The Changer, The Charmer 5
Summary: Their mate was delivered to them in the midst of violence and blood, with a dire warning to boot.
Bella/Tanya, Kate, Irina
Having made the decision to go after the Order, Isabella had some idea of what to expect but to find family. Family on both sides in every conceivable way was exultant and heartbreaking. Her father's twin had been instrumental in the loss of her parents. However, her mother's family had been nothing short of jubilant at finding her alive and well.
Phillip had understated the reach and power of the Dupuis family. Isabella had found herself carted from one extravagant social function to another over the last couple of weeks.
Her grandparents were currently introducing her to more people. It seemed that she had met most of Paris' ton at this point. She wanted this to be seen and talked about, so word of her got back to the Order. The downside was she could only tolerate humans in short bursts, and there was nothing short about these functions. They were tedious, and most of the humans were insufferable. Her vampire family, however, were fairing much better than she was. In truth, they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Several hours later, the very man whom Isabella was waiting for finally appeared to have built enough courage to approach her.
"Good evening." The polite greeting belied his racing heart and the shaking voice. To a human, none of it would be perceptible.
"Good evening." She caught the surreptitious movements her vampire family was making. Isabella could take her of herself, but why risk it. Virgil Shaw was a member of the Order and the one sent to ascertain the truth regarding her sudden reappearance.
"My name is Virgil; I was friends with your father. In fact, we grew up together." It was the truth, but not entirely. Isabella's eyes widened, and her hand went to her chest. It was a well-practiced move, and Virgil bought it. Unlike him, she knew how to lie. Then again, he was at a disadvantage, as she was not human, and her senses were quite sharp.
"I can't tell you how wonderful it is to see you alive and well." He meant every word of it. Of course, for the Order, this meant they could resume their plans for world domination or something akin to that.
"Thank you." She replied, smiling softly.
"Any plans to visit the small isle across the channel?" He quipped.
"No, not yet, and I would be grateful if you could keep this quiet." His relief was palpable. Virgil might have been friends with her father, but his loyalty lay elsewhere.
"Ma Belle." Her grandmother called.
"Excuse me, perhaps we can talk some more another time," Isabella said with a smile.
"Of course." Virgil Shaw bowed before departing.
"Isabella, meet Monsieur Danglars, and his son, Augustin." Isabella had reached her quoter for meeting yet another parent eager to introduce their son to her. They all desperate to tie themselves to the Dupuis' wealth.
"Good evening." She greeted politely and just about managed not to glare at her grandmother.
Marie-Jeanne simply looked on amused as Isabella tried to remain polite despite the boy's leering.
"Monsieur Danglars, your son, it would seem, still needs further training in etiquette," Tanya said as she joined them. Isabella welcomed the distraction her mate's words had caused to escape.
After another hour of polite conversation and Isabella needed to breathe; the stale air in the room was downright stifling. Just another week of this, and they'd be ready to move against the Order.
But even the best-laid plans can be for naught when you wander outside on your own for air and find yourself waking up in a strange room with no memory of how you got there.
"Now, what part did you play in my parent's death? And there it was." The tears that ran down Cyril's face were for no one but himself.
"You have to understand I had no choice. It was either Charles or my family, and I picked my family. Surely you can understand that." Cyril pleaded. Isabella would if that were the truth.
"My God, Cyril, what did you do?" He whirled around to find his wife and two boys staring at him in horror. Isabella gave a nod to Felix and Jane, who had brought Abigail in at just the right time.
"Abigail…" Cyril frantically followed his wife and children out of the dining room.
"What did you tell my family about my disappearance?" Isabella asked.
"The truth. You were kidnapped by your uncle," Katrina murmured. Isabella nodded.
"That was best," Isabella mumbled. Her ears went back to the argument taking place in the family room. Abigail Swan had slapped him and asked for a divorce, refusing to listen to her husband's excuses. "I believe this is where I intervene." She chuckled as she left the dining room.
"Good," Isabella muttered, leaning against the banister. "Because the minute you do, this manor will belong to your sons. The fifty percent that your greedy father so carelessly sold will revert back to you. Lord Clayborne and Jules Dupuis will be in touch to put it all in place." Isabella informed them to find awed faces staring back at her.
"Thank you." Abigail Swan was barely holding herself up. Her boys helped her to a seat.
"Cyril, it gives me great pleasure to tell you to get out of my house." His eldest said as he glared at his pathetic excuse for a father.
"You heard him. Get out." His twin reiterated.
"We will escort him outside." Katrina joined them and grabbed Cyril by the arm. He yelped in pain; Katrina had obviously not cared to temper her strength.
"Abigail, please…" He tried as Katrina dragged him out. The twins had turned their attention to their mother as she wept bitterly.
