The warm rays of the rising sun woke me up, I groaned and I tried to bury my head in my pillow to hide from the light, only to discover that there was no pillow, only a hard, unforgiving ground. I whined pathetically into the ground as a pointed stick jabbed into my face, only to be startled by a fond chuckle.
"You know, you'd be more comfortable if you just got up." Charlie said, and even though I couldn't see him I could hear the indulgent smile in his voice as he spoke.
I put my hands beneath me and hauled myself up into a sitting position so I could scowl at my dad. He grinned over at me from the flickering flames of a small campfire, a tall metal kettle-shaped coffee pot sat over the flames, "Coffee?" he asked, gesturing to the pot. It was an old, tarnished thing, the original plastic handle had broken off during a camping trip when I was 11, but Charlie, never one to be wasteful, simply welded a makeshift handle to the thing and made due.
"God, yes." I groaned as I shuffled closer to the flames. The fire had died down over the course of the evening, and was now just big enough to heat up the water in the kettle. I could already smell the heavenly brew, the vapours of the dark ambrosia filling my senses. "Is that the good Colombian Dark Roast?" I asked as I shuffled the final few inches to sit criss-cross-applesauce across from Charlie.
"Indeed it is, the beans arrived in the mail yesterday. I figured we would need it." he smirked as he poured some of the black liquid into a metal camping mug and handed it over.
I held the mug in two hands, breathing deeply to take in the delicious steam I sighed happily, "I love you." I mumbled into my mug.
"You talking to me or the coffee?" Charlie snickered.
"Both."
XxXx
As we walked back down towards the estate, heads still pounding slightly but feeling better for every step we took a thought occurred to me, "Edward knows what my blood tastes like."
"Yeah, I had thought of that." Charlie replied evenly.
"Oh well, that's nice because I hadn't." I deadpanned. "Is it going to cause any issues?"
Charlie looked thoughtful for a moment before he responded, "I don't think so, we mixed our blood together in the bottles, also the full moon grants us additional powers and strengths, which changes the way our blood tastes," I bit back the urge to ask questions – so many questions – and just let Charlie continue with his explanation. "That along with the extremely high blood-alcohol content, should be enough to fool even Edward." he shot me a sly smile as he uncovered the entrance to the northern tunnel.
We silently traversed the tunnels until we arrived in the cellar, where we meticulously stored our bounty. I turned towards the stairs just as I noticed Charlie turn back towards the tunnel's entrance, "Where are you going?" I asked, one foot already on the stairs.
"Gonna go for a run, maybe a hunt, and then patrol the perimeter." Charlie answered easily.
"Okay, see you later." I chirped as I strode up the worn steps.
I made my way back up to the ground floor of the estate, and pushed open the hidden panel under the staircase, only to be greeted by Edward waiting for me in the foyer. I shot him a surprised smile, "Hey,"
Edward closed the distance between us and pulled me into a quick hug, "Hello, love." he murmured against my hair before he pulled away, "Did you have a nice time with your dad?"
"I sure did," I nodded. The coffee and brisk morning air had dealt with the remainder of my headache and I was feeling great, and last night had been a lot of fun – the sting of silver aside.
"Are you going to tell me what the pair of you got up to?" Edward asked cheekily.
"Nope." I quipped, "Werewolf secrets." I smirked.
"Werewolf secrets." Edward repeated, deadpan. "I don't even get a hint?"
I quirked a smile, "Charlie taught me how to make Blood Wine." I whispered in a conspiratorial tone, "It's in the basement."
"Hmm, werewolf secrets indeed." Edward crooned as he once more closed the small distance between us and lowered his head. Edward nuzzled his nose into the crook of my neck and I shivered as the touch sent bolts of desire coursing through me. I made no effort to hide my reaction to Edward's proximity, only going so far as to bite my lip to halt the little gasp of pleasure from escaping – I was very aware that we were not alone in the house. My hands clutched desperately at Edward's shoulders, I braced myself against his unwavering frame since I was suddenly finding myself swooning and light headed. Edward placed an open mouthed kiss against my jugular and I wasn't strong enough to stop the needy whine from worming its way out of my throat. Edward chuckled darkly and pulled away, his inky eyes sparkled in amusement as he stepped back and I stumbled slightly at the sudden lack of support which caused Edward's lips to twitch in amusement.
What a fucking tease.
I huffed out a frustrated breath as I smoothed down my now rumbled shirt – Edward's wandering hands had caused it to ride up and become crumpled in places, not that it wasn't already a mess from my evening in the woods. "You," I narrowed my eyes in accusation, "are a tease."
