Chapter 21: Torture
Bella bit her lower lip as she got out of the car she rented and looked around the forest. She lifted up her arm and took out a knife, dragging the blade across her pale skin and her blood started spilling over her arm. She looked around the forest. "OKAY! I'M HERE TRACKER! I SURRENDER!" She shouted lifting her arm up.
"Well, about time," a voice hissed.
She turned around to see a redheaded woman standing behind her. "Victoria, Victoria…we should be fair. The girl surrendered to us, we should at least be fair," a man commented that had jumped down from a tree. Bella bit her lower lip.
"I want to see the Volturi themselves," she told them.
The man circled her with a grin. "James you can't be serious," Victoria hissed.
"As I said Victoria, the girl gave herself up instead of us having to hunt her down again," James answered.
He lifted a lock of Bella's hair to his nose and took in her scent. "Ah…so delicious smelling," he commented. Bella shuddered, chewing on her bottom lip as his finger moved down her neck. "I think the Volturi would enjoy meeting you," he added. He suddenly grabbed the cut up on her arm. "They wouldn't like to see you damaged before we got you to them," he told her. Bella swallowed and he suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his back.
"James you're crazy," Victoria hissed.
"I think the Volturi would enjoy this one," he answered.
He glared at the woman. "You are my mate Victoria but you still follow my orders," he reminded her. Victoria hissed but then they ran off into the forest.
When they came to the airport, James had a hold of Bella's arm just to be sure that she wouldn't try to run again. Bella kept her eyes on the floor as she kept walking with them through the crowd. Her thoughts moved to Edward, she knew by this time he'd be trying to find where they were and come find them. "Keep moving," James suddenly hissed to her yanking her arm. Bella winced but picked up the pace.
"She walks too slow, even for a human," Victoria hissed.
Bella let out a sigh as she moved to sit down while they waited for their plane. "So gave yourself up, that's new. The last few kin of Nikolai at least put up a fight," James commented.
"I don't want you hurting the Cullens," Bella answered.
James sat back in his seat, chuckling. "Ah, so this is why you gave yourself up. The little play of 'don't hurt my friends'," he mocked.
"I'm serious, please, don't hurt them," she answered.
"We'll see what the Volturi says about that. We follow their orders," Victoria hissed behind her.
Bella played with her bracelet that Emmett had given her for Christmas when she was three. She bit her lower lip and let out a deep breath. "Come on," James hissed quietly as he grabbed her arm again and pulled her up from her chair. They moved over to the gate and boarded their plane.
When they finally reached Volterra, James and Victoria checked into a hotel and waited for night. Bella was sitting on the bed of the hotel sitting in complete silence. James grinned as he leaned against the wall. "Such a shame that the Volturi might end up killing you themselves, because I would've had some fun with you," he commented, making Bella shudder at his words.
"Such an animal," she heard Victoria say.
"Yeah well you still enjoy it," James answered.
James walked over and started messing with a lock of Bella's hair again. "I wonder how your precious Cullens could control themselves, she's the greatest smelling human I have ever smelled in years," he commented. Victoria laughed when she saw the girl's face grow a few more shades of white than what it already was.
"Aw you're scaring her," she fake mourned.
"Really?" He taunted.
His finger moved down her face and he grabbed her chin lifting her face up. "Hmm…you are different than any other human I have ever come across," he commented.
"I surrendered to you, doesn't give you the right to taunt me," she answered.
"Oh but it does, gives me all the right to have as much fun as I can before I hand you over to the Volturi," he commented.
"Don't touch me," she answered.
She heard Victoria laugh at her words and James just sneered at her. "Don't touch you huh? What you think your little Cullen family will be coming through that door any minute?" He asked. Bella was quiet and he chuckled. She got up to move when she was suddenly pinned to the wall. "You make this game way too easy," he told her.
"James loves a challenge," Victoria put in with a grin.
Bella was trying to look pass him when he forced her to look into his face. She was staring into his soulless, deep red eyes and she felt like she was going to puke at the grin on his face. "A challenge indeed," he agreed.
"It would've been more fun to catch her like we did the others," Victoria sighed.
"That would've been fun, seeing the looks on Edward's face as we force him to watch as we killed you slowly and painfully," he answered.
James let out a sigh. "If only Edward could see the look on your face, it would break his little heart," he taunted.
"Leave Edward alone, he has nothing to do with any of this," she answered.
"Oh but he does Bella, he broke the vampire laws, and that is execution no matter what," he told her.
Bella swallowed hard. "I'll do anything if you don't let the Volturi know that it was the Cullens who were hiding me," she answered quietly. She saw him still staring when that grin came across his face.
