Hello

Back again with a Bella POV chapter because Edward isn't talking to me. His chapter is next up though so maybe he'll get around to chatting by then.

Um, here's the link to my photobucket . com album thing for this story. So far, it's got pictures of Bella's volturi outfit and her bedroom, which are mentioned in this chapter. Other pictures of things mentioned in this chapter are there too; take a look! :D

LINK: s1108 . photobucket albums / h411 / bexie25 / Femme%20Fatale /

Now, I don't think I need to add anything... :D

Please read and review and enjoy... as I say for A Choice and it's outtakes.

See you down the bottom...

"Gianna!" I snapped as I came through the door.

The measly human girl jolted in her seat and the smell of her fear was quite appetizing. I supposed, in a way, it was my turn to falter on the receptionist. Caius had been last, although that woman had been his singer.

I shook my head. Why we employed human secretaries, I would never know.

"Y-yes, ma'am?" Gianna stuttered and I fought the impulse to roll my eyes.

"Gather the guard," I said, leaning over her desk. I made sure she could see my black eyes, knowing that the fear would make her think faster; strange… that was just how she worked. "Get them to meet me in the throne room. Anyone who is late is fired."

I loved that little word… fired… though of course to humans it meant something different – something not life-threatening – Gianna understood immediately. She was shaking in her shoes as she nodded and turned on the PA system.

Walking away, I listened to her voice as it summoned the guards to the throne room, stressing the need for great haste.

"Dear sister," Aro said and I smiled instantly at the tilt in his voice. "Whatever have you done now that needs the attention of the entire guard?"

"It is not me," I said simply, vacantly as I took my place beside him in the line of thrones. "My mate is coming and I need them prepared."

"Your mate, Isabella?" Sulpicia spited and I just about hissed, settling for a quick glare instead. She smiled cockily, not impressed.

"Yes Sulpicia, my mate," I said bitingly and I ignored Aro's growl.

"You should really leave her alone," the sweet voice of Didyme practically sung and I smiled, closing my eyes as her presence lightened the atmosphere. "It's only fair that she finds her mate; we all have ours."

I scowled, "and thanks so much for pointing that out." I heard the chuckles of Caius and Marcus and I opened my eyes to smile at them dearly, before I said "Oh, do shut up."

They shook their heads but quickly took to their thrones, their mates standing behind them.

A few moments of silence fell upon us until the bubbling sounds of the guard waffled through the doors. I sighed as they all came through the doors, lining up as if on death row.

I stood up from my seat, ignoring the few glances at my chest and stared at them. I could very nearly hear the mental groans from my brothers, for they knew what I was doing.

"Members of the guard," I said flatly, looking at them all." Their varied-in-colour eyes shifted around uneasily, never quite meeting my gaze. "I need your help." I began my walk around the room. "My mate has come to some sort of trouble and has brought it upon himself to desire to be killed." I swallowed the pain that that sentence made me feel, not wanting to appear weak in front of the men that feared me. I could not, however, stop my breath from hitching and the tightening of my throat as the emotions ran through me.

But, as always, I soldiered on. "This will not happen. You will all be on watch for a newborn vampire by the name of Edward Anthony Masen. In fact, if any vampire comes through the Volterra walls, you will be expected to ask for a name. And if Edward Masen comes through the castle doors, lead him into this hall and signal for another guard to notify me... immediately."

I paused and there was an eerie silence as I looked around the room. "Anyone who fails to meet these requirements will be killed. Instantly and without hesitation; the need for this to be fulfilled with dignity and strength is at its highest."

Those last few words were stern and I felt the ripples within my shield as they reacted emotionally and mentally… not to mention physically to my words and their implementations.

One more glance around the room, I surveyed that everyone made sense. They did and so I dismissed them. "That is all."

I walked out of the room, knowing that if I had stayed my brothers and their wives would have wanted an explanation; one that I was simply not ready to give.

I raced up the multiple flights of stairs until I made it to my bedroom.

