A/N I do not own any of the Twilight characters or books, I just love to read them. I hope you enjoy chapter 3, let me know what you think!
Chapter 3
Cataleya's POV
The house is huge but subtle, it has floor to ceiling windows and a wooden frame. It was a very modern looking chalet in the middle of the woods. I turned towards Jasper who is trying to regain his bearings. My floating, as I called it, was the fastest way to travel. It was one of my powers that I picked up over the years. I just had to concentrate on a place and will be there almost instantly. I could carry myself and whoever else is with me to that place, even if I never been there. But it could only go so far, I tried going across country once from California to New York and ended up in Missouri.
Jasper walked up the stairs and motioned for us to follow; he then opened the front door and allowed us to walk in first. As I walked in, I was greeted by the pixie model Alice, who crashed into me and enveloped me in a hug.
"Um...hello there Alice."
"Oh I am sorry hi, Jasper everyone is in the dining room waiting." Alice let go of her vice grip hug on me.
Then she made eye contact with Damien and I can clearly see the mating bond forming between the two of them. It was so nice to finally see my big brother mated, he deserved it after dealing with me for so long. Jasper took my hand and led me into the dining room. The table was thick maghonay wood that could seat twelve comfortably. At the head of the table was a handsome blond man, to his right was a beautiful brunette woman, and next to her were Emmett and Rosalie. Across from them were Edward and some human brunette girl. Edward grasped her hand tightly in a protective manner, as she just stared at me. I remember seeing her at school today but it was only in passing. Jasper pulls out the chair next Rosalie and motion for me to sit. I sit as I stare across the table and see Damien do the same for Alice.
"Well hello Cataleya, it's wonderful to meet you. My name is Carlisle Cullen, this is Esme my mate, and I believe you met everyone else at school today."
"Yes, I have, well everyone besides you," I say looking at the brunette human girl.
"I'm Bella Swan" she says with a slight smile.
"Hello Bella. First off let me come clean, my name is Cataleya Del Soli and this is my protector slash big brother Damien. I know you must have several questions to why my brother and I decided to come to Forks. In a simple statement, we came to meet our mates. We have spent centuries going around the world, looking for our happily ever afters."
"Ok Cat, don't make it sound so mushy." Damien chuckles. He looks so relaxed and happy. I could see that his hand is under the table, most likely on Alice's thigh.
"Centuries? How old are you?" asked Jasper
"I'm 750 years old." Damien answered first but I'm sure he pointed the question towards me first.
"I'm 288 years old." I say shyly.
There is an audible gasp among them. I guess it's not every day they meet a 288 year old vampire. I feel exposed and vulnerable in this room not knowing how they are taking this news. Jasper takes my hand and rubs small circles on my knuckles and I feel at ease.
"I have heard of you Cataleya, your reputation as a powerful witch is legendary. I have several accounts of your works as well as your mother's" Carlisle says with a smile.
"Well I can't say that all accounts are completely accurate, several of them confuse my mother and me. Let me tell you about my mortal years. I was born to my mother Qetsoli and my father Silas in the year 1725. My mother was a powerful augury witch. She also was a gifted elemental; she could actually manipulate water, fire, wind, and earth. My mother was a court advisor to kings and queens throughout Europe. My father was a mortal from France. They then came to the new world where my mother could practice in peace, and also help build the colony of New Orleans. When she came to New Orleans, she was already 791 years old. Which she did with my older brother, Arrian, Damien and later I, that was the case until I was sixteen. The colony had an outbreak of small pox and my father could not be saved, no matter what my mother tried. A week before my seventeenth birthday, vampire coven approached us; until then we were living in harmony with the humans and were very happy. The coven wanted all of us to join their coven. My mother chased them off but what we didn't know was this particular coven had many vampires with special gifts. They caused havoc in the colony and there were many deaths. The colonist started to believe it was my family causing it. One night my mother woke me from my sleep, gave me a woven satchel, her amulet, and her spell book and told me I had to go with Damien, I was confused why I had to leave and but I knew I needed to do what she said without hesitation." I paused as I feel a lump form in my throat and I fight back tears as I think of that night. It was the eve of my seventeenth birthday, and all that week my parents have been preparing me for my rites of passage ceremony where I would receive my entire gift and the New Orleans witch coven had actually came to our plantation so that we could have the rites and the festival. I was so scared and confused and didn't know why the rest of the family couldn't come with us. She just kept saying that they cannot have us both. As Damien and I left out the back door, I saw the angry mob surrounding the front of the plantation. I feel a twinge of electric flow through my hand and a spark hits the table.
"Cataleya control!" Damien snaps at me. This causes Jasper to let out a growl. I cup his chin (I have no reason why, besides the need to comfort my mate) and make him look at me, he instantly calms and I give him a reassuring smile.
"I'm sorry Damien; emotions got the best of me."
"Match made in heaven" smirked Emmett. He effectively lifted the mood.
