Well, I was so excited and hyperactive after posting the last chapter I went ahead and wrote the next. We're approaching the climax of this tale, ladies and gents. Enter Arwen, my OC. Rubs hands together.

Just a warning, this chapter does contain character death. And a bit more language than the others. Do I need to warn people for that? I don't know. I'll just say it to be safe. Enjoy!

The Red Lady

Arwen was a warning to vampires. Go feral, and you will never again get back the tiny humanity left with you when you are changed. Go feral, and spend your whole life running. Go feral, and the Volturi will end you.

Except they didn't. The only job we respected them for, and they failed with Arwen, because Aro wanted another pet. And then she was free to disappear, a monster with enough blood on her hands to paint a town red with it.

Her hair was long and hung in tangle of brown and blonde patches, choppily cropped at her waist. She wore a black jumper with a hood. She was as thin and balanced as a blade, with no hips or chest of any kind, and she wore denim high waisted pants. Her feet were bare and her arms were elbow deep in dripping blood, as if she was wearing skin-tight red gloves. As she turned, I got a glimpse of her face. Her eyes were luminous red, her fangs fully sprouted and her angelic pale face was scratched with what I assumed with Demetri's pitiful defence wounds. Blood from a recent kill streaked her cheeks and trickled from her thin lips as she hissed like an animal at me.

She didn't spare me another glance as she stalked toward Demetri. The Volturi Guard whimpered like an injured animal, and Arwen clenched the side of his head, eyes fixated on her kill.

"No!" I yelped. Demetri was a scumbag, but he was injured and hadn't broken any rules. None of us deserved to die like that. But as I jumped to run to his aid, I was jerked back by what seemed like an invisible force. I cried out as I felt arms that weren't there wrap around my body and hold me back. I couldn't comprehend it. I could feel the stiff frame of a body against me, and even the breath of one on my neck, but there was nothing there.

The invisible force whispered to me, "Let her finish him. She's not safe to interrupt at the moment."

Truth. "I can't let him die!" I struggled, to no avail. Was I talking to myself?

"I'm sorry, girl, but if your boyfriend and you want to survive, let her finish."

Truth. If I hadn't been so fixated on getting free, I would have yelled at him for what he called Alec. And for the truth in his voice as he said it. I found and invisible foot and crunched my heel into it. There was a muffled grunt and the force holding my back loosened a little. I nailed it with a stone hard elbow and ran toward Arwen and Demetri, only to hit the ground when the invisible force hit me. I watched in despair as Arwen licked her lips and punched a hole through Demetri's back, her hand coming out of his chest holding his unbeaten ancient heart. Demetri's scream was silence a few seconds later when the hand buried in his hair twisted his head from his neck, decapitating him.

I didn't scream again, even when his head landed and bounced three feet from me. I was more focused on the ferocious look Arwen gave me.

I'm next.

Before she could any closer, the pressure on my back was gone and a man appeared out of seemingly nowhere. He was taller than Arwen, with olive complexion and short black hair. He had classical Asian features, high cheekbones and large almond crimson eyes with long lashes framing them. He reached out to Arwen and touched three fingers to her china skin. Immediately, the Red Lady seemed to calm down, he fangs receding and the feral look relaxing from her vicious eyes. She slumped to her knees and let out a low growl.

"Calm, tình yêu của tôi," he said, voice like velvet. Arwen purred like a tame kitten.

The stories were true. Hanbei and Arwen, the beast and her tamer.

I tried to drag myself away, but Hanbei turned and picked me up by the collar. I yelped and squirmed, trying to get free of his iron grip.

"Calm down, sister," Arwen's actual voice was calm and articulate, although masked by a thick accent I couldn't put my finger on, "I see you are not a Volturi."

I stared at her defiantly, "You just killed an innocent one of our own."

"Innocent? Sweetheart," she laughed, "I only gave him what he attempted to do to us. I guess he didn't expect Hanbei to have the guts to kick off his creeping arms at the shoulder blade."

I looked at the calm, sane Hanbei, not looked like he could rip a leg off a chair, tuned into the truth of the story, and prayed silently to every god in existence.

"Listen, I just want to go back to my coven," I begged, "I have nothing to do with all this."

"You are the mate of Alec Volturi, are you not?" Hanbei frowned, "If that is not having anything to do with 'all this', I have little idea of what would be."

I flushed red, "Alec is not my mate. That thought is… despicable."

Arwen cocked her head, "Then you will not mind if we end his wicked life here and now?"

My throat went dry, "You don't touch him."

Arwen groaned, "Oh my god, a pet. Are you kidding me? Hanbei, hold her aside. I'm going to rip his head off and crush his heart. That'll teach those barstads to leave little girls alone."

I screamed, "YOU DON'T TOUCH HIM!"

"Why? Because you love him?" Arwen looked furious, "Pathetic little girl."

"BECAUSE HE DOESN'T LIE!" I screamed.

Arwen froze mid pace. Hanbei's grip suddenly when slack and his face creased with realisation.

