All characters from The Vampire Diaries belong to L.J. Smith as well as all characters from Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. I own nothing except my version of events.

Chapter 44 Regret

We had all gathered in Volterra during the time allotted and I was happy with how fast everyone was able to make arrangements. Packs from all over the U.S had joined us including the Powhatan pack. Apparently Tapacoh had taken it upon himself to ask for all packs he'd contacted for help. Sam did not completely agree but he also didn't stop him and so they had gathered over 100 shapeshifters from the U.S alone. It was something I didn't agree with but there was nothing I could do now to stop it.

I was surprised to see that not all shapeshifters took the form of a wolf. There were a surprising amount of different animals including cougars, panthers, and even bears. We got lucky and some of those shifters had made acquaintances with other shifters from around the world and contacted them as soon as possible. That is when we found out there were many packs on this side of the world that were forcefully taken by the witches to join their ranks. We had made it a mission to try to protect as many shapeshifters as we possibly could during battle but we knew there would be many casualties… there was only so much we could do.

The La Push pack was one of the last ones to arrive and had left their mates behind, which I was greatly thankful for. I didn't want anyone human nearby unless it was absolutely necessary. The only reason I didn't argue with Angie about joining us was because we needed her to remain as coordinator. There were way too many people present and involved in this war that it was necessary to have someone in charge of that. Seeing as she would not be fighting and neither were the Queens, we had left all three to continue in those efforts while the rest of us prepared for battle.

I was surprised at the amount of supernaturals we were harboring in Volterra. Once we informed Kol and Finn of the upcoming war they were eager to join, not only that but they also decided to make some calls. It was the first thing they'd all agreed to do as a family. The Mikaelsons had gathered not only their own kind of vampires but also werewolves and witches they have known for centuries, it paid to live forever.

We were all packed in Volterra like a can of Sardines. The rooms were left for the people who were more human and needed sleep, while those who didn't sleep mostly roamed around the castle or got to know each other. There were so many supernatural's gathered in one place, something that had never happened before, that many actually found their soulmates. This war had suddenly turned into a matchmaking party and it was actually quite a nice surprise.

A shining light in the darkest of times.

One couple that surprised both Niklaus and I was the mating of Embry and Rebecca. That's right, our crazy little Rebecca had mated to the kindest soul that has ever existed. Looking back I can see why the fates had chosen someone like Embry for Rebecca. He was loving, calm and understanding, he was the perfect pairing to temper with the wannabe cold façade of the ice princess. A bonus to that was it'd helped improve Rebecca and I's relationship, Embry was my brother and packmate and therefore she had to finally come to accept me in her life. Of course we weren't the best of friends nor did I ever think we would be but we were friendly enough to one another and remained open to better our relationship in the future.

Concerning the war, Aro had sent some spies up to Serbia once I had gotten a feeling that this was where the location of the majority of the wolves were. It was confirmed when his guards came back and notified us there were a large gathering of werewolves, counting up to one-hundred and fifty. We were currently looking at a map trying to decide where the other part of the werewolves were hiding when the door suddenly burst open.

"Austria." Announced a cold vampire, one I had not seen or met before.

I heard Jasper sigh and I turned to see him pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "For fucks sake Peter, the least you could do is announce your presence first." Jasper chastised as he walked up to him and hugged him.

Huh, so this was the great Peter I have heard so much about. He was very handsome and looked a surprising amount to Jasper, except Peter was a couple of inches taller. They had the same build and similar hair color except Peter's hair was cut short, giving him a more modern look. Standing next to him was a blond woman, she hadn't spoken a word and was quietly looking around as if analyzing her surroundings. She was beautiful but she looked tough, like she was ready to fight for her life at a moment's notice. She was intense, the complete opposite to the air of indifference that Peter oozed, like nothing ever bothered him.

"My apologies, but I have just arrived from scouting the area. I needed to make sure that was where it was before I arrived." Peter said, attempting to explain himself but I could see he didn't care. His plan had been to make an entrance all along.

