Jane turned her blank face to me now. There was nothing in her eyes, but I could feel that my time had run out. She'd gotten what she needed from me. She didn't know that I'd also given the mind reader everything I could. And protected his coven's secrets, too. I owed him that. He'd punished Riley and Victoria for me.
I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and thought, /Thanks/.
"Felix?" Jane said lazily.
"Wait," the mind reader said loudly.
He turned to Carlisle and spoke quickly. "We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn't seem unwilling to learn. She didn't know what she was doing."
"Of course," Carlisle said eagerly, looking at Jane. "We would certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree." Jane's face looked like she wasn't sure if they were joking, but if they were joking, they were funnier than she'd given them credit for.
Me, I was touched to the core. These vampires were strangers, but they'd gone out on this dangerous limb for me. I already knew it wasn't going to work, but still.
"Fine." Jane looked amused at the fact that the yellow-eyes would risk their safety for mine. "I doubt she'll be much of a risk. For now."
There was a concealed threat in there somewhere, but I didn't pay attention to it. I had to hold in the biggest breath of relief I'd ever had, knowing that I still needed to show restraint and hold my breath. I wasn't going to die.
"Which reminds me…," Jane went on, her eyes locking on the human girl again and her smile widening. "Caius will be so interested to hear that you're still human, Bella. Perhaps he'll decide to visit."
Still human. So they were going to change the girl. I wondered what they were waiting for.
"The date is set," said the little vampire with the short black hair and the clear voice. "Perhaps we'll come to visit you in a few months."
Jane's smile disappeared like someone had wiped it off.
She shrugged without looking at the black-haired vampire, and I got the feeling that as much as she might have hated the human girl, she hated this small vampire ten times as much.
Jane turned back to Carlisle with the same vacant expression as before. "It was nice to meet you, Carlisle—I'd thought Aro was exaggerating. Well, until we meet again…"
This was it, then. I would be safe.
"Of course, we'll be anxious to hear how Bree's doing. Bree and Bella."
The dark-cloaked Volturi sped off into the distance.