Hello! Another chapter :)

Thank you so much for all the support. the numbers for this story are incredible. I never knew it would be so successful, and it's all thanks to you.

I can give you a sneak peek of a future scene:

One look at Jane from him, and he was snarling and lunging for her.

Bella didn't have to react or interfere. He moved faster than she'd seen a vampire move. And just as fast, he swept Jane in his arms, growling, "mine." And ran inside that cabin.

Oooohh I'm evil with that teaser, especially when I know it's still at least two chapters away.

I hope you liked the teaser and that you like this chapter :)

Lots of love to you all.

THE LOCKET.

Chapter 19.

After a few more minutes of discussing the logistics of their new mission, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone left. However, Felix had been too curt and too authoritative towards Bella during the meeting. He was in full soldier mode, and while she understood the need to compartmentalize, she needed to know what else was bothering her mate. Especially when she reached the door, and Felix had turned his back on them. He never turned his back on them. Bella knew without knowing that he always watched her leave.

Bella tugged on Alec's hand to catch his attention. He turned, and she said, "Wait for me in your room."

The vampire nodded, pressed a kiss to her forehead, and left, leaving her alone with Felix.

She approached her mate and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, resting her face between his shoulder blades.

"Talk to me." It was clear something was bothering him. She hated seeing him that way.

He was her sunny mate, her teasing giant—the one to whom she chose to give her virginity.

He was tense underneath her. She couldn't remember one time in their short time of knowing each other when he was tense with her. Quite the opposite, actually.

"I failed you."

She frowned and stepped around to look him in the face. "Explain, please."

His face hung with shame.

"I promised to keep you safe, and I failed you." He greeted his teeth so hard that had he been human; he would have shattered them. "It's my job to gather intelligence and plan strategies, and I was blind to the mess in the U.S. I failed to see that Kane was a snake. And I failed you."

Bella's heart broke for her giant. She stepped closer and encased his face between her hands, forcing his head up and his stare to meet hers. She smiled sweetly at him, but he was still frowning, shame dancing in his eyes.

"You did not fail me." She said slowly. "You can take those words out of your dictionary." His lips tugged upwards at the command in her voice. "I'm serious. No one thought about the army in the US. We all thought it made sense that she got rid of that one to build the one in here. I knew she was cunning and smart; I should have also suspected that she gave up too easily."

"You're a newborn, princess. You are not supposed to be a strategist. You are not supposed to think like an experienced vampire. It's my job to be the second in command. I report to Demetri about intelligence."

Bella shook her head. It was clear that she was not going to convince him of the contrary. He was too stubborn, and he was feeling shame.

"Fine. But for the record, I still think you did not fail me. I hate that you think that way. But if it brings peace to your soul. I forgive you." She caressed his cheeks.

He dropped a kiss to her lips and then pressed their foreheads together. "You are too good to be true."

"Ditto." He chuckled softly into her lips. "I love you. Please talk to me next time. I hate seeing you brood."

He nodded. He still thought he had failed that beautiful woman in his arms, and he would hand her the head of the bastard that had betrayed them, and then he would make sure every bastard who thought they could harm her paid the hefty price.

"You have a murderous glint in your eyes. What are you thinking?"

"I'll bring you Kane's head." He promised.

Bella's eyes widened, but she knew better than to try and dissuade him. Felix was serious about his promises. And Kane's head was a promise. She shuddered at the thought of Felix severing Kane's head. She didn't want Felix to feel that murderous rage that was surely boiling inside him. But this was his way of proving to her that he could protect her and eliminate any threat toward her. This was a mate male proving his worth to his mate female. She couldn't deny him that. So, she nodded slowly.

"Go." He nudged her gently toward the door.

She frowned playfully. "Are you throwing me out again?" She teased despite herself.

"No. But I would like to be alone." He needed to sort himself out, and he needed the space.

"Ok. But come find me later if you want to talk." She crossed the space and hugged him. He hugged her back.

"Enjoy your time with Alec. I'll be fine." He kissed her forehead and nudged her toward the door again. When she reached the door, he called after her. She turned and gasped at the words that left his mouth. "I want you naked in bed with the three of us." She nodded and scurried away.

Before going to Alec, she passed by Demetri's room to check on him. "Hey there." She peaked her head in. "Can I come in?"

