Chapter 11 – Past & Present
BPOV
This is insane. I am actually falling in love with this man. It's dumb of me to fall hard and fast like this again. Please, don't let him be one of those men who seduce women for game. Jacques's kiss alone made my blood boil. He held the side of my leg against his hip, closing the space between us. Our locked embrace drifted to the floor. Jacques asked me to say it again and I was happy to oblige him, I love you. A deep moan rumbled in his chest, I love you too, so much. His words were wrapped with love and affection. What am I doing?
Jacques lifted his head away from me; seeming annoyed. His eyes scanned the room, like he was a wolf searching for his prey, "Gregori wishes to speak with us." My eyes narrowed for a moment, seeing his changed expression, "About what?" Jacques shook his head, No, not this night. Jacques was trying to hide something from me. I motioned away from him, shifting my body from underneath his, "What is it?" Silver returned to his eyes, "Nothing, my love. It can wait." "You're lying."
My mind drifted out to the rest of the house, Raven, what's going on?
She was sitting with Josef in her lap in Mikhail's study, I don't know. There's something Gregori wants to know, but Mikhail and Jacques are trying to talk him out of it.
Sensing Gregori, his stance was almost threatening, And failing miserably, I added. He seemed to be the kind that always got what he wanted.
Yea, maybe you two should come down here. Once Gregori wants something, hardly anyone can stop him, not even Mikhail.
Shivering a bit, afraid of how Gregori would be, I pulled away from Jacques entirely. He watched me as I stood up, "Let's just go. Get this over with." He saddened for a moment, "Bella, he will be questioning you about the scar on your wrist." My heart stopped, feeling ice in my veins. The scar felt colder from the memory of how I got it. "Oh," my eyes searched for an escape, "well….." Jacques stood in front of me, "You don't have to do this." My lip began to tremble a bit, afraid to face Gregori.
Jacques felt my hesitation. Leave my woman be, Gregori. She doesn't know anything about what you suspect her of.
Oh? Gregori's voice was loud in my head, Then why does that scar look like a row of teeth? Jacques snarled into the air, Gregori, leave my home this minute. You will not scare Bella into submission. My eyes closed slowly, leaning into Jacques's embrace, "Gregori, why don't you ask the real question in your mind?" I knew he could hear me. Jacques pulled my face to his, "You don't have to." He tried to reassure me that this was my choice; that I didn't have to answer to anyone.
Were you bitten by another vampire? Fangs exploded from Jacques's mouth. He carried me downstairs in a whirlwind. The next moment, I placed on the lounge chaise with Raven and Josef and Jacques stood in front of Gregori. Mikhail held his brother's shoulders, keeping them apart, "I told you to leave her be. She doesn't know anything of that sort." Gregori glared at Jacques, challenging on that fact. My teeth sunk into my lip. Raven glanced at me, You don't have to if you don't want to. The room was tensed as Mikhail tried to calm Jacques and Gregori. Vlad and Byron stood to the side, not wanting to intervene unless necessary. Eleanor held Benjamin at her side, remaining silent. My head was starting to throb. I never wanted to speak of this again, but it was the only way to settle this. My hand rubbed my forehead, trying to dull the pain. I couldn't bare this anymore. "Yes, I was bitten by a vampire." Two pair of black eyes looked at me, one pair silver and the last pair were blue. Raven adjusted a sleeping Josef in her lap to turn toward me, "What?" My hand extended to her, letting her see the scar. My hand turned over, letting her see the damage on both sides.
Raven's finger grazed along the bit mark in shock, "It's cold." The cool scar never changed in the years I had it. Jacques crossed the room, taking my hand and brushing his thumb over it. He looked at me, "How did this happen?" I wanted to smile, some way to comfort him, but I couldn't, "I would tell you but you won't believe it." Gregori folded his arms, "Try us." I didn't look at him; not wanting him to see the chagrin on my face, "I don't think I should." I couldn't tell anyone about this. I swore to myself I wouldn't reveal their secrets. Jacques kneeled in front of me, holding my cheek in his palm, "Bella, no one will be harmed. Not even the Volturi could reach you." My head jerked out of his touch, "You know about them?" How much did they know? Jacques looked towards his brother, "The better question is how is it that you know about them?"
