Chapter 25 – Home
JPOV
Bella leaned against me as we walked through her favorite room. The library was her refuge for when she wanted to be alone. She looked around the room and was happy for the peace. There was no evidence of any fight in here. She needed some tranquility now. We walked down the stairs and I hoped things were back to normal. Bella suddenly stopped on the step. I looked back at her, "What is it?" Her face was impassive as she looked at me, biting down on her full lip. My hand rested on her cheek, "Angel?" Her eyes closed for a moment, then her arms locked around my neck. My arms held her, revealing in the feel of her slender body against mine.
I felt her pain as she remembered Bryan appearing from the thick fog he created around her, then seeing him as a monstrous snake, ready to strike at her. She hated snakes. They've scared her since she was a child living in Phoenix. Bella was only twelve when she found a rattlesnake in her kitchen. Her mother got her out of the room before it could bite Bella, but Bella was scared for life. Bryan used her greatest fear against her and my only regret was I did not kill him myself for doing that to her.
If you want, I can remove the memories of his assault. Bella shook her head, "No, it's just that…" She shuddered and lowered herself to sit on the step. My mind touched hers; seeing that she was terrified for me. She recalled seeing me standoff with Bryan; a sight she never wanted. At first, she would have feared for Bryan, had he remain human. Now, she feared for me. Lightly touching her face, I sent her feelings of reassurance for her safety, "Rand taught him much in a short amount of time. The power he displayed; one of our kind would have to be a few centuries old to know them well enough to use them."
I sat with her, putting my arm over her shoulders. Mon petit chère, what can I do? She nestled her head on my shoulder, moving herself closer into my side. Bella rested her hand on my chest and inhaled deeply. A smile curved her lips, Just stay here with me. She didn't want to move from this step and I was happy to oblige her. Her emotions were confusing, but one thing was clear; she needed to be near her lifemate. Bella was scared of Bryan threatening her and his intentions of separating us. She believed that after everything, the worse thing for her was for the two of us being apart.
I had to agree. Finding her gone, not knowing where she was, then seeing her at the hands of that vampire; it was enough to drive me mad. All Bella wanted was for the two of us to stay here alone. My chin brushed her cheek, They are waiting for us. She didn't move a muscle, Let them wait. This was a tempting thought, but I pulled her to her feet, The sooner we see your family, the sooner you and I could be alone. She smiled at me and let me pull her to her feet.
Bella leaned against me as we walked to Mikhail's study. The heat from her body coursed through mine. I would never get enough of it. She looked up to see Carlisle standing by the doorway as he spoke with Byron. The sound of our heartbeats moving as one registered in Carlisle's mind, Bella? She smiled, "Carlisle." He turned toward us and smiled. Bella stepped away from me to hug Carlisle. I watched their embrace and she was curious that I didn't feel some hesitation letting her near another man.
Why should I be jealous of your father, chère? She stepped out of the hug hearing Esme gasp loudly, "Bella, you're bleeding!" Her clothes suffered some stains from the vampire's blood. Without her knowing it, I burned away the poisonous blood from her clothes, but the blood still ruined her garment. Esme guided her into the bright light to examine Bella. My love glanced down at her dress, "It's not mine. It's Bryan's. I stabbed him in the heart." "Really?" Emmett asked excitedly. Damn, my sister is badass. Bella laughed at his thought, making her smile once more.
I went over to her to hold her shoulders, explaining how she killed Bryan. This was a first for my people; a Carpathian woman killing a vampire. Esme lowered herself onto the couch, My goodness. Well, Bella does have a temper. It seemed that Emmett was the proudest of her, after me, of course. His smile only grew as I described how Bella looked as she plunged the dapper into the undead's chest and ripped his heart from his chest, "Man, I wish I could have seen that." Bella looked up at me; she wanted to grant his wish. I nodded, He is your brother. Let him see you at your bravest.
Bella went over to Emmett, covering his eyes with her hands and she sent the memory of the fight into his mind. Emmett saw her determination, despite her fear. He watched as she dug the blade into Bryan's chest, making the blood pour out, he saw how she pulled out the still beating heart and saw the body fell at her feet. Emmett saw all this from Bella's eyes. He looked down on the corpse as if he were truly there. The jeweled dagger jutted out of the flames, glinting wetly from the blood in the night.