Demetri rolled his eyes. "You never have to ask that here." She skipped inside and settled on his lap. "What brings you here, sweetheart? I thought you would be with Alec by now."

Yeap, Alec's territorial claim hadn't been lost on her other two mates. "I wanted to check up on you before going to Alec."

He kissed her shoulder with a smile. "I'm pissed we didn't realize sooner that we had a traitor, but I find comfort in the thought that the bastard won't live for much longer."

"Felix claimed his head already."

Demetri nodded as if they were discussing travel plans and not severing someone's head. "Good. We're on the same page, then."

She sighed. Apparently, this is what betraying the Volturi looked like. They really did not give second chances.

"You're ok, then?" She caressed his cheek, delighting in the light that popped up in his eyes at the gesture.

"I promise I'm fine. Go enjoy your time with Alec, and don't worry about us." He pecked her lips and pushed her up gently, smacking her ass and making her jump away.

"Brute." His chuckle followed her to the hallway.

Two mates down, one to go.

…

…

…

"Finally, darling. I was starting to think you had stood me up." He teased with an easy grin from his bed. He put down his Kindle, giving her all his attention.

"Sorry, Felix was feeling murderous, and Demetri was pissed. I wanted to check on them both before locking you up."

He smirked. He let her pretend she had control of this situation. She had no idea what awaited her. He'd been dying to play with her with his shadows. He'd never used them during sex before because that was always something he had reserved for her, for his mate.

"How are you feeling?" She asked with those innocent big eyes that drove him crazy.

He took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm angry that, having the experience I have, I completely missed the signs."

It was sad that the predominant feeling in her mates was of failure, to themselves or her. She wanted to take the guilt and the frustration away from them. Make them forget those words and never utter them again. She should have suspected something was up when Edward's involvement was confirmed and when Victoria gave up an army so easily and adjusted her plans so quickly. She had also missed the signs, but it wasn't her fault. She could not control how others acted, only how she reacted.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head. Talk to me." Alec's voice brought her back.

"I'm thinking that you three carry too much guilt about what happened. It's no one's fault that we missed the signs. We all wanted this to be over, and I hate that you think you failed somehow. It makes me sad."

Alec smiled gently. "You are too good sometimes." He meant it as a compliment, for sure. "We feel guilty because we want to protect you, and we feel like we failed at that. As if we let you down. That's what I'm feeling, what Felix is thinking, and what has Demetri pissed for sure. You're not only our mate but also the most important thing in our lives, and we failed to see the threat against you."

"I understand that, but I don't feel like you failed me. If anything, I feel like you avenged me somehow, that you're getting rid of the threat while I mostly do nothing."

Alec nodded. "It's hard for us, darling. Be patient with us. It's not easy being betrayed, meaning that the love of your existence is in danger once more."

Bella nodded, and a smile stretched across her lips. With everything going on, she wasn't sure if she'd ever heard those words from his lips. Yes, he'd told her he loved her, but hearing those extra words felt like being on a cloud. "The love of your existence, huh?"

He smiled cheekily and closed the distance, stealing a breathtaking kiss from her. "The love of my life, my existence, my eternity." He whispered against her lips.

"That's a long time." She rounded his neck with her hands.

"It's too short a measure for how much I love you." The intensity in his eyes was amazing.

"Show me." She breathed.

In seconds, he had her pinned against the bed, his hands holding hers above her head. Suddenly tendrils of shadows surrounded them. Bella gasped, the shadows were not touching her, but they hung up in the air like smoke tentacles waiting for the command. "Do you like my shadows?"

"They're very interesting." She managed to say. She'd fantasized a lot about what those shadows could do.

One shadow arm raked across her chest, ripping her shirt in the middle, exposing her bra. Green, her favorite color.

"I'm going to enjoy this little show of fucking you with my shadows and loving you with my cock."

God, how could someone be so dirty and so romantic at the same time?

The same shadow arm that had ripped her shirt ripped her bra, exposing her breast to his eyes. Her nipples were hard, and her breasts felt heavy. His eyes devoured her whole, and she could feel herself getting wetter every second. She needed him. However he decided to take her; she needed it.

She arched her back, trying to show her without words that he should move the fuck now, or else she would spontaneously combust.

