Chapter 36 – Atlas
- By slight of the hand, you will turn them into dust
A face to face, you will lead them by the fall
Caius's thin lips curled into a sneer; it was obvious he was not particularly fond of being denied. Bella suspected he was weighing his greediness for Gianna's blood versus his instinct to heed Marcus's warning. She watched as flickers of several other emotions skated fleetingly across his ethereal face.
The glow of Caius's recent feasting made him appear less ancient yet more threatening. His impeccably tailored suit wasn't marred by a single drop of blood, but his jewel-toned, purple silk shirt had been hastily tucked into his pants, hinting at the extracurricular activities that took place after the "main course." He exuded confidence, power, and sexual prowess. As dangerous a man as he was, his allure was magnetic.
If she had been human, Bella was sure she would be holding her breath in anticipation of Caius's decision. Her eyes didn't risk a glance at Dominic, who she assumed was poised and ready to attack. Instead, she focused on keeping her posture relaxed to mask the gut-twisting trepidation she felt inside. Her course of action should Caius not be deterred had been decided and she tried not to dwell on the consequences of those potential actions.
What she wouldn't give for Edward or Alice's gift right now to give her a warning … an edge.
With an arrogant cock of an eyebrow, Caius indicated he had reached a decision. "A pardon has been granted for now. We shall discuss my choices and the risks and benefits of those decisions at a later time, brother. Enjoy your visit to the gallery."
It was clear from Caius's departing words he suspected something was amiss, yet he didn't remain to push the issue any further. Bella wondered if Chelsea's effect also kept the brothers in harmony as well.
"Shall we?" Marcus wrapped his fingers around Bella's hand which had remained latched tightly to his arm.
Oh crap. Bella drew herself up to full height taking in a deep breath of air as she did. Caius might have believed her deception, but Marcus would be another story.
"Yes, of course, Master." Bella exhaled in relief as they left Edward, Dominic and Gianna, for the time being, in safety.
Anxiety now belonged to Edward as he paced his cell. The thought of Bella alone with one of the masters after their obvious deception was playing havoc with his jumbled emotions and frayed nerves. His state was further complicated by the manipulations of Chelsea and Corin that were increasingly taking a toll on his ability to think straight. At last, he ventured out of the cell to follow Bella and Marcus's lingering scents.
"Don't," warned Dominic's voice as Edward passed his cell.
Edward paused. "And why not?"
"She has a bond with him, and he with her." Not wanting to define that any further, Dominic continued quickly to keep his mind from filling in the blank where his words had not, "He won't hurt her. She's treated like a queen around here."
"She is my wife and my responsibility. It is my duty to protect her," Edward hissed, his jaw clenching in resentment that a stranger, an accomplice to Bella's abduction no less, had the audacity to challenge his actions.
"I know you're not up on all the current events around here, but trust me, Bella is more than capable of holding her own. Have faith and give her a chance to work this out her way." Though his spoken words stopped, Dominic's thoughts continued: Bella's right, he does treat her like a child…
Edward was taken aback by Dominic's unfiltered thoughts. "You do know I can read your thoughts, right?"
"Yes, but not hers. Is that why you are shocked? She never told you she felt that way?"
"But she told you?" Edward challenged.
Dominic noted Edward's avoidance of the question before he shrugged. "When you know your life is about to end, I guess maintaining confidentiality isn't exactly a priority."
Though Dominic's sarcasm was irksome, Edward's chest ached as Dominic's mind flashed images of him comforting Bella in her last human moments. His fists clenched at his sides as he pushed the images away. But his manners soon got the best of him. He ran his fingers through his neglected hair in frustration. "It seems I am developing an annoying habit of thanking your kind. Bella has a way of seeing what's good in others. She seems to hold you in high regard and I will try to honor that … despite what you did."
Moving closer to the door, Dominic peered out to see Edward in the corridor. He faced away from the cell, torn between seeking out Bella and remaining.
"Is it true?" Dominic inquired. Did you abandon her for the safety of your family?
