Chapter Fourteen

Bella

It was rare for me to be at home, but my dad insisted that we spend some time together, and all he could talk about was the 'werewolf' thing. The fact was, I hadn't seen my dad this happy since he met Tabitha. I had to admit, I liked her; she was rather fun to hang out with, and though she pretended not to care, I knew the truth. Dad couldn't feel it the same way, but Tabitha was excited to have him, and wanted to change him right away, but the poor guy was scared of hurting someone if he chose the life of immortality to be with her.

"Dad!" I sighed while rolling my eyes as we finished the pizza I made from scratch, with Esme's help – well, okay, she made it and I just put it in the oven with instructions on how long and what temperature. "Do you love her?" I asked, knowing the truth, but I needed to make him say it to me at least. "I don't need any details," he said, "as I have had to flee twice already, and would appreciate some forewarning next time; Alice has some difficulty seeing the future of creatures she has never met before."

He looked like he had been splattered in ketchup—as if he had only just remembered that I have super hearing and senses. "Oh, gods, Bella," he said, putting his hands over his face.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Just answer the question, Dad!" I complained.

He bowed his head in sheepishness and nodded. "Yes… I've never really felt like this before."

Then the choice had been made, I said, startling him. "You know how these things are, but you're just a normal human; she wouldn't have turned you if she wasn't certain, and though I wish I could stop you, the choice is yours in the end. The other week, she knew I would stop her, but wanted to see your reaction, and your lack of fear kind of cemented her bravado."

"Thank you, Bella," he said gently as the doorbell rang; though I heard the car pull up outside, I didn't recognize the engine.

I smiled at my dad, "Don't worry," I said, smiling. "I'll get it." I added reassuringly. "I can protect us, and while you're alone, I'll be able to spot any other packs or shifters, so we can avoid them. I'll see to it."

I left the kitchen and moved into the hall before pulling open the front door, surprised to see a girl with crinkled blonde hair and teary blue eyes. "You fucking broke me!" she cried. "I can't stop thinking about you, those lips, that kiss... you, oh, fuck Bella; I can't stop thinking about you touching me... me touching you..."

It was rather surprising; Jessica smelled of deep arousal, and alcohol, and I knew that she would let me do whatever I wanted with her body, if I chose.

"Why do I have to feel this way?" she pleaded, whimpering as she squeezed her legs together. "I love you, Bella; so much it feels like my heart is going to explode knowing you're with another woman."

I sighed sadly. "You've been drinking," I said gently.

"Of course, I have," she slurred. "I thought, if I went out with Mike, and I drank, I could give him my virginity. But I couldn't even touch it, and then I ran away, and ended up here." She sobbed as her car was still idling in the middle of the road. "I couldn't even fucking kiss him."

I felt bad because I was the one who made her realize she obviously preferred girls, and besides that, I pulled her into my arms where she held on tightly and sobbed into my chest.

Dad, is everything okay? my dad asked as he exited the lounge.

I smiled back at my dad. "Yeah, it's just a friend who needs someone to talk to from school," I replied gently. "It's okay if she stays over, right?"

"Of course," he replied in relief that their own conversation had ended.

"We aren't through just yet, Dad," I replied to his disapproving look before moving Jessica to my room where we sat side by side on my bed. I sensed Alice watching, and heard Jessica's car being parked safely off the road, and locked, so her licence wasn't at risk, as she was obviously quite a bit too far over the limit.

"I'm sorry to be a pain," Jessica said gently.

I smiled and lay down on my bed, opening my arms; she snuggled up half on top of me, still crying. "I can love you, but not like I love Alice," I said gently as I heard Alice slip up to sit on my windowsill, and my dad leave for his night shift. "I'sure I would even enjoy fucking you… but Alice is my soulmate. I'm sorry I made you realize you're gay, and sorry I made you fall in love with me, but sex… even with love, alone, isn't the grand design we seek… if you have the patience, and strength of heart, I can help make you strong… and help you find the woman whose soul matches yours perfectly, and trust me when I tell you every time you're together, just kissing, or holding hands, will feel like Lucifer and Jehovah blessed you with pleasure and joy."

I felt Alice slide up onto the bed on the other side, and she stroked Jessica's cheek in understanding before the blonde slowly fell asleep, cuddled contentedly.

