Chapter III

Stop

In one quick movement, rapidly glancing at the Cullen's and my answer, I opened the door and fled. I headed towards the forest at full speed trees flashing by me I couldn't recall how many times I had to do this, how many times I had to flee from things that were lurking. I couldn't let my guard down not for a moment because that's when they would find me. It was already too dangerous coming here, a place already known to them. But the pull was too strong. I had to know I was not alone. Now that I had, I was in one of the most content states I had ever been. But all thoughts of the girl left my mind when I had gazed at him. But I could not ponder that, I needed to leave. I focused again on the blur of green as I ran. That's when I sensed it. Heavy beats on the ground and low breaths, not all of them were vampires. I didn't have time to think on this new curiosity. I was being pursued and I knew immediately who was at the front of the party. I tried to convince myself to be confused but my brain didn't buy it, I knew why he followed, because I was feeling exactly the same. Longing spiking through me to just stop and let myself meet him. I wanted it so badly it almost made me breathless. But I pushed it aside at the thought of the consequences for him, for me. I pushed myself forward. They did not know that I had lived for over seven centuries and had an arsenal of escape routes that I had been practicing to precision for over 5 of those centuries; since they first discovered me. I could hear running water up ahead a plan had already weaved itself into my mind, a small smirk forming on my lips. I came upon the wide river that flowed down towards a waterfall that rapidly flowed into the sea that stretched for endless blue. I had approximately 5 second before he reached me. No time to think. I leapt.

I hurtled towards the river readying myself into a dive when I heard it. I sound that tore through me like nothing I had experienced. It was a howl. A howl that was strangled and desperate like an animal in agony. Without thinking I altered my course I hit the bank and leapt onto the other side. Spinning round and gasping at what I saw. A giant Sandy-haired, hazel eyed, wolf was standing on the opposite side of the bank poised to jump eyes locked on my form. Its body was ready to leap.

"Don't" I whispered sorrow and desperation laced in my voice.

The sandy-haired wolf froze gazing at me imploringly and started to shake, I tried to convince myself it was from anger. He whined a high-pitched agonised noise, claws scraping at the bank. I just looked at him. "You can't," my voice cracked, body leaning towards the force that made me feel so safe. Hoping, wishing desperately he would understand why.

Then silently out of the trees behind my wolf four others giant shaggy haired wolves emerged and with them they brought the Cullens. I could sense everyone's trepidation as they looked from me to the quivering wolf. My attention only spared them a moment as I focused back on his shaking form ours eyes locking. And at that moment I almost jumped. But then I saw them in my mind, tearing him apart and it terrified me more than anything I had ever encountered. That's when the bronze-haired male vampire gasped. A sound that ripped through the air causing heads to whip round. But his gaze was on me. He whispered one word that made me freeze.

"The Volturi."

My eyes widened. How did he...? Then I grasped it: Mind-reader. I raised a single eyebrow at him an unsaid question. He nodded his head quickly in response and to confirm my assumption. Abruptly, growls ripped from the wolves' throats and they raised their hackles. It took me a moment to realise their aggression was directed at me. I almost laughed at the irony of what they thought; they thought I was a member of the Volturi. If only they knew.

Suddenly, a thought struck me; this was my chance to reconcile myself for my act of leaving him. I directed my gaze at the bronze-haired vampire, determined, and released it all. I let the thoughts and memories flood my brain. How I was born into this world and not "created". How The Volturi found out about my existence and my extraordinary power, how Aro's greed and want for me in his collection compelled him to not take my rejection of his offer and it had him hunting for me for over five centuries; and how I hadn't stopped running since. How my crippling loneliness almost consumed me and the pure joy at finding I had another of my rare kind only minute's before-hand. How I never connected and never gave my-self a chance to do so. For it was all in the run for survival. I let him see how much I wanted to stay and the feelings that raged through my body when I saw the man with the hazel eyes. I cut of my stream of thought. His eyes were wide, shocked, awed from the on-slaught of my thoughts. Yet I saw the underlying pity there.

"You understand now." I whispered voice breaking in the slightest. I low whine came from my wolf. The bronze-haired man nodded but still had a frown on his face; I concluded it was caused by absolute pity for my worthless existence. The frown deepened. I sighed slightly. That's when the growls started. They were unaccompanied this time however, and were not directed at me. It was my wolf growling at the bronze-haired man, I ignored it. I had to focus I had already spent far too much precious time conversing and stopping, I had to leave now. I took a glance at the bronze-haired vampire who had a deep crease between his eyes as he watched and read my thoughts.

"Tell him. Please." I noticed and discarded the fact that my voice was desperate and broken. The bronze-haired vampire looked at me for a long moment conflict in his topaz eyes. He then proceeded to take a glance at Seth who was looking back and forth between me and the mind-reader, undecided, low whimpers escaping him. But he paused and looked the mind-reader straight in the eye. They seemed to be having some form of a staring contest. I took this time to take a fleeting glance around the group that was separated from me by the growling river. All the Cullen's were present the burly brunette with supermodel-blonde. The small brunette, in her arms my answer. The two honey-blonde leaders and the lean blonde with his arms around the pixie type vampire. It was here where I made eye contact for she was looking straight at me. Her Topaz eyes were set in a frown and she mouthed one word to me- Stay. I quickly changed my glance back to my wolf and the bronze haired vampire. I decided it was time to leave. Mind-reader's head snapped up, obviously finding my thoughts. This caused my wolf to also turn and look. I locked my eyes with his and let all the emotions overwhelm me again. I turned towards the sea and-

"No!" the shout came from the mind-reader and he was speaking quickly and quietly to the pixie, too quietly even for my advanced hearing to decipher. The Sandy-haired wolf looked up in hope shaking with it almost. Mind-reader turned to look at me,

"You can stay with us." He said it clear and defined, but I was already shaking my head, he held his hands up,

"Please," he said, "Can we please just talk my family would very much like to meet you and Seth," he gestured to my wolf, Seth, "well Seth would, to put it mildly, like to marry you and love you forever." My eyes surely went to the size of saucers as I turned to look at Seth, who returned my gaze with a wolfy-grin. I think my heart skipped a couple of beats. But then it all vanished when I came frustrated at the mind-read-

"Edward." He said. I nodded once and adapted to the name.

