Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, not me.
Author/Note 1: This story is the sequel to Our Dawn 5. For the ones who don't know anything about Our Dawn Series, you can always read Our Dawn 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, and Our Dawn Series Specials but if you don't want to bother I have a resume on my profile page. As it would be expected this is a next generation story and as such, it's focused on Jake and Leah's children.
A/Note 2: A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed Our Dawn Series so far.
A/Note 3: I'm not a native English speaker so I'm sorry for my grammar and spelling. Thank you for reading.
Alpha
Book II – The Protector
Harrison Black
62. Playing games
Two weeks after our arrival, I realized that the Romanians opposite their initial claim had no intention to battle the Italians for power, at least for now. They were not preparing a war against Aro and his coven. I knew this because they were not recruiting, mobilizing nor making any battle training. And even though we had been informed that we were about to make a little trip, I knew we were not going to participate in a great-scale attack against the Volturi for there were only three vampires escorting us tonight.
This fact led me to wonder the reason why they needed Season to begin with. Season could erase special abilities which meant she could annul the advantage the Italians had by removing Jane and Alec's powers since the twins were by far the most dangerous vampires of their coven.
She would be the Romanian's best asset during an attack. However, I didn't see any evidence that they wanted to use Season until tonight. Could they have another target? Another Volturi?
I thought about Scarlett. It made sense that they wanted her dead or on their side. The vampire-child was even more powerful than the twins however she lacked combat training and the assassin thrill that almost all the other Volturi shared.
Once upon a time when she was a part of Joham's army, Scarlett had been protected by Vladimir and Stefan so maybe the Elders of the Romanian coven wanted to recruit her again. If the plan about recruiting her didn't work, Vladimir and Stefan wouldn't have any options left that didn't include getting rid of her. And I believed that this was why they needed Season.
During the time we had spent with the Romanians, I had reached other conclusions about our captors. I learned that the coven had more members than the twenty vampires they had sent to La Push to capture Season. There were twelve Elders, six were in the old manor that they had specifically prepared to receive us, the others were in secret locations.
In the manor, the vampires followed a hierarchy much like the Volturi. Valerya seemed to be the one in charge. She didn't like me much but she seemed to feel some sympathy for Season. Ivan was her mate but he was not the next vampire in the hierarchical system. That position belonged to Serghei, a bulky vampire who seemed to hate everyone except for his mate, Katerina. Katerina was blonde and beautiful like Rosalie but with fuller lips and more hair. She wasn't very friendly either but she was impressed when she heard about my ability to morph into a giant wolf.
Alana was a red-haired vampire with huge breasts and a fair smile. She reminded me a bit of Esme. Her mate was Casimir who was bipolar and rude to everyone around him.
They were the highest ranked vampires in the manor and rarely agreed with each other. Fortunately for us, Valerya's decisions always prevailed.
Anyways, we rarely see the Elders. I could tell when they were in the manor but none of them seemed particularly pleased with our presence so they ignored us. Some of them would leave for a couple of days, probably to feed. They would always go on pairs.
The seven vampires left in the house were guards: Yuri, Valesca, Yosef, Evanna, Ylena, Ygor, and Victor and their job were to make sure we didn't escape. They were the ones who had established rules. We could only leave the house three times a day always escorted by two guards. We could go to the garden or the patio where we could use the pool (though it was too cold to do that), and we could also go to the terrace where we could play some tennis and basketball.
There were black gates and huge and heavy walls around the property. In front of the main entrance, there was a water fount, where a stone statue was missing. The house was painted in dark grey with greenish windows. It looked like an old European manor though I couldn't be sure of its date or location because all its original furniture and decorations had been removed.
Tables, beds, tapestries, electric devices, household appliances, clothes, everything was modern and of common brands, commercialized in the entire world. The food we ate never had any labels and the cars parked outside didn't have any license plates.
We were only allowed to read the books they gave us and watch films on an ancient projector. The library occupied a huge room with two floors and it had books written in more than thirteen different languages. It was impossible for us to know the country we were in by analyzing the books in the library or even the films they allowed us to watch.
