When The Cat Becomes The Mouse 30

“Kate stop pacing damn it!!” Tanya growled as she watched Kate start to make another circuit around the living room. The Denali along with Rosalie were all sitting in the living room waiting for the Volturi guards to arrive. Just like Tanya predicted once she gave the go ahead to send some people the queens had promised they would be in Alaska by mid morning. The group had all decided that Rosalie would be the one of their group that would meet with the guards and Victoria would stay in their room with Bella who was still sleeping.No one wanted the human exposed to the vampires right away until they found out who exactly was coming and what their intentions were.It was the entire household’s main purpose to keep Bella safe and they all wanted to make sure that she would be safe from the Volturi.

“I can’t help it. I’m just so worried they are going to try and take our human.” Kate said.

“I know but we need to keep clear heads so nothing goes wrong.” Tanya told her.

“I just don’t know how all of you can be so calm.” Kate turned her attention to Rosalie. “Especially you. I mean this is your mate we are talking about. Aren’t you worried the royals are going to take her away from you.

“Of course I’m worried!! I also know that if we aren’t calm it could turn into a fight and I don’t know about you but I don’t want to get into a fight with the royals.” Rosalie wished she was the one upstairs with Bella but when she had talked to Victoria about it they both decided that Victoria would have a better chance of getting away with Bella if things came to a fight. Although Rosalie knew Victoria was right it still stung that she had no way of protecting her mate.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t have woken up Bella?” Irina asked.

Tanya shook her head. “No, she will need the sleep. I predict that the Volturi will have many questions for her and will be wanting to spend time with her so she should rest while she can.”

“I don’t like this.How are we going to keep them from taking Bella? Shouldn’t we have come up with a backup plan incase this went to shit and we need to run with her?” Kate couldn’t stamp down the overwhelming feeling that the Volturi were going to take Bella away from them. She wanted to shrug it off as paranoia but she didn’t think it was.

“We do have a plan.” Rosalie said. Noticing all the surprised looks Rosalie explained. “Victoria and I have a plan incase something goes wrong. We didn’t tell it to the rest of you because the less people that know about it the least likely someone will be able to extract the information.”

Kate sighed in relief. “Thank god someone is taking this seriously.”

“I assure you I take my mate’s safety very seriously.” Rosalie told her.

Before anyone could ask Rosalie about the plan they all heard vehicles driving up to the house. As one they stood and made their way to the front yard. Tanya stood in front of the group with Kate a step behind her flanked with Rosalie and Irina to one side and Eleazar and Carmen on the other. Tanya had set them up this way to not only show a solid front but to show Rosalie had an important place in the coven by standing by Irina in a position equal to all the other coven members. As Tanya began to greet those who exited the cars she paused on seeing a tall blond haired red eyed vampire exit the backseat of a town car after the door was opened for her.

“This just went to shit.” Kate hissed softly.

Tanya couldn’t agree more. Bowing she greeted the new comers. “Hello your majesty. This a great surprise. I had only thought that you were sending members of the guard.”

“Yes, well we decided that one of us should come and handle this situation personally and as I am the most experienced with warfare it was decided I be the one to come.” Athenodora motioned to the guards around her. “Do a permitter check and set up patrols. Report to me anything out of place or you believe important.”

“Yes my queen.” A brown haired vampire said as he started shouting out orders.

“Now then let’s find a place to settle so we can go over the information we have and I can meet Bella.”Athenodora said.

“Of course your majesty follow me.” Tanya led the queen and her guards into the house where unsurprisingly the guards broke off to check each of the rooms for safety. Before they could get to far Tanya called out. “I ask that you please leave the room with the door closed alone. Bella is sleeping. She had a long night and is still resting along with her other mate Victoria.”

Noticing the guards looking to her for permission Athenodora nodded. “Leave the room alone. It wouldn’t be nice of us to wake the human unless there is a pressing matter.”

