Normani greeted Dinah on the edge of our property with relief, enthusiasm, and, I was pleased to note, a kiss. There was nothing quite like life-threatening adventure to make it clear what was important to you.
The rest of us hurried inside, letting them have their moment.
Selena was still in the midst of her transformation. She looked much healthier than when we had seen her last; some of her colour had returned and the venom coursing through her body had repaired her broken limbs.
Justin wasn't sure what to make of his mother's shaking form. Camila attempted to comfort him, finally trusting herself around the kids with some coaxing on my part. After extracting a promise that I'd stop her before she could hurt either of them, she tentatively approached Justin, kneeling by his side, her words tender as she tried to soothe away his concern to no avail.
Despite Camila's best efforts, it was Ari, who managed to take her best friend's thoughts off of his mother. Taking his small hand in hers, she dragged him to where she was in the process of creating a secret fort under our dining room table with couch cushions.
"I'm glad they have one another." Camila's smile was sentimental.
I returned it with one of my own. "Me too. They're going to have a very strange life, to say the least. The least they deserve is to have one another."
Camila turned to me, a frown marring her lovely features. "What do you mean?"
I lifted an eyebrow. "They're going to be raised by a coven of vampires. With you and Selena changed, they have no human influences remaining."
"Poor things," Camila noted wryly. "They'll be stuck trying to outsmart six parents with super senses."
I chuckled, dropping a soft kiss to my girlfriend's temple. "With Ari on their side, I wouldn't be surprised if they managed it."
"She's going to be a force to be reckoned with, isn't she?"
I wrapped an arm around Camila, pulling her with me onto the nearby sofa.
"Most definitely. Why do you think Aro was so desperate to have her? For such a small thing, she has manifested a large power."
Camila sunk with me into the expensive piece of furniture, curling herself into my side.
"We're not going to be able to go back home, are we?"
I hesitated, wishing for a brief moment that my girlfriend wasn't so perceptive. I could tell this was disappointing to her, and I hated the thought of making her unhappy.
"Probably not," I admitted.
Camila sighed.
I twined my fingers with hers. "Being here isn't so bad, is it? Some might say living in the European countryside is a dream come true."
Camila offered a weak smile. "I probably would have been one of them a few months ago. But it feels strange doing it like this. Just... uprooting everything without any warning."
"This is how we have to live," I admitted. "Our static appearance makes it impossible for us to stay in any one place for more than 10 years or so. Eventually others start to take notice of the lack of aging."
Camila threaded her fingers with mine and bit her lip. "Sorry for being a downer. We're lucky to be alive and together – I know that. Just... I'm going to miss Seattle and my friends. Ally. Hailee. Troy."
My heart twisted with her pain; disappointing my girlfriend made me feel like I was being thrust into a vice. Though I'd lived through these types of changes and learned not to form attachments out of necessity, this would be Camila's first experience cutting all ties with those she cared about. I could only hope that Selena, Justin and I would be enough to anchor her as she adjusted.
"We'll send word to let them know you're alright. Perhaps we'll tell them that you got a last minute scholarship to transfer out here that you couldn't pass up? We'll figure something out, okay baby?"
"What about Sel?"
I shrugged. "We haven't come up with a story yet. There's no way she'll be able to return to her line of work. Working in a hospital isn't something most vampires can handle, at any stage of their existence. The constant exposure to blood would be maddening to most. Demi is a very rare exception."
"Demi and Heidi!" Camila gasped in sudden recollection. She lowered her voice to a tiny whisper, well aware that my oldest best friend might be listening in; she sat a few rooms over, watching over Selena. "She was dating her, wasn't she?"
I listened to Demi's thoughts, finding she was paying us no attention. She was focused on checking Selena's vitals with intense purpose. We were mere background noise in her thoughts.
"As far as I know."
"She's not going to have to leave her because of all of this, is she?" Camila seemed concerned by this development, despite the fact she had never been fond of Heidi. I kissed her, touched by her tender compassion for my best friend's emotional state.
"Somehow, I don't think she minds," I told her, watching Demi helicopter over Selena several rooms over, her thoughts filled with more than the simple concern a doctor has for a patient.
Camila seemed to understand what I was hinting at, her lips turning up in a tiny smile.
"I hope so. They'd be good together."
