Chapter 4
Connell cursed as he tossed his sister and her mate to the shores of the Celtic Sea. He muttered under his breath as the mates embraced and laughed.
"We survived," she laughed and Connell glared at her.
"You survived because of me, Caelen! What were you thinking? What was that," asked Connell and Caelen smirked.
"That was me taking a stand, something you obviously forgot how to do," she informed and her mate nodded.
"Someone has to destroy the Volturi since you decided to just become one of them," he said.
"You know what, Dag it has been years since I have socked you. I have missed it, so why don't you come over here and say that again," said Connell and Dag walked over to him. Caelen pushed them apart and huffed.
"It has barely been a minute and you two are already at each other's throats again," she grumbled.
"Well, your brother is the one that betrayed us so I was just going to show him my appreciation," said Dag.
"I saved your lives, didn't I," challenged Connell.
"Yes, you did. Thank you," said Caelen and Connell shook his head in disappointment.
"I need a moment to think. You two stay here and try to stay out of trouble. I need a quick hunt and then we have to go. I am guessing you were using a shield to help keep Alice off your tracks, but you don't have that luxury anymore. I will hunt and then we can move."
"Going to fetch a human, big brother," asked Caelen and Connell crossed his arms as she walked over to him.
"There are plenty of animals around and it is easier," he informed and she smirked.
"Careful Connell, those eyes and that rationale almost makes it seem like you are on their side now. Go hunt that disgusting blood and when we move again, we will get you a real meal," she informed. He gave her a curt nod and disappeared again. Dag wrapped his arm around her.
"I don't trust him," he warned and she sighed.
"He is just surprised. We couldn't give him a warning because of that mind reader, but he will be fine."
"He has been underground for too long and is a liability. We have come too far to let anything or anyone stand in our way."
"He saved our lives, Dag. It seems no matter how much we plan, their powers are too much. We no longer have the element of surprise on our side and he is right. I may be able to keep us invisible, but not for much longer. I ran out of energy in the castle and so did you."
"We would have died an honorable death like we always discussed. I was willing to, but you are right. He did save us and now we can regroup."
"I must admit I was hoping the Southern vampires were exaggerating when it came to Zachary's powers. He is too strong for us."
"And we no longer have a coalition to distract them with."
"Did you see Ennis die?"
"No, did you," he questioned and she smiled for a moment.
"No, which means we may not be completely defeated. We have done what no other army was able to. We attacked them in Volterra and escaped. Every other adversary has focused on the powers of the Cullens. Maybe it is time to focus on something else."
"Like what," asked Dag and she smiled slyly.
"All these years, others focused on their powers and so did we, but what if their strength is not rooted in power, but bonds? Maybe it is time we adapt," she informed and Dag smiled as well.
Joaquin entered the laboratory and approached Alexander, who was sitting beside Lena. She was gingerly moving her shoulder and stretching her neck to test its durability.
"Lena, it is good to see you moving around a bit," said Joaquin and she smiled at him.
"It is good to be moving around. Is everything okay," she asked and Joaquin glanced over at Alexander.
"Actually, you have visitors. I was told to allow them in, but show them out if you did not want them here," said Joaquin.
"Who," asked Lena and Joaquin motioned for two people to enter. Alexander's eyes widened when he saw Nilas and Tyra enter the room. He hugged his little brother and Lena smiled when Tyra gently hugged her.
"What are you doing here," asked Lena.
"We heard about what happened. You know news spreads quickly in the vampire world and we already planned to head this way after the ball. I have never been a fan of those, but do appreciate All Souls' Day," informed Nilas.
"We also needed to share something with you since we know now the threat is real," added Tyra and Nilas gulped as Alexander frowned at them.
"What are you talking about," asked Alexander.
"A few months ago, a vampire approached us about joining a coalition against the Volturi," he confessed.
"What? Why didn't you tell me sooner? That is treason, Nilas, what were you….."
"We said no and thought she was just like the others. The Volturi have always gotten threats and complaints from vampires concerned about the new way. You know that."
