A/N Just wanted to touch on a couple of things I keep getting asked:

There is no Alice in this story. I know, I love her, too, but it takes place only over a span of about 3 months and all 3 boys meeting their mates in that time after about a century of being alone just doesn't make sense to me. So, Alice isn't here, she's either a human or maybe not even born yet. Jasper will meet her when he's destined to and I'll leave it at that.

The mole was revealed quickly in the last chapter as Bree. Truthfully, I added that because so many of you were concerned about the mole, when really, they're not an issue. They spilled a couple of beans to Aro that annoyed Edward but nothing that has any import to their plan or anything. Edward sees no point in doing anything about Bree now, as it might alarm Aro.

Okay, enough babbling! Two big questions answered in this chapter! Enjoy!

Fill Me with Your Poison Chapter 14

The next few weeks were a revolving door of vampire talent. Aro had been so thrilled when Edward told him that he and Bella planned to return to Volterra after their extended honeymoon that he hadn't batted an eyelash at the request to interview the best of the best to fill his position. Venom was the highest profile of the vampire clubs, and it was important that it maintain good leadership after Edward took his leave. At least, that's what he let Aro believe.

For her part, Sulpicia was just happy to be getting her favorite son back. She was beyond immersed in wedding plans, and all Bella had to do was pick her dress. Actually, she didn't even have to do that, but she insisted upon having that one thing for herself. Nobody was about to argue with her.

Emmett was adjusting to life alone post mating. It helped him to have his mind on the upcoming wedding war, as he'd mentally dubbed it. Part of him was sorry that he'd killed Eleazar, who had once been a friend, but knowing that he was the indirect cause of Benjamin's death, along with countless other friends and brothers, made his rash action easier to accept. That, and he knew Edward would have killed him anyway. Bella's gift must be protected at all costs. She was the only sister he had, and he loved her, and more importantly, Edward couldn't live without her. Emmett knew all too well what that was like, and he wasn't about to let his brother suffer as he was.

Jasper immersed himself in learning how to control his gift. He and Bella practiced affecting the moods of the crowded club. They'd gotten quite good at it, but all too often, Bella's mood would turn to lust when she got an eyeful of Edward, and then the humans got a bit out of control. More than once, Jasper and Emmett had had to steer overly amorous couples into the privacy rooms while Bella dragged Edward off to jump his bones. To say that Edward enjoyed that new aspect of his mate's powers would be an understatement.

Bella was a good, subtle pupil, never letting on what she was doing when she got around a new, talented vampire. She'd talk to them just as if she were interested in meeting another member of the guard, learning about their powers and abilities from their own viewpoints without letting on that she was filing that information away to play with later.

Maggie was the first to arrive, and the group had to be careful with her. She was able to tell if someone was lying, which wasn't a talent that Bella really needed with her mind-reading capability, but Edward wanted her to be exposed to as many talents as possible before she was hit with all of them in Volterra.

"So, you're going to retire from the club, Edward?" Maggie asked, her red eyes twinkling.

He smirked at her. "You make me sound like I'm ancient. I wouldn't call it retiring. I'd say that I want to show Bella the world before we settle down. She's never been out of Washington." Thanks to her stifling, overbearing, ignorant father.

"Really?" Maggie turned to Bella in shock. She was Irish and had been a vampire for over two centuries. There weren't many places she hadn't been.

Bella smiled softly. "No. Edward came into my life just as I was trying to decide how to break myself out of the rut it had become. I guess you could say I've broken out in a big way!" She linked hands with her mate, the love she felt for him plain as day on her face.

Maggie sighed and pushed her red hair out of her eyes. "You're lucky, finding your mate while you were a human. Some of us still haven't."

Bella felt a pang for this girl, wishing that everyone could feel what she felt for Edward.

"Well, Aro's inviting half the vampire world to our wedding," Edward told her with smile. "Perhaps you'll find him, or her, there." He knew Maggie wasn't adverse to female company. She'd been alive long enough to try pretty much everything.

"Perhaps," she said with a hopeful grin.

"So, Edward says that you have an ability?" Bella asked, looking at her with interest.

Maggie laughed. "Yeah, a good bullshit detector. Go on; tell me two truths and a lie."

Bella bit her lip as Edward chuckled at her. "She's the last one you should ask, Maggie. My Bella is a terrible liar. She's lucky her ability to blush went away when she was no longer human."

"It's true." Bella shook her head self-consciously. "But I'll try anyway." She pondered for a few moments. "I like to read. I'm a good dancer. I was homecoming queen senior year of high school."

Maggie grinned. "You can't dance. Which must have made being homecoming queen a bit problematic."

Bella laughed at the memory. "It did! I tromped all over poor Mike Newton's feet during our one and only dance."

Edward was gaping at his mate. "You were homecoming queen?"

