Volterra Part II:
'Being in the nude near Blondie was not high on his priority list'
Jake was following Carlisle's scent. He would have taken Renesmee to her parents but they might throttle him. Carlisle was always the patient one. He would wait long enough to hear an explanation. Jake had lost Seth and Leah in the chaos. There were too many wolves yapping in his head from Sam's pack so he was going to have to go and manually find them. He was their alpha and if anything happened to them he would never forgive himself. He would never be able to show his face on the reservation again. Seth was like the little brother he never had. And Leah was like another sister he could have done without, but he loved them both like family.
Finally the doctor's scent became strong as Jake rounded a corner and ran right into Blondie.
"I thought I smelt something putrid. Watch where you're going mutt," Rosalie quipped before seeing Renesmee perched high on Jacob's back. "Nessie!" she shrieked, pulling her niece off of Jacob.
"What are you doing here?" Esme and Carlisle gasped.
Jacob skidded behind Renesmee and phased. He held Renesmee directly in front of him to shield his naked body. Being in the nude near Blondie was not high on his priority list but he didn't have time to waste.
"She wouldn't take no for an answer. I tried not to bring her down here Carlisle, believe me I tried, but she's stubborn like Bella and now I have to protect her, but I feel like Seth and Leah are in danger. I can't take Nessie with me. If anything happens to her I'd die. And I can't find her parents and even if I did they'd kill me for bringing her here and Seth and Leah would still be in trouble. I have to go Carlisle, you're my only option, please," Jacob begged. He was breathless and starting to get a chill in certain places. He wanted to phase back already.
"Jacob, no, don't leave me," Renesmee begged him. She tried to turn around but Jake kept her facing forward. His heart tore in two pieces. It literally split down the center. He couldn't choose his pack or his imprint. And he wasn't going to. He was leaving Nessie for two seconds while he went to get his stupid pack and then he was coming back. Carlisle was babysitting for him. That was all.
"Ness, I'll be back in a flash. I have to go get my idiot pack before they get themselves killed; besides there're four bloodsuckers here to protect you." Jacob looked around at Rosalie, Esme, Emmett and Carlisle. He couldn't have picked better people to look after Renesmee, except of course her own parents, but he didn't have time to find Edward and Bella right now. Rosalie was taking offense to his blood sucker comment, so Jacob apologized but not to her. "No offense Doc!"
"None taken," Carlisle murmured.
"Doc, please take care of her."
"Of course, Jacob," Carlisle said.
Jake phased back and Esme pulled Renesmee into a hug, who was whimpering as Jacob disappeared into the darkness. He could hear Seth's thoughts very vividly all of a sudden. His mind was filled with a fiery desire to kill Jane. "No, Seth!" Jake shouted in his mind. He knew his thoughts resounded like thunder. "Stay away from her!" He could mentally feel Seth recoil and then roll his eyes. "I'm coming to find you, where are you?" Jake asked. There was no answer and Jake mentally cursed himself and his pack. Why were they so stubborn?
"Jasper!" Alice called frantically, her tinkling bell-like voice dancing down the halls in all directions. She was looking for him still and had given up on the whole stealth thing. The whole guard could descend on her, as long as Jasper was okay, she didn't care. But she couldn't even say that yet because she couldn't find him. She had tried searching the future but it came in little slivers too broken up to even piece together. Then suddenly Jasper came into focus as clear as day. He must be about to separate from whatever wolves were surrounding him. That worried Alice because at least the wolves meant Jasper had some backup, but now Alice knew exactly where to find him. She doubled back searching for his scent.
Seth looked guiltily at Jasper. He was confused. He wanted to help, but Jake had forbid it. Still, Seth felt that even though it was an order he should stay. Something in his mind wasn't connecting. Leah nudged her brother trying to get him to back up. She didn't want him fighting this psycho.
Jasper seemed to understand Seth's feelings. "Go Seth, get out of here. I've got this under control." Jasper didn't really know what he had under control. All he could see was red and the longer he was away from Alice the more violent he was going to get. He didn't want Seth caught up in the middle of that.
Seth looked defeated but allowed Leah to nudge him out of the room that they had chased the vampire witch into. Jane was hiding now; cowering in the corner, this should be a piece of cake for Jasper.