Jasper shook his head at him. "No wonder you never answered when I called you to get your ass over here, I'm assuming you were already in Austria."

Charlotte spoke for the first time in clear annoyance. "You assume correctly. I told this idiot to wait for backup but he insisted we would be fine and we'd make it to Volterra without a scratch. I'm almost angrier at the fact that he was right."

"Oh, will you get over it already?" Peter complained. "They never even realized we were there."

"So how many were there?" I asked, interrupting their argument before it continued.

"Ah! The woman I have been dying to meet." Peter said as he walked up to me and extended his hand for me to shake. Well that's what I thought he was going to do but he bent down as he grasped my hand turning it over to kiss the back of it.

"Careful Peter, the man standing next to her marking your death sentence is her mate." Jasper informed him.

Not fazed by Jasper's words Peter simply chuckled. "Oh I do love to stir the pot, but fear not handsome lad, I wouldn't dare steal your mate." He said to Niklaus, then turned to look at me as he continued to speak. "And to answer your previous question little lady there were one-hundred and eleven wolves present, along with 11 witches and two former Volturi guards."

"Jane and Alec?" Aro asked, surprised by the news. The guards that had come from Serbia hadn't given us exact information as Peter just had so we hadn't known where the twins were.

"I was wondering where those two would be hiding. Thanks Peter, also it's very nice to meet you." I said as I enveloped him in a hug, I could tell he was initially startled at the physical contact but he accepted it as best he could. "Now come join our little pow-wow and show us exactly where it is." I instructed him.

"Your wish is my command, little lady." He said as he walked up to the map and dropped his finger. "In the mountains surrounding Judenberg, an incredibly lovely city, too bad it's harboring a large number of murderous beasts. No offense to the beasts present." He added at the end.

"Ok, so now we know where they all are." I concluded. "Unless you're getting another feeling, because so far I haven't gotten any other inkling." I directed the last part to Peter.

"Nope, that's it." He said quickly, I could tell he felt weird that I was consulting him about his feelings but maybe he didn't know I was aware of his power. I was the last person to doubt powers however, I had so many and got one of mine back when I thought I was a regular human. Where would I be if I had refused to acknowledge it at the time?

"Great. So now that we're aware of where they are we can keep a lookout in those areas, just in case they choose to move forward before my intuition kicks in. I want to be prepared for all possibilities. Now let's discuss the training, how's that going?" I asked both Jasper and Felix.

"Good. Everyone has gotten over their initial hatred of species by now and have been able to get to know each other since their arrivals. It has helped greatly in getting them to work in pairs and groups." Jasper informed us.

"Pairs and groups?" Aro asked.

"Well, yes. We've split people according to powers and abilities. Pairs are made up of two very powerful beings while groups were gathered to aid one another in their weaknesses so that they can make up for those empty spaces that other team members will not be fully equipped to perform. We're trying to cover all bases and hope that by limiting their weaknesses we can lower the amount of casualties we'll have by the end of the battle." Jasper explained.

Thank god he was in charge of that because I would have never thought to do that myself. However, Jasper's strategic mind was on another level, it's like he was built for war. It both amazed me and made me feel extremely proud of him.

"Great. What about those you were worried about lacking fighting ability?" I asked.

"Doing better, hopefully we have a bit more time to continue to teach them but if we were to go into battle within the next minute I have faith they would be able to hold their own. Either way, this is where the grouping comes into play. Those that are not experienced fighters were put in groups with people who are, which is perfect because those with little fighting experience tend to have stronger powers. It makes sense if you think about it, their powers have kept them alive for this long and therefore have not needed to resort to physical fighting to defend themselves. They're all fast learners though and we're confident they will be able to defend themselves properly when the time comes." Felix said.

"How are the witches doing, Bella?" Niklaus asked, once we were done discussing the physical aspect of our fighters.