Call it old-fashioned, but my bedroom had a lovely black and white theme. All furniture was black, the floor was black… the only thing that was white were the sheets on the bed. I loved it… it was different and unique… it was my own. Make no mistake; I had seen my brothers' chambers… if you could really say that they were, in fact, my brothers' chambers. All ridiculously feminine, they held no place for a man.

Mine, however, did and I didn't mind; I loved the colours, personally. When one has a millennia to wait for their mate, they spend their time – or at least, I did – preparing for their mate. There was no other need for a bed than to have someone to share it with… to… release certain tensions with.

Make no mistake, I have, in the past, had encounters with men – years ago and they stopped when Alice's first vision of my mate came – but they were never in my chambers, never within the walls of Volterra.

"Hello Isabella," I heard a soft voice say and I turned around to be faced with Rosalie. Rosa was a darling little girl with soft blue eyes and blonde, curly hair. It seemed to flow on like a river, forever. She was brought into this life when she met Emmett; she was his destined mate.

I had to admit however, that Rosa would have to feel the connection; it was obvious through her actions that she did. She loved her Emmett with all her heart and trusted him immensely. She was perhaps the only human that brought out a laid back, friendly me.

"Rosa," I said and she smiled at me. "Hi, how are you?"

"Good," she said, before she climbed up on the bed and started swinging her legs. "I'm trying to hide from Emmie. We're playing hide and seek."

I chuckled; this was a common occurrence and for some reason she loved to hide in my room of all places. "Well then, by all means stay."

She smiled and the happy sparkle in her eyes – one that seemed to always be there when she spoke of her Emmett or thought of him – appeared once again. "Thank you!"

I giggled to myself, shaking my head and walked slowly over to the doorway that led to the bathroom. I turned back to Rosa and said "I'm just going to have a bath, alright. Please don't disturb me; I want to be alone but if something is wrong, tell me immediately."

She smiled, completely untroubled as always, "ok!"

I smiled to myself; my teeth digging into my lip as I closed then locked the door. It wasn't hard for me to hold my physical shield against it. I always felt the need to make sure I secured my privacy.

My bathroom's colour scheme was the opposite of my bedrooms; the dominant colour was white and instead of black, the patterns were grey. I walked past the row of sinks on my left and the door on my right – which lead to the shower, though I had no idea why they gave that a whole other room – heading straight to the bath which was situated in the middle of the room.

I paused on the plush little white towel; the feeling of it under my toes never ceased to amaze me. It was so soft, though most things felt that way against a vampire's cold, hard skin; it was like walking on sand, the consistency was so very fine.

I turned on the water, quickly fixing the temperature to lukewarm. To a vampire, that was a good, hot temperature. It was nice, it relaxed me and… well, right now and I needed anything I could find to do just that. The interaction with the guard had fixed me in a bad place, something I was just beginning to realize.

I tried to block any possible thoughts that tried to riddle themselves into my head. Especially the negative ones; they were at an unusual abundance… unusual because while I usually had a few, there was never quite as many as there seemed to be now.

I sighed, sliding the silk dress up and off my body. That left me in my panties and bra – also black – and I quickly took those off as well before stepping cautiously into the bath. A smiledawned on my face at the feeling of the water – hot, satisfying; almost seductive in its temperature. I sat down in the bath, liking the way the water sat around my body.

It was also a nice way to be alone and though I didn't have candles prepared as I usually did – all components of Edward's scent, which Alice had managed to pick up or create somehow – it was still nice right now.

I closed my eyes, laying my head back against the rim of the bath. My arms were on either side of the bath, holding me where I was.

These bathing times were not ones in which I washed myself, no that activity was particularly reserved for showers. Baths, for me, were simply a way to… 'Wind down'… to feel as close as I could to my mate though geographically we were far, far away from each other... an uncomfortable distance.

