Once Bitten, Twice Shy by CereuleanBlue
Reviewed by AnonomouslySufferingFromOCD
Rating: M
Characters: Edward/Bella
Summary: AU, Bella x Edward, Bella was taken by James and held captive for weeks. She returns home with a special gift. Who was her mysterious savior and what is the cause of her new powers? Will she find the answers she needs in her new home in Forks?
As the summary states Once Bitten, Twice Shy is a totally different Twilight universe where a 17 year old Bella, who hasn’t even met our favorite of the Cullen’s yet, is kidnapped and held captive by James and his cohorts for a month. He treats her as if she is his pet and she is repeatedly bitten and abused. Rescued by someone who she thinks is an angel, Bella has become unique. Not quite a vampire but not quite human she has to learn to live with gifts that she has been given and to trust what she has learned to fear.
After trying to stay in Phoenix with Renee for several months after being found in the desert, Bella decides she needs to get away from the place where it all began. Her memories of being tortured by James are too haunting and since Phoenix is where she met her captor, she decides to pay Charlie a visit in Forks. Bella who as we know tends to stick to her decisions once they are made, actually has no desire to return to Phoenix and decides to start back to school in Forks.
"Well, umm . . . Actually . . . I was wondering if well . . . You wouldn't mind if I kind of stayed here with you for awhile. I mean Mom is kind of busy back at home, and I promise I won't. . ." She spoke quickly, her words stumbling over each other like stones tumbling down a hill.
"Whoa, wait a minute. I don't know, Bella. What did your mom say?"
"I haven't talked to her about it yet." Bella looked down at her hands folded in her lap. She hadn't spoken a word to Renée about her plan to stay here with Charlie. She expected that debate to go about as well as a root canal.
In this story, Bella is fully aware of vampires and what they can do, she immediately knows what the Cullen’s are as soon as she sees them, but they are more then perplexed by her.
The door opened as another group of students entered the classroom. A breeze caught her scent and blew it toward Edward's waiting nostrils. His throat stung from the smell of the blood pulsing through her veins, but something in the scent wasn't right. It was different than that of any other human he had encountered before, almost as if it had been diluted with something strange. The smell drove him mad with curiosity.
First the silence, and now this? What is this Bella Swan?
She glanced around the room and caught his stare. He heard her heart begin to race when her eyes made contact with his. What was causing her to react this way? Did she know something?
Cereuleanblue does a good job at weaving in some of our favorite parts of Twilight but changing things up enough that we really don’t know what to expect. We have many of the same enemies but we lose a lot of the messiness. This is also a more skittish, and actually if it is at all possible, a shyer Bella but really she was held captive as a vampire’s pet for a month. This story also shows Bella as more mature, she doesn’t immediately fall head over heals for Edward, but she does know that she is very drawn to him. Of course, don’t worry, there is plenty of romance and Bella does finally figure out what she feels for our favorite Mr. Cullen.
As we watch Bella grow to trust the Cullen’s more and more and understand that not all vampires are bad we also get to watch her learn more about herself. She has some unexplained gifts from her time with James, like super human strength, speed and even the ability to hear others thoughts. Thankfully, Carlisle is around because he knows where and how to get answers when he needs them.
"Well? What do you know?"
Carlisle walked from his position at the foot of the bed to stand beside Bella. Edward stood planted in the same spot his eyes fixed on Bella's face as Carlisle began to speak.
"Before I answer you, I have one more question to ask."
"Go ahead."
"Have you ever tasted vampire blood?"
The question sent a shock through Bella's mind. How could he know? She sat silently afraid to answer him for a second and merely nodded without speaking. She looked at Edward's face, and the shock that resided there said more to her than any words would ever say. He almost looked afraid of her.
"Bella, this is a lot for even me to take in. I am going to tell you everything I know. I have already shared what I have learned with Edward. Do you mind Alice hearing as well?"
Bella’s battle with acceptance is only the beginning for her, as if surviving a month of torture with James wasn’t enough, she has to fight with herself to overcome her fears, she has to convince the wolves that she isn’t a threat to them, and she has to face the ones who were a part of James’ life before his demise.
Edward struggles with wanting to keep Bella safe and by his side at all times without smothering her or making her feel uncomfortable. When he realizes he is in love with her, his need to mate with her is hard to control. Pair that with a very independent Bella who thinks vampires are bad, and you have an interesting mix.
This is a great story that is different than other vampire tales and I think you will enjoy where this one will take you. You will notice that the end of this story brings a cliffie, however it is, of course, explained by cereuleanblue’s plans for a sequel.
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