Peter, having finally succeeded in getting Bella to properly latch onto her meal, backed off to allow her to eat. He wasn't overly impressed with the flat refusal to allow a proper hunt, but as long as she was being fed, that was all that mattered he supposed. It would be a long fucking year, but eventually, if no one else was interested in taking the girl hunting, he sure as fuck would.

Then again, on the other hand, being her first time not being handfed, he supposed a little practice wouldn't hurt anything. It had taken several tries to accomplish getting her teeth in the right spot, her having gotten so used to her jaw being out of alignment. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. She could have ripped his throat apart like a freshly woken baby, and any feeding that ended with a full belly and no need of a deep scrub was a win.

A lot can be learned by watching a newborn eat, and the most prominent one was that, regardless of the ridiculous means, she was very well fed. She was also one hell of a slow eater. Any other one month old would have been done in a matter of a couple of minutes, but this one was taking her damn time. Peter knew there was a laundry list of reasons why, and it wasn't like he had anything else to do at the moment. It just struck him as odd. It wasn't a bad thing or anything like that, just different. All the experience with newborns in the world wouldn't reveal everything there was to know about them, and it now seemed to him he wasn't too old to learn new things.

He just didn't particularly care for kids. He was good with them these days, but that didn't mean he liked them.

His life in the army had all but turned him off of ever being a daddy again, and he didn't really want to play the part of step-daddy, either. He hadn't sired any offspring since he and Charlotte left Northern Mexico, and that was for a damn good reason. He didn't know any other way to raise an infant than what he had been taught over a century ago. He didn't have the slightest idea when he showed up in Italy he was going to become partly responsible for one, and he wasn't sure if he did know, he still would have personally shown up and not sent someone else.

Well, a point couldn't get anymore moot than this one since it already happened, and the girl seemed to be a doll. It could certainly have been worse, but he had a feeling it wouldn't stay sunshine and roses when dealing with her for much longer.

He felt the approach and knew when he wasn't alone with the girl anymore, but Peter took a moment to get settled on the wall by the door before he addressed the lady's fella, that returned way sooner than thought. "Mostly, everythin' went as good as it coulda. Wouldn't a fed her, but the graft wasn't takin' like it should, and wasn't supposed ta be back yet. It was either this or burn the skin in place with my venom like I did the bone, but then it wouldn't come off. Figured this was the betta idea."

Demetri, crossing his arms and leaning on the door jam, he laid his head against it as he watched Bella. Not moving his eyes from her, he responded to Peter. "And in a year from now, I'll thank you for it." Taking in a deep breath through his nose, he let it out slowly, a sigh in his tone. "It is her first time feeding herself."

Even though he knew that, it didn't stop Peter's nose from wrinkling or his face from pinching. "Sorry I took that from ya." Seeing him shrug, Peter cleared his throat. "She did 'ight." Turning his head to look at Demetri, who had cut his eyes to him, Peter was left to shrug. "Had a little issue with keepin' the wound sealed when she took her teeth out the skin, but otha than that, she did 'ight."

Since that was where every infant got hung up when it came to feeding, Demetri just nodded once and returned his eyes to his soon to be mate. The way she was positioned certainly left something to be desired on his part, but it wasn't uncommon for a female to straddle their meal. He asked why once, and apparently, according to them, it was just more comfortable; especially when the human was taller than them.

Bella, who was oblivious to her surroundings, hadn't noticed Demetri was present. When she released the human's neck, he wasn't dead. She had actually eaten very little. She wasn't hungry and was only eating because she was told she had to because her face still hurt something awful. She could feel her cheek begin burning more as the skin Peter put there hissed as it finished fusing to her own. It was odd. It wasn't hers, but it didn't feel like it was out of place. It didn't add any extra weight, and if she didn't know it was there, she wouldn't know it was there.

Rearing herself to sit up, she placed her hands on the human's chest and just looked down at him. He was struggling to stay awake, his heart beating far too slow for that to be a fight he was going to win. Tapping her finger on his sternum, her face turned thoughtful. What would happen to him if she didn't finish draining him? Would he become a vampire? Would Peter snap his neck to stop that from happening? Would he finish her meal because she sure as fuck wasn't going to?

In the end, it didn't matter. She caught both vampires behind her off guard when she grabbed the human by the face with one hand, leaned over him with her other hand on the floor, and after picking his head up, she slammed the back of his head as hard she could back onto the floor, her hand crushing the skull and smashing the brain. She watched with unfeeling eyes as what was inside a human skull spilled out onto the concrete, pooling around the flattened head.

