Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I stood in my backyard and watch as the snow started to fall, ‘Man I really hate the cold’ I thought to myself. I don't know how some people like it, I couldn't feel my fingers or my toes. It was my damn luck that brought me here, to Alaska of all the places in the USA. Life was a funny thing, I thought that I couldn't live in a colder place than for Forks but here I am, freezing. I knew I made the right decision, I needed the job and they were hiring. You see, I have just become an English teacher and I needed the job and stability, I saw that high school in Alaska, Denali was looking for one. So here I am, Bella Swan 24 year old English teacher. It was my first job as a teacher but I know I'll be good at doing my job.

I was sad when I left Charlie but I needed my own life, as much as I feel responsibility for him I know that he will be fine. I even taught him how to cook some meals, I hope that he will use that and not eat at the diner every single day. I lived with him since high school, when I decided to leave Renee, my mother, and come to live with my dad. I always liked Forks better, all my friends were there and going there on Christmas and summer vacations wasn't enough anymore.   

But I have feeling that Charlie won't be alone for a long, he and Sue started to get closer in recent time. Who knows maybe I get siblings in the future, I wouldn't mind that, Leah is my best friend, my sidekick, my partner in crime. We grew up together, always making trouble and having fun all the way.  She made me one hell of goodbye party, I drank and party so much  I don't remember half of the night but that isn't strange for us, Leah and me. She promised to visit me often and I will go back whenever I can. Of course there is also Seth, my little brother as I called him, person who always made me smile and laugh.

‘Shit!’ I thought, I stood for way too long outside in the snow and now I can't feel my toes, I need to go back inside, to my little rental cottage to warm up, luckily I won't get cold.  As I turned around and started to walk towards cottage, I started to smile, this was my dream home, little cottage far from any neighbors but close enough to the town, ten minute car drive and I can reach my job.

Inside of cottage was modern which I liked but outside looked like it came out of a fairy tale movie. I had  one bedroom, large living room small kitchen and bathroom, it was small but enough for me.  

I decided to make dinner for myself, it was strange cooking only for me. Deciding to go for chicken salad I started to prepare ingredients. Cooking was easy for me and my thoughts often wandered around when I cooked. I imagined how will my first day at job, how will my students be and most importantly my colleagues, I hope I will like them, I was a very social person so I hope I will make friends soon. I didn't want to be alone here with no friends. As soon as I thought that my phone started to ring.

“Leah” i said, so I picked up and said “Miss me already? I mean I know you do, I am awesome.” As I said that I heard her laugh.

“Yeah I can't live without you, you are like air to me, Julia to my Romeo hahahah…” I smiled as she said that, we always head crazy connection. “How do you like it up North, what does your house look like, did you meet anyone already, tell me everything.” she said.

“Well it's cold, like really cold and you know how I like that but I chose this and I will suffer in silence and wait for the summer. And no, I didn't meet anyone here only old lady who gave me the keys to the cottage.. yeah it's cottage not a house but I love it, can't wait for you to come here. But tell me how are things in La Push, anything happened since I left?”

“Well what can I say to you… Ah yes, Charlie had a lunch with us today and I honestly don't know when will they tell us, I mean do they think we are dumb or something it's obvious that they are together. But as long as they don't do that we will continue to tease them, today me and Seth almost made Charlie explode, he was red as tomato, it was so funny…. I have feeling that they will tell us very soon, I mean it's been years since my dad died and she deserves to be happy, plus I get to have you as a sister.” She said that and I Immediately imagined that scene in my head, I was happy that he wasn't alone.

“Yeah, I hope they will tell us soon… But I wanted to ask you how are you? How are you holding up? I know that you don't want to talk about ‘the one who shall not be named’ but I need to ask you did you see him, did he or that traitor Emily came to talk to you?”

 I knew the she was still hurt and sad, it had passed a couple of months since their breakup, you see since high school she was in a relationship with Sam but he has disappeared a couple of months ago and when he returned he was a changed man. He got even bigger if that is possible, more muscular and short tempered. He and Leah had a few fights, he didn't want to say where he was or why is he so different now. Then one day Emily Leahs cousin came to La Push to hang out with us, she occasionally did that, we had good friendship but then Sam saw her and decided to break up with Leah and get together with Emily. What's he even crazier Emily has fallen for him despite him being her cousin's boyfriend and since then Sam became ‘he who shall not be named’ and she a ‘traitor’.

“Well you know every time I see her she tries to talk to me but I honestly don't care what she has to say. I can't imagine good enough reason for her to do this to me, as far as I'm concerned she's dead to me, but you know what I don't understand…” she sighed  “Today I talked to my mom and she said that maybe one day I will understand why this happened and that I should forgive her. I'm so mad at her, I know she keeps seeing her… I don't know how she chose her over me.” Leah said.

This had me confused, I mean why would she choose her niece over her daughter. She clearly sees how sad Leah is, she should side with her and not Emily. “There must be some explanation here Leah, Sue wouldn't do that without any reason which means that we must find what that reason is. Did you try asking her directly why is she on their side…. this doesn't make any sense.”  as I said that my mind went through couple of different possible scenarios, but none of them made any sense.  

“No, I didn't ask her directly” said Leah “I don't know if she will answer me truthfully, I have a bad feeling about this one. And Sam has gained few more followers for his cult, now Paul has joined him.”

“Maybe he has them hooked up on some drug I don't know… I don't know how elders don't do anything about this cult situation” What other reason could there possibly be.

“Bella, if you ask them some is the greatest thing that happened to La Push… and my mom shares that opinion… I feel sad… I wish I can leave like you did who knows maybe I'll join you soon… what do you say about that?”  Leah asked me

“You know you are always welcome here, we could be roommates maybe get into some new trouble together just like we used to do. Please think about it, I know that you don't want to leave Seth behind but he's a grown man now and Sue has Charlie now.” The idea that Leah will join me up North has put a smile on my face, that would be amazing.

“I will think about it I promise. Man I miss you, I miss you real bad but now I have to go I will call you tomorrow so I can hear how was your first day at new job and we can gossip about your colleagues. Love you Bells, bye”

“Bye Leah, love you” I hung up, and started to prepare my dinner.

I had trouble eating my dinner, truthfully it's like my stomach was against it, maybe I got cold. But I forced myself to eat the whole portion never was one to throw food away even if I was very small and thin I had big healthy appetite, like Charlie.

When I ate my dinner I checked the clock to see what time it is and when I so that it was still early for the bed I decided to spend some time going through my Instagram and watch some YouTube videos. Having seen that my favorite youtuber Jenna Marbles has uploaded new video I knew that I was in for a treat her videos always made me laugh and I always admired her relationship with Julian. Then I went through some drama channels to see if there was some new tea. Since I got hooked up on YouTube in college, habit of watching it has stick with me, it was relaxing pastime and Leah and me often spent a lot of time debating on YouTube drama and scandals.  

I lost the track of the time and suddenly it was very late, i should have been bad ages ago so I hurried up and quickly did my bedtime routine, then I also went to check twice if I have locked up my door because you can never be sure if you only check once.

When I made sure I did lock my door I went to my bed, set my alarm and also written my To Do List for tomorrow, I needed to buy more food and also some warmer clothes jacket, boots and gloves. When I was done with it I had no problem falling asleep in my soft and fresh smelling bed.

That night I have dreamt something weird that night, in the morning I couldn't remember what exactly, but I can still feel what I have felt in my dream. It was feeling of excitement, expectation and happiness, most pure form of happiness. I woke up feeling content, calm and rested, although I didn’t sleep that long.

I sat in my bed as I stretched and started to plan what would I wear on my first day as English teacher, I know that I should have done that yesterday but why wouldn’t I do that last minute, it was more fun that way. I opted for navy pants and suit with white blouse and black three inch heels. I put lite make up on and made soft curls with my hair. I looked at myself in the mirror ‘Man I looked fine..’ I felt very satisfied with my look.

I went to the kitchen to make myself breakfast, lite oatmeal with blueberry. I didn’t like oatmeal very much but when I didn’t have very much time for big breakfast, oatmeal will do just fine. Then I started to make lunch which I would take to school, I didn’t know what kind of food they served there and I didn’t want to gamble with it and stay hungry.  I made some pasta with tomato sauce.

I saw that it was time to head to school, I wanted to arrive early so I can get to meet my colleagues and workspace. I went to my car and drove to the town Denali, where school was located. It took me a little longer than I expected because of the snow that has fallen through the night. While I was driving I started to have the same unsettling feeling in my stomach as yesterday ‘I hope I don't throw up’  but naturally I assigned that to the nerves, i don’t have stomach flu, I told myself.

After 15 minutes I entered the town and started to approach school when i got to the school  I saw another small parking lot next to the building  so I assumed that that was teachers parking. School building looked big for such a small town but I assume that students from nearby towns also went to this school. I entered the school through the side door and started to look for someone who can point me in the right direction. Not long after someone approached me, middle age lady with big glasses and gray hair, i had a feeling that she teaches history class.

“Hi how can I help you?” she asked me.

“Good morning my name is Isabella Swan, I'm new English teacher” I said with smile on my face.

“Oh, my dear yes, yes, we were expecting you. I'm Anna Cole and I teach history” I knew it  “We are so happy that you joined our little town We don't get new faces very often but I have a feeling that you will blend in with no problem. Come on let me show you teacher room, we have kitchen there and couple of couches to rest in between classes.” She started to walk towards one room that wasn't very far from exit to the parking lot. There was a sing on the door TEACHER LOUNGE, she entered the room and I followed.

It was open spacious room this had a homey feeling and I liked it already, as I looked around the room I saw blonde woman making a coffee in kitchen part of the room. As soon as I saw her my heart skipped and I could feel my hand sweating, I could feel my stomach turning… maybe uh i did get stomach flu…

“Oh, here we have our colleague, miss Denali, she teaches math, very lovely lady. Miss Denali, come meet miss Swan.” Said mrs. Cole.

As I thought that blonde woman turned around and I went ‘SHIT!’ I have clearly had a heart attack, died and went to heaven because this woman is an Angel.

Hi, i still haven't decided if Bella will have only one mate Tanya, or will she have Tanya and Kate as mates, please tell me what would you prefer.

Chapter Text

I just stood there, frozen, patiently waiting for my heart to start working again normally. Seeing that that didn't happen, 'Great, thank you! Traitor' I said to my heart. I watched this angel in front of me, with my eyes wide open; never in my life before had I ever seen such beauty.

Beautiful with long blonde hair, shiny as if she had bathed in the Sun, she had perfect curls in her hair; they looked so soft I found myself wondering how soft they really were. I pictured myself running through them with my fingers. And then, I made the biggest mistake I could, I looked into her eyes, at that point my heart decided that it didn't need to beat at all. It just stopped for a few moments. 'This is how I die' I thought, looking at this angel in front of me. Well in all honesty, it wouldn't be so bad a death after all. Her eyes were golden, like the color of real gold. I have never heard of that eye color nor have I ever seen it in my life before.

As I looked her into the eyes, her face lit up and a mesmerizing smile appeared on her face. Her smile and eyes were glowing with real happiness; I had feeling that her happiness was contagious, because even I started to feel happy just by looking at her.

I don't know how long we kept watching each other, but our staring contest was interrupted by Mrs. Cole "Well… I'm leaving you in good hands Ms. Swan; I need to go prepare for my class. I'll see you around." She said and left the room.

Now I was alone with the angel, but I couldn't make myself to move or to say anything. I just stood there, with a stupid unknowing smile on my face. Then she made her move.

"Miss Swan, it is my pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Tanya Denali." She approached me and reached out to shake hands. I looked at her hand for few seconds, thinking like an idiot if her hand was as soft as it seemed. "Miss Swan" she said again to wake me up from my state of daydreaming. It worked, but I did feel like an idiot. 'She's waiting for you to shake her hand! Do it! Just move your hand and shake hers, I know you can do it' I said to myself.

I slowly moved my hand and grabbed hers. As soon as I touched her I felt like I was struck by lightning. Her hand was so soft but cold, strangely cold, yet it didn't make me feel uncomfortable. I wanted to keep holding her, and never let it go. I stood there and kept holding her hand for far longer than necessary. OK you creep let it go, let it go. She will think you are strange. But you see she also seemed like she didn't want to let go of my hand. The entire time we were looking into each other's eyes, it was like we were lost in them, but in a good way.

I made myself let go of her hand, reluctantly, and as soon as I did that, I had a feeling I was missing something, like I had lost something I really needed. I didn't know what to think about this strange attraction.

"Um… it-it's a pleasure to meet you too, I'm B-Bella Swan" I said that with a shaky voice. Get a grip of yourself, I told myself. I don't know why but I wanted to make a good first impression.
She had a little smirk on her face as I said that, like she knew what kind of an effect she was having on me. But I didn't seem to care.

"If you don't mind me asking, I'm wondering how such a young woman decided to come here and teach, in this middle of nowhere." She asked me with genuine curiosity "Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad that you came. I have a feeling that we will get along very well." she said with a bigger smirk than before, and a sort of predatory look in her eyes, but I must have just imagined that.

"You don't look so old yourself, if you don't mind me saying that." I said that with what I think, was a charming smile.

"You would be surprised." she answered with a laugh, like it was some kind of inside joke, and waited for me to continue speaking.

"Well, I just got my degree and wanted to start living on my own. When I saw that they were hiring, here I am." I answered her. "Honestly, this is my first job as a teacher, and I must admit, I'm a little nervous." I don't know why I said that but I have a feeling that I can say anything to her and she will understand me, and offer me support in return, which is weird. It's not that I don't trust people, but I definitely don't talk about my feelings on the first meet itself.

"I can say that I'm very glad that you came here and joined…our staff." I could hear the hesitation in her voice, she wanted to say something else, but I didn't pay much attention to that at the moment.

"It's normal to be nervous," she continued "but you just need to believe in yourself and your knowledge, and most importantly, don't let them smell your fear, they are like sharks. Once they sense it, they are out for blood. But I believe that you know how to handle yourself and you will do great here." she finished with a smile.

Hearing her say that she believed in me made me feel warm inside for some unknown reason, and I couldn't help myself smile at that "Thank you for your advice I will keep that in mind."

I had never been this enchanted with someone before, yeah I had had girlfriends and boyfriends before, but never had I had this feeling upon first meeting someone. They didn't make my heart stop or skip a beat. I found myself wondering if Tanya was single. But I quickly stop myself 'You didn't come here to find love, especially not with your colleague.'

"How long have you been working here, and are you from around here or..?" while I was asking her I started to feel sick, nauseated. I could feel my stomach rising up, but I decided to ignore it. It's not a big deal, I was just nervous about my first day.

"I started to teach here about three years ago, and before that I was in another school in Seattle. And no, I'm not from around here…." She said something else afterwards but I couldn't listen, I just couldn't ignore my stomach anymore. I was going to throw up, so as quickly as I could, I ran towards the first trashcan I could find.

In a matter of seconds I started to throw up my oatmeal from this morning. I can't remember the last time I've thrown up. I couldn't be that nervous to throw up. As I was emptying my stomach I felt a cold, firm hand on my back and another one that was holding my hair back. I realized that Tanya was helping me, she was drawing circles on my back to calm me, and she was very quietly whispering reassuring words, at least they sounded like that to me, they were in another language that I didn't recognize.

When I felt like I was finished, I straightened up. I went to wipe the corners of my mouth with my hand, but Tanya placed a tissue in my hand so fast I didn't even notice it. The aftertaste was so awful; I wish I had toothpaste with me, but which person would have guessed that they would throw up on their first day itself.

When I looked up I was startled, Tanya had such a look of worry and desperation in her eyes. I mean yeah, you would be worried if someone threw up before you but this was more. Her eyes held such intense worry, as if we had known and cared deeply for each other since years.

"Bella…" She muttered as she slowly reached for my face, her voice sounded so lost… She was holding me so lightly and carefully as if I was a china doll and would break in her hands. Her left thumb slowly started caressing my face, while her other hand reached for my forehead. I couldn't stop myself, I leaned into her hand. It felt safe, like everything was going to be alright. I just wanted her to hold me and tell me everything was going to be alright. Later I tried to convince myself that that need was there just because I had just thrown up.

I slowly began to come to my senses. I stepped away from her "Tanya… I can't tell you how sorry I am…. I don't know what came over me, I'm never sick…" I can't believe I just embarrassed myself in front of her like that, 'You sure know how to make a good first impression'. "How embarrassing…." I finished.

"Please don't apologize, it's not your fault" she said with a shaky voice "maybe you ate something wrong." it sounded like she was convincing herself that that was the case. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why she was so worried about me, but I couldn't complain much.

"Do you think you are done?" she asked me.

"Yeah yeah I'm done….I haven't been sick for years now, maybe I'm just too nervous about a new job." I said not knowing what exactly I'm supposed to say now. I was feeling so embarrassed that I just wanted to get out of here. I looked at my watch and decided that it was almost time to head out to my classroom.

"Tanya, I'm so sorry about this. I would like to make up to you for this accident, so if you're interested maybe we could get a cup of coffee sometime?" I was really hoping that she would accept my apology. I was hoping that for two reasons; one was that I really wanted to apologize for this and the second, because I wanted to find out more about her.

"Of course I accept… I want to find out more about you." she said with a charming smile, but worry never left her eyes.

"Great! So listen it was very nice to meet you but I'm going to head out to my classroom to prepare for my first class. I'll see you around." I said and slowly started to head out of the teacher lounge. How I wished to stay more but I didn't want to embarrass myself further.

"Bella wait," she started to approach me "give me your phone". Without hesitation I reach in my purse, grab my cell phone and give it to her. She starts to type something and then gives me my phone back.

"I have put my number in, please don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, or just wanted to talk… especially if you are not feeling well. I presume that you don't have anyone up here in Alaska, so if anything happens call me," the last sentence sounded more like a demand then an offer but I didn't mind. I was very happy that I had found at least one person that I liked on my first day at job.

"Thank you and I promise I will." I said with a smile and started to head out. As soon as I exited the room, I wanted to just go back. I felt a pull in my heart. I put my hand on my chest hoping that it would pass, and it did a little bit, but not completely. Deciding that I couldn't do anything about it, I started to look for my classroom.

It wasn't difficult to find my classroom. I took a deep breath and head in. It was empty, of course, the students hadn't arrived yet. It was so calm and quiet I found myself smiling at that. I pulled out the materials from my purse and put it on the table, and started to write my name on the board.

I decided to take a couple of minutes to clear my head and prepare for the students. Of course my mind went to Tanya…. What did she think of me…… Is she single… how beautiful she is…

I was so lost in my thoughts that the sound of the door opening made me jump from my seat. When I looked up I saw that my students were waiting for permission to enter. I stood up, with a smile fixed on my face "Come in…"

'Here we go'
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I finally reached home late. It had been a very, very long day. I honestly didn't know when was the last time I had felt so exhausted… I couldn't wait to eat something and then take a long shower. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad day at all, on the contrary it was a very successful day, I made a great connection with my students, I showed them that they couldn't mess with me, but that I would treat them with respect, and that I expected them to work hard, but then they would also be rewarded for it.

I decided to make myself scrambled eggs and hoped that my stomach would handle it. I didn't want to throw up again. As I successfully ate an entire plate and didn't feel the need to throw up, I decided to head for a shower. I spent but half an hour in the shower thinking about the day, especially about Tanya. Maybe I should text her. I mean she did give me her number but I don't want to seem invasive nor do I want to bother her. I spent the entire shower trying to decide what to do… in the end my rational side won. I won't text her… but as soon as I decided it, my heart strongly disagreed.

I decided to head to bed, I needed to clear my thoughts and sleep would help with that. I remembered that I had told Leah that I would call her and tell her how did my first day at job go, but I felt too tired for that to do it now.

It didn't take too long for me to fall asleep, exhaustion taking me over. That night I dreamt one of the most pleasant dreams of my life, and the main character of my dream was Tanya, of course.

Chapter Text

Let's just say that my morning didn't start well, I bolted out of my bed so I could reach the toilet before I threw up. After I had emptied my already empty stomach, I brushed my teeth trying to get rid of all the nasty vomit smell. Maybe I should see a doctor, but I quickly decided that it was probably just a bug and that it needed to pass a few several days before I could get better. But for now, I decided not to think about the stomach bug.

I jumped in the shower and stayed there for longer than necessary, trying to relax, and of course, I didn't succeed until I started to think about Tanya. How had she made that big an impression on me, I couldn't get her out of my head. Maybe I should call Leah and tell her how my first day at the job went, but I don't know if I should mention Tanya, I know Leah will tease me like a hell. But then again I tell her everything.

As I was preparing my breakfast, I decided it was the right time to call Leah; I still had some time left before I had to go to work. I dialed her number and waited for her to answer. It took a little longer than normal for her to answer; she was normally up before the sun rose. We had always been so different in that respect, I always had trouble getting up and I would sleep in every day if I could, but she had no problem getting up, and early that is.

I was about to hang up when she finally answered "Hey bells, sorry I wasn't inside the house, so didn't hear the ringing at first." I could feel from her tone that she was upset, or at least that something wasn't right.

"Hi Lee, I just wanted to tell you how my first day went, but I can tell that something isn't right so spill the tea on what happened." I asked. After so many years of friendship with her, I could easily recognize her emotions like they were my own, hell, even better than my own sometimes.

"Bella…" I could hear the hesitation in her voice. "Leah, what happened, we talked two days ago, and everything was relatively normal then, so what changed?" I decided to press her because I knew her, if I didn't do so, she would pretend that everything was alright, just because she wouldn't want to worry me. That was just the type of person she was.

"OK, OK I will tell you, man I can't get anything past you. Yesterday I finished work a little earlier and when I got home, can you guess who was there?" she asked, sarcastically.

"No, she didn't!" I told her. "I can't believe that she would have the balls to do that, she came to your house?!" I raised my voice a little bit. This was low, even for Emily.

"Yes… she was sitting in my living room, chatting with my mom like nothing had happened, all smiley and happy, laughing, in my house. It's one thing to see her outside there, I could at least pretend that I didn't see her but it's another thing to see her in my own home, with my mother." her voice sounded so tired, I could tell that she hadn't sleep very well.

"So, what happened then?" I asked her; honestly I would have gone crazy in her situation. And Leah didn't have the best temper to begin with.

"What do you think happened? I went crazy on them. How dare she walk into my house, after what she did to me, one day we were the best of friends, cousins even, and the next day she is with my fiancé just like that. Of course, she was sprouting nonsense that I don't understand and maybe someday I will, but I honestly can't think of one good reason of why would she do that to me. Why would Sam and she do that to me? I was so angry Bella, I started to shake badly. Never in my life have I felt this kind of anger, and it terrified me. I went to grab her and throw her out, but my mother stepped in and started to defend her- Her not me, not her own daughter. That hurt so much, and in that moment I really lost my shit, you know, I have never been one for violence, but somehow I managed to break the dinner table. I mean how the hell did I do that? And of course, the icing on the cake, Sam showed up that very moment. I mean why wouldn't he? It was like he knew that Emily was distraught. I froze when I saw the look in his eyes. He looked at her like she was the sun, and then he looked at me and at the broken table. I mean I get that he was scared for her, but his eyes showed something completely different, and for the life of me, I can't figure out what. It was like he was sad, surprised, honestly like he couldn't believe the scene in front of him. They left shortly after that, and I just stood there frozen.
Of course that wasn't the end. Then I got in another fight with Sue that lasted a long time. Honestly Bella, I can't do this anymore, I can't be here anymore." by the end she was crying, it broke my heart to hear her like this. She was the strong one, she never cried.

"Leah… I… I don't know what to say, I can't possibly think of a reason why Sue would should be on Emily's side, but I can tell you that you need leave that place, maybe just for a couple of days, or maybe for even longer, so you can clear your head by not being forced to see them every day. I have told you ample of times, you can come live with me, or if not, come over for a couple of days or weeks. We can chill together, watch movies, and of course get drunk. Please think about it." I hoped that she had heard the pleading in my voice, and she would seriously think about it.

"I promise I will think about it, hell you know what, I am gonna do it. I can't…just can't be here anymore. Last couple of weeks I've been feeling off, my temper is even shorter than before. I will see if I can get some free days from work so I can try to clear my head. I will call you when everything is sorted out so you know when I can be there by. But I don't wanna talk about it anymore. You tell me, how did your first day at work go? How are your colleagues and did you have any problems with your students?" Leah asked.

"Ok, I will be waiting for you. And as for my job, my students didn't create any sort of problems. I told them that I would respect them and in return I expect the same, so there wasn't much of a problem. As for my colleagues go, I have only met a few of them yet, and they seem…" I stopped there because my mind went to Tanya immediately, how should I describe her, like a goddess, angel or something else, silence lasted for a couple of seconds between us, enough for Leah to notice that something was off.

"Bella, where did your mind go?" she asked me, I could hear the worry in her voice. "Did something bad happen, or where your colleagues rude or something?"

"Oh, no, no, no, nothing bad happened. Well, actually, that's not entirely true. Let's just say that I met a goddess on earth and made a fool out of myself… you see I threw up in front of her. But on the other hand, she was really nice about the whole situation and she even helped me clean myself. I could see a sincere worry in her eyes." I ended up telling her.

"Goddess on earth you say, she really made that big an impression on you? What I wouldn't give to see your reaction? I assume that she is very beautiful, and I know that your brain does not function when you meet beautiful women." She chuckled at that.

"Ha ha ha… very funny, but you are not very far from the truth. Honestly, I have never had such a reaction to anyone before. I can't get her out of my head. When we shook hands, I could swear I felt electricity course between us, and for some unknown reason, her presence made me feel safe and warm." There was no point in hiding this from Leah. She was my best friend, and hopefully she would say that I was being crazy.

"Man, I have never heard you speak like that before, what is her name and when can I meet her, I want to see this person who made you go all fuzzy and romantic, you are never ever like that." I could practically see her making plans about how she would humiliate me in front of Tanya.

"Her name is Tanya, and she teaches math, and what can I say, first come here and I'm sure that eventually you will get to meet her. She gave me her number, just in case, if I ever needed something. She knows that I don't have anybody here. I asked her if we could grab coffee some day, so I could properly apologize to her about the whole vomiting incident, so we will see how things go from there. You know that I'm not looking for someone to be with, but there is something about her, like I'm drawn to her and I can't help it." I ended up saying that with a huge smile on my face.

"Well, I can't say that I'm not happy that someone caught your eye, but please be careful. You never know with some people, just take your time and get to know her. Now tell me, what is it with you vomiting? Did you catch something or did you eat something bad? How long have you been ill? You never get sick." I almost regretted telling her, but I knew that I would have been mad if she hadn't said something in my situation. I just didn't want her to worry. She already has enough on her plate.

"You don't have to worry. It's nothing. I must have caught some bug, because for a couple of days I've been nauseated and I threw up a couple of times, but I'm sure that this will pass soon. It is possible that my nerves are causing it, so don't worry, if it lasts longer, I will go see doctor about it. But for now it is all under control." I really hope so. "Yeah, so I gotta go now. I need to finish my breakfast, and get ready for work, but please call me when you decide what you are doing, you know my advice is that you come here and get away from Sam and Emily. I guarantee you that everything will be better here."

"I promise you I will do everything in my power to visit you soon. I just need to finish a couple of things, before I'll be heading towards you. But for now bye, I love you, Bella" she said.
"Love you too, Lee. Call me as soon as you can, bye" I hanged up. Hopefully I will see her soon. I feel like I haven't seen her in months, when in reality it's only been a couple of days.
My talk with Leah lasted far longer than I had expected, and by then my breakfast had gotten cold, but I didn't mind. I wasn't too picky about this. I decided to eat it slowly, so I wouldn't upset my stomach again, and hopefully this time it would work. I looked at the clock and saw that I have just the right amount of time to get ready for work.

I decided to wear a slim blue dress, which highlighted my breasts, and black heels to go with it. My hair was naturally curly, and I loved that, so I didn't need to spend any time doing it, all that was left for me now, was to do my makeup, which by now I could do in a couple of minutes comfortably. In the end I looked at myself in the mirror and thought "Not bad, not bad at all, Bella". I tried to futily convince myself that I had dressed nicely because of my new work, but who am I kidding? I did it for Tanya. I wanted to impress her, and hopefully with this outfit I would succeed.

After I got ready, I went to take my lunch and my bag that I had organized before. I double checked everything, and after doing, decided that it was time to head out. When I got outside, I realized that it was a very wrong day for the heels and dress. It was freezing outside. Have I mentioned that I hate the cold? Because I really do!

I got into my car, quickly, I was all ready to go, but there was only one problem in my way. My car wouldn't start. I tried to turn on the engine once again, but it just wouldn't work. "Nice, Bella, nice" your second day at the job and you will be late, way to make a good impression. I sat there in the car, freezing, and was deciding on what to do next. I could call tow service but that would take a long time. Going on foot wasn't an option in this condition. "What can I do then?"

And then it came to me, I could call Tanya. Maybe she lived near me, or maybe she was on her way to work, and so could give me a ride. As soon as I decided to call, my heart started to beat faster, and when I took my phone out from the purse, I noticed that my hands were already all sweaty. "You have such a reaction just by thinking of her, way to go Bella, way to go." I chided myself. I didn't even try to fool myself by thinking that I was just nervous because I was going to ask a stranger to help me out, no this reaction was entirely caused by Tanya. "By this rate you will fall in love with her, like tomorrow" but then again I wouldn't entirely be opposed to that idea.

I unlocked my phone and went to the contacts to find Tanya's number. Before I pressed the call button, I took a deep breath in, so I could calm myself down. It only rang twice before she picked up.

"Bella?" I could hear the surprise in her voice, but I could also hear the hint of a smile. Like she was happy I called her. I wonder if she had the same reaction to me as I did to her, "I hope so".

"Hey Tanya, I'm sorry to call you, but I needed your help." I said in a shaky voice, nervous because I was speaking to her.

"What happened, where are you Bella?" she asked me, I could hear the worry in her voice, no, not just worry, it was close to panic.

"Don't worry. It's nothing bad, I just can't start my car and you are the only person I know here, so I was wondering if you could give me a lift to work, of course if you are already there, just forget about it. I don't want to cause you any problems." I said quickly, hoping that she could pick me up. I really wanted to see her again.

"Oh. You had me worried there for a second. Of course I can pick you up, it would be my pleasure. Just give me your address and I will be there as soon as I can." I could practically hear the relief in her voice and a little bit of excitement. "Man I really hope that I'm not interpreting all these emotions wrong" it would be a bummer if I had.

I ended up telling her where I lived and waited for her back inside of my house, because outside it was freezing. She said that she would pick me up in a couple of minutes, and so I decided not to take off my heels and coat when I got inside. Only thing that was left for me to do now was to stand there nervously, picking my nails, because I was thinking how I could embarrass myself further in front of her. I mean I don't know what can top throwing up in front of her, but knowing me, I can pull it off. Just as I was about to enter a full panic mode, I heard a car approaching my house.

Assuming that that was her, because nobody comes here, it's a remote location, I headed towards the door.

I opened my door and my heart immediately stopped, because there she was, standing in front of my door, with the biggest smile I have ever seen on anybody, that could literally cause me a heart attack. She really did look like an angel. The sun was directly behind her, falling on her hair, making it look like it was glowing, like she had come down from heaven just for me. And honestly, she could take me wherever she wanted. I would readily go.
I just stood there for a couple of minutes, waiting for my brain to start working properly again. I wondered if I would have this reaction every time I saw her. That would be embarrassing. But as I looked at her, it was like her eyes were telling me that she knew what kind of reaction she was causing in me. Also she had knowing smirk on her lips; she was very satisfied with this reaction.

"Hi Bella, you look very beautiful this morning." she said with a smile on her face, her words making me blush hard, I assume that my cheeks went from pale to red in approximately two seconds.

"Than-thank you Tanya, you look b-beautiful as well." I ended up saying; of course I couldn't say that without stuttering a few times, but who can blame me. "Thank you so much for coming, I do not know what happened with my car, and you're the only one who I could think of to ask for help. I didn't want to be late on my second day at work."

"It's no problem at all, really. Shall we?" She motioned with her hand towards her car.
"We shall." I say with a smile on my face. We walked besides one another and our hands occasionally touched, but every time it would happen, it went through my spine.
When we got to her car, she went to open my door like a true gentlewoman. She got to her side very quickly after that, and we started to head towards the school. By the way that she drove I could tell that she liked to go very fast, but it seemed as if she had been doing that for a long time. She seemed so sure in herself, that I did not worry about crashing or anything else. I felt safe with her.

"You know, I could ask my sister, Kate, to look at your car. She's a very talented mechanic and can easily fix whatever is wrong. And, in the meantime, I wouldn't mind being your driver. I can come pick you up every day before work and bring you home after. I would be very happy doing that, and that way I would be sure that you are safe." She said and her voice was very convincing, it was like she was already determined to do that, and she would fight me on that if I opposed.

"I will think about it, I don't want to bother you." I wanted to say 'yes' almost immediately, but I really did not want to bother her.

"Bella, I assure you that it's not a bother at all. It will be my pleasure." And she said that with most charming smile ever, and just like that my brain went all fuzzy. So I could say the only thing that came on my mind "OK, I accept your offer, and I am very grateful. Thank you."
I suddenly remembered that she had said that she was worried about my safety, so I decided to question her about it "You said you worry about my safety?" I asked in a teasing manner.
She was a little taken aback when she heard my comment, but she quickly put a smile on her face and said. "What can I say? You made a really good impression on me." she winked at the end of that sentence.

"Well, I can say the feeling is mutual." I could tell that she was elated with that, her face was lit up with a radiant smile, like she couldn't contain her happiness within.
"I'm very glad to hear that Bella, you do not know how much."

I went to say something, but I noticed that we had reached our destination. She drove really, really fast. I was a little sad that we were already at the end of our ride. But then I remembered that I will see her for sure at the end of the day. We quickly got out of the car; of course she went to open my door before I could do anything "She sure knows how to win someone's heart".
When we got to the main hallway where we would have to separate, she asked me "Do you have any plans for today?" with a hopeful voice.

"Well I was thinking of going shopping, I need to buy some warmer clothes but without my car, I don't think I will do that just yet."

"I can take you there and after that we can go grab some coffee. You owe me" she said with a wink, and very, very determined voice. And since I wanted to hang out with her, I knew that I would agree.

"Well if it isn't a problem to you, I would be happy to accept your offer and buy you a cup of coffee afterwards"

"Great, it's a date then." And just like that, she turned around and started to walk to her classroom. And I just stood there, with my irregular heartbeat and a fuzzy brain with only one word on my mind, on repeat.

"Date"

Chapter Text

The rest of my work day passed in a haze, I was constantly telling myself to focus on another thing to think about and not on what would happen after work. But that, of course, did not work, the only word on my mind was date and of course Tanya's smirk as she said that. A big part of me was delighted, over the moon, thinking that Tanya is feeling the same attraction towards me as I towards her. And then the other part of me was thinking that she must have meant that as a coffee date with a friend. But then again if I was reading the signs correctly, she is interested in me and I couldn't be more delighted because of that. Let's just hope that that is the case.

Right now I'm sitting in the teacher's lounge hoping that Tanya would have the same lunch break as me, and every time the door opened my heart started to beat a little bit faster only to end up disappointed when somebody else came in.

Last disappointment that came in was Mrs. Cole; she saw me sitting all by myself at the lunch table and decided that it was a good idea to keep me company. I don't want to be rude but she was not who I was expecting to come in, hopefully she didn't see that disappointment on my face.

"Bella, dear, if you don't mind me calling you that" she said "I was wondering how did your first couple of days go. There aren't a lot of newcomers here."

"Thank you for your worry, this turn out to be a better decision than I had hoped for when I came here. I very much enjoy working with students, and for now I don't have any problems in my class." I said to her, it is nice of her to worry.

"Oh I'm glad to hear that, I knew that you would do great here. And did you meet new people in town or make any friends?" She asked me. Now this is little bit weird of her to ask but I didn't think much of it, yet.

"Unfortunately I did not get much time to go to the city, but I will today, and as for the friends, I can say I became friends with Tanya." I said that with radiant smile on my face, I couldn't contain myself as, as soon as I thought of Tanya, a smile came to my face.

