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A/N: We're going to play with a few different POVs in the coming chapters. Hope you enjoy!
3rd July 2048
In the hours after I returned Edward and I to where we belonged, I could have been fooled into thinking it was just an ordinary day. We didn't speak of the fact the Cullens were flying to Volterra at that very moment, or what was to happen in the next 24 hours.
What's more, the Denalis allowed me the privacy of not asking me where I'd been when I walked through the door. If they knew something had changed, they didn't ask how. And if they smelt Edward's hands on my body, they didn't question why. Maybe they knew I didn't want to talk about it; or maybe they were allowing me this as a small consolation for the trials yet to come. I knew they would have their own opinions on what happened. We had never shied away from expressing them in the past. But this time they kept them to themselves.
To any outsider looking in it was just a day like any of the others we'd shared. We hunted and we absorbed ourselves in the hobbies we enjoyed. I played my piano while Carmen painted in her studio with Eleazar. Garett and Aslo debated the great battles of history while Kate and Tanya looked on with amusement. It was all so normal, like life had reset. Except for the moment the next morning, when our pretences had to drop, and we gathered in the sunlit living room.
Silence descended, and for a split second it seemed to stretch far beyond the room. Like for just a moment someone had turned the volume down on the world outside. No rushing traffic, no rustling from the forest stretching out around us. No wind whistling on the lake or hum of electricity. Just silence.
"You don't have to do this, you know that, don't you?" I said as I looked at the faces of my chosen coven. The Cullens were family and my bonds with them ran deep in a way only family could. But the Denalis were my coven. We had found each other and chosen to exist together despite our differences. I could have continued alone but I knew, for all our disagreements, that I was stronger with them than without.
"Oh, in that case I think I'll stay here and catch up on some paperwork," Kate quipped sarcastically, winking at me as she gripped Garett's hand in hers.
"I think the sooner we get this show on the road, the better, Kvetina," Aslo added as he took my hand in his, weaving his fingers with mine and drawing reassuring circles with his thumb.
"OK, then." I nodded as I let the tingle build. "Here goes nothing."
I let the tingle creep over my skin, reaching for each of them like a diverted river carving out its new path. With each contact I felt it build, connecting with whatever force existed within each of them.
I closed my eyes against the intensity.
Aslo tensed beside me, it was subtle, but I knew he hated the feeling that came with my jumps. His thirst always seemed at its worst following a jump.
I pictured our destination in Rome, and as soon as I had, it was like the pressure in the room dropped, sucking us through existence to where we needed to be.
A crack sounded as the darkened room appeared before us. I released them as I doubled over. The tingle snapping back to whence it came with a thud in the pit of my stomach.
I expected Aslo to drop my hand as always but instead he wrapped himself around me. He was rigid except for the deep breath he inhaled through my hair. I felt the way his lungs expanded to capacity, the rush of air filling my ears as I stood pressed against him.
"Is everyone OK?" I asked as Also slowly released his breath, unfolding himself to stand at my side.
"The jetlag is a bitch but it's better than flying." Garett mused, as he stroked Kate's satin blonde hair.
Eleazar righted himself as Carmen placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
"How long until we hear something?" Tanya asked, running her fingers through her hair. There was a faint crackled of static as she did so.
"They should be meeting with the Volturi any minute now," Eleazar said as he looked at the clock against the wall
*** Third person POV ***
4th July 2048
The Cullens followed the flowing form of Jane's cloak as she passed ahead. They walked for an age through the sienna bricked corridors and lantern lit staircases. Finally, however they arrived at a grand wooden door, engraved with blackened wrought iron in strong swirling shapes. The smell of blood and death leeched through the pores of the wood. They each tensed against the smell and the prospect of what lay ahead of them.
Jane knocked once before opening the door wide, revealing a room glowing with candlelight. The flames housed in their large glass casings lit up the richly decorated parlour. Amethyst walls seemed to shimmer where the candlelight licked lovingly at their surface. The stone floor looked as if it were skimmed over with ivory silk. The stones had been so well worn from years of use that their individualism had been wiped clean. A perfect metaphor for the Volturi guards.
