Chapter 14:

Erlos and Talia observed their brother and his mate from afar while they went on with their life. School was nearing its end, and so was the upcoming trouble. They both had their own roles to play and soon they were to meet their own soulmates. Everything had to connect to create better peace. To ensure Lucas' true happiness, their own were connected. Even Ariel's happiness even if that was a bit far into her future still. Not that she would notice as time seemed to pass differently for angels as many other creatures.

The two of them were in Seattle doing a bit of clean-up now and then with the demons spawning with the amount of darkness that was for now running around. The fear was thick and there was not much else they could do.

Talia's time was coming to an end as an angel and she gathered a few of her siblings as she made ready to go to Volterra and confront the kings with the ongoing problem and their lack of action. It was only a matter of time before the Cullens would know for sure what was going on and start training. And so Erlos would go to the wolves to make sure they would work together. She really needed the kings to send someone to help, or damn her she would go herself. She wasn't sure who or what her own soulmate was. She only knew that he or she would probably be part of the Volturi as that connection would help in the future. It would overall help if she through her other siblings could create other alliances that could work together for their futures as myths on the earth.

Erlos and Talia embraced for what would be some time to come and she made her descent clear as she and some few of her brothers and sisters accompanied her into the middle of the throne room in Volterra.

"Greetings kings of vampires," she said as she let her gaze quickly take in the room.

The three kings were seated, nearly unmoving but for the fact that they had come and disturbed their peace, all eyes rested on the angels.

Marcus had not planned to move his gaze much as his existence seemed to drag on. The once very strong male vampire had truly fallen far after his mate's demise. Instead he was surprised by the look of other creatures in the middle of the throne room that seemed to have every vampire on edge. One thing was that he could not see their bonds and despite this he had a bond moving towards one of the female angels. It took him by such surprise that when she spoke and met their eyes one by one he could feel the anticipation rise in him.

"Greetings," Aro responded, taking in the angels with high interest.

"Normally we would not interfere in other mythical creatures' business, however, you have been idle too long. Ignoring your own duty to protect your own kind from exposure," Talia spoke while her eyes wandered. They at last rested on the youngest king (physically at least) and she knew right then that all in the end would work out. I see, she thought as she kept the hold of the male whom straightened in his seat. The fog in his eyes seemed to clear and he blinked twice, as if he could scarcely believe what he was seeing. She saw her own bond reach out towards him and a few of her siblings took notice too while the bond seemed to form the first knot that would tie them together.

"I'm not sure we understand," Aro said slowly. His own eyes moving between Marcus and the female angel. Something was going on and he did not like being in the dark. After all the millennia he had been alive, with his gift he was used to know quite a lot. Moving swiftly, he stood by Marcus' throne as the male in question arose as well.

"Marcus," one of the sisters spoke. "Do you accept your new soulmate bond to Talia? Angel and guardian of all life tapestries."

"What is this?" Caius asked aloud, intrigued.

Aro was quick to take Marcus' hand to see what he saw. Intrigued he stepped aside as the other male sent him a glare. Life had seemed to form in his eyes – light that had not been there for a long long time.

"I accept the bond," Marcus responded and hurried to step in front of his new mate.

Talia watched as the bond solidified and she felt it as her newer connection to him opened to her.

"Sister," one of her brothers spoke, she barely heard him over the sensory-overload.

"I'm aware," Talia spoke and let her appearance change to a younger one, not by much, but enough to look like she was in her middle or even early twenties. "I relinquish my wings for a mortal life," she then said, her voice strong. As with Lucas it happened quickly and then she was human.

"Remarkable," Aro muttered and met Caius' eyes.

"How is this possible?" Marcus asked his new mate.

"We have a lot of ground to cover I'm afraid," Talia responded. "First of all, you must change me." She turned to her siblings. "Thank you all for coming with me." She hugged them then before she said while resting her hands on her hips, "You may go now."

"We cannot," Alana spoke. "Not before you are well under the change."

"I see," Talia muttered.

"Do not worry, sister. We will soon be out of your hair." Daniel grinned while pulling in his wings. The rest of their siblings followed.

Caius was not sure if vampires could have a headache, but with the way this day was going he was sure he was having something similar to it.

Aro was excited by the whole show. And he did love a happy ending.

Erlos stood at the beach, seeing some of the kids from the reservation play. He was not sure how many wolves had changed yet, and honestly, it was not what was important. What was important was finding them so he could find his mate (discreetly of course). He would stay there for a good while.

Sam was the first to spot him as he walked together with Emily. He stiffened a bit at the appearance of the angel, but as usual did not feel that he posed any threat. He had a peaceful energy about him. "Can we help you?" he asked.

Emily smiled softly at Sam before she decided to give him a moment with the stranger and was about to step away.

"I can heal you, Emily," Erlos blurted out before Emily had a chance to go. The pressure in his own mind lessened.

"I'm sorry?" She stopped; not sure she could believe her own ears.

