Death's Shadow 8

“Tanya are you alright?”Kate asked Tanya when the coven leader entered the living room where she and Irina were watching a movie. Tanya almost laughed at the absurdity of the question. After her phone call with Bella and the one that came from Rosalie right after she wasn’t sure what she was. Mostly she felt shocked. Never in her mind could she have predicted Bella to do what she had done to Aro. Adding on to the fact that Edward was dead and Carlisle in prison for a century was equally as surprising. She only got the overview of what happened from Bella and a few more details from Rosalie and Tanya was planning on having Bella give her a complete play by play of what happened when the deadly vampire got home.

“I’m fine. The same can’t be said for Aro, Edward and Carlisle however.”Tanya told them.

“What happened to those three?”Irina asked.

“As I told you Bella was bringing the Cullens to Italy to be tried before the kings for the crime of falsely accusing us of an unprovoked territory dispute.”Tanya said.

“I’m assuming that Bella called to tell you what happened in the throne room.”Kate guessed.

“She did and I still don’t know if I believe what she told me was true. Even with Rosalie backing up her account.”Tanya knew that Bella wouldn’t lie to her it was just the truth was so unbelievable.

“What does Rosalie have to do with this?”Irina didn’t know why Rosalie of all people would reach out to Tanya.

“Rosalie called to ask if she and her mate could join our coven now that the Cullen coven was no more.”Tanya explained.

“Wait what you mean the Cullen coven is no more? What the hell happened in the throne room?”Kate knew it would have to have been something big if the Cullens had broken up. The family was loyal to a fault and Kate didn’t think any of them would willingly leave the coven.

“Well as I was saying Bella brought the Cullens before the kings. Once in front of them Aro led the questioning and without even reading any of them claimed the Cullens were innocent and we were actually the guilty party.”Tanya had expected that happen as Aro was always looking for a way to get back at her and sisters.

“No surprise there.”Kate knew Aro would do anything to get his revenge on the sisters. He was still angry because they got away when he came after Sasha.

“That might not have been a surprise but his telling Bella that she need to remember her place and that she had no say in the preceding was.”Tanya told them.

“What the fuck?! Did he really do that?”Kate knew that Aro was full of himself but she didn’t think he would be stupid enough to go against Bella.

Tanya nodded.”Not only did he do that but when Caius told him to apologize he replied by demanding Bella apologize or she would punished severally.”

“Shit. I bet that didn’t go over well.”Irina didn’t think Bella would put up with that kind of disrespect.

“It did not. Instead of apologizing she offered him a chance to plead for his life before she killed him. Instead of being smart enough to do so Aro called for the guards to detain Bella and throw her in the dungeon.”Tanya wasn’t sure what Aro had been thinking when he tried to turn the guard on Bella.

“What did the guard do?”Kate asked.

“They of course refused to follow the order. Aro got pissed and demanded that everyone who went against him was to be killed. Caius wasn’t happy about that idea so he attacked Aro. Marcus stopped him from beheading him. Then Bella had Jane use her gift on him for a few minutes before turning him over Alec so she could deal with the Cullens.”Tanya had warned Bella about Aro’s behavior and had happily uttered the words I told you so. Words that Tanya was planning on using a lot in the future. It was one of her favorite things to lord over Bella when she was right after all.

“Fuck!!”Kate wished she had been in the room to see it.

“What is she going to do with Aro now?”Irina didn’t know how the kings would proceed with just two of them.

“She was on her way to a meeting with the other royals to discuss what they want to do. I have feeling Aro won’t be living that much longer because Bella said that she was going to give Sulpicia the option of breaking her mate bond with him.”Tanya figured Bella would have killed him right away if it wouldn’t have effected Sulpicia.

“We have always said that Aro was an incompetent king. I know Bella had her reason for keeping him around but I think things will run a lot smoother without him in charge.”Kate and her sisters had many discussions with Bella about how the vampire world was run. One of the things they agreed most about was how out of control Aro was. Kate had always thought Bella should have killed him a long time ago but Bella held off saying it wasn’t time yet.

“Bella being the one to dethrone him in front of a large audience will make many think twice about breaking the law in the future.”Tanya expected that vampire crime was going to go down a lot when the news of what Bella did got around.

“Death’s Shadow bringing down a king shows just how much power she has. I think a lot of people who doubted her influence will be thinking twice before they act out.”Irina said.

“I can’t wait until Bella gets home. I have so many questions for her.”Kate wanted to know what happened to Aro and what was going to happen with the royals.

“Now that we know about Aro tell us what happened with the Cullens.”Irina wondered how things went with Aro out of the picture.

“After Bella had Alec subdue Aro she turned her attention to the Cullens. The first things she did was address Carlisle’s lies. I’m not sure exactly what was said but Bella was able to prove in front of the audience that Carlisle made everything up. Rosalie told me that once the truth came out that some of the vampires in the room started hissing at him.”Tanya was pleased that Carlisle’s lie were exposed. It would go a long way in regaining their good reputation.

