A/N:

Here I am, finally updating this story again, and I feel so guilty that I am not updating more regularly, but I do hope you'll forgive me anyway for all the juicy stuff you'll get in this chap :)

Title: The Undecided

Author: MarieCarro

Beta Reader: SarcasticBimbo

Genre: Supernatural/Drama

Pairing: Bella/Edward

Rating: NC-17

Summary: Good and Evil Witches. A Prophecy. An Unfulfilled Destiny. The Promise of a Leader. And it all rests on the shoulders of a "misunderstood" teenage girl.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Word Count: 3, 259

{Chapter 12}

As Edward drove us to the site of the ritual, I felt strangely calm and collected. I had expected my heart to race in my chest and my hands to shake, but neither of them did.

My excitement was still there, but not as forceful as it had been.

I was aware that it would be the first time I saw everyone again since I found out the truth, and a part of me wondered if I would look at them differently. Even more important to me was the question of whether they would look at me differently, now.

Looking over at Edward as he focused on the road while still appearing to be the picture of ease with one elbow propped up on the edge of the open window, I realized I had no idea how he was looking at our relationship now that the biggest secrets were out of the way. He and I had been dating steadily for almost a year, but it was still so much I didn't know about him. Ever since I first started to get to know him, he had projected a careful mask and I didn't know which parts to believe were true.

There was also a big part of me that was unsure if I wanted to know all of that. I wasn't naïve enough to believe that he hadn't done horrible things, things I probably couldn't even fathom, but I didn't want to ignore it either. The good half of me wouldn't allow it.

I inhaled deeply to rid myself of the uncomfortable feelings that had started to build up inside me, because I knew it wasn't the right moment to focus on that. I had bigger issues to deal with at present; mainly, meeting the man that had made me an orphan.

A conflict was raging inside me over meeting Marcus Masen, because while I wanted him to accept me as a permanent fixture in his son's life, I also wanted to punch him in the face for everything he caused in my life. I was a bit curious as to what he could tell me about my mother, as well. He was, after all, the closest connection I'd ever had with Marie Sinclair-Alistair.

We had been driving for about an hour, and the day had turned to night, when Edward pulled off the main road and drove up to a pair of large wrought-iron gates. He stopped the car and got out without a word, which caused me to frown before hesitantly following.

I joined him where he stood by one of the stone pillars the gates were anchored to. I saw him pull a dagger with an ornate hilt I hadn't noticed before from his belt and I couldn't hold in my small, but audible gasp when I saw the moonlight glint off the sharp steel edge of the blade.

"What are you gonna do with that?" I asked softly. We hadn't spoken for so long, and the quiet of the night made it impossible for me to speak in any volume above a whisper.

He didn't reply, but I got my answer anyway when I saw how he used the very end of the blade to pierce his fingertip and ruby-red blood seeped out. "Give me your hand, Bella," he said then, and instantly understood he wanted to do the same to me. I didn't like that everyone seemed so keen on slicing up my hands all the time, but I had come to realize that blood magic was very common, and the most potent magic because nothing could penetrate a spell cast with blood.

I held out my hand to him, and he grabbed it and started to massage my forefinger until the fingertip was red and blood-filled before he made a small cut that stung like a bitch and squeezed several dark drops onto the blade. Then, looking up at me with a smirk, he brought my bleeding finger to his mouth and licked it up.

I hadn't expected that at all, and my instant reaction was desire. There wasn't a single part of me that didn't want him in that moment, I didn't know if it was because of what he did, or because of the sexy smirk he maintained while doing it.

I let out a small, breathless laugh. "Why do you keep doing that to me?"

He shrugged as if he had no idea what I meant. "Doing what?"

I rolled my eyes and his smile widened. He then squeezed his own finger to drop his own blood on the blade where it mixed with mine. He turned back to the stone pillar and stuck the stained blade into a crack in the stone, which was about where an intercom would be placed at the gate of a normal person's house.

Nothing happened, and I knew I had to stop expecting light and sound effects, because I always ended up disappointed.

But then, the hinges of the gates groaned as they slowly swung open, and Edward reattached the dagger to his belt, took hold of my wrist and led me back to the car. Once back inside, I had to ask what he had just done, although I had my suspicions, remembering reading about the procedure in one of my books.

"What exactly was it we just did?"

"My father is nothing if not careful to keep the unwanted out during nights like these. Our blood works as an identification, and only those invited can be let through the spells cast around the grounds. When I mixed our blood on the blade, it was an indication that you are here with me, since you didn't receive your own invitation."

"But wouldn't that mean that everyone invited can bring someone unwanted along?"

Edward was shaking his head before I got the entire question out. "No. That is a privilege reserved for specific members of the coven."

The mansion we drove up to was the most gorgeous house I'd ever seen. Actually, calling it a mere house was an insult in my mind, and I decided I would rather refer to it as a castle. It was impossible to determine from the outside how many stories there were, and I didn't even dare to guess how many rooms it had.

