Chapter 7: The First Hunting Trip

Friday, October 8th, 2005 - Forests 30 Miles Outside Forks, Washington

Chapter Song Theme - You Shook Me All Night Long by ACDC

"A-Alice, I am not as durable as you are, remember?" I stammer out, white-knuckling my right fist on the "Oh Shit" handle and my left on the center dash of Alice's Yellow 2005 Porsche 911 Turbo. 

Alice, smiling like a mad woman, ignores my complaints brilliantly as she tops out at 70 MPH around a tight mountain trail road. 

The mountains around Forks were nothing to scoff at, nor were the 100+ foot drops off the ledges. Alice took them all at 20 or more over the speed limit.

Being vampires, our reaction times and resistance to G-Forces allowed our bodies to take much more punishment than a human could handle. My little addict was using everything she could and more, which, evidently, turned out to be a bit too much for me. 

'I'm going to die.'

We came upon a curvy bit that weaved between the tall coniferous trees, and I felt my stomach in my throat as the wheels below us slipped and slid on the packed gravel road.

Alice's vampiric abilities checked out. I had no idea what her car's excuse was, though. I'm pretty sure that Porsches aren't supposed to drift on gravel roads. The tires, maybe?

Alice squeals in joy and floors the gas once we've cleared the section. I do my best not to scream like a little girl. 

I'll be honest; I have never been more terrified in my entire life. 

Laughing raucously as we drift the last turn that hangs precariously off of one of those aforementioned 100+ foot drops, Alice turns her head away from the road to smile at me with the sun's radiance.

I scowl back most pleasantly. 

When we finally even out on the straight, oddly well-maintained, gravel road in the middle of the forest, I remember that breathing is a thing.

The speed demon looks at me with wide, excited eyes as she pants from her exertion, and the adrenaline spike no doubt shooting through her - or at least the vampire equivalent. Her giant brown sunglasses catch the glint of the morning sun, and her pixie-cut hair and scarf flutter wildly in the wind due to the rolled-down car windows. 

She looked like a Muse sent from Olympus. She was a vision.

...I was more concerned that the vision before me was a portent of death. I've never been interested in becoming a vampire pizza, and this experience changed my opinion none at all. 

The car slid to a halt another couple hundred feet out, and Alice, still beaming, narrates, "We're here~!"

I must have been making quite the face because she started giggling- cackling, actually- and then leaned in to give me a quick kiss before stepping out and stretching in the cool Autumn morning air. 

Stepping out myself, doing my best not to show every muscle in my body shaking uncontrollably, I take a long, deep breath and solemnly vow never to let Alice drive me anywhere ever again. 

It wasn't that she was a bad driver, mind you. She was probably the single best driver I had ever met. As far as she told me, she had never been in an accident, and her driving record was spotless. 

I have my doubts about the validity of that claim, but who am I to challenge my daredevil girlfriend? 

I also learned something about myself today: I am, in fact, not interested in becoming a professional motorsports driver like I thought I would have been at 7.

Joining a smirking Pixie at the front of the car and entwining our hands with a tight smile on my face, I walk with my mate towards the camping spot we will be using for this weekend trip. 

As we entered the path to the clearing, we saw the others gathering supplies from their cars and jeeps parked up on the side. Edwin and Elenore came up to high-five Alice, sharing the joy of her memory, and then they both started cracking up about my face during the whole thing. 

'Two more popsicles coming right up!'

Rolling my eyes and ignoring them all, I walk over to where Carlisle and Esme unload most of the gear and offer help with the setup. 

"We can each set up our own tents, so we just have to flatten the ground at the edges and set up the wind wall for the fire pit. Can you help with the flattening?"

I nod confidently as I tilt my head toward the clearing, "Sure, how big do you want it? And do you need help setting up a cooler?"

Esme gives me a pained smile. "I am not sure we would need a cooler...we don't eat or drink normal food, Samuel."

"You don't drain the kills? I figured you'd want to freeze the blood so you have spare packs at home. Waste not, want not- and all that." I clarify.

Carlisle considers my offer and then nods. "I have blood sets for that, but a cooler would make it easier and cleaner...Sure, let's try it out. And just flatten to the edge over there by those two rock formations. I take it you have a lot of camping experience?"

"I've lived in the wilds for many years at a time. Couldn't always afford a roof, but I've picked up a lot of neat tricks over the years because of it." I explain, shrugging when I notice Esme's eyes widen a fraction at the information.

