AN: Wow, an update in less than a week! I'm on a roll!

Chapter 57 - Choosing Sides

Jasper POV

"How does it look?" I asked the group in front of me.

Zafrina had been working with Charlie and me to perfect the illusion we were going to use to get us into the city and bring out the leaders, without them being prepared to fight us. It was really quite an ingenious plan. Charlie and I appeared to be carrying a dead werewolf attached to a pole, while Zafrina walked alongside it, between the two of us. The rest of our army would be invisible, as the illusion would make it seem as if nobody else was there.

"I think we've got the looks right. Zafrina, you've truly done a masterful job with this," Carlisle remarked. Zafrina gave him a small smile. He nodded once in acknowledgment, just the right amount of attention for her. He addressed all three of us again, "Let's go with the motions now, to make sure they look right within the illusion."

We started marching forward together, keeping the correct distance between us.

"It looks really weird for the pole to be on your shoulder with nothing holding it in place. I keep expecting it to roll off while you're walking," Emmett noted before we'd gotten far.

"Can't Zafrina just make it look like their hands are on the pole?" Rose asked.

Senna frowned and announced, "Zafrina's gift drains her. The more detail she has to add, the more aspects she has to manage, the harder it is for her to maintain it. It would be better for them to actually carry a pole between them, so they act more naturally and she doesn't have to fake it."

I nodded in understanding. We definitely want to use our resources wisely, especially as her illusion can be the key to getting us in and out with the least amount of loss on our side. "Captain, obtain a pole sufficient for our charade."

"Yes, Major," he barked, saluting me with a grin before dashing off into the woods, no doubt to find a tree he deems suitable.

Once he had returned, we all found using a real pole lent a shade of realism to the exercise that helped us all stay in character better, which in turn reduced Zafrina's workload.

As soon as we marched along between two groups of people, my gift immediately noticed a major problem with our disguise. While the vampires' minds were screaming about the presence of a werewolf, their bodies, their physical reactions, instinctively knew it wasn't there. Simply put, they weren't afraid or uneasy like they should be in the presence of their mortal enemy.

I stopped the procession and filled the others in on the problem.

"It seems we've got two good options then," Charlie offered, the first to respond to this new issue. "Either Jasper sends out some of his mojo to make them feel the way they should, or one of the wolves walks under the pole during the procession."

"Not bad," I complimented him with a smile.

"Well, given the constraints of Zafrina's gift, I think it would probably be good to have the wolf walking under the pole, to make it easier on her," Tanya suggested. "Chief would be the wisest choice, since he can defend himself the easiest once the illusion falls."

Billy agreed and Chief proudly strutted forward to join us in the procession. Once he was in place, manifesting physically, with the dead werewolf modeled on him, the crowd reacted appropriately, instinctively shying away from their natural enemy.

As soon as we felt we were ready, we advanced on the city to take on the Volturi, once and for all.

xxxxxxx

Once Aro was in position and fully under Charlie's influence, confessing his sins openly to all of vampirekind, I gave the signal for Lance to move forward, uncovering the rocket to the view of all. Whenever Aro struggled against Charlie's gift, I added my own influence to help him be more compliant and willing to tell all. As desperate as Aro was to hang onto the secrets that would reveal the depths of his depravity to his 'subjects', it wasn't surprising he required a little extra finesse. I even played into his vanity by making him want to let everyone know just how easily he had duped them all these years.

I found it interesting to note the rocket was a revelation even to Caius and Marcus. Even more shocking was Aro's own mate's surprise. He hadn't bothered to share his plans with his own family, not his brothers or his wife. Checking more fully into Sulpicia's emotional state, I was staggered to learn she was just as unaware of Aro's duplicity as the rest of the vampire world and just as hurt by it. She had believed the image he had projected just as much as everyone else had. I was amazed to learn he hadn't been himself even with her, choosing to have her believe the best rather than know the worst about him.

Hearing his confession about killing his own sister was nearly as devastating to Sulpicia as it was to Marcus. She had loved Didyme as a sister herself and was deeply grieved by her death. Learning that her own husband was the cause of that pain, aroused an overwhelming feeling of betrayal within her, breaking her heart and shattering her faith in him. Feeling that way about her own mate was devastating to any vampire and Sulpicia was no exception. She was ready for death, for both his death and her own, unable to even consider a continued existence in light of the knowledge she now had of the distinctly evil callousness of her mate. She watched impassively as Marcus avenged the love of his life, his heart and his soul, silently encouraging him in destroying the one who had caused him century after century of emptiness and pain.

