Author's Note: Hey guys, I know it's been forever, but hopefully a double upload will make up for it. I swear, I'm trying to update everything, but it'll take a while. Thanks for your patience.

Chapter 14

"Bella," Edward repeated, taking a step towards the brunette.

Immediately, Kachiri and Senna were between them, crouched to attack as they let out twin hisses in warning. Zafrina also started to move in front of Bella, only for the newborn to instead back up into Zafrina's arms, seeking the comfort only her mate's embrace could bring. Even though she loved Zafrina more than anything, more than she thought she had ever loved Edward, seeing the family that had abandoned her still felt like someone had turned her undead heart into a pincushion.

Sensing her mate's need for reassurance, instead of challenging Edward, Zafrina wrapped her arms around her mate from behind, nuzzling Bella's neck and kissing it in reassurance. It made Edward snarl, which made Zafrina look up from her mate, pinning Edward with a glare as she growled right back.

"Watch yourself, boy," Zafrina spoke softly, but everyone could hear it as clearly as if she had spoken right in their ear. They could also hear the lethal threat in her voice, and knew they had to tread carefully. Even Edward couldn't bring himself to reply, or even hiss at Zafrina, despite the fact that she was still holding Bella.

"My apologies, Zafrina. We had heard that Bella had disappeared around here and simply wanted to find her. When we saw her, now a vampire, and, well…" Carlisle trailed off, hesitant about finishing the sentence. So instead, he skipped over it, saying, "We were simply taken by surprise."

It was hard for Bella not to roll her eyes. In fact, it was hard for her not to launch herself at Edward and rip the life out of him. Not only was she hurt that now of all times they had decided to show up, but that they actually were acting like they cared. Like they hadn't left Bella all alone without a word. If Zafrina hadn't been here, hadn't been holding her, Bella wouldn't have been able to keep calm. However, she didn't have much restraint beyond that, so she didn't say a word. Instead, she clung to Zafrina and focused on keeping her body still.

"You're not exactly welcome here," Kachiri said, straightening from her crouch along with her mate. "We heard what you and your coven did to Isabella, and none of us are happy about this. Especially Zafrina."

"We did what was best for her!" Edward declared hotly, his eyes darkening with anger. "She needed to be protected from us. We put her in too much danger."

"So you left her. You left a human who knew your secret alone, angry, heartbroken, and lost. And you didn't even have second thoughts?" Kachiri asked. Senna wrapped an arm around Kachiri, trying to keep her calm. Neither even dared glance back at Zafrina, knowing just how furious their coven leader was at the Cullens' very presence. Even with all of their years as vampires, the restraint Zafrina was showing just now was amazing, and they didn't dare risk it by having Zafrina speak.

The Cullens all looked stunned and nervous, some even looked dumbstruck like the idea never even occurred to them. But some, like Alice, Esme, and Emmett, seemed upset by the events, like they hadn't wanted any of this to happen, and that's what stopped Kachiri from simply telling them to leave. That, and the fact that their new sister might want to extract a pound or ten of flesh in retribution for what they had done to her.

"We have made a mistake," Carlisle admitted, albeit reluctantly as he nodded his head. "But we love her. She's like a daughter to me, and as we are here, I think it is clear that we couldn't stay away."

Bella felt her upper lip lift in a snarl of disgust at Carlisle's words. They had come here, to the Amazon Rainforest, to search for her? They had to have known how long she had been missing, and the chances of finding her alive, unless they were stupidly optimistic. So what Carlisle really seemed to mean was that they couldn't stay away knowing Bella was dead. Did they have some kind of hopes of recovering her dead body and giving it to Charlie, as if that would make up for what they had done to her?

It sounded like an incredibly stupid idea to her, but honestly, that was the only possible option. It wasn't like they honestly expected to find Bella unharmed in this forest after having gotten lost with two experienced guides. And if they knew the Amazons well enough, they couldn't have expected them to have left Bella alive. It was only a mix of luck and destiny that made Zafrina recognize Bella as her mate in the first place.

It was her own thoughts that caused a well of fury in the newborn, one that even Zafrina's embrace couldn't soothe. And that caused Bella to snap.

With a snarl, she attempted to lunge at the Cullens, but Zafrina held her back, tightening her grip around her furious mate. Not because she didn't want Bella to hurt those who had hurt her, but because if Bella attacked, the Cullens would defend themselves, and Zafrina wasn't about to risk her mate getting hurt.

All of the Cullens stared at Bella, wide eyed and shell shocked. None could believe that the once docile, sweet brunette had become such an angry beast and would actually try to attack them. Jasper, however, was quick to jump into action and tried to calm everyone, especially Bella and Zafrina, down. Tried being the operative word, as his ability had no effect on all four of the Amazons, three of which were not just wise and experienced from all their years as vampires, but simply too worked up for it to work on.

"Calm, mate," Zafrina whispered in Bella's ear, causing Edward to hiss and crouch as if he would attack her.

"She isn't yours! Bella is mine!" he snarled, attempting to lunge at Zafrina. Only for Kachiri and Senna to intercept even before any of the other Cullens could react, taking him to the ground with Kachiri grabbing him by the neck, one knee pinning one of his arms, the other pinning his chest. Senna grabbed his face, one leg across his hips, her other hand holding his other arm down. All it would take is one pull from both of them, and his head would be ripped right off.

