Archive of Our Own ^beta

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            “My safety? My...safety?! Edward my safety is in you! You make me feel safe! You and your family both make me feel incredibly safe! Why can’t I go with you?” I know he was worried about what his bother Jasper did. I already smelled different to any vampire I come into contact with, but add to that the fact that Jasper is an empath; that he can feel the bloodlust of six other vampires, his own struggle trying to conform to the vegetarian diet was enough. Add in that I’m Edward’s singer? I was surprised he hadn’t leapt at me sooner.

            “Bella, you’re my mate. My soulmate. You are the one for me; the one that was intended for me. I just want to protect you. If something were to happen to you because of my family and myself...I don’t know if I could ever live with the guilt that that would bring.”

            So, this is about how you feel and not about the incredible decision that is going to affect me for the rest of my life? What about my feelings? What about how heartbroken I’m feeling right now!

            “I- Edward, I don’t- “

            “It’s okay Bella. I know this is hard. I can’t live without you, but I can’t stand the thought of something happening to you if I were to stay. We’re leaving. We’re not coming back. You are just going to have to move on and have a normal human life without me.”

            “Edward- “

            “Goodbye Bella.” That’s when he kissed me one the forehead. I looked up from the ground and he was gone. I don’t understand! If we were supposed to be together forever then why did you just leave! If he can’t stand a little trouble and work it out with his family...if he can’t talk it out with Jasper and figure out a way to get past this.... What if something else had happened? What if this was a sign? If he can’t stay now because of a little trouble, then what would’ve happened if someone else came after me? Or worse, what if the Volturi had come for some strange reason? I don’t even understand...

            “Fine! If you can’t stay because of a little trouble, then I never wanted you any way!” Bella began walking home, angrier at herself than anything. Why did she even think for a second that a vampire and his entire family want to be anywhere around the likes of her. She stumbled a little after tripping over a medium-sized rock. Stupid clumsy gene! I can’t even storm off after a bad break up without tripping over everything! She began crying. It started with a small tear, but before she even realized what was happening, and entire flood of tears were rolling off of her face. Ugh! Why the fuck am I crying?! I don’t even understand it! I knew somewhere deep down that I didn’t even like him! She stopped walking. Love. Love? She couldn’t even say that she loved him. Leave it up to your subconscious to always tell you the truth. I’m better off without him anyway! I don’t need him! If only he could read my mind!

            “I don’t need you.” She looked up and into the forest. “Did you hear that? I don’t need you; and I never did!” She tripped again when she started walking. This time it wasn’t just a simple rock. She lost her balance and fell to the forest floor. What the hell? “What?” She looked back by her feet. She saw the obnoxiously large branch laying there, teasing her as if it were proud to be a hazard in the middle of her foot path. Her face scrunched in annoyance. She looked back in front of herself to remember where she was on the trail. She needed to get up. Bella could already feel all of the cold air and frozen ground seeping into her t-shirt underneath of her small, yellow raincoat. That’s when she noticed the small rock in front of her, or rather the rock indentation and the scattered footprints next to it. Had she been here before? Ugh, you’ve got to be kidding me! Great, just great! Now she was lost. She was in the forest, behind her house; somewhere! And now, thanks to Edward, she was lost.

            “Great! Just great! A wonderful way to end the even more fabulous evening that I’ve been having- “ Snap! Bella quickly turned her head to her left, towards the location of the strange noise that she heard far off in the forest. Snap! There it was again. She quickly turned her head to the right to try and catch whatever it might be that is making these strange noises. Crack! There it was again; closer this time. It was nearly right in front of her! A normal person would walk away or blame it on the wind. Maybe, if they could somehow keep calm in a strange, dark forest at night, they might blame it on a small animal or a deer a little further back in the woods. However, Bella is not normal. Bella also knows that there are things in this world that are also not normal. So, when she heard these noises, she did the only thing she thought any normal person would do:

            “Hello?” Silence. “Is anyone there?” Crack! “Hello,” she questioned a little louder, albeit a little more anxious, into the dark wilderness. Snap!...Pop!

            “...Boo!” She ran. Screamed and ran. That was all she could do. It didn’t matter if she knew that most things could out run her, or that she might trip over what’s right in front of her in the next ten seconds. All she knew was that she had to get away from whatever was chasing her. Whoever was chasing her. At least she thinks it’s chasing her. Ugh God! Shut up Bella! You have the worst inner monologues at the most inopportune times! She wasn’t just running now. It was a full-on sprint. She didn’t know how long she had been trying to escape her terrorizer, all she knew was that it was the longest time she had ever gone without tripping over anything. Smack! Down she goes. Just as she thought it, Bella tripped over a narrow branch of to the side of the path and landed face first on the ground. She heard a sickening crunch and then felt a sharp pain. Great! First you get lost and then you break your nose! What’s next? You decide to go cliff diving?! Ugh shut up Bella!

            Something grabbed her leg and she let out a blood-curdling scream. Something, no, someone had her by the leg. She was sure she would have a large hand print-shaped bruise covering the back of her calf tomorrow when she got out of this. If she got out of this.

            The person dragged her off of the path by the back of her leg. Mud and dirt and sharp, little twigs were getting all up underneath of her shirt. There were probably going to be a few scratches and deep little gashes when she looked later. If she were to get out of this. She couldn’t see anything. Not even when whoever had her by the leg flipped her over on her back. She tried to look up to see anything recognizable about this person, but nothing stood out. They were the same as every body else. They were just normal. She used all of the muscle she had to sit up and try and hit her attacker wherever she could reach. Again, she heard a sickening crunch and felt the pain a moment later when she attempted to hit them in what she assumed was their stomach. Unfortunately for her, she now had a broken nose and right hand. She is also now aware that the rock-solid flesh she attempted to injure could only belong to the only things that seemed to be constantly after her: Vampire. Great! At this point Bella realized that she only had one option left, which, she thinks isn’t really going to work considering she has no idea where she is in the forest.

            “Help! Help me!”

            “There’s no way anyone is going to hear you all the way out here!” She looked back to where she figured he was standing and turned to see two red irises staring back at her. Out here? How far are we?! Are we really far, or is the house really close and he’s trying to play tricks on me?!

            “Please don’t hurt me!” The vampire leaned down and got right in her face and closed her eyes to await her doom. When nothing happened, she opened them again. The blond man leaned over top of her, inches away from her face, and gave her an eerie smile. All of his too-perfect white teeth shined brightly, even in the darkness that surrounded them.

            “There you are. Let me see those beautiful browns of yours.” His smile grew even wider, if that were possible, and his voice got even quieter. She looked away the closer that he got; at least she tried to, but he grabbed her by the jaw to make her look back at him. “No, no don’t look away,” he laughed. A deep, haughty, sadistic laugh. “We’re just getting started! I want you to scream! I want this to last! I want you to sweat and bleed! You’re going to die slowly. Very, very slowly; grow tired and, just when you think you’ve had enough, I’ll replenish you and do it all over again!” He laughed much louder this time, and much, much haughtier. “Doesn’t that just sound like so much fun? Doesn’t it? I can’t wait! So, let’s get started, shall we?” He reached down to the juncture between her neck and shoulder. Bella tried to fight him off even though she knew it would be useless, but at least she wouldn’t die giving up. He grabbed her hands to restrain her and bit her on the neck. The slight pinch she felt on her skin didn’t hurt as bad as she thought it would, but she needn’t dwell on it for too long. As soon as she noticed the pinch, she noticed the burn. The fiery pain that supposedly came with a vampire bite. The venom that was in their system was everywhere. That she knew. It acted as their blood and it was used when they killed. It coated their teeth and took the place of their saliva; so, as soon as the strange and psychotic vampire bit down on her skin, the venom was already released. She just didn’t, no, couldn’t imagine it being this bad. This amount of pain was almost unbearable. She screamed. It was the only release that she had. She knew it was futile considering no one had come to save her yet, she assumed no one would. This she was sure of now.

            She wasn’t aware of how much time was passing, or if the pain was receding or getting worse. He had already let her sweat some and she felt nauseous earlier. After it went away, she assumed it was because her blood was replenishing itself, but after the number of times that he bit her, sometimes repeatedly in the same spots, she gave up trying to figure out what was happening to her body and what was not. She wasn’t sure anymore. She just wanted it to stop; just wanted it to end. She couldn’t really see due to the pain blurring her vision severely, but she could tell that it was getting lighter outside. She could also see the horrible creature lean in towards her neck again. Bella didn’t think she could take another bite. She wasn’t sure fighting for life was something worth doing anymore. Then she heard it; the growl-like noise. Maybe it’s here to finish you off. Bella, if you make it out of this, then you are definitely going to have to tell Charlie about the gigantic creatures in these woods. Charlie! Oh God he’s probably worrying out of his mind right about now. It was dark when you left with Edward! Edward...did they leave yet? Why are you worrying about them leaving? They never loved you to begin with apparently! Does Charlie know that they left yet? If he knows I’m missing does he think that they might have something to do with it? Has anyone told him yet? Why would they have to tell him Bella? I guarantee he knows you’re missing. Focus Bella! The pain hurts too much! I can’t-

            She felt another bite at her neck. Shit! Why won’t he just stop already! Please! I can’t! Stop! Just...it, just make it stop! Whatever this is! Whatever you’re-

            “...doing...”

            “What? Was there a word or two actually coming out of your mouth? Did I ask you to say anything? What is it you’re trying to say little pet?” He leaned his ear down towards Bella’s mouth for exaggeration. “You know, I’m surprised. Nobody can really do anything other than scream when they’ve got venom in their system. I’m surprised sounds stopped coming out of your mouth at all!” He laughed again. This time, however, it was cut short by a large howl; and then there were no more fun and games. It was like a switch had been flipped inside of him. She could hear it, feel it in the air around her. For some reason, whether it be normal human instinct or the already abnormal amount of adrenaline and paranoia that was in her system, she had jolted to. The burning was intense and it was all she could focus on. Until:

            “Damn, and I was so close to finishing my meal! Well, I guess you’re just going to have to suck it up cupcake and stay alive a little while longer. I’ve got some business to take care of, but I’m sure I’ll be home for supper. Ha!” He laughed. Giggled even. He actually had the audacity to do so! “See what I did there? Anyway, I’ll be back. Don’t start without me!” He sped off. She was alone. The vampire had left her alone; not that she had wanted him around, not by any means, but now nothing was there to distract her, keep her away from the pain. The pain that that sadistic being had created, keeping her from going to Charlie, her father, and comforting him, telling him that she was alright; that she’s safe. The pain that her supposed soulmate, the word now tasting foul in her mouth, had caused; leaving her alone in this forest, to find her way back home, which she had assumed was him until he finally decided to shatter her logic.

            What was she supposed to do now? She couldn’t just get up and move. Someone would have to come and find her. There wasn’t anything that she could do. She didn’t want him to come back. Who she was referring to now, she didn’t know. If Ed- he came back, Bella wasn’t sure if she could handle it; if it would be worth it. The physical pain and anguish that she was feeling now, that, that, she could handle; but add something emotional into the mix and she’d be done for.

            She actually wanted that sick vampire to come back. If he did then he was more than likely going to end her. At this point she was ready to greet Death as an old friend. She couldn’t imagine a world without anyone she loved and trying to navigate it alone as a newborn. She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t be able to. She didn’t think that she’d be able to.

            As Bella thought this, she didn’t realize that her inner thoughts had made her focus on something besides the volcanic flames that she was feeling running up and down her entire nervous system. But when she tried to find the pain again, to let her know that something was there for her, that at least that would be constant, she couldn’t find it. As hard as she tried, even though she knew that it was a really bad idea, she just couldn’t seem to find it. That’s when she figured she should open her eyes to find out what was going on.

            Its dark outside. Was the daylight really a hallucination? Was it all just in your head? Was it just a way for you to escape while you accepted your fate? She was seeing bright lights everywhere and there was and overwhelming scent of pine and fir trees. Did Charlie leave the back door open because he burnt something again? Focus Bella you know you’re outside! That you can remember. Then what are these- Stars? Are...are they stars? Is that why they’re so bright? Are they closer than normal? She needed to sit-

            She was already up. Before she could even think it, before it even crossed her mind, she was in a sitting position. What the hell? Why was she-

            Bella looked at her hands. She was pale. Paler than normal. Either she’s dead already, or the vampire came back and finished her off without her knowing. You were completely out of focus for a while there...Then why was she...okay? Fine? What was the word to use? She was better than fine, she was insanely spry for someone who’s nose and right hand are broken, and who has just gone through copious amounts of torture. Torture. It tasted foul; off. She didn’t like that word. Bella wasn’t sure she’d ever use it again. She looked at her right hand; the one that she had used to attempt to harm her attacker. It wasn’t bruised. In fact, it was perfectly fine. She could bend it and everything. She smelled water nearby, so she went to see if she could get a good look at herself and what was going on. Again, she was up and doing the things she wanted before the thoughts even crossed her mind. Wait a minute... smelled? You smelled water? Water? What the hell is going on with you Bella? She found the source of the scent she was looking for. As far as injuries went, well, she’d have to worry about addressing those later. They didn’t hurt right now and she was just thankful that that thing hadn’t come back to hurt her. All she wanted right now was to go back home, relieve Charlie, shower, rest, and then afterwards, eat a ton of bullshit that she knows she shouldn’t be putting into her body.

            She ended up in front of the medium-sized puddle and decided to attempt to wash off some of her blood. She didn’t want to mortify the man she called father. The only one who ever really, truly, cared for her. But when she looked down into the water when a few drops of her blood had fallen, all she saw where blood red irises staring back at her; and they didn’t belong to the vampire who had been harming her before.

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            “Our Father, who art in Heaven, what the actual fuck.” That was the first thought that popped into her head. She remembered reading it in her Margaret Attwood book. A book about how these women had their lives completely uprooted and were forced to provide offspring for their new dystopian society. That was now what her life was like. Completely fucked up. As Bella stood there staring down at her reflection in the puddle, all she could think was ‘What the actual fuck!’ Why was she like this?! She didn’t want this! Well, she did, but that was because she wanted to live forever with Edward. The bastard that had the audacity to say she was supernaturally fated to be with him forever. The man, no, vampire, who said that she was his soulmate. That was the only reason why she wanted to become like him. Well now she was like him, but no soulmate was there to help her through it. She didn’t know how to navigate this! Bella knew she couldn’t go home to Charlie. Her face contorted in utter despair. Carlisle had said something about newborns to her before. He had explained to her that they had heightened everything. Senses, strength, mobility, flexibility; and emotions. That was the one thing about becoming a vampire she was indifferent about. She had inherited the awkward emotional connections from her dad, but she wasn’t sure if she’d be happy with being overly-stimulated in that category.

            What the hell am I supposed to do? She didn’t realize that she had started crying until her vision blurred with tears that would never fall. She fell to her knees on the ground and looked up at the sky as it rained. It seemed that the clouds felt her pain. Maybe they wanted to let her know that she wasn’t alone. She looked down at the puddle again and sniffled. Her reflection only showing a small amount of the pain that she actually felt. As she kept staring at herself in the water, she began thinking of what this all meant. Obviously, if she was meant to be with Edward, then he wouldn’t have left her alone in the forest knowing the possibilities of what might happen to her. Bella knew somewhere deep down that he wasn’t the one that was truly meant for her. She could feel it in her heart. In her soul. That part of her, that void that Edward had claimed to be reserved for himself, felt empty; and every time she tried to place him back into it, the very idea of him was rejected. Almost as if her heart knew he was different. That he was wrong.

            Then who’s supposed to be that puzzle piece? Who’s supposed to fit there? She looked back up at the sky again, the rain not blurring her vision at all. She heard a small snap in the distance and was instantly in a defensive crouch. Bella took a minute to check her stance. Is this normal? She looked back in the direction of the noise and then she smelt it: blood. Someone had cut their finger and she was running right towards the culprit. She ran faster than she ever thought possible, even with the knowledge that vampires were in this world. The way it felt made her wonder if she was actually flying. She let out an excited yelp and wondered if she should still be upset about how her life just took such a dramatic turn. Fate told you that you weren’t supposed to be with Edward and you accepted that without abandon; even with all of the things that the two of you have been through. Yes, Bella, this may be slightly more serious, but if you believed fate before, then why can’t you do it now? Although, you will have to figure out what to do about Charlie... She couldn’t go to him anymore, that she knew. She would look too different to him and his background in his career wouldn’t allow him to let any of this go without some form of questioning. Plus, she’d be too afraid to hurt him. She wouldn’t be able to handle it, she was sure of it. Being away from him for the rest of his life sounded far better than ending it before he even got to the middle of it. With that thought in mind, she stopped what she was doing. Did she even want the blood? Do you want it because that’s your natural instinct and the thought and smell compels you to kill and hunt? Or is it because that is what every vampire has said so far and that’s what they’ve led you to believe; that you will have this uncontrollable thirst for human blood? As Bella thought about it, as she searched deep down to find the answer, she realized she really didn’t want to go for the human. It wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would be, but the way it was described to her made her think she would have no choice on how she viewed human blood. That that was the one substance that would drive her for the rest of her life. However long that will be...

            Thinking about human life made her think about Charlie again. She wouldn’t go to him. She’d take care of him from afar, but she wouldn’t be able to see him again. For his own safety. For hers. This made her feel important, like she now had a job to do. It was one of the only plus sides that she could see to this vampirism thing so far.

            A thought popped into her head. What if you ran somewhere? She became giddy at the thought. She could literally run, or swim even, to any place she wanted to in the world. Bella had always wanted to travel. She didn’t need to pay for anything, she could do it all on her own. She could swim to the deepest parts of the ocean and needn’t a single breath. The very idea made her jump and she sprinted with excitement. Where would she go? What would she do? Who would she meet? She knew she couldn’t go to Italy. Apparently the Volturi were very touchy on the subject of newborns, but she did want to go to a different continent. But where to go? And to whom? You don’t know anybody; and if you did meet another vampire, would they accept you? Or would they try to hurt you? I guess there’s only one way to find out. Hopefully, it would be the former.

            So, Bella started on her journey. She ran as fast as she could and then she ran some more. This was her chance to finally see everything, to finally notice the world and not be stuck in a small town forever. She didn’t exactly know where she was going to end up, so she just picked a direction and went with it. She chose East. After all, there was far more over there land-wise. It would be easier to cross every country from here to China instead of having to swim to it.

            Bella ended up getting across the country and down to Georgia in a day’s time. She decided from there that she was right across from the continent of Africa. Maybe I should go there? You did say you wanted to see the world, but there really isn’t anything interesting in the States. Why Africa though? Bella figured it was because she was trying to avoid Italy at the current moment, so going to Europe wouldn’t be a good thing to do right now. Everything was so close together over there. She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. Right, Africa it is. Maybe I can see some big cats? That would be so cool! She was off. She ran as fast as she could to the shore, but made sure to check that no one was looking before she jumped in. She wouldn’t want anyone to get any bad ideas and think that something had happened to her.

            She swam all day and night and by the time the next morning rolled around, she was in Mali. Bella you sure have no fucking clue what you are doing, do you? Nope. Not at all. “Let’s see if we can find some clothes. You already stick out.” She went for cover under a small awning and saw a woman hanging clothes to dry. “A loose-fitting dress will do.” She made sure the woman wasn’t looking before she nabbed the rose-colored dress from the line. The long-sleeved fabric felt beautiful on her skin. She could feel every fiber in the garment and the color went with her skin nicely. The sun started to rise, so she ducked back under the awning again. “You’ll just have to wait here until later.” With that in mind, Bella observed the busy streets from afar until nightfall. When that came around, Bella discarded her old clothes in a nearby basket and began walking. She didn’t even realize that she had been walking for as long as she had been. As a vampire, there was no concept of time. She didn’t get tired, or hungry. No, she wasn’t hungry, but thirsty. As she thought of the incredible pain in her throat, Bella wondered what she would do to find her meal. Luckily, opportunity struck. In the dead of night, she heard small struggles. When Bella turned the corner onto a dirt alleyway, she noticed a man trying to drag a young, teenage girl further down the abandoned street. Oh no, not on my watch you’re not. She saw red. Whether it be because of the girl and how much she reminded Bella of herself and the former, almost identical, position that she had been in just a few days earlier, or just the thought of someone hurting someone else in general; she didn’t know. All Bella was aware of being thirsty and she didn’t care if the girl saw; she just needed to end that vile human being who dared to hurt the girl.

             When Bella made sure she was covered by the building to her right, she ran down to where the man was. His grip on the girl instantly loosened, something she noted as new thanks to her newly enhanced sensed, and he tried to play it off. “Sorry, Miss. We’re fine,” he tried to reassure in his native tongue. Bella tilted her head, showing the man that she didn’t understand what he was saying. He spoke again. “Ah, English? English perhaps?” Bella nodded her head. “This girl, my daughter, was hurt. I’m just helping her home, yes?” She could clearly see the fear in this girl’s eyes. What did he take Bella for? Did he really think that lowly of her, or was he just this way with every woman he meets? She needed to get the girl away from him. Her mind was made up when she heard the small whimper of “...please...” come from the girl’s mouth. Bella was on him faster than he could blink, but she wasn’t exactly a clean eater. The blood was on her and the girl and she didn’t think that would go over very well when she walked on the busy dirt roads. Maybe I should change? For who? Its not like you’re going to be able to go out in the day light anyway! Its bright as fuck out here! And where are you going to get a new dress anyway? You just managed to push your luck far enough to find this one without anyone noticing you!  She blinked and saw the girl in front of her cower in fear. “No, no... Its okay, I’m not going to hurt you.” She tried to comfort her, but she just kept getting more and more frightened. Maybe it was the eyes? Or maybe the copious amounts of blood that you just put everywhere, dumbass! Right, that was probably it. Bella held up her hands in front of herself in a nonthreatening way. She showed the girl that she wasn’t there to harm her and began backing away from the alley slowly. “Go home,” Bella stated calmly, “Forget I was ever here.” Bella made herself look as serious as possible. The girl shook her head quickly and ran off, then so did Bella, but in the other direction. Mali wasn’t the thing for her anyway and this little hunting mishap had just put a damper on her mood. But where to? Wait...Egypt! Didn’t Carlisle briefly mention his friend in Egypt once? Well, it’s a damn good thing you’re already in Africa!

            She was off again. Sprinting across another country, to get to the other side of who knows where. Who knows if they would accept her or help her, but she knew one thing for certain: there was only one way to find out.

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                Ugh, finally! After a long trip East, Bella had finally made it to Egypt. I thought that was going to take forever. Geez once you become a vampire your patience truly does wear thin. It was true, in some sense. When a vampire, everything is heightened, making everything able to move much faster. When your speed seems much quicker than time itself, but in reality, it isn’t, one may become impatient with the rest of the world. In Bella’s case, it was the time it took to run from one side of the continent to the other. However, she needn’t be anxious any longer.

            “Now...where to go, where to go.” She figured she should look around, but didn’t want to come into contact with too much of the human population. She was a newborn and although she had been lucky enough to come in contact with only a few humans so far, she didn’t want to push her luck. As she perused the market place, making sure to stay in the shadows of course, she noticed that she could recognize a few English words through everyday transactions. Though modern Arabic was the most widely used language in this country, tourism had encroached on the people in this land and now many signs and a few English words were used daily.

            This did present an issue, for Bella didn’t really have a way to communicate, but she figured if she were looking for vampires, they probably wouldn’t be very well-known.

            Bella went up and down the streets, making sure to stay under the cover of close buildings and different market tents, but when she passed by a vendor for feminine clothing, she actually dared to chance a look at herself. She had completely forgotten about her dress. Through all of the running and newly gained freedom, she didn’t even realize what effect that would have on her clothing. She needed a change and bad. Her cotton dress was no longer the beautiful dusty rose color that it was, but instead a muddy brown thanks to all of the dirt and debris that she had picked up in her travels. No wonder everyone that saw her looked at her a bit weird.

            As she neared the vendor, she picked out what she wanted to wear. She couldn’t pay for anything, for she didn’t have any money. It was a good thing that the vendor had a covering over their shop or she would have been screwed. Bella walked around for a bit, pretending to look for something that she wanted, and when she went to reach for the skirt, someone else had reached for it as well.

            “I’m sorry I-“ Bella looked up and noticed that the woman had red eyes as well. She sensed that the other vampire was old. Not thousands of years old like she had heard others could be, but old enough to put her on edge. She retracted her hand and took a step back. Her eyes widened when she realized that there was a man with her as well, who also had red eyes. They both looked at her alarmed, but when Bella went to walk on, then man grabbed her wrist.

            “May I ask what you are doing in our territory?” His what? Bella was sure her shock was reflected on her face. The man looked at her curiously as he stood slightly in front of the woman that was on his arm.

            “I- I don’t understand.” The woman’s eyes widened.

            “What do you mean you ‘don’t understand’? This is our territory.” He tried to seem as commanding as possible without arousing suspicion. Was Bella supposed to know what that meant? Was there some book where boarders of different covens were written down? It’s not as if they have some vampire newsletter going around! There’s no way that someone could just know that this is where his coven resides!

            “The territory lines. Where we hunt? Did you not smell them,” the woman next to the man explained quietly.

            “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m sorry I- “Bella began to panic. She did not want to get on the wrong side of old vampires. That was not her plan. She wanted to come to Egypt and meet Carlisle’s friends. Wait...These aren’t the ones he was referring to, are they. There has to be more vampires in Egypt than this small coven, right? Could they even be considered a coven? There was only two of them. Was that how this worked? “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you.”

            “Shh,” the woman spoke as she tried to calm Bella down, but the man stopped her.

            “Don’t Kebi. We don’t want to get involved with her. She has all the signs of a newborn. Erratic emotions, not being able to understand boarder markers, though I’m not sure how she isn’t giving into her blood lust.” The woman, whom Bella now knew as Kebi, looked at the man and then sighed.

            “Amun, she is scared and confused. We must help her. What if the Volturi end up finding her and see that we let an untamed newborn go out into the city.” That seemed to encourage Amun to continue the conversation enough. He didn’t seem like he was overly fond of the Volturi and they both looked fearful of the notion of any of the members travelling all the way to Egypt.

            He sighed as he looked at her sternly. “Where is your maker? Do they know that they have lost their newborn apprentice?” He seemed impatient, like she was only a lowly person to him and she meant nothing more than the dirt on the bottom of his shoe. Kebi looked at her comfortingly and nodded her head, encouraging her to go on.

            “I don’t think I have one of those.” Now they were both looking at her strange. Did she say something wrong?

            “That’s preposterous! Everyone has a maker!” Kebi seemed to notice that they were drawing a little too much attention to themselves and decided to purchase the outfit Bella wash looking at to draw attention away from them. That left her alone with Amun.

            “I don’t have one with me. I don’t know what happen to mine. Are they the one that turned you?” Amun nodded as though the answer were obvious. “Mine wasn’t necessarily on purpose.”

            “What do you mean,” Kebi asked quietly as she returned with the outfit in hand. “Were you not turned at your own will?” She looked concerned and Amun looked a little less annoyed.

            “I didn’t necessarily have the best circumstances for turning, though I wasn’t really meant to...” Bella’s eyes glazed over as she remembered the horrific circumstances of her turning. Sensing that the situation was becoming tense, Amun began asking other questions.

            “If you are a newborn, which we can sense that you are, then how are you controlling your thirst? You should be ravenous.”

            “I don’t know,” Bella shrugged. “I don’t have this inherent need to thirst for blood. Yes, there is the dull ache in my throat, but it’s not overwhelming.” To say they were both a little shocked would be an understatement.

            “Maybe you have a gift,” suggested Kebi, “Do you know what those are?” Amun began to look at her suspiciously, as though he was afraid she was going to give up something important.

            “Yes, I’ve heard of them, but I don’t know if I have one. Is there a way to tell?”

            “Only if you happen to use it in a time of need. You just have to discover it,” claimed Amun. “How old are you?”

            “Umm...a few days? Maybe a week?” If their eyes could get any wider, they would have.

            Kebi pulled Amun off to the side and began speaking to him, but it was in Arabic, so Bella wasn’t able to understand.

            “Amun we have to help her. She is alone and the law makes it perfectly clear that if there is a newborn, you either kill it, or nurture it as your own. We cannot kill her. She doesn’t deserve that. My guess is her change wasn’t in the best of conditions.” Kebi spared a look back at Bella. “Why should she have to suffer alone?” Amun looked at his mate curiously. Usually she did not plead for many things. Whenever she did, they were very important.

            "You already think of her as a child, don’t you,” Amun said sarcastically as he looked over at Bella again. He knew he wasn’t going to like all of the tantrums that occurred when raising a newborn vampire, but if it was what his mate wanted, then she would have it. He stared at Bella again and noticed how her eyes looked around frantically, as if she still wasn’t used to all of the noise and stimulus that came with being a new vampire. He supposed she wouldn’t be used to it yet, considering she was only around a week old, but he couldn’t help the thought of her looking like a young child needing guidance in their time of need.

            He sighed as he acknowledged his mate again. In a way, the two younger members of their coven, Benjamin and Tia, were like their children; except these children were grown and married and didn’t have the emotional turmoil of a toddler. When he examined Bella further, he realized she was rather shy. When someone looked at her strangely, she blushed and looked down. When someone tried to speak to her, her eyes widened in fear of not knowing how to respond. He observed how his mate looked at her in a maternal way, and couldn’t help thinking that it was the same way she looked at the other members of their coven.

             He supposes he should accept her, seeing as his mate was just waiting to comfort the poor creature. He couldn’t help but think of how protected she would be as the knew member of their coven. He would do it, for Kebi.

            Amun walked back over to her slowly, as not to startle her. “What is your name, young one?”

            Hmm...Bella, or... “Isabella, my name is Isabella...” New start, new you, Bella.

