A/N: It may be a bit before the tiếp theo chapter is up, just a warning.


Chapter 8: The Coven

The moon rose high in the sky as midnight approached. I reached out for Edward's hand, taking comfort in the fact that my husband was standing beside me. His arm looped around my waist, pulling me close to his side, attempting to comfort me. He knew me well enough to know that I was terrified of what was coming. Although this coven had offered their help, it hadn’t taken my ten years as a vampire and even the two before that as a human, to know that most ma cà rồng couldn’t be trusted. I just had to take faith in the fact that my family was strong, no matter what was coming we could handle it.

"They are coming from the east," Alice whispered softly.

I strained to hear the sound of their approach, but I knew it was futile. They were still too far away, though they wouldn't be for long.

A một phút passed bởi in complete silence, not a sound was heard except for the soft rustling of leaves in the cool autumn breeze. Jacob whined softly at my side, his wet nose bumping against my shoulder. It was a sure sign that there were thêm ma cà rồng in the area. Jacob had thêm hoặc less gotten used to the scent of our family, but he still had a difficult time adjusting to new vampires. I rubbed his neck gently, comforting him as Edward was comforting me. "It's okay, Jake," I murmured.

Edward's hand tightened at my waist suddenly and I looked up at him, wondering what he was hearing. "They didn't realize bạn weren't alone," he đã đưa ý kiến quietly, his eyes narrowing as he looked into the trees.

"What does that mean?" I asked nervously. Would this coven be angry that I had brought my family with me? If that was the case, what were they going to do?

Before Edward could explain we heard the rustle of footsteps on the forest floor and within giây the dense forest in front of us seemed to part as three ma cà rồng stepped into view. I stared wide eyed at them as I tried to think of what to say. They were all female and all very, very beautiful, even bởi vampire standards. I recognized the tiny blonde automatically, she was the one who had issued the invitation to meet them tonight. Her two companions were every bit as graceful as she, though taller and had thêm curves. The obvious leader of this coven was also the tallest, perhaps even a little taller than Rosalie. Her hair was as dark as the night sky, long and thick, floating around her head in midnight waves. The last member of the coven had fiery red hair that reminded me of Victoria and I shuddered involuntarily.

"We are here to speak to the new Succubus," the leader said, her voice rich and throaty.

Without a conscious thought I walked forward, letting go of Edward's hand and standing before them. "What do bạn want?" I asked, my voice sounding much thêm demanding than I had intended.

The little one loped to the front, took my hand in hers, and looked earnestly into my eyes. "I told bạn earlier today, we want to help bạn deal with your new powers. bạn are strong and bạn need guidance," she đã đưa ý kiến sweetly and I felt that she was indeed telling the truth. That is, until Edward made a noise of disbelief. I pulled my hand away from the girl, wondering what she had thought that made Edward snort with derision.

"Bella does need help, but how do we know that bạn will really help her?" Edward asked, wrapping his arms around me tightly. All three Succubi seemed taken aback bởi the gesture of affection and the little blonde looked up at the tall brunette uncomfortably. I wished I had Edward's gift and I knew what they were thinking about. I wished I knew why he was looking at them with such speculation and understanding in his eyes. This whole affair seemed to áo, áo khoác the air around us with mystery, and it wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling.

"Are bạn her mate?" the red head asked curiously. Edward nodded stiffly and the brunette's jaw clenched slightly, as if in irritation.

“We didn’t realize she belonged to a coven,” đã đưa ý kiến the brunette stiffly, “but that won’t change anything. We can feel the strength of her gift and we will help her learn to control it.”

"Do we have your word that bạn won't try to hurt Bella?" Carlisle asked diplomatically.

The brunette looked at him with a predatory gleam in her eyes but she nodded. "I wouldn't dream of hurting another Succubus, it would be a crime to destroy something so precious," she đã đưa ý kiến with a graceful nod of her head.

Edward glared at Carlisle, "Can I have a word with bạn in private for a moment?" he asked stiffly. Carlisle looked like he had expected this, so he put up no resistance to following him into the woods.

While we waited for them to return I leaned against Jacob's large body and observed the Succubi. They were each giving Jake nervous looks as he growled softly at them. Alice was carefully ignoring the three women, as if hoping that they would return the favor. All in all it wasn't a peaceful mood that had settled over our strange group.

