Chapter 9: Jasper POV
It was a bit frustrating having to travel using human transport, but we knew we had to keep up the image that Bella was with us and we were just extremely good at hiding her. To do this, we had to mix with humans a lot to confuse the scent. I had not left Forks for a while and all these new fragrances tempted me, but Emmett kept me focused.
Demetri had caught up with us faster than I expected. He wasn't close enough that I could feel his emotions, but he was closing in on us fast. There was no denying he was a great tracker- Emmett and I were careful in covering our tracks. It didn't take us long to realize that we didn't have to purposefully make small careless mistakes as Alice suggested, Demetri didn't need any hints.
"Ready Jaz?" Emmett called out to me and I joined him at the door. We'd been staying in motels as we'd slowly moved across the country. It was incredible how all them were practically identical.
"Where we going next?"
"Long part of the journey. For Bella that is… We're going to be travelling for about twelve hours."
"Time for her to sleep?"
"On the train."
"Perfect." This had quickly become routine over the short space of time. We had to plan as if Bella were actually with us.
It didn't feel quite right as we checked out of the hotel but I ignored the sentiment. I couldn't sense any form of determination or anger nearby which Demetri was sure to feel. It would be like a beacon of light among the other dull human emotions.
"We need to be careful today." I told Emmett none the less.
"We need to be careful everyday." He chuckled.
"Today in particular."
"Can you feel him close by?"
"No," I pursed my lips "But something is wrong." Emmett simply nodded before running to our car at our own speed and opening the back door, as if putting Bella in. He shut it quickly and was in front of the wheel. I was already waiting in the passenger seat. Even though we weren't in a particularly sunny part of France, we still chose tinted windows to keep us concealed. We sped away quickly and even though we were making great time, the uneasy feeling didn't go away. I eventually stopped the car as the nagging at the back of my brain worsened.
"Jaz?"
"Can you feel it?"
"Feel what?" I walked out of the car and squinted, using the full capability off my enhanced sight. Emmett followed me out and as soon as he stepped out of the car I felt the difference. The earlier emotions I expected from Demetri suddenly hit me full force. He was here and judging by the force of the emotions, he wasn't alone.
"Shit."
"Get in the car." It was a stupid request and I knew it. There was no way any car could outrun a vampire. Emmett ignored me and whipped around, bracing himself. I barely had time to do the same before Demetri lunged straight at me. From the corner of my eye I could see that it was Felix that accompanied Demetri and he went straight for Emmett. My instincts kicked in as I retaliated, I was no longer human. I lunged, aiming for Demetri's throat, which would allow me to deliver the fatal blow by tearing his head off. I let my anger fuel my actions as I remembered why we were here and why I was fighting. We were protecting Bella. Emmett fought just as furiously alongside me.
We were well matched, as nobody seemed to gain the upper hand. However even in the midst of battle I could feel something was wrong. Demetri wasn't fully attacking me. He blocked my attacks and did retaliate but he wasn't going in for the kill. His offense was weak. I made the mistake of glancing towards Emmett to see if Felix was fighting in the same off way, but that gave Demetri the opportunity to sink a blow to my face, sending me flying backwards. It wasn't particularly painful, but it did momentarily distract Emmett, letting Felix take the upper hand in the fighting. Demetri didn't hesitate as he turned to help Felix overcome Emmett. I was too far away to offer immediate help and momentarily dazed.
Emmett snarled ferociously and snapped at Felix's strong arms that were pinning Emmett to the floor. I was running back to help my brother, cursing my amateur mistake but it was already too late. Felix and Demetri bundled Emmett into the car and drove off quickly. Felix was in the backseat, no doubt restraining Emmett while Demetri drove. I knew I couldn't follow- if Emmett hadn't already escaped by now, it meant he was being held in a compromising position. If I tried to interfere, it would give Felix the incentive to harm Emmett.
I watched as the car drove away. Emmett was gone and the Volutri didn't stay behind to face me. This was their plan from the start. It made sense as I thought about Demetri's reserved fighting. I still didn't understand why they would want to do this. This whole problem was over the fact that Bella was human. It would offer them leverage over the family but Emmett was one of the strongest and he wouldn't let us sacrifice Bella's safety for his.
I knew I had to act quickly but I allowed myself a few seconds to just let my emotions out. Any human within a few miles radius would have felt the power of my grief. Emmett and I bickered a lot, but we were close. It was because of my mistake that he wasn't here right now. Although I highly doubted that the Volturi would kill him, Jane's power could cause more damage than I wanted to think about.
I slowly dragged myself up and reached into my pocket to pull out the mobile phone I wasn't supposed to use except if in an emergency. I was pretty sure this counted as an emergency. I cringed as I thought of calling Rose first. I knew all too well how it felt to have your mate in danger. My grief would be nothing compared to hers. I decided it would not only be easier but also more efficient if I called Alice first. She needed to know the change of events and help us decide what to do next.
"Alice, the Volturi have Emmett." It crushed me to have to give her bad news straight away when really I was craving to hear her voice.
"How?" She was agitated and taken by surprise which I knew scared her on top on the already disturbing information.
"They ambushed us. I don't know how they found us. Something isn't right. Even once we were alone they didn't strike straight away. It's as if they were waiting for something. They're fighting was off, they weren't going in for the kill."
"Have you called Rose?"
"Not yet."
"Let me do it." I nodded to myself then hung my head.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled.
"Don't for a second think this is your fault. Come back home. We need to figure something out. The game is over and they know it. My plan didn't work."
"We'll figure something else out." I tried to comfort her.
"Yes." She was determined and I was glad to hear that despair hadn't completely taken hold of her.
"Jaz, make it home safely."
"I will. I love you."
