A/N: all things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer. This is a short chapter because in French it was actually part of the previous one. I hope you'll like it. Sorry if I'm not verbose today, but know that I'm very glad you're still following me on this road. Good reading.

Chapter 38

Tanya's last resort

EPOV

I should have known that Tanya would eventually learn that I was no longer available for her, or anyone other than Bella, but I never expected that she would actually try to kill herself because I was in love with another woman. Was this merely an attempt to get my attention? I understood that women sometimes had bizarre ways of expressing their feelings, but this seemed extreme.

I hurried to my father's apartment to tell him about Tanya. Esme had returned to the kitchen and Jasper was downstairs resting before this evening's meeting. We decided to gather in Jasper's apartment to plot our revolt. The other staff members, loyal to the Volturi, had no idea we were conspiring against the three regents. They were also unaware that Jasper's behavior had changed since he regained consciousness. Emmett informed Ben, Tyler and Eric that Jasper needed more time to recover before resuming his duties and assured them that everything would soon return to normal.

Tomorrow, while Emmett and Jasper hunted the mercenaries, Jacob would go to the fields and disclose the details of my plan to the male slaves.

When I walked into the infirmary Carlisle was quietly talking with Alice and Jacob, "Alice is as light as a feather, Jacob. You won't have any difficulty carrying her to Jasper's apartment."

"I'm so tired, Doctor Cullen. I just want to go to sleep. Why must I attend this meeting?" the comtesse de Marillac asked.

"There will be no one here, Miss Brandon, and after what happened to Isabella last night, I don't want to leave you unattended," my father answered.

"Emmett could arrange for additional girls to be available tonight to occupy those three perverts," I suggested. "We could also have Rosalie contribute her services. I think she'd be very pleased to do so."

Jacob looked at me inquisitively. "You seem concerned, Edward. Something bothering you?" he asked.

Nothing could go unnoticed by this guy…

"It appears I can't hide anything from you," I mumbled.

"You'd better not hide anything from me, indeed," he replied, not grasping the fact that my remark was meant to be sarcastic.

"Weren't you supposed to return to your apartment after taking Bella to the seraglio, comte? Why did you come back?" Alice inquired with worry in her voice.

I sighed and turned to Carlisle. "It's about Tanya. It appears that she tried to kill herself by ingesting rat poison. And now, for a reason I can't fathom, she refuses to leave the harem's dorm."

"Unfortunately, there's not much I can do if Tanya doesn't want to come here to be treated. Do you know how long it's been since she swallowed the poison? Is she vomiting?" Carlisle asked.

"According to Kate, it was about an hour ago. And yes, she is vomiting and writhing in pain," I answered.

"That's terrible!" the comtesse exclaimed. "Why the hell would she do that?"

"It's a long story, Alice. But without going into details, I'm afraid that I may be largely responsible for her actions."

"Ah! Then there will most likely be many more 'victims' to come!" Jacob cut me off in a cynical tone.

"I know what you think, Jacob. That all the girls in the harem are so in love with me that they can't stand the idea that my heart now belongs only to Bella. That they would rather die if I don't care for them anymore. But if that is true, it's all the more reason to free them so they can start over and have a real life elsewhere."

"That's easy for you to say because you're not the one who will have to deal with these girls once they are free, Edward. Maybe they won't agree to the second part of your plan, " Jacob went on, stubbornly.

"Well, that will depend on how you explain it to them," I retorted a little curtly.

"Okay, enough!" Carlisle interrupted. "We were discussing Tanya's case." He turned to address me, "I don't think her life is in danger, or else the poor girl wouldn't be in any condition to complain and refuse treatment. But I absolutely need to see her to confirm my assumption. Look, we were about to go downstairs to Jasper's. Could you persuade her and bring her to his place without making Jane suspicious? The Volturi's employees must not know that we are meeting tonight."

"I think I can manage that. I also asked Bella to slip away and join us after she's explained my plan to the other captives. I can meet you in about twenty minutes. Just give me some time to talk to Emmett about sending more girls to Aro. I can't promise you anything regarding Tanya, but I'll try."

I went down to the basement in search of my brother. It had been a while since he had returned from the fields with the fifty male slaves and his three dumb assistants. He was just about to leave his quarters when I intercepted him.

"Emmett, what girls are you sending to the Volturi tonight?" I asked bluntly, without any preliminary greeting, even though I hadn't seen him since the previous evening.

"Jeez, bro, you lost count in no time. Or are you now so mesmerized by the beautiful marquise that you have completely forgotten what's going on in the palace?" he teased as he closed his door.