Instead of getting into it more, I gather the power of ice within me and direct it towards my hands and feet. "I'll get started. You guys should hang back until I finish the leveling. Wouldn't want your toes getting frostbitten." I chuckle as I move to the center of the clearing and inspect the space.

I never had much power to work since I was 17, but I have always had a knack for ice magic. Mom used to think I could become a Wizard with the White Council if I really wanted to.

Then again, my father had been one, so maybe she was just projecting. 

'Never did check them out...but that is probably for the best, all things considered. I am not a fan of rules and tools.' I think with a sardonic grin as I finish planning what I want to be done.

'Can you imagine me in a robe and hat? Ha!'

I hadn't had to do any camping for over a decade at this point, but it turns out it is just like riding a bike...made of ice. 

The key to magic casting was intent and visualization. You had to plan exactly what would happen and then direct the power within you—which, I kid you not, some of those pretentious wizards call "The Force"—through that pattern. 

Everyone had mana, or "The Essence of Life and Creation," as my dad used to call it, and almost everyone could use mana. Mortals have a much larger variety of options when it comes to spellcasting, and they can learn almost anything, but it costs them a hell of a lot more mana to use what they have than it would for magical creatures.

In my case, I was limited to only ice magic, but it was relatively easy for me to manipulate and cast. I was a specialist, I suppose you could say.  

Regarding casting magic itself, it's not that challenging when you have time to prepare and concentrate, but it can be really mentally taxing in a battle. The number of times I have gotten punched in the face before I got a spell off is, frankly, embarrassing and not something I plan on sharing.

I've gotten much better with age and experience. 

The Cullens gathered outside the clearing, completely ignoring the things that still needed to be unpacked so that they could get a good look at me. 

Alice had stars in her eyes and a wide, happy grin. She really loved it when I used my magic. 

Sighing at becoming a spectacle, I nonetheless push the ice out of me and direct it to skim the surface of the clearing, a couple of inches deep.

Being with Alice has increased my power pool by leaps and bounds, but I have always been a bit conservative with how much I use, and I didn't plan on changing that now. 

The ice forms under me in a matter of seconds and then slowly pushes and scrapes the ground flat, removing rocks, dirt clumps, grass, and shrubs along the way. 

I am unsure what they were expecting, but I can tell that several of my audience feel underwhelmed by this showing. It's cool, don't get me wrong, but it isn't very monumental to slowly shift topsoil around with an ice bulldozer. 

From the corner of my eye, I see Ross grinning impishly at me as he cracks his knuckles. It seems that someone was looking forward to the sparring we will do later.

'Good. I am, too.'

Glancing at Alice again, I see her smirk at me knowingly, but I pretend not to notice. 

Once the clearing is...clear, I evaporate the ice all at once, leaving a soft, springy layer of dry dirt behind. I then compress that with more ice, which completes the finished, packed product. In less than five minutes, the ground was ready for tent posts.  

"That was very impressive, Samuel. Thank you; that saved us at least an hour," Carlisle says amenably. 

"I can dig out the fire pit and get the cooler started as well if you point me to where you want them," I answer him calmly. 

One hour later, the camp was set up. Five tents surrounded a central fire pit, and off about 100 feet to the side was a sunken underground cooler lined with fresh ice. All the couples would be tenting together, while Elenore had her own. 

When I finished the cooler and went to assist in setting up our tent, I realized I was once again being pulled into Alice's eccentric orbit. 

"Why is our tent pink?" I whine.

"It's cute~!" She preens.

I sigh. 

I love her...but we were getting a new tent before next time.

* | * | *

The next few hours are a bit boring for me, to be honest. I stay at camp reading while The Cullen Clan stalks the forest for game. Carlisle is the first to return with a dead stag and promptly sets up his sterile equipment in the cooler I built to start draining the blood. 

I am not squeamish at all and offer to help, but he just smiles and says he's got it under control. From the speed with which he moves and the familiarity he has with the tools, I believe him. 

Emily and Ross are next to return carrying...hold up, is that a fucking bear?

Reds.

Esme and Alice saunter in next with two does, laughing to an unknown joke, and the trio of Edwin, Janet, and Elenore come back with three deer and at least a dozen mid-sized game.

Edwin spins a bloody kunai knife on one finger as he leans in to lick a spot of blood off Janet's neck, to which she giggles and pushes him away coquettishly. 