Because I was a witch, it was my job to unite them and come up with potions and spells that could aid us during battle. It turned out to be a bit harder than I'd initially thought because I was the only witch of my kind. My power was not limited like the rest of them were. "Great actually. We've come up with a few potions that everyone will be able to use, not just witches. I figure those with limited power can stock up on potions to use as weapons. Right now I'm working on a potion to disrupt mind control. We know the witches with the werewolves have found a way to take control of the shapeshifters and I want to find a way to break those spells. The goal is to minimize the amount of shapeshifter casualties during battle as much as possible. Niklaus and I can't shield them all to break the control, therefore, I'm hoping we can finish up that potion by tomorrow. We're actually really close."

"What about the temporary werewolf shifting outside of the full moon?" Caius asked.

"That one is a bit trickier. We haven't figured out how the witches are managing to do that in the first place. I'm especially having a harder time adding input to that because I'm the only witch of my kind. I don't quite understand the limitations of their powers. To me it would actually be pretty simple to do but the rest of the witches are looking into their own grimoires to figure out if any of their ancestors have mentioned it in the past, or at least in passing, but so far they haven't found anything on the topic." I lamented. "The most we're hoping for at this point is that they haven't improved the longevity of the spell's effectiveness. The one time they attacked us was with Marcus and they were probably in wolf form for about an hour, well that's what I'm figuring from the memories I was able to gather from the Powhatan pack." Hold on I just got a bright idea. "Why didn't I think of this before?? Aro! Read their minds. I can't believe I forgot you could do that. I'm not all that great at reading memories yet. You can do that much better than I can. You still have some of the werewolves that attacked Marcus in the dungeon, right?" I asked him.

"Yes, of course. We were waiting to put them on trial until after the war."

"Excellent. I'm going to need you to take a visit into the dungeons and read their minds. We'll be able to gather a lot more intel that way." Then I turned to Sam for the next part, "I'm going to need you to convince the Powhatan pack to allow Aro to read their minds. I know they're wary of the Volturi but now is not the time for trust issues."

He immediately nodded. "Got it."

"Ok, that felt like a breakthrough." I announced with relief in my voice. "Any more questions or concerns before we're dismissed?" I asked everyone in the room. Now was the time to ask, I didn't want anyone to leave this meeting room without being fully updated on the current news. Everyone shook their heads so I quickly dismissed them to get back to work, we were all so busy we barely had time to spend it together as a family. That was one of the things that saddened me greatly, I loved my friends and family but most of my time was spent with the witches. I barely made time to sleep and that was only because Nik or Paul dragged me away from whatever I was doing. Actually, to sleep and eat, I forgot to eat more often than not. I would be surprised if I ate more than once on my own during the day.

"Ugh," I sighed out once the majority were gone. It was now just Paul, Nik, Jasper, Peter, Charlotte and I left in the room. "That was intense. I'm so ready for all of this to be over."

Nik pulled me into his side and kissed my temple. "It will be soon, and you did wonderful. You commanded the room with just a look." He complimented me.

"Definitely, it was awe-inspiring. I would never dare to defy you and I just met you five minutes ago." Peter added happily.

I chuckled at his levity. "Sorry I didn't get to introduce myself properly, I'm Bella. Jasper has told me so much about you, and you as well Charlotte. Thank you guys for coming and going out on your own to scout for the second group. You guys have just given us one less thing to worry about so thank you."

"No problem." Peter said while Charlotte just nodded at me.

"Alright I gotta go. I gotta get back to the witches, I put Genevieve in charge and she's a bit too stuck up for my liking. I don't want her sour personality to repulse the rest and have them quitting on us already." I said, excusing myself.

I walked out of the conference room and was about to teleport when I felt someone hold onto my arm pulling me quickly to the side. Before I knew it I was pressed up against the wall and I felt Niklaus smashing his mouth against mine, I automatically moaned into his mouth.

I miss you, Angel. He whispered into my head as he groped me, his hands roaming quickly over my body as if trying to touch me enough to last him a lifetime.

