Chapter 20
We arrived at Italy early the next morning. I had to ignore my fatigue and jetlag as we push out of the airport and into a nearby car rental. We had to get three vans just to fit all of us. There was also the matter of the werewolves not wanting to share a ride with the other vampires that are not the Cullens and vice versa. Luckily, everyone is discipline enough to work it out quickly. Soon we were speeding towards Tuscany.
On the car, I called Lisa to let her know we had arrived. I had let her go by herself a few hours before the rest of the Cullens' allies arrive. I had assigned several higher ranked Nephils to guard her, knowing she'll probably try to explore Volterra by herself to find Susanna and Marcie. I had commanded them to intervene if she threatens our mission at all. Fortunately, her attempts were unfruitful and my guards' presence remained unknown to her.
I couldn't bring her with us the moment we touch down in Italy, lest I undo all the memories we all had to erase. I figured we could meet her there and she could somehow sneak in the Volturi castle with us. I wasn't sure how well she could use her mental abilities but I figured she had propelled herself high up in the Black Hand's ranks, therefore she must have been pretty powerful.
When I hung up, Pepper was talking to the others. In the car with me was Patch, who was driving, Vee, Pepper, and Seth. I was sitting in the front passenger seat while Pepper and Vee was sitting just behind us. Seth chose to sit at the back because he wanted all the space for himself. But I knew it was because of Patch, of my plan, and of the kiss. It seemed like yesterday morning was a distant memory. How can things get so complicated so quickly?
"All I'm saying is, we need to know what these vampires are capable of. We don't know what we would be allying ourselves with," Pepper was saying earnestly to the others. "We know we have a mind reader, a shield, and a positive vampire. What else?"
"Zafrina from the Amazonian coven can create powerful illusions, mostly of places. It's not very different from ours," Vee explained.
"Eleazar senses the powers of other vampires," Patch added, his eyes were still on the road but his mind was on the conversation. "Kate can produce electric currents on the surface of her skin. Benjamin has a high moral compass and can control elements like wind, fire, water, and earth. Siobhan isn't positive but if she willed it, she can change the course of things. Maggie can sense when someone is lying."
I reflexively flinched at the mention of Maggie's name, though I hid it by quickly looking outside the window. I didn't like hearing her name out of his lips, I have to admit. But there was nothing else to talk about. I just pushed his past with Maggie aside, in one of my "sort through later" vaults along with my plan for Seth. I didn't join in their conversation, preferring to listen instead.
"Then you have to take into account the werewolves," Patch continued, not noticing my sudden discomfort.
"Yeah, what exactly is special about werewolves, except of course, turning into a big pup? Also except for the fact you imprint on someone else's girl?" Pepper asked, turning towards Seth who was lying down on the chair way at the back.
"We can read each other's minds," Seth answered, ignoring Pepper's latter comment. I could barely hear him from the distance. From the rearview mirror, I saw him sit up. "We have the strength of vampires and we can also lose our human selves and let the extinctive part take over."
"So we have a bunch of powerful vampire and werewolf allies on one hand and a handful of powerful tyrants on the other," Pepper said, placing two of his hands up like a balance. "I don't think our allies would be too pleased if they found out you erased their memories."
"It's just a precaution," I insisted.
"Then how are you going to get your army while they are looking?" Seth asked from behind.
"They are on their way," I explained. "They're going to stay on the outskirts of Volterra until I call them."
"Just a small question," Pepper began again, raising his hand up.
"As if you haven't been bombarding us with enough questions," Vee rolled her eyes.
He ignored it as he asked on. "So you just said one of our allies can tell if someone is lying. How are you going to hide the army from them if they asked?"
"We'll just have to hope they don't," I answered, my stomach turning sour.
"And if they went on that direction?"
"Then we'll explain what happened, without mentioning too much."
"And what about the Volturi? What if they asked about your army?"
"Hey," Vee intervened. "You said one question."
"No, it's okay," I told Vee, glancing at her from the mirror on the flap in front of me. "If the Volturi asks about our army, since Marcie and Susanna had informed them about it, we'll just tell them they aren't here."
"Well, what's-her-face would know we're lying and the Volturi would know."
I shook my head. "What is the truth anyways? What is factual or what we perceive as correct? We can get away with lying as long as we believe what we're saying is true. Technically, our army isn't in Volterra so they aren't 'here' per se."
"You've thought this through," Patch muttered silently beside me. But I could see he was grinning widely.
I shrugged. "I thought someone must have thought of it. When I found out Maggie has the ability to sense if someone's lying, I figured we'd have to be careful how we talked to them and the Volturi. However, if our allies do ask about the army or anything near that, we would just have to tell them we had to erase their memories for their sake. They would of course sense something's up and we'd just explain they agreed to our plans."
I bit my lip. Since I was revealing my plans to them, I might as well tell them what's been going on between Lisa and I. "I made a Blood Oath with Lisa."
"You did what?" I heard Vee scream from behind me. The others shared her surprised as well. Pepper was stuttering something beside her. Patch wasn't even paying attention to the road. His eyes were on me, wide. Yeah, I forgot to tell him about my promise to Lisa.
I explained everything. "Look, all she wants to do is find Marcie and Susanna. I've been trying but I keep on hitting dead end, not until we all realized that they might be the Volturi's prisoners."
"Then you've fulfilled your Blood Oath," Patch said, finally returning his attention back to the road.
I shook my head. "No. I have to see them face-to-face and I have a feeling Lisa needs to see them too. That's why I called her to tell her to go to Volterra before us. I told her not to be seen."
"Nora, we're not supposed to have the army in the Volturi's city if we want a peaceful talk first, remember?" Pepper pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Lisa is not my army," I told him as-a-matter-of-factly. "She is one Nephil that I cannot control in the first place."
"Well let's just hope all of this works," Vee commented with a sigh. I couldn't blame her. The whole plan was complicated. I wasn't even sure if it was the best way to look at this but it was all I could come up with.
An hour later, we were slowing down to Volterra's city. The streets were very tight with buildings close together. As I looked around, an ominous feeling dawned on me but I couldn't put my finger on it. It wasn't until we got out to the city square I realized what had bothered me so much. The city was abandoned. No other soul was in the city with us.
A chill crept down my spine as I stopped right in front of the waterless fountain. My cold companions' footsteps were nonexisting and I could hear nothing but my own breathing. I turned towards the others and my troubles were reflecting on their faces.
"What happened here?" I asked them, desperately staring at Carlisle for some sort of answer. "Where is everyone?"
"This is the work of the Volturi," Carlisle said, answering my unspoken question. "But it isn't what you think it is."
"If it's not what I think it is, what happened to the people?"
"I do not know. But I can assure you, its citizens haven't been slaughtered. If they have been, the streets would be filled with blood and newborns would be attacking us right now."
"So what happened to them?" I repeated.
"They must have left."
"What could make a whole city population evacuate their home?" Vee asked.
"Unless…"
Tanya shook her head. "No. If our race had been exposed, it would've been exposed to the whole world. It must be something else."
"Yes, it is. It isn't that very had, you see," a voice floated from behind me, from the other side of the fountain. "Just spread a rumor that a powerful disease had spread in the water and had jumped to the air. Tell the humans that if they stay in Volterra, they will die quickly but painfully and their bodies will rot the streets before the sun sets. Catch a couple of them, drink their blood, cover their faces with brutal wounds, and throw them out on the streets and the whole population runs away from its own home. The city is rid of humans without exposing our kind. Easy."
