Two chapters in one night... be grateful and review :) xoxoxo

Chapter 38: Redefined

The night that had seemed so lovely and safe just hours before now held the air in tense breaths. The moon hid behind the clouds peering cautiously down as if sensing the danger of our journey and the urgency of our departure. My head turned rapidly in all directions, alerted by every sound. "Come on, Ness," David's calm voice pulled through my fog of anxiety, "You have to really center yourself to have enough focus for this. It requires a certain amount of raw belief in the method. To think of it in human logic or scientific means will simply not work. Take a couple breaths, we have time for one practice shot and then we must leave."

I nodded and forced myself to stop chewing nervously on my bottom lip. I closed my eyes and focused on the blood within my veins as if I were calling to Maharet herself to do this for me. "Concentrate on where you want to go," David said, "Why don't you try lifting yourself into the air and then coming back down. It is the initial lift that is the most difficult for the mind to grasp. You must be sure of yourself." I nodded, not daring to breath. I willed myself to raise, closing my eyes tightly and concentrating with all my might. I opened my eyes, thinking that I had done something wrong, only to find myself hovering high above the earth, staring out into a field of brightly lit stars lighting the pathway that I must follow. I gasped for air, though not needing it and stared at the beauty around me. I let myself descend slowly back to the ground, keeping my eyes open and alert this time. I smiled as my feet returned to soft dewy grass.

"Amazing," Carlisle said through wide eyes. I shivered a little with the intensity of what I had just accomplished. Flight felt so unnaturally alien.

"Excellent. Now we depart. I want you to follow close behind me, but all the while you must be willing yourself toward Volterra. The being within you will guide you best. Trust in the blood, young one." David's voice was calm, but I sensed his fear and urgency. "Carlisle, you will come with me and Edward, you go with your daughter. Trust her, she is not the child she used to be." David's words struck a chord in my head as other words of his flooded my memory. He wasn't there to protect me, I could take care of myself. And now, I would be taking care of the family that had long sought to care for me. It was their strength and love that had saved me from the wrath of the Volturi and now it would be the strength and the wrath of my new species that would bring down the nefarious order.

My father was wrapped tightly in an excellently tailored wool coat and made his shoulders even more prominent than they already were. A blood red scarf would handsomely around his neck and tucked into the coat. I smiled at him, "Are you ready, Daddy?"

"I trust you baby, girl, I'm ready," his thoughts echoed his words and I wrapped my arms tightly around his body just like I did when I was a tiny girl giving him the biggest bear hug that my miniature arms would allow.

David and Carlisle looked oddly comfortable in their embrace as David's gift lifted them into the sea of stars above us. I took one last look up at the window of the Nursery and peered into Jake's loving and sad eyes. "I love you," I whispered to him, "Take care of our children." He smiled limply into the night.

I closed my eyes and willed my body to carry my father and follow the forms of the two bodies transcending the parameter of the Earth ahead of us. My father's weight was barely noticeable as we lifted into the night. His face pressed close into my shoulder, I could feel him shutter against the burning chill of the thin atmosphere. I pulled him in tight, trying to share my blood-given warmth and strength. We sailed through the wetness of the clouds and broke free of their icy grip. The air was thin, but it was warmer above the moisture-dense clouds. My speed rocketed us across space and time. The Earth seemed to spin beneath us, like we were merely hovering above a tiny life-like globe. Its okay to look, Daddy. My mind told the mass of weight cradled in my arms, but there was no response. Panic instantly seized me, but I fought to focus my mind and to follow David and to find the Italian city of Volterra. My dad's weight had gone limp in my arms and his mind swirled with baby blue and lavender and glimpses of my mother's beautiful face, both in human form and in her vampiric beauty, almost like a sweet dream. I pushed higher and higher, streaming after David, wishing I could call out to him with my mind. Wishing for what would eventually be millions of times that we didn't have the blood barrier between us. I could do nothing but push on, willing myself to move swiftly across what had now turned to the black emptiness of ocean beneath us.

We pushed on for what felt like ages. The cold did not bother me, but I could feel myself weakening. The blood seemed to be sputtering out, like a tiny flame flickering and desperately clinging to life in the face of barbaric winds. My blood felt cold and sluggish as is crept through my veins. My body strained to keep up with David's still rapid speed. I felt my mind slipping in and out of consciousness. The monster roared to keep me awake, urging me on with the unmistakable allure of thirst. I needed more blood. I had to reach the city, not for my father, not for my family or for my own well being, but for him. The demon gave me the strength to complete my task so that he would again know the hot, wet, succulence of blood-bearing human flesh.

The ground materialized beneath us. I fell to the ground with a less than graceful thud, my father in tail. David's arms fell around me, pulling me back to my feet. Both Carlisle and my father laid still at our feet. "The journey has weakened them," said with a reassuring tone, "they will be fine after we get some blood in them."

