All characters except for Annabelle Causley and a few others belong to Stephenie Meyer…and, of course, the writer is not receiving any profit for this story whatsoever.
This is an AU out of Stephenie Meyers' Twilight series. This story starts after Eclipse, two weeks before Edward and Bella's wedding.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Don't breathe…
Don't let her win…
Annabelle's head fell back, smacking hard against the stone wall as Jane stood before her with a smile on her face. Tensing her jaw, she closed her hands into fists, her nails digging into her palms as her body twisted in agony.
"It's simple Annabelle," Jane's soft voice caused Annabelle's breath to hitch, "You tell me who helped you destroy Aro and I will leave you alone for the night."
"No one…" Annabelle sucked her breath in, the burn in the back of her throat pure agony, "Helped me. I did it alone."
"I don't believe you, Annabelle," Jane turned to look at the gagged and bound human across the small cell Annabelle was kept in, "Tell me who else was there and I'll unchain you…let you feed."
"It doesn't matter..." Annabelle stared up at Jane, her black eyes wide, "The chains don't matter. I won't kill him."
"Fine…then I will take him with me," Jane smiled at Annabelle, watching her arch her back in agony, "Another week of torture and starvation should break you…"
"What are you doing here?"
"I…want to see…Annabelle."
"She's not here," Edward leaned against the doorframe, his face guarded, keeping any surprise from showing.
"She said…she was going…to New Hampshire with you…you're still here."
"There was a change of plans," Edward cocked his head to the side as he pushed away from the house and walked down the porch stairs, "She headed back to Italy…turned herself in to the Volturri."
"For what?"
"For destroying Aro," Edward stopped several feet away, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Aro?"
"The vampire that created her," Edward slid his hands into his jean pockets, "He's one of the Volturri…the leaders of our world, so to speak. She headed to Italy to keep them from coming here."
"Oh."
"We'll be leaving in about two days…to rescue her…" Edward cocked an eyebrow, his face sporting a skeptical look as he made an offer, "If he wants to...Jacob can come along."
"I'll…tell him."
"Are we ready?" Alice grabbed a duffel bag, throwing it into the trunk of Bella's Guardian.
"Just about," Rosalie lifted another heavy duffel bag, "Edward and Bella are doing some last minute hunting."
"I can't believe we're risking peoples' lives this way," Jasper shook his head, his fisted hands stuffed into the pockets of his black jeans; "There must be another way."
"Jasper, she's doing fine," Alice reached out to tousle his hair, "Besides…we'll be on a private jet…no humans enclosed with us."
"Besides," Bella's voice carried through the garage as she and Edward approached the rest of the family, "As good as humans may smell, I still don't like the idea of having to take a life just to taste their blood."
"I tell you, Jasper, she's got an amazing sense of will-power for a newborn," Edward wrapped his arm around Bella, a dazzling smile on his face; "She smelled those hunters, went after them and then stopped herself. I was in awe."
"That was irresponsible of you, Edward," Carlisle shook his head as he opened the door of his Mercedes, "But just to be safe, when there're humans around, hold your breath Bella. It will feel strange at first but you'll get used to it."
"Yes sir," Bella smiled as she headed towards the driver's side of the Guardian, "Are we all ready to leave?"
"Yeah," Emmett pumped a fist in the air, "Let's go kick some Volturri ass."
"Hold on."
"What is it, Edward," Alice looked over her shoulder to look at her brother.
"We have company."
"We need to be careful when we approach Annabelle," Edward rummaged through his duffel bag, sitting beside Bella in the luxurious jet they had acquired to head to Italy.
"Why?"
"Because she hasn't fed in over two weeks," Jasper stretched his legs, his nose wrinkling in distaste, "It normally wouldn't be a bad thing since she seems to have an amazing ability to keep her thirst under control, but when you add the torture on top of not feeding, well…she won't be thinking clearly."
"Jane may push her far enough where Annabelle can't really think of herself as a person," Alice's mouth lifted in a sympathetic smile, "All she'll be able to feel is her thirst and that's all she'll be able to think about."