“Thank you.” Rosalie said. She wasn’t sure how she was feeling having the queen personally come to check in on Bella but it seemed that the queen was at least trying to make the effort to take Bella’s needs into consideration. Once they had all settled into the living room she pulled out Bella’s cell phone and texted Victoria of the new developments. She had no doubt Victoria knew what was going on but Rosalie wanted to make sure. Especially because Bella would probably be up soon.

“It’s no problem.” Athenodora assured her. Her job here was to make the coven and the human trust her and the other Volturi guards that came with her. After hearing of how gifted the human was the three queens had had a discussion and knew they needed to directly intervene in the situation. All three of them had wanted to come and meet Bella but Athenodora was the one decided on because it would be less suspicious if she a known warrior showed up to help deal with the Cullen problem. Athenodora was disappointed that the human was still sleeping. After hearing so much about her the queen wanted to see what kind of person the girl was. “Now why don’t you tell me the full story of what is going on. I have only heard from Tanya and wish to hear what Rosalie has to say.”

Rosalie straighten in her chair and tried to not show how intimidated the queen made her. She reminded herself that this was her role in their triad. She was the mouth piece. That was another reason why she was chosen to greet the Volturi. Rosalie was the one who kept the calm head.”Of course your majesty. Would you like me to start with Bella or with Carlisle?”

“As I believe it was Bella that was the catalyst to this whole situation let’s start with how she came into the picture.” Athenodora said.

“Alright.” Rosalie took an unneeded breath and spoke. “My coven had been living in Forks for over a year going to high school. It was during our second year there when Bella had shown up. We were all standing in the parking lot when she pulled up in her truck and when I locked eyes with her I knew right away that she was my mate. Unfortunately she was Edward’s singer. It was because of that and the fact that Edward couldn’t hear her thoughts that he decided that she was in fact his mate not mine.”

“So the boy thought his singer was his mate?” Athenodora asked.

“Yes.” Rosalie confirmed. “After he told us, I went to Carlisle and explained that Bella was actually my mate. He accused me of lying and being jealous of Edward. Even when I pleaded he used the sire bond to force me to never speak to anyone about Bella being my mate.”

“Carlisle forced you to ignore the mate bond while he encouraged a false one?” Athenodora knew Carlisle had little regard to for the laws but to make one of his coven ignore a mate bond while basically giving the mate to another one of his coven members was crossing a big line.

“He and the entire family reinforced the narrative that Bella was Edward’s mate. Emmett was the only one who encouraged me not to give up but there was only so much either of us could do without directing Carlisle’s anger towards us.” Rosalie told her.

“I see.” Athenodora said. “How is it you broke the command?”

“Edward left the family when we moved away from Forks. There was an incident with a paper cut that ended with Bella almost being attacked by most of the coven. He used that as an excuse to force us to leave. It is my belief that he needed to step away because being around Bella was becoming to much for him. He was also trying to figure out a way to keep Bella human.” Rosalie explained.

“Of course he would want to keep her human. If she was changed her blood would no longer exist.”Athenodora was actually impressed the boy didn’t drain the girl on first sight.

“Exactly.” Rosalie agreed. “Once he left the family I was able to work on breaking through the order to keep away from Bella. When I was able to I asked to come visit the Denali. Oddly enough Carlisle didn’t object and gave me permission. As soon as I was away from them I took a plane to Washington and went to Bella’s house. It was when I tracked her from there to Victoria’s apartment that we discovered that we both had a mate bond with Bella. It was also that night that Bella had her first incident with her gift.”

“So as soon as you were able to break through the orders you sought out Bella?” Athenodora asked.

Rosalie nodded. “Initially I was just going to check on her to make sure she was ok. I didn’t want to bring Carlisle’s attention back to her but when I found out about what happened with her gift and that Victoria also had a mate bond we figured that we would actually have a chance to save her from Carlisle. After Bella was recovered we made our way here. Tanya agreed to help us and we have been here ever since.”

“Tell me exactly what happened with Bella’s gift.” Athenodora wanted to know all the details. Rosalie being Bella’s mate probably knew more than Tanya.

