Two weeks later...
Third Person POV
"What the hell!" Aria groaned as she tried for the fifth time to get the button on her jeans to close. She had already chipped her coral nail varnish on both her thumbs and ripped two pairs of jeans off of her body with the force she was trying to close them at, now she was trying to be as calm and gentle as possible to avoid another mishap.
She had never put on weight before in her years as a half immortal, and she couldn't remember indulging herself that much on the food during her honeymoon. Aria couldn't help but wonder if this was the blood's doing, was that even possible?
Clearly frustrated, she tried another method. Instead she hooked her fingers around the belt loops of her jeans and jumped whilst simultaneously pulling them up, trying to pull the skinny jeans even higher over her hips. If that didn't work she vowed to rip the jeans completely of her body again and live the rest of her life in yoga pants.
"Come on!" She hissed until finally she got the button into the hole. "Thank fuck for that." Aria sighed heavily and placed her hands on her hips as she stared at her reflection.
The hybrid observed herself, turning from side to side. Her stomach was still flat, her muscles still toned... maybe her hips were a little wider. She smoothed her hands over them and then shrugged, being a little more curvy wasn't an issue, clothes that didn't fit were.
Silently from the door way Alice Cullen had been watching with an amused smirk on her red-painted lips. "Now that was entertaining." She mused, her trilling voice making the unsuspecting Aria jump out of her skin, the dark brunette shot round to glare at her, completely taken by surprise.
"How did you get in here?" She snapped, reaching for her shirt to yank it over her head, the action sending her hair into a tousled mess on the top of her head.
"I built the house, therefore I have a key." Alice bragged as she danced into the room, throwing her purse down on the couch that was covered in the tattered remains of the denim that Aria had ripped off of her body. Aria glared at her as she smoothed out her hair. "Nice tan lines by the way." She smirked as she folded her arms across her chest. Then, reality dawned on Alice. "Did you really not hear me coming?" Her voice suddenly held a hint of true curiosity.
In the almost six years that Aria had been a vampire, not once had anyone been able to sneak up on her, her gifts and heightened senses just wouldn't allow it. That was until just now when Alice had been the first successful person to do so, and she wasn't trying to do it intentionally.
Aria opened her mouth ready to snap back at Alice for letting herself in but swallowed her words when it dawned on her that she really hadn't heard Alice approaching, not even her thoughts. What's wrong with me? Aria's only realistic explanation was that she just had far too much on her mind. "No... I didn't. I was a little busy." She hoped the tight jeans fiasco would suffice as a good excuse.
"You did look like you were struggling. I didn't even know you could put on weight, though your hair grows so you are susceptible to change." The tiny vampire shrugged as she took a seat beside her purse and tucked her legs under herself. "You really need to organise in here, you've been home for two weeks and you've already ruined it. I swear you're worse than Bella sometimes." She muttered as she darted up from her seat and over to the dress section of the huge closet. Alice grinned to herself when she got to Aria's beautiful wedding dress. "Aww, a month already. Are you two celebrating tonight?" She asked, adding a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows.
Aria's mood dropped slightly. "Not tonight. Jake has to work the later shift and then it's his turn to patrol. He couldn't swap his work shifts around, we're celebrating tomorrow instead." Being back in the real world, for all intensive purposes, sucked.
The newlyweds had only managed to spend three full nights together since their return and Aria was feeling neglected. Like always she longed to be in Jake's company, to feel his touch to see his smile, even just being able to hear him breathing! Her nights were lonely with Jake out on patrol, and the days that he did have off work he spent most of the day sleeping. He reminded her it was only because he was playing catch up at work and on the patrol routes, soon enough everything would be back to normal and she'd have her Jake back.
Aria let out a puff of air as she slipped on her converse and then proceeded to tie her hair up into a messy topknot. I really need a job, maybe then I wouldn't be so bored and lonely.
Alice watched her curiously, her black eyebrow quirking high on her forehead. "Where are you going?" Alice asked a little harshly, eyeing her. "I didn't see you deciding to go anywhere."
