A/N for 2020-06-28: This chapter marks my first Sunday as a 'free woman', as my beta Eeyorefan12 put it, at least for the summer. It also marks the second-to-last regular chapter of this story. Many, many thanks to my beta for all her work. Hopefully, our efforts satisfy.
~ Erin
Alice's words hung over them. There was no ambiguity to be found in the sentence 'they're coming to kill us,' but this did not stop a few of the minds present from trying to find some.
"We need to fight, then," Grant said. He was as agitated as Edward expected a newborn to be. And yet, as Edward looked to his wife, there was a calmness in her face that he wished he could understand through her thoughts.
"No," Carlisle said with authority. "Trying to fight with them will lead to exactly what Alice has seen. If they've come to serve justice, we'll listen to their accusations and then be heard."
Edward could see that this process was indeed the way the Volturi normally operated, verified by Eleazar's memories of service, as well as those of the three sisters, though their recollections were fractured by the horror of that encounter.
"The real question is why Alice is seeing that outcome," Jasper said. He was running through theories that might lead to such a conclusion.
"I'm taking it that you aren't included in that ending," Charlie offered.
"No," Alice said, "they'll take us alive, willing or otherwise."
"Is it us?" Charlie asked. He looked to Grant.
Though Edward hadn't said anything, Charlie had pieced together enough of the talk of the Volturi law to understand how he and Grant violated it by merely existing.
"No," Edward said quickly, not so much to the possibility of Charlie being right, but to the dangerous way his father-in-law was again thinking. "And if any of us acts rashly, they will endanger any chance of our survival."
He caught Bella's glance towards himself and then her father. "What are you thinking?" She asked her father. "You're not—"
"Planning to do what you did?" Charlie asked her.
Irina's eyes widened, and she hissed out, "We will not sacrifice a part for the whole!" She moved in front of Grant, as if to protect him.
"No one is suggesting that," Carlisle said, holding up his hand, imploring peace. "Beyond their coming to collect Alice and Jasper, it's very likely they've come to investigate the havoc that Victoria created. They may think we're involved, and that choice may colour what Alice sees, hence her vision. If we explain what has happened, we are just as likely to shift that vision of the future. Grant and Charlie both fought with all of you to destroy Victoria's rogue army. We are within our rights to salvage their lives, especially given the control they've demonstrated."
"You've still broken the law, letting Bella remain human while knowing what we are," Irina said.
"She was turned as soon as it would not endanger her child. The Volturi can understand our reasoning and timing, especially as she is mated to one of us," Carlisle said. Edward heard the silent question his father sent him and gave him a brief nod of confirmation before Carlisle continued. "And, it would appear that Grant is as well?" His tone was gentle but his point was made. If Irina openly claimed the bond she had formed with Grant, it could serve to protect him.
And she did. "We are together." she confirmed. Edward was amused at the lack of surprise in most of the minds around him. Clearly it had been an open secret among the Denali clan, at least. He did hear some minds wonder if the same argument could be used for Charlie and Tanya but, even with their seeming closeness, he hadn't gotten that same reading yet from either of them. He glanced briefly in their direction, finding Tanya already looking at him with a bemused expression. So, nothing decided there, then.
Edward was not surprised when Carlisle, clearly reading the situation, offered, "And Charlie is Bella's human sire. Surely a concept the Volturi would not discount." Edward was pleased to hear the arguments forming in Carlisle's mind. His father was so governed by hope and reason, Edward found himself hoping along with him. Perhaps there was a chance—
"I'm concerned that they will not look so kindly on the fact that Esme and Rose have fled with those children, though." Eleazar's thoughts were almost apologetic towards Carlisle. "It could be perceived as guilty behaviour."
"I don't expect the Volturi to understand a parents' instincts, but if they press on that point, I'm sure they'll be able to see the logic in keeping humans from them, particularly such young and innocent ones," Carlisle said.