I ignore the boy following his Ninja Way and smile at Alice as she throws herself in my arms. I notice that she is suspiciously free of any blood, so I raise my eyebrows in concern. 

"I brought wet wipes. I'm not a savage, Sammy." She explains in a pouty, putt-off tone.

I cock my head to the side where Elenore just dropped off her kills, pointing out the fact that she had blood all over her face and was only now starting to clean it off.

"Yeah, like I said. I am not a savage." Alice affirms imperiously. 

"Whatever you say, babe," I answer with a laugh. I grab her hip and pull her to my side as we approach the fire pit and sit together on a single folding chair. 

We then talk as a group for another couple hours and play some light-hearted games as Carlisle and Esme finish up with the draining. I excuse myself for a second to create a literal ice chest for better storage, and they both thank me once again. Carlisle had brought an entire blood storage cabinet out here, but it was already full, so the chest would have to do for now.

It would seem that they had gone all out since I was here to help. I didn't mind one bit. It felt nice to contribute, and it felt even better to get recognition from my peers. 

It was yet another new experience I could attribute to the little pixie who kept looking over and smiling at me from her place by the fire. I am sure it happened before everything went to shit for me, but I certainly couldn't remember when. 

"I thought you lot would hate fire?" I say as I accept my place back on the chair, and Alice accepts her throne back on my lap. 

"Just don't push us in, and we'll be A-Okay," Edwin smirks, giving me a thumbs-up. 

"Are you nervous for your first spar, Samuel?" Emily asks, though, if her smile is any indication; she doesn't seem to do this out of any concern for me.

"Should I be?" I question back with a raised eyebrow.

"Sammy will be fine," Alice answers casually. "He can take quite a bit of punishment."

Loud laughter echos off the trees, and Emily's wolf-whistle adds to it.

I, for my part, do not redden at her insinuation. 

I do, however, look askance at the woman smiling prettily up at me from my lap.  

"Speaking of," Ross continues with a flat look, "I think we have a new winner for the loudest."

"Oh, no doubt." Edwin agrees as Janet smirks and nods. 

"I was pretty concerned the first night I was back, not going to lie," Elenore adds.

"Why, see something you didn't like?" Edwin goads his twin.

She scowls at him in disgust. "You know I don't do that. I'm not into voyeurism. Don't make it weird for Samuel."

Edwin sticks his tongue out at her, and she rolls her eyes. 

"I don't know what you really expect from me..." Alice tries to justify with a mock, innocent expression, and I am already contemplating covering her mouth to save myself. "You try taking a dick as big as your forearm."

Yup. Should have covered it.

I bury my head in my hands and groan. 

More raucous laughter echoes off the trees.

"Alright, we are set. Thank you again, Samuel; the chest works perfectly. So long as we get everything back by mid-day Sunday, we should have plenty saved for a rainy day," Carlisle says as he returns with Esme a short while later. Both look spotless, which I find extremely impressive. 

"So, like, every day?" Emily clarifies with a dark look up at the cloudy sky above us.

"Exactly," Carlisle answers as he and Esme join us in their chairs by the fire.

We talk for another hour or so and get to know each other a bit better. They tell me some of their history and that of the Olympian Coven, and...well, it's really nice. 

I feel normal for once. 

Alice hugs me tightly, reassuring me that she is right there as I also share some of my past. 

Not much. I am not really an open person in general, but I can at least make an effort.

Trust is incredibly important to me. I don't believe in blind trust; it has to be earned. 

They have all earned my trust. 

As the conversation lulls naturally and the sun starts its trek to the other side of the world, the grey clouds are painted in all manners of pinks, reds, oranges, yellows, and purples.

We watch the sky for a long, tranquil moment, each couple cuddling up close to each other and Elenore stretching out lazily in contentment. 

Then Edwin claps.

"Yup, I'm bored. Let's fight!"

* | * | *

As it turns out, the spars The Cullens do are not very complicated. 

We marked off a 20-foot circle in the ground and separated it by a bisecting line. The rules were either first blood, first down, or ring out. Carlisle made it explicitly clear that we were not actually trying to hurt one another but were instead practicing ways of avoiding getting hurt while also learning how adding me would change the team dynamic. 

We needed to have the backs of all the Coven members at any given time, so we would be practicing in groups as well. That was going to be for tomorrow, I was assured, as tonight was going to be a single-elimination tournament with a loser's redemption bracket for shits and giggles. 

