* Content Warning: Graphic Depictions of Rape, Torture, Gory Violence and Violence Inflicted On Religious Figures. Christian Religious Iconography. Depictions of Mildly Explicit Consentual Sexual Situations.*
Chapter Nine: Moments of Light, Moments of Darkness
Swan House - February 7th
"I feel like I should've spent more time down there, but I thought it was wonderful that you were there for her. Rose won't forget that." Alice said from her seat in front of the only vanity in the house, where she had clearly spent time with her hair. Isabella appreciated the effort, but didn't quite know how to act. Edward had always been chaste, hand holding and maybe some soft closed mouth kisses. Her few dalliances with intimacy during her time with the Volturi were quick and all about release. She wanted… No, she needed things with Alice to be different.
"Did you hear what I said about you downstairs?" Isabella hated to repeat herself, but would for her.
"Yes, I am yours, always." Alice said putting down the brush she had been running through hair that had always been a bit too short for her tastes.
"We need to talk, alone." Isabella knew this was going to be an important conversation, perhaps solidifying who they were together from that day forward.
"Of course, let's go." Alice said easily, standing and moving over to within a few inches of Isabella, waiting for permission to touch her. Her eyes never wavering from Isabella's, who felt an almost magnetic draw. The kiss was short, but passionate and Isabella only drew back to alert her second.
"Rose, I'll be back in several hours." Isabella said loud enough to be heard throughout the house, informing not just Rosalie but everyone.
"Understood my Captain." Rosalie said from downstairs, Isabella couldn't see her smile but could hear the clear affection. It made Isabella feel strange, to have such loyalty from someone who was once antagonistic at best felt good.
Isabella held out a hand to Alice and they quickly made their way out of the house in the next second, although neither knew exactly where to go. They ran aimlessly for a bit, until Alice smiled widely and took off in a Northeasterly direction. It took a while, but eventually they slowed as they entered Port Angeles. Then kept going, all the while Alice was typing furiously into her phone.
"Yay! It's perfect." Isabella gave her a look of confusion, "I made an immediate reservation at the Vineyard, which is an absolutely amazing private hotel on the water just outside of town." Alice said with a satisfied smile, tucking her phone away and reaching for Isabella's hand again, which she immediately intertwined their fingers when Isabella accepted.
"Dad mentioned that place a few times when I was human, I can't believe they're still in business." Isabella raised an eyebrow in curiosity, it wasn't ever a place she had sought when she was younger but it gave her a bit of a strange almost bucket list type of excitement to go there.
"It changed hands a few times in the last century, but the current owners are actually related to the original owners. It's the off season, so there were a few openings." Alice said as a snow squall picked up and the temperature dropped several degrees.
"I see. Sounds lovely. But I suppose for appearances we better hurry." Isabella warned, and Alice smiled brightly as they started to run at human speed down the long main thoroughfare of Port Angeles before ducking into stretches of wilderness along the lonely highway out of town.
Volterra - 71 Years ago
"Again." Isabella said with a small sneer, "or I'll partner you with Eliza."
"I must bow out master, I'm just not a fighter." Talia said breathlessly from her position on the floor mat, her legs sprawled out and her arms barely holding her up in a sitting position.
"Come on, this is the fun stuff!" Riley said with excitement, bouncing a few times and doing some excessively fancy footwork.
"Fine, off the mat." Isabella said with a wave of mild disgust. Talia got up and moved off the sparring area slowly, but immediately. Feeling every slight crack around her hips, back and joints from the violence of being thrown around for an hour.
"Eliza, take her place." Isabella said with a small flash of a smirk, as Riley's face fell and he stopped moving.
"Shit." Riley licked his lips, before putting up a defense right away. Eliza bounded on to the mat and mimicked his stupidly fancy footwork with a wide playful smile, her eyes looking innocent but a touch wild.
"Eliza, Riley you may start at your leisure, and I trust you won't hurt him too badly daughter." Isabella gave Riley a small dark smile before turning towards Talia.
"Nope, he'll keep all his… appendages." Eliza snipped off without looking at her mother, her attention entirely on Riley.
"Good, I'll be back in a few minutes." Isabella said off hand as Riley attempted a sloppy forward attack and ended up on the mat before he even extended his arm fully, a look of pain and confusion falling over his face as he landed.
"Talia, with me." Isabella power walked out of the sparring room and down to the lower gardens, the public area on the opposite side of the tower from Didyme' garden.
"Talk to me." Isabella said as they stopped in the middle of the noonday sun, the warmth of the sunlight gave Isabella a small lift so that she would be able to listen to Talia a bit more easily.
Talia couldn't look her mentor in the eyes, couldn't even look at from the tended collection of flower beds and well maintained stone pathways. While not as beautiful as the other garden, this one was open to the guard. She felt like a horrible failure, which was par for the course in her life.
"Two years ago I was backpacking across Europe with my best friend David. I had just finished college, and was trying to figure out what to do with my life. I had no idea, work wasn't easy to come by after the resurgence and I couldn't quite find the drive and courage to write my first novel. My degree in literature had no career prospects, and I felt lost. David died in front of me, the nomad didn't even give him a chance to shout out. I thought I was hidden, but he came after me next. When he met my eyes, I think he mistook my expression for awe. So he turned me." Talia almost laughed at how random her second life started, a happenstance, a mistake.
"He spent two weeks talking about how horrible the Volturi were, how they sat in their castle on high and dispensed judgment when no one gave them that power. I'm just paraphrasing, I don't agree with him. In fact, his rants had the opposite effect on me from what he intended. In fact I started for Italy as soon as I was free of him." She continued finally looking over at Isabella to gauge her reaction. Isabella was looking at a single rose, her arms crossed over her chest. She glanced up once to get her to continue.
"The thing is, I didn't really know what I wanted from the Volturi. I just thought an organization of such significance would be worth devoting myself too, when I had to abandon everything that I used to be. Except, I've never even thrown a punch outside of self-defense courses until now. If it wasn't for my gift, I know I wouldn't be here." Talia stretched out her arms for emphasis, trying to impart how honored she was to be chosen to serve. Isabella raised an eyebrow and blew a mildly impatient blast of air through her nose.
