CHAPTER 10

The bus sat at the side of the dirt road. The driver was cussing as he walked to the front, radio in hand. Before he could push the button, Jane was on him. She ripped the radio out of his hands, and played with him for a while, dodging this way and that, blocking his escape.

I watched as she smiled at him, causing him to scream in excruciating pain. He fell to the road, hands on his head. I shuddered. I knew that pain all too well.

The rest of the people on the bus were in motion now, sensing the danger, afraid after hearing his screams. She toyed with him for another minute, placing her mouth close to his ear.

I heard her whisper, "Tiempo de la cena."

He screamed and she wrapped her lips around his jugular. She laughed as she bit, cutting through the skin, drinking slowly, dragging out his pain and horror. He thrashed and fought, uselessly.

I had never met anyone who was truly evil, until now. She didn't care what pain she caused, or who she hurt, vampire or human. She gloried in the pain of others and loved to cause fear. She smiled up at me as she continued to torture her first victim. Her eyes were full of pleasure. I realized that I had to be extremely careful around her.

Demetri grabbed my arm and pointed at the bus, "They can see her. We need to feed before someone can call for help!"

One by one, we entered the bus, grabbing the nearest victims. The bus was full. We would all eat well tonight.

I watched as Demetri scanned, making sure that nobody had a radio or cell phone. Always vigilant.

My first victim was an old man, who looked at me with terror in his eyes. I felt a tiny pang of remorse as I bit his neck. The remorse evaporated as I swallowed greedily, the blood soothing the ache in my throat.

Within three minutes, there was not a living soul on the bus. After taking four humans for myself, I felt full to the point of overflowing.

The last part of my dinner had been a young woman. She was a teenager, like me. And she smelled so good. Her blood tasted different to me, sweeter than the others. I would have to talk to Demetri about that.

I turned to look at him, and noticed that he was frozen, obviously in a position of stress.

I heard it then, the thrum of a small engine. Someone was coming toward the bus on a motorcycle. They would discover the carnage.

I watched as Demetri leapt out of the bus, confronting the man. They spoke in Spanish for a few moments. Then, the man looked toward the bus, and caught sight of a body hanging halfway out of the window.

He yelled at Demetri, pointing toward the woman's body.

Demetri moved so swiftly that it was hard to follow. He picked the man up by his shoulders, smashing his spine against his thick thigh, and then lifting the man's neck to his lips. I watched with great interest as his lips moved against the man's throat, his teeth biting through his skin, the blood coursing through his mouth and down his throat. He swallowed again and again.

I realized that I was captivated by his motion. He was beautiful, even as he drank his fill.

I watched as his huge arms shifted the body he held, moving to add his remains to those on the bus. There was no movement that he made that didn't elicit a thrill in me. Ideas were forming in my mind, indecent ideas.

"Alyssa, get off the bus," Andrew said, startling me. "We have to clean up after ourselves."

He pushed me gently and I started to move forward. I was glad he couldn't know what I had been thinking just then.

"What do I need to do?" I asked him.

"Don't worry about it. Felix and Viktor will take care of this one."

I watched as Viktor lit a match, placing it in the shirt pocket of one of the bodies. It caught fire and the flames travelled over his body quickly.

"Venom is volatile," Andrew said. "Easy way to dispose of evidence."

Before long, the entire bus was engulfed in flames. Felix and Viktor started to shove the vehicle toward the side of the road, smashing the front into a large tree. I realized that Demetri had shoved the motorcycle between the tree and the bus before they connected.

We all stood watching for a moment, until it was clear that no evidence would remain.

I heard the sound of running feet. I was scared for a moment, until I realized that nobody else seemed bothered.

"Jane," a sweet voice called out. "I hoped I would find you. I've missed you so terribly. I swam all the way over to see you."

A beautiful young man approached us, slowing as he neared Jane.

He was a little taller than Jane, but so similar in many ways. Their hair color and underlying skin tones were the same.

She kissed both of his cheeks, "Oh, Alec, I've missed you, too."

They embraced.

"Her twin brother," Demetri whispered to me. "They aren't separated often."

I nodded. "I should have guessed."

Jane looked at all of us. "I'll travel with Alec. We are going to swim home together so that we can talk. Besides, I need to speak to Aro before you arrive with Alyssa. Get to the island. Marco will meet you there before too long."

She took Alec's hand and they started to run.

"Should I be worried about that?"

"No. She's angry that Aro didn't want her to come home faster. She's used to being his pet. He wasn't happy with her."

"Really?"

