Third Person POV
How could something so wrong, so vile, so inhuman, feel so right? Aria was conflicted, her distress evident as she peeled herself off of the ground by the riverbank, not even daring to take a glance at the beast she had killed hours before.
Physically, she felt stronger than ever, she felt like she had the literal strength to move mountains, but mentally, that was a whole other story. Her internal torment intensified when she got back to the cottage, and slipped in through the window, catching her reflection in the long mirror.
Aria didn't recognise herself. Her reflection mortified her. Her clothes were half hanging off of her body, a bruise was forming on her shoulder where the lion's teeth had tried to puncture the skin there, and her torso was covered in dried blood. She could discard the clothes, and she could clean herself, but her only option was to try and cover the bruising with make-up and pray that Jake wouldn't take notice.
She wept as she cleaned herself, her tears mixing in with the water that rained down on her. Her eyes remained trained on the plughole as she watched the blood and dirt wash away. Ari realised coming to terms with her new self was going to take time, but the guilt she felt for killing that magnificent animal was weighing down on her.
There was an advantage to finally giving into her temptation, the burning thirst she had felt over the last two days had completely evaporated. There was no sign of it returning, she felt quenched, now only hunger for regular food remained.
When she was sure she had scrubbed the dirt and blood from her body she changed into some comfortable clothes and snuck past Jake and blurred to the closest public trash can on site and threw the bloodied clothes away. When she returned to the cottage, she took a seat on the lounge chair that overlooked the valley below. The sun was beginning to rise over the hills on the other side of the valley, the warm, orange light was spilling over the mountain side and submerging the earth in golden light.
She knew she had to act as normal as possible around Jacob, she had no desire to drink blood again and prayed that it was only a onetime disaster and that the craving wouldn't return again. Ari just had to let last nights events slip out of her mind and to never think of them again.
Back inside the cottage, Jacob began to stir, he rolled onto his side and stretched his arm out to bring his wife's body into his side. He craved her touch, to feel her soft skin and smell her glorious sweet scent. Instead, he found her side of the bed cold and bolted upright, immediately taken out of his dream-like state. "Aria?" He called out as his eyes did a quick scan of the room.
"Out here." She called back meekly, her voice muffled as she leant her chin against her knee caps, her legs bent up as she hugged them to her chest. She took a deep reassuring breath. Be normal... Be normal...
Jacob flicked the sheets off of himself and climbed out of the bed. He stretched his arms out above his head, the muscles in his back flexing. As he slipped on some boxers he tried to find her figure through the windows. The sun was shining in and prohibiting his vision. "What are you doing out there?" He asked as he walked towards the door.
"Just watching the sun. I didn't want to wake you." She explained as he watched her from the open doorway. She smelt of rose body wash and shampoo and Jake couldn't understand why she was dressed and showered already when it was just barely morning. Clad in cotton shorts and one of his hoodies she turned her head to look up at him, her skin glowing under the golden light of the sun, her blue and gold eyes sparkling at the light rebounded off of them. Her dark, damp hair fell in ringlets around her face. She took Jake's breath away, he thought she looked like a goddess.
"I wouldn't have minded, baby. I would've loved to have watched the sunrise with you. It's our last morning here after all." He shrugged, watching her curiously. She hadn't been entirely herself over the last day or so, she seemed a little jumpy and nervous, always on edge. He didn't let her know but it did hurt him that she had shut him down the last two nights, claiming to be too tired to have sex. Had he done something wrong? Had he upset her in some way? Usually if something like that had happened, she would tell him.
Jake climbed onto the lounge chair and slipped himself behind Aria so she could lean back against his chest. His fingers wound their way into her hair as he twisted in around his fingers, his eyes flickering from the side of her perfect face to the spectacular view that was laid out before them.
"I know." She sighed, a little too heavily for her own liking, she didn't want to let anything slip. "I love you." She breathed out, leaning her head back to rest against his bare shoulder.
