Bella tossed the duvet aside and got out of the bed with the grace of a gazelle. Her see-through tank top and lace panty left little to the imagination. "Is the house on fire?" She asked, barely above a whisper. Victoria simply shook her head, her focus more on Bella's pebbled nipples. "Is someone dying?"

"No." Was the answer from all three.

"Then, someone is dead?" She finished with a raised eyebrow.

"Alice talks about you so much that the rest of the family is dying to meet you." With a great deal of effort, Victoria tore her eyes away from Bella's body to look her in the eyes.

"Just Alice?" The teasing lilt in Bella's voice was not missed by any of them.

"No, far from it," Alice answered.

Hmm." Bella responded. "Will I be fed?" She asked.

"Yes, Esme is cooking a veritable feast." Much to Bella's amusement, Rosalie worked hard to keep her eyes on Bella's face.

"Make yourselves comfortable while I shower. It just might make me a little less cranky. " Bella muttered as she shut the bathroom door behind her.

Waking up to find three beautiful women who were her mates in her room didn't help her already sex-deprived disposition. Before the three turned up, she had booked a room at the Fairmont for next weekend. She had two VIP tickets to an exclusive club opening in Seattle. She had come to the owner's rescue when her car broke down a few weeks ago, and that had been her reward for her good deed. It also helped that the woman wanted to get naked for Bella. Now that was out of the question with her mates turning up and all. She had canceled the hotel booking last night and was now feeling the need for a good long fuck more keenly. Knowing next weekend was on the horizon, she had been able to curtail her needs, but now with it gone, she was feeling it more. That and a strong desire to complete the mating bond were nearly enough to drive her insane. The last week with the three constantly being around had not helped her frazzled disposition in the least.

Her usual MO was booking a room in a five-star hotel, making it so much easier to part company in the morning. But with her mates, none of that was necessary; no one needed to get out of bed come morning. Maybe, it was time she purchased an apartment. It would certainly be nice to have a place of her own, especially when you considered Charlie's enhanced senses. Or the fact that her mates lived several other vampires. She smiled to herself, loving that idea; of course, she would have to tell them everything and confess she knew they were vampires. Everything would be out in the open by the end of the week, she had decided. "It would have been so much easier if Charlie hadn't been such a chicken shit about it all.

Victoria collapsed on Bella's king-size bed. "I love the size of her bed." She teased.

"We are a long way from there, Vick," Rosalie said with a sigh.

"We could always hasten things. We know Bella isn't human or not entirely." Victoria added.

"We haven't even considered the fact that she might know what we are even if we don't know what she is," Alice interjected. It could be a real possibility the three wondered as they stared at each other.

"Shit, Alice, you might be..." Rosalie was cut off by the low moan from Bella.

"Oh, come on. I just about managed with that little bedtime ensemble of hers, but this." Victoria complained just as another moan left Bella.

"And yet you are not leaving." Rosalie quipped. There was no denying Bella had occupied their thoughts all week, and that had been hard enough. Their keen senses made what was going on in the shower rather obvious, and their bodies reacted strongly. Victoria gripped Alice, who was practically lying on top of her, as Bella's moans got louder. "Fuck." Rosalie lamented as Bella reached her climax with a muttered fuck of her own.

"Let's be honest, it's the least we deserve, we haven't exactly made the last few days easy on her," Victoria whispered.

"Speak for yourself." Rosalie retorted.

"Oh, weren't you the one bent over her truck knowing full well half your breast and ass were on display." Victoria returned.

"It's how I dress. I didn't know I would be bent over her truck." Rosalie said with a shrug.

"Sure." Alice drawled.

