Chapter Seventy Two

Jasper

Luckily Peter caught me before I boarded a flight to Finland with the news that Darius was in Italy, or at least within easy travelling of Volterra.

It made perfect sense although acting so close to the Volturi stronghold wasn't going to be easy. If they discovered our presence then they might well draw the conclusion that we were about to act against them to get Megan back. I didn't want a fight with the Volturi and considered calling Suloicia to tell her what was going on but without proof, she would be unable to act against Alec. Besides which if he got even the faintest idea that he was being watched or suspected of anything that would put Megan in danger and be the end for Darius.

I expected Peter to be ready to go in all guns blazing but even he understood this had to be done carefully. As he drove from the airport he explained how he had gotten Darius' whereabouts and I couldn't help but smile.

"I just hope Charlotte doesn't hear about this. She will rip your bollocks off and feed them to you."

"Yeah, I'll bet you'd just love to see that, Major."

"Actually I wouldn't. Right now you're more useful to me in one piece. If, on the other hand, you mess this up… I might just change my mind."

He grinned, "Then I guess I'd better step up to the challenge. Have you spoken to Doctor Death yet?"

"No. Bella was going to do that, but she hasn't gotten back to me yet."

Deciding it would be prudent to know just what was going on I pulled out my phone and called her, relieved when she answered immediately.

"Jasper, I was just about to call you. It's taken me until now to contact Carlisle and Esme. They were out on a hunting expedition and had their phones switched off. They knew nothing about Megan but they had left Volterra a couple of days ago to hunt in the Alps and get in a little skiing at the same time."

"What did they say when you told them about her?"

"They were shocked, of course. Then Carlisle started blaming himself for not seeing this possibility. He promised to look after Megan and help her all he can. He said it might be worth giving her some emotional support to help her understand her feelings and the fact that she's not been bad, just struggling to deal with all the feelings she's experiencing right now. He was going to speak to Sulpicia and Marcus right away. Do you think Alec will allow him access to Megan?"

"I don't think that Alec could come up with a good reason to keep Carlisle from offering to help his own granddaughter. I doubt Megan will tell him anything though. She'll be desperate to keep Darius safe."

"Then I guess it's down to you and Peter. I just wish I was there with you. It's good that I stayed though because Marcus called the house. He wanted us to know that Megan will be looked after and not treated like a criminal. She'll be afforded every comfort while in Volterra but she will not be allowed out of the citadel except under close observation."

"Well, that's something. The trouble is that Alec is going to be offering that close observation and he'll make sure Megan agrees to that. When we get this mess sorted out Alec and I are going to have a long conversation and I promise he won't enjoy it one bit."

"Just get her back Jasper, please. Before Alec traps her there permanently."

"We will, and I'll call again tomorrow once we've set up camp. If you hear anything in the meantime.."

"I know, I'll call. I love you."

"I love you too, Bella. Bye."

Peter turned as I put my phone away and grinned.

"Well, it looks like little Alec won't be getting things all his own way. I wonder how much trouble the good Doctor can stir up."

"His concern will be Megan so that should give her breathing space from Alec. I mean he can hardly insist she refuses to see her grandparents. It would be so out of character for her."

"I hope you're right, Major. I wouldn't trust that little shit as far as I could spit."

Carlisle

It had come as a huge shock to learn that Megan had lost control of her gift and almost killed two people. I blamed myself for not seeing such a possibility. She may be maturing quickly but she was still a child in many ways and struggling to cope with everything her accelerated growth was throwing at her. Esme was keen to help too so we arranged to see Sulpicia as soon as we got back to the citadel.

She was friendly enough, but it was obvious that she had to tread carefully here, there was the matter of the law to be considered.

"I completely understand your concerns and I have already assured Bella and the Major that no harm will come to Megan here in Volterra. She has, however, threatened the secret of our existence and we must ensure such a thing never happens again.

Marcus, Chelsea and I have discussed the matter at length and we decided the safest thing would be for Megan to stay here for a while. Long enough to learn self-control and decide what she wishes to do with her future. There were murmurings that she should be... Encouraged to take the final step and become a full vampire, but we decided that should be left to Megan to decide, once she is stable enough to do so on her own.

In the meantime, she will be housed in one of the guest suites in the tower and will be accompanied wherever she goes. To begin with, she will be confined to the private parts of the citadel but will be allowed friends to visit her and access to all our amenities.

Alec has very kindly offered to watch over her and as they were so close when she was here before we thought that the best idea. It would be the most comfortable situation for Megan."

"I was hoping that Megan might come to live with us, Sulpicia. I mean she is our granddaughter and would feel less isolated with those she knows."

Sulpicia sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry, Carlisle. I did put that forward as a possibility but others spoke against it. I think it's felt that Megan needs to understand how dangerous her actions were. There must be some level of punishment."

Esme leaned forward in her chair, "Can I ask how the Volturi discovered what had happened? Bella says you assured her that the Volturi were not spying on the family so how did you discover the circumstances?"

This time Sulpicia moved uneasily in her seat and I thought for a moment that she wasn't going to answer Esme at all.

"I'm sorry, Esme. I cannot answer that question at present and I cannot explain why. Let me assure you that no action would have been taken if we were not sure of the veracity of our information."

I studied her wondering what she was not telling us and why. Since moving to Volterra I had come to understand that she had always been the power behind the throne. She had a keen mind and was extremely intelligent and Marcus valued her.

