My Queens: Chapter 7
Summary: Bella takes a trip of a lifetime, but all is not as it seems.
Bella/Athenodora, Didyme, Sulpicia
In a silk robe and a cup in hand, one would think she was just another human up early in the morning with a cup of coffee. On closer inspection, they might notice her skin had a slight sparkle to it. Her cup was filled with blood. Bella had taken the traditional warmer and tweaked it to warm up her blood. Pop a blood bag in there, and in ten minutes or so, it came out nice and warm. She tried using a microwave in the early days, but she did not like the taste. The blood lost something in the microwave as far as she was concerned. The rest had no such issue, they drunk their blood disgustingly cold.
She opened her pool and waited for the water to heat up. It would take a while with the size of her pool. She didn't need to heat the water, as it made no difference to her, but she still rather swim in a heated pool. She enjoyed the heat on her skin even if her body could not retain it. In the meantime, she relaxed on the back porch, iPad in hand, catching up on world news.
The beeping sound alerted her to the fact the pool is at optimum temperature. Bella tossed her bathroom aside and dived in. Swimming was not the reason Isabella Swan has a two-acre pool. No, for lack of a better word, it was her ability to water bend, as the twins insist on calling it. Bella has not got Benjamin's natural ability to control and manipulate the four elements. She can manipulate her physical and metal shield and, in turn, anything she can wrap her shield around. Bella shot out of the pool, twenty feet into the air, and stayed there. To the naked eye, she was standing on a twenty feet water-made platform. "Play music," Bella murmured, and Vivaldi's Summer III. Presto blasted through the grounds and under the pool. She had a hundred and sixteen underwater speakers and another fifty-four around the compound installed. It was a little on the extreme side, but she had no neighbors, so she went for it.
It was clear Felix said something when the Cullen's saw her pool, because they are all out watching her in awe. The water started to recede to the back of the pool while the platform slowly descended, merging with the receding water. Bella stopped at about ten feet in the air; without warning, the receded water formed a ten-foot wave headed toward the Cullens.
"Isabella, don't you dare," Rosalie warned. It was clear it fell on deaf ears as the wave headed toward them. Of course, they could all run before it hit, but curiosity meant they all stayed put, bracing themselves. Then just a hairsbreadth from hitting them, the wave stopped, frozen in position, with Bella standing on top with a smug smile.
"Pause music." She mumbled. "Good morning, Cullens." She saluted. As though it could not get anymore disbelieving, the wave under Bella formed an elaborate slide, and she slid down to join the Cullens. The water behind her slowly receded into the pool.
"You are a shield. How…" Carlisle was clearly lost for words.
"How is that possible?" Jasper asked the question Carlisle had attempted to ask. Instead of answering, Bella pointed to the pool, and a round ball of water headed towards them. Bella grabbed it and gave it to Jasper.
"Take it." Without hesitation, he reached for it and found it was entirely solid. It was the last thing he expected, he expected to be touching the water, but he was not.
"I'm holding your shield." He laughed in awe.
"You are." She smiled. "I can't manipulate water, but I can manipulate my shield, and I can throw my shield around anything."
"So the water moves with your shield." Carlisle surmised. "Incredible." He whispered. Jasper attempted to throw the shield, but nothing happened.
"You are holding it because I'm allowing you to hold it. You cannot manipulate it in any way. Take your hand away." Bella encouraged. Jasper did so slowly, only to find the ball of water still in place. The ball floated toward Emmet; Bella had it over his head; before he could react, he was soaking wet. "That's for the constant phone calls while I was on vacation." She laughed. The twins had both broken their phones, so Emmett, desperate to try out the virtual reality platform, had taken to disturbing her. She had no idea how the damn thing worked. Bella knew nothing about gaming, did not care for refresh rates, lagging, or anything else for that matter. In the end, it turned out Emmett needed the twins present before he could access the network.
"When did you realize you could do this" Carlisle asked, his eyes glued to the pool.
"I didn't. Trying to get the twins off their game consoles was a nightmare, so I started throwing my shield around it. Then one day, Jane asked if I could move it. I'd never once considered it. It took me three hours, and the console ended up on the other side of the forest, embedded in a tree. It was still intact as the shield was still around it. It took me years to control the speed. In truth, we all thought it was the most I could do with it.
Then in a completely unrelated event, we ended up in Egypt and an unintended visit with the Egyptian coven. We met Benjamin, who has the power to manipulate the elements. The twins, it's safe to say, lost their minds. Their awe and amazement at Benjamin's ability even had Amun dropping his shoulders. In truth, their behavior was damn right endearing. I'd got them obsessed with an animation series called Avatar the…"
"Airbender!" Emmett exclaimed, still in his wet clothes. "I love that show. Holyshit, you are a water bender." Emmett cheered, earning a groan from Bella, she got enough of that from the twins.