Alice passed Leah and Seth as she tracked Jasper. They barked a hello and sped off. What did that mean? Why were they abandoning Jasper? Then she heard the screaming, the high pitched wail of a girl, followed by an icy splintering sound, as if someone was grinding up glass. Alice slowed to a walk as she approached the door. Her stomached tightened into terrified knots, which made no sense. She wasn't afraid, which meant these feeling were residual emotions emanating from Jasper. He was feeding Jane's fear back at her a thousand times over. Alice had never seen or felt Jasper use his ability to this extent. She didn't even know that he could.
Alice heard Jane scream and mutter under her breath. "P…p..pp..pp…"
Jane was trying to get the word out. Pain. She was trying to use her ability to cripple Jasper but it wasn't working. Jasper was using his gift to manipulate her emotions. He was emotionally terrorizing her, making her feel more frightened then she ever had in all her years of being a vampire. Jasper was using Jane's emotions, mixing it with his own fear, not of Jane or the Volturi but of losing Alice, and then throwing it back at the girl ruthlessly. He wanted her to feel alone and unloved. No one was coming to her rescue. Where was her precious brother now? Where was the guard? No one cared about her and Jasper made her feel it.
Jasper revelled in the power which only made him stronger. It was paralyzing the witch, which was exactly what Jasper had wanted. His ability was good for more than just calming people down. He just hadn't had to use it this way since he was a soldier in Maria's army. He wasn't proud of being able to do this, but it was totally worth it. Jane deserved every emotion she felt.
Jane screamed again as Jasper ripped off another limb. He was working slowly, taking his time with her. He wanted her to suffer. Alice stood just outside the door. She couldn't force herself to go inside because the Jasper in there was no longer the man she knew and she didn't want to see him like that. He had become the man he had been before Alice met him, when he was fighting in the newborn armies. Alice let Jasper destroy Jane and by destroy she literally meant grind her body into dust.
She could hear him crushing her, turning her hard, glittery skin into sandy silt. Finally one last high pitched shriek echoed through the room and Alice heard Jasper sigh. He chortled under his breath and it was a sound that made Alice's skin crawl. Jane was dead.
"Jazz?" Alice asked lightly as she came into view, pausing in the doorway. The room was covered in sparkly dust as if someone had covered the walls in glitter. Jane's head remained intact on the floor, her cold dead eyes staring off into space. Her last scream was etched on her face. It made Alice's stomach churn to think this was once a vampire. Despite the fact that Jane was now dead and Jasper was safe, Alice was shaky with fear, but that was probably because Jasper was still wheeling his emotions around the room.
Jasper spun, realizing his wife was behind him and his face was contorted in pain. He really did look like a monster and not her gentle husband. A wave of anger and fear hit her so hard she thought she might double over. Terror. Dread. Fright. Panic. Abandonment. Alice felt it all. This is what Jasper had been doing to Jane. It all washed through her until she had to grasp the wall for support. If this is how Jasper made Jane feel, she was better off dead.
"Please stop Jasper, you're scaring me," Alice gasped.
Jasper reached for her but she recoiled. Jasper nodded as he backed up to the far wall. He fought against his own power, reeling in the emotions and bottling up his own feelings.
Slowly Jasper relaxed, reining in the extra power that was bouncing off the walls like a ping-pong ball. He shook off the rest of the angry emotions and replaced them with calming waves that allowed Alice to regain her composure.
"I'm sorry, Alice," Jasper said, swallowing hard. "I didn't want you to have to see this. I didn't want you to see me like this."
Alice didn't make a move. She didn't say anything. Slowly the monster before her was becoming her husband again and Alice refused to move until he was all there.
"I promised myself I would never become that person again; the person that was filled with so much hate and loathing, but something happened. When Jane attacked you earlier I wanted to kill her right there. But then we were separated and I didn't know if you were alive or dead after we left you with Aro and the guard descended and then the pack appeared. There was so much chaos. I looked around at everyone and saw Jane sneaking off down a corridor. As I watched her I just remembered thinking that it wasn't fair. She was running away from the battle. I couldn't let her do that, not after all the pain she's caused, and…and something just happened to me."
"You snapped Jasper," Alice said gently. She took a tentative step forward and heard pieces of Jane crunching beneath her feet.
"Yah, I guess I did," he said looking around. "I'm sorry I scared you Alice."
"It happens to the best of us, Jazz," Alice said lightly, looking at her feet. The glittery remains were sticking to her shoes. She deliberately looked back at Jasper so her eyes wouldn't focus on Jane's head again.
Jasper shook his head, his blond fringe falling beside his eyes. He was backed all the way against the far wall. "I don't ever want you to be afraid of me Alice. I literally repulsed myself when I saw the look on your face. Please tell me you are not afraid of me."