As soon as I said Tanya's name Mrs. Cole became surprised, and started looking at me like she was trying to solve a riddle.
"Tanya as in Tanya Denali," She asked me in astonishment. I just stood there for a second trying to figure out why she is so surprised but I nodded, confirming her assumption.
"Well, that is something I did not expect" she said and I immediately started to get annoyed. I did not like where this conversation was heading, I had a feeling that she will say something negative about Tanya. Just try to say something about Tanya! I couldn't believe that I had that thought; I was not an aggressive person. And I have hardly known Tanya for a couple of days. I need to chill. OK Bella, just breathe and don't do anything stupid.

"Why is that so surprising?" I asked in a defensive tone. My face immediately took on an angry look. I didn't want to say anything else, so I just waited for her to explain her reaction.

"Oh, dear, no, I didn't mean anything bad" she tried to redeem herself; she hadn't expect that I would react like that. "Well the thing is…" I could see that she was trying to think of an appropriate thing to say. "She isn't exactly the friendliest person out there. She has been working here for a couple of years and she didn't make any friendship with the staff here, on the contrary we know nothing about her or her family. And if you try to talk to her about private things she immediately gets all cold and untouchable. At the top of all things she is really scary; most of us try to stay out of her path." She let out a nervous laugh at the end.

I took a few moments to calm myself; I couldn't believe the things she said about Tanya. She is the sweetest person I have ever met and for some unknown reason the things that Mrs. Cole said really bothered me. I had a feeling that I needed to defend Tanya, and that feeling is growing by the seconds. The second thing that came to my mind was if Tanya was really like that with everyone else what made me so special that she would act so nice to me, but I told myself not to think about that right now, right now I needed to defend Tanya. I knew that I couldn't explode like I wanted to, this was the first week of my job and I couldn't fight with my new colleagues, so I needed to calm myself down and respond calmly to her.

"Well, I don't really know what you are talking about; she is the sweetest person that I have ever met. She's been nothing but kind to me, offering to help me settle in. Maybe she is a private person, one that doesn't like to mix her personal and professional life. I have heard that she is an excellent teacher and I can say only the best things about her." I end up saying, hoping Mrs. Cole will get the memo and stop talking bad about Tanya… because I know the next time I won't be polite.

"Oh, dear, I didn't mean to offend her." I could tell that she was embarrassed "I'm very glad that you made a friend in her… well I got to go to my class now. I will see you around, dear" She got up from our table and headed towards the door.

That went well. Now I was really confused, what was the deal with Tanya? Maybe I could ask her on our date today. Date. I was going to lose myself in my imagination again and I can't have that. I need to go to my classroom and be productive. I mean, try to be productive, when all I want to do is to think about Tanya.

What kind of person had I become, I used to made fun of people that became obsessed with their crushes. What did she do to me and why did it not bother me, like at all.
I walked to my classroom, starting to prepare for my next class, and as I was arranging my papers, I smiled. I was really enjoying doing my job, working with students in the field I enjoyed the most. This is what I'm meant to do, of course I had bigger ambitions; one day I would like to work as a university teacher. Hopefully one day this dream of mine will come true.

The rest of my day passed really quickly, and before I knew it the bell had rung for the end of my final period.

"Ok, people, hang on for a second," I quickly said to my students, they had already started to get up from their seats "As you pass by my desk, please, take one piece of paper, that is your homework for tomorrow. Please do it." They all groaned when they heard what I had said. I just smiled at that and said goodbye to them.
I went to pick up my things from the table and then headed towards the door, while looking at my phone. I was hoping for a text from Tanya. Unfortunately there was none, maybe I could call her, hoping that she did not forget about our deal.

Just as I was about to dial her number, I heard someone clear their throat, so I looked up and saw her, my angel. She was standing at the door, smiling at me, and with that smile I forgot all my worries from that day, and all I could do was smile back.

"I was just about to call you." I said to her.

"Well, what kind of gentlewomen would I be if I didn't pick up my lady for our date?" she finished with a wink and a smug look on her face, while I blushed at her statement. But I decided to make her sweat a little, not wanting her to see that she already had me. This is a scary feeling, I knew her only since a couple of days, and she had already won my affection.

"What made you think that you can score a date with me without even properly asking me on one?" I said with a serious face. I wanted to see how she will react to my statement; for a second I saw worry pass through her eyes, but before she could say anything we reached her car.

"Please, wait for a second." She said to me as she walked to the driver's door and picked up something from inside. She then turned to me and with a shy smile said, "You are right, I didn't do the right thing by you, and please forgive me for that. I don't want you to think that I would ever force you to do something you don't want to. I would like to make up for my mistake, so if you give me a second chance, I would like to officially ask you out; Isabella Swan would you do me the honors to go on a date with me, therefore making me the happiest woman on Earth." Then she handed me a bouquet of flowers that she had held behind her back, and it was so beautiful and yet so simple; red roses and yarrow. I was looking at the flowers for a second, what a strange combination, but beautiful.

Her statement made me all fuzzy inside. I could feel that she really meant every word of what she had just said. How on earth did I get so lucky to meet this woman? Her statement made me feel appreciated and cherished, she was a keeper. And while I thought about all that, she began to worry. She must have interpreted my silence as rejection. Her face looked like I had just killed her favorite puppy, right in front of her.

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, that wasn't my intention at all. Do not worry, you don't need to buy me a coffee, I will take you…" She began to mumble, honestly this reaction kind of surprised me, she seemed to be so confident, but also she showed me that she wouldn't pressurize me into anything.

"I would love to go on a date with you, Tanya" I decided to put her out of her misery. I got close to her and took the Flowers from her hand, while she smiled like she had won the lottery. Then I decided to do something bolder, I stepped a little bit closer to her, touching her cheek and kissed her. I let my lips stay there for a second, taking the moment in. Noticing of how her cheek was really cold, her skin was so smooth and she smelled so good, like fresh flowers. I could stay this close to her forever, but I decided not to be a creep and stepped back, reluctantly. This time I had a smirk on my face and she just stood there frozen.

I knew I had it in me. I decided to give her time to recover and headed to the passenger door and got in. She didn't leave me waiting for long though; she came in and said, "I will get you back, just so you know." I could tell that her playful side was coming out and I was very happy about it.

Before I knew it we were speeding down the road, and she told me that the mall wasn't far away from the school, so it wasn't a long trip. And it was the truth; we were entering the mall's parking within minutes.

"Do you want to do the shopping first, or do you wish to eat something before?" she asked me while turning off the engine.

"If it is okay with you, we can go eat something first." I told her. She got out of the car and magically appeared at my door, opening it for me.

"As you wish, my Lady," she said and held out her hand so I could take it while getting out.

I put my hand in hers; I could feel the tingles going through my arm. She did not let go of my hand, continuing to hold it and eventually intertwined our fingers. That did not bother me at all; all it did was to make me happy. She looked peaceful and happy with that shy smile on her lips.

We walked in comfortable silence until we got to the restaurant, which was inside the mall. When we got to the free table, she let go of my hand and put it on my back, guiding me to the chair, which she pulled out so I could sit.

The waiter came immediately after to take our order and as soon as he left, Tanya asked me "So Bella how was your day?" Her face showed such honest curiosity, I was taken aback.

"Well, I can't complain about my students, it is really fun working with them. There are a few jokesters in each class, but I know how to deal with them. We joke around but when it is time to work, they respect that. But honestly, something happened today that made me curious. I was wondering if you would like to explain something to me." I asked her. I wanted to know why was Mrs. Cole was so surprised when I told her that Tanya was a friend of mine.

"Feel free to ask me anything," she said with a smile, but I could see a glint of worry in her eyes, which disappeared very quickly.

"Well today during my lunch hour Mrs. Cole came in and joined me, she wanted to know how I settled in and if I had made some friends here. I told her I didn't have time to go to the town yet, but I have made friends with you. This is where things get weird for me; she was really surprised by my statement." Tanya just started to laugh at that. "When I asked her why was that so surprising, she told me that you are usually a lone Wolf, you and your family. I'm sorry if I seem a little bit intrusive, but it really piqued my interest, because from my point of view you are really one of the sweetest persons I have ever met." I was blushing by the end of my statement. I didn't really want to say all that, but then again what the hell.

She had a beaming smile on her face because of my last sentence "You really think so?" she asked me, her happiness was contagious so all that left me was to nod shyly and smile.
"Well Bella that makes me happier than you will ever know, and just so you know, you are the most beautiful person that I have ever met in my life." I could hear in her voice that she really meant it, which made me blush more profoundly and made my heart beat faster. We were moving fast here and I didn't mind it at all.

"I could say the same thing about you, you are like an angel" I said before thinking, but I don't regret it.

"Thank you Bella, but to answer your original curiosity, it is true. I and my family don't usually mix well with the others due to some personal things, so we try to keep apart from everyone else. I usually keep my professional face on in the school; So Mrs. Cole had her reasons to be surprised by the fact that we are friends…"

I didn't let her finish before I asked her "Why is so the case, why am I different?"

"Well… I can't give you a complete answer to that yet, I hope that that doesn't bother you too much, but I want to be honest with you. What I can tell you is that you are someone special to me. I knew that from the moment I saw you. I want to be close to you, as close as you let me. My intention from the beginning was to court you. I hope that that does not bother you." I could tell that she was worried about my reaction. But I wanted to take a little time to think about what she had said.

I did not expect this kind of an honest answer from her, though I felt pretty good to hear her say that. I wanted her and she wanted me back, can't say that I'm upset about that. I'm someone special to her; I could tell that she was being honest. I wanted to know the whole truth, but decided to be patient, she will tell me eventually, but for now I trust her completely.

Right now I needed to say something to her because I could see that she had started to worry, and just as I was about to say something, the waiter came with our food, making me wait for him to leave.

"Well, I can say that I'm flattered with what you say, flattered and little bit scared…"

"What do you mean scared?" she asked in a full worry mode, interrupting me before I could finish.

"You didn't let me finish, I'm scared by what I feel about you. I mean I have known you for just a couple of days, and my heart is telling me stuff that I cannot process yet. It all seems too early, too quick to me, but then again I cannot be really bothered by that, and that is what scares me. My whole being is telling me that I can trust you, It's like you have me under the spell." I finished my rambling.

"Oh, I understand, but I can tell you that I will not ever hurt you intentionally. And we can go as slow as you would like. I will never pressurize you, I promise you that." She said while looking me into the eyes, and I believed her completely.

"I would really like that, thank you for understanding." I smiled at her and took her hand in mine. She gave me a smile that compared to the blazing sun, and I couldn't help but smile back. "And even if I really want to know the whole truth, I trust you, I trust you to tell me eventually"

"Thank you Bella, it means the world to me." she took my hand in hers and gave me the most delicate kiss on my hand. It was like she was afraid I would disappear. "Now, let's eat, can't have my lady hungry." she said with chuckle.

We ate in comfortable silence; well I ate while Tanya played with her food. Maybe she wasn't as hungry.

"I've been meaning to ask you, how is your stomach, did you have any other incident?" she asked me worried.

"Well, I'm not completely recovered, but it is probably fine, if it does not stop bothering me I will go to the doctor." I reassured her. I had completely forgotten about that, I do not know why it had last this long.

"I wanted to ask you about your family?" I asked her, I was really curious to know. "I already know that you have sister named Kate, do you have any other family members?"

"I have another sister named Irina, but I'm much closer to Kate, for some unknown reason her and I always liked each other's company more. We live with our cousins Carmen and Eleazar, they are a little older than us, but we get along great. We are a tight bunch and we like our peace so we usually avoid crowds and keep to ourselves." she told me. "I hope that you are willing to meet them soon, they are eager to meet you."

"You have been talking about me?" I asked in a teasing manner.

"I… well… you see…"

I started to laugh, I had made her stutter. She was just so cute.

"I'm teasing you, don't worry. I also talk about you." I told her with a smirk on my lips.

"What do you say about me?" she asked me with real curiosity in her voice.

"Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out. And I would really like to meet your family."

She smiled at that, I could tell that she was happy about that. "I will find out, I promise you that."
I just laughed at that.

I really enjoyed talking to her, it was so easy. There wasn't any awkwardness between us. I could see myself with her, she made me happy.

We talked for some more time, and then decided to go to the stores, I don't really like shopping but Tanya made this an enjoyable experience. We would tease each other, made each other laugh and she always found an opportunity to take my hand in hers, intertwining our fingers. Every time she did that, peace and happiness washed over me.
After a couple of hours we were done and on our way to my house. She was still holding my hand, not willing to let go, and after all the time that we had held hands I realized that her hands did not warm up, not even a little bit. It did not bother me, but I was worried about her blood circulation.

"Bella, I forgot to tell you, Kate will come by tomorrow and take a look at your car." she told me.

"Oh, that's great, I wouldn't need to bother you anymore," as soon as I said that she turned her head towards me, and seriously spoke, "Bella, if I had my way I would drive you everywhere." Honestly I did not like possessive people in relationships but this did not bother me, it made me feel good inside, knowing that she wants to take care of me. But then again I was an independent person and I plan to stay like that. And something tells me that she will respect that without any question.

Not long after that we were in front of my house, she again made sure to open the door for me then walked me to my front door.
"I really enjoyed our date, Tanya. We should do it again soon." I told her with a shy smile.

"I'm glad that you enjoyed yourself, I had the perfect time with you."

She took a step closer, putting a lock of my hair behind my ear, and then cupped my cheek, looking me into the eyes. She then leaned in and put her soft lips on mine.
To say that I had entered heaven wouldn't be an exaggeration; her lips were so soft, yet so firm. I was on a cloud nine. As soon as she kissed me, I could hear fireworks in my head, lightning bolt going through my body and heat started to form in my lower belly. I tried to deepen our kiss, but as soon as I tried she pulled away with the biggest half smirk half smile that one could muster.

"I told you I would get back at you," she laughed and started to head towards her car. "I will pick you up tomorrow morning, my lady," she said, entering her car and driving away, all while I was standing there frozen.

I could still feel her lips on mine. How do I get out of this state when she had fried my brain? After a couple of minutes, I entered my house, still a little disoriented. I managed to put away all the things I had bought, putting them in the washing machine, and then decided to make myself some diner.

While I was making a salad I decide to text Tanya, "You don't know what you have started", she replied within the seconds "Bring it on!" I just laughed, she was crazy.

My eyes fell on the flowers that she had given me. I knew what roses meant in the language of flowers, but I did not know what meaning Yarrow had. And it was such a strange combination that she must have bought it because of the meaning it held.

I quickly goggled the meaning of Yarrow, and there it was – EVERLASTING LOVE.

Chapter Text

I woke up feeling excited, I couldn't wait to see Tanya again. But first I needed to come up with plan to get her for yesterday's kiss. Deciding to think about it while getting ready in the bathroom; I wanted to ask her out this time, but I didn't really know of where I wanted to take her. Somehow, I knew that anything would be fine, but I wanted to make it perfect for her. She deserves that. Deciding to find out more about her interests today and then making my mind on our date destination, I smiled.

I just then remembered that I needed to call Leah to find out of what did she decide to do and when can I expect her here. Now that I think about it, I didn't tell Tanya about Leah and that she will move in with me. I felt happy just thinking about heaving two of my favorite persons with me; my best friend and hopefully, my girlfriend.

I was having my inner dance party when I saw something that immediately stopped the music, on my cabinet was a box of tampons. I had forgotten that my period is late, not by much but still late and that is something that rarely happens to me. Maybe from all the stress of moving and everything, yes that must be it. I will wait and see I will surely get my period soon; I don't need to be alarmed. Yet.

While I was putting my make-up on, my mind was still going on about my period, but I didn't have time to worry about that. All that will upset my stomach more, and I don't want to feel sick anymore.

After shower I dressed myself and put on a light make-up, then went to make myself a nice breakfast. I didn't feel nauseated which made me really happy, so I went for eggs with bacon. Something that I loved, I could eat it every day, which probably is not so great for me.

Pulling my phone out I selected Leah and dialled the number to call her. I waited a long time for her to pick up, futilely. I decided to try again, but still nothing. Maybe she forgot her phone and already went out, I will try to get her when I return home. Something of this sort was unusual for her, but it could happen.

Not long after I heard a car pulling in on my driveway, must be Tanya, I deduced, and so I went ahead to put my shoes and coat on. When I opened my door, she was already standing in front of me, smiling, blinging me with her teeth like a Sun. "My lady," she said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. It would be a lie to say that I didn't want her to change the ultimate destination of her kiss, but I didn't complain. A kiss on my cheek still counts and it was a great way to start my day, either way.

"Good morning, Tanya," I said and took her hand into mine. I wanted to be clear that I hadn't change my mind, I still wanted to get to know her better. To be honest, I wanted to be with her but didn't want to seem like a crazy lady, I can take this slow. I think.

"Before we head to work, would you mind if my sister comes by to look at your car, she told me she was free today?" she asked me. "That would be great, I hope it won't bother her much, but she would save me time and money, and I would be very grateful for that." I responded hesitantly.

"Great, she will come by when we will be at school and hopefully finish by the time we come back, so you can meet her." she had a honest smile on her face, I knew that Kate was very close to her, so us to meeting was important to Tanya.

"I would be very happy to meet her, also I need to think of something to express my gratitude for fixing my car." I said to her, but as soon as I realized that I would be meeting her sister, I started to get nervous; what if she doesn't like me. First impressions are very important, she is Tanya's family, after all.

Tanya saw that something was bothering me, she sensed the change in my mood, not that it took much to, so she took my face in her hands, as gently as one could, making me look into her eyes. "You don't need to worry…" she started to say, but I interrupted her. "How did you notice?" How could she tell with so much surety of what was bothering me?

She smirked, leaned in and captured my lips with hers. Like yesterday, I noticed that her lips were cold, but did not mind one second. She probably meant to simply peck my lips, but I had other plans. As soon as I felt her lips on mine, I started to move to meet her lips. And it didn't take a long time for our kiss to become heated. She moved her hand to the back of my neck, taking a handful of my hair in her fist, and slightly pulled back. I couldn't stop the moan that escaped my mouth, nor the wetness that started to gather in my nether regions. She took that as an invitation and slipped her tongue into my mouth, starting to explore. Even if she showed me that she was in control of the kiss, I couldn't help myself, I never backed down from the challenge. My hands started to travel south on her back, while one hand stayed on her waist, other started to move towards her ass. And let me tell you, it was the best ass that I have ever felt in my life. I grabbed it and squeezed it tight, it was so firm yet so soft. When I squeezed her ass, it was her time to moan back, and when I heard that heavenly sound, I couldn't let it go and started to get into it more. But suddenly, Tanya broke off our kiss, her hand still resting in my hair. We were breathing heavily, trying to catch our breath. We were looking each other in the eyes, when I noticed that her eyes were completely black, and I mean completely pitch-black dark.

She noticed the curiosity in my eyes, so she let me go and took one step back. She looked at floor, trying to calm herself as she took a couple of big breath, but ended up laughing as she did that. I faintly heard her say. "Not helping…" as if she was telling an internal joke.

While she was doing that, I was calming myself, although not very successfully, I must clarify. I don't remember when the last time was when someone made me so hot and horny, I honestly considered going back to the house and changing my innerwear- it desperately needed the change, trust me.

"What are you doing to me, Tanya?" I asked her. She must be same sort of a witch to garner such a reaction from me. "What kind of a spell do you have me under?" she looked at me with a serious expression on her face when I said that, and I noticed that her eyes had returned to their normal color, I mean normal for her. I don't think that gold eyes were normal from any angle.

"The same one that you have me under, Bella, the best kind of one. I don't think you realize of what you are doing to me." she looked vulnerable while saying that. And everything in me wanted to protect her, shield her while in this state. Even though no one was around, I did just that, I reached for her and pulled her in for a hug. I held her for a while and then said, "Well at least we are in this together, whatever this spell might be," kissing her lips very softly, as if I could break her with the mere strength that I held.

She let out a very relaxed hum; I could feel her completely relaxing in my arms, so we stayed like that for a few long minutes. Then she pulled back and said, "As much as I want to stay here, we need to head to work or we will be late." Damn it, I had forgotten about school.

"You are right," I said with a pout on my face, which put a smile on hers. "Come on," she took my hand and pulled me toward her car. As soon I entered her car, she turned up the heat and I appreciated that. She turned down the volume on the radio, till it was nothing more than a soft sound in the background.

"Just so you know, you don't need to worry, I'm sure that Kate will love you," her convincing voice left me with little room for doubt.

"I know, but I'm still a little nervous, as is expected to be. I know that you are close to her and I want her to have a good opinion of me. I mean what if she doesn't like me. I don't want to be a problem to your relationship." I honestly don't know of why Kate's opinion mattered so much to me, usually I was very secure in myself, I know that I am awesome, you know? Part of the problem though, was what I said to Tanya; I don't want to be a problem for her if Kate didn't like me. I didn't want to push her towards the unfavorable situation of having to choose between the two of us.

"I repeat, don't worry, I've been telling Kate all about you from the first day itself, and she already has a great opinion of you. I know that everything will be great." She took my hand and kissed it, reassuringly.

"Thank you, you read me so well, we have known each other only for a few days, it's scary." she just smiled at that and whispered, "It's my secret power." and laughed. But you see, I knew there was something else, because I could read her as well. There was something else, and something told me not to push it, she will tell me on her own.

I decided not to comment anything else, so we spent the rest of the ride in silence, holding hands the entire time and enjoying music that came softly from the speakers.

As we pulled up at the school parking lot, she hurried, and went to open my doors for me. "You will spoil me if you keep doing this," I smirked to which she returned, winking seductively. "That is my goal." and kissed my hand which had me blushing.

We walked towards the school, with our shoulders touching, I wanted to grab her hand, but I stopped myself, we were not official yet, and I knew that she was a very private person. I didn't know if she wanted people from school to know anything, for that matter. But as I was thinking about that, she grabbed my hand in hers, interlinking our fingers. I looked at her in question, her reassuring smile being my answer, she did not wish to hide it. I was beaming at that, I wasn't someone that would make out or do anything inappropriate in public; my private business was a matter of priority, but I also didn't want to hide.

There were wondering eyes around, but nothing more than that, thankfully. I think they were surprised to see Tanya with someone. We didn't pay attention to them. She accompanied me to my classroom. "Will you join me at lunch, my lady?" she asked me, to which I replied, "Of course, it would be my pleasure."

She gave me a smile then turned and headed towards her classroom. I entered my class with a dreamy smile on my lips. Who would have thought that moving to Denali would turn out this way? I prepared for my first class, focusing on my work, even if thoughts about Tanya slipped to my mind occasionally.

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Time flew by, and before I even knew it, it was time for lunch. I dismissed my class, went to gather my things and like yesterday, Tanya was already waiting for me at my door. She smiled, took my handbag in one and my hand in the other hand. "Would you be willing to go to a restaurant with me? We could always have lunch here, but I wanted to suggest a more private place?"

"That is a great idea, lead the way," I smiled at her thoughtful idea. I didn't want to deal with the prying eyes from our colleagues, there would be time for that, but today wasn't one of those days. As we were walking to Tanya's car, there were more prying eyes as more students passed us by. I could almost hear the gossip starting to spread, but that was inevitable, unfortunately.

We got to the car and Tanya went to open my door, as we headed towards the restaurant. Journey wasn't long, it took us hardly a couple of minutes. It was a simple Italian place, simply yet almost cozy. "If you would like to go somewhere else, I'm happy to take you," she hesitated. "But this was the closest place and I didn't want to lose time at the journey. "

"Don't worry," I smiled back. "I like Italian food." As I started to get out of the car, she was already opening my door for me. How the hell was she so fast? "How did you get here so fast?" I asked her.

"It's one of my gifts," she said with a smirk. "I can't wait to find them all." I grinned wide, leaning in and kissing her, taking her bottom lip with my teeth as I was pulling back, before heading towards restaurant with a smile on my lips. She quickly caught me. "I told you I will get you somehow." I told her, a laugh on my lips.

"Well played, my lady, well played. But I have to warn you," she leaned in, put her lips near my ear, which was my weak spot and whispered, "I play dirty," and then she moved back and went to open the door for me.

She led me to the farthest and most private table, helping me take of my coat, pulling my chair out and helping me sit. "Thank you," I said to her. This thing made me fall for her even more.

We didn't wait long before the waiter came. After we ordered, Tanya took my hand in hers. "I hope that it doesn't bother you when I hold your hand, but I can't stop myself when it comes to you. I have this need to have a physical contact with you whenever I can." I could tell that she was in slight doubt, fearing that I would tell her that I do mind.

I slowly kissed her hand. "I don't mind in the slightest… your touch keeps reassuring me that this is real, and that you feel the same as me." I told her honestly. Her eyes warmed up when she heard me, her lips gave me shy smile.

"I was hoping to hear more about you, your family, how did you end up here in Alaska, I want to hear everything that you are willing to tell." she told me.

"Well, my life is not that very interesting, but I will tell you." While I was telling her that, the waiter came by with our drinks. "Thank you," I said to him.

"I was born in Forks, small town in Washington state, my parents Renee and Charlie divorced when I was 4 years old. Renee took me with her to Phoenix, Arizona." She asked me "Did you want to stay in Forks?"

"Well, I loved Forks, every time that I visited, I had a splendid time, my friends were there, my dad was there, but I needed and wanted to stay with my mother. Charlie had a great community behind him, but she would be all alone. So, I decided to stay with her, she surprised me when she met her new husband Phil. When he entered our lives, I decided that it was time for me to move in with Charlie, it was around the time I started high school." I finished.

"You are close to him?" she asked me, but I could sense that her question meant something more than mere curiosity.

"Yes, he is great, I mean I do not tell him all of my secrets and that stuff, nor does he ask much, he is very silent guy, but he gets me and supports me no matter what. I know I can count on him." I answered, truly believing every word that I had just spoken.

"And your mom?" I laughed, how was I supposed to answer that? "My mom…. Hmm, my mom is a very old child, most of the time it was me who took care of her; she never grew up. She was always acting more like my sister, not my mother." Now that I was talking about her, I realized that I never made peace with that. It still bothered me, I love her, but she wasn't mother I needed. Tanya saw the change in me, so she got up, kneeling beside me, hugging me. Offering me her support. "I didn't mean to sadden you," she told me, and I could see that she was biting herself up for this. I took her chin and gave her a gentle kiss "Do not worry, I haven't talked about her in a very long time, I didn't realize how much this still bothers me. This is something I still need to work through."

"If you ever want to talk about her, I will always listen." she gave me a small kiss and went back to her chair. She returned to her seat just in time for our food to arrive, the waiter placing out our order in front of us.

I immediately dug in, I forgot how hungry I was, but I continued to tell her my story. "As I was saying, I have lived with Charlie since high school. I loved it there, my friend group was pretty large, we had some pretty wild times together. Then I decided to collage in the town nearby. That was even crazier time than high school. I must admit, Leah and I were crazy party animals," all the memories and all the blank out nights that Leah and I had made me smile.

I didn't pay attention to Tanya as I was saying that; I was looking at my food. If I did pay attention, I would see her face changing.

"Who is Leah?" she asked me, and I immediately looked up. I could see that she was trying to appear not so interested, but I could see through the façade. I just started laughing, which she didn't take too well from the frown on her face.

"I'm sorry for laughing," I told her, when I finally stopped laughing. "Don't be jealous," which she immediately started to deny, but I stopped her. "Do not worry, Leah is my best friend, sister from another mister, my sidekick and soon my stepsister," as I was saying that I could see her relax and the frown that she had on her face, disappearing.

"For the record, I was not jealous." like I believed her for even one second. "I just don't like to picture you with anybody else, I'm quite possessive, you know." I don't mind healthy dose of possessiveness. I also didn't want to picture Tanya with anybody else. "You don't have to worry; I'm only interested in you." I said to her.

"Bella, I wanted to ask you something and I know that this is early, but it feels right." She took my hand in hers. "I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend. Would you do me the honor and become my girlfriend? I promise that I would treat you right, I will always take care of you." She was so sure in herself, I believed her every word, because it felt right, because I felt the same about her. I guess the myth about lesbians is true.

"It would be my honor," I said to her, and it was like I told her that she had won the lottery, her happiness was radiant. I couldn't help myself when I got up and went to grab her so I could kiss her. She didn't resist, not even a little bit. We didn't stop until we heard someone clearing their throat behind us. It was the waiter. We pulled apart and apologized, there weren't that many people in the restaurant but still.

He wanted to ask if we would like something else, but we declined. It was time to head back to school. I was on a cloud nine, this angel was my girlfriend, she was mine.

When we entered the car she said, "I want to know more about Leah, I can tell she is important to you." and It made me so happy to know that she was interested in knowing more about the people important to me.

"I will tell you more, in fact she might come to live with me. I hope that she comes." I said to her.

"How come?" she asked.

"I will tell you another time, it is a very sad story and I need little more time for that." she gave me a reassuring smile.

We got to the school, she accompanied me to my classroom and said, "I will see you after your classes," with a smile on her lips. "You got it, babe," I told her, now that she is my girlfriend, I get to call her that.

"Babe? Hmm, I like it." she left me with that. I smiled and didn't stop for the rest of the day. I was in such a good mood that nothing could change it.

After I finished, Tanya was waiting for me at my door, so we headed home. In the car she asked me, "Would you like to come tomorrow to my place to meet my family? I mean after work. We could have dinner at my place?"

"That sounds great," I said with a smile. We started to chat about our day, and before I knew it, we arrived at my place.

"Kate is here," Tanya told me, and with that my heart started to speed up. Like she heard it, "Do not worry," she told me. She opened my door, took my hand and led me to my car, which had popped up hood, and someone leaning in.

"Kate!" Tanya shouted. "Come here, meet Bella," soon the hood was closed, and I froze at my place.

As soon as I saw the women behind my car, no not women, the goddess, my heart did the same thing it did when meeting Tanya. It stopped for a second, and then skipped a few beats. This woman was a literal goddess. I simply stood there and stared, for God knows how long. The Goddess before me had the same eyes as Tanya's, only more yellow in them, I could watch them for eternity, and they were watching me, with such a strong intensity, so much passion. I was in this state for some time, until I heard some animalistic sound coming left from me, right where Tanya stood.

Tanya! I forgot that she was there. I looked at her, and her face was pure rage, and it was directed at Kate. It was like she wanted to punch her or something, and I didn't know why. Again, I looked at the goddess, but she was not looking at me, she was looking at Tanya in the eyes with the same rage, as her. And as soon as I saw that- my heart was breaking, something in me was telling me that this couldn't be more wrong. I needed to make it stop. Why, I didn't know but it needed to stop.

I squeezed Tanya's hand, hopping to turn her attention to me. And It worked, she looked at me, and her eyes immediately softened, but they did not lose all the rage in them, even if I somehow knew that that rage wasn't directed at me. Tanya then placed her hand at my hip and pulled me in, not that I minded, but why would she do that now?

I just turned to look at Kate who had a murderous look in her eyes and it was directed at Tanya or the place that Tanya was touching me.

What the hell is happening here!? I looked at Kate again, our eyes meeting once more, my heart skipped again, and I could feel a pull towards her, like a tugging in my heart, but now in two directions simultaneously. Which is impossible. I quickly removed that thought from my mind. But her whole mood shifted when she looked at me. Her eyes don't look murderous now, they are shining with want and happiness, and a smile lit up her face, flashing her white teeth. She could be on a commercial for toothpaste.

It took me a while to sort my thoughts, but then I remember, she is Tanya's sister, I need to introduce myself to her. And then find out what was this is all about.

I tried to step towards her, but Tanya was firmly holding me at my place, what was going on with her? I shot her a stern look, and she reluctantly let me move, but she moved with me. Deciding to let go of that for a moment, I shook my head, and turned and smiled at Kate, I outstretched my hand to meet hers, noticing that Tanya had stiffened at the action.

The moment that we touched I felt an electric wave in my whole body, her hand was so soft, but cold like Tanya's, must be in the family. "It's nice to meet you K-Kate, I'm Bella," I ended up saying, hoping that I didn't embarrass myself in front of her.

"The pleasure is all mine, Bella," she said my name differently, it had a different accent than I was used to. "I've been waiting to meet you for so long," it was strange to hear that, I had known her sister for hardly a few days.

"I wanted to thank you for checking my car, I hope it wasn't a big trouble for you." I said to her, grateful for her effort.

"You are welcome, Bella, but I will need to think of something so you can repay me." She told me, with a smirk on her lips and a playful glint in her eyes. I didn't know what to think about her statement, I could always give her money for her work, but I don't think she was talking about money here.

"I will be happy to repay you for your work, you saved me, and you saved your sister, she doesn't need to drive me around anymore." I turn towards Tanya who had a serious look on her face and was still looking at her sister. I couldn't read her at the moment. She felt that I was looking at her, so she turned to me, gave me a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. My heart was breaking from seeing her like that, so I decided to kiss her, very softly to reassure her, but I didn't know what I was reassuring her about.

"Bella, Kate and I need to head back home, something came up, I will see you tomorrow and we will have diner at my place, ok?" she said in hurry, leaned in for the hug and held me more time than normal. Then she looked at Kate and said in a firm, commanding tone that didn't leave room for anything else. "Come on, follow me, we are heading home." She waited until Kate passed us, almost like shielding me from her. Kate was looking at me the whole time she was walking, like a predator, a look I have seen on Tanya's face before.

"Can't wait to see you again, Bella," Kate said as she entered her car, with a smirk on her lips. Tanya was heading towards her own car, and before she entered, she said, "See you tomorrow, my lady,"

I was so stunned at what had just happened that I barely managed to whisper, "See you, babe," as they were driving away.

WHAT THE HELL HAD JUST HAPPENED!!? Was the only thought in my head at the moment.

Chapter Text

Universe must be joking, so I laughed, I laughed from all of this rage I was currently feeling. I could hear the steering wheel breaking under my hands while I was trying to reach my home. It was pure luck that nobody was on the road at this hour because somebody would potentially lose their life, but I couldn't be bothered. All I could see before me was red, I could feel venom gathering in my mouth, I was ready to kill someone. Someone, who I considered my companion for over a thousand years, but she threatened the bond between my mate and me. The very mate that I had waited for so long to find. I had given up all the hope of ever finding her. But she had come to me, she had found me, becoming the centre of my universe, and I wasn't ready to lose her. She was the one thing I wasn't ready to give up, my sole reason to live.

I could see Kate behind me, driving as fast as me. She should feel lucky to still be in one piece, I should have dismantled her the moment she dared to claim my mate. If it weren't for my Bella and my thousand years of control, she would be in pieces at the moment.

She will be in pieces.

My beast didn't give me a chance to think of her as my sister, my companion, she was the enemy that wanted to take my mate.

It didn't take me long to reach my home, nor did it surprise me to see my family outside, on the front porch. They must have heard me and Kate driving well over the speed limit; while we did drive fast, never did we rush in this manner. They had worry written over their faces, but I paid them no mind, all I could think about was sinking my teeth into Kate.

I quickly stepped out of the car, Irina's murmur of my name reaching my ears, but I gave her a warning growl that stopped her in the tracks. My word was the law and they knew that there was no questioning my power. I was the coven leader for a damn reason. I didn't use the authority often, but when I did, they obeyed without question. Now they knew that they shouldn't involve themselves.

It didn't take Kate long to reach our home, she turned off the engine and stepped out of her car. For a few seconds we just looked each other. But it didn't take me long to snap, she tried to do something that was unforgiving in our world. To try to claim another's mate was a hard crime, and she will pay for that.

I sprinted towards her, with my beast roaring, signalling a battle cry. She didn't have the time to prepare herself, I was very fast, and she could only watch as my fist came crashing into her face, you could hear her face cracking under my fist. She flew to her car, completely destroying it, but my beast was already in front of her, taking her by the neck, showing her that we are more powerful than her.

I griped her neck, feeling her skin breaking under my fingers when she came to herself, she quickly put her hand on my fist and let her power do her thing. She let the most powerful blast of electricity that I had ever felt in my life, and all I could do was fall on my knees, letting go of her neck. That was all the time that she needed to recover. She kicked me in the chest and when I fell to the ground, she straddled me and started to kick my face into the ground.