"Possibly." Eleazar's thoughts showed that he viewed this as the slimmest possibility. Empathy was not a quality favoured in the guard. "And the fact remains that they will not be here for any determinations of their innocence to be made." Mercifully, and probably for Bella's sake, Eleazar kept his next thought between himself and Edward. Their tender age does not exempt them from the one all-encompassing rule by which the guard makes their decisions.
Accepting Eleazar's cautioning words, Edward felt his own point bore repeating, lest anyone got the idea to try to summon Rose or Esme as a sign of good will to the Volturi. "The children are completely innocent of what we are and what we've done. There is no justice on them or on Rose or Esme for protecting them." It was true. Edward only hoped that the mounting panic around him allowed people to see this. He himself was holding onto his logic with a desperate grip, the idea of the Volturi near his children making his skin crawl with anxiety.
Time, however, was running against them. The sun was rising, muted by snow and clouds, but by clouds that were beginning to thin, revealing light that would soon be full and bright, coming closer and closer to the time that Alice had seen.
"If they won't listen to our reason, then we need to make a plan to fight," Grant said heatedly, shaking his head.
"Fighting the Volturi would be akin to executing ourselves," Edward said through gritted teeth. The idea needed to be stamped out before anyone's nervous energy took it further.
Grant exhaled loudly, his agitation clear. He was not ready to let this possibility go.
"The situation is certainly unique." Eleazar spoke quietly, almost to himself. He was trying to think of anything like it in his time with the guard.
"All the more reason to prepare ourselves for any possibility, including taking them out first," Grant muttered.
"Kid, no offense but shut up and let the adults do the talking," Charlie said to Grant.
Grant snarled at Charlie in response.
QUIET DOWN! The annoyance in Charlie's thoughts was clear. But unlike any other time Edward had heard a thought from someone, the words echoed loudly in everyone's heads, as if they'd all physically heard it. Charlie's forceful speech silenced Grant. Irina gave Charlie a dark look, but otherwise said nothing. Barring his wife's silent mind, Edward saw that none of the party realized what Charlie had not actually spoken aloud.
Nor did Charlie. His hands on his hips, he glared at Grant, both surprised and satisfied with the effect of his words. He worried they would have to fight, but knew that keeping a cool head, and helping others keep theirs, was the only way he could contribute. The force of will Charlie was using to control himself was admirable, even as Edward observed it from the outside.
Charlie turned to Carlisle. "What do we do if they say we're guilty, or if they won't listen to us?"
Edward's eyes strayed to Alice, but she shook her head. The same vision remained. Whatever would change it, they hadn't found yet.
"Kill Alec," Jasper said. "Whichever of us can." But Alice's vision showed only that their end would then be more violent. She and Edward stared at each other in consternation.
Like a bubbling strew, the fears and vengeful fantasies of Edward's family, both extended and near, rose up around him. While Emmett's wishes were characteristically blunt and brutal about what he wanted to do with Felix, Carlise's similar ones were a shock.
But the possibility of battle—for this was a war, if it came to it—was one with which each person was trying to make their own peace.
"It's soon," Alice said.
Yes, it was. Edward could see it. And they were no closer to answers than they'd been before. Speculations, even when done with others, were still just that: speculations.
With that in mind, Edward turned to Bella. He brushed her hair from her face, pulling in her scent with his next breath. It calmed him a little, enough to give words to the idea that there might be an after to whatever was coming. "What do you want to do, when this business is all done with?"
He watched the sad smile lift the corners of her mouth. He knew she had no illusions about what might transpire. "I want to see the kids." Very carefully and slowly, she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair.
He closed his eyes momentarily, savoring the sensation. "You think you're ready?" he asked, knowing how unlikely this would be.
She nodded. "Some things put . . . others in perspective. And I have it on good authority that such control is possible."
He smiled. "Do you now?"
"I do." She stood up on her tip-toes to kiss him, smoothing her hands over his chest and looking up at him, smiling a little. "You didn't kill your singer, after all."
She had him there. He leaned down to rest his forehead against hers briefly, then pulled back to look into her eyes. "No," he breathed out. "It would have been like destroying a part of myself."
