Chapter 18: Conspiracy

No matter what my inner voice may be telling me…Stephenie Meyer owns Edward…not me.

JamesPOV

I sat next to Victoria at a small corner table in the run-down pub just outside of Volterra waiting for Laurent. As Victoria slowly slid her hand up my thigh in an attempt to arouse my interest in her, I kept a keen eye on the entire establishment. I drew the stale air of the pub into my lungs. I smelled and tasted my surroundings.

The pub was a mixture of various fouls odors. The dark paneling on the walls was permeated with the scent of liquor, cigarette smoke, and mildew. The floor was crusted with dirt and the dried puddles of spilled drinks. The only other beings in the dilapidated pub were a small group of three aging, human, Italian men and the barkeep. The scent of their sweat and blood was strong. My mouth filled with venom.

"Mmmm. Perhaps a snack while we wait?" Victoria whispered in my ear seductively as her hand gripped my crotch, having finally reached its destination.

"Business first," I said tersely while pushing her hand from my dick.

Victoria placed her hands in her lap and moved over slightly putting several inches between us. She lowered her gaze to the table and sat silently with her bottom lip pursed.

I ignored her pouting and continued monitoring the pub. I took in a deep breath searching through the mingled scents trying to monitor what lay beyond the walls of the pub. The draftiness of the pub allowed me ample tastes of the outside world so I could immediately be alerted to the approach of any unwelcomed vampires.

"You fool! She will never love you the way I do!" Victoria spat out as she stood from her seat suddenly, knocking the chair to the floor behind her.

She stood there looking expectantly down at me with hurt and rage in her eyes. I glanced over to the human men whose glasses were frozen in midair, half raised to their mouths. Their conversations ceased as they stared at the two of us.

I slowly pushed my chair back from the table and rose to stand in front of Victoria, my back to the men at the bar. I brought my hand up and stroked her hair softly and then moved it underneath her hair to the grasp the back of her neck. I placed the other hand around her waist and pulled her gently to me in what would appear to be an embrace to our audience. The faintest sound of splintering and cracking stone could be heard by only us as my hand tightened its grip and began to break through the pale marble skin at the base of her neck. Victoria hissed in pain. I nuzzled my nose to her ear and began to whisper to her while further tightening my grip on her neck.

"I suggest you keep your fucking mouth shut before I rip your head from its fucking body. Do you understand?" I whispered into Victoria's ear through clenched teeth as my fingers continued breaking through the skin on her neck.

I pulled my mouth from her ear and looked into her eyes with a forced smile. I began to relax my grip on her neck. Victoria nodded and released the breath that she had been holding in.

"That's a good girl. We don't want to make a scene now do we?" I said as I released her neck and brought my hand around to grasp her chin.

Victoria shook her head slowly. I leaned down and reluctantly took her lips in mine. She was tense at first but then began to relax and kiss me back passionately. Her tongue swept across my lips. I parted them allowing her to enter my mouth. She moaned with pleasure as our tongues fought against one another. I moved my hands to her ass and began to roughly knead the hard flesh there. Just as her breathing was becoming erratic with passion, I pulled back from her.

"Like I said, business first," I stated.

Victoria smiled and bent to pick her chair up from the floor. She quietly sat back down at the table. I took my seat next to her and looked toward the other patrons. They continued to stare at us. I flashed them a smile and a wink. They chuckled and exchanged quick words in Italian and then resumed their previous drinking and merriment, forgetting about the odd couple in the corner.

Victoria resumed rubbing my cock with her hand under the table eventually pulling down the zipper of my pants slowly. Her hand entered past the metal of the zipper and began searching for my dick under the fabric of my pants. Once located, she let out a disappointed sigh when she realized it was flaccid. She began vigorously working her hand up, down, and around my member trying to get it to respond to her touch. She had no idea that her touch disgusted and did nothing for me.

"Please, baby. Let me help you ease some of your stress," Victoria pleaded to me in a soft voice.