"As you can imagine, they pretty much saw Benjamin as a real-life Aang. Amun became curious about the show, and the twins were eager to rope another vampire into the world of The Last Airbender. Amun didn't just see a show, he saw ways to massively improve Benjamin's ability.
Four years after that visit, Amun, Benjamin, Tia, and Kebi all showed up here out of the blue. He had been thinking about my shield. In his words, if you can move it, you can manipulate it, and I don't see why it has to be limited." Bella smiled fondly at the memory. "And he was right, of course. It took ten plus years to get to this point." Bella finished with a shrug.
"Can we see it," Alice asked.
She created a ball with just her shield and stood on it, her feet embedding themselves into the shield. She moved the ball around the grounds. It went as fast as she could run as a vampire. The advantage it gave her was that she could go as high as fifty feet into the air. She then landed on the pool, she looked as though she was walking on water. For the better part of two hours, with her favorite playlist, Bella Swan went through her usual morning routine. Of course, if the Cullens thought she wasn't going to soak them, they were deluded. Bella ended her routine by throwing her shield around the Cullens and dropping them into the pool.
"I'm going to fucking kill you," Rosalie growled.
"Yeah, you have to get your hands on me first." Bella retorted smugly.
"Ahh, I see you are acquainted with Bella's extended gifts." Athenodora purred as she kissed her mate softly. The move had surprised Bella. With Edward right there, Bella had expected one of her more inappropriate kisses.
"Yes." Carlisle groaned, getting out of the pool.
"Really, Bella," Esme grumbled as she wrung out water from her hair.
"Everyone who has ever visited the villa has found themselves in the pool whether they want to or not." Alec laughed at the sight of the soaking Cullens. Jasper, Emmett, and Alice had decided to stay in the pool.
"Em, I thought you wanted to try out the VR platform," Alec mumbled. Emmett scrambled out of the pool faster than he's ever moved.
"Give me two seconds to get a change of clothes," Emmett muttered excitedly as he ran to the guest house.
"Alice, what time are we leaving for Florence?" Didyme asked.
"Bella, will you be joining us?" Sulpicia asked, knowing Bella's aversion for all things shopping.
"I'd rather slit my throat." She groused as she headed back in to change out of her wet suit.
"Why ask when you know her response," Didyme said, shaking her head. Sometimes Athenodora and Sulpicia couldn't help themselves.
"Because her responses are just too amusing." Athenodora purred.
"This is why I'm her favorite." Didyme retorted smugly.
"I have no favorites," Bella complained.
"Going for a hunt?" Sulpicia asked as Bella was dressed in all black, her usual hunting attire.
"Actually… no, but there is something I need to deal with." She murmured, earning nods from her mates. They knew very well what it was. "Try not to get carried away with the shopping." She kissed all three before disappearing into the forest.
With Bella gone, all three turned their attention to Edward Cullen. "We have a great deal of love and respect for your family. We are also aware you saved Isabella's life." Didyme started.
"Those are your saving grace but know that that grace is limited. I'd rather you weren't here at all, but you are, and it makes no difference to our mate." Sulpicia added.
"Make no mistake, put a foot wrong, and it will be the last thing you do. You have nothing more to say to Bella." Athenodora growled. "Is that understood?"
Edward's eyes drifted to Alice's before looking back at the queens. "Understood." He mumbled. It was obvious the boy had more to say but wisely kept his mouth shut. It didn't take a rocket scientist to know Alice had more than likely seen the result of whatever he had wanted to say already. The boy had some sense after all.
"I can't find my robe," Alec grumbled when Jane finally opened the door after his incessant knocking.
"And what do you want me to do about it." She snapped, pinning her braid in place.
"Can I borrow your spare one?" He pleaded.
"Would that be the same spare robe you borrowed last month?" Jane snarked.
"Well, shit." Alec bolted out of the room back to his. There was every likelihood his robe was at the villa. "God, this is a mess." He muttered looking around his room.
"I'm glad you have finally acknowledged your filth." Bella retorted. "I believe this is yours." She laid two freshly laundered robes on the back of his chair. It was the only clean surface in the room. "Alec, after the hearing is over, I want this room looking as though you have never lived in it." Bella turned to leave. "And oh, no games for the next eighteen months." She added.
"You can't be serious." He whispered.
"Make that twenty-four months." This time, he knew better than to say anything. He threw his robe on and stormed out of his room.
"Where is Jane?" Heidi asked innocently.