Emmett blinked as Bella moved her hand from his eyes and smiled widely, "I'm so proud of you, I could bust!" His stone like arms wrapped around Bella tightly. My body locked down seeing another man hugging my woman. Brother or not, she was in pain. The breath was knocked out of her from the tight embrace. Emmett quickly let her back on her feet, "Sorry, Bell." Emmett looked at me, Sorry, man. I was just happy for her.
Raven sat silently behind Mikhail's desk. He was still gone with Gregori. Mikhail kept his mind silent and it was taking its toll on Raven. Bella looked over to Raven and knew she was troubled. "Mikhail asked that Emmett and I to come back to you here," Carlisle explained. Raven ran her fingers through her hair. She tried not to let it show, but she worried about Mikhail. Bella went to sit with her sister, trying to comfort her, He'll be back soon. Raven and Bella leaned their heads close together. Bella knew what it felt like to not feel your lifemate's mental touch. Raven kept her tears to herself, only letting Bella see them.
My brother's mind was not silent to me. Brother, Raven is stricken with grief.
As am I. We have found much. I am on my way. Dr. Cullen was a great asset. He was able to decipher their research and the chemical compounds they were working on.
At the laboratory, Carlisle was as horrified as we were finding innocent people locked up. The fanaticals developed a poison that was effective on our people. Gregori took samples and destroyed the rest. He, Aidan and Carlisle were going to work together in developing a cure. Gregori wasn't happy about this, but it was ordered by Mikhail. Carlisle had extensive knowledge of human chemicals and he was sure that he would find a cure soon. Carlisle was already coming up with formulas before he and Gregori could begin their work. "I would need a sample of blood to ensure that the formula would work." Emmett outdid Gregori as he terrified the men. There was a dark side to Emmett that he kept to himself. The way he was with Bella and Raven now, laughing and making her smile, you wouldn't have known. He managed to make Raven smile as she missed my brother. "Emmett, I am not a damsel in distress." He laughed boisterously, "Right, you're not." Raven leaned her head on Bella's shoulder.
Bella glanced at me, Please tell me Mikhail is on his way. I nodded once, answering her question. Her eyes closed in relief, Thank goodness. Alice pulled Raven to sit on the couch, "Stop moping. Mikhail is on his way home. I can see him and he's just fine." The vision of my brother walking through the front door was on Alice's mind. On the edges, the vision was blurred, as were her first visions of Bella. "How come it's clearer than your first ones?" Bella asked. Alice shook her head, "I still can't get used to this. You; a mind reader." She smiled, showing perfect white teeth, "Because I'm used to you now. I think I saw you so well, even though you weren't human because I'm so attuned to you. Even when you were human, I had clear visions of you."
Raven remained silent as the hour came to a close. She fretted for Mikhail and hoped for his return soon. Carlisle, Byron and I spoke of what was learned this evening. I glanced at Bella, who was captivating as she smiled and laughed with Alice. Esme came over to where I stood with her husband. "Carlisle," she handed him a small silver phone. A voice came over the phone, "Carlisle, you were right. They had a whole facility here. There were no victims, but Edward and Jasper are wiping their computers." Carlisle sighed heavily; he dreaded the thought of someone dying. "How many?" The woman's voice continued to come over the phone, "Just five. It was late. We didn't want to burn down the place though. Jasper is taking out the support beams, so the building will collapse on its own."
Bella looked at Carlisle while he spoke, listening to their conversation. Angel, do not worry. This is for the best. She shook her head, The best? Her voice was scathing, Well, they did it to themselves being in such a macabre business. Did they really think no one was going to catch on?
Humans can be full of themselves, thinking they're invincible.
She nodded slowly, casting her eyes down. She thought of the rest of the Cullens, seeing them with blood red eyes after killing the butchers. It was unsettling seeing her thoughts linger on her former love. Bella thought of herself standing in front of Edward and he was watching her as he did before. The thought faded away as she focused back on comforting Raven. My fist clinched as my woman thought of another man, but it couldn't be helped. I could remove every thought of Edward Cullen from her mind, but I won't. She would be upset with me for meddling with her mind any more than I already have.
I know Bella's heart is mine, but I cannot control what happened in her past. All I knew was how she would be treated in the future. I won't stop her from reminiscing about her past. Bella's told me much of the things she's done and I learned more as I merged our minds while she slept. I was shocked that she tried such daring things, in rebellion to the promise she made to Edward. My angel had a daredevil streak for some time.
