Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
A/N: I do not have a Beta and I'm too lazy to read over my work. So, sorry in advance for what I'm sure will be numerous grammar mistakes and probably some missing/wrong words in certain places.
Okay, so a couple of things. The first thing, my story, 'Let Us Help You', was nominated for top 10 fics completed in August on the website www . twifanfictionrecs . com; it would be awesome if you guys could vote for my story to win. Thank you if you do vote.
That aside, I realized I had left a couple things out in the very beginning of the story… like when the story actually takes place. My bad. I looked and didn't see I mentioned it anywhere, so I figured I would tell you guys now so you know, this story takes place after Victoria and James are dead. Bella has already graduated high school. The only issue I wanted to resolve in this story was the whole who is Bella's real mate/s thing.
One last thing, it isn't a requirement for my stories to perfectly happy endings. My only requirement for my stories is that the couple/pairing is together and that everyone that needs to be, ends up as a vampire.
I nervously walked into my room with my glass of water and glanced at the three women standing in my room. They were all standing near the window; they were clearly respecting my privacy by not invading my space any more than necessary. It was different from Edward, or even Alice, who would always come in whenever he, or they, wanted to and stood, sat or even laid wherever they wanted to. It was nice to walk into my room and have people there, people I invited, not going through my things or invading my privacy. It was a nice change.
I paused at the entrance on my room and stared at the three women for a few moments. After a few seconds, I took a few more steps in and turned to close the door. I wasn't sure how long they would be here and I didn't want to have to deal with Charlie accidently walking up the stairs to see the four of us in my room. Not that the three vampires wouldn't know he was home, but I still didn't want the risk. Closing the door also allowed a sense of privacy for the conversation that was about to take place… not that there was anyone around at the moment to have privacy from.
With the door closed, I next moved to sit the glass down on my night stand and then moved to sit on my desk chair. I had almost moved to sit on my bed, hence why I put my glass of water there, but I didn't want to lie there with my mates in the room. I didn't think it was appropriate at the moment. So, I sat at my desk and with a gesture of my hand, invited them to move away from the window, if they wanted. They only moved to stand in the center of the room; which I thought was respectful.
I sat in the chair for a few minutes, just staring out the window to gather my thoughts. The Denali sisters didn't say anything, but I did see them fidget from the corner of my eye. I wasn't sure if they were doing because it was habit to appear more human or if they were nervous and it was showing. I wouldn't be surprised if it was both.
I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to say; well, that's a lie. I knew what I wanted to say, I just wasn't sure how to say it. I didn't want to come off accusatory; I didn't want them to think that I was blaming them for what happened; for not helping me all the times I could have really used it. I knew that they were partially to blame; they didn't have to listen to Alice and could have come to me anytime when it would have saved me a lot of hurt and pain. I could understand that Alice can be a very effective manipulator when she wants to, it's hard to not do what she wants when she knows exactly what to say, when to say and how to say something. But, that doesn't fully excuse that they didn't come to me when they knew I needed help; it only gave me an understanding of why they did what they did.
"Why didn't you help me?" I asked, my voice coming out flat and monotonous. I knew this conversation was going to get emotional; there was no chance it wouldn't happen. I wanted to try my best to keep control of my emotions for as long as possible.
"We were going to Bella." Irina said, her voice sounding just as flat as mine did. They were probably predicting the same thing I was.
"We were so close to running to you." Kate said in an almost pleading tone. "When we heard you were in trouble, that a vampire was hunting you, we wanted to run to you."
"Unfortunately, we listened to Alice." Tanya said. "Not that I'm putting blame on her, she didn't physically make us not go to you; but her words did convince us not to go to you. We could have saved you from getting hurt from James; we are so sorry you had to go through that."
That was when I looked at them. They were standing closer together than when they had first moved to stand in the center of my room; it was probably a way to gather strength from each other. I respected what they were telling me; I could understand how manipulative Alice could be if she really wanted to; she was a seer, being manipulative was practically a byproduct of her gift. But, from what Tanya said, from the way it sounded, they didn't know everything. They didn't know about Edward and the Cullen's leaving, they didn't know about me going to Volterra to save Edward and I was sure they didn't know about Victoria's army that she used to attack us with.