Since it was night, I wasn't able to take in the full effect of it, but I believe it was constructed out of gray or dark-red stone. It had turrets and slate roofs and everything else a castle could possibly possess.

Needless to say, it was grand, and absolutely, breathtakingly, beautiful. I was thoroughly impressed.

"Wow, what is this place?" I asked without taking my eyes off it as we got closer.

"This is Stoneheart Mansion. The coven's gathering place, you might call it. It's been in my family for generations."

My head turned so fast in his direction, I was afraid I would crack something in my neck. "This is your family's house? Like you've lived here? You grew up here?" I was so shocked, my eyebrows was almost in my hairline.

Edward started to laugh at me. "No, Angel, my family never lived here while I grew up. It's too large for a family of three. However, Stoneheart has always been where the coven has met up for rituals and meetings, and my family has always been the landlord, I guess. Even before we became the coven leaders, that was always our position."

We got out of the car and walked up to the huge entrance doors, and I was still waiting for my nervousness to make a show; but I felt nothing but calm inside. Even when the door opened and revealed a middle-aged woman with strong eyebrows, green-blue eyes, and ash-brown hair, I felt calm. I had never met her before, but her expression wasn't the most pleasant one as she appraised me, as if I was lacking in some way. I refused to let it to get to me, though.

This woman had no idea what I was capable of.

When I didn't show her any sign of weakness, she shifted her eyes to Edward. "Well, Edward, I can't say I see the appeal, but if she is who you want, who am I to argue."

Edward opened his mouth to reply, but I beat him to the punch. "Excuse me, who are you to speak to me like that? What gives you the right?"

A familiar voice spoke up behind us. "You'd better watch out, Chelsea. She bites when she wants to. She was raised by me, after all." Charlie appeared next to me with an amused smile stretching across his face. "And to answer you, Isabella, this is Chelsea Masen; Marcus's wife."

Chelsea gave me a tight, unpleasant smile and probably expected me to stutter out an apology as I had just talked back to my boyfriend's mother, but there wasn't a chance in hell that I would apologize for standing up for myself against her obvious insult.

Therefore, I reciprocated with an equally tight smile and held out my hand for her to shake. "Pleasure to meet you," I told her sarcastically, and my tone caused both men at my sides to crack up and laugh.

Chelsea's eye twitched slightly, but she said no more as she stood to the side to let us in. I didn't hesitate to enter, and when Edward stopped in front of his mother to say something in a low, hushed voice that I didn't catch, I continued walking alongside Charlie toward the sound of people talking.

I didn't want to appear out of place, or uncomfortable in any way, so while I took in the beauty of the interior, I kept my face a passive mask. This caused Charlie to give me a questioning look and then shake his head with a small chuckle.

"I'm glad you find me so amusing," I told him, steadily getting tired of being laughed at. "Care to share what I did wrong this time?"

A few turned their heads as we entered the room, which was filled with more people than I had expected, and I heard a couple of gasps when the realization of who I was came to them. I already knew I was the mirror image of my mother, and these people used to be her kin, so my appearance was most likely a shock.

I turned my head to look at Charlie, but true to his character, he had disappeared among the crowd, and I was left alone in the entrance to peruse the room filled with Witches, and my nerves finally made themselves known

Then, the gasps were replaced with frowns and confusion, and I understood I probably still appeared as an Undecided to the entire lot, since I didn't exude solely Evil vibes.

As the word of my arrival spread, the buzz in the room died down.

My heartbeat thundered in my ears, but I remained standing steadily in the entrance and scanned the room discreetly. I thought I saw Alice's artificial ombre red hair, but movement to my left had me turn my head to see a very handsome, dark-haired man with brown eyes approach me. His posture was straight and his walk was as confident as it could get.

There was a gleam in his eyes that I couldn't identify, and the Evil waves I felt coming from him were the strongest I'd ever felt. Instinctively, half of me wanted to take a step back as he came closer, but I ignored the urge and waited for him to reach me.

When he did, he towered over me, but I refused to step back for a reason as insignificant as looking at him without tilting my head back. I gave him the bravest look I could muster, and we were locked in a sort of staring contest, neither of us saying anything.

A hand on my lower back alerted me to Edward's presence; still, I didn't avert my eyes from the man in front of me, and Edward made no move to break up the standoff between us. However, the man must have understood I wasn't going to back down, because he suddenly smiled.

It was not a kind smile.

"I already know who you are, Isabella, but allow me to introduce myself." He took a hold of my hand and brought it up to his mouth and placed a light kiss on the back of it. "I'm Marcus Masen, and it's a real pleasure to finally meet you in person. I've heard so much about you!"

I smiled back. "Yes, I've been told you were keeping tabs on me." I didn't know what possessed me to act so bravely despite the fact that the man was intimidating to the point of almost looking ridiculous.

