READ ME!

*Important note, and I greatly apologize for this. Given that chapter 7 and 8 had such a long break in between, and I forgot to go back and reread what I had already written, I forgot that Charlotte had told Jasper that the Volturi had killed Maria. Then, I went and let Jasper murder her again. So, for continuity's sake, let's say that the rumor Charlotte heard were just that, a rumor. The newborns are still crazy as fuck, but just roll with Jasper being so blinded with rage that he forgot what Charlotte had said. I'll be brushing over a conversation where Jasper realizes what he has done in this Jasper. Hopefully that will clear up some misunderstandings. I greatly apologize. Otherwise, do enjoy!

Bella

Somewhere, in the deep dark depths of my mind, I knew there was pain pouring throughout my entire body. I knew, but I did not feel. My skin was branded and marred by harsh crescents, infinity snakes, and holes leaking deadly venom. I should feel. Something. Anything. My nerves wouldn't react, fried to the edge of existence and shriveling back into my marble form. They had given up seeing all reason, leaving me to fend for my own devices, heavy and emotionless. Through their retreat, they had taken every single sense of touch, and no longer was there the harsh touch of stone bricks beneath my knees. No longer did my breath release in short gasps, filling the space with the sounds of my pain and fear. No longer did I feel the sharp sting of the venom or the sharp pulse of the brand. No longer did I feel anything. But it was there, I knew, just beyond the reaches of my endless mind.

Time had quickly become irrelevant, and I could not recall whether it was night, day, or somewhere in between. There was no light in the room other than the distant candelabras, and they were starting to give up their fight for life. The flames stuttered and pushed with flickering light, illuminating the stone walls. This was nothing more than an empty room for the blissfully tortured. Sheltered in the veil, I never did catch a glimpse of the vampire which harmed me so completely. Constantly covered by the hood of their heavy, black cloak, his appearance remained a mystery, and I was almost contented at the notion of never seeing my executioner. That's what the vampire was, after all. My murderer. My killer. The one to take my life. Vampire's are immortal, not invincible, and I was becoming sickeningly aware of such a fact.

I shifted a little, almost humanly, to keep the bar through my stomach from hitting the ground harshly as I settled back onto my calves. The discomfort did not recede in the slightest.

The room now was quiet and still. I had stopped my wretched pleas and murderous screeches hours ago. They only ever fell on deaf ears, so what was the point? The hooded vampire had left around the time I had quieted down, neither impressed nor stimulated by my silence. If anything, they were as calm as one could be, walking out with no sound but the gentle whispering of their cloak over jagged stone. Despite their actions, I had found a disgusting comfort in their presence. They were here when no one else was. I would fight tooth and nail to stay alive until Jasper could get me, but it would be some time before he could do so. There were things he needed to do. While I trembled at the mere thought of being back in spitting distance of my husband, I couldn't hold hope that he would arrive sooner than he needed to. I had told him, through my capture, that he had to get help and stay alive. Whether he actually heard me or not, I was unsure, but if he had, I would have to wait. I felt, in my shallow and damned soul, that he would come for me, even if it meant crawling to where I was.

I just had to stay alive. I had to. I absolutely had to fight to live. Even if I slither out of here without a millimeter of clear, unmarred skin, I would find my way back to Jasper. No matter what.

Jasper

I paced around the perimeter of the fighting ring, watching as two vampires fought. One was a newborn, her face lit with the dangerous glare of ruby colored irises. Her opponent was a male of my stature, three years at best with golden eyes. How he managed to stay alive with so many newborns was beyond me, but I didn't really give a damn. A week had gone by since my full force lapse into the Major with the satisfactory slaughter of Maria and the delinquents who refused to accept my leadership. Through my heated anger, I had completely forgotten about the rumor of Maria being finished off by the Volturi. When I had questioned Charlotte about her words, she simply shrugged, stating that even vampires uphold a strong desire for delicious gossip. Either way, I had never taken such a sickening delight in ripping a vampire apart. Maria, for all intents and purposes, was my maker and trainer, but she was little more than a self centered, homewrecking bitch in the expanse of a vampire littered world.

I narrowed my eyes as the female - Arielle - charged forward, grabbing her opponent's - John's - neck, forcing him to the ground. Dirt flew as a crater formed, and he snarled viciously at the attack, planting his knee up into her abdomen. She gasped at the sudden movement, stilling, and the minuscule second was just long enough for John to get her on her stomach in the dirt, hair flung to one side as his teeth neared her jugular. He stopped centimeters from her skin, glancing my way. I nodded.