Both of their faces looked so surreal in dream like states. I had obviously never seen either of them sleep. It was an odd occurrence and I couldn't help but shutter at how the image of their dead bodies crept into my dark mind. I looked away, not wanting to accidentally cause it to happen through my mere thoughts. I turned my mind to my surroundings. The Italian countryside fell gracefully down the hill that we had descended upon. Rolling grapevines gave way to tiny villas and cottages that dotted through the valley and up the surrounding hillsides. Even by the light of only the moon, the area seemed cheery and bright. A strange place to be harboring such evil.

I used my vampiric senses to seek out livestock surrounding the area. Only farm animals, goats and sheep, there was no sigh of big game. "We've got to get going," David's voice came as a sweet whisper mixing delicately with the aroma of olive trees and rustic grapevines. He slung Carlisle gently over his shoulder. I followed suit, lifting my seemingly weightless father in a similar fashion.

"They will only feed on animals?" David asked quietly, taking large strides through the grassy fields.

"Yes," I said, "Carlisle really approves of killing humans, being a doctor and all."

I could see David's nod, "Human blood would revive them much quicker," he said nonchalantly. "It will take the rest of the night to find enough goats to suffice. We have gained a couple hours of the night in our travels, but we really need to reach the walls of the castle quickly. I can feel Marius' presence, and he is very weak. I'm scared that he may not survive another meeting with the break of dawn."

"Why don't we take them to the Inn that you stayed in before. Then we'll have a room to come back to and they can get some rest," I suggested.

David turned around sharply with a raised eyebrow, "They need blood, Ness, not rest. Their kind doesn't sleep, remember?"
I flashed him a deviant smile, "I know, but if we are going to get them what they need, then we better get our fill."

"Oh, well then, young lady. I have found yet another reason not to underestimate you. Your cunning is quite frankly, very appealing. We will take them to the Inn. It shouldn't take us long to find a couple scoundrels in this tourist ridden city. Quickly now, my dear," his voice trailed from far in front of me as he moved swiftly to the East. I took a deep breath and with a blood sealed promise to my own personal demon, I rushed behind him.

The ugly face of the castle walls erupted from the horizon line. Its towers loomed ominously standing like sentinels guarding the most ancient of secrets. Being a fledgling member of the more ancient of the two species, I knew this to be a careless and arrogant facade. Their walls did not contain great treasures, but horrible creatures bent on domination and sick with their lust for power.

We slowed to a human pace as we entered the cobblestone roads of the tiny village. David and I let my dad and grandpa rest in patio chairs outside the Inn. I stayed with them pretending to nurse my two seemingly drunk companions so that David could go inside and rent us a room.

He emerged holding a tiny bronze key within seconds. "I'll carry them up one at a time," David said quietly, "We wouldn't want the sweet little Inn keeper seeing such a fragile young lady lugging a man up the stairs, now we would we?"

I smiled at his reference to me. "Oh, no of coarse not. I will go ahead of you and unlock the door."

"Perfect," he said, flashing me a gentlemanly smile. He made it seem as if it were an obvious effort to hoist our drunken pals up the stairs and into the room. As it turned out, David had taken the liberty of selecting the only suite available. The charming Italian decor was delightfully tourist driven, down to a breakfast nook table with the traditional red and white checkered table cloth. He laid Carlisle and my Dad on the two beds and locked the door. We crept out onto the balcony and earning our cliché, flew like bats from the ledge.

David wasted no time in locating our prey. He lead me quickly through the streets to a more dimly lit and remote area where we were fortunate to find a small gang of thieves who just so happened to be plotting the murder of one of their partners. They huddled together beneath the olive trees in an abandoned field. It only took a moment to rape their villainous minds and discover how vile and utterly disgusting they were, lurking in the shadows plotting their next big score. We had precious little time and David did not intend to wait for the men to single themselves out. He made a quick motion with his hand and together we swept over them like a cloak of darkness. I gripped the largest of the four in my strong hands. He gasped in fear as he saw David's teeth plunge into the dirty man standing across from him, but it was too late for him. I had already tore through his throat and was guzzling down the heaps of golden blood. I slurped and gulped, taking him down in seconds. His heart came to a screeching halt as I threw him to the ground with a sharp thud, spilling the remainder of his dark life into the earth.

It took two steps to reach my next victim as he screamed and tried to escape. My hand closed around his throat as I pulled him swiftly back to his now lifeless friends. I stared briefly into his beady little eyes before easing the knife-like fangs into his rapidly pulsing vein. The thick heat of his blood filled my mouth. I moaned as his body thrashed beneath me. He clutched a rusty little knife in his hand and I laughed through the blood at his attempts to injure me. The blade of the instrument snapped in half as he vainly tried to plunge it into my side. I drained him quickly. His dying thought was of a beautiful orchard filled with children, children that he had whipped into obedience and slavery in his younger days. I wiped the stain of his tainted blood from my lips, slightly disgusted with the filth that I had just consumed. Although the beast inside of me rejoiced and danced in his blood-soaked fury, I suddenly understood why vampires would crave the blood of the innocent.

My eyes blinked a couple times as the blood filled me, returning my strength. I turned away from the ugly deaths as David lifted all four bodies, dumping them into a shallow grave. With unbelievable speed, the evidence of our feast disappeared beneath the cleansing soil of the earth. Only the crooked old olive trees bore witness to our deeds.

