I'm back! Thousand apologies for my absence. This year can officially suck my imaginary (since I don't actually have one) dick! I do have good news to share though, I am now officially a published author. So that's pretty cool.
As always, thank you for your support and encouragement. I honestly didn't think this story would last this long! I'll ramble more in the end notes.
Enjoy!
P.S. I'm tired and too impatient to wait for tomorrow to check any errors. I trust you'll politely look away if you notice any.
19. Sheep among wolves
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Recap:
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"Where are we going?" she asked apprehensively, trying to ignore Victoria's furious wails in the background.
"Italy," Caius answered calmly. "But first, werewolf hunting," his sharp smile was bloodthirsty.
"Great," Bella stuttered, feeling more alarmed by his smile than what had occurred a minute earlier.
"I think you will enjoy yourself," Caius informed her pleasantly. "I know I will. I haven't torn apart a werewolf in decades. This will be fun,"
"I'm happy for you," she said tonelessly. She had escaped death for the time being, but her situation was undoubtably more dire than before. At least James promised to kill her. Who knew what Caius intended to do? Bella was positive that werewolf hunting was not as fun as he made it sound like.
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Bella's POV
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Bella almost wanted to punch herself in the face. How did she not tell Caius that Victoria would escape? How near-sighted of her to miss the fact that is was James' death that was the cause of Victoria's obsession with her in the future? Could she have changed that though? Victoria was after her in the future so obviously past events had to become true? She could hardly change the narrative. Wouldn't that mess time up more than her mere existence did? Bella rubbed her temple, feeling a massive headache coming on.
"Do not fret so dear traveler," Caius' voice startled her. "You'll get wrinkles,"
"That's the last advice I expected to get from a vampire," Bella snorted.
"I am a fountain of knowledge, both human and vampire," Caius smirked, prompting a snort from Bella.
"Sure," she rolled her eyes, ignoring the disbelieving looks from the two vampire guards. She couldn't fault them, she doubted other humans rolled their eyes at the King of vampires.
"What has you frowning so?" Caius drew her attention back.
"I just realised that I created a problem for myself in the future," Bella answered vaguely.
"As we all do from time to time," the vampire added in a blasé manner. "That is not solely an issue of the mortal,"
"I'm sure," she smirked before faltering. "Victoria is hunting me in the future," she wasn't sure why she told him that, it's not as if he would care. Caius gave her a thoughtful look.
"I have a proposal for you then,"
"Go on," Bella eyed him with apprehension. She did not like the devious glint in his eye.
"If you help me with my werewolf infestation, I will help you with your vampire infestation,"
"There's obviously a catch," Bella blurted. "It's not as if you need my help,"
"That much is true," the vampire mused. "However, you intrigue me and I desire your company on my quest. I have a feeling your presence is needed," Bella fought the urge to scoff. That was annoyingly cryptic. Although, it was not as if she had much choice. Plus, maybe Caius was right and werewolf hunting would end up being fun. The time traveler exhaled heavily. Famous last words.
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Bella stared at the roaring fire with a solemn expression. The trip had not taken as long as Bella had anticipated, perks of traveling with vampires. Caius had quickly grown bored of Bella's human pace and ordered one of his guards, Felix, to carry her as they ran towards their destination. It merely took a few hours, and they were already in Tanzania by nightfall. When they reached a huge lake, Felix finally put her down and started gathering wood to light a fire. Bella didn't know if it was on Caius orders or not, but she was incredibly thankful for the considerate gesture. After all, vampires required no heat, so this was purely for her benefit. The time traveler was shivering from head to toe when Felix pushed her gently towards the newly lit bonfire. Then he and the other guard, Demetri she learned, informed their leader that they would get started. Bella was too tired to care about what that ominous statement included, so she settled on sitting by the fire to warm up. Strangely, Caius opted to do the same, though she suspected it had more to do with keeping her company than anything else.
While it was dark, it was impossible to ignore the beauty of their surroundings. She wondered idly how it would look in the morning light. Despite having no knowledge of the land, Bella couldn't help but to ask where they were. When Caius replied with a smirk that they were at Lake Victoria, Bella groaned and nearly facepalmed. The irony of the name did not escape her, nor Caius judging by his growing amusement. It seemed Victoria continued to haunt her wherever she traveled.