"Exactly." Bella drew a gentle hand down his cheek before she slipped away to move towards her father.
"And you, Dad?" she asked, hugging him. "What do you want to do when this is all done?"
"Oh," he said, his voice holding a tiny tremor, "I think I'd like to settle down somewhere far away from people. Maybe go fishing."
Edward let himself smile a little through his fear. He truly hoped he'd have the chance to dash Charlie's hopes on the fishing front. Around him, the angry swell of thoughts had faded into similar musings and conversations. This was the momentary calm before their storm, and it was peace that was being made in what might be everyone's last free moments.
What were very likely to be their last living moments, he corrected himself.
Edward noted that Grant did not seem interested in making peace with Charlie, and the eldest of the newborns kept his distance, turning to Irina instead. Even though he knew it was petty, Grant didn't like that another younger newborn seemed to have garnered more authority—or respect, than himself.
"They're here," Alice said.
And indeed, they were. As they mounted the last hill on the road leading to the Cullens' house, Edward watched the four shapes rise from the horizon until they were fully visible. Alice's vision was true.
"Jane," Carlisle said, stepping forward and acknowledging the clear leader of the small group. He nodded in turn to the others, "Alec, Demetri, Felix. We did not expect a visit from the guard."
Jane scanned the large group assembled, silently assessing who and what she knew, determining who was, and wasn't a threat. She immediately noted the absence of two of their family."Carlisle," she returned politely, nodding. "I'm surprised you weren't expecting us, given the gifts your coven-mates have and the communication we sent." She looked pointedly to Alice and Jasper.
"We do apologize for being late," Jasper said. "We were taking care of some business that wasn't unrelated to that of the Volturi." He lifted an eyebrow, looking at Jane.
Jasper's words stirred Jane's memories for Edward to see. The Volturi were aware of the attention-drawing activity in the area—at least, Jane was very much aware.
"That's rather bold, for someone who hasn't been inducted yet, to say they're serving us while serving themselves." Her eyes lit upon Bella, Grant and Charlie in turn. The distinct brightness in their eyes could not be attributed to diet alone. She suspected there was a connection between the many deaths on the coast they'd looked into and the newborns standing before her.
And there, only for a fraction of a second, was Victoria's face, nodding, in Jane's vision. Edward strained his ability, trying to understand the context.
"Uncontrolled newborns are all our business, Jane. Everyone knows that." Jasper's relaxed posture was at odds with his tense thoughts as he tried to riddle out what the guard's true reason for arriving was. Edward? Anything? Jasper knew it had only been a few minutes but was just as desperate for information. He didn't react when Edward lowered his gaze once in a negative reply.
Alice, meanwhile, kept showing Edward what the future held. So far, it was unchanged.
"And yet, you seem to have acquired three newborns and allied yourself with another coven. Quite an augmentation, Carlisle, for someone so . . . peace-loving as you are."
"We are no threat to you," Carlisle said calmly.
"I'd like to believe that, Carilsle, but your mate is not here, and neither is Emmett's. Interesting. And if your intentions are peaceful, why have you amassed this small army with which to greet us?"
"If we were an army, we would have attacked by now," Edward pointed out.
"We are no strangers to your own capacity, Jane, or that of your brother," Eleazar said. "We stand before you without concealment of who we are."
"Where is your wife, Carlisle? And yours, Emmett? Is it not strange, that they would not be here with you, if you wished to be so transparent?" Jane pushed. "What would pull them away at a time like this, when you so obviously knew we were coming? Could it have anything to do with the human children you protect so fiercely?"
No one spoke. Edward clenched his jaw so hard that, had he been human, he would have fractured all his teeth. Although Bella stood by his side, they were not touching each other, but he could feel her agitation and fear as if they were tangible elements. If there had been any hope that the Volturi were unaware of the children's existence, it had been destroyed with Jane's question. He watched his father out of the corner of his eye, wondering what Carlisle thought was best now.
