A/N: Hello, rockin' readers! Ready for some confrontation? Buckle up!

Huge thanks to my lovely prereaders, Keye, Sandy, and Aleea, for their ever encouraging feedback and hand-holding. Love you gals!

As always, huge thanks to my awesome betas, Katmom and SassySue (chayasara), for catching my flubs and smoothing the prose. Most spoiled author evah!

Chapter 35

~The Reaping~

He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.

~Friedrich Nietzsche

Carlisle places his hand in Aro's while we stand helpless. Renata moved with Aro and stands at his back, protecting him. If I make a move, the surrounding vampires will rip me apart before I lay a hand on him. Isabella seems to have a shield that deflects the gifts of other vampires, but that won't stop them from physically overpowering us.

"Please, Aro," Carlisle beseeches.

"You've lost all credibility. The great Carlisle, paver of peaceful roads, champion of the underdog." Aro's tone drips with disdain.

Isabella glances at me anxiously, but I shake my head and press a finger to her lips to keep her from speaking. I seek out Alice's gaze, but her eyes are unfocused.

From my right side, I sense James Hunter edging closer. What the hell is going on here? Why are they upset . . . holding Carlisle's hand? Is he . . . zap him?

I realize Hunter has no idea what Aro's gift is and have to wonder why Aro hasn't used it on him yet. The answer isn't long in coming—Aro is a coward; the fear of the unknown kept him away. He'd offer Hunter anything, promise him anything, to give the impression they were partners. This also means Aro probably doesn't know about Spain or any details about Hannah.

I wait until Aro is distracted with Carlisle to type out a text on my phone. There's no service down here, but I covertly pass it to Isabella.

Aro didn't use his gift on Hunter. He doesn't know much.

Silence falls as Aro's head tips back while he rifles Carlisle's memories. Aro's gift works differently from mine in that he can see all of the memories one has ever had. Though the vampire mind can process quickly, Carlisle is over three hundred years old. Lines of frustration appear on Aro's forehead. His eyes snap open, and he gazes down at my sire.

"You will bring your thoughts to the current time. I want to see what you know about this anomaly, serum, and cure business. Show me now!"

"Aro, is this—"

"Speak no more! Show me before I'm forced to do something we'll all regret."

With no further choice, Carlisle submits to Aro's probing. His memories are extracted rapidly and with greed. Aro is more than a mere blood drinker; he's a vampire of the mind, supping on the thoughts and emotions of others, taking great joy in the discomfort thrust upon his victims.

Carlisle grimaces, his head lowering as he gives up the information Aro seeks—information that will damn all of us and likely get us executed. My sire takes failure personally, but this is hardly his fault. My heart softens toward Carlisle.

"A human child? Who is this . . . miracle child?" Aro grips Carlisle's hand tighter, and his eyes pop open wide, mad with curiosity.

Isabella gasps, and I link my fingers with hers, praying she doesn't attempt to intervene. Alice stands to the side, head down, in a trance.

There are so many thoughts flying around the room, it's all I can do to keep it to a low drone. I have no chance of untangling the thought-strands and making sense of them, but I can keep my mind sharp and in the present.

Carlisle remains silent, but the mind-meld goes on. It's difficult not to think of the answer to a question as it's asked.

"Ah. Where is this Hannah? And who are these beasts . . . Wolves?" Aro turns his head and trains his gaze on Isabella. "You shared their bloodline?"

Isabella nods. "Yes. I just recently found out my biological mother is Quileute."

"James Hunter is the child's father?"

"Unfortunately." She glares in Hunter's direction, drawing a chuckle from Aro.

"Oh my . . . such animosity." Aro smiles, then nods to one of the guards flanking James. "Bring him closer."

Hunter appears rather peaked, a fact I'd greatly enjoy if not for the perilous situation we're currently in.

Aro fixes Hunter with his demented claret gaze. "Are you Quileute as well?"

"What the hell is a Quileute?" James bristles, a rivulet of sweat rolling across his temple and down the side of his face. His respiration is labored, heart beating much too fast.