"What now?" she asked dully, not looking up but knowing she had Caius attention.
"Now we wait," the vampire royalty answered in a measured tone. "If there is a werewolf in this area, which I suspect there is, the beast will reveal itself at night,"
"What can you tell me about werewolves?" she finally asked. While she wasn't thrilled to be in this quest, it wasn't as if she could protest. She might as well know what they were up against. She vaguely remembered Kate fighting one, but she only remembered noises. She hadn't actually seen one yet, nor did she know anything about them.
"Werewolves are evil," Caius spat out with more venom than Bella was prepared for. She wasn't sure he had any moral high ground with his diet but tactfully remained silent. She eyed him warily but he was staring into the fire, red eyes glinting with pure hatred. Bella almost shivered at the sight and silently vowed to never piss Caius off. "They are mindless beasts, feral wolf-like creatures that destroy anything in their path,"
"And they only come out at night?" Bella asked when it seemed like Caius wasn't about to say more.
"Yes," Caius nodded. "They are human beings during the day time but at night and the fullest phase of the moon, they transform," Bella glanced up at the moon and hoped her gulp wasn't audible. Of course there had to be full moon.
"Great," she deadpanned. "So how do you kill them? Silver bullets?"
"A mere myth," the vampire shook his head. "They have enhanced strength and speed, rapid healing, and heightened senses," He's afraid, Bella realised with growing trepidation. That sentiment did not bode well for herself. Werewolves must be utterly terrifying to even scare a vampire. What the fuck did she get herself into?
"I'm not sure if you realise but you're pretty badass too," Bella cleared her throat. "I've seen vampires in action, you're indestructible," she wasn't sure at this point if she was reassuring Caius or herself.
"No," Caius' eyes darkened. "Vampires and werewolves are natural enemies. Children of the Moon are the only ones who have the capability to kill a vampire," red eyes met wide brown ones. "I was nearly killed by one two thousand years ago," Bella grimaced. This scenario was turning bleaker by the minute.
"What about your venom?" she wondered, remembering one of Carlisle's lectures on vampires.
"They are immune," Caius answered. Bella just stared at him blankly. Why on earth was he willingly seeking out these creatures?
"Then how the fuck are we going to kill one?" she demanded, ignoring the 'we' part for the time being. Why was she even there in the first place? She had no enhanced strength or speed. In fact, she was so fragile compared to Caius that it was laughable. He could kill her with one finger. Her superpower, if she could even call it that, was to travel through time but she had no control of it. It was not as if she was an asset to this werewolf expedition. Then a thought occurred.
"Am I bait?" she wondered, her tone oddly detached for the terrifying prospect of ending up as werewolf snack. Truthfully at this point she didn't really care about her fate. She wasn't actively seeking danger and wouldn't offer herself as a bait without a second thought, but there was a small relief attached to the idea.
"While they do feasts on humans and have a strong reaction to blood, you are not here to act as bait," Caius answered slowly, staring at her as if trying to solve an interesting puzzle. "I am unsure if I should be worried about your lack of protest at potentially serving as one,"
"You and me both buddy," Bella murmured and gave a small shrug.
"I am unused to see humans so nonchalant about their fate," the vampire mused out loud. "Normally they plead and cry when facing doom,"
"I'm an abnormality," the time traveler smiled sadly. Truer words have never been spoken.
"So it seems," Caius seemed utterly charmed by the idea. "So you aren't afraid of death?" he even leaned forward, as if excited to hear her answer. Bella snorted.
"At this point I'd even welcome it," her mouth twisted into a strange smile. The guards seemed unnerved by her response but Caius smiled and let out a bark of laughter. The act made Felix and Demetri exchange an uncomfortable look.
"You are fearless! Like me," Caius declared grandly, and Bella had to bite her tongue to not point out his obvious fear towards werewolves. She might welcome death but she wasn't actively searching for it. Well any more at least. "I knew you were special," the vampire rambled.