"You are mistaken, experience has nothing to do with potential. Before I was a vampire I had no combat training either. Talia, I know you could be an excellent enforcer. But you have to want it, know that it is your true desire from the depths of your heart and pursue it." Isabella felt awkward using those words when she barely understood them, but for someone that had a full range of emotions like Talia they might actually work.
"I've never been in love, how do I know what's in my heart?" The question caught Isabella off guard, she assumed someone as beautiful and intelligent as Talia would have had a long history of dating.
Isabella cleared her throat, "I'm not the right one to ask about that, but from what I understand of desire, you just know."
Talia nodded at first and then shook her head, "I'm not sure I trust my gut. May I… There have been a lot of rumors and gossip, but may I ask what happened to you? I've never encountered anyone else like you."
Isabella stiffened slightly, but no one had ever been that direct before so she felt it warranted a response. "I can't tell my story. What I will say is that I was a lot like you once. Until that person was… torn away. So if you do not want violence in your life, as much as I know you can be like me, I will not force you into that role."
Talia opened her mouth in shock, she hadn't expected even that much from the mysterious Isabella de Volterra.
"What else is there?" Talia said after almost a minute, when she finally got her mind focused enough to ask.
Isabella thought about it for a moment, there were the in house roles such as council guard and procurement, both wet and material. Then there were the adjacent jobs working for the enforcers, like the scouts, fixers and cleaners.
"Your gift is observation based, correct?" Isabella asked, somewhat rhetorically since she had read Talia's file before training started.
"Yes, I can literally see what has recently been touched or is of importance to someone as a faint golden glow." Talia elaborated gesticulating with her hands in the vague shape of a box. She always had trouble describing, especially to the council when she first arrived. Her usual explanation that it was like having cheats on in a video game did not make sense to the ancient vampires.
"You could be a fixer or scout. Scouting is solitary and dangerous work, but a fixer is protected and you would be assigned a cleaner to work for you. Although right now I believe the only cleaner available is Kell. So, become an enforcer or work with an idiot, I leave it to you. Let me know by the end of the day." Isabella managed to clip her sarcasm for the most part, but she wasn't happy. Talia was her smartest recruit, and it hurt to lose such potential to something like asset support.
"Thank you Isabella." Then Talia's warm smile made Isabella realize the choice was already made.
"Right." Isabella said, reverting back to her cold demeanor, sweeping out of the room with disappointment on her face. Talia shut her eyes feeling like she had let her mentor down, but she knew she had to remain true to herself.
Near the Cullen Residence - February 7th
"There are no signs of Isabella or Eliza and most of the Cullens are gone. All that remains is Carlisle and what I believe are the Denali. There's some wolf scent lingering here, but no sign of them either." Riley said quietly enough that he couldn't be heard from the house, although he was close enough to listen and hear what those inside were discussing. Something about Carlisle suffering from a recent death, but he hadn't caught who. "Carlisle is in mourning, perhaps the rest of his coven was in the house."
He had been circumspect in his investigation. Starting in Seattle with the reports of combat, and finding the mass grave reported by the fixer Talia. He found signs of occupation, some traces of blood and the heavy scent of wolf in a central cistern under the city. He made his way to Forks after that, stopping at the remains of Waterfall house and exploring the ruins. Snow covered most of the rubble, but it was clear the explosion was devastating. There were also no fresh scents in the area except for humans, decorating and cordoning off the site with yellow tape. The caves were also empty, so it was clear to him that Isabella and Eliza had not escaped their fate. His final stop was the home of the Cullens.
"We can only hope, keep us apprised." Caius said with a level of impatience that was inappropriate for a required update, and cut the call without another word.
Riley climbed a nearby tree and waited, happy to keep listening for anything. Then he heard something nearby, a snarl, which drew his attention. On a tree about ten yards away, two bright green eyes caught the light and reflected towards him. The feline shape was far too large for a mountain lion, the outline of the beast was massive. He started to move when something came up behind him and pressed a very sharp blade against his neck which started to cut just below his Adam's apple.
"Why are you watching them?" The voice was not what he expected, heavily accented, possibly Japanese and definitely a woman. Yet there was nothing soft in her tone, nothing that gave him a hint of mercy.
"Orders, from the council." He replied mostly as a warning, killing a Volturi enforcer was a death sentence. It gave them a certain autonomy and protection that he liked a lot.
"What are you watching for?" She said with a clear threat, the blade sliding along the now millimeter deep slit in his throat. He had no idea how a blade was causing such damage, but it terrified him to his core.
Riley balked, and she pressed a touch harder deepening the groove. "I was waiting to hear for any information about the former hands of the Volturi."
"The Assassin and Executioner are no longer Volturi?" The voice sounded surprised, and there was a hint of something positive in that surprise, but she didn't loosen her grip or move even a fraction of an inch. Her hold was impressively solid, keeping him locked down with just a couple of points of pressure.
"They are no longer alive." Riley said with assurance, although he still hadn't confirmed their deaths.
"Mei, don't kill him. Give me his phone." Another voice drew his attention, and he was momentarily startled to see a nude woman standing on a nearby branch, she had her hand out and his phone was dropped into it. He furrowed his brow in confusion, how had his assailant moved to steal his phone? Who were… they? Japanese, women, one a feline shifter…
"Shit." He let out with a shaking breath, his body followed his voice with an involuntary shiver as he realized who had him, the legendary Dragon and her Tiger.
Kira looked down at the phone, and half frowned as she attempted to unlock it. Then glared up at him again, "code, errand boy."
"I am no errand boy, I'm a member of the Volturi guard and you are holding me against my will. We do not give second chances." He attempted, trying to inject as much confidence as possible into his voice and posture but it was an act. He was majorly outclassed, the rumor being that the woman behind him had actually defeated the Assassin in single combat. No one in the guard had ever managed to do that.
