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Chapter 26
Jane stepped into the room and began to greet the other members of Charlie's family. One by one, they grasped her ruby colored gloved hand, and expressed their pleasure at seeing her again.
From my chair, I could see Jane attempting to get a look at me. I felt a pit of fear in my stomach, and I wasn't sure why. Instinctively, the four members of Bella's family stepped closer to me, as if they were trying to keep themselves between the tiny girl and me. I could almost feel the tension rolling off of Bella as she moved herself even closer. The girl was too small to see over the family's shoulders, so she continued to move around them, trying to get a better view of me.
"Stand up, please, Edward," Bella said softly, evidently figuring she'd rather give Jane the view of me she was so obviously after than continue to allow her to try and get closer to me. I obliged, and pushed myself up out of the chair, running my hand through my hair as I met the tiny vampire's gaze.
She smiled, her teeth dazzling in their brilliance. I shivered slightly. There was something unsettling and slightly menacing just under the surface of her smile.
"You must be Edward," she said, narrowing her eyes as she looked me up and down slowly. "James didn't mention how…appealing you are…"
The growling snarl that snapped and ripped through Bella was so loud and fierce it startled me. I wasn't sure if it was in response to the comment about James, or about me being appealing. I wasn't even sure what Jane meant by appealing, but I was sure I didn't want to find out.
At the sound, Jane turned and looked at Bella. She narrowed her eyes threateningly for a moment before composing her face and smiling patronizingly at Bella.
"Now, Now, Bella. You need to control your temper. Don't you think you're in enough trouble as it is without losing control and doing something…rash?" she said, running her gloved hands over the front of her traveling cloak, smoothing out invisible wrinkles. I felt my own temper rise as the girl taunted Bella. Who the hell did this girl think she was?
"Excuse me…Jane is it? I'm not sure who you are, or what you are talking about. Do you mind explaining to me why it is you think Bella's in trouble? She hasn't done anything wrong," I called over the Swan family's shoulders.
Before the words left my mouth, Bella had whipped around to face me. In no time she was next to me, leaning up on her toes to whisper roughly into my ear. "Edward, you need to control yourself. This one isn't like James. The repercussions of angering her are far more serious…for all of us." She pulled away and looked into my eyes, her own ochre ones pleading and desperate.
I clenched my jaw and sighed. "Fine," I hissed. "But I don't like not knowing what's going on."
Across the room, Jane began to laugh. The sound caused the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. Bella gave me one last pleading look. I nodded, and she closed her eyes. I watched her shoulders rise and fall once as she took a small breath, obviously attempting to regain her composure before she turned back around to face Jane.
"You're right, of course, Jane. Losing tempers will help no one, will it?" Bella's voice was smooth and even, but I thought I could hear a slight warning layered in her tone before she continued. "Why don't we sit and discuss the situation." Bella smiled tightly and gestured to the large plush couches.
As the rest of the group proceeded to file into the large living room, Bella grabbed my hand and held me back.
"Edward, please let us handle this. I promise, everything will be fine; but the last thing we need is Jane upset. Trust me," she hissed.
I nodded. I wasn't stupid enough to think that this little girl who, for whatever reason made the Swans all so tense and edgy was someone I would want to piss off. I understood Bella's concern about my control; after all, the last time the Swans had an unexpected visitor I had punched him in the face.
Bella and I entered the large room as everyone was settling tensely into the couches, nervous and false smiles plastered on all of their faces. Who was this girl who had all of the Swans so anxious? The only person in the room who looked calm and relaxed was Jane. She smiled serenely at the family, and her smile, while bright and cheerful on the surface, held a menacing threat just underneath.
Bella pulled me along beside her and sat down, placing herself between Jane and me. Jane looked between Bella and me and smiled sweetly.
"Well, I'm sure you're all curious as to why the Volturi has sent me here," Jane said, slowly pulling the gloves that matched her eyes off her fingers. Her hands were tiny and pale, and each one was dotted with a blood red nail. She folded her hands across her legs.
"We are always happy to welcome old friends, but we are a bit curious as to what necessitates your visit," Renee said quietly from her place by Charlie's side.
"The Volturi have received a complaint about your family, Charlie," Jane said.
"I see. May I ask who made this complaint?" Charlie asked politely. As he gazed at Jane I already knew the answer.
Jane leveled her gaze at Bella as she spoke. "I believe it's an old...friend...of yours, Bella. You remember James, don't you?" It made perfect sense. Somehow he knew that Bella was back, and this was his way of punishing her for it.