"Patience, darling." His voice was barely a whisper but held so many promises.

The shadow arm that had ripped her shirt and bra raked down her exposed torso to her jeans. Surprisingly, Alec did not rip the jeans like he'd made the shadow do. The shadow unbuttoned her jean and lowered the zipper with exasperating slowness.

"Lift your ass." She did as instructed, and Alec removed the jeans and her matching green panties. "Fucking gorgeous." He grunted.

Who would have thought such a sweet, quiet man would become such a playful, dirtily romantic guy in bed?

He used his shadows to twist her nipples and squeeze her breasts while his actual fingers went to her core and massaged her clit in circles. His tongue was stationed in her mouth, and he was using it to kiss the ever-living hell out of her.

She was so stimulated that all she could do was moan, gasp in his mouth, and tug at the hair at the nape of his neck.

He kept playing with his shadows like that for a while. He kept his fingers on her clit, not entering her yet.

"That's it, darling." He murmured against her lips when her moans became whimpers, and her body tensed with the oncoming orgasm. "I want to hear you scream and moan my name."

She tugged harder at his hair, chasing his lips in a desperate kiss. His lips were like a drug of which she never could get enough.

Soon after he murmured those words, she felt her orgasm shoot through her body. His shadows unrelenting in their ministrations. She could go on forever, not get tired, and not need any time to recover.

"Good girl." Oh, sweet lord! Those words and his shadows out of control were almost enough to get her over the top again.

"Not yet, sweet girl. Your second orgasm will be brought by my tongue."

And so, true to his word, Alec went down on her. His tongue circling her center. His hands somehow had encased hers above her head once more. So, the digit she felt scurrying between her folds, spreading her wetness around, and swiftly entering had to be one of his shadows.

Who could have known that getting fucked by a man that can wield shadows would be so damn hot?

"Oh, God!" She moaned. He had inserted another shadow inside her, so now it felt like she had two fingers inside her, plus his tongue working wonders on her clit and more shadows caressing her torso.

It was one of the most erotic experiences of her life -not that she had had many.

He stopped. "Not God, darling. Alec"

She moaned, frustrated. "Fuck, Alec. Don't stop."

He smiled. "That's my girl."

She wanted to smile back, kiss him, and never let go, but she was so immersed in the pleasure he gave her that she barely knew up from down.

"Alec, please." She arched her back, close to coming again. She could feel her toes curling, her lower belly tensing with the upcoming wave of pleasure. This only made him fuck her clit faster and tease her entrance with those shadow fingers.

"Oh, God. Oh, God." She whimpered as she came.

Alec's shadows left her body while he released her hands. He didn't give her much time to compose.

"Are you ok?" He wanted to fuck her senseless, to leave her smelling like him for days. He wanted his scent to mark her body, to mix with hers. Her body, her sounds, her mind, her everything was like a balm for his soul. Too long, he felt inadequate for having a mind-numbing gift. For too long, he felt like he didn't entirely belong. Until she came along and gave him a home. Until she came, gave him light, and brought him closer to his friends and sister.

He'd told her that eternity would not be enough time with her, and he meant it. She meant the entire world, universe, and if there was something bigger than the universe, that too she meant for him.

He would give her the world, the moon, the planets, and every damn grain of sand one by one on every beach if she wanted it. He would make her the happiest woman on earth. She would live forever and ever without worry in her mind.

A close ally had betrayed them, and her life was once more in danger, but he would not back down until every damn bastard who had dared to think ill of her was dead.

"Hey." Her soft voice took him out of his dark thoughts. "Come back to me."

His eyes focused on her face again. Love and lust shone in equal measure in her ruby-red eyes.

"There you are." She hooked her legs on his waist, bringing him closer to her. His cock aligning with her entrance, making them both groan. "I thought you promised to fuck me with your shadows and love me with your cock. I believe the first part of that was fulfilled, now show me what you've got."

"Your wish is my command, baby."

He rubbed his cock on her entrance, spreading the wetness accumulated from her orgasms and his ministrations. It was an unnecessary step to take since she was so slick. He had done an excellent job with his shadows.

"Now, Alec." She growled her order.

Fuck if he didn't find it hot that she ordered him.

He entered her in one go. She screamed in delight at his size. He was thinner than Felix and Demetri, but he definitely did not lack size. She felt her walls stretching, and his balls hit the sides of her pussy. He was fully sheathed, and he felt terrific.