When she started to lose her power, I managed to smash her head with mine, startling her and giving myself time to get on my feet.

We started circling one another, waiting for the other to make the first move.

"How could you?" I shouted while growling the whole time. I wanted to hear her reasoning, how could she betray me like this, to try to make claim on Bella knowing that she is mine.

"She is mine!" she responded in the same manner, at which my beast responded with most powerful roar that I have ever let out.

"How dare you claim something like that, she is mine?" I prepared to jump her. I already started to run towards her, she didn't even try to redeem herself, not that I would forgive her.

All it took me was a couple of centimetres to reconnect with her face and this time she would lose the half of it, but suddenly someone crashed into me and threw me into the tree. I didn't even have the time to recover, Irina and Carmen were on me, trying to hold me in place, while lifting me on my feet, I could see Eleazar standing beside Kate, holding her in place. Knowing that she could easily shock him, but she didn't do that, she looked like she was calming herself down.

"You dare to disobey me; I gave you an order?" I asked my coven mates. "This will not be forgiven, and there will be consequences." They looked down in shame, in our world, disobeying the direct order of your coven leader was not something you took lightly.

"We didn't do this easily, Tanya, but you would have killed each other if we hadn't stopped you soon!" Irina was desperately trying to explain the reason for their betrayal. "What the hell happened for you to behave in this way, we are sisters." she asked.

"If she were my sister, she wouldn't try to claim my mate!" I spat in their faces, watching as their emotions changed, now they understood my reaction. They all looked at Kate with disappointment in their eyes, they knew the punishment for that crime.

Kate saw that she was being looked down upon, so she shouted at me. "Tanya, she is my mate, how dare you think that I would claim her without her being my mate." She was looking at me in the eyes, and I could see her begging for me to listen.

"That is impossible, she is my mate." I cried out, trying to free myself, but I could feel my beast slowly retreating inside me, accepting something I wasn't yet ready to hear. As my beast retreated, Irina and Carmen were able to hold me in place.
"I felt the pull, Tanya, she is the reason I am on this planet. I would give everything up for her." She was trying to reason with me, but I didn't want to hear her. Yet, here she was telling everything I was feeling for Bella.

"There is the case of multiple mates, think of the Queens." Eleazar quietly said, not looking into my eyes; he didn't want to provoke me or challenge my beast. He knew that they could still be punished for interfering when I said not to.
"They are all mates, they do not simply share the mate between them and they are the only example in the history of our kind, do not try to make me a fool!" I shouted at him, growling, daring him to challenge me again.

"Sister, have I ever given you a reason to doubt me? Have I ever done something against you? I am not questioning that she is your mate, but she is also mine." Kate was talking to me, she was looking at me directly in the eyes, only she could be this stupid to do that at the moment.

But her eyes did something to me in that moment, no one could make me reconsider my decisions. Only she could. My most trusted companion. The person who was closest to me for over a thousand years. And she knew exactly what she was doing to me, so she didn't stop.

"Tanya, think!" she begged me. "Think, she must be the reason why we are this close, she was the reason we trusted each other so much, why we never left each other. She is the reason." With every word spoken by her, I was breaking, I started to shake. "I can't lose her." I said to her, she was forcing me to recognize my biggest fear; losing my mate.

She started to walk towards me, carefully, as if checking if I would attack her again. But my beast didn't see her as a threat anymore, she was my trusted companion again, so she continued until she stood in front of me. She looked at Irina and Carmen, making them release me and moving away from us.

Then she slowly caressed my cheek, not breaking the eyes contact, "You are not going to lose her, I am not trying to take her from you, Tanya." she stopped, as if she was preparing for my reaction before she said "She is ours."

"How is that possible? What will we do?" she could hear the fear in my voice and after so many years together, she knew that I was losing myself, going spiral in my own thoughts.

"Don't think too much." Kate stated, but how could I not? "What if she doesn't accept us? I mean, she already told me that she felt the pull to me, but now there are two of us. Sharing a partner is not something people often do; we don't do that at all! In our whole history our Queens are the only example." She tried to say something, but I didn't give her a chance, I started to walk around, needing to have space while I was thinking of the possibility that my mate won't accept us.

I looked at Kate, trying to decide if I even wanted to ask her, knowing that her answer is going to change a lot of things. "Does it really not bother you while you imagine me and Bella, knowing that I am already in a relationship with her or the fact that we could be sharing her for the rest of our lives? That I will be intimate with her? You are ready to live with that, because that is what I think you are trying to suggest here? Isn't it? That we share a mate?"

She was quiet for a while. "I have already accepted that, Tanya, the moment my eyes met with hers. It didn't bother me even for a second, I know she loves you already and you love her. What else could I ask? I know that she will be protected by us, that we will not let anything happen to her. Also, her happiness depends on you. My beast can't look at you as the enemy or competitor when you are the reason my mate is happy. I love you even more because of that. For you it was different, you met her first, you are already in the relationship as you say, I would have reacted in the same way your beast did. I will not say that I was not jealous at first, I want to have the same closeness that you have with her." she was looking tired, exhausted as she was saying that. But she was honest, now it was my turn to show the same kindness.

I was trying to picture them together; I knew that if I have even a slight problem with picturing them together, I will not be able to see them together in the real world. As I was thinking of them, everything that Kate said I felt, I could see Bella happy because of her. I knew that Kate would die for her and that without her Bella won't be complete. But I also thought of Kate, she deserved to be happy, same as me.

My beast was agreeing with me so I knew that from this moment, I wouldn't have problem with them being together. Kate could see it of what I had decided, she was smiling from the moment she realized my decision.
"She can still decide not to even like you." The smirk was now forming on my lips, I would not pass such a good opportunity to mess with her.

"Please, have you met me? I will charm her off her feet, I'm sure of that." she responded playfully, relaxing completely. "Oh, Tanya, you owe me a new car, I was rather fond of it." I laughed at that, of course she would think about her car- her passion.

"Would you be willing to hunt with me? I feel rather exhausted now. It would also give us the opportunity to talk about Bella and how will we introduce you to her life. She will want to know what was this all about." I asked Kate and she nodded, excited to hear more about Bella.

Then, I turned to Irina, Carmen and Eleazar, not forgetting their actions. They expected consequences after disobeying me, a punishable action in our world. They were looking at us the whole time, but now that my attention was on them, they seemed content to look everywhere but me.

"You knew, no matter what circumstance, that you should not disobey me. Although I didn't say anything, I gave you an order. An order that you decided to break." They remained silent, waiting to hear what their punishment will be.

"There will be no punishment." they quickly looked up, not expecting to hear that. "You were right to stop me, you helped me stop and think about what I was doing and for that I want to thank you. I can't imagine what would happen if I didn't stop…" Kate decided to interrupt me. "As if you could do me a serious damage." she chuckled. I gave her a look that said do not test me, so she remained quiet.

"As I was saying, thank you. But do not think that there will be no severe consequences had this behavior be repeated. I will not forgive and forget so easily as I am doing right now. You know our law." I finished my speech.

"Thank you, it won't be repeated." they said, I could see that they meant it. I nodded and they fully relaxed, knowing that all was well.

"We will return in a few hours." and with that Kate and I disappeared in the forest, and on our mind was only one person, Bella. Our mate.

Chapter Text

I was standing there, on my driveway, for a quite some time, trying to figure out what just happened. I was little taken aback by Tanya's reaction. As far as I knew she was very close to Kate, actually the closest in her family so why would she react that way. Was it something I did? But I couldn't think of anything that would make her so angry. She was in pure rage. I was worried because of her reaction, I didn't want to cause her any negative feeling. But now that I think about it, I was also worried for Kate, she was on receiving end of Tanyas rage and that didn't sit with me well. It felt fundamentally wrong, something in me was telling me that I should look for them. To make thing right, but the problem was, I didn't even know what was wrong. Also, how did I know that I was not not the cause of her rage, how did I felt in my bones that it is not possible for her to be mad at me.

I decided to go inside and make some tea, so I could relax, I could tell that this encounter took a toll on me. So I made myself a herbal tea, trying to calm my nerves. Only it didn't work at all, I couldn't get Kates face from my mind.

How is it possible that she provoked the same reaction in me that Tanya did. For the fuck sake, she was the sister of the women I was falling in love. I was trying to convince myself that my reaction happened because she was gorgeous, I mean stunning. It is normal reaction, I have seen a goddess on my driveway. Yes, that is it, it's normal physical reaction. The only problem was that I knew that I didn't have a normal reaction, she stirred something in me, the same thing Tanya did, only couple days ago.

How could I have the same initial feeling, of course, what I felt for Tanya was stronger, but I knew that was only because I got to know her. I spent time with her, so my feeling only got stronger. But now I couldn't think of her, without thinking of Kate.

"Bella, you are such a fool. This could happen only to you!" I started to bang my head to the kitchen counter. "You will just stay away form Kate" I told myself, you can not ruin your relationship with Tanya. She is the woman of your life. Maybe I won't see Kate that often. Out of sight, out of mind.

Deciding to text Tanya, I reached for my phone, and typed 'I hope that everything is alright, call me when you can'. I didn't want to seem needy.

I needed to think about something else, so I made a decision to call Leah, she still didn't return my calls.

After a few rings, she picked up. "Leah, what the hell, why didn't you call me back. I was worried!" I started to raise my voice. But after a few moments of silence I started to wonder if it was her on the phone at all. "Leah?" I tried again, but this time you could hear worry in my voice.

Next few moments were passed in silence, but then I could hear sobbing from the other side. What the hell was happening!? "Leah? Leah, what is happening?" my voice started to tremble, my mind was already imagining the worst possible scenario.

"Leah if you don't answer me, I will head to La Push in this moment!!" that seemed to do the thing, and I started to hear her calming down.

"No, Bella" she said quiet "nothing happened, I just have a lot on my plate".

"You scared me, you didn't answer my calls, Sue told me that you are sick. You are never sick, so I will ask again, did something happen?" I could tell that there is something, but she will not tell me.

"Yeah.. I'm fine, it passed." She was quiet for a while "Bella, I won't be coming to Denali."

"What!? I must have heard you wrong. Can you repeat that?" what the hell did she just said.

"I said that…. I won't be joining you. I will stay here in La Push." Her voice was sad, full of doubt.

"Leah what do you mean, we had a deal, there is nothing for you there, no future, only pain. You said that, you said that you will join me" she wasn't making any sense. Why would she stay there, her own parents were on Sams side. She would need to see him with her cousin almost every day.

"I wish I can come, but I can't. Do you think that I want to be here?!" I could hear anger in her voice.

"So why are you staying, you are not making any sense!" what the hell was today with people in my life, first with Tanyas reaction, then Leah with her unreasonable decision.

"I…"she started to say but then suddenly stopped "can't" sounding defeated. "You can't? I'm worried Leah, do you need me to come for you?" I said, while my mind was racing with possible reasons for her to say that.

"No, Bella. Do not come here. I need you to trust me. I will call you soon. I promise" but before I could even respond, she hang up on me. The fuck was happening. Did we all go crazy today?

I decided to let Leah cool down, I knew that I would not achieve anything if I was pushy. I will call her again tomorrow, maybe she will tell me what is really going on. I just hoped that it did not have anything to do with Sam.

I checked my phone again to see if I got any massage from Tanya. I felt disappointed when I saw no new notifications. Why didn't she replied?

While I was thinking about Tanya, my stomach started to rumble. Giving me the head ups that I was indeed hungry. After I ate, there was still no message from Tanya so I threw myself into work. I needed to plan my lesson for tomorrow, while hoping to clear my thoughts and calm my nerves. I needed to think about something else, it wasn't like me to be so needy and desperate for someone.

I headed to bed early then usual, I wasn't in the mood for watching TV, this day has taken a toll on me. i just wanted to rest and for tomorrow to come so I can find out what happened to Tanya.

And Kate.

Sleep came easy to me, but I can't say that the dreams I had were pleasant. In my dreams I had to watch Tanya and Kate fight over and over again, while I screamed for them to stop. I could feel myself crying in my sleep, not able to wake up from the nightmare I found myself in. They were destroying themselves before my eyes and I could feel my soul tearing apart.

I woke up a few times, with my pillow wet and drench in sweat but I didn't have the strength to get up, I just fell back to the restless darkens again and again.

Morning finally came, I just felt more tired then before going to sleep. I couldn't remember the last time I slept so bad. I vividly remember all of the dreams I had and non were the happy ones.

I grabbed my phone but there wasn't any message from Tanya. I felt disappointed, why didn't she respond to my text. In my head I was running the scene from yesterday, but still they didn't make sense to me. She was happy before we met with Kate.

I got up and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. I saw myself in the mirror and let me tell you, I looked like a shit. I quickly applied make-up hoping to look decent, I couldn't come to work and look like a ghost.

Then I remembered that Tanya invited me to her house after work, to meet her family. I wonder if that is still on. Will she come for me to take me to work? I didn't leave impression of the person that didn't answer her phone. She always replied right away, she was always eager to text with me.

Was it possible that she was mad at me?

As soon as I thought about that, I could feel chest pressure, my heart started to pound heavily. I couldn't bear the possibility of her not wanting to answer me. In only few days she became so important to me, I was feeling crushed just thinking that something is wrong between us.

I went to make myself breakfast, but I didn't feel hungry at all. Honestly, I just wanted to cry. But I forced myself to eat, knowing that I need to use opportunity of not feeling nauseous. This couple of days were not easy on my stomach, random things triggered me and made me throw up.

It took me some time but I finished my food, so I checked the time, I still have a few minutes before I need to head to school. She is still not here…

As soon as I thought that I heard car pulling in my driveway, my heart started to pound with happiness. The most irrational happiness. I must have gone crazy to feel this emotions just from hearing her coming to me.

I started to run towards the door, opining them quickly, not expecting her to be there yet. But I was wrong, she was in front of me. Looking at me with longing eyes, like she didn't see me in ages, she was just standing there, waiting for me to make a first move. Like she was afraid. Why would she be afraid?

As I saw fear in her eyes, I snapped quickly and threw myself in her arms. She was so hard, yet so soft and cold, but that didn't bother me. she pulled me in and held me so close to her, almost desperately, like she needed to make herself believe that I was there, that she was holding me. I could hear her taking deep breath with her head buried in my neck. I could feel her relax in my arms as the time passed, but neither did I nor her made a move to break our hug. I moved my head back, so I could see her face and as soon as she looked at me I leaned in and captured her lips. Kiss was slow, reassuring both to me and her, we were taking our time, letting our emotions out.

We broke our kiss, but still stayed in each other arms. I moved my hand to hold her cheek, so she leaned in, she closed her eyes, just letting me hold her, being vulnerable. This is the first time I saw her like that, she was always the one to take the lead, she just had the energy of a leader. So strong, so beautiful. It made me tear up, seeing her like this.

What made her so... I couldn't even say how, something was missing, I couldn't get the whole picture. Something was stopping me from understanding why was she like this, as far as I knew everything was great between us. So why was she afraid?

"Tanya, what happened yesterday?" I asked her, but she didn't answer me, she just pulled me in closer, hiding her face in my neck.

So I tried again "I was worried, I texted you, but you didn't replied. Tanya what happened?" but this time I didn't let her hide, I moved back, braking our hug, so I could see her.

"Bella, I'm sorry, I broke my phone yesterday when I got home. I wanted to text you but it was already late, so I decided to wait to see you in person." she told me, while playing with my hair. But I could tell that she was avoiding to answer the real question. She looked me in the eyes, she could tell that I knew, so she took a deep breath and said "I apologize for my behavior, I didn't want you to see me like that, something came up and I couldn't hold my reaction in. I'm sorry for that, I didn't want to scare you" she was torturing herself thinking that I was afraid of her?

"Tanya, I'm not afraid of you" I told her, looking her in the eyes, so she could tell I was honest. I could see her demeanor changing, there was the glint in her eyes. "I'm not afraid, why would I be? I was worried that something happened to you when you didn't replied. I mean, I don't fully understand what happened, I one second you were happy that I was meeting Kate and in the next… you were in full on rage. Did I do something?" I asked her, hoping to hear answer that will clear this whole situation.

"No Bella, you didn't do anything!" she told me, looking upset that I thought that I was at fault. But she didn't said anything else. She was avoiding the question again, so I let her, trusting her, trusting that she will tell me. When she is ready.

But there was something I couldn't let go, for some reason. So I did what my heart was nagging me to do since I saw her, without Kate… The fact that it bothered me that Kate wasn't here… Why would she be here, Bella?!

"Is Kate ok?" I asked unsurely, I wanted to know, but I also didn't feel ok asking my girlfriend about her sister, who made me feel feeling I shouldn't feel. "I mean, was it something she did that made you angry? She was very polite, I need to thank her again for fixing my truck…" I rambled for a few seconds, not knowing how to not show my worry for her.

Tanya watched me with knowing look in here eyes, so she just smiled at me, at my ramblings, like she understood. But there isn't a way for her to know, I told myself. "Kate is alright, do not worry, there was just misunderstanding between us, but we managed to resolve it."

I could feel myself relaxing as soon as she said Kate was good, but I tried not to show to much. "And you two are good? I mean I don't want you to fight with your sister" the thought of them fighting didn't sit with me, my stomach started to turn just thinking of them fighting. Which isn't normal reaction, yes you want your girlfriend to have good relationship with her family, but this is taking it to far. There was the strong need in me for them to be in good relationship.

It was like she knew that she needed to reassure me "Yes, Bella do not worry. Kate and I are good" she smirked, like she was telling a jock that I didn't understand "we are closer than before, let just say there is new layer to our relationship"

I felt happy hearing this, even if it did confuse me, what did she mean by new layer in their relationship? Before I could ask her what did she mean by that, she said in her characteristic charming way that I was used to "We need to head to the work if we plan to arrive on time, my lady". It made me happy to hear her again like that, I never wish for her to be unsure or sad again. I pulled her in again, not able to hold my happiness in and gave her a deep kiss, trying to show her what she meant to me. She tried to pull me in but I stepped back, with teasing smile on my face. "We will be late, let me just grab my thing and we can go" I headed in while she stayed at my door.

I took my things and headed outside, she was waiting for me, holding her hand for me to take it. She lead me to her car, opening the door for me. just as I started to head in, she suddenly pulled me to her and grabbed my lips with hers, not that I complained. Soon she was demanding the entrance with her tongue, which I happily granted. Soon it started to feel hot and heavy, I could feel myself getting aroused. But then she pulled back, smiled and said "You tease me and I will get you back, babe"

I couldn't answer her right away, I needed few deep breaths, in the meantime she already helped me in the car and went to her side.

"So you will continue to be my chauffeur?" I asked her teasingly, loving the fact that she kept her promise and continued to drive me to work, even if my car was fixed.

"If you let me, I will come for you every day of my life" she said, wiggling her eyebrows and biting her lip. It took me a few seconds to process what she said, I could feel my cheeks flush. But I didn't back down, so put my hand on her thigh and leaned on so my lips lined up with her ear "I will gladly take that offer, baby" I said, and then bit her earlobe. I could tell that she was getting worked on, her chest was rising more than usual and when she turned her head towards me, I could see that her eyes were almost completely black.

"Oh, what you do to me, my Bella" she took my hand, and kissed my knuckles. I just smiled to her, feeling completely content. My soul was smiling. And all because of this Angel by my side.

We rode in silence for a few minutes and then she turned to me and asked "Are you still willing to come to my home, after work, to meet the rest of my family? They are very exited to meet you." She had hopeful look on her face.

As she asked me I could feel my mood changing. Don't get me wrong, that was something I wanted, but maybe for the wrong reason. I started to feel guilt. I really wanted to go to her house, but the main reason was to see Kate. Woman I saw for a few moments. Her sister.

I couldn't stop myself before I asked "Will Kate be there?" why Bella, why would you ask that. I told myself that I won't be seeking any contact with Kate. What I have with Tanya, it wasn't something I'm ever willing to jeopardize. I would rather break my own leg, so why did I actually ask that?

Tanya was just smiling at me before she answered "She will be there, she wouldn't miss it for the world." She laughed at her joke, but I didn't get it. She saw my confused expression, it was like she knew what was my internalized battle about. "Bella, don't worry. Don't think too much, just let go and go with your guts. Also, trust me when I say I will be there for you no matter what. Everything will turn out the way it is supposed to." Her words held deeper meaning than I could comprehend at the moment, but nevertheless they calmed me.

She leaned on and gave me a soft kiss "Lets go to work, my lady" she got up quickly and was at my side, opening my door before I could react.

"How are you so fast?" I asked laughing "I will need to open my door, eventually. And you have already swept off my feet" she had the biggest smile while I was saying that.

"I am very glad to hear that, but I will always open them for you." I could tell that she meant that words 100%. She took my hand and we headed to our work, with smiles on our faces.

We went you separate ways, each to her own classroom, but we did spent our free time together.

When I was done with my work for today she was already waiting for me at the door of my classroom.

"Shall we, my lady?" she put her hand out for me to take it.

"We shall, babe" I told her, grabbing her hand, not even noticing her cold hand anymore. I got used to it I guess.

After a couple of minutes of driving, my nerves started to show. I could feel my heart beat starting to speed up, so I took couple of deep breaths hoping to calm myself. But unfortunately that didn't work. My mind was racing with possibility of them not liking me, but also with the fact that I will see Kate soon.

Like she could hear my heart racing, Tanya took my hand and started to caress my hand with her thumb "Everything will be fine, do not worry. Just do what your heart tells you." She tried to calm me, but her last sentence threw me off a little, it was unusual thing to say in this situation. But maybe I was just overthinking it.

We rode in silence the whole time and after 20 minutes we reached her house. And it took my breath away, it was huge masterpiece. There was glass everywhere, it looked like it came form the latest home design magazine. In front of the house were parked few expensive cars.

I still gazed in silence, I knew that she was rich, but not this kind of rich. Not that it did matter to me, but still took me by surprise. She parked the car and was by my side holding her hand to help me get out, I took her hand. She had shy smile on her face, she didn't know what my reaction would be.

"This house is masterpiece, Tanya. I don't think I ever seen something like this" I told her, with a smile on my face. Hoping that she saw my true reaction. I didn't want her to think that I care about her money.

"Thank you, baby. Carmen is the one who designed the whole thing. She will be happy to hear that you like it. Not many people have even seen it. They do not come here, actually you are the first person to come up." It was a little weird, but she told me that they are very private. I could understand that.

"I honestly feel honored to be invited" I turned to her and pulled her in so I could kiss her. Kiss didn't last very long, someone came out and cleared the throat. So I stepped form Tanya, but not yet letting go of her hand. I turned to see who it was, but my body already knew.

My heart started to go ballistic as I laid my eyes on her. On Kate. She was more gorgeous than yesterday, she was embodiment of some ancient goddess. I tried to swallow but my throat had gone dry. She was smiling at me like I hung up the stars on the sky, I saw adoration in her eyes. With little bit of mischievous glint in them.

It took me a little to come to my senses, I remembered that I shouldn't feel like this. It was wrong, her sister was holding my hand, for the fuck sakes. I cleared my throat and turned to look at Tanya, I remembered her reaction form yesterday. My stomach was turning, thinking that that will happen today. But that wasn't the case. Tanya had a soft smile on her face, her body was relaxed but there was excitement in her eyes, like she was waiting for something.

"Bella, let me properly interduce you to my sister Kate. Kate this is my Bella" her declaration did held a bit of possessiveness but I didn't mind it. It made my all mushy inside. She nudged me to take a few steps, so we could be closer to Kate. I could feel my hands starting to sweat, but I hoped that Kate wouldn't notice that.

Kate reached out for my hand, it didn't took me long to grab her hand. And just like the first time, there was electric wave as soon as I touched her. She slowly took my hand and slowly while looking me in the eyes, brought it to her lips, so she could kiss it.

My heart skipped few beats as I felt her lips on my skin. She smiled like she knew what kind of reaction that would cause.

"You do not know how happy it make me to see you again Bella" Kate told me, with charming smile while still holding my hand, she seamed not willing to let go just yet. Neither did I want her to let go.

Never in my life did I felt this bliss, this happiness, it felt like my soul finally found its place. This is where I belonged, with Tanya and Kate by my side. Both of them were making me feel safe and cherished, like I was the most important person in the whole world.

Unfortunately, this moment didn't last long. I could feel my mind starting to fog up, I could tell something was wrong. I felt my legs shake, my world started to spin and I could hear in the distance, someone was shouting my name.

But soon my world was immersed in darkness.

Chapter Text

I don't know how long I was unconscious, but slowly I could feel something cold on my forehead. Someone was calling me, but I couldn't hear clearly, it was like they were far away, shouting at me. I tried to open my eyes, but they won't listen.

It took me a while to become aware that I was laying down on something soft and that someone was holding my hand, slowly caressing my palm with their thumb, while someone was pressing their cold hand to my forehead and cheeks.

"My Bella, please wake up… Please..." I could hear, it was Tanya, calling me and it didn't leave me much of a choice than to listen to her plea. I started to move a little bit, putting a lot of effort into opening my eyes. And soon, with a lot of encouragement form Tanya, I opened my eyes.

And it was a sight to see, two most beautiful creatures on the whole planet right beside me. I could have swear that I died and went straight to heaven and this was my welcoming party. My Angel and my Goddess. My heart started to beat fast, showing my excitement at the sight. I was so glad that they could hear it. Tanya was sitting near my head, on the coffee table that was in front of sofa I was on. Kate on the other hand was sitting on the sofa.

They had a worried look at their faces, almost desperate. But their eyes had a little bit of a relief in them, seeing me wake up slowly.

I tried to pull myself up, but was hit with another wave of dizziness. "Don't try to get up" Tanya said in pleading but also demanding tone in her voice, so I listened. Not really in the mood for arguing.

"What happened?" I asked, but soon started to cough, it was a bad idea traying to talk with dry mouth. When I calmed down, I looked at Tanya and Kate, who had a true panic in their eyes. They looked lost, like they didn't know what to do. I mean, I was only coughing. Tanya was the first one to calm down, mumbling something under her breath that I couldn't hear.

Then Kate started to get up, but she stopped at some point, not moving. I wondered why. A little smile started to form on her lips, and she said "I will be happy to give you my hand again, when I return with your water, my daring". As soon as she said that I looked down at our hand, I didn't realize that I was the one that wasn't letting go. I didn't even realize that I was holding her hand. I quickly removed my hand from her grasp, but that felt wrong. Really wrong.

She quickly despaired from my sight, only to come back with water in her hand after a few seconds. How the hell did she appeared here so quickly. But I decided to move my attention to the water, Kate was holding a open bottle, waiting for me to take it.

I took a couple of big sips, quenching my thirst. In the meanwhile, Kate took her initial position, she sat on the sofa, out thighs touching. My whole body reacted because of that, so I need to warn myself. Tanya is right here. Why are you this messed up Bella?

I turned my head to look Tanya in the eyes, deciding to ignore Kate for the moment, and asked again "What happened? How did I end up here?"

"You fainted on our driveway; you have been unconscious for a couple of hours." Tanya said while caressing my cheek with her thumb, like she was trying to reassure herself that I was ok.

"Bella, what happened? As far as I know it isn't normal for humans to faint. We were just about to take you to the hospital" she said.

First thing, Humans? Who says something like that? Second, why the hell did I faint and third why the hell did I faint.

"I don't know" I answered, unsure and I could see that they weren't happy with my response so I continued " this has never happened to me before, I'm healthy. I really don't know why."

"How do you feel now? Maybe we should take you to the hospital" it took me by surprise to hear Kate say that, and with clear worry in her voice. Why would she be so worried?

Feeling the strong need to calm her down I said "I feel fine now, really. There is no need for hospital." She didn't look really satisfied with my answer, but she let it go for now.

"But you will go to the doctor, Bella. I will make an appointment. You have thrown up last week and now this." Tanya said with commanding tone of the voice. I could tell that she was serious, so I just said "Fine, I will go. But only for you." I didn't want her to worry. And she seemed satisfied with my answer.

I took a moment to look around the room, it was magnificent. There was large glass wall, looking at the forest. Room was minimalistic but so classy and elegant. Carmen, as I remembered was the one responsible for the design. I could only admire this house and I couldn't wait to see the rest of it.

"We will give you the tour of the house later, do not worry" Tanya said, as she saw that I was looking around in wonder. But I couldn't stop myself before asking "We?"

"Kate and I" she said with smirk on her lips. Shit, I really needed to put some distance between Kate and me, so how do I say to my girlfriend that that was bad idea. I couldn't say that, so I just nodded.

"Are you hungry, there is food waiting for you in the kitchen" Tanya said. When she said that I realized that I was indeed very hungry. And I really needed to use bathroom.

"That would be great, I'm hungry, but I would like to use bathroom before that, if it isn't a problem" I said to Tanya, deciding to ignore Kate presence as much as I could. Well, I couldn't ignore it, but I could pretend and try to put as much distance in between us.

"Kate will show you where it is, while I heat up the food" Tanya said, gave me a kiss on the lips and got up to leave the room. I just laid there not knowing what to do, why would she leave me with her sister. Well maybe because she doesn't know that you have crush on her sister, Bella.

While I was panicking inside and thinking of calling back Tanya, Kate was already moving toward me. and before I could say anything, she reached for me and picked me up like I was a feather. As soon as I could smell her scent, I swear I started to feel dizzy again. How could she smell so good, so tempting, it was different then Tanyas scent but equally perfect. Fresh, like cashmere. I could never get tired of her scent.

In pure instinct, I reached for her neck and took a big breath, trying to memorize her scent. As soon as I did that, I could feel myself get wetter, it wasn't helping that she was holding me firmly in her arms. I felt protected, at peace, my body was relaxing, knowing that I was in the arms of the warrior.

All I needed to be satisfied was Tanya.

Oh shit, what the hell am I doing. What the hell I'm I even doing in her arms, why would she behave in such way with me. I was in relationship with her sister. With whom she was very close.

I started to tense in her arms, trying to clear my head. I needed to say something, to pull myself from this situation. I just sniffed her, pressed myself against her. But what do I say? And why does she look so happy holding me, so peaceful, so proud of herself for having me in her arms. Like she achieved the greatest accomplishment of her life. I realized that she didn't move from the sofa.

"I can walk, there is no need for you to carry me" even I winced at the tone of my voice. It hurt me to say that, to see her face taking a pained look. Like I just slapped her. But the goal was putting the distance between us.

"That isn't a risk I am willing to take. What if you get dizzy again?" she said in serious tone, I could tell that she was searching for my eyes, trying to make eye contact. I wasn't ready for that, I knew that I would lose myself in them. Willing to do anything she asked me.

I didn't answer her, wanting to be out of her arms as soon as I can, so I could think clearly.

She didn't move yet, i guess that she was waiting for me to look at her. "I really need to go to the bathroom" I said, keeping a calm tone of my voice but still not looking her in the eyes.

"At your orders, my darling" she said, starting to move toward a hallway that was leading to the bathroom, I guess. My darling? Why does she keep calling me like that. This is a second time we see eachother, not to mention that her sister was my girlfriend.

But hearing her call me like that, made me feel all fuzzy inside. I didn't answer her, not wanting her to know what kind of reaction she was causing in me.

Even when I didn't answer, she smiled at me, like she knew. She was satisfied with herself.

I didn't realize that she was taking me towards the stairs, she moved so effortlessly, like she was carrying a piece of paper. But surely there was a toilet at the ground floor. First floor was as magnificent as the ground floor, if not even more. There were big glass windows everywhere, carrying a natural light inside. There were only three doors in the hallway, and we passed the two of them, moving towards the third one.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked her, feeling confused. She didn't answer me, she just kept walking, until she reached the last door in the hallway. She reached with her hand to open them, and the room inside took my breath away.

This was the room of my dreams, there was California King size bed inside, that looked like the comfiest bed in the entire world, on the other side was a fireplace that almost took the spotlight form the bed, almost. The room was in soft colors, almost blending with the nature that you could see from the glass wall, looking over the green forest.

Kate was looking at me admiring the room, so I turned towards her. And there, I did a big mistake, I looked her in the eyes. Those gorgeous eyes, that had so much playful glint in them, they were so full of life. She was looking at me like I just hung the stars in the night sky. So much admiration, that I couldn't help but smile at the sight. My soul was so happy, I didn't have the power to remind myself to keep distance between us. Nor did I want that.

"I thought that you would be more comfortable using this bathroom, it's more spacious" Kate said, while gently lowering my feet on the ground. Even with my feet on the ground she didn't let go of me. She kept her hand on my waist, holding me near her, I just couldn't figure out was it because she was afraid that I would faint again or was it because she wanted me near her.

"Whose room is this?" I asked her, not really wanting to use someone else's bathroom.

"This is the biggest room in this house. So it is ou…" she started to answer but quickly stopped herself. "It is Tanyas" she quickly finished. But that wasn't her first answer, what was she going to say? Our?

What did she mean by that? The more time I spent with her the more confused did I become. About my feelings for her and about her behavior towards me.

I needed to clear my head, so I started to move towards the bathroom. But Kate didn't let go of me, she just moved her hand and was now holding my own. On the instinct, I intertwined our fingers, it felt to right, so good. As soon as I realized that I tried to move my hand but she wouldn't let go.

We reached the door in a couple of second and she tugged my hand, making me turn to her.

"I will be here, if anything happens or you start to feel dizzy, call me. I'm serious" Kate told me.

"All right, I won't take long" she let go of my hand and I entered the bathroom. Of course, it was enormous, bathroom you see in the design magazines. It had a huge shower, enough to fit in four people, showerhead covering the whole ceiling. There was also, huge bathtub, also for more than one person.

I got excited at the idea of using with Tanya and… with Tanya. I quickly reminded myself. A couple of fantasies crossed my mind, but none of them could ever come true. Never.

I quickly did my business, not wanting to make Kate wait longer than necessary.

I took a couple of big breaths, and opened the door. How is it possible that she too, takes my breath away every time I see her. She just stood there, smiling, holding her hand, so I could take it. And I did that, without thinking. She used the moment, and picked me up quickly, so here I am, again in her strong arm.

"There is really no need for that, I can walk. I don't feel dizzy at all." I told her, but in the reality I didn't want her to put me down. I wanted to stay in her arms as long as she would have me.

She didn't say anything, she was just looking my eyes, almost like reading my soul. It was like she knew that I didn't really want her to let go. I also had a feeling that she would never do something that really made me uncomfortable.

She took me down the stairs and I could start to smell food from the kitchen, realizing that I was hungry. Even my stomach started to rumble. And when that happened Kate started to speed up.

And soon, we were in the kitchen. As the rest of the house, it didn't disappoint. But I couldn't really pay attention to the kitchen, when Tanya was standing her the kitchen island, with a smirk on her lips. She was looking at us playfully, but also she looked really happy seeing me in Kates arms. There was a special glint in her eyes too.

Maybe something was wrong with my head, I told myself. I started to imagine things that couldn't be there. I must have been reading too much into things.

I started to move in Kates arms, wanting to be put down, she did that. And I didn't waste time, I moved towards Tanya, wanting to kiss her, until I couldn't hold my breath anymore.

So I did that, I reached for her, grabbing her neck and putting my other hand on her back, taking the more dominant role. It was all pent up energy, that started to build since I was in Kates arms. Tanya let me do this in my own pace. I grabbed her lips with mine, not taking long before asking for entrance with my tongue. Which she eagerly granted. I could feel her hand moving to my ass, squeezing it, and with that action making me moan.

That seemed to pull me back a little, remembering that Kate was also in the room. But, now that I think about it, that fact didn't bother me at all. On the contrary, it made me more aroused. It was both Kates and Tanyas presence that did this to me. I could feel myself getting wetter by the second, so I pressed myself against Tanyas thigh, wanting to crate some kind of friction. Some kind of relief.

But then, I heard something like growl, behind me. And that seemed to snap me back to the reality. I broke our kiss. But nor before giving Tanya a little peck on the lips.

She moved her hand to my hips, putting them there, right where they belonged. I put my hand on them, missing the contact from the time I was away.

