VERY IMPORTANT – MUST READ

OK so this will be the last chapter I will put up for a while. I move on Tuesday halfway across the continent from Kansas to Washington. I will be swamped with the start of school, my new job, and getting my apartment set up. This being said I am not sure when the next chapter will be posted. I will work on it when I get the chance. So I wrote a super long chapter. This is over 3300 words and 8 pages in Word. Thanks to all you guys who have shown your support and read this story. Your reviews inspire me to keep writing and I still find it amazing that people actually read and like my creation. And finally I just want to say that my Beta is soooo awesome. I go serious writers block with the middle of this chapter and she really helped me figure it out. Please enjoy.

Demitri's POV

"Let's cut to the chase Demitri. I have known all along that you were not really dead. You see there are several things that everyone failed to see, the first being that there are not werewolves in North America. They are strictly confined to the Ural Mountains in Northern Europe. They have not left those mountains in nearly 300 years. The second issue being that the Children of the Moon are a very proud people and if they had captured and killed you and Jane they would have bragged about it. Since you were "killed" in Washington State and that we have no heard so much as a peep about the incident from the children it is safe to assume that you were not dead. I simply do not understand how so much goes on without those three imbeciles not knowing. All it took was simple reasoning and deductive skills. Any idiot could have figured it out. Anyway back the matter at hand. So here you stand relatively alive in the middle of the Volturi Castle surrounded by those not only loyal to the three brothers but loyal to the Romanians as well."

"Mistress if you would…"

"Save it Demitri. You have no plan. You have stormed the castle only to find your one true love missing and in the hands of the enemy so to speak. It is very lucky for you that I have grown tired of the brothers and have decided to help you in this insane mission. Now if you would follow me I believe I can help you find on Miss Isabella Swan."

Felix and I stood rather dumbfounded in front of one of the most feared Succubus Vampires of all time. She was on our side? What? I looked at Felix to find him just as confused as I.

"So…you're on our side?"

"I am on a side. Now if you will follow me we are very short on time."

"You said you knew where Bella is."

"No I said that I believe I can help you find her. I did not say I knew where she was. Now enough talking and let us go."

"No."

"You are really trying my patience Demitri."

"How are we to know that this is not some kind of rouse?"

"You're just going to half to trust me. Now the Romanians and the Brothers will be done with final negotiations any minute now. We must hurry before they are done. Vladimir is very anxious to get his new toy home."

I was still very weary to follow her. The Mistress is known for her cruel games and loves to play sides.

Felix leaned close to me and whispered gently to me.

"I am still confused Demitri- the mistress has NEVER helps anyone but herself"

"I know Felix it is unbelievable, but it is all we have right now"

I looked away from Felix back to the Mistress only to find her gone.

"FUCK! What does this have to be so hard? Where did she go?"

"I told you this was too good to be true."

Felix and I stood there in the hallway for several minutes with what I imagine would be rather dumbfounded looks upon our faces. We needed to do something. Felix's voice broke our silence.

"I think we should try the guest quarters. It would make sense for Bella to be there."

"I will go. You need to get Heidi out of here and to someplace safe. Go to the ruins. If I am not there by sunrise leave without me."

"I don't like this Demitri."

"It is what must be done. Now go, the sooner we get going the sooner we can find Bella and get out of here."

Felix took off in a blur and I was suddenly very much alone. I wasted no time in heading down the corridor towards the guest quarters. I swear this castle is a giant maze of hallways and stairwells. I make my way to the south wing quickly and come to a stop when I hear voices.

"She is to be Master Vladimir's new playmate. Apparently the brothers went through much trouble to obtain her. That is what I heard at least."

"Everyone is talking about her like she is something special. I got a glimpse of her when they brought her to the room. Trust me she is nothing special. The Masters have much better back home."

"Yes but she has been trained by the Mistress."

"So what, she trained some of our girls as well."

"Very true….there must be something special about her. Why else would Master Vladimir want her so much?"

"I do not know and nor is it our place to question. Now let us finish preparing for our departure. Master Stefan said he wanted to leave within the hour."

The two women left into a room and closed the door behind them. So Bella is here somewhere. Those women were my key to finding her. I quickly made my way to the door and was reaching to open it when it suddenly swung open on its own. The young woman on the other side let out a small shriek then dropped to grovel before me. The other woman quickly joined her.

"Good sir please I beg you forgive my indiscretion. We were not aware that we should be expecting company."

"Which of you knows where they are keeping Vladimir's new girl?"

The younger to the two spoke quickly.

"I do sir. I can take you to her."

"No just tell me."

"She is being kept in a small bedroom off the great room."

