As promised, the next chapter :)
Traceybuie: You and me both, girl... XD thanks for reading and reviewing! xx
CHAPTER XI
Jake, Seth and Leah were very soon joined by Quil and Embry, two childhood friends of Jake's. Emmett and Rosalie accepted to lend them their love shack, as Emmett called it. The small cottage usually made to contain Rosalie and Emmett's loud lovemaking was a few yards away from the main house and five wolves would be able to live there comfortably. Jasper had joked about now owning a kennel and Rosalie had giggled as I had slapped his arm, trying hard to control the smile that was very close to leaving my lips.
We had called Alice to let her know some wolves were willing to fight with us, and Jake was hoping to gain some more allies, even trying to gain Sam's allegiance without much success for now. She told us she had found some vampires guiding her towards Liam and she could see she was getting close to finding the family. She also said she had sent some vampires she thought would be useful our way.
''Alice, why?'' I exclaimed, feeling the weight of all the possible deaths on my shoulders and Jasper sent a wave of calm my way, sitting lazily across from me in the library.
''Trust me. I've seen it,'' was her only explanation, ''I need to talk to Carlisle, please,'' she then said. As I made my way towards Carlisle, I tried to coax more information out of her, but she was relentless in keeping it a secret. I reached Carlisle and handed him the phone without explanation as I was mad that she was bringing more possible casualties into this.
''You know it'll work out in the end, right? Otherwise, she wouldn't bring in more vampires,'' Jasper tried to calm me as he felt my despair.
''We're already running against time as we know the Volturi are coming. The leaves will fall soon, how long do you think we have before snow starts to stick to the ground?'' I exploded and Jasper only smiled at me as I saw him look down and his desire increased. I looked down too and noticed my hair was getting darker. I sighed in frustration and ran a hand through my hair, making it brown again. ''Now is not the time,'' I growled but Jasper only smiled all the more.
His eyes were starting to darken now, losing some silver flickers in them, and I was happy for Alice, though I felt the sadness every time I looked into his eyes. I had grown accustomed to his feelings of lust around me, finding it almost comforting now. Jasper kept telling me it wasn't just the blood every time he would feel my sadness, but I wasn't so sure. I had witnessed it first-hand more than once and it never ended well for me. A thought occurred in my mind and I shuddered.
''What is it?'' Jasper asked almost immediately, but I shook my head, not wanting to tell him.
''That's not going to happen, Bella. I'll make sure of it,'' Edward assured me, coming in the room and hearing the last of my thoughts.
''I've seen it before,'' I said, barely a whisper.
''Tell me,'' Jasper ordered in his God of War tone. I rolled my eyes but Edward spoke up.
''Sorry Bella,'' he said before explaining to Jasper, ''The people she trusted after giving them her blood; some betrayed her and gave her up to the Volturi,'' Edward said as if it was nothing. Jasper turned to me and I could feel his horror at the thought.
''Well fuck that! I'm not doing that!'' Jasper exclaimed and Edward laughed as he put a book back on the shelves.
''Not yet,'' I sighed as Carlisle joined us into the room, cutting our conversation short. He looked confused, but we could feel his confidence. He spoke before any of us could ask or look in his mind.
''Alice called the Denalis. They'll be here in a week,'' he told us and I growled, thinking back at what they had done to Edward. I jumped from my seat.
''Carlisle, you have to make her stop! She keeps sending people in for the slaughter!'' I screamed, hysteric as I added the numbers of possible casualties in my head. ''It's too much!'' Jasper sent me a wave of calm so strong it made me sit back down heavily. Carlisle waited until I was settled.
''She's basing herself on the vision you both had. When I said we had witnesses proving you had left a long time ago. Well, she's sending them in,'' Carlisle explained more as a feeling of dread and loneliness came crashing inside me.
''So, I'm leaving,'' I said softly as I understood what that meant. I was going to leave them in the end. Jasper squeezed my hand.
''She doesn't think you really left,'' Carlisle interjected, making a flicker of hope rise inside me.
''So, where am I?'' I asked confused. Carlisle shrugged.
''She doesn't know. She has yet to find an explanation. She's hoping the visions will become more concrete once she finds Liam. She told us to expect the first vampires she sent in three days,'' Carlisle said and looked around the room before leaving us to it. I was almost shaking thinking about the possible deaths.
''I trust Alice,'' Edward tried to reassure me as I slowly thought about it.