Alice began to doubt herself. Had she missed something? Now that she thought about it, she hadn't really seen much of Aria in her visions lately, but maybe that was because Aria's decisions bored her at the moment. Deciding what room to clean first or what to cook for dinner were decisions that were a little too mundane for Alice's liking.
Coolly, Aria crossed her arms over her chest. "That's weird. I'm just stopping by my dad's house for a coffee." Aria smiled at her reassuringly. "You can stay here and organise, I'll be back in about an hour."
Not even giving Alice a second to think, Aria bounded out of the room, through the open balcony doors, and threw herself over the edge. With perfect grace, like always, she landed on two feet on the driveway. Alice, who was watching from the balcony, shook her head and muttered to herself; "show off," before busying herself with the task of ordering Aria and Jacob's dreadfully unorganised closet.
Back on the driveway Aria hesitated for a brief moment, searching Alice's mind for even a fraction of doubt at Aria's excuse for leaving the house. When the coast was clear, and the screeching of hangers scraping against the metal poles within the wardrobes was the only audible sound, Aria blurred away into the forest. When she was finally under the cover of the trees she let her predatory instincts take over.
The contrast of the African savannahs compared to the dense forests of Washington overwhelmed Aria upon her return home. Never before had she hunted in her homeland, not for her own benefit anyway. Occasionally she would join her younger cousin, both their imprints in tow, but Renesmee would lead the way as she was the only one that really needed to hunt. Aria was only really there to watch out for Nessie and to spend time with her.
Aria knew the forest. Hunting in Africa was... daunting. She didn't know where she was going, she didn't know the terrain, recognise the scents, there was so much more competition. Her first hunt back at home brought her a new surge of confidence. She now knew how to perfect the kill, she'd learnt that on her honeymoon, and now with the familiarity of the forest she had run through for most of her life, she was even more deadlier than she had ever thought possible.
As she ran she listened to the calls of the forest, the rush of the river, the swift beating of the birds flying overhead, squirrels scuttling across the branches, the soft grunting of a herd of mule deer grazing a mile or two to the east, even the tiniest beetles digging through the undergrowth beneath her feet. The scents, the sounds, it made her feel protected, like she was in her own personal sanctuary where nothing could touch her.
Aria's throat was achingly dry, the thirst was starting to push her towards her violent, animalistic side as she heard the thrumming of the mule deer's hearts. Her appetite was much too fierce for the small mule deer that she had passed, she would need three at least to satisfy the burning inside her throat. More than one kill increased the risk of dirtying her clothes, increased the risk of being seen. She needed something bigger.
Aria pushed herself on, deeper into the forest until the trees grew so close together she had to weave in and out of them with each step she took. Suddenly, the insides of her throat sucked closed as a new warm and tangy scent filled her nose. This was a much better meal: a fully grown male elk.
She inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent, letting it settle into her lungs as her brain latched on. She knew exactly where to go and her mouth watered at thought of soon getting to taste the rich, metallic blood.
Within the two weeks that Aria and Jacob had been home, she had fed five times, the longest she could withhold the thirst for was three days at most. After the three days it became too much, sleep escaped her and she was worried about what she would do to those around her. Though, despite all this, and the amount of people she now had around her, she had managed to keep it a secret.
The morning after the newlyweds returned they were met by the Cullens, the family were gathered in their lounge before they had even made it down the stairs. Aria skilfully swept across all of their minds before greeting them, all the while ensuring that she shielded her new secret from Edward's own mind. With the deepest amount of dread she prepared herself for the relentless onslaught of questioning; why was she suddenly feeding, what did it mean, could she control it? Instead, she was met with nothing. Nothing but the family wanting to know how their honeymoon went.
Neither the families or Jake had figured out her little secret.
In the time Aria and Jacob had been home they had also learnt that Aria's troubled mother had returned to her asshole of a boyfriend. Aria's siblings had disowned their mother, calling her delusional and selfish. Who would go back to a man that tried to rape her own daughter? Aria thought her siblings weren't completely wrong, but she had to understand for herself. Her mother answered on the first ring.