"Rudeness will not be tolerated. I require an answer. Now." Jane directed her gaze at Edward and her eyes narrowed. He heard the word in her head that she did not utter aloud. Pain.
If Edward's transformation had been an eternal fire, this was his body being broken at the atomic level, each piece of him shattered by a power that seemed to expand with each rendering of itself. If he was screaming, he didn't know, he only knew the pain he'd longed to forget in the intervening years since he'd last felt it.
When it stopped as suddenly as it had begun, he came back to himself, standing as Bella pulled him up. "Edward?" She asked, her voice tight with fear.
"I'm fine." He was surprised to realize that he was telling her the truth. He wondered briefly why Jane had released him from the pain so quickly; he knew it was not her usual way.
Jane seemed just as perplexed as he was for for a moment, before she laughed at Edward's reply. "Where are they?" she asked, serious again. A flicker of memory travelled with the question—of Aro's order for Jane and compatriots to "attend to" the Cullens. Very distinctly Aro, but not Marcus and Caius. Was it possible the other two leaders didn't know of her mission's true purpose, whatever that was?
Growing angry with the silence before her, Jane turned to Bella, and Edward sucked in a breath as the vile woman flung her vicious gift at his wife.
But nothing happened. Ever so subtly, Jane's eyes widened and then narrowed as she struggled to comprehend this development.
Edward watched Jane prod at each member of their party, attempting to incapacitate them with pain, acting very much like a toddler perplexed by the sudden inefficacy of its favourite toy. Nothing. Somehow her gift had been rendered useless. Concealing her increasing frustration, she returned to words with obvious distaste. "Those who flee are always found. We are not without mercy in dispensing our justice. If Esme and Rose have fled in guilt, and you cooperate in bringing them to us, we will ensure a speedy sentence is only passed on the guilty parties."
Edward scanned the thoughts of his family, both immediate and extended. In them, he found no inclination to take Jane's bargain, nor any reason as to why her power had been rendered ineffective. Beside him, Bella appeared as she had before, her posture stiff, gaze focused fiercely on Jane. Edward could only hope that whatever, or whoever was hindering Jane's talent would continue. Behind him, he could hear that Eleazar was thinking the same thing. Was it possible it was Charlie? Or even Grant, with a latent gift?
"None of us have done anything for which we need fear your justice," Carlisle said evenly. "We do not owe you an explanation for the whereabouts of any of our family, but in the interest of mutual cooperation, I will tell you that it was not safe for the children here with so many newborns. They've been taken somewhere safe. Now, if there are charges to be made against us, we would hear them, Jane."
Jane's head tilted slightly to the left as she continued to nudge each person with her power. Edward could hear her focus as it moved between them, but no one cried out or seemed affected. He glanced briefly in Charlie's direction, but the man stood next to Tanya, observant, thoughts otherwise unremarkable.
"You can't possibly pretend ignorance of what we were charged to come investigate?" Jane lifted an eyebrow in inquiry.
Carlisle said nothing, and Edward admired the way his father remained calm in the face of Jane's provocation. His own patience with her toying was wearing thin.
"The charges please, Jane," Carlisle said.
It was Alec who spoke. "Sheltering fugitives who failed to report to the guard as agreed. Making newborns and letting them kill indiscriminately, thereby drawing attention to our kind." He did not like the way his sister was behaving. He was trying to understand why she hadn't tortured them into confessing yet, patently unaware that her talent was suddenly impotent
Jane looked at her brother, the smallest of frowns on her face. She was irked that he'd given them this information. She'd had one plan of attack, and now it was moot. The Cullens knew the charges, and if they could mount a defense, Jane would be left with no plausible reason with which to execute the order that Aro had given her—
Edward had to force himself not to react as Jane's mind suddenly revealed the answer he'd been searching for. She alone had been sent with the order to see them killed, her thoughts revealing a moment between her and Aro as he cautioned her about her 'personal' mission for him. And now Victoria's face was in her memories again, playing out in a moment between the two women
"Carte blanche?" Victoria asked Jane.
