Matters of the Heart
C7: Sniffing Around
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters
Bella's POV
When I woke up the following morning, I was still on top of Victoria, who like Esme and Rosalie was purring loudly when she noticed I was awake. "Good morning Isabella. Did you sleep okay?"
I groaned and pulled the covers over us. "Yes, but I'm still dead tired. Can we stay like this for a little while longer?" I asked softly.
She smiled and kissed me softly. "Of course love, although I can smell Esme preparing your breakfast, so I don't know how long we have. Probably not enough time for a quickie." She said with a wink.
"I'm too tired for that anyway, although it does sound appealing. Can we just cuddle and make out for a bit?" I asked softly.
She nodded and kissed me again, wrapping her arms around my waist at the same time. "Of course we can. You know there are few things I enjoy more."
I smiled at her and nuzzled her neck as I took a precious moment to let myself wake up before Alice would undoubtedly come and try and drag me to the mall.
Apparently it was plain on my face as Victoria smiled at me. "What's wrong little one? You look so pensive all of a sudden."
"I'm just not looking forward to getting out of bed and face reality after a week of sharing so many wonderful moments with everyone. I know it's just a matter of time before Alice drags me to the mall for another shopping trip." I said softly.
She laughed lightly at that. "I don't think she'll want to risk upsetting you love. From what I've been able to gather from Carlisle's books, a dynamic mating bond that involves a human always puts the human at the center. So with that in mind I think all of us will do everything in our power to make you happy."
I smiled at that. "When did you find this out?" I asked softly.
"While you were getting busy with Esme. There was an entire night to kill and I thought it was a good idea to educate myself a little before we go to Volterra, because apparently James lied to me as well." Victoria said with a soft smile.
I smiled and kissed her. "I'm not at all surprised love. He and Edward were exactly alike, lying to keep us subordinate to them. I'm glad we get to deal with the second part of that problem soon. We'll show him why women rule the world."
She laughed at that. "They sure do love, at least nowadays. It wasn't like that not even a hundred years ago."
"I've always been a feminist, another thing my mother is responsible for and my father hated. He has always had a strong opinion on strong women and tried everything to keep me under his thumb, which evidently failed given where I am at the moment, in bed with one of my mates after a night of passionate love making." I said with a smile.
Victoria smiled at me as her face scrunched a bit. "By the smell of it Esme has your breakfast ready, although I can't say it smells appealing."
I poked my head from under the covers and sniffed. "I think she made breakfast burritos, which honestly I could use right now. So I'll go and get dressed so I can eat and get rid of that smell for you."
She smiled and kissed me as I rolled off her so I could get dressed, and to my surprise Victoria was not far behind. "Then I'll join you, mostly because there is no sense for me to stay in bed without you there."
I smiled at her as I put on my clothes, since I figured not much would get done if I went downstairs in my outfit from last night.
Once we were both dressed we made our way downstairs which somehow felt like an alternate universe. Both Alice and Rosalie were dressed in just a pair of shorts and a barely there tank-top, both of them clearly without a bra. "Good morning Bella. How did you sleep?" Alice asked as she came to hug me.
I smiled at her and gave her butt a squeeze. "I slept great Ali. I'm just surprised to see you two dressed in so little."
"We went hunting last night and have only just returned. We haven't changed into something sensible yet mostly because we wanted to see your reaction." Alice said with a grin before pressing a kiss to my cheek.
"Why am I not surprised. You have always loved to make me blush." I said with a soft smile.
Alice just smiled at me. "I could say the same if I was still able to blush. You went straight for my ass."
"I can't help that you have such a delectable ass. It's just begging to be squeezed." I said before kissing her.
Alice grinned and gave my ass a soft spank before stepping back and pushing me towards Rosalie, who engulfed me in her arms with another kiss. "Hello my sweet. Did you have fun with Victoria last night?"
I nodded and kissed her. "Of course I did. I love every night I get to spend with all of you, whether such a night ends in sex or not."
The blonde smiled at me before walking me to the kitchen, where a plate of breakfast burritos waited for me, and the smell alone was enough to wake my stomach too.
Esme smiled brightly at me in her colorful dress. "Good morning sweetie. I hope you don't mind burritos for breakfast, I figured you would like something different for breakfast."
I smiled at her as I took a seat at the kitchen island. "I love burritos for breakfast, it's been a long time since I had some. May I ask what's in them?"
"Turkey and an assortment of vegetables sweetie, nothing too heavy for this time of the day." She said with a soft smile.
I just smiled at her. "Thank you Esme. I appreciate you taking into account my stomach here."
