Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 11
Rose POV
I was so glad to be surrounded by those that I loved and I dreaded the time when they would have to return to court. I had a private discussion with Lissa about the things I had learned from the Volturi rulers and she was amazed that Tatiana had kept that to herself. I told her and Dimitri everything and they were not really happy with some of the things I had learned about myself and my destiny. I understood their concerns but it really wasn't like I had much of a choice in the matter. Even though they weren't happy about it all, they finally understood that this was what I was meant to do.
The night wound down and the Moroi went to get some rest along with the guardians. Dimitri of course stayed close to my side and we sat in the Cullens Living room while the others slept. Peter and Charlotte went far away to hunt and the Cullens were all out hunting as well. The Denali's had gone for a night on the town in Port Angeles. Jake had gone with the Cullens so it was just us. Dimitri went upstairs to get some rest but my mind was too active to consider resting. I stepped outside for some fresh air and the sun had set several hours ago. I sat down on the porch and looked at the stars wondering how much more I would have placed on my shoulders. I stood after about an hour and started to head inside when I felt a small tinge of the familiar Strigoi nausea and another sensation that I had felt when the Volturi had approached. I drew my stake and welcomed the darkness to me. I would not call for Eddie and Dimitri to fight for fear that they would be harmed. I stood and waited for them to get closer and I knew that it wasn't the Cullens or Peter and Charlotte because there were Strigoi with them. I saw them enter the yard and was surprised to see such numbers. There were about ten of each type of immortal and I wondered vaguely whether I would survive this one.
I knew that the Cullens and Peter were due to return at any time but I did wish that they were here. I waited for them to lunge and I decided that it was useless to fight with my stake so I phased. I saw some of their eyes widen a little and I smirked internally. They began their attack and I fought several at the same time, ripping off their heads with my jaws in quick succession. I was down to the last five or so when they managed to pin me and I yelped in pain. I felt heat and concentrated on it. Suddenly I was surrounded by flames and the vampires were reduced to ash. I stood shakily in my wolf form and looked down towards my paws and I was shocked. My body was covered in flames and I concentrated on making the fire receed. I was vaguely aware that there was someone around me but I didn't know who was there. I finally managed to stop the fire from consuming my body and I was surprised to see my fur in its original pristine condition and with no singe marks. I went to move forward and I was hit with pain. I had forgotten about the injuries during the fight and I could no longer control my wolf form. A strangled canine whimper came from my mouth as I phased and it ended in a painful groan. I fell immediately to the ground and I felt something cover me. I whimpered as someone picked me up and carried me into the house where I knew Carlisle was checking me over.
Peter POV
Charlotte and I had just finished our hunt and were headed back to the Cullens when my gift urged me to get back there immediately. We broke out into a run and as we got closer I could hear the tell tale sounds of a fight. I heard a whoosh of fire as the house came into view and I was amazed. Rose had phased and was surrounded by bodies of many vampires. The amazing part was that her body was surrounded in flames that appeared to have protected her after a few managed to get her down. She stood shakily and I asked Char to get a blanket from the house. Char was back in a flash and the others began to return home. The sight of Rose broke my heart. She focused of calling the fire back and once it receded she started to phase, no longer able to hold her wolf form. She collapsed and I put the blanket over her to protect her modesty. I lifted her causing her to whimper in pain and I cringed. I carried her inside so that Carlisle could take a look at her and her friends were frantic with concern. The Cullens managed to keep them back so that Carlisle could work to set the broken bones before her accelerated healing could take effect. Some had to be re-broken and I cringed at the strangled screams that had been emitted. Jake was a tremendous help with the explanation of what Carlisle had to do. Dimitri was not happy and it took Jasper and Emmet to hold him from interfering. Lissa was a sobbing mess and the others looked worse for wear.
The screams had died down and the Denali's had arrived and were confused at what was going on but also concerned at the screams they heard. We explained and Eleazer went outside with his family to dispose of the bodies since we had yet to handle that. We were all concerned with Rose as our first priority. All we could do now was wait and prey that Rose would recover quickly.
Dimitri POV
I was a mess with worry and concern for my Roza and I worried about her constantly. She faced all of those immortals on her own and I was worried that she wouldn't pull through this. I was a mess as I had to listen to her pained cries as Carlisle had to break and set the bones she had broken. Jake explained that was the result of fast healing and it had to be done. Finally the screams died and Alice entered the room carrying some clothing for her. Minutes later Alice and Carlisle exited the room that she was in and looked at me.