"My King," Felix bowed his head slightly when Caius turned towards him. "It is time,"
"Excellent!" Caius clapped his hands together with childlike glee. "Gentlemen, get into position," It was then when Bella noticed what Felix and Demetri had been up to while she and Caius talked. A few paces from the bonfire were a few metal spikes shoved into the earth. When Bella looked around she noticed that these spikes were on three other places in the area as well.
"What, are you just going to push the creature on to the spikes and hope it bleeds to death?" she asked, so far unimpressed with the plan. Caius shot her a small smirk.
"Among other things,"
"Such as?"
"Demetri?" Caius demanded and the guard handed him what looked like a javelin from the Middle Ages. In fact, Bella had only seen such a weapon in a historical museum and pictures of it in books.
"So you're going to poke it to death?" Bella raised one eyebrow. To her surprise, Caius only laughed and gave her a fond look. She had no idea what to do with that.
"Werewolves have one obvious weakness," Caius lectured. "A plant named Aconite,"
"A plant," the time traveler repeated in a flat tone.
"Yes Aconite is also known as Wolf's bane," the vampire smiled darkly. "I once met a Potions Master in Siberia, who shared my hatred of werewolves. He developed a potion, made from Wolf's Bane," he paused. "Among other things but you needn't know the entire recipe. If you get the potion into the beast' bloodstream, the results are incredibly effective. We've used this method for over a millennia,"
"So it kills it?" Bella asked curiously, silently pondering what else was in that potion. Caius didn't want to share so it had to be something deadlier than a mere plant.
"Not quite," Caius shook his head, seemingly pleased about Bella's curiosity. "It weakens it enough for the final blow," a twisted smile painted his angelic features. Bella refrained from shuddering at the dark promise in his eyes and tore her eyes away and studied the spikes again.
"So you coated the spikes and the javelin with the potion," she guessed, a bit surprised by the fatherly smile she received in return. Caius looked like a proud teacher.
"Exactly," he turned towards his guards, who both held javelin of their own.
"A friend of mine fought a werewolf once," Bella began hesitantly, which seemed to surprise Caius and brought his attention back to her. "I'm pretty sure she didn't have one of these potions though,"
"She fought and won?" he seemed incredibly interested in that. Bella paused at that. She actually never got the whole story from Kate. She only remembered two furious growls and then silence.
"I'm not sure if she killed it or not but she won the fight,"
"Well…" Caius looked thoughtful. "Some werewolves are weaker than others, the species has a hierarchy, like vampires do. It's a bit more complicated for werewolves and we don't have the time for all the history but to keep it simple, it depends on the status of the werewolf and the age,"
"And do we know anything about this particular werewolf?" she asked apprehensively.
"An alpha and incredibly old at that," Caius shrugged with nonchalance while Bella froze. "I'm almost looking forward to this. I haven't had a challenge for a long time. The only ones I've encountered for the past hundred years have been mediocre and pathetically easy to overpower. If there is any truth to rumors, this one is going to be a tough one," Bella gulped. Just when she thought the situation couldn't get any worse, the enemy was ancient and extra powerful, on top of everything else?
"Wait, if you guys are going to stab it. What am I supposed to do?" Bella asked with wide eyes.
"You'll figure it out!" Caius smiled at her reassuringly, which did in fact not reassure Bella one bit. Was he crazy? She stared at his gleeful smile and caught the menacing and somewhat unhinged twinkle in his eyes. Yes, he was most assuredly not sane.
"That sounds more like a threat than helpful advice," Bella quipped. To her surprise, Caius threw his head back and laughed.
"I like you Fearless human!"
"I'm not sure that's a good thing," Bella murmured to herself. James said the same thing once and he turned out to be a sadistic maniac. Did she attract these sorts? What on earth did that say about her character?
"Better to be liked by the King than killed by the King," Demetri offered gravely. Bella dipped her head in acknowledgement. Wise words indeed.
"Get ready!" Caius ordered as an inhuman growl sounded from across the lake, echoing in the trees surrounding the area. "Come out and play you disgusting mutt!" the vampire yelled, laughing menacingly at the answering growl, which sounded beyond furious.
"Jesus fucking Christ," Bella almost whimpered. While she displayed a lack of care for her own health before, she wasn't prepared for this.
"Avoid its teeth," Felix advised from her left, his eyes focused on a spot across the lake.