"Whatever you need," Jane assured her. "So long as you leave the two Cullens alive. Aro will take your newborn helper as payment when you're done."
The visage of a vampire Edward had seen before only in Jasper's memory, as his brother ripped the man's head from his body, then followed.
And there it was. Jane and Aro had both known of Victoria's dirty vengeance, and they'd given her permission to run amok, so long as the Volturi could have the most gifted vampires when it was all said and done: Alice, Jasper, and unsurprisingly now, Murray.
It had been the Volturi who'd ensured Victoria had operated without detection for all those years. Edward clenched his fists and silenced the rage that wanted to boil out of his skin. Even as she spoke, he could hear Jane trying with increasing desperation to make her power work. Jane was still stymied, and he wondered if all the guard's gifts would be, if there truly was a protector among them. He became aware that Eleazar was trying to get his attention again but he had been so focused on Jane that he hadn't heard him until his thoughts became frantic. Edward, can you hear me? Is she blocking you? I believe it's Bella. Edward, your mate is the shield. Can you still hear them? Edward gave a quick nod of response, realizing that Eleazar's theory wasn't as surprising as it should have been.
Beside him, Bella remained still as a statue. He leaned closer to her, murmuring quickly, "Love, whatever you're doing, keep doing it." She looked at him in confusion but nodded, turning her gaze forward again, focusing it on the guard.
Edward drew in a breath as he directed his attention back to Jane, gathering the knowledge he'd gleaned, hoping that he was right, knowing that they were all dead if he wasn't. "You and Aro have been conspiring together. You gave Victoria permission to make and operate her newborn army with impunity," he said. He heard the minds of their group all react at once with shock and anger.
"Alec," Jane snapped, startled by Edward's accusation. Her command to her brother was clear. She needed his power to render her victims speechless and deaf—and quickly. But her panicked thoughts revealed something even more useful: Alec and the others didn't know that it was only Aro who had commanded this, and it was crucial that they did not. The guard's allegiance rested with all three of the Volturi leaders, tied by Renata's gift and a healthy fear for Caius' brutal sense of justice. The idea that Edward might have knowledge of her private arrangement with Aro filled Jane with fear.
As Alec's gifts fell upon them without effect his gaze widened visibly with shock, plainly revealing his power to be just as ineffectual as his sister's to the vampires around Edward.
Edward spoke directly to Jane:"You lied to us before and you're doing it again. You didn't care that Bella knew of us when she was human or that one of our kind has broken the law for years, drawing human attention. You certainly don't care that we're innocent. What you do care about is that Marcus and Caius don't know what you're doing, and that it's only on Aro's orders that you're here. Have you told that to your companions?"
Demetri's gaze shot to Jane, as did those of Felix and her brother. They all wondered how Edward could make such blatant accusations, especially since Jane was not immediately responding.
My God, Jane thought. How does he know this? Can he . . .? She considered Aro's abilities. But he's not touching me!
She was not alone in her speculations. Alec's voice was a shocked whisper as he leaned over to whisper, "Sister, can he—"
"Hear your thoughts? Yes, he can." Carlisle confirmed, with just a hint of smugness in his tone. "All of you at once. Without touching you."
Jane's shocked eyes focused on Edward. He couldn't resist letting an arrogant smirk curve up one side of his mouth. It might be a short-lived moment, but he'd never enjoyed revealing his gift more.
Demetri shuddered visibly. He abhorred Aro's gift, along with his touch. But he feared Marcus and his brutal adhesion to the law more. Is what he's saying true? If Marcus finds out someone was allowed to run wild and he thinks we had something to do with it—
If Edward is right, and Aro alone was behind this, Caius will kill us for treason! Felix's mind trembled with imagining just how.
She kept this from me? Alec was in shock, staring at his sister as he tried to process what he saw as a monstrous betrayal.
She had betrayed him, for all intents and purposes, Edward realized. Her loyalty to Aro was above all else, even to her sibling.
