Chapter 29

As Bella and Felix left the throne room, Bella felt much more confident in her decision to stay. She had enjoyed her talk with the kings and felt that she was correct in her judgment to give everyone a chance with no preconceived judgments. "I thought that went very well. They seemed a lot nicer than I remember from my last visit," Bella mused to Felix.

"That's because they liked you. Trust me, your meeting would have been very different if that was not the case. So after I show you your room, would you like to see the training room?" Felix asked, looking forward to sparring once again with Bella.

"That sounds great. I left my bags in my rental car. Could you also show me where I should park later? Let me just see the room so I'll know where to unpack, and then we can get to it. I'm looking forward to training again. I feel out of practice being away from training with Jasper for a year," Bella said.

"We have a big garage where we keep all our vehicles. I'll show you where to park. I can also introduce you to other members of the guard," Felix smiled, happy to help.

"Thank you so much, Felix, for making me feel welcome. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone. Is there anything I should know or look out for?" Bella asked, not wanting to make any social faux pas.

"No, you seem pretty chill. I'm sure everyone will like you. I'd say watch out for Jane and her power, but I'm pretty sure you don't have to worry about that," Felix observed.

"No, so far, I have not seen any power that is stronger than my mental shield. It would be interesting to test it out against other's powers. I don't know what sort of powers you guys have. If anyone has anything interesting, let me know, and we can have some fun testing stuff out," Bella was also interested in testing her abilities and didn't mind being a guinea pig.

Soon, Bella and Felix arrived at a wooden door, and Felix opened it to let Bella into her new room. The room was spacious and nicely decorated, with large windows that let in plenty of natural light. A balcony overlooked a beautiful garden, and Bella could hear the sound of water trickling from a nearby fountain. The queen-size bed was neatly made, and there were several dressers for her clothes. The side bathroom had a large shower and a bathtub.

"Looks good to me," Bella said with a smile. "Let's head to the training room."

As they made their way to the training room, two women approached them from the opposite direction. The first was tall, standing at around 5 feet 10 inches, with a strikingly beautiful appearance. Her long, straight blonde hair fell to the middle of her back, and her piercing red eyes were captivating. The other woman was slightly shorter than Bella, with long, curly brown hair that went down to her shoulders. She also had a striking beauty that was characteristic of vampires.

"Bella, I'd like you to meet Heidi and Chelsea, two of our top guards. Girls, this is Bella Cullen. She just arrived and will be staying with us for a while," Felix introduced them.

"It's nice to meet you both," Bella said, smiling and shaking their hands. She couldn't help but notice how strikingly beautiful they were. Bella could tell that Heidi had an aura of confidence and power around her, while Chelsea had a more gentle and approachable demeanor.

"Ah, I heard about you several years ago. Your part of Carlisle's coven. You know all three of us knew Carlisle back in the 1700s. We can tell you some good stories before you leave which I'm sure will embarrass him," Heidi said with a grin.

Bella chuckled at the idea of embarrassing Carlisle, "Oh please do. I'd love to hear anything you can tell me. He plays it so respectable now. I'd love to hear if there was a bad boy side to him," she replied with a smirk.

Chelsea, with her curly brown hair, chimed in with a friendly smile, "I think we'll get along fine, Bella. Some of the guards are going to a club in Florence later tonight. You're welcome to join us."

"That sounds perfect. Felix and I are going to train for a while, so just let me know when I should get ready. Here's my cell number," Bella replied, exchanging numbers with the two guards. With that, Bella and Felix headed off to the training room.

When Bella and Felix arrived at the training room, Bella was awestruck by its size. The room was massive, easily the size of half a football field, with a soaring ceiling that must have been at least 30 feet tall. Despite the room's size, it was well-lit, allowing Bella to see every detail with clarity. As they walked further into the room, she noticed cracks in some areas of the stone walls, probably from past training sessions that had become a bit too intense.

On one side of the room, there were six rows of stadium seating for spectators, giving a clear view of the entire training area. Bella counted six vampires in total, sparring in pairs. Their movements were lightning-fast, and the sound of their fists and feet striking each other echoed through the cavernous space.

Felix noticed Bella's amazement and explained the room's origins. "When we rebuilt the castle around 600 years ago, we built this room to ensure we had enough space to train the guard," he said. "It's been modernized over time to withstand vampire combat."

Bella was impressed. "This room is incredible," she said. "I've never seen anything like it."

Felix took off his cloak and began to stretch his arms like a human would, preparing for their training session. "Alright, let's see what you've learned since the last time we fought," he said.

