Hello! here another chapter.

I hope you like this as well, even though is not as long as the one before ;)

Beware, I think next chapter will have a spicy scene *fans herself and screams excitedly*

PLEASE READ: I want to clarify something I realize while writing this chapter. So, in cannon twilight, Didyme was killed by Aro in the year 1000 BC. BUT in my fic, she was writing about Garrett, who was born around 1700s so, of course, Didyme couldn't have died a thousand years before this event if she was writing about it. So, for all intents and purposes, Didyme died after she found out about Garrett, so she died at least 200 years ago. In my fic Aro didn't kill her.

That's all :)

Also, since work is bound to become more chaotic as my responsibilities increase, I think I will limit my updates to the weekends. I can't promise updates during the week, as much as I would love to do it. But your comments and DMs make me happy, keep them coming.

Enjoy.

THE LOCKET.

Chapter 14.

Didyme roamed the castle as a ghost, looking after her most esteemed court members and pining after her mate. She missed him so much.

When Bella arrived, vulnerable, alone, and wearing that locket, she knew she had to do everything she could to protect her and nurture that soft side.

It was a good coincidence that Jane enjoyed working for Marcus and his infinite collection of biographies and genealogy trees. It was a stroke of luck that she was left alone in the library. She was surprised by the trust her brother showed, which made it more important to protect Bella from Aro's machinations.

She loved her brother, but he loved playing games and using people as pawns. Bella was too sweet and had experienced too much heartache. So it didn't bother her when she found her secret alcove. She could have scared her out of the room, infiltrated her dreams, and manipulated her mind into letting go of what she saw, but something told her she was trustworthy.

So she masked her scent. She had noticed the tracker's attention on her and was wary of it. He was a nice enough man, but he was the head of the guard, and Bella was basically Bambi.

So for the first two weeks, she masked Bella's scent, allowing her to roam freely wherever she wanted without anyone tailing her. This gave Bella time to learn a lot about herself, her family, and Didyme.

She kept her influence on the girl even when Bella accepted the boys' advances. They seemed to have her best interest at heart, so she relaxed in their presence and wandered off whenever Bella was with them. The same applied when Renata and Jane were present. She trusted them.

Still, she felt overly protective of Bella, and when she decided to go through with the change, Didyme took it as her cue to make her presence known.

It's not as if she could do a lot. She was a ghost, and so far, she hadn't left the castle since there had been no need. And it was not as if she could sense the future or had a warning ghost gift. But there was something that compelled her to stay by her side.

Bella slipped out of the training room and sought refuge in Didyme's hideout. There she let go of the surprise she'd held onto while in the presence of five other vampires. She sagged on Didyme's chair, muttering nonsense a mile a minute. It was a good thing vampires didn't need to breathe.

"What?" It was all she managed to ask.

"Surprise?" Didyme asked sarcastically, holding her hands palms up in front of her and shrugging her shoulders. "Let me explain before you decide to freak out."

Hearing a woman that had been dead for a few hundred years say the words 'freak out' was bizarre. The entire situation was so bizarre. She had so many questions, but her brain and mouth were not connecting. Truthfully, her brain was still in loading mode.

"I want to protect you." Bella's eyebrows shot up.

"Protect me from what? From whom?"

Didyme shrugged. The less information she gave her, the less at risk she was. "Let's just say that there are certain vampires too hungry for power and vengeance."

She was making no sense. She only knew of one vampire that wanted revenge, and so far, there hadn't been a sniff of her after the event on the cliffs. Laurent was dead, courtesy of the wolves. And she could protect herself, or at least, she could learn to. She would not depend on anyone else to eliminate the threats against her life. Not again. Not anymore.

"I can handle Victoria."

Didyme shook her head. "I'm not talking about the read-head."

Bella narrowed her eyes. "Is there anyone else I have offended that wishes to seek revenge on me?" She only knew the Cullens and James' coven. She hadn't had contact with Jasper's friends or the Alaskan 'relatives' from the Cullens. Whom could she have offended in the short time she'd known about vampires?

