A/N for 2020-01-16: My most sincere and heartfelt thanks to both Chayasara and eeyorefan12, who both make this story so much better (and also keep me from embarrassing myself with plot and writing mistakes!).
As well, real life is a bit more complicated these days, so while I will post regularly, that might not be on a regular day.
Best wishes to you all,
Erin
Chelsea was tiny. Bella watched her neat brunette bun wobble slightly as they walked, pins loosening infinitesimally with each step. Their path was an unfamiliar one to Bella, winding through as yet unexplored corridors that seemed to meander far away from the throne room.
When Chelsea paused at the end of one of them, she gestured to the entryway of a chamber, politely smiling at Bella. "This is for you."
Bella stepped forward, pushing the unlatched door open. There was no lock. She supposed there was no point, given that the doors only provided privacy from curious eyes but not ears.
She spotted the piano against the far wall at the same time that the scent wafting from the room hit her like a tidal wave.
Edward!
Bella could see that Chelsea was watching for her reaction, which she quickly smoothed from her face.
"We're not monsters, Bella." There was surprising softness in the other vampire's voice, but Bella knew better than to believe it was anything more than courtesy.
"Thank you," she said.
"Marcus the Lesser will see that you have the credit cards you need to make any required purchases."
Bella nodded, thinking of her rental car and bag, parked nearby. "I left a car just outside the city."
"It's already been taken care of." Chelsea smiled again. "Standard practise. Any vampire coming within a few miles is investigated. Of course, we were aware that you were arriving today."
Yes, Alice would have seen her coming once she had left Jacob with Edward at the airport in Argentina. And her scent in the car would likely have been enough to tell them it was hers. Even though her scent might be different following her change, Edward had assured her that she still smelled nearly the same to him. Then he had smiled almost bashfully when he had added " and a little bit like me."
I'm so sorry, Edward.
This parting would not be forever, but he had been right—it would be for a time. She eyed Chelsea, recalling what Edward had told her about the members of the guard. This one was responsible for tying them all together in purpose and bonds of loyalty. Did her gift work on Bella? If it did, there was no evidence of it yet. She checked her emotions. No warm and fuzzy feelings towards the guard in any way, only the continued revulsion she'd felt from the minute she'd come within eyesight of Volterra. The intense, physical yearning that had begun the moment she and Edward had parted was still a constant ache inside her. "It's not working on me, is it? Your gift?"
"No." If this bothered Chelsea, it didn't show. "But I'm not trying very hard, and you have other things that tie you to us. Not everyone requires my gift."
Interesting. Bella settled her gaze on the piano against the wall, unable to keep from wondering.
Chelsea seemed to realize where Bella's thoughts had gone. "He was quite . . . resistant," she said with just a trace of a smile.
I'll bet the mind-reading didn't help, Bella thought to herself smugly. Still, she felt a moment's gratitude that Chelsea had been willing to share that information with her.
Chelsea pulled a phone from her pocket. "Would you like me to send your message?"
"Yes." Bella eyed the phone; her own had been taken from her when she entered the castle. Would Chelsea let her speak with Edward? Her stomach tightened with both anticipation and fear. She needed to warn them. However, a chance to hear Edward's voice—
But no. Chelsea asked for the number, which she typed into the messaging screen. Her fingers flew over the keyboard as Bella dictated the message. When Bella asked to see it before it was sent, Chelsea turned the screen toward her.
Bella read the message. She'd communicated everything Alice had told her, including her own coded message to Edward. He would understand she wasn't returning for now but that she was not in distress. Was it enough though? Would he have questions? She read it over and over again until Chelsea's eyebrows lifted.
"I want to make sure it's . . . thorough," Bella stammered.
"I can imagine." Chelsea pulled the phone back, tapping the button to send the message.
What if she'd forgotten something? Bella racked her brain.
"If they reply with questions, I will seek answers. Aro wished for them to be fully informed."
Bella relaxed her shoulders as a sense of relief flowed over her. "Thank you."
Chelsea nodded, looking her in the eyes. "You are part of the guard now, Bella. We support each other."
In killing other vampires and humans, among other atrocities. No thank you. Not the kind of club she wanted to belong to.
Chelsea could clearly see some doubt in her expression. "You will see, and I think you will feel it soon, too."
Bella could only hope not.
Chelsea smiled a little. "You are very new to this life, and even though I'm sure your initial training was very intensive, your innate control is exceptional. This is talent enough, but Aro must suspect you have more." She tilted her head to the side. "Hmm. You could be a truly great addition to the guard. I'm very curious to see how your gift manifests itself."