The last thing I wanted was to have Victoria's hands on me, but I knew I needed to keep playing the part of the caring lover. I needed her to trust me and to continue obeying every order I gave her for just a little while longer. I found a small measure of happiness in the fact that I would not have to suffer her presence much longer. Soon I would be rid of her for good and Isabella would be mine for the taking.

Victoria increased the tempo of her strokes on my dick. I closed my eyes and pictured Isabella's mouth around my dick. I pictured myself standing with Isabella on her knees in front of me, sucking me, swallowing me. My dick began to harden in Victoria's hand.

I continued to imagine burying myself in Isabella's mouth. Grasping the back of her head, slamming my cock hard down the back of her throat while she moaned in pain, choking on it. It didn't take long before I was coming in Victoria's hand with a grunt of ecstasy and relief. She grabbed a napkin from the table and cleaned us both up just as I caught the scent of a familiar vampire approaching outside.

"That pathetic human bitch could never make you feel the way I make you feel," Victoria leaned over and whispered into my ear.

I pushed her back to her side of the table quickly dismissing her comment "Not now Victoria, Laurent is here," I informed her as I rose from my chair, pulling up my zipper.

Laurent had entered the bar and began making his way to our table.

"James, Victoria," he greeted us simply.

"Please, sit my old friend," I invited him to join us.

As Laurent took his seat at our now crowded table, he glanced down at the napkin Victoria had just used to clean my dick and her hand.

He cocked his eyes toward me and said, "Hardly the time or place, wouldn't you agree?"

I chuckled and responded, "Victoria can be persistent."

"Yes, well it seems you have attracted the attention of the locals with your vulgarity," Laurent informs us with a hint of disapproval in his voice. He nodded his head towards the men still sitting at the bar.

I glanced over and saw one of the older Italian men staring at Victoria with lust, his mouth slightly ajar, and his hand adjusting his obviously uncomfortable engorged member. He was overweight and sloppy. He wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead and licked his lips, his gaze fixed on Victoria.

"It would seem you have a fan, Vicky," I pointed the man out to her.

She looked over at the man and quickly dismissed him and my comment with a roll of her eyes.

"Come on, Vicky. I've never seen you turn your nose up at any meal. You've enjoyed less savory men than him before," I said to her teasingly.

She signed and gave the man another appraising glance.

"He does remind me of my piece of shit human father. I suppose a quick meal would be more favorable than being bored with your talk of Isabella," Victoria said.

I watched on as Victoria rose from her chair and made her way to the man sitting at the bar. She whispered in the man's ear. He quickly, anxiously, and clumsily stood from his bar stool and followed her outside, away from the pub, to his eventual death.

"Does she suspect anything?" Laurent questioned after I confirmed that Victoria was far away, out of earshot.

"Nothing," I told him.

"Good, we need to ensure her continued obedience if this is to work," Laurent said. "It does seem an awful waste though. So cunning, beautiful, insatiable. " Laurent continued.

I chuckled. He was fully aware of my growing disdain for Victoria.

"Then you fuck her. I have grown tired of talking about Victoria. Tell me what your next move is," I said to Laurent.

Laurent began telling me of his success in earning Demetri's trust. Demetri seemed to believe that Laurent was his ally and wanted to help them save their pathetic lives. So much so that Laurent had successfully obtained an invitation to the Bollai's home that night.

The plan for the night was for Laurent to find a way to separate the group. He also needed to obtain a piece of physical evidence from the Bollai's home that we could later offer up as proof to the Volturi of the Cullen's and Bollai's involvement in a plot to overthrow them.

"And you are sure you can evade Jasper's powers; the mind reader's powers?" I questioned him.

"You doubt my ability, old friend?" Laurent questioned.

"I'm just concerned. Everything is dependent on you being able to conceal your emotions and your thoughts tonight. If you falter an inch, we are done for," I said to Laurent.

"I am fully aware of my part in this game, James. I won't fail you," he said.

