Innocence is Dripping Red by EchoesofTwilight

Innocence is Dripping Red

EchoesofTwilight

5

36,879

517

Darkward Vampfic Contest Winner: A bored and jaded Edward has his own way of spicing up his lonely existence until a chance meeting makes him question what he thought he knew about his life.

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Nerac aka Caren aka Madam Fictionator


I was thrilled to get the chance to do this because I’ve always been a little proud to say that I was one of the first to jump on the Innocence is Dripping Red bandwagon back when it was just a one-shot entry for the Darkward contest. EchoesOfTwilight shared a little of this with me way back then, before it was posted, and even without knowing the premise for the rest of the story, I couldn’t wait for it. For me, that’s always a sign that I’m going to love a story. If one little snippet—one little taste—can suck me in and make me want more.

That’s exactly what EchoesOfTwilight did.


Written entirely in Edward’s point of view, the story begins with a very different vampire than we’re all used to reading about. He’s dark, very dark and he feeds on humans. Not only that, but he’s bored; so unfulfilled with his existence that he has trouble finding passion or pleasure in well, anything.

The truth was I was bored, and forced to borrow the passions of others because I could muster none of my own.


I moved amongst the crowd, letting their thoughts fill my mind as the cloud of smoke and sex and human flooded my senses. Yes. This was what I needed to build my excitement, so that when I took down some poor excuse for a human on the rain-dampened streets later, I would have these adopted memories of carnal pleasure to drive my bloodlust.

He's managed to find a way to fix his apathy by watching humans, using their passion and pleasure to ignite those same feelings inside himself with his ability to read their minds. It sounds creepy—but it’s not. Not at all. I feel strange saying it, but it’s hot. Oh my is it hot. Really fucking hot.

During one of his nights spent out, searching for that excitement he craves is when he first encounters Bella. The big bad scary hot voyeuristic vampire doesn't know what hit him when she approaches him. She makes him imagine things he's never really pictured having before...

It was so very different, picturing myself with someone instead of simply eavesdropping on an encounter. So much more primal...and infinitely more satisfying.




Bella's lips on mine...her hands on my skin...my hands gliding over the mounds of her breasts, down the soft skin of her stomach...touching her, then licking my fingers to taste a liquid sweeter than blood...

Bella isn’t afraid of him, quite the opposite really. She’s brave—almost too brave—as if she has no concern for her own well being. She admits that she knows what he is, that she feels drawn to him… and ohmyfuckinghell, who wouldn’t be? It isn't until their second encounter that he gives in to what she's pushing for...

“Want...you...so much...never before...” I breathed between kisses, my mind spinning with the feeling of them.


My first kiss.

EchoesOfTwilight has such a powerful and gorgeous way with words (and growls, the growls are pretty fucking nice, too). Not even gonna lie, I would probably read the phone book if she wrote it. On top of the beautiful and captivating writing she does and the descriptions she uses that leave me going 'uh, why do I write again?', one of my favorite things about her is the way she finds ways to weave canon quotes into her stories.



They always come in at the most unexpected times and leave me smiling... and in some cases, breathing kinda heavy.

"I have to admit," she continued, "this is nothing like what I imagined."


"What did you expect? Coffins and dungeons and moats?" I asked, modulating my strength as I turned on the shower so as not to break the taps. That was, after all, how humans thought of us. I cloaked myself in their delusions often, able to mix with the goths at the club precisely because of their preconceived notions.


But she knew I was teasing, if not in the way in which I reveled in my newfound ability to do so.


"Not the moats." She gave as good as she got...in every respect. I felt myself harden at the thought, in remembrance of what we had done. And in anticipation.


She grinned as she stepped into the shower. "Coming?"


Not yet.

In all honestly, everything EchoesOfTwilight writes fuses together perfectly and just leaves us wanting more (which, thanks to FGB, I no longer need to beg for). The continuation of the original one-shot that she’s presented so far is just as flawless as the original piece. We get to see as this once isolated and selfish vampire begins to open himself up to something new and different. Love. Though there are only a few chapters left until its conclusion, this story will forever be one of my very favorites to go back and re-read over and over again.

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Every once in a while, a story comes along that not only gives you prose, but poetry as well. Sometimes when people get too whimsical with their writing it can leave you rolling your eyes after a while, but EchoesOfTwilight keeps it right at the level where it heightens the emotion of the moment without making it over-dramatic.

I love when we get a new twist on Edward, and we certainly have one here. This is Edward's canon rebellious years as his lifestyle. He is not fighting his vampire nature and adhering to the family way. He is seeking out the dregs of society to satisfy his bloodlust. One thing this Edward does have is lust! We are first introduced to him as he drains a victim while swimming in the thoughts of two nearby lovers.

