Lunar Ascension
Chapter 22: Stupefied
Disclaimer: All things in the Twilight universe belong to Stephenie Meyer and her publishers. The song and lyrics belong to the band and their representatives. Any other copyrighted material included in this story belongs to their rightful owners. Cheers ma dears! Rated M
Only if for a night
And the only solution was to stand and fight,
And my body was bruised and
I was set alight,
But you came over me like some holy rite,
And although I was burning,
You're the only light
Only if for a night
Only If For A Night by Florence + The Machine
Shall in these confines with a monarch's voice Cry "Havoc!" and let slip the dogs of war...
William Shakespeare: Julius Caesar Act 3, scene 1, 270–275
I barely had time to react, arms like steel rebar locked around my body pinning my arms to my sides. I struggled but it was useless, no matter what I did I just couldn't get free, so the only option I had was to avoid the razor sharp teeth that I knew my captor had.
He dragged me from the community center leaving a gaping hole in our defenses, I could see it as I kicked and flailed. With my back to his chest, all I could see were the faces inside all paled with worry and panic as he dragged me across the dirt. Screams kicked up the further I was pulled away and Travis' voice rung out even through the din of the fighting. I had to survive, for him, for our child.
I couldn't die.
The vampire with a grip like super glue spun me from my view of the enclosed room and I hoped that they'd have some form of defense up before the hole was discovered by another red eyed fiend. In a way though, I was relieved by the distraction because it meant I could focus on the task at hand, and that was shaking the vamp clamp and finding a way to detach his head from his body, without getting bitten.
"Not so talkative now are you?" the vampire goaded, as he tried to rearrange me without actually loosening his grip. I could hear his laughter as his body melded and twisted behind me.
When the screams started up behind me, I forgot all of my pretense and threw my head back in an attempt to look over his shoulder. My mind was like molasses, the fear gripped it with a more profound strength than my captor and left me defenseless in his arms. Travis was inside that building, so was Nessie, my mom, Charlie, generations of our people all sat in that tiny room waiting for some kind of miracle to save them.
"Don't you worry your pretty little head over that, I'm sure the . . ." He didn't get a chance to finish the sentence, a roar cut through the air like a hot knife through butter, even Rosalie's shouted exclamation was drowned out by the sound. I didn't know who it was, but I hoped they would give me a hand. I didn't actually enjoy being in this predicament.
"What's the matter asshole, wolf got your tongue?" I taunted, doubling my efforts to get free of his grip without any luck whatsoever. The bastards were so strong, not even the boost I had in my human form was really enough to contend with him. No matter how much I wanted to protect my family and friends.
My propensity to be annoying was all I had to get to him right now. I hoped it would be enough to distract him so the wolf could rip him apart with ease. I just wished the honor was mine.
"What are you going to do when the big bad wolf comes to get ya? You're arms are a little tied up."
"Shut up."
"Make me, asshole."
His arms tightened around me like a vice and had the desired effect. I could barely breathe, let alone fire off annoying taunts. It wasn't my best plan, but the thunder of paws on the ground meant that his time was running out. I may not have my strength, but I knew the wolf would have his.
The moment the wolf came into view my breath was cut off completely, but not from the arms encircling my body. It was the wolf that enticed the reaction from me. It was a snow white wolf stood tall and proud ahead of us, with the bluest eyes I'd ever seen.
My struggle stopped, my shock was pounding through my body as I blinked, unsure what I was seeing was actually real. It was impossible. There was no way that this could be happening. I was starting to believe I had actually gone a little crazy from the lack of oxygen when the lips of the magnificent creature pulled back revealing it's canines, dripping with saliva.
In an effort to give the beast more room to work I leaned forward, using the vampires grip to steady myself and keep me in place. Obviously understanding, the wolf barreled forward, just as his huge paws came into view below me, the grip disappeared completely sending me to my knees. I fell into the fetal position and covered my head with my hands as I waited for them to land behind me, and they did, with a thud that sent vibrations through my body.
I scrambled from beneath them both and cleared the scene as fast as my legs would carry me, almost running straight into Rosalie.