The first time I had smelled my Edward's scent – in a candle that Alice had created or found somehow with the many different aspects that made Edward's scent his own – I had gone crazy. For a vampire, smelling their mate's scent was like a homecoming, only stopping short at meeting their mate; it acted as both an aphrodisiac and a depressant of sorts. While it can arouse and excite a vampire, it also calms them in times of need or fright… something that I was experiencing now.

Feeling slightly panicky at the lack of my mate's scent, I realized I should have remembered that before I got in the bath.

"Fuck," I muttered, grumbling and growling to myself as I stood up in the bath and got the towel that hung down the end of the bath, where my legs were. I towelled myself, saving the little plush towel on the floor from getting wet. I stepped out of the bath with the towel wrapped around me and whizzed over to the cupboard underneath the closest sink in the row.

I hastily got out three candles of Edward's scent – all in all, I had perhaps ten that was only in the bathroom. There were hundreds more throughout the rest of my chambers – already feeling the relaxing sensation that they brought to me. I got out the matches from the same cupboard and brought all the supplies over to the bath, putting them down on the little ledge there. I quickly lit the candles, breathing in Edward's scent of honey and sunshine and lilac, – combined with many other distinct scents and smells – smiling as my muscles and limbs calmed and unclenched… simply hanging there leisurely.

I got into the bath again, dropping the towel at the edge. I sighed as the warmth engulfed me up to my collarbones once again, smiling.

I sat in the bath, breathing in Edward's scent for a few minutes, absolutely and completely still.

After a few minutes of that, I was gradually relaxing only for my grief, my panic to spike once again. I felt as if I wasn't close enough to his scent, as if he was slipping away from me again as the candle burned brightly. I craved more of his scent, perhaps the only thing that gave me comfort when I sought it because I knew that he was mine though I did not have him with me.

To fix this problem and quench the feeling, I hastily grabbed one of the candles – nearly crushing it in my haste and need for proximity – and held it right in front of my face.

But doing that only made it clear how much I needed him and that he was not here in this very moment. My breath hitched as I tried to visualize… tried to imagine, for even a moment that I was holding him. That he was here, with me… loving me and caring for me, only for me as he would for the rest of the eternity that we would have together if everything went according to plan.

I envisioned us, here in this bath… nearly felt his arms around me from behind as I sat between his legs… felt his hands as they caressed and touched every part of me… leaving a fire that burned through to my very soul.

The need for him and the sad, painful ache that proved that he was not here reduced me to sobs… tearless ones but they were still every bit as mournful and sorrowful.

"Oh please," I sobbed to myself, gripping the candle like a vice. "Please... if there is or ever was some sort of a God then just grant me one wish; just one… just bring my Edward to me; let me have him with me for our eternity."

The sobs wracked through my body, unstoppable in their tyrant. I couldn't stop the feelings as they brought me closer to breaking point.

I needed him and I needed him now…

… But he was not here. That very thought came with it a pang of sadness, depression… hopelessness.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and my head flashed toward it.

My eyes narrowed. "What is it? It had better be important."

"Ma'am," the shaky voice of Felix wafted toward me and I sighed, aggravated.

"Yes?" I asked, careful to not release my anger. I set down the candle that was still burning in my hand and, quick as lightning, got up and wrapped the towel around my body. I then flashed to the door and opened it. "What is it?"

He swallowed nervously and I fought the impulse to roll my eyes. "Um, well uh… your-your brother wants to see you."

I sighed; vague idiot. "Which one? Remember, I do have three."

It's a sarcastic and harmless remark, but the poor vampire blanches… if such a thing was even possible for a vampire to do. "Aro, ma'am."

I nodded and smiled to myself, "very well."

He stood there for a moment and I closed my eyes, cocking my head to the side whilst mentally wondering how a vampire could be so fucking stupid. "You can go now." I said slowly, perhaps just a tad condescendingly and he nodded, swallowing before he disappeared from sight.

I leaned against the door and huffed a laugh, amazed by the vampire's performance.

