Chapter 26 – Like a Drug
On my knees darling, so demanding; find a vein sweetheart, plug yourself in.
You're like a drug that I just can't kick
The incessant drumming of a thousand drummers, marching and beating their instruments in deafening unison, had stopped abruptly; their unseen leader lowering his baton to signal the end.
Her end.
And with the conclusion of her furious funeral march, Bella had been exorcised from the deepest depths of hell, where surely the hottest flames burned . Or, had she simply moved to a level of hell closer to the surface …?
Awakening.
Bella sensed her persecution had ended with the of silence, and when her eyes opened, everything would be different. She had become immortal and the cost was her humanity. Now and forever more, she was to be like the ones she had most loved - and most hated.
Drifting. Surfacing.
Eyes open.
Suddenly, unquenchable desire, want, need, lust … were all burning in her throat. Thirst. Again, with the pain! Would she always be on a quest to end the pain?
The answer came to her on a wisp of air. Her instincts - so sharp, so in control – drove her across the room toward a target. She was on her knees consuming before her computer-quick mind had the time to register her actions.
Rich, sweet liquid flowed down her throat and inundating her with pleasure beyond imagination. The magical elixir filled her body with the warmth of hot cocoa on a cold day, but instead of warming her merely stomach, the feeling moved through to all her extremities, griping even her toes and fingertips in its invigorating feel. Her brain buzzed with delight while her muscles and nerves tingled with energy. A feeling of wellbeing and invincibility coursed through, as intoxicating as extreme sexual gratification or a potent narcotic drug.
It was everything. It was all that mattered. But now it was gone. And that terrified her. Would the pain return? Would she ever feel the blissful euphoria again? Bella flung the drained cup across the room; it flattened upon impact with the stone wall. Her nostrils flared and instinct forced her into a crouch as she glared at the man who dared to approach her. There was only one thing she wanted from him …
"More," she snarled.
Pleased she had taken the first step, Aro made a slight hand motion to still Logan and Felix, who flanked Bella at a distance, before addressing her, "Of course, I did promise you would want for nothing. I never go back on my word, Isabella."
In a show of trust, Aro turned his back toward her to retrieve more blood from a sealed container kept outside her cell. No sooner had she caught the scent of the nectar of life, Bella bolted in Aro's direction.
Just as quickly, Aro's bodyguards responded to the perceived threat.
To Bella's surprise, the instinct for self-preservation outweighed the drive to drink. Just inches from the object of her desire, Bella spun and ducked, easily dodging Logan's lunge from behind. His momentum carried him headlong into the solid wall with a resounding crack. Felix, knowing his sole purpose was to protect the Volturi at all costs, placed himself between Bella and Aro. Erroneously, between a newborn and her source of fresh blood.
Aro grinned in amusement, wishing he could allow the clash of raw newborn power and seasoned personal guard play out – however, he couldn't risk the unpredictable outcome. The pieces in this game were just too valuable.
"Stop!" he commanded.
Obeying immediately, as he had been brutally conditioned to do, Felix froze in his bear-hug hold he had gained on Bella. Unfortunately for him, Bella had not yet been trained to obey a master. Her razor-sharp teeth sunk into Felix's side and he roared in pain.
"Release him, Isabella. I have what you want."
Bella spun in the direction of the scent that captured her full attention. Aro stood with a cup in his extended hands. Again, no thought was needed. Bella consumed the cup's contents, not wasting a single molecule.
Even as she imbibed voraciously as if her very life depended on consuming as much as possible in the next instant, her senses fed information to her hyper-alert brain as rapidly as lightning streaks through a stormy sky. Around her, Aro had stepped away, while Logan and Felix maintained their positions. She could hear them straining with muted vocalizations as she drank and they were denied.
Aro spoke in his calm, even tone, "Your garment." Bella glanced to see Aro holding a white gown – the one left for her before her transition. It was a plain frock, to be donned by slipping it over her head. It was floor length, customized to her height and measurements. By the way it caught the light, she surmised it was made of silk. "You might want to consider wearing it."
The intonation of his voice and the slight arching of his brow led Bella to take in her appearance. To her surprise, she found she was unclothed from the waist up and her jeans were but tatters hanging from her waist.
In a flash she had snatched the gown, holding it tightly against her body.
