AN: Glad you guys liked the cliffy. ;P
Before the chapter, though, I have to remind you; in this story there's no special powers, no wolves, and no Volturi. I mentioned that in the very first AN, but some of you kind of forgot, lol. I don't want the story to get overburdened with all those plot mechanics. I mean, if Victoria could sense danger and Alice could see the future and Heidi could sexually enslave people and the Volturi wanted to kill every vampire who drew attention to themselves – when would Victoria and Bella ever have time to just fall in love? That's one thing I never liked about the books. Everything happened through gimmick special powers while the characters themselves just sat around and did nothing. The worst example is that final battle in Breaking Dawn. Cullens vs Volturi, and…nothing happens. They just stare at each other while Bella's power cancels out all the other powers. Wow. Epic.
Anyway, here's the chapter, lol. Danali's at last. It's been a long wait, huh? :)
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Chapter 21:
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I raised my eyebrows at her choice of words.
"Stole?" I echoed. "A rather bold accusation, and rather disrespectful to Bella herself, implying that she belonged to this other coven you speak of like some kind of slave."
Bella glared at the woman and stepped forward. "Yeah."
The girl's tone took them off guard and they all shared a glance. I smiled and drew her back to my side. She came willingly and stood there obediently, like a dog recalled to its master. The gesture made my heart glow.
The other women stood around in the dusky light from the windows, not quite knowing what to make of this, and I took the moment to assess their positions. Their leader, the blonde woman in the chinchilla coat, was facing me directly in the center of the living area, and there were two other blondes flanking us on both sides, one of them by the sofa, the other by the mantle. One of them was smaller and dressed kind of casual in tight babyblue jeans and the other was taller and more elegantly attired in beige colored coat with a skirtsuit underneath.
The forth woman, who was much darker than her coven-mates—perhaps of Spanish decent—was circling around behind us to block the front door. She was wearing a red sundress and red high heels and I couldn't help noticing as I glanced back at her that she really looked quite ravishing.
But when people break into your home with the possible intention of doing you harm it's rarely wise to admire their fashion sense. So I turned back to their leader and gazed about at the silence and then smiled.
"Well?" I said. "Would you mind telling me what you're doing here, having broken into our private home and arranged yourselves so menacingly?"
The leader's blonde brows drew into a frown. "We're here to rescue the girl."
"Rescue?" I parroted. I looked about and drew the girl closer in a faux-panic, as if perhaps a piano might fall on her from above. "Rescue her from what? Is she in danger?"
Bella smiled at that and the smile visibly disconcerted our intruders. The blonde subordinates glanced at each other, the smaller one almost smiling, the taller one looking rather annoyed, and the blonde leader glared at us. I smiled at her.
"No," I said. "The only danger I see here is from you lot."
She held her glare on me for a second and then she softened and turned her amber eyes to address Bella.
"Bella, I know we've never met before, but I'm a friend of Edward's," she said. "I need you to—"
"Don't speak to Bella," I snapped at her. "Speak to me."
Bella was still standing at my side protectively, holding on to my arm, frowning around at these blonde intruders—and one Latina. Their leader looked angry at the interruption but I was determined not to betray any weakness here. Although I was outnumbered and in very great danger, the moral high ground was entirely on my side—which was rather unusual. Perhaps a rescue attempt would've been more appropriate a month or so ago – before the poor thing had been raped into happy submission.
For a moment no one spoke. The other two blonde women exchanged glances, perhaps some silent words as well. The smaller one in the cute jeans seem curious at how this was unfolding and the taller one in the beige skirtsuit seemed annoyed.
I glanced at them all and then finally raised an eyebrow at their leader.
"So, where is Edward?" I asked her. "Is he here as well? Or is he too much of a coward to come reclaim his stolen property himself?"
I laid emphasis on the word property, making full use of the high ground I found myself on. The blonde leader became even more annoyed and she glared at me.
"Edward knows nothing about this," she said. "We wanted to recover the girl before alarming him unnecessarily."
Then she turned to Bella and softened her face and voice again.
"He left you for your own good, Bella," she said gently, as if she thought maybe the girl was a little confused. "You were in danger while you were with him. He—"
Once again I interrupted.
"Kindly address your remarks to me, Ms…?"
She turned her cold yellow eyes to mine. "Call me Tanya."
I gave her a sardonic smile. "Tanya, then," I said. "Let me be clear, Tanya. Edward abandoned Bella. From there, her obligation to him ended. As did yours, since you obviously fancy yourself to have one."
The other women in the room had been silent so far but now the taller one in the skirtsuit decided to speak. Irena, if I remembered the introductions correctly.
