An Animal's Soul- Chapter Twenty-Nine
Rating: M
Pairing: Bella/Alice
A/N: I finally got a new laptop, So I can get back into the swing of typing. I'm hoping to have a new chapter soon, but my daughter is now almost 10 months old. She can keep herself entertained, but I can't help but snuggle her a lot. This whole chapter was typed up on my phone, and is longer then my other chapters.
Don't own anything related to Twilight. Pointless to sue, don't got money.
Enjoy!^^
It was only a few hours later when Jade woke to the feeling of Angela getting out of the bed. She moved to sit up, smiling gently at the brunette when she reached out to help her. When she was resting comfortably against her pillows, she shyly requested that Angela let one of her pack take her home, wanting the girl to get there safely. Angela nodded, and promised to be back the next morning so they could both talk to the police, before quietly leaving the room. Moments after she left the house with Dragon, Rayn was in the room, berating her for getting hurt. Jade smiled through the whole rant, knowing very well that her sister was simply upset. When Rayn was finished, Jade held open her arms, waiting for the hug she knew she would get.
Rayn moved to wrap her arms around her sister gently, mindful of her wound, and blushed deeply when she heard her sister sniff at her neck. She pulled back, knowing that Jade had caught the scent of Alec on her skin. Jade raised her eyebrow in silent question and Rayn explained how she had met Alec and what had taken place when Bella brought him to the Cullen's. She also added that Seth imprinted on Jane, as well as the two children that Dragon asked Rosalie to raise. Jade nodded along, feeling bad for the two people of Dragons line that died, but happy that their children would be loved by someone who knew what they would soon go through with their heritage. It was well past two in the morning when they finished talking, and after a quick meet and greet with Alec, Jade laid back down and allowed herself to fall asleep again.
The next morning, she slowly made her way down the stairs to meet Jane and have some of Esme's delicious cooking, before resting herself on the couch. At about nine, Angela made her way into the house, her mother close behind her. Janice barely stopped herself from running over to the injured girl, pulling Jade into a tight hug and thanking her for protecting her little girl. Jade smiled at the woman, watching as everyone left to do their own things. Carlisle and Esme's stayed, while Emmett and Rosalie were in their room with Zane and Olivia.
The police came around an hour later, taking their statement. They mentioned that Ben seemed freaked and muttered something about an animal attacking him. Jade frowned at them, telling them that she saw no animal, and then recommend having him checked for drug use. The two nodded and thanked them before leaving the house. Janice left a little while after them, thanking Jade again and telling Angela to be home before curfew.
Just after lunch, Alice called and said they could play baseball, and Carlisle and Esme's left to join the others to play. Angela and Jade sat on the couch, TV playing in the background while they talked more about Jade's past. They talked again about Angela's gift, wondering how it worked. At some point, Emmett and Rosalie came down with the kids; Zane ran around the house, playing with his toys, while Rose held baby Olivia snuggled in her arms. Angela asked about the kids, wondering why they were here, and then she asked why the two Cullen's had Shades standing behind them with red eyes.
They both froze, and Jade gently explained that the Cullen's were vampires. They talked about that for a while, before they heard the others heading back from their game. They watched as they all walked in, and they all frowned in confusion at the sight of a redhead with them. Before they could ask, though, Alice was already answering their questions,
"This is Victoria, my maker."
~o0o~
~Earlier that day~
Victoria sighed as she watched James and Laurent finish off their meals, leaving the bodies where they dropped. She really wished she could kill them already, but her instincts were screaming at her to stay with them still. So, with a sigh, she followed them as they left the city, heading into the forest as they made their way through Washington. They were coming close to a cliff when they heard the sound of wood connecting with a ball. James found the ball, and Victoria watched as they raced off to see where it had come from. She followed behind them, coming to a stop next to them. Across the clearing from them, a group of people stood, most of them vampires; for sure, and the rest looked human, but her instincts screamed that they were anything but.
She watched as James and Laurent talked, asking if they could play a couple of rounds with them. She looked at everyone, but her eyes locked with the only vampire that was looking at her, and she froze. Was that… Was that her Mary-Alice staring back at her? She wondered, before noticing the taller woman behind her Childe. The woman stared back at her, her eyes seeming to glow a bit in the light, and the next thing she knew was that she couldn't move. She watched silently as the two vampires with red eyes stepped forward, causing one of the men next to her to scream, while the other simply fell to the ground.
