This story is rated MA for language and adult situations. Not Intended For Those Under 18. Any Recognizable names, brands, ect. are the sole properties of their owners. This story is intended to be solely a work of fanfiction, never profit.
The Natural Path by wizardtho
Waking up in Edward’s arms, the morning after our return from Italy, felt like a dream. I was laid out on his chest, with his arms wrapped completely around me, and him nuzzling my shoulder. He whispered after a minute, “Are you ready to wake for me this time, Love?” I hummed in reply, “Not if you keep up with the attention. Have there been many false alarms?” Edward chuckled, then kissed a slow path along my shoulder, “Only a few. Once you have your human moments, I believe we both need nourishment, Love. I don’t want to be out of your sight, though, so I would like us to go talk to the family about how to safely accomplish my feeding in your presence.”
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, relieved that he didn't want to leave me to hunt, and whispered, “Okay. Do you think they’ll know of a way? I just… I don’t think…” He tightened his arms around me and cooed, “Shhh, Isabella. We'll find a way. I think that after we are both nourished, we should talk about the mating process with Carlisle. I want you to understand what would be happening once we truly kiss, because I don’t know how much longer I'll be able to stop myself from tasting your sweet lips. We've been apart for too long, Love.”
After a few more minutes of snuggling, I hurriedly grabbed clothes and rushed to the bathroom. I became tense almost as soon as I shut the door, and I think I whimpered, because Edward was at the door right away, saying through it, “It’s alright, Love. I’m right here, and I won’t leave. I'll be right here, and you'll see me as soon as you open the door.” He started humming my lullaby as soon as the last word was spoken, and I let out a breath in relief. It helped me stay calm enough to get through my necessities and dress.
I practically yanked the door open when I was through, and instantly, I was in Edward’s arms with my arms and legs wrapped tightly around him. We both let out a sigh at the contact, and Edward whispered, “Let’s finish getting you ready to go, then I'd like to try holding you this way on the run to the house. Does that sound alright?” I nodded into his neck and whispered, “The contact is keeping me calm, and I might not get woozy with you holding me this way.”
We reached the side of the Cullen front yard in less than 15 minutes, and I heard Alice say, “I know you scent the prey, Edward, but you need to talk to Carlisle about mating, first. She doesn't understand her reactions, or yours, if she watches you feed before the conversation. Your claiming instinct kicks in, since you've been apart so long.” Edward’s breath hitched as he tightened his arms around me, and Alice said softly, “It goes extremely well, and we have all fed to sloshing as a precaution. You won’t hurt her Edward. I promise you that.” Edward let a breath out, then whispered into my neck, “Thanks, Alice. We’ll see you after our talk with Carlisle.”
On our way into the house and up the stairs, Edward whispered, “I know you’re confused, My Angel, but we will go over any questions you have during our talk in just a second. I promise I won’t do anything to you without your consent.” I kissed his neck softly, then whispered, “We’ll get through it together, right? It won’t be like before?” Edward hummed and ghosted his lips down my neck as he whispered in reply, “Together, Love. I promised you last night that it won’t be like before, and I’ll spend every day of forever proving that to you.”
We had reached Carlisle’s office, and I saw Carlisle smile softly at both of us. He held his hand out toward the couch, then said, “Come have a seat. Alice tells me we have much to go over before you can both nourish yourselves.” Edward sat with me still clinging to him, and Carlisle rubbed my back as he asked us, “How are you both doing?” I shook my head, “I don’t like when I can’t see and feel him. It makes me antsy. Is that normal?” Carlisle nodded and said tenderly, “You were separated before your bond could be cemented, and the length of time that you were apart has harmed both of you and your bond. That is why you need the contact. Now, Edward, have the two of you made any decisions as far as the future?”
I felt Edward kiss my shoulder, then nod and smile against it. When he spoke, he lifted his head enough to look at Carlisle directly, “We talked last night before she finally fell asleep. I was wrong with so many things concerning our mating, and hurt both of us by taking myself away from her. We can’t be apart anymore, Carlisle. It would kill us both, and the thought of something…” He made a mournful sound in his throat, and I instinctively cooed into his neck as I scratched lightly at the back of his scalp, “Shh… I’m right here and safe. Carlisle will help us figure out what steps we need to take next, and we won’t have to be apart again.”
The tension left Edward’s body, and he calmed considerably at my actions. He took a second to compose himself, then said, “I won’t be making decisions about our life together without speaking them through with Isabella, and as soon as she is ready, I will want you to be near for her change. I don’t think I could hurt her after everything… but having you close will help ease my worry.” I kissed his neck tenderly, and Carlisle said, “Have you spoken at all about mating or the connection being amplified with you being the one to change her?” Edward shook his head as he said softly, “Not about mating, but we did talk a little about our connection being infinitely more intense with me being the one to change her.”