“I wish I could have been there.”Irina would have loved to see the look on Carlisle’s face when the room turned on him.

“What happened to Carlisle after the truth came out?”Kate asked.

“Bella sentenced him to a century in the dungeon to include regular beatings.”Tanya told them.

“How did she justify that because even though it was a dick move Carlisle didn’t actually break a law.”Irina was happy that Carlisle was being punished but didn’t know on what grounds he was convicted.

“She did give any justification. Not that she needed one. She’s Death’s Shadow no one is going to object to her punishing anyone no matter what her reasons are.”Tanya sure as hell wasn’t. She thought Carlisle got what he deserved.

“If Carlisle who didn’t commit a crime got that sentence what did Edward who did commit one get?”Kate knew it had to be a lot worse than a century in the dungeon.

“Edward was found guilt of making a false claim and sentenced to death.”Tanya smiled at the looks of shock on her sisters’ faces.

“No way.”Kate didn’t believe that Bella would actually kill Edward.

“Yes way. Caius and Athenodora killed him right after his punishment was announced.”That was the part of the trial Tanya wished she could have seen the most.

“Jesus.”Irina knew that Bella would be upset with Edward she just didn’t think he would be killed.

“Bella doesn’t put up with anyone or anything that tries to cause us harm.”Tanya reminded them.

“I know she cares for us but I’m just surprised that she killed Edward and threw Carlisle in the dungeon. It seems a little extreme even for her.”Kate knew that Bella would do anything for the sisters but never expected Bella to be so ruthless.

“She told me the only reason she didn’t kill Carlisle as well was because Esme didn’t want their mate bond to be broken. So instead he is being kept in the dungeon and Esme is being allowed to live at the castle and visit him while he’s there.”Tanya thought that it was very nice of Bella to allow it.

“It always makes me want to laugh when people talk about how ruthless and bloodthirsty Death’s Shadow is. If only they knew that Bella was a hopeless romantic that went out of her way to help people in need and had a soft spot for animals.”Irina said.

“No one would ever believe you if you told them the truth.”It had taken Kate over a century of being around Bella before she started seeing her as more than just a violent killing machine.

“Bella’s reputation is justly earned. When it comes to law breakers she has no mercy. If she did the world would fall into chaos. It makes me feel honored that the gods chose me to be her mate and that I can give her a place to call home where she can relax and take a break from all the pressure she is under.”Tanya took every opportunity she could to thank the gods for bringing Bella into her life. She wasn’t sure why she was chosen but Tanya was grateful.

“We saw a preview of what the world would turn into during World War Two with the Nazis. I still don’t understand why the gods held Bella back form acting before it got so bad.”Kate had seen the pain it caused Bella not to stop the war from getting so bad and could never figure out why the gods wouldn’t let Bella step in.

“Bella told me that she felt they held her back because it happened so soon after she put a stop to World War One. If Bella had stepped in again the humans wouldn’t have learned their lesson and a greater threat would have risen once the Nazis were stopped.”Tanya knew that Bella was probably right it was just hard to agree with the gods when their decision caused Bella so much pain. Bella hated when innocent people were taken advantage of and was very active in minimizing the destructions and casualties of wars. When she had to stand by and watch the world destroy itself it broke her heart.

“That’s something very scary to think about.”Irina couldn’t imagine what could be worse than what the Nazis caused on such a large scale.

“It kind of worked though. I mean other than a skirmish or two there haven’t been any war as big as that one again.”Kate said.

“Skirmishes my love has stopped from escalating.”Tanya knew that Bella had a divine purpose but it was hard for her to let Bella take care of everything by herself. Not that Tanya could help her that much. Bella was more skilled at getting things done and when Tanya had accompanied her on occasion she had hindered Bella more than she helped.

“I wish we had been around when the Egyptians worshiped her as the goddess Isis. The stories I have read about her are amazing. It’s to bad Bella doesn’t like to talk about it because I’m sure she could tell us some crazy things about that time.”Kate had asked Bella about her past but Bella was always reluctant to say anything. The only reason she knew about Bella being a goddess was because Kate had seen some ancient Egyptian artifacts and relics in one of Bella’s homes and asked her about it.

“Stories that may be amazing to you are very painful for her. She doesn’t like to talk about that stuff because it makes her upset.”Tanya never asked Bella about her past exploits because she knew it upset her beloved. Tanya was more than willing to listen when Bella wanted to talk about things but she never forced Bella to tell her anything.

“Hopefully she will tell us about what happened when she talks to the other royals. I want to know what’s going to happen now that Aro is out of the picture.”Irina was curious to see how things would go now that Aro was no longer a king.

“That brings us back to the original topic. Now that Carlisle and Edward are out of the picture what’s going to happen to the rest of the Cullens?”Kate asked.