"The new way, sorry to eavesdrop, but we are all on high alert. What is the new way" asked Carlisle as he walked over to them.
"It is what your family unleashed on the vampire world," accused Nilas and Alexander crossed his arms.
"Nilas, watch it," warned Alexander.
"I am sorry, but it is true. Their choice in blood has spread throughout the world and while there are plenty that believe in the natural way, the new way is gaining momentum out of fear," argued Nilas.
"That isn't true. Many vampires have changed because they want to be able to live amongst humans without constantly being tempted. They changed because they realized there was another option," defended Alexander.
"But some feel like they have to in order to survive. The Volturi are powerful but they are not the Cullens, especially Zachary. No one in their right mind would cross them and being on their diet puts you in their good graces," explained Nilas.
"And yet here we are, being attacked by a psychopath that Connell happened to join," said Lena and Nilas gasped.
"What? We knew there was an attack, but Connell was in on it? Why," asked Nilas.
"She's his sister," mumbled Edward as his eyes fluttered opened and everyone turned to him. He slowly sat up and Bella hugged her mate as she tearlessly sobbed.
"Don't you ever do that to me again, Edward," she whispered to him and he kissed her cheek.
"Definitely not something I want to make a habit of doing, love," he assured. Renesmee hugged him as well and Avery scanned the device on his forehead before removing it.
"Welcome back, Mr. Cullen," said Avery.
"You helped me recover. I think we can be on a first name basis," he said and Avery shook his hand.
"What do you remember," she asked and he took in a deep breath.
"I have never felt a power like that before. It was like my brain was being attacked from the inside out and I was powerless against it. I could read the minds of the people in the room before that though. Her name is Caelen and she was trying to keep Connell out of harm's way. I should go help the others figure this out," he said as he tried to stand up, but Esme stopped him.
"You still need to recover. They can handle it, son," said Esme and he hugged her.
"I am alright, mom. I promise," he assured and she cupped his cheek.
"You gave us quite a fright," she informed.
"It was definitely scary, which is why we need to stop it from happening again. I think the one that did this to me is named Dag. I don't know much more though. I still can't believe Connell is involved in this. How did he keep it from me for so long," questioned Edward and Zach darted into the room. He hugged his uncle and Edward chuckled.
"I love you too. What do you mean, Jedi mind tricked me," asked Edward.
"I just heard Marcus and Eleazar talking about it with my mom and dad. It is actually pretty cool. Eleazar knows a sensei that can teach vampires how to compartmentalize their thoughts in their minds to hide them away. He said it cannot last for long, but it can be mastered if practiced for years," explained Zach.
"Well, Connell had years to fool us," grumbled Alexander.
"This isn't your fault, Alexander," said Edward and Avery smiled at him.
"Good to see your ability has not been affected," said Avery.
"Actually, in a strange way it has been heightened. Everything is moving a bit quicker than before," admitted Edward. Bella frowned in concern.
"Is that normal," she asked as she stroked her mate's hair and Avery nodded.
"His brain was just jolted with electricity. It could have made the neurotransmitters respond faster, but it is just temporary. He may feel a bit wired for the next few hours though," informed Avery.
"Edward, I appreciate you forgiving me, but this is still my fault. I brought Connell into your lives. I trained him and trusted him," said Alexander. Benjamin entered the laboratory and crossed his arms.
"Well, don't worry. He won't be a problem for much longer. Edward, it is good to see that you are awake and alright. I know Gavin is still healing and so is Nico, but the rest of us are ready to end this," said Benjamin as his mate entered the room to join the conversation. Edward was surprised by Benjamin's thoughts.
"Ben, you can't kill Connell. That won't help Tia," said Edward.
"He didn't just betray the Volturi, Edward. He betrayed Tia and when I see him again, he is a dead man. He may have a power, but so do I and I am ready for one hell of a fight," warned Benjamin before storming out and Tanya sighed.
