CHAPTER NINE
Final Battle
The flight to Italy was the longest air time of my existence. We were all silent, I guess we all feared facing each other. We were all burdened by guilt. Each of us blamed himself for something, we were too close to the fight of our lives, but we were more consumed by the fight within us.
"Seth and Leah are on a plane to Italy too. Seth couldn't bear the thought of Emma being in danger and Leah wouldn't leave his side," Jacob announced breaking the silence, scanning all the faces around him.
"You all do know that we have got to think about how we are going to get Nessie out, right?" he maliciously argued.
"I agree, we need a plan. Walking in there without one is suicide," Jasper agreed.
"It's suicide any way. I want you all to know that I have no hopes of making it out, all I care about is giving my girl a chance to be free. So I really can't ask any of you to come with me. I want you to stay safe, so she can a family left to care for her," I stated calmly and firmly.
"This is the kind of thoughts that you shouldn't really be thinking right now. We have to be positive son, we went through lots of grave situations and we made it out as a family, and this is exactly what we are going to do this time too. We are fighting the good fight here, we are protecting our family, we will always win," Carlisle said so serious and intent, yet warm and confident.
"I won't let you put your lives in jeopardy to rescue my daughter," just as I sought to resume on this subject, they all insisted on ignoring me and they started to put together a plan regardless of my pleads.
"Well the Volturi must know that Jacob's coming but they have no idea about Seth and Leah. May be we Can use this to our advantage," Rosalie Suggested.
"I have a plan," Emma faintly offered and Bella just shrugged.
"If I show up in Italy, the Volturi will send Felix and Demetri to catch me, I was their responsibility. I can keep them distracted enough for you to get in. I know where Nessie is being held, I can show you a shortcut to get her. Or may be Seth and Leah should get her out, while you face the Volturi, at least she will make it out safely. And with Bella's shield and all of your fighting skills, you just have a fair chance of wining," she continued hesitant, trying hard to hide her fears.
"I think it's a good plan, with Demetri and Felix out even for a bit, we have a better chance to fight our way through," Jasper uttered eager and enthusiastic.
"I don't think so, I mean how long you think Emma in this state will hold them off. Besides I think we need Seth and Leah by our side, we need all the fighting power we can have," Bella declared skeptical and concerned, but mostly denying the plan because it's Emma's.
"The plan is good, all we need is enough time to get Nessie out, and Seth and Leah would be perfect for the job. No one knows they are coming, and they are strong enough to protect her. What happens after doesn't really matter," Alice backed the plan.
I was a mere listener through out the debate. I didn't like the fact that Emma was going to be used as bate, I didn't like that I will count on Leah to take my daughter out, but we had nothing better.
"Let's vote," Alice added interrupting my chain of thoughts.
We All voted in favor of the plan even Jacob, Bella was the only one against it. Her vision was clouded by anger and distrust, but at the end she complied.
We arrived in Italy cloaked by darkness. We kept a low key as we drove all the way to Calabria south of Italy. We decided that Emma should show herself there, a city as far away from Volterra as possible. We left her there alone despite my better judgment. Jacob even had to Pull his Alfa role on Seth to force him to come with us and stick to the plan. We drove back to Volterra to wait it out. Dawn was our date with fate I guess.
"Aren't you a little bit concerned that we are building our whole plan on Emma. Her idea, her diversion, her shortcut. This doesn't worry you at all," Bella wondered, trying to reflect her own skepticism on me.
"I am only worried about her Bella, unlike you I trust her," I replied empty and annoyed.
She kept silent afterwords. I could understand her pain, panic and fears, what I couldn't understand was her constant doubts and suspicions towards Emma.
Each one of us was assigned a lookout location around the business facade street exit that housed the Volturi castle. We tried to be as inconspicuous as we could to avoid any premature confrontations with any of the guards. By the early hours of dawn Emma was on the move. We all kept a close eye waiting for Demetri and Felix to go after her. We waited and waited but they didn't come out. Frustration was creeping in on all of us.
"May be they don't care about her as much as you thought," Bella said contemptuously.
"I know Aro he doesn't let go of his possessions that easy," I confidently stated, ignoring Bella's mockery.