Keeping a small portion of my attention focused on the devastated queen, I watched as Marcus tore into his brother, shredding him apart slowly, painfully, tortuously, reveling in the pain he was causing. Marcus was animated in a way he hadn't been for hundreds of years, possibly thousands, ever since Didyme's death anyway. His black eyes flashed with each rip, each tear of Aro's flesh. Each scream of pain, each moan of terror bringing a small, cruel smile to Marcus's face. His emotions were a roiling storm I wanted no part of, afraid of losing myself in the chaotic dip and swell as they raged and crashed against each other, forming and dissipating as quickly as the wind which blew through his soul. I carefully blocked myself off, concentrating on the love and compassion of my own mate, lest I find myself going on a rampage of destruction of my own, lost in the desire to avenge a fallen mate. My inner beast cowered from the pain that would cause me, desperately seeking the connection with my beloved Bella, needing to know she was safe, alive and unharmed.

I knew, if ever anything happened to her, the rage and pain Marcus was now feeling and directing at Aro would be mild in comparison to the shitstorm I would inflict on the world at large. My gift would then be a major curse for all who were unfortunate enough to encounter me, to cross my path of destruction I would weave throughout the world. I shuddered and drove those thoughts far from me, knowing I couldn't afford to be distracted from the situation at hand.

I recovered myself just as Marcus delivered the last blow to Aro, ripping his foul tongue from his throat and tossing it onto the squirming pile of body parts, made up of pieces too small to identify as to where they originally belonged. He gave a deep roar of satisfaction as he lit the gooey pile of venomous sludge, causing the bright purple flames to leap toward the sky as they eagerly consumed the vampiric remains.

Only due to my close attention, did I detect the descent of the devastated queen as she threw herself into the flames, dropping down from her tower window above, from which she had witnessed the entire proceeding. I could have stopped her, but her emotional state warned against it, letting me know it was the best possible outcome for her. There was nothing left for her here to make it worth enduring the pain she would suffer with her continued existence, and there was nothing she could do to make up for the pain her mate had caused everyone, nor should she carry the blame for it. So I let her go, let her seek the mercy of oblivion.

Other than me, Athenadora was the first to see Sulpicia's intention, to notice the vampire speeding to her death as she fell toward the flames. Athenadora screamed, and I felt her terror and pain as she witnessed her sister, her friend and companion for thousands of years, plummet to her death. She tried to interfere, moving toward the flames to stop her, before Caius pulled her back. She struggled against him, but he was unwilling to risk her. He pulled her even further away, up the stairs and nearly to the doorway into the tower, before pausing to assess the situation at hand. He murmured soothing words of comfort into her ears and turned her, tucking her face into his chest, so she wouldn't have to witness the flames consuming her best friend's body, or the haunting agony on Sulpicia's face as the fire licked her flesh, eating away at her bit by bit, causing pain worse than that of the change.

For his part, Caius felt no pain or remorse at witnessing Sulpicia's demise. If anything, he was disgusted by her perceived weakness and angered by the pain her death was causing his own mate. He believed it was her duty to kill herself after the death of her mate and would expect no less of Athenadora if anything were to happen to him, though he would not sacrifice himself if anything happened to her. He knew it would sentence him to an empty, pain filled existence like Marcus's, but believed it would be his duty to carry on anyway.

As I witnessed the agony on Sulpicia's face, as she burned so much more slowly than Aro, due to his increased surface area, I was immensely thankful for my newfound ability to block the emotions of others. My full fledged mating to Bella had led to this increase in my own talent, one that was highly welcomed and long sought on my part. No longer was I at the mercy of everybody else's feelings. No longer was I forced to be aroused by my proximity to a mated couple or carry the enhanced bloodlust of my fellow vampires when they were thirsty. No longer was I a victim of the hormonal mood swings of teenagers and pregnant women. I was now master of my own mood for the first time since my transformation, and it felt mighty damn good. I could now know and understand the mood of others without being directly affected by it. I could also feel my own love and lust for my mate without sending everyone nearby into a frenzied haze of mindless fucking.