            “Well then, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you may stay with us, Isabella. You’re in need of a coven, seeing as the Volturi doesn’t allow for newborns to be on their own. You have Kebi to thank, not me.” He looked at her sternly as he began walking away.

            “Here,” Kebi smiled at her. She handed her the outfit she was looking at earlier. “You’re in need of these.”

            “I- You didn’t have to- “

            “Nonsense,” Kebi waved off as she placed the clothing in Bella’s hand, “You are a member of this coven now, and we provide for our own.” The woman smiled at her kindly and she couldn’t help the stab of pain she felt as Kebi seemed to remind her a little of Esme, the woman she used to think of as a mother. Sensing her sadness, Kebi looked down at her as she placed a hand on her cheek. “Do not worry child,” she said lovingly, “It will all get better with time.” As Bella looked at the clothes that Kebi had given her, she couldn’t help but think that the start to her new life didn’t seem as bad as she thought it would be.

Chapter Text

As Bella was running back to Amun’s house, she noticed how close Kebi seemed to be with him. She knew they were mates, but she didn’t know that some acted the way she did. Kebi didn’t speak much and she usually didn’t argue with Amun either. It looked as if she did whatever he said, as long as it was kind, and she never really strayed far from him. Why that was, Bella didn’t know. She did, however, realize that while Amun may be very strict and unwilling to be anything more than civil towards her, Kebi was almost like the mother she never had. In a way, she had almost filled the void that Esme had left. That thought alone caused another stab of pain go through Bella’s chest and she slowed a little. Kebi seemed to notice and Bella could tell that she wanted to stop, but Bella pushed through it. She would have time to deal with it later, but damn if these newborn mood swings weren’t trying to kill her.

            Amun and Kebi began to slow down and so did Bella. “Why are we stopping? Is something wrong?” Bella panicked. Did you do something wrong? Better figure out whatever the hell it is and quick! She was cut from her thoughts when Kebi wrapped her in a loving embrace and smiled at her.

            “No, child. We’re here. See,” she spoke as she gestured to the large home towards the edge of the city, “Nothing to worry about.” Amun observed Kebi with this new newborn that they were forced to care for. He had never seen her so open with someone before, at least, anyone outside of their own coven. She usually stuck to him, and even then, she rarely spoke. He smiles at the open way she thought of this young one as her child. He only hoped she didn’t take that as an advantage over his mate. That thought made him wary again. He’d be damned if this child were to harm his mate.

            Bella observed the large home. Made mostly of sand and lime stone, it blended in perfectly with its desert environment. The archway-like door allowed for the desert breeze to travel all throughout the building, the scent calming Bella somewhat. As she walked inside with her new caretakers, Bella noticed a large, decorative pool in the middle. The clear, blue waters were beautiful compared to the murky waters of the beaches that had surrounded her childhood. She looked on worriedly. Should she be here? Were they really okay with this? Remember Bella, they’re only taking care of you because they have to. Don’t get attached. They’ll kick you out as soon as they’re able. Wait, wasn’t there supposed to be more of them? The thought alone caused Bella to panic. Her newborn instincts were going off again and she didn’t like it one bit. She was going to be surrounded by older vampires, four of them at that, who were all stronger than her. Did she really want to do this?

            “Don’t worry, Isabella. They’re going to love you.” Kebi’s voice was calming, and a small light to pull her out of her dark thoughts.

            “Maybe we should acclimate you first. Then we can introduce you to the others...maybe.”

            “Amun,” Kebi started.

            “Kebi, she is new. We don’t know how they will react with each other. She is calm now, but her instincts could appear and take over, even without her knowing.” Did he think she seriously wasn’t going to be able to control what her own brain thought? Look I know I’m new to this whole thing, but I’m pretty sure I’ll know when I’m about to go all crazy, psycho vampire, mister!

            Just then, as Bella was about to start a very valid argument, the pool in the middle of the walkway started to move. Only a little at first, just a few waves, but then the water started splashing outside of its pool and a massive wall of water took the shape of one of the archways. This was very frightening to a newborn Bella. Sensing that there was great power behind whatever vampire could conjure this, she quietly stepped a few inches behind Kebi as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. The woman smiled at her kindly, and understood as she grabbed Bella’s hand.

            “I was a newborn once. We all were,” spoke the mother figure softly as she looked at her. “I understand.”

            Suddenly, a young man with tan skin and black, curly hair stepped from a hallway and into the main room, holding his hand in the air. Well, this was a little confusing. Bella put two and two together and realized that the young vampire that just walked in was the one controlling the water.  You have got to be fucking kidding me! What was he, a water bender? The woman that was with him looked at him with pride as she watched him control the water.

            “I’d like to hear about it.” He smiled as he swept his hand over the area of the pool and the water went back into its original spot, almost. Most of the water splashed out onto the sides, some of which was now covering Bella’s feet. Amun sighed as he rolled his eyes, though, he still looked a little fearful.

            “Benjamin, what have I told you of using your gift around others you don’t know?” Amun looked at him sternly as he pressed for an answer.

            “You just said around anyone suspicious. She doesn’t look suspicious.” This is when he turned his gaze on Bella. He smiled at her fondly and she took another step behind Kebi. She didn’t appreciate all of this attention on her. She would rather it be on someone else. The girl next to him however, decided to make the situation worse.

            “My love, I think you scared her. See how she clings to Kebi? You should apologize.” The woman’s voice was soft as she spoke; like a small breeze on top of the ocean waves.

            Benjamin looked to Bella again as he smirked and then spoke. “I am sorry for frightening you. I just wanted to see how angry Amun could get.” He laughed as the woman behind him giggled. Kebi looked at them fondly and turned to Amun.

            “They’re young. Let them have their fun.”

            “It doesn’t mean it gets any less stressful.” At this point, Benjamin started walking over to her slowly.

            “Be careful Benjamin,” Kebi spoke in her soothing tone, “She’s only a few days old.” He looked at the woman that represented comfort for Bella, as he nodded his understanding. He gazed joyously at Bella as he held out his hand.  It seemed as though everyone was waiting on bated breath.

            “My name is Benjamin,” he said softly as he gestured to himself, then he gestured to the woman that entered with him. “And this is my mate, Tia.” The woman gave her a kind and warm smile as she waved lightly to her. Bella gave her a small smile in return, though it probably didn’t look as convincing. Tia nodded to her, encouraging Bella to converse with Benjamin. “What’s your name?” He was kind, they both were. Kebi was as well, but Amun needed a little more work on his people skills.

            “My name is Isabella. I got here from the States. I just arrived in...” Bella realized she wasn’t actually aware of what city this was. He seemed to understand and smiled at her.

            “Cairo, you are in Cairo.”

            “Yeah, I just arrived in Cairo, like...yesterday.”

            “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Benjamin gestured for her hand and, reluctantly, Bella gave it to him. With his finger, and a small twist of her wrist, he created a tiny tornado in the palm of her hand. Bella smiled as she watched the elemental power disperse from her hand and dissipate into the air. She looked up to him as she stepped a little from behind Kebi.

            “How did you do that,” Bella asked in admiration.

            “Its part of my gift, elemental manipulation.” She could hear Amun sighing in the background. Okay, scratch that. You are literally Aang. You are the Last Airbender.

            “If you sigh anymore Amun one would think you were almost human.”  He looked to Amun as he was given a stern warning. Bella giggled and spoke again. “So... should I call you Aang.” As soon as the statement came out of her mouth, she instantly wanted to smack herself. That, or do a massive facepalm. There was a beat of silence before Benjamin started laughing. Apparently, he was the only one that understood that reference. Bella started smiling with him, but she still wanted to remain behind Kebi.

            “That one was funny. I don’t think anyone around here would have made that reference.” He turned to Amun. “See, she’s harmless.” Benjamin smirked as he walked back to Tia and grabbed her hand. “How long will she be staying? At least until her newborn year is over, yes?” They were all very aware of the Volturi’s laws. Amun was very paranoid when it came to the ruling coven.

            Bella was a little slow when it came to anything politics related in her new world. “I don’t get it. I mean, I know who they are, but why are you so worried? What will they do?” Bella looked around worriedly. Were they really going to kill her just for being an unaccompanied newborn?

            “Its not you,” Tia soothed. “Benjamin is very powerful and Aro, one of the three kings of the Volturi, covets strong gifts. If he finds one that he likes, it usually isn’t long before evidence turns up that their coven has committed a crime somewhere in the past.”

            “If he finds out about Benjamin, then Aro will more than likely generate some preposterous crime that you’ve never committed; just so he can have him.” Amun was stiff, very worried about the future outcome of one of his coven members.

            “Correct,” Tia spoke.

            “But he won’t, not as long as you stay hidden. You know you won’t use your gift out in the open, and, if you’re worried about me, then don’t be. I- I won’t tell anyone.” Bella panicked as she looked around. Would they really abandon her because they thought she was going to turn in Benjamin?

            “We know you won’t. Do not worry child. You are safe here.” Kebi rubbed Bella’s arm soothingly and she stepped a little behind Kebi again. The two younger coven members looked at the older woman strangely. This newborn was bringing her out of her self-imposed shell, and that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

            In order to shift the tense situation to something lighter, Benjamin spoke up. “Isabella, do you have any gifts?”

            “Not that I know of, but I don’t know how to find out if I do.”

            “We could always try and bring it out of you.” Kebi looked a little worried.

            “Maybe we should wait. She only just arrived.”

            “I’d like to try,” Bella said timidly. “I mean, its good to find out, right?” With the realization that the idea had already been planted, and the excited look that Benjamin had gained, Amun understood that there was no stopping this. He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose; a human trait that he hadn’t lost.

            “I am not going to like this am I?”

            “Nope, not one bit.” Maybe Benjamin was a little too excited to be able to fully use his gift.

            The small group arrived in the courtyard of the Egyptian home. With nothing more than a few plants and a minor fountain, there really wasn’t much in the way. Bella observed the rest of the area around her. She could see three stories of the building, all of whom had a balcony surrounding the inner part of their floor; which was facing the courtyard. Bella smiled a little as she looked at the magnificent home.

            “Do you like it,” Kebi asked as she led Bella by the arm into the courtyard.

            “Its so big and beautiful.”

            “Okay,” Benjamin stated as he clasped his hands together, “Let’s see if we can’t try and unlock your gift. I suggest the rest of you stand off to the side.” Bella noticed that Kebi was a little reluctant to let her go. She nearly had to tear her arm out of the woman’s grip.

            “I’ll be okay,” Bella said quietly. “I’m indestructible, remember?” Kebi smiled and rubbed her arm affectionately as she walked over to Amun. She still looked a little worried though.

            “Be careful Benjamin. Don’t hurt her.”

            He rolled his eyes. “I won’t Kebi. Don’t worry.”

            “That’s all she ever does, my love.” Tia looked over to the other woman and smiled fondly.

            Bella mentally prepared herself and braced for whatever he was about to throw at her.

            “Alright, now, I’m going to start off easy. I’ll give you a strong wind and I want you to protect yourself, however that may be.” ‘However that may be’? What am I supposed to do? Just know how to protect myself against a giant fucking hurricane?! Are you crazy? The fear must have been palpable in the air because she noticed Kebi try to go to her, but Amun held her back; afraid that she’d get caught in the crossfire. “Don’t worry, Isabella. It won’t hurt you. Its just strong, but it won’t injure.”

            Bella nodded her head and soon after, she felts the beginnings of wind flowing through her hair. She smiled as she felt it all over her body. However, the wind began growing stronger and she had to block her face with her hands, but nothing happened. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get anything to happen. She saw the others hide their faces, but Bella just couldn’t stop the wind. She had no power to.

            “Benjamin, you have to stop! I can’t do it!” It was very difficult to speak over the wind, let alone be heard, but thankfully with their hearing, Bella was understood.

            “Yes you can Isabella! I believe in you!”

            “No! I mean I really can’t! I can’t conjure anything or do anything to stop it!”

            “Benjamin stop this,” Tia shouted. The wind died down almost immediately.

            He sighed. “I’m sorry Isabella. I thought it would work. Maybe we can try water.”

            Kebi instantly wanted to stop this. “No! Maybe she just doesn’t have one.”

            “But what if I do have one? It would eat at me until I figured out what it was.” Kebi sighed. She really didn’t want Bella getting hurt. “Okay, let’s go again.” She smiled this time. Now she was having fun. Benjamin smiled back at her as she prepared herself again.

            Time and time again Benjamin threw different things at Bella. Whether it be small fire balls, tiny tornados, or little blasts of water, Bella just couldn’t block it. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how beat up she got, she just didn’t have anything to do. Maybe Bella didn’t have a gift.

            Benjamin, however, began to notice that every time Bella was hit, Kebi would flinch a little. Amun would definitely kill him later, but it was worth a shot. Maybe it worked two ways? There was only one way to find out. He smiled to himself as he mentally prepared himself for the ear lashing he was going to receive later.

            “Alright, let me try one more thing and then we can take a break for today.” Bella nodded her head in acknowledgement. She was prepared for it until she realized that Benjamin wasn’t turning his gift on her. Bella saw it in slow motion. Benjamin conjured up a medium sized rock and hurled it towards Kebi. He hoped this would work, or this could potentially end very, very badly.

            However, before the rock could hit her, he saw Bella speed toward Kebi and plant herself in front of her. “No,” she shouted. Her scream could be heard all throughout the house as she threw her hands up in defense. Unfortunately for the rock, it was shattered in seconds by and enormous plant wall constructed by the little ones that were potted in the courtyard. When the dust settled, everyone could clearly see the small plants the stalks started out as, and how they rapidly grew up until they were right underneath the glass roof on the fifth floor.

            Bella stood there, open-mouthed, as she saw what was in front of her. “Benjamin?”

            “It wasn’t me.”

            “Did I do that,” she looked on at him wide-eyed as she played with her hands.

            He looked down from the plants as he smiled at her. “You sure did.” He gazed again at the plants in awe, as did everyone else. “Well, at least we found out what your gift is.”

            “Damn,” Bella mumbled quietly.

            “Damn is right,” Benjamin bantered back.

            “We also found what triggered it, protecting people, that is,” Tia imputed as she noticed how furious Amun was.

            “Benjamin!” His eyes grew wide as the realization of his actions kicked in. He attacked another vampire’s mate; and you never, ever go for another’s mate. He of all people should know that.

            “You know, I would love to talk more about this Isabella, but I just remembered that I have a few errands to run,” Benjamin shouted as he sprinted off. Bella was smiling and nodding the whole time as she watched two millennia-old vampires chase each other throughout the house. All three female vampires were laughing as Amun could be heard shouting in Arabic throughout the house.

Chapter Text

                The rest of the day had passed rather quickly for Bella. While she, Tia, and Kebi all admired the show of talents earlier, and, of course, Amun chasing Benjamin for the better part of an hour, not being on the other side of Amun’s wrath was something they were rather fond of and Kebi refereed from afar. The lecture that followed the incident was somewhat of a mood-damper and Bella couldn’t help but feel sorry for her new vampire friend; he was only trying to help her find her gift. She, of course, never meant for him to lose favor in the eyes of the coven leader, but it was funny nonetheless.

            Bella couldn’t help but be amazed at herself. Did you really just do that? The plant thing was all you? Was that really her gift? If so, how could she develop it? What would she use it for?

            Bella gazed at her hands in astonishment. That simple action, the simple thought caused this. She marveled at the plant wall that still remained in the center of the courtyard. She wasn’t exactly sure how to remove it yet, but Bella supposed that should probably be her first step in learning how to control her gift.

            However, when Bella tried to remove it, or at least make it smaller, the action only caused another plant to grow, and made the situation worse.

            When she was finally able to pull her eyes away from the fascinating structure that she had just created, Bella noticed Kebi smiling at her from afar. “Benjamin used to look at his hands the exact same way. He was always curious about what else he could do.” The woman walked over to her and grasped her hands in her own. She looked at her, her care for Bella written all over her face. “Don’t abuse it.” She took Bella’s face in her hands. “I will tell you the same thing that I told Benjamin. You have great power, and have been given a gift. You wouldn’t have been trusted with it otherwise. Take care of it and do no let anyone take advantage of it, of you.” She nodded her head in understanding. Kebi was right. People were going to want to take advantage of her gift if it fell into the wrong hands. She’d just have to be careful.

            Bella looked at the woman again as she let go of her face. She contemplated her gift again and smiled. “It’s not just that, but...was that really me?” Kebi and Tia both nodded. “I don’t even understand how. I’ve never been good with plants.” She gazed up at the wall again. She almost went to remove the plants, but Tia stopped her.

            “Maybe we should wait until you understand how to use it more. We don’t want anymore ‘almost accidents’ happening. We were lucky that they didn’t go through the roof, but we don’t know the extent of your powers yet. You heard how Amun was screaming at Benjamin earlier.” Bella giggled, remembering the thought of Benjamin fleeing, screaming his immense apologies to both Kebi and Amun, in Arabic. “I don’t think you really want that pointed at you, do you?” Bella shook her head in acknowledgement, though she didn’t appreciate being told off like a child. Was that really how people thought newborns needed to learn? I’m not a child you know. I’m eighteen.

            Everyone looked toward the front end of the courtyard as they heard both men approaching. Amun seeming to have blown off some steam, and Benjamin looking a little worse for wear. The latter looked as if he would now overthink any decision he had that would involve Kebi. Bella smiled at his wide eyes as he walked over to his mate.

            Amun headed straight for Kebi as she comforted him, laughing at the amount of worry in his expression. He leaned down and placed his head into the crook of her neck as he took in her calming scent. Kebi smiled to him as she whispered small words of comfort to him in his ear, laughing to herself the entire time. Bella had to do a double take. Was this really the ‘mightier-than-thou’ man she had seen not ten minutes before?

            “Come on Isabella,” Tia spoke up from behind her. Bella quickly turned to her. “Why don’t the three of us wander around the house for a little while, while Amun gets reacclimated?” Tia smiled friendly, and Bella thought she would be blushing six shades of red if she could. Were all mates this overdramatic, or was it just Amun and his paranoid psychosis? Benjamin seemed to understand her inner monologue as he laughed at her a nodded his head in answer.

            Tia put out her hand for Bella to take, ignoring her own mate’s protests when she didn’t take his, both women giggling at his look of disappointment, and Bella timidly accepted it.

            She looked back over to the two ‘adult’ vampires and noticed how Amun was still firmly attached to Kebi’s side, and began walking away with her new friends. “Where are you going,” Kebi spoke up from behind them.

            “Just around the house for a little while Kebi. We’re not going anywhere. Don’t worry.” Benjamin smiled at the woman who seemed reluctant to let any of them leave. Amun stopped her, however, before the worrying woman could run to them.

            “You do not leave this house, understand?”

            “Yes, Amun, we understand,” Tia said, as though she had responded to the statement many times over. The coven leader seemed reluctant to let them leave, but nevertheless, they did.

            As the trio wandered the building, Bella being in between the two and still holding Tia’s hand, she couldn’t help but admire the architecture. It was completely different from anything she had ever seen and she wasn’t sure if she would leave, even if someone forced her. Bella began to swing her and Tia’s connected hands back and forth, causing said vampire to snort in amusement. Bella’s newborn habits were definitely manifesting. Her eyes began to wander around and she marveled at the artwork and peaceful environment that was created around her; she missed how the other two were silently laughing at the odd way she was behaving. They had never had a newborn stay with them before, so the experience was completely new.

            Tia watched her for a moment before she began speaking, hand still swinging in the air. “Isabella, do you mind me asking how old you were, when you were turned?” The group stopped walking and the hands stopped swinging. Bella turned to her as she answered, “I was eighteen, though I’ve only been a vampire for about a week, why?”

            Benjamin’s eyes widened. “A week? And you’ve been around all those people? How did you manage?”

            She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. When I woke up, I didn’t have this immediate burn in the back of my throat, but when I thought about it, it appeared, though it wasn’t as terrible as someone once made it out to be.”

            “And who would that be,” Benjamin started before he received a disapproving look from Tia. “If you don’t mind me asking, of course,” he reassured when saw Bella’s wary look.

            “Um, well,” she laughed, though there was no humor behind it. “I was actually new to town and I had only seen them around school.”

            “Who,” Tia asked as she guided Bella to a couch in a living area off to the side. Bella sat down on the extremely soft cushions, and laughed to herself. Egyptian cotton. Of course. Bella watched as Tia tucked one leg under herself and went to do the same, her grey skirt a dark contrast against the light colors in the room.

            “Um, I think you’ve met them before. The Cullens?” They nodded in surprise.

            “They just told you what they were,” Benjamin asked as he sat across from them, knowing that Bella’s instincts would be on edge if he were behind her.

            “Not exactly. I kind of figured it out, so they didn’t technically break any rules.” The pair seemed a little reluctant to accept the idea, but went with it nonetheless. “When I did figure it out, it was when Edward and I started dating and I was beginning to spend more and more time with their family.” Bella’s eyes glazed over as her brain wracked her memories, feeling a sharp stab of pain in the process. She felt Tia caress her arm in encouragement as she went on. She gave the woman an appreciative smile.

            “He had said all of these things about me being his soulmate and him being unable to be away from me.” At their looks of confusing and disbelief, Bella continued. “But I know that’s not true. He left me in the middle of the woods, like three days after my birthday, so...” she laughed it off as she tried to find a small piece of thread to play with, or something, anything to do with her hands.

            “He just left you? Just like that?”

            “Benjamin,” Tia harshly whispered. She looked back to Bella. “I’m sorry, but he wasn’t your mate, Isabella. He wouldn’t have been able to leave you otherwise. He wouldn’t have been able to harm you in that way.”

            “No, I know. He always acted like he might break me at any second, like I was a porcelain doll or something.” She shook her head as if she was trying to disparage the memories from her head. “The rest of the family was nice. Alice was sort of like my best friend and Emmet was like my big brother. Esme was like the mother I never had, though now all of that seems kind of stupid when you think about it.”

            Tia smiled at her gently. “Its not stupid. We get attached to the people who represent the things we’ve never had. That’s why Benjamin and I think of Kebi so fondly. She’s acts as our mother.” Bella sighed relieved. At least now it wouldn’t feel so weird every time she thought of the kind woman in that way.

            Benjamin leaned back into the couch as he spoke. “You too? She just sort of grabs you that way, makes you feel comforted.”

            “Yeah, a little. Though Amun...not so much.” The three of them laughed hysterically and Bella realized that it chipped away a little of the pain she had been feeling at the loss of her other family.

            The mood had died down a little when Benjamin asked his next question. “What did they tell you exactly about how our world works?”

            She sat there and thought for a moment before she answered. “Well, I know about the Volturi, the basics anyway. The three kings, how they rule, and what Tia said earlier. I know that there are other covens, but apparently my brain doesn’t recognize boundary markers.” She rolled her eyes as she remembered Amun’s reaction when they first met.

            “Well, that is something that is easily taught. Was there anything else?”

            “No, that was all Edward could tell me before...” She trailed off as she remembered the events that had occurred that night, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

            “Before what,” Tia asked quietly.

            “Um, well, there was an incident. I told Edward that I didn’t want them to throw me a birthday party, but Alice never listens to anyone. I was trying to open a gift and I got a paper cut. Jasper went after me, but they stopped him before he could go anywhere.”

            “Did anything happen?” Tia seemed worried as she scooted a little closer to Bella. This did not go unnoticed by Benjamin, and he also leaned forward.

            “No, I don’t blame him for his reaction either.” They both seemed a little confused. “I thought about it later that day. They’re rejecting their base instincts, feeding on animal blood. All of their bloodlust came forth when I cut my finger, and since Jasper is an empath and the newest to the diet- “

            “It caused him to lurch forward because he felt everything tenfold,” Benjamin finished for her.

            “Exactly. Add in the fact that I’m Edward’s singer and that I used to be clumsy, it was a bad situation just waiting to happen.”

            “That there proves that Edward wasn’t your soulmate. I myself would make sure that I burned it the hottest of fires before I did anything to harm Tia.”

            “Myself as well,” spoke the woman herself. They looked at one another and smiled as if their relationship was new all over again. The love of a mate never died, it only increased.

            Bella took her time in studying them. The way they looked at one another when one was speaking, the way they acknowledged the other’s opinions in conversation, and the ways they encouraged each other to say what they were thinking instead of holding back.

            Benjamin decided to speak up again. “In any case,” he turned, addressing her. “You now have a new family whether you like it or not. Naturally, you have gained two older siblings and two new parents, who won’t try to eat you, might I add.” He smiled at his own joke and Bella giggled at the attempt at lightening the mood. She could tell that Tia desperately wanted to roll her eyes.

            That was how Amun and Kebi had found them, laughing at simple jokes and lounging in the living area. Kebi smiled at her as she sat down to her right. “What is all this? Did Benjamin try and joke again?”

            “I did, but it landed this time.” He seemed very proud of the tiny victory and Bella had to hold back a snort.

            “What was it about?” The woman looked to the trio in question as she awaited an answer. Everyone’s eyes went wide and Bella looked to Tia for help. Benjamin shook his head in the negative as no one wanted to tell the mother figure the accounts of what they had just heard. He had already upset Amun today, but that was survivable. He didn’t want to be on the other end of a mother vampire who wanted to burn alive whomever had harmed her child. “Well?”

Chapter Text

The group was still lounging in the living area, Kebi remaining close to Bella. It wasn’t as if she didn’t realize what was happening, because she was doing the same thing. Kebi reminded her of a mother figure, and in a way, Bella was now the youngest ‘child’ and technically a newborn, though, not by human standards. In everyone else’s mind she required full-on attention, much like a human baby would, though probably not as severe.

            In the end, the trio had decided to tell Kebi the joke and unfortunately for Benjamin, who seemed to be given the job of bearer of bad news for the day, was yet again on the other end of the wrath of one of their coven leaders. Bella, however, decided to help out her new brother and tried to calm Kebi down. It seemed to work when she made her realize that she was safe and wasn’t going anywhere, but that didn’t mean that Kebi wasn’t going to watch her every step from now on.

            They were now waiting for Amun to return from handling a few business transactions so they could go out hunting. Bella was obviously nervous. She had only hunted once and that was nearly a disaster in and of itself. She had just barely managed to keep the girl calm enough not to draw attention, but the longer she was there was causing Bella to work harder and harder to restrain her carnal instincts. She was working very hard not to feed on the girl she had saved and even though she did it once on her own, she wasn’t sure if she could do it again.

            Tia seemed to notice that she was nervous and tried to calm her a bit. “Don’t worry Isabella,” she reassured. “I was nervous my first time too.” Tia looked over to Kebi who gave her an encouraging nod before she continued. “I was the last one turned in this coven. I also struggled the most. I know you won’t have a mate there to calm you, that was a lucky advantage on my part, but I was turned when I was quite angry, and that rolled over into my newborn phase.” Bella grabbed her hand before she continued. “I didn’t want to listen to anyone, especially Amun,” she giggled. Benjamin smiled at her fondly and Bella giggled with her, before they all caught a disapproving look from Kebi. The laughter died down and Tia continued. “Anyways, I wasn’t necessarily that hungry, but my instincts kicked in and once I started feeding, I kept smelling humans everywhere. My primitive side was screaming at me to go to every human I saw, but then I remembered that I was human, not moments before. These people have lives and I did too. We usually stick to those that have harmed other people, or are in the act of harming someone. We’ve learned that it can save a lot of people and it makes you feel like you are doing something good for the world.”

            The other two Egyptians in the room smiled at her and Bella understood where she was coming from, but she was still a little nervous. She awoke with being able to stay calm around humans already, but would that transfer over to when she was hungry? Or would her thirst be even greater because she was given such a gift? Bella began to bite her bottom lip, something she used to do when she was human. It wasn’t until Kebi pointed it out to her that she stopped. However, now that her focus wasn’t solely on her thoughts, the fiery burn in the back of her throat was brought to her attention. Bella tried to subtly rub at her throat, to try and somehow sooth the ache, but it was noticed by everyone else in the room.

            “I’ll go get Amun,” stated Benjamin calmly before he sped away to retrieve the coven leader. Kebi pulled Bella into her arms while they waited.

            “I’ll be okay, really I’m fine. Its not even that bad.” She looked at both women, wondering why they were being so serious.

            “You say that now,” started Tia, “but it will creep up on you. Most think they can handle it for a little while longer, but then all of a sudden, they’ve got this severe burn in the back of their throat and they don’t make it to a more secluded area. If they are strong enough, they might just make it in time before they lose it, but usually they end up breaking once they make it outside. Unfortunately for them, that means being on the other end of the Volturi.” Bella felt Kebi’s arm tighten as she scolded the other woman.

            “Tia don’t scare her. She’s still young.” The younger vampire moved off of the couch and onto the other one to wait for her mate. Kebi looked to Bella again. “Don’t worry child. We won’t let anything happen to you. You’ve got four vampires surrounding you that are strong enough to handle a newborn if that situation were to occur.”

            “How strong,” Bella inquired.

            “Like twenty-five hundred B.C. strong.” Tia smiled at her reaction as Bella gapped.

            “All of you,” she asked Kebi and the woman nodded.

            “Though, Amun is a few years older, but yes. That is the same time we were all created.”

            “Damn,” Bella mumbled, shocked. This was now the second time she was on the other end of a disapproving glare from Kebi and that alone was enough to convince her not to swear, even though she probably would, but she was glad she wasn’t Benjamin earlier.

            The rest of the conversation was halted when Amun and Benjamin returned, the former looking concerned, now aware of Bella’s current thirst. “Alright,” Amun stated worriedly. “We should get going before Isabella’s thirst grows.”

            The group started for the door, everyone except for Bella latching on to their significant other. They made their way outside and into an alley under cover of darkness. During the day, the streets were incredibly busy, but during the night they were almost vacant. Due to the extreme drop in temperature, people usually didn’t like to stay out very long.