"Code." Mei said with a cold harshness that sent a chill down his spine, as she cut deeper into his throat.
"12345679" Riley blurted out in a panic, what he thought was clever made Kira roll her eyes.
"Got it, you're good my love." Kira looked up at Mei and then tilted her head at Riley as he felt something slice through his neck. Riley wondered what the Tiger meant using such an affectionate turn of phrase, and then realized that they were just as corrupt as Isabella and Eliza. He thought about his failure, and the fact that the Volturi had more enemies than he realized. Then as darkness started to close in around his eyes, his last thought was how disappointed Victoria was going to be when he missed their date.
Seattle - 95 Years Ago
The admission meeting had gone long, the conversation was really encouraging and Angela was sure she was going to be accepted. But she wanted to get back to Ben in their fancy hotel her parents sprung for. They didn't know Ben was staying with her, but he had a school visit too, and it seemed silly to not share a room and have real privacy for the first time ever.
The elevator was slow as it rose up to the tenth floor, and with the ding she began to skip down the hallway with a giggle. Room service with her boyfriend, probably a silly movie… and sex. She actually stopped in mid-stride to think about that. They had only done it a couple of times, but she couldn't quite understand how her father frowned on it so much. It felt good and natural and real, and she had trouble believing in a god that would consider such a wonderful sharing of physicality and emotion as impure.
She bit her lower lip before digging out the key and opening the hotel room door, with a joke she was told by a woman named Kelly, who she met in the waiting room for her interview. She almost started talking as she swung open the door, but stopped when she saw Ben's bare feet on top of the mattress. She sighed, and dropped her bag by the door and went into the bathroom, stripping off her clothes and taking a shower.
She pulled on a somewhat risqué nightie and moved out into the main room, finding Ben still asleep when she came out. His face was peaceful, except for some kind of black smudge on his forehead. She went and grabbed a cloth and wet it with warm water, before sitting on the bed with him and wiping off the smudge.
The white cloth came away red, and to her horror she realized it was blood.
"What the…" She started when she heard something behind her, turning to catch a flash of red hair and bright red eyes.
When she woke up she could feel small movements from a person pressed up behind her, her own eyes covered and her hands and ankles bound tightly. She wasn't sure who it was, but hoped that it wasn't Ben. She could handle getting hurt or even killed, but she couldn't cope if anything happened to him.
"Ben?" She whispered, not sure if anyone was watching them.
"Angela? Thank god." He said with a panicked voice, his body pressing back against her for the comfort of simple contact.
"Do you know what happened?" She asked, hoping he had a clue.
"Some woman broke into the room and came right at me, that's the last I remember." Ben's memory of it was fuzzy, but he remembered that much.
"Red hair, red eyes?" Angela guessed.
"That's her." Ben confirmed, gasping slightly from the pain in his forehead.
"I'm touched, such a careful and precise description." The voice was dripping with menace and sarcasm. They both jumped nearly out of their skin.
"What do you want from us?" Angela asked with more confidence than she actually felt.
"Us, well actually I only need one of you. Which one will I choose?" The voice taunted, in a pretty almost singsong way.
"Take me, let him be. I beg you." Angela said without hesitation. Ben immediately started to scoff at the idea before finding his own words.
"Angela, no. You have no idea what she wants." Ben said in admonishment.
"Interesting, I was still undecided, but you just made the choice easy. You're coming with me, little boy." The kidnapper said with a savage flair, picking up Ben as if he weighed nothing. He started to struggle and kick and scream at her. Angela started yelling at her to let go of him and take her. Then the stranger flicked at Ben's head because he was starting to annoy her, knocking him out.
"What did you do?" Angela asked, trying to move the blindfold aside by rubbing it against her shoulder.
"You'll see soon enough. Your attempt at self-sacrifice, so delicious. I knew I chose the right one. I'm Victoria by the way, it is lovely to meet you Angela." Victoria left the room and slammed the door so hard it rang in Angela's ears for nearly five minutes.
Then Angela waited, shivering and terrified in the dark damp room in nothing but a slip of silk that barely covered her. She sat there without saying a word but hoping and praying that they would be rescued. Of course they were over a hundred miles from home, and she had already checked in with her parents for the night. Then she started to wonder why anyone would kidnap them? It made no sense, and she started running over the events again and again… until she heard the first scream from Ben.
Her heart almost stopped in her chest at the sound. The gut-wrenching wail of a man in absolute agony and unable to hold back from expressing the pain. It was the first of many, until the sound came so frequently that it felt like a single cry. This went on for hours, until it stopped, suddenly.
"Ben!" Angela cried out, her face stained with tears she couldn't wipe away.
The door flew open then, a gust of air hitting Angela in the face like a whiplash. She heard movement across the cold metal floor and a pair of hands picked her up at the shoulders into a bridal carry. She felt air on her face and exposed shoulders and legs as they seemed to move at impossible speeds, until she was set down rather gently. Her bonds were severed at the wrists, but her hands were not long free, as Victoria quickly bound them to something tall and metal behind her.
"Welcome to the party." Victoria whispered in her ear as the blindfold was removed. The light was too bright at first, momentarily blinding her.
Angela squinted against it, until her eyes adjusted and the room came into view. It was large, maybe forty feet by sixty with three massive arched windows on the far wall in front of her. On a bare mattress on a heavy metal frame was Ben, chained spread eagle and naked. At first he looked almost peaceful in his slumber, until she noticed the thousand little red lines halfway up his calf on his right leg.
"What… What did you do to him?" Angela stammered out, a wave of nausea threatening to make her sick.
"Started with sharp, but I don't think this one is cut out for torture. He barely lasted long enough to enjoy the screams." Victoria said as she appeared from behind Angela, playing with a small scalpel caked in drying blood. "That being said, I think you both deserve a little break. I'll be back soon."
Then she was gone in the blink of an eye. "Ben! Wake up! Please!" Angela screamed as soon as Victoria was no longer in view, rattling against the chains binding her to an exposed steel support pillar.
