A/N: Thanks to everyone for the amazing response to this new story, so on we go xx Alexis

Felix

Demetri roared in excruciating agony, dropping to his knees as his mate dropped to the floor. He is unable to move due to the pain and I see the lifeblood draining from her as she stares disdainfully at him. But no one moved faster than Master Marcus scooping up her almost lifeless body and biting her several times. She tries to struggle from his grip but is fading too fast for it to be effectual. He seals her neck wound, maybe praying it would keep her alive long enough for his venom to work.

I hope so, I feel terrible or the way I treaded Demetri's mate. Isabella's chances seem to fade as she passes out. Then as Master Marcus strides towards the private exit with her body in his arms, he turns to say,

"Felix! Dispose of the garbage please, all three of them. We can't have potential threats to Isabella's life left alive. Demetri you are confined to the lower levels, if you come above this floor I will have you dismembered indefinitely. She's right, my new daughter is quite correct! You are a coward and a disgrace to the name Volturi"

With that, he swept out of the throne room and up to his, now their personal quarters. Demetri stayed where he knelt, shoulders slumped, not even noticing as I removed Eloise's head and burnt her along with the twitching remains of Edward and Alice Cullen. We had all been stunned by Bella's strength and tenacity and for a second I saw a guilty expression on not only Alice Cullen's face, for her part in Bella's downfall, but Aro's and Chelsea's too.

Edward was too demented by the scent of her spilt blood, to even know his own name. His head was trying to inch forward towards it using his tongue alone. I had kicked it aside in disgust and shook my head sadly, in my coven brother's direction. Almost everyone left when the remaining brothers did, but a few lingered drawn to the spilt blood on the floor. Leaning down I swiped two fingers through a pool of Bella's blood, then lifted one to my mouth.

Dear God, it was divine, better than she smelt. The other I ran across Demetri's lips as he sat there in a daze and watched as his eyes rolled back in his head at the taste.

"That was what you gave up for Eloise and now you have neither! One's dead and the other is beyond your reach now. You gave up the claim of mate and Marcus has taken her as his daughter. You're fucked my brother, well and truly fucked" I said as I turned back to the blood all over the floor and saw everyone edging closer,

"Out! Everyone out!" I yelled and they scurried away,

"Do you want it, Demi?" I asked,

"I don't deserve it" He replied barely above a whisper,

"But, do you?" I pushed and he nodded crawling toward the rapidly dying blood,

I turned my back not watching him debase himself, as he licked her blood off of the floor. She was his mate and he had denied them both, why? Long forgotten memories rushed to the forefront of my mind, oh shit! This will bite them in the ass if Isabella survives. I have a feeling her vengeance will be cruel and unforgiving, she had finally had a belly full of being used by others. I myself will expect an ass-kicking, I acted like a schoolyard bully today and I'm not very proud of that fact.

But Demi will have it the worst, no woman likes to be rejected and he humiliated her in public, but I suspect it was not his fault.

"Chelsea, help me take him to his new quarters" I yelled and she appeared and the look on her face was all I needed to see.

"Tell him soon, explain what Aro instructed you do. Pray he doesn't kill you for it. When you saw what was happening why didn't you withdraw your gift or should that be your curse?" I say carrying the now almost comatose, but euphoric Demetri from the room.

"I was going to but Master Aro stopped me. He wants her so badly he thought he'd get her by default. Now Master Marcus is her sponsor and I fear for not only my own life!" Chelsea whispered sadly, she knew this day would come, one way or another.

"Yes, a shield as an enemy is going to be problematic for him and you both, I'm afraid," I said laying Demi down and watching him curl up into a ball.

MDWBMR

Bella

I was aware of what was happening to me, Id felt this pain before. I knew it wasn't Demetri who bit me, but Marcus Volturi. Demetri was in my sights as I fell to the floor and I saw him drop as well. Everyone I thought would think I passed out due to the pain and blood loss, not the smell of it. But old habits die hard, even in the face of death it appears. Well, I suppose, if I must become a vampire I will make sure to remember everything.

So I start looping my short life history before my own eyes and committing it to memory for all time. Marcus had seen the bite on my wrist and bitten over it hoping to remove it during my change I presume, one less reminder of my past. I feel it stinging, along with my neck and elbows. He probably hopes I would forget everything as I burn. But I have no intention of doing so. I have been nothing but a pawn all my life one way or another, which stops today.

