I'm so happy to get another chapter out. School has been ridiculous! I wrote this chapter tonight, hours ago, but for whatever reason the site wouldn't let me post it. I think there's something very wrong with my laptop in general... Great.

Anyway, I've been a bit stuck on this story. I'm still stalling in this chapter a bit, lol, but hopefully you all will like.

Let me know what you think.

SPOV

I led her to the car, watching as her eyes betrayed the fear she felt. One of the guards stood, waiting for us, with the backseat door open.

"Thank you," I muttered to him as I pushed Bella down onto the leather seat.

I climbed in next to her and shut my eyes as the car began to move. It had been a long day, and while the Cullens were most certainly not frightening to me in any way, the task had taken a lot out of me.

"Do you sleep?"

My eyes shot open and I saw Bella watching me curiously.

"I suppose you'll have to wait and find out," I told her, grinning.

She sighed and looked out the window.

"So the two of you reconciled! How sweet."

She shook her head but did not turn to look back at me.

"You can think of this as me doing you a favor. I'm saving you from the trauma of Edward leaving you all over again and-"

Bella spun around, her face contorted in murderous rage. I'd never seen her like this before. I liked it.

"Don't you dare say his name ever again. You don't have the right, the privilege, the… anything, to say his name."

"Testy, testy," I clicked my tongue and feigned disapproval. "Aro is going to have to whip you into shape."

Stiffening, she turned to me fully. "What does he want with me?" she asked me carefully.

"Bella," I said in a patronizing tone, patting her shoulder in a mock comforting gesture, "you really have no idea, do you? You have no idea of the power you possess? Just wait and see my Bella, just wait and see. Aro will show you and soon… soon you'll be the pearl of the Volturi. The pearl of the world. And I… will be by your side. My Bella..."

She shivered visably. "Don't call me yours."

"You are mine," I said simply.

"No," she growled, her eyes flashing, "I'm not."

I laughed, the sound reverberating in the darkness of the car. "Bella," I whispered, leaning close to her ear and grinning at her flinch, "I think you're mistaken. You're mine. You will always be mine now."

EPOV

"What does he want with her?" I yelled at Carlisle.

"Edward, calm down," Esme whispered, her face paler than I'd ever seen it.

"It's all right, Esme," Carlisle said in a soothing tone, never taking his eyes from mine.

I don't know what he wants with her, Edward. I'm just as much in the dark about this as you are. But I think I have an idea… Maybe Aro has been investigating her. Maybe she has some talent we've been oblivious to.

"And Shane? What does he want with her?" I demanded, my stomach dropping at all the possibilities. I saw the images in my head of all his fantasies but I hoped it was all just for my benefit- to upset me.

Jasper cleared his throat. "The emotions coming off of him were very, very deep. Lust, possession, grandeur. He thinks he's smarter and more powerful than all of us put together and… he may very well be right."

Emmett snorted. "Impossible."

"You may have a point," Carlisle said. "I don't know if… beings… like him have a name or not, or what they're capable of, but I know a great deal of those in Italy fear them. If they fear 'people' like Shane, we are slightly in over our heads."

"Do you hear them any more?" Alice asked me.

I just shook my head. My heart felt dead. Once again I left Bella defenseless, in the arms of evil. Didn't I promise to protect her always?

"Are they going to turn her into one of them? Into the worst kind of monster?" I asked Carlisle quietly.

"Bella would never allow that," Rosalie said fiercely. We all looked at her in surprise. She merely shrugged and looked to Carlisle.

Carlisle watched me sadly for a few moments before slowly nodding. "It's possible. They're capable of anything they set their minds to."

"We have to go there, then!" Emmett shouted, slamming his fist on the kitchen table.

"It's not that easy," Carlisle murmured, looking down to the floor. "They'll be expecting us. And… if I know them as well as I think I do… they'll be watching us from now on. Bella is very important to Aro, even if the reason still remains unclear, even to Aro himself. I could tell he was extremely reluctant to let go of her. I should have realized… I'm sorry, Edward."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault."

No, Carlisle. It's not your fault. It's all mine.

Alice gasped and the familiar blurriness set in, covering her eyes. I watched her vision with her.

For the first time in my many years as a vampire, I actually felt sick to my stomach.

Bella stood in front of many vampires, her back to our perspective. She was laughing bitterly, harshly… coldly. The vampires looked on, their red eyes wide with fear and shock. Her pale, small hand clutched someone's hair. Our view lowered and the hair was revealed to belong to a decapitated head.

"I'm not 'weak Bella' anymore," she giggled. "Are you surprised?"

Our family stormed in through the giant wooden doors, disbelief and sadness clear on our faces.

The vision faded out. Alice's eyes met mine and she shuddered.

"What happened?" Carlisle asked firmly, stepping in front of Alice.

"Bella… she…" Alice seemed to get strangled by the words themselves.

"She's going to rip a human's head off," I said flatly, finishing the sentence no one wanted to hear, least of all myself. "She claims in the vision she's not the same as she once was."

I stepped back from my family and slumped down on the couch. My head fell in my hands and I sobbed loudly, ignoring my family's frantic thoughts. They watched me from the kitchen as I fell apart, once again.

It doesn't matter, Edward, Alice told me. Deep down, she'll always be Bella. We all know that. There must be some misunderstanding! It can't be. We'll figure this out. We'll get to her in time, I promise. I won't let this happen!

I picked my head up from my hands and stared at the wall. A laugh choked out of me that still sounded like a sob.

"It's already happened, Alice. It's already happened."

BPOV

After what seemed like an eternity, our plane landed in Italy. Shane smiled at me and led to me yet another shiny black car, equipped with beefy looking vampires that were sent to guard me.

Why me? Why did I have to have delicious smelling blood as a human? Why did Aro, of all people, have to change me? Why did he want me back? Why did I have to have, according to Shane, an important power?

A fluttering sensation on my cheek brought me back to what was before me. I looked on in horror as Shane continued to stroke my face, a boyish grin spreading his lips.

"Get your hand off of me," I hissed through my teeth.

Before I could defend myself, Shane had me flipped on my back on the backseat. He climbed on top of me and pressed me forcefully against the leather, which groaned around our heavy weight. It didn't hurt, of course, but the threat was still there.

"You don't seem to quite understand the situation yet, my sweet, but I'm hoping that you will. Very soon." I shivered beneath him. I could have vomited at the wicked smile that formed on his face. He liked my reaction. Apparently he liked it very much. "When we arrive at the castle," he whispered in my ear, "the very first thing I'm going to do to you- after we greet Aro, of course- is make you mine." I gasped. He pulled his head away slightly, his eyes focused on my lips. "Do you understand what that means, Bella?" he asked huskily.

"Get off of me," I said, meaning to sound ferocious. I ended up sounding breathless and pathetic.

"Never," he whispered against my chest. "Never," he repeated against my chin. "Never," he whispered just inches away from my lips.

And then he lowered his head and whispered against my lips. "Never."