Aro addresses Isabella again. "What is a Quileute, my dear?"

"A member of a tribe. They live on a reservation not far from the Cullens."

"And the wolves?"

"Some of the Quileute are . . . shape-shifters."

Aro's face snaps back toward Carlisle, obviously receiving additional information. "What is this confrontation in the snow? Why a standoff with your entire coven?" He tilts his head. "Poisonous. Their bite kills?"

"Their bite is deadly to vampires," Carlisle answers.

"Demetri was there. Why?" Aro returns his full attention to Carlisle. The change is subtle, but a stiffening of his posture occurs. Traitor! "Demetri struck a deal with you, did he?"

Hunter glances up. "Demetri? He's the other tracker I hired to find Isabella."

Aro laughs harshly. "Well, isn't this rich? Both trackers betrayed you and attempted to fool the Volturi. Demetri should have known better."

With all that's come out already, I can't stop myself from speaking up. "Aro, do you have any idea what this pathetic piece of trash has done? Have you used your gift on him?"

Aro glares at me and flaps a hand impatiently. "What are you on about, Edward?"

"What am I on about? This dirtbag has a compound in Spain where he conducts experiments on vampires! He's got boxes and boxes of research and record books of failed attempts to turn himself. The vampires' bodies become desiccated shells that crumble to dust under your fingertips!" I pause, running a hand roughly through my hair while Aro stares at me like a deer caught in headlights. "There's no defense against his blood. He wants to be immortal and will do anything to achieve it—even experiments on his own flesh and blood!" I glare at Hunter before returning my gaze to Aro's shocked face.

Aro's grip on Carlisle loosens, and he steps back with a hand to his chest. "Are there more of them out there?"

"Them?" I raise my eyebrows as one of Aro's thoughts crack through the shield of all the others, ringing true and clear in my mind.

Our species cannot be compromised under any circumstances. We must hunt down and destroy any such anomalies.

With great difficulty, I restrain myself from reacting.

"And where does the child fit into this?" Aro asks.

Isabella growls, lunging for him. I tighten my grip on her hand, knowing she can break free if she really wants to. "Isabella, don't!"

She allows me to restrain her, but the hatred in her voice is clear. "Leave my Hannah out of this! That piece of shit did experiments on her, too, and she doesn't have the anomaly!"

"Is this true?" Aro looks to Hunter.

"Yeah. The kid doesn't have the extra chromosome."

"Are there others who do?" Aro's voice is soft, his face a study in neutrality, but I know better.

Hunter shakes his head. "I don't think so. I conducted exhaustive searches before discovering Bella shared the same chromosome I have. My resources scoured labs all over the country trying to find someone. I finally decided having a child might be my only chance."

Alice gasps, her head coming up and snapping our way just as Isabella shifts on her feet, slipping my grasp.

Isabella turns to face James, an animalistic sound issuing from deep in her throat. She grips his head between her hands, bringing their faces within inches of each other, until they nearly share breath. The two vampires flanking Hunter move to stop Isabella, but Aro shakes his head imperceptibly.

Hunter stares into the face of his ex-wife-turned-vampire, eyes wide.

"You brought my child into this world as an experiment. I can't explain how that makes me feel, but it has convinced me that you have no redeeming qualities. You are a scourge upon the earth."

"Bella, what did you expect me to do? We were going to die!"

"I was going to die. You were free to live out your pathetic existence to a ripe old age. Evil fucks like you rarely suffer along with the peons, isn't that right?"

"Anyone with the means would have searched for a solution!"

"But not everyone would procreate to secure their own personal guinea pig. Did you ever love Hannah at all?" Isabella's question holds so much pain, and I know she partially blames herself for not realizing what a scum she was married to.

Hunter's mouth opens then closes, but his eyes say what he doesn't—he never loved Hannah; she was simply a means to an end.

Isabella's eyelids flutter shut for a moment. "This is too good for you," she mutters, then snaps his neck.