She merely smiled as they all took a seat around the island, like they did most mornings while I had my breakfast.
Alice's POV
After Bella had her breakfast we reconvened to the living room, where Bella was immediately monopolized by Rosalie and myself while Victoria sat close to Esme. "Now that we're all present, I have some things to share that I saw recently concerning our dynamic mating bond. I saw that we are still not complete and that there is one more woman that is going to join us. I saw a statuesque brunette who could easily rival Rosalie in her beauty. I saw us meeting her in Volterra and that she will feel this connection immediately. I don't know who she is though, but perhaps you do Esme."
"If it was a brunette in a skin-tight dress that shows more cleavage than it hides, then I know exactly who it is. It's Heidi, my best friend." Esme said with a soft smile.
I smiled at that. "Thank goodness. I was afraid it would be someone you wouldn't know. It was not all I saw though. I saw that both Carlisle and Edward will indeed be made an example of and that Bella will be allowed to tell her side of the story once we arrive. I have seen that the Queens and majority of the Guard will love Bella, and the ones that don't will see that there is nothing to dislike and will warm up to her pretty quickly. We'll have the run of the place for the entire two weeks we're there and I have seen that we'll come back with plenty of friendships, and Heidi of course."
"If I may, you're not the only one that knows Heidi. She was once a part of the same Coven I was, before I met James. It'll be good to see her again." Victoria said with a soft smile.
Esme smiled at that. "That's good to hear, and also a bit surprising. We'll have a talk about that later. Because you've gotten me intrigued. Have you by any chance seen anything about Tanya and her Coven being there, Alice?"
"They will be there. We'll know what Bella's gift is the moment Edward and Carlisle have been tried." I said with a smile.
Esme nodded and smiled at that. "That's good to hear, although that is part of the reason I asked. We are going to need their help once the wolves start trying to spoil for a fight. It's better to have numbers then."
"That's probably for the best because I can't see them. It will also present a stronger front to the puppies which will make them less likely to immediately attack us. What I have seen is that even with the puppies gone in one form or another none of us will be hurt." I said softly as I pulled Bella closer.
Bella smiled at me. "Have you also seen something about me being turned Ali?"
I smiled and nodded. "I have, several things actually. I've seen you as a vampire as early as a week after we return, up to as much as a year. One thing never changes though and that is that all of us will turn you at your own request."
"A week? That seems quick. Is there any reason for that?" Bella asked softly.
I shook my head. "I can't see the why so my best guess is that it has something to do with the wolves. What I have seen is it is never because you are dying. Everything I've seen shows me that it is your choice every time."
She smiled at that. "That's good to hear. It gives some food for thought though."
"We have all the time in the world to explore every possible angle, baby. The choice will always be yours." Esme said with a loving smile.
Bella smiled at her as she pulled me into her lap and nuzzled her nose in my neck. "Some part of me still can't believe how much my life has changed for the better right now, but another part of me wouldn't change a thing."
We all smiled at that. "We're glad to hear that Bella, we were worried we might bore you already." Rosalie said teasingly.
"I could never get bored with any of you. I've honestly never had so much fun in my life, and I don't see that changing anytime soon." Bella said with a soft smile.
I smiled and relaxed against her body, which she didn't really seem to mind. "There is one other thing I saw just last night that I want to share with you all. I've seen that we eventually will move away from here, and while I have seen us in a few locations, it might happen quicker than we think. I have a feeling that our interactions with those puppies will have more consequences than we might think."
Esme nodded solemnly at that. "I was afraid that might be one of the outcomes, which is why I have taken some precautions. If things really go awry I have a few locations we can relocate to, but for now we don't have to worry about that."
I smiled at her. "I figured you would have, you're nothing if not prepared for every eventuality after all. I just wanted to have shared my visions with everyone."
"Much appreciated Pixie." Bella said as she pressed a kiss to my neck and I could barely suppress the moan of contentment that little gesture evoked in me.
I could feel Bella smile behind me. "Enjoying yourself, Pixie?"
"Of course I am. As Victoria told you this morning, you're the center of our mating bond, and every time you lavish us with any kind of attention, we feel special." I said softly.
She sighed softly at that. "That is another thing I have to get used to, being the center of attention, and to now be that to not just one, but four and soon to be five other women is still a bit mind boggling to me."
We all smiled at that. "We understand that love, and it's the same for us. None of us really have any sort of experience with this kind of bond, it's something we will find out together." Rosalie said with a soft smile.
Bella smiled and kissed her softly before nuzzling her nose back in my neck. "I think I can live with that, since nothing is going to stop us from exploring our happiness."