Jasper dropped his face in his hands. He couldn't believe Alice had seen him like that.
"Jazz, it's okay," Alice said. She closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his waist and he welcomed her touch. Alice felt him enclose her snuggly and she smiled up at him, ecstatic to see his crooked grin. Her Jasper was back.
Jasper sighed as Alice's optimism and hope washed against him, once again reminding him that without her, he would be lost. Slowly he found her lips and kissed her, soft at first and then with a hunger that drove him crazy. Jasper could have stayed like this forever, drinking in her happiness and joy but eventually he made himself stop and took Alice's hand, pulling her from the room and the vampire carnage he left behind.
They couldn't celebrate yet. There was still the rest of the Volturi to deal with.
Edward skidded to a halt with Bella crashing into his back. He had to find Renesmee. He couldn't believe Jake had brought her here. He was going to ring that dog's neck when this was all done.
"Sorry," Bella murmured. "I didn't know you were going to stop like that."
But Edward had frozen and it only took Bella a second to smell why. She leaned around his back and saw Alec standing there. The vampire either didn't seem to notice them, which was unlikely, or didn't care because he was currently starring down a musty tunnel that Edward knew led to the streets above. What was he up to?
"Alec?" Edward began. It's not like they could just back up and run the other way now. And if they were going to be attacked he didn't want it to be from behind. But as Edward dove into Alec's thoughts there was no hint of attack there at all.
"What's it like?" Alec asked suddenly, turning on the spot to face him. His blood red eyes looked sad.
"What?" Bella stumbled over the word, looking to Edward for an explanation. But whatever Edward seemed to understand had left him speechless.
"To live among the humans, instead of trying to exist as something greater than them? Is it really that much better? Is fighting against your true nature worth it? Is there more to our existence than this?" Alec gestured wildly. "Is there more to my existence than this?"
Edward stepped forward tentatively with his hands raised. "Alec, you have a choice. You do not have to exist like this. Look at my family, see how we live. That is why Aro seeks to destroy us. He is threatened by our capacity for self-control, our ability to live together as a family. Trust me; there is more to your existence than simply doing the bidding of the guard. You are no more than a puppet to Aro. Had you not been gifted with your abilities Aro would have disposed of you long ago."
Alec watched Edward, absorbing his words, confirming Alec's own longstanding suspicions. It wasn't that Alec was stupid, it's just that he never knew any other way, and had always felt tied to Jane. He would never leave his sister. He assumed Chelsea was now dead and that her gift to bond people together was no longer forcing his loyalty. For once he felt as though he was truly thinking for himself. "I have grown tired of this life. I want something more." He looked quizzically at Edward and Bella. "Perhaps something more like family and less like the guard."
"Are you surrendering, Alec?" Edward asked with a grin.
"I suppose I am." Alec pondered the revelation thoughtfully and then smiled.
"Maybe one day I'll visit you, Cullen's. Maybe under different circumstances we could be friends. And maybe you can try explaining your diet to me again," Alec chuckled to himself. "Animals, as if?"
Bella was flabbergasted and just nodded quickly. Edward could read the thoughts in Alec's head. He knew it wasn't a trick and he also knew he shouldn't push his luck but he couldn't help himself. "What about Jane, Alec? Is she to go with you?"
Alec smiled waivered and he sighed, shaking his head. "She has made her decision. Her ties belong to the Volturi."
"Well, then I guess we are done here," Edward said and as a gesture of good faith he reached his hand forward.
Bella immediately stretched her shield to follow Edward's movements. She knew with the twitch of his fingers Alec could paralyze all Edward's senses. But there was never any danger, for Alec merely accepted Edward's hand and they shook.
Before he turned to leave, Alec looked at Edward. "Aro had no intentions of letting our family leave here. He may have spared you and Bella just for the sake of saving your talents, but his desire for Alice was too great. Aro planned to kill anyone that got in the way of Alice joining the guard. I just thought you should know this," Alec gestured around, "was inevitable. It would have happened sooner or later."
Edward nodded. "Thank you Alec. I had come to the realization that Aro was never truly going to get over Alice. He was never really going to let her go."
Alec grinned. "Thanks for not killing me when you had the chance," he said. Then he was gone.
Edward couldn't help but smile. In another lifetime he would have torn Alec to shreds. But with Carlisle's influence he had somehow looked past his red hot anger and saw the person beneath the vampire. Maybe they would come to regret the decision, but somehow Edward sensed they wouldn't. And maybe some of Carlisle's compassion, or a lot of it, had started to rub off on him.
