Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.
This story is non-canon and contains fem slash.
Author's Note:
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Last updated/edited on 10/01/2024.
Third Person POV: The Denali Sisters
Kate and Irina were distracted from their match by Izzy whizzing past. She disappeared into the house and the sisters looked across the yard at Tanya who was currently pinching her brow. The girls approached their distressed sister.
"What just happened…?" Irina asked.
"I fucked up." Tanya groaned.
"You'll have to be a little more specific than that sister." Kate drawled, obviously thinking of more than one thing Tanya had fucked up recently.
"She is my mate." Tanya told them. She knew that her sisters had waited nearly as long as she had to meet their mates. So, she was worried that they may resent her for the bond she shared with Izzy. But to her relief, her sisters just smirked – apparently, they weren't surprised by the news at all.
"I figured there was a reason you were acting so weird lately. I'm happy for you Tan!" Kate said and gave Tanya an affectionate shove.
"I second that. But what'd you do to make her run away?" Irina asked and Tanya let out an exasperated huff.
"We were sparring, and I pinned her. But she got aroused and I didn't want to take advantage of her instincts. You know how newborns are, all they want is sex and blood! So, I gave her some space and well… then she darted." Tanya explained.
When she had pinned Izzy, it had taken all her willpower not to mate and mark her. Izzy deserved better than a rushed mating and Tanya wanted to establish a solid foundation of friendship before their relationship evolved into a romance. She wondered if Izzy even knew the basics of mating. The evidence was pointing to the contrary.
"Damn, it's only been a week, and you've already managed to upset your mate." Kate joked.
"She probably just feels rejected. She'll come around eventually." Irina consoled.
"I didn't reject her! Would it not have been worse if I took advantage of her?" Tanya argued and her sisters didn't argue. "When we become intimate, I want it to be out of genuine affection and not impulse."
"Well then you need to explain that to her." Kate said and Tanya shook her head.
"No, I want to wait until after her newborn year to tell her about the mate bond." She insisted. The last thing Tanya wanted to do was pressure Izzy into relationship prematurely. Her top priority right now was her mate's comfort. Once Izzy was settled into her coven and had matured out of her newborn year, she would attempt to court her.
"Well, you have all the time in the world, just don't keep her in the dark for too long." Irina advised.
"I know, but in the meantime, please don't make it obvious." she said looking pointedly at Kate.
"Fine, fine, I'll keep the jokes to a minimum." said Kate with an eye roll.
"That's probably the best offer I'm going to get, so I'll take it." Tanya relented.
First Person POV: Izzy
A knock sounded on my door, and I promptly ignored it. I sat with my knees tucked under my chin, curled up in a nest of blankets and pillows on my mattress. I was perfectly content to hide from the world until I was forced out by thirst
"Sweetheart, can I come in? I think we should talk about what happened earlier." I heard Tanya call from outside the door.
I groaned, so much for hiding... I supposed we would need to have this conversation eventually. We might as well get the awkwardness out of the way now.
"Fine, come in." I grumbled as I unlocked the door and returned to my nest of bedding.
Tanya slipped through the door and approached the bed. She perched on the edge of the mattress. I gazed out the large windows that framed the forest. It had been a long day, and the sun was now setting, painting the sky vibrant pink.
"Izzy…" Tanya began. I gathered my courage and met her eyes as she addressed me. "I think it's time that I tell you my story." She told me apprehensively.
Well, that caught my interest. I had been hoping Tanya would confide in me ever since she mentioned her extensive list of regrets. It was difficult for me to believe that someone as perfect as Tanya had any regrets at all. But then again, the feelings I had developed for her probably made me biased.
"I was born in a small ancient Slovakian village in the year 1000 AD. I was biologically related to my sire, Sasha, she had been watching our family line through the generations. Sasha had been lonely for centuries and so she chose me to join her in this life. She encountered and sired my sisters not long after changing me. When Sasha stopped adding to our coven, I believed she was content with only my sisters and I as her companions. However, I soon found out that this was not the case. The Volturi arrived abruptly one night. They charged Sasha with creating and harboring an immortal child." My eyes widened in surprise. The nomads, Lacy and Martin, had told me briefly about the Volturi coven and their laws. Immortal children had been one of the least palatable topics.
"When a vampire turns a human child into a vampire, that child ceases brain development and is stuck mentally at that age forever. The results are catastrophic - immortal children will ravage villages in their tantrums. They have no concept of secrecy or moderation. But they are created and protected because they are the very vision of beauty and innocence. Everyone who knows the child loves them and would fight to the death to protect them." Tanya paused and looked down at her hands resting in her lap. I waited patiently for her to continue - this conversation was clearly difficult for her.
"The Volturi ripped Sasha and her immortal child, Vasilii, apart right in front of my sisters and I, and then set fire to their pieces. We were only spared because of our ignorance in the matter. I felt like a piece of my heart had been ripped out and burned right along with Sasha that day. I had never known life without my sire…" Tanya sighed sadly and twiddled her thumbs. Her face tightened with anxiety, and I wondered what she was preparing to tell me.
"My sisters and I… we were lost. And we turned to sex as a way of coping with our loss. We mainly preyed on human men who rarely made it out of the encounters alive. Those who did survive went on to spread the legend of the succubus - the female demon who seduces human men. My life became a constant, numbing stream of counterfeit intimacy. Sleeping with those men… it served as a distraction, but it never filled the hole in my heart." I felt my eyes moisten, I really felt for Tanya. I couldn't imagine the pain she must have felt.