"Please, don't be alarmed. You are protected here. It is not unusual, while in the upheaval of transition, to tear at one's own clothing. Your state of being disrobed was your own doing, I assure you. But if I may say, you are a vision to behold, Isabella." Bella's narrowed eyes moved to Felix. "I give you my word. Felix was acting as a member of the guard, present during your transition to protect you, not dishonor you. Did he not provide comfort and relief when you were in need? You are his sister now, his equal. He has no rights or power over you."
With her keen eyesight, Bella could see Felix's nostrils flare slightly and his back stiffen. His reaction spoke volumes. It told her Aro spoke the truth – and Felix was not happy about it because if she was truly Felix's equal….
"I am a member of the guard?"
A wide smile dominated Aro's expression. "You are – how shall I say it? A potential inductee." Aro glided to the only chair left unbroken in Bella's cell, and in a very human gesture, sat, crossed his legs, and placed his hands in his lap. "The Volturi Guard are the most elite and prized vampires in the world. Their power, skill, and importance are undisputed. However, the position is always earned, Isabella."
Bella's synapses fired with crackling energy. She marveled at the speed with which she could process Aro's words, keep track of the sights, sounds, and smells around her, and still have the ability to be distracted by the need for her next drink. Still, some of the basics eluded her.
"I'm … confused," she hesitantly admitted. She didn't like how weak that word sounded. She was not weak. Not anymore.
"Ah, unfortunately, when all those pesky human impurities are purged from the body, some specifics in the memory are lost. It will pass as I shall remind you of our earlier conversations, and I'm certain the details will come back."
Aro inhaled deeply as if to embark on a long tale.
"Dear Isabella, you longed to be changed! You asked for it several times, but were denied your wish by the ones who claimed to love you. So we rescued you from the mediocrity the Cullen's have embraced. Carlisle, Edward – they feared your potential. Your gift. They controlled it and you by keeping you human. Withheld you from your destiny of greatness! In doing so they kept you weak and submissive. Defied the law too, I might add. They sought only their own selfish desires. Carlisle feared your power and Edward sought to possess you, so they conspired to keep you in the dark. For our part, we could neither ignore your potential nor allow the Cullens to be above the law."
Bella searched her vast mind. "Edward," she sighed in remembrance then grasped at her left hand.
"Yes, Edward, the chauvinistic bastard that manipulated you into marriage. But you wear that branding no more. Here you have more freewill. Here you will find women hold positions of power and control. We do not see them as fragile or needing male protection. They are allowed to flourish and realize the full capacity of their gifts."
"Edward. I loved him," Bella muttered as she brushed at the sticky boundaries of memories like spider webs cluttering her brain.
"Yes, you were human; therefore, you believed you loved a vampire. One of our many effects on humans. You were his singer, Isabella, remember? The one whose blood sang to him. For that reason alone, he believed he loved you. But we couldn't stand by as he tucked you away from your destiny just so he could possess your mortal blood. What a waste! So we made a trade. Rescued you, in a sense. And now… you belong here. Here we value you for who you are. Strong."
"I can be better, stronger." Bella recited the words, seared in her memory by the fires of her change.
"That's right, Isabella. It's coming back to you now, isn't it?" Aro purred, manipulating the jumbled thoughts and words from her transition, and in doing so, cultivating the seeds he had planted in her head to secure her allegiance.
"Yes, I remember. Edward – he said I was no good for him. I was a demon summoned straight from hell to ruin him."
"Sad. He was so misguided. Personally, I blame Carlisle. He taught Edward to deny what we are. But he was so wrong, Isabella. We are wonderful! We have been given extraordinary abilities by our maker to justify our position as superior to all others. And some of us, like you, are blessed with extra powers. Should they be ignored or shunned? I say if we do, we greatly insult our maker."
Bella's pale forehead creased slightly. "Is Marcus my maker?"
A strange combination of discomfort and levity crossed Aro's face for a second. "No, I speak of the power in this universe that created vampire kind, confirming we belong in this world as much as any other creature. Marcus was your sire. He released you from your human constraints as you were destined to be vampire. Even Alice saw that. You see, everything happens for a reason."
"What happens now?" Bella asked, still unconvinced her place was in Volterra.
"You earn your position, and serve our kind. There is no greater honor than maintaining the law and preserving the secret to insure the safety of all vampires from those who would see to our extinction due to their ignorance and fear of anything different."
"You mean humans."
