Keep the feedback coming it's much appreciated! Just a quick reminder this is an M rated story, things will get spicy so please only read on if you're of age. Happy reading!

Chapter 7

B POV

I woke up feeling refreshed, and a lot lighter. I blushed a little bit remembering my request for a late-night guard…in my bed. But he did seem – wait. I did a double take and, in the corner, I saw the old rocking chair had been replaced with a beautiful black antique style love seat with crimson swirling patterns, and wooden claw feet. I got up and ran my fingers over the soft material, smiling softly at the gesture.

I went through my morning routine, got dressed in my usual jeans and long-sleeved top then headed downstairs. Unlike the previous morning, the smell coming from my kitchen was pretty amazing. Maybe Jane? No, she hates the smell of human food.

Coming around the corner I spotted him in hands down my favorite scene to date. Maybe. The parking lot was pretty untoppable. Felix was leaning over a pan of scrambled eggs, waffles, and a small dish of was syrup set off to the side. I could smell bacon coming from somewhere, but that's not what had my attention. I knew he could sense the moment I woke up, so he definitely knew he was being scrutinized. In a fitted black t-shirt, dark wash jeans, and a towel slung over one shoulder, I'd never seen him so relaxed. Even with a small crease of concentration on his brow, something about him also seemed lighter today.

"Hungry?" he grunted, with a jerk of his chin towards the waffles. I didn't know if it was the food or the man in front of me making my mouth water, but either way I wordlessly brushed past him for the waffles and dove in at the kitchen table.

The second the savory waffle and sweet syrup hit my tongue I couldn't hold back my moan. His back stiffened a little, making me wonder just how loud that must have been for his ultra sensitive hearing.

He dished the eggs out into a bowl, then bent over to pull the oven door open and pull out the bacon. I couldn't help it, my eyes flew to his ass. Everything about Felix seemed to be perfectly sculpted, and not just in a vampire sense. I was convinced had I met him as a human I would've been equally as stupefied and fidgety around him.

He turned around with the last of my breakfast, giving me a full view of his chest and thighs encased in the casual tighter clothing. Suddenly the towel from his shoulder was gone and dabbing away what was probably a mix of syrup and drool from the corner of my mouth. I swatted him away, cheeks already flaming at being so brutally caught out. I didn't need to see him to know he was laughing, I could practically feel his rumbling chuckles from across the kitchen. With an eye roll, I decided to change the topic…or start one.

"I noticed someone did a little decorating while I was asleep. I raised a challenging brow at the man in front of me who just shrugged in response before replying, "Jane hates chairs that rock".

"Wrong", I settled my fork down, ready to call him out, "Jane loves the front porch swing."

"She's right, I do love it!" came from the living room along with a snicker from Demi.

Felix sighed, knowing he'd been caught. "No more Cullen reminders. Seeing them at school tomorrow morning should be enough." I wasn't sure who's benefit he'd done it for, but either way I was grateful to be rid of it.

After I cleared my dishes, I walked over to him, reaching up my arms. I felt a little childish, but when he smirked and stooped down to pick me up in a hug, I really didn't care. I buried my face in his chest and inhaled, sighing out a small "thank you" on my exhale. He tightened his hold a little in answer, then set me back down.

I spent the next hour putting together a meal to cook in the crockpot that would be ready by the time Charlie got home. I didn't need to give him any bright ideas about cooking for me, I already had one man destroy my kitchen this weekend, that was enough.

Once I'd finished up, I strolled into the living room and plopped down on the loveseat with Demetri.

"So," I began, what's the plan for Cullens at school? Expulsion? Sudden disappearance? Drug scandal?"

Jane looked towards me, "see, this is what we needed last night. God Bells, why do you have to sleep so much?"

I stuck my tongue out at her then turned to Demetri, "plan please?"

"Jane will be joining you at school" he supplied, giving a pointed glance towards the small but deadly girl sitting across from us.

"Huh. Makes sense. You're too murdery. And twitchy." His gaze narrowed, and had I not spent the past week and a half with him, not to mention the kitchen disaster, maybe I would've been shitting my pants.

"You know," he started lowly, "most people, most vampires are terrified of me. I may not be able to track you but –" I'm not sure whether it was the rumbling growl coming from the doorway between the kitchen and living room, or when I reflexively reached out and booped him on the nose, but suddenly the big bad Volturi tracker sneered indignantly and sat back out of my reach.