But it was no use, he had completely succumbed to the agony, his body shutting down to keep from being overwhelmed. Angela slumped down, sliding to the floor. From her vantage point the trio of giant arched windows on the far side allowed her to keep track of time. She could just see Ben's chest, rising and falling, in shallow but steady breaths.
She watched the sky move, thick clouds heavy with rain blotted out the sunshine of the morning. The thunder and flashes of lightning felt right for the moment, as even more tears streamed from her face. Thankfully she had enough slack to wipe them away, even though her hands were filthy. It was hours later when her eyelids grew heavy, and sleep took her. Tense and violent dreams gave her no rest as she woke up again and again only to find her nightmare was reality.
Then Victoria was back, sitting on the bed between Ben's legs and slicing into his leg again. Somehow she had already made it up to his thigh, and Angela couldn't understand how Ben hadn't screamed until she saw the ball gag in his mouth. His eyes were wet and nearly sealed shut from tears. His mouth was overflowing with drool, and several times he started to gag. Victoria was oddly gentle and patient as she continued to cut into him systematically. Making sure he didn't drown in his own saliva or open a wound big enough for him to bleed out.
"Oh, lovely, we have an audience. Welcome back my little Angel. This is day two, and your boy here has done so much better. We're almost done for today, and I've learned a lot from this experience. Haven't we Ben?" Ben nodded pathetically, then Victoria removed the gag and he whimpered through sobs for almost a minute before he could speak.
"Yes… I learned… I'm worthless. Don't waste… Tears on me… Angela." Ben gasped out between ragged breaths.
"Don't listen to her!" Angela begged, but Ben just started to shake his head. Victoria sneered and tapped him on the forehead, plunging him into unconsciousness.
"He is a good slave, but nothing more. Were you really thinking of marrying this idiot? Devoting your life to this waste?" Victoria gave him a mildly disgusted look, her mouth forming a sneer for a second.
"I love him!" Angela shouted breathlessly, leaning forward as much as she could, bending her arms back so hard she almost dislocated her shoulders.
"No accounting for taste. I think he's done for the day, but I'll be back my dear. The final show will be one for the books!" Victoria gave her a merciless smile with a dangerous but almost playful look to her eyes. Then she sauntered out of the room without another look back.
Angela fell to her knees, her arms pulled up painfully before the chain slid down. Then she fell back against the cold metal pillar and pulled her knees up to her chin. She had no more tears, she had nothing left inside. She felt hollow, as if Victoria had reached inside and scooped out her soul. It was several hours later, watching the sky and the shallow breaths of her lover before her eyes gave out and she fell into another restless sleep.
The squeaking of rusty springs woke her up. Angela's eyes were crusted shut from hours upon hours of crying the last couple of days. It took her a while to open her eyes, and even longer to focus. When she finally did, she found Ben was awake, and the red haired woman was on top of him, naked. He was writhing underneath her, crying and gritting his teeth clearly trying to force his body to reject what was happening. It took Angela several seconds to realize that he was being raped. Ben opened his eyes briefly with fear and embarrassment clearly written on his brow, and flinched when he found Angela watching him.
Angela locked eyes with him and tried to convey as silently as possible the complex and impossible in a single look. One that said he was not at fault, and she would never be upset about what was happening. That she loved him, and hoped this would be over soon, and then she gave him a tender smile and closed her eyes so that he wouldn't have to suffer her witnessing it any longer.
"Not fair, the boy hasn't even cum and you're done with the show? Have you no pity, leaving him with blue balls?" Angela's thoughts were chaotic, bordering on madness and for a second she mused that Victoria's voice would be pretty if it wasn't so cruel. Then she felt a hand wrap around her jaw. "Open your eyes, I'm going to give him what you never could. The best sex he will ever have, or actually the only sex he'll ever have. I know you must've wanted to, but then your father would be so disappointed."
Angela spit at the woman, despite her mouth being dry, "he isn't a virgin, and you will never give him what he needs. I already gave him the best night of his life, bitch. So just kill us, or let us go."
Victoria didn't even flinch, "kill you, oh now that would be far too easy. Angela, do you understand why you are here?" Angela shook her head as much as she could, "well, let me illuminate you. Your friend Isabella killed my mate, or her boyfriend did. No matter, I had vowed to revenge myself upon her and everyone she cares about. She might be gone, but my work isn't over and now I'm on to her friends and family. Know that you would've had a normal human life if it hadn't been for her." The joyful callous tone of Victoria's voice hit Angela like a truck, and the truth of her situation made her feel completely worthless and alone. She was simply collateral damage, in a quest for petty revenge. Nothing grand, nothing important. Just a victim, and that almost hurt worse than if she had been targeted specifically.
"Then torture me, spare him. He wasn't really Bella's friend, I was." Angela begged once more, but Victoria just started to laugh, letting go of her face and stepping back.
"I know, I watched you. You are nice, kind, thoughtful and selfless. Hurting you would be pointless. I thought about taking your mother and father, and those two cute little boys. But I can promise I won't touch a hair on any of their heads if you give me one thing." Victoria actually sounded genuine for a moment, but the threat reached down into Angela's core and she reacted violently.
"Fuck you! Don't you hurt them!" Angela screamed out with white spittle flying from her parched mouth. Victoria just leveled her a dangerous glare deflating Angela's anger completely.
"Please don't hurt them, I'll do anything." Angela quickly resorted to begging and pleading, terrified she had just sentenced her family to death.
"Of course you will, now when he wakes up, tell your boy here to enjoy himself. Because it is the last good thing he will ever feel in the remainder of his short life." Victoria just widened her eyes, and waited for a response. Angela flinched and tried not to consider it, to reject it, but she couldn't risk her family with someone so vile. Maybe she would go after them anyway, but she had to go along, no matter how much it broke her spirit to say the words. She looked at Ben who was just starting to rouse, then nodded once. Victoria turned and waited for him to wake, then she moved back onto the bed, staring at Angela with what appeared to be almost an affectionate look. It took another ten minutes before Ben was awake enough to hear her, his eyes immediately locked on Victoria.