"Mom, what the hell were you thinking?" Aria screamed down the phone, her breathing was already ragged though she tried to remain as calm as possible. "He tried to rape me at my own damn wedding!" Her voice broke as the emotion from that memory hit her again.
"Baby, calm down." Jake attempted to soothe from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder, when in all honesty he was trying to keep it together himself. His mind cast him back to that sickening moment, he had never wanted to see a human dead before.
Despite the flash of guilt that ran through Aria at the action, she still shook Jake off. She didn't want to hurt him.
"You just don't understand Aria, you don't know know what we've been through." Lily lamely argued back.
Aria refrained from growling, she was furious. Her mother was finally free from the sick bastard, she plucked up the courage to kick him out of her life, Aria was beginning to assume that was just for show. "Bullshit!" She snarled down the phone.
"Blue." Jake warned lightly. He knew his wife would regret speaking to her mom like that when she had calmed down after the heated conversation.
"He was there waiting for me at the apartment. We talked—"
"You talked?! So what you fucking talked. Mom, he hurts you! He cheats on you. He was gone!" Aria's throat was hoarse now but her voice was softening and tears were brimming her eyes. Why couldn't her mother see reason?
Finally she let Jake hold her as she painfully heard her mother begin to cry too. "You don't understand Aria, he loves me, he really does... I'll be okay."
"No you won't, Mom. People like that don't change." Aria tried to reason with her as she heard Lily begin to sob.
"I promise I'm fine. I love you."
"Mom, don't you dare hang up on—" When the line went dead, Aria couldn't control herself any longer. She threw her phone against the kitchen wall and watched it shatter into pieces as she screamed.
After that day, just to reassure her daughter she was in fact fine, Lily text Aria everyday to let her know she was safe and well, but as soon as that text came through Aria would try to call but the phone would go straight to voicemail. Aria had asked her psychic sister to keep an eye out for her mother, so far Alice had reported that her mother was fine, but Aria vowed if he ever laid a hand on her again she would kill him herself.
Back in the present, Aria shook her head out and refocused on her hunt. Effortlessly she bounded through the forest, leaping over the smaller streams and rivers that would eventually flow into the great Quillayute River. She used the higher advantage of the trees, making her approach much more silent so she would remain undetected by her prey. Like always, she ensured the wind was in her favour as her eyes landed on the two male elk that were drinking from a small stream at the base of Mount Olympus. She smiled to herself. Just one of them would definitely dull her cravings for the next few days.
Stealthily she slipped into a low crouch as she balanced on the small branch that was directly above the creatures. The bitter venom and saliva pooled within her mouth, and like clockwork, their heartbeats and the thrumming of the blood in their veins was all that could hear. Silently she crept closer until she was a mere twenty feet away, then with a great leap she sailed through the air and landed directly on top of the closest elk. Her hands like claws as she held the frightened creature in place.
The second reared back and darted deep into the forest whilst the unlucky animal she had chosen for her meal screeched in fear as it bucked and tried to escape. Aria hissed in frustration, trying to detach her human side from the predator within herself, and lunged. Her teeth cut through the flesh like a knife through butter and instantly the savouring taste of the elk's blood filled her mouth.
Too distracted by her meal, Aria didn't notice the pair of alarmed eyes that had been watching her. She couldn't hear the thoughts or the shallow breathing coming from her only audience member as they hid behind the moss-covered trunk of a fir tree. Unfortunately, for the second time today, she had fallen victim to Alice Cullen's unsuspecting arrivals.
"What the fuck!" The small vampire couldn't contain her shock. Alice was never really one for cursing, she took after Esme in that way, but there were just some moments in life that brought that language out of her.
Aria's airways closed as she choked on the blood that she was guzzling down. Immediately she shoved the kill away from her body and spun round to look at her adoptive sibling with wide, bright eyes. Her entire body began to shake with the unknown fear of what Alice was going to do next. Disgraced with herself, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, she didn't have to look at it to know that some of the elk's blood was now coating it.
