Chapter 18:

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I leaned my head against Tanya's shoulder, her arm wrapped securely around my waist to hold me in her side. The awkwardness and warning bells that had been in my mind were now completely gone. All I could do was indulge in the feeling of Tanya's body next to mine.

The electricity that burned through my body from her touch was like nothing I had ever felt before. It was almost indescribable—the pleasure that it gave me to be in her arms. I wondered if it was the same for her when we touched. Did she feel the same spark as I did?

The electricity?

I didn't know, and I wasn't going to ask right now as I listened to Kate proudly boast about her gift. As it turned out, she and Eleazer were also gifted. Kate had the ability to give the illusion of electrocution. She could give a single touch with her finger and you would feel the electricity coursing through your body. She didn't just use her finger though, oh no, she could send it all over her body, because "a finger was just lame". Her words not mine.

She was pretty proud about it.

Eleazer, on the other hand, had the ability to identify another's gift. He could see the gift be performed and was able to discern what it was, but a physical touch gave him more information and a quicker response than just a sighting. Eleazer was excited for his gift, although he was more subtle than Kate about it…to an extent.

Kate grinned, holding up her hand. "Want to give it a try, Bella?" she asked with a smirk. "You may find it shockingly fun."

Tanya scowled. "I'd rather you didn't shock Bella, Kate," she said in a low voice. If I hadn't known any better, I would just think she was warning her, but now that I had learned more of the Denalis, I knew it was an order. Tanya was the leader of their coven—surprising me—and she was proud of her status while she boasted earlier…until Kate teased her on trying to impress me.

I just cocked my head at the blonde who was ignoring her sister. She raised a brow. "I promise I won't hurt you…that bad," she added with a wicked smirk.

I studied her for a moment, and then shrugged. "Why not?" I asked. If Kate did hurt me, I'd be a little amused in seeing Tanya trying to beat the shit out of her sister while Kate hauled ass.

Tanya scowled, looking at me as Irina shook her head. "Are you sure, Bella?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I'll tolerate her for now."

The blonde snorted and motioned with her held out palm. "Come on, Bella, we don't have all day," she growled.

I pulled myself out of Tanya's arm and walked towards the blonde vampire. She raised her brow waiting for me in a silent challenge. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I walked towards the blonde woman, hesitantly holding out my hand when the pit of my stomach grew some butterflies from nerves.

My fingers just barely brushed her palm when they began sparking. I immediately expected the pain to come rushing towards me, but nothing came. I only felt the cold of her skin and my brow furrowed. I pressed a little harder into Kate's hand to see if I would feel anything, but there was nothing still.

I scowled. "Are you even doing your gift?" I asked.

She nodded and frowned. "You should have jumped back soon as you touched me," she said confused. She cocked her head. "How about now?"

I shook my head.

"Now?"

"Nothing."

"Now?"

"…Are you sure you are using your gift?"

Kate pulled her hand away, blinking in slight awe. "That was enough electricity to make your heart stop," she said stunned.

Tanya growled at her sister from behind me, but I ignored her and raised my brows in surprise. "Really?" I asked.

She nodded as Eleazer smiled. "My, my," he said, "it seems I now know why Edward was never able to read your mind, Bella."

I turned towards the Hispanic man with the rest of the room. "What do you mean, Eleazer?" Irina asked.

He held his free hand out towards me. "I would like to test my theory first before I say it, Bella, if you wouldn't mind letting me?" he asked, cocking his head to the side anxiously. The gleam in his eyes made him look like a kid at Christmas.

I shook my head and took two steps towards him before I gave him my hand. Eleazer seemed to zone out, his eyes glazing over for a few moments before his brows rose and a bright smile adorned his face. "Remarkable!" he exclaimed. He looked to me excitedly. "It seems as though you are a mental shield, Bella, a powerful one at that. You could possibly become a physical one when you are a vampire."

"Shield?" Tanya asked surprised.

He nodded, almost bouncing in place. "Yes, indeed. I wouldn't doubt it if she could even confound the Volturi gifts now," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

I blinked, feeling a slight overload. The Volturi? What gifts did they have that I could hold up against so shockingly? "Excuse me," I said, "but can someone explain to the human, please?"

"A mental shield is a defense against any mental attack," Carmen said from the arm of the chair. "That is why Edward couldn't read your mind and Kate could not shock you—both are mental attacks. A physical shield is just that, a physical shield that can protect you from any foreign object."

I nodded slowly, processing the information. "Okay," I said as it sank in.

"The Volturi are our rulers," Tanya said. She held out her hand for me and I gladly took it, letting her pull me down to be in our previous position. "It is the largest coven in the vampire world and is led by the three Kings Aro, Marcus and Cauis. They uphold the few laws vampires have."

I gave a small nod—I vaguely remembered Edward telling me about the Volturi before the whole birthday incident. I didn't really know much about them, however, and the night was kind of a blur to me up to the point where I had been shoved into the table.

"The Volturi have gifts," Carmen continued. "Aro can see every memory and thought you have ever had with a single touch to your skin. Marcus can see bonds between people and Cauis is a magnificent strategist, though, he doesn't particularly have a gift. Alec and Jane are twins, high up in the guard. Jane can make you feel intense and excruciating pain while Alec can steal your senses. Those are a few of the powerful gifts they possess."