"Arielle loses," I stated, and the large group of surrounding vampires shifted at the declaration.

Arielle pushed John away and jumped to her feet before stalking to the side, her mate - Lane - quickly laying an arm across her waist. She glared at me with all she had, her fury and hatred covering my tense senses. I hissed at her in warning, and she obediently lowered her eyes to the ground. Lane's lips pulled back over his teeth at my actions, but he did not move. He knew better than to test my patience.

I stalked over to John, looking over his dirt clad form. "You've improved," I stated lowly. "You've received another rank. Move to the side."

He bowed his head with a soft smile, his appreciation coiling around me, before he joined the vampires to my right. Along with my family and the guests we picked up before, the right edge of the ring was comprised of higher ranked vampires, those who had learned and improved quickly. To the left were those which were trying, but some of their skills were simply not up to par yet. They would all go to battle, but those on the left would be out front among my family and myself, and those on the right would be at the back. The weak would distract and hold the Volturi back as the strong moved in for the slaughter, taking out as many enemies as possible. I looked over the many faces, thinking.

"Next battle!" I called, glancing at my family. "Emmett." He strode forward, tall and proud with a serious edge to his face and emotions. I turned to the left. "William." The vampire came forward hesitantly, standing across from Emmett as I stood to the side of their line of sight. William was dwarfed by Emmett's tall build. He was changed at the young age of 16, and his boyish features had not enhanced much throughout the change. His eyes were a hollow burgundy and his light blonde hair hung across his eyes. He was muscular, however, and I knew he would be a force to be reckoned with if he would allow his instincts to guide him. He thought that, should he falter and succumb to what he was made into, he would lose his humanity. Bella was a clear proof that did not happen, but I would never push him so blindly to release his faith in himself. I held him in high regards, and I wanted him to the right, but he would not be moved without cause. He needed to fight without fear.

"The fight is simple. Three clean rounds. Once a vampire is driven to the earth and caught within a position they cannot escape, the round is over, and I will proclaim the winner. No gifts are to be used, only brute strength." I moved over to William, towering over him as his gaze met mine. "You have more potential than you think, William," I told him, quieter than before. "Let your instincts guide you. I can assure you, your humanity will remain. It is your desire for it to do so that keeps it intact. Do not fail me." His head bobbed as I began circling the clearing again. "Begin!"

William, to my surprise, was the first to move. Light on his feet and extremely fast, I quickly felt Emmett's uncertainty at the prospect of fighting this suddenly untouchable creature. Emmett, through his talent and strength, manage to get William pinned down, his teeth at his neck. William stopped struggling, relenting to the loss.

"Emmett," I stated, and they parted, circling as the second round began.

Emmett moved first this time, using a trick Bella had often used when sparring. He shot forward, dipping to the left at the last second to place a sharp kick to William's back. The young vampire soared through the air, hissing all the while. I ducked my head as he twisted over my head. I glanced at him as he landed on his feet, skidding back through the dirt and into the now parted group of vampires at the circle's edge. He shot around me in the next second, snarling furiously. Emmett's emotions spiked as they entered a speedy round of hand to hand combat. William dropped low, spinning on the ball of his left foot as his root leg swung back against Emmett's calves. Emmett dropped, and William gripped his hair, pulling my bear-like brother to his knees before placing his sharp teeth near Emmett's skin. They both froze, looking at me.

My eyes flared with brief admiration. "William."

William released my brute of a brother, moving away with a motion almost too quickly for me to see. I blinked, and he was suddenly at the edge of the circle, staring at Emmett with emotionless eyes. My brother rose to his feet, distinctly slower but with an edge of concentration. A deep growl permeated the particles of the invisible air, escaping each opponent's chest as they stared at one another cautiously. Breathing in, William inched his way around the circle. Emmett mirrored his movements. Their sides were to each other, heads turned as their eyes dimmed to nothing but limitless, stone darkness. They circled for minutes on end, their eyes becoming impossibly darker. Emmett was tensed to his limit, and I could feel his nervousness. William gave away nothing, staring without a single flicker of life. Again, they spiraled.

I kept pace with them, but I came to a halt, mid-step, as a surge of fury fluttered over my senses. I growled aloud, unable to stop the reaction as Emmett shot forward, invisible. In the next second, Emmett was on his knees, head tilted back with William's hand around his bent neck and his teeth millimeters from Emmett's skin. His eyes met mine, and every ounce of his fury faded as his red eyes sparked back. My tense shoulders fell as Emmett's chest heaved with shallow, shocked air running into his lungs.

