Okay I only got one response for my should I post one chapter or two question and it was a I don't know so you guys may hate me for this, but I'm only posting one chapter. I just feel so bad for taking this long to update and the next chapter will be posted ASAP, I promise, probably within a week. Hopefully you get all the subtle hints I drop about the future so you don't freak out on me. Once again I own nothing Twilight, but this is a phenomenal adventure for me. =) Big thanks to everybody who has been sticking by the story and I really hope you have some faith in me at the end of this chapter. Enjoy and please review, even if it's to cuss me out like a sailor.
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Chapter 36
BPOV
Stunning shades of pink and orange filled the sky outside creating one of the most glorious sunrises I had ever witnessed. Destiny continued to stare out the window, admiring the dawn, her skin sparkling like glitter, her silver hair glistening in the light. She was still and silent as I collected myself. I wondered briefly if vampires could hallucinate, or if maybe I had somehow fallen asleep and was dreaming this whole thing…Can vampires be mentally ill? I mean how else do I explain Destiny showing up at my door? I must be losing it…
"You are perfectly sane, but I have little time to explain that to you," she said answering my thoughts.
She turned towards me and her silver eyes were gleaming, giving off specks of light like metal in the sun. It was almost blinding even to my enhanced vampire vision. Her eyes were so intense it was like she could see right through me, past my outer appearance and right into my soul.
"Your fear is making you weak and today is a day for greatness not weakness. I chose you for a purpose and it is about time you trust my judgment. All will right itself in the end, but this is your moment to shine, do not fail me, Isabella."
The look on her face was a perfect poker face to hide her emotions, but her voice gave her away, she was disappointed in me. Her voice was stern yet at the same time chimed with all the musical glory of a thousand church bells sounding more motherly than I would have expected. Her words reverberated off the stone walls of the room and as she stood in front of me I watched the glow of her skin burst out in a flash of light as bright as a star in the sky. It was blinding, so concentrated and powerful that I had to force myself to look away. My eyelids turned a hue of bright orange pink from the flash and when it disappeared and I opened my eyes I found the space where she had been empty, nothing, but the morning light beaming through the window. I took a couple deep breaths as I stared at the spot where she had stood, watching the sun beams dance across the room. Their random patterns were mesmerizing and as I followed the beams all of the fear in my body seemed to dissipate replaced by a deep seeded need to prove myself, for victory… I ran to the closet and reached for a pair of black leather pants. I slipped them on along with a black tank top and grabbed a pair of boots, which I pulled on quickly. I tied my hair up in a hair tie and took one last look at the empty spot on the floor as Destiny's words ran through my head again. 'All will right itself in the end…'
"I'm holding you to it, Destiny," I whispered and I rushed out of the room.
Thanks to Demetri, I was able to navigate easily through the castle by taking a back route through abandoned service corridors, bypassing the guards. I threw up my physical shield as I slinked down along the tiny stone walkways. Maneuvering through the hidden halls I kept a tight grip on my target. It was easier than I thought it would be to snap in to the mindset of an evil being, to see Drake as a target and not a living creature. I was focused on the task at hand, seeing everything in black and white now, no hint of gray. Using Jasper's power allowed me to concentrate and keep a level head. Funny how I hadn't thought to use it before, Destiny had been right, the fear had weakened me.
With Demetri's tracking ability I located Drake with very little effort. The light was dim in my head, but as I got closer the light grew brighter. His thoughts were muddled as always flipping between arrays of evil schemes to kill me even as he stood there in the throne room next to Aro, just on the other side of the stone wall. The idea I had was risky, but simple and without providing myself time for second guesses I dropped my shield, opening my mind to the outside forces. I felt the pull of darkness latch on to me instantly. I allowed it to haul me in to its cold embrace and it sucked me in to the pit of nothingness where ropes, doors and lights lurked. My only hope was that this time I would find my way back quickly and that there would be a world waiting for me when I did.
