Here you go! Yes, I'm fine and couldn't update one story without the other as it's been so long! For which I will apologise and blame a surprisingly nice British summer and work. But, I have cut my work hours so have more free time now...for writing and other disreputable habits.
Sorry if this comes across as a bit of a filler but next chapter - chats with Emmett and Bella and Victoria's 'date' leading into much more excitement very soon.
Enjoy, Lil'd
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Previously in Crimson Bonds
"We both have our own interests we would like to share and in turn learn about yours. It will give us time to adjust to each other's personalities but you are also free to spend time with one or both of us whenever you want," Rose explained. "There is no place for jealousy in the bond, we both want to help you to adjust and not do expect this to work perfectly from the start."
"And of course you are welcome at home, the house I mean, whenever you want," Bella added, toeing the ground shyly.
Victoria took another deep breath as she considered what they had said. It all seemed like a good idea, take things slowly and give her a period to adjust. Her mates waited quietly as the red-head was silent.
"I agree," she eventually stated after weighing up her options. "I accept your proposal," she answered with a smile.
"Cool!" Bella exclaimed as she bounced into the air, throwing a fist-pump as she did.
"Oh little one!" Victoria laughed. "My company is not so valuable as to warrant that level of excitement!" she teased.
"I beg to differ," Rose sat up and threw the red-head a wink. "It's exhilarating." Victoria baulked at the sexy burr thrown her way by the blonde. "I can't wait for my turn," leaving Victoria wondering what on earth she was getting into.
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"But, we should return home," Rose sighed as she lay back down on the ground.
"Why?" Bella shrugged. "It's not like we have anywhere to be."
"This is true," the blonde smiled up at her mates. "But, I do have home video of Bella as a human!"
"Rose!" Bella growled, hoping her mate had forgotten about that.
"Like the telly-vision?" Victoria asked, intrigued.
"Yep, I have it on my laptop. Emmett sent them to me," the blonde explained, this time the mention of her 'husband's' name eliciting no negative response from either of her mates.
"I wish to see it. Come let us return to your home," Victoria blurred to her feet, the action startling the others.
"Ok! Ok!" Bella grumbled as she waited for Rose to stand and join them.
So, this is where the three mates could be found not much later, Rose hooking her laptop up to the large TV in the living room.
"Now listen to me, both of you!" Rose demanded and two pairs of curious red eyes turned her way, the sight one she could very easily get used to as she held her mates full attention. "I cannot guarantee who you will see on these videos, Edward and Alice are probably both on there so please don't blame me or break my laptop, I haven't backed up my favourite porn links yet," she winked, Bella promptly threw a cushion at the blonde to be neatly dodged and Victoria looking blank.
"Pornography?" The nomad queried, that was nothing new it had been around for millennia. "But you have Bella, why would you need pornography?" Rose blinked at the forward line of questioning.
"I may be a vampire but sometimes the humans can be incredibly inventive and it gives me ideas," The blonde explained with a shrug.
"If you claim that is so," Victoria didn't sound convinced.
"Trust me, Rose is a sexual genius," Bella muttered.
"So I have heard," Irina added as she waltzed into the room.
"Hi V," she smiled at her friend. "What are we doing, not watching Snow White again? Rose you have got to get over your crush on that human girl," the elder blonde teased.
"Oh shhh, it's only because she looks a little like Bella," Rose protested as she settled on their couch, Bella now sandwiched between the older vampires.
"Meh, hardly," Irina disagreed.
"And no, we are about to watch some telly-vision of human Bella," Victoria gleefully informed her friend and Irina blinked, not used to seeing her taciturn friend so enthused.
"Really? Kate! Tan!" She called out for her sisters as Bella buried her head in her hands.
"No!" The brunette protested weakly, this was going to turn into a mock Bella-fest!
"Yes," Kate countered as she and Tanya joined their sister, having caught enough of the conversation to know what was going on.
"Isn't this wildly in breach of Volturi law?" Tanya questioned, ever the coven leader.
"I guess, but Bella is so close to her human age that it would prove nothing. If I still had this in ten years then I can see it being an issue," Rose reasoned. "But, I'm happy to destroy it once we have all seen it if you wish?"
"I'm not sure Rose, the law is strict. I think you'd better. And warn that lunk of a husband of yours that he should be more careful, the rest can burn for all I care," she finished coldly. It was the Cullen's problem if they wanted to play with modern technology.
"I will," the young blonde agreed. "And please can you all stop calling him my husband? It makes these two agitated," she gestured with her thumb towards both her mates who were looking a little dark eyed but on their best behaviour after their earlier telling off.