Alice asked gently, "So, you really plan on teaching her?"

I smiled sadly. "I must fix her heart; I broke it. Is it wrong that I want her to be as happy as we are?"

Alice shook her head. "No… that's just you being so kind and loving… I'm tempted to let you have sex with her… as long as I can watch."

"Your jealousy rages a little too much, darling; I don't want her hurt," I said, kissing her pixie-like forehead in devotion.

Jessica

My eyes peeled open, and my head exploded in pain. It was then that I was handed a small glass of something and told to drink; that it would help. I would have considered poison helpful at this point, so I drained it dry and blanched at the taste, but a moment later, my head cleared, and the blur faded from my eyes as I realized, I wasn't at home. My cheeks flushed red as Bella sat on the bed beside me wearing some kind of silk gown, while my cheeks flamed up even more as I looked down to see the covers had fallen to reveal my white bra. I was only in my underwear, and I pulled the cover up to cover myself as tears pricked my eyes as I recalled going to Bella's and confessing my feelings.

"Sorry, your clothes are still in the dryer, Jess." Bella said gently. "I thought that since you were passed out, I would well, put you into PJs, so you were more comfortable, but Alice said we should give that up, so, just stripping you down to your undies had to do. But, I recently bought some new training gear, and you're about my size, so after you take a nice long shower, and brush your teeth, we can talk," she said as she handed me a brand new toothbrush and an outfit like hers, and though she wore black, the one she handed me was white. She surprised me as she leaned over and kissed my forehead before standing, and added some comfortable looking shoes to my package with a smile. "Meet me out back when you're finished, Jessica," she said, being too kind to me, even after everything, and I could only nod.

The shower was nice; it helped clear my mind, and once dried, freshened up, and dressed, I had to face the music and apologize for behaving so poorly. I had lost a friend over the way I had been acting, and Angela was the best friend I could have ever asked for. She was the one who stood by me through everything, and it took losing her to realize that. And I had barely known Bella when I ruined that friendship, but here she was, despite that, looking after me.

I took a deep breath as I walked outside, and it took me a few minutes of careful walking to find a clearing in the trees beyond the garden space. There was a small brook, with running water that I just about managed to jump over, and a large pond to one side. The pond was clear and deep, and Bella was sitting in the center with her legs crossed and eyes closed, hands in her lap, and breathing long and deep. As I watched, the water rippled gently, and the wind swirled gently around her, and the water rippled again in time with her breath.

Then her eyes snapped open, and I shuddered as I felt something ancient and powerful deep within those beautiful brown eyes. Bella smiled as she stood on the water as if it were no different than the land, and then walked over to me, stepping on dry land without a drop of water on her. She pulled me into her arms, and held me for a moment before pulling back with a wide smile.

"It's okay, Jane," Bella said gently, and I turned to see a blonde girl holding the hands of two red-haired girls. They had that strange golden eye color like the Cullens, and they were alarmingly beautiful; I didn't know what was happening.

"She isn't food," one of the redheads said in broken English, and my heartbeat quickened.

"She is not," Jane agreed. "We are here to help you control yourselves around a human who cannot defend herself against your senses. You will have myself and Miss. Bella making sure you can…make a new friend without hurting her."

It was... nice to meet you," one of them said uncertainly. "I am Mary, and this is my twin sister, Lexi, and our dear friend, Jane."

"Bella?" I asked in worry, as the girl spoke with such a strange accent and it sounded like she was still learning English and taking the shortest course she could find.

She said to me with a gentle smile, "They're vampires." I could only stare in awe, because somehow that made too much sense; the Cullens were vampires. "These ones… those with golden eyes, don't eat people," she explained. "But being around people is like a human hanging out at a barbecue while being a vegetarian. These girls… well, Mary and Lexi have been sealed away for over one thousand years, and they haven't been around humans since then."

I took a step back while gulping. Bella continued. "Don't be afraid," she said gently, and I paused as I felt my heart beating faster. "But your first lesson as my student is that running from a predator you know is faster and stronger than you is a rather silly idea, for you should never let a predator know you're weak. Even the smallest of creatures try to bluff their strength when in such situations because they know the truth of nature. You either accept your fate is to die, or you fight to live, and even if you lose, you tried; there is always the chance of getting lucky if you fight."

