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The room was so tense that Bella was concerned that she would suffocate before someone said something. The queens looked more than content to watch things play out, Tanya was nervous her sister would do something stupid and irrational in her anger, and Carmen, Eleazar and Irina just nervously watched on as they waited for someone to make a move.
Bella could that both Kate and Jane hadn't let up on their growling and it was actually making her nervous. Everyone had been so clear about the power the Volturi had and to not make them upset, yet here they were clearly pissing someone off. That was literally the opposite of what they had wanted to do.
Leave it to Kate to screw things up.
"Control yourselves." The blonde queen said in such a stern voice that Bella's spine immediately straightened in response; like she couldn't be caught with even just bad posture from the woman or risk getting in trouble. "You are both more than old enough to control your beasts." She reprimanded as she and the other blonde queen started to walk off the dais and towards the Denali's.
The two blondes immediately stopped their growling, but their glares seemed to intensify to make up for it.
"I'm not sure what is going on with my sister; I am very sorry." Tanya said, her hand twitching to reach out to her sister to try and provide some sense of calm. But she stopped herself since Kate was holding Bella and Tanya wasn't sure where exactly Kate stood with her control or even what exactly the middle sister was thinking to cause her such ire in front of the royalty. The very royalty that demanded respect from everyone.
"Do not worry," Didyme told Tanya with a kind smile, by far the kindest queen by appearances; but if she were to get mad, well, rumor is that's where the saying 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' came from. "Only good news has come this meeting." She assured the younger vampires. While mate bonds were not rare, seeing a triad form certainly was. She had only seen two other groups in her lifetime and it was always such a joy to seem them; but to one actually form in front of her? With the link being the human who had no idea what was going? It was a joy.
Tanya looked at the queen skeptically, but knew not say anything. She actually had bigger concerns than the noir queen as the two blondes approached.
"Sulpicia, Athenodora," Tanya said with a nod of her head in greeting, "I believe Eleazar has given a brief explanation of why we're here?" Tanya said, hoping that perhaps if she ignored her sister for the time being as the queens were mostly doing with Jane, then perhaps they could just move forward with the whole purpose of them being here.
The two queens were intent of their path and what they wanted, but manners were everything to the queens. They were civilized after all. "This is Bella then?" Sulpicia asked with wide eyes, like she had seen the most amazing thing ever. She had only ever heard of parental bonds, never actually seeing one. Didyme had always yearned for one, something about the romantic in her that wanted her and her future yet-to-be-found mate could bond even more over. Sulpicia and Athenodora had never cared.
But now that she had the human in her sight, she couldn't imagine not having her. There was so much she wanted to teach her human, to show her. Her daughter deserved the world and she would get it. But first, they needed to deal with the reason she had come to them in the first place. She needed help; and she would get it in spades.
"It is an honor to meet you." Sulpicia said as she held her hand out for the human to grab.
Bella looked towards the blonde leader and while she knew it would be safer for her to shake hands like the queen clearly expected, she was actually afraid. The last time she had been under such an intense stare from a human drinker, James had sent her to the hospital with very severe injuries. The queens were the top of the food chain of apex predators. With Kate acting the way she was, clearly something not right to her, Bella wasn't feeling as safe as she initially thought she would with Kate wrapped around her. She was actually starting to feel very exposed to these queens that kept staring at her and she didn't like that feeling.
She instinctually moved her body to get as close to Kate as possible as she shakily took the queens hand in hers to quickly shake. But as soon as she made contact with the queen's hand, she was smoothly tugged out of Kate's grasp and into the queens' body, into a hug. Bella's eyes went wide as she was wrapped into the queen's arms.
The reactions from everyone in the room was too fast for Bella to pay attention to as she struggled to comprehend that the queen was giving her a hug, not trying to squeeze her to death. Kate had basically roared when Bella was pulled away from her and Jane roared either from Kate threatening her queen or because there was fear coming from her mate that made her want to fight whatever was scaring the human.
The rest of the Denali's tensed as Athenodora moved in front of Sulpicia and Bella, effectively cutting her off from the rest of the Denali coven. Athenodora was so close to Kate that any closer and Kate would be able to use her gift on the queen. Alec grabbed his sisters' shoulder in an attempt to keep her from physically moving to attack Kate and Kate was torn between attacking the queen that was blocking her mate or the queen that had taken her mate out of her arms. But she knew if she were to attack one of them, then a lot of bad things would happen to not only herself but to her coven; but her instincts were demanding she take her mate back.