Peter, who's eyes went wide, snapped his head to look at Demetri, who did a better job at covering his shock. Clearing his throat, Peter returned his attention to the baby. "Somethin' wrong, Little Darlin'?"

Flopping back down on the body, Bella propped herself up with an elbow in the human's throat, her chin in her palm. Shaking her head, she began to swirl her finger around the blood, doodling for lack of a better term. "No."

Unable to bite it back, Peter snorted. "Looks like it." Glancing at Demetri, he grunted at the ceiling when the tacker gave no indication he was going to reveal himself just yet. Glaring slightly, Peter pushed himself off the wall, and slowly made his way into the room, but making sure he gave the newborn a wide enough berth so she didn't attack. She could bite now, and he wasn't in the mood to add to his already impressive collection. Crouching down a few feet away from the top of the human's crushed head, he draped his hands over his thighs and cocked his head to the side. "What's the matta, Dolly?"

Not looking up from the pattern in the puddle of blood and brains she was playing with, Bella did her best to shrug, but really, it was little more than a popped shoulder and slightly tilting her head. She didn't know what was wrong. She didn't even know if there was something wrong. She felt like there might be, but she had zero idea if there was actually anything she could do about it.

Still not stopping as she drew in the crimson liquid, she sighed and flicked her eyes to Peter's, dropping them nearly right away at the expectant look in his own eyes. Licking her lips, she ran ther tongue along her teeth before letting out a hard breath. "He's going to change his mind, you know."

Jolting at the quiet but matter of fact statement, Peter bulked. "Who gonna do what now?" Lip curling in the corner, he stared at the girl, waiting for her to say something else, but she didn't. She did stop playing with her food, though. She just folded her arms, and finished laying down on a corpse, her legs stretching out and setting her chin on her arms. When she continued to remain quiet, he took a shot in the dark. "You talkin' 'bout Demetri?"

Letting a short breath out of her nose, Bella gave a sharp, shallow nod. "Why wouldn't he? I mean..."

Peter cut her off. "Cause it just don't work like that. His decision all but written in stone at this point."

Lowering her eyes again, she turned her head to the side, lying on her scarred cheek, a frown in her lips. "He could do better."

"And what makes ya think that?" Once again seeing her half shrug, Peter played with his tongue before shifting his position, sitting down with one knee bent with his foot on the ground while the other bent and settled on the floor. Clasping his hands on his shin, he cocked his head head. "I'ma take a shot in the dark here, but you worried 'bout them scars, aintcha?" There was a single, slow nod from the newborn and he rolled his eyes. "We all got scars, Sweet Pea." Dipping his head, he caught her eyes. "You ain't special."

When she gave him a pissy ass look, he gave a sharp growl as he leaned to this side, and pulled his wallet out of his pocket with an 'ight'. Opening it, he pulled out a picture and held it out to her, pulling it back when she reached for it with her blood covered hand, and didn't represent it until she reached with the less morbid hand.

Pushing herself to sit up once again, she looked at what she was handed, and came face to image with the more beautiful blonde she had ever seen. She was leagues hotter than Rosalie on the vain bitch's best day, and had a smile that would make anyone consider switching home teams. Lifting her eyes from the picture, she looked at Peter. "Is this Charlotte?"

Nodding with a 'mmhmm', Peter dropped his forearm over his bent knee. "That my ol' lady. Now..." dropping his wallet to the ground, safe from the red puddle, he then grabbed the waist of his shirt and pulled it over his head, showing off the fact he was literally covered from neck to belt with all kinds of different scars. There were slash marks, bite marks, and actual divots in his skin that Bella did not want to ask how they happened.

Holding his arms out to the side, he cocked a brow. "And there a hundred more ya can't see cause I ain't takin' my pants off. My question for ya though, is... if scars such a deal breaker, what my lady see in me?"

Hunching back slightly, there was a very uncomfortable lit in Bella's voice. "I have no idea."

A deep chuckle rumbled in Peter's throat as he pulled his shirt back on. "Scary sumbitch now, ain't I?" When he saw her hold up two fingers close together, he smirked. "Didn't scare ya two minutes ago, though, so... are scars really that big a deal?"

Bella took a moment to think about that as she flicked her eyes back and forth between Peter and the picture in her fingers. Biting into her lip, she made a noise in the back of her throat as she held the picture of Charlotte out for him to take back. "What does she see in you?"