Hunter's eyes roll up, and his body sags, hanging from her iron grasp. Isabella yanks her hands away, allowing him to slump to the floor, dead.

A collective cacophony erupts around the room—gasps, murmurs, shouts—except for Aro, who remains perfectly still. His face gives nothing away, but the undisguised mad gleam in his eyes sends a shockwave of foreboding through me.

This is the precise outcome he was hoping for.

I've got them now.

Baring my teeth, I step forward and pull Isabella behind me with a growl.

Aro cackles. "Oh, what are you going to do, Edward? Fight off my entire Guard?" He steps back onto the dais where he can look down on us once again. When he raises his arm and points a finger in Carlisle's direction, it trembles with his rage. "You, old friend, have committed treason and shall be put to death."

Isabella grips my sides hard enough to cause pain even as I lose my breath over Aro's proclamation. Alice cries out plaintively, the anguish on her features telling me she's already seen the outcome, and it's not in our favor. At this moment more than any other, I'm grateful my gift isn't working properly.

Carlisle's head snaps up, his eyes disbelieving. "Treason? Surely you don't believe that. I was protecting my family and the future of our kind."

"Were you now?" Aro's angry glare turns on me. "And you, Edward? What were your goals in all this?"

My jaw tightens. "I only had one—to protect and save my mate and her daughter."

"Well, then . . . I guess you failed. Senator Hunter is dead—thank you, dear Isabella, for the entertainment. The great Carlisle Cullen is about to be executed, and I've always wanted an excuse to kill you, Edward."

"No! You can't!" Isabella lunges out from behind me, but I grab her around the waist and pull her back. She hisses and curses, flailing her arms and legs. "We've come too far for evil to win!"

"Now that all known carriers of the chromosome are dead, the only loose end is little Hannah."

"Don't you say her name, you fiend!" Isabella fights my grip harder, and I struggle to hold her back.

"Shh . . . Isabella. Don't let him bait you," I whisper against her hair. My voice seems to visibly calm her, though she still strains away from me.

Aro claps his hands. "Alec, take a group of our best and find this child. Bring her to me . . . unharmed."

"No! No! Edward, do something!" Isabella sobs.

Anger rockets through me, but I fight to maintain some control. I can't help anyone if I die prematurely. "Aro, please. She's just a child. Surely, even you wouldn't kill one so young."

"Kill? We will worship the wee lass. Her veins hold the cure, after all."

"No . . ." Isabella's moan is low and tortured.

"I've had enough excitement for today. It will take some time for my Guard to locate the young princess, so we'll put off the executions until she's been secured."

~*RK*~

The spacious room is round, the walls fashioned of smooth stone. Scarlet drapes with gold accents hang around the perimeter, but no windows lay beyond the heavy coverings. In fact, we rode the elevator a few more floors below ground to reach this place.

Aro allowed Isabella to remain with me—probably hoping to avoid the inevitable fight if he refused us. I'm not sure where Carlisle and Alice are, or if they're together.

The only minds within my range have been the guards posted at the door. It's easy to read them since there's no other mind noise to distract me. The two of them are pissed off because they have to babysit us. There's no way out of here. These chambers were made especially to hold vampires. The only way out is by taking the special elevator up into the castle. The stone walls are reinforced with special metals and wired with alarms. No vampire, no matter how strong or determined, could break out before the Volturi was alerted. Thus, it's the opinion of both sentries that having them guard the door is redundant.

A dry sob comes from Isabella who is hunched in a ball on the king-size bed. "Why can't I cry?" She claws at the bedspread, shredding the expensive material. "And why the hell is there a bed in here?"

I slip onto the bed and curl myself around her, sitting up—chest pressed to her back, arms anchoring her to me, my lips at her ear. "I'm sorry, sweet one. Vampires can't sleep, and they also can't cry. Usually strong emotions are expelled in other ways. Aggression . . . passion. I can't answer your query about the bed."

Isabella's body unfurls and sinks against mine. Her head tips back, and her legs relax until they touch my longer ones. She wears me like protection. I want to provide safety to my mate, but we're in so deep—literally and figuratively. There's a small amount of satisfaction in knowing I affect her this way, that I can offer her comfort in the midst of this crisis.

