Annabelle's POV

"Well, yes. I confess that... my own life doesn't make much sense anymore without also knowing that Annabelle is living somewhere in the world, even if she's not with me."

Stunned, I was unable to quite form a coherent thought or intent in my mind for a few seconds.

Then, Aro's pleased voice floated into my mind, too. "Perfect. Then, shall we proceed?"

The combination of Carlisle's words and Aro's threat abruptly jarred more than deep emotions in me. It also shook my mind and motivation awake, and made me more determined than ever to make it out of this situation alive with him.

That's right, I reminded myself. I have an ability. It's time to use it.

"Ah, ah, ah," Aro said quickly, still reading my thoughts through his firm grip on me. "You won't be putting me to sleep, Annabelle."

Caius looked over and glared at me. His crimson eyes became set with hard anger as he snarled at me, "You seek to use your abilities against us, do you? You pathetic little creature."

Caius' temper was beginning to take shape. His head snapped back towards Carlisle and he hissed at him, "And you – you dare ask us what we have become? We are what we have always been, brother. We deliver justice thoroughly and swiftly. It is you who have changed sides. You now bite the hand that once fed you, Carlisle. You, in growing your own coven-"

"It's not a coven," Carlisle said quietly. "It's my family."

This time, Caius did not merely slap Carlisle. Instead, Caius grabbed Carlisle with both hands and threw him down hard against the stone floor.

"No!" I shouted. Snapping impulsively, I reached out and grabbing Aro's face, I focused all of my energy on sending him to sleep.

Aro cried aloud and began to slump forward, but before I could send him completely to sleep, a new figure leapt down from the high balcony overlooking the chamber and firmly kicked me away.

"Renata," Aro acknowledged his personal bodyguard, as he shook his head back and forth to wake himself up and dispel my failed attempt to subdue his consciousness.

Then, as though Jane had been waiting for Renata's move, Jane took full advantage of my vulnerability to focus her piercing gaze on me.

"Ahhhh!" I screamed and collapsed onto the floor, twisting and turning as red-hot blades dragged themselves down my body.

It seemed like a decade later that the pain finally cut off.

"-belle!" Someone had been shouting my name as I was tortured, but, too lost to the sensation of pain, I hadn't heard it this whole time.

I recognized his voice immediately, though. Carlisle? I thought blearily. Why is he shouting for me?

I lay there, gasping on the stone-cold floor, as I recovered from the sheer pain that had wrecked itself through my mind.

Seeing me trembling on the floor, Aro hissed at me furiously. "Foolish child! I tried to save you. I tried to save both of you – you, Carlisle, from your own violent cycle of thoughtless power, and you, Annabelle, from your own ignorance! And this is how I am repaid! This is why acts of kindness are useless. People only remember what they had to work for."

I froze. I recognized those words. "This is why acts of kindness are useless. People only remember what they had to work for." Levine had said it to me before.

Oh, Levine… I thought, So, you were raised and trained by the Volturi, after all…

Carlisle caught sight of my distressed face as I looked towards Levine.

"Annabelle!" Carlisle called out to me. "Are you all right?"

"Do you still play at false sympathy?" Aro hissed at Carlisle. "Even after you abandoned her? You think us cruel, Carlisle, but at least we take responsibility for those we have turned. But you haven't. Look at her now. You've turned an innocent new-born into someone ignorant and reckless. She could have used her ability to construct beautiful dreams. Because of you, she's bent on using them offensively. You're twisted her mind into violence."

"Aro," Carlisle said, and his voice was as hard as stone. "There was no violence until you decided to tear my family apart."

"Esme disobeyed the law. For that, she paid the price," Caius retorted thinly. "Are all your mates so foolish, Carlisle?"

I'd never seen Carlisle angry. Never. But at Caius' taunt, he leapt to his feet and struck Caius in the jaw. Caius screamed as his jaw shattered from the force of Carlisle's blow. Caius' shriek was a horrifying, high-pitched sound. Wincing, I instinctively covered my ears.

"Brother!" Marcus finally rose from his seat.

"Jane!" Aro snapped.

