Bella Swan opened her eyes to find Jasper Hale looming over her, brushing her hair out of her face. The panic, confusion, and the sounds and smells all hit her at once, causing her to jolt up in the bed, yet in seconds she calmed down. This was definitely Jasper's doing, dulling her terror and the overwhelming difference in her senses. She smiled up at him, relieved and comforted by his presence, and yet when she looked around for Alice she didn't see her anywhere.
"Alice is trying to sort through the visions that have been assailing her," Jasper explained, not having to be a mind reader like Edward to know what was going through her mind. "The Volturi are on their way to our house for peace talks with the wolf packs, and Alice's visions are saying that by the time they leave they will have destroyed our coven."
Fear raced through Bella's body, heightened by her shift, yet almost immediately it was dampened once more. "What can I do to help?"
Jasper smiled softly, tenderly, and passed her a blood bag. "You can eat until you're full. You'll be a bit delirious unless you do so, and we can't have you around the Volturi in that state. Aro will use whatever he can against us, so we cannot give him anything to use."
Bella eyed the bag curiously as she took it from him. "You're okay with this? It's human blood. Don't you, you know, crave this a lot?"
Jasper nodded truthfully. "Yes, it's taking every bit of my self-control to not rip into these bags myself – but you need this right now – and then later we'll wean you off of it and teach you to hunt animals. You need me to be strong for you right now, Bella, and I can be that for you."
Bella clutched the blood bag to her chest tightly and smiled at him before looking at the blood bag hungrily. The human part of her was icked out at the idea of drinking another person's blood, the vampire part of her was quickly growing ravenous. "What if the person has a disease that's transmitted through blood?"
A smile tickled Jasper's lips. "Carlisle got that blood for you himself, it's fine."
Deciding to trust Carlisle, Bella undid the seal on the corner of the bag and took a sip. It was heaven. She threw her head back, her throat working as she swallowed gulp after gulp after gulp of blood. The blood bag was finished embarrassingly fast, yet by the time she was done Jasper took the bag from her and passed her another full one, both continuing that routine until Bella slowly, finally, found herself full.
Only then did Jasper finally sit down on the side of the bed, examining her eyes (which were most probably scarlet now) and smiled. "How do you feel?"
"You mean when you're not making this easier for me by dulling all the overwhelming emotions?" She cheeked with a smile back at him. "I'm okay. I'm not going to say that this is going to be easy and I'll handle everything amazingly, because that's naïve, everything changed and I'm basically a baby learning to walk again." She could see the relief on Jasper's face that she knew and accepted that. "But I know that you, Alice, Edward, James and Victoria will be great teachers and help me figure out what my life is going to be like now and how to live it the best way possible. I'll stumble, and I'll probably have some issues, but I'm thanking you in advance for your patience, Jas."
His smile turned more amused as he nodded. "We'll be there for you every step of the way, Bella. You might be a part of the Black Pack, and so James and Victoria have more right to train you (especially Victoria since she is your sire), but Alice and I are going to be there for you – anything you need, we'll be there."
"I know." Reaching out, Bella slipped her fingers through Jasper's on the bed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm a little worried that the Volturi are coming here, especially with what Alice has been seeing." She tightened her grip on his hand. "What if they hurt you two?" She then blinked, flustered as she sat up immediately and turned to face him. "Not that I wouldn't care if they did anything to the rest of your family! I just—you know-."
Jasper's smile turned adoring as he reached out and cupped her face with his palm, leaning in to kiss her.
If Bella's heart beat anymore – oh, wow, it didn't beat anymore – it would've been racing. As it was, her breathing (which, if she remembered right, wasn't necessary anymore) was erratic as she kissed him back. She wished Alice was here with them, but Alice needed her space, and they needed to respect that right now.
A sound tickled her ears, causing her to pull away and blink, concentrating on it until she realized it was footsteps.
"You can hear them too," Jasper noted as he pulled away and stood. "We don't have much time. We have to respect the Volturi and not give them a reason to strike at us, which I know they will be looking for." He might be keeping her calm, but she could see the nervousness in his face. "They won't be happy with you being turned, because they wanted to use your status as a human against us, so Aro will definitely expect to see you to make sure that you really have turned. He'll want to touch you, he's a tactile telepath."
"So he can only read my mind if he touches me?" Bella scoffed. "Doesn't that make Edward more powerful than him?"
"No exactly," Jasper admitted nervously. "While he might have a handicap in that he actually needs to touch his subject, once Aro touches you he can go much deeper than Edward can. He can shift through your thoughts and memories, all of them, even ones you mightn't remember. He's extremely powerful."
"So, don't touch him?" Bella asked.
"No, that could be seen as disrespectful," Jasper sighed, clearly unhappy with this. "Try to avoid it, but if he insists you'll have to allow it."
"Well, I don't have anything I particularly want to keep secret," Bella muttered, deciding it wouldn't be the end of the world if push came to shove.
The door flew open and Alice appeared there, looking both relieved and worried to see Bella awake. "Bella." She raced forwards and hugged Bella tightly with one hand while reaching the other out for Jasper, who encircled them both in his embrace.