"I can heal your scars… If you wish it." He scratched the back of his neck a bit awkwardly. This was not the way he was planning to do things. Oh well, his own plans usually did not work out as he expected anyway. He felt their emotions strongly as they both thought over his words.

"How?" she breathed.

"I'm an angel," Erlos answered with a shrug, as if that explained it all. That Sam had so few expectations after meeting him and Lucas previously only proved how much this was needed.

Sam stared at his love. He did not love her any less for her scars, but he knew they hurt her. For himself it was an ever reminder, something he would never forget. Even if Erlos were to heal them, he would still remember it, always.

Emily stared at Sam whom nodded softly in confirmation at what the man had said. "Will you come back to our place? It will be easier to talk," she then said.

Erlos grinned. "Absolutely! I'm Erlos," he introduced.

"Good to meet you," Emily said, her smile easy.

Erlos found himself liking the community at the reservation. After helping Emily and Sam the few of the others from the pack he had met seemed to accept him without any problem. Of course, his natural abilities would also soothe any doubts, but it did warm his heart. Finding a small cottage close to the beach he had help from some of the males of the pack to bring in furniture and get settled. Whatever he would actually do was a different matter. For now he was content with staying there, while also being close to Lucas. His appearance to be about twenty years old.

He briefly got word that Talia had changed into a vampire and he was looking forward to meet her in her new life. Of course, it would still be some ahead before that, but it helped him settle. Everything was aligning.

"Again," Paul said as the angel once more dodged a hit from the hot-headed wolf.

"You need to calm your breathing. Do not focus on your rage. Calm it and breathe and observe every hit and movement," Erlos instructed.

Jacob, Embry and Quil were watching from the side-lines while Sam and Jared patrolled through the woods and along the borders.

"I don't see what's the point," Embry muttered to his friends.

"It matters so we know what to look out for," Jacob responded, observing with keen eyes.

"I can't wait for my turn!" Quil was perhaps still the most excited about everything. Apart from Seth of course.

"It's not likely we ever will come across demons to our knowledge," Embry pointed out.

"No," Jacob agreed. "But we never know."

"I'm just glad Leah stays away. She's sour enough as it is," Quil commented.

Paul shifted his attention to the group. "Leah keeps Seth away from important training. Training she also should undergo." A punch had him shifting mid-air.

"Focus," Erlos scolded, and shook his head. Maybe it was time to call it a day. It would have been easier if Lucas and Talia had been there with him. Despite this thought, he knew now that those days were over.

Erlos took a quick shower that evening. More boys on the reservation kept shifting, despite being of direct bloodline. It was the magic connected to the place itself, he suspected. Victoria kept being the evasive vampire and the Seattle threat itself was on the bigger rise.

He had yet to meet the elusive Leah as well. She barely had more of control on her temper than Paul according to the other wolves. And she stayed a bit of a mystery to them all. The magic had never changed a female before, at least to their knowledge. He had no answer for them, as only their own creator could truly answer that. The only answer as to so many questions were magic.

The thug in his chest had him dressing and walking out to walk along the beach. His mate was out somewhere. Close. Close enough to draw him out and look. Of course, the reservation was large enough that he had not met or seen all of the people living there, and he did spend a lot of time in Forks. The pull stopped and he sighed. Sitting down on a large piece of wood he looked out over the waves coming softly in. Spring in the air was a good feeling. The earth was coming to life.

He heard the steps coming towards him before he felt her presence. He had dulled his senses enough to fit in without a problem. Opening them up just a bit had him hit with an onslaught of emotions. And it was not of the positive kind. Underneath it all was a touch of curiosity. He lifted his head to meet Leah at last. His eyes met brown and he felt it at the same moment she did. They were mates. The wolf in her recognizing him as her soulmate. Her own imprint.

Leah started to shake as she stared at the male she had only seen through the pack-mind. One glance, that was all it had taken, and she was now bound to him. It did not help that he smiled at her and she found it the most warm and welcoming smile she had ever seen. The most loving. She hated that some bond could tie her down. Although, at the same time, it was what she had yearned for. A way to be free of Sam. Free of him and Emily and their happiness. A happiness that had only grown with Erlos healing her of her scars. And now she would be free. How easy was it to let go of such bitterness? The blink of an eye apparently. Because now all that mattered was this angel.

Ariel appeared beside her brother and his new mate just as she was supposed. She stared at the golden thread that was reaching out between the two. Already forming. "Leah," she spoke. "Do you accept your new soulmate bond to Erlos? Angel of emotions."

"I accept," Leah whispered.

Erlos saw and felt the bond tie the golden knots, binding their souls together further. Strengthening.

Making sure her brother was fine as he relinquished his wings and that he would be properly cared for was Ariel's first priority. A small thug echoed in her chest, drawing her attention elsewhere as Leah had calmed down enough. Although tears were still streaming down her cheeks. A warning resounded in her and she shook it off as she returned to the plains after hugging her brother and his new mate. She had work to do.