Just then, I saw Jane turn her gaze onto Carlisle. No! I leapt in front of Carlisle.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" I screamed yet again. My throat was beginning to feel raw, if that were even possible for a vampire. I didn't remember falling to the floor and yet, there I was once again, writing on the cold stone floor, gasping desperately for breath I technically didn't need.

I heard Carlisle cry out, "Annabelle!"

Then, there was a loud, shattering sound. The pain stopped.

However, at the same moment that the pain stopped, Alec cried out. Only a few seconds later, a horrible numbness began to creep up on me. That sickly sweet feeling of complete numbness… Cold, but there was no cold. Wrong, but there was no wrong. There was no feeling. Only submission.

"Enough!" Marcus roared, finally rising from his seat. "Enough."

The numbness dissipated.

Carlisle had been restrained by both Jane and Alec.

Caius' jaw had repaired itself, as had Carlisle's crack on his cheek.

I was still on the floor, trembling. I could feel someone's gaze on me. I was still lying on my side, but turning my head, I looked up.

A stormy and tortured pair of eyes met mine.

"L-Levine," I choked out.

He didn't respond, except to shake his head at me. It seemed that he was trying desperately not to draw any attention to him.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

"Ah, yes, Levine. I shall call upon you now," Aro said, and his voice was far less airy now.

"Master," Levine mumbled.

"You have seen, once again, that I have tried to treat my brother, Carlisle Cullen, with compassion, have you not?" Aro asked him.

"Yes," Levine whispered.

"Louder, boy," Caius snapped.

"Chelsea," Marcus warned softly. "You're losing him again."

"I'm sorry, Master." Chelsea walked up to Levine. She touched his cheek.

At first, he flinched. But as she leaned in and whispered to him, he seemed to soften, eventually nuzzling his cheek into her hand.

Chelsea seemed amused. "Good boy," she said.

The way she said "good boy" made me think of how Levine had cruelly said to me, "good girl" when I'd nearly drank the blood of the human man back in Boston.

"That's cruel!" I shouted, realizing that Chelsea was influencing Levine's mind. "You're manipulating him!"

Leaping to my feet, I tried to reach out for Levine, but Chelsea sharply slapped my hand away. Behind me, Jane hissed loudly.

"Annabelle!" Carlisle reached out and drew me to his side. "Not now," he murmured. "You'll only get hurt. Jane has her eyes on you."

"But it's so cruel," I protested. "Levine's not- He's not himself…"

"I know," Carlisle said heavily. "That's Chelsea's gift - to create and strengthen loyalty. She's psychologically and emotionally tying Levine to the Volturi."

"Levine," Caius' demanding voice cut through Carlisle's whispered conversation with me.

"I said, louder," Caius repeated forcefully.

This time Levine's voice was clear as glass as he said, "Yes, Master."

Caius asked him sharply, "You have seen, have you not, that time and time again, that my brother, Aro, has tried to teach Annabelle better, and yet she clings dogmatically to her idealistic love of her creator?"

"Levine, please!" I cried out to him. "Don't listen to them!"

Levine didn't look at me, but he faltered for a brief moment. "…Yes."

Chelsea frowned. Even Caius seemed surprised.

"You paused," Caius said, irritated. He glanced over at me for a brief moment. "What is she to you, boy? At first I just thought you wanted some type of pet. But do you actually want to save her?"

"No, Master," Levine replied stiffly. "I only wished to keep her as a pet."

I stiffened. Keep me as a pet? Has he gone mad? I'm a person. I wouldn't be kept by anyone.

However, a long, dry sigh suddenly filled the room. "Oh, Levine," Marcus murmured knowingly. "When will you stop lying to your Masters? This is the type of behavior that forced us to release you from your position in guard. This is exactly the kind of behavior that made us assign this mission to you in the first place. You have clearly learned nothing."

Aro looked at between Levine and me, recalling the thoughts he had seen in my head as I had discovered Levine's betrayal. Then, he said tauntingly to Levine, clearly trying to lure him into a vulnerable state of mind, "Your little – what was she to you? Ah yes, your little one, as you called her, was so very distressed when she found that you'd lied to her all this time. Levine, my boy, you lured her to the very place Carlisle was trying to keep her away from, isn't that right?"

