Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight.

All plotlines, characterizations, and details in Eternally Intertwined 2.0: Blood Ties belong to the author: Bronzehyperion. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without the author's authorization. ©2011-2013 Bronzehyperion. All rights reserved worldwide.

This is the sequel to Eternally Intertwined. I advise you to read/skim over it before you read this because otherwise most won't make sense.

This story wouldn't be the same without my BETA Litmom.

What happened previously:

"You promised!" I yelled, the sound making Bella cringe.

"I did no such thing, my friend. You only assumed. Now, will you keep to your end of the deal or will this get ugly?"

"Edward, please," I heard Bella whisper. Her plea gutted me. She was worried about my safety, while she was the one in danger.

"You saw her and now you will drink," Aro demanded. He grabbed Bella and dragged her over to me.

He did the exact same thing as he had done with the young girl a few days ago. He licked the skin underneath Bella's ear and then sunk his teeth in, just a little.

Bella gasped. Aro grinned as he offered her to me.

"So drink!"

CHAPTER 11: HEART BEATS

EDWARD

When you live forever, you are bound to make some difficult decisions.

But this one was by far the hardest.

Do or die. She or I.

I watched, mesmerized, as blood flowed from the miniscule puncture wound on the side of Bella's neck. Aro had bitten her with a great amount of precision. Enough to get some blood flowing but nothing fatal. Only vampires with an extreme amount of control were able to do that.

"Come on, just a taste. I know you want to," he encouraged me.

My instincts were screaming at me to do as Aro told me, to drink, but the small rational part that still existed somewhere deep inside was disgusted by the thought I was capable of killing the woman I loved.

Unfortunately, it seemed I didn't have much of a choice. If I didn't obey Aro, he would kill Bella. After all, that's what he had done with the girls he had brought to me before. Perhaps I could try and control myself, and pretend to be doing what Aro wanted me to. Maybe I could fool him.

His hands lingered on her neck, ready to snap it like a twig, and I watched as Bella swayed. She was obviously dizzy from the smell of blood and the fact she had weakened in general.

"Drink, Edward," Aro said. "If you don't, I am sure my brother Caius would love to have a taste."

I could hear the chuckling behind me, taunting me. Who was I trying to fool? Myself perhaps. But not them. They recognized a monster when they saw one.

Despite the haze of bloodlust – or perhaps because of it, I suddenly felt very possessive.

"She is mine," I hissed, staking my claim.

The monster inside, dormant for so long, rejoiced. He wanted this; he wanted me to lose control. He had been hoping for that to happen again since before last summer, when I had been forced to drink Bella's blood to suck the venom out after she was bitten by Sapphire's mother, Kate.

Back then, I had been able to stop. This time, and in my current state, I probably wouldn't be able to.

"You say she is yours," Aro hissed. "So claim her then!"

Surprisingly gently, though with determination, he pushed Bella into my arms. Her lids were heavy and she looked like she was about to pass out.

A drop of blood found its way along her neck and down into the dip of her breasts.

It was extremely enticing.

She was so close. I could smell her. Taste her on my tongue. She was mine for the taking. All I had to do was claim her, like Aro said. Just lean in and lick the trail of blood before sinking my teeth into the puncture wound that was already there.

It would be so easy.

I would be gentle; I would make sure Bella wouldn't suffer. I wasn't the same type of monster like the others in this room. Aro or Caius, who would enjoy hurting her. I would love her.

Love her and kill her.

"STOP! NO, EDWARD - DON'T!"

Alice.

I growled, the monster inside me bothered by the fact she was interrupting this moment.

I turned slightly and found my sister, trapped between the strong hands of two of Aro's guards. A man and a woman.

"Nice fishing, Heidi", Demetri complemented the girl. "Save some for me."

"Well, this is a wonderful surprise," Aro clapped his hands. "Alice is here," he cheered. I knew how obsessed he was with my sister's power. If it was up to him, he would have her join his guard.

In a brief moment of sanity, I managed to read Alice's thoughts as they attacked me. She tried to warn me, something about a trap and how I was most definitely not supposed to drink Bella's blood, but then the aroma of said blood licked at my throat and the monster roared.