Bella shrugged. "It's a small town, Dad was the sheriff, and there wasn't a whole lot of competition."

He nipped her jaw. "Do you have pictures, love?"

"Maybe. Somewhere." She shook her head. "I didn't think you'd want to see them."

"Why ever not?" He was truly baffled by the idea.

Because Jacob was my date.

Edward growled at that reminder.

"Because you're a possessive fucker, Edward, and she obviously had a boyfriend or a date of some sort. You'll probably kill the poor kid she stepped on just because he got to touch her," Maggie said with a laugh. "Lord help you when you two get to Volterra and the guys get a load of her."

"If they know what's good for them, they'll look away and control their thoughts," he said tightly. It was going to be torture for him to hear some of his cohort's thoughts of her. James, for instance, was likely to die before the wedding day. He got off on pissing Edward off, and Bella was his biggest weakness by far.

"Yeah, good luck with that," Maggie told him, shaking her head. "Not everybody is as happy about your return as Aro and Sulpicia are."

Edward wasn't surprised by this news. There'd been plenty of jealousy aimed his way over the years. His mind-reading ability was likely the only reason that he was still alive today. That and the loyalty of certain brothers, along with fear of reprisal from Aro, had served him well over the years.

"Will you help me kick their asses if need be, Mags?" It didn't hurt to feel her out, although he wasn't about to let her in on his plan. Most would remain ignorant until things began. Then they'd choose their sides and live or die.

"You know I'm always up for a good fight. Must be the Irish in me."

Edward smiled, satisfied with that for now. "So, about the club…"

Xoxoxoxoxoxo

Alec was the next vampire to visit, along with his brand new mate, Jane. It seemed Emmett's cast-off had found her kindred spirit upon her arrival at Volterra. Bella didn't have to ask for a demonstration of Jane's power. She gave it freely the first time Emmett walked into the room.

"Hey, Edward, have you-ARGH!" He fell to the floor, thrashing and screaming. Jane and Alec laughed while Bella ran over to try to help him.

"Jane! Enough!" Edward ordered.

Wisely, she listened, and Bella was able to help Emmett up.

Emmett eyed her warily. "Janie. Long time no see." Sadistic little bitch. Can I kill her, Edward? It doesn't have to be today. Add her to my list for Volterra. Caius and Jane. Mine. Please.

Edward acknowledged the thought with the slightest of nods, pleasing his brother immensely.

"I didn't miss you," Jane informed Emmett haughtily, linking her arm with Alec's. "I found a real man."

Emmett snickered at that. Alec looked like he was about sixteen. He was about half Emmett's size, but his talent could prove useful, so he was here to be interviewed as well.

"I'm heartbroken. Hey, Al, how's it going?" Emmett asked, clapping Alec on his shoulder. Moments later, Emmett was on the floor again, this time out cold.

"What happened?" Bella asked, although she'd been prepared for something like this. She patted Emmett's cheeks, and he remained unresponsive.

"That's my gift," Alec told her, looking rather pleased with himself. "I'm able to put a whole room full of vampires into a state much like sleep."

"Wow. How does it work?" Bella asked, feigning deep interest.

Edward watched Jane as Alec explained the mechanics of his gift to Bella. "Don't even think about it," he warned her, not liking the possessive feelings she was experiencing. It didn't take a lot of prompting for her to use her gift, and if she used it on Bella, it would be the last thing she ever did.

"My Jane is a very passionate woman," Alec told them, shooting her a loving, yet chiding look. "She doesn't mean any harm."

"I think Emmett would beg to differ." Edward cocked a cool eyebrow at the mated pair. "You do know that if you were to run Venom, you couldn't go around zapping people right and left, don't you, Jane?"

"Yes," she answered sulkily. "I only did it that one time Emmett disrespected me by hooking up with that girl right in front of me."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that with me." Alec kissed her hand, and Jane smiled. Edward thought that that might have been the first time he'd ever seen her smile when she wasn't sadistically torturing his brother.

Emmett got up, finally, regarding the pair warily. "If it hadn't been for me, you probably never would have met. You might do well to remember that, Jane."

"You think I should thank you for having to endure a year in your presence? That was worse pain than I ever inflicted on you!" She tossed her blonde hair haughtily.

"Oh, please! If I so much as came home late, you fried my ass! And usually, I wasn't doing anything other than working for Edward."

"Usually…" she said darkly, and Emmett began to spasm again.

"I think we've seen enough," Edward told them.

Alec quietly asked Jane to stop, and Emmett stopped jerking around. "Sorry about that, Edward. She's still a little volatile, especially when it comes to Emmett."

"Not a problem," he lied smoothly. "Thanks for coming by. I'll let you know what we decide after the wedding."

"Of course." Alec bowed formally. "Come on, Jane. Show me the city you grew up in."