"William," I stated. "Move to the right."

He released Emmett, dropping his gaze to the ground as he past me, shuffling through the crowd until he disappeared among them. I traced the creatures once more as Emmett stalked back to Rosalie. "You're dismissed. Hunt without being seen and then return. You have two hours. After that, we're going East and towards the ocean. Go."

The vampires disappeared instantly, fluttering off into many different directions. My family, Natalia and Carter, Peter and Charlotte, and Silith stayed back. I walked over to them, eyebrows lifted. "Do you all not want to hunt?"

They shook their heads silently, and I blinked at them, reaching out for their emotions. None of them were thirsty, but there was an air of caution about them, and nervousness. I shifted on my feet in response, glancing over them once more. "What's wrong? You're all very tense."

"It's William," Edward breathed, looking over the family as they nodded their heads.

My eyes tensed just slightly. "What of him? He's talented, and he can fight. He's exactly what we need."

"He's talent, yes," my mind-reading brother replied, "but there's more. When he attacked, his mind went completely blank. There was nothing, only darkness. We're worried he may not be able to decipher between allies and enemies when it comes down to a fight."

I tilted my head down, eyes moving over the distinctive specks of dirt along the earth. I could agree, in a way, but William had...something about him. I wasn't sure what that was exactly, but my gut was telling me, screaming really, to take him no matter what. He had power and a yearning to retain as much of his humanity as possible. He came into this life a mere eight months ago, and he, like Carlisle and Bella, still had not taken a human life. He had hunted animals immediately, having changed in the forest and been drawn to the scent of elk, or so he had told me. I wanted him in the ranks, and I wasn't about to let him drop back down because of needless unease.

"I see your point." I looked up at them, crossing my arms over my chest. "However, William has what we need. He's gripping onto his humanity has tightly as he can. Not to mention, as soon as he won the last round, his fury drained away immediately. He knew who Emmett was the whole time, even if you couldn't hear it in his head. I trust William to do well."

Carlisle stepped forward, laying a hand on my right shoulder. "If you believe in him, then we will do the same, son."

I nodded at him, looking up as he dropped his hand and Alice's emotions spiraled. Edward gasped, his eyes widening as he wrapped his arms around her waist with her back to his chest. Piercing shock, sadness, and anger waved out to me from both of them. I moved closer to them, never taking my eyes off Alice's unseeing ones. Slowly, she came to, and I resisted the urge to fall to my knees beneath her grief. Her chest heaved with tear-less sobs as she stared into my eyes brokenly.

"What is it, Alice?" Emmett questioned, coming closer as our circle tightened.

Her lips parted as if she were trying to speak, but she couldn't. In turn, her eyes flashed to Edward's, and he began to speak just as a wretched, powerfully bittersweet scent floated over us in the light breeze. I turned around, coming face to face with the red-headed bitch who wanted revenge on my wife. I snarled viciously, just barely registering the Denali's presence. Victoria was struggling against two broad, tall, golden-eyed vampires. They both had black hair, but the one on the left had cropped his, and the one on the right had strands hanging down below his shoulders. They looked us over curiously, but their emotions told me they were well aware of who it was they were holding.

I moved over to the vengeful, hateful thing, snarling all the while as I gripped her jaw in my hand, hearing the low clicking as her skin became littered with hair fractures. Her red eyes widened, and I reveled in the taste of her fear along my senses. Delicious. I smirked, and her eyes hardened as a growl rumbled between her clenched teeth. I felt my eyes flash black as my own fury bubbled up to the surface. I had kept my distance from the despicable creature, never letting her know about Bella or the changes that had occurred in her life. Bella and I might be the couple worth thousands of words, but I had kept Bella's existence - in relation to myself - utterly silent until after her change. Lucky for me, I had kept Victoria at bay just long enough for her to become even more of a pain in the ass. I knew of her workings, her revenge, but I was hoping that Bella would want to take the chance of ripping her to shreds. It was her the ginger monster was after, as it were, and I was more than happy to relinquish her. That was before the Volturi stepped in, of course, throwing off my plans. Damn them.

Their countenance, especially since we had never broken our promise to change Bella and pull her into this life, they still betrayed us, scooping up the one thing that I had no qualms about giving my life for. They had touched what I, selfishly, claimed as mine and had promised to protect. My promise had been shattered to pieces because of that royal family fuckin' with my business, and I desperately awaited the day that I could tear through the marble guard like butter, returning them Hell where their souls had been created.