I slowly turned my head, to see if Kate was still there.

And boy, she was there. She was looking at us, with her eyes pitch black. She looked angry … or extremely aroused, but that wasn't possible. Why would she be aroused at the sight of us kissing. She must have been angry; my action was the politest one.

I needed to say something to break this energy in the room. So, I said "I see you made me something to eat, it smells delicious", moving to sit at the middle of the kitchen island, where was the plate. "You won't eat?" I asked Tanya.

"Not feeling hungry, don't worry, eat Bella, I can hear you stomach protesting from here" Tanya said, moving to sit on the chair left of me.

She didn't need to tell me twice, I dug in, like a person that didn't eat for two days. It didn't help that this was tastiest meal that I have ever eaten.

In between bites I turned to Tanya and said "This is sooo good, my complements to the chef" I could see myself eating dishes from this person as long as I am alive.

What I didn't expect was someone from the right side of me to say "Well, thank you my darling, I am glad that you like it. I made it special for you." I quickly turned to the right, but I didn't need to, to know that that was Kate. My body was reacting before I she even spoke. She was sitting so close to me, with a pleased smile on her face. She was so proud of herself, so proud that I liked her dish.

"I didn't know that you cook." I told her, finding myself wishing that I knew more things about her.

"There is a lot of things you don't know about me, but don't worry, I am willing to share everything with you, my darling" she said, with predatory smirk on her face.

I couldn't understand how could she talk to me like that in front of Tanya. She didn't even try to cover up her flirting. I tried to move a little bit from her, not wanting Tanya to be angry, so I looked to my left. Only to see Tanya, with pleased smile on her face, not being bothered by Kate closeness to me.

What was going on here? My mind was running with possible options, but nothing came up. Maybe I needed to speak with Tanya, try to tell her what was happening to me. I didn't want our relationship to suffer. I knew that I needed to be honest.

But than again, she was really close to Kate. Would she be ok with me putting distance between us and her family, did she love me enough? Was that really what I even want?

I spent the resto of my meal in the silence, fighting inside my mind. They didn't try to talk to me, it was like they knew that I needed some peace. And I was grateful for that.

When I finished my meal, I turned to Kate, not wanting to be rude "Thank you for this delicious meal"

"Anytime, my darling" she told me while moving to take the plate in front of me. She used this opportunity to invade my space, making me smell her delicious scent that turned me on.

"Baby, the rest of the family is really excited to meet you. If you are up to it we could meet them in he living room" said Tanya, taking my hand into hers and intervening our fingers.

"Of course, that's why I'm here." I felt excited and nervous. But before I could say something about that, Tanya kissed me and said, "Do not worry, they love you already." Pulling me with her towards the living room.

I could hear Kate following u very closely and also feel her presence on left side, occasionally our hands would touch, sending an electric pulse to my body.

When we reached the living room, there were standing three beautiful people. I mean, how is it possible that they are all this handsome. There was another tall, blonde woman, Irina I remembered. Tanyas other sister. I felt relief, that she didn't cause the same reaction like her sisters did. But she was very pretty too, she had the same eye color as Tanya and Kate. But so did Carmen and Eleazar. That was very strange. I need to remember to ask Tanya about that.

Carmen and Eleazar were impressive too, you could tell that they were a little bit older then the sisters but not by much. They could be the couple form the front of the magazines. You could tell by the way that they hold each other that they belonged together.

They were also very pale, like Tanya and Kate, they seriously needed some vitamin D.

The three of them had honest smiles on their faces, like they very happy to meet me, which immediately calmed me down.

"Bella, this is the rest of my family; Irina, Carmen and Eleazar" Tanya said, but her voice was a little different than I was used to. It was more serious, more formal and it had the commanding tone in it. Which did a lot of things to my body, all of them pleasant.

"And this is my Bella" she said in the proud voice, like I was some kind of treasure that she had, and also a little bit of possessiveness. She still didn't let go of my hand, nor did she tried to move forward so we could shake hands. We stayed at couple meters of distance. Which was a little strange, but I got a feeling that a lot of things about them were strange.

Like the fact that Kate moved closer to us, almost in front of us, as soon as we got to the living room. Now, our hands were touching constantly. Like she was providing a shield to us.

"I am very happy to meet you. Tanya told me a lot of good things about you." I told them, feeling happy to put the faces on the people that I heard about.

"We heard many things about you too from Tanya and Kate. It is nice to finally meet the person that has charmed my sisters so much." Irina said with smile on her face.

Kate was talking about me? I have charmed her? And Irina was telling that as it wasn't a big deal? I didn't have time to process that before Carmen spoke "We are happy to meet you Bella" while Eleazar was nodding his head in agreement.

"Lets sit, so you can get to know each other" said Tanya, again with commanding undertone in her voice. It was like she was giving them permission to sit, to continue conversation with me. She moved me towards one end of the sofa I previously woke up from. She sat on the left side of me, while Kate sat on my right side, leaving no room between us.

I didn't want to make a scene, so I didn't react. But I couldn't figure it out, how was Tanya so okey with her behavior, with her flirting. I mean Kate didn't leave my side the entire time I was here. She was acting like I was with her and Tanya at the same time. Even right now, in front of her family she was constantly making a contact with me.

Side of me wanted her to stay, but my brain was telling me that this path was leading to pain. What my heart wanted wasn't possible in this world.

In the meanwhile, Irina, Carmen and Eleazar sat on the opposite side of the sofa, maintaining the distance between us.

After that the conversation between us was going naturally, they were so easy to talk with. We talked about my childhood, how did I end up here… They also told me a little bit about themselves, what were their hobbies and how they spent their free time. I remembered to praise Carmen on designing such a beautiful house, which really put a smile to her face.

Our conversation lasted a long time and I could see myself as a part of this family. Truly belonging with them. But that thought also put the fear in me, what if I get so attach to them. What will happen to me when I tell to Tanya that I have feeling for her sister.

I had so much questions about Kates behavior, but also Tanyas, that I knew that I needed to talk to her as soon as possible.

Chapter Text

I was so focused on conversation with Tanyas family that I didn’t even notice hours pass. When I finally came back to reality it was dark outside. Another thing that I didn’t notice was Tanyas hand on my thigh, she was moving her fingers in smoothing motion the entire time, giving me a silent support. And I was thankful for that.

Unfortunately, another thing I didn’t notice was Kates hand on my back, also moving in smoothing motion. How long was she doing that?
How could I not have realized that? Was that the reason I felt at peace this entire time? It felt so right to have them near me.

But, as soon as I realized what was Kate doing, I couldn’t be relaxed anymore. The reasoning part of my brain wouldn’t let me. This situation could lead to the fight with Tanya, although she didn’t react at all on Kates previous behavior.

Tanya could feel the difference in my posture so she squeezed my thigh, like she was asking me was I alright. I turned to see her, she had worried look on her face and she was looking at me like she was trying to read my thoughts. My initial goal was to reassure her, but when I saw her position, I changed my mind. She could see Kates arm on my back this entire time. So why would she be okey with that?

The rest of her family was on the safe distance from us, and every time they would move toward us, or if they went to the kitchen or bathroom, she would become nervous, and her posture would change. So why was she letting this happen? Letting Kate be this close to me, when the first time I met Kate she was so reluctant to let me even approach her and shake her hand.

I continued to watch Tanya, trying to figure her out, but no logical explanation was coming to my mind. She could see that something was bothering me and I could see that she was going to say something, but I interrupted her “I need to use the bathroom” and started to get up from the sofa. Both Tanya and Kate were on their feet as soon as I got up, with Kates hand on my back the entire time.

The rest of the family was watching the scene in front of them, with calm look on their faces, like they knew what was happening. Well, I would also like to know what the hell was happening.

“I will show you where it is” said Kate, and that was enough for me to snap. My brain was telling me that with her behavior she was putting my relationship in danger, and I couldn’t let that happen. Tanya is the love of my life, I was certain in that. No matter what was my heart telling me about Kate.

“There is no need, Tanya will show me” I told her with almost rude tone. I didn’t turn to see her face, as I could she Tanya flinch at my tone and the resto of the family looking rather sad while watching Kate.

I didn’t want to be thinking about sad Kate so I grabbed Tanyas hand and pulled her towards the hallway where the bathroom must be. Tanya started to move with me, intertwining our fingers and leading me towards the bathroom.

When we reached the bathroom door, Tanya stopped me and turned me towards her. “Bella, why are you like this? What’s the matter?” she asked me in the worried tone. Grabbing my chin and gently pulling it so I lift my head, so she can see my eyes.

I took a deep breath, I don’t want to lie to her, I told myself that I would be honest with her. But this could go so wrong and I am not prepared for that. But than again it was like she was pushing me towards Kate this whole day. I knew that I didn’t imagine that.

“I just don’t get it, Tanya. I’m so confused…” I didn’t finish my thought, how do I say that and is this the right moment.

“About what, my love?” Tanya said. She called me my love and by doing, made me all mushy inside. My heart started to beat a little bit faster at her statement. This is the first time she used the L word.

“My love?” I asked her shyly, looking her in the eyes that charmed me every time I looked at them. Was It too soon for this conversation? But something was telling me that it wasn’t soon, it was right.

“Well, I had another place in my mind for this situation, but I guess that in front of the bathroom will do” she said to me playfully, taking my other hand in hers.

“Isabella, I’m profoundly and deeply in love with you. I know that maybe it is too soon for you for these words. But they are reflection of my soul. I was put on this earth so I could find you, and now that I found you, I will never let you go. You are my everything.” She told me while looking me in the eyes. I could tell that she was 100% honest. She was in love with me, she told me that she loved me.

I could tell that she was waiting for my reaction, letting me process her words. But they let me speechless, I mean I hoped that she had this feelings for me, and they made me incredibly happy. I could feel my whole body bursting from happiness.

My hands slowly moved to her cheeks, I took her face in my hands and with happy tears in my eyes I slowly kissed her. I tried to pour all my feelings for her into that kiss; kiss that wasn’t all hot and steamy but deep and meaningful. It was kind of a kiss that you would remember for the rest of your life.
We broke apart after a while, and I could feel the tears falling from my eyes. she looked at me with worry, while her fingers took the task of removing them from my face.

“Don’t worry, this are happy tears.” I told her, trying to reassure her. “You have made me so happy; I can’t contain myself.” She looked relived with that information.

“I have never thought that it was possible to fall so deeply in love with someone like I have fallen with you, my beautiful Angel. Maybe this is early, but this feels so right, so good that I plan to never let you go. I love you Tanya, so much” I told her, and in the process made myself cry even more.

She had the biggest smile I have ever seen on her. She quickly moved to hug me and, in the process, lifted me up so I could straddle her hips with my legs. I buried my face in her neck and hugged her like my life depended on that. she had her hands under my ass, holding me in the place, while whispering sweet thing in my ear.

I don’t know how long we were in this position but none of us were willing to move, so we stayed as long as could.

Eventually she lowered me down, still holding me in her arms, while kissing me sweetly on my lips.

“I will let you go now, so you can do your business. You can find me in the kitchen after you finish, I will be making dinner.” Tanya said to me, kissed me one more time, then turned and went towards kitchen.

I was standing there for a few moments, before going into the bathroom. I tried to clear my mind in there, trying to process everything. I couldn’t believe how lucky I got, the women of my dreams was in love with me. I just looked myself in the mirror and kept smiling to that thought.

After a couple of minutes, I was ready to rejoin Tanya, when I remembered Kate. Why would I think about her in this moment? And now that I think about it I remembered that I completely forgot to say something about all this to Tanya.

Maybe it is better that I didn’t say anything. I mean what could happen if I say ‘Hey your sister is flirting with me and you are letting her without a problem. And also I have feelings for her too.’ Tanya will surely try to put distance between me and Kate, maybe limit all the contact between us. I if I was being honest with myself I didn’t want that at all.

The worst part of it was that I was so happy having both Kate and Tanya beside me, I could see myself with them. And that isn’t possible. So the only thing that remained for me to do is to convince myself that I was maybe reading to much into Kates behavior.

And hopefully she will change her behavior, after my reaction in the living room.

I decided that it was time to leave the bathroom and head to the kitchen, I went through the living room, but it was empty. I continued to move towards the kitchen where I saw Kate and Tanya, making dinner.

They were speaking in a low tone so I couldn’t hear what they were saying and when they heard me, they turned their heads to me. Their faces ere lit up with beautiful smiles, like they didn’t see me for a long time. So I couldn’t do anything else but to smile at them in the same manner.

My eyes for some reason stayed on Kate, I was watching her eyes trying to figure out something that was bothering me. After a couple of moments, I could see logging beneath her happiness. She was looking at me with logging in her eyes. Like she wanted to reach for me and pull me to her arms and never let go, and to be honest I wouldn’t stop her. There was something in me that wanted to make her feel good, wanting to erase all the bad feelings from her life, the same with Tanya.

I could feel my throat drying, so I tried to swallow but without much success, but before I could do anything Kate was in front of me, holding a water bottle to me.

“Here you go… Bella.” She didn’t say my darling, I could hear her wanting to say something else before she said my name. My face fell off a little bit... I wanted to hear her call me my darling.

NO Bella, this is what you wanted, you wanted some distance between her.

But this feels wrong.

Not wanting to think about this anymore, I opened the bottle and took a couple of big sips. It was good feeling, cold water moving through my throat.
“Thank you, Kate” I told her, while moving pass her so I could sit at the kitchen island.

Kate went back to helping Tanya with the dinner. And feeling bad that they are doing everything I asked “Do you need my help?” but something was telling me they wouldn’t let me.

“You just sit here and relax, baby” told me Tanya, throwing me a wink. “We got I covered, it wont take long.”

“If you say so” I told her, and then continued “Where is the rest of the family, they weren’t in living room when I passed through it” I asked Tanya. Hoping that I didn’t make a such a big scene earlier that they wouldn’t want to hang out anymore. There goes my first impression.

But instead Tanya, Kate answered my question “Something came up so they went to take care of it, do not worry, they will come back later this evening”
“To bad, I hoped that we could continue to get to know each other more” I told her.

“Why wouldn’t that be possible?” Tanya seemed to pick this moment to join conversation.

“Oh, I planned to go home after the dinner, honestly I didn’t think I would stay this long in the first place. I wouldn’t want to bother you” I explained myself. Both Tanya and Kate had a frown on their faces after I said that. Not liking my plan at all.

Tanya started to approach me “Would you please reconsider staying here this night? I don’t want you to be alone after you fainted earlier today. Please?” she asked me with pleading tone in her voice and that charming smile on her lips, that I had no other choice than to say yes to her.

“You know that I can’t say no to you when you ask me like that.” I told her with shy simile and leaning in so I could kiss her. I gave her a little peck and then she returned to cooking.

I looked over to Kate, who now looked more relaxed when I said that I would stay with Tanya. I didn’t comment on anything else, I was sitting there, watching them work in harmony, it was like they didn’t even need to speak to know what the other wanted. Also, they moved to gallantly, not once bumping to each other. It was really beautiful to watch.

Not long after, they announced that the dinner is done, and they quickly asked me if it is ok to eat at the kitchen island, which was more then fine by me.
They put the food on the plates and took a seat beside me, one on the left one on the right. The smell was amazing, so I immediately dug in, saying thanks to both for making me a meal.

Dinner was tasted great; I didn’t pay much attention to either of them and when I lifted my head they were already done with their food. Well, that was fast. After I wiped my moth with a napkin, I went to get up so I could put the dishes in the sink, but someone stopped me. It was Kate, she put her hand on my, halting my movements.

“Do not worry, I got them” she quickly picked up all our plates and put them in the sink.

Then, Tanya grabbed my hand “What would you like to do next? We can always watch something in the living room, put on some show or a movie” she told me. I was always up for some movie or tv show. Maybe even some reality tv show, but I there will be time for that later.

“I would like that” I told her, so she ended up pulling me up from my chair and into to living room.

We ended up laying on the sofa, and before turning on something, she turned to me “So, how do you like my family, they didn’t scare you right?”

“I really liked them; I could see that you are really close. You are really lucky for having that kind of support behind you. And hopefully they liked me too?” I told her, knowing that they are important to her, not wanting to make any problems between them.

“They did, they are glad to see me this happy with someone. And they fully support us, don’t worry. I can see that you will have a great bond with them.” She said to me, while taking my hand and kissing my knuckles in smoothing way.

“I hope so, I always wanted a big family, a home filed with people that I love. And I can see that coming true with you, and I don’t know what would happen to me if I ever lost you.” I end up telling her. I find myself looking for her comfort and reassurance, knowing that she will protect me.

“Hey, why would you even think about losing me? That will never happen, my love. I am yours.” She was looking me in the eyes as she was telling me that, I could see her determination and honesty.

“I love you” I end up saying to her, finding the reassurance that I needed. She was my person in that I was sure.

We sat in silence like that for a couple of minutes, just looking each other, content and happy. But all my security came crashing down when Kate entered the living room and reminded me of my internal struggle.

God, she was beautiful. And she was so charming, I could she her easily winning over men and women and honestly that pissed me of. Quite a lot.
Of course, she noticed that I was watching her, and had a smirk on her lips the entire time she was walking towards Tanya and me. She was enjoying me watching her, like she knew what kind of effect she had on me.

She ended up sitting down right beside me, of course, why would she choose to sit anywhere else. And with that move, all my plan to ignore her and put the distance between us fell into the water. And of course, with it went my hope that I was just imagining things.

Tanya seemed to be fine with Kate so close to me, like it was the most normal thing on the planet. I couldn’t, or didn’t want to make a scene right now, so the only thing that remained was pretending that I was fine and not saying anything.

We ended up putting some film on Netflix, and it held my attention right until Tanya went to get the blanket and covered us all with it. Tanya didn’t waste even a minute under it before she literally attached herself to me, she ended laying on her side, with her head on my shoulder and our legs intertwined and her and on my stomach, that she didn’t move at the moment.

What surprised me were Kates actions. She sat even closer to me, the whole size of my body was touching her, and then she put her hand behind me, in a classic move that you see on cheese romantic films.

From that moment, my mind couldn’t focus on film anymore, all I could think about is how amazing is their scent, and how well did it mix together. I tried not to be obvious and literally smell the air like a dog, but God dam, what the hell did their scent do to me? I could feel myself getting aroused at the fact that they are both right beside me, with our bodies touching. My nerves were firing up, and all I wanted was someone to touch me in right places. How did I end up like this, with my girlfriend on one side and sister that I liked on the other? I must have done something wrong to be punished like this.

I kept prying to someone for this feeling to go away, and by some miracle it did. I noticed that their scent changed a little, and it seemed to calm me down, and lure me to sleep.

It didn’t take me long to actually feel sleepy, aroused state of mind forgotten, I felt at peace. This was my place on the earth. I felt protected, like nothing could happen to me with them by my side. I could feel someone playing in a smoothing way with my hair, luring me even more to sleep. And I couldn’t resist anymore. The darkness simply took me.

That was the most relaxed that I ever felt in my life, it was like I was on the cloud. Happy and relaxed, with no worry on my mind.

Little by little I started to wake up, but my mind was still foggy. Slowly I realized that I was laying on something very nice, smelling and feeling. I buried my face even deeper trying to get even more of that amazing scent. I started to move around a little bit, feeling around with my hands. It came to my mind that there was a person beneath me, but that didn’t seem to pull me from my dreamy state. No, it fueled exploration even more. Because in the moment I decided that this person was mine. It had to be for smelling so nice and feeling so soft yet so firm in the same moment.

So I did what any other normal person would do, I started to explore with my lips as well as my hands. I quickly found a great spot for my lips, where the skin was so soft I could kiss it all my life. My hand were also occupied with squeezing something that fit my palm like it was made for me.

And after a couple of moments in my personal heaven, I heard someone make the most heavenly sound that I have ever heard. It was a moan, that seemed to fire me up even more.

But also made me think clear for the first time since I started to wake up. I slowly halted my actions and started to open my eyes.
When I saw who was beneath me, and in which kind of position we were, I had a mini heart attack. All I could do was shriek;

“KATE!?”

Chapter Text

It took me a couple of seconds to get away from Kate. In the process I managed to almost fall over the coffee table that was in front of the sofa. I was looking to the ground, trying to process what just happened.

I couldn't calm down my breathing as much as I wanted to. I was looking like a deer caught in the headlights. What the fuck did I get myself into? And how the hell did I even end up in her arms? Tanya was right beside me when I fell asleep.

I decided to lift my head up when I heard someone approaching me. It was Tanya, she had a serious face, but it was like she was afraid to approach me and also sending me a reassuring look. I lifted my hand to stop her, I didn't want anyone beside me at this moment. I had just made a move on her sister for God's sake.

"Bella, there…" I could hear Tanya starting to speak up, but that just fueled my anger. I snapped my head towards her, and I could see that she was a little taken aback from the look I was giving her.

At that moment I knew that I was about to explode, this whole day was messing with my emotions. This was the tipping point.

"You were here this entire time?" I asked her with a cold voice, but you could hear angry undertones. I could see that she wasn't really expecting this reaction.

"Well… yes I was—"

"So, can you tell me how the fuck did I end up in your sister's lap, with you by my side!?" I asked her, with a raised voice, but more in a rhetorical kind of way. And then she really looked taken aback. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. This was the first time I saw her like that.

What reason could she give me that would explain this situation, other than making a fool out of me? Why didn't she stop me?

My attention then switched to Kate, who still hadn't moved from her spot on the sofa, and I couldn't really read her expression. Right now I couldn't even look at her from all the shame I was feeling, but there was also anger, why didn't she stopped me in time?

"I am very sorry Kate, I don't know what came over me. Please, forgive me," I told her, not looking at anyone, knowing that I will get even angrier if I do. This was very wrong, this whole situation. Yes, I was attracted to Kate, but I would never actually do something to jeopardize my relationship with Tanya. Eventually, if my feelings didn't stop I would tell Tanya everything. So, we could find a solution together.

I that moment something snapped inside me and decided that I would get answers from them. I would not let them deceive me. I tried to think about what they would gain from messing with my head. Was this some kind of twisted game they played? As that thought crossed my mind, my chest started to hurt and my breath shortened. Was it possible? But Tanya had just confessed that she was in love with me, I just met her family. This made no sense.

My eyes started to fill with tears as my mind was working on all those unpleasant possibilities.

I lifted my head to look at them, they were looking at each other, like they were talking but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I could see panic on their faces but at this point I was convincing myself that it was all an act. Tanya was the one that decided to try to approach me again.

"Bella, please, let us exp—" she started to say as she was walking slowly towards me. But I didn't want her near me, not in this state. She would only cloud my judgment. So I put my hand up, I motioned to stop her.

"Do not come close to me," I told her with a voice that held no emotions that I even surprised myself.

Her reaction was like I just slapped her or better yet like I ruined her whole world. I could see the despair in her eyes as she was looking at me. And my initial reaction was to go to her, she should never feel that way. It was like my whole body was telling me to make her feel better, it was my job to make her feel good. But I held strong.

"Please, I really want to hear this reasonable explanation that you can give me" I told them in a cynical tone. I could tell that they did not expect this reaction from me at all. But I was done playing or being played with. "Is this just a game to you?" I asked them, but I couldn't stop my voice from shaking. Just the thought of them playing with me was enough to destroy me.

As soon as I said that, both of them stepped forward, trying to reach me, but I just stepped backwards, so they stopped.

"Bella," Kate said and I could hear desperation in her voice, "do not ever think that!" Just by her tone she had me almost convinced. But I needed to know what their goal was. Nothing else mattered.

"Not to think that!? Then please explain it to me Kate, what the hell were you trying to do this whole time!?" I was shouting, pointing my finger at her. "Do not tell me that this isn't a game to you! From the moment that we met, you were constantly flirting with me! This whole day you were always by my side, calling me 'my darling', always finding excuses to touch me, carrying me…" I stopped for a moment so I could see their reaction but I couldn't read them at all, and well, that just fueled me more. "And don't even try to tell me that you were just friendly! Your family was friendly, and Tanya didn't even let them touch me, not even for a handshake, don't think I didn't notice that. But you Kate, while your whole family was on the other side of the sofa, you were next to me, caressing my back, with my girlfriend on the other side. So don't tell me this isn't just a game to you." I couldn't stop the tears that started to fall, I just silently cried, not wanting to break down completely.

I turned towards Tanya, "Tell me you didn't notice this! Tell me you didn't let her do that this whole day, because from what I saw, you did not just let her, you allowed her to do that!"

There goes my silent crying, because after that I completely broke down. I fell to my knees, sobbing, and holding my chest, trying to make this pain bearable. It was like my whole world was falling apart because of two women I had known for less then a month. This feeling wasn't natural. It couldn't be.

Suddenly I was enveloped from the back and the front, the effect was immediate. My body was starting to relax instantly, there was no chest pain nor shortness of breath, there was only peace. My lungs started to fill with the most pleasant scent, filling all my senses, luring me to sleep. Like I was given anesthesia. My brain barely even registered that Tanya and Kate were the ones holding me, and I tried to fight it off but there wasn't even a little chance that I would succeed. Only a few seconds later my brain started to get all blurry and fuzzy, my lids started to become heavy and there was nothing I could do to fight this, I was exhausted emotionally. I let it all go and welcomed the darkness that was taking me.

My night was not peaceful, there weren't any nightmares, but something didn't let me rest. I could feel myself almost waking up a few times, but I was again bombarded with that heavenly scent that lured me back to sleep immediately.

After some time, I started to slowly wake up. Before I opened my eyes, I started to stretch, moving on the most comfortable bed I ever slept on. I found myself sighing with content, even if my sleep wasn't so restful. I opened my eyes and became a little confused as to where I was, this wasn't my room nor was this my bed. I looked around, realizing that this was Tanya's room that I saw yesterday.

Why would I be there? And then it hit me, I remembered what happened yesterday and panic started to hit yet again. How did I end up in bed? The last thing I remembered was melting down in front of Tanya and Kate, ready for more yelling and then relaxing and falling asleep. How was that possible?

Only moments after I woke up, I heard the door open. I looked up and there I could see Tanya and Kate entering her room. Looking like hell, honestly, I meant they were still looking gorgeous but I could see that they were completely out of place. Our eyes met and my heart skipped a beat, there was so much longing in their eyes. And so much sadness.

I started to get up, I really didn't want to do this thing all over again. But then again, I wanted to know how the fuck I ended up here. I knew that they had something to do with it, they were the ones with all the answers. I just didn't know if I had the strength to find it out.

They didn't approach me, they were standing at the door, waiting for my reaction.

"How did I end up here? Last thing I remember is yelling at you two and the next thing feeling unnaturally relaxed and then waking up here. How is that possible?" I asked them with a determined voice. I needed the answers and my body and soul wasn't ready for the bad ones.

Would I find out that this was all a play? Are the woman that I'm in love with and her sister that I have serious feelings for that I shouldn't have, playing with me?

Tanya was the one who decided to speak. "Bella, my love, we need to talk and we need you to let us talk, not to jump to conclusions," she said. I had never heard her speak like that, so serious but also with a hint of fear. What did she fear?

She still didn't answer my question, but my heart was telling me to listen, to hear what they had to say. Even the thought of them not being in my life was causing me pain. Even if my brain was telling me to listen and then leave without returning, because there wasn't a logical explanation for this situation.

"OK, I'm giving you a chance to explain this to me, but if you try to lie to me I will walk away and I won't be coming back, even if that breaks my heart," I told them and I meant it. Please God, don't let them lie.

They nodded their heads and then Kate said, "We will give you a few moments to freshen up, we will be downstairs, in the library room." With that they turned and left the room, but not before they sent me a longing look.

I sat there frozen for a couple of seconds but then started to move towards the bathroom quickly, wanting to get to them as soon as I could. I saw that they put fresh clean clothes in the bathroom for me, a simple tracksuit, but if I were going away after the talk, I didn't want to take anything of theirs.

Only a couple of minutes passed before I was coming down the stairs.

I remembered from yesterday where the library was so I headed towards it. My heart was beating faster with every step and my mind was racing. Let's do this.

I entered the room slowly, they were waiting for me in silence, both were sitting in front of a fireplace, with an empty armchair across them. I took a couple of big breaths before heading towards the empty seat.

I sat down, looking at them, waiting for them to start this conversation, this was their time and I was willing to wait for my turn, again. They looked at each other, almost having a silent conversation that I couldn't hear, but it looked like they were supporting one another.

They looked at me with a care in their eyes that I so desperately wanted to be true, they wanted me to know that they were honest and I wanted to believe them. So much.

"Firstly, we wanted you to know that we never wanted to hurt you, that was never our intention, you need to believe us," Tanya said to me. She stopped there, giving me the opportunity to say something but I didn't want to. So she just continued.

"No one really prepared you for this and we realized that we caused you pain. And for that we are sorry. Yesterday… when we saw you break down, we knew we messed up. Our approach was wrong. You deserve the whole truth," Tanya finished. I could tell that she meant those words 100%.

"What do you mean by this, Tanya? And you are saying 'we' this whole time. As far as I know, I am in a relationship with you, you are my girlfriend. What does Kate have to do with it?" I said quickly, not able to contain my thoughts.

"Bella, we will explain everything, but it is not easy for us. We fear your reaction so let us explain as best as we can," Tanya tried to reason with me, almost begging me. And she was not the person that I saw yesterday in front of her family. All that dominant energy was gone, and in her place was a Tanya that I've never seen before, a desperate and sad Tanya. One that I never wanted to see again.

My eyes started to tear, so I just nodded my head, scared that I would cry if I said something.

"Isabella," Kate said, trying to get my attention, and she got it. How was it possible that she provoked the same reaction in me as her sister? She, too, looked timid, gone was her confident smirk and cocky attitude.

"There is something I wanted to ask you and I need you to answer truthfully. No one will get mad at what you say. I promise you that," she told me. I nodded at her request, not knowing what she would ask me.

"When we first met, when I delivered your truck, did you feel something… for me?" she asked me in an uncertain voice, like she was afraid of my reaction. And honestly I was in shock, how did she know? I just sat there frozen, I didn't expect this question. I meant, I knew that I would have to eventually say something about my feelings for Kate, but I didn't think that she would ask me directly.

I had two options; lie and say that I didn't feel anything for her and try to save my relationship with Tanya; because I couldn't see a very positive end if I said that I did feel something for her sister. But then again, Tanya was the one that seemed to push me towards Kate the whole time yesterday. No, Bella, that makes no sense, I told myself.

And my second option was telling the truth and hope for the best, whatever that may be. Also, something in me was almost begging me to tell them the truth, my whole being was against lying to them. What a weird feeling. It was like even if I wanted to I couldn't, at least not directly.

I looked at Tanya, who was giving me a reassuring smile, she was telling me that everything was going to be alright. My gut was telling me to trust her. Even if I was pissed at her.

So here goes nothing, I thought. I decided to not look at them, not wanting to break my heart in the process.

"When I first saw you…" come one Bella, you can do it "you took my breath away. You were like a goddess," I started to say, but then I lifted my head, and Kate was looking at me like I had hung up stars in the night sky. She was radiating with happiness so I decided to continue. "I could feel my heart skipping a few beats, just by looking at you. And there was this pull at my heart that somehow wanted me to go to you and never let go," I finished saying. God, how good it felt to finally come clean with this, I could feel myself getting lighter by the second.

"It was the same reaction that I had with you Tanya, I hoped that my attraction towards your sister was just my imagination playing with me. But that wasn't the case. Yesterday, the whole time, my heart was screaming at me that this was my place, with both of you by my side, I have never felt happier than with you both by my side." I couldn't help myself anymore, I started to cry, my fear of rejection was becoming too much. How could I live when my heart decided to split in two pieces and go with two sisters that were looking at me?

I could see that they wanted to come to me, to comfort me but I held my hand up, to stop them. I wanted to finish this. There was something else I needed to say.

"Tanya, I am so sorry," I told her, not able to look her in the eyes, not wanting to see rejection. "I didn't think it was possible to feel the same thing I felt when I met you. But I need you to know that I would never do anything to hurt you, I wanted to put distance between me and Kate… I don't think I could survive losing you. I love you with my whole heart." And with that I started to fall apart, but it was only a second before I was embraced by two strong hands, and a heavenly scent that was telling me I was safe. A scent that I would recognize everywhere, I was in Tanya's arms.

I started to sob harder, because I thought that she wouldn't want to look at me anymore, let alone hug me and whisper sweet nothings in my ear for me to calm down.

When I started to calm down, Tanya took my face in her palms and whispered, "My love, please don't cry. I can not bear to see you like this. I'm not mad at you nor will I ever be mad because of your feelings for Kate," she told me while kissing me softly on my lips, just a little reassuring peck. "I'm also not mad at her feelings for you," she finished saying that, and just waited for me to realize what she had just said.

Kate's feelings for me? What was she saying?

"I don't understand..." I told with a shaky voice, not sure what she was implying. And also not wanting to get my hopes up.

"I admit I was a little shocked at first, I didn't expect Kate to share the same connection with you as I do," Tanya said, and there was a smile on her lips, because Kate started to laugh when she said 'a little shocked'.

"I have no problem with you having feelings for Kate, as long as you have them for me too. I will never stand in the way of your happiness, and if Kate also makes you happy, there is nothing for me to be mad at," Tanya explained a bit more, but I was still in shock, not knowing what to say. And also I had a feeling that there was something that they were not saying to me.

At that moment Kate started to head towards us, slowly, like she was giving me a chance to say no if I wanted to. But I remained silent. So she went on her knee, and took my hand in hers, slowly kissing my knuckles. My heart started to jump from joy at the touch of her lips. She looked at me with her beautiful eyes.

"My darling," she said, and the butterflies in my stomach started to fly around, "my intention was never to confuse you or cause you pain. I wanted to give you the opportunity to get to know me a little better and then have this talk with you. But I now realize that that was what caused you pain. We didn't know that you felt our bond this strongly. Nobody thinks bad of you for having feelings for me, while being with Tanya," Kate told me, while still holding my hand, and slowly caressing it with her thumb, giving me support.

I had two women in front of me, who were looking at me like I was their whole world. But how was it this easy? I just told them that I had feelings for both of them and they just said it was ok, and they seemed even happier than before. Also I had known them for such a short period of time that this kind of feelings shouldn't be possible. They both were saying stuff like our bond and behaving like this was completely normal to have feelings for two different persons without any problem. And how did they know I felt something for Kate?

Something else was going on here. But what?

"How are you so accepting? How are you behaving like this is the most normal thing in the world? Kate, we've known each other for three days and you look at me like you would take a bullet for me and I would rather die than let you do that. This isn't normal! Please tell me what is going on, I'm begging you," I told them in a pleading voice, hoping they would tell me the truth.

They squeezed my hands, looked at each other and then Tanya started to speak.

"There is an explanation for all this. I hoped that we had a little bit more time before we came to this point but here it is. You need to know that while we didn't tell you the whole truth at the beginning, we never lied to you. You see Kate and I are not capable of lying to you. Our feelings for you are true, we would do anything for you. Without a second thought." Where the hell was she going with this…

"Please don't run away from us after this," Tanya said in a fearful voice. "The reason why we act like this is all normal. Why our fast developing feelings are normal is because they are, at least to us. You see Bella, I once told you that there is a little bit more than our likes for privacy, that when the time comes I would tell you everything. So here it is."

She took a big breath and then blurted out, "We are vampires Bella, and the reason why you feel this strongly for us is because you are our mate."

They were both watching me like I would pass out, start running or something like that. But my brain still hadn't processed what she had just said.

After a few seconds of silence my brain screamed.

'WHAT THE HELL DID SHE JUST SAY!?

Chapter Text

I don't know how long I just sat there, in complete shock. Of all the things that she could have told me she went with 'we are vampires'. She told me that they weren't playing with me and like a fool I believed her.

'We are vampires,' she said with a completely serious face. Both hadn't moved an inch since Tanya had said that, they sat in their armchairs looking like perfect angles or like stone statues that you see in museums. They were looking at me like they were expecting a serious reaction from me. I wanted to laugh at their joke, it was a good one. One that I couldn't have predicted.