"It'll be my pleasure." She glared at Emmett as they strolled past.

He flipped her off after the door closed, and the three vampires waited several minutes until the mind readers could no longer hear her amused and triumphant thoughts. They were blessedly alone.

"Well, that was fun. Did you get enough to work with?" Emmett asked Bella.

"Yes. I'm so sorry that you had to go through that."

He shrugged. "It was my idea. I knew she'd fry me, given the chance. I pushed for the second one just in case you needed more."

"It was unnecessary, but appreciated," Edward told him.

"Always happy to be of service. When does D get here?"

"Last," Edward said flatly.

Demetri had news, and he'd insisted that he needed to impart it in person. Since Edward wanted Bella to be exposed to his power anyway, it actually worked out. He was just anxious and didn't like having to wait for information.

Over the next week, Heidi, Zafrina, Katem and Siobhan stopped in, met Bella and "interviewed." Heidi had the power of attraction, something that Edward was convinced Bella didn't need at all, but it didn't hurt to have a little extra ability. She was able to lure in vampire and human alike with her beauty, something his Bella had no problem with.

Zafrina could project images into others' minds. To say that Bella enjoyed that power was an understatement. She sent her mate all sorts of naughty images and scared a few humans from the club when she sent them nightmarish ones.

Kate had the ability to shock a person, much like Jane, only she had to be touching the person to do so. Jasper served as the test dummy in that case, since Emmett had already had two big jolts. Bella picked up on the extra skills with little to no effort, using Eleazar's ability to sense and understand talents to her advantage.

Siobhan's power was different. It was thought that she could manipulate a situation into the outcome she desired simply by wanting it so. Whether it was true or not, Edward couldn't say, but Bella liked the idea of it. She was going to concentrate on the outcome she wanted with Aro.

Xoxoxoxox

Finally, the day of Demetri's arrival hit, and Edward was beside himself with anticipation. Bella sought to calm him, first using Jasper's gift and finally using her own ability to make him forget about the world by getting him naked. It worked well, and he was far more relaxed when Demetri met the group at the cabin. Their other meetings had been public, because nothing said or done there could disturb Aro if it got back to him.

"Edward!" Demetri hugged him quickly before turning to Bella. "Well, he certainly wasn't exaggerating. You are as beautiful as your name."

"More so," Edward told him, tugging his mate onto his lap. "Now, what's going on?"

Demetri shook his head and gave Jasper and Emmett each a brotherly clap. "Always so impatient."

"Demetri." Edward's tone was a warning growl.

"Okay! Do you want the bad news or the bad news?"

"Did you find my mother or not?" Bella asked softly, making Demetri drop the sarcastic grin he'd been sporting.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I shouldn't tease you. Him, yes, but never you. Yes, I found your mother."

Bella gasped, and Edward tightened his hold on her. "Tell us."

"Like I thought, she's in Volterra. I didn't expect to find that she's one of us."

"I already told you she was a vampire," Edward said, confused.

"A vampire, yes, but she's part of the guard." Demetri shook his head. "Even worse, she's a shield."

Well, there went the idea of killing all the shields. They'd been one of the top priorities.

"What? How?"

"She's come since you've been gone. I know her. I mean, I've known her all along, but I didn't know she was Bella's mother until the locket led me back home. Perhaps because it was a human possession and she's a vampire now?" Demetri shrugged, clearly irritated that his gift hadn't enlightened him right away.

"Speaking of...I'm sure you'll want this back." Demetri handed the locket back to Bella, who closed a gentle fist around it before slipping it over her head, thanking him profusely.

"Why have I not heard about her?" Edward demanded, interrupting the pleasantries. His mate's mother had been in Volterra all this time, and he hadn't a clue. He was just as irritated as Demetri was.

"You have. Renata? Aro's personal shield. Phillip's mate."

"Phillip?" Edward narrowed his eyes, remembering Phillip as a child. He'd been a manipulative bully. Edward had never liked him.

"Yes."

"Renata?" Bella asked. "Why are they calling her Renata? Did she forget her name? Does she have amnesia? Is that why she left me?"

Edward soothed his mate with a gentle rub of her shoulders.

"Here's what I was able to find out. You told me to get close to Chelsea, so I did." He grinned darkly. "She likes pillow talk, so I got her talking about her gift and asked her who she really had to use it on. I played like why would anybody need to be persuaded to come to and stay in Aro's services? Clearly we were the lucky ones."

"Good play," Jasper murmured. From his own time with her, he knew Chelsea liked flattery.

"I thought so. Anyway, she told me about a few vampires she'd bound to Aro and how she'd even bound vampires to one another. That interested me, so I asked more about that. It turns out that a decade ago; she was out here with Phillip."

"Really?" Edward nearly knocked Bella off his lap when he sat forward. He caught her and kissed her cheek. "Sorry, love."