"No, I decided to come on my own," I cut in steadfastly. "Levine had nothing to do with it. He only helped me."

"But it wouldn't have been possible without him…" Aro insisted. "And he made sure of that. He killed the other that could have led you here. Mikhail. My other scouts told me."

I hesitated. That other vampire who ambushed us on the beach - was that Mikahil? Well, yes, Levine killed him. That's true. So, then, were they partners before? Were they both working for the Volturi? Maybe there were even more than just the two of them... That would certainly explain why Levine was so wary after he killed that vampire. He was waiting for the others to catch up to us. I let out a long, slow breath, as I realized that there must be some measure of truth in Aro's words.

"You killed him, Levine," Aro repeated, enunciating his words very clearly, as though to confront Levine. "All so you could claim Annabelle as your own prize to guarantee your freedom."

Levine did not accept or deny Aro's words.

"Now, go, be free." Aro smiled benignly at Levine, who was staring numbly at the floor in front of him. "You see, we do not touch those who have held up their end of the bargain."

"Oh, but before you go, do us one last favor," Marcus suddenly requested of Levine. "I must have my amusement, too, from this whole debacle. So, that skill we gave you… Show it to us one more time, child of the sun."

Suddenly, Levine was furious. "No!" he hissed. "You may have forced that skill upon me, but you do not direct it!"

"Levine," Chelsea hissed warningly. She grabbed his wrist in hers. "Listen to me now!"

Levine whipped his head back and forth. Then, he choked out, "No, I don't owe you anything! Leave me alone! You are not my master!"

"You insolent little brat!" Caius snapped. "We gave you the power you needed to get out of that hell hole you were born into… That children's factory where human runts died left and right… We trained you to withstand it all and we even killed your ruthless masters for you, and this is how you repay us?"

Levine, still in Chelsea's grasp, was breathing heavily. He was altogether unable to look at Caius, but he whispered in a taut voice, "You forced me to gain a power that can only kill and maim! You forced me to take on a power that would kill me! I never - I never wanted such a power. I never wanted to be a child of the sun! The ability to craft metal, the ability to cause decay through the power of sunlight - I never asked for these abilities. You forced them upon me, and they're killing me!"

My hands flew to my mouth and a dry sob escaped me as I, for the first time, began to understand the tragedy of his life. Carlisle, too, looked at Levine with somber and pitying eyes.

Suddenly, Chelsea reached forward and kissed Levine hard on the lips. He tried to refuse her, but when she finally pulled away, he became totally still.

"Let's go through this yet again. You asked to be free, did you not?" Caius demanded.

Levine, as though he had been physical whipped, suddenly fell silent. Then, he murmured quietly, "Yes…"

"You asked for the power to be free, did you not?"

"Yes…"

"And what did we give you?"

"The- The power to be free…" Levine stuttered.

"Then, show it to us," Marcus obeyed. He nodded towards me. "If you only want her as a pet, she doesn't need all four limbs. Burn through her arm."

Keeping his eyes on the ground, Levine slowly approached me.

Carlisle attempted to push me behind him, but I shook my head and gently shoved him away. Instead, I turned to Levine willingly, though I tensed when he stopped in front of me.

"Annabelle," Carlisle warned from behind me.

"It's all right..." I murmured, though I wasn't sure myself.

"You still trust him?" Caius scoffed at me. "What kind of ignorance do you cultivate in your mates, Carlisle?"

Carlisle growled at Caius, and his eyes flashed in deep anger. Jane turned her eyes on Carlisle, however, and Carlisle forced himself to keep still. As it was, Carlisle's eyes were on me as he watched Levine and me with a deeply worried gaze.

With trembling hands, Levine reached for me. His long, slender fingers slid over my wrist. Then, his entire hand gripped around my arm and squeezed hard. I shut my eyes tightly, terrified of what he was about to do to me.

But I was ready, too, with my own ploy against Levine. Thus, when he gripped my arm, I tried to channel my own power through his touch, to make him sleep again. I quickly thought of the dream I'd given him last night – of lying on a cloud as the sun rose beneath the clouds.