Bella's POV
A little after lunch all four vampires in the room suddenly growled loudly, snapping me out of the light doze I was enjoying in Rosalie's arms. "What happened?" I asked groggily.
"The mutts are here, probably to 'check up' on us and make sure we're still feeding on animals to keep their precious treaty intact, since that is the only thing they can hold over our heads, at least for now. All we ask is that you stay close to us when they confront us, because I wouldn't put it past them to use you against us in some form or another." Esme said with a kind smile.
I stretched and smiled at her. "Of course Esme, I'll stay in someone's arms, as long as you all promise to be careful too."
"Of course love. We have nothing to hide from those mutts and they won't try anything as long as you're here with us." Rosalie said as we stood and followed the others to the backyard.
I pressed myself close to Rosalie as we came face to face with Jacob and three others, one of them I recognized as Sam. "What's the meaning of this Esme. Why is Bella here and where the hell is Carlisle?" He asked with an aggressive tone.
Esme growled at him, which did the state of my underwear no good. "First off there is no need for such outright hostility, we are perfectly willing to answer your questions without you barking orders. Carlisle is gone, and will probably not come back, or for his sake, I hope he does not because both he and Edward are no longer welcome in our Coven, not after what happened. As for why Bella is here, I suggest you ask Charlie why he abandoned his only daughter after she had an accident that could have cost her her life. We took her in and we intend to show her exactly what it means to be a part of a loving family."
Sam seemed to calm down a bit. "And what exactly happened Esme? You haven't exactly been forthcoming with details."
"And we don't need to as it doesn't concern you, your tribe or anyone on the Reservation. The matter was dealt with and Carlisle and Edward will face punishment for the consequences their actions caused. From now on only the five of us will be here and will continue to live our lives the way we see fit. We will not be controlled or harassed any longer." Esme said definitively.
"And what about Bella? Do you have the intention of turning her into a vampire. You know the treaty is void when you do that." He said as a reminder.
Esme narrowed her eyes at him. "Carlisle and Edward forced our hand, but Bella was always going to be one of us. As for the treaty, that was what you had with Carlisle and as far as we are concerned it does not apply to us. If you want to negotiate a new treaty, we would be open to that."
Sam glared at her, which pissed me off to no end. "We will not be negotiating a new treaty, so far you've not given us any reason to doubt you, but we will be keeping a close eye on you all. I also have some questions for Bella if that is okay."
Esme nodded at him as I walked up and molded myself in her arms. "What's up Sam?"
"I just want to hear from you if you stay here of your own volition." He said softly.
"Since Charlie kicked me out when he heard I was in the hospital, and has made no attempts to apologize or even contact me since, stating that I made it all up, yes I am staying here of my own volition as is my choice to be turned. Edward has been lying to me all this time and so far Esme and the others have only told me the truth." I said honestly.
Sam's eyes flicked towards every one of us before nodding. "Very well, for now we will allow this, but we will be keeping our eye on all of you." He said before they made their way back into the forest.
As soon as we were back inside I plunked myself in Esme's lap, feeling the need to be close to her at this moment. "They're not going to give up that easily are they?"
"No love, they won't. If anything they'll become more of a nuisance now that they know you're here and going to be turned at some point, not to mention that we're now a Coven of women who they believe to be less than they are. I saw the looks Jacob gave you and it took everything in my power not to rip him to pieces." Esme said as she nuzzled my neck.
I smiled and tilted my neck a little to give her more access. "I was honestly not even paying attention to him. I was more focused on your dressing down of Sam, I swear I nearly soaked my panties when you growled at him.
Esme smiled and kissed my neck softly. "I think we all smelled that Bella. It is probably why Rosalie was so reluctant to let you go."
I smiled at that. "Honestly I was a bit reluctant to talk to them too. I was far too comfortable to be bothered with their silly complaints."
"Silly as their complaints may be, it won't keep them from harassing us more and more. It will become even worse when we come back from Volterra."
"We'll deal with them when the time comes Ali, as a family. There's no reason for us to worry about it right now. As Esme said, they can't beat us in a fair fight." I said with a soft smile.
The Pixie smiled at that as she cuddled up to Victoria, which honestly was an adorable sight to see, even though the redhead seemed a little bit taken aback by the sudden closeness.
Alice's POV
For most of the afternoon we talked about what had happened with the wolves, and while it didn't sit right with me that we would for now just let them do as they pleased, I knew Bella was right in saying that we shouldn't worry about it for now and that their time would come in the end.
