The next few days were tense and torturously slow. Stefan and Vladimir kept their distance though Evangeline caught them staring quite often. Respect and even longing filled their gazes though she didn't understand why. She meant to approach Edward about it but Benjamin's mate Tia came to her first. Her expression was solemn, worried, and friendly all at once.
"I have overheard the Romanians speaking of you. I cannot be sure but I believe they have a plan to steal you from the Volturi. If it comes to a fight they will incapacitate your mate, whoever he is, and take him from the battle. They plan to use him against you as a bargaining chip if the Cullens lose. Destroying the Volturi would be easy for one with your gift, they know this."
Evangeline nodded, eyeing the woman suspiciously. The two had never really spoken before and this sudden helpfulness made her cautious. Then she whispered her next words so quietly that Tia had to strain to hear it.
"Thank you for warning me but I sense you want to ask for something in return. What is it?" Evangeline had never been one for subtlety.
"I love Benjamin with every piece of my soul. I do not wish him to be used as a weapon. He is more than his power, you all are. Swear to me that you will do what you can to keep him from the Volturi." Evangeline smiled and unexpectedly hugged the woman.
"I give you my word that the Volturi will never have you or Benjamin."
After a second of hesitation Tia returned the gesture, whispering her thanks. The two separated then walked away like nothing had happened. Over the next few days Alistair left, most of the vampires committed to fighting if necessary, Bella disappeared on some unknown errand, and Evangeline became distant. The pain in her chest was nearly unbearable now and it brought her previous concerns to the forefront of her mind. Could she fight against her coven, her friends, her mate?
Finally on the night before New Year's Eve the large gathering moved to the spacious empty field that Alice had seen the Volturi in. Wanting to keep the mood up for Renesmee's sake, Jacob quickly collected wood for a fire. Benjamin used his gift to light it and they soon had a roaring fire going. Slowly but surely the other vampires gathered around and began telling various stories. Evangeline had joined them, not wanting to be apart from her sister and niece, and listened to the tales with rapt attention. At one point Garrett invited her to share a story with them.
"Well I haven't been with the Volturi long enough to have seen any action. I did get kidnapped just before my change was supposed to happen though." There were a few gasps and everyone looked intrigued. She quickly told the story but neglected to mention Felix's name. These people already mistrusted the Volturi and Felix, known as the Volturi's executioner, was unlikely to be favored by them.
The night passed slowly, full of laughter and friendship. Everyone took the early pre-dawn hours to go for one final hunt. An elderly man taking an early morning run, easily lured by Evangeline's exquisite beauty, became her unfortunate victim. She took a moment to bury him deep in the forest on her way back; the others had returned by the time she arrived. They stood in a loose formation of a line with most of the Cullens furthest forward in the center. Bella stood slightly behind, Renesmee on her back, and her twin joined but kept herself hidden behind Emmett's bulk.
"If Aro sees me right away he'd begin the attack just to make me stop it, knowing him. If they don't already know I'm here, perhaps the shock of seeing me will be enough to stop them." Her words cleared the confusion from Emmett's face. Rosalie reached behind her and squeezed the woman's hand, a silent gesture of support. Evangeline had confided to the blonde goddess how much she missed her mate and how difficult the thought of fighting him was.
The clearing was completely silent aside from the heartbeats of the wolves and Renesmee. Edward suddenly hissed lowly and they knew the Volturi were close. Hidden behind Emmett's bulk, Evangeline couldn't see their advance, only hear the synchronicity of their steps. She knew what would happen now, having been trained for this exact formation. The formation of the line, the unending march, then the unstoppable slaughter. Short comments came from Garrett then the Romanians but nobody acknowledged them.
"Alistair was right." Edward's whisper to Carlisle broke the silence. "They - Aro and Caius - come to destroy and acquire. They have many layers of strategy already in place. If Irina's accusation had somehow proven false, they were committed to find another reason to take offense. But they can see Renesmee now so they are perfectly sanguine about their course. We could still attempt to defend against their other contrived charges but first they have to stop, to hear the truth about Renesmee. Which they have no intention of doing."