"Give it a rest Demetri, you can terrify everyone else all you want, but I've been putting up with temperamental wolves for months now. Some of which aren't exactly my biggest fans, so you can blame it on my lack of self preservation, but the only supernatural beings that give me pause are the kinds I haven't seen pouting when they didn't get their way."

I leaned back, crossing my arms feeling smug, until the living room vibe registered.

"Isabella" Jane started, "what do you mean by some of the wolves aren't your biggest fans?" her voice was too calm, and I cringed slightly at my stumble.

"Look, it's fine. Don't freak out. I just don't really get along with two of them because of my involvement with the Cullens. Things were getting a little better until I went to Volterra, but now we're back to square one, and judging by their reactions to my impending change I doubt they'll ever come around."

Demetri looked behind me, "I don't like it, but it's your call boss." I waited with bated breath knowing this was a tough sell.

"Nothing changes," he started, "but if I get even a whiff of something going wrong, they're done. All of them."

I shivered at the protective tone in his voice, but also cringed at myself because he was talking about killing off a group of guys who'd protected me, befriended me, and become a second family. Second now to the family standing around you. Right. I knew deep down that he would and could follow through with the threat. On top of that, I had an inkling that from now on he'd probably try to be within hearing distance during my visits; considering his extra extra abilities, that might not be too difficult to accomplish.

I groaned and my head fell back against the back of the sofa, locking onto calculating red eyes. I frowned back then leaned forwards and slapped my hands on my thighs the way Charlie does when he's ready to leave.

"Welp", I started towards the door, "my shift at Newton's starts in twenty so on that note, I've gotta get going. See you guys later!" Hearing no objections, I grabbed my coat and keys and walked down to the beast.

Pulling into the old sporting goods store I couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief. Besides school, this was seemingly the only place where I could escape from all things supernatural in my life. I pushed open the door hearing the familiar ding from the bell Mike's mom had installed months ago for Christmas and left it up because it was 'cute'.

"Isabella," Mrs. Newton greeted me with a smile, "glad to have you back, Mike's in the back doing some inventory so you shouldn't have too much to do before locking up tonight. Mike's shift ends at four, so you'll only have to man the store alone for about three hours. Do you have any questions before I go?"

"No, I'm okay, thanks Mrs. Newton. You know I always enjoy the Sunday closing shifts. I promise I'm not going anywhere, and I'm really sorry about my shift the other week." I really did feel bad, it's not like I had a lot of employment options in Forks, and the Newton's were very kind to me; even their son had started officially dating Jessica and stopped perving out on me.

"It's okay dear, just no more chasing ex boyfriends across the world" she finished with a wink, and I tried not to cringe. Geez, I always forget how fast word travels around in this town. I smiled back, but it really came out more like a grimace.

I tucked my coat away and turned back to the desk, stretching as I ran through my usual mental check list of store duties.

"Bella, hey!" Mike came around the corner with a couple boxes in his arms, cheeks a little flushed from exertion of carrying what looked like sixty pounds. It was a comfortingly human thing that made me genuinely happy to see my classmate, so different from the supernatural beings in my life who'd no doubt lift ten times more without batting an eye.

"Hey Mike, how's your shift going? Need any help swapping out the winter for spring equipment?" There wasn't much, the weather is Forks is gross practically year-round so most of the things in the store were for all seasons.

"Don't worry Bella, I got the heavy lifting under control" he winked just like his mom, then walked off to the window display area.

For the most part the shift flew by with Mike carting the remaining boxes back and forth while I helped the few customers that came in and updated the prices on the spring equipment in the system. Around five o'clock Mike came out form the back storage area, "Alright Bella, I'm all finished, you sure you're going to be okay locking up?" he asked dangling the store keys mid-air.

"Yup!" I said rolling my eyes and snatching the keys before he could say anything else.

"Well alright, I'll see you at school tomorrow then, don't forget to just call if anything goes wrong." He reminded me as he fiddled with the sleeve of his jacket, pushing through the door with his back.

I waved back in reply and watched him make his way through the parking lot. Turning back to the store I sighed glancing at the empty aisles and pulled out the book I kept tucked behind the register for slow days, so every day.

