportunity to ask how Alice had been able to accomplish all this.
I learned that she had called La Push and Forks about three weeks ago. She had only given vague hints at that time and had mainly inquired about the schedules of the Native Americans. Whether there were appointments or such that could not be rescheduled and whether they had the ability to fly in on short notice if necessary. After that phone call, they all just had scheduled appointments that they could easily cancel and reschedule. And at the airport they were met by Esmé and Carlisle and had driven over in two rented minibuses. My parents had informed Alice last weekend and since then had taken care of the organization. She had booked the flights for our guests, rented the minibuses, and made arrangements for our various guest rooms.
I also learned that Carlisle and Esmé had been back since last night and that Esmé had prepared all the goodies for our guests.
The ballroom was decorated tonight. For this, Alice had clandestinely procured and ordered everything possible, but temporarily deposited in a rental garage. Last night they had brought everything here together. This cabin had been renovated at the same time as the reconstruction of my house, but the finishing touches were only put on it last night. Emmett had actually bought the paintball equipment off a 'twenty-four hour' place last night in Boston. And so on ...
Accordingly, my family had not had a quiet minute the previous night. I had a guilty conscience when I thought of the carefree game of Monopoly with my angel.
"You're not getting married, but I brought a present for you, too," Billy said to Ced, who was sitting on my lap with a blanket, and tickled him a little on his belly.
My son laughed merrily.
Billy reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small cloth bag.
I already knew what was inside. He held it out to Ced and downright reverently Ced took it, but then looked up at me.
"Go on. See what's inside," I encouraged him.
A little clumsily, Ced tried to reach the contents, so Billy helped a little. Then Ced held it in his hands and looked at it in amazement while one hand rested on mine.
I heard his thoughts and smiled.
'A little carved wolf on a leather strap. Just like his siblings. All four of them!'
That Marcus and Becky were actually not real siblings for him, we would probably no longer be able to make him understand.
"Thank you so much, Billy!", I thanked him on behalf of my son. Ced was still too busy marveling.
"This old man here ..." he pointed at Charlie, "... has told me so much about the Little one and shown me so many pictures of him. He belongs to my oldest friend, to my grandchildren, and therefore to me," Billy laid out his opinion.
"Old man!" grumbled Charlie, playfully annoyed, and walked over to the others.
"Ced will be proud to have such a generous grandfather," I expressed. I by no means took it for granted that Billy would show my son so much affection and goodwill, but he did it wholeheartedly.
Then he put the ribbon around my son's neck.
He is still a little too small for the little arms, but he would definitely grow into them very quickly, he said.
Ced looked at it again, but then climbed onto Billy's lap, pushed himself up with his little legs and gave his new grandfather a loving peck on the cheek. Then the little legs apparently no longer had enough strength to hold him, and he plopped back down on Billy's legs. They smiled at each other.
Ced sought my hand, asking me in his mind if he could do just that here with Billy.
I nodded.
"Don't get scared," I warned Billy.
Ced put his hand on Billy's and my son thanked him in his own way, while Billy's eyes grew wide with disbelief.
I smirked.
Ced showed him exactly what he had shown everyone first so far. His first memory. His parents right after he was born. Completely finished, but also completely overwhelmed. His feeling of security, safety, and love. And then Ced thought about his awesome siblings and that they all wore a bracelet like that. Ced was very grateful that he now had one too.
The two hugged each other.
"Charlie doesn't know about my son's gift," I whispered when Charlie returned.
Billy nodded in understanding, though he was still sentimentally taken away by Ced's memories.
"I hear you play chess!", I was then challenged by Sam after I got something to drink for Ced, who was still sitting on Billy's legs.
Only juice, no blood. And a waffle.
Ced and Cookie discussed whether this was still edible.
What started out as a casual playdate between Sam and I, chatting about many different things, turned into a hard-hitting battle between natural enemies.
The wolves were on one side, the vampires on the other. The game pieces were becoming more and more manageable, but neither of us wanted to give up. I wanted to be fair and stayed out of his thoughts. Pretty much everyone was giving advice to both of us, the wolves to him, the vampires to me, and I truly had to rethink my moves.
Even Ced, who was sitting on the table next to the pitch, wanted to help me.
In the middle of this never-ending game, my son came back.
Everything seemed to have gone well, by the look on his face. Chess wasn't necessarily his game, but he stood behind me and got an overview.
"You're on the wrong side of the table!" said Sam with a serious look.
