Bella
"NO!" Caius roared. "Never!"
I resisted any facial expression whatsoever. "Why me?"
Caius' hand curled around my arm and he bared his shining white teeth at the Romanian vampire, Stefan.
Stefan simply smiled from his seat in front of Aro's desk, which Aro sat behind scowling. "I heard much…chatter tonight, between the guests, that you are the best fighter the Volturi has seen in many years."
I stood silently for a moment, taking in the proposition, whilst Caius put his body before mine protectively.
"My wife will be going nowhere with the likes of you," Caius snarled.
My limitless brain was on overload. The ball had been practically disbanded, Aro's study had been turned into the Volturi-Romanian relations office, and Stefan had listed me in the party he wished to go back to Romania with him.
The question remained: why?
I was good at fighting, I knew that, but I had hardly any practical experience and definitely not with werewolves – real ones that is, as Caius had informed me, not 'shape-shifters' like the Quileute boys.
Without any ado whatsoever, I focused my gaze on Stefan's dark red eyes and finally slipped inside his mind.
I was gentle, careful not to deliberately or 'loudly' think, and his gaze did not waver from me – he hadn't realised what I was doing.
His mind was dark, clouded by a veil of hate and…something I couldn't name. I tentatively pushed away the tendrils of silver smoke rising and falling in the black space, blindly reaching into his consciousness.
A name resonated in his mind – Vladimir… Everything else was strangely dark to me.
I pulled myself from him and pressed a calming hand to Caius' back – he noticeably relaxed at my touch, but stayed firm in his position in front of me.
Aro's gaze locked with mine, silently questioning me.
I decided to speak aloud. "How many of the Romanian coven are there?"
Aro stiffened, and tension chilled the air – obviously, no one had truly considered where his 'brother' was. It astounded me.
"Two," Caius murmured, breaking the sudden and deafening silence.
"The other's called Vladimir, right?"
My husband nodded.
I turned my gaze to Stefan. "Where is he?"
He stared for a moment, presumably trying to work out where I had gotten the name from, before turning back to Aro.
"I assure you, he is not here."
Aro didn't look impressed. "You would come alone? I think not. Where is he?"
Stefan sighed. "A town just over the hills. He's waiting for my signal."
"Which is?" Aro asked impatiently, standing from his seat.
"I call him," Stefan replied plainly. "He has a cellular phone."
I tuned out Aro's and Stefan's voices, listening to the faint footfalls I could hear leading up to the door – they were quiet and numerous…
I opened the door to her and smiled wearily. "Jane."
She tipped her head backwards, indicating she wanted me to step outside. I sent Caius a small smile, before slipping out of the room and silently shutting the door behind me.
"Bella," she sighed. "I need your help."
I nodded. "Of course. What is it?"
Her eyes darted to Aro's study, behind the door of which raised voices were sounding. I took the hint and stepped away, taking Jane's elbow and leading her down the nearest corridor until we came out on an empty hallway – it was dusty, disused-looking and lined with small alcoves.
I turned to her, entering her mind. "Go on."
"Sulpicia is missing."
My dead heart jolted as sudden panic gripped me, and I had to press a hand to my mouth to stop any noise escaping me.
Missing… 'Missing' could mean anything. Sulpicia could have gone to the gardens, wanted to visit other places in the castle, tried to find one of us…or something bad could have happened. One thing I knew was that she wasn't in any fit state to leave her room, and Sulpicia knew it.
"She's blind," I whispered inside Jane's mind. "She knows she's weak at the moment."
Jane's gaze held mine in a powerful grip. "I went to her room with fresh blood as per Carlisle's schedule. She wasn't there, the windows were open…and there was a scent."
"Whose?"
"A Romanian's."
I stared. "Stefan's in Aro's office. He told us that Vladimir was a town over."
"That may be true, but he has Sulpicia with him." Jane's eyes darkened. "He's taken her."
My mind suddenly cleared. The fog of information that had overtaken it previously fell to the wayside and gave me a very clear goal – find her…
Jane watched me carefully, sensing the shifting in the air. "You're going?"
"Of course."
"Good. So am I."
I didn't question it. Jane had previously proven herself to be perfect as my right-hand in any situation.