“I wasn’t there for the event just the aftermath so I don’t know exactly what occurred only what Victoria and Bella told me.” Rosalie cautioned. “Victoria and Bella were out on a date when they went for a walk along a pier. They had gotten to an area that was full of warehouses and was pretty isolated. When they were far away from the humans three vampires confronted them. Victoria of course refused to hand over Bella so the three vampires began attacking them. From what Victoria said they were being herded towards a wall when all of a sudden the vampire in charge grabbed his head and started screaming. It was when Victoria’s attention was on him that the other two tried to attack only to be flung back by an invisible barrier. When Victoria tried to get out of the barrier she was unable to. When she looked at Bella she noticed her eyes were a shiny silver color. Once she got Bella’s attention Bella passed out and the barrier went down.”

“Interesting and what happened to the three vampires?” Athenodora asked.

“The two that hit the barrier were beyond mangled. Victoria told me that it looked like they had been beaten within an inch of their lives. The man who was clutching his head was unconscious and didn’t even wake up as she ripped him apart and lit him on fire.” Rosalie told her.

“Jesus.” Athenodora had been told that Bella disabled the vampires but not the specifics. “And she was sure it was Bella who did all the damage?”

“Yes and even if she wasn’t after what happened with Kate I have no doubt Bella was able to do that to those three vampires.” Eleazar said. He figured it was alright for him to interject at this point.

“Let’s get to what happened with Kate.” Athenodora turned her attention to the vampire in question. “What did she do to you?”

Kate flinched thinking back to what had happened. “Myself, Irina, Carmen, Bella, Rosalie and Victoria were relaxing in the living room when I made a joke that Rosalie didn’t take very well. She tried to attack me but I easily pushed Rosalie away from me. It was when I threatened to use my gift on her that Bella became enraged. One moment I was looking at Rosalie the next I felt like I was hit by freight train. I tried to use my gift but as soon as I activated it I felt a blinding pain in my head. The pain continued to build until like I told the others it felt like my brain was being boiled in molten lava. I don’t know when I passed out. I wasn’t even aware of us going through the wall or the kitchen floor.”

“What damage was done to you?” Athenodora asked.

“When we brought Kate upstairs she had minor cracks on her body that quickly healed but she stayed unconscious for over 19 hours.” Tanya told her.

“And what happened to Bella?” Athenodora hadn’t been told how long Kate had been out for. It was beyond surprising that Bella didn’t have to continuously use her gift to keep the vampire under.

“Bella told us she blacked out when they were falling through the floor. Like with the first time she used her gift, her body became dangerously overheated and we had to give her continuous ice baths. She only woke up about an hour after Kate did but this time she had physical differences.” Rosalie said.

“What was different?” Athenodora asked.

“Her irises are white now.When the light hits them it looks like they are silver. Her pupils are still black and the rings around the irises are black as well.” Tanya was still unnerved whenever Bella looked at her with those eyes.

“Interesting.” Athenodora wondered how her eyes would change when she was turned. “What can you tell me about Bella’s gift?”

“After Bella was brought up to her room I touched her and reached out with my gift to see if I could figure out a way to help her and Kate. When I did Bella attacked me mentally. I have had Jane’s gift used on me before and I can tell you that I would rather be under Jane’s torment for hours than the few seconds Bella’s gift touched me.” Eleazar wasn’t lying. He had never felt anything so painful. “When Bella woke up and explained what happened I determined that her gift isn’t just a shield. It’s offensive as well.”

“So not only can she shield herself physically and mentally but you said she attacks as well. What did you mean by that?” Athenodora knew they needed to talk about the Cullens but the subject of Bella had been one that she and her mates had been focused on since they heard about the human.Sulpicia was chomping at the bit to get the human to the castle to test her own gift on Bella as no-one had ever been immune to it before. Hearing what happened to the girl when she used her gift Athenodora would have to warn her mate that it wouldn’t be possible until the girl was turned. They didn’t need anything else to happen to Bella.