"What the fuck is going on here?" she demanded at me. "Heidi said you were holding her prisoner?"
"Ah, Heidi," I said, finally realizing what was really going on here. I had been so preoccupied by the immediate danger that I hadn't considered how they knew about us or even found us. "Yes, she did mention a coven from Alaska who was staying in town. A coven that was good friends with those Cullen people. I suppose that coven is you, correct?"
Their leader shot her coven mate a small glare, as if not too approving of her speaking out of turn, and then turned the glare to me.
"Correct," she said.
"Well, no wonder then," I said, almost jovially, as if this was just a misunderstanding. "I suppose that's how you found us as well, hm? It seems you've been manipulated, my good Tanya. Heidi has a grudge against me and no doubt she sought to use your friendship with the Cullens to somehow set you against me. Did you not think it was suspicious how she revealed Bella's apparent abduction only when it suited her?"
Tanya didn't answer that but my attempt at civility only seemed to anger her further.
"I know who you are," she said.
The statement was rather chilling. It implied more than it told.
"And who am I?" I asked her.
"You're the mate of the man who almost killed Bella," she said. "You think Edward never told us about you? We were prepared to go to Forks ourselves before your mate so unceremoniously had his head removed from his body and burnt to ashes."
I had to bite my tongue for a moment to avoid saying something I might regret. Bella was still holding my arm and she looked up at me in concern. It was the look that gave me strength and I gave her a small smile before turning back to my accuser.
"James was not my mate," I said.
She didn't seem to believe me. "No?"
"No," I said, and then added in a very steady voice: "Bella is my mate."
Dead silence in the room.
No sound of breathing, not even from Bella. None of the intruders seemed to even have any inkling of how to respond to that. They just stood there in the failing light from the windows, an orange cast to their pale and supernatural faces, half-shrouded in shadow. They might not've believed me but the proof was right here. Bella was at my side and the only things she was afraid of were these intruders.
I glanced at them, one by one. The smaller one in the jeans, Kate I think it was, glanced at their leader in doubt, as if having second thoughts about their rescue mission. The one called Irena, the taller one in the skirtsuit, was just frowning as if she didn't particularly care. The last one, the Spanish woman behind us who was named Carmen, was standing on a tilted hip with her arms folded under her breasts, mostly just looking angry and sexy in her red dress.
I turned back to their leader and even saw doubt on her own face. Just a little, but enough that might be encouraged.
"It's true what I said," I told her. "Heidi manipulated you. She probably hoped you would inform Edward himself so that he would come take Bella forcibly. Insofar as that's concerned, I thank you for your discretion in not telling him. While I'm not pleased with having my house broken into and being confronted like this, I can appreciate it's better than many other alternatives."
They listened to all this in silence and I turned a smile to Bella. She was still at my side and she returned the smile and gave my arm a squeeze. The affection between us was highly obvious, even to all these intruders, and finally I turned back to their leader.
"However," I went on. "The fact remains that Bella requires no rescue and that you have no business here."
The two other blondes looked at their leader. They seemed willing to let this go but they also seemed to require their leader's direction. Their leader didn't even look at them. She was focused on me and slowly her dark yellow eyes narrowed into another glare.
"You really think we're going to leave the girl with a monster like you?" she asked me in a soft and menacing voice. "You killed her father. Along with at least three other people in her hometown. You kidnapped her and you've been keeping her hostage all this time and you've somehow terrified her into obedience. You think we didn't investigate what you've been up to?"
"That's true," I said, no sense denying it. "But what your investigation may have failed to revealed is that…"
I gave Bella another smile and then turned the smile to Tanya.
"…Bella kind of liked it," I said.
A surprised snort of laughter came from the one called Kate, as if she thought that was kind of kinky. Bella smiled at her. The one called Irena exhaled a breath uncomfortably and the woman behind us, Carmen, frowned even deeper. I smiled at her over my shoulder, checking her position, and turned back to Tanya.
Tanya was unmoved.
"You're sick," she said.
I laughed and turned to Bella. "Well, why don't we ask Bella? Bella, how do you feel about all this?"
Bella turned to Tanya and spoke directly to her in a clear voice.
"I feel that Edward and all his friends can go fuck themselves," she said.
Kate grinned at that and Irena frowned. Tanya seemed slightly disturbed. I smiled at her and wrapped my arm around Bella's shoulders.
"Well," I said. "There you have it. A bit vulgar perhaps, but succinct enough for no misunderstandings, yes?"
Tanya ignored me and kept her attention on Bella. "Bella, you have to come with us," she said, very gently. "I know you might be confused right now, but you can't stay with this person. We'll take you back to Edward, don't worry."