Carlisle hung up his phone and looked at Esme, "They've already taken care of three." Esme nodded and stepped into Carlisle's curved arm. Emmett huffed, "I just keep missing the fun." Bella smacked his arm, "And you call me a 'danger magnet?' Well. at least for you, you won't be hurt." Emmett mussed Bella's hair, "Then maybe its better I'm here to keep you out of trouble." Bella rolled her eyes dramatically, "Great, another babysitter." Emmett laughed, along with Alice and Esme. She hated being the center of attention and having people worry that they must care for her. Bella was the one to care for others and it was strange to have others care for her.
Raven was still silent as she watched the glass doors. Bella took Raven's hand, pulling her from the couch, Come with me. The two of them disappeared into the hall. My heart flipped seeing my lifemate leave my sight. I could feel where she was, but it was still difficult not seeing her with my own eyes. "Raven, honey, you know he's on his way home. Mikhail will be here soon." Raven breathing picked up, "I know, but I can't feel him. It's like he's dead. I've been through this before and it nearly killed me." Bella hugged Raven, much like sisters would. "I know. That's why I'm not leaving you alone. We can beat him up together for putting you through this. Remember, we planned to do that when we saw that they were gone." Raven laughed, while wiping away a stray tear.
At that very moment, Mikhail walked through the front door, anxious to see Raven. Bella, come back inside. My brother needed his lifemate. Bella patted Raven's arm, "Stay here, I'll be right back and don't go near any sharp items." Raven laughed hoarsely again. My brother took in his lifemate's face, seeing dried tears down her face. Raven fought from crying as she saw Mikhail.
Bella came back into the study and took my hand. Feeling Bella's hand in mine calmed my frantic heart. She rested her hand on my chest, What's the matter? Your heart was beating so quickly.
You have one guess.
She smiled a heartbreaking smile, realizing the answer, Because I left the room. Is it that big a deal?
My mind instantly went to the night she was taken. My pain, my rage; choking at every rational thought I had. Stop! she said quickly. Bella turned her brown eyes on me, You promised you weren't going to think about that anymore.
My arm went around her waist, I know, but I can't help the way it made me feel. You were gone.
I pulled Bella to the armchair, having her sit in my lap. She leaned against me, nestling against my neck. Mikhail and Raven walked through the door, smiling only at each other. Raven's mood completely changed as she was with my brother again. Mikhail spoke of the one's they followed. The ones named Tony and Marco were terrified for their lives as they saw two wolves stalking them. Carlisle and Emmett listened intently, as Esme and Alice sat on the couch. My lips brushed Bella's cheek, as she was becoming nervous. I couldn't help thinking about seeing her plunge the dagger into the vampire's chest. It was I who wanted to do that to Bryan who dared to take her from me.
I knew you wanted to do that, she said smugly, catching me in my fantasy, I knew you wanted to kill him.
I looked at her, Can you blame me? As much as I wanted that for myself, nothing was more pleasing than seeing you do it. I let her see the scene from where I stood; letting her see the look in her own eyes, glinting with a hint of rage. Seeing the knife in her hand as she pushed it into his chest. Bella saw her own anger from him insulting her sister. No woman would take pleasure in the kill, but mine did. Even with the spray of blood hitting her clothes, she never looking more beautiful as she did bring justice to the vampire. Bella stood over her kill, watching the life leave the body and breathing slowly. In its own way, the scene was almost alluring. My arms tightened around her body, My God, I love you.
Bella smiled sweetly, Really? Of all the things we've done or you've seen me do, you've never loved me more than that moment. I leaned down to kiss her, but she pulled away. It hurt to see her reject me for a moment. She met my eyes, then glanced over to the others. Carlisle and Esme were in the room and she felt them as her parents. She didn't feel comfortable kissing me in front of them. It's not that. It's where our kissing leads to; that's not what something I want them to see. All I could do was smile, but she was right. One touch of Bella's lips and I was ready to have her.
Byron spoke with Mikhail in our language. "I did all that I could, but in the end, it was Bella who killed the vampire." Mikhail dipped his head once, "I know. I thank you on my brother's behalf. Thank you for protecting our women." I looked at Byron, seeing that he wanted to do this. Jacques, I only hope this makes for my mistakes before.
My fingers pulled through Bella's hair, There was no mistake. You were wounded badly.