Levine paused. My power wasn't nearly strong enough to send him to sleep, but as he blinked, I thought I caught a glimpse of my dream buried somewhere deep in the irises of his eyes. His eyes flickered up to mine. He stared at me, and I back at him.

Please, I prayed in my mind, come back to me. Come back to yourself, Levine. I know you can.

Suddenly, Marcus' voice rang out. "Can't do it? I thought not."

"Brother, I told you," Aro said aloud. "He's already marked her…"

"I don't care," Caius hissed sharply. "Levine said he only wants her as a pet. The boy can take back that statement and fess up the truth, or he can keep up this pathetic lie to try to save her life and she only walks away with one arm lost. Either way, I'm letting him win, aren't I?"

"Well, when you put it that way…" Aro conceded. "Though it saddens me to think of how this has played out."

"If only you told the truth, Levine…" Marcus whispered, his voice rustling like dead leaves on the sidewalk, marking the beginning of another cycle of birth and rebirth. "You always insist on being so difficult. How many years have we trained you, and you still find new ways to resist, not realizing that we only want the best for you. We have always protected you, my boy. We let you grow as a human before we turned you. We gave your life a purpose by letting you construct our city. We even let you travel as you asked for. Clearly, it's all gone to your head. You've grown spoiled, haven't you?"

Jane hissed, disliking the realization of how Levine, and not she and Alec, had been favored by the Volturi all this time.

"Take Annabelle away," Marcus sighed. "Despite his disobedience, Levine is still too precious to us to kill. Instead, Annabelle shall pay the price. She's hardly worth anything as it is." With an uninterested flutter of his fingers, Marcus drawled to the guard who was standing by the door, "Take her away."

As the guard began to step forward towards me, Levine looked up at me, panicking.

But at that moment, Carlisle interjected firmly, "No. You cannot hurt Annabelle. As I said before, I will take responsibility for her. You will not harm her. I will not allow it."

"What would you give up to save her?" Caius asked thinly.

Carlisle paused. Then, he said quietly, "Anything. Everything you ask."

I glanced over my shoulder to look at Carlisle, but he had resolutely turned his face away from me, and was instead addressing Caius. I couldn't quite see Carlisle's expression. I wished I could.

Aro suddenly put his hands together. "Ah, a compromise! Isn't this lovely? Levine doesn't want to hurt Annabelle. Annabelle wants Carlisle to be free. Carlisle wishes for us not to touch Annabelle or the rest of his family. All we wish to see is for Carlisle to take responsibility for the power vortex he's so selfishly and messily created and for Levine to give us a little show of the power that we have blessed him with. So, if Levine burns Carlisle's hands – just his hands, enough to put a doctor out of commission, then, all parties will be justly satisfied. It's a perfect balancing of justice, is it not? So, are we agreed?"

Levine's hand slipped off of my arms. Turning his face away from me, in an ashamed voice, he whispered, "Yes."

Carlisle stared down at his hands. Then, he looked at me. I saw his resolve harden and finalize in his kind, beautiful eyes.

I shook my head at him furiously. "Carlisle..." I whispered. "You don't have to take responsibility for me. Please. There must be another way."

Carlisle shut his eyes and took a deep breath. Then, he agreed, "Yes."

Aro indicated for Levine to step towards Carlisle. Levine obliged, and he began to step away from me and towards Carlisle.

"No, wait!" I began, but Levine swiftly evaded my grasp.

Instead, stepping close to Carlisle, Levine took Carlisle's hands into his own. Carlisle looked directly at Levine, but Levine looked away from Carlisle. Then, Levine shut his eyes and began to concentrate, willing the power of the sun to flow through his body - to hurt, to maim, to destroy. Carlisle grimaced as Levine's power began to work on his fingertips.

Almost instantly, Carlisle's fingertips began to turn into grey dust.

"NO!" I screamed. "NO! STOP! LEVINE, PLEASE -! CARLISLE, YOU CAN'T -!"

"Alec, silence her," Marcus said, sounding quite bored and fed-up with me.

In a flash, Alec appeared before me. I tried to reach for Alec, to put him to sleep first. But Alec was far quicker than me. His hand jammed unforgivingly into my throat, choking me. He let out a soft noise of amusement at how easily he had bested me. "Gifts aren't just talent," he told me coldly. "You have to practice them. And you, new-born, haven't."

