A/N: When I started this, I never imagined it would go beyond ten chapters, let alone twenty. I'm so thankful for all of you who have stayed with me this far!

My undying gratitude to Katmom for ironing out my grammatical wrinkles, and to sherryola and Noble Korhedron, for making sure nothing's too weird. I couldn't do this without you guys!

Big news! I will be donating an EPOV outtake from Cygnus to Fandom for Oklahoma. This is a great cause, supporting the tornado ravaged regions of Oklahoma City. You can find more information here: "h_t_t_p : / / Oklahoma . fandomcause . info" (delete the spaces and underscores). Your donations will help support The Red Cross, the ASPCA, and The Salvation Army.

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer, the great and powerful, owns Twilight and all the characters; I'm just playing dress-up. No copyright infringement is intended.


Chapter 26 – Temptation

I sat staring in disbelief as my heart sank into the pit of my stomach. I didn't bother trying to get to my feet because the strength had completely drained out of them. Most of the vampires were strangers to me, but a few looked familiar. And there were so many! It seemed like the woods were full of figures in dark clothing. The two older, female vampires I had seen before. Their skin looked as papery thin as that of Aro, Caius and Marcus and they seemed old enough to be their wives. They wore black cloaks, as the three patriarchs did, while everybody else wore more normal clothing under grey cloaks. Around them stood two male and one female vampire, all in grey. The ones in grey stood watching me carefully, so I took them to be bodyguards.

I remembered the tall and statuesque Heidi, her mahogany hair falling in soft waves down to mid-back. Her eyes were the normal dark-red, and she was clothed in grey like the rest of the Guard. She must only dress provocatively when she went hunting. A waifish female I had seen the last time hovered close to Aro and Caius. She had thick, black hair that hung in tight curls around her face. She kept a close eye on me as she stayed close to Aro's side.

Aro looked at me closely, his burgundy-red eyes narrowing. The smile never wavered from his lips. He placed his hands behind his back, but during the movement I caught a quick motion made with the fingers of his right hand. It seemed to be a signal to somebody on my left. I let my eyes drift in that direction, but everyone on that side already had their attention on us so I couldn't tell whom he had signaled.

"Why, it's young Edward's mate, Bella!" Aro's feathery voice breathed. "This is a surprise. But why have you brought her, Jane? Let us have the story please." Aro held out his hand. Jane glided closer and took his hand. Aro closed his eyes, then after a bit released her hand and opened his eyes. Jane stepped back to stand near Felix again.

A slight frown touched Aro's marble brow. "Jane, I must say I am rather disappointed. We have come to deliver justice. This is not part of that mission."

A distressed look came over Jane, the first time I had ever seen that expression on her face. It made her look even more like a petulant child. "But Master, if we are to bring justice, she can stand in our way."

"How so, my dear?"

"She was able to shield others from me." Jane frowned. "She protected the wolves and took them to safety when I struck at them."

Aro's brows drew together, perhaps sifting through his newly acquired thoughts. When his brow smoothed he looked at me with renewed interest. "Yes, I saw that. But you must not be so put out with her, my child. She does not do it out of a desire to vex you; it's simply her nature." It seemed like the thinnest of rebukes to me, but Jane began to pout, her eyes downcast and the corners of her mouth pulled down.

A small movement to the side attracted my attention. Demetri and Alec had quietly rejoined the group, and others moved to give them room. I took that as a good sign that they had let Jacob go, but wondered what message they would have given him to deliver.

Aro smiled wider as he turned his attention back to me. "Welcome, Bella. Please forgive Jane for being so abrupt. She is still so young, and rather impulsive. Felix, please release her, she is our guest."

Jane opened her mouth, like she would have liked to object, but said nothing. Alec threw something that Felix caught. Felix bent and opened the lock securing the chains, and began to unwind them. Despite having my hands free, I heard a number of footsteps as several vampires edged closer to me.

I rubbed my wrists where the chains had chafed and dredged up a little outrage to push back the fear that weighed me down. I sat up a little straighter and asked, "Why was I brought here?"

"Again, I apologize for Jane's manners," Aro said in a conciliatory tone. "Carlisle mentioned that you and Edward had recently been married. Let me tender our belated congratulations."

I inclined my head and said thank you. He continued to look at me closely.

"I've had a great curiosity to see how your gift would develop after you were transformed, and I admit I am impressed," he went on without my input. "Your gift has grown from protecting only you, to shielding others as well; a very unique talent. In this regard, Jane has done me a great favor."

I nodded, but didn't answer. I wanted to see if he would get to the point. From the corner of my eye, I saw Jane raise her head at the words 'unique talent' and she fixed me with a glare of molten hate.

"Can you shield more than one?" Aro asked in his soft, curious voice.