"It's not as big of a deal in Europe," David said as he patted the soil down with his expensive and polished boot. "They do not hunt for their dead as the American's do. Plus, I doubt our friends up on the hill do much to conceal their actions either."

I could only nod, the power of the fresh blood had entranced me in its mesmerizing pulse. I licked my lips and savored the last of its forbidden taste in my mouth. "Come, my darling love, I know the blood speaks to you, but this isn't the time, we must get back to the room."

I followed the echoing sound of his boots clicking on the cobblestone, unable to truly focus on anything but the euphoria drumming inside of me. David lifted me back up to our balcony with ease. We found ourselves back in the same scene that we had left. A mere twenty minutes had passed. I ran my fingers lovingly through my fathers bronze hair. "You don't think it will change them, do you?" He seemed so human, so soft and alive. A pain shot through me as I thought of the twins and of Jake.

"No," David said confidently, "you saw Athenadora, nothing will happen unless they are drained first and the blood has a chance to complete the full circle."

I pressed my wrist to the razor edges of my teeth and sliced through my stony flesh. I watched in amazement as the wound automatically sealed. "You are much stronger than before, my dear, you must put a little more effort into it."

This time I tore into myself, opening a gash from which the blood twinkled and glistened like wet diamonds as it flowed. I pressed the opening to my father's lips. His eyes flashed open instantly. I threw my head back in a mixture of pleasure and pain as his mouth closed over my wrist. His hands held my arm and he gulped down the blood greedily. David's moans filled the room as Carlisle followed in my father's foot steps. I looked down, unable to lift my eyes from the grotesque scene of my father feeding upon me. Although I may have imagined it, I thought for one moment, one fleeting second that his eyes flashed into a vibrant golden green. And I fought to push from my mind the image of those beautiful eyes turning to ash and falling away on the wings of the wind.

I gently pulled my burning wrist from his perfectly pouted mouth, watching intently as my flesh magically sealed itself in seconds. My dad licked his lips and his eyes glowed red before fading back into their soft amber. I stared at him as the animation returned to his face, forcing the dark circles from beneath his eyes. Suddenly he didn't look like my father. I didn't feel like I belonged to him anymore. We were equals. I was no longer weaker than him. I no longer needed his protection. My love for him was furiously strong, but somehow, I just didn't feel like I was anyone's child anymore.

"Nessie, what were you thinking? You let me drink from you! What if I had hurt you?" but his thoughts betrayed his words, and I had heard the thoughts before his outburst. His body and mind had revitalized in the blood. It had tasted good, rich and wonderfully satisfying.

"Daddy," I had the urge to address him as Edward, but I knew it would break his heart, "Don't be silly, you can't hurt me. You needed the blood, you and Carlisle both did and this was the only way we could give it to you. We don't have time for you two to go around hunting sheep and we know that you don't want to take life unnecessarily... So we did it for you. Now come on, we have to get going."

He shook his head. His thoughts ranged from anger and protectiveness to hurt and confusion. His expression was foreign to me, through his eyes, he wasn't seeing his daughter anymore. And although I too, had felt the separation or redefinition rather, somehow it hurt me from his point of view. "Oh Daddy," I cried, falling into his arms, "Its still me, I promise," I fought back the tears, "things are just different now, okay? I"m sorry."

His arms felt smooth and comforting as he pulled me in close, "Oh honey, I'm sorry too. I know this isn't easy for you either. I'll always be your Daddy, no matter what, okay?"

I clung to him for a minute, savoring his love and affection like a small child. David's painful gasping broke our moment. I rushed to his side and pried Carlisle's teeth from his wrist. Carlisle's eyes were wild and flashing a menacing scarlet as he fell back onto the bed under my force.

"I didn't want to hurt him," David said as his wound sealed nearly as quick as mine.

"Are you okay?" I said frantically.

"Oh yes, Nessie," David said with a polite smile, "I'm just fine. Lets just make sure your grandfather feels the same way."

Carlisle's body was stiff for a moment before he sat up, calmly lapping the rest of the blood from his lips. His eyes burned a bright red, but then easily faded back to the familiar gold. "Grandpa, are you okay?"

He smiled slowly at me, "Yes, I'm sorry David, I didn't mean to take so much. I'm not accustom to the... Well, lets just say I'm not used to so much flavor."

"Quite alright my friend, no harm done. Are we ready?" David said moving toward the window. He peeled back the decorative curtains to reveal the ugly castle on the hill leering evilly down upon us. "Marius is growing weaker, we have to get him out of there before dawn." He turned his eyes to the magnificent Breitling watch adorning his other wrist. He glanced quickly at the tacky little hotel alarm clock with the glowing red numbers and adjusted his time piece to read 1:15am. "We don't have long."

He launched himself from the rail of the balcony into the shadows of the surrounding buildings. We all followed him and began our approach to the jutting dark walls of the fortress that contained the evil-doers that we must destroy and two that we had to save.