I will be as cold and calculating as them all and I will have my vengeance and satisfaction for past wrongs. They will wish they'd killed me when they had the chance because I know somebody did something they shouldn't have done. It was in the guards' faces, the looks, the shock, the non-comprehension at Demetri's behaviour. Yes, something smells rotten here in Volterra and I will seek it out. After all, I have nothing but time now.

I thought this would be much more painful, the way Edward went on and on about it. But maybe it's just me! I can hear everything around me; Marcus is here and is muttering to himself. Ah, he thinks something's wrong too. He's brought another vampire in here, a woman, but why? Oh, he's more like Charlie than I'd realised. Let's hope she puts me in something sensible, something serviceable and not the kind of shit Alice would have. I grab her hand,

"Not blue, not a skirt!" I gasp through my flame ravaged throat and they both freeze,

"Master Marcus! She's conscious and coherent, it's amazing. I'm going for some slacks and will return in a few minutes" she tells him and I hear him call her Heidi,

"Well my dear, it sounds like you are going to be special. Since I have you're undivided attention, I'm going to give you a potted history of the Volturi. The more you know when you've done changing, the better" Marcus told me and he settled into a chair nearby and began.

Marcus

I had a sense of foreboding, Demetri was in for a rough ride and he probably thought it was of his own making. But he was wrong; two others in the citadel were to blame for it all. But my insult and warning might spur him on a little to try and do the right thing by her now. Years of being abused by Chelsea's gift had made Demetri do the unforgivable. Aro had ordered the abuse done to many including me, constantly refusing to listen to Chelsea's warnings of what might happen if a mate appeared. None ever had until now.

But it is Isabella's bonds that worry me. The one to me was strong and clear, as her sire it is right and proper. She had none to Aro and a tentative one to Caius, his admiration for her by the end of that shit storm of a meeting, has caused this. Her one to Demetri is grey, the palest of opaque grey. Not dead, but barely alive and it would take little to sever it, his to her was growing by the second for some reason. I don't understand why at the moment, but I would bet it was something to do with Felix; he would never let a friend suffer needlessly.

As each hour passed the bonds from Isabella changed and grew in intensity and now Aro had one of the deepest black. It's as if she knows innately he is the cause of all this. Revenge is the catalyst for this link and it is coming from Demetri too, so has he worked it out as well. Would this be the thing that bonded them back together revenge, I smiled and added my strand to theirs and strengthened in even more. After all, I had a far bigger grudge than even them, to avenge.

At last Aro's greed has outdone itself and it may cost him dearly. Hiding the wives in the tower for millennia was stupid; I want his death, not his pain. That hurt no one but them and consequentially himself to a small degree. Even Caius let Dora out now and again, but not Aro. He thought I like him would attack the easy target, but I'm not him, I'm nothing like him! I almost felt the urge to laugh, after centuries it bubbled within me.

Aro has made his biggest mistake to date; he has tampered with the mating bond of a shield. The very person he wished to control was now his mortal enemy. Heidi was helping me, well Isabella with her change of outfit. We were both shocked when she spoke and I knew this was really going to be an unusual change. Already she'd been silent and that was unheard of, usually, they screamed for the whole three days or until their voice gave out.

So I decided now would be the perfect time to tell her all about her new family! I use that term loosely because we are nothing like a family or even a coven. No this is a dictatorship and Aro is at the helm, but if anyone finds out what Chelsea has done for him it could come crashing down around him and I will be there to watch. I could slowly feel my mind being freed from the cloying power Chelsea has subjected me to and I knew my new daughter was not only protecting herself but me too.

I think Caius might like this benefit as well; he will need to change his attitude to her first though if he wants her protection. Everyone will have to take sides in the upcoming future and if they choose wrong it might cost them dearly. I'm guessing Aro sent Heidi to spy on me and Isabella, but he is unaware she is my vassal, not his. While he demeaned and disparaged her worth, I gained her allegiance and support. Heidi helps me in the archives, she spies on Aro for me and with her mating to Felix; she's more secure than most.

MDWBMR

Heidi

Aro wanted me to spy for him on Isabella and Marcus, I know why? She was to be his prize and it all slipped through his fingers in seconds. The one thing he didn't see or even contemplate was her will, her free will. She did the bravest thing I've ever seen, almost taking her own life in a room full of vampires. But I must speak with Felix first, he needs to know she spoke to me! I can't believe it, it's never happened before as far as I know.

I rush to the main chamber and ask if anyone's seen him and I'm directed to a guest suite on this level that now houses Demetri. I arrive just as Chelsea scuttles away looking terrified, what has she done to displease them?