She could barely see out of the corner of her eye as a white haired woman came over to them and held out her hand. Victoria stifled a gasp when she saw lightening form in the palm of the woman's hand, before she flicked it at the two, lighting them on fire nearly instantly. They were on their feet in seconds and running away, but the white haired woman laughed, and the fire covering them burned them to ashes before they could pass the trees they had come from. Moments after the wind blew the piles of dust away; Victoria could feel that she could move again. She instantly crouched, a warning growl forming in her throat as she glared at the group.
Alice smiled shyly, taking a tentative step towards her maker, "Victoria? It's ok… No one will hurt you."
"As much as I would like to believe you, my Childe. I was forced to stay in one spot, and I do not react well to threats." Victoria told her, looking behind the pixie.
"I am sorry for that." Bella said, bowing her head, "But all I did was make you think that your body was frozen. Which was hard to do with your gift. Now, I do need to thank you." She added, walking over to Alice and wrapping her arms around her waist, "You saved my mate from death, and gave us another chance. So thank you Victoria."
After another minute, Victoria nodded and got to her feet, looking at everyone. She stared at the white haired woman for a long moment, making the male next to her snarl. She looked away, feeling something collide with her stomach, and looked down to see Alice wrapped around her middle, hugging her tightly.
"Hello Mary-Alice. I've missed you." She whispered, smiling gently at the short haired girl.
"I go by Alice now… I missed you too, once I remembered you." Alice whispered back.
Victoria frowned, but nodded, figuring that she would ask about that later. She then turned and introduced herself to the others. Thanking them for taking care of her Childe. She listened as Alice introduced each of them, giving a little history for each, before she introduced Bella. Victoria remembered that brief sentence when Alice mentioned 'the other half of her soul' and realized that Bella was who she was talking about all those years ago. The group went back to playing their game, letting Victoria watch them since she didn't want to join; talking with her as they played.
Several hours later, they all headed home, Victoria following behind Alice and Bella. When they got to the house, Alice introduced her to the other half of their family that was sitting in the living room.
~o0o~
The huge group of people gathered in the field, picking teams. When they were all set, they spread out and started playing. They spent just over an hour running around and making comments at each other when they heard the sound of footsteps making their way towards them. They all stopped, gathering in the middle and waited.
Three red-eyed vampires walked out from the line of trees, two males and one female. The males introduced themselves, inquiring if they could join the game. Bella ignored them the moment they entered the field. She knew who they were. She had seen the redhead female in Alice's dreams, and she could guess that the blonde male was the one who was going to hunt her mate when she was human. The other, darker skinned male just happened to choose the wrong coven mate. The moment Victoria locked eyes with her, she delved into her mind, gently looking for the memories she needed. She saw the ones where the red head turned Alice, so her thoughts were confirmed on that account. Then she looked for memories of the two males. When she saw the memory of watching them feed on two kids who could barely be older than Angeles brothers, she knew they would not leave this field alive.
She relayed these thoughts to Rayn, who quietly talked to the twins, and then set about making Victoria believe she was frozen. It was harder to do then with anyone else, since her gift kept trying to fight her command, but after a few moments she was victorious, and the redhead was standing completely still.
The moment Victoria was frozen; Jane unleashed her power on the blonde male, sending him to the ground screaming. Alec stood next to her, forcing Laurent to lose feeling in his entire body. Everyone beside Alice, Bella, and Rayn looked at them, completely confused as to why they were using their gifts. Rayn took one step forward, looking at Alice, she raised her eyebrow, silently asking 'You or me?'Alice looked at her, and then at the man who had hunted her as a human, as much as she wanted to be the one to kill him, she knew it would be more painful if Rayn set him on fire. She nodded to the white tiger, snuggling backwards into her mates arms. Bella kept her eyes on Victoria, keeping the woman in place, but tightened her arms protectively around her little vampire; barely stopping the growl that was forming in her chest.