"No. I said as much, did I not? I'm sure you were listening." Edward turned to face Dominic. He wanted to dislike the man and woman in that cell. Actually, there was no real reason not to. Chelsea had not instilled in him any loyalty to prisoners.
However, an echo of Bella's voice nudged him and reminded him she had promised to help Dominic and Gianna. And if he was totally honest with himself, it was his stubbornness and inflated confidence that had resulted in all of them being manipulated by the Volturi.
With resignation running through him, Edward admitted Bella's actions had pushed them together for a purpose. Edward knew Dominic held answers to the questions most plaguing his mind. And likewise, only Edward had the answers to the questions constantly swirling in Dominic's thoughts.
Edward hung his head fighting the urge to be the island Bella accused him of being. Swallowing hard, he took Dominic's advice and denied his need to charge after Bella. "Tell me, did she resist?"
Dominic replied immediately, "She said she wanted to be like you, but only if it came from you. So before she unwillingly gave up her humanity to them, she considered killing herself. In the end, Bella opted to protect you and your family by complying with their wishes."
Edward saw in Dominic's mind how he held Bella that last night she was human, offering what little comfort he could. The night Jacob held Bella to keep her warm in the tent mirrored the images and drove him just as wild. With effort, Edward fought off the feeling creeping and crawling inside of him, the part that so strongly needed to let others know Bella was his. His mate, his wife, his lover. Yet unlike Jacob, Dominic's thoughts were more protective than possessive. "I need to know it all. From beginning to end," Edward insisted. "All the current events."
Dominic inhaled deeply and scrubbed his dirty hands down his equally dirty face before turning to gaze at Gianna. She had fallen into an exhausted slumber on the straw in the cell once she realized Caius had gone. If Edward loved Bella, the information he wanted would bring him nothing but pain and anger.
The jumble of images skittering through Dominic's mind hinted at his hesitancy. Edward pieced together that there were memories Dominic preferred not to recount, and part of his reluctance stemmed from his guilt and what Dominic believed to be his inadequacies. Still, Edward hoped that an explanation of Bella's odd antagonistic behavior would be found in the details Dominic could provide. He decided to offer Dominic an olive branch; give him something he desired first...
"My theory is that you are a descendent of the proud and honorable people of the Quileute Nation. They are small in number and live on a reservation on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. Their legends say that long ago the leaders of the tribe were able to leave their bodies and linger in the spirit world. At one point, the spirit of a great leader merged with a wolf, and their history as shape-shifters began. According to my father's research, that chromosome was passed on to you. When you were exposed to the scent of vampires, it activated your dormant genetic ability."
"My father wore a symbol of the wolf." Dominic's mind immediately pictured his father's face, the symbol of the two wolves on a strip of leather to assist Edward in possibly identifying his father.
Edward nodded. "I know of your father. His generation didn't have to endure shifting as no vampires lived in the area at the time. Their shifting potential remained inactive."
"So we are meant to kill vampires. I knew it … I could feel it." Suspicion tugged at Dominic's instincts. "How do you know so much about my heritage? Am I related to Jacob?"
"Bella told you about Jacob?"
Again, Dominic's thoughts answered Edward's question. Bella had spoken Jacob's name as she laid asleep in Dominic's lap that last night. "I see," Edward responded.
It was clear by Edward's tone, this Jacob was a sore subject.
"Care to show me the rest?" Edward urged with clear irritation.
"Answer my questions first," Dominic bartered. He had dealt with Edward's type before: used to being in control, giving up very little information, manipulative, and secretive. As Dominic was learning – typical vampire behavior. But it fit; vampires were demons on this earth. Abominations to God. Hadn't Gianna told him repeatedly they were bereft of compassion? Certainly his experiences in the castle had proven her correct!
But while it would be easy to put Edward in the same category as the others in this cursed castle, it was clear from his conversations with Bella, she had not given up on Edward's redemption … and Dominic hadn't given up on Bella. It seemed he and Edward were destined to be on the same team through their "Bella connection." However, if that was to be true, Edward would have to meet him halfway.
