AN: Sorry for the delay again. It should get better now that I got the majority of my obligations resolved. On with the story!
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Chapter 48 - Noxious Newborns
Chelsea POV
I stared up into the bright, glowing eyes of my mate with awe. I had despaired of ever finding my mate after being alone for the past fifteen hundred years. I was finally being rewarded for my patience, my faithfulness in not taking my own life. Admittedly, if I wouldn't be leaving my children in the hands of the devil incarnate with nobody to intercede on their behalf, I would have sought the peace of second death long ago.
Please let him be a good man, I mentally pleaded. I don't think I could take it if fate cursed me with an abusive mate. Does such a thing even exist in the vampire world?
I thought about the cases that have come before the Volturi in the past. No, in each case where one vampire 'mate' was using or abusing the other, there was no actual mate bond between them. The user/abuser had lied to their victim, pretending they were mates for their own selfish purposes. Marcus could see, and I could feel the truth. Never have I seen or heard of a true mate hurting his or her own mate, for the pain of doing so would be worse than ripping off one's own arm.
I could literally feel the cords of the bond forming between Charlie and me, twisting and braiding together to form an unbreakable, irreversible connection. I no longer had any doubt that he was tied to me irrevocably for the rest of our existence. I moved my hand up to his cheek, aching to touch him. Yet as I did, I remembered my son's head currently cradled to my chest.
Venom tears welled up in my eyes, and I began to beg for my son's life. "Please, my mate, don't kill my son. Let me put him back together. He is the son of my human womb, changed at the same time I was. I don't know how I would be able to forgive you for the betrayal if you destroy him."
Understanding and then horror flooded his eyes. I felt something odd pulsing within me, making me feel compelled to confess all my deepest secrets.
"Are you truly my mate?" he demanded, pulling back slightly to look me in the eyes.
I nodded. "Yes, Charlie. I can feel the bond growing between us. It is incredible! Stronger than most I've felt. Oh, that's my gift, by the way, to make or break bonds, but I'm not powerful enough to make or break a mating bond or a true familial bond. Aro has forced me to tie all his gifted guard members to him with false bonds of loyalty and devotion. I hate it. I think it's wrong to misuse one's power. I hate seeing their unhappiness, knowing they are kept in the Guard against their will. Yet, he hold's my son's mate in his evil clutches to keep us from rebelling against him and his tyranny."
I couldn't believe I was telling him all that, things I'd kept bottled up inside for hundreds of years. It had come trickling out, spilling over, and finally gushing forth, like a river breaking through a dam. I gasped, frozen in fear.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Charlie asked, looking around frantically for whatever was terrifying me.
I wanted to smile, seeing him behave that way. It was so sweet. Nobody had ever been so protective of me before, and it filled a hole in my heart I hadn't even known was there. Unfortunately, the knowledge eating away at my sanity prevented me from truly enjoying the moment. "If Aro sees this in my memories, he'll punish me harshly. He doesn't even tolerate rebellion in our thoughts." I shuddered, remembering previous punishments.
Charlie stroked my cheek gently, his eyes soft. "Don't worry, I'll protect you. You can join my family. We'll figure it out somehow, I promise. Oh, um, what's your name?" he asked sheepishly.
I smiled, "It's Chelsea. This is my son Alec, and his twin Jane is off chasing the reddish brown wolf."
Charlie's eyes widened in alarm, as did my own. "Jacob!" he cried at the same time I yelped, "Jane!"
Charlie jumped to his feet, offering me a hand to help me up, even though as a vampire, I didn't really need it. I took it anyway, pleased to be treated like a lady for once. I could hear sounds of conflict in the background and smell sickly sweet incense, the unforgettable aroma of burning vampire flesh. I suddenly feared for Alec's headless body, knowing it was somewhere near the fire. Before I could race back to it, the black haired vampire and the ghost wolf dashed into the clearing.
"No!" I shouted, holding Alec's head closer to my chest.
"Billy! Stop! She's my mate!" Charlie demanded, jumping in front of me, prepared to defend me, even though there was a very strong bond of brotherhood between the two men.
He would fight against his own brother whom he loves deeply to protect me? Is my mate awesome or what? I thought to myself.
Billy and the wolf instantly froze. "Your mate?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes," he acknowledged. "And the other two are her biological children from her human life, like Bella is for me."