"I shouldn't ask this, but please Ben, I need you to give in. I know what it means, but she threatened my family." Angela begged, and Ben looked at her. For a second hatred flashed across his eyes, but he turned away and looked at Victoria before nodding once after only seconds of hesitation.
"Good boy." Victoria said and crawled up the bed and quickly took him inside of her again, riding until he began to whimper and convulse in orgasm. He tried to keep the abject misery off his face, but he couldn't stop the tears. Angela, knowing now what was expected of her, watched the entire experience. Trying to reign in the nausea that was threatening to expel that last bit of acid in her stomach.
After he stopped moving and passed out from exhaustion, Victoria climbed off and looked down at his limp penis. Then she reached down and took it one hand and crushed it. Ben screamed, but that just seemed to urge her on, as her eyes widened. Angela's sobs were now silent because her throat had swelled and she was having trouble breathing. Her lungs started to hyperventilate as she struggled so hard she dislocated her shoulders.
"So boring." Victoria said as she released Ben's manhood which was now purple and twisted. Then she looked at Angela and walked over to her.
"I don't think he'll last too much longer, I've pushed his puny little body to its limits." Victoria crouched down close and gently lifted Angela's chin forcing her to meet her eyes.
"This… This torture would kill anyone." Angela said not really fully conscious of her own words.
"Not so much as I've recently found out. Can I be honest with you?" Victoria asked softly, her expression different. Angela didn't move, she just stared into the inhuman red irises without expression. "Fine, I'll say it anyway. When I started, I had this idea of killing all of you. The ultimate revenge. But I've already faltered. It stopped being fun after Bella. Her father was just worried about her, and when I told him she was gone he no longer responded, his eyes lost all life. Your friends Lauren, Mike, Tyler, Eric and Jessica are next but they are all just pathetic, and of course a trip down to Florida to finish off Bella's tragic little family will probably be the same."
She pursed her lips and took a step back, sitting on the edge of the bed and crossing her legs.
"What I didn't expect, with you or the police chief, was your kindness and goodness. Not pretense, not an act. But genuine compassion for others, selflessness to the point of self-sacrifice. It makes me feel things, and I don't like those feelings." Victoria examined Angela's face, as Angela felt her soul shatter realizing that her friends were going to suffer a similar fate. Bella and her father were gone, and very soon her mother would be as well. It was too much, she felt her stomach tighten and she started to retch. Victoria just stood and moved over to her, reaching up to hold back her hair. Her casual and almost friendly touch was even worse than the torture, and Angela flinched away as the last of whatever was left in her stomach emptied from her.
"You poor thing. Terrified, traumatized. I know it's my fault, getting revenge is a messy process. I should've known that your nice girl act was real. I probably would've left you alone had I realized, but it's too late for that. See, when I was your age, I was like you. My friends and family and town were everything to me. Then one random day they were all ripped from away me by the fucking Volturi and their crusade against the Children of the Moon. I was turned into cannon fodder for their little war, but I survived. It's what I do. I'll admit, I've grown petty and vindictive in my old age. But you, my dear girl, are special. So, I'm going to give you a gift." Victoria sounded almost kind, her eyes no longer held menace.
"I don't understand." Angela managed to ask, her voice and mind almost at the breaking point.
"You will, oh you will." Victoria smiled, then leaned in and sunk her teeth gently into Angela's neck injecting just enough venom to turn her slowly. Then she was gone in the blink of an eye. Angela just slumped forward in exhaustion, no longer capable of anything else.
The first flash of pain started a few seconds later, as a spike of fire ran down her neck. It slowly moved towards her chest, and she had to grit her teeth to keep from screaming and waking Ben. That restraint didn't last long, as the acid flowed into her heart and with a handful of beats began to spread through her body. She screamed and screamed until her voice failed and her body hung loose from the chains. A broken whimper escaped her from time to time as the hours and eventually days passed.
Ben managed to cling onto life, hoping to see his love wake up between his own periods of unconsciousness. For far too long she simply hung in place, unmoving. Even as his own body started to fail little by little, he watched her with hope. He started to lose sensation, and even his leg no longer hurt after a while. He knew he was going to die, but he needed to see her open her eyes again. See those lovely light brown orbs look upon him once more.
After a couple of days he started to hallucinate, because suddenly Angela was no longer sickly looking. Her hair seemed to have life and a brilliance that she never had even on her best days. Her skin looked flawless, a touch pale, but clean and beautiful. She even seemed to sparkle in the daylight from the light flooding in from the windows. Then in what felt like his last moment of life, her head rose and her eyes fluttered open. Only it was no comfort, because those were not Angela's eyes.
Her mouth opened and an inhuman snarl escaped her lips, wild rage filled her now bright red eyes as she stood and tore off her chains as though there were tissue paper. Then she was on him in an instant, her mouth latching onto the closest bit of soft flesh she could find, her teeth sinking effortlessly into his body. At first he couldn't fathom what she was doing, but very quickly he began to lose focus and felt even more weakened than before.
"It… Is… Okay… Love you." He managed as he slipped into darkness for the last time. Not that the creature that was once his lover even consciously heard him. Then as the warmth of his body began to fade and his blood ran dry she pulled away breathing heavily, blood dripping from her teeth and lips. It wasn't enough, and the blood was tainted with infection. She left the body without so much as a look back and headed out of the building with a speed that would've been exhilarating if her mind had any semblance of rational thought.
The area was in a somewhat rundown part of town, near the docks and train yard. The sun had just set, and workers were mostly gone. Yet the scent of humans surrounded her, saturated her senses and drove her mad with thirst. She couldn't track where anything was, but somehow she felt a person nearby. Rodney, a dock foreman and father of four. He never saw her coming, and was dead before he could even feel any pain.
Jerry, a dockworker putting in overtime. Simon a shiphand taking a few minutes before departure for a smoke. Thomas, Greg, Eli, Ford… all within minutes of each other. Tabitha, waiting for a bus. Angela was starting to feel sated, and her mind was starting to clear slightly. She wandered under an overpass and through a small park onto a suburban street. Jennifer and Ray walking their dog Oscar out for an evening walk. She moved past some perfect little houses, until there was one with a door open. A family of four, with two little boys all fell to her thirst.