To her surprise, Peter shrugged as he took his picture back. "Fuck if I know. She told me it cause I make her laugh, but with as often as I piss 'er off? I have my doubts." As he put the picture away and returned his wallet to his pocket, he shifted his eyes to the vampire of topic who finally decided to join them. "My point, Little Lady," looking back at her, "is scars don't define us. The say where we been, but they ain't got shit ta do with where we go. They also ain't always gonna be so bad. They gonna heal up some. 'Sides, that fella eva once give ya any indication he care they there?" When she shook her head, he leaned closer to her, and lowered his voice. "Then why you think he gonna change his mind?"

Bella licked her lips and cleared her throat, surprising both males when it turned out she actually had an answer to that. "Athenodora and Sulpicia."

It was then Demetri revealed himself to her, and it was with annoyance in his voice. "Those two have no place to say shit about anything, especially when that something has to do with me."

Cringing so hard her shoulders covered her ears, Bella glanced up at Demetri through slitted eyes. "How much of that did you hear?" When he looked at her with a raised brow, she sighed. "All of it... of course." Thinking she could save herself, she tried to change the subject, not realizing before the words were out how much of a double meaning they held at the moment. "I need to talk to you about something."

A grin appeared on Demetri's lip as his eyes shined slightly. "I would certainly say so, Neos."

Peter, who was taken over by a wave of awkward, climbed to his feet and brushed off the ass of his jeans. "Well, I'll leave ya to it."

Demetri didn't take his eyes off Bella's as he spoke to the retreating vampire. "You are allowed wherever your feet may take you, just stay on the grounds until sunset." Reaching into his outer jacket pocket, he grabbed the phone that was inside and tossed it across the room. "I'll call if you become needed."

Catching the device, Peter looked back as Demetri crouched next to his female, his brows creased. "I got my own phone."

As he laced his fingers together between his knees, Demetri looked at him with a raised brow. "On you?" Looking back at the ceiling when Peter responded with a 'well, no', Demetri hummed. "Then it would seem you do not, in fact," looking back at him, "have your own phone." Eyes hardening, there was a darker tone to the tracker's voice. "Keep it on you, and do not ignore it if it rings."

Bella, unable to help it, snorted hard when Peter snarked. "Should I set up the voicemail ta say 'this Demetri's bitch. Leave ya less important shit message afta the beep'?"

Grin morphing into a smirk, Demetri flashed his teeth. "Certainly has a ring to it, doesn't, Captain?"

Sighing hard with a shake of his head, Peter turned again to the leave the room, speaking under his breath. "Really gotta learn ta keep my damn mouth shut."

There was a very cold feeling in Bella's bone when she realized she was on her own with Demetri. She wasn't scared so much as she was worried, and she wasn't sure she wanted to ever continue the conversation she hadn't known more than Peter was privy to. At no point since she realized otherwise had he looked upset; at least not with her. He looked more than a little annoyed when he first showed up and the bit about Dora and Pica having something to say about them, but now? There was nothing about him to suggest she should be worried. That didn't stop her from looking away from his piercing gaze, though.

His voice leveled out, losing the evil sounding glee from when he was talking to Peter, lowering into the same soothing tone she was beginning to realize was the only way he ever really spoke to her. "Do I make you nervous, Neos?"

To the tracker's surprise, Bella actually put a moment of real thought into her answer. Her face pinched and her eyes crinkled, and after a moment, slowly shook her head. "No..." Turning to look at him, her features softened. "I don't think so. I mean there are times sure, but, not usually." Eyes narrowing, her face darkened as her lips pressed into a hard line as she shook her head header, looking down at the body she still sat on, and crossed her arms. "And it's so..."

She didn't trail off looking for Demetri to figure out what she was trying to say. She trailed off so she could figure it out for herself. Sure, she was kind of shy, and at times pretty fucking awkward, when she was human, but she never actually felt inferior before moving to Forks. It was a place she hadn't been to in more than half her life, with people that were all up in her ass for no reason other than because she was new. Every day was like feeding time at the zoo when she stepped outside, and if that wasn't bad enough... stupid hot vampires had to be there, and one of them had to take an interest in her because of her blood, making every last insecurity she had ten times more noticeable.

Now, here she was, a stupid hot vampire herself... with the most ugly deformity she had never seen on any particular body in her life; a deformity she wouldn't have if not for Carlisle. The moment the name popped into her head, she growled in deep in her chest as she finally stood from the corpse. Before crossing her arms, she scratched at the graze marks on her chest with her blood covered hand, and began to pace, her voice carrying her rising anger.

