Ok, so as a thanks for the mega, truly amazing amount of reviews and general enthusiasm for the last chapter here is the next. Well, that and its been written since about this time last year! But, motivate me like that again and the next chapter will be just as quick :)

Enjoy, and please let me know what you think as the pieces start to fall into place.

Lil'd

xxxxxxx

They both bared their fangs and took up a defensive stance when their balcony doors burst open, startling them into a simultaneous roar. The sound brought the sisters speeding upstairs, all Denali's standing in shock when they faced the intruder.

xxx

"Um, where shall I put this?" Victoria gazed around at the assembled female vampires who were staring at her with various expressions of astonishment as they took in the large moose the nomad had over her shoulder. "It's not going to stay under much longer so where do you want it?" She looked around the room as though searching for an answer.

"You caught a moose? For Rose?" Tanya asked, incredulously as she stared at the red-head who was holding the large animal effortlessly on her shoulder, it's chest rising and falling to indicate it's alive state.

"Yes, well, um. It's better warm?" Victoria shrugged and shifted uncomfortably, not from the weight of the beast but the weight of the stares.

"Can you leave it on the balcony?" Rose asked.

"Sure, it smells really bad anyway, I don't know how you hunt them," Victoria grumbled and Rose's heart warmed as the red-head carefully placed the moose on the floor of the balcony and stepped over it, back into the room. "Can I use the shower?" She asked after taking an experimental sniff of her clothing.

"Your room is always available," Tanya confirmed with a smile and a nod.

"Thank you, call me when you're done and I will remove it for you," Victoria offered graciously, astounding her companions who wondered why she would want to volunteer for clean-up duty when the smell obviously bothered her so much.

"It's Ok, I'll take care of it," Bella stepped forward. "Thank you, for everything," the newborn bowed her head and smiled at the nomad, conveying her depth of gratitude with the gesture. Victoria blinked, the words making her feel strange, but warm.

"Drink Rose, please?" Victoria entreated as she eyed the hairline cracks till visible on the young blonde's shoulder. "You need to be strong."

"I will," Rose nodded and watched as Victoria backed onto the balcony and took the exterior route to her room. Rose followed and as she approached the animal the sisters took their stunned selves out of the younglings room to give Rose privacy to feed.

Xxx

"That was -," Tanya began as they entered the living room.

"Extremely thoughtful," Irina finished for her sister who was uncharacteristicly lost for words.

"No, a courting gift." Kate added with a smirk. "But a very adequate one."

"Both the young ones seemed receptive, it is obvious Victoria cares for them both even if she has only just acknowledged it." Irina mused as they settled themselves on the largest couch.

"What of our guests? Victoria will not be comfortable with either of them around," Tanya murmured and her sisters hummed their agreement.

"We shall leave it up to the young ones to decide," Kate stretched out her legs over Irina's, purring when her sister began to massage her bare foot.

"We will." Tanya and Irina both agreed and the room fell silent as they allowed themselves to relax.

xxxx

Bella watched as Rose fed, crouched over the moose, it never regained consciousness as the blonde drained it, the hot blood pumping into her mouth, it's heart stuttering before stopping for good. The newborn stood back and was not at all tempted by the fresh blood. Once her mate had finished feeding she checked her shoulder, pleased to see that the cracks had fully healed.

"Rest, I'll run you a bath when I've dumped this," Bella gently ran her fingers through Rose's thick hair as she knelt by the dead beast. Her mate turned her face and nuzzled against Bella's leg, relishing the contact, it had been a long day.

"Thanks," Rose sighed as she stood. "Don't be long?" She pleaded, she needed her mate by her side.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, I'll butcher it for Storm " the newborn agreed and before any more could be said she had hefted the carcass and leapt over the balcony, blurring away into the shed to dismember it and stash it in the large freezer where they kept the wolf's meat.

Xxxx

Victoria had showered quickly and changed and was now crouched on the roof of the Denali home watching Bella run with the carcass over her shoulders, the newborn was gone for a few minutes. In the time she was gone Alice and Emmett were returning and ended up entering the area around the house at the same time.

Bella growled as she saw them and stopped some distance from the house, she was still upset from the days events and all she wanted was to get back to Rose who needed her.