Edward suddenly heard Charlie's thoughts more loudly than anyone else's and realized it was because they'd been magnified yet again by the minds in front of him. Once more, without the knowledge he was doing so silently, Charlie had projected his thoughts like words into Jane and the other Volturi's minds. It sure would suck for you if Aro read Edward's mind. No secrets are safe then.
Although there was no time to examine this further, Edward was now convinced that Charlie's daughter wasn't the only one of the Swans with a gift. He listened as the weight of Charlie's words settled over the guard, further throwing their minds into turmoil.
"You need to leave, and you won't be taking any of us," Edward said to all of them, and then pointedly just to Jane. "You've lied a great deal to a great many people. You might want to begin untangling some of that web and quelling the possible rebellion in your ranks."
Jane was not a shrinking coward, though. If anything, she was making new plans in the face of her current defeat. She was devastated that she hadn't secured Murray for Aro but she thought of what a prize Edward would be instead. She snarled openly at him. "Your family made your bargain with us, Edward Cullen. You will keep it. There is no retracting your word with the Volturi."
"It was a bargain made under duress and false pretenses. It has no value." He was sure her front was just that—a brave face. "And none of us will be accompanying you," he added pointedly.
Demetri and Felix exchanged a look. They were deeply shaken by what Jane had done under Aro's command. Her disloyalty to her brother and to them was quickly dismantling their desire to have anything to do with their initial mission.
"You would prefer the weight of the whole guard be brought down upon you?" Jane challenged, still unaware of the turmoil in the minds of the other guard members. "There will be no mercy—no easy death. We will kill you all slowly, to make sure no one ever challenges our authority again!"
"Perhaps we should go with you," Alice said in a saccharine-sweet voice. She smiled shrewdly at Jane. Flashes of the future were running through her mind like a disjointed film, and all of them were new visions. Encouraging ones. "We'd love the opportunity to tell everyone everything. There will be no secrets about what you and Aro have done." She paused to linger over an image of the chaos such a disclosure in the throne room would produce, the fighting that would erupt in the guard, given the three leaders' varying reactions, and her smile grew wider. "We look forward to it, in fact."
Jane looked like she was ready to explode.
Behind Irina, Grant hissed, his newborn instincts loosed by what he sensed was impending victory.
Can it! Charlie thought in silent frustration. Though Edward knew he'd aimed that squarely at Grant and Irina, the others had heard it as well. In the tenseness of the moment, he couldn't tell if they realized Charlie hadn't spoken but there was definitely agreement with his sentiment.
Irina tightened her grip on Grant's arm, and Jasper flung his gift at the newborn, attempting to calm him. Unlike Alec and Jane's assaults, Jasper's power worked, and the young vampire's body relaxed visibly. Edward made note of this, wondering just how sheltered they were under this blanket of protection his wife seemed to provide. Jasper and Alice's gifts were working and, thankfully, he could still hear thoughts.
Charlie returned his gaze to the quartet in front of them. "You said they were law keepers," he murmured to Tanya. His nerves and anxiety were only barely contained, a storm of thoughts brewing under the seemingly calm words, but he was miraculously still controlled in his stance.
Tanya shook her head slightly, the gesture imploring silence.
Charlie shook his head, too. He was thinking how the Voturi were a law unto themselves, his disgust undisguised.
"You come with us, or the full guard returns to claim you," Jane said, pointing to Alice and Jasper. Her words sounded commanding, but her thoughts revealed her increasing fear of what would come to pass if they actually did go to Volterra with her. She could see no way to save either face or her life in returning to Aro without them. She knew that if it came to a fight with Marcus and Caius, Aro would sacrifice her to save himself. In her desperation, she chose to up the ante by pointing at Edward. "And you as well."
"No!" Bella said. Instinctively, she threw out a hand in Jane's direction and, just like in the battle with Victoria, the four Volturi flew backwards, flattened to the ground. "You won't take him! You can't have any of us," Bella said fiercely as the guard members struggled to their feet, "Leave us alone!"