"And its so fucking infuriating, because boys shouldn't make me nervous. There was a time when I didn't feel like I was being done a favor when someone showed me attention. There was a time when I looked in the mirror and liked what I saw. Long before the wolf got ahold of me, even before the Cullens ever came into my life, I was happy with who I was, and I hate them all for taking that away from me. I hate they made feel so inferior in every fucking way possible. Sure, that might be unfair, but it wasn't like they didn't keep doing it, or at times go out of their way to enforce that feeling. I didn't dress right. I didn't act right. I didn't try hard enough to fit in with a hoard of vampires.

"Any simple, and understandable, time my humanity showed, I was laughed at, or ridiculed or... something was done to point out the fact I tripped, or stubbed my toe, or heaven forbid I fucking farted. So sorry I had body parts that sometimes very enthusiastically decided to remind everyone they still worked. Have you ever had a stomach ache that was nearly incapacitating because food is all but forced down your throat because 'Oh, my God, we have a pet and it has to eat and if it doesn't we can guilt the little bitch into it because cooking isn't something we get to fucking do'!"

During her tirade, Demetri remained in place, listening to her rant without interruption. Clearly, there was overlap between her humanity and her vampirism that needed to be worked out, and she was the only one that could really do that. He didn't answer her rhetorical question, because it wasn't a question. It was a pissed off statement that happened to not come across as one. It was also during that last statement her temper got the better of her and she snagged the dead human by the shirt and hurled that poor bastard across the room, hitting the far wall with an actual splat.

She stood there, her breaths coming out in heaving fashion, her shoulders rising and falling from the force. Standing from his crouched position, Demetri slowly made his way to her, settling his hands on her hips as he came to stand behind her. Lowering his head, he nuzzled his nose against her temple. "What is it you want, Psihi Mou?"

Turning her head away, Bella closed her eyes and swallowed hard. She didn't know. She could barely think things through at the moment and didn't want to claim to want something she didn't. Licking her lips, she relayed that, with a slight quiver in her voice. "I don't know, but I hate him. I hate him so fucking much."

It didn't escape Demetri's notice that she said 'him' and not 'them'. Releasing her hip with one hand, he reached across her chest, and turned her head to face him with his fingertips. Her eyes were glazed over and black, her lips pressed together and turned down in the corners. The level of upset he could clearly see would suggest she was referring to one of the two that killed her sire, but common sense told him she was talking about someone else. His eyes turning to liquid, his voice didn't lower, but it did get deeper. "Which one?"

Bella, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, looked up at the ceiling for only a moment before she looked back at Demetri's eyes. "Carlisle. He allowed everything that happened, even encouraged it at times. He single handedly facilitated the worst thing that ever happened to me. I wouldn't be like this if it wasn't for him. The past few weeks wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for him."

Clicking his tongue, Demetri sighed quietly. "You would have become a vampire eventually, Neos."

Running her still blood hand under her nose, Bella cleared her throat. "True, but I was referring to the fact I wouldn't have come face to claws with a wolf if not for him."

Lowering her eyes, Bella's brows creased and she turned her body to face Demetri's. Her fingers settled against his lower abdomen, and she looked straight ahead at his chest as she continued to do her best to order her thoughts. All she could really do, though, was hope what she was able to get out was expressed properly. "I don't..." pausing to sighed, she shook her head slightly. "I don't care. Jasper, Emmett, Alice... I don't care they killed James anymore. I'll get used to the empty feeling at some point, and it'll go away eventually. So, I just don't care, anymore."

Indulgence entered Demetri's eyes as he adjusted his hold on her, lacing his fingers together behind Bella's back, his head tilting slightly to the side. "You do, too."

Balling her hands into fists, she barely stopped herself from slamming them both as hard as she could against Demetri's chest. There was still force upon impact, but not a lot. "Okay, I do, but... I just..." lifting her eyes to Demetri's, she looked at him through her lashes. "I want him to suffer. I want him to suffer more than I want the rest to die. I want him to suffer more than I want pretty much anything right now." Demetri watched as her eyes hardened, her features sliding into a clear expression of pure hate. "I want to return every favor he's ever done for me." Reaching up with one hand, her singles settled into the groves in her face. "Starting with the one that led to this."

Dipping his head, Demetri set his forehead against Bella's, a hum in his throat as he took her hand from her face and laced his fingers with hers. "Any ideas on how you want that to happen?"