Then, there was this damn creature that existed. In all her heartless, soulless revenge and stupidity, she had never once accounted for me to be the one that Bella had - magically - fallen so hard for. For all my life's work, I had somehow managed to keep my formal existence in Bella's life a mystery. To outside vampire's, up until Bella's change, we had been nothing more than good friends, though that idea alone was enough to make a venomous bile rise up my esophagus and along the plains of my throat. I had kept it all secret, right down to the very last possible second before all hell had broken loose. In my haste to find Bella, Victoria had slipped my mind under the wake of the Volturi. Her existence was little more than a farce, a nuisance, and even when I was not hunting her, she had come, unluckily, right to me. Blissful irony.

"Where did you find her, Eleazer?" I eventually snarled, eyes never leaving Victoria's.

"We went to speak to our friends about the situation," he gestured to the males holding the monster, "and we ran across her scent, as well as plenty of newborn tracks. Blaise," he pointed to the longer-haired vampire, "is a tracker, one as good as Demitri, and we made quick work of finding her and disposing of the newborns. When we found them, they were passing this around." He reached back, and my nostrils flared as Bella's incredibly human scent wafted up to me. My eyes snapped over as he handed me a piece of red striped flannel. I grabbed it from him, watched the fabric unroll to a long sleeved shirt, one of the few Bella had left at her house during the move, just in case she ever wanted to visit Charlie over night. I gripped the fabric harshly but with care, my anger increasing tenfold.

Charlie.

I knew the wolves had been keeping tabs on him, and we hadn't heard anything, but Bella and I had practically disappeared without a trace after her change, keeping everything silent as possible. Bella hadn't wanted to worry Charlie as we both hoped to be able to go visit him in the future after Bella had calmed. I assumed him safe, protect by the pack of mutts, and I'll be damned if he got harmed in the process of the bitch laying out her plan.

I glared down at her, tightening my grip even more. "How did you get this?" I snarled.

She had the audacity to smirk, but I could clearly feel the pulsating terror running through her veins. "Help. I knew Bella wasn't home. My mate was all too happy to help me in retrieving that selfish bitch's scent."

I tensed at the name, coiled like wire. I did not react otherwise, however. I was definitely going to make her suffer, but there were answers that I needed first. Her army had been destroyed, I trusted Eleazer, and there was nothing left but her. All alone and ripe for death, and I was practically vibrating at the chance of sinking my teeth into her neck and ripping her pathetic head from her disgusting body. Too long have these creatures hunted the one I love, and I was going to leave my mark on every single one of them until I got her back.

I could not, however, halt the semblance of a smirk which rose to my lips. "If I recall, we killed your mate long ago in Phoenix, unless you forced one of your minions to do your dirty work. He's dead now, no doubt, suffering through hell because you couldn't keep your vengeful claws or teeth to yourself."

She hissed, vaulting forward, but the males held fast, and I did not even blink at the movement. She'd be dead long before she touched me, but I was willing to humor her, just a little. "James was my life," she snarled. "You all took him from me, and I will not falter until I have that monstrous Bella's heart in my hands, beating or otherwise."

I pushed her head back, hearing her skin fracture some more. She gasped at unneeded air. "You will never touch her," I whispered, quietly, deadly. "Here you are, no army, no power, and you are hunting my mate." Her shocked eyes met mine and widened almost comically. "I will rip you to pieces, but I want to know exactly what your mate-" I hissed the word "-did once he got his hands on this shirt."

She laughed lowly, manically, hysterically. "What do you think?" she questioned breathlessly as I pushed her head back even more, a terrible feeling swirling around in my stomach. "He took care of that nosy father before taking a good bite out of the wolf that ran through the trees just in time to see the last drop of blood leave the bastard's body."

I roared, the ground shaking as I swung my free hand up and back down. I broke through her skin, gripping her cold, dead heart in my hand. I squeezed harshly, and she cried out. There may not be blood in our bodies, but even we can feel the effects of our hearts literally breaking beneath our hardened skin. The lifeless organ seemed to pulse around my fingers before shattering, I wrenched my hand out, white venom and darkened clumps dripping over my palm.

"Bastard," she hissed, snapping at me, face twisting in pain at the movement. I slapped her, running her own venom along her skin. Her cheek sizzled, and she groaned as the burning began. My hand was doing the same, but I was too far gone to feel it. "Riley was happy to die. His last meal had been just so delicious."

