I think I passed out.
Can vampires even do that?
Regardless. I did. The pain and the fear and the panic all became too much for me and it was like my brain mostly shut down. I was still vaguely aware of the feeling of being in motion, but my eyes must have been shut as I could see nothing of the world around me.
After what felt like forever we finally stopped and I could feel my body being lowered gently to the ground, however it didn't stop the agony that seared through my body. Immediately my brain was awake and my body woke up, screaming out my pain and trying in vain to crawl backwards from where I assumed my attacker was standing.
"Christ! Shut her up before we have the entire coven descending on us" the unfamiliar voice terrified me, I couldn't see anyone around me, in what look to be a dank cave of some description, but dragged myself in the opposite direction regardless, in a feeble attempt to escape.
I felt myself being hauled from the ground again, a hand roughly clamped over my mouth from behind, the powerful arm pinning my body still across my stomach, over-riding even my newborn strength. I tried to turn my head to get a look at my captor but I couldn't even do that. In my panic I struggled against the iron grip but to no avail. I heard a gruff laugh in my ear and gave up my fight.
"The others were collecting the… parts… We should leave immediately they arrive, the coven were fighting the wolves when I took the girl".
The voice next to my ear was slightly accented and completely unfamiliar. Parts. The word made my stomach drop. I knew they meant my… parts… I clamped my eyes shut and tried unsuccessfully to bite back a whimper. My captor again let out an amused chuckle. A man suddenly stepped into my line of sight; he was small and slight but moved with an air of absolute power about him. His blood red eyes glinted in the faint light coming through the cave entrance, he smirked at me before addressing the man holding me still.
"The others are here. We will go now before we're discovered", I felt the man behind me give a curt nod before the one infront of my reach inside his cloak coat and pulled out some heavy fabric that looked like velvet.
"Best to make sure our guest cant give too much away to her little psychic friend…." He sneered at me as he approached before binding the fabric over my eyes. The blindfold was so dense I could see nothing through it at all, my sight was completely cut off, I couldn't even tell light from dark.
Suddenly I could feel us in motion again. I was still held tight, unable to move an inch. I relaxed my agonised body, unable to fight anymore and gave in to whatever fate was to come to me.
EDWARD POV
Snarling my fury I threw myself into the fight, not giving any thought to where my family were, though hoping they were close behind as I was hugely outnumbered. I had heard the screams coming from my love, felt her pain as if it was my own. I had heard my family speak of this, about feeling when their mate was hurt or in danger, but to actually experience it was the most terrifying thing I'd felt in over 100 years.
I held nothing back as I fought my way to Bella's silent but mutilated form. These monsters had savaged her, I could see her legs, torn and discarded on the forest floor as two of them were tearing at her torso and arm, trying to pull her apart.
As I reached the large black wolf and pulled him from her – thankfully saving her right arm in the process – I felt another dog latch onto my shoulder, flinging me several feet away before I could react. My mind was so filled with rage I wasn't focusing on what they were thinking and had been taken by surprise. I picked myself up off the forest floor and stood, snarling, to face the two wolves who had come to finish me off. I could hear their erratic thoughts, they were joking, saying how easy one vampire would be…. I would fight with my very last breath to get Bella away from these vicious monsters.
I growled menacingly, crouching in preparation to take them both on but before I could make my move, my brothers mental war cry rang through my head. Trust him to never take anything seriously. Emmett launched himself from the embankment to our right and threw himself right into the two wolves before they even knew here was there. Taking the advantage, I charged at the one that was knocked closest to me whilst Emmett grappled with the other. I made short work of my wolf, gripping him tightly around the neck and then with one swift jerk to the right, snapping his neck easily even as he yelped in defiance. I rose quickly to check on Bella, hoping and praying that the rest of my family had arrived in time to protect her from the rest of the pack.
As I looked around I could see that Jasper and Emmett had dispatched three of the wolves between them. Carlisle, ever the pacifist had secured one but not killed it. The others were nowhere to be seen so I assumed they must have run when they realised they were outnumbered.
I raced to the place I had last seen Bella and found no trace of her. Panicked I looked around wildly, calling her name as my family joined me.
"Where is she? Alice?" my voice was laced with anxiety.
"I.. I…"
I growled, no patience for my sisters stuttering. I needed Bella. NOW.
Grabbing Alice by the shoulders I shook her roughly, "Where is she Alice? Where is Bella? Tell me!"