"She is fine Dimitri. Her quick healing caused some of the bones to begin healing out of place and I had no choice but to re break them in order to correct it. They will heal properly now and she will be good as new after some rest. I know you are worried and she is in some pain but I set up a drip of morphine for her since her body burns it off so quickly. She will need to rest and you can go see her, but please allow her to rest." He said and I nodded. Lissa and I both rushed to the room and went by her side. Lissa tried to heal her but just as it was with the bite, it didn't work. I felt so confused and I wondered if Roza and I would ever be able to have a normal life and be together without interference from outside forces.
Rose POV
I could feel that there was some serious damage done to my body and I knew that Carlisle was taking care of me. I felt so drained from the fight that I found it hard to open my eyes. Carlisle talked to me through the whole ordeal as he checked my injuries and then he sighed unnecessarily. I knew he was going to say something that I didn't like.
"Rose your healing is accelerated due to your phasing. Some of the broken bones have started to heal out of place. I know this will be hard for you but I need to rebreak them so that I can align them properly." He said and I felt like I was going to be sick. "I will give you morphine to take some of the pain, but it will burn off quickly in your body due to your higher temperature."
"I know Carlisle. I can feel it, just make it quick." I said with my eyes still closed and felt the sting of the needle that introduced the morphine.
"Alright Rose we need to set these bones quickly so I will have the break them again one at a time. I'm sorry." He whispered at the end as he started breaking and setting bones. I lost count of how much I had screamed out from the pain and the sound of the break reaching my ears was just as bad. Once it was finally finished, Alice was sent in with some kind of loose fitting nightgown and helped me into it. Carlisle set up a morphine drip where I could get some rest and he and Alice left the room. I heard the door open again and I could feel that it was Lissa and Dimitri sitting by my bed. Dimitri took my hand, careful of the needle that was there and it soothed me. I was vaguely aware of Lissa trying to heal me as I drifted off into darkness.
I felt much better after I woke up nearly a full day later and I was eager to get the needle removed from my person. Dimitri had stayed with me almost constantly since the incident and I was grateful for his presence. I opened up my eyes to see that Carlise was coming in and I smiled at him a little. I was no longer in real pain, but I was really sore, similar to the first time that I phased.
"Hello Rose. How are you feeling?" Carlisle asked with a smile and I returned a pained smile of my own.
"Sore as hell but good I guess." I replied and he smiled. He took the areas where the breaks were in his hands and felt them to be sure that they had completely fused properly and seemed satisfied with the results.
"Well that is to be expected but as far as I can tell you seem to be good as new. Walking will help some of the soreness but take it slowly. Now I believe that we need to get you downstairs for something to eat and drink." He said and removed the needle from my hand. Dimitri and Carlisle guided me downstairs slowly and carefully. They sat me down on the couch where the others gathered around, giving me hugs and telling me how worried they had been. Once that had died down I noticed that Peter was standing over in the corner if the room and I smiled at him.
"Peter, come here." I said and he approached me. I stood with a little effort and hugged him tightly. He tensed at first but relaxed into the embrace. "Thank you for helping me Peter." I whispered and he pulled back smiling.
"Not a problem ma'am." He replied with a grin. I turned and looked at the others in the room.
"I want you all to know that you are like brothers and sisters to me. I will need all of your support for what is to come and I am thankful that you are in my life. I have something that I must do and I don't know how to do it. I was destined to rid the world of immortal evils and I just don't know where to start. Thank you all for being here for me." I said and they all smiled.
"We know Rose. I know that you won't be able to come to court for some time and we understand. I have obligations as queen or we would stay. I hope you understand." Lissa said.
"I do Lissa and I know that you guys will have to go back sometime soon, but it's okay. For now that is the safest place for you all to be. I have so much that I need to do to prepare for things I am supposedly destined to accomplish." Then a thought occurred to me. "not that I'm trying to get rid of you guys or anything, but when will you guys have to leave for court again?" I asked while Lissa smiled somewhat sadly.
"We have to be back in a couple days. I wanted to spend as much time with you as we could. I had a feeling that you wouldn't be able to go to court for some time." Lissa said.
"She is very controlled in her phasing so it wouldn't be a problem for her to go to court for a few days if she wanted. She would have to watch out for her powers though." Jake offered and I turned to him with a smile.