"Okay, I'm ready," Bella said smiling, taking up a defensive stance in the center of the room.

Felix stood opposite of Bella, his eyes fixed on her, and his body ready for action. They both crouched low, ready to attack or defend. Their movements were fluid and swift as they started circling each other, looking for an opening to strike.

Bella was the first to attack, launching herself towards Felix with a quick feint to his right. Felix countered with a powerful right hook, but Bella was too quick, she dodged to the left, and aimed a kick at his stomach.

Felix staggered backward but regained his balance quickly, and lunged at Bella with his right hand aimed at her face. Bella swiftly ducked and rolled, and landed a punch to his ribs. The impact was enough to knock Felix back a few steps, and he clutched his side for a moment, but he didn't let that slow him down.

They both circled each other again, each studying the other's movements, waiting for the next attack. Bella was impressed by Felix's speed and strength, he was truly a worthy opponent. She decided to change her tactics, and instead of a direct attack, she feinted again, then dropped low, and swept Felix's legs from under him.

Felix fell to the ground with a thud, but before Bella could move in for the kill, he grabbed her by the leg and twisted her around, flipping her onto her back. Bella rolled back up to her feet with amazing speed, but Felix was already on the attack.

They exchanged blows, punches, kicks, and blocks, their movements a blur to the watching vampires. Bella's agility and precision were impressive, while Felix's power and technique were awe-inspiring. They both landed blows on each other, but neither seemed to be getting the upper hand.

The other vampires in the room had stopped their own sparring, and had moved to the side of the training room to watch Bella and Felix. They watched in amazement as the two skilled vampires continued to battle, the sound of their fists hitting each other resonating in the room like thunder.

After what seemed like hours, but was only a half hour, Felix called for a halt, and they both stopped fighting, breathing hard, but not winded. They both nodded to each other, a sign of mutual respect, and then Felix spoke.

"Wow, Bella, you've really improved. That was quite a workout," Felix said, impressed with Bella's fighting skills.

Bella smiled, feeling proud of herself. "Thanks, Felix. It was fun."

Felix then called over the other vampires in the room to introduce them to Bella. She sparred with each of them, easily besting them all. As they trained, Bella felt a sense of camaraderie with the guard members and enjoyed their company. Hours passed by quickly and she suddenly heard her phone ringing from the stands where she had left it. It was a reminder from Heidi about their get-together later.

Bella and Felix excused themselves from the training room to allow her to retrieve her bags from her car and get ready. As she was walking back to her room, her mind buzzed with excitement about the upcoming club outing with the guard. She opened her suitcase and rummaged through her clothes, trying to find the perfect dress for the occasion.

After a quick search, she found a sleek black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. She slipped it on, admiring how it looked on her body in the mirror. It was the perfect mix of sexy and sophisticated, exactly what she needed for a night out with the vampires.

She added a pair of high heels and a clutch purse to complete the look. As she made her way out of her room and down to the garage, she felt confident and ready for whatever the night had in store for her.

Felix, Heidi, and Chelsea were waiting in the garage with three other vampires. When Bella approached them, Felix introduced the others with a smile.

"Bella this is Renata, her mate Afton, and that ugly mug is Santiago." Felix gestured to each in turn. Renata was tall and slender with long blonde hair, Afton was shorter with a wiry build and dark hair, and Santiago was a giant of a vampire with sharp features and looked to be of Spanish origin.

"It's lovely to meet you all," Bella said, smiling warmly.

Santiago took Bella's hand and kissed it gallantly, causing Chelsea to roll her eyes and laugh. "You are most enchanting, Bella."

"Come on, Santi, don't scare the poor girl," Heidi said with a chuckle. "Let's get going."

Bella climbed into the backseat with Heidi while Felix got behind the wheel and Chelsea took the passenger seat. She noticed they were driving a sleek and modern European car that she didn't recognize. Her knowledge of cars was mainly limited to American models.

Renata, Afton, and Santiago followed behind them in a similar high-end car.

As they pulled out of the garage at a breakneck pace, Bella couldn't help but ask where they were heading. "It's a club called 'Spirit Run'. It's mostly a dance club, but it's owned by a vampire, so they serve real blood to us. It's great," Heidi said with a grin.

Bella was intrigued but hesitant. "Really? You know I've never tasted human blood before. I'll have to think about that."

"So, what do you and Chelsea do for the Volturi? And how long have you been with them?" Bella was intrigued to learn about her new acquaintances.

"I've been with them since around 1200 AD," said Chelsea. "My gift allows me to influence the bonds and feelings between vampires. It comes in handy when dealing with unruly vampires or covens that are not following the law."

