This one's a little longer, more being included now that the real interesting things are happening.
Here we have Bella meeting the Denali's and an important conversation between all of the blonde's.
I'm really appreciative of the reviews that have been left, I look forward to reading more after you guys have read this new chapter. The new one should be up either tomorrow or Friday! Enjoy!
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We had been driving towards our destination for a few hours now, only stopping twice for Bella to hunt after catching the scent of humans along the journey. She wasn't ravenous, nor was she ready to pounce out of the car window and attack the wandering hitchhikers - but she wasn't exactly resting comfortably in the passenger seat either. She'd managed to avoid staining her outfit, but completely ripped apart the last deer she had fed upon. It seemed that Bella had caught my scent mid-feed, noticing me watching her several feet away with a smirk in my face. I'd noticed so much resistance on her face as her hands had gripped the deer tighter, until the flesh of the dead animal gave way and tore apart.
I had chose to laugh and return to the car, deciding to give my newborn a chance to calm herself down before she saw me again; I had hoped she would be less ready to jump my bones. She'd skipped out of the trees without a care in the world and slid cooly into the car with an innocent smile on her face. I would given an arm and leg to have had Edward's ability there and then.
She had questioned all about being a vampire along the way, wanting to know exactly what we could and couldn't do. How quick we moved to the human eye, how we could remain outside in the daytime - apparently she'd been a huge fan of different variations of dracula and other ridiculous tales like True Blood. I'd happily given up as much information as I could before she would fire another question. I was eager to answer any and all questions, hoping one would eventually lead to the topic of mates - thankfully it did.
"Carlisle and Esme, Alice and Jasper, they're married right?" I nodded, watching her from the corner of my eye, silently willing for her to let her mind wander. "Did they know each other before they were vampires then?"
"Not exactly. Carlisle had found Esme… when she wasn't doing so good. He changed her." I cleared my throat before continuing. "Remember when I told you earlier that Alice has the ability to see the future? Well Alice had seen Jasper in one of her visions, she knew she was supposed to be with him. So she found him, and they went on to marry one another not so long after they had joined our family."
"So they're soulmates?"
"You could say that." Bella hummed deep in thought at my answer. She brought her knees up to her chest on the seat, arms wrapped around them tightly as she watched the passing scenery from out of the car window beside her.
"The word soulmate is broad; soulmates can be both friendly and romantic. For vampires, we have what we call a mate."
"Is it the same as a romantic soulmate then?"
"Again, you could say that. Hollywood has it's own version of what a soulmate entails. For vampires mating is very animalistic at first, it's based solely on instincts for a while. The smallest of things can set a newly mated vampire off, like another vampire getting too close or saying something even remotely suggestive. Finding your mate is like finally finding what holds you to this world, what the reason for this life is. Mates are permanent, there is no other that could or would ever replace them. That is what Jasper and Alice have, that is what Carlisle and Esme have."
"Does every vampire find their mate?" I froze in my seat, feeling her eyes on my face as she asked.
"Every vampire has a mate, though it isn't always guaranteed that they will find that mate. There's many countries in this world, full of many vampires."
The car had become silent once she had her answer to that particular question. It wasn't an awkward silence, just a silence with loud thoughts. We'd caught one another looking once or twice, shy smiles given in response. I'd considered offering my hand to hold, though the way she was now leaning more towards the door than myself after our conversation, stopped me from doing so.
Thankfully we were just pulling into the long driveway of the Denali property, Isabella choosing to straighten up in her seat. It was obvious that she had already smelt the different scents of the vampires she had yet to meet, flowing through the open windows of the Mercedes. I watched the house appear in front, the Denali's having a different property entirely to the house back in Forks. It was much more traditional, less glass walls and more period features. The porch was my favourite, the columns either side of the door framing the entrance so perfectly.
Just as we pulled up behind Emmett's Jeep, the rest of our family filled out of the house to stand at the bottom of the porch steps. Carlisle had come to greet us, smiling with his arms outstretched.
"Girls! I was just beginning to worry that you'd decided to stay in Forks."
"Bella needed to feed a couple of times along the way. It helped her control too." I shrugged, locking the car once my newborn had exited.