"My love, you'll never guess what happened!" I say as I enter and see the two men sitting side by side,

Demetri is hunched over looking like absolute shit, to be honest. My Felix is gently rubbing his back as Demetri sobs uncontrollably. What has happened since I left?

"Is ...? Is she...? Does Isabella live?" Demetri whispers, afraid to look at me in case I say no.

"She lives, she breathes and she spoke!" I say gleefully,

"What?" Felix says,

"How?" Demetri asks,

I explain all that occurred upstairs and they are shocked. Felix nods and Demetri looks almost proud, devastated but proud.

"What happened with Chelsea? She ran out of here scared to death!" I asked and Felix told me the facts as they both knew at that time, her bond interference on Aro's orders and his refusal to let her lift it.

That made up my mind I was telling Master Marcus and not Master Aro. Felix said he and I hadn't been bound at all. Him because he was Master Caius' man through and through and me because I'm just the fisherman. I kiss Felix on the cheek and hug poor Demetri before rushing out for some pants for Isabella.

MDWBMR

Aro

She was within my grasp and now I have nothing. Alice and Edward dead and Isabella under Marcus' protection. How on earth had it all gone so wrong so quickly? Chelsea wanted to lift her gift when she saw the route Demetri was taking, but I thought if he renounced her then I could claim her instead. For the sake of our secrecy, blah, blah, blah. I never in a million years thought she would do something as drastic as taking her own life or in such a spectacular fashion!

Caius is so impressed by her show of spirit and lack of fear. He has no idea what is at stake here for me. I have wilfully broken our own laws and when it could have been averted I have caused chaos! The one gift that could secure my place for eternity was now an enemy and I have no weapon against her. She on the other hand if she survives could take us all down one at a time. But then, it's not us all, is it? It's me and Chelsea that will bear the brunt and then everyone will be free from her gift, all my years of work wasted.

Caius

I sense Aro is the cause of this latest debacle; it bears all the hallmarks of one of his schemes. He just never plans ahead, it's all spur of the moment decisions with him. He, I know has a long term goal to be the sole leader of the Volturi. But with no clear route how to achieve it. He staggers from one fanciful idea to the next with no thought involved and as any strategist will tell you that's ludicrous. So with Marcus taking a stand, I feel I must back him rather than Aro. Because if it moved Marcus to action then it is most likely right and just.

I have never been so impressed by a human before; she seemed so young, so ordinary at first sight. I was prepared to write her off as a meddler after she corrected Aro, but she proved me wrong. She stood her ground even after being shoved around by both Felix and Demetri. Then she gave him the worst dressing down I've seen in a while, worthy of a vampire mate, never mind a human one. But her taking her death into her own hands in front of us all was unprecedented and she gained my respect at that moment.

Some might think taking your own life is the sign of a coward. But I saw it as a strategically sound move. She refused to die on Eloise's terms or even her mates and so took the matter into her own hands. Yes, I think I need to pay Marcus a visit soon, to inquire if his charge has survived and find out what he intends to do next. So far the murmurs are at how quiet it is in his suite, so has she died? I think not I have seen Heidi rushing around and she seems astonished, not upset for her Master.

Oh, I unlike Aro am aware she works for Marcus and then the Volturi, Aro foolishly underestimated her and of course as I am Felix's sire, I have his trust and loyalty first too. Sides are about to be taken and I fully intend to be on the winning side. It just so happens for once it's also the side of right. I feel Aro has made a serious error of judgement and I know Chelsea is his weapon of choice, but against a shield she's useless. I took her aside many years ago and told her if she tried to subdue me Felix would kill her and vice versa if she touched him.

MDWBMR

Bella

It's only been a few hours since Marcus changed me, but in that time I've learned a lot and I'm even starting to hear conversations further away. I have gathered that what Marcus did was unprecedented. He never usually involves himself in the affairs of others or even what's going on around him. I don't know what possessed him to safe me and I'm not even sure I'm happy about it as yet. I do know that as I slowly change I can feel a pull, he's below me by a couple of floors at least, but I know it's him the bastard!

Well no matter, I won't be reciprocating. Heidi's back with pants for me and news. So Aro wanted her to spy on us and she hasn't told him anything so far, but she has spoken to Felix the bully and him, Demetri. She keeps calling them all Master, well I hope they don't expect me to follow suit because they are not my Masters. Marcus called the guard in from his door,

"Go to Aro and inform him I am taking Heidi as a permanent companion for Isabella. She will be here throughout her change and then also afterwards to help her through her transition. He would be wise to find another fisherman, maybe Chelsea would be available!" he ordered the man and I heard the smirk in his voice, as he threw down the gauntlet to his so-called brother.