Not everyone was as pleased as I was at my newfound control. Emmett, for one, missed being able to prank me by sending me bursts of inappropriate emotions. He also missed the frenzies of lovemaking I used to inadvertently trigger. Apparently, he liked to be able to use them as an excuse for his more kinky adventures with Rosalie, able to shrug off the loss or damage of certain items or places as being simply the result of being caught up in a haze of lust. Esme's embarrassment over her own shenanigans during that time period made her hesitant to ask questions or make judgments. Now that she wasn't losing control of herself anymore, Esme was more insistent about receiving answers which Rose and Em were too embarrassed to supply.

Turnabout is fair play and all. I'm just glad I'm not the one in the hot seat, I thought to myself with a smirk. Bella and I are much more discreet.

Having successfully distracted myself from having to watch poor Sulpicia suffer until her brain was finally consumed, I pulled myself back to the present and the situation at hand. With Aro out of the way, killed by his own brother after confessing all his misdeeds, the rest of this battle should be fairly easy.

We might not even have to fight at all, I thought hopefully.

Wishful thinking, Major warned.

As soon as Sulpicia was nothing more than ash, Caius immediately accused me and my group of treason.

"Traitors!" Caius shouted pointing at me. "You have caused the death of the High King, Aro Volturi and his mate, Sulpicia, by filling his mouth with lies! These phony confessions you created have caused dissension within the Royal Family, causing brother to turn against brother. Clearly, at least one of you is gifted, if not more, and you are guilty of plotting to take over the governing of our kind. Admit it! Step forward and confess your duplicity!"

"We are gifted, but gifted with truth!" I shouted back. "One of our number has the ability to compel truth. All the confessions you just heard were the absolute truth! Why don't you come closer, Caius, so we can find out YOUR deepest, darkest secrets that you don't want the vampire world to know?"

"Liar!" Caius screamed, his fear and horror apparent to me, though not on display for everyone else to see.

"I will confess without need of anyone's gift!" Marcus suddenly declared, interrupting whatever Caius had been about to add. "I have hated the two I have been forced to call brother for centuries now. I was kept here against my will by Chelsea's gift, which she was forced to use against her will. Aro threatened to torture her biological children if she did not ensnare the guard. She hated using her gift that way, but could not allow her children to be harmed if she could prevent it. The majority of the guard was kept here against their will, forced to use their gifts to harm others, whether they wanted to or not. I encouraged their defection, starting with Demetri and Heidi, when Chelsea's gift ceased."

"What? You traitor! How could you?" Caius angrily yelled at him, shaking his fist.

Marcus smirked and continued addressing the crowd. "I knew as soon as the false bonds holding everyone's loyalty to Aro disappeared and deliberately hid the knowledge to give all those who wished to flee time to get away. I spread the word of Demetri's defection, so they would know it was safe to leave without worrying about him hunting them down wherever they went to hid from Aro's wrath."

"Damn you! We should have killed you long ago! I never could understand why Aro kept you around! I think he just liked watching you suffer, knowing you were nothing more than his puppet!" Caius howled.

Marcus scowled. "You're right! You should have killed me long ago, for now this 'puppet' is going to bite back!"

"You have no power, you mere shell of a man! Nobody respects you! You've done nothing but brood since you lost your mate. Nobody will follow you now!" Caius hissed. "Nice guys finish last! Nice guys get stepped on, spat on, bullied and rejected. Vampires want rulers who aren't afraid to crush them! You'll never be accepted or respected as a leader, since you couldn't even protect your own mate from her own brother, and you dedicated your life and service to her killer for centuries afterward! How does that make you feel, Marcus? To know for centuries you dined with, conversed with, lived with, and served the very man who destroyed your mate! You are nothing but a wimp, a failure, a disappointment!"

"Enough!" Carlisle roared. As Caius had been spouting his poison, cutting at Marcus with his vicious words, Carlisle had march forward through our army, signaled to Zafrina to drop the illusion, and taken his place beside me.

I couldn't help smirking at the look on Caius's face when he turned and saw Carlisle, standing beside me, Major Whitlock, and backed by an entire army, which included the rest of the Cullens, the Whitlocks, the Denalis, Chelsea, Jane, and the majority of the former Volturi Guard. Additionally, we had nearly all the covens who had turned down the Volturi's invitation to gather at their castle, as well as most of those they were unable to reach to issue an invite in the first place. Not to mention all the werewolves. Jaws were dropping all over the place as the audience got a glimpse of us.