"You better choose your next move very carefully." Athenodora threatened, more than willing to fight this much younger vampire for her mate and her new child.
Kate had opened her mouth to retort, but before she could, Didyme chose that moment to step in before something happened that couldn't be taken back, "Why don't we all take a deep breath and allow everyone to explain to everyone else what is going on because for as smart as we vampires claim to be, our instincts are very self-centered and dense." She said with a smile as she stood and moved to place a hand on Jane, forcing her to be happy instead of upset, "Calm young one, you should be happy at such a joyous occasion, not growling and scaring your new mate." She warned at a volume just loud enough for Jane to hear, not wanting to embarrass the vampire any more than her lack of control already has.
Sulpicia released Bella from her grasp and moved to hold Bella's shoulders at arm length, looking at the human with a wide smile as she examined her human, "We have so much to talk about." Sulpicia said with absolute glee, "You must tell me everything about yourself!" She all but demanded and was about to start to pull the human out of the throne room and towards a private chamber to do just that when Kate stepped in, clearly reading Bella's discomfort with all the attention she was now receiving.
"Now hold on a moment," Tanya said as she used her coven leader tone, very aware that the warrior queen wasn't about to let her sister get past her regardless of how much she wanted. Things were getting very tense and Tanya was concerned that if Bella was taken away from Kate, or if Kate and Bella were separate from their very close-knit family, things would get worse, "Bella is my sisters' mate, her very new mate that she definitely hasn't had a chance to mark much less complete the bond; her instincts demand to remain with her mate. We came here to ask for help with a problem that directly threatens Bella, is it possible we can discuss that while we allow these new instincts to calm and settle?"
Kate was very grateful at that point for her sister. Kate had been afraid spoke, it would only come out as a growl. She was so focused on getting through Athenodora to her mate that she hadn't even felt Carmen and Irina holding onto her shoulders; she would forever be grateful that their coven was so close that her powers weren't actively on as to not hurt her coven yet her coven members were willing to risk Kate not having enough control in her distraught to stop her power and be shocked to try to and help.
"That sounds perfectly acceptable." Didyme answered for all three queens. She knew her sisters wouldn't like the offer and would have declined, but it was safer for everyone involved to take this meeting to a more private setting with a lot less guards around and hopefully everyone would be able to calm down. "We can go to your office, it would be more than large enough for everyone and there is a sofa where Kate, Bella and our Jane can comfortably sit."
Kate didn't like that idea, she didn't want the other blonde anywhere near her mate. Especially Jane, the more dangerous of the Witch Twins. Kate knew where this conversation was going and she didn't like it; Bella was hers, no one else's. She had met Jane before, originally when the Volturi stepped in when their mother had made a horrible mistake, and she had felt no connection to the twin then and she certainly didn't now. But clearly, the witch felt something towards her Bella and she didn't like it.
Sulpicia wrapped her arm around Bella and turned them both around to start walking towards the door in the back of the room that led to their private rooms, "Come now dear, we can discuss business as Didyme suggests and hopefully not kill anyone in the process."
Bella was worried that the blonde queen hadn't let her go. She was upset that she didn't have the protective Kate right next to her. She turned towards Kate as the queen had talked and dragged her away. She wasn't actually sure if she wanted Kate to take her away from the queen or not and that was what scared her the most. She actually felt comfortable with the queen, she surprisingly didn't feel uncomfortable at all. That was what scared her though: she felt much too comfortable with a stranger that was not only a vampire, but a vampire with red eyes.
Kate saw the look her human gave her and before she could race to her, Athenodora wrapped her arm around the other warriors shoulders, but as a way to control the woman, not to guide as Sulpicia did.
"We wouldn't want you to do anything hasty, would we?" The warrior queen murmured just loud enough for Kate to hear; she didn't want her child to hear her threatening her mate, nothing good would come from that. "Now, all of you Denali's and Jane may come with us to talk. The rest of you will remain here to await orders." She directed as they started walking, the queen doing her best to make sure Kate knew without a doubt that Athenodora was controlling this situation, even if it was just a walk. She wanted the younger blonde to know who was in charge.