This time I didn't interrupt since Bella was obviously more than capable of speaking for herself. She glared at the blonde woman's offer.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said.
"You have to," Tanya insisted. "You're not safe with this person."
"I thought I wasn't safe with Edward?"
"You weren't safe because of this person."
Bella shook her head in exasperation. I knew how she felt. Tanya was becoming distressed and she seemed quite genuinely concerned for the girl's safety and mental state.
"Bella, you have to listen to me," she said. "Edward has been almost catatonic since leaving you. Shut off from the world. It may seem like he'd forgotten about you, but the opposite couldn't be more true. He can't live without you, Bella. Literally. If he knew everything that's happened to you…"
She trailed off and this time I did interrupt.
"Yes, well, that's all very sad," I said, "but all the same, I think it's time for you people to leave. So if you wouldn't mind…?"
Tanya straightened up and glared at me more dangerously than any glare previous. "We came here to recover the girl and that's all. We were even going to let you live. We're not the types who enjoy taking lives, regardless of how much they deserve it."
I raised a brow. "And?"
Tanya looked at her coven mates. They had gone serious and the Spanish one behind us was still preventing access to the front door. I swept my own eyes over them, ready to defend myself, and back to their leader. Tanya spoke coldly.
"And now we're willing to make an exception," she said. "So here's how we'll do this. Hand her over and we'll let you live. Otherwise will kill you right now."
The offer disgusted me and I didn't answer it. She let the silence stretch for a moment and then she spoke again.
"One way or another, we can't leave her in the clutches of a monster like you," she said.
I looked down at Bella. The sun was almost completely down outside and in the dim light her face was afraid—of them. This was why I knew we had to leave Seattle as soon as possible. I knew it was only a matter of time before Heidi tried something. I just never thought…
Suddenly there was a knock at the door.
All eyes swung to the heavy oak frame, yellow, red, and one pair of beautiful dark brown. The Spanish woman was still guarding the door and there was no way for me to answer it. But I knew there was only one person who could possibly be visiting so I called out.
"Come in, Ms Clearwater!"
The intruders shot me a round of glares. The door was already being unlocked from the outside. As the landlady of the building she had keys right on her key chain. Lucky.
She came in smiling, slightly surprised at our guests, and flipped on the light switch.
"Hey," she said. "How'd you know it was me?"
I returned her smile and gave a smirk to our intruders. "Oh, just a lucky guess," I said. "A very lucky guess."
Tanya was frowning darkly. The others shifted awkwardly. With a stranger present, a regular human, there was now nothing they could do without risking exposure. They could neither harm me nor take Bella. All thanks to our lovely young landlady.
Leah had a few envelopes in her hand and she gave them to me.
"I saw you were back, so I thought I'd bring over your mail quickly," she said. "It's just junk."
There was a peculiar coyness in her otherwise tough-girl demeanor—shyness in a black leather jacket—and I couldn't hep grinning. "Why, Leah, I'm starting to believe you keep our mail deliberately as an excuse to see us."
She smiled and didn't answer. It might've actually been a little true.
She was looking around at our visitors and just now she seemed to realize that none of them were smiling and perhaps she'd walked in on an argument or something.
"So what's going on?" she asked. "Friends of yours?"
The question was lightly sarcastic but I smiled. "Something like that."
She grinned. "If you guys are organizing an orgy, you better count me in."
It was a joke and she laughed to make sure everyone knew. I laughed as well and Bella giggled. Of the Denali women only the one named Kate cracked a smile.
Leah could tell she had interrupted something and now she began to back toward the door.
"Well, I didn't mean to interrupt," she said. "I better…"
But of course I couldn't let her leave. She was the only thing right now that was preventing these intruders from killing me or taking Bella or both.
"No, no, no, please stay a while," I said, gesturing her toward the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee, Ms Clearwater? Come, let me make you some coffee."
She nodded a couple times, kind of surprised at the offer considering my guests evidently weren't pleased, and followed me into the kitchen area. Bella stayed close to my side as well and kept herself well out of reach of our blonde friends, only relaxing when she made it around the other side of the kitchen counters.
They watched her go and the four of them gathered in a group in the middle of the living area, none of them quite knowing what to do. I smiled at them as I got the coffeemachine going and called out to them.
"Tanya, would you like some coffee as well? Perhaps a muffin or a scone?"
Tanya glared at me silently. Bella was smirking from beyond the safety of the kitchen counters and Tanya gave her a bit of a glare too before turning back to me.
"I think it's time for us to be going," she said. "But we'll be back."