"I thought that was given," Bella snapped back, dread crawling up on her.
"If you get bitten, you turn into one of them," Felix elaborated, ignoring or oblivious to her growing panic. "Then we'll have to kill you,"
"Awesome," she squeaked, shifting nervously in place as the growls grew closer.
"Stay behind us," Demetri instructed on her left. Under any other circumstances, Bella might be touched by their concern, but in that moment she was too busy freaking out.
"I hate my life," she stated seriously and, in that moment, a werewolf came into view. "Fuck,"
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Rosalie's POV
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Rosalie stared at Esme's flowerbed with a blank look. The last few days had been tiring but despite the difficulty of her sessions with Jasper, her newfound determination had now wavered. She had to do this, if not for Bella then herself.
"Is Jasper like your family therapist?" a familiar voice rang out. Rosalie's lips quirked up at the question.
"Sort of, I suppose," she settled on. If not a family therapist, then at least hers and Bella's. Perhaps he would put them through couples therapy next. The amusing idea lost its appeal as soon as she remembered her situation. That all depended on if Bella even wanted her back.
"She's coming back," Kate seemed to read where her mind went as she ungracefully plopped herself on the ground next to Rosalie. "And she's taking you back,"
"You look remarkably like Kate this morning Edward," Rosalie snarked, feeling vulnerable at the transparency of her thought process.
"Please, I'm way hotter than Edward," Kate sassed back with a hair flip. Rosalie's lips twitched.
"Come on, that was almost a smile!" Kate complained and Rosalie rolled her eyes. After Bella disappeared it had been a combined effort of Kate and Emmett to make Rosalie smile. So far, they had not succeeded.
"Do you need something?" Rosalie asked instead of dignifying that with a response.
"How are you doing?" Kate asked in an uncharacteristically serious manner. Rosalie had to bite down on her usual snarky retort, just like Jasper advised her to. According to him she was too defensive and did not make enough effort to connect with people. "It's okay to show feelings Rosalie," While an unusual choice of person to start practicing on, Kate would suffice for now. Remembering Jasper's words of wisdom, she took a deep breath and reminded herself to stay calm.
"I'm…" Rosalie deflated. "Pretty miserable actually," the truthful statement surprised her just as much as Kate, whose eyes widened briefly.
"That was more honest than I expected," Kate admitted.
"I just want her back home," Rosalie murmured quietly, eyes pointedly focused on the flowerbed. Jasper would surely forgive her for not practicing eye contact at the same time. Baby steps.
"We all do," Kate said just as quietly.
"I lied," she swallowed thickly, ignoring how Kate's head snapped towards her. "I want nothing more than to spend forever with Bella,"
"Why did you lie?" the older vampire prodded gently, even though she must surely know the answer.
"Because I'm afraid," Rosalie swallowed thickly.
"Of what?"
"Many things," she laughed bitterly, shaking her head. "That she'll hate being a vampire, just as much as I have for the last decades. That she'll grow restless and bored of our never changing nature. Most of all I'm afraid she'll get tired of me when she realises I'm not as special as she thinks I am. And when that happens, she'll still be stuck as a vampire forever," Of all the reaction Rosalie expected, laughter wasn't it. She pried her eyes from the flowerbed and eyed her laughing cousin.
"You guys are so made for one another that it's almost sickening," Kate rolled her eyes fondly. "However this self-hatred path you've both been walking down has to end. I admit that I don't know Bella as much as you do but even I can see how much she hates herself," Rosalie's stomach twisted at the last words. "She's just as insecure as you, if not more. Still, despite the shitty hand life has dealt her, she still fights," topaz eyes bore into topaz. "She fights for you Rosalie,"
"I know," Rosalie whispered forlornly.
"I'm not sure you do," Kate raised one eyebrow.