I saw the others stiffen and I slowly turned around, taking note of the sudden change of power in the air. A few feet across me was a girl of probably thirteen or fourteen. She was small in stature with fine golden locks she had tied in a sophisticated bun behind her head. Her face was nothing short of angelic but the cruel smile on her face told me she was anything but. Her blood red eyes and pale complexion that shimmered under the bright sun told me what she was. I knew who she was before Edward introduced us. She was in Tanya's memories and I had used her image in the past.
"Jev, Nora, Vee, and Pepper, this is Jane, one of the Volturi guards. Jane, this are our new friends, Jev, Nora, Vee, and Pepper."
"Come," she said, sparing a quick smirk along my way before turning towards a huge building, the biggest in the whole city. "Aro is waiting for you."
I spared a quick glance at Edward who nodded before following Jane towards the building. Two huge metal double doors opened and we entered a long marble hallway. We walked until we were at the end where an elevator stood open, waiting for us.
"A few at a time," she said as stepping inside. Patch wrapped his arms around me tightly before following Eleazar, Edward, Bella, Renesmee, and Alice inside. As the door closes, I saw three more guards standing behind our companions, surrounding them. I didn't have enough time to register their looks too well before the doors closed. The worry in Vee's face was the last thing I saw before we sped down a couple of floors underground.
When the elevator doors opened with a friendly ding, we got out on a familiar hallway. I recognized it immediately from my dreams and from Alice's vision. Jane pushed ahead of us, walking briskly towards the heavy double doors that I knew led to the throne room. After a few seconds, the elevator dinged again and Carlisle, Rosalie, Seth, Emmett, Vee, Pepper, and Esme stepped out. We waited for a few more minutes until everyone was there with us.
"Come along, we wouldn't want the others to wait," she said, though her voice was calm and neutral, I thought I heard a twinge of glee in it.
We followed her to the double doors, which swung automatically. The room was exactly how it was in my dreams and in Alice's vision. Not very unlike those instances, in front of us stood three vampires. They looked exactly like those in my dream yet seeing them face to face made me nervous. The middle one, the raven-haired vampire, stared at us with intense interest yet kept his smile fixed on his face.
"Welcome, my friends. Welcome," he said, excitedly greeting us. "This is a very pleasant surprise."
"Good day, Aro," Carlisle said pleasantly. "We are here to come and talk to you."
"Oh?" Aro said, turning his attention towards him. "Carlisle, I think we could wait for a little bit. But first, I want to know who your friends are."
He turned towards me and I could feel Vee, Pepper, and Seth surrounding me protectively. Patch didn't let go of his hold around my waist either. Carlisle stepped in front of us, making himself a barrier between who I assumed was the head honcho around the place.
"Aro, this is Vee Sky, Pepper, Jev Cipriano, and Nora Grey. They are our friends from Maine," he announced, waving towards each of us.
The raven-haired Aro, looked at each of us with great interest. He studied us as if we were specimen under a microscope. He stopped in front of Patch, who met his gaze with an almost bored expression in his face. Aro smiled politely before moving on, stopping in front of me.
"The air is buzzing with the powers of our friends," he declaimed, keeping the smile on his face. "Ah, such a wonder to meet those from other species."
He stopped in front of Patch once again, looking at him with the greatest interest. "Such power."
No one had to say anything about that. He looked at us, still beaming but I saw the hunger in his face. He glanced towards Edward before offering his hand to him.
"Come, come, Edward. Tell me more about your new found friends," he said, beckoning Edward forward. I felt something immediately envelope us, pushing past me, towards Edward who was already halfway to Aro.
Aro touched Edward's hands and something clicked. He was the mind-reader. He frowned as he caressed the back of Edward's right hand. "Ah, your shield is very impressive, Bella. But I ask you to please, put it down. I want to know what your friends are like."
"I don't see the point of searching Edward's mind when you can just ask us," Patch smirked. "You need not search any proof that he had committed treason by allying himself and his family with us."
Aro turned his attention towards Patch. "And why is that?"
"Because you'll find him guilty of any charge," he answered, the arrogant smirk in his face was provoking. "Isn't that why you have evacuated a whole city? You have been training your vampire army here in Volterra. Of course, you never expected for us to come here first. It seems to me you have already decided the verdict even before these good folks had the chance for a fair trial."
"Ah, but these people had committed treason. Once they had allied themselves with you, they had decided to overthrow the Volturi and take the power for themselves!" Aro said loudly. Suddenly, I could feel the air thickening with vampire scent. So, the others were hiding somewhere in the big chamber. This was the trial. This was also the execution.
"Is that why you have sent them to do your research about us?" Patch retorted. "You have sent Isabella to Nora's house to find out more about the Nephilim and the Fallen races, correct? But you must wonder, why?"
"To protect ourselves, of course!" he answered angrily, defiantly. "How do we know you're not going to attack us when we least expect it?"
"Is that really the answer?" I asked, finding my voice. He whipped his head towards me. "Or were you looking for power you've only heard of? The kind of power that would give you control over every domain in this earth. The kind of power you know we were the only species aware of. Because we didn't know vampires existed until a few months ago when the Archangels had sent us out to the Olympic coven to know more about the creatures that seek to control this powerful yet dangerous craft."
"What are you talking about?" he sneered. "What power? And if there was such a power, why shouldn't we use it to protect ourselves from the likes of you?"
"Because that kind of power is not to be controlled by those living here on Earth. It is unnatural and evil and should never be near the creatures of this world," I said, looking at him dead-straight in the eyes.
"We're asking you, Aro, Marcus, Caius, not to pursue such a dangerous power," Carlisle stepped forward, pleadingly. You are a very powerful coven but even this kind of power should be kept locked in the depths of hell, where it belongs. We are at the Archangels' list to be extinct because they are desperate not to have this power on Earth ever again."
"How do we know this is not one of your schemes, Carlisle?" the bored looking one asked all the way from his throne. "How do we know you do not want this power for yourself? How do we even know the Archangels had sent them to do their dirty work? How do we know you and your friends can be trusted? You have allied with shape-shifters and now Fallen Angels and creatures that were never supposed to walk the face of the Earth and you're asking us to trust you? You have spilled the secret of our race to a human and now to these creatures and you're telling us to believe in you? We know about your desires to obtain power, Carlisle."
"Yes, Marcus is correct. How can we trust your words when you have proven to be so distrustful in the past?" the blonde one asked, standing up and stopping in front of Carlisle.
Carlisle didn't answer. He stared at them indignantly and I could almost see the triumph in Aro's and the blonde's eyes.
"So you're not denying you know about this power?" Tanya asked, her eyes travelling from Aro, to the blonde vampire, to the bored-looking one, still sitting at his throne.
"No, we know about Devilcraft," Aro said. "We know it existed. We're not even going to deny we had Jane ask the Olympic coven to find more about the Fallen Angels here on Earth. Why would we do that? To protect ourselves! Aren't Fallen Angels the Devil's brood anyways? Wouldn't it be natural to assume that these Devil's brood would have control over the Devilcraft?"
"The Devilcraft was banished from this Earth when we have killed the person who harnessed it and who planned to use it," I told him. "It's gone from the Earth and it will never come back."