Just as I finished my sentence Felix and Demetri walked out into the street in their gray cloaks. The smug look on their faces confirmed they were in pursuit of Emma, and that meant our plan was in motion. Now all we hope for is that the distance and the sun will keep these two away for a while.
Seth and Leah hid spare clothes on the street, they would wait for our signal by the exit door. The rest of us will enter the Volturi castle through the drain hole on the other side of the city, the same way me, Alice and Bella entered before. We will try to engage with the guards, and keep them busy, allowing Seth and Leah to sneak in through the other exit, change into wolfs, follow Emma's shortcut, get Nessie and sneak back out.
We moved toward the entrance hole in the most discreet manner. We all took a deep sigh and nodded to one another before we slid down the hole. Jacob had to change into his wolf form to break the fall. Bella reached for my hand before jumping in, her face was plagued by fear. The last time she was here she was a mere human and it was the most terrifying experience of her life. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer, stared into her scared eyes and pressed my lips against hers anxious and needy. I wanted to feel her one last time, kissed her like it was our last kiss, there was a huge Chance it might be. She kissed me back, throwing herself fully into it, I wished I could take all her pain away, I wished I could promise her that we will make it out, but I couldn't even do that. I was so powerless, so hopeless that I clung more to the kiss, breathed her scent deep, seeking comfort and security for myself.
After the short jump, we walked slowly and carefully through the low, arched tunnel. The door at the end of the tunnel was strangely opened. We all looked at each other in surprise but kept on moving forward anyway.
We reached as far as the elevator without encountering even one guard. Either they are luring us in or they are utterly busy with something. With the sight of the first guard at the reception area, I send a message for Seth and Leah to start their mission. Emmet and Jasper got rid of the intercepting guard swiftly and discretely.
As we advanced into the hall that would lead to the castle turret of the Volturi, Bella took a deep breath, I could feel her shield stretching around us. We were ready to face whatever was waiting for us behind that closed wooden door.
Nothing could have prepared us for what was behind that door. They were all there, gracefully waiting in a conformation similar to the arrangement of a theater or may be even a miniature Colosseum . The guards in their gray cloaks, were arranged over stone steps that raised about half a meter above the ground, 8 in each direction, covering all corners of the room. Against the stone wall to the right lied six wooden thrones. On the thrones sat Aro grimly grand with his wife Sulpicia, Caius followed cavalier, ruthless and deadly as ever, his wife Athenodora also by his side, and then came the lonely Marcus. On the sixth throne sat a wiry man with dark black hair, a familiar face we were all after, Joham.
They were surrounded by their special gifted vampires, they stood around them in a causal stance, no tension or stress, a wide smirk flashed on their pale, obnoxious faces.
They were prepared, setting the stage for their final act, and even though we were at center stage, we felt more like audiences, than participants. My only consolation was that they were oblivious to Seth and Leah and that might actually help get my daughter out.
"Where are your witnesses now Edward," Caius broke the silence smug and arrogant.
"That's no way to treat our guests, Caius," Aro said in his feathery voice.
"Where is my daughter Aro," I asked harsh and cold, putting on a show myself. I looked back at my family, they all stood prepared, anxious but not at all scared. Bella held her ground proud and fierce, even though there were no attacks on her shield not from Alec, Jane or Chelsea. Aro was really orchestrating a spectacle, that he wanted us to witness with no disturbance at all.
"Oh, I am sorry about that Edward, I really am. But you see you daughter is very precious to me, to all of us actually," he replied calm and pleasant, exhilarating in the memory of drinking her blood, flashing the thought too loud for me to hear. My jaws involuntary clinched, the nails in my curled fists pierced through my Palm skin, a low snarl built deep in my chest. I glared at him with so much hatred, I wished I could sever his complacent face off his feeble body.
"Come on now don't be so judgmental," he whispered shaking his head "You see Edward, last year, learning about your daughter breed of hybrids was the best thing that ever happened to us," he paused again, this time turning his gaze to Bella who cringed at the mention of the word hybrid. His misty eyes carried so much envy and resentment towards her. I stretched my arm so that I could grip her hand. I held on to her tightly , I wanted to protect her even from his eyes.
