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34. Demetri

All six of us stared in shock as the dust settled and the Volturi came into view. They were terrifying at first, just black smudges in a brown haze. But eventually they became clearer. There were three in total, all shrouded in black cloaks, the hoods pulled over the tops of their faces.

We'd been careless, so careless to let them catch up with us like this. I looked to Edward for any sign of what we should do next but he didn't even look at me. Instead, he tightened an arm around my waist and glared at the three intruders, his jaw set.

"Well, this is a nice surprise," the middle one said, throwing his hood back. His well-fed ruby red eyes glared at me in the same manner Edward was glaring at him. "I must admit, we all thought you'd be a lot harder to track down than this." He stepped over the threshold of the cottage, his boots crunched on the debris he had made. "You've eluded the Volturi for nearly a century, Edward Masen," he continued casually, as though he was conducting a conversation with an old friend. "The girl must have slowed you down. What a pity."

The Vampire moved further towards us and all six of us drew further back though it was hard. We'd already fled to the back of the room after the wall had come crashing down, trying to escape the flying debris. Now we were cornered. The hut creaked alarmingly as though mourning its missing wall.

Beside me, I could almost feel the anger rolling off the shifters and the werewolf.

"I'm sorry, how rude of me," the Vampire said, stopping suddenly with his hand over his chest as though in shock. "I haven't properly introduced myself yet. I'm Demetri, the expert tracker of the Volturi and these…" He indicated to the two Vampires behind him who hadn't moved – it was like they were nothing but statues. "Are my assistants, if you like." He didn't bother naming them. I wondered how they felt about that; being part of the most powerful Vampire group in the world yet not being important enough to be named.

"Alright, you got us," Edward suddenly spoke up. I could hear the hopelessness in his voice though he tried not to show it. Was this really it? Three Vampires would be the end of us? "Let the others go and we'll come quietly."

Demetri cocked his head to the side, a menacing sneer painted on his lips. "You'll come quietly anyway," he hissed. "But first, let's have some fun with your friends." He pulled his lips back over his teeth. His 'assistants' took a step forward – both at the same time.

"You can't drink from us," Lizzie told him plainly. I looked over at her to see her hands clenched into fists – they were still shaking though. "It's against the law. I'm a werewolf and these are shifters."

"A werewolf?" Demetri's eyes lit up with delight. "You could come too you know," he said, his voice no longer cold and menacing but warm and inviting. "You'd be treated honourably back in Italy. We worship your kind unlike the scum here." He spat in our direction. I flinched, Edward didn't move.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Lizzie told him coldly. She even stepped forward to glare at him in the eyes. As she did I watched her hand gently graze the back of Leah's wrist.

And then all Hell broke loose.

All at once the three shifters threw themselves at Demetri, exploding into their wolf Shapes as they did so. Demetri ducked the first two – it was hard to distinguish which wolf was whom – and used his arm to shove away the third who fell against the wall of the hut with a whimper. The hut groaned again.

The two wolves that Demetri had ducked were now attacking his assistants. The large black one I assumed was Sam pinned one of them down and ripped his head off without so much as a thought. The grey one that I thought was Leah struggled with the other at first. They spent a lot of time sweeping and dodging as they got further and further away from the hut. The third wolf – Embry – got shakily to his feet and growled at Demetri.

Demetri wasn't interested though. Instead, he stared at the ruins of one of his assistants and, with an angry shout, took his frustration out on Lizzie whom he threw against the wall without even looking at her.

Her body hit the wood hard and, as she fell to the floor, I could smell blood. Venom rushed to my mouth as I stared down at her lifeless form.

"Bella, no," Edward said gruffly, pulling me closer to him. "She's your friend."

I blinked, coming back down to Earth. "Lizzie?" I whispered. I searched for any sign of life from her broken body but there was none. I couldn't see any blood either.

"She's bleeding internally," Edward said, almost choking. "We can't help her now."

Demetri watched our exchange of words with a murderous glare. "Who the hell do you think you two are?" he hissed, spitting at our feet yet again. "Free to walk around as you wish, disobeying Volturi laws."

Edward's eyes flashed as he seemed to read Demetri's thoughts. Outside Sam and Leah were attacking the third Vampire. Embry was beside us, watching Demetri intently. I wondered what had held him back but then noticed how the wolf's eyes flitted from Edward to the Volturi Vampire. He was waiting for a signal. For some reason, Edward seemed to want to talk with Demetri.

"Killing us out of jealousy will be of no use to you," Edward told him, calmly and confidently. "The Volturi won't be best pleased with you."

"They won't execute me for destroying you," Demetri hissed. "I'll be saving them a job."

"But you know how Aro is," Edward hurried on as Demetri took a step towards us. "He likes to execute criminals himself. He'll be angry at you for doing his job – the others will be too. They'll punish you, Demetri."