            Tia and Benjamin were allowed to go off on their own, but Bella was made to stay behind. Until she was out of her newborn phase, she was forced to hunt with Amun and Kebi.

            When they got closer to a group of men trying to assault a woman, Bella’s eyes turned black. She couldn’t help the immediate reaction she had when a woman nearby was in trouble. She had just twitched enough to catch Amun’s attention and he instantly grabbed her, holding her back until she calmed a little. When he noticed that she was about to speak, he covered her mouth.

            “Don’t, Isabella. You’ll scare them off if they think someone knows what they are doing. Let me take care of it. Kebi and I will show you how its done.” She nodded her head in understanding as he slowly removed his hand and let her go.

            He and Kebi began walking down the street, Amun making sure that Bella was still in his sights, and caught the attention of the four men trying to harm the woman. He cleared his throat. “I suppose you should let that woman go. It isn’t very acceptable for a man to force himself on her.” The conversation was held in Arabic, so Bella had no idea what was going on, but she knew that whatever Amun was saying, the men didn’t like.

            Apparently, one of them thought this would be a good time to go for Kebi. Idiot. Amun instantly broke his neck and the others went to retaliate, but Amun was too quick for either of them. Kebi had gone to cover the victim’s eyes and make sure she was alright. When she was assured that the woman wasn’t harmed, the victim had thanked her and ran away.

            Kebi quickly went to her meal and Amun brought one of the dead men over to Bella. She bolted toward it, but Amun stuck out his hand to stop her from reaching it, causing Bella to growl in response. Amun lifted his head and looked down his nose at her, a show of power to let Bella know that he was now her coven leader and would have to listen to him. She took a step back reluctantly, but was still trying to get to her meal.

            “Slowly, Isabella,” he said to her. He calmly put his hand down and she slowly approached her meal. He brought the dead man’s throat to her mouth. “Be careful of the arterial spray. It might catch you off guard.” Bella quickly sunk her teeth into the man’s neck, and while she was consuming her meal, so was Amun. The taste was divine, but it wasn’t as difficult to contain the mess like her other kill was. Maybe killing them first was the key. She tried to keep Amun’s advice in her head about the arterial spray, but of course typical Bella failed at that as well. She had missed it at first, because it really did take her by surprise, but she managed to contain the spray before it became too much.

            Bella dropped the body and noticed that Amun and Kebi were finished, but Amun had handed her the fourth man from the group. When Bella raised her eyebrow in question, he simply said, “A newborn’s thirst reappears quicker. Its best to be on the safe side.” She wasn’t complaining, and this time Bella did manage to catch the spray, now recognizing the signs that she was looking for.

            Bella finished again and Amun went to dispose of the bodies while Kebi watched him from afar. She walked over to Bella to examine her shirt, minorly covered in blood. “Oops,” was all Bella could say in response as the woman tsked at her. Tia and Benjamin found them a moment later, and the latter smiled at her. She looked at him in question.

            “Messy eater?”

            “Its not like you haven’t ever ruined a shirt or two before.”

            “How would you know?”

            “I just know. There’s no way you can get it on the first try!”

            “Maybe I did.” He crossed his arms as Tia looked at him disbelievingly.

            Bella licked some blood from her lips. “Did not,” she said as she crossed her arms as well.

            “Did too!”

            “Did not!”

            “Did too!”

            This argument continued all the way home until Kebi had finally had enough. “Alright! Enough! Benjamin you know you were the same way the first time you hunted; we all were.” His face fell as Kebi revealed his secret. “And Isabella, come with me. I’ll help you get cleaned up.” She nodded her head in acceptance and Benjamin and Tia went to the living area.

            Once Bella was clean, she found Tia and Benjamin playing a card game. She laughed to herself. Egyptian Ratscrew. Of course they are. She went to sit down in front of them to watch how fast their hands could actually move. Benjamin looked up and whispered conspiratorially, much like an older sibling would do to their younger. “Don’t tell Kebi. She doesn’t like it when we play on the glass. She thinks we’re not careful enough.”

            “That’s because I know you’re not,” said the woman in question as she entered the room. “Now if you’re going to play that game, then do it outside. I don’t want you breaking anything.” She went over to one of her plants to tend to it.

            “Ugh,” Benjamin breathed out harshly, “Kebi we were fine moments before.” He flopped back onto the couch, much like a toddler, and his mate shook her head at him.

            “Well, that was before I knew that you were doing it.” She turned back to her plants and Benjamin threw his cards on the table.

            “What are you doing,” questioned Tia.

            “I don’t want to play anymore.” She huffed as she rolled her eyes at him and sat on the couch. Now they were both bored.

            “Ugh, I just don’t understand. No matter how many times I put you in the sun, you just won’t lift!” Kebi wasn’t very happy with her plant at the current moment, but luckily Bella overheard and jumped up excitedly.

            “Wait I can do it!” When the woman looked at her with wide eyes and a worried expression, Bella began using her secret weapon: puppy eyes. She stuck out her lip a little and caused her eyes to glaze over as the taller woman stared at her. She could here Benjamin laughing in the background. “Please, can I do it? Benjamin’s right here to help me, and think I can do it this time, now that I’m actually aware that I can do it.” There was a moment of silence before Kebi sighed and closed her eyes in defeat.

            “Fine, you can do it little one, but if anything happens, Benjamin, this is on you,” she pointed, directing her gaze to the vampire in question as he stood from the couch.

            “Why me?” He asked incredulously, throwing his hands in the air.

            “Because you need to help her and if this goes wrong, then it was your fault for teaching her wrong.” He snorted.

            “Now I think you’re just making this up so she doesn’t have to get in trouble.” The woman shrugged as he and Bella sat on the couch, Kebi placing the plant in her lap, the pot small enough for Bella to work. “Now, all living matter has a mind of its own, so if it doesn’t want to listen to you, then it won’t.” He pointedly gave a look to Bella.

            “You were saying?” He sighed again as he tilted his head back.

            “I never signed up for any of this.”

            “Hurry up!”

            “Okay, okay, geez.” Benjamin’s hands went up in a surrendering gesture. He could hear Tia laughing from across the room. “I’m glad you find my pain so amusing.”

            “Very,” she smiled as he rolled his eyes.

            “As you were saying,” Bella started for him.

            “Right, as I was saying, if it doesn’t want to work for you then it won’t, so you have to get it to work with you. You’re not necessarily telling it what to do, more like thinking of a suggestion on how you could help it. Let it feel the advice through you, and allow the plant to figure it out on its own. Do what you feel is comfortable.” Bella nodded her head and carefully grasped the flower petal in her hands, the whole time repeating the same mantra over and over in her head. Please, tiny plants, tiny plants, tiny plants. She squinted her eyes as she slowly ran her fingers over it and watched as brown faded and purple took its place. There was a huge sigh of relief that ran throughout the room and Bella smiled to herself. She did it. She actually did it. Benjamin took the pot from her to examine it further.

            “I did It!” Bella shouted as she threw her hands in the air victoriously.

            “Yes you did, my child,” Kebi smiled encouragingly as Bella ran to hug her. The group was happy for the newest member of their coven, no one realizing that Amun had seen the whole thing from the hallway that next to the room; a small smile on his face.

Chapter Text

            It had been a week since Bella had had her first real hunt and she couldn’t be prouder of herself. She felt good about how she handled it, considering it could have gone worse, but she was glad that she had Amun to help her through it, even though she thinks of him as a bit of an asshole. She was staring out of the window in her new room, the tule curtains flowing in the breeze. During the first week of her stay there, she had practiced with Benjamin to control her gift, and she was doing quite well. She could now grow plants, at a decent size of course, and her thirst was getting a little bit better.

            She did still have some issues, or course. There was an incident in the market the other day, but luckily it wasn’t while there were many people around. They were perfectly covered with scarves and long clothes and they were covered by the shade. She and Kebi had gone to look at dresses and Amun was waiting nearby. She had gotten distracted by a beautiful, deep blue color and had wandered off to go take a peek, but Kebi wasn’t watching. A man had approached Bella, not leaving her alone when she had asked, and Bella was beginning to get a little annoyed. There was a tiny voice in the back of her mind trying to tell her off, but the persistence of the man was waning on Bella’s restraint.

            Luckily by this time, Kebi had noticed that Bella was missing and called Amun to her aid. The young man was rather good-looking she had to admit, but now was definitely not the time for such things, especially since she was still learning how to gain control.

            Amun had approached the young man after Bella had gone to Kebi to look around a little more, while still being in the vicinity of Amun. Bella had watched how Amun told the man off, screaming at him in Arabic, about how he was to approach him if he was interested in his daughter and how he was not following social practices. Yes, she had learned enough Arabic to hold a few conversations, Kebi being a wonderful teacher, but that didn’t make her any less embarrassed when the argument had occurred. The man kept looking at her while he spoke with Amun, only causing said vampire to lose his temper completely, and Bella would have blushed six shades of red if she could.

            Kebi had reassured her that it was how normal fathers would have reacted in their social culture and that it wasn’t uncommon to see a young man or two gaining an earful in the street. Amun had made the young man apologize to Bella, and then Kebi for disrespecting the proper social procedures, and he left the store, probably a little more terrified than he’d like to admit. She and Kebi hurried to purchase an outfit each, and left the store. Bella’s thirst had taken a beating because of her earlier interaction, and they had to make a quick detour down an alley before they made it home.

            That was how she had ended up gaining a large lecture from both vampires, which ended with her promising to always be in sight of the two at all times. The whole time they were speaking, Bella could her Benjamin laughing quietly in the other room, and then a small promise of celibacy from Tia, causing him to stop immediately, though she was sure Tia didn’t budge on her promise.

            Now she was waiting in her room, wanting to be away from the others for a while. She needed to think and she couldn’t do it while she was with company. It had been, what seemed like forever to her, since she had thought about Charlie, and she was shocked by how much pain she had felt in her heart at just the thought of him. She just left him there, not knowing what had happened to her. He wouldn’t have any closure and felt awful about leaving him out of the blue like that. She sniffled as she thought about how selfish she had been. What kind of daughter am I? She sniffled again as she laid on her bed which she had moved underneath the window. How could she have just made a major decision like that without even trying to see if he would be okay with it? She could have asked him about travelling and what he thought of it, but instead, she only thought of herself. She’s constantly been saying how she hates people making choices about her life without her, and yet, here she was, the biggest hypocrite ever living her life up in Egypt. You suck Bella. Like, you’re an actual asshole.

            She began sobbing again, the fact that she couldn’t even cry real tears for her father making her even more upset. That was probably why she didn’t hear the door open, or the vampire who opened it walked towards her bed, but she knew who it was. The calming aura that her mother figure radiated caused her to calm a little. She sniffled as the woman pulled Bella to sit up with her. She allowed Bella to cry into her shoulder as she rubbed her back in a comforting manor; not asking questions as Bella continued to cry her heart out.

            All of her pent-up emotions and choices hadn’t really been thought about, and everything since her birthday was put off to the side as she dived head first into the world of vampirism. She cried about Edward, and the family that she had lost; for Alice and Emmett, at the loss of her best friend and big brother. She cried for Jasper and Rosalie, even though they never spoke to her much, they still chose to accept her into their family for their brother, putting their own feelings aside for his happiness. She cried for losing Carlisle and Esme, people who actually acted as parents, not forcing her to grow up when she didn’t need to, and she cried for her home in Forks and for all of her friends, including Jacob, even though he had chosen to abandon her.

            Most of all, she cried for Charlie; how she had just left him without a note or a simple ‘goodbye’. What must he think of her? Did he think her lost or dead? Was he looking for her, and if so, how far?

            She also cried for all of the feelings that the horrific circumstances of her changing had brought on. She allowed Kebi to comfort her, the sensation being new and unrecognizable, even though she wasn’t much of a fan of emotional contact. When her tears died down, she didn’t move and Kebi didn’t make her. She just sat there, head on the woman’s shoulder as she looked out of her window, as the woman continued to rub her back in comfort.

            Kebi spoke first. “Do you wish to talk about it,” the woman questioned softly. Bella shook her head in the negative without moving. She didn’t want to talk about it, at least not right now. She didn’t really need to; she could deal with it on her own. Though she suspected on some subconscious level, that Kebi already knew.

            There was a knock on her door and Kebi moved to answer it.

            It was Benjamin. She could see him trying to see her around Kebi, but the woman made sure to allow Bella her privacy. “Tia’s called a meeting; says its urgent.” She made eye contact with Benjamin and he gave her a reassuring smile in return. Kebi looked to her for an answer and she got up to go downstairs with everyone else. Kebi kept held of her hand in a small act of comfort, and seemed as if she wouldn’t let her go. The reassurance was much appreciated in her current whirlwind of emotions.

            When the group arrived downstairs, Kebi looked to Amun and he held out his hand for her to take. She sat next to him, hand still in Bella’s, but didn’t grab his own. When he went to question her, she shook her head in dismissal, making him hold off his questions until later.

            As coven leader, Amun naturally spoke up first. “What is the meaning of this Tia? What was so urgent.” She looked worried as she spoke and Benjamin instantly went to comfort her.

            “I saw one of the Volturi guard when I went to the market today. It was Demetri.”

            The coven was well aware of their former member coming here quite often. He tended to visit every few centuries just to ensure that the Volturi’s opinions and actions hadn’t damaged their friendship.

            Normally, the coven would send Benjamin out with Tia for a little while and everything would be fine, but now that Bella was there as well, there was a bigger problem. Her newborn status wouldn’t allow for her to be out in the streets for very long, but if they were to remain in the house, he would be able to tell that they were there. He was an expert tracker, so there was no hiding anyone from him.

            “Did he speak to you,” Amun asked worriedly as he arose from his seat. “Did he see you, sense the others on you?” Tia shook her head in the negative to answer all of his questions.

            “No, but I’m sure he sensed me nearby. He probably knew I was in the area, but didn’t want to acknowledge it.”

            “If he was within eyesight, then he saw you and is probably on his way.” Bella could see that he was formulating a plan in his head, but she wanted to know what was going on. Who was this man Demetri, and was he very dangerous?

            Before she could speak, however, Kebi caught her question without interrupting Amun. “Demetri was a member of this coven long ago before Aro. Amun had turned him after over a thousand years of living, becoming fast friends with the young man.”

            “Let me guess, Aro saw his gift and coveted it.” Kebi nodded her response and continued.

            “There is also another member of the guard, Chelsea. Both members were turned in Greece. She has a gift, being able to change the bonds people have and managed to get ahold of Demetri while he was away. He’s been gone ever since.”

            “That’s why you’re so afraid to let the Volturi know about us,” she realized, speaking to Amun. He turned to her as she continued. “You don’t want Benjamin to end up like Demetri, to have one of your created stolen from you again.” The pain behind his eyes gave her all of the answers that she needed. She looked at her hands in her lap.

            “And now you,” he continued quietly. “You are a part of this coven now; the members here having grown attached rather quickly. Your gift is very powerful and Aro will covet the both of you if he were to find out you existed. We had managed, somehow, by the grace of the gods, to keep him hidden for this long, but I’m not sure how to now.”

            “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to cause such a problem for you.” Bella began to sink in on herself and Kebi went to comfort her.

            “No, child, it is not your fault. We’ve always dealt with this issue, trying to keep away the Volturi. It’s nothing new.” Kebi was comforting her, playing with her hair as a distraction.

            “Then, what are we going to do?” Bella asked timidly.

            Kebi smiled at her. “We are going to keep you safe.” Kebi cupped her face.

            A few hours later they could hear Demetri running towards the house and Benjamin and Bella were sent to the furthest floor in the house, even though they knew it probably wouldn’t work. Tia and Kebi ran around the house trying to cover their scents as much as possible.

            They had finished just in time for Demetri’s arrival. They were very worried about how he would react, but appeared calm nonetheless.

            “Hello Amun,” they heard from the doorway. “It is wonderful to see you, old friend.”

            “You as well, Demetri.” They arrived in the living area and Demetri greeted the women.

            “Hello Kebi, though, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

            “I am Tia,” she answered kindly. He seemed to hesitate when he greeted her, but eventually took her hand as they began to converse.

            Upstairs, Benjamin and Bella were trying to keep quiet amidst all of the anxiety around the arrival of the Volturi guard. Bella went up to stand at her window as Benjamin sat on her bed. Kebi had given her a few plants for decoration, but Bella had decided to use them for practice instead, though, she hoped Kebi didn’t know that.

            She began walking back to her bed to lie down for a while when she noticed Benjamin’s wide eyes. “What,” she whispered as quietly as possible.

            He pointed to the plants. “How long have you been able to do that?”

            She looked to where he was pointing, but only saw ordinary plants. She shrugged. “Do what,” she answered in the same whisper.

            “Notice how they are facing you? I only just picked up on it now, but wherever you walk, they follow you, like you are their sunlight; like you are their source of power.” Bella looked at the purple flower by the window. He was right, it was indeed facing her. Even though it had better lighting and chances of growing facing the other direction, it chose her instead.

            “I don’t know. I guess it’s just a side effect of you know what.”

            He shrugged as he leaned back on her bed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

            An hour later had a very relieved Tia knocking on her bedroom door, explaining that their visitor was now gone. They travelled downstairs to speak with the rest of the coven. “So,” Benjamin asked nervously as he held his mate’s hand. He didn’t like the way the other male vampire’s scent was all over it. He watched as Bella wandered towards the front door, but decided to ignore it.

            “I think it went well,” spoke Kebi, now looking for Bella worriedly.

            “Oh yeah,” Bella came in to the room, nervous. They all looked at her in confusion. “Then how come this letter was in the door saying that we’ve been summoned to Volterra?”

Chapter Text

Bella was still standing there, wide-eyed; replaying the exact moment in her head when the shit had hit the fan. Was this her fault? Had she somehow done something to allow Demetri to know that they were here? Was it that weird plant thing that Benjamin had pointed out to her? Maybe she shouldn’t have come here. They wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for her. Bella could see Amun pacing back and forth, trying to figure out the best action to choose as coven leader. He had taken the letter from her and kept rereading it, as if the words would change right before his eyes.

            Tia had decided to firmly latch herself onto her mate, as if he would disappear right in front of her. He began whispering soft reassurances, but Bella could see how scared he was behind his eyes. Bella’s thoughts were racing through her head, her eyes glazing over as she ran through her memories again. What was it that she had done wrong?

            “Isabella,” Kebi called to her as she pulled her to the couch. “Come and sit, tell me what you are thinking.” She began playing with Bella’s hair as the young vampire placed her head in the crook of the woman’s neck.

            “Was it my fault, that he found out?” Movement in the room stopped as Kebi pulled Bella’s head up to look her in the eye.

            “Listen to me when I tell you that none of this is your fault.” She shook her head while speaking to emphasize her point, as she took Bella’s face in her hands. “We knew the dangers of having Demetri here. We knew he would be able to find Benjamin whether he was in the house or not. It was inevitable; the fact we were able to stay hidden this long was a miracle.” Bella still didn’t look entirely convinced. Kebi let go of her and they continued to sit there in silence. Amun continued pacing and Tia still looked as frightened as before, if not more.

            Bella couldn’t just sit around and watch everybody panic, so she decided to go to her room for a little while to have some time alone. She began to get up from the couch, but Kebi wouldn’t let her hand go. When Bella looked back to her, she seemed worried. “I’m just going to go up in my room for a while.” She gave the woman a reassuring smile and she reluctantly let go of her hand. Bella missed the looks of concern given to her by all coven members.

            When Bella finally arrived to her room, she locked the door and went to her window. She gazed out at the city below her as the sky began to darken a little. During the winter months in Egypt, it was explained to her that there was unusual weather pattens. Normally, it was just hot, but every once in a while, there might be rain or a storm or two. She wasn’t sure how she would be able to handle it, considering her new senses might go a little haywire, but she’d just have to wait and see.

            Thinking about other things made her come back to the situation at hand. Why did the Volturi want to see them anyway? Even if Demetri knew they were there, which he probably did, then why would he give them a summons? There’s no way he would be able to tell if they were gifted or not and she and Benjamin did nothing to prove so. In all honestly, Bella didn’t really see a bad side to it as she thought about it. Yes, the others made it seem as though they would steal her away, but if they never knew about her gifts, then why would visiting be so bad?

            Bella was drawn from her thoughts when a small peel of thunder could be heard in the distance. She turned her head quickly in its direction and her eyes turned black. What the hell? No one said it was going to be that loud! That hurt! Wait, what is happening to me? Bella’s instincts to flee when danger was near were kicking in as another peel of thunder cold be heard. She had to quickly cover her ears, though it didn’t really help that much.

            Rain started falling hard outside and she had to hurry to close her window before her room was flooded. However, when Bella removed her hands from covering her ears, thunder sounded again and caused her to let out a little sound of distress. She fell to the floor. This was definitely sensory overload and she didn’t know how other vampires did this twenty-four seven. She was curled on her side in the fetal position, hands covering her ears, and laying in the middle of her floor. She almost wanted to cry, but knew that that wouldn’t really be helping her in this situation.

            She didn’t know how long she had remained in the same position, but assumed it was over for the most part considering the thunder had died down a little. Wrong. As soon as she removed her hands, the loudest thunder she thought she would ever hear crashed almost right above her, causing her room to shake in protest. She screamed as lightening flashed right after and the rain started pouring harder. The thought of all the noise only made Bella sink in on herself more, and she became as small as she could. The only thing she could hear were her instincts in her head screaming for her to run from whatever threat was causing her so much distress, but she wasn’t able to move. She screamed again as another crash of thunder sounded, causing her room to shake again.

            Before she knew what was happening, someone had grabbed her and carried her down the stairs. She was about to protest in any way that she could, but then she was enraptured in the protective scents of amber and cedarwood; Amun. She latched on to his shirt, trying to bury herself further into him to hide from the offending noises, but he simply placed her on the couch next to his mate. She heard him leave the room and assumed that she was alone with the woman as she was wrapped in protective arms, the woman allowing Bella to curl into her like a lost child. She could hear Kebi begin to hum to her softly, an old song in Arabic that Bella couldn’t understand, and she curled into her even further. Her legs were across the woman horizontally, as Kebi’s were tucked underneath of herself. Bella rested her head upon Kebi’s shoulder and the woman kept her arms around Bella as they both leaned back into the arm of the soft couch. The comforting feelings of the couch, Kebi and her scent of flowers and citrus, and the woman’s kind singing, allowing for the majority of Bella’s fear to wash away almost immediately; and as the rest of it began to leave, Kebi cancelled out the noise of the storm with her calming voice.

            “A lot of storms are louder up on the top floors; we should have thought of that before we placed in that room.”

            Bella shook her head a little in protest. “No, its okay. You can’t really predict these things and I think I was overreacting a little.”

            Kebi shook her head in the negative as she and Bella lay there, remaining still. “No, we knew you would have to face this eventually, we all did. The same thing happened to Benjamin and Tia when they were new, and I believe Benjamin actually screamed louder than you.”

            The thought made her giggle a little as she thought of the grown man screaming at the top of his lungs. She could feel Kebi’s giggle leave her chest and soon a small purr appeared.

            That was of course until the peace was broken by Benjamin. “Are you telling lies about me again,” he spoke comedically.

            “No,” she shrugged. “Only telling the truth.”

            “Uh huh,” he said in mock acceptance as he sat down on the couch in front of them. Bella was lost in her own little world, still flinching every once in a while, when thunder could be heard from above, but every time, Kebi was there to hold her that much tighter.

            “You know, I can tell that every time one of us explains something about your new instincts, you want to protest, but that is just your natural reaction. Even now you are doing so.” The woman sure does know how to call someone out. “But we are here to help you. That is why you have joined this coven, so that we can teach you how to grow. Sometimes, all it takes is a little love and patience. I know you think that the summons was your fault, but it wasn’t. Demetri knew the two of you existed before he even entered the house. We think he gave it to us because we didn’t alert the kings of your existence, meaning Benjamin and yourself. Every time a coven gains a new member, they have to know about it in order to keep track of how large certain covens are growing.”

            “So, he probably left it so we could inform the kings of how large the coven actually is?” She looked up to the woman and she nodded in affirmation. “Then, why don’t they just come here if they think we’re hiding something?”

            “Because the kings aren’t really allowed to leave Volterra, its too much of a risk; and Aro also wants to make sure we aren’t lying. He has vampires in his guard to assure him of that.” Bella nodded her head in acceptance of the answer and sat there with Kebi for a little while longer.

            Amun later entered the room, saddened with the outcome of his decision. Bella sat up, thankfully the storm had died down, and Kebi remained with her. “As you all know, you can not simply ignore a summons from the Volturi and I don’t really want them showing up here in Cairo. We have to go. I’m sorry.” He looked sullen, almost afraid of what might come of this trip, and the group sat there in silence for a few moments before they began preparing for their trip.

            A few days later, after Amun confirmed their arrival with Aro and a last-minute hunt for Bella, the Egyptian Coven left the comforts of their home, all very scared to find out what the outcome of this trip might mean. Kebi never removed her hand from her mate’s arm the entire time they travelled and when they arrived in Volterra, Bella began to feel a little paranoid herself. She found comfort in hiding behind her mother figure as they were brought in front of a large clock tower and were met by two guards.

            Both guards remained inside of the archway, one of whom Bella recognized as Demetri and the other frightening her farther behind the taller woman. The guard allowed them inside the building, guiding them toward the underground floors, down to where the old parts of the castle were located. She watched how Benjamin and Amun remained slightly in front of their mates, something that she greatly admired, but didn’t notice the look of concern Amun had sent her way.

            She did, however, notice the other guard looking her way every so often as they made their way toward the throne room. He was rather large, almost a foot and a half taller than her five-feet-three, Bella assumed, and dark brown, almost black hair. He reminded her so much of Emmett, though she figured he was almost twice his size in muscle mass. His red eyes kept giving her a once-over, causing Kebi go into a protective overdrive.

            Once they reached two grand wooden doors, another two guard members opened the doors and they were guided in by Demetri and the unknown man; both guards disappearing off to the sides.

            A man with jet black hair and a very expensive suit stood from the middle throne and clapped his hands in a joyous manor. “Ah Amun! How wonderful it is to see you, my old friend.” He stepped down from the strange dais and Amun took a few steps forward, leaving Kebi to stand completely in front of Bella, and Benjamin in front of Tia. She heard a ‘thank you, Felix’ from the man and assumed he was referring to the second guard Bella didn’t know the name of.

            “Yes, Aro, it has been a long time, though I would appreciate less cryptic circumstances next time you wish for us to visit. You gave us quite a fright.” His answer was rigid and tight, like he had to force himself to speak.

            “Ah, yes, I am very sorry for my actions, but I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to meet your newest coven member. I was aware that there was only one new member no two, or have I been mistaken.”

            Amun hesitated for a moment. “We had never formally announced Benjamin’s place within this coven.”

            “Ah, yes, young Benjamin.” Without asking, Aro simply grabbed Amun’s hand. Bella could see that he was trying to pull away without being rude. Aro had let go with a shocked expression and wide eyes; and Amun closed his in defeat. She could feel Kebi tightening her grip on her, but she didn’t know why. What was he doing?

            “Aro’s gift allows him to see every thought you’ve ever had, no matter how hard you try to hide it,” Kebi whispered to her quietly. She saw the man in question head back to his throne and grab the hand of the older-looking vampire to his right.

            “The newborn you found wandering the streets without a maker?” At Amun’s nod, he continued. “I am glad you performed your civic duty. I would have hated to have lost such an old friend.” His voice was slow, sounding almost as if he was trying to hypnotize. “Though, I must ask, where is her maker?” Was he talking about her?

            “She doesn’t know. She woke up alone in a forest.”

            The man, Aro, gave her a false look of concern. “Pity, they don’t know what they’ve lost.” She could hear and feel everyone in her coven tense. What was happening? “However, it has come to my attention that you have two, rather powerful gifts in your coven Amun. You mustn’t grow too strong,” he tsked as he held out his hand. A woman with long brown hair took it and she went back to her place on the wall, nothing seeming too important, but Amun still seemed on edge. Bella didn’t blame him.

            That was until she felt something inside of her snap, she didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t seem important considering everything was the same. She was still in the throne room, her siblings were to her right, Amun was still completely rigid in the front of the group, and Kebi was still firmly attached to her side. She didn’t feel anything important changing, so she didn’t feel it necessary to report.

            However, when she lifted her eyes from the floor, she felt this strange pull, almost as if it was telling her what to do. From her place behind her knew mother, Bella looked around the room in earnest, trying to find the source of the offending feeling. She gazed over to the far-right side of the throne room where the guard from earlier, whom she now knew as Felix, locked eyes with her. She saw how his eyes went black and wondered if hers were doing the same thing. She felt something towards him, something strange and new, but she wasn’t entirely sure what it was yet. It couldn’t be, could It? No, it had to feel like... more. This couldn’t be it.

            But that didn’t stop the old man on the throne furthest from the left putting his hand in Aro’s. “Thank you, Marcus.” Aro turned to Amun with a smug smile planted firmly on his face. “It appears that our Felix has found his mate in the newborn that firmly clings to yours.”

Chapter Text

Denali, Alaska:

            They were running. The wind was blowing through their hair and they could feel it lashing at their skin; good thing it was as hard as diamonds. The snow was crunching underneath of their boots and twigs from nearby trees were snapping as they zipped past them. When one of them looked back, they saw a very clear path of destruction in their wake. She smiled and continued looking ahead. Their chasers were gaining on them, but they had the advantage. Their bond allowing them to communicate without even knowing. They knew the move the other was going to make as soon as they thought of it. Damn, running was definitely a good feeling.

