A/N: All original Twilight characters are © Stephenie Meyer.
Chapter 14
Contemplating Loss and Grief
Leah watched helplessly as Ethan, with one strangled snarl, hit his knees – his eyes going blank as if he were in a hypnotic trance. His breathing accelerated as feral growls alternated with tortured high-pitched whines pierced the dead silence that had now overtaken the once joyous atmosphere in the Cullen's great room.
Ethan stood on trembling legs at the edge of a thick black forest. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make his legs move! He had disobeyed his chief's orders. He had come to the battle…come to their rescue when it was evident that they were in desperate trouble. But his chief…his mother…had caught his scent and heard his thoughts.
No, Ethan! You WILL NOT fight tonight!
His mother's final edict had nailed him to the spot just as surely as her lineage had passed the shape shifting gene down to her only son. So, as the sounds and sights of a battle he could not fight continued around him, Ethan stood frozen in place, trembling and terrified.
His mother's panther, black and graceful, squared off with a wild-eyed red- headed female. With the agility of a gymnast, Mareena swept her tail under the vampire's feet and sent her crashing to the ground with an ear-splitting crunch. Mareena leapt on top of her and bared her teeth with a ferocious roar. The fiery red-headed vampire delivered a backhanded slap to Mareena's mammoth jaw, sending her reeling backwards. Mareena sprang to her feet and catapulted herself square into the female's chest. Locked in struggle, both began to roll head over heels along the ground, roars and growls filling the night silence.
Meanwhile, a tall dark-haired vampire had Mareena's second in command, a silvery gray cougar, in a head-lock – his front paws swatting valiantly, but in vain. The dark-haired male was too strong, and before the brave cougar could make contact, a sickening cracking sound signaled the end. The cougar fell limp to the forest floor with a broken spine. Ethan closed his eyes to shut out the horror as the already victorious vampire dug his long wiry fingers into the chest of the fallen cougar and pulled out his vibrant still-beating heart. With a wide grin and an evil chuckle, the dark-haired male squeezed the thumping heart between his fingers and lapped at the blood oozing down his forearm.
The death of the second in command had signaled the end in more ways than one. The bodies of five other large cats lay scattered over the forest floor...dismembered and mangled beyond recognition. Six jubilant vampires stood watching the final fight in eager anticipation…decisive victory practically a foregone conclusion.
Mareena's sleek black panther had managed to hoist herself into a tall spruce and used the bottom branch to launch herself onto the back of the red-headed female vampire. Mareena clamped her teeth into the skull of the female, preparing to wrench her head free from her body. With a frustrated howl, the fiery-haired woman slammed her body against the trunk of the tree, pinning Mareena behind her and knocking the breath out of her fatigued lungs.
At that moment, the split second distraction the female vampire needed was provided by Ethan's father as he ran into the clearing screaming out his beloved wife's name. As Mareena turned her head with an anguished screech, a tall sandy-haired male grabbed Ethan's father from behind and snapped his neck with one simple twist. As Mareena watched her husband's lifeless body drop to the ground, the red-haired female grabbed hold of her head and flung her massive panther's trunk against the tree one last time, severing her spinal cord and rendering her totally defenseless.
Knowing death was only moments away, Mareena reached out in thought to her only son in the desperate hope of saving his life.
Run, Ethan! Live! Always remember…
Before Mareena could finish her final message, the red-headed female delivered one final blow to her skull, crushing it with one stone fist.
Though in panther form, Ethan could feel the hot tears stinging his eyes as his knees buckled under the weight of his grief. He knew he should run, but he was paralyzed…alone…and terrified.
"Okay, people. Burn the bodies. Leave no trace of evidence behind."
It was obvious to Ethan that the red-headed female was the leader. In fact, she was the only female. All six of the other bloodsuckers were male. Suddenly, Ethan was filled with a hatred so strong it consumed him. What he wanted more than anything was to annihilate the whole damn coven, but he knew if he didn't leave now, he would meet the same fate as all the other tribal warriors. Someday, the sons of these brave warriors would be of age. They would go through the same change Ethan, at sixteen, had just gone through.
Someday, he would return and lead his tribe in the battle that would avenge the carnage that had taken place here tonight.
For now, he would do as his mother requested. He would live. And, he would always remember.
As Ethan turned to make his escape through the black forest, his right front paw stepped on a dead tree limb lying atop the cold ground. The crackle from the snapping branch seemed to echo through the peaceful night air. Too late, Ethan froze as still as death and held his breath.
