As for the reviews- thank you as always! I love reading from you, hearing your opinion and thoughts !
- Thank you for this, I will explain it further in the next chapters ! But for now- Aro does not believe that his kind could be staying away from their mates. So he know that at some point, Carlisle will seek Lily and she is bound to know what he was. But Aro does know Carlisles believes of god and sin, so he does not expect that he would change her, and take away her soul.
Warning- This chapter is not a must read to follow the story, so it can be skipped if someone is not a fan of M scenes!
Carlisle
Carlisle would describe his existence as a clear night sky.
There were stars, some shining brighter, others weaker because of the distance.
They lit up the sky, point by point.
They gave him comfort and hope. They made his existence worth living.
The brightest stars were his work and his family. They waited, beaming for him, lifted his spirits and gave him a sense of purpose.
They guided him, affirmed his way of life and gave him hope that his efforts would not be in vain in the end. The weaker sparkles were smaller things to enjoy. The sound of rain, the scent of the forest, the rustling of the wind, the wild tangle of colors of autumn and more materialistic its car or much more the speed of it.
He felt more or less content.
It was more than just accepting his existence, it was real contentment. Unsuspecting, he had come to terms with his fate and decided to be grateful for everything that God granted him. His family, his work, the nature around him.
Unsuspecting, he thought that would be all, that this would be the dore of his existence.
And then came Lily.
She was ... and he had to smile when he thought of the unpoetic word, she was a floodlight that lit up the entire sky. Edward had laughed out loud when he heard his thoughts and he had to grin too.
Perhaps the comparison would be more romantic if he thouht her to be his moon, but no, it would be too dark. The sun, perhaps, but he could seldom enjoy it. No, Carlisle decided that, given the whole situation, the comparison with a headlight was the most appropriate.
There was nothing romantic about her appearance, it wasn't love at first sight in a flower meadow or busy street in Paris. It was more of a wrecking ball that crashed into his life. And for that he was grateful.
He would never undo or regret it, but he also had to admit that with her appearance, the stars had suddenly lost some of their brilliance. Suddenly he noticed how the work no longer completely fulfilled him, how being together with his family was suddenly no longer sufficient to ease his lonliness.
Everything besides her faded, everything lost its charm and became dull. He felt guilty because neither his family nor his patients or colleagues deserved this sudden disinterest, but at the same time he couldn't bring himself to regret it.
His eyes followed her shape as she stared at the painting.
He remembered Francesco Solimena and his sheer fascination with his kind.
He was particularly fond of Aro, Marcus and Caius.
He often painted them as gods, beautiful and flawless, or as exalted kings, noble and proud. He remembered the jealousy of Caius when the talented painter saw Carlisle for the first time and he stared at him with awe. Immediately he begged him that he wanted to paint him too, more than that, he had to paint him. Caius felt offended at the time, that Solimena did not appreciate his beauty as he did Carlisles and Aro naturally found this extremely amusing.
Carlisle was uncomfortable, on the one hand, as a deeply religious being, he didn't want to be painted as a god and on the other hand he didn't want to offend Caius. Aro heard his worries and waved his hand in amusement.
He urged him to come and be in the painting and Carlisle, well mannered as he was, agreed.
He stayed in the background but Francesco Solimena managed to draw attention to him anyway. The painting was a gift from Aro and Carlisle accepted it gratefully. Even if he suspected that Caius would have simply burned it and Aro, as an art lover, probably just wanted to save it.
Even if Carlisle had no trace of vanity and put his extraordinary appearance purely on his nature of a vampire, he couldn't help but be proud of the picture. It had turned out really well and when Lily stared at his image with open mouth, he felt the pride rise in him. It seemed like fate, that he had accepted Solimenas request and later got the painting to hang it up in his office just to show it to her more than two centuries later.
His fingers searched for her skin and the touch triggered a pleasant stinging sensation under his skin. The closer he got to her, the more human he felt. The more her heart beat for both of them. It was exhilarating.
He took a deep breath and her sweet scent caressed his senses. He pressed his nose to her neck to get more of it and inwardly groaned when he heard her heartbeat, which immediately swelled.
Lily pressed her cheek to his head and he felt her warmth. A low sigh came from her throat, it was as lovely as it was electrifying and Carlisle was sure that even if he got deaf tomorrow, he was completely satisfied that this was the last thing he would have ever heard.
The tip of his nose brushed her neck and he could feel the blood pulsing underneath. It was far less tempting than the rest of her.
Much less. The monster in him wasn't thirsty, it wanted something else.
It wanted her.
Lily was beautiful, strong and fragile at the same time. She was so independent and stubborn and yet she leaned against him as if he were the only thing that left her standing.