"Haha, very funny. Honestly, I didn't see that coming. From all the things that you could have said, you went with that." You could hear disappointment in my voice. I decided that it was the best time for me to go home and drown my sorrows in a bottle of wine. Honestly, I didn't see how I would recover from this heartache.

Before I could even move, Kate decided to speak up. "Bella, we are not lying to you," she said and I could hear the truth in her voice.

"Really? You expect me to believe you? This is the most ridiculous thing that came to your mind," I told them sadly, pain obvious in my tone. "You can tell me the truth, no matter how much it will hurt me"

They had a pained look on their faces, something that bothered me quite a lot. Proof of how hard I have fallen for them. 'How will I get through this?' I thought.

Tanya then got up from the chair. "You want the proof?" she said with eyes begging me to understand. But she didn't wait for my response, she just disappeared before my eyes.

I couldn't believe what just happened, 'how on earth did she just do that?!'. My brain was going overload trying to explain this, but I had no logical explanation. I just sat there, with my mouth and eyes wide open.

And then, with a blink of an eye she appeared again in the same spot as before, like nothing happened.

I didn't move, didn't blink or breathe for who knows how long, thousands of thoughts going through my mind. I should have been afraid, but my body didn't allow me to fear them, not even with Tanya disappearing and reappearing out of thin air in front of me. I felt as safe as always with them.

If I was more aware of my surroundings, I would have noticed that they did have fear in their eyes, agony and fear. They were waiting for me to do something, and they were preparing themselves for the worst. But my mind didn’t let me, I just stared at the fireplace that was behind them.

After some time I got up and walked towards glass wall that had a majestic view of the forest, one that I didn’t notice so far. Not with the most beautiful women in the world in the same room. I looked at the forest, my thoughts chaotically jumping all over the place. Honestly I was overwhelmed.

I don't know how much time has passed before Kate lost her patience. "Bella? Please say something.", she got my attention, so I turned to look at them. They didn’t move form their sits in front of fireplace. Kate looked like she was ready to burst into tears.
I took deep breath and walked to my chair in front of them and slowly sat down.

It took me some time but I managed to whisper with a shaky voice, "Vampires?"

Never in my life did I consider the supernatural actually existing, I mean I did read a lot of fantasy books, but they are all fiction. Are they?

Both Tanya and Kate nodded their heads, confirming my question, other than that they didn't move at all, now that I think about it, they barely moved at all. They didn't blink, I haven't seen them eat this entire time, nor did I actually see Tanya properly eat the entire time I've known her. She was always cold but I just thought that she had poor circulation.

"Vampires? You are actually vampires? Bloodsucking creatures? Sleeping in coffins and burning in sun vampires?" I asked them so fast that in the end I lost my breath. My brain was still not convinced that this wasn't some kind of prank.

"We don't actually sleep nor do we burn in the sun," Kate said with a chuckle, her mood already lightening up. Tanya didn't shift her focus from me, watching my reaction to what Kate was saying.

"You are telling me the truth? This isn't some kind of joke to you so you could get rid of me?" I asked them with a shaky voice, on edge and with tears in my eyes.

Both looked at me like I just said the most ridiculous thing that they ever heard.

"This isn't the way that we wanted to tell you this," Tanya told me with a calm voice. "We wanted to give you more time, so you could get to know us better before learning the truth. But not because we don't trust you, but this isn't something that you say to someone you've known for a week. Not if you want them to believe you and do not run away as soon as they see the proof. But after yesterday we realized that because of our unique situation it is better to come clean."

Even if I didn't believe them at this point her tone made sure that I did. She has some kind of aura that makes you believe her within minutes. At least that was the case with me.

I could see what she was trying to tell me but my brain focused on 'our unique situation' and was not willing to let go. I was refusing to think about what they said earlier about us being mates. What the hell were mates? But I had the feeling that my next question would bring us to this topic.

Nevertheless, I asked them, "Our unique situation?"

And just like that, with my question I could feel them becoming more nervous. It was like they were both waiting for the other to answer. What were they afraid of? That I would run and never come back?

Kate decided to speak first. "Well... you see…" she started to stutter. Gone was her cocky, sure self. I didn't know her for long to know that this was a rare sight to see.

Tanya decided to save Kate from this situation.

"Bella, there are few things that you need to know about us, or about vampires in general. We are creatures with strong primal instincts, it is what makes us so dangerous. The world's greatest hunters if you will, with very few things that can actually destroy us."

She didn't continue, she paused so I could ask them questions if I wanted to.

I didn't have any at the moment, but as soon as she started to talk about something able to destroy them, I felt myself getting upset. My very being was against the thought of them being in danger. I started to frown.

If I was watching them more carefully, I would have seen the little knowing smiles on their faces as they saw my reaction.
But Tanya soon continued, "You don't need to worry about us, our skin is almost indestructible, not to mention that we are immortal."

"Immortal?" I quickly asked. I knew that vampires in fiction were almost always immortal but I was still surprised to hear that. Deep down I felt relieved. They were safe.

"Yes, from the moment we were turned till our destruction we do not age. Our bodies are frozen in the state they were when we were turned, with skin harder than diamond, bodies turned to stone," Kate explained to me.

I still couldn't believe that we were talking about this. Maybe I was going to wake up and all of this would just have been just a crazy dream. One can hope.

"I will go on," Tanya said. "But please, if you have any question or would like to say something, just interrupt me."
Kate smirked at that and said, "You are the only one who is allowed to do that," which earned her a smack in the head from Tanya.

I let out a little laugh at the scene, Kate was rubbing her head while Tanya looked like a pissed mother at her toddler. But it did intrigue me to hear that, what an odd thing to say.

"What do you mean 'I am the only one allowed to do that'?" I asked them curiously, emphasizing on the word 'allowed'.
"I will answer your question but maybe you will understand better if you know more about us in general, if that is ok with you?"
I just nodded for Tanya to go on.

"As I said we are… creatures, with what we like to call our inner beasts. They are responsible for our increased primal instincts, what drives us to be a little more aggressive or possessive. I know that you heard me growl at some point, so that would be an example of our beast showing up."

Tanya paused, leaving me the opportunity to ask questions if I wanted to but I was preoccupied with processing what she had just said.

"Our beast also allows us to form deeper and more meaningful bonds between family members, friends, and partners. We love, care, and hate more deeply than you could ever imagine, because of our beast. One of the side effects of our beast is also the ability to emit pheromones, which helps us mark our territory, repel potential wanderers or show our strength to our enemy; the more powerful your beast is the stronger the pheromones you release. But they also come in handy to calm down your loved ones if needed or to get them more arouse-" I didn't let her finish, my mouth voicing the question that came to my mind instantly.

"Is that what happened to me yesterday when I broke down? Did you do that to me, did you release your pheromones on me?" I tried to hold back the accusing tone of my voice, but you could still hear it. I didn't like that they did that to me without my knowledge. I didn't like that someone had that kind of power over me, to shut me down completely. Even if I knew that they wouldn't abuse it.

They both looked like they were ashamed of what they did to me. I could see pure regret on their faces. Kate was the one that tried to explain their actions.

"Bella, we are truly sorry for what we did. It wasn't an easy decision but one that was made in complete desperation. We couldn't watch you melt down in front of us, our beasts didn't allow it, and we knew that talking to you in that state and after what happened wouldn't go well. We promise you that we won't abuse that power over you." Her promise was clear to hear and it was the one that I believed in.

Kate then continued, "We don't want you to think that pheromones are bad. It's quite the contrary, with the people you love, as Tanya said, they are a powerful tool. All the good side effects of pheromones like calming down or offering support, compassion or showing your… partner how they affect you are very important. We heavily rely on them to deepen our bonds."

It was a lot to take in, honestly I couldn't comprehend how it was possible to do that through smell. I felt a headache coming through and even with me waking up recently I felt like I could sleep again. I was exhausted.

Tanya decided to finish explaining their world to me. "You see, even when our beasts play a major part in our lives, vampires are herd creatures that prefer to live in what we call covens. Almost none of us live alone, maybe there are mates that live together but even that is rare. Our family or coven is a high priority in our lives, only mates are above it. We take great comfort in our covens."

While I listened to her talking about how family is important in their species, I found out that I admired that trait. It must be nice to know that you have a safe and loving family to back you up.

"But there are a few things that make our world a little different. Because we have beasts within us and because we are run by our instincts we have quite a strict way of life, or if you want, rules that must be obeyed." Tanya's voice shifted as she was telling me that, it was a voice that I heard her use with her family. It held quite power and authority. Even Kate was listening to her intensely.

"Many years ago, thousands if you will, our rulers saw the dangerous path that vampires were heading to. Vampires weren't in the hiding, they hunted freely, not seeing the need to hide themselves. But humans started to become more and more aware of us and that was something our rulers feared. So they decided to create laws, they were and still are the most powerful vampires that ever walked the Earth so no one in their right mind would ever think about opposing them. And it turned out they were right, I can't imagine what would happen to us if humans knew about our existence. We would be hunted down and that is something none of us want. As you can imagine the most important law is to keep our existence a secret. To do that they decided that there would be no new turning without their permission, and that the new vampire would spend their first few years training to control themselves with them. Also, they highly recommended living in covens, in communities that would take care of their members and also keep them in line. Through the years covens became the natural way of living for vampires and our own adaptability came through. Our beasts developed a system, or a hierarchy if you will, that maintained peace and order in our world."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked her, not able to contain my curiosity. This was so fascinating to listen to. It was like reading a fantasy book with its own world.

She smiled at my question and continued. "Well, now we come to the part of why you are one of the only people on Earth that can interrupt me," she laughed. "You see, when our rulers were deciding on a system of covens as our way of life they needed to know that every member could be watched over and, if you will, controlled so our secret would remain intact. They decided to give one vampire in each coven the responsibility of being the leader of that coven. The person that would be in charge and held responsible for all the members of the coven. That was usually the vampire with the strongest beast. Of course through the years there were unfit coven leaders but they were dealt with quickly and efficiently. Our rulers take their job seriously, and they do not let their people suffer in vain. And as I said our beasts over the years adapted and took seriously the role of coven leader or member. Coven leaders hold quite a lot of power over their coven members, but with their permission of course. You could say that they are responsible for the actions of their coven mates, it is something that is very serious in our world. They guarantee that they can keep their members in control with their lives."

She paused like she knew that I wanted to ask her something.

"And you are the coven leader?" I asked her. After everything she told me, that would make the most sense. It would explain why she sometimes seemed like she was giving orders to others and why she radiated with authority.

"Exactly, I am the leader of the Denali coven. I am responsible for the actions of my family and it is a role that I don't take lightly, nor do they. I have the power to keep them in check, but also the responsibility to keep them safe. Their beasts see me as a leader otherwise I wouldn't be able to hold my position. Of course as soon as I start to abuse my power I would be removed, permanently," she explained.

Kate was looking at her with admiration in her eyes, like she would do anything for her. And when Tanya turned to her I could see the same look, the same meaning, complete commitment. Tanya then reached out for Kate's cheek, caressing it, gently, with great devotion.

Kate took her hand and kissed it, muttering something sweet that I couldn't quite understand. My heart was melting at the sight in front of me. I knew that they loved each other, but this was something else, I've never seen this kind of bond. This devotion in their eyes that held years of companionship.

Kate then turned to me, "I want you to understand how important Tanya is to our life, she protects us, gives everything she has to ensure we have a happy and fulfilled life. She has never done something that could make us question her. We would follow her to the end of the Earth. But to answer your question, because of her position and our beasts' hierarchy it is very difficult to be rude to her or do something that would question her authority over us. And interrupting her, as small as it seems, would be disrespectful to her. Our beasts don't allow us to do that, they have too much respect for her," she tells me. I could hear that she meant every single word she said. As strange as their system seemed to me, I could see that she didn't have one bit of a problem with that. Maybe that was the rebel in me talking, but I didn't think I would like that kind of authority over me.
And it still didn't answer my initial question, on the contrary.

"Then why can I interrupt her, is it because I am human?" I asked them, trying to understand this situation as best as my brain let me.

"Well, yes that is the part of the reason but not really, you could get away with a lot more than that simply because of the fact that you are her mate," Kate said like it was the most natural thing in the whole world. There she goes again with that word; mate. Like that was the magic answer and everything would suddenly become clear to me.

"You said that word before, like it should mean something to me, but it doesn't. So please tell me what it means. And if keeping your existence is a secret, why would you tell me what you are?" I asked them, hoping that they would hear the desperation in my voice. I needed to know. From what I just heard, punishment in their world was harsh. Why would they risk it for me?
"You see, we are creatures that are capable of experiencing the bonds between one another like no other species in the world. There are three true types of bonds in our world; the bond between soul parents and children, the bond between soul siblings and the most important one, the bond between soulmates or romantic partners. That bond is sacred in our world, no one is more important than your soulmate, you would do anything for them, even die for them. They are the reason why you were put on this Earth. All vampires dream of finding their one and when they do, nothing and no one will ever come between them. When a vampire finds their soulmate in a human, it is allowed to reveal their secret to them," Tanya told me. I could feel my brain overheating with this information. I knew what that meant but I wasn't ready to verbalize it yet.

I don't know how much time passed with them waiting for me to ask the final question. They were giving me the space to think, but my brain was blank.

After some time I dared to ask Tanya, "And I am your soulmate?"

In my heart I knew the answer to that question, but still I needed to hear her. Not allowing myself to think about Kate. Which I immediately regretted as a flash of hurt crossed Kate's face when she saw that my question wasn't directed at her, only Tanya.
Tanya reached for Kate's hand, offering her silent support. But she turned to me and I could see the happiness on her face.
"Yes, you are. You are my mate Bella, the reason I was put on this Earth," Tanya said before she quickly added the last sentence. "But…. You aren't just my mate Bella."

"You are also mine Bella," Kate said. She also looked happy and excited but you could see she was a bundle of nerves.
This time I didn't let them wait. "I am the mate of both of you? How do you know? How is that possible?" I didn't dare yet to believe that that was true. Even in my wildest dreams I couldn't have foreseen this scenario. Both claiming that I was their soulmate. Could I really have both of them?

"We can tell you 100% sure that you are ours," Kate said. "There is no doubt in our mind." What it did to me hearing them say that I was theirs!

Tanya continued, "The moment we saw you, when our eyes met, the connection was formed, much stronger on our side because your body wouldn't be able to bear the full intensity of our feelings. We have found you, our beasts recognize you as our mate. As to how, we don't exactly know, there is only one case of multiple mates in our history, and it is between our rulers."

"But you two are not mates?" I asked them. I didn't not know how the hell I was this calm. I should be freaking out by now.

"No, we always had a close bond, many thought that we are mates, but no we are not. Now we know that you were the reason for that closeness, my beast couldn't bear to share you with no one else but her, and it goes the same for her. Now we are closer than ever before, our goal in life is the same. Our purpose is the same; loving you, making you happy and keeping you safe," Tanya told me and I had no other choice than to believe her. I didn't understand what kind of sorcery was making me believe all of this, but I believed it with all my heart.

And with that I started to shake and sob, tears pouring from my eyes. I had tortured myself over my feelings for Kate, not wanting to jeopardize my relationship with Tanya, but they were both mine. Tanya and Kate were mine.

There was something in me that didn't let me be afraid of them, that couldn't even let me think of leaving them after they told me they were vampires. I knew that my place was with them. They were mine.

I continued to dry my eyes out from all the stress, happiness and something else that was making me more emotional than usual.

When I heard slow footsteps that were approaching me, I lifted my head up to see Tanya and Kate slowly coming towards me, but they had fear in their eyes and their steps were unsure. Like they wanted to run towards me but were afraid that my tears were rejection.

Which made me cry even harder, unable to articulate what I wanted.

"My love, please don't cry. We can not bear the sight of you crying, we didn't want to upset you," Tanya told me in a pleading voice, after which came Kate's more desperate voice.

"My darling, please forgive us. We couldn't lie to you directly, you deserve the truth. Please don't reject us," she was begging me. True horror could be heard in her voice. "I will leave you two alone, I won't bother you, please don't cry."

Somehow she concluded that she was too much for me and decided to remove herself from the picture so I could be with Tanya.
My heart broke when I heard that. I decided to act before thinking, and not even a second after she said that, I was in her arms. Her strong, safe arms that were holding me like I was the most precious cargo in the world. I was looking her in the eyes, which now held adoration in them. She was waiting for me to do something, letting me decide the next step.

I didn't think too much, I let my instincts do their thing and slowly brought my lips to hers, kissing her.

My soul was shouting 'I am home'.

Chapter Text

All I could think about were Kate's lips and what she was doing to me with them. Her style of kissing was different from Tanya's, she was more demanding but also more playful. She would bite my bottom lip occasionally, making me moan, which I could assume was her goal. It didn't take long for our kiss to become a full blown make up session. That could only end because my need for oxygen, that stupid oxygen.

Kate understood my need, and slowly started to break off our kiss. At which point I opened my eyes only to see the most precious look on her face. The adoration was clear in her eyes, as was the lust, which I assumed could also be seen in my eyes. She smiled at me, a million-dollar smile that I could never get tired to see.

I couldn't believe that she was mine, only mine. All the time that I spent worrying about my attraction to her, she was mine. It was so surreal. My brain was still trying to process all the things that they said to me, but my heart was not letting me panic or fear them. This feeling was the right one. They were the right ones for me. For the rest of my life.

"I can't believe this is real, that you are mine," I told Kate, caressing her face, which had her lean more into my hands and closing her eyes. Not long after I could hear a faint purring sound, at first I was a little taken aback, but then I realized that it was coming from Kate. And it was getting louder.

"Are you purring?" I asked her in a teasing voice, not expecting that. "Should I start calling you kitten?" at which she let out a little laugh. I could see the happiness in her eyes, which made me feel like I won a lottery.

"You said I was yours," she told me, giving me an answer to my question, not that I completely understood how that answered it. "And just so you know, I am no kitten, no, maybe a lioness," she said teasingly.

"Whatever you say my little kitten," I said, fully laughing at this point. I could see her personality come out, and I loved it. This is what I wanted.

"I will give you a kitten," she said in a fake offended voice and started to roar like a lioness pretending to bite my neck while I tried not to pee my pants with laughter and trying to get out of her grip.

She would have continued to mess with me but my stomach started to make itself known, and now that I felt it I realized how hungry I was. Kate also heard it and stopped her attack on me. She seemed reluctant to release me from her arms.

"Kate, she will not disappear, we need to feed her." At the sound of Tanya's voice I turned to look at her, my mind was so focused on Kate that I forgot that she was in the room. I felt really bad because of that. But like she read my mind she said, "Do not worry you have all the right to enjoy your time with Kate, do not feel guilty", and then with the smirk said "I doubted that Kate still has her charm in her, poor thing." I let out a laugh, my mind calming down from my worry of how this will all work. But I still needed to talk to them about it. But first food.

I started to move so Kate let me go and I decided to go to Tanya, so I could kiss her, feel her, I know that this whole thing wasn't easy for her, she was worried that I would run from them.

She opened her arms for me and I kissed her, trying to let her know that I wasn't going away, she had me.

"I love you so much," she told me. "Never in my dreams did I think that I would deserve a mate like you. So strong, so beautiful. Thank you for giving us a chance and staying." I knew that she meant everything that she said.

"How could I not, when you have my whole heart. I love you too," I told her, giving her a little peck, and taking her arms and turning toward the door, when I noticed that Kate was not in the room. In a matter of seconds my emotions changed, a piece was missing, and my heart was screaming to me to find it again.

"Do not worry, she went to the kitchen, to start to prepare you a breakfast" Tanya told me, again reading my emotions so clearly. And it started to get a little freaky, I put that on the list of questions that I needed to ask them.

We got to the kitchen and Kate was indeed there, preparing me food and I could feel myself relaxing again. Both of them were near me and that seemed to be my top priority in life. Well, you won't hear me complain.

Before I could sit at kitchen island, Kate had already put the plate in front of me, two big turkey sandwiches with lettuce. I could just murmur "Thank you" before devouring those sandwiches. I didn't realize that I was starving, maybe all this stress was doing its damage, but I felt like I could eat ten more. My mind was so focused on food that I didn't even notice that Tanya put orange juice in front of me and that Kate was preparing another sandwich for me, which was devoured quickly as the first two.

Only when I finished my feast did I lift my head up, they were on the other side of the island, watching me like I was doing some sort of performance. "What?" I asked them.

"We do not know much about human habits, but you literally inhaled those sandwiches in 2 minutes," Kate said in wonder. "Do humans really become this hungry? I mean you did eat yesterday in the evening." I could tell that she actually wanted to know.

Now that she said that it made me think, I usually wasn't this hungry, not that it would seem that I was starving. But the past couple of days were very emotionally draining so it wasn't strange that my body demanded more.

"Usually not, I do not act like I was starving for days but I think that all things that happened yesterday and today made my body want and need more. Humans do depend on their food quite a lot," I told them, the last part in a playful tone. But I could see that my statement worried them.

"We didn't know that you would feel like that, we didn't consider that your body possibly couldn't handle this stress. How could we have overlooked that? Kate, make her more sandwiches, it seems that she likes them quite a lot," Tanya finished, looking like she was trying to solve the world climate problem. I knew that I needed to stop both of them, before they entered panic mode.

"Whoa, everything is alright. There is no need for more food, this was enough for now. I don't think there is a need to worry so much, I ate yesterday, and nothing will happen if I don't eat more today. You don't need to worry," I tried to calm them down but all I seemed to do was upset them more.

"Bella, you need to understand that our main priority in life is making sure that you are healthy, safe and happy. So please do not try to make this seem like nothing, we should have fed you first thing in the morning. This will not happen again. I promise you that," Tanya finished with a serious look on her face. I looked at Kate in the hope that she wouldn't be so hard on herself, but she wore the same look. I would need to talk to them about that.

I got up from my seat and started to reach for my plate and glass so that I could clean them but before I could reach them, Kate was already putting them in the dishwasher. I lifted my brow at her, as if asking what that was for.

She looked at me confused. "What?" she asked when I didn't say anything. "There is no need for you to do that kind of things when we are around," she told me like it was the most normal thing in the world. A part of me liked that, liked being taken care of, having mates that took care of me, but then another part of me wasn't okay with that. And I needed to talk to them about that.

I sighed, "I appreciate that you want to take care of me but I am a grown woman that took care of herself for my whole life. And I don't plan to change that anytime soon. It makes me feel wrong, like you think that I am not able to care for myself." I started to get emotional, I didn't want them to take it the wrong way.

They took a moment to think about my words and then Tanya said, "We hear you Bella, we don't want you to think that we do not care for your opinion nor do we think that you are not capable of taking care of yourself. That's not the case at all. It's more that our nature is the 'problem' here. If you were a vampire we would hunt for you, proving to be capable hunters that could satisfy your needs. You see, our beasts at the moment are trying to prove that we are worthy of being yours. That we are capable of taking care of you, that you don't need to look for someone else. Unfortunately, I don't think that will ever stop, but with time we will be able to control it more," she finished.

Kate took my hand, kissing it slowly. "We will do our best to get them under control as soon as possible, but we beg you to not be angry at us, at least not in the beginning when everything is so fresh and our instincts are going nuts," Kate said, and I could hear pleading tones in her voice.

How difficult was this situation for them, having me as a mate, a human that didn't understand their needs nor the depth of their feelings for me. At least I could try to make it easy on them, this was something that they needed. And here I felt that this pull was supernatural, because before their answer I was ready to fight them on it, but as soon I realized that this was something they needed, there was no problem at all within me. I would do everything to make it easy on them, to take care of them.

"Okay, I can't say that I completely understand what you feel, but if there is something I can do that will help you I will," I told them, receiving beaming smiles from them.

"And we promise not to take it to extreme, or well try to," Kate said winking at me, letting her playful nature come through.

"Would you like to go to the living room, we could just lay there and rest or if you have questions for us, we will be happy to answer them," Tanya suggested, at which I eagerly nodded. I wouldn't mind being horizontal with them again, but maybe I should find out a few things first.

"I do have more questions for you," I told them, at which they smiled.

"We would be disappointed if you didn't," Tanya said teasingly. At which I stuck out my tongue at her and started walking towards the living room. I could hear them laughing and then following me.

I sat in the corner of the sofa so that they could both sit near me and it would be easier to talk to both of them. Tanya sat on my right and Kate on my left, leaving no room between us. They were seeking the contact and I was happy to give them that.

There were no words that could describe the bliss I was feeling with them, the happiness they gave me. At that moment it was becoming clear that they were the most important people in my life, everything else was secondary. I could feel my eyes tear up, but from happiness.

It didn't take long for them to notice. Tanya started to move her hand on my thigh in a soothing manner, while Kate wiped my tears with a confused look on her face. "I know that you are not in distress or sad, so why are you crying, my darling?" She knows, another thing I need to ask them. But first to clear up the situation.

I smiled at her, "Do not worry, these are happy tears. I feel so much happiness right now, I just couldn't contain them." The pure happiness that could be seen on Kate's face at my statement will forever be present in my mind, I was sure that Tanya wore the exact same look. Which she did. I decided to give them a little kiss, before asking them to explain things further.

"Sooo, I have a few questions that I want to ask you, I am sure that there will be more in the future," I let out a little laugh.

"Shoot," Tanya said, curious to see what I would ask them.

"Well… while I was eating it came to my mind that I don't know.. how should I say… I am curious to know about your diet," I told them, unsure how to phrase my question.

"We see," Tanya smirked. "You are wondering if we will drink your blood?" she asked smugly.

"You would be delicious my darling," Kate said, making me smack the hand that was traveling towards my neck, at which she giggled.

"To answer your question, we do survive on blood, either on human or animal, with human blood being superior, making us stronger. Nowadays there is no real need to hunt humans, other than to satisfy our hunting instincts because we have blood bags from donations that keep us well fed. Even that is better than animals. You do not need to fear us in that regard, we will never feel that hunting instinct towards you. It would be impossible," Tanya answered me. I was pleased that they had human blood that kept them well fed, with no need to harm humans. "But I need to tell you something, with you being human and our mate, we would be able to drink your blood with no danger to you. In our world it is one of the most sacred things, being trusted to enjoy our mates blood. It is usually done while doing more intimate things, if you get what I mean," Tanya finished and I had a feeling that she would be blushing if she could.

And the second my mind went to that scene, of them drinking my blood, while making love, I could feel myself getting wetter. Which they must have felt, because I could feel them getting even closer to me, with more hunger in their eyes.

I wanted to act on my feelings but before I let myself, I needed to know something.

"What about human food?" I asked, hoping that they would understand. Which they did.

"It disgust us, it is like someone gives you shit on the stick," Kate said, lightening the mood.

"Eww, it is a shame, there are wonderful things you are missing," I told her.

"If you say so," she didn't look like she believed me. "To clarify what Tanya said earlier, even if it is possible for us to drink your blood, we would never do something that makes you uncomfortable. That would be your decision entirely."

I smiled at them; they knew what to say. "I trust you my loves, but thank you for telling me that." I kissed both of their knuckles. It meant the world to me, to know that they had my back 100% percent. "There is something I want to know before we take our relationship to the next level. I need to know how our relationship will work," I told them, knowing that I didn't explain very well.

"Can you tell us what exactly you are wondering?" Tanya asked me, in a more serious tone.

"Well, you are both mated to me, right?" They nodded their heads. "But not to each other." Again, they nodded. "So I was wondering how it would work. For example, how are you feeling when I kiss the other? Or when we start to head further? I don't want the other to feel left out or jealous if I am with one and not the other. For example, making love, will we all be together or—"

"Bella, Bella love, calm down, take a deep breath," Tanya told me, while caressing my cheek. "Even with us not being mates, our bond with you makes jealousy impossible between Kate and I. There isn't and will never be a problem of displaying your affection towards one when the other is present. The same goes for making love, if you want the both of us or just one at the time, we will never feel jealous of one another. Not that we won't want to be there, because we will, but there won't be any bad feelings involved," Tanya explained, making me feel better.

"That is so good to hear. I was worried that I would need to be careful, so I don't hurt the other. Something I never want," I told them, feeling shy.

"I think that we are okay with that because you want us at the same time, you don't want to separate us, but make us even closer. Our beasts can feel that and pull us towards each other even more. It is the reason I feel aroused when I watch you and Tanya, why it makes me feel good, fulfilled. Same goes for her," Kate told me, trying to explain their side of the story.

I don't think I will ever get used to supernatural forces and their influence on my life, but I will not complain.

"You are right, I would never want to separate you two, or choose to spend time with only one of you. Or having to hide my emotions towards one in the presence of the other. This makes my life a lot easier." I breathed out in relief, feeling the stress leaving my body.

"We can tell, but you don't need to worry about our relationship functioning in a way that you don't want. Even if it is your subconscious desire, our beasts will know what you want and will do everything in their power to do the right thing for you," Tanya looked proud saying that but I didn't want them to be slaves to me.

"But isn't that unfair to you! That isn't something I want, what about your desires?" I asked them, upset.

"We do not see it that way. When a vampire finds a human mate they naturally take the more dominant role in the relationship and that entails doing everything to make their mate feel safe and happy. It is in our nature, it is who we are, so we don't and never will see it as unfair."

"Please never think that you are making us do something we don't want, as it is simply not true," Kate added after Tanya.

It left me to think that I knew very little about the dynamics of vampire relationships and how strange it all sounded to me. But one thing I knew is that they were not lying to me. They were telling me the truth and now it was up to me to make my peace with that. But it was not easy when you lived your whole life feeling like you didn't need anyone and that you didn't change for nothing.

"I cannot say that I understand it completely, it will take me time to get used to that but I trust you completely. And I trust you to tell me if I do something that doesn't feel right for you. Can you promise me that?" I asked them.

"We promise you," they said in unison, smiling at me and taking my hand to kiss it. I could already see that I would be defenseless against them.

Another question came to my mind. "I was wondering how do you know so well what I am feeling? A couple of times today you knew what I was feeling like you were reading my mind. What's up with that?"

They let out a little laugh and then Kate answered, "Another perk of being a vampire. We can sense your mood shift and any major emotions like sadness, anger, happiness or arousal through your pheromones. Our noses are much more advanced than humans. It is easier to pick it up with you being our mate, as you will sense our emotions easily when you become one of us," Kate finished like it was the most logical thing. And while I got the answer to my question, she had started another topic that made me freeze.

They quickly picked up on my reaction and I could see them worry, they were probably afraid that I wouldn't want that. I could see them panic. But I couldn't calm them down when I didn't know what to feel. It was the most logical step, to join them in all eternity but something was holding me back. Something was stopping me from telling them 'yes, turn me tomorrow'. I could see myself with them in the future, as a vampire, but not now.

"When I become vampire?" I decided to ask them. Not saying anything else. They looked at each other, like they were trying to decide what to say.

"Bella, my love, there isn't another choice. You know our secret, our law is clear, turning you into a vampire or killing you." As soon as Tanya said that with an expression of agony, Kate let out the most animalistic sound that I have ever heard. It sounded like a wounded and furious animal, and she looked like she could kill. Which made me react instantly, trying to calm her down, knowing that I was the reason for that reaction. She took me in her lap, pulling me in and not letting go.

"Never!" she said with a hoarse voice that didn't sound like her. I started to caress her hands trying to calm her down, but it didn't work. Her grip only became stronger.

"Kate, calm down this moment," Tanya needed to interfere. I could hear her authority in her voice, not leaving Kate any other choice than to listen. Her reaction wasn't instant, so Tanya growled, making me jump a little. I'm not gonna lie, that struck me a little.

After that Kate's reaction was immediate, she put me in my original position and hung her head low, trying to make herself smaller. I could see the effect that Tanya had on her, as her leader, she had so much power over her. No wonder they took the role of leader so seriously, people with that power needed to be in check.

"I am sorry, Tanya, it won't happen again. But I can't bear the thought of her not being with us. I let my beast out of control. Bella I didn't want to frighten you, please forgive me," she told me, with a pained expression, not bearing that I could be mad at her. I could understand her reaction, so I kissed her slowly.

"I am not mad nor was I afraid, don't worry kitten," I told her, trying to lighten the mood. She smiled at that, but I could see that she was still troubled by her outburst. "I know that I will become one of you, it is the most logical thing. I can not live without you and the bare thought that you will be in pain is unbearable. From the moment that you told me that I am your mate I knew I would become one of you… but…. Something is stopping me from saying yes immediately and I don't know what," I tried to explain to them but how could I do that when I didn't even understand.

Tanya took my hands. "It is not an easy decision, leaving your life behind. We would never make that decision against your will, but I can say that we feel immense relief that you are not against it. What we can do is give you a little bit of time before turning you. Enough for you to make peace and say goodbye to your life. But we will need to contact the Queens and explain everything, there is no other way. I hope that they will support our decision to give you time but we will need to guarantee that you will become one of us," she told me. I could see the leader Tanya, and how seriously she took her role. I remembered the story that they told me earlier about Queens, how they had total control over the vampire race. It made me fear them. They had the power to hurt my mates if they deemed it right, and all because of my decision.

"The Queens are not evil, they always have our best interests in mind and we always had mutual respect, our coven has supported them when they needed. I don't think you need to worry, we can feel you panic," Kate explained, but that didn't do much for me. My worry for them was stronger. My mind didn't let it go, supplying me all the scenarios of them getting hurt because of me and my decision.

So why couldn't I let them change me in a couple of days? I knew that they were my everything even if we'd only known each other for a couple of days. There was no other for me. Leah was the only person that I couldn't see myself letting go, but for them and their safety I would do that.

They had me in their arms very soon, trying to calm me down by kissing my face, hands and body. They were muttering sweet nothings in my ear, grounding me, pulling me towards them.

They didn't stop, even when I calmed down completely, switching us to a horizontal position with me between them, in their arms that gave me all the safety I needed, I didn't feel the unnatural calmness that would be the product of their pheromones. Still they made me feel safe and I was tired from all the stress and excitement that I went through. I was starting to fall asleep and I almost got there, when a feeling of nausea suddenly overwhelmed me. I quickly jerked out, still half asleep, and tried to get out of their arms. I knew that I would vomit if I started to speak but they didn't let me go, not at first.

But when Tanya saw my hand over my mouth she realized what was happening and in the moment I was over the toilet, letting my guts out with my vampires standing next to me holding my hair and caressing my back.

Chapter Text

I puked my guts out right there and then. In the middle of the action, I tried to tell them to leave, I didn't want them to see all of this even if Tanya did witness me puke before.

Not once did they stop running their hands on my back, cooling me down and whispering encouraging words, and for that I was extremely grateful.

When I couldn't puke anymore Kate gave me a glass of water and a toothbrush at my request. I almost regretted lifting my head up and seeing their faces. The worry was obvious on their faces.

"I can see that you are worried, but I don't think you should be. I am fine-" and just like in movies, as soon as I said 'fine' the urge to throw up was there again and in the matter of seconds I was above the toilet again.

After I finished the second round I whispered, "Okay, maybe I have some stomach bug, but please don't go overboard with worry," I told them, but it was like I was talking to the wall.

"Maybe we should take her to the hospital," Tanya said to Kate.

"Or we can call Carlisle, he could help us," continued Kate. And I knew that I needed to interfere before they did something overboard.

"Guys!" I raised my voice, but they were still mummering between themselves like I wasn't here. So I tried again "Guys!!" That did get their attention.

They looked at me like I was going to fall apart any second, or like I was on my deathbed.

"All I did was puke my guts out, there is no reason to worry like that. It is pretty common for humans to catch some stomach bugs," I told them, pretty sure that that would stop them from worrying.

"Bella, our beasts are going insane right now," Kate started to say. "We are not capable of watching our mate be sick or hurt. Everything in us is telling us right now to change you, to prevent you from getting hurt ever again," she finished with a tortured look on her face.

Then Tanya started to speak. "And as we talked before, we know that you don't want that yet so we are going a little crazy." Yeah just a little, I thought to myself. "So we are going to take you to the hospital, we can not take that risk, not even a little bit."

I started to protest but she beat me to it, and in the most serious voice that she used with me she said, "Do not even try to tell me that we are overreacting Isabella." Oh shit I was in trouble. "The first time that I saw you, you also threw up, then you fainted and now you threw up again. I- no we will not let anything go. So even if I need to carry you to the hospital-" she started to raise her voice a little, but I decided to let that pass, she was worried and I understood her to a point.