I nodded, actually a little terrified at the sound of them. "And…you think their gifts wouldn't work on me?" I asked Eleazer.

He nodded. "Yes," he said. "You are exceptionally powerful for a human, Bella. Kate's gift is as close to Jane's as you can get, and if you resisted hers with no issue, I wouldn't be surprised if you resisted Jane's."

Well, that was…kind of comforting.

I nodded again when Tanya cleared her throat, changing the topic. "Do you have to be home at any specific time, Bella?" she asked.

I shook my head, smirking a little at the thought. "Not really, Charlie is trying to give me some lean way since the whole macho dad thing," I said.

She smiled. "I see," she said and her arm tightened around me just a fraction. "Then how late do you believe you are able to stay?"

Irina chuckled and crossed her arms. "A little eager to keep her here for a while, aren't you, Tanya?" she teased.

Kate smirked knowingly. "Of course she is," she said, and then turned to me evilly with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "She wants to get her in bed before we do."

Tanya growled deeply in her throat at her two sisters as they began to laugh their asses off. Carmen and Eleazer shook their heads, clearly unamused. I stayed completely impassive and rolled my eyes as I said, "Guys, I live with boys who are all frozen in their teen years. I've heard a lot of bets on who can tap me first."

The two sisters abruptly stopped laughing to look at me—correction—the room turned to look at me. "Seriously?" Irina asked with her brows raised.

I had told the Denalis about Victoria, the Pack and my relationship with them after everyone calmed down from the tense conversation earlier. At first, Kate found it amusing I was friends with "big doggies" until I said they were the reason I even talked to them; she immediately switched to being reminded of kissing each and every one of them when they met.

That would be an interesting experience for everyone.

I shook my head at her with a small smile of amusement. "Not from them, no, but I did hear it in school. A lot of 'whoever gets balls deep in that first' got the girl. I have no idea how they planned on it since my pants were not coming off," I shrugged.

Tanya scowled and Kate smirked. "Please tell me you took advantage of that?" she asked, leaning forward.

I shook my head. "Nah, it was better for them to watch them squirm when they thought I was completely clueless to their 'seduction tactics,'" I said with a toothy grin.

Tanya chuckled from next to me. "I'm sure it was." She kissed the top of my head affectionately.

I smiled a little at the gesture and thought about it. Ever since I had come to the Denalis and accepted Tanya, she had been taking every chance she could to touch me in some way. Right now, it was kissing my head or lips, but before it was just holding my hand or hugging me—sometimes touching my thigh, if she could.

Her need for physical contact astounded me a little, but at the same time I loved it. Edward hardly ever touched me, and when he did it wasn't like he really wanted to or knew how to. Tanya did, though. She started the contact and held me like anyone else would.

I loved that about her, and I knew I would never tire of it.

Carmen spoke up from her spot next to Eleazer. "When is your next chemo treatment, Bella?" she asked.

I thought for a moment. I had been a little too pissed last time at Charlie to really pay attention. Or to really even care, but after a few moments it came through. "I have a check-up the tenth, but a chemo the eighteenth. Why?"

She smiled. "I thought that maybe a few of us should go with you next time. It would allow Charlie to have some time to himself and I think we should do what we can to support you," she said.

I shook my head at her negatively. "That isn't necessary, Carmen," I assured her. "You guys can support me by, you know, clearing the room before I vomit or something."

Kate sniggered, but then shook her head. "While that is a good point, I want to go," she said. "I kind of want to see what it's like anyway."

I looked at her. "You get your blood work done. You sit there. You wait. You sit. You wait. You get the bag if you can have chemo that day. You sit. You wait. You sit. You wait. You sit. You eat. You wait. You sit. You wait. You drink. You sit. You wait. You sit. You wait. You sit. You wait. You change the bag. You sit. You wait. You sit. You wait. You sit. You wait. You-"

"Okay, okay," she said, holding up her hands in mock surrender, "I get the point; it's a lot of sitting and a lot of waiting, but I still want to go. Charlie has to be tired of getting up to just sit for several hours."

I shook my head a little. "Nah, we entertain ourselves with Temple Run battles. Whoever lasts the longest and gets more points than the other wins. Coins are bonus," I said.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Nope."

Irina gave a snort from the couch, crossing her arms over her chest. "There is no way in hell that is entertaining enough. You'd have to tire from it eventually."

"We have Frank for that."

"Frank is nice," Tanya agreed cautiously, "but he isn't designed to fit in for everything. I don't know how long your session is, but you have to be there for a while."

"Well, yes, but-"

"We are going to your next one, then."

I was about to interject when Irina shook her head, "We're going. No arguing." She gave me a small smirk as I scowled at her with huff.

"Fine…" I pouted.

Kate and Irina gave me victorious smirks as Tanya smiled smugly. At least she wasn't smirking at me; otherwise I would have an overload of smirks. Carmen and Eleazer seemed satisfied with the answer as well based on the grins they were giving me.

"So," Kate said, leaning forward, "how long is your session?"

"About five hours."

"What?"