Only the Elders could use a computer. We only had access to a phone once every three days. They only let us call the same numbers. I could only call my family and Season could only call Hannah, and even then we were always supervised.
During our first night in the old mansion, I plotted our escape but realized that it would be too risky. In an open space, I'd be able to take down all of them, one at a time, but I couldn't risk Season's life like this. If I did something stupid, they had made clear that Season would be the one facing the consequences.
They knew we could not escape that place without help from the outside simply because we had no idea where we were or what we would find pass the black gates. There was a thick and mysterious mist that surrounded the manor every day that prevented us from having a good look on the landscape.
We could hardly see the sun, the clouds or even the stars in the night sky. I knew that probably one of the vampires was responsible for this abnormal mist. My bet was Victor because he was the one who always accompanied us whenever we were outdoors.
I knew we were above sea level, in a high location, because I could feel less oxygen in the air and I also knew that we were probably in a country in the Northern Hemisphere but I couldn't be sure without a visual confirmation.
I had morphed once even though I was not allowed to do it. Out of the seven guards, Yuri, Valesca, Yosef, and Victor hadn't participated in the battle of La Push and had never seen a shapeshifter. One day when all the Elders were out, to satisfy their curiosity, they asked me to morph in the garden while they watched. I took that opportunity to search for weaknesses in the gates or the walls but there were none. Besides the mist turned much thicker. I was only able to confirm that we had been taken to a different continent because I couldn't contact any wolf from my pack.
Season had watched me transform and it had been difficult to approach her after that but a few days later she started making questions. It was still hard for her to accept what I was and that we were hostages of a vampire coven in a foreign place, and she still didn't believe she could erase vampires' abilities but she had begun to accept that reality wasn't as black and white as she thought it was.
I could feel the fear rolling off of her when we entered the car and left the manor. Deep down the both of us knew that we wouldn't be coming back after this little trip.
It didn't take me long to realize we were going down a mountain and that the mist had suddenly disappeared. Season was sitting next to me, her hand intertwined with mine and her eyes firmly closed.
She was scared because after almost a month we were leaving the house that had provided us some sort of safety but she was mostly scared because vampires were adrenaline junkies and drove like maniacs, and Ygor was not an exception. Driving down a mountain 250km per hour was not something normal people would do unless you were racing. Which was not the case.
"So, where are we going?" I tried. "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy little trips at night but it would be great to know our destiny."
"You'll see when we get there," Valerya replied. She was sitting next to Ygor.
"Do you really think we would tell you?" Serghei laughed in the back seat with us.
"I know where we are." I didn't know our exact location but after reading some of the information on the road I had finally realized we were going down the highest peak of the Alps.
The Alps were the highest and most extensive mountain system in Europe. It stretched across eight European countries. We were on the French side and going East.
"I know... You're probably impressed that I can read French, and so am I, but it's not that complicated." I added.
"This place is famous all around the world. You'd have to be really stupid not to recognize it." Serghei said. "Sorry, you can't enjoy the sight at this hour."
"That mist that surrounded the house was fake, wasn't it?"
"Everyone thought Victor's ability was useless." Ygor commented keeping his eyes on the road. "But I always said it would come in handy."
"We're going to Italy," I stated. We had just entered the Mont Blanc Tunnel on the French side. Geography had never been my favorite subject in school but a few years ago I had watched a documentary about the accident on that tunnel in 1999 involving a truck that caught fire.
"Yes, we are," Valerya admitted. "But that information is useless to you right now because none of us is returning to France."
"If that's true, why can't you tell me what's going to happen? I mean it's not like I can tell anyone about it, besides, I already know you're not going to war."
Valerya turned around to meet my eyes. Whatever she saw in them put a huge grin on her face.
"We're going to Volterra." She said. I didn't know if she was telling me the truth or trying to confuse me more.
"We have an army on the other side of the tunnel," Serghei added.
"Shut up, Serg," Valerya ordered. "He's right. It doesn't matter if he knows the truth... he can't tell anyone and he won't be able to do anything to stop us."