After standing there for a few minutes longer, I shrugged off the door and walked slowly over to my walk in wardrobe. Opening the doors, I walked in and looked around for something else to wear, not really in the mood for the dress I had been wearing before.

I smiled when my eyes met the simple, elegant little black dress that I loved. It had a loose turtle neck – the correct term being a cowl neck, something I would have found a little ridiculous if it wasn't so funny – and came down to just around two inches above my knees. It was a gorgeous little thing with long sleeves and when I picked it up and breathed it in, I sighed.

I truly did love the smell of it… the soft touch.

I quick put on some lacy panties, forgetting about a bra as I pulled the sexy little thing on. Having only been turned at the age of eighteen, my body was in prime shape. Perky breasts, long skinny – without being too skinny – legs and a nice 'round ass' as a few men had called my derrière in the past.

I looked the outfit over it the mirror before going back over to the walk in wardrobe to find a pair of comfortable heels. What I found was a pair of smart, comfortable, size seven black shoes; exactly what I liked to wear. Silk with a black circular gem – outlined by diamonds – where my big toes would be. The shoes only had the front and the back supported. They were also peep-toe, another favourite of mine.

Looking myself over once more in the mirror, I smiled and walked out the door, ready to meet my brother.

I made my way down the hall, ignoring the nervous looks from the servants and what not. Feeling particularly evil, I even growled at a few simply because it was fucking fun.

I made my way down to the level that had Aro's chamber on it which was obviously where he was now. Eventually, I made it to the door that lead into his chambers and I didn't even have to knock on it before the large stone door was opened for me… by Sulpicia.

Oh lovely, I thought to myself, fighting a growl or perhaps a hiss.

"Sulpicia," I said, looking away in disgust at her… nighty – if you could really call it that.

"Isabella," she replied, seemingly just as disgusted. I smiled to myself – she never did like the attention my brothers gave me… which was a lot, as I was not only the only girl but I was also the youngest in human years and vampire years.

"Aro called for me," I said condescendingly to which she growled.

"Oh I know," she said haughtily, clearly jealous and fuck me if I didn't chuckle as I walked past her.

"Aro?" I called out, smiling when I heard his quick reply.

"Isabella," He called back and I walked right on through to his little sitting room. He smiled when he saw me, his black hair shining in the light of the fireplace where the growling fire blew. "Come, sit."

I whirled to the chair and sat down, never taking my eyes off of him as I threw my right leg over the other. I studied him for a short while before frowning. "What is this about?"

"Your mate," he said casually and I hissed, tensing.

"What about him?" I managed to get out and he sighed.

"There are possibilities that we need to talk about," he started, hesitating and I immediately understood what he wanted to discuss and what he was going to say.

"Which I'm not ready to speak of," I said, finishing for him as I jumped up from my chair. I stood still and looked at the fire, pretending to be enraptured and fascinated by the colours that danced there as I spoke. "I'm sorry, but we must have this conversation later. I cannot deal with this now… surely you understand."

I knew that he did not, but that didn't stop me from dashing right out of there and back into the hall. As soon as the door was shut, I kept moving to the next flight of stairs.

I walked down them, fighting my temper and pain and sorrow with each harsh step. I finally made it down to the bottom floor of the castle, but that was when I smelled it.

Him.

It was everything that I had been craving… very easily recognized. Just the scent relaxed and excited me at the same time. I whimpered as a knot tied itself in my abdomen, a pool of arousal dripping from my suddenly aching centre.

The feelings of need amplified, though all the bad and negative beliefs, thoughts, feelings, they simply vanished and I was sure I would never feel them again. I was overwhelmed by sensation… feeling… a need to sought out this person, this vampire and I knew it was a vampire instantly.

My breath changed to gasps as I felt the tug, that… that unstoppable force that was tying me to this vampire immediately.

I needed them like air to breathe and I needed to see them right now; it could not be delayed. If it was, then I feared for any vampire or human who stood in my way. They would be ended before the threat that they presented.