I was going to have to tell them everything that Alice hadn't told them. In fact, I was going to have to tell them everything Edward hadn't told them. There was no way Edward didn't know everything with Alice planning everything she had to have planned. Acknowledging that just made his and Alices' betrayal hurt all the more. I would have to tell them that their family lied to them a lot more than they would care to think. Everything I had been through since coming to this town could have been so much easier with the Denali Coven helping. I could have been so much safer and probably so much happier if they were here.
This conversation just got a lot worse.
I gently rubbed the scar that was left on my wrist from a horrible accident that was really a prelude to what was about to happen. I couldn't have ever guessed while Edward took care of me in the hospital that he was more than likely already thinking of leaving me. It was a very rough time for me when he did.
"What um, what exactly did the Cullen's tell you?" I nervously asked.
I was just as confident as they were that I knew the real story of what happened. The problem was, was that they weren't here. As confident as they were that they knew the truth, they probably only knew partial truths. There was no way I wasn't going to tell the full story. Not only did feel they needed to know, but I wanted them to know. There was a part of me that was sure that if they knew the full, real story, it would bring me some sort of comfort. I'm not sure what kind of comfort it would be, but it would be there.
"We know everything that's happened." Irina said but her eyes, all their eyes, showed some sort of nervousness. They were starting to think what I already knew, that they really didn't know the full story.
"We were made aware of who you were when Edward came to visit." Tanya said, apparently deciding that she was going to tell what they knew from the beginning. "At first, we had no interest in who you were, but the more he talked about you and the more he expressed an interest to know you, we became concerned."
"You see Bella, due to some negative past experiences that we would be more than willing to explain at a different time, we have a very deep appreciation of following the rules and not gaining the Volturi's, our vampire version of rulers, attention." Irina explained and just the fact she felt she needed to tell me who the Volturi were meant how little they knew.
"We were going to come to Forks then to interfere and make sure that Edward did not break any laws. However, Alice changed our minds." Kate said. "She told us about you and who you were to us and after a lot of talking and convincing on her part that we will forever regret, we decided to stay in Alaska."
"She manipulated us to leave you alone, and then allowed something to happen that all vampires know to be against the law." Tanya said, her voice raising in volume. She was getting angry, not at me but at what had happened and how weak, and really just stupid, to allow it to happen. "She and that boy allowed the boy to romance you when you were already spoken for." She hissed and I couldn't help but bristle at her words.
"I fell in love with him while I was single; he was my first." I said, anger in my voice. It was clear to say I didn't fully understand why they all seemed to be a bit upset.
"Yes, you were single because we were stupid to not go and court you." Irina said with a scowl that I, once again, knew wasn't directed towards me. "There is no way Edward, thanks to Alice, didn't know that we were mates."
"But, that has been dealt with. While you were away with Tanya, we were dealing with the Cullen's and their inability to follow the laws and to go against us." Kate said and at my confused look, she thankfully added more. "They knew that at the very least, you and Edward were not mates. Therefore, it was a very real possibility that Edward would have not turned you and that my dear, is illegal in our world."
"Edward had always said he didn't want to turn me." I said, a small amount of understanding in my voice. "He was afraid of damning my soul; when really he was…" I said, trailing off and Irina finishing the thought for me.
"He was afraid that when you were turned you would realize that the two of you weren't really mates; which is exactly what would have happened."
"But, there's more than that though." I said as my eyes became slightly unfocused as I thought of the brief moment in time that I was in front of the Volturi leaders and begging for Edwards' life. I could still hear their words that sealed my fate; a fate that I had always wanted. "I have no choice but to be turned." I told them, making eye contact with each of them.
"Of course you do; how else will we have eternity together." Kate said with a smile.
"No, well, I mean yes that's true." I ignored their smiles that I earned from, in a round-about way, admitting that I wanted forever with them. "Aro, Caius and Marcus, well, not so much Marcus as the other two, said that I would have to be turned relatively soon and they would check on me to make sure it happened."