"Whipped!" Kate coughed and ended up getting elbowed in the head by Irina.
"Will you never learn?" She admonished the most playful and bratty sister. Both Rose and Tanya looking at Bella and Victoria to assess their reactions to Kate's teasing but both were calm and ignoring the banter, Bella a little disconcerted to find herself pressed so tightly against the red-head. Her hormones were going a little crazy as she had been a lot less intimate with the nomad than Rose had so far and she was also much more susceptible to the contented but slightly horny pheromones Victoria was pumping out.
Rose smiled as she saw Bella relax and settle herself more comfortably against Victoria, the nomad looked shy but pleased with the attention. The sisters were also observing the interactions of the new mates, thankful that things were going as smoothly as they were. Minor hiccups were to be expected whilst the mating hormones ran rampant through the trio, causing new mates to experience mood swings and extremely intense emotions until the initial period passed. Vampires were not unlike human teenagers in that respect, all instinct and urges and often not a lot of common sense at times.
"So, may we see?" Irina questioned Rose.
"Sure," the young blonde smiled and used her remote to set the video streaming. From Rose and Bella's point of view there was nothing extraordinary about the footage, just another afternoon of the Cullen's family time. However, the other vampires were extremely curious to see how Bella had lived as a human, Irina in particular was keen to compare the life of a human living among vampires to her own experiences.
The first thing Victoria noticed was how fragile and unconfident her mate had been. It seemed the simplest tasks were beyond her coordination, she almost knocked a glass over and stumbled as she sat down. What was also very obvious was the vampire always ready to catch her or hover over their human.
"This is not how it was with Irina!" Kate scowled. "They treat you like a child!" The middle sister huffed as she gesticulated towards the screen.
"I know, I see it now but before it just seemed so normal," Bella admitted angrily, seeing Alice and Edward fawn over her was reminding her of what her life used to be. Before Rose. The Denali's and Victoria hadn't missed Rose's presence in the footage, the blonde in the background, always observing except when she uttered barbed remarks or scoffed at the treatment of the human before wandering off, Emmett always in tow.
"I had no idea," Kate looked over at Rose as did her sisters.
"That was my life," the young blonde shrugged, knowing they were not commenting on the Cullen's treatment of Bella, but of herself.
"We shall cause them a lot of pain if we meet again. Yes, Bella?" Victoria growled as she was shown how belittled the strong vampire she was proud to call her mate had been.
"I don't think that would solve anything," Irina countered the nomad's words, knowing her friend was one for action.
"I don't they would stand a chance, would they? My Valkyrie," Rose smiled lovingly at the warrior who looked away, her emotions getting the better of her at the blatant affection.
"Nah, one mighty swoosh of your sword and the Cullen's would be kindling," Bella clicked her fingers to emphasis her words.
"Ok, enough!" Tanya interrupted the violent conversation. " There will be no swooshing anyone," she scolded. "Unless they attack you first," she added for good measure. "I would prefer to try and repair the relationship shared by our covens, the boy however is fair game," she growled and it was taken up by all six vampires until it built into a roar as they vented their combined hatred for Edward Cullen.
"Better?" Irina chuckled when they had all got it out of their systems and now felt a little sheepish at the immature display, despite their unity in the act. Victoria grunted, still feeling anger at the fact the boy managed to wound her mate
"Come, let's go," Irina urged her sisters, sensing that her friend was unsettled and that being alone with her mates would help.
When the sisters had left Victoria stood and Bella withheld a sigh, it was obvious the red-head was getting uncomfortable and wished to leave.
"Stay?" The newborn urged as she also got to her feet, Rose only a split second behind.
"Please?" Victoria felt the pull towards her mates, she really did but she also felt the draw of the wilderness, the quiet and the isolation. She was torn.
"Go," Rose held the red eyes of her mate before dropping her hand to Victoria's forearm, surprised when strong but delicate fingers tangled with her own in an unprecedented act of affection.
"I will return soon," the nomad pledged as she looked towards the door, the forest was calling to her so strongly that both Rose and Bella felt the need through the bond they shared.
"Tomorrow?" Bella questioned hopefully. "I'd like to-, will you allow me some time with you?"
"A date?" Victoria enunciated the word shyly, eyes on her bare feet.
"Yes," Bella replied with a smug look in Rose's direction, pleased that she had taken the initiative and asked the red-head first. The blonde graciously acquiesced with a dip of her head, knowing that she had spent more time alone with Victoria than Bella had.