Edward let out an indignant huff. The pale, young man, whose eyes now were black instead of gold, turned to face Dominic. "You think I need to earn your trust? Shouldn't that be the other way around?"
"Have your way, then. I'll share with you what you want to know, and then you can decide if you want to trust me. However, I think it would benefit us to move beyond this impasse. If you plan to get out of here, you may need someone with my abilities on your side. You are a bit outnumbered," Dominic stated flatly.
"If I can leave, I'm not leaving without my wife."
"And I'm not leaving without Gianna and Bella. Agreed?"
Edward gave Dominic a crooked smile. "You're very much like him … like Jacob."
Not knowing whether that was a compliment or an insult, Dominic stay focused on the subject. "Agreed?"
"Yes," Edward conceded.
Dominic offered Edward a tight nod before closing his eyes and starting at the beginning. Initially, the memories were quick, summary flashes. First, of his father, then the letter that invited him to come to Volterra, and the first time he laid eyes on Gianna at the airport. He showed Edward his workshop, his simple apartment, and his rocky relationship with Gianna that eventually moved into an intimate relationship and an admission of mutual love.
Edward was silent as he watched Dominic's past unfold before his mind's eye, nodding at times to encourage him to continue.
Skipping over the early signs and symptoms of his change, he let Edward see the final product when he observed his changed reflection in the mirror. "I didn't understand why it was happening, and all I could think of was hiding what I was from Gianna. I believed she could never love me if she knew the truth. But she and Aro already knew it all. Obviously he was aware of my heritage, and he also knew Gianna and I became involved. He used that to threaten her, telling her either she complied with capturing Bella or I would be killed."
Edward watched as Dominic showed him their trip to New Hampshire, Gianna's frantic drive in pursuit of Bella, and finally Dominic's equally frantic attempt to understand what was happening as he held an unconscious Bella in the backseat of their rental car.
"I know you question her decisions, but Gianna's past kinda sucked. It didn't leave her prepared to care for anyone but herself. In her defense, she tried to fix what happened by attempting to leave me behind, but another blood sucker tracked me down and brought me here. I later learned I wasn't just key to keeping Bella's abduction from the one who can see such stuff, but also to keep Bella from being seen once she was here."
"From Alice," Edward sighed. "For some reason, once a shape-shifter becomes involved in the decisions and actions of someone else that person's future vanishes from Alice's sight. Aro must have learned this from Alice's mind when she was here," Edward explained.
"What a piece of work Lord Aro is. He told Bella you knew she was here, and that you traded her for his word to not use my … wolf-effect to sneak up and kill the other members of your family. He said it was your fault she was here, that you had been warned to change her but you chose not to. He told Bella you were driven to protect her blood and changing her would be your undoing."
As much as Edward knew he should feel deep hatred for Aro from what Dominic had just told him, it seemed he couldn't muster the vengeful emotion. "Aro sucks everything from your mind. Every thought, every memory. He used what Alice and I knew about your kind to orchestrate the perfect abduction. That also means he is aware I do love her, so he used that to keep me here." Edward looked away. "I just wish I knew if that love will be enough."
Dominic nodding in understanding. "Chelsea and Corin. Gianna told me about them and what they do."
"The choice to leave will have to come from Bella, and I'm not sure she's inclined to do so."
Silence hung heavy in the air as both men contemplated their futures, realizing full well they were hostages to Bella's decisions. When the quiet was finally breeched, it was Dominic's optimism that spoke. "Love finds a way."
"Show me the rest." Edward's voice was suddenly insistent and hard as steel. Again, Edward sensed Dominic's resistance. "I need to know. Maybe it could reinforce my resolve, overcome Chelsea's effect. Its strength is limited by the bond between mates." His voice became strained with desperation, "Show me!"
"Listen, it's not easy for me either!" Dominic bit back with anger as the hatred for his captors, the beings who enslaved Gianna, had Bella torture them, and stole Gianna's blood while he was made to watch, flared up within him. The collar was unlocked, but it was the only ace he had up his sleeve and he didn't want to reveal his hand to the bastards quite yet. He had to hold back. "I'm not sure how much control I have over it!"