"Is that . . .?" I asked, unable to finish.
"Yes."
"Is that . . .?" Again I was unable to formulate the words, but thankfully Rose seemed to understand the question.
"Apparently so."
I watched the snow white wolf work, his huge body used as a weapon as he took the vampire down and began pulling lumps of him free and spitting it out as though distasteful. Pride swelled in my chest as the keening grew louder and louder.
"The wolves have the community hall," Rosalie said, her hand on my shoulder. "I want to see Aro ended. You coming?"
I wanted nothing more than to see that bastard beheaded and burned, so I nodded and tore my eyes from the magnificent scene in front of me. It was a testament to how much I hated the bastard that I was willing to leave the wolf to his work. Fortunately, it seemed he'd already finished what he started.
"Come on, lets grab the pieces here and toss them into the fire first, don't want to give the bastard an excuse to come back and try again."
As we approached the dismantled vampire, my eyes were on the wolf. His breaths were pulled in deep expanding his chest before he released them through his nose in snorts. I approached him cautiously, my hands running deep in the fur of his neck as my forehead came to rest on his cheek.
"We need to have a serious talk, Travis. For now, try breathing through your mouth, it won't burn so much."
His blue eyes seemed as filled with confusion as I felt. There was no panic, just relief and endless questions. As I stepped back, Travis moved forward to pick up the biggest pieces of the vampire, while Rose and I gathered the smaller parts. We moved together toward the pyre of purple smoke to dump our load before making our way to where the circle around Aro was formed. The twin evils lay at his feet in pieces, he was on his knees looking distraught and defeated.
As much as I hated to admit it, it seemed like such a waste to kill them. They were evil, there was no doubt about that, but their young bodies made it feel wrong in a way I hadn't considered.
"You killed them," he hissed. "Such a waste, so much talent."
"Greed is one of the seven deadly sins," Marcus said sadly. "You brother, had the desire to possess all that which would make you stronger. For centuries we have turned and looked the other way, but we cannot sit back and let you make a mockery of what we have built. Carlisle and his family have never done anything to provoke us, yet you continue to find excuses so you can covet things that cannot be owned."
"But the Southern . . ."
"They have been dispatched upon my word. You picked a fickle ally brother, she sang like a bird once captured. It was a sad day for us all when we realized you have endangered our court in an attempt to gain what you so wished."
My mouth fell open as I leaned into the white wolf beside me. It had all been an elaborate set up, all of it. Aro had been working alone, not only to manipulate us, but to manipulate his creepy ass brothers too.
"It that an offense to be punishable by death, brother? We have all sinned, we have all coveted things we should not."
"That may be, but you have been playing these games for centuries, and I will never see the senseless murder of Didyme as a mere offense."
Aro made a sound I hadn't thought possible, it was filled with rage and torment, anger and regret, it was a swirling vortex of emotion that felt like a tornado sucking the air from around us.
"You have kept secrets, brother,"
"And you have not?" Marcus bellowed. "You killed my mate in order to make me stay. Do you see how that has come about? You brought this upon yourself, you were making a fool of us all so you could use the power for your own folly. All of your crimes against our kind are laden upon your shoulders, and that is where the sentence has arisen from."
"Caius, you must see the madness in this?" Aro demanded, trying to push to his feet but wilting as the circle closed in on him. "What say you, brother?"
I knew this was going to be interesting. Caius had been with Aro the last time this had all gone down, he'd almost seemed disappointed when they'd retreated. There was an air of indifference to his face, and even I could see the cogs in his mind churning slowly. Was he thinking about a life without Aro in it?
"I say you perish. Rulers must live according to the rules they have formulated, but you use it to your advantage. Marcus and I have spoken thoughtfully about this for decades. You are a loose cannon, and if allowed to live will be the downfall of our reign. I stand with our brother Marcus."
Aro hissed, the sound was like a thousand snakes filling a small space. But no one moved, no one was intimidated. He'd brought this upon himself and everyone stood their ground, steadfast and true.
"This is mutiny."
"No. This is justice."