The Vampire laughed without humour. "Punish me?" he hissed. "What could they possibly do to punish me?"

"Delay your release."

Edward's words seemed to get through to him as the tracker halted and stared at him in wonder. "They told me about your Gift," he said. "I didn't think it was so powerful."

"I can only hear what you're thinking of at this moment but your release date is never far from your mind is it?" Edward stared Demetri down until the other Vampire eventually looked away. Edward seemed to sense a gap in his defence and went on, "They told you another century and you'll be free but I bet that's what they said last century didn't they?" Demetri didn't answer. "They won't let you go, Demetri. You're the most talented tracker on the planet and they're going to keep you so long as there are Vampires out there that they want. And you know how greedy the Volturi are; they're always wanting someone for something."

Demetri narrowed his eyes and looked at Edward again. "What is your point?"

"Help us and we'll help you." I stiffened at Edward's words – why would we help him? But Edward's hold around my waist simply tightened in a way that told me not to say anything. I kept my mouth shut though in my thoughts I was screaming at Edward, demanding to know what he was up to. It's a shame he couldn't read my mind.

Demetri's eyes seemed to widen even further. "How?" he demanded.

"Let us help Lizzie," Edward replied. "And we can work with you to bring down the Volturi."

Demetri looked taken aback and for a few seconds he seemed to be thinking the offer over. Outside, the growls and whimpers of the wolves were louder – they were clearly winning. As if sensing this, Demetri looked behind him and then back at us.

"If we succeed," he said. "I want credit. I want to be known as the main guy who took the Volturi down."

"Credit means nothing to us," Edward assured him. The seconds dragged by until eventually the now ex-Volturi tracker nodded in agreement. Edward all but threw me aside in his hurry to get to Lizzie. I joined him seconds later, watched him gently check her over. Behind me, Embry watched Demetri warily and outside the wolves had finally been victorious in their fight with Demetri's other assistant.

"Is she okay?" I asked Edward as he checked her pulse. Edward looked at me and suddenly I was aware of the silence around us. There was no pulse to check. "Oh God no!" I cried, covering my mouth with my hands to dull my mournful cries. "Please, Edward, no!"

"I can't do anything for her," he admitted, his eyes looked slightly glazed as though he should be crying. "She mustn't have suffered much at least."

I locked eyes with Demetri who was watching us from the centre of the room, wooden debris scattered around him – he'd destroyed Lizzie just as he had destroyed her home.

I was about to leap at him, to rip his head off with my bare hands but Edward, seeming to sense my intention, grabbed my wrist and stopped me.

"We can't ruin this now, Bella," he told me so quietly and quick that even I struggled to hear him. "As much as I hate him for what he did to Lizzie, we can't touch him. He could help us take down the Volturi. Don't you want that? For Jacob?"

I snatched my wrist back from him. "Don't make me choose between him and her," I hissed but nevertheless I left Demetri alone. Embry gave a soft whine which I assumed was for Lizzie.

Poor Lizzie who had been nothing but be helpful to us over the past couple of months.

Seeming to hear something in their minds, Edward got to his feet and hurried outside to Leah and Sam.

"Is she really gone?" Embry's voice asked from behind me. I turned to find him back in his human form. I was so upset I didn't even care that he was naked.

I nodded, unable to bring myself to look at Lizzie's body again. I couldn't look at Demetri either though I was aware of him watching my every move. Hearing Edward return with Leah and Sam after explaining everything to them outside, I straightened up.

"Right," I said, feeling the need to take charge. "What are we going to do now?"

"We're going to bury Lizzie," Embry replied making me feel a little guilty that I hadn't even thought to consider that.

Edward wanted Demetri to dig the grave but I didn't let him. I didn't want that Vampire to be any part of Lizzie's burial service. Instead, I dug the grave with a little help from Edward.

"What will we tell her father?" I asked Edward.

"That she died fighting for the Resistance," he replied simply. We made her a gravestone from a large rock we found on one of the cliffs. It seemed fitting for her to be laid to rest here, surrounded by the sound of the ocean and the smell of salt. We made sure her grave was noticeable should Peter want to come back here and bury her differently. I doubted it; proper funerals were expensive for the likes of the unQualified.

We never saw Peter again anyway.

Just as we were finishing up, Irina appeared out of the trees to join us.

"I'd thought I'd find you here," she said, taking in the scene before her. Her eyes roamed over Demetri for a second longer than the rest of us before she turned back to me. "I've been meaning to have a word with you."

"If you don't mind," I said to her, stepping forward, my hand still linked in Edward's. "I've just lost three friends in a matter of twenty-four hours. I'd rather not talk to you right now."

"Losing people is something you will have to get used to if you're going to live forever," Irina replied stiffly, her golden eyes seemed to burn into me. "You don't seem the sort to be cut out for it if this is your attitude."