The blonde hesitantly walked up to Alice, "Is that beast going to attack us?" she asked nervously.

"Not unless he feels that Bella hoặc the others in our family are in danger," Alice đã đưa ý kiến with a shrug of her shoulders, "He is very protective."

"I've never known a coven to have a moon child for a companion," the blonde đã đưa ý kiến and shot a cautious smile at Jake, "his coloring is quite beautiful."

Neither Alice nor I felt that it was important for the strange women to know that Jacob wasn't actually a werewolf. At least not in the traditional sense.

“You have a strong magnetism,” the red head đã đưa ý kiến to me with a coy smile, “your beauty is irresistible.”

I clenched my jaw tightly, refusing to be swayed bởi compliments. Instead I tried to smile and gestured to them, “You are the most beautiful coven I’ve seen.”

“I haven’t found a beauty like yours in centuries,” đã đưa ý kiến the brunette. She had a gleam in her eyes that made me profoundly uncomfortable. I wasn’t used to getting compliments from women, it was unnerving.

"Bella, could bạn come here for a moment, love?" Edward called.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back," I told the women, grateful that I didn’t have to respond to their sweet words and hungry looks. Alice squeezed my hand tightly before I ran out of our little clearing and towards Edward and Carlisle.

They were waiting for me, both with strained looks on their faces. "Is everything okay?" I asked, rushing to Edward's side.

He held his hands out in front of him, warning me off. "Trust me, bạn don't want to touch me right now," he said, clenching his teeth.

"What's wrong?" my eyes were wide with worry, wondering what it was that I had done this time.

“If bạn were to touch me there will be nothing holding me back from dragging bạn into the woods and...” he trailed off with a apologetic look at his father. “It’s the coven, they are exuding pheromones stronger than I’ve ever felt. It’s difficult even being this close to you. I wouldn’t be surprised if the others could sense it back home.”

His eyes were burning as he looked at me and I could tell how desperately he wished we could be alone together. In that moment I was very glad that I wasn’t a male around these three women.

Carlisle smiled, though it didn't reach his eyes. "This coven has incredible gifts, the problem is that they obviously don’t care to rein them in. If we are going to have them teach bạn we need to set some rules and boundaries. They won't be allowed in our trang chủ unless they can promise not to use their gifts on us. I'd like to be able to keep the peace with the girls."

Edward chuckled darkly, “I don’t think Rose would appreciate having three succubi teasing Emmett at all hours of the day.”

“I don’t like the way they looked at Bella when they realized she had a mate. They may not respect the men in our family. It’s a sad truth that most succubi don’t see males as anything but toys,” Carlisle looked weary about the idea and I had to be honest, I didn’t like it much myself.

My eyes narrowed as I looked back to the woods where Alice and Jake were waiting with the Succubi. "Is there no other option, Carlisle? I don't trust them."

He sighed, "Unfortunately I don't think so. The only other succubus that I know of is Mackenna, and she and Charles are hard to find. It could take months to locate them and bạn need to learn to control this as soon as bạn can."

I looked to Edward for his opinion and saw that he looked as conflicted as I felt. "Edward?" I whispered, begging him to tell me what he was thinking.

His eyes were filled with anguish as he looked at me. "It's the only way to get things back to normal," he admitted, "but we can't let our guard down. They want bạn in their coven, Bella. I don't think they are going to let a little thing like a husband and child interfere in their ultimate goal. bạn are exhibiting the strongest powers they have felt since Sal joined their coven."

"Sal?" I asked curiously.

"Salome, the red head, she is very good at what she does. The other two found her after they had been together for nearly a thousand years," Edward said.

"How old are these women?" I asked, "Are they as old as the Volturi?"

Edward gave a dark laugh, "Older. Think Old Testament."

I gaped open mouthed at Edward. I knew that ma cà rồng could live forever, but wrapping my mind around forever made my head hurt. These women had been around since the beginning, hoặc at least close to it. It was a staggering revelation, but most of all it told me that I would never get teachers better than these women. They had been around long enough to learn thêm than I could ever imagine learning. My choice had been made for me, I couldn't turn away such an opportunity.

"I have to let them help me," I finally said, "I may never get another opportunity this good again."

Edward let out a sigh, his eyes darkening with anger and resentment. "I know this is your choice, but...”

