The Human Countess {J. Hale}

Isabella

Yasinya, Ukraine, 2020, a few days later.

Isabella Marie Cullen just simply adores her life as a vampire. She has beauty. She has grace. She has love.  She had money. She had immortality. She had power.

Most of all, she had control.  

And she loves it.

She was a spider, weaving webs of manipulation the moment she understood what the word meant. 

She built up the image of an awkward, clumsy teen that evolved into a teen so smitten with a man that she had forced herself to shut everything down, to the woman that she is today.

She felt like a marionettist, pulling the strings of her marionettes from above. 

And it made her happy and excited.

Of course, sacrifices were necessary, just as putting herself in harm's way was. 

She knew she would have to marry Edward, but she had not expected to get pregnant. However, after seeing the look of joy is Edward's face as he looked at the new born babe, she knew, she could use her-Renesmee- as another way to keep control over the coven. 

Oh how happy she was, to find a stepping stone that placed her in a higher pedestal than Rosalie. 

How she loved manipulation. 

Of all her favourite manipulative actions, her favourites were the method she used to get the Cullens back in Forks and her little squabble with James. 

Playing with Alice's ability and the lack of wolves in it gave her the idea to jump off the cliff. Of course she knew that she wouldn't die at the cliff, Jacob was there. It was simple genius, the way she formulated that situation. Although, she would never admit the fact that she was desperate at that point. 

And then there was James. Ah, the hunter was delightful to deal with, if it wasn't for Edward's constant whining about not wanting her to lose her soul. 

After all, she can't really lose something she's never had. 

But all her plans went downhill when Alice came running, demanding that they pack up and move to Ukraine. She knew she should've held Alice's leash tighter, but she had not expected to get caught trying to change Charlie, causing her to lose Alice completely. And then that woman, that Eliza, became Jasper's mate and all the leashes she held slowly but steadily left her hands. 

And it made her livid.

Meeting Eliza had been an experience that she absolutely despised.  This Eliza, a human, has more power, money,  influence and control than she ever could. 

Hell, she was even more beautiful than Rosalie and yet the blonde didn't even care! 

Not to mention that Eliza has the charisma Isabella knew she lacked.

It made her want to drain all the blood from Eliza's mortal body as her venom boiled in jealousy.

Shaking her head slightly to rid herself of the thoughts, she followed Edward as he made his way back into cabin. 

She couldn't afford to lose total control, not now, nor ever.

If only she knew that she had lost it the moment Eliza met Jasper.

Isabella found herself paralysed and numb as she stepped into the living room of the cabin after returning from the impromptu getaway that Edward took her in. The brunette's eyes widened as she saw the black mist that surrounded her, panicking as she felt her mental shield disappearing. 

She found herself being carried by Edward, and she felt relief.

However, her relief was short lived as she felt chains wrap around her wrist and ankles before being shoved into a dark room. 

Feeling the ability to move, she jumped up and tried to remove the chains, only to scream in frustration when she wasn't able to. She looked around to observe her surroundings. Despite the darkness, she can see that she is in a cell rather than a room, roughly 5 by 5 meters. Three of the walls are solid while the wall where the door is were bars. the building materials the exact same as her cuffs and chains, and knew they are unbreakable, even the hinges are cut from the same material.  She walked forward to try and find a way to open the door when a spark caused the walls and the door to burst into flames as she walked within 5 feet of the door. 

She moved back, staring at the fire that surrounded her, jumping back when glowing eyes reflecting the light of the flames from the shadows.

The first one stepped out, and anger filled her body as the glowing eyes flicked between hazel and blue, a smile on her lips.

"You!" Isabella screamed, her eyes widening in anger.

"Now, now, dearie. It would do you well to not antagonise the keeper  of the keys of your new...accomodations." Eliza said with a predatory smile as her voiced turned mocking. Jasper walked out next, his now red eyes meeting her golden ones.

"Jasper, your eyes! How could you betray Carlisle like this?" Isabella ranted, using his now red eyes to her advantage. Jasper merely tiled his head as two people walked out next, a horrified gasp leaving her lips as she met the golden-eyed gazes of the Carlisle and Esme Cullen.

"Actually, we allowed him. It was amazing of him to ask us permission especially when he didn;t need to." the Cullen Patriarch said, sending a proud look to Jasper. Esme merely smiled proudly at her adoptive son as her eyes turned cold as she looked at Isabella, leaving her silenced.

One by one, people walked out of the shadows, looking at her as if she was a lamb for slaughter.

As Jane stepped out, Isabella was met with an indescribable pain that made her want to rip herself to pieces in an effort to make it stop.

Edward just looked at her disdainfully, anger lighting up his golden eyes like a fire swirling in them.

Jacob stepped out in his wolf form, growling at her and snapped his jaws. 

Renesmee didn't even bother to hide her disappointment and anger, practically spitting at her.

"You may be my birth mother, but you have no right to be my mom the moment you manipulated everyone in this room, which was pretty much from the beginning. I'm glad you gave birth to me, I truly am, but that's it." her daughter said, tears of anger flowing down her face. 

"What have you done to me?" Isabella asked, not backing down yet.

"Hmmm, first off you are in diamond chains, which are already hard to destroy in the first place. However, the diamond is made from pressurised vampire ash and venom, specifically made to keep vampires in place. As for your mental shield..." Eliza walked closer to Isabella before finishing  her sentence.

"I'm a Power Switch, darling. I just flicked a switch in my mind and down your shields went. Well, now. How does it feel? To be in the bottom of the food chain, I mean?" Eliza said before laughing.

Isabella took time to listen to the laugh. It was beautiful. It was melodious.  But it was also cold, sharp.

For all this time she had thought herself invincible. 

Invunerable.

Powerful.

And yet here she is, in the mercy of those that can kill her.

In the Mercy of those that will kill her. 

For the first time in her life, Isabella felt terrified.

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Dun-Dun-Dun

Although, the name of Eliza's ability is a bit...comical. Anyone have suggestions?

Stay safe and at home!

Much love, 

Roannieeeee