"Sorry, he is a bit upset right now. I should go check on him. It is great to see that you are awake. I have grown quite accustomed to you being in our family, Edward," said Tanya before leaving. Edward slid off of the table and smiled when Rosalie and Alice entered the room. Alice jumped into his arms and he kissed the top of her head.
"I love you too," said Edward and Rosalie scoffed.
"Okay, let him breathe, Alice," said Rosalie, but Alice shook her head.
"He is a vampire. He doesn't need to breathe," she informed as she kept hugging him and Edward chuckled.
"While you are right, I think I am about to get a rare Rosalie hug," said Edward and Alice giggled as he put her down. Rosalie rolled her eyes, but hugged her brother tightly.
"Do that again and I will kick your butt," she warned and he smirked.
"Always the sappy one," he teased back.
"The others are waiting for us in the surveillance room. There is much to discuss now that we know for sure Connell is involved," informed Rosalie. Bella slipped her hand into Edward's and he wrapped his other arm around Renesmee as they walked toward the room where everyone else was waiting on them. The Denalis smiled over at him and he gave them all a smile back. Marcus and Didyme were busy whispering to Joaquin and Roman. Iris, Leonardo, Sofi, and Caleb were discussing strategy. Seth and Kaya were speaking with Jacob, Leah, and Josh about how to notify Sam of what was going on. Zach and Allie joined in on the conversation while Nahuel hugged his mate. Jacob walked over to Edward and clapped him on the back as he sighed in relief.
"I know I don't say it often, but it is good to see," said Jacob and Edward chuckled.
"It is good to be seen. Wow, I guess we are really doing this, aren't we? We are going after Connell," asked Edward as he read the minds of the others and Eleazar gave a curt nod.
"Only if we have to, but since he decided to save the lives of the two people in charge of trying to kill us, the answer seems to be yes," said Eleazar and Jasper nodded in agreement.
"We have been replaying what happened in our minds and it seems that the two that got away are the leaders. The rest of them were just following orders," informed Jasper.
"Except for one that we think may be a shield," added Garrett and Alice sighed in relief.
"I can see bits and pieces now. I wouldn't be able to if they were still blocking me. Connell and his sister are still able to keep me out of the loop, but I am seeing flashes of them," explained Alice.
"If Connell is on their side, then he is a dangerous weapon. His power is almost flawless," said Eleazar and Keegan frowned in confusion.
"But you said no power is flawless," said Keegan.
"Which is why I said almost, it isn't necessarily a glitch, but he can be latched onto. Alice did it before and so did Tia," reminded Eleazar.
"But he will be prepared for that and will not let someone jump onto him," said Jasper. Edward read Zach's thoughts and slowly nodded.
"That is a possibility, but I don't know if even you can go fast enough. You have to work up to your sonic speed. You still cannot control it enough to turn it off and on like that," answered Edward.
"But I can try," said Zach as he stepped forward.
"Try what because if it is going to put you in danger, then the answer is hell no," said Rosalie. Allie sighed and nodded.
"I agree, but it may be possible. I have been thinking about it and Connell's power is based on tracking. He can track a certain person or place, latch onto it, and teleport himself there. His body flashes from one place to the next, but if Zach can latch onto him before he does, he can teleport with him," explained Allie.
"The timing would have to be perfect though. Alice and Tia could jump on him before he actually was in the process of teleporting, but you are talking about latching onto his power to use it against him and this time he will be on guard. I am not sure Zach will be able to go fast enough," informed Carlisle.
"And even if you do, what happens when you catch him? This isn't some stranger that is a threat to us. It is Connell," explained Jasper.
"That's why we need to stop him as soon as possible. He knows how to attack us and who we are close to. We need to alert the pack and make sure La Push and Forks are safe. He would be insane to show up there, but we can't put the pack in danger," said Zach and Allie gasped.
"My parents, we have to go warn them," said Allie.
"We also can't leave Volterra unguarded. Connell knows this place is a fortress. If he can infiltrate it, he can use the technology against us," warned Joaquin.
