I am going to change the rating to M just to be on the safe side. Thank you all for taking the time to read this, remember it isn't beta'd and SM owns it all.
Chapter 7
The next few weeks flew by. Bella had been working daily with Aro harnessing her shield. Now that she could access it at will her next step was to project it over another person protecting them. This was harder for her to do but Aro was very patient, after all they had nothing but time. Felix on the other hand was much more persistent with his training, he was brutal and relentless placing her in situation after situation of having to defend herself, he was impressed that she was a quick learner but that only made him push her harder. She loved that he never treated her like something breakable. He knew she was important to Aro and would not let up until he knew she would be able to protect herself no matter the situation.
She had also become fast friends with Heidi. When Demetri introduced them to each other she was ecstatic to have someone to take shopping, Bella cringed thinking her to be another Alice but her love of shopping is where the similarities ended, she let Bella pick what she wanted only making suggestions, this in turn encouraged her to want to try different things and the end result was a very well rounded wardrobe.
Heidi also liked going out into the town at night, she loved the human interaction and not just as a means for getting lunch. They would spend the whole night dancing and flirting with the local men and tourists, well Heidi flirted while Bella struggled to keep up with the conversation, her Italian, while improving daily was still at an elementary level. When the men would get a little too rowdy or pushy Demetri was always right there to rescue her.
Demetri. That was the one relationship that she did not expect. He was very charming and true to his word never left her side, but unlike Edward he wasn't pushy or overbearing, he was there because both of them wanted him there. When she needed her space he gave it to her without question. She had discovered they had many things in common, most especially their love of art. They spent hours talking about everything from their human lives to American football, which he loved and she never could understand. After numerous failed attempts to explain it he jokingly gave up calling her hopeless. The whole "Passion" topic never came up again but she knew he was just being patient. He had eternity after all.
With freedom Bella blossomed. Her exuberance, innocence and newfound appreciation for life were infectious and she was soon the darling of the guard. Caius ignored her and made no secret of his favoritism towards Jane but Aro and Marcus were captivated by her charm and even Sulpica took her under her wing, guiding and molding her like she would a child. Bella thrived from her attention since her own mother had been the child in their relationship and Sulpica was happy for a second chance. She thought when Aro turned Jane that she would get her chance to have a daughter but she was not as receptive to being coddled as Bella was, Jane always had an ulterior motive and most were afraid of her, this may have also been a reason for the guard to embrace Bella and her gift, she would be able to protect them from Jane and her tantrums which usually ended up with an innocent bystander on the ground writhing in pain.
Jane was the only person who resented Bella's presence, not only did she lose her position as Aros' favorite but she had also lost Demetri. There had never been anything between them, but of course that didn't stop her from falling in love with him, centuries earlier she confessed her feelings and his response was not expected, he told her he was flattered but he would never see her as anything but a child. From that point on any woman he got involved with she would find and torture until they promised to never see him again, but with Bella that was impossible and she had to sit by and watch him fall more and more in love with her every day even though she didn't feel the same way. But Jane wasn't stupid, she knew it was only a matter of time until she returned his feelings since they were literally always together.
Overall life in Volterra was good, the only exception was their choice of food. Bella kept any comments and her opinions to herself and Aro always excused her before the innocent walking happy meals were led into the room, she would go as far as she could to get away from the screams. Several times Demetri took her hunting to get her away but even he had to eat. The first time he had accompanied her was embarrassing at best. She was self-conscious knowing she was different but he gave her space and let her hunt keeping a safe distance away but still close enough to get to her quickly if needed. After she had drained two deer she joined him and he started to chuckle.
"Ah my Bella, look at you, you look like the naughty toddler who got into the Christmas plum pudding" He lifted her blood covered fingers and placed them into his mouth gently sucking them clean while turning her insides into mush, "It's not bad if one was starving but I am sorry it is not for me, I do have to admit though I love the effect animal blood has on your eyes. Maybe next time we should bring you a bib." He started laughing and she just rolled her eyes at his teasing as he drew her into a hug, "how about I teach you how to drain your prey without wasting most of it and spilling it all over your clothes?" she nodded as he led her home.
