Previous chapter: Demetri - DPOV

Isabella hides her face in my chest to hide her mirth as Caius growls and says, "This is your final warning, Carlisle. I don't care if Aro thinks of you as a friend. The next time I find out you broke one of our laws, I'll remove your head myself. So I would be very careful if I was you."

Carlisle quickly bows his head in acknowledgment of Caius' words as Aro claps and says, "That's settled then. Now, Edward, what are we going to do with you?"

Demetri - DPOV

We all look to the side of the throne room, where Edward is sitting on his knees. Disgust, unbelief, and anger are clearly visible in his eyes as he stares at his family. I can't fantom how the Cullens put up with his self-righteous ass for over a century. I would have kicked his ass to the curb decades ago. How anyone can look at my Isa and not see the goddess she truly is, is beyond me anyway.

Thirty seconds pass as Aro waits for some kind of response from Edward before turning to Felix and saying, "Felix, put Edward back together if you please. The venom loss is causing him to lose focus, and I would love for him to hear everything we've got to say to him. Jane, my dear, make sure he stays put. He seems to have the tendency to do stupid things."

I instinctively pull Isabella closer to me as we watch Felix taking Edward's arms and tongue and putting them back in their rightful place. Edward's eyes regain their clarity as the venom starts healing his wounds, and I growl lowly as he immediately turns to look at Isabella. I quickly pull her behind me while Isabella puts her hand on my shoulder in an equally possessive move. You see that, Edward. This is how true mates react to a threat. No vampire in this room doubts our connection because of it. She's mine, and I'm hers.

Isabella – IPOV

I'm starting to believe that Edward has a death wish as he immediately turns to stare at me as he regains focus. Demetri instinctively pulls me behind him as I possessively place my hand on his shoulder. I just don't understand how Edward can't see the connection Demetri and I share. Every action from either of us clearly reflects the love between us. I do know, however, if Edward keeps acting like an ignorant fool, Demetri will remove his head before this time is over. My mate only has so much patience with idiots.

I smile at that thought as Aro walks over to Edward to read his mind. We all wait patiently as Aro takes his time to look through Edward's thoughts, and I frown as Aro sighs before walking back to his throne and sitting down. Aro's eyes radiate disbelief as he shakes his head and says, "Edward, it worries me that your thoughts are so negative. How can you think of Isabella as a monster? She is still the caring and loving person you left behind. She fights for the people she loves. Your thoughts show me she fought your decision to leave her behind with all her might, but you didn't listen. You left her, even though she cried out your name and begged you to stay. You didn't even look back as she tried to follow you through the forest before losing all hope of ever catching up with you. The woman you claimed to love gave up on life because you felt the need to break her heart so callously. You, Edward Cullen, don't get to decide who plays the monster in this story because that part already belongs to you."

Edward vigorously shakes his head as he squares his shoulders and says, "No, I'm not. My Bella would never feed off humans. My Bella was the most compassionate and loving creature on this planet. She wouldn't hurt a fly, but here she stands with crimson-red eyes, the eyes of a killer. She tore my arms off without blinking an eye. She had him tearing my tongue out, and she loved it. I left her so she would be safe and free of this horror. I would have lived my entire existence without her, knowing she got the chance to live a normal human life. I sacrificed my happiness to make that happen, and you ruined that. You turned her into a monster."

Aro tsks as he shakes his head in disbelief before saying, "Isabella is a fearless warrior when you attack the one she loves more than anything on this earth. You call her a monster, but I call her caring, loving, and fiercely loyal. She was born to be one of us, and I find it strange you can't see the true love that Isabella and Demetri share. Demetri shared his memories with me last week. Not a hair on my head doubts their love."

I shake my head as Edward opens his mouth to protest yet again. I don't care if Edward thinks the worst of me. I truly couldn't care less. And if he hadn't been acting like a complete idiot, I would have left him alone. But no, he had to attack my Demi, so he got what he deserved. No one tries to hurt the man I love if I'm there to stop them. And that doesn't make me a monster. Every mated vampire out there would react the same way.

I sigh. Not knowing how we can make Edward see that I'm happy here in Volterra and that I love Demetri with all my heart is starting to frustrate me. Why didn't he believe the thoughts in Demetri's head? Why are all the acts of love Demetri and I shared while he was here not registering in his mind? Why is it so hard to believe that I'm living the life I want, for fuck sake?

What if I let him read my mind? Renata and I practiced retracting my shield to show Aro my thoughts. We discovered it's possible, but it takes a lot of energy. That's why I can't keep it down for long, but I guess it's worth a try.

Aro's eyes immediately flick to me as I take a deliberate step forward, and I smile softly as he raises one brow questioningly. Fuck, I must be out of my mind for suggesting this. I am a glutton for punishment, it seems. I hope Edward sees the truth in my thoughts, or I'll kick his ass again.

Demetri - DPOV

I immediately wonder what Isabella is up to as she steps forward, and Aro's eyes flick her way. I bet I'm not going to like this one bit, so I tense slightly as Isabella takes a deep unneeded breath before grabbing my hand and saying, "Master Aro, may I suggest something?"

Aro smiles softly at her formal address as he says, "Of course, Isabella."