EPOV
Bella had sent Leah and Seth back which is what I expected, Bella had always been stubborn about help. That's why I wouldn't give her the opportunity to send me away. I snuck in to the castle easy enough and found the halls that Demetri had thought of when we initially planned our invasion on the Volturi. The thoughts of guards buzzed in my ears as I huddled along the hidden passageways of the Volturi castle. It seems that most everybody knew they were here, they just were never used. The hallways led through different areas of the castle… mostly the east wing, but a few of the old service corridors led to the dungeons below me, the throne room, and the west wing. The space was damp and filthy which clearly meant it hadn't been cleaned in quite some time which was a very good thing.
I could hear the footsteps of a guard walking just on the other side of the secret wall, but his thoughts we're dull and useless to me. His name was Felix and he seemed rather focused on a woman named Heidi. His footsteps retreated and I continued to listen to the buzz of voices filling my head and that's where I found him, among the empty thoughts of his comrades.
I can feel her mind…Isabella is close…
Drake's thoughts came through above the others, clear as glass. He could sense her which could only mean one thing…she had dropped her shield and I had to find her before he did. I watched in my head as Drake's eyes darted around the throne room carefully searching for her, using the pull of her mind as a twisted map. While keeping my thoughts focused on Drake I moved stealthy and quick through the secret halls as I tried to find her too. I shut my eyes concentrating on the electric current I felt whenever she was near, that overwhelming electric pull making my body tingle and pulse. Using it as a guide, I maneuvered through the maze of passage ways as my teeth clenched more with every second that slipped through my fingers. He was close, but so was I, I could feel it. That deep overwhelming need to touch my wife, my lover, my other half was filling up my body, taking over my every thought. I turned a corner, my eyes flew open and there she was a vision in black…
Her body was slumped against the side of a wall and as I rushed toward her in silence I noticed two things. One, I had never been more ecstatic to see her. Two, someone was smashing through the wall at her side. I didn't think at all, what I did was merely out of love, there was no thought process and if I had to I would do it again even knowing what I do now. I reached through the hole in the wall latching my hands around Drake's neck and twisted with all my might. His head detached and his body fell to the floor, ragged as a limp doll; he hadn't even seen me coming. Crawling out of the hole in the wall I let out a growl and hissed at the guards who began to close in on me. Aro, Marcus and Caius sat comfortably at their thrones and as Aro looked from me to Drake's body he pulled the pieces together in his mind.
It's the boy from Drake's thoughts; the one Isabella left for…the mind reader. Terrible shame he has such a great gift, although it really is of little use to me. Young love… makes me almost not want to kill him for attacking my best guard…oh who am I kidding? No it doesn't…
"Kill him," Aro said the words with a smirk and not a moment's hesitation gazing at a small blonde girl.
My body felt like it was on fire, one hundred times worse than my change had ever been and against my own will my legs failed plummeting me to the ground. Every muscle in my body started to convulse and I could feel the heat building, scorching my insides. It was almost as if I had become the fire like my veins were circulating lava through my system. Everything burned from my toes to the tips of the hair on my head. Screams, I couldn't hold in, echoed across the marble walls of the throne room bouncing through the wide open space. The agony was so much more than my body could bear, the most excruciating thing I had ever felt. I squeezed my eyes closed as I tried to force air in to my lungs to stifle the agonizing heat that just continued to build. I realized this was more than just pain; this was death, liquid hot death. It was consuming me, making my toes and fingers curl and crack, my venom boil in my veins, my lungs gasp for unneeded, but wonderful air. Death was ripping through me, mind absorbing and completely unbearable.
I was scared, so incredibly scared, but not for myself. I was scared for her, scared of what this would do to her. Bella had been through so much and I couldn't help worrying about how much pain this would cause her. I forced my eyes to open. I wanted to see her; I wanted the last thing for my dying eyes to see to be Bella. She was there, cradled in the arms of one of the guards who was trying to wake her as the brothers looked on. Her dark brown hair was cascading over her shoulders, her lips a stunning shade of ruby red, and her face was in a state of utter contentment. She looked like an angel dressed in black. She had made life my whole life worth living. She had given me herself, inside and out…and, oh god, how I loved her…My angel, my wife, my everything… My eyelids fell, my body twitched and the darkness descended swallowing me up whole as I used my last moment to breathe out her name.