"Who?"

"I don't know. But I only know the redhead is not your only problem."

"Ok. We can come back to that later. Why can I see you? How is it that I can see you? I'm betting that the others cannot."

"You're on track, asking the right questions." Bella rolled her eyes. "You've been speaking to me, in your mind and out loud, since you found my alcove. It was time I returned the favor."

Bella still didn't know what to say. She had three mates with tons of experience in hand-to-hand combat and many other things that were possibly beyond Bella's wildest imagination. She didn't want to be ungrateful to the Lady, but she wasn't sure she needed a ghostly bodyguard.

"You've also been a ray of sunshine in Marcus' life, and you've been taking care of my things without expecting anything in return. You're kind and selfless. So whatever magic allowed me to make myself present to you is worth it. You're worth it." Bella smiled softly at her kind words. She could see why Marcus had fallen in love with her. She was kind and had this sort of light that shone from within.

"Thank you." Because what else is one supposed to say to such a thing?

"Don't thank me yet. I have done a few tricks that you probably won't like." Bella waited for her to elaborate. "I masked your scent and the sound of your heartbeat since you discovered this room." Now that explained why no one could smell her, and now she understood Demetri's panic—her poor mate.

"If Demetri had been human, you would have given him a lot of grey hair with that stunt."

Didyme smiled cheekily. Bella's devotion to her mates was beautiful, and it was time someone taught some humility to those boys.

"Can I tell them that I see you?" She had never lied to them. Well, she hadn't told them a few things, but they were silly little things, like being kidnapped by your best friends at an ungodly hour. But other than that, she'd always been honest with them and didn't want this hanging over her head.

"It's your choice. I don't mind either way."

Bella smiled and left the alcove, intent on returning to the training room and knocking some sense into her overachiever but well-intended mates.

…

…

…

One perk of Bella being a vampire now was that the mating bond had somehow calmed a little bit. They knew it still bothered Bella, but it had been worse when she had been a human. The constant tugging and longing to be in her presence had dimmed considerably now that Bella was no longer scarily fragile.

But still, they were pretty attuned to her movements, which is why it didn't take long for Demetri, Alec, and Felix to notice that Bella had slipped away while they had been busy discussing among themselves. She was a sneaky little thing.

"I'll look for her." Felix offered, hiding his amusement.

He hadn't liked that she'd slipped away in the middle of training, but he found it funny that they had lowered their guard long enough for a damn newborn to slip away. If Caius finds out, their asses will be handed to them.

Felix walked into the library just as she headed out of the alcove. "What's in there that has you so interested?"

Just like the first time he asked, she answered. "None of your concern."

He frowned. "Everything you do is my concern."

She smiled sweetly while she closed the distance between them. "Not this."

His frown deepened. "Are you mad at me?"

"No. I'm not. Why would you think that?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. In turn, he encased her waist.

"The last time I asked you what you were doing in there, you answered the same, but you were angry with me that time."

She pressed a kiss to his delicious lips. "I promise I'm not angry with you. I would tell you if I were. This is not my secret to tell."

He observed her for a few seconds before conceding. "Is there a reason you slipped away from your training?"

Oh oh! Warrior Felix was coming out. She had to admit that it was sexy. Since she had handed him her body and soul that night, she hadn't had the time nor the mental stability to revive it, but she wanted another go of him, of that sweet domination.

"I didn't particularly care to hear which of my mates was getting electrocuted first."

Felix wrinkled his nose. When put like that, it did sound awful.

"I understand it was your decision to volunteer, and I accept that. I don't like seeing you get hurt, that's all." She untangled herself, grabbed his hand, and led him out of the room.

Didyme walked with her.

