So, starting the story moving on again. Glad you all enjoyed the Storm fluff, there will be more but other things first! Time to really kick it up a notch!
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Victoria approached the area that was known to house the Cullen coven. Bella had mentioned enough about their home in Canada for her to narrow down the area and her nose had done the rest. She soon found their home and stood in the tended area outside, revealing herself, purposely withdrawing her power and waiting. It took longer than she had thought before she heard voices inside altered to her presence and they exited en-mass to stand before their home.
"I wish to speak to the one called Emmett," Victoria announced as she confronted the entirety of the Cullen coven. She stood there, barefoot and in clothes she had borrowed from Bella, her own a little sticky from the pup's ice cream escapades.
"Leave, or I will take your presence here as an act of aggression," the one she supposed was their leader stepped and warned her.
"Leave, you have no right to be here!" The boy she had beheaded came to stand next to the blonde vampire.
"I can be wherever I wish. I could enter your home and you could not stop me," the ancient shrugged. "I was here minutes before you detected me." Victoria replied, standing with her feet apart and arms by her sides. "And I will not leave. I wish to speak with the large one known as Emmett," she repeated her request.
"Is Rosie Ok?" Emmett jogged forward, past Carlisle and came to stand before the nomad.
"She is well, but I wish to speak with you, please?" Victoria kept her voice low so that only Emmett could hear her. She demanded, she did not ask but would make an exception in this circumstance.
"Sure, you aren't going to like, beat me up or anything?" Emmett queried, a little worriedly.
"Emmett, no!" Carlisle called out to his 'son' and Edward looked furious.
"S'all good," Emmett raised his hands he turned back to his coven.
"I can't see her!" Alice cried her own warning to her brother, Emmett frowned but then figured it must have something to do with Bella's shield.
"Her thoughts are hidden to me," the boy added with a petulant hiss. Thoughts? Victoria had questions for her mates.
"S'Ok, I'm good," another shrug and he turned to smile at Victoria. "I'm all yours!" Victoria nodded and sped to the edge of the clearing that surrounded the house.
"Emmett, she is an enemy of this coven, I forbid you to follow her," Carlisle spoke sternly as he saw the burly vampire about to leave.
"You forbid me?" Emmett gave a bark of derisive laughter. "You're lucky if I come back, and you wonder why Rose took Bella and left?" A shake of his head. "You and Edward drove them away and you're a fool for not seeing it. I will speak to whomever I wish." And with that he ran after the strange red-headed vampire.
Victoria had heard the exchange and it fit with what she had heard about Rosalie's former coven.
"They are lucky you didn't go all bad-aass on them, huh?" Emmett chuckled once they were a safe distance away.
"The boy and the pale haired male are lucky I did not dismember them, yes," Victoria deciphered the big one's words enough to reply, she was getting used to Bella's speech more and more, Rosalie spoke more formally and was usually easier to understand, except when she used modern terminology. Victoria was yet to decipher what 'on-line' was. She could not see any lines anywhere.
"Yeah, they've been even worse since you attacked Edward," Emmett sighed. "But I don't blame you, he totally deserved it. No way should he have hurt Rosie," anger rumbled through his voice as he spoke. Victoria approved. "But she is Ok, right?" He was anxious now.
"She is well, as is Isabella." Emmett smiled to himself, the other vampire's face softening as she spoke of her -.
"So, you're mated to them, both of them, now?" He queried, Rose hadn't been in touch recently, he had received the odd text in reply to his own checking up on her but no details.
"Yes, the bond has formed," Victoria informed him and Emmett nodded.
"Cool, I just want them to be happy," another smile. "So, why do you want to talk to me? Ya don't' want to kick my ass again do you?" He blinked, now a little wary.
"No, I wished to thank you and to apologise," the nomad turned so they were face to face, the large one's brows raising as she spoke.
"Um, Ok?" He was confused.
"I have recently had the chance to get to know my mates better, to talk and not just fuck," Victoria began.
"Yeah, way to go on the whole, two super hot vampires mating thing," Emmett smirked his congratulations only for his face to drop as the nomad growled.
"Do not disrespect my mates," Victoria snarled, taking a warning step forward, fists clenched, looking up at the taller vampire from behind her hair. Intimidating him despite her stature.
"Uh, yeah, sorry," Emmett was shot down and now looking incredibly sheepish. "Continue, please?" He apologised, his gulp audible. Jeez she was scary.