"Where did Seth say he left her?" Bella asked worriedly. The tunnels were becoming more dense and confusing as they went along. She had a sinking suspicion that they had entered a part of the Volturi's lair that had not been occupied in centuries, the cob weds were too prolific.
"He didn't," Edward growled. "The only thing he thought is that Jake might have left her with Carlisle, but they could be anywhere by now." It wasn't that Edward didn't trust Carlisle. He trusted him with his life, it's just that Renesmee was his daughter and he wouldn't feel okay until he knew that Renesmee was safe in his arms. She was barely an adult, a baby by immortal standards of time.
"I still can't believe he left her side," Bella mused. Jake and Nessie were attached at the hip.
"He didn't want to but Seth and Leah were squared off against Jane with Jasper. They needed help and Jake knew Carlisle would protect her. Trust me from the look inside Seth's head, Jake was beating himself up about it. The pack is his family but Nessie is who he loves."
Bella stopped cold. "What did you say?"
"What?" Edward asked confused.
"You said he loved her. You said the "L" word without punching something."
"Don't get used to it. My brain isn't functioning right. I'm delirious; all these tunnels look the same."
Bella chuckled.
"Trust me, once I find the way out of here, I'll be back to my usual 'stuck in denial' self."
Bella jumped on his back and kissed his cheek. "I love you Edward Cullen," she whispered.
He was about to respond, but at the same time Felix walked around the corner. "Oh, isn't this a happy sight?" he growled. "Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen, come to die?"
Jake could hear pleading in the next room. The voices were familiar and at the same time he had never heard them that panic stricken before. What was going on?
Jake used his other senses, letting his nose investigate. He picked up three familiar scents. Edward, Bella, and that Felix character who had stared him down from across the clearing, almost twenty years ago. Jake did not like him and he growled ta the memory.
"Please," he heard Edward's voice begging, followed by Felix's icy laughter. A roar of repulsion ripped through Jake. You did not beg these Volturi scum for anything!
Jake saw the connecting door between this room and the next. He could hear the voices clearer now. Edward was begging for Bella's life. Jake backed up and took a running leap at the door, bulldozing through the splintered wood. As he took in the scene before him he saw Felix with his hands around Bella's neck, squared off against Edward who was begging on his knees. Really? Get up and fight Edward.
Jake was so caught up in what he saw that he almost didn't see the wall that he was flying towards. At the last second his feet managed to find grip against the cold brick and with all his strength he pushed off and lunged towards Bella and Felix. He howled as Felix and Bella turned to look at him. He twisted in the air, turning his head so his jaw fit perfectly around Felix's neck. With a sound like exploding glass Jake separated Felix's head from his body. What was really creepy was that as Jake landed he could still see Felix's headless body standing up right, his cold hands still gripping Bella's throat. Edward pried the hands off of Bella and crushed her in a hug as Jake took off at a run again.
"Jacob Black!" Edward screamed after him. "I have a few choice words for you."
"Don't worry, you can thank me later," Jake joked in his mind. He doubted that's what Edward wanted to say to him and he was right.
"Get your tail back here! What have you done with my daughter?"
Jake looked back. Edward wasn't chasing him which sort of surprised him. Maybe he was still in shock.
"Sorry pops, I'm on a mission. But don't worry. She's safe with the doc," Jake thought so Edward would calm the heck down.
Jake watched Edward's face fall disapprovingly as he disappeared around the corner. He still needed to find Leah and Seth.
"Oh thank you. I thought you'd never come," Marcus said enthusiastically. When he heard Aro was once again interfering with the Cullen's he had only been too hopeful that it would end like this.
He stretched his arms out and closed his eyes, silently giving himself up. He had lived long enough and realized that even for an immortal with power and strength, forever was far too long, especially without the person you love.
Seth licked his lips, saliva dripping from his tongue. Leah stood beside him, her lips pulled back in a snarl. Jake had stopped Seth before when he went after Jane. Jake still thought of Seth as a newbie. As if Seth wasn't capable of fighting for himself. His instincts made him as lethal to vampires as Jake or Leah and he was going to prove it. They had Marcus corned, whether out of his own choice or not, Seth was still counting this as a win. He may have lost Felix to a more experienced killer, he couldn't deny Jasper's fighting ability, but at least he was going to get to kill one vampire today. He pounced and beside him Leah lunged. Seth went for the throat as Leah yanked Marcus' right arm clean off his body.