I could see their faces take on different emotions as I revealed to them a big piece of information that they hadn't known. Tanya looked beyond pissed, like all she wanted at that moment was to shred tear something in half. Kate looked determined, but in a protective way, if that made sense. She was probably worried about the Volturi's future visit and was thinking of different ways to make sure I stayed safe. Irina though, she was as good, if not better, than Rosalie as keeping her face neutral. It was only from her slightly darkened eyes that I could tell she was upset and I already knew why.
"They never told us that." Tanya seethed. Her hands balled into fists from her anger.
"What did they tell you?" I asked, sounding annoyed. They were really screwed by everything; and me a lot more than them. This whole situation was stupid and should have never happened. But, it's impossible to change the past; all we can do is deal with the fallout of everything that's happened. "Because from what it seems like, they really didn't tell you a lot."
"We never once had a reason to not trust them. They are our dear friends and as Carlisles' family, a man we have known and trusted for much of his life, we never once thought Alice would have lied or kept information from us." Kate said with a frown. It was clear that they were feeling betrayed, just like I was, and that their relationship with the Cullen's, like my own, was going to be strained, if almost non-existent for a long time.
"What did they not tell us?" Irina all but demanded and that was brought my attention back to my fingers that were still gently rubbing the scare from James.
I decided to tell them as quickly as I could. I had already dealt with all the emotional upheaval from all that had happened. I was, mostly, done dealing with everything that had happened. I didn't want to, nor did I need to, go into that much detail with them about what all had happened. I would tell them the major bullet points, so to speak.
"Well, James' mate wasn't too happy that the Cullen's had killed him." I said, starting off the conversation.
The more I talked and told them what had happened, the more upset they became. They weren't aware that James had a mate. They hadn't talked to Laurent that much when he had come to them; apparently he had made the trip, stayed for a few hours and then left saying the lifestyle wasn't for him. So, imagine how upset they were when they found out that Laurent had left them only to attack and nearly kill me. They were, contrary to practically everyone in the Cullen Coven, thankful for the Pack being there. They were very clear that they didn't like wolf shifters, mostly because of the whole they were made to kill vampire thing; but, they were very grateful that they were there to protect me when the Cullen's weren't.
When I told them of the Cullen's leaving me because of what had happened at my birthday party, all their eyes darkened to almost black. They found it inexcusable that the Cullen's would leave me when there was a scorned vampire that would want revenge for her mate. They said there was no way Victoria wouldn't have wanted revenge for them killing her mate. They said it was only their history together that kept them from ending all ties with the Cullen's. I could understand that; plus, when they said that if something were to come up that they needed help in the future for whatever reason; the Cullen's were a large coven and would provide a lot of backup… if it was ever needed. I wasn't sure it would ever be needed; but with an eternity to live, one never really knew.
After I was done telling them about Victoria's army and how, since I knew they had 'cousins' in Alaska, I thought I should have asked them at the time why they didn't ask for help, I was feeling a bit more depressed about how far the betrayal Alice had commented went. I truly hoped that at least Emmett and Esme weren't completely in the know; I never wanted to see them in as bad a light as I was seeing Alice and Edward at the moment. I knew that Rosalie would have tried to do everything she could to stay out of it and I could respect her for that. From the very beginning she had made it clear that she didn't want me in her life and vice-versa; so I could at least respect her decision of having as little as possible to do with the mess Alice and Edward were making of my life. It hurt that she wouldn't have warned me, but I at least understand. I had no idea where Jasper and Carlisle stood though; I couldn't even imagine how much they knew, how much they chose to ignore and how much hurt they could have saved me from. There was still a lot I didn't know and I knew that I would only find out from talking with both Edward and Alice. It was going to have to happen; no matter how much I didn't want it to.
"We can guarantee Bella, that for as long as we are alive, we will never lie or keep anything important from you." Tanya swore and Kate and Irina nodded their agreement.
