(again i apologise for being slow. I will try and update more often, just things are difficult atm! Another split chapter :) xx)
Chapter 34 – Edward Cullen.
"Did you happen to see Alice there?" I asked them, once we'd all welcomed Lissa, Rose and Christian back.
"No I'm sorry" Lissa said sadly. We all sighed, and the room went quiet. I could read Lissa and Christians thoughts, and it was very clear, even by their subtle glances at each other, that they wanted to be alone.
"You know Lissa...you look like you could do with some sleep. Why don't you and Christian go and get some shut eye for a bit" Rose suggested, as if to take the words right out of my mouth. Lissa's cheeks flushed bright red with embarrassment but she nodded and went to go to bed, with a grinning Christian following behind. I shuddered slightly...it was hard to trust him after all that had happened, but I could tell he was remorseful. Once they'd left the business talk got under way.
"How long do we have then until they all arrive?" Carlisle asked, trying to weigh up our options for attack, and failing every time. All the other Clan's that we had left, plus the new additions of Moroi and Dhampir, were all sat listening carefully.
"Midnight...the deal they struck was a trick. Turns out their not looking for any new members...just a quicker way of taking you all out" Rose said.
"But I don't understand how if this is true, they told you this, knowing you could inform all of us and their plans would be ruined" Liam, from the Irish Coven, asked, clearly not trusting the situation, like them all.
"Because they didn't expect me still be alive right now, that's why!" Rose said with force. That shut Liam and the others up, and I couldn't help but smile.
"Do you know how many of them there are?" Tanya asked carefully. The Denali clan were the only ones who were completely trusting of us and Rose.
"No, but I'm betting quite a few. From what I know about the Volturi, and knowing Avery as well as I do, I'm guessing it's too difficult for them to enlist the help of as many Strigoi as they need!" Rose said.
"Probably all of the Strigoi have been recruited. I know Aro very well, I lived with him for many years. He knows how strong we all are, so he'll want back-up. And Avery...well she's just evil through and through. They will do anything to make sure they win" Carlisle said dolefully. All hope that he'd had, had been drained out of him. Esme wrapped a comforting arm around him, and tenderly kissed his cheek.
"We'll be ok as long as were together" She whispered into his ear, too low enough for anyone, except those with mind reading skills, to hear.
"It sounds like a suicide mission" Benjamin from the Egyptian clan said, just as down in spirit as we all were. Tia clutched at him in his arms, kissing at his neck. It wasn't hard to tell, but all the couple...they knew deep down these hours ticking away were probably our last, and all they wanted was to be together.
"Come on guys we can do this! Don't be such pussy's" Emmett started, the only one of us full of hope, even if it was just because he loved a good fight. "We have this down...even if we do all end up in the grave tonight, we should give it everything we have. And were not hopeless either. No strigoi has powers right?" He asked turning to Rose, the only face and mind I couldn't read and wanted to.
"No they don't" She answered collectively.
"Well there you go then. Combine the Moroi powers that we have here now, with our powers, those of us who have them, and we can take them down easily. No matter how many of them there are, were much stronger than all of them with our powers combined" He finished up.
"Don't the Volturi have powers of their own? And that Avery girl...they could be a real problem" Mia said, as Eddie pulled her onto his lap. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was starting to turn into a love shack. In the corner of my eye I could see Sydney gagging too. A tiny smile crossed my lips, before I realised how much I'm supposed to hate her and wiped it right off.
"Yes, they are the real problem!" Rose said. "But we shouldn't feel disheartened like Emmett says. We have our own strengths, we just have to work out a strategy and give it everything we have. I can't promise that we will all live but if we are going to die, we should do it fighting for what is right. The only other option is to give up and run...and if we do that, how long do you think it'll be before Avery and her growing clan multiply and find us? She's going after the world. If we run were all dead anyway, so we have no other option but to try" Rose said with strength and conviction. I got an overwhelming sense of pride.
"But is there enough of us to do it, without all dying within seconds?" Mark, one of the Dhampir's, said.
"Yeah what with the Romanian coven abandoning us" Kate, one of the other Denali sisters, added.
"Their idiots babe!" Garrett, her mate, said, kissing her lips comfortingly.