My mind recalled them perfectly. The faces of the three immortals form Carlisle's painting entered my mind. Two with long black hair and the last with snow white hair. The trio with Carlisle; standing on a balcony, as they overlooked the humans celebrating a festival.
Jacques brushed my cheek reassuringly, Don't worry, angel. You can tell us the truth.
How can you be sure of that? I knew what a vampire could do and what would they do to me? I barely escaped with my life when I was attacked.
Just tell us. You are my lifemate. I will protect you, no matter what. Jacques looked at my hand again, having a better look, Who did this to you?
I started with my moving to Forks with my dad when I was seventeen, so my mother could travel with Phil. I talked about my first day of school, where I met Edward Cullen. Jacques's hand curved into claws, "Edward is a vampire?" Raven was surprised even more than he was, You dated a vampire? How did you survive? I laughed at her question, "It wasn't as bad as you think. He was a true gentleman. Besides, Edward and his family didn't drink human blood. They abstained by drinking animal blood." Raven pursed her lips tightly, Now, that's interesting. I continued with my story, "Well, after Edward got over the want of killing me," Jacques snarled at that, "we got along very well. Alice had a vision of me and Edward being together." Gregori interrupted, by raising one finger, "What do you mean 'she had a vision?' She was psychic?" I nodded slowly, "She is a psychic. Alice doesn't remember her human life. All she knew was the life she had as a vampire. She had a vision of the Cullens since she changed, knowing that was where her life was heading."
Mikhail listened to everything, "Please continue." Jacques sat with me, his arm around my waist, "Anyway, after meeting Edward's family, they invited me to watch them play baseball. Everything was fine until," I hesitated, remembering the three faces coming out of the trees. The three of them gliding fluidly across the field. "Who were they?" Jacques saw the trio in my mind, "James, Laurent and Victoria. They were passing through the area and came to the field when they heard the game. Well, that's when James caught my scent, which is," "Lavender and freesias," Raven answered in a calm voice. Mikhail looked at her perplexed, "How do you know that?"
Raven looked at him, her expression changing to confusion, "You can't smell it? I did from the moment I met her." Eleanor was nodding with her arm around Benjamin, "So did I. You can't? Raven smells like lilies and sunflowers." The men's faces were confused and Eleanor glanced at me and Raven, "Must be a female thing." Gregori and Mikhail exchanged a long glance, conversing only with their minds. Raven smiled, hiding it behind her hand, Must be. Go on, Bella.
I quickly shook my head, "James started to hunt me, thinking I would be the greatest prize. A human protected by a coven of vampires. It didn't matter that I was important to them, all that mattered was besting all of them. Laurent asked if I was a pet or something." Jacques was motionless, completely offended by that comment, "And where is this Laurent?" I saw the fury in his eyes, "Dead." I answered quickly, "But that's another story." I touched his face, reassuring him that he would learn about me, but we had to focus on answering Gregori. "After almost of week of hiding in a hotel in Phoenix, James tricked me by telling me that he had my mother. He said to meet him in the ballet studio where I used to take lessons as a child. James used our family videos to make it seem like my mom was in danger. I ran away from the airport, by sheer luck. Alice had a vision of me dead in a ballet studio." Jacques's eyes closed from that. Never say that again.
I leaned against his shoulder, making him feel better, Can I finish? He nodded. "I got to the studio looking for my mother. But, it was only her voice from the videos." My eyes closed remembering that day. The impact of his fist in my chest and the feeling of my leg snapping underneath his barefoot, "I got pretty beaten up. He broke my leg, fractured a couple of ribs and there was a tear in my skull. And all of that was nothing compared to when he began feeding on me." Jacques stood up, towering above me, "He what?!" His voice snarled, thinking of finding James himself.