Biting into the corner of her bottom, lip, there was a light in the back of her eyes. "I'm still partial to that bite in the ass, honestly. Let's see just how close those fuckers are by how many jump to help heal that injury." Then she herself hummed as her tongue poked out from behind slightly parted lips as they turned up into a smirk that went straight to Demetri's dick. "Or refuse to help."

Seeing a spark ignite in the back of her eyes, Demetri chuckled out a hum as he leaned into her, his lips barely grazing hers as he spoke. "Think on it, finalize it, and I will it happen."

Once again, as what always happened when Demetri was in such close proximity, Bella's head began to swim. Voice going breathless, her lips quivered against his. "Promise?"

His lips gliding along hers, Demetri slowly slowly shook his head. "I don't make promises, Agapi Mou, but for you? I swear it." Sealing his lips against hers, he was barely able to control himself from allowing things to get too heated between them. That would happen soon enough, but there was something else that needed seen to first.

When Demetri broke the kiss off, Bella actually licked his flavor from her lips, a hum in her throat. "I'll take it."

Butting his nose to hers, he chuckled. "Good." Keeping her held close to his chest, he pulled back further, looking down at her with a tender expression. "Now, what is this nonsense about changing my mind?"

Blowing out a breath through puckered lips to try and expel some of the fog over her brain, Bella then shook her head. "I don't know. It was something I heard when Peter first brought me in here that I guess he didn't, though I can't begin to understand why he wouldn't."

Clicking his tongue twice, Demetri lifted a shoulder. "I'm not surprised you can hear things he can't. It is my understanding your sire was a tracker of sorts; even with as... ehm... juvenile as his talents may have been. Tracking is a surprisingly unique trait among our kind. It's the only talent passed down directly through venomlines.

"All gifted sires will produce a gifted newborn, and those gifts will vary, but only a tacker can produce another tracker because it's an evolution of senses. Generally speaking, it's hardly ever... trained to be more than just heightened hearing and sharper eyes. It's all I had when I first woke up. I can do what I can now because my ability to track was developed as I grew up. I practiced, and I got better at it. My sire was like yours in the talent department, but Amun's was different in how his worked. No two are the same. Amun's was geared more toward his hearing while I believe James' was more scent based after hearing what I have.

"Better overall senses are a trademark of trackers; we all have them, but the way we use them, or grow them, define our specific, personal tracking ability. It's all in how its nurtured as a newborn when you're learning to control your senses. It's merely another delayed manifestation of your sire since you are becoming healthier by the day."

Well, to Bella, it sort of made sense. She had been told enough times that newborns take after their sire for nothing to really surprise her when it came to things she shared with James. There were things she didn't care for, but she supposed a direct inheritance wasn't something that should ever have been out of the equation. Still, she frowned. "But... this whole no mindfuck shit I got going on... what's with that if I inherited James' tracking gift?"

Nose wrinkling, his first response was a grunt. "Technically speaking, tracking isn't a gift, it's an ability, a talent. And, just like any talent, you can get better at it with practice, and it can get rusty if you don't do it. It's not like what the twins can do, for example. Vampire 'gifts' are what they are. They don't grow, and they don't change. Some are more powerful than others, sure, but they all have their limits. The shield of your mind can be one of three things, honestly. It can be a gift of its own, it can have to do with tracking, or..."

Blinking, Bella cut him off without thinking. "So two gifts?"

Sighing hard, Demetri scratched between his eyes. "No, Neos, you're not listening. Neither or is a secondary gift. I will say this again, Isabella, tracking isn't a gift. It is a generational evolution unique to genetic venomlines. Vampires do evolve, and just like humans, we do it through our offspring. It just doesn't take as many generations for us compared to humans, because other than a few random places around the world, it is a very long time between children and grandkids. It could be centuries between them, which, as it turns out, is just about how long a human evolutionary trait takes to manifest. However, what I was saying a moment ago is, there is a third thing can explain your mental protection." Waiting to make sure she would stay quiet, Demetri hummed. "There could be a vampire somewhere in your human heritage."

Eyes going wide, Bella ripped herself from Demetri's hold, her jaw dropping open. She was so shocked, she didn't even take a moment to bask in the fact her mouth opened that wide without either pain or the sound of stone on stone assaulting her ears. Hands clasping and fingers lacing in front of her chest, she whimpered. "I'm sorry... What?"