He had changed markedly since Aro's execution, no longer the silent looming presence of old. Marcus was very hands-on, involving himself in all the workings of the Volturi and nothing happened without being brought before the entire council first. He had been quick to act on the information they received regarding Megan and although he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt it was clear that should there be any more outbursts things might well change. His only concern was for the safety of the vampire race and he was willing to do whatever it took to ensure both that safety and it's secrecy.

"If I were you, I would keep my peace and see how things progress. While Marcus may appear less rigid than my late husband he has a steely interior and if he thinks anyone is questioning our judgement or decisions he might well become less benevolent. Leave it to the rest of the council to ensure things run smoothly for your granddaughter."

She was warning us against making any appeals to Marcus or the council while sending us a strong if silent message that she was monitoring the situation and would help all she could.

We were not invited to collect Megan from the airport and were not even aware that she had arrived until Sulpicia informed us the following day by which time she was already in isolation in the old wives tower.

"Marcus called a meeting of the council just before her arrival and it was put to us that for the first few days she should be kept separate from her friends and family here. He seems to be very cautious about allowing her too much freedom and I suspect someone is feeding his fears although I could not discover who that might be. Even Alec, who was desperate to see her, was only allowed a few minutes in which to escort her to her suite. He was not happy, claiming it was wrong to keep the two of them apart but Marcus was adamant. She appeared in good spirits when I visited her soon after her arrival and asked me to tell you that she hopes to see you soon."

We had to be satisfied with this although I suspected there was more going on here than anyone was willing to discuss.

On our way back to our suite we ran into a rather sullen-looking Alec who tried to avoid us but as there were no side passages along this stretch of corridor that proved impossible.

I smiled and stopped to speak hoping to hear more about Megan.

"Alec, have you seen Megan yet?"

His scowl deepened, "No, no one is allowed to see her yet which is ridiculous. I wish I knew what the point of such stupid isolation is. Did Sulpicia say anything to you?"

"Obviously the same as you. However, we are hoping to see Megan soon. How was she when she arrived? She must have been scared and missing her parents."

"No," he snapped, "Why should she be? She's here now where she belongs. She was never going to fit in with the humans, I told her that but she insisted she knew better. I'm just glad nothing too serious happened. This way she and I can be together just as we were meant to be. She was actually pleased to be back here among people she can feel at home with."

I frowned, "She seemed happy to be home and I was under the impression that you and she had argued."

He scowled, "Well, you were wrong. Megan was just confused. We make the perfect couple. Megan and I are mates and if Marcus doesn't allow me to see her soon I will bring it up with the full council. He's breaking one of our most sacred laws."

Esme gasped, "Mates? That's the first we've heard of that. Are you sure?"

He turned scornful eyes on her, "Sure? Of course. When you see Megan I'm sure she'll be keen to tell you. Why? Don't you think I'm good enough for your granddaughter?"

Esme looked flustered and shook her head, "No, of course not I didn't mean that. I'm just surprised to hear it this way."

He snorted, "There's a lot that goes on in Volterra that you aren't privy to. I suppose after losing Aro you're feeling a little out of place here, Carlisle. After all, he was your sponsor."

I was about to give the young man a lesson in manners when he turned on his heel and walked away stiffly.

"Please tell me that Megan has better taste than that, Carlisle."

I turned to Esme with a faint smile but she was dead serious.

."I'm afraid there's no accounting for taste, Esme. Although I would have thought Megan would be put off by Alec's arrogance if nothing else.

"I know they say that love is blind, Carlisle, but really? Surely even a guide dog would want to pee up his leg."

Taken by surprise I burst out laughing and took Esme's arm.

"Come on. Maybe you can talk some sense into Megan once we are allowed to visit. In the meantime, we'll just have to be patient."

I didn't want to alarm Esme but something didn't feel right about this whole situation. Megan and Alec had been close but when she left Italy the relationship broke up and that would not have happened had they been mates. I decided to keep a close watch on Alec and our granddaughter whatever Sulpicia and Marcus might say.

"There's also no point in worrying Jasper or Bella so let's keep any concerns to ourselves."

The next day, despite my words to Esme I decided to try visiting Megan. There were guards at the base of the tower just like in the old days when it had been the refuge of the Volturi wives. However, I had lived in the citadel before and had spent a lot of time exploring and I had found a way into the tower that circumvented the guards.

There was a tunnel which led from the catacombs and came up in the basement of the tower at the far end from the entrance. It had been blocked up and forgotten many centuries ago but the masonry had crumbled with the dampness and the door that it had hidden could be moved enough to squeeze through at a pinch.

I made my way circumspectly down to the catacombs avoiding the few people who moved around there and was close to the tunnel entrance when I found my way blocked by the huge bulk of Felix Volturi.

He smiled as he saw me, "Carlisle, what a surprise to find you down here. I thought you preferred the archives to these damp cellars."

Recovering quickly I answered him smoothly enough.

"I could say the same about you. I thought the training area was in the other direction. I just wanted to think and I know it's quiet and deserted down here."

"Yes, usually it is. Did you know there used to be other tunnels down here that led all over the citadel?"

"Really? How interesting."

"Yes, but they were blocked up a few years ago when we did a survey of the entire catacombs."

He stared at me and I understood his message. He knew that I knew about the tunnel and that I had been headed there. He wanted me to know that it would be impossible to reach Megan that way.

"Well, in that case perhaps we could walk together. It's always good to have someone to talk to who remembers the citadel as it was."

He agreed readily enough and accompanied me as I turned back towards the archives but I got the feeling that he hadn't been down here purely to stop me from using the tunnel or seeing Mehan. No, Felix had his own reasons for being down here, reasons he wasn't going to share with me.