Bella knew that she should be terrified given all that was going to happen, but she didn't feel scared with them both there – and that wasn't Jasper's power talking.
Alice pulled away, held both Jasper and Bella's hands tightly in her own, and led them to the front room, where they awaited the arrival of the Volturi. Bella could smell an odd scent coming from the same direction, it was wet, earthy, and wondered whether that was what werewolves smelt like. Victoria and James had told her many times that the werewolves smelt weird, and Jacob had told her the same about vampires, but this was the first time she'd actually smelt it herself.
Wow, my senses were really weak as a human.
Bella straightened when the door opened, and Carlisle entered with Esme, stopping for a moment before smiling when he saw her there. "Bella." He stepped aside to reveal three dirt covered vampires. She was shocked to see them so dirty. That was not what she would've expected from vampire royalty. "Welcome to our home, Aro, Caius, Marcus."
"Alice." Aro glided inside to smile at Alice, giving Jasper a curt little nod before his gaze landed on Bella. "And you must be the human I heard so much about." He took a whiff. "Forgive me, fledgling." A smile was on his face as he held his hand out towards her. "Let me be the first to welcome you to our world."
I don't want to touch him, I don't want him in my mind!
Despite not having anything particular she wanted hidden, Bella just didn't like the idea of having him rummaging through her memories.
What if he tries to hurt my father or mother?
The thought suddenly terrified her as she was forced to slip her hand free from Alice and place it in Aro's. She didn't want him in her mind. She didn't want him in her mind!
Aro's eyes narrowed and he tightened his grip on her hand, resting his free hand over the back of her palm, just staring at her.
Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!
"Fascinating," Aro whispered to himself, almost seeming out of breath. "Tell me your name, my dear."
"Bella," she answered, wondering what he found so fascinating. Plus, shouldn't he have already known her name by going through her mind and memories? Or did it not work that way?
"Who is your sire, Bella?" He pronounced her name oddly, exaggerating the L's.
"Alice or Jasper? Or maybe Carlisle?"
Again, shouldn't he have known this already by merely touching her? How exactly did this tactile telepathy work? Did he have to be touching her for a long time for it to work or something?
"No, that would be me." Victoria pushed through the crowd to enter the home, looking very much alert and clearly tracking the danger they were in despite the smile she sent to Bella. "Sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up, Bellsy, but Jasper assured me he wouldn't leave your side."
"It's okay, he didn't," Bella smiled at her sire. She'd always liked Victoria, but their friendship was deeper now, she could tell just from one look. This must be the sire bond that she'd heard so much about.
"Welcome to immortality, hon." Victoria's gaze went from Aro's grip on Bella to Bella herself, and smiled, holding her arms out. "You are my first fledgling, but I promise to do right by you."
Realizing what Victoria was doing – giving her a way to remove herself from Aro's touch without it being insulting – Bella slipped away from him happily and ran to her sire, hugging Victoria tightly. "Thank you, Victoria," she whispered in her ear, not only for helping her with Aro, but for having sired her in the first place.
"You're welcome, Hells Bells," Victoria whispered back, pressing a kiss to her hair before pulling away and leaving an arm around Bella's shoulders in a clearly protective manner.
Relief was visible in the look Alice and Jasper shared at that, which intrigued Bella.
"Bellsy!" James was suddenly there, hugging Bella and twirling her around, breaking the tense silence thankfully.
Bella hugged him tightly, surprised to see him, and relieved as hell. "You're back! You're safe!" The second her feet touched the ground she looked up at him in worry. "What about Seth? Is he back okay?"
"Hey."
She turned towards the voice and then grinned as she hugged the surprised young werewolf tightly when she realized he'd entered in after James unnoticed. "We were all so worried, Seth! Why did you two stop answering our calls?" She didn't let him answer, squeezing him tighter, and the boy eventually hugged her back with a chuckle and a soft 'sorry, it got hectic at the end'. The brunette pulled back and was about to say something when she smelt something odd. Bella looked between the two of them, wondering why they smelt identical, or, well, they smelt like a perfect mixture of their own scents. The others here didn't smell like that, so why did they-? And then her eyes widened and she flushed. "You and James?"
Seth grinned and nodded.
Embarrassed yet hugely pleased, Bella hugged him tightly once more. "I know we're family because of the pack, but we're now in-laws too! I'm not sure how the sire dynamics work, but Victoria's like my vampire mother which makes James my vampire uncle, so, you know…"
Seth was nearly laughing while he nodded, and Bella would've blushed if she could, because she realized she'd forgotten all about the seriousness of the moment and had just gone off on an excited tangent.
She looked over her shoulder to see the three royals eyeing her oddly, but then she forgot all about them when she saw Jacob, who was rushing towards her, his utter relief in his scent. Tears filled her eyes as she pushed passed everyone and threw herself at her best friend, hugging him tightly, whispering a 'hi' to Edward over his shoulder as she merely clung to Jacob, so relieved he was still there and okay – just like he was for her.
"Best friends," she heard the very tall royal whisper to the greasy haired Aro.
Aro's eyes were narrowed, clearly in deep thought at this news.
The blonde royal merely shrugged to Carlisle and asked: "Which way is the nearest shower?"