"Bella?" I asked.
He nodded, smiling down at me sadly. "My daughter. Unfortunately, her brain was damaged right before she was changed, so she doesn't remember me, or anything else from her human life either."
"Oh, that's so sad," I sighed. "I don't know what I would have done in your shoes."
"So, the short, blond girl that can deal out so much pain is your daughter, your biological daughter?" Billy asked, staring at me in surprise.
I nodded to him, tilting my head in question.
He grinned sheepishly and announced. "I guess we're gonna be family then, seeing as she apparently just mated with MY biological son, Jacob."
"What?" I asked incredulously. Did he say what I think he did? Could we really be that lucky? "Are you sure?" I was excited, understandably so.
"As sure as I can be," Billy chuckled.
"That's great!" I cheered, feeling better than I had since I was born. A loud scream from the clearing broke through our peaceful little bubble. "Oh, no! What about the wolf Jane was chasing?"
"That's Jacob," Billy informed me with a smile.
I blinked a few times, staring at him. "My vampire daughter is mated to a werewolf?" I asked, stunned, unsure of how to feel. "Our mortal enemy?"
Billy sighed. "Apparently so. It was quite a shock to me too."
"Wait a minute. Your son is a werewolf? How does he keep from killing you? And what's up with the ghost wolf?" I wondered, moving in the direction of the fighting, intending to get my son back in one piece as soon as possible.
"My son would never kill me! The spirit wolf, Chief here, is the manifestation of my inner wolf, the wolf I would have become if I had phased back when I was younger to protect my tribe," Billy huffed. "Chief is my gift, talent, ability, whatever you want to call it. We have a telepathic link with my son when he's in wolf form."
"Okay, but how is he in wolf form in the daytime? He's only supposed to change during a full moon, when he'll go on a rampage, destroying every human and vampire unlucky enough to cross his path," I murmured in confusion.
Billy laughed. "No, that's just superstition. It's no more true than vampires sleeping in coffins or getting burnt to a crisp by the sun."
I shook my head emphatically. "No, you're wrong. I've seen them, watched videos of them. They're called Children of the Moon. They change once a month, then lose all rational thought as they go on a wild killing spree. If they bite somebody without killing them, the victim will become a werewolf too. Caius is obsessed with them, ever since one of them nearly killed him one night. Now he's hunted them practically into extinction."
Charlie and Billy exchanged a speaking glance.
"Well, that's not the kind of werewolf our boys are," Billy explained. "The wolf gene is hereditary, passed down from father to son and is only activated in the presence of vampires. Once a man reaches a certain age though, if he hasn't already phased, he won't ever be capable."
How odd, I thought to myself.
"Our boys are also fully rational while in wolf form as well," Billy added. "They can still understand human speech and make decisions based on reasoning rather than instinct. They never kill or eat people. Their whole purpose is to be protectors of the tribe, protecting them from vampires."
"Then why are they helping you, if they're supposed to kill vampires?" I asked suspiciously.
"We don't eat people either. We feed from animals," Charlie informed me.
"Oh! Like Carlisle!" I realized. "It really is viable? It's not just him?"
Charlie chuckled. "I've never tasted human blood, but animals aren't all that appetizing. They don't taste very good, but they do sustain us. I'm trying to work on some other peaceful options to get us better tasting blood without harming any humans in the process."
"Really?" I asked, impressed. My mate is the best ever! "I hope you succeed. I'd be glad to help any way I can."
Just then, we heard a massive crash and felt the ground rumble under out feet.
"Speaking of help, we need to go help the rest of our family!" Billy growled, taking off in the direction of the clearing.
"And put Alec back together!" I agreed, hot on his heels, pulling Charlie along with me. "He'll be a great help to us once he's recovered!"
As we approached the clearing, the stench of perfumed incense hung thickly in the air, causing my fight or flight reaction to kick in, warning me of the danger ahead. I felt sick to my stomach from the smell and what it meant. So many lives had already been lost in just the short time I'd been conversing with my mate. We should have come here right away, I thought guiltily.
"Tanya!" Billy screamed, shooting ahead of us, with the desperation of one afraid of loosing his mate.