Bella was currently asleep against Rosalie while I sat between her legs, since Esme had to make a call to the Queens to inform them of our interaction with the wolves and Victoria wanted to get some things fro her room to make it a bit more her own.
Rosalie also seemed to be very content with our current position, since her hands hadn't been idle for a moment ever since Bella had drifted off. "I'm going to be honest here Ali. I had expected them to be a lot more volatile, given how our previous interactions went."
"Honestly so did I, but I think they were trying to get a read on the new status quo. Carlisle was always more than happy to do whatever they wanted and now that Esme is leading our Coven they'll want to see how they could be able to make us bend to their will, which we all know is not going to happen. Once they realize that they'll not be able to make us do what they want they'll become a lot more vicious." I said with a soft smile.
Rosalie smiled and nuzzled her nose in Bella's neck. "We need to prolong that for as long as we possibly can. I have a feeling Bella has an idea on when she wants us to turn her and we certainly would stand a better chance if we didn't have to worry about her safety."
"I know she has, and I have a feeling she'll tell us when we're finally complete. I admit I'm very curious about what Heidi will bring to the family." I said softly, not wanting to wake Bella.
Before Rosalie could answer, Bella woke up with a grumble. "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep again."
"It's okay love, we can imagine you're still a bit tired after last night." Rosalie said with a soft smile.
Bella smiled and turned her head to kiss the blonde before also pressing a kiss to my neck. "It wasn't even last night that tired me out to be honest. Dealing with Sam and Jacob for any length of time has always sapped my energy, even more so when I was forced to interact with them when Charlie would force me to come with him to the Reservation."
We both smiled at that. "We completely understand baby. Are you feeling better now?" I asked softly.
She nodded at that. "Yes, having you two close really helps me forget about interacting with them. It's so soothing to be sandwiched between you."
"Perhaps soon we could have you sandwiched between us in another way, Bella." Rosalie said with a grin.
Bella blushed only a little at that. "While that is very tempting and certainly has been something I have dreamed about a number of times, I think it's a bit soon for a threesome."
I smiled at her. "We know love, Rosalie was just teasing you, although I will admit it is something we have frequently fantasized about."
"And so have I, there was a time it was a nightly recurring dream. It's just that making love to a woman is very new to me and I need a bit more time to adjust to my new life, but I will definitely take you two up on that offer soon enough." Bella said with a soft smile.
"We can't wait for that night, love. When you're ready we promise to make it the best night of your life." Rosalie said with a soft smile.
Bella blushed at that as Esme came back into the room. "What have you two done. Are you teasing our little love again?"
"Only a little Esme. We didn't do anything to embarrass her. We just made a suggestion for the future." I said with a soft smile.
Esme smiled and nodded as she took a seat across from us. "And what could you two possibly suggest that would have our little love blushing so much?"
Rosalie smiled and gave Bella's waist a light squeeze. "The possibility of a threesome at some point in the future. We honestly meant no harm with our comments. It's just difficult to reel in our imaginations now that we've made love to Bella."
"That I can understand, I think that is the same for all of us after being denied our love for months, but I can also understand Bella's reluctance to accept this early in our relationship." Esme said softly.
Bella smiled at her. "It's not that I'm reluctant, not at all. I just need a bit of time to come to grips with the fact I'm desired in that way by four, and soon five other women."
"And we understand love. As we've said many a time, everything will go at your pace. It's just that Rose and I are a bit impatient when it comes to sex." I said with a soft smile.
Bella smiled at that. "I've noticed Ali, and I promise that I will take you both up on this soon. I just need a little bit more time."
We both nodded and pressed a kiss to her cheek before she made her way over to sit with Esme, who immediately claimed Bella by pulling her into her lap. "So what did the Queens have to say?" Bella asked once she was comfortable.
"They merely called for an update love, and I informed them that everything has been moving along swimmingly and that we're preparing to fly out in a couple of days. I also informed them of our confrontation with the puppies earlier today. They advised me to try and see how it develops once we come back and if necessary take appropriate action. I also told them about Heidi being a part of our dynamic mating bond, which is something we shall discuss once we get there. There are a few thing that they need to be certain of before they would allow Heidi to come with us." Esme said sweetly.
Bella nodded at her. "That's okay. I would've done the same in their position. It's not going to be something weird is it?"
Esme laughed lightly at that. "No love, Didyme will see the truth in our bonds. Her gift can see bonds more in depth compared to mine. You won't even notice it."
Bella smiled and relaxed against her as we waited for Victoria to come back, all of us feeling somewhat worried for the redhead because of what happened earlier today.