            The blonde hair-covered heads quickly whipped to the right as one of their assailants appeared in the bit of forest next to them. They were almost there. Just a little further. The blonde in the middle sped ahead a little as she gazed in front of her and took a sharp turn to the right, causing the man chasing them in the forest to be caught off guard. She took him out and they had a small tussle in the snow laying on the ground. She placed her teeth at his neck, signifying that she had won their mini battled as she heard two cheers coming from the house just a few feet from the spot they were laying. The blonde with straight hair the color of cornsilk was seen jumping up and down in victory.

            “Yes! Oh yeah! Woo-hoo! We so beat your asses! How does it feel to get kicked by a girl? Three girls, in fact?” She laughed jubilantly as the two from the forest appeared from the trees.

            “Kate, if you keep gloating like that, you’re going to jinx us,” spoke the blonde with dark, curly hair as she placed a fist on her hip. The rest of the group filing into the house as a dark-skinned man with dreadlocks closed the door.

            “I would say we deserve to gloat, Irina.” She laughed to herself as she and the other two women sat together on the couch. “Considering we beat their asses by a long shot,” Kate mumbled as she removed small twigs from her hair.

            “What was that,” questioned the man with brown hair. His swagger causing him to smirk in satisfaction at catching her lie. “If I remember, Kate, it was you who got your ass handed to you when I tackled you in the woods.”

            “False,” she hopped up and pointed her finger in exclamation. “Because if I remember correctly, might I add, it was you who ate my dust, thank you very much.”

            “Whatever, Katrina,” the dark-skinned man smiled. He knew what made her tick.

            “Hey, hey, hey! There’s no need to bring out the full names.” She put her arms in the air in a ‘keeping the peace’ gesture and went to sit with the other two women on the couch.

            “Then don’t verbally accuse my teammate of an act that he did not commit.” His smooth voice caused Kate to grumble an inaudible apology and her sisters smiled at her.

            “You know Tanya, I’m thinking that maybe we shouldn’t race each other anymore. Laurent and Garrett keep thinking we cheated them of their unattainable victory.” Irina smiled to her sister as she watched how the faces of the men fell dramatically.

            “It’s only because you do cheat that we lost in the first place,” Garrett called over from his position by their X-box. Kate joined him on the floor as the two of them continued their earlier game of Halo.

            “Well,” Tanya stated from her position next to Irina. “We wouldn’t have to continually race if Kate and Garrett would stop their stupid competitiveness every time we do something.” Tanya looked over to her sister on the floor as the group could hear a ‘motherfucker!’ flow throughout the house. Apparently, she didn’t win.

            Kate got up from the floor and she and Garrett started their daily argument of who cheated and who didn’t. She almost crushed the controller in her hand before someone at the front door caught her.

            “Katrina, I swear to everything that is Holy, if you break one more controller you will be banned from playing it for another ten years.” Two olive-skinned people walked through the door, both of brown hair and holding each other’s hands.

            Kate sighed as she let go of a large grunt. “Ugh!” She tilted her head back in annoyance as everyone else looked on at the situation amused, Garrett a little smugger than everyone else. He whispered to her as he egged her on.

            “Go on Kate. You know you want to.” He was whispering in her ear as she lifted her head from staring up at the ceiling and rolled her eyes at his actions.

            “You would just love that wouldn’t you. Halo all to yourself? Ha! Please!” She flopped down on the couch as she placed the controller on the coffee table, done playing with the man whom she thought would always end up cheating.

            There was a very abrupt ‘Garrett that goes for you too!’ from the office upstairs as the Spanish couple that just walked in settled in for the night.

            “But Carmen I haven’t done anything!” The woman appeared downstairs in an instant, obviously not very happy with where this conversation was going.

            “Well, if you keep trying to antagonize Kate, then you will have done something; so, I suggest you suck it up and play fair, or this goes away for everybody.” The motherly vampire made it very clear of the consequences, but it was really only effective toward Kate and Garrett.

            Her mate, Eleazar, the man she had walked in with, had smiled at her antics and the way she treated thousand-year-old vampires as if they were children. The two of them retired up stares as Kate and Garrett resorted themselves to playing a board game in the middle of the floor, hopefully no cheating included.

            “Well,” spoke Tanya as she stood from her spot on the couch. “I’m going to go upstairs for a little while. Please no one disturb me. I have to deal with politics.” The was a very large grimace across her face as the coven leader went to deal with the downside of her political status.

            Irina watched her walk away and cleared her throat before the woman could get very far. Tanya turned to her and smiled before rushing back to her, planting a quick kiss on hers and Kate’s lips, and rushing back upstairs to handle some paperwork. Garrett laughed from his position on the floor. “You know, I never understood why you call yourselves each other’s sisters. Doesn’t it get a little weird?”

            Kate shrugged as she moved her piece on the board. “Nah, not really. We were sisters when we first created the coven, but when the whole mate aspect came into play, we just figured we’d keep it. It was more in a traditional sense than anything else. No one could get mad at a whole bunch of raging lesbians if you claimed you were just sisters.” They heard a snort from upstairs as Irina rolled her eyes.

            Irina watched as Kate moved her piece on the board before victoriously proclaiming herself as the winner. Garrett, of course, was not happy with losing. He did what anyone else would do and demanded a rematch, but her sister wouldn’t budge. Garrett got upset and threw his hand down in anger, not really watching what he was doing. The girls watched, wide-eyed, as he broke Carmen’s favorite coffee table, causing said vampire to come rushing from the office she had been occupying. “That’s it! Congratulations Garrett you’ve just gotten the X-box taken away for the next ten years.”

            “Oh, come on that’s not fair! It wasn’t even me,” Kate whined.

            “No,” she raised her hand in defiance. “I warned you that it would happen, but its your fault for not listening.” Carmen removed the gaming system from the wall to hide in her room for the next decade and Kate watched in horror as it disappeared up the stairs.

            Kate crossed her arms in a pout, as if she were about to throw a temper tantrum. “Asshole,” she mumbled under her breath.

            “Bitch,” Garrett spat back.

            “Idiot,” Kate proclaimed.

            “Car battery!” A large gasp could be heard from Kate as Irina laughed at the out right insult of her sisters electrokinesis.

            “You take that back,” Kate shouted as she pointed her finger at him.

            “No!”

            “Yes!”

            “NO!”

            “YES!”

            “Enough,” Tanya shouted from upstairs. “I am trying to work!”

            “In any case,” Irina continued their earlier conversation about their relationship. “Its always funny to watch the reactions of humans.” Her statement was cut off when she felt an odd, sharp pain in her chest. Her sister was instantly at her side. She was going to help her, but the same pain occurred in her chest as well. Tanya ran from upstairs to ensure her sisters safety, but saw that they were having the same issue.

            “What is it,” Eleazer called from his position on the loveseat, his book now forgotten as he rushed to their aid.

            “I- I don’t know. Can vampires get heart attacks?” He looked at her concerned as he had all three women sit on the couch to examine them.

            “What does it feel like? Is it physical?”

            “Yes, very much so. Its almost as if someone is tearing a part of me out of... well, me. That’s the only way I know how to describe it.” Eleazar’s eyes widened in realization.

            “Well,” he started, noticing their pain-stricken faces. “You’ve just described the breaking of a mate bond. Though, how you are experiencing it is entirely bizarre.” He put his finger to his chin in thought.

            Kate spoke up first. “Wait, we have another mate?”

Chapter Text

            Bella’s eyes went wide as she realized that they were talking about her. Was that what that was, that snapping thingy? Why is it such a big deal? And why is everyone looking at me like that? She frantically looked around the room as she noticed many vampires staring at her, causing Bella to sink farther behind Kebi. The woman rubbed the hand that was on her arm in reassurance as the silence continued to grow. She didn’t mean for whatever that happened to happen, it just did. Now, Amun and everyone in her coven was staring at her like she had grown another head. What the hell happens now?

            “My, my, what a pleasant surprise,” Aro spoke up from his position on his throne. His legs we crossed regally and his head was resting in a hand, propped up by an elbow on his throne. He seemed rather smug for someone who may have possibly just lost one of the more important members of his guard. He smiled as he addressed Amun. “My dear friend what a joyous occasion this is!” He clapped his hands together in pride as Bella witnessed Amun’s eyes narrow.

            “Is that so?” The mood in the room seemed to grow more tense by the second and Bella didn’t like the outcome she could feel occurring from this. He continued, “Then why is she not aware of what has occurred?” Bella saw his eyes shift to Chelsea briefly and she felt Kebi’s grip tighten on her. “You can claim that she is newborn, that she wouldn’t be aware of what the bond feels like, but anyone knows, especially you, that as soon as you meet your mate your instincts scream at you ‘mate’, ‘mine’, ‘protect’. Tell me, Aro, why is that not happening now?”

            Bella dared a glance at Felix, as did the rest of the room. She saw that his eyes hadn’t left her, and they were still as black as the midnight sky. She felt something for him, it was as Amun said; instinct; but it was as if there needed to be something else, as if her heart wasn’t completely convinced; something...more. She went with it however, not truly understanding what a mate bond was. Its like any relationship, right? You have to work at it. He looked as though he wanted to sprint to her at any second, but Bella had to admit that she was slightly scared by him. His demeanor was dark and he was over a foot taller than her. He could literally break her in half if he wished, the very thought causing Bella to flinch slightly; which in turn caused Felix to jolt toward her.

            “You dare accuse me of falsifying a mate bond? That of which is punishable by death? Amun, my old friend, is there any proof to these accusations? Any... tangible proof?” He seemed too smug for the current situation. No, there’s no way someone could fake a bond like that, could they? Bella shook her head, her thoughts causing her to have what felt like a minor migraine.

            Amun swallowed, now fully aware of the entire situation. He seemed to be thinking frantically as the silence grew. What was supposed to happen now? “My dear Amun,” Aro spoke as he stepped down from his throne, hands firmly clasped in front of him, “If you are afraid of losing your young, do not be. It is not as if you will never be permitted to see her again.” Her coven seemed to close in on her as Bella felt Kebi’s grip tighten exponentially. This woman would definitely not be letting go of her anytime soon, nor would Bella be. “Young Isabella.” Aro turned to her as he spoke in an oddly calming manor. “Your mate, Felix, would be more delighted if you would stay here, where you can train and be taught to harness your gift, not be afraid to use it.” He smiled to her again and she noticed Felix take a step or two away from the wall. Did he really want her that bad? I’m not afraid to use my gift, am I? No, I’m learning a little each day. “Here, you can train for as many hours as you wish, learning whatever you wish. You may also be given a position in the guard...if you wish...” He trailed off. If she wished?

            “Bella does train, she learns to use her gift,” proclaimed Benjamin from the sidelines. Though, every time a word left his mouth, Tia seemed to grow increasingly worried. Bella’s mouth continued to open and close in unfinished sentences. She had no idea what to choose. Does she go with her mate, the one and only vampire she was destined to be with for all eternity; surrounded by constant opportunities to learn? Though, if she did, she’d be turning her back on the only people that would’ve dared to take a chance on a lost newborn. But, if she left, then she’d be turning her back on her mate, the only one she will ever have. Bella knows how rare of an occasion it is to find your mate, especially so early on into her vampire life, but she was just a newborn, so what did she know? She was very confused.

            But, while conversation was going on at the front of the group however, she was caught off guard by a nod from Aro, and then swift arms wrapping around her as they quickly pulled her off to the side and away from her mother. She screamed in shock as she tried to pull away, but the arms were too strong. She could see the anger in her coven’s eyes as they were held back by other members of the guard, and she could hear Kebi’s earth-shattering screams as they tore her from her arms. Benjamin started to push through the few guards that were there, but soon it seemed almost every guard was there that could be spared, trying to keep her away from her family. She glanced up at the person who was holding her from her family and saw a slightly smaller version of Felix. No, they didn’t look anything alike, but he seemed just as strong and large.

            She tried pulling against him again, but he wouldn’t let her go. That was, of course, until Felix got angry seeing her distressed. He ran to her and held her face in his hands as he shoved the mystery man away. “Are you alright,” he spoke to her gently. She wanted to go to her family, to tell them that she would rather see them leave her than get hurt, but she was too distracted by the man in front of her. Though she didn’t feel him fully, she couldn’t deny the odd sensation in the bottom of her stomach telling her that she was wrong, to just go with it.

            “Enough,” shouted Aro over the large outburst that was happening in the throne room. He gestured to where she and Felix were standing before he continued speaking. “You all know that you cannot keep mates apart, especially when the bond is so new. Clearly, young Isabella wishes to stay with her newfound mate.” She saw the shock written on her coven mates faces as they looked to her.

            “Isabella,” Kebi spoke as she reached out a hand past the guard that was constricting her. “Please, you know this is wrong. I can tell that you feel it. Please, come to me, your mother.” She could hear the hurt in her voice and she could see the anger in Amun’s eyes as he struggled to fight those that were man-handling his mate.

            Bella hesitated before she spoke, regretting every word she was about to say. “I don’t want to see you get hurt. It might just be better this way; for now, at least.” She tried to give what she assumed to be a reassuring smile, but it faulter when she saw the look of defeat on her mother’s face. She wanted to cry, seeing Kebi look so disappointed in her, and she could feel Felix wrapping an arm around her midsection in what she believed he thought was reassurance. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Aro smiling as he dismissed her old coven from the throne room; every member fighting every step of the way.

            Before things could become awkward, Felix blurred her out of the room and down a few stray hallways to, what she assumed was in front of his bedroom chambers. She swallowed nervously as he opened the door and they walked inside. It definitely wasn’t what she expected in the sense that it seemed bigger, more antique looking. The main chamber was actually a sitting room with a large stone window on the opposite wall in front of her. To her right, there was a stone archway that led to a small library. There was just one loveseat and the room wasn’t very big, just enough to hold the three large bookshelves that it did along the walls. The window wasn’t as big in this room, but it definitely gained her attention.

            When she walked out of the library and into the main room again, she noticed that Felix looked rather nervous and she couldn’t help but laugh at the rather large vampire. His eyes were back to a bright red and it made Bella relax somewhat. She tilted her head, as if a little confused before she spoke to him. “What are you so nervous about? I know we just met, but that’s how this is supposed to go right? Getting to know each other. Though, I have to admit that mate bonds weren’t really explained to me, so...” she trailed off hoping that he would be able to finish the thought for her.

            He smiled at her as he removed his cloak and placed it on the back of the chair next to him and he sat down. “Please,” he pointed to another chair and invited her to sit. She hesitated for a moment before she sat down. He smiled at her again as he answered her questions. “The basics of a mate bond are simple. It’s a bond of love that’s like no other. Everything I feel, everything I do will now be for you. You might think it sounds a little weird, but do you feel that pull? That instant connection that we made when we locked eyes is the bond.” It was a lot to take in for Bella, but she kept her cool until she could fully understand the extent of this new bond that she felt. “And...there are...other things...”

            She raised one eyebrow as Felix trailed off in his sentence. Was he doing the vampire form of blushing? The thought eased away some of Bella’s tension as she relaxed further into her chair. “What other things are you talking about,” she asked with minor trepidation.

            He paused for a moment before he spoke again after clearing his throat. “Most of the time I’m going to be a little anxious.” At her confused expression, he elaborated. “Usually that means that if there is another male or unmated vampire in the room, I’m immediately going to be put on edge. Even if I know who they are, my instincts will be screaming at me to ‘protect what’s mine’ and I may even become a little...”

            She laughed a little as he trailed off in his sentence again. Something told her that he didn’t exactly want to elaborate. Picking up on the hesitation in his explanation, Bella stood up from her seat again. She had noticed a second archway in the room before she and Felix had their little chat, however, she knew what she would find behind it and didn’t necessarily want to go down that road just yet. But her interest was peaked and her curiosity got the better of her, so she walked over to the wooden double-doors that opened into the other room. Behind it, Bella found a large bedroom. The room contained what she thought was a king-sized bed covered in red satin sheets. Off to the left of the bed was what Bella assumed to be a massive closet judging by what she saw through the open door, and to the right, Bella walked through a set of glass doors and onto a stone balcony. The view was incredible. It was a perfect shot of the beautiful landscape that was Volterra, and the very idea left her breathless; figuratively speaking.

            She could feel Felix walking slowly up behind her and felt as his hands landed on her shoulders. She could feel his eyes on her and she took a sharp intake of breath. She could feel his breath on her neck as his hands slowly trailed down her body to land on her hips. He began to place soft kisses on her neck, at the juncture of her shoulder, as one hand came up to tilt her head slightly to the left. She felt as his kisses became harder and harder, and she swallowed in nervousness. Could vampires shake from fear? She had never...

            Bella turned to him slowly, eyes cast down to the floor. Felix’s hands still remained on her hips as he tilted her chin upward to look at him. “Is something wrong?”

            “No, I- I just...” Bella trailed off as she looked to the floor again. He lifted her face from the floor with a gentle kiss to her lips. Bella didn’t act at first, but as the kiss grew heated, so did she. She allowed herself to let her hands trail over his abdomen, feeling the fabric of his shirt and allowing the kiss to grow deeper. At one point, she felt him lick her bottom lip, silently asking for entrance, which she hesitantly allowed. She had never done anything like this, let alone been with anyone before, so everything that she experienced now was completely new.

            Felix began walking backwards towards the bed, without breaking the kiss, and Bella followed. She didn’t exactly know what she was doing, but then again, she figured Felix wouldn’t have pulled an Edward and gone completely celibate for however long he was alive. The two of them slightly turned and Felix broke the kiss as he lightly pushed her onto the bed by her shoulders. He soon followed, removing both of their pairs of shoes as he did, and settling himself between her thighs. She laid her head back on the pillows as he arose above her, slowly pushing her dress up her legs as he went. She swallowed hard at the thought of what was actually happening. Her hands hesitantly came up to unbutton his shirt and Felix removed it as soon as it was. He then pulled her dress the rest of the way off of her, kissing along her shoulders and collarbone. He went the rest of the way by kicking off his remaining articles of clothing and covering the both of them with the sheets. Bella could feel him at her entrance. He was big, and she was honestly a little scared. She was turned when she was a virgin, so she had no idea how the hell this was going to work.

            When she looked up from her inner musings, she noticed that Felix was waiting for something. As she gave him a small nod, he kissed her fiercely, lining himself up with and entering her. Her mouth widened in a small intake of breath and noticed that he stopped. He looked to her for permission to continue and Bella nodded her head. Felix continued slowly until he was all the way inside of her. He waited for her, noticing the small wince of pain that she gave, and settled himself in the crook of her thighs. His hands came to rest on the headboard above her and she gently placed her hands on his stomach. He began thrusting into her slowly at her nod, and soon the pace had begun to quicken. Bella had never felt anything like this before, her virginal status was proof of that, but now, she realized she needed him to keep going.

            Felix quickened his pace and Bella felt a strange tightening in her gut. That feeling however didn’t last long. He gave her another fiery kiss that left her lips swollen before he gave a few finals pumps into her and they were both screaming in ecstasy. He slowly and gently removed himself from her as he rolled over to the other side of the bed. She was about to speak, but a knock at their door had their earlier moment disrupted. She noticed how Felix’s eyes instantly grew black and he went into the closet.

            “I just started the water,” he stated tensely as he rushed back into the room.

            Bella sat up, somewhat whiplashed from the sudden change in mood, and wrapped herself in the bedsheets. “Water for what? What’s going on? Who’s at the door?”

            He began dressing as he moved throughout the room, kissing her on the lips each time he gained a new article of clothing. “It’s Demetri, at the door. Probably for a new assignment, but there’s no way I’m opening it until you’re on the other side of the closet and in the bathroom. I figured you might want to take a shower or something. I- if you don’t that’s fine, I just-“ Bella placed a finger over his lips as she smiled at him.

            “Yes, I obviously want to go take a shower. Let me guess, this has something to do with that unspoken thing that you didn’t want to mention earlier, that may, or may not, have something to do with you getting all protecty and stuff whenever there’s another guy around?” He seemed bashful as he lowered his head and went to grab his cloak. Bella got out of bed and started for the bathroom. It wasn’t until after she had closed the bathroom door, did she hear Demetri’s voice flow through to her from the hallway.

Chapter Text

                Once Bella had finished her shower, she quickly grabbed a towel to wrap around herself and began exploring the closet. She didn’t have any clothes with her, so she just picked out a large shirt of Felix’s to wear. She buttoned up the shirt and began to wander around Felix’s room, her room, until she could figure out what to do. She ended up wandering into the library, so she decided to sit down and read for a little while. Bella perused the bookshelves, only finding old classics and books in languages that she couldn’t understand. When she finally did find something that wasn’t centuries old, it was a small diary, no older than fifty years or so, but it didn’t say who’s it was. Bella figured it was better than nothing and sat down to read.

            After about half an hour or so, there was a knock at her door. Figuring it wasn’t meant for her, she ignored it until there was another one. Bella put her book down and got up to go answer it, completely forgetting about her attire.  When she answered the door, a very attractive woman was standing in front of her, leaning on the doorway; and she used the term heavily. The woman smiled at her seductively and Bella thought she would’ve blushed if she could. She sunk in on herself a little bit and crossed her arms over her stomach. She couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious standing next to this absolute goddess, and she took no shame in using the term to describe the woman.

            “Hello...,” she trailed off as her eyes raked over Bella slowly. Again, Bella felt she would blush if she could. She gave her another seductive smile. The woman began playing with a strand of her hair as she spoke again. “The name’s Heidi,” she raked her eyes over Bella again as her voice lowered. “I know your new and all, but I am so in love with this look. I think you should go with it; it suits you. I think Felix thinks so too.”

            Bella swallowed before she answered. “I didn’t have anything to where a-and I just-“

            “No, No, No, don’t panic on my account. I believe you.” She stopped playing with her hair as she stood from the doorway, pushing herself and Bella into the room; by Bella’s chest, of course.

            “Sure, come in,” she stated as the woman instantly sat on the couch in the sitting room, propping her feet up on the small coffee table in front of it. Bella closed the door, but not before she received a wink from a vampire passing in the hall. She quickly sped across the room, hopefully the woman would explain why she was here.

            “Did you have sex on this couch,” she asked nonchalantly, as if that were a normal question to come up in conversation. The question caught her completely off guard and caused her to freeze. “What,” Heidi asked as she looked up. “It’s a good question and I would like to know.” Bella quickly shook her head in the negative before Heidi looked relieved and relaxed further into the couch. The two women sat there for what seemed like hours, at least for Bella, before Heidi finally spoke again. “You know, I have a break right now, and I thought to myself, ‘Heidi, I feel like doing a good deed today.’ And low and behold, a little birdy whispered in my ear that somebody in the guard had found his mate. I go to investigate, and the beauty that is before me answers the door.” Heidi smiled at her as she stood from her position on the couch, her eyes roaming over Bella, examining her from top to bottom. “We need to take you shopping. You have nothing in that closet and I don’t think Felix would appreciate you roaming around in Volterra wearing only his shirt, though, I can’t say that I’m complaining.”

            “Uh, well, I-I- “

            Heidi placed a finger over Bella’s mouth and Bella couldn’t help but stare at it in defense. “It’s on Aro, since he’s completely loaded one hundred times over and we’ve got money to burn. Come on,” Heidi said excitedly as she grabbed Bella’s hand and began pulling her out the door.

            “W-wait, Heidi! I can’t just go out in the hallway looking like this!” The woman looked back at her and then rolled her eyes. “Ugh, fine! You can wear something of mine and borrow a cloak, but then we are going!” The woman sort of reminded her of Alice; the thought causing a minor stab of pain as she remembered her over-bubbly best friend; former best friend. She shook the thought from her mind as Heidi returned with her clothing. Bella took a chance to look at the dress, hoping that whatever she had brought her wouldn’t be anywhere near as revealing as what she was wearing herself. This, however, was not the case, as the woman had handed her a navy blue, felt, wrap dress with a plunging V-shaped neckline.

            “Oh, stop complaining! You only have to wear it for a few hours and then you can put on whatever you want. Besides, this is one of my fewer revealing pieces.” The woman walked out of the room and waited in the library as Bella went to change in her room, definitely closing and locking the doors behind her. When she came out of her room, Heidi was already waiting for her and she instantly started heading for the ground floor, not bothering to check if Bella was behind her or not. Bella couldn’t help as her eyes were drawn to the swaying of Heidi’s hips, but quickly looked away when she heard a ‘Like what you see?’ come from the woman in question.

            They arrived in the city about twenty minutes later after Heidi had informed Aro of where she was going; and Bella having to convince a very, very clingy Felix that she would be perfectly fine. The city was beautiful. The people didn’t hover and they were very kind, the architecture was grand, but not so over-the-top like it was back in the United States. Every bit of stone and wood that was a part of each building looked as if it had its own story behind it; Bella marveled at the elaborateness of it all. There was a tug on her hand and she reluctantly looked away from the architecture she was admiring. Heidi was looking at her impatiently as she was pulled into a high-end store. Bella was left staring wide-eyed at the array of high-end fashion placed on mannequins and hung around the store.

            “Don’t stare, it makes them think you’ve never done this before and they might try and rack up the prices. Plus, they always tend to want to cater to us. We give off a sense of...class you could say. That and the fact that the capes make us look like important political figures.” They laughed to each other as she began perusing, noticing the different colors and fabrics, but doing as Heidi said and acting a bit disinterested. “Do you see the man hovering by the counter?” Bella looked in her peripheral and noticed that there was indeed a man in a nice suit, watching Bella and her new friend. “Oh, look, this color is just divine.” Bella had no idea what was happening, but figured there was a method to her madness.

            “Buon pomeriggio, Signorina, posso aiutare con qualcosa?” They both turned to him at the same time and Bella had to try hard not to flinch at the stench of his arousal.

            “No,” Heidi spoke, “we were just admiring this collection its very wonderful, but so expensive...” she trailed off and Bella could here the gears turning in his head.

            “Well, it is a rather new collection a-and I believe that it is fairly priced considering the designer...,” Bella could feel him tense as Heidi pulled her away from the section of dresses that they were admiring and dragged a hand across his chest as they started to leave. She was feeling a little excited about their little charade and couldn’t help but add a little pout as she watched the dresses disappear. Another man, who seemed much older, was watching the exchange happen from the other side of the store and began to hurry before they could leave.

            “No, no, no, Signorina, I believe we can make an agreement, yes? Was there something that you were admiring that I could help you with? My associate, he is new. He doesn’t really understand the inner workings of bargaining in fashion yet.” The man laughed nervously as Heidi smiled at him in reassurance. Still holding her hand, Bella watched as the man brought them back over to the rack that they were looking at earlier, absentmindedly pushing the new salesman out of the way. “What seems to be the issue? I’m sure we can work it out, yes?”

            “Well, you see, my sister and I were just out shopping before we left with our dear father. He gets so tense every time we have to leave the country for his political career and we’d hate for him to become distracted with our unnecessary purchases.” Bella decided to act the part and gave the man a small smile, gazing longingly at the dresses that were displayed.

            “Y-your father, he is an important man, yes?” The man was nodding, probably hoping to get on their good side.

            “Why, yes, he is. Aro Volturi, have you heard of him?” The man seemed shocked and his eyes grew wide. It was like he couldn’t form a single word, all that he could manage was a little sputtering. “V-Volturi? As in, the Volturi line that founded this town, Volterra?” Heidi smiled at the man in fake recognition as Bella smiled at him as well. The man was instantly aware of their ‘social status’ and seemed all too happy to lower most of the prices on anything in the store.

            At the end of their little escapade, the two ended up with an entire collection and Bella felt a bit overwhelmed. She had only meant to buy a few things. Would Aro get mad? Has anyone else done this much before? “Relax,” she heard Heidi speak from beside her. “I told you, Aro has money to burn and he likes that the Volturi guard is well provided for.”

            “Is he really okay with you just throwing his name around like that?”
            Heidi smiled at her. “Of course, he is. Do you really think we would be standing here if he didn’t? Besides, I think he gains some form of amusement from it.” Bella laughed as she and Heidi headed back to the castle.

            When the two arrived back at her room, Bella finally took a real look at what they actually bought. “There are so many bags. Do you really think this is okay,” she asked worriedly.

            “Bella, I told you, its fine. Seriously, there are at least a dozen pianos in this castle and at least one of them gets broken every week. Stop worrying!”

            “Stop trying to bombard my mate, Heidi. Leave her alone.”

            “Oh, thank God! I’ve never been so happy to see someone in my entire life!”

            Heidi hesitated a moment, caught off guard by Bella’s comment. It seemed Felix was none the wiser, but she had a mate. She may have reacted slightly different than Bella, but all mated pairs have a gleam in their eyes every time they see one another after some time apart. What the hell was going on? “Yeah..., I’ll just go.” Felix’s brows furrowed in confusion before Heidi quickly headed for the door. “And don’t have sex in my dress!” Then Heidi quickly slammed the door.

            Bella looked as if she would turn six shades of red, but Felix’s laughter pulled her out of her inner musings. “So, Heidi hauled you out for some light shopping I see.”

            “This was light,” Bella stared wide-eyed in surprise.

            Felix laughed. “Oh, yeah. And don’t even get me started on fashion week.” Alice loved fashion week. Bella frowned as memories of her old friend resurfaced again.

            Three days had passed since her impromptu shopping trip with Heidi, and now Bella was putting her time to good use. She was inducted into the guard just yesterday and now she was headed for her first full day of training. When she arrived in the chamber, she noticed how bland it looked compared to the rest of the castle. The stone walls were completely grey, and there wasn’t a thing on them. When she looked up, Bella noticed that there was a hole in the ceiling, but not like a skylight, almost as if it were made for observers.

            “It was,” said someone off to her right. She looked down and noticed a rather small, female vampire. She had light brown hair that was back in a ponytail and wore an expression that made her look like an innocent child. She seemed very humble for someone who was a vampire. “Why thank you! You’re very kind!” Wait a minute, did she just- “Read your mind? Why yes, I did. Its my gift, well, a part of my gift. I have power transferal, which basically means I can take your gift if you wish, but I just gain another one. You don’t lose yours.” The girl smiled at her, and Bella couldn’t help but smile back.

