I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.

Cheryl, Noles, and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.

Ch. 14

BPOV

I was a little overwhelmed with multiple emotions. I was thrilled and happy that I still had family alive. However, finding out there were even more lies I'd been told upset me. I was starting to hate my father, who I'd once loved and adored. It also didn't help that Edward seemed to be in attack mode with all his questions, distracting me from wrapping my mind around everything. But I wasn't sure if he would leave me alone with my aunt to get answers from her.

Aunt Siobhan gave me a wink and then looked over my shoulder.

"No. Absolutely not," Edward said before she could even say anything.

I turned around to face him. "Why not? I'm perfectly safe here."

"Of course, you are. Edward, I'm sure you can understand that Bella has things she'd like to talk about with me. Without anyone else interrupting with their input every few seconds," Aunt Siobhan said sternly.

Edward was still clearly unhappy, so I walked up to him and placed a hand on his chest. "I'll be fine. You wouldn't have brought me here if you didn't trust them, right?"

"I don't fully trust anyone," he stated, his lower jaw ticking.

I frowned, realizing he even meant members of his own family.

"Not even me?" I looked up at him through my eyelashes.

He blew out a breath, then kissed my forehead. "Of course, I trust you."

"I can always bring you to me if there's an emergency." I really needed this time alone with my aunt and was ready to beg if I must.

"Although, she can handle herself. Even untrained she's very powerful. However, being untrained is what makes her dangerous, even to herself. You will only get in the way being here. Might as well go hunting while you wait," Siobhan suggested.

"I have something you may be interested in," Liam spoke up. He had been so quiet I had forgotten he was here.

I read Liam's mind, and he wanted Edward's help with a gang in Dublin who was selling experimental drugs to kids. Edward turned away from Liam and caught my eye. I knew I didn't have to tell him the idea of it upset me.

He sighed and nodded. "We'll take care of it."

Edward gave me a quick kiss and then took off running with Liam and they quickly disappeared from sight.

Aunt Siobhan linked her arm through mine. "Finally, I didn't think they would ever leave."

I ducked my head. "I'm sorry. He tends to be too overprotective of me."

She chuckled. "All vampire males are. It doesn't help that they think they are a superior race and everyone else is weaker than them."

I smirked because it described Edward to a T. Aunt Siobhan led me inside her home. The exterior was vastly different from the interior. We entered a large, cozy sitting room filled with rich, warm colors. A fire was going in the fireplace and a large kitchen was toward the back of the house. In another corner was a set of stairs, leading to a second floor.

"How about some tea while we talk?" she offered.

"That would be nice, thank you," I agreed.

"Take a seat." She gestured to the sofa then headed to the kitchen.

While I waited, I looked at the pictures on the mantel. There were a few with Liam and Siobhan with a young girl with red curly hair. But the one photo that stood out to me was my mother and aunt, standing together with their arms around each other. Aunt Siobhan set a tray down and joined me. She picked up a cup, and I copied her.

"I'm sure you have a ton of questions," she said before taking a sip.

"So many I don't know where to start," I admitted, trying to decide.

"We have time. We don't even need to get to everything today," she calmly.

"Where did the prophecy come from? And what did it exactly say?" I asked.

Aunt Siobhan hid a smile behind her cup. "Straight to the big stuff."

I felt my cheeks warm. "I want to understand more about how powerful I'm supposed to be, and why that's putting everyone in danger."

"The prophecy came from my mother, while Renée was pregnant with you. To explain the extent of your powers, I'll start by explaining witches better. It's not usual for a new witch to gain a power that wasn't in the family line before. For example, your grandmother on your father's side was the first shield, which then passed on to your father then you. You gained powers unlike any other witch I know. The best way I can describe it, is you're like a magnet."

"A magnet; so, I gain every power I've come in contact with?" I was able to connect the rest of the dots from her thoughts.

"Exactly. Which is why you were sought out by those who craved power. If Eleazar had kept his mouth shut, then the Volturi would have never known about you."

"Was Eleazar the family friend who betrayed them? Why did he do it?" I'd wanted more answers, but knew it was a touchy subject with Edward, so I hadn't pressed. However, he had never told me the identity of the person who betrayed them.

Aunt Siobhan tilted her head from side to side as if she was pondering how to answer. "Eleazar had the gift of reading other powers. Apparently, he could also read them in humans and, obviously, witches. The Volturi used him as a headhunter. However, he retired working for them after he found his mate. It was a vampire named, Tanya, from his new coven, who took the information to the Volturi."

"Why would she care…oh." I scowled when I picked up from my aunt's mind that Tanya was another jilted lover of Edward's. They were beginning to be a problem, maybe I should've cared more about his past indiscretions.

"Yes, oh. That only added to the reasons why your parents didn't like that Edward was your mate," Aunt Siobhan stated. "Edward didn't hesitate to kill Tanya, especially since she sparked the goose chase, where she hoped you'd be taken. Then it led to a war with the Volturi. The Denali clan were wiped out for playing both sides, Esme lost an arm, and one of the leaders of the Volturi lost their mate in the fight."