A few minutes later, she stepped out of the bathroom in a towel and sauntered to her closet. From their position on Bella's bed, they could see into the closet. Bella, of course, knew that as she pulled her towel off and dried herself. The three watched as she moisturized her skin, pulled on another lace low-rise shorts, and pulled on a matching bra. She pulled her jeans on, followed by a t-shirt. A pair of chucks completed her look. She grabbed a backpack and pulled a few items from her closet. "Okay, I am good to go." She turned around to find onyx black eyes staring back at her. The room was saturated with the smell of their arousal. With a sigh, she walked over to the window and opened it. She'd called Charlie a chicken for not telling the Cullen's the truth, but she was doing the same in reality. Making excuses, using the idea of having fun with them to postpone her telling them. Yeah, she could ignore the eyes staring back at her, but the way they looked at her made it obvious they didn't want to ignore it. Her little stunt had clearly pushed them over the edge.

The three were sat on her bed as their eyes tracked Bella's every movement across the room. Bella had made it impossible to ignore the otherness that encompassed them. None was making any effort to hide the lustful needy eyes that stared at the girl.

Bella stood in front of them, and for the first time in a long time, her nerves made an appearance. In truth, they made her slightly nervous, but at that moment, it made itself known to an extent it couldn't be ignored. "So... I'm mated to three vampires." Rose sucked in a breath, Alice smiled, and Victoria purred.

"And we are mated to a..."Bella wasn't the least bit surprised to hear the question from Rose.

"To a vampire..." Eyebrows hit hairlines. "...well, half a vampire." She added, kneeling in front of them.

"You are a half-vampire?" The disbelief was evident in Victoria's voice.

"I know, it's hard to believe, but it's true. We are rare, and I mean rare. I have only met four others, and they are all siblings or at least half-siblings from one vampire and different human women. They don't survive the birth. Well, my grandma did, grandpa changed her just us Charlie tore his way out. Charlie doesn't like to think or talk about his birth. He remembers it all."

"I'm sorry, this is just unbelievable," Alice murmured.

"My grandfather is a vampire, a blood-drinking, sparkle in the sun vampire. He was a human drinker and wasn't picky about the humans he drank. Then one night, while stalking a human, he found him stalking another, a woman who turned out to be his mate. He couldn't believe it. Here he was, a vampire with zero respect for human life, finding his soul mate in a human. He saved her life, and in the process, it was clear he wasn't human, but she couldn't bring herself to run from him. He says he would have let her go and found a way to win her over, but she was just as drawn to him. He had no idea he could impregnate her, and he did. The pregnancy was fraught with difficulty, and he didn't know if she would make it, but she did."

"So Charlie's father is a vampire, and his mother as a human gave birth to him, and then his father changed her."

"That's his story," Bella said with a nod.

"Okay, what's your story?" Bella could still hear the disbelief in Rosalie's voice.

"Her mother is also a dhampir," Charlie answered as he stood in the doorway. The four had been so engrossed in the story none had heard him come in and up the stairs.

"God, I hate that term," Bella mumbled.

"It's what you are." Charlie retorted. "I met Bella's mother in the eighties, and well, you can imagine how quickly we gravitated towards each other. I had never met another of my kind, and she hadn't either. We weren't mated, we bonded over our shared uniqueness, but we weren't in love, but I was ecstatic when she fell pregnant with Bella as I didn't think it was possible. It wasn't what she wanted, and I understood when she decided motherhood was not for her." Rose frowned at that. "I moved in with my parents; after all, if anyone understood, it was them. We are unique from pregnancy to our growth. I looked like this by the time I was seven and haven't changed since. I started growing my beard then and haven't shaved since. Bella was the same."

"So, you are not twenty-one?" Alice asked.

"I am, I was born in 1987, it's 2009, I will be twenty-two this September. Charlie, though, is old." Bella teased.

"Carlisle and Eleazar are going to lose their minds." Victoria quipped, earning smiles from the other two.

"Well then, let's go. I was promised a feast." Bella stood up. Her mates still looked somewhat dazed over the story they'd just heard. "I will tell you more later, but seriously you promised food."

"How fast are you?" Alice asked as they headed to a jeep that didn't really fit with any of them.

"Not as fast as you, but I have beaten a vampire before. I genuinely think speed was a problem for him." Victoria chuckled at that. "I think our senses are pretty much on par."

