Edward.
Aro returned shortly, appearing disgruntled. His good humour was growing thin – I heard echoes of his thoughts, hoping that this would have been a lot easier than it was. He'd sent a messenger to fetch Jane, who appeared to be otherwise predisposed.
It took nearly fifteen minutes for the tiny demon to finally enter the grand hall, her face in a fiery contortion. She glowered at me before looking back to her master.
"Perhaps privacy would suit us best?" she advised.
"He will hear us any way," Aro replied apathetically. "Tell me, child. What has you so distressed? I trust the girl lives?"
She scowled, and I heard a dark thought rip through her mind. That's when I understood that she wasn't just distressed or angry.
She was murderous. Vengefully so.
He touched her cheek worriedly, closing his eyes. Her memories flickered through his mind's eye as he watched in perturbation. I saw Bella being hunted from shadows, being taunted. It made me boil. Then, they approached and started to hurt her in any way they could, given her immunity to their powers. Finally, just as they were to begin slowly biting her in order to prolong the pain of the venom, they were interrupted. This was what had blinded Alice's visions – the presence of werewolves.
Damn it, Jacob! my mind groaned. However, I retracted my annoyed thought, realising he'd most definitely saved her life...
Three wolves fought the eighteen vampires, several of whom kept back. They had not been expecting to fight, and many of them were only on the guard for their powers, not their fighting skills. Demetri and Felix led the battle, but Jane was without a doubt the most vicious. Others were quickly destroyed as the smallest werewolf ran ahead with Bella. I sighed in relief.
Two vampires followed Bella, and the rest stayed to dance on the outskirts of the fight. Another half a dozen vampires fought alongside Demetri and Felix - until Jane's twin, Alec, met the salivating jaw of the largest wolf. Trapped in his teeth, the wolf's head thrashed about as Alec screamed like a frightened child, Jane shrieking in unison like a mourning lover. The second wolf leapt at Alec, seizing his legs. With a screech of metal, his limbs were torn away and Jane could not be contained. Unbridled, she sank her teeth deeply into the russet wolf's neck. He whined and shook her off as the smaller dog dragged Alec away, his remaining limbs flailing madly. More screeching metal was heard as she dismembered him completely. Short of being burned...he was very nearly destroyed. Effectively dead.
Demetri and Felix joined Jane, punishing the russet werewolf for his crime. Felix held him down as Jane continued to drink him with distaste, before spitting out his blood. She settled for snapping his legs, one by one. The wolf howled in misery.
The grey wolf catapulted back into the rocky room, her teeth catching Demetri's throat. The other vampires bolted, scared of the fate they'd witnessed Alec and another suffer...
At this point, Aro's lip flared.
"Cowards..." he said coldly.
Jane could not cry. She had no tears. But her thoughts, fragmented and wild, were like liquid fire. They melted her from within as her insides writhed in pain. Alec had been her world. I'd never known how devoted and obsessed she had been with her twin.
His absence made it clear.
"My poor dear..." Aro kissed her forehead. "I am sorry. Alec was one of my favourites..."
She gasped for breath, putting a disturbing spin on the image of a child who'd fallen off of a playset and was getting a band aid from an affectionate father. "Master," she whimpered, "Don't let them live!"
He shushed her. "What of the girl, though? Did you find her?"
Her eyes flashed up at him.
How dare you? she spat. My brother! You care about the girl, but not my brother?! Too emotional to go on, she yanked herself away, shaking. Caius, insulted by her insolence, marched over and slapped her face. "You were asked a question, Jane," he thundered, utterly intolerant of any defiance, even among the most beloved of the guard. She fell silent, looking down at her feet.
Marcus simply stared off into space. "Our family is smaller, Aro," he said lazily. "I hope your obsession has been worth it..."
Her thoughts snagged my attention, though.
Mate for mate, she promised, her fingers quivering in repressed rage.
I growled with ferocity. "You will not touch Bella!" I snarled at her. She turned and looked at me with the wide eyes of a child long dead. Her pain smothered me.
"My quarrel is not with you this time, Edward," she sneered. "You are not the centre of this earth, contrary to what you and Aro seem to think."
"Jane!" Caius bellowed at her.
Without another word, she left swiftly.