"What was that?"
The tall dark-haired male's nose twitched as he turned his powerful super-human eyes towards the exact spot where Ethan's black panther was standing.
The red-headed female and the sandy-haired male turned in the same direction, noses twitching and eyes searching.
"Garrett, go make sure we haven't left a cat out of the bag," ordered the red-head. "Dallas and the rest of us will finish up here."
The dark-haired male wrapped his arms around the red-haired female's waist and brushed her wild fiery hair back, exposing her slender neck and kissing it passionately.
"Victoria…Baby…why don't you let me take care of the cat? After all, I am much faster and stronger than Garrett."
Victoria giggled and turned her head to the side to plant a long sensual kiss on Dallas' lips.
"My precious, you are MUCH more than faster and stronger."
Victoria allowed her eyes to roam over Dallas' body and linger just below his belt before adding with a grin, "But you're also a newborn. You might run into some poor unsuspecting human and ruin all of our hard work here tonight. So, Garrett…get going. It'll be daylight soon. I don't want to risk being seen by any townspeople on our way back to the house."
As Garrett – ready to spring into chase – turned and crouched in Ethan's direction, Ethan's survival instincts kicked into high gear and he sprinted off in the opposite direction – the sound of Dallas' sick twisted laughter ringing in his ears.
Garrett was fast, but Ethan was faster. He had no idea just how long, or how far, they ran…Ethan always ten steps ahead. Until the green carpet floor of the forest ran out and smooth black asphalt replaced the rugged terrain.
Ethan was so focused on outrunning the vampire that he never noticed the eighteen wheeler baring down on him until it was too late. The semi slammed into the black panther with bone-crushing force, throwing him 75 feet back into the forest, unconscious.
Ethan came to seconds later, feeling nothing…at first. But then the pain –excruciating mind-blowing pain – set in, and Ethan couldn't breathe. Then, he looked up to meet the crimson eyes of the sandy-haired vampire the leader had called Garrett. Ethan tried to get up…he wanted to get up…knew he had to if he was going to live. But his body wouldn't obey his commands.
Blood oozed into his eyes, and as he moved to swipe it back, Ethan was startled to see his human hand rather than a clawed paw. He swept his eyes across his naked body to survey the damage. Both of his legs were broken, contorted into unnatural shapes. His left arm hung limp, bloody tendons visible beneath broken skin.
Ethan knew he was in serious trouble…blood-thirsty vampire aside. He didn't have to see the huge gash in his scalp, or the broken ribs puncturing his lungs, he could feel them. Instinctively, he knew being in human form would speed up the healing process, but he also knew he couldn't defend himself in human form. He tried to phase, but the pain was so consuming, Ethan couldn't force his mind to focus long enough to make it happen. Besides, he knew his injuries were so severe, it wouldn't matter…panther form or human form…he was dead.
Garrett stared at Ethan for what seemed like hours before kneeling down beside him and asking, "How old are you, kid?"
"Sss…Six…Sixteen. What are you… waiting… for?"
Ethan drew in a ragged, pain-racked breath.
"End." Another ragged breath. "It!"
Ethan wanted to sound brave and defiant, but his quaking voice betrayed him.
Then, Garrett moved so quickly Ethan didn't see it coming, and everything went black.
Ethan opened his eyes to find a room full of werewolves and vampires staring at him anxiously. Emmett reached down to help him off the floor, and Ethan jerked away violently.
"Don't touch me, you filthy bloodsucker!" Ethan shouted through clenched teeth, springing to his feet into a hostile crouch. The hair on his arms prickled and his nostrils flared in warning of an impending phase. His whole body shook with the effort to control himself.
"Ethan! Get a grip, brother!" Jacob laid his hand on Ethan's shoulder.
"Last time I checked, you weren't my brother!" Ethan growled, his eyes flashing with barely controlled rage.
Then, all of a sudden, a feeling of calm washed over Ethan and the rest of the room.
Bella gave Jasper a knowing glance and mouthed "Thank you" from across the room as Ethan slowly stood upright out of his attack stance.
Leah placed a timid hand over Ethan's and led him to the nearest chair and pushed him down into it gently.
"What happened, Ethan? What did you see?"
As Leah asked the question, she soothingly stroked the back of Ethan's neck and rubbed calming circles across his still heaving shoulders.
"They were there. He killed him…tried to kill me."
Ethan shook his head incredulously before adding, "How did…"
"He couldn't do it."