"With each mouthful I remembered the couple in the bathroom, the pace of my swallows exactly matched to the boy's thrusts and the girl's breathy gasps."

Edward does not shy away from want. Though we come to find that Edward is a virgin, he does not shy away from his sexuality. Then he meets Bella, and is determined to explore this connection with her. When she meets him in the level of her own desire, two bodies come together, as Bri quotes below, and two mates find each other.


The twist on Bella's ability is clever, and I can't wait to see what else will be done with it. If it will change the way these lovers hunt, for the hunt and blood has become foreplay for them. Will they continue to have to harness Bella, or will they go the family way in the end?


3.5 out of 5




So, the original o/s for this fic was the very first time I was ever introduced to Em's writing and it was love at first word. I was entranced from the very beginning and only grew more engrossed until I came upon this and then my vag exploded:



"I want to suck and lick over every inch of your body. I want to growl against your clit and hear you scream my name again. I want to feel my cock hitting the back of your throat and to taste your juices on my tongue. Most of all, Bella, I want to fuck you until your body knows nothing but my touch, your mouth knows nothing but my taste and your fucking amazing, hot, tight pussy knows nothing but my cock."



Umm.



...........



I'll give you a minute or twenty to compose yourselves.



Is anyone still here or did you all run off to read it after seeing that? I'm not quite sure I've read anything quite as hot ever before - or even since - I've read that. I mean...DTE is an all time fave, and you add in some Darkward and you have yourself a real winner in my book.

So often it's hard to develop a o/s into an expanded story, but Em has managed to do so, after offering additional chapters for Fandom Gives Back. She's developed the storyline more and taken us into their world, letting us see more and more of Edward and made it all seem part of the original story, not simply an afterthought.


I really love that this is told strictly in his POV. It's not a secret that I prefer EPOV, but only when an author can pull it off, and I believe she has. The Darkward aspect hasn't been forgotten and is continually explored, doing so in a non-squicky way, as I call it. Over-the-line Darkward isn't my thing, but I don't mind my boy to have a little black on his soul, thus why I enjoy this one immensely.

I give this 4 out of 5




I have to be quite honest here - I have a major crush on my Em-Twin for her multi-chap AU WIP story Behind the Clouds (GO READ THAT TOO! [once you've read our reviews of this first!]). Seriously she writes some of the best AU vamp stuff I have read. I then read this one. WOW. If you don't mind your Edward primal, in fact you prefer him that way - boy oh boy you are in for a treat and a half!

This Edward/DarkWard has a predilection for a certain type of hunt. He feeds into his baser instincts shall we say? Yup he likes, no needs to feed more than just his blood lust when he hunts humans. He uses his other skills (eg his mind reading) to store up certain experiences/memories and then act on them later...


To me its a fucking sexy dark strength of this Edward. You know its wrong he's hunting and using the blood to fulfil other urges, but by god its hot. This Edward only hunts scum (true to canon) and has no remorse for their lives being snuffed out. Nor does he have remorse for those experiences he steals/intrudes on between others. But Edward in Innocence does have a journey of redemption. It just takes a different form to the traditional, now I have met you Bella I do not need to take the life of humans, or taste the blood of others. Instead, well I don't want to spoil it for you, but Edward definitely in the last chapter has moved forward.


But back to Edward the sexy beast. Jesus he is DIVINLY dark. An absolute sexy beast to read. The first chapter he's in the club? I just want to mount him. He's alone and isolated, desperate for connection, sexual fulfilment and his thirst to be quenched. Its a potent and powerful mix of a hot-to-trot vampire. The sex? Dear GOD! The sex is intense and delicious. They have a deep and carnal connection, inspiring one-another, needing one-another, completing one another. I tell you know - do not read this story anywhere you have to be presentable - I reread just before a meeting at work and was so flushed and squirmy I had to fend off questions!!!! Oh aye! This is a hot hot hot story!


But as I said its more than just lust of blood and body. There is something deeper going on for both Edward and Bella in this story. Its unusual and interesting. Its a full-bodied vintage of a DarkWard in my book. I love it intently. By the way - just cause a story is dark, doesn't mean this WussPerv can't love and covet it! READ this story today, and be prepared for it to unleash the randy!


5 out of 5 voyeurs from me.

Hot. Wet. Soft. Take. Scream


Ahhhh…sex and death, that delicious never-ending dance of blood and mayhem. I love dark vampires. I make no secret that I am an old school vampire fan, and while I’ve come to appreciate the sparkly “vegetarian” variety I still have a warm, wet, soft spot for human drinkers.