Edward growled lowly at her but I ignored him.

"What do you want then?" I demanded but she'd already turned her attention to Demetri.

"A pleasure to see you again," she said to him, smiling thinly.

Demetri seemed to duck his head as though embarrassed. The shifters, Edward and I looked at her in surprise. She only smiled at us too, saying rather cryptically, "Demetri and I knew each other years ago."

"I see your tracking skill hasn't wavered," Demetri said to her. She cocked an eyebrow at him, seeming unimpressed for some reason. "I've no idea how you talked him round," she said. "But keep an eye on him. He's not to be trusted." I wasn't sure if she was being serious or if it was her form of playful teasing.

"Now, Bella," she said, turning back to me. "Shall we go some place quieter where can speak in private?"

"No," Edward replied.

I turned back to him, cupped his face in my hands. "Don't go making decisions for me," I said. "Remember how that turned out?" He looked slightly ashamed of himself and dropped his gaze when I let go of his face. "I won't be long," I promised before seeming to cross the sort of divide between her and us. "Lead the way," I told her.

She smiled down at me; a smile which could be taken as both cruel and friendly. "Follow me," she whispered and took off at Vampire speed. It was easy to keep up with her, especially as I was used to running alongside Edward.

After we'd run a few miles in a matter of minutes, Irina came to a sudden stop. I stopped too and took her in, noticing for the first time how she had a satchel over her shoulder. I'd never seen Irina carry anything before, normally she left it to her humans.

"I'm so glad the Volturi found you, Bella," she said. "This has all worked out perfectly."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

She smiled. "I've figured out how you can help bring the Volturi down," she said and she reached into her satchel.

(*)

An hour later I returned to Edward, feeling heavy with Irina's plans. I did just as she had asked me to do; I told them she had returned to the other Hell Raisers to carry on with their work. And then I asked Demetri to take me to the Volturi.

"What?" he and Edward cried at the same time. It was almost comical.

"Irina gave me an idea," I said casually. "If we talked Demetri round then maybe we can talk the others round."

"Don't be stupid," Edward said, practically seething. "They'll kill you before you can get a word out."

"Not if I tell them about my Gift," I explained. "When Aro finds out he can't read me like he can everybody else than I might prove valuable to them."

"We don't know for sure that you're immune to Aro's Gift," Edward reminded me.

"No, we don't," I admitted – that was the one major flaw in the plan. "But it's worth a risk. Irina thinks they'll keep me there and I can work my way up. I can take the Volturi down from the inside."

Demetri narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "I think you're overestimating your importance."

"I couldn't care less about what you think," I hissed, spitting at him just as he had done to us earlier.

"What do we do?" Sam asked suddenly, reminding me of the shifters' presence. "We want to help too."

"Join the Resistance," I told them. "I'm sure the Hell Raisers are always looking for new recruits. I don't know whether or not the Lycanthropes will let you in – maybe if you mention Lizzie…" A pang of remorse hit me when I said her name and I had to collect myself for a moment before continuing, "You work on the outside and I'll work on the inside. That way we can't fail." I looked at Demetri. "We'll get you your freedom," I told him bitterly, "Along with everybody else's."

"What about me?" Edward asked in a small voice that reminded me so much of the lone Vampire I had met in the woods all that time ago. "They'll kill me even if they keep you."

I'd been hoping he would ask this. "Then maybe I should go on my own," I said. "It might be safer for you to carry on running – you could meet up with the others–"

"No," he said suddenly, gripping my hand. "I'm not leaving you."

I closed my eyes and sighed though, really, I told myself, his answer came as no surprise. Of course Edward would never leave me just as I would never leave him – so long as I had the choice.

"So you'll work from the inside to destroy the Volturi?" Demetri asked. I nodded, aware of a noise in the distance coming closer and closer. "And you won't stop until what? They're dead."

"Probably," I agreed, trying to place the sound. I'd thought I'd heard it before, back when I was human and my senses were a lot less acute.

"You know, I think I've found a way to get my freedom after all," Demetri said suddenly, grinning slyly. Above us the sound finally reached us in the form of a large black helicopter with the Volturi crest emblazoned on the side. I watched it has the wind from its blades blew my hair over my face.

Around me I was aware of the shifters fleeing into the forest and Edward tugging at my hand. He wanted me to run too. The helicopter would need a few minutes to land – we could run. But I didn't, I stayed where I was.

"Nice," I said to Demetri. "So the helicopter followed you, always a few hours behind?"

"It makes too much of a din to be there all the time," Demetri explained looking as though he was enjoying himself. "So the tracker goes first and the helicopter follows, like the prison follows the police."

That last part made no sense but I didn't call him up on it. Instead, I squeezed Edward's hand tightly and looked into his golden eyes.

"Let's end this," I told him as the helicopter came in to land. He squeezed my hand back, trusting me.