"Says who? Says you? How do we know you don't have it? You have an army of Nephilim to protect you and the Nephilim race are the result of the Fallen breeding with humans. Of course, being offspring of the Fallen, you would have this Devilcraft as well."
I could almost laugh. "You know nothing about the Nephilim race and the Fallen Angels."
"Please, Aro. Listen to us. You cannot control this power, it will only destroy you. If it doesn't the Archangels and the Avenging Angels will come after the whole vampire race. Think about your people and not the thirst for power," Edward pleaded.
"The Fallen do not need the Devilcraft," Patch smirked again. "If we want to assume control over other species we wouldn't have trouble doing so, especially if we're only facing the likes of you."
"Ah, yes. I imagine you would have powers beyond what a humble vampire, like those present here today, has. I would like to see that. Perhaps, if I feel like you are not a threat, I will let you and your friends go."
"Careful," I warned Patch through mind speak. "Don't provoke him,"
"He wants the others to see how dangerous the likes of us could be. I don't think it would be bad for us to show him what we got," he retorted coolly. "We might intimidate him enough to back down."
"Or if we show off, we could push their supporters' sympathy away from us completely. It'll be easier for him to declare war that way."
"That is his scapegoat but his real intentions are to see how powerful I truly am."
"So is that enough to show him?"
"Like I said, if there's a chance I could intimidate him to back down."
He severed our connection and stepped forward. "What do you want me to do?"
"Aro, this isn't the time for that," blondie, who I assumed to be Caius, sneered impatiently. "We have duties to fulfill."
"No. I want to know what kind of creatures are asking us not to protect ourselves from an attack they might be planning," he waved his hand dismissively at Caius. "Jane?"
"Yes, master," Jane stepped in front of us, the glee returning in her twinkling blood-red eyes. She concentrated on Patch, her eyes remaining fixed on him.
Her face was still contorted in concentration when Patch smirked. "Is that all you can do?" This stopped her and her face registered in shock. She blinked a couple of times as if she's trying to make sense of it.
"First, Fallen Angels aren't susceptible to tricks like that," Patch explained, rolling his eyes. "Now if I do this."
Suddenly Jane froze in her spot before she let out a blood-curling scream. A young man, barely older than her rushed to her side, clutching her tightly. He had exactly the same blonde hair and the same angelic face as her.
"The pain is unbearable, right? Right now, I can tell you, your Jane is asking for an end to it, even if it means breaking her apart," Patch continued on, not missing a beat.
Suddenly, Jane threw herself on her fours. She panted heavily as if her lungs did need the air. She glared at Patch as she stood up, trying to save what little dignity she had left. "Bella's shield was up, master. I could not reach through him."
"Bella hasn't been protecting Nora, Vee, Pepper, or myself," Patch answered insultingly. "The shield you cannot penetrate are that of my own. It is yet to be broken."
Aro looked expectantly at Maggie. "Is this the truth?"
"Yes," she answered shortly.
"Ah, I guess the stories are not unwarranted." He turned around to the shadows, pacing back and forth, with his back on us. "So this is what we're facing against. Powerful, yes. But what we're going to do is for our protection."
"We are not here to overthrow you," Carlisle pressed on, earnestly trying to get them to see reason. "We do not want to take anything from you. All we want is peace, Aro. It isn't much to ask."
"Peace? Does peace include an army?" Aro smirked, turning again to the crowd.
"They are not here," I told him. I saw him glance at Maggie again.
"It's true," she said, as I had expected she would.
"Not like you," Patch added, nodding towards the shadows that seemed to be moving. "Isn't that why you evacuated a whole city? To prepare for this? If you weren't going to face us, at least you would be facing the Olympic coven and whatever little number they could gather. If you eliminated them, you would be eliminating the biggest threat on your continued reign."
"You are mistaken," Aro said, waving towards the shadows. Only this time, the vampires hiding in them weren't hiding anymore. Thousands stepped to the light, all of their skin twinkling like thousand little diamonds. Their red eyes looked unitedly at us, some glaring, others were merely curious. They were all wearing a uniform black cape with red underlining. All of the hoods were pulled down so we could see all of their faces.
I stepped forward, looking at each vampire's face. "Do you really want to do this? Do you really want to fight us? It may seem like you have the numbers right now but if we do not succeed here, it will mean your imminent death. Would you really risk your immortality just because your leaders want forbidden power?"
"We are doing this to protect our race!" Aro retorted, glaring at me fully.
"Protecting your race? Tell me, how did you know about the Nephil race? How did you know about the Fallen Angels? How did you know about Devilcraft? Your interest in such a power had alarmed the Archangels that you are preparing for a higher form of war! Do you really think you're going to prevail against them? Forget this foolish quest. Give up and you will live the rest of eternity in peace."
Some stopped short, looking at each other hesitantly. I saw Jasper step forward, staring at a group coming closer to him. "Please, Peter, listen and think. It may be for your protection but for how long?"
"Please, listen to us," our allies were pleading but the Volturi's forces were not yielding. Jane had a particularly nasty glare directed at Patch.
"Don't do this, Aro," I turned to him but there was no pleading in my voice. "Don't do this and no one gets hurt. This is the last chance to yield at our diplomatic attempt for peace. You don't want us to use force."
"I'm afraid I cannot do that. You see, my friends all agree the Olympic coven and their allies must be eradicated."
"Then you leave me with no choice," I sighed, resigned.
"Now!" I screamed in mind-speak and almost immediately, I felt the electricity in the air intensified. Everyone felt it as the vampire advance stopped. They were all looking around, searching for the source of the intense power.
"I did warn you," I said as the doors burst open and my Nephilim army marched in. An object suddenly flew into the air and landed square in front of the three Volturi leaders. I realized it was the decapitated head of a vampire.
"Blasphemy! Liars!" Aro screamed, pointing angrily at us. "They said they wanted to talk calmly, for peace?! Yet they have an army of their race against us even beforehand!"
"You threatened us. You threatened our safety. You threatened our freedom," I spat out. "We tried to reason with you and you do not listen! Do you think this will play in your favor? There's no victory for you, I tell you this."
"Then are you willing to sacrifice the life of your own?" Caius smiled, amused. He seemed to have recovered from the shock of having hundreds of Nephilim at his doorstep. He waved somewhere behind him. A hulking figure pushed a blonde haired woman to the floor. She was shackled, the chains loudly ringing as she landed in front of us.
"Susanna!" I gasped as I rushed to her side. She looked up at me, shocked and scared. "Let her go, right now."
Lisa was suddenly beside me, helping Susanna up. With nothing else to do, I stood up and glared angrily at Caius and Aro.
"She is a Nephilim! She is a part of my race," I growled. "Let her go, Volturi. You've already done enough damage to your people as it is. Let her go or you'll suffer every hurt you've caused her and her daughter."
Caius smirked. "You speak as if Susanna and the Volturi are enemies. You speak as if we were their captors when my family had only been a generous benefactor to her and her daughter. How about we let you two catch up? Marcie, come out my dear."
Another form had emerged from the shadows, this one I know a little too well. She was still skinny with flowing blonde locks that fell to her waist. She wore an elegant blue dress but it was mostly covered by the same black cloak everyone wore. However unlike her past tanned complexion, she was as pale as the marble floor. Her eyes were no longer the same blue as our biological father's. They were the same blood red the Volturi shared. She was no longer human. She had become a vampire.