"I love you, too." He kissed the top of her head and hummed to himself. She seemed fairly normal again, hopefully she was now out of her funk, especially as they were moving onto the next resort later that morning. He just wanted her to go back to enjoying herself again.
* * *
Aria's POV
His thoughts seemed clear, he was worried about me, that was certain, but he didn't suspect my change in mood was anything to do with blood. He mostly believed that I had wedding blues, he had heard Alice say once that some brides feel a bit down after their wedding, all that build up of planning a wedding, only for it to be over after a day. I'd rather he think that than knowing that I had drank blood and liked it.
I tried to be more animated, more excited about the new resort and the plane journey. It was safe to say that I think I had convinced him, despite his wariness. We arrived at the Ngorongoro Crater a little after midday, the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge was visible from the road that scoured the craters edge, as we drove we had a perfect view of the land that stretched out below us and the large lake in the centre of the crater.
Perched on the edge of the crater was the resort we would be staying at for the next two nights, there were three major base camps, each with ten private suits for their guests, all of them perched on stilts on the rim of the crater. I think if you had a fear of heights this wasn't the place for you.
Our suite was adorned with beautiful antiques, grand chandeliers and elegant African treasures. The bedroom, sitting room and ensuite bathroom had amazing floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the magnificent crater below. I promised myself that I would make an effort to enjoy this time more with Jake. The first day at our last camp was amazing, but once the bloodlust started I fell into myself and didn't acknowledge Jake much. This was our honeymoon and I had to try my best to ignore it.
After arrival we were given thirty minutes to get ready and to meet back at the main camp as we were offered a complementary picnic in one of the resorts safe zones, a place which was next to a particular herd of elephants favourite spot to drink. The whole crater covered more than eight-thousand square kilometres, and was home to twenty-five-thousand animals. The elephants in particular are what I was actually really excited to see, the people that worked here had a special elephant sanctuary programme where guests sometimes got to interact with the elephants. I just hoped Jake and I could be that lucky.
We were taken to a fenced off area towards the centre of the crater where the flat earth stretched out for miles around us. The levelness of the ground allowed me to see for much farther than what I was used to. In every direction there was animals, it did make me a little nervous to be so exposed to predators, obviously not for my sake but for the humans around us, and I was also so eternally grateful that the scents of the animals did not entice me one bit.
The small dedicated area was reserved for picnics, the fences were chainlinked, it kept the medium sized animals out but anything that was much larger, like a rhino or elephant, they would easily be able to get through. There was a small dining area set up in the centre with a cooking area covered under a marquee, we were guaranteed a gourmet meal and I could have squealed with happiness that my stomach rumbled with the thought of eating.
"For you." Jake smiled at me as he pulled my chair out of me. I smiled at him sincerely as I took my seat and let him push me in towards the table. "It really is pretty here, don't you think?" He asked me as he took the seat opposite me, a bright smile on his face. I took a second to admire him, his skin glowed with his new tan, he hadn't shaved this morning so stubble adorned his jaw and cheeks. As he turned his head to the side to look at our surroundings, his angular jaw stood out and for the first time in two days, my stomach warmed with need for him. "Babe?"
His voice shook me out of my thoughts and I tried to focus again. "Yes, really pretty. It such a good spot. I can literally see everything." My eyes focused in and out, letting my eyesight expand all the way to the walls of the crater and back again.
"Are you okay now, baby?" Jake asked, taking my hand across the table. Clearly I hadn't been as composed as I had hoped.
"I'm fine, I promise." And some part of me was being honest, I felt fine. The only thing that was stopping me from being fully normal, was the fact that the thought of the bloodlust coming back was looming over me. I put on my best smile for Jake and rubbed my thumb over the skin of his hand. "Come on, let's enjoy ourselves." I said just as a waiter handed us our menus, Jake looked over me, a smile forcing its way onto his lips as he nodded. He still wasn't convinced but he was going to try and let it go.