The violence and death finally began to filter through the fog of thirst by a fraction. The multiple murders of innocents began to weigh on her already broken mind. The family lying dead gave her a jolt, and yet she couldn't see their faces. She could only see her mother and father and baby brothers. She left the house feeling drunk and lost, wandering down the block. And there it was, a cross atop a high steeple. She rushed forward into the church, destroying the old engraved wooden doors. It was thankfully empty at this time of evening. She stumbled towards the altar, falling to her knees and trying to remember her prayers.
She kept repeating what she could, fragments of words she had spoken thousands of times. Until eventually she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. "Miss, are you alright?" The gentle voice was just concerned, but instincts made her lash out. She felt flesh and bone tear beneath her strength. The man tossed back between the pews, landing roughly on the thin carpet. She stood, her body reacting to the blood instinctively.
The same voice called out, "demon, what do you want with me?" Angela stopped and stared at the man, his right arm and shoulder exposed and twisted, with bone sticking out in several places. The locked eyes, and he gasped in confusion.
"You're so young." He said, even though his mouth did not open. "What are you? Please let me live. I beg you father, please spare me. Have I not served you well?"
"Name?" She forced herself to ask, her mind slowly gaining control again. Her voice was different, prettier.
"Mark." He coughed out, with specks of blood. Her eyes drifted down to find that the right side of his chest was also partially caved in. Had she done that?
"I'm sorry." She shut her eyes realizing that she was the demon. She started to run then, without a backwards glance. She couldn't understand her own actions, but she had to get home. She needed to find her parents, make sure they were alright. The cold waters of the bay were easy to swim, and soon she was heading east along the lone highway towards Forks. She knew it well enough to follow without worrying she was going the wrong way.
She kept up her run without tiring and before she knew it came the last bend before entering Forks proper. She had passed thousands of scents, human and animal along the way. But a new sweet scent caught her attention. It was different from the others, somehow familiar. She shifted and ran towards it, down a long driveway which opened onto a house that could only belong to one family.
"Cullens." She whispered to herself. Were they like her? She shook her head in disbelief and pain, and turned back towards home, only for something to block her path. She snarled and tried to attack, but the other was wary of her and managed to dodge her aimless swings.
"Angela, it's me Charlie, Chief Swan." He said after a few seconds of dodging out of her way. She stopped and stared in utter disbelief into his eyes, which were a bright red like Victoria. Which meant something, she couldn't understand. But he was someone strong and someone safe. Someone she knew. She rushed forward and he braced for an attack again, instead she practically tackled him with a hug.
"Help me, please help me." She cried, hoping the man who had always protected her and her town could help.
North of the Swan House - February 7th
"Welcome back." Adara said warmly as Talia opened her eyes and sat up. "How do you feel?"
"Mostly the same, but I can feel her. I saw what happened to her, experienced it. If Isabella's was worse than that, how can she function? I feel sick." Talia's entire body was shivering from the emotional fallout, the pain and indignity. She didn't even know the boy and she felt for him, the love Angela had for him and the guilt over ending his life.
"It was a very long time ago." Angela said as her eyes fluttered open, her eyes now a dark citrine. She sat up and looked around and quickly moved over to the last ray of sunshine in the clearing. She plunged her arm into the sunbeam, and started to laugh when there was no brilliance or sparkle to her skin. She turned over her hand in the light, and took several heavy breaths. She looked over at Talia and Adara, locking eyes with Talia for several long seconds. Her mind suddenly cleared and free of the pain that had haunted her for the better part of a century.
"It wasn't your fault." Talia said after a few seconds, moving towards Angela and tentatively putting her hands on her upper arms. Angela looked down at those hands one by one, and then up at Talia's eyes before stepping a bit closer.
"I know. I've never consciously blamed myself, but that never stopped the guilt or self hatred. But I can feel you now, and whatever this is, the clarity and purity of emotion you have for me I… I now feel for you. It is as real and strong as my love for Zoey and Charlie, but what is this?" Angela asked, feeling a wave of new emotions she had never let herself feel for anyone except Charlie and Zoey.
"Does it matter?" Adara asked. "You'll have plenty of time to figure things out, as long as you are honest with each other."
"I don't think it's possible to lie to one another any longer." Talia said with a shy smile. Angela then furrowed her brow.
"Talia, did you not ask Isabella or Eliza about turning me?" Angela asked incredulously. The question made Talia grit her teeth and shake her head in shame.
"No, I didn't think that was a requirement since we were already discussing turning you next." Talia said, although she felt a bit unsure suddenly and it came across the new link with Angela.
Angela looked at her for a few seconds and then sent a wave of reassurance back across the link as a natural reaction. It was a strange feeling, and entirely new. She knew thoughts, but emotions were new territory. Sending a feeling was a heady experience, and she found that it was deeper and more intimate than just sending thoughts.
"It'll be okay, but we should go, I don't want this to be a problem with the rest of the family." Angela's words felt less important than the feeling, but conveyed her opinion to Adara as well. She almost chuckled at the differences, having used her power of Telepathy for so long that it was second nature.
The three of them started back at a quick run, hoping to catch the family before they went out to hunt or spend private time together. When they entered the house Angela quickly called out, "Isabella, Eliza?" But neither answered. A few seconds later Brianna and Zoey bounded down the stairs together, laughing at some private joke.
"I can't believe that actually works." Brianna said with wide eyed surprise and a goofy grin.
"Mom you won't… oh my god." Zoey stopped, frozen and staring at her mother's eyes.
"Um… Talia, what did you do?" Brianna asked, shaking her head in shock.
"As you did, but… the other way." Talia said, not entirely sure what she was actually explaining.
"Angela, what did you do?" Charlie said from the kitchen doorway. Henry followed a moment later with a very satisfied looking Rosalie.
"I'd call a coven meeting but both Eliza and Isabella are away and do not wish to be disturbed." Henry said with a knowing smile.