The matches were drawn in lots, and, wouldn't you know it, round 1 was me vs. Ross. 

"Let me just say one thing," Ross begins as we both enter the sparring circle and get to our positions. "I don't hate you, Samuel. I think you are a good person, and I can respect all the shit you have had to go through in your life...That said, I'm still not too fond of this situation and have really wanted to punch you in the face since I met you. No hard feelings, alright?"

I smile peacibly and nod at him. 

'The feeling is mutual.'

Alice, looking far too excited for my liking, raises her hand to act as the referee for this round. She makes eye contact with both of us, and I can see the mirth dancing in her eyes. 

She knows what's up.

Her hand descends, and Ross smirks as he flexes his calves- 

*Boom*

-Then he is shot out of the circle in a fraction of a second due to a 6-foot blunted pillar of ice smashing into his chest faster than he can move. He ricochets off several trees before landing in a pile of dirt. 

"I KNEW it!" Edwin roars with laughter. 

Emily sighs. 

Janet tilts her head at me apprasingly. 

Alice bites her lip, and intense hunger builds in her eyes.

Carlisle clears his throat and announces, "Round 1 winner, Samuel."

Smiling openly now, I walk over to Ross, roll him over, and offer him a hand up. 

"No hard feelings?"

"Asshole." He grumbles in answer but grabs my hand and lets me pull him up all the same. I pat him on the back as we return around the circle to watch.

The next round is Edwin vs. Janet, which isn't even close. It's fun and funny but not remotely close at all. 

Edwin continues his theme of anime-esk tomfoolery, minus the kunai this time. He runs around striking poses, calling out the names of his moves, and generally making a clown of himself as we all laugh and jeer.

Despite this, when he strikes, it is hard and fast, and I was taken off guard by his sudden burst of speed and prowess.

Which I suppose was the point, kinda like drunken boxing.

Still, for the entire charade, Janet stood firm, her fists up, and an air of calm readiness surrounding her that spoke of years of battle experience. It was over before I could blink. 

Damn, Reds are fast. 

Edwin darted in, looking like he might actually land a punch, only to be suddenly flipped onto his front and pinned to the ground with his head held tenderly in both of Janet's arms as his back arched.

Were this a real fight, his dome would have been ripped off. 

Fucking brutal.

Janet leans down and kisses his cheek before letting him go with a content smile on her face.  

'Okay, yeah. Maybe I won't turn you into a popsicle...Note to self, don't fuck with Janet.'

Next was Elenore vs. Esme, and if I thought Janet was fast, I hadn't seen anything yet. 

I didn't see anything, in fact. 

One moment, they were facing each other, and the next, Esme was tapping Elenore's arms around her neck with a sigh of defeat.

I had started off feeling a bit smug and confident about the spars...now, I wasn't so sure. 

Round 4 was Carlisle vs. Alice, and I wasn't surprised that Alice won rather handily.

She cheats. 

"It's not cheating, it's strategy!"

Nah, she cheats.

Since we had an odd person out, we shifted the brackets for the next round and started with the losers bracket. Emily got a buy, so she would face me in Round 5 of the winner's bracket. 

First, though, Ross got a chance to redeem himself against Edwin, and Carlisle turned his sparring match into an improvised dance routine, causing Esme to giggle in girlish delight. We all clapped for them afterward, and they took a bow, accepting the double dropout with style. 

Since Ross won against Edwin and there was no victor from Carlisle and Esme's dance, Ross would join the final 4, which meant it was now me vs. Emily in Round 5. 

I felt pretty nervous as the wild, muscular woman grinned ferociously at me like I was a piece of meat ready to be devoured. 

So, I took a page out of Alice's book. 

I decided to cheat. 

As soon as Alice lowered her hand, I summoned a translucent, spiked ice wall to encircle me and protect my flank. 

The secret to fast casting is all in preparation and concentration. In the few seconds it took us to get into position, and for Alice to raise and lower her hand, I had already formed my sorcerer patterns and gathered the required mana to perform the spells. 

I wasn't much when it came to speed or in surprise situations, at least compared to this lot, but if you gave me a second to prepare, I would make it a bad day for you. 

Case in point: I turned the circle into an ice hockey rink and then shifted the ground so that it was a chaotic footing of miss-shaped ice formations. 

"Oh, that's some bullshit..." Emily grouses as she stumbles and catches her footing before scanning the new battlefield. 