"Of course I know!" Rosalie threw her hands up in exasperation, her earlier promises on staying calm forgotten. She stood up and glared at Kate, who looked unimpressed at the gesture. "I know her history," granted not all of it but Kate didn't have to know that. "I've witnessed her breakdowns when she comes back from the past, eyes filled with horror and melancholy. I know how much she blames herself for every little thing that happens and how she bears the weight of the world on her shoulders! I still see her pick herself up time and time again and continue living the best way she can. I know she's contemplating suicide every now and then and struggles with reality but still refuses to give up, for me!" Rosalie's glare turned into something fierce, enough to make Kate lean back in her seat. "I know she's had countless opportunities to roll over and accept defeat but she still refuses to bow down. Don't you dare tell me I don't know because I fucking do!" she practically spat the last sentence, eyes furious and teeth bared. There was silence for a long moment as Kate just stared at her with a stunned expression. Then, a slow smile appeared and she clapped her hands. Rosalie faltered and gave her cousin a puzzled look.
"There it is!" Kate jumped to her feet, eyes shining with happiness. Rosalie just stared.
"There's what?"
"The fire I've been looking for! Waiting for actually," Kate beamed.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Fire? If anything, Rosalie just did the opposite of what Jasper advised her to do. She lost her cool.
"As we've established, Bella fights and endures horrors to be with you. It's about fucking time you realise that you are capable of fighting just as much for her," Kate's smile lost its intensity and she softened. "You've been sulking for the last few days. I know you've been working with Jasper, which I wholly approve of. However you've lost the fire that makes you Rosalie Hale,"
"Oh," Rosalie blinked stupidly, unsure how to respond.
"When Bella returns you better make her realise that you are willing to fight for her as well. There's nothing wrong with being afraid, as long as you don't allow it to cripple you. Apologise and be honest but don't lose what makes you, you," Kate looked at her fondly. "You and Bella have something rare, something to be envied for. Don't throw it away because you're too chicken shit to admit you have insecurities. Hell if you don't want her, I'll take her," Rosalie instinctively began to growl, which only made Kate laugh. "Down girl, she's yours,"
"Yes she is," Rosalie forced her animalistic impulses and tried to focus on why beating Kate into a pulp was not a good idea when she was trying to help her relationship.
"I get it," Kate's humour died down. "You've been dealt a shitty hand in life too. But that doesn't mean you don't deserve love and happiness. If anything, you deserve it more than most," Rosalie shifted, feeling uncomfortable under Kate's soft and compassionate gaze. "Doesn't Bella deserve love?"
"Of course," Rosalie replied without skipping a beat.
"Then why do other rules apply to yourself?" Kate wondered, which Rosalie had no answer for.
Although Kate's approach was more straight forwards and she used way more emotional whiplash, instead of Jasper's coaching and gentle words, her methods were effective. "Think about it," Kate winked playfully.
"I…thank you," Rosalie offered sincerely. While blunt, Kate's words held merit. Rosalie wondered idly what speech Bella would have given her, probably something eloquent and deep. Bella had her way with words after all. God how Rosalie missed her.
"You're welcome cousin," Kate's smile was so infectious that Rosalie couldn't help but to smile back. "Hah! Emmett! I won the bet!" Kate shouted gleefully, pointing at Rosalie's face.
"Damn it," Emmett whined from somewhere in the house, which made Kate cackle evilly. For the first time since Bella disappeared, Rosalie laughed.
"Double points!" Kate exclaimed giddily and made a strange version of a victory dance.
"Are you kidding me?" Emmett sounded oddly furious about the whole ordeal and there was a ruckus of noise until the backdoor swung open. "I was about to bring the big guns out and everything!" Both Rosalie and Kate turned around and the latter started howling with laughter. Rosalie just stared at her brother in disbelief. Emmett wore a chicken mascot outfit, his handsome face peeking out from hole where the face was supposed to be, a plastic beak attached to his mouth. "You even stole my 'chicken shit' line!" he pointed accusingly at Kate with one feathered arm. Rosalie just kept blinking, wondering if she was disassociating or if this was really happening.
"I'm sorry, did I ruffle your feathers?" Kate shot back, laughing hysterically at his deadpan expression.
"Are you okay?" Emmett turned towards Rosalie, who was frozen on the spot.
"Why…" she trailed off, glancing between a laughing Kate, who was now rolling on the ground and Emmett, who was staring at her with concern, dressed as a chicken.