Hanging on tightly to Jacob, Bella closed her eyes tightly and prayed to anyone listening (other than Edward, of course) that Alice's visions didn't come true.
…
Aro made sure to keep Phoenix Jordan next to him at all times. While the boy's powers weren't strong enough to mask the whole army from the Black Pack's Beta (which he believed was named either James or Rhames), it did seem enough to block out Edward Cullen when only focused on masking Aro's mind. That meant the boy was still very useful, and a powerful and important new addition to the Guard when it came to mental-based attacks or threats.
The royal three had bathed before the meeting could take place, and Aro had gone last because only Carlisle's bathroom was suitable for them, and because he'd wanted to get in as much observation of the group gathered in the room as possible.
Now that he was bathed and had returned, he sat at the largest seat, clearly Carlisle had given him his own seat in deference, and Aro couldn't fault Carlisle's manners. Honestly he didn't know what Carlisle was still doing in the beatniks like this, especially when he'd once been offered a seat as a royal. It truly bothered Aro that he was planning to destroy Carlisle's vegetarian coven – as they were one of the only one who never caused problems – and with the issues the Volturi had been having of late they needed more covens who knew how to keep such a low profile. Carlisle was not only very well liked amongst their kind, but had many friends globally, and not only had strong vampires in his coven, but apparently his truce with the packs had given him even more power.
This couldn't be allowed to remain unchecked any longer.
The group in Carlisle's roomy study consisted of the following…
In the Volturi's group there were not only the three royals, but Phoneix Jordan, Corin, Dimitri, Felix, and a couple more of his more ruthless Guard. Jane and Alec were also on his side, yet they were not paying as close attention as usual, in fact, if anything they were more off to the side, exchanging looks only each other could decipher. Chelsea wasn't there, having stated very firmly that she no longer considered herself a part of the Guard, a fact that still rubbed him very raw. Another annoying thing was Marcus, who remained seated slightly behind Aro's seat like Cauis, yet whose attention kept on going towards that unturned werewolf girl who kept sending Marcus cow-eyes. That would not do, would not do at all. He'd had to do away with his own sister to keep Marcus with the Volturi, and he wouldn't allow the female dog to get away with what he hadn't even allowed his own beloved sister to.
In the Rez Pack was, not surprisingly, the naked chested Alpha (Sam?), and his equally naked chested Beta (Jarett/Jared). There was a hotheaded wolf Sam had called Paul, as well as a few others that Aro hadn't overheard the names of. This half-naked pack made him uneasy, as the wolves just made his instincts jump between fight or flight, but he refused to look weak in front of them, plus, Caius was visibly tense and nervous as hell enough for the both of them so he had to stand strong and set an example for his two (honestly floundering) co-royals.
On their other side were the Black Pack, which (obviously once more) was represented by Jacob Black and his Beta (James, he was going to go with James, the blonde didn't look like a Rhames), who was seated by the wolf named Seth. Interestingly, Edward Cullen was also in this group, which made Aro realize that while Edward was currently considered a member of the Olympic Coven, he was most probably transitioning to become a part of Black's pack. Alternatively, while Bella was clearly involved with Alice and Jasper, she was also seated in the area for the Black Pack, between her sire, Victoria, and one of the many male wolves also in this team (someone who had a quill or something if a whisper Aro had half-heard was right). The wolves didn't quite interest him, not truly, but the vampires in this pack seemed magnificent. There was, of course, Edward, but then there was James, Bella (whose mind he hadn't been able to pierce through at all), and her sire Victoria, who clearly had an ability of her own because (during their journey to the Olympic Coven's house) every time Aro had considered a course of action and its playing out, he'd peer over to see her shift to make that plan a little more difficult. Then, of course, there was Chelsea, who Aro wouldn't just let go like that, but she wasn't at the meeting, instead waiting outside with the rest of the groups' members who weren't a part of the actual talks.
Finally, rounding up the 'Peace Talks' were the Olympic Coven, headed by Carlisle with Emmett as his second, which was quite interesting because that spot had once belonged to Edward. Alice and Jasper sat together, as expected of the pair, while Rosalie and Esme sat on the other side. Of them all, the Olympic Coven was the much smaller group, made that much smaller by Edward's obvious defecting to the Black Pack, and thus had no one on the outside like the other three did.
The girl giving Marcus the cow eyes wasn't sitting with any of the others, but was leaning against the wall next to a man in a wheelchair who also smelt of wolf.
"We have had a truce with the Uley pack for a very long time, and while it has had its ups and downs, as long as we both abide by our pre-stated rules we have been able to live in relative peace," Carlisle was explaining to Caius, who'd asked something about how Carlisle could live so closely to their mortal enemies. "With Jacob's Pack, we have had a much closer, more relaxed relationship – which has been facilitated by his and Edward's relationship."
"So you do not care that your son has joined with a wolf," Caius asked slowly, as if needing to hear this confirmation himself to be able to truly believe it.
Carlisle grinned brightly, openly. "We love Jacob, had he not started his own Pack and moved in with James and Victoria we would have asked him to move in and join our coven. As it is, we see the Olympic Coven and the Black Pack joining in a brotherhood akin to the type fellow covens share."