"Hello, Nora," she smiled a little too sweetly and I could feel myself going sick.
"What is this?"
"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Vee screamed from behind me. Pepper and a young Nephil soldier held her. "YOU ANOREXIC LITTLE BITCH!"
"Careful, cow. I'm feeling particularly cheerful today so don't waste my patience," Marcie said, still smiling sweetly but her crimson eyes were pure murder.
She turned to me, smirking as if she had finally beaten me at something. "Do you like my look?"
I just stared at her, flabbergasted. It was Patch who spoke, sounding as calm as ever. "So, you decided to turn completely from your Nephilim heritage and embrace a race you don't even know."
She threw her head back and laughed. "You think I didn't know? You think I didn't know I wasn't going to live very long? My mother and my father are both Nephilim but I can't exist? While she's the daughter of a whore and she gets my father's army? Where is the justice in that? Well for now, I have something Nora doesn't. I have immortality! I have everlasting beauty! I have the fountain of youth in me. They say newborn vampires are stronger than anyone else. You've given me enough people to test it on."
"It's going to be difficult," I heard Edward speak in my mind. "Newborns are the hardest to fight. They still have their mortal blood in them and that makes them stronger. It's not a good thing a newborn vampire also has Nephilim blood."
"Do you even know what the effect is to you, Marcie?" Patch asked.
"Of course we've approached this carefully, Patch," she replied, lowering her eyelashes at him in a flirtatious way. "They injected me with their venom slowly to see if I'll have any dangerous reaction. They got that idea from the Cullens actually, when Edward injected his venom into Bella's major veins. When nothing happened, I let them bite me and I eventually woke up to this beautiful life."
"So what was the exchange?" I glared at her.
"What?"
"With all that trouble, what was the price you had to pay?"
"Information about the Nephilim army and Devilcraft," she answered shortly, bored.
"TRAITOR!" someone from behind me screamed. Then it all began, softly at first but turned into an uproar.
She rolled her eyes and smirked.
"You turned your back against your own race," I told her, disgusted. "But this isn't the first, is it?" I turned my head to Aro and Caius. "So I guess you shouldn't be too surprised when this one gets up and betrays you too. She's good at it."
"And you think all your people are loyal to you?" Marcie sneered. "How do you think we knew about the Volturi and the vampires? Why did you think out of all the places we could have went, we went to Volterra? Someone inside your army had told us."
"All of them swore a Blood Oath," I insisted, my stomach turning sour again. "I trust them."
"Lisa had informed us about the Volturi even before she swore any packs with you," she spat out. "She told us the Council was planning on exiling us anyways so we might as well find allies we could trust. She told us to find allies to overthrow you and kill you. And how do you kill a Nephilim, even if she's not a real one? You stab her with Devilcraft."
She whipped her cloak to the side. Hidden inside was a sheath. She drew her sword and it felt as if the world had turned upside down. In her hands, the blade glowing a faint blue, was Dante's sword. Someone had grabbed me from behind and shielded me with his body.
"You're not going to go anywhere near Nora with that thing," Patch's voice was low but it held venom I never heard.
She chuckled and stopped in front of Lisa and her mother. With barely a jab, she dug the blade inside Lisa's stomach. Her eyes widened as blood spilled from her mouth.
"NO!" I screamed, trying to break free from Patch's grasp. I know Lisa wasn't my ally and the fact she had told Marcie to sell us out was abominable. But no creature, Nephilim, Fallen angel, vampire, or human, should ever meet that blade.
"I hate traitors," Marcie hissed in her ear just before she fell lifeless to the ground. The blood mixed with the blue glow. She turned towards her mother and sliced her throat cleanly with the thin of the blade.
"I hate cowards. You will never ever stop me from doing what's best for me ever again," she stared at her mother with deep disgust and loathing.
"NO! MARCIE STOP IT!" I was hysterical as Susanna choked in her own blood. She made gurgling sounds before lying very still.
I didn't know I was crying until I sobbed hoarsely in Patch's arms. I looked up briefly just in time to see her give the sword to Aro. I knew what was going to happen next even if I didn't have Alice's clairvoyant powers.
"I'm accepting your surrender," she said, turning back to us, enjoying the triumph, before the blade pierced through her heart.
I gasped just as she looked around, angered and shock at the sudden betrayal. Aro and Caius were smiling sweetly just as Aro dug the blade deeper out of her chest.
"Did you really think we were going to let you live? We don't know what you're capable of. The last thing we need is a power hungry creation that would go against us."
"I-I-I gave you information," she gasped out, clutching Aro's shirt with one hand and the blade protruding from her heart cavity with another.
"Yes, and you've done so very well. But you have no more use to the Volturi. You have just become a threat. We eliminate all threats. Now, we will eliminate the Nephilim race," Caius replied before tugging the sword out from behind her stabbed back. She was dead before she even hit the floor.
I quickly, frantically reached out towards Jacob's mind; my own mind was still struggling from the three deaths already. I cleared my head and forced my way into Jacob's mind.
"Take Renesmee and run!"
He had already picked up the young girl and slung her onto his back before transforming into a wolf. The others, sensing what's about to happen, turned themselves into wolves as well.
When I shouted, "ATTACK!" half of my army were already lunging themselves for the Volturi as their forces ran towards us. Jacob and Renesmee were nowhere in sight. Patch and Seth's wolf form surrounded me.
The Great Battle had begun.
The army had already clashed with the vampires, the sound of the struggle was both loud and haunting. I caught glimpses of the Cullens and the Denali coven in a tight battle against the Volturi. From my left, a loud crack echoed throughout the great room before a huge fire blazed. I heard the screams of Nephil and vampire alike as the pyre consumed them. The Nephils walked out of the fire, burned and greatly weakened, but alive.
I sensed the attack before the closed fist passed my ear. I grabbed the pale arm, breaking it cleanly from its socket. When I turned around, I saw the huge vampire, who brought Susanna into the room, scream in pain. He kneeled down in front of me, staring shocked at his missing limb. I threw the arm to the fire as hard as I can before grabbing his head. His eyes met mine, completely resigned. I twisted it and he fell to the floor, unmoving. I ripped the head out and threw it again to the fire.
I ran towards the middle of the battle, looking desperately for Aro. I caught a glimpse of the faint blue glow of Dante's sword. Aro was swinging it towards an unarmed Eleazar. He was too busy dodging it to actually try to attack Aro. Carmen was a few feet away, focused on an intense battle with another vampire.
Eleazar ducked, his head missing Dante's sword by just a couple of inches. He launched himself up and was poised to land a punch against Aro's stomach. But his fist never found the target. Protruding from his back was the blade, piercing right through his stomach. Eleazar's body convulsed before it burst to flames. He was a pile of ashes in less than a second.
Carmen had seen it too as she screamed and turned towards Eleazar. But it was a mistake. The vampire she was fighting with took the momentary distraction to rip Carmen's head off her shoulders. She threw the head towards the growing fire and the body followed shortly. Making up my mind, I ran towards Aro and the vampire, who was already busy fighting Esme.
A vampire blocked the way. He launched himself towards me, his fangs bared. I grabbed his arm and swung him away from me. To my astonishment, he was sent straight to the fire.
