The Crow
Beyond speechless, Damon was completely thunderstruck. His mind raced, thinking of Bella standing out in the corridor. A new vampire of their kind, although more powerful than a human, had zero defenses against a Cold One.
"It would be a shame to kill the lovely Gianna because you refused me, do you not agree?" Aro offered calmly, as if they were having a chat regarding the weather.
Damon couldn't hold back his smirk. "If you think killing a human I've known all of five minutes will pull at my humanity, think again. I've killed for less when I'm in a bad mood."
Gruesomely, Aro bent down in a blur, tore Gianna's throat to shreds, and greedily drank her blood until her veins were dry. The crimson liquid still dripped from his mouth as he snapped her neck after he was finished with his impromptu meal; all to make a point. The young male in the room, whose name Damon never bothered to ask was next. Both bodies lay slumped over the table, and the abandoned deck of cards now stained and slick with gore.
Damon shrugged. "You're a messy eater."
Aro cocked his head curiously and smiled feverishly. "Perhaps young Bella would be a good motivation for you," the king sneered. "Your new progeny's life for more of your kind," Aro tried to barter. "Or, we could keep her, and let you go. She would likely do anything to keep the Cullens safe."
"Here's the thing, King," Damon drawled confidently and started to pace in front of Aro. "Newbie, baby vampires can't turn humans. Their blood is too weak, and so are they. Do you have any idea how long it takes one to become as strong as me?"
"How long?" Aro asked, and Damon laughed.
"I've been a vampire since 1864, so that long?" he quipped mockingly. "There are more out there considerably older than I am, and much more powerful, just not as handsome."
"Perhaps your life is worth something to you then," Aro said with deceptive charm. His feral smile told Damon he wasn't going to let go of this.
Damon feigned indecision and made some hard choices. If this didn't work, they were all fucked. "Let Bella and the Cullens leave Italy safely, and I'll make a few baby vamps for you."
"A dozen," Aro countered.
"Six, and if you refuse, then screw it," Damon bartered uncaringly, "you'll just have to kill me. I won't be staying to raise your newbies. Deal ends at creating them."
"Very well," Aro agreed. "I'll let them go after you have completed your task."
"No way. You have me here, and it's not like I can fly away." Damon protested. "I want all four out of here and on a flight back to the states before I do any changing. And I want to speak to Bella and all three Cullens before they leave."
"Why?" Aro asked, obviously not trusting Damon's intentions.
"I need to give them some instructions on how to deal with a new fledgling vampire. We're not the same," Damon explained and walked over to the large stained-glass window and opened it. "And can you get someone to clean your meals up. It is starting to smell like rotted flesh in here already."
Surprisingly, Aro acquiesced and agreed to Damon's terms. "One other thing, Aro. I want Demetri to escort them to the airport and see that they board the jet without incident."
"So untrusting," Aro chided.
"Ditto," Damon retorted flatly. Aro nodded and left the room.
Damon made his way out into the hallway and saw Alice, Jasper, and Bella waiting just outside sitting on a bench along the wall. Bella looked beyond stressed. Alice and Jasper both kept a cool calm. "We need to talk," Damon informed the three vampires. "Not here, though somewhere without sun."
All four of them made their way through the castle maze and into the human quarters. Damon turned to Alice. "Spidey senses kickin' in?"
Alice offered a nervous smile and then looked towards the door; all four of them watched as Felix escorted Edward in to join them. She ran over and hugged him fiercely. "Are you hurt?" Alice asked while her eyes roamed over her brother's form.
"No," Edward said while shaking his head and astonishingly, he turned to Damon. "Thanks for saving my family and Bella."
"Don't thank me yet," Damon said morosely. "Not until you land in the states."
"Damon," Bella called to him softly, and her voice was thick with worry and sadness. "Are you really going to do it?"
He looked at her pointedly and grimaced. "I'll do what I need to in order to get the fuck out of Dodge," he admitted but then looked at Alice. "Some choices have been made," he offered the seer his cryptic message.