As Jane shut the door behind the Cullens her usual mask of indifference split into a smile. Her master's happiness was her own, and right now she knew Aro would be positively glowing at the prospect of what was to come.
The Cullens stood diligently in front of the five faces at the heart of the Volturi.
The scent of smouldering oak and heady cloves drifted and clouded the air. As if it were all part of the seduction the Volturi wanted to pose. They did nothing to disguise the delectable stench of human blood that surrounded them. If anything, they enhanced it.
"Welcome, welcome, welcome. My dear friends," Aro called as he swept across the room towards them. He stepped callously across the bodies strewn on the floor. Discarded like a child drops a rag doll when bored. They were still fresh. Their warmth emanating into the room. Esme steeled herself against the death around her locking her gaze forward. Anything to avoid their unseeing eyes, glassy and vacant.
Aro beamed wildly, his blood-soaked hands stretched out before him, reaching for Carlisle's.
Carlisle didn't allow him the satisfaction of flinching but Aro paused nonetheless, an amused smirk twitching the corners of his face.
"Look at them, you'd think they were scared of blood. Aren't vegetarians just the funniest things?" Athenadora cooed as she leant forward to rest her rounded face on her hand, sucking the blood from her fingers. As she did so her vibrant red hair trickled down her pale forearm like blood leaking from a wound. Just as vivid as that of her victims who lay crumpled on the floor.
"How rude of us, we wouldn't want to make our guests uncomfortable would we?" Aro's tone suggested otherwise but with a click of his fingers, guards appeared around them as if melting from the walls, so seamless was their entry.
They started to clean the room around them. The scent of blood swirled in the air as they shifted the bodies. The Cullens stood firm, their resolve galvanised by centuries of practice.
Finally, a woman, a human, entered the room. Her heavy heartbeat resounded through the room, a living temptation. She moved sluggishly towards them. Needles marks scarred her neck and wrists, the only places you could see in her floor length white dress.
Carlisle grimaced internally, holding Esme a little closer to him. He had worked for centuries protecting human life and to see this flagrant disregard for it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
The woman knelt lovingly at Aro's feet, dipping her hand into a bowl of water and rose petals. She languidly bathed his hands. A look of reverence emblazoned on her face. The soft floral scent was a welcome reprieve from the thick spicy smell of blood that still lingered.
When her work was done, she left with the submissive scuttle of a person whose spirit had been broken long ago.
Aro's mate, Sulpicia, drifted forward, halting at Aro's side as she looked over the Cullens before her. She had heard so much about them, yet as they stood before her now, they didn't fit with the images she'd had in her head.
Edward watched Aro's wife carefully. She was a waifish woman with blonde hair so fair it was almost indistinguishable from the pale ivory of her skin. Her face revealed nothing as her thoughts filtered into his mind. But her eyes, dark ruby and glimmering in the candlelight, held so much that you had to question how she kept her face so indifferent.
Aro's arm didn't pass around Sulpicia's waist as she stood beside him, but his posture changed. It was like he leant ever so slightly towards her but restrained himself from revealing a desire for anything other than power and victory. Nothing but his kingdom would truly matter to him.
"We had hoped Heidi might be with you. It seems she hasn't returned from her trip," Aro's eyes watched the group before him. They showed no reaction to his words, but their stubbornness didn't irritate him. It would just make this all the more sweet.
"She must be off getting a manicure," Rosalie sniped sweetly. She hadn't meant to say a word, but their power play had riled her. As Emmett squeezed her hand lightly she made a point to reel in her anger. Sarelle had joked about Emmett being the one to goad the Volturi but Rose knew her temper was more of a concern than his self-confidence.
Caius smirked knowingly as he watched the arrogant blond. She was a marvellous beauty but with it came a deep narcissism. He would enjoy watching it crumble later.
They had all known something had happened to Heidi. Her devotion to them had always made her a loyal servant and with that loyalty came a predictability. She would have returned as soon as she had what they needed, and the fact she hadn't screamed of foul play. Still, it wasn't enough to punish the hapless group before them. It wasn't worth risking the greater goal.