I wasn't even near Aro when I felt another attack. Only this time, it wasn't physical. From all of the commotion, I failed to put up my shield after I told Jacob to escape. Now, I felt nothing. I didn't feel the sense of urgency. I didn't feel pain or happiness. I was empty. I knew something was wrong.
I turned around to see the young angelic-faced blonde-haired vampire that rushed to Jane's side smile darkly at me. I tried to find my shield but I only stumbled around my mind. Someone had kicked my knee and my weight fell off my feet. I still felt nothing. I was too numb to react or to even care.
Just as the numbness had come, it was suddenly lifted. A second later, the foot that had kicked me down had come down hard against my calf. I felt the leg break. A scream escaped from my lips as I threatened to black out from the pain. I looked up to see a stunningly beautiful vampire with purple eyes and an evil grin forming on her mouth. She grabbed my neck and lifted me up, my feet coming off the ground completely. I flailed unsuccessfully as she crushed my air pipe. Red dots began to flicker at the back of my eyes.
Suddenly, the chokehold was gone and I was sent crashing down on the floor. I landed on the broken leg that had just begun mending and broke it again cleanly. The room was spinning as I tried to comprehend what was going on. The pain from my leg and my throat made it hard to concentrate but I pushed myself up with my palms against the ground. I saw the beautiful vampire still standing over me but she was motionless. Her mouth was open in a delicate O but her purple eyes were glassy and unstaring. I looked down at her chest and realized a hand was sticking out from it. Her whole torso was suddenly split apart from the hole. Her body broke down, falling right in front of me. Standing right behind her was Patch. Murder was in his eyes.
He rushed towards me, crushing the vampire's head in the process with his foot. "Are you all right?"
"My leg is broken," I told him weakly as I looked at my oddly bent leg. Strangely enough, I felt every sensation in my body and I sensed everything around me. The pain throbbing at each heartbeat coursed through my body. The acrid smell of bodies burning assaulted my nose. I could hear every grunt and every struggle. But my eyes were failing me. I was threatening to black out.
"All right. Stay with me," he said as he scooped me up to his arms so I was sitting in his lap. "Hold on, Nora. Hold on. Carlisle! Carlisle! Seth! Look at me, Angel. Stay with me."
I heard the muffled sounds of a paw and smelled the faint dog smell. "Hey Seth," I muttered weakly. "What a battle, huh?"
"Don't worry, Nora. You'll be fine," I heard Carlisle explain to me in a breathless yet patient voice. "The bone is mending too quickly to return back to its position. We'll have to break it again and form a makeshift cast so the bones reconnect in the right place."
"You're going to break her leg again?!" Patch was hysterical as the groan I was trying to suppress finally escaped.
"She's not going to be able to use that leg if it heals. She's going to be a more vulnerable target," Carlisle told him.
"It's okay," I whispered to Patch, turning to his neck. It was sweaty and I was suddenly reminded of all the nights we spent rolling around his bed. I remembered the sweet whispers and silent oaths made in the dark. I remembered how his lips roamed all around my body. The memories comforted me. "I'll be okay. Let him do it. I'll heal really quickly."
Patch's grip tightened around my stomach, my arms inside his. "All right, do must you must. You'll be okay, Nora."
I heard the crack and a fresh wave of pain enveloped me. I screamed, my body reeling instinctively against the pain. I heard Seth growl beside me, pacing back and forth. When I screamed again, he started snapping his teeth to Carlisle. I reached out weakly towards his mind to tell him it was okay. Carlisle ignored him, however, focusing solely on his work. When he was done, I was barely comprehending. The darkness were in the corners of my eyes.
"Here, use this for a cast," Patch said, finally letting go of me. I felt him move around behind me as he slipped off his jacket and shirt before giving those to Carlisle. He tied the clothes around my leg so tight, the blood stopped rushing through.
"It's not safe here," Carlisle said, standing up. "We should at least get her off the battle grounds."
Patch hitched me up as he rose too. He carefully perched me on top of Seth, delicately placing both of my legs at each of Seth's side. "Take her somewhere safe, Seth and guard her."
"Where are you going?" I asked, staring at him. My vision was clearer now but the pain still throbbed.
"Go after Aro to end all of this," he replied shortly.
My stomach sank. "Patch be careful. He has that sword."
He nodded before turning away. Seth rushed forward and began running past the battle. I could see where he was planning on taking me. I placed a hand on his head to stop him, reaching for his mind again.
"No, Seth. If the others saw me going outside, they'll think I'm retreating. My army will follow behind me."
"You need to be somewhere safe."
"That's not what I want."
He huffed through his large nose but stopped. He turned around and rushed towards a dark corner of the huge throne room. He pushed against some of the vampires, using his head to knock them out of the way.
"This is as safe as I could get you," he said apologetically.
"It's fine," I told him with a reassuring pat. "Thank you."
He lowered himself down so I could dismount. I swung my recovering leg to the side as I slid down, carefully landing on my other foot. I stretched my arm and limped towards the wall. I felt Seth's fur behind me, he was ready to catch me just in case I fell. When I reached the wall, I slumped down to the floor. I was breathless and already exhausted.
Seth sat down beside me protectively. He watched as the war happened right in front of us. I couldn't see Patch anymore. I couldn't even differentiate my allies and my army from the people we were fighting. Everyone was just engaged in this battle. There was so many bloodshed. The fire in the middle of the throne room grew as it engulfed more and more bodies. The vampires had apparently used it for their benefit now too. I watched as several bodies burnt beyond recognition walk out of the pyre. They were too weak to fight but they couldn't die. It was painful to watch.
"What have we done?" I asked Seth, closing my eyes to chase the grotesque images away.
"It wasn't your fault, Nora. The Volturi chose to fight," he answered me calmly. "Your sister betrayed you."
"She had always been the Judas type."
Seth moved in front of me, his large frame blocking the battle. He growled threateningly, the fur on his neck standing up. I reached for his mind to see what he saw. He didn't block me out. Through his eyes, I saw the angelic-faced vampire that had attacked me earlier.
"Be careful, Seth," I told him.
"Get out of the way, dog," the boy said. "I'm here to finish her. If you don't get out of the way, I'll kill you too."
In response, Seth only growled more.
The boy laughed, "Very well. I can kill you too."
I felt a trace of the numbness I was attacked with just a few minutes ago. Quickly, I placed my shield up around Seth's and my minds. The boy kept the amused expression in his face, expecting for it to work. But when Seth's growls didn't seize, the grin in his face was wiped off. He blinked a couple of times before darting off the other way.
"Wuss! Where are you going?!" Seth shouted darting after him.
Alone, I was able to assess the damage of the battle. Those that walked out of the fire a few minutes ago were back in the battle, though they looked grotesque with big patches of scares and discolored skin. Our vampire allies were still hard at battle. I saw Zafrina fiercely crush a female vampire's head in between her palms. The vampire was holding Senna's head in her hand. Kachiri ripped off the vampire's arms. Maggie was fighting Caius in the corner. Siobhan and Liam were both fighting a woman who kept close to Caius. Vee was running after a frustrated Jane. She turned around and planted a solid punch on Vee's jaw. She staggered back and spat out blood. Jane took this opportunity and assaulted Vee with several more punches.
I forced myself up, seeing Vee in danger. I limped hurriedly towards her. I threw my mind's net towards Jane, wrecking past her defenses, and assaulted her with my own attack. She fell to her fours, gasping in pain.
I helped Vee up. "Are you all right?"
