A/N: I'm sorry it has taken so long to update. Between the Holidays and other things that I have been dealing with, I had to put my writing on the back burner.

I would like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed. All I can say is thank you so much for the very kind words. I hope to continue to write in a manner that meets your expectations.

As always(more because I didn't think of it first), I do not own the characters. I do own the plot.

Chapter 3

APOV:

The very thought of having to leave my Isabella, if only, for a few short hours , was enough to make me nervous. Now that we had acknowledged our mating bond, it will become even more difficult to be apart until I claim her as my own.

For vampires, the mating bond is stronger than even the call of blood. There is nothing and no one that can break it. Although blood lust was quite strong,and we were willing to kill anyone because of it, we were even more willing to kill if any harm was to come to our mates.

Even now, I was feeling that tell-tale pain radiating in my chest from being apart from her. The only consolation I would have from it is knowing that because Isabella is human, the pain of separation will not hit her as hard as it will me.

I ran as fast as I could to grab the rental car I had parked on the outskirts of the town. Luckily, it was still early in the morning and not many people were up and about.

I hopped in and dialed Jane's cell phone. I needed to know the status of the newborn situation. I would be leaving Forks with Bella this morning and I did not want to bring her anywhere near a volatile situation such as the one in Seattle. Her safety was of the most importance to me.

"Master", I heard Jane say as she answered her phone.

"Report". I sincerely hoped that everything had been dealt with and there were no set backs. This problem had all the makings of blowing up on our faces and we really did not need to risk any exposure.

"The situation was a little bit worse when we first arrived. There were twenty six newborns . She seemed to have picked several with talents. We had some difficulty at first due to the fact that one newborn has the ability to negate all gifts. Felix was able to get to him, though. All but one of the newborns has been destroyed. The one we didn't eliminate was Victoria's second . I wanted to wait and see what you wanted to do with him. The only only thing is the fact that it is a mess here. It is obvious that no humans could have created this amount of destruction. We are attempting clean up even as we speak."

"Well done. I want you to destroy her second. He is of no use to me. We have Victoria and that is all that matters. Clean up what you can. Whatever you can't, burn. Do not leave any evidence of our existence behind. I will be leaving Forks within the hour and I'll be bringing Miss Swan with me. Meet us at the airport in two hours. Make sure to have the jet ready .Are there any other question?" I asked her. Jane never had trouble following my orders.

"No, Master. All will be as you ordered."

I hung up the phone and sped off down the road. My thoughts were on my beautiful Isabella the whole way. I still could not believe that after existing for such a long time alone, I have found my mate.

As I neared Isabella's house, I smelled it first. It was the very distinct scent of another vampire. Panic tore through me. I hit the gas. I needed to get to her quickly . I cursed myself for leaving her unattended. What if something happens to her?

I pulled in and heard the vampire tell my Isabella that she would pay for Victoria's mates death. I threw the car in park just in time to hear my mate cry out in pain.

Running to the back yard I was greeted with a frightening sight of Isabella on the ground, with her arms above her head, trying to protect herself. The amazing thing was, the clear,blue shield that was encompassing her. The vampire was trying to get to her,but was unable to get past her shield

While he was distracted, I grabbed him and ripped his arms off. The primal roar I let loose had him cowering in fear. I, then ,swiftly relieved him of his head and burned him.

I turned to my mate. She was still cowering in fear, but had herself well protected. I felt pride in her power. I was well aware of the fact that she didn't know what she had done, but the sheer strength of her power, even as a human , was staggering.

I explained to her about her shield and how she would be able to lower it. She was so intelligent that she was able to figure it out. Her shield lowered within a few moments.

I picked up my love and carried her into her house and sat down on her couch with her on my lap. "Isabella , are you all right? ". I asked her with concern lacing my voice.

"I'm okay now that you are here. I was so scared. He was going to kill me anyway, even though he knew I wasn't Edwards mate. Why? I didn't kill James. I'm human. I had nothing to do with it. James broke my leg and and my ribs. He beat me up so much I was purple for a while. He even bit me. If Edward hadn't sucked the venom out, I would be a vampire now."

She spoke so quickly that if I were human I wouldn't be able to understand what she said.

I rubbed her back, trying to comfort her. I wasn't aware of the fact that James had, indeed, bit her. I suppose that was a bit of information that even Victoria hadn't even known.

"Where?" I wanted to know where that coward had bitten her. He was lucky the Cullens destroyed him. I would have made his death more painful than he could ever imagine.

Isabella pulled the sleeve up a bit on her right arm. There it was. On the inside of her right wrist,was a crescent shaped scar. I grabbed her wrist and gently ran my fingers over the scar. It was slightly cooler to the touch than the rest of her skin. I pulled her wrist up to my lips and softly kissed it.

"I am sorry, my love. You never should have been put through all of this. When I read Victoria's memories, there was nothing in them about you being bitten. It would seem that this James was keeping things from her as well. I suspect that he wasn't her mate and was probably only using her for her gift. She has the gift of evasion and with James having been a tracker, he couldn't pass up the chance to use her. You are an innocent in this mess."

I did my best to console her but I knew full well that the experience had affected her deeply. To be accepted into the Cullen family and told that you are a mate to one of them and then abandoned , so that some psychotic woman could harm you ,was a lot for anyone to take in. My beloved's inner strength was very impressive. She didn't let it tear her down. She used the pain to fuel her, to give her the strength to reach her goals.