Dinah and Normani traipsed in the door, noisy and animated as always; it was like they felt obligated to announce their presence wherever they went. Hand in hand, Dinah led Normani to the other side of the L-shaped sectional where Camila and I were seated. Her grin was a mile wide and showed no sign of fading.
Camila smirked at her. "Why do you look like you have a hanger stuck in your mouth?"
Dinah beamed at her, pulling Normani down into her lap.
"Mani agreed to be my girl. We're going to give that moony-eyed shit a try. Seems to work for you two."
Normani ducked her head when Dinah planted a squelching kiss on her cheek. She didn't even pretend to wipe at it in dismay. I'd never seen her look so... girlish and happy. She looked like a thirteen-year-old in love.
She caught my smirk, and shot a lethal stare my way.
'Don't even start. I swear to God, I'll...' The threat trailed off as if she was unable to come up with anything menacing in her current blissful state.
"I'm happy for you guys," Camila input. "No offense or anything, but how did it take you this long to figure out you're perfect for one another?"
"They're the two most stubborn people on this planet, babe," I informed my girlfriend with only a touch of superiority. "And one of them is Dinah. I think that sums it up."
Dinah didn't even flinch at the insult; her grin was permanently glued to her face.
"Whatever. Jealous we're gonna give the two of you a run for your money in the most sickening couple department?"
"Uh, not happening," Normani insisted, her voice flat.
"Aww, but Mani, someone has to put them in their place." Dinah's whine and golden puppy eyes were met with utter disdain from her would-be-co-conspirator.
"Look, if I'm not getting sex, I cannot be that cheerful. It's just not going to happen."
Camila's eyebrows lifted to her hairline. "No sex?"
Dinah's smile finally deflated a little.
"Mani thinks – ow! I mean, Mani and I agreed," Dinah amended when Normani's elbow jabbed her in the side, "That it will be easier for us to sort out our feelings for one another if we take sex out of the equation for a while. Until we figure out if we want to be together for real."
Camila chuckled at the look of consternation on Dinah's face; clearly, Dinah thought this plan was unnecessary punishment, but was willing to go along with it for Normani's sake.
"Sounds like a good idea."
"In that case," I glanced up at Dinah with pleading eyes, "if you're not going to be busy, do you mind watching over the kids while Camila and I sneak off? They're hiding out in Ari's fort under the dining room table."
Since returning from Volterra, Camila and I had been engrossed in making sure everyone else was happy and settled, neglecting time to ourselves. The moment I'd laid eyes on my Camila, transformed into the ethereal being that now stood before me, I'd been dying to get her alone. There was an all encompassing longing to learn what was possible for us without the constraints of her humanity. My entire being thrummed with a need to be closer to my mate, to claim her as mine and relearn every inch of her perfect form.
Dinah's expression soured. 'Rub it in my face, why don't you?'
"Is that a yes?" I couldn't repress my hopeful tone.
"Yeah," she grumbled. "But if we ever need you to babysit when we want 'alone time,' you better be game."
"Deal," I agreed, already extending a hand to help Camila up. "We owe you."
Camila graced me with one of her shy smiles. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere," I offered vaguely, not wanting to spoil the surprise. The Italian countryside was gorgeous, and I intended to take her somewhere where we could enjoy it and each other without interruption.
She followed my lead without question as we tore through shadowed greenery. Dawn was just beginning to caress the morning sky, casting a soft golden light on the treetops all around us.
I hardly noticed the stunning view that lay before us; I was content to watch Camila as she absorbed the sights, her face glow in awe. Her enhanced vampire senses afforded her a new perspective on the surrounding beauty, and it showed in every one of her animated expressions.
"Hard to believe all this is real," she murmured when I indicated we had reached our destination. She glanced around, taking in the magnificence of the landscape with reverential eyes.
Laid before us was a glass-smooth pond that reflected the early morning sun like a mirror. There was no sign of civilization anywhere in sight. In every direction, as far as the eye could see, there were only the mellow green-blue tones of nature. It was as tranquil a place as I'd ever found, with not even the chirp of a bird to mar the perfect stillness.
Camila hooked an arm around my neck, standing on her toes to press her lips against mine in a whisper of a kiss.
"It's beautiful."
"I'm glad I could share it with you."