But there was something that Alec wasn't aware of and that even Aro hadn't picked up on - and that was that I still had another weapon at my disposal. Reaching into my pocket, I yanked out a sunburst penchant. In one quick and fierce movement, I jammed the metal penchant straight into Alec's chest.

Alec screamed loudly as the penchant seared away his clothing in a second and immediately began to burn into his bare flesh. Even Jane was distracted by her brother's pained screams, for it was something that she hadn't heard in near millennia.

I didn't spare a second. Throwing Alec off of me, I immediately barreled into Levine. We both went flying across the room and hit the stone wall on the other side of the chamber.

To my shock, Caius laughed. "Too late, young one," he said, shaking his head. His eyes glowed victoriously. "It's already begun. Levine's decaying power has already taken hold of Carlisle's hands, and it will not stop until it is complete. Much like for Levine himself. The sun's affect on us is ruthless."

But Aro seemed quite sad as he watched Carlisle's hands beginning to burn away. "Carlisle." Aro closed his eyes. "Why have you come down this path?"

Both Levine and I had slumped together onto the floor, though I was lying on top of him. Levine's eyes were closed, and he was breathing in slowly and painfully.

A flash of pity ran through my heart. Every time he uses his power, he feels it, too… I realized. And he's still fighting against Chelsea's influence. Who knows for how many years he's struggled this way?

"Take Alec to the healers," Marcus said dismissively. The guard who had first brought me in here complied immediately.

"Jane, hold," Aro warned her. She was spitting in fury, her red eyes on me.

However, I wasn't looking back at Jane. My gaze was still focused on Levine. "Levine," I whispered. "Look… Look at me."

But Levine, with his eyes still closed, shook his head at me. "Don't," he murmured. "Don't try to save me. Don't show any emotion for me. They'll use it against you, to hurt you. And besides, it's too late now. I… I belong to the Volturi."

"No, you don't!" I whispered back furiously. "Levine, let me help you. What can I do?"

"There's nothing you can do. You know now. You know how despicable I am," Levine muttered. "So stop trying."

I reached out and grasped his face in my hands and jerked his head upwards. "Levine, don't give up," I urged him. "Not yet."

His eyes finally fluttered open and met mine. "Leave me, little one," he told me in a resigned voice. "Leave Carlisle, too. Just get out of here, while you can."

"I'm not leaving you, and I'm certainly not leaving Carlisle," I replied through gritted teeth. "Levine, come with me. We can find a different home, you and me."

"You must leave. Don't you see? This is my home," he said quietly. "Chelsea, Aro, Marcus, even Caius, Jane, and Alec… They are my home. Not perfect, no. But you, of all people, must understand how important a home is to someone with no last name..."

"Levine…"

"See?" he said weakly. "No last name. Like you, Annabelle…"

His eyes slipped back into shadow. Exhausted, he had lost the mental fight of control within himself. In a hollow voice, Levine recited to me, "You should join the Volturi, too, Annabelle. Here, we are one. Here, we are family."

"You're wrong. This isn't - !" My voice cut off as suddenly, I was dragged roughly back from Levine. Caius had grabbed the back of my cloak and was furiously pulling me backwards.

"I see you've had some help from a friend of ours," Caius growled at me, referring to how I had fought Alec. "Sunburst penchants? How dare you, Levine! When we give you freedom, this is how you thank us – by betraying us?" Furiously, he hissed, "Jane, show him how we treat traitors."

"No-!" I began. But Jane had turned her gaze onto Levine already. She was enraged that I had dared to hurt her brother, and she was determined to inflict every bit of pain she was feeling back onto us. Not even a second later, Levine's tortured and desperate screams pierced the air.

"Stop it! Stop!" I begged. "Please! I'll do anything!"

"Anything? For the likes of Levine?" Marcus let out a long, hollow laugh as Jane stopped. Levine slumped against the floor, breathing shallowly.

Marcus looked at me with barely disguised disgust. "I saw the relationship between the two of you from the moment Levine walked in. You had no idea who this boy is, did you? And still, you trust him. How his lies and deceit have won you over… And even when we tell you the truth of his betrayal, you wish to save him? You, Annabelle, are a resilient creature. I grant you that. But surely, you must understand by now, child, that your brand of madness will save no one."

