Authors note:
This chapter contains descriptions of lesbian sex!
If this isn't your thing and you want to avoid read it: Skip from the line:
Then, the door shut behind them.
to
Kate had been around for a long time.
If this is your thing, and you want to read it: Avoid skipping lines.
Bella
The past month had felt natural.
It was in the way Tanya fit into Bella's life so seamlessly, like she had always been there, like there had never been a time before.
It was amalgam of small things - in the way she never hesitated—not in the way she reached for Bella's hand, not in the way she laughed when Bella teased her, not in the way she showed up exactly when she said she would.
For Bella, who had spent too long second-guessing her own worth, who had been left before—this was what she needed. Something she hadn't realised she was missing until it was in front of her.
Moments blurred together, warm and vivid.
Tanya waiting for her outside class with a coffee in hand, leaning against a wall, her golden hair catching in the light. A picture of effortless confidence. The exact kind of woman who shouldn't be interested in someone like Bella—but was.
Tanya pulling her into her coat when the wind was too sharp, wrapping Bella up in herself with an easy, wordless intimacy.
Tanya laughing, head thrown back, when Bella rolled her eyes at one of her particularly charming remarks.
Tanya kissing her—soft at first, then less so—back pressed against a bookshelf in the quiet corner of a secondhand store, as Bella tried very hard to remember why she had wanted to look for new reading material in the first place.
Tanya was unlike anything Bella had ever experienced before.
And Bella was done holding back.
Tonight, they were back at Paper Shoots, curled up together in their usual booth.
Bella had stopped questioning how easily Tanya had become a fixture in her life. How their conversations bled into hours. How she no longer felt the need to hide anything. How she no longer needed to protect her heart.
She leaned her chin on her hand, watching Tanya with an open fondness she didn't bother to hide.
Tanya smiled when she caught her looking, a slow, knowing curve of her lips. "What?"
Bella shook her head. "Nothing."
Tanya tilted her head, studying her. "You're staring."
Bella huffed a laugh. "Can't I just look?"
Tanya's gaze softened. "You can look all you want."
Bella bit back a smile, shaking her head as she took a sip of her tea. The warmth seeped through her chest, spreading through every part of her. She was happy. She let herself sit in that feeling, let it fell her up.
"Tell me something real," Bella said, setting her mug down.
Tanya raised a brow. "Something real?"
Bella nodded. "No teasing. No evasion. Just something true."
Tanya considered that for a moment, something thoughtful flickering in her expression before she answered.
"I was alone for a long time," Tanya said, her voice quieter now, something unarmoured in it. "Even with my family. Even with my coven. I thought I'd made peace with it."
Bella held her gaze, steady and open. "And now?"
Tanya smiled, a little wry, a little raw. "And now, I don't think I was ever at peace with it at all."
Bella's fingers twitched where they rested on the table, resisting the urge to reach for her.
She had spent so long running from her past. So long pretending she didn't want to connect with someone again.
She wasn't pretending anymore.
So she reached, their hands slotting together, fitting as if they were custom made to do so.
Tanya let out a slow breath, turning Bella's hand over, tracing her thumb across her knuckles.
"Bella," she murmured, a flicker of hesitation in her voice. "Do you know what mates are?"
Bella blinked, thrown by the question. "I mean… sure?"
Tanya gave her a look. "Define it for me."
Bella shifted, thinking. "It's… well, it's like the vampire equivalent of getting married, right? The person you choose to spend eternity with?"
Tanya exhaled, a quiet laugh escaping her.
"What?" Bella asked, frowning.
Tanya shook her head, squeezing her hand gently. "That's not quite right."
Bella frowned. "Then what is it?"
Tanya's smile was soft, careful. "I can't give you an unbiased answer. Not when I already know what you are to me."
Bella's breath caught.
Tanya ran her fingers lightly over Bella's wrist, like she was memorising her, like she was grounding herself.
"If you want the real answer," Tanya said gently, "you should come with me. Meet my family. Ask them yourself."
Bella studied her for a long moment.
Then, with no hesitation, she said, "Okay. I'd like that."
Tanya blinked. "Okay?"
Bella's lips twitched. "Yeah. I want to meet them."