"No," I interrupted him firmly, "It's our choice. This isn't affecting just me, Edward. This is about our future together."

"I'll let bạn discuss this privately, unless bạn want Alice's opinion on it," Carlisle suggested.

"I can hear it from here," Edward reminded him wryly. We waited for a moment until Carlisle was out of earshot and then Edward turned to look at me, his eyes saying what he couldn’t.

I wrapped my arms around my waist and fought back a sigh of frustration. This wasn’t an easy decision to make, especially because Edward seemed so against it. My mind and my tim, trái tim warred with each other. Yes, I knew that these Succubi might be trouble for my family. Yes, I knew that denying their help might make it impossible for Edward and I to ever be intimate again. I knew these things and more, but it all came back to Edward.

“Edward,” I whispered, anguish plain on my face and in my voice, “I have to accept their help.”

“No! We can find other help. Carlisle mentioned Makenna, we can tìm kiếm all of Châu Âu if we have to!” Edward was furious, he obviously didn’t want to take their help, but I didn’t know what kind of time we had.

“Edward, listen to me,” I begged, but it was as if I hadn’t spoken at all.

“Do bạn have any idea how desirable bạn are to them? They đã đưa ý kiến that bạn are the strongest talent they have found in a hundred years and they aren’t lying. Succubi are rare and bạn have called to them so strongly that they are willing to do anything to have bạn in their coven. Don’t bạn see? They aren’t interested in just teaching you, they want your powers to work for them!” Edward turned away from me, raking a hand through his hair and cursing furiously.

I was stunned bởi his fury, but I was also reminded of how much he loved me... and how much I loved him. “That won’t ever happen, I’m never going to leave you,” I promised, reaching out to touch his shoulder. He shuddered under my touch, clenching his hands tightly.

“I can’t risk it. I can’t let them think that bạn are willing to be like them. Your powers are so strong, your beauty is growing every day. bạn are as irresistible to them as bạn are to me,” his face was etched with pain, worry and jealousy.

I knew that he had seen things in their thoughts that I hadn’t seen, but I also knew that this was my best chance to fix our future. It could take years to find Makenna and her mate Charles, I couldn’t wait that long to make things right with Edward. I had to make him see my side of this argument, no matter what it took.

“You have to understand!” I begged him, wanting to reach out to touch him and knowing that it wouldn’t help the situation if I did. Instead I did the only thing I could do, I lifted my shield and showed him the pain I was in knowing that this was coming between us. I showed him my frightened view of a future in which we could no longer touch hoặc make love. I let him see how terrified I was when I saw his obsidian eyes, the bruise like circles underneath, knowing that it was my fault it had happened. I begged him to understand that finding Makenna was a long shot, something that we couldn’t possibly risk our relationship on. Most of all I reminded him that I loved him and needed him. It was all I could do.

Edward closed his eyes, his breathing shallow and pained. He looked as though this was the hardest decision he had ever had to make. “You’re right,” he admitted in defeat, “we don’t have a choice.”

I was about to sigh in relief when Edward’s arms came around me, crushing me as he pulled me into his chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist, allowing him to hold me as tight as he needed. “We can get through this together. Just don’t give up on me,” I whispered breathlessly, “I can’t do this alone.”

“Never,” he đã đưa ý kiến fiercely, “I could never leave bạn alone. bạn belong to me.”

We stood there for long minutes, gathering strength from each other, almost afraid to let the other go. Finally we stepped out of the embrace and settled for holding hands. It was a small hiển thị of force, something to remind this coven that I was already tied to a family and I didn’t need them they way they needed me.

As we walked back to the others I could tell how even a small touch like holding my hand was a struggle for Edward. The Succubi hadn’t reeled in their mischievous charms since I had left the clearing, and it made me realize how dangerous they were. Carlisle had been right, we definitely needed to set some boundaries before my “studies” began.

When we finally entered the clearing I could tell we had arrived in the nick of time. Both Alice and Jacob seemed so uncomfortable with the situation that their hair was on end. I was surprised that Jacob hadn’t attacked one of them, his growls were enough to frighten me.

“What’s going on here?” I demanded, looking from Jacob to the Succubi who were all frowning.

The brunette caught my eye and her frown changed to a radiant smile. “Bella, have bạn come to a decision?”