Aro smiled coldly at Rosalie before turning his gloating stare to Bella and Edward. "I'm sad to see Renesmee is not with you," he said sweetly. It was sickly. "I would have loved to have seen her fully grown."
"She sends her regards, Aro, and she's sorry she couldn't be here, but her and Jacob are celebrating their anniversary." Bella spoke calmly, keeping his gaze. Nessie was a world away from here and as long as that was the case she could deal with the rest. Her safety was everything.
"Ah yes of course, on Isle Esme?" Aro said intuitively. "Demetri said he saw them just the other day. Such a small world is it not?" his offhand tone did nothing to disguise his pleasure. This life was made up of small victories and this one brought him more pleasure than most.
A low growl rumbled in Bella's throat and Edward tensed as her hand gripped his. He battled with his restraint as his daughter's safety dangled precariously in Aro's grasp. The only consolation was that he knew Nessie wasn't as fragile as she once was. Her and Jacob could protect themselves, even from Demetri. And if he was there, then he wasn't here and that meant one less Volturi guard in their defences.
"I have to say we have so been looking forward to seeing you all again. Especially, to see you Alice. It has been so long."
"And you haven't aged a day, Aro" she joked, her eyes glinting in the glow of the candles. Aro laughed sharply, his eyes glinting with deadly mischief. The other Volturi masters stayed silent. This was his show and they knew it. They had seen it time and time again but it was no less captivating.
"Perhaps we should all catch up. Like old friends do," Aro said, reaching for Rosalie's hand. She didn't fight it. Even though the feel of his hand in hers made her skin crawl.
To his disappointment and delight Aro heard nothing as he held the beauty's hand in his. "I see your gift is as strong as ever, Isabella." His eyes dragged languidly towards the shield.
Her face gave nothing away of the strength she held. Just the thought of it was intoxicating to him. She would make such a fine addition to their ranks, but that was a battle for another day. He had his sights set on a much greater prize, for now.
"Just evening the playing field, Aro." Bella replied politely. She could feel how her family shone under her protection as the shield undulated around them. It was almost effortless now. Not as it had been in those first days in Forks.
"Anyone would think you have something to hide," Caius sneered, anger seething under his surface.
Athenodora stretched herself across her mate's lap, her hair falling in a thick wall of rippling red. She loved the rage he was capable of. It was intoxicating. To see how vicious he could be, knowing the softness he shared only with her. It was one of the only reasons she endured these tedious meetings. Anything to see a glimpse of his fury.
As Carlisle spoke, she dragged her attention away from the glorious fire flickering his Caius' eyes and looked on obediently.
"Of course not, Aro"
Carlisle's polite tone scratched at Aro's composed surface. He could take this insolence from the children in front of him but to hear it in Carlisle's voice was something else. They had shared a mutual respect once upon a time. A vision for how this world could be. But time had changed his friend. He had seen it in Forks all those years ago and he saw it again now. The vegetarian diet had rotten away his true nature and with it any respect he had ever had towards the Volturi.
"Where is she, Carlisle?" Aro persisted as he wrestled with his frustration.
"Who?"
"Sarelle St Clair." Her name slid from his mouth in a hiss.
Emmett stifled the smirk threatening to break onto his face. There was something about seeing your opponent riled that made a fight all the more invigorating. It was like if you could break their composure you had already fought half the battle.
"Sarelle St Clair?" he chipped in, nudging his wife playfully. "She disappeared years ago, didn't she Rose?"
Her eyes flashed with a smile as she added, "last we saw of her she was walking into Volterra, but then again you probably know that don't you Aro?"
Pleasantries slipped for a moment as a growl rumbled through Aro's chest. Sulpicia touched his hand lightly. A unusual show of affection fuelled not by her mate's anger, but the show of it. It was rare Aro ever broke his composure, but this slip told her more about her mate than any explosive show of rage. She had always known the loss of Sarelle St Clair was one of his greatest torments, but now she felt the first whispers of worry because for once it was possible Aro's desire could put them all at risk.