With a flick of Marcus' wrist, four cloaked vampires descended upon Aro. Screams of rage filled the air and mingled with the sea breeze. It swirled and rebounded from the trees, lingering as the blur of death moved before us. Then, there was silence.
For a long moment no one moved. The cloaked guard of the Volturi were mingled with the wolves and the Cullen's. There was no definitive line separating them, they were all together as the flames licked the sky and released a heady purple haze. It was the unity Renesmee had shown me. With Aro and his loyal followers gone there was no one left to fight, we were all on the same side.
My hand was still buried deep in the fur of the wolf next to me. It seemed to calm us both as we watched the scene unfold in front of us.
"Ah, Carlisle," Marcus sang happily, making his way around the ashes of his brother and offering his hand. "I apologize for the doubt my friend, and I thank you for your help. I hope you do not hold this against me, it was Aro's intention to shoulder you with the blame. He was going to murder all those he did not need and imprison the others until they bent to his will."
"I have no doubts, Marcus," Carlisle said genially. "I hope you understand how ludicrous an accusation like that is. We are peaceful, and simply want to be left alone to live our lives."
"And so it shall be. As long as you live within the rules, you shall not hear from us again. Though I would like to make a request," Marcus said, his eyes finding me in the circle.
I could hear the grumble from the huge wolves interlaced amongst the vampires, but I ignored them and stepped forward respectfully, my huge white wolf an impossibly bright shadow.
"Please do not think me rude young one. I understand you are not the leader, but you are the only one of your kind in human form."
"I can't speak for my brothers, but I'll try my best," I said simply.
"The request I wish to make is of you and your brethren. It is simply to please keep your knowledge of us hidden as well as you possibly can. We have spend hundreds of years hiding behind a mythical creature, and if possible we would like to keep it that way."
I found Jacob and held his gaze, trying with everything I was to translate his looks. in the end, I improvised.
"Honestly, we're pretty secretive ourselves, I don't think it will be a problem, although we do tell our mates, so they will know but it will not go beyond that if we can help it. We want to be as invisible as you do."
"I assumed as much, but you understand why I had to clarify."
"I do," I spoke confidently. "Sir, if you don't mind my asking, my imprints brother was taken and I . . ."
"He is safe, and I must say he gave Aro's guards a bit of a shock, thinned them out a little too. He must truly be a twin for he is the mirror image of your wolf."
It was then that all eyes were on me. It wasn't as though I wasn't curious as well, but all I could offer was a shrug. I hadn't known, how could I have? As far as I knew he was a regular Joe, and they didn't have the wolf gene. It was as much of a surprise to them as it was to me.
"Good to know," I offered, and shot a look to Carlisle who was staring at Travis in awe.
"Now we will be on our way. I do believe Sulpicia will not take the news well, and dear Chelsea is still stuck in the dungeon. I fare thee well, Carlisle, and I do hope that the next time we meet will be under more pleasant circumstance."
"As do I, old friend," Carlisle replied.
"Yes of course, but please be swift. Time is of the essence, Luciano."
Luciano was before us in a blink, his smile a little less sinister now he'd proved that he'd been honest when he'd approached me. Travis grumbled under his breath, but I eased him with a touch and offered the vampire a smile.
"It has been an honor to meet you she wolf."
"Leah," I laughed. "If you keep calling me she wolf I'm going to get a complex."
"Leah," he said with a smile as though testing out the word. "I found the other white wolf as a human and eased him with my mind, I then took him to the house in the trees, and told him to stay there. I told him you would find him there when the time came. If he is not there I apologize, but he seemed content."
"Thank you, you've been very – kind." If a vampire who ate humans could be kind.
"It was my pleasure. I must say you and your family fascinate me," he paused when Travis growled throatily. "I mean you no harm, I am simply an observer. Nature has given you a gift, and you as a lone female in a pack are the most fascinating of all. Your tenacity makes you endearing."
"It's the first time I've heard that," I snorted, leaning into Travis. "Thank you for all of your help and for the heads up."
"Luciano?" Marcus called, and the vampire bowed to us both and disappeared with the group of cloaked figures into the trees.
The moment the Volturi was out of sight, every head turned to me curiosity evident in the quirks of eyebrows.