I didn't like the sound of that but I refused to show any fear. "Oh, I'm sure you will."
Leah had sat on a stool and she was observing all this with a bit of confusion and amusement, the tension in the room painfully obvious and yet of no readily apparent source. Bella glanced at me but we couldn't talk about it just yet. Our guests were already filing out the door, several of them casting dark glances over their shoulders, and once they were gone I felt a rush of relief followed by a stronger rush of anxiety.
I had almost lost Bella.
She had almost been taken.
But there wasn't time to dwell on that right now and we still had a guest. Ms Clearwater had perhaps saved my life, even if she didn't know, so I made sure to dote on her a bit, fixing her a delicious cup of coffee with cream and sugar and even forcing a few fat-free cookies on her as well. It was gratitude, of course, but I also needed her to stay as long as possible, or at least until I could be sure those Denali women were gone.
It was already dark by now and Leah couldn't stay long. I considered making her stay for dinner and perhaps a threeway but I'm sure neither Bella nor I were quite in the mood and maybe the situation would be better handled by ourselves. I did make her eat at least half the packet of biscuits, however, and we chatted for at least half an hour about a boy she had met. She was explaining how she wasn't all that into him, even though he was great. She said she kind of wished she could try dating a girl and I joked that she must've changed her mind from when she claimed she wasn't interested in women romantically. She laughed at that but didn't comment.
Soon it was time for her to go and for extra safety Bella and I followed her out, keeping to her company until we were actually in the car. I drove away from the house at high speeds, checking the windows and rearview mirrors, just in case. I didn't anticipate any kind of violent confrontation in public that involved them hijacking the car but one could never be too careful. I drove for a long time in one direction and then I swung in a different direction and then another before finally turning the car downtown until we came to a nice expensive hotel where we could pass the night.
The hotel, ironically, was the Paramount—the same hotel where Bella and I shared that fateful threeway with Heidi. It was a place I was familiar with which could come in handy if the girl's self-appointed rescuers were able to track us. I didn't think they would, though, not any time soon. I didn't plan to stay here longer than one night. Bella and I hadn't had much of a chance to speak yet and before we went upstairs I took her into the dining room so that she could have something to eat for dinner. While she ate I kept an eye on all the entrances an exits, in case we had been followed without me realizing. But we weren't and each passing minute gave me confidence. We would be safe here. Bella…would be safe here.
It was past 9PM when we went upstairs to one of the suites I'd managed to acquire. It was much the same as the suite we had shared with Heidi. Marble coffeetable and marble mantle over the fireplace where a pair of deer antlers hung on the wall. A basket of white and yellow roses. Warmly lit bathroom in mellow yellow tile. We hadn't been able to pack any new bags but our old bags were still packed from our trip to Forks and we had managed to grab them off the living room floor as we left. Bella sighed and slung her bag onto one of the beds. There were two of them, both queen-size. I placed my own bag beside and moved over to the window and looked out. The streets below were very small and dark and cars were moving up and back in perfect silence.
"This is so fucked up," Bella said from behind me. "Who the fuck do they think they are, just barging into our lives and thinking they know what's best for me?"
I turned to her and smiled wittily. "A habit they picked up from your old boyfriend, I expect."
She didn't seem to be in a cheerful mood. She was worried and upset and she sighed as she sat down on the bed heavily.
"So what now?" she asked glumly. "What are we supposed to do now?"
I went over to her and sat beside her to put my arms around her soothingly. "Now, we wait. They won't be able to track you here, so don't worry. We're safe."
But she sighed again and she didn't seem all that reassured. "How come we don't just leave Seattle? That was the original plan, wasn't it? Weren't we going to leave tonight?"
"Yes, but this could prove to be very complicated, especially if they alert their friends. I'd prefer to have it settled before moving on."
"And how do we settle it? By killing them?"
I smiled at the suggestion. Very vicious. And yes, under other circumstances, it would be quite an elegant—and entertaining—solution. But these were vampires. Four of them. My chances against all four were not particularly strong. Even if I turned Bella into a vampire and took advantage of her newborn strength, it would be very risky. For both of us.
So I shook my head and gave her a kiss on the nose.
"No, I don't think that'll be necessary," I said. "They didn't seem unreasonable, just misunderstanding. Once I explain the particulars of our relationship I'm sure they'll be content to leave us be."
She nodded at that but she didn't seem too sure. I smiled and stroked hair away from her face to admire how beautiful she was and I went on.
"Our one bit of luck is that they haven't informed your old protectors about this," I said. "Dealing with them as well would likely require a little more than conversation. Especially your former mate."