"We have had discussions," the ancient continued, "and she has disclosed the events that led her to this life."
"Oh, shit," Emmett sighed, knowing how difficult the conversation must have been for his friend.
"It was hard for her," Victoria acknowledged, her own sadness overcoming her for a moment. "But am pleased she told me, it puts a lot into perspective for me." Emmett murmured his agreement but did not interrupt. "But, it leaves me with an issue." Suddenly black eyes locked on the male vampire and he felt threatened, very, very threatened. He had seen how fast she was and how easily Edward had been taken apart, he had no doubt that the relatively small vampire standing before him was very powerful. Maybe as old and powerful as the Denali sisters.
"An issue?" He squeaked, wondering whether to try and run for it.
"You would not get as far as that tree," Victoria purred, correctly reading his thoughts and indicating a tree mere meters away.
"I know. And I know I'm the issue," he puffed. "Are you going to kill me?" He was now genuinely concerned for his safety.
"No," it was Victoria's turn to huff. "I once wished to but now I understand. I wish to thank you, for taking care of Rosalie until I could. She and Isabella are part of me and I will be forever grateful to you for keeping her in this life." Still black eyes held his own as Emmett tried absorb what he was hearing.
That was not at all what he was expecting, not at all. This one confused him.
"You're welcome?" He chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. "Shall I go now?"
"No," Victoria frowned, she knew she was making him nervous but she had thought he had more courage.
"Um, Ok," the large vampire mumbled. "You're way scarier than Rose, but don't ever tell her I said that!" He quickly backtracked.
"I do not hide things from my mates, why would I do that?" Emmett would have paled at the retort, had that been physically possible.
"I am so dead," red eyes blinked quizzically at the turn of phrase but Victoria did not bother to comment, these young vampires were strange ones.
"I tire of this conversation. I will say that if you ever require my assistance, I will come to your aid, as payment of the debt I owe to you," the nomad spoke brusquely and Emmett could only stand in shock. "I pledge on my honour, you shall not come to harm if I am able to prevent this."
"Thank you," this time Emmett realised he had to step up and accept the words of this odd vampire that had found herself mated to his wife. "I don't know if I'll ever need your help, but thanks anyway." A huff of exasperation at the child's -, ugh! Another huff as her patience ran thin, this one sending a lock of hair into the air.
"The small one, she is not welcome near my mates. You would do well to warn her that they will approach her only when they are ready. She must not forget this warning!"
"Sure -," Emmett blinked as he was left alone in the clearing, he had not even seen the red-head leave. "Whoa, intense," was all he had to offer before beginning the journey home. Shit, that was gonna be a big pile of a shit storm now wasn't it? He thought, reminding himself of Carlisle and Edward's behaviour.
Victoria was soon approaching her -? Home? Well, she reasoned, it was where her mates where so that was her home. As she neared the Denali territory she slowed her pace, it had been very crowded in the house earlier and she had been getting a little tense. The the puppy had fallen asleep, well the wolf-child had fallen asleep and as she slept had transformed back into her wolf form. Small limbs became covered in fur before changing their shape, it was a smooth and what seemed painless transition, magical, Rosalie had described it as and her mates had to agree. But she, Storm, she seemed larger now, more substantial and the ancient was curious to see how fast the vagr would grow before her next change and when that might be.
"She's home," Bella lifted her head where she and Rose had been lying with Storm on her new bed, in her new room. Neither vampire quite over the guilt they felt for making the wolf sleep in the basement until this point.
"Indeed," Rose shifted, much to the disgruntlement of the wolf who gave a huff of annoyance. "Oh, shush," the blonde scolded. "I didn't say you had to stay here!" Bella laughed at the pathetic whine as Storm tried her best to burrow under the bed covers.
Victoria returned to the main house and found her mates waiting for her in the living room. Bella was seemingly arguing with the wolf over which movie to watch, Storm holding the Mulan dvd case in her mouth as she nudged the newborn with it. Rose just watching with a raised brow but as Victoria entered her head whipped round so fast she nearly caught Bella in the face with her hair. It was a real slow mo moment as Bella bent inhumanly backwards to avoid the projectile before snapping upright.
"Oh no!" The blonde advanced on her newest mate. "You'd better not have been where I think you've been," she snarled but Victoria stood her ground.