Caius looked blown away – and a little light headed.
Hold it together, Caius.
Taking in a very deep, very unnecessary breath, Aro kept his facial features trained to utter blankness. He opened his mouth to ask Carlisle how he could act as if the wolf packs weren't a threat to him if he'd already lost Edward to the Black Pack and was in danger of losing both Jasper and Alice as well.
"Are there not enough seats?" Marcus asked confusingly behind him as he stood from his seat. "Please, have mine."
Aro turned to his second in utter confusion, only to notice Marcus was moving his seat over to the cow-eyed wolf girl.
Rachel Black blushed darkly and shook her head. "I'm fine, I chose to stand."
"Are you sure?" Marcus pushed. "This may take a while, and your legs will tire." He motioned towards the half naked wolves. "You should join your pack."
"I'm packless," Rachel assured him while shaking her hands in front of her. "But if I have to join one, I'm sure as hell not joining Sam Uley's."
"Rachel!" the man in the wheelchair hissed.
"I will not join a pack who cast out my brother," Rachel hissed right back at him, clearly not one to cower at anything. "Unlike you, father, I have family loyalty."
"We will talk about this later," her father promised.
"We already did this morning when I went to find you guys on the Rez since you were in meetings and wouldn't answer your damned phones," Rachel informed him in a low tone, seeming to change from a cow-eyed girl to a super pissed, kind of dangerous woman in two seconds flat. "Not only is Jake my brother, but his pack saved Becky's and my lives, not Sam's." She smiled, and it had a hint of malicious intent. "I'm Rachel Black, I'm definitely Team Black Pack." And with that she snorted, shook her head, folded her arms, and turned her attention back to the goings on, effortlessly dismissing her father and the conversation.
Jacob Black looked between his father and sister, clearly caught in a weird position there. He then shook his head, visibly put it behind him for now, and returned his attention to Aro. The guy was young, and definitely was very new to this whole Alpha/Leader thing, but Aro liked the way that Jacob did his best to keep Aro's gaze at all times. It wasn't in a threatening way, but he proved that he wasn't worried of confrontation if Aro should provoke it.
Aro wondered what it was about the wolf that made Edward and Phoenix both like him so much. There had to be more to this wolf than met the eye. A part of him wanted to dismiss this wolf and concentrate on the vampires he was so intrigued with, but some instinct in him warned him that it'd be a very big mistake to dismiss Jacob Black, and he always listened to that instinct, so he met Jacob's gaze with his own, giving the Alpha a small smile in response to the casual way the wolf eyed him.
Interestingly enough, Edward reached out and grabbed Jacob's hand, and visibly relaxed when Jacob squeezed it. The one nervous here was Edward, Jacob was tense, but not nervous, and that intrigued Aro. Then he realized what Jacob was doing – it was the very same thing Aro was – putting up a façade for his pack. He needed to be strong, to be the stalwart face, just like Aro, and like Aro, he was doing his best to keep all his worries and insecurities undetectable.
Aro liked Jacob a little more after realizing that, and he didn't like that. It was surprising, actually… and then he eyed Jasper Hale and wondered… was the vampire using his power on him? The thought was intriguing. He'd never really thought much of Jasper's ability to influence emotions, but suddenly a lot of things, like Caius' utter on edge reactions, and Marcus' incredibly relaxed ones, made sense – as did his own ones.
Maybe I should not have dismissed his ability before.
A look towards Jasper revealed he was tense, no doubt using his ability. He kept glancing at Bella, as well as the leaders one by one, his eyes meeting Aro's for a split second before looking away, clearly realizing he'd been discovered.
Amused, Aro decided to disregard any emotions he might feel during this mission. He could call Jasper on his use of his power, and use it as a show on how this meeting was a falsehood, a trick, but he decided to let it go out of pure curiosity. Plus, it wasn't as if his own vampires weren't using their own abilities – namely Phoenix – also, that little devious maneuver was both amusing and impressive.
Alice, for her part, looked like she was constantly fighting a headache. Clearly the visions she'd been having about this day weren't going well for her side, and that just cheered Aro greatly and contributed to his magnanimous mood.
"As mentioned before, my pack is sworn to protect the Rez, Forks, and the surrounding areas," Sam Uley answered a question Caius must've asked, because Marcus was still distracted thanks to the Black girl. "As long as any vampires in the surrounding do not feed on humans in our area, we don't care what your kind do, and will not actively hunt or harass them." He motioned to Carlisle. "Cullen made a pact with our ancestors, and they have kept their part, so we have kept our own." He cleared his throat. "I will admit, in full disclosure, that recently there were… misunderstandings… and we broke our side of the pact, but now that we understand the truth we are not only prepared to make restitutions for our actions, but eager to do so." Sam's gaze shifted to Carlisle and Jake for a moment, meaningfully, before returning it to Caius. "This is still a work in progress, but with understanding and time this will not only work, but we anticipate our pact to be deeper, our interworking relationships better."
