Previous chapter: Demetri - DPOV

She looks surprised as she sees the sandwich I made and says, "You cooked for me?" The blush that colors on her cheeks is simply gorgeous. I must be the luckiest vampire on this planet, for this stunning creature is my mate. I suppress a purr and give myself a mental slap. I do not purr. Luckily Bella stops my train of thought as she says, "This sandwich is quite tasty. Thank you so much. Let's see, where were we?

Demetri - DPOV

Bella puts her plate in the sink and leans against the counter as she turns to look at me and says, "One day, the family went to the great clearing in the forest to play baseball. A storm was brewing, and the thunder masks the sound of them hitting the ball. We had a great time until three nomads showed up. They were traveling through town and made a split decision to join us for a game when they heard them play. Alice didn't see them coming beforehand, and it was too late for Edward to take me and run, so we stayed.

They picked up my scent, called me a snack, and wanted to attack. Carlisle explained how I was part of their family and that they had to leave me alone, but it was already too late. One of the three nomads was a tracker. His name was James, and when he saw how Edward defended me, hunting me became the most exciting game for him.

We split up. Alice and Jasper took me south to Phoenix while the rest tried to lure the tracker into a trap. Nothing went according to plan. The tracker found out who I was and where I lived. He made me believe he had kidnapped my mum and that he would kill her if I didn't come to him. It was all a trick, but I fell for it. He wanted me to beg Edward to come and rescue me on camera, but I refused, so he tortured me. He broke my leg and threw me around the room and into a mirror. I truly believed that I was going to die.

And then he bit me, he had every intention of draining me, but Edward arrived and interrupted his feeding. The rest of the family arrived at the studio shortly after Edward, and they overpowered and killed James. They set the whole building on fire to cover up the tracks. I started the change due to the venom James left in my veins. It hurt like hell, but I was going to be a vampire. I wanted that so badly. But Edward was so afraid for my soul. He didn't want that life for me, so he sucked the venom out, and I remained to be the fragile human I was before."

Bella lets out a dry sob, and I take her back into my arms. Morons, maybe the animal blood is tampering with their brain capacity as Caius believes. They saved my Bella from that maniac, but if they had turned her as she wanted, none of this would have happened. Their past actions are giving me a headache, and that's impossible for a vampire. I wonder how Bella will react when she finds out I'm a tracker too. Bella sighs as she rests her head against my shoulder and says, "The following months were peaceful. Edward was a bit more protective of me, not that I minded it, and I spent every possible moment with him and the rest of the family.

Carlisle even had this theory about why Edward couldn't read my mind, something with having a shield, and he was adamant that I was Edward's mate. He was so glad his son had finally found his other half after being alone for a century. Carlisle explained that I couldn't feel it yet, but that was fine for me at the time. I knew that I loved Edward wholeheartedly and that he loved me too. That proves again how stupid I am."

I scowl as Bella says that Edward Cullen was supposed to be her mate. That's impossible since she is mine. Was the good doctor just that stupid, or was he trying to separate true mates on purpose? Now all three kings had something to be pissed off about. Nothing is more sacred to Marcus than the bond between true mates. That is something you do not tamper with. I resist the urge to kiss the top of her head as I hug her closer and say, "Bella, Edward isn't your mate. I know this because he would have never been able to leave you if he was. It would have killed him to do so. He might have loved you, but Edward is not your true mate."

'I am.' But that is the one thing I cannot say out loud yet. She isn't ready to hear it. She turns her head to look at me with that sad look in her eyes, and right now, there is nothing I would like more than to kiss her and make her forget she ever met Edward Cullen, but now is not the right time to show that kind of affection to her. Bella shakes her head as tears well up in her eyes and says, "He didn't even love me. He made that abundantly clear when he left me in the woods this afternoon. And even if he felt something for me once, a paper cut was enough to erase any feeling he ever had for me."