"I have," she inclined her head towards her mate who was now glaring at her but Victoria could also tell that she was anxious. Bella had also picked up on Rose's unsettled state.
"Emmett? Did you hurt Emmett?" The newborn practically yelled as she picked up the male vampire's scent.
"No!" Victoria defended herself, hurt that either of them would think that. That she would hurt -.
"No, it's Ok," Rose was the first to pick up on the ancient's agitation and stepped forward to cup Victoria's cheek. "It's Ok, I know you'd never hurt him. But he is Ok?" She mirrored the question Emmett had asked of Rose.
"He was unharmed when I left," the red-head confirmed.
"But why did you go see him, is - . Is Alice alright?" Bella couldn't help but ask, the question causing both her mates to freeze, before the newborn was pinned with two pairs of black eyes.
"I did not speak to the small one," Victoria ground out. "Only Rosalie's Emmett," she confirmed, head cocked as she observed her mate. "She warned him that she could not see me, but I was not hiding." The nomad frowned, confused.
"Alice can see the future, Edward can read minds," Bella explained.
"Yes, both invasive and ultimately annoying powers," Rose growled, still annoyed that Bella had even mentioned Alice in the first place!
"Indeed," Victoria frowned. Maybe she had underestimated the Cullen coven. "And the others?"
"Jasper, my brother. Alice's mate, can manipulate emotions. Emmett is just, really, really strong," Rose explained, keeping a close eye on Bella who was not as relaxed as she should be.
"And the pale blonde vampire? He must be powerful to lead a coven?" Victoria queried, wondering what she was missing.
"No, apart from being a doctor to humans he has no real powers, Esme either," Victoria frowned at the explanation. It didn't make sense.
"He masquerades as a doctor, to prey on humans?" The ancient queried.
"No, he really fixes them," Rose admitted, begrudgingly. "He is the only other vampire I know that has never taken human blood to feed."
"But why do they follow him? Emmett is the stronger male. Tanya is extremely powerful, all vampires fear her and her sisters. Why him? I do not understand." It was almost a whine the ancient was so frustrated with her lack of comprehension.
"Honestly, I don't know. A different way to live, I guess," Rose smiled and reached for Victoria's hand. "I would not have survived in another coven," she shrugged and the nomad saw the sense in her words. A strange concept and one that seemed to be failing now if their threats against Emmett were to be believed.
"I still do not understand, but they threatened the large one, if he spoke to me. I would suggest you contact him and see if they followed through," Victoria warned Rose who scowled but nodded.
"I will, thanks," a peck to the ancient's lips had her dip her head and blow a lock of hair off her face, the action telling both her mates the gesture had made her somewhat shy. "But you said Alice couldn't see you? And Edward complained as well?" Victoria nodded.
"Yes, I believe it must be either my own cloaking or Bella's shield at work, through the bond," she reasoned. "I am glad though. My thoughts are private and very indecent," she purred and saw that distracted both her younglings. "There are many ways in which I wish to take you, and be taken."
Low rumbles reverberated around the room as both Bella and Rose responded to the imagery and sheer sexual compulsion resonating from their mate. Not even the sounds of the sisters returning from a shopping trip distracted them from their focus on the ancient.
"Here we go again," Kate muttered. The sexual tension in the house could be cut with a knife.
"They haven't jumped each other yet," Tanya added as she surveyed the stare down taking place but the low frequency growling was making her ears itch.
"Hold on," Irina passed the paper grocery bag she was carrying to Kate as she felt her cell phone vibrate. "Shit, I'd better take this," she murmured, her sisters feeling a spike of anxiety from their usually calm sister. "Hovorit" She spoke authoritatively into the phone as she left the room.
"Who was that?" Kate queried with a frown, her sister rarely got calls, let alone from someone she would speak to in the old tongue. Few knew it anymore.
"Maybe a lover missing our sister?" Tanya speculated with a shrug. "Let's put these away." The sisters were about to unpack their burden when Irina blurred back into the room, her anxiety through the charts, affecting all the females present.
"We have a very serious problem," Irina announced, her demeanour much more sombre than any of the none Denali's had seen before.
"Wait." Tanya frowned as her own phone went. "Silence," she ordered, lifting her finger as she put it to her ear. "Aro, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
xxxxx
Next on Crimson Bonds
"Don't be nervous, it will be Ok," Victoria reassured her bond-mates, reaching out to take each of their hands. "Whatever this is about will be resolved quickly and we can return home."