Step two achieved. Aro mentally marked his checklist. Isabella identifies herself as vampire. "Yes, Isabella. Humans … and others."
Aro watched as Bella discreetly shed the remains of her clothing and slid into her virginal white gown. As she did so, Bella pondered Aro's words. She had more questions.
"Why would I choose to remain here and serve?"
"My dear, where else would you go?" Aro answered her with another question.
"Home."
"And where would that be? To Forks to be with your father or Florida to be with your mother? They would not accept you now. You are not like them anymore. Besides, as a newborn, you could no more resist their blood than you resisted the contents of that cup."
Bella's left hand moved seemingly of its own will to rest on her throat while the thought of harming her parents stirred unpleasantly in her gut. Her hand soon enough caught her attention, and she gazed at her bare left ring finger and her equally bare right ring finger. It felt innately wrong for them to be that way.
"Ah, yes, return to your Cullens. Do you think they would welcome you now? Would Edward welcome your Volturi-sired presence? Tell me, Isabella, how do you feel about them? What do your memories tell you?"
Again, Bella searched her mind. "They had to protect me."
"Yes, you were frail, and needed protection. Not true anymore."
Bella concentrated very hard, attempting to break through the veil of fog hiding "before."
"Now I need to protect them." Her severely red eyes popped in realization. "Your bargain – it was me in exchange for their safety!"
Aro nodded. "Sometimes reaching a goal takes sacrifice. Everyone had to make concessions. However, it is clear this is where you belong. It is what's best. Here you can grow, use your gifts to their full potential, and protect those you loved."
"This is for the best?" Bella questioned, again confused by Aro's rhetoric, her fuzzy memories, and her rollercoastering emotions. Everything was just so bewildering, like remembering the plot and characters to a story, but not the details. And the burning thirst had crept back into her throat, threatening the tenuous hold she had barely achieved on her recently reacquired sanity. Overwhelmed, she felt the need to run, escape. "I want out of here. Now!"
Aro gracefully stepped aside and Bella flew through the open cell door behind him. However, once in the corridor, she was accosted by the sounds of several heartbeats – warm, wet, inviting. How had she not heard them before?
The unrelenting burn screeched in her throat and her instincts directed her like a divining rod to the source of relief. Ripping the door off their cell, Bella stood before ten stunned humans. Aro arrived just a moment later, lingering outside the cell as Bella stalked her cornered prey.
Shaking off their initial shock at the sudden invasion, some of them began to gravitate toward Bella, their eyes wide with hope. One woman, pale with multi-colored bruises up and down her arms, smiled wanly and spoke first, "Have you come to change us? Is it finally time?"
Her words gave Bella pause. "You want to …?" Something in the depths of her mind kept her from completing the question.
"Yes! Yes," she confirmed inching closer to what she hoped would be the immortality she had longed for while being milked of her blood.
"Take what she is offering you, Isabella," Aro encouraged from the corridor.
Every heartbeat in the room accelerated, and the rushing sound of their blood echoed off the stone walls into Bella's ears. The knowledge that a sweet, sensuous reward flowed just under their thinning skin was not something newborns could resist. It wasn't in their nature.
In the blink of a human eye, Bella had her nose pressed to the woman's throat while gripping her arms so tightly the capillaries just under the surface of her skin began to break, releasing more tantalizing scent into the air.
"More," Bella whispered against the woman's skin as her carotid artery pulsed against Bella's sensitive lips. "Please, more."
With control that impressed Aro, Bella slowly bared her teeth against the nameless woman's neck. Like a warm knife slices through butter, Bella's teeth melted into the woman's flesh, piercing the defenseless veins and arteries underneath.
Satiating liquid pulsed past Bella's lips and surged down her throat. To her exhilaration, the fluid was more gratifying than the drink from the cup as the temperature and viscosity were infinitely more pleasing. She swallowed as fast as the woman's furiously pumping heart could deliver the blood to her eager mouth. The more Bella consumed, the stronger she felt. The nagging discomfort in her throat was tamed.
Bella's eyes rolled back and she gratefully drank pull after long pull. All too soon, flow stopped and the once hopeful woman went limp in her harsh grasp. The other humans slipped back into the dark shadows of their cell sensing Bella only offered mortality.
