A/N: Thanks always to everyone who reviewed! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or any of the characters; Stephanie Meyer does.
Edward's Point of View
This vampire's scent was not unfamiliar, but I couldn't quite place it. I had smelled it recently, but not for long. I closed my eyes and tried to remember, and then it hit me. I growled. What did he want?
"Hello, Felix," I said, with my back still turned to him. I was unwilling to take my eyes off my Bella.
"Hello, Edward," he purred.
I felt Bella stiffen; she was afraid. I was suddenly furious with Felix for interrupting our reunion, and for scaring my angel.
"What do you want?" I demanded.
"Oh, nothing, really. Aro just wants to have a little talk with you and – who's this?"
"This is Bella, my girlfriend." The love of my life, my soul-mate…
"Ah, so this is the one that caused all this trouble, yes?"
"Yes," I said coldly. I felt sudden warmth against my chest, and looked down at Bella to see that her face was tomato red.
"Yes. Well, we better get going now. Aro doesn't like to be kept waiting."
I sighed. "I really don't need to talk to him. You can let him know that his services are no longer required, and that I send my condolences."
Felix shook his head. "I'm sorry. That won't do. Aro really needs to speak with you."
I could that if I kept resisting, then a fight between us was inevitable. I was contemplating whether it would be better to fight Felix or try to escape with Bella, when someone else joined our little party.
"Sorry I'm late, Felix," said Demetri.
I sighed. Now I was outnumbered.
"Do you want to come with us, now, Edward?" Felix asked with a smug smile.
"Fine," I muttered. "Bella, why don't you go out wait for me, I won't be long."
"No," Demetri said. "Bring the girl."
"I don't think so," I growled under my breath.
"Why ever not, Edward?" Felix asked, smiling. "I'm sure Aro would love to meet your little girlfriend."
I was going to continue arguing, but just then Jane appeared. Great. Now I had no choice. If I continued to refuse, she would hurt me…or even worse, Bella, using her special powers.
Jane didn't need to say anything. I reluctantly stepped forward, my arm wrapped around Bella's waist. Felix and Jane both looked smug. I wanted to kill them. We started off, Demetri and Felix in the front and Jane in the back. Bella was looking around, like she was searching for something, or someone. "Where the hell is Alice?" she murmured to herself.
We slinked through the shadows until we reached the big castle. We went in through the main entrance, which featured several gargoyles that glared at us. They didn't fail to frighten Bella. She shuddered slightly, and I wrapped my arm tighter around her.
After the entrance was a long hallway with cobblestone floors and granite walls. Bare light bulbs were hung from the low ceiling every twenty feet. It was more than enough lighting for vampires, but I sensed that to Bella, it must look dim. She stumbled a few times, but I always caught her.
At the end of the hallway was an elevator. We went up to the third floor, and then we went down another hallway. This one was shorter and better lighted. We eventually reached a large green room, with a human woman sitting at a desk. "Hello, Felix, Demetri, Jane," she said, nodding to each one as she greeted them. "Hi Gianna," Demetri mumbled absentmindedly, and we moved on.
Finally, we reached the huge, grand room where Aro was waiting for us. I scowled when I saw him. He didn't notice, and approached me with his arms spread regally at his sides, a big smile plastered on his face. "Edward!" he sang, and gave me an unappreciated hug. "And who's this?" he asked, when he finally let go, looking at the beautiful creature at my side.
"This is Bella."
"Ah, yes. You told us about her yesterday, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"Aren't you glad that I denied your wish, my dear Edward?"
"Yes," I said again, this time with a small hint of gratitude.
Aro turned his gaze to Bella again. "I've heard a lot about you," he stated. "Is it true that Edward can't read your mind?"
Bella nodded.
"Would you mind, if I tried to read yours?" he pleaded.
Bella looked confused, so I explained. "Aro has a gift that is a lot like mine. He can read minds as well, but he needs to be touching the person to be able to read their mind. However, he not only hears what you're thinking at the moment, but he hears every thought you've ever had."
Aro smiled weakly at Edward. "I can't imagine how… convenient that must be for you. To be able to read anyone's mind, anytime…" he broke off, and sighed. "Well, may I?" he asked again, smiling at Bella. She nodded, and he placed his hand on hers. He closed his eyes and waited. After a minute, he opened his eyes. "How interesting," he mused. "How very interesting."
He took his hand off of Bella's, but he was still staring at her. She shot me a questioning look, and I shook my head.
"Jane!" Aro suddenly called. I read his plan that was forming in his mind, and I didn't like it one bit. I growled. "Now, now, Edward," Aro chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "No need to be uptight."
Jane came in then. "Yes, Master?" she asked sweetly. Aro smiled down at her. "My dear Jane, it seems that little Bella here is immune to mine and Edward's powers. I was wondering if she was immune to yours as well!"
Jane's sweet smile turned devilish. "Why, of course, Master!" she gushed, and then before I could move a muscle, she was staring at Bella. As the seconds ticked by, her excited expression was replaced with a harsh glare. Bella looked around, unsure of what was happening. It was obvious that Bella was immune to Jane, but she persisted, giving Bella a menacing look. Bella flinched. Aro put an end to it then, placing his hand on Jane's shoulder. "It's okay, my dear one. I'm sure she's immune to all vampire powers." He cocked his head. "I wonder what her power would be, if she was a vampire."
"That reminds me," said Caius, entering the room suddenly and startling us all, "She knows too much." He jabbed an accusing finger at Bella, who flinched.
"What do you mean, my dear brother?" Aro asked.
Caius growled. "Humans aren't supposed to know about us!" he spat.
"Oh, yes," Aro murmured. "I forgot about that." He glanced over at Bella. "It seems we'll have to do something about that, I suppose."
"We have two options," Caius stated. "The first is, we can kill her." I growled at that. He ignored me, continuing, "The second is, we can change her. Which one shall it be?"
I sighed. I didn't like either option, but I decided to play along. "I'll change her, after she graduates."
Caius looked as if that was the option he didn't want us to choose. "Wonderful!" Aro exclaimed. "I can't wait to see how she'll turn out."
"Yes, well, I'm afraid we must be going now," I said, eager to leave.
"So soon?" Aro pouted. He sighed. "Well, you must visit sometime in the near future."
"Sure," I lied, and with that, I stalked out of the room, pulling Bella with me. I strode quickly down the maze of hallways until we were back outside, and then I found a nearby deserted alley. I quickly wrapped Bella into an embrace, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. We stayed like that for a long time, until Bella spoke, breaking the silence. "Um, Edward, where's Alice?"
I hope you enjoyed! I'll try to update soon!
