Chapter 19 - Savage

"You're worthless". That voice…it was back? Who are you…? "I hate you." Don't say that. You don't. What do you want? "You to become one of us." I can't. No, I won't. The figure with no face drifted into view. I stayed back. It had…something. A mouth, it looked like. And that mouth was open. The fangs were glistening in the dim light. I tried opening my mouth, yelling for Edward, Jasper, anyone but it felt as if my tongue had been removed. I couldn't escape. The figure inched closer until, finally, I could stare into it's slowly forming cold, red eyes.

Someone was rolling me onto my side when I opened one eye, trying to wake up from yet another horrible dream.

"Well, it's properly healing. That's all we can hope for" Carlisle explained, most likely to everyone else in the house. I felt like a dummy they use in experiments.

"But will it recover fully? Werewolves heal fast, don't they?" That must have been Esme asking, since I couldn't see. All I could see was the sun peaking through the crests of the mountains in the distance through the window-wall. The cold hand on my back was taken away and I managed to close my eyes again before being rolled back to my original position.

I could sense Carlisle smiling that reassuring smile, "He'll be fine."

Another cold hand made its way near me and onto my forehead. From the gentle touch and scent I could tell it was Jasper. He pulled up a chair, not moving that hand that was starting to give me goose bumps. When the door shut I cracked one eye open.

"Are they gone?"

He nodded, all expression gone from his face. I sat up then, moving his hand unwillingly onto the bed instead of back on me. All the bones popped into place in my back as I stretched but when I lifted my right arm a pain shot through it. That must be where the scar was…

"Are you ok, Jacob?"

I turned back towards him, shrugging. "Maybe. I feel fine. You heard Carlisle, nothing to worry over."

"I didn't mean that. I meant your nightmare."

My heart skipped a small beat. I had forgotten Jasper could read moods.

"Honestly I couldn't tell you. These dreams keep coming back. They have been since the day I got involved with this place."

He scooted the chair closer, which meant I had to explain. Jasper, although being the quietest, was the easiest to read. When around me he had nothing to hide, and neither did I. That made it a lot easier to talk. I moved the covers away from my legs and swung them over the edge of the bed so I could tell him everything.

And that's exactly what I did. Starting from the day I first met James.

"It was a morning; I was arguing with Sam and went away from my pack and across the boundary. Didn't think you all would mind. Just needed somewhere quiet, I guess. But when I was there some really loud sound went through the forest – it brought me to my knees. I don't know what it was, almost like a loud ringing…Anyway, I went inside, fell asleep, and woke up with a rope. Didn't get much accomplished there because the damn idiots knocked me out. But when I woke up I was in a room…a really fancy room. I didn't, and still don't, know where it was. There were three vampires…creepy looking ones. Yeah, there were three. And the one that walked over to me, he touched my hand…He didn't attack me, no. Just stared at me…Then I got away and ended up with my pack again. It was all so confusing."

Jasper stood up then, almost throwing the chair away in order to get closer to me, "Wait, go back."

"To what?" I asked, leaning back on my hands to move my head from being so close.

"The vampire…he didn't attack you?"

"No…he let me go."

He shook his head, seeming to glare into my eyes, "What exactly did he do?"

Why was this so urgent, it made no sense.

"Just held my hand…and said I wasn't a danger."

"What was his name?" Jasper all but yelled. I'd never seen him so riled up before.

"I don't remember…"

He put his hands on my shoulders and shook them, hard.

"Try, Jacob! It's important!"

I shut my eyes only to open them minutes later, still no clue.

"Sorry."

Jasper let go of me, pacing around the room frantically before he flung the bedroom door open and took off down the hall. I massaged one of my shoulders, sighing.

I got up, following his trail, and found all of the Cullen's in Carlisle's office. The doctor motioned for me quickly, Edward instantly grabbing my hand and dragging me in. I stood next to him awkwardly, seeing how no one knew what was going on between us. But now seemed like a bad time to be thinking about that.

"Jasper has told us, Jacob, that you had an encounter with the Volturi" Carlisle began, hands on the table in front of him.

"The Volwho?" I asked honestly, that name ringing no bell whatsoever.

He smiled a very small smile and pointed to a picture directly behind us. I turned, staring up at three men in black robes, faces uncovered, looking over a balcony. It seemed like Doc was the lonely looking man way in the back, from what I could make out. But the other ones...it was clear to see how powerful they were, just from looking at a painting. The middle man, he was the one. The one who I had talked to….

"Who are they?" I whispered to Edward, grip tightening on his hand. He leaned in close to my ear so we didn't have to talk that loud, even though all of the others could still hear.

"The Volturi are the closest thing our kind has to royalty. They make the rules and-"

Rules? "You guys have rules?"

"Yes, and they enforce them. Caius, Marcus, and Aro are the three you see here. There are more than them, but, they aren't as well known to any outsiders."

But I still didn't get why everyone was so freaked out over the fact that I met them. Aro was the one I had met and he seemed kind enough. I mean, to let a werewolf walk out of there alive took an easy going attitude stronger than anything.

"Aro was the one he talked to, Carlisle" Edward told the doctor, looking down at me and listening to my thoughts. I glared at him but he just used his other hand to pull me somewhat closer.

"As I thought. Jacob, Aro didn't see you as a threat, otherwise he wouldn't have hesitated to kill. But do not think all is well. He is not yet the one we're worried about. It's the other two…"

Caius and Marcus? They didn't even talk to me. Alice put her head on Jasper's shoulders, turning away from me, and Emmett stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking at the floor.

"Why? Or should I be afraid to ask…?"

Carlisle moved, putting his hands behind his back. "Aro talking gave the others ample time to read you, Jacob. Very few vampires have special abilities, as you know from Edward, Alice, and Jasper. Not everyone can have these powers. But Aro and Marcus – they are also gifted. When Aro held your hand, as he's been known to do, he can read your mind, much like Edward. Only there's a twist."

There would be a twist…

"…He can not only read your thoughts, but can see everything that has happened up to that point. All of your emotions, thoughts, wants, life through your eyes, everything. I'm afraid he did that to you."

"But he didn't hurt me; does anyone else think that's strange?" I growled, clenching my teeth tightly. Edward moved his hand to the small of my back, keeping me against him, and put his head against the side of mine for a second – as if to be calming. I took a few breaths, trying not to take out my anger on them, though being in danger all the time was starting to get on my nerves.

"It is strange, yes. But he honestly did not see you as such. As I said, it's Caius and Marcus we must be aware of. Aro may be kind when he pleases but he is easily convinced of things. I know this because I was a member for many years. They are not like us; they eat the blood of humans and other creatures. I have a feeling Marcus will convince Aro that you are an enemy…because he can see relationships between people just by a glance. In other words, he could see that you and Edward belonged together. That's not allowed in our world – a love between a vampire and a creature they hunt to kill."

I didn't know who the last one, this Caius, was - but a part of me didn't want to hear the rest. It was hoping that maybe, somewhere, things would turn out the way I wanted. That maybe he wasn't a bad vampire and would take pity. Don't get your hopes up…a voice whispered in my head.

"Caius, the last member, is the most cruel. He will not hesitate to destroy anything he sees potentially harmful. Earlier I received a visit from a vampire clan not too well known around these parts, but the leader told me that he sensed something devastating was about to happen. At the time I had no idea what his meaning was, but it slowly becomes clear."

I could feel Edward tense and my heart drop at the next words…

"Jacob, the Volturi are on their way here. I fear a war is upon us."