"Love you too." And she hung up quickly.
I sighed and grabbed my hair with both hands. I had to think of the next step and let go of my emotions. For now at least. I slowly relaxed my hands and let them drop to my side. We would figure this out. I quickly made my way back to the town centre and looked out for a convenient care I could steal. I soon spotted a dark grey BMW M3. It would be fast. I stole it without any problems as expected and was on my way to the airport.
Emmett POVI cursed as I was forced into a position where there was no possible way I could escape. Felix kept me in the hold whilst Demetri pushed the car to the limit. I prayed Jasper didn't follow me. It would only get him into trouble when I really needed him on the outside. What lay ahead didn't scare me as much as why they wanted me. I knew torture awaited me but they would use me as leverage in some way. It was stupid for them to go through the effort of capturing me if they only wanted to kill me. The obvious thing was to get us to either kill or change Bella. I knew that if it came down to it, the family wouldn't let Bella die. She would become a vampire even if against Edward's wish. However it still seemed too simple. If they'd figured out our ploy, why not go straight for Bella and force our hand immediately?
My thoughts shifted to Rose and a pang of despair hit me. The very thought of her distress made me uncomfortable but I had to cast the thoughts away. I had to be strong and so would she. It sounded harsh but we understood each other and fed off each other's strength. She would know that Bella's safety was more at risk than mine.
Felix and Demetri were silent until they were sure that they had safely escaped Jasper. I was hoping for Felix to make a rookie mistake and loosen his hold as he felt more relaxed but the grip was still firm. Eventually he shoved me forwards and chuckled.
"You Cullens aren't as smart as you think you are." I scowled but gave no reply. I wasn't in the position to antagonize them, but it was tempting…
"I have to admit, you're strategy did confuse us at the start. It's incredibly how far you're willing to go to protect the human." He sneered.
"Her name is Bella." I snapped but that only merited another shove in the back. I sighed realizing again that there was no way out and decided that while I was in this situation, I might as well learn as much information as I could.
"You must be so proud. You just captured the best Cullen." I boasted hoping they would reveal something about why they needed me.
"The best." Demetri scoffed from the front seat.
"Well why else would you need me?"
"Always so arrogant." Demetri shook his head smiling.
"What makes you think we're after you?" Felix snorted.
"I'm the one stuck in the car smartass." That deserved an elbow to the back of my head. I flinched.
"Even an idiot like you would have realized by now that we could just use you to obtain something else."
"You're going through a lot of trouble over such a small issue."
"Perhaps." Demetri frowned. "But Aro thinks it's worth it."
"He knows something he's not telling us." Felix said, mainly to Demetri.
"If he hasn't told us, it's none of our business." Demetri replied firmly. "Enough now. Jane will be meeting us soon." I had to control my features as to not let it show that her very name sent a shiver up my spine.
True to his word, shortly after the car began to slow down before the door was opened and I was roughly pushed out. Jane immediately exercised her power on me. I fell to the floor in agony as pain engulfed my mind. It faded as suddenly as it began but I didn't move as I slowly regained my senses. I was vaguely aware of Felix laughing.
"He hasn't even said anything yet."
"Let's just say it was a welcoming gift." A high tinkling voice replied. I pushed myself up and wasn't surprised to find that I was no longer restrained. I was in a contained location. Running would be pointless so I didn't try.
"What do you want?" I asked my voice rough but with no hint of fear.
"Follow me." Jane said simply as she led me down a corridor. I examined my surroundings and even though I'd never been to Volterra, I could already predict the resemblance. It was dark and damp. Definitely underground. I was wondering if the Volturi had another place where they could meet in secret. France would be a good location.
"What am I doing here?"
"Just a safe way to get you to Italy."
"Tunnels? Really?" I wasn't given an answer so I just kept on walking. I knew there was no feasible way they had a tunnel system from France to Italy. That was ridiculous. They would have to force me into another means of transport and I knew that would be my best chance of escape. Right now I was outnumbered and I couldn't see the way out.
I mentally tried to calculate how much time had passed since I had been dragged into the car. A couple of hours maybe? Jasper was quick; he would have contacted the others by now and they would be figuring something out. I tried to run through several plans of action they could take, but none looked promising. Yet again, when this whole situation had first presented itself, we thought the only solution would be to turn Bella, but Alice had found a loop whole. I wondered briefly what had gone wrong, what had changed for Alice's plan to be faulty. I suppose it didn't really matter.
We were now walking upwards. I was nearly climbing as I sensed the change in the air. We weren't in France anymore. This was impossible. We hadn't even been travelling that long… My head snapped round to a dim light ahead and without warning, Jane's crippling power took hold of me once again. I withheld my groan as she seemed to enjoy torturing me for no reason. Jane was one vampire I didn't feel the need to provoke. What I hadn't realized was that this particular torture session had a purpose. She was trying to disorientate me. She also knew that the weakness in there plan was transporting me to Italy and in those moments of pain, I was bewildered enough for Felix and Demetri to force me into another inescapable hold and drag me into the open.
I wasn't able to figure out exactly where I was before I was roughly pushed into another vehicle. My vision was clouded by a thick material that Jane threw over my head. It wasn't very disconcerting to lose my vision as my other sense were so refined, but it still gave the Volturi an advantage. It didn't take long before I was once again shoved out of the car. This was becoming an uncomfortable routine. Again, underground, damp, dark. I was finally thrown into a room where I was allowed to take off my blindfold. My heart sank even though I was expecting it. I was in a cell under Volterra. The dungeons for lack of a better word.
"Enjoy your stay." Jane chimed.
And there we go, another long wait but I did try to make this chapter slightly longer to make up for it… Thank you for reading!
Iole01 xxx