"You don't need to come. They're harmless." Yes, Didyme had made it her after-life mission to guard her life. And they could communicate mentally. Apparently, it wasn't specifically a gift since she could only see the lady and not every other vampire or human who had died in this place. Well, it's not as if she had paid too much attention since waking up a week or so ago. She hoped this was an anomaly, a glitch in the matrix.

"I will come nonetheless."

"They'd never hurt me." Bella took insult to Didyme's insistence on joining her party.

"I'm still coming."

Stubborn ghost. "Please. I want my privacy with my mates. Go spook yours."

"Not how it works." But she disappeared, giving Bella what she'd requested.

She walked into her room, sat in one of the loveseats that decorated the sitting area of her bedroom and texted her other two mates to come to her room.

They greeted her with a peck on the lips each as if they hadn't seen her a few hours before. She was left feeling tingly and bodyless for a few seconds.

"I want you to withdraw from my gift training." She said once she recovered.

"No." Felix said. Fuck, not the time for her to be aroused by warrior-trainer Felix coming out.

"It's not a request." She refuted.

"And it's not an option leaving you alone. So, no."

Bella stood up and walked up to him. "I'm not a damsel in distress. I need you to back away from this training. You'll still have the hand-to-hand combat." Her eyes pleaded for his understanding.

"I said no."

As easy as her arousal arrived, as easy it went. Felix had the uncanny ability to make her laugh and feel like the most cherished woman on earth. But he also had the uncanny ability to piss her off and make her want to punch him in the face and damn the consequences.

"How long do you think it will take him to realize he's been thrown out of the window without anyone touching him?" Didyme huffed next to her, leveling Felix with a glare he was unaware of.

Bella suppressed a laugh, choosing to ignore the fact that Didyme had not followed Bella's request. Apparently, this was a fight she was not going to win. But she'd have to establish hard limits with the Lady eventually.

Shadows erupted suddenly from Alec's outstretched hands, engulfing Felix's senses and paralyzing him completely. She had seen Alec in action during her first hunt, but seeing him using it on one of his best friends made her uncomfortable. She didn't like seeing Felix resemble a statue.

She raised an eyebrow at Alec. He shrugged. "He's being an ass."

Bella snorted; if he had to freeze either of her mates for being an ass, he'd spent eternity in shadows. "Release him, please." She asked softly. "And please, don't use your gifts with each other like that. If he has something to say, I want him to feel safe enough to do it. I can handle him."

Didyme huffed next to her but remained silent.

Alec let go of his shadows, and Felix growled. "Don't fucking do that again."

"I'll do it whenever necessary to keep you from putting your feet in your mouth. You're welcome." Alec nodded at her, indicating he'd heed her request to never use his gift on them.

Felix rolled his eyes and turned to Bella. "No." He said again.

Bella snorted. Explaining it would work better than this 'Yes' and 'No' fight.

"I understand it was your decision to volunteer, and I respect it. I don't like it, but I respect your choice to make it." They all nodded. This was progress; after all, they had been all pro-choice since Bella came into their lives. Choice was a concept they could understand. "That being said. How would you feel if I volunteered to ask Jane to fry me so you could do something?"

"It's different. Jane doesn't affect you." Felix fought again.

She briefly wondered why Demetri and Alec were so quiet.

"That's not the point. Suppose she could. How would you feel seeing me in pain if you failed whatever task you needed to achieve to keep me from being hurt? Physically or mentally."

Demetri's eyes widened, and his frame shuddered. Whatever had crossed his mind hadn't been pleasant.

"I'd hate to see you in pain because of me." Alec whispered.

"Exactly. I hate the thought of you suffering, even if Jane is being generous and just using a tiny bit of her gift. I hate that you would suffer indefinitely because I can't master my shield." Felix's shock registered in his eyes. "Please, don't ask me to see you in pain." Her voice wavered, the vampire version of being on the brink of tears.

Felix cursed under his breath, and his shoulders sagged. "Sorry, princess. I didn't see it like that." He closed the space and tucked her against his chest. "I feel like an ass now."