"I had no idea," I said defensively.
"Neither did he," Edward laughed, approaching us.
"Was anyone hurt?" I asked looking around the destroyed village.
"Brady has a broken leg, Jared has a dislocated shoulder, Emmett was bitten and is very proud of his scar, but that's about it."
"And Zach's at your house."
Everyone seemed to collectively nod and eye Travis again. It made me wonder if any of the the pack could hear him. He wasn't tied to an Alpha and I wasn't exactly sure how that worked, especially when I wasn't in wolf form. Thankfully, Edward didn't seem to want to elaborate on that, he was already making his way to where Renesmee was stood in the door of the community center, holding mom and Charlie's hands.
"Most of the damage is structural," Jasper finally said, looking around. "They were well trained, but an even match for most of us, and with Marcus and the Volturi behind us, they never had a chance."
"It looks like a tornado blew through here," Alice said quietly. "We can leave it like this, we need to help them rebuild their homes. Esme, you could design something right? I mean nothing elaborate, but if you drew out some plans, we could build it faster than any contractor."
And so the debate started. I blocked them out of my mind as I gazed up at Travis. It was like a puzzle I couldn't put together. My mate was a wolf, when it was physically and biologically impossible for him to be one.
"Leah, he's asking the you get him something to wear," Edward chuckled as he approached with Nessie in his arms, and Bella by his side.
"Oh, right, come one I'll find you something at mom's," I said stumbling in the general direction I remembered our home being in. My mind was still a little blown at the new revelation, and though I had a thousand questions swirling in my head, I had to take each measured step in order, and finding Travis clothes was a good place to start.
There was lumber and furniture strewn everywhere and made it impossible to find where the street of my childhood home would have been. When I eventually found it, it was still standing, although a little worse for wear. I crawled in through one of the broken windows because the door was blocked, and tread carefully through to Seth's bedroom. I pulled out some sweats and a shirt, and felt comforted by the fact that at least mom could stay at Charlie's until something was done about the mess.
"You think you can phase back?" I asked, landing on my feet outside the window with the clothes in hand. "It may hurt a little at first but it's your first time. It'll get easier."
In a breath of air, he was stood in front of me as a human looking a little pale and shaky. I remembered that first time, the way the bones ached as they reformed and blood boiled in your veins. He hadn't had any of the symptoms of fever or anything else, which made this revelation all the more bizarre.
"Ouch," he groaned as I threw myself at him, but his arms folded around me regardless of the pain.
"I can't believe you're a shifter. How is that possible? Have you had a fever or anything the last couple of days? How did it happen?"
"Can I get dressed first, baby?"
I grinned sheepishly and handed him the clothes, watching his muscles ripple under his skin as he moved. I was still confused, but knowing what he was made him all the more attractive to me. When he was finally clothed and a little less shaky, we walked hand in hand back to the others. He moved slowly at first, and I knew that was the stiff joints from the phase, I'd gone through the very same thing, so had most of us.
Neither of us said a word as we looked around the destruction. We needed to talk about this, and we would, but there were a few things we needed to do first, and finding Zach so he could be there for the discussion was one of the things on our to do list. I was sure he'd be asleep in the Cullen's house when we pulled up, so I wasn't worried about getting there sooner. For now, I just wanted to know what was going to happen with the reservation.
A/N: Okay how many people saw that coming? I'm curious, there was some mention of Zach coming back as a vampire, but that's impossible lol! I know some of you are scratching your heads as to how this all started, but it will be investigated in the next chapter :) Only one more and then the epilogue to go sadly. I've had so much fun with you guys and hearing your theories :)
Thank you so much to all of you that have read, alerted and added the story to your favorites, and of course Reviewed! You guys are seriously amazing and as always I love hearing what you have to say about the chapters. :)
Thanks to Sabi'sSookie and Hev99, who as always have been amazing pre-readers and the most amazing friends I've had. You guys are amazing and I love you both epic amounts! PinkIndeed, thank you as always for being amazing! I feel as though I haven't spoken to you in forever! I miss ya girl!
MWAH!