Rayn walked over to the two men, looking down on them. James was trying desperately to get to his feet, but even he couldn't overrule Jane's gift. She sneered at them, "Hello boys." She said, lifting her hand and allowing her power to manifest itself in her palm, "See the short, dark haired vampire over there? Well she's my sister's mate, and she is my family. You, asshole, decided to hunt her, and while that brought her into our group, it also signed your death warrant. So, if there is a hell, were all people go… please say hello to the devil for me." She told then, flicking her wrist and allowing her power to set them on fire.
The moment they were, the twins let up on their gifts, Jane doing so reluctantly, and everyone watched as they tried to run away, thinking they could put out the flames. They didn't make it far, before their screaming died out and they were nothing more than a pile of ashes. When the wind blew away their ashes, Bella let the woman go, fighting the urge to collapse from the strain she felt. She had to use a lot of energy to keep the woman in place, and now all she wanted to do was curl up next to her mate and sleep.
She watched silently as Alice stepped forward, stopping when her maker crouched. They spoke, and Bella apologized for what she did, but it had been necessary to keep the woman in place. If she hadn't, there would have been a small chance that she'd catch on fire along with the two men. Bella didn't tell the redhead that, though, knowing it would have pissed Victoria off. Then she thanked the woman for changing her mate, and watched how Alice ran to hug the woman, happy to finally meet her as a vampire.
After some introductions, and a little history, the group went back to playing their game, Victoria watching them on the sidelines. They spent a few more hours playing, before heading home, the redhead following behind them. When they got to the house, Alice introduced her maker to the other half of their family. Victoria was shocked at how big their coven was, and Bella gently pointed out that it was a mix of four original ones that eventually merged into one large one.
The large group spent a few hours talking before everyone went off to do their own things. Victoria stayed with her Childe, making up for lost time, and finally asking the questions she had. Alice and Bella went back and forth on answering her, explaining how they met the first time, when Alice had been human, then again when Bella had started school. How they slowly became friends, Alice asking for help in remembering her past, Bella figuring out why she felt so connected with the tiny vampire on that first day. They told about their first date, touched briefly on both Alice's coven, and Bella's pack, how they helped their first friends find their mate in each other, Bella's problem with her parents, and Dragons problem with her brother.
When they were done explaining, it was very late, and Bella curled up around Alice, her head resting gently on her mates lap while the Seer talked with her maker about random things, trying to get to know each other. They spent all night talking, learning each other all over again. When Alice inquired about what her maker would do now, Victoria responded that she wasn't sure. She knew that she didn't want to join the Cullen's. She would not change her diet, she had done a lot of good in the world when she fed, since most, if not all of the people she drained were either rapists or murderers. Alice understood that, but they both agreed that they wanted to stay within close range of each other, not wanting to lose what they just got back.
At some point, Victoria finally registered the nagging feeling of her power, and Alice pointed out that it was mostly because of everyone in the house. Victoria thought on it, and she couldn't help but agree. The last time her power had flared this badly, had been when she met the three kings. It was just after they finished talking about it that Alice had an idea.
"You could live with our Cousins." She nearly exclaimed, stopping herself at the last moment so she didn't wake her mate up. "They're a family of five, two a mated couple, and the other three sisters. They wouldn't care for your diet, as long as you were careful where you hunted, and I'm sure they could even get you blood bags instead. They usually keep a supply for emergencies, anyway. And they currently live in Alaska, so you wouldn't be too far away."
"I have to admit, that sounds better then roaming around." Victoria stated, leaning back and looking at the ceiling, "I always preferred to live in one place for a while and then roam for about the same amount of time before settling down again… it reminded me why I hunt the way I do." She told her Childe, smiling, "and I only continued to roam with those men so that I could protect you… Now that I think of it, it explains why every time I thought of finding you, I would get this sense of danger. I wasn't supposed to find you until you found your mate. Otherwise there would have been a huge fight, and I'm sure someone you loved would have been hurt; or killed."
Alice smiled, "Thank you for protecting me. As well as saving me when I was human."
Victoria nodded, a gentle smile forming on her face, "You are the first person I ever turned, and I would have spent the rest of my eternity travelling with them if it kept you safe."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that, and Victoria stayed for nearly a week before heading to Denali, Alaska.