"We'll run – leave our scents if they're needed. We won't raise the alarm. Stefan could warn Vladimir," I told her as we automatically made our way to Aro and Sulpicia's chambers.
The doors were closed, presumably to keep the scent of the kidnapper inside. One quick look at Jane confirmed the thought, and she pushed the doors open without any preamble.
I closed them behind us.
Jane immediately led me to the tall curtained windows that led out onto the balcony – the thick and heavy drapes were hardly moving in the breeze, but they seemed to shift ominously.
As Jane flung back the material, I took my first breath.
The open windows framed night-time Volterra, and the orange glow that it cast seemed to match the scent that invaded my nostrils. It was warm and summery, musky with an edge to it that suggested sweetness, and it was mixed with Sulpicia's sharper and more feminine scent.
I crouched and ran my fingertips over the floor, looking for a fresher trail – preferably something that had come in contact with skin. I was working under the assumption that Vladimir was barefoot – it was the most comfortable and subtle way for a vampire to travel quickly.
My efforts proved fruitful – a tiny dusting of dirt sprinkled the floor, a footprint cast into it.
I swiped my fingers through the sand-coloured particles and lifted them to my face. I felt like a bloodhound, sniffing out the prey, and Jane soon joined me in my crouch.
She leaned in to take in Vladimir's stronger scent, and murmured softly, "He would have left through the main gate. It's unguarded at this time of night."
With that, we stood and strode out onto the balcony.
I looked over the edge, seeing the glowing streets of Volterra shine up at me like blazing trails of fire. My mind was determining the best route down and to the gates without being spotted – we were still in our ball garb.
Jane pointed to the nearest street, where the glass of a single lamp had been shattered and the pieces lay strewn across the cobbles.
I nodded.
We descended, Jane slipping over the balcony edge first with me following after her. It was hardly any effort at all to drop down in the air and land silently in the tiny backstreet.
We crouched, listening for any nearby humans, before standing and slinking forwards. It was easy enough making our way through the town unseen – it was reasonably late, and the hearts echoing around us were slow and sleepy in their beating.
Eventually, we made it out of Volterra through the main gate, and scenting the air indicated that Jane's prediction had been correct – Vladimir had exited the same way.
We followed his trail, picking up speed as we realised that he didn't have a vehicle of any kind and that his scent was as fresh and strong as it could be even with the mild winds.
"The plan?" Jane asked, and I smirked slightly.
"When we find them, you take him down with your power and I'll physically subdue him."
Jane nodded as we breached a long line of tall trees lining a dirt track. Vladimir's scent was so strong that it completely engulfed Sulpicia's, and I wondered whether I was just going blind to all other smells – only Vladimir truly registered.
The top of a town peeked over the hill the dirt track led over, and Jane and I wasted no time in flitting over the horizon. Sloping terracotta roofs met our gaze, with crumbling stucco walls barely holding them aloft.
"There was a fire, a long time ago," Jane informed me through our link. "No one has claimed the town since. It's deserted."
We slowly descended the dirt track into the small town, our eyes flickering over every exposed inch of the buildings – they were here somewhere.
"Search for their minds, Bella," Jane suggested, and I immediately pulled from her space to look.
There was a soft humming calling me towards the south end of the town, but there was a louder and more insistent buzz dragging me northwards. Their minds were nothing but noise, and I had to wonder at what power was defeating mine.
I slipped into Jane's mind again. "There are two people here, but I can't properly focus on either. Something's blocking me."
She nodded. "Which way?"
"You go south. I'll go north."
We silently parted at a broken-down, smoke-blackened bakery, each taking our own route.
I took in Vladimir's scent once more, finding it still with Sulpicia's though only one mind lay up ahead. He must have doubled back, crossing and confusing their scents – he had expected to be found.
My senses heightened, listening to birds flying way-off and breezes blowing through the deserted streets of the town. My skin crawled in anticipation, and my veins seemed to sing with the ghost of the adrenaline that should have been running through them.
I passed the ruins of a small house, feeling the buzzing growing louder, and automatically looked to my left.
A barefoot man stood among the rubble, his head cocked in curiosity and his fingers twitching as if readying them for use. His long blonde hair fell over his shoulder like silk, contrasting starkly with his black shirt and pants. His skin was pale, almost chalky, and from his open collar I could see a few jagged scars running down his neck.