"Why would you even want to be in alliance with vampires?" Caius wanted to know, surprising Aro with how chatty he was given he was talking to a wolf. "I understand the Black Pack given their… unique situation… but why would you be eager to enter into this sort of relationship? Because it seems as if you want to make this more than just a truce and instead have more of an alliance like the Black Pack and the Olympic Coven do."
Sam took in a deep breath, once, twice, and then admitted in a steady voice: "It is because I have very recently also Imprinted on a vampire."
Aro fought to keep his reaction to this a mere blink. Was this wolf and vampire pairing off… contagious? He'd thought it a weird anomaly merely contained to the Black Pack, partly due to a wolf (a pack animal) being separated from his own kind and the drive for a pack having created the abomination. But what if that wasn't it? What if this was actually a thing? A very weird, very dangerous thing?
"How many of you are there?" Caius' voice was squeaky, clearly just as unnerved as Aro was by this news, but unable to hide it half as well. "Black and Cullen, his Beta and the wolf, Chelsea and the female wolf, Jane and the younger wolf, you and this other vampire… how many more?"
"As of this moment those are the only ones that I know of," Sam responded carefully. "But I do not expect us to be the last."
"You expect… more?" Caius looked utterly terrified.
"I understand your feelings towards this," Sam explained to Caius, visibly surprising him with this news. "When I heard about werewolves and vampires become mates I believed it a lie, an abomination, and in my darkest hour I tried to destroy them all."
Aro turned to look at the Uley Pack Alpha in shock at this.
"Before you attacked the Black Pack, I attacked them, with full intention of killing them all," Sam Uley admitted bluntly. "I would not have stopped until they were all dead… and then, in the middle of the battle, I Imprinted on one of the vampires battling on their side, and had to call an immediate retreat, as well as return to the group I had tried to kill, with my tail between my legs, and beg forgiveness for my actions."
Aro was a little dizzy from this revelation. This business was more dangerous than he'd realized.
"Imprinted," Marcus said the word, but it was with a hint of question.
"It is our version of Mated," Sam informed him coolly. "It happens the first time we set our eyes on our soulmates after having had our first shift, or, in some very rare cases, very close to our first shift. The world shifts, turning incredibly bright around our soulmate, and immediately we not only feel a physical attraction to the person, but a pull towards them, emotion, mental, everything. We find ourselves unable to think of anyone other than that person, obsessed with them almost, drawn to them in every way possible. After this happens, we are forever tied to that person. We not only care about them over our own good or safety, but we put everything about them above ourselves, and will never be able to love anyone else again. They become our world, our sanctuary, our very life. Even if that person is a complete stranger to us up until the moment of Imprinting, they will immediately become the most important thing in our lives, and will stay that way for the rest of our lives."
"Shit," the Black girl hissed softly under her breath, eyes wide in utter shock.
Aro eyed her curiously. She was a wolf, clearly on the eve of her first shift if her scent was anything to go by (the wolf quickly beginning to dominate the human one more and more) so shouldn't she already know this?
"And how would the one being Imprinted on feel or react?" Marcus asked oddly.
"I am not quite sure, not when it comes to a vampire at least," Sam Uley replied after a second as his gaze shifted from Marcus to Edward. "I believe you are better to answer that question than I, Cullen."
This was getting very off topic, but Aro found himself too intrigued with the answer himself to try and get the conversation back where he wanted it. Anyway, any great leader knew that to fight something, you truly needed to understand it.
"I can only answer how it affected me – James or Jane can contradict me if it was different for them," Edward announced after a second's thought. "My situation is also a little different from theirs as I realized before Jake that we were mated."
Aro blinked, utterly confused and intrigued.
"Alice had seen that I would be with a wolf, which I couldn't believe or accept," Edward declared with a chuckle, "and then we moved here and I actually met Jacob. It was like a switch clicked in my brain the second I first laid my eyes on him. I found myself concerned about him despite not knowing him at all, he dominated my mind, and I felt the need to not only be near him physically, but in every other way possible. I felt like I needed to breathe again, and being away from him, especially if for extended periods, makes it feel like I'm slowly asphyxiating."
"Colin smells really good," Jane interrupted, surprising them all with her self-inclusion. "The rest of them smell tolerable, but he smells very good."
"Same with Seth," James agreed immediately. "At first it was just that he smelt better than the others, but now I believe it's because our scents started to mix slightly from the second that we Imprinted."
The wolf in question blushed darkly.
"I hadn't thought of that, but you are correct," Jane admitted, eyes slightly wide, which was more emotion than Aro had seen on her face in centuries. "That would make sense as to why it is more agreeable."
"Also," Edward continued, "like Sam with his vampire Imprintee, I am unable to hurt Jacob, mentally or physically, at least on purpose. I might've hurt him by leaving for a little while, but that was – I was trying to strengthen our relationship. I could never actually hurt him, would never want to, couldn't."
"Just as I am unable to hurt him either," Jacob finally spoke. "I'd rather die than ever hurt him. If I hurt him I probably would die. It's the Imprinter's way."
Sam flinched and looked down, surprisingly looking guilty as hell for some reason.
"And if anything happens to Jacob, I will die," Edward responded very calmly while staring into Aro's eyes. "His actual death might not kill me, but I will die, and make sure to take down all who were responsible with me."