"Actually...I do have an idea of my own" Rose said getting up, and ready to leave. "I will be back in one hour...either with good news or bad. But Edward...can I talk to you first please? Alone" She turned to me, her face pleading. I swallowed hard and nodded. Alone, what a nice thought. I couldn't of been more wrong!
"So...she'll kill Dimitri?" I asked as we leaned over the railing on the backyard porch.
"Yes. And I can't let that happen, not without trying to save him first. If not...it should be me who kills him. Someone who actually cares about him, not someone who just wants to make a point in their need for a power trip!" She snarled. I felt cold inside. It was clear to me now that it wasn't me, or Adrian she wanted...not really. Her heart belonged to one man only. No matter how disagreeable I thought he was. "Oh Edward" She sighed. "I wish you could of known him before he turned strigoi. I think you'd both get along really well" A tiny tear fell from her cheek.
"I'm sure I would" I half lied. A small part of me believed I probably would have, but that killed me to admit. She turned to me, her eyes careful and mournful.
"I have to apologise to you Edward. I've treated you awfully. I should not have come to your room that night. It was wrong of me, and I'm so, so sorry!"
"You don't have to apologise" I started, placing my hand on her arm. I wanted to hold her close to me and kiss her lips, but as she softly brushed my hand away I knew she did not feel the same.
"I do Edward. I do because it's not fair to lead you on that way, and use you. I was feeling upset over Adrian and needed to feel something...I should of stuck an elastic band on my wrist and pinged at it. Sleeping with you was a mistake" It was like a blow to the stomach. I could feel my insides hurting, and my chest tightened. A mistake...the most wonderful night of my life had been a mistake. How could that be?
Rose Hathaway.
I could see I'd hurt him with my words, and I felt horrible. I was the worst person in the world for doing what I did, and now I had to hurt him.
"Please don't get me wrong...it was good, really good, your a tiger in the bedroom!" I grinned a little winking. "But it's wrong. Because it means something different to you. And it's not fair for me to lead you on any more. I know you feel like there isn't anyone else out there...but trust me when I say, there is!" He laughed a little, humourlessly.
"I don't think there is Rose. But it's ok...I just want you to be happy, no matter what"
"Edward...Look at me" I said seriously. He turned to face me, his eyes looking so sad as they poured into mine. "Trust me when I said...there is. You may think I'm the only one, but I'm not. In fact I don't think it's me you want either. I think your just lonely...like I was...am. It's surprising how you think you feel when your lonely. The things you do, the things you say. It's horrible. But it won't always be this way. After all, why would your soul mate be someone whose heart is already taken?"
"So your heart belongs to him...Dimitri?"
"Yes. But believe me your heart does not belong with me. I know you can't see it now but you will" I smiled kindly at him, and he half smiled back, a crooked smile a thousand girls would fall for. The conversation fell dead after that, and we enjoyed the moments silence, knowing that it couldn't last for long. This day was going to affect us all. In more ways than one. Which is why I had to do what I had to do.
"I have to go now. Will you be all right holding the fought down?" I asked, knowing he could.
"Yeah of course...but where exactly are you going? Your not going to find...him are you?" I bowed my head down to the ground.
"I can't tell you where I'm going, only that I might not come back. There's a small chance, but only small. But I need you to stay here ok? Trust me that what I'm doing...is important" In enforced, knowing without reading his mind that he'd want to come with me.
"But I should come, to protect you"
"NO Edward!" I said harshly but fairly. "You cannot come ok? I need you to stay here and watch Lissa and Christian, and calm the others. I'm not yours to protect Edward. I'm sorry, I know that's harsh, but you need to stay ok?" I smiled as best I could and left him stood bewildered on the porch, feeling guilty. It was my fault Edward had these feelings for me, and my fault he now stood their hurting. But he couldn't come with me. Because it was too dangerous of a mission. I set off on my travels, heading straight for the lions den. A part of me knew that I probably wouldn't survive. But I had to try. So I stepped onto the reservation, taking a deep breath as I crossed the line and paced as fast as I could to the one guy I could not stand here. The one i'd wanted badly to kill after he'd threatened us. But I was certain we could use his and their help. So I had to ask the wolves...in hope they would say yes, and not tear me to shreds!