"Telling him can jeopardize everything." Serghei insisted.
"How?"
"His pack has an agreement with the Volturi! They're buddies!"
"His pack is miles away from here, on another continent with the Volturi!"
That caught my full attention. The Volturi were not in Italy? Why? What were they doing in the States? And why were we going to Volterra if they were not there?
"We're not buddies." I interrupted their argument. "We have a non-aggression treaty with the Volturi but we're not friends at all."
"See?" Valerya asked smugly. "Besides, that treaty will be broken soon enough."
"Why?" I inquired trying to hide my concern about it. Valerya gave me a long look before speaking again.
"Aro has finally realized that your girlfriend poses an enormous threat to his coven and he decided to get rid of her."
I didn't need further explanation. If she was telling me the truth and Aro had taken his men to La Push to capture and probably kill Season, everyone there was in danger. Aro was not the 'asking-nicely' kind of guy, he was going to make a demand and if that demand could not be answered, he would surely start a war.
My family and my friends were in danger and I couldn't do anything to help them. With Jane and Alec, Aro had a major advantage.
"There's going to be a war in La Push," I said matter-of-factly.
"Maybe... maybe not..." Valerya smiled. "That little Cullen girl, the one that sees the future... she might save the day."
I hoped Valerya was right but to count on Alice's visions was not good enough for me.
"I tell you what... if all of your friends die and you're the only one left of your kind, you can join us and get your revenge from the Volturi. Then when we finally take the power from them, you can be our lap dog. We'll build you a beautiful dog house so you can live and have puppies with your girlfriend. Would you like that?" Serghei laughed.
"We're not that easy to kill," I growled, startling Season beside me.
"Stop provoking the kid," Valerya ordered.
"You don't give me orders, woman!"
I needed to find a safe way out for me and Season fast. With all the information I had collected I knew they were planning to do something in Volterra taking advantage of the Volturi's temporary absence. They were probably counting on using Season and then they would certainly get rid of us. I didn't know for sure if they would try to turn Season into one of them or just kill her. My fate was sealed though. They had no use for a shapeshifter. Especially one they didn't trust.
There was some tension between Valerya and Serghei but it wasn't enough for me to use it to my advantage. I could phase right now to slow us down but if I destroyed the car I could accidentally kill Season.
The closest we were from Volterra, the more dangerous it was for us. Serghei had mentioned an army but apart from two black cars that were following us ever since we had left the tunnel, there was no evidence of an army of vampires anywhere.
"Why are we going to Volterra?" I decided to ask. "Taking a castle is useless if you don't kill its master."
"You're not as dumb as you look." Valerya smiled at me. "The truth is we don't want or need the Volturi's stronghold. We have our own headquarters and we really don't want all of them dead. There are things that can be worse than death. And that's why we're going there... because Aro left something very precious behind."
Scarlett. I thought immediately. It had to be her. Aro had rejoiced greatly when he had collected Scarlett after Joham's defeat. She was unique. The only vampire-child in the world that Aro hadn't ordered to be killed because she held an immense power. Her gift was even greater than Alec or Jane's.
Scarlett had been turned into a vampire when she was only eight years old but unlike other children, she had been able to control her bloodthirst and didn't pose a threat to humans. Now she was Aro's most precious possession and the cause of the permanent scowl on Jane's angelical face since she hated competition.
Because she was the most valuable vampire in Aro's coven, Scarlett was kept in Volterra 24/7. With all of her power, she didn't need protection but Aro had assigned two vampires as her bodyguards. Rosalie and Emmett, who used to visit Scarlett, had told us that the only reason the vampire-child was in Volterra was that she knew that if she told Aro she wanted to leave, he would hurt the people she loved the most which included the Cullens and her human distant relatives who lived in Scotland.
There was just one small thing I still had to figure out: how the hell were they going to capture or kill the most powerful vampire on the planet? Aro and Caius and the majority of their personal guard had traveled to the States but others had stayed. Aro would never leave Volterra vulnerable so he had probably left enough vampires to protect their home.
