Chapter Twenty

-Forks, Washington-

"Sweet Artemis," I said in amazement, "This is your house?"

It was huge, consisting of three stories. Sided in a beautiful, rich wood; with windows that were equally impressive in size. A balcony protruded from one side; and on it was a dozen other vampires and some buff guy without a shirt. They all stared apprehensively. Carlisle placed a hand on my shoulder, "Everyone, this is Lorna. She will be staying with us for awhile."

"It's all good, guys," I shouted even though I didn't need to, "You can just tie me up outside. I've already got the collar."

I flicked the tag dangling from it for emphasis. Why was I even still wearing the damn thing? A blonde woman was the first to ask, "What are you? You reek worse than this one."

She jerked her head toward the shirtless guy and he pulled a face in response. I snorted, "You guys don't exactly smell like roses. But yeah, I'm a werewolf."

"That's not possible," half naked guy leaped from the balcony, landing on his feet not too far from where I stood, "The La Push pack are the only wolf shifters in the States."

"Oh, you're so cute," I reached up and pat his cheek, "I mean I'm a real werewolf. One of the Children of the Moon."

"Are you sure about this, Carlisle?" asked a vampire with copper hair. Immediately, I decided I didn't like him. The doctor slid an arm around his wife's waist, "She is not hostile. It would seem our diet makes us rather unappealing to her-"

"Outright repulsive," I interjected.

"She also currently has nowhere else to go," he continued, "I think we can open our home to her for a time."

"Seriously, if you guys would rather me stay outside, it's all good," the coven leader was going to provide me with a steady food source, which I was eternally grateful for. I wasn't about to overstep. The man's wife, whose name I learned was Esme, pat my arm, "Absolutely not. You'll stay in the guest room."

The coven muttered agreement.


-Volterra, Italy-

Aro paced, which wasn't something he'd normally do. But, considering he was alone in his private chambers, he allowed himself the moment of unrest.

It had been two weeks now, since Lorna's departure. Last he had heard from Demetri, they still hadn't managed to catch up with her. The trio had been somewhere in Southern Mexico then. Patience, he told himself, They will find her. But each day that passed, his anxiety grew. Would they truly find her? What would happen should they return empty handed? Aro was determined to find her, even if he had to send the entire Guard after her. He would have her back.

He rolled his head, stretching his neck. The situation was eating away at him, little by little. The full weight of Marcus' words had collapsed on him; and it grew more difficult to bear every hour that passed, it seemed. It was the reason for his anxiousness, his uncharacteristic fidgeting. He wasn't entirely sure how to handle exactly what he was feeling. He needed an outlet for the pain. One that didn't involve the destruction of any more of his furniture. So, he walked circles around his quarters, rolling out his neck and shoulders, trying to clear his mind.

There were other matters he needed to focus on. After consulting with several others, he had concluded the most likely way the Russians were blocking their thoughts was with some sort of shield. Perhaps similar to the talent Bella Cullen possessed. Their mind was shielded before giving their commands and, therefore, Aro could not see those moments. He had then sent Natalia, a Guard member who was particularly gifted at concealing herself, to keep an eye on the Russian Coven's activities. So far she had nothing useful to report.

Admittedly, that was the only other pressing matter at present. With any luck, there would be crimes reported; something that could take his mind off her. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, "Come in."

The door opened just enough for Renata to peek her head in, "Master Aro, you're requested in the throne room."

He darted out the door, grateful for the distraction. That was, until he actually entered the chamber, "Natalia."

She gave a shallow curtsy, "Master Aro."

Natalia Romilly was a pretty, young thing; with honey blonde hair and a heart shaped face. Caius had discovered her four years ago, not long before their confrontation with the Cullens about their supposed immortal child. From the moment she had arrived, he had spent much of his free time attempting to "court" her, for lack of a better word. He hadn't wanted to give her a false sense of love. After he had gained her trust and affection, he would treat her as his queen until he grew bored. Like Sulpicia, she would know this before. But he wanted to be sure she would not refuse him when he did finally stake his claim. Since meeting Lorna, though, he had no longer felt any type of attraction to her. He attempted to put as much distance between the two of them as he possibly could.