After our amazing lunch, we were lucky enough to watch a herd of twenty-seven elephants stop by the lake for a drink. The workers here knew that particular herd and coaxed them over with bales of hay for them to feed on. The matriarch of her herd had been raised by the people that worked on this reserve many years ago, she had taught her herd to accept people and to not be afraid of them, though she apparently also knew not to depend on them.
No poachers meant that these amazing animals could roam safely and with the mutual respect between the animals and the people that worked and lived here, we were given the opportunity to get close to the large beasts.
"Move slowly, be respectful and quiet." We were instructed by the rangers as we were led out of the protective gate. Jake grasped my hand tightly, wanting to be protective to ensure I didn't come into any danger. I couldn't help but smile, I was relatively indestructible, but he still acted like I needed to be careful. At first, it seemed like he could never accept that I could look after myself, but now I saw it as just one of his loving qualities, he just wanted to look after me and I couldn't deny him that.
Jake and I took our place as instructed by the ranger. A fresh, small hay bale was placed in front of us, immediately drawing the attention of two female elephants and a calf. I could have almost squealed in delight as the baby approached, being cautious and weaving between the legs of his elders. "Happy, baby?" Jake asked, squeezing my hand a little tighter as we inched closer to the hay bale that the two older elephants were beginning to feed on.
"I am." I smiled back at him before I began to bend my knees to lower my height to try and get the attention of the baby elephant. I reached my hand out to try and coax it towards me. "Hey, little guy, I'm not going to hurt you." I nearly stumbled over my words... if I had seen him last night, who knew what would've happened.
The little elephant was hesitant, taking one step forward and two steps back. Jake crouched down beside me and began to mimic my actions, and when the baby elephant began to realise that we could be trusted he trotted forward, his stumpy, little legs making him look like his legs were moving too fast for his body. He inched towards us, his small trunk reaching out for mine and Jake's hands before he spooked himself and ran back to hide between his family members' legs.
"Aww." I cooed between Jake and I's soft laughter. "He's shy."
"He must be. How amazing is it to be this close to a wild animal?" Jake asked me as he pulled me up with him so we reached our full heights. If only he knew...
"Yeah, it extraordinary."
Jake and I went on to feed the two older animals, being successful when they took the hay out of our hands with their trunks. Like usual pictures were taken and we marvelled about how lucky we were to share such a beautiful once in a lifetime experience. Once the lunch was over, we were taken to the shifting sands. The huge dunes rolled fifty feet closer to the Ngorongoro Crater each year, and to the human eye they wouldn't have been able to see the small distance it was constantly travelling, but I could see it, each tiny miniscule movement of sand. It reminded me of watching Nessie grow when she was a baby. You could have literally watched her hair grow and notice the difference after fifteen minutes.
The afternoon began to melt into early evening as we drove back to the lodge. Today had gone well, no thirst for blood whatsoever, just the fear of its return. I just hoped that it would carry on this way and that the fear that was being held against me would disappear.
* * *
Jake's POV
"Sure you're okay?" I asked her once more, she breathed heavily out of her nose, her eyes squinting at me irritably as her forkful of food paused on its way into her mouth.
"Jake." She whined, placing her knife and fork back down on the plate.
"You keep telling me you're fine, but I know you're pretending. Something is bugging you. Just tell me." I tried to be firm with her but the stare she was giving me was telling me to keep calm. I couldn't cause a scene, and there was no way I wanted to start a big argument.
She sighed and refused to meet my eyes. Instead, she looked out at the view and up at the millions of stars that shined above us. She must've been silent for about a minute and it was making me extremely nervous. I opened my mouth to speak again but she beat me to it. "I really have been tired." She admitted, staring at me, her blue eyes sparkling, like she wanted to cry, but this definitely wasn't the whole reason. "And I've just been thinking about my mom and how she's doing."
Oh. That wasn't what I was expecting. To be honest I had no idea what to expect.
Aria's eyed were glued to the plate in front of her and it made me feel a little bad. I suddenly felt really selfish, I hadn't thought much about home the whole week we had been on our honeymoon. Her mother didn't have the best time at our wedding reception and now I felt guilty we hadn't even called to see if she was okay.