"Aro's going to be really pissed off if you go ahead with that plan of yours," I informed. "And he's a very dangerous individual when he's pissed off. Trust me."
"Well, we wouldn't want it any other way, boy..." Serghei laughed. "Trust me."
xxxxxxxxxx
It was still dark when we reached a small farm on our way to Volterra. The farm was formed by a house and three stables, where animals, probably horses, were sheltered. As the cars stopped, a middle-aged man wearing a night robe appeared at the door. He was human but he clearly knew about the existence of vampires.
He smiled brightly at the sight of Valerya and then they engaged in a conversation in Italian.
"Luca is going to cook you something to eat while we wait," Valerya said, motioning us to leave the car and get inside Luca's house. "She's on her way." She turned to Serghei. "Make sure everyone knows what to do. Especially Victor."
Serghei nodded and left towards the other two cars. I took Season's hand and led her inside. Luca asked us what we wanted to eat and since we didn't reply he went to a cupboard and took out a few eggs.
"Cheese omelet it is." He said happily going to the stove.
Valerya was outside talking to Serghei and Victor. I counted thirteen vampires in the area but the one they were actually expecting was still missing.
It took me a few minutes to realize what was going on. Everything got clear when I watched the Romanians putting the black Volturi robes on. They were going to enter Volterra dressed as Volturi and they were taking Season with them. But only her. There was only one black robe left and I was sure it wasn't for me or Luca.
"Here you are. Eat everything. It's bad manners to leave food in your plate." Luca smiled again. I picked up an erratic beat when he placed the plate in front of me. My instincts told me he had put something in my food. Maybe poison or a sedative. If I refused to eat the vampires would restrain or even kill me. I wasn't important to their plan anymore, so I ate everything hoping that my metabolism would be strong enough to fight whatever Luca had tempered my food with.
"I'm going to get dressed. You guys behave, okay?"
Season and I nodded and kept eating. As soon as Luca was gone I turned Season's chair to me and cupped her face.
"Listen to me, Season," I whispered. "They're going to separate us. They're going to take you with them and I'm staying here."
"I'm not going anywhere without you!" She objected.
"As soon as you leave, I'll follow you." If I'm still alive. A nagging voice sprout from my deepest thoughts.
"Please don't leave me alone with them. I'm scared."
"They'll take you to that small town over there." I pointed to the kitchen's window. It was dark outside but there were some lights on the top of the hill where Volterra was located. "It's not far and I've been here before. It'll be easy for me to find you."
"What do they want from me, Harry?"
"I think they want you to remove Scarlett's power. She's a very powerful vampire." I explained.
"Will they let me go after that?"
"I don't think so," I confessed. "That's why you can't touch Scarlett no matter what. She's our best chance to live. She's a child with red hair. Remember, don't touch her because if you do, you'll take away her powers and she won't be able to help us. Do you understand?"
Season nodded. She was close to tears.
"Trust me. I won't let anything happen to you." I promised.
Then I kissed her. I felt her hands pulling my shirt to bring us closer together and I deepened the kiss. I knew the vampires were aware of what was happening inside the kitchen but I didn't care.
"Time to go." I heard Valerya say followed by the closing of a door.
Season opened her eyes and we interrupted our kiss but I still had my forehead pressed to hers.
"I thought he'd be knocked out cold by now," Serghei said putting his head in the kitchen and leaving the next second.
I was right then. Luca had tempered my food and they were all expecting me to black out.
"Harry..." Season whispered. "I don't want to go..."
Valerya pulled Season and handed her the black robe. Luca joined us then.
"What about me?" He asked.
"We'll talk about your reward as soon as we get back," Valreya promised. "In the meantime, take good care of our guest."
Pushing Season out of the door, Valerya turned to me one last time.
"Goodbye dog," She said. "I wish I could say it was nice to meet you, but I'd be lying. And I never lie."
I got up but my arms and legs felt numb all of a sudden and then I hit the ground hard. I watched Luca waving and I could hear Season calling my name. Then I blacked out.