Carlisle hummed in thought, then said, “Now that I have a basis to work with, I know where to start. Bella? When Edward truly kisses you for the first time, your souls will literally merge through the kiss. They form a bond with each other, and that bond will never go away. You will both feel a slight pull in your chests when you aren't touching, and it is literally a guide to bring you back to your mate’s arms. You could be separated by three continents, and should you follow your instincts and the pull in your chest, it would lead you directly back to Edward's arms. The pull in your chest will start to ache the longer you are separated, and if you are away from each other for more than a few hours, the ache will turn into pain. I can not tell you exact timelines, with you being human and your bond already being stressed. I would suggest you not be more than ten feet from each other until your bond is cemented, through both the true kiss and claiming and marking.”
I remembered Alice saying something about Edward’s claiming instinct kicking in, so I asked as I stroked the back of Edward’s hair, “Claiming and marking. Alice mentioned claiming before we came into the house. Can you explain them both to me?” Carlisle must have looked at Edward, because he whispered, “I’m not going to hide anything from her. She needs to understand both the good and the bad aspects of mating.” Carlisle replied immediately, “Of course, Edward. It is best that there are no secrets between mates. Bella, usually there is a bit of time between when the true kiss happens and when the pair first make love. With the way your courtship has gone, I was not surprised when Alice came to me earlier, saying that there was no time between the two actions with the two of you. Vampires are possessive creatures, Bella. Our inner beasts aren’t satisfied until they see their bite mark on their mate, and smell their scent on and inside them. Do not fear Edward turning you during a claiming, because there is no venom in a marking bite. When mates are separated for longer than they should be, the natural path to healing both would be for them to make love and immerse themselves completely in each other. Are you with me so far?”
I smiled and kissed Edward’s neck, then over his heart before sitting up enough to look at Carlisle. “Edward will want to claim me by making love to me, then bite me and most likely fill me to overflowing with his release, so that others know I’m his. If it’s anything like the pack, the mark will be in an easily visible area and also contain his scent. They also have a time and absorption factor, where the pair can’t immediately disconnect right after.” Carlisle chuckled, “It seems we have more in common that I thought with the wolves. Yes, Bella. A claiming session is usually a bit more intense than normal loving-making, and his scent will be contained in both the bite and his release. It takes usually an hour or two from the time of the mark’s completion until mates are able to disconnect. There is more, though.”
I chuckled, remembering once where I witnessed Sam taking Emily in front of half the pack, and said, “There are times when the scent thing won’t be enough, isn’t there? He’ll want to claim and mark me in front of others, to make it clear he knows me better than any other could, and that my body and heart belong to only him. Am I right?” Carlisle’s eyes went wide, but I felt Edward kiss a path along my neck as he hummed, “Always so perceptive, My Sweet Girl. You never cease to amaze me with how you understand us.” I hummed at his attention, then said, “I once saw Sam take Emily in front of half the pack after seeing some stranger flirt with her. If vampire claiming and marking is as intense as when wolves claim, you’ll never hear a complaint out of me. That might make me sound depraved, but it was seriously hot. You couldn't help but see the passion and need they had for each other.”
Edward moaned softly into my neck, nipped it lightly, then whispered as he kneaded my hips, “It doesn't make you sound depraved in the least, Love. It makes you my perfect match, and it has my beast practically salivating to have you naked beneath me.” He kissed and nipped my shoulder between words as he asked hopefully, “You… wouldn't be… opposed to… me claiming you… in front of… the family?” My arousal spiked rapidly at the thought of Edward claiming in a similar manner to how Sam claimed Emily, and my answer came out as a breathy moan, “Dear, God, Edward… keep that up, and I’m going to… mmm… end up begging you… oooh, that feels incredible… to take me right here… unghh… and we both still need to eat.”
My hand fisted tightly in his hair, and just as I heard the sexiest rumbling growl from Edward, Carlisle chuckled and caught my attention. “Well, it looks like she has no problem with public claimings, if the two of you can get so easily lost in each other without the claiming urge. There are a few other things we should quickly cover before you both nourish yourselves, if you are ready to continue.” Edward chuckled into my shoulder, then nodded and said, “Yes, we should finish this discussion… preferably soon.”
