Author's Note: Okay, don't get used to this. Due to a certain person's encouragement (you know who you are) I managed to get a fire going and write this chapter as well. Maybe my writer's block is easing up on me a little bit, maybe not. Either way, I'm just happy to get this chapter out to all of you amazing readers. Thanks, and hopefully you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 6

Under Jane's watchful eye, Bella couldn't stop pacing along the length of the room. Heidi watched the human pace worriedly from where she sat on the couch, but didn't dare say or try anything to stop with the Queens so close by and getting closer by the second.

So many thoughts and emotions were whirling around in Bella's head like a tornado, to the point Bella felt like she would just explode any second. She knew she should be afraid, especially for Heidi, but most of all, she was angry. Furious, really. After all, the way the Queens treated Heidi, not to mention Bella herself-although the Queens did treat her well once Bella was in front of them-was enough to get on Bella's nerves. Then, the way they threw around their power, not to mention the way they treated Heidi's life, like it was something disposable...never before had Bella felt such anger towards anything in her life.

Not to mention Bella had to struggle with the strange draw she felt towards the Queens...it was all just too much.

Bella was about to turn towards Jane and demand answers, dangerous power or not, when the door to the room opened.

Blinking, Bella took in the Queens one at a time as they slipped through the doorway and closed the door behind them. Their presence was nearly overwhelming, to the point Bella's heart seemed to stop in her chest, if only for a moment. Her legs almost gave out, and she would have fallen right into the closest queen, Athenodora, but she managed to steel herself.

"So?" Bella asked, trying to appear as tough as she could as she moved to stand in front of Heidi, shielding the girl with her body as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Bella," Heidi started, wanting to warn the human, but even murmuring Bella's name caused Athenodora to glare at her, so Heidi felt like there was nothing to do but shut up and let them talk.

"So, what?" Sulpicia asked, cocking her head to the side and arching an eyebrow. She just wanted to tease the girl for a second, perhaps draw out Bella's focus on her, if only for Sulpicia's own satisfaction.

Ugh! Despite being angry, a blush spread across Bella's cheeks. If the Queens had been focused on her when they first came in, their focus seemed to intensify tenfold, all three excited and amused by their mate's reaction.

"So, what's the verdict? What are you going to do?" Bella demanded, doing her absolute best to keep eye contact and ignore her blush.

"Heidi must be punished, Isabella," Sulpicia started, only to pause and arch an eyebrow as Bella tensed, her eyes hardening as if she was about to fight the Queens right then and there for their decision. "I suggest you wait for us to finish before you say anything, as I was going to add that Heidi will live."

Bella's body relaxed, and she looked as stunned as Heidi was. Jane was just as stunned and even opened her mouth as if she was about to argue or exclaim her surprise, but she smartly shut up. She was still at a loss, of course, and tried to speak in a calm manner that made it clear she wasn't questioning her Queens' decisions.

"My Queens, may I ask why…?" Jane managed to ask, still struggling to keep her composure.

Heidi wanted to know as well, and was thankful that Jane had spoken up. Heidi hadn't wanted to speak and risk the Queens changing their minds.

"Isn't it obvious? While it is true that Heidi did betray us, it was out of a misguided desire to protect Isabella. As this human is ours, we would rather not kill someone who is so loyal to Isabella."

"Ours?" Bella exclaimed incredulously.

"Yes, ours," Athenodora stated, crossing her arms over her chest and staring at Bella, daring Bella to start the argument over this. While Athenodora wouldn't be able to punish Bella in the delicious ways she wanted to for the human's backtalk, and Athenodora wanted to do anything she could to make Bella happy, that didn't mean the queen wouldn't argue for years over Bella's status. The human was their mate, and Bella needed to understand that. The sooner, the better, because Athenodora wasn't known for her patience and she would likely explode if held back from Bella for too long.

Didyme placed a hand on Athenodora's arm as she saw how worked up the other vampire queen and Bella were getting.

