So, thank you all for the response to the last chapter and can I say an extra huge thanks for pushing it over 600 reviews and 400 follows.
I would also like to congratulate all who reviewed on the extremely creative insults you created from Edward's name, glad to see you all feel the same way as I do about him :D
Here's the next chapter which I think you will all enjoy and the next 2 are almost done, as you know your comments always motivate me ;0)
Lil'D x
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Emmett heard Bella and Rose return so he left his Jeep and the bags he had been unpacking and jogged round to meet them. He smiled when he saw them walking hand in hand and waved to catch their attention.
"Hi," the big vampire intercepted the bond-mates and threw his arm over Rose's shoulder and noticed her flinch so removed it.
"Sorry," the blonde murmured and threw her friend a small smile. "I'm a little stressed," she admitted. "Thanks," she turned to Bella as she felt her reassurance through their bond, the newborn smiled shyly and shrugged.
"You just did something, didn't you?" Emmett queried, noting the interaction between the two females. Bella shrugged again, not really wanting to get it it with her friend. "Like what you did to Edward?" Bella immediately hissed at the sound of his name and felt her beast roar.
"Whoa!" Emmett stopped walking and held up his hands. "Sorry, Bel's. Didn't mean to upset ya," he apologised. "I'm just curious. Rose has explained how it works but seeing you actually do it is kinda cool," he smiled and Bella forgave him.
"I can show you?" Rose offered her former mate and Bella turned to her in question. "I've been practising, just in case," Rose smirked which made the newborn laugh.
"Just in case you needed to kick Doucheward's ass?" Emmett joined in with a mighty chuckle.
"Something like that," Rose replied drily. "Come here," she beckoned and Emmett winked at Bella before dropping to his knees.
"Oh great Rosie I am not worthy!" He made a show of kissing the ground at her feet before looking up to see his friend with her arms crossed, tapping the ground with her foot in a classic 'pissed off Rosalie' pose. He didn't apologise just gave her a happy grin and waited patiently for her to humour him.
"Ok, but I'm not going to hurt you," Rose confirmed and he nodded.
"K," He agreed and held still as the blonde reached out and placed her fingers over his scars and locked eyes with her former lover. Emmett held still, a little nervous as he'd seen how much pain Edward had been in but he trusted Rose. What he felt was not bad, in fact it was good. Really, really good and he beamed up at her as she flooded him with all the love and friendship she felt for him.
"That is so cool!" He jumped up and wrapped the blonde in a bear hug which made Bella laugh when she saw the expression on her bond-mate's face, one of resigned disgust but the slight up turning of her mouth showed she wasn't really pissed.
"Can you show me what you did to Edward?" He asked.
"Why?" Bella frowned as she spoke.
"So it reminds me never to piss you off!" He laughed but Rose and Bella exchanged a concerned look.
"Ok, but you asked," Rose warned him and Emmett clapped his hands together and shucked his shoulders as he psyched himself up.
"Ok, hit me with your best shot," he sang and did a little dance that had both bond-mate's trying very hard not to laugh.
"So gay," Rose muttered and Emmett just shrugged.
"So sue me, I likes me a bit of dick sometimes," he readily admitted, winking at the shocked newborn. "Rosie's not the only one who bats for both teams sweetie!" He threw in a limp wristed gesture as he fluttered his eyes at Bella.
"Shut it!" Rose growled and swatted him on the back of the head. "He's always the batter," she informed the newborn with a wink.
"Yeah baby! I gots ta let everyone have a turn with this monster," he grunted as he grabbed his crotch and Bella just blinked then shook her head, not even knowing what to make of that piece of information.
"How long were you together?" She questioned Rose who just sighed and shook her head.
"Far too long, my Bella," she was smiling though and it was obvious she was messing around "On you knees, boy!" Rose commanded and the giant vampire obligingly obeyed.
"She likes being in control," He winked and Bella shrugged.
"Not always," the newborn purred as she winked at him and sent out a wave of dominance that made the blonde whirl to face her, her eyes switching to black as she did. A blink and she was back in control but more than a little shaken by how aroused that had made her. Neither Bella nor Emmett were unkind enough to comment on the fact and let it go.
"So? I'm waiting here," Emmett threw up his hands and successfully broke the tension.
"Alright," Rose growled, "Don't say I didn't warn you!" She sighed before recalling her memories of her encounter with Edward and channelling it into Emmett.
"Ok! Stop!" He cried out after only a few seconds. "Stop," he gasped, Rose pulled back and rested a comforting hand on his cheek.
"Sorry, but you asked, hun,"she apologised.
"Yeah, I did but wow, Rosie," he stood and dusted himself off. "You really took down Jane and Chelsea?"