Despite my absolutely want and desire to watch her suffer with everything in me, her words had done their job, and I, along with the males holding her, pulled her body in different directions with a sickening grating noise of marble against marble. The men stepped back as I threw a freshly lit match onto her parts. They succumbed to the blaze immediately, purple colored smoke rising into the sky. I looked over the males with black eyes, noticing theirs were the same, before my gaze flickered to Eleazer's.

"What she said, is it true?" I asked him, trying my hardest to keep my tone somewhat calm.

His eyes tightened so I knew I had not succeeded, but he answered my question nonetheless. "We never knew of where the shirt came from, only that it held her scent. We were in New Mexico when we found her. They were tracing our group, hoping to catch us off guard in order to attack and take Bella."

I growled unconsciously, picking the shirt up from the ground where I dropped it at some point during the confrontation. I gripped it like a lifeline, turning the males. "I don't know you, and I thank you for your assistance, but I must ask that you go to Forks, Washington. Take this," I handed the shirt to Blaise, "and follow the scent. I need to know if there is a heartbeat in that house, wolves be damned. If you run into any of them, tell them I sent you. It won't be what they want to hear, but it may appease them. Once you're done scouting, get to Volterra and wait for our arrival. We're leaving for Italy today, through the Atlantic, and I plan to attack as soon as possible."

They nodded silently, glancing at Eleazer before sprinting through the trees at the Western border of the deserted camp grounds where we resided.

"What will you do if they come with regretful news?" Carmen wondered, wrapping a arms around one of Eleazer's.

My eyes tightened, listening to the rustling of the trees as numerous footfalls echoed throughout the camp, signalling the return of the army. "I will worry about that when the time comes. Alice," I barked, spinning around, "I must know what you saw. If it involves the Volturi, I need to know so we can be prepared."

Her eyes glossed over with tears once again, and she shook her head as her darkened eyes squeezed shut. "It's not just about the Volturi." She paused, her pained eyes opening to meet mine. My gut practically burned as I felt what could have been nothing less than a fracture pierce my heart. "It's about Bella."

Something snapped, and as my anger grew to reach new heights, uncontrolled as it permeated the air around me, eliciting snarls and growls of the newborns who had just arrived. My head laid back, hair splaying over my shoulders, as I roared with everything locked inside me. All the fear, anger, and hatred I had purposely locked away released in a feral noise like thunder. The trees shook viciously beneath the weight of the quivering sound.

"WE'RE MOVING, NOW!" I yelled in a snarl. "GET READY TO SWIM. WE'RE CROSSING THE ATLANTIC TO ITALY. DON'T LET WEAKNESSES AND THIRST HOLD YOU BACK OR I WILL BURY YOU IN THE DEEPEST PITS OF THE OCEAN. LET'S GO!"

Bella

I couldn't breath. It was too much. There was too much. The air was heavy and cloaked in the scent of blood, but it wasn't the blood that made me wish to vomit. It was the need in me, the want. The bloodlust. That was what twisted my empty stomach and urged me to gag, but I fought against it. As soon as my lips parted, I would catch the particles on my tongue, tasting even more of the sickeningly delectable scent that I had just barely pulled into my straining lungs as the door of my cell opened and closed with a swiftness even I could not comprehend. The rushing of a heartbeat had startled me as a small lump fell to the floor, having been thrown in by much too harsh hands. Startled, I had allowed for my lungs to expand before immediately stopping every single movement my body wanted to make. I had tasted it, there on the tip of my tongue.

I loved and hated the fresh scent of young, tantalizingly sweet blood. I wanted to push forward, run forward and rip into the tiny lump for the sustenance it withheld. My execution had removed the rods from my stomach and chest, leaving my skin to slowly - very slowly - heal itself, but it was draining, and I was reaching my limit. I couldn't recall the last time I had hunted. I didn't know how long I had been in this hell hole. I didn't know if venom loss contributed to thirst, but I sure as hell believed it did. From that tiny, almost minuscule flavoring, my throat lit up in flames, burning all the way down to my feet. Never had I felt such an intense need to quench the fire. I wanted the blood. I wanted it.

I needed it.

A few seconds past, and I sat huddled on the ground, watching the mass not four feet from me cradle themselves over their knees, shivering as the salty tears ran along the cheeks of the face I had yet to see. I stilled like a statue as the lump began to move, slow and desirable. I could see every inch of skin pulsate with ever beat of the lively, fearful heart. Pale skin, a head of blonde hair curling around tiny shoulders. The small form trembled as the boys eyes met mine. His stunningly sky blue eyes met my midnight ones, and they widened as much as humanly possible. Along the right side of his face, on his jaw, was a sharply defined crescent. My eyes traced it, my gaze disgustingly clear as I began to vibrate with the need to take what I wanted. Beneath the scar, I watched his jugular bounce with the rush of blood, pleasantly fulfilling blood.