"He wanted to hear that the Cullens were no longer a full family. She couldn't deliver."

I wondered for a moment just what I was getting myself in to. Would Aro let me stay with the Volturi? Would he even let me live?

I shivered and Demetri put his arms around me.

"You'll be fine." He put his mouth right next to my ear, and whispered, "I won't allow them to hurt you in any way. I'll fight them first."

"No."

He silenced me with a kiss.

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Felix said, "but, I'm sick of all the mushy stuff here. I'll meet you on Sardegna."

He started running toward the ocean.

Andrew and Viktor looked at each other, and Andrew said, "I'll race you." They were gone in the blink of an eye.

Demetri took my hand, "I'm in no great hurry."

We started to run, but not at full speed. He was prolonging our time together. I was getting cold feet about meeting the Volturi leaders.

The only sound was the water lapping at the shoreline. The moon was bright and stars dotted the heavens, twinkling brightly. The sand felt like silk beneath me. Even in the dark, the blue of the water was evident.

Demetri gently caressed my wet arm as he sat behind me, his hand moving over my skin like satin. He reached in, kissing my cheek, my neck, my shoulder. I shivered with pleasure and turned in his arms so that I could kiss him back.

We fell to the sand, each kiss getting deeper, more seductive. My hands wandered over his bare chest.

I liked Demetri in a swimsuit.

And there were no snoopy vampires here. We were alone.

At least, I thought we were.

"Woo. Hot and heavy there Big D." Felix!! That vamp had impeccable timing. He could ruin any moment.

Demetri stiffened, "If you value your life, Felix, you will leave. Right Now!!"

I might just have to take him out myself if he kept interrupting.

"Can't leave bro. The boat is coming around. It's time for us to go."

Demetri stood quickly, throwing a glare at Felix and reaching down to help me up. My stomach sank. We were heading to my judgment day before the Volturi.

He could see the distress in my eyes. His arms circled my waist.

"You don't have to worry. I promise. I'll take care of you." He kissed my forehead.

"There's the boat," Felix called out, and ran into the surf, splashing loudly.

"Sorry," Demetri said.

"For what?"

"For the lack of privacy. For unfinished business." I jumped slightly and he smiled. "Let's just deal with the council, and then, I'll take you home."

I liked the implications in that statement. He could tell. His next kiss was full of promises.

"Come on, lovebirds. We have to beat the sunrise," Felix shouted from the boat.

Demetri sighed. "We have to go."

"I know."

He took my hand and led me into the water.

The rest of the boat ride was spent learning about the people on the council. The most important, of course, were Aro, Marcus and Caius.

Jane and Alec would be there, as would Felix and Demetri. Heidi would be present, if she wasn't out 'fishing' for dinner. Renata and Chelsea were always there, though they were silent members of the council. Andrew and Viktor would be there to report on the newborn army in Washington.

At least I knew most of them.

By the time we pulled up to the dock in Livorno, I felt well versed in the way to address the council. I could pay a little attention to the beautiful city we were approaching.

It was ancient. The buildings were stunning. I stood at the railing, nestled against Demetri's chest, wrapped in his arms.

"Wow," I said quietly.

"When everything is settled, I'll take you on a tour of Italy. We can travel from Volterra to Rome, Naples, Palermo… And I'd really like to go back to Sardegna, to take care of unfinished business," Demetri whispered in my ear. He kissed my neck.

I giggled like a nervous little girl and he laughed.

"The sun will be up in forty-five minutes. Time to run," Andrew said.

Demetri took my hand once again, and we ran up the dock at a normal speed. We would keep up the look of normalcy until we were out of the populated area.

I felt a little sick. I was almost to Volterra.

Once we were on open ground, we burst into full speed, rushing through the vineyards and past the homes that dotted the countryside. The world was still sleeping. Nobody would notice us.

As we approached Volterra, Demetri slowed slightly. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I said through a tight throat.

He squeezed my fingers to reassure me.

We ran up a hill, approaching the wall that surrounded the city. The castle that was the home of the Volturi was just on the other side.

A small wooden door became visible in the stones of the wall. As we got near, it opened and Alec appeared through it.

"Welcome to Volterra, Alyssa. The council is waiting."

We each took off the dark robes we had donned as we left Livorno, and stepped through the door.

The courtyard echoed as we walked. The noise was exaggerated against the stillness of the night. The door in the wall closed loudly behind me, the bolt sliding into place. The creak of an iron gate rang out through the early morning air. It clanged noisily as it shut, the lock clicking into place.