I pulled away and switched our positions. I know, I miss you too. I'm sorry I've been so busy… but I'll make it up to you now. I said as I got down on my knees and pulled him out of his pants, quickly putting him in my mouth. I moaned at the feel of him on my tongue, we haven't had much time for ourselves and our intimate moments even less. I was an idiot, I knew there was a war looming over us but I couldn't continue to neglect my mate like that. With that in mind I put in as much effort as I could and made it my mission to make him feel as good as he deserved.

"Angel…" He whispered softly, almost dreamily. "Don't stop, Love. Fuck don't stop." He begged me as he weaved his fingers into my hair, securing my position there so I wouldn't think about stopping. As if I would, he was insane if he thought I would stop now.

I lowered my hand and grasped onto his balls, adding more stimulation to get him where he wanted. I looked up to him and admired the enraptured look on his face, it had worked like magic. He was so relaxed and lost in complete ecstasy, his body was starting to tense and his grip on my hair tightened slightly, he pumped into my mouth a few more times and then climaxed into my mouth. I moaned at the taste of him, even when I was struggling to keep up with the amount, he wouldn't stop. His body slowly relaxed and he looked like the air was being pulled out of his body. He was still breathing heavily when I stood back up, he had his eyes closed and his head was leaning back on the wall as if he'd just released all the tension from his body. I brushed his hair off of his face and softly caressed him as I admired how handsome he was. He opened his eyes to look down at me and I realized he was in pain, he really did miss me and I was being a terrible mate.

"I'm so sorry I've been neglecting you so much, Niki. I didn't mean to." I said sadly, feeling awful that he felt this way.

He closed his eyes for a second and then blinked them back open, attempting to hide his hurt. "It's okay, I understand Angel. The weight of the world is on your shoulders." He reassured me but I shook my head at his words.

"No, it's not okay. I love you, Niklaus, and it's my job to let you know that every single day. I haven't been showing you properly that I love you and that you are my life, but you are Niki, you are everything to me." I said.

A small little smile appeared on his face as he looked down at me, it was one I rarely saw but one he saved only for me. He was being vulnerable at this moment by letting me see it, it was more than I deserved. He bent down and cupped my face with his hands as he kissed me gently, his tongue entering softly into my mouth and caressing my own delicately. It was beautiful.

And you say you're not good with words. He said, laughing in my head happily.

I smiled as he kissed me and pulled away, a sad look crossed his face but I quickly erased it when I pulled my shirt over my head and threw it, hitting the side of his shield as my shirt hit its walls. I was glad he had taken the initiative to shield us from the world because I was caught by surprise and had completely forgotten.

"Here or in our bedroom?" I asked.

"Here's good." He said as he took his own shirt off and then kneeled down in front of me. He looked up at me and slowly slid my jeans and underwear off of my body, I helped him by taking my bra off. He lifted his hand up and grabbed onto my breast to lightly tug on my nipples, making me bite my lip as I felt the sting, his hands slowly descended lower and he grabbed onto my hips pushing me back to lean on the wall behind me, then one of his hands slid down my right leg and grasped onto the back of my knee and lifted it up onto his shoulder. He leaned forwards and his tongue swirled slowly around my clit and I instantly felt alive again.

"Nik…" I whispered. He was being so gentle and loving, the way he licked me and tasted me it was like he was kissing my mouth. He was moaning into me and the sounds he was making and the added vibrations were going straight through my body. Filling me with so much need, I pushed my pelvis into his face as I grabbed onto his hair and pushed his face deeper into me. His eyes swiveled up to my face and he reached up with his other hand that wasn't holding my leg up, to hold onto my breast. He massaged it so tenderly at first but when he heard a whine come out of my mouth he squeezed my breast and pinched my nipple. I threw my head back as I came, my mouth wide open trying to get as much oxygen into my lungs as I could.

I felt him stand up and lift me up, no sooner had he done so that he entered me.

A mix between a groan and a moan came out of my mouth but he remained still as he felt me still pulsing from my last orgasm. He waited for me to look at him and captured my eyes as he cupped my face and stared deeply into eyes. I love you, Bella. He said, with so much emotion in those words.