He wanted this. I wanted this.

I turned back to Bella, who was practically limp and slumped against me.

"MINE!" I hissed before pressing my lips against her neck. I allowed my tongue to touch the wound where a small amount of blood had formed again.

The moment I tasted it felt like I was in heaven. And the desire to bite was incredibly strong.

I tried to savor the moment, though. I didn't want to hurt Bella. Somewhere in the back of my mind the commotion around me registered, but I couldn't tear myself away from the girl in my arms.

With every drop of Bella's blood that entered my body, the need to fully claim her became stronger. I became greedy and started sucking harder, desperate for more blood.

And when the tiny holes Aro had made weren't enough anymore, I used my teeth and pierced through the skin to make them bigger.

The blood flowed more easily and I drank more gluttonously. The girl in my arms grew weaker.

I was killing the woman I loved, but I couldn't stop. I was a monster that had finally given in to his true nature.

And then it happened.

First, the sound was faint, barely audible. But as I drank, it became stronger. The sound confused me, because as I took Bella's blood, her heartbeat was supposed to slow down, until it stopped. But instead….

Bella's heartbeat was stronger. The thumping echoed in my ears and the more I took from her, the louder it became.

Confused I tore myself away from Bella's neck, expecting to see her alert and awake - but she looked deathly pale and very much unconscious.

The sound of a strong heartbeat remained though.

I turned to look at Alice, who was looking at me in awe. And then back at Bella, whose eyes were closed and face was ashen.

Seeing her like this, so close to death, struck me.

"Bella?" I whispered. "Wake up, my love…" I shook her gently but there was no response. If I hadn't held her up, she would have dropped to the floor.

"Congratulations, Edward," Aro chuckled. "You have done what I wanted. I suppose now, it's time for me to hold up my end of the bargain. You did want Isabella to go home, correct?"

I looked at him, stunned. Was he serious? There was no way Bella would make it out of here alive. Not in her current condition.

Of course, that was never the plan.

"You wanted me to take her place, but she was never going to make it out alive?"

Aro shrugged.

"Uhm…" Alice started. "I think there may be a change in plans?"

Aro looked at her and frowned.

"You do hear that sound, right. The heartbeat?" She clarified. "I don't think it's Bella's."

BELLA

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Annoying beeping sound. Please stop.

The sound pushed against my eardrums like a battering ram. It was very unpleasant, to say the least.

"I think she is waking up."

Was I? Had I been sleeping? Were my eyes open? No, it was too dark for that.

"Bella?"

Alice?

Was she in my bedroom?

I tried to remember when I had last seen her. In my kitchen? At school?

Did I have another accident at school? The aching of my body sure made it feel that way.

And where was Edward?

"Edward?" I mumbled.

"Edward is…you'll see him later." Alice told me. Her voice sounded hesitant.

She was clearly deflecting.

"Where am I?" I croaked. My voice sounded hoarse and confused.

"I'll get the doctor," another voice, one I recognized as Jasper's, said.

Doctor? So I was hurt. I tried to remember how, but my mind was foggy.

"Bella, can you open your eyes?" Alice asked softly. "I know it might hurt your head, but I promise the light is dimmed."

I reluctantly agreed and slowly blinked, trying to get used to the soft glow.

The walls were white. Not my walls. The bed was lumpy and uncomfortable and I was covered in white sheets and not my usual purple comforter. This was clearly not my bed.

And I was hooked to the thing responsible for that annoying beeping sound that hurt my ears.

This was not my room. I didn't recognize these surroundings. My eyes found Alice's and she looked worried. Very worried.

This, of course, was enough to make me panic. My heart sped up and I started clawing at the IV in my hand as I pushed myself to get up.

That hurt. My muscles ached and there was a sharp sting on the side of my neck. I touched the spot, my fingers meeting with a large band aid.

That's when it hit me. Vague images. Lips on my neck. Gentle, but firm. Determined. And then, buried somewhere deep in my subconscious a sharper pain, like I was being cut.

Except, I wasn't being cut. I was being bitten.

Behind Alice, I saw Felix, one of Aro's guards.

