-- Bella's POV --
Re-entering the living room I felt more composed than I had been when I had ordered Carmen out of my room. As much as I would rather not spend any time with the Denali's, for fear I'd do something reckless like actually trust them, I knew I couldn't bail on my father. He had asked me to join them tonight to help make up teams for the board games they wanted to play and I couldn't tell him no. I did not want to let him down.
"Bells, perfect timing kid. We are just about to start" my father exclaims as I walk through the door, I stop in my tracks, raising a questioning eyebrow at him as he grins at me playfully.
"What are we playing?" I ask, slightly hesitant as I survey the room, spotting immediately that all the women or on one side of the room and all the guys are on the other. James sitting on my fathers arm chair which he had dragged to the middle of the room by the fire.
"Your favourite - charades. Men vs Women" he declared and I found myself glaring at him, he knew I hated that game.
"Oh yes definitely my favourite" I retort sarcastically as I roll my eyes at him before moving towards the 'women's side'. I internally sigh and steel myself when I realise the only seat left for me is directly between both vampires. I'd say it was a coincidence but the two almost identical sweet smiles directed at me by Kate and Carmen is enough to convince me that they had made sure the only seat left for me was between them deliberately.
" Meddlesome sparkly ass fairies" I mumble as quietly as I can, sitting down between them. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see Carmen sporting an amused smile while Kate seemed to be trying desperately not to laugh and just for a moment I allowed a small smile to slip onto my face. The sarcastic retort and the almost playful air that surrounds me with these two vampires feels comforting and natural - familial even and I have to force my brain away from those thoughts. I don't know these vampires and I don't want too right? It's dangerous to be part of their lives and I can't let myself be lulled into a sense of safety. No matter how comforting I'm finding Carmen's presence or how easy it would be to slip into a playful banter with Kate or how darn attracted I seem to be to Irena. It's dangerous.
I can't allow myself to even hope these vampires mean anything different. I can't allow myself to find comfort in them. I'm okay with just Charlie, I don't need these vampires and I can't allow myself to be vulnerable again, I tell myself. Repeating the sentiment as if it were a mantra. The only thing keeping my heart safe from what was feeling like some sort of sick dejavu.
Schooling my features I forced myself to tune back into the goings on off the room as James began the game. The guys going first.
-- Kate's POV --
It had amused me greatly to witness just how sarcastic Isabella could be, so much so that I couldn't find it within myself to be even slightly offended at being called a 'meddlesome sparkly ass fairy'. Though her reference to us sparkling only adds to our concerns that the human girl does indeed know what we are. From anyone else's mouth those words would have seemed fairly innocent, unknowingly accurate, but innocent all the same.
From Irena's mate not so much.
Especially when we factor in her reaction to my eyes, bleeding in front of Irena and her little comment about not being able to go through something again.
What that something is I do not know but it is becoming increasingly obvious that we may need to take a more direct approach in getting the information out of the girl. As much as I know Irena will object greatly, for fear of running the girl of further than she already does hide from us. I have to marvel at my sisters self control, I know if the girl were my mate I would not be able to be so patient with her. We are naturally possessive creatures, we do not take kindly to being denied what is ours, nor are we particularly good at restraining our instincts. By now I know that despite my sister feeling that this game of cat and mouse that is going on between Isabella and her will only make finally getting her mate feel more satisfying as she will have earned her, proving herself to the girl, her instinct to claim what is hers will be far from bearable right now. After all this has been going on for nearing two months now.
It concerns me greatly for Irena's wellbeing at having to remain at a distance from her mate, however my greatest concern is for this girl who had already become just as important to our coven as we were to each other. Our familial bonds tied our coven together and I was already feeling quite possessive of Isabella, as her sister, and the knowledge that something had hurt her so greatly that she continues to hide from Irena and run from us does not sit well with my beast in the slightest. I know that once we find out who hurt her so greatly, that individual will most definitely be facing the rath of our whole coven.
It was clear Carmen already saw the girl as her child, I was feeling the draw to her as my baby sister, Tanya too was feeling that draw to an extent and of course there was Irena as her mate. We would all no doubt do anything to see justice done for the damage inflicted on Isabella.
"She knows what we are, I am fairly certain now that there is no other explanation for her behaviours towards us" Carmen whispered, low under her breath so only I would pick it up.
"I agree, though we may have to convince Irena that tiptoeing around Isabella the way we currently are may not be a viable option much longer. I have the feeling that if we do not force Isabella to open up she will only continue to run from us" I reply, just as quietly and know even before her reply comes that Carmen agrees with my observation.
