Hello my faithful readers!

I am sooooo sorry for the long delay on this chapter! I have been super busy, with a lot of extra work, and then my plot bunnies ran away. I literally had to force this out from my brain. I am at home sick at the moment (with suspected corona), though luckily, I barely have any symptoms. Hopefully I have an answer on my test one of these days.

Anyways, I am trying to use the time wisely, by resting, but also writing. I do hope this turned out alright. I have not been proof reading, as I am far too exhausted at the moment. I will do it one of these days.

Alright, I will stop waffling on.

One more thing! Thank you so much for posting your reviews! I truly appreciate them!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this fic.

Bella's POV

Bella was lying on the ground in her cell, staring motionless up at the slightly cracked ceiling. Everything was totally silent. It had been at least a weekShe had gathered that these creatures were using some form of magic to keep her here. She couldn't touch the walls of her cell, and she couldn't hear a thing beyond this room. She could only hear herself when she breathed, or the slight rustling of her clothes when she moved. She had deduced that she was most likely in a cellar, maybe even beneath the pet shop. If so, she might be close to her father, but at this rate she would never find him. She seemed to be at the mercy of her prisoners. For the moment at least.

That might change though. She had remembered what Annetta had said about the son. He was apparently attracted to her. She might be able to use that information. It was a feeble plan, but it was better than nothing.

She heard the door open, but didn't give any indications of her noticing. Someone stepped quietly into the room, walking up close to the bars of her cell. A menacing silence stretched out, then:

"Are you dead?" It was Bartolo. He sneered down at her. She didn't look at him.

"Technically, I guess you could say that I am," she said softly. She looked around at him then. He was back in his human form.

"So, what's up?" She asked, getting to her feet, brushing off her clothes, pushing her hair out of her eyes, as she stepped close up to him. She thought she saw a flicker of fear, he shifted slightly at her movement. Interesting.

Bartolo glowered at her for a moment, before turning sideways.

"I guess there is no harm in you knowing that I am to keep guard. My mother went off somewhere," He seemed annoyed at having been assigned guard duty.

"And you don't like having to guard me, because..." Bella said, trailing off in a curious manner, indicating for him to finish her sentence.

"Well, it's boring isn't it? I don't want to be your nanny. It's not as if you could get out of here," he said waving vaguely around the room.

"No," Bella agreed dispassionately, glancing at her confinements. Bartolo chuckled sharply.

"What?" Bella asked.

"Nothing. I'm not supposed to say," he said, smirking ominously.

"Oh, come on," Bella said, flashing him a charming smile. "A girl can keep a secret," she added sweetly.

It seemed to work for a moment, but then he gathered himself, punching the bars hard, his sudden movement making her step back slightly.

"Shut up, vampire!" He snarled. "Or I will hurt you," He glared at her, seemingly ready to attack.

Bella stepped further back, raising her hands in a placating manner.

"Alright, you just got me curious, is all," she said, shrugging, smiling as if she was disappointed. Bartolo glared at her. Then he huffed loudly, clearly struggling with himself.

"Have you still not figured out what we are?" He asked her, his tone condescending.

"No," she said simply. "How could I? You're not speaking to me," she pointed out.

"We are descendants of an old species. Most people don't believe we exist anymore. Much like vampires, I suppose," he said musingly. He was quickly settling into his story now.

"Those who know of us, usually believe us to be kind and benevolent creatures. Of course some of us are kind." He sniffed dismissively.

"It is just that the few humans who have met us, are often deceived by our magic," he scoffed softly, kicking a little at the ground.

"Humans are so easy to fool. It is in fact almost too easy. Their mind is like clay. If they want to believe something, you just have to mold them into thinking it is true." Bella said nothing. She just listened, hoping he would get on with it sooner or later.

"Our kind usually lives in forests or in the mountains. My mother, and her father, and I are different. She had the brilliant idea to settle down among humans. We run a business of death, and no one even knows," he was sounding proud now.

"Of course, it has not been easy keeping away suspicion from your kind," he stared at her, smirking ominously.

"We had to be cunning about it, since even your coven has forbidden hunting in this area. Too much death would have caught their attention. It is a fine balance," he paused a moment, searching Bella's face. Then slowly he turned away from her, walking to the far wall, turning around and leaning against it, his hands in his pockets.