Vulnerability rushed through me like a river gushed down its course and my breath hitched. Where was this man, this creature? Why wasn't he here before me now?

I need him. My mind hissed, clawing through the scents of those around me, searching for my love.

My body acted on those feelings, those thoughts as if acting on instinct. Which it was, actually and I was startled as the pull brought me closer and closer, only to cease when I entered the throne room not fully able to recall the journey there in the first place.

There on the ground was the object of my… obsession; there was my mate, my love.

I gasped at the sight of him being held to the ground and his head whipped around to meet my gaze. His black, weak eyes ripped through my soul therefore planting the sight of them within me so far deep that I knew I would never be able to remove them…

His eyes and the emotions held within them told me everything I needed to know. It was as if I could read minds and I immediately knew that this creature, my mate was suffering… that he was under threat.

I growled, looking anxiously around the room for the threat and my eyes immediately fell on the only other vampire – or person – in the room.

"Alec," I growled and his head snapped up, his eyes searching my face. I dashed forward, whimpering slightly as the need increased with the proximity between my mate and me.

"Is-Isabella," the guard said, stuttering – something that was strange for a vampire. But what I could smell from him was fear and the monster within me – the protector of my mate, at this moment in time – smiled, her eyes glinting with excitement in their blackness.

I could feel my mate's eyes on me and I purred in delight, to which he licked his lips. I bit my own, trying to exercise some restraint but I could not. I relented, licking my lips as I regarded him. My breathing had ceased when our eyes had first locked and I quickly gasped for breath, remembering what was happening in this moment and what I had to do before I did anything else.

I leaned in close to Alec, but not close enough to cause my mate stress or to make him feel threatened by this male. "What did I say?" My voice was cold, accusatory, the words hissing through my clenched teeth, showing the full extent of my fury.

Alec stuttered. "That-that if anyone with the last name of Masen, or anyone who was associated with a Cullen arrived, we had to notify you immediately."

"Exactly," I hissed before looking at my mate, who was still watching me with heavy eyes. I smiled, my eyes glistening in their black depths – black with desire only for my one love – and he licked his lips. I purred. "Get out of my sight," I said to Alec without looking his way again. My attention was focused solely on my mate, of course.

Alec scrambled and immediately left.

My mate picked himself up off the ground and then walked towards me very slowly. It was seductive and I could hear the whimpering gasps that left both of our mouths as he got closer.

I focused on his gorgeous features; I had seen him many a time, but only in paintings that Alice had done from her visions. Never as a vampire and I had to admit that as a vampire… he was all the more appealing.

His jaw and cheekbones were so very defined, so sexy and sinfully seductive in their shape. His eyes, piercing black from hunger and the presence of his mate – me – were filled with desire for me, something that the femme fatale within me loved to see. She purred in delight as she regarded the long locks of his luscious, bronze-coloured hair… so long that it just begged to be gripped and tugged in the heat of passion.

Edward stopped before me, so close that I could nearly feel him against me though we were not touching.

Carefully and slowly, his body shifted – to which mine did automatically as well – and he wrapped his arms around me, still looking into my eyes. I purred and leaned in to him, my lips inching closer to his. They brushed against his.

Our bodies touched, aligned perfectly, showing how perfect we were for each other, how we were made for only each other and I sighed in contentment. But then I felt his need for me, his desire for me and I purred.

"Shall we?" I asked, licking my lips. I couldn't – and wouldn't – delay this any longer. I need him, wanted him… now.

He nodded, seeming to understand exactly what I meant. "We shall."

So, I know I'm cruel for leaving it there... that'll be continued in chapter four, after Edward's chapter. I know, very long wait but Edward's chapter is important.

Um, thanks for the response to this story. I'm glad that you've favourited it and alerted it... but can we get a few more reviews?

Thanks! I'm looking forward to your thoughts... this was a truly emotional chapter!

till next chapter,

bexie25