"It's okay," she murmured, barely registering anything other than Demetri's words. That was her mother he was talking about. Her mother.

"It seems our Phillip caught sight of the fair Renee in town one day and became quite enamored of her." Demetri crouched on the floor, in front of the bed that Bella and Edward sat on. "Your mother didn't give him the time of day, Bella. She was polite, but brushed him off each time he approached her."

Edward laced his fingers through hers. So much made sense now. He hoped what she was about to hear was going to make his mate feel better about her mother's abandonment. She glanced at him, questioning that thought.

"Tell her, Demi."

"Phillip asked Chelsea to help him, to use her ability to make her feel bonded, mated to him."

Bella gasped. "So, he's not really her mate? She just thinks he is because of some bond?"

"Yes."

The wave of anger and relief she felt at Demetri's words was overwhelming. She'd been robbed of her mother for ten years because some vampire had a hard-on for her mother, one that she didn't return.

"I don't know everything, but it seems that she used her power and your mother went with them. Phil bit her and changed her, and Chelsea has kept her bound to Phil. Apparently your father appeared at some point, but Chelsea made that bond, that emotion, go away, so she felt nothing. They sent your father away and brought your mother to Italy, right outside of Volterra for a few years, until Phil felt she was ready to join the guard. Chelsea's been working her magic on her now and then, although at this point, she thinks she is Phil's mate."

"Asshole," Emmett muttered. "I mean, he's always been a dick, but he stole Bella's mom away from her and her dad. How could he do that?"

Demetri shrugged. "Phil thinks she is his mate, or he wants her to be badly. The bond's worked on him as well."

"If we kill Chelsea, will the bond break? Will my mother remember?"

"I'm not sure. I assume so, although it's been so many years that I can't say for certain. I know that when vampires get away from her, they are able to think for themselves again. Renata should be no different."

"What's with the name change, anyway?" Emmett shrugged both shoulders at Edward's reproachful look. "What? I'm curious."

"You remember how Aro is about the French," Demetri told them, and all the males laughed.

Centuries ago a French vampire had humiliated Aro in front of his guard. He'd refused the invitation to join the Volturi and insulted Aro as well. He'd died moments later, but Aro had never lived down the slight. And he'd hated the French ever since.

"When Renee was found to be a shield, he wanted her in his employ, but didn't like her name, so he made her more Italian sounding with Renata."

"Does she know I'm coming? Does she know who I am?" Her mother. Bella couldn't wait to see her again, to free her from Chelsea's bond.

"I don't know. I don't think so. If she does, she hasn't reacted to it. I'm not sure she remembers much of anything before Chelsea and Phil got to her." Demetri sighed. "My hope is that once I kill Chelsea, your mother will know who she is, who you are, and help us. She could be an issue when getting to Aro."

"You aren't killing Chelsea. I am. She robbed me of my mother. She robbed my father of his wife. And now I don't have either one of them. She's mine." Bella's tone was deadly, and her red eyes lit with fire. "Mine."

"Yes, love, all yours. We'll work it out, but she's yours."

"I get Caius and Jane," Emmett informed Demetri with a happy smile.

Demetri laughed. "Can I have Phil? I know that perhaps you want him, Bella, or you, Edward, but he's always been a pain in the ass, and I would love to exact a little revenge for you."

"You can have him," Bella answered for both of them. "Edward gets Aro."

"I call James." Jasper smirked. "I owe him for that little incident in '69. And I'll take Marcus, if necessary."

"I don't think he'll be an issue, but if he is, he's yours," Edward allowed. "I think those are the main targets. Alec will be a problem if Emmett takes out Jane, so…"

"I'll take him! Rat bastard used to steal my food when we were human. And he took down a few tasty humans before I could as well." Demetri smiled. "Good. I needed another."

"What about Mother?" Emmett asked tentatively. There'd been little discussion of her so far, and all of them felt conflicted about her. She was the reason they existed, yes, but she'd done nothing but love them in her own twisted way.

"I don't know," Edward responded, but his mate stopped him.

"She's mine." She took Edward's face in her hands. "She took you, all of you, from your families. She killed your real mother. I'm grateful that she took you, because obviously we wouldn't be here now, but we can't let her do it again. With Aro gone, she might just lose her mind the rest of the way. You can't know what she'll do. And I know you'd have a problem killing her. I would, if the situation were reversed. So I'll do it for you." She looked around the room. "Unless any of you have a problem with it?"

Nobody said anything, and Edward lowered his brow to hers. "You're right, love. She has to die, too. I should-"

"Let me," she pleaded. "For you."

He closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes."

A/N So now you know. Renee is alive and well in Volterra, albeit against her will. Sulpicia is not going to be allowed to live, Bella wasn't about to let that happen. Italy awaits!