"So the accounts are somewhat accurate. The witch that produces lightening! Is it true that you control all the elements" Carlisle had an expression of intrigue.
"No that is a myth, and the lightening isn't from my witch heritage. That derived from my change."
I decided that it was better to show than to tell. I was worried how they would react to us. I didn't want to expose them to everything all at once. Even though they are vampires, no need to have them to go into shock because of information overload. Edward then stands up with Bella and walks towards the back door. "She will like to show us her gifts." He says with an encouraging smile. I forgot he is the mind reader and I immediately feel vulnerable again, I put up my shield around my mind, then immediately calm as Jasper pulls out my chair. I look up and he has a slight smile and he leans down and whispers in my ear, "I would love to see your gifts darlin', don't be nervous." We will have to have a talk about him influencing my emotions, but right now I'm grateful for his gift. "I can't read your mind anymore?" Edward brows furrowed. "Let's say that I don't like the invasion of privacy. " We all make our way out to the back of the house where there is a small creek runs from east to west. We assemble in a small circle and Damien, always being my protector decides that he will show first.
"Before I was turned, I was part of a powerful tribe of animal warriors in central America. We could transform into any animal we desire. My tribe was slaughtered by a coven of vampires, who left me for dead. Qetsoli found me during my more savage years. Rather than destroy me, she had a vision that I could control my savagery and adopted me into the family. She taught me how to use my gift and soon I learned how to control animals as well." The air around Damien then shimmer and he burst end out of his skin into a jaguar, his favorite animal. He stalked up to Alice and kneeled in front of her. She bent down and gently petted him. "Wow, he transformed just like Jake!" said Bella. Like Jake? Who is Jake and how could he do that. Damien said that those with the animal shifting power died out fifty years ago. Everyone was looking at me, guess it's my turn.
"I was turned when I was twenty against my will. During my transformation, it seemed that because of me being a witch, I was not turned full vampire. I received the vampire gifts of speed, strength, super senses, but not the blood lust, eye color, or the aversion to sun." I decided not to divulge how I truly feed. "I drink an elixir every day, kind of an energy drink, in order to balance my powers energy levels. My powers take a lot out of me if I use them for a prolonged time. Also due to the vampire gifts that I received I can float and I can produce lightening through my hands."
"Float?" asked Rosalie. Jasper hasn't taken his eyes or hands off me up to this point. I smile at him and remove my hand from his and float to the roof of the house. I wave down to them and float back to the ground next to the creek and point my index figure towards a tree and will my lightening to come out and watch as the small sapling explodes from the energy. I float back to the group and feel tired, then I feel Jasper's arms around my waist and I immediately feel energized.
"Well we can see that you are powerful. It's only fair that you know about our abilities. Alice, can see the future, Edward is a mind reader, and Jasper is an empath."
"You still haven't explained how you were able to block me out of your mind and Alice couldn't see your future." Edward seems very perturbed by that. I giggled, "Sorry about that, I can block my minds thoughts. It's part of my natural powers, you're not the first mind reader I have come across. Also Damien can sense others abilities, he told me there was a mind reader before I got out the car. He didn't however tell me there was an oracle. And I didn't know that I could block that either, but then again it's been two centuries since the last time I met an oracle."
"Maybe we can take this back into the house, it's getting kind of chilly out for Bella." Carlisle pointed out. I'm still confused to why there is a human girl hanging around vampires? We walk back into the house and into the living room. Jasper leads me to loveseat, I sit down and he sits next to me. I decide we are not close enough and decide to sit on his lap. He looks at me shocked and I whisper in his ear "I'm more comfortable here, I hope you don't mind" He responds by pulling me closer and whispering back "Darlin' make yourself at home" and he winks at me. Oh he doesn't know the mischief that I can do with him; I wonder is it too soon to find out; no, no, your father raised you to be a lady, play nice. "Darlin' your emotions are going all over the place, are you ok" "Yes just nervous I guess." Our conversation took all of five seconds and couldn't be heard due to the vampire speed we were talking.
"So, you came here for your mates. Now that you have them what are your plans" said Esme.
"Plans? I don't think we thought that far, we weren't even expecting to meet you all tonight" said Damien looking at me. Damn we didn't think that far in advance, I just got us here, Damien is usually more of the planner, since I run more on instincts than he does. "I believe it's my fault that this has happened so quickly. I am impulsive and didn't even think just brought all of us here."
"So do you plan to stay here for a while? It would be really cool to get to know you both. Do you like video games?" Emmett said with a big grin on his face.
"I'm undefeated in Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter" I said with a smug smile.
"Awesome! Let's go, I want to bet the champ!"
"Emmett, I think that she might want to spend time with Jasper first" said Carlisle.
With that being said, Jasper leads me up the stairs. We enter a room that is lined with bookshelves and a roll top desk. In the corner was a chaise lounge with a stack of books on the end of it. I walk over and look at the stacks; they are all books on past American wars, mainly the Civil War.
