Seismic Shift Chapter 19

Like an endless fire burning

Like a hope that fuels the light

Like the hands that simply hold you

When words can't make you right

Like the first time that I met you

I fell so hard so fast

Like the montage in a movie

Mmm, the way you move me

I wanna move you like that

~Kelly Clarkson, Move You

After Tyler and Jessica went off to her room, I suggested to Edward that we do the same. It wasn't very late yet, and I had so many questions still burning to be asked. First, I searched in the closet and under the bed until I found Frank hiding in one of my shoes. He let me pick him up and show him his dish, and I spent a few minutes on the floor petting him while Edward stayed in my desk chair. Once I felt like the kitten wasn't being neglected, I moved to the bed and invited Edward to join me.

“Start at the beginning. When you were told to leave, what happened from there?” I sat near the head of the bed and tucked my feet under myself. Edward sat in the middle and took one of my hands in his, tracing patterns on my skin with his thumb.

“Carlisle confiscated my cell phone and insisted that I not make contact. He swore that he would fix things so that we could be happy again, as long as I followed his plans. He tried to speak to William, to Sam, and even Quil. None of them cared that you and I had been separated; they were determined to evict you from their lands. I spent my time in Alaska with another vegetarian family, one that we consider cousins. It was mostly boring, though they tried to humor me with games and movies. I came here a few days ago, because I could not bear remaining so ill-informed of your well-being. I had purchased a new phone in Alaska to communicate with my family, and I dearly needed to contact you. So I did,” he said as he leaned in toward me and brushed his fingers down my cheek. “Though it had been forbidden, I could not spend one more day without you.”

“How did you wind up in La Push?” I asked, leaning my face into his palm.

“I was thinking how you are such an anomaly, that I do not believe you are a mere normal human, so to speak. I compared the differences and similarities to you and the other shapeshifters in the tribe. I began doing research on the internet, and I started with births around your assumed age. I found nothing in the Quileute records for you, but I discovered that Jacob is the descendant of not only the Blacks, but also the Atearas. These are two of the three lines that come directly from Taha Aki, the first to ever shift into a wolf in the tribe’s history, whereas Samuel’s bloodline was split. The other information I sought had to come from the handwritten books kept in a locked location that is only accessed by the tribal council. So as I said, this is where I found that there was a baby boy that was covered up. It appears that Quil had his affair while his wife was sick, and the tribe leader at the time was Ephraim Black. He would not allow the child to be acknowledged, because Quil had disgraced his family and his tribe. His wife went into remission, they spent several years together before she gave birth to Quil the fourth, and then she became ill again. There are minimal records of the boy’s birth, which I found when I went to La Push.”

I tried to wrap my head around the idea that I was actually Quileute in some part, much less that Quil was my grandfather and had treated me with such disdain. I was related to almost all of them; had it mattered in the end? Only to the Clearwaters.

“What else did you learn?” I murmured as his hands started to roam over my exposed skin.

“Unfortunately, it appears that Sam is going to rebel against Jacob. Our parents have promised to keep an eye on the situation. I have also asked my family to look further into the circumstances surrounding the car accident. Were there disappearances documented in another state? Why did the newspaper clippings not have names included? What happened to your parents, and are there myths and legends surrounding the major seismic shifts, the type that split open the earth?”

“So we have to wait and see, don't we?” I asked. I practically purred as he stroked his hands down my arms to my hands and back again. “They do know you're here, don't they? I don't want them mad at me.”

“They know, and what's more, they approve. They wish for you and I to be happy.”

“And are you happy?” I murmured as he lowered his head to mine.

“I am ecstatic,” he breathed out against my lips, right before he devoured them.

It was a slow, methodical kiss, one where Edward took his time with his hands in my hair and his mouth moving with mine. My fingertips tingled as I ran them over his smooth, hard skin. I shifted forward until I was straddling him, my hands framing his face as I loomed over him.

Finally, he broke away and I gasped in several breaths. “The first time you allowed me to worship your body was the anniversary of the day I was born as a human. I wish for you to know that nothing will ever compare to the gift you freely gave.”

Edward's golden eyes blazed as though they had been forged in fire. My heart swelled at his admission. “God, I love you so much. I'm the one that was given a gift the day I met you.” I leaned down to kiss him again, amazed at the hardness under my lap and the need flowing through me again.

“Bella, you should really get some sleep,” Edward murmured as he pulled away from my mouth only to kiss my forehead.

“I don't want to,” I whispered petulantly. I might have even pouted.

“I promise not to leave your side through the night.” He brushed my hair from my face as he spoke.

I smiled. “I appreciate that, because I’m looking forward to the pleasure of sharing my bed with you. But can't you feel how much I want you?” I rocked my hips.

He groaned, long and low until it sounded like a growl and made my desire burn brighter. “I want you as well, Bella. Always. But I am never willing to harm you, and you must be exhausted.”

“I am, a little. But I heal quickly, and there isn’t any soreness.”

Edward chuckled. “You sound as though you are bargaining. I would not tell you what is right or wrong for your body, so I will acquiesce. Only, please remain mindful of your need for rest.”

I moved over his erection, meeting his mouth again with my own. Everything was slower this time, unhurried as he began to peel layers of clothing from my body. He kissed my shoulders, bringing feelings of tenderness before kissing my throat and causing shivers. He removed his shirt, pressing his bare chest to mine. The skin-on-skin contact caused a hiss of pleasure to escape Edward’s mouth.

My mate knew how to show me in a thousand small ways how much he loved me, and yet this night was more. He gave me the control, and I used it to my advantage. I gave him my body and my heart, I gave him passion and adoration, and he returned every emotion tenfold. I felt treasured and powerful at the same time.

As I finally lay down next to Edward, curled into his marble side, I gazed out the window at the moon. She had been my constant companion, my wolf’s lover. She had comforted me when I was alone. The moon held a special place in my soul, and I gazed lovingly at her now. If she could grant wishes, I had received mine. Everything in my life had fallen into place.

“What are you thinking about so hard instead of sleeping?” Edward’s quiet voice broke through my thoughts.

“The moon. I can see her high in the sky out these windows that I feel lucky to have.”

“What are you pondering in regards to the moon?”

I leaned up on one elbow to look at his angel’s face. “That she has blessed me for my patience.”

His smile was breathtaking. “Then she has done the same for me. I am whole again, with you by my side.”

“So am I, Edward,” I said as I kissed the place over his heart. Maybe it no longer beat, but it held the best parts of Edward. “So am I.”