I was still in Volterra.

"Am I a vampire?" I asked, as I touched the side of my neck. The bandage there answered my question before Alice did.

"Bella, relax," Alice tried to sooth me. "You are alright. You just need to regain your strength."

The bandage on the side of my neck begs to differ Alice, I wanted to scream. And she wasn't really answering my question.

"Where am I? Am I still in Aro's palace?"

"You're in good hands," Alice tried. I shook my head. She was still deflecting.

"That's not what I asked," I whispered.

"You got hurt. So you needed medical attention. You have good doctors."

She wasn't giving me anything, which meant she was hiding something from me.

"What happened?" I tried to sound firm but I sounded whiny. "Tell me what is going on!"

"Bella, you should rest," Alice tried. "There is no need to get worked up. Everything is fine!"

I wanted to roll my eyes. Getting worked up was what I wanted. I wanted to know what the heck was going on. I wanted to know where Edward was.

Edward. Another flash hit me. The images were razor sharp.

Like his teeth.

I was in his arms and he held me close. They were his lips on my neck.

Did he change me? Or….

I felt the panic bubble up again. "Alice, please…" I whispered. "You have got to give me some answers."

Alice took a deep breath and leaned in. She whispered softly, almost too quietly for me to hear. "Edward is not here. And yes, he bit you. And no, you are not a vampire," she answered my unspoken questions as if she could read my mind.

Edward bit me. I was not a vampire. But Edward had bitten me.

"Why?"

"Because Aro starved him for days," Alice explained. "He forced him to feed on you."

Her words triggered something in me. A vague memory.

Because Aro starved him for days

Starving. That's what I had been doing. Just like that other captive. The one I felt a connection to, even though I had never seen him.

Now I realized why that was. Who it was.

"Edward…"

"Aro imprisoned him," Alice murmured. "I think he is still hoping Edward and I will join the Volturi Guard. Of course, he is currently preoccupied with other things."

She sounded ominous.

"What other things?"

Alice frowned.

"Look Bella, you have to stay calm. Doctors' orders," Alice said. "What is taking Jasper so long?" She muttered to herself.

"Alice, just tell me what is going on."

She remained silent, clearly contemplating how much she could and should tell me.

"It is complicated," she muttered.

"So un-complicate it," I demanded.

She opened her mouth to say something but then the door flew open.

Jasper and someone I had never seen before entered the room.

The man, presumably my doctor judging from his white coat, halted at the foot of the bed. He was in his early forties, with thick black hair and dark eyes. Black rimmed glasses on the tip of his nose.

He grabbed what appeared to be my chart and started reading it.

There were no introductions though.

"Uhm, hi," I waved, trying to get his attention. But instead of greeting me back, he held up a finger and continued reading my chart.

I watched as Alice and Jasper exchanged looks before Alice stepped forward. "Bella, this is Doctor Zamprani. He's been taking care of you."

The sound of his name made him put the chart down and address me directly.

"Isabella," he spoke with a thick accent. "How do you feel?"

"Tired," I admitted. "And everything hurts."

"You were injured and you lost a lot of blood. We had to give you transfusions," he told me in broken English.

That was odd. I mean, yes, with blood loss, one would require transfusions. But why did Aro let me live?

Again, I watched Alice and Jasper exchange a look and it started to frustrate me. They could at least have the decency to tell me what was going on.

"When can I get out of here?" I asked. The doctor smiled coolly at that question. "Mr. Aro wants you to rest."

Why would he want me to rest? Aro was evil, a monster. Hell, a place he was surely familiar with, would freeze over before he would genuinely care about a human, unless he could eat them.

So why was I getting medical care? There had to be a catch.

"Well, I think I have rested enough," I said as I struggled against the pillows to get up. "I want to get out of here, so you should release me."

The doctor frowned and looked over his shoulder at Felix who was shaking his head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. First you rest and then Mr. Aro will decide what to do with you."

He then left the room without a proper goodbye.

I turned to Alice and Jasper.

"Okay, I am going to ask one more time; what the heck is going on?"

"Bella…" Alice started again, exchanging more looks with Jasper but this time I cut her off.