Bella wanted nothing more than to squash the guard and Volturi under her foot, Aro first of all.
But before that could happen, she needed help, and if there was kindness here, there might be support too. She tucked away Chelsea's gentle laughter and helpfulness into a mental pocket of possibilities.
- 0 -
"Again," Jane said. She jumped back several paces from Bella.
Picking herself up from the floor, Bella would have liked to say that it was for the nth time, but her vampire mind would not let her forget even one of the solid punches or blows Jane had landed while working with her over the past several days. Ostensibly, the objective each time was to "help" Bella discern her possible defensive gift and then train her to utilize it.
So far, the only thing she had learned was how to fall down painfully.
Bella had quailed at the idea of Jane being her "trainer." She had initially wondered why the vampire whose gifts had no effect on her had been chosen for this role, but she was not confused for long. Jane might not be the best fighter among the guard since her talent kept her from having to defend herself in other ways, but it was clear that she relished doling out physical punishment just as much as the mental anguish Bella had seen her dispense so many times. In addition, the woman's resentment toward Bella's lack of vulnerability to her gift was obvious. Yes, Jane was enjoying these sessions.
"Pull your nose out, or it will heal crookedly." Jane stood with her arms folded, a smirk on her face. "Or I can just break it for you again, if you like."
Bella pinched the bridge of her nose as well as the tip, straightening it without trying to show just how much it hurt, because, ugh, it stung like hell.
"Again." Jane was panther-like, her form gliding around the large, circular room in smooth movements. "Protect yourself—if you can." She laughed.
They were hours into their session today. Of course, "today" was a fuzzy concept. She'd been part of the guard for four days now—though it seemed more like a week. Time slipped away when it wasn't measured by sleep or sight of the sun. Her private chamber was a windowless one, its only merit being that it had once been inhabited by Edward. His scent permeated the upholstery of the chair in which he'd obviously sat. She sat in it, too, when she could or sometimes at the piano, her hands resting on the same keys that his fingers had touched as he had played his heart's song for her. The only day that mattered, of course, was the date marked in her mind like a beacon, and it was the one she'd sent to Edward. If she was calculating correctly, it was tomorrow. But Jane was not letting her sit or think of dates today, not that she'd had any real leisure time to do so. Most of Bella's forced service was spent in this large and also windowless room being pummeled by Jane, futilely struggling to defend herself against attacks that grew more and more creative and brutal.
Bella tried to let her instincts supersede her more conscious thoughts as Jane had instructed her, matching the other vampire's pace as she moved around the room. She countered Jane's movement as she darted to the left, then feinted right. It was easier now to follow her movements, for all the good it did her. Usually, it only provided the ability to see Jane coming before the next blow landed since she was helpless to counter it. This time at least, she was able to dodge the attack.
"Better." Jane hadn't praised her technique before. Bella didn't like it.
"Very good." Demetri's voice drew her attention and Bella turned to hiss, instincts roused to attack—
"Dead," Jane said, already moving her foot off of Bella's head, which had met the stone floor the moment her attention had been diverted. She sighed. "Another wasted day. You defend yourself. You defend your fellow guard members. You're not meant to die." She stepped away. "We're done for today." Without any further acknowledgment, she turned and walked from the room.
Bella kept an eye on Demetri, who had moved closer, eyeing her appraisingly as he did so.
"Leave," she said, practically growling.
He said nothing, still watching her, not moving.
"Do you need me to yank off some of your appendages before you understand my message?"
He smirked. "You overestimate yourself, my Bella, but I would be pleased to assess any new skills you've acquired." She didn't miss his derisive tone.
"I'm not joking, asshole. You raped me. I'll begin by removing the body part that offends me most. I'll give you a hint: it's not going to be the one with the head that holds your brain."
"So crude, your humour. And to think, you were so innocent before." He licked his lips, holding up his hands and curling his fingers towards himself in a mocking summons. "Show me." The smirk appeared again as he took another step in her direction.
It was a violent wash of red that swam over her vision, all logic and sense escaping her, all her careful training with Edward forgotten. She remembered enough of what Demetri had done to enrage her newly empowered body. Her assault lacked all subtlety, and she hissed, lunging at him. Though he pivoted to avoid her tackle, he was too slow to evade her newborn speed, and she caught his side, bringing him down to the floor.