"Then we need to secure each area as quickly as possible," suggested Marcus. Carlisle and Tanya huddled together.
"I would feel better if your family stayed here instead of returning to Alaska. I am not sure what his next move is, but we can never be too sure," informed Carlisle and Tanya nodded in agreement.
"We can stay and help protect Volterra. You must think of the rest of the family as well though. We both know that nothing is truly off the table now that we are dealing with someone that knows the extended family. Charlie and Sue must be protected," agreed Tanya.
"I would hope he would not stoop so low," said Carlisle.
"We don't know everything about him, Carlisle. We cannot take the risk," said Tanya.
"Sofi and I will go to La Push to warn the pack and keep everyone safe," offered Caleb. Roman nodded in agreement.
"I will go too. Iris, you and Leonardo should stay here. His gift will be needed and I know you will not leave your mate," said Roman. Iris frowned in confusion.
"Are you sure we should split up," asked Iris.
"If we all huddle together, we are making it easy on them to attack. We need to use the full force of the Volturi to show them and anyone else that wants to rebel just how far our power reaches. Stay here and protect Volterra. We will go protect La Push," explained Roman.
"I still want to go see my parents and make sure they are safe. I know my dad will be really worried unless he sees me face to face," said Allie.
"What about my mother," asked Bella and Alice closed her eyes to focus on Renee.
"She is in Switzerland and does not plan on leaving anytime soon," answered Alice.
"We have guards in the area that can keep an eye on her without her knowing it. We will have them survey the area. I promise she will be safe," vowed Joaquin.
"I will have some of the guards run surveillance near Charlie and Sue's as well," assured Marcus and Bella hugged him.
"Thank you, I appreciate that. A part of me wants them as close as possible, but another part wants them far away from all of this," said Bella and Seth nodded.
"I would feel better knowing they are far away from this as well," agreed Seth.
"I know everyone in this room is worried about the people that cannot defend themselves, like Charlie, Sue, and Emily. How about we go tell them what is going on, make sure the areas are secure, and then regroup," suggested Edward, but Rosalie shook her head.
"I don't like this. We are weaker when we are apart," she warned and Edward nodded at her thoughts as he and Alice walked over to her.
"Agreed, but it is only temporary. None of us are any good if we are distracted and worried about if Connell is going to play dirty. We will all meet back here by dawn. Zach and Allie want to go to La Push. You, Emmett, Jacob, Leah, and Josh will be there with them and help the pack patrol the area. There are guards in Seattle already and they are going to create a perimeter around Forks and La Push to make sure no one gets through them. Once everyone has been alerted, we will return here. Sam and the pack will want to stay in La Push to protect their people and the guards will stay behind to help, plus alert us if anything goes wrong. We will take the stealth jet to check on Charlie and Sue. There is another one in route to take you to La Push. It will be okay," assured Edward, but Rosalie glanced over at Alice.
"She doesn't know that. She can't fully see this and none of us know what is happening. Alice, what do you think," asked Rosalie.
"We have to make sure everyone is safe before we do anything else. If one of them gets hurt because of us, none of us will forgive ourselves. Connell knows us too well and he could use them against us. Once we know everyone is taken care of, we can worry about him and his sister's next move. Their army is decimated. We have their shield. They will need to regroup, just like us," said Alice.
"Then we will all make sure everything is secure and regroup. I am going to check on Gavin. Joaquin, work on getting the system back up to full power so we are not running on backup generators," instructed Marcus before marching out and Carlisle sighed.
"Let's check on our loved ones and then try to find a way to reach Connell before he does something we will all regret," informed Carlisle and they nodded in agreement with the plan.
Connell teleported his sister and her mate to an island off the coast of Indonesia and scanned the area to make sure they were alone.
"It has been a while since I have been in The Guard, but I do not believe they have guards in the area. We will be safe for a couple of hours. Alice will be onto us soon though, so how about you two try to listen to me before you get yourselves killed? Please stop this before it is too late. You can have a fresh start and I will help you," urged Connell, but Caelen shook her head.