"Perhaps that is a discussion for a time after Isabella has settled in," Didyme said, keeping her face blank as she saw Heidi give Bella a look to calm the human down. While she knew exactly what their bonds were, and that they would at most be like sisters, it still got her possessive instincts flaring. Isabella was hers and, despite the calm demeanor Didyme showed, it didn't mean she wasn't mentally growling at their closeness.

"So, as for Heidi's punishment, she will now be Isabella's servant for the rest of Bella's existence." At Sulpicia's words, all eyes were now back on her. "She will also be Isabella's guard, and for every injury, regardless of how small, that Isabella receives, Heidi will receive one that the three of us will deem of equal value to a vampire.

"Seriously?" Bella couldn't help but blurt out. Their punishment for Heidi almost sounded too good to be true. Of course Heidi wouldn't be a servant to her, and in Bella's mind, Heidi's sentence simply sounded like they now had an excuse to always be together. The only part that Bella didn't like was the fact that the vampire would get hurt every time Bella did, and Bella was a little bit clumsy. She would have to be super focused and careful from now on to make sure the Queens wouldn't have an excuse to hurt Heidi.

"Yes, seriously," Sulpicia said dryly. "This also means that you'll be staying in the castle from this day onwards."

Bella tensed a little bit as she realized that their decision wasn't just a punishment for Heidi, but a trap to make sure Bella stayed in the castle and wouldn't try to escape. Not that the realization upset her too much. While Bella didn't like the thought of them manipulating her emotions towards Heidi, it wasn't like Bella would willingly leave her friend behind for a world that hated her.

"We need you, Isabella," Didyme added, interrupting Bella's thoughts. "I know you don't like the idea of us keeping you here, but you must understand, we have been looking for you for a very long time. The idea of you leaving us is soul shattering."

"Right," Bella said, although she didn't exactly believe, or understand it. Of course their words affected her despite her unsurety. After all, no one ever said they needed her before, and it made her heart squeeze in her chest as she bit her bottom lip.

Which of course made all of the Queens want to bit her lip as well, but they managed to contain themselves. They were already on thin ice as it was, and any of them attempting to kiss their mate would likely only further divide them.

"Anyways," Didyme said, clearing her throat as she regained her composure. "Jane, you may go now. We will show Bella to her new room."

"Of course, my Queens," Jane muttered, seething a little at the light punishment Heidi had received. But of course, she kept her face blank as she left them alone. And as she walked down the hall, a plan to make sure Heidi got the punishment she deserved for her betrayal started forming in her mind.

Unaware of this, the Queens went over the rules for Heidi. Basically, she would now be with Bella all day every day, save for when she needed to feed, where Bella would then be with the Queens. Or unless the Queens told Heidi to leave Bella with them for whatever reason, which Bella wasn't too happy about. Heidi was also expected to obey Bella's every command, and do anything to make sure Bella was safe and unharmed at all times.

As such, Heidi wouldn't really be using her room much, as Bella was to be moved to a room next to the Queens.

With that said, the Queens then excitedly ushered Bella and Heidi out of the room and down the hall. They were all quiet, as if worried a single word might cause the uneasy peace between them to shatter. During this time, Bella tried to focus on the path they took so she wouldn't get lost in the maze of halls.

It only took a few turns, and then Bella was lost. She didn't know how the other women could manage to keep track of where they were, but the Queens led them with such confidence that Bella couldn't doubt that they were even a little unsure of where they were headed.

They soon came to a stop at a semi plain door next to a slightly larger and fancier one. Bella knew without a doubt that would be her room, if the giant ISABELLA carved into the door was any indication.

When did they have time to do that? Bella found it weird, like everything had been prepared before her arrival. As if they had known she was coming before Bella showed up, and not as a tasty treat for them to snack on.

Heidi also looked a little surprised, as she hadn't heard the Queens ordering anything like the specially made door since their arrival. Then again, she had been a little preoccupied with her impending fate and Bella, so she might not have been paying the attention she should have.

