15 CH 15

I looked at her and saw her eyes having pure onyx pupils, not even a hint of gold or topaz. She had cut off her breathing and was slowly trying to gain control while staring at my face and biting her lips.

"Everything alright?" I asked with concern. I didn't like her going through with this painful process every time we made out a bit too much.

"Ya, I guess" She finally replied after much effort "It is just getting harder to hold back my desire to let go of control and go farther than just making out. Every day I am with you, it just builds up to become even stronger than before."

"I am sorry Edythe," I apologized "If it helps, would you like to take a break from any romantic stuff until I get a better handle of my powers and am able to find a way for us to be … physically involved safely?"

"I guess we will have to" Edythe said with a chuckle "Otherwise one of these days I might just lose control and rip you out of those clothes and have my way with you."

I gave a chuckle of my own "Well as tempting as it sounds, I really will have to hold back and practice more to uncover more of my power."

We relaxed for the rest of the night after that, with me eventually falling asleep while holding her. Though Edythe didn't exactly fall asleep, given her vampire physiology, she used a zoning out method she learnt from watching me meditate to let her conscious thought become next to nothing.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

"Just relax Bella, you will do just fine" Edythe and I chuckled as we watched Bella panic about meeting the Cullen Family and Edward tried his best to calm her down, eventually having to kiss her to take her mind off it.

Edythe snickered while seeing Edward gently place a dazed Bella in the shotgun seat and buckle her in "Either you are a really good kisser brother, or an exceptionally bad one."

Edward rolled his eyes at us before driving to the Cullen house. We soon came to the architectural beauty right in the middle of a forest clearing, made tastefully through artificial means.

Bella got out nervously, while trying to make last minute adjustments to her khaki colored skirt and deep blue blouse.

Edythe simply grabbed my hand and dragged me to the house while Edward stayed behind to cheer Bella up.

When we entered the house, we found Carlisle and Esme waiting for us just beyond the entrance. While Esme hugged me and Carlisle shook my hand with a smile, Bella entered the house with Edward.

While Carlisle and Esme made Bella feel welcome, a sudden blur from behind ran past me and hugged Bella. Edward stiffened for a second, before giving an exasperated sigh.

Bella on the other hand gazed at the small, lithe and graceful vampire, Alice the pixie, with shock at her casual invasion of personal space and barrage of comments that ensued.

Bella was slightly taken aback at Alice's attitude, as if she and Bella had been friends for decades. But Alice's sunny nature soon put everyone at ease. Bella spent the rest of our lunch stay at the Cullen house in the middle of Alice and Edward, with Jasper hovering behind Alice.

Me, on the other hand, got to know Rosalie and Emmett more informally. Rosalie was an ice queen for the most part, but once we started talking about cars and parts, a whole new cheery and bubbly self emerged. I had little doubt that this acerbic ice queen will be to me in future what Alice will be to Bella.

Emmett on the other hand was a supremely cool and casual natured fellow, with a penchant for pranks and jokes. We got along well too, since it was not particularly difficult to get along with him.

Also, me getting along with Rosalie was a plus in his book, because most are not usually good around her because of her acerbic nature.

Soon the party broke off into various couples, with Edythe dragging me to her room and Edward taking Bella to Carlisle's study and his room. Edythe had a very large and immaculate room, with a color scheme of blue, ranging from shades of sky on the ceiling to oceanic blue on the floor.

Other than the walls lined with bookshelves, the only other things in the room were a beautiful piano and comfortable looking King Size bed, that seemed a new addition to the room.

Edythe and I lay down at the bed, simply cuddling and talking about various things, because of the new pact between us.

Midway through it, Alice pranced into the room like a ballerina doll and sat at the edge of the bed.

"Hello love birds. Any plans for tonight ?" She asked excitedly while looking at Edythe, who gave a tinkling laugh after a few moments.

"Okay I will ask him, now shoo!" Edythe said as Alice pranced away again in a blur, possibly towards Edward and Bella.

When I looked at Edythe with raised eyebrow, She explained "It's kind of a tradition of ours. Alice, Edward and I usually have a mental communication thing going on."

Giving a wry smile at my expression as I understood the situation, she continued,"Anyway, Alice was here to ask if we would like to play ball today evening."

"You guys play ball?" I asked confused. Since when can Vampires play sports without making chaos?

