A new story and an update to a fic in the same week?

I hope you are all doing alright.

Life has been crazy scary as of late. I ended up hospitalised 3 times for several day stays and ended up having to have an operation too. I'm doing much better now but I've never been that scared in my life. Feeling so out of control while my own body felt like it had become my enemy isn't an experience I'd wish on anyone but it has absolutely made me appreciate all I have so much more than before.

I'm on the mend now thanks to the incredible NHS and my wife's unconditional support so here's a lil "I appreciate you all" update, because I absolutely do. You guys give me motivation and encouragement every single day and I hope you know that each and every one of you is incredible.

Anyways, I'll stop sappily rambling now. But please enjoy this update.

As always, comments, kudos an constructive feedback is always appreciated.

All my love - Nell xoxo

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Chapter 7:

B/V.B/V.B/V.B/V.B/V.B/V.B/V.B/V.B/V.B/V.

~ Victoria's Pov ~

As she watched her coven leader and coven mate both pace furiously, spitting ideas back and forth at one another, Victoria couldn't help but smile slightly in gratitude - despite the terror that currently resided in her heart. Both men were her best friends and she would forever be grateful that she had met them all those millenia ago.

They hadn't thought twice about launching themselves into rescue mode, their minds coming up with every which way to save Victoria's mate that they could.

After their conversation initially, Laurent had followed the Coven, doing some information gathering while Victoria cleared her own path of destruction among the trees in her anger at the blatant wrongful claim that Cullen boy had placed on HER little babe. All the while James hovered nearby not close enough to be in Victoria's way but close enough to be there for her if she needed him. He was the very essence of her best friend.

Afterwards they'd all met back up and Victoria had never been more grateful that these two were her people.

"Did they say where they would take her?" The redhead whispered, forcing her mind to quiet and focus on the task at hand. After all, it was her mate those disgusting excuses for vampires had stolen,her mate they had to rescue. Victoria had to focus. She would be doing her mate no favours if she let her instincts and heartache run unchecked.

It would have been easy to storm ahead, without thought but her mate was human and surrounded by seven vampires. Vegetarian vampires at that. A dangerous prospect to the redhead.

Everyone knew just how unpredictable Veggie vamps were.

The animal blood messed with their bodies, feeding them but never truly sating them. Any vampire who had tried such a diet in the past had failed eventually. Often with dire consequences and Victoria couldn't risk such a thing with her mate around.

Laurent had arrived back moments before, having gotten close enough to the Cullen Coven undetected to hear their plan to keep Victoria's little babe away from her.

From what her coven leader could tell, they were narcissistic and therefore were likely to think they were infallible. At first Victoria had feared the worst when Laurent had told them they had initially planned to flee with her mate, taking her back to Arizona, where it would be near impossible for any vampire to get near Victoria's mate. Including Victoria. The sun would make their presence too obvious.

How the arrogant fool had planned to hide his and his family's skin from the sun in the middle of one of the sunniest places in America the redhead did not know.

"Alaska" Laurent replied, filling the redhead with relief. Alaska was much better for hiding in plain sight. "They have friends, who are travelling through Seattle on their way back to Alaska. They are coming for young Isabella as we speak" he continued causing Victoria to growl lowly. Not liking the idea of yet more unknown vampires being around her very vulnerable human mate.

"Alaska is more manageable than Arizona Vic" James murmured, stopping at her side to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We can save her without risking the humans spotting us. Somehow three shiny super fast inhumane People glittering in the sunlight doesn't sound like they would go unnoticed for long. We won't have that problem in Alaska. There's more trees than people up there. It's going to be alright." he continued and Victoria could tell he meant it. James was a man of action. He always had been. He had always been the first of them to show up for a challenge physically. Whereas their coven leader had always been more apt at planning, deciphering the information available before putting together a strategy that played to all their strengths.

Those two paired with her own gift, a gift that kept her and all those she deemed as hers safe from harm, had ensured their safety for the past several millennia. Her gift would tell her in which direction she had to move to keep safe. It had never failed her. Or at least it hadn't. Until They had left on their hunt and her mate had all but vanished.

She frowned, unable to fathom why her gift hadn't alerted her that it wouldn't have been safe to leave her mate for her hunt. It was meant to protect them all and that included Isabella, why hadn't it?

It had in the last without fail. The reason she was in that tree when her mate fell all those years ago was because her gift told her to stay put in that tree outside the young girl's home.

Or that time the unknown vampires arrived outside her Mates home, it had been her gift that had alerted her to the danger.

So why had it failed now?