"Agreed, though we may need to let them come to that conclusion by themselves" Carmen murmurs, as we focus back on the game. I settle myself back on the couch and bring my arm round to rest on the back behind Isabella's shoulders. I can't help but want to be close to her knowing that she's in distress unsettles my beast, demanding that I do something to soothe her. Reaching forward I lightly stroke my fingers through the back of her hair, scratching the nape of her neck gently. I don't pull away even when she stiffens even more under the gentle touch. I know it will take a while for her to feel comfortable but I know that this will help in the long run so I don't pull away.
It's also rather sneaky on my part but I know the fact that what I'm doing is marking Isabella with my scent and that fact will help relax Irena a little, knowing that the girl at least carries the scent from someone in the coven and therefore is claimed and cannot be touched by passing vampires will make my sister slightly less anxious.
Feeling the girl begin to shift as if she's going to move away I glance down and cannot help but smirk when Carmen lays a hand on the girls knee, effectively trapping her between us on the seat.
"Its alright Isabella, you're safe, all Kate is trying to do is comfort you" Carmen murmurs quietly as she leans slightly into Bella and I'm more than surprised when her words seem to be the reassurance she needed to relax into my touch. Her body losing a lot of the tension it had previously held.
Testing our theory about her having knowledge of what we are I subtly move my thumb to rest on her pulse point and cannot help the low growl that escapes me when I feel her tilt her head to the side in submission, baring her neck to me slightly. If she did not have experience with vampires she would not have reacted accordingly with a dominant gesture. She would not have bore her neck. Though that is not the reason for my growling.
The way she automatically tenses again and the heightened scent of her fear is what angers me so greatly. Whoever the vampire is that she has been around has to have harmed her for her body to have such a fearful reaction to my subtle dominant gesture.
" Carmen" I whisper, allowing my upset to shine through in the tone of my voice as I remove my thumb from Bella's pulse and start combing my fingers through her hair at the base of her scalp again.
"I know Kate, I know" is her reply and I can hear the fury present in her voice also. Her urge to protect the girl she already classes as her daughter clear in her tone and it relaxes me a little. Carmen has always taken on the role as coven mother, even though my sisters and I are much older than she in vampire years, viewing her as our mother has always felt natural to us. She has always done her best to care for us, guide us and offer the support and encouragement we need. Knowing that Isabella is now under that same blanket of motherly affection from Carmen soothes me, knowing that the girl will no longer be allowed to come to any sort of harm with Carmen around.
-- Carmen's POV --
Seeing the human girl react instinctively in a submissive way to Kate's dominant gesture infuriates me, Bella's fear and increased heart rate at the gesture painting an all to clear picture in my mind about how much she had been hurt by a vampire. If she did not have knowledge of us, if she hadn't been around one of us, interacted with a vampire then she would not have known what Kate was doing when she rested her thumb on the girls pulse point.
Her actions leave no doubt in my mind that she knows exactly what we are and that worries me greatly. I know it will also concern Tanya and infuriate Irena. It was our biggest concern and having it confirmed does nothing to lessen that concern.
My mind whirls, a thousand thoughts and possibilities swirling through my mind as I try to come up with some explanation to the girls fear that is not my greatest worry. But I know it is futile to even try and explain away her reactions. Bella may be trying to conceal her knowledge of us and run from us but her subconscious reactions to our presence and our interactions give her away all to well.
"Hush now, you're alright" I murmur, as I take her hand and begin stroking my thumb across the soft delicate skin of her knuckles, almost purring when the scent of her fear lessens slightly in the air around us. Her heart slowing a little as she takes deep calming breathes. It's clear the familial bonds that tie our coven together have already begun affecting Isabella as she calms under Kate and I's touch. Whether she's willing to let us in or not she is showing us that despite being harmed so greatly by one of our own species the girl knows deep down that she is in no danger. If only we could get her conscious mind to realise that as well, then she wouldn't fight us so hard and we would know what had happened to her.
For now though I know it is just a case of continuing to do what we are doing now. Not letting her run and proving to her that she is safe. I hope it will force her to re-examine her conscious belief that she isn't safe with us, that we will hurt her and allow her to trust us consciously without fear. It'll take time, and as the night draws to a close, the girls beating the men by a far cry at this charades game I prepare myself mentally for the discussion Kate and I now must have with our coven.
I dread to think of the fury Irena will unleash when she learns all that we have observed.