Disclaimer: I own nothing. All rights are reserved for Mrs. Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter twelve

Chartering a plane to Italy was easy enough. Wave around enough money and the world is your oyster. Despite not having hunted for over a week, I felt no burn in my throat when I talked to the pilot. I only felt the burn of my missing heart, of my dying soul.

Never in my existence had I thought I still possessed a soul, but now I knew I once did. It was gone now. I was hollow, just a body waiting to die. I just had to get to the location where it was possible.

The plane ride was long and tedious. I had nothing to occupy my mind with other than the monotone thoughts of the pilot or my own jumbled thoughts. Flashes of her flicked through my mind.

Her soft, warm skin under my fingertips.

The sound and feel of her heart beat in the crook of her neck.

Her voice murmuring my name as she slept.

Those deep chocolate pools that would look up at me with such love that it took my breath away.

Her long brown hair, blowing out behind her in the wind, carrying her sweet scent over to me.

At first I fought the images, but after a while I let them flow freely through my mind. I revelled in them. I purposefully pulled up the first day we met. I relived every moment I spent with her in that Biology classroom that first day. The battle I fought against the monster in me. In hindsight I could see that I was already enamoured enough to keep her safe.

I recalled our day in the meadow, the wonderment in her eyes as she traced lines over my exposed skin, staring at the glimmer. Our first kiss when we got back to the car, popped up in my head with perfect clarity. I could recall her exact smell, her exact taste.

Completely lost in all those wonderful moments, I lost track of time. I Snapped out of it when the plane touched ground in Florence. It was night by now, which meant I could get into Volterra without too much trouble.

As I ran, I kept as much to remote area's as I could. When the walls of the town doomed up in the distance, I slowed my pace to a human walk. When I reached the gates to the city, I heard her voice.

Don't, Edward.

I shook my head, trying desperately to get rid of my delusions, but when I took another step, I heard her again.

Please, Edward. Don't.

I have too, love. I want to be with you again.

Don't be stupid. Think of your family.

They'll be fine without me. I won't live on without you.

As I took the next step, her voice was gone again. If I did see her again, I was sure she would be angry with me for doing this.

The moment I stepped foot inside the walls, I was approached by two cloaked figures.

What the hell do we have here? The bigger one thought.

He turned to his slighter partner with a smirk. "This one stinks up the place. We should escort him out."

"No," I said, my voice hoarse from going unused for most of the past couple of months. "I wish to see the brothers."

"Did you hear that, Felix? He wishes to see the brothers. What the hell for?" he snarled.

"I have a request."

Demetri was about to tell me to piss off, when a girl, nearly small and young enough to be considered an immortal child, came strolling up.

"Boys, boys, be good dears and give me a moment with this one," she purred in a childish voice.

"Jane," Felix said quietly. "I don't think we should leave you alone with him."

She scoffed. "I didn't say that. I just wanted to get him to tell me why he needs to talk to the brothers."

Felix stepped back and I got a flash of what she meant by it right before I felt a blinding pain shoot through me. I remotely registered I was screaming at he to stop. I writhed on the ground, trying to keep myself from going absolutely insane.

I don't know how long I lay on the floor being tormented when I heard someone approach.

"Jane, control yourself," a soft boyish voice said.

A moment later, the pain was gone and I realized there was no residual difficulty. I got back to my feet, glaring at the little blond girl. I noticed a boy in about the same size and age as Jane, with similar features, standing to her left.

He's beautiful. Maybe Aro will let me keep him as a toy. I heard Jane think, followed by a series of horrifying images of us feeding on the same human female.

"No. He won't and if e will, I won't stay," I hissed.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but didn't comment on what I'd said. "Why are you here?"

"That is something I would like to discuss with Aro and his brothers."

"I can give you a repeat performance to loosen your tongue."

"You can, but you won't. I need to speak to them, it's urgent."

"Fine, follow us."

We walked through a maze of streets and alleys until we finally turned into an alley that had a dead end. When we were almost at the end, Felix ducked down and lifted an iron grate.

Jane hopped into the hole, followed by the boy that seemed to be her brother. I hesitated only for a moment, but Demetri was not patient enough. He shoved me so I stumbled into the hole.

It was dark and damp down in the corridor, but with my eyes I could see that there was nothing threatening about the place. The threat came from the vampires around me. Each one of them looked forward to taking care of me once the command was given to kill me.

I was glad to know that there were so many of them that were eager to kill me. I would have a quick relief, I was sure of it.

Don't do this, her voice whispered.

I have to.

We passed through another hole in the ground, emerging inside the castle in a reception area of sorts. I followed the smaller vampires down several hallways until the stopped in front of a set of double doors.

Jane knocked gently and stood waiting in an almost demure pose.

"Enter."

The boy shoved the doors open. I was ushered into a large room, which was decorated like it was the throne room of a king, but instead of one throne there were three.

They were occupied by the three ancient vampires Carlisle had told me so much about over the years. I glanced over every one of the and quickly found the one who was the spokesman of the three brothers, Aro.

The man reached out his hand, beckoning Jane over and laying his hand on the hand she offered him. I had to bite back a gasp as I saw the flashes of her memories flit across his brain. It was more than I could clearly see, but in that instant Aro saw every last thought her mind had ever held and by extension I did too.

"Hmmm," Aro mused. "You have me intrigued, boy. Do tell, who are you and what is your purpose with us." He waved his hand around to indicate the group that dwelled around him.

"I am Edward Cullen, I believe you are acquainted with my father."

Aro's eyes lit up in surprise. He hadn't expected Carlisle to have made it this long.

"Tell me, is Carlisle still on this strange diet of his or did he find out it wasn't possible after all?"

"No, sir. He still holds to his beliefs."

Aro nodded, looking contemplating, but his mind was shrouded. He managed to keep part of his thoughts hidden, I could sense it, but I couldn't decipher it and it was starting to aggravate me.

One of the guards must have sensed a form of agitation from me, because all of a sudden I was held down by Felix and Demetri.

"Well, Edward, it seems that Renata gets the impression you are going to be a danger to me if the boys don't hold you down. Care to explain why she might think that?"

I stood, motionless, trying to control my irritation. When I finally tampered down the urge to hurry the matter along, I looked up at Aro calmly.

"I request death," I breathed steadily.

Aro's brow puckered ever so sightly, surprised by my request. He motioned me forward.

"Give me your hand, I will need to see why you wish this of us," he drawled.

I stepped forward, palm outstretched and up. Aro closed the remaining distance and put his hand on mine. All memories I had even had, all thought I ever held flashed through his mind and back into mine. It almost hurt for me to process, because my mind wasn't used to taking in this much information in such a short time.

The resounding memory, though, was of her. Of my Bella.

For the first time in months I could think her name without feeling like I was ripping at the seams. Only because I knew I would follow after her, one way or another.

"Felix, take him to the other chamber, we will deliberate."

A/N: I hope I am still giving enough credit to the original work. Let me know what you think and any suggestion are very welcome.