Her eyes shifted slightly and she went silent for a second. Then she looked at me.
"Do you think what she said was true?" she asked hesitantly. "That Edward is catatonic without me?"
I smiled at her and cupped her cheek. "Yes, I think it's true. Like I keep telling you, Bella. The loss of a girl as perfect as you would shrive the soul of any man. Or woman."
"But if that's true, how could he not know anything that's happened to me? How could he not keep track of me?"
"Perhaps it's the only way he could handle it. A total break."
She shook her head and looked away. She was silent for a minute with a head full of anger and confusion and then she snorted and shook her head again.
"Well, fuck him," she said. "He cut me off because he wanted me to move on and be happy with someone else, and that's exactly what I did. With you."
"Quite right," I whispered with a smile, and then I leaned to kiss her.
She moaned and responded to the kiss very gratefully, as if she really needed it. I was still cupping her cheek and after a while I lowered my hand and slipped it into the warmth of her jacket and caressed the softness of her breast through her top. She moaned some more and I gave it a squeeze before lowering the hand again to her lap.
She parted her knees slightly, the two of us sitting on the edge of the bed. I was caressing my tongue against hers, very deliberately and affectionately, and then I began rubbing the crotch of her jeans. She moaned very deeply at that and I could almost feel the wave of warmth roll over her. I continued rubbing her, turning her on and turning her thoughts away from the man she used to love, and she moaned and wrapped her arms around me and eventually broke the kiss to pant and gaze into my eyes.
"Oh god," she whispered. "Keep touching me, Victoria. Don't stop."
I pressed my mouth again to hers and whispered into it.
"I won't," I said.
And I meant it.
I'd never stop touching her. Never stop loving her.
Never.
She was already shifting backward on the bed and I helped her undress, first unbuttoning her jeans. She lay there with her legs open as I unzipped them, gazing up at me with her flushed face. I pulled the jeans down and pulled off her boots and socks as well and then I kissed the insides of her thighs a little and the fabric of her panties as well before bringing by mouth back to her lips. She moaned into the kiss and kissed me back as I removed her jacket and top and her bra as well, revealing her breasts for me to take them in my hands and kiss them and suckle at her nipples.
She helped me with my own clothes as well and soon we were naked and tangled together on the bed. For a long time we merely fondled each other. For over an hour. She was sucking at one of my nipples and I whimpered and watched her. Watched her tongue lick at the stiff nub that peaked the large mound of my breast. I was stroking her hair and eventually she bought her lips back to my mouth. I kissed her fervently, almost desperately. The more my arousal grew so did my love. I growled into her mouth and groped her buttocks, her soft, fleshy, warm little buttocks. Mine. They belonged to me. All of her. Her body and her whole heart as well. Everything was mine. I loved her so much and I swooped to her wet vagina and swiftly licked her into a gushing orgasm.
The sounds of it rang in my ears and my heart and the smile she bestowed upon me afterwards was a smile she would never give any other. My Bella. She thanked me with a kiss and then she thanked me again by returning the gesture, shifting down between my legs and sensually eating me out like a fine dessert. I watched her and petted her head, my heart throbbing with how much I loved her, and after a while I climaxed.
The suite had a balcony that overlooked the city and together we wrapped sheets around our naked bodies and went out to enjoy the view and the cool night breeze. I had ordered a bottle of champagne from room service, since we might as well make a night of it, and she leaned a hip against the marble balustrade while she sipped and gazed out at the skyscrapers and the crisscross of car lights in the darkness below. I was leaning a hip on the balustrade as well but I wasn't looking at the view. I was looking at her. Her dark hair was a mess around her beautiful face, stirring slightly in the cold night breeze, and she was holding the bedsheet loosely around her breasts. So perfect. God, I loved her so much.
She noticed me staring at her and smiled and took another sip before setting the glass on the balustrade. The other hand was holding up the sheet and it was the hand that wore the ring, sparkling there beside her heart.
"So what are you going to do?" she asked me softly. "How are you gonna get these Denali bitches to leave us alone?"
I cupped her cheek and gazed at her. "Well, I'd better go see them, I suppose," I said, but in all honesty, I wasn't in any hurry to leave her.
She nuzzled my hand with her cheek. "What about me?"
"You'll have to stay here," I said. "It'll be the only way to ensure both of our safeties." She pouted a little at that and I smirked playfully. "In fact, maybe I should handcuff you and store you in the closet again," I added. "That way they'll be forced to make sure I return to you."
She knew I was only joking but she smiled and leaned to my lips.
"You can if you want," she whispered into them.