"When we sought out Joham, and believe me he was hard to find, we found out that he was almost 500 years old, yet he appears stronger than you," Aro continued in awe, His eyes darted toward Joham.
I could hear whispers behind me, this was the first time my family was actually introduced to the infamous Joham.
"Immortality is a trick really. We slow down the aging process but we don't completely stop it. Our features remain the same, but our body weakens, wears out. Why you think we surround ourselves with so may guards," His tone was sad now tinged with self-pity and that brought all our attention to his translucently white skin and frail body.
"In my 3000 years I didn't see a vampire like Joham. He didn't only defy mortality, he controlled it. He is a mad scientist, yes, but just the kind of scientist I need," he carried on fascinated by Joham mad skills.
"He became a vampire in a quest for a scientific adventure. He was curious about vampires abilities, about immortality, But when it didn't work for him the way he wished, he turned back to science for help. He tried to stop the debilitation process but failed. So he concentrated his studies on how he could compensate for the losses. After prolonged research he found out that only his blood can renew his fading body and the only way he could have his own blood back was by breeding. It took him several years and caused many casualties, but after sixty years of trials, he actually succeeded. The sons he created didn't work you see, they had venom in their systems, utter disappointments. But the daughters, ahh, they are something else. One drop of their blood and you are in heaven. A droplet had the ability to revitalize you, send you back a hundred years. It was like and I quote his exact words "drinking out of the fountain of youth"," he said delighted, spoiled in his newly found power and exchanging sneaky smiles with Joham.
"What do you mean drinking their blood, what exactly are you doing with my daughter?" Bella cried frustrated and disturbed, her shield flickered a bit under the weight of her stress. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders trying to contain her pain.
"Easy Bella, this is the most fun part. When Joham found out about your daughter, the first hybrid that wasn't not his, he wondered if her blood would do the same for him as his own. A theory that he had to fully investigate. A nagging question that has drawn him to your door step. He was lurking in the forest, waiting for a chance, a taste of a drop of blood, but he got a chance to the whole tank," he chuckled, igniting our rampage, we were all grunting and rumbling now, Jacob was the loudest, his lips curled up exposing his lethal clinched teeth. But they weren't surprised or petrified, they expected this, they wanted this. This was the part we played in the show, our suppressed anger was their entertainment.
Aro enjoyed our loud protest, yet he ignored it and lingered on the issue.
"When he tried your daughter's blood, it felt even more overpowering and reviving. I must tell you, her blood is out of this world, I feel a thousand years younger already. Too bad it only works until they reach maturity, but I still have six years of stash give or take."
My brain sputtered in my head, fire burned every nerve in my body, anger dominated me. I had no tolerance for ration or reason, I will slaughter that despicable vampire and I will enjoy it. I took one step towards him and Bella instantly held a restraining arm in front of me. She was heavily under attack, her shield was barely holding up. It was hard for her to concentrate with the flood of emotion she was suffering. Aro was determined to force us to peer his gloating display of power till the very end.
"I also have the creator here," he muttered eying me, "Joham has already selected the female humans that you and him are going to impregnate Edward. of course they won't be as tasty and powerful as your first born. Joham claims that when you mate with La tau cantante the results are something else! With the two of you and With the speed of the pregnancy, we will have our full blood bank in no time," he declared triumphed and so full of himself.
"Oh my lovely Emma is here," he rejoiced, clapping his hands together, just as Felix forcibly pushed Emma through the door, Demetri right behind them. She almost fell flat on her face, but she managed to catch herself, her eyes were half closed from exhaustion. She glanced up just enough to see me, her thoughts screamed of pain, anguish and apology.
"Don't touch her," I warned Felix, my tone reflected more agony than menace, Felix just smiled, indifferent and cold. But his smirk didn't go well for Aro, he stared at him with baleful eyes, his thoughts reflected that he genuinely cared for Emma. In his sick mind he owned her and he always treasured his possessions. He inclined his head toward her, stretched his hand out for her, almost like a lover. She hesitated for a moment, weak and scared, but eventually gave him her hand.
"Look at you so exhausted, yet so successful," Aro teased.
"What do you mean successful?!" Bella eagerly questioned, rushing to believe Emma was conspiring against us.