Alec led the way, never saying a word. He turned several times to look at me; evaluating me, no doubt.

He opened a door in the outer wall of the castle. I could see the metal grate that was concealed in the wall above the door. The castle was fully equipped with all the battlements it would have needed for human occupants. The Volturi were very careful about keeping up their appearances.

We stepped through the door, emerging into a huge stone hallway. It was unlit. Of course, lights weren't necessary for any of us.

Apparently, being back in the castle had an interesting effect on Felix. He started to babble, pushing Alec's buttons repeatedly.

"So, Alec, what have you been up to? Have you helped to erase anyone's existence this week?"

Alec rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"Where's the welcoming committee? C'mon Al, are you the best they've got to offer tonight? I was hoping for a little feminine company?"

Alec grunted and turned to glare at him for a moment.

"Careful," Demetri said, suppressing laughter, "Alec doesn't have a lot of patience."

Andrew smiled. He knew what was about to happen. Felix must do this a lot.

"Come on Alec. Spill your guts. Have you finally decided to keep the females for yourself? Did you find a cute little woman that you didn't want to give up to me? Look, Demetri found a cute newborn to keep him company. You should try to find one. Really."

I was watching Alec. He stopped walking and the air around him seemed to shimmer lightly.

Felix just kept going, as if he couldn't see everything we were seeing. Alec was obviously angry. His glare was suddenly more intense.

"You and Edward Cullen, the oldest virgins in the vampire world. Man, aren't you asham…"

Felix's voice cut off. He stumbled, falling forward onto his knees.

"C'mon Alec…can't you take a joke. I can't see anything. How am I supposed to go to the council. I know you can hear me, Alec."

Everyone was laughing. I turned to look at Demetri with a questioning gaze.

"What's happening?"

"Alec is using his considerable gift to shut Felix up. We all enjoy these little moments of torturing Felix. Alex is really the only one who can get away with it."

Viktor finally spoke. "I don't know why you agree to meet us if his mouth bothers you Alec. You know he's going to do this every time. Ease up, man."

"L'idiota lo merita," Alec spit out.

I realized that they were only speaking in English for my benefit.

"Yeah, he does deserve it, Alec. But we don't want to be late. Time to let him go. Aro is waiting."

Alec smiled. A chill ran down my spine.

"Fine. I'll let him off the hook for now. But, he'll pay. And none of you will warn him."

He looked at each face, confirming that we all agreed.

He turned and started to walk. Felix stood up, silent now as he followed Alec.

We moved down the hall, finally approaching a huge solid wood door. Andrew stepped forward, opening the door and signaling for us to walk through.

I stepped into a brightly lit hallway. Everything about it screamed 'boring office space'. The walls were a nasty off-white color and the carpet was gray. Ordinary rectangular fluorescent lights lit the space.

I realized that we were heading to an open space ahead. We pushed through a glass door and into a fancy reception area. At least this part of the building wasn't ordinary.

The walls had wood paneling and the carpet was a lush green. There were paintings on the walls and expensive leather furnishings. Floral arrangements were scattered through the room, their overwhelming scent meant to cover the smell of blood that flowed on the air currents.

A beautiful mahogany counter sat unattended, the phone silent.

"Alec, have they replaced Gianna yet?" Viktor asked.

I glanced at Demetri, my question obvious on my face. He shook his head. He planned to explain later. He didn't need to.

Felix started to laugh. "Well, I can't help it if the women all want me. And humans break so easily."

"Aro wasn't pleased, Felix. If I were you, I'd leave his hand-picked human helpers alone for a while," Alec said.

"Oh, come on. I've only killed two of them. And Gianna tasted so good."

"You're lucky he hasn't destroyed you," Demetri said.

"Look, I gave him Heidi, didn't I?" He smiled, "I didn't break her all the way."

He stopped laughing when a small door hidden in the wall of the next grandiose hallway opened. Everyone looked to see who was coming.

A stunningly beautiful vampire stalked through the door. She was frowning. Something had really upset her. Her clothing was tight fitting and very revealing. She looked like she'd just stepped out of Playboy.

"Heidi," Felix crooned, "we were just talking about you."

She scowled at him, moving past him quickly.

"Hey baby. What's wrong?"

"I can't stay. I've been sent to get extra food for the newborn."

It was then that she looked at me. There was such hatred in her eyes that I almost choked.

She glanced at Demetri with a hungry look on her face. I understood her hatred for me. It was exposed in that one look.

"You know, in case they decide to keep her," she said, and moved down the hall, swinging her hips.