Then one of the redheads, Lexi, broke free of Jane, and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. They tightened impossibly before they loosened. I looked up to see Bella with her arms around the girl from behind, and looked down to see her arms and hands moving between us from behind the smaller girl, holding them open and letting me breathe.

"Gentle, Lexi, sweetie," Bella said in her ear, "like picking a flower to enjoy its beauty." Then Bella slipped away and Lexi was gentle, even though her body was cold. I felt the warmth of her heart, and after a moment, I hugged her back. I was hugging a flipping vampire, and I wasn't afraid of her hurting me or drinking my blood; I trusted Bella and, by extension, them with my life.

"Sorry I almost hurt you, Jessica," Lexi said, smiling as she stepped back. "I have to remember to be gentler around non-vampires, and Jane and Miss. Bella said we should make other friends too, and Miss. Bella said she'll help you become strong enough so that one day we can hug you with all of our strength and not hurt you."

"Teach me to be strong?" I asked in bewilderment, having rather missed being coddled by the angel once she had stopped trying to kill me.

Bella smiled at me as she walked over to a medium-sized rock by the pond, and then moved closer. My eyes widened as her fingers shattered through the stone and she picked it up. She threw it toward me, and I watched in amazement as Lexi moved around, catching it effortlessly before dropping it to the ground with a huge crash.

"Miss. Bella, be careful," Mary said as she left Jane and hugged me gently from the side. "This is our new best friend," she scolded while pouting, and I could see Jane with a small proud smile on her lips.

"Right now," Jane said as she gently sneaked up on us. "Miss. Bella is one of the most powerful beings on the planet, and only one other near here could give her a run for her money in a fair fight, and that would be her sister… The Blackstar Dragon."

Bella chuckled. "Esmeralda is a sweetie-pie, and you'll meet her soon."

"Is she an actual dragon?" I asked.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Of course... well, kind of... She's a Dragonkin, which are humans who can transform into dragons, but because of... certain long-winded fate and destiny crap, she is actually a dragon who can take human form. Her family hated her for it, and they sealed away her power, but she recently broke the seal, so she's off with the Shifters—they're people who can transform into their spirit animals—learning to control her form, and with a couple of witches helping her gain control of her magic."

"So, vampires, spirit animals, magic, and dragon people, and people dragons," I said sounding weird as I thought about it, "so, what are you? Are you magic too?"

She shook her head and smiled sheepishly. "I'm a ninja… we use spirit-based powers, similar to those of other warriors in the martial arts."

"Oh, and you want to teach me?" I asked skeptically.

She shrugged and nodded her head. "You have potential… or, if you so desire to remain ignorant of the Supernatural World… we could make you forget with magic," she said, looking rather sad at the thought.

I looked at Mary and Lexi, who seemed to genuinely want to be my friends; I knew with them, I would never have to worry about being hurt or having to hide who I was. They were older than most of the other students, so I doubted they would care much about high school cliques.

I whispered, "Please teach me." Mary and Lexi looked so excited as they hugged me, their gentleness surprising me. Then, at super speed, they cuddled onto Jane's arms, and the three of them disappeared. Secretly, I admitted I was a little envious that Jane had found her twin soulmate.

Alice

I smiled as I watched Bella. I was sitting in a tree, watching her. I knew Jessica would eventually get over her obsession, and perhaps fate would bring someone just for her, waiting in the wings. Bella was such a sweet young woman, and I had to admit, I loved her so much it sometimes hurt.

Jane

We left Bella and returned to the little house we shared with Marcus and Didyme; however, they were out on a hunting trip they had ventured on with Carlisle, Esme, Chelsea, and Afton, so I let my lips explore theirs, as they were eagerly all over me as we finally made it to our room, and I quivered in anticipation, because I couldn't believe I waited over twelve centuries to experience such joy and pleasure. I was in a state of bliss as my girls were licking and kissing at my throat when we froze as we smelled an unfamiliar trio of vampires around our little cottage, and I knew that some Shifters would venture closer since the magic the witches put up would alert our clan to danger.

I pulled away from the girls, and kissed them each on the lips; then we flitted outside to see a black vampire with dreadlocks, a pale-blonde man, and a woman with fire-red hair. The blonde looked us over with glee and amusement, while the black man displayed horror.