They could see how much all the lying had hurt and I could see how much it had hurt them as well. I could even argue that they were hurt just as much as me because they were manipulated into doing something they would have never normally done. At the same time though, they were just short of being hurt as much as me because their mate didn't chose to go to them; they stayed in Alaska when they knew I was in Forks. That was why they were making this commitment; they wanted me to know they would never do something like this again. It would be hard for me to believe them, but at least the commitment was there.
"I'll do the same." I said. My promise definitely wasn't as strong as theirs and both parties knew why. I was hurt more than them and I wasn't the one that lied to anyone. I didn't need to make any promises; I had though, because they were my mates and I did want them to know that I wouldn't lie to them like the Cullen's had.
Telling them everything had taken a lot more time than I would have thought. Of course, I hadn't thought that I would need to take a couple pauses to allow them to stop growling. By the time I was done talking, Charlie was already home; they had told me they heard him park and I had heard him walk in and yell to me that he was home. Because it had taken much longer than I had thought it would and we didn't actually stop once I was telling them everything, it wasn't until then that I realized how hungry I was and how black their eyes had become. We both needed to eat.
"So, I'm going to get something to eat." I said as I made to move to get out of my desk chair was increasingly becoming uncomfortable to sit in. "You guys should probably go hunting." I advised; though I was sure they were already aware of their need.
"We're sorry Bella." Kate said. "We hadn't meant to keep you from eating." Tanya said with an apologetic smile.
"This conversation was definitely a difficult one to get through and we appreciate you sticking with us all the way through." Irina said with a kind smile.
"We don't actually need to hunt; would you mind if we waited in here, or outside for you to finish eating?" Tanya asked. "There are a few things that we would still like to discuss with you; if you are up to it of course."
"But, your eyes are black." I said, not bothering to ask about what they still wanted to talk to me about. From my experience, black eyes and vampires were a horrible mix and should be avoided at all cost.
"Yes, but we are also a thousand years old." Irina said. "We have much better control than even Carlisle does."
"Although, I will admit that for a vampire as young as he is, he does have very good control." Kate said and then grew a speculative look as she put her finger to her chin and just slightly tilted her head before she spoke again. "I wonder if that has anything to do with his believes from before he was turned." Kate asked to no one in particular and it didn't seem anyone was going to answer her.
"One of the benefits we gain as we get older Bella, is far better control over our need for blood. We can also go much longer than the Cullen's without the need of blood." Tanya said.
"So, why don't you go eat because we know that that is still very important for you and we'll wait… here for you?" Irina said, the last part coming out as a question since they were giving me the option of having them wait outside for me. They were giving me a chance to keep my privacy in case I wouldn't be eating in more room; which was something I didn't do. I still really appreciated that kind of respect they were giving me and I was starting to realize that it was something that I should have expected from the Cullen's since the very beginning.
"Um, you can wait here." I said as I gestured to my room. I trusted that they wouldn't go through my things like I knew the other two vampires who frequently visited my room often would. "I don't think I'll be long." I said as I started to walk towards my night stand to grab the glass of water that had sat there untouched.
"Take your time Bella." Irina said. "We don't mind waiting for you." She said with a smile that made my heart flutter.
"We never will." Kate said as I walked towards my door.
"Have a nice dinner Bella." Tanya said just before I closed the door behind me. I didn't think Charlie would be coming up here anytime soon because I could hear him watching TV; but I wanted to be sure. He may go up and I didn't want there to be a chance he would see the Denali's.
I went downstairs and after finding out that Charlie had been procrastinating on eating until a little bit later, I made us a small and simple dinner and had us eat the small meal at the table. Charlie was both shocked and happy that I was willing to finally have a meal with him and without any tears or attitude. We didn't spend that much time talking; he was just happy that I was there and didn't have very red eyes and wasn't trying my best to get back to my room. Charlie knew that I was on my way to being back to normal.
Once I was done eating, Charlie had volunteered to clean up since I had cook, so that let me go back to my room relatively quickly. This time I found that I was a lot less nervous about going into my room than I was last time when I had gone in knowing the three women would be there. I opted not to bring up a glass of water since the last one I brought didn't bring me much use. I didn't bother even pretending to be polite by offering to at least help Charlie clean up, instead I just thanked him and left the room to go back to my room.