Jake continued to stand behind me, the only wolf among the vampires.
"I'm sticking up for my dad!" announced Jake.
Ced presented his own little wolf to his brother. He was very proud that he now also had one.
"Then you seem to be one of us after all," Jake teased his baby brother.
However, the game dragged on for a bit before I put my king on the side.
We could have kept pushing the pieces back and forth forever without being able to determine a winner. So I finally gave up. After the hardest game of my entire existence. Even with Jasper I had never played such an exhausting game and he was the best chess player I knew.
It was getting towards evening; the ribs were cooking away, and all the humans had bottles of beer in their hands by now. Jake and Marcus, too.
Two snowmen stood and we used snowballs to try to knock their hats off.
Since I was forbidden to bring Ced home, my sons took over. They had volunteered, not to say they insisted. They took a long time, which I had expected, but were back in time for the spare ribs.
As was to be expected.
Only David's ribs were not enough to satiate everyone, of course, so numerous pieces of meat and sausages were still sizzling over the fire pit.
For dessert, marshmallows were held over the fire around which we all sat, and Billy told old Quileute legends. The children listened very attentively and intently, even if they thought it was horror stories.
But then we packed up.
The children should slowly get into the warm and would certainly not stay up very long today.
Carlisle, Billy, and the kids drove in the van to the house, we packed up the miscellaneous stuff and took it with us. Without kids, we were able to use our vampiric/wolfish powers to do this, leaving nothing but the drink crates behind. We pushed the glowing fire together a bit so that the hut would not still burn off.
I offered to check back later to see if it had died down.
"Forget it!", I was told unanimously.
Damn! Again no chance to sneak to Bella.
In the house, the children were already in their pajamas, with cocoa and under blankets, sitting in front of the TV in the living room.
Deacon was almost asleep, but Daniel helped Esmé in the kitchen. The movie his brothers were watching did not match his age-appropriate preferences.
When I entered the kitchen, he was sitting on the kitchen counter with a small bowl of ice cream, telling Esmé about the great afternoon. I hugged my mother.
"Thank you, Esmé. For all the work Alice has put you through," I thanked her sincerely.
There was absolutely no question in my mind that she had prepared all the dishes. My brothers and sisters were not capable of cooking, as Alice had clearly demonstrated the eve before. Besides, she and Carlisle hosted all the guests here in the house.
"I'll be glad to do it, Edward," she assured.
All she wanted was for the guests to feel comfortable and for Bella and I to have our perfect wedding tomorrow.
Luces and Deacon soon disappeared to bed, but the remaining men stayed in the living room with beer and a few more little snacks. Among them Daniel, who was allowed a bottle.
It was a convivial round where Paul put aside his aggressions. He even wanted to drink to brotherhood with me. I had to remind him that I did not eat food or drink.
Around ten o'clock in the evening, I was handed a phone.
I was permitted to speak with my bride.
I had disappeared so quickly with the phone that for Daniel it still just passed as human.
But for a long time I was not allowed to hear the voice of my beloved. I only just managed to wish her a good night when the phone was snatched away from me again.
"So, we're disappearing now!" clarified Jasper.
"Where?"
"You'll see!" opined Emmett.
Now I got scared! One had already announced in the living room that one would kidnap me, and thus excuse my not coming back.
I was led outside, and we ran into the forest.
My anxiety eased considerably when Jake appeared at our side. With Marcus on his back.
No one thought about what they were going to do with me now. They merely thought over the entire common day, so that I did not know what lay ahead of me.
We ran quite a distance west, almost three quarters of an hour, until we stopped, and Jake got dressed. We had to be in New Hampshire just before Canaan.
"NO!", I thundered, as sounds and thoughts came to me so slowly.
"Oh yeah!" Emmett thundered back. Grinning.
"This is a bachelor party," Jake opined.
"That's where the stereotypes have to be served, too," Marcus noted.
"And if you try to run, we'll get you back," Jasper added in warning.
The four of them surrounded me, whereby Jake and Marcus hooked up with me on my right and left.
Great! I would only drag Marcus along and possibly hurt him if I fled. I had no choice.
Reluctantly - I was pushed rather than walked independently - and with incipient plans of revenge, we walked towards the pub in the middle of the loneliness.
Loud music, men's laughter, sweat, alcohol, and cigarette smoke whipped towards us as Em pulled open the door.
"They're expecting us," Emmett said to the doorman as we wanted to enter, handing him a card.
