Chapter Thirty Six

Rose

Emmett hadn't been gone more than ten minutes when there was a knock on the door and one of the humans who worked in reception glanced nervously in.

"Aro asked me to accompany you to a meeting."

"What meeting?"

"I'm sorry I don't know any more than that but if you could just follow me."

I gazed around and grabbed Emmett's wallet, he'd put down before leaving for his meeting with the Volturi and followed her out. We'd been here quite a while now but exploring was discouraged so I only knew a few areas of the citadel, the archives, the inner courtyard where we could sit in the sun and the small area outside the town walls that was cut off from the humans where we could find prey brought in especially for us. I was sick of cattle and goats but it was all the Volturi provided for the Cullen vegetarians.

We seemed to walk for a long time before reaching an elevator. The doors slid open and she stepped back to allow me to enter first then hit a button outside and the door slid shut on me. I suddenly realised where I was bound, sending a human had distracted me as Aro intended and now I was a prisoner on my way to the wives tower and Esme. I held tight to Emmett's wallet as the elevator came to a halt and the door slid open onto a huge and elegantly furnished room with beautiful crystal chandeliers and silk drapes at the huge windows which looked out over the mountainside. I saw four women sitting together talking by a marble fireplace which was laid ready to light. They looked round at the sound of the door and I recognised Sulpicia, Athenadora, and Esme, but the fourth woman was a stranger and very different from the others. Her skin was darker and her long black hair was plaited and hung over the shoulders of her long flowing gown of pink watered silk.

Esme came over to greet me looking surprised but happy.

"Rosalie, its wonderful to see you. You look sad, has something happened? Come and meet the others, they'll be so happy to see a newcomer."

"Esme what about Carlisle? You haven't seen him for days and you haven't even asked me if he's OK"

"Rose I doubt Carlisle has even missed me. I know you don't want to hear this but Carlisle doesn't love me and before you start talking about Chelsea and Corin they weren't necessary in my case. Come on over and meet the others."

She took my arm and pulled me to one of the ornate velvet covered sofa's and I sat beside her as she spoke,

"Athenadora, Sulpicia, this is my daughter Rosalie. I think you've met already haven't you?"

The two wives greeted me with warm smiles then Esme turned to the other woman,

"Corin this is Rosalie. Rosalie this is Corin, our companion."

Corin smiled at me and held out her hand,

"Rosalie it's so nice to finally meet you, we have so few visitors. I'm sure you'll be very comfortable. Your room has already been prepared for you, let me show you."

Edward

Carlisle was relieved to see me back although I thought he was disappointed in my actions with regard to Bella.

"You should have left well alone Edward, its done no good only harm and you know Aro wont allow you to have her even if they do get her to Italy. Did you tell them she was gifted?"

"I had to Carlisle, it was the only way to get out of here and find her. Aro wants her, they all do if she's gifted, even more so now they've lost Jane and Demetri. Imagine what she could do if her gift turns out powerful, a shield perhaps even stronger than Renata."

"Is that all you can think of? What about Bella herself? Would she want to come to Volterra? Especially if she has found Jasper and feels strongly about him."

"He's an animal Carlisle and she'll soon see past the veneer he plasters over the true Jasper Whitlock."

"Edward, is it that you love Bella or that you hate Jasper? Which motivates your behaviour?"

I looked at him suspiciously,

"I'm not sure I understand the question Carlisle."

"Oh I think you do and I also think you are too much the coward to admit the truth. You don't want Bella any more than you did when you had her, you just don't want someone else to have her."

"That's a lie..."

"Enough Edward, it's about time you learned the truth. When I saw you in that hospital, dying of influenza, I felt something I'd never felt before, a desire to have someone at my side. Your mother never begged me to save you, she was too ill to speak by the time she reached the hospital. I saved you because I wanted, needed to, and I've been waiting ever since."

I gaped at him unable to take in the meaning behind his words,

"I see you don't understand or choose not to Edward. I'd been alone for centuries hoping that one day I would find the person I wanted beside me and then I saw you, so pale, so ill, yet so beautiful, and I saved you for selfish reasons, the only time in my vampire life I did something for myself. I wanted your companionship, I still do despite everything that's happened and all the pain you've put me through."

"You mean Esme isn't your mate? Then why did you change her?"

"It was a tragedy, losing her baby, and she had so much to offer the world, her endless love. I thought perhaps it might make you look at me again, even feel some jealousy, but you didn't seem to care and I wondered if I'd made a huge mistake. When you felt the draw of Bella Swan's blood it upset me and when you started a relationship with her it almost killed me but then I realised you weren't in love with her, not enough to change her and if she'd been your mate you wouldn't have thought twice."

Carlisle

I wondered if I'd said too much, he stood head bowed and it scared me wondering what expression would be on his face when he looked at me again, hatred, revulsion, anger? I had no idea, all I could do was wait in silence for his reply. When he did look up it was with a look of surprise and wonder,

"You saw me as your mate all that time ago? Why didn't you say anything? At first there was only thirst and rage in my life and you were there to help me, you could have told me then. When I left and you allowed me to I thought you didn't care, that I was an experiment that had failed in some way, you could have told me then. When I came back and you found Esme I hated her, resented her taking your attention from me even though you welcomed me back. Esme told me you created Rosalie as a mate for me, was that a lie?"

"Not exactly, I worried that you needed the opportunity to find a mate of your own so I gave you the opportunity but I was so relieved when you rejected each other."

"I was angry that you were trying to plan out my life for me. Besides she would never have been happy with me, she's far too bitter and caustic. Does Aro know about this? Is that why he sent Esme to the wives tower and me here to you?"

"Yes, Aro knew. I told him why I had created you and he told me it was a futile effort. Mates found each other they weren't created to become one. I knew he was wrong even though it appeared otherwise. I'm sorry Edward, I should have bared my soul to you a long time ago. It's probably too late but we could be happy together I know it, the reason you are so cold and arrogant these days is because your soul knows where it wants to be but your head shies away from it. The choice is up to you but Bella can never be yours whatever you choose and you will be much happier when you accept that."

All I could do now was wait for Edward to stay or leave, taking my heart and my happiness with him.