Carlisle nodded, almost to himself, then continued where he left off. “Bella, the reason we went over claiming and marking so soon, is because of how long your courtship has been, and you being parted. Like I said, the natural way to heal the both of you and your bond would be to make love. You must understand that feeding and sex go hand-in-hand with mates. It is an intimate experience to watch them hunt, or to be watched by them while hunting. It is quite natural to find your mate’s actions and feeding to be arousing, and to go from feeding to being tangled up intimately within a matter of minutes. Knowing that you and Edward can not be out of sight of each other, you will be watching him feed. You will undoubtedly become aroused by watching him, and he will sense it and come to you as soon as his thirst is sated. Do not be afraid of him, as he will not harm you.”
I nodded, thinking everything through, and said after a few minutes, “And you talked about public claiming, because when he feeds, you all will be there as a precaution. So I just… follow my instincts? Let myself be in the moment with him, so he knows I’m not afraid of his beast wanting me?” Carlisle beamed at me, “Exactly, Dear. He may seem more animal-like in his mannerisms, but he literally can not hurt his mate once he fully acknowledges the connection. I assure you, Bella, that what I saw a second ago between the two of you, lets me know that you both have acknowledged it completely. Your being untouched will not have a bearing on him making love to you, but with his nature, he may want to taste you after your barrier is broken. Again, he will not hurt you, but the combination of your arousal mixed with your barrier being broken…”
Edward moaned into the valley between my breasts as he finished Carlisle's sentence, “It’ll be too intoxicating to resist, Love. I’ll need you to tell me now, while I have a clear head, if that’s something you wish me not to do.” I held his head to my chest as I whispered into his hair, “It’s yours, Edward. It always has been. Every part of me is yours, including that, if you want it.”
Edward’s breath hitched, and he looked up at me with venom-filled eyes. We shared a tender moment with our foreheads and noses touching, then Edward whispered without looking away from me, “Is there any other immediate aspects we need to go over before Isabella and I feed, Carlisle? I can practically taste the mountain lion outside.” Carlisle responded right away, “No, Son. We can go over the rest after you have both sated all of your needs. Everyone is outside in position, and Alice is waiting for Bella with a tray of food on the swing, which is in plain view of where you’ll be feeding.”
With that, Edward picked me up again, allowing me to wrap myself completely around him, and carried me down the stairs. When we reached the back yard, he carried me over to the swing, inhaled my scent greedily for a few minutes, then slowly set me down next to Alice. When he saw that the tray was in my lap and that I was already picking up my fork, he nodded and turned toward where the mountain lion was tethered to a large tree in the yard.
I took a bite of my food as I watched him stalk toward the mountain lion, who was facing away from him. His muscles coiled and bunched in the most delicious ways, and I could easily understand how watching your mate hunt was an intimate experience. My mate was erotic and sensual as he stalked his prey, and with every bite of my food that I took, my arousal steadily rose higher. I think I even whimpered and shifted as our eyes connected, right as his teeth sunk into the throat of the large cat. I ached to feel him buried deep inside me as his teeth pierced my skin, and the sound of his sexy moan as he fed had my panties positively soaked.
When he dropped his first kill, he sat back on his heels, then licked his lips as he inhaled deeply. His eyes sparkled wildly as he eyed me, then he slowly got into a crouch and pounced the large male elk that was tethered about 30 feet away. My breathing hitched at the erotic sight, and my stomach coiled in anticipation. Edward’s eyes met mine again as I moaned and bit my lip, and his voice positively oozed sex as he said, “Soon, My Mate. Give me just a few more minutes, and I promise to take care of you.” I nodded, and our gazes remained locked as he sunk his teeth into the elk.
After finishing that elk and one more, Edward dropped his kill, and stalked slowly toward me from the edge of the yard. My breathing picked up, and I swear my arousal was so high, that just one innocent touch from Edward would have me cumming in an instant. When Edward was about ten feet in front of me, he whipped his shirt over his head, dropped down onto all fours, and crawled to me. It was only when he reached me, that I registered that both Alice and my tray were no longer there.
Edward grabbed me by the ass and pulled my toward the edge of the swing, then nuzzled his nose in the seam of my jeans, making me moan and arch into him when I felt the vibration of his pleased rumble. I whimpered as I fisted his unruly bronze hair in my hands, “Please, Edward. God, please touch me.” He hummed and nuzzled deeper against my core, then said huskily as he lifted my top enough to lick my navel, “Fuck, you smell amazing, Isabella. I need to taste you… to have your sweet nectar on my tongue and soaking my fingers. Hold very still for me, Love, and I’ll have you out of these god-forsaken clothes in no time.”