Edward laughed loudly as he ran a hand through his hair. I just rolled my eyes as I shoved him away, a little more roughly than I had intended if the way he stumbled and struggled to remain on his feet was any indication.
"Yeah, laugh it up." I grumbled, "I'm going for a shower." I muttered as I turned to escape up the stairs.
XxXx
After I showered I wasn't sure what to do with the rest of the day, I was free from any wedding planning as Alice was out hunting with Jasper, but without her incessant hounding I suddenly found myself lost. I ended up just drifting about the house, visiting with each of the Cullen's, spending a little bit of time with each member of my Pack. I sat with Carlisle in the library for a time, reading in a companionable silence, until Edward found us. I was more than pleased with his company, until he became more interested in me than any of the books on offer. Edward sat next to me on the emerald green sofa that had quickly became my favourite in the library/music room. Upon noticing my apparent fondness, Esme had informed me that she would endeavour to find me a similar cabriole sofa for my room – I didn't know what that meant, I just really liked the exposed dark wood frame that swooped dramatically along the back of the plush cushions, and the soft velvety fabric was delightful and was perfect to sink into with a good book.
As Edward settled down next to me, I instinctively shuffled closer until my side was pressed against his. Edward raised his arm and curled it around my shoulders, the other busy holding open his book. After a moment, the hand that had been resting on my shoulder began to gently caress the exposed skin on my upper arm. The feather light touches of his fingertips on my skin immediately made it impossible to focus on anything else. Edward shifted his weight and moved his arm down so it was curled around my back, which forced me to lean more into Edward's comforting embrace – something that I would usually find no problem with, except that Edward used this new position to tease me further. Edward's hand gently rucked up the hem of my shirt until a sliver of skin was exposed to his wandering fingers, and he oh so carefully traced the skin of my hip – the touch caused my breath to catch in my throat and my heart to stutter loudly in my chest.
With a jolt I was up, flinging my book onto the coffee table I rushed out of the room without a single explanation for my hasty exit. What was Edward thinking? Doing that in the same room as Carlisle? Sure, the touch was more or less chaste, harmless, really, but after our most recent explorations Edward knew how sensitive I was to his touch, and so I knew that he had to be teasing me on purpose.
I ended up in the greenhouse with Esme, thick gloves on my hands I was happy to help her re-pot some tiny little seedlings into larger pots where they could continue to grow to their hearts content.
Yet again, Edward 'stumbled' upon me.
"Hello, love." he greeted warmly as he peered over my shoulder from where I was standing in front of a work bench. "What are you up to now?"
"I'm helping Esme re-pot some lavender seedlings." I answered absently as I continued to work diligently.
Edward hummed thoughtfully as he snaked his arms around my body from behind, he rested his chin on my shoulder as he looked down at the baby plants that I was delicately un-potting from their original homes in the thin plastic seedling trays before separating them with diligent intent before moving them to their own, slightly larger pots. Edward's long fingers stroked the fragile leaves of the fledgling plant. I frowned down at the intrusion but said nothing as I continued my work. Edward's hand left the plant and he settled in on my hip, and the other snaked around my body to come to rest on my stomach. My hands stilled and I struggled not to drop the little plant I was holding as my heart lurched and my stomach swooped. Edward's head was still resting on my shoulder, and now he dipped it slightly so he could press chaste kissed to the side of my throat, I could feel his smile as he no doubt noticed the way my heart stuttered.
I hastily made an excuse about being hungry for lunch, and removed the gloves from my hands before I raced out of the greenhouse.
It was taking all of my self control not to give in to what was some very obvious teasing on Edward's part. I just didn't understand what he was playing at, I couldn't fathom why he was trying to provoke such carnal reactions from me, while we were in the company of family no less. Part of me thought that it was harmless, that he didn't truly mean anything by the casual touches and chaste kisses, that he was just becoming more physically affectionate in anticipation for the wedding – romantic, that's what I thought he was being. But… the hidden smiles and unmistakable waves of amusement that wafted off of him like perfume… he was most definitely teasing me, I just wasn't sure why.
After lunch I decided I was going to get to the bottom of this. With Alice out hunting, I really only had one other option for this sort of advice. I headed outside to go hang out with Rose and Kate in the detached garage – a swiftly build structure of brick and white wood, the front of the building housed six rolling doors made of a deep, dark wood panelling, it was now home to not only my truck but a number of the Cullen's vehicles also, and Rose wasted no time in claiming the space as her own. While I wasn't thrilled by the idea of Kate being there for what was probably going to be an awkward conversation it wasn't enough to make me think twice about approaching Rosalie with my concerns. Besides, Kate was much more amenable compared to her older sister.