"Emmett! Did you steal my eggs?" Esme stepped outside but paused when she noticed her son's attire. "My word," she seemed speechless. Emmett shuffled awkwardly and with a sheepish expression, reached behind him and pushed a wooden basket into her hands. Something about the image was too much and Rosalie finally broke. Peals of laughter escaped her, joining in with Kate's roars.
"Sorry mom," he cleared his throat, but shot Rosalie a happy look. "I just wanted to make Rosalie smile," something warm and happy twisted in Rosalie's stomach at his words. He utterly abandoned his dignity and made an utter fool out of himself, just to make her smile.
"You idiot," Rosalie exclaimed fondly when she finally calmed down, her heart bursting with love for her favourite brother.
"Hey guys have you seen…" Irina stepped out on the porch but grew silent as she took in the scene. Other members of their family trailed after her.
"What in the world?" Tanya laughed happily.
"Wow brother," Alice smirked, which was mirrored by Jasper.
"It was for Rosalie!" Emmett said defensively. "She's been too gloomy,"
"Well your taste in humour is im-peck-able," Jasper deadpanned, which made Kate start again.
"That was an egg-ceptional chicken pun dear husband," Alice complimented her mate, smirk firm in place.
"Whatever!" Emmett folded his feathered arms. "I'm hilarious," the sight drew another giggle from Rosalie, which seemed to make him preen with pride.
"Why can't you kids just be normal for once?" Esme muttered, but her smile betrayed her sentiments.
"Are you trying something new son?" Carlisle asked seriously, though his eyes danced with merriment.
"As…amusing and confusing this all is," Irina gestured towards Emmett. "We have a problem," Rosalie suppressed the urge to sigh, amusement fading quickly. Of course there was a problem.
"What is it?" Kate picked herself up and gave her sister a worried look.
"I'm sure you've all noticed the increased murder rate in Seattle recently?" everyone nodded.
"It's Victoria," Alice spoke before Irina could continue. "The Nazi Tourist vampire with all the cryptic messages," she elaborated.
"She's gone out on a killing spree?" Kate furrowed his brows.
"Worse," Alice shook her head and Rosalie braced herself for the incoming news. "She's creating a newborn army,"
"What the fuck?" Emmett and Rosalie blurted out at the same time. Even Esme didn't scold them for language, and instead shifted closer to Carlisle.
"Why?" Emmett wondered. "What does she want?" Alice's eyes met Rosalie's, who knew the answer even before Alice answered.
"Bella,"
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Bella's POV
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The beast was enormous. While called werewolf, it did not entirely resemble an actual wolf. Its forelegs were more powerful than their hind legs and it still had usable hands with opposable thumbs. Its stance was more upright, making the beasts movement somewhat ape-like, rather than entirely canine. Its fur was almost black, and it had patches all over, revealing multitude of scars. Sharpened claws and the pointy canines in its huge mouth spoke of its dangerous and deadly manner. In truth Bella would rather call it a monster than a wolf.
"Fuck me," she breathed out loud, unable to tear her gaze away from the powerful figure. It looked like it could kill an army with a single move and to make things worse, it seemed furious.
"I've been hunting your kind for decades," Caius informed the werewolf calmly. "This will not end well for you," Bella almost wanted to slap the vampire. Why on earth was he engaging this monster? She flinched at the powerful howl that followed Caius statement.
"Very well," the vampire King inclined his head. "Your funeral," then with his weapon wielded high, he ran towards the werewolf, which met him halfway. Bella stumbled back at the force of which the enemies met, the noise acting as a flashback to the time she spent shaking on the forest floor as Kate fought to defend her. She mentally shook her head and focused on the present, watching as Felix and Demetri entered the fight. They were all incredibly fast and precise with their hits, still the werewolf fought just as hard. It was almost a blur of motion to Bella's human eyes, but the soundtrack was loud and clear.
So far, the werewolf had evaded every offensive swing from the vampires' javelins. They were also unable to lure the beast towards the spikes, only trading blows near the water bank. Bella was growing increasingly worried over the outcome when almost five minutes had gone by and the vampires had done no real damage. The werewolf however had managed to batter them in return. Demetri was missing an arm and his entire face was full of cracks. It wasn't until Felix's head flew off that Bella realised that they might actually lose. Caius small lecture on werewolves had included dietary options and while she was a time traveler, she was very much thought gave her a pause. If she could somehow distract the beast, Caius and Demetri might have a chance.