I pulled Charlie toward where I had left Alec's body, hoping it was still there and in one piece. What if they already burned his body? The terror nearly overwhelmed me, only the possibility of saving my son keeping me going toward the scene of death and destruction, frightened out of my wits at what I might find once I broke through the tree line.
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Jasper/Major POV
I grabbed Bella and jumped back to the center of the clearing as the first newborns, those closest to Alec, started awakening. All of the newborns had been disabled except for the young girl set apart from the rest of the group, facing away from the fight in the company of Laurent. I wasn't terribly worried about not having time to remove her feet as her current position and proximity to Laurent indicated she was likely an ally. There were seventeen bodies on the newborn side of the clearing, including Laurent, Irina, and the girl, now that Victoria and Riley had been removed from the picture.
It was weird to see their eyes open, feel the disorientation, then the remembrance of the last thing they saw, followed by the realization of missing body parts, and finally the attempt to immediately get into a defensive position. They tended to shoot up into a sitting position, allowing them a clear view of their leg stumps. The sight of missing limbs naturally provoked a 'fight or flight' response from the damaged vamps.
The instinct of self-preservation was strong enough in most vampires to cause an immediate reaction. In a newborn, already ruled mostly by instinct and emotion, that reaction is typically violent. True to form, these vampires didn't disappoint.
As soon as the first batch popped up into a sitting position, Carlisle began talking, trying to reason with them. Not one listened. Their eyes were blank and solid black. I knew from experience they were too far gone to even comprehend conversation at this point. Only the most basic of commands would be able to break through the fog of rage and fear clouding their minds, and only in the voice of one they had learned to respect at all costs. With their leaders down for the count, nobody would be breaking through to them until after their initial reaction to the situation.
Three of the five immediately attacked in a fit of rage, despite their lack of feet. The other two tried to run, using their venom oozing stumps, ignoring the pain. Of course, I had anticipated that, so they didn't get far. We were ready for anything and everything they could possibly throw at us.
Peter, Charlotte, and I took on the attackers, meeting them mid-lunge, crashing into them and sending thunderous booms echoing through the surrounding forest. At the same time, Rose and Emmett chased down the runaways, incapacitating them further so they couldn't escape, by removing one of their legs at the knee in each case. Carlisle quickly gave up on talking to this bunch and moved on to addressing the middle section who had yet to fully recover their senses. Esme had moved over to our extended family, trying to help the Denali's revive faster.
Bella was fully supporting me, every step of the way, the perfect vampire mate. As soon as I snapped off the attacker's head, she jumped right in to help separate his body parts and toss the pieces into the fire. We had completely disposed of our newborn in seconds and were in place in front of the middle group right before they sprang up onto their stumps. Finally understanding the initial lack of rationality, Carlisle was now holding up the severed heads of Victoria and Riley within easy view of the newborns, hoping to shock them back into their senses.
There were only four vampires left in the middle group, due to the removal of Victoria and Riley, and I guessed their strongest remaining fighters would be amongst these, as they were the ones who had been shielding Victoria. Carlisle's plan did achieve results with one of the newborns, an older one who had some degree of self-control. His eyes landed on the remains of his leaders and I felt the surprise, followed by interest and calculation that filled him upon noting their change of status. He was the only one of the four with the self-discipline to neither run nor attack, choosing instead to watch and learn how we dealt with the others. This time two attacked and only one ran. I kept a close eye on the still one as he observed what happened to his comrades, disgusted by his lack of emotion toward the ones he had lived amongst and fought beside. He was full of self-interest, and I knew he would betray anyone to save his own skin, step on anyone to get to the top. He was just like Maria, a user, an abuser, a self-centered, power hungry jerk who would never be a trustworthy ally for our family.
We will destroy him. No doubt he will soon show his true colors to the others, but if not, we will help him along to demonstrate his true nature. Not even Carlisle will mourn the loss of this one once he realizes the blackness of the monster's heart, Major decided. I was in full agreement, happy to let him handle the battle.
Our mate is a natural. She is beyond awesome, I purred, more interested in how easily she dealt with the horrors of war, as if they were no more troublesome than the unpleasant but necessary task of cleaning a cat's litterbox. We should all take lessons from her.
Major chuckled in our mind, pleased with my newfound acceptance of this side of ourself.
