*** This story contains some mild language, suspense, romance, and some frightening images and situations—13 and older, please.

In the Grip of Twilight

By:

Olivia Tannis Moore

Chapter Fifty Nine:

Kingdom of Lies

I stepped closer to him, although I didn't like being so close to the altar. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Carlisle thought he was going to have to tweak and really work with your blood serum…and he wasn't sure that he would be able to come up with anything workable against the virus…but it worked like a booster. It was crazy. Within twenty-four hours it was like I'd never had the virus. It wasn't supposed to work that well—not without the transfusion."

"Oh…"

"I know you don't want to hear this, but Carlisle wants to run a few comparison tests…take a new blood sample and compare it with the old samples. We would know for certain then whether the transfusion was necessary."

"Alright…" I said. "If it will help."

Edward looked me in the eye. "If Aro lied, and it wasn't necessary to change you…I'll kill him myself. That I promise you."

I shook my head vigorously and sighed. No, no. Not that again. "No blood sample, then. What's done is done—it was either this or I was going to become a full-fledged vampire. I got the best of both worlds, remember?"

Edward stared at me, silently, and I thought it best to redirect the conversation. I was seething with anger that Aro had probably lied to us all, but I couldn't let Edward know for fear he'd go after Aro.

"So does this mean Alice's visions have come back?" I asked evenly.

He ran his hand through his spiky hair. I could tell he wasn't through discussing Aro's deceit, but for the moment he let it go. "Alice's visions are better than ever." He leaned in, anxiously; his hands went up and he clamped his knees. "And get this, everything is amplified…all of our talents…Jasper's calming ability…Emmett's strength...I can run faster…"

"Faster…" I said doubtfully. I couldn't imagine Edward any faster than before.

He lifted his hand and slowly made a fist, flexing and relaxing his hand and forearm. "And I'm stronger, too—although I haven't put that to the test, yet. But I feel it."

I listened in amazement as he continued on with his animated account of what I'd missed while he was away. "I'm still working on getting the voices under control…everyone's thoughts coming at me all at once. I'm learning to barricade them or at least tune them out. It's weird though; I went through this after Carlisle changed me, didn't think I'd have to do it again. But Demetri was right—I can't hear anything down here, no outside voices."

I nodded. "I suppose we'll all meet here in the morning, seeing that it's the safest place to talk."

He turned serious again. "We have to discuss what you plan on doing about Aro. He's going to want to use you to strengthen the vampires he's bringing here. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know…maybe stall for as long as I can. I don't have a plan."

My mind was swirling with what this all meant. What if I didn't have to have the transfusion? Was it another lie Aro created for his own purposes? If The Forgotten created the Reformer, wouldn't it make sense for the Volturi to steal the reformer over to the vampires' side by transfusion? Of course! It all made sense, now. As a reformer, their loyalties remained with the vampire half they knew about—as all the while the Volturi used the oblivious reformer for their own purposes. It was treacherous—it was a chess game in which the Volturi stole the white knights and painted them black.

I clenched my fists. I didn't regret the transformation with Edward's venom, but Aro's lying was now extremely personal. I understood Demetri's rage perfectly now. I was shaking and couldn't make myself stop.

Edward misunderstood my reaction. He hopped off the altar. "I never should've agreed to you coming here," he said remorsefully. "If it is true—and there was no need for the transformation, then I've put you in the center of this war… The Hell you've gone through lately…it's all my fault. If only I'd stood up to Aro when he wanted to bring you here."

He took me into his arms. "When I think of the risks you took to make sure it was my venom you carried…it makes me sick. I'm so sorry, Bella. Tell me you forgive me."

Within his tight embrace, I struggled to look up at him. "No, Edward, you've got it all wrong. I have to be here—it's my fate to be here." He was making it much harder than I'd thought. I couldn't stand the thought of him taking the blame for everything that had happened, or would happen, to me. "It all started with The Forgotten. Aro would've called all of us here, eventually," I told him.

Edward shook his head. "We're not here for the war, Bella. We're here for you. Carlisle made sure Aro knew that we were not going to participate in any war with the Lycans. We have no dispute with them as long as you're not in any danger."

"Then Aro brought you here to hold your lives over my head," I whispered. "Even though Muriel encouraged me to send for all of you…"

I held my head between my hands in frustration. I liked Muriel; the thought that she could be setting me up to fail, and endangering the people I loved, seemed wrong somehow. I just couldn't believe that. Yet, Demetri hadn't wanted me to trust her too much. And now, after all of Aro's lies, I didn't know who to trust anymore. Perhaps all the elders had their own agendas and didn't care who they destroyed in their pursuit of victory.

"Muriel?" Edward asked. "Who's Muriel?" He looked over at the altar and in a worried voice said, "Maybe you should sit down."

"No. I want to stand." I stepped back from him to collect my thoughts. "I don't know where to begin."

Edward returned to the altar and sat once again. "Start where I left to go home. That seems to be the best place."

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( Thanks for reading. OTM)