I knew she wouldn't give up, but I was not expecting her to choose a full frontal attack, practically ignoring all my setup. 

She launched forward in a wild jump and raised her hands in claws like a wrestler leaping from the ropes. 

'Okay, maybe this won't be so hard after all.' I think, questioning her bizarre move. 

Pillars of ice rose from the ground after her, attempting to catch her and knock her from the circle, but this showed her true motive. When the first one was close enough, her hands snapped out to embed her fingers into it before throwing her weight forward and swinging towards me even faster.

'Ah. Yeah, that'll do it.'

I continued to send useless pillar after useless pillar up at her, doing my best to angle them in ways that would hinder her speed and cause her to change directions. This worked for about five seconds...then she saw an opportunity and took it without hesitation. 

Luckily, this also put her right into my trap. 

Three of the pillars I had raised were in a diamond pattern on the ground in front of me, and when she was finally within a few feet of my position, all three pillars, as well as the ice wall I hid behind, erupted horizontally with four smaller pillars that slammed into her chest from all sides simultaneously. 

"Fuuuuuck," Emily wheezed as she doubled over in pain.

"Round 5, Samuel," Carlisle notes from the side with an impressed nod in my direction.

Alice was squirming while looking at me, but I did my best to ignore her bedroom eyes. 

'That is probably the venom at work.' I think with a sigh.

I wasn't thrilled that Alice was addicted to me, as should be abundantly clear by this point, but, in the end, it was her choice. 

And I will love her forever, without question and no matter the consequences, for choosing it.

Emily gets back up after a second of groaning and shoots me a glare. "Seriously, man? You got me in the tit! That fucking hurts!" She quips good-naturedly after rubbing her chest with an aggrieved expression.

I had since reverted the circle to normal and melted my barrier, smiling at her sheepishly. "Sorry, it wasn't my intention, I promise."

"It's all good. I'm really starting to appreciate you being on our side, though. That was sick." She answers, slugging my shoulder as she passes.

It was probably a lot harder than needed, but I also felt like I owed her one, so I let it go with a slight wince. 

Janet vs. Elenore was a sight to behold. 

Or it would have been If only I could fucking see anything at all. 

To me, it looked like two blurs performing acrobatics in mid-air while making vague growling noises at each other. 

When it was over, Janet had Elenore's arm pinned behind her back and her knee on Elenore's neck. Another brutal killing hold for Reds.

Even if I barely saw anything, I did come to three important conclusions due to the fight. One, Elenore was the fastest of the group. Two, experience trumped speed. Three, upgrade note to self to critical alert: Janet is not to be fucked with. 

'I'm kinda screwed, aren't I?'

"That's enough for me. I'm gonna go hunt alone for a bit," Elenore says after the spar. She wastes no time and vanishes from the clearing immediately after. 

"Have a fun time," Carlisle says after a beat in an incredibly dry tone.  

...Did all the women just nod to each other...?

Now we were in the semi-finals, and I was resigned to the fact that my ass was about to be beaten black and blue.

To my surprise, however, Janet winces and grabs at her shoulder before telling us she better concede. Apparently, she has some old injuries that act up from time to time, and the fight with Elenore aggravated one of them. 

Carlisle allowed it, and she and Edwin joined Emily, Carlisle, Esme, and I on the side to watch Ross vs. Alice. 

Ross tried really hard to get a rematch with me, but Alice is a total cheater.

Her ability lets her know what attacks are coming, when they are coming, and where they are coming from. While she wasn't very good at offensive combat, it didn't matter because Ross could not land a single hit. She chipped away at him until he stumbled out of bounds.

Ross seemed entirely blindsided by his defeat, and Janet looked at Alice and me with narrowed eyes, reassessing our worth to the team once again.

Alice wasn't very proficient at this initially, but all she lacked was experience, and she loved watching me use my magic. We decided to spar lightly a couple of times a day, rather than spending all day in our bedroom, and she picked it up real quick when I started using my ice pillars. 

I had laughed the first ten times I watched her fly off into the distance, completely safe if a little mussed up...She, in turn, was laughing to the point of rolling on the ground in tears when I passed out, face down ass up, from mana exhaustion last week.

That shit sucks. It's like ten ice cream headaches all at once.

Just like Ross, I can't hit her anymore. She cheats. 

"It's not cheating, Sammy!"