A shiver of temptation went through me but the temptation was delightful enough all on its own. I kissed her softly a couple times and returned the whisper into her mouth.
"I was joking, baby," I told her.
"I know," she whispered, directly into my mouth as she kissed it and flicked her tongue at it. "But you can. You can do anything to me. Anything…"
Her hand released the bedsheet wrapped around her body and it fell to the floor of the balcony. Her arms went around my neck and now I released my own bedsheet as well so I could feel her body pressed against mine and drag my hands all across the slimness of her back. She moaned and lifted a little on her toes, pulling my face toward hers, and I pushed my tongue into her mouth which seemed to be exactly what she wanted. What she needed. The clouds over head were dark and thin and the two of us were entwined in a pale and passionate kiss that was silhouetted against the stars like another constellation, ordained for eons and eternally unchangeable. She hooked a leg around me and I lifted her by her buttocks and carried her back to the bed.
We made love one more time but I really did have to go. She understood but that didn't stop her from pestering me cutely as I went for a shower and put on some clothes. She wanted to know how I was going to find them but I was sure they would find me. She then started to worry that maybe they'd hurt me but I reassured her that they wouldn't dare try anything that might endanger herself. She watched me while I was in the shower, standing there in the bathroom, and then she followed me back into the room while I put on some jeans. She offered again that maybe I really should tie her up and stash her in the closet, not for kinkiness but just as leverage so that they'd be forced to let me come back to her, but I smiled and shook my head and told her to relax. My intention was to convince them that we belong together, not further provoke them, and in any case, if the meeting went poorly, I could always lie and claim she was trapped in a closet anyway.
She nodded at all that but she was still very anxious. I could tell there was something more on her mind and I thought it had do to with Edward. The revelation that he still loved her and was apparently catatonic without her had affected her more than she would've guessed. Shaken her. All this time she had convinced herself that he didn't care about her but now she knew that he did. Did that change anything? Was it supposed to? She had worn a preoccupied frown all night but whatever these feelings were they seemed to only anger her more than anything else. They angered me too. Not at her but at him. Abandoning her the way he did was more despicable than anything I had ever done to her. At least with me she was happy and quite sexually satisfied.
Finally I was fully dressed, conservatively in jeans and a jacket. Bella followed me to the door, still naked, and gave me a very long kiss with a very needful moan. I returned it, waiting for her to get her fill, and then finally she broke it and gazed at me anxiously.
"Just don't be too long, alright?" she told me. "If you're gone more than two hours, I'll…"
"…call the police?" I quipped.
She frowned at my humor and I chuckled at her.
"Just relax and keep your phone nearby," I said. "They might wish to speak to you in order to corroborate what I'm telling them."
She nodded fretfully. "Okay."
I smiled and gave her a kiss and went to open the door.
But she took my hand to stop me.
"Victoria?"
I turned back to her, wondering what was wrong now. She was holding my hand, shy and nervous, and now she moved the hand to her pussy and pressed it against her there.
"One more time before you go?" she asked me so cutely.
I smiled and of course I was never one to deny my lover's needs.
I took her back to the bed and did her while fully clothed, although at one point she did lift my top and play with my breasts a little. It was getting late, past midnight, but I didn't stop her. Our friends from Denali could wait. Bella came first. I wanted to leave her with as little anxiety as possible and that's how I made love to her. Slowly. Thoroughly. With lots of moaning and whispering and sweet talk about how beautiful she was. Finally she climaxed while I was licking her and I continued licking her until her breathing calmed down and even afterwards she insisted on holding me for a long time. I considered going for a another shower but I thought perhaps it would work in my favor to have the scent of her love and lust slathered all over me.
Once again she followed me to the door, this time wearing a bedsheet wrapped around her, and she gave me another long kiss and stood there in the corridor until I disappeared into the elevator and blew her a kiss as the doors slid closed.
Half an hour later I was parking the car outside our house. There were no lights on inside but I knew they would be in there waiting for me. I turned off the engine and got out. I wasn't too worried. Like I said to Bella, they seemed like a reasonable bunch of meddling busybodies. I'm sure we could straighten all this out and agree to leave each other alone. Who knows, perhaps we could even be friends. Bella needed more companionship in her life than just me and this coven did seem to care about her, even though it was only because of her past relationship with Edward.
I entered the house and it seemed I was correct. The four of them were waiting for me, dressed exactly the same as they were earlier this afternoon, half hidden in the gloom with only their yellow eyes shimming in the darkness. Their leader, Tanya, was standing by the empty fireplace and the one called Kate was sitting on the stairs and the other two, Irena and the Spanish beauty Carmen, were sitting on the sofa by the coffeetable. I could smell each of their scents, quite a delightful medly, and I knew they could smell mine—and the girl's, of course. Tanya's blonde brow furrowed at the strength of Bella scent without Bella even being present and she stepped forward.