"James is upset that I do not return the feelings he still harbors for me. Surely the Volturi can see past false accusations made for the sake of nursing injured egos," Bella said coolly, meeting Jane's gaze evenly.
Jane narrowed her eyes at Bella, and her expression was one of pure annoyance. She pursed her lips for a moment, attempting to suppress the cruel smile that threatened to erupt across her face.
"While that may be true, Bella, in this instance it appears James' assertion is true."
"Really? And what does James say?" Bella said, her voice slightly less assured than it had been a moment ago.
Finally, Jane let the cruel smile break through as she spoke. "James claimed that there is a human living amongst your family who knows too much of our world." Her eyes moved slowly to me, and she raised an eyebrow.
I felt a ripple of fear as I realized that I was the cause of her visit. I didn't understand much else of what she had said, but it was clear that she was here because of me. The room was silent for too many moments.
At last, when I could take no more of the tense quiet, I sighed, "Does someone want to explain to me what is going on? What is the Vol... whatever?"
"He doesn't know about the Volturi?" Jane's laugh was loud and shrill. She looked back and forth at the members of the Swan family, finally settling on Bella.
"He really doesn't know that much," Bella said quietly, eyes downcast.
"It doesn't matter, Bella, and you know it. You broke the rules. He knows too much." Jane's words were fast and venomous.
"What rules?" I hissed in frustration, grabbing Bella's arm, trying to force her to look at me. "Bella, please explain to me what is going on?" I pleaded, my voice softer now.
Bella turned towards me and placed a hand on either side of my face. She cast a quick look at Jane before she began speaking.
"Edward, the Volturi are the ruling class of our kind. They make and enforce the rules." She paused and looked again at Jane. "Of which there is only one: keep the secret. We are not supposed to tell humans about our existence."
"Oh..." I said obtusely as understanding finally dawned.
Jane laughed again. Unlike the laughs of other vampires I had met, it was grating and not at all pleasant. Perhaps that had something to do with the fact that she only seemed to laugh at the expense of others. "Yes, Edward; 'Oh.' Now you see the problem. Your girlfriend and her family have let you in on all their secrets. And now..." she trailed off, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head slowly.
"Okay, so what? It's not like I'm going to tell anyone!" I cried, looking back and forth at the faces of all the vampires around me for support. Only Jane met my eyes, but her gaze was the opposite of supportive.
"It doesn't matter, Edward. You know too much. The Volturri's laws are very clear and must be followed." Her voice was flat and hard.
"We're going to change him," Bella cut in and her voice was low and quiet.
"What?" Jane hissed, her eyes narrowing as they flashed to Bella.
"Edward is going to become one of us," Bella said, meeting Jane's angry glare evenly. "So there's no need for anyone to be alarmed."
"That doesn't change anything, Bella. The rules have still been broken and I've been given orders to follow—"
"Jane, let's not be rash," Charlie's voice broke in unexpectedly. "If Bella agrees to change Edward, then they'll be no reason for the Volturi to get involved. I'm sure that our old friends would not want you to make a false accusation. I know Aro especially would be upset if he learned afterward that there was more to the story than what you told him. Perhaps you want to make a phone call to inform them of the newest developments." It was the most words I had ever heard Charlie speak, and I was surprised by how sure and commanding his voice sounded.
Jane glared for a moment at Charlie. Her eyes glowed a darker burgundy and her face became a mask of concentration. I was so engrossed by her expression, and the change that came over her face, that Bella's angry growl surprised me.
"Don't even think about it, Jane," she warned quietly from my side.
Jane's face twisted into an angry sneer, and she took in several furious breaths before speaking in a low tone. "Ah, yes. Your shield. How convenient for you." Her tone was mocking.
I realized with a start that Jane must have some sort of extra ability that Bella had just protected Charlie from. I couldn't imagine what it might be, though. Jane had not so much as moved a muscle, but something beyond my senses had obviously just occurred.
Before I could ask any questions, Jane sprung lithely off of the couch.
"Excuse me. I need to make a phone call," Jane said crisply as she began moving toward the front door in a slightly faster than human pace. I heard the front door click shut, and whirled around to look at Bella.
"What the hell is going on?" I hissed furiously.
Bella closed her eyes and it looked like she might cry, if she was able, that is.
"The Volturi have very strict laws about this kind of thing. It's their job to enforce order among our kind. They have an elite guard, which they dispatch where needed to investigate charges and reports of indiscretions amongst vampires. Jane is one of the Volturi guard." Bella paused and looked up at me before continuing, "Each member of the guard has a special gift. Jane has the ability to telepathically inflict pain on others."