Once I had my information I quickly drained the two women. They were a liability and I was hungry. I immediately set off in the direction of the great room. Each wing of the castle had a great room in which those staying could gather. I had no plan as I ran. What could I plan for? I knew not what I was going into. There could be five guards or five hundred. From what I have ascertained Vladimir seems rather fond of his new toy. I highly doubt he would have left her without a guard. As I approach the great room I noticed the silence. It was too quite. There should be the noise of human slaves running around attending to their masters. I stopped just outside the doors to the great room and listened. All I could hear was soft labored breathing. I could hear nothing else coming from the room. I cautiously open the door and peer into the room through the tiny opening I had made. There were bodies everywhere. Well more like body parts everywhere. I continued to open the door and took in the entire room. Everywhere I looked there were bits of bodies. I turned my attention to the only sound coming from the room. There among the carnage was a human female. Her breathing was labored and I knew she was dying.

"What happened here?"

I knelt down beside her and looked into her open eyes.

"We…we…tried to keep…"

Her voice was faint and she was fading fast.

"Where is the new human girl?"

"Gone…took…"

"Gone? Gone where? Who took her?"

"…only one…fought back...couldn't keep…"

"Only one what? Please where is she? Who took her?"

"It was the…"

The light faded from her eyes and she was dead like the rest of them. What had happened here? It looks like an ambush. I searched the room and did not find Bella's body or that of the Romanian brothers. Did they get her out before the attack? Is she with them? Why was the Volturi not here? Did they do this? I would not put it past the brothers.

I started grabbing body parts and stacked them in the middle of the room. I knew Bella was no longer in the castle and was long gone by now. I need to meet up with Felix and come up with a plan. He has been here for the past year. He will know things I don't. I continued stacking not caring whether I was picking up human or vampire. Once my pile was to my satisfaction I pulled the lighter from my pocket and set the pile ablaze. I turn and made my to the nearest exit out of the castle.

As I made my way through the woods I could still smell the smoke form Volterra. The humans were trying to put the fire out but it was a lost cause. The castle would burn to the ground.

It was nearly dawn as I made my way into the clearing that was home to the ancient runes. This spot had once been home to a great temple dedicated to some god or goddess. Now it was just a stone remnant lost to time.

Felix was perched on the side of a fallen Corinthian column with Heidi at his side.

"I see you are better."

"No better Demitri. Just a little more firmly rooted in reality."

"You scared us Heidi."

"I am sorry. I just…I just cannot stand the thought of what they did to her."

Felix pulled her sobbing body into his and rocked her gently. After a few minutes he looked up at me.

"What did you find?"

"I found where they were keeping her but she was gone."

"What do you mean gone? Had the Romanians left?"

"I came across two of their slaves who told me I could find her in the great room. However when I got there…"

"What? What did you find?"

"It was like a great battle had been fought in that room. There were bodies shredded and scattered. There must have been at least ten vampire guards and countless human servants, all torn to bits."

"Where there any survivors? What about Bella?"

"Bella was not among them. There was a girl barely alive. I tried to speak with her but she was incoherent. She said something about how they tried and something was gone or taken and there was only one. She died before I could get anything else out of her."

"If she was too far gone her mind was someplace else. She may not have even known you where there, probably just ramblings about something from her past. Humans have a tendency to shut themselves into their minds when they cannot deal with what is happening around them."

"I burned it Felix."

"Burned what?"

"The castle. It is gone now. I burned it to the ground."

"Wish I could have seen that."

"So do I, I was on too much a hurry to make it here before sunrise."

"You know we would not have left. We would have waited for you."

"I know Felix."

We sat in silence watching the sun rise and burn across the sky. Heidi had been huddled against Felix when she suddenly was on her feet in a crouch.

"Something is coming."

Both Felix and I spring up from out seats and crouched in a fighting stance on either side of Heidi. A male vampire suddenly appeared in the clearing. He held his hands out in a gesture of peace.

"I am Alistair. I am a friend."

"And why the fuck should we believe you?"

"Because I speak the truth and I can help you Demitri."

"How do you know my name?"

"I know a lot about you. I believe we have a mutual friend."

"And who the fuck would that be?"

"That would be me Demitri."

A woman walked out from behind Alistair and it took me a minute to realize that woman was Angela. I was sure it was her but she was different. She was taller with long blonde hair and ice blue eyes. She resembled the epitome of Nordic royalty yet still was Angela. I couldn't explain it exactly. I just knew it was still Ang.

"Angela?"

"Yes Demitri it is me. With the help of some new friends I have tapped into some hidden "talents." I can morph my body to look however I need. This Nordic ice queen getup is to help me blend."

"Wait…what?"

"After I left you I went in search of Bella. I figure if I was still in cat form no one would question me. As I was searching I felt this calling. Nothing I could hear. I could feel it in me, calling me to leave the castle. Before I knew what I was doing I was outside the castle and in the woods surrounding the city. That is where I met the Children."

"What children?"

"The Children of the Moon, they were waiting there for me. The helped me to see what I really am. And Demitri…I never thought…"

"What Ang? What are you?"

"I'm….It is still hard for me to fully believe but I am a goddess."

"A goddess? Like a goddess, goddess?"