I took a deep breath and nodded, squeezing Edward’s hand to draw in his strength. “I’ve decided to accept your generous offer on one condition.”

The brunette’s smile became forced, her eyes glacial as she processed my words. “What is your condition?”

“I would like to ask that while bạn are here teaching me that bạn treat my family with the respect they deserve. The males in the house are not available, bạn will not involve them in any of your games,” I said, stressing the word ‘games’ so that there could be no mistake in what I meant.

Her eyes narrowed even further but she inclined her head. “Of course, we wouldn’t dream of causing any difficulties for your family.”

Edward’s hand squeezed mine tightly and I wondered what was going through the brunette’s mind. It seemed like they accepted too easily. Obviously things weren’t going to be simple, but we would work through this no matter how difficult it became... we didn’t have a choice.

“Shall we meet here again tomorrow at the same time?” the red head, Sal, asked delicately. “We can discuss things further then.”

I nodded, it sounded reasonable to me. It would give me time to sort things out with Edward and the rest of the family. The three Succubi turned to leave and I let them, unable to think of another thing to say to them. My mind was a jumble of thoughts and none of them were things that my new “teachers” needed to hear.

Everyone was waiting for us when we arrived back home, though Nessie had fallen asleep on the couch, a cái gối, gối clutched tightly in her arms. Jacob transformed back into his human self and sat on the đi văng beside her, pulling her into his arms. She woke with a relieved smile, “Jake, you’re okay,” she murmured.

Esme looked at me with anticipation in her golden eyes. “Well, what happened?”

“There were three of them, all succubi. They seem eager to help Bella,” Edward đã đưa ý kiến simply, though it was plain to see that he still hadn’t come to a real acceptance of the situation.

“Were any of them familiar, Carlisle?” Esme asked, turning toward her husband.

Carlisle smiled wryly, “You could say that. I’ve never had the privilege of meeting them before, but I know of their histories quite well.”

“Who are they?” I asked curiously and then turned to Edward. “You đã đưa ý kiến they were old, but bạn didn’t tell us their names.”

“I told bạn that the red head was named Salome,” Edward reminded me, “does that name sound familiar?”

I thought about it for a moment and then shook my head. The name held absolutely no significance for me at all. “Should I know her name?”

“Did bạn ever go to Sunday school, Bella?” Carlisle asked and I shook my head. Renee had never stayed at one church for long enough to learn much of anything. “There is a story about a young woman who danced for King Herod. He was so pleased with her that he told her she could have anything she asked for. She demanded John the Baptist’s head on a platter... and she got her wish.”

Edward nodded and I gasped, staring open mouthed at my husband and the secret he had kept from me in the woods. “When bạn đã đưa ý kiến Old Testament I didn’t realize bạn actually meant that one of them was actually mentioned in the Bible!”

He laughed again, somehow even thêm fiercely than the first time. “Two of them are in the Bible. The brunette’s name is Delilah.”

My head was spinning as I tried to take this in. My new teachers were the original femme fatales. Instead of comforting me, it made me afraid, how was I supposed to learn control from women who (at least according to history) never showed any in their lives? These females had not only controlled the men in their lives, they had destroyed them. I was almost afraid to ask the name of the third Succubi, the tiny blonde that I couldn’t help but like.

Edward seemed to hear my unasked câu hỏi because he looked into my eyes and đã đưa ý kiến softly, “The third female in the coven is Helen, as in ‘the face that launched a thousand ships’.”

Emmett whistled loudly and thumped me on the shoulder. “Damn, Bella. Only bạn could manage to find a coven of the most dangerous women in history to train you.” Funny how his bình luận didn’t exactly make me feel any better. I decided that ignoring him was the best option, besides, I had thêm a thêm important thought to frown over.

“Why didn’t bạn tell me who they were?” I asked, turning a wary gaze on Edward.

“I didn’t want that to factor into your decision. These women were powerful enough in life. As succubi...” he trailed off, purposefully letting me fill in the blanks.

I had to sit down, the knowledge was too much to take in. I had just willingly handed over my future to three women who had been forces of destruction throughout history. “I thought Troy was just a story,” I mumbled, knowing that questioning it wouldn’t help make it a story again.

“The Illiad is a story,” Edward đã đưa ý kiến with a shrug, “but who says that it wasn’t based on real events?”

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. What had I gotten myself into?