There was no holding anything back. She punched her fist into his face with a satisfying crunch, but only once. He rocked them over so she was on the floor with him yanking her arm behind her back. With a grunt, she brought her knees under her torso, springing up and back to slam his body onto the stone tiles again. It was enough of a shock that he let go of her, and she twisted around to pin his wrists with one of her hands, the other reaching for the appendage she'd promised to destroy.
"Stop! That's enough, Bella." The voice rang with such authority that it snapped her out of the violent haze engulfing her.
Jasper?
She stood instantly, stepping away from Demetri, who righted himself just as quickly. He dusted off his clothes.
Bella was exceedingly pleased to see the scowl on his face.
Yes, that was your dick I was about to rip—
"Aro has asked me to assist with her training. I'll do so alone, thank you." Jasper's voice was even but icy, and although it wasn't directed at her, Bella was sure she was feeling the influence of Jasper's gift as he projected a strong sense of rejection onto the other guard member.
Demetri's hand rubbed at his jaw as he registered the lack of welcome. "Aro ordered it?"
Jasper said nothing, his gaze locked on Demetri.
Without further commentary, Demetri turned and walked away, the door thudding closed behind him.
"You didn't need to stop me," Bella said.
"Oh, I did. I'm sure Edward must have told you that intentional harm of another guard member is punishable. You've seen examples of what constitutes punishment here."
Her eyes widened with sudden realization. Yes, Edward had not only cautioned her, it had been his greatest fear for her. If she'd—
"You'd have been at Demetri's mercy if you'd done what you intended to do."
Bella swallowed hard as she stared down at her feet, considering the implications of Jasper's comment. "Yes, Edward did tell me, but I just wasn't thinking," she murmured.
"I've been observing your so-called training from afar," Jasper said, his voice sounding almost formal to her ears. "While I understand the need to discern what gifts you may have, it's counterproductive to have a member of the guard who is unable to physically defend themselves. As a member of the security force here, I've explained this to Aro, and he's agreed to let me work with you. He understands that you might be more receptive to training from a familiar source."
She nodded, thoughts still preoccupied with what Demetri had hinted at in the gruesome chamber by the library on her first day here. She would have to be much more careful. She had promised Edward so faithfully that she could manage herself around Demetri, and at the first real test, she'd failed. If she'd harmed Demetri, she could only imagine what kind of punishment he would have demanded.
Belatedly, she realized that Jasper had stopped speaking, and she took a moment to replay his words to herself. Then she looked up at him, really looking this time. She remembered what Edward had told her about the first time the rest of the Cullens had met Jasper, how the marks he bore from his former life had made them wary of him. With her newborn eyes, she saw those scars now, the evidence of probably hundreds of battles etched across his face and neck, and she waited for her own reaction, to feel the anxiety and caution she had expected, but it wasn't there. All she felt was relief—and an overwhelming sense of gratitude that he'd stopped her in time.
"Thank you," she said, hoping she had imbued the words with all the sincerity they deserved.
"You're welcome." A small smile made Jasper's lips curl up a bit at the corners. He lowered his voice, speaking softly this time. "It's good to see you again, Bella, circumstances aside."
She held his gaze. How stupid and thoughtless she had been a few minutes ago. He and Alice had given up their lives for hers. That she remembered, though she had no real memory of the event itself, only what Edward had explained to her. "I'm sorry, Jasper. I owe you so much—"
"You don't." His face was serious. "I nearly killed you. My lack of control, well . . . you know what happened because of my lack of control. And now we are all . . . we are where we are. Even being mated to someone who sees the future, it seems we cannot avoid all our mistakes."
Bella's heart ached, thinking of all that had transpired in the last year. So very much—and so much of it painful.
"Did she seem well to you?" Jasper asked.
Bella struggled for a moment, trying to place the "she." "Alice?"
Jasper nodded.
"I think so. You haven't—?"
"We're not allowed to see one another often, just when we need to hunt or when Aro isn't in the throne room. Aro prefers that Alice is not . . . distracted."
Though she'd tried not to recall the cruel separation forced upon her and Edward in their recent time in Volterra, it had been even more agonizing for both of them when she'd left him to return alone. But Aro was doing the same thing to Jasper and Alice? She shook her head, her anger eclipsing her grief for her new brother and sister, and it only strengthened her resolve. Aro would pay.
She gave silent thanks again for Aro's inability to read her thoughts.
"I'm sorry," she said again. "You must be miserable having to be apart from your mate."
"As are you," he said. "Especially now."
She nodded, knowing he wouldn't need a verbal response.