Bella had chosen to stand beside Carlisle, eyes scanning the property for any sign of the new vampires. I decided to greet Emmett and the others whilst she was getting used to her surroundings. Emmett of course greeted me with a warm lopsided grin, arms wrapping around me tightly. A low growl sounded from behind us, Isabella watching us carefully. I chuckled and patted Emmett's arm.
"You'll have to cut that out for a little while." He nodded in agreement, letting me out of his hold and putting a little space between us to placate Bella's growls.
"Rosalie!" I turned and found three blonde haired cousins standing just outside of the house, smiles framing their perfectly sculpted faces. I returned the smile and waved slightly, conscious of my mate who happened to not be aware of our mating bond, standing just a few feet away from me watching the exchange.
"Well? Where's our greeting, you'll give your lug of a sibling a hug who you see everyday. But us, nothing?" Tanya smirked, arms crossed in front of her, accentuating her already generous chest size.
"I left under a week ago."
"Still, I missed having you around!" Tanya opened her arms out in front of her, urging me with her hands.
I gave in and decided to just get this over with, the quicker I was back beside Isabella with her hand in mine the better. I jumped up the porch steps and pulled Tanya into a tight hug, followed by Kate and Irina. Whilst doing so I could hear Isabella's growls becoming increasingly louder by the second, the pull in my chest beginning to ache even though she was very much in my presence. I turned to glance at her, shooting her a glare to attempt to silence her noise. She narrowed her black eyes at me, tilting her head to the side and watching me with disgust.
"You'll be joining us for a hunt this evening, will you not?" Irina questioned.
Isabella appeared in front of me, pushing me slightly behind her and crouching down in front of the three blondes who did nothing but watch in amusement. They knew what they were doing, perhaps they had purposely planned this to get a reaction out of her.
"No, unfortunately she will not be joining you."
"Ah, the new arrival! We've been looking forward to meeting you ever since our Rose and Edward dashed back to Forks to save you." Bella snarled once more at Tanya's cheery voice.
"Bella?"
"No." I raised my eyebrows at her immediate dominant response, shrugging at the blondes and placing my hand on Isabella's arm. I pulled slightly and she stood up straight, keeping me behind her. She chose to instead take my hand into hers and held it tightly, stroking the back of my hand with her thumb. I couldn't prevent the smile that appeared on my face at her small gesture of comfort, she seemed so confident in such a new environment.
"My apologies Isabella, we did not realise you had plans with Rosalie already. I'm Kate." Kate held out her hand for my newborn to shake. I watched the mischievous look on the blonde's face, and before I could warn Bella not to shake Kate's hand she had already done so. I winced in preparation on Bella's behalf, waiting for her to crash to her knees from the pain.
A second or two had passed and Bella continued to shake the hand of our blonde cousin, who was watching unsure as to why the newborn hadn't fallen to the floor writhing in pain. Edward hummed behind us, Carlisle gasping and Eleazar who had only just appeared in the doorway imitating our coven leader's reaction. I too was confused, however not so surprised.
"Amazing, yet irritating." Kate muttered, finally dropping Bella's hand and stomping her foot a little.
"It seems as though you have yourselves a shield, Carlisle." Eleazar decided to share his musings, rolling up his sleeves and choosing to walk over to stand directly in front of Bella. "I am Eleazar, I would like to apologise on behalf of Kate. She finds it difficult to keep her power to herself."
"Power?"
"Yes, Kate has the ability to shock someone with thousands of volts, simply by touching them."
Bella hissed and once again crouched in front of me, glaring daggers at Kate who was now smirking back.
"How fucking dare you." Bella spat, readying herself to lunge at the blonde. I managed to wrap my arms around her waist before she could do so, resting my chin on her shoulder just beside her right ear. "I should fucking kill you."
"Isabella." I warned in her ear, arms tightening around her at her threats. "They're allowing us to stay here, be respectful."
"It was a test dear Isabella. We were made aware that Edward hasn't been able to read your mind." Tanya tried to reason with Bella. Bella grunted at her words and turned to run towards the trees, but not before Tanya had grabbed her arm. I snarled and glared at Tanya's hand that was gripping Bella's forearm. "Quiet Rosalie, she's not being harmed. Bella, this was a simple test to see exactly who we're allowing to stay in our home. You would expect the same from Carlisle or even Rosalie, would you not?"