I wasn't sure exactly how to approach the issue, so I ended up chatting with the pair for a little bit while Rosalie worked on Emmett's new jeep. I knew that I was being transparent, and at the very least Rose knew something was up, but I didn't think she was going to bring it up first.
Rose had her head buried under the hood of the jeep, engine oil and grease were smeared over her forearms from where she had become entangled elbow deep in the engine block. I didn't understand a lot about cars, but just hanging out with Rose as she worked I was slowly becoming more familiar.
"Ugh, this damn thing. I can't reach it. Could you give me a hand?" Rose grumbled as she extracted herself from the engine block. "I'll never understand Emmett's obsession with these damn things," she sneered down at the brand new Jeep, "They require so much damn modification before they're even remotely up to our standards and yet he continues to insist upon them."
"Sure," I shrugged, choosing to ignore Rose's mini rant as I ambled over to the Jeep, bent slowly at the knees to grasp the front of the vehicle before easily straightening my legs to lift Emmett's Jeep up off the ground single-handedly.
"What the…" Kate mumbled in surprised awe.
Rosalie's bubbly laughter echoed around the garage, "You honestly have no idea how strong Bella and Charlie are, do you?" Rose smirked as she lowered herself down to the ground so she could lay down on the rolling creeper before she scooted quickly under the raised car.
"Well, it is rather easy to forget that they're not just regular humans." Kate shot back defensively.
I smiled silently as I heard Rose scoff out a bark of sardonic laughter from where she was still hidden under the raised Jeep "You just wait until you see Bella transform," she drawled, "Something like that wont let you forget anytime soon." Rosalie reappeared from under the car, a new smearing of motor oil across her cheek. "You can let go now." she nodded thankfully at me.
As much as I was tempted to, I didn't just 'let go' as Rosalie suggested – I had done that only once before being subjected to a scolding and a lecture on stressing the suspension for no good reason – instead I just bent my knees and gently lowered the jeep back to the ground.
"So, are you going to talk about whatever it is you want to talk about?" Rose asked with a knowing look as she moved back around the car to continue to tinker with the engine.
Kate seemed confused by the sudden shift in topic and looked between us with barely constrained interest.
I frowned at Rose's lack of tact, but answered her anyway. "Edward's acting… strange. And I don't know what to make of it."
Rose hummed thoughtfully while Kate watched on, her keen interest bubbling further to the surface as her ability to mask her curiosity waned. "Are you sensing any strange emotions that would offer any clue as to why he is acting strangely?" Rose asked as she straightened up and turned around to face me, "Also, what exactly is he doing?" Rose narrowed her eyes slightly, as if promising swift retribution should she find out Edward had done anything to upset me in anyway.
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could Kate chimed in with unerring curiosity, "You can sense emotions?" her unnatural amber eyes widened.
"It's not like Jasper." I quickly blurted, hasty to put an end to that particular train of thought. "And it's more difficult with vampires I'm not familiar with, compared to humans and other werewolves." I added hastily, not wanting Kate to think I was constantly invading the privacy of her and her coven mates, not to mention how Tanya would take this information. Tanya had not been overtly hostile towards me or Charlie since the Denali's arrival, but that mainly had to do with the limited chances we had to interact with each other – the few times we had, however I could only just detect traces of contempt and displeasure directed at my person, telling me just how strongly she must feel those emotions for me to pick up on them over top of her sickly vampiric scent.
Naturally, it had bothered me, but Edward was quick to reassure me. Apparently it wasn't personal, but rather more an abstract dislike of the whole concept of me as a person – or rather, werewolf. Edward explained that Tanya's family had been on the receiving end of the Volturi's justice, and she knew just how swift and cruel it could be, with her and her two sisters being the only survivors of the retribution brought down by their mother's infractions. Tanya had no wish to bring the Volturi's gaze back to her and her family, and my very existence was a threat to that safety.
Personally, I thought it also had something to do with Tanya lusting after Edward for the better part of a century and being unhappy that I had 'won' a game that I didn't even know I was participating in – but that's neither here nor there.
"Right…." Kate nodded thoughtfully.
"And no, not really." I sighed in answer to Rose's question. "His scent shifts to something sweet… cloying almost in his mischief and amusement. Edward just seems awfully pleased with himself, entertained."