If the Volturi were to believe us, we'd need a whole lot more vampires. I probably knew the most vampires and if safety was in numbers, I had to go get some witnesses of my own. Edward nodded as a feeling of duty filled him.
'Do what you have to do,' Edward thought as Jasper reached for my hand, understanding we were having a secret conversation and not happy he wasn't a part of it. I grabbed his hand in mine and brought him to my bedroom, wanting us to have some privacy at what I was going to announce. I sat him on the bed and the lust he sent my way made me smile. I pushed my lips against his, thinking this would probably be one of our last kisses. I was going to pull away but his hand reached the back of my neck to pull me further onto him, making us fall on the bed with me on top of him. I sighed as I pulled my mouth away from his; I would definitely miss the taste.
''I have to go get witnesses of my own,'' I whispered, trying to keep the conversation between us. He pulled me in for a kiss again.
''I'll come with you,'' he said against my lips as he kissed me again, making my head spin. I pushed slightly away.
''You have to keep training the wolves and the vampires I'll send you. You're the only one with enough fighting experience and I'm the only one who can convince some of them,'' I tried to explain, but Jasper only frowned.
''You'll need protection. I'll protect you,'' he tried to grab my lips again but I wouldn't let him reach for it.
''I'll bring Rosalie and Emmett,'' I offered and he growled, making me smile. ''I can train them some more along the way and they'll happily protect me.'' Jasper sat up, sighing.
''I don't like this,'' he whispered, ''I don't like this at all. What if the Volturi finds you?''
''Emmett and Rosalie's smell will cover most of mine, maybe I could bring in Seth or Leah too, and I'll keep in the dark,'' I assured as I noticed Jasper's jaw clench. I felt his desperation to keep me here, his fear at not knowing where I would be, his conflicted emotions as he knew I was making sense even if he hated it to his core. He ran his fingers through his hair and growled again. I didn't like being away from him either, but by the time I would get back, my blood would be out of his system and he could finally resume his life with Alice without any of my interventions. ''I have to go,'' I whispered, seeing his last resolve break in front of me.
He turned and grabbed me in his arms as he pulled me into the bed, on top of him. He pushed his lips against mine and I could feel all the desperation in his kisses and he ran them down my neck. He rolled us over so he would be on top and continued his hungry kisses down my body. I held back a moan as I felt all his lust, and, as much as I wanted to avoid it, as much as I had tried to ignore it the last few days, I could feel it clear as day; his love.
He kept going down, discarding the clothes on his way, smiling against my skin as he felt my desires increase. ''Bubble me,'' he whispered against my skin and I smiled and obliged as I felt even more desire, and lust, and love, and sheer happiness. I moaned as I felt his cold lips against my navel, blowing a cold breath against it before getting rid of my last garment of clothing. Grabbing a hold of my thighs, he lifted them over his shoulder and buried his face between my legs. We both moaned as he made contact and he repositioned himself so he could comfortably reach my center with his hand as he entered two fingers and pumped them rhythmically with his tongue.
I arched my back, pushing my hips towards his mouth, pushing his head down, trying to get more friction. He pumped his finger faster before stopping and coming back up my body to capture my lips. I didn't know when he had discarded his clothes, but he was now fully naked on top of me. ''I want to see you cum,'' he smiled against my lips before landing another kiss and entering me in one swift move. I bucked my hips against his, wanting a faster rhythm as I could feel I was about to come, but then again so could he and it was now his turn to oblige my request as he buried his mouth in my neck and increased his speed.
I moaned as a first orgasm hit me, and Jasper did his best to swallow most of the sounds with his mouth. After he felt my orgasm had passed, he turned us and brought me with him so I was straddling him. I found my rhythm to match his trust upward and moaned again as he hit deeper inside me. I saw him grin from under me and I buckled faster against him to try and make him lose it. It worked as he pushed his head back in pleasure. I felt he was close.
''Oh, no, you look at me too,'' I forced him as I stopped my movements. He growled before sitting up and steadying me with a hand behind his back so I could still grind my hips against his without fear of falling over. In this position, he could look deep into my eyes and I could feel he loved every second of it as I knew my eyes were changing color with almost every thrust inside me. His other hand came around the back of my neck to close in the distance between our lips as I felt my climax approaching. He groaned in my mouth, a sign he felt it. He let go of my lips as I felt pleasure run through my veins and had to force my eyes open to keep looking at him as another orgasm hit again. He grinned at my eyes and joined me in my ecstasy, letting his head fall on my shoulder as he emptied himself inside me in a loud moan.