"Yes," I said without thinking, then mentally cursed. I thought about how much I could truthfully tell him, and how much would give too much away. But in the current situation, I didn't see how I would be able to get close enough to my family to shield them again.

Aro tilted his head slightly, observing me like I was an insect. "How many?"

"Four." It was true enough, as of the last time we had determined the extent of my gift. However, my gift had grown since then, and I wasn't quite sure how many I could shield now.

Aro looked even more impressed. "By touching them?"

I nodded, not trusting this answer to my voice, and hopefully not giving anything further away.

Aro clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Splendid! Do you remember my invitation to you, Edward and Alice to join our family?"

"I do, but this wasn't much of an invitation." Not wanting to antagonize him, I kept my voice as even as I could. "I didn't have a choice."

Aro took on a pained expression. "I am sorry we started off on the wrong foot," he said with a glance at Jane. Then his expression smoothed. "Tell me, my dear, do you enjoy living with Carlisle's family?"

"Yes."

"Do you ever find Carlisle's restrictions on diet to be…excessive?" Aro seemed to glide forward a step.

"Not really. I don't like the idea of killing humans."

"But even in your brief immortality you must have scented human blood. Surely you can't tell me that the diet of animal blood ever satisfies the craving you feel."

As Aro uttered the words, I realized with alarm that I was getting thirsty – the dry burning was starting to rise in my throat again. Was it already four days since we last hunted? Only four days since we were first visited by Jane? I swallowed and clenched my stomach, trying to ignore the sudden pain in my throat. "It's not so bad," I managed to say.

Aro's eyes narrowed slightly, and the corner of his mouth twitched. He must be able to see my discomfort. "If you join us, you would never go thirsty. Unlike Carlisle, we would not deny you. We would even help you on that issue."

I stared at him as I thought of the implications. My body obviously yearned for it, and the thought of a human blood meal set the venom flowing in my mouth as my throat burned. Yet, at the same time, the horrifying image of Mike and Jessica lying dead at my feet swam before my mind's eye. I didn't remember much of the act of killing Mike and Jessica, so while I still had the newborn instincts running through me, I knew I could do it again if I gave in to them. But afterward, when I had my wits about me and could see the fear in the eyes of my prey as I came for them... The shudder that went through my shoulders gave me my answer. Carlisle's way made this life livable for me. And the Volturi wouldn't care who they brought to me either – my parents, my friends, any of the people of Forks – it didn't matter. Humans were just so much cattle to them.

I blinked and tried to calm my breathing, which had increased with my thirst. What would they do if I refused them outright? Would they kill me on the spot? There must be something that Aro wanted, or he wouldn't be wasting his time talking to me. I found it hard to believe that my talent was really that valuable to him. What use would it be to protect four vampires from the mental gifts of other vampires, when there were far more Volturi than I could cover? No, he wanted Edward and Alice. I needed to see if I could draw out what he intended to do. "What would it mean if I join you?"

Aro's ever-present smile widened slightly. "We are easily the most powerful coven on earth, so you will always have protection. You will want for nothing, and you can pursue whatever your interests are. Do you enjoy world travel? You see that we travel the world at our whim. Eleazar must have told you he is a painter, yes? He practiced his art to his heart's content and some of his works are still on display in Volterra. He enjoyed his time with us very much."

Yeah, as long as he didn't know he was a prisoner, he was happy. It was a good thing Aro couldn't read my mind even if he was touching me. He took another minute glance to his right. I looked over quickly and caught a shake of the head by a short, female vampire, with softly curling brunette hair and darker brows. I thought I detected an infinitesimal furrowing of Aro's brow before he controlled himself. Then I realized what was going on.

She was the gifted vampire, Chelsea, that Eleazar had talked about, and she had been working on me while Aro conducted this interview. Now I noticed that she alone of all the Guard wore a black cloak, the same color as the three patriarchs. She must really be important to them. Fortunately, I felt nothing different. I had no desire to join the Volturi or serve Aro, and now Aro knew that, too. "But Eleazar did things for you," I said, stalling. "What would you have me do?"

"Something similar to what you were doing with your werewolf friends," Aro replied, as smoothly as if nothing had passed between him and Chelsea. "We have a sacred duty, to maintain the secrecy that allows our kind to live in peace. Sometimes the performance of that duty can be hazardous, so it would be prudent to protect the noble Guard members who safeguard our way of life, don't you think?"

"I was going to become a nurse, to help people like Carlisle does," I said.

Aro made a dismissive noise. "A trite human occupation. Your gift would be wasted there. If you join us, your gift would be appreciated and put to good use. It also could develop further with practice and grow more powerful. Alec was not as powerful when he was first turned as he is now."

Straightening, Aro opened his arms, his cloak spreading like bat wings. "Can you see what would happen to our world if the humans became aware of us? Now we live as we please, free of persecution. What do you imagine would be the reaction if the humans learned that the legends were true? Would they welcome our existence?"