~o0o~
Jade sat on the bed in the room the Cullen's provided, the blankets covering her legs. She was being looked over before Carlisle went to work, and kept her attention on her mate. Angela was sitting on a chair, looking out the window while the good doctor did his job. When he left, she turned to look at her friend, and had to stifle a laugh at the look on the woman's face.
"Oh do shut up." She muttered, rubbing her hands against the bed, "The wound itches like a bitch. But I know I can't scratch it." She added, looking at the brunette.
Angela stared back at her for a while, wondering what she should say. Looking at the black haired girl, one question popped into her mind, "If this didn't happen… Would you have told me about you?"
Jade sighed, looking down at her lap. She knew she had to tell the truth, but she didn't want to make the other woman more upset with her. After a few moments, she took a deep breath, and looked back at her mate, "I had wanted to wait another week, maybe two. I wanted you to be over Ben as much as possible. I was going to ask you out to lunch yesterday, not as a date, but simply to spend time with you. Depending on how you responded, I planned on talking about my secret afterwards. Then I would have given you the space you needed to think it over, if you still wanted to try; after that, I would have asked you out on a real date."
"So you never planned to keep it from me?" Angela asked, looking thoughtful.
"You are my Soul Mate." Jade whispered, just loud enough for the brunette to hear. "Even at the risk of losing you, I would have told you the truth. I just didn't want it to be like this. You deserved better." She said, a little louder.
Angela looked at the girl in front of her, finally noticing that she was older then she looked, older then she acted. Though she looked like a teenager, she was well older and had to live through hardships that Angela would most likely never have to. After a moment, she nodded.
"What idea did you have for the date?" She asked after a while, needing to change the topic.
Jade shrugged, "Dinner, for sure. But I just figured we could do whatever you wanted. If you haven't figured it out, I'm so completely in love with you that we could call this a date and I would be happy as long as you were." She joked teasingly, smiling playfully at the human girl.
Angela laughed, "I expect you to actually ask me, but I would like us to try dinner and some dancing."
Jade blushed, shaking her head, "I'm down right horrible at dancing…" She muttered, "so unless you want to teach me, that's out for a first date."
They two sat and talked for a while longer on the topic, but after a while Jade started getting sleepy, so she lay down and Angela left; making sure to make it home before curfew.
When Angela made it home, her mom was sitting at the table, papers all around her. She looked up at the sound of footsteps and smiled at her only daughter. Janice waved the girl over, and Angela could see that the papers were for the lawyer the police told her to get, just in case. Her mom had a friend who would happily do it for them, as long as they filled out the paperwork, and since Jade asked if he could defend her too, she would be paying him.
The two filled out all the papers, setting them aside when they were done. There was a similar stack of papers. On the counter, off to the side that were for Jade, and Angela promised to take them to her tomorrow. They started on dinner, knowing that the boys would be hungry when they got home in an hour. Once they were, and everything was ready, they sat down to have a family dinner.
~o0o~
Victoria huffed as she made her way through the wilderness, across Canada and into Alaska. She had made two stops in random cities to feed, before she picked up her pace. She was intrigued with the idea of Alice's cousins. They seemed like they would have interesting stories to tell, and the fact that they wouldn't care for her diet would be nice as well. Once she hit the edges of Denali, she could smell the hint of vampires and followed the trail. A little over an hour later, she found a home that was built at the base of a small hill, nestled inside a small clearing, surrounded by trees. The moment she stepped into the small 'yard', the front door opened, a tall strawberry-blonde haired woman with gold eyes stepping out to greet her.
"Hello." She greeted, bowing her head slightly. "I'm Tanya of the Denali Coven. Sorry to seem rude, but why are you in our territory?" She asked, stepping off her porch and standing tall, silently informing Victoria that she was the leader of their coven.
Victoria bowed politely, "I am sorry to intrude, my name is Victoria." She answered, looking at the woman. For a moment she stayed quiet, seeing how the other woman would react. But she was disappointed when all Tanya did was raise her eyebrow in silent inquiry. Victoria sighed, "Take away all my fun, why don't you." She muttered, knowing full well the blonde could hear her, "My Childe wanted me close by, and said that her cousins wouldn't mind my diet."
