A/N: Hey guys. I know I haven't updated in a while, but I've been busy. I'm trying to balance a new workload, and juggling that along with school and my stories is difficult… So, here's the next chapter.

Chapter Seven

Alice POV

I slowly woke up to the sweet smell of Bella all around me. Rolling over, I buried my face into the material beneath, inhaling as much of her scent as I could. I felt fingers run through my hair, brushing it away from my face.

"Wake up Alice."

Wake up? But I can't sleep.

I froze as memories of what happened flashed through my head. Bella's my mate! I found my mate! I immediately jumped up and at her, wrapping my arms around her and burying my face in her neck.

"Oh Bella, I've been waiting so long to meet you," I mumbled into her skin.

She chuckled. "As have I, siela," she said, returning my embrace.

I pulled back and looked at her face, smiling brightly. She smiled softly.

Bella pulled me back towards her bed and sat down, scooting to the top, pulling me after her and positioning me in her lap. I leaned back, relaxing against her completely as her arms encircled my waist, one of her hands slipping under my shirt and tracing small patterns on my stomach.

"I need to discuss some things with you, Alice," she said after a moment. "I am an Engraver. I can write almost anything onto any surface and have it comply with my demands. However, the more complicated the directions are, the more tolling it is on me. For example, I wouldn't be able to turn myself into something else, say a lion, by command, because the energy required to do so would kill me before I was able to complete the transformation." She paused, toying with the edge of my shirt. "Normally Engravers find their siela within other Engravers, where they would automatically form a bond allowing one another to draw more power to complete demands from each other because the demands were shared. On the rare occasions where an Engraver found their siela in a human, no bond of the sort was formed. They were still soul mates, however, if the Engraver tried to force the bond, the energy that was used for demands killed the human."

I thought about what she said.

"Is that why I was feeling weird yesterday?" I asked.

She narrowed her eyes and nodded. "I believe so, yes. Based on what I know about vampires, I'm assuming that your body needed to adjust to the draw on your energy. But, since you don't tire, you will simply have to feed slightly more often than normal. The bond is also why Bedhead couldn't read your mind last night. I already had the demand active on me, so as soon as I recognized you as my siela, your mind was protected as well."

I nodded, thinking. "Wait a minute." I twisted around until I faced her. "How do you know anything about vampires?" I asked suspiciously.

She grinned before grabbing what looked like a notebook off of the nightstand by the side of the bed. She handed it to me, before wrapping her arms back around me, pulling me back into her.

I examined the journal in my hands. It was bound in leather and had words etched into the surface. Upon opening it, I found that the book was completely empty. I frowned.

"How exactly did this tell you anything about vampires?"

Bella leaned forward, resting her head on my shoulder. "This book has demands scribed on the cover. It shows me facts about anything that I want to know about, to a certain extent. It was my parents'…" she trailed off.

I placed my hand on her arm and lightly trailed my hand up it. "I'm sorry," I said, turning my head toward her and kissing her cheek softly.

She smiled sadly at me. "At least I've found you."

I smiled at her. "I love you," I said, gazing into her eyes.

Her eyes widened before she grinned. Her arm came up, turning my head towards her, before her lips caught my own. She pulled back and rested her forehead on mine.

"I love you too."

Bella POV

She was perfect for me. In the time that we had sat there speaking, I had discovered that my siela was almost my complete opposite. Yet, she brought me out of my shell a little, and I could already tell she would make me a better person. She was bright and optimistic, always happy and loving, but not afraid to stand up for herself or the people she cared about. It made my heart warm at the thought that I was now on that list.

We had talked late into the day, and Alice had finally decided to return to her home and introduce me to her family. I was wary of coming near them again, but doubted that Alice would let anything happen to me, not that it could. I smirked at the thought.

Alice grabbed my hand as we walked through the woods in silence, swinging them to and fro in between us. I had activated my tattoo and mind protection again, hyper aware of how my siela was faring, but the toll on her energy seemed not to affect her at all. She did however jump around excitedly when she realized her senses, speed, and strength had improved to match mine.

As another precaution, I had scribed the trees around my house to alert me if anyone who wasn't Charlie or Alice came too close to the house. Not only did this let me know who was near my house, but it also gave me some information on who was there, as trees tend to be very wise.

I slowed as I realized we were almost at the clearing next to her house. Alice turned around, raising a brow questioningly at me. I sighed.

"I'm just worried that someone will overreact or cause more complications, whether it be me, you, or your family," I muttered.

She smiled softly at me, easing my worries. I shook my head, smiling back at her. I shouldn't worry. Not when I have her with me.

Alice leaned towards me, standing on her toes to plant a soft kiss on my lips, before turning back around and leading me towards her family.

A/N: Well, that came out later than expected. Sorry for the wait! (especially whoever I told it would get put up last week ) I have been getting tons of homework despite how early in the school year it is, and haven't gotten much free time. Please let me know what you think!

-Ally