"Do you have a gift?" Victoria leaped into the backseat before anyone else could. It was apparent she wanted to sit next to Bella.

"Yeah, I'm a shield, mental and physical. The metal shield is a constant; it's always there. It actually takes more work to pull it back from myself than to expand it. The physical shield, a convenient gift.

"So, have you fucked a vampire before." Victoria asked, her hand sliding up Bella's thigh.

"For fuck's sake Vic," Rose whispered.

"I don't mind." She'd forgotten Bella's senses were just as sharp as theirs and could hear her.

"No, but I got once, but it quickly apparent she was more interested in draining me dry," Bella answered nonchalantly. It was one of those situations where her shield had come in handy. The vampire in question had enough sense to plead for forgiveness and walk away.

"We are here." Alice chirped, jumping out of the jeep. The Cullen's house was huge. Bella knew there were a lot of them, which was odd as the Volturi had issues with large covens other than their own.

The front door was pulled open by muscle. "My jeep better be in one piece."

"Bella, this uncouth mammoth is Emmett." Alice practically somersaulted of the jeep into Bella's arms. Emmett's eyes widened at the scene but said nothing. As far as he knew, Bella knew nothing about them, and Alice's display wasn't out of the norm for a human.

"Hello, Emmett." The jeep definitely seemed more his style.

"Bella, please come in." With an ease that belied her look, Bella tossed Alice over her shoulder, much to the tiny vampire's dismay.

"Isabella Swan put me down." She growled.

"Nope." To their surprise, Bella smacked her ass to boot. Alice's indignant huff had them all giggling.

The entire coven was in the living room, clearly waiting to see her. "Wow, there really are a lot of you. I'm surprised the Volturi allowed it." She chuckled at the various displays of shock and disbelief. Alice tried to wiggle free, only for Bella to clamp her arms around her thighs.

"Isabella put me down," Alice said with much authority as she could summon.

"No."

"How do you know about the Volturi?" Carlisle asked.

"Oh, you know here and there." Edward's eyebrows rose at the answer. Victoria shook her head at him. Clearly, Bella intended to have some fun with this. Out of the blue Bella, let go of Alice, who took the opportunity to leap off the girl. "Mrs. Cullen, hello." Bella moved towards Esme with a speed that rivaled them. "My father talks about you all the time. I will know you anywhere. His description of you is spot on. I think he's a little in love with you if I'm honest."

"Way to throw the chief under the bus," Emmett whispered.

"You mean like him leaving the truth of what we are to me," Bella replied, her eyes still on Esme.

"He needs a woman in his life... I believe you'd be perfect."

"Thank you, dear, but I am married." Esme giggled.

"I could always make him disappear, just say the word." She whispered.

"I can hear you." Carlisle crossed his arms over his chest and stood tall.

"Right." Bella drew the word out. "Anyway, I was promised a feast. You don't know me, but I can assure you, I am wasting away. My fat reserves are dwindling rather fast."

"Right this way." Esme led the way to the kitchen.

"What are you?" Carlisle was desperate to know what Bella was. The idea of supernatural species they knew nothing about was fascinating.

"I'm sorry, what," Bella asked, her eyes glued to the plate in Esme's hand.

"I'm curious as to how you know about the Volturi." Bella eagerly accepted the plate of steak, potatoes, and roasted vegetables and peppers. She took a bit and let out a moan that verged on indecent.

"Mrs. Cullen, this is one of the best meals I have ever had the pleasure of enjoying.

"My daddy will really appreciate a woman like you." She muttered as she got back to her food.

"I..."

"Carlisle." Esme's tone shut him up. He could ask his questions after Bella was finished with her food. They were curious to know what Bella was. "Please, dear, it's Esme." Bella nodded as her mouth was full.

"So," Jasper asked Alice, who smirked but said nothing.

"Spill," Tanya growled at him.

"I can't hear you," Edward said instead to Bella.