The big robust guy, who at first had wanted to question our age, now grinned smugly instead.
He would inform them, and Marcus and Jake pushed me along. Jazz was still behind them in case I wanted to run away.
There was a table reserved for us. Right by the stage, right in front of one of the dance poles. We ordered drinks so that we would not attract attention.
I paid as much attention to the ladies currently on stage as to the thoughts around me. Namely none at all. They had too little on for my taste and lolling and gymnastics lasciviously across the stage. I found it impossible how the poor young girls were humiliated here, and the men were getting off on them. It was so undignified. How long I would have to endure it here?
Our drinks came, we toasted, and at least Jake and Marcus actually drank theirs.
The act of the girls on stage was over and the lights were extinguished. The bright circles of spotlights streaked searchingly across the stage and auditorium and praising music sounded. Then a male voice was heard through the speakers.
"Now comes the one you've been waiting for all evening. The one who drives you out of your minds. She lets no one get closer to her than our little stage allows. But one man among you gets to get up close and personal tonight. A man who wants to throw himself into misfortune voluntarily in order to get married tomorrow ...", the voice boomed.
People in this establishment were obviously not happy about a marriage. Boos and general incomprehension rang through the room.
The headlights suddenly stopped on me.
"Would be ridiculous if our little one couldn't make him forget that!" the loudspeaker voice continued.
Two men came across the stage and pulled me up, with my brothers also helping joyfully. I stood on the stage.
I should become part of the erotica show!
My gaze immediately went to my brothers.
Furious! How could they think that I could like such things even to some extent! And what did the four of them do at the table? Laugh and chuckle! That would have quite serious consequences!
"And here she is ... as sweet as she is extremely hot ... Candy!" chimed it again.
The lights went out once again, but immediately all the spotlights were directed at the back curtain.
Other music sounded.
A fiery tango.
Then a single leg appeared between the fabric and the men now already began to bawl indecently. One body part after another came out very insinuating.
Instead of paying special attention to that, I just couldn't get over the fact that my brothers, along with my sons - ! – had dragged me to this erotic bar.
The curtain was then raised, and my jaw dropped without a word or thought.
In front of me on the stage stood a vampiress. With golden eyes. Everything else of her I perceived only rather delayed. So also that she moved towards me. In a rather frivolous way, which had also escaped me. But then she stood in front of me. She was just as tall as me, put a hand against my upper body, danced around me and pushed me back a little. Until I bumped with my back against the bar.
She smiled.
"And so a pretty boy like you wants to commit to just one for the rest of eternity?" she asked me in a whisper, right by my ear, which she had also been nibbling on lightly, unnecessarily.
"Oh, yes," I answered well-behaved.
"What a waste!" she stated, this time to my other ear.
She jumped on my hips, wrapped her legs around me and the bar in my back. In the affect my hands put themselves to her waist.
"You're too cute!" she said with a smirk.
"Thank you. Likewise," I replied charmingly. She was really cute. Objectively speaking. Candy might have been my age. Seventeen or eighteen at the most. But the childishness was still reflected in her features. In addition, a golden blond curly mane.
Indecently she let herself fall backwards slowly with her back, supported herself with her hands on the floor, but did not loosen her legs around me. So she paused for a moment, moving only slightly rhythmically to the music.
Our pelvises nestled against each other.
Her scanty clothes hardly covered anything sufficiently. Presumably, this situation should excite me in some way.
Before I could think about it, she came back high with her upper body against mine.
I merely admired her excellent posture.
She noticed that nothing stirred in me and smiled diabolically.
This then made me curious, so I concentrated for a moment on their thoughts. This was quite an arduous task with all the noise from the music, supported by the many vulgar shouts of the male clientele and their disgusting thoughts. However, I heard just enough from Candy. It went through her head that she would probably have to drive up bigger guns.
"And what are these bigger guns supposed to look like?", I inquired.
She bristled, left my hips, and looked at me in confusion before smiling again.
"Young, sexy and talented too! A dangerous combination!" she said seductively.
She pulled me across the stage, continuing to dance, and pushed me onto a chair. My hands were tied to the chair and the music and lights changed.
Club sound and stroboscope flickering.
"But I'm not without either!" she whispered warningly.
Could also have been a threat. I was not sure. However, I very quickly decided in favor of the threat.
She danced in a very erotic way, but this time without it having an offensive flavor. And so fast that it matched the beat of the music.
