“Are you – ”  Fool.  Of course she wasn’t all right.

Her eyes opened for a second, found mine, and closed again. Her face was too white, her skin moist and cold.  “It’s … the smell.”  She wrinkled her nose and tried to turn her head away from her own wound. “The blood.  I feel …”

I tried to sound calm.  “The wound is healing.  You won’t smell it in a moment.”

She lifted a limp hand.  “And your breath … ” She raised her shaking fingers to my chin and feebly tried to push my face away.  “I’m sorry … ”

A rush of relief, like adrenaline, flooded me.  This was Bella.  I hadn’t taken too much of her, and I closed my eyes in silent thanks, pressing my lips together in a thin line. 

I realized she must be able to smell her blood in my mouth.  No other human could catch the scent of blood the way Bella could, and that still confused me; I couldn’t fathom what that might mean for her new life.  Obligingly, I curled my body around hers and held her, my cheek on her right breast, farther from her nostrils, and tried to swallow the last drops of her precious blood away. 

I pulled the covers over us, tucked them around her as best I could. I remembered shivering uncontrollably when Carlisle turned me, and I wondered when she would start to feel the chill.  The poison would set her veins on fire first, making everything else seem cold in comparison… especially my frigid body.  But, nevertheless, I held her tightly.

The taste was nearly gone from my mouth and it made me tremble.  I wanted more.

“How did you … stop yourself?” she asked.  Her voice sounded far away.

When I spoke, my breath tickled her damp breast and I saw her shiver. 

“Easy,” I lied, licking my lips and finding another drop there, which I swallowed as though I were starving.  I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, concentrating. “I counted to seven.”  I think.

“Oh,” she laughed weakly, not understanding.

“I’ll tell you later,” I promised.

We were quiet for a few moments.  My greedy tongue ran across my teeth, still searching for her taste.  Stop it, I demanded.