A/N: My apologies for the wait, I could not for the life of me come up with an ending with Bella and Demetri. I played about with it all day to no avail. Maybe they didn't want to be rushed, so one more chapter to bring them together xx Alexis
Marcus
What in Gods name is going on down there? Fire! Here in the most flammable place ever created! I warned him this could happen one day, but why today? He's not that stupid is he or that far gone. Maybe he thinks he's invincible, impervious to fire! I fear we have pushed him beyond his limit and now he will be harder to contain, wherever he is hiding. We need Demetri to let us know his exact location; you could search for days otherwise in this rabbit warren of tunnels and side passages. There are many rooms below us and he could be bidding his time before more sneak attacks occur.
"Elite Guard to Master Caius and find that fire. Jane, Afton, Chelsea to your old duties! Upper Guards to your posts extinguish every flame in this godforsaken place. Now! Lower Guard to the water pumps on the double, our lives depend on it!"
On reaching Caius' side I find all our guests with him. In fact everyone but Aro, the wives and Isabella and Demetri were accounted for and we knew they were hunting.
"Where's Aro and are the wives safe?" I ask as I come to a stop,
"Aro's missing and there are three separate fires, so it's arson and my bet is it's him! The wives are in my quarters and it's just as well because the stairs to the tower are beyond repair, luckily there was little to no other damage. The dungeons and the cellars were the sites of the other two outbreaks" Caius says angrily,
"I'm heading to the archives and locking them down till he's found, there is too much to lose down there. Renata, does Isabella still have us all covered?" I say and on hearing her affirmative take Heidi and Jane with me and I rush off, it would just be like him to destroy my life's work.
Demetri
"Isavéla, that was Felix, they think Aro has been setting fires in the Citadel, three so far but not a lot of damage. We best return at once" I turn to say to her and she cocks her head,
"Now I'm guessing that was Isabella? I'd rather you called me Bella thanks anyway, I always think I'm in trouble when someone calls me Isabella!" she said and I nodded,
In my head, I was already calling her Kalloní, which was Belle or Beauty in my native tongue. Maybe one day she will let me call her that, a nickname between just us. So Aro's starting to lose the plot, now he has no one to aid him. He will be more dangerous and unpredictable, more likely to do something over-exaggerated and lethal. But to attempt to burn down the Citadel with everyone inside, including himself I presume, is madness. No, let's be honest its insanity and we've known for centuries he was insane. From the day Didyme died he just hasn't been the same, if the rumours are true, no wonder.
We ran like the wind back from Rome, Kalloni was fast, in fact as fast as me and I was one of the fastest vampires in the Volturi. Small groups were searching the place from top to bottom looking for Aro. He was still here I knew that where exactly was another matter and I needed time and calm to pinpoint him. He would never willingly leave Volterra, he believes he and he alone is the rightful ruler. So where is he hiding and why? Master's Marcus and Caius don't want Kalloni left alone at any time; they forget she's the most protected vampire here, protected by herself.
Bella
Demetri was turning out to be a lot nicer than I thought. He's much less arrogant and nasty one on one. Or is that because Chelsea's gift is lifted? Did they all play up because it was expected of them by Aro? They all are different away from him, was this their way of hiding their true selves from him? It's all quite perplexing; I know Felix was trying to make up for his bullying tactics too. On the other side of the coin, Jasper, Rose and Emmett are different too. They are so less humanlike than I remember and seem harder and stronger, their personalities I mean.
Everyone had been acting the part given to them, now I was seeing the real them. At least with Demetri, he has retained something of his human self, his Greek, kind of like Jasper and his southern drawl. I like all the little words and phrases he says, trying to guess what they mean and I know most are about me or to me and it's nice. It's a little bit of normality in a sea of chaos. I'm trying to act like a vampire, but I think I'm defective, it doesn't come naturally. Maybe with time and as my human actions and reactions fade over time.
I think because I was aware of the supernatural and half ready for this one day, I am more like myself than the others had been. Whatever! Demetri seemed a little frazzled and had asked for quiet twice without success. So I wrapped my shield around him and blocked out the sound for him, his head shot up and he gave me the most glorious smile I'd ever seen. It was half a smirk, but not arrogant or cocky as Edward's had been. In fact, it was natural and not forced or practised. Dear God, he was a stunning man when he wasn't trying to be anything but himself.
No wonder the women fell over themselves to gain and keep his attention. Well, he may be mine now, but I wasn't going to fall for one spectacular smile, well not yet anyway! He's going to have to work for it and I'm going to enjoy the show. There is something empowering about being in a mated relationship, for all their bluff and thunder, we always end up with the upper hand. Unlike human men, vampire mates need their partner on a fundamental level and will do all and anything to please her. They are prepared to give their all for their mate, not that I want that.