I knew Laurent's ability to hide his thoughts and emotions were strong. He had been doing it since before becoming a vampire. Laurent had grown up in an orphanage in Paris. One of the countless children left fatherless, motherless after World War I. While in the orphanage he endured years of abuse and torture at the hands of his so-called caregivers. He had developed the ability to remove his mind from the situation to block out the physical and emotional torment they had caused him. He became cold and calloused as he repeatedly retreated into his own mind, far removed from the torture they inflicted upon him.

Eventually, he reached the age where he could leave behind the orphanage and set out on his own. After leaving, he soon discovered that he had himself become a monster. He wanted revenge for his suffering. He wanted to inflict the same pain he had endured onto others. He craved it. He had become Paris' own version of Jack the Ripper by the time I had found him and made him into one of us.

After becoming a vampire, Laurent's ability to shut off his emotions and control his thoughts grew exponentially. He was able to look into the eyes of his victims as they pled for their lives or the lives of their loved ones never showing any emotions. I was counting on his gift in order to secure what I needed most, what I desired most.

Isabella.

My thoughts began to drift back to the pictures in my mind of Isabella on her knees in front of me when as Laurent continued to go over his plans with me.

"It would seem that Isabella and the youngest Cullen have grown very fond of each other," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked him now agitated, taken off guard by his comment.

"The son, the mind reader. Demetri shared with me that he has chosen Isabella as his mate and she has chosen him," Laurent informed me with a hint of mocking in his tone. "It could mean an ugly fight," Laurent continued.

"I will kill him myself," I plainly stated trying to conceal the jealously that was quickly, dangerously building inside of me.

"Ah, but you can't. He has forbidden it, has he not?" Laurent quickly pointed out. He appeared to be enjoying taunting me.

"Remember our orders, James. We are not to harm Isabella, the mind reader, the fortune teller, or Jasper. He has plans for them once the Volturi fall and he is in power. With all their special abilities combined, no one will be able to stand against him," Laurent reminded me.

"Which reminds me," Laurent added. "What of our positions within the new ruling order? Do you trust him to honor our bargain?"

As I opened my mouth to respond to Laurent's question, my phone rang. I quickly pulled it from my pocket and looked at the caller ID.

"It's him," I informed Laurent.

"I will leave you to discuss the arrangements," Laurent announced and rose to leave.

Laurent took a step away from the table but stopped and turned back towards me. He leaned down close to my face and whispered a warning, "I will seek revenge, old friend, if you double cross me."

I reached up and patted him on the back and smiled.

"You can rest assured that your future is secure," I said. He nodded at me, turned, and left the pub.

I answered my still ringing phone.

"It is not wise to keep me waiting, James," the caller said with a deep sigh.

"I apologize. I was just finishing up with Laurent," I inform him.

"And I trust everything is moving along as planned?" he asked me.

"Yes. Tonight, our plans will be put into motion," I assured him.

"Good. Please send the redhead to the castle tonight. Aros will be out attending to other business and it will allow her the opportunity to witness against the Cullens and Bollais without him reading her thoughts," He said.

" I trust she has her story straight?" he asks.

"Yes, she is ready. She will inform the Leaders that the Bollais and Cullen have approached her to join them in a plot to overthrow them," I reiterated the story to him.

"Perfect. She must then flee before she can be questioned further. I will take it from there, convincing them of the truth of her words. If they demand additional proof, I will call you and you can prepare the proof and have it delivered as we discussed," he said.

"When will you be taking Isabella?" he questioned.

I explained Laurent's plan to separate them tonight. Once separated, I would kidnap Isabella and take her to our prearranged meeting place. My dick began to harden at the mere thought of finally having her in my clutches.

"Remember, James. No harm is to come to Isabella. She belongs to me. You have become such a loyal general to me, I would hate to have to end your life," he warned.

"You can trust me, my master," I assured him.

"We shall see," He stated simply before hanging up the phone.

As I was returning the phone to my jacket pocket, I inhaled deeply once more taking in the scents drafting in from the outside world. That's when it hit me, the scent I had been tracking for sixteen years. The scent that drove my madness.

Isabella

And this is it…the point at which I left you hanging with my last update many years ago. If you're still reading, I hope the next chapters make it worth the wait. Reviews make me happy!