"Well not exactly. It's really complicated but essentially I am the earthly incarnation of the goddess Artemis."

"The Greek goddess?"

"Well she is older than the Greeks but everyone seems to label her as Greek."

"What the fuck Ang?"

"What?"

"You're a goddess?"

"We've been through this Demitri. I am the earthly…"

"Yes, yes you are the earthly incarnation of Artemis. How did this happen?"

"I don't know. For some reason Artemis decided I was a worthy vessel."

"I really don't know what to say. This is just too much to process right now."

"The Children have invited us to return with them back to their lands. I believe that it would be the best thing to do right now. We need to regroup and plan. The La Push wolves are on their way. They will be here in a few days."

"I am tired Ang. Let us go. There is nothing else for me here. It is going to take us a few hours to get to the Urals anyway."

"Actually one of my new "talents" is teleportation."

"Of course it is. Why am I not surprised. Alright then, let's do this."

Ang closed her eyes and I suddenly felt as though the world had dropped from beneath me. I was not moving but I could feel the world moving around me. The sensation was confusing and disorienting. Then suddenly the world returned and we were once again standing among the trees. Only these trees were different. They were more densely clustered and heartier.

"We are about an hour's walk away from the caves. The caves provide shelter and protection for the Children. It is a tough life but it keeps their women and children safe."

Without another word Ang led the way through the trees. I could see no path or trial. It was like she was guided by some invisible force. We were lead through the woods silently. No words were needed as our small band journey toward the unknown. So much had happened within the last few hours and I still did not know if Bella was alive or not. I don't know what I will do if she is dead. I barely know the girl. A part of me knows just how ridiculous this whole situation is. I just took on the greatest powers in the vampire world all for a girl I have only actually talked to once for less than 10 minutes. I have given up everything for her. That same part hopes it is all worth it in the end. But that other part understands my need to find and protect Bella and already knows she is worth it. It is like the two sides are at war. I am so torn.

As we approached a series of cliff faces I began to see people milling about, some were by a flowing stream washing various items and themselves. Others were tending several gardens that were growing a variety of vegetables. Ang appeared in front of me and gave me a gentle smile.

"I have other issues to attend to Demitri. I leave you with Alastair. Just remember your love for Bella and no matter what may happen, just remember that love knows no bounds."

Ang quickly walked away towards a group of young men all holding weapons. They looked like a hunting party. I went to follow her to ask her what she meant but was stopped suddenly by a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see Alastair who is standing in front of me blocking the path.

"Before we go in you need to know something."

"What?"

"This is not going to be easy for you to hear."

"Just cut the fucking shit already. Just tell me what you have to fucking say!"

My patience was gone long ago and I was not in the mood for Alastair's fuckery.

"They have Bella in the cave."

If my dead heart could beat it would have stopped. She was here.

"You…you…have Bella? Is she…is she…alive?"

My knees instantly buckled and I fell to the ground,

I could barely get the words out of my mouth. I was filled with such horror that he was about to tell me that all they had recovered was a corpse. Tell me that I am too late to save the one person in this world who I could ever love.

"Yes she is alive. However she is not how you remember. She is damaged…"

"I fucking know the brothers raped her!"

"Demitri they tortured her. Tortured doesn't even cover what they did. I just want to be prepared for you are about to see."

"Just fucking take me to her. I have had enough stalling. TAKE ME TO HER NOW!"

Without another word Alastair turned and motioned for me to follow him through the entrance to the caves. We walked down the narrow passageways passing numerous people along the way. They all stopped what they were doing to watch as we passed. Women and young children were all we encountered as we continued further and further into the caves getting closer and closer to our destination. We rounded a corner into a small room and suddenly there she was. Lying on her stomach being attended to by a handful of women was the love of my existence. I was suddenly engulfed with the scent of lemons and sunshine. In that moment I knew she was worth it.

I quickly ran her side and knelt down next to her small body. She looked to tiny and helpless just laying there. She was covered in old scars and fresh wounds. Her hair had been cut so short she was nearly bald and what was left was thin and dull looking.

"Bella…Bella can you hear me?"

I went to pick up her frail body but was stopped by an elderly woman.

"No good sir. She cannot be moved. She was multiple broken ribs and deep contusions down her back. It causes her great pain to be touched or moved."

"Good lady, my friend here is her mate. I believe that his touch would bring her ease. His cold hands may also help keep swelling down and relieve pain."

"Very well Alastair. But if she appears to be in any discomfort I will not hesitate to put an end to it."

"I agree. Now why don't we leave them in peace? You as well Felix and Heidi. You will get your reunion soon enough. It has been over a year since Demitri has last seen his love and even then they never got the proper time together."

The four walked out the room and closed the door gently behind them. I was finally alone with my Bella. How I have dreamed of having her alone in my arms. I never thought it would be like this.

"What have they done to you?"

I ran my fingers along the scars tracing them down her beautiful face.

"Please wake up Bella. I need you. I…I love you."