His red eyes bored a hole into me. "Your name."
I tried to press myself into his mind, but it was so…foggy – just like Stefan's, except even more so.
What is with them?
I decided to play. "Bella."
His mouth curled upwards at one corner. "How very apt. You are quite stunning, you know. Especially in that dress."
His eyes raked me, but his gaze wasn't hot and heavy like Stefan's – he seemed more detached, appreciative but politely so.
I wondered at him, but I still decided to set him straight. "My husband thinks so, too."
He fully smiled. "Most beauties are married. Attractiveness is a valuable commodity – even in our world, where all of us are perfected by our venom."
"I'm not something to be traded and paid for."
His stance did not relax, but he seemed as though he was much more…interested than wary.
"You come from Volterra."
I raised an eyebrow at his statement.
He smirked. "I can smell the stench of the Volturi on your skin…not to mention you wear their mark."
His eyes flickered to my chest and the weight of my Volturi pendant pressed into my skin.
I flashed him a smile, taking the opportunity and showing my teeth in warning. "I forgot it was there."
He took a step forward. I took a step back.
"How old are you?" He asked.
"Eighteen," was my automatic answer.
He shook his head, smiling again, as he took a small step to the left. "How long have you been an immortal?"
I took a step to the right. "Long enough."
Vladimir breathed deeply. "You are fresh. I can still smell your blood-scent."
We continued to move, circling each other slowly.
"The Volturi do not give their pendants to the unworthy," he murmured. "What do you bring to their table – your gift, young Bella? I can tell you have one."
I didn't answer his question, I simply asked my own. "Why did you take Sulpicia?"
"To ensure my brother's success."
I frowned at him. "You realise that once Sulpicia is returned, Stefan will be killed and you will be hunted. There will be no force going to Romania."
"The cripple will be returned once the problem in my country has been solved," he said, and I realised he expected to win this fight.
I shook my head, a wicked smirk curling my lips. "I'm better than you think. You won't be leaving here with her, and you'll regret being disrespectful."
Vladimir sighed. "Young one, you expect too much. This shall be over in a matter of seconds."
"For you," I growled, and dodged his flying leap with my unnatural grace.
His speed was practically mesmerising, with his shining blonde tendrils flicking out every which way, but my speed was unbelievable. His eyes widened a fraction as I spun around behind him and sent a blow flying into his spine.
Vladimir arched and growled in pain, and I took a chance at his exposed neck. My arm circled it and pulled back hard, whilst my teeth automatically sought out purchase against his flesh.
He had been dazed, but not beaten. His shoulder swooped down, loosening my hold before knocking me back a few feet.
I crouched in the shadows that the night offered, and Vladimir met my position with one of his own. His crouch was lithe and graceful, dropping into it as if he were seamlessly transforming from man to beast.
"You were right, Bella. You are better than I thought," he breathed, and a soft midnight breeze carried his words off and away above the battered rooftops.
I bared my teeth and leapt.
Vladimir just barely caught me, and, thrusting the heel of his hand out, knocked me off course. I caught myself, twisting upright just in time to land on the base of a broken stone pillar.
Vladimir smiled up at me from his crouch, parting his knees to rest his left hand flat on the rubble-strewn floor between them whilst his right hand sat on his knee. He cocked his head at me once more, his hair swaying in a breeze.
"You look like you belong there, stood on a pedestal." His eyes practically twinkled. "Perhaps that is your place in the Volturi – window-dressing."
"I don't fight like window-dressing," I simply said.
"No. You fight like a natural." He scanned me. "But you dress like a queen… Perhaps you are Caius' latest conquest. My brother and I heard that Athenodora had been dismissed and another wife had been taken."
I said nothing. I simply stood there and waited for Vladimir to finish his more detailed perusal of me.
"You seem far too good for the Volturi to me," he said, and I shook my head.
"Wrong." I smiled. "I'm perfect for them."
I jumped, twisting in the air and taking him by the neck down to the ground. I pinned him there, my forearm pressed to his throat.
It was just as I went for his hands, to take them into one of mine and hold them down, that a horribly familiar scream rent the air – Sulpicia…
I turned, instinctively, toward the sound, and as I did so one of Vladimir's large hands came up to my face.