But…

Lorna had left him. Instead of allowing him to explain, she had run the first chance she got. What was worse, though, was that she hadn't returned to him. Natalia, on the other hand, had. She always returned to him. Was one hundred percent loyal to him. The way she looked at him now was with devotion and admiration. Perhaps he should have claimed his prize when he'd had the opportunity.

Aro narrowed his eyes, "I believe you're supposed to be in Russia."

"And I was, Master," she smirked, thrusting her hand toward him, "but I have some information you may find important."

He quickly approached her, gripping her hand a bit more firmly than necessary. The images that flashed before him brought a smirk to his face, "Wonderful."

The man released her hand and rushed to the table, flipping through a stack of maps, "You did well, my dear. Now, we must identify this vampire, and head off the group that is responsible for creating the newborns. Natalia, as you have seen this shield, you will be tasked with finding out who he is."

"I request to remain here, Master Aro."

He froze, "For what reason?"

She absentmindedly picked at her fingernails, "I get the feeling I'm more needed here."

Aro clenched his jaw. Of course he knew what she was doing. She knew him well enough to see through his facade. His brothers could too, no doubt, but they knew better than to speak of it. Natalia was hoping to be a source of comfort for him. That she could be a safe outlet. And hoping to gain something more of him in the process. Despite the hot anger he felt toward Lorna right now, he wasn't sure he wanted what she was truly offering, "Absolutely not. Only you and I have seen this man. And I have urgent matters to attend to here. It must be you to go."

She frowned, but nodded, "Yes, Master."

He turned his back to her, making a face as he snapped his fingers twice. Renata appeared once again, as though she could solidify from the shadows. She didn't speak, only waited for his order. He recomposed himself, "Send in Wayland, Nicolaus, Jane, and Alec. I have an assignment for them."


-Forks, Washington-

"Is this really necessary?" I asked, turning to the two, incredibly buff men behind me. The vampire, Emmett, answered, "Yep. Sorry, just a precaution."

"It's fine, I'm sure you guys don't want me dismembering any of your buddies by mistake," I then looked to Jacob, the wanna-be, "And you'll get to see how a real werewolf does it, lucky you."

He rolled his eyes. I twirled my finger, indicating they needed to face the other way and they did so without hesitation. Removing my shirt and shorts, I decided to get a head start on the transformation, thanks to my moonstone. The beast erupted forth and I took off at a gallop. Suddenly, there was an equally large, rusty colored wolf appeared beside me. I snapped my teeth at him and he growled in response. There was another set of rapid footsteps not far behind us.

I pushed myself, mustering a burst of speed. Jacob could eat my dust. There was a herd of deer nearby that I briefly considered finding. No real need to, it would mostly have been for entertainment. Mister and Misses Cullen had been keeping me well fed, thank goodness. The rest of the Cullens weren't awful. When I actually decided to come out of my room. Mostly I kept to myself, not wanting to disrupt their lives too much. I did emerge to help with whatever I could. It was the least I could do. Though, the other day I was introduced to Renesmee, the adorable, seemingly ten year old child of Edward and Bella. In reality, she should have only been four. But, apparently, hybrid children grow extremely quick. Which made zero sense to me. How does a human, who grows quite slow, and a vampire, who doesn't grow at all, create something that ages two and a half times faster?

Anyway, as interesting as she was, it dug at a sore spot. Just as being around my nephews did. There hadn't been many things in life I was certain about. But one thing I did know for sure was that I wanted children. Badly. And then I ran into Glenn, who stole that from me. I could adopt children, sure. But I had desired the full experience. The growing belly, the little kicks, the labor, meeting the baby for the first time. I'd never get it thanks to the virus that douchebag gave me. And as far as anyone knew, there was no cure for lycanthropy. Aside from a silver bullet between the eyes.

A groan rumbled in my chest and my pace began to slow. I wasn't much in the mood for a run now. Instead I wanted to drown myself in ice cream and take a nap.