The next hour and a half passed relatively quietly, and I started slowly doing all my closing tasks so I wouldn't have to be here long past seven. With about ten minutes to close I heard the bell ring above the door. Without turning I called out, "hi there, if you need any help feel free to ask, we've just finished putting out ou—" I'd turned around to see someone who definitely didn't need anything from Newton's store.

"We're all sold out of our designer collection, Alice, you'll have to go somewhere else for your fashion needs." My voice came out steadier than I felt. I knew I had no reason to fear Alice, but I wasn't really in the mood for a confrontation. I took my phone out.

"Bella wait! Please. They're going to be here in a few seconds. Please just hear me out, I'm not here to contest anything or cause any conflict. Please." She looked so earnest, I sighed, accepting that she'd be able to find a way to talk to me eventually. I nodded.

"It's okay guys, I promise, just let her speak." I said, knowing they'd all arrived by now. I was right, a blond blur streaked through, stone arm linking with mine.

A part of me did feel a little bad when I saw Alice's expression drop at my obvious new closeness with Jane, but I couldn't dwell on her emotions. Not when her family hadn't given me the same curtesy.

"Speak." Arms braced high on the shelves on either side of him, Felix seemed to tower over everyone in the medium-sized store.

"Wait!" All eyes turned to me, I spotted Demetri by the door, ready to block Alice's escape if things went south. "This is my job, Alice will say what she's come to say, leave peacefully, and no harm will come to Newton's."

Alice seemed to relax at that, even though she didn't move a muscle. "Bella, I came here to tell you that it's okay." I gestured for her to elaborate, "I mean, you don't have to be worried at school tomorrow. We get it, Edward gets it, you will be changed on the Volturi's timeline and we won't interfere in your deal. But we do miss you, and I hope that with time you'll let us back into your life. I've really missed my favorite sister" she winked, making me think of Rose who'd have just snorted and rolled her gold eyes.

I sighed, "I've got a lot on my mind these days Alice, and I can't even begin to explain how much pain you all caused me. But maybe in the future, we could be friends again. Just give me time, and maybe a little more space with little to no surprise visits."

"No surprise visits." Demetri chipped in, crossing his arms and staring the seer down, causing her to tense. I told him he was still intimidating. As if he knew what I was thinking, he rolled his eyes and held the door open for Alice who vanished before I could say anything else.

"I swear," I said, slouching down onto a display of hiking boots, "my weekends seemed to be reserved exclusively for unsolicited supernatural visits."

Jane stayed behind with me while I finished up and locked the store. It wasn't until we were in the truck that she turned to me, "You didn't tell us everything earlier with the wolves did you? Something else happened. We could all sense you were holding back, but I offered to get you to fess up seeing as I might just be the most reasonable out of us, and that's saying something."

I sighed, really hoping I'd gotten away with withholding Paul's unsavory comment last week. "I just don't want any trouble or fighting. Not just because one temperamental wolf made a stupid comment. The others shouldn't have to battle it out with you. And he shouldn't lose his life over it." I added, eyes shifting over to hers uneasily. Paul wasn't the worst; he just had no filter and heaps of anger constantly seeping out of him.

"What, per say, was this comment?" she hedged.

I opened my mouth to tell her, then thought better of it. "Can he hear us?" she knew exactly who I was referring to and hesitated. "Ah, I see. Nope, can't say I recall." Jane sighed, then growled at whatever comment was made outside of human earshot.

"You know what" she spoke, "if you want to know so bad come ask her yourself, clearly she's come back twice unharmed since the comment was made so I'm going to drop it. For now." She ended by giving me a pointed look, then in a totally human move, opened the door to my moving truck and got out.

I didn't even have to look over; I already knew he was there. He was always there. I felt him everywhere.

"I'm not telling you" I said stubbornly.

"Is that so?" he sounded amused which instantly made my guard go up.

"Yes, that's so. Jane's right, nothing's happened, just drop it." It was taking a lot of effort to keep my eyes forward, not wanting to get distracted by the very distracting man beside me.

"Hmm" he hummed, still sounding slightly amused which was started to seriously annoy me.

"What? What hmm?" I started drumming my fingertips on the steering wheel as I turned onto my street.

"Nothing," he started and I could practical feel him smirking, "just that you're very talkative when you sleep, and I wouldn't be surprised if it came up or was coaxed out of you…" he trailed off.

