My Queens: Chapter 3
Summary: Bella takes a trip of a lifetime, but all is not as it seems.
Bella/Athenodora, Didyme, Sulpicia
Vampires were a territorial and competitive bunch, knowing that, she should have expected the deadly glares Didyme was receiving as they flew home. Bella looked thoroughly amused as to what was going on between the three. It was clear from the looks she was getting from the guard; they heard it all.
"You kissed Didyme," Demetri informed her.
"It was just a kiss," Bella muttered dismissively.
"That is not the issue," Felix whispered. "It's Didyme's refusal to let the other two kiss you too." He explained.
"Ohh," Bella murmured, sticking her earphones back in. It wasn't as though there was anything she could do about it. If they wanted her involvement, they would speak loudly enough for her to hear.
She felt someone softly nudging her. "Bella, we've landed," Sulpicia murmured softly. She realized her seat was upright, and she had her seat belt on. She hadn't even felt the plane land. "I must be more tired than I thought. Thank you." She groaned, slightly disoriented from sleep.
"You can go back to sleep when we get home." Didyme offered. Bella shook her head, knowing she'd be wide awake by the time they made it home.
Of course, Bella was wrong. She just about managed to make it to the limo before she was out cold again. Bella had underestimated just how tired she was. In truth, she had always believed there was a much easier way to present herself to the Volturi. Maybe approach the queens when they were out of the castle, but she quickly realized that would not have been any easier. They traveled with a contingent of the guard, and good luck getting close to them before you got sucked dry. Especially now that she knew Corin usually traveled with them. With that in mind, she decided to call Alice.
It came as no surprise when her phone rang. "You know, just once, I would like to be able to call you when I decide to do so," Bella mumbled as she dragged herself out of bed.
"Well, it's my last opportunity. That shield of yours keeps me out after you are turned." Alice groused.
"So, you keep telling me." Bella yawned, tempted to go back to bed. "It worked." She added.
"Of course, it did. I spent years monitoring several decisions for that outcome. The entire approach might have been a little dramatic, but…"
"Aro loves drama. Caius loves strength, and Marcus needed to see the bonds." Bella finished.
"And…" Alice encouraged cheerfully.
"I had to get inside the castle, and since it could not be you guys, it had to be someone of importance. So, I'd have the chance to speak before someone decided I smelled too good." Bella parroted.
"You'll be very happy there, Bella. I've seen what happens when… it is imperative you be yourself and not what others want you to be." Alice's voice took on a somber tone, and that said it all. Edward had done that, and Bella had allowed it, so had Alice. Alice, though did so for a good reason. After all, Edward could not suspect she was not on his side, so she played the expected part. It was a lesson Bella needed to learn, and she did. So her introduction to the Volturi needed to show them that Isabella Swan was no walkover. She had achieved that; unfortunately, some would continue to try to break her.
Bella was happy to have found her mates, but the politics that came with it gave her a headache. She was going to have to make an extreme statement. In what fashion, she had no idea. "Don't worry, it will present itself on a silver platter," Alice said with a giggle. It was all it took to calm Bella; it would happen if Alice said it would happen.
"Thanks, Al. I have to go and make sure Didyme is still in one piece." Her stomach rumbled then. "And get some food."
"We'll see you soon, Bells," Alice said, ending the call.
After a much-needed shower, Bella ventured out of her bedroom to find something to eat. "Didi, your limbs are still attached." She teased.
"Just about." The vampire returned, Bella could see the mischief in her eyes. "You are quite the kisser, Isabella." And there it was.
"I'm going to find something to eat." She said with a chuckle as she left the three to it.
She enjoyed having a personal chef, even if it was for only a couple of days. Her breakfast consisted of a fruit salad, crepes, and a cup of the best coffee she'd ever tasted.
She joined her mates at the dining table. "The twins are away on a mission but should be home in a couple of days," Sulpicia informed her, doing her best to hide her anger at Aro. The twins were not due on a mission, but Aro had sent them out because they'd dared spend a night away from the castle. More importantly, they'd spent the night with Bella, and Aro was feeling the need to assert his dominance. He saw Jane and Alec as his and was threatened by Bella's bond with them. His inability to control her meant he felt the need to prove who had the power.
"That's fine. It's not as though I'm going to be coherent during the change to know they are gone." Bella said with a shrug.
"You are certain you want to get changed today?" Athenodora asked.
"Yes, as I said, I came here because I am ready." Her conviction bled through.
"Okay, before we do." Didyme pushed an envelope towards her. "We want you to have this." Bella opened the envelope to find the deeds to the villa.
"You are giving me the villa." She nearly choked on her words.