"Who do you think sent her to your door step Bella? I knew what her presence in your precious little family would do. We pushed her city after city until we wore her out. I knew with enough pressure she would seek help from Edward. I also knew the tremendous amount of love she has for him, I was always envious of it. Put a love like hers against yours and a perfect rivalry is ought to happen, and that just worked perfectly for me at the end. I took your daughter under all your noses, and I didn't even left a finger to do it," Aro scoffed, acquisitive glint in his eyes.
"But I also needed Emma for something far more important than just this. You see last year I saw the loyalty of those wolfs standing by your side, willing to die for your daughter, just because Jacob imprinted on her. It just left me yearning, I wanted my own protective loyal dogs, and this is where witchcraft was needed. We arranged for Seth's accident, just to get a bit of his blood and hair and with a little dark spell we tested the possibility of manipulating his imprint on a vampire "Emma", and it worked. Now all I have to do is manipulate the Alfa imprint, the "Jacob" you brought to my door step and all his fellow dogs will follow and soon they would die to protect me," he continued his train of chaotic thoughts, scorning Jacob's ferocious howls.
No wonder he is gloating, he planned this too well, he didn't take his defeat last year lightly. He studied each step carefully, he took his time to make sure that he had not missed anything. He dug us a hole and we just fell right through it.
"Bring them in," he ordered flat and icy.
"No," me and Bella screamed in the same breath, when Nessie walked through the door, the two wolfs by her side surrounded by more guards.
She threw herself into my arms, shivering with fear and tears flooding her face. I held her deep to my heart, she touched my face showing me all the terror she has been through. My poor child was so desperate to share her frightening experience, to seek shelter , comfort and sanctuary in my embrace. Right that moment I made a promise, I will get her as far away from these sick minds as possible, I won't let them touch her or her blood ever again.
Bella snatched her form my arms into hers, she held her tight wiped the tears off her delicate face and kept whispering in her ears, "we are here now baby, don't be scared,". Nessie sank her head into her mom's chest, immersing in the safety and the warmth of her touch. she refrained from showing her mom what she showed me, she chose to spare her the suffering, still Bella stared at me, on her face the same determination and well to protect our daughter at any cost.
The rest of the family embraced her with open arms, and with so much warmth that gradually eased her tension. Jacob on the other hand didn't get much affection from Nessie, when he advanced closer to her, she briefly and indifferently pated his fury back, and then her anxious eyes darted in Emma's direction. Aro smiled sinisterly as he carefully watched Nessie's reaction toward Jacob, his thoughts traveled back to the day the wolfs planed to sacrifice Emma, and how he had his witch create that connection between her and Nessie, to save Emma and to deepen the wedge between us and the wolfs. The mysterious connection they shared was finally explained.
"I told you she is my most precious possession, you think I will leave her unguarded. Besides I was expecting Seth and Leah, I was actually counting on it. This was Seth final loyalty test to Emma, and he succeeded with flying colors," Aro enjoyed his bragging too much.
"Now I have you all, no witnesses, no war. My quest is complete. Only one problem though, they all can be complied, all except you Bella," he menacingly added his tone abruptly changed into a command.
He still had his hand tight around Emma's, just before he finished his sentence, she stiffened, her eyes widened, I thought she was dying, but she was only struck by a vision, a clouded vision less than a minute in our close doomed future.
Before I could grasp what I saw in her head, before I can put together the reason behind Alice screams behind me, Emma used all the strength she had left to break free from Aro's grip. She ran towards Bella, throwing herself between her and Caius who is just by a stare of his eyes dessicated her. A sharp cry of pain emerged from her and then she was silent. She dropped to the floor like a sculpted stone statue.
We were all in shock, Emma scarified herself to save Bella, to saves us all. she saw it happen through Aro's touch and took the decision without hesitation. Nessie was screaming for Emma, we were all are, some of us audible and some like me silently suffering. Bella's shock was more than all of us, Emma's noble act was something she didn't expect.
"You missed," Aro screamed angry and disappointed, decrying Caius the meanest and apparently the most lethal Volturi of them all, with his power no wonder he was always bored and impatient he could finish any conflict with just a look of his deadly eyes. Aro's rage only reflected how eager and desperate he was to be rid of Bella. Without her and her shield we are his toys, we are under the mercy of Jane and Alec but more dangerously Chelsea. he can easily enslave us all.