"And that meant you had to see if it was possible to harm me?"
"Well to put it simply, yes." Kate shrugged beside Tanya, eyeing me carefully. I continued to glare at Tanya, waiting for her to let go of my mate.
"Perhaps if we had multiple abilities in our coven, we would have chosen another way to decipher just how different of a newborn you were. Alas we do not, and so Kate was how we would truly know just how strong you are." Eleazar shot me an apologetic smile, tapping Tanya's shoulder suggesting that the blonde remove her hand. "It seems as though Isabella is a shield. Whether this will remain as just a mental shield, or if it will develop into a physical shield also, is something I am unable to see for the moment. What I do know, is that she will become very powerful."
"So you're saying I have a power?" My eyebrows raised at my mate's surprise, she looked back at me with wide eyes and mouth agape. I laughed in response and took her hand, pulling her back to my side. Knowing she was at my side relaxed me a little, but the way that Kate was continuously watching my mate with interest still had me on edge.
"A special ability, yes. It's something that you will have to work on to fully develop, perhaps Kate can be of help, Edward too." Great, because I needed Edward spending more time with Bella. Kate was still watching her, now a smile on her face with excitement lingering behind her eyes. The way she allowed herself to look Isabella up and down pissed me off. I had yet to claim Isabella, and I had yet to make it known that she was my mate. Of course others would be attracted to her.
"I would love to help you, Isabella."
"Please, call me Bella." I smirked at my mate's correction towards Kate's use of her full name. The air was slowly becoming a little more tense, clearly Kate was noticing my reluctance to leave Isabella's side and chose to take Irina's hand to leave for the forest to the side of the house, most likely to hunt. Tanya stared after them before turning back to face me, eye narrowed into slits.
"We'll be going on a hunt soon, you and I have catching up to do." I nodded at the blonde before she followed after her two sisters into the darkness of the trees. Eleazar gestured for us all to enter the house, bags in tow.
We were shown to our own seperate rooms on the top floor by Carmen who was as always, polite and warm. Bella seemed comfortable enough around Carmen to not have to clutch my hand tight enough to break each bone were I still a human. Though her newborn strength was still a little overwhelming. After Carmen had left us both standing in my room, Bella had chose to look out of the large bay window, arm crossed.
I could see her back muscles tensing through her shirt, now more prominent thanks to the venom that had coursed through her system. She was a healthy 5"7, just a few inches shorter than myself. Her chestnut hair had slight streaks of a dark red here and there, of course it was currently in a loose ponytail due to her previous hunts. She was incredible, even from behind. I couldn't help but allow my eyes to devour her shape, the way she held herself. Her scent was intoxicating, particularly in such a small space. I had been lucky enough to have had the car windows down throughout the entire journey here. Here in this room, I would not be so lucky. I was avoiding having to endure the pain of knowing my mate was right here, right here to claim and show her who she belonged with, who she would be spending the rest of this life with.
"Rose, I can practically hear how hard you're thinking." Bella mumbled, glancing at me over her shoulder before turning to face outside once again. Irritatingly smart, gorgeous newborn.
"I believe you're doing the same, Isabella." I joined her at her side, nudging her shoulder slightly, earning a smirk from her along with some raised eyebrows. "What's going on in that new head of yours?"
"Just still trying to process all of this. It's a lot to take in, ya know?" I nodded in agreement, focusing on her lips. They were parted slightly as her brows were furrowed, still glaring out of the window with a million and one thoughts running through her mind at once. Her lips were so full, so pink and inviting. She was truly a gift, I was one lucky vampire.
"You'll get it soon, I'm sure."
I left her at the window and chose to begin unpacking the bags that Alice had brought for both myself and Isabella. Apparently she'd gone shopping for the newborn during her change, seeing the outfits she would prefer through visions and slipping in some others that she believed the newborn would have to come to love. I don't believe that's how it works, but I'm sure Isabella will make me very aware of what outfits she would and wouldn't wear. I ran across the hall to drop her bags on her bed, and back into my room to see that she still hadn't moved, still frozen in front of the bay window.
