I suppose it didn't take long to get to Volterra, but it felt like forever to me. Finally, I drove into the city limits. My coat had shielded me from the sun whilst I had been in the car, but I knew I would have to be careful when I left it. Of course, angering the Volturi at this point might benefit my cause more than appeasing them, but that might make Aro irritated with Carlisle. It was best, I decided, to be civil at first. If I could get them to accede to my request, then I would part this world with us all good friends. I would not anger them unless it became impossible for me to achieve my goal any other way.

I parked my car in a wide patch of shade. It was illegally parked, but who cared? I wouldn't be using it again. I had given the rental company a sizable tip to assuage any problems caused by laws I broke with the vehicle, so hopefully that would cover the fine and transporting it back to wherever they needed it to go.

Volterra was a city with a great deal of light, and there was still plenty around, so I busied myself hiding in the shade and stretching out with my mind to see if I could detect the thoughts of any vampires close by.

I didn't bother to scan the thoughts of those in the nearby square – no vampire would be there at this time on a sunny day – so I concentrated on the shadows. I knew from Carlisle's memories where the Volturi kept their dwelling, although I was sure some of it had been modernized to keep up their public facade. I turned to the shadows around their building and, sure enough, it wasn't long before I stumbled upon someone different.

Mmm, he smells good, the mind thought. It's a pity I can't do anything about it now. Damn. Oh well, at least Heidi will be back presently.

No doubt that was a vampire. I was aware of Heidi and her function amongst the guard. She must be soon to return from a fishing expedition. Her role in the guard was to bring back human victims to satisfy the Volturi's thirst, as hunting was not allowed inside the city walls.

I tried not to scowl at the thought. These vampires wouldn't think of living any other way. Killing humans was second nature to them.

I began to head towards the vampire whose thoughts I had detected. He was a tracker, I saw, as he flashed through some of his memories. Quite a skilled one, at that. I couldn't tell his name, but it wasn't long before he exited the street via a sinkhole in a gutter. It led straight to the Volturi's lair.

I thought about following him, but those entryways were generally for use of the Volturi guard and others who had appointments with them. If I wanted to make a favorable impression, I would probably have to go through whatever human was working for them in their public face. I did not want to appear in their lair unannounced. That would be considered rude, I was sure.

I scanned the thoughts inside all the buildings around the castle where the Volturi held court. Sure enough, it wasn't long before I found a human who was fully aware of all the goings on in Volterra. She was working as a receptionist in a building not far from me. I knew I would need to go through her to reach them.

As I approached the building I noticed that, although the middle of the street was filled with sunlight, there were large stretches of shade on one side. Looking up, I noticed that it was likely there would be sufficient shade to walk this street at any time of the day without stepping into the sunlight. How convenient. There was no doubt in my mind that it had been arranged for the use of visitors like myself.

Once inside the lobby of the building, I proceeded past the humans there and straight to the elevators. These humans, while working for the business that the Volturi ran here, were not aware of the true nature of their employers, so they were of no use to me. The woman I was looking for was two floors up.

Once I had exited the elevators, a quick walk down a corridor led me to a bright reception area. It looked harmless and ordinary – pretty much the same as any other such area in thousands of buildings around the world – but it was just a front, I knew. The only giveaway was the set of wooden double doors at the back of the room. The Volturi were behind them. I could hear them easily.

I approached the desk too quietly for the woman behind the desk to hear me. She jumped when I tried to get her attention, but her surprise quickly turned into a smile of welcome. She looked me up and down, but was so used to vampires that the only thing that seemed to bother her was that I was unexpected and unknown.

Hm, he's … not familiar. I don't think he has an appointment. She addressed me in a professional manner. "Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?"

"Yes, I was wondering if it would be possible to see Aro today."

She frowned at me. "He's not expecting anyone …"

"No." I tried to sound apologetic, but it was difficult to keep up the pretense. I already hated this woman. "I was in the area, and wanted to pay my respects on behalf of my creator, Carlisle. Aro knows him quite well. My name is Edward Cullen."

She nodded, and rose from the desk. "I'll just check, if you'd like to take a seat?"

I plastered a smile on my face, trying to remind myself that I had to be congenial if I was going to get my way. I knew her offer of a seat was only a token way of dismissing me; she knew I didn't need to sit down. She walked over to the set of double doors, opened them, and closed them behind her.