Horrified, Bella released the woman's dead body, fleeing the cell, and nearly colliding with Aro. She gasped and sputtered, "I killed her! I killed that woman!" Her dismay sent a sensation through her body similar to an adrenaline rush, and in a frightening flashback from a dark time in her life, Edward's voice spoke to her, "I don't want to be a monster." She turned to look, expecting to see his image. But he was not there. Had she forgotten what he looked like? Panicked, Bella searched her memory for his face; however, Aro distracted her...
"Do not feel guilt, Isabella," Aro's cool voice soothed. "She would have died. If not at your hands, at another's. She discovered our secret and came here willingly to be part of the… vampire experience."
"You make it sound like an amusement park!" Bella protested, still reeling with blistering anger that scattered in all directions like sunlight through a prism.
"She, too, wanted immortality, just as you did. However, she was not special. You are," Aro said.
Bella wiped her stained lips with the back of her hand, and then leveled a challenge at Aro. "I'm special? Prove it. Prove to me this insanity has a purpose."
"Now that's the spirit! Come, my brothers await your arrival. The honing of your gift will commence immediately! Logan, clean up and then join us in the main chamber. Felix, you are with us."
Bella was escorted to the elevator leading to the main chamber. As soon as the lift doors opened, her throat flared and she froze.
"More humans? I can hear their hearts." Bella tried to shove away the part of her that sinfully felt elated and eager.
"Yes. We need them as subjects for your training."
Ahead of them, Felix opened the elaborate doors leading into the chamber. Immediately, Bella's attention was captured by the woman kneeling on the floor before Caius and Marcus as they sat on their throne chairs. Aro civilly glided into polite introductions, "Isabella, I'd like to reintroduce to you Caius and Marcus, my dear brethren."
Their faces she readily remembered because they were attached to an intense memory. Bella recalled exactly the way she felt when she first met the Volturi brothers: crippling fear. She expected the same response at this moment as well – a quickening heartbeat, accelerated breathing, mental confusion, and the queasy feeling she had every time she experienced the rush of adrenaline that left her cheeks burning.
Instead, her reprogrammed instincts kicked in, assessing her strategic position and computing her chance of survival should she choose to fight or flee. The response felt like adrenaline as her muscles tensed in preparation, yet none of the hormone's negative effects were present. Her mind was sharp. She inhaled deeply to gather more information… and slightly gagged. Something in this room did not fit. It tainted the air and quelled her appetite. Bella immediately attempted to limit breathing through her nose, but the need to gather input from her surrounding bucked at her strategy.
"Yes, I remember," she responded curtly to Marcus and Caius's introduction. Her eyes remained on them as they sat in their dark silk suits on their chairs. Though their positions were relaxed, she had concluded they posed the greatest risk. Yet, to her surprise, it appeared Marcus was … amused? This was contrary to what she had remembered about the stoic man who mostly appeared disinterested. Caius, meanwhile, scrutinized her closely, almost as if appraising the risk she presented to him. Still, he exuded an air of supremacy.
"And Jane. Isabella, do you remember Jane?"
To the side of the room stood preadolescent Jane – Bella somehow recalled her as well; it was an vague, unpleasant memory – actually just a feeling - but disdain slithered up her spine. Next to Jane stood a disheveled man – his heart pounded loudly and his expression was grave. Bella analyzed his handsome face.
"I know you," Bella uttered.
"Bella! It's me. Dominic." He spoke quickly hoping she'd recognize him.
The sound of his voice and her familiar name triggered her memory. "Yes. Dominic."
"Don't hurt her, Bella. Please. I beg you," Dominic pleaded.
"Silence him! He has not been given permission to speak," Caius commanded. Jane responded with a look and Dominic sunk to his knees with a terse moan.
An echoing cry of agony drew Bella's attention away from Dominic and to the source of the more attractive scent she had been trying to ignore. Bella's eyes narrowed at the human woman on her knees. As the woman's back was to Bella, it was unclear who she was.
"I guess that only leaves one more introduction," Aro spoke with boredom coloring his tone. "This is Gianna. She will be assisting you today."
"Am I to feed?" Bella asked tentatively. Gianna's name sent mixed emotions through Bella. Yet only one message registered with her. How could it be that feeding on this helpless human was exactly what she wanted to do most and least at the same time?
"Are you ready to begin?" Aro questioned.
"Begin? Begin what?" Bella responded bewildered.
"Your training. You asked me to prove you are special. Now is the time."
