Chapter 28

Bella

Waiting for the Romanians to come out and meet us was torture. They already knew we were here, so what were they waiting for? I could only guess that they wanted to prove to us that we were at their mercy, and that they were in complete control. As if kidnapping our daughter and holding her prisoner was not enough. A wild fury began to build in my chest, a low growl escaping from me as I considered going on and storming the place, and destroying anyone who got in my way as I searched for my daughter. Edward put an arm in front of me, blocking me. I'd opened my mind to him to share my thoughts in the hope that it might give us some small advantage over our enemies. Edward had always told me that I was extremely perceptive, and he just wanted us to cover all our bases in case he happened to miss something. I highly doubted that was possible. He was more observant than he gave himself credit for, even without his mind reading abilities.
"Wait Bella," he whispered. "I'm picking something up…" he paused for a moment, listening to something the rest of us couldn't hear. Someone's thoughts….a few minutes later, he relayed to us what he had heard.
"A woman named Ximena just sent me a message about Nessie."
"What did she say?" I hissed. Jacob inched closer to us so he could hear everything too.
"She said that she is a friend, that she wants to help us. She said she was just with Nessie, and that she wants to work with us to free her."
"Yeah right," Jacob scoffed. "Don't believe her, Edward. It's probably just a trap."
I nodded in agreement. I wasn't about to trust anyone who had gone along with taking my daughter away from me.
"There's more," Edward quickly shook his head, holding up a hand to urge us to let him continue. "Nessie showed Ximena one of her memories to help her prove to us that we can trust her, a memory of me rocking her and singing to her when she was an infant. Nessie sent a message of her own through Ximena's mind, begging us to believe her, to send someone to meet Ximena so she can lead us to her."
If I were still human, my heart would have been speeding in my chest. A ghost of adrenaline rushed through my dried out veins, but I was still a little suspicious. Why would this woman wait until now to try and help us get Nessie back?
"Edward, are you sure it's not a trick?" I asked.
"I don't think so," he responded, lost in thought for a moment. "There's no way Ximena could have known about Nessie's memory without it being shown to her. Nessie obviously trusts this woman, and we should trust Nessie's judgment. Jacob, I think you should go meet with Ximena. I don't think Stefan and Vladimir will be able to distinguish who is who among the packs in their wolf form, so they won't miss your absence. We'll try to create a distraction out here so you can free Nessie and get her to safety. Take her back to the plane. If the rest of us don't meet up with you thirty minutes after you get there, leave without us. I'll be keeping tabs on you," Edward instructed, then turned to me. "Bella.." he began.
"No, Edward, don't even think about it," I cut him off. "I'm not going anywhere. I trust Jacob to get Nessie out and get her to safety. My place is here beside you, fighting with you."
I knew that he still worried obsessively about my safety, though he no longer needed to. I was positive that Alice's vision also had a lot to do with his current anxiety. "I'll be fine," I assured him. He didn't look convinced, but he knew better than anyone how stubborn I could be, that there was no way he was going to change my mind once it was made up. And I did trust Jacob implicitly with my daughter's safety. I knew he would die to protect her, but there was no way I was going to let him go in there by himself.
"Zafrina?" I questioned, turning to address the wild Amazon woman. She knew what I was asking, and nodded quickly in agreement.
"I will go with Jacob and protect him. If anyone tries to stop us, I will blind them. Do not worry, young one." She placed a hand on my shoulder comfortingly.
Seth trotted over to us and nudged Jake's shoulder, whining softly.
"Ok Seth, you can come too," Jake said. Seth woofed happily, and I had to smile. He was such a loyal friend. Senna and Kachiri walked over to link hands with Zafrina as Edward told Jacob where to find Ximena. "She'll be waiting for you about two miles into the trees to the west," he said, pointing them in the right direction.
"I'll get her out Bells, I swear," Jacob whispered in my ear as I hugged him briefly. I nodded and they disappeared into the night, not seconds before we turned to see that the Romanians had finally decided to come out and confront us.
There was a tall, black haired vampire with them, someone I'd never seen before.