"You could have just told me you were upset about your mom." I reached across the table and took her smaller hand in my own and rubbed the pad of my thumb across the back of her hand. Ari struggled to lift her eyes to look at me, and when she did, they were brimming with tears. "Oh, honey." I cooed as her bottom lip wobbled.
I rose from my seat and dropped down to my knees in front of her, shielding her from the rest of the restaurant so this moment could remain private. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into my chest as she grasped handfuls of my shirt in her palms.
"You could have told me about this." I reminded her again as I rubbed her back soothingly.
"I... I..." She struggled for words as she rested her head against my chest, her breathing was slowing as the sobs that should her body were becoming less frequent. "I didn't want to make it your burden too." She admitted quietly, her voice strained.
I pulled out of our embrace and looked at her as if she had just shot me. "Aria, you are my wife, I am your husband. Anything that hurts you, or plays on your mind, will always be my burden to bare too. We work through this together because that's what married couples do. I will always, always be here for you, and always, always be on your side. We do this together."
She looked at me, her eyes sad and a little broken, and sniffled. "Thank you." She whispered as she wiped under her eyes, frowning when she saw black smudges across her finger tips. "I must look like a panda." She joked as she swiped the napkin off the table and removed the black marks from her fingers. I smiled with her as she let out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry."
"You look fine, baby." As I stood back to my full height I placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. "And don't worry about it. We can call your mom tomorrow to make sure she's okay." I suggested as she nodded in agreement as she settled herself back into her chair properly.
She shook her head slightly, my guess she was giving herself a silent pep talk, as she picked her cutlery back up to continue her meal. I admitted I was a little downhearted that she kept this from me, but I was going to do everything in my power to make it right again. I needed my happy girl back and I wanted her to enjoy this time. These memories were going to last with us for forever, in her mind more so than mine, and when I wanted her to think back on this time I wanted it to be happy memories.
As we ate her mood progressed in a positive way and I felt like I had my girl back. The distance she had put between us over the last two nights broke my heart a little. I understood that if she wasn't up for it, then she wasn't up for it, but I felt like it was more than that and I now knew that it was. Just seeing her actually smiling and meaning it brought a little life back into me.
After dinner we walked back to our suite hand in hand, she would occasionally lean into me and steal kisses before pulling away with a teasing smirk when my hands began to grasp her ass. "I missed you." I mumbled as we arrived back at our suite, Ari already halfway through the door turned and looked at me sullenly.
"I know. I'm sorry for pushing you away." She said guilty, walking back towards me, her hands timidly reaching out before she placed them on my forearms. "I missed you, too." She breathed as her arms slid up to wrap around my neck.
I grasped her waist in my hands and pulled her body closer so she was pressed up against me. "We can make up for it." I suggested, letting my hands slip to hold her ass cheeks in both my palms. I added a squeeze for good measure.
I could have sworn I saw it, a flash of fear in her eyes before she closed her eyes, but then she was leaning in, her lips puckering against mine, and that tiny amount of doubt slipped away as quickly as it arrived. She began to walk backwards, holding onto my shoulders as she pulled me along with her, our lips not parting once as we successfully made it into the suite and into the bedroom.
She moaned into the kiss as I gripped her ass a little tighter. She pressed her body against mine, her kisses becoming hungrier and more demanding as her hands grasped the hem of my t-shirt to lift it over my head. We went on to undress each other, soaking up each other's bodies as if this was the first time we were seeing them again.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, holding Ari's hips in my hands, looking over her as she stood between my legs. My mouth moistened, my hands were a little shaky and my cock was in fine form, ready and waiting, and throbbing with desire. Just two days without her touch and look what happened to me.
"Are you okay, Jake?" She asks, cupping my face in her delicate hands.
"I don't know where to start." I admitted, my eyes scanning over her again as that gorgeous giggle slipped from her mouth.