"It wouldn't be a problem if it were just us," Rosalie pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, her face expressing her dislike for their newest addition, "But since you had to come along…and she seems to find you somewhat savory, whatever the hell she may be thinking, there's a slight chance she might attack you."
"Well, Blondie, I'm the only one that has to worry about that, don't you think," Jacob sneered at Rosalie, his eyebrows drawn low over his dark eyes, which were ringed with dark circles.
"Jacob," Bella turned to stare at his face, her burgundy eyes glinting with disapproval, "Behave."
Jacob shivered as he looked away from Bella. He was still getting used to the new Bella but one thing he knew…there was no more feelings for her that he had to work through…the moment he had seen her after she had been turned, he knew there would only be one vampire to hold her interest…and the girl he had once loved no longer existed.
Closing his eyes, he tried to blank his mind, to fight the minor guilt that crashed over him whenever he thought of the night before, when he had talked to the pack about Annabelle.
"You're leaving us to become one of them," Leah glared at Jacob as they all either sat or stood around in Emily's small kitchen, "Way to go Jake. That's a great way to lead this pack."
"I'm doing what I have to do," Jacob ran his fingers through his hair, "But I'm leaving Sam in charge…just the way he was before. That shouldn't be a problem for you."
"Are you coming back," Seth's dark eyes shimmered as he did his best to not show emotion…he didn't want the others to think of him as a baby.
"I don't know," Jacob shrugged his shoulders, "Edward told Emily why Annabelle headed back to Italy…and all of you know about the Volturri…well, what Edward told us of them after that fight with the newborns. I don't know what the Cullens have planned but if we survive, I'll talk to Annabelle about coming back to Forks."
"And what," Jared gave Jacob a look of disbelief, "You'll bring her back to the reservation? Build a house that'll be split by the boundary line? One half for you, one half for her?"
"No," Jacob shook his head as he tried to blink the grittiness out of his eyes, "I told my dad about Annabelle…I was surprised at how well he took in the whole thing…better than all of you combined, that's for sure."
"You imprinted on the enemy, Jacob," Leah's dark brown eyes snapped with anger and indignation, "And now you're turning traitor?"
"He's not turning traitor," Sam moved across the room to drape an arm around a quiet Emily's shoulders, "He's not giving us up to them or letting them near us…he's just leaving us to be with the one he imprinted. He won't do us any good otherwise."
"So what," Embry turned to look at Jacob, saddened at the idea of not seeing his friend again, "You're turning into an expatriate?"
"Yeah," Jacob sucked a breath in as he shut his eyes tight, "I can't…I can't think…or concentrate…I'm no good around without her…and it's not fair to ask you to deal with her when she's my problem."
"We're a pack, Jake," Quil looked up from his hands, looking into Jacob's eyes for the first time, "Who you imprint on…or this case, what you imprint on…becomes a part of you and therefore it becomes a part of us. We come together…you can't split away from us any more than we can cut you off."
"What are you saying, Quil," Jacob looked back at his pack brother, feeling a thick lump in his throat at his words.
"Go after your vampire, Jake," Quil's mouth lifted into a small smile, "Save her, survive…be happy. And if you get the chance to come back, we'll be here. And we'll still be your brothers. That will never change."
Jacob sucked his breath in and grimaced at the thick sweetness in the air. His nose was burning like crazy, which was no surprise what with being inside an air-tight plane with eight vampires.
Leaning his head back into the leather headrest, he turned his head to the side to look out the round window, watching the thick clouds.
"Don't worry Jake," Bella looked over the back of her seat into Jacob's tired dark eyes, "We'll find her…we'll rescue her…we'll make it out alive."
"That's the spirit, Sis," Emmett crowed from the back of the plane, "With positive attitude, we're halfway there."
"I only wish I were able to be that positive," Alice grumbled as she buried her face in her hands, "Instead I'm blind as a bat and can't see what the hell is going to happen."
"Sorry," Jacob mumbled with sincerity…for once, he wished Alice were able to see what would happen but from the moment he joined the Cullens outside their garage, Alice has been unable to see what his decision to come along would result in.
So there they were…eight vampires and one werewolf flying blind into the middle of a bloodthirsty coven to rescue the one fate had chosen to become the very center of his soul.