"I want you to scream my name. I don't care if the damn castle falls down." He groaned.

"Fuck yes!" She screamed when he got out and slammed back inside.

He started a brutal, punishing rhythm, but at some point, she turned them over, getting on top. Felix and Demetri were too dominant, but Alec was the right amount of dominant and sweet. He let her believe she had the upper hand, just to snatch it away and enjoy her surprise when he turned them again.

"I'll enjoy you riding me. But right now, I'm the one loving you and fucking you." He kissed her lips with a sweet kiss that contradicted his brutal thrusts.

She giggled at his impatience. Alec was not a patient man when aroused. She would enjoy getting a reaction from him another time. She loved how he was brutal with his thrusts, but his kisses remained gentle and sweet.

"I love you so damn much." He whispered in her ear before placing a kiss on her temple.

She grabbed his face and pulled it to hers to kiss him. "Make me yours, Alec. Mark me again." She begged.

Alec debated whether he wanted to have her wrist again or mark her neck. But the wrist bared the mark of where he'd made her his for eternity, where his venom had entered her system and mixed with Felix's and Demetri's to claim her to this side of the veil. He would not mark her neck. He would not give her another scar. So, he went for the wrist again and bit down on the mark he'd left there.

He made sure to bite precisely the same place and match the exact spot so that not even one tooth was out of place. He would either mark the exact spot or not mark her at all. It required much concentration, mainly because Bella's pussy was squeezing his dick in a way that made him see stars.

"Forever, darling." He vowed before biting down his mark.

Just like it happened with her other two mates, as soon as Alec bit down and marked her again, the most powerful orgasm of the day took her body, and she screamed Alec's name.

Alec came after a few more thrusts, roaring her name and making the bed shake. Shadow and smoke exploded around them, meaning Alec had lost total control of his gift with his orgasm.

…

…

…

"Are you going to retreat them at some point?" Bella asked lazily.

Once Alec emptied out, he decided he was too comfortable and chose to lay sprawled on top of his mate instead of next to her. His head resting on her stomach while she tugged gently at his hair.

The room was cloaked in shadows and smoke, unable to affect her. Had she been anyone else, she would have been blinded by his power. Having a mental shield came in handy in more situations than in battle and invading mind readers.

"No." He responded. She snorted at the lack of information, and he smiled cockily.

She would never admit it out loud, but she regretted having waited so long to mate with her mates completely. She felt complete for the first time in her life.

Alec had been patient and understanding, but every man had a limit, and smelling the other two scents on her made him jealous and self-conscious. He didn't doubt her love for him, nor doubted her in any way, but he couldn't stop his demand from leaving his lips. He needed her, wanted her, and he would get her. But never by force. He was a patient man, but not having her was starting to hurt.

He'd never said any of this to her because the decision to completely mate with him had to come from her. It had to be done willingly, not because of some supernatural bullshit, but because he would never force himself on his mate or any woman, really.

Lying on top of her after making her scream his name, bare his mark, and smell of him, satisfied an animalistic instinct.

"What are you thinking?" She asked, still tugging pleasantly at his hair.

"I'm thinking of many things at once." He replied cryptically.

She huffed, and he smiled. It drove her crazy when she couldn't satisfy her curiosity.

"I have a question, though." He raised his head and locked their gaze. She nodded, smiling softly at him. "Was I good?"

Bella cocked her head sideways. "What do you mean?"

"When I asked you to come, you'd said it depended on how good I was." Bella snorted.

"Were my screams not indication enough? I think the whole of Volterra heard me." An exaggeration, really, because all the rooms were soundproof. They'd put extra care into that. If even now, with that extra commodity, there was no privacy, it would have been a million times harder to face each other if every damn detail was public knowledge.

He smiled cheekily and dropped a kiss on her stomach.

…

…

…

They laid together for a few hours, enjoying the silence and the comfort of Alec's shadows hanging in the room like puppies. She grew accustomed to them. Alec wielded them at will, so having the shadows and the smoke free in the room was no trouble for him. Trouble came when he had to do something with them.

Three knocks alerted them of Felix. Alec sighed but stood, putting on his pants and calling his shadows back into him. She immediately missed his weight and the presence of the shadows. It felt weird not having them with her.