I wanted to tell her she was a fool for accepting this job. The very sight of her made me furious. As she had looked at me, and realized I was handsome, in her estimation, she had wondered if I was "available" and the memory of how she had come to work for the Volturi had started running through her mind. She had been duped into working for them because of what she hoped to get out of it. In spite of the danger to her – and she knew it was real – she wanted power. She wanted to be as beautiful as we were, like that senseless beauty was worth anything. That had been what had attracted her initially; the sight of a beautiful vampire. Then, when she had shown interest in that vampire, and had discovered about the strength and abilities, not to mention the immortality … There were people in her past that she felt had wronged her. She wanted revenge. Even if they never knew about it, she wanted to feel that she was better than them.

So she played her game of roulette with the Volturi, watching dozens of humans file into their castle and die every fortnight or so, and hoping that it wouldn't be that way for her. Even now, I could see in the minds of the Volturi as they watched her, that her fate had already been decided. Aro, while listening to the news of my arrival with interest, was already lining up a replacement for her. Someone with more promise. And one of the guard, Felix, a vampire much of the size and strength of Emmett, had been promised her. He had performed well for them recently, and she was his reward. She smelled quite appealing to him. But they needed her for a few more months, so he was waiting with impatience for his little treat.

It sickened me, but I turned my thoughts away from all this and back to the only thing that mattered. Perhaps it would amuse Felix to kill me. Maybe Aro would decide that my death would be a suitable reward for him.

Aro was fascinated as the human – Gianna – told him of my connection to Carlisle. He was watching me on the closed circuit TV they had of the reception area. However, the image was not good enough to reveal my eye color, which was mildly frustrating for him. He was intrigued to know not only if Carlisle had continued his commitment to abstinence, but whether a vampire created by him would have followed his vision as well. Not that my eye color would have told him much at the moment anyway; my eyes were black as pitch.

He was also intrigued by the look on my face. In spite of my best efforts, I was unable to keep a neutral expression. In fact, the severity of my scowl intrigued Aro more than my parentage. He was wondering if something had happened to Carlisle that I blamed him for.

I wonder if he is talented. He was thinking to himself. It's such a shame I don't have Eleazar anymore. I had heard from a nomad that Carlisle had been encountered with a coven of talented vampires. Could he be one of them?

His intrigue won over in the end. He was not concerned about any attempt I might make on his life, even with the scowl so prevalent on my face. All the guard was in attendance at the moment, and he knew that it would be the work of a moment to end my life. Of course, he didn't realize that was exactly what I wanted. Maybe I should play up the threat.

No. I would not sully Carlisle's name by doing that if it could possibly be avoided.

He told his brothers with glee about the visit they were about to have. Caius was sour at the mention of Carlisle. A milk sop of a vampire if there ever was one, he thought dismissively. I don't expect much from his progeny.

Marcus hardly reacted to the news of my presence. His mind was filled with little more than memories of his lost lover. The misery in his thoughts was so overwhelming that I felt a kinship with him. He knew what it was to suffer like this. He alone, of the members of this unsympathetic crowd, would understand my desire for death. He wanted nothing more for himself. I tried to get an idea of why he hadn't killed himself, but every time the thought of it occurred – and it occurred regularly – it was shunted away somehow. I did not understand the reason for this, but I didn't expect I would live long enough to learn it.

By this time Gianna had returned, followed by Felix, the large vampire, and the tracker whose mind I had first encountered, who was now identified as Demetri. He was much smaller when compared with Felix's hulking form, but there was an air of refinement about him. It was he who addressed me. "Edward, is it?"

I nodded.

"Aro has granted you an audience, if you will come with us."

I did not waste time with pleasantries or smiles, but followed as Demetri led. Felix positioned himself behind me, and I knew he had instructions to take me down if Aro signaled I was any sort of trouble. How easy it could be … but I would try and be patient. The end could not be far off, no matter how it occurred.

We passed through the ornate double doors at the end of an equally ornate hallway, up a set of spiral stairs, and on to their library, where Aro and his brothers, the guard, and the wives were passing the time.