I pick up the one on top and start flipping through there are several highlighted words and writing in the margin commenting on the highlighted parts. "Correcting history I see." Jasper walks up behind me and he pulls my hair off my shoulder and places a kiss on the nape of my neck, it sends a shiver up my spine and a tingle down farther. "You know they never get everything right." He whispers into my ear. I take in a deep breath to steady my emotions. He obviously knows because his index fingers move along my exposed hip bone as he trails kisses along my neck. Gosh this feels great and my breathing quickens, I turn and place a passionate kiss on his lips. His lips crash back onto mine and our tongues start to caress each other's. He slowly pushes me backwards until I start to lie back on the chaise. My hands start to explore his body. My hands start going under his shirt and I feel ridges across his back and chest, I'll have to question those later but I'm lost in the passion as his hands start to caress my ass.
"You so beautiful darlin', .Mine." His eyes are again black like onyx.
"I'm just so happy that my search is over and I finally found you. I know you're mine because I'm immediately energized by you, I feel safe with you. I don't ever want to leave your side."
He starts to move his hand beneath my shirt and this brings me immediately out of my lust filled dream and he stops and puts his hands on the top of the chaise and looks down at me.
"I'm sorry, you're just so beautiful and the lust you were projecting was really driving me crazy."
"It's not that at all, I'm just not sure how you would feel about me when you see me with my shirt off. I'm scared that you won't think I'm so beautiful after that."
Jasper sits up and pulls me into in lap. I place my head on his shoulder and rubs my back. "Why do you think that I wouldn't find you beautiful with your shirt off?"
I hesitate and look into his eyes; they are swirling with all kinds of emotions, mainly desire and love? Is it love? Well we are mates, love comes with the territory. This was not how it was supposed to happen. I was supposed to act like a human teenager and we were supposed to fall in love without the mating bond influence. But then again we are both older vampires, there was no way that we weren't going to realize what was happening as soon as we met.
"Scars." That's all I could get out before I started choking up with tears. I blinked and tears started to fall.
"Don't cry," he said as he gently wiped away my tears.
I stand up and I reach for the hem of my shirt. His hands grab my wrists and he lifts my chin so that I'm looking into his golden amber eyes. "You don't have to do anything that you don't want to do. I have scars too, darlin, maybe one day we will have a show and tell about them, but only when you're ready." He places a gentle kiss on my lips. I smile "wow, can I have another one of those kisses?" "You can have anything you want darlin'" and he leans down and places a passionate kiss on my lips. He has his hand on my cheek and another around my waist. I grip his biceps and forearms, as I get lost in his delicious kiss.
A knock at the door interrupts us. Edward walks in and Jasper growls at him. "Sorry to interrupt, just wanted to let you know that Emmett and Rose decided to run your perimeter tonight, since you and Alice are busy, tonight." "Tell them, thank you and I will make it up to them both for their kindness." Edward smiles and nods and walks out the room.
"Perimeter? Why are you guys doing security checks?"
"We are in the middle of a problem." He leads me back to the chaise and sits me down on his lap. "We are having a problem with a newborn army in Seattle and a vampire that has been stalking Bella. We don't want them to get any more of a problem, we are thinking that we have to go down there and put a stop to it before the Volturi has to step in. We don't need them around here right now."
"Slow down Cowboy. Why is there a vampire threat to Bella? And why would the Volturi be concerned with you guys?" the name Volturi makes me nervous and angry all at the same time! I hope that they aren't up to their old tricks still.
"We don't know why there is a vampire stalking Bella, but when we catch him he will be sorry for even thinking about her. As far as the Volturi, well that a story for another day, darlin'" he smirked at me. Damn that smirk! It sent a tingle to my happy place down under! I get up before I do anything impulsive and walk around his room once more, Damien always said I was too curious. Jasper just follows me with his eyes, as I quietly touch the books on his shelf. One seems a bit out of place to me and when I go to pull it out, a door unlatches and the bookshelf moves. It slides to the side to revel a bedroom on the other side. Now, I know why I need a bed, I'm actually a vampire that sleeps, but why would he?
"So why do you have a bed?" I say with a devious smile on my face.
"I like to read lying down sometimes."
"Why is it hidden away behind a bookshelf?"
"I thought it was cool to put a secret door to my bedroom in my study. Always wanted one." He shrugs his shoulders. Seeing the bed does remind me that I was tired, but not so tired to sleep.
"Hmm…" I walk around the king size four poster bed, it reminds me of my bed in New Orleans, I take off my shoes and socks and jump up onto the bed. I sit cross legged in the middle, "it's very nice, and the forest green looks good. A girl can get use to this bed" I say as I nod my head while rubbing the forest green comforter. Jasper takes a seat right next to me and leans back on the pillows. He motions for me to come and lay down next to him. Who am I to deny my mate? So I place my head on his chest and my arm around his waist. We lay like this for a while and before I know it I'm sleep.