When I'd first discovered this place, it had been little more than a respite from the constant noise that surrounded me. Here, I could escape the incessant drone of human thought; there was no one for miles. With Camila's appreciation as my guide, it was easy to step back and admire the landscape as it might appear through her eyes.
Camila curled her fingers in my hair, pulling my body impossibly close to hers.
"I assume you didn't bring me here to admire the scenery?"
I kissed her forehead, dropping a series of feathery kisses along the curve of her chin, before settling my lips against the perfect softness of hers.
"Well, not just to admire the scenery," I murmured in the breaths between.
"This time you don't have to hold back." Camila's eyes met mine, glowing with a playful challenge.
I chuckled at her excited tone. "No, but you might. You're stronger than me now."
"Is that so?"
She gave me a gentle shove, sending me toppling to the mossy forest floor; I could have caught myself, but played a willing participant in her game. Without a moment of hesitation, she pounced on me, straddling my hips.
I gazed up at her while she hovered over me with a predatory look in her eyes. The rising sun formed a halo of golden light around her, illuminating strands of her dark hair. The mellow rays of the sun caught her perfect, pale skin at just the right angle so that she appeared to glow from within. The loveliness of the landscape had nothing on the gorgeous woman that I had the honor of calling mine.
Between hungry kisses, our clothes were tossed aside as we rushed to be closer and feel more. When we were both wearing nothing but sunlight, I took it upon myself to inspect her changed body and relearn each curve anew. It deserved my thorough inspection.
Camila gasped with soft sounds of pleasure as I smoothed my hands over whatever smooth skin was within reach. I was fascinated by each minute change that caught my notice. Her body was firmer, but still unbearably soft, as though coated in velvet. She felt more substantial in my arms, less breakable. Against her ivory-paleness, the rosy pink hue of her most sensitive skin seemed several shades darker than before. I admired the contrast first with my eyes, then my lips.
Cupping one of the firm mounds hovering over me, I enclosed the pinked skin between my lips, watching her reaction as I met her blazing eyes. She bit her lip, instinctively repressing a groan.
"You can be as loud as you want, baby. There's no one to hear."
With explicit permission, she let go of her reservations. She squirmed and moaned with reckless abandon as I teased her. Burying her face in the crook of my neck, she clung to me like a limpet.
I groaned at the pressure of her razor-blade teeth skimming the tender skin of my throat. I hadn't forgotten how it felt to have her mouth there, and the intense, unexplainable pleasure of her teeth breaking skin.
At my gasp, she pulled away, swallowing venom. Chastened, a small frown marred her features.
"Sorry."
Threading my fingers through her long hair, I guided her eyes to meet my serious ones.
"You didn't hurt me. You will never hurt me."
She nodded, but I could read the doubt in her eyes.
"It's difficult to explain," I continued, eager to dispel her misgivings. "It feels good – insanely so. It's something you have to feel to understand."
She quirked her head to the side, offering me an expanse of her pale neck with trusting eyes.
"Show me?"
Venom burned my throat at the mere thought of showing her that pleasure, and seeing my mark – however brief it might be – emblazoned on her flawless skin.
Dipping my head, I dropped my lips to kiss the soft flesh. I waited until her tense form had slackened to press my teeth into the velvet skin.
Her reaction was instantaneous. Her head tipped back as pure ecstasy surged from the point of contact. I pulled away, still tasting Camila on my lips, and admired the sight of my mark on my mate. I took a mental snapshot, knowing that the sight was one I would revisit often.
After a long moment, Camila's closed eyes fluttered open. They flamed with red-hot desire.
"I see what you mean," she murmured, her lazy tone telling me she was still blissed out. "It's... god, I don't even know how to begin to explain it."
I kissed her smiling lips. "I know."
"Is it like this for everyone?"
"For mates. There's something about the chemistry of how our venom affects one another. If we're bitten by anyone else it stings like hell. Not very pleasant."
"Good," she growled, her desirous gaze possessive. "No one gets to bite you except me."
"Fine by me," I laughed, rolling us so she was the one pinned to the mossy earth.
There wasn't any talking in the minutes that followed, just the breathy sounds of gratification and skin brushing skin.
I groaned as I slid into her; this was so much different than the few times that had preceded it. Not better or worse, just different.
What was better was the eager way she met me thrust for thrust. There was no hesitation or doubt in our movements. Now we could both move freely, without the need monitor every push or pull; this was how our bodies were meant to move together.