He paused for a moment, waiting. I thought about it and shook my head. The amount of fear and loathing that the legends generated would be nothing compared to what the reality would unleash.

"So you see the good that we do. In this way you can help protect Carlisle and Esme."

Again, I shook my head. "I couldn't leave Edward."

"Oh, I understand," Aro said quickly, no doubt remembering what Marcus had shown him of our relationship. "You need not leave him. We would welcome both of you to our family."

I pretended to think about it some more. Finally, hoping not to antagonize him, I said in a subdued voice, "Thank you, but I like living with Edward's family."

Caius, who had silently glowered at Aro and me during our discussion, suddenly broke in. "Brother, what is the point to all this?"

Aro indicated me with one hand. "Did I not say she had potential, when they visited us? Surely you can see the possibilities! Our Three, impervious to the gifts of other immortals! Think of it!"

I spared a glance in Jane's direction. That angelic face hid a persona that reveled in the pain of others. There was no way I would willingly protect her from anything.

Caius looked down at me, his nose wrinkling into a sneer. "Aro, might I have a word with you?"

Aro glanced at Caius then back at me. "Yes, of course. Excuse me, Bella." Aro and Caius withdrew a distance away, almost into the trees, and the bodyguards moved with them. Marcus drifted away from the pair and toward the two older females. His expression had not altered once throughout this entire conversation; it remained vacant and utterly bored.

Caius was rather agitated, and gesticulated sharply every so often as he spoke with Aro. Aro held his hands palms out toward Caius and seemed to be trying to calm him down. I spared a look around, and saw that in addition to Felix, Demetri and two other vampires I didn't know were watching me intently. Turning back to the discussion of the two ancients, I strained my ears to hear them, but they were very careful. Once in a while a word or two drifted to my ears: "irrelevant," "justice" and "criminals" were the most notable. Finally, Caius clearly said, "Remember our mission!" After a few more exchanges that I couldn't make out, the discussion ended.

The Volturi rulers and their guard glided back toward me. I took a breath and braced myself for whatever they might bring. Caius, who had yet to address me directly, spoke first.

"Where is your family?" he asked sharply. His visage seemed to be even sourer than before.

"I don't know. Maybe on the reservation, maybe they're gone by now." Since I really didn't know where they were, I could answer truthfully. The scouts should have been sent out by now, and might find us at any moment. But then I remembered the message Jacob was to deliver. Edward and the family would know that I had been taken by Jane and Alec. Desperate to find me, they might send more than just a few stealthy scouts now. Knowing Edward, he might send the entire force into the woods. And they would blunder into the full might of the Volturi, unaware that the entire Guard was in Washington.

"Are you aware that you are criminals?"

"What did we do?" I hoped maybe acting dumb would get me more information on their plans.

"You've exposed our secrets." Caius scowled down at me. "You know the rules, yet you chose to reveal yourselves to the werewolf clan. And for what? Peace with werewolves!" Caius spat the last phrase with visible venom.

"If that wasn't enough, you've interfered with our agents. Our agents were performing a sacred duty assigned to them, to purify the world of werewolves. This is for your benefit, and what does your Carlisle do? He leads you in defense of the very scourge we have been trying to eradicate.

"That is why they are criminals and you with them!" Caius leaned towards me. "You do know what happens to criminals, don't you?"

Yes, I did. The last surviving newborn had surrendered to Carlisle, before the Volturi arrived at the battlefield last June. She was no threat, but was still torn apart and burned in front of us by Felix and Jane. An involuntary shudder shook my shoulders and Caius nodded with satisfaction at my fear-widened eyes.

"That's what lies in store for you and your family," he intoned with a note of triumph.

"Caius, please," said Aro. "You know that you get carried away with your justice. Bella, please forgive my brother. The law is very important, as you well know. But he is right about your family. Now, I'm willing to speak with him on your behalf. You can avoid your family's fate if you join us. Wouldn't that be better than dying?"

It was the same accusation Jane had mouthed, only now it came from the leaders. More and more it looked like Edward was right. The idea that this was all a set-up stoked the outrage in me. "How is our treaty with the wolves exposing the secret? That was part of the treaty. If we don't hunt on their land or kill humans, they don't expose our secret. And they've kept the secret for eighty years."

"That is irrelevant. Are they immortals?" Caius' favorite word seemed to be 'irrelevant'. As he stood glaring down at me, I was able to make out the old blood vessels along his nose, under his thinning skin.

"No."

"Then the secret has been exposed. Furthermore, you cannot deny that you have been helping defend the wolves from our scouting party. You are traitors to your own kind. The law must have consequences or no one will respect the law."