At her touch, Aro regained his restraint. With a decisive turn he retreated to Caius as he sat lounging with Athenadora draped across him.
Caius offered him his hand willingly.
They she would be here. his thoughts said, discontentment evident in their tone.
"And I don't doubt that she will be." Aro said, lightly. "Our informant was quite adamant."
An evil glint twinkled in Caius' eye. Athenadora watched it avidly, eagerly waiting for the outcome.
Perhaps we'll just have to force her hand…
Aro nodded in agreement, turning slowly toward the Cullens as they stood there in silence.
"Felix, Jane," he called, waiting no more than a second before they entered gleefully through the door.
"Perhaps we should see just how strong that shield of yours is, Isabella," he said with a sly smile.
Athenadora giggled with ravenous delight. The meeting had finally become interesting.
*** SPOV ***
I smirked as Aslo sidled into the room, joining me as I watched over the city from the window seat. He was aiming for nonchalant, but I could see right through him. I always could.
"You don't need to watch me, Aslo. No one knows we're here."
"You could take care of yourself even if they did," he replied. "But I know you too well, Kvetina," His golden eyes watched me intently. The glow of the sunset before us illuminated his auburn hair, pulling the red tones out from the brown waves.
"We've got a plan, Aslo."
"Yes, we do, but what's yours. And where's your bag? Your things? You'd never leave that behind."
"I don't know what you mean." Now it was my turn to be nonchalant.
"And that right there is why I'm keeping you in sight until we're in Volterra."
"We?" I asked.
He stared at me, raising an eyebrow daring me to challenge him. His arms folded across his chest, tightening his jersey top across his broad shoulders.
"You're not coming with me." I baulked, rising to stand squarely before him. I should have known he'd try something like this. He'd been too calm these past few days.
"I am, and you're going to agree to this. And not in the same way you've been saying yes to everyone else. You're going to promise me and you're going to mean it."
I shifted as he stared me down.
"You owe me that much." His voice resounded off the sienna walls, laden with the years of friendship we'd built between us.
"The Denalis will need you here. When I bring Aro.."
"Don't, Sarelle." He warned as he glanced surreptitiously behind him towards the stairs. "I love you, more than I've loved anyone. Maybe not in the way he loves you but that doesn't mean it's worth any less. The thought of you going in there alone… it kills me. So if our life together has meant anything to you, you won't go there alone. You won't put me through that."
***Third person POV***
"He's making his last stand." Tanya sighed before distracting herself from the conversation upstairs. She had known it was coming. For weeks Aslo had been restless. Not even the solace they usually found in each other's touch had been enough to calm him. She had always known his feelings for her could never rival those he had for Sarelle, and truthfully it didn't bother her. She always knew they were a distraction for each other. A pleasant slice of comfort in the cold expanse of forever. Like her coven gave her security, love, and support, Aslo had given her a release. A person to let go with and just enjoy the feeling of being adored by someone with whom you shared a mutual respect. It never needed to be more than that.
"Maybe it would be better if he went with her. I don't think he could stand waiting here," Kate said as she turned her head away from her surrogate sister's conversation upstairs and scanned the group.
She knew how Aslo felt. It would be no different for her if Tanya were the one walking into the belly of the beast. It wasn't that she loved Sarelle any less than her other sister, but that love was different. Hers and Tanya's relationship was built (as Sarelle and Aslo's was) on centuries of ups and downs. Of knowing that without that person you would never truly be whole.
As the gravity of the situation reared its ugly head, Kate reached for Garett's hand. He had quickly come to mean everything to her. After all those years walking alone, she finally had someone to walk beside her. The fear of losing that had played heavy on her heart these past few months.
On days when her and Tanya hunted together, they had spoken about the impossible choice that lay before them. Run, and let age old loyalties wither in the hope of self-preservation or stay and risk all that they had built. For Tanya it had been an easy choice but for Kate the future of her and Garett had complicated things. She knew Carmen would have ran if Eleazar had not been so steadfast in his decision to stay. It wasn't something Carmen had ever voiced, but Kate had seen the way she had retreated ever since Sarelle's gift had started to change. Even now she saw how Carmen chewed her full lower lip. Her eyes locked on her mate. Her limbs looked tensed as if ready to bolt the second he gave her the slightest inkling he was unsure.
