There mysterious girl

Chapter 30

"There is no hurry, Regina," Aro murmured, kissing her temple. "They must wait for us, not the other way around."

Bella stood in her closet, staring at the rows of formal gowns, chewing on her lower lip. The Cullen's were assembled, but the Denali's had not yet arrived. The very air seemed charged with electricity. While she didn't regret killing Edward (considering that he was trying to kill herself and one of her mates at the time) she was anxious to face his family. They must hate her.

How would they react? Would they attack her or one of her mates? Would Aro sic Jane or Alec on them? If any of this came to pass, would she be required to participate in their executions?

Aro, no doubt, felt her trepidation through their connection. Her emotions were tense and fraught with anxiety.

"Do not be uneasy," he said in his feathery voice. "We are well protected. You must know that my brothers and myself won't let them touch you."

He stroked her hair as he spoke, and she leaned into his touch.

"It's not just myself that I'm worried about," she said, her nerves coming through as she spoke. "They're gifted too. What if-"

Aro cut her off with a kiss, carding his fingers through her hair and slipping his tongue in her mouth. Bella's mind went wonderfully blank, which was surely his intention.

"They won't touch us," he asserted when they broke apart. "Do you think we have never tried gifted vampires before? You have nothing to fear."

He made a point, she supposed. They had centuries upon centuries of confronting law breakers. The guard must be very efficient in intervening if and when the occasion called for it. This knowledge did not totally soothe her anxieties though. Even assuming they were perfectly safe if one of the Cullen's attacked, she felt out of her depth taking up her mantle as co-ruler beside her mates.

"You are stewing, carina," Aro sighed.

"I know," she muttered, eyeing the glittering frocks in front of her.

That was another thing. Trials were formal affairs. Her mates always seemed to wear suits, so nothing much changed from the way they usually dressed, but Bella was comfortable in much more casual attire.

"Is there anything I can do to alleviate your fears, amore mio?" he asked.

Bella shook her head, frowning. The only way to get this day behind her was to go through it.

"Let me know if you change your mind," he said softly. "Heidi is waiting to help you dress, should you need it."

Bella shouldn't feel so relieved (she'd never needed help dressing in the past) but she couldn't help but sigh in relief. Aro smirked, feeling this, too, through their connection. With a snap of his finger, Heidi hovered in the doorway.

"Call if you need me," he whispered, and then he was gone.

Heidi slipped into the open doorway of the closet and stared at Bella for a full second before blurring to her and wrapping her stone arms around her. Bella staggered back in surprise before returning her hug. She only vaguely remembered Heidi as being the one who brought her trays of food and stocked her closet. Heidi's reaction, however, indicated that perhaps they'd had a burgeoning friendship.

As if on cue, a memory revealed itself to her. They were standing in this very closet, and Bella had been horrified at the amount of designer clothing Heidi had procured for her. It put Alice's wardrobe to shame. She remembered asking not to be called "mistress," a title she still wasn't fully comfortable with, and then back peddling when it was clear the beautiful vampire would be in trouble for not addressing Bella properly.