At that moment, a low, restrained groan broke through our conversation. Carlisle's hands were slowly crumbling into ash.

Carlisle! I realized that I had to utilize my powers. It was up to me to find a way out of this situation. Carlisle's hands were crumbling away, and Levine was slowly losing the battle of wills against Chelsea. I knew now the excuses that I had made for myself thus far – about being a newborn, about being afraid to upset Carlisle, no longer mattered.

It's do or die, now or never, I told myself.

I closed my eyes and focused. Through Caius' grip on me, I sent him a dream – a dream of a crimson, fiercely burning sun. After a few moments, he stumbled to the side, hissing as the tormenting dream of burning under the sun took over his mind.

"Caius?" Aro exclaimed, shocked. "What- ?" Then, realizing what was going on, he hissed at me, "You!"

But it was too late. Caius had already fallen asleep. He slumped to the floor, unconscious.

I raced over to Carlisle at once.

"Annabelle," Carlisle murmured as I wrapped my arms around him.

Unfortunately, Jane was unstoppable. When she subjected her power onto me yet again, I let out another high-pitched shriek, for it felt a train was running into my back. Truly, I could feel its hot, heavy tires squealing into my back, churning up my flesh. It had to be the case that blood was spurting everywhere. No, such horrifying pain cannot be imagined, I thought to myself as I screamed endlessly. It's real. I'm suffocating, being grinded into a bloody pulp. There won't be anything of me left –!

"Please stop hurting her!" Carlisle's pained voice ripped through the air. Our roles had reversed: He was holding me now, as best as he could, though his hands slowly crumbled away. Using his arms, he embraced me tightly, holding me against him as I thrashed about. I was subconsciously gripping onto his shoulders and he winced as my nails dug into his shoulder hard enough to draw blood.

When Aro raised his hand, Jane finally stopped. Meanwhile, Caius had stirred again, slowly rising back upon his feet. He looked confused at first, and then he looked furious when he realized that he had momentarily lost consciousness due to my power.

When I came to, I realized that I was clutching onto Carlisle tight enough to cause him added pain. Loosening my grip immediately, I whispered frantically, "Carlisle, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry."

"It's all right," Carlisle comforted me, despite the pain of the sun still searing steadily through his hands.

"No, it's not," I told him, nearly crying. "How could this be all right? Carlisle, your hands..."

"We're together now, Annabelle," Carlisle reminded me gently. "So we're all right, aren't we? And we'll get you out of here."

"Carlisle, what about you? How do I save you?" I asked him desperately. "I'm not leaving without you."

Carlisle's eyes softened for a moment. "Annabelle, you'll be perfectly fine without me."

"That's not the point," I told him, pushing back against his words.

"Don't worry," Carlisle continued to reassure me. "It may seem frightening now. But all of this pain and suffering… It's just a passing moment in your young life. You'll forget me. I know you will."

"No, I won't. I will never forget you," I whispered feverishly.

"Everything feels that way when your a newborn," Carlisle murmured sorrowfully.

"Not for me. Not when it comes to you," I replied, frustrated. "Please... Why can't you understand, Carlisle? I- I'm in lo-"

Carlisle suddenly groaned as his palms started to sizzle, then burn, and finally decay.

"Slow, but effective," Marcus commented, almost apathetically. "And irreversible, which is the most important characteristic."

"Levine, you've grown," Aro said, impressed. "It's ironic – the boy whose gift of complete sunshine is the most destructive force of all. But it's because the sun does not take kindly to us, I'm afraid."

Levine had gotten back up on his feet. He stared at Aro with a most broken and dark expression. It was as if his soul had left his body, as if he refused to believe that this was reality anymore.

Aro stepped closer to Levine. Leaning in, he whispered so that only Levine could hear him. "Levine, you gave us no other option, my boy. As soon as you put your mark on that girl to save her, Carlisle's fate was sealed… You knew that, didn't you, my boy? This all played out exactly as you wanted, correct?"