"She had them begging," Bella smirked at the memory, "she's totally bad-ass!" She praised the blonde and pecked her on the cheek as they continued to walk back to the house.
Alice had been watching the entire exchange from the window of the bedroom she and Jasper had been allocated, it was the same one they usually used. It looked out over the forest and she had been able to see, not hear, Emmett's easy acceptance by Rose and Bella and it upset her that they were not willing to treat her the same, she was their sister after all.
She also saw Rose do something to Emmett, similar to what she had done to Edward but it appeared to be at his request. She found it strange but then Emmett's reasoning was always a little off beat. She watched Bella kiss Rose on her cheek, the interaction easy, natural and she wondered again at the relationship between the two. Rose had always been so reserved but Alice knew she cared for the newborn, why else would she have moved here? She missed them both but was fascinated by the changes in the newborn and wanted to discover what else had changed, under the surface. Bella's display of aggression had given her a clue but she felt like her old friend was a stranger now.
"You miss her?" Jasper queried from where he was lying on the bed, he could feel Alice's emotions and they were in turmoil, she was upset and jealous.
"I do," she admitted quietly.
"It's Ok, Rose will come around. You know what she's like, Al," Jasper reassured her with a smile.
Yeah," Alice agreed although it hadn't actually been only Rose she had been thinking about.
Emmett left to hunt leaving Bella and Rose alone but the run had improved both their moods and they charged into the house, almost crashing into Irina as they reached the hallway to the wing of the house that housed the Denali's individual studies.
"Easy you two," Irina cautioned them, "we don't want to have to do any house repairs today!" The young vampires slowed down at the elder's warning but still exchanged nudges and small shoves, not noticing Esme watching them with undisguised curiosity.
"Thank you 'rina," Bella pecked the elder blonde on the cheek and sped off.
"Are you Ok?" Irina caught Rose's hand before she followed, Rose's face lost the smile and she sighed.
"Bella's helping, you're all helping," she smiled softly but genuinely and once again Irina was astounded by the beauty of the young vampire. "Thank you," she whispered, her face hardened as she saw Esme watching, then sped off after Bella.
"They are both so different here. Rose, especially," Esme commented to Irina who was staring after Rosalie.
"They are comfortable here, happy. No-one judges them," Irina replied with a shrug. "They are both truly amazing vampires, so powerful," she mused with a smile.
"But I have never seen her so -, free." Esme marvelled.
"Then you have never seen the real vampire," this time Irina's response was a little cold. The younglings had been the topic of more than one conversation between the Denali sisters, especially Rosalie. All three of them loved the young blonde, they had always seen her potential but whilst with the Cullen' she had been so shut down, so inaccessible, that there had been nothing they could have done to help her.
The move to Denali had been fortuitous, for them all, Bella had helped the young blonde to open up, firstly to the newborn then to Kate, Tanya and finally herself. Once Rose had been able to mostly bury the animosity she had felt towards the youngest sister for her sexual involvement with her bond-mate she had found she liked Irina and although not especially close they had formed a friendship.
But, Irina had been around enough vampires in the past decades to know that there was more to Rosalie than was commonly known. Sure, she was discreet but Irina had encountered lovers, female lovers, that had been marked by the young blonde, not many and those that she had were known to be the more exclusive, choosy of their kind, all beautiful of course but all greatly influenced by Rose, her mark was strong. That was something only experience taught, how to not just manipulate the marks but read them, trace a vampire's lovers, fears and dreams.
It was in the venom and the involuntary connection of lover's chi, Rose was obviously powerful to mark them in such a way without the knowledge of what she was doing, it gave you a power over them, made them loyal, which is probably why the young one returned to the same lovers. It had been of some surprise to find Emmett's mark alongside Rose's on a couple but then she knew that the large vampire was also somewhat of a dark horse, she had encountered his mark on several male vampires, in that respect the former couple were well matched and that was probably why they had stayed together, that and their strong friendship of course.
Despite all that Irina thought Bella was a good match for Rose. Yes, Bella was young but she was smart, inexperienced in the world but Rose adored her and was proving to be a good teacher, she grounded the newborn and of course the sisters were there when needed, and they often were. Bella would grow into herself and their power would grow with them, keeping them safe.
"You cannot claim to know her at all," Irina focused back on the Cullen matriarch. "All that time and she is a stranger to you, yet a few weeks here and she is as a sister to me." Esme frowned at the less than subtle insinuation. "She is with us now, she is well." The ancient ended the conversation, leaving Esme contemplating her life since Rosalie had joined her family.
xxxx
"Will you stay with me?" Rose asked as she hesitated outside the door to her room, their room. She felt weak for asking but they had discussed their practical co-habitation and had decided to stay in their own rooms while the Cullen's were visiting. They wanted to keep their bond private and thought it would attract less attention if they didn't spend every moment together as they usually did.