Tanya frowned, "Childe…?" She whispered. Did Carlisle get a new member of the family? No… he would have contacted me… she looked at the woman, thinking on every member of her friends coven. They were all turned by the blonde doctor. Besides Jasper… and Alice! She looked Victoria in the eyes, "Just so I understand. You are Little Alice's creator?" Victoria nodded, "Her mate helped her remember me. She said you wouldn't mind Housing me for a while so we could stay close."
Tanya nodded, "That is fine. And no, we don't care about your diet. As long as you keep your killing to towns away from the ones around us." She said, taking one step backwards and half turning, "Would you like to come in? The others are out hunting at the moment, but they should be back soon."
Victoria nodded and followed the woman into the warm looking house. They made their way to the living room and sat down. They chatted for a while, keeping to simple topics while they waited for the others. Tanya had offered to show her to a guest room that she'd be allowed to use while she stayed with them, but Victoria didn't want to be rude to the others. They were talking for a while before the others made their way into the house, looking at the redhead curiously.
Victoria looked at them all. The only couple were Hispanic, the male with short hair, while his mate had long dark hair. They looked content, and comfortable in the clothes they were wearing. The next person to walk in was just shy of Tanya's height, with long straight blonde hair. She had a playful grin on her face, and Victoria felt her instincts kick in; silently telling her that being close to this woman would result in some form of pain. She tried to shake the thought from her mind when she saw the last of the group walk in. The woman had curly pale blonde hair, and was roughly the same height of the woman next to her, she looked curious at the sight of Victoria, and the redhead could have sworn she felt her heart give a lurch. Though she knew it to be completely rude, she ignored the other three people and walked over to the woman, grabbing her hand gently when she reached her.
"Hello, my name is Victoria," She started, bowing and placing a gentle kiss on the back of the woman's hand, "and you are?" She finished, looking the other woman in her eyes.
Irina looked at the woman in front of her, feeling a fluttering in her stomach at the gesture, though she wasn't sure what to call it. She looked at the rest of her family, confused as to why there was a human drinker in their home. The others were as confused as she was, but when she looked at Tanya, her sister was fighting an amused smile and was waving her on. Silently telling her not to be rude to their guest. So with a silent, reluctant sigh, Irina turned back to Victoria.
"My name is Irina Denali." She said, gently taking her hand away and stepping back. "This is my sister, Kate and our coven mates, Eleazar and Carmen." She added, pointing to each so Victoria knew who she was referring to.
Victoria came out of her haze at the others names, and bowed to them respectfully. She returned to her seat, and watched as the others did the same. Once they were all situated, Victoria explained why she was here, and promised to keep her hunting to a minimum, as well as away from the towns nearby. Kate couldn't help but ask why she didn't switch to a animal diet for her Childe.
Victoria sighed, not looking at any of them, "I tried animals once. I could not do it. The taste was horrible, and I ended up starving myself for a while. I hated killing random humans, hence why I tried it. But I couldn't keep doing it, I felt weak, and thought myself to die if I ate another animal. One night I'd been walking around town, close to the edge to see what people were doing, but still far enough away to resist temptation. I heard a scream, and ran to see a group of men about to rape and kill a young girl. My anger and control snapped. Before I knew it, I had broken all of their necks and drained them of blood. The woman had stared at me. She had seen everything."
Irina frowned, "Did you kill her?" She asked, a twisting feeling in her gut taking over the fluttering. The woman was gorgeous, and she wouldn't mind getting to know her, but while she could look past her feeding on humans, she couldn't do it if her victims had been innocent.
Victoria shook her head, "I couldn't." She whispered, looking at Irina, almost completely ignoring everyone else, "She couldn't have been more than sixteen at the time, so I helped her up and escorted her home. She asked me to return the next day, and we ended up becoming friends. She figured out that I was a vampire, but didn't wish to be one. When she became a mother, I kept my distance, but still watched out for her. She took the secret to her grave. That had been the longest time I had ever lived in one place. After that night I helped her, I decided to continue feeding on humans, but only ones that had been like those men that night. Over the years I added drug dealers, murderer's, and sex traffickers to my list of prey. But I always make sure they are one of those before I kill them." She told them.