"Yes, you need a place away from the castle, your own place," Sulpicia said.
"I doubt you want to live in the castle. Not yet, at least." Didyme added.
"It's not entirely selfless; after three thousand years, we have found our mate, and we loathe to share you so soon," Athenodora added. Bella knew it was more than that but left it alone. She took the pen and signed the document.
"Thank you." She whispered.
"During the change, try as much as you can to focus on your memories. Our human memories become less clear after the change and with time, get worse." Sulpicia advised. It was the advice the Cullen's had given her time and time again. Bella often teased them that they reminded her often because they were afraid she would forget them when changed. Even though Bella doubted it was possible. They'd been part of her life for the past nine years; she was unlikely to forget them. The two years she lived in Berkshire, she had lived with Carlisle and Esme. Even though they had not come back to Forks, they had made it a point to stay a part of her life. As much as they would have loved Bella to be their son's mate, she was not, and they were not going to force the issue.
"You should know we spoke to your father." Bella was not the least bit surprised by Sulpicia's admission.
"Did he threaten you?" Bella asked, thoroughly amused.
"Yes, he said he knew a large pack of horse-sized wolves and had no qualms sending them after us." Athenodora laughed, as did Bella.
"When he learned the truth about Edward… I didn't think he was capable of such anger. I believe if he could have found Edward, he would have killed him somehow." Bella murmured.
"Rightly so," Didyme growled. "Now, having spoken to your father, we are aware of the feeding habits of your friends. You've been exposed to both human and animal feeding covens. Do you have a preference?" She asked.
"Actually, I'm more partial to Peter and Char's way of hunting. I noticed the blood bags in the fridge; I wouldn't mind that either." Bella shrugged. As long as she wasn't taking innocent lives, she would be fine.
"Is your relationship purely platonic?" Bella asked confidently.
"You want to know if we fuck each other?" Sulpicia's lascivious smirk was answer enough.
"Yes," Bella whispered.
"How would you feel if the answer was yes." The scent of Bella's arousal suddenly flooded the room.
"I see you like that very much. To answer your question, we do like to keep each other warm on cold winter nights." Sulpicia's lips barely brushed over Bella's. "You smell incredible." Sulpicia moaned, taking a rather obvious sniff, as her nose ran along Bella's carotid artery. She was in a pair of running shorts and a wife-beater; comfort was the key while changing. Although she doubted what she wore would make much difference to her level of pain, but she wasn't going to argue. She would be in a great deal of pain; there was no need to make it any worse.
"So, I've been told." Bella groaned as Sulpicia's fingers trailed the length of her spine. She smelled just as intoxicating as Didyme. "So do you," Bella added.
"Yes, but our smell is designed to attract prey, but for our mates, it's an entirely different thing. It's more of an aphrodisiac." Sulpicia's hands roamed every inch of her body; Bella whimpered when Sulpicia pinched her nipple. "Can I kiss you, Isabella?" Sulpicia's voice left her with the feeling of warm chocolate poured on her breast and slowly licked off.
"Yes." Bella moaned as Sulpicia walked her back toward her bed. She pushed Bella back onto the bed and kneeled between her legs. Bella's confusion lasted a mere second when Sulpicia slowly pulled down her running shorts.
"Bend your knees for me, Isabella." There was that voice again. "If at any point you want to stop, just tell me." She added.
"Okay." Bella moaned as Sulpicia ran the flat of her tongue along her sex slowly. "Fuck." She
mewled.
"You are so wet." She moaned, enjoying Bella's taste. The coolness of her tongue against Bella's heat was thrilling. She circled her tongue around Bella's clit and then took it into her mouth, sucking on it. Bella let out a loud cry as a wave of pleasure coursed through her. It only spurred Sulpicia on, whose tongue explored greedily. Her tongue slipped from Bella's clit to inside Bella, her fingers took over pinching, stroking, and circling the human's clit. Bella gripped Sulpicia's hair as the vampire's tongue harshly fucked her. "Oh, God." She keened. Her body shook as her orgasm took over her body, even stealing her voice. Her mouth was wide open, and yet no sound came forth.
"So sweet." Sulpicia moaned, her tongue still lapping at Bella. She realized the vampire wasn't done; if anything, her initial tentativeness was nowhere to be found.
Bella came to to find Athenodora staring down at her. "It is highly unfair, Isabella," Athenodora complained.
"Okay, in my defense, they smell so good, and I was powerless against it." Bella groaned.
"May I say you taste incredible," Sulpicia added out of the blue.
"You are not helping." Bella groused. Athenodora put her hand between Bella's legs and slowly moved a finger inside her to Bella's surprise. She drew it out with her eyes on Bella and sucked on the finger.