The royal didn't need to be telepathic to receive the message loud and clear. If anything happened to Jacob Black, Edward Cullen would not only end his own life, but would make sure he'd taken down Aro with him. The threat was… fascinating. Edward was usually much more mannered and careful than this, but the threat had been incredibly direct given he'd stared into Aro's eyes while saying this.
Things were becoming more problematic the longer this conversation happened. Aro had expected to play along while finding chinks in their armor, information to help further his cause, but something deep in his gut got more and more uneasy the longer this conversation went along.
"Rachel?" The man in the wheelchair asked in worry seconds before she grabbed herself by the stomach and doubled over in visible pain.
In seconds Jacob vaulted to his feet and was by his sister's side. "You're burning up!"
"Jakey, what's happening to me?" Rachel asked in scared confusion as she stared up at her brother, muscles rippling visibly under her skin.
"What is happening to her?" Marcus echoed her question immediately, leaving the Volturi side of the room and appearing at Jacob Black's side.
"She's starting her first shift," Jacob Black hissed as his sweating sister leaned hard against him. "Stress will bring it on faster." He hissed as she collapsed against him, apparently having fainted. "I need to cool her down, quickly, it'll help delay the shift long enough for us to get her away from here and back home."
"Do you have ice?" His father asked Carlisle Cullen, who shook his head in worry.
"Pass her to me," Marcus surprised Aro into nearly choking on his saliva as he held his arms out. "I am naturally cold, I can assist in cooling her down."
Aro was not only shocked by the offer, but by the fact that Jacob Black actually accepted it, passing his sister to Marcus after the Volturi royal slipped off his cloaked hood, baring his arms. Marcus gathered Rachel Black in them, allowing his bare skin to touch and further cool her down. "She is scaldingly hot."
"She will only get hotter," Black's father declared as he turned his wheelchair around. "We need to get her to the Rez. Sam-."
"No." Sam shook his head calmly. "She is Jacob's pack, it is he who must help her ease through this transition." He turned to Jacob. "I helped you through yours, you know what you need to do."
Jacob looked visibly distressed for the first time since the talks had begun, clearly needing to be with his sister during this transition, as well as with his pack for the negotiations.
Aro smirked, seeing an opening here.
"We can postpone the talks," Marcus declared immediately. "Where is your house? Where do we take her?"
Jacob stared up at Marcus in surprise. "You would do that?"
"Marcus-," Aro tried.
"Yes." Marcus shifted a glare to Aro that shocked the hell out of him and robed him of anything he would've said. "You are needed for these talks, and you are needed for this. A few days with you will allow us to better judge what is happening here." He didn't even ask Aro or Caius – but especially Aro – for their opinion on this matter! Instead, very unlike Marcus, who was usually very apathetic about everything, he turned to Jacob. "You have my word that no action will be made until your sister is safe and you are able to rejoin the peace talks."
Aro couldn't help it. His lips parted as his jaw dropped.
What the hell was happening with Marcus?!
Jacob looked behind him at them, visibly seeking confirmation that they would abide by Marcus' promise.
Caius further surprised Aro by sighing and nodding. "The word of one of the Volturi is binding to all three," which was true, but usually it was Aro's word that bound Caius and Marcus! "We will suspend the talks for now." He looked very bored and eyed the group before turning to a very surprised Carlisle. "I assume there is a room prepared for us in case of something such as this?"
Carlisle, for his credit, reacted quickly. "Of course. Please, come this way."
Caius eyed the wolves cautiously once more before motioning for Felix to follow him, most definitely as added protection, as he followed after Carlisle.
Aro watched him go before turning to Marcus, only to find the door open and both him and Jacob Black gone. He was alone with the others, and not quite sure how to handle this situation. The Volturi king cleared his throat, nodded to Sam and the others, and then turned to Jane. "Jane, a moment if you would?" It wasn't a request, it was an order, and a part of him was relieved when she obeyed it.
He walked them out of the room, motioning for Phoenix, who was his living shadow, to cloak both their voices as he spoke to her. "I will be lying to you if I said I was happy with how things have gone so far. You, Chelsea and Dimitri were supposed to keep all of this from happening, but, If anything, both you and Chelsea have made things more difficult." A muscle ticked in his cheek. "I am not happy with this at all."
Jane strolled with her arms behind her back. "I know." She didn't sound very bothered by this, which bothered him.
"You have had a longer time amongst these wolves and vampires, you must have learnt things which can help our cause, which we can use against them." He raised an eyebrow when she remained silent. "Well?"
Jane continued walking before twirling on her heel and stopping, bringing them face to face with each other, surprising him as her purple gaze met his scarlet one. "You are being too stubborn by holding onto old desires to recognize the great opportunity offered here." She raised an eyebrow. "Your ambition has always been admirable, Aro, but it is blinding you."
He was both intrigued and infuriated by her words. How dare she speak to him like that? She was his Guard! "Are you defying me, Jane? Has this wolf of yours blinded you to who your true family is?"