Bella's guard was down, the trust she had in her shield was broken. She was freaking out beside me, her frantic eyes were hooked on Caius, she was consumed by the anticipation of his next attack. She lost her concentration for a second, causing her shield to drop and that was all it took for Alec to work his wonders.
His hazy mist slowly crept in on us, cutting off our senses one by one. We struggled to fight it, but the more we resisted it the faster he dominated us. We were senseless, motionless, and paralyzed in no time. Alec chose to leave our sense of sight untouched, which couldn't have been random, it must be Aro's orders, another twist to force us to perceive the rest of his on going drama.
Bella was the only one left standing, watching us turn into zombies before her eyes, just like her nightmare. She was battling to focus, to bring her shield back up, but the idea of Caius attacking her again was not helping, it didn't only distract her, it terrified her. Caius first attack took a significant toll on him, he dropped back on his wooden throne, trying to pull himself together for another charge.
"Any minute now Caius, she still stands you know," Aro harshly rushed him.
In my whole existence, I never felt more crippled than right this moment. I was imprisoned inside my own body, even my screams were silent. I was watching them scheme against my Bella, and I felt nothing, I was not of any help at all, not in anyway. From the corner of my eyes I could see Nessie's forehead crease in anger and fear. She must be immune to Alec sensory deprivation, either because she have her mom's shield or may be because Alec's special ability is beneath her powers. I didn't know if I should be happy she have her senses or if I should be heartbroken about it. I can't imagine how she must be feeling right now, her mom is threatened, her best friend is dessicated and everyone she knows in this world have turned into senseless statues beside her.
Bella was torn between decisions, but when she finally made her mind, she darted in Caius direction. All the guards in the room were tense and ready to intercept, but Felix just stepped forward gesturing them to be at ease, in an "I got this" notion. All the guards nodded in unison and straightened out of their prepared stance.
Aro face beamed with satisfaction, the job that was delayed by Caius preparation was being performed by his precious Felix. He watched eagerly as the two were racing directly toward each other. Bella has gone suicidal, how on earth did she ever think she was going to get past Felix. But she never planned on facing Felix, she only wanted to lure him out. She slid over the granite floor, passing between his legs, using that motion to drive a powerful kick into his back, forcing him to fall flat to the ground. The guards reaction was too slow for Bella, her path to Caius was clear, and she just took her chance and sprinted toward him. Even though Chelsea and Renata were close to Caius they didn't flicker their protective stance in front of Aro. Bella jumped in the air, forcing herself over Caius head. She crossed her legs tight around his neck and pushed her body weight against his frail body. The wooden throne went off balance, and crushed Caius and Bella hard against the ground. The thud was hard and Caius just cracked, shattered on the ground, like a brittle-shale rock, his broken pieces ran across the granite floor like little marbles. He was literally hollow, he was even more fragile than he looked. Bella panicked, she only thought of taking out Caius, but she never actually believed she could do it, and she definitely didn't think of anything beyond it.
Aro menacing growls were even louder than Athenodora screams, their fierce cries echoed like thunder through the castle. Marcus didn't flinch, he was utterly apathetic, no reaction traced his face, rather than his usual boredom.
After a brief moment of shock and grief, all eyes turned to Bella. Enraged Aro ghosted in her direction with Renata and Felix by his side, she was cornered.
Before, I saw Aro possessive, merciless, stressed, sometimes even scared, but I never saw him this retaliatory and vengeful. Losing Caius turned him into an impatient, ruthless, vindictive monster. He marched toward Bella, his vicious eyes flaming with animosity and malevolence. I was a mere watcher, there was nothing I felt, and nothing I could do. We were all trapped in Alec frustrating deprivation, and that left Bella no chance of a fair fight. Her hectic eyes were torn between the malicious faces advancing on her, I wished Alec would just take away my sight too, hell I wished they would just kill me.