Isabella gently squeezes my hand as if she senses my tension before smiling at Aro and saying, "May I try and let Edward read my thoughts?"

My breath hitches as I turn to look at my mate. Why would she want to do what? If that idiot didn't believe me, why on earth would he feel any different after reading Isabella's thoughts? Isabella smiles tenderly as she cups my face with both hands to kiss me softly before saying, "I have to try this, Demi. He needs to understand that you are everything I'll ever need. Can you please hold me while I try this? Renata and I have been practicing, but it takes a lot of energy."

I nod as I pull her to me so that her back rests against my chest, and I kiss the back of her head as I wrap my arms around her. I know Isabella well enough to realize there's no talking her out of this plan, but I sure as hell can protect her while she shows that moron her thoughts. I growl lowly as I notice how hopeful Edward looks as he fixates his gaze on Isabella's face. What does he think is going to happen? That everything will suddenly go his way? His reading of Isabella's thoughts won't change a thing. Isabella will always be mine.

Isabella - IPOV

I take another deep breath as I lean back against Demetri's chest and intently watch Edward's face as I slowly let my shield down. His face lights up in surprise as my first thoughts reach him, and I quickly start pushing my memories out, knowing I won't be able to do this for long. I take Edward on a rollercoaster ride through my memories, showing him the despair I felt when he abandoned me in the forest and how the hole in my heart instantly closed when Demetri found me and took me home. I then flash forward to our first kiss, followed by the moment I realized I loved my Demi with all my heart. The next memory I recall is of when I decided to feed off humans.

I briefly contemplate pulling my shield back up as Edward falls to his knees as the first memories register in his mind, but I don't. There is so much more he needs to see. I quickly recall the first time Demetri and I made love and how loved I felt when Demetri changed me, followed by the memory of my first realization as a vampire, loving Demetri more than anything on this Earth. I then show Edward the memory of when Demetri marked me as his while I marked him as mine and how my love for Demetri keeps growing with each passing day.

I want to show him so much more, like the memory of when Demetri asked me to marry him, but I don't when I feel Demetri tightening his embrace while saying, "That's enough, cara mia. Pull your shield back up, Isa."

Demetri – DPOV

I hold my breath as Isabella slowly nods before turning around in my embrace and laying her head against my chest. I kiss her head as I hug her close while she takes a few deep breaths to regain her bearings. I can only hope her grand gesture wasn't wasted on Edward Cullen. After a few seconds, Isabella slowly lifts her head and smiles before kissing me softly. I smile as I pull back and gently stroke a loose strand of hair behind her ear before whispering, "Ti amo tanto, amore mio."

My heart would have skipped a beat if it were still beating as Isabella smiles brightly and says, "I love you too, Demi, more than I ever thought possible."

Edward – EPOV

As suddenly as they came Bella's thoughts are gone again. I groan as I slowly open my eyes and take a deep unneeded breath as I watch Bella… no, Isabella… smiling happily in Demetri's arms, where she belongs. I slowly get up and shake my head as I recall the memories they showed me. Dear God, how could I be this blind? It is crystal clear to me now. The love Demetri and Isabella share is stronger than anything I've ever witnessed before. Isabella only attacked me because I intended to harm her mate. Whatever she felt for me in the past is nothing compared to what she feels for him. She was never mine to love. Fuck, I ruined everything.

Isabella – IPOV

I turn back to look at Edward as he lets out a big sigh and says, "You were protecting him. That's why you attacked me. You love him."

Thank God! There might be hope for Edward Cullen after all. I smile softly as I nod decisively before saying, "More than anything. You see, Edward, I may have loved you back then. But that love vanishes into nothingness when compared to my feeling for Demetri. He is the love of my life. He is my true mate, and I can't live without him. I would lay down my life for him. I wish you that kind of love as well, Edward. I hope someday you will find the person that completes you, but that person is not me. I found my place in this world, and I know it's not what you want for me. But I'm the happiest woman on this planet because of it.

If you love me as you claim, you will respect my choices, even when they differ from your beliefs, and you will learn to love me as a sister. I hope someday we can stand in the same room with all that happened as a distant memory. It will take time to completely forgive you for what you did, but I want you to be happy. If you can't get past all this we will be enemies forever."

Edward - EPOV

God, she is so forgiving. How can she stand there and wish me to be happy while I just tried to attack her mate? I hurt her so much with my actions. I don't know how I'll ever make that up to her. I will do anything. Even accepting Demetri as her mate. But God, why did it have to be him? There are thousands of vampires in the world who could have been her mate, but it had to be the one I detest the most. But who am I to judge him when he makes her blissfully happy? Her happiness was all I wanted… and I tried to take that away from her. I can't believe I was such a fool, and I can only hope the remorse is visible in my eyes as I bow before Aro and say, "I understand where I went wrong, and I will accept any punishment you plan to give me. I will never again stand in the way of Isabella's happiness. I hope in time my family can forgive me for my mistakes, and I will understand if they don't because I don't deserve it."

Aro shows no emotions as he looks at me and then at Carlisle before saying, "I would like to discuss Edward's punishment with you, Carlisle. Please follow me to my study so we can speak in private."

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