I parked the truck and turned to look at his triumphant smirk before replying, "well that's an easy fix, no vampires in my room coaxing my unassuming sleep talking self for the next hmmm four months? So when we get back to Volterra, and then by that point I won't even need sleep anymore."

The smirk didn't leave his face like I thought it would.

"Go ahead, il mio gattino grintosa," he leaned in close, hand coming up to rest against on the window behind my head, "let's wait and see who cracks first."

Then he was gone, leaving me a pile of breathless goo inhaling the lingering manly scent that clung to his granite skin.

I took a couple breaths to recenter myself, then got out of the truck and let myself into the house, thankful for my earlier cooking as I inhaled the smell of my one pot lasagna simmering away.

"Hey Bells, thanks for the dinner!" Dad called from the living room, "I hope you don't mind I helped myself soon as I got in." I could hear him patting his stomach from the kitchen and rolled my eyes before calling out, "yeah that's fine dad, I'm just gonna eat some and then pack the rest up for us to eat for lunch tomorrow."

"Sounds good, and don't forget if you need anything tomorrow to just give your old man a call, okay?"

"Yeah dad, I will, but I really l think that I'm gonna be fine so try not to worry." I called back, sitting down at the kitchen table and eating the lasagna while trying to decide which Tupperware containers were the right size.

Once I'd gotten everything packed away and cleaned up the dishes, I said goodnight to Charlie and took a long hot shower, trying to ease the tension and leftover anxiety from the weekend. I towel dried my hair enough that it wouldn't soak my pillow and slipped into some comfy pyjamas before crawling into bed and setting an alarm.

It was now ten o'clock, almost an hour since I'd gone up to bed and my mind simply wouldn't shut off. I kept thinking about having class with Jane, the Cullens, the rest of the damn school, and wondering whether or not the whole school was going to just implode.

My phone buzzed on my nightstand and I just knew who it was.

How's that sleep coming?

I could jut imagine him smirking up at my window as he hit send.

I can't hear you over the sound of my dreams.

Maybe I could find a way to mess with him…I mean if I wasn't getting any sleep, and I definitely wasn't giving in, what else was I going to do? I waited a while, evening out my breathing, laying as still as I could, then started mumbling unintelligibly at first.

"Wolves…" I murmured. Annnnd there it is. That odd tingling sensation I seemed to have when he was nearby started spreading up my fingers.

"Hmmm…no don't say that. Nuh huh. Paul they're very nice…"

Just as I realized my utterly stupid mistake, I felt him. Hovering over me. I could smell him, waiting, watching. I don't know why but it didn't frighten me in the least. A low growl was rumbling through the large vampire as he hissed out the words, "What did Paul say?"

Oh no. Wait. He still thinks I'm asleep. Think Bella, think.

"Hmmm. Happy kittens" I tried, but when I felt his cold lips lower to my ear, I couldn't help but react to his sudden closeness.

"Hmmm, what's this?" I could feel his lips curling up against the skin under my ear, pressing in ever so lightly. "Did my gattino grintosa trick me? Hmmm?" His lips dragged down my neck and I tried to control my breathing and my thundering pulse, but we both knew I was quickly losing that battle.

"Oh my sweet, silly, girl, you have no idea what kind of game you're playing right now" came his low voice again, like an undercurrent, pulling me into a lust driven haze. Like I triggered some sort of trip wire in him and his baser instincts had come out and I was no longer just dealing with Felix, but with the millennia old probably highest ranking guard member.

"So what's it going to be, Bella? Are you going to tell me what I want to know or wake up? Either way, I will still be getting what I want."

Some foolish part of me wanted to know what was behind door number three. What would this giant, imposing, powerful, immortal man do to me if I – small, young, human – did not relent. So I held still and continued to try and calm down until I heard and felt him start to rumble. Somewhere between a laugh and a growl, sinister yet alluring that created such an intense feeling of yearning I had to clamp my lips together to keep from making any noise.

"So stubborn, so feisty" he breathed, lips skirting down over my neck to the front of my throat, then back up to where my pulse point was still hammering away. I barely contained my gasp as I felt his cool tongue lave over my pulse point, a low groan escaping him. I thought I'd been successful until his lips closed over it and he sucked gently. The moan passed from my lips before I could even think to hold it back.

"There she is" he said in his rough tone, and suddenly I was nudged onto my back, eyes slowly peeking open to meet a dark ruby gaze.

I wonder what's going to happen next…