"My mother is very powerful. She can sense when something is happening. It is like she sees the threads of fate as they are woven, and she can add a strand, or remove one entirely," Bartolo stared out into space. He sighed somewhat, his gaze landing on Bella again.

"She is the one who knew you would come. And she saw your potential immediately. She said your gift would make a fine addition to her powers," He crossed his arms, moodily.

"I cannot see how she could become more powerful, but mother knows best," he added, sighing sourly.

Bella felt something trickle down her spine. She had a gift? What gift would that be? She had no powers. Not like Marcus or Aro. Or Jane. The only thing she could think of was the fact that Aro and Jane couldn't use their gifts on her. But that was hardly anything to brag about. She waited with bated breath, not daring to interrupt him as he lazily spoke on.

"My mother made it your fate to be with the vampires. And once she has extracted your power, she will make it your fate to die in front of your mate. Your death will be his downfall. And once he crumbles, so will the rest of your coven. They will be too weakened to fight back. And we will finally be able to wipe your kind from this continent,"

She waited for him to continue, but he said no more. He was sullen for some reason.

"But you still haven't told me what you are," she prompted quietly.

He glanced up at her.

"We are the creatures children pray to. We are the creatures in stories of hope and wonder. We, my young, sweet Isabella, are Fae Folk."

Bella's POV

This didn't have quite the impression he had hoped for. Her expression of incomprehension annoyed him.

"Ugh! Americans! Why are Americans always so ignorant?" He scoffed at her.

Bella frowned.

"So, you're like Tinkerbell?" She asked, confused. That thought wasn't nearly as menacing as he had wanted her to think. She saw no relation whatsoever to what she seemed to know of these creatures.

"No!" Bartolo growled furiously. His form seemed to flicker in his anger. As if he was losing control for a moment. For a moment she almost saw the nightmarishness of his true nature.

"Tinkerbell is a foolish fantasy. We are reality!" He hissed.

"Right," Bella said dispassionately.

"And what exactly did you want with me? Your mother is keeping her lips sealed on that matter," She said, smiling sweetly. He was still puffing slightly at his angry outburst.

"She has not told me everything, vampire. I just know, that she saw your gift, and she wants it for herself,"

"But how would she get it? I don't even have a gift to begin with," Bella interjected curiously.

Bartolo regarded her for a moment.

"You really have no idea, do you?" He asked her, almost sounding astounded.

"How clueless can you get?" He scoffed haughtily.

"My mother says that your gift is very powerful. It is just laying dormant for now," Bella held her breath. She had hoped for a little information, but this was almost too easy. He was singing like a canary, feeding her all this information. She wondered if it was somehow a trap. Not that it mattered. She needed the information regardless.

"Dormant?" She frowned at that.

"It means that you have yet to develop it," he said haughtily, smirking at her ignorance.

"Right," she kept her mouth shut, but her mind was racing. She hoped he would elaborate further, but he seemed to be done for now.

A long silence stretched out between them. His gaze lingered on her all the time and her skin crawled with the intensity of his stare. She noted how her reaction was completely opposite to when Marcus would stare at her intently. She nearly sighed dejectedly. She missed her mate so much it nearly hurt. She could only fathom what he must be feeling, having let her go willingly. She glanced at her unwilling guard. He was still staring at her. She wished he would leave her alone for now. She needed time to think. And perhaps investigate her supposed power.

She tried to sink into herself, allowing her inner world to take over, searching her body for what, she did not know. She had a peculiar feeling, like she had missed something obvious, something very important. Almost half a thought, lurking on the edge of her mind, struggling to connect the dots completely. And then it came to her.

Answers. Her red eyes snapped open.

Marcus' POV

Marcus was sitting in his throne, silently waiting. Aro and Caius were beside him as usual. Jane and her twin Alec were stationed in the corners, as were the rest of the guards. They were expecting guests shortly. Caius had been right in thinking that they would not refuse an invitation from the Volturi. Their enemy was far too tempted to stay away. She wanted to have a look at them clearly, before executing the next step of her plan. Whatever that would be.

Caius felt certain that she wanted the vampires eradicated. But she had some sort of scheme up her sleeve as well. He had said that Isabella would play a crucial part in the Fae's plans, otherwise they would not have lured her away for capture, but simply killed her on the instant Isabella had turned up.

Somehow the thought gave Marcus some consolation. His mate was still alive, and she was resourceful, even for her young age. There was hope, yet.