She's a Cheater McCheatFace.

"Well, this has been extremely entertaining and enlightening," Carlisle says with a wide smile, somehow making that villain-esk line sound suave with all his damn charisma points. "The finals will be between the mates Alice & Samuel. Are you both ready?" 

"Nah." I answer immediately and without any scruples, "Alice wins."

Alice pouts a little. I could tell she was looking forward to wearing me out before we retired for the night.

Unfortunately for her, I had caught on to what was happening.

"Come now, surely you can give us a little show? I want to see Alice use more of her Improved Foresight Ability. We are doing this for Coven protection, and that is a game changer for her." Janet complains, a hint of a southern-belle drawl coming out as her eyebrow twitches in annoyance.

Emily scoffs and demands, "Quit being a baby! I wanna see Samuel struggle."

Esme also chimed in with, "Couldn't you try a bit for us, please?"

'Translation: Don't ruin our fun.'

Well, shit.

Sorry guys. 

They were clueless guys, clearly, as Ross and Edwin were nodding along enthusiastically. Carlisle seemed to be catching on, though, if his worried frown was anything to go by. 

"Fine," I say with a long-suffering sigh. 

The next 10 minutes left me panting on my hands and knees as Alice literally danced around my every attack. Like, she went full ballerina on me, using my body as a post to make poses while staring at me with barely constrained lust radiating from her golden eyes. 

It was pretty hot, all things considered...

But it still sucked. 

"I think that will do it. The winner is-" Carlisle attempts to sprint to the finish and skip the victory celebration to get out of dodge. 

I'm glad one of them finally figured it out. 

Esme clamps a hand on his arm and holds him in place with a sweet—no, that's definitely a demanding smile on her face. Sorry, bud, there is no escape, it would seem.

Edwin and Ross look to Esme in confusion, but Alice quickly distracts them.

Couldn't have them noticing Emily and Janet sneaking up from behind, now could she?

"Actually, Sammy can beat me at any time he wants. He always can." Alice purrs as she pulls me into her embrace from where I barely just stood again. 

"Really, is that true, Samuel? Show us, if you please." Janet demands of me, though her eyes are only for Edwin now. They were also decidedly predatory. 

Edwin seems to realize something's wrong at this point. His face pales as he tries, and fails, to back away. 

"You have to show us that power, man~!" Emily coos.

Her words and appearance did not match at all, however. She looked like a feral beast about to pounce and raid a deli freezer. This look was somewhat similar to the one she aimed at me in the fight a few rounds ago, but it was turned up to 11, filled with devious promise, and now appropriately zeroed in on Ross. 

There was a beat of silence as I waited to see if anyone else had something to add.

Carlisle did, as it would happen. Dirty Politics. 

"...I don't suppose I could bribe you-"

"No." Esme shut that down immediately. 

Carlisle sighs and gives up.

Ross finally realizes the perilous situation he was in. I could tell because if I thought Carlisle attempting to bribe me was a dramatic reaction, Ross' was practically inconsolable. 

"Em-Em-Emmy, Baby. I...I can't. I would love to, but I can't. I'm not mentally prepared to try something like that again-"

"Start running. It'll be more fun. Momma's hungry."

Ross doesn't hesitate. 

He is gone in a second, and Emily's smile somehow grows to a demonic level as she watches the direction he leaves, like a lioness stalking her prey. 

"Sammy..." Alice whispers sensually in my ear. "I need you to beat me now."

Hanging my head in defeat, I relent. 

"Well then. For my last trick of the night... Let There Be-!" I shout dramatically, though only one person is actually paying attention to me at this point. 

I pull deeply and widely on my Lust Attraction Ability, feeding my Vampiric Hunger, the source of my power and mana. I grab every person here and gorge upon their baser desires without restraint.

Elenore was out of range, as, I figured, was planned, but Ross was not. He is also a big fat fibber. The dude was super into this. 

Regarding this ability of mine, I drew a line for Alice: I would never force it upon anyone I cared for, which she agreed to wholeheartedly.  

Reluctant resignation, however, was good enough for me. We all make sacrifices for love. 

After a second of taking an even bigger pull than my first night with Alice, I open my eyes.

My eyes that have become twin silver moons illuminating the darkness of the night around us. 

Then I Whammy the ever-living shit out of all of them. 

"LUST!!!" I roar.

Edwin always stresses the importance of finishers being announced. 

I think I am coming around to the idea.