The library was a huge circular room directly above the throne room, its thirty foot-high walls covered from floor to ceiling with shelf after shelf of books. Many of them I had seen in Carlisle's mind – he had spent much time here during his stay with the Volturi – and I could see many more had been added since then. There was also now a corner with several computer monitors set up. It was here that the wives sat, their guards around them. The rest of the guard watched me impassively from strategic points around the room.

I noticed Jane and Alec instantly. Carlisle had known their history, and that they had been changed relatively young. There was no mistaking the two small forms, both hidden in their cloaks, almost identical, apart from the sadistic gleam in the female's eye. I noticed that her eyes were a dark red, with black on the outer rim.

The eyes around me had quite a bit of black in them. I could only be glad that I had come prior to Heidi's arrival. I worried that Aro might tempt me to feed in his way once he knew my mind.

And I knew he would soon know my every thought. He was already preparing his mind for what he would encounter in mine, even as he welcomed me.

"An unexpected guest; how wonderful!" he informed me with a smile, arising from his seat and coming towards me with arms outstretched. "Edward, is it not?" When I nodded my consent he continued. "And you have come from my friend Carlisle? You are his creation?"

I nodded and tried to smile in gratitude for his greeting. I knew he expected it. But it was difficult to be civil with all I was reading in his mind, and the minds surrounding me.

His eyes are black, that's a shame. Aro was thinking. How can I tell if he follows Carlisle completely or not?

I didn't even know why Aro was bothering to feel disappointed when he knew the answer to his question was only a touch away, and he had every intention of using his ability to find out all about me and Carlisle.

Caius was watching me with a little more interest now. I like his face, he thought. It's a face that speaks of violence. His lips curled back as I directed a glare at him.

Marcus didn't even look at me. Didyme … was his only thought.

The guard were watching me with interest as well, wondering if I had gifts that would rival theirs.

He doesn't look exceptional in any way, Jane thought, raising her eyebrows.

Isn't Carlisle the one who abstained from human blood? thought Alex. How quaint.

He looks like he might fight, Felix mused with pleasure.

I wonder why he comes to Aro at all if he comes with such a scowl, thought Renata, Aro's personal guard. She had a deflective capability which she used to defend Aro. She took my look as a personal affront to her master. She was ready to deflect me if I became a problem.

I sighed and tried to find a way to make my expression less threatening, but it was difficult. There was no reason for me to smile and be pleasant. I had no desire to be either of those things. But I knew I needed to return Aro's greeting properly. His minions were growing restless.

"Yes, Carlisle sends his best wishes," I said. I felt safe saying that, as Carlisle did speak fondly of Aro, and I knew that he always wished the best for him.

Aro sensed that there was more. He cocked his head to one side in interest. "But you are not here for a social visit? There is another reason?" He was itching to take my hand and find out all the details directly. I had no problem with that. It would be easier than telling him everything myself.

However, I wanted to get to the point straight away. "I am here because I want you to kill me."

There was a low gasp from the surrounding vampires, and, for the first time, I caught Marcus' attention. He wants to die? he thought, his mind filled with envy.

The other thoughts were incredulous, and Aro's curiosity was at its height.

Why on earth …? "Why would a young and vibrant vampire like yourself possibly consider suicide?"

I didn't waste any more time with pleasantries. I simply held out my hand.

Aro needed no further invitation than that. He assumed that Carlisle had told me about his ability, and was delighted. However, his delight turned to fascination as he looked in my mind.

Every thought I had ever had was now his. Every thought I had heard others think was his now as well. The thoughts of Carlisle and Esme, all my brothers and sisters, the thoughts of their love for each other, their struggles and their desires. His eyes gleamed as he encountered Alice and her visions. He watched each one carefully, marveling in her skill.

I felt a little uneasy. I didn't like the way he was viewing Alice. Almost as an acquisition to be made. But he noticed his thought as soon as it passed through my head, and put thoughts of her away, moving on to everything else.

He covered my years of rebellion against Carlisle. He found those interesting, and was surprised at my resulting depression, which had led me back to Carlisle and Esme. It was funny to him, that I would do such a thing. I tried to rein in my anger.

He went through all my years at different schools, all the thoughts of the many humans I had encountered, before finally, he came to the reason we were here.

Bella.

From the first moment he resurrected the memories I had of her, I cringed in pain. She was never out of my mind anyway, but seeing him running through all of them, and experiencing his reaction to her made it fresh and, at times, extremely dangerous for him, especially when he came to my first encounter with her scent. He started salivating immediately.

