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Chapter 16 – An Appetite for Power
"Morning," Jake replied, the usual brightness absent from his smile.
Amy shifted her weight and leaned against the doorframe. Biting her bottom lip, she stared at the anxiety in Jacob's chocolate eyes. The morning sun reflected on the earth behind him, but the temperature was considerably cooler today. Even so, Jake was dressed in his usual attire – dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure." She stepped aside so Jacob could enter, then shut the door behind him. "Do you want something to drink, or—"
As soon as she faced him, Jacob surged forward and wrapped his arms around her, his warmth surrounding her body in an instant. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his chin resting on her shoulder.
"I'm fine, Jake." She returned his hug, locking her arms around his back. "I'm fine," she repeated. His warmth was so comforting, and he smelled like a clean breeze. Briefly smiling to herself at the calming scent, she pulled away from him, but Jake's hands remained on her waist.
"Last week … you wouldn't call me back. And last night with those vampires … what the hell happened? What did they do to you?"
Offering him another smile, she tried to lighten his mood. "This is a little heavy for a Saturday morning, Jake—"
"Damn it, Amy, I'm serious. I chased those vampires to the fucking Canadian border last night, and the Cullens told us nothing. What do they want with you?"
Amy sighed and stepped away from Jake, instantly feeling cooler from the absence of his touch. Leaning against the couch, she turned to face him. "I don't know," she answered honestly. "They numbed me with some sort of injection. To take me to another vampire, I think. We don't know why."
"'We?'" Jake repeated, his eyebrows narrowing.
"Edward," she clarified reluctantly, already predicting Jacob's jealousy.
Jacob's body language instantly changed. His muscles became rigid, and all the personality seemed to drain from his face. Jutting his jaw in defiance, Jake's sudden anxiety caused him to bounce in place for a moment before turning his back to her.
Instantly hurt by his reaction, Amy thought of what to say. Yes, she had strong feelings for Edward, but she couldn't deny that her heart held a flicker of desire for Jacob, too.
"I'm not engaged to him, Jake. We just … like each other." She shrugged, even though his back was to her. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she braced herself for his response.
Jacob whipped around. The fire had returned to his face. "I don't want you with him."
"Jake—"
The fire began to breathe within Jake's muscles. "I don't want him near you, I don't want him to see you. I don't even want him to think about you."
"That's not for you to decide," she replied angrily.
Eliminating the gap between them, Jacob placed his hands on the sides of her face, the warmth shooting through her skin like an electric shock. "You don't belong with him," he said quietly. "You belong with someone alive." Amy looked down and watched her hands grip the base of Jake's t-shirt. In response, she felt Jacob's thumb trace her bottom lip. She looked up, and he affectionately nudged his nose against hers.
"You deserve someone who'll eat and sleep and dream with you." His sensual, dulcet tones lulled her into a relaxed state, like a spoken lullaby, and she envisioned herself waking up beside his sweltering body. The thought warmed her as much as his touch. "Not someone who wants to turn you into a monster."
"I never said I wanted to be one of them," she objected quietly. Jake's eyes studied her cerulean orbs, bobbing back and forth from iris to iris.
Jacob remained silent, his left hand toying with a lock of her hair. "Spend the day with me," he said.
"I can't." She was now the one to study his eyes, but the disappointment in them was clear. "I have a meeting with my boss this afternoon." And Edward probably wouldn't like me spending so much time with you, she thought quickly.
"It's Saturday," he noted.
"The news doesn't restrict itself to weekdays, Jake," she replied, playfully poking his side. Even her finger felt his warmth as she touched him. "You sure you don't want something to drink? Or eat?" she asked, turning around and heading into the kitchen.
"No, thanks. I stuffed myself at Sam's this morning." Jake leaned against the entryway into the kitchen as Amy opened the refrigerator to retrieve a carton of juice.
"Didn't um, wasn't Sam …" she paused, her hands gesticulating as she contemplated a tactful way to ask her question. "Wasn't he like, watching me last night?" Her voice inadvertently became quieter.
"Not before, but he is right now. I had breakfast at his place – his fiancé, Emily, makes one hell of an omelet."
"But I thought you said you chased the vampires to the Canadian border?" She opened the cabinet above her and pulled out two glasses.
"We did. Paul and Embry stood guard outside your place while Sam, Jared and I chased the vamps through the night. Sam took over for Paul and Embry this morning, although I think you're pretty safe now."
"Why's that?" she asked, the full glass of juice sitting untouched on the counter.
"It's sunny today."
"And, what? Vampires burn in the sun?" An image of Edward screaming as his perfect, pale skin baked in the sunlight made her head twitch. Her appetite evaporated.
"No. Nothing like that. But the sun gives them away."
Jake's vague statement made Amy shake her head back and forth, her mind flooded with too much new, supernatural knowledge.