"Anything huh?" He answered.
She nodded her head slowly. "Anything, just don't tell the Volturi it was the Cullens and don't hurt them," she told him. James looked over his shoulder at Victoria who was grinning just as evilly as he was.
"I think, I will have to take you up on that offer," he answered.
"James deserves a little fun, since the Volturi have threatened to tear him apart if he didn't find you. He might as well enjoy his victory," Victoria sighed.
James grinned, moving his hand down Bella's neck. "Exactly," he answered. Bella turned her head away and swallowed hard. "It will be done before you know it," he told her. Bella could hear Victoria laughing and she closed her eyes tight.
Night fell and Bella was hiding in the bathroom. She was looking at the bruises all over her arms and she tilted her head back. She took several deep breaths and jumped when James banged on the door. "It's time," he told her. She slowly got up off the floor, ignoring the pain in her legs. She opened the door and James stood there. "Time to go," he told her as he grabbed her arm and led her out of the room.
They came to the city and Bella looked around at the empty streets. James had a hold of her arm as they moved to the castle. "Hello Heidi," he greeted. Heidi smiled.
"James, and who do we have here?" She asked.
James grinned. "Meet Bella, the last of Nikolai's kin," he replied. Heidi smiled.
"We have been waiting for you," she informed.
Bella was staring at the ground as the doors opened and they were led down the halls. Tears pressed hard against her eyes as she listened to the echoes of their footsteps on the cold floor. They came to a large room and Bella looked up to see the Volturi there. "Aro, I present to you the last of Nikolai's kin, Bella," James informed with a grin.
"Well James, I see you were able to bring her to us in one piece," Aro commented.
James grinned. "This one surrendered, she asked to see you," he answered his hands on her shoulders. Bella shuddered under his touch.
"Very good, you can leave now James," Aro informed.
James and Victoria left the room and Aro circled the young woman in front of him. "So…we finally meet," he commented. Bella was quiet and he continued circling her. "Would you please tell us who were the vampire traitors who kept you hidden?" Aro asked.
"I was hiding on my own," she answered.
The leader of the Volturi laughed. "A two-year-old taking care of herself all the way up until now? Do you really think we'll believe that?" He asked. Bella swallowed. "I have ways of finding out," he hissed in her ear.
"I surrendered isn't that enough?" She asked.
"It would be…if the vampire covens would understand that protecting anyone part of the Nikolai bloodline is instant death sentence," Aro answered.
Aro took a deep breath. "Ah…such a sweet smell…" he commented. Bella shuddered again and he grinned. "Lydia had a sweet smell, just like yours," he commented.
"What do you want? What do you want me to do that you killed my mother for?" She asked.
"The fact is that you are existing Bella, you are part of that filthy, deceiving, traitorous bloodline," he answered.
Aro suddenly placed his hands on her neck making her gasp at the sudden cold and she tried to moved away, but he had a grip on her jacket. The Volturi hissed and he shoved her to the floor hard, making her slide a little. "I always knew Carlisle would betray us," he hissed.
"I told you that the Cullens had to be the ones to hide her," a vampire that looked like a child answered.
"Quiet Jane," Aro snapped.
Bella felt her world spin but then Aro grabbed her by her jacket pulling her up from the floor. "No please," she begged.
"I think we will enjoy killing you," he answered.
Bella let out a scream when she was thrown across the room and she hit the wall hard. She slowly slid to the floor, her head was spinning. She didn't have time to even think up her abilities to defend herself as they were throwing her around the room like a rag doll.
After what felt like eternity, Jane had taken her turn to torture Bella a little and the young woman was shaking on the floor. Aro pushed her onto her back and grinned. "I think now is the time to say goodbye Bella," he informed. Bella waited for death to come, closing her eyes tight and curled in the fetal position. She was suddenly lifted up off the floor and felt like she was flying. She then realized she wasn't in midair, someone was holding her.
"If you're going to kill Bella you'll have to get through me to do it," Edward answered.
Aro grinned. "I liked you Edward, but you're a fool," he told him.
"It's not just me," Edward hissed holding Bella close to him.
Rosalie was in front of both Edward and Bella, hissing as she sat in the crouching position. Emmett was next to her in a flash glaring and a growl was coming from him. "Touch Bella again and we'll kill you," Emmett put in.
"How sweet the whole family," Aro chuckled.
Bella gripped Edward's jacket sniffling. Edward held onto Bella. "Edward get Bella out of here," Emmett ordered. The other Cullens came just as Edward went to leave, but the doors were all closed and locked.
"I don't think any of you will be leaving," Aro answered.