Still, she stood up and dressed just before Alec opened the door. Felix didn't look happy. If anything, he looked worse than before.

"Aro wants to talk to us." Felix said. His eyes fixed on Bella. She was expecting to find some of that humor that always lingered there, but instead, she was met with a steel wall. Impenetrable. She did not like the distance.

Bella and Alec finished getting ready and left with Felix within five minutes. Bella tried to give Felix some space; he seemed to be dealing with a lot of stuff. She didn't like it, but she would give him the courtesy of not asking until he was ready to talk about it. That wall of steel was warning enough.

Alec raised his brow at her, and she shrugged; he shook his head in return and grabbed her hand, squeezing in support. He knew what Felix's silence did to her.

Soon, they were inside the throne room. Demetri looked like a caged lion. If Felix had been a steel wall, Demetri was a spined fortress, equally impenetrable, but he wore his guards like a second skin. Where Felix was more of a silent brooder, Demetri snarled and growled at the slightest thing. If it weren't physically impossible, she'd say that even the shadows recoiled from Demetri when he was in a mood. Alec's back straightened in alert to his friends' dark mood.

What could have happened in the last few hours that had Demetri and Felix wanting to tear the whole castle down?

"Now that we're all here." Aro started. His usual pomp gone. "Isabella, how good is your shield?"

Bella shrugged. "I can protect myself and my mates with an accuracy of 100%." She still had trouble including more people into that bubble. She'd succeeded sometimes but only managed to hold it for a few minutes. Long exposure was not her forte.

"If your mates weren't with you, could you shield other people?"

"Yes." She'd tried with Jane and Renata, and the efficacy was surprising.

"When you protect your mates, how accurate is your shield to include others?"

Bella was growing weary of this interrogation. Alec's spine was impossibly tight. She noticed the look he sent Demetri and the nod the latter gave. Alec bared his teeth and let out a low growl. He'd understood something that was still lost to her.

"Not good. I can include a few people, but that shield doesn't last long." Her shoulders slumped. She'd really tried to succeed, but between her thirst, and her scattered brain, it was hard to focus enough to have a good master of it.

"Don't slump." Bella had wondered where Didyme had gone. "It's not your fault. Aro wants to seem all-powerful and in control, but it took a long time for him to master his own gift."

Bella sometimes forgot that Didyme had seen every side of Aro: the good, the bad, the stupid, and the amazing. Sometimes, Didyme gave her dirt on Aro and the other two kings. This made the men less intimidating for her.

"Your mates informed us of the battle taking place at your former home." Marcus intervened. "They informed us of your plans as well." Bella nodded, waiting for the blow. This meeting had to be about that. Their plans were about to be brutally shredded. That's why her mates looked murderous.

"You're going to stay here. In your place, we're sending Renata." Caius deadpanned. Brutal, as always.

"Bastard." Didyme growled, and Bella suppressed her smile.

"Felix, Demetri, Alec, Jane, Renata, and Chelsea are the ones going." Of course Chelsea was going. Any other possible toy for Aro to collect had to be identified and manipulated by Chelsea.

They all nodded. These were orders, not suggestions. Bella felt like she was being grounded for being a bad student. She had begged Felix not to leave her behind, and he'd immediately changed the plans. Now, she was to stay in this damn fortress while her mates and her friends risked their lives in a battle that was not theirs.

Aro dismissed them.

…

…

…

Bella sat down in Felix's bed, dazed and shocked at the news, her chest constricting.

Alec sat beside her on one side, Demetri on the other, and Felix crouched before her. There was still a wall of steel in his eyes, but she could see a little door for her and only her.

Felix took her hands in his. "We have to leave in a few minutes. We hate leaving you. My promise to you in that conference room was true, princess. Aro and the other two discussed this independently without our input." Bella frowned, understanding now what that wall of steel was.

"I never thought you had asked them to tell me to stay behind." She squeezed his hand. She saw the relief cross his eyes. He kissed the back of her hands.

She looked from one man to the other. "Please don't do anything stupid." She felt her throat closing in. She had all the faith in the world in their skills. They had centuries to hone their gifts and their techniques. But all it took was one minute for the tides to turn.

"Bring them hell, and then come back to me." She ordered.