I wake up to Emmett's slow, steady breathing and Edward's hushed voice in the room. I could smell Alice as well.
"What's Rosalie doing? Where is she?" Emmett said softly as he smoothed my hair lightly.
"I don't know…" They answered together. I cracked my eyes open and saw they both had their eyes closed in concentration.
I stretched my toes and Emmett shifted ever so slightly, and I rolled off him and sat up. His hand was immediately in mine, the cold refreshing in the early morning. It couldn't have been past three in the morning.
I looked at Alice as she looked at me and her eyes went blank as she saw something. Edward sat down and put his face in his hands. "Going to the Volturi this time." She sounded shocking cavalier. I guessed that she must have seen Rose change her mind about a million times since I'd fallen asleep. "30th time I've seen that, and she's gonna decide soon."
I rubbed my eye with my fist and asked, "How many times have you seen her not going to Volterra?"
"Ten." They all said together. I squeezed Emmett's hand tightly.
"When was the last time you saw that?"
"Around midnight." Edward and Alice said together.
"Okay, can we stop the weird stereo thing?" I asked. I felt the air in the room lift as Emmett kissed my cheek.
"If I don't see her changing her mind in an hour, I'm assuming she's going and we'll follow her." She stood and looked around at us, then danced out of the room, rubbing her temples.
"Edward?" Emmett inquired. "Can you hear her?"
He shook his head. "Barely. I'm gonna say she's in Maine, but I can't be sure." He looked up at us. "I'm only catching bits and pieces of her thoughts. I'm just not close enough."
Emmett nodded as my stomach growled. The three of us laughed together and walked downstairs to the kitchen, where Alice was sitting by the large island on a stool, holding her head and groaning. I stepped next to her and put my hand on her spiky short hair, silencing her visions for the moment. She sighed heavily and put her head on the counter.
Emmett cooked me breakfast and Edward went to Bella's, wanting to be away from the insanity. Alice left while I was eating; she and Jasper needed to hunt. Emmett watched me eat, a small smile playing on his lips.
When I was done eating, I went back to sleep, it was only 4:15 then, so Emmett let me sleep for forty-five minutes more, then woke me up.
When he did, Alice was sitting on the ground in front of me, resting her head against my arm, stopping her visions. When she heard my heart speed up ever so slightly, she sat up and immediately she closed her eyes.
"Alice?" I asked.
She opened her bright gold eyes and smiled. "It's the vampire equivalent of a head-rush." I nodded as her eyes glazed over while she looked for Rosalie.
We waited for about five minutes before Alice came back to us her eyes clearing quickly. She looked at the floor just as Edward walked in and slammed the door, making the whole house shake.
"What did you see?" Emmett, Jasper and I all asked.
Alice shook her head. Edward spoke up, saying "She's going to Volterra. About ten minutes from the Volturi."
"She's there." Alice had her face in Jasper's shoulder, and I could feel the familiar soothing vibe coming from Jazz. She shook slightly, coming back from a vision. "Aro told me he wants you three and Carlisle there. ASAP."
I looked at Emmett. All I knew about the Volturi is that they were old and very powerful. "Who's Aro?"
"One of the brothers that run the whole supernatural world."
"Ah."
He looked down at me. "Did you get enough sleep?"
Alice spoke as I opened my mouth. "He'll send Demetri and Felix if you don't leave now."
"I guess it doesn't matter," He said, standing up. "I'll go get you some warmer clothes." I stayed quiet, waiting for him to leave the room, then standing up and stretching.
"He is aware that I have a fur coat, right?" I asked no one in particular.
"You'll need clothes when you phase back," Edward stated simply, waiting for Emmett, who was taking a longer time than he should have.
I walked up the stairs to our room, to find him leaning his head against the glass wall with his arm above his head, looking west.
"Emmett…" Was all I could say before he looked at me and the pain in his face silenced me.
I wanted to kill whatever could make him feel that way until I was satisfied. Until he was happy again.
I wanted these things until I realized what was making him feel so pained.
Me.
"I love you Brook. I need you to know that before we go to Volterra." He was in front of me as a tear slipped down my cheek. He kissed it away. "Do you understand?"
I swallowed and nodded as he kissed me and I wrapped my arms around him. I took a half-step to the bed and he stopped. He smiled and shook his head, telling me we had to go.
We walked downstairs together, where every Cullen was standing, minus Rosalie, plus me. Edward and Carlisle were speaking quietly on the couch and Alice flitted to my side, grabbing my hand. She couldn't see anything of what was going to happen anyway, but she was simply saying goodbye. As I thought it, Edward shot a look at me and I could hear Jacob's voice dimly in my mind, thinking of his supper.
"What about Sam and Jake? Shouldn't we let them know I'm going?" I asked, not to anyone in particular. Carlisle's head popped up at the question.
"No," He said firmly. "It will be better if they don't know, because they may try to follow and protect you." His eyes caught mine, and they looked far worse than distracted. They looked worried, scared almost.
I nodded and looked up at Emmett, who was distant in his thoughts. His eyes were unfocused, glazed over in his deep thought. I squeezed his hand and he came back to the present and looked down at me, smiling timidly.
He pulled me into his arms and Alice released my hand. He kissed me again briefly as Edward disappeared, off to see Bella and tell her what was going on.
We sat silently as we waited for Edward to return, my eyes never leaving Emmett's golden ones and I sat in his lap. When Edward entered the door, we all stood up. I said my goodbyes before I left to phase in the forest, after Edward had given me some warm clothes. I folded them and put them into the leather band on my leg.
When I saw Emmett again, he had his arms folded across his chest and had just a pair of jeans on. My wolf eyes were sharper than my human ones, and I had accidentally whined when I saw him. I sat down on my haunches and he came and rubbed my nose.
How long?
"Now. Let's go," Edward said, answering my thoughts. He started running, Carlisle on his heels. Emmett stayed back with me for one second.
"Phase back." I couldn't deny him; I never could.
I did and he pulled my naked body quickly into his tight embrace, our lips meeting roughly. As his tongue ran over my lips and my arms wrapped around his back, his cold fingers ran over the four large scars running across my spinal cord. I pulled myself closer to him and kissed him more passionately than I had in my life.
"Emmett!" Edward yelled. He must have already been a mile away, but he was right. We had to get moving.
He pulled away and kissed me once, twice, thrice briefly on my lips. He freed me from his arms and I phased, letting an ancient fire take me over. The heat rushed through me more intensely than ever, the traces of vampire venom on my lips making my wolf body more powerful in resentment and disgust at the sour taste. Emmett and I ran together until we met up with Edward a Carlisle. We rested in Maine, Emmett wrapping me in his cold arms while I slept. I had never felt warmer in my life.