Something flickered across Tanya's expression—relief, maybe. A hint of something warmer. Something deeper.
Tanya lifted their joined hands and kissed the inside of Bella's wrist, a quiet reverence in the gesture.
"You have no idea how happy that makes me."
Bella did.
Because she felt it too.
The last time she had done this—meeting the family—she had been seventeen, jittery with nerves, trailing behind Edward as he introduced her to the Cullen's.
That day had been a performance. This was something else.
Excitement and anxiety tangled in her chest as she followed Tanya up the winding path to the Denali home. But where her first visit to the Cullen's had been filled with an almost clinical politeness, a sense of walking on eggshells, this felt… different. It wasn't about fitting into someone else's world. It was about being welcomed into it.
The Denali house loomed before them, nestled against the vast Alaskan wilderness, its structure grand but inviting, with large windows that reflected the twilight sky. Tanya squeezed her hand as they approached the door, her touch steady, warm despite the chill in the air.
"You ready?" Tanya asked, her voice teasing, but Bella could hear the thread of excitement beneath it.
Bella exhaled, forcing a smile. "Time to meet your family."
The door opened before they could knock.
Kate.
She was grinning, arms crossed, her golden hair falling in soft waves around her shoulders. "Well, well, well," she drawled, eyes flicking between them. "You do exist."
Bella blinked. "Uh…"
Kate smirked. "Tanya's been all dreamy-eyed for weeks, and I was beginning to think she made you up."
Tanya groaned. "Kate. You've seen her before."
"No, no, let me have this." Kate leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, smirking as she inspected Bella with an exaggerated air of scrutiny. "Huh. Sharp wit, over caffeinated, and an unreasonable tolerance for Tanya's terrible jokes—you are her type."
Bella, caught between amusement and mortification, huffed a laugh. "Thanks?"
Tanya sighed, nudging Kate out of the way. "Move, pest, let us in."
Kate snickered but stepped aside, and the warmth of the house immediately enveloped Bella as she crossed the threshold.
And then—
"Ah, finally."
A second blonde stood in the entry way, her expression softer than Kate's but no less warm. She was poised, elegant in a way that seemed effortless, but there was a kindness in her gaze that eased something deep in Bella's chest.
"Irina," Tanya introduced.
Irina smiled. "I'm glad to finally meet you, Bella."
Then, with complete ease, she added, "It's nice to meet my new sister."
Bella faltered as she stepped inside.
Kate, catching the expression on her face, barked a laugh. "Oh, you thought this was going to be a slow, let's get to know each other first situation?" She slung an arm around Irina's shoulders, then the other over Bella's, grinning. "Sorry, love, you're family now. No take-backs."
Bella's lips parted, utterly disarmed. "That's… fast."
Irina tilted her head. "Isn't it?" she said lightly. "But it's also true."
And Bella, strangely, believed her.
She had never thought of the Cullen's that way. As family. Not really. They had always been polite, kind, but there had been a distance, an expectation she had never quite met.
This? This was so effortless.
Tanya kissed the top of her head. "Told you they'd love you."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course we love her. It's been insufferable watching you mope. At least now you're her problem."
Bella laughed. "I feel like I should be offended."
"Oh, absolutely," Kate said cheerfully, steering her further inside. "Now, come on, let's see how long you last before Carmen adopts you."
The kitchen was warm, bustling in a way Bella hadn't expected. Carmen and Eleazar had joined them, their presence effortless and inviting.
Carmen, with the kind of quiet authority that came from years of caring for others, kept pressing warm drinks into Bella's hands despite her protests that she was fine. "You are always cold, mi cielo," Carmen chided gently, tucking a fresh mug between Bella's fingers. "Drink. It will help."
Eleazar, meanwhile, had engaged her in a lively discussion about books, nodding along as she ranted about her professor's terrible take on Austen. "Ah, an academic crime," he mused. "If we had the time, I would prepare an entire counter-lecture for you."
Bella had barely realised how at ease she was until she caught Tanya watching her from across the room, a soft expression on her face.
This was home.
Bella had expected something formal, some kind of long-winded explanation about vampire instincts or supernatural biology. But that wasn't what she got. They didn't all have mates. But they all knew.