"I hereby declare my support of Marcus and the end of the Volturi Reign of Terror!" Carlisle announced, his voice booming out over the shocked whispers. "You, Caius, are hereby accused of crimes against the vampire nation and shall be issued a trial to be convicted or exonerated by a jury of your peers. You will be questioned in full view of everyone by the Honorable Charles Swan, formerly an incorruptible Chief of Police as a human, who now has the gift to compel any and all witnesses to speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

"Nooooo!" Caius howled. "Kill these traitors! Attack! Destroy the rebels! All those who support the Volturi, rally here now! Defend your true king and queen! Defend the tower! Kill them all!"

Of course, the majority of the audience immediately defected, joining our side and swelling our ranks. What surprised me was the ones who DID rally to Caius's position, who did step up to defend him, despite the confessions they'd just heard. What was left to defend?

I consciously marked all those who stayed with Caius, who supported his dying regime, so they couldn't change their minds when they saw they were losing. What do they hope to gain? Do they really think Caius stands a chance in hell of winning against us?

In the background, I was slightly aware of the tearful reunion between Chelsea, Jane, and Alec. He ranted at being forced to believe they were dead, but in the end he agreed there had been no other way to keep Aro from discovering the truth. With Aro's ashes still perfuming the air, and his mate safely by his side, all was easily forgiven. Alec was thrilled, overjoyed, ecstatic to be free and to know his family was alive and free as well. He eagerly pledged his loyalty and allegiance to Carlisle, as Chelsea and Jane had done. His loud, public pledge did as much to rally the troops to our side as anything else, convincing the wary audience members that we were truly a force to be reckoned with, if we commanded the loyalty of such powerful vampires.

Those who didn't know Carlisle personally were naturally suspicious of Chelsea's presence, especially after Marcus's confession of her ability. They didn't know Carlisle would never force anyone to stay with him against their will. He would never force anyone to fight his battles for him. These were the vampires who sat on the fence, joined by those of dual natures, like Amun.

I had no trust for Amun and his kind, those who would promise anything to both sides in hopes of achieving a high position with whichever side won. He, and the others like him, intended to sit back and await the outcome, to let us kill each other off, before quietly joining the ranks of the victor. I wasn't going to fall for their tricks. I knew very well these were the men who would spy for the enemy in exchange for money, power, or other promises. These potential traitors will burn today, before ever being given the chance to do us harm, I promised myself.

I noticed several of Caius's personal guard carrying out trunks from the lobby of the tower and dispersing them amongst those who rallied to their side. I watched with alarm as the trunks were opened and dozens of small silver objects, reminiscent of a cross between a handgun and a fire extinguisher, were passed around until everyone had at least one if not two of them. Grabbing Carlisle's arm, who subsequently grabbed Marcus, I instinctively moved our army backward a few paces. All those who had trained with me moved seamlessly backward, putting a healthy amount of space between us and our enemy. Those who had only recently joined us were much slower to move. Only the ones who knew us personally were quick to retreat behind our lines, unfortunately leaving the others exposed. They were too distracted by what was occurring on the enemy's side to notice the movement of their own troops. Even when they did, their retreat was slow and fumbling, leaving them in front of their leaders.

That was another major difference between our side and theirs. We believed the leaders should lead their troops into battle and should not expect more from their troops than they themselves were willing to risk. Aro and Caius followed the system of belief that the leaders were far to precious to be risked on the battlefield and must be protected at all costs. Thus, they would retreat a safe distance and watch the battle take place without ever risking their own skins.

"Retreat further, Major!" Peter hissed, having come up through the werewolves in the center to join me at the front. "My gift is going haywire! The shit is about to hit the fan in a mighty way!"

Always trusting my Captain and his gift, we quickly backtracked a few more paces, until he gave the nod to stop. "To arms!" I shouted, warning those in front of us to retreat behind our lines if they wished to remain safe. I did get their attention, but they only displayed confusion and suspicion at our change of position. Some moved hesitantly toward us, at the urging of their fellows, who had retreated along with us, while others took steps toward Caius's small army.

The indecision and lack of trust cost them, as we were treated to a view of what the small silver weapon was created to do. Several of those on the enemy's front lines pulled the triggers, sending flames billowing out to encompass the vampires caught between us. The flames were a glowing bluish purple that instantly disintegrated any vampire they touched. Not only were the stragglers turned to ash in seconds, but all those who were riding the fence, thinking to enjoy front row seats to the battle, were as well.

