All Alone in the Moonlight
The eyes of the entire room moved to the door. The granite gates swung slowly open to reveal a tall grey figure with inhuman yellow eyes. I stole a glance at Edward, but he seemed completely back in control of himself, studying the unfolding events with focus and calm, as though our harebrained plan had any hope of working.
"Let me tell you a story," Aro said pleasantly, his clear voice easily carrying throughout the chamber. "I'm guessing you know how it ends, but you probably have some misconceptions about how it started."
"I once had a soldier who was everything I could ask for, and more. Not only could he read minds from a distance, he was very clever. He was inconceivably controlled, and could work near humans. Oddly, he chose to only feed on the repugnant blood of animals, rather than our natural food source, which helped keep him from arousing suspicion while he carried out his work. His asceticism extended even to a refusal of all sexual dalliance. His focus was solely on being left alone and doing his work."
My eyes slid to where Edward was standing, his face pale but his expression unreadable as he listened to Aro's speech. I looked over at the witch, but she didn't seem to be paying attention, she was staring straight up at the ceiling. Were her lips moving? None of the Volturi seemed to notice, confident in their superior physical strength they barely held the chains that bound her.
"Unlike many of my staff, this soldier never asked for anything. He never wanted anything except to be given a task to distract him and to be left alone. In order to give him respite from court life here with the guard, I sent this soldier searching for new vampires to join us. Strong ones. Talented ones. Ones who hadn't even become vampires yet," he said, glancing over at me.
A hurt that I thought had passed feinted at my heart. Edward never mentioned he was part of the Volturi. Was that why he was with me? Was I a recruit?
"Over the years, he sent back the very best to join my guard. He even turned the human ones himself, never made a single mistake, such extraordinary control he had."
"One day, the soldier finally asked for something. He asked for a break. He hadn't sent me anything new in several months, he was in a slump. He wanted to travel, see new landscapes, drain different animals from exotic places I supposed. I readily agreed, trusting that he would return in a few months time as he promised." For the first time a flicker of anger showed in Aro's refined features.
"But he did not return. After many months, I sent someone looking to the last place on his assignment list. He was a valued member of the guard, and I greatly desired to have him back. I thought maybe he had encountered a rogue coven, or crossed paths with one of the children of the moon, perhaps even lost control at last and gone on a rip-roaring blood rampage. Curiousity over my most reliable although not most popular servant abounded within the palace walls, and bets were laid on both sides. But what we found in Forks, well, no one collected on any bets. What we found in Forks was absurd. The people of that godforsaken rain-soaked villa couldn't wait to tell my investigators about it. If it weren't so pathetic, it would have been funny. Level-headed, dour, cold Edward Cullen had fallen in love with teenaged girl. Moreover, while the townfolk wouldn't know exactly how far he had taken things with the human child, it was obvious that they were too close to conceal his secrets. Our secrets. He had betrayed us, and now we needed to find him more than ever. And you as well. But you were easy to find."
I looked over at Edward again, trying to apologize with my eyes. He should have stayed away from me. I had brought him here. Edward met my gaze steadily, sweetly, an enigmatic smile barely pulling up one corner of his mouth. He was finally getting his answers. Over his shoulder, the witch was still muttering. The guards finally seemed to realize she was up to something and started moving toward her.
She looked straight at Aro, let loose a horrible piercing keel, then plunged a knife directly into her chest. Her scream halted abruptly, but the pitch was taken up almost instantly by another voice. Edward's voice.