We stayed in this position for a long time, until I felt his sadness wash over me again. ''Go before I keep you here,'' he said so softly I wasn't sure he had really said it, but I heard the echo in his mind and I knew he had. I extricated myself from our lover's position and grabbed a bag, putting a few clothes in it as I felt his sadness in stronger and stronger waves. Before I reached the door, I turned and walked back towards him, knowing this would be our last kiss. I bent down and captured his lips in mine, sending him as much love as I could feel and a sob escaped his mouth as he pulled me closer by putting a hand at the back of my head. After long minutes of kissing, I had to leave and he knew it as he was trying to make the kiss last longer so I would stay more. I smiled against his lips and broke it off before walking back towards the doors.
''I'll come back as fast as I can,'' I assured him, knowing it wouldn't matter in a few days.
''Not fast enough,'' I heard him mutter as I closed the door behind me and reached Emmett and Rosalie's bedroom. They were already packed and ready to leave.
''Edward told us,'' Rosalie explained. I nodded, putting my emotions aside. We went downstairs and said our goodbyes to the family. I bid my farewells to Edward, silently telling him to take care of Jasper and he agreed.
''My blood should be completely out of his system in three days, make sure he can hunt when that happens,'' I advised and Edward nodded his head.
''I'll take care of it,'' he assured me and I knew Jasper was in good hands.
Carlisle and Esme had bid their goodbyes to Rosalie and Emmett who were now waiting for me outside when I noticed Esme holding a small package tightly in her hands. Carlisle was smiling towards me; the smile of a proud father and I tried to return it confidently. They approached me and I could feel Esme's sadness, but also some excitement. Carlisle was excited too. I frowned as Esme gave me the small package. I looked up, with a questioning look on my face.
''Open it, dear,'' Esme pushed as her excitement grew stronger. I glanced at Carlisle and he nodded to the package, telling me silently to open it as well.
Confused as to their excitement, I gently pulled on the string and pushed the paper aside to open the box. It was a cuff, and as I turned it around, I gasped as I saw the Cullen family crest embedded into it. I was stunned into silence as I felt Carlisle gently take the box away from me to show me the Cullen crest.
''The lion represents the strength and ferocity of the vampires. The hand is faith and sincerity, showing that we, Cullens, are loyal to each other. The trefoil at the bottom symbolizes perpetuity, which is lasting forever,'' Carlisle explained as he grabbed my hand and I could barely understand what was going on as he latched it on my wrist.
''Welcome in the family, Bella,'' Esme exclaimed, barely able to keep her excitement to herself as she came to embrace me in her arms. ''At least now you have a reason to come back to us,'' she added with a playful smile as she let me go.
''Staying away was never an option,'' I said as the emotions made my voice break.
''We know,'' Carlisle assured me as he took his turn to embrace me, ''but we weren't taking any chances,'' he whispered in my hair. I laughed softly against his shoulder and when he let me go, I took a moment to calm my emotions as I looked at the cuff with a fond smile.
''Thank you,'' I said softly, gathering as much honesty and love in my answer.
''You're very welcome,'' Carlisle said, ''Now go before Esme keeps you from leaving,'' he laughed and Esme brushed him away. I looked at them one last time before going out the door.
''Hey sis'!'' Emmett exclaimed as he rushed to me and lifted me into his arms as I laughed. As soon as I was back on the ground, Rosalie came to hug me as well.
''I'm glad you're officially a part of the family, Bella. Even if you always were in my heart,'' she said against my hair. I smiled and pulled her close to me. I enjoyed it for a long minute before remembering Alice, unsure if she would be as happy as they were.
''What's wrong?'' Rosalie asked as she noticed my frown. I looked at her with a wince.
''I don't think Alice will want to live under the same roof as the other woman,'' I answered and I winced again as Rosalie tried to reassure me.
''Alice knows what she's doing. And she loves you as much as we all do,'' Rose said, and as if on cue, my phone rang with a text message from Alice.
'Welcome to the family, my almighty sister! I can't wait to see you. I'm getting closer to Liam and sending some vampires along the way. Take care during your journey. The wolf was a great idea. A.'
I smiled guiltily and read the message aloud to Emmett and Rosalie.
''See?'' she said as Emmett said:
''A wolf? Why is she talking about a wolf?'' he wrinkled his nose and I smiled.