"Why didn't you tell me about the crying?"

I smile against her shoulder, confounded by the complaint. "It never crossed my mind. Experiencing an inferno for three days and never sleeping or dreaming again seemed to be more of an issue. Would you have refused to become a vampire if you knew you would never shed tears again?"

"Well, no. It's just . . . I would have spent some time crying before you turned me—got it out of my system, you know?" She runs a finger along my forearm, eliciting a tingle.

I still find her quirkiness utterly adorable and endearing. "Forgive me." My lips whisper against the side of Isabella's neck, and she shivers.

"It's nothing I have to forgive you for. Sorry—that's hardly what I should be whining about with the predicament we're in, huh?" She tilts her head to the side, offering more of her creamy skin to me, which I take the opportunity to sample with my lips. "Edward, how long will it take them . . . to find her?"

"I don't know." I slip my cell out of my pocket and type on the screen: We need to be cautious. There are two guards outside the door.

"Oh." Isabella takes the phone from me, erases my message, and types her own. Can they hear everything we say?

I pull away and wait for her to face me, then mouth, "Let's find out."

We start out at the foot of the bed, and Isabella speaks to me quietly while I scan the minds of the guards for any sign they hear us. Slowly, we make our way toward the door, moving a few feet each time. Nothing registers until we're ten feet away.

I hold a finger up to my lips, and we change direction. After ten minutes, it's clear we can only be heard by the door. As long as we keep our voices down, we can speak freely.

I lead Isabella back to the bed where we lie side by side with our arms wrapped around each other and her head tucked beneath my chin.

"There's a very good chance they won't get Hannah."

"Really?" Isabella's arms tighten around me. "Why?"

"Because the wolves will protect her as their own."

"My God, you're right. But what if the Volturi wipe out the entire tribe?"

"Aro better send his entire army if he expects to get through them."

Isabella tilts her head up so she can look at me. "Youadmire them."

The corner of my lip twitches. "A little."

She smiles for a moment, and then it fades as her brow creases. "Do you really believe they can protect Hannah?"

I brush a few strands of hair back from her face, my fingers lingering against her skin. "I think they're very capable—especially against an enemy that is unfamiliar with them."

"What will Aro do if he doesn't get what he wants?"

I swallow hard, hating the answer. "It's likely he'll take it out on us."

I don't tell her what else Aro might have in mind—to use me, Carlisle, and Alice as bargaining chips with Isabella in an attempt to coerce her into giving up Hannah, or possibly to pit us all against each other in his quest for what he desires.

Once Aro realizes Isabella is impervious to most vampire gifts, he'll want to keep her and make her part of his elite. As Isabella's mate, I stand in the way of that happening and acknowledge the likelihood that fact may be my death sentence.

"We're getting out of here alive." Isabella says this with such conviction, I wonder if she knows something I don't.

"That would be ideal, but have I missed something? From where I sit, we're hundreds of feet below ground with a castle full of hostile vampires overhead, standing between us and freedom." She blanches, and I take her face between my hands, softening my words. "Don't get me wrong, sweet one—I'll do whatever it takes to protect you and Hannah. If there's any possible way out of this, I will find it."

"I know you will." Her smile returns, and her eyes shine with love for me. "I believe, Edward. I believe in you, in us . . . and that God wouldn't lead us all this way only to let evil win out. Have faith. Please don't give up."

"Never. I'll never give up."

I brush my lips over hers, intending only to comfort. Isabella shocks me by responding with fire; her mouth presses hard against mine, her hands roaming over my back and gripping my shirt. The velvet of her tongue licks along my bottom lip, and I open to her, rolling onto my back and pulling her on top of me.

Isabella straddles my hips, caressing my face between her palms. Her tongue explores my mouth hungrily, small whimpers coming from the back of her throat. I rest my hands over the flare of her hips and rub back and forth slowly.