When I met her bright blue eyes, my heart fluttered and my cock bounced against my stomach. I didn't know where I wanted to kiss and caress first, I didn't have enough hands to touch and play with everything at once. I stood up and laid her down on the bed and crawled over the top of her, resting myself between her legs. My cock hardened more that I thought possible as my tip brushed the tiniest bit against the moisture between her thighs.
"Jake?" Her nails dug into my shoulders with a simultaneous grind of her hips.
"Yes, baby?"
"Just kiss me... please?" She asked and loving smiles spread across both our faces before I pressed my lips to hers. Everything was suddenly perfect, back to the way it was, both of us wrapped up in each others arms, enjoying ourselves and just living for the moment.
I kissed down her neck and felt her erratic pulse against my swollen lips. I shifted downwards and ran my tongue slowly over her left nipple, and lifted my gaze so that I could watch her eyes rolls back. I kissed my way over to her other breast, letting my needy mouth ravage her there for a while. My hands ran slowly over every inch of her skin, feeling softness and heat with my palms. I felt her tugging on my hair and looked up to see her watching me. She let out a little moan as my fingertips ran over her lower stomach and down the inside of her thigh as my lips trembled against her breast.
I pressed my middle finger straight into her and wiggled my fingertip before pulling out and watched her melt back down into the mattress. "I love you." I whispered against her lips, her breath coming out a little quicker than before.
"I love you too." She smiled as I sat back and looked over her again.
Her nipples were hard and tight, covered with the moisture my mouth had left. Her whole body was literally trembling beneath my own, her skin flushed with a beautiful rose colour all over. There was the thinnest layer of sweat covering both of our bodies from head to toe. Her bottom lip was held tightly between her teeth, and as I glanced downwards the pool of moisture between her legs looked and smelt far too tasty to ignore.
I kissed my way down her stomach, spending a little extra time just below her belly button. I swept my tongue up the inside of her thigh, the movement almost sending her over the edge as she lifted her hips from the bed. I forced them back down into the mattress, pulled her closer by the waist, and ran the tip of my tongue over her clit. It was the tiniest touch, but she was immediately there. So much built up tension coming loose as she shook beneath me, the moans streaming out of her without a care for who would hear.
I smirked as I pressed two fingers deep into her. Her mouth opened, and suddenly the air was filled with high pitched moans that were music to my ears. I licked and sucked away every drop of moisture she blessed me with and started again. I shifted myself so that I was hovering over her again, and touched, kissed and caressed every inch of her skin as she trembled beneath me. When I finally pressed my lips against her and softly sucked on her clit, she came hard, practically screaming my name as she latched onto my hair and grinded herself against my mouth.
After that I ached for her and couldn't wait any longer. I kissed my way back up her body to find her panting and begging, her heart pounded inside her chest. With one slow, smooth, delicious thrust forward, I was wrapped in her warmth. "Fuck..." I sighed, and kissed her chin and down her neck as I stilled inside her.
My heart melted in adoration when I lifted my eyes and watched as her cheeks turned an even deeper shade of pink. I took a second to enjoy the feeling, the adrenaline coursing through my veins, love seeped through every pore, and her walls squeezed me tight.
I lifted her leg around my waist and started a slow rock of my hips as I stared down into her eyes. She brushed her thumb over my lips before bringing my head down to meet hers so she could recapture my lips in a sensual kiss. Ari lifted her hips from the bed and I sunk deeper into her. "I promise I won't push you away again." She murmured against my lips as we broke apart.
"I'm always here for you, baby. For forever." I rasped between heavy breaths. Her walls tightened around me, grasping my cock as though she never wanted to let me go. "I love you." I told her again, pounding into her just a little harder as her back arched.
"I love you, too." She moaned, her nails digging into my back as we both brought each other towards our climaxes.
We slipped over the edge together, our lips meeting once more as the waves of pleasure rolled over us both. I knew for sure I had my girl back, she beamed up at me with so much love pouring out of her expression it made my heart skip a beat. She had come back to me, and that was all I could've asked for.
* * *
Aria's POV
I wanted to disappear. Why had this started up again? Why couldn't my body just be normal?... Or at least return to my normal?