But suddenly, everything went blank, I could see nothing, just a hazy white mist. Then, slowly all my other sensations were coming back. For an instant I thought Bella had her shield back up, but then I realized that this wouldn't explain the vague images I was still seeing. A few seconds later, the images became more clear and from the mist gradually Emma emerged, beautiful and perfect as ever, it felt like a beautiful dream, but then instantly it turned into a disturbing nightmare. The scene of her crying in pain and dying was playing in an indefinite loop, I was chocking, it was tormenting enough seeing it once, forcing it over and over in my head was just pure torture.
A second later I got my sight back, Bella was by my side holding my hand.
"What just happened?!" I asked shocked.
"It's Nessie I guess, she is finally projecting. Aro and the rest of them suddenly froze and I took the chance and walked right past them all," Bella hesitatingly answered, she wasn't really sure what happened.
Nessie barely nodded confirming Bella's assumption, she had her eyes forcibly closed, her jaws clenched together and her hands clamped into closed fists. She was panting to keep her concentration together. She couldn't get over the pain of losing Emma, it was all she could think of, that's why it was the only image she was projecting.
Bella rushed to stretch her shield to include us all again, we had no time to even think about Emma's loss, we had no time to morn or grief, no time to console one another. We instinctively repositioned ourselves subtly into defensive poses around Nessie.
The Volturi were blind, but none of us knew for how long, but even if it was for a few moments, this could change everything. They were like sitting ducks now, no powers, no menacing faces, no bluster talks, they were just staring blankly into space, with no idea what just hit them, their show finale was cut short. We only had to decide which ones to take out first before Nessie's projection faltered.
Each one of us automatically knew who he was going to eliminate. We spontaneously moved towards our respectable targets, under Bella's protective shield. Bella and Esme stayed by Nessie's side, to support and protect her. Bella chose to focus on her shield and not risk being distracted again for any reason.
Alice and Jasper found no hurdles at all taking out Jane and Alec, they were too fast and too efficient, and the gifted twins didn't really show any resistance. On the other hand Emmet struggled with Felix, even blind he put on a strong fight. Felix long arms blocked Emmet blows and avoided others, he had definitely been trained for this. But Emmet changed his strategy, he struck Felix knee, and gained on the advantage of his lost balance, he tightly gripped his neck, and put all the strength he had to sever his head. Simultaneously Seth and Leah lurched forward toward Demetri, working in absolute sync, Seth went for his legs while Leah for his throat, she bit deep into his neck and ripped his head off. His lifeless body crashed to the ground right next to Felix dissected head.
Jacob ghastly advanced in Aro's direction.
"Jacob! He is mine," I screamed behind him, he bared his fangs and snarled at me.
Aro is mine, I will kill him slowly and brutally, but I will leave him till the end, until he hears all the screams and falls of his precious possessions one by one. I wanted the anticipation to kill him way before I did. I wanted his terror to eat him alive.
Jacob reluctantly pounced upon Renata instead, his fight was loud and savage. She wasn't an easy target just like Felix. she was flailing her arms in every direction, trying to overthrow Jacob, choking with rage. But he just knocked her to the ground and violently went for a lunge at her throat. Her body shivered beneath his bite, her painful cries rang loud for a second then she was permanently silenced .
Carlisle charged on Chelsea with his customary grace. He fought craftily, displaying Superior precision and diligence. His battle was quickly won, Chelsea wasn't much of a fighter, she fell stiff and cold in a single instant.
My fight was with Joham first, the thought of tearing him apart was tempting, but I didn't want to fight a blind zombie, I wanted him to look me in the eye when I slowly squeeze the life out of him. I moved in on him, gesturing Bella to include him in her shield. When his eyes came to focus, I was intently and menacingly staring at him.
"Where is Huilen?" I asked him furiously, not really looking for an answer, I was merely looking for the truth. I looked at his dead face and read through his sick thoughts. He was working willingly with the Volturi, forcing his daughters to participate in his morbid experiments. He was even the one who asked the Volturi to kidnap and kill Huilen, he was trying to force Nahuel to join him, and she was the only one standing in his way. He desperately wanted Nahuel not as a son but as a participant in his perverted trials. He was intrigued about his son's breeds.