"What about this numbing injection? You said Cullen thinks these vamps wanted to kidnap you?"
"I don't know for sure. I've had it happen twice though – the injection. But last night was the first time I saw those other vampires. They talked about taking me to see another vampire named Lorenzo. Carlisle said he's former vampire royalty."
"Fucking vampires," Jake muttered. "Leave it to them to live in some ass backwards monarchy."
Taking mild offense to his cold statement, Amy shoved her glass aside and slid past Jake. "And being a part of a wolf pack is so progressive."
"Hey, don't get mad at me." Jake abruptly followed her. "I can't help what I am—"
"Yeah, well, neither can they." Amy replied defiantly, her sudden uproar of emotion leading her into the living room with no purpose. She was left with standing in front of her couch fuming, her arms crossed. "Edward and Carlisle and Alice … they've been nothing but kind to me since I first moved here, but all you do is belittle them."
"My species isn't the one trying to attack you." Jake paused, his eyes quickly darting around the room as he inhaled quietly through his nostrils. His acute sense of smell acknowledged a bitterly familiar scent – that of a specific vegetarian vampire. "Cullen." he said with disgust, his body beginning to quiver with rage as his eyes refocused on her. "He was in here last night, wasn't he?! I can practically smell him on you."
Her lack of response only confirmed his suspicion. Cullen. In her house. Near her. Even kissing her? Sleeping with her? Jake felt his muscles begin to expand with his negative energy, the air becoming still around him. "God damn it, Amy! He's a vampire! He's a killer, and you had him in here?"
Hurt, and even more enraged, Amy remained defiant. "Even though it's not any of your business, yes, he was with me last night." Jake's eyes twitched. "I can't help it that I like him. If that disgusts you so much, why don't you leave?"
"Fine." Jake's rumbling body thundered to the door, and he immediately left, slamming the door behind him.
* * *
"I can't believe he would actually try to defy the Volturi. Is he a fucking idiot?" Emmett's crass comment was the only one spoken aloud, although Edward heard similar thoughts from the rest of his family.
"Quite the opposite," Carlisle explained, his body still as he addressed his family in the security of Carlisle and Esme's living room. The remainder of the Cullens stood in a semi-circle facing Carlisle, the sun pouring through the windows when it escaped the cover of the growing clouds. "Lorenzo is very smart. When he lived in Italy centuries ago, he and Aro once fought for primary leadership. But Caius willingly did Aro's bidding, and Marcus was generally indifferent, as he is today. It made Aro the natural leader.
"For a while, Lorenzo seemed satisfied as a sort of second in command. He, along with Aro, helped the Volturi flourish with their persistent search for vampire talent. It was actually Lorenzo that found Demetri and Felix."
Edward already knew the ending to this story, as did Alice, but that didn't stop he and his sister from listening politely. Alice, however, was strained, her mind attempting to search for a varying amount of unforeseen information.
"So he's obsessed with power," Rosalie observed.
"Very much. In the mid-nineteenth century, Lorenzo felt he deserved a higher ranking within the coven. After finding such talents like Demetri and Felix, in his mind, vampires were a superior being and deserved to rule over humans. He wanted to lead the Volturi and expose vampires to the rest of the world in an attempt at human domination. Obviously, the other Volturi strongly objected."
"And they didn't kill him?" Esme asked.
"He was not the only one to ever consider the possibility, and Aro didn't fault him for it. But Lorenzo wasn't satisfied. The idea of ruling the world was often stronger than his thirst. But when his beliefs became overpowering, he launched an official crusade to try to persuade the Volturi to join him. It didn't take long for the Volturi to officially dismiss his plot against the humans. In retaliation, Lorenzo attempted to murder Aro."
"How come we've never heard about this?" Jasper asked, unable to suppress even his own nervous emotions.
"The Volturi do not want it known that their leadership has been defied. I only know because Marcus told me. When I lived with them, I believe Marcus was intrigued by my lifestyle. He trusted me as an equal and a friend. He opened up to me during my time there and told me about Lorenzo. Even Aro and Caius don't know that I am aware of Lorenzo's existence."
The Cullens were momentarily silent, although in Edward's mind, their thoughts were louder than ever. A range of emotions filtered through his head, from shock to fear to anger. Edward only felt guilt for not revealing to Amy what he knew. But her ignorance was for her protection. He would not frighten her if it wasn't necessary, and he fully intended to keep her safe before any harm would come to her.
"And they still didn't kill him?" Jasper questioned, breaking the silence.
"Lorenzo was actually stronger than his superior, but Caius intervened during the fight. And despite Caius's protests, Aro chose not to murder Lorenzo. To this day, I have never discovered why. I don't think Marcus even understood. I can only assume it was either out of respect for a vampire as powerful as Lorenzo or because of a talent Aro found too valuable to destroy."