"They both have one way blocks on, they can hear if I call them but only for emergencies." Brianna added.
"Does this count?" Emmett asked with a shrug.
"I'll handle it." Rosalie said, motioning for everyone to converge in the living room. Then she turned towards Talia and Angela who were sitting closely together on the couch. "Alright, Talia, what you did overstepped but I don't know if Isabella will feel the same. Until she is here I am not willing to make any unilateral decisions on any potential consequences. However it did happen, and I need to know how you both feel."
"I don't really feel any different except for my bond with Angela is even greater now." Talia said, trying not to look at Angela and failing.
Angela nodded in agreement then looked at Rosalie, "I feel almost human. Not exactly, but I don't feel like I'm a block of stone. Talia and I have also bonded in a way I cannot fully explain. We need to figure out what we are to each other, but somehow I know with absolute certainty she is my mate."
"Thank fucking god." Charlie said, looking up at the ceiling.
"Yay!" Zoey said right after, moving over and pulling her mom into a tight side hug.
"I know what you mean, I just looked at Emmett and I knew. I was always right." Rosalie said with a hint of a smile.
"So this change in our physiology comes with what is basically imprinting?" Henry pondered, " that is fascinating. I wonder if Isabella and Eliza have felt it too?"
Talia nodded, "I've known them for over seventy years, and neither have ever bonded so quickly and so completely with a partner. It is very clear that Leah and Alice are their mates."
"I think I feel the same about Michelle." Brianna added, and Zoey bumped her shoulder with a big smile on her face. Brianna held back her emotions a bit, as they threatened to overwhelm her again, but managed a big smile back at her cousin.
"I vote to petition that the entire coven go through the process." Emmett said with a big excited grin, realizing that he was now missing out on something wonderful.
"I agree, we can figure out if anyone wants to be involved in a link later on." Adara said, feeling like the answer to her own question about Jasper could be solved if she could only bond with him. Of course, she wasn't sure that was what she wanted anymore.
"Lovers and or siblings would make sense. Although if we were all linked then the pool of powers available would be staggering." Henry said with more enthusiasm for the idea than before. He hadn't loved this experience so far, but to regain some of his human traits seemed like a wonderful idea.
"We'll talk specifics later, but first, where is Jasper?" Rosalie said, taking control again.
Adara flinched slightly, "he's gone. There was a lot more than just his indiscretion with his former slave. He… I can't really talk about it. I have no idea where he is or what happened to my marriage. But I am loyal to this coven, and you are all my family, Jasper be damned."
"Absolutely, you will always have a place here." Rosalie said, moving over and pulling her into a hug. Adara visibly relaxed and as Rosalie let go Adara moved over to an empty seat and basically collapsed onto it. Rosalie moved to the front of the room.
"This is a new and difficult situation. There will be hiccups, mistakes and missteps, but it would be a bigger mistake to make rash decisions and judgements without proper consideration and examination of all angles. Isabella needs time with Alice, they have finally connected with one another after a century apart. I will not interfere with any second of their potential happiness. Until she comes back we are going to table what happened with Angela and Talia. For now however, there is one other thing that we should talk about. Sleeping arrangements, because I want to take a fucking nap for the first time in two hundred years." Rosalie's smile was bright and bigger than anyone in the room had ever seen from her, and the idea that taking a nap was high on her priority list made the whole room sigh collectively and then a few started to chuckle.
The Vineyard Hotel, Port Angeles - February 8th
The check in process was simple, and the attendant didn't linger. The view was spectacular and it was private, with nothing around for quite a distance. Alice opened up the blinds and checked everything before turning to Isabella who was standing in the middle of the room watching her. Alice immediately started to fidget before finally turning and dropping down to one knee.
Isabella raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but smile at the gesture.
Alice pulled out a small box and opened it revealing an absolutely stunning white gold ring with sapphires and diamonds wrapping around the top in a stylish but low profile pattern. "I bought this a long time ago because it reminded me of you. I knew it was exactly your size, and I often fantasize about giving it to you. That's when I thought you were human, and living out some life hopefully happy. Maybe a husband or wife, and some kids. It was a blind hope, because I was too much of a coward to look through my visions to find out the truth. I'm not exactly proposing marriage in the traditional sense, if I remember correctly you were not really in favor of that practice."
"No I wasn't." Isabella couldn't help but smile. The idea of marriage had felt strained and wrong back when her only exposure to it was her father. Since then, watching the Volturi council interact with their wives, even the memory of Didyme gave her a different impression of the union.
"Then let me say what I want, what this ring means to me." Isabella nodded easily. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no qualifications, no demands. Just you, in whatever way you'll have me. I love you Isabella."
Isabella looked down into Alice's eyes and let out a soft breath before holding out her hand for the ring. "Yes."
Alice's body began to quiver with emotion as she carefully slipped the ring onto Isabella's finger. In the next instant she was pulled forward almost violently, as Isabella wrapped her in an extremely tight embrace. Their kiss was beyond passion, beyond excitement, it was pure unfiltered need. Clothes were torn and discarded without much care and as they moved together towards the bed neither really cared that the window shades looking out on the ocean were completely open.
Alice leaned her head back exposing her neck, as Isabella kissed down the lines of her throat muscles to her chest. Closing her eyes and taking in her scent felt intoxicating. She licked down over the pale flesh of Alice's shoulders, along the curve of her right breast circling close to her nipple. Alice held onto Isabella's head, and pulled her back up to kiss her. Their tongues darted into each other's mouth so quickly that it almost felt as if they occupied the same space at the same time.
They stayed locked together for a while, kissing and holding each other tightly not wanting to let go. Then Alice forced them to roll over, and began to explore Isabella's body. Isabella almost froze as Alice ripped off her bra, and didn't even attempt to tease, taking in each nipple into her mouth and running her teeth along the edges of each as they hardened in excitement. She kissed and licked her way down to Isabella's belly, examining each tiny scar and minor imperfection in her skin. Things that no normal vampire would have, but Alice reveled in touching and memorizing.