He stood immobile, his terrified eyes swept across our hard eyes in terror. His lips trembled as he mumbled incomprehensibly. The cunning 500 years old vampire that looked stronger than me!, stood like the coward he really was. He tried to plead desperately, but there was no mercy for monsters, especially his kind of monsters. My anger was driving me, I wanted to venge my daughter, I struck him hard in his chest, the powerful blow sent him crashing to the ground. I latched onto him, and viciously ripped off his arms and his legs, sinfully enjoying his cries of agony. I was consumed by violence and wrath, I savagely battered his head aiming one blow after another, the sound of his head cracking beneath my hand, woke me out of my violent trance.
"Edward," Bella yelled my name, calling my attention to Nessie, who was totally drained. She dropped into her mom's arms utterly exhausted. Bella hid her face in her chest, shielding her from the battle scene.
We all watched eagerly as Aro finally had his sight back, his eyes rushed first to the corpses of Jane and Alec. He was in complete shock 6 of his permanent, most lethal guards and his precious scientist were down. His eyes rounded with an equal mix of horror, rage and bitterness. He cautiously gazed at the remaining of the guards examining their readiness, from his expression, he wasn't satisfied.
"We will meet again Edward," Aro precariously murmured under his breath.
before I could reach him, he pushed a hidden button in the stone wall behind him, a section of the wall moved slightly outward, a secret door opened behind it. In a second he forcibly pulled Marcus and the two slipped through the hidden door and disappeared, the wifes hastily followed.
We all pushed forward in their pursuit, but the rest of the guards blocked our way, prepared and offensive. Our final fight was about to begin Behind the loud hissing and snarling of our enemies and the frantic growls of our allies. We would fight bold, fiercely and endlessly, we were all welling to go as far as it takes to get my baby home safe.
"We don't have to fight," Carlisle strongly urged eying the guards, his palms held outward to take their edge off and to guarantee they would listen.
"Our fight is not with you, it never was," he firmly stated, trying to appeal to their sensible side. In his thoughts I could see how much it pained him to lose Emma all over again. He felt excruciatingly defeated watching her dessicate before his eyes. He didn't want to risk losing or even injuring any one of us. He would do anything to evade this fight.
Getting out of the fight could prove possible, the guards were already conflicted, Chelsea's death had swayed their loyalty. After a long minute of hesitation, the guards tense demeanor synchronously eased, they straightened out of their aggression stance, in a clear notion of compliance.
Carlisle urgently motioned us to leave. Despite of our sorrow for Emma's loss and our obvious concerns about Aro's escaping, relief with even a tinge of happiness found its way to our hearts. As they all rushed towards the wooden door, me, Carlisle and Esme stopped next to Emma's ...body. I cradled her gently in my arms, and promised them that we will give her a proper burier.
Bella held Nessie tight in her arms, as the wolfs hovered around them, loudly howling in celebration. When we all made it to the hallway, we couldn't believe ourselves, none of us really believed we would make it out.
Nessie peaked under Bella's arm, her eyes were fixated on Emma, she stared at her in pain, consumed with her own thoughts.
Her trail of thoughts suddenly stopped and her eyes widened in surprised shock. She struggled in Bella's arms, trying to break free from her hold, until Bella gave in and placed her gently to the ground. She ran towards one of the rooms that opened to the hallway. We all screamed to stop her, but she ignored us all and just went ahead on her way. It must be the room they were keeping her in.
Only a second later she rushed out of the room with two bags of blood in her hands.
"Bring her closer to me," she firmly requested, breaking open one blood bag with her teeth.
"Aro said one drop of my blood could revive ancient vampires, what if it could help Emma, Marcus just turned her into stone, my blood would help her, it has to," she wasn't talking to us as much as she was uttering to herself.
A trance of shock seared over all of us. I didn't know what was more heartbreaking the fact that Nessie wouldn't accept Emma's loss or her desperate attempt to save her.
"Dad bring her closer," she ordered louder and more commanding.
I brought Emma closer to her, as she forced the blood down her throat. The blood was barely going into Emma's body, but that didn't stop Nessie from pushing the second blood bag into her mouth.
The hope that shined in her eyes, made us refrain from fighting her on this. We silently agreed to let her have her hopeful moment, but we all dreaded the moment that hope would fade and her heart would get broken again.