"Alice—"
The petite vampire stepped out from behind the tree, her jaw slack with shock as she stared at her younger sister, a sister that was supposed to be disgusted by the thought of consuming blood. Alice was angry at herself, how had she missed this? How had this majorly significant event slipped passed her?
"I'm blind!" She raged, her voice bouncing off the trees as Aria stared at her dumbfounded. "What is happening? Why didn't I see this? This is why you've been acting so weird, isn't it?" Alice demanded answers, she needed to know why her own gifts were failing her. She stomped towards Aria and glared up at her, as if she was expecting the closed distance to trigger some missed visions.
Aria stumbled back away from her, almost tripping over the dead elk that was bleeding out on the forest floor. She growled lowly, her meal was going to waste... how could she have been so careless? How could she have missed Alice, who had the loudest, most annoying thoughts of her entire family?
Aria couldn't form words, all that she could think about was that Alice had the exact same expression on her face that her brother did when he saw the red in her eyes for the first time all those years ago.
Simultaneously both the girls began to speak in rushed, strained voices.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know why this is happening."
Alice sighed warily, her eyes were darting across Aria's face so quickly that she was struggling to focus on them. "I didn't see it coming. I thought you didn't need blood. Why didn't I see it coming?" Alice continued, asking herself those questions more so than Aria. She rubbed her fingers in small circles over her temples as if to soothe a migraine and closed her eyes.
Aria turned back to her half finished meal. Her appetite now completely gone, in fact seeing Alice had scared the cravings right out of her. She actually felt a little sick.
"I didn't see it coming." Aria murmured quietly. "I didn't think I needed blood either. I expected you to call me, but nothing ever came through. I thought you were going to interrogate me when we returned from the honeymoon."
"Returned from the honeymoon?" She gasped, her voice raising an octave and their eyes met again, gold staring into blue. "When did this happen? This isn't the first time?" She questioned, her voice strained and uncertain. "Well, obviously that wasn't your first kill, you actually executed that perfectly." Alice muttered to herself.
Aria wanted to smile at the compliment but kept her face emotionless. "The first time was a week into the honeymoon. I found some buffalo but a lone lion kind of got in the way and he became the meal... I sat next to the body crying for hours." Aria gulped, trying to keep the guilty tears away as the emotions came flooding back. "Jake still doesn't know."
"How many times?" Alice asked, currently ignoring the mention of Jacob Black.
"Eight. The thirst returns every other day. Sometimes I can push it back to three days." Aria's eyes shot down to the ground, she couldn't stand Alice's questioning stare.
"You can control yourself?" Her questioned came out as more of a statement. She was sure that Aria hadn't attacked anyone, if she had she wouldn't currently be wasting her time with forest creatures. "How did it happen? When did you know?"
Aria took a deep breath, trying to relax as there was no reason to be on edge for any longer. Alice knew, she couldn't hide it now. She proceeded in telling Alice the whole story; from the night at the bar when the waitress cut her hand, her first kill, and then her last - which Alice had interrupted.
Alice sat in silence on the forest floor as she listened, she didn't ask any questions. All the while she was digging back through her mind, searching for anything that she had missed that would've indicated Aria was about to start a new diet but she came back blank.
"Your restraint amazes me. Bella and yourself must actually have that super self control gift. The frequency of your feeding doesn't surprise me, as newborns we feed everyday, only as we get older and learn control does it subside... you are a newborn." Alice reminded her younger sister with a knowing tone.
"So you think I'll have to feed every other day for the rest of my life?" Aria grimaced, that being the only conclusion in her mind. "Fantastic."
"You could learn tolerance. Learn to hold back." Alice added quickly. "Carlisle will know what to do, come on." Abruptly she was back on her feet and offering her hand to her younger sister.