My eyes widened and my stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought.
"She tried to do that to Charlie just now, didn't she?" I whispered hoarsely. Bella nodded in confirmation. "But you shielded him."
There was a flash of pain in her eyes. She paused and her eyes darted quickly toward the front door for a moment before she leaned in and pressed her cold lips to my ear.
"She doesn't know that I can't shield you and I don't want to give her any reason to find out." Her words were a cool breath that tickled my ear. They were barely audible and as comprehension dawned, I realized why. She didn't want Jane to hear her. I hoped the distance would be enough to overcome the small vampire's super sensitive hearing. I shuddered involuntarily before nodding.
I sat back and tried to control my erratic heart beat and shallow breathing. I knew that Bella's shield couldn't protect me, but somewhere in the back of my mind I had always trusted the physical abilities of my vampires to protect me. The thought of danger that could affect me mentally, and was beyond the realm of their considerable arsenal of physical weapons made my blood run cold.
"What are our chances?" Bella asked quietly, turning to Charlie.
Charlie rubbed his chin for a moment, his moustache twitching as he thought about Bella's question.
"It's hard to say. The Volturi will not want to do anything that is not justified, especially Aro. Marcus will not want to bother with any of it, but Caius will be proud and not want to admit any wrong doing on their part. We will need to convince them that Edward is really going to become a vampire, and that he will pose no problem or threat until then." He paused and looked significantly at Bella. "It will need to be soon though, Bella."
She hesitated for a moment, and then nodded resolutely. We sat in silence for a moment until we heard the click of the front door. Jane breezed into the room and returned to the seat she had previously occupied. My heart sunk at the smug expression on her face.
"Well, after conferring with Aro, Caius, and Marcus, it seems that they would like some more information about the situation." Her smile was sugar sweet, but it was clear to see the vindictive pleasure she took out of the predicament she was placing us in. "They will be visiting shortly. I've been instructed to remind you to keep your shield in check, Bella," Jane said, her tone acidic.
"All three of them?" Charlie asked incredulously. I looked around at the faces of the other vampires in the room. All of them seemed to wear various expressions of shock and dismay at Jane's words.
There were more vampires like Jane coming here? Ones who would be deciding my fate? I suddenly felt numb, and my head began to swim with thoughts that I couldn't process quickly enough.
"Yes, well, as you pointed out, the Volturi prefer to examine all sides of a situation before making a decision," Jane said, brusquely. "They will be here next week. I assume I am welcome in your home until then." She gave Charlie another saccharine smile.
However, it was Renee who cleared her throat politely and spoke. "Actually, Jane, your...uh...hunting practices…" She threw an apologetic glance my way. "Might draw unwanted attention, and cause somewhat of a problem for us. Of course you are welcome to stay here, but we will have to ask that you...hunt...somewhere else, as far away as possible."
My stomach lurched as Jane's face became the same mask it had been earlier, and her crimson eyes dulled to a burgundy glow. Bella gave a low warning growl from beside me, and Jane's eyes once again snapped to her face.
Her face turned to a furious and frustrated pout as she glared at Bella. I knew I was helpless and was loathe to draw any undo attention to myself, but I felt an angry heat creep up my neck at the way she was glaring at Bella. Luckily, Jane didn't seem to notice my own silent temper tantrum.
Jane raised her chin and her eyes flashed. "No, I didn't realize that my stay would be an inconvenience to you." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. "In that case, I suppose I'll go wait for the rest of the guard in a more suitable location and return with them," she sniffed.
I felt a wave of relief at her words. I knew the situation was far from over, but the thought that Jane wouldn't be here while we waited for their arrival was more than a little comforting.
"If that would make you more comfortable..." Renee trailed off, relief evident on her face.
"What would make me more comfortable is if I didn't have to return here again," she snapped, waving a hand around the room in obvious disgust. "But since you are refusing to cooperate, I will be back."
Jane pulled her red gloves back on her small fingers and gathered her thick charcoal colored traveling cloak around her.
Everyone, including Jane, rose fluidly and moved towards the front door. I stumbled along awkwardly behind, Bella, ensuring that I was as far away from Jane as possible.
Before stepping out onto the porch, Jane whirled around and glared back and forth between Bella and me as she waved her gloved finger in front of Bella's face. Instinctively, Bella stepped closer to me.
"A warning," she hissed. "Do not do anything...hasty...before we return. Justice will be carried out regardless of your actions between now and the time that the others return."