"It will come." Thinking it best to distract Dominic before his rage forced his change, Edward offered more information. "Did you know changing keeps you from aging? In a way, you are immortal as well."
"You say it as if it's a good thing," Dominic snarled, attempting to deep breathe through his frustration and anger.
"Point taken," Edward agreed. He decided to hit closer to the heart. "Did Bella tell you about imprinting?"
"I heard her mention that word to you, that I've imprinted on Gianna and my life is 'irrevocably connected to hers.' It seems you two know more about me than I know about myself," Dominic added sarcastically.
"If we get out of here, I can take you to the reservation for all the answers you deserve. However, I can tell you imprinting is unique to your kind, although it is very similar to mating in my kind. For us, there is only that one. Vampires mate for life. The same is true for shape-shifters. Bella is my whole life, my everything, the very center of my universe. Gianna is yours."
Exhausted and overwhelmed by the information he had just received, Dominic turned to lean against the door. Even in the low light, Gianna appeared so peaceful in sleep. This is how he wanted her to always look. If he could, he would take her far away from here to somewhere they could live in peace – away from the influence of vampires. No wolf alter egos, just the two of them. Well, maybe … eventually … a family of their own.
Dominic knew his life was indefinitely entwined with Gianna's, two pieces of a whole. The only thing that had changed was now he had learned it had a name: imprinting. "So as much as you and I repel each other, we actually have more in common than differences."
Edward had long since seen the vivid artistry and passion in Dominic's stained glass artwork which stemmed from his faith in God. But he also longed for his guitar to comfort him and placed Gianna's safety above all else. "Possibly."
Dominic decided to cut to the chase. "Look, Ed, I'm living on borrowed time here. They have Bella, and now they have you. Whatever plan they have for me, I have no intention of cooperating with. Bella is the only thing right now standing between Gianna, me, and the Grim Reaper." Dominic drummed his fingers against the door in contemplation. He had gotten some answers from Edward, but it was obvious some important details were being intentionally left out. "Fine, I guess you have the right to know, and if things don't work out for me …. You do realize if I give you the rest of the information you want, it won't make your life any easier, don't you?"
"Thank you," Edward said. He trained his mind on Dominic, who had slowly slid down the cell door, disappearing from his sight.
The light from the torches cast strange shadows in the corridor and an uneasy feeling rose up inside of Edward. At first he dismissed it as anxiety – Dominic was about to reveal what Bella had endured without him, because of him. It would be agony. And in the end, when he learned who had changed her, tasted the sweet, one-of-a-kind blood that belonged to him through marriage and mating, his rage could only be turned inward since Chelsea had robbed him of his desire for revenge against the one who committed the ultimate assault against Bella.
But there was more to this feeling. It distracted his mind, causing him to lose contact with Dominic's thoughts. His hands began to twitch and his knees became unable to support his weight. Like Dominic before him, Edward slid down the stone wall behind him. It felt like a sickness was taking over his body, an unpleasant loss of control he vaguely remembered in his last days as a human: the weakness of his body and the fogging of his mind that had left him wishing for death. Nausea churned in his gut into a solid ball of tension.
With all his strength, he pushed the growing sensation of sickness aside forcing himself to find Dominic's thoughts before it was too late to know who … who had stolen what he had fought so hard to preserve – Bella's humanity, her life.
At first, the images flickered like an old movie on a stalling reel. Through Dominic's eyes, Edward saw a rosy-cheeked Bella. Her eyes were dark brown and frightened as she held a piece of splintered wood over her head. Entranced, Edward watched the events prior to Bella's change through Dominic's point of view…
"Are you planning to beat me with that?"
Bella's lower lip quivered as the wood piece drops to the floor. "I don't know what I was going to do. I was hoping it would be sharp enough to…"
"I won't let you kill yourself, Bella."
"I'm guessing that's exactly why you were allowed in here."
"You're right. Vampires are clever."