"You do taste divine." Athenodora purred. "I want more." Before she could do anything, Didyme joined them.
"I thought we were changing Bella." She said, joining Sulpicia on the love seat, watching the two.
"We are, right after I get a taste of Bella." Bella let out an involuntary whimper at the lascivious look in the blonde's eye. "Can I be a little rough with you?" Athenodora asked, her eyes glued to Bella's.
"Dora," Didyme warned.
"Yes," Bella answered before any more could be said.
"See, Bella is fine with it." She purred as she began to strip out of her clothes.
Bella squeaked as Athenodora slowly unbuttoned her shirt, revealing the red La Perla set she was wearing. Bella had seen them in swimsuits the day before. Still, those were conservative compared to the barely-there pieces of cloth Athenodora was currently wearing. She greedily took in every inch of Athenodora as more skin was uncovered. Her fingers twitched, desperate to caress every inch of the pale flawless skin on display.
"She does not know what she is agreeing to," Didyme argued sullenly.
Ignoring Didyme, the blonde got on all fours and slowly prowled towards Bella, who swallowed audibly.
"Shit," Bella murmured, realizing Didyme was right; she had no idea what she had consented to. Before she could think about it anymore, her shirt was ripped off with ease.
Athenodora's lips descended on her own; she angled her head until their lips molded perfectly together, moving as though they were old hands at it. Her kiss held none of the tentativeness Didyme's had held. It was an assured kiss and dominating. A cold tongue forced its way into her mouth, plundering every inch of Bella's mouth. Athenodora pulled back when it became apparent that Bella desperately needed to breathe. The predatory look in her eyes sent a shiver down Bella's spine. Athenodora's eyes never once left Bella's as her fingers slowly sunk into Bella's wet heat. She pumped her fingers in and out of Bella while her thumb worked her clit.
Half an hour later, Bella was entirely out of it and had barely felt the three sets of teeth that sunk into warm flesh. That was until the burn began.
Before Jasper got his hands on her, Bella would trip over air. As a child, she burnt herself with an iron on more than one occasion. She was used to hospital visits from the number of self-inflicted injures. She could combine the pain from every one of those incidents and still be less than a percentage close to what she felt now. She was on fire, they'd all told her precisely what it felt like, but no amount of words came close to conveying the reality of the pain she was in.
Her thoughts focused on the smile on Alice's face when she opened the door, surprised by the sight of the vampire. They'd told her they were coming back, but if Bella was honest with herself, she hadn't truly believed it. Edward's words in the forest affected her; it chipped at her even if she hadn't wanted to admit it to herself. She was introduced to Peter and Charlotte, she took to them instantly. What came as a real surprise had been her relationship with Rosalie. Bella's newfound confidence, the confidence that women found themselves drawn to, was one she built with the help of Rosalie Hale.
She would have laughed if she could at the thought of Charlie and his constant threatening of vampires. Of course, he could do nothing, but he would have you believe he had several wolves at his beck and call willing to carry out his threat. She was happy to know she would still have him in her life. Of course, not everything had worked out well, some relationships she had already sadly severed. Some of those lost friendships hurt, Jake's inability to accept her decision had hurt. His refusal to accept her decision had nothing to do with her and everything to do with him. Jake wanted her, and the fact that she was not his imprint and had mates of her own meant nothing to him. In the end, he had given her an ultimatum, and she had chosen her mates. It was the last she had seen of him, even when she visited the res. If her father could accept her decision, why could he not? Then, there was Edward, a mistake, but she found she did not regret him all that much. After all, his actions taught her a great deal. It gave her the patience needed to wait until she was ready to meet her mates and the Volturi.
"She is too quiet." Athenodora paced the room worriedly.
"Dora, pay attention," Sulpicia grumbled. "She is changing. You can see it; you just have to look."
"Still, I'm worried." Not every change that was physically successful was mentally so. The change drove many insane.
"She is strong, and we both know if anything was going to go wrong, we wouldn't be doing this at all," Didyme added. The thought of Alice calmed the blonde somewhat. It was the longest three days of their lives as they waited for their mate to wake up a vampire.
They were formidable in their own right. They had to be with the number of resistance there were to their rule in the early days. Aro did not want the ruling coven to have any weakness, especially in the queens. The Romanians nearly got to Didyme, had it not been for Caius, she would have been lost to them. Extensive fight training had followed for the three women after that incident. Either that or find themselves locked away for their protection. There was too much out there in the world to be locked away, and so naturally, all three chose fight training. Athenodora had discovered she could see weaknesses in others, pick up their fighting style in a few moves and best them. Only Caius has ever defeated her, and that was no surprise; after all, he was her twin.