"I'm all right. I just didn't expect to be thrown across my yard this morning. It just shook me up a little. I'll be fine. I wanted to ask you about that shield, though. How did that happen? I didn't do anything consciously. Nothing like that happened when James attacked me."

"I'm not surprised, actually. You're older now. That alone has given your gift more of a chance to develop. Couple that with the fact that your mind knew that you needed to protect yourself, your physical shield manifested . I'm quite proud of you. You handled the situation better than even some vampires. You have amazing strength and you should be proud." I was in awe of this woman. She was nothing short of incredible and she was all mine.

"I always wondered if I had a gift due to the fact that Edward couldn't read my mind, for which I was most grateful. I'm glad it wasn't due to the fact that my brain is dysfunctional like I had first thought." She blushed so adorably. How she could think that there was something wrong with her was beyond me.

I looked into her stunning , liquid chocolate eyes. Gently brushing her cheek with the back of my hand, I leaned forward and captured her lips with mine. We kissed slowly at first, but when I felt her luscious tongue seeking entrance into my mouth, I lost my control. I gripped her waist and pulled her to straddle me. Gripping her head,I pulled her even closer to me, trying desperately to devour her heavenly taste. My God! She was more delectable than I could have ever imagined. Our tongues played with each others, tasting, teasing, enjoying each other. It was a heady sensation.

Never in all my years had I ever been this aroused. The affect she had on my body was indescribable. My hands made their way down to cup her perfect ass, attempting to pull her heated core closer to my straining erection. Isabella's head fell back and she was moaning from the pleasure I was giving her. I leaned forward and began kissing her neck, nibbling on it. Her scent was unbelievable.

" Oh, my Love. What you do to me", I said to her in between kissing her neck. " I wished we had the time." I pulled back slowly to look at her. Isabella's face was flushed and her breathing was erratic. I could smell her arousal and it nearly brought me to my knees. Her lips were kiss swollen as she looked at me with lust filled eyes.

"I'm sorry. I've never been kissed like that before." She said softly to me while laying her head on my shoulder." I have a tendency to get carried away"

"Mmm. I like knowing I'm the only one to ever kiss you like that. I'm sorry we can't finish this. When we get back to Volterra, I will be claiming you and making you mine forever." Her eyes lit up when I told her that. She was just as excited about completing out mating as I was.

" Oh, that reminds me. I needed to ask you about how to handle my father. I have no clue how to break it to him that I'm leaving. I don't want to crush him. I'm his only child."She jumped up and started to pace nervously.

I stood up and walked over to her. I put my arms around her to get her to stop her pacing. "My sweet, I know this is difficult for you. The best thing I can tell you to do right now is to compose a letter and tell him that you have the opportunity to got to Italy with a friend and you have to leave asap. Tell him you will call him as soon as you are settled. We can go from there." I kissed her lightly on her forehead, letting her know that I was here giving her the support that she needed.

"I,actually, was thinking along those lines. I love Charlie, but it is time for me to move on with my life. I just didn't want to leave him with the idea that his only child was killed. I think that would crush him. My mother, on the other hand, wouldn't care what happens to me. So,leaving is a bit easier than you would think."

"Why wouldn't your own mother care? It's obvious that you're close to your father,but I have noticed that that is the first time you have mentioned her?" I was curious. It hadn't escaped my notice that she winced when she spoke of her mother.

"My mother remarried and it would seem that she no longer wants to be apart of my life. I haven't heard from her in over six month's . She didn't even bother to send me a text or even an e-mail telling me. She just never bothered to get back in touch with me. I just decided to let her go. Growing up, I had to be the adult. I had to raise her and make sure the bills were paid. I even got myself up for school in kindergarten and walked to the bus stop alone. I'll always be the adult between the two of us. It's okay. I've accepted it .I'm ready for the next chapter in my life to begin."

"I'm sorry she hurt you. But I will say this; you will have a new family. The Volturi are not just enforcers of our laws. We are like a family. That's not a fact that we like to let out. Most think of us as cold and callous, but, I assure you, that that isn't the case. I believe you will fit in nicely."I pulled her in my arms and kissed her gently. I want to tell her how much I already love her, but I'm afraid that that may be a bit early for her. I need to be patient and take it slow. In the mean time, I will show her how much she means to me, so that she will have no cause to doubt my feelings.

BPOV

When Aro showed up and saved me I was elated. He was my knight in shining armor. He was quickly becoming everything to me,and I knew that I was already falling in love with him

"I'm packed. I just have to write my letter to my dad, then I'm ready to go." I walked over to the desk and grabbed a pen and some paper. I sat down at the dining room table and began to write. Aro came up behind me and I felt him kiss the top of my head, giving me the strength to pull it off.

Dear Dad,

I'm sorry I couldn't be here when you got home. I received a phone call from a friend of mine and she invited me to join her on a trip to Italy. I know this is last minute, but I have always wanted to go and felt that now would be the perfect time for me to do so. I will call you when I get situated and tell you more of my plans at that time.

Please take care of yourself!

Love you,

Bella

I finished the note and put it over by the phone where my father would see it.

I felt Aro slip his arms around my waist." Are you ready?"

I looked up into his ruby eyes. "Yes, I'm ready."

"Come." He grabbed my suitcase and opened the door for me. I felt a sense of nostalgia standing by the rental car, looking at my fathers house. It felt so long ago that I had moved to Forks. I had hated this sun forsaken piece of earth, but it had grown on me. I would miss it. My future was in front of me and I couldn't wait to see what it had in store.