“When Bella attacked Kate she said that she felt raw energy was being pulled from her body and focused on the places she was touching Kate. At first we thought it was just Kate’s gift but as she explained exactly what it felt like I came to the conclusion that Bella’s shield was attacking Kate’s body because it saw it as a threat. The same way with attacking Kate mentally. If Kate hadn’t used her gift I don’t think either she nor Bella would have passed out. Maybe Bella but I don’t think the results would have been so bad. It’s my belief that part of Bella’s gift is that she takes whatever is trying to attack her and reflects it back at them.” Eleazar explained.

“So because Kate’s gift is mental Bella not only shielded herself from it but she attacked Kate mentally?” When Eleazar nodded Athenodora had another question. “Do you think she can protect others with her gift?”

“It’s been proven that she can.” Tanya said. “When Carlisle called recently he mentioned that Alice couldn’t see Rosalie’s future anymore. When prodded he confirmed he couldn’t see ours as well. We believe that Bella is subconsciously shielding us mentally and is blocking Alice’s visions of us.”

“Amazing.” Athenodora thought through the implications of what this would mean when Bella became a vampire. It just proved her mission was even more important than the queens originally thought. There was noway they could let anyone get their hands on Bella while she was human. If Bella had been unmated Athenodora would have already taken her to Italy and had her in protective custody until she was changed. She couldn’t do that though. As it was Bella had two mates and a coven that had already claimed her.

All eyes turned to Rosalie when they heard a text indication. Rosalie looked down and read it. “Bella is awake and Victoria is wondering if it would be alright to bring her down so she could eat breakfast.”

“I think that is perfectly fine.” Tanya said. Initially the group had been worried about the Volturi showing up but as they had been in the company of the queen Tanya had relaxed enough to feel like they weren’t going to just grab Bella and take her back to Italy with them.

“OK.” Rosalie sent a text back and they all went silent as they heard the door to her bedroom open and the sound of two pairs of feet walking down the stairs.

Athenodora turned her head to look at the human only to stop when she got a glimpse of those white eyes. It wasn’t the fact that they looked disturbing to the queen that caused her to stare it was the fact that she had become suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling of needing to protect the girl and care for her that had her stopping.”Il mio cuore e finalmente pieno.”

“Do I know you?” Bella asked the blond woman sitting in a chair looking at her. She didn’t think she had ever met the woman but had the strangest feeling that they knew one another.

“Bella.” Rosalie hissed at the way Bella had so blatantly disrespected the queen. She was sure Victoria told Bella who the queen was and how to act.

“It’s alright.” Athenodora assured her as she stood from her chair and approached Bella. “Do you think you know me?”

“I know we have never met but I feel like you’re someone important to me. Does that make sense?” Bella asked.

Athenodora smiled brightly. “It makes perfect sense. Come sit with me and we will discuss it.”

“Ok.” Bella reached out to take the queen’s hand but was stopped as Victoria grabbed her and pulled her behind her.

“What have you done to her?” Victoria growled. She didn’t care if Athenodora was the queen she didn’t like the way Bella was acting. She was a cautious person but was easily going along with a stranger. That wasn’t something Bella would normally do. The queen must have done something.

“Watch your tone young one. You may be her mate but I am your queen.” Athenodora told her. She may be Bella’s mate but Athenodora wasn’t going to put up with the disrespect.

“She didn’t mean it. She is just worried and doesn’t understand what is going on. I don’t either.” Bella said.

“Alright tell me Bella what do you know of parental bonds?” Athenodora wasn’t surprised by the sounds of gasps she heard from the occupants of the room.

“I don’t know anything about parental bonds.” Bella tried to think if she was ever told about anything other than mate bonds.

“I thought so.”Athenodora sighed. She truly wished her mates were here to share in this joyous situation. They would also be able to explain all this better. “Let’s sit.”

Victoria grabbed Bella and kept herself between her mate and the queen as she made her way over to the chair Rosalie was sitting in. She deposited Bella on Rosalie’s lap who happily wrapped her arms around their mate and stood right next to them. “I think I’ll stand.”