"Mates?" Kate said, tilting her head. "That's easy. It's everything."
Irina nodded. "From what I hear, It's home."
Eleazar's voice was steady. "It's certainty."
Carmen smiled softly, setting her cup down. "It's not something you choose, Bella, not the way humans choose their partners. It's deeper than that. You find them, and… everything shifts. The world realigns. There is no 'before' and 'after.' Only them."
Bella swallowed. Her fingers curled around Tanya's, gripping them tight.
"It's like…" Irina hesitated, searching for the words. "Like no matter how much time passes, no matter how far apart you are, they're with you. You carry them, and they carry you."
Kate, for all her teasing, spoke next, her voice softer than Bella had ever heard it. "It means you're never alone again."
The room quieted.
Bella's heartbeat was steady, but everything inside her was screaming. This. This is what Tanya is to me.
She looked at Tanya, at the woman who had slipped into her life like a whisper and settled into her heart like a promise.
Tanya knew.
Tanya had always known.
And something in Bella had always known too. It was however, nice to put words to it.
Bella exhaled, a small, sure smile curving her lips. "Tanya is my mate."
Tanya's froze in the way only vampires could. Complete stillness, like a perfect statue.
The others exchanged looks, some pleased, some smug—Kate even muttered, Finally—but Bella barely noticed.
A moment later, Tanya moved.
One second, she was sitting beside her, and the next, Bella was in her lap, her face cradled between cool hands, and Tanya kissed her like Bella was air and she was desperate to catch her breath.
It was passionate. It was consuming. It was everything.
Their bodies melted together as if they had been waiting for this moment all along.
The last thing Bella heard before she completely lost herself in Tanya was Carmen sighing and Kate groaning, "Oh, come on. At least pretend we exist."
Carmen laughed. "Come, let's leave them."
Then, the door shut behind them.
My body was alight, heat pooling low in my core as I shifted in Tanya's lap, desperate for more contact, more friction—more her. I tried to straddle her properly, to feel her pressed against me, but the way she was kissing down my jawline was making it difficult to focus on anything except the way her lips felt against my skin.
"Tanya, can you—"
"Bella, is this—"
We both spoke at the same time, then laughed breathlessly into each other's skin.
"You first," Tanya murmured, her voice a husky whisper before she pressed a wet kiss to the curve of my neck, her tongue flicking against a particularly sensitive spot. I shuddered, a moan slipping from my lips before I could stop it.
I felt like I was coming apart at the seams. My skin was too hot, too tight, every nerve ending sparking as I pulled my sweater and shirt off in one movement, letting them fall to the floor in a careless heap. I was left in nothing but a lace bra and jeans, my breath unsteady as I looked at Tanya, who was staring at me like I was something to be worshipped.
"I want you," I admitted, my voice rasping, unfamiliar even to my own ears. "I need you."
Tanya groaned, her fingers skimming reverently over my newly exposed skin. Her gaze had darkened, those golden eyes swallowed by black onyx hunger, by need, by something that made my breath hitch. Her hands and lips followed the path her eyes had traced, leaving fire in their wake. When she reached the clasp of my bra, she hesitated, catching my gaze, silently asking for permission.
In response, I leaned down, nipping at her earlobe before whispering, "Don't stop for anything."
The moment the words left my lips, my bra joined the rest of my clothes on the floor, and then Tanya's hands were on me, her mouth hot and sure as she took a peaked nipple into her mouth. I gasped, the sensation sharp and overwhelming, a sound escaping me that I barely recognised.
Tanya pulled back slightly, raising an eyebrow, amusement and desire both flickering across her face. My cheeks burned, embarrassment warring with want.
"This is all new to me, Tan," I admitted, feeling suddenly unsure.
We'd talked about experience before, in passing. I'd mentioned mine was limited; she had more than implied that hers wasn't. But the full weight of that difference hadn't settled in until now.
She blinked up at me, and suddenly, a wave of insecurity crashed over me.
I felt exposed—not just physically, but in a way that made my chest tighten.
Would I be enough for her?
Before I even realised it, I was pulling back, my arms instinctively moving to cover myself. I turned my head, mortified at the tears that stung at my eyes.