"Bella!" Emmett called out cheerfully but the newborn scowled. He was preventing her getting to her mate so she ignored him and growled, keeping up her trajectory towards her balcony where Rose was waiting inside.

"Bella!" Alice joined in and sped to intercept the newborn, ignoring her warning growls. Bella was not in the mood for questions or small talk, she needed Rose. Alice stood directly in front of her, blocking her path as Emmett trotted over to join her. "I'm so sorry Bella, I should have known Edward wouldn't leave it alone." the pixie apologised, Bella shrugged but didn't respond.

"Yeah Bella, he's a dick he deserved to get his ass kicked, and his head!" Emmett's laugh was booming but the humour was lost on the newborn and her discomfort was obvious to Victoria who stood from her hiding place behind the chimney stacks and issued a threatening growl, the Cullen vampire's whirling in shock as she had been undetected until now.

"Leave!" Victoria barked and was pleased to see them both flinch as she stared down at them. "Bella must tend to Rose and you prevent this. Leave. NOW!" After a look between the two black eyed Denali's the Cullen's decided to obey and turned away from Bella and towards the entrance of the house, Victoria maintaining her position until they were out of sight then watching as Bella nodded her a thanks and jumped effortlessly to her balcony and entered her bedroom. Victoria returned to her previous position and hunkered down to keep watch, keep the young ones safe.

"She's guarding our room," Bella quietly announced as she returned to find Rose stripped to her underwear, waiting for her return.

"I don't mind, it means we can relax," Rose sighed as she slipped into the warm water she had prepared while her mate was out, Bella sliding in behind her, the blonde letting out a long sigh as she settled against her mate's soft curves.

"But you know what it means, right?" Bella questioned softly as she ran her fingers over her mate's stomach, just enjoying bring close to her, soft kisses falling on the blonde's shoulder.

"Yes, it means she's protecting her mate," Rose whispered, so quietly Bella could barely hear her.

"No Rose, mates. Did you see what she did? She threw Emmett away from you, she was jealous and she brought you a fresh meal, that wasn't human," she added for good measure. "If anything it's been you she's been protecting, not me." Rose was quite as she absorbed Bella's words. The red-head's concern had been mainly over her injury but Victoria had also been extremely protective over Bella too. But, Rose hadn't forgotten their little confrontation.

"What was that Bel's, with Kate?" Rose questioned her mate and felt the brunette stiffen behind her.

"I don't know," Bella responded guiltily. "I guess I have an issue with Kate since I saw her with Victoria. I just can't help myself. Bloody newborn hormone's," she muttered, disgusted with her lack of control.

"It's going to cause problems," Rose sighed and pressed herself back against her mate who began to kiss the long curve of her neck, hand reaching up to cup her breast. "Victoria seems very fond of Kate," Bella's growl was out of her mouth before she could stop it causing Rose to spring out of the tub and speed into the bedroom. By the time Bella had registered her movement and followed, Rose had thrown on a t-shirt and her favourite low cut sweats and bolted towards the forest.

"Rose!" Bella called after her mate but the blonde didn't acknowledge the call and the newborn's shoulders sagged in defeat.

"Stupid fucking hormones," she grumbled, hoping that her blonde would return soon, knowing that to chase after her would compound the problem. When Rose needed space she ran.

Victoria watched the blonde leave and it upset her. This wasn't right, she should be with Bella where she could protect them both. How could she keep them safe if they kept wandering off? The nomad let out a huff of exasperation and blew a lock of hair off her face. Well, she reasoned, Bella was in the house and so were Kate, Tanya and Irina so she was probably safe, except from the small vampire. The thought made her frown, she really needed to figure out what was going on there, she sensed smelled the little one in Bella. A former lover? The though made her eyes blacken with rage and her fangs pop.

Enough! Rose was the one alone and needed to be protected the most, with that thought Victoria took a running leap off the roof, landing almost at the tree-line where she quickly picked up Rose's scent and continued to track her. Bella saw the nomad follow her mate and allowed herself to relax, at least Rose would be safe with Victoria there.

The red-head effortlessly tracked the young blonde, following her trail as the nomad leaped through the tree-tops. She revelled in the hunt, even as a human she had excelled in tracking her prey, silently stalking them through the forests of her home, keeping out of sight, downwind, so close she could reach out and touch them before going for the kill. A twist of their neck, a slice of her knife or an arrow through the heart, all had the same end, their death at her hands. She had lost track of the number of men, and women, she had killed, the tribes of her home welcoming both male and female warriors. A sword was a sword, a bow was a bow, it was all equal in the annals of war.