Jane smirked as she moved in step with Didyme to follow Athenodora and Kate while the rest of the Denali's followed closely behind those two. Only Sulpicia spoke without prompt while on the walk, more than happy to fill the silence.
"We will make sure to get you, your own wing." Sulpicia explained as they walked away from the throne room, "If you couldn't already tell, you share a bond with Dora and myself; you, my dear, are our bond child and I can assure you, there will be nothing on this Earth that will not be yours if you want." Sulpicia promised, wanting to make sure her daughter knew that was nothing she wouldn't do for her.
"Perhaps not anything dear, wouldn't want to spoil her." Athenodora cautioned, already picturing her mate buying their child castles in every country and buying out every store that she showed interest in.
"I'm pretty sure I'm past the age of being spoiled." Bella muttered, forgetting that even her muttering could be heard by every vampire in the area, but was too insulted to not say anything. It was like Athenodora thought she was a child in saying that; she was technically an adult, could she still be spoiled? She didn't think so.
"You're still a child in our eyes, especially compared to our age." Athenodora remarked, not sure if she was annoyed with her child talking back or proud that her child wasn't afraid like other humans would be even talk to them much less back-talk them.
"Everyone is a child compared to you." Bella retorted automatically. Her need to retort was almost as bad as it was with Kate, but with Athenodora, she felt a need to prove herself and to be seen as nothing but a child wouldn't do. She wanted both of the ancient blondes to see her as more than just a child; and especially not a spoiled child.
"You will always be our child," Sulpicia cooed at the human, not wanting her two most important people to argue, "But we are very much aware of what difficulties you have already faced in your short life thus far and it is quite impressive how well you have handled it. We are very impressed." She said as she squeezed Bella's shoulders. They may not have known all the details as Eleazar had only briefly explained the situation, but what little they did know, it was simply far too much for one person to go through and still be okay with being in the presence of other vampires, much less arguing with them. She was very much her other mothers' daughter and she was sure Athenodora would absolutely love the fact Bella took more after her.
They arrived at the intended room and everyone filed in. As said, there was only a couch and three armchairs; one of those chairs being behind a desk. Sulpicia directed Bella to sit on the couch, placing her in the middle, concerned that the human would try to sit in the corner and knowing how on edge both Kate and Jane were, she wanted to make sure both blondes could at least sit next to the human.
As soon as Bella sat, thanks to Sulpicia pushing down on her shoulders, Kate and Jane both zoomed into a spot next to the human. Kate was very thankful Athenodora had let go of her once they were in the room and she immediately sat pressed against Bella, wrapping her arm around her shoulders and smirking at Jane. Jane, since she hadn't even been introduced to Bella yet, felt it wouldn't be well received if she copied Kate's closeness, so made sure to sit with some distance, but close enough so it would take very little effort to touch if she felt she could get away with it. The Denali's stood around the room, Tanya and Didyme taking the two chairs in front of the desk, turning them around and pushing them to the side so they could face the room and unblock Sulpicia and Athenodora's view as Sulpicia sat in Didyme's chair behind the desk and Athenodora stood behind her.
"Now, let's do some brief introductions before we start discussing business." Sulpicia said, wanting to make sure Bella was on the same page as everyone else about the bonds that were just established, "As I'm sure you have figured out already, I am Sulpicia and this is my Athenodora and we have already explained our bond to you." She said about to move to introduce Jane, but Bella cut her off.
There hadn't really been so much of an explanation as there was something briefly mentioned and Bella was curious, "Actually, you didn't explain anything. Exactly what bond are you talking about? The only bond I know of is a mate bond." Bella asked, wanting to know what the bond meant for her.
"A parental bond." Sulpicia explained, not surprised her child wasn't aware of any other bond. There were actually several bonds; some rarer than others. The bond she and her mate shared with Bella was on the rarer side, but not entirely unheard of. "It means exactly as it sounds; we view you as our child, as good as our blood as far as we are concerned. We want to teach you, protect you and watch you thrive. It is all we want for you."
"Is it?" She asked, skeptical that anything would be that easy with vampires. She knew better than to trust red eyed vampires; her very limited experience taught her that red-eyed vampires, more so than golden eyed, were more manipulative in getting what they want. She was weary that there was more to this bond than what they were saying.