My fingers traced over the vein in the back of his hand, "Edward got there in time to pull James away, but the venom was starting to work its course. So, on that, Gregori is wrong." Something I doubt he's heard before. "It was actually two vampires that bit me. Edward had to suck the venom back before it reached my heart. I woke up in the hospital almost three days later, after surgery and several blood transfusions."
No one in the room spoke, but their minds were racing. Raven huffed out a breath, "So, what happened after that? With you and Edward?" The memories stung, but it wasn't so bad that I couldn't talk about it, "We stayed together during the summer and his family threw me a birthday party, even though I didn't want one." The memory of Alice's persistence still made me smile. "At the party, I got a paper cut and that changed everything." I remembered the look of the predator's eyes as he came toward me, "Jasper was the newest one to the Cullens' lifestyle. My blood was too strong for him to ignore and he tried to attack me. Edward, in an attempt to protect me, he pushed me into a table with glass plates." The nails of Jacques's hand cut into the chaise, tearing out the material, "He did what?" His voice was strained with anger and rage; not unlike his voice when we were caught in the tower.
"Edward was trying to get me away from Jasper. He didn't mean to push me so hard. It was a horrible accident." I was going to spare him the details. "The glass cut into my arm," my finger trailed over the place where the damage once was, "so much blood was exposed, everyone except Carlisle had to leave the house." Mikhail's eyes narrowed for a moment, "Why was he able to stay?" "Carlisle is a doctor. Actually, he performed my surgery in Arizona. He's worked with people in the emergency room for more than a hundred years, that he's grown immune to the scent of human blood. He's the one who found Edward in 1918, when he was dying of Spanish Influenza."
Jacques's eyes narrowed, You still remember that? My eyes closed, Yes, I do. He paced away from me, clearly mad. Jacques, if you don't want me to go on, I won't. Everyone watched him until he calmed down, "No, please do go on." Mikhail was still thinking about Carlisle. He was impressed with Carlisle's discipline, "Well, for their kind, that's quite a feat. To save people on a daily basis and not lose control." I nodded once, trying to hide my emotion. I still missed them.
"And that was the last time I saw Carlisle. Edward broke up with me two days later. He said that it was too dangerous for me to be around his kind. Even James said it was cruel of him to leave me human. Edward told me that he didn't want me anymore and I, like an idiot, tried to convince him to stay with me. He left me alone in the forest and I tried to follow him, only to end up getting lost in the dark and my dad had to have a search party look for me. My friend Sam found me and brought me back home."
Angel, you're not an idiot. Don't ever think that. "Ok, but now, I have a question?" It was their turn to be questioned, "You told me that if we weren't together, you would have changed to a vampire? You would have been like them?" Jacques knew what I meant. He looked over to his brother and took my hand, "No, I would have been the undead. Those vampires that you speak of are a different race. They're stronger than us in some ways." Gregori spoke up, "Have you encountered any other vampire since then?" I made a face at his directness, "I have." "But you do not have to speak about it," Jacques spoke up. He stood in front of me, blocking Gregori's sight of me. Gregori backed off, "Very well. We've learned enough for now."
I knew he wasn't completely satisfied with what I've told, but he couldn't go against what Jacques wants. Raven rose off the couch, holding Josef against her shoulder, "Didn't you have any normal friends?" "Not really, they were boring. Sleepovers, movies on Friday night and going out after school didn't compare to watching Emmett and Jasper, Edward's brothers, wrestling and take down trees." Raven arched an eyebrow quickly, "Good point. Humans can get boring after you've been exposed to this life." Eleanor stood and took Josef from Raven, "So, what have you done in the last few years?" "Went on with my life," I answered confidently. Jacques sat next to me, keeping my hand in his. His thumb brushed over the mark on my hand, taking in the minute details of it. "Instead of blocking out my ability of hearing thoughts, I learned to use it. Now, I can focus on one person and block out the noise from all the others. I've heard other vampires close by and got myself away before they found me or caught my scent."
Jacques curved his arm around my shoulders as Mikhail spoke about his past with the Volturi. They had a mutual respect for each other. In the unlikely event we ever met up with them, they would know I was under Mikhail and Jacques's protection and couldn't be harmed. "You don't have to do that." A kiss was pressed to my temple, "They will not touch you, because you are mine."
