Chapter12
Dinner was a relaxed affair. They spent time catching up with each other and enjoying just being a family. They told some of the more amusing stories from their travel time. Such as Emmett's need to wrestle an anaconda, which would have been fine if it hadn't been mating season and he was attacking a female, the two males tracking her attacked Emmett, he did finally get loose with Rosalie's help. I am sure she won't let him live it down anytime soon. The funniest one was Alice in New Orleans running from a voodoo priestess, good thing she saw Jasper would need a fire extinguisher. Jasper had to sneak back into the city to steal the doll.
After the children were sent off to bed the adults stayed around the table to hear Catherine's report. "Michael and I traced Carlisle, Esme and Edward; I am starting with Esme because she is the easiest. She was married to an abusive man; she became pregnant and had the baby. He died and today it would be ruled SIDS, she was suffering from depression and attempted suicide. She was taken to the hospital Carlisle worked at, he recognized her as his mate and turned her. She has tasted human blood 5 times all in her newborn year and she was never suspected in any of the deaths. Since then she has not offended anyone. She is seen as a mother figure and definitely not a fighter."
"Edward came from a moderately wealthy family in Chicago and was dying from Spanish Influenza when he was turned. He was the first Carlisle turned and his mind reading abilities showed themselves immediately. About 10 years after Esme was turned Edward went off on his own; he was tired of Carlisle's way of life. He hunted humans for about 10 years. He only killed the scum of the human world but some vampires rejoiced in the fact that he was hunting humans at all and enjoyed rubbing Carlisle's face in it. Since returning to Carlisle he has not killed any humans. He has tasted human blood; Isabelle's to be exact in Phoenix after she was bit by a vampire named James. Edward sucked the venom out. Edward has offended people over the years, some female vampires for rebuffing their advances and some vampires for going back to Carlisle and turning his back on who he really is. The only person out for revenge is Victoria, James's mate, for the Cullen's killing him in Phoenix for attacking Bella. Victoria would be more than willing to be in on this. We do not feel she is one of the main ones behind this though. While she knows a lot of vampires and has an inkling of the other clans she doesn't have the clout to pull this off. I feel comfortable saying Edward is not the main target."
"Carlisle on the other hand, I think he would be shocked by way people feel about him. Even those he calls friends. He was born in the 1640's, the son of a preacher who was a tyrant. His father believed in 'creatures of the night' and hunted them; he pushed his son to do the same. Carlisle stumbled upon a coven of vampires and took off after one by himself. That vampire bit Carlisle and that is how he was turned. He has never tasted human blood, he tried to starve himself to death and started drinking animal blood by accident when half crazed he attacked a deer in the forest. He wandered around for decades before he found the Volturi. The three brothers found his diet odd but respected his ideals. Most of the Guard just found him odd and some were jealous of his close relationship with the brothers in such a short time. He spent about 50 years with the Volturi before going out on his own again. Except for the 3 brothers most of the other vampires were glad to see him go. His diet and how he felt about human life really bothered them. The vampires felt that because humans are weaker they are beneath them."
"He was alone for the next 150 years until he made Edward, then Esme, Rosalie and finally Emmett. During that time he studied medicine and led a quiet life. While he was with the Volturi he went through the catacombs so he at least knows of lycans, werewolves and druids. For some reason he never passed the information on to his coven and kept Edward's mind reading a secret. During the 40's they came across the shifters and at that point he explained about werewolves and how they were different. The 50's is when Alice and Jasper joined them and this made people take notice, especially when Jasper switched his diet. At first people were nervous because of who Jasper was and his obvious leading and fighting ability. However, when the size of the coven did not grow people went from fearful to envious and some even began thinking Jasper had lost his touch. A group of nomads feeling brave decided to band together to test the coven. They attacked the women while out hunting, all but 2 were destroyed. About 6 months later those 2 were brought before the Volturi for hunting to close to Volterra. Aro read their memories and understood immediately from their fight with the Cullen's exactly what powers they had and became very envious."
"Aro considers himself a collector and he really wants Edward and especially Alice. He has made it known to them several times he wants them to join and they always decline. At this point Aro feels that as long as they remain Cullen's his friendship with Carlisle puts them at his disposal. I don't think Aro or the brothers are directly responsible, he wants the powers that come with the Cullen's to much to risk them being destroyed. On the other hand he realizes the target the Cullen's have become. I agree with Mary it is remarkable the reaction just mentioning the Cullen name brings out in people. Be it good or bad the reaction is always interesting."