Love pulsed through his empty veins, but they didn't feel empty. He could almost feel his heart beating wildly, in time with hers. He could feel the warmth that gripped his body even if it wasn't his own. In a way, they were like fire and ice. Whereby he slowly melted.
"The others?"
Her voice was rough and he didn't want to even think of why. His feelings for her were more noticeable and even when he tried to turn away, she followed him like a magnet.
"All gone."
He mumbled into her throat and his lips brushed against the velvety skin. He dared to taste her and groaned.
Delicious was an understatement, it was almost an insult, Carlisle thought. She was so much more than that.
Carlisle felt her head on his shoulder, giving him better access to the sensitive skin, an opportunity he took advantage of immediately. His lips sucked carefully, his tongue tasted greedily and even his sharp teeth gently scratched the thin skin without breaking it.
Her hand found the back of his neck and he growled as she ran through his blonde locks.
He was in heaven.
Maybe he died and that was his reward? If it were, he would have absolutely no objection to it.
Slowly she turned around and he leaned his forehead against hers.
A fear ran through him, had he pushed her too far? Was it uncomfortable for her? He had sensed her reluctance and her discomfort in this house. He was more than relieved when Edward silently let him know that it wasn't his fault. Her gaze bored into his and he lost himself in the deep ocean that shone from her eyes.
He swallowed his poison and averted his gaze.
He couldn't forget Edward's words and the fate that awaited them. It was ... it broke his heart.
He felt her hand on his cheek and closed his eyes.
It was a touch that gave more comfort than he had ever felt. It made everything better and yet so much was uncertain. He swallowed again. Carlisle glanced at Aro's still pale face. The color had suffered over time, but the masterpiece didn't lose its impact. The red eyes stared at him as if they were looking into the soul that was no longer there.
Aro wouldn't get her.
Aro couldn't get her.
"Lily."
"Carlisle."
He grinned. He could hear from her voice that she suspected that he was worrying too much - which was the case most of the time. Only this thought needed to be voiced.
"You have to know that you still have a choice."
She looked at him puzzled.
"If you want to stay human, then I will do everything in my power to make it possible for you. Everything. We will protect you."
Her full lips curled up in a sad smile.
His gaze was caught immediately and when she pressed her lips greedily on his he raised his eyebrows in surprise. He caught her and sighed. His body was on fire and he would be damned if he put out the fire. The kiss quickly took on a dynamic he hadn't expected. Her touch became more demanding and Carlisle felt his own self-control crumble.
He devoured them greedily. She was like a drug and the more he got of her, the more he wanted, the more he needed. Her body adapted to his and he felt the soft curves, he felt her warmth, her heat. He could smell her need and it almost drove him crazy.
Her hands found their way to his shoulders and brushed the row of buttons. It was a harmless gesture, but his skin burned beneath it. He burned with anticipation, with attraction, with desire, he burned for her.
She effortlessly opened the buttons and just as her gaze was caught on her fingers, so was his gaze on her. She was so focused that she wouldn't even notice his stare and his hands that held her hips. The soft feeling under his hands made him lick his lips and the monster inside him flared up. He had to feel her skin, right now.
His fingers ran down her neck and when they got to her collarbone he felt her hands shake slightly. She narrowed her eyes and seemed to concentrate even more and Carlisle continued to explore. His fingers stood out in stark contrast to her skin, although she wasn't visibly tanned, he was a lot paler than her. He heard the sharp intake of breath and stopped.
Suddenly her eyes wandered to his and he only noticed now that she had opened all the buttons. He leaned back towards her but she had planned otherwise, she pressed her forehead to his and turned her face down. Confused, he leaned back again when he saw her looking at his body.
The look in her eyes let the lust explode in his body and when she licked her lips, the monster roared at him to finally take her.
But he kept still.
He didn't dare to move, too great was the curiosity, the anticipation, the expectation of what her fingers would do with him. When they traced his sternum his whole body trembled and he thought by the way how unusual this reaction was for a vampire. Her eyes and fingers traced the fine lines of his muscles and he didn't even dare breathe. They left a burning mark on his skin and he almost closed his eyes.
He was sure now that his eyes were pitch black. It was unfair that human eyes didn't have this quality, but he convinced himself that her pupils were also wider than usual.
She examined his upper body and he wondered what she was thinking. He wasn't built like Emmett, but neither was he as slim as Edward. He would rate himself in the middle. His shoulders were broader and he was also a bit stronger, which was what life in the 17th century was like. There were tough times with a lot of physical work and his body was sculpted from an young age. Did she like what she saw? Was he her type?
His question was answered when her fingers reached his navel and the hair below. As if in a trance, he noticed her looking at him, apparently to gauge how he was reacting. His reaction was simple. A rumble came from his throat, over which he had long lost control. His eyes closed and his body moved even closer to her.