All heads turned at the sound of Edward's velvet voice.
Garrett stood behind Edward, a look of sheer panic displayed across his angelic features. Dallas was suspiciously absent.
Upon seeing Garrett, Ethan leapt up from the chair and charged him with a feral growl. Edward stopped Ethan's forward motion by placing his hand on his chest.
"No, Ethan! This is neither the time nor the place."
As Edward finished the sentence, another wave of calm wafted over the room and Edward nodded knowingly at Jasper.
With a shuttered sigh, Garrett moved from behind Edward to take his place beside Kate.
"Garrett, where is Dallas?" Tanya questioned, eyeing Garrett suspiciously.
Edward looked over at Tanya before turning to Bella and asking, "Bella, where is your father?"
"The girls…Claire, mainly… got tired, so he and Sue took them back to the cottage to watch a movie. What's going on Edward?"
"Garrett has something he'd like to say, and I don't think Charlie would be up to hearing it."
Edward turned with raised eyebrows in Garrett's direction.
"Katie girl, this is going to come as a shock to you. I am so sorry, Darlin'. Tanya, I never meant for you to get hurt. Please forgive me. Ethan, there are no words to express how truly sorry I am for what happened that night with your parents. Victoria had been scoping out Cantwell for months and had recruited several of us to rid the place of shape shifters so we could hunt with free reign. Back then, she liked to spend a few months in one particular spot and then move on to the next village or town. It was in one of those villages that Victoria found Dallas…Some people are just born with an evil spirit. Dallas thrives on the evil that being a vampire allows him to impose upon people. Victoria changed him because she recognized this trait in him and always kept a newborn or two in the group for their strength and speed anyway. That night was the culmination of weeks of research and planning. It all went smoothly until your father…She didn't figure on a human coming to the rescue. Your dad caught Victoria off guard. Dallas was her henchman…he would have mutilated him. I ended it mercifully before he got the chance. Then, we caught your scent. You were another thing we didn't see coming. Your change must have just happened because you were never there when we watched the training sessions. You were so fast…I'd never seen anything faster. I probably would have never caught up with you had it not been for… When the truck hit you and I found you lying there in the woods all banged up…You were so young…just a sixteen year old kid. I couldn't bring myself to end your life. But, I couldn't leave you there for Victoria and her band of reprobates to find either. I knew your body would heal on its own, so I moved you to a cabin I discovered while hunting one night. You blacked out from the pain of being moved. I left you there unconscious knowing you would be all right after a few weeks. But, I told Victoria and Dallas that I killed you and burned your body."
Edward grabbed Ethan by the shoulders, restraining him, before he could follow through on what his thoughts and his body was begging him to do.
"Ethan, I understand your need to bring retribution. But, it cannot and will not happen here. Besides…there's more."
Edward turned apologetically to Tanya before continuing.
"Victoria, as we all know very well, quickly grew bored with her little band of scoundrels and left them in the hands of Dallas…at which time, Garrett made his exit as well. For the next ten years, Dallas and his followers continued to wipe out entire groups of shape shifters in order to feed off their unprotected humans. Last January, when the Volturi discovered that true werewolves weren't the only enemies that existed for Vampires, they did a little research, then found and recruited Dallas to continue his seek and destroy missions…under new sanctions, of course…but with better resources."
Edward turned to look into Alice's grief stricken face.
"No, Alice…this isn't your fault. You couldn't see around the shape shifters. So, there was no way you could have seen this coming. Besides, Dallas has been working very hard to cover his tracks."
At this point, all heads turned in the direction of a slamming door followed by the sound of shattering glass as Tanya ran from the room.
Edward sighed with a grimace before stating flatly, "She won't find him. He's gone. He found what he came here to find."
"I'll go talk to her," Kate said as she slipped past Garrett without looking him in the eyes.
"We'll come with you," Esme said as she took Rosalie by the arm.
As the three women left the room, Ethan squared his shoulders and looked straight into Garrett's eyes with an unmistakable hatred.
"Don't make the mistake of believing that you sparing my life will in any way convince me to return the favor. The fact remains you killed my father and stood by as the rest murdered my mother and every Ahtena warrior from our village. We will meet in a different place and time…that…I promise you."
Eleazar stepped between Garrett and Ethan and laid a fatherly hand on Garrett's shoulder.
"Come, son. I believe it's time for us to make our exit. Our family has much to discuss. Carlisle, as always thank you for your kind hospitality. It was a lovely party. We'll be in touch soon."