At my nod, Edward stood me in front of him, and I heard several tearing sounds. As soon as the tearing stopped, Edward growled, and I saw him looking over my form intently, “Mine. My Mate.” I moaned in reply, “Yours, Edward. God, yes… all yours,” and he pulled me into an earth-shattering kiss. His tongue danced with mine erotically, and as we both moaned deeply, it suddenly felt like everything was swirling and shifting except for the two of us. I could feel an intense amount of love, passion, desire, need, and the undeniable feeling of completeness in my mate’s arms.
My breath hitched as I clung to him and the incredible feelings coursing through me, and Edward slowed the kiss to trail his lips across my jaw to my ear. “Isabella… God, how I’ve longed to kiss you like that. I need…” I pressed my lips hard to his again, then breathed against them, “I need you. I need to feel you deep inside me and your teeth piercing my skin. I want your mark over my heart, Edward. I don’t care if one person or a million are watching. All that matters is you and me.”
Edward let out a pleased rumble and picked me up by the backs of my thighs, then licked and nipped at the skin over my heart. “Mine, Isabella. My mate. Mine for eternity.” He laid me out on a blanket that someone must have put here for us, then pulled me into another passionate kiss. As the kiss deepened, I felt Edward’s hand drifting down to cup my breast, and his thumb brushing over my nipple. I whimpered and arched into his hand, as my own hands dug into his hair and scratched down his back.
He broke the kiss with a sexy growl, and nipped his way down my throat as he said in a husky tone, “That’s just the beginning, my sexy little Kitten. Are you going to cum for me already?” At my whimper and nod, he dropped down and blew his breath over my neglected nipple as he said, “Cum for me, Isabella.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he scraped his teeth along my nipple as he pinched and tugged the other, making me cry out in pleasure as my hands shot to his hair. His moaned, “Mmhmm,” as he repeated his actions threw me over, and I cried out his name in bliss as the ecstasy washed over me.
When the pleasure dissipated, Edward’s eyes were sparkling up at me as he kissed and licked down my ribs. He stopped to lick a circle around my navel, then said, “I’ve never seen anything more glorious than when you cum for me, Isabella. My own personal goddess.” My arousal spiked to meltdown levels as he nipped my bare mound, making me hiss in need, but he moved to flick his tongue against the hollow of each hip instead.
I cried out in frustration as I fisted my hands in his hair and pushed slightly on his head, “Please, Edward! Touch me… taste me… please, I’ll die if you don’t do something.” He gave me his panty-dropping crooked smirk, then asked as he ran his fingers through my wetness, “Mmm... I think I may do both before I feel your sweet pussy wrapped around me. I want your nectar coating my tongue and soaking my fingers.”
Without another word, Edward slowly pressed his index finger inside me as he licked from his finger to my aching bundle of nerves, making me cry out wordlessly in pleasure while he rumbled in appreciation, “That's it, Isabella. Let me hear those sexy sounds. Tell me who's making you feel so much pleasure. Tell me now, My Mate.” Just as I went to answer, Edward slipped another finger into my core and curled them as he sucked hard on my clit, making me scream out as another orgasm crashed over me, “You, Edward! Only you, My Mate!”
I cried out his name -along with several expletives- as he worked me through the waves of ecstasy, but he didn't let me fully come down from my high before he growled, “Again, Isabella. So fucking sweet. Cum for me again, Love.” My breath hitched in my throat as he slowly added another finger and nipped at my clit, and as he curled them, my back arched violently while my mouth opened in a silent scream. With another nip and thrust/curl combination from Edward, an unidentifiable sound barreled out of my chest, and Edward growled as he encouraged, “Yes, Isabella. Let go and soak me with your sweet nectar. Cum hard for me, My Little Minx.”
Right as that new sound forced it's way from my chest again and the coil in my abdomen snapped, Edward bit down on my clit with a growl, and thrust his fingers to the hilt. A sting of pain swirled around and wove through the euphoria that overtook me, making it all that much more pleasurable, and my ecstatic screams of Edward's name and pleas for more echoed throughout the back yard. My body trembled and arched taut, my vision swam, and Edward lapped at my whole core hungrily as he pushed me through wave after wave of sensation.
When I was able to register my surroundings again, Edward was slowly crawling up my body with a predatory look in his gleaming obsidian eyes, and I felt new arousal pooling between my spread thighs at the sexy sight. Edward inhaled and gave me his devilish smirk, and I whimpered, “Please, Edward. I can't wait anymore. I need to feel you inside me fully. I need your length buried deep inside me as you mark me as yours forever.”