"Don't 'Bella' me, Alice. You have to tell me what is going on. The whole story. From the beginning."

EDWARD

Trapped. Again.

Only this time, there was no way for me to get out. Nothing to bargain with. Aro didn't have to manipulate me anymore, he had what he wanted.

I had drunk human blood. Bella's blood.

And she had barely survived. But she did. Survive. Aro had made sure of that once he realized how valuable she was.

Everything was different now. Not in the least because of this new sound that followed me around.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

An equal steady heartbeat.

I touched the skin on my arm. It felt warmer, but perhaps I was imagining that.

I was a vampire. A very dead person.

I shouldn't have a heartbeat. Or warm skin. I was ice.

But the thumping sound, I knew it. It was the sound of a heartbeat. A human heartbeat.

Maybe it was a fluke, but one thing was clear; Bella's blood was special.

And Aro knew that, too. That's why he wanted to keep her alive now.

I knew Bella was somewhere in the palace, in a makeshift hospital room. That's all I knew. The only good thing was the fact that Alice and Jasper were allowed to stay with her.

Clearly, he was playing some sort of game, but for the time being, I was relieved Bella wasn't entirely on her own. At least Alice and Jasper would take care of her as best as they could.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even hear the door open until a figure appeared right in front of me.

Aro.

"Edward, how are you today?"

I ignored him.

"That sound is music to my ears."

He came in here a few times a day, listening to the sound I now carried with me, this supposed heartbeat that wasn't really mine. He would touch my skin, rob me of my thoughts, and enjoy making me feel miserable.

"Do you know what this means?" he asked, though it wasn't really a question. "Do you realize what could be accomplished with Isabella's blood if this is indeed a genuine heartbeat? A human heartbeat?"

It would mean Bella would become his experiment. Aro's very own lab rat. He would exploit her completely and she would never be free again.

He would hold off on making her a vampire and keep her human until he knew exactly what her blood did.

"You will be happy to hear Isabella has awakened this morning. She was on the brink of death for a while, but I have a top doctor taking care of her and she should be back to normal in no time," he said.

Normal? Bella would never be normal again. Nothing would ever be normal again. And it was my fault. If only I hadn't been so tempted to bite her, if only I had been able to control myself. But I was so incredibly weak. The monster had won.

And now I was forced to live with his - well my - actions forever.

"I must say it's very fortunate how we discovered this. We would have never learned this, had you not drank Isabella's blood. If I had followed through with my original plan to change her, everything would have been different" Aro mused.

"I must admit, I am still interested in making her part of my guard, but even more so, her blood may be a very powerful elixir. And I need her to stay human for that.

And just imagine if you really are turning human...the possibilities with Isabella's blood...Endless."

The door opened behind him.

"Master?" It was Jane.

"Yes, Jane?"

"He's here."

Aro's face lit up, his lips curled into a beaming smile.

"Excellent!"

Jane turned and left while Aro excused himself. "I must leave you for now, Edward. But I will return soon with someone who might be able to help to determine what is happening here, and if Isabella's blood is indeed powerful enough to give a vampire his human life back."

I hated the idea of prodding and probing. If Aro brought in a doctor, I might be forced to kill this person.

BELLA

"You must eat."

This again.

"I am not hungry, Alice," I muttered, as she hovered with a bowl of what I assumed was soup.

"Don't be stubborn, Bella," she warned. "You need your strength. You haven't eaten in days and the sooner you can eat something on your own, the sooner that IV will come out."

I rolled my eyes.

After Alice had told me everything, from beginning to end, the last thing I wanted was food. The thought alone made me feel so nauseous.

Edward had bitten me, because Aro had starved him on purpose. And then, while he drank my blood, his heart had started beating. Which sounded ridiculous, even Alice thought so.

But she had heard the equal thumping of a heart, a beat that had not belonged to me, because I had been too weak.

I didn't know which part of the story consumed me more. The heartbeat or the fact Edward had bitten me.

And not with the purpose to change me. He had done so because he was thirsty. He had lost the battle to his inner monster.

That made me feel so incredibly sad.