"What is his talent?" Jasper asked.
"I wish I knew," Carlisle answered. "Marcus never told me."
"But he's still out there?" Rosalie asked quietly. Her voice was unexpectedly full of concern. Edward stared at his sister, realizing for the first time that Rosalie was troubled over Amy's safety. Sensing her brother's unwavering stare, her eyes shifted to Edward, but she quickly looked away.
Reflecting on the previous evening's chase, Edward realized Rosalie was first out of the house after him. Her emotions were jumbled, but Edward felt a part of her wanted to protect Amy, not necessarily from the nomad vampires, but because she didn't want Amy to become like her.
"Yes, he must be," Carlisle answered. "When the two nomads tried to kidnap Amy last night, their intention was to take her to him."
Edward felt his anger race through his body, pummeling his limbs with the intensity he would need to watch over Amy. Although his family members all expressed concern over this revelation, Rosalie's reaction shocked him. She was truly worried for Amy.
A ray of sun pierced through the glass and hovered around the family like a halo. Their exposed skin sparkled in the light, giving them the appearance of full-bodied diamonds, a harsh contrast from their frustrated thoughts.
"But they didn't kill her, so what do they want?" Rose asked, her mind already conjuring its own conclusion.
As his thoughts raced, a combination of guilt and sadness toppled Edward's strength, transforming his body into a weak imitation of a protector. His mind flashed to the night Amy found out he was a vampire. Carlisle was thinking about it, too – the inhuman strength that enabled her to take on a werewolf. Although he had only been exposed to it once, he had seen the dormant power waiting to be unleashed within Amy. She was beyond valuable, and she didn't even know it.
Carlisle looked at Edward, hoping to instill hope and love into his desperate son before responding. "I believe Lorenzo wants revenge. And to do so, he is building a new vampire army, one he hopes will be even stronger than the Volturi."
* * *
Amy passed the bustling staff writers and editors inside the Daily News building on her way to her boss's office for their afternoon meeting. Every other business on the block was quiet and empty. This one was breathing with life.
Despite being surrounded by the adrenaline-packed aura of the news building – an environment she easily thrived in – she wished she were outside. Although the morning sunlight had been draped with sheer wisps of fluffy clouds, the temperature was moderate. She could have gone for a run amidst the blooming flora. Perhaps the exercise would have expunged the leftover anxiety she had from her fight with Jacob. Even better would have been a run with Edward, but somehow, she knew she wouldn't have been able to keep up.
Knocking on her boss's door, Amy smiled at Sophie. Despite having to work on a weekend, she looked fabulous as usual. To Amy's surprise, Charlotte was seated at Sophie's right, her smile lighting up her face as she chatted animatedly with Sophie.
"Amy, come on in." Sophie immediately smiled and gestured for Amy to sit in the only remaining chair across from her desk. Amy greeted Charlotte before sitting down, her mind already reeling with possible reasons for this meeting.
To answer her question, Sophie leaned back and crossed her legs in preparation to start their discussion. "Thanks to both of you for coming in." After passing a quick glance in Charlotte's direction, Sophie turned her head to give Amy her direct attention. "I don't want to take up too much of your time, but I wanted to talk to you in person about an upcoming change in staff."
"Okay," Amy said, hoping her voice didn't come off as uneasy as she felt.
"Charlotte, you wanna take it from here?" Sophie asked with a wink at Amy's assistant. Amy calmed slightly, noting that Sophie's demeanor couldn't mean terrible news.
Charlotte's grin widened even more, and she began to bounce in her seat. After only a moment of painstaking silence, she blurted out her secret. "I'm pregnant!"
Amy instantly began to laugh, partly out of happiness and partly out of relief. "That's great! Congratulations!" Her warm tone filled the room, which only made Charlotte beam more.
"So," Sophie continued, "Since our mommy-to-be will be on maternity leave in a few months, we're bringing in a new assistant to train so we'll be prepared before Charlotte's absence."
Amy nodded politely, instantly hoping Sophie had found someone as amiable and hard working as Charlotte.
"It's someone I understand you are already familiar with – Alice Cullen."
Amy felt her smile widen even more. An assistant who could see the news before it could happen? This would be interesting. "Yes, I know Alice. She'll be a great fit."
"Excellent." Sophie nodded approvingly at both of her employees. "And to get acquainted with our future assistant, along with celebrate Matt and Charlotte's baby news, we thought we'd have dinner tonight with Alice and her husband. Are you free?"
Amy nodded, wondering how long Alice had known she would be her assistant.
"I'll go ahead and make a reservation. Do you think you'll be bringing someone?" Sophie asked, the phone receiver already in her hand to call the restaurant.
Amy smiled, her mind picturing only one person beside her at dinner. "I think I have somebody in mind."