"How the fuck would I know." He was acting like a petulant little shit, but he didn't care.
"What crawled up your ass and died?" Demetri grumbled. Alec ignored the comment and stormed off to the throne room.
"There was a time, the language in these walls was nothing short of literary brilliance." Marcus sighed.
"Blame Bella." Jane chuckled.
"I do." He groused, taking his seat in the throne room.
"How many disputes are we hearing today?" Caius asked.
"Just a handful," Aro mumbled.
Although it was a handful of cases, it went on for several hours. Worse, someone was creating a newborn army in Chile, and arrangements had to be made to deal with it.
"I believe this is our final case." Aro cheered. The doors to the throne room opened to reveal Bella. "You have a dispute or crime to report?" Aro asked, shifting in his seat. His boredom had suddenly alleviated.
"I do hope you will deal with this objectively and fairly," Bella said, knowing he would have little choice in the matter.
"And why would our objectivity and fairness be in question?" Aro questioned impassively. Bella would admit he pulled it off despite his obvious delight.
"Because my dispute is with two members of the guard." She replied in a tone devoid of any expression. The murmurs among the guards were the very opposite.
"I see." Aro was practically vibrating with excitement. "And who would they be?" Bella did not miss his eyes quickly darting to the figures of Corin and Chelsea. He had one right.
"Chelsea and Afton." Bella's answer came as a surprise as Afton was not someone Bella had ever acknowledged. As far as anyone was concerned, Bella had no idea who Afton was.
"Since taking your hand is pointless…" Aro.
"No, that much I can let you see," Bella replied flippantly, paying little attention to Aro's stunned expression.
"You can do that?" His voice was barely above a whisper.
Bella smirked in response as she took his hand.
It was the morning after they had gotten back from Forks. She had gone for a run; the sun had long disappeared when Bella stopped, her surroundings were dark. She sat on a rooftop of a resort undergoing extensive renovations. She'd been to Sicily once while she was still human. It had been a family trip with Charlie, Sue, Seth, and Leah. They spent that vacation at the La Plage, the very resort Bella was currently waiting patiently.
She didn't have to wait long. "Join me," Bella said into the darkness. She waited patiently, waited for him to join her, but her invite went unanswered. She turned and stared directly at him; her eyes stayed on him even as he moved. Had the situation been any different, Bella would have laughed. She couldn't blame him for the action. In the past, her eyes would zero in on him. He would then move, but her eyes would stay in the same spot pretending she couldn't see him. Tonight, her eyes tracked every movement, delighting in his increasing panic.
"I can see you." She cleared her throat as her amusement bled through.
She had no idea what Afton was thinking as he kept moving around. After all, it was evident she could see him. "Keep it up, and you will go right through this roof." She chuckled. "Sit down, or I will make you." Her amusement had waned, and the threat was clear.
After realizing Bella could truly see him, Afton did as he was told. "You can see me?" She was surprised by the softness of his voice, and he spoke Italian. He understood English but did not speak the language.
"Your gift is a mental one; mental gifts are rather useless where I'm concerned," Bella said with a shrug.
"I've been following you for months, spying on you." He confessed
"Yes, I'm aware. I also realized you were doing it for a reason, so I waited to find out the reason before I showed my hand." When she had found him on her property, she had told her mates. Unsurprisingly, Athenodora had been the one to suggest they wait until they knew what he wanted. It had taken months, and still, they had no idea. While visiting her mates at the castle, Bella had gone out Athenodora's window to avoid Caius. She'd lost a bet, and she had no intention of paying. Especially not when Caius demanded her original four-part Death of Wolverine series print. Bella wasn't all that into buying comics; she only bought them when something monumental happened. The death of a major character was one of them. While she waited on the roof of the castle, she finally found out what Afton was after. Chelsea wanted Bella dead.
Bella turned to look at him. "You can be the best fighter in the world, and it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference fighting me. We both know you don't amount to much even with your gift. Your position in the Volturi is predicated on the fact that you are mated to Chelsea. I could kill you right here, and no one would know. After all, neither of us left a scent trail here." Afton's eyes widened when he grasped the truth of her words. If I see you on my property again or following me, I will kill you." He nodded in response. "Now, leave," Bella ordered
Aro dropped Bella's hand. When his eyes landed on Chelsea, his look was one Bella had never seen. He looked enraged.
"Afton." The vampire in question made himself visible.
"What happened?" Caius asked. His eyes had been glued to Athenodora while Aro had Bella's hand in his. She barely held on to her anger, and neither were the other two. Jane just glared at Chelsea with a hatred he had not seen in her eyes since before Bella came. Alec looked no different to his sister.