            “Wow, that’s...actually really cool. What’s your name?”

            “Mele, you?”

            “Isabella.”

            “Well, Isabella,” Mele said as she began to walk around the room, “Demetri, Jane, and Alec will be here momentarily. We thought we’d be the best ones to help you train your gift.”

            “And how does that work exactly?”  

            “By training you,” spoke a voice by the door. Bella turned around to see that Demetri had just walked into the room. “If it’s the ‘working on training your gift’ you were questioning. If you’re wondering why we chose ourselves to train you-“

            “Some of us were more unwilling,” mumbled Jane as she and Alec entered the room.

            “Then that’s easy. We all have offensive give, metaphorically speaking. Each one of us has a gift that attacks something in some way. Jane creates a pain illusion, paralyzing her victims with pain,” at this, the young girl in question smiled, “Alec’s ability allows him to attack the senses, robbing you of scent, sight, and touch. I am a tracker and use my ability by getting into your head, and Mele, well, that pretty much just explains itself.” The young girl smiled, Bella assuming she had taken the comment as a compliment, and continued to ask questions.

            “Then, by that logic, mine’s an offensive talent too.”

            “Yes, correct. Your plants can grow, create walls, and even, so I’ve been told, destroy property.”

            “Yes, though I will say that it was an accident. I didn’t mean for the flower to go through the roof, but it wouldn’t listen to me.”

            “Well, that’s what we’re here to fix. Now, Alec will start off with something simple, like a small cloud, and I want you to block it.”

            She furrowed her brows in confusion. “Wouldn’t it just go right through?”

            “It’s fog, it still follows scientific principles. It conforms to the objects around it. Now, block the gas from reaching me, however you must do it.”

            “Well, do you have a plant to start with, I can’t do anything if I don’t have some sort of starting point.” Demetri pulled a small flower out of his back pocket, probably just in case, and placed it on the floor. Alec allowed a small cloud of his gift to flow from his hands and towards Demetri. He would stop before it got to him, right?

            “Isabella,” spoke Demetri a little worriedly. “Training exercises don’t stop, they keep going until something happens. So, if I were you, I’d want to, I don’t know, maybe save my victim or something!”

            “Ugh, I’m trying, but it’s not working!”

            “What do you mean ‘it’s not working’? Your gift can help protect people and right now, I need protecting, so protect me!”

            Bella thought long and hard, but couldn’t seem to get the plant to allow her to help it, like Benjamin had taught her. Like Benjamin had taught you. The thought passed through her head as she saw the increasingly worried glances thrown her way by Mele. Come on, come on, come on! Focus Bella! No matter what she did, she just couldn’t think of anything to get the plants to help her. She knows this works because she did it when she blocked Benjamin’s rock when he through it at Kebi. That’s it, Kebi! Protect Kebi! Okay, Demetri is Kebi, Demetri is Kebi, Demetri is Kebi!

            As soon as the thought had gone through her mind, the small plant on the floor had grown dramatically. Each petal had grown to a massive size right in front of Demetri. He was completely blocked from Alec! But then, the flower seemed to move, almost breathe in a way, and Bella had no idea what was happening. Apparently, she didn’t have to wait for long. All of a sudden, Alec was blasted with a black cloud that looked almost exactly as his gift, and everyone froze. Did she just...?

            “No,” stated Mele from the sidelines. Demetri looked to her, eyes wide as he and Jane went to check on Alec. When she was informed that he was fine, they all looked to her.

            “I don’t know what happened, it just-“ She threw her hands up in defeat, trying to figure out what in the Hell had just happened.

            “My guess is,” mumbled Demetri as he examined the flower, “since flowers absorb the air, including its pollutants, this flower must have absorbed Alec’s gift as it grew. Though, it probably didn’t have a way to syphon it from itself, other than just blowing it back out again. Bella heard a quiet, ‘amazing’ from Mele and then heard clapping.

            When she looked up, Bella noticed that all three Volturi leaders, especially Aro, were standing there smiling down at her, and Bella felt a sense of dread wash over her.

Chapter Text

            Bella was excited. Today was the first day that she would go on a mission for the Volturi, and although she missed her family deeply, she couldn’t help but hope that she might get sent to Egypt or travel there in her free time. Maybe she could even ask Demetri if she could accompany him when he leaves for his annual trip.

            Bella grabbed her cloak and made sure the simple black dress she was wearing was in perfect order. They had all fed yesterday and, while she hated the idea of killing innocents, she found out that Mele couldn’t really handle it either, thanking the girl when she informed her of a particularly ‘dirty’ man who was wandering in the crowd.

            Felix had given her a very long goodbye, considering he didn’t want to let her go, and it wasn’t until Heidi was screaming at her that the plane was leaving soon that he did. Bella had to admit that, although she knew they were mates, it seemed that he felt the bond stronger than she did. Bella had never heard of such a thing happening before and every time she had observed mated pairs before, they seemed to share an equal love. She felt as though she was letting Felix down. Was she just not trying hard enough?

            She was pulled from her thoughts when she arrived at the airport and followed the rest of her group to the plane. There weren’t that many members of the guard going on this trip, it was just a routine check up on an active coven. Aro always liked to make sure someone wasn’t growing too powerful, so every few years he would send the guard to find out if there were any new members to the coven, or if they had any mentionable gifts.

            Bella was brought out of her thoughts when someone sat down next to her. It was a guard she hadn’t met before, but she would usually find him opening the grand wooden doors that led into the throne room. “Hello, I’m Isabella.” She smiled at him, but he gave her no answer in return. Her face fell when she realized he wasn’t going to reply, or even acknowledge her for that matter. Bella looked ahead again, not really knowing how the procedure for any of this worked.

            “We go into the territory calmly, ask for permission to meet with the leader, and then remain in the territory for a week. Usually, Jane does all of the talking, we’re there more for observation purposes.” Bella looked to see that Mele had answered her question. Of course she did. Who else would it have been?

            “Yes, who else indeed?” The young girl smiled at her as a silence fell over the plane before it took off. She liked it though, it was quiet and peaceful, and it gave her time to think; about Felix and these weird feelings she’s been having. Bella noticed Mele looking at her a bit strangely out of the corner of her eye.

            “Is there a way you can turn it off, just for a little bit?”

            “Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude.” The girl smiled at her and gave her a small nod indicating that Bella did indeed have her much-needed privacy. She thought about Felix, about how he always seemed so...attached to the bond, but Bella only felt disconnected. It was like he felt it stronger than she did, but with her it was barely there at all. I know for sure that this isn’t supposed to happen with mates. Is there something wrong with me, with our bond? Has it been damaged in some kind of way? I can’t tell Felix, can I? Will he be angry with me? But Aro read Marcus that day, he saw the bond Felix and I had, right? He did point out Kebi, but then again, that was very noticeable for anyone who saw us together. Ugh, I just don’t understand! Why is this so complicated! If Felix were my mate than I wouldn’t be-

            She froze; eyes wide and staring at the ground in disbelief: Then I wouldn’t be having this conversation. No, that wasn’t possible, was it? It couldn’t be. You can’t fake a bond like that, can you? But then how do you explain the feelings she’s been having toward Felix? Don’t get her wrong, she does feel something for him, but there still needs to be something...more. And its just not there with him. But he is your mate! Aro wouldn’t lie to you like that, would he? He would be breaking one of his own laws and surely someone would have tried to stop him, right?

            The plane jerked and she could tell that they had just touched down. Bella shook her inner musings from her head and stood. She’d have to come back to it later, but she wouldn’t be forgetting about this. Chelsea and Marcus were the only two in this coven with bond-reading capabilities and she needed to talk to one of them, to try and at least figure out a little of what was going on.

            They stepped off of the plane and Bella took in the smell of fresh grass and a blowing breeze. It was chilly outside and, even though she couldn’t feel it, she enjoyed knowing that the cold air was surrounding her. She looked to her left and saw that Demetri was standing next to her, so she struck up a conversation with him. “Where are we, exactly? It wasn’t really made that clear to me.” He looked to her in confusion.

            “We’re in Ireland. There is a coven out in Belfast and we need to do a routine check.” They began walking as Bella nodded her head in acknowledgement. There was a car waiting for them there, probably because they didn’t want to risk too much exposure. The limo ride was quiet, and Bella was starting to think that there wasn’t really any small talk amongst the guard unless it was business related.

            When they finally arrived at the border, Bella had to admit that she was a little nervous. She hadn’t really met any other vampires before, and the ones that she did meet were significantly older than her. Demetri had showed her what to do. “You have to act confident. We scare them more than anyone else. If we wanted to, we could end them right now, but we won’t. Because we are gracious.” He continued walking ahead as she stopped. He’s not serious, is he?

            Once they arrived at the boundary line, the group slowly crossed over. She was still a little hesitant to do so, considering the last time she crossed over without permission; she was almost executed. However, as soon as they crossed over, the group started running and ended up outside of an old looking stone, mansion of sorts. This was the type of architecture that surrounded Belfast and Bella marveled at it for a moment, just like she did in Volterra.

            A man with ginger hair and a hat cautiously stepped out of the house, noticing the guard within the tree line. They weren’t that quiet to begin with, so Bella wouldn’t be surprised if the Irish coven knew they were there before they arrived.

            He began speaking, an Irish lilt to his commanding voice as he did so. He must be the coven leader. “Hello, we were informed that you would be visiting to make your routine check. You are allowed in, but nothing has changed. It’s exactly the same as the last time you visited.”

            “We’ll be the judge of that,” she heard Jane say as the group started moving forward. There were only a few of them. Jane, Mele, Demetri, herself, and that one guard that wouldn’t give her his name, but she knew that just spotting a dark cloak was intimidating enough.

            When she arrived inside, there were two other members of the coven. One who was an older woman, probably turned in her late twenties or early thirties, and the other was young girl, maybe around seventeen or eighteen, with curly, dark brown hair. Bella took a moment to acknowledge them before Jane spoke. “Liam, if you will. I believe we have business to attend to.” He nodded to her hesitantly, probably reluctant to leave his coven mates, but finally relented as he and Jane walked off.

            “I’m Siobhan,” stated the woman with ginger hair, “and this is Maggie. I don’t think we’ve seen you before.”

            “She’s new,” spoke the guard from the plane.

            “His name is Santiago,” whispered Mele from beside her.

            “Thank you,” she whispered back. “What’s his problem with me?”

            She hesitated before she spoke. “Felix asked him to keep an eye on you and Santiago is a very honorable man. When he makes a promise, he keeps it, so if he comes off as a little bit ‘too much’, just ignore it. He takes his job very seriously.” Why would Felix ask him to keep an eye on her? “Your mate bond is new. He still hasn’t gotten used to the fact that you’re not going to be together twenty-four seven.”

            She and Mele were left to wait for the others in the main room, while Jane was with Liam and Demetri and Santiago did a perimeter check. Bella removed her hood and began wandering, though she could feel Siobhan’s eyes on her. “You noticed that too?” She turned to Mele as she whispered to her and shifted her gaze over to the woman. Siobhan seemed to avert her gaze as soon as she was caught. “I’m going to check on Jane. She usually likes to have me around for the political aspect; just in case.” Mele walked off and that left Bella alone with the other two members of the Irish coven.

            There was a moment of silence before Maggie spoke. “You’re not as scary as the others.” Siobhan scolded the young girl lightly and Bella smiled at her as she sat down on the couch opposite them.

            “Well, like Santiago said, I’m new. I guess I just haven’t figured that part out yet.” Maggie giggled at her as a silence fell over them. It wasn’t awkward like it might have been for the others; Bella actually felt kind of comfortable. She kept getting her head wrapped up in her thoughts about Felix and it wasn’t helping her in the slightest.

            “I like you. You seem nice.”

            “Well, thank you.” She smiled at the young girl, but was thrown a little off guard when she just up and left them out of nowhere.

            “She was turned when we found her starving in the streets during the great famine. She’s very childlike. Its just how she is. She has a great gift, but please don’t tell Aro.” Bella nodded her promise and Siobhan continued. “She can tell when someone’s lying. It comes in handy, especially when we need it most.” Well, if that wasn’t the most cryptic statement I’ve ever heard.

            The older woman studied her for a moment, seeming to work up the courage to ask her something as Bella tilted her head to the side in inquiry. “You look familiar to someone I heard about. That is all.” She raised her eyebrow in question. “I have a very old friend who lost a child not long ago. Not hers by blood, of course, but the description she gave me, along with the statement that you are, in fact, new, I could only assume that you are the Isabella she was referring to.”

            Bella’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Who is this old friend that you are referring to? I don’t really know many vampires.”

            The older woman smiled at her before she spoke. “Kebi. She seemed distraught the last time I heard from her, considering someone stole her child right out of her arms.”

            “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. No one stole me from anywhere. When I was a part of the Egyptian coven, we received a summons to Volterra, so we went. I found my mate in Felix and I decided to stay. Amun didn’t want Aro to have Benjamin, and I could tell that he wasn’t going to go without a fight, so I stayed. I didn’t want my family to get hurt.”

            The woman gave her a little laugh. “Do you not hear yourself speaking? You said it perfectly. Your family would have been hurt if they had not left, so you stayed. Yes, you did it willingly, but the underlying threat was still there. Aro did not want you to leave.”

            “It wouldn’t have mattered. I found my mate, so I was going to stay either way,” Bella fought.”

            “Did you?” What the hell was this woman trying to get at? “What does your bond feel like?”

            “It feels like a normal mate bond. I love him and he loves me.” Bella was starting to get a little angry. She didn’t understand what Siobhan’s point was.

            “Is that what they told you? Amun made it sound as if you were about to decline Aro’s offer to join the guard.”

            “Yes, I didn’t want to leave my family.” Bella’s tolerance level was wearing thin and she became frustrated.

            “But then you did just like that,” Siobhan said as she snapped her fingers to emphasize her point. “All of a sudden your soulmate comes from thin air, and that was what changed your mind to stay. A mate bond is rare, and not everyone finds theirs. A mate’s love is equal and pure. One doesn’t feel smaller, or lower than the other. You are the same. Is that how you feel toward him?”

            “I-“

            Before she could finish her sentence, Bella was cut off by Santiago. “Isabella, change of plans for you. Aro wants you back in Volterra.”

            She stood from the couch, head still spinning from the flaws Siobhan had pointed out in her logic. She began walking out with him and started for the car again. “What does he want me for?”

            “He didn’t say, just that he wanted you back at the castle.” What the hell is he playing at?

            “Bella, wait,” she heard Maggie shout from behind her. As she turned around, she was instantly tackled in a fierce hug. “You forgot your hug goodbye.”

            “Oh, well, thank you. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” Bella smiled as she returned the hug with fervor.

            “I’m pretty sure Felix would like his mate back without a tiny, Irish vampire attached to her.” Bella smiled at the man’s attempt at a poor joke and went to let go of Maggie.

            “One of his words was a lie,” the girl whispered in her ear and Bella’s eyes went wide. Her suspicions were just confirmed. Hopefully, she was wrong, and she wasn’t just a part of some strange plan of Aro’s to further the Volturi, but at the same time, it brought her relief. Maybe she would finally get the answers to a few of her question. One thing was for sure, she needed to talk to Felix.

Chapter Text

            Bella was on a mission. These people had played with her feelings long enough. It seemed that no matter how many vampires she met, all of them wanted something from her. Except, of course, her mother. She had taken to calling Kebi that now, thinking that the woman would have appreciated it, but Bella had taken her for granted, not really acknowledging the fact that she could be so easy to lose. Her mother was precious to her, and now she wanted to go back. She thought that, by staying, she would have saved them a world of hurt, but apparently, that wasn’t how things worked around here. She was the one that had caused them pain.

            She couldn’t tell anyone, not yet. She had to work things out with Felix first. She knew he wasn’t feeling the same way she was; he would need a lot of convincing.

            When she finally reached her room, she found that Felix was in there already and she hadn’t even taken one step before she was bombarded with a gigantic hug. “I missed you so much. You have no idea how difficult it was to be away from you.” She closed her eyes tight. You’re right, I don’t. Focus Bella, you’re only prolonging the inevitable. She sighed heavily as she went to their closet to hang up her cloak.

            “Felix,” she started hesitantly as she saw him sit down at the table. It broke her heart to see him look up at her with such adoration in his eyes. She didn’t want to have to do this, the thought made her sick to her stomach, figuratively speaking, but she knew she had to. This situation wasn’t helping anybody and it was only going to get worse from here.

            Apparently, her thoughts were written all over her face, considering his fell and he was instantly on edge. “What’s wrong,” he asked her worriedly.

            “No, nothing is. Well, at least...” She didn’t know how to start a conversation like this. How are you supposed to tell someone that you aren’t their actual soulmate? She sighed heavily again as she sat in the chair opposite him and took his hand in hers. “Look, some things have happened...”

            “What things? What happened? What’s wrong, are you okay?” She smiled sadly at him as she tried to calm him down. She needed to do this quickly, it was like ripping off a band-aid.

            “No, nothing’s wrong, but I-I have to tell you something and it’s a lot, so I need you to trust me and wait until I finish. Otherwise, I don’t know if I could take prolonging it any more than I already have.”

            His brows furrowed in confusion as he hesitantly gave her a nod to continue. “Okay, but has anything happened to you? Are you hurt?”

            She laughed at him again. “No, Felix, I’m fine; and I’m not hurt. But I really just need you to listen. I can’t take this anymore, and what he did was wrong.” His face hardened a little as she spoke.

            “What who did?”

            She rubbed his hand in comfort as she began explaining her whole story. “You see, I wasn’t created that long ago. You knew that. I used to know a vampire family that lived in the town I was born. Don’t worry, they didn’t tell me who they were,” she added as she noticed his expression. “I kind of figured it out, so technically they didn’t break any rules. But that’s beside the point.” He seemed to be hanging on to her every word, seriously trying to figure out what Bella had to explain. “The reason I mentioned them was because the whole coven had mated pairs. They explained to me what it felt like, how they acted towards one another, how they needed each other every moment of every day, how they couldn’t be separated from one another.”

            Felix smiled at her as he grasped her hand tighter in recognition. “Yes, that is how all mate bonds feel, but I don’t understand the point to this story.”

            “Please, I’ll explain everything, but I have to finish this first.” He seemed to resign himself to just listening, and sighed as he sat back in his chair; still holding Bella’s hand, of course. “When I met the Egyptian coven, I gained a new family. I observed with vampire eyes how they interacted with one another, how the mated pairs seemed to just...flow with one another.

            We received a summons one day after Demetri had visited, of this, you know. Apparently, after Aro had seen through Amun the gifts Benjamin and I had.” Felix’s brow furrowed in confusion, but continued to listen anyway. “Aro did what he always does best: he covets.” Felix seemed ashamed for a moment as he looked down, but regained his composure and waited for Bella to continue again. “I think that he broke a low, but I can’t just go to him and say that, and no one will believe me anyway. I don’t have any tangible proof, and what I do have is only what I feel.”

            Felix’s brows furrowed in confusion as she stated the rest of her story. “I think that Marcus showed him the bond that you had towards me, it wasn’t much, but just enough to work with, and Aro tinkered with it.”

            “Listen, Bella, tinkering with a bond is illegal. Now,” he said as he noticed her start to protest, “it’s not that I don’t want to believe you, but you can’t just pull bonds out of thin air. It just doesn’t work like that.” He began to get up from the table, laughing, before Bella cut in again.

            “You can if you have someone like Chelsea.” This caused him to stop. He turned to her, noticing her solemn expression and sat down slowly, never breaking eye contact with her.

            “Listen, Bella,” he started quietly, “Whatever you’re suggesting, please give me a damn good reason for it.” He sounded hopeless, as if he didn’t want to believe whatever she was trying to say, as if he didn’t want to face the truth; because shit did that hurt.

            She looked down at her hands and then grabbed his, both pairs of eyes glazed over with tears that would never fall. “I think that Aro wanted my gift so bad, that he broke one of his own laws,” she whispered to him. “I think Marcus showed him a simple infatuation you had with me, and he told Chelsea to change the bond to a mate bond. Only after I had felt something snap inside of me did you actually get the chance to look into my eyes.” He seemed frozen, as if his rock-like appearance actually turned him into a living statue.

            “You’re wrong,” she barely heard him say as he turned away from her. “He wouldn’t be so cruel.” He couldn’t even look at her.

            “Wouldn’t he? He’s been greedy before; I’ve heard the stories. My coven tried to tell me, but I wouldn’t listen. I knew how rare it was to find a mate and that was the only thing at the forefront of my mind in that moment. I’m sorry.”

            There was a mild silence before he spoke again. “If what you say is true, then how do you explain what I feel. That’s not fake, you can’t make that up.” He looked at her with watery eyes as she explained.

            “I’m not saying what you feel is wrong, or made up, but the bond that now exists between us was only feeding off of a miniature version of that. Whatever Aro had Chelsea do amplified a small feeling that you had. Whatever you feel is real, but it wasn’t like that to begin with. I think he took more than he could handle when he did this, and now a lot of people are paying for it.”

            “You can’t tell me that you don’t feel the same for me,” he shouted as he shot up from his chair. He pounded his fist on the table and it cracked, causing Bella to jump. He seemed to notice this and instantly regretted it. “I’m sorry,” he sighed as he wiped his hand over his face, an old human habit he still had. “But what proof do you have?” He seemed impatient with this, with her. As if he wanted to go back to whatever he was doing before this horrid conversation.

            “I don’t feel the bond as strong as you, and I think it had something to do with the fact that I’m a newborn. I haven’t been on this Earth nearly as long as you have. I haven’t been waiting centuries to find the one I’m going to spend my forever with; therefore, I wasn’t as eager to accept the bond.”

            “Your proof is that I’m desperate?” He seemed a little alarmed by this statement.

            “No, but you would be more willing to accept it just because you saw the bond. You had been waiting a long time for it, and since it was right in front of you, you didn’t question it. Subconsciously, your brain just wanted the idea of a soulmate. I don’t think it really bothered to look at the peculiarity of the situation.” He nodded once, but still looked at her like she had two heads.

            “Was that the only thing?”

            She shook her head in the negative. “No, when we were in Ireland-“

            “Oh, God, please don’t tell me you actually believe whatever lies they told you,” he stated a little tensely. “They’d do anything to hurt the Volturi. No one likes us, that’s how we know we’re doing our job.” He ran his hands down his face again in frustration.

            “If what they told me was a lie, then why did Siobhan tell me about Maggie’s gift?” This seemed to pique his interest as he tilted his head to the side in curiosity.

            “What do you mean ‘Maggie’s gift’? She doesn’t have one. If she did, we would have known about it.”

            “Maggie told me that I ‘wasn’t as scary as the others’. Her gift is a good one, but I can’t tell you what it is. I promised Siobhan.”

            “Isabella, if what you say is true, then why would I want to help Aro?”

            “I don’t know. You’re having enough trouble believing me right now. I trusted the Volturi once and look where that got me.”

            He leaned in closer to her as he spoke. “You weren’t dealing with me then. I swear on my life that Aro will never find out about Maggie. Besides, it would really help with the story here.”

            Bella seemed to hesitate, but reluctantly told him of the gift the little vampire that wormed her way into Bella’s heart had. “She can tell if someone’s lying.” She saw his eyes widen and then continued. “Siobhan had told me that an old friend had contacted her, saying that the Volturi stole their child. She told me it was Kebi.” At his sceptic glance, she continued. “I think she only confided in Siobhan because she could understand. Maggie and I look similar and we were turned around the same age. They both act the same towards us, and you saw how Kebi reacted when Afton pulled me away from her.”

            She could see the gears turning in his head. “Okay, but where is the proof that Aro lied. Where is the proof that Chelsea created a false bond? This is what is important.”

            Bella sighed. It seemed that it was going to take a lot to try and convince him, but why wouldn’t it? Felix thought he had found the one thing that all vampires crave the most and here she was, destroying that dream right in front of him. “When Santiago came to me to tell me that Aro wanted me back at the castle, he said something about Felix wanting his mate back and that’s when Maggie hugged me, she whispered in my ear that ‘one of his words was a lie’ and then we left. All you have to do is put two and two together and it all sort of fits into place. Aro just wanted my gift. He wanted both Benjamin and myself, but I didn’t have a mate and it was less difficult to pull me away from my coven.”

            He seamed lost, hopeless even. “Maggie saying that one of Santiago’s words was a lie could have meant anything.” His eyes were glazed over and she felt horrible for breaking his heart.

            Bella shook her head slowly. He seemed to be in denial. “I know this must be difficult for you, but that’s grasping at straws and you know it.”

            “Well, what else am I supposed to do? Just accept that the man I’ve worked for, for centuries, my creator, didn’t give a damn about what would have happened to me? What if I never find my mate?” The realization had hit him hard.

            Bella pulled him over to sit with her on the couch as they sat there, holding each other, trying to figure out how they had gotten tangled up in such a mess. “Felix, I believe that, one day, you will find your mate, we both will. But we can’t keep living a lie, and Aro has to be stopped; but I can’t do it alone. He broke one of his laws, but no one here will believe me.”

            “What am I supposed to do?” His voice was monotoned, like he accepted his fate, but didn’t want to move on.

            She looked up at him as she spoke. “I need you help. I have to get out of here, but I can’t do that on my own. Aro would never let me leave if he found out I knew.”

            He sighed as he answered, “After living here for so long, a lot of us have figured out how to block certain things from Aro if we try hard enough. I can’t believe I’m saying this.” He shook his head in disbelief as he continued. “I have a friend; he lives in Russia. He’s very old, but if you tell him that I sent you, he should be bearable.”

            “Bearable,” Bella questioned in surprise. She couldn’t believe he was helping her after what she just did to him.

            “Yeah, he can be quite eccentric, but he owes me a favor. He has a gift that allows him to erase scents, so if Aro were to send Demetri after you, he wouldn’t be able to find you. However,” he added in when he saw her semi-hopeful expression. “That doesn’t mean you don’t have to hide. The Volturi can still find you, but I’ll try to throw them off of your trail if they ever do. You just need to get far enough away for them to not know where to look. And... that also means that you can’t go to the Egyptian coven for a while.” Bella’s eyes glazed over with unshed tears. They were the only place she had to go, the only family that she had. “It’s the first place they’ll look. I’m sorry.”

            She nodded her head in acceptance as Felix began to help her pack a small bag. She only needed a few things, like money, a passport, and a change of clothes, but it also had to look innocent enough to not seem suspicious. “Here,” he said as he threw her a cloak. “You’ll need this. We can say that we just want to spend some time alone outside of the castle. It’s dark out, and they’ll be none the wiser.”

            As they headed out of the room and down the hallways, they accidently ran into Demetri. “Where are the two of you going,” he stated slyly.

            “We want to go out on a hunt,” Bella said nonchalantly. “We haven’t done one together yet, and I’m still getting over that newborn thirst thing.” She gave him a small smile and he seemed to accept the answer, so they sped off.

            The walk through the city was tense, as they didn’t know who was on patrol but Felix took her all the way to the territory limits before they stopped. “I can’t go any further, but you should be fine for a little while. Stay in the shadows and don’t do anything that will attract too much attention to yourself. You may not be my mate, but I don’t want you getting hurt. I’ll stay out here for another hour and try to buy you some time, but you need to run as much as possible and get to Russia. He’s in St. Petersburg and it should basically be a straight shot from here. The man’s name is Igor, and you’ll find him on the edge of the city, in an abandoned mansion. He likes his seclusion.”

            They stood there in silence, just staring at each other before he began to leave. Her arm shot out before he could. “Wait! Felix,” he halted as he felt her hand grasp his forearm. She hesitated, not really knowing what to say. What do you say to a man whose life you ruined, while he simultaneously saved yours, all in the matter of a few hours? “Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

            He smiled to her sadly as he looked down at his feet, obviously a little saddened. “I think the false bond is ineffective,” he said as he looked to her again. “I think her gift stops working on you the moment you have the desire to overpower it. That’s why Marcus is still here. His mate died, so now he has no desire to do anything. You do, because you want to see your family again and find your real mate.”

            “And you,” she said as she looked to him. “Are you willing to do the same? Is that your desire?”

            He smiled back at her. “I’m going to find my own mate, not have someone else chose it for me.” He flashed her his signature grin. Bella pulled him down to kiss his cheek and then sped off. She didn’t care what anyone said. One day, she would see her family again. She’d been away from them for long enough.

Chapter Text

            Bella was running; hard and fast. She didn’t want to stop because she feared what would happen if she did. Bella had to make it to Igor. She just had to. She didn’t want to let them win. The Volturi have been ruling unfairly for long enough and Bella was going to try and do everything in her power to stop them; but she just had to get to Igor. He was the key to all of this. He was the only one that could truly hide her, but if Demetri got to her first, it would be over. She wasn’t sure what they would do to her, what Aro would do to her. She didn’t want to be living a lie anymore and she wasn’t sure if Felix was still buying her time, or if he had returned to the castle already; she had no idea how long she had been running, but she didn’t see any snow, so she wasn’t in Russia. Keep moving! You can do this Bella, you have to! Think of your family, and Kebi!

            All Bella knew was that she was running in a forest. She was surrounded by trees and the faster she ran, the thicker the forest got. She would hear small noises that were probably due to the animals moving around, but her paranoia kicked in, causing her to run even faster. It made her feel as though someone was behind her and she was honestly scared. She had never been on the run before, she had never been hunted before. Her imagination was running wild, just like she was, trying to convince her that Demetri and the rest of the guard was right behind her. She couldn’t tell if her scent was fresh, or if the dirt and mud was helping to cover it up. Then she remembered that his gift didn’t need a scent, it was more about getting into someone’s head.