Aro grasped Caius' arm as if to pull him away. "Yes, yes brother, I know you love your law, but let me have a moment please." He stepped in front of Caius when he didn't move.

"Bella, please consider," Aro said. "Immortal is perhaps not the most accurate description for us. We can be destroyed and cease to exist. You have a unique and powerful gift. It would be such a waste for that gift to be eliminated from the world. You are new to this life and I think we can pardon you for inexperience."

"What about my family? What about Edward?"

"He is also a criminal!" Caius interrupted.

"Caius, please!" Aro said over his shoulder. "With his gift, he can tell that we are sincere in our purpose. It should be easy for him to see the error of his ways and repent."

"And Alice, too?"

"Considering Alice's gift, I would have thought she would have seen the evil outcome of this course of action. But she has been mistaken before, as she was when she saw you jump off the cliff. I think she can be pardoned for being led astray."

"How about Carlisle? Aren't you supposed to be his friend?"

"While I respect and admire Carlisle, the law cannot be partial to friends or relatives," Aro pretended to shake his head sadly. "If he has led you down this destructive path, then he has to be shown a better way."

"I can't believe you'd claim that Carlisle is a criminal," I exclaimed. "You know as well as I do that he's the most upstanding and honorable man alive."

"You cannot deny that your family has sided with the wolves against us," Caius broke in. "We are only defending ourselves."

"But they didn't attack you," I continued to argue. "Jane attacked them, and then us. If anybody can claim self-defense, we can. We're only protecting ourselves from Jane."

"You must submit to the law." Caius seemed to be in a hurry to spit out the words that condemned me. "You have allowed outsiders to know of our existence, and that is forbidden. For that, their lives and yours are forfeit. I only agreed to allow Aro to talk to you out of courtesy. I don't need to; I have justification to kill you right now!"

"Bella, you can avoid this fate," Aro pleaded with me. "Think of the good you would be doing. Surely that would be better than dying!"

"What about the rest of my family?" I asked.

"Someone must pay the price for your transgressions!" Caius growled. It was true, then. If they left anyone alive, it would only be Edward and Alice, to join the Volturi as Alice had foreseen. It was unthinkable. My family had been one of the best things about my new life. It wasn't right for them to be destroyed for trumped-up reasons.

I didn't hold much hope for it, but maybe Caius would be willing to exchange something for my family. I swallowed and forced myself to say the words. "What if you…kill me instead? Kill me and let them go."

Caius laughed harshly. "We can kill you anyway! Feh! This is pointless!" He pointed his finger at my face. "Bind her again and guard her. She can think about her fate while we make preparations!"

For a moment I thought to run, but several vampires rushed in and grabbed me by the arms. Someone wrapped an arm around my neck and pulled my head back until I could feel it creak. Without options, I stopped struggling. Felix and one I didn't know held my wrists together while Jane wrapped the chain around them again. When she was finished the others dragged me backwards and dropped me against the trunk of a tree. They didn't bother to chain me to it, probably because I had enough strength to uproot it. Instead they posted two guards around me – Felix and the one I didn't know. He had a face like a rat's and with the grey cloak on, it looked even more pronounced. I immediately dubbed him Ratface.

Aro and Caius drifted away from us and rejoined Marcus and the two women. Aro gave a single glance back at me before he turned away. Then he beckoned and Demetri joined them. There was a brief conference, after which Demetri turned and melted away into the woods. I could only guess where he could be going.

I sat against the tree and took stock of the situation. The cloud cover above the forest had broken, and the air had turned chill. My clothes were still damp from the swim, and numerous strands of hair had escaped the ponytail and clung to the sides of my face. The cold winter air surrounding me was filled with the odor of damp forest, and wet, Volturi clothing. With the stress from the interrogation bleeding off, the wellspring of despair began to bubble upward again.

I knew that they would use me to get to Edward. From our discussions of Chelsea's gift, as long as Edward loved me she couldn't turn him. That meant if they did capture him alive, I was doomed. And if Alice were captured, Jasper would fare as well as I did. I was so stupid. If only I hadn't run off to meet with Leah without letting Edward know where I was going.

I admit I was briefly tempted by the offer. If Edward and I joined the Volturi, we could live out our lives together. But they didn't intend to let my family live, and it was unthinkable to have all those lives sacrificed. No, that definitely wouldn't be right. And Aro would want Edward to be a slave. Aro wouldn't call him that but if he wanted Edward's power so much, I couldn't see him letting go of Edward for a minute. If we both lived in Volterra, what kind of existence would that be? Chelsea couldn't turn me, and as long as I was alive, they couldn't turn him. But they could threaten us. One of us would constantly be in jeopardy in order to pressure the other.