''We have to get a wolf to hide our smell from the Volturi,'' I informed them as I quickly sent a text back to Alice and put my phone away. Emmett agreed begrudgingly to my explanation. We walked towards the love shed and Jake came outside to meet us.
''News?'' he asked right away. I shook my head.
''No, I have a favor to ask. Alice is gathering up witnesses who could help us against the Volturi, and I was going to do the same, but since they're out searching for me, I was wondering if any of your wolves would like to join our little adventure?'' I asked, trying to make it sound as positive as a wolf hanging out with three vampires could sound nice. Jake was looking wearily at us and wrinkled up his nose. I rolled my eyes and tried to explain more, mostly repeating myself and the urgency we felt. ''We have to leave now. I was hoping either Leah or Seth might come with us?'' I proposed as they were the first to have joined us right after Jake and I could see Jake understood why he wasn't in my choices; he had to stay here and keep the wolves in line, and also continue recruiting and training as many as he could.
''I'll ask them,'' Jake nodded as he headed back inside.
A few minutes later, we heard Seth from inside the house.
''Hell yeah, I'll go! I've been dying to go on an adventure!'' he exclaimed. Leah calmed him down and tried to tell him how dangerous this could be; that she'd go, but I felt she didn't really want to. Seth argued again and as he promised he would be careful, they came outside to join us.
''Is my brother going to be safe with you?'' Leah asked with a glare.
''It will be dangerous, but his scent alone should make him safe. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him safe,'' I assured them. Jake turned to Leah as Seth was excitedly looking at us.
''I trust her, Leah,'' Jake said, trying to reassure her too, ''I need you here to help with the pups,'' he added. That's how they referred to the newly turned wolves in their pack. Leah fidgeted but as she looked at Seth, she saw how genuine his need for adventure was. She finally nodded her agreement.
''Fine, but be careful!'' she exclaimed as Seth let out a squeal and went to hug her so hard they almost fell over. I smiled at the siblings before Seth let go of her and headed back inside to pack a few things.
!
Our trip began close to home, New Orleans, to be exact; according to Alice, an old friend of Carlisle's was supposed to be around here. We were following a scent when we stopped, hearing a man signing in the streets, he seemed to be drunk and his accent was definitely British as he bellowed through the streets. I stopped running and brought our little group to a halt with a raised hand. We heard a muffled cry and the singing stopped abruptly.
''Shut up,'' a voice hissed lazily, ''I hated the first British invasion; I think I might hate the second one even more,'' said the low, husky voice.
''Really, Garrett? Even the Beatles?'' Emmett defied with a smile as we showed up at the end of the alley where Garrett had pinned the British singer. Garrett turned to us; his meal forgotten as he smiled at Emmett.
''Hold habits die hard, I guess,'' he grinned with a shrug.
''Carlisle sent us,'' Rosalie announced and I noticed Garrett's glee at the mention of his old friend's name. The singer was crawling away screaming for help, but Garrett rolled his eyes.
''Let me finish my meal first,'' Garrett said and without expecting any answer from us, he turned and drained the human behind him. I licked my lips from the hunt but contained my desires to feed as Emmett and Rosalie averted their eyes. Once Garrett was done, he let the man fall on the floor, dead, and stepped over him to come and talk to us, wiping his mouth, ''And what does my oldest friend require?'' Garrett drawled almost lazily. In fact, everything he said sounded like a low, lazy, British drawl.
''Witnessing my departure from the Cullen's family, '' I informed him and his eyes examined me with a raised eyebrow.
''And who might you be?'' he asked and I saw Emmett move to put himself slightly in front of me.
''Isabella Marie Swan,'' I announced and Rosalie stepped up.
''The Almighty vampire,'' she specified in what seemed to be a synchronized choreography.
I smiled when I felt the spike of trepidation inside Garrett. He grinned, but ended up shaking his head, now doubtful of my revelation.
''Impossible,'' he finally muttered as he turned away from us to kick the dead body behind him. With every step I took closer to him, I changed the color of my eyes and hair from gold to brown, to red, to blue, finally staying on black when I stopped right in front of him. As he saw the change, he stepped back in wonder and did the last thing I expected; he exploded in laughter. His reaction took me so off-guard, I glanced towards Emmett and Rosalie and noticed they were both smiling whilst shaking their heads or rolling their eyes. As Garrett finally composed himself, he examined me again, still sighing from time to time.