"Are you kidding?" she grinned. "I was in control."
Her eyes flickered behind me and she pushed me down to the ground. Caught off guard, I tumbled down the floor, instinctively putting my hand to shield me from the fall. The angelic faced vampire swung a sword just a second later. It missed Vee by just a hair's breath away. I heard Seth's growl just a second before he leaped over us and landed heavily on the angelic faced vampire. Seth's anger shook his being as he growled louder and louder. A second later, he snapped his huge jaw and the vampire's head came off clean from his neck.
"NO!" Jane screamed as she struggled to get up. She was still caught up in her pain illusion but now, I felt her emotional pain. "ALEC!"
"It was her brother," Seth explained in mind-speak. I now understood why the angelic-faced vampire came to us so fiercely just seconds before Seth snapped his head off.
Vee wasn't listening. She picked up the sword Alec swung towards her. "Here, you can join him."
She stabbed Jane on the stomach with the strength that could truly pierce a vampire. However, it didn't kill Jane. She laid there, anger in her eyes with a sword protruding from her belly.
"You can't kill me with that, you moron," she spat angrily, her mouth stretching to form a twisted smile.
"You're right," Vee agreed, before her foot came down on Jane's sneering face. She crushed it like she was crushing a statue. Jane went still before Vee picked up her right arm and dragged the dead vampire towards the pyre.
"She wasn't that hard to kill," she said once she got back to us. "Zafrina and the others were so afraid of her but she was just an arrogant little girl."
Vee's eyes wandered to my broken leg. "What happened to you?"
"Alec. But it's feeling better now."
"Nora," Seth called out as he froze beside me. His fur was standing straight up and his low, menacing growl is back on. "Nora, Patch."
I whipped my body towards the direction he was looking at. He was on a tightly-locked battle against Aro. But he was weaponless while Aro was swinging Dante's sword over his head. I began to stumble towards him when Seth blocked me.
"No! I'm not going to let you get killed."
I glared at him. "Yeah, and you can stop me?"
"I can try."
"If he gets killed, I swear I will kill you with my own bare hands, Seth. I don't care if you imprinted on me but if you're stupid instincts get him killed, I will never, ever forgive you."
Then I hissed on mind-speak, "This is what I want."
He stared at me, pained for a second before finally giving in to his instincts of pleasing me. He stepped aside and I ran towards Patch, not caring if Seth followed. Aro's back was turned against me and I could blind-side him if I was careful. But because my leg hasn't completely healed yet, I wasn't as silent as I could. He heard me a split second before I could invade his mind. He swung the sword towards me. My ducking reflex kicked in only a millisecond before the sword whipped past where my face was.
But that was the momentary distraction Patch needed. He met Aro's arm as he came around from his swing. Patch stopped him by grabbing on to his wrist and cleanly breaking the hand holding the sword. It fell to Patch's foot and he automatically picked it up while Aro clutched his stub arm.
Something changed the moment Patch picked up the sword. It glowed a brighter blue, almost the same blue the day of the Cheshvan battle. The glow radiated from the sword up to Patch's arms and spread throughout his body until all of his skin was slightly glowing blue. His eyes weren't black anymore either. It was as bright as the sword.
Patch had become the weapon. The Devilcraft was amplified in Patch and in return, it gave him more power. Sure enough, he was glowing even more as the seconds passed. He looked down on Aro, who was still clutching his arm. But Aro was no longer crying in pain. He stared at Patch with disbelief.
"The power surges through you, doesn't it?" he asked, his voice provoking. "Such power shouldn't be locked out from those who can actually handle it. Just look at you. You have that power. It's in your hands. You can do anything with it. You can challenge the Archangels themselves. Who will stop you with that power? All I ask is that you let me have a taste of it. I will call you my master for all eternity if you grant me this wish."
"All I'm going to grant you," Patch glared down on him with his blue eyes. His voice was different too, much more menacing. "Is a painful death. I will not need to burn you on that fire. The fire will come from your bones as it turn you to ashes, vampire."
Without warning, he swiftly swung the sword down Aro's middle. The vampire froze as his halves fell to the ground before bursting into flames. Patch stared where Aro was, smirking as he kicked Aro's ashes out of his way.
"Filth. This power is not meant to be shared. It is meant to be controlled by me and me alone," he said as he looked around. His attention turned to Edward who was still fighting Caius fiercely. Bella and the rest of his family was nowhere in sight.
Patch took a step towards him and I knew what he was going to do. I made my way towards him but was stopped by Seth again.
"I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU DO THAT, NORA! HE'S NOT PATCH ANYMORE! THE DEVILCRAFT HAS TAKEN OVER HIM AND HE DOESN'T RECOGNIZE ANYONE ANYMORE! HE'S GOING TO KILL YOU AND HE WON'T EVEN REGRET IT!"
"YOU CAN'T STOP ME, SETH!" I screamed, using all my might to push him away. He slid only a few yards back but it was all I needed.
"PATCH!" I called out towards him. He stopped and turned towards who was calling him. Once he laid his eyes on me, I saw a flicker of black returning on them before the blue took over again, stronger than before.
"You can't do this Patch. You have to let go of the Devilcraft. It needs to go back to where it belongs and it is not here on Earth. It's not going to be in you," I said, steadily holding to the hope I haven't lost him.
He grinned but it was dark. "Nora, I was meant to have it. I was not an ordinary Archangel before I fell. The others envied me that's why they plotted against me, to have me overthrown. But it's their mistake because I was a step closer to this amazing power."
So the Devilcraft was feeding him lies too. But he's right about not being an ordinary Archangel. The Devilcraft is amplified in him because he was a powerful Archangel and he is a powerful Fallen Angel.
His eyes drifted behind me as Seth approached. Patch sneered. "So you made your choice between Seth and I, huh, Nora?"
"What?"
"You chose him over me? You chose a mutt over me! After everything I have done for you, after all that I have sacrificed for you, this is how you'll repay me? I have seen what's in his mind, Nora Grey, and it is not as pure as you want it to be. But no matter. He won't have you. Because if I can't have you, no one can."
The man I loved was gone, swallowed by the lies fed to him by the very power he wished to destroy. I looked at his eyes and there was no sign of recognition there, just pure hatred and anger. I wished for the velvet black orbs that haunted me at night and made me remember when I forgot them, myself. I wished for the arms that held me tight and whispered sweet promises at night when we're alone. I looked at him, pushing through the power of the Devilcraft that enveloped his beautiful mind. I broke down the barriers and forced my thoughts into his head. It hurt trying to get him back, the Devilcraft resisted but I wasn't going to let him go, not just yet. I ignored the tears running down my eyes as I fixed them straight into Patch's.
He lifted the sword, his face filled with disgust. I knew what he was going to do but I was unblinking. Seth was behind me, screaming my name in mind-speak and struggling to protect me. But I wished him to stay away so he can't do anything to break that. Poor Seth. It must be hard being pulled by your instinct in so many directions, all against your will. But I'm not going to let him get hurt because the Devilcraft won't let go of Patch.
"You promised," I said both in mind speak and through my mouth. "You promised me nothing was going to keep you away from me, not my mother, not Hank, not the Archangels, and not hell. Why are you giving up now? Did you forget about that? Did you forget about everything we went through together? You sacrificed for me and I sacrificed for you. We both know that. We both made a Blood Oath to be together forever."