            She had been running for what she thought was a few hours before she heard it; the snapping behind her. It was behind her, to the side of her, and Bella thought she heard a bit of it in front of her. She began to panic. Had they found her already? Was she really that slow, or was their training just that good? Whatever the cause, they had found her. She needed to run faster, or find a way around them; it didn’t matter. But she had to figure it out, and fast. She could hear them gaining on her and Bella needed to think of a way to slow them down, but how?

            She was in the forest; Bella was in the forest. Bella you’re in the forest! Use it! “Shit! Bella concentrate!” She thought about Benjamin again and everything that he had taught her. She thought about the trees around her, and about how her brother taught her to speak to them, how to ask them for help. Bella thought about the plants and allowed herself to meditate as she slowed to a stop. She had to stop running for this, even though it was probably not a good idea. Come on, Bella. You can do this. You’ve got one shot at this and I believe in you. She started concentrating on the trees in front of her; the way the whole forest surrounded her, just waiting for her to ask for help. They knew what she wanted, what she needed, she just had to figure out how to ask. Please, work for me! Work with me!

            All of a sudden, Bella could hear the tree roots underground start to move, she could feel them. The ground was rumbling and Bella could feel the trees allowing her to use them for protection. She knew what she wanted them to do. The roots began to form a wall behind her and off to the sides, only leaving a path for her in the middle for her to run safely. She was off again. Dodging the branches above her and the small twigs that broke through the forest floor, Bella began running along the path that the roots had made for her, watching as the walls continued to form the further she ran. She could hear her assailants gaining on her as she sprinted through the forest, panicking when Bella thought they were right behind her.

            She could see the wall beginning to end and she was becoming helpless. What? Why is it stopping; why are you stopping? They’re still behind me, we have to keep going! Bella neared the end of her wall and looked back. She couldn’t see anyone behind her, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t there. She was breathing heavily as she looked forward. Bella had to dig her heels in the dirt, managing to stop just in time before she fell off of the cliff. She could see the dirt that she had kicked up fall over the edge, only managing to make a splash a few moments later. She could make this. Vampires were indestructible, right?

            Bella backed up a few steps, trying not to take up a lot of time to think about what she was doing. She gave them enough time as it is to catch up to her, she didn’t want Felix’s distraction to be for naught. She sprinted; using her full speed to propel her as far into the water down below as she could. Hoping, no, praying, that they wouldn’t catch her, but before she could take her first three steps, someone had grabbed the collar of her shirt.

            Bella began screaming, hoping that whoever had her would let her go, even though she knew they never would. Maybe, in some random, far-off village, someone would hear her. She knew that was a long shot. Bella didn’t know where she was, but knew no one would be this far into the forest. She hoped that her screaming would do something, anything, but it was all probably for nothing. She and Felix would be forced back into this fake bond that they had and wouldn’t be allowed out of the city.

            Resigning herself to her fate, Bella didn’t gaze at her captor as she was pulled away from the cliff’s edge. “Prečo sa zdáš taký smutný, diet’a?” Bella lifted her head as she heard the strange voice. This definitely wasn’t Demetri. The person holding her by her collar raised her higher in the air as she continued to squirm, realizing now that she was in an even worse situation. Whoever these people were didn’t look like Volturi, but they felt old. She could see it; it was like some natural instinct of hers to now recognize when she was in the presence of ancient vampires. The older woman staring at her looked kind, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t still afraid of whoever this was.

            Apparently, the vampire holding her by her shirt didn’t like that she wasn’t answering the woman in front of her, because Bella could hear him shouting at her, but she had no idea what language it was. It had to be European, right? She couldn’t have gone that far off. Think, Bella, think! “I-I can’t understand you, I’m sorry,” she shouted as the man moved to pin her to the ground.

            “Jozef,” she heard the woman shout. “Enough! She is just a child.” The woman grabbed Jozef’s hand firmly, causing him to drop Bella to the ground. She wanted to get up, but she could now see everything. There were four vampires surrounding her and all of them looked rather frightening. They seemed to be stuck in whatever time they came from for the most part. Their clothes were basically modern, but with a few fur shawls here and there. The woman who had shouted at the man she now knew as Jozef, was wearing a simple cloth dress, but she had the pelt of a fox around her shoulders. Jozef apparently didn’t like wearing that much clothing, considering he only wore brown leather pants and no shirt, with the exception of a necklace. His long brown hair cascaded down to his shoulders, and Bella followed it with her eyes as she noticed how well-built the man was. Great! Another Emmett, but bigger. It seemed that every time she travelled somewhere new, there seemed to be one extremely muscled vampire with exceptional strength, but this time, Jozef set the new record. He seemed to be the biggest that she’d seen, standing at around 6’9”. She sat there, on the ground, staring at him in complete sock. I didn’t even know they made people like you!

            Bella took a moment to look at the other two that were there. They were both males, and apparently identical twins. Bella couldn’t tell them apart! They both had bright, blond hair, and red eyes. In fact, they all had red eyes. The only woman was who Bella assumed to be the leader of this small coven. The strange woman kneeled in front of her as Bella began to crawl backwards in a panic. She was wide-eyed and afraid, and this was a completely new world for her.

            “No, no, no, do not be afraid,” the woman spoke to her soothingly as she put out her hands in a pleading manner. “We are not here to harm you, we wouldn’t. My name is Agáta, and you seem lost. Can we help you?” The woman seemed sweet, nice, even. The woman’s blonde hair fell around her face as she tilted it in question.

            Bella sat there in silence for a moment, just observing. The three men standing behind Agáta felt very imposing, causing Bella to crawl further behind herself until her back hit a tree. The woman noticed this and waved her hand at the men in question, telling them to take a few steps back. They all looked very stern, except for the woman of course, but Bella just wanted to know where she was. “W-Where am I?” She was still afraid, but somehow the woman’s accented voice seemed to calm her down somewhat.

            “Don’t worry, my child. Do not be afraid. You are in Slovakia, and if you weren’t careful, you would have fallen off that cliff.” What?!

            “What?! No, no, no, I’m not far enough! I have to keep going!” Bella’s thoughts were frantic as she scrambled to get to her feet. She had to go farther! She was nowhere near Russia and the Volturi could be after her any minute!

            The woman seemed confused, trying to somehow figure out Bella’s strange behavior, while simultaneously reaching out her hands to get Bella to calm down. The woman hushed her as she brought the two of them down to the ground again. “Don’t worry, my child.” The woman’s words seemed smooth, almost too smooth. They calmed her instantly, and if she wasn’t so, she would have been more suspicious. “You are safe here. Whoever is after you, I’m sure we can get rid of them.” The woman held out her hand for Bella to take, but she hesitated. Why would she trust someone she’s never met? This woman made something in Bella feel a little weird, but she couldn’t figure out what it was. Then she thought about her family, about Amun and Kebi, and how they took a chance on her, and Bella said nothing about them being strangers. But that was different, wasn’t it? No, not really Bella. You’re in a bit of a bind and now you choose to be picky? Fuck it. She grabbed Agáta’s hand as she stood up with her, carefully watching the men in the background. They were a bit overwhelming, but for some reason Bella couldn’t help but lean in to Agáta’s warm embrace.

            “I- You see- I-I mean-“

            “Shhh, child,” Agáta said as she hushed Bella. “We won’t hurt you. We want to help. You seem to have a powerful gift, and I know we’ve just met, but I do not want that gift getting into the hands of the Volturi. You’re very strong.” Bella sighed in relief. Well, I guess that answers that!

            “Oh, thank God,” Bella said as Agáta tucked Bella’s head under her chin. “I thought you were them for a second.” The woman pulled away as she looked to Bella in confusion.

            “They are hunting you? You’re just a baby, they should know better than to terrorize you so. Come on. We can protect you from them.” The woman began to pull Bella in a different direction, causing her to halt all together.

            “Wait,” Bella stated as the others turned to her. “First of all, I’m not a baby, I’m eighteen. And second-“ Bella was cut off when she heard a few laughs from the vampires in front of her.

            “Is that so? Because it smells to me as if you are a newborn, only a few months old,” Jozef said as he continued to smile at her.

            “We exclude the human years,” spoke one of the twins. They looked just like the depictions of Dracula that she would find on T.V. The other twin started giggling at her, almost as if he read her mind.

            “I can,” he spoke, causing Bella’s eyes to widen. “But I can only read your mind if I concentrate hard enough. It takes a lot of focus.” He gave her a kind smile, causing Bella to relax a little. Agáta smiled at her fondly, happy that this new little vampire was so accepting of them.

            “Yes,” spoke the woman, “Ivan can read minds and Igor can cover a scent.”

            Bella’s eyes went wide. “Wait a minute, Igor?” He looked at her shocked, trying to figure out if he had seen her before. “No, the Volturi are causing me to run, it’s a long story, but the one that helped me, Felix, said I should find you. He said you owe him a favor and to help me cover my scent.” She could hear a loud sigh come from the man in question. He obviously knew who she was referring to.

            “Yes, I am afraid that I am that vampire you speak of. Felix saved me many centuries ago. It was a rather...accidental encounter and a very spectacular tale of debauchery. Would you like to hear it?”

            “No,” cut in Agáta as she wrapped an arm around Bella’s shoulders. “Her ears don’t need to be poisoned by your outlandish adventures. I’m sure she’s not as roguish as you.” The woman smiled down to her and Bella felt another wave of safety wash over her.

            “Fine, it seems that no one wants to hear my side of the story,” Igor flailed dramatically. “I suppose that I’ll just have to go off on my own...alone...out in the woods...with the crazy, psychotic vampires on the loose...” he threw his arm over his forehead, as if the thought caused him so much pain, and emphasized each phrase with a step towards Bella’s former path. The sight made her giggle. He bowed dramatically in acknowledgment and sped off to cover Bella’s scent.

            Ivan rolled his eyes at his brother, seeing as he was always one for the dramatics. “Tell me what your name is, child. What happened? Why would they want to hurt someone so young?” The woman grabbed her chin as they waited for Igor and made Bella look into her eyes. Bella got this overwhelming feeling of trust and maternal love. Why did she feel like the smallest child in the world right now?

            Bella told them, informing them of all that had happened. She told them of Edward and how he and his family left her, she told them of the Egyptian coven and the summons, being ripped out of her mother’s arms and hearing the woman scream for her as they were escorted out of the building. She told them of the fake bond, of Chelsea creating the horrible situation based on Aro’s covetousness, and how she finally managed to break the bond and how she somehow ended up in Slovakia.

            “Well,” Agáta spoke after a beat of silence. She swallowed and Bella noticed that at some point in the story, her eyes had managed to go black. The woman engulfed her in a comforting hug as she continued. “They won’t be after you anymore, not after Igor is finished anyway. It should hold them off until we can figure out how to take care of this poor situation that you’ve been put in. I agree with Felix. You shouldn’t go back to your old coven just yet. They may still be looking for you there. However, that doesn’t mean that I’m going to leave you out here all alone and defenseless, even though I’m sure you could handle yourself. You can come and stay with us for a little while.”

            Bella smiled at the woman in awe. It seemed that fate was on her side when it came to finding good mother figures. “I-I don’t know what to say. You don’t have to do this. I’m sure I’ll be fine on my own.” Agáta seemed appalled by the very thought and shut down that line of thinking immediately.

            “Don’t even think about it. You’re coming with us and that’s final. The Volturi, especially Aro, tend to hold a grudge, so I suggest you’d be running for at least a year before they actually moved on to something else. We have a rather comfortable establishment in St. Petersburg that we’d be more than happy to take you to.”

            Bella’s eyes went wide as she took in everything that the woman was saying. “A year?” Bella looked as if she would cry if she could. Her eyes began to glaze over with tears that would never fall. “I can’t see my family for at least a year?”

            Agáta rushed to her, quickly engulfing Bella in her arms as she sobbed. “Shhh, don’t you worry child. We’ll find a way to get you back to them, and a way to help you take down Aro. You were right, people do need to be told. But for that, you need witnesses and those take a long time to gain. However, in the mean time we can take care of you. I’ll take care of you.”

            Bella felt a rush of air pass by her and heard Igor lean casually up against a tree as he spoke. “So, what did I miss?”

Chapter Text

                Bella ran with Agáta. The woman wouldn’t necessarily let go of her hand, but she didn’t mind. The blonde-haired woman was filling a deep hole in her heart at the moment and she didn’t necessarily want to let go herself. In fact, Agáta kept coming closer to her the more she ran, but Bella wasn’t complaining. She had had a rough start to this new life that she had taken in stride, and she wasn’t sure if she would be finding any comfort from anyone else anytime soon. Her whole life she spent her average day taking care of people, playing the parent when she was supposed to be the child. This was a chance for her to finally take a break and learn something from someone who was willing to teach it, instead of it being the other way around.

            Bella managed a look off to her right and saw the twins jumping through the trees. The very sight made her laugh and she apparently caught their attention. Igor, being one for the dramatics, decided to show off a bit. He was jumping through the air, doing flips as he jumped from tree to tree, whilst his brother watched him, rolling his eyes. Jozef didn’t look like he was running at all, merely jogging to keep up the pace. The man still frightened her a little, considering he was massive compared to Bella; he was a whole foot-and-a-half taller than her and the only one that seemed to calm him down was holding her hand.

            “I still don’t know why he feels the need to do such things,” muttered Agáta. Bella smiled at her as the group started to slow. “He knows he is just showing off. Someone needs to damage his ego a little. He’s always a little arrogant.” Bella stopped running, causing the older vampire to frown, stopping as well. Bella focused on the trees, watching as Igor flew from one to the other, swinging from branches and leaves. She focused and watched his patterns, centering on the one tree she could tell he was about to land on.

            Agáta was watching her carefully, letting go of her hand as she stepped toward the young vampire. She watched as Bella focused on the trees and the way she closed her eyes to concentrate. She marveled in awe as she saw how Bella bent the tree out of the way, just as Igor was swinging to it; both women laughing as he fell to the ground.

            The other men stopped, laughing at Igor’s misfortune as well, but he didn’t seem to find it funny as he frowned at Bella, causing her to step back into the woman behind her. She felt Agáta place a hand on her shoulder and the older woman scolded Igor for frightening her so. The man in question seemed to back off, firmly put in his place as the group slowed to a fast walk, leaving Bella to gasp as she finally noticed where she was.

            Tall and skinny birch trees surrounded her and her new friends in great clusters. There was sunshine poking through the large absences of branches, though not so much that they were exposed. Snow covered the ground everywhere she stepped and the bright colored leaves of late fall poked through the bright white every so often. She smiled as she took in the beautiful sight, not ever seeing anything like this before. She turned around to notice that the blonde-haired woman was smiling at her adoringly, seemingly waiting for Bella to return to her side.

            “Do you like it,” she spoke. “This is what it is like most of the time, though, the snow doesn’t always stay. However, this place is very peaceful and we don’t have much trouble living here.” The woman smiled at her again as she reached out her hand for Bella to take, which she did gladly. They began to walk at a slow place, coming across a small cluster of homes as she did. “We like to live out in the wilderness, less cause for questions. But there aren’t many other vampires out here surprisingly, even though there is a vast amount of space and a large human population, but I supposed it is better that way. We wouldn’t want any territory issues.”

            Bella began swinging their hands back and forth, not even realizing that she was doing it. Her newborn attention span was still extremely prominent and she was marveling at the land around her as she did. Agáta didn’t mind though, she much preferred having a baby vampire around to teach, since the others had become old and didn’t necessarily need her for that reason any more.

            After the group walked for what Bella thought was about an hour, the group finally arrived in front of a massive home. Bella’s eyes went wide at the very sight of it. “Have you ever seen anything like it?” Her eyes turned to Jozef as he gave her a tiny smile, just enough for Bella to tell that he does, indeed, have a little bit of a heart, even though it stopped beating centuries ago. She was still wary of him, but she felt that he understood, seeing as he focused on keeping his distance somewhat.

            Bella turned her attention back to the massive house, no, mansion, that was in front of her. Made completely of white stone and all wooden doors, its ancient Slavic history shined through in every characteristic. It had many towers and floors, made of cylindrical structures and coned rooves. “How old are you guys exactly,” Bella questioned as she reluctantly turned her gaze away from the mansion.

            “Just old enough,” Ivan said as he headed inside. His brother followed him and Jozef wasn’t that far behind. She watched closely as Agáta brought her inside, wondering how in the world these people would be so kind to someone that they just met.

            “Come on,” Agáta said to her. “Let me show you to your room.” Bella hesitated for a moment when the woman pulled gently on her hand. She looked back to Bella, wanting to know what was causing her to pause. “What is it, child?”

            “I-I just don’t understand how you can be so nice to me. Surely you’re afraid that the Volturi would come after you too just for helping me.” The woman smiled at her fondly as she took Bella’s face in her hands.

            “No, child, you needn’t worry. We’ve hidden from them all this time. I’m not even sure that they know we exist. We are safe here. Like we’ve said before, not many vampires reside here in Russia. Usually, they choose to live in places with large amounts of tourism. We’ll be fine.” She kissed Bella’s forehead and continued to lead her upstairs.

            When they arrived at Bella’s room on the third floor, Bella slowly opened the door as she stepped in. It was just like the outside of the house; every brick and piece of flooring had its own character. Every part of her room felt old, almost like it was out of a storybook, and she liked it. She smiled, her bright teeth showing as she gave Agáta a large hug in appreciation.

            “I knew you would like it. You seemed like an old soul,” the woman spoke softly as she hugged her even tighter.

            “Thank you,” Bella sighed. “You don’t know how much this means to me.” The woman smiled again, relieved that this young vampire would be staying for a while.

            “No, thank you. You’ve given me a purpose again.” Agáta let go of her as she looked Bella in the eyes. “The boys have become older, no longer needing me for anything. They’ve learned all that they can from me and now they are just here because we’ve remained a family for so long. I love sharing my knowledge and life experiences with everyone I meet, but I haven’t come across another of our kind in so long. I’ll be glad to share it with you. If you’d let me, off course.” She looked nervous, almost as if she wasn’t sure how Bella would react to her being her caretaker. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance to meet and learn from someone so intriguing? Especially someone who is so kind and willing to take care of her.

            “I would love that.”

            It had been a few days for Bella, never really doing much expect hunting with Agáta and playing small games with the twins. She felt bad for Jozef, he seemed like a really nice guy, but Bella still couldn’t get over that natural instinct of ‘fight or flight’ that she had. He was overwhelmingly bigger than her and it still freaked her out a bit.

            The twins had filled some sort of missing sibling bond that she didn’t know was there, always keeping her occupied, not that Igor minded someone paying attention to him for so long. Jozef was like the big bother that replaced Emmet. He protected her when she felt uncomfortable. She remembered the incident like it was yesterday...

            Flashback:

            “Isabella,” spoke Agáta as she entered the living area. The woman was calm. She seemed to understand that Bella was a little flighty around older vampires still, but less so with the blonde woman. “How about we go out into the market today, hm?”

            Bella turned from the card game she and Ivan were playing on the floor and looked to the woman in surprise. “You’re letting me out?” Agáta seemed a little shocked considering Bella was able to be around humans for the most part.

            “Yes, we need to go shopping for you. You need some new clothes. It’ll also give you some help with exposure to humans. You can never have too much practice when it comes to them.” The woman gave her a kind smile, encouraging her to take the opportunity. “Don’t worry, the boys will be there too, in case something were to happen.” Bella thought about it for a few moments. She definitely wasn’t allowed out into the city unless a guard was with her in Volterra. She knew Agáta was trusting enough, even though Bella knew that she wasn’t being held against her will here, but she was happy that the woman wasn’t constricting like Aro. That seemed to be the only reassurance that Bella needed because she accepted the offer a few moments later, taking the hand that was held out to her.

            They were shopping for about an hour now, Igor and Ivan having gone a separate way, though still close enough to keep an eye on the girls should anything happen. Jozef still stayed a little ways away from Bella, though he was a bit annoyed with having to put a shirt on.

            Agáta had pulled Bella over to a few casual dresses and the woman was so focused on finding new clothing for Bella, that she didn’t even notice that the young girl had wandered off. Yes, she should have remembered and learned from what happened last time, but Bella’s curiosity had yet again gotten the better of her and she just couldn’t resist as a certain color had caught her eye. She was just looking, doing some mindless shopping, but a man had come up to her, probably no older than his mid-twenties, and began speaking to her in Slovak. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and her facial expression hopefully showing her confusion, but when he went to place his hand on her arm, she backed away. He seemed to not be getting the message, his brown hair falling a little to the side as his head tilted in confusion. Bella tried to communicate, hoping he would understand that she was speaking English and not Slovak, but he just wasn’t getting the message.

            That was, of course, until Jozef stepped up behind her and gave the man a stern warning with his eyes. “Prosím odstúp od mojej sestričky. Pekne vás požiadala, aby ste ju nechali na pokoji.” The man had to look up to acknowledge Jozef, but once he saw him, he began to step away slowly, mumbling what Bella thought were many apologies.

            End Flashback:

            Ever since that day, she was able to be around him more, knowing that he’d rather help her than harm her. And Agáta, she filled that void that Bella had in her heart. Every time she thought she had finally found a mother, they would always leave in some way, whether it be their fault or not. This woman made it sound as if she wasn’t going anywhere. Bella was sure Hell would have to freeze over first before the woman picked up and ran. She was happy that the woman let her stay there. Bella wanted so bad to reconnect with her former coven, to let them know she was alright, but she wasn’t sure if the Volturi were sniffing around in Egypt, or if they didn’t know where she was at all. Either way, Bella decided that she was just adding to the big family that she had gained from strange vampires all around the globe; and she wasn’t letting anything else get in the way of her finding them again.

Chapter Text

Denali, Alaska:

            They were frantic at this point. They didn’t know what to do, but all that seemed to be going through their minds right now was that they may have just lost their mate. The three Denali sisters each felt the snap in their hearts, so they know they weren’t just making this up, but how does one even go about fixing this? Kate was trying not to electrocute everything in sight, Irina was frozen on the couch, never moving once the realization had hit her, and Tanya was frantically pacing back and forth while the rest of their coven watched with worry. What were they supposed to do? They didn’t know they had another mate, yes, they felt a pull, but weren’t aware that that was the cause of the issue. How were they supposed to even begin to go about this? They had to think...

            “Right,” Tanya finally spoke as she just barely managed to stop her pacing. She pulled out her persona of coven leader and carefully put on a mask of indifference. It was time to do some work and they had to figure out how to go about this. “First things first, how could one even manage to break a mate bond?” They all looked to Eleazer, seeing as he was usually the one with all the answers.

            “Well,” he cleared his throat, an old human habit, “there usually isn’t one. Mate bonds are unbreakable.” At all of their confused glances and a disbelieving one from Kate, he continued. “Now, that’s not saying that you didn’t feel a break in the bond, but it was more of a...” he searched for the word to use as he gained their attention, “...softening, if you will.” Tanya sat on the couch with her sisters as she waited for him to continue. “Like I said, you can’t break a bond if it’s already there. It’s like matter in the universe. Anyone remember Lavoisier’s laws?”

            “The law of conservation of mass states that matter can not be created or destroyed, only moved around,” Irina stated questioningly, finally coming out of her frozen stupor.

            “Exactly,” he said somewhat excited, though it probably wasn’t at the best of times. “You see, all of us have an amount of love in us, it’s just placed differently in each person based on the bonds we’ve created. Carlisle and I had a theory that, while you can’t create or destroy, you can move around.” The idea started to click for some of them, but Garrett was still a little confused, so he raised his hand in question.

            “For those of us who are a little, shall we say...pristinely ungifted at science, could you elaborate further?” Tanya smacked her sister on the shoulder as Kate laughed at him.

            “Well, you see, if one were able to, say... someone with a gift, they could take the intense amount of love from a mate bond, and take the minute amount of love you have for a small acquaintance you met one summer, and then change the smaller amount of love into the bigger one, without creating or destroying matter.” Eleazer was now gesturing wildly with his hands, somehow still managing to keep the attention of one easily-distracted Garrett. “So, in reality, the ‘snap’ that you felt wasn’t the breaking of a bond, simply your unfound mate’s amount of love shifting. Your love for them hasn’t changed, that’s why you still feel the pull, but their love has changed, so they may not. Either way, it’s still inter-changeable with anyone, but since they probably weren’t aware of you either, they have no way of reforming that amount of love with you, unless you were to come in contact with your mate.”

            The realization kind of hit them hard. The sisters looked between each other, knowing that there was still hope for them, but trying to find a needle in a haystack was an impressive feat. It would be nearly impossible to find their missing mate that quickly. “Come on,” Carmen said as she went over to the girls, “We will be able to find them. All we have to do is think, deep within your heart.” The sisters looked at her in confusion, holding on to each other’s hands for support. “Maybe you can use this pull.” She looked over to her mate as Eleazer smiled at her in complete adoration. She gazed back at the three sisters again, trying to instill in them whatever hope there was. “I know wherever Eleazer is if I search hard enough. If he were to be in danger, I would be able to use the bond to allow it to pull me in whatever direction he was located. Maybe you can use your bond to find your missing mate?”

            Kate sighed in defeat. “We would, but we didn’t even know we had another one to begin with. How in the world would we be able to use the pull if the feel of it is already gone?” The blonde vampire threw her hands up in defeat as she sunk further into the couch.

            Carmen shook her head. “No, even if you aren’t aware of it, the bond is always pulling you towards each other, no matter how far apart you are. You may not feel it, but it is always there. You just have to look hard enough for it.”

            Eleazer wandered over to where Carmen was, hoping to somehow be of use for his stoic coven leader and her mates. “If you close your eyes,” he said quietly as he sat down in front of the three women on the cracked coffee table, “and imagine your mate, maybe holding your hand or pulling you to something they’ve found? It will hopefully lead you in the right direction.”

            “Only thing is,” Irina said dejectedly as she slouched and opened her eyes, “we don’t know what they look like, so how will we know how to find her?” Her sisters looked at her strangely and turned to face their third mate.

            “’Her’,” Kate questioned a moment later. Irina’s eyes widened as the rest of the coven smiled at her.

            “Yeah...” she spoke softly, a peaceful, far-off look on her face, “I don’t really know what she looks like, but I just know it’s a ‘she’, you know?” She turned to her other mates as they too began to concentrate, ending up with the same result.

            “Yeah,” spoke Tanya quietly. “It’s definitely a she.” They smiled at each other, completely lost in the moment of their realization.

            “Good,” Eleazer encourage. “Now, focus on whatever brought you to that realization; whatever pulled you to that conclusion wants to tell you where she’s located. Allow it, let it feel your love and let it find its matching other...” They closed their eyes again; their sole focus was on whatever had given them their lead.

            There was a moment of silence, no one wanting to move or disturbed the sisters as they worked. But finally, someone had something. “I’m getting Egypt,” Kate said a bit hesitantly. “Though, now I’m not sure...” She squinted her eyes, as if the force would allow her to look harder.

            “No,” Tanya said a moment later. “I’m getting, well, I feel something different...newer...Egypt feels...older somehow, like she’s part of it, but not actually their...”

            “It is possible that you could be feeling a part of her bond, as if she were to have something, or someone, important there,” Eleazer spoke up quietly as the girls looked to him again.

            “What, like a second-hand bond,” Irina asked disbelievingly.

            “Basically, yes. The bond may be attached to someone very important to her.”

            “I got somewhere in Eastern Europe,” Irina piped up from the edge of the couch. “though, now it feels like a little further...” Her eyebrows scrunched in confusion as she thought harder, her sole focus now on the phantom bond that she was using earlier.

            “That’s what I got as well,” Tanya spoke up from beside Kate.

            “Well,” Carmen said with a small smile on her face, causing all attention to be on her. “We aren’t sure about the place in Europe, but we do know about Egypt. It may be an old lead, but its all we’ve got. So, for now, we can visit our old friends and see if they know anything.”

            “I’ll call Amun,” spoke up Laurent from the wall he was leaning against. “I’ll let him know we’re coming and what the situation is.”

Cairo, Egypt:

            His mate was sobbing. She hadn’t stopped since they day they were thrown out of Volterra. He comforted her every moment of every day, her tears barely stopping long enough to hunt, but even then, she struggled. The Volturi had watched them, making sure they had left without even a goodbye, forcing them to leave behind their youngest in her time of need. The moment she was ripped from his mate’s arms... he shuddered just thinking about it. Kebi’s screams rang throughout the stone halls of Italy that day, and his mind every day since. The other two members of their coven were solemn, never bothering their parental figures as they found their own way to grief the sudden departure of their younger sister.

            The woman in his arms had calmed somewhat, only sniffling every few minutes, but every time she was reminded of their newborn member, her tears began again, causing Amun’s heart to tear in two. She was constantly somber, but recently Amun almost had to carry her out the door to get her to feed. It was getting out of hand and Amun was running out of options. Aro had gone too far, breaking his own rules to further his own position, not even bothering to think of the repercussions he could have caused. Maybe he did. Whatever the circumstances, he only committed the act for himself. The emotional turmoil that followed was horrifyingly breathtaking.

            “I want her back,” his mate’s voice traveled to his ears, trembling with every word that she spoke. It was the first sentence she had uttered in months and her voice sounded rough with disuse.

            He rubbed her back in comfort, holding her tighter and closer as she buried her head in his neck. She hadn’t really left him since they had lost Isabella. It appeared to him as though she were afraid that he would be taken too, though he knew nothing would happen to him. He knew she watched Benjamin with a careful eye every time he walked in the room to check on her, making sure that he wouldn’t be taken as well. He would be the only other in their coven that Aro would have reason too, however unnecessary that reason may be.

            Benjamin and Tia never really left their room, the former still feeling the loss of someone he had found who was just like him. The both of them were suffering the loss of a younger sister, neither of them really having any passion for anything anymore.