Her expression was annoyingly blank. "This has nothing to do with Colin." She raised her chin with a clearly defiant glint to her unnerving eyes. "Forgive me for saying so, Aro, but the Volturi's power and reach is not what it used to be. Things are changing, but we are remaining stagnant, and like everything stagnant, we will rot away to nothingness if we do not go with the flow – pun, disgustingly enough, intended."
What was it with everyone all of a sudden? It seemed as if stepping foot on Forks had caused all his people to go insane and act completely unlike themselves!
Marcus was suddenly very involved and had incredibly strong views of how this 'peace talk' should go. He was making decisions on his own in a very un-Marcus way, and his attention on the wolf girl was unnerving to say the least.
Caius's hatred of wolves was something Aro had been quite sure he could count on to back him up towards finding any excuse to destroy these abominable alliances – and yet Caius was not only going along with Marcus, but actually asking questions and talking, willingly, with wolves! He'd also shrugged and seemed not at all against prolonging these talks.
Alec had abandoned his post and disappeared to Forks, remaining here and not reporting back to Aro to let him know where he was and what he was doing. And when they'd arrived Alec had not only not asked forgiveness for going rogue, but had, in his own way, defended the wolves and their unholy union with vampires! If anything, he seemed to have, quite quickly, not only accepted the fact that a wolf had mated with his sister, but had become friends with him.
Chelsea had somehow completely gotten over Corin's addictive power during the time she was gone, and was now on his enemy's side because of some wolf. She'd not only denounced Aro in front of the others, but clearly was keeping away enough to make sure that Corin's powers weren't able to affect her, and yet was keeping close enough to keep an eye on the bonds of those around to make sure they weren't somehow being affected.
And to top it all off Jane – his most trusted and loyal Guard – was talking back to him, was calling him stubborn, stagnant, and blind. This had never happened since her creation, and Aro honestly didn't know how much more of this he could take before he broke enough to reveal just how uneasy he was with how quickly this was getting out of hand.
Aro was so off his game he was getting nervous. This should be a walk in the park, and yet his own people were making this difficult for him!
Was there something in the air surrounding the crappy little town of Forks?
He paused, terror suddenly making its way through his gut.
What if there was something in the air?
And, what if, it really was contagious?
…
Rachel was so hot the ice they were piling on top of her in the bathtub was not only quickly melting, but also letting out little hints of steam. If this hadn't happened to him during the three days of his turn he would've been terrified, and even as is, Jacob fought to keep calm, knowing that Rachel's wolf would start exerting itself, and it would reach out for the Alpha – like his had to Sam back in the day – and it needed to find his inner wolf calm and calming, reassuring. This couldn't have happened at the worst time, but Jacob understood how emotions could bring this on quicker, and this was definitely a very stressful time. Not only that, but on the way to Carlisle's house Edward had told Jacob something he hadn't wanted to believe, but hadn't been able to disregard the longer he'd been in their company – and when Marcus had stepped up to help the second Rachel became ill he'd realized he couldn't ignore those words or what they meant any longer.
His sister, ever the difficult one, had Imprinted on Volturi royalty. This could end up being a good thing – or nightmarish – it really would be decided by the next couple of days.
"Is this normal?" Marcus asked as he reached his hand in to feel the melted ice already warming around her hot body.
"Yes," Jacob answered. "You actually helped a lot by keeping her cooled down on the way here, my body was boiling the water at this point when it happened to me."
Marcus looked worried as he glanced down at Rachel, who'd been changed into one of Victoria's swimsuits by Leah. "She's still melting the ice terrifyingly quickly."
Jacob nodded as he watched the cubes rapidly melting all around her. "Embry's gone to buy more bags of ice from town, he'll be back soon enough." A moment's silence passed between them as they stared down at Rachel, before he cleared his throat and looked up at the Volturi royal. "Thank you."
Marcus turned to him in surprise. "For what?"
"For postponing the talks," Jacob responded. "The first shift is a very dangerous time for a wolf, so I would've had to put my pack in danger to be here for her." He took in a very deep breath. "I appreciate you doing what you did both back there – and at the meadow. You've saved my sister twice in one day, and I am forever in your debt for that."
Marcus eyed Jacob thoughtfully before seeming introspective. "You do not have to thank me, Mr Black, I do not understand why, but I do not want anything bad to happen to your sister." It was as if saying the words out loud surprised him into realizing that that was actually the case, and Marcus tilted his head in thought, blinking in surprise when he noticed Jacob hold his hand out towards him.
"Please, call me Jacob," Jacob offered his hand, and his friendship, to this vampire.
The Volturi royal eyed the hand thoughtfully before placing his own in Jacob's and shaking it. "Then you must call me Marcus."
"I was right, we have three more bags in the extra freezer we keep for the meat from our hunts," Victoria announced as she appeared in the doorway with Bella by her side. "We'll be able to keep her nice and cool even if Embry takes a while to get back with the extra ice she'll need."
"Thanks." Jacob smiled at the both of them before turning his gaze on Bella. "You should probably rest, you were just turned and I don't want to overwork you so quickly."
"I'm fine, Jake, and so is Becky, Sue and your father are with her," Bella assured him. "Don't worry about us, me especially. I've fed, and I have a lot of energy, plus, remember, Edward is the only vampire who sleeps, and even then he doesn't need to sleep, he just can."