Edward expected the trees around them to begin to crack and fall, but her gift seemed to be concentrated only on the four in front of them. He didn't move, not wanting to be unwittingly subject to her power himself.
Their own group watched as the guard members got to their feet and all their eyes turned to Bella. Their thoughts were muted with shock, even Jane's. Not only had their controlling talents been stymied, but now it was clear that the Cullens had a powerfully gifted newborn on their side. They were in the unusual position of having to defend themselves, rather than be on the offensive. Edward heard them slowly coming back to their senses, Felix and Demetri trying to decide if a physical attack was even possible against Bella's gift, and Alec wanting only to return to Volterra to regroup. Jane, running out of options, entertained all those thoughts briefly before remembering her mission and her position.
And while he desperately wanted the Volturi gone and out of their lives, Edward knew it was not so simple. He focused on the thoughts of his father and Eleazar as he struggled for ideas. It served all their interests to send Jane back with a solution that protected her and Aro from the others' vengeance, for such outrage could only boomerang back to them if set loose. "Aro will value his secret being kept. We'll keep it, and so will all of you. He'll see in your thoughts why Jasper and Alice would be best left here."
"I cannot—will not return empty-handed!" Jane practically screamed at them.
"Given what Edward has just explained to you, there is no reason for you not to return to Aro 'empty-handed', as you put it," Carlisle said evenly. "My friends Marcus and Caius don't know that Jasper and Alice were promised to your service, so you can tell all three leaders that our destroying Victoria and her newborn army is a sign of our good will towards the Volturi. We won't reveal Aro's perfidy to them, and you won't reveal to anyone but Aro what happened here. But that is only possible if you do not take any of my family with you."
They all watched as Jane digested Carlisle's suggestion, no one moving in this tense standoff. Edward listened as Jane ran different schemes through her head, each one culminating in the wrong outcome for her. If she took Jasper and Alice, she knew Alice would be more valuable to Aro than herself and that made Jane expendable if Aro needed a scapegoat. For less than a moment, she contemplated trying to collect Bella, but she quickly realized that just the four of them wouldn't be able to overcome the power she had shown. And when Edward growled at the thought of Jane going after his mate, she was reminded that taking Edward would make Aro privy to everything that had been said or done today—and in the past—by any one of the guard. Her incompetence and failure would be on full display.
"Bella?" Carlisle asked as they waited for Jane. He didn't like that it had come to a show of physical force and now he felt they needed to de-escalate things to nudge the guard toward a graceful out.
Still crouched defensively, Bella straightened up when Carlisle spoke her name. Her posture was stiff, but she accepted Edward's offered hand. Her gift—gifts, he amended—had tipped things in their favour, but he imagined the responsibility of wielding them must be wearing on her. He drew her to him with an arm around her waist, no longer caring what Jane or any of the guard thought.
And seeing this, like a damn child, Jane tried again to bring the gift of torture to at least one more Cullen. She took a menacing step forward, but before she could even focus on anyone, Bella had silently activated her gift once more, not even stepping away from Edward to do it. He felt nothing more than an odd ripple of sensation flow through him as she threw her hand toward the guard. The four Volturi hit the ground for a second time.
"Enough." Edward hissed, watching Jane and her cohorts clamber to their feet, even more slowly than the last time, as he held Bella to his side. "You're lucky to leave alive as it is. Go."
He wished it could be gratifying, or reassuring, or relieving, watching the four grey-clad figures turn and walk, then run out of his sight, but it was still with terror for all that could have been that he turned to his wife and yanked her into his embrace, burying his face into her neck.
"Will it work?" Bella asked, her voice muffled in his shirt as she clung to him. "Are we safe?"
It was only with Alice's gift that he could see that they were. He could barely believe it himself. Fate had snatched at his happiness so many times, that he had to replay what Alice saw over and over again in his mind before he could even say the words he'd wanted to utter and believe for so long: "We're safe."
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