Chelsea, oh she and I will be having words once I'm up and about. Heidi says she wanted to lift her gift from Demetri, but Aro said no! Has she no conscience, wouldn't doing it regardless have been better, to hell with the consequences! Or are they all so indoctrinated here that they can't think for themselves? I thought she was the puppet master anyway; it's not as if Aro would have killed her for releasing one person and a friend at that. Now she faces possible death for not releasing him, though it seems she has now, too late of course! It might be me or it might be him who kills her, she'll just have to wait and see!

"Master Marcus it's only been twelve hours at most and yet Isabella is changing rapidly. I wondered if I might do some personal stuff for her before it's too late?" Heidi asks and Marcus coughs and I hear him leave the room, but not the suite,

"Nothing too drastic Isabella, just your nails, eyebrows and shaving your legs okay?" she asked me and I manage a small,

"It's Bella and yes do it!" though it was just a touch breathless.

"Ciao Bella, in case you didn't know I'm Heidi. You're doing so well and in such control of yourself. I wish my transformation had been so good. I'll do your nails first they have grown already and are a little ragged. Then the eyebrows and lastly your legs, do you want anything else doing?" she inquired and I shook my head,

I did that myself before leaving for Italy, knowing I was going cliff jumping and needed to wear a swimsuit. God that was only two, almost three days ago? Charlie must be going mad by now; even though I did say I was going to Los Angeles, shopping with Alice. I need to get someone to fake my death, maybe Jasper could do that. A helicopter flight gone wrong and three untimely deaths! I heard a buzzing and at first, didn't place it. My phone was on silent yet I still heard something, who knew?

"Phone!" I gasped; the burning was getting worse, but not intolerable just yet,

"Yes, here it is. A text from someone called Peter? It says, 'I'll get him on it right away suga'. Do you know him?" I nodded even though I didn't really,

But I knew of him, the infamous brother of Jasper. Peter Whitlock, the man who just knew shit! His words I gathered, from something Jasper, said when we were in Phoenix. That was the only time I was allowed to talk to him and he was so kind and patient. I know my emotions must have been all over the place and he told me 'You're worth it, Bella' and it helped tremendously. Even though we barely knew each other I felt like he was my big brother, you know the one you don't see much because he's away at college, but you know he cares about you.

I'll need some serious training after I've changed and at present, the only two people here I trust are Marcus and Heidi. Maybe Caius would help me; if not maybe Jasper could come and train me. I sure as hell will not allow that bully nor his buddy to get that close to me! I need help to understand my shield, because that has to be what's helping me here. The only person here who could help is Aro's shadow. What did Edward say her name was? Re..., Ren..., Renata that's it. But I doubt very much that that will happen, unless I kill Aro and she's unemployed, it's a possibility!

"There we are Bella, all done and you'll be hair-free for eternity, lucky you!" Heidi said straitening my clothes once more,

She was bustling about, tidying away everything when the door sounded. I hadn't realised I'd heard the stealthy steps in the corridor, there is so much new noise in my head separating it is a chore. But by the tread and the gait, I'm guessing that it's Caius Volturi. Wow, if I get them all mapped now it will be a great help later, I think. Well, nobody will sneak up on me ever again that's for sure. As Marcus answers the door I realise his walk is the quietest I've heard, it's light and economic. Whereas Caius is was as I said stealthy, but firm. So their tread was as much a fingerprint as were their voices or visual tells.

My shield didn't seem to want to cover either Heidi or Caius, but I know it's over Marcus. He felt trapped, no chained somehow and they don't so maybe that's the reason. They don't need me at present, but he did and I'll bet it was Chelsea's cloying gift that I felt. My brain is amazing, everything is compartmentalised just now, and my anger is still there. But it's on the back burner as it were, simmering away until I need to deal with the ones who've done me dirty.

"How's your charge, Marcus? Still alive I see, but silent! That's unusual" Caius says as he walks closer to me and I automatically push him away a couple of feet,

"So she is a shield then, how are you coping with that?" he asks Marcus as he peers down at me,

I open my eyes and see him start slightly, which is funny and brings forth a chuckle, which sounded more like a groan to me.

"She's awake through the change, dear God! How marvellous, Aro's going to kick himself for this cock-up. Oh, how I'll enjoy watching his spectacular fall from grace. You seem more your old self brother, are you being shielded by any chance?" he says patting Marcus' shoulder, in a brotherly fashion.