Rose had stopped running and was standing in front of a large pine tree, she stared at the trunk for several seconds before letting out a roar so fierce that flocks of birds rose from the surrounding trees, calling out a cacophony of warnings to the forest's occupants. When the noise had died down the young blonde kicked out at the tree, snapping it's thick trunk clean in half, the tree fell and should have landed on Rose but a raised fist splintered the falling trunk mid-air, showering her hair in chips of wood as it went flying away from her.

Victoria frowned at the display of pure rage, Rose seemed to be fully healed, at least her body did but her soul was troubling her. The nomad continued to watch as Rose lashed out at several more sections of the felled tree, smashing them to pulp and when they were suitably destroyed the blonde stopped and just stood, head thrown back, staring at the canopy of branches above her.

The nomad stayed perfectly still, the forest was unnaturally quiet and she didn't want to startle the blonde but she also felt a great need to comfort her, so great it was clawing to get out of her chest.

Rose gasped as she was hit by a wave of warmth and longing so powerful she stumbled.

"Rosalie?" Victoria couldn't stay hidden any longer and jumped down from the branch she had been balancing on.

"Fuck!" Rose cursed as she came face to face with the cause of her pain as Victoria appeared from the very patch of space she had just been studying.

"I am sorry," Victoria apologised, now regretting her move but the feelings kept coming and she couldn't control them, not when they were so close. She felt her fangs drop and Rose stepped back, suddenly afraid. The nomad growled, frustrated that it was her causing the blonde to fear her. "No!" She growled before launching herself backwards, landing inhumanly on the lowest branch of the tree behind her. It was from there that she surveyed the blonde, and Rose stared right back.

"Why are you following me? Do you think I need your protection?" Rose growled, unsure why Victoria was here and also nervous. What if Victoria wanted Bella all to herself? Rose knew that the nomad was more than capable of dispatching Edward, she would pose no problem.

"Yes." Victoria replied truthfully. "You are alone and upset. It's not safe."

"Yeah, well, I don't know where you appeared from but I am strong, strong enough to fight, to keep my mate safe." Rose growled, her eyes narrowing at the red-head.

"I know, and you do. Today could not have been predicted. Do not dwell on it." Victoria felt another surge of affection leave her and Rose felt the same warmth and longing causing her to gasp, but she now knew it emanated from the red-head. "Do not be afraid." Victoria entreated as she dropped to the earth, landing in a graceful crouch, remaining still and low to the ground.

Rose frowned at the contradictory emotions she was feeling, right now Victoria was non-threatening but Rose wasn't fooled, that could change at any moment. However, the emotions felt true and she was confused, so very confused.

"Rose?" Victoria spoke softly, tilting her head as she looked up at the blonde.

"What? What do you want from me?" Rose was at a loss, she didn't know what to think.

Victoria was also puzzled by the question. What did she want? She contemplated the thought. She wanted Rose and Bella to be safe.

"Safe." The nomad spoke. "You need to be safe, Bella too."

"Ok, well I'm safe and I can't see Bella getting into too much trouble at home. So, what's with this?" Rose gestured towards Victoria and the random pulses of emotion she could feel coming from the red-head, that in itself was strange as she only felt that from Bella or the sisters.

"I -." Victoria tried to vocalise her feelings but centuries of being alone made her inept at such things, she released a whine of frustration and gnashed her fangs. Rose looked on, trying to work out what the hell was going on. Instead of speaking Victoria shuffled closer to the younger vampire, still in her crouch and was reassured when the blonde didn't back away. Another whimper and she moved closer. Rose stood her ground, still unsure but Victoria seemed in control, for now.

"Rose." It was a statement, but of what Victoria still couldn't articulate. Instead she closed the last few feet between them in a single leap, landing against the blonde's chest and knocking her to the ground. Rose panicked but only for a second, it was then she realised that Victoria was purring, she had a tiger of a vampire on her chest purring like a little kitten.

What the fuck was going on?

Xxxx

Next on Crimson Bonds

"Bella!" Alice screamed as she saw the newborn fall and went to her side only to be held back by Irina.