Well, you said they would burn, though I thought we would be the ones to do it, Major thought philosophically as we stared in shock at the scene of the casual destruction.

I knew then how the Japanese must have felt, witnessing the amount of devastation caused by a single bomb, when the United States dropped the H bombs in WWII. If a single gun could instantly disintegrate any vampire within 30 yards, how could we fight against them? There was no skill, no talent, no experience, no finesse involved. Anyone could pull the trigger. Hell, a human could pull the trigger, and we'd be just as dead. Were they single use? Or could each one deliver more than one burst of vampire hell?

"Holy shit!" I screamed, when my mind unfroze long enough to react. "Rain, Benjamin, rain!"

My cry helped shake the others out of their horrified trances at witnessing certain death. Those who did not know me and hadn't trained with me over the past few days, instantly panicked and broke rank. They bolted, trying to escape the confrontation that had suddenly been cast into an entirely new realm. Of course, Caius's men quickly chased and killed all those who ran. All those who knew me had remained steadfast, knowing it was better to stay and fight than run and die. None of us were surprised to see the cowards didn't make it far. They were easy to pick off in their small groups.

As the wind whipped up, bringing in dark storm clouds from the coast, heavy with rain from the Mediterranean Sea, my mind was working overtime to come up with a new plan of attack. I had felt the confidence of the enemy skyrocket once they witnessed what their new weapons were capable of doing. I now knew, thanks to the demonstrations with the cowardly ones, each of the canisters were capable of at least two to three blasts, which was very bad news for us.

The enemy was ready to advance, but I wasn't ready to counterattack. "Don't let them within a hundred feet of you, any of you!" I ordered, trying to buy us time. I had never been so panicked, felt so inadequate to face the enemy.

Use your gifts, you fool! Major shouted in my mind, forcibly taking over. I gladly relinquished control to him.

"Alec, numb them. Jane, take down any who get close to our line. Zafrina, confuse them! Chief, take out any who get too close, just teeth, to protect you from the flames. Lance! Get closer, now!" Major commanded, giving everybody hope once again that we could prevail. There is nothing scarier in battle than seeing your leaders panic, unsure of what to do, Major reminded me.

Yes, Lance! Of course! We can become invisible, forgotten even, and strike from behind! I thought. I could hear the whispers as those who knew of his talent shared with those who didn't, spreading the hope of victory in the face of what had appeared to be almost certain defeat. I sensed the rapid advancement of my mate, whom I had commanded to stay toward the center, ostensibly so she could more easily shield our entire group. In reality, I hadn't wanted her anywhere near the front lines, and that desire had only grown infinitely stronger in light of the deadly flamethrowers.

I growled my discomfort with her presence so close to danger, my eyes likely shooting sparks in her direction. My mate was no longer too naïve to understand the reason for my anger and irritation. She quickly embraced me, tucking her face into my neck and purring to calm me. I calmed as much as I was able in the circumstances, which wasn't much. I couldn't even stop growling, wanting her far from danger.

"Listen, my Major, I wouldn't have come if it weren't important," she murmured against my chest.

"I'm listening," I snarled, angry at the situation, but not at my mate. "Make it fast."

I was lucky she understood my true concern or I'm certain she would have ripped off my balls for talking to her that way. Instead, she quickly reported her observations, "These soldiers all take after Aro and Caius, full of deceit, lusting for power. Each hopes to gain personal power, prestige, and position by fighting on Caius's side and supporting him in his hour of need. Aro and Caius have the same weaknesses. Because they deal in deceit, keeping secrets even from each other, they expect the same from everyone else. They are constantly on guard against back stabbers, never trusting anyone, never at ease. None of these soldiers know each other, but they know why they themselves are there. It is natural for them to ascribe their own motives to one another, which leads to large levels of distrust. Use your gift to feed their levels of distrust, suspicion, and paranoia until they turn on each other, using this new weapon on each other, as each fights to be the last man standing, to be the one to sit on Aro's abandoned throne."

My mate is brilliant! I mentally crowed, sending her my pride, amazement, and gratitude. I kissed her thoroughly before sending her back to the center where she would be one of the last to fall if everything went wrong. "Stay with Lance!" I warned her, knowing he was her best chance of survival.

"Return for me!" she demanded, fearing for my safety just as much as I feared for hers.

"Always!" I promised, watching her being swallowed up by the crowd.