The three were considered deadly in the vampire world, and never once have they found themselves on the back foot. But as glowing red eyes stared at them as though looking right through to their souls. Athenodora could help but think they had their work cut out for them.
Didyme remembered the first time she opened her eyes. She took in every inch of the room she was in. A room that became hers and still was, of course, the décor had changed over time. She still winced when she remembered the sixties and seventies. She had no idea what she had been thinking then. Bella though took nothing in but the three of them. If you asked Bella, she would say she had stared for a few seconds, but in reality, it was a couple of minutes shy of half an hour. Newborns got lost in the simplest of things, and Bella was no different.
"Bella," Sulpicia whispered.
"I mean, I knew you were beautiful, but fuck human eyes sucked ass because… damn." The only thing Sulpicia could do was laugh. Didyme giggled, and Athenodora simply rolled her eyes at their mate.
It was different reactions to one emotion, relief. A newborn waking up was fraught with peril. They had seen some wake insane, some without their memories, so much so, they did not recognize their own mates. Isabella Swan, though, woke up as herself; nothing it seemed had changed. She was simply the vampire version of her human self. They hadn't known Bella for long, but enough to have a measure of her personality.
"Why are you standing all the way over there." A split second later she was in front of them. She had simply meant to get out of bed. "I didn't…" Her words caught in her throat as she tasted the unique smell the three vampires produced. Without thought, she gathered them in her arms, taking long, deep breaths.
"Bella, you are crushing us," Sulpicia grunted. Bella let go and found herself on the other side of the room. Her frustration was evident, she was struggling to gauge her speed.
Sorry." She muttered. "I am… I can't…" She huffed, annoyed at herself. She knew what was happening, but she was still struggling to explain herself.
"Your emotions are heightened. Worse, each one is fighting for dominance. You can't focus on one, so don't try. You are barely an hour old, it is not an exercise you will succeed in." Didyme advised. Bella nodded, knowing she was right, but it still did not stop her frustration.
"It's going to be a long year," Bella muttered dejectedly.
"Isabella, you have us, and we will help you through it." Athenodora knelt in front of her and gave her mate a reassuring hug.
Bella kept her hands firmly clenched together on her knees to stop herself from touching anything else. She'd hate to break anything vital in a moving car. "How are you feeling?" Sulpicia asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Bella still marveled at her ability to hear it all so clearly.
"Trying not to focus on my anger." She groused. "Who the hell does he think he is keeping the twins away from me," Bella growled.
"I'm sure he is doing no such thing," Athenodora murmured softly, trying to calm the newborn.
"Oh, he is. Aro is trying to assert his authority, and the twins are the only leverage he has." Didyme said, earning glares from the other two. "Ouch." Didyme yelped. The kick to her shins had hurt. Sulpicia's shit-eating grin gave her away, despite her pretending her focus was on keeping Bella calm. One would think Didyme was trying to get her brother killed.
Bella chose to focus on the first couple of weeks of her vampire life. Using the term newborn for new vampires, she found rather apt. She had to learn to use her body all over again. Her frustration over her inability to do anything got worse over the next few days. She crushed the handle of her drawer in her attempt to get clothes. Her foot went through two jogging pants despite Athenodora dressing her. In the end, she settled for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. The lights in the hallway nearly blinded her, and in her attempts to escape back to the bedroom, she pulverized the door.
A leaf blowing in the wind was as loud as a jackhammer breaking up concrete. Bella had to learn to tune her senses to her immediate environment. She broke everything she touched, except her mates. Surprisingly, blood lust was the one issue she did not have, and that enabled her to adjust quicker than expected. After nearly two weeks, she still could not dress or undress herself. Any attempt to undress destroyed clothes beyond repair. Turns out Alice wasn't wrong when she said Bella would need the mountain of clothes she had purchased for her. The villa required extensive work due to her newborn strength. Okay, in all honesty, most of that damage should be blamed on her mates. It was not her fault she could not keep her hands of them. Sex had now been relegated to one room in the villa, as they were afraid if it carried on, the villa would not be left standing.
Her first hunt had come on the night of her change. She had satisfied herself with a few blood bags until the sun went down. Her mates had allowed her to run, and they had ended up in Bologna, where they stumbled upon a drug deal. Both she and her mates had had their fill with a great deal of satisfaction.
"We are here," Santiago informed them.
Bella was out of the car and gone before her mates could react. "Are we following?" Didyme asked.
"No, I think we should let her deal with this herself. The sooner Aro learns that his games will not work where Bella is concerned, the better." Athenodora said, her focus on the car door hanging on by a thread.