"It wasn't until I adopted this way of life that I was able to heal and find purpose again. So, I hope you can understand why I reacted the way I did earlier. I never meant to upset you; you did nothing wrong. I was just as caught up in the moment as you were. But I won't allow myself to partake in loveless intimacy again." I let out a breath. That was a lot of information to absorb.
"I understand… and I'm glad that you felt comfortable opening up to me." I told her earnestly. Tanya looked up at me, surprise written across her beautiful face.
"You're not disgusted with me?" She asked me tentatively.
"Of course not, I won't judge you for your past Tanya. I'll judge you for who you are today. And for the record, I really like who you've become." I replied, ducking my head shyly.
Tanya surged forward and wrapped me in a hug. The force pushed me back onto the pillows behind me. I giggled and hugged her back, allowing myself to indulge in her sweet scent. I swallowed back the venom that filled my mouth. I wondered if there was a reason that I was always tempted to bite Tanya - I never got that urge around the rest of our family members.
Eventually Tanya broke away, giving me one last firm squeeze.
"Come on, let's go see what my sisters are up to." She said, pulling me out the door.
Time Skip
I sat on my bed, leaning against the headboard with my acoustic guitar in my lap. I hummed a melody softly as I picked a leisurely tune.
I was now almost three weeks into my stay with the Denali's. My conversation with Tanya had really opened my eyes up to the fact that my family members had lived long lives before I had met them. I realized that I had built them up and idolized them in my head. I was naïve; we were all imperfect individuals who were just trying our best. And although I had been abandoned by my sire, I didn't know true strife.
Over the past weeks, I had made significant progress in learning guitar. I had mastered all the basic chords and was now working to perfecting my bar chords. I had memorized several common strumming and finger picking patterns. And most others I was able to mimic after a few repetitions. I had started dabbling in song writing but I always had trouble with creating lyrics to go with my compositions. I had also been learning to play songs by ear though I was finding that skill the most challenging of all.
Kate had set me up with a music streaming service on my laptop recently and I had spent the past few days engrossed in exploring the application and finding my own taste in music. Although I found myself enjoying nearly every song I listened to, I particularly enjoyed classic rock. The only genre I wasn't fond of was jazz and even that wasn't unwavering.
I heard a light knock on my bedroom door and walked over, carrying my guitar by the neck. I found a smiling Carmen behind it. I was surprised to see her holding an acoustic guitar of her own. I invited her into the room.
"I didn't realize you played guitar." I said while admiring the flame of the wood on her acoustic.
"I can play just about every string instrument that you can name dear." She said with a chuckle.
"Oh, wow!" I said. I was surprised I had never heard her play before.
"I thought we could practice together." she proposed.
"Oh, I'm not very good yet, I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with you." I told her hesitantly.
"That's alright dear, you can just strum along with chords if you prefer." She assured me.
I agreed, and she took a seat on the couch by the window in my room. I perched on the edge of my bed facing her.
Carmen slipped the leather strap of her guitar over her head and propped her guitar on her lap. She started in with a simple four chord song and an upbeat strumming pattern. I observed the chords as her fingers transitioned across the neck of her guitar. After a few loops through, I was confident I had the correct chords and began to mimic her strumming pattern. Once I had the pattern down solid, Carmen branched off, improvising a melody fluidly. Her fingers flew across the frets with grace and precision. I watched in appreciation as she added in a few slides and hammer-ons for flare. She was a master compared to me.
Carmen continued with her solo for a few measures and then transitioned back to playing chords. She smiled at me encouragingly and I mustered my confidence. I began to improvise my own melody. My solo wasn't as fancy as Carmen's, but she smiled proudly at me regardless.
Just as I was starting to really get into the flow, someone knocked on the door. I faltered in my playing, but Carmen didn't seem to notice. She rushed to the door and cracked it open.
"Is it ready?" I heard her ask.
I walked across the room to place my guitar back on its hanger and then went to investigate. As I walked up behind Carmen, I found Eleazar standing in the doorway.
"Good morning dear. The girls have a surprise for you, come with me." He told me and waved for me to follow. He guided me downstairs and through the foyer. Then he walked through the arched doorway that led to the living room. Once inside, Eleazar stepped aside, and I spotted the girls. They sat on a leather four-person couch, smiling broadly at me.
"You actually go it?!" I squealed in excitement.
I stepped over to the couch, taking it in. The girls had left me a middle spot on the couch between Tanya and Kate.
"Custom ordered just for you sweetheart." Tanya told me.
I was touched. I had thought they were just kidding about getting a four-person couch to include me, but they had really done it.
I plopped down in my new spot and took a shaky breath, pressing my lips together. I was trying not to get emotional at the sentiment of the gift. But this couch was far more than a piece of furniture to me. After months of isolation and condemnation of what I'd become, this gift was acceptance. This gift was truly belonging somewhere.
Venom tears filled my eyes, and I grinned through them.
"It's perfect!" I exclaimed. "I don't care if I don't remember my human life, I know this is the best gift I've ever gotten." I threw my arms around the girls' shoulders and smooshed them together for a group hug.
This family had accepted me, faults and all. They took me in without expectations and had showed me nothing but patience and affection.
"I love you guys!" I declared passionately and they chuckled.
"We love you too little one." Kate responded and was echoed by her sisters.
"Get over here you two, you're not exempt!" I called Carmen and Eleazar, who were watching the scene with warm smiles. They laughed genially and joined the group hug.
"I'm the luckiest vampire in the whole world." I told them.