Mentally cursing her reckless nature, Bella ran to Felix's body. While she knew he wasn't dead, it was still upsetting to see a body without its head. Refocusing, she picked up the discarded javelin and eyed the blade critically. While the potion was supposedly weakness to werewolves, she had no idea if it was deadly to humans. Bella glanced up at Caius snarl and watched as Demetri was slammed into a tree across the lake. It didn't matter because in the end, if she did nothing then they would all end up dead. Steeling herself, Bella brought the end of the blade down and with one move, she sliced up her left arm. The result was instantaneous. Both Caius and the werewolf snapped towards her, noses sniffing as blood poured down on the ground. Fortunately, Caius seemed to have more self-control than the werewolf, which quickly snapped into action and ran full speed towards her. Bella's eyes widened in fright and instincts took over, as she threw herself to the side. The wolf soared above her, landing with a loud thud a few meters away. Bella wasted no time in scrambling to her feet and instead of picking up the javelin again, she made a split decision and sprinted towards the spikes. Unfortunately she wasn't fast enough and blinding pain shot through her entire system as she felt her neck grazed by one claw. Despite the agony, Bella twisted away and made desperate attempt towards her desired destination. The werewolf seemed overcome with blood thirst and made a final jump towards her. Bella had miscalculated her landing and instead of appearing behind the spikes, as she intended, she landed beside them. She could only watch with growing horror as the beast flew towards her, mouth foaming and black eyes wild.
Then, just when Bella thought she was about to get eaten, Caius blurred form appeared from the side and grabbed ahold of the unsuspecting werewolf. In one fluid motion, he twisted the creature in the air and pushed down. Bella stared in disbelief as the wolf landed on the spikes, howling with agony as the tips punctured its body. Apparently the injury was insufficient in Caius mind so he jumped on top of the wolf, pushing it further down on the spikes. Caius then jumped away just in time and landed gracefully beside Bella, wearing a huge grin. Bella stared incredulously between the two enemies. The vampire King calmly picked up the javelin Bella held before and offered the wolf a savage smile before stabbing it between the eyes. The werewolf gave a pitiful moan before it slumped down. It was finally dead. As if that wasn't enough, Caius raised the weapon again and swung again. The werewolf's head rolled away. A bit of an overkill in Bella's opinion.
"Holy shit," was the first thing Bella could come up with. Caius looked at her and laughed merrily.
"I am not delusional enough to think I could have won that fight without your help," his smile seemed both proud and grateful. "Hearding is still an apt name for you," Caius declared fondly. Bella shifted awkwardly, unsure how to respond to his words. Luckily she didn't need to, since Demetri returned, holding Felix head in one arm. He was still missing his left one.
"Fix him," Caius ordered, his firm tone leaving no room for objections. "Meanwhile we should probably try to mend you as well," he glanced at Bella. "That seems painful," surprisingly that seemed to trigger something inside of Bella and she started registering the incredible pain she was in. She glanced down at her arm, which was bleeding profusely. Honestly she was impressed by Caius' restraint, he seemed remarkably at ease considering she was bleeding so much. And while her arm hurt, the pain on her neck was worse.
"Fuck," she grunted as Caius ripped off a strip from his own shirt and wrapped her arm.
"You are incredibly lucky," Caius informed her casually as he ripped the top of her T-shirt open. "It was only its claws and not teeth," he gently touched the wound, ignoring Bella's hiss of pain. "Otherwise I would have had to kill you," he shot her a smile, laughing when she muttered a few obscene curse words under her breath.
"How bad is it?" she finally asked as he watched him work. For someone who loved killing, he was incredibly adept at applying makeshift gauzes.
"Not bad at all. Better than being dead I reckon," the vampire answered cheerfully. It will take some time to heal and it will scar unfortunately," Bella shrugged, before wincing in pain. She really didn't care about the scars, it would only be an addition to her already impressive collection.
"Will the Wolf's Bane potion have any affect?" she hesitantly asked.