I didn't hesitate to go back to my room and when I walked in, I immediately saw the three ancient vampires standing in the middle of the room from where I had left them.
"Have you been there the whole time?" I humorously asked them as I closed my bedroom door.
"And if I said we were?" Kate asked with a bit of humor in her slightly less darker eyes. They were still dark, dark enough that if she were a Cullen, she would have to hunt.
"Then I would say you must have really looked like statues." I said as I moved to sit on my bed. This time I felt a lot more comfortable with them being around and to be able to sit on my bed which was a lot more comfortable than the computer chair.
"Are you saying that we don't know how to have a good conversation?" Kate asked with a quirked eyebrow.
This wasn't what I had expected when I walked into my room. I hadn't thought I would start to banter with one of them. Kate definitely seemed like the type though. I could see myself having a lot of fun with her with just joking around. She wasn't quite like Emmett, even though I could see some resemblance in the way I predicted she would like to joke around and have fun. But, unlike Emmett and nothing against Emmett, Kate had a maturity about her that was a lot more… attractive than Emmett's often lack of maturity. It was pleasant.
"That's not what I said." I said with a small frown.
"But it was insinuated since the only thing left to do if we stayed in one spot was to do nothing." Kate said with a triumphant smirk.
"Alright you two, we did have something important that we will need to talk about." Irina said with a roll of her eyes at our small banter though her small smile she had said that she was still amused by it.
That seemed to somber both of us up, which was a bit disappointing. I was nearly at my breaking point again for more news. I was pretty sure I never wanted to have a serious conversation ever again. But, I knew there were more than likely plenty more to come.
"That ruined the mood fairly quickly." Kate said as she moved towards my desk chair. "May I sit here?" She asked as she sat down.
"What if I said no?" I asked.
"Then I would have been slightly annoyed that I had to continue standing like a statue." Kate answered right back.
"Says the one that says she knows how to have a good conversation." I said.
"Really you two?" Irina said. "Did I not just scold you?" She said with another smirk. Before either one of us could respond, Tanya decided to take control of the conversation. I could actually feel myself get excited for future bantering with Kate. I may not know that much, I really only knew a few things, but what I did I was definitely loving.
"Enough guys." Tanya said as she crossed her arms over her chest and moved to lean against the wall that was opposite of me and Irina moved to lean against the desk. "Bella, there are a few things that we would like to talk about with you." Tanya said with a look that said she was sad about having to end mine and Kate's banter.
"What things?" There wasn't anything that I thought we needed to talk about immediately. I was sure that we had covered all the major points. I wasn't sure how much longer our conversation could last since it had already gone on for a while. But, I was willing to talk with them; especially since they were being honest with me and didn't seem to be holding anything back like other vampires tended to do.
"Well, let's go one topic at a time since it is getting late." Irina said. "We don't want to keep you up for too long since you do need to sleep still."
"But, the most pressing conversation I would like to have is one about what the Volturi told you." Tanya said and I was sure she was in full on coven leader mode now. Her face was completely serious and if I looked close enough, I could just see a hint of worry. I knew now that they didn't take the Volturi nearly as lightly as the Cullen's clearly seemed to do. I wasn't sure what exactly had happened between the Volturi and the Denali's, I was going to be told later once everything about this whole revelation was cleared up, but whatever it was, was enough to have the Denali's make sure they did everything in their power to make sure the laws were upheld.
"You mean about me having to be turned?" I asked since that was the only thing they had told me that hadn't been resolved that day when we were in Volterra. All three of their hardened expressions told me I was right about my assumption.
"Did Aro say exactly how much time he would give you to be changed?" Tanya asked.
"No; he just said that he would check in with us at a later date to make sure it was done." I answered.
"That can be both good and bad then." Tanya responded as she tilted her head down and to the side in a way that showed she was thinking. I looked to Kate and Irina so they could explain what Tanya meant. Kate just looked up at Irina who rolled her eyes and explained.