The nomad was shocked to silence when Bella blurred across the room and fingers tangled in her hair as Bella pulled her in for a rough, demanding kiss, no signs of her usual awestruck attitude when around Victoria.
"Tomorrow." This time it was not a question as Bella held Victoria's face cupped in her hands, forcing eye contact.
"Yes," the red-head nodded, rather captivated by the crimson eyes of the newborn and hormones reeling from the dominance of the kiss. She was very much looking forward to getting to know Bella now that the sexual element was no longer off the table, as it had been in South America. But, before she could get drawn in too deep she pulled back, effortlessly breaking the brunette's hold as she gave another brief nod and fled.
"Tomorrow then," Rose blinked at the hast departure but she now understood their mate's need to escape and knew it was no fault of theirs, just her nature. To change that would be too change her and she loved the nomad the way she was.
"You're not mad?" Bella questioned as she toyed with the cuff of her shirt.
"No," Rose shrugged. "It will do you goo to get on a more even footing with her. She makes you shy and to be honest that's not a look I find attractive on you," she explained. Bella nodded, knowing that her mate was not putting her down, just stating a fact. She felt incredibly small and weak compared to Victoria, a child. "I feel the same," the blonde smiled as she detected the route the newborn's thoughts were taking.
"You're strong, Victoria knows this. It turns her on," Rose winked at the now flustered brunette. "She has seen what you can do. Remember that vamp in South America?" Bella nodded, posture straightening. "We are Alpha, mia Bella," Rose purred as she slipped her arms around the newborn's waist. "We are strong as two. Stronger as three but it is you who holds so much of that power," the elder vampire reminded her mate. "Do you think I'd let just anybody fuck me the way you do?"
"If you do I will kill them," Bella snarled, teeth nipping at Rose's neck at the thought of anyone touching the blonde. Her response only elicited a melodic chuckle from her companion.
"See, this is the vampire Victoria wishes to see, as well as the softer side," she added. "You are strong and intelligent and you have much to learn from each other."
"I have much I need to teach you," Bella chuckled as she slipped her hand between Rose's legs.
"Yes, but upstairs!" Tanya called out much to the newborn's disgust at being interrupted but dutifully led Rose to their room.
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"Why the hell are you moping around?" Kate questioned the young blonde as she threw herself down on her favourite couch, the one she and Bella favoured that is.
"She's missing hot vamp one and two," Irina chuckled only to have a growl and a pillow thrown at her.
"Oh, it's date night isn't it?" Kate realised, grinning. "They'll be back before you know it. Well, Bella will." Rose just scowled, not liking the fact that Victoria rarely spent more than a few hours in the house at a time but understanding why it must be so hard for her mate.
"What does Bella have planned?" Kate continued as she studied the younger vampire.
"Dinner and a movie," Rose begrudgingly provided.
"Um -," Kate's brows hit her hairline.
"Yeah, I know," Rose sighed unhappily. "How can I compete with a nice bloody human?" she growled.
"Seriously?" Kate chuckled "Have you seen you?" Rose glared, never very comfortable with her appearance. "Have you seen that fearsome, gorgeous creature, well creatures that worship the ground you walk on?" The older blonde queried, head cocked, narrowed golden eyes observing the minute movements that betrayed the younger vampire's emotions as they crossed her face.
"They adore you and while I do think this whole dating thing is kinda weird it's actually pretty smart," she complimented the plan." I've had enough experience of your mate to recognise she needs space and time to come to terms with the concept. But trust me, when she fucks you, you'll feel it for days," the cheeky vampire added before flitting away out of reach of the now irate blonde
Rose decided to cut her losses, knowing it was unlikely that she would be seeing either of her mates any time soon, and left the Denali house in search of Emmett. At least he would be able to provide some distraction and not play on her hormones!
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Next on Crimson Bonds
"Hunt with me?" Bella questioned, her blood lust rising.
"I shall, but you will pick the prey," Victoria requested and Bella agreed with a shrug and took off across the roof-tops, senses extended as she quested for a suitable victim. Victoria followed and allowed herself to observe her mate in action with nothing short of admiration.
So young but so controlled and so sure. Every motion smooth and fierce, except where is came to herself it seemed. Victoria knew that she intimidated the newborn but did not wish it to be so. Tonight she was becoming more relaxed but there was still a stiffness that wasn't present in her interactions with Rose. However, the night was still young, the red-head mused as she inhaled the scent of her mate and the sordid humanity she had sought out. There was time yet.