Fear filled Aria again and she became stoic. "Do we have to tell them?" She complained, daring not to move from her current spot. She could imagine all the mental judging she was going to receive as the family struggled to contain their thoughts. This many people knowing her secret before her husband was not going to help her case when she did finally tell Jake. God could only help her if he found out from someone else and not Aria herself.
"You need help Ari, Carlisle can offer that help." She countered, that irritating know-it-all look on her face. "Let's go."
As they ran Aria debated making a run for it, Alice would never be able to stop her. Admittedly though, she did feel a sense of relief now that someone else knew about what she had been going through. As she thought about it, she decided that Edward would have most likely been the best sibling to catch her in the act, just one look into her mind and he would have instantly understood her internal struggles.
Upon returning to the house, the Cullen family were overcompensating on pretending that nothing was wrong with their youngest sibling and child. Carlisle and Esme greeted her at the door with tight hugs and casual small talk. As they entered the lounge on the second floor, again, she was greeted with weird overly happy smiles and general greetings you would say to an acquaintance.
Aria couldn't help the overly dramatic eyeroll and groan that escaped her lips as she sunk down onto one of the pristine white couches. "Ari, sweetie, do you mind changing first before you sit down?" Esme asked, currently she cared for new white couches a little more than the wellbeing of her children.
"Esme, are you crazy?" Emmett spluttered standing up from his seat at the kitchen island. "Don't provoke her." He warned but the teasing tone had already sunk into his words. You could practically hear the smile in his voice. Any chance to annoy Aria and he'd take it.
Aria scoffed and blurred towards her pain in the ass of a brother. "Firstly, you're all terrible actors. Like really, what the hell was that? And, secondly, did you just admit you're scared of me Em?"
The teasing smirk on Emmett's face dropped instantly. "No!" He bellowed. "Like you said, acting." He sent her a toothy grin before walking away, ensuring to give her a little shove before he went. However, like always, she saw it coming. Aria tensed her body, the shove rebounding on his own body causing him to stumble.
"Idiot." Aria stated, folding her arms across her chest.
"Pathetic." Rosalie added, winking at Aria for good measure.
"Seriously guys, I'm fine. Just... a little more hungry than usual." Aria addressed them all a little meekly. It felt weird to her having to admit this out loud.
"The bloodlust could explain your new even shorter temper compared to usual." Carlisle began but stopped when Aria gave him a pointed look. "Don't look at me like that you know I'm right."
Reluctantly, the brunette newborn nodded and dropped her crossed arms. "Can you help me?" She whined, trudging over to him just to bury her face against his chest. She wasn't sure if she rather wanted to cry or sulk. Carlisle wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
"As you know, everything takes practise." He began as he stroked over her hair. As Esme watched the interaction she couldn't help but let her heart swell, her poor youngest baby has had to face so many challenges in her short life, the fact that she wanted comfort from her 'parents' still was all that Esme could ever ask for. "Go hunting with Bella and Jasper, even Nessie. They can help show you how to build up tolerance."
"By why is this happening, why now?" She asked, pulling away from his chest to look up into his amber eyes.
"I'm not sure. Perhaps your body just needs it now. You've gone almost six years without blood, your body must not be able to survive without it anymore, that could also explain why you need it so often." Carlisle proposed, again this was the only logical explanation that he could come up with.
Aria pondered over this, it gave her a brief slither of hope. If her body was craving what it had been missing out on for the last six years, that meant that once she had caught up with cravings she may be able to control it and take regular breaks. She could limit herself. She smiled up at Carlisle, thankful for how his educated, doctor brain worked.
"There is something else you need to do." Esme pointed out, her voice drawing Aria's attention towards her adoptive mother's worried face. "You need to tell Jake."
Those five words were the last thing that Aria wanted to hear.
* * *
Jacob wasn't sure what time it was exactly, he couldn't see the moon tonight through the overcast skies. Embry and Seth had phased in about fifteen minutes ago, relieving Jacob and Jesse of their patrolling duties, that meant it had to be at least two in the morning for them to take over.