Succumbing to the waves of pleasure that coursed through every nerve ending had never been so simple. I didn't have to worry I'd crush her in a moment of unguarded passion. I collapsed over her as the last swells of bliss crashed and frothed around me like a breaking wave.
As Camila toppled headfirst into the depths of bliss with me, I heard her thoughts as surely as if they were my own.
'Oh God, that... yes, Lauren, there! Oh, Lauren. So... fucking perfect.'
I gasped, my pleasure heightened through sharing her experience.
After the last aftershocks faded, we crumpled in a satisfied heap of limbs. I lay in silent awe, unable to believe what I had heard. I'd never caught so much as a single syllable from Camila's mind before.
"I could hear you," I murmured when we separated, rearranging our bodies into a more comfortable position. I was tantalized by the tiny glimpse into her mind. I wanted more.
Camila held me to her, lazily stroking her fingers through my hair as I lay on her chest, peppering soft kisses along her perfect exposed skin.
"What do you mean?"
"Your thoughts. I could hear them when you came. You were repeating my name. What you wanted from me." I paused, chuckling. "Cursing."
Camila's eyes darted away in shame. I tucked a finger under her chin, having none of it.
"I love everything about you. Including every last crazy thought in your head. Seeing, experiencing them... it makes this," I gestured between us, "all the more meaningful. To know that's how you feel when we're together? It makes it even more mind-blowing."
"I didn't do it on purpose," she murmured. Her words were shy, but I could tell she was pleased by my approval. "I wasn't trying to, I mean."
"Perhaps you lost control of whatever it is that shields your mind, and it allowed a few thoughts to slip out?" I considered, trailing a hand over her hip suggestively. "I think we need more empirical data to validate this theory."
"Mmhmm," she hummed, tugging on my hair to draw me into another kiss. "Couldn't hurt."
I grinned, pleased to see her embarrassment slip away as quickly as it had come. She never had cause to be embarrassed with me. She had no idea how much I wanted to know every part of her. No matter how trifling the information might seem to someone else, I wanted to know every last detail about my mate.
"We roped Dinah into babysitting," I reminded her. "We might as well take advantage. Who knows how long it'll be until we can convince her to do it again?"
"How many hours before she notices we haven't come back?"
"Not enough."
Not wanting to waste the precious time we had been afforded, Camila silenced me with another hungry kiss that spoke of all the things she had planned for our time together. I let her carry me away to a place where all thoughts of Dinah and our real life were not invited.
Hours later, we gathered our clothing and reluctantly redressed. We hadn't even left, yet the greedy ache to be alone with her, to have more time together, was already beginning to settle.
We took our time getting home, pausing often to share lingering kisses that always devolved into someone getting pressed up against a tree and wandering hands.
By the time we made it to the edge of the property that we would be calling home, the sun that had just been rising when we left was beginning its decent.
I paused at the sounds coming from inside the house; I could hear the panicked commotion of thoughts. My first consideration was that the Volturi had reneged on their promise of peace. Camila clutched my hand when I jerked her to a stop to listen.
Camila's gaze settled on me, her eyes heavy with concern.
"What's the matter?"
"Selena's awake."
AN : Today is kinda bad day for me. I just saw the most heartbreaking news in my entire life. A couple and their seven-month-old daughter was killed in a car crash (in my country).
Okay, so there's six Perodua Myvi (you can google it) cars racing on the Duke highway. (somewhere in my country) One of the Myvi car in the fast lane hit another car (the victim's car) in the middle lane, causing it to veer left and into another Myvi in the slow lane. The husband lost control, causing the car to spin, and all three (the couple plus the BABY) were thrown on the road. A woman driving one of the Myvi sustained light injuries, while the other Myvi driver was unhurt. I am fucking sad-mad, not because the myvis driver werent severly hurt, but because the couple have two other daughters. 7 and 4 years old. I saw the video, the poor 7 years old is crying her heart out for her loved ones, while the other is too young to realise what's happening. It breaks my heart that i cried- no, scratch that, I was freaking bawling my eyes out. No child should go through such a loss. It's a terribly-sorry feeling to see this news. Let's pray and hope they both live a happy life together in safest hands. We know none can fill the emptiness in their hearts, only time can heal.