"Sure." Bella was actually pleased the invitation had been extended. "Can I get my book?" She asked shyly.
"Of course," Rose rolled her eyes, when wasn't Bella without a book The brunette bit her lip, pleased at the invitation but continued to her room. The blonde slipped into her room, closing the door behind her in case a nosey Cullen walked by. Bella retrieved her book and knocked on Rose's door before entering, her friend had changed into the low sung sweatpants she favoured when they had no visitors, or like now, in the privacy of her room.
Rose felt the newborn's eyes on her and her beast purred, there had been a definite shift in Rose's perception of Bella since returning from the Volturi, the young blonde deciding to take a more active role in pursuing the brunette. So, because she could and because she knew Bella was watching she put an extra swing in her hips, her beast adding it's mark to her movements as she padded across the room towards the newborn.
"Hey," she greeted Bella then pulled her towards her bed. "What book are you reading?" The blonde queried ad her brows raised as she read the title. "Any good?"
"Well, there's a bisexual vampire that has a thing for her best friend who is a witch, it's good." Bella explained.
"Sounds tolerable. Is the witch female?" Rose enquired, Bella's non-blush confirmed the fact.
"Yes, she's a hot red-head," the newborn informed her friend with a smirk.
"Interesting," Rose purred. "I may borrow it. I like redheads," she winked. Bella gaped, then regained her composure but was slightly off-put by Rose's confession. "Want to watch a movie?" Bella shrugged.
"Not really."
"So, what do you want to do?" She watched as Bella toed the rug.
"Can we just, rest?" The newborn asked shyly. Rose jumped at the chance, resting was close to cuddling and whether she wanted to admit it or not that was what she really wanted to do too.
"Of course," Rose made herself comfortable in the middle of the large bed and Bella joined her, hesitating for a moment before happily resting her head on Rose's chest. The blonde reached up and began running her fingers through the newborn's chestnut hair, Bella was stiff at first then her body gave in to the pleasurable sensations and she began to purr, the sound was music to Rose's ears.
They lay like that for over an hour, sometimes talking but mostly just enjoying the closeness.
"Can I try something?" Rose spoke, breaking the silence. "It won't hurt, you might even like it." Bella sat up so she could look the blonde in the eye but Rose sensed her hesitancy. "Do you trust me?"
"With my life," the newborn relied without thought. "Um, well if I was alive, I guess."
"God, you're cute," Rose murmured, the words slipping out before she could stop them, much to her mortification. Bella didn't reply but was secretly pleased that her friend felt that way about her. "Lay back down, honey," Rose urged and the newborn obliged, snuggling back against the soft curves of the blonde. "Just relax," Bella closed her eyes, taking deep breaths of Rose's scent and it calmed her in the way it always did.
As the newborn felt herself drifting in the relaxed meditative state vampires likened to sleep she felt something. She felt warm and loved. At first it covered only her skin but then the sensation seeped through her skin and into the core of her being.
"Rose?" Bella knew it felt good, that she was safe this felt different than when Kate had used her chi to calm her and when she sensed Rose through their bond. This just felt -. More.
"I'm here Bella, just relax." Rose reassured her, the smooth tones of her voice sinking in through the layers of the newborn's consciousness, swirling and surrounding her own sense of being. "I would like to share this, myself with you," the blonde whispered as she sought out Bella's essence with her own.
The newborn gasped as she felt Rose's chi physically surround her own, enveloping it in warmth and love. The blonde concentrated and pushed tiny tendrils of her chi into Bella's, melding them without smothering. This time Kate wasn't there to act as a buffer, it was just Rose, just Bella.
"Rose!" Bella cried out, unsure what she was feeling but knowing it was intense, but it felt so right, she clung to her friend, anchoring herself as the feeling intensified then exploded inside of her. Rose was caught by the backlash and physically pulled away, scrambling to her knees, staring down with panicked eyes. That hadn't happened with Kate. What had she done? "What was that?" Bella's eyes opened and she stared up at the blonde from where she lay on her back, on the bed.
"Are you Ok? I'm sorry!" Rose hovered over the newborn, biting her lip as she looked her over for any visible signs of damage. Bella just blinked before a wide grin split her face.
"You love me?" Rose sat back on her heels, startled by the question.
"Yes," she scowled, "of course I do." She frowned in confusion, she often told Bella that she loved her.
"No, you love me like that?" Rose scrambled off the bed in panic. "Rose?" The blonde was caught in the headlights of the newborn's crimson gaze. "Rose?" Bella was the one panicking now, she couldn't deal with more rejection, especially from Rose. Not from Rose. Not after she had felt what she had just felt, she now knew her feelings were true, not the result of her newborn hormone's. She was in love with Rose. Bella couldn't take any more so she gave into her instincts and sprang for the door.