"I'm confused by one thing. Esme said she and my mother were good friends. She didn't appear to be lying," I questioned.

"No, she wasn't. Esme has a kind heart and soul—even as a vampire. Your mother saw that in her." Aunt Siobhan placed her cup down. "Plus, it was more your father than your mother, who was against vampires. Renée just supported him. A vampire killed your paternal grandparents long before you were conceived."

"And your parents?" I asked.

She frowned and looked out the window. "They fought alongside the Cullens against the Volturi to avenge Renée and were among the casualties."

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

"It was never your fault; you did nothing but be born special," she told me.

My gaze fell on the photo on the mantle again. I hoped to turn the conversation to something more cheerful. "Do you have a daughter?"

Aunt Siobhan grinned. "I do. Her name is Maggie. She is half vampire and half witch. She has magic but less than the average witch."

"So, it is possible for us to have children," I confirmed, feeling a bit hopeful. "Can I meet Maggie?"

Aunt Siobhan nodded. "On your next visit. Right now, she is visiting friends in Egypt. In fact, perhaps you should meet them as well. There's a vampire named Benjamin with the power to control the forces of nature. That would be an interesting power to gain."

I grasped that must mean my sensitivity to others' powers came from Eleazar. If I explored it more, I would probably be able to read who had what power, like he once did. It also meant I had Jasper's empathic abilities without realizing it.

"Overwhelmed?" Aunt Siobhan guessed.

"A little. I thought it would help to get questions answered, and it does. However, now I have all these powers I don't know how to use, and it makes me nervous that I could hurt someone without meaning to."

"And that is why I will train you the best that I can. Let's start with defense, since that's what your mate is most worried about." She stood. "If you allow me to, I'll bring you to the clearing where I taught Maggie."

"That's fine with me," I agreed, rising to my feet.

Aunt Siobhan brought us to a small clearing in the woods. There were several large boulders with burn marks and what looked like piles of rubble. She stood back and shot a bolt of magenta light out of her hand toward one of the stones, leaving a mark.

"These beams can range from stunning to killing most living creatures," she explained.

"I've done it without realizing what I was doing. My father did one right before he died by a wolf. Rays of purple shot out of my hand and killed the wolf before I even knew what was happening," I told her.

Aunt Siobhan's eyebrows rose. "By wolf, I assume you mean one of the shapeshifters."

I nodded. "Jacob wanted me to marry him and didn't like no as the answer."

She shook her head. "Your father was a fool for even trying to set you up with anyone else. He should've known better."

"Now we don't just have to worry about the Volturi but the rest of the pack," I grumbled.

Aunt Siobhan closed her eyes. "I have difficulty seeing those I don't know. But from what I can see, they won't be a problem in the immediate future."

"I haven't seen any problem in the future either. I hopefully bought time by changing Leah's memory." I then explained what I had done.

"It should hold. But if it doesn't, they can be easily dealt with," Aunt Siobhan said dismissively. "Now I want you to try to hit the rock, but not at full strength, just enough to leave a mark."

I took a deep breath and focused on the rock in front of me. I raised my hand and shot a beam of purple light. The rock cracked and a chunk broke off. I grimaced then tried again, this time the whole rock turned black.

"Hmm. You are definitely strong and need to work on control. But I wonder…try creating a ball, but don't throw it yet."

I waved my hand slightly and a spinning ball of purple light appeared. "Like this?"

"You have done this before." She was impressed.

"I did it to see in the dark," I admitted.

My aunt snorted. "Good thing you didn't throw it. But I want you to now hit the center rock." She took a step back.

I concentrated then threw the ball. It hit the rock, causing it to explode. A domino effect affected the rest of the boulders, as they too became rubble. I flung my hands in front of me to protect myself from the flying debris. The junk hit an invisible wall before I could get hit.

Aunt Siobhan gasped then stepped around me with her hands out in front of her. She touched the wall with a look of shock then elation on her face. "Magnificent, Bella. You're more powerful than I could ever imagine. I don't know why your mate is so worried about your safety. What you just did could destroy your foes in one blow."

I picked up thoughts from her mind that started to trouble me. I wasn't a violent person—I didn't want to be.

"What?" I asked, wanting her to clarify her thoughts.

"It's up to you to destroy the Volturi. To put an end to it for once and for all," she stated as her facial features darkened.

I shifted uncomfortably. "You want me to get revenge."

Her expression softened slightly, and she reached out for my hand. "I won't lie, there's nothing more that I want than vengeance for my sister and parents' untimely deaths. I know you're a pacifist, but this goes beyond revenge. This is about ensuring you and your loved ones' freedom."

A/N: Aunt Siobhan had a lot to say to Bella. Especially, a lot that Edward hadn't shared with her. Thoughts?