I love you, Niklaus. I would never love anyone as much as I loved him. It was one of the few things I was completely sure of in this life.

He slowly started to move then. I could feel every single part of him as if we were the same person, it was magical and everything I could have ever dreamed of. Here in his presence was where I wanted to be, always. He kept his hand cupping my face as we stared into each other's eyes, feeling so intimate. We were fully exposed to one another and I cherished every second of it. He lifted both of my hands above my head and held onto them with his right hand, his left hand returning to my face. My body wanted me to close my eyes but I fought against it, something was happening as we stared into each other's eyes. It was something we hadn't experienced before and it was beautiful.

I felt my orgasm approaching at the same time he started to stiffen. With me he commanded, it was like we were connected and we could feel everything about each other. Without another moment to spare we both came together at the exact same time as we stared into each other's eyes. I was breathless as our bodies continued to rock into each other, neither one of us ready to let go yet.

Slowly our breathing was coming back to normal and he lightly pecked me on the lips. We both closed our eyes and remained in that position for a bit longer than necessary. He let my hands slip out of his grasp and I wrapped them around his head, weaving my fingers into his hair as I massaged his scalp.

I'll do better. I promise. I told him, and I would. I realized he was so understanding of how difficult my current position was that he would have never outwardly shown me how hurt he was by my neglect. He was sparing my own feelings and I loved him even more for it.

He simply nodded and smiled at me. "But you have to go." He said suddenly.

"Yeah…" I agreed, though I wanted to say no. I was considering spending the rest of the day together but Nik shook his head knowing exactly what I was thinking.

"No. You have a job to do, Angel, and I understand. I just really needed this right now."

I leaned up and kissed him lightly on the lips, silently thanking him for how understanding he continued to be. "I love you and I'll meet you in our room by nightfall. We can spend some more alone time again." I said seductively as I passed the back of my hand lightly on his member, it twitched at the contact and I smiled.

He didn't say anything after that and I could tell he didn't fully believe me, but I wasn't lying. I'd be there this time, as soon as I got to the witches lab I'd be setting an alarm on my phone so I wouldn't forget.

We both got dressed and departed, going different ways. I teleported to the witches lab and found Kol waiting for me, promptly moving to my side as I got closer. I immediately took my phone out to add a new alarm.

"For fuck's sake, I thought you went to a meeting but you reek of my brother." He grumbled unhappily.

I laughed loudly at his disgusted expression. "I did, and then made a slight detour before making my way back here. Your brother just looked too delicious to refuse." I teased him.

Kol and I had surprisingly formed a quick connection. He was funny, witty and wickedly charming. He also wasn't as stuck up as the rest of his siblings, including Niklaus, and it was quite refreshing. I loved his more open and accepting nature. Don't get me wrong, he was still wary of people but he was more open to giving people the benefit of the doubt. We had gotten to talking and he revealed to me he had once been a witch back when he was a human, before his mother had transformed them into the very first vampires. He lost his powers after the transformation but was still well versed in the way of the witches. He was the one who helped me understand the extent of the witch's powers and limitations. I was so grateful he'd donated his time and volunteered to be my guide, I loved him all the more for it.

"That is repulsive." He expressed as he wrinkled his nose.

I laughed at the look on his face. "Yeah, well we'll see if you'll still feel the same way once you find your own mate."

He scoffed loudly. "Like that'll ever happen."

"Hey, you never know. Nik and Rebecca found theirs, they just had to wait for us to come into this world. Have you ever thought about that? Maybe yours isn't even born yet."

He looked incredibly thoughtful at my revelation, he had never thought about it that way. Nik and Rebecca spent their entire lives alone because they had to wait for Embry and I to be born into this world, we were both still pretty young. To be honest, I had never thought about it that way myself, that is until now. Maybe those supernatural creatures who hadn't found their mates yet were because they didn't exist yet, it was a crazy notion but one with real validity behind it.

"Hey, Bella! What do you think about Brahmi?" A witch named Eleanor called out to me, waving an herb in her hand.