"Bella…,"
BPOV
The rope started to twine slowly stretching out across the vast darkness in my mind. I heard nothing, I saw nothing, I smelled nothing, but this deep pit in my gut told me something was wrong…so very wrong. I tried to get the rope to twist faster as my anxiety built. It felt like an eternity was passing by and no matter how fast I tried to extend the rope the anxiety and fear continued to grow…that's when I heard his voice, the voice of my love, flat and lifeless.
"Bella…,"
This all consuming terror filled me and I started to panic. To my surprise and relief unexpectedly the rope lengthened stretching infinitely in to the abyss. I grabbed hold pulling hard and fast, out of the nothingness and in to the light. The smell of marble seeped in to my nose. Sounds filled my ears, meaningless voices and jumbled words coming through like gibberish. I finally reached the point where I felt I could open my eyes. They snapped open and fell immediately on him… Edward…no… He was sprawled across the floor, but I felt nothing radiating from him, no thoughts, no feelings, nothing…and I knew…I knew he was dead. I sprang from the arms of the guard gripping me in his hold and practically flew across the room falling to Edward's side as my vision blurred with tears. My heart clenched in my chest like a fucking vice grip as I collapsed on to his chest gripping his unmoving body in my arms. I was surrounded by my enemies, but it's like I couldn't think about anything except holding him in my arms as my body started to shake uncontrollably. The one thing I had feared more than anything had come true and the world meant nothing, victory meant nothing…revenge meant nothing…until I heard Aro's thoughts and then revenge meant everything…
What a waste. Love, a stupid, useless emotion…the Volturi has no need for weakness…
I felt the rage bubble in me and boil over at his thoughts. My vision clouded a deep blood red as venom dripped down my throat. I released Edward's body placing him gently on the ground as I threw up my physical shield with ease. It took little effort to dispose of Renata with my telekinesis and by the time I wrapped my fingers around Aro's stiff, marble neck the guards could do nothing to stop me. I felt the prickle of bodies against my shield, the buzz of powers against my mind, but it didn't even slow me down. His eyes danced with wonder, his thoughts still focused on my powers, arrogant as ever. I squeezed my fingers until finally I saw the fear in his eyes. His hands came up to his throat and he attempted to pry my fingers from it as his mind raced with thoughts of survival.
"The Volturi has no need for weakness, Aro," I snarled. I caught a glint in his eyes when all the puzzle pieces finally snapped in to place in his mind. He finally realized what I was, that I had the ability to absorb powers and even in that moment his mind filled with greed and power at the thought. "You're pathetic!"
I let my fingers slip through his neck like a hot knife through butter. His body collapsed to the floor as the sound of splintering wood echoed through the room. I whipped my head around just in time to see them emerge. My friends, my family and the protectors came barging through the door causing a wave of chaos. I threw my mental shield out around them as growls, snarls, and screams filled the room. Aro and Drake were quickly thrown into a massive pile of bodies and lit on fire and with both of them dead the massive battle we all expected was a lot simpler.
Amidst the insanity I walked across the room where I collapsed to the floor at Edward's side. I dropped my physical shield because really what was the point? Aro was dead, Drake was dead, life on Earth was saved, but in the end it cost me everything. I clung to him as my entire body shook with dry sobs. It hurt so bad, worse than when my parents died, worse than when he forgot about me, worse than my change, my heart and my whole world was shattered. Destiny was a fucking liar…Somehow my ears picked up the sounds of crackling fire and the screams of our enemy, but it didn't make me feel powerful, or victorious. It's like my insides were hollow with grief, like my soul had died with him and all that was left of me was an empty shell. He had saved me from the edge of sanity, given me himself when I had nothing left to live for…and, oh god, how I loved him. I gazed at the lifeless body of my mate, his unruly bronze hair flat, his eyes closed unnaturally, and his beautiful mind empty. I lay down beside him and curled in to his side, wrapping my arm around his form and shutting my eyes as tight as I could. I just laid there and prayed for death. He was everything and without him life meant nothing…
*Runs from the angry mob* Please don't kill me!! Go ahead click that review button and tell me you hate me...I'll understand, but I would love to hear some of you say you actually enjoyed the chapter, even if it was the most depressing thing in the world.