"Stop right there, I am a grown up and I can decide how to take care of myself and I won't go to the hospital- " then I received soft growls from them. I was surprised, before that I was never on the receiving end, and I could see that that provoked a strange reaction in me. Making me want to say sorry, to appease them. They could see my confused face.

"What was that?" I asked them quietly. I knew that they knew what I meant.
"Bella…" they both spoke at the same time, I could see their frustration clearly. I mean of course, I loved that they cared so much for me, but I could see that they would blow up every situation where I was in 'danger'

I didn't speak, letting them explain what was happening. They let out a huff of air, and in the next moment I was in Tanya's arms, in bridal style, heading to the living room. Kate was nowhere to be seen, but as soon as I was laid down on the sofa, she came from the kitchen, carrying some toast and a mug. When she came close, I could smell chamomile.

Now, how could I be mad at them when they kept doing stuff like this? "Thank you," I told them, taking a little sip of the tea. They sat on the coffee table, looking at me like I was made of glass and I was going to break at any moment.

Tanya was first to speak. "My love, I beg you to try to understand us. We can't stand that there's something wrong with you. Our instincts are so strong right now, we're capable of killing anyone who even looks at you. Everything in us tells us that something is wrong and that we should do everything in our power to help you. It doesn't help us that you refuse to take your health seriously. We're going crazy slowly and we don't want to scare you and…" Tanya stopped speaking, looking defeated, almost at the point of crying.

Was it really like that for them? I tried to imagine if the roles were reversed and as soon as I did that, I got the feeling that I would flip the Earth upside down just for them to be okay. I could see that these supernatural emotions and bonds were going to be fun.

"It is not my intention to hurt you or cause you to go mad. I can't pretend to understand what you are feeling now…" I took a deep breath. "For me, on one hand I am very flattered that you worry for me so much, it makes me feel right, but on another hand, I am not used to having someone telling me what I must do. I told you that before, all my life I took care of myself."

I could tell how much I must love them already, if it were someone else, they wouldn't see me again. But for them, I was even considering having their way.
Before they could speak I asked them, "Why did I feel the need to obey you when you… growled at me?" The two looked so guilty and sorry, something that I had never seen before. "Why do I feel the need to appease you, even if it goes against my beliefs? I mean I am even considering going to the doctor tomorrow just because it will make the two of you calm down."

"That is part of our bond," Tanya started to say. "Even if you are human, the dynamic between you and us is slowly but surely changing." She didn't say anything more, so I waited.

"I don't want you to… to… hate us, for us it is the normal way of life."

"Just tell me," I interrupted her.

"In vampire relationships, as we told you briefly before, one person is always more dominant, while the other is submissive, and since Kate and I are vampires, we took the dominant role. That is always the case when the relationship is with a human."

"Okay, but what does that mean?"

"It means that you would be more susceptible to listening to us, that we would have a greater influence on you and your actions. It does not mean that we decide for you, but what you feel is the desire to please us, even now after such a short time, your instinct tells you to listen to us, as the dominant partners in the relationship."

Oh shit, was my only thought.

"What? Does that mean that you can boss me on everything? That I would be compelled to listen to you no matter what? That I don't have free will anymore?" I started to raise my voice, feeling upset.

"Bella, Bella, my darling," Kate said in a soothing voice, trying to calm me down.

"Bella, just listen to us, we know that this is a lot for you, but do not jump to any conclusion without listening to all of it," she said in a more demanding tone.
I didn't answer, taking a few deep breaths, after which I looked at them, waiting for the worst.

"What Tanya said is true, but there is more to it. As we said before, our main goal in life is taking care of you, making sure that you are happy, there is nothing more important than that. Our evolution made sure that we would have a little help in that role, but that doesn't mean that we decide for you, or that we have power over you or your decisions. We are incapable of doing something against your wishes or with the intention of harming you or making you suffer in any way. For our dynamic to work, or for you to feel the need to appease us, it means that you agree with us, even if it is on a subconscious level. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the need. Our beasts wouldn't let us do anything that would jeopardize our bond," Kate finished saying, before Tanya continued.

"You already felt some 'perks' of the bond. Our pheromones were made so that we could offer you peace, to calm you down or give you protection. Just like only you will have the power to calm us down or make our beasts feel at peace," Tanya finished.

Yes, I remembered that they put me to sleep almost instantly when I freaked out. I didn't like that they had so much power over me, but it did help me.

My emotions and thoughts were all over the place. Would I ever get used to this kind of relationship, at least while I'm human? Could I come to terms with them having such an influence on me? Although I knew they would never use it. I was absolutely sure of that.

My two sides were at war, the runner in me was telling me this was too much, that I couldn't let anyone have that kind of power over me. But the winning side was telling me that finally I had someone who would always put me first, who would take care of me. I would be loved like in fairy tales. They needed to understand me, but I also needed to understand and accept them. They weren't responsible for the way things in their world worked.

I could imagine why they would want to quickly turn their mates into vampires, I couldn't understand how a person could deal with this kind of emotions for a long time.

I don't know how long I was there thinking in silence, but when I focused on them, I could see that they had moved closer to each other, taking comfort in this situation, but otherwise they were like frozen statues. Not moving at all. But their eyes were telling me a lot. I saw desperation. They must have assumed that I would leave. That this was my breaking point.

And I couldn't let that be.

I slowly moved, like I could spook them. Only their eyes were following my movements.

I carefully took their freezing cold hands in mine, moving my lips to their knuckles.
"My loves," I told them, and their reaction was instant, it was like the sun was shining again. "Everything in your world is foreign to me, I will not pretend that some things don't bother me, because they do. But, I have never and will never doubt your intentions towards me. My heart would not let me. I ask you to give me some time to get used to it all. I can not promise you that I won't get upset by something again, but I will try. I never, ever want to see pain in your eyes again, especially if it is because of me," I finished pouring my heart out to them. And before I could blink I was in the middle of the sandwich, between my mates.

Who were purring like crazy. It didn't take long for them to attack my neck with their lips, like they were trying to mark their territory. I couldn't blame them because I found myself doing the same thing to Tanya. Only my efforts were in vain, there were no marks found on her neck. Which only gave me greater motivation in my attack. I could feel their hands traveling on my body, before Kate's hand settled on my breasts, squeezing them before moving her attention to my nipples, which were a very sensitive spot on my body, for some reason now more than before. Her actions made me moan loudly, throwing my head back, enjoying all the stimulation that I was feeling.

Never in my life did I feel this level of arousal from kissing and groping, I could feel my clit throbbing. I felt like I was going to combust any moment now.

In that moment I knew that I wanted to make love with them, right there and then. And I never made love, I fucked with no emotion involved, so this situation was a new one for me. I needed to tell them that before I started rubbing against them like there was no tomorrow.

"Take me to your room," I told them breathlessly.

They stopped their attack on my body for a moment. Tanya moved away to look at me, her eyes were completely black. Only hunger and desire for me was visible in them. I had no doubt that Kate had the same look in her eyes. Tanya slowly touched my cheek, in order to get all my attention.

"Are you completely sure?" she asked me. "We don't want you to feel any pressure from us, we will wait for you as long as you want."

Even though their desire was completely obvious to me, they still cared about me and my feelings.

"I want you with all my heart and body, make me yours", I told them. Something primal woke up in them when they heard what I said. They both let out a low moan, which in turn made me even more horny.

Suddenly, Tanya took my ass and lifted me up as if I were light as a feather. This show of strength excited me even more, and I couldn't help myself. I started slowly rubbing my crotch against hers, trying to create as much pressure as possible on the desired area.

I was too preoccupied with her lips to notice how we were moving. All that was on my mind were her lips, dominating me with the promise of unimaginable pleasures. In a second I found myself on my back on their bed, with them standing in front of me, looking at me like I was their prey.

They slowly looked at each other, as if they were talking, but I didn't even hear a word. They decided something, because they slowly moved towards each other and started the most sensual kiss I've ever seen. At that point I was so wet I believe you could see through the pants I was still wearing.

They looked towards me, but did not break their kiss yet, as if they felt what they were doing to me. In fact, they must feel it, that was probably their plan; for me to experience self-combustion from all the arousal I was feeling.

I couldn't stand it anymore, I was so horny, my clit was now so sensitive it started to be painful, I had to do something to get some form of stimulation. My hand went to my crotch on its own but was stopped by a growl from the bottom of the bed. Tanya and Kate decided to stop their kiss, and now they were looking at me as if I had done something wrong. I raised my eyebrows, as if to ask them what they wanted to do with that.

Kate replied with a smug smile on her face, "That would be our job my darling."
Tanya slowly stood behind Kate and began to remove her clothes piece by piece. It was a slow torture, I knew they wouldn't let me join them, they were doing a show for me.

It's not that I wasn't grateful to them, but I think my chance of a heart attack increased, my heart almost beat out of my chest, and my breathing felt like I had run a marathon. But, I didn't take my eyes off them anyway, not for a second.

First in line was her T-shirt, followed by her pants. Tanya slowly undid the button and pulled them sensually from Kate's legs. In front of me stood a goddess, with a body sculpted by Greek masters. My jaw dropped to the floor, and I groaned at the sight. They both had a satisfied smile on their faces, they knew how I reacted to them and they liked it.

Tanya then kissed Kate's neck, as if trying to mark her, and put her hand around her breasts, massaging them, before ripping off her bra. It didn't take her long before she put her hand on her panties and pulled them off her.

My breath stopped, Kate was in front of me as if born. I could cum just from the sight, which almost happened to me. I guess I would be the first person who managed to have an orgasm from watching.

Kate watched with satisfaction as I drooled at her, she was proud of herself.
It wasn't long before Kate started returning the favor to Tanya. They switched places and the slow torture began again.

Kate took more time, but the result was the same. Tanya was completely naked in front of me, with a body that could kill mere mortals with just a look. I don't know how the saliva didn't escape my mouth.

How was it possible for such perfection to exist? I could watch them all my life without getting bored. My eyes had an orgasm.

I let out the deepest moan of my life, I couldn't take it anymore.

"You are the most beautiful creatures walking on this planet," I told them breathlessly.

"And completely yours," they said in unison. Something deep inside me was filled with pleasure at their statement, but I already knew how to make them take action.
"I think you're going to have to prove it to me." Before the words were out of my mouth they were both on me.

I thought with satisfaction that I would finally be able to touch them. But my luck was short-lived, I moved my hands towards them, but in a second my hands were attached to the bed, one hand was held by Tanya and the other by Kate. I tried to move them again, but it was impossible.

I made a sound of displeasure, but it was no use. My second instinct was to start rubbing my body against them, even though I was still clothed, having them next to me naked, without thinking I went into action. Anything just to experience some kind of friction.

But that didn't work either, they easily stopped my movements, there was no way I could fight with them.

"We told you, this is our job, and we determine how it will go," Tanya told me, and this demonstration of dominance made me even more horny. I felt another rush of wetness.

They attacked my neck at the same time, each on one side, kissing me, sucking, leaving their mark on me. I had no doubt that tomorrow I would be all over the place. But it was so good that I didn't regret it at all. Only with attacks on my neck they lifted me to new heights, my body twisted on theirs, but they didn't give me much room to move. Their hands ran over my body, as if they were trying to remember it.

After a while, I heard the sound of the fabric tearing and in a few moments I was completely naked in front of them. They moved away from my neck so they could look at me.

All I saw in their eyes was admiration and hunger, they were devouring me with their eyes. A low growl could be heard from their throats, their beasts coming to the surface, which turned me on even more.

They ran their fingers over my body, eliciting a sound reaction from me. Every place they touched was sensitive, their coldness sent tingles through me, but I didn't mind. I was in heaven.

They lowered themselves onto my breasts, slowly took my nipples into their mouths and began to suck. I arched my back to encourage them to continue. They had skilled tongues, I almost cum from their attack on my breasts.

I think they noticed I wasn't going to last much longer because their hands started going further south. They stopped at my thighs and slowly began to spread my legs. They raised themselves so they could give all their attention to my pussy. For some reason I wasn't ashamed in front of them, I saw their reaction to my body, and I was proud of that. I wanted to be watched.

"You are dripping," Kate said with admiration in her voice.

"Is that all for us?" Tanya asked with a grin on her face.

"Everything for you," I told them. "Please, I can't take it anymore, I need to cum, I feel like I'm going crazy."

"All in good time," said Kate. To which I sighed unhappily. They just laughed at that, but their hands started teasing, getting closer and closer to my pussy.

"You smell so good, I could eat you all," Tanya said, then continued with slow torture. I was hoping she would do just that, but I wasn't so lucky.

Although, their fingers were getting closer to the goal.

Finally they took pity on me, they started playing with my outer lips, slowly coming closer to my clit.

I don't know whose fingers started exploring my clit. They started doing various movements on it, pulling it, massaging it, and that's all I needed. My body began to twist under their touch, the feeling of pressure growing more and more until I couldn't take it anymore.

I finally had an orgasm, I threw my head back, my toes shriveled, and I grabbed the sheets with my hands all in a rush of orgasm. They didn't stop their actions, they helped me get out as much as possible, until I slowly went down to the ground. I can say that I was in a haze for a while, and during that time they were leaving kisses all over my body.

"You were magnificent," they told me. "But we are not done with you yet."

Their hands started teasing me again, teasing my clit, massaging my lips, until I felt their presence at my entrance. My heart skipped a beat and my breath stopped. They looked towards me, they wanted to see my face as they entered me, as they made me theirs.

At the same time, each with one finger, they slowly began to enter me, all the while watching me react to their movements. I was so wet that they entered me without any problem with the whole finger, and then the real torture began.

At first they slowly started to enter me, and slowly withdrew, slowly building pressure in my lower abdomen. After a while, they started curling their fingers to hit my favorite spot in the body. To which I started moaning like a porn actress.

Every time I got close to orgasm, they would slow down their movements, making it impossible for me to cum. I don't even know how many times they did it, but I know I couldn't take it anymore. I was so sensitive, so aroused that I thought I was going crazy. And the hunger in their eyes intensified more and more. Somehow I knew that it was sexual hunger, but also hunger for my blood, to be marked. So that everyone knew I was theirs. Completely.

That realization didn't let me think about anything else. All I wanted was to be theirs.
"Make me yours completely," I told them, although it came out more like an order. I knew that this was the only way to achieve peace and satisfaction.

I remembered what they told me, what it meant for them to drink my blood. I wanted it with all my soul and body.

They looked at each other, I think they were surprised that I was asking them to do that.

"Are you sure Bella? Once we mark you, there's no going back. There's something else we haven't told you. Once we taste your blood, we can no longer survive without it. We would depend on you, as the source of our feeding. Until you become one of us," Tanya told me, though my horny brain couldn't fully comprehend what she was saying. All I thought about was that I would be the one they depended on, the one responsible for their life. My blood would feed them. Nobody else. Only me.

I knew I had already made up my mind, the mere fact that my blood would feed them was enough to lift me to new heights.

"I want it, I want to become yours. I want to be inside you, to give you everything you need," I told them, and they saw that I was completely serious and determined. They looked at each other once more, and then made a decision. In an instant they were at my neck, attacking it more vigorously than before. And they continued to finger me, only this time they didn't stop when I reached my climax.

I experienced the most powerful orgasm of my life, which could be seen by the fact that I squirted, my body was in a strong spasm, my pussy was pulsating, strongly squeezing their fingers. And at the moment when I thought it couldn't get any better, I felt a sharp pain in my neck on both sides.

They bit me. In a second, the pain disappeared, and a feeling of euphoria overwhelmed me. My whole body was shaking. I never thought I would feel this kind of intoxication, this kind of elation. Which caused me another powerful orgasm.
My body couldn't take it anymore, I let out a loud cry of pleasure, and after that I fainted.

It didn't take me long to come to my senses, I slowly came out of the peaceful darkness, my body was very sensitive, especially my pussy. The first thing I saw was my goddesses in front of me. They watched me with indescribable love in their eyes, while they gently ran their fingers over my body, quiet purrs coming out of their throats, which further calmed me down. What I noticed was a slightly different eye color, it had a faint red glow. I haven't seen that before.

"My love, are you okay?" Tanya asked me gently.

"I just passed out from the best orgasm I've ever experienced in my life. How do you think I'm doing?" I told them, with a smile on my face. When they heard that, they smiled smugly at me, as if they were proud of themselves.

Then I remembered that I offered them my blood, and what Tanya told me. I raised my hand to my neck, but I couldn't feel anything.

"Our poison healed everything, as soon as we finished drinking your skin returned to its original state," Kate told me, and then she hesitated a little. "Are you sorry for offering us your blood, knowing what it means?" she asked me with uncertainty.
I couldn't let them think I was sorry, I brought my hands to their cheeks. "I'm sorry for a second, the truth is I wish I knew you would depend on me earlier, but my decision wouldn't have changed. The very fact that I will be giving you something so important fills me completely." I could see that they were relieved.

"If you want, we'll explain more tomorrow, after you've had a good night's sleep," said Tanya.

I couldn't even think about sleeping, no, I had other plans at the moment.

"Oh no, my loves, it's my turn right now," I told them seductively, to which lust returned in their eyes. Now I was the one to investigate their bodies.

I quickly threw myself at Tanya, kissing her hard. She didn't protest.

Our love-making lasted for hours, in all possible positions, in all possible combinations. However, my body was still human, there came a moment when I couldn't take it anymore, and I slept the most peaceful and contented sleep ever in the arms of my mates. Feeling fulfilled, safe and loved.

______________________________________________________________________
I was awakened by gentle kisses and stroking of my back. Well, this is the way I always wanted to wake up. The sun was shining on my face and I slowly started to come to my senses. I began to be aware of how sore my body was, as if I had run the longest marathon in the world. But the best, most wonderful marathon in the world. What I also noticed was that I was calmer, more at peace.

I slowly stretched my muscles and turned to the other side, so that I could greet my mates.

To my surprise, when I turned around, I only saw Tanya. She looked at me tenderly, and I moved closer so that I could kiss her. In the middle of kissing I somehow ended up on top of her, I believe we would have continued, but my stomach rebelled.

Only then did I realize how hungry I was, no wonder after a night like this. I moved away from Tanya.

"Good morning my love," I said to her.

"Good morning love, I hope you slept well," she said to me, and before I could answer her she continued. "Kate is making you breakfast downstairs, don't worry your stomach let us know before you woke up that you were hungry." She knew that I would have asked her about Kate.

"Thank you," I told her and slowly started to get up so that I could do my morning routine in the bathroom.

After I finished, Tanya was waiting for me in the room so that they could go down to the kitchen together.

We found Kate in the middle of serving an omelette on a plate. She greeted me with a million dollar smile. I quickly ran into her arms, kissing her hard.

"Next time I expect to see you when I wake up." Although I tried to make it sound like a joke, it turned out to be more serious. Although I didn't plan it that way. I think she understood my subconscious desire and kissed me reassuringly.

"Don't worry, it won't happen again," she said completely seriously.

She pulled me towards the table so I could eat, and they sat on either side of me, letting me eat, although not without teasing me, commenting that they didn't understand how I could put it in my mouth.

After I ate, the plate was already in the sink. I looked at them better now and yes, I didn't notice wrongly, their eyes had a different shade. Somehow darker, but with a hint of red.

"Why are your eyes a different color?" I asked them. They smiled shyly, which I didn't often see from them.

"Ah, we thought you'd notice," said Kate.

Tanya continued, "The reason for that is actually your blood." They could see by my expression that I didn't really understand, so Tanya began to explain. "When a vampire drinks the blood of their mate, their eyes become like those of theirs mate. Our eyes, the more we drink from you, will become more like yours," Tanya continued. She let me process what she told me.

I remembered what they told me yesterday, that they would depend on my blood, that I would be the source of their life, which, I won't lie, turned me on. I think they sensed it, because their eyes darkened.

I knew we had to talk, so I tried to take my mind off sex. Mind-blowing sex.
"I remember what you told me yesterday about your food, but I want to know more. What exactly does that mean for me?" I asked them, then added, "Why didn't you tell me that before?"

"We are sincerely sorry that we didn't tell you about it, in our defense we didn't think we would get to that stage so quickly. We planned to explain everything to you before the act itself, all the consequences," Kate said.

I let them continue. "As we told you, when a vampire finds his mate in a human, they have the option of drinking their mate's blood, without fear of accidentally harming them or turning them into a vampire unintentionally. But this changes things in the relationship, after the first feeding from the companion, the vampire can no longer feed on other people's blood, they will not be able to survive on any other blood than their mate's. It's one way to bond vampire and human even more. Nature has made sure that the human can bear it. After the first feeding, the human begins to produce a larger amount of blood, so that the organism does not suffer," Kate explained to me.

I couldn't say that I wouldn't have been glad if I had known that before, but I knew that it wouldn't have changed my decision in any way. I was not against this development of the situation.

"I have to admit, the fact that you can only feed on me excites me. It's something I would always choose. How often do you feed?" I asked them excitedly.

I saw on their faces that they were relieved. "To keep us sane and stable we need feeding every 3-4 days," Tanya told me. "You don't have to worry, you will never again feel any pain during feeding, not even the pain of a bite. Just pleasure."

"I don't mind a little pain," I said, teasing them. To which I got a snarl in response, to which I let out a laugh.

"I am unusually comfortable with the fact that I will be feeding you, and I promise you, I will never do anything to endanger you." They had to know how seriously I was taking this.

Each of them took my hand and kissed it gently. "We will never find the right words to tell you how much you mean to us, how lucky we are to have you," Tanya told me with adoration in her voice.

"I have a question for you," I told them. "Why do I feel calm, some kind of calmness?" I couldn't find the right words to describe the sensation to them, so I hoped that I hadn't gone crazy and that they knew what happened, if it was at all related to them.
"We didn't think you'd feel the effects of our relationship so quickly, which means it's extremely strong," Tanya said with pride in her voice.

"So you know why I feel this way?" I asked them curiously.

"You feel that way because we connected last night, now we are officially a mated couple. As soon as we bit you, our bond became unbreakable, which means that the beasts in our case are calmer, more settled. They are sure you're ours until the end, but that part also reflects on you as a person. Your subconscious instinct tells you the same thing," Tanya explained to me.

"Oh," I told them, and unconsciously put my hand on the bite site. I was a little disappointed that it didn't leave any marks on the skin, even though the area became more sensitive.

"Don't worry, when you become a vampire, the mark will be visible, and in return you will also be able to mark us," which I really liked to hear. "Although even now it is clear to vampires who you are, no one would dare to look at you with the intention of being theirs. All the single vampires will know you're taken," Kate said possessively, which I must admit turned me on.

When she mentioned the other vampires, I remembered that I wanted to ask them something else.

"Are you going to let your family get close to me now, don't think that I don't remember that they couldn't get within two meters of me," I said with a laugh. "Where are they by the way?"

"Yes, our beasts can not allow other vampires to approach you, be they in pairs or singles especially, until we take you. Our possessive instincts were simply too strong. I believe that it will be easier now, now that we have marked you, especially within the family, whom we completely trust. Although I don't think it will be easy for us in front of unknown vampires." Tanya explained to me, then she continued, "They gave us time to be alone, relaxed, we will let them know that they can come back."

"I'm glad to see them again, but I think that it will have to wait for another day. I have to go home now. Getting ready for work tomorrow." As soon as I said that, Tanya and Kate looked like I told them the world was ending.

"We can go to work together tomorrow, you can take my clothes, it's no problem," said Tanya, begging me to stay.

"Thank you very much for the offer, but I have to plan the lessons and arrange the materials. Don't worry we'll see each other soon. After work, I can come here again for dinner, I mean my dinner." I saw that they were not happy that I was going, but that they were trying to respect my wishes.

"Can we somehow persuade you to stay anyway?" Tanya asked me with puppy eyes.
"Don't worry, the time will pass quickly," I told them and got up slowly from the table.

The parting lasted a long time, they barely let me go from their embrace. It was like we wouldn't see each other for years. They tried to keep me with their kisses, and I must admit they almost succeeded.

On the way home, I passed by a pharmacy, so I decided to look for something that would calm my stomach, which started to bother me again.

Fortunately, there was no one inside, so I could ask for help. The pharmacist asked me all the symptoms I had, why exactly I needed it. I quickly told her everything, although I left out the part where I lost consciousness.

She went to look for a preparation that could help me. "Here, this is something you can use for nausea and vomiting, if it doesn't subside within a week, my recommendation is to see a doctor." She explained, but then she paused and said hesitantly, "Although maybe it would be wise to check this first." I didn't know what she meant, until she put a box on the counter that said "pregnancy test".

I felt like my heart skipped a beat at that moment, and I believed I looked like I saw a ghost. There was no way I'm pregnant. Was that right?

"I don't think I will need it," I told her with uncertainty.

She looked at me non-judgmentally and said, "If you think there is any chance you might be pregnant, my advice is to get it checked."

I could only nod my head at that. I think I was going into a state of shock.

I don't even remember how I got home. I was in a fog the whole way.

Like a robot, I left my things at the entrance to the house and headed for the toilet.
The two minutes I waited for the test to show that I wasn't pregnant felt like an eternity. Nervousness made my intestines spasm, I even forgot to breathe, I almost passed out.

Finally, it was time to look, so I forced my gaze, when "pregnant" was written on the stick.

It was as if time stopped for me at that moment. This is not possible, I told myself. I got up from the toilet and walked towards the sofa like a mummy. I sat there and got lost in the vortex of my thoughts.

How did this happen? I didn't understand. I tried to think of how this was possible, as far as I knew I hadn't slept with either... And then it dawned on me, my farewell party. Where I got so drunk that I didn't even remember who I slept with. But I woke up naked in bed.

Fuck it, was my only thought.

It didn't mean that I didn't want children, I always did, but I never thought it would happen like this. Especially not now.

What would I tell Tanya and Kate, how would they react when I told them? I knew I could trust them, but still an irrational fear crept into me. Yesterday I became theirs, and now I had to tell them that I was pregnant with a man I didn't even remember. What if they rejected me? What if they didn't want this child? Would I be willing to give up the opportunity to be a mother?

I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't even hear my phone ringing. Multiple times. I didn't even know how much time had passed since I just sat there and let my thoughts take me away.

I didn't even hear someone ringing my doorbell, calling me from the other side. And I didn't even hear someone forcibly open my door and enter the house.
All I knew was that I was brought out of my panic by a familiar cold touch and voices that gave me comfort and peace.

"Bella, love, what's going on?" Tanya asked me worriedly, she looked like a mother lion protecting her cub.

"My dear, we sensed your panic, and since you didn't answer your cell phone, we had to come see what was going on," Kate explained. She looked even more panicked.
I didn't answer them, how could I tell them that? I tried to open my mouth, but nothing came out. Which worried them even more.

"Kate, maybe we should take her to the hospital..." Tanya began but was stopped by my voice.

"I am pregnant.”

Chapter Text

I saw the shock on their faces; I believe they didn't even think about this. They were like stone statues; they hadn't moved since they heard.

Shit, I thought. I won't lose them, will I? What if they don't want to be with me anymore? At the very thought, tears began to gather in my eyes. I don't believe I would survive without them.

As soon as they saw my tears and heard my heartbeat faster, they started in shock.

"What do you mean pregnant, my love?" Tanya asked me, confused, and slowly knelt in front of me.

"On my way home, I stopped at a pharmacy to get something for nausea, so the pharmacist advised me to take a pregnancy test. Even though I was sure it was not possible, I took it. We didn't talk about it, but I used to sleep with men." I could see on their faces that they weren't happy to hear that. How would they be in this situation?" I took the test as soon as I got home and..." I held up the test that I was holding tightly in my hand so they could see. Kate tentatively took it in her hand and watched it for a few minutes.

I couldn't bear the silence.

"Before I came here, I had a farewell party; honestly, I don't remember most of it because of the amount of alcohol I drank, but I woke up in bed... Naked. I don't even remember who I slept with. I believe I got pregnant then. All the symptoms match: nausea, fainting, delayed period." I stopped talking; I didn't know what to say anymore. All I wanted was for them to react. To know what I stood for.

I looked at them, but I couldn't read anything from their faces. I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Please say something, anything; shout, be angry; tell me you don't want to see me anymore." I couldn't finish my sentence. I was interrupted by a loud growl, and I even flinched a little. And then, in an instant, I was embraced on both sides. They held me tightly, and I had no choice but to start sobbing. Did that mean they didn't hate me? That they wouldn't leave me?

Kate slowly caressed my face, kissing me softly. "My love, we will never leave you; even if we could, we would never think of it in our eternal life. There is no such thing that can happen that will separate us from you."

"Forgive us for this reaction; we did not expect it at all; we were surprised. We can't say we're comfortable with the thought of you with someone else; it took us a while to get our act together," Tanya finished, trying to comfort me.

"Forgive me, I'm so sorry," I told them, sobbing, but they acted instantly.

"Love I know we said we wouldn't abuse our pheromones to calm you down anymore, but right now we can't fight the instinct that tells us to give it all of ourselves to calm you down," Tanya said, and as soon as she finished, I felt somehow lighter and more relaxed. Although it wasn't as strong as the first time, it seemed completely effective. In a second, I found myself lying down, with them on either side of me, as they gently stroked my back and arms, whispering gentle things in my ear in a language that was completely unfamiliar to me. I don't know how much time we spent like that or how long it took me to fall asleep.

I was awakened by a soft call: "Bella, my love, you should eat something." I slowly opened my eyes and saw my goddess in front of me. "Come on, I'll make you something to eat," Kate told me while kissing me and lifting me to a sitting position, after which she disappeared, I guessed, into the kitchen.

It didn't take long for Tanya to take me in her arms, her hands gently running up my back, comforting me. What did I do to deserve them?

Kate soon came with food, which I ate with pleasure. Now it was clear to me where such an appetite came from.

Because I had a baby in my womb. Which depended on me.

They let me think for a while, giving me silent support.

"Bella, we want you to know that we will support you in every decision you make. We're here for you no matter what you decide," Tanya told me, while Kate nodded her head at that.

I had to find out, "Do you want me to get rid of the baby?" I asked them quickly, not controlling my voice, which was full of restlessness.

"If that is your decision, we will support you. But no, that's not what we want. Neither of us ever thought about the possibility of being mothers. But now that this option is offered by our mate... It's not something we want to give up," Tanya said, and I knew she was being completely honest. Which made my heartbeat faster, but with relief.

At that moment, I knew that I wanted that baby, and the very thought that they didn't want him created pressure in my lungs.

"What do you want, Bella?" Kate asked me seriously.

"I wasn't sure until this moment, but the very thought of aborting it or that you don't want to accept it fills me with indescribable sadness. I want that child; I want to be his mother, together with you," I told them with tears in my eyes. I knew I was asking a lot to be accepted as their own. But I couldn't imagine otherwise.

There was a change in their eyes from the moment I said what I wanted. Then I heard a soft sound coming from their chest. Usually, this meant their beast was coming out. They began to approach me, but as if they were predators. Even though I knew I shouldn't be afraid, I stopped moving. I was waiting for their reaction.

They placed their hands possessively on my stomach, as if marking territory. They were still growling from their chests, and I was sitting in agony, not knowing what to do.

After a while, the room fell silent, and their gaze returned to normal. Both looked at me softly and pressed gentle kisses on my lips.

"Don't worry; as we said, we'll support you in everything," Tanya told me.

But I couldn't contain my curiosity, so I asked them, "What was this now?"

"The moment you said you wanted this child with us, our beasts woke up and, how should I say, marked him as their own. From now on, that child is completely ours, both in our eyes and in the eyes of our beasts. We weren't completely sure what was happening either; we had never heard of this kind of situation before, but we knew you weren't in danger, so we let them go out," Tanya explained to me.

If someone had told me a month ago that I would be in this situation and that the beasts of my vampiric lovers would mark and accept my child as their own, I would have told them they were crazy.

"Unfortunately for you, that means you'll get even more possessive and crazier vampires," Kate said with a smile, but I could see she was not sorry at all.

"Kate is right; we apologize in advance. With a pregnant mate, I think it would drive everyone crazy; unfortunately, you have no choice," Tanya continued with a teasing tone, although I knew she was completely serious.

I already knew that they would drive me crazy with their care.

But what my brain was focusing on right now was that they accepted me and the child without any objection or problem. They saw him as their own; even the beasts have marked him as their own.

They wouldn't leave me. They would be with me.

I had no choice but to hug them tightly and start crying from happiness.

"Thank you; I can't tell you how much I love you," I told them through tears. They moved away from me and gently wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"You are our everything," Kate told me. "You and this baby who came so unexpectedly."

Damn these hormones; her statement made me cry even more. They were with me until I threw everything out.

After some time, Tanya suddenly stood up and said, "We have to go to a doctor; they have to see if everything is okay."

Here it is! It didn't take long before Kate joined in, saying, "I agree; you go get the car; I'll help Bella."

They started with worry, and I could only look at it with a full heart.

"I'm glad you're worried, but there's no need to rush. You have to call and make an appointment for the gynaecologist; you can't just show up," I told them in the hope that they would relax and calm down. But all that happened was that I saw that Tanya already had a cell phone in her hand and was calling a number.

"Okay, yes, I would like an appointment with a gynaecologist." I was dumbfounded. "Yes, the first examination with a pregnant woman. Isabella Swan. Yes, I'll wait." Of course she would do it that way; why was I even surprised? "Excellent, thank you very much; you are very kind. See you tomorrow," Tanya said, and she hung up.

"Tomorrow?" I asked.

"Yes, tomorrow they have an appointment; we called at the right moment. You are going for an examination tomorrow," she said, all proud of herself.

"Oh, I can already see that you're going to drive me crazy," I told them dramatically. To which they just laughed.

"Unfortunately, there is no way out for you," Kate said.

As I was looking at them, I couldn't help but start fantasizing about our future and what it would all look like. About this family. The family that I chose, that is, that chose me, And it was this thought that led me to Leah. Hell, we haven't heard from each other for a couple of days now, and with everything that's been happening, I've completely forgotten about her. I invited her to live with me, and then I found vampire lovers. With whom I planned to spend eternity and have a child in a new way. How was Leah going to fit into all of this? What was I going to tell her? Although I hadn't contacted her for a few days, she hadn't contacted me either. I haven't received a single missed message or call from her.

Actually, that was weird. Why didn't she get back to me? This was not her natural behaviour. Especially not because of her situation at home. Even if the last time I called her, she was weird.

Tanya and Kate watched my expression change. From smiling and happy to pensive. "Where did you go?" Kate asked me gently.

I took her hand and nervously started playing with it—that is, with her fingers. From their stories, I realized how important it was for them to remain a secret and how careful they were that no one found out who they really were. How could I tell them that I had a sister whom I was not ready to let go just like that?

"I'm thinking about Leah," I told them quietly. "I don't know what's going on with her; it's strange that she hasn't contacted me at all," I finished worriedly. "I didn't tell you that, but the plan is for her to come live with me. At least it was. The last time we spoke, she was completely strange."

I expected them to immediately confirm my concerns or at least offer some solution, but all that happened was that they became nervous. That is, I saw that they were looking at each other as if they were talking with their eyes. "What's going on?" I asked them.

"Bella, my dear, we don't want to make you any sadder, but we're not sure how smart it is for Leah to come live with you." Tanya started but saw my sour face, so she gently approached me. "Bella, although your pregnancy changes a few things, your future does not. Once you become a vampire, your connection to people from the past ends. It cannot be otherwise; otherwise, our secret would not remain a secret."

Tears began to form in my eyes, and in my chest, it was as if someone was squeezing me, all because of the thought that I would not see Leah again. I couldn't imagine life without my sister.

"Are you sure it has to be like that? I'm not sure if I can leave her," I told them with tears in my eyes.

"My love, I'm so sorry. I wish I could at least remove your sadness, but I don't think there is any other solution. Your safety is the most important thing to us, and that means we can't take any risks. Not with the laws in our world," Tanya told me. I saw that she said it honestly, that it hurt her that she couldn't take away my sadness, but it wasn't changing anything for me.