"Magdalene?" Arwen said softly.

"Why do you care?" I spat.

"Di tiêu," Hanbei swore in Vietnamese, "Arwen…"

"I know, I fucking know, Hanbei," Arwen walked up to me and jerked up my chin, "Answer me. True or False, girl. I lost my virginity aged nine to my uncle in 1457."

I flushed at the twisted question, but I knew she'd asked it for an honest result. When I took too long to answer it, she shook me, "You want Alec to live? Answer me!"

"Arwen…" Hanbei tried to touch her arm, but she shook him off.

I gripped my hands into the cement, "False."

Arwen waited.

"You were five, not nine," I felt a dry sob rise in my throat, "And it was to your father."

Arwen's jaw clenched, and the darkness in her eyes released for a second to hit me with raw emotion that made me cringe. Then she pushed me back and raked her fingers through her hair, "Fuck. We're fucked."

"Correct," came a low growl from my right. I turned to see Alec, damp hair pushed back, standing in the middle of the road. In his left hand, he clenched the severed head of Demetri by its hair.

I felt panic rise in my throat, but didn't dare move. Alec looked insane with fury. Arwen stood her ground, but strangely did not try to attack. Hanbei was starting to fade- literally. His physical body was actually fading from existence. I could feel him presence being erased- I couldn't feel him there like I usually did with beings. So that was how they stayed invisible. That's how I hadn't sensed him. He must have some sort of ability that cleared his scent, and even made his body disappear. I'd never thought of Arwen's 'tamer' to be so powerful.

He threw Demetri's head down so hard it cracked again and swiped one arm through the air, throwing back Arwen with his ability so hard she was thrown several feet back. She lay unmoving, paralysed on the cement, only her eyes flicking back and forth. Alec stormed forward. I saw the half invisible Hanbei creeping up silently behind him, hands outstretched towards his neck.

Before I could warn Alec, Arwen screamed out, "NO! STOP RIGHT NOW!"

Hanbei did as he was told, but as a result Alec whirled around and threw him away. The nomad hit the wrecked car with a bang and reappeared, dazed and unable to move from Alec's power coursing through his veins.

I crawled to Alec, "They… they killed…"

"Be quiet, Maggie," Alec's voice had a tone in it that made me freeze. It sounded exactly like his sisters. It sounded exactly like the killer I'd been warned of, the twin that was mistaken as the nice one and attacked without warning, not the soft voice he'd had in the car.

Kill without blood.

Arwen made a squeaking noise and tried to get to her feet. Alec gritted his teeth and pushed her down.

"I'll kill you," his voice was low, sinister, "I'll kill you."

Arwen sucked in a shaky breath, and then looked up, locking red eyes with Alec, "You will not," she said. Her voice completely changed. Instead of her usual low, dangerous hiss, it now purred and chimed, soft and beautiful, taking years of torment off her twisted face.

Alec's face went slack. His hands dropped by his sides, allowing Arwen to climb to her feet.

"You're going to take us to Aro," she said sweetly, "You're going to tell him Demetri attacked you in a crazed fit and you defended yourself. You're going to tell him we're ready to join him."

"I will take you to Aro. I will tell him you're ready to join," Alec recited robotically.

This was how Arwen kill so many. This was how she got out of Italy without a scratch, even in a room full of Volturi.

The Red Lady was powerful in more ways than one.

I tried to run. I heard Arwen call, "Stop her!"

I felt my legs lose their purpose, go numb, and I hit the road, cracking my chin on the cement. I choked, clawing desperately at the gravel until I couldn't feel my fingers. I felt the shadow of Alec cast over me and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Maggie?" Arwen called, "Come over here."

"No!" I screamed, trying to crawl without the use of my legs, "Let me go! Let me go!"

"Funny. It doesn't work on you either. I thought Hanbei was the only annoying one," she sighed, her voice losing the wind chimes, "Well, are you going to come with us willingly?"

"Never!"

"That's a shame," Arwen tutted, and changed her voice again, "Alec, pick her up."

I kicked and struggled helplessly and Alec tossed me over his shoulder like a ragdoll. I pounded at his back as hard as I could, to no avail.

"Alec!" I cried, "Stop! This isn't you!"

"You're wrong," Hanbei said as he passed us, "Arwen's ability only works on the narrow and weak minded. So yes, it is him."

"You're monsters," I glared at him, "A thousand times worse than the Volturi."

"Ouch," Arwen didn't even look at me as she stated trekking through the woods, "At least I know where my loyalties lie." She met my eyes and made kissing faces at me.

I gritted my teeth, "They'll kill you."

Arwen's eyes went dark, "Listen to the truth in my voice when I tell you, no, they will not. They will never see me coming."

"Then what do you want me for?"

Arwen smiled, "You'll see. Or rather, Aro will," she racked her fingernails across a tree, leaving deep channels gaping in the wood, "And it will be the last thing he does see."

Dundundun. Please tell me what you think of Arwen and Hanbei in the reviews. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter!

See you soon...