The scream of rock splitting from rock sounded as Marcus' virtually indestructible body was reduced to rubble-like remains of its former self. The ancient vampire had not even put up a fight, but Seth wasn't going to let anyone in on that fact. He would exaggerate the fight; make himself look like a hero. He wasn't about to be laughed at by the pack for taking down a vampire that already had a death wish.
Leah snorted beside him.
"You know we can all see what you're thinking?" she mused inside her head.
Seth shot her a death glare. "Shut up!" he thought. "This was all me."
"Whatever," Leah sighed. "If it helps you sleep at night, you took down the mean, scary vampire all by yourself Sethy."
Seth snapped at her. He hated when she called him Sethy. He took off after her, chasing her down through the cavernous halls and that's when they heard the howling. It was Jake. He was calling for help.
"Hurry up Seth," Leah said, snapping at his heels. "Run faster!"
"You want to lead?" Seth barked. "This place is a maze!"
"Follow Jake's voice, not your nose, stupid."
"Ha, ha, you're so smart. I am following my nose. We must be close because his scent is really strong," Seth said excitedly, rounding the corner of the long tunnel they had been sprinting through and that's when the giant russet wolf came into view. "Jake!" Seth yelled mentally, while slamming into him physically. Jake was still bigger, so it was Seth that collapsed to the ground and had to shake off the collision.
"Where the hell have you two been?" Jake seethed, pulling Seth up by the scruff of his neck.
"Uh, fighting vampires, duh!" Leah smirked. "What else would we be doing?"
"Leah, seriously don't get smart with me. You know that's not what I meant. I told you guys to stay right behind me. What happened to flanking me?"
"Well the crazy horde of vampires we ran into kind of put a dent in those plans," Leah huffed. "We were trying not to get killed."
"Well you two haven't even been listening to me either. I've been trying to communicate with you and all I hear is the two of you bickering!"
"We heard you man, you sounded like you were in trouble. That's why we came to find you," Seth explained.
"That is called selective listening Seth. I was calling you way before I ran into Felix."
"Ah, man, you took him down without us," Seth whined.
"This is not a joke Seth. You guys really worried me. The connection is so messed up right now. I can barely keep track of what's going on. I need you to pay better attention."
"Don't worry Jake, we're alive, we're fine. No harm done."
"For now," Jake noted gravely. "I can't keep an eye on you guys and protect Renesmee if you two are going to wander off constantly."
"Seriously Jake, don't worry about it man, we can take care of ourselves."
"No, you can't, that's why I'm the pack leader; I should be here with you." Jake shook his head in frustration. He didn't know what to do with them. Then he made up his mind. Sam wasn't going to like having these two under his feet constantly, but it was the best Jake could come up with under the circumstances.
"Go find Sam," Jake said hurriedly. "I have to go back to Nessie. Stay with him, he'll look after you."
"No, way!" Seth barked. "Not happening, he'll just make me sit in a corner and wait until this is all over."
"Well at least I'd know you were safe then," Jake murmured. He was trying to weed through the thoughts in his head to get a handle on Sam's location.
"We can take care of ourselves Jake," Leah snapped.
"I know you can," Jake said, his voice quivering. "But Sam's group needs help. Some of the young wolves got separated. They won't be able to defend themselves, they had no training. They won't know what they're up against."
Leah looked at him skeptically. Jake felt a flurry of anger rip through him. He was the leader, he was in charge and they were wasting time. He didn't like doing this but it was for their own good.
"This is not a request you two, I am telling you to go find Sam. That is an order from your Alpha, now go."
Seth gulped and Leah backed up slightly. It was unusual for Jake to pull the alpha thing on them. He never used his position of power to control them. "Fine Jake, we're going," Leah sighed, turning with Seth on her heels.
"Thank you," Jake murmured as he took off in the opposite direction. He had gotten more than side tracked and now he had to find Renesmee.
Leah was annoyed, Jake shouldn't have done that. But Leah could already feel his command wearing off and she chuckled low and deviously. Jake didn't realize it at the time but bowing down to Sam and becoming second in command so they could communicate left Jake without his Alpha abilities. He could not force them to do anything against their will. Seth looked over at her strangely, feeling the pull of Jacob's words fall away, as if draining from his mind.
"Come on little brother, I think Sam can wait. We have vampires to kill!"
Tanya slowed hearing the swish of the guard behind her. It was Demetri, and she couldn't out run him, not for long. He was tracking her in his own territory.
Philip had been hiding in the shadows behind a decrepit looking suit of armour. He could not understand the Volturi's desire to fill the dank halls of their fortress with such strange and meaningless accents. What did a vampire need with a suit of armour when they were indestructible?