"Bella," Tanya said softly, immediately sitting up and reaching for me. "No—honey, no. Don't misunderstand."
Her hands were gentle as they traced along my arms, then found my hands, lacing our fingers together before giving a soft tug, pulling me down beside her.
"We should have talked about this more," she admitted. "But I—" She exhaled, shaking her head slightly, as if searching for the right words. "I got caught up in you. In the fact that you're my mate. That you want me, that you've chosen me."
I had hidden my face against her shoulder, but she reached up, her fingers tilting my chin back until I met her eyes.
"I have lived for a millennium, Bella, and I have never wanted anything the way I want you," she murmured.
I swallowed hard. "I've never done this before," I whispered. "I don't want to come up short. I don't want to—" I took a shaky breath. "I want to be enough for you."
Tanya's golden eyes softened, molten warmth replacing the dark heat from before.
"Bella," she said, voice quiet but certain. "I am completely here with you, in the present. There is no one else. No comparison. Since I met you, it has been you. It will always be you."
Her words seeped into the cracks of my insecurities, sealing them with something solid, something I could trust. My body slowly relaxed into her arms, and I buried my face into the coolness of her neck, inhaling the scent of frost and wild flowers.
Tanya's fingertips traced slow, soothing patterns along my bare back, her touch feather-light. "If I had realised this was your first time," she murmured, "I never would have started this on the couch."
I let out a small, breathy laugh against her skin. "And where would you have started it?"
She pressed a lingering kiss to my temple. "My room," she said simply. "My bed."
I leaned back just enough to see her face. There was a softness there, but also a hint of something else—concern, restraint.
And that was when I knew.
I loved her.
It wasn't a grand revelation, no sudden bolt of lightning. It was something quiet and inevitable, something I had been sinking into since the moment our eyes had first met across a crowded bar.
So I reached for her hand, threading our fingers together, and whispered,
"Take me there, then."
Tanya lifted me effortlessly, my legs wrapping around her waist on instinct. I braced myself for the dizzying rush of vampire speed, expecting a blur of movement and the soft press of a bed beneath me in an instant—but that wasn't what happened at all.
She walked.
Slow. Unhurried.
Slower than even I could have moved, each deliberate step sending a pulse of anticipation straight to my core.
And as she carried me, she teased me.
Fingertips tracing the curve of my thigh, squeezing at the swell of my ass. A single finger dragging up between my legs, pressing just enough to make me whimper.
Her mouth was everywhere—pressing hot, lingering kisses against my jaw, my throat, the dip of my collarbone. Her tongue flicked against my pulse, and I gasped, tilting my head back, giving her more.
By the time we reached the door I assumed was hers, I was trembling, a needy, throbbing mess in her arms.
The room was large and airy, but I barely registered it. My mind could catalogue details later—after.
Tanya laid me out on her bed, her weight pressing over me in a way that made my breath hitch. She kissed me deep, hands roaming, sending another jolt of heat straight through me.
I barely noticed my jeans sliding down my legs until I felt the cool air against my skin.
Wait.
Tanya was still wearing everything.
I whined, fingers tugging at her clothes, my voice breathless with need. "I need to see you."
Her answering smirk was wicked. A blur of movement—and then she was completely bare above me, pale skin glowing in the soft light, every inch of her more perfect than I could have imagined.
For a moment, I was frozen in disbelief.
Curves that had only been hinted at before were on full display—full, perfect breasts, the dip of her waist, generous hips. My hands itched to touch, to trace every inch of her, and when I did, her skin was impossibly smooth, cool under my fingertips.
She let me explore for a moment before her hands were back on me, tugging at the last piece of fabric between us.
"You first, honey," she murmured, voice thick with promise. "I want to make this good for you."
I swallowed hard, nodding, too wrecked with want to even think of arguing.
Tanya grinned, eyes dark with hunger as she slid my panties down.
I was soaked, dripping wet, slick already coating the insides of my thighs. The way she looked at me then—like I was something sacred, something hers—made my entire body tremble with need.
And then her mouth was on me, and I lost the ability to think at all.
"T-Tanya—" I gasped, her name breaking apart on my lips, my fingers buried in her hair, pulling her closer, holding on like she was the only thing keeping me grounded.