The boy flinched, and my eyes instantly met his. He gave up in his movements, struck with fear. Before I could stop it, a low rumbling moved through my chest. His eyes widened a little more at the inhuman sound as it echoed around us, bouncing from one dark wall to the other. Still, I did not breathe. The taste clung to the tip of my tongue, and I tried everything to fight the desire. Somewhere in the back, hazy part of my mind, I pictured Jasper before me with clear skin and piercing blue eyes. Then, he vanished and the boy took his place.

My lips pulled back over my teeth as I leaned away from the boy, never letting my lungs move. This child couldn't have been more than ten, and he was already scarred with the mark of the vampire. I cursed the Volturi to the deepest pits of Hell. Whether I drank his blood or not was irrelevant. The vile king had claimed the boy before ever letting him into my sight. He would die no matter what, to appease the law.

I snarled again, but it was not released in thirst but hatred. Then, the lust returned, and once again, all I saw was a young Jasper, blue eyes wide and terrified as he stared at me, frozen in place in the presence of a monster unleashed from the darkest cage beneath the earth. I couldn't drink from him, not Jasper, but I wanted to, so badly.

Desperately.

But...it was Jasper. He was all I saw as I stared into those frightened blue eyes. I had always imagined Jasper as a human. Beautiful, stunning, free of those scars that marred the skin I loved so much my body could barely hold it all in. I was looking into those eyes I had so often pictured, and the only thing I could think of was how much I wanted the liquid beneath the pale skin. I could taste it, there on the tip of my tongue. It had been far, far too long since I had last hunted.

I could taste it...

I growled again, knowing my will was failing. The child whimpered and burrowed into himself, falling to the side and over his knees. His eyes moved away, and I lost the vision of Jasper, the one thing holding me together. Red filled everything, ghosting over the edges of my gaze as the jugular pulsed before me, and I traced it almost erotically. It was just there, that sustenance. I needed it.

I snapped.

I vaguely heard a childish cry, smelt the salt of human tears, and felt something small and warm struggle within my grip. It all melted away in the delectable liquid that flew down my throat with reckless abandon. I sucked until it all ran dry, and I wrenched my teeth away, head tilted back as I gasped in the complete elation that overtook me. Nothing compared to this, this sudden strength and ultimate high. I swam in its depths, happily licking my lips of all remnants of the liquid before crashing back to earth in a haze of faltering hunger.

I snapped my head forward, my eyes meeting the lifeless, empty blue eyes of a boy no older than ten. I pushed him away from me, shuffling back onto my knees. I stared at him, gasping once more as the realization set in. I began to sob, but my eyes never moved from the fresh corpse. I had done that. I had taken his life from him. Him; this innocent child had died at my hand. My selfish, hated form was now filled with the liquid that gave the child what he deserved; life.

I cried out, twisting my eyes shut, trying everything in my power to wash away the vision of his pale, dead form from my mind. It only escalated, taking over every thought. All I saw were his eyes; those haunted eyes. I had to have so I took him, and I had never absolutely despised my existence so much. There was nothing like the fierce pain and sadness roaring through me. The clouded air was tainted with his scent, filling it to the brim, and it was all I could take in, still tasting it, but I couldn't stop gasping at the inexplicable weight resting on my shoulders.

I was a vile, disgusting monster. I was like them, the Volturi. I had taken a child's life. I had done the very thing I vowed I would never do.

I am a monster.

I think I just shattered my own mental state. Goodness. I feel so, so bad about this, but it is necessary, I can assure you. Before anyone wonders, however, no this is not going to be anywhere near the end. As long as I can help it, at least. This story, as I have it planned so far, will be extending beyond the battle with the Volturi. Since we have the above issue, I can keep building this story, just the way I want to.

OR! Would you guys rather see another entire book in this series? It would focus on reeling Bella back in and move back into the realm of We Will Never Hurt Again territory with more fluff and cute moments. Would that make more sense? I'll put a poll up on my profile after posting this, so you guys can let me know what you want. After you read this, please hop over to my profile and vote! :)

Anyway, please review to let me know what you think. I'd love to hear!

Happy reading!

~Zoe