Chapter Eighteen

-Iowa, United States-

"Where are we even supposed to start?" Felix had asked on their way back to Volterra. Demetri had made another call to Aro, who would be sure the private jet was ready for them upon their return. The smaller man ran a hand through his hair, "Hmm, I don't know that she'd return to Washington. There's nothing left there for her. Her family is located in Iowa. I say we start there."

Aro approved their decision and gave them strict instructions. Find her. Stay on her tail until he could personally come to retrieve her. Now that they were on the plan, en route to the United States, Demetri allowed himself to doubt Aro's plan. The last time he and Felix were meant to stay back and watch, the Children of the Moon had easily picked up on their presence. Lorna's senses were quite sharp. He sighed. That would be a concern for later. They had to find her first.

Having done thorough research on her, the pair already knew exactly where they needed to go once arriving in the state. As a means of blending in, they rented a car and made the four hour drive to the tiny town she had come from. Only consisting of a few hundred people, it wasn't difficult to navigate. Just as planned, it was around midnight when they arrived. Felix parked the car in a community lot and they walked the couple blocks to the house the girl's parents lived in. The two men jumped the wooden fence, hiding between it and some rather thick shrubbery.

A dim light showed through one of the lower windows, but it went out only a few minutes later. Perfect timing. Felix stayed behind as Demetri slowly, but carefully, crept along the house. Sniffing at the air, examining faint prints in the dirt. Some were canine, but not nearly large enough. The family must own a dog. Good to know. He returned to Felix, "I'm not picking up her scent of finding anything else to indicate she's here."

Felix nodded, "Now we wait."

Which they did. For several days. Not always from the backyard, but from nearby. There was an empty lot behind the house, adorned with only a large weeping willow tree. That probably needed to be cut down, to be honest. Felix sat against in, book in hand pretending to be reading and enjoying the nice day, as he kept watch on the house. Demetri patrolled the town in the car, careful not to draw suspicion to himself. Lorna never showed up.

Guess it was time to come up with a new plan.


-Washington, United States-

Once on the ground in North Carolina, I had to figure out where I was going to go. Which, honestly, wasn't a difficult decision. My hope was that since they knew there wasn't a reason for me to return to the Olympic Peninsula, they would assume I wouldn't and look for me elsewhere. So that's exactly where I was going. I wasn't about to go home and put my parents at risk.

Although I was fast in my human form, I was much more so in my wolf. And thanks to Aro, I could slip into that skin any time I wanted. I flew through the trees when I could. If there wasn't adequate cover, I shifted back and just walked alongside the road. Occasionally, I would hitchhike, often using the opportunity to sleep. Except that once, because the guy was giving off some creepy vibes.

After several days on the road, I was back in familiar territory. The thick forest, the near constant clouds and rain. Good ole Washington. As I approached the old shack the pack had been temporarily calling home, my stomach began to knot as reality really settled in. No one would be there. We had all left to walk into our own death trap. Glenn had been too cocky about the entire thing. I had a similar air, but I also never forgot what I was really up against. The Volturi were not the people to take lightly, having amassed quite a powerful army. This I knew before I was kidnapped. Children of the Moon knew who the Volturi were, being our biggest threat. That they had been slaughtering our kind for hundreds of years, quite effectively. They obviously knew something that the average vampire didn't. Even though I had the "bring it on" attitude, I was well aware there was a good chance I wasn't coming out of the fight alive.

But here I was, alone in the abandoned shake. Everything the way it had been left that night. My business textbook still sat on the table. Glenn's clothes were still on the floor in the corner. Emmi's make up scattered. I headed to the only bedroom in the small home and stood in the doorway. The bed was nothing more than a stained mattress on the floor, not even a sheet covering it, but still I stared. I had the sudden urge to burn it. So much awful shit happened on that fucking thing. Glenn with his hands where I hadn't wanted them. On top of me. Behind me. Pulling my hair… Aro had done that once or twice, but it had been different somehow. Glenn had done it to exert his dominance over me. While Aro had probably done it much for the same reason, he hadn't been an asshole about it. He made sure I knew who was in charge, but also made it clear it wasn't just about him. Like it had been with Glenn.

Wow, that was almost painful to admit. Aro not being an asshole about something. Aro…

A hand clamped down on my shoulder, "Lorna?"

Adrenaline flooded me and instinct took over. I gripped the wrist and pulled, flipping the man behind me over my shoulder. The air rushed from his lungs as he crashed into the hardwood floor. I panted, "Stuart?

He grimaced, "Good to see you too."

I leaned into the door frame, "What the fuck? I thought you were all dead!"

Stuart stood, brushing dirt from the back of his pants before rolling out his shoulder, "Everyone else is. I got lucky and managed to sneak away. Headed to the river so they'd lose my scent."

"You fucking coward!" I shoved him. But this time he had been expecting it and didn't budge. He shrugged, "I guess. But I wasn't about to follow Glenn into an obvious ambush. Enough about me, though. What the hell happened to you?"

"Lord Douchebag decided to take me back to Volterra with him to be his damn pet," I folded my arms and tried to ignore the sting in my chest. Stuart looked utterly confused, "Wait, they kept you? Isn't that against their laws or something?"

I snorted, "He makes the rules. He'll break them as he sees fit. He's there 'king', what consequences could possibly apply to him?"

Stuart pressed his lips into a line and, after a moment, waved his hand dismissively, "Well, whatever. You got away. You're here now. What are we going to do?"

"We?" I asked, "What do you mean we?"

He opened his mouth to answer but I cut him off, "There's no we, Stuart. I'm not forming another pack, dragging anymore people into this hell. I'm gonna grab a few things and go. You will go the opposite way that I do."

Again, he tried to speak. Again, I beat him to it, "You honestly think they won't come after me? Aro's fucking crazy. He isn't going to just let me go. And I'll be damned if you do get killed because of me."

I stepped around him then, trying to hide the moisture gathering in my eyes. My bag was still in the corner, open. I grabbed it, stuffing a clean change of clothes inside as well as Glenn's wallet, a towel, hair brush, and toothbrush. I zipped it and slung it over my shoulders. Stuart stared at me, frowning. I threw my arms around his neck. Had I gotten to choose my own mate, it would have been him. He was sweet, and usually gave me just as much shit as I gave him. Though, now I only loved him as a friend. I didn't feel those other things for him anymore. Like they were smudged from my mind.

I released him, "Please go, Stuart."

With that, I bailed. Sprinting away as quickly as I possibly could.