I thought for a while that I couldn't come to terms with that, not with leaving her there where she experienced such pain. I'd have to make something up. Anything.

They waited impatiently for my reaction. I believe that they didn't want to upset me and that they were thinking about what to do.

"I can't just let it go; I have to see her, even if it's to say goodbye to her." Or until I come up with another plan, I concluded to myself.

"I promise you we'll talk about it more, but right now we have more important things to do." Kate said and looked towards Tanya, asking her to continue.

"Bella, I already mentioned our rulers, that is, our queens. Maybe I touched on the fact that they supervise the conversion of new vampires; that is, they have to approve everything. I, as the leader of our clan, have the obligation to inform them as soon as possible about the news of the entry of a potential member into the clan. I'm already at the border; I should have let them know about you. I was waiting for the situation to calm down, both with Kate and with the revelation of our secret. But I can't wait any longer. Not if I don't want to risk betrayal. Especially since you won't be able to become a vampire for a while, not with our child in the picture. This is a situation that has not happened so far. And I don't know how they will react," Tanya said with restlessness in her voice. Especially in the last part, she didn't like the ignorance or novelty of the situation. Not if it has to risk my safety.

Kate felt the same, so she rushed to comfort Tanya. She slowly hugged her, as if supporting her in carrying the burden and giving her strength. "Tanya, you know that queens are fair; they will listen to us."

"What are we going to do?" I asked them, not feeling comfortable with the thought that my child would be in danger. Especially not from some unknown person.

They turned to me, holding hands.

And then Kate started talking: "My darling, there is something we would like to ask you. After you left us this morning, we realized that this is something we never want to feel again. Would you please come and live with us?" Kate asked. Both of them looked like little children waiting for their parents to tell them they could go to their friends. It was as if this decision was of vital importance to them.

I didn't have to think long; the very thought of sleeping alone without them next to me was unimaginable to me. Although I loved my freedom, I loved this family, them, and my child more. And there was no force that would take them away from me.

They beamed when they saw the smile on my face. "The mere thought of being without you for a long time, overnight or now that we know we are expecting a baby, causes me unimaginable pain. I want to live with you." After I said that, they hugged me tightly, and they started showering me with kisses.

"Let's go home, love. We will talk to the family there and tell them the news. And after that, call the queens and see what they say. I can't put it off any longer," Tanya said.

We agreed that she would help me take the most basic things from the house and that we would come to get the rest the next day.

Not much time passed, and we were already in Tanya's car on the way to their house.

Kate helped me out of the car like a true gentleman, and I gave her a kiss as a thank you.

The rest of the family was waiting for us in the house, and it was obvious that they were relieved when they saw that we were fine. I believe they were worried about the sudden departure of Tanya and Kate. They didn't know what had happened. They did not approach us, and although they were looking at all of us, their attention was on Tanya. They were waiting for what she would say.

"Let's go to the living room; Bella has to sit down," she said.

Here it was again. It started. Bella is pregnant, so she can't stand up. I turned to her, then rolled my eyes at her. To which she stuck out her tongue and gently patted my ass. Kate watched our interaction with bright eyes but did not join. She waited for me to go to the living room so she could give me her hand.

I sat between my mates. They were much more relaxed than the first time we were in that position with their family.

Irina looked the most impatient. I saw that she couldn't take it anymore, and then she asked, "What happened? First of all, congratulations on your official relationship. I'm glad they found someone to finally keep them under control. And that also means that I will finally be able to hug my new sister. Unfortunately, Bella, I'm sorry you got stuck, not with one, but with two of them," Irina finished, teasing her sisters on purpose. She knew how they would react to her words. Kate and Tanya began to growl at her, their bodies tensing. They didn't like her words, but I started laughing. I was glad to know that Irina had a good sense of humor. After that, they relaxed a bit.

"You see, what I told you," she continued, laughing out loud. "I'm kidding, my sisters; I'm very glad to see you happy."

Tanya and Kate softened at her statement and laughed slightly at Irina. Letting her know that everything was fine.

"Are you going to tell us? What happened to make you run out of the house like that? Is everything okay?" Irina asked seriously. It was obvious that Carmen and Eleazar wanted to know the same, but that they had much more patience.

"We felt that Bella was very upset, so we quickly rushed to see what happened. After that, we found out some big news," Tanya said, with a proud smile on her lips. She looked like a proud mom, and my heart melted at the sight. How was it possible that they were so perfect?

"Bella is going to give us the most beautiful gift in the world," Kate continued, with the same amount of pride.

"We will become parents. Bella found out she was pregnant in the morning," Tanya continued, with delight in her voice.

After they heard the news, happy congratulations from the family started. They even allowed them to hug me and congratulate me on the news. Irina repeated every now and then "I'll be an aunt", to which she always received sincere laughter from the room. I couldn't help but think of Leah; she was going to be an aunt too. But let's go in order now. Resolve this situation first.

After the excitement subsided and after we told them how it all happened, Eleazer became serious and asked Tanya, "What are you planning to do?"

After that question, the atmosphere in the room was no longer joyful. Tanya and Kate huddled close to me.

"The only option I have is to call the queens and inform them of the news."

The others nodded their heads at her decision, agreeing with her.

"When do you plan to call them?" I asked Tanya. I wanted the anticipation to pass as soon as possible. I wanted to know what we were up to and if there was any danger for our child.

"The sooner the better, although I want today to pass in a joyful mood. The call can wait until tonight. I'll probably call them when you fall asleep," Tanya said. I agreed with that decision; my nerves would not allow me to listen to the conversation anyway, and she would tell me everything as soon as I woke up.

"That sounds like a good plan," I told her, and I kissed her lightly as a sign of support.

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the company of the family. The atmosphere was relaxed, even after Kate accused everyone of cheating at Monopoly, except me, of course. She was a bad loser, but that's why she was so cute when she sulked. I couldn't resist teasing her a little. which Irina also joined. At which Kate pouted even more.

The evening came quickly, and so did my fatigue. Every now and then I yawned, which my companions took as a sign that it was time for a shower and bed.

After greeting and saying goodnight to the rest of the family, I headed to my room. My room. Ours. Of course, they followed me closely.

It didn't take long for us to finish in the shower, and it didn't take long for me to get horny—to be exact, half a second after I saw them naked. Of course, they knew the effect they had on me. But I also knew the one I had on them.

I slowly and sensually started to take off all my clothes. They realized that I was doing a show for them, so they didn't try to help. They just stared at me.

After discarding my bra, I started massaging and pinching my stiff nipple with my left hand, while my right hand slowly moved towards my pants. Teasingly, I played with the hem of the pants until I reached for my now-throbbing entrance. I surprised myself with how wet I was.

At that moment, their eyes were completely dark, and they became predators just waiting to attack. And I knew how to provoke that reaction. I slowly raised my wet fingers to my lips and sensually licked my wetness.

At that moment, I heard growls, and then I felt them on me. Although I never took my eyes off of them, I didn't see them move. I just felt their hands and lips on me, and then their attack started.

It would be an understatement to say that I didn't go to sleep right away; oh no, I had a fair amount of exercise before that. What I noticed was that they were much gentler with me than the first time, as if they were afraid to hurt me. I later concluded that it was because of our baby, but even though we had to be careful, I didn't want to be put under a cloche. This was simply not necessary.

Another thing that surprised me was that during lovemaking, I turned my neck, clearly offering them a drink. I actually wished for it, but it didn't happen. All I got was a soft kiss from both my mates. Disappointment arose deep inside me, but then I remembered that they said that they should feed every 3–4 days, so I concluded that they are not hungry.

After they exhausted me fairly, I fell asleep contentedly in their arms. I had a satisfied smile on my face as I drifted off to sleep when I felt them place their hands on my stomach.

I woke up in the morning with the sun on my face, and Tanya and Kate were still around me; they obviously took seriously my warning that I wanted to wake up in their arms. Even before I opened my eyes, I had a happy smile on my face. Nothing would spoil this day for me. Especially when I knew that I was going to see my little bean today. My baby.

I stretched contentedly and then opened my eyes. They had smiles on their faces, but they didn't reach their eyes. I knew something was wrong. I just knew they were upset; I could feel it in my heart. Discomfort, which was not mine.

"What happened?" I asked them. I saw on their faces that they were surprised that I had noticed. "I see that your smile doesn't reach your eyes, but I also feel that you are upset; I just know."

Tanya took a strand of my hair and put it behind her ear, which visibly calmed her down. "My love, you know I had a chat with the queens while you were sleeping. Do you want to have breakfast first, and then I'll tell you, or do you want to know right away?" Tanya asked me.

"I want to know right away," I told her.

"Although they are happy that we found a mate, they didn't give me much space to talk. Generally, the time period from reporting to turning itself around is short. And when they asked me when we were going to bring you for turning, they didn't like my hesitation. Neither did they like the fact that I told them it wouldn't be so soon. What makes it difficult is that they know you already know our secret. They gave me the order before I could explain the situation to them. We have to get going as soon as possible; otherwise, we won't do well. We can't risk them thinking we're working behind their backs. Or that we revealed our secret without planning to transform you," Tanya told me seriously.

I didn't manage to grasp everything; I couldn't understand what it meant for us. "Where do we have to go? What do you mean they didn't let you explain?" I asked her.

I didn't even notice that during the conversation with Tanya, Kate moved away and started working on the wardrobe in the room.

"My love, this means that today, after the appointment with the gynecologist, we are leaving for Italy," she told me defeatedly.

"The queens said to come before they look for us, and that means immediately. If we didn't have an examination, we would have woken you up earlier and set off right away," Kate, who was still in the dressing room, explained to me, and then I saw her with two travel bags.

"I don't understand; didn't you tell me that queens are reasonable, that they do everything for the benefit of their people? Why did they react like this? Why didn't they let you explain? Do you think we will have problems?" I asked worriedly.

"I think it was strange for them that I didn't tell them that we plan to convert you soon. I should have told them earlier that we were coming so that they could prepare everything for your turn. I believe they decided it was best to bring you right away. They don't like to take risks, even though they never had any problems with our clan," Tanya answered me. After that, she kissed me gently and tried to comfort me. "I honestly don't believe there will be any problems, but the very thought of you in an environment with many vampires and a little uncertainty puts us in a state of great caution. We can never risk you and our child."

"What about our work? We can't just get away like that. Today we have class; what are we going to say?" I asked Tanya.

"I'm very sorry, Bella, but I think we won't be at work for a while. At least not until the situation calms down and we return from Italy."

I didn't like that; I just started working, and I should stop already. But I didn't say anything because, even though I didn't agree, I knew she was right.

"Italy?" I asked.

"Queens and their guards live there. We will explain more along the way. Now it's time for breakfast, and then we'll go to the doctor and see our treasure." And now she had a sincere smile on her face. Even though it was a tense situation, I was glad to see that she was looking forward to the examination. And I knew Kate had the same expression on her face.

"How are we supposed to get to Italy? I don't have a passport," I told them, thinking it would be a big problem.

"Don't worry, my dear, there are some advantages when your girls are immortal vampires with a mountain of money. Something called fake passports and private jets," Kate interjected, and she suddenly lifted me out of bed, newlywed style. And then she kissed me hard. "Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to you," she said with a promise in her voice.

"I will inform the school that we will be gone for a while. I won't leave them room for questions." To which I just nodded my head in resignation to Tanya.

"Do you have any breakfast wishes?" Kate asked me.

"I don't; I don't have any appetite at the moment," I told them, to which I received a protest from their side. Okay, okay, you can make me some light toast," I said, and then Kate put me down so I could do my thing in the bathroom and told me they were waiting for me downstairs.

Breakfast passed quickly, and the rest of the family joined us and discussed the logistics of the trip. Irina, Carmen, and Eleazer wanted to go, but Tanya told them to stay here. Which gave them no room for discussion. I didn't get too involved in the discussion; my thoughts were elsewhere. First at the examination, hoping everything would be okay, and then at the trip itself, which was potentially dangerous.

My mates sensed my discomfort, so they did their best to take my mind off of it or at least to comfort me. I honestly thought for a second that they were using their pheromones on me, but they said they wouldn't do it without my knowledge. No, this was just their natural effect on me.

"We put all the necessary things in the car. We are ready to go whenever you are," Kate told me.

I wanted everything to end as soon as possible so that I could enjoy it in peace with my mates. We said goodbye to the rest of the family and headed for the hospital. Both of them held my hand while we waited in the waiting room to be called.

The closer we were to the examination, the more scared I was.

"Bella, everything will be fine. Trust me. Our bean is healthy. You'll see," Tanya told me, trying to encourage me. Little bean. My heart warmed at the nickname.

"I know, I just can't shake this fear I have; I just want to hear that everything is fine," I told them, and at that moment my name was called.

Suddenly, all three of us got up and headed to the doctor's office. The nurse gave me a medical gown that I had to wear and told Tanya and Kate to get out until I changed. It's an understatement to say that they almost killed her with a glance at the suggestion to leave me alone, even for a moment.

I knew I had to react before the nurse had a heart attack; you could see true fear in her eyes. I couldn't believe that my girls could produce such a reaction, but yes. Yes, if it's me.

"It's okay, I want them to stay." I didn't have to tell her twice; she quickly rushed out of the room. Although I didn't think she should have let them. "You shouldn't have scared her like that; she was just doing her job," I told them, although I had a satisfied smile on my face.

This was the first time I saw them like that, and their protective instinct stirred something in me. If we were not in the doctor's office, neither I nor they would be wearing anything anymore. Judging by their looks, they knew how I would react to their display of dominance.

Then a thought came to my mind: if I remember correctly, at the beginning of pregnancy, scans are done vaginally. And if I go by this reaction alone, things will be interesting.

It is not something that I look forward to; a vaginal exam is never fun, but to check if our bean is safe, I will do everything. I just don't know how my dominant, possessive mates will react.

"My loves.." I told them nervously. They felt my unease, so they quickly came to my side. "I don't know if you know, but there is a high chance that today's exam will be... " How do I tell them vaginal?

You could hear the pin drop in the room, and what little colour they had on their faces seemed to have disappeared.

"What do you mean, Bella?" asked Tanya with an expression that I couldn't read.

"Well, I think our little one is too small to be seen through my belly, so they go in another direction." I explain it to them. It was obvious that they weren't happy to hear that.

In fact, it is an understatement to say that they were not happy.

"Bella, I don't think we can handle that." In the middle of Kate saying that, the doctor entered the room.

She looked surprised, but I think the problem was the murderous expressions Tanya and Kate had on their faces. And it was directed at her.

"Hello, Isabella Swan?" the doctor asked, unsure.

"It's me," I answered. "Glad to meet you."

After that, the doctor offered me to sit on the table. I took that chance and turned to my mates and said, "If you can't handle it, go outside now." I ordered them seriously. They looked at me a little betrayed; I knew that my command was serious to them and that they wouldn't risk defying me.

We will just have to see how good their control is.

After I was seated, the doctor started with what I believe were the basic questions for the first examination. Height, weight, medications, diseases, last period, what symptoms I felt... During all this time, Kate and Tanya watched me intently; I could see them brewing inside. The doctor offered them to sit down, but they refused, wanting to be as close to me as possible, until I looked at them and gave them a message to do so. After that, they didn't have much of a choice, although I could see they weren't happy.

After we went through all of that, she instructed me to lie down on the table and put my feet on the stirrups so she could begin the examination. As soon as she said that, both of my dramatic mates started to growl. It was not so obvious that she would instantly know that that sound was coming from them, but she heard something. I put my hand up so fast and gave them my best 'you are in trouble' face.

After that, they stopped, but they still looked murderously at the doctor.

"Is everything alright?" The doctor asked me with concern. Who knows what she thought—maybe that I was forced to be with them or that they kidnapped me.

I gave her my best reassuring look: „Yeah, absolutely, it's just nerves; I am ready," I told her, and I put my legs on stirrups. I took the chance to tell them quietly, "Stop it," but firmly. Hopefully, they will take me seriously.

"We will start knowing; it will be slightly uncomfortable," the doctor said, proceeding with the exam.

It was uncomfortable; I slightly winced. It was enough for them to react, but I reacted at the same time. I quickly took their hands, holding them down. Of course, I knew that I didn't have the physical strength to hold them down, but my touch stopped them.

I looked at them; their eyes were pure black, but something in my expression pulled them back from going on a murderous spree.

After a few moments of tense silence, she spoke, "There it is; there's the little one."

At that sentence, Tanya and Kate looked at the screen. So fast that they even scared me, who knew how fast they were. Their expression softened slightly. Although I could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

"Just a moment, let me check if everything is okay," the doctor said. "Here, you can see the baby," she said, pointing to the screen with her finger. Even though it was just a blob on the screen, everything suddenly became real to me. That was our baby. I couldn't hold back; my tears began to flow by themselves. It didn't take long; cold fingers ran over my cheek to remove them. I looked up and was greeted by two magical smiles on the faces of my mates. They looked like proud parents. Proud parents of our little bean.

I took their hands and brought them to myself to kiss them. "It's real; our baby is real!"

They laughed quietly at that.

"It is magnificent," Tanya said, while Kate just nodded, looking at the screen in awe.

"Isabella, I can tell you that everything is fine with the little one. You arrived at the very beginning of your pregnancy; according to my measurements, you entered the 4th week of pregnancy, so unfortunately, it will not be possible to hear the little heart yet. But everything looks fine," the doctor said with a smile on her face.

She gave me towels to wipe myself and went to the table so she could write the report.

The towels were not in my hand for long; Kate quickly took them and began to gently remove the gel. That kind of intimacy made me tear up. I didn't want to interrupt her or tell her that I could do it myself because I knew what it meant to her. After removing all the gel, she gently kissed where our baby was and said something quietly, so I couldn't hear her.

Tanya gave me her hand to get up from the table and hold me until I got to the doctor and sat down.

"Okay Isabella, first of all, I have to ask you: do you plan to keep the ba—" The doctor didn't even get to finish the question when a not-so-quiet animal growl was heard in the room. By Tanya and Kate, of course.

The doctor jumped in surprise, but I also saw true fear. I turned towards them, and I saw such anger on their faces. I would be scared too if it was directed at me. I'm honestly not sure how the doctor didn't run out of the room. I believe her instinct was telling her that.

I glared at them again, even though I didn't like even thinking about it. It was her job to ask. Although they removed the murderous expression from their faces, it was clear that they were not sorry at all.

I sighed. "We are planning to have this child," I told the doctor. She nodded her head, looking with uncertainty at my girls.

"In that case, I wrote down the vitamins you should start taking. As I said, everything looks fine with the baby. You are planning the next examination in 3 weeks, when we will be able to hear the heart. Until then, avoid stress," to which I laughed bitterly, and I will avoid it on the way to the vampire queens, who supposedly decide our fate. Absolutely no stress.

The doctor continued, "If by accident there is bleeding that does not stop or occurs frequently, please contact us immediately so that we can see what is happening. And the last thing, here's a picture of your baby," the doctor said, handing me the papers with the picture from the ultrasound. Before I could react, Tanya reached out and quickly handed Kate the papers with the instructions and vitamins while she was left with the picture. Which she held so gently with admiration in her eyes, as if she were looking at the most beautiful thing in the universe.

The doctor saw us off quickly; she didn't want to get any closer, and she didn't feel safe with my companions. I decided to shorten her suffering. I thanked her, said goodbye, and left the office with Tanya and Kate on my heels. I stopped when we left the building and turned to them.

"I know that this was hard for you, but you shouldn't have scared the poor woman like that; she was just doing her job," I told them in a serious tone. They looked like they were sorry, but only because it bothered me.

"My Dear, she should be happy that she is alive. In fact, she can thank you for that. Just the thought of her putting that thing in you..." she almost shouted angrily. Kate couldn't finish her sentence. Ok, I wasn't expecting this level of upset.

What I also did not expect was to find myself in Kat's arms in a millisecond. She had a predatory expression in her eyes. I was her prey. Then she kissed me hard. She was trying to mark her territory, and even though I should have been angry with her, I couldn't help my reaction. I let her, and I enjoyed it.

After some time, she stopped the kiss, and while I was trying to catch my breath, she said, Mine," and I felt shivers going through my back. Again, making me forget myself with a display of dominance.

I gave her a little peck on the lips and then turned to Tanya, who was watching us with lust in her eyes. I knew I would get the same reaction from her, and I was right; in a second, I was in her arms with her growling slightly and 'biting' my neck. Not breaking my skin, though. I could feel myself getting wetter, even if we were in public. The things they did to me.

It took us a few minutes to calm down without escalating things.

We stayed in each other's arms for a while, but then Kate announced, "Unfortunately, we will have to head to the airport; the plane is waiting for us."

That sentence brought me back to reality, and the discomfort returned to my stomach. I let them lead me to the car. I didn't say too much; my thoughts were too chaotic. From that happiness to this fear and uncertainty

At the airport, they quickly let us go to the small plane, in front of which Irina was waiting for us. She was holding a bag in her hand, which she handed over to Tanya. "Everything on the list is in there. Please contact me as soon as you land and after talking to the queens," she said. There was no trace of her fun personality in her voice, which worried me even more.

Were our actions really that bad? Because they didn't seem like a big deal to me at all. So what if I knew about the existence of vampires? So what if they didn't plan to transform me right away? Was time really such a problem? What were their laws? Only now did I begin to understand the absurdity of the situation. They didn't let Tanya explain to them, but why? They immediately thought of betrayal. I didn't understand.

Irina greeted us, planted a kiss on each cheek, and wished us a safe journey. We boarded the plane.

After we sat down and got comfortable, I couldn't resist asking, "What kind of queens are they, who don't allow their people to explain? Are they really that paranoid that they demanded we come right away? Why do we have to prove anything to them?" I asked them angrily.

Tanya immediately reacted, saying, "Please, my love, don't talk about them like that. I'm begging you. Don't question their decisions; the consequences could be fatal."

I interrupted her, "What do you mean, okay, they are your rulers, but what does that mean that they decide everything, that they are always right?" I asked her angrily.

"Bella, please stop before it's too late. They will know what you are saying. Their word is law, and their decisions are fully respected. They are responsible for the survival and secrecy of our race. They are probably calling us because they never expected our clan to delay the transformation of a mate. They can't leave things to chance," Tanya explained to me. I was not satisfied with that answer. It showed on my face.

"Bella, just as we in the clan listen to and respect Tanya, all vampires listen to and respect the queens. It's just the way it is; everyone who rejects it ceases to exist," Kate interjected. "There won't be any problem; we will explain everything to them," she finished with hope in her voice.

I replayed their words in my head; I still didn't understand, but then I remembered what Tanya had said. "What do you mean they will know what I'm saying?" I asked them.

"We haven't gotten to that part about vampires yet, but I believe that we will soon cover it. Bella, there are vampires who gain certain powers after conversion," Tanya began. To which I just raised my eyebrows. I honestly didn't know why I was surprised. Of course they had powers; why not?

"As one of the queens, she has the power to see all the thoughts a person has ever had in their life with a single touch," Kate finished.

"What!?" I raised my voice. No, here I was in a movie where it was possible to hear other people's thoughts.

"Yes... One of the reasons they have such good control over vampires is because they know their intentions. That's why I'm asking you not to question their authority. That is unacceptable in our world," Tanya said with concern in her voice.

After all, I felt like my brain was going to burn out. How to grasp and accept all this new information about the world that is my destiny A vampire who knows everything about you by touch How was that possible?

"What other powers do vampires have?" I asked them.

"Well, uh," Kate began to untangle herself. I didn't say anything; I just waited for her to finish. Well, you know Bella, er..."

"Kate has the power to generate electricity in her body," Tanya said quickly, as Kate shot her a look.

"You have what?" I asked my companion with disbelief in my voice. Kate smiled nervously, then raised her hand, and sparks of electricity appeared.

What will I not experience?

Chapter Text

Yes there are real vampires, they drink blood, they are immortal and that is not all, no. They have some weird powers. My brain went into overthinking mode for who knows how many times since I met them.

I sat there with my mouth wide open. Staring at her hand from which little sparks of electricity came out. How was it possible that this didn't come out by now? My mate has this kind of power. And they didn't bring that up.

She was looking at me with worried eyes. She was waiting for my reaction. I was trying to decide how I felt about that. Maybe not about this crazy fact that they have powers but that they didn't mention this all this time. Especially since Kate has a power.

"Why didn't you tell me that vampires had powers… No, why didn't you tell me that you have a power??" I asked Kate seriously. I tried to remove the accusatory tone of my voice. But I don't know if I succeeded.

She looked like a little child that got scolded by their mother. She turned her head to Tanya, seeking help in this situation.
"Bella, my love, it isn't that we didn't want to tell you, but after everything that happened these past few days... We simply didn't have time," Kate said timidly, putting her hand down.

It is true that so many things had occurred in the past few days, I only discovered their secret two days ago. Two days ago, and I had the feeling that I knew them all my life, the bond is so strong that I forgot how little I know them. What else don't I know?

"I know, but this seems like a big part of your life. It hurts me that you didn't tell me sooner," I told her. Not trying to get emotional.

Kate approached my seat, gently took my hand and made me stand up. Slowly, she pulled me in a hug and I let her. We stood like that for some time and then she kissed me gently. "I would never try to hide something from you, my love. If this didn't happen I would probably have told you the first chance I got. But with you finding out our secret, our double bond, mating, finding out about our bean it simply didn't matter that much. Forgive me for upsetting you, you know that I would never intentionally do that," she finished seriously. I mean, she had a point, we knew each other for so little time, and she would have told me eventually. My pregnancy was making me more emotional.

I took a deep breath, and placed a kiss on her lips. "I get it, don't worry, it took me by surprise. And I may be a little emotional, I just don't like hiding things." They tried to interject but I didn't let them. "Don't worry I get that you didn't intentionally hide this, we know each other for a couple of days, even if it feels longer. It is normal that we don't know everything about each other. We have all the time in the world for that," I could see that my statement made them relax.
Tanya approached us and pulled me in a kiss, "Thank you for understanding, my heart."

Kate let me go so I could pull Tanya in, I held her tight. I could see that they, but her especially, were on the edge with this trip to their so called queens.

"Don't worry, we are good, and when we get this done, I will show you exactly how good we are," I told Tanya, trying to pull her from her thoughts. Give her something to look forward to. To get my point across, I pulled her to a kiss in which I ended biting and pulling her lip.

I felt a rumbling from her chest, and when I looked at her eyes they were black. "Don't start something we can't finish," she told me in a low dominant voice. Not gonna lie, it did wonders to my arousal.

But she was right, we had other things to take care of.

I let her go, sitting again on my seat. "So how does your power work?" I asked Kate, wanting to know more. "Did you always have it?"

"Ever since I turned into a vampire, and how does it work… well I don't have some kind of scientific explanation, I just will it to be. I think about it and it works. At first I couldn't control it, it was triggered by my emotions. But now it is as easy as breathing." She lifted her hand and sparks flowed out. "It is pretty useful in battle. I can stun a vampire and take him out for a couple of minutes," she said with a proud smirk on her face.

I was curious about it, and my hand went instinctively to touch it. Not my smart move. In a blink of an eye Tanya was standing in front of me, holding my hand down and with a scared expression on her face, while Kate was on the other side of the room.

"My heart, do not attempt to do that," Tanya said carefully, she had a stern look on her face which softened with her next sentence. "Kate's gift is extremely powerful, although she has control over it. One small mistake could make you drop dead. Your heart would stop. We can not risk it, not with our baby and you," Tanya explained.

In this case I would listen, not wanting to do something carelessly to hurt me or the baby.

"Sorry, I didn't think much," I told them. Tanya smiled, kissing the crown on my head, while Kate was returning to us.
"Maybe after you turn, you could test my power," she said, which was apparently the wrong move because Tanya turned to her and gave a warning growl. Kate stopped in her tracks, lifted her hands up as saying I surrender. "I wasn't serious," she said. "I would never do anything to hurt her".

That made Tanya calm down.

I took some time to think and my thoughts went straight to the self-proclaimed vampire queen who would see everything that I think. My every thought. And my anger went right up.

Not only that but she or they had the power to decide what would happen to me. And to my mates. What gave them the right?!

We didn't do anything wrong, Tanya and Kate didn't do anything to endanger their existence. Ok they told me, but I am their mate.

Just to see Tanya not being herself was enough for the queens to put her on the blacklist. She is always so strong, so sure of herself I know that nothing wrong could happen to me with her by my side. My dominant mate.
And if they had the power to make her panic…

"So one queen will hear my thoughts?" I asked them. "And they have all the power to decide what will happen to us?" I tried to push my anger down. I knew I didn't do a good job because Tanya just held me closer.

"Everything will be alright, we will explain our situation to them," Tanya said with determination.

"But…" I tried to speak, tried to argue because this didn't make sense to me. But Tanya's lips interrupted me. Not that I was complaining but I wanted to say something.

When our kiss broke, Tanya said, "While I believe that the queens will understand your opinion of them, let's not test fate," she explained. "I have a high opinion of them. During my whole existence they have earned nothing but my respect. They will do the right thing."

I saw Kate nodding her head, supporting Tanya's words. But her words didn't reflect her behavior, her nerves.

"So why are you two so tense? Like you will explode every second?" I asked them.

"Because it's you, my love. Even if there is 0,1% possibility that you will be in danger, our beasts are going crazy. Not to mention all the vampires that will be near you, putting you in danger, for simply being there. And when you add our child to all of that. I don't know how we don't go feral." In the middle of Tanya saying that, Kate's beast made herself known, because she started to growl. It told me that she was losing to her instincts.

I reached for her hand, trying to offer her support. It worked because the growling stopped and she laid gentle kisses on my hand.

"I won't say anything bad about them if that helps, but she will hear what I think of them. Nothing I can do," I told them.
No one in my life ever had the power to decide about my fate. No one.

It was true that, now that I have Tanya and Kate, I would do everything in my power to make them happy, make them feel loved but the decisions are mine. Even when I make compromises for them. It is my decision.

Now, that has slipped out of my hands. And out of the hands of my mates. And I despised that.

But to calm them down I decided to change the subject.

"You told me there will be other vampires there? How come?" If I wasn't able to do anything, I'd better learn what I could.
"Yes, the queens live in their castle with their guard, I think 20 of them, their most trusted vampires who decided to stay with them. Maintaining the law in the world. Most of the guards have special powers and go on missions around the world."

Yeah, it wasn't a pure coincidence that the guard is gifted, most likely they were forced to stay. But I bit my lip not to say anything.

Reading my mind Tanya added, "They consider themselves a family, a family that would do anything for the queens." Family. Right.

"Then there are guests from all over the world that stay there for a shorter period of time. And of course, new vampires that are recently turned. But that rarely happens. I mean the turning of new vampires." I lifted my brows up, surprised by that fact.

"You can not turn into a vampire without a reason, they need to be your mate, or share with you some type of bond. Or you can rebel and turn whomever you wish, but your life will not last long after that," she explained.

All this new information was making my head hurt. I sighed, rubbing my temple. Immediately, Tanya started to turn me in her lap so she could look at me and Kate appeared next to me, looking concerned, cupping my cheek with her hand.
"Are you okay my heart?" they asked in unison.

I let out a little laugh. Of course they would react like this, but it did warm my heart.

"Don't worry, it is just a little headache. All this stuff is stressing me out, but I'm okay." They didn't look so convinced. "Trust me, nothing a little sleep won't fix."

Not even a second after I said that we were on the move. Tanya was holding me in bridal position, Kate was on our heels. I didn't even manage to ask where we were going, and we had already entered the bedroom. It wasn't big but the bed was huge, it looked so comfortable.

Although I didn't feel like sleeping before, now that I saw the bed, the thought of a short nap didn't sound so bad. Tanya put me down gently in the middle of the bed, and then in no time I found myself in a sandwich called Tanya and Kate.
"I didn't think right away. There are more things I wanted to ask," I told them, but they just scooted closer to me.

"There will be time for your questions, my love. If you are tired, feel free to close your eyes. We will be here," Kate said. She started caressing my back, luring me to sleep.

"You are not playing fair," I told them, and then closed my eyes, not taking long to actually fall asleep.

My short nap turned up to be anything but short because I woke up when we landed in Italy.

I was still a bit disorientated when Tanya spoke to me. "We're here love, we didn't want to wake you up early, your body needed rest."

I stretched and excused myself for a moment, I had to take care of my human needs.

After I was done, Kate greeted me with a question about food, but my stomach didn't let me think about it. I just wanted this to end.

After a short argument, we agreed that I would eat some fruits and that I would eat a real meal at the first opportunity. They weren't exactly happy with that.

It was dark outside, I could already see that it had disrupted my sleep cycle. A black car, a big SUV, met us in front of the plane. Kate took my hand and led me to the back seat and followed me. Tanya got into the driver's seat and we were on our way as soon as Kate put on my seat belt.

Tanya and Kate were not talkative, obviously stressed. So I tried to ease the situation.

"I can't believe I slept the whole way through," I told them. "I wonder what I'll do all night."

I admit it wasn't one of my best jokes. Normally, Kate would have jumped at the chance to strike up a conversation or foreplay for sex, but this time it didn't work.

"Don't worry my loves, we will be home soon. I'm sure," I told them. I kissed Kate and put my hand on Tanya's shoulder. They smiled at me, they appreciated my attempt at comforting them.

Although I had more questions before going to bed, I didn't feel like asking them at the moment. I observed the nature we were passing by, but it wasn't like I could notice much. Tanya was driving at high speed and it was dark outside.

I'm not sure how much time passed in the drive, when Kate announced, "In 15 minutes we will reach the castle. Fortunately, the castle is on its own hill, so there is no risk of people noticing us. The queens like their privacy."

"Do they know we've landed?" I asked them.

"They know, Tanya told them when we landed. They said they were expecting us," Kate answered me.

I didn't even feel like talking anymore. I leaned my head on Kate's shoulder and tried to relax, her smell helped me in that regard. I knew she wasn't trying to do anything, but that it was my natural reaction, to calm me down in times of stress.
After a while, Tanya stopped the car so that the massive wrought iron gates opened. On them was the letter V, decorated with flowers. After a slight ascent, we arrived in front of a massive castle. I honestly thought they were exaggerating when they said they lived in a castle, but this was like something from a fairy tale. The entrance itself was massive, the plants, grass and trees around the castle were arranged impeccably. And the castle itself, made of massive stone blocks, was illuminated by many lights.

I honestly expected something gloomy and terrible. But this was an issue that should be in all decorating magazines.
Tanya stopped and instantly opened the door for me and Kate. They helped me out and I couldn't stop the "WOW".
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Tanya asked, more rhetorically, not as if expecting an answer.

We headed towards the massive wooden door when it opened. Someone was going out, it was a girl, no older than 18 years old, and she was pale like Tanya and Kate. When she got close enough I saw her red eyes. It was the first time I've seen a vampire with red eyes but I knew what that meant. That scared me and made me stop.

Tanya stood in front of me while Kate made sure to comfort me. "Don't worry, it's Jane, she came to meet us. You're safe." She gave me a light kiss and we headed towards Jane.

She was waiting for us outside the door. "Welcome, it's nice to see you after such a long time," Jane said as we got closer to her, and I couldn't tell if she was being honest or not.

"Thank you Jane, it's been a long time," said Tanya. I had the feeling that Tanya would be doing most of the talking. After all, she was the head of our family.

Jane just smiled and pointed to the entrance with her hand. "The queens are waiting for you," she said, and turned around. Tanya stayed one step ahead of me and Kate and headed for the entrance. Kate put her arms around my waist and pulled me after Tanya.

My mates were in protective formation, so no one could reach me. Although, at the moment, no one was even trying to.
I thought that the inside would be like in vampire horror movies, but I was surprised yet again. Almost everything was in white marble, the style was minimalistic. There were stairs on each side of the room, which led to the first floor. In the middle of the lobby, on the floor, stood their coat of arms. Through which we passed to reach the great golden door. Luckily there were no other vampires in the lobby.

Jane opened the door and let us in. Since Tanya was in front of me, I couldn't see what was in front of us. But the rest of the room also delighted me. It was immediately obvious that this used to be a room for the throne, in fact out of the corner of my eye I saw something that looked like a throne, so I assumed that it was still used that way today.