She mentally shook her head again, she didn't have time to doubt herself nor could she let herself spiral into all the possible reasons why it hadn't worked.

"What else was said?" She asked, her tone factual but low, every word infused with the growl Of her inner vampire. A testament to how hard she was fighting to remain in control. Her beast was demanding that she act now, without really having a plan. Something she couldn't do. Time had told the stories of mates who had ran off half sprung to avenge their loves only to never return.

Victoria couldn't let that be her or her Isabella.

Their Story couldn't end like that.

She wouldn't let it.

"The boy is a mind reader and has told his family that James is a tracker, that you are his mate Vic and that I am a non player. They aren't worried about me." Laurent spoke with humour laced in every word and Victoria could tell the only reason he wasn't openly laughing at the sheer assumptions the arrogant fool was wrongly making.

The redhead couldn't tell if the young vampire Genuinely thought he had the right information or if he was deliberately taking his coven for a ride. Regardless, it wasn't her problem. They would all soon learn her coven weren't to be messed with.

Laurent was as much a threat as their blond Vamp, the one who had looked like he was in pain - with all the bite marks on his arms. The difference was Laurent had never allowed himself to be bitten by anyone that wasn't his true mate.

"Have you switched sides Without informing us dear brother?" Victoria pretended to gasp. Allowing her mind the minute of reprieve to take a chance at teasing her brother a little. She could at least see the irony in the mind readers' outright falsehoods. She knew her brother would find the very thought repulsive.

He and the redhead had always seen each other as brother and sister. There had never been any other intent or interest in their interaction, even before they found Laur. The minute

they had met their now coven leader however, he and James had known what they were to each other from the get go. Laur and James were sickeningly sweet in love and before she had met Isabella, she often couldn't daly too long with her friends before needing a little break.

Now their love was the type of Love Victoria hoped to one day build with her own mate.

It amused her greatly to know how far off the mark the mind reader was. It would make their task easier in that regard, the Cullens lack of information about her and her Coven would give them the advantage. If they were basing their predictions off of falsehoods then they were more likely to mess up.

"They've decided to split up. The mind reader, the blonde Coven leader and the man with the scars is going after James as the biggest threat. The mind reader saw James' tracking ability and decided that James would never give up Bella as a hunt. The pixie one and the coven leader's wife are going after you Vic." Laurent continued. "The blonde who looked like she'd kill you with a glance and her mate - The one with the muscles have to follow Isabella to Alaska". He finished, not speaking a word as he allowed them to take in the information he had just departed on them.

"So we go directly after Isabella. To this new coven right?" She asked, her mind trying to work out just how Her coven leader would be working out what was best.

Surely knowing that the large coven had split in 3 and decided to try and Take them out all at once, then they should not split. Their strength would lie in their number, so if they stuck together and merely followed the trail of her mate to Alaska then They were more likely to be successful right?

That made the most sense, for if they were to split it meant they would be more easily picked off or harmed?

"We do not Vic, you do. James and I will lead the bulk of the coven further inland, while you follow your mate. An unknown coven is more likely to let you near enough to explain the situation if you are on your own. If we showed up together, we would be perceived as a threat and the Cullens would then be on all of our heels". Laur explained and Vic growled. Not liking That she could already see the logic in his words, though logic or not she detested the thought of being split from her coven while they faced such uncertainty.

"Enough Vic, I do not like it any more than you but we did not get this far by being reckless and failing to plan. James and I will circle back to Alaska as soon as we shake the Cullens." Her coven leader continued and his tone told Victoria that he was not willing to discuss. He had made up his mind as to what was best.

Reluctantly she nodded, taking a quick moment to assess the situation with her gift before dismissing the results. Regardless of how safe this plan seemed to be for them, she didn't know if she could trust it. Time would tell but for now she would do her best to follow her coven leader's instructions and rescue her mate without relying on the very thing that she blamed for getting them into this mess in the first place.

From there it was quickly decided that they were to leave immediately. Victoria to find her mates trial and the boys to mead the Cullens away from the direction of Alaska.

Victoria hugged both men tight. Her eyes conveying all she wished to say. A silent plea of 'stay safe' that she saw reflected back at her from both and as she raced away she almost stumbled in her stride as Laur called over his shoulder.

"Call Italy" he instructed and Victoria almost face palmed, because of course she should have already. The minute she was made aware of her mates disappearance. Athenadora would surely Kill her for the delay but she knew the Queens were rather fond of her mate and they all would not take kindly to the Cullen's involvement.

After all, Isabella had been placed under Volturi protection and the Volturi protected their own.