To spend forever with Edward, I had given up everything, and now it didn't look like we would get even a year together. When I was human, I hadn't felt worthy of him. Even after he had avowed and proven his love for me, it still seemed somewhat incredible to believe. And after I had been changed, I had wasted so much of our time. Only recently had we gotten back to that complete and total oneness that constituted my true heaven on earth. The image I loved best came to my mind's eye: Edward smiling down at me, one side of his mouth turned up, and the corners of his liquid eyes crinkled with mirth. I ran the sound of his laugh through my head, his velvet voice singing my lullaby to me as we lay in our meadow. I pulled my knees up toward my chest and curled into a ball as the regrets threatened to drown me.

It was such a waste. All that time spent ignoring his feelings for me. All the time spent training for a fight that never happened because we were simply outmaneuvered. If only he and the family could get away. If they could run and hide and keep hiding, that would be some comfort. Demetri might be able to track them, but Alice could see them coming and stay at least one step ahead.

No, they wouldn't run now. They knew the Volturi had me. If anything, Edward would be tearing the woods apart looking for me. And if I were gone, what would he do? He had promised he would try to keep on going, but he wasn't always rational when it came to me. There had to be some way to warn them. Edward had said he could hear someone he knew several miles away. Of all the times it would be useful for him to hear my thoughts, now would be the time. It was a matter of life or death. If only I could turn off my shield…

Inspiration struck like pure electricity, and I had to force myself not to react and draw attention from my guards. I could do something. I wasn't dead, and even though held captive, I wasn't helpless. Kate was right. We do what we can.

I sat up a little straighter and let my legs relax a little as I tried to look around casually. I counted what looked like twenty-four vampires, including the royal family. That made twenty-five with Demetri. If they had all been normal vampires, the odds would have been even with the wolves and my family. But with Jane, Alec, and now Chelsea, it was a different story. I wondered how many of the others would be talented as well. Felix was the closest guard to me, and while he had taken part in my abduction, he hadn't been exactly antagonistic towards me. I thought I could at least try with him.

"Felix?" I asked quietly. He looked down at me and raised an eyebrow. "Is Aro serious about me joining?"

Felix shrugged his huge shoulders. "Could be. He does that from time to time."

"Does he only want talented vampires?"

Again the shrug. "Not really. I'm not talented, and neither is Santiago here." Felix pointed at the guard I'd called Ratface, who stood at my right. He was not quite as huge as Felix, yet still carried an air of menace about him.

"If you don't mind my asking, who else is talented?"

In that odd relationship that sometimes springs up between prisoner and jailer, he seemed almost expansive in his willingness to shepherd a new charge. "Renata protects Aro." Felix pointed at the female near the patriarch. "Nobody can touch who she shields. Afton…" He pointed at the male near the two older vampire women. "Can also shield, but not like you can. And you know Alec and Jane."

I nodded. "Do you think I'd fit in?" I wasn't serious, but I had to make it seem like I was interested.

Felix grinned again. "I did say it looks good on you."

I gave him a half-smile then looked away. It was encouraging that they didn't have any more offensive talent like Alec or Jane. But it was still enough to give any coven on earth serious problems.

I closed my eyes and slowly took a breath. I extended my senses as far as I could. The ambient sounds painted a picture of a deep valley in the hills, not too far from the coast. I couldn't be sure how far we had traveled from La Push, but I had to try. I exhaled and pulled my dampening field in, compressing it into a sphere in the center of my body, and leaving the rest of me exposed. I began shouting as loud as my thoughts would let me.

Edward! Edward! It's Bella! I'm all right, but you have to listen to me! There are more than four Volturi here. Aro, Caius and Marcus are here too. There are twenty-five total. All the guard! You and Jasper were right. Take the family and run! There's no way you can beat them all! Don't worry about me, I'll find a way to get free. I'll find you. I love you more than anything.

I repeated it several times, in various ways. I pictured the mental image of the surrounding terrain for him. For good measure, I tried pushing the thoughts as hard as I could using the mental intention that Eleazar had taught me. I didn't know if it would work with thoughts, but it couldn't hurt. And if this was all I could do at the moment, I would pour my soul into it.

My captors didn't bother me, probably satisfied that I wasn't trying to escape. I kept at my refrain, picking it up at roughly ten minute intervals. All the time, I prayed that Edward would hear me. Please, Edward, you have to listen to me. You have to live. Take the family and get out of here. Go find Emmett and Rosalie. Keep yourselves safe…

= = CR = = CR = = CR = =

I must have been at my silent efforts for about an hour when footsteps announced some new arrivals. Opening my eyes, I let my shield snap back to normal.

"Hold her." It was Jane's voice coming from the side, and dread rose in me like a looming grizzly bear. What did she want now? Felix and Santiago responded to her command by grabbing my arms. As I turned my head to follow the voice, she walked into my view.