I lifted my left hand, where his ancient ring rested on my finger. Then I recited the words he told me the day of the Cheshvan battle, when I thought he was gone from me forever. "'I want to wake up with you every morning and fall asleep beside you each night. I want to take care of you, cherish you, and love you in a way no other man ever could. I want to spoil you – every kiss, every touch, every thought, they all belong to you. I'll make you happy. Every day, I'll make you happy.' You gave me this that night. You told me you found it after you were banished from heaven. You kept it to remind yourself how endless your sentence was and how eternal one choice could be. You wanted me to have it because I broke your suffering, because I gave you a new eternity. I am your girl, Patch and you've forgotten. I am your everything."
Then I recited his promise, the Blood Oath he made, "'I swear to you, Nora Grey, on this day, from now and forever, to give myself to you. I am yours. My love, my body, my soul – I place in your possession and protection. If I fail my covenant, my own misery and regret will be my endless punishment.' I am yours and you are mine. That won't change even if you forgot. But are you failing me now?"
He was frozen at the spot, the sword still over his head, ready to strike. But something was changing. I could see Patch was struggling, he was fighting the Devilcraft. I could see it in his eyes but I was afraid he won't make it. I walked towards him, eliminating the fearful space between us. I could hear Seth behind me, frantic. He was sobbing in his mind and he was howling with his animal mouth. I ignored it all. I ignored the battle as the Volturi's remaining forces struggled to fight back. I stopped right in front of him, only a hair width separating us.
"I love you Patch. I made the same Oath and I'm not going to break it. I will spend my eternity with you. I remember your words because it is the most important promise anyone could have given me."
Without hesitating, I pressed my lips against his, forcing him to remember me, his feeling for me, and my feelings for him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, closing my eyes. I didn't know if it was working but I wished for it to so hard. A few seconds letter, I heard the sword clatter and his arms wrapped around my waist. I could almost cry in relief.
"I'm so sorry, Nora," Patch whispered as he surfaced. I looked at his black eyes, so overwhelmed by relief I was crying. He wiped the tears from my cheeks. "I'm so sorry."
"It's okay," I sniffled. "It's okay. It's over now, the Devilcraft is gone."
We both looked down at the sword and it was no longer glowing blue. We looked around just as our forces finally contained the remaining of the Volturi's soldiers. They had their hands up in surrender. It was over. The war was over. We did the Archangel's sentence. Patch was finally free.
Our vampire allies were waiting for us outside the Volturi's castle. They actually looked like they were ruffled up. The Denali coven was huddled together and I could feel their sorrow for Eleazar and Carmen. Liam and Siobhan were also nowhere to be found and I saw the pain in Maggie's face. She was alone now.
"Eleazar, Carmen, Siobhan, Liam, Senna, Vladimir, Amun, and Kebi are gone," Edward reported, looking grave. "Quil is gone too and Leah is in serious condition. She was bit by a vampire with strong venom. Carlisle is with her right now."
Seth froze up at the mention of his sister. He looked around frantically before running out of sight. I could feel his worry and sorrow for his fallen comrade. I didn't get to know Quil that well but I did see his memories just a few hours ago. Poor Claire. Even though her relationship with Quil was completely platonic, since she's only a child, I know Quil was important to her.
"We also lost some people fighting for the wrong side. My friends, Peter and Charlotte were killed by Jane and Demitri when they realized what was going on," Jasper added.
"We're sorry for your loss," Patch murmured solemnly. "I cannot celebrate knowing lives had been sacrificed for a group's selfishness."
Edward nodded. "But we cannot help but be happy that the Devilcraft is gone from this world too."
Carlisle emerged from another side of the castle and walked towards us. Emmett was beside him, looking extremely serious for the first time since I have met him. They gathered to where we were, staring around.
"Is there any news about the others?" Jasper asked wearily.
"Leah is safe for now," Carlisle answered just as tiredly. "I talked to Bella. You should call Renesmee and Jacob back now."
Edward nodded and turned to Emmett. "What about the vampires on the Volturi's side?"
"They all surrendered but some of them are pretty dedicated to the Volturi's cause of eliminating us. I don't think they'll stop now. They will try to eliminate us and get the Devilcraft again. They might even do it sooner since there's no active government over the vampire community."
"That's another thing we need to talk about," Carlisle chimed in. "Besides trying to protect the rest of the vampire world from the Devilcraft, we'll need someone to govern us the way the Volturi had but without the greed for power."
"We'll need someone who won't want to chase after the Devilcraft and who'll do well in leading us into the future."
"You know they'll want us to do it especially since we just won," Emmett pointed out.
"Our family still stands by our original decision. We didn't fight the Volturi to overthrow them. All we wanted to do was to stop them from harnessing powers that will never be beneficial for any of us. But we do need a coven strong enough to lead us without being greedy." Carlisle turned towards us. "What do you guys think?"
Patch stole a glance to me and I know he's thinking about the same thing I was. I decided to be the one to speak of it instead of Patch.
"The Nephilim race and the remaining Fallen Angels will not be involved in vampire politics," I told them. "Who you choose as your leaders will be your choice alone. Besides, my race wants to enjoy the freedom they fought so hard for."
Carlisle regarded us for a while. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett remained silent too. I knew they must see us as friends and we are. But our allegiance ends here. This was the extent of our agreement. Finally, he smiled and offered his hand.
"I do hope I get to see you again."
I shook it but my mind was already reaching for Edward's. He lifted an eyebrow as he felt my presence in his head. As I smiled towards Jasper and Emmett and as Patch shook Carlisle's and Edward's hand, I hurriedly told him of my plans for Seth.
"Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied. "So I guess I'll see you guys sooner than later."
"What about Patch?"
"Let me handle him. Talk to Carlisle for me."
"I will."
Patch and I walked towards the outskirts of Volterra. We knew he was there even before we saw him. The abandoned buildings buzzed with the pure energy from the Archangel nearby. A knot was beginning to form in my stomach, though I know we did Patch's sentence. We were free to go.
Yet as he faced us, my stomach tightened even further, my hands got sweatier, my breathing got shallower, and my heart raced faster. I tightened my hold on Patch's hand, afraid I might faint if I let go. I don't know if he noticed but if he did, he didn't show it.
"Good evening, Basso," Patch said pleasantly once we were in earshot. "I hope you have some good news for us."
He smiled. "You did well, Jev, Nora."
He cleared his throat and pulled out a gleaming rolled parchment, not different from the one he had the morning the Archangels sentenced Patch to this mission. He adopted a mocking official tone as he spoke.
"Jev Cipriano, the Legion of Angels had sentenced you to find and destroy any possibility the Devilcraft will get back here on earth. We are satisfied with your efforts and have decided to sentence you to an eternal exile here on earth. You will never return to your former ranks as an angel or an Archangel. You will forever hold the title of Fallen until the end of time."
He smiled as he looked up and rolled the parchment away. I let out a sigh of relief and threw myself to Patch where he wrapped his arms around me. This was it. This was our forever. Nothing can separate us now.
"But you have to be careful for the next few years," Basso spoke up, his voice suddenly serious. "We saw the little stunt you pulled with the Devilcraft sword. We were worried you wouldn't be able to pull this off. So the Legion of Angels and the Avenging Angels want you to take a Blood Oath in front of me that you'll never ever try to harness Devilcraft."