Numbly, Levine agreed. "Yes. It was… the only acceptable outcome."

With his arms around me, I felt quite clearly when Carlisle flinched. I looked down at his hands. "Carlisle…" I stared in horror as his palms turned to ash.

"I'm… I'm all right," he breathed out, though he clearly wasn't.

"Tell me how to save you," I begged him. "You must know… Just tell me. I can do it."

Carlisle slowly shook his head. "No. There is no known medicine against sunlight." He gritted his teeth, grimacing as the burning sensation continued to ravage his hands.

"Then, we'll find it together," I promised him fervently. "Let's just - Let's just get out of here for now. Together. I'll do anything it takes to heal you once we're out of here."

"Annabelle," Carlisle told me in a comforting, but firm, voice, "sometimes you have to learn to let go. Just because you live forever, it doesn't mean everyone does. Even other vampires. You taught me how to begin to let Esme go… Now, you must learn through me how to let go."

Trembling, I looked up at him. His beautiful golden eyes met mine. And even in this terrible nightmare of a situation, there was some measure of peace in his gaze.

"Carlisle..." I leaned forward slightly, and he responded in kind.

Slowly, we rested our foreheads against each other.

"Annabelle," he whispered, exhausted from all of the pain and decay and violence. "I'm thankful that I met you… You reminded me how bright life could be again. I'd forgotten, after what happened..."

I ran my hands through his hair and whispered back brokenly, "Carlisle, I'm going to save you. Just as you saved me."

"Annabelle, you will save many, many people," Carlisle told me. "But not me. I'm not yours to save. After all, I am your creator."

Yes, I thought, but I don't care. Because I love you. And it's not just because you're my creator. I would have fallen for you even if someone else had created me. Your compassion, your intelligence, your kindness, your gentleness, even your sadness - I love all of it. I always have, even if I haven't been able to tell you about it. Even if I never will.

"How long do you expect me to endure this, Aro?" Marcus sighed, annoyed by the relationship that he could see pouring out from my heart towards Carlisle. The sappiness of it all was fairly nauseating to Marcus. He quipped impatiently, "We've other things to do."

"Let them have their moment, my brother," Aro said softly, watching Carlisle and me. "It'll be their last."

I tensed when I heard Aro's words.

"Don't be afraid," Carlisle said, trying to soothe me. He wished he could run his hands down my back, but his hands were all but gone. Carlisle grimaced slightly as he confessed, "I wish I could touch your face, Annabelle."

At his words, I reached out and gently put my hands on his face instead. Carlisle smiled slightly, and he closed his eyes at my touch.

Carlisle and I held each other in the middle of this cold, stone room, where it seemed that our fates were already sealed. Neither of us were able to think of a way to get out alive anymore, except that Carlisle still intended to trade his life for mine.

Carlisle knew that he was the one that the Volturi truly wanted. Everything leading up to this - all of the attacks on the Quileute tribe and Levine's tricking me to coming here - it was all to force Carlisle to show himself before the Volturi. He knew that. He had known it for a long time now, and he was determined to end this cycle of violence once and for all.

Behind us, Levine stared up at the moonlight coming in through the high ceiling windows. He was numb, as he had learned to be for most of his life, in order to survive.

"I've had it, Aro." Marcus stood up in his throne. With incredible dexterity, he raced forward. In a flash, he was standing above Carlisle and me. Without any hesitation, he reached down and put his hands on either side of my head.

"No!" Carlisle shouted, but without his hands, he was powerless to grapple against Marcus.

I gasped and began to reach up to fight Marcus, thrashing in his grip. But I was far, far too late, and I was absolutely no match for Marcus.

Marcus ignored my thrashing about and began to cleanly snap my neck.

"Good-bye, young one," he murmured emotionlessly. He started to turn his hands in a quick, deadly motion.

"Marcus, stop!" Carlisle cried out, devastated.

Suddenly, though, there was a terrific crashing sound just down the hallway. Marcus paused, as did Carlisle.

"What was that?" Caius snapped.

But there was no time for anyone to respond as a large silver-white wolf burst through the doors of the chamber. Growling and roaring fearsomely, she barreled straight into Marcus, who cried out as he inadvertently let me go.