Ban Together Chapter 25

Bella laid in the bed, in her bed actually, and stared at the ceiling. She had been trying to go to sleep for what felt like a few hours but she hadn’t been able to get her mind to stay quiet enough for her to do so. There was so much for her to think about, for her to digest she was starting to feel overwhelmed. She wanted to know more about these experiments the Cullen’s, or Carlisle and Esme, were running. She wanted to know what exactly she was meant for in those experiments. Was Alice playing her the whole time or were they friends? Or was Alice just playing her to get her to be a part of Carlisle’s experiment and it just so happened Bella was lucky enough to get away before anything truly damaging happened to her?

She didn’t even want to think about the fact she had asked both Kate and Jane to at least stay in her room with her while she slept… while she attempted to sleep.

Before going to bed, after wishing her newfound parental units goodnight, she couldn’t shake the feeling she was in danger.

Yes, she knew she was in a vampire stronghold that housed likely dozens if not hundreds of vampires at any given time that would have no problems drinking her dry. But the feeling she had was more than that. She didn’t fear the vampires in the castle, she feared what was outside. She was afraid there was something coming she couldn’t survive and no matter how many vampires were in the castle, it would never be enough. The only solution she could think of, the best chance she had to at least get some type of sleep, was to invite the two women in with her.

Kate was all too happy to join her in the bedroom and even ran to the bed, jumped right on top of it and invited Bella in with her with a Cheshire grin. Bella could only roll her eyes as she turned her attention back to Jane for a real answer. An answer she already knew but before ran off for the bed, Jane looked about to talk.

“We would love to but I am concerned,” Jane answered as she ushered Bella back into the bedroom to close the door. Both women acutely acknowledged Kate sitting up on the bed, looking more serious then she had two seconds ago. “You seem afraid, what exactly are you afraid of?” Jane questioned.

“You know there’s nothing that can get past us both, right?” Kate asked with a serious tone uncommon for the jokester of the Denali sister’s. “Jane attacks from a distance and if somehow someone got past her, I can join the fun and attack. We’re the perfect defense team, no one can get past us.” Kate assured her mate, not knowing exactly what her human was afraid but knew it had something to do with all the vampires after her.

“As much as I am loathe to admit it, Kate isn’t wrong.” Jane said, pointedly not looking at Kate to see the other blonde’s smug look. “With both of us either near you or in the room with you, you are safe.”

Bella looked from Jane to Kate and then out the window her room was equipped with. She hadn’t bothered to look, but she was sure there was a large balcony she could go sulk on. But that didn’t seem like a safe idea to her either. There was a deep-seated fear in Bella about what was going to happen with the other Cullen’s, like they weren’t getting the full story of what has happened, what is happening and what may happen.

So Bella’s only option to try and get some sleep was to invite both women to lay in bed with her. She felt the closer they were to her, the less likely there would be an opportunity for an attack to happen. She was the weakest link with the Volturi, the quickest way to piss off or get any sort of revenge on the law keepers of the vampire world, would be to get to her.

Both Kate and Jane were all too happy to stay with her, albeit Jane was reluctant to end their conversation so abruptly when nothing had really been resolved or discussed. Kate borrowed some pajamas from her; Bella was confident she was never going to get those clothes back from the warrior blonde willingly. Jane only took off her cloak and outer layers, that woman wore so many layers Bella thought the vampire may be preparing for a snow apocalypse or something, and laid in bed with her.

Bella ended her night with two very strong and very old vampires lying next to her as she tried to fall asleep. She couldn’t be any safer if she tried; especially considering she knew her new vampire parents were just outside in the yard and there were additional guards out in the hallway. She was protected on all sides; there was no way anyone would be able to get to her while she was asleep.

But if someone did manage to get past everyone, if someone was lucky enough to get past the guards, the royals and the two vampires in bed with her, what would she do? Would she scream for help? It wasn’t like everyone wouldn’t already be aware she needed help. Would she try to fight back against the vampire? She knew there were some very dirty tricks she could do to beat one of the vampires in bed with her; probably both of them but Jane would never admit it. She would never win against a vampire fight on her own.

If she were a vampire though, everything would be different. She would be strong enough to protect herself and with her gift, something Sulpicia loved to gush over, she could protect everyone else she loved. She would be a force to be reckoned with. All the training she could get from Athenodora and Kate, she would be able to win practically any fight she may find herself in. Becoming a vampire would make sure she was no longer a liability. She wouldn’t need so much protection, she would be able to help with the fight that was going to happen probably sooner rather than later.

“Kate, Jane?” Bella asked as she stared at the ceiling.

“Yes, my love?” Kate asked as she moved to cuddle her mate on her side. If she moved slow enough, perhaps she could cop a feel. There was nothing wrong with that if she was invited into bed, right?

“Bella?” Jane asked from her stiff position near her mate. Unlike Kate, Jane had more resolve than to invade their mates’ personal space. Jane was also insistant she wouldn’t do anything her mate didn’t invite her to do and clearly, she was trying to sleep, not instigate having sex like both vampires would prefer over sleeping.

“Can you both turn me?” Bella asked as she sat up and turned around to face her vampires. “Can you turn me so I can help with the fight? So I won’t be so weak? I want to be able to help, I don’t want to stand on the sidelines anymore.”

She always stood on the sidelines with the Cullen’s, the Pack and now the Volturi. She was tired of it, she wanted to be able to protect herself; at the very least help protect herself.

Jane and Kate looked at each with concerned eyes, Jane already knew the answer and she knew her mate wouldn’t like it.

“It would be complicated to change you right now.” She answered slowly, as she turned her attention back to her mate. She quickly continued talking before Bella could argue, “It’s not that we don’t want to, we do. But there are several factors we must consider before doing so. The first is, we have the wolf shifters on their way here, they’ll be here tomorrow. While in the end we don’t care what they say about changing you, we would appreciate any assistance they can provide and they may refused to if we change you so soon.”

“We also don’t know when we are going to get attacked, if we knew were the different players were, where Victoria and the Cullen’s were, we could just as easily figure out how long it would take for them to get to us and change you if the time allowed.” Kate spoked up, “If they attack while you are changing, it would leave you even more vulnerable than you are as a human.”

“It’s not that we don’t want to change, it’s that it would require some planning.” Jane added as she saw her mate frown, upset with their answer. Truthfully both vampires, if there weren’t such deadly consequences, would be more than happy to change Bella at that very moment. But they couldn’t safely do so. “Your mother, Athenodora, happens to be a gifted strategist, if there was someone that could plan out a way to safely change you, it would be her.”

“Would she?” Bella asked, her hopes of being able to help dwindling second by second.

“Oh yeah, there’s nothing to fear on that front.” Kate said as she collapsed back onto the bed, “Now come here and cuddle with me. We can talk with your parent’s tomorrow and I’m sure by the afternoon Athenodora will already have a plan for your change. You’ll be able to help us, I’m sure of it.” Kate said as she pat the bed next to her.

Jane gently coaxed Bella to lay back down between the two vampires, “It will all be fine in the morning, we will work everything out.”