"I have no idea," Caius paused. "I highly doubt it. The ingredients are mostly harmless to humans,"
"Mostly?" she didn't like the sound of that.
"Do not fret young one," the vampire smiled happily, which seemed odd on his normally solemn features. "Today is a good day! You helped me slaughter a werewolf,"
"You did well," Demetri walked up with Felix in tow. They still had cracks all over their bodies but at least Felix had his head on this time and Demetri both arms. Bella's eyes shifted back to Caius, who didn't have a scratch in his person. In that moment it was obvious why Caius was King.
"I call her Hearding you know," Caius told his guards with a grin. "She never hesitates in face of danger that one," or most likely that she didn't have any regard to her own health.
"Fearless human," Felix smile reminded her of Emmett. Bella offered a wobbly smile of her own before awkwardly clearing her throat.
"Well our mission was successful! I think it's time we head back home," Caius declared. The word home hurt more than both bleeding wounds on Bella's body. Did she even have a home any more? Sure she had Charlie's house but that never felt like a home. If anything it was the Cullen's warm inviting home that –
"Italy?" she blurted in a desperate attempt to distract her wandering mind.
"Yes," Caius answered, although he did give her a worried frown. "Volturi,"
"That's great," she managed in an unconvincing tone. "Let's go,"
"Where is your home?" Felix asked as he gently helped her to her feet. Bella faltered at the question.
"United States, Washington," she exhaled shakily. "Forks,"
"I've never been," Demetri began conversationally. "Do you like it there?"
"I used to," Bella muttered, reaching out to balance herself when her feet almost gave away.
"Well I promise that you will like Volturi," Caius picked up the werewolf head casually, as if he was picking up a discarded sweater. "I want you to meet my wife! And Aro and Marcus. There are also two others that would love to meet you," he added with a mysterious smile.
"Sounds great," Bella plastered a smile on her face, trying to ignore the pang of sadness in her heart. Maybe she could make a new home in Italy. Perhaps it was better this way, at least she had friends there. Well human drinking vampires that had no qualms about killing and actively sought out fights with other supernatural beings, but they seemed friendly enough. Perhaps she was completely losing it, after all she had never been a great judge of character. Yes maybe a new start in Volturi wouldn't be so bad. Though could she just leave everything in Forks behind? What about the Cullen's? The Denali's? Most of all, what about her mate? Images of Rosalie's beautiful face flashed in Bella's mind. Were they truly over?
"Fuck," Bella fell down on her knees at the first imaginary blow to the stomach. She knew that feeling quite well, she was going back. Both relief and panic followed that realisation.
"Hearding?" Caius sounded worried.
"Remember my powers?" Bella grit out, closing her eyes as the next wave of pain hit her.
"Yes, you travel through time," Caius answered calmly. "Is that happening right now?"
"Yes," Bella nodded. "I'm afraid I have no control over it,"
"Pity," the vampire king sounded genuinely sad. "I wanted you to come,"
"Well maybe in the future?" Bella joked weakly.
"Yes! I owe you a favour after all," Caius smiled before turning towards Demetri. "Give her Athenodora's one," Bella fought consciousness but was dimly aware a strange sensation on her right arm, as if someone was scribbling something on it.
"Just ask for me! Thank you for our adventure, Hearding. I look forward to our future meeting," was the last thing Bella heard before she blacked out.
.
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To be continued...
Okay let me start off with a plea; please don't hurt me! I know the twins aren't in this chapter but I swear I've had everything planned out from the start. Well most of it any way. They will get their reunion, and as you can see - Volturi is now an ally.
What did you think about the whole werewolf thing? Children of the Moon has always fascinated me but unfortunately we only got second hand information about them in canon, a sentence or two from Edward. I've decided they are more badass than shapeshifters, and a lot scarier. This is not a hate speech on shapeshifters by the way, they just seem so bleh in comparison to werewolves. Just my opinion.
Poor Rosalie is finally getting her shit together (hopefully). On a funnier note; anyone like the chicken outfit? Was it random enough?
Any who, tell me your thoughts please. I am a needy author and thrive on comments and favourites! It's somewhat embarrassing how much I cherish them. I trust you not to judge me for that.
As always - I hope you're staying safe and somewhat relatively sane out there!