"Come in, come in. Just know that this room isn't finished, so it's completely up to you on how you want it decorated. Still, I believe you will like it even at this state," Didyme said excitedly, putting a hand on Bella's back as she ushered the human in. The contact made it possible for Didyme to calm herself just a little bit more, and a smile came to her face as she found that Bella didn't even flinch or protest to the touch.

Of course, Sulpicia and Athenodora were both frowning, as they desired the same touch and knew they were more likely to be rebuffed by their human.

Bella's eyes widened, and she appeared awed as she gazed around the giant room. Even in her fury and worry, she had noticed how large and cool Heidi's bedroom was. But this room, even in comparison to Heidi's, was amazingly better.

While the walls were still white, the floor were made out of shiny wood. Despite Bella thinking they were still underground, a giant, furnished window let in light from the outside world, and the view was amazing. There was also another open door, which showed the insides of a large closet almost as large as her room, along with several drawers, a large nightstand, a desk, a fancy chair and, what Bella's eyes were drawn to the most, was the super large bed against one of the walls in the room. It was large enough that there could be ten of Bella, and they'd all be comfortable.

"Do you like it?" Sulpicia asked, stepping closer to the human as Bella kept gaping. "We would have preferred you live in our room, but we knew you would want your own space, especially with the way you arrived here."

Bella dumbly nodded, feeling almost afraid to take another step inside and risk contaminating the room in some way.

"Well? Do you or do you not like it? Speak up," Athenodora snapped, as she couldn't see Bella's nod from her position, and her worry that the human hated the room was already eating at her.

Heidi shot Bella a worried glance, sure Bella would react to Athenodora with anger, but Bella didn't notice.

"This is all mine?" Bella whispered, still trying to process. "I can't believe it. I have a room. My own room." To Bella, the abandoned place she lived didn't count. It was a temporary shelter, and Bella had no idea when it would be taken from her or when she would be forced to leave it. It was an amazing feeling to the girl who could barely remember the time she had been able to live in her parents' house.

All three of the Queens scowled, realizing that Bella had lived a harsh life before Heidi had found her. Each of them swore to themselves that they'd find out all about their mate's past, and if needed, kill anyone who had dared to hurt her.

"We will be sending in someone with food for you in a little while, but for now, we will let you decompress and get used to your new situation," Sulpicia said at last, albeit reluctantly. "If you need us or even wish to see us, simply call our names. We'll hear you."

Bella nodded, and with that, the Queens left. Now it was just Bella and Heidi, both still overwhelmed after all that had happened. There was a brief silence where neither of them could think to speak, but that was broken when Bella hesitantly creeped over to the bed, turned around, and flopped onto the mattress.

"I still can't believe this," Bella whispered as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Honestly? Neither can I," Heidi said as she walked over to Bella and sat next to her. "You have no idea how amazing all of this is. I knew I was going to die the second I tried to save you, yet instead I'm told I not only get to live, but get to continue being by your side as your friend and protector."

"Right." As Bella considered all of the conditions and craziness of the last twenty four hours, it all suddenly came rushing back to her. Along with that came an overwhelming exhaustion, and Bella felt her eyes grow heavy as her body seemed to sink into the mattress, ready to fall into slumber. But as the need to sleep came over her, so did the fear that if she were to sleep, she'd wake up to find Heidi gone. Or, even worse, that everything that had happened was a dream. For while Bella was still a little angry and bewildered, not to mention freaked, over all that happened, she actually didn't want to leave the castle.

"It's okay for you to sleep, Bella," Heidi whispered as she saw Bella trying to fight to stay awake, brushing the hair out of the girl's face. "The Queens aren't the type to do something while you are helpless. Nothing will change."

With Heidi's assurances, Bella fell into a deep sleep, ending her first day at the castle.

However, it was that very first night that Bella accidentally gave the Queens their first heart attack.