Raven went to lean against the desk with Mikhail, pulling her hair back into a large hairclip, "So why didn't you ever tell me about the other race of vampires? Do they have to stay out of the sun like, well for lack of a better term, 'our kind?' I can't think of anything else." Mikhail laughed as he took her shoulders, "No, little one, they don't die by being stake or burn in the sun. Their skin is crystalized instead of flesh. They've been compared to marble." Raven's face was perplexed, And you were kissing someone like that? How did you do it?
I'll tell you when we're alone. "I think I would like to know that too?" My eyebrows pulled together, looking at Jacques, "You want to know about how it was for me when I was kissing another man?" I scoffed, "No, you are way too jealous for that." He smiled and pulled my lips to his, Fair point.
Eleanor and Vlad stood sat together, keeping Josef between them. Benjamin sat on the arm rest, reading a book. Eleanor glanced at the emerald ring on my finger, She's dealt with so much and survived. I wonder how she would handle it when she finds out that she's Jacques's wife? I instantly broke the eye contact, turning toward her. My expression was between angry and shocked, "His what?" Jacques never said anything and I never thought about. I looked down at the ring that was on my third finger. Eleanor gritted her teeth, "I didn't mean for you to hear me. I'm sorry." Guilt and shock was all over her face.
Jacques turned away from me, covering his eyes with his hand, "Thanks a lot, Elle. Anything else you want to blurt out?" How could Jacques be making a joke? It felt like there was nothing around me and yet, I felt crowded. Raven waved her hand towards Jacques, making the motion of quieting down, "Stop it. She knows now, so tell her." Closing my eyes, I fortified myself, "Just tell me. Are we married?" I looked at Jacques and he nodded once, "We have completed the binding ritual. By the laws of my people and in the eyes of God, you are my bride." My heart stuttered and slammed in my chest, as my mouth hung open in shock. A week ago, I was a traveling student, studying the local plant life. And now, I was staying in a castle with a man I helped and I unknowingly married him?!
Jacques's mind tried to soothe me, but it wasn't working. Bella, please, if you need time to take this in…. I didn't move an inch, Oh, I do, but what else is there? Tell me everything. Jacques took my hand, "Raven, do you want to tell her?" She didn't even turn towards us, "She's your wife. You should tell her." It was there in the minds of all the men; the continuation of their people. They needed women to give birth to children, so that their people would live on. They only wanted what anyone wanted; to stay off extinction. My arms folded over my chest, trying to keep myself together, "Ok, now, I need a minute."
I walked out to the hallway. My head was almost spinning; nothing made sense. How did my life turn upside down again? I was only trying to help an injured man, not be caught in his world. His people; who were his people? What is going on? Angel, merge your mind with mine and you will know everything.
I shook my head too harshly, making my vision dizzy. I wanted to ignore his voice, I don't know what that means.
Bella, another voice caught my attention. It guided me to the front doors. My cream coat waited on an antique chair. Raven walked toward me, wearing the same coat, Now's a good 'girl time.' Come on. Raven and I walked out into the night. The cold clung to our breath as we walked in silence. "Bella, I know this is a lot to deal with. You're dealing with it the same way I did." I looked at her and she half-smiled, "I am the first human woman to be successfully converted into a Carpathian. A woman must have psychic abilities to be changed. She can be a lifemate to only one man." I stopped walking; feeling like my body was going to crumple to the ground. Raven took my hand, "I know. You feel tricked and trapped?" My head nodded slowly, "I need to leave and go home." Raven exhaled slowly, "You can leave, but you'll only feel more incomplete with ever mile you put between yourself and Jacques. In your mind, you believe you must go, but in your heart, body and even soul, you'll want to be with him. Lifemates cannot be apart from each other for more than a few hours, before the feeling of despair sets in."