Bella withers to the fur-covered floor, and Dominic moves to join her.
"I'll stay with you as long as I can."
"Thank you."
"They promised you a good life. You'll have your chance…"
"And I hold you to that too. Don't give up, you promise?"
"As long as you exist, I have a reason to fight. I have to fix what I have done."
"And Gianna?"
The playback of Dominic's memories flickered, moving forward to the next moment he must have deemed important for Edward to see. Dominic was now looking into Bella's exhausted eyes.
"Edward will come for you. If he feels for you the way I feel for Gianna, he'll find a way."
"Ever since he's known me, he's run to my rescue – sometimes literally. Actually, our last conversation ended with me telling him to stop doing it. I told him he treats me like a child. I left our house in anger, resenting his overprotective ways."
Edward watched as Dominic retrieved a sheet and pillow from the bed.
"Sleep. I'll watch over you. Maybe you can have one more dream?"
Taking the pillow Dominic offered her, Bella curls up into a ball on the floor as Dominic watches vigilantly over her as she sleeps.
Emotionally drained yet full of guilt, Edward nodded. "Thank you for being there for her. And thank you for a last look at her before …"
But true to his promise, Dominic continued. Again seeing events through Dominic's eyes, the Volturi enter the cell. It was time. Seeing Dominic jump to his feet and actually threaten Aro to protect Bella immediately convinced Edward of Dominic's honor and trustworthiness.
Edward listened as Aro spoke through Dominic's memories: "The moment you have wished for has arrived. Isabella Swan you have been chosen out of many to join us. This we give you is a gift, for only those of great potential, strength, and ability are called to serve. You will join us in maintaining the order and safety of our kind. It is a noble duty."
The sickness, compounded by emotional pain, ran rampant through Edward, and with all his being, he wanted to stop watching. But he owed it to Bella to know her pain and fear, to pay his penance for allowing such an atrocity to happen to her when he'd had the opportunity, if not the wisdom, to prevent the events he was about to witness through a stranger's eyes from happening.
Then Dominic dropped the bomb: "You see I have brought Marcus. He has agreed to perform your initiation per your request."
"Marcus!" Edward hissed.
But Edward's words did not stop the images Dominic was now trying to purge his mind of the horrors he had experienced that day. Aro's voice rang clear as Dominic continued to stare at Bella's defeated expression.
"He's not coming, my dear. It is with us that you belong. He knows that. This will be a new and celebrated start for you."
Edward grimaced as Aro stripped Bella of her wedding ring and Cullen crest ring. Her blank eyes not longer held life. He watched helplessly as Marcus moved toward the bereft shell of his wife.
"Please," Bella pleads just above a whisper.
"Welcome to the Guard, Isabella."
With a long, low wail, Edward vocalized the overwhelming agony, guilt, and powerlessness he could no longer contain as he witnessed Marcus's teeth effortlessly pierce through Bella's perfect skin. The shaking that started in Edward's hands had now grown to control his whole body, whether from the sickness or the grief of Bella's plight, he didn't know.
Edward's gut-wrenching sound shattered Dominic's focus. Immediately, he was filled with regret for sharing the graphic details. Though he knew it was the abridged version of events, and many details were left out, the ending was still hurtful – for both of them. Slowly, Dominic came to a stand; he wanted to offer one more apology for his ineffectiveness in keeping Bella safe. Instead the words stuck in his throat; Edward lay on the floor giving every appearance of being gripped by convulsions!
"Make it stop. Make it stop." Edward repeated over and over, retching and shaking on the floor.
"What's going on?" Dominic yelled.
A sugary voice dripped from the darkness in response, "He misses me." Her scent was identifiable to both men before she emerged from the inky shadows.
Corin.
Dominic reached for his collar prepared to defend Edward, but a gentle hand tugged on his arm. "Come," Gianna whispered. "I want you as far away from Corin's effect as possible. Trust me."
It doesn't end here. Dominic sent a mental message as he stared into Edward's frightened eyes before he allowed Gianna to guide him further back into their cell.