A grin pulled at the corner of Demetri's lips, eyes going distant in memory. "Ah... The Dark Ages. Such an interesting time for vampire kind." Eyes coming back into focus, Demetri crossed his arms. "Back before we became myth and legend, male vampires would carry on with female humans, and believe it or not... those humans would become pregnant, birthing a hybrid. Those little bastards were nearly impossible to find, because they have as many human traits as vampire, including blood, a heartbeat, and a marked lack of diamond skin. Those that weren't discovered, went on to have children of their own. Down, down, down their bloodlines, the venom they were born with would become so diluted, it could no longer be detected, though still there, because you cannot destroy anything by half. There are many that believe that is how a human is reborn with a gift to an ungifted sire; they are a direct descendant of a vampire, with trace amounts of venom in their veins, that is... enhanced for lack of a better term, when the human goes through their change."

Putting her hands up as she took a few steps back, Bella's voice carried a chuckle that was anything but amused. "Wait, wait, wait... you're telling me I might be related to a vampire... that could still be alive?"

Demetri just shrugged again. "It's certainly possible, yes. The only way to know for sure is to trace your ancestry back several hundred years and into a time where recordings such as that were shit if kept at all. Hybrids have a very impressive lifespan, but they do not live forever, and it shortens with every new generation as the venom dilutes more. To my knowledge, one hasn't been born in seven hundred years or better."

Eyes shifting quickly back and forth, Bella gave an uncomfortable clearing of her throat. "Could we..."

Chuckling in his throat as she trailed off, Demetri shook his head. "Very distantly, perhaps, but since I've never sired anyone, and I don't play with my food, a direct relation is impossible." When she cringed, he snorted. "Neos, there are only so many original bloodlines for humans, and even fewer original venomlines for vampires. Most everyone is related somehow. To think otherwise is... well, you are smarter than that." Then he shrugged. "However, if it makes you feel better, my entire human lineage still resides in Karpathos. So, unless you're of Greek descent, there is no relative connection between us, and considering the fact humans are changed to be a mate, vampire lineage doesn't matter because we just don't give a shit."

Bella felt like she was going to throw up. Her hand came up and covered her mouth. "So, if Edward and I would have... I could have..."

There was a sharp nod from Demetri. "It's one of reasons why vampires are no longer allowed to mingle with humans in such a way. Hybrids are an unbelievable pain in the ass. I already told you they are nearly impossible to find, but they also don't grow at the same rate as a human. Imagine having a newborn one day, and two weeks later, having a toddler. It would certainly draw unnecessary attention, so in this day and age, a hybrid would be destroyed without second thought, as would the parents... if the mother survived long enough."

Gulping hard, Bella's back hit the wall. "If?"

Deciding to spare her the very gory details of how a hybrid got out of their mother's womb, he just nodded. "If." Then, with a tilt of his head, he redirected the conversation back to the one he heard her have with Peter. "Now, back to the original topic of conversation, you were getting ready to tell me what it was you heard when you came in here."

Readjusting her position on the wall, she crossed her arms and ankles, shaking her head slightly with a sigh. "I heard them say that, uh, maybe they misread the situation and, um," pausing to scratch her ear, she cleared the lump that formed in her throat. "Maybe you were reevaluating your options."

Rolling his eyes so hard he was pretty sure he caught a glimpse of his brain, Demetri's head dropped back on his shoulder. "Nosey fucking..." Letting out a hard sigh, he shook his head as he looked Isabella dead in the eyes, taking measured steps to close the distance she put between them. "Ridiculous. I had thought I made things clear enough before, but if I haven't, allow me to make this crystal clear for you now, My Dearest."

When he reached Isabella, he placed his hands on either side of her on the wall, trapping her in place. Bending down to her level, he locked their eyes. "Our eternity has already begun, Psihi Mou. It started before you ever left the woods of the Olympic Peninsula. The only thing stopping me from sinking my teeth into your neck is I had thought you might want to enjoy it. Bites hurt, every time, but if properly distracted, it's not quite as bad. If you prefer to wait until you feel better, that's fine. However, if the words of others that pertain to us upset you so, and lead you to question my already expressed intent to make you mine, I'll do it. right. now. The how or when of you wearing my mark does not matter to me in the least. That is wholly up to you, but make no mistake, you will bare it eventually."

Bella stood frozen, burning in his smoldering gaze. Never could she remember being looked at by anyone like she was being looked at by him right at that moment. He was looking at her a fat kid looked at cake, or to put a more romantic spin on things, like she hung the damn stars in the sky. His words, though, sent the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy, and she actually giggled. Not the first time he had done that to her, but this was a different noise, and was accompanied with a goofy looking grin on her face. "Gotta mark your territory, huh?"