The double doors were flung open in an almost theatrical manner, and a stout, middle-aged lady all but waltzed into the large room. Her cunning gaze instantly fell upon the three kings.

Before she could take another step, Jane had stepped in front of her, her glare fierce, as she instinctively tried to protect her masters. A frustrated crease appeared on her forehead as she stared at her enemy. Nothing happened. Annetta smirked right back.

"Jane," a soft voice behind her called.

"That's quite enough," It was Aro.

Annetta chuckled as she moved around the blond girl, aiming for the dais. The brothers didn't move as she walked closer, a broad smile spreading slowly across her face. Before she reached the podium, Aro stood up and walked towards her, his movements deliberate, casually reaching out a hand to greet her.

Annetta halted, looking down at his offered appendage, and grinning slightly, she took it, her eyes hardening noticeably as she did so. They stared intently at each other for a long moment, then Aro slowly let her go, without comment.

"Welcome to our humble home," he said solemnly. Marcus almost frowned. Had things gone wrong? Their enemy was smirking knowingly, clearly relishing the fact that she had surprised him.

"Why, thank you," she said. She spoke softly, her eyes never leaving Aro. Marcus glanced at Caius. His features were unchanged, not showing an ounce of worry.

The little lady walked nonchalantly around Aro, her gaze now on Caius. Then she turned slightly, looking at Marcus.

"I would say hello from your lovely, young mate, but I am afraid she never got the chance to relay any message to you." Behind her back, Aro turned around, his face inscrutable. Marcus remained impassive, even if his insides were boiling with rage. He had to remain calm, emitting only an air of cold despair. Caius had been very clear about the plan.

"If it is of any consolation, her death will not be in vain, Marcus," she said softly, as if she had any intention of consoling him.

Marcus' brows obtained the slightest furrow. She could not possibly have killed Isabella. Not yet at least. He would have felt their bond break, surely. She must be talking of her intentions to kill his mate.

Annetta stared at him long and hard, noting his reaction. She turned away from him suddenly, seemingly satisfied.

Caius got to his feet, sweeping his long robe out behind him.

"Thank you for coming," he said, only a slight note of disdain in his voice.

"Thank you for inviting me," Annetta answered, not even glancing at him. She was looking around the room, taking in the ceiling, the walls and the guards.

"Yes, this will do nicely," she all but murmured.

"I am sorry?" Aro said, frowning somewhat at her back.

"I said, this will do nicely," She said, turning back to face them.

"For when I come to take over this place, I mean," She added, smiling widely.

"A little presumptuous, are we not?" Aro said after a long stricken silence. His voice was almost pleasant teetering on a dark chuckle. It was clear that he was used to dealing with these types.

"No, I do not think so, Aro," she simply said, her eyes lingering on him, daring him to contradict her.

Aro said nothing, but Jane and Alec stepped forward, knowing exactly what their master wished. Annetta swivelled around to watch them. Jane was glaring at her furiously, her eyes boring into the tiny woman. After a moment Alec placed a hand on his sister's shoulder, making her freeze. The elderly lady smirked.

Aro kept quiet, but turned away from her, to look at his brothers.

Caius raised his eyebrows as if to say "Steady, brother."

Marcus slowly got to his feet, drawing the attention of the little lady. Aro swiftly raised a hand, gesturing for Marcus to sit back down, then he turned back towards their guest. Marcus halted, but remained standing.

"My dear lady, would you mind telling us your real name, so we can address you appropriately?" He asked her pleasantly.

She looked at him for a long time, then slowly, she began to change in front of them, reverting to her true form. As she did so, both Caius and Marcus stepped forward slightly, halting just by the edge of the dais, watching her disconcerting change.

"My true name is Eiylien, I am of the Fae folk. As you may have already noticed your… gifts are useless against me. I am more powerful than you could imagine, and if you are wise, you will not challenge me again," As she spoke, she glanced balefully around at them all, then she sauntered from the room, not caring that 11 angry vampires could attack her at any moment, her form shortening as she walked, changing back into a harmless little lady.

Bella's POV

Bella was sitting on the floor, her legs crossed. She was staring into space, simply allowing time to pass. Bartolo was silent for the most part, only huffing once in a while. He was clearly bored to death. Bella ignored him. She glanced at her arms, as her hands rested on her knees. Her skin was pale, even in the gloom of the room. She tried to imagine an unknown power flowing through her cold veins, feeling it almost fizzle just beneath her skin. She almost shook her head, knowing she was only imagining it.