The black man exclaimed, "James!" He then added, "That's Jane from the Volturi." The other two appeared unconcerned.

Well, the Volturi are gone, as far as we know," James said in glee. "Now we can do whatever we want!"

"You come into our home and think such nonsense?" I asked, as their presence was nothing but a burden on me and my girls. Mary and Lexi were hissing either side of me, alone, let alone with the whole clan, or even a fraction of it.

The three vampires tensed and stood still a moment later as several monster wolves stepped out of the woods with a pale girl with black scales under her eyes, and on her clawed hands. Then three vampires followed them, with Edward and Eleaza, at the lead with Emmett grinning broadly as he followed, since Carlisle was away; Eleaza took the lead with trying to broker peace, as his family had joined them, and were visiting for a while before we ALL went to Alaska, once the estate there, which was out in the middle of nowhere, away from humans, was built up quite a bit more to accommodate everyone, and they needed to update their energy systems for warmer blooded creatures, too.

The smile was wiped from James's face.

"Your aggression against our family shall not be taken lightly," Eleaza said gently. "But, abide by our rules, and we shall allow you to leave in peace."

"More rules?" James scoffed.

Edward said, "If you intend to hunt humans, you must only hunt those who deserve it. Otherwise, you will have to feed on animals or perish yourselves."

"But why bother with that when I think I'll eat one of them?" James demanded, and we looked to see Bella had arrived, carrying a windswept Jessica on her back, while Alice stood beside them, looking amused. "The hunt is on, bitches," he laughed as he flitted into a run, with the redhead following him while the black one stayed put.

James's legs snapped as Esmeralda appeared before him, while the red-headed beauty had the adorable ginger-haired twins tearing her apart as they moved with the wind; it was their gift, and they didn't stop until she was in pieces. James whimpered from the ground, gazing upon his woman in horror.

"Don't worry, Jessica," Lexi said, smiling at the shocked girl in relief, before turning her gaze on the furious James. The black vampire had dropped to his knees in horror and surrender.

However, Esmeralda had grabbed James by the face and raised him to eye level. "These are my people... my family... my clan, and I love them so much," she whispered as black flames lit him up and spread to the woman, but didn't even singe the confused twins' clothes. Before long, the two enemy vampires had been eliminated.

"Wow, Esmeralda, your powers are so cool!" Mary exclaimed with joy.

Esmeralda looked embarrassed. "Thanks, but Blackstar… I mean, my past self can be a little overprotective," she said sheepishly before turning to Bella and then grabbing at her chest as her heart skipped a beat.

Jessica

I looked over at Esmeralda, who looked embarrassed by the praise, and felt better when Bella put her down. When she turned to us, and before she could look at Bella, our eyes connected. She was stunning, and sexy, and I almost forgot to breathe. I loved Bella, and I knew those feelings were real, but with this dragon, for yes, I knew she was really a dragon, I felt a calling, like a dragon could really want to love a human.

It felt surreal as she was curled around me, as if she had always been there. Her face nuzzled into my neck, and I felt the weight and majesty of her power, feeling like a monster older than any had taken me as the prize she had always wished for, and always wanted, and always needed. I was dripping and whimpering, and intoxicated by breathing her in; feeling the warmth of that fire burning through my core. I felt the black reptilian wings stretching long from the center of her back, just to pull me in to her even more fully. There were a few more black scales that I could see, like curving with her cheekbones, and she had a tail of black scales curving down her spine, out and long, lashing out but gently wrapping possessively around my left arm while I buried my face into her breasts.

"Es!" Bella startled us to look up over Esmeralda's wings. "Seriously, making out with her in front of everyone, we don't need to smell any of this, or see it, either!"

Esmeralda looked sheepishly embarrassed as she stopped humping my thigh. "But… I… we… we never thought we would ever have this," she whimpered with tears leaking from her eyes, and Bella smiled gently as she moved over, and gently wiped Esmeralda's tears away, and with a kiss to each of our cheeks, she made a gesture, and everyone else followed her and left us alone. We kissed, and were soon using the forest floor as if it was our bed, and though she could crush me with ease; she was the gentlest creature in existence just for me.

to be continued...