Everyone was quiet for a while, taking in her story. After hearing it, none of them would try and persuade her to change her diet. She did good in the human world, and if Alice was OK with it, then they would be too. Irina watched as the redhead sat and stared at her, a look in her red eyes that she couldn't figure out. She turned to look at Tanya, who noticed the two of them staring at one another and waved at her sister, a silent agreement to show their guest to a room. With a nod, Irina got up and walked over to Victoria.
"Let me show you to a room." She said gently, holding out her hand to the older woman.
Victoria looked at the hand, shock showing in her eyes. Did Irina feel the pull too? She took the offered hand, holding in the urge to pull the woman into a kiss, and followed her as she led them out of the living room. They went up a flight of stairs and down towards one of the few doors that were open. Inside was a queen sized bed, a desk, with the walls painted a pale blue.
"You are more than welcome to explore, but please refrain from going into any of the rooms that have closed doors." Irina told her, staying at the door while Victoria walked into the room. "When you have time, I would very much like to know more about you."
"We could talk now, if you want." Victoria responded almost instantly, eager to talk to the blonde woman more.
Irina laughed, "I'm sorry. I should have said 'when I have time'. I'll be out of the house for a while, but when I get back I would love to take you up on the offer." She told her, taking a step back.
"Which room is yours?" Victoria blurted, slapping a hand over her mouth afterwards. She did not mean for that question to come out. She was two millennia old for God's sake! She had more restraint then that!
Irina smiled shyly, "The room next door." She told the redhead, pointing at it.
Victoria nodded, and seconds later, she was alone in the room. She sighed, closing the door before flopping onto the bed. "Stupid mouth…" She muttered, staring at the ceiling, "Probably scared her…"
Irina waved to her family on the way out of the house, heading into town. She had ordered a few things online, and had them sent to the UPS store instead of home. It gave her a reason to leave the house, or she knew she would just sit on the couch and do nothing. While she was out, she thought about Victoria and the feelings the redhead invoked in her. She had felt the fluttering before from suitors over the years, but it had never been as strong as the feelings she got from the redhead. It was enough of a jolt to her that she really wanted to see what would happen next. She made her way into the store and got her items, heading back home afterwards.
After about an hour lying on the bed, Victoria made her way back down to the living room. She saw Kate sitting on the floor in front of the TV, playing some sort of game. She made her way over, and sat next to the woman, watching the screen. Kate looked over at her and smirked before turning back to the TV as well. They started up a simple conversation about the game, the blonde explaining what she was doing and why. At one point in time, she jumped to her feet with a shout. Waving her arms around wildly. It was such a shock, that Victoria jumped to her feet as well, staring at the woman with utter confusion on her face. The others came into the room, seeing what was going on, and laughed at what they saw. Kate was now holding out her hand for a high five with an evil grin on her face. Victoria was looking at said hand, before shaking her head and taking a step back. This was the point where Irina came in, looking at the two as well.
Kate frowned, "Who told you?" She asked, lowering her hand. She looked at her sister, "Did you tell your lover girl Irina?" She asked teasingly, smirking.
Both Irina and Victoria looked at each other in embarrassment, before looking at anything else in the room, avoiding the others eyes.
The other three vampires in the room laughed, but Eleazar was the one who saved them from answering, "Victoria has the power of self-preservation Kate. She knows not to touch you, least she gets a dose of your shocking personality."
Victoria looked at the only male, a frown on her face, "How did you know?" She asked him.
Eleazar smiled, "My gift is to detect the gifts of others."
Victoria nodded, "What is your gift?" She asked, turning towards Kate.
"Psychic Electrokinesis." Kate stated, shrugging her shoulders, "Basically I shock anyone I touch, though I am getting better at controlling it, it takes a lot of concentration to do." She explained, sitting back down and playing her game again. She was a little butt hurt that she couldn't show the redhead how she normally did, but she figured she could surprise her eventually.
Victoria looked at her, knowing that with Kate, she would have to be on guard. The redhead left the room, following Irina up the stairs. She was starting to think that life with the Denali's would be interesting, and maybe she could convince Irina to give her a chance. First though, she had to learn more about the blonde.
She took her first step into Irina's room, after the blonde waved her in, and hopefully took a step towards a future with the woman in front of her.