Eleazar, Carmen, and Tanya were now awake. Eleazar was busy scanning the remaining newborns for talents, while Carmen had joined Esme in caring for Kate. Tanya was studying the tree line anxiously, worried about her mate who was nowhere in sight, knowing he was out there with the three Volturi guards. She ran over to Alec's headless body and began disassembling it, preparing to throw it into the fire with the burning remains of the attacking newborns. Meanwhile, Rose had taken the alert torso of Irina and placed it on the ground next to the still oblivious Laurent, knowing she would be his first concern upon regaining his senses.
Kate came awake half a second before the last newborn group. Unthinkingly, Esme tried to help her sit up, only to encounter Kate's natural, instinctive defense mechanism. The resultant shock threw Esme twenty feet away, causing her to let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain and shock, distracting all but Peter, Charlotte, Bella and me. As such, we were the only ones ready for the next wave of attacks.
Carlisle promptly dropped the severed heads he'd been displaying, which rolled away in different directions. He raced over to his mate, panicking and checking her for damage. Tanya dropped the pieces of Alec she'd been about to toss into the flames and raced over to her sister and Carmen. Eleazar flitted over to console his daughter that she wasn't to blame for accidentally shocking Esme, while simultaneously assuring himself Carmen hadn't gotten harmed in the process. In the chaos, he was stalled in mentioning the results of his scan, warning us of the gifted amongst our enemy. The two newborns in the last group who ran in fright managed to slip right past the distracted Rose and Emmett, and if they still had their feet, would easily have gotten away. The need to hobble on their feetless ankles slowed them down enough for Emmett and Rose to overtake them and return them to the scene of the crime, where they both promptly lost one of their legs at the knee, making escape nearly impossible. Laurent and the young girl also managed to disappear into the forest with Irina, while we were dealing with everything else.
One of the newly awakened vampires stayed in a seated position, seeming strangely at ease there. His behavior was the most surprising of all of them. I noticed he appeared more interested in the departure of Laurent, Irina, and the girl, than anything else occurring around him. The other two attacked and were taken out by me and the team of Peter and Charlotte.
I soon found myself thankful for my mate beyond all else, as she was the only one who noticed the center boy edging closer to Carlisle. The boy had decided to take advantage of the chaos to gain the upper hand against Carlisle, sneaking up behind him while he was concentrating on his injured mate. As I met one of the attackers in the air, I caught sight of my mate shifting surreptitiously toward the family grouped around Esme. I felt Rose's guilt and Emmett's remorse as they realized their prey were escaping, seeing them take off after the fleeing figures. Eleazar and Carmen quickly got Kate up off the ground and out of harm's way, moving her toward the tree line and away from the point of conflict. Tanya retreated back to the pile of Alec's limbs, which she began gathering into her arms again. All of this occurred in the few milliseconds I fought with the feral newborn who foolishly believed she could take me. While removing her head from her shoulders, I was hit with a wave of craftiness and witnessed the center boy suddenly lunge toward the now isolated Carlisle and Esme. His arms were outstretched indicating his intention to grab or latch onto someone, a very primitive fighting technique, and I rapidly calculated his arc of descent to determine his target. He's going after Esme! I thought in shock.
We're too far away to stop him, Major warned, tossing the bitch's head into the flames and dismembering the rest of her.
Before I could panic or despair, my mate was hurtling through the air, close to the ground. She scooped up Esme into her embrace, rolling off to the side with her, a mere whisper of a second before the boy's claws passed through the space Esme's head had just been occupying. Too distraught to sense the danger behind him, Carlisle was startled by his daughter 'stealing' her mother away from him, knocking him off balance. Before he had time to even question Bella's behavior, the boy was there, hitting the ground in front of him, making the reason for her impromptu pounce all too clear.
Faced with this obvious threat to his mate on the heels of her accidental injury, Carlisle's beast took complete control for the first time in his entire existence. Not one thought of diplomacy, peace, or rationality crossed his enraged mind. For the first time ever he got to experience that which others had described to him as 'seeing red'. He'd never been able to understand what others of his kind meant about being beyond the brink, ruled purely by one's instincts, taken over, 'losing it', since he had never fully lost it before, self-control being his gift, even if he didn't realize it.