"Where's the girl?" she asked.
The other three women rose from where they been sitting and came over as well, assembling at their leader's side. I assessed their faces briefly for any hint at their dispositions. Kate's cute visage was least ireful, almost friendly, and Irena's was rather without rancour either. Carmen's face, on the other hand, was a dark Spanish mask of disapproval and anger.
Tanya was simply staring at me steadily and I smiled as I answered her question.
"You don't need to worry about that," I said. "Until I can be certain of her safety, you won't be seeing her or going anywhere near her."
"She has nothing to fear from us."
I snorted and raised my brows mockingly. "No? Is that why you broke into our home? And threatened me right in front of her? You think that kind of behaviour is going to make her trust you?"
Tanya didn't respond, clearly unsure of what the true facts were concerning the situation. Kate saw her leader's confusion and spoke up for her.
"Listen," she said to me. "We talked this over and we're prepared to admit that maybe we got some facts wrong when we first confronted you. So far we've only heard Heidi's side of the story. Let's hear yours."
I nodded at her to say thank you and then I sighed and began the tale of two twisted lovers.
"Well," I said. "I won't deny Ms Swan and I began our relationship on somewhat…non-consensual terms. I sought revenge against her for what her protectors did to James. But in doing so, I developed a regard for her. A regard which she quite unexpectedly came to return."
Irena snorted as if she didn't believe me. "You expect us to believe she fell in love with you? After you killed her father and kidnapped her?"
"I also raped her and tortured her with fire one time," I added with a smile, "but you seem to be missing the point."
They all frowned at that and Tanya glared at me.
"And the point is?" she asked with barely withheld wrath.
"The point," I went on charmingly, "is that Ms Swan—you may be surprised to learn—is not a normal girl. She has certain urges. These urges are a mirror of mine. Together we discovered a compatibility that neither of us could've guessed. To put it simply, we complete each other. We are, in the truest sense of the word…mates."
That last word chimed like a bell in the silence of the dark empty house. All four of them exchanged glances. Carmen seemed disturbed and perhaps more afraid for Bella than ever. Kate seemed kind of impressed. Irena seemed unsure. Tanya only continued to glare but with the beginnings of doubt in her dark amber eyes.
I smiled at them and lifted a hand to twinkle my fingers and the ring on one of them.
"We even consider ourselves married," I said.
Kate actually chuckled at that and then she shrugged. "Well," she said. "Sounds pretty twisted, but I don't judge. You guys?"
She turned to her coven mates. Irena also shrugged, not particularly caring it seemed. Carmen, on the other hand, had her arms crossed and she was glaring at me very fiercely with a sort of old-world Spanish propriety.
"I think it's disgusting," she said. Then she spat on the floor. "Repugnante!"
I raised my eyebrows and Kate smiled at the Spanish outburst and even Irena cracked a smirk. Tanya mostly ignored it and continued looking at me steadily, as if willing to see the truth if it appeared but not quite seeing it yet.
"It's difficult to believe," she said cautiously.
I acknowledged that with a nod but then I went on. "I see why you might assume that, but is it really so unbelievable? Bella was always a peculiar girl. Do you think her feelings for Edward were healthy? He used to stalk her and follow her around and break into her bedroom at night to watch her sleep. Behaviour that would send an ordinary woman screaming, and yet she loved it. She was flattered. Now she's with me and her feelings are much the same. Only darker. Stronger."
Tanya was slowly being convinced but that seemed to disturb her just as much.
"She certainly didn't seem afraid of you," she admitted. "And she didn't want to be rescued, either. But how can we in good conscience just leave her with you? Edward is my closest friend. He suffers without her more than you could imagine."
I snorted at his misfortunes. "On the contrary, I can imagine it very keenly," I said. "And take quite a bit of delight in it as well. He left her when she needed her most and he deserves no forgiveness. He's a pompous fool."
Perhaps it was unwise to insult their friend so bluntly but not all of them seemed to disagree with me. Kate kind of nodded, as if to agree with me, and even Tanya seemed to silently admit that her old friend Edward was a bit of a foppish jackass at times.
I gave them a moment to absorb all this but it was getting late and I really didn't want to be away from Bella longer than I needed to be.