I flung myself back, my eyes wide, as he pushed a thin glass vial into my mouth. I went to tip my head down to get rid of it, but as I did his hands forcibly slammed my jaw shut.
The glass cracked, the stoppered top of the vial falling to the stone floor with a tinkling sound and leaving the rest of the tube in my closed mouth, and I felt liquid heat running down my throat. The glass melted as venom bubbled up my throat and came in contact with it.
I struggled, my mind trying to break its way into Vladimir's, but he was too strong somehow and my body suddenly felt weak. My arms dropped to my sides without my permission as the liquid hit something inside of me.
"Sleep, Bella," he practically crooned, his voice soft and velvety. "The wolf blood will wear off soon enough."
My vision clouded, my brain becoming foggy, and I blindly reached out to Jane.
Where is she?
I touched her mind, barely brushing it with my fingertips, and found it in some kind of lull.
I fell…
Caius
Stefan had always been an untrustworthy snake – even though the Volturi and the Romanians had always been enemies, vying for power, the Romanians had always been corrupt and dangerous in their powerful seat. None more so that Stefan, the man sat regally in front of me as if he still owned the throne of our world.
I looked up at Aro and found him scowling at the man. The deal was practically done, half of our best fighters going to aid Stefan and Vladimir in their plight – excluding Isabella, with myself going in her place.
I would not let my wife, my mate, take on that danger. She was capable, yes, but nothing could ever make me have her in that situation – wolves were difficult to tame at the best of times, and Stefan had told us that since their near-extinction they had grown even wilder.
I looked to Marcus – he seemed far-away.
I waited to speak with him until Aro had finished the deal with Stefan and the Romanian was shown to his temporary quarters. As some of the Guard left, escorting Stefan, I stepped over to my eldest brother and caught his gaze. His eyes were troubled.
"What is it, Marcus?" I asked, and I saw Aro pause at his desk out of the corner of my eye.
"Brother?" Aro questioned.
Marcus shook his head, frowning. "Something is wrong."
I turned my head to meet Aro's confused gaze.
Aro turned to Marcus. "Is it to do with going to Romania?"
"No," Marcus answered softly.
A tug pulled below my breastbone and I wondered at it, trying not to smile – that small bond, that instinct, connected me to my beloved and just the thought of hearing her voice once more had my mind clouded with nothing but her. Marcus seemed secondary.
As Aro questioned my other brother, I decided to step out and find my wife.
I made quick work of the hallways and passages leading to our room, and a bright spark of anticipation burned within me at the thought that she was so close. And yet…
I slowed my pace, hearing nothing sounding from our room. As I opened the door, I found that her scent was not recent and still entwined with Jane's.
Our studio was my next port of call, but upon opening the door I found that it was disappointingly empty as well.
I searched the obvious places – the throne room, the feeding room, the gardens…but she was nowhere to be found.
It was as I made my way back to Aro's study, thinking to ask my brothers whether they knew of Isabella's whereabouts, that her scent hit me.
I smiled, and began following her trail down a long disused corridor.
It became apparent, as I traced her route, that she was still with Jane and they were both heading towards Aro and Sulpicia's chambers. I thought fondly of my Isabella's kindness and her shows of genuine affection towards Sulpicia – it had always been a wish of Aro's that our wives would care for one another as much as we brothers did, and Athenodora had never truly fit with Didyme and Sulpicia. She was heartless.
But Isabella? She was thoughtful, and sweet, and each smile she bestowed was worth as much as a mountain of diamonds and rubies.
I came upon the doors to Aro and Sulpicia's chambers, and I knocked three times. No one answered.
I had been stuck in my dream-like state long enough not to realise that the room was as empty as our own. I opened the door silently and found that not even Sulpicia resided inside.
It troubled me. Greatly.
I immediately turned and headed for Aro's study, hoping that he would have an answer to my queries.
When I opened the door, both he and Marcus looked up and I could tell that neither of them knew that Sulpicia was not in her room, where she was meant to be until she regained her health.
I held out my hand to Aro, thinking it quicker than explaining.
He took my fingers with his and closed his eyes. His brow furrowed dramatically as he read my thoughts and memories, and when he released my hand and stood I knew that Marcus' premonition was correct.