"Joham," Edward whispered fiercely. "His daughters were the ones that took Nessie."
I looked Joham directly in the eyes and snarled viciously. He only smiled in response, which angered me even more. I was going to enjoy ripping him apart.
Stefan stepped forward with a wicked smirk, so confident that he had the upper hand. "Greetings, Carlisle," he said in his raspy voice. "We were beginning to think you would never arrive."
Vladimir chuckled darkly, and I envisioned sinking my razor sharp teeth into his neck.
Carlisle moved in front of Edward and me to address the Romanians. "Stefan, Vladimir," he nodded at them. "We're simply going to forgo the formalities and request that you release my granddaughter."
The fiendish trio burst into laughter at hearing this. I let out a furious, piercing shriek and Edward had to work hard to restrain me. I heard Rosalie, Tanya, and Kate snarl ferociously in unison, and there were angry rumblings from the rest of my family and friends as well. There was nothing stopping us from tearing these three to shreds. There was no way they could stand against our group.
As if in response to this thought, the three vile men before us were joined by a much larger horde of vampires. A tiny, dark haired woman seemed to be the leader of this group.
I heard Jasper's sharp intake of breath and glanced briefly at him as he gasped in shock, "Maria?"
"Hello, Jasper. It has been well over a century since I last saw you. You look well," she purred in her thick, Hispanic accent. I noted the way her ruby eyes flashed as she took in the sight of Alice's small hand in Jasper's. Jasper immediately moved in front of Alice in a protective crouch. Maria threw back her head and laughed, the musical tinkling sound like that of a happy, carefree child. Behind her was a mass of what were obviously newborns, mixed with a few older vampires, none of which I recognized. I guessed that these were all that remained of the southern covens that had once battled over territory in Texas and Mexico, the covens who had been almost entirely obliterated by the Volturi. Seeing them made everything clear to me in an instant. This group of vampires had all been wronged by the Volturi at some point in their existence, and they were now banding together to seek their revenge. Kidnapping my daughter was an obvious attempt to coerce us into joining them in their mission. Edward nodded grimly, confirming my thoughts.
Stefan and Vladimir proceeded to tell us what we had just figured out, seeming pleased at having been able to manipulate us and take Renesmee right from under our noses.
"I'm afraid that won't be possible, Carlisle," Vladimir said in response to Carlisle's demand.
"We have put forth much effort and gone to great lengths to acquire your Renesmee for a most worthy cause," Stefan chuckled. "It took time and a great deal of patience on our part to have your granddaughter followed, to learn everything we could about her, and to set up her "class trip" to Spain." Stefan noted the surprised look on my face at this revelation and grinned widely at me. "So you see, we could not possibly release her now, as it would foil our plans."
"We are already wise to your plans," Edward hissed. "Did you think we wouldn't figure it out? You're trying to use Renesmee to make us aid you in bringing down the Volturi. Well, it won't work Stefan. We have no wish to become entangled in your quarrel with the Volturi."
"I beg to differ, young one. We will not hesitate to slaughter your offspring should you refuse to ally yourselves with us," Vladimir snarled.
A red haze passed across my vision, an unadulterated rage propelling me forward as our entire side burst into furious, savage growls. Edward couldn't hold me back this time, and I sensed that he didn't want to. I only stopped as Carlisle's shout of "NO!" pierced the air. I'd never heard him shout before, and I halted in my crouch just before I leaped, completely surprised. Working to contain himself, Carlisle took several deep breaths and then said in a lower tone, "No. We mustn't do this. We did not come here to fight with you, or the Volturi. Surely you can find some compassion within yourselves to end this insanity now. Give Renesmee back to us," he commanded.