And then I shattered.
I came embarrassingly fast, my back arching off the bed as pleasure ripped through me, my cries of her name filling the space between us. She didn't stop, didn't pull away, only held me through it, pressing slow, lingering kisses against my trembling thighs as I rode the aftershocks of my release.
It took longer than I'd like to admit to come back to Earth, to feel my limbs again, to remember how to breathe. And when I did, it was to the sound of Tanya murmuring against my skin, soft, reverent endearments lulling me back to reality.
"... tasted so good, vtáčik môj," she whispered into my ear, her voice rich and warm. "I want all of your good mornings, and all of your good nights. I want this always. I want you in my room, in my bed…"
I didn't know how long I had been out of it, but I felt… unravelled. Weightless. Relaxation sunk into my bones, a satisfaction so deep I could've melted into the mattress.
I wanted her to feel this way too.
Slowly, I started to move again, my hands sliding over her skin, discovering the shape of her body beneath my fingertips. I pressed open-mouthed kisses wherever I could reach, tasting her, savouring her. Tanya faltered, her whispered affections breaking off as I nipped at her collarbone.
I smiled against her skin.
"Your turn now?" I murmured, kissing along the line of her throat.
Tanya let out a breathy chuckle, the sound dark and knowing. "Oh no, Bella," she purred, her lips ghosting over my jaw before she dipped lower, nipping at my pulse.
Then, in a fluid, effortless motion, she was on top of me again, pressing me into the sheets, her hands already sliding down my body with teasing intent.
"We're only just getting started."
I barely had time to process what she meant before her fingers found me again, slipping between my thighs, parting me with a confident ease that made my breath stutter.
"Oh."
A slow press, a single finger sinking into me, stretching me open—
"Oh."
A second finger, a curl, a teasing stroke against a spot that made me whimper—
"Oh."
Tanya's grin was nothing short of sinful as she looked down at me, her golden hair falling in waves around us.
"Oh. Good," I finally managed to groan.
Then, I stopped thinking altogether.
Tanya traced lazy patterns against Bella's bare shoulder, her fingers following the soft curve of her collarbone, down her arm, then back up again. It was a mindless motion, an unconscious way to keep touching, keep memorising, as if her body refused to believe Bella was really here.
That she was hers.
A slow, satisfied smile curled at her lips as she pressed a kiss to Bella's temple. Mate. The word had settled deep in her chest, an unshakable truth, a certainty.
She had waited a thousand years for this, and it had been worth every second.
Bella shifted slightly, stretching like a cat beneath the covers. The golden morning light streaming through the window made her look impossibly soft, her hair a mess of dark waves against the pillows. The sight of her like this—bare, warm, tangled in Tanya's sheets—was enough to send a fresh bolt of possessive satisfaction coursing through her.
Mine.
Tanya curled her arms around her mate, pulling her closer, letting herself indulge in the simple pleasure of holding her. She had claimed her in every way that mattered—had pressed her name into Bella's skin, had tangled their bodies together until nothing existed beyond each other.
The only thing left was turning her.
A discussion they hadn't had yet. But Tanya wasn't worried.
Everything else between them had fallen into place so seamlessly, so easily, that she couldn't fathom this being any different. Bella had chosen her, had chosen this life. The mate bond was real and undeniable. It was only a matter of time.
She pressed a lingering kiss to Bella's bare shoulder, sighing contentedly.
"Mmm," Bella murmured, her voice thick with sleep. "You're staring."
Tanya chuckled, tightening her arms around her. "Can you blame me?"
Bella groaned, burying her face against Tanya's neck. "You're too smug this morning."
"I earned it."
A halfhearted swat against her arm. Tanya just grinned, rolling them until Bella was beneath her, trapped under the weight of her body.
"Too early," Bella protested weakly, but her hands were already sliding up Tanya's back, her touch as eager as it had been last night.
Tanya hummed, lowering herself so their bodies pressed together, skin to skin. "I don't believe you."
Bella made a sound of protest, but it turned into a breathless gasp when Tanya kissed the spot just below her ear, teasing the sensitive skin there with her lips and tongue.
"Okay," Bella amended, her fingers tightening on Tanya's hips. "Maybe not too early."