It wasn't long until Jacob approached the treeline that circled his house, the small light that cast a glow along the driveway illuminated the trees that protected the house, adding a little colour back into the dark world. Inside the house all the lights were off, indicating that Aria had in fact fallen asleep and had not waited up for him like she said she would. Inside his head he let out a short amused laugh.
"I'll see you tomorrow boys." Jacob said as he prepared himself to phase back into his human form.
Embry and Seth spoke their goodbyes as their alpha lifted himself up and onto his hind legs and transformed back down into his human self. His muscles ached, he had only had two days off since the return from his honeymoon. His boss, Randy, was putting him through hell, making him work overtime to catch up for the lack of help he had received over the two weeks that he had been absent. Not to mention, the extra patrols that Jake was carrying out. In some ways he wanted to feel equal to his pack members and picking up a few extra patrols so that they could take breaks as well only felt fair to Jake considering they had done it for him whilst he had been away.
Jacob rolled his shoulders and shook out his hair, it had rained on the way home and he knew that Aria would not appreciate water being dripped through the entirety house. He bent down and untied the small plastic bag that had been concealing and protecting his work uniform from around his leg. He fished out his boxers from the bag, pulled them on, a made his way though the last few trees and out onto the driveway.
He looked out over forest, listening to the wilderness one final time to see if the pack needed him, but was met by a sound he hadn't heard in years. It was gut wrenching, his heart dropped into his stomach and his mouth went dry as the scream ricocheted off of the trees and rebounded against him, almost as if he was hearing it twice.
His mind suddenly zoned in on the one thing that mattered to him: Aria.
He dropped the bag he was holding and in a flash he was sprinting up the driveway, all the while her screaming and crying continued. Was she in pain? Had he missed something? Was someone in the house with her, hurting her? "Aria?" He bellowed as he bounded into the house, the force he exerted on the front door was enough to rip it half off its hinges but that didn't matter to Jake he needed to get to his imprint.
The heat was already rolling over his shoulders again, the tremors like pulses as they surged through his body, the growl already fighting to rumble through his chest.
"Aria, baby?" He ignored the broken door and scaled the stairs, taking four at a time at record speed. Her screaming subsided but the crying continued.
"No! Please! Please don't!" She pleaded and his heart broke. What was going on? He couldn't hear anyone else in the house.
Jacob burst into their shared bedroom, his heart practically in his mouth as he almost slipped over the hardwood floors. Immediately his eyes found her in the bed, her own heart was racing and her breath ragged. Jacob approached but froze when he realised she was still asleep.
His heart dropped back down into his chest and the tremors that were rolling over his body simmered as he let out he breath he hadn't realised he had been holding. Slowly he moved towards the bed, quite mystified by the fact that she hadn't heard him enter the house, or even their bedroom, he hadn't exactly been quiet.
His eyes washed over her features, her full bottom lip was quivering, her forehead tensed into a harsh frown. What was she dreaming about? "Aria?" Jacob called as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He lifted his hand towards her face and traced a hot finger across her cheek, upon the connection his mind flashed with thoughts that were not his own. Why is she projecting her thoughts?
Jacob snatched his hand back away from her clammy skin, the scene of snow and black cloaks suddenly vanishing from his mind. He frowned, why was she dreaming of the Volturi again? She hadn't dreamt of this in years.
"Blue?" He called to his wife again, this time his voice a little more forceful, but still her eyes did not open. Instead her body jolted and another heart-breaking scream left her body. Jake's hands shot out, grabbing onto her wrists to hold her down to the bed as her back arched away from the mattress. Upon touching her warm skin once more the dream continued.
As if he was looking through the eyes of his one true love, Jacob for the second time in his life, watched the possible outcome of the Volturi confrontation from almost five years ago. Within in the dream/vision Jesse's life had just been taken from him. That meant if Jake didn't wake her up soon she would be inconsolable and he knew what was coming next.
"Aria, baby, you have to wake up!" He shook her slightly, he even pulled her body forward in an attempt to sit her up but it was like she was locked inside her mind. "Aria!" He boomed, his voice on the verge of the double timbre of the alpha command. Once again, she didn't stir and her sleep induced cries continued.