"It was nice to see you, Old Friend. I'll show you to the door."
Carlisle escorted Eleazar, Carmen, and Garrett to the front door where friendly, but awkward good-byes were exchanged.
Bella was eyeing Edward with concentrated contemplation. She knew him so well, and could tell when he wasn't telling the whole story. By the worried furrow in his brow she knew he was definitely troubled by something. Then the clincher…he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and index finger.
Bella walked over to her husband and took hold of the hand that was clasped to his nose and looked up into his troubled golden eyes.
"What else aren't you telling us, Edward?" Bella asked quietly.
As Carlisle re-entered the room with Esme on one arm and Rosalie on the other, Edward looked down at Bella and sighed deeply before looking out among his family and closest allies and stating in a somber tone, "Dallas has been very good at his job. There are only two groups of shape shifters left on the planet…the Quileute wolves and the large cats of the Ahtena warriors. Dallas came here tonight to see for himself just how strong the alliance is between our family and the wolves. His discovery of the oldest Ahtena warrior was an added bonus."
Leah looked first at Ethan, then over to Edward, then back to Ethan in confusion.
"Wait…OLDEST Ahtena warrior? I thought you were the only…"
"I thought I was, too. Until my memory completely returned, and I remembered the kids. Seven sons…" At Leah's upturned eyebrows and her mouthing the word seven in a question, Ethan added, "Two are twins. Six warriors, seven sons."
Then, Ethan paused to look at Edward, panic clouding his eyes. "Is he going after them next? They're only boys…not one of them will be a day over sixteen! Some may not even have phased for the first time yet!"
Jacob moved to stand beside Ethan, crossing his arms over his chest before asking, "Or has he gone to rally the troops before coming back here for us?"
Edward's silence let everyone know that he did not have the answers they were seeking.
"He has gone to the Volturi."
As Alice spoke the words, every eye in the room turned to look upon her tiny frame.
"He was told to report his findings to them. They will dictate his next move. I won't be able to tell you what they decide until Dallas gets there and they've made their decision."
"How long before he meets with the Volturi?" Bella asked.
"Five days…they give their orders in five days," Alice replied.
"You can bet they'll give orders to hit the Ahtena tribe first. They'll save the wolves for last because they know it'll be their chance to hit us in the process. They know we'll stand behind Jacob and the pack," Emmett finished boisterously, slapping Jacob on the back causing him to cough to catch his breath.
"Not necessarily, Emmett," Bella contemplated out loud. "Dallas knows that Ethan is the one Ahtena warrior they left behind. And, that he is married to a Quileute werewolf. He has to know that because of that, we would consider it our duty to stand behind both tribes."
Emmett's eyes shone with excitement as he exclaimed, "Even better! Two fights for the price of one!"
"Enough, Emmett!" Emmett's and every other head snapped around as Carlisle's fist made contact with the table in an unusual gesture of negative emotion as he continued. "Why must you people be so eager to turn everything into a battle? Eventually, we WILL suffer devastating losses. Whose lives are you willing to sacrifice?"
"Carlisle, are you prepared to leave those young men in Alaska with no training and no way of defending themselves?" Edward asked incredulously. "They'll be massacred."
Carlisle sighed in resignation before looking over at Ethan and declaring, "You have the assurance of our assistance. That was never a question. However, may I make one suggestion? Dallas will be expecting all of us to go to Cantwell. He'll be prepared for a battle to take place there. I suggest you bring the boys here. Jasper will train them, and they'll be ready by the time Dallas discovers they aren't in Alaska and makes his way back here with his army. And, make no mistake, everyone… His army WILL be the Volturi's army. Appearances will be of the utmost. To the outside world, they must appear indifferent because we have broken no laws, but you can be sure they will be working behind the scenes to hand-pick the people with the appropriate gifts who they believe will get the job done."
"At least we'll have my shield. I can block any of the mental gifts they attempt to use on us," Bella spoke with confidence.
"I wish it were that simple, Love." Edward kissed the top of Bella's head and looked over at Carlisle before saying, "The Volturi will be prepared for your shield. We can expect more physical gifts this go- around."
Carlisle shook his head in agreement and added, "Edward's right. This will be a battle of hand-to-hand combat. We must prepare ourselves now for the possibility that not everyone will survive."
No one moved. No one spoke. The weight of Carlisle's words sent every mind in the room to a place where none of them were prepared to go.
