"Did you hear that, Bella, love?" murmured Edward.
"Hmm?" I was curled up against him, enjoying my nice piece of forever. Which, apparently, was now disrupted. I sighed, and listened. I heard the branches rustle, the grass whispering wistfully (ha, alliteration), and the wind sighing. I heard a lone car on the highway, its engine snarling. An owl hooted, and a mouse scurried. Nothing out of the ordinary, I was about to say.
My ears perked up again. A slightly tapping on wood. Not a woodpecker tap, though. I frowned. "Edward, who is it?"
His face was dark and twisted in concentration (?). Shock swept over me. He couldn't hear their thoughts?
A quiet melodious voice parted the tension that lay heavily on the air. "Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, please let us in. Unless you are otherwise engaged in … intimate activities." A furtive chuckle followed.
Edward, still frowning, got out of bed silently, and in an instant, dressed. He stepped out the door, though it was a bit wobbly, for a vampire. I wrinkled my brow in confusion. Following his lead, I dressed (My outfit was already laid out, to spare me the trouble of looking through my monstrosity of a closet.) and strode out the bedroom door. Edward stood by the cottage's entrance. I nodded, and he opened the door wide.
"Vladmir?" I whispered. Vladmir, Scandinavian vampire, was the one who stood in the doorway, cloaked and dramatic.
"Greetings, fair Bella. And to you, Edward." His voice was deeper, more hinted with danger and malice than the lovely tones that had dispelled our moment. I was confused, but Vladmir had been a friend when last we saw him, so I ignored it for the time being.
"Vladmir," repeated Edward.
"May I come in?" asked Vladmir politely. He glanced contemptuously at Edward, clearly disoriented and stepped in. I beckoned Edward to come in to the next room. He stared blankly, looking confuzzled. I felt a stab of worry.
"Come in, Vladmir. Sit if you want."
He stpped past Edward. Gracefully, he sat down on a squishy sofa (which happened to be my favorite). "Ah, Bella, how long it's been."
True. At least a century. "Yes, Vladmir. How ocme you to visit?"
"Oh, just about time to visit the almost most gifted coven in the world." He laughed ruefully, as though he had told a silly joke.
"After the Volturi, of course."
Vladmir's eyes flashed angrily. "That Italian scum. I yearn deeply for their fall. I'd burn each of them myself. I'll kill them all! Their pain is my pleasure! For them, I am willing to die, just as long as they die with me." He snarled. I flinched at all the anger and bloodlust in that deep, menacing rumble.
"Ah. I had forgotten your deep taboo." I smiled (uneasily) to ease to the tension. Shakily, not to rouse his shaky nerves, I made lighthearted conversation: "How is Stefan? Still completing your sentences? Why isn't he with you?"
Vladmir's blood-red gaze lifted and met mine. Slowly, he drew his lips back from his fangs.
"Stefan is dead."
"Dead?" I choked. I couldn't believe it. It takes a lot to kill a vampire, more for an ancient one such as Stefan. "The Volturi… ?"
"Who else?" muttered Vlad (hehe, new nickname) darkly. He continued, "They came to our castle, slinking like loathsome rats. WE were badly outnumbered; we had no chance… Alec (snarl) was among them. The mist crawled toward us. Stefan was occupied, fighting two of the Guard all by himself. He didn't see it…
"I seized Stefan's shoulder to yank him back. But it was too late. In my tight grasp dangled Stefan's arm… Just two moments had been enough for his death. I dropped it miserably and we fled. Faster than any vampire had ever done. I have to stay fighting, but I can't fight alone…"
I was shell-shocked. So they went to finish what they started six centuries ago, didn't they? "What about Demetri – the tracker? Didn't they pursue you?"
Vladmir's unblinking gaze flicked outside for an instant, too fast for a human's eyes to notice. I caught it. My eyes narrowed suspiciously.
He ducked my vicious challenge. "Ha. This is no trap. The Volturi are as much our enemies as they are yours. It's time. They have much overstepped their power and have gotten ignorant. A fine film of dust has cloaked their eyes. We Scandinavians vampires believe it is time to strike them. To defy… to destroy."
My mind was reeling. Your enemies? Times? Ignorant? Vampires?!
"Let me introduce the new generation for vampires. Come in, my dears."