"I will admit, I was surprised to see you arrive alone. Was Edward . . . unable to come with you?" She heard the concern in his voice and realized that if things were working as they had hoped, Alice would still not be able to see Edward.
How much could she safely say to Jasper? She had no doubt that Alice would see, probably had already seen this conversation. She thought carefully before replying, "He is well, but we . . . he decided to go home to start working on a cover story for me. I was supposed to be right behind him."
"That's . . . it's amazing, Bella, that he isn't here. I don't know how you managed it, actually." Jasper's tone was still incredulous, and while Bella understood his fascination, she suddenly felt offended on Edward's behalf.
"We decided together, Jasper," she said. "Yes, he wasn't happy about it, and neither was I, but . . . we planned this together."
He smiled at her then. "Easy, darlin'. I was just surprised, that's all. I know what you mean to my brother, and we both know how, uh . . . protective he is." He chuckled and shook his head. "Looks like you might have changed him almost as much as he changed you."
Slightly mollified, and realizing that her newborn emotions were probably making her defense of her mate feel more imperative than it was, she let it go. There were so many more important issues at play here.
Bella gave a small shrug. "Well, now it looks like a good thing he went home."
When she saw Jasper's puzzled expression, she realized that since he hadn't been in the throne room, he might not even know about the approaching attack on their family. If he hadn't seen his wife, would anyone else have filled him in? Bella wished she hadn't brought it up. There was nothing either of them could do at this point, and Bella didn't want to impose the agony of her own helplessness on him. She also didn't want Aro to be aware of her "tattling."
"So you haven't seen Alice in a while?" she asked, trying to steer the conversation away from the subject.
Jasper shook his head. "But if you saw her, and she looked well, it's enough." He seemed eager to believe she was all right whether or not this was the case. And he didn't ask any more questions of Bella, which was a relief. He glanced around the room as if just realizing that they were there for a reason. "But you need to learn to fight, and that is something with which I have more than enough experience."
The newborn wars. She recalled what Edward had explained about them. "Of course."
"Edward told you?"
"A little." She'd read about them in Carlisle's treatise, too.
"Good. Let's see what you know."
After Jasper spent a few minutes going over some basic defensive moves with her, he began to teach her in earnest. Not that she had much to go on, but Jasper was clearly a much better fighter than Jane. After several days of torture at that woman's hands, she couldn't help imagining just for a moment how satisfying it would be to see Jasper take her down in the ways she had done to Bella..
Jasper also proved an excellent teacher, both patient and encouraging as she worked on following his instructions through several maneuvers. She'd lost track of the time when Jasper called a halt to their training. "You need a break."
"Why? I feel fine." Was he disappointed in her progress? Her stomach twisted. Was he regretting volunteering to train her? She hadn't realized until that moment how comforting it was to have her new brother here with her, knowing he was looking out for her as best he could under the circumstances. It was something she and Edward had hoped for. Was she to lose Jasper's support already?
That small smile appeared again as his gift allowed him to read her concern. "You're doing fine, Bella." Jasper straightened his shirt. "But even vampire minds need time to absorb what they learn. I'd also like to recommend something else that might be helpful for you." She waited eagerly for his suggestion but was surprised when he voiced it.
"Reading is always good," Jasper said matter-of-factly, almost casually. "You could use some strategic knowledge. I doubt war theory made it into your GED studies, and I suspect the time after your change was spent on more. . . gratifyin' activities."
Her chuckle sounded embarrassed, even to herself. Thank God she could no longer blush. "Yes, battle strategy was not . . . high on the list." She ignored Jasper's brief smirk. "But I'm not sure I—um, anything you'd recommend?"
"I left some books with the librarians for the next time you come into the library. It's probably on one of the lower levels."
She thought of the brief times she'd seen Erastus and Marcus the Lesser since her return. Then she thought of the lower levels, where sound was undetectable and one's activities might be safe from discovery by other vampire ears.
"Got it." Was there something more to this than just reading?
She didn't get a chance to ask as Jasper waved in farewell and then turned and left.
Alone, her thoughts automatically and not so happily turned to Edward. He was, in every sense, the natural direction of all her thoughts, and he was also in danger. But her message had been sent. He'd replied that it had been received. Their communication had ended there. Tomorrow, he and the rest of the Cullens, hopefully assisted by the wolves, would be facing Victoria and her newborn recruits while Bella and two of their most talented family members were trapped here in Volterra, unable to help.
There isn't anything else you can do , she told herself. Except play your part, learn all you can, and watch for opportunities to get out of here.
To that end, she turned and left the room, making her way to the library.
DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.