“Very well.” Athenodora took her seat and looked at Bella. The girl was striking with her red highlighted brown hair and beautiful face. She looked to be in decent shape and obviously took care of herself. Her eyes were concerning but not because of the way they looked. The actually gave her a dangerous aura that Athenodora greatly approved of. It was the fact that they were a negative result of her using her gift that was concerning. “The reason you feel like you know me Bella is because we have a familiar bond. When we locked eyes I felt as if you were a child of my own body.From this day forth I will consider you my own child and when you meet my other two mates they will feel the same way.”

“You think you’re my mother?” This confused Bella. She didn’t feel like this woman was her mother but she didn’t really know what it was like to have a mother.

“I don’t think anything. I know that I am your mother.” Athenodora corrected. “It is taking everything inside of me not to rush over to you right now and cradle you in my arms to keep you safe because I know you are in danger.”

“You’re not touching her.” Victoria growled. She didn’t believe the queen for one moment. This was just one of the royals‘ tricks to get Bella to serve them.

“Victoria calm down.” Rosalie told her. She didn’t know how she felt about this revelation but she did know that it wouldn’t be good for Victoria to provoke the queen. “Bella what are you thinking?”

Bella looked around the room at all the faces of the others. Kate looked like she had just tasted something foul. Camren looked enraged, Eleazar looked resigned, Tanya looked unsure, Irina looked displeased, Victoria looked pissed and Rosalie looked worried. “I think I feel something for her but I don’t know what it is. It’s not romantic but it is a fondness maybe.”

“How do we know you just didn’t do something to her?” Kate asked not being able to hold it in anymore. It was exactly what she thought would happen. The queen found a reason to take their human away from them.

“Bella do you feel like I am lying to you?” Athenodora asked Bella.

Bella shook her head. “No I don’t.”

“I don’t think the queen is lying.” Eleazar knew that the queen would never lie about something as important as a parental bond. Bella was a valuable asset but the royals were very respectful of bonds. They wouldn’t stand for someone claiming a false one.

“How can you be so sure? She could just be lying to get Bella away from us. She probably just wants to sire her herself.” Kate wasn’t going to stand for this. Bella was her sister. That meant she had to protect her even if that meant she was going to have to take on the royals by herself.

“I will overlook such an insult as I know you only have my child’s best interest at heart however you are to watch your tone. The Volturi do not support false bond claims. Whether that be a mate bond or a parental bond. We have all been victim to such a thing and have fought hard to make sure no-one else has to go through what we went through.” Athenodora told them.

“I’m sorry your majesty. You have caught us by surprise.Emotions were already running high and adding the revelation of the bond has pushed some of us past the tipping point.” Tanya hoped that Kate would keep her mouth shut. Even if the queen was lying and Tanya was leaning towards her not she wouldn’t put up with Kate’s disrespect.

“How about this. Why don’t we take a break from you telling me about the Cullens. That way everyone can get their emotions under control.” Athenodora offered.

“That would be nice. Bella also needs to eat.” Rosalie said having heard Bella’s stomach growl.

“Would you object to letting me spend time with you while you ate,Bella?” Athenodora wished she could actually cook for her child but knew nothing about human food.

Bella shook her head. “I don’t mind.”

“Good. Now I’m going to go check with the guards and give you all a minute to yourselves and will return and accompany Bella while she eats.” Athenodora stood and walked out the door without waiting for a response. She wanted to make sure that Bella was completely safe. She also needed to call her mates but was going to wait until she actually had more information on what the situation was here. Athenodora knew as soon as she told them of the bond they would want to fly out right away but that wouldn’t be safe and forcing Bella to come to the castle wasn’t going to happen either. The coven she was attached to wouldn’t let that happen. The queen just hoped that if given the chance that Bella would allow the bond to strengthen to the point that Bella would feel it as well as she did her mate bonds. Eleazar had mentioned she felt them as strongly as a vampire could feel them so Athenodora hoped that the familiar bond would work out the same way.