I glanced at Patch, confused. "What, but I thought we were off the hook?"
"This is just a precaution, Nora. I want to say we're giving Jev a chance to change his eternity now that he has you but Patch isn't exactly known for keeping his promises."
"Very well," Patch nodded. Basso pulled out a dagger and handed it to Patch. The hilt was as white as snow and the blade was shining silver. He held on to the blade and slit his palm without blinking. I was surprised to see blood flowing from it to the ground.
"I, Jev Cipriano, swear I will never harness or desire to harness the Devilcraft from the abominable pits it where it dwells. If I ever break this Oath, may I be chained to hell for all eternity."
He looked up and handed the blade back to Basso. The wound on his palm had already healed. "But I won't break my Oath. I will never do anything to be apart from Nora."
"I hope that holds true." Basso glanced at me. "I have another surprise for the two of you."
Patch and I exchanged a curious glance. "What is it?"
"Do you remember the night of the Cheshvan battle? You promised yourselves to each other, correct?"
I nodded hesitantly. "Yes, why?"
"And isn't it true that Nephils stop aging once they become a vessel for a Fallen Angel, correct?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" Patch asked, sharing my confusion.
"I wanted to tell the both of you that Nora is your vessel, Jev."
"What?"
"You have promised yourself to him and have transformed yourself into a vessel. You have stopped aging and will remain seventeen for the rest of your life. Come Cheshvan, you will have the opportunity to take over Nora's body."
"There are a lot of things I want to do with her body but possessing it isn't one of them," Patch grinned.
Basso cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Yes, well, it is an option now. But that's not the case. Nora isn't going to age. I don't see anything getting in your way now."
Patch grinned at me. I was speechless. I have stopped aging for a few months now. "I can't believe this."
"Well believe it."
"Thank you."
His smile disappeared and he returned to his business demeanor. "May I speak with Nora privately?"
It was Patch's turn to glance at me. I had a feeling I knew what this was about. But I only shrugged when I met Patch's questioning stare. He walked away, back to Volterra. Basso and I waited for a few minutes until we both knew Patch was out of earshot.
"I know what you're planning to do. The Archangels know about it," Basso turned to me. "They're not pleased, I can tell you that. They know what the werewolf feels for you but they don't know what your plans will produce."
"So they're afraid I'm going to create a race just like the Nephilim race?"
He nodded. "The Nephils were never supposed to walk the earth."
"Give me evidence that it will put humans in danger and I won't go through with it," I said, fixed. "You already took my chance to have a child with Patch. I'm not going to let you take this away from me."
"Why do you think the child won't be a danger to the humans?" he asked, his tone rising a bit.
"Because Seth is a protector of the humans. He shifts to a werewolf because his genetic material senses vampires around Before we ever made ourselves known to the vampire world, everyone knew the only creatures that could kill vampires are werewolves, that's why they stay away from them. Seth, Jacob, Leah, and every wolf that had helped us are the way they are because they will protect the humans. I really believe this child will protect the humans just as much, if not more."
He sighed. "I thought as much. Very well, I will strike a deal with you and you have to fulfill it through the Blood Oath. I want you to promise that if this child ever possesses a threat by the time it turns 16, the Avenging Angels will come after it to eliminate it."
My throat tightened as I heard his condition. "No," I said automatically. "I'm not going to let you kill my child."
"Nora, this is the only way. If we don't see any threat in the child, I will make sure the Avenging Angels or the Legion won't touch it."
He offered me the same blade Patch used just moments before. The blade was already gleaming silver, any remnants of Patch's blood was gone. I took it and slit my palm just as he did.
"If my child with Seth possesses a threat, I will let the Avenging Angels or the Legion of Angels come after her or him. If I do not go through this, if I run away with the child, or try to fight any of the Angels, may my bones return to dust as they were."
He took the blade back, hiding it in a leather sheath. The wound on my palm was already healing. "Maybe we won't have to see such a child created. I expect Patch will be very opposed to the idea."
He stared at me, waiting for me to answer. I nodded in response.
"Very well, maybe he'll talk some sense into you."
He turned and left, disappearing in a blink of an eye. Patch was already walking towards me. I felt his arm wrap around the small of my back. I have to tell him now before cowardice takes over me again.
"What was that all about?" Patch asked, staring at where Basso disappeared.
"I need to talk to you," I said, ignoring his question. His eyes fell on me, curious.
I inhaled sharply and dove on. "I'm planning on having a child with Seth."
His black orbs suddenly became solid. Anger, confusion, jealousy, and sadness blanketed them. "Is that so?"
Those simple words sent an icicle to my heart. "It's the right thing to do."
"Right thing to do? You just saved them, Nora! If you're going to be with Seth, don't do it out of pity. He wouldn't like that," he hissed, letting go of my waist. I suddenly felt dizzy but I bit back the tears.
"I'm not going to be with him. I'm still going to be with you," I said earnestly, grabbing his arm to keep him from turning away. At least, not until I said my side.
"Yeah, and how do you suppose I'll sit with that? You're mine, Angel and I'm not going to let any man touch you and love you the way I do. I'll do everything to change your mind."
I sighed. Half of me likes the fact he was so keen in stopping me but I made up my mind. "I'm not going to let him touch me the way I do. There are other ways of becoming pregnant."
I met his angry eyes and held my spot. "I'm not going to change my mind, Patch. I'm going to do this whether you like it or not. If you're thinking this will mess up our relationship, I promise you, it won't. Because what we have is out of it."
"How can it be out of it, Nora? What you're planning is going to be a part of our future!"
"But tell me how I can face that future knowing someone else is hurt because of me? I can't give Seth my heart because you already have it. This is all I could do for him. He imprinted on me for a reason. I will never ever love him the way I love you. Like I said, Patch, I'm going to do this with or without you. But it will really be easier if you're there by my side.
"I want this, Patch. I want to be a mother. I can't have your baby and I wouldn't even think about this if I could. I'm not doing this for Seth only. I'm doing this for myself. Let me do this. Let me be happy."
He was silent for a while, his face expressionless but his fists were clenched tightly. I took a few steps back, giving him space. Finally after ten minutes he finally spoke. His voice was quiet that I wouldn't hear it if I wasn't paying attention to it at all. He didn't meet my eyes but kept them to the ground.
"What about your mother?"
"I'm not going to do this now," I told him. "I'm going to wait at least five years so she could be ready, so you could be ready. By then she would think it'll be natural for us to have children. She wouldn't think too much of it."
He finally looked up. "Give me twenty years."
"Fifteen."
"Ten."
It was his turn to sighed, frustrated. "Fine. Ten years."
We were both silent for a few minutes again. "What did the Archangels think about this?"
I bit my tongue, unsure if I should tell Patch. "They didn't agree to it but they couldn't show me proof my child will be a danger to the humans. So they made me promise that if my child did pose a threat by his or her sixteenth birthday, they will eliminate him or her without my intervention."
"Then why have the child if they might kill it?"
"Because I believe he or she won't be evil."
We were silent again. I approached him carefully and held his hands between mine. I unclenched his fists and pressed my palm against his cheek. "You're mine and I'm yours. This doesn't change that. You and I have gone through so much since we've been together. I know this child will only strengthen us. It's mine as much as it is Seth's. I know you'll love the child because I have some parts of me in him or her."
He pressed his forehead against mine. "Okay."