One thing she was not imagining was her thirst. It had been slowly coming back during her captivity, and they had done nothing to feed her. Of course she would not die, but she still felt the pang once in a while. She pushed it from her mind, focusing on more important matters.

She glanced at Bartolo. He had been thinking that he had not told her anything of importance. And for the most part he hadn't, but a few things did give her an inkling of what she could do to get out of here. The most important thing was not something he had told her, but something he had shown her. Inadvertently of course. It had taken her a while to realise what she had missed, but as he had punched the bars earlier, there had been no resounding clang of metal. There had been only silence. She let him remain ignorant to her realisation.

Suddenly he seemed to straighten up, pushing himself away from the wall, and without a word, he walked out the door. The silence was complete. Bella got to her feet in a flash, glancing around the room. There was nothing in her cell for her to test her theory, and she almost hissed in annoyance. Scowling, she stepped closer to the bars of her confinements, studying them intently. Did she dare touch them again? Nope.

Instead she breathed deeply, staring at the cold metal for a long time, willing her brain to absorb some kind of information. She leaned in, her gaze intently on one bar, and then, when she was an inch from it, she breathed deeply, trying to use her smell for any clues. There was nothing. Usually metal had a very distinct smell. She frowned, straightening up again. The thought occurred to her that the bars were not really there. She took another deep breath, and focusing with all her might, she glared at the very solid looking material, and then she tried to place a hand on it. The reaction was instantaneous. She was flung back, feeling the coldness of the force as it coursed through her. Only with difficulty did she avoid screaming this time.

She found herself on her knees again. Looking up, she saw the bars as they always were. She had not been able to notice anything, her body reacting viscerally to the punishing feel of the unknown force. Steeling herself, building her resolve she got back up, and tried again. After a few more times, she halted, breathing heavily as she pondered what she thought she might have found out.

As far as she could tell, she was never actually touching the metal bars. She contemplated them for a long while, but nothing new came to her. She was as stuck as before. She had to figure out this gift she apparently had.

Bella glanced down at her hands, staring at them, studying them. She flexed her fingers a few times, frowning slightly.

Then she clenched them, letting them fall to her sides, as she closed her eyes, trying to feel.

A long silence passed as she focussed. She did not even breathe. Her mind wandered far and wide. She was thinking of the walks she had had along the beach with her father. He needed her now. She could almost smell the salty ocean. Hear the steady heartbeat of the ocean, as it crashed onto the shore. Then the volume was turned down, and the sound became a humming, almost like a bee buzzing by her in the air. She gasped softly, as she felt something tingle through her, prickling her skin. Her eyes snapped open, as she quickly stared at her hands again. She could see nothing. Frowning, she noticed the feeling had faded. She growled softly, bracing to get herself back into that feeling.

She felt it again, and this time she did not open her eyes, she concentrated harder, allowing her senses to absorb the feeling. It fluctuated, and then lifted again, but this time it was like an outer body experience. She opened her eyes, and saw it for the first time. A shimmering glow around her fingers, moving like the surface of a soap bubble. She stared at it in utter amazement. Then, without even hesitating, she placed her fingers on the bars of her prison.

they went right through, as if the metal was made of smoke. She retracted her hand, curiously. Then she did it again, and again. The shimmering did not extend beyond her wrists, and she could only deduce that if she dared touch the bars beyond that, she would get hurt. It did not matter, she had something to work with now. She stepped back from the bars, and had just turned around, when she felt someone enter the room.

Turning around, she saw the hated form of the little lady. She was smirking rather ominously at her, an evil gleam in her eyes.

Marcus' POV

Aro, Marcus and Caius had silently closed the doors to their study. They stared at each other for a long moment. Then

"Well?" Marcus asked softly, but urgently.

Aro sighed softly.

"Did the plan work?" Marcus pressed.

Aro looked at him a moment longer, then a cunning smile spread across his face.

"Yes, I think so," he said quietly.

Marcus breathed a deep sigh of relief, stepping back to lean against the door.

Caius smiled too.

"The arrogance of our enemy will be her downfall," he said confidently, then he walked to the desk, to make further plans to make sure they would not be defeated.

What did you think? Let me know in the comments!

-Pancakes