My Strength Chapter 35

Bella wasn’t nervous. She knew what she wanted, she knew what was involved and she knew the pain that would be included. Bella wasn’t afraid. She knew the three days was going to be unlike any type of hell she could imagine. She understood the pain would be so significant that she would be changed in the lower dungeons to make sure no humans could hear her screams. Bella was looking forward to being a vampire. She knew there would be guards stationed all through the different pathways for her to get outside of the castle. Her entire new family, the Amazons, the shifters and the Volturi were all going to be strategically placed to stop her if her newborn self decided she wanted to go explore the city outside the castle.

But watching her mates go through their plan with her of where they were going to bite her, how they would only be gone for a couple hours during the start of her second day to hunt and where they would be when she woke up, was giving her anxiety. Bella had been, and would like to say she still was if her mates would stop hyperfixating on their plan, confident about being turned and not afraid. She was well aware of the pain involved; if James bite was any indication then she could confidently say she wasn’t looking forward to being turned, but looking forward to being a vampire. Bella wasn’t starting to have second thoughts but she was definitely starting to get nervous.

“The two bits we give you will help distribute the venom faster but as far as we are aware, it doesn’t speed up the turning process.” Victoria explained for what felt like the hundredth time.

“I understand.” Bella said in a bored tone. She was sitting on the bed that had been specially moved in for her turning. She would be laying on the bed while she was bit and while she was turned. She knew they were about to tell her how the pain would slowly take over her body as their venom literally killed every cell in her body to replace with a vampiric one.

“This is the third time you’ve explained this.” Caius said from his position near the door where he and Athenodora would keep watch. They thankfully hadn’t put much of a fight when they were told to be by the door instead of by Bella’s bedside. They knew after Bella started turning, the two mates would be very reluctant to let any other vampire near their very vulnerable mate. Victoria and Zafrina’s instincts, regardless of how stoic Zafrina liked to be, would be going crazy about how easy it would be to hurt Bella while she was changing. Both Caius and Athenodora didn’t want to risk hearing her mates hissing and growling and get stressed while she was already in an incredibly stressful situation and unable to do anything. “She knows already.” He added with a sneer, insulted on behalf of his daughter that they apparently didn’t know she was smart enough to remember what she had already been told several times today alone.

“The longer you delay, the more anxious Bella will become.” Athenodora said, her eyes only focused on her daughter, “Listen to her heartbeat, it’s not exactly steady. You will be fine Bella, three days is nothing when being given eternity.” Athenodora said in an attempt to give comfort from a distance.

Zafrina and Victoria gave Bella their full attention and instead of thinking of all the things that could go wrong, they paid closer attention to their mate and how she was reacting to their words. Her heart rate wasn’t exactly racing but it was elevated enough for them to know their words were starting to have a negative effect on her. They could also see her hands were tense from fighting the urge to ball them up. They weren’t doing their jobs very well if Bella was this worried.

“We’re sorry Bella.” Victoria apologized for both of them as she moved to lay Bella down on the bed, shoving down her insecurities to take care of her mate that was about to face the hardest thing she would have to do for the rest of her life. “We let our worries take control when there is really no reason for it.”

“You are safe.” Zafrina promised, knowing her sisters were the first ones past the door and if Bella did attempt to run, which was Zafrina’s biggest worry, her sister’s would let her mate get far. Zafrina was most concerned Bella would run away from her and struggle to get back to her with all the temptation just out of reach. She knew very well the allure of being becoming a vampire and suddenly having an entirely new world unlocked. Zafrina was concerned her mate, a very easily distracted newborn mate, would get lost in her new senses and run away chasing the new sights and sounds. “You are ours.” Zafrina promised, mentally cursing herself for her lack of words. She was very thankful Bella had no problem hearing everything she didn’t say by just looking in her eyes.

Zafrina and Victoria took their positions on opposite sides of Bella, the bed being strategically placed in the middle of the room. Each vampire grabbed Bella’s arms, both having decided to bite Bella on her wrists to not only override Edward’s and James initial bites but also to get straight into a large vein. Zafrina was very much looking forward to putting her bite over the other two Bella had and was very grateful Victoria didn’t put up a fight about it. Ever since Zafrina saw the bite, she knew she would one day bite the mark off her mate and this was her chance. Victoria was more than content to just be able to turn her mate, she didn’t mind where her bite was.

Bella felt her nerves, what little she did have from listening to the two stuck on repeat for the last little while, start to calm down. What she had been wanting since she figured out what the Cullen’s were was about to finally happen. Only this time, with these people around her, she was going to be so much happier than she ever would have been if she had been if the Cullen’s had changed her. She could only imagine her being changed by the Cullen’s either would have been the result of something traumatic or something traumatic would have happened shortly after she was turned. It was like the Cullen name itself was cursed and she was very grateful she didn’t have to worry about that. With the people she was now surrounded by, she felt so safe and loved with them she was sure no matter what happened with her being changed and how she woke up, nothing bad or dramatic, outside of newborn dramatics of course, would happen.

Bella gave them both a big smile towards her new parents, “Thank you so much for being here with me,” She said, receiving a nod of acknowledgment from both royals, she then turned her gaze towards her fiery mate, “Thank you for coming back for me and not letting any of the Cullen’s, or even the Volturi scare you away.” She said, knowing very well things could have turned out very differently if Victoria hadn’t been on her side with the James fiasco.

“I always will be, no matter what.” Victoria promised with a kind smile as she braced gently turned her mates’ wrist, ready to bite when her mate was ready.

Bella turned her attention towards her Amazon, the woman that started her on this new journey, the person that had kicked off her life for the better, “Thank you so much for finding me and keeping me.” Bella said with a teary smile.

“You are ours.” Zafrina reaffirmed with a strong voice. Nothing would ever change that and she was sure her mate knew that.

Bella took a deep breath, the last one she would likely take in a calm setting for a while. She would be a liar if she said she wasn’t afraid of facing the pain. She didn’t want to feel any of it. If there was another way for her to be with them for eternity that didn’t involve so much pain, she would have gone that route. But there wasn’t. To be with her vampires, mates and family both, she needed to be a vampire.

“I’m ready.” She said with a deep breath. She laid completely still on the bed, staring straight above, making sure she couldn’t see her mates draw her wrists closer to their mouths. She grit her teeth as she felt their teeth pierce her skin and tightly closed her eyes. She was going to do her best not to scream, knowing screaming would only hurt her family. But from what she was told, she knew it was highly unlikely.

Bella felt the venom start to eat away her human self and as it slowly started to crawl it’s way away from the entry point, Bella knew the next three days were going to be hell.