I left Kol to think about what I'd said and returned to duty, hoping I could get a lot done before I needed to leave. I didn't expect to hear from Aro until a few hours but it was more likely I wouldn't get any new info until tomorrow morning. We were separated into groups, some building harmful potions for counter attack, some for mind control, and others for the wolf phase. There was a lot going on and I had to make sure everyone was doing their part, as well as breaking up fights that would sometimes occur when two minds could not come to an agreement.

I got a text from Aro a few hours later telling me he'd read the Powhatan packs minds but didn't find anything different from what I had seen. He said he'd be working overnight through the werewolves and would let me know if he discovered anything incredibly important. Kol had managed to get himself together and joined the witches trying to stop the werewolves phasing without the full moon, at the moment it was the one that required the most attention.

I could see Kol looking longingly at the witches who were using their strength for the potion, I could tell he missed being a witch and I suddenly felt incredibly sad for him. I loved being a witch and just thinking about losing my powers someday sent pure terror through my body, feeling like I would never be complete if my witchcraft weren't a part of me any longer.

"You miss it?" I asked him.

He turned to look at me from the side. "Of course, I used to be one of the best. It was the only thing I was ever good at, well that and charming the knickers off the ladies." He added at the end as he winked at me with a sly smile on his face.

I giggled, yeah I believed him. He just had this air about him, he was confident and charming, a deadly combination that stunned his unsuspecting victims. He was a true playboy, he could sleep with multiple women a day… sometimes even together. It was almost like a super power. I was thankful there were no STDs in the supernatural world or else I'd fear he'd be severely infested.

"I understand. I don't know what I would do without my powers." I said sadly. "I'm sorry you can't do it anymore."

"It's ok, I'm not totally powerless. I've gained a lot of other things being an Original Vampire, so don't be sad for me." He said, nudging me with his elbow.

I was about to respond when my phone went off. I shook off my sad thoughts and quickly cleared up what I was doing. "Alright I gotta go, I promised Nik I'd meet him in our bedroom by nightfall."

"Oh, gross." Kol said, adding a gagging sound to his words.

I slapped him on the back of the head. "Oh, shut it." I chastised as I turned to the rest of the witches in the room. "Alright Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm off early today. Do not call me unless it is a life or death emergency or if you've found the solution to the werewolf shifting problem. Those of you who want to stay, please feel free to do so but don't stay past midnight. Remember that we're all still mostly human and need sleep." I finished with a clap and teleported myself out of there.

I stood on the outside to my bedroom and opened the door to walk in. What I found filled my heart with so much love that I couldn't contain the smile that broke out on my face.

Nik was sitting at the dinner table with two domed plates of food. There were lit candles everywhere and he was holding a rose in his hand, but what really took my breath away was my mate himself. He was dressed in a dark suit with his hair perfectly combed and a blinding smile on his face. He looked so handsome and I'm pretty sure I had drool falling out of my mouth.

"You came!" He exclaimed, surprised that I had kept my word.

I suddenly felt even guiltier, my mate hadn't believed I would show up and yet he'd gone out of his way to arrange this, hoping in his heart that I would keep my promise.

I walked up to him and lightly caressed his face, leaving my hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes as he tilted his face into my hand. "Of course I did. I wouldn't miss this for the world." I whispered.

He opened his eyes and turned his face so that he could kiss the palm of my hand.

"Though I'm severely underdressed. Sorry." I said apologetically, looking down at myself.

"Doesn't matter, Angel. You are beautiful no matter what you wear." He said lovingly to me as he took my hand and led me to the table, he pulled my chair out for me and waited for me to sit down in order for him to move to his own seat. He reached over and took the domed covers off of our food.

I laughed loudly at what I saw on my plate. It was one of my favorites, a turkey bacon avocado sandwich and onion rings. It looked strange sitting there on a silver platter but I was happier than I could ever be.

He smiled cheekily at me and shrugged his shoulders. "You've been so stressed and I wanted to give you something that would give you the comfort of normalcy you need in this dire time." He said, nonchalantly as if this weren't the sweetest thing he'd ever done.