''Ahh, what has Carlisle gotten himself into now?'' Garrett asked, more to himself.
''He showed kindness; and that might be his undoing,'' I started, and Emmett took over.
''They want her and we're not letting them take her,'' he said fiercely as he got closer to where I was standing in front of Garrett.
''Emmett,'' I reprimanded him as I thought we had agreed to make it look like they hated me for what I did to their family. He turned to me with a sad smile.
''I could never hate you, Bella,'' Emmett refused.
''And Garrett is enough of a dare-devil to help us, no matter what. Right, Garrett?'' Rosalie asked then as she also stepped closer to us.
''Always, love,'' Garrett flashed her a smile.
Garrett wasn't hard to convince, but the others might not be so easy. Especially the Egyptian coven. I had asked Carlisle if he should call them ahead of time so their leader would know to expect us, but Carlisle said Amun was very secretive and warry about anything regarding Volturi business and he might try to run away if he knew we were coming beforehand. He did advise us to appeal to a vampire in his coven named Benjamin, saying he was the most optimistic vampire Carlisle had ever met and might be inclined to hear our plea.
Seth was the best wolf company we could've hoped for. He didn't seem to hate vampires like most wolves and I was highly wondering why. Emmett kept making jokes at his expanse but Seth was just laughing and dishing it right back at Emmett who would laugh every time. As long as their friendly banter remained just that, I was happy to let them enjoy it. We hunted the Egyptian coven near a town called Sohag. As their smell got stronger, I turned to Seth who was in wolf form to keep up with our running and threw some clothes his direction and a human hand caught them. He put them on and I handed him the bottle of water I was carrying for him, which he gulped down greedily.
''Thanks,'' he said, his voice rasp.
''You should stay here while we talk to them,'' I told Seth as he swallowed another swig of water and he nodded and brushed us away. I smiled and started walking towards the path leading to Amun coven's house.
''Stay. Good dog,'' Emmett ordered Seth with a gesture and a grin on his face. Seth sent him a gesture of his own as he squirted some water on his face. Emmett's laugh echoed through the walls inside the lobby where Carlisle told us we would find Amun but the hall seemed deserted. There was a small fountain inside the lobby, right in the middle of the room and we had to walk around it to move around.
''Hello?'' I called out. ''We're here on behalf of Carlisle Cullen,'' I tried.
''Why didn't he come here himself then?'' came the echo of a voice so it seemed to come from everywhere at once.
''He needed to protect his home,'' I answered and a man emerged from behind a corner of a wall, a woman standing close to him.
''What does he want from us?'' Amun asked warily.
''I destroyed his family,'' I said as I felt the denial on Rosalie and Emmett's feelings and I sent them a wave of love and calm so they wouldn't interfere. ''The Volturi want me and I tried to hide at the Cullen's house. They might die for it,'' I added and at the mention of the Volturi, Amun turned whiter, if possible.
''You need to leave immediately,'' Amun said as he started to fidget and walk towards the arch to kick us out.
''Amun, please, we don't want you to fight against them, just witness,'' Rosalie tried as Amun kept pushing us through the arch that led back outside.
''I don't want to hear about it. You need to leave, now!'' Amun fidgeted even more.
As he was leading us towards the door, the water from the fountain started to shake and move in a way water wasn't supposed to move. It ran out of its concrete confines and slithered towards the arch, slowly filling it with a wall of water, blocking our way out. We were all standing in front of it, enchanted by the phenomenon but Amun seemed mostly annoyed with the interruption.
''I'd like to hear what they have to say,'' came a voice from the other side of the fountain. I turned to see a man with his hands raised up to the wall, controlling the movement of the water. ''I never get to meet any of Amun's friends. He likes to keep me hidden,'' he informed us with a slight smile.
''Can't imagine why,'' Rosalie whispered, still in awe as she touched the water in the arch, pushing against it but it wouldn't go through. Benjamin grinned boyishly as he slowly let the water fall back inside the walls of the fountain, making some splash around us.
''My name is Benjamin,'' he presented himself as the water settled again. He turned toward a woman I hadn't noticed yet, with brown hair tied in a braid down her back. ''This is Tia,'' he introduced. ''What do you need witnesses for?'' he inquired with a kind smile and seeing this innocent smile, I felt my insides churn. This one wouldn't fight for me; I wouldn't allow it; and from the looks of the leader of his coven, he agreed with me.