"Chelsea tasked her mate with killing Isabella." Aro's words sent a shockwave through the room; the resulting cacophony made Chelsea flinch. Bella hadn't been entirely sure what to do or what to expect if she brought it to the kings. It had taken her a week of discussions with her mates and children to decide, and it had been thanks to Jasper that she finally made a decision. Aro could not in good conscience kill Chelsea. Her gift was intrinsic to the unity of such a large coven. Yes, the likes of Demetri, Heidi, Felix, Santiago, and some others were unlikely to leave when Chelsea suddenly was no more. But Chelsea's gift was more so indispensable to the longevity of the unity of the Volturi.
"You didn't even think to test your theory first." Caius ever the strategist snarled.
"Oh, they did, but Bella here had them believe she could not see Afton," Aro answered, sounding defeated. "You have put me in a precarious position. You know our rules, and you broke one of the most sacred rules we have. An offense punishable by death." The gasps that went through the throne room said it all. No one had expected that decision from Aro. Aro, of all people, remembered the turmoil the coven was in before he found Chelsea, then Charmion. Aro remembered his fear when he discovered Marcus and Caius were mated. Fearing they would team up and overthrow him, finding Chelsea had stopped him from killing the two in an attempt to prevent something he now realizes would never have happened.
"I can't let you do that," Bella interjected.
"The hell you can't." Athenodora snarled. "She tried to kill you." She added. Bella knew Athenodora did not want Chelsea killed any more than she did, but Chelsea could not know that. Someone had to be willing to kill her, even if it meant the end of the Volturi.
"I know, but you have to look at the bigger picture." Bella pleaded. "I could have killed Afton; I was in Taormina when I stopped, neither of us left a scent trail. I could have killed him, and no one would have known. She could have spent forever wondering what happened to him and never know." Chelsea took her mate's hand to assure herself he was still there, knowing Bella spoke the truth.
"We also cannot let her get away with it. She may not have succeeded, but a lesson has to be taught." Marcus spoke for the first time.
"I agree." Bella turned her attention to Corin. Caius also stared at the vampire in question. He knew she had no knowledge of Chelsea's actions. Her shock and horror had been obvious enough. Corin, it seemed, had learned her lesson where Bella was concerned. The stunt Bella and Athenodora pulled had been enough to open Corin's eyes to the reality of her relationship with Athenodora. Dora had never once touched or pleasured Corin, yet she was on her knees doing just that for her mate. The realization had almost broken Corin. So why Bella was staring at Corin was beyond Caius.
Bella turned back to Chelsea. "I can't kill you, nor can I kill Afton; after all, I understand his actions. I would do anything my mates asked of me, even kill everyone in this room. The difference between you and them is they would never put me in such a position. They would like nothing more than to rip Edward Cullen apart, but it's not what I want, so they stayed their hand. So yes, I cannot punish Afton, but there is someone else I can take from you." Bella intoned.
"No," Chelsea whispered when she realized where Bella's thoughts were headed. "Please, no." The vampire fell on her knees before Bella.
"As Aro said, your actions cannot go unpunished, so…" Bella shrugged.
"No, no, no, no, she is innocent." Chelsea cried.
"I know." Bella's smile sent a chill through the room. "You didn't really care about the consequences of your actions. You didn't care about the suffering you would have caused had he succeeded. You didn't because you knew your gift was intrinsic to the functioning of this coven. Aro would not be foolish enough to kill you. After all, doing so could destroy this coven. A coven my family is a part of. The family you were so carelessly going to destroy because I found my mate. Or would you have felt better had Athenodora continued to use Corin like a sex toy? The thing this, I never once told Dora she could not continue to use Corin as she did. It was entirely her choice. Corin is no threat to me.
Someone has to pay for your actions, and there is no better person than your sister." Chelsea's eyes shot up, eyes filled with tears. "Yes, I'm aware of your bond. I'm aware of just how much you love her and her you. Your love for her rivals your love for your mate. I know what that is like, after all." Bella stood and stared down at the vampire dispassionately.
Corin, for her part, found herself frozen as it all unfolded. She struggled to understand Chelsea's actions. How could Afton of all people kill a shield, and not any shield one adept at fighting? It was long ago established that Jasper Whitlock had thought her to fight vampires while she was still human. When Bella's eyes met hers, Corin knew Bella would have no qualms about killing her to teach Chelsea a lesson. Corin needed to run, except Bella knew that was what she intended, and she found herself under the vampire's shield before she took a step.
Bella's intent as she walked toward her was clear. Corin smiled at Chelsea one last time and shut her eyes, waiting for the inevitable while Chelsea screamed and pleaded.