Wait. What? A paper cut? What the hell is she talking about? She must see the confusion on my face as she lifts her hand to cup my cheek and says, "Let me explain what happened, and then you'll understand what I mean." I nod as she retracts her hand, but I can still feel the warmth of her hand on my skin. I want her to do that again, and I start wondering how it would feel to have those hands touching other parts of my body. Oh my god, I'm completely lost now. She has got me hooked. I'll never want another woman ever again. What will I feel like when I finally kiss her and make her mine? A shiver runs down my spine in anticipation. Keep it together, Demetri, all in good time.

I turn my attention to my mate as she takes a deep breath and says, "Three days ago was my 18th birthday. I didn't want to celebrate. I hate being the center of attention. And I hate it even more when people spend money on gifts I don't need. Vampires spend far too much money on stuff they don't need, do you realize that?"

I smile at her and shrug my shoulders. She might be onto something there. Bella shakes her head at my reaction and continues her story by saying, "Alice insisted on throwing a birthday party for me. I didn't want one, but you cannot win a discussion with Alice. She'll say, "You're going to love it. I've seen it". And that's that; end of discussion. They all bought me presents, and when I opened the last one, I cut my finger on the wrapping paper. I gave myself a paper cut in a room filled with vampires.

Jasper lunged at me. Edward pushed me out of the way with so much force that I hit the glass table and shattered it, which gave me even deeper cuts from all the glass flying around. Carlisle ordered everyone out of the house and tended to my wounds. I tried telling everyone it was my fault, not theirs, but Edward changed that day. He became more distant and didn't come to my room anymore to watch me sleep. He would drive me to school and bring me back home, and that would be it.

Today he wanted to talk, so we went for a stroll in the woods. He told me they were leaving without me, that he didn't want me anymore and that I was not good for him. He did not love me at all, and then he had the nerve to ask me to do nothing reckless. I didn't listen, of course. I tried to follow him through the woods to their house, but I got lost and fell when exhaustion hit me. I was so heartbroken. I just wanted to give up on life. Right after that, you found me. So that is my story. Now tell me yours."

I smile at her as Bella leans back to look at me. God, she is so special. She isn't scared of me at all. She looks into my red eyes en doesn't panic, not even for a second. I can only hope that it's because she's feeling the mating pull even if she doesn't understand our connection yet and that she knows that I will never harm her because of it. I'm not even surprised by her question. My Bella is a very perceptive person. I will more than gladly tell her everything she wants to know. I nod as I pull back slightly and say, "Of course, tesoro. What would you like to know? The story of how I ended up in the wettest place in the continental US perhaps?"

She smiles as she takes my hand and says, "That would be a great story to start. Come sit down with me." With that, she leads me over to the couch, and I'm too stunned by her taking my hand in hers without hesitation to stop her. Hell, why would I want to stop her? I'm in heaven right now. I sit down and put my other hand on hers as I start talking.

"The masters sent me to Forks to check up on the vampire family that had taken a more permanent residence here. I needed to look for confirmation that they were entertaining a human that knows what they are and therefore breaking one of our laws. When I checked the house, it was empty. All the cars were gone, and it looked like they skipped town in a hurry. After listening to your story, I'm starting to understand why.

I used my ability to track them and discovered that the coven leader was heading for Alaska. His mate is with him, no doubt about that. Their so-called son, however, was still here. I tracked him to the woods behind your house, only to discover he wasn't there anymore. That, however, wasn't the most important thing I learned. Everything in that forest confirmed that he had been there with a human, and that particular human was still alive.

But that wasn't necessarily a problem if the human was unaware of Edward being a vampire. So, I followed the human trail that led me deeper into the woods. And that was where I found you, cara mia. A beautiful creature who knows what Edward is and who can confirm that he broke the law. He left a human that knows of our existence alive, with the risk of her exposing us to the world. My Masters don't take that sort of infraction lightly."

Somewhere during my story, I noticed that Bella was starting to worry. I reciprocated her earlier gesture and cupped her cheek with my hand, making her face me. I smile as I kiss her forehead before looking back into her eyes. I can hear her heartbeat quickening, and I take joy in knowing that even the smallest token of my love affects my mate as I give her another loving smile and say, "Do not worry, tesoro. I will never hurt you."