"You're still newborn, aren't you?" she asked in voice that, for her, sounded gleeful. I knew something was coming from the way she smiled at me. I wasn't about to give her anything, so kept quiet and presented her with an empty stare. "So you must be getting thirsty. But you like animals, don't you? Isn't that what Carlisle makes you eat?" Her expression of mock pity was absolutely infuriating. Just like Eleazar said, she was still a juvenile. I don't know how old she really was but some things hadn't changed. I figured the only way to deal with her was to not give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

"Well, don't you worry, we've brought you a little something. Heidi?" Jane beckoned to my left. I turned my head to see.

Heidi stepped forward carrying something over her shoulder. She bent and dumped it next to Jane, and I gasped. It was a man. He was dressed for sleeping, not for being out on this wet winter night, and I could see his lips were starting to turn pale. But he didn't wake — simply flopped on the ground where he'd been dropped — so Heidi must have sedated him somehow. He was middle-aged, perhaps thirty or thirty-five years old with a full beard and matted, dark brown hair. He hadn't showered in quite a while, probably one of the people who lived off the grid in the wilderness areas of Washington.

All this I noted in an instant and forgot in the next. Jane picked up his hand, casually slit his wrist with a fingernail, and held it out toward me. The scent of human blood struck me before I could hold my breath. My nostrils flared and I sucked the scent in. A collective hiss surrounded me as the scent reached the others in the clearing. I surged to my feet without knowing I did it, but the guards held me back, struggling and hissing.

I was vaguely aware of Jane still speaking in one corner of my mind. "You see? You think you're better than us for not killing humans, but look at you! Your body knows better than you do, because you want to kill him, don't you?" She waved the bloody hand at me, back and forth, a juicy steak in front of a hungry lion.

My thoughts seemed to shatter and run in a dozen fragmented directions, as I felt the vestiges of my humanity being pushed aside. My body kept struggling and tried to break free to fall on the human. I wished I had thought to apply more of Kate's ointment, because it had worn off long ago. I was appalled at the callousness of the Volturi for abducting an innocent victim for the sheer joy of tormenting me. Worse yet was the knowledge that he was doomed, because there was no way that they would dress his wound and just put him back where they found him, sedated or not.

Another fragment of me realized that while many hands were holding me back, nobody had thought to hold my legs. There were several knees nearby that I could break with well-placed kicks. I didn't need my hands for that. But if I weakened, if I gave in to the temptation and fought my way free and killed the human, what would Edward say? Carlisle would forgive me, but Edward would be guilt-ridden. Again. If he had not changed me, I would not be a triple-murderer. He would have allowed me to come to this. I closed my eyes to that possible escape route so I wouldn't be tempted. In this the imprisoning hands were my friends.

My reason began to slip away, and the monster clamored to be released. This must have been how Jasper had felt at my horrible eighteenth birthday party – desperate to kill, mortified that he had lost control just before Edward had pushed me out of the way into the pile of glass plates…

My eyes snapped open and I stopped struggling against the restraining hands. They were holding my upper arms and shoulders, but not my chained wrists. I swung my forearms up and, with a crunch of glass, smashed the chains against the jar of ointment stored in the left breast pocket of my fatigues. As I thought, my chest was as solid as Edward's once was to me and easily crushed the jar with no ill effects. Then I hunched my head down into my chest and, with the crook of my elbow, awkwardly pushed the pocket toward my nose. I breathed in deeply and the pungent odor of the ointment filled my nostrils like sweet oxygen, driving off the scent of human blood from my senses.

As I panted heavily, the urge to kill faded from my mind. I was still thirsty, but at least the mindless instinct was gone. I focused on the cleansing odor like a lifeline to my sanity. I couldn't weaken, I couldn't.

I heard a high-pitched screech and held my breath. Jane put a hand on my forehead and pushed my head up, forcing me to meet her eyes. She scrubbed the human's hand on my face, smearing my cheeks with blood, but I clamped down on my breath like a bulldog, lips tight, refusing to breathe. I could have just opened my mouth and bit, but then she would have won. And that wasn't going to happen.

Jane glanced down at my neck and threw the human aside. Before I realized what she was doing she grabbed the silver chain from around my neck and snapped it off, holding it up as I tried to lurch after her.

"What's this?" she crowed maliciously.

"Give it back!" I yelled at her.

"Why? Is it important?" Jane looked down at the stone heart and drawled, "Ma Chanteuse? This must be from Edward, is it?"

I clenched my mouth shut again, glaring, not wanting to confirm it, not wanting to let her know just how much it meant to me.

Jane's eyes glittered as she gripped the stone in her granite hand. "Not important, then?" And to my horror, she squeezed. A dull pop sounded from within her hand, like a muffled explosion. Then she opened her fingers and let the fragments fall to the ground.