There was no remorse in his eyes as he leaned closer to her, the tip of his nose touching hers. "Perclórico." Pulling back only enough for his eyes to focus, Demetri grinned. "My choice was made, no matter what two line-crossing, gossiping, spoiled brats have to say about it. Either right here or in my bed as you scream my name to Zeus himself, I don't care. The end result will still be the same; you, being mine, on my arm, for eternity." Moving his hand from the wall, he brushed Bella's hair over her shoulder, exposing her neck as he looked her in the eyes and lowered his voice. "All you have to do is say when."

Once again overtaken by the same surprise she was the last time her mouth went completely dry for the face she still has to spit out venom she couldn't swallow, Bella licked her lips as she tried to push her voice through the desert she called a throat. "I uh... I get to choose?"

Tilting his head to the side, Demetri's voice stayed just as quiet. "Did you think otherwise?" When her shoulder popped slightly under his hand, he hummed. "I'm not in the business of forcing any part of myself on a female. I kill those that do. It is with your permission, or not at all. If you don't care, I'll do it now. If you do, I will not. After two thousand years, another few weeks certainly won't make any difference to me."

She vaguely recalled hearing how long Demeri had been alive, but hearing it put like that, her mind took it in a different direction. Her smile grew slightly, and she giggled again. "You look good for you age."

Chuckling in his throat, he changed his position, propping himself on his forearm above her head and moving his hand that was against her neck to settle on her hip. "Do I?"

Nodding slightly with a 'nnhnn', Bella slipped her arms behind her, her palms on the wall. She looked up at him with a look of contemplation on her face as she tilted her head to the side. "What would have happened if we met and I was mated to Edward?"

There was no thought in his answer, or change of his voice. "I would have killed him." Thumb slipping under the hem of her shirt, his brushed it against her skin as he glanced up for a moment in thought. "A male" looking back at her, "will mourn his mate for the rest of his life, often shutting down and barely function without her. Females will simply look for another. They seek to be taken care of based on a set of criteria only known to them. Even mated, if their male comes up short, or doesn't provide for her in the way she wants to be provided for, she'll kill that male her damn self, with very little care for her own safety, to free herself from whatever it is she doesn't like. Many would rather be dead than belong to a male that lacks in certain areas."

Brows creasing, Bella scoffed slightly. "So, I care to the point of dying about the death of my sire, but I wouldn't give two shits about taking up with the man that killed my vampire husband?"

Clicking his tongue, Demetri nodded once. "Pretty much, and here is why. If I was able to kill your male, it would have shown you two things. The first being the more obvious, he was a piss poor protector, and I'm better at it. The other is, it would have shown you my level of desire to have you as mine. When it comes to that one, believe it or not, it's not as creepy as it sounds."

Brow sliding behind her bangs, Bella snorted. "Are you sure about that?"

Demetri just rolled his eyes. "Yes. The only reason there is to kill a mated male is because the other wants their mate for their own. The level of dedication it would take to prove to her he was worthy of her is insurmountable, because females know they are treasures, and they themselves decide their worth. It is not decided for them. They are the ones that decide if a male is worth her time, and he had to prove it, more so if she was very well taken care of by the now dead male. He not only has to meet those previous standards, but has to surpass them, every day, for the rest of his life. If even once he fails, well... he wasn't any better than the one that died. The lengths a male will go to for the one he loves is..." brows creasing, he grunted. "almost degrading."

Tapping his fingers on the wall, he picked his head up slightly. "Which reminds me... an hour ago, down in the catacombs, you made a comment about how I could have just told you no."

Having just happened, Bella nodded to him. "Yeah, and you said there would be a conversation about that."

"Yes I did, this is where it starts... no."

Jerking back and cracking her head on the wall in the process, Bella scoffed a grunt. "That's not even an actual sentence, so I hardly call it a conversation."

With a grin, Demetri winked. "It's the short version." Kicking his foot up on his toes, he let out a breath from his nose. "The longer version is no, I can't. I have this... all consuming desire to give you whatever you want. It is a driving need to provide you your every desire. It comes from a very selfish place, honestly. I refuse to be bested by anyone. Should I deny you your wishes, and it's something you have decided you truly want, you will find someone to provide it to you. What happens then? Another male has not only stepped on my toes, but proven to you he is willing to provide things to you I am not, and that is certainly something I am not willing to tolerate."