The room was oval in shape, and at the ends it had columns, like in old temples, only these looked like they were built yesterday.

I managed to see only one male vampire, who didn't look much older than Jane. They even looked similar. Jane went to stand next to him, her expression neutral.

"Welcome," a melodious voice said from the other side of the room, whose face I still couldn't see.

"Thank you, my queen, I'm sorry we didn't come sooner," Tanya said, certainty in her voice. Right now it was Tanya, the leader of the coven, not Tanya my mate.

"You almost didn't arrive on time, we can say that we were worried about you. It's not every day that one of our more loyal covens tries to circumvent the laws," the same voice said, as if provoking Tanya and waiting for a violent reaction.
I liked these queens less and less. What were they trying to do?

"My queen, you know that would never be our intention," Tanya said, determined to show the true state of affairs. I believe that this also played on her pride, which she has as a leader, and doubting her ability hurts her.

In order to support her, I put my hand on her back, and under my fingers I felt her slowly relax.

"I believe you, I told my mates that too. Denali will surely come and bring their new addition with them. Although I'm not sure why she's in your sister's hands, if she's your mate. No beast would allow that at such an early stage of a relationship, as you claim yours is," another voice said. This one was calmer, somewhat milder, if I may say so.

"Our intention was not to hide things from you, but with everything that happened, I was not able to inform you in time. I take full responsibility for that," Tanya told them. At whose words Kate stiffened even more, as if she wanted to jump to Tanya, but I held her firmly in place.

"Anyway, we'll get to what really happened. For now, it would be good if you stopped hiding your mate. Let's meet the human who started all of this," a third voice said, somewhat rougher, which had a large dose of dominance in it.

"Of course," Tanya said and slowly started to move aside. I knew every instinct was telling her not to. But she listened anyway.

On the other side of the room in front of the large window, three thrones were positioned, right next to each other. Although I was expecting something posh, the thrones were simple, made of the same white marble that adorned the rest of the room.

The moment my eyes fell on the so-called queens my heart started beating harder. They were beautiful women and if I hadn't found my companions before that, I would have said that they were the most beautiful women in the whole world. I couldn't tell their exact ages, but I wouldn't put any of them over 35. They looked like they were taken out of a fashion magazine. Each had their own style.

The queen on the left had black hair pulled up into a sophisticated bun, and wore a tight gray business skirt which she finished off with a tight white shirt. Such a simple combination, but I didn't think it would look like this on anyone else in the world. The queen in the middle, who had straight thick brown hair, wore similar colors to the first queen, but instead of a skirt, she was wearing pants. She looked so powerful, I believe the whole world would fall under her feet. The queen on the right, with white gray hair, which was placed in beautiful lush curls, wore a tight black dress. Which showed off her best attributes. But even though she was dressed most casually, something told me that she was the most dangerous.

But I didn't have much time for my analysis. Only a few moments later, Tanya spoke, "This is Isabela Swan, our...", but she didn't have time to finish. Because in the next moment all three queens were on their feet.

I looked each of them in the eye, and after that something clicked in me. I can't describe what, it wasn't the same reaction as when I met Tanya and Kate, but something powerful.

Of course I didn't have time to think about it. Nor about what that reaction means. Nor why I was suddenly attracted to them.

The queens started to walk towards us. Tanya and Kate froze at their reaction and I quickly found myself behind Kate, who was joined by Tanya in the protective wall.

Unfortunately, that move turned out to be wrong, because as soon as I disappeared from the view of the queens, I heard such a loud growl. That should have put fear in my bones, but for some unknown reason, I knew I was not in danger.

"You will move in an instant," the queen in the middle said. I knew she was telling this to Tanya and Kate, but wasn't sure if they would listen. What I noticed was that there were suddenly a large number of vampires in the room, all of them standing on the side. And I didn't like these ratios.

I would not allow my mates to perish for reasons unknown to me.

"My loves. I trust that your queens will not harm me," I told them, placing my hand on their backs, hoping it would be enough to calm the passions. "Let me meet them so we can go home." I didn't see the faces of the queens when I said that, otherwise I would have seen their deep hurt by my statement.

Tanya was the one who moved away first, while Kate took a little longer.

I took a couple of uncertain steps forward to get around my mates, I saw that they followed me. But the look of the queen stopped them. All three queens gave Tanya and Kate a murderous look. If someone else had given me that look, I think my heart would have stopped in fear. But this one didn't touch me too much. I wasn't even afraid for myself, but for them.

After I stood in front of them, I tried to hold myself proudly, like I was in an everyday situation. I didn't know if I succeeded, but the queens had an amused look.

I didn't want to speak first, let them be first. They demanded that we come anyway.

After a while, the queen in the middle, with brown hair, spoke. "Isabella, my name is Sulplicia, these are my mates Didyme," she pointed to the woman with black hair, "and this is Athenodora," she said pointing to the woman with blonde hair. All three had smiles on their faces and looked at me with affection in their eyes.

Sulplica continued. "We are very glad to have met you, you can't imagine how long we have waited for this day."

Now I didn't know how important a human they only found out about two days ago was to them.

Leah used to tell me that sometimes she should keep my mouth shut. Too bad I never learned that.

"I'd like to say the feeling is mutual, but unfortunately it's not," I said in a monotone, though as soon as I said the words, I could see that they hurt them, if only for a moment.

I immediately wanted to take my words back, but I didn't understand why. Why did it bother me that they were hurt?
Behind me I heard the worried voice of Tanya. "Bella—"

"Don't interrupt her," Didyme said. "She is free to say what she wants." She left no room for discussion. And now that I got the permit...

"Isabella, we didn't mean to upset you. It is our duty to protect our species. We had to check on the unusual behaviour of our clan from the north," Sulpicia said, as if excusing herself. Judging by the reaction of the other vampires in the room, it wasn't something that happened very often. And none of this made any sense, why should they care what I think?
— — —
"And the logical reaction was to force us to come instead of letting the loyal leader explain things over the phone." I couldn't hold back my words, which was clearly a mistake. Because at that moment the other vampires in the room reacted, I heard their growls, until the queens let out a louder growl.

But not addressed to me, no. But to their guard.

I could feel the discomfort of my mates, they were next to me in an instant. Their eyes were black, I believe their beasts were out. I could already see that they were upset because I was endangering myself.

"A decision we will never regret," Didyme said. To which I made a confused expression.

"My queen, allow us to explain how things turned out. We would never break the law. You know that?" Tanya asked them.

"Let's hear. But we want to hear that from her," Sulpicia said, and turned all her attention to me.

Why I should have more influence than Tanya was not clear to me. Even Kate hadn't spoken yet, so Tanya had the main floor. Then why did they allow me, a human, to do all this?

I started telling them how and when everything happened. They stopped me when I told them that Kate was also my mate.

"You feel the same connection with both?" Didyme asked, to which I nodded.

What surprised me was Athenodora's question, "Are they treating you well?" I heard the threat in her voice.

I had the need to defend them, I didn't like what she was insinuating.

"They are everything I could ever imagine. They hold me like a drop of water in the palm of their hand, and I would do anything for them," I told her in a protective tone.

"Multiple mates only happened once in history. And that is in our case. Although now I can say that this does not surprise me," Didyme said.

"Please continue the story," Sulpicia said. I wasn't sure what to say next, but I hadn't mentioned our new baby yet.

"Not much time has passed since I found out about your existence and about the connection with Tanya and Kate. We bonded quickly, and I will never regret it. And then your invitation came, to come and make us present," I told them, hoping that was enough.

"We see. I can say that we are sorry for causing you stress, sometimes it is our duty. We can't leave anything to chance. I hope you will forgive us," Sulplicia said in a soft voice, which I felt was sincere. The others also wore emotional expressions. Why should they be sorry for upsetting me, why did the queens apologize to me?

It's not something I was expecting, judging by the stories.

"Why?" I asked them. "Why do you hope that I will forgive you? I am just an ordinary human who has learned of your existence. And who hopes to live peacefully with my mates." Their expressions remained unchanged. The only thing was that Sulplicia held out her hands to Didyme and Athenodora. They were having a silent conversation.

It was probably the mind reading they mentioned to me.

"Are you going to let us go back home?" I asked them impatiently.

Tanya squeezed my hand gently, as if telling me not to overdo it. But for some reason I felt very free towards the queens.

"We would like you to stay for a while, now that you have come into our lives... We want to get to know you better," Sulplicia said, and although she expressed a wish, I knew it was a command.

"My queen, thank you for your generous offer, but we don't want to bother you. I'm sure that we will have the opportunity to meet over the years. Our plans are to turn Bella into a vampire. I can guarantee you that," Tanya said, holding out her hand to Sulplica, who was watching my reaction to Tanya's outstretched hand. I didn't want her to see her thoughts, private thoughts about our intimate moments.

It was as if she decided not to take Tanya's hand based on my reaction. I saw surprise on my mate's face.

My curiosity prevailed. "Why do you want to get to know me better? Why are you acting like I'm important?" I asked them.

"Because you are Isabella. You are the most important person in our lives. For years we hoped that the day would come when you would enter our lives. And now that you are, we don't intend to let you go," Athenodora said.

Tanya and Kate were upset by their sentence, I think they lost the battle with their beasts who felt threatened by the queens. Someone who threatens their claim on me. In an instant, they pushed me behind them and entered a protective stance in front of me, and a rumbling could be heard from their chests.

I knew it wouldn't end well. I couldn't even focus on the queen's statement because I felt fear for them.

The queens noticed my racing heart and anguish on my face. They raised their hand in the air, to stop the reaction of their guards.

Sulplicia then spoke in an angry voice towards Tanya and Kate.

"Consider yourself lucky that you will not be punished for this kind of reaction. If you weren't the key to our daughter's happiness, you'd be in so much trouble."

Daughter?

Chapter Text

The whole mood in the room changed after Sulpicia said those words.

If I had paid more attention, I would have seen the reaction of the guard. They had smiles on their faces, content with their queens. And after a second, they disappeared from the room, leaving us to talk in peace.

I felt relief when I saw my mates relax their stances, no longer growling or standing in front of me. I trusted them not to be in danger if they calmed so quickly. It means they are not in danger.

They turned to face me, trying to see my reaction to the claim queens put in place. What I saw on their faces surprised me greatly. They no longer wore a concerned look. Happy is a strong word for it, but they were pleased, and their beast retracted completely. Now they were just waiting for my reaction.

But I wasn't sure what my reaction was. Now that I know that Tanya and Kate are safe and I see them so calm, I no longer have to worry if we are in danger. So now I don't know what I feel.

I don't understand how it is possible that all this is happening to me, that the universe has prepared all this for me, and that it is not some bizarre dream or a figment of my imagination.

In addition to the fact that vampires are real, that I have two vampire mates, and that I am expecting a child with them, their queens decide my fate because they have absolute power in their world. Now those same queens are saying I'm their daughter?

I see them for the first time, and they say that I am their daughter. Whatever that means, what does it actually mean?

I shifted my focus to the queens; all three had impatient expressions on their faces, but also a touch of restlessness and fear. They were waiting for my reaction, and it was absent, at least for now.

Didyme had the most worried expression on her face, as if she already wanted to approach me but was holding back.

They are probably not used to these feelings, especially insecurity.

I wanted to be cruel to them because of all the stress they caused me and my mates, but something was stopping me. In other words, I decided that I didn't want them to feel bad. And those two sides of me are currently in conflict. The question is, which side will win?

"What do you mean, daughter? I see you for the first time in my life." I told them in not so neutral voice. It is up to them to explain everything to me.

Tanya and Kate came closer to me to give me support, but Tanya still said, "Bella, my love, keep an open mind; you're not going to help anyone if you act like this." I could tell in her voice the scolding I would get for my behavior—that is, for all the careless words that could get us into trouble.

This whole situation causes a big rebellion in me. No one ever told me how to behave; I always said what I thought. I'm still coming to terms with the influence that Tayna and Kate have over me, even though I know they would never do me any harm. And the fact that three women have so much power over our fate and that they, at the same time, do not behave sensibly leads me to great rebellion.

But rebellion won't solve anything; Tanya is right.

I kissed Tanya, more to relax her than as a sign of my promise to do my best.

I turned to the queens and asked, "Then?" in a naturally piercing tone of voice. I did my best, but this is stronger than me; I can't completely trample on my character. I cannot.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kate holding her head, muttering something to herself. As well as the disapproving look Tanya gave me.

Damn it, everything inside me was telling me to get it right—that I didn't want Tanya and Kate to be angry or worried about me. Fucking hormones and a vampire relationship.

I shook my head, as if to clear my mind, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm sorry. What do you mean, daughter?" only this time in a neutral voice.

Until now, the queens had only watched my interaction with my companions, but I couldn't read what they were thinking from their faces.

In fact, why should I care what they think? At least that's what I told myself.

Didyme took a step forward. "I don't know how much the Denali coven explained to you about the relationships in our world, as well as our beasts and instincts." I don't know if she said that rhetorically or if she expected me to answer, so I chose the second option. And not for the umpteenth time I interrupted the queen.

"They explained to me the connection between couples and that you are beings driven by primal instincts," I said impatiently, wanting them to get down to business.

I didn't notice that my mates were holding their head again, but more for the dramatic atmosphere and that Sulpicia and Athenodora were smirking at me.

Didyme smiled at me and nodded. "That's right, that's the shortest possible explanation. If you want a deeper understanding later, just say, and I'll explain everything to you. But you know enough for now. We are beings that strongly rely on our relationships, and they are the most important to us," Didyme continued.

Then Sulpicia took over. “As you know, there are bonds between partners, such as between you, Tanya, and Kate, as well as between me, Didyme, and Athenodora. This connection is the strongest and most important to our beast. But besides that, there are others. Among them, the relationship between parent and child is extremely important. The bond that was created between us the moment we saw you."

"What do you think are my parents? That doesn't make sense; my parents are alive, and I already have them." I told them in frustration, How is it possible that all this is happening to me? For what reason do they think they are my parents?

I regretted the words as soon as I said them, I saw the sadness on their faces, and they came close to each other, as if they were comforting each other. But they quickly recovered.

Athenodora decided to take the next step; she approached me slowly so as not to cause me fear, although I don't know how this is possible. She had hope and determination on her face and didn't stop until she was in front of me.

At some point—I don't know what—Kate and Tanya moved away from me. To give space to the queen. I wanted to be angry because they left me, but I couldn't.

With a calm, gentle voice, which she does not use for anyone but her companions, the warrior queen spoke to me, "That's right, my soul, in our eyes and the eyes of our beasts, you are our daughter. The bond that unites us now is stronger than any biological bond that could ever exist between you and your biological parents.

Although you are still human," she said unhappily, "I believe that you are already feeling some of the consequences of the relationship. We waited so long, we hoped for so long to receive a gift and have a daughter, that now that our wish has come true, we will do everything in our power to make you happy and safe." She finished with so much emotion, so sincerely.

Is it possible that my whole life I have parents who never took care of me in the way that I cried for all my childhood? How many nights have I begged them to help me and to be with me? But the older I got, the more I closed myself off; I no longer needed that support.

My eyes watered as I thought, and I can't believe it's still affecting me.

Athenodora looked at me as if the whole world will collapse because of my tears and slowly and gently placed her hand on my cheek. She caressed their cheek with her thumb, moving the tears that fell down my cheek. Her hand was cold, but it didn't bother me. With that hand on my cheek, I felt such security and support, which I had been looking for all my life but never received from my parents.

"Mi tesoro..." I heard her say. I took a deep breath and did what my instincts told me to do, which was to put my cheek in her hand, trying to get comfort.

However, it wouldn't be me if I gave in to my feelings right away. I don't know too many things, and I don't understand too many things. I don't want to be so vulnerable in front of people I don't know. I can't afford it.

Sulpicia and Didyme watched me and Athenodora with tenderness in their eyes, though I could see that they too would have liked to join us. Not all of this is happening too quickly.

I suddenly moved away from the hand that gave me security, wiped away the rest of the tears, and took a deep breath, moving away from them.

I didn't want to see the expression on their faces; I knew it would hurt me, and it's not my goal to get attached to them.

I returned to my mates, who were waiting for me with open arms. They hugged me tightly and gave me a gentle kiss as a sign of support. It was as if they were letting me decide for myself how to deal with this situation now that they no longer considered me to be in danger.

"My love, are you okay?" Kate asked me carefully, looking into my eyes, as if she were trying to read my condition or make sure I wasn't giving her an insincere answer.

"I don't know what to tell you; I don't understand what all this means. I'm so tired." I told her honestly that I still can't put my finger on how I feel. What should you do in this situation?

At that moment, Tanya decided to react, probably prompted by my condition.
"My queens, I would like to ask you to allow us Isabella to rest and let all her impressions settle," she said in a calm voice.

I didn't see the reaction of the Queens; right now I was in Kate's arms, and all I wanted to do was leave with my mates, get away from this whole situation. Although I had a feeling that it wouldn't happen,.

"Of course, the room is already ready for you, and the food will arrive soon. Isabella, if there is something special you want, just say, Everything will be available to you," said Sulplicia.

Of course, we have to stay here. They really don't plan to let us go.

I turned to them and said, "Can we go somewhere else? There must be a hotel nearby." I told them in an impatient voice. They didn't take my suggestion very well; Athenodora and Didyeme looked like I said the worst thing in the world.

Sulpicia answered my question: "We would prefer to stay here," she said in a calm voice, which didn't really leave room for negotiation. You can see that she is used to her word being the last.

Of course, I had an answer to that. But Tanya got ahead of me and said, "Thank you very much; we will gladly accept your offer."

Great, now that she has agreed, I have nothing else left.

"Jane will take you to your quarters, and we look forward to meeting you tomorrow, when we can get to know each other better," Sulpicia said, keeping her eyes on me. In fact, all three did not take their eyes off me. As if they didn't want me to disappear from their sight.

I didn't answer them; I didn't know what to say. What do they expect from me? That is the question that interests me the most.

I was completely lost in my thoughts when Kate and Tanya led me around the castle. I didn't even pay attention to the surroundings. After some time, we found ourselves in a large room, which was surprisingly modern. I didn't expect that. Soothing colors prevailed, and it gave a kind of homely atmosphere.

Jane then spoke to me: "Princess, the food has been served to you; if you need anything, just say. I wish you a pleasant rest." After that, she bowed and left the room.
Princess? What?

"Why did she call me princess? Why can't we leave? What do they want from me? Why are you so calm?” A flood of words came out of me.

In an instant, Tanya appeared in front of me and tried to calm me down. "Bella, love, take it easy; we don't want you to get upset. Don't stress yourself out; you know it's not the smartest thing to do," said Tanya, trying to calm me down and placing her hand on my stomach.

Of course, I shouldn't be upset, not because of our bean.

I took a deep breath. "I want you to explain the situation to me. What does all this mean for us? Why are you so calm?” I told them, trying not to yell.

Kate took my cheeks and kissed me. "Breathe, love; we will do our best to explain to you. But first, please, you must eat something. I don't care how. After that, we'll talk." Te physically pulled me to go to the food.

Now that she mentioned it, I realized that I was actually hungry. Although I thought the stress would block me, now that I could smell it all, I felt like I could eat it all.

They patiently waited for me to eat copious amounts of food. At the end, I felt like I was going to burst. But it was worth it.

Tanya and Kate were waiting for me on the couch, and I joined them there. But I didn't sit between them; no, I sat on the armchair across the way. I could see the displeasure with my decision on Kate's face. But they will have to bear with me until all my questions are resolved.

"I'm waiting for you. Explain to me what on Earth happened," I told them, waiting for them to begin.

Tanya gave me a piercing look, not like she was really angry, but it was obvious that I was going to get a lecture. She stepped into her role as coven leader. And because of our relationship and all the hormones, it meant that I would have to listen to her. The worst thing is that I knew she would be right.

"I can see that you already know what I'm going to tell you, and by the expression on your face, I can see that you're aware of what could have happened if things hadn't turned out this way. After everything we told you, the way things work in our world, you put yourself at such risk with your behavior." Tanya said with a serious expression on her face. I could see that she was not happy to have to talk to me like that, but yes, he still has that responsibility.

"Are you aware of the risk you have exposed yourself to? And after I warned you, you continued the same anyway, putting us all in danger." I knew that this was not a rhetorical question; she actually expected an answer, and that she was not really angry that I put her and Kate in danger, but herself and our baby.

And because of that, I started to feel a guilty conscience, and it was not the most pleasant thing for me to know that he was "angry" with me, probably because of our supernatural connection. I glanced at Kate, but she was wearing the same look as Tanya. I knew she agreed with her.

I sighed loudly, as if trying to collect my thoughts. I had to correct this situation; I couldn't bear them being angry with me. And also because I knew that I had exaggerated myself and my temper.

"I'm sorry that I almost put us in danger." I began honestly, "That really wasn't my goal. It was simply stronger than me at that moment. This whole situation means that we were forced to come here. These women have so much power over you and over our destiny. In my world, that doesn't exist; we are the owners of our own destiny. And not only the so-called queens." Okay, this last part pained me to say. What the fuck is going on?!

Kate interjected sternly. “Isabella, you're not in your own world anymore. You are in ours. There are things you will have to accept because they are just the way they are. And they are like that because if they weren't, we wouldn't survive as a species. They are like that because they have to be, because these women did everything for us as a species to live in prosperity and peace. Otherwise, they would spend their time in wars without family security or a sense of belonging. And I know that sometimes things seem unfairly arranged. But in our world, covens, our families, community, and mates are the most important things. Our beasts don't know how to be nomads anymore; we need strong leaders whom we trust to lead us." She finished her speech. This Kate was unknown to me; her playful spirit was not present.

They were really in real fear. I could get us all into real trouble, and all because I didn't understand their world seriously, in the true sense.

She saw that her speech affected me, so she took my hand and gently said, "My love, we don't aim to scold you; you have to understand that you are the most important person in our lives." And the way you lightly put yourself at risk, you brought us to the very edge because we would follow you. To the end of the world. We know that our world and way of life are unfamiliar to you, and we are so sorry that we have brought so many changes to your way of life. We know that it is not easy to accept everything or to fight with the urges that arise in you because of our relationship. But there is no other option."

Everything in me wanted to apologize to them again. Smooth everything between us. I had to correct this feeling. The urge I had to please them, that is, to listen to them because they were speaking for my good, was too great. Something that was not human but part of our relationship and their beasts. Both were in an extremely dominant mood at this moment. They were trying to convince their mate to be smart, not to put herself in danger.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I was not ready to fight such emotions or urges.
And they reacted quickly to my restlessness. They probably smelled it.

In a second, I was in their hands.

I said quietly in their arms, "I'm really sorry. So much is unknown to me. I can't change my temper; I'm only human."

Tanya cupped my cheek and turned my head to look into my eyes. "My everything. We will never ask you to change. We love you the way you are. But you have to be able to control yourself in some situations, especially when you expose yourself to danger." This last part sounded like an order, which did not cause a rebellion in me. I already have the desire to fulfill her, to appease my mate.

"I will do my best." I told her honestly, looking into her eyes.

"Please do it; otherwise, you will be punished." Tanya said, 'What?!', a serious expression on her face but with lust in her eyes. Whatever she was thinking made her eyes blacker.

My heart started beating faster, and I felt a spark in my lower part. I knew what kind of punishment she meant.

"You're lucky we're not home," Kate said in a deep voice in my ear. She even dared to bite my ear. Turning me on even more.

Punishment has never sounded so tempting to me.

But at that moment, they slightly moved away from me, to which I loudly protested. But both of them knew what they had done to me. They deliberately did not get involved and then moved away. Okay, we'll remember this for later.

They returned to their starting position for our conversation.

"Now that we have completed the first part of the conversation, we will explain to you what happened. At least as far as we can, I believe that the queens will also want to tell you something," Tanya told me, to which I nodded, impatiently waiting for him to finish.

"The reason why Kate and I are so calm and even happy about this situation is that you have become the safest person in our world. And our beasts couldn't be happier about it. Your safety and happiness are, of course, everything to them." She continued "As we told you, in our world, our mates are in the first place; there are no more important people than them, but there are also other relationships that are important to us. As we mentioned earlier, although they are not common, there are family ties. They are also sacred. One of the family ties is the one between the parents and the child," Tanya explained to me in a soft voice, as if calming me down, before telling me the rest.

"It is precisely this relationship that you have with our three queens. Precisely because they will protect you and love you more than anyone in the world, it gives us peace. It gives us the assurance that you are safe.” Tanya finished, waiting for my reaction.

"You can't really believe that," I told them, although I already felt the desire to look for them, but no one needs to know that. "I saw them half an hour ago; how can I claim that they are my mothers? I have parents," I said, raising my voice.

Tanya joined me in asking, “How long did it take for me and you to bond? How long did it take for you and Kate to bond? Although, as a human, you can't feel the fullness of a relationship, I'm sure you felt something right away."

Oh, how I wanted to deny it to her. But I couldn't.

Kate cut in, “Bella, Queens would never make that up. I believe they've been waiting for you all this time; you're their daughter, just as I'm sure you're our mate," she said in a confident voice. It's as if she's begging me to accept a well-known fact.

I knew Kate and Tanya would never lie to me. Never.

Which means this is really true. The queens really think I'm their daughter. Not. They don't think so. I am their daughter.

"What does that really mean?" I asked them in defeat. Holding his head.

"It means that they already love you. They will do everything to make you happy and safe, and they will do their best to win you over," Tanya told me with happiness in her voice. It's very hard for me to be against something if they're so damn happy about it.
"And that means that the love of our lives has become a princess," added Kate in her typical joking tone. Even Tanya laughed at her joke. And I gave her a piercing look.

"No, really, in our world, even though you're still human, you're a princess," Kate continued, cupping my cheeks in her hands and kissing me sweetly. I can see that this fact amuses her greatly.

I went to hit her on the head, but she quickly got away from me. Giving me another quick kiss.

I pretended to sulk at her, so I went to sit on Tanya's lap. She quickly wrapped her arms around me and bit my lips, saying, "Don't worry, I will protect you, my princess," with a smirk on her lips, to which Kate burst out laughing.

I sighed dramatically and tried to get up and leave dramatically. But Tanya didn't give it to me. "I'm sorry, love; I couldn't miss the opportunity," she told me, trying to redeem herself, looking at me with puppy dog eyes. And she succeeded.

"Just make fun of me; I'll pay you back; just wait." I promised them with a frown on my lips. Tanya just kissed me, and Kate winked at me. As if she can't wait.

We spent a few moments in pleasant silence, and then I remembered where we were.
"What are we going to do? Why don't we go home? We tell them that you will turn me into a vampire, and we leave.“ I told them, hoping that they would accept my proposal and we would leave. But deep down, I knew that wouldn't happen.

Tanya looked at me sympathetically but shook her head. "I don't think that's going to happen, love. The queen won't let you, us, go so easily." I started to rebel, but Tanya interrupted me. "Love, they just found you. Can you honestly imagine that they will tell you to leave without getting to know you well and trying to win you over? Not to mention the fact that you're currently carrying their grandchild."

"Maybe we shouldn't tell them," I said quietly, knowing I was being unreasonable, which was confirmed by their sigh.

“I believe the queens will want you to become a vampire before they even think about letting you out of their protection. And that as soon as possible, and we won't be able to let them do that. We'll have to tell them,” Tanya said.

This whole situation is like a movie. What else will happen, I wonder?

I didn't want to think about the queens, our relationship, their decisions, and everything that would happen soon. The future scared me. I just wanted to be with my mates. To curl up and be peaceful in their arms.

"What do they expect from me?" I asked them timidly. I was thinking of Rene and Charlie, who never had any expectations from me. They didn't deal with me, so they never had expectations. I knew I would never allow myself to become like them. My child will have all my love, attention, and care in the world. I will be with him.

I always thought that I had outgrown my traumas and my childhood desires. I want someone to take care of me, to know that I am important to someone, and to know that I have someone somewhere who will always have open arms for me. Advice and an encouraging word. Parents.

How should I behave now, when I have convinced myself that I never needed my parents? When little Bela, who has always longed for her parents, tries to break through to the surface, Because of unknown women who claim to be my parents,
And why, based on 10 minutes, do I feel a great desire to receive the security and connection that they talk about?

My heart says one thing, and my mind says I don't like them—to stick with my initial opinion about queens. Thirst for power and control.

I don't know how long I was absorbed in my thoughts. But Kate called me.

"My dear, everything will be fine. Do not worry. We are always with you. Whatever you decide," to which Tanya nodded, supporting the statement.

"All I want now is to rest in your arms; everything else can wait," I told them.

"You're not hungry anymore?" Tanya asked me. I knew that I would prefer to eat something else. But I wasn't hungry. Although it reminds me now. They haven't eaten for a couple of days now.

"I am not hungry. But you sure are. Let's go to bed, so you can feed." The very thought of it excited me. Even though we are where we are, nothing could distract me from the excitement at the thought of supporting my loved ones. As well as the pleasure that will bring me what follows.

I expected to find myself in bed in their arms in a second. But all I saw was uncertainty in their eyes; they were looking at each other. It's like they don't know what to do.

"Hey," I said nervously, is it possible that they don't want me? "What's going on?" There was a tremor in my voice.

They quickly changed their expressions when they realized how I interpreted their reaction. They slowly approached me, and Kate said in a confident voice, "Don't worry, love; we're not hungry. Let's go rest together." Being mated obviously has some benefits because I recognized the lie without any problems. As a built-in sensor. And I can't believe how much it hurts to realize that she told a lie.

They obviously don't want me. They don't want my blood. That can keep them alive.
"This is the last time you tried to lie to me, Katarina. Don't insult me like that," I said, hurt. At which both of them looked as if their world had collapsed. It was as if they had lost everything. Before they could react, I told them.

"You said you should eat every 3 days. That has passed. I can see that you are hungry; your eyes are dark. So I'm going to ask you, What's going on?” I demanded of them. Let them dare to lie or cheat.

"My all. It's true, we're hungry, but we can't take blood from you," Tanya said in defeat. As if she were going to cry if she could.

"Why?" I asked on the verge of tears. This rejection made me feel like my heart was bursting. "You said that from now on you can only take blood from me. Why are you rejecting me now?" I could no longer hold back the tears, which flowed down my cheek.

"It's true. We need you; we can't survive without you,” said Kate, and then she took a short break to breathe. “But we don't know what will happen to our child if we drink blood from you regularly,” she said, defeated.

I felt a weight fall off me; they didn't reject me. They just worry about our baby. They put her before themselves. Which is why they grew in my eyes. I don't know how I didn't think of that. Nothing in me warned me that I was putting our child in danger. And until now, I trusted my instincts.

"When you told me I was going to become a vampire soon, I knew I couldn't let that happen for some reason. We found out it was because of the baby. I don't feel any danger now. You said that I would naturally produce more blood and that it would regenerate faster. I believe there won't be any problems," I told them firmly. I am convinced that they will listen to me.

"We cannot know that. I haven't heard about our case. A fully mated woman was pregnant. We simply cannot know what will happen. And the beasts won't let us put our baby in danger," Tanya explained to me, looking lost.

"Then what is the solution?!" I shouted at them. "What are you two going to do to you? Starve for the next 8 months." The very thought of being hungry made me uncomfortable. And the thought that they were endangering themselves brought me to the edge. Everything inside me was screaming not to allow it.

They did not react to my words. They just continued to stand still. I believe that the wheels in their heads were turning from thinking. But they had no answer.

Fortunately, we are in a place where much older vampires live, who may have the answer.

I started towards the door of the room. In an instant, they were on my heels.
"Where are you going, Bella?" Kate asked me, confused.

I didn't turn around or stop, but instead reached for the door. "To find answers," I told them firmly. There's no way I'm going to let them hurt themselves.
Unfortunately I had to look for people I decided to avoid.

It didn't take long for Jane to appear in the hallway. “How can I help you, princess?” she asked me. I didn't have the strength to think about how she called me or correct her.

"Please take me to the Queens. I need them." I told her without hesitation.

"Isabela," I heard Tanya behind me. But I didn't respond.

Jane just nodded, though I noticed a smile on her face. “There you go, princess. Follow me."

I immediately followed her, knowing that Kate and Tanya would be right behind me. Which I want them to do. I don't want to let them out of my sight. I felt two cold hands intertwining their fingers with me, supporting me.

She led us another way to the queens; I don't believe she could manage to get back to the room alone. And I didn't even have enough attention to look around. All I wanted were answers.

Soon we came to a large door, although it was not the same one that led to the great hall.

Jane knocked twice and opened the door. "My Queens, the princess has asked to see you," she explained and moved for us to enter.

The queens were in a large study, and Sulplicia and Athenodora were standing behind a huge desk, holding papers in their hands. While Didyeme was sitting in a comfortable armchair in front of the table itself,.

As soon as they saw me, all three queens left what they were doing and walked towards me, with a worried expression on their faces and a murderous look directed at my companions.

I didn't understand why, and then I remembered that my face was probably red and there were traces of tears in my eyes.

They stopped close to us, although I could see their desire to take me with them. But they probably didn't know how I would react, so they stayed at a safe distance.

"What happened, Isabella?" Sulpicia asked worriedly. "We didn't expect to see you so soon," Didyme continued, looking between the three of us.

"I need your help," I told them reluctantly, and as soon as they heard my words, they looked as if they were ready to go into battle right now and here, just at my signal.
Athenodora nodded, letting me know I had their full attention.

I took a deep breath and said, "I wonder if you ever heard of a vampire who fully mated with a pregnant woman?" I asked them a question. Observing the confused expressions on their faces. I believe that they did not expect this at all.

"Why do you want to know, Mi Tesoro" Didyme asked me.

Better take the patch off right away. "Because my mates do not want to feed themselves, they are afraid that they will harm our baby," I told them, starting to feel nervous. It's like telling my parents I'm pregnant. Which, according to them, would be appropriate. But why should I care about their reaction to the news?

I could clearly see the shock on their faces.

"Are you pregnant?" Sulpicia asked me, and I could hear the joy in her voice. Didyme openly showed, and Athenodora looked at my stomach, muttering something to herself in the city.

Which made me self-conscious, so I put my hand on my stomach protectively. Even though I knew I wasn't in any danger.

"Yes, about a month." I told them impatiently, waiting for them to give me an answer.

"Do you know maybe for which case? I can't let my mates starve," I told them on the edge of my nerves.

"This certainly changes the situation," Athenodora said thoughtfully.

"It really changes, but can we complain?" added Sulpicia. I felt like shouting at them, saying that they should answer me and not talk in riddles.

“Didyme, do you remember Pablo and Mia?” Sulpicia asked. "Hmm," answered Didyme in the affirmative.

"To answer your question, Mi Tesoro, we know of only one such case. It was a long time ago, but as I recall, a mated vampire would normally feed off of its human mate during pregnancy. Unfortunately, the baby did not survive the birth, but that was for other reasons. As far as we know, mom and baby were not affected by feeding," Sulpicia told me.

I didn't even know I was holding my breath when she said that, just like I didn't feel Kate and Tanya hug me from behind. They sought comfort in me while they waited for an answer. I felt such relief.

I turned to them, hugging them. "I told you I didn't feel danger." Both Tanya and Kate hugged me tightly, putting their heads on the crack in my neck.

"We would never risk your safety, even if it meant getting hurt," Tanya told me gently. Kissing my neck.

"My noble love," I told them. I don't know how long we stood there in each other's arms. But the queens have let us . After a while, I turned to thank the queens. They helped me, though.

"Thank you. You have helped us a lot. We won't bother you anymore." I said it gratefully.

All three queens smiled at me. "Don't worry, Tesoro, we will do everything for you," Didyme said.

To which Sulpicia continued, "We have a lot to talk about. But first, go... rest," she said with a smirk.

"We expect you as soon as you wake up. I wish you a pleasant rest; you'll need it, because tomorrow you will have a little conversation with me," said Athenodora, looking at Tanya and Kate with a murderous smile on her face. She came out like a mother bear, ready for anything.

It was enough for me to look at my mates and know they wouldn’t have a pleasant day tomorrow. They looked like children in a store who were caught stealing sweets.

Well, it stinks to be them.