Chapter 14: Threats

I smelled her sweet scent back in the house. Alice had had the vision, and they came back. Aro wouldn't have done anything now he was much too evil. He would have preferred that I saw the plan in his head, that I had time to dwell on the fact that he was coming again.

"That man was much more of a devil than I thought," Matia said from the top of the stairs as I walked in. I knew she didn't know his plan, but she could see that his soul was as black as his robes. She took in my expression, which I could only assume was hopelessness, and put that together with the darkness of my spirit. Her face fell. "How bad was it?" She had no idea that what I saw in his head was any more terrible than what she assumed. I couldn't find my voice. I ran up the stairs and took her face in my hands. I saw the startled look on the surface of her eyes, but behind that was the warmth, the love, and the goodness of her. The pain slipped from behind my already lousy poker face and betrayed me as I thought of losing her. I pulled her to me and held her there tightly, with my face buried in her shoulder. She held me and buried her face in my chest. She didn't have to know about what Aro's plan was to feel as horrified as I did. Just as before, my pain was her pain and her pain was my pain.

"Edward," Carlisle tried, ache filled his voice, "we need you to tell us what Aro was thinking." I swept Matia off the floor and into my arms and took us to the family room. There was not a force on this Earth that could make me let go of her now. I sat us down, still not letting go, in the midst of our terrified family.

"I'm so sorry," I started. "Aro would suspect something if I refused to shake his hand." My family nodded their heads with despair. "Of course, Aro saw what we were hiding, and he also got a better look at my talent. When he let go of my hand, a wicked plan dawned on him. This was the blackest thing the Volturi have ever thought about doing. An image filled his mind of myself on his right hand; a useful implement that could reveal a person's true thoughts. He thought of what advancement I could make to his guard. He thought of using me to…" I spat this last part, "rule the world." A disgusted expression filled Carlisle's face. Esme was confused.

"I don't understand. He already had this mental picture, how did his outlook into your memories make this picture more likely to come true?" The part was coming where my true pain would be revealed.

"It made things clearer for him when he thought of a method called persuasion. He knows I would join if he threatened to destroy the one person I love the most." A gasp ran through the room. "Matia." I finished.

"Can't we fight them off?" Emmett asked wearily.

"They have over two hundred members of their guard," sighed Carlisle, "and if we tried, they would end up killing us all and taking the ones he wants."

We sat in silence.

"Is there no other way?" Alice choked.

"Not that I can see," I admitted. My voice was dead now. There was no emotion present.

"Which leaves us to the decide…" Esme croaked.

"There is nothing to decide," Matia's fiery voice rang out. "The decision has already been made." I stared at her in horror.

"No." I answered her unspoken thought, filled with horror that she even thought that.

She looked straight at me, ignoring my last remark.

"Losing me is no reason for you to change who you are. You are not corrupt like Aro is," she snarled the name. "And I will not live on as you unwillingly assist him to be the tyrant of the world."

"I can't lose you," I cried. She stroked my face, soothing me, but it was taking all her energy to not break as I was.

"Life has already blessed us with being together. We can't lose our gratitude when it is time for us to be apart. You put meaning into my life. Think about that blessing! Think of all the people who never find that! Life has blessed us with so much already! It's not reasonable for us to grieve when this part of our lives must come to a close." She smiled, but I could see the effort that was put into placing it there.

"But you taught me how to love. How can I give up the person who had that much of a significance?" I whispered.

"Because every person that comes into your life has a purpose. Yours was to transform my life from dull, and gray, to being meaningful and passionate! You say I taught you how to love, if that is true, then in the future, you will take that and give it to the luckiest woman in the world."

"There won't ever be anyone who I would rather give my love to than you."

"I promise you someone will come that will touch your heart."

"But not his soul," Alice stated.

"No, my soul has already been touched." I looked deep into Matia's eyes. I remembered the first time I saw them. Bright curiosity filled them then. Now, there was strain, but there was also a deep love for me. How could I possibly give this up?

"We can't doom our family, our friends, our posterity, to Aro's dictatorship."

I looked around the room for help, but it seemed that everyone was painfully agreeing with Matia's resolution.

"I am not strong enough to let that happen."

"You'll have to be. Edward, I hate the thought of being torn from you, but can we really let Aro's dream come true?"

I didn't answer. I knew the answer was 'no', but I couldn't bear the consequence that came with it.

I excused us to go upstairs. Even though Matia meant every word, water streamed down her face; the consequence of losing each other didn't affect her any better than it affected me.

We had already been given each other; and us being together for so long was already pushing our luck. It wasn't fair that that two people should be treated so much better by the universe than anyone else. How could we be such fools to believe that the Fates would let us keep each other?