It took her several minutes to calm her down enough to talk. "Your father was a brother to me. The day I married Cyril, he pulled me aside and told me I now had a sibling and if I needed anything…" She wiped her nose furiously. "Cyril once accused me of preferring Charles. Even the blind could see just how much in love he and Renee were. He was the brother I never had, and to think…" The crying started again. "I'm so sorry you never got the chance to know him." Isabella just about heard her through all the crying.
"You have nothing to be sorry for." Isabella kneeled down before her. "I'm afraid I have to leave soon, but I will be back in a few days. You can tell me all about my father."
"I Would like that." Isabella stood. "It was a pleasure meeting you." The twins had barely uttered more than a couple of words to her. Their father had killed hers, and she could see they struggled with the knowledge. "Cyril's actions are his own, do not let it rule you. You weren't even alive when he made the decisions he made." She advised.
"We will try." Albert, the older, murmured. His twin Carter nodded.
"How come your name doesn't start with a C." She asked Albert, who looked amused and simply shrugged.
"I was determined one of my boys would have my father's name," Abigail answered. Isabella nodded in understanding. "Renee is the reason yours does not start with a C either."
"I suspected as much," Isabella whispered. "Take care, and I will see you soon." Isabella, though, did not leave the house straight away; she headed upstairs, her nose making it easy to find what she was looking for.
She found Katrina slapping Cyril around; the sight was rather amusing. Cyril's attempts to shield himself were a waste of time as Katrina found her mark each time. "Can't you understand I had no choice?" He shouted, exasperated by their lack of understanding. Yes, the thought of Charles' estate coming to him had played a part, but overall it made little difference. Had he refused, the Order would have killed him and his family and killed Charles anyway. His death would have changed nothing, so why die as well.
"No, you had a choice. You could have gone to your brother and told him the truth. Instead, you chose to help those mad men kill your brother, hoping you would inherit his estate. I wish I had the strength to kill you. It hurts to look at you and see his face, knowing you are so much less." Isabella's voice cracked as her emotions got the better of her. "Who made the decision to have my parents killed?" She asked, clearing her throat.
"Lord Henry Parry," Cyril answered. "You have to understand…" Cyril's words turned to screams when Isabella clawed hand came down, marring his face.
"Oh, stop screaming. It's just a…" Katrina's words died on her lips when she caught sight of Cyril's face. He now had three deep gouges across his face. He had lost an eye. His nose and lips would be grotesquely deformed if he healed at all. "Well, I guess he no longer has even a passing resemblance to your father now." Katrina quipped. "What are you doing with those?" She asked when Bella straightened out the jacket as best as she could. In answer, Isabella shifted into Cyril Swan. "Ahh," Katrina murmured in response. "I will deal with him and meet him with the others." She threw Cyril over her shoulder and leaped onto the manor's roof. She took Cyril to St. Bartholomew's Hospital; it was more than he deserved.
It was apparent to any and all who saw Cyril Swan that he had been attacked by an animal. Cyril Swan, in his delusions, claimed he had been assaulted by his niece. Unfortunately for Cyril Swan, his insistence that Isabella Swan was his attacker and her ability to turn into an animal landed him in Warneford Lunatic Asylum.
"Where is she?" Lord Parry asked as Cyril Swan entered his home alone. Cyril Swan stared at him for a long while, annoying him further. "Where is your niece, Cyril." He barked, and still, he got no answer.
"I'm told you gave the order to have my father killed." Cyril Swan's form slowly shifted to Isabella Swan's at her full height. The crackling of the fire was the only sound in the room as they all stared in shock. "Answer my question." Isabella's voice was barely above a whisper, but it held so much malice.
Henry Parry's mouth felt dry as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest. They had wildly miscalculated. Never once had they considered that Isabella would already be aware of her powers and able to use them.
"Your erratic heartbeat is all the answer I need." She said as she looked around at the rest of the Order. She smiled, her eyes turning arctic blue as she spied Virgil. "Ahh, there is another one whom my father trusted." Virgil Shaw took a step back in fear. "Your reactions surprise me. Is this not what you wanted? " She mocked. "Of course, you wanted to be the one to make me aware of my gift. You wanted to be the narrators of my story, leaving out the part you played in my parent's death." Isabella's attention was back on Henry Parry. "Of course, had you known you only had half of the prophecy, you might have gone about things differently." She chuckled. "Did you go to my parents and tell them of the prophecy. Did you tell my father of the prophecy his ancestor believed in before you had him killed with the help of my uncle?" By the end, she was bellowing. "ANSWER ME." She roared.
"No." Isabella had always known what she would do when she found the one responsible for her parent's death.
She took his head in her hands. "You took two lives, two innocent lives, destroyed Agnes Hill's reputation, and killed countless others, and for what? This was never going to end any other way." Lord Henry Parry had no chance to respond as Isabella snapped his neck. Her actions were too fast for human eyes, and the rest of the Order only realized what had happened when his body crumpled to the floor. "I would be within my right to kill you all, but I have a conscience. But come after my family or me again, and that conscience would not save you. Am I understood?" She growled. Yeses rang around the room. She turned to leave but stopped. "One more thing." Virgil Swan cried out in pain as he hit the floor, the bone in his leg protruding from the skin.