"Time moves differently for us." Irina started off and it was something I already knew, so it was very hard for me not to roll my eyes at her. "The older we get, the slower time seems to pass for us. Soon, ten years passes in a blink of an eye, then eventually even a century passes in what seems to be little time. For the Volturi, who are easily at least three times as older than us, times moves slower for them than it does for us or for even the Cullen's. When they say they will check up on you to make sure you are changed, it could mean that may not check for a few years and think that is a fairly quick check."
"Is that another reason the Cullen's still go to school? So that time doesn't escape them as easily since they can see humans move with the times?" I curiously asked. It would make sense. Watching the humans throughout the decades may help slow down time. I couldn't imagine even as a vampire that someone would time to go by so quickly.
"I suppose; it's also a good way to keep up with the times." Kate answered this time. "There's no way the Volturi would be able to go around the general public and blend in; they are mostly stuck to wondering at night when no one can see them or their castle. Granted, they do know a few things; for the most part, any human would be able to tell something was off because of the Volturi's lack of knowledge of the time."
So, it could also be a blending in tactic. I guess if nomads didn't spend at least a little time around humans, it may be hard or at least a bit annoying to get their food if everyone avoided them because they dressed or spoke oddly.
"So, what's the bad version of this then?" I asked Irina since she had told me why it was good.
"Well, the Volturi are aware that we perceive time differently than humans." Tanya said, joining back into the conversation. "They may decide to just give a few months. For all we know, they could, in theory, show up tomorrow to make sure you are a vampire."
I could feel my eyes grow wide in concern because, that was a legit concern. It was a concern that none of the Cullen's, aside from Rosalie, brought up. They all assumed we had time and since Carlisle, someone who had spent some time with them said so, we all took it as fact. Reality was though, we really, Carlisle included, didn't know when the Volturi would come to make sure I was changed. If I wasn't changed, a lot of bad things would happen because that would mean we hadn't followed a direct order from the Volturi. It could result in someone, or several people, losing theirs. I really didn't want that; especially since one of those people could be me.
"But, I'm sure if it was just a matter of days before they showed up, Alice would have had a vision and since I'm sure she really does love you, she would warn us." Irina quickly said when they saw me start to worry.
"I doubt the Volturi would bother to try and hide their plan making to check on you since all they would be concerned about is that their order was carried out. They aren't trying to kill you, they just want the laws upheld." Kate added.
"That said though, we would prefer you were changed sooner rather than later." Tanya said with a small frown. "Have you given any thought as to when you would have liked to be changed?"
"I um, I wanted to be changed last year; before I was older than when Edward was changed." I answered nervously. Even though I knew I was their mates and I could definitely feel a strong connection with them already, I wasn't sure I was ready for forever with them just yet. But it didn't seem like I had a choice. But, if I had one, I knew that I would have wanted to be changed when I was closer to their age; just like I had wanted with Edward and the Denali sisters didn't seem to be around 18 years old.
"Well, Edward was turned when he was 17." Kate said as she looked at the other two Denali's. I wasn't surprised she knew that already; they were 'cousins' after all and had known each other for a while. "We're not that young." Kate said as she looked back towards me.
"We were all turned in our mid to late twenties." Irina added. "We're afraid to give you that much time in case the Volturi come to check."
"How much time do you think I have?" I asked, even though I already knew what they were going to say.
"I'm so sorry Bella; but if we thought you would say yes, we would ask to change you tonight." Tanya said and it looked like she wanted to take a step towards me, especially when I felt my eyes start to tear up. Being turned would mean I would have to say goodbye Charlie and Renee, I wasn't sure I was ready for that. "But, we would rather not wait longer than a month."
"We know that's soon." Kate quickly said. "But, as your mates, we don't like the risk of you not being turned, something the Volturi ordered months ago. Losing you isn't an option. After all we've been through to get to you, we aren't willing to risk having to lose you."
"We know it's a lot to take in, but for your safety, we do feel it would be safer for you and even safer for the Cullen's to change you within a month." Irina said. "I'm sure it was Carlisle's brief stay with them years ago that saved you last time and allowed you more time before you were changed. The Volturi don't give second chances Bella; you were lucky to get one. You won't get another one."