"I love this scar, where did you get it?" Alice said between kisses, running her fingers over the slightly discolored line.
"Sword fight with the Dragon." Isabella said as Alice blew on her hip causing a shiver to run up her spine. Her subsequent moan just made Alice blow harder.
"The Dragon?" Alice questioned through a playful happy smile, as she pressed her face into Isabella's stomach, taking in her scent before wrapping her fingers around the edges of Isabella's panties.
"Mei, one of the oldest and most… wow… don't stop doing just that." Isabella shut her eyes in ecstasy as Alice began to gently kiss around the edges of Isabella's sex, examining each line and fold with her fingers and tongue.
"Another woman, should I be jealous?" Alice said before attacking Isabella's clit. The response was immediate and violent as Isabella wrapped her thighs around Alice's head and began to buck and spasm in orgasm. It lasted almost a full minute before Isabella's legs released Alice who didn't hesitate to dive back in.
She brought Isabella to three more furniture shattering orgasms before Isabella could barely think. But she needed to respond, so she pulled Alice up and moved a hand between her legs, working her over with extremely dexterous and precise movements. Alice could barely stand the sensations, and climaxed twice in quick succession, before Isabella slowed down and they took their time over the course of hours bringing each other to new heights of ecstasy. Eventually they stopped, and laid together, still wrapped in each other's arms with Alice's thigh resting between Isabella's legs.
Isabella moaned softly at the contact, and pulled Alice in for another kiss. "I forgot what it felt like to be touched, although to be honest I haven't let anyone touch me like that before."
"I thought it was just me." Alice said playfully, kissing her quickly and then resting her head on Isabella's chest. Her free hand playing with a lock of Isabella's hair.
"It's you, I doubt I could let anyone else in like that. Oh, and to ease your mind, if Mei is alive, she is very taken. She is one of the only other vampires in the world to have mated with a shifter." Isabella said with a soft throaty sigh, kissing the top of Alice's head and closing her eyes in contentment.
"It must be a well kept secret." Alice muttered after a while in thought, while basking in the sweetness of their scents combined.
"I never told a soul until now, and I count her as a friend. So, no, there's nothing to be jealous of." Isabella pushed Alice up and sat back against the headboard. Alice pouted and moaned in protest but let herself be moved. Isabella pulled on Alice's hands until she was also sitting across from her, and looked down at the ring. "Alice, you have nothing to be jealous of because you are my lover, and now my wife, my everything."
Alice felt as if her heart was brought to life again, the joy she felt was impossibly powerful so she could do nothing but lean forward and kiss Isabella again and again, until her lover was forced to push her away to continue her thought.
"Alice, my love. Which is something I never thought I could even say. You're a part of me now, as important as Eliza and Brianna. So I beg you to join with me, please." Isabella wasn't begging, but the emotions were clear in her voice. She seemed almost bright for someone whose normal tone was flat and lifeless.
"You mean like Brianna and Eliza?" Alice asked in clarification, hoping that was what she meant.
"Yes, I want you with us." Isabella said with a nod, pulling Alice onto her lap and drawing her close so that their chests were touching. Alice reached up and pushed some hair behind Isabella's ear, kissing her softly once before pulling away and sighing happily.
"I had hoped you wanted that. Because you are my lover, my wife, my everything. I am humbled and honored to accept. I love you now and forever." As Alice spoke the words Isabella leaned down and began to kiss Alice's neck, then raised her wrist to Alice's lips, both biting down in unison.
Author's Note:
Yay, another torture chapter… I'm so sorry. I swear I actually hate writing about this shit, and this one was worse because there was rape to go along with it. Yahoo!
Bleh (that was me vomiting a little).
But yay sex! Um, so I'm still a bit new when it comes to writing sexual content and I honestly don't know what is to far. This does seem to veer directly into smut, but at the same time we have some pretty graphic torture and violence in this story and those to me are far more explicit than a bit of sexy times. Far more harmful too.
We got some insight into Talia, this is probably the majority of character work we'll see for her except for her dialogue and actions, but I hope it's a window into who she is. She is just a normal person thrown into a weird life and made a bad choice when finding gainful employment. To get a second chance to find a good life is important to her, as she starts to figure out where she belongs (with Angela to be clear).
I am very not religious and I occasionally get triggered by religious iconography so that's why there is a warning at the top.
Mei and Kira are now in play and they will be fun to incorporate into things. No I have not forgotten about Marcus, give him some time.
Bellice! Yeah I know it's been a few chapters since we've had significant Bellice and I hope you're ready for more because yes, they did just do that bonding thing. Unlike Angela and Talia, the entire next chapter will be about that bonding. So an entire Bellice chapter! Woot!
Alice's power has been somewhat absent from the story, this is not an oversight, this was intentional. From the moment Isabella came to town she effectively blinded Alice's power much like the wolves do. Then when Leah became so heavily involved Alice was even further blinded. That is about to change, and for anyone who has read my other major story The Crash, you know how I view Alice's power.
Speaking of powers, we have a nice little collection. To clarify what Talia's is, she basically has Auspex (power from Vampire: The Masquerade) for lack of a better comparison. She can literally see highlights of things that have been recently interacted with and to what degree. It is a subtle gift, but as a fixer it's invaluable.
To catch up here is the list of powers:
Isabella - Mental Shield, Shadow manipulation
Eliza - Complete Sensory Shroud/Invisibility
Alice - Future Visions
Angela - Telepathy - send/receive/manipulate
Charlie - Psychometry - Past only
Brianna - Telekinesis
Zoey - Technokinesis
Emmett - Super strength - nearly newborn strength
Talia - Sensory Visions - think video game cheats
Jasper - Empathy
Kate - Electric Touch
Eleazar - Gift Identification
Adara - Increased senses - tracker level
The hotel in Port Angeles is a reference to a real place, but I didn't want to use their name without permission.
That might be my longest chapter note. I promise not to make this a habit.
Until next week! (Kermit-like flailing of arms) Hope you enjoy! Goodbye my friends!