"No!" Rose screamed as she launched herself after the newborn. "No." She tackled Bella round her waist, bringing them both down with a crash. "No. I love you, I do. I'm sorry." She whispered against Bella's hair as she held her tightly against her body. "I do. Don't leave. Don't ever leave me," she begged.
"What's wrong?" Kate came bursting through the door, Tanya right behind. "Bella? Rose?" Kate looked down in confusion at the young vampires on the floor, one look at their faces told her all she needed to know, the way Bella was staring at the young blonde was unmistakable. "Call me if you need me, come on Tan. They're fine." Tanya looked as though she were going to challenge her sister but then saw the same and followed without question.
"Rose?" Bella asked again as she lay on the floor under the blonde, the newborn was slightly incredulous that a sexy, experienced vampire such as Rose would find anything in her to love, above the friendship they shared.
"I'm sorry, Bella." Rose released the brunette and stood before walking to the window. "I'm sorry, this is the last thing you need,"she sighed and stared out of the window, unseeing. "Maybe I'll go for a while, give you some space." Her heart clenched even as she thought about leaving Bella. Her Bella. But, her friend already had so much to deal with, it wasn't fair to force her feelings onto the young vampire. Maybe some distance would do them both good? Their connection was undeniable but Kate and her sisters regularly spent time apart, they were one but still separate. Maybe if Rose left her feelings would change and they would revert back to the comfort of friendship so she wouldn't have to deal with the pain of seeing Bella find her own mate?
Even as she had those thoughts her body and soul rebelled, causing her a almost physical pain as the panic rose.
"Don't you want me either?" Bella sounded so pitiful that Rose was unable to stay strong, the words cutting her to the core. She turned to see Bella looking so lost and heartbroken that she was by the newborn's side too fast to see.
"Bella, I do want you. More than anything," Rose reassured her, opening her arms and Bella stepped into the comforting embrace. "I -, this is not what I expected to happen just then, now."
"I do love you, Rose." Bella pleaded and the blonde would have shed tears if she was capable.
"I'm here as long as you need me to be Bella," the newborn sighed contentedly and nuzzled into the blonde's neck, placing a soft kiss there that sent chills through Rose's body and embarrassingly she let out loud purr.
"Sorry," the older vampire muttered but Bella ignored her, instead pulling her friend over to the bed and pushing her down so she was lying flat on her back. Red eyes surveyed her and it was only a second before they turned black, deep purrs emitting from the newborn's chest as she surveyed beautiful blonde. Rose's eyes darkened in response and they stared each other down, neither willing to be the one to submit. It wasn't until Bella mewled pitifully that the contest was broken, neither a winner but the newborn was obviously distressed.
"Bella?" The brunette closed her eyes, trying to shake the images and emotions she was feeling. Her beast wanted to feel Rose beneath her as they bit and fucked each other but there was a large part of her that was disgusted with herself for feeling that way. Whether it was her human hang-ups still in evidence or her respect for her friend she couldn't decipher, all she knew was that the conflicting emotions were making her extremely agitated.
Rose watched as Bella fought herself, she had some idea why but if Bella wanted to take this further then she would be Ok with that, the timing wasn't ideal give their house guests but she would deal if she had to. Now that she had recognised her feelings for what they were it was hard to keep them in check as a lot of the mating process was instinctual, little control was involved. But, she panicked again, is that how Bella felt about her? Maybe it wasn't and Bella was just horny again and looking for a way to scratch the itch? Well, Rose would take Bella anyway she could but if that was all it was going to be then she was going to be in for a world of hurt when Bella tired of her or found her true mate.
Bella was still unsettled and had backed herself against the wall and sunk to the floor on the far side of the room. Rose left the bed and approached the newborn, she was cautious as she knew Bella could still be unpredictable at times. Her approach attracted the brunette's attention and she tracked the blonde, first mewling then growling as Rose got closer. The blonde kept her distance, hunkering down about three feet away from the newborn.
"Hey. You Ok?" Bella didn't respond but her eyes were latched onto golden ones. As they stared at each other the newborn's growls slowly turned to purrs and Rose dropped to her hands and knees slowly crawled, closing the gap between them.
There was a pause, a breath, before both vampires surged forward at the same moment, meeting in a clash of lips, of tongues, of hands in hair, pulling each other closer. Bella moaned as she tasted Rose for the very first time, this was better than Alice, better than Irina, this was Rose. Her Rose.
xxxxxxx
Next on Crimson Bonds
"Wait!" Rose gasped and Bella pulled back, cocking her head to study the blonde. From that look Rose could tell Bella was pretty far gone in her beast but she didn't care. "Wait." She pulled herself off the wall with her ab's and reached down and slowly pulled off her top.