"Don't you understand, didn't you see?" I almost shouted at him anger burning through my veins, "They will do anything, to get me Edward, absolutely anything. They'd kill you all, even if you haven't done anything! Aro wants me so badly. I can't let any more people die because of me!" I was screaming at him now tears pooling from my eyes, I hadn't cried for two centuries. My breaths were ragged and I knew my carefully manufactured mask of no emotion had cracked and broken leaving the real me underneath, cracked and broken. Seth was growling so dangerously I was even scared of him for a second. He obviously just grabbed my connection to The Volturi, and didn't like it. But Edward was shaking his head slowly a small smile on his face I narrowed my eyes at him failing to see the humour in this situation.

"You... retold to me that it was made ten times harder about two centuries ago when a certain member joined, Demetri?" The minute his name left Edward's lips I couldn't control myself as I pictured him and a low dangerous growl slipped from my lips and my hands shifting into claws. He was the reason I had been running for so long the reason the arseholes could find me. Edward nodded slightly then said with a small smirk on his lips,

"We have found a solution." I froze, not daring myself to hope, impossible there was no solution I had hunted for it but came up with nothing, zip, zilch, nada. Edward then pulled forward the petite Brunette and slung his arm around her waist with an adoring look at her.

"Meet my wife Bella, her ability," He said quickly an excited look in his eye, "is a mental shield and it blocks all mental powers like Demetri's and Aro's and Jane's and Alec's and mine." He looked at me as I let this information process, no more pain, no more paralysis, no more mind reading and,

"They wouldn't be able to find me." I said it with an almost reverence. I wide beam took over Edward's face,

"Exactly" He said softly. I looked at him wide eyed, but then a shadow of doubt over took me.

"But, you don't want the responsibility of looking after me, I mean, you shouldn't. You haven't even spoken to your family. I should handle my own problems." I mumbled. Just then a loud bark made its way over to me. Seth I almost sighed at the name was standing looking me dead in the eye, adoringly again and the determination was there. I didn't know why we had this connection but I was sure I loved him. I looked back at Edward again and saw him smile slightly,

"I think we should take a vote" He said "all those in favour of Eliza joining the family" Edward and Bella immediately raised their hands, the lean blonde took a glance at his pixie who nodded slightly and they raised their hands, The blonde leader smiled slightly along with his wife who took a glance at Seth and raised their hands. The burly brunette grinned and raised his hand, as Edward chuckled. I raised an eyebrow at him, "Emmett says you must be a pretty good fighter if you escaped the Volturi for 5 centuries. He's looking forward to a match."

I grinned at the brunette, "Oh, you have no idea"

He smirked back, "Bring it on." He said. I laughed, but a low growl came from Seth directed to Emmett. He seemed to be glaring at the burly Vampire. Emmett grinned raising his hands in defence, "I'll go easy on her mate." He said. I made a noise of contempt. That didn't make Seth too happy as he frowned at me. I smiled innocently back, which made his eyes turn adoring again.

"Anyway" said the pixie a small smile on her face. Everyone turned their attention to the last remaining Vampire. The cool-eyed blonde was looking at me with a blank mask but I saw a trace of hostility. She looked at me for a moment,

"I will raise my hand on one condition" Her voice was soft yet firm. My silence spoke for her to go on. She looked me dead in the eye and ice met sky. "If," she continued, "If there is any chance what-so-ever of the Volturi finding you, or coming anywhere near my family. You leave." She said it as a command there was no going round it. I smiled slightly at the stunning blonde, "Of course" I complied easily. Her hand rose, along with the others. Carlisle beamed jovially and started to speak when Edward cut him off, his head turned to the bristling pack that was making a move, "The pack wish to be as much a part of this, as we are." I frowned slightly, they wanted to have a say even though I was already practically part of the Cullen's. Edward tapped into my thoughts, "No it's not that" he said, "They just want you to be part of the pack, as much as you are part of the Cullen's. They want to also initiate you, so to speak, into the family," I glanced at Seth and nodded.

Turning my head slightly to the right I met a gaze of deep blue encased in black fur, the huge wolf blinked at me, I blinked back. We stared. It seemed to last hours his eyes never giving and mine never yielding, I could sense the power and authority he had over the pack by the way he held himself and by the way his eyes never flickered or gave any sense of weakness. He was quietly imposing. That being taken into account, I was still stronger, I could tell that he was still reasonably young and that's where I had the edge, its where I always had the edges, my life was filled with sharp edges and never any ledges for me to rest. So looking into the dark blue, I was not fazed, after a while he blinked again inclining his head, I inclined mine keeping eye contact until they the ovals clicked to rest on Edward who smiled softly raising his face to me over the forgotten river between us.

"Welcome to the family, Eliza." Those words caused a huge beam to stretch its way across my face, old muscles being put to use once again. I heard Seth draw in a breath, and my eyes now blurring from moisture rested on him, he was looking at me the same, adoring reverent look, and I for the first time let myself stop. Stop thinking of escape strategies, what country I would go to next, where to avoid be caught on any form of surveillance (a prime annoyance of the 21st century). I felt safe in his gaze.

"Thank you." I whispered, "Thank you all." And with that I leaped into the air leaving my old life behind.