"Thank you Catherine," Isabelle said. "The only ones left to hear from are Thorne and Thunder. I actually do not expect them back until the Cullen's have already arrived. I also expect them to just be filling in the details of what happened and the lower level people involved. I think we all know who the masterminds are behind this and I also think in the end it may turn out that we were the ultimate targets. Now, let's move on to when the Cullen's arrive."
"As I said before, I told Carlisle I would explain my story when they arrived. I believe we are still on track for them to arrive tomorrow night, correct?" Isabelle questioned. Gabriel nodded, "The 3 are due in tonight from Volterra, the boys have orders to pick them up tomorrow morning and bring them here." "Good" Isabelle smiled, "After I explain everything we will examine their marks and remark Emmett."
"I think we can get by with just the normal scans and procedures on Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett. We were following them and I am sure picking up more than they were aware of. However, with Carlisle, Esme and Edward we will have to do the more in depth mind probes. Edward will need to be taught relaxation techniques so it is not more painful than necessary. With his mind reading he will already be very sensitive and we can not risk a break, he must be handled carefully. I am sure he will already be on edge, please boys do not make this any harder on him." Isabelle's sons all nodded.
Gabriel went to his wife and lifted her into his lap. He was confident in Isabelle's love for him and knew she would not want Edward hurting. He just hoped her compassion wouldn't give the boy ideas about trying anything with her. Gabriel knew killing him would put him the doghouse for probably a decade, she would expect Gabriel to be the bigger man because in her eyes he was the obvious choice for her. It went against ever fiber in his berserker/lycan body to let someone who hurt his mate cruelly in the same room as her, let alone talk to her and god help him touch her. The fact that he had to invite the boy onto his lands and protect him was insult enough. Gabriel decided to brush up on his own relaxation methods and he would talk to his sons and see which one was willing to take on their mother's wrath should Edward need to be taught a lesson.
"Now to discuss the things affecting the clan," Gabriel started. "We have tattooed all the members; even the children were given temporary ones. The wards on the homes and buildings have been increased. The people have been given a refresher course on the alarms and basic protection. They are prepared for the fact that the Cullen's will more than likely have to hunt at least once it the time they are here. I realize it is just 4 days but the tests can be brutal as you all know and we don't want to kill them. Keep that in mind when working with them, we want them alive and well at the end."
"We need to discuss the fact that part if not all of the battle will happen around Hamilton land," Gabriel stated. No member of the family liked this fact but all had accepted it as inevitable. He continued, "To protect us and the clan to the fullest, Kate has found the most ancient and powerful spells. Mary, Kate and Isabelle will cast these spells the second the Cullen's cross the border. As you know this will require using dark magic and I have agreed to it because it is necessary. To do the spells the women will require protection ruins tattooed on their backs, they will be large and permanent. I think to be on the safe side all of the adult family members should have, in case something arises they need our help with. The Escort will receive the new tattoos upon arrival, as will Thorne and Thunder. For now the standard ones they have will protect them to return to the castle. When the Cullen's arrive they will be given the ones the clan currently has to protect them. Are there any questions?"
"Good. The women will set up and walk a triangle formation to cast the spell. All clan members are to remain indoors. At the point of the triangle, near the forest, will be Kate with Ingram, Iris and Heidi as protectors. At the right side of the triangle, near the sea, will be Mary with Grim, Elisabeth and Ruth. On the left side of the triangle, near the gate, will be Isabelle with myself, Catherine and Digby as protectors. The others will greet the Cullen's and immediately start the tattoo process. When the spells are cast and the land is cleansed we will return to the castle."
With that Gabriel said good night to his family and carried his wife to their bedchamber. He needed to show her he loved her, he needed their scent together to be all over her, he needed to show Edward in every way possible that she was his. Edward needed to be shown at the start that she had been claimed by a man worthy of her and her love. Isabelle recognized his needs as they joined together even though she didn't understand his insecurities. He was literally her missing piece without him she was not whole; Edward could not threaten that in her mind. As they came together she offered him the thing he would never ask for but she knew would give him the most comfort. She screamed his name, let her fangs drop while withholding the venom and said "mark me". Then she gently bit into his neck and Gabriel allowed his canines to grow and gently marked her also, knowing that was a scent that would not wash off in the shower.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters.
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