After she had been with the Volturi about two months she was summoned to Aro and Supica's private apartments. Demetri escorted her and once there turned to leave, she grabbed his arm stopping him. "Where are you going?" he kissed her knuckles and smiled.
"I was not summoned you were, don't worry, you will be fine. I will be back to escort you back to your room unless you can find your own way?"
"No! I mean I can find my way but I want you to come back, or did you have other things to do I don't want to keep you?"
"No, I will be here, go now, you don't want to keep them waiting", he gently pushed her towards the door and walked away, she knocked softly and entered when she was told to. "Ah here is my Bella, come sit with me dear and keep me company, I have barely seen you these last few days. What has been occupying your time, a handsome young man perhaps?" Sulpica patted the seat next to her and she immediately sat down.
"I have missed you too and what handsome young man would you be referring to?" Bella teased.
"I think you know, but I did not call you here to gossip, at least not yet. Aro has some news and I wanted to be here in case you needed my support, he will be here in a moment, he is finishing up a phone call. So how is Demetri, he has also been mysteriously absent the last few days"
"He took me on a trip to Rome but of course you knew that, I have never seen such architectural wonders, oh to be able to live in that time and see the city in its prime"
"Well it was pretty but to be honest it wasn't one of my favorite periods, too much political strife, oh but the baths, the Roman baths were heavenly and the men, let me tell you Bella that was when men were real men" she was giggling like a teenager when Aro entered the room.
"And what do my favorite ladies find so amusing this evening?" he smiled as he kissed them both on the cheek, loving the laughter that Bella brought to his wife's eyes, replacing the sorrow from never having children of her own.
"Nothing Darling, just reminiscing about Rome, so did you get all of the information you needed?" Aro nodded at his wife and turned to Bella.
"Bella, I just got off the phone with my old friend Carlisle, it was one of many calls over the last few weeks and I am afraid he won't be put off any longer. They miss you my dear and want to see that you are well. They will be coming to visit as soon as arrangements can be made" She grabbed Sulpica's hand; panic filling her eyes as she looked between them.
"Do I have to leave? Are they coming to take me back to England? Have I displeased you in some way, if so I am so sorry, I will do better?" Aro quickly sat next to her taking up her free hand and patting it in attempts to calm her.
"No, No, No my dear Bella, they just want to visit. You have free will my dear, it will be your choice whether to stay or leave, but just so you know we want you to stay, you have brought joy to many of our lives and you yourself have also changed we will not let them take you if that is not what you want" Aro was a shrewd man, it was common knowledge Chelsea's gift would not work on Bella and he knew that by giving her all of his trust and the things she most desired he had earned her loyalty the old fashioned way but in the process the girl had also captured a piece of his old cold lifeless heart. She made most of his guard happy, especially his beloved Sulpica and for that alone she would always be cherished.
"Oh ok, then I am telling you now, I want to stay, please, I am finally happy with my life, they will only oppress me, keep me in their little Cullen bubble and I am afraid that is no longer an option for me, I love my independence and I love my new home and I especially love my new family." Aro inwardly gloated, he had succeeded and he knew the Cullen's were going to try to talk her into going back with them and that would only help his cause even more. He hadn't lied, if she wanted to leave he would let her but he made damn sure she wouldn't want to leave.
"Is a certain young man included in this new family you speak of" Sulpica loved to tease her Bella, her reactions were so full of humanity and completely addictive, she could only laugh as Bella put her face in her hands nodding her head yes. Aro nodded to Renata to send for Demetri and she discreetly left the room before he addressed Bella.
"I am glad. I thought you two would get along well, he has had a long and lonely life and you have made him happy, even if it is just as friends. Thank you for that Bella. Demetri has been like a son to me and the cause of his unhappiness is not his fault but the fault of others, ask him and maybe one day he will tell you his story, you will then understand him even more I expect" there was a soft knock on the door and Demetri walked in with Renata. "Ah Demetri, here you are, you could have stayed I did not mean for you to leave"
"My apologies, I did not know you wanted me to stay," he noticed both of them holding Bella's hands and his brow furrowed in concern, "Is something wrong?"