"We are far beyond that. Tonight, we stormed the castle of the Volturi and will live to tell the tale. Thank you for saving us, but we aren't going to stop now. We have to be prepared for Zachary Cullen."
"Thank you, Connell. I know saving us wasn't exactly what you planned on doing tonight, but it helped us figure out our next move," said Dag.
"Next move, you mean to get yourselves killed? What part of this is hard for you to understand? You are only alive because I betrayed them. Soon, they are going to figure out everything if you two are not careful. Turn back now. Stop, now, or this is not going to end well."
"The Volturi must be eradicated. You once understood that cause," yelled Caelen.
"The old Volturi deserved that. This Volturi is different!"
"Well, while you were busy playing soldier for them, we were making sure the rebellion lived on through our coalition. It has taken decades of patience and waiting to get this far. This is our fight, whether you still believe in it or not," said Dag.
"Caelen, try to see reason," pleaded Connell.
"I see just fine, Connell. I am going to change the world," she defended.
"If you believe that, then you are insane," he shouted and she hissed at him as Dag held her back. Connell looked down as she growled at him.
"Don't you ever call me that," she warned and he nodded.
"You are right. I am sorry. I was out of line. I just don't want you to get hurt," defended Connell.
"You always did worry too much. We know what we are doing and the plan will work," she assured.
"What plan," he questioned and she giggled as Dag smiled as well.
"Just something to get Alice off of our tracks again," she informed and Connell let out a growl of frustration.
"You are not to harm Alice Cullen, do you hear me," warned Connell. Caelen waved him off.
"No one will get hurt if they just comply. We have been studying them and you for that matter. For years, I thought you were dead. I was so sure that they killed you or you died in battle, but then I started hearing about all the connections the Volturi had and all the powers that formed them. Imagine my surprise when people spoke of a guard that could teleport himself wherever he wanted. Then imagine when I found out that same guard was in good with the Cullens, their own little whipping boy, taking them wherever they pleased. At first, I thought you joined them, but then I heard that you returned home with someone. Tia, isn't it," questioned Caelen and it was Connell's turn to hiss at her.
"You leave my mate out of this," he warned.
"Or you will what, big brother," she taunted and he glared at her.
"You always did ask questions you didn't want the answers to. Harm my mate and whatever relationship we had is null and void. Leave her out of this, Caelen," he warned again and she put her hands up in surrender as she sighed.
"Fine, I suppose it is only fair. You saved my mate. I can respect yours. After all, we are family," she giggled. She hugged him and he stiffened as he felt his body being drained of energy. He pushed her away from him and crumbled to the ground as she sighed in relief.
"That's better. You know, it has been years since I have truly felt this energized. Thanks for the boost and don't worry. I am sure there are some deer or some rodents for you to regain your energy."
"You know I hate it when you do that," he said as he winced and tried to make it to his knees.
"But I needed to be back at full strength to carry out my plan and you would have said no if I asked. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission," she reminded as Dag chuckled.
"What are you going to do," asked Connell and she shrugged.
"Just suggest a fair trade, but don't worry, Connell. We can take it from here. You have been through enough. Have fun hunting," she said. He tried to grab onto her, but she turned invisible and disappeared from the region with her mate before he could. He fell back to the ground and cursed as he tried to recover.
Carlisle spotted Marcus heading toward a back hallway and cleared his throat to alert him to his presence. Marcus sighed as Carlisle gently touched the engraving on the walls of the hallway.
"What are you doing down here," asked Carlisle.
"I thought you were going to check on your family?"
"Esme and I decided to stay behind. We both know you need moral support and our children can take care of themselves. I was worried you would do something ridiculous and if you are heading down here, you are."
"He may have left behind information that can help us."
"Why do you even still have that information?"
"Because not everything Aro did was evil, some of it was for survival, Carlisle! You have no clue what it is like to have a target constantly on your back, to have to worry about your family and your mate at all times."
