Chapter Twenty Nine
Marcus
I didn't breathe easy until I was free of Italy and further from Aro's reach, I seemed to have moved just in time as I heard from my source inside the citadel that Aro had the place combed and guards sent to track me down from the place I abandoned the car. My motorbike had come in very useful and I knew being on that would hinder their attempts at tracking me down long enough to make a difference.
The next obstacle was the flight, I had booked tickets under various aliases at airports scattered around the country and unless I was very unlucky they were unlikely to pick the right one first time. That didn't mean I relaxed until we had taken off and were beyond the reach of the Italian authorities. It seemed strange being away from Volterra with no chance of ever returning while Aro still lived. Yet if things went according to my original plan I would return, this time taking Aro's place.
Carlisle
When Darius arrived Jasper made sure to be close to Bella who tended to become stressed when she met anyone new, especially a vampire and as he pointed out Darius was more like him in demeanour and Bella had originally connected him with Diablo so she might do the same again. In all Bella had adjusted wonderfully to being around vampires again and even Peter with his abrasive nature had been accepted although that surprised me.
If anyone should remind Bella of James I would have thought it should be him, he looked dangerous and acted aggressively or was that only towards me? He and Emmett got along famously although both had that certain kind of sense of humour so that wasn't really such a surprise. I had to drum it into everyone that they must take extreme care when close to Bella, it was only too easy to forget what she was capable of when she looked so innocent. A single cough or sneeze could wipe us out but possibly more dangerous was the urge to touch her especially as contact was the one thing she craved more than anything. A single drop of sweat would be as deadly as a flame to any of us.
Darius kept a safe distance and merely acknowledged Bella's presence, he was too angry, too frustrated to make any attempt at civility. When Esme called Bella for dinner, we were using paper plates and plastic cutlery so they could be safely disposed of once used.
I called Jasper in and of course, Peter followed like the proverbial shadow.
"Darius thinks we should contact Caius and tell him what he discovered about the murders, having Caius on our side, or at least not on Aro's would make things much easier all round."
"Sounds like a good idea to me but how do we ensure Caius believes us? He's not going to listen to Darius that's for sure."
Darius nodded at Jaspers observation.
"Yeah I can just see him having a friendly chat with the man he thinks wants to rip his balls off and roast them."
I ignored Peter, it was a survival mechanism to enable me to live alongside him,
"Darius suggests I speak to Caius, he's more likely to listen to me in the first place."
"OK Carlisle but what guarantee do you have that he'll believe you and if he doesn't he'll go straight to Aro. That way Aro is warned of our spying and knows you are involved with Marcus."
"I thought of that Major."
Darius lifted a small voice recorder and hit play, we could hear Aro and Felix discussing Caius and Aro condemning himself from his own mouth. It would be explosive if I could reach Caius and play it to him. I just hoped he wouldn't think it was a forgery, faked by Darius to drive a wedge between him and his brother.
"I think it would be best to wait until Marcus gets here and see what he thinks is the best way to approach Caius without Aro finding out. After all, we don't want Aro getting to Caius before he can decide who he believes."
"How long will that be? We can't sit on our fucking hands for too long, we need to act before Genghis Khan does, don't forget he has all the gifts at his disposal."
"Thank you, Peter, we do understand the urgency but I'm not quite sure what you expect us to do. After all as you so subtly put it Aro has the manpower while we do not. Marcus has a small army at his disposal I understand so we have no choice but to wait for him to join us."
Peter scowled but subsided which was a relief and seemed happier when Darius informed us that Marcus would be at the pickup point by dawn.
"He got away cleanly which means Aro isn't sure whether to believe James. Or wasn't a few hours ago. You and The major need to leave soon in order to be there waiting for him when he appears."
"And who is going to break the news to him that his dear brother is responsible for his wife's murder?"
"I think we'll leave that to me, don't you? After all, I am a little more diplomatic than you Peter."
He snorted at my words although he must know I was speaking the truth, I hated to imagine how Peter would have handled the job, it didn't bear thinking about.
Jasper looked concerned and as our meeting broke up he approached me for a private word although private here meant little, it wasn't as if I had the luxury of my soundproofed study in the mountains. Instead, we left the cabin and ran for twenty minutes before he was willing to speak. When he did I understood the necessity for privacy. Jasper had felt the mating pull and it seemed Bella was responsible.
"I know it's going to be difficult Carlisle but please see if you can discover what made Bella so toxic."
"I understand your urgency and I can tell you that I am still looking but you should understand that even if I find the cause it doesn't mean I can also find a way to cure it. Do you understand the ramifications of that?"
"You mean having a mate I can't even kiss? Yes, I understand but there is nothing I can do about it Carlisle, you're our only hope."
I smiled,
"So, no pressure then? I'll do my best Jasper but we should concentrate on finding out what Aro intends to do and if there is a way of surviving his wrath."
Bella
When Jasper came to say goodbye it was all I could do to let him go. Without him, I felt very alone and vulnerable even though I knew I could kill everyone here easily enough. The problem was that I didn't want to and I was afraid without his calming influence I might lose my temper or worse still launch an attack on a member of his family. He understood my fears and told me he had complete confidence in my self-control which made me feel better.
"Rose and Charlotte will stick close to you and Peter will be with me, after all, he's the most likely to wind you up."
"Actually, I rather like Peter, he doesn't try to hide his nature or his character. I'm more afraid of meeting Marcus if you want the truth, after all, he's done to me. I know you told me that Diablo didn't follow his orders but that doesn't help me much right now. It's his fault I lost my parents and my freedom and was tortured over the years continuously."
When he told me what they had discovered about the death of his wife it made me feel a little less like killing him but it didn't excuse anything as far as I was concerned, true it may have turned him into the person he was, losing his wife, but that was no excuse for not keeping an eye on the devil he had hired to do his dirty work.
"I promise not to attack him on sight but don't ask me to like him, Jasper, because that is not going to happen."
He smiled and pulled me forward to hug me and I felt his lips on my hair as he kissed the top of my head. That made me feel better even when he turned and calling Peter and walked out of sight without a backwards glance. I was relieved about that for if I'd seen his face again I would have begged him not to go, to stay here with me and that would be wrong, he had a job to do and I had to accept it. I think Rose and Charlotte were watching because they came straight over and included me in their conversation, taking my mind off my feeling of emptiness for a while.