"I have no idea what I am supposed to do!" Bella was growing more frustrated. She was being forced to move forward so rapidly. She needed more time to comprehend what was happening, familiarize herself with her new body and abilities, not to mention grieve the loss of her humanity and home. However, that was not part of the Volturi well-practiced conditioning process.
Aro continued, "You possess the power of shielding, Isabella. It is the reason no one can enter your mind. Maybe a demonstration is order? Jane, if you will."
Bella instinctively spun in Jane's direction. However, Jane's gaze was trained on Gianna.
A scream exploded from Gianna's mouth. Her back arched and Bella wondered how Gianna managed to hold her kneeling position.
"Now try Isabella, if you will."
Bella's eyes widened as they met Jane's intense gaze. The look on Jane's face conveyed her deep conviction to induce her command on Bella as she spoke through gritted teeth, "Pain."
The women stared at each other and there was silence until Aro's shrill laughter filled the cavernous space of the main chamber. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said as he attempted to compose himself. "It's just so entertaining!"
Jane, however, did not wear an expression of amusement.
"You see, Isabella, you block any vampire powers that affect the mind. But there's more – oh, so much more! Your form of shielding is a rare power, and we have only come across it once before. The vampire that possessed this skill could also expand that shield and protect others from having their minds invaded. This is the skill you must learn."
"I can protect others from Jane's effect?"
"Yes, if you are so motivated - and practice. Gianna and Dominic are going to help you to practice."
All eyes were suddenly distracted as Logan entered the room, having completed his task of disposing of the dead woman's body.
"Ah, but first, I think I might indulge in a brief 'teachable moment.'" At Aro's words, Caius took a more formal posture in his chair. It almost appeared to Bella that Marcus rolled his eyes before Aro continued.
"For any ruling body to be truly successful, it must be able to rely on those it entrusts with enforcing the laws put forth. After all, are they not the role models for the populace? The guard's behavior reflects directly on us, Isabella. They are the front line, if you will. And what would be the result if these individuals do not conduct themselves with complete loyalty? Chaos. Disorder. And most detrimental of all, bring disgrace to those they serve. I ask you, Isabella, would you follow a leader who surrounds himself with an incompetent support staff?"
Bella's senses registered the tension in the air. There had to be a point to Aro's rhetorical line of questioning.
"Logan, our newest guard member, come." Aro beckoned for Logan to join him, Bella, Gianna, Caius, Marcus. At vampire speed, he did so, and Bella gawked at her ability to see him clearly when he was in motion. No longer was vampire movement just a blur of striated colors. "Logan's story is similar to yours. We became aware of his outstanding tracking abilities, and after observing and learning more about him, we gave him a position as an operative in America."
Bella felt the fine hairs on her neck and arms bristle.
At this point, Caius stood. Remaining on the dais in front of his chair, Caius was slightly taller than Logan. He looked down upon him with unreadable eyes as Logan turned to face him.
Seamlessly, Caius continued the speech Aro had begun, "And Logan served us well in America; therefore, when he returned his loyalty was… handsomely rewarded." Caius extended his hands to smooth the slight wrinkles of Logan's newly acquired gray cloak before they came to rest on his broad shoulders.
"Unfortunately," Aro resumed, "it has come to our awareness that you left your assigned post to pursue… other interests. And for disobeying, there has to be consequences. Or what kind of example would you be setting for Isabella, our newest recruit?"
Logan spun to address Aro's accusation, but as soon as he did, his eyes bulged and his mouth gaped. Bella stared at his strange expression until she realized his head was no longer connected to his body, but suspended above it in Caius's hands. With a thud, Logan's body dropped to the ground.
"Such a shame. Good help is so hard to find," Aro tisked as Caius tossed Logan's disembodied head aside. It slid across the polished floor coming to rest against the wall. His eyes, still open, stared blankly at Bella.
Horrified at the Volturi's blatant disregard for life – human or vampire – Bella inched away from Aro's side. However, Aro stilled her with a glare.
"Let this be a lesson to you," his voice rang out devoid of the fluid lilt Bella had grown accustomed to hearing. "Logan made the mistake of taking our generosity as kindness, our absence as blindness, and our willingness to concede to his request as weakness. He paid the price for his ignorance. Do not make the same mistake, Isabella. No one is irreplaceable."