I lifted myself from my seat and climbed on top of his lap, grasping his face in my hands and kissing him fiercely. He was everything I dreamed of and so much more, he completed me and understood me like no one else. I loved him more with each passing second.

He grasped onto my hips and squeezed me as we kissed. Then gently pulled away from me, ending the kiss. "I love you too, Angel, but you really need to eat. I'm almost certain you haven't eaten anything all day." He gently chastised.

I gave him an innocent but guilty look because he was completely right and pecked him on his lips quickly before getting up. Or at least tried to but Nik's grasp on my hips didn't let go and instead he turned me to sit on his lap facing the table. He pulled my plate next to his and started eating with me in his lap.

Figuring he wanted to remain in physical contact with me I followed suit. It was one of the most comfortable positions I had ever in eaten before. Having him this close and feeling him surrounding me relieved the tension I'd been holding in my body. His left hand remained gently on my thigh the entire time as he caressed me throughout dinner. This was what I needed, being with my mate made everything worth it.

We talked during dinner and he told me the progress he's been making since we'd last spoken. I had missed so much but was proud that he never stopped, he wanted to fight by my side and nothing in this world would ever stop him from accomplishing that. I felt stupid for neglecting him for this long. I didn't consciously realize it but I needed my mate to fully bring me back to earth. He prevented me from exploding with all the pressure I was currently enduring.

"I've been so busy I haven't even asked how your practice is going." I mentioned, since we've been in Volterra he's been using his time to practice his new powers. He had gotten a lot better since we'd arrived, or so I've heard. Paul was keeping me updated on his progress.

"Really good, I can do everything you can with your shield and I've learned to teleport myself and a few other people. Tomorrow I'll start working on larger groups like you can. I'm not in control of the mind aspect as much as you are but I understand why you're having difficulty learning it yourself. It's undeniably difficult."

"Yeah, the mind is a tricky little thing, which is understandable. That's what makes a person who they are. It's dangerous and we have to do it with caution but I'm incredibly proud of you Niki. You've gotten so much better, even without my help. I'm sorry about that by the way."

He smiled lovingly at me, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Stop apologizing and do not worry about it, Angel. It's good that I'm learning on my own, I know we have the same abilities but sometimes I access them a bit differently than you do. It's actually better if I do it on my own, but if I do run into trouble don't worry. I'll be quickly seeking you out for guidance."

"Good, because I don't want you to think that I'm not here for you. If you need me, I'll be there." I vowed, I know I hadn't shown that before but I needed him to understand that now.

He nodded and pulled me in for a kiss. It started gentle at first but his tongue swept into my mouth urgently, tasting me and devouring me. I felt him stand up and I instinctively wrapped my legs around his waist. He grasped my ass and squeezed me, grinding himself into me. I hated the fact that we were still wearing clothes right now. I should have taken them off as soon as I entered our bedroom.

He moaned into my mouth but I made a complaining sound as he pulled away from me. I looked at him in confusion, wondering why the hell he would stop. He threw a devilish grin at me as he set me down on my feet.

"I have one more surprise, it's long overdue but I hope you like it." He said as he turned me around to face our bed.

My eyes widened in shock and I laughed loudly again, my mate really was full of surprises. The bed was covered in rose petals, reminding me of the day we had made love for the first time. He was worried it wasn't going to be as romantic as I had expected and said something about our first time being in a sea of rose petals. I wasn't that type of girl, I still wasn't but I could appreciate the thought he put into it. It also did not escape my notice that this was his way of being funny. He was loosening up and I was soaking it all up. I wanted him to enjoy life just as much as I did.

I turned back around with a giant smile on my face. "I love you, Niki. More than you could possibly imagine."

He smiled down at me and responded in my head. But not as much as I love you, Angel. It would be an impossibility.

"Good. Now fuck my brains out, Please." I crassly commanded.

He chuckled at my romantic words and suddenly picked me up and threw me onto the bed, rose petals flying all over the place and doing exactly what I'd asked.