Heidi chimed in. "And I've been with the Volturi since the mid-1500s. My gift is persuasion. I can get anyone to do what I want by simply asking them."

"No shit! That's pretty cool. Give it a shot on me." Bella wanted to see if it would work with regards to herself.

"Bella, please tell me a secret you've never told anyone else." Heidi said looking at Bella intently.

Bella analyzed if she felt anything. She didn't. Her shield must have triumphed once again.

"Sorry Heidi you'll have to know me a little better before I start dropping secrets on you." Bella said with a laugh.

"Wow, that's impressive. Can you shield other vampires with your power?" Heidi asked, impressed.

"Sure, give it a try on Felix or Chelsea. I think you'll find that it won't work anymore," Bella said, covering the others with her power.

As Heidi tried and failed to persuade Felix and Chelsea, they all congratulated Bella on her abilities. Felix then asked where she had been for the past 500 years and joked that he could have used her help.

They continued to chat and have a good time until they arrived at the club.

When they entered the club, Bella was struck by the pulsating beat of the music and the colorful lights illuminating the dance floor. The air was thick with the scent of sweat, which seemed to fuel the frenzied dancers moving to the beat. The group led Bella up to a private booth on the second floor, where they could observe the lively scene from above.

The music was a mix of techno and EDM, with a pounding bass that shook the floor beneath their feet. Bella felt her body vibrating with the rhythm and couldn't resist tapping her foot to the beat. The crowd was mostly all humans but Bella did see a few vampires in the crowd, all dancing and having a good time, oblivious to the existence of the supernatural creatures in their midst.

As they settled into their seats, Felix ordered 7 bottles of "Cinder Red" from the waitress.

"So Bella was showing us some of what she could do in the car. It was quite impressive. It seems mental powers don't work on her at all," Heidi said, propping Bella up to the others.

"Really," Afton said, standing up and walking to the other side of the room. "Let's see if mine works on you."

"Ok, I'm ready. What can you do?" Bella asked confidently.

Everyone started laughing, but Bella didn't understand what was so funny.

"My hubby can turn invisible, but it looks like you saw him the whole time. We did not," Renata said.

"Damn, I would have liked to see that one work. It would have been so cool," Bella said, expressing her disappointment at not seeing someone turn invisible.

The waitress then came into their room bringing the bottles and seven glasses. Felix opened the first bottle and began pouring for everyone. "Have you decided if you want one, Bella?" he asked.

Bella could smell the human blood and it did smell good. "Do they have a bunch of humans in the back room strapped up like a tap or something?" Bella asked, wanting to know what she was getting involved in.

Everyone laughed and Chelsea said, "No, but that would be funny. The owner has worked out deals with blood banks to take the extra that they can't use. No one was harmed, Bella."

Bella thought it over for a second, but didn't see anything wrong with it. "Okay, I'll try it, but if I get hooked on this stuff, it's all your guys' fault. I can't believe it, the peer pressure got to me, and I didn't even last one day," Bella said, smiling as the others laughed.

Bella tasted the blood and was amazed at how much better it tasted than deer. She thought the Cullens were right when they said the real stuff was so much better. After having three glasses, Bella realized something. "Shit, my eyes aren't going to turn red from this, are they? The Cullens would shit a brick if I came back with red eyes."

"A few glasses won't do anything, Bella. You would need to drink human blood constantly for a couple of weeks for your eyes to be like ours," Felix reassured her.

"Good to know. I'll take another glass then." Bella said tipping her empty glass to Felix who grabbed the next bottle.

Soon Bella found herself on the dance floor, she could feel the thrill of the music coursing through her veins. Her movements were fluid, and she knew she could dance for hours without getting tired. The vampires and humans she was dancing with were all laughing and having a great time. Even Renata and Afton, who had been reserved at the beginning of the night, were now on the dance floor along with Bella, letting loose.

Bella had to admit, the human blood had given her an extra boost of energy, but she didn't feel like she was addicted to it. That was a relief after hearing some of Jasper's stories about his struggles. She was just having a good time, and the others seemed to be enjoying her company as well.

As the night wore on, Bella lost track of time. She danced with everyone, trying out new moves and laughing with her newfound friends. It wasn't until the first light of dawn began to peek through the windows that they realized it was time to leave.

Bella thanked everyone for the amazing night and promised to hang out with them more during her stay with the Volturi. As she made her way back to her room, she couldn't help but smile at the thought of the fun she had just had. It was an unexpected night, but one that she was glad she had been a part of.