Tanya grinned. "That's what I thought."
Kate had been around for a long time.
She had seen countless relationships bloom and fade, had watched humans fall into infatuation, vampires tangle in centuries-long games of seduction, had even suffered through Carmen and Eleazar's disgustingly perfect devotion to each other for far too many years to count.
But nothing—nothing—had prepared her for watching Tanya lose her entire mind over Bella Swan.
It was, frankly, hilarious.
"Ladies and gentlemen," she drawled, lazily twirling her ring between her fingers as the coven gathered around the kitchen table, "I think it's safe to say that our dear Tanya has fallen."
"She didn't fall," Eleazar mused, sipping his tea. "She dove headfirst."
Carmen sighed happily. "It's sweet."
Kate smirked. "It's ridiculous."
The subject of their conversation strolled into the kitchen at that moment, entirely too pleased with herself. Tanya had the distinct glow of someone who had gotten exactly what they wanted.
A second later, Bella trailed in after her, her hair a little tousled, wearing Tanya's sweater instead of her own.
Silence.
Then Irina clapped.
Bella turned bright red.
Tanya, the absolute menace, just smirked and pressed a soft, teasing kiss to Bella's temple as she grabbed a blood bag from the fridge. "Good morning, everyone."
Kate grinned. "Good morning," she echoed, dragging out the word, just to watch Bella squirm.
"Please don't," Bella muttered, hiding her face in her hands.
Carmen, ever the maternal one, patted her sympathetically on the back. "Ignore them, cariño. They have no manners."
"No shame," Eleazar corrected.
Tanya, smug as hell, looked as satisfied as a cat lounging in a sunbeam.
Kate had to respect it.
"Alright," she mused, leaning her chin on her hand. "So, now that our little human—sorry, our mated human—is officially part of the family, maybe we should get to know her a little better."
Bella, mid-sip of a cup of coffee, nearly choked.
Tanya perked up immediately, settling onto a barstool and tugging Bella into the seat beside her. "Always," she murmured.
"Oh, absolutely," Eleazar said, his smile just this side of wicked."We know you had some history with the Cullen's, tell us some more Bella—what's your story?"
Bella exhaled, thinking for a moment.
"Well, I guess…" She hesitated. "The Cullen's weren't the only vampires I met."
Silence.
Carmen set her teacup down gently. "You mean you met Vampires before them? Or while you were with them?"
Bella shook her head. "While I was with them. Because of them. It wasn't their fault entirely, just a bad situation made worse inadvertently by the way... some of them reacted."
Tanya's arm tensed slightly where it rested along the back of Bella's chair.
Kate leaned forward, interested now. "Go on."
"I was hunted," Bella admitted. "My senior year of high school. A tracker named James found us while the Cullen's were playing baseball… he was a real sadist, liked playing with his food."
Kate exhaled sharply. "Let me guess—he wasn't alone. No single tracker can take on a coven of the Cullen's size"
Bella shook her head. "No. He had a coven. There was his mate, Victoria, and another vampire…" She paused, frowning slightly, like she was trying to recall something unimportant. "Laurent."
The reaction was immediate.
Irina froze.
Tanya stood so fast her chair scraped against the floor, golden eyes blazing with fury.
Bella startled. "Tanya—?"
"When was this?" Tanya snapped, her voice sharp, dangerous.
Bella blinked, thrown by the sudden shift. "Uh… two years ago? Two and a half?"
Irina looked like she had been turned to stone, her entire posture rigid.
Tanya's chest rose and fell in rapid, unnecessary breaths, her hands curled into tight fists.
"You're sure it was Laurent?" she pressed, her voice quiet but deadly.
Bella frowned, glancing at Irina's reaction before nodding hesitantly. "Yeah. He wasn't really with them. He said he was passing through. He…" She hesitated. "At the end, he tried to help me."
Tanya let out a sharp, bitter laugh.
"He's in Denali," she said flatly. Her eyes flicking to Irina.
Bella paled.
Silence.
Kate's eyes flickered between Irina and Tanya, the sudden tension practically vibrating in the air.
"Well," she murmured, dragging her finger across the edge of the table. "That just got interesting."