Pausing a moment, he returned the hand that was on her hip and cupped her cheek, his eyes taking on a look that captured more of her attention than she thought she still had to give. "This is the part you need to pay very close attention to because everything else is completely irrelevant. I will never deny you anything. I will give you whatever it is you want at anytime, no questions asked. If you request it, it will be done as close to your specification as I am capable of making it. With that being said, when it comes to certain topics of conversation between us, you need to choose your words very wisely."

The double meaning to his last statement stroked Bella's mind for a moment before a lightbulb went off. "That's why you asked if I had any ideas."

Stroking her cheek with his thumb, Demetri lowered his voice. "They did you very wrong. It's only fair you get to be the one to decide how they pay for that."

If Bella was able to cry, she would have teared up. Instead, she let out an emotion filled chuckle. "We really do find compliments in the strangest shit. That was probably the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Dipping his head, Demetri set his forehead against hers, his voice going so quiet, even she had to strain to hear him. "I will never tell you no, and I have not been given the nickname of Satan's Favorite Demon for no reason. I earned it. I'm not nice, so until you are capable of dealing with them on your own, it is my undying pleasure to do it for you."

How Bella still had a physical form, she had no idea. Honestly, she felt like she was made of goo and she slipped her arms around Demetri's neck to keep her up when her knees shook under the weight of her melting insides. Her male responded by grabbing her by the back of her thighs, hoisting her feet off the ground, and pressing his body against her to hold her in place against the wall, Bella wasting no time hooking her legs behind his back. Licking her lips, she then sank her teeth into her bottom lip as she looked Demetri in his pitch black eyes. Taking a shuddering breath, her voice actually shook with a heavy desire. "What do you want?"

Demetri had never faced such an impossible internal fight before. It took every ounce of control he possessed, and then some, to keep his teeth to himself. "What I want doesn't matter."

Lacing her fingers together behind Demetri's head, she tightened her grip on herself so much there was actual pain, and it was the only thing keeping her focused at the moment. "It does to me. I'm not sure I'm ready to be introduced to Zeus, but I am ready to be yours."

That same deep, sinister sounding chuckle that never failed to set Bella's venom on fire sounded in the room, causing her to shiver. "You already are."

The only thing Bella was able to get out through useless gasp and heaving pants was a single word that changed everything for both of them. "Officially."

There was black. There was onyx. Then, there was the depth of endless darkness Demetri called eyes boring into the red rubies of his charge's. They remained locked for an immeasurable moment, time freezing in place like it was taking a snapshot to always member it. It came to an end when he used his nose to turn her head to the side, and Bella didn't even recognize his voice when he spoke, the tenor itself changing to something so deep, she wasn't sure for a moment it was actually coming out of his mouth.

His spoke against her flesh as he trailed his lips down the side of her neck. "Deep breath, My Love... because this is going to hurt."

There was no time to prepare for the feeling of Demetri's teeth breaking her skin, but nothing came out when she tried to scream. She had been changed into a vampire. She had been literally sliced open by a shifter. She had been burned back together. All of that had happened over the course of a month.

She would rather deal with every last one of those encounters at the same fucking time than feel the white hot burning of being bitten in the neck and have foreign venom introduced directly into her fucking veins. She didn't shake, she convulsed as wave after wave washed over her. Her legs tightened around Demetri's hips, her nails digging into the back of his neck. Everything she was doing was designed to pull a man closer, but honestly, it was completely involuntary on her part.

Three seconds later, Demetri reopened his mouth, pulling his teeth from their place in his mate's skin. leaving behind his scent. One long, lavious lick with the flat of his tongue sealed the holes closed, trapping his venom inside. Pulling his face from her neck, he then licked his lips as he looked at the face of his female as she tried to catch an unneeded breath. With her being only a few weeks into her vampiric life, she still had her own blood, and Demetri gave an appreciative hum in his throat as he removed the few escaped drops from his lips. "Your sire was a lucky vampire, Sýntrofos, because you were delicious."

Opening her own black eyes, Bella looked at him with an indignant expression. "Thank you."

Grinning, he leaned in, butting his nose against her. "Don't look at me like that." Capturing her lips with his, he broke up off just as fast, but remained close. "I told you it would hurt."

She couldn't deny that; he had... twice. Still, even as the fire in her neck began to reseed, she looked at him with a full on pout. "So?"

Grinning at her, he nipped her bottom lip. "At least my bite only hurts once."