I turned back to face our enemy renewed and confident once again. I had several irons in the fire at once and was prepared to rain down hell upon these evil bastards who wished to control us all, for their own sick pleasure. The sky was darkening rapidly, the air heavy with humidity as the storm clouds built, layer upon layer, all across the sky. All at once, the sky opened up and a deluge of water poured down upon us, turning the soil to mud that clung to our feet.

Turning to Zafrina, I whispered, "I'm going to whip up their distrust and paranoia. When I give the signal, I want you to create the illusion of one of their number turning and firing on his brethren. Hopefully, that will encourage them to turn on each other, and we can greatly reduce their number without lifting a finger ourselves."

She smiled and nodded, baring her teeth at the enemy and clenching her fists. I had felt her trepidation and was relieved to feel her renewed faith in me as her leader. This would also be a good test of the rain to see if it was enough to stop the flamethrowers or at least reduce their effectiveness.

Concentrating on the enemy, I suppressed their hope of victory and increased all of their negative feelings - their fears, ambition, greed, suspicion, distrust, paranoia, acrimony, cruelty, sadistic tendencies, enmity, malice, hatred, loathing, superiority, entitlement, cynicism, rancor, resentment, jealousy, uneasiness, foreboding, antagonism, bitterness, malevolence, and animosity.

They began giving each other dirty looks, openly glaring, showing their contempt for one another, which only fed into the emotional cocktail I was concocting. I swirled their emotions through them, looping them until they fed on each other. Each dirty look, each glare increasing the paranoia, the suspicion, the fear and hatred, until they were a ticking time bomb waiting to explode, all in less than a minute.

My Bella was right. They were ripe for betrayal, ready to turn on one another at a moment's notice. The feelings were already there, underlying every move they made, every word they spoke, every choice, every thought, every careful observation, which made my job a piece of cake.

Just as they were coming to a mutual decision to advance on us, I signaled to Zafrina to make her move. She launched the perfect illusion of one of the vampires in the center, turning abruptly and roasting those behind him. It was just the spark the powder keg needed to explode, as his nearest neighbor immediately tried to roast him. He was a mere illusion, and the vampires were packed too closely together, so even though Zafrina made it seem as if he crumbled to ash, the flames easily reached out 30 yards decimating several other vampires caught within their range. It was chaotic from there, as the vampires around them instantly retaliated against the perceived attack and were then retaliated against for their own attack. It quickly spiraled through the ranks, as the vampires on the Volturi side wiped themselves out with 'friendly fire'. It couldn't have gone more perfectly if I had personally orchestrated and choreographed it.

We did learn that even the monsoon like sheets of rain pouring vigorously from the sky and bouncing sharply off our skin, turning the battle grounds into a mucky swamp, was not enough to stave off the flames, boosted as they were by whatever chemical Caius had devised to fuel his guns. The only positive to the rain, was that it thoroughly soaked all the nearby building and kept the fires from spreading beyond the vampires they were consuming. I wondered what on earth the substance could possibly be in the flamethrowers, as the resultant fire was hot enough to instantly combust even sodden garments.

"Enough with the rain, Benjamin," I ordered the master of elements. I thought about the control he had over fire. It was a pity he could only control it and not create it, otherwise he could simply send a wall of fire through the enemy's ranks, destroying them from a safe distance. As I had learned though, the fire he controlled was not magical in nature, but limited to the laws of the physical world. It must have a source of fuel and oxygen to burn. If we were in a clearing in the woods, like we often used in the U.S., we could throw burning branches and logs into their midst, which Benjamin could then direct toward individuals, but here in this mucky treeless swamp, there was nothing left to burn.

"Benjamin, can you control the fire as it comes out of the guns? Can you turn it back on the shooter?" I wondered hopefully.

He frowned and shook his head in dismay. "I have tried, Major, but the fire moves too quickly. It has already reached its target before I can even begin to get a grasp on it."

I grunted and scowled. I had suspected as much, but every avenue deserved to be explored before being dismissed.

"Major! My gift has finally reached them! They are dropping like flies!" Alec crowed excitedly.

I looked over and realized he was right. Only a few dozen Volturi supporters remained, all making sure there was at least 100 feet between them and any other vampire.

xxxxxxx

AN: So, how was that? Did it get your adrenalin pumping?

Good news! I'm nearly finished with the next chapter too and should hopefully have it up in the next day or two!