"As far as we're aware, that is it." Athenodora answered, not likely that they were being questioned. It showed that Bella didn't trust them and there was no reason for her not to, they were her parents, she should have absolute trust in them. She didn't care that they had only just met and that humans didn't develop bonds nearly as quick as vampires did.
"Sure it is." Bella said with a frown, not believing her. But time would tell; eventually they would show what they really wanted and Bella only hoped that the Denali's would help her if she needed it.
"We assure you it is." Sulpicia said before moving on, not wanting to start an argument with their child and getting her upset with them so early in their relationship. "This is Didyme, the third and final ruler of Voltera. While not included in mine and Athenodora's bond, we do view her as our sister and are very close to her; similar to how Tanya and Irina are mates but still Tanya, Irina and Kate call each sisters. We do the same." She explained and Bella only nodded; she knew that already. Well, she hadn't known about Tanya and Irina, but she hadn't exactly asked either.
"And last of our introductions, this is Jane, one of our Elite Guard members and most loyal to the Volturi. She is known for her strength of mind and will of steel. Whatever situation we send her to, to resolve, we always have complete trust in her abilities and she has yet to fail us." Sulpicia knew she was laying it on a bit thick, but Kate had already had so much time with the human, she felt Jane needed a bit of a boost to get even or even surpass Kate in their connection. All's fair in love and war after all.
Bella turned her head when her hand was taken by Jane, "It is an honor to meet you." Jane said as she brought Bella's hand closer to her face, very slowly, "I have waited for nearly two thousand years to meet you and I'm so very proud to say you have far surpassed my fondest dreams, my mate." Jane said in a low tone, leaning down to place a kiss on Bella's hand, making sure to keep eye contact to make the gesture that much more intimate.
Bella's face went bright red as she felt Jane's lips touch her skin and for just a brief moment, she wondered how those lips would feel in other places besides her hand. But before she could think past a fleeting thought, Kate interrupted the moment.
"You can't just show up and act all suave and think she'll fall for you pretty words." Kate said with a huff, more annoyed that she hadn't thought of kissing Bella's hand first more than she was annoyed of anything else. She wasn't even really annoyed that Jane was clearly trying to get her mate in bed, she was more off put that Bella was actually reacting to her words.
"You're just jealous you didn't come up with something like that yourself." Bella said, not able to turn away from Jane, completely captivated by the woman.
Kate's jaw hung open in shock that her mate was still willing to insult her even while she was being seduced by another woman. The audacity! "I'll have you know that I have so many moves that put hers to shame," Said Kate before gently taking Bella's chin and turned it so Bella was facing her, "I can assure you, I can show you a world that every author of every romance book could only dream to capture in words." She said, her tone matching Jane's just to try and one up the shorter woman.
"That sounds more like a reference to Aladdin than anything else." Bella said with a snort, not able to hide a smirk. "I can show you the world?" She briefly sung in a definitely out of tune song.
Kate's jaw hung open, offended that her mate would compare her wooing tactics to that of a Disney movie.
"I'm afraid Kate is more of a child than an adult and may not actually understand the intricacies of a true romance." Jane said with a smirk, keeping a firm hold on Bella's hand.
Tanya and Irina rolled their eyes, knowing exactly how this was going to roll out. Carmen, Eleazar, Sulpicia and Athenodora only watched on with fond smiles. This new relationship was going to be a lot more entertaining than anything else.
"I am not a child." Kate said, completely offended that her competition that wasn't really competition insulted her.
"You sure act like one." Bella said, Jane not hiding her victorious smirk as her mate sided with her.
"I'm not acting like one, I'm simply offended that Jane opened her mouth." Kate said gesturing towards said blonde, causing Bella to roll her eyes at the lame attempt to defend herself.
"No, you're offended that I'm better with words than you are." Jane said in a dry tone. "You seem more intent to use your physical prowess when our dear mate obviously deserves so much more than someone just trying to jump into bed with her."
"But that's exactly what you're doing." Kate accused.
"I think we should talk about something else." Bella said, not at all liking where this conversation was going.
Everyone else besides the three involved couldn't hide the smirks as they realized how… interesting this triad would be, it would certainly bring about some interesting times.