Hence the stroboscopic light.
In the constant flickering it was lost for the humans that she sometimes moved too fast. She used a quite manageable part of the stage, changed between the bars right and left of me or used the accessory in the form of the chair on the stage for her graceful movements. The fact that I was still tied to this very chair did not bother her much, but had probably been intended that way. Constantly she touched me. With her fingers, which unbuttoned my shirt. With her lips, which drove over my upper body. With her hands that touched me everywhere. She pranced around me and on me. Pushed herself over me.
I then still felt the excitement in me quietly call for attention as she sat on me and moved damn rhythmically.
She underpinned her movements with stimulating moans. She put her lips to my neck, but apparently it was not enough for her that something stirred in me now.
Well, it was quite a subliminal excitement, so Candy probably - I hoped - did not notice it.
She looked at me, interrupting her riding movements only briefly. Her palms pushed against my temples. The strobe light became faster, the music quickened, and suddenly I saw Bella in front of me.
Everything was forgotten. Everything was gone. The light, the humans, the music, the stage, the stench. Only silence. And my beloved angel. Bella was sitting on me, on our bed, in our bedroom. Wrapped in pretty underwear. Slowly and gracefully, Bella began to move on top of me. As she had done many times before and each time she drove me crazy. She rode on me. Incessantly, sexy and demanding. And I was not able to refuse Bella anything. She dominated me, with everything that I was. So I let myself fall, got into her movements, and since I couldn't move properly for whatever reason, I at least demanded her sweet lips. My center quickly built up to give Bella what she was obviously demanding, but she was torturing me. Her legs wrapped around me, her fingers wove through my hair, and she kissed me in a forbidden manner. Something bothered me about her kiss, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I was more than ready for her and wanted to feel her. Touch her silky warm skin. Tear her underwear from her body, but I still could not move freely. But I couldn't anymore! The longer Bella teased me so unrestrained, the more I lost control of my good manners. Not that it would still matter to me in such situations with her.
I jerked my wrists away from whatever.
So I ran my hands over my angel, pulling her towards me even more and ... heard a rattle and slammed down on hard floor.
Loud music suddenly boomed in my ears again and colorful lights made me blink.
Where had the bed gone? And where had Bella gone?
Instead, Candy grinned at me.
I had to take a moment to orient myself.
I was lying among the remains of a chair on a stage.
Men hooted enthusiastically.
Candy was sitting half on my lap, half on the floor. She smiled and put a hand to my temple.
Immediately, I saw Bella in front of me again, just as I was supposed to see Candy. But the image was only there for a short time. Namely, just as long as Candy had her hand on my temple.
"She's pretty!" commented Candy.
"And you are a little beast!", I stated, teasingly tapping the tip of her nose. I wasn't angry with her. I found it rather amusing that she had actually gotten me to respond to her attempts at seduction. Although it had to be said that she was playing with unfair means.
The male voice sounded from the speakers again, saying something about material defects or wear and tear regarding the chair, but demanding a thunderous applause for Candy.
She got that, punctuated with plenty of enthusiastic whistles and exclamations.
I put her on her feet and applauded her as well.
Candy mentally asked me to go with her to her cabin.
I nodded.
She bowed and pulled me backstage with her. Other half-naked young ladies went in the opposite direction. In her little room, the first thing she did was put on a bathrobe.
It was pure curiosity why she had asked me here. Otherwise, I would have refused.
"Your brothers said I wouldn't crack you," she said with amusement.
"They don't know about your gift, either. What is it exactly? Do you create illusions?", I stated and inquired.
"Yes and no. I can't create an entirely different illusion. I can only phase the momentary into the image that would appeal to the person. So with you it was your fiancée," she explained. Then she looked at me crossly. "At least I assume that was your fiancée and not some other girl!"
"No, no. It was her," I immediately appeased.
She smiled.
"She's a human being," she noted. "Isn't that exhausting? Her vulnerability and her blood?"
"No. Not anymore. Though her blood sings even for me."
"Wow ... Really impressive ... I've broken down so many times," she mused guiltily.
A man entered the room directly after a short knock.
Also a vampire. A little older than me. Maybe mid-twenties and good looking. Vampire just.
He wanted to introduce himself, but Candy was faster.
"Edward. This is Marshall. My husband," she said immediately.
"Hello, Edward," he then extended his hand to me.
Yes, that was the voice from the speakers.