"No, not wrong, Bella just received some unwelcome news, perhaps you can escort her back to her quarters, I believe she is in need of a friend. I would escort her myself but I am going to take my beautiful wife for a walk through the village, we'll leave you young folks to find your own amusements" with that they both gave Bella a kiss on her cheek and he led Sulpica from the room.
"I love how he calls you young when you are over 1100 years old, what does that make me in the grand scheme of things, an embryo" He chuckled at her joke as he led her back to her room.
"Are you going to tell me what that was all about?" she looked around nervously.
"I will tell you in a minute, too many ears in these walls. Have I thanked you for our trip to Rome? I had a wonderful time" He smiled down at her, his eyes full of adoration and something else she couldn't quite define.
"Yes, you have, and you are welcome. Here we are, lets get changed and spend the evening in, you look like you have a lot on your mind. I am going to go and get into something more comfortable and will be back in a minute." He kissed her cheek and was gone in a flash. Bella entered her apartment and hung up her cloak. She walked through the sitting room and realized she actually felt exhausted.
Deciding she needed a moment to herself she went to take a shower, she knew Demetri would let himself in so she took her time, letting the hot water wash away her stress. She got out, combed her hair, brushed her teeth, got dressed in a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top and made her way to the sitting room where Demetri was laying on the couch watching TV. She stood in the doorway watching him and couldn't help but smile, very few people got to see him like this, his black hair was messy, but in a sexy way and he was wearing a pair of grey sweats and a plain black t-shirt with white socks, he looked like a normal twenty-three year old chilling on the couch, not an 1100 year old vampire who has seen more in his life than she could possibly imagine, noticing her he lifted his red eyes to meet hers, red eyes that no longer bothered her but captivated her.
"What are you looking at?" he knew she had been watching him; sometimes his super senses were as bad as the wolves. That and her bodies increasing reactions to him lately had been the cause of her embarrassment on more than one occasion.
"You" she smiled and walked over to the couch, curling up against him as he wrapped her in his arms. This was normal for them, they had become very close and would often cuddle while watching a movie or even spend hours in her bed just holding each other in companionable silence.
"Are you going to tell me what Aro was talking about?" He started to comb his fingers through her hair, relaxing her even more.
"Yeah, but can we go to bed first, I feel like snuggling under the covers" he nodded and followed her into her room after locking up. It almost made him feel human when they did this and he couldn't remember a time in his 1100 years he'd been happier. Shutting her bedroom door he joined her in the bed pulling her up against him in their normal talking position while he continued to play with her hair.
"The Cullen's are coming to visit" she felt him stiffen and the hand in her hair stilled, "I guess they miss me and want to make sure I'm alright, I think they believe I'm being forced to stay here, if only they knew how wrong they were." he relaxed at her statement and his hand resumed its course.
"How do you feel about it, do you want to see them, see him?" she knew exactly who "him" was. They had spent hours talking about her and Edward's relationship, and her feelings for him. He believed in the beginning he was compelling her and now she was inclined to agree, she had always felt an unnatural pull to him. He told her the reason she was still able to have such strong feelings for Jacob and regret being turned was because her feelings for Edward were never real and after she turned and was no longer able to be compelled she realized he didn't mean as much to her as she thought and it only made her regret everything more since she hadn't done it for love.
"No, I really don't. I am finally happy. I know they are going to try to talk me into coming back, to manipulate me. They have always been able to, I'm scared I won't be able to tell them no." he moved them so she was lying under him and they were face to face looking into each others eyes.
"Bella, your not that person anymore. Your strong and independent and beautiful and confident, you have built a life here. You don't need to worry you will be able to stand up for yourself. Besides you can't leave yet, I still need to teach you all about "passion" remember?" he wiggled his eyebrows making her laugh.
"Oh really I wasn't aware you were giving me lessons, when exactly did they start?" he got unusually quiet and his eyes went to her lips, his tongue seductively ran over his own lips wetting them as he slowly lowered his head and right before their lips met he whispered, "right now."