"Perhaps, but the Volturi will already be on alert. His presence could be the spark to light the tinderbox," Garett murmured from his place on the worn velvet chaise.
"What if Aro doesn't go for the trade?" Kate asked as she folded herself onto her mate's lap.
"Then she'll split them up and we'll change his mind," Garett offered a reassuring smile but he knew such a thing would do little to ease Kate's nerves.
Carmen twitched in her corner of the room, "what about that Cinetica company. We still don't understand what role that plays." Her hands moved as she talked, but not in the animated way they had grown to associated with her. The jerking movements showed her nerves.
"Mi amor," Eleazar cooed, wrapping her hands in his. "It is more than likely just a front. A way for the Volturi to maintain their fortune."
"And if it isn't?" she asked, her wide eyes looking for answers Eleazar couldn't give. "What is they have a weapon we don't know about?"
"Have you seen Sarelle lately?" Garett teased, trying to cut through the tension. "I think we're the ones with the hidden weapon."
His words might have had the desired effect if they were allowed the time to work but no sooner had he spoke than Tanya's phone vibrated impatiently in her palm.
***SPOV***
The persistent buzzing cut through our conversation and I was grateful for the distraction.
"Unknown number," Tanya murmured, flashing the phone at thegroupbefore calmly answering in a way only she could.
"Tanya Novak, who may I ask is calling?" she said sweetly but I could hear the slight shake in her voice.
"Tanya, we know you know where she is." A voice hissed through the loudspeaker.
"Who?"
A dark chuckle prefaced a blood curdling scream. "I would love to play this game with you, but Esme may not survive it." Another scream punctuated his threat.
"Felix, what's going on?"
I put a face with the voice and made sure he was top of my kill list.
"Tell her we have her precious Cullens, or at least pieces of them-" It took all my restraint not to react. "- so if she isn't here in the next hour we're going to start burning limbs."
The call ended and with it our wait.
"Show time," Aslo said solemnly. He had grown to care for the Cullens during our time together and I knew Esme's screams affected him as much as the rest of us. I wondered if they had chosen her specifically. Somehow it hurt more knowing it was her rather than Emmett or Jasper. Not that I cared any less of any of them, but Esme was always so gentle. The thought of someone hurting someone so passive seemed to make it worse.
I gathered my thoughts, trying to push Esme's screams out of my mind. I couldn't go in there fuelled by rage.
"You know I'd be happier if you stayed here," I pleaded one last time as Aslo grasped my hand in his.
"You know that's not going to happen." He was so sure of himself. His confidence unnerved me. There was a recklessness there that worried me.
"Just remember the plan. No hero moments." I watched him carefully. Maybe that confidence was just bravado in the face of uncertainty.
"Yes, kvetina." He bowed to gently place a kiss on my lips. It wasn't urgent or passionate. It was a promise. An expression of all he had said to me. He loved me, truly. Not as a sister, like Emmett and Jasper. Not like a daughter, like Carlisle. And not as a lover, like Edward. He just loved me.
But in that kiss, I felt his desperation, his fear, his confession. He would put my safety first, no matter the cost. Whether that price was his life or anyone else's who got in the way.
I pulled away, giving him a smile as I cupped his face in my palm.
Golden eyes watched me carefully. He had sacrificed so much to get them and although he would never say it now, I knew they were for me. I couldn't let him risk all of that.
His gaze turned shrewd, "what are you doing?"
"I can risk my life, Aslo, but I'm not risking yours." Before he could object, I turned in his grip, loosening his grasp enough to allow myself to jump free.
It hurt to see the betrayal in those golden eyes, but as the tingle took me, I knew it was a guilt I would relish. If it meant he stayed safe I could forgive myself. I just hoped if I got out of this, he would do the same.
A/N: Thanks for reading!