Rosalie must've felt my uneasiness because she stepped forward, matching his smile as she put a hand on my shoulder. ''Our family is in danger from the Volturi,'' she slowly explained and I felt Amun's fear and anger. I stepped up again, regaining my emotions with newfound confidence as I thought they might not need to fight if we found enough witnesses.
''I have power the Volturi covet more than anyone else's. I have sought shelter in the Cullen's house but we have been discovered. I plan on leaving their family but we need witnesses who can attest that I am long gone when they come,'' I explained and I could feel sympathy coming from Benjamin. He was willing to help. He turned to Tia and she nodded once almost imperceptibly with a kind smile. I could feel Amun's distress. He was afraid, but deep down, he felt pity for me. I frowned, thinking he would feel pity for the Cullens but a quick examination of his mind told me why.
A long time ago, Amun had to bow to the Volturi to keep him and his wife safe from their thirst for power. He was still bitter about their first agreement as Amun had lost his riches, his opulent lifestyle and the monuments built in their honor. Amun came from a time where the Egyptian slaves thought of them as Gods and bowed to them easily. This life as a recluse from his titles didn't suit him at all. He had tried to use the Volturi's plan; building a coven with gifted vampires to protect him and his wife but it had backfired as Aro discovered Amun's desires.
Then Amun turned the first vampire he thought would join his coven, Dimitri. The Volturi used Chelsea's gift to manipulate the emotional bonds in the family and took him away from Amun, giving him a place in their guard. Benjamin was his last hope for a united coven, and Benjamin had brought in Tia, his mate. The only problem was Amun trying to model Benjamin to himself, trying to keep him hidden so the Volturi couldn't steal him away like they had done Dimitri.
That explained his fear of the Volturi; if Benjamin was found with a gift as extraordinary as control over the elements, the Volturi would make him an offer, and Amun knew from personal experience that he would lose again. He felt pity for me because, more than anyone, he knew what the Volturi were willing to do to acquire a gifted vampire.
''What is your power?'' Amun inquired, taking me away from my inspection of his mind. I swallowed hard; wondering if I had enough strength to copy Benjamin's power. I smiled politely and walked towards Benjamin, reaching to lay my hand on his shoulder.
''May I?'' I asked and Benjamin, with a slight grin and frowned brow of wonder, nodded. I laid my hand on his shoulder, harnessing more power that way, and focused on the water. I held my hand up, as I had seen Benjamin do earlier and the water started to tremble, as did my hand. Benjamin's power came from peace of mind, and I didn't have much of that lately. I breathed slowly and focused more as I willed the water to bend to my desires. A sliver of water raised from the fountain, shaky, but enough that they were sure it was my doing. With a rapid movement from the wrist, I made the water fly through the room and sent it directly at Emmett's face. Benjamin bawled laughing and Rosalie tried her best to be supportive of her husband, but he was so shocked, it was comical.
''That's for making fun of Seth all the time,'' I told him and I heard the crystalline laugh of Kebi, Amun's wife, for the first time. It was also the first time she made any kind of noise since we got here. Tia was also laughing with her hand covering her mouth.
''That wasn't very nice,'' Emmett commented as he wiped the water off his face and spit the rest.
''Neither are your comments towards Seth,'' I countered, but became more serious when Amun approached, one question on his lips:
''What did you just do?'' He wasn't laughing at the situation like the others were; he was afraid again. The only difference was he was also afraid for me this time.
''I can copy and transfer a power,'' I told him and I sighed. ''I'm also a shield, and I can change my appearance,'' I finished as I showed him the change of color on my hair. I could feel hints of wonder and fear coming from each side of the room.
''Eaza wajal,'' Kebi whispered as she tugged on Amun's tunic.
I swallowed hard and agreed, even knowing Amun might freak out even more at the revelation.
''Yes, Kebi. I am the Almighty vampire,'' I whispered back at her and she stepped back once, tugging more on Amun's clothing so he would step back with her.
''What's an Almighty vampire?'' Benjamin asked innocently and I felt a wave of guilt again at trying to enroll this coven in our affairs. Everyone was holding their breath as they were waiting for an answer.