Marcus' eyes widened. "Edward Cullen can sleep?"
Bella flinched, probably realizing she maybe shouldn't have said that in front of a member of the Volturi.
Considering Rachel had already involved this member by Imprinting on him, Jacob didn't really mind the slip up. "It only happened a while after we Imprinted," he explained to Marcus. "We think it's a result of the cementing of our emotional bond, as it is also when his mind reading ability grew in strength." He cleared his throat, not sure why he was adding the following: "He's also losing his sparkle."
Bella's eyes widened. "Seriously?"
Victoria nodded, apparently having noticed the same thing as Jacob. "It's very gradual but I've noticed it as well, he's losing it, probably will lose it altogether after a while."
"You should tell Aro that," Marcus muttered after a second's thought, clearly digesting this news. "The best way to convince him not to touch this pack, and that of the reservation, is to convince him that not only is it in his benefit for you to remain untouched – but that he has come up with the idea himself." His scarlet gaze rose to meet Jacob's brown. "We vampires have to remain as hidden as we do because the sparkle does not allow us to truly blend in with humanity, but if this is true, if Edward Cullen is losing that which marks our existence to the humans, it would be an advantage that Aro could not pass up."
"The problem with your friend is that he will want to use us," Victoria surprised them by stating very seriously. "We're Jacob's pack, we will never belong to Aro or be a part of his Guard, no matter what he does or tries." She must've noticed Jacob's surprised look at her brazenness, because she put her hands to her hips and admitted: "My danger sensors don't flare up around him."
Marcus looked between them and returned his gaze to Rachel. "I do not understand why I want to help your pack, and her." His scarlet gaze shifted back to Jacob. "But I do." He took in a very deep, very unnecessary breath. "And for now, that is all that matters."
Jacob stared up at Marcus and realized they may have just made the most unlikely of allies.
…
James once more found himself on the roof of his house, staring out at the world around the Hunter residence. With each breath he could see the scents of those he was tracking all around him. The Volturi's Guard and armies (including Jane and Alec) were remaining around the Olympic Coven's house. They seemed, so far at least, to be abiding by their word to allow Jacob to help Rachel shift before they continued on with what they were doing, but he wouldn't trust them to keep it for long, which was why he knew he'd be spending most of his time on this roof.
Sam's pack were at the Rez. Garrett must've given Sam his phone number though, because he kept getting text message after text message which he was very obviously ignoring, because that was how Garrett operated. If Sam was anything like Edward or Seth, James knew he'd soon see his scent coming to the house to make sure Garrett was just ignoring him and not because he was actually in danger of any kind. So that just annoyed James and he decided to just ignore Sam whenever he arrived.
The Black Pack, plus Billy Black, Brady and Colin, and Sue Clearwater, were at the Hunter House. Billy Black was pulling double duty, wheeling himself from Rebecca's side (she was still sleeping) to the bathroom door where Jacob was trying to help Rachel, and back. The man hadn't really broken breath with his son, but James could smell the regret mixed with stubbornness that emanated from him. He wanted to talk to Jake, wanted to make peace, but was a stubborn old goat filled with pride which wouldn't allow him to. At least not yet. He seemed to be working himself up to it though.
I hope the old man gets it over and done with, it would give Jake one last thing to worry about.
"Why are both you and Victoria avoiding my mother?"
Glancing over his shoulder, James raised an eyebrow at his Imprinter, as the wolf fully climbed up to the roof. "Victoria has been in love with Charlie Swan ever since she met him."
Seth's eyes widened, suddenly realizing why Victoria was avoiding his mother. "I didn't realize…"
"Don't worry, Victoria won't act like a psycho ex and attack your mother because Charlie is dating her," James assured him as he returned his attention to the woods surrounding them. "But she needs to keep herself busy, and needs to stay away from her. Victoria is still very much in love with him."
"I'm so sorry," and Seth totally meant it. He was ridiculously sweet and considerate like that. "Is that why you're avoiding her too? Out of solidarity for Victoria?"
"Nope." James shook his head, not at all embarrassed to admit that even if he didn't have to keep an eye on everyone around him he'd have found an excuse to escape to the roof anyway. "I devirginized the angelic son of a human willing to drive head first into a fight between vampires and werewolves, the woman terrifies me."
Amusement covered Seth's face. "She'll really like that."
"I'm sure she will," James agreed as he pulled Seth into him and stared out at the woods in time to hear Rachel screaming. She must've finally woken up. "Is it always this bad?"
Seth nodded. "It's really bad for around three days. You feel like you're dying."
James opened his mouth to ask more info, when he noticed Colin outside, staring longingly towards the direction of the Cullen's house. The boy was smart enough not to go there though, but he clearly looked heartbroken Jane had decided to stay there.
The vampire concentrated on the scents surrounding the Cullens' home. Holographic images of the Guard, of the Royals, of the Cullens, popped up, pinpointing where they were.
Aro was standing looking in the direction of the Hunter residence.
A growl rolled escaped James' throat as he pulled Seth even closer.
That bad feeling in the pit of his stomach grew worse.