"Well not in regular circumstances, no" Edythe agreed with a laugh.

"We usually wait for a thunderstorm to do it, camouflages our actions. Want to watch?" Edythe asked while turning her smoldering doe-like eyes to me.

"Ya sure" I agreed quickly "I can sufficiently protect myself now, so I guess I can."

"It will be fun I promise" Edythe grinned and said while cuddling back to me.

Edward had to take Bella back briefly, to get permission from Charlie and the others got busy in the preparation for the game.

I was still in the process for deciding whether I want to participate or just watch. My transformation did increase my strength, speed, reflexes, durability and perception a lot. But will it be able to survive an all out effort of a vampire?

In the end I decided to do it anyway. After all, I can recover from all injuries easily, would be stupid to not play because of some fear.

Moreover, the better the material I pick, the more powerful my transformed form becomes. We gathered in the clearing where Alice had seen it was safe to play. It was an enormous space, a few miles in diameter.

I transformed using a bracelet Edythe had gifted me some time ago. It was a custom order that the manufacturer frowned upon at first, but money makes the world go around.

The bracelet was a simple design, a chain like structure formed out of five infinity symbols and a yin-yang symbol as a centerpiece.

Each symbol of infinity was formed out of some of the most precious and toughest metals on earth: First one from Tungsten, Second from Iridium, Third from Osmium, Fourth from Chromium and the final one was Titanium.

Each link was shaped carefully for the bracelet to seem like a never ending series of infinity symbols.

Right in between the tungsten and titanium link, was the yin-yang centerpiece. The Yin piece was formed from a very rare Black Diamond or the Carbonado and the Yang piece was made from the rarest form of Sapphire, Sapphire, of a beautiful light pink-orange shade.

They were held in place by a sturdy metallic net like cover, made with threads as thin as spider silk, formed from an alloy of tungsten and titanium.

The Bracelet was given the name 'Black Lotus' after its creation and was registered in the world's registry of rare artifacts.

It derived its name from the color of Carbonado and the meaning of the word 'Padparadscha', which meant 'Lotus' in Sinhalese. Every time I looked at it, my resolve to be with Edythe only grew stronger.

Currently, I transformed using the Tungsten link, as it was the least shiny looking of the Five. A phenomenal feeling of strength came over me as my body transformed into a bio-material similar to tungsten.

My limbs felt a feeling of strength and toughness which was incomparable to my previous transformation with common iron and steel available to me.

As I was testing my transformed state, Edythe flashed next to me with a grin, followed by Emmett and Rosalie.

Even Rosalie and Emmett gave whistles of admiration as I tested my speed, strength and reflexes, which were easily comparable to an average vampire now. Plus I was able to transform my fingers to a sharp bladed claw form, which would be enormously useful even if I was in a fight with vampires.

Rosalie gave a thumbs up to Edythe "Damn, I was doubtful at first when you blew away that enormous sum for the bracelet. But seeing the results right in front of me, I can't help but be impressed. A Human comparable to a vampire, who knew."

Edythe beamed a smile at the couple with a smug expression "I did, which was why I commissioned the bracelet and gifted it to him."

Rosalie rolled her eyes at her smugness, while Emmett came towards me "Yo, need help with some practicing?" he called out playfully while stretching his arms.

I looked up at his bulging muscles and remembered Carlisle saying every Vampire brings traits from their human life to perfection when transformed into Vampire.

Among the Cullen family, Emmett was known to be the most gifted for super strength, possibly the strongest Vampire below a newborn vampire level.

If I was able to survive against him, then it was possible that I might have no trouble in a physical contest with most Vampires.

I nodded and sprinted towards him, Emmett doing the same towards me. We met with a rumbling clash of boulder against a metal block.

Emmett struck like a raging bear, mostly using overhand swings and devastating straight punches. I used my elbows and wrists to direct and divert most of the force of those strikes away from me, while at the same time giving some quick strikes with my leg.

The first few seconds of clash were a win for me, as I managed to get out unscathed from his assault and even managed to push him back with my kicks.

However, Emmett returned with a vengeance, along with quick punches that hit like a speeding truck. I had no choice but to block them with my arms guarding the upper body in a cross pose.

Emmett took advantage of me guarding and sent a devastating strike to my guard, which hit like a speeding train.

But my current condition was not one that even a vampire could mock. I too managed to give a counter attack by the means of a kick at the same time.