''That's how they called me. My name is kind of like the modern Boogeyman: nobody wants to cross its path; everyone is scared of it. I've destroyed cities in my younger days, I've destroyed Kings and castles, wars started and stopped on my account or according to my orders. I'm older, more powerful, I have special abilities, and I could copy any gift. That's how I got my shield, and that's how I can change my features. From the Cullens, I can also read thoughts, like Edward, and play with emotions like Jasper, although I haven't been experimenting with them long,'' I tried to explain, even if I didn't even know much about my own creation. Benjamin was frowning, but I was surprised to only feel confusion coming from him. Amun and Kebi were still in the room but I could feel they were only staying for Benjamin's safety.
''So, you can copy any amount of gift,'' Benjamin repeated with even more confusion coming my way. I nodded. ''And you only have four?'' he exploded with a smile as he started walking around, making the water dance around him, making the wind pick up around us. ''You could do anything and everything, why stop yourself at four gifts?'' Benjamin asked again as he stood in the center of the water, wonderfully enjoying drops that would sometimes fall on his face as a smile cracked his face when he looked back at me.
''I didn't want to lose sight of who I was,'' I answered honestly. I didn't remember much from my younger days, and if I had added an incredible number of incredible gifts, ''How would I remember who I was deep down?'' I asked him instead.
''So, the shield? And the physical changes? How did you get them?'' he asked then.
''My mother was a shield; I didn't have a choice,'' I said immediately, but the next part was harder. ''The physical modifications came from a vampire I became involved with. I learned his gift so we could run away together without anyone ever recognizing us. He died,'' I said, and the sweet taste of revenge filled my mouth as I suppressed a victorious smile.
They all stood quiet for a long time before Amun spoke again. ''You need to leave,'' he spoke very quietly, as if afraid Benjamin would hear and leave.
''No, they don't, Amun,'' Benjamin stopped us with a soft voice, ''I will do the right thing and protect this family,'' Benjamin announced, ''You can do as you please, but I will miss the protection your presence brings me,'' he added with a sadder smile. I could feel manipulation from a mile away but crossed my fingers for it to work; the Cullens needed as many witnesses as they could get.
Amun was ultimately convinced and they packed the few things they needed and left the same day. Alice texted me she would find Liam in the day but didn't know how long it would take to convince them. Her hopes rested in the little girl in their coven who could feel the lies someone told them. She would see the honesty behind our request and convince the family to help us. She told me they would be back in a week. I told her about Garrett and the Egyptian coven, but she already knew. She congratulated us nonetheless and we hung up as we headed to our next destination; Malta.
Luca was a vampire I had met in my early days before my capture from the Volturi. He was an experienced vampire who had a special attachment to his family. Even after he was sired, he tended closely to his family's needs. His family didn't know he was a vampire, per se; all they knew was that he was something better now, stronger, faster. He would leave every two weeks, coming back with eyes redder than before. His family learned not to ask questions and every century, Luca would turn one of his descendants into a vampire. I had heard of Makenna, turned somewhere in the middle of the '90s, and she, in turn, had sired Charles, her mate.
Luca had lived for more than two thousand years, and I was hoping he still kept in contact with the descendants he had turned. I was also hoping Luca's ties to protect a family would appeal to him to help us. What worried me was his connection to the Volturi; one of his descendants was Renata, the shield directly protecting Aro. If Luca was willing to join us, along with members from his family, I had no doubts the Volturi would have to listen to us.
Luca was living in Malta, an island located in the Mediterranean Sea. What worried me was the close distance it was from Italy; barely more than a thousand kilometers separated both so I was really hoping Seth's smell would keep the Volturi far as it was our only hope and I was the only one able to talk to Luca.
I knew he had a tendency to settle in the basements of old churches and the island of Gozo, inside the Republic of Malta, but on a separate island, had only two. I was sure he would be in either one of them. On the first one, we caught a smell and I latched onto it like a bloodhound, running through the outside of the church, trying to find a path that would lead to a secret hideout. The scent stopped at a wall and it was a moment before Emmett, Rosalie and Seth joined me there. I smelled near the walls, trying to catch a whiff of a mechanism, or a stronger scent of vampire. Seth groaned impatiently and pushed me away with his mussel. He smelled around and moved a few rocks around before stopping at one, sniffing and sneezing. He clawed at it and I crouched to analyze it, petting Seth on the head as I did so.
I tried to lift the rock without success so I twisted it instead. There was a loud thud and we turned around, inspecting the door. I got back up and tried to find an opening; a crack had formed where the rock used to be airtight. I slipped my fingers into it and tried to move it. I could feel it slide a little, I glanced at Emmett and he immediately came to help me slide the door, leaving a dark opening for us. Seth whined; he didn't like it at all. I turned to him and agreed.