She hugged him back. "You'll always be my ass."

"That's my cue to leave."

"I told you I could handle him. He's stubborn, but he came with a manual."

Didyme chuckled and disappeared through the wall.

Fucking weird.

"If you want to be present during that training, I don't mind, as long as you don't ask Jane to hurt you." She negotiated from Felix's chest.

Demetri closed the space between them and tilted Bella's chin with his index. "I understand. I won't do it again." He sealed his promise with a sweet kiss.

Alec came in next. It was getting crowded with Felix not letting go and Demetri tightly pressed against one of her sides, but somehow, she managed to give Alec her undivided attention.

"If Jane uses her gift on me, it won't be because I asked her to in order to help you train. I can't promise I won't piss her off occasionally and that she'll retaliate, I live to piss my sister off." Bella giggled and nodded. She could accept that.

"Thank you for understanding."

Demetri kissed her temple, unable to get his lips or hands off her. His sweet torment. She had come a long way from being the girl who had used her best friends kidnapping her as an excuse to get some space. He was happy she had chosen to speak with them.

"Let's get something to eat. I'm hungry." He stepped away from his mate but extended a hand to her in invitation.

She smiled at him, and his dead heart sang. Whenever she directed that smile at him, he felt like he was the luckiest man on earth. The sheer happiness that coursed through his veins had no comparison/

…

…

…

Two months later, they were once again prowling the streets of Volterra in search of a tasty snack. Bella had finally mastered her strength, no longer ripping half her clothes while putting them on. But she was still emotionally unstable. If you made her angry, she would rip whatever was in her hands. If you made her happy, the same thing would happen. They guys were enjoying the new developments.

Bella hadn't talked with them again about sex, and they were more than ok with waiting until she felt ready to be with them, body and soul. She bore their mating mark, but she knew they were itching to mark her in a different context. She wanted that as well. Every day she felt more like herself. Her brain was no longer buzzing as intensely as before; her sessions with Renata helped her drain that source of power. She had had minor advances in the shield department. She had managed to shield only her three mates for short periods of time.

Instead of recruiting Jane to prove her advances, she requested Alec to let go of his mist. She screeched happily when he told her he couldn't do anything. Bella had explained that she could see her three men inside a bubble where nothing could hurt them or her.

Every day since then, she'd tried to expand it, but that hadn't borne the same fruits. She was content for now to be able to shield her mates. Aro was happy with the progress but wanted more. He wanted her to shield more than three people at the time.

"Sometimes, I wonder if he has nothing else to do." Didyme had complained one day when Aro showed up for a week straight to her training sessions, both hand-to-hand combat and shield training.

Bella laughed at her and shrugged.

She still hadn't told her mates about Didyme. But she would after this hunt. Now that she was better at shielding and not a pathetic excuse for a newborn that couldn't land a kick, she felt empowered. And she was dying to see her mates' faces when they heard about a ghost.

"Hello, Bella." She turned around fast, coming face to face with Edward.

Alec had been with her while Demetri and Felix hunted their prey a few streets below. Still within hearing range, at least.

"Edward. What are you doing here?"

"I don't like him. Stay close to Alec." Didyme pressed.

Bella didn't need Didyme's weird sixth sense to feel the wrongness of the situation. It wasn't a coincidence that he'd stopped her mid-hunt, at night, instead of going to the castle like a normal person would do.

Alec stepped closer to her, and Bella had the sudden image of Alec in leather, with a sword hanging at his hips. His stance as protective as it was now, but instead of fisting his hands, he would have one hand on his sword, ready to unsheathe it and deliver her from her enemy.

"I want to speak with you." He eyed Alec up and down as if assessing him, which was stupid because Alec had many centuries on him and more experience with the world than Carlisle had. Bella remembered that Edward's only interaction with Alec had been the day she came to Volterra to save him, when he had teased Jane about the half other vampire she'd found.

"Speak. You have my attention."