I knew how hard Edward had fought against his nature and how much he wanted to be good. And he was good. I didn't blame him for biting me, after all, for weeks I had dreamed about doing the same to him.

"He must be going out of his mind with guilt," I muttered, thinking of Edward.

Alice sighed. "Knowing Edward, that's very likely, yes."

"Have you seen him?"

She shook her head. "I am glad that I get to see you. At least I can try and keep you safe that way."

"But Edward…"

"He's safe, for now. Aro is too curious about what's going on with him to kill him, so he won't hurt him for the time being. Not until he knows what all of this means."

"Do you know…what this means? Why my blood…" I didn't finish my sentence.

"I have no idea, Bella. I have never seen a vision of you that told me any of this. I would have shared it if that had been the case," Alice sighed.

"It's all…what does this mean?" I asked. Alice shrugged. Of course she didn't have the answer either.

"I don't know, I wish I did. But Aro won't let me get near anyone. Except you. And there are plenty of watchdogs here, too."

It surprised me that Alice was allowed to visit me. "Why do you think Aro is allowing this?"

"Allowing what?" Alice wondered.

"For you to be here," I clarified.

Alice looked behind her, where Felix was watching us.

"I don't know, Bella. But we must be grateful that I can," she emphasized.

"And what will happen when I am healthy again?"

"Then you go back to your old room," Felix answered before Alice could. "Aro is very interested in your blood," he added in a dark chuckle. "Me too, but for different reasons."

He was about to say something else, when Jasper suddenly entered the room. "I think your mate Demetri has some issues," he said calmly.

"Issues?" Felix said. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, he said he was going to lunch, which I assume…well, you know, but then I heard screaming. Guess he doesn't understand what being inconspicuous means as much as he should," Jasper remarked casually.

Alice and I looked at each other, wondering what Jasper was doing. It was obvious he was trying to create a diversion, but why? Why risk the wrath of the Volturi Guard when it could get him - and Alice killed?

"What do you expect me to do about that?" he countered, looking menacing as he approached Jasper. He was quite a bit taller and bulkier, but in no way did Jasper seem impressed.

"I expect you to do nothing. I am just giving you a heads up. I mean, I don't know how this works, but one would think you all look out for one another? I think one of the humans saw what he was doing and she escaped," Jasper shrugged. "But if that is not a problem, then I said nothing."

He turned his back on Felix then, and I realized he was letting this stir. The bulky vampire guard had two options. One, he could go and check on Demetri and leave us alone for a bit, knowing that was against Aro's orders, or he could stay here, risking the possibility this girl – assuming the story was true - would get away.

That would mean Demetri, who was normally the smart one, would risk breaking the Volturi's one rule; keep their existence a secret.

Felix hesitated and the tension was rising. Finally, after what seemed to take ages, Felix stalked towards the door.

"Don't even think about trying something", he warned, before storming out.

"What was that all about?" I wondered.

"That, my dear, is a distraction," Jasper smiled, before he grabbed the IV in my hand and tugged at it. It came loose easily.

"Jasper, what are you doing?" Both Alice and I shrieked.

"Getting Bella out of here," he said as he lifted me in his arms.

"Oh, you do smell good," he gulped.

It had always been difficult for Jasper to be near me but right now, he barely showed any discomfort.

"Jasper, put her down," Alice demanded. "You cannot just carry her out of here. That will get all of us killed."

"I did a little tour of this place. You'd be surprised at how badly some parts are being guarded. No wonder Aro wants you and Edward to join his guard, because he is definitely minus a few."

"Jasper, you cannot try to smuggle me out of here. It's impossible. And Alice is right. We will all get hurt."

He shrugged and carried me to the door. "It's worth the risk."

"Jasper, really, I don't think…" Alice tried, but he ignored her and opened the door, where we came face to face with Aro.

"Going somewhere?"

Right. This may very well be a 'Jump the shark' moment. The point of this twist isn't to make Bella "speshjul". I know she is not a favorite character with many people. Anyway, I better get back to finishing the next chapter. Hope to have that up as soon as possible. :)

Thanks for reading, reviewing and sharing your thoughts. Have a good week!