The scream came from my soul and the rage that I hadn't felt in a long time roared up to consume me. I surged forward, dragging my captors a step before they could arrest my movement, keeping me from reaching Jane's grinning face. But that wasn't stopping me. Dropping onto my knees, I dragged at my guards and the sudden shift made them stagger, before they could pull me up again. As they pulled me up, I stepped forward and hauled my right shoulder and upper arm around. It was awkward with my wrists chained together and not a clean throw, but Santiago tumbled around me and landed on Jane's legs, knocking her down.

I raised my arms and was about to try to fall on Jane, ready to use the chains as a club on her face. But more hands grabbed me and hauled me back. A blaze of light filled my vision as somebody struck the back of my head with a resounding crack.

"HOLD!"

The shout brought all movement to a stop. Except for me that is. I continued to struggle, my head aching and my heart on fire. Jane was evil and the fire couldn't be quenched until I had torn off her head and pounded it into the earth. Then another part of my mind sensed a number of vampires entering the vicinity. They seemed to stand there, waiting while I struggled with my captors. Slowly, the futility of my situation sunk in. Panting with effort, I pushed back the rage, swallowing the fire enough to see who it was. Finally I recognized the Volturi ancients and their guards.

"Stop!" called Aro. "What transpires here?" Aro looked about the clearing, taking in the struggling knot of vampires, Jane and the other guard sprawled on the ground, Heidi standing off to the side, and the human lying on the ground. He extended his hand. "Jane?" he said, in a question that was all command.

Jane extricated herself from under Santiago, who rose and returned to his post guarding me. I felt a hint of satisfaction as Jane hesitated, then step after dragging step, she approached Aro and complied. Aro's expression grew angry, which manifested as a slight furrowing of the brow and firming of the mouth.

Aro released Jane's hand. "I am most disappointed, Jane. I should have told you to leave her alone."

"But, Master – "

"Enough, Jane!" I imagine this was the loudest Aro's voice ever got, but he still sounded like a Sunday school teacher. "I was hoping to convince Bella to join us. If she were so inclined before you began tormenting her, I seriously doubt she will now."

"Not unless you let me kill Jane," I snarled through clenched teeth.

"But Master, we don't need – " Jane began.

"Silence! We decide what the Volturi need! Do I make myself clear?"

Jane ducked her head. "Yes, Master," she said sullenly.

Aro seemed to take several moments to compose himself, and when he spoke his voice was even again. "I don't understand, dear one, you've always been a joy to me. But now your anger against Bella has made you rash, and placed me in a difficult position. From now on, you will do nothing in regard to Bella unless we expressly order it. Is that understood?" Aro held Jane's gaze, until she inclined her head.

"Yes, Master."

"Let this be the end of it then," Aro said. I briefly wondered if this was as angry as Aro got. And if he ever got angrier, what sort of consequence might he levy that would deter Jane? If their loyalty was bound that tightly, was the thought of being cast out the ultimate penalty? Aro wouldn't do it, of course, but he could threaten.

Aro turned his attention to me again, the smile back on his face. "I am so sorry about Jane's behavior, Bella. But tell me, did you like the smell of human blood?"

The hate I felt for Jane still swam in my mouth. My throat still burned with the thirst that she had stoked into open flame. I thought Aro was going to ask if I had reconsidered his offer and I was ready to tell him where he could stick it. His question caught me completely unprepared, and I stared at him as the shame crept up the back of my neck, distracting me from the other feelings coursing through my body. I self-consciously wiped my cheeks on my sleeves, hoping I got all the blood off.

"You did like it," he said with satisfaction. "Even without reading your thoughts, I can tell. What do you think Carlisle would say if he knew how you truly wanted to kill that human?"

I knew Carlisle would be understanding. But I wasn't worried about him. It was Edward who would somehow find a way to blame himself for my lack of control. Even without trying, Aro had found my sensitive spot. I hesitated for a moment, not sure how to answer him. In this case the truth would be the easiest.

"Carlisle would understand. He understood before…" I stopped because I didn't think Aro needed to know everything. Unfortunately, he was too quick.

"So you have killed humans," he said with certain delight. "But you should not be ashamed of it. It's only who you are. Believe me, you would never need to be ashamed of killing humans if you live with us."

The shame I had put away over killing Mike and Jessica came back partially. I might never outgrow the desire to kill humans, but once I came to my senses I would still have to live with the guilt. "But I don't want to kill humans," I said. "That's not who I want to be."

"Well, let that pass," Aro asked. "You could continue your diet if you chose to live with us. Carlisle did. For years he lived among us and never killed a human."

I didn't know what to say to that. If I wasn't useful to the Volturi in some way, they would kill me. They might already be planning to do that. But if they thought they could get something from me, maybe that would buy me a little more time. I needed to do whatever I could to get back to Edward's side.