Something was wrong.
Marcus watched as Aro tore from the room. "What is it?"
"Sulpicia, she is not in her room, and I cannot find Isabella."
Marcus gasped suddenly, clutching his chest. "Isabella!"
I rushed forward, gripping my brother's shoulder and holding him up against the wall. "Marcus? What is it?"
"She's…" He stared at me blindly. "Her cord has been cut. I cannot see her!"
My world crumbled around me.
Following in Aro's footsteps, I tore from his office and after him.
My dead heart pounded – it can't be true; where is she?
I found Aro at the open window in his room, clutching the drapes in his fists.
I took a deep breath, preparing to throw a barrage of questions at him, when something stopped me dead. It was a scent.
A familiar one.
"Vladimir," I growled.
Aro turned, shredding the thick and heavy material in his grasp like it was nothing but air. His eyes were black, his face a mask of pure rage.
"I have had to watch my wife burn before my very eyes. Isabella caught the man who committed that crime, and I have doubt that she has gone after the one who committed this. If Vladimir has taken Sulpicia from me, there will soon be two in the dungeons awaiting my wrath."
Rage poured from my very soul, searing my veins and burning my heart.
Vladimir was not a man to be toyed with, just like his brother, and if I found that any harm had come to Isabella or Sulpicia because of his actions I would end him.
I considered simply tearing his head from his shoulders the next time I saw his face, saving us the time of holding a trial. It would be a useless procedure – the Romanian scum would soon be exterminated, no matter the consequences.
I turned, readying myself to find Demetri, only to see the tracker among a number of the Guard already at the doors of Aro's room.
"Bring Stefan. Find Vladimir," I commanded, before my eyes alighted on Alec. "The Queens are in danger, as is your sister."
Alec took in the scents swirling in the room, and the combination turned his eyes black with rage. My reflection in them showed mine to be the same, and I hoped that they would the last thing the Romanians ever saw.
'Throwdown' – Motion City Soundtrack
To be lost in a state of confusion,
No sense of direction, you can't be found.
Far from the truth of the slim and shady youth,
But it's all the same.
It's all the same to me.
That's what you say when you've fallen down,
That's what you say when you throw down with me.
That's what you say when you've fallen down,
That's what you get when you throw down with me.
With open arms you embrace abrasive action,
You welcome verbal violence, your thoughts unsound.
You wear the message on your face,
I'll wipe it off without a trace.
'Cause I'm all the rage,
Yeah, I'm all the rage again.
That's what you say when you've fallen down,
That's what you say when you throw down with me.
That's what you say when you've fallen down,
That's what you get when you throw down with me.
If you could see that it's all the same to me,
I can't believe you can mean those things you say.
But the harder I keep running…
The harder I keep running, the more you waste my time.
Don't look now, but your friends are not around,
To protect the words they gave you, to be just like them.
You say the words, "Fuck you,"
And, yeah, I've got a message, too.
"Hey, we're all the same,
"We're all the same as you."
That's what you say when you've fallen down,
That's what you say when you throw down with me.
That's what you say when you've fallen down,
That's what you get when you throw down with me.
If you could see that it's all the same to me,
I can't believe you can mean those things you say.
I can't believe the things you say…
I can't believe the things you say!
I can't believe the things you say.
But the harder I keep running…
The harder I keep running, the more you waste my time.
If we can't get along, we'll have to find a middle-ground.
If we can agree that we disagree about the same things,
We believe to be true.
From me to you, nothing but messages and paper planes,
Members only, and memories end in the end.
The end!
If you could see that it's all the same to me,
I can't believe you can mean those things you say.
But the harder I keep running…
The harder I keep running, the more you waste my time.
To be lost in a state of confusion,
No sense of direction, you can't be found.
Far from the truth of the slim and shady youth,
But it's all the same.
It's all the same to me.
That's what you say when you've fallen down,
That's what you say when you throw down with me.
That's what you say when you've fallen down,
That's what you get when you throw down with me.
Author's Note: *Phew* Took me a while to write that one. Let me know what you think! (: I love hearing from you guys, your responses have been amazing! Also, I've got a blog up and running – it's not perfect, but I've been posting and stuff (: Check it out and follow if you wanna! wwhscrapbook (dot) blogspot (dot) com