It hurt, it was so painful, so excruciating, worse than before. I couldn't help but think that was entirely my fault because I had given in two nights ago. I had tasted the blood and my body now knew what it wanted.
If this was my life now, I needed to learn how to control it. Once I had it under control, maybe I could tell Jake, maybe he wouldn't hate me, especially if he knew that I wasn't going to be like the other crazed newborns we had come across. Their minds were set on blood and blood only, but I was logical, I had compassion and I felt guilt. Bella was just lucky and got gifted with super self control, maybe even I had that? I was technically controlling myself, I hadn't gone after any humans, and he didn't say last night that any of my burdens were his too. He would help, wouldn't he?
I felt so horrible that I had lied to him, that the reason I had been so off was because I was thinking of my mother, using her love life with that sick bastard as a curtain to hide behind. He took it so well too, was so loving and gentle and kind. I didn't deserve him, not when I kept secrets this big from him.
He needed me and I had pushed him away, giving into his advances last night was terrifying. Well, it was terrifying at first until he made all the fear, all the anxiety, melt away. His kisses cleared my mind and just filled it with him and what he was doing to me. Today had also been pure bliss, I hadn't thought of that sick nagging burn all day. We had been normal and blood free.
That was until I awoke three hours ago with the fierce burning scratching at my throat again, aching for release, to feel that hot, metallic liquid satisfy my taste buds.
I stopped crying and wiped my cheeks. I had to be brave. I had to be precise. I had to be clean. I couldn't come back in the state I was the other night, Jake would definitely know something was up if my clothes started disappearing. If this dirty little habit was going to return every two nights I needed to be prepared, know what I was doing.
Again, my best chance of sneaking out undetected was through the window, and as my bare feet touched the soft, manicured grass it dawned on me: I had just talked myself into drinking blood and a part of me didn't mind, I just wanted it.
I closed my eyes, placing myself back into hunter mode, letting my instincts take over. I listened closely, the grunting of distant hooved animals feeding, the whistle of the breeze in the trees, Jake's steady breathing a few metres away from me. I focused on the soft grunting of the group of wildebeest about ten miles north, I concentrated on the thumping of their muscular hearts, their powerful lungs filling and then emptying with air. The burning intensified and I licked my lips, tasting the venom that seeped into my saliva. I had my target.
I sunk lower to the ground, taking silent steps towards the underneath of the cottage, where the stilts stood strong, holding the building up above the ground. I let my feet slip as I descended down the side of the crater, careful not to disturb too much dirt, careful not to get the dirt on myself.
I let my nose lead the way, breathing in the scents of the wildebeest as I sprinted towards them, keeping against the wind to remain undetected. I was the only predator with their mind on this particular prey, no lion to disturb me or sway my intentions, as much as I craved predator blood, the wildebeest would have to do. If it could satisfy my family, it would satisfy me.
When the wildebeest came into sight I sprung forward, my hands forming the resemblance to claws as I struck at the largest male. I snarled as it tried to kick free, tried to gauge me with its horns as the others fled for their lives. No matter how hard it tried to escape, my hands kept their grip. I yanked its head back, exposing its neck. My teeth sunk into the flesh directly over the main artery in its neck and my taste buds exploded.
I practically moaned as I swallowed down the thick, red liquid. Somehow it tasted better than the lion two days before but not as satisfying. I wanted more yet this was enough. How was that possible?
As I finished the last drop, I laid the animal gently to the floor, not wanting to be as disrespectful as much as I already felt. But, the burning was gone again, I had done it and there wasn't a single drop of wasted blood staining me. I had perfected the kill... effectively, I could do this, and keep doing it without being detected.
I didn't want anyone to know, especially Jake. The fact Alice hadn't called also let me know that she wasn't looking out for me, there was no need to really, there was no threats. If this new food source was a threat to me she would have seen. I was safe and this was just my life now. I was going to be fine. I just had to keep my dirty little secret from anyone I loved.
That seemed like something I could do.