Innocence is Dripping Red is refreshing in its unflinching portrayal of an Edward who still hunts humans; bad guys, but human none the less. He is dark, jaded and lonely, but best of all, he is a sexual creature. He uses his ability to read others mind to not only find his prey, but to steal the lusty experiences from the minds of the human around him. This is how he works out his sexual tension.


The opening scene of this story had my panting on the floor. EchoesOfTwilight more than earned the Darkward win, because holy flaming underpants I LOVE this Darkward. He is hot, complicated and still kind of sweet in his own terrifying way. I love how even in this form Bella overwhelms him. Their first meeting is intense, sexual and yet has an air of playfulness that made me smile. There is an underlying lightheartedness to this story that makes some of the darker content more palatable to the more Wuspervy readers.

If you love Edward and Bella, if you love Goth music, dark alleys and hot fucking sex, try out this fic. Just read the first chapter, slide into the world and let Edward tell you about how he hunts, and try to not bite your lip too hard. Be careful, you might draw blood.


4 out of 5 bites








For the longest time, I thought Innocence was angsty. I have no idea why, I just did. I couldn't have been more wrong.


Sure, there are moral dilemmas here, and this story makes you think, but mostly it's just lemony sweet goodness.


We meet Edward in chapter 1, and learn he hunts humans. Specifically, bad humans. Okay, and there is *some* angst; we meet Edward as alone as someone can possibly be, and that has worn him down. He is the only one in his family that drinks of humans, the rest of them “vegetarians” like in the books.


When he hunts, he has a very specific routine, practice, fetish – whatever you decide to call it.


After he meets Bella, things don't go exactly as he planned.


Chapter 3 was really intense and fascinating to me. The part, the most poignant:

"Our family is waiting."

Significant, in a way that was not lost on me. For the first time, I would enter the house – any house in which we had lived – as an equal to the other occupants. No need, anymore, to feel alone as I loved and envied them in equal measures.


It was really interesting to read Edward's thoughts and feelings at the end, as well. Natch, the lemons were juicy delicious.

I was glad to see playful Bella return in chapter 4. I really enjoy a fun/funny banter between E/B, even if there are moments of seriousness; the levity and joy between the characters is just something I personally find that I enjoy. The conversation toward the end was delightful and although we didn't get nearly as many details as I'd have liked, it felt better simply that they'd finally talked.

Chapter 5 had great insight into Edward's hunting style and patterns, as he shared and spoke of them with Bella. I loved this part:


Happy. I could not remember the last time - before Bella - I had used that word to refer to myself. Not even in the club, where I found it so easy to hide by pretending to be exactly what I was, had I ever felt lighthearted.





We also learn that Bella felt an instant connection to Edward, just as he had with her, way back at the first time they'd met. Both of them were nervous and insecure about it, wondering and fearing they'd imagined it. They finally realize that what they feel for each other is equal – neither one lusting more, or needing more.


I would be remiss in my review if I didn't mention the ending of chapter 5. It was beautiful, and touching, and through some of the themes that are harder for me to handle in this story (I get why Edward doesn't participate in his family's "vegetarian" lifestyle, I'm just ambivalent about it, and nervous/curious to see what will happen in the future), it was a really awesome moment.


4.5 out of 5




I've been meaning to read Innocence is Dripping Red for ages, so I was delighted to learn it was this week's pick. I don't typically read a lot of dark, angsty stuff, but I knew that Echoes of Twilight could do a Darkward proud, and she didn't disappoint.


We all know that historically, vampires have always been equated with sex. They are beautiful, sexy, alluring, and arouse our curiosity, among other things (twss). What Echoes has done for the sexy vampire cliche is so damn fuckhot you'll be clenching your legs before you're even half way through the first chapter!


Echoes uses lush, creative descriptions that are more like poetry than prose. Her writing is filled with phrases such as, "... zippers opened with sighs of relief," and "... using borrowed lust as foreplay." Her Darkward relies upon human blood, but he uses it as a way to get off. There was something so carnal about Edward equating sucking blood to having sex with Bella. The act of drinking blood causes him to climax, and her descriptions are just... UNF. I also love that she included here that Edward could hear how badly the men and women at the club wanted him.


What is it about a scar on a victim's neck that is so over the top erotic? Is it simply because Lolashoes made it that way? Whatever the reason, Edward loves her scar, thus so do I.


You all know that the PPSS is all about the smexing; that being said, this is by far one of the most erotic things I've read. It is lush and descriptive and fucking hot.

