She'd never truly had much in the way of love. With the absence of a mother figure, the whereabouts of her biological mother still a mystery to her even now, no siblings to speak of and an abusive father that she had fled from, it was no wonder that she now struggled to understand how any relationship could possibly be considered positive.
Bree sat in the back row of the private jet, the courage she'd felt only hours before having now vanished completely, watching in awe at the group that she now found herself to be amongst as they chatted amongst themselves. Occasionally, she would find herself focusing completely on the fair haired vampire, Demetri, confused as to why his presence seemed to bring such peace to what should have been a terrifying experience, before averting her eyes when he returned her gaze with his crimson eyes filled with hope and, strangely for Bree, love.
"You truly are an exceptional young woman, Miss Tanner"
Bree nearly shrieked in shock as she snapped her head towards the voice, backing up slightly as Felicity stood before her with a gentle smile upon her lips. What was wrong with this human? Why wasn't she afraid or trying to hide from the numerous vampires that surrounded her? It was as if she had no comprehension of the dangers around her.
"You seem surprised that I am talking to you. Understand Miss Tanner that, whilst I may be human, I have spent my entire life in the company of those you see now, along with many others including the three that I am forever proud to call my kings and mates. I know beyond all else that no harm will befall me whilst in the company of my family. But do you understand the same?"
Bree frowned at her words. What was she truly asking? Her eyes flickered back to the small group of vampires, feeling uncomfortable under their shared gaze of affection. What did this human mean by family? Could Bree even begin to comprehend what it meant to have such a thing?
"Bree? How long is it since you last felt the warmth of family, to be embraced without fear of being beaten? Have you ever truly known it?"
Demetri's question hit her hard as she tried to remember the face of the last person to truly love her, her mother's visage seeming blurred in her mind's eye and scattering in a broken haze as she realised, she couldn't remember what love truly felt like. Only fear. If only tears could come to her scarlet eyes as she could her head sadly, still too nervous to utter her own words.
"You have a chance now, Miss Tanner, to start again and to see what love can truly feel like. Amongst a family that will shelter you, with a man that will cherish you as his one and only mate. Despite its reputation, the Volturi are not as evil or frightening as others would tell you, we are your family now Bree and we will not fail to protect you as others have done before, we will help to you realise the potential that is hidden within you. As I said, you are truly exceptional"
Felicity's words had the young vampire at a loss. A fresh start? A second chance at a future with a family of her own and love... Everything she had ever dreamed of in her human life. She watched as Felicity took the seat beside her, not seeming to care that the young vampire could still be classed as dangerous and volatile when the thirst his, placing a warm hand against her own cold ones as she spoke softly once more, that gentle smile never leaving her lips.
"I have never met anyone that my foresight has not been able to lock upon, I had always believed it to be one hundred percent effective, and for that I am happy to have met you, I would like it if I could get to know you better. It is nice to meet someone that can completely surprise me. We will be landing in Volterra shortly, if you would like then once you are settled and have had a chance to quench your newborn thirst, Demetri could show you around the castle and surrounding area, give you both a chance to talk between yourselves?"
For the first time in so long, Bree felt a smile begin to form across her lips, a whispered yes of consent as Demetri smiled brightly at her acceptance to spend time with him alone. She had never truly known the meaning of happiness but maybe, just maybe, her second life was proving to be so much better than her first.
Hey guys, just a quick update to let you know that I've not vanished completely and also to begin building the bonds between Bree and the others. I'm sorry that I've been away for so long, things have been pretty messy in my life over the past number of months and I've not been in the right state of mind to attempt and serious writing, but things are starting to look up and, life permitting, you should be seeing much more frequent updates from me in the future :)
Hope you enjoyed this little update, let me know what you thought and I promise to be back as soon as I can with the next, much longer, chapter :)
Much love,
Crimsondagger x