Immediately his mouth found hers and she moaned into his open mouth. The hot breath almost drove him crazy and the contact that now took place on his bare skin of the upper body was irresistible. It was excruciating because he only felt her sweater. He wanted to feel her skin, her fingers, anything. He felt his hands tugging at the hem, impatient as a small child.
In one fluid movement she pulled the sweater over her head and his breath got caught. She was wearing nothing but her underwear, and his fingers itched with the urge to touch. But he didn't get that far, as her mouth pressed against his again and when their skin touched they both groaned. It was a feeling that he would surely never forget, and that was not due to his infallible vampire memory. It was everything and nothing. It was ... Carlisle couldn't find the words to describe it. It was so much more than he'd ever dreamed of.
His inexperience was made up for by his instinct and he let it guide him, having no other choice. He pushed her back onto the couch, barely taking a step as he held her tightly on the sides. He wanted to feel and taste her more than anything else in the world. She responded immediately and released the hook on her bra. It fell to the floor unnoticed and when he felt her breasts against his cold body, his knees went weak.
The fall on the couch was a matter of seconds and it was not noticed by either of the two. It was here to serve a purpose, nothing more, nothing less, and Carlisle figured that probably any piece of furniture in this situation would have been sufficent. He watched her knee carefully, he watched the angles and the movements, the last thing he wanted was to hurt her.
It was hard to tell whose hands, whose mouth was more greedy. Whose sounds bristled with more lust. But when he took her nipple in his mouth and thought he was going to explode with ecstasy, he would put himself in first place. She was so soft, so warm, so auspicious and suddenly he understood all the enthusiasm for it. He understood the magic behind it. Her body pushed through and he felt her middle in a place that made him groan loudly.
The friction was excruciating, and he still couldn't get enough of it. It was too little, far too little. It was the vanguard of something that promised him something that he hadn't thought possible.
Until now.
Now he got an idea why Emmett and Rosalie could never keep their hands off each other, even if they only felt a fraction of what he was feeling, it was a miracle how they could even lead an everyday life.
Her fingers were quick and knew what they were doing and he was grateful. He was grateful that she took the initiative and he sent a rumbling prayer to heaven and thanked God for everything when he felt her warm hand on the most sensitive pisce of skin he owned. He thanked God for damning him. That he had survived until now to find her. For the first time, he didn't hate what he was. If it weren't for his being, he would have died more than 200 years ago and they would never have met.
He felt her everywhere, and when he felt her finally around him he forgot who or what he was. He was just here, one with her.
Her hips moved and he squeezed his eyes shut, her movements impatient but he couldn't bring himself to move. The rhythm was fast enough to get lost in it, but too slow to satisfy his hunger and he felt that he could no longer wait. He couldn't hold still anymore. He had to feel her more, much more. He wanted everything. And he got everything too.
He moved and she moaned loudly when his hand found its way to her center, her eyes widened and he groaned when he saw the pleasure in them. Her pupils were dilated and sweat formed on her forehead.
She was irresistible.
Her hand helped him find the point he was looking for and showed him a different rhythm.
He was eager to learn, to do anything for her to make her feel just as good as he felt and suddenly realized that giving her pleasure was almost better than his own pleasure.
Not just almost.
It was far better.
He knew it was sin, he knew it was wrong. These kind of pleasures should only take place in a marriage but by god he couldn't stop now.
She tensed and he pulled himself together desperately. He didn't make it long, because when her heartbeat stumbled and her muscles twitched, he followed her without resistance.
He let his head fall into the crook of her neck and tried to collect himself, but her damp skin was so close to his lips that he couldn't resist tasting it. Her taste had lost none of its deliciousness and he wondered if he would ever get enough of it.
He had never drank human blood, but now he had an idea of how it must feel when you were caught up in your deepest instincts and ecstasy. At least thats what Emmett and Jasper had described it.
He wanted more and she gave him everything.
Neither of them suspected that not many kilometers away another vampire was experiencing a similar ecstasy, only it wasn't physical pleasure, but rather the greed for blood.
She just pulled herself together, even if it was difficult. To stop in the middle of such a pleasure was excruciating but she managed it. She needed him by her side. Him and many more. Her red hair were damped by his blood and for a second she thought about continuing. But he was special, he knew the area, he knew the town. She needed him. She tore herself away and disappeared into the shadows, his painful screams ringing through her ears but she felt no pity. She remembered her own changing, the pain still burned inside her whenever she thought about it. But she made it through and so will he. She didn't feel anything since her companion was dead, it seemed pointless. Only one thought kept her going.
Revenge.