Byron shook his head, I should have died rather than let that happen.
Seeing Bella smiling and happy once more, that night began to fade. It is the past now. She is safe now, thanks to you. Byron, you and I have fought side by side for centuries. I trust you with my life..
Byron glanced at Bella as I held her, And I've never let you down. But with your woman, I wronged you.
Bella looked at him, knowing he still felt guilty, Byron, it wasn't your fault. Please, stop torturing yourself.
I don't deserve your mercy, Bella. You are far too kind.
Her head fell backwards, You men are so stubborn. I did it of my own accord. I wanted to protect you and Raven. Now get over it.
My arms tightened around her, Angel, Byron feels that he should have protected you when I wasn't there.
She stood up and crossed the room to the glass doors, I've heard all this before and it's getting old. Bella went outside into the night. Alice stood to go after Bella. "No, Alice, I'll get her." Alice's gold eyes looked at me, "It's ok, Jacques. I can…" "No," I said quickly, "It is my responsibility to see to her." Alice exhaled, fighting against her old instincts of seeing to her friend. "Alice," Carlisle spoke in a soft tone, "it is their way. And it is Bella's way now too. Leave her to Jacques." Alice bowed her head once and took her seat again with Emmett, who put his arm over her shoulder. To Alice, she always comforted Bella when she was upset. They were best friends and, before she came here, Bella and Alice relayed on each other often.
Bella sat on the marble bench, pulling her legs up onto the bench. Her arms curved around her legs as she watched the clouds drift by. Her hair fell over her shoulders. She tugged at the sleeves of her sweater, pulling down past her wrists. Angel, it is cold. She sighed, It's ok. I just wanted to get out of the room.
We didn't mean to upset you. I am sorry.
She smiled and shook her head, Don't apologize. I went over to sit with her. She leaned against me and shivered a bit, I really just wanted to be by myself for a moment.
Do you want me to leave?
She brushed her cheek against my shoulder, Don't leave. It's just that, she hesitated, I'm not really used to sitting around with a big family. Even with the Cullens, it was strange to me that they would all sit around together. I'm getting used to it, but I do love our time alone.
I smiled and lightly kissed her lips, So do I.
And don't you be upset with Byron anymore.
I'm not, I said in innocence, I only wish he would not berate himself. Byron proved himself when he aided me in my search for you and staying off the vampire until I got there. He abided by our laws. Bella didn't agree with all of them, but it was our way. The wind drifted through the courtyard, blowing leaves along the tiled floor, drawing Bella's attention. She half-smiled as she watched them dance. She drifted her hand and the leaves swirled into the air, caught in the small twister she was creating. I love doing that.
I smiled and kissed her hair, "I have a surprise for you." Alice scoffed suddenly from inside, "Good luck with that. Bella hates surprises." I shook my head, "She's never had one from me." Bella looked at me with skepticism, "Come again? I've had nothing but surprises from the day I met you." I amended the thought, "Well, not today." Bella leaned away from me, "What is it then?"
Hearing my call, Mikhail and Raven came outside. He was more impressed with Bella than anyone. A fledgling and she has killed a vampire.
My arm curved around Bella's waist, heating her body with mine, Esme did say she had a temper. I didn't think it would be that bad.
Mikhail laughed to himself, She's worse than Raven. She is perfect for you.
Thank you, Mikhail, I said annoyed. Raven held Mikhail's hand as they walked over to us. Bella and I stood up and I leaned to whisper in her ear, My angel, close your eyes.
She closed her eyes, Merge your mind with mine. Bella saw the image in my mind, Let it come over you. Bella inhaled deeply and let the form take over hers. She breathed slowly and opened her eyes. Feathers grew from her as she let her body shift for the first time, Oh my gosh, I'm an owl. Bella was now a tawny owl. Raven had already shifted and waiting for Bella. The two smaller owls stood together. Raven and Bella were laughing in their thoughts. Raven helped Bella in what to do, teaching her how to fly. The four of us floated in the sky. Bella was astonished as she extended her wings, feeling them lift through the wind. Raven laughed with her, This is my favorite thing to do. I could do it all night.
She and Bella flew into the night, twirling their bodies through the air. Raven was laughing as she challenged Bella to keep up with her. My brother and I formed a circle over the smaller owls that were our women. Bella flew through the night with us for the first time, but not her last.