Bella, who had begun to settle with Zafrina's words, began to struggle again, Edward's words serving to infuriate her further and drive her to go in for the kill. It took all of Zafrina's strength to hang onto her as she looked up, meeting a horrified Carlisle's eyes.

"One reason. Give us one," Zafrina told his, her voice deadly calm.

Knowing Carlisle would be confused, Kachiri and Senna both twisted their hands, just a little, but more than enough to make the flesh of Edward's neck crack and start to separate. The vampire let out a howl and tried to struggle, to protect himself, but neither seemed to notice. Instead, they also stared up at Carlisle as Esme cried out in pain and dismay at what they were doing to her son.

"Give us one reason not to sever our ties with you and kill Edward for what he has done to our leader's mate, and for what he had just tried to do to our leader," Kachiri clarified, her tone just as dangerous as Zafrina's.

"Please, we can discuss this civilly," Carlisle tried to plead, but it was clear that he wasn't getting anywhere with any of them. "Edward believed he was doing what was best for Bella, what was necessary to keep her safe. And we all believed, as Bella was his mate, that he knew what was best."

"Except he isn't her mate!" Zafrina snarled. "Isabella is mine!"

"Shut up, Edward!" Alice snapped a second before Edward opened his mouth to protest. She then focused her attention on Bella, who had finally started to calm once again, still in Zafrina's embrace. And Alice was heartbroken, not at her best friend's fury, but knowing that she and her family had done this to her. "I had always seen Bella happy as a vampire, and I believed that Edward was the reason. Clearly, I was wrong."

Bella finally calmed, Alice and Zafrina's words piercing through the haze of rage in her brain. That's right, they were wrong. All of the Cullens were wrong. Bella's existence was meant to be entwined with Zafrina's from the beginning, and the Cullens were only a way for Bella to have gotten to where she was now.

Of course, she still wanted to make Edward pay for what he had done to her, for how he had left her, broken and alone in a forest much more isolating than the one she was in now. But a blind attack on Edward wasn't the way to do it.

"We still see no reason. You must pay," Zafrina hissed. While a large part of her was relieved her mate was no longer in so much emotional pain that she lost control, she was still angry herself. She needed them to suffer for what they had done, regardless of how brainless their actions were.

Absently, Bella ran her fingers along Zafrina's arms, distracting the coven leader. Eyes now at half mast, Zafrina gazed down at the reason for her existence and stroked Bella's bare stomach, making the newborn purr and lean back into Zafrina. Neither knew it, but they had effectively shut out the world around them, soothing each other as they focused solely on each other.

That was soon interrupted by Edward's roar of rage as the wind shifted, and he caught a sniff of not just their mingled scents, but their spent passion. Knowing they had sex had pushed him over the boiling point, and even his family's cries of him to calm down and not upset them couldn't stop him from trying to get up and rip Zafrina apart.

However, suddenly losing both arms did, and he froze in disbelief as Kachiri and Senna casually tossed his limbs into the forest on either side of them.

"Next time, it's his head," Kachiri told the Cullens, and it was clear this was no idle threat, even before they shifted on top of the vampire so that they could hold the rest of Edward down.

Esme looked ready to cry as she looked between Bella in Zafrina's arms, now glaring at the bronze haired male, and her first son. None of the other Cullens knew what to say for a long moment, although many thought Edward deserved it. While their thoughts about Edward did nothing to keep the vampire in question cool, he didn't move or even bare his teeth in his anger. And he wouldn't, so long as Kachiri and Senna kept him pinned. But just in case, Jasper focused his power on Edward, keeping him compliant.

"Emmett, Jasper, retrieve Edward's arms," Carlisle told the two males softly. Both nodded before separating from the group to do as told, both keeping a wary eye on the Amazons in case they would attack. None of the four moved, although Kachiri and Senna watched the two males as Zafrina and Bella kept their eyes on the remaining Cullens.

"Carlisle, do you have nothing to say?" Kachiri asked, sensing the prod from Zafrina, even as she kept her eyes on Jasper. "Do you, too, see no reason as to why Edward should be allowed to live?"

"Of course not," Carlisle spoke hastily as Esme sobbed. "I simply wish to make sure we do not make the situation and our bonds any worse."

"It's a little too late for that," Rosalie muttered, only to get shushed by Esme. But it was clear from brief eye contact with Alice that they were in agreement.

Jasper and Emmett returned to Carlisle with Edward's arms, which they both held loosely in one hand and not with the care of brothers. Nobody seemed to notice or care about this as Carlisle stepped forward, his hands out pleadingly. He stopped immediately when all four Amazons hissed at him.

"Please, Zafrina. We've all been friends for so long," he said, trying to reason with her. His eyes moved to Bella, but at the intense glare he received from the red eyed newborn and hiss he received from Zafrina, he quickly focused back on the coven leader. "I do not want our friendship to be hurt by this, and I want to make up for what we have done to Bella. But I cannot stand by and let you kill my son. There has to be another way."

Zafrina tightened her grip on Bella, which caused the newborn to look up at her, more worried about her mate's emotional state than the fate of the Cullens. Zafrina looked down at her, before giving Bella a quick kiss of reassurance. Bella focused back on the Cullens, and Zafrina rested her chin on Bella's head.

"And if there isn't?" Zafrina asked, her voice as cold as ice.

She stared into Carlisle's eyes, and the answer was clear. If Edward's life was on the line, the Cullens would go to war.