Edward growled his appreciation as he hovered over me, and he hitched one of my legs over his forearm as he propped a knee near my ass, then I felt his hard length slowly pressing into my depths. The feeling of finally having him make love to me... of us finally becoming one... had me brimming with emotion as I held tightly to him and our eyes locked. Tears pricked at my eyes when he was finally seated, and looking into his venom-filled eyes, I could see my every emotion mirrored in him.
After several moments of us lost in each others' eyes, Edward silently withdrew part way and slid back in fluidly, never letting his gaze leave mine. We both let out a moan at the feeling, and suddenly it was like we had been making love since the beginning of time. Our bodies moved as one, fluidly gliding and arching together, and soon I couldn't tell where I ended and he began. Even our moans of pleasure and whimpers of need seemed to synch with each other.
I don't know how long we made love like that, but by the time we both needed something deeper and more primal, both of us had cum several times in just as many positions. Just as the feeling took hold of us both, Edward flipped us so that I was straddling his lap, then held my hips with a deep rumbling growl as he pulled me down and thrust up into me in one smooth move. I cried out in pleasure at the new sensation, and Edward sat up so our chests were flush. His eyes sparkled and chest vibrated as he angled my hips and growled deeply, “That's it, Isabella. That's the spot, isn't it? Who's the only one that can make you feel this way? Who do you belong to, Isabella? Say it.”
He punctuated his words with deep thrusts up as he slammed me down each time. He had me crying out ecstatically with each one, and when he wrapped one hand in my hair and pulled my head back to arch my body further, I cried out loudly, “Oh, fuck... right there. Only you, My Mate. Only you could ever make me feel like this, Edward. Please, I need you so fucking much. Oh, God... please make me yours.”
Edward's hand from my hip went around to grab my ass, his fingers pressing rhythmically against my rear entrance as he bent to nip and suck at my skin over my heart, and his hand in my hair moved to taunt and tease my nipples. It threw me into an intense shuttering orgasm as he growled, “That's right, My Sexy Mate. Me. You're mine, Isabella. Mine and only mine, for the rest of eternity. Only I can make you cum like this. Only I can love and care for you like you need. No one else could ever love you like I do, My Isabella. My love... my eternity... my mate... only mine. Say. It. Now.”
Just as my orgasm peaked, I screamed out, “Yours!” and Edward roared, “Mine!” before I felt his teeth slice cleanly through the skin over my heart. Instantly, the pleasure coursing through me seemed to intensify a thousand fold and Edward started purring into his bite. My body quaked and shuttered wildly as I clung tightly to Edward, and I sobbed out his name repeatedly in pure rapture as the most intense completeness took hold of my every cell.
When the pleasure finally waned enough for me to register anything else, Edward was slowly and rhythmically rocking into me, and purring contentedly as he swirled his tongue in his bite mark and stroked my skin. I let out a content sound of my own as I wove my fingers into his hair and kissed the top of his head, and Edward's purr deepened as he slowed his rocking to a stop.
After three more swirls of his tongue and gentle licks, Edward's purr slowed, and he kissed his completed mark reverently as his beautiful gold eyes looked up at me. My heart felt like it was bursting with emotion at the sight of my breast bearing his mark, and Edward gently kissed it twice more before kissing my lips tenderly and whispering, “I know, Love. I feel the same way. We're one, finally, and we'll never be parted again.”
I smiled tiredly, then kissed his neck and snuggled my nose against it with a small yawn. Edward hummed and stroked his fingers up and down my spine, then held me to him as he laid back on the blanket. When he settled with me on his chest, he kissed my shoulder, and I felt a heavier blanket settle over us as he whispered, “Thanks, Jazz. I just don't want her to get cold with the air out here and us still being connected.” I hummed as Edward began to stroke my spine again, my eyes fluttering shut of their own accord, and Jasper replied softly, “No problem, Brother. Congratulations, by the way... it's been a long time coming, and the family couldn't be happier for the both of you. We're all headed in to work with Ali on faking Bella's death, so it'll stay quiet out here for the two of you. Just let us know if you need anything else for her.”
After Jasper left a kiss on my temple and it was silent for a few seconds, Edward whispered between kisses to my shoulder, “It's alright, My Sleepy Mate. You can rest now, and I promise I'll be right here when you wake.” I hummed and nodded, then yawned softly again before saying sleepily, “I know that was the natural path to healing both of us, but promise me we can make love again soon... very soon.”
The last thing I remember was Edward smiling against my shoulder between kisses, and his whispered, “We are each others' natural path, Isabella, and I look forward to making love to you as many times as your delectable little body can handle during our eternity. Sleep well, My Mate. I love you.”
The End... or is it?