Rose wiped her hands down with a rag as she spoke, "And what is it exactly, that he is doing?" I felt my face grow uncomfortably warm as a red blush spread across my face, seeing the very… intense reaction to her words Rosalie's lips curled up into a teasing smirk. "Oh-hoh!" she chuckled knowingly, "Has my little brother finally given up his puritan ways?" she hedged.
"Isn't Edward older than you?" Kate asked with an amused sort of smile.
"Only technically." Rose flapped her hand dismissively. "So, Bella, spill-" Rose's eyes widened minutely as her smirk grew into a grin, "Oh man, Alice is going to be so bummed she missed this."
"It-it's not anything like that." I mumbled shyly. "He's just being awfully… affectionate. Whenever we are in the same room he manages to find some way to be touching me – I can't help but feel like he is just… teasing me."
"That's because he is." Rosalie answered, she was smirking, but her eyes were narrowed as if she couldn't decide if she were amused or annoyed.
"What?" I blinked
"Edward must be getting advice from my husband." Rose rolled her eyes. "Whenever Emmett wants to…" Rose paused for a moment, she could see how embarrassed I was by this conversation and was choosing her words carefully. "Fool around, he just gets really tactile as a way to show his desire without overtly pressuring me. I just think that Edward is taking the subtlety too far."
Kate snorted in laughter, "So Edward's horny but doesn't know how to just… say that?"
My blush seemed to grow impossibly hotter, "Well, what am I meant to do?" both vampires raised their eyebrows incredulously at my question and Rose got a mischievous glint in her eye. "Not what I meant!" I squawked. "I just meant, it's difficult to find any privacy in a house filled with vampires and my werewolf dad!"
"Why do you think Alice and Jasper went hunting?" Rose leered.
I cringed at the implication, much to the two woman's amusement. They both snickered at discomfort and I held back the urge to lob a wrench at the two of them. Both Kate and Rose had quite a few suggestions on how to obtain some measure of privacy while in a house filled with supernatural beings, eventually though, the conversation changed from vampires and werewolves, to just werewolves. Kate had never met any before, only heard stories, and apparently she was very curious. All she knew was that the Volturi demanded any werewolves be reported, if not outright destroyed by whatever vampire came across them.
"They said you're dangerous." Kate explained.
"Well, they're not wrong." I shrugged.
Rose barked out a surprised laugh, her face once more hidden within the guts of Emmett's new jeep. "No, they are indeed, not wrong." she snarked.
If vampires could blush, I'm sure Kate would have been. "No, I mean, they said you can't control yourselves, that when there's a full moon you change into mindless beasts that threaten not only our existence, but the secrecy that keeps us safe from humans."
"Huh," I quirked my head to the side,
"What?" Kate asked from her perch on the nearby worktable.
"Well, that's not entirely incorrect, it's like 45% accurate." I scrunched up my face in thought.
"How… how can something only be 45% accurate, it's either the truth or it isn't." Kate retorted.
"Oh God, don't let Carlisle hear you say something like that, not unless you want to be subjected to a philosophical lecture about reality and the existential nature of truth." I shook my head. "But to answer your question," I quickly added, "Young werewolves can't control their transformations. They're forced into their wolf forms with the full moon, where they are then completely overtaken by their animalistic instincts."
"So, you are dangerous then?" Kate frowned.
"No more than you are." I retorted.
"That's not what I meant, I meant young werewolves, you could hurt humans without meaning to, right?"
"I suppose it is possible." I allowed, "But, I mean it's unlikely. I've never hurt anyone. I always made sure to be somewhere far away from people, and besides, a young wolf wont go looking for trouble, we do have a sense of self preservation."
"And now?" Kate asked.
I went to answer, but Rose beat me to it. "You could argue that Bella is much more dangerous now, than she was before she gained any control." Rose straightened up and leaned against the Jeep as she looked at Kate. "Since I've known Bella, she's gone from a tiny wolf who could barely control her abilities, to a massive fuck off beast that could take Emmett in a fight without any issues."
Kate blinked in surprise but I was scowling, totally appalled by Rose's words.
"I was not tiny!" I protested shrilly.
Rose smirked teasingly at me, "Compared to now? You totally were."
I squawked wordlessly in indignation as I threw a damp and oily rag at Rose's head, who just dodged it gracefully with a light laugh.
A/N: Just a little fluffy filler chapter! Sorry for the wait. The next chapter will have some werewolf wedding traditions, Jess and Angela's arrival and the bachelorette party.