I didn't remain unconscious for too long. Luca tried to escape when he realized I was coming to my senses but I was back to normal and I grabbed him by the neck before he could reach the door. He tried to kick me while I lift him up by his neck.
"What's the hurry, Luca? If I remember correctly, Valerya wanted you to take good care of me. So... let's have a little chat."
Luca remained in silence while I tied him up to a chair. He was still too stunned about my quick recovery to respond to my comment.
"I'm going to ask you three questions and you better answer the truth. Do you understand?"
He nodded.
"First question: what was the reward Valerya was talking about? What's your part in all of this?"
Luca glared at me.
"Immortality." He said. "I want to be like them. They'll turn me after they defeat the Volturi. That's our deal. I gave up everything to help them. I spied on the Volturi for them, and now I want my reward."
Luca knew more than I had anticipated. He was a spy for the Romanians. He probably knew what was going on in Volterra.
"Second question: who were they waiting for?"
"I don't know who she is. I only know her name. Amelia."
I studied him carefully. He was probably telling the truth. Although he was a spy, Luca was only a human and the Romanians would definitely not entrust him with important information in case he was captured by the enemy.
The name of the vampire didn't give me much. I didn't know anyone named Amelia and during my staying in the Alps, I had never heard of her. She was either an Elder or a vampire with some kind of power. In any case, she was probably the one in charge right now and someone I should definitely avoid.
"Third question: do you have any clothes I can wear?"
Luca looked at me quizzically. He probably thought I was joking. But I needed at least one change of clothes in case I had to phase more than once. Nudity should be the least of my worries right now but it was awkward to walk around naked in front of strangers.
"You should be dead, boy. I gave you enough drugs to kill a horse."
"Lucky for me I'm not a horse. I'm a wolf."
The look on his face told me he didn't know what I was.
"What will you do to me?"
"Nothing. I have no use for you."
"You better kill me then. Because when Valerya and the others arrive and realize I failed, they won't make me immortal. And I rather be dead than not receiving the gift I worked so hard to get."
"Good. You should meditate on that wish of yours. Immortality is not as good as you think it is."
"You don't understand!"
"Yes, I do. Immortality can be very tempting but when you are immortal..."
"I gave them my family. My wife and my three daughters." He cut me off. "And as I watched them fed on my family I realized that I wanted to be like them. I was supposed to die with Anita and the girls but I begged for my life. I begged for a chance to be immortal one day. I sacrificed my wife and daughters to become immortal and they accepted not to kill me in exchange of my loyal services."
I was in shock for a minute. That son of a bitch had watched his family being killed by vampires and had done nothing to save them. Instead, he had begged them to spare his life and in return, we would work for them until he proved he was worthy of immortality. That was sick.
"Now I was going to get my wish, but you ruined it! I just wanted to live forever and..."
I couldn't hear him anymore so I clench my right fist and hit him hard in the face. The chair fell backward taking Luca with it. He was knocked out cold.
Humans can be despicable creatures. I sadly thought. Unfortunately, Luca was one of those humans whose obsession with immortality had taken him to do unspeakable things. He deserved to die for having sacrificed his family but I wouldn't carry his death on my conscience, so I left him there for the Romanians to deal with.
In the house, Luca didn't have clothes that would fit me but I found some in one of the stables. The label in the front of the shirt said 'Patrizio' who was probably employed in the farm.
According to my calculation, the Romanians had eight minutes on me, but I would be able to catch up on them easily in wolf form. I took off my clothes and tied them together with Patrizio's shorts and shirt to my ankle.
Leaving the hillside farm behind I ran as fast as I could up the hill towards Volterra. The full moon was up in the night sky silently watching my every move. I knew from the start that the Romanian vampires would not spare me. I was just an expendable piece in their complex and dangerous chess board. Besides, I knew too much about them and their plans to be set free.
I had been a prisoner for almost a month. During that time I had played the Romanians' game and I had led them to believe that they were playing me.
But now it was my turn to play them.
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