"Could I really go back to court for a few days?" I asked and Jake nodded. I had tears in my eyes and before I knew it I flew to Jacob and hugged him tightly, all soreness in my body forgotten. "Thank you Jake." I said. He hugged me back and I could hear the smile in his voice.
"Don't thank me Rose. You are the one that is responsible for such control. I just had to push you a little for you to realize it yourself." He said. "Besides that, I know you will be back." I looked up at him and he had that crooked grin. I couldn't help but smile at him. I pulled back and smirked.
"Yeah I will. I can't leave you guys unattended for long. Someone has to keep you guys in line but if I'm gone I have to make a point to visit just to set you back in line." I said and playfully punched his shoulder. We all laughed at the idea.
"So what are we doing Lissa?" Christian asked. "Staying a few days and bringing her back with us?" I rolled my eyes at him.
"Well I do have to attend that stupid conference in Italy for the courts and then we are headed to Russia for a day or two for another summit there, so it wouldn't hurt to bring the badass Rose Hathaway with me." Lissa smirked and I laughed. Wait did she say Italy?
"Where in Italy Liss?" I asked warily. "What for?" I think that the others knew where I was going with these questions.
"Some city called Volterra or something like that. The Moroi in the area wish to seek help because of some attacks in the area." She said. "Why Rose?" Attacks in Volterra? I thought the Volturi didn't take their victims from the area closest to their home town.
"They don't Rose. That is someone or something else." Edward answered my silent thoughts.
"Liss I need to see the information that you have on these attacks. Something is off about it and we need to be prepared." Lissa nodded and ran to her briefcase where she produced the file of the attacks. She handed them to me and I thanked her. "Alright Liss, I might need some help with figuring this out. Would it be alright if Carlisle and Jasper help me look over these?" I asked
"Why Carlisle and Jasper?" Liss asked confused.
"Because Carlisle used to live with the Volturi and Jasper has knowledge on newborns. He will be able to tell what caused the attacks." I explained and she nodded.
"Carlisle, Jazz, would you two care to look over this and see what we have?" I said and they both nodded. We left to the study as the others dispersed. When I opened the files, I was shocked. In the file were also pictures of the scene provided by the alchemists. They almost made my stomach wretch. Bodies were strewn everywhere, ripped apart and there was so much blood. I handed the photos over to Jazz and Carlisle while I looked at the report. This attack took place only a few nights ago, killing almost 30 people.
"Rose this isn't the Volturi. They wouldn't cause such a mess and they feed in house. They have a member that has a gift, a lure, who brings humans to the castle." Carlisle said.
"This is similar to newborn frenzy, but they wouldn't waste blood like that. This is too vicious even for newborns." Jasper added.
"This doesn't look like Strigoi either. They are normally messy and often rip out their victims throats or something but this is brutal even for them." I said. I had a thought and I went to the computer. I found what I wanted to know and looked to Carlisle. "Carlisle, call Aro and tell him I need to speak with him. Tell him it is urgent and to get somewhere where no one can eavesdrop." I said with urgency. He nodded and retrieved his cell from his pocket and began to dial. After a quick conversation, he handed the phone to me.
"Ah Rose, what can I do for you my dear? Have you considered my offer?" Aro said and I rolled my eyes.
"I am still in debate on the subject. Right now there is something more pressing. Aro have you been made aware of certain attacks in and around Volterra?" I asked.
"No I haven't my dear. I have not heard such things and if it took place it most certainly would have at least been overheard from humans in the city." Aro said.
"Do you remember Tatiana mentioning things about the Alchemists by any chance?"
"Ah yes. I do remember her saying they helped to clean up evidence that the Moroi and Strigoi exist. Why?" Aro asked.
"Well an issue has come to my attention. There have been attacks in the area around Volterra and the scene photos are horrific. We do not believe that they are Strigoi or your kind. Do you have any ideas?" I asked and the line went silent for a few minutes.
"When did the attack occur Rose?" He asked rather urgently. He was on to something.
"Just when you are thinking Aro. During the last full moon." I stated. I heard a string of Italian or Latin and it went silent for a second. Jasper and Carlisle widened their eyes.
"Rose, there are other immortals as you have probably guessed. That damage, although I would need to see the photos to know for certain, was caused by an immortal but not a vampire. That was caused by the Children of the Moon. Better known as werewolves." Aro said.
There were many who wanted Jane to be the traitor, but i thought Chelsea would be better suited. I may have Jane in on it as well but i'm not sure just yet. Please R&R.