23.
Aro's hand gripped my arm tightly, dragging me along for miles. I couldn't focus on where we were going because of the rag in my mouth. No matter how hard I fought, I could still taste that sweet human blood on my tongue, rolling down my throat, making me loose my control.
Suddenly, the air around us changed. We emerged from the trees and onto a gravel area. Someone ahead of us opened a metal gate, which we were lead through. Pushing past the emotions and the taste of blood, I could smell gasoline.
"Where are you taking me?" I screamed into the cloth stuffed in my mouth.
Aro chuckled darkly. "What was that, dear?" Someone beside him shuffled closer to us and laughed slowly.
They pulled me along until we reached a building, where I was pulled up stairs. Pushed down into a huge leather chair and strapped in, I began to realize what was happening. The screaming of jet engines and the sensation of being lifted up from the ground confirmed my suspicions. They were taking me to Italy.
A sob escaped from my throat but was muffled by the damp cloth in my mouth, which had turned icy and disgusting. I began working at it and thirteen minutes later, the rag fell out of my mouth and landed on my chest, where it stayed, hidden by the bag over my face. I sucked in a silent breath of air to get rib of the gross taste in my mouth. My throat began to burn several minutes later and all I could think about was wanting more blood. I had never believed the Cullens when they told me the power human blood had over a vampire until tonight. As my throat burned on, I realized that they were absolutely right.
John's face floated in front of my eyes and I sucked in another breath. Please, I begged mentally to no one in particular. Please don't hurt my baby. Another sob filled my throat, but this time I pushed it back, not daring to make a sound. What will they do to me?
The plane traveled on, seemingly endlessly. No sound reached my ears except for the drone of the engine. I wondered if anyone was even in the cabin with me. I kicked the front of my chair with my heel to see if I could get a response out of anyone, but there was nothing. Slowly, I rotated my head around, though I couldn't see anything. Still no response; I was alone. Aro was probably in the cockpit with the pilot, unless he was the one flying the plane.
I pulled my head down to my knees and shook it violently until the bag came off. Artificial light flooded my eyes as I managed to get the cloth around my eyes off using my knee. The first thing I saw was the tan leather seat I sat in and the white carpet under my mud-covered boots. As I lifted my eyes up, I saw that the cabin was indeed empty. A door to my left led to the cockpit and another on my right, which hung slightly open, to a bathroom. All the blinds were drawn, the only light coming from small reading lamps positioned every 6 inches or so on the ceiling. A plasma TV hung on the wall next to the bathroom door. Except for more chairs like the one I sat in, the rest of the room was completely empty. I wondered what the Volturi did to make enough money to be able to afford a private jet.
I pulled my concentration back in and focused on the cuffs on my hands, holding them behind my back. Pulling my hands apart, I tried to bend or break the metal. I felt a small budge and wondered what kind of material the cuffs were made of that they could stay strong even with the vampire strength I was using to try to break them. I kept pulling as I glanced around. A small clock above the cockpit door told me it was 2 in the morning. I wondered if the Cullens had realized I was gone yet. My thought train stopped when something dawned on me.
Why didn't you see this coming, Alice?
Aro had someone with him, someone who was keeping us hidden from Alice's sight. I groaned in frustration. Did this man have to think of everything? I closed my eyes and mentally pushed myself to speak to Edward.
Come on, come on.
What happened next was not what I had expected. The door to the cockpit slammed open angrily, smacking against the wall behind it. I swiveled my head around and came face to face with Aro.
"Trying to get a message out to your little friends, are you?"
I bit down on my lip, refusing to answer him.
"Well, you should stop trying. You cannot get through the shield I have around us. Your little Cullens won't know what hit them when they find you gone, and they won't know where to find you either."
Before I could stop myself, I heard myself ask, "You're not taking me to Italy?"
Aro chuckled darkly. "Italy, yes." I expected him to say something else, but his mouth stayed closed.
I growled at him and tried to lunge for him, forgetting my arms were cuffed behind my back. He stepped back just in time, letting me fall to the carpeted floor with a smack. Slowly he turned and made his way back to the cockpit.
"You know, Aro, one day you're going to realize you're not as smart as you think you are."
I heard him growl in response before the door slammed closed, leaving me alone once again.