Amazing! Extraordinary! He declared in his head. How could you resist that?

He didn't bother saying it aloud. He was already accustomed to the fact that he didn't need to.

I gritted my teeth and tried not to snarl at his reaction. Fortunately, he noticed my reaction, and moved on.

But it didn't get any better after that. His reaction to my feelings for Bella was met with surprise and amusement. The fact that I had fallen in love with her seemed inexplicable to him. However, he was impressed that I had sucked James' venom out of her body and left her alive. He shook his head, unable to believe that I had bothered to stop.

Now I tried to stop myself from ripping his head off.

The guard around me were getting restless by this time, as Aro's reading of me was taking longer than it ever had with anyone else, and they were watching my darkening face with growing hostility. Aro noticed their thoughts in my head and turned to them for a moment, waving at them to be still.

He chuckled to himself at my qualms about changing Bella. He found my desire to save her soul romantic. Ah, Edward, what a delight you are! He thought. That all my company should be so chivalrous. Again, it was hard not to kill him.

Then we came to the reason we were here. Bella's death. He strolled through the memories of the agonizing moment I found out she was gone, the pit of pain it had thrown me into, and my resulting single minded determination to end that pain. He sighed with sorrow, as if he had reached the climax of a movie and was disappointed to find that it did not have the happy ending he had hoped for.

"There is no point in my staying here now," I told him, anxious to get him out of my mind before I did something that would reflect badly on Carlisle.

But Aro was reluctant to let go of my hand. After all, it gave him direct access to what everyone around us was thinking, too. "Dear, dear," he tutted. "Must you give up your life for such a reason? I'm sure Carlisle and Esme will be so distressed that you are here."

"Perhaps," I spat, "but it is my life to give up, if I choose to do so."

Caius had, by this time, grown impatient with not knowing the details of my desire for death. Although he certainly wasn't averse to killing me – far from it – the idea that a vampire would voluntarily give up his immortality astounded him. "May we all know the reason this vampire has decided to end it all?"

"Ah, it is a tragic love story," Aro explained, with a quick look at Marcus. I saw something flash through his mind, but it he quelled it before he could even think it fully. All it told me was that Marcus' lost love had been his own sister. "This vampire had the misfortune to fall in love, and he has lost that love."

Marcus looked up at me with interest. "Would he not avenge her first?" he asked. I would do it. I would take a life if I knew whose to take … My request had awoken an old desire in him.

"Sadly, he cannot," Aro informed them, his face a mask of tragedy. "For she had taken her own life." They gave him a questioning glance at this, so he continued, "You see, this vampire you see before you, had the misfortune to fall in love with a human."

That caught everyone's attention, but it was not unheard of for such a thing to happen. They had all encountered it in others before. Caius was the one who asked the question on all of their minds. "Then why did he not change her?"

"Edward doesn't believe life as one of us is good enough for any human," Aro informed them, finally releasing my hand and turning to Caius. "He would not allow her to give up her soul to join him in immortality. So he left her to her human life, and she took it into her own hands and ended it."

I tried not to react at Aro's brutal rendering of my story, and their response to it. Most of them laughed, and those who didn't laugh out loud laughed in their minds. They thought I was a fool. Even Marcus had little time for me now. He held me accountable for Bella's loss. If he had acted when he should have, he thought. He would still have her. Not like my Didyme …

They were all thinking the same thing. It was my own fault I had lost my love. Of course she was going to die. She was just a human, and I had left her that way.

I could feel my rage building at their assessment, and I began to throw away my civil pretense. "Since you all think I'm a fool," I growled, "it should not cause you any trouble to accede to my request."

"Yes, I don't doubt they all think that way, Edward," Aro conceded, trying to indicate my gift to those who surrounded him, "but someone of your talents should not be thrown away, surely."

"Someone talented would surely not be so stupid as to fall in love with a human and leave her that way," Caius pointed out. What a ridiculous course of action! Did he think she would just go on living? All this fuss over a pathetic human!

"Ah, my brother, but Edward is very talented," Aro went on. "Edward, can you tell me what my brother just thought about you? I know it was something you did not like. I could tell by your face."