While out in the lounge, Damon gave them a rundown on how to deal with Bella in case her moods started swinging erratically. How to help with the newborn thirst and how to keep her from killing her meals. He also gave them a west coast contact that supplied black market blood bags as an alternative due to their own bloodlust issues. Bella wrinkled her nose when he explained liquor was a great way to quell the cravings. That made him laugh. "Don't worry baby-girl, it isn't easy for us to get drunk, but it's fun trying!"
"Ugh," Edward sounded disgusted. "Must you turn her on to your depravities?"
"You're just jealous because you can't get drunk," Damon said with a cocky grin. "And don't forget, she can eat human food, but blood is necessary to process it. If she goes too long without feeding, it will weaken her."
While talking about what to expect from Bella, Demetri entered the room with a dark look on his face. "I wish I could say I can't believe Aro is doing this," Demetri said grimly. "But I promise I will see them off safely."
"I know, man," Damon assured and gave his friend a squeeze on his stony shoulder. "We do what we have to in order to survive in our fucked up world."
The tracker nodded and let the group know the limo was ready for their departure. "We'll leave through the garages and the windows are darkly tinted. By the time we get to Florence, the sun will be setting. Aro has booked passage on our private jet."
"Think not," Jasper refused the offer. "I'd rather a commercial flight with a pilot not employed by the Volturi, but thanks anyway."
"Bella can't be in the sun," Damon pointed out. "Timing will be everything when it comes to her safety," he warned them of her major vulnerability. "I'll be getting her a ring like mine, but I have to travel somewhere to see a witch that won't like me showing up at her doorstep."
"Not even askin'," Jasper said while shaking his head.
Damon grinned at the former Major. "I knew one of her ancestors. I'm sure there is an entire segment regarding the Salvatore brothers in her Grimoire."
Demetri coughed and reminded them it was time to go. Damon agreed and handed Jasper a folded piece of paper. "Here is the direct line to Gianna's desk phone. Call collect when you land so I know it's coming from the states."
The Major shook Damon's hand, Alice gave him a hug and whispered in his ear, "It'll work," she said and released him. Edward nodded.
Bella shocked him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed the side of his neck, raised up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "I need you. Please stay alive."
Damon had no words, and if he did, they were stuck in his throat. He chose action over promises and held her tightly, pressed his lips against her temple and sent her off with the Cullens, and hopefully to safety.
Twelve hours and a lot of pacing later, the late Gianna's phone rang. Jasper had made the collect call, and Damon accepted the charges. They had landed in Seattle and rented a car to drive the rest of the way home. Bella had slept most of the flight after Jasper order her a few shots of Jose Cuervo to calm her cravings and nerves. Edward voiced his displeasure, but Bella was happy for the temporary relief.
It was time to deal with Aro. Damon asked one of the lesser guards to request the king to join him in his guest suite.
Both vampires stood face to face in Damon's room. Aro watched expectantly so Damon chose to speak first. "Do you like birds?" Damon asked offhandedly. "I, myself am partial to the crow. They're intelligent, cunning, great instincts, amazing eyesight, and have a knack for escaping danger."
"The crow," Aro mimicked. "To what extent will you blather on in order to misdirect?"
"Oh, I'm not misdirecting anything," Damon said with a chuckle. "I have to wonder, though, when you do your memory reading thing, did you only go through the major highlights, or did you pay attention to every single detail since my human life? I keep a few things very secret. One of which I am inclined to believe you were unable to read," Damon said casually and looked Aro straight in the eyes. "Are you curious at all what that might be?"
"Very," Aro said drolly and rolled his eyes.
Damon had been picturing his crow form since Aro threatened Bella's life, and worked to make very firm choices. Praying that Alice saw everything and her words rang true; Damon transformed into his bird and flew out of the stained-glass window. He flew high in the sky and looked back to see the ancient king's face full of fury glaring out the window he'd just exited.
Because his crow was almost like a separate entity from himself, he made the dicey bet that Aro could not get a read on that ability. Damon's crow cawed mockingly, and successfully made his escape.
