AN: Once again a huge thanks to all my readers. It still amazes that you are still with me after all this time. And to the new additions I offer a warm welcome and thank you for giving this story a chance. It's amazing how real life seems to always trump whatever plans you may have. Sorry it has been so long but I am trying to update sooner. A very big thank you goes out to my Beta and pre-readers. You guys give me the confidence to keep putting out chapters.

Bella's POV

I opened my eyes to find myself no longer in the misty woods. I blinked several times clearing my eyes to focus upon the brown stone roof over my head. The air smelled damp and slightly stale. I could tell I was lying on a bed of sorts. It felt more like I was lying on a pile of blankets then an actual bed. I slowly untangled my arms from the blankets covering me and sat up. The sudden rush of blood made me woozy and I thought I might faint. Kicking off the blankets I raised my knees and rested my head between them as I gained my composure. A small voice alerted me to the fact that I was not alone.

"You must be Isabella."

Lifting my head I saw a little girl sitting on the makeshift bed beside me.

"I am Annabelle. I am so very happy that you are now awake."

I continued to stare at the little girl who seemed unfazed by my lack of response.

"Many people will be happy that you are awake. We have been waiting a very long time for you to wake up."

"Where am I?"

I struggled to get the words out to the young girl.

"You are here with us."

"Where is here?"

"My people live in the mountains. I have lived here my whole life. We are safe here from the bad men who want to hurt us."

A sudden clattering alerted me that we were not alone. Snapping my head up I saw two figures standing in what appeared to be a doorway. As my eyes focused more I saw that it was a man and woman. The woman quickly made her was over to me and began asking me questions in rapid succession. However I did not hear a word she uttered for I was transfixed upon the man who still stood in the doorway. There was something about him. He stared back as me as if begging me to remember and accept him. I then suddenly remembered who this man was. He was with THEM. He was there when they killed my family. He was there to deliver me to the Brothers and was there to deliver me to the Mistress. I could not think as fear roared through my body. He was here to take me back. It was getting harder and harder to breathe and felt my body shaking. The room started to swirl around me as the woman and girl tried to calm me. I did not see the man quietly and sadly slip from the room.

Demitri's POV

I sat on the outcropping of rock overlooking the valley below. I let my guilt and pain consume me. I should have known Isabella would react that way. The last time she was me was when I handed her over to the Mistress. I was there when they killed her family. I basically kidnapped her to Italy to be deliver into the hands of her torturers. She must think I am a monster. I am a monster. All that I have done…who was I to think she could possibly love me. I never gave much thought to what would happen when she finally awoke. I guess subconsciously I knew it would not be all rainbows and sunshine, but fuck I was not expecting her to react like that.

I continued to sit as just listen to the sounds of the world around me. The distinctive sounds of Felix's footsteps reached my ears long before I saw him making his way up the path to me. Without a word he sat next to me and just stared out into the valley.

"How is she?"

"She is stable now and resting comfortably. Doc had to give her a sedative to calm her down. Everything has been explained to her…well almost everything."

"What do you mean?"

"Heidi and I explained how we managed to escape with the aid of the Mistress and about the Children of the Moon. Heidi is still with her. The girl nearly tackled Heidi when Heidi and I came into the room. The poor thing has been attacked to Heidi since."

"What did you say about me?"

"Not much. We just included you in the story without any real explanations. We didn't mention the shifters either or their part in this, didn't want to completely overwhelm her. Plus I figured you would want to talk to her about that part yourself."

"She doesn't want to talk to me Felix."

"What are you talking about?"

"When she saw me she panicked. I saw the fear in her eyes. She just knows the monster."

"Give her time Demitri. She needs to see that you are on her side. The last thing that girl remembers is being brutally raped by that Romanian bastard. She is scared of everything and rightly so."

"It's hopeless Felix. I love that girl more than anything in the universe, yet she is scared shitless by me."

"Time my friend. Just give it some time. She needs to recover and find herself again. She has been locked away and tortured in that castle for so long that she is just a mere shadow of the girl that once was."

"That's just it. I am the reason this happened to her."

"No you are not. Those sick fucks in Italy are responsible. It took a long time for Heidi and I to gain Isabella's trust and even longer for both of us to forgive ourselves for what happened to her on a routine basis. We did what we could to protect her and make sure she was taken care of. Nothing we do will ever atone for our past, but the future we can fix. We are better because of her. She showed us how to not be monsters and helped us find out humanity. There is something extraordinary about that girl and I will be damned if she ever has to suffer again a day in her life. Now my friend come back to camp with me. You have been missed these past hours."

Felix stood and reached his hand out to me. Taking his hand I knew that it was going to be a very long road ahead. We made our way down into the valley and back to our home. This was life now. This was my home. Isabella was the love of my life and I was not going to give up without a fight. No matter how long it takes I will show her that I love her and will hopefully someday earn her trust. At this point I will be happy if I can get her to at least smile at me.