"My mind is quite busy with many things right now, Emmett, in case you forgot," I replied as I walked with him toward the stairs leading to the seraglio's floor.

"Well, let's see, yesterday I sent Kachiri and Zafrina. Tonight I'll send Renata and Heidi," he responded after a few seconds of reflection. "Why?"

"That won't be enough, Em. I want those three pigs to be very occupied tonight, if you know what I mean. Send them Gianna as well and maybe the duchesse, just to demonstrate our willingness to obey their orders?"

Emmett glared at me with an outraged expression. "There's no way I will let those three monsters put their dirty paws on my Rosalie, Edward! How dare you even suggest it?"

"Because I'm convinced that your Rosalie, as you say, is able to stand up to the Volturi. Better yet, I'm sure that if you ask her to incapacitate our employers, she'll find a creative way to do so. Furthermore, Aro's deadline to present the new girls to him was yesterday. If you don't present the duchesse tonight, he might become very unhappy and suspect that we have turned against him," I argued.

"But if you want Rosalie to hurt the three monsters, she'll be the one who'll get into trouble afterwards."

"Emmett," I tried to reason him, "if Jasper and you manage to overcome the mercenaries tomorrow, we'll be able to leave the domain before Friday morning. My hope is that Rosalie, with the help of the three other girls, will be able to injure the Volturi seriously enough that they are forced to ask for Carlisle's services."

"Okay, and how exactly is this supposed to serve our cause?" my brother questioned, obviously not understanding what my strategy would accomplish.

"If the Volturi need to be treated by Carlisle, he'll be able to take the opportunity to drug them. That's what I have in mind."

A smile lit up his face when he finally understood, "Fucking shit! Why couldn't I come up with this idea myself?"

"Maybe because your brain is between your legs," I mocked.

We burst into laughter just as we reached the entrance to the harem. Jane instantly appeared, looking even dourer and disapproving than usual. She probably didn't like to see us having fun. She must have thought our good mood was inappropriate given that she never joked about anything.

"Which one of you is in charge of bringing the girls up tonight?" she asked with an icy tone.

"That would be me, darling," Emmett answered with a grin, while trying to regain some composure, "and when I return from our beloved rulers, I'd like to invite you into my dungeon to teach you how to relax. I think that you would benefit a great deal from a little session on my St-Andrew's cross."

"Keep your stupid comments to yourself, Emmett Cullen de Morvalle. If I wanted to relax, you'd be the last person I'd go to!"

"Don't take it the wrong way, doll face! I just wanted to help, that's all," Emmett said, still smiling, as he apologized halfheartedly.

"Just tell me which slaves you want for tonight and stop wasting my time and your saliva harassing me!"

"Ouch!" I couldn't help muttering under my breath.

My brother ignored me. "Tonight I'll be taking Renata, Heidi, Gianna and Rosalie to serve their masters. I've heard that Aro is anxious to finally get acquainted with one of his newest recruits. I've also heard, through the palace rumor mill, that unfortunately he's unable to accomplish much of anything at the moment."

"I'm not worried for him," Jane cut him off. "I'm sure that he'll find other ways to take advantage of his current situation. And what about you, Edward?" she continued, turning in my direction. "What are you doing here at this time of the night? It's not like you to pick up a slave for your own needs when all the girls are getting ready to go to bed."

"Jane, you know very well that Aro has always given me carte blanche as to the time I can come and fetch a captive for my own entertainment. But unlike my brother who has an insatiable libido, I can very well do without sex when my duty calls me elsewhere. In fact, I'm here to take Tanya to the infirmary. She needs to be checked by my father and I won't leave without her, either with her cooperation or by force," I replied.

Jane shrugged and walked away at a leisurely pace, headed to the dormitory. I took the opportunity to whisper to my brother. "You'd have been in trouble if Jane had taken you up on your proposition, bro."

"Nah, I'm definitely not her type. I was just putting on an act so she doesn't suspect that I threw my heart on the duchesse."

"But it's fortunate that the duchesse didn't hear you either, because she could take offense and make you pay dearly if you dare speak like that to another woman in front of her."

"My lord, do I look like a fool or what?" Emmett said, offended. "Ever since I tasted Rosalie, it's like the other chicks have become transparent and flavorless. Fucking hell! She's the only one for me now."

As he uttered those words, Rosalie left the dorm, walking behind the other three slaves Emmett had asked for. "Well, dear," she said to Emmett with a sigh, "it seems that I won't spend this coming night with you, meaning we won't be able to continue where we stopped this morning. I hope you won't miss me too much and that you'll be able to survive the thought of me up there with three sex maniacs." Her voice sounded like the cooing of a dove despite the heavy use of sarcasm.