Tears streamed from my eyes as I sunk to the ground. My head fell against my knees, "I only wanted to save a man's life, not let him take over mine. Tonight, I told him I loved him." Why do things like this happen to me? I recalled the car accident that caused Edward to use his true abilities to keep me alive. Why was I a pull for anything dangerous and supernatural? Raven sat with me, holding my hands, "I know what you mean. I was a police officer, tracking rapists and murderers through their thoughts. I came here to get away from my work and to find some peace. Then one night, I heard Mikhail. He was so upset that I couldn't ignore him. He was thinking about killing himself." My head rose to look at her, "Why would he want to do that?"
She shrugged a bit, "I think Mikhail is over thousand years old, give or take a year or decade," she said as a joke, "And he's led his people for a few centuries, while trying to hold onto his humanity. He told me the first night he heard my voice, he came to find me. We're drawn to each other. For a man, the pull is too strong to resist, but for a woman, she can resist for some time, but it grows stronger." I huffed once, "Fine, let's say I really am Jacques's wife," I tried not to shudder, "but this marriage can't be legal, which means it's not binding."
Raven arched an eyebrow, "Ok, that's scary." I looked back and forth for a moment, "What is?" "I said the same thing when Mikhail told me," she smiled, "There was no priest, no marriage certificate, so it couldn't be real." In my heart, I knew I was grasping at straws, but it was all I had. "And?" I asked in an anxious tone. Raven shook her head, "The legality of your union can be easily handled, but in the Carpathian culture, you are Jacques's wife." My head fell into my hands, "I can't be!" The words were a wail. Marriage was never a consideration for me.
Raven exhaled slowly, "I wish I knew what to say to make this easier for you." I groaned, "Then tell me I'm not here. Tell me that Jacques is well and he's returning to his life and I'm going back to mine." My fingers clawed at my hair, causing myself pain. This isn't my life, not in this place. "This is your life now," Raven and I looked up to see Eleanor walking out towards us. She was still near the castle, but I could hear her as clear as if she were a few feet away from me. "How can you say that?"
She sighed as she stood near us, "Bella, you're looking at this all wrong. I know that things come along in a day that can severally change one's life and this is yours. I know this is a complete change, but from your story, you are someone who can handle change. This is your moment of taking in everything and it's a lot." I nodded once, "You can say that again." My voice was clipped. Eleanor smiled and it made me feel worse, "I refuse to believe that the woman before me is the same one who faced a vampire to save her mother. You were fortunate to escape with your life and you're crying because you found out you're now married."
My eyebrows pulling together, "Excuse me? Unknowingly getting married is not something I was prepared to deal with!" I was on my feet in an instant. Eleanor folded her arm and shifted her weight to one leg, jutting her hip to one side, "Not just anyone can become a lifemate to a Carpathian. It takes a woman with enough courage in her heart to accept what is happening. One that would risk her life for our people," she glanced at Raven, "and one who can help our men realize that they cannot and will not be the only ones to shape our future." Eleanor smirked, "From what I've seen and heard, you are the perfect one enter this world. Jacques needs you and you need him." She made the words seem like a challenge.
Not looking away from her eyes, I responded, "And you really think that is me?" Eleanor leaned closer to me, making her long ebony hair fall over her shoulder, "I know it is. You're just now breaking down, when most would have done it already. But when you're done, you're going to take this change head on and you're going to blossom in it, because you, Raven and I know you can. You're just scared right now. And I would think you a fool if you weren't." Eleanor placed her hands on my shoulders in a tender manner, "Isabella, I just met you, but I know you can handle this."
Staring into Eleanor's black eyes, I saw the task that was laid before me. I was, once again, walking the fine line that separates two worlds; normal, human world and the supernatural where almost everything was dangerous. In the supernatural world, the danger was great, but the rewards were greater. I was standing at a precipice, afraid to move forward but it was too late to turn back. I've been here before and I can do it again. Eleanor and Raven were right though; sitting here and crying wasn't going to solve anything. I sighed deeply, almost feeling defeated, "Ok, I get it." My voice was low and I wanted to cry. That never changed; my tears were tied in with my mood and temper. Eleanor smiled again, her tone becoming lighter, "Good, now come inside and talk to your husband." I shook my head and look toward the front door of his home. From here on out, things were going to be very different.