"You are such a fool, Carlisle," Stefan spat in disgust. "You had the perfect opportunity to destroy the Volturi within your grasp years ago, yet you chose to waste it. And for what?" he demanded. "Do you believe that the Italian scum would have afforded you the same mercy? We have grown weary of their false sainthood, their hypocritical rule, and we will stand for it no longer!" His voice had grown in strength and volume as he spoke, the vehemence in his words sending his allies into a frenzied uproar. This altercation was quickly coming to a head, both sides seething, eager to begin the battle, the bloodlust a palpable entity hanging over us all. Then, just as quickly as their frenzy had begun, the older vampires on the opposing side became instantly calm at a wave of Vladimir's hand. I saw Stefan nod toward a coldly beautiful woman to his immediate right, and she turned toward the newborns behind them, staring intently at them for a moment. They too became placid at her stare, seeming almost zombie like in their compliance. I wondered for a split second why that should be, but Edward answered my question before I had the chance to voice it.
"Her name is Alejandra," he mumbled. "She is one of Joham's daughters. She and her sister, Yara, were the ones that took Nessie from the plane. Yara is the one who erased the memories of everyone on the plane, while Alejandra ordered Nessie to follow her. She has the power to control minds." I didn't understand why his voice shook, nor could I comprehend the look of fear in his eyes. He glanced swiftly in Alice's direction, as if searching for some affirmation. She frowned, slightly puzzled, and only shrugged her tiny shoulders.
I was distracted momentarily from pondering over this exchange as I saw from the corner of my eye yet another vampire join their group, a man that looked vaguely familiar to me…
"Kade!" I nearly shouted, completely taken aback. His head snapped up and his body straightened from where he'd bent down to whisper something to Stefan. His red eyes locked with mine and he smirked.
"No, I'm sorry, you have the wrong man," he sneered. "You obviously have me confused with my brother."
Brother
? I thought, confused.
Joham strode over to stand beside the man, placing an arm around his shoulders in a companionable gesture. "Allow me to introduce my son, Damien," he announced proudly. "Damien is Kade's twin. A very interesting phenomenon, indeed. I was unaware that their mother carried two infants, until I returned to collect my progeny." The way he spoke about the human woman he'd taken advantage of made me ill; he acted as if she'd been completely disposable, as if she had merely been providing a service to him, while he had most likely made this woman believe he was in love with her.
"I realized at once that they were very different, though they look exactly alike," Joham continued, like he was a science professor lecturing to his class. "Damien was born with all of the characteristics of a vampire, while Kade is almost entirely human, having only a few vampiric qualities that are mostly undetectable. His skin is as hard as a vampire's, and he is faster and stronger than the average human. Yet, he has no thirst for blood whatsoever, and most likely will only live for an average human lifespan." He waved his hand dismissively, unconcerned about the possibility of his son's imminent death. It was plain that he held Damien in higher regard than Kade. Every time he said the word "human", he frowned slightly with distaste; it was glaringly evident that he looked down upon all humans as inferior. "Not that it matters very much. He failed miserably at the only task I ever set before him. I had to send my daughters in to finish what he could not. On that note, perhaps I should take a moment to introduce them as well. Alejandra, Yara." He beckoned the two dark haired, dark skinned women that had taken Nessie forward, and they obediently came to stand on his other side. "Alejandra," Joham murmured, stroking her hair lovingly. "Why don't you give our friends a demonstration of what it is you can do."
"Yes, father," she replied eagerly.
"NO!" Edward shouted, and to my astonishment, he began to move quickly away from me as Joham stabbed a finger in his direction.
Alejandra smiled at Edward vindictively, turning her chilling gaze upon him.
He'd only gone twenty feet away from me when he whirled around to stare at me with utter horror in his eyes. He became as still as a statue, frozen in place for a moment. Then, almost mechanically, he slowly turned to face Alejandra. A fraction of a second later, a vicious snarl erupted from Edward's chest, shattering the puzzled silence that had befallen us. Murmurs of confusion broke out all through our group. When Edward turned back to me, he was a complete stranger. I did not recognize him. This was not my Edward. This was not the man that I desperately loved, the man I would gladly give my life for. His was the face of a terrifying monster, contorted with rage. He'd never looked at me that way before, not once in all the time I'd known him, even when we'd first met and the pull of my human blood had been too much for him. His entire body trembled with pent-up violence.
I stared at him, stunned and paralyzed with fear, bewildered at the change in him.
Before I could utter one word, before anyone had time to react, Alejandra shrieked "Now!"
And Edward lunged for my throat.