"Aro was insane."
"He was also brilliant and those two things can be true at the same time." Carlisle sighed, but slowly nodded.
"Fine, then what are you looking for?"
"Gavin is still too weak to help and even if he was, his system is still rebooting. The power is back, but the database is going to take some more time. We are going to have to solve this puzzle the old way."
"And what way is that," questioned Carlisle and Marcus reorganized the slabs of rock on the wall. The wall began to rumble and slide open to reveal a secret door.
"Aro and Caius kept a record of every encounter or near encounter they had with vampires throughout the centuries. I thought I knew Connell, but I was wrong. Maybe Aro knew something I didn't," explained Marcus as Carlisle followed him down the steps into the underground passage. They entered a dark room and Marcus lit candles in the room as Carlisle scanned over the shelves of journals and books.
"He was always very meticulous," mumbled Carlisle.
"After taking over, I had this part of the castle closed, but I could never bring myself to destroy it. Aro was a monster, but he had his moments. He could read people and predict threats before they even happened."
"Like my family as a threat," challenged Carlisle and Marcus smiled at him.
"To be fair, you did end up gaining more powers as a coven than I think even he would have imagined. Good people gravitate toward you because they can sense your goodness as well. Aro knew that." Carlisle skimmed through some journals and shook his head.
"Nothing in the C's, except for some very disturbing observations about my family. Nothing about Connell or his sister though," informed Carlisle as he placed the journals back on the shelves.
"That is strange. Connell has been around for some time. It is hard to believe that Aro knew nothing about…." Marcus gasped as a memory crossed his mind and Carlisle walked over to him.
"What is it," asked Carlisle and Marcus gulped as he remembered something.
"Years ago when I was barely alive, I remember Caius and Aro whispering about a woman. Caius was adamant about the threat that she posed, but Aro was more focused on other vampires. Caius said she emitted radiation and was dangerous. Aro said radiation doesn't affect them and he had the girl checked. She only emits small amounts of it. Caius was not happy with the explanation though. He said she spent her life in a mental hospital and was mad. She was a threat. Aro appeased him by promising to keep an ear out and sending extra guards to….." Marcus gasped and ran over to another shelf.
"Send guards where," asked Carlisle.
"We are looking for the wrong thing. Aro did not care about their names. He cared about their region and territory," informed Marcus and he smiled when a journal stood out to him. He sifted through it and pointed to two words. Carlisle read them and nodded his understanding.
"Irish Rebellion," said Carlisle. Marcus swiftly read the journal entries and gulped when he finished.
"Carlisle, call your family. We need to get everyone back here as soon as possible."
"What is wrong?"
"Caius was right. The girl is mad," he muttered before darting from the room with Carlisle right behind him.
Sam shook his head in disbelief after Allie and Zach told him and Emily what was going on. Emily hugged her daughter. The couple was surprised when they heard knocking on their door at three in the morning, but was relieved that their daughter was safe.
"I knew something was wrong when you came racing in here and brought a jet. I never thought I would see the day when a jet was parked on our front lawn," said Emily.
"Without Connell, we can't be as stealthy as usual, but the jet is still extremely fast," said Allie.
"What do you think Connell's next move is," questioned Sam. Zach's phone rang and he frowned when he saw that it was his Aunt Alice.
"I have no clue, but maybe we are getting some answers. I better take this," said Zach before darting outside. He answered the call as he walked over to inspect the jet.
"Aunt Alice, what have you heard?"
"You have disappeared!"
"What are you talking about? We are in La Push, so maybe the wolves…."
"No, Zach, you aren't blank. You have disappeared, as in been cloaked, as in Caelen is cloaking you. Get everyone back on the jet and get out of there. I thought they would need more time to recover, but something has changed," rambled Alice and Zach gulped as his senses heightened.