"Do you have bodyguards now?" He pointed to the roof behind them with a tilt of her chin. Bella didn't need to turn to know that her other two mates were perched on the roof above her head, allowing them a strategic position in case Edward decided to do something stupid.

Bella checked her shield, noticing it was firmly in place. Good. Edward wouldn't be able to read her men's minds.

"They're not my bodyguards." She said cryptically.

Edward always said he was good at reading her body language. But she wasn't so sure anymore.

"If they're not bodyguards, I don't see the reason for them being defensive."

Bella shrugged, acting as nonchalant as she could. "They do whatever they want."

Edward stepped closer to her and immediately had two other vampires before him. They had stepped in front of Bella, not shielding her from his sight but clearly showing they were there to protect her.

Just like that first day at the castle, Felix smiled menacingly, Alec remained silent and expressionless, and Demetri was the spokesman for the men. It was their dynamic when facing a threat like Edward.

"I thought they weren't your bodyguards." Edward smiled bitterly, taunting Bella and her guards.

"They're not. But they're still Volturi guards. I can't fault them for following their instincts and protecting one of their own." Alec was so proud of how Bella handled the situation: her calm, ease, and vague words toward her ex-boyfriend.

Edward frowned at her words, hating that she was one of them now. Since they were hunting, they weren't wearing any Volturi cloaks. Bella had earned hers the first time she could bring Alec down on the mats. They might be vampires with super senses and super balance, but they were not immune to another vampire beating them. Bella hadn't brought Alec down again, but for Aro and the other two rulers, once had been enough, apparently.

Felix stepped back and passed his arms around Bella's shoulders. She sagged against him and offered him a slight smile, forgetting for a few seconds who was in front of her. Edward's frown deepened, which didn't sit well with Alec. Instinctively, he stepped closer to her, brushing his arm to hers. She squeezed his bicep, but other than that, she didn't offer any other affectionate gesture. Information was power, and Edward would not have this kind of information.

But Edward was not stupid; he noticed Demetri's protective stance and how his body was angled toward the petite vampire behind him. "So, he's your mate." He pointed to Demetri but spoke to Bella.

"I am." Demetri confirmed what the idiot had noticed. Bella frowned and stepped forward, worried about her mate. She took his hand and tugged it. Demetri's expression softened when he beheld Bella but hardened again when looking at Edward.

Felix and Alec were good at not showing how their instincts were screaming to put their mate behind them and snarl at Edward. He hadn't done anything besides spewing a few words, but they recognized the unknown threat he was.

"Are you all mated?" He hadn't missed how they all protected her and how Demetri hadn't cared how touchy the other two were. He knew enough about mates to know this wasn't normal behavior. Not even Carlisle was as lenient with physical touch from other men towards Esme.

"Yes. We all have a mate." Alec answered. Bella's mouth twitched with humor. "Say what you came here to say and leave."

"Victoria knows you're here."

Bella gasped, and her eyes widened, her mask falling apart. "Did you tell her?"

"No. But she has enough contacts around. Perhaps one of their mates told her."

"He is as oblivious as he is stupid." Didyme was rounding Edward, assessing him from head to toe. Whatever she found in him made Edward public enemy number 1 in Didyme's eyes.

Bella sometimes forgot that she was older than her mate; she had been born before Christ, so she knew a lot about traitors and threats.

Alec and Felix growled for show.

"Good job on your shield, by the way. I can't hear anything from any of you." His words sounded sincere.

Bella nodded, acknowledging the praise. Edward turned around without further words as if wanting to have the last word. But she would not allow that. She was positive he was the cause behind Victoria knowing she was there.

"Edward?" She called, and he turned around. "The Volturi don't give second chances. Keep that in mind." He looked startled but nodded.

When he was sure Edward was out of hearing range, Demetri growled: "That could have been a phone call." Bella giggled. He was the most territorial of her mates, and she absolutely loved it. She hoped to put that pent-up aggression to good use soon.

"Let's go home."