''There's no way I'm letting you go in there,'' I assured him as I turned back towards Rosalie and Emmett. ''Can you guys take him farther away, protect him? If Luca turned vampires every few centuries, and they all stay with him, it's not safe for Seth. I'll be fine here; just protect him,'' I pushed as I saw Rosalie about to counter. I send her a wave of agreement and innocence. She nodded.
''Alright, Bella, I trust you. Be careful,'' Rose pushed before taking Seth away. Emmett glanced my way and I nodded, making him feel confident enough that he could leave me too.
When I believed they were far enough, I looked back at the dark tunnel and entered it. I was careful, but my eyes were adjusting fast to the dark and I started walking faster. I must've walked a kilometer under the church before I saw a light flicker at the end of the tunnel. As I approached, I noticed some hooded figures were hurdled in a corner, trying to clean up the floors, along with a mountain of decomposing corpses in another corner. The figures weren't vampires, they didn't even seem to notice me. I tried to follow the smell of a vampire but the decomposing corpses were altering my senses of smell. I tried to rely on thoughts instead.
I sent my consciousness as far as it would go, trying to catch either a feeling of thirst or a thought about a hunt. I turned when I found one and started running again. I stopped in front of a door and opened it. Luca was feeding on a human in a white hood, making blood taint the pureness of the color. When Luca felt my presence, he stopped and dropped the corpse, crouching in front of me, ready to attack.
''Who are you?'' he snarled. I tempered with his emotions a little, calming him down.
''Don't you remember me?'' I asked darkly, taking a step into the room, illuminating my face and my features with the small candlelight of the room. I knew he remembered another face, so as I approached him, I shortened my hair to shoulders length, turning it a dirty blond color, I let my eyes become their original red self, with a hint of purple inside them.
''Isabella,'' he breathed in wonder as he approached me slowly. ''What are you doing here? The Volturi are looking for you.'' He seemed scared and a quick examination in his mind assured me he was scared for me; that was good.
''That's why I'm here. Is family still the most important thing for you?'' I asked and he frowned, thinking for a moment before answering.
'' 'Grandchildren are the crown of old men,
And the glory of sons is their fathers','' he recited Proverbs 17:6, giving me my answer in the form of an old saying.
''He who diligently seeks good seeks favor,
But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him, '' I answered back with Proverbs 11:27 and I saw his face contorts in disgust mixed with uncertainty.
''Are you looking for a favor, or evil?'' Luca asked me, understanding my quote.
''Both,'' I smiled devilishly. ''How would you like to get Renata back?'' His features changed as his face softened at the mention of his long-lost daughter, changing as sadness washed over him.
''She is well amongst the Volturi,'' he said, but he wasn't confident in the statement as his features hardened.
''Is she, really? Feels to me like she's more scared of the man,'' I countered and his features contorted in pain. I got closer to him. ''I know you love your children, let me help you protect them. Let me get your family back together,'' I pushed.
''How?'' he breathed.
''How loyal is your family?'' I asked instead.
''The ones that stayed would die for each other. Renata would too if she hadn't been broken by Chelsea's gifts,'' he spat her name.
''I need witnesses to help a family in trouble,'' I said as I showed him the cuff Carlisle had given me. ''They protected me, they offered me shelter, and now the Volturi are going to kill them for harboring me. I will leave them, but I need witnesses to attest to my departure. I will have them unarmed.''
Luca frowned, looking at the cuff and a smile breached his hardened face. ''You love them,'' he stated and I could only agree.
''Plus que ma proper vie,'' (More than my own life) I stated in return. He thought a long while, examining my intentions. Finally, he nodded.
''I will collect as many children as I can and be there within a week,'' he informed me. ''You'll get me Renata back?'' he added before I thanked him. I nodded.
''But for you, Luca, I would've done it anyway,'' I smiled as I left the cave
''Same, my dear Isabella,'' I heard him call out before I left the tunnel the same way I came in.
Alright, so that was a lot of information in one chapter and I'm more or less satisfied with it. I like meeting new vampires, but I feel it's kind of rushed since I came up blank when it came to writing things in between vampire meetings, so if you have any ideas or ambiguous passages, let me know and I might modify this chapter to accommodate your thoughts!
Thanks for reading and reviews are always appreciated
See you soon xx