Isabella strolled out of Lord Parry's home with a nod to the guards. Just beyond the sight of the numerous guards surrounding the compound was her family. "I will admit I am surprised they are still alive," Marcus murmured as Isabella shifted back to her own form.
"I owe you a debt of gratitude." She hugged the vampire king; the vampire had become something of an uncle to her. Eleazar had been right; her continued correspondence with Marcus had kept Aro at bay. She could also call on the Volturi when she needed help. In truth, she hadn't required as much help as she had thought.
"No, you do not," Marcus said, waving away her thanks.
"Jane, Felix… thank you," she told the two guards she had not expected to find coming to her aid.
"Would you have any qualms about my feeding on some of those men," Jane asked.
"None whatsoever," Tanya said with a smile that had Isabella chuckling.
"No," Isabella answered, still laughing. She was sure if her mates had not taken to the vegetarian lifestyle, they would join Jane.
"Would feeding on those men really hurt our choice?" Surprisingly the question came from Carmen.
"I will wait here for you." Isabella retorted, and that was answer enough for her family. She also learned a thing or two about bloodlust that night and most of the following day.
Isabella stood by the pond, watching the small ripples the fishes made. "Are you okay?" Irina noted Isabella's quiet demeanor that evening. A far cry from the excitable young lady she was that afternoon when they got back from England.
"I love them, and I will visit often. It's easy for me to age a few years every time I visit." Isabella did this often; she would start a conversation seemingly from wherever her thoughts left off, leaving you confused. "They believe I'm staying." She whispered with a resigned sigh.
"Ahh," Irina murmured. "I suspected something of that nature was likely to come up. I don't believe they would be too disappointed with your decision to leave as long as you promise to visit." Irina knew there would be some disappointment, but Isabella could not feasible live with her family. They had too many secrets that needed to remain so. "We could always move closer; they just can't know where," Irina murmured, much to Isabella's elation.
"That would make things easier." She smiled.
"We'd already decided we were simply waiting for your approval." Irina smiled back at her mate, who did not tower over her for once. She loved nothing more than those radiant smiles her mate graced them with. Gone was the quiet disposition she'd adopted earlier.
Without a word, Isabella turned and slammed her lips on Irina's. The vampire moaned when Isabella pressed her against the wall.
"Unless you do not care about damaging this wall, I suggest we move." Isabella simply moved them to the ground, dirt, grass, and mud; it made no difference.
"What do you want?" Isabella asked heatedly. She knew what Irina loved. Isabella knew precisely how to get her mates to the point of complete ecstasy. Yet she always asked.
Less than two years after meeting them, Isabella lost her grandpa, and her grandmama would soon follow. Her health was failing, and her doctor had simply advised the family to make her as comfortable as possible. She was dying, and little could be done about it.
"Carlisle." Eleazar greeted warmly. Of course, Isabella had known the doctor was a vampire. On the other hand, he did not seem to detect anything nonhuman about her.
"Eleazar, Carmen." His voice was clipped, and Isabella wondered why. Tanya had just informed her that he was something of a friend. "I understood you are friends of the family. Should they really be taking advantage of the human at such a time?" Carlisle sounded downright incensed. The growl that left Isabella at his words stunned the doctor.
"Do yourself a favor, doctor, do not make assumptions, especially when it comes to my mates. I am no human, and even if I were, this is no concern of yours." Isabella threatened. "The only reason you are still standing is because of the care you have given my grandmama."
"I am sorry." Carlisle apologized, amply chastised for his assumption.
"Isabella is not human, and I can assure you no one is taking advantage of her," Eleazar told him, sounding somewhat amused. Carlisle was a friend, but the man was also something of a snob. Eleazar would admit he found his current disposition highly mirthful. "Isabella is rather unique, one of a kind, and one that was prophesied a long time ago. More so, everyone in her family is human, while she is not." Eleazar smiled at his daughter, who was still glaring at Carlisle.
"What is she?" Carlisle's interest peaked, and his need for information was obvious. Isabella's laugh had Eleazar refocusing his attention on his daughter.
Marie-Jeanne Dupuis died two weeks later. A week later, with her estate and finances in her control, Isabella, after two years, found herself home. "I am going for a run." She muttered eagerly. "Care to join me?" She asked her mates. The cabin had been left sitting for two years, and there was much work to do.
"Go." Carmen encouraged. Isabella was shifting before she was out of the cabin. Her mates promptly after her.
A few hours later, the four could be found in the river on the edge of their property. It was the tail end of the summer season, and the water was still welcoming. "It's good to be back home." Isabella sang as she leisurely swam.
"Indeed," Tanya murmured, taking in the sun on the river bank. Nothing beats the comfort of home.