"Got him, he's in the catacombs, using the tunnels to get from place to place. He can set fires or worse and be gone in seconds" Demetri said and everyone stilled,
"We have to start sealing them off one by one, Marcus you must have a map of this hellhole somewhere?" Caius growled, still angry that Aro had tried to kill the wives,
"Show me, I can use my shield to block them if I can see it in my mind. Then I just pull it into itself until I have him trapped in one place. Then you can retrieve him or I just crush him to death, the choice is yours?" I said casually, definitely getting in touch with my vampire side now.
"We capture him alive and he pays for his crimes against us all. Then I will kill him!" Marcus growled and I knew he was determined to be the one to end Aro's life, after centuries of waiting.
Aro
They have all turned on me, me who gave them everything they ever needed! How dare they, I have been a good and just ruler and they are greedy, bloodthirsty wretches. I gave them life and this is how they repay me, with treachery and treason. They should have been honoured to live and die for me, for my greater glory and not their small pathetic needs. I need no mate, what makes them think they deserve what I myself am above? I blame that fool Marcus; he made the loss of a mere woman seem as if his life was ending.
She was only his wife and lover and I had to kill her, my own sister so my loss was greater, more superior than his. But for the good of my realm, I bore the hardship, why could he not do the same? They are pathetic and now expendable, I will destroy them all and then that bitch Isabella will bow down to the better man. I am her leader and she will learn her place, at my feet. Maybe I'll take her as my concubine, never my Queen; no mere woman is fit to be my equal. Yes, now for a few more distractions before the grand finale.
They know nothing of my castle I know where everything is hidden and let's say they are about to go out with a bang. What is this? Why can I not pass through this doorway? I am trapped down here; they intend to trap me for eternity. Because none are brave enough to kill me face to face, none willing to fight me man to man. The cowards were sneaking around behind my back, plotting to ensnare me. I will show them, I will have the last laugh!
Jasper
"I don't think any of you will get a chance to kill him. I've tapped into his emotions through Bella's shield and its full-blown psychosis. He intends to do somethin' big and take as many of you with him when he does. What's down there? Explosives? Bombs? What?" I say with some apprehension,
Not much scares a vampire, but things that cause fire are a definite worry. He intends to give us a show, his last hurrah, so to speak.
"Gunpowder, barrels of gunpowder!" Alec says now to his two Masters,
"What? How much?" Caius demands,
"A whole cavern full. It was to be a farewell present for any who stole the throne. We would creep back in through an unmarked tunnel and set it off under the usurper!" He replied quietly,
"Where is it located?" Marcus asked now worriedly,
"Directly below us, in a subterranean cavern, it's shaped like a funnel and so is the room above. It purports to be a storeroom but is part of the funnel to straight below our feet" Jane now adds,
"You were both privy to this plot?" Caius asked,
"Yes, but it was long ago and I'd relegated it to the back of my mind when no one threatened you reign Masters" she explained and they nodded,
"Bella darlin', can your shield withstand that kind of blast do you think?" I enquired, half afraid of the answer,
"I don't know, but I can strengthen it, give it layers so to speak and make it into a ball. That way when it blows it will pulse out but contain the blast. Otherwise, the blast would go down and do untold damage to the structure of the hill, the town and Citadel is on! Demetri, I need to know when he's below us so I can pull the ball in fairly tight and then when it pulses the damage will be minimal. We might lose this floor though" Bella said,
"Not if we lift the flagstones, the earth will absorb the pulse and resettle and after it's over, fill in that storage room to be sure it's stable," Emmett said and everyone turned to look at him,
"What, I have a degree in Architecture and Archaeology too! I was working through the alphabet, I'm at P now! You know P for Pyrotechnics, so I know about the absorption rates of different materials to low-level explosives. Stop staring at me, it's embarrassing!" he said trailing off under the looks of surprise and admiration,
"That's my mate, a man of many talents!" Rose said proudly as she hugged him tightly.
Bella
Well damn, that looks like the future for us all, learn as much as you can and we'll be much more self-sufficient.
"Hey Em, I want to talk about Phlebotomy with you and Rose later, okay?" I say turning back to the floor and see the flagstones disappearing quickly to one of the courtyards,
"He's in an antechamber off the main cavern, To eidikó mou" Demetri informs me and I see a smile on Marcus' lips and know it's another little endearment,
"Okay then, I need Demetri and Jasper under my shield, one to keep tabs on him, the other to pinpoint that moment of exultation when he lights the fuses. I have pulled it in and it is a sphere around him and the cavern at present. The minute he lights it up I'll shrink it down to contain the blast.