His mindless wondering stopped and he smiled, bracing himself to attack. If the Volturi were fighting with this Cullen clan, he would take the liberty of taking down some of the Volturi before disappearing. Felix and Demetri would be after him again in no time and maybe he could incapacitate them a little by killing some of their friends. His smiled curved into a wicked grin as footsteps drew near. The venom filled his mouth like a snake about to strike but he swallowed it as he saw the petite blonde vampire approaching. She could not see him of course, for he was concealed in the shadow of darkness that clung to his skin as easily as the air around him.
Philip could hear footfalls in the distance and the woman looked up, terrified. That's what struck him the most about her was the piercingly beautiful golden eyes that lit up her face even in the darkness. He had been speared by her eyes and was captivated. He knew what he had to do.
Tanya was fraught with worry. She had not seen Kate or Garret for a while now, and was probably about to meet her death at the hands of Volturi scum. She let out a weak, ragged breath of defeat. Suddenly two cold hands reached out from the shadows and wrapped themselves around her waist. She moved to shout but the hands clasped tightly over her mouth. "Please don't scream," the voice said. "I won't hurt you." Tanya's eyes were wide with fear but she nodded. This vampire did not smell like one of the Volturi's guard.
"Forgive me, but I think there is a tracker after you." The strange vampire smiled at her. She heard footsteps and she froze. "Demetri," she breathed. She was pressed up against Philip whose lips were resting by her ear, whispering words of encouragement as she shuddered. "Don't worry, he can't see you. Just relax. You're safe with me." She held her breath as Demetri passed the shadows, certain she was about to die. Philip held Tanya close, surrounding her in his cloaking ability. Demetri paused, obviously confused by Tanya's sudden disappearance, but then continued on.
Tanya let out a shaky breath and realizing she was nestled close to the stranger, pulled away. He smiled at her, refusing to let go of her hand and the cloaking ability continued to linger on her skin. Something stirred in the pit of Tanya's stomach, like a million birds had just taken flight.
"How?" she breathed. Demetri was a tracker. He could hunt his prey down from miles away, even continents away in some cases. How was it that he walked right by them?
Philip shrugged. "I can go unnoticed when I have to." He let go of Tanya's hand and disappeared before her eyes. She gasped, but he took her hand again and reappeared instantly. "And I couldn't let a beautiful woman like you be destroyed by an arrogant punk like Demetri."
Tanya couldn't help but smile at the stranger. He was tall, at least a foot taller than her. His hair was a black as night and his eyes a deep crimson. She would have to change that.
"My name is Philip," he said, kissing her hand.
"Tanya," she replied.
"Beautiful," he murmured under his breath. "It is a pleasure, dear Tanya, though I wish our meeting had taken place somewhere less revolting than the Volturi's chambers."
Tanya smirked, "At least it will be a memorable meeting."
"Ah, a wonderful way to look at it: and I hate to cut it short but I feel Demetri needs a taste of his own medicine."
Tanya pouted at the thought of saying goodbye to the handsome vampire that had saved her from the wrath of the Volturi guard.
"Unless of course, you would like to join me on a hunt?" Philip asked, moving closer to Tanya so that his lips were just inches from hers. He saw how her bottom lip trembled, not out of fear but desire. He had the sudden urge to wrap Tanya in his arms and disappear from this vile tomb the Volturi lived in, but Demetri had pursued him for far too long to be let off the hook that easily. Without the rest of the guard, Demetri was alone and Philip could track him in the shadows. He would not leave here until Demetri was slain because now he had a reason to stop running and she was standing before him.
Tanya looked away shyly.
Philip couldn't help himself. Maybe he was being too forward. Okay he was. But there was something about Tanya that told him if he didn't follow through with his feelings and then died at the hands of the Volturi; he would despise himself forever, even if his immortal existence landed him in hell.
"Please forgive me," he murmured. He grabbed either side of Tanya's face and searching her eyes found a life there that he wanted so much to be a part of. As he bent to reach her face it was Tanya who closed the gap. She met his cold hard lips against hers with so much force that they shot back, slamming into the suit of armour. It exploded into a hundred pieces crashing noisily down the hall. Philip wrapped his arms around Tanya holding her close. She buried her face in his shirt.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled.
"Nonsense," Philip laughed. Then a pair of blood red eyes appeared at the end of the hall. Demetri.
"I'd very much like to continue," Philip whispered. Tanya would have blushed if she could. "But we have some business to attend to first. Stay close."