"There, there," Corin comforted giving Edward what he needed to take the edge off. "Just a small dose is all that is needed. Now, don't you feel better?"
Corin crouched down, slowly running her fingers over Edward's forehead and through his hair. It was a gesture meant to soothe him as she remembered her mother doing to her when she had fallen ill with fever as feeble humans were prone to doing.
Edward's shaking subsided, but the weakness lingered.
"You must drink." Corin stood. "Human!"
With the unmistakable clatter of human footfalls, a young man rounded the corner carrying an elaborately shaped vessel. Corin snatched it from his hands before the flustered man could comprehend her approach.
"Dismissed," Corin spat in his direction as she knelt beside Edward. "Drink now. It's fresh." Pulling the stopper off the container, she placed one hand behind Edward's head and used the other to hold the container to his lips.
Too weak to fight, he drank the fluid he had sworn off. Carlisle's voice echoed in his head reminding him that the sweet liquid was a lie, that it robbed them of their freedom. Something so sinfully satisfying could only bring about evil.
"That's it," Corin encouraged as Edward swallowed back the last bit of blood. "We will have you purged of all your weaknesses soon."
Physical contentment coursed through Edward's body. Sated by blood and relieved of the powerful withdrawal he had been suffering, Edward welcomed the reprieve of the sated, sleeplike state Corin's effect brought upon him.
A temporary escape from the sticky spiders' web.
( ~ * ~ )
Wordlessly Bella and Marcus had flowed through the maze of corridors toward the gallery. They had ventured for some distance giving her time to wonder when the time would come to explain her actions to Marcus. Her loyalty would definitely be questioned. The consequences unknown.
As they rounded a corner, Bella gasped at the sight before her. At the end of the hallway, two large, gilded doors shimmered in the torchlight. Marcus reached for the ring of keys at his waist as they approached, it was only then Bella released her grip on his arm.
"The gallery," Marcus said before opening the door before her. With an invitational wave of his arm, she entered.
It was a breath-taking sight. Golden statues glimmered in the low light, ancient papyrus scrolls on wooden shelves lined the walls, and "lost" works of art held places of honor.
"Oh," Bella breathed in awe until the air in her lungs had completely seeped out. She stood unbelieving between original paintings signed by Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.
Marcus shut the door behind them and came to stand at her side. "Leda and the Swan," he named the painting to the right by Michelangelo. "Leda had been taken intimately by the god Zeus after he took the form of a swan. As a result of that mating, she laid eggs which hatched into the human off-spring Clytemnestra and Castor, and the immortals Helen and Pollux." Marcus shook his head. "Ultimately, Zeus's desire to possess had set into motion the events that led to the Trojan War. When all was said and done, the war marked the end of the ancient mythological era and the birth of modern history. In essence, Zeus brought about his own demise."
Bella tilted her head as she examined the brilliant strokes of paint that blended so precisely she wondered if Michelangelo might have been vampire. "Even gods make errors in judgment."
"It would seem so. Please, daughter, enjoy the gallery."
An opportunity to marvel at the collection was not what she had expected, but it seemed Marcus was intent on giving it to her regardless of her questionable actions. But she understood it probably was only a brief reprieve. As inert as Marcus appeared, she knew he was neither simpleminded nor blind. He would question her motives eventually, but for now, untold treasure awaited to be committed to memory. It was too much to resist.
Weaving around the room, yet carefully mapping her progress so that not a single priceless item was overlooked, Bella reveled in a collection of masterpieces few have ever seen. Marcus observed her from a short distance; it concerned him when her expression of wonder clouded over.
"What is it, child?" he asked.
"If the Volturi, and most vampires for that matter, see humans as inferior, why amass and value such a collection of their work?"
"It does seem contradictory. But are we not all born of flesh and blood? By capturing emotions, interpretations, and experiences in one moment in time, art speaks of the human condition. Should we not learn from those who were the closest to perfection? The brightest and most insightful of humans. Through study of the human condition, we gather knowledge to move forward and above. Wisdom is where true power lies. It is what makes us superior, not our strength alone."