"I'm a shield." She frowned at the empty plate.

"Would you like some more?" Esme could tell she the girl was far from full.

"Thank you, and if you could double the amount." Esme looked shocked but filled her plate all the same. "I don't usually eat so much, but I haven't hunted in a while.

"Do you follow our diet?" Rosalie's question turned all heads on her.

"Yes, and blood bags, I don't need blood as much as you do. I go through stages where the idea of human food doesn't appeal in the least. Then there are times like this." She waved her hand over the near-empty plate.

"You are a vampire?" Carlisle asked, shocked.

Bella stared at him as she took another bite of her steak. She chewed slowly, still staring at him, thoroughly amused by Carlisle's slowly dwindling patience. As much as the rest were eager for Bella to confirm whether she was a vampire or not. They were enjoying Carlisle's frustration.

"How about you divorce Esme, leaving her free and clear for my lovely, lonely for too long father, and I will tell you." Bella quipped. Carlisle raised an eyebrow at her as the other laughed.

"Dear, as much as I respect your plan, I'm afraid you need me to agree to the plan, and that is not going to happen," Esme replied, entirely delighted by the young lady. She was happy for her three girls, but after meeting Bella, she was now more so. "Now dear, answer the impatient doctor's question."

With a feigned defeated sigh, Bella answered. "Yes, I am a vampire. How else will I know about the Volturi?" Bella countered.

"But you have a heartbeat... the rhythm is not consistent with anything I've heard before, but still."

"That would be my human half." It wasn't every day she got to reveal their existence to vampires, and she found she was thoroughly enjoying being the center of attention. She also found the doc's frustration even more entertaining.

"I'm confused," Carlisle muttered.

"Bella is a dhampir." Victoria finally put Carlisle out of his misery.

"I hate that term," Bella whined. "Just say half."

"That is not possible," Eleazar murmured in disbelief.

Alice, Victoria, and Rose went on to tell Bella's story as she continued to eat. Esme had offered dessert, which was wholly welcomed. Bella ate half the tiramisu, which would typically serve four.

"Esme, that was wonderful. Thank you so much. I normally only bother with human food when my grandma is around to cook." Esme smiled at the compliment.

"Can I ask? Who is your grandfather?"

"Robert Swan." Bella giggled. "And he really doesn't like you."

"I have no idea who he is," Carlisle replied.

"No, if you did, you would never have stepped foot in Forks, so I am rather grateful you didn't."

"He was here the first time we moved here." Edward surmised. Vampires were territorial creatures, and Robert Swan would have had every right to tell them to leave, but for some reason, he didn't. "Why didn't he tell us to leave?" Rosalie asked.

"Grandma wouldn't let him." Bella smiled. It was the kind of warm and loving smile that had Alice moving to stand between her legs while she sat on the stool. That had Victoria wrapping an arm over Bella's shoulders, and Rose moved to stand behind her with a hand on Bella's shoulder. "We always joked that grandma's beast was non-existent until you threatened her family. It's easy to be a coven; it's harder to be a family. She saw a family much like her own." Bella looked at the three vampires wrapped around her. "I believe at the time you also killed a vampire that was determined to hunt Ephraim Black. You earned his respect coming to the aid of a man who hated you."

"Thanks to Vicky here." Emmett jumped in.

"James asked me to watch a coven to see if they'd interfere in his hunt. That was the biggest mistake he did. Much like your grandmother, I saw a family and wanted that. I was tired of James and his games. We were constantly in danger... I couldn't do it anymore. Four hundred years of his bullshit had worn me down. I also realized he wasn't my mate. One look at Carlisle and Esme, and I knew he had lied to me about something so fundamental."

"She came to us and warned us. Asked to be a part of our family. At the time, it was just five of us." Rose added.

"We have taken up enough of your time." Esme stepped in before Carlisle and Eleazar could further interrogate Bella.

Bella smiled at Esme and followed her mates out of the main house as she looked forward to getting to know them better.