Love at First Bite

Three: We're Mates

Emmett decided that he needed to tell Aria that they are mates. Arriving at her house, he walked in as she walked downstairs. "Emmett? Why are you here?"

"There's something the two of us need to sit down and talk about." He said causing her to go to the couch as he sat down. "Rosalie told you about her mate bond."

"A little, but I'm confused about the word mate." She said.

Emmett nodded. "Aria, we're mates." He tells her. "I know this is something you didn't want to talk about this morning, but I wanted you to know that we are mates."

"So you're helping me because you have no choice..."

"No." He said. "I'm helping you because you are afraid of yourself."

Aria didn't know what to say. He wasn't doing this because of their mate bond. He was helping her because he cares about her. Aria ran into his arms crying. "No one's ever cared about me the way you do." She tells him.

"I will always care for you. That night I met you, I knew you were scared." He tells her moving her blonde hair. "I'll be right here with you."

"I know."
~~~
The next day, Aria walked through the halls as Emmett walked over to her. She looked at him smiling. "I'm going back to what I used to do before I learned the truth about myself." She tells him.

"Really? What would that be?"

"Nails." She tells him as she showed him her nails. "I'm hoping I have enough strength not to kill my clients."

"Hey." Emmett said as he got in front of her to stop her from talking. "Don't worry about it. I know you are strong, baby."

Aria smiled at him calling her baby. She knows they aren't together, but hearing him say that made her feel good about herself. She will do one person at a time, but first... "Will you be there?"

Emmett looked at her and smiled. "I'll be there."

Heath watched them walk away with Rosalie. "She's still scared of herself." Rosalie says. "I actually feel bad for her."

"You already caring for her."

Rosalie smiled as she rolled her eyes. Heath laughed as they walked away together. Aria smiled at Emmett telling her more about himself. What he likes to do, his favorite sports, and one of them is getting to know her.
~~~
Later that day, Emmett didn't get a call from Aria causing him to go to her house. "Aria?"

The blonde poked her head out of the room she was in to see Emmett. "Hey?"

"You didn't call to go hunting and I got worried."

Aria grabbed his hand and dragged him to the salon part of her house. "This is why I didn't call." She tells him causing him to look around surprised. "I've been busy setting up."

"I could have helped you..."

"I forgot that you want to help me." She tells him. "I never had anyone in my life offer to help me till I met you that night. Ever since...I felt like I belong. Like I was important to someone for once."

Emmett wrapped his arms around around her. "Aria, you are important to me." He tells her. "I'll always be right by your side."

Aria smiled as she hugged him. She may not know what love is, but her knowing Emmett day by day has her falling for him. She watched as he looked around the room. Aria smiled as she saw how he was looking. Like he never has been inside one before making her laugh. Emmett looked back at her and smiled as he actually heard her laugh.
~~~
Sometime that night, Aria dropped the dead dear as arms wrapped around her. She looked up at him smiling as he wiped the blood of her lips. "Your a bit messy."

"So are you." She said as she wiped the blood off his lips, but she placed her thumb in her mouth.

Emmett stared at her as she looked at him. "Now that was hot."

Aria blushed as Emmett had her look at him. "Shut up." She tells him as she hugged him. "Thank you."

"For what."

"Telling me we are mates and for helping me learn more." She says. "Never in my life did I think that I would meet someone as extraordinary as you. You keep smiling and you give me enough courage to be myself again."

Emmett smiled as he buried his face in her hair. "I don't want you feeling like a monster. I want you to see that you are still the same girl you were before you discovered the truth about yourself." He said. "I will keep proving that to you."

Aria knew that within that moment that Emmett was right. She wasn't a monster. She's still the same Aria Dawson. The same girl who loved doing nails and being around others. Now she just wants to be around him. The man who made her feel complete. The man who didn't give up on her. Aria Dawson is falling for Emmett Cullen as the days go by and she's not one bit afraid.