The chuckle that escaped him was so familiar, and while I couldn't detect any physical attributes that Edward had inherited from his parents, apart from his height perhaps, the manner with which I had been received by them both screamed of their relation.

"She is an absolute delight, Edward. Don't let this one go," Marcus told his son without taking his eyes off me.

Edward's hand moved from my back to settle on my waist and held me tightly against his side. "Believe me, sir, she's not going anywhere."

"I have to ask, though," Marcus continued. "I can taste the Evil presence in your magic. It's very potent, but polluted by an equal taste of Good. The power inside you is too strong for you to remain an Undecided, so how can it be that both sides reside in you?" he inquired curiously, but his guarded tone revealed to me how suspicious he truly was of me, probably because he didn't know where he had me yet.

And I would make sure he never knew either. "Because I wanted them both," I replied. "I didn't like being told I had to choose, so I didn't."

Marcus raised his brows in a way that told me he wasn't altogether shocked, but leaned more toward that feeling than anything else. "Are you suggesting that you are neither Good nor Evil?"

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm telling you." Marcus looked at Edward to back up my words, as he didn't seem to really believe me, and the gesture only served to annoy me. "Mr. Masen, I mean no disrespect, but I doubt Edward has more knowledge about me than I do."

I felt Edward's hand tighten on my waist as his father's eyes hardened.

"Of course not," Marcus said. "But Edward isn't merely my son, he is also my second in command, and I rely on the information he can give me for situations I'm not around for."

I nodded. "That may be true, but once again, why ask for confirmation from a secondhand source? Do you do that to everyone or is it only me you don't trust?" I challenged him.

Maybe I was infinitely stupid to challenge the leader of a coven of Evil Witches, but I'd never had much patience for authority figures. I reserved my respect for those who showed me respect in return, and so far, I'd only felt belittled in Marcus' company.

His brown eyes hardened in reaction to my words—he was obviously displeased with my attitude—but I felt that I didn't owe this man anything. He wasn't my leader, and even though he was likely my future father-in-law, I wasn't going to bend backwards and worship the ground underneath his feet because of it.

It was my destiny to lead, and since I wasn't more of one side, I would become a leader for all. Including Marcus Masen. I promised myself that one day, this man would have to answer to me.

He didn't answer my challenge, and I tilted my head back defiantly. "I want to make it clear from the start that if ever there is anything that concerns me in any way at all, it is highly unnecessary to look for information from others, as I am my own person, and I would very much appreciate being treated as one."

Marcus leaned his head to the side and made a small deceptive bow. "My sincerest apologies if I've offended you. That was not my intention, Miss Swan," he said, and his sarcasm made me want to spite him even more.

"I don't go by 'Swan' anymore," I said with a smile. I already knew how he would react to my next words and I wanted to enjoy it. "My name is Isabella Alistair now; to honor my parents."

His eyes narrowed at my words, just like I predicted. The mere mention of my father's name crawled under his skin, but I didn't allow him to spew out the venom he so obviously wanted to.

"Now, Mr. Masen, I'm only here to observe your coven, and refuse to discuss my private matters any further with you. I might participate later, but for now, I'll just sit down and watch." I didn't ask if this was okay with him. I simply extracted myself from Edward's hold and sat down in a high-backed chair against the wall that gave me an overview of the entire room.

The tension was practically palpable, and everyone appeared to be frozen in place until Edward moved toward me. He remained standing as he leaned down close to my ear. "I swear, if you don't let me have you tonight, I'll go completely insane," he whispered.

I smiled. "Is that so?" I asked teasingly. "I never knew it turned you on hearing me tell people off."

He groaned. "Angel, everything you do is sexy, but seeing you act as a figure of authority in front of my father was almost too much for me to bear." He leaned farther down and consumed my mouth with his, but for once, I didn't let myself get as lost in it as I usually did. We weren't alone, and this meeting was for the sake of me learning, as well as, presenting myself to the Evil community.

After a few seconds, I leaned away. It was apparent in the way he leaned with me that he didn't want me to end the kiss, and in that small movement, I had my answer to how he looked at our relationship. There wasn't even a hint of hesitation in him, and it made me smile.

In the corner of my eye, I could see that Marcus was standing in front of the crowd and appeared to be waiting for something or someone, and a feeling in my gut told me it was Edward. "Go," I told him, and he gave me his signature smirk before he left my side to join his father at the front.

"It is almost time," Marcus announced to the room. "As most of you have noticed by now, we have a guest with us tonight." He gestured toward me, and it had not escaped my notice how he sneered at the word 'guest.' "Isabella … Alistair. The daughter of our own, greatly missed, Marie Sinclair. You are all aware of the prophecy, and she is here to observe. So," he said while staring coldly into my eyes, "let us give her a night she won't forget."

The sinister meaning behind his words made me shudder.

A/N:

There you go. The first true insight to the purely Evil Community! Tell me all of your thoughts, and hopefully, it will inspire me to post my chapters more frequently ;-)