All he could do was rock her and hold her body against his chest as the dream played out. He held onto her so tightly when he knew his death was approaching. He still felt terrible for putting her through that even though it hadn't even happened. He knew how much trust she had in that promise he made to her to not go near the ancient leaders, he couldn't believe that he would have broken it.
He tried his best not to watch the image that was forcefully playing in his brain but when the life left his eyes within the vision, Aria's own eyes darted open, and the next thing he knew was that he was hurtling through the air until his bare back collided with the wall on the other side of the room. Jacob coughed and spluttered as he tried to bring the air back into his lungs, his eyes wildly staring at his imprint who had moved from the bed and was now backed into the corner next to balcony doors, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm sorry." She whimpered as she stared at her hands, disgusted with herself for laying a hand on her husband. "So, so sorry."
Jacob watched as she crumpled to the floor and held her face in her hands. Slowly, he sat up, unbelievably stunned. She threw me across the room.
Jacob didn't know what to do, or how to react. His first instinct was to comfort his imprint. The sounds of her shallow breath and whimpers were enough to bring him to his knees in pain... if he wasn't already on them. Carefully, he rose to his feet and flexed his back muscles, he was definitely going to be sore in the morning. "Baby?" He called cautiously. "What's going on? You told me those dreams were gone."
Aria looked up from her hands with watery eyes, her face a picture of horror. "You saw?" She asked timidly, her voice shaking with every syllable. Jake got down to her level and lifted her smaller body into his arms and sat the both of them down in the bed.
"What's going on?" He asked again as he brushed the hair away from her face.
Aria took a deep shaky breath as she tried to settle herself. Her lack of control with her anger was getting out of hand. She had hurt Jacob! She prayed that Carlisle's theory of tolerance and sustaining herself was true and soon she would be back to normal. Spilling that secret, though, would be for another night.
"I lied." She whispered, her blue eyes boring into his brown ones, searching for any signs of anger or hurt but all that she got back was confusion.
Why would she lie? Jacob couldn't understand why she would keep this a secret for so many years, why did she suffer alone? "Why--?" He began but she had already seen the question forming inside his own head.
"The guilt was killing you." She lamented, her dainty hand taking a hold of his much larger one. "You didn't do it, but if Aro didn't back off it would've happened. And..." She took in a deep shaky breath. "And you'd be dead."
Her bottom lip began to tremble as the next sob raked through her body, she turned her body towards him, hiding her face way in the crook of his neck. Jacob felt like he had just been torn apart, for years she had lived like this, suffering in silence... and he didn't notice. What a useless excuse for a boyfriend, fiancé, husband and imprint. Jake wrapped his arms tighter around her body never wanting to let her go again.
"I'm always scared they're going to come back and I'm going to lose you." She finished, her words a little muffled against his neck. He sighed deeply and placed his lips against her forehead.
"They're not coming back for decades, maybe even centuries Aria. We will be fine. If they do come back there is no chance in hell I will be leaving your side. I swear to you." Jacob promised, letting that promise sink deep into his bones, into his very soul. He would never ever put her through the very idea of having to survive without him, because he would never be able to live without her. "Next time this happens, you tell me. I don't want anymore secrets between us." Jacob announced as he laid back against the cushions, bringing his wife's body down with him.
Soundlessly Aria nodded against his neck, afraid that her own voice would betray her. Once she got had gotten her thirst under complete control, she was not going to hesitate. She was going to tell her husband everything.
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A few notes/questions for you guys...
Would you absolutely hate me if I went back and edited the story from the beginning and that those edits would change the story a little?
Also, bare with me as I add back in the smut... I can't wait to get Jake and Aria back to their normal overly sexual selves.
Please note I have also added a cast list to Defective so you guys can see who I have based my original characters on, if you cba to go back and look just let me know and I will add one to this book as well. I just didn't think it was necessary as the only new recurring characters are currently the pack babies.