The warm blood slid effortlessly down my throat and I could almost feel the black of my eye receding into the fiery red that it had been concealing. Hunting was becoming easier and easier for me, and I had gotten past the guilt and become more accustomed to my unnatural sense of smell.

Alice appeared beside me as I began retreating from my kill.

“Are you alright, or do you need more to be able to resist humans?” She urged.

“No, I’ll be fine, I think.” I assured her.

Alice and Esme were insistent on taking me shopping to supplement my dwindling supply of clothing. Lately Edward had been impatiently ripping my clothes off of me rather than wasting time on the clasps and zippers, a crime that I wasn’t completely innocent of either, therefore the shopping trip was also for Edward. His absence was due to Alice’s unnecessary persistence in buying some form of lingerie that I was certain would end up ripped in less than a week. It took a large quantity of convincing to keep him from coming, much to my dismay. Not that I didn’t enjoy spending time with Esme and Alice, but I hated any separation from Edward, and I knew that he hated it too.

The concern of my newborn temptation getting carried away was still present, but my strong sense of smell had subjected me to the scent of human blood constantly over the last two months so my progress with resistance was proceeding at a much quicker pace than had been expected. Esme’s main purpose on the trip, though it had gone unmentioned, was to be back up for Alice in case I got out of control. I honestly didn’t think that I would need any restraining, especially now after taking the proper precautions of hunting.

I let my mind wander as we sped down the interstate. I wondered idly what Edward was doing and worried myself slightly over pointless concerns. My unfocused haze carried over into the many different shops Alice pulled me through. I vaguely remember her piling fancy underwear and see through pajamas into my arms some time, at which point Esme made a bee-line for the shoes. I grumbled mindlessly at Alice as she swiped her clear, fancy credit card through register after register.