"Well?" I insisted. "One way or another this needs to be settled. I came here because I thought if I could explain our relationship you would be content to leave us be. I'm sure that would be preferable to all. You may have me out numbered, but would you really risk your lives over this? I may not be able to defeat all of you, but even if only one of you were to fall, would it be a fair trade? Would it be worth it? To wrench a young girl away from her true love in order to restore her to the man who abandoned her? A man she has now come to despise?"
Tanya sighed and the sigh seemed to expel most of her anger. "We didn't want to resort to violence in the first place."
"Nor I, I can assure you," I said. "So, what then? May I inform Ms Swan that the danger to her is over? That she need not be afraid anymore?"
Tanya turned to her coven mates for their thoughts. Kate glanced at her sisters and Irena gave her a shrug. Kate shrugged as well and turned back to me.
"I say leave them be," she said. "Sure, it's kind of messed up, but we're not exactly a flock of angels ourselves."
Irena sighed and rolled her eyes. "At least we never used to be until we changed diets."
Carmen almost couldn't believe what she was hearing and she was growing quite fretful. "Yes, but we never killed for pleasure as this monster does," she said. "And we never sank so low as to force ourselves on others. Es malo y una abominación."
I had to smile. The woman was obviously very old fashioned. She thought my relationship was an abomination. She wasn't wrong, of course, but that's what made it so special.
"Feel free to disapprove as much as you want," I told her pleasantly, no offence taken. "All I ask is that you don't interfere."
She glared at me in the darkness, her arms folded tightly under her breasts. But she didn't speak again, since she was clearly outnumbered by her coven mates.
"Sounds fair to me," Kate said. "Tanya?"
Tanya thought about it for a moment, scrutinizing my face in the darkness. I returned her gaze steadily, nothing to hide, and eventually she spoke.
"I want to speak to Bella about this," she said. "I need to hear her side of the story as well."
Now it was my turn to scrutinize her. Could I trust her? My first instinct was to tell them to go to hell but I couldn't discount the fact that they genuinely seemed to only want to do the right thing. They only needed to be shown what the right thing was.
"Can I trust you not to take her away from me?" I asked her.
"You can trust us to respect her wishes," she said, leaving herself a little wiggle room. "Whatever they may be."
I nodded slowly, hoping I wasn't making a mistake. Tanya nodded as well, possibly hoping the same thing, and then she tightened her chinchilla coat around her body and moved around me toward the door. Her coven mates followed.
"We keep a residence in town," she was saying. "I'll send you the address. Come visit whenever you are able. Soon, if possible."
I opened the door for them and held it for a moment. "Very well," I said. "Until then, it was a delight to meet you all. Thank you so much for your understanding and discretion. I'm sure Bella will be as eager to come see you as I am. Before you leave, however, I must ask; when did you last see Heidi? I'm afraid you ladies aren't the only danger I need to worry about. Is she still in Seattle?"
Kate, Irena, and Carmen had filed out the door and they now stood on the sidewalk. Tanya lingered in the doorway and she hesitated before speaking.
"Heidi spoke of leaving," she said. "But she was quite erratic. In truth, there did seem to be something suspicious in her claims. But knowing who you were and what you and your mate had already done…"
She trailed off, almost implying an apology for acting rashly. I nodded to accept it and then I sighed about this news of Heidi.
"I can't believe she would betray me in such a way," I said.
Kate spoke from the sidewalk. "For what it's worth, she didn't want us to kill you," she said. "She only wanted us to take Bella back to Edward. She was very insistent on you not being harmed."
I snorted and shook my head. Oh, Heidi. What has happened to you?
Tanya was descending the steps into the sidewalk and then she turned back. I gave them a smile, still holding the door open.
"Well, thank you for hearing my side of the story," I said. "I'm very grateful."
Tanya nodded but she didn't smile. "Just remember, our only concern here is the girl. The only side of the story that really matters here is hers."
"And you'll hear it from her first hand very soon," I told her. "Until then, so long."
They nodded and Kate wriggled her fingers to say bye and Carmen spared me one last glare before they turned and started down the sidewalk under the streetlamps.
—
AN: I think this one turned out pretty well. I wanted each of the Denali girls to have their own personality. Tanya is the wise leader, Kate is the cute one, Irena is the grouchy one, and Carmen is the fiercely traditional Latina one who really needs to get laid by Victoria at some point. ;)
I'm not sure how canon they were, but it's been a long time since I read the books. I did check their wikis, though. I've been waiting a long time to include them, especially Tanya. I think I originally mentioned them in an author note about ten chapters ago, lol. I'm glad they're finally here. I think they'll be great to freshen things up a little.
Anyway, don't forget to comment, whatever pops into your head. I learn a lot from reviews and I make a lot of split decisions based on what people want. Next chapter soon. :)