I suggest you have an excuse ready for the humans because they will feel it. Say a gas line exploded or something like that. Get Gianna's replacement to tell them it was in an unused part of the Citadel and has been contained, plus repairs are underway" I reeled off and now I was getting admiring looks,
Geez, its only common sense, always cover your bases and all that. I think living too long in one place is bad for vampires, they become stuck in a rut and stagnate somewhat. Well now it's just a waiting game, it all depends on how long before he set's it off and then its curtains for him. Demetri signals he'll be back in two minutes and when he returns he hands me a flask. A flask of blood to keep up my strength I presume and I nod and smile genuinely at him, it is a kind gesture, more it is a mate type gesture, he's watching out for me. I drink deeply and without thought offer it back to him and he is beaming at me.
"Thank you, Kalloni," he said raising it to his lips and I see Jasper staring longingly at Renata,
"Renata, will you join us? Can you protect us, as I try to protect the Citadel?" I ask and she nods and rushes to Jasper's side,
"Everyone else, I think out in the courtyard will be safest. Please bring the wives too. We stand a greater chance out there if Isabella can't contain the blast. They will be protected by their combined shields as will their mates" Caius said and everyone trooped out calling good luck over their shoulders,
One long hour passed before Demetri motioned he was moving into the chamber. Jasper shook his head,
"His emotions are chaotic and I fear he would be beyond anyone's help if we caught him. This might be a blessin' in disguise all around" he whispered and the two Volturi elite guards nodded,
I really didn't care any longer, mad or not he tried to kill my parents. As if that would have bent my will to his, yes he is completely mad.
"Now!" Jasper hissed and I pulled the sphere closer to the gunpowder and trapped Aro in beside it,
"No! You Can't! I'm Aro Vol...!" we heard screamed before theboom of a contained explosion sounded,
It was muffled down there below us and as Emmett said the ground we stood on pulsed but settled back again as if nothing had happened. It was over I released my shield slowly when I determined there was no fire due to lack of oxygen. I had never been so mentally exhausted before, keeping my shield up for so long now suddenly sapped my strength and I felt myself lurch to one side. Before I could fall I was swept up in strong arms and carried away. This wasn't my room; this looked like a guestroom actually. I felt myself being lowered to a bed and the mattress dipping as someone sat beside me.
"Rest, you have overdone it for one so young. We are not as invincible as some would have you believe" Demetri said softly and I nodded,
He was holding my hand and I enjoyed the comfort it gave me,
"Imagine you're in your most favourite of places, let your mind wander free and relive that which made it so" he murmured,
"I don't have one, books were my escape. Tell me about yours, show me with words the place you hold dear" I asked softly,
Demetri slid onto the bed beside me and for the next couple of hours told me all about the Island of Rhodes, as it had been when he was human. He described the sights, the sounds and all that made it home to him back then. I envied him that stability in his childhood, I never had with Renee. A place above all others to call home, somewhere that lingered long in the memory and improved with time and distance. I wanted that, even now having a home would be a constant, a thing that I lacked.
Marcus
I could barely comprehend it was over, after all this time. Finally, he was dead, not by my hand but dead all the same. My plans for revenge have changed over the years and really I just wanted him gone and with him Chelsea's control, but it went first and then as he descended into total madness, him. So what now, do I go or stay and help Caius keep the peace. I need to retire to my archives and recharge my batteries, as they say; this has been a hectic few days. Who knew when the Cullen's dragged a hapless human here all would change forever.
I wondered what Isabella and Demetri will do now? I know he's beyond scunnered* with Volterra and who could blame him. I can't see either of them returning to America, Isabella can't afford to be seen there and he, no America is not for him. Greece maybe, a secluded island somewhere off the coast. I know he still remembers Rhodes fondly and of us all only he still speaks Greek on occasion. Whereas none of us did, not even in the beginning. Maybe it was the childhood upbringing, his was a happy one, we were not so lucky in the oppressive crowded city.
Isavéla (Ισαβέλα)(Greek) - Isabella
Kalloní (Καλλονή)(Greek) - Belle or Beauty
To eidikó mou (Το ειδικό μου)(Greek) - My special one
* Scunnered (English) Skunnered (Scottish) - 1. intr. To feel reluctance (to do something); to hesitate; to feel disgust, revulsion or discouragement. Barb.