A dozen questions are swirling around in her mind. Her face is such an open book that I can almost taste her feelings on the tip of my tongue. I decide to keep talking. The rest of my story will automatically answer some of her questions. I softly stroke her hair as I say, "The next step for me is to report to the masters and tell them what I found. They will assess the situation and give me their decision on how to handle this matter further. I know that you are quite worried at the moment that they will mean you harm and that they will order me to kill you, but I'm certain they will want to meet you and change you. You were born to be a vampire, and I will never let anyone hurt you ever again. Do you understand that, cara mia?"

She still doesn't believe me. I can see it in her eyes. That stupid Cullen did a number on her self-esteem, that's for sure. How can someone look Bella in her eyes and tell her that she is not good enough? That she is unwanted and unloved? She is a goddess. Every other woman stands in her shadow. I want her so bad that I'm starting to question my sanity. Maybe I'll get Jane to pump some sense into the idiot. Just for fun, though. He is never getting her back.

Bella - BPOV

I want to believe him as Demetri tells they will change me and that he'll make sure that no one ever hurts me again. I don't know why I have this strange feeling inside me, this sense of belonging, ever since he found me in the forest. It freaks me out a bit. I should be heartbroken because Edward decided I wasn't good enough for him.

But, somehow, Demetri makes that feeling go away. His presence is soothing, and his eyes -his gorgeous red eyes- don't scare me at all. I've gotten used to the amber-colored eyes of Edward and his family, but there is something sexy about Demetri's eyes. I could look in them for hours and be perfectly content doing so. How can that be when, a few hours ago, I was still madly in love with Edward Cullen? Demetri gently caresses my cheek as I try to process everything he told me.

His tone was so cold and business-like when he told me his story. It made me miss the warmth in his voice when he speaks directly to me, but it also shows me that Demetri is every bit the vampire that his red eyes make him out to be, deadly when needed. I recall that he mentioned tracking a few times. It makes me wonder if he's a tracker like James was. Does Demetri have the same ruthless side that James had? Somewhere deep inside, I know that he is just as ruthless. Demetri is a vampire, for crying out loud!

But somehow, my heart is convinced that he'll never direct that side of him to me. I snort at my own feelings. Since when does my heart make the right decision? See what it got me into with Edward. I remember him telling me a story about Carlisle and the kings in Italy. About how they are the rulers of the vampire world. Are they the masters that Demetri keeps speaking off? What will they do now that Demetri discovered that Edward broke one of their laws? And not only Edward but the whole family?

Demetri continues to stroke my hair, and I can't help but smile as I think back at the soft kiss he placed on my forehead just minutes ago. It made my heart soar, and even though I still love Edward, I have to accept that he doesn't want me anymore. I felt so alone in that forest, ready to give up on ever being happy again, and I don't know why it happened, but Demetri came and swept me off my feet. I can see myself loving this man if he will let me. I can only hope that he will be the one to change me when my time comes and that he will never leave me. I don't think I could handle it if Demetri decides to leave me too. Eternity is too long if you need to spend it alone.

Demetri - DPOV

It's time to contact Master Aro. I can't delay the call much longer. Bella is still thinking hard, but I can see that she's exhausted. It's probably best that she gets a couple of hours of sleep before we make our way to Seattle. She gasps in surprise as I lift her into my arms, and I smile as I carry her to her bedroom and say, "Tesoro, I can see that you're tired. Maybe it's a good idea to get a bit of sleep. I'm going to contact Master Aro while you sleep. He will want to know what I discovered."

Bella's heart skips a beat as I place her on her bed and softly run my fingers along her cheek. I smile as I pull up the covers and say, "Sleep well, my Bella. I will still be here when you wake up. I promise. Ti amo."

Thank you so much for reading my story. I forgot to mention why I'm rewriting at the end of the first chapter. For those who are wondering: I love the original version. It was the first multi-chapter story I wrote. However, my writing has progressed so much since then that the story can only benefit from a rewrite. Some reviewers also mentioned that the original version was repetitive towards the end, and I can't say I disagree. Hence, the rewrite.

I hope you'll give it the same amount of love!

Please review!