After three hours of the exact same positioning, I'd had enough. I decided I would go for a hunt with our blonde cousins, better to get it out of the way before they started complaining. We would be here for a considerable length of time whilst our new house was being built, though that didn't mean they had much patience. I cast one last look over to Isabella before I left the room, she hadn't moved an inch even after hearing me leave the room. I was some what disappointed. I quickly made my way out of the house, passing the rest of the family and Carmen and Eleazar sitting around the TV, waving goodbye and running into the forest beside the house.
As I was running in the direction of the three familiar scents, I couldn't prevent my mind from wandering back to Isabella and the longing feeling to be back within her presence. I highly doubted she would feel anything similar. There was a slight feeling of doubt in the back of my mind, screaming that maybe I'd made the wrong decision for her. Maybe she already disliked this life, and that was what she was actually thinking whilst standing at the same window in the exact same spot. What if she would learn to blame me for causing her to endure this life, what if she chose to hate me? Could I survive that pain every day, knowing that my mate detested my very existence? It was a thought I no longer wished to consider.
"Rose!" Irina sprang to her feet from where she had been sitting, leaning back with her head in Tanya's lap. "I'm so glad that you chose to join us."
"As am I, but what has caused you to leave Bella's side?" Tanya wondered, choosing to stay resting against a fallen tree, legs crossed at her ankles. Kate was nowhere to be seen, most likely still hunting not too far.
"She seemed like she needed some time to think, alone." I shrugged and sat down beside Tanya. She glanced at my face and pursed her lips, slinging an arm across my shoulders and sighing softly.
"Over the many years that we've come to know you Rosalie, both myself and my sisters can see right through you. We know when you're overthinking something."
"That isn't true."
"So you're not overthinking the fact that Bella may despise you for forcing her into this life?" Kate questioned as she joined us, after emerging from the darkness of the trees. She smiled and stood beside Irina. I glanced at all three of them, huffing and slouching down further against the fallen tree. Kate smirked and sat down opposite me, legs crossed with Irina choosing to do the same opposite Tanya. I had missed spending some quality time with my fellow blondes, for me they were the easiest of our kind to be around. I wasn't forced to be someone I wasn't.
"And if there is the slightest chance that I might possibly, potentially, could be thinking that exact thing - am I wrong to be thinking it?"
"Not necessarily, no." Irina was blunt. She was my favourite type of blunt however, I could rely on her to give nothing but honest, unedited opinions and advice.
"I agree with 'Rina, I would fear the same thing." I nodded at Kate, and turned to Tanya for the last opinion. She was blinking and staring at the ground between us, fingers tapping against her thigh as she thought about the words to choose.
"Tan?"
"She couldn't possibly hate you. It's not possible in this life, a mate hating their significant other would only occur in the rarest of situations, so rare that I couldn't possibly name a scenario. It is impossible for us to cheat, impossible for us to do something that would physically or emotionally hurt our mate. She will never blame you, only thank you for bringing her this life, a life beside you."
"What if she doesn't want to be with me?" The sadness in my voice was enough for Tanya to pull me closer to her, my head resting in the crook of her neck, hand rubbing up and down my arm.
"Then you will be there until she is ready to be with you. A mating bond is too strong to remain as friends, it's simply too powerful. It'll be a continuous nagging feeling that you will both feel until the very first time you… mate. Once the act is completed, that nagging feeling will no longer be as irritating. You'll feel the normal pull when you're apart, but the thought of being anything other than each other's is no longer in consideration."
"Tanya's right. Though none of us have mated yet, we've seen it in Eleazar and Carmen, they're inseparable. Though when they first met, Carmen was unsure and Eleazar courted her until they had their moment and the rest was history!" Irina raised her eyebrows up and down suggestively during her story, causing giggles from the rest of us.
"You guys will be fine Rose, we promise." Tanya kissed the top of my head and released me, standing up and holding out her hand for me to take. "Let's go for that hunt? I think we still have room for another buck or two."
"Race you." I smirked, running through the trees with the blondes hot on my heels.