The Dark, The Dangerous, and The Lovely: Chapter 11
All of a sudden I realized what was happening. The desire to be near Matteo disappeared, and I fully realized what was happening. "No!" I screamed, and pulled away from him. He gripped my arm tightly and spun me back into him, as I winced. "Riley!" I shrieked, before he placed his cool hand over my mouth. "Tolla, let's be rational darling. I thought you may have been more of a lady after 10 years." I growled and thrashed. After a minute he removed his hand from my mouth. "What do you want?", I spat. "You know perfectly well what I want," he whispered in my ear. "You come back with me to Volterra. You join our ranks, our highest ranks Tolla, alongside Jane, Alec, Demetri...and me. We have power Tolla. Join us." His voice was growing progressively more violent and I was suddenly scared for my life. "How do you know I have power?" I asked him, having to look up at his tall and thin frame. "We have a seer. Edeline. She foresees your gifts. And Tolla, you will be wonderful." "All you have to do, is come with me," he leaned in closer, lips just brushing my neck. Would I be dinner before we even got to Italy? "It's time to go Tolla. You are going to Italy."
"Over my dead body." I gasped and spun around to see Riley standing there, with Masen and Caspar flanking his right and left. "Get. Your hands. Off. My girlfriend." he hissed, taking a step forward. I lurched forward in attempt to reach him. "Not so fast." Matteo chuckled cruelly, binding my small arms behind my back. I cried out in pain, my blond hair now loose and beaten by the ever growing wind. "Let her go!", Masen said more forcefully, "We have 15 wolves on the way that would enjoy eating your pathetic self for dinner." "I'm not scared of wolves, boy." Matteo told Masen.
"I see your powers doubled." Caspar remarked, in an attempt to stall before the wolves arrived. "Yes. A decade ago when I brainwashed you I had no idea I could lure people as well. The Volturi has found me quite useful in fetching their...meals." Riley's eyes narrowed at Matteo as I looked up at the latter pleadingly. "I'm going to ask you one more time. Let her go." Riley now walked over to us, standing in front of me with Matteo behind me. "We will be back. I swear." Matteo thrusted me into Riley's chest, where I latched on for dear life. After that, Matteo disappeared into the thickening forest. "Are you okay?" Riley whispered into my hair. I nodded, a tear sliding down my face. Caspar walked over and hugged me, but Masen stayed behind, his grey eyes in confusion.
"What's wrong man? We got Tolla back!" Caspar said, walking over to him. "It's too easy," he whispered, and then his eyes changed with such a start, such an alarm that it caused me to gasp when he started bolting back to the house. Caspar realized this a second later. "Ariadne and Issie!" he shouted and started running after Masen. Riley and I followed and burst into the house along with Masen and Caspar. "Ariadne! Issie!" we shouted desperately. My gut wretched as soon as I saw broken glass all over the kitchen. "No!", I sobbed as Riley held me upright. We walked into the living room and my heart nearly stopped. Ariadne. Her fire red hair splayed out on the cream colored carpet, it almost matched the pool of blood around her. Caspar pushed through us and dropped to his knees at her side. "Ariadne! Can you hear me?", he spoke desperately, his eyes hopeful and devastated as he waited for an answer. He slipped off his jacket and wound it around her arm, which was bleeding profusely.
"Cas? Caspar?" Ariadne choked, rolling on her back into Caspar's lap. "Yea, it's me. What happened?" he asked gently, pushing back her hair, "where's Issie?". Something changed in Ariadne as she tried to sit upright, and Caspar pushed her back down. "Issie! Issie no!" Ariadne began sobbing. Masen dropped down next to her. "Ariadne, WHAT HAPPENED?" he pleaded, worry and pain flooding his eyes. "She...they..." Ariadne struggled, and then screamed, "they took her! They took Isadora!" She collapsed sobbing as Caspar clutched her. Masen roared, standing up, and knocked down the coffee table in the room. "Isadora!" he screamed, searching the house further. "Issie!" he shouted, pleading and praying for an answer. His eyes were wild, and his normally straight hair unruly and he raged through the house, before pausing to look at us briefly, and then running out the back door. "Masen!" I cried after him. "Riley- go get him. He needs someone," I struggled through tears. Isadora. Those bastards. They could've had me. They could've had me. Matteo should've taken me. This is all my fault. I sobbed harder on the floor next to Ariadne until I felt Caspar's hand on my shoulder. "Tolla, Ariadne needs a hospital. She's lost too much blood." I looked at my sister, lying limp in Caspar's strong arms. "Take her." I cried, "I'm staying." "It's too dangerous alone!" Caspar stood up, objecting.
"It's alright, I'm here." Riley announced sorrowfully, standing in the doorway. "Seth and Leah Clearwater from Jacob's pack appeared behind him." Caspar nodded and carried Ariadne to the car. "Where's Masen?" I choked, looking up at him. "In his room." Riley murmured, wrapping me in an embrace. Seth and Leah walked in and announced, "Your family is on the way."
The minute Rose stepped through the door, at 5 a.m. I clutched onto her and cried and cried. I cried myself to sleep and didn't wake up until early afternoon that day. Would I see Issie again? I didn't know. Were they torturing her? Starving her? Was she enduring the agony of becoming a vampire? Edward stayed talking with Masen all night as Jasper worked to keep his emotions in check. I heard him telling Carlisle it was hard to be around Masen because his emotions were so worried and he was in so much emotional pain right now. I think everyone was.
Esme made me some breakfast and I forced half of it down. Ariadne had gotten home from the hospital at 6 a.m. with her arm in bandages and a cast. As for me, Carlisle insisted on a quick check to make sure Matteo didn't break anything. It turns out he just bruised my arms badly. At about 1 p.m. we gathered in the living room, as the wolves left, knowing we were okay. Ariadne's blood had been covered by a rug. There, she told us what had happened.
"The boys woke us up when we found out you were missing. They suspected vampires were at it, but didn't call the rest until they found out for sure. They left, and Issie and I were sitting in the kitchen. A vampire- two actually, knocked on the kitchen door." She paused to swallow and squeezed her eyes shut briefly. "We locked the doors, but knew we were in trouble when they broke through the window. My arm was cut by the glass, and the male vampire threw me in the living room after the female told him to take the brunette. I was losing a lot of blood quickly, and I couldn't remember much. Isadora fought, but she was weak against the vampires. The female caused her pain, and she screamed-" Ariadne looked down, tears in her eyes. She looked back up and continued. They knocked her out and the boy carried her out. You all got here about 5 minutes after."
"You say boy- what did these vampires look like?" Carlisle asked. "They were young- 15 maybe- the boy had straight brown hair, the girl, blonde. They were both small. With bright red eyes." Ariadne described. "Alec and Jane." Bella growled. "I can't believe this. Aro's gone too far this time." Carlisle spoke, anger starting to thin out in his voice. "I just can't believe we were this stupid...we thought they would be safe here!" Rosalie murmured. "We didn't know they knew. If only we could have seen that they had Edeline." Edward said.
"So we have to go and get her back don't we?" Riley asked, looking around at the vampires. "Of course. We will get her back. Right, Carlisle?" Jasper looked at him. "Yes. I'm afraid that if the Volturi do something like this again, to an innocent human, then we may have to revolt again." Carlisle sighed. "Wouldn't that be like suicide?" I asked with wide eyes. "It would be dangerous, yes, but we may be able to accomplish it." Edward told me. "We have to get her back, before Masen kills himself, and I die from guilt." Ariadne said glumly. "Don't worry," I said, "We'll get her back even if my life depends on it."