Jasper yanked me roughly backwards, releasing his wife in the process. He wrapped an arm around her, giving me a low warning growl as he placed himself between me and Alice. Carlisle approach slowly, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"Edward, we will find Bella", his soothing voice calmed me, I took an unnecessary deep breath in, trying to quash the rising panic inside me.
"I am sorry Alice, forgive me. Can you see her, anything at all?"
"I cant, just flashes, I think its where she is now. So much pain and… darkness. Its just blackness. I don't understand. I think she is not making any decisions though, someone has her".
"The wolves?" my voice snapped out in a growl.
"No, vampires. The scent has been covered well somehow but its faint, can you not pick it up?"
Concentrating hard I could just pick up what may have been three distinct vampire scents. Masked under something less pleasant, almost as pungent as the wolf scent I had mistaken it for. They all three were too faint for me to recognise whether it was from vampires I knew or not though.
"I can, just.. Who is it? I cant recognise it. Victoria maybe?"
"No, I don't think so", Alice frowned, "I have been watching her but no.. She didn't make a decision to come here, this is someone else".
"Well who? Who would take Bella? And where?"
"I don't know Edward", Alice's words were almost a plea, her eyes glassy with tears that would never be shed.
"Come, lets go back to the house, re-group and see if we can work this out".
Carlisle's words made sense but the thought of leaving the place, the last place I had seen Bella was painful. My body felt wracked with physical pain, although I knew that wasn't possible – I hadn't been injured. It was the stress, the trauma of the situation. My mind and body couldn't cope with it.
"Carlisle… I cant… I have to look for her, please.. Help me. God, the things I said to her, I was so cold, she thinks I don't love her. Please Carlisle. I have to get her back. I cant lose her Carlisle, she cant… she cant die…" My breaths were frantic pants, almost like a human panic attack, the fear gripping my body was like an ice cold vice, bringing me literally to my knees in the middle of the forest. Carlisle rushed to me, kneeling infront of me and placing his hands on my shoulders.
"Son. We will get Bella back. We will not stop searching, never, until she is back home with us. I promise you that Edward, we wont give up. But we need to get out of here before the wolves return, we cant do anything for Bella is we are dead, and this is an act of war in their minds for sure. We need to get back to the house and figure out our next move together. Ok son?"
I nodded, trying to control my breathing as I allowed my father to help me to my feet and then followed close behind him as we sped back towards the house. I pushed all of my families thoughts from my mind, they werent helping. Jasper was flitting from one scenario to another trying to come up with plans and tactics. Alice was desperately trying to connect with Bella to see where she was or where she was going but all that she could see was blackness and an overwhelming feeling of despair. At least my love was alive. I would get her home.
We reached the house in less than 5 minutes, all rushing into the living room.
"Ok, so whats the plan?" my eyes raised to Jasper at my question but before he could speak Rosalie's voice cut in, the first thing I'd heard her utter all afternoon.
"Where is Tanya? And the Denali's?"
Alice's eyes glazed slightly for a second before snapping to mine.
"Gone, back to Alaska."
"Good riddance…" I muttered.
Carlisle stepped forward, all eyes turned to him in the hopes of him being able to make sense of all of this madness.
"Well, we need to make a decision, fast before the wolves come here. We have to leave and we have to find Bella. Once we have decided where we're going we will need to pack up quickly. Esme, Rosalie, Alice and Emmett. I want you to pack up the essentials we will need from this house. Only the essentials. We can assume that the wolves will destroy it I think but there isnt time to take more than what we will need. Jaspar and Edward, I'd like you two to help me gas and prepare the cars and travel documents… And Alice, can you phone around….-" his words trailed off at Alice's sharp intake of breath as all eyes moved to hers, except mine. I could see what she saw, the vision. The decision that had been made.
"Alice, what is it? What do you see?" Jasper gently questioned his wife.
"It cant be", she breathed, barely audible.
"What? Whats happened?" Esme's words were a desperate plea.
My voice was weak as I answered her.
"The Volturi".
I know, its been forever since I updated! Im sorry! I had a real hard time with this chapter as I'd originally planned the story to go a different way and had actually written that out ready to post a while ago, but then this idea came to me and whilst it may get a little more angst-y, I liked it more.
What on earth could the Volturi want with our little baby vampire though? Poor Bella!