She grows bolder, making short work of the buttons on my shirt and running her fingers over my naked chest as she plants kisses on my neck. A thrill shoots through me when the rasp of her nails scratches over my nipples.

It's too much. My hands tighten over her curves, and I hiss.

"Isabella—" My attempted protest is swallowed by her soft lips moving over mine again.

Questing fingers pop the button and slip beneath the waistband of my jeans. I'm instantly hard. Isabella pulls the zipper down and frees me, taking me into her hands reverently. My palms instinctively land on her leather-clad ass, alternating gentle squeezes and slow circles.

"Touch all of me, Edward. Undress me." Isabella's seductive whisper causes me to groan and twitch in her capable hands even as I restrain the urge to thrust—or tear her clothes off and ravish her.

This feels wrong. After Isabella's change, we didn't have the luxury of making love as equals. We explored and kissed and caressed, learning how to touch each other all over again, but most of the time was spent teaching Isabella to feed and working out the details of the trip to Italy.

"Sweet one . . ." My hands leave the delicious curves of her ass to grasp her wrists and pull her hands out of my pants. I shift to a seated position against the headboard, guiding her with me.

Isabella straddles me and slings her arms around my neck. "What's wrong?"

"This is. We can't do this here."

"But what if we don't—"

I lean my head down to kiss her quickly, cutting off the end of a sentence I can't face hearing, let alone contemplating. My tongue strokes against hers, and I kiss Isabella senseless, wrapping my arms around her back to anchor her to me.

When our lips part, she laughs breathlessly. "For someone who thinks we shouldn't 'do this' right now, that was one soul-melting kiss."

I look down at my mate and wonder if I was crazy to stop what was about to happen between us. "Never doubt how very much I desire you. When this is all over, we'll have so much time to do this right."

Isabella gazes at me with an inscrutable expression, and she's obviously choosing her words carefully.

I never get to find out what she was going to say.

Edward! . . . Edward!

"Jasper?" I whisper incredulously.

"What?" Isabella asks with surprise as I fly off the bed with her in my arms. I set her on her feet, holding her tightly to my side.

The thought is coming from the eastern side of the chamber, a safe distance away from the door.

I'm in an old tunnel system Demetri told me about. What's going on in there?

I press close to the stone wall and whisper, "Can you hear me?"

Yeah.

"Isabella and I are in a room together with two guards posted at the door. I don't know where they're keeping Alice and Carlisle." I go on to explain what occurred when we arrived and Aro's plan to abduct Hannah. "Jas, are you here alone?"

Yup. I might not be able to get you out of there right now, but I can warn the Quileute about the Volturi coming after Hannah.

"Yes, yes, yes . . . tell them to get Hannah to safety. Aro can't be allowed to get his hands on her."

There must be a way to get the rest of you out of there. I'm worried about Alice—after the way I've been treating her, I need to tell her how sorry I am.

"She knows. I'm not sure how we're going to get out." This is a time for brutal honesty.

"I do." Isabella leans in closer, speaking so Jasper and I will both hear her. "Jasper, if you can help them find a way to keep Hannah from the Volturi, I'll take care of the rest."

What's she talking about, Edward?

I draw back and look down at her, recognizing the strange light in her eyes. I first saw it when we were on the plane ride to Italy.

"Isabella, how?"

"Shh . . . don't fret, my love." She smooths the frown lines between my eyebrows and kisses me lightly on the lips. "If this is going to work, it has to be done just right. I can pull this off—as long as Hannah is away from the danger."

"But—"

"Stop, Edward."

"We should coordinate our plan."

"We just did."

Isabella has a secret. I can tell from her posture and the set of her jaw, she's not sharing.

~*RK*~

A/N: Do you think Aro will get his hands on little Hannah? What do you think he plans to do with her if he does? As always, I love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Working on the next chapter of I Saw You Coming(gasp!) and I Want it Painted Black. Hoping to have ISYC out within a week with IWiPB the following—if all goes well. Once again, I thank you all for your patience. Life has settled down a bit, but I'm still struggling to find writing time.

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