I knew what they were saying was true. I knew it. The Volturi could turn up any day. Any day Alice could get a vision that would show the Volutri would be at our doorstep in a few days and then we would have to rush to get me changed. If we did that, it would make leaving my human life behind even sloppier. I was sure there was a way I could stay connected with Charlie and Renee for at least a little bit before I had to end all connections with them. I had done a lot of thinking about it since we got back from Italy and I had an idea; I just didn't think I would actually be talking to someone about it so soon.
I could feel a tear escape its' confines and slide my cheek. The same time, I saw all three ancient vampires wince and it looked like they were having a hard time restraining themselves from not coming to me. I wanted them to come to me and comfort me; I knew being in their strong arms would comfort me. But, at the same time, I had only known them for a few days and even though I knew, for vampires, a mates' connection is instant, it isn't that way for humans and I couldn't see myself seeking them for comfort… yet. But if things keeping getting tossed at me like they were, I could see myself seeking comfort in their arms sooner rather than later. I knew they would be the perfect shoulder to cry on whenever I would need it… like now.
"It makes sense." I said after a few moments of silence that I used to gather my wits. "I guess… I'll have to be changed."
The good thing, sort of, about this is that I was already trying to be changed. I already had the mentality that I was going to be changed soon. Hence why I hadn't even really looked for a college to go to or even a new job. I was sure that Edward would change me soon and that I wouldn't be allowed around people for a while until I gained control over the blood lust. The biggest shock is that it felt like I was being forced into this and that I would be changed by people I barely knew. There was no way I wanted a Cullen to change me.
I may not have known the Denali's for that long, but I knew that I wanted them to change me. I didn't even have to think about it. I was it was the mating connection at play, and I was okay with that because it felt right. I wanted them to change me. I just would have preferred to have been able to without the looming thought that if I didn't, the Volturi would be around soon and could kill me.
"There are still a few more things we need to talk about, but it looks like you've talked for as long as you can today." Tanya said with a sad, regretful smile. "Would it be okay for us to come over tomorrow to continue this conversation?"
"What more do you have to talk about?" I asked a bit wearily. She was right, I didn't want to talk much more today; but if the topics weren't that bad, then I would suck it up if only to get it over with and not delay it anymore.
"Well, a big crime for us, as you can tell from our anger, is to steal a mate." Tanya started. "Edward and Alice may not have technically stolen you, but they did manipulate you and us into you believe you were Edward's mate and for us to never meet."
"If we had met and the connection was there, since a real connection could only be made once we see each other, and Edward did what he did, then it would be considered stealing." Irina elaborated.
"But, since we hadn't met and didn't have that connection yet, he wasn't stealing. Instead, they were both keeping mates apart; which is nearly as bad." Irina said.
They were talking fast, not letting me talk and barely giving me enough time to think. It was like they were afraid I was going to try and defend Edward or Alice and I guess since we used to be close, it was a legitimate concern, but given what I had recently learned, I wasn't going to defend them. I had no reason or want to defend them.
"But, if Aro had touched either of them for his power to work, which from what you said, he did, he would have seen what Edward and Alice had done." Tanya said. "That means that he knew those two were breaking some unwritten vampire rules about mates and I'm curious and concerned as to why he didn't do anything at that time." I didn't bother saying that technically all vampires rules and laws were unwritten because I was too thrown off by what she had said.
I was told that day what Aro's power was and I knew for a fact he had read both their thoughts. So, he definitely knew, from both perspectives what Alice and Edward had done, were doing and were probably planning on doing. From what I knew of the Volturi, they were quick to enact punishment against those who broke the laws, so it was a bit curious as to why they didn't do anything.
"What could you possibly have to talk to me about that though?" I asked.
"Well, we don't want to keep anything from you." Irina said. "So, we wanted to go over some theories we had and get your opinion on them."
I was actually a bit touched and relieved at what she said. I was touched because even though they definitely knew a lot more about vampire politics than I did and a lot more about how the Volturi work, they still wanted my opinion or to at least include me in their discussions about it. Edward would have never done that with me. I was relieved because I couldn't see that conversation being too heavy. But, just the fact that the Volturi did something so out character, it was still concerning to just think about it. So, it wasn't a conversation I wanted to have.