"Aunt Alice, I have to go. Call my mom please," he whispered before hanging up. He scanned the forest around them and saw nothing, but could sense someone drawing near. Suddenly a charge of electricity zapped him and he collapsed to the ground. He scrambled back to his feet and darted into the house when he heard Allie and Sam scream. Zach hissed when he saw Caelen and Dag holding onto Emily and Allie. Sam shook with rage and Dag whistled at him.
"Down boy, Zachary, I suggest you calm your pup before he gets his family hurt," warned Dag and Zachary growled at him.
"What do you want," he asked and Caelen sighed.
"That is a loaded question, but at the moment, we want to interest you in a trade of sorts."
"What type of trade?"
"We need our friend, Ennis, back and I am sure you would prefer if we didn't kill your mate's mother. So, this is how it will work. Allison will come with us and…."
"Not happening," roared Zach and Caelen rolled her eyes.
"But you didn't let me finish, you really have no choice in the matter, so try to see reason. Allison comes with us willingly and we spare her mother. Then, you call Volterra and arrange a trade. We will send Connell to drop off Allie and bring back Ennis. Everyone wins," explained Caelen.
"You are insane," he hissed and Dag glanced over at his mate as she began to shake with fury.
"I really hate to be called that, so let's try this again," she said as she dragged a nail over Emily's shoulder. Emily winced and Allie stiffened as a cut appeared and blood dripped down Emily's arm.
"The newborn is impressive, but even she must admit how delicious human blood smells. You should taste some, Allison," urged Caelen as she put her bloody finger in front of Allie. Zach could sense his mate's panic as she closed her eyes and held her breath.
"Leave them out of this. This isn't their fight," said Zach and Caelen sighed.
"You Cullens are all so noble. Annoying as well, it is like you are always in step with us. This was supposed to go smoothly. We kidnap her mother, call you, Connell picks up Ennis and then we release her, but no, you had to be here, trying to save the day once again. I personally would prefer to take her mother, but humans are such fragile creatures. One slip of a finger and they are dead. Your newborn mate will be much sturdier, so how about that trade," asked Caelen and Zach gritted his teeth. Dag gulped when he heard the pitter patter of feet drawing near and galloping in the distance.
"We need to get out of here," whispered Dag and Caelen tightened her grip on Emily's throat. Emily winced again and Allie looked at her mate.
"Do it, Zach. They will kill her if you don't," she demanded, but Emily shook her head.
"I have lived a long life and have no regrets. You have no guarantee that they will not harm Allie," argued Emily. Caelen huffed.
"I will have you know that I am quite trustworthy," she laughed, but her smile faded when Rosalie slowly entered the house. Emmett did as well and stood by Sam, sensing that the alpha was ready to phase at any moment.
"Let them go," said Rosalie and Caelen smirked.
"This negotiation is between Zachary and I. No mothers allowed. Now, Zachary, what will it be," asked Caelen.
"We need to go," warned Dag as he sensed wolves and vampires descending around the house.
"Zach, do it," said Allie.
"Losing her is not worth it," said Emily and Caelen let out a growl of frustration.
"For once in your life, stop overthinking things! Give us the girl and we can go. Give us Ennis and you get her back! This is not complicated," roared Caelen and Dag stiffened when he heard someone racing toward them, but saw no one.
"Caelen, look out," he yelled and suddenly Caelen was knocked back. Natalie appeared and swiftly picked up Emily before darting from the house. Before Zach could use his force field, Dag pulled Allie backwards and dove onto his mate. Caelen smiled at him as she disappeared and he leapt forward.
"Allie," he shouted and she reached out for him. Before their fingers to touch, she disappeared with the mates and he collapsed onto the ground in shock. Sam looked around the room in disbelief and Rosalie consoled her son as he let out a cry of despair. She cupped his face in her hands.
"Zach, look at me. We are going to get her back, okay? I promise you we will. We need to go get Ennis and make the trade as soon as possible," said Rosalie and Zach shook with fury.
"They're dead," he whispered and Rosalie knew the look in her son's eye very well. It was a look of rage and she knew her son now wanted revenge.