            Amun hadn’t realized the amount of impact that their youngest member had had on his coven. His mate, yes, but he hadn’t realized that the young girl had wormed her way into his heart as well. The thought caused a small, sharp pain in his heart; one he knew his mate would feel as well. The pain made her sob again, something that made his eyes glaze over with unshed tears. He had enough of this, but he had no idea what to do. He needed to gather witnesses, people and old friends that would help him in his quest to make Aro and the rest of the Volturi pay for what they had done, but the Italian coven was large and it would take a great amount of time for him to gather that many followers.

            His attention was brought to his mate again as she began to calm in his arms the best that she could. The pain in his chest, second-hand from what she was feeling, was unbearable, but whatever Kebi must be feeling, well, that he just couldn’t comprehend. He had known about the two or three phones calls she had given to their old friends in Ireland, confiding in Siobhan as the red-headed woman comforted her in the best way she could. Kebi had known that the woman would understand a little and bring her a small relief, but once she overheard their young Maggie over the phone, the pain had begun again and she quit calling.

            He kept kissing the top of her head, wishing anything in the world that her pain would just disappear, praying to whatever deity that he could, that he could somehow make it subside, or even take all of it upon himself so that she could have a moment of peace; even if he knew the feeling would crush him completely.

            He was broken from his thoughts as Benjamin entered the room, eyes and face expressing only worry as he gazed at his mother-figure, handing him a phone with someone on the other end of the line.

            “It’s from the Denali’s in Alaska. Apparently, they have a few new members and one of them, Laurent, wants to speak with you.” The young man sat on the couch, pulling the woman into a comforting hold of his own, as his coven leader reluctantly left his sobbing mate to answer the phone call.

            “Hello,” Amun stated somberly as he left the room. He could still hear Kebi crying, but had to fight through it as a calm mask overtook his persona.

            “You sound drained, my friend, are you alright?” Amun heard Carmen speak from the other end of the phone. He gave a small smile as her could hear Laurent sigh in defeat on the other end of the line.

            “I thought this was someone named Laurent?” His voice sounded strained as he attempted a poor joke.

            “Well, you sounded tired. What’s happened?” The caring Spanish woman sounded as if she would drop everything just to come and comfort him.

            “We’ve just had a recent...incident. Nothing to worry about,” he tried to reassure the concerned woman, “just stressful, that’s all.” He could hear her reluctance to leave the topic, but she did out of respect for him.

            “Well, we just wanted to know if we could come for a visit? I know it’s a bit sudden, but we haven’t seen you in so long and a recent development in our lives has caused a need for us to travel out to you.” His brows furrowed in confusion, but allowed her to continue. “It’s a very long story, but I promise we’ll explain everything when we arrive. That is, if you’ll have us?” He smiled at the woman’s politeness, loving how she never took anything without asking first.

            Amun wiped a hand over his face, an old human habit that he never seemed to get rid of, and sighed. This was going to be an interesting visit, but nothing he couldn’t handle. His mate was is worse condition than he was. “Of course, we would never deny our friends anything.”

Chapter Text

            To say that everything had gone from bad to worse was an understatement. It was a situation that was supposed to be a kind, friendly meeting, but in the end, only ended up in more heartbreak. In other words, it was shit. Complete and utter shit. There was no other way to describe the turn of events that had occurred.

            When the Denalis felt the pull to Egypt, everything was fine. They had a plan, Carmen had called and said that they were coming for a visit, Amun sounded a little stressed, but he was a coven leader and that was normal, and everything was set to where they could ask their old friend a few questions and be on their way. That was, of course, until the other shoe had dropped.

            They had arrived in Cairo somewhere in the early afternoon and the rag-tag group of vampires had to acquire a hotel for the evening until they could travel safely as to not expose themselves to anyone. Usually, they could be quite crafty and sneak around in the shadows, following some wary tree line until it had carried them safely to their destination. However, this was the Middle East and everything was the same color of sand and the sun shone bright right above them, so the sisters’ eagerness to supposedly learn of their mate had to be put off until the rest of their journey was possible. That didn’t stop Kate from complaining, however.

            Once the group could properly travel out in the streets, they carefully made their way into the city to find their old friend. But when Amun opened his door to welcome them into his home, something seemed wrong about him; something seemed off. He seemed stressed, and worried to the bone. He was paler than usual and he had dark circles under his eyes. His typical political smile that was used to greet other vampires, as did Tanya when she was playing the role of coven leader, didn’t quite reach its normal peak. His eyes were pitch black, so something had to be eating at him. He seemed frantic and he kept scanning his eyes over them quickly, as if he were waiting for something to occur; almost as if he had too many duties to do at once, like butter scraped over too much bread. They didn’t know what to make of this, how to greet their very old friend and figure out what was bothering him so. To the sisters, their problems seemed so miniscule just by observing his current attitude. It seemed rude and selfish, but they were here for a reason, and it was a longshot, but it was a very specific purpose. This was really the only true lead that they had, the only place that they had all felt, and they hoped he could spread some light on their situation. It seemed horrible, but they were too high-strung to really think about anything else, other than the possibility of losing their mate. They could ask a few questions and be on their way. That was their main mission as of right now.

            What really threw them for a loop though, was when they could all hear Kebi’s heartbreaking sobs. They all saw Amun’s eyes slowly close, as if he was trying to keep that current obstacle a secret, as they slowly entered his home. They were all on edge and everyone seemed to gravitate towards Carmen before Eleazer took hold of hers arms in a comforting manner to hold her back. They could all tell that she desperately wanted to calm her friend, but when their brows furrowed in confusion at Amun’s somber and resigned expression, he elaborated.

            “You mentioned that you had something to speak with us about over the phone,” at this, they all nodded, Carmen still glancing towards the direction of her friend’s gut-wrenching sobs. She still clearly wished to comfort her, but it wasn’t as polite, seeing as they had just arrived and weren’t fully briefed on what had happened. “Well,” he stated, albeit a bit reluctantly, “we’ve had a few recent and... unfortunate developments of our own.” He sighed as he slowly closed the door behind him, wavering slightly as another drastic scream left the lungs of his mate.

            Eleazer’s eyes widened slightly, somewhat coming to a minor realization. “It sounds as if she’s had a bond broken.” The rest of their coven could tell that Carmen had wished to scold him for his crass, and rather probing behavior, but her own desire to learn the truth of their friends’ pain won out. Their Egyptian friend sighed again, the apparent stress finally winning out and he sagged a bit in response.

            “Not quite,” he spoke hesitantly, leading them in the living area on the first floor far enough away from Kebi where she could have her own moment of privacy while they discussed their original plan for arriving in the far-off country. He sighed again, as if he wasn’t really sure how to go about mentioning what had happened.

            “Do you mind” Carmen had question politely, gesturing to the second floor where his broken mate was located. She could still hear, of course, but her latent motherly instinct, though the woman was older than her, was kicking in and the need to comfort the one who was hurting was overwhelming.

            Amun gazed to the second floor, not sure how to handle the situation. He knew his mate didn’t like many people outside of their coven to see her so unkept like this, but he had a role to play right now, and he couldn’t breathe due to the abhorrent pain Kebi was feeling. He nodded a little, as if giving his permission, and Carmen was out of the room quicker than a heartbeat. They could hear her traveling and could hear how Kebi wept into the arms of her very old friend and Tanya tried to continue their conversation. It was time to speak leader to leader, and no matter how difficult it was, personal matters always had to be put aside to deal with the political ones first.

            She cleared her throat awkwardly, trying to find a way to start the conversation, but every sob that Kebi let out caused it to pause for another few minutes. Finally, Garret, ever the conversation starter, a quirk that Tanya was grateful for as of right now, spoke up after clearing his throat nervously. “Eleazer mentioned something of a broken bond?”

            Amun looked down, as if he were trying to figure out what to say first. They could all see his eyes moving frantically, almost as if he had too much on his mind, which he probably did in his current situation. His instincts looked as if they were in preservation mode, and Benjamin and Tia seemed to be nowhere in sight. Usually if the had avoided visitors, they could hear Amun or Kebi scolding them like children, but it seemed to be something easily forgiven as now didn’t seem like the best time. “The bond is still formed, yes, but the person that the other end of the bond is attached to... well, they aren’t here at the current moment...”

            He trailed off, not sure how to continue as he gazed at their confused expressions. “I’m not sure we follow,” Eleazer stated rather calmly, considering the current climate.

            “Amun,” Tanya spoke up from the couch across from said man, “What happened? What was so drastic that could have caused this?” She seemed worried, wondering if whatever problem that had erupted would affect them as well.

            “We were traveling in the city, just having a peaceful day when this...newborn, no more than a few days old, bumps in to Kebi.” He trailed off again, eyes glazing over in what they assumed to be memory as he further explained their story. “She was so young, only a few days old, and my mate became attached to her innocence so quickly. Not having anyone to care for like a mother would to a child, she latched on to her, frighteningly fast.” He looked at them not, unshed tears in his eyes as he continued. “She had a powerful gift and she fit here so well, Benjamin and Tia seeing her as a younger sister and Kebi seeing her as a new child.”

            “A familial bond,” Eleazer stated in awe. Amun swallowed harshly and reluctantly looked the old Volturi guard in the eyes.

            “...yes...” Eleazer’s eyebrows scrunched in pity and the others in the room patiently waited for him to continue as they listened to the poor Egyptian woman cry her heart out in the background.

            “A familial bond is rare. Yes, some covens state that they feel like family, and while that may be true, not everyone in the coven feels like family to one another.” He turned towards the sisters as they continued to question. “You three feel like sisters and Garret may feel like a brother between the four of you, but Laurent feels like an old friend, and Carmen and I more like older sibling, or and aunt and an uncle. Not everyone within the coven feels familial with each other, but with this bond,” he paused as he heard Kebi a particularly heavy scream that could be heard throughout the house, “everyone feels interconnected to one another. Each person within the coven has a familial standing with one another and no one is left out.”

            “What happens if the bond is broken? Can it be fixed? And what do you mean hers isn’t; clearly, she’s crying her heart out,” Irina all but screamed as the woman she had known since she was a newborn began sobbing harder than ever, probably from overhearing their conversation.

            “Its not broken,” Amun said resolutely, a little more sternness growing in him as he became determined to share the story. “Demetri came by for his annual visit and we were fortunate enough to not have him notice Isabella’s or Benjamin’s gifts.” At the mention of Isabella’s name, the three sister’s lifter their eyes to the man. Something was strange about this young girl’s name and a little nudge was given to the dead organ inside their chests, causing it to feel as if it had beat for a moment. They had looked to each other, giving one another nods as they all came to the same conclusion that they had all felt it.

            “Why do I have a bad feeling about this,” questioned Irina from her place next to Kate on the couch.

            “Because when we arrived in Volterra to answer the summons, Aro grabbed my hand without permission.” They all sighed in recognition as they realized what he meant. “We were only their because I had not mentioned Benjamin’s creation so long ago, though how we managed to keep him hidden was completely beyond us. When Demetri was at the house, he must have smelled Isabella as well. When Aro grabbed my hand, he saw the gifts that Isabella and Benjamin possessed, but she was easier to remove from the coven. Benjamin is mated and he had no use for Tia, so... he took the youngest and most uninformed member of our coven.”

            Kebi had begun to scream louder and everyone was doing all that they could not to run to Volterra and rip Aro’s head clean off from his shoulders. “Kate,” Garrett stated rather quietly. “Are you alright?”

            “I don’t know,” said woman stated as everyone observed her now pitch-black eyes. “Its like the very thought of what he had done sets m very soul on fire. The idea that he-“ She had to cut herself off as she wasn’t sure she could actually form the grotesque words in her mouth.

            A quick glance at the other two blonde sisters showed that they both had the same reaction, and seeing as Tanya wasn’t currently in a calm mood, Eleazer took her place and began speaking on her behalf. “What happened afterward?” He treaded carefully, the dots in his mind connecting somewhat with the sad story and the current reactions from three of his coven members.

            Amun swallowed again, looking as if he was unsure if he could continue. Between the tense atmosphere and his screaming mate, he wasn’t sure if he could keep a handle on his emotions much longer. “They used Chelsea.” His words caused all three sisters to growl, and an odd look came over Amun as he saw Garrett and Laurent edge closer to them to make sure they wouldn’t do anything drastic. “They made her mate bond form with that Felix and she was so overwhelmed with the idea of a mate so early on that she didn’t even stop to examine what happened. She was snatched from Kebi’s arms in the same moment that we were ushered out the door and we never even got to say goodbye.”

            The man looked distraught as his mate screamed louder than she ever had before and his true facial expression finally showed. He was exhausted. Between caring for his broken mate and trying to figure out their current state with their reigning royalty, Amun wasn’t sure if he could hold on for much longer.

            The Denali sisters, however, were more enraged than ever. They had never met this Isabella, but one thing was for sure: whatever they were feeling for their unknown mate had increased tenfold and they were almost absolutely certain that they had received the answer their coven had come for. They needed to find her and quick before someone else tried to play with her mind.

            Amun’s eyes grew dark at their reaction, somewhat noticing the signs that they were giving off. In order to try and ease the tension, which probably wasn’t the best thing to do in this situation, Eleazer had mention their current situation with their unknown mate bond. He was almost one hundred percent certain that this Isabella was the one they were looking for. Between his coven mates’ reactions and the fact that only one of every gift can be manifested into a vampire, it was highly unlikely that another vampire had caused a mate bond to snap within another vampire that just so happened to have lived in Egypt at one point.

            To say that Amun was angry was an understatement and that was how they had ended up in the shit situation that they were currently in. Eleazer had called out for his beloved mate and she had reluctantly returned to his side. The realization that the Denali sisters could possibly be Isabella’s mates was frightening. They were well-known throughout their world and he wasn’t too fond of their diet either. Kebi was crying even more as she had finally made her way downstairs. They had all received a look of betrayal, as if they had taken something away from them. Benjamin and Tia were very poorly trying to plead with Amun to get him to see reason, but all he saw were people trying to steal away the one person who truly made his entire coven happy before they had even gotten her back.

            “Please, Amun,” Tanya had pleaded. She and her sisters were very worried that they wouldn’t be able to see their young mate if she were ever relieved of her place in the Volturi’s grasp. “We need her. You know how this feels. The pain you feel now when you hear Kebi in the same pain we feel when we hear what the Volturi has done to our Isabella, your Isabella. We are not trying to take her away from you, if fact, we would love to know you as more than just friend; as family. Aro has broken one of his most sacred rules and for that he must be punished, but neither one of our covens can do it alone. Instead of breaking apart the already small friendships we have, we need to band together to grow stronger and make him pay for what he has done. We can’t do it alone and I’m sure Isabella would never want to choose between her family again...” Tanya trailed off, hoping that her pleading had worked. There was a tense silence in the air, as if the leader was actually considering it. She figured when he didn’t try to kill them right away, it was a good sign, but they only received a taught nod in response. He didn’t seem fully in favor of their supposed bond, but it was all they could hope for right now...

Chapter Text

St. Petersburg, Russia

            Bella had been here for about a month now. Its not that she didn’t love it, but St. Petersburg was so different from all of the other places she had been before. It was usually covered in snow, the people always kept to themselves, and everything was in Russian. Obviously, the last one was a given, but Bella always felt bad having to bring someone with her when she wanted to go shopping. She often didn’t leave the house, especially alone, but when she did, it was to buy something to occupy her mind, for she got bored easily.

            She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard a ‘check mate’ from Igor who was sitting across from her at the table. Their very short match of chess was easily over in a few moves. Clearly, Bella doesn’t know how to play. “That’s not fair,” Bella said sternly. “You’re like, a million years old. You probably play chess every, single day. How the hell would I ever beat you?” The man in question seemed offended and gestured so with a mock look of hurt on his face as he gently placed a palm over his heart.

            “How dare you,” Igor said quietly, “Me, a million years old? Well, I never!” Bella giggled as the man continued is dramatic rant, standing from the table and announcing his feelings to the rest of the living room. “Agáta,” he said as he turned to her, still keeping his hand on his chest.

            “Yes, dear,” the woman spoke, not even bothering to look up from the old book that she was reading on the couch.

            “Do I look old?”

            “No, you look fine, dear.” His eyebrows scrunched in confusion as Bella turned in her chair to observe the scene taking place before her.

            “You didn’t even look,” Igor spoke, feigning a hurt expression. His hands dropped to his sides and he looked to the ground as if he were about to cry. Bella giggled again and then his brother Ivan joined in as well.

            “Awe,” Agáta cooed as she stood from the couch, placing he book on said furniture, “I am sorry I upset you.” She placed her hands on either side of his face and brought his eyes to hers. “We are vampires, remember? We do not forget anything and we do not change. Therefore, I know you look the same as you did when we first encountered each other. You see? You look fine.” She gave him a small smile and kissed his forehead. There was a noticeable ‘ich!’ coming from Jozef.

            “Don’t coddle him,” Ivan exclaimed. “He’s just being a big baby to get your attention!” Bella saw a very hateful glare pointed his way from his brother as she stood to sit on the couch next to Agáta. “He’s just upset because he’s not the baby anymore.”

            “I am not!” Igor exclaimed, crossing his arms and stomping his right foot.

            “Are too!” Agáta sat on the couch next to Bella, eyes moving back and forth between both brothers. Bella noticed out of the corner of her eye that Jozef had left the room rolling his eyes. Clearly, these types of arguments happened often and she was sure that she would be the same way after so many years.

            “Am not!”

            “Are too!”

            “I never liked being the baby! And besides, if I were the baby, that would mean that you were the baby too, considering that we’re twins!”

            “No, it doesn’t! We’re now only twins by looks! I was changed a year before you, remember?”

            Bella laughed to herself as this argument continued for a few more minutes until a realization hit her. “Wait a minute!” Both men looked to her, argument ceasing for the moment. “Are you trying to imply that since I am now the newest member and the youngest, that I am now a baby?”

            Both men smirked at her conclusion. “Why, yes, that is what we are implying. You are technically a ‘newborn’; therefore, you are, in fact, a baby.” Ivan crossed his arms in victory as he smirked a Bella again.

            “I am not a baby,” Bella said a she stood from her spot to cross her arms just like Ivan did.

            Igor laughed. “Yes, you are.”

            “I am not!”

            “Are too,” shouted Ivan.

            Agáta smiled to herself as she continued to read her book. The argument continued with Bella now joining the two brothers in their debate, as the older woman enjoyed the sounds of her children interacting with each other. She shook her head as she read the pages in front of her. There never was a dull moment in this house.

            After what seemed like hours of constant back and forth arguing, Agáta had finished her book and figured it was time to put an end to the useless feud. She was growing rather bored. She sighed. “Enough!” Instantly, the arguments ceased and they all looked to their coven leader for further instruction. “Igor, you are not a ‘baby’, but you will always be a child to care for in my eyes, you all will. Ivan, as much as you might hate it, you are also young to me. And you need to stop teasing your brother.” She put up her index finger in his direction, stopping whatever sentence was about to come forth from his mouth. She turned to Bella. “And Isabella, you are also not a ‘baby’, but you are, in this instance, the youngest child here. Yes, the correct title for you is ‘newborn’, but you are not a ‘baby’.” The woman smiled at her fondly. “You are the youngest, yes, and you still have a lot to learn from me, but I will never treat as less than just because you are only a few months old.”

            Agáta kissed her on the forehead and turned to the rest of the room. “Now,” she spoke after everyone was properly chastised, “I am afraid to say that I have some bad news.” The three of them looked up to her from the floor just as Jozef entered the room at her solemn voice. “I hate to bring it up so insensitively, but you all know that we do live far from the humans, but we spend a lot of time around them and I am afraid to say that they have started to become curious.”

            “Awe,” Igor said in a whine. “But we just got here.” The young man threw a minor tantrum that made Bella giggle again.

            “Igor, we have been here for a little over ten years. I am surprised that they have not taken any notice sooner,” Jozef spoke from his place against the doorframe.

            “Ugh, fine,” he sighed dramatically as he plopped down on the couch rather harshly. “But I’m not picking this time. Every time I do, someone always has something to complain about!” The room went silent for a few minutes before Ivan looked to her.

            “Isabella, would you like to pick?” Everyone gazed at her as the man spoke quietly. Should she tell them now?

            “Well, actually...” How was she supposed to say this? She didn’t want to seem harsh and ungrateful. After all, she was very glad to have them help her in her time of need.

            “Isabella, what is it dear?” Agáta placed her hand on her shoulder encouragingly as she fiddled with her fingers and looked down at the floor.

            “Well, I-“ She looked to the people around the room. How was she supposed to say this without hurting their feelings? “I mean... this was only supposed to be temporary... for me. I was only supposed to stay here for a week or two just to make sure that the Volturi didn’t find me if I would have fled to my family. When Igor covered my scent, I knew I would be safe and that I had lost Demetri, but I just wanted to make sure.”

            Agáta was frozen where she stood. Her youngest child of only a few months wanted to leave her and she hadn’t even known her for that long. Should she be worried? No, Isabella could handle herself, right? “No,” the older woman said sternly, surprising everyone in the room, herself included.

            Bella took a step back, removing herself from the woman’s grasp as she did so. Was she really going to make her stay here? She barely even knew these people. Yes, she spent time with them, but that didn’t mean she trusted them. She felt the same way back in Italy.

            “What do you mean ‘no’? They’re my family.”

            The woman looked up at her, seeming to contemplate something in her head. “You are too young to be travelling on your own. I don’t want you getting caught.”

            Bella huffed and rolled her eyes. Of course. I was bound to happen sooner or later. It seemed she would never be able to escape these kinds of people in her life. “Did you know that I travelled from Forks, Washington to Cairo, Egypt on my own,” Bella questioned quietly. She didn’t want to look at the woman in front of her as she spoke.

            The other three coven members in the room watched with rapt attention as the young girl challenged their coven leader’s decision.

            “I noticed you were from the United States, yes.” The woman let her speak, let her explain her opinion before she spoke again.

            “I was turned and that very same day, I travelled halfway across the globe, only stopping to feed twice. You know how hard that is for a newborn, but thankfully I had some knowledge of this life beforehand.”

            “Yes, I would say you were very fortunate Isabella, but-“

            “No,” Bella spoke, cutting her off. The others in the room were shocked, not really knowing what to say in this instance. No one had really challenged their leader before. “My entire life has been filled with people who think they know what’s best for me. My biological mother took me from my father when I was three. Three years old! She claimed that it was best because a ‘young girl like myself needed a mother and we need not be held back by that tiny town that never changes’. She never asked me if I wanted to leave my dad, she just took me away.”

            Agáta was watching her carefully, like one would a caged animal, as the others watched on warily. “When I moved back to Forks at the age of seventeen because my mother no longer cared, I met my supposed ‘soulmate’, Edward, when I was human. I didn’t know what the pull was supposed to feel like, so I just went with it. Turns out, I was just his singer and a play thing to him and his family. He always told me what to do and what to wear, and he always made decisions because he claimed it was ‘what was best for me’. Well, one day after my birthday, he takes me out into the middle of the woods, dumps me, and just leaves me there! He had no interest in me except to use me to pass the time! That was how I was changed, because he left me in the woods! He thought he knew what was best for me and I ended up getting hurt! He even had the audacity to tell me not to do anything stupid before he left! Then I get taken to Italy after I had finally found the family I wanted, no, the family I deserve, and some crazy, psycho, vampire king just screws with all of my feelings so he can have my gift and use me as an object!”

            “Isabella,” Agáta spoke quietly and the others in the room began to step back, afraid of what was going to happened. “You need to calm down. Your newborn emotions are getting the better of you.” The woman put her hands up in a pleading matter, hoping to somewhat calm Bella’s upset nerves. Both sets of eyes had glazed over with unshed tears as Bella’s voice began to crack.

            “No,” the brunette shouted. “I will not have somebody else tell me what to do, what they think is best for me, when I know damn well that I have always had to bottle up my emotions and was never allowed to let them loose! I am finally getting somewhere in my life and have begun to make decisions for myself without anyone else trying to tell me what to do and I am not going to let you do the same! I am tired of following others, I am tired of things being taken away from me without thought, and I am tired of losing the shit that I love when I know I don’t deserve it! Call me selfish, but I want that family back in Egypt, no, I deserve that family back in Egypt after all of the shit that I have been through in my life, and I am going to get it! I don’t care if you want to go with me or not, but I’m leaving! I can’t have anyone hold me back from what I need, no matter how kind they have been to me before. You can follow me, or you can leave me alone. But either way, I’m taking control of the situation and going back to my family.”

            Bella turned around abruptly, not even bothering to stare at their awe-struck expressions as she sped towards the front of the house.

            She was about to leave and slam the door behind her, but someone grabbed her wrist. When she looked back, she saw that it was Jozef. His eyes had glazed over with tears that would never fall and when she looked around at the others in the room, they had the same expressions on their faces. The older woman had not moved and Bella had begun to grow tired from all of the emotional exertion she had just done.

            She looked up to the man in front of her as he spoke. “We are not going to hold you back,” he spoke quietly. “I know that sometimes it may not be the people in the room that trigger it, but an anger so old can be sparked by the smallest of things. You have a right to be angry and we want to help you find your family again.”

Chapter Text

            When the coven began running, they didn’t know how long it would be. At least, Bella didn’t. She wasn’t sure how, but she had managed to get all of her new coven to follow her to Egypt. She could tell that Agáta was a little reluctant to let her go, but then again, they had just met and her whole coven, whom she’s probably known for thousands of years, wants to follow some random newborn that they found in the forest a few months ago. But then, why was Agáta so close to her? Why was the woman trying to slow the down? It seemed that no matter how long they managed to travel between hunts, Agáta always had to hunt more than average, like she was trying to prolong the inevitable.

            That thought made Bella frown. Why was the woman she thought to be her protector suddenly trying to keep her from finding her family? Why was she constantly trying to keep them from furthering their whole purpose? It was starting to annoy Bella and she can tell that it was working the other’s nerves as well. Every time the older woman mentioned that she had to hunt again, Josef would send her a glare and the twins would look to each other in confusion.

            That’s why, when Agáta mentioned that she had to hunt again, Bella chose to go with her. “Isabella, you really don’t have to-”

            Bella cut her off before she could make up some excuse. “No, I want to. We haven’t really hunted together before and that last one wasn’t very fulfilling for me.” She tried to give a small smile, trying to convince Agáta; and the woman seemed to take the bait. The older vampire sighed and closed her eyes, finally relenting.

            They entered the forest and began running as fast as they could, stopping just outside of a small village and waiting for a straggler to come close enough to where they were located. The silence was palpable and Bella could tell Agáta was just trying to bide time, not really bothering to look for a hunt.

            Bella took a moment before she spoke, making sure she had the woman’s attention and the right idea. “I know what you’re doing,” Bella finally relented. She stepped back into the forest, both seeming to understand that neither one of them were really thirsty. The Russian vampire looked at her for a moment, trying to keep up the façade of confusion, but failing in the end. She sighed and looked down at the ground, upset at the fact that Bella had figured out her little game.

            “Isabella, I-“

            “I get it.” The young girl cut her off again as she looked up, shocked at the fact Bella may have been on to her little game this whole time.

            “Isabella, I’m just trying to hunt.” With her last attempt to try and hide her whole plan said, Bella rolled her eyes and began to walk out of forest. This was getting old and she just wanted to find out what was wrong.

            “You know,” Bella continued as she turned to the older woman, stopping in her path to turn around, “I understand. I know you have reservations about walking into an unknown situation while everyone in your coven just jumped right in to helping this unknown person whom you stumbled on in the forest one day. You’re just trying to keep everyone safe. But I didn’t ask you to come. You all can turn back right now and forget this ever happened.”

            She continued walking again and Agáta sighed. This girl was going to be the death of her. She quickly grabbed the young girl’s arm, startling her in the process, to turn her around. The blonde woman sighed again, seeming to encourage herself to speak whatever was on her mind. “No, Bella, that’s not it. Yes, it was a thought at first, but only for a millisecond; never any longer.” She let go of Bella’s arm, looking off into the distance as she continued to speak her mind and her feelings to this young vampire who seemed to have somehow wormed her way into her heart. “Its just...”

            It was almost as if the woman couldn’t physically form the words on her tongue, like something was preventing her from saying them. Bella, seemed to pick up on this and smiled at her gently. “Its okay, really. It won’t bother me, whatever it is. I have an open mind.”

            The woman looked back at her, seeming to figure out how to form the words on her tongue before she spoke. “This coven of yours... you say they are like family?” Bella shook her head. “Well, that must mean you have siblings then, yes?” Again, Bella shook her head. “...and a parental figure...a father figure...” Bella’s brows furrowed in confusion, still not understanding what she was getting at until-

            “...And a mother...” There it was. It was so obvious, all of her behavior was, now that it was pointed out to her. She was-

            “Jealous,” Bella stated quietly and the blonde woman looked to the ground, ashamed. Bella smiled at her in understanding. The woman was jealous of Kebi, her mother, her other mother now that she thought about it. “You’re jealous of Kebi, my mother.”

            Agáta’s head snapped to her quickly, eyes turning black in the process. “Other mother, Bella.” The girl raised her hands in a peaceful way, hoping to convey that she meant nothing by it. “But yes, unfortunately I am. Is that her name? Kebi is you’re other mother?”

            “Yeah, she helped when they found me wandering the streets. Amun didn’t want to take me in, but she convinced him to. I owe her a lot.” There was another beat of silence before she spoke again. “You know, its okay to be jealous.” The older vampire looked to her as if she had two heads. Bella giggled a bit, the look now a permanent source of entertainment. “Yeah, I mean, as far as you knew, you were the only family I really had besides knowing about my original coven. As far as you knew, you were my mother figure-

            “I still am, Bella,” the woman spoke sternly, her black eyes still a prominent feature on her face.

            “I know, but now that you know someone has the same position in my heart, you feel threatened; and it doesn’t help that your vampire instincts amplify everything.”