Enraged beyond comprehension, Carlisle viciously attacked the sly, selfish boy, tearing him up into tiny pieces and tossing them all around like confetti, coating the clearing in venom encrusted vampire bits. His whole family was shocked, having never seen Carlisle behave, well, like a vampire. Ironically enough, I could feel the entire group's respect for him increase significantly. There was a measure of comfort in knowing he really would go that final mile to protect his mate and loved ones if need be.
This was the scene that met the eyes of Billy, Charlie, and Chelsea as they ran out into the clearing. I saw the interaction between Charlie and Chelsea and realized they had mated.
That explains the emotions from the forest, I thought with a mental smirk.
They still should have waited until after the battle to do the whole lovey-dovey things. You don't see us making out with OUR mate in the middle of the battle do you? Major grumbled.
Like we wouldn't if we could, I crowed. Only Bella could make us finally understand the urge to 'make love, not war!' A smirk crossed our lips at that point, causing those around us to wonder what about this whole situation I could possibly find amusing.
"No! Tanya, stop!" Billy shouted, racing toward Tanya. Chief appeared out of nowhere to block her path to the fire. Tanya looked to Billy in confusion, just in time to see a panicked Chelsea and Charlie running her way, holding hands, and cradling Alec's head. The confusion flashed to understanding and she began putting Alec's body back together again. Chelsea and Charlie quickly made it back to her and began assisting with the reassembly.
The female I had been busy destroying was now completely gone, as was the one Charlotte and Peter had fought and dismantled. I took a moment to reassess the situation. My mate was back by my side, standing strong beside me, right where she belonged. Rose and Emmett had gathered all five runners in one place to make it easier to guard them. These were the ones Carlisle was hoping to reason with and convince to join the animal alternative lifestyle.
Why he'd want a bunch of cowards as allies is a mystery to me, Major griped. We should just put them out of their misery quickly. I doubt he'll find any worth saving in that group. Anyone whose first instinct is to desert his comrades in the midst of battle in a selfish bid to save his own skin is nobody I'll ever trust to stand with me when the going gets tough.
I know, but he'll never get it if he isn't given the opportunity to see it for himself, I reminded him. Major huffed, but continued our scan of our surroundings.
Peter and Charlotte were interrogating the odd boy who had chosen to remain seated since awakening. Eleazar was making his way over to join them, while Kate and Carmen went after Laurent, Irina, and the girl, who had disappeared into the forest, heading back the way the army had come. I guessed they must be trying to retrieve Irina's missing limbs from wherever Victoria had stashed them. Esme was trying to calm Carlisle and help him regain control of himself, while also gathering bits and pieces of the shredded vampire boy and tossing them into the fire. Carlisle, still in his enraged haze, was even now shredding the final parts of the idiot who'd dared attack his mate right before his eyes. Chief was helping Esme gather pieces for the flames, while Billy and Tanya were caught up in each other, reassuring each other that both of them were okay and unharmed.
Charlie and Chelsea were still working on Alec, when Jake the wolf and Jane Volturi burst into the clearing, her hand caught up in the fur between his shoulder blades. For the first time ever, I felt myself actually do a double take.
Jane and Jake are mated now? JANE and JAKE? Major questioned in disbelief. Seriously?
A werewolf and a vampire? Is that even possible? I wondered. How will they mate? How will they claim each other? How will they mark each other?
Do we even want to know? Major retorted with a shudder. I guess now we know why we felt two waves of emotion from the forest.
This family is growing by leaps and bounds. We're nearly as big as the Volturi by now, I thought with a frown. We're too big to stay together. We're going to have to split into smaller groups.
I agree, though I know Carlisle and Esme aren't going to like it, Major declared. Still, we need to all stay close until the threat of the Volturi is resolved. There's definitely safety in numbers where the Volturi is concerned.
Now that Jane and Chelsea have mated with those loyal to us, we need to find out what Aro's planning.
Excellent thinking, Jasper, Major teased condescendingly. There may be hope for you yet.
Thanks, I muttered dryly. I love you too.
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AN: Thanks for your patience, guys. I will do my best not to have such a large gap of time between updates in the future. In fact, as a show of faith, I will do my utmost to have the next chapter out by lunchtime tomorrow, which should wrap up the Victoria/newborn army confrontation, allowing us to move forward. Am I forgiven?