"Well, I would rather talk tomorrow with you guys." I admitted. There was no way I wanted to even pretend to try and stay awake through that conversation; not with everything else on my mind. I just really didn't want to deal with anything else tonight.
"Completely understandable Bella." Kate said as she stood from her chair. "So, we will go ahead and leave so that you can rest."
The three vampires started to move towards the window to do just what Kate had said, but paused.
"Would it be okay if we hugged you goodbye?" Irina asked in a hopeful voice.
It was then that I realized what they had gone through. They had gone through this whole time with me in pain and confusion and they couldn't do anything to comfort me like a mate would try to do. I've seen couples, even within the Cullen family, comfort each other by physical contact. By cuddling or hugging or something of the sort. I had even seen throughout the day that they had wanted to do that to me several times but refrained from it because they knew I wouldn't comfortable with it. But, as much as I wanted that comfort, so did they. They were suffering to and what better way to ease that pain, a pain of not being there for a mate, than for that mate to hug you?
I could do hugging; that was definitely something I could do that would probably help all of us. So, I stood from my bed and opened my arms in invitation.
I had thought, I don't know why especially since it's a bit cheesy, but I had thought they would all hug me at once, but they didn't.
Tanya moved to hug me first and held me for a few seconds. Those few seconds that I was in her arms and I held her in mine, it was amazing. I hadn't thought I would feel as much as I did. I instantly felt a yearning for me and I imagined that it wouldn't take long for our relationship to escalate. But that was how it should be for mates; the relationship happened hard and fast because they were meant to be. Ours was only slowed down because of the negative outside influence it had suffered. I could see us overcoming that quickly though. At least enough to get to the point to where I would love cuddling with them all the time.
When Tanya moved away from me, Kate gathered me in her arms next and held on tightly. I instantly got a sense of protection from her. I had heard that when she was a human, she was a warrior of some sort and I was sure that had somehow carried over to her vampire persona; that was probably why had received a gift. Because she was a warrior, that was probably why I felt just slightly more protected in her arms than I did in Tanya's; not that I didn't feel safe in Tanya's arms because I definitely did. It was just different with Kate.
After Kate, it was Irina's turn and I welcomed her hug. As with the others, she held for a few seconds longer than what just friends normally would; but we weren't just friends. We were technically mates and I just didn't see anything wrong with having a longer than normal hug with these three. When Irina let go, I almost pulled her back into my arms. I didn't want to let her go; but I wasn't ready just yet for that kind of attachment. I still had a lot of 'loose strings' from Edward to deal with a lot of other emotional turmoil to settle before I built any strong attachment to them.
I was just upset that I would have sort through everything so quick since I was sure that once I was changed and feel the full effects of the mating bond, I wouldn't care that I hadn't known them for that long.
"Goodnight Bella." Irina said when she let me go. "Text us tomorrow when it is okay for us to come over."
The other said their goodnights and then slowly left my room. Unlike with Edward would leave, he always left faster than I could see, like he wanted to get away from and not be around me anymore, which was sometimes true because of the lust he had for my blood, the Denali's seemed like they didn't want to leave and only were because I wanted them to. That was how mates should be. They should be reluctant to leave each other and only do it because one of them asked them to. They shouldn't stay because their blood smells amazing and then leave fairly quickly because they were about to kill the other.
Irina closed the window behind before pointing at the lock and then disappearing from my sight. Another sweet move, she was making sure that I would remember to lock up. That meant that they had no intentions of coming in my room late at night like Edward would do… which was entirely creepy. They were making sure I was as safe as I could be and I very appreciative that they were that way.
Soon after they left, I was in my pajamas and in bed. It took longer than I would have preferred for me to fall asleep, but once I was; I couldn't stop dreaming about all the things that were worrying me and then being startled awake soon after I fell asleep. It was like a never ending cycle of struggling to fall asleep and then being startled awake soon after. It was a long night but at least I could look forward to see the Denali's the next day.