            The woman sighed and rubbed her face, a human habit that hadn’t been forgotten. “Thank you, Bella. I know you mean well. And I know they mean a lot to you, but I just couldn’t help it. Thank you for understanding.”

            The girl nodded her head and took to woman’s hand, a small sigh of comfort for a difficult mental battle that the vampire was facing. “You know,” Bella spoke up as she continued to walk, “I haven’t been called Bella since I was human, not even Kebi calls me that.” She gave Agáta that little piece of information, hoping it would make her feel somewhat at ease, but it apparently did. Bella didn’t think she was supposed to see the small smile that appeared on the woman’s face.

            The group had been running for a while now, stopping at normal times for a hunt whenever they needed it. When Bella and Agáta had come back, all differences aside, the group seemed to understand that the tension had been released and things felt a lot smoother.

            When the group arrived in Egypt, Bella could tell that the tension had returned in Agáta. She was scared and Bella knew it; clearly, judging by how hard her hand was being squeezed. Bella understood that Agáta thought she wouldn’t want any part of her coven when she returned home, but that wasn’t how it worked. She would never forget them and she would never make them leave.

            Her attention was drawn to an ally where she could her suspicious activity. It wasn’t as if a crime was being committed, but it sounded as if it were, vampires. Bella’s eyes widened in realization and she made sure no one was looking before she sprinted to the dimly-lit street. Could it be? No, that’s not possible... “Benjamin, Tia?”

            Their heads snapped to her instantly, their eyes now a bright red from their recent feed. The seemed shocked, frozen in place as if they couldn’t fathom it actually being her. Tia seemed to be the first to come to her senses and the two girls ran at each other, neither one caring that a sound of boulders colliding came from them as they embraced so tightly Bella was afraid her fingers would break from the grip.

            Tia didn’t want to let go and Bella didn’t either. She could hear the girl sobbing into her shoulder, so she hugged her even tighter, if that were possible. She could feel Benjamin join them and they stood there for a while, not wanting to move as she had finally reunited with her siblings.

            Tia was the first one to let go, not bothering to let go of the girl’s hands. “Isabella! H-how did you-? I mean, why- Who- I- I-“ Tia seemed to be at a loss for words, not really sure how to start a sentence when she wasn’t aware of what she wanted to say in the first place.

            Bella stopped her before she could go any further. She was about to explain everything when a man stepped into the ally a little behind her siblings, and attached to his arm was a woman she thought she would never see again. She saw her grim features and whimpered. This seemed to catch the woman’s attention as she looked up and locked eyes with Bella. It was her. “Kebi,” she breathed, and the vampire’s eyes went black. Before she could comprehend anything further, she was crushed into an almost suffocating embrace., but it was fierce, and Bella couldn’t think of anything better than the love she was feeling right now. She knew Amun wasn’t a very affectionate person, but she couldn’t help the sob that came out of her as she felt his hand on the small of her back. Kebi was crying into as Bella felt the woman cradle her head, like one would do to a child.

            Bella knew if anyone disturbed them right now Kebi would not be pleased, and she felt sorry for whoever did, but that didn’t stop her current Russian friends from entering the ally. They knew if would be a potentially dangerous situation, but she couldn’t figure out why they would risk it now before everyone got a chance to calm down.

            Everyone tensed and Bella was kept where she was, head still cradled against Kebi’s chest as Agáta spoke. “We’re sorry, but we couldn’t wait any longer. I couldn’t wait any longer. My instincts are going haywire, Bella.” She could feel her family tense around her as the blonde vampire used her nickname.

            “Who are you!” The amount of venom in the words that were coming out of Amun’s mouth were not friendly and she felt him move in front of her and Kebi. Bella felt bad for moving out of her mother’s hold, but she had too. The woman had the tightest grip on her and she continued to reach for her as she sprinted to her current coven. She had to protect them from the others, even though their protests were making her heart ache, Kebi’s in particular. She had just gotten her child back and now said child is protecting a potential threat.

            Bella put her hands up in between the two coven leaders, trying to keep the peace in the process, and thankfully, it worked. They all seemed to calm down somewhat when they realized no harm would come to Bella. “Enough, don’t hurt each other! I’m fine, I’m alright!” She heard a few growls here and there, some for territory and some for benign threats. Bella dropped her hands as she continued, hoping to convey some form of safety as she spoke.

            “Amun, Kebi, this is Agáta and her coven. These are the twins, Igor and Ivan,” she looked to the boys as they growled at their names. Everyone’s eyes were black, but she continued to conversation anyway.

            “Bella-“

            “No, Kebi, they’re fine. They helped me when I was running from the Volturi. Agáta gave me asylum when I needed it most and Igor covered my scent. I haven’t been bothered since and I am very grateful for that, as should you be.” Kebi’s eyes seemed to dart around, as if she didn’t want to accept the idea, letting other vampires around her child, but she reluctantly stood down, as did the others, but there was still somewhat of an edge to the situation.

            “Now, as I was saying, Agáta is the coven leader, and the big one is Josef.” Said vampire grunted in response and she turned to his coven. “Everyone, this is Benjamin and his mate Tia, my siblings.” Bella couldn’t help but frown at the tiny growl that left the twins’ mouth as she introduced her family. “This is Amun, the coven leader, and his mate, Kebi... my mother.”

            Agáta growled fiercely at the words and had no problems with correcting her. “Bella, other mother.” The words were chopped, and short; and she felt Kebi pull her back as the woman spoke.

            “I am Isabella’s mother. Not you!”

            “Kebi,” Bella pleaded as she looked to the Egyptian woman. She decided to amp up the innocent child act in hopes on gaining back some semblance of control. “Please? She’s my mother too and she helped take care of me when I was lost and alone. I needed her just as much as I need you.”

            “Still need,” Agáta agitatedly replied, not alright with being referred to in the past tense.

            “Still need,” Bella responded, and Kebi let out a tiny growl in the woman’s direction. He black eyes never leaving Agáta as she gave a curt nod, but never letting go of Bella.

            “Now,” Bella spoke after a few moments of silence, “I would like to go home please. Maybe we can all get a little more acquainted back at the villa?” Bella looked to Amun. He still hadn’t moved ever since she arrived and she could tell that Kebi wasn’t letting go of her any time soon.

            “Fine,” the man spoke up. “But that doesn’t mean I am going to be any less cautious. We lost you once,” he looked to her before he continued with conviction. “We’re not losing you again.”

            “I can understand,” Bella nodded as Kebi pulled her into her side and they all ran back to the house.

            When they arrived back home, she was instantly pulled onto the couch where Kebi continued to hold her as Amun settled across from them, content in just watching. He was thankful his mate was no longer distressed at the thought of their previously lost child, but he was worried at the thought of Bella’s supposed friends. He wasn’t going to have anyone harmful around his family, even if Demetri didn’t seem it in the beginning, but the risk was still there and he took it, and they all paid the price for it. He wasn’t going to take it again.

            “Isabella,” Amun spoke from the couch across from her, “there is something we have to tell you.” She felt Kebi tense, so she leaned into her for silent support.

            “What is it? Has something bad happened?”

            “No,” Amun responded, “not in theory.”

            “What is that supposed to mean?”

            “Its alright, Isabella,” Kebi hushed as she hugged Bella closer to her. She could see Agáta fidgeting every once in a while, probably trying to find a way to get close to her, but right now Kebi needed this and she didn’t know what else to do.

            “No, your mates-“

            “My mates? You mean you’ve met them? I told Felix I was right!” There were various growls throughout the room at the mention of the guard. “Sorry,” she spoke quietly.

            A beat a silence passed around again and Bella reached her hand out to Agáta as Kebi reluctantly gave her enough room to do so, now solely focused on the woman whose hand her child was holding. “Wait,” Bella thought out loud as her mind went through their previous sentence. “You said ‘mates’, as in, plural?”

            She could see Amun and Kebi look to each other as she glanced back and forth at them. “Is that even possible,” Agáta spoke up from beside her.

            “Yes, apparently it is. We didn’t believe it either until they pleaded with us. They went out hunting.”

            “You mean their here? Why don’t we go to them then?” Bella shot up off of the couch, but was quickly pulled down by the hand that she forgot was still in her other mother’s. “Easy, child. We don’t know where they went and you need to prepare yourself. Calm down and be patient. They need to hunt, so let them do so.” Bella, looked down and pouted, properly chastised for her behavior. She playfully growled at the twins and Benjamin when they giggled at her misfortune.

            “So, Bella,” Tia spoke up calmly, “how exactly did you all meet?” Tia looked to her coven and began telling her tale of how the coven helped her after she thought they posed a threat.

            “Slovakia, huh? We haven’t been there since we were created,” spoke up a soft voice from the doorway. It was very enchanting and Bella thought she could listen to it forever, but just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, two more voices spoke up from behind the first one.

            “Carmen and Eleazer are still out. They wanted some time alone,” stated as strawberry blonde as she looked to Bella on the couch. When their eyes lock, it was if the entire Earth had shifted, as if her sole purpose in this world was now this vampire who had walked right in to their home. She let out a breath Bella didn’t even know she was holding as the blonde did the same. Whatever bond she had felt with Felix snapped into place and took over for it. It felt even better than the one Chelsea had created. It felt firmer, stronger...freer; like every fiber of her being was set alight with desire at the very sight of the woman.

             Something shifted out of the corner of Bella’s eye, and when she looked, it was the first woman, she had straight, blonde hair that resembled cornsilk, like nothing could ever match its beauty.

            “Garret and Laurent were having some competition, so they won’t be in for a while. Now, what’s this I hear about-“

            The third woman’s words were cut off as Bella’s eyes connected with hers as well, and an even more intense feeling coursed through her, as if whatever void she had been feeling her whole life had finally been filled; like her entire existence consisted of the three beautiful, blonde beings that stood in front of her. Her bond felt complete, as if there didn’t need to be any adjustments to her life. She had what she needed right here in this room and she was perfectly fine with that.

            Bella sprinted to them, though, still a little nervous to meet them. Everyone else in the room had been completely forgotten as the four of them embraced for the first time. “My name is Kate,” spoke up the woman with hair like cornsilk. She didn’t want to let go of Bella, seeing as she still kept a hand on her shoulder.

            “And my name is Irina,” said a woman with curly, dirty-blonde hair.

            “My name is Tanya. What’s yours?”

            “Isabella,” she answered timidly as she gazed at the strawberry blonde.

            “So,” Tanya spoke up, not really bothering to look away from Bella as she continued. “you’re the one everyone has been so keen on finding?”

            “Yes, I suppose that would be me. Though, I can’t say that I didn’t return without help. Agáta was the one that brought me here.”

            “Well, then I supposed we should thank you-“

            Kate was cut off as she gazed at said woman. Agáta stood up when three pairs of golden eyes had landed on her, and everyone else in her coven had gone on the defensive.

            “Is something wrong,” Bella spoke up from Kate’s arms.

            “Slovakia, you said?” Tanya took a step toward Bella’s former coven leader, not really denying Bella’s statement.

            “Yeah, why?”

            “Because we’ve been alive for over a thousand years,” spoke Kate in awe, “and when we had just been created in Slovakia, I could have sworn we watched our maker burn, but right now we are looking at a dead ringer for Sasha.”

            “You knew my sister,” Agáta stated in shock. She gasped at the after thought of the sentence, but the feeling was still there.

            “Yes,” Irina spoke up in a determined tone. “But she was murdered. Now, let’s kick some Volturi ass.”

Chapter Text

“Great, so now that we’ve got all of that figured out, we can just magically appear in Volterra, kill Aro, and then somehow manage to all get out of there unscathed. What a brilliant idea.” Kate thought that she would go blind, if that were possible, with how far back in her head her eyes had just rolled. Garrett’s comments were snarky sometimes and could, as much as she hated to admit, lighten the mood a bit when necessary.

            “We wouldn’t be going to Volterra, idiot,” the comment came out a bit harsher than it needed to, but caused everyone in the room to give a small giggle. Bella was a bit lost with everything that had happened within the span of a few minutes and decided to voice her opinion.

            “Why wouldn’t we? Its where he is. How else would we get to him?” Both Kebi and Agáta looked at her fondly as she continued to remain confused while her mate tried to explain the best she could.

            “We can’t go because, one, it would be a death sentence,” Irina explained as she brought Bella over to an empty loveseat, “and, two, he would be less guarded.” At her continued looked of confusion, Tanya decided to step in and help the situation.

            “If the kings leave Volterra, they need to be guarded, but they will more than likely only bring the elite guard, with a few of the lower-ranking members sparsely guarding them as well. They can’t leave their home completely unprotected because that would be stupid.” Tanya sat on the left side of Bella as she placed her arm over her new-found mate’s shoulders.

            “Not to mention that I don’t want him or any of his sadistic guards getting his hands anywhere near you.” Kebi spoke with such confidence that it made Bella look down at her hands in her lap. Her face would have probably been completely flushed were it not for her lack of blood flow; she hated being the center of attention.

            Everyone, even though they wanted to end this situation as soon as possible, seemed to be at a loss for ideas. No one knew what to do and whatever idea that was spoken was pointed out to be more foolish than the last. “Well, it’s not like we just ask people for help. From what I’ve been told, its sounds like everyone is afraid of being forced to join the Volturi guard.” In an instant, all eyes were on Bella and that just made her shrink further in her mates’ arms. “I mean, it was just something that came out. I know we can’t-“

            “No,” Eleazar cut her off, “that wasn’t a bad idea.” Bella looked a little confused.

            “I was just making a sarcastic comment. It wasn’t really anything important.”

            “No, but it was.” Everyone began looked at him in confusion. “Think of it. We can call forth witnesses.” It was like a switch went off in everyone’s mind. Instantly, people began moving about, maps were placed everywhere and lists were being made. Bella’s hair was being whipped from one side of her face to the other because of how fast the vampires around her were moving.

            “Wait, I don’t understand. What are witnesses?” Kebi stopped what she was doing with Amun to sit down on a couch with Bella.

            “Witness are people, other vampires, who can testify with you against the Volturi. Sometimes, most definitely in a case like this, the Volturi will call forth “witnesses” of there own to try and prevent the opposing party from winning.” Kebi began to place a few strands of Bella’s brown hair behind her ear as she spoke, trying to comfort the young vampire.

            “But, isn’t that just kind of cheating? I mean, Eleazar said before that Aro basically threatens them, usually with a crime that they didn’t commit. Won’t the others that we find and ask for help not want to be put on his radar?” Kebi smiled at her, motherly love shining in her eyes at her innocent way of thinking.

            “No, not really. When you’ve had to put up with corruption for so long, it doesn’t matter what they threaten you with; it will never be better to stay quiet than to deal with it head on.” Bella nodded, seeming to understand the majority of what her surrogate mother was saying.

            A few moments passed, Kebi still remaining on the couch with Bella, still not fully understanding that she was finally safe with them, while the others zipped about preparing to gather their friends to ask for help. “Right,” Agáta spoke as she paused in the middle of the room. “I understand the need to go for numbers, but if there is anyone that would be more than willing to help us, it would be the Romanians.”

            The room stopped buzzing and the silence was so defining you could hear a pin drop. Everyone knew that she was right, but no one wanted to bring them into the situation. Things were always sure to escalate with them around. “Not that we don’t think it’s a good idea,” Carmen spoke up from the back of the room, “they have more of a right to be angry at the Volturi than any other vampire in this world, but you know they would willingly choose violence before politics. They want the Volturi to pay for what they did to them so long ago and they’d only instigate the situation.”

            “Carmen’s right.” Tanya came forth from where she was gathering the necessary paper work for there future trip. “They’d take any chance they could get to spit an insult at the Italians; but we need the numbers. We all know that the Volturi will always have more than us. Add to that the “witnesses” that they will likely call forth and the gifts that they have, fighting would be a death sentence. But its also a good thing that we aren’t challenging them to fight. We want them to listen. They know everything that they’ve done is wrong, Aro especially. The Romanians are some of the oldest from our world and that makes them the most likely to get everyone to shut up and listen. What happened to them was a story that most people have heard, but never from their own mouths. If we can get them to tell their side of the story, not the one that the Volturi have twisted for the guard and their wives, then I guarantee that people will start to rethink their standing.”

            “The vampires that Aro has called upon know that what’s been done to them is wrong,” Irina cut in, “When they hear the actual accounts of what happened to have power shifted in such a way, they might start to turn on him. Add to that Bella’s story,” Kebi pulled the one closer to her at this, “and the people who own gifts that he’s stolen, it won’t take long for his carefully crafted web of lies to unravel.”

            They were all silent for a moment. They all new that they needed the Romanians. They small coven would greatly affect their cause, but the only issue was that no one actually wanted to go and retrieve them. “I will send word to them and see if they reply. If they want to help, then they will come to us.” Amun left to go write the needed letter, hoping that it actually did arrive to the aforementioned coven.

            “Why don’t we just travel their and ask them ourselves?” Bella piped up from where she and Kebi were sitting. A few of the other members of the large group questioned the same, not at all familiar with the Eastern European territory. “I mean, it wouldn’t take that many of us. You said it was a small coven, right?”

            Kebi’s eyes widened in worry at the thought of the newest member of her coven going anywhere near that territory. “No, Isabella. We can’t go. While really, all we would need to do is sent an official request, the main reason not many travel there is because of the Children of the Moon.” The older vampire pulled her closer, not being able to bear the thought of one of those vicious creatures coming anywhere near Bella.

            “Another word for them would be ‘Lycans’,” Kate mentioned as she sat a bag in the middle of the room. “Their the closest thing you’ll find to those stories people made up. Not those little shifters that try and parade themselves as ‘saviors to the people’.” At Bella’s look of surprise, Kate snorted. “Oh yeah, don’t think we didn’t do a little research about where our friends live. That and the fact that you used to live there. We know all about those mangy mutts with anger issues that you used to be friends with.”

            Agáta’s head whipped around at the mention of this. “What do you mean ‘shifters? There were shifters where you lived?” Kate’s smug smile didn’t keep Bella from feeling like she had done something wrong. She stuck her tongue out at the blonde vampire, receiving a wink in return. Apparently, there was going to be a lot of this in her future. She did not appreciate the disapproving glares of both of her surrogate mothers at the same time.

            “In my defense,” Bella said sheepishly as she put her hands up in a peaceful manner, “I didn’t know about the wolves until after a couple years of being friends with them.”

            “Well, you’ll do your best to stay away from them from now on if you ever happen to cross paths with them again.” At that, Agáta turned around to finished with the few things she was going to bring on her journey, thoroughly ending the conversation before Bella even got a chance to reply. Kebi got up from beside her, but she soon followed so she could say goodbye to Benjamin and Tia.

            “Now, I want you to go to the Amazons. They know your faces well and they appreciate your talents in their jungle.” Amun came up to them stated firmly, coming up to them. “You know what do to, correct?”

            “Yes, Amun,” Benjamin sighed, “This is not the first time Tia and I have had to perform a diplomatic gesture on your behalf.” Bella and Kebi both hugged the pair as the coven leader continued.

            “Good, then I shouldn’t have to tell you to be kind and understanding towards their skepticism.” Benjamin rolled his eyes and through his hands in the air as he and Tia left for the rainforest. Bella giggled to herself as she sat back down on a couch in the main living area. She may not have been in this coven for very long, but Benjamin was definitely her big brother.

            The three Denali sisters had finally finished packing their things and were preparing to head to Ireland, but it would seem that they would need a crow bar to remove Tanya from her grasp on young Bella. Kate was behind her, impatiently waiting for her chance at a goodbye hug and Irina was groaning over by the door. Carmen and Eleazar had just left for old friends in Spain and France while Garrett and Laurent had left an hour before to track down a few nomads in the Americas.

            “Ugh, come on Tanya its my turn! You’ve been hugging her for an hour,” Kate impatiently whined.

            “Kate, it hasn’t been an hour, it’s been five minutes, but seriously Tanya, we have to go.” Giggles and small bouts of laughter could be heard around the room. Most understood what it was like to be separated from a new mate.

            “Tanya, you can let go now. I’ll be fine. Amun has to stay here with Kebi to receive the guests and you know her and Agáta won’t let me out of their sight. I’ll be fine. You’re just going for a few days and then you’ll be back here in no time.” Try as she might, no matter what Bella said, Tanya wasn’t going to let go of her. In fact, she actually squeezed her harder; it was a good thing that they were indestructible...basically.

            A loud yelp brought her out of her thoughts and Bella found that she was finally released from the death-grip of a hug. Further investigation found that Kate had given Tanya quite the shock, literally, to get her to finally let go of Bella; it the shouted “Katrina!” was anything to go by. Irina quickly pulled Tanya out of the door as Kate gave her the quickest bone-crushing hug she had ever felt in her life and a tiny kiss on the cheek. The third Denali sister finally sprinted out the door, hoping the quicker they finished their job the faster they could return to their new mate.

            “Well, that was interesting,” Agáta mentioned quietly as she and the other members of her coven stood from their various positions around the room. “Now,” the blonde woman in question gave Bella a small smile before she was pulled into another death-grip-of-a-hug. She felt Agáta’s hands cradle the back of her head as she spoke to her quietly. “You be good and you be safe. As much as I hate leaving you hear, I can’t bring you with me. It would be dangerous to put you anywhere near the Volturi. The boys and I will be leaving to finds some friends in Europe and Russia and we’ll be back in a few weeks. Okay?” All Bella could do was nod her head, too afraid to admit that she had tears coming to her eyes.

            Agáta gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head before she and the rest of her coven left without looking back; the older vampire knowing she wouldn’t be able to leave if she did.

            “I will go prepare for the arrival of out friends,” she heard Amun mention behind her. He gave a quick kiss to Kebi as he left the room, noticing how Bella had yet to move from the spot that she stood. Kebi came up behind her, knowing that her child had severely saddened by the sudden departure of her new family.

            “Kebi?” She got a hum of acknowledgement in response. “You know how I said I’ll be fine until they got back?” There was a pause before Bella spoke up again. “I don’t think I’m fine.” Though she couldn’t see the sad smile she was given, Bella was comforted by the way the woman pulled her into her soft embrace.

Chapter Text

            Pacing; that was all that she could do. Bella would walk back and forth in the front room for about an hour and then move on to the rest of the house.

            She couldn’t stand still.

            Her mates were gone and so was her surrogate mother and some of her new family.

            She couldn’t stand still...

            She tried to keep herself occupied enough to keep her mind off of it for a while, but no new friends had arrived yet and Amun was trying to procure a large supply of blood bags for the number of vampires that might arrive in their home.

            She couldn’t stand... still...

            Her poor mother tried to help her out by distracting her a little, but small tasks of cleaning the house would only go so far and Kebi looked as if she was getting quite agitated with Bella’s behavior, which only made her feel worse.

            She couldn’t... stand... still...

            Amun was trying to explain it away as newborn energy. Being a new vampire, it was a challenge, but becoming newly mated at the same time was a task too big for them to handle all on their own. Bella did try, but she just couldn’t take it anymore. It was too much! There were too many people missing, and she didn’t know what was going on, and she was getting on Kebi’s nerves (she didn’t need to be told; she could just feel it), and she just... couldn’t... stand... still!

            “Uh! I can’t take this anymore! It’s killing me,” Bella shouted in the middle of their front room. She kicked some water from the small fountain in front of her, splashing it all over the sand-colored tiles.

            “Tell me what you are feeling alsaghir.” Bella spun around abruptly, not realizing that Kebi had entered the room earlier. She hoped the older woman hadn’t noticed her taking out her frustrations on her furniture, but apparently that was too much to ask.

            Bella instantly deflated; just the sight of her mother made her feel relief. Though she was still pretty high-strung, just the woman alone could do wonders for her sanity. She gave the woman a small smile, playing with the ends of her fingers as she looked to the floor. “Its just- Well- I mean- It’s just that I can’t- “

            “You want them here because then you will know where they are.” Kebi started to walk towards her. “You haven’t solidified the mate bond yet, so you are still a bit anxious about them being away from you. The don’t really have your scent on them yet, and you don’t have their mark. I can assure you, Isabella, they are just as anxious as you are, if not more so.” Her mother took her into her arms and pulled to sit on a small wicker bench at the far end of the room. “They have been waiting for you for centuries, if not longer. Your mates are aware that you don’t fully understand the bond yet and are worried you will choose someone else.”

            At this, Bella gave a frown. She couldn’t imagine the thought of being with anyone else. Even thinking of Ed- him made her wonder why she hadn’t paid attention to her heart sooner.

            Kebi pulled Bella’s head down to rest on her shoulder and began to comb her soft, tan fingers through her hair. Bella closed her eyes and placed her face into Kebi’s neck, finally being able to relax somewhat after such a hectic week. She couldn’t help what she was feeling, it was only instinctual. Thoughts of being with her mates put a smile on her face.

            “I... I miss Agáta as well...” Bella trailed off, and she felt a tiny lapse of movement from the hands in her hair. “I know you haven’t completely warmed up to her yet, and I know that you will always be wary of her, but,” Bella lifted her head as she looked the taller woman in the eyes, “she took care of me when I was scared and when I was alone. I didn’t have you and you will always be my mother, the one who took me in when no one else would, but she helped me survive an I can’t just leave her when she didn’t leave me.” Kebi pulled Bella’s head back down again and resumed the motions in the young girl’s hair.

            “I know, alsaghir, I know. I would never ask you to, but you can’t expect me to not be a little jealous when it comes to you. You are the youngest and therefore, the one I wish to protect the most. Not to mention that we share a special bond and I can’t help but wish that I didn’t have to share you with anyone. Its just who I am inside. That is all.”

            A silence took over as Kebi started humming an old Egyptian lullaby, causing Bella to find the closest thing she could to sleep, her peaceful state the only thing she had that resembled rest.

            When enough time went by, Bella decided to ask a question that first entered her mind when Kebi first started speaking. “Mother,” a stillness over took the room. Kebi’s motions stopped and so did her humming. Bella hadn’t lifted her head, so she had yet to see Kebi’s shocked face and the tears in her eyes that would never fall. That word had never come from Bella’s mouth when referring to her, at least when she was around; but she couldn’t help but wonder if she would do it more often. It made her feel whole and sent a jolt of happiness right where a small void had been. Kebi didn’t think she’d ever felt so much joy in her entire life. She wouldn’t ever mind feeling it again.

            The woman squeezed Bella tightly, silently telling her that she accepted the title, even if Bella knew she always would, and continued comforting her child. “Yes, Isabella?”

            “What do you mean mark?”

            “I’m sorry?”

            Bella lifted her head from Kebi’s shoulder again, but this time the older woman didn’t let go of her. “Earlier you said I hadn’t received their mark; what did you mean?” Kebi froze and the only sign of her being uncomfortable was her wide eyes. She didn’t mean to bring that up yet, no, Bella was too young, but it just slipped out. The girl hadn’t even been a vampire for a full year yet. All she could do was stare down at the wide and curious eyes coming from the girl as she awaited an answer.

            Kebi cleared her throat. “Um... well...” She gave a nervous laugh as she tried to come up with a way to avoid the conversation completely, but she knew Isabella wouldn’t let it go until she got an answer, so she pushed aside the uncomfortableness as much as she could, despite the fact that she was very, very reluctant to have this conversation, and looked Bella in the eyes. “The... submissive party in the relationship.... receives a mark, on the neck, when you mate for... the first...time...” It took the nervous woman about five minutes just to say those few words and even after it was all out, she was trying to throw in wild hand gestures. Whether it was to distract Bella, or to further get her to understand, she wasn’t sure. All poor Kebi knew was that she hadn’t planned on having this conversation yet, definitely not while the Volturi were still after Bella. She didn’t want to add to the poor girl’s stress.

            “So, by mate... you mean...”

            “To mate.” If Bella could blush, she would be as red as a lobster right about now. This was not how she saw her day going and she couldn’t even look her mother in the eye, not that Kebi was doing any better. She was sure the woman was even more uncomfortable than she was. But it didn’t end there. No, Kebi had Bella had started this and Kebi wanted to get the whole thing over with, but she new that Bella needed to know. There were more important things that the girl had to understand. “Listen to me, Isabella; because this next part is very important.” She placed her hand under the girl’s chin to make her look her in the eye. She needed to make sure the next part was understood. “If you do not solidify the bond within a year of finding it, then it will diminish and it will die. It will be the most pain you will have even felt, and you more than likely will not be able to live with it.”

            “I understand,” Bella whispered after a moment of tense silence. Good. She needed to.

            Kebi let go of the girl’s chin and pulled Bella’s head down to rest on her shoulder again to continue humming and running her fingers through brunette locks. Now that that was over, Kebi wanted the girl to relax again. She knew what it was like to be away from your mate for an extended period of time and it wasn’t fun. She could understand Bella’s heightened feelings, especially with her being a newborn.

            An hour later saw Amun arriving to find them this way. He smiled at how saw them. He didn’t show his emotions often, and he didn’t like to; but he didn’t mind people witnessing him be happy at the sight before him. Bella was finally calm and his mate was less overwhelmed when there was a frantic newborn running all over the house. “Kebi,” he whispered.

            His mate looked up slowly from the end of the wicker bench and placed a finger over her lips. It wasn’t that Bella was asleep, but she was deep enough in her state of relaxation that it could be passed off as such. If they were quiet enough, Bella wouldn’t noticed him in the room and that was what Kebi wanted.

            “Yes, Amun?”

            “I have just been informed that the first of our friends will arrive later today. The Irish Coven.”

            “Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie,” At his affirming nod, Kebi continued. “Maybe Maggie can help Bella a little. She’s more her age and it would help to have a younger girl around.”

            “I hope so.” He walked over and carefully sat next to her. He admired his mate’s ability to calm any situation if tension were to arise.

            “I just hope that this will all be over soon.”

            “It will be, Habibi. It will be...”