“From what I learned from Rosalie’s call is that Jasper, Alice and Emmett have decided to join Peter and Charlotte. They are going to use their new found freedom to travel the world.”Tanya told them.

“I’m not surprised by that. Those three have always been envious of our travels.”Irina said.

“True they never miss a chance to ask us to take them places.”Every time they spoke to the Cullens one of them always asked if Tanya would allow them to travel with them. She had always said no because she knew that Bella wouldn’t want to be bothered with anyone other than her and her sisters.

“You said that Rosalie wants to join our coven. What did you tell her?”Kate wasn’t against the idea of Rosalie and her mate joining the coven. Rosalie was fun and although they really didn’t know Victoria Kate could see the red head’s potential.

“I told her that I would need to talk to not only you two but Bella as well.”Tanya was leaning towards allowing it but wouldn’t approve if everyone else was against it.

“If it was all five of them I would say no but I like those two. So I wouldn’t have a problem with them becoming Denali.”Irina got alone famously with Rosalie and could easily see her blending into the family without any friction.

“I’m with Irina. If it was the five of them no but those two I don’t mind.”Kate said.

“I’m alright with it as well. That means I just have to speak to Bella.”Tanya wasn’t looking forward to the conversation because she knew Bella’s feelings about the Cullens.

“What do you think she will say?”Irina asked.

“I think if I can present her with enough reasons that letting those two join us is a good idea then she will agree.”Tanya knew that she would have to have a solid argument to why Rosalie and Victoria were trustworthy and would not cause any problems.

“Good luck with that because you’ll need it. Especially after everything that happened with Carlisle and Edward.”Kate didn’t think Bella would be very willing to associate with any of the Cullens.

“We have always told her good things about Rosalie so I don’t think it will be that hard to convince her.”Bella had made comments to Tanya about Rosalie being too good to be a member of the Cullens so Tanya thought Bella would at least hear her out before she shot down the idea.

“I guess it will depend on what kind of mood she is in when you ask her.”Irina knew if Bella was in a pissy mood she wouldn’t agree to anything.

“Well I’m going to go work out a plan.”Tanya was going to write down a list of reasons Rosalie would be prefect for their coven.

“You do that and if your plan fails you can always seduce Bella. You know she will agree to anything if it involves you and sex.”Kate said.

“Kate’s right she will.”Irina had seen Tanya use that method to get Bella to agree to many things the deadly vampire would never usually agree to. Going to New York fashion week being one of those things. To get Bella to take them Tanya took Bella to their private island for a week. When they came home Bella readily agreed to take them and happily went along with them dragging her around to all kinds of events.

“I like to use that technique for big things.”Tanya knew that Bella would give her anything she wanted if she got naked with her but Tanya only liked to use that power for extreme circumstances.

“What could be bigger than asking Bella to reveal herself to two strangers?”Kate asked.

“I was planning on asking her to take me to Paris to go shopping.”Tanya loved the shops in Paris and didn’t get the opportunity to go often because Bella wasn’t a fan of the city. Bella held a grudge against the French for their treatment of the dead bodies that were used to make the catacombs. It didn’t matter that the people who were responsible were long dead Bella felt that the current government should give the bones a proper burial and not have them on display. It was because of that Bella avoided the entire country like the plague.

“Then it might be a good time to visit a sex shop because you are going to have to do something impressive to get Bella to agree to do both those things.”Irina didn’t think Tanya was going to get Bella to say yes to either if the coven leader didn’t go all out.

“And you have less than a week until we leave for New York so you have to act fast.”Kate was not going to miss out on Fashion Week no matter what. Even it was for a good cause.

“You’re right I do need to act fast. Don’t bother me unless it’s an emergency.”Tanya told her sisters.

“We won’t.”Kate promised.

“I’ll let you know if I need any help.”Tanya said. She made her way to her office ignoring any replies. She had a lot of work to do if she was going to convince Bella to not only let Rosalie and Victoria into the coven but agree to take her shopping. Her initial plan to get Bella to take her shopping was to suggest they go to their castle in Norway to spend time together after they finished in New York. It was the couple’s favorite. Bella loved it because of its location and lack of neighbors. Tanya loved it because it was the first home Bella brought for her. There had been many other purchases over the centuries but Tanya never lost her fondness for the castle. The problem with the castle was like Kate said they had less than a week before New York. Tanya also didn’t know when Bella was coming home. That meant there wouldn’t be enough time to properly seduce her mate into agreeing with her. Tanya sat in her desk chair and sighed. Bella was an exceptional mate and treated Tanya better than Tanya believed she deserved some days but the non human was stubborn. If she didn’t want to do something she would dig in her heals and it would be hard to change her mind. Pulling a piece of paper and a pen out of her desk drawer she started brainstorming different ideas to persuade Bella. Tanya knew it was going to hard but she also knew that if anyone could get Bella to agree it would be her.