The question rolled from her lips almost automatically, "Then why does Aro not gather the wisest of vampires? He collects the most talented for their might."
"You are wise beyond your years, and more intuitive than I expected. I was correct when I predicted there would be more to you." Marcus looked over Bella's head to a treasure she had not yet seen. "Power was said to be housed in the object behind you."
Bella turned to follow where Marcus's eyes had dwelled. There she saw a chest plated entirely with gold. The cover was adorned with cherubim. It appeared to glow with its own wondrous light.
"No way," Bella breathed respectfully, gently running her hand over the one of the most sought after historic objects. But all too soon for Marcus's liking, her face fell indicating her concentration had drifted. She turned to question him. "What were you doing in the dungeon?"
"I might ask the same. You put me in a difficult position, young one. Do not venture to pit brother against brother."
Reminded of her position, Bella chose to respond honestly to Marcus's question. "I needed answers. Answers only Edward could give. Forgive me."
"Did those answers give you peace?"
"No," she admitted. "I am more confused. Did you find what you came there for?"
Marcus smiled – actually smiled. "Yes."
Bella nodded. Marcus had finally given her the answer she had sought from him from the beginning. "I understand now." She knew why Marcus had come to her cell that first night; the "feeling" he was looking for. He wanted what he had experienced the first time she and Edward stood in front of him. With this mystery solved, much of his cryptic messages and innuendo now rapidly clicked into place. It only made sense that someone whose gift was to sense relationships would be drawn to the relationship that most closely resembled the one he himself had treasured. "I felt it too from the time I awoke to this life. It grew when he entered this castle. And now I have my confirmation. Her leap of faith did result in at least one answer: Edward was truly her mate.
Marcus approached her, his face suddenly more readable as if something between them had changed. Taking her hand, he hooked it into the crook of arm. They slowly strolled toward the doors of the gallery lost in their own thoughts. But as Bella's mind raced, shuffling more pieces and forcing them into place, she had an eerie sense of foreboding. Then her eyes truly opened. "But … you've known he was my mate all along, haven't you?"
"Yes. I've known," Marcus said calmly. "But you needed to believe it yourself. You needed to feel it, not hear it from me."
"But… if you knew…"
Bella's words trailed off as the last piece slid into place and the blood, the human blood she had on her murderous hands as well as in her vampire stomach, began to boil. When she stiffened to stone at his side, Marcus paused with her. "The storm is upon us, isn't it?"
The seething rage that filled Bella rolled into every crevice of her body. Between clenched teeth, she unleashed the bitter-tasting truth: "If you knew he was my mate, then Aro knew as well!"
Bella didn't wait for Marcus's confirmation. She didn't need to. Furious at being yet again manipulated, her ire expanded exponentially with each passing second as she streaked out of the gallery in a blind rage.
Aro had insisted she be turned for her own good! He ruthlessly used information he had stolen from Edward's mind – her desire to join him in immortality. Used her own private thoughts and wishes against her! And from that small seed of information, he orchestrated her abduction through the use of innocents. Even encouraged her kill! And then used her own insecurities against her to mold the doubt of a young woman and fill her mind with the need for power, crushing her heart in the process.
Aro claimed it was what she had wished for. Claimed her immortality was a gift. No, he didn't want to give her power for her own good – he wanted to use the power she already possessed for his own purposes!
True, he had brought her power to fruition, nurtured it, and then set it free … and now he would have to deal with the monster he had created.
A/N: Queue ominous music from the orchestra and dust off the famous quote: Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned / Nor hell a fury like a newborn vampire woman scorned (ok, so I added the bit about newborn vampire...)
And so the ending begins...
Endless thank yous to Ashling92, Rosabella75, and RowanMoon. Their modifications and suggestions take his story to improved heights! This was one of those chapters I could have tinkered with forever, and I don't know if I would have had the courage to post without their support.
And thank you to those who have stuck with this story – I greatly enjoy conversing with you! Please, keep telling me what you think/feel about the events taking place.