Several things happened at once in the next moment. Jacob, hulking in his wolf form, gave a strange huff then the rest of the wolves emerged into the clearing, Evangeline stepped out of Emmett's shadow to take her sister's hand, and the Volturi finally halted their death march. An outraged hiss traveled through the otherwise stoic guard once Evangeline made her presence known. Aro and Caius flickered their gazes across the line, pausing momentarily on the twins before moving elsewhere. They looked disappointed to find Alice missing from the group.
"They're not sure how to proceed. They don't like the thought of fighting Evangeline. They're weighing options, choosing key targets…" Edward's voice faded into the background as Evangeline spotted Felix in the front line. Their eyes met and she was unsurprised to find his filled with anger and betrayal.
Her gift was still attached to him, keeping the memory of her departure from his mind. He likely thought she had simply disappeared and left him. To see her here, standing with his enemies, was a huge blow for him. Unable to stand the expression on his handsome face, especially being aimed at her, Evangeline dropped the connection to his memories then watched as the memory of that day came back to him. Confusion, shock then finally horror crossed his face and his entire body tensed.
The realization that he had driven her away, refused to stand with her, hit him harder than a freight train. His mate had begged him to run with her, not to the aid of her sister but away from the entire conflict. Without the anger to cloud his thoughts the pain of their separation slammed into his chest. His eyes rolled upwards at the agony but his locked muscles kept him upright. At the same time, Evangeline whimpered softly as her own pain increased. They were physically so close but on opposite sides of an invisible line.
So lost in their pain and revelations, neither took much notice of Irina's demise. Their brains catalogued the event but it didn't shift their focus from each other. They stayed lost in each other's eyes until another whimper, this time from Esme, broke the woman's concentration. Edward was crossing the field toward Aro when Evangeline felt Bella's grip tighten minutely. Using their connection, she knew her sister had finally discovered the true extent of her gift.
Shifting her eyes back to her mate, she knew he would be able to read the warning in them. His gaze flicked to Bella then back to Evangeline and he nodded once. The Cullens had a trick up their sleeves, Felix just didn't know what it was. His expression changed, morphed into something soft and heart wrenchingly open, and the woman knew he was begging for her forgiveness. A loud cacophony of snarls and hisses interrupted and they both finally focused on the events happening around them.
"Perhaps you should bring a few members of your guard with us. It will make them more comfortable." Aro nodded at Edward's words, snapped his fingers twice, then called for Felix and Demetri who were at his side instantaneously. The group walked to the middle of the space between the two forces and halted.
"Bella, bring Renesmee...and a few friends."
"Jacob? Emmett? Eves?" All three nodded and the two men flanked the twins immediately. The guard rumbled in distaste at the choices but Aro waved their concerns away. Demetri commented to Edward about his choice of friends, Felix merely kept his eyes on Evangeline. They stopped a few yards away and Edward quickly joined them.
As Aro spoke to Bella then her daughter, Evangeline looked past Felix to Alec and Jane. She expected to find anger in their faces but only saw understanding. Now that they knew where she had gone, they couldn't blame her for it; they would do the same for each other instantly. Twins were a special kind of connection that nobody else understood. She smiled at them then turned her attention back to her mate.
There were only a few yards between them but it may as well have been miles. One of them would have to cross a line, give something up, if they wanted to be reunited. They both knew that fighting each other would be impossible and they would destroy any who touched the other. The wolves growled at Aro's thoughts of guard dogs, interrupting their moment. Seconds later Aro excused himself to confer with Marcus and Caius. He hadn't even looked at Evangeline.
Edward tugged gently at the back of Evangeline's shirt to get her to move. The guard was moving to Aro instead of him going back to them, she needed to move. The woman's eyes flickered to Aro, back to Edward, then settled on Felix again. She held her hand out to him in a silent offer. His next choice is completely his own. Whether he went with her now or returned to his duty with the guard would determine the true strength of their bond.
Her bright eyes begged him to come with her, to choose her. The entirety of her expression asked if he would stay with her, practically screamed the question. Felix didn't even hesitate. The hulking vampire took a step forward and, as he took his mate's hand, the other hand reached up to unclasp the gray cloak around his neck. It fluttered to the ground as Felix Volturi took Evangeline's hand and walked with her to the Cullen side of the clearing.