That caught the others' attention. Since mention that I was talented, they had been trying to guess what my talent was. Now Aro had directed them. He was enjoying giving them clues, like trying to solve a murder mystery.

I was bored with Aro's game, so I brought it to an end. "His thoughts were just the same as everyone else's in this room," I spat. "They all think I'm a fool."

The guards and Volturi alike looked around at each other, and back at Aro.

"You see, my dear friends!" said Aro, clapping his hands together in delight. "Our Edward is a mind reader! And much more skilled than I myself. Although it's true that he cannot hear everything you have ever thought, as I can, he can hear everything that passes through your head from where you stand. No touch required." Aro looked at me with envy.

The others were looking at me now too, with expressions and thoughts that ranged from admiration to envy, although most were closer to the latter.

A mind reader without touch. Fascinating. Does he hear everyone all the time, I wonder? What would that be like?

Huh. How irritating that would be. There would never be any peace inside his head.

Does he hear me now? Maybe if I yell. HEY!

I tried not to flinch at the mental screeching that was accompanying the pronouncement of my gift, but it was hard, and my face darkened even further.

"Yes, my friends," Aro continued, his arms spread wide, his face delighted, "our Edward can hear all that is passing through your head at this moment. With no exception. At least, there was no exception, but one."

Aro loved an audience. He was recapturing everyone's attention so that he could have the joy of telling them all about me. I ground my teeth in frustration.

"Yes, my friends," Aro told them with sorrow, "the very human he has lost, the love of his existence, possessed the only mind he has discovered that he could not read. How fascinating."

And Aro was fascinated. I could see it in his mind. He was running through all my memories of Bella, looking at her from every angle, as if my memories held the key to the secret of her silence.

I tensed once more. Didn't he think that, if the explanation for Bella's silence was so easily discovered, I would have stumbled upon it before now? And all this sideshow was distracting us from the real reason I was here.

But Aro had not finished his story. Now that his audience was busy puzzling along with him about why Bella's mind had been silent to me, he sought their attention once more.

"It was a wonder she lived long enough for you to discover the anomaly," he said. "La tua cantante!"

All the vampires started at that. Caius gave Aro a disgusted look. "Brother, do you mean to say that this human girl was this vampire's singer? And he let her live?" His estimation of me sunk still further.

I tried to stop the growl from leaving my throat, although I wondered if I should bother. Perhaps it would mean a swifter death for me. It seemed that politeness was taking too long.

Caius heard my growl, as did the guard, and they began to move forward at his signal, but Aro, waved them back.

"Peace, dear friends," he said. "There is no need to be hasty. Edward has come here to die, so I daresay he will not put up much of a fight."

"Let us oblige him, then," Caius snarled. This vampire has forfeited every right to life with his pathetic, disgusting abuse of everything that is significant about us.

But that was not what Aro wanted, I could see that. To my frustration, I realized that Aro wanted to spare me. He was hoping I would join the Volturi.

Someone who can read minds from afar, he sighed. No touch required. While it's true I would not find out all this way, it would be a help with those who refuse to allow access to their minds. With Edward, I could find out without their permission. He smiled.

"My dear brother," Aro said mildly to Caius. "I believe there is too much at stake here for a hasty decision –"

"There is no decision to be made," I declared flatly. I did not intend to wait around for discussion. "I will die today, whether you agree to it or not."

The guard again stepped forward, and I wondered if I shouldn't rage and threaten violence. It would be quicker.

"Now, now, dear Edward," Aro chided me. "We must discuss this in a proper way, to be sure that it is the best course of action. If we," he indicated the two others on the throne, "decree that you should die, then we will be more than happy to oblige you. However, we cannot make any decision with haste and without due thought."

There was a mild threat to Aro's tone. I could see it in his mind. By forcing his hand at this moment, I risked making him seem less than the absolute ruler he was. He would not tolerate that. Again, I thought of Carlisle.

"Very well," I sighed, wondering how long I would have to wait before I knew the outcome.

"Thank you, dear Edward," Aro said, waving Felix forward to guide me out. "Please wait in the reception area. I know how impatient you are for the outcome, so I promise we will not keep you waiting long." He smiled warmly at me.

I scowled at him, but made no reply. I would be patient for the moment, but if the Volturi did not accede to my request, I would not even let thought of Carlisle's reputation prevent me from gaining the outcome I desired.