"Ah, please, Rosie. You know how much your voice alone affects me. You're making me hard like a bull," my brother whimpered, "and as much as I'd like to, I can't fantasize about you right now because I have other matters I must attend to this evening."

The three other captives stood silently next to the duchesse, motionless, clearly feeling out of place and looking embarrassed by the conversation.

"Listen, my beauty," Emmett continued, pretending he didn't notice the others, "Edward has a favor to ask you -."

Rosalie didn't let him finish his sentence; she swiftly turned to me instead, raising a brow. "So what do you want me to do to that motherfucker of Aro and his brothers?"

The duchesse's insight left me speechless for a few seconds, so she decided to go on. "Jeez, don't look at me like that. I'm not stupid. I assume that Emmett has already told you about my tendency to control everyone around me. And I'm sure you want to capitalize on that and use it to your advantage by including me with the others to occupy the Volturi tonight. Am I wrong?"

"No, you're absolutely right, Rosalie," I replied. "I'm aware of your dominant nature, and I'd indeed like you to use it with the Volturi. I was thinking that with the help of these three charming young women who are accompanying you to the chamber of debauchery, you could exact sufficient retribution upon Aro, Caius and Marcus that they would need to seek care from their private physician who, then, would be able to take advantage of their vulnerability to drug them."

Rosalie seemed to consider my proposal for a few seconds before declaring, "I can see what you're getting at, Edward, and believe me, I would have fun mutilating the family jewels of those monstrous people, but if I could immobilize the Volturi without shedding of blood, Carlisle could still come for a little impromptu visit to his employers and administer a drug. Should they not comply, then I could persuade them more eloquently."

"As you wish, then. There is a wardrobe next to the bed the three perverts use during their orgies. You should find everything you need in it," I turned once again to my brother. "Emmett, don't forget to leave the door unlocked from the outside so the girls can come warn us when they have finished their task." Then I addressed Renata and her companions. "Ladies, would you be willing to assist the duchesse d'Essanges?"

"Are you kidding, Edward?" Heidi spoke for the others. "After all that we have endured from those dirty vicious men for so many years? My only regret is that the occasion to avenge ourselves comes so late. Because if you really manage to have us all leave this damn castle and I meet a respectable man at last, who knows if he will want me after I've been spoiled?"

The young woman expressed her concerns with so much bitterness that I couldn't help but feel terribly guilty. Why did I never question myself on the possible consequences this sexual servitude may have on the Volturi slaves?

You may want to redeem yourself, pal, but you can't erase the hell these girls went through nor restore the virginity of those who lost it at the hands of these madmen before you set foot here...

I had to admit that before Bella's arrival to Volterra, I was indifferent to the fate of Aro' sex slaves. I never even considered that those girls would have the possibility of a better future.

Emmett walked away with the four captives leaving me waiting alone in the hall. I hoped that Bella had managed to persuade Tanya to be examined and that I wouldn't have to force her to come with me. I was prepared to use whatever means necessary, but I really hoped that my former favorite would not cause a scene or attack me when she saw me here. I didn't need any more drama today. After a few minutes, Tanya finally did appear, practically carried by Kate and Irina, who were on either side of her, holding her up as she crossed the hall to where I was standing. She looked extremely weak, but far from the point of death. Kate let go of her arm and hurried back to the dorm without saying a word to me

Irina was still firmly gripping Tanya's arm, supporting her so she wouldn't collapse. "I think it would be better if you carried her, Edward," she told me. "She's no longer vomiting but she can barely stand."

I took a step toward Tanya. Shit! Her stare was kind of blank. That didn't bode well. "You can return to the dorm, Irina, I'll take care of her," I said, lifting Tanya into my arms and cradling her against my chest.

Irina did as she was told and I left the hall. As I walked toward the stairs leading to the depth of the palace, I became uncomfortably aware that Tanya's gaze was no longer void. She was now intently watching me with hungry and lustful eyes. Fucking shit! As if I needed that on top of everything else!

I took a deep breath. "Tanya, we need to talk-"

My words were instantly cut off as she suddenly tightened her grip around my neck and quickly and forcefully pulled my face down to hers. Her mouth impetuously seized my lips and at the same time she ran her fingers through my hair.

Well, if you hated Tanya before this chapter, I bet now you want to suffocate her with her pillows...

For the time being, the lovely India Rose is editing my chapters and I want to thank her for her precious help.

Get well soon ALE, and all my thoughts are with you.

Until next time.

Milk