Talia stood by the mountains, red eyes flickering between Marcus and Carlisle as they embraced. It had been an interesting transition this new life. She would say she had been eased into it due to her siblings and her favor as previously an angel. Alec flanked her. Felix and Demitri stood closer to Marcus. A few others from the guard hung back. Their hoods pulled up, covering most of their faces. The rest of the Cullens shifted. The wolves followed all movement with care. Bella, Erlos and Lucas were the only humans present as they went over the plans. Alana, Caliste and Daniel stood close to them again. The three angels had sworn they were only there to observe, and of course to check in that their brothers and sister were all good in their newer lives.

"How long Alice?" Talia asked, staring at the younger female.

"A few days at the most, it could even be tomorrow," she confirmed.

"We make sure Bella, Charlie, Erlos and Lucas stay at the reservation the next days. They will be properly guarded by several of the wolves, plus that will mask their scents. The rest of us will use the nature around us to our advantage," Jasper instructed.

"Alec can easily take over several at a time and that will give us an advantage," Marcus pointed out. "Also with the amount of shifters here, I cannot imagine anything beyond a win."

"Not such a win for all the humans that have been lost to this war," Carlisle stated.

"Even with our numbers we are not guaranteed a win," Jasper added. "Their number changes. We cannot be overconfident."

From there on they set up the false blood trail before the wolves brought the humans back to the reservation. The angels went back to Seattle – deeming it their time to finish off the demons when the vampires left – the destruction of them would stop a lot of darkness after all.

It was amazing what so many could pull off together with a bit cooperation. The elders amassed the wolves and created a new festival to cover up the events happening. The excuse for Bella and Charlie to stay on the reservation easier that way. And Lucas had already taken residence with Erlos. Celebrating their stories to create an income to the community the days ahead would be filled with costumes and activities. Bonfires. This would be a test-run, and who knew, maybe it would be such a success that they would do it again.

The wolves with their strength had been able to put up decorations, stands and a scene under the guise of night. Fairy lights were hung in the trees and around their trunks. The area they were pulling this off had by the end of the week had been transformed in such a way with Alice and Esme's guidance – sitting on Embry and Quil, they had been brought in so they could oversee the execution they had designed, and so their scents would be concealed for any enemies (also that the elders themselves did not know about this particular part had been essential).

Bella slept in Lucas' arms that night. At times his arms tightened, just a little, as if making sure she was really there. That had been the most wonderful of school ending. Spending more time together. It helped that Erlos had his own place as well. The downside was that there were not much soundproofed walls in that small house. The Cullens had done more an effort to keep sound private in theirs. It amused Lucas highly. Bella still preferred to keep her sex-life as private as possible. Or at least the illusion of it.

"You ok?" he whispered into the dark, feeling that she was still awake. It amazed him how attuned he was to her.

"I'm struggling to fall asleep," she said back, her voice low.

He moved just enough so he could face her properly and kissed her slowly. Distracting her no doubt from the thoughts that bothered her.

When Lucas awoke again, Bella was still sleeping soundly within his arms and he relished the feeling of her within his arms. The smell of coffee was the only thing that had him move carefully so Bella could keep sleeping. It was no use, as usual she awoke, reaching out for him. "Good morning," he said, voice a bit gruff from sleep and he leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"Mm…Morning," she responded sleepily.

"I'll go get us some coffee, then I'll be right back in here," he told her as she blinked a few times, obviously trying to wake up.

He pulled on his pajama pants and hurried to use the bathroom before he strode to the kitchen. Erlos was scrolling on his laptop, sitting at the kitchen table – a large mug of coffee beside him. "Morning," he said towards his brother while he went for two cups.

"Good morning."

"Leah?" Lucas asked.

"Out. Apparently it started early this morning," Erlos responded.

"And here we were sleeping," Lucas commented.

Erlos lifted a brow. "Really? Only sleeping?" he teased.

Lucas gave him a look. "Yes. Only sleeping. I tried to convince her otherwise, but apparently it is a bit of a turnoff to hear others through the walls." He raised his own brows while making that point.

They both started to laugh.

Erlos grinned widely while calming down. "Oh, well, I will not apologize for pleasing my mate."

Lucas rolled his eyes, although he was still grinning. "And you never should have to. Don't worry. More than anything I know she was concerned about what is – was – to come. I will have to update her on that."

"Go, go. Before she comes out naked to hunt for the coffee."

"Oh, if only she would." Lucas teased back and chuckled before he managed to duck in time as one of the kitchen chair pillows came flying for his head. "Hey!" he protested.

"Out of my kitchen!" Erlos' tone was still amused and he followed Lucas with his gaze as he left the room. He turned his attention back to the laptop. Now, where had he been. Oh right, what to do in his future as a human.

He was skilled, and still kept his great warrior physique, but not without effort. Maybe he could be a personal trainer. Maybe he could teach the arts of different fighting styles and defenses. There were so many options! Then there was also the point that he was still good at reading people even without his previous gift affecting him.

Leaning back against the chair he heard the sounds of wolves howling in the distance.