"Hello," I greeted him, but immediately had to chuckle, so they both looked at me quite confused. "My son thinks I'm cheating on his mother right now and is looking for me. And my brothers are also a little nervous because I haven't come back to them."
Candy laughed at that.
"Son?" however, Marshall dug deeper.
"My fiancée is a human and gave birth to twins before me. I am not their biological father, but that has no relevance to the relationship between us," I said. I didn't know either of them, so I wouldn't tell them anything about Ced for the time being. Who knew how some people would react to a half-being.
"I see," he said alertly.
He further considered with a very critical eye that I was involved with a human being and considered whether this was against our laws. Well, basically it was. It was forbidden to inform humans about our species, and he could not imagine that I could permanently play the eternal youth to my fiancée.
"Don't worry about our laws," I therefore said promptly. "I will make her one of our own kind at her own request. The transformation would only prove difficult for her at present as a mother of school-age children. But the twins are in their senior year at school and will be moving on to college this summer. Then Bella won't have to rely on her mortality."
This reassured him in this regard, but he would not have accused me of such a misstep either. He apparently held the opinion that everyone should live as they saw fit. But others of our kind would certainly not see it that way.
"College, mmm ...? Then she must be considerably older than you look," Marshall asked.
He was quite indifferent whether my fiancée stood on so-called 'toyboys'. But he was still curious.
"Yes, she's thirty-seven. We met when she was in high school, though. I left her then so she could have a human life. A husband, children, and all that goes with it. However, the twins' father died before they were born, and Bella has been by and large alone ever since. But I didn't leave Bella then to live her life alone. We only met again by chance, with which my human facade was then very abruptly invalidated," I changed the truth a little.
"She has no problem with people like us? Afraid of what we are?" asked Candy, fascinated.
"No. Not at all," I answered.
"Sounds like true love," Candy purred dreamily, sitting on her husband's lap and looking at him in love.
"Soul mates," Marshall whispered no less enamored, and they kissed.
"That's right," I confirmed.
Then my accompanying persons rushed into Candy's cabin.
"Dad!" rumbled Jake up front.
Closely followed by Marcus.
The two were well buzzed after the drinks not touched by us vampires, but drunk by them.
Jake demonstratively put himself between me and Candy, although she was in the arms of her husband.
The fact that this picture did not correspond to his fears became clear to him only with a delay.
Indecisively he looked at me.
We quickly cleared up the arrivals and Em and Jazz reported.
They had met Candy and Marshall by chance just a few days ago while hunting. Em had tangled with an elk, which he also had to tease at length, and which fled to this area. In the end, Marshall had nabbed that one. Because of the same diet, they got to chatting. They lived much the same way we did. Stayed in one town for a few years, always opening up stores like this one, and then eventually moved on. It was an easy way to earn money and Candy simply enjoyed presenting herself on stage. Usually only her husband was allowed to touch her. She only made an exception for bachelor parties, where the male part was usually chained to the chair. But this was not necessarily effective with vampires, as I had demonstrated earlier.
This brought us to the question of how I had been able to give myself to her in such a way.
None of my companions had expected this, and they were downright shocked. First and foremost Jake.
I asked Candy to show this vividly to my son.
Jake struggled, but Candy still managed to reach his head with one hand.
She needed this contact to be able to use her gift.
Then Jake hugged Candy tightly and breathed a soft "Becky" in front of him.
He peeked rather confused when Candy let go of him.
She noticed his wolf smell very clearly, of course, but she thought nothing of it. She didn't know any Spirit Warriors, but she was used to much worse smells from the bar here.
"I want a turn too!" demanded Em immediately.
With a firm grip on Candy's bottom, he pulled his imaginary Rose possessively towards him.
The physical love between the two was just very pronounced.
Jazz and Marcus declined with thanks. They believed it even without demonstration.
We soon said goodbye and accompanied Jake and Marcus home.
Jake had slight orientation difficulties with the alcohol in his blood. He also grinned almost continuously, which unfortunately just looked silly as a wolf.
David and Carlisle met the profusely buzzed teens at the front door and escorted them safely to bed.
Then I went hunting with Jazz and Em and they had gotten me two cougars as an excuse, so to speak, which were waiting for me in a cage. This was in an inaccessible place for humans on our property line, but as served on a platter, that was boring. Emmett teased them, hitting the cage hard that he was hissed at before opening the gate.
I allowed the graceful animals a fair head start.
Thanks for reading!