Echoes of Twilight also decided to give us a Darkward who eats human blood, in contrast to the rest of his family. This surprised me; I can't remember another fic besides Bonne Foi featuring blood suckers. There arises an issue with how, exactly, Edward can assure that the individuals he attacks are completely unredeemable. It is very strange that he differs from the rest of his family in his meal choice, but it is an intriguing concept.




Emmy and I plan on sandwiching Em because frankly we wanna girl bone her. Anyway, I'm pretty sure Caren told us to read IiDR when it was a o/s. Then I got the honor of beta'ing this hot piece of vamp hump on Twilighted and then I proceeded (with everyone else) to badger Em until she agreed to continue it.


Thank fuck she did. ;)

It's stories like Em's that make me only want to read AU again full time. Vampward, in general, is hot (usually). Em's are on another fucking playing field and they're rounding the bases. Sweet Christ, I won't repeat the lines because these ladies did but dear Lord talk about some stifling lines of hotness.


It's hard to weave a story around a one-shot. It honestly is. It's even harder (TWSS) to make a story out of an insanely hot one-shot and continue to break new ground to keep it captivating (and on fucking fire). Em, again where so few succeed, triumphs.

I'm with Kathy here, I fear the unknown something fierce with this story but because of Em's writing I'll endure it and hope for a happy ending.

5/5






I can definitely see why the original o/s (chap 1) won the Darkward contest. This Edward is fuckhot. If you are a fan of the vampire world in the Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood series, then you will instantly be drawn to this Edward. While he maintains many of his canon personalities, this Edward is truly naughty (no canon abstinence Eddie here) and feeds off of human blood. But rest assured, he only goes for the scum of society...so the idea of him being a human killer is well, more digestible. To make it all impossibly hotter, he listens to the minds of others having sex as a way to fuel his need for blood. Having never been with another in that way himself, he only has their mental images and thoughts to go by. After feeding off a 'useless' human, he permits himself to end his daily ritual with self pleasure. HOT HOT HOT.

The love story begins at a goth nightclub which seems only fitting of a location for these two to meet. The mutual attraction between Edward and Bella is immediate and deep. Their first time is completely primal and raw. It's exactly the kind of fuckfest I like to imagine with a vampire. (They do exist, right?)

Without giving too much away, Edward changes Bella per her wishes. The rest of the story, thus far, revolves around them getting to know one another better with some hot lemons tossed here and there.

What I truly love is how EchoesOfTwilight weaves poetic imagery throughout her story. Here are two prime examples of where her talent shines:


"Tempting, to take and be taken rough and hard and fast the way it had been every time before. Stone, metal, glass would smash and crumble around us, forming a mosaic testament to lust at our feet. Where I had once only come close to imagining, I knew now the pleasure it would bring."






"Living in darkness was fine, as long as one did not know light. Emerging into the sun, however, would guarantee that blinding spots danced on eyelids forever, even if one were forced back into shadow."




Chapter 5 was the absolute winner for me; the chapter where I truly fell in love with this fic. The lemon here is completely fuckalicious, and I refuse to say any more so as to not ruin it for the reader. To seal the deal, the closing portion of this chapter will make you a sucker for this Darkward. Yet again, that Bella sure is one lucky biatch.


4.75 out of 5 for me.



Mmmmmm ... Darkward ... I absolutely LOVED this one-shot. Every single word is worth reading. It is truly one of, if not the best, Darkward I've ever read. For me, what makes this story so amazing is how well Edward is characterized. His dark nature isn't just a ploy. The author truly explores the pathology of his darkness and because it is explored so well, it is believable and sets the stage perfectly. For me, this one line says so much about who this Darkward is ...


"The truth was I was bored, and forced to borrow the passions of others because I could muster none of my own."



And then, of course, Bella enters the picture. Here, she is mysterious and she is the one walking away from Edward and leaving him wanting more. She pretty much drives him mad, sending him on a killing spree to deal with all the lust she generates in him. Thankfully, she finds him again ...


"You came," she breathed into my ear, her arms wending their way around my neck.


Many times.



Um ... yeah ... what was I saying? Oh yeah ... and then the sex ... It is ridiculously hot and primal and needy and sexy and rough and just hot. Thankfully for both Edward and us, the reader, this Bella likes it rough and also likes her Edward to talk dirty. And oh my, does he deliver.


"Ever the hunter, I was now Bella's prey, and hers completely to do with as she wished."


This is a must-read. Not only is this one-shot amazingly hot, it is incredibly well written. Definitely 5 out of 5 for me.