I had to live for Edward, but the idea of betraying him to the Volturi and allowing him to be enslaved by them filled me with revulsion. I couldn't do that to him even if it meant my own survival. I sat mute with my mouth slightly open, slowly shaking my head back and forth.

"Enough talk, Aro," Caius interrupted harshly. "We approach the appointed hour, and I think it is clear that she does not wish to join us." Then he sneered down at me. "But she can still be useful. Bring her with us."

The two guards on my arms pulled me to my feet. "Heidi, be a dear and dispose of that, won't you?" Aro said pointing at the man, who had stirred slightly throughout this whole commotion but never came around. Blood still dripped slowly from his wrist. I felt a prick of guilt that I couldn't do anything for him. If I tried anything, I would disappear under a pile of grey. But at least he wouldn't wake up to see what was coming. Aro turned to address the Volturi Guard.

"Hear me, my children! Another crisis has risen. A coven has violated the law, and we are called to put things right. This coven has the temerity to claim our fiercest enemies as their allies. That is right, the werewolves Jane has been hunting.

"Ordinarily, we see one or two of these creatures at a time. It may be this night that you will need to face, not one, but many of these horrors. Will you quail in the face of these evil creatures?"

There was a shouted chorus of "no", "nay" and "no, master." Aro's face widened in a proud smile. "Ah, you always delight me, my dear ones. Where we go tonight, you will need every iota of your courage. We come against an enemy who can read our every thought as if it were his own. We come against an enemy who can predict our movements almost as soon as we think of them. It will not be easy, but it is necessary. The peace of the immortals is threatened. Are you with me?" A low rumble of "aye" and "yes, master" rolled through the clearing.

"Onward!" shouted Caius. "Follow Demetri!"

Demetri moved first and the rest of the Volturi began to move after him, a sudden migration of dark cloaks. Felix and Santiago pulled me forward, and we began to follow after the Guard. It was a little awkward running with my wrists tied together and once in a while I stumbled against one guard or the other, who would shove me back upright.

We crossed many low hills and valleys, jumped over numerous ravines and streams before we topped the final rise and I could see the Quillayute River flowing through the valley below us. We had come a long way from the Volturi encampment, and I felt it must be farther than Edward said he could normally hear thoughts. My spirits flagged at the thought that they might not have heard me. But before I could stop to try again, the swarm of vampires flowed downhill toward the river, and I was pulled along. Finally we stopped when we reached the banks of the Quillayute.

At a single command from Caius, most of the Guard spread out along the riverbank. Some climbed to the top of a couple rocky outcroppings that overlooked the river. Only the bodyguards I had seen with the wives stayed in the rear with them. Renata and a couple others stayed with Aro, Caius and Marcus. Jane and Alec took a position in the vanguard, and Felix dragged me along and pushed me down onto the rocky beach, where I fell several paces in back of them.

As I sat up, I knew I should be frightened out of my wits but I seemed to be running on adrenaline as I drew closer to whatever my fate would be. The rain had stopped again, and we could see across the river to the woods and the banks on the other side. There was no sign of anybody on the opposing bank, and I hoped that meant that my message had gotten through.

I began to look around me, thinking about what I might be able to do to make my own escape. Santiago had moved off to take a position upstream, but Felix still remained relatively close. The wives didn't look very menacing, but their guards were behind me, cutting off that avenue as well. The only comparative sanctuary lay across the river, on the reservation. I doubted Carlisle would desert the wolf pack, but even if my family had fled, the wolves wouldn't leave their tribe behind. If I could reach the other side, maybe we could at least take some of the Volturi with us before they finished us off. I could possibly leap into the water, but with my wrists bound I wasn't going to swim very far.

"Maybe they've changed their minds," Aro said thoughtfully.

"It is possible," Caius replied. "But if so, we have misjudged the value of the girl."

My stomach turned over at those words. I looked up at Felix and saw that he was watching me. He gave a shrug as if to say 'sorry, that's the way things are.' But my fear was tempered by the hope that maybe they had gotten my message, and wouldn't come to be killed by the Volturi.

Then Jane's dull voice broke in. "There they are, Master."

My head snapped up and I looked across the river. Several shadows detached themselves from the darkened woods and moved toward the river bank. There was one large, hulking shape, and several leaner, and smaller shapes. When they came out from under the trees I could make out their faces as they stopped at the water's edge. Carlisle was at the center, Edward and Jasper stood to Carlisle's left and right. Alice held Jasper's hand and I saw with shock that Emmett stood to Edward's left. Eleazar stood at the end next to Emmett. But Kate, Rosalie, Esme, Tanya and Carmen were nowhere to be seen. And I could only count a few wolf-shaped shadows. Where had everybody gone?

= = CR = = CR = = CR = =


To be continued...

A/N: Is Jane evil, or what? *grin*