Bella's eyes were drawn to Logan's body as it began to twitch and slither on the floor in a sightless quest for his body. Understanding clearly that longevity in an immortal life came with a healthy dose of prudence, Bella nodded mutely.
Donning his usual over-done smile, Aro praised her, "Wonderful! Now, just one more piece of unpleasant business before we begin." Aro turned his body toward Gianna, whose posture had begun to slump slightly from exhaustion. "You, my dear, have been very disrespectful," he scolded Gianna like a parent would a small child. "I know Marcus fancies you as a pet, and that has kept you in good graces as well as alive, but how much insolence are we to put up with?"
"I am sorry, Master," Gianna groveled. "Please have mercy."
"You have the audacity to ask for mercy? Did you really think that you could select the thoughts I could take from you? Meet with him and think I wouldn't find out about it? You reek of him. You tried to play me for a fool and you should have known better. Consequences, Gianna."
Bella could hear the anger in Aro's voice, noting it was rising in volume with each word he spoke.
She raised her eyes to get a glimpse of Dominic, who had remained silent next to Jane. Bella could see on Dominic's face the true depth of his feelings for Gianna. He loved her.
"No, Master. I am only human. I am weak and my heart overruled my head," Gianna offered as a means of apology.
"As I said it would, Brother," Caius reminded his brother of their much earlier conversation.
"Yes, yes. I should have listened to you on that matter," Aro conceded to Caius, but then decided to focus on the up-side of the situation. "However, we did succeed, and Gianna as well as Dominic did have a hand in that success. Therefore, I am going to grant you both clemency –but not without a price."
Bella pressed her mind to catch up with Aro's words and plans. What was the cost Gianna and Dominic would pay? How were they expected to participate in her "training"?
Aro stepped over Logan's jerking body onto the dais and lowered himself into his center chair. "Now, Isabella, I need you to focus. Focus on Gianna. Imagine wrapping her in an invisible shield. Once you are able to do so, we will provide you with drink and Gianna with rest."
"But I –" Bella raised her voice to explain she had not a clue on how to manage such a feat, but Caius cut her off.
"Jane, begin."
Bella stiffened as Jane approached her and Gianna, a wicked smile forming on her lips. Bella raised her head, still partly expecting the searing pain she had seen Jane inflict on others rip through her, however, the command was not directed at her, but at Gianna.
Immediately, Gianna cried out. Unable to contain the perceived agony that tore through her, Gianna crumpled on the floor, curling into a fetal position as she sobbed, often silently, too contracted in agony to utter a sound, barely able to gasp for breath before fighting more screams.
"Focus, Isabella," Marcus's instructions easily reached her ears and shook her out of her state of shock.
"I don't know how!" Bella responded to her sire. Gianna's cries flooded Bella's brain, evoking an outpouring of emotions. Pity, panic, anger, helplessness were all among them. Her brow furrowed and she focused exclusively on Gianna's pained face, but nothing changed.
"Quickly, dear. I don't know how much more our little pet can take," Aro warned.
"Aro … enough," Marcus spoke in a low tone that sounded more like a threat than a suggestion.
With a sneer, Jane increased the amount of stimuli coursing through Gianna's mind and she screamed out Dominic's name in a shattering sound that pierced Dominic's soul, threatening to tear it in two. A cry erupted from his throat as he literally saw red, and the agonizing scene before him began to ripple and wave. The weight of his need to protect her overruled all his logic….
"Dominic, no! Control it!" Gianna called to him. "You can't die. I need you!"
He grasped at her words as a drowning man would a life-preserver, focusing all energy of emotions into his muscles. Unable to wait for Bella to find her "power," Dominic charged in Jane's direction, lowering his head, planning to hit her like a battering ram. Unfortunately, Jane easily moved her gaze, and Dominic skidded to his knees in the stabbing clutches of pain at Bella's feet, just short from reaching Gianna. As she lay on the cold floor, her swollen eyes met his, and for a moment they were connected by their shared anguish for the other's plight.
"Stop!" Marcus ordered, now on his feet. "There will be order."
"Yes, Master," Jane replied obediently, releasing Dominic from his suffering.
Dominic lurched forward before falling face-down onto the floor. With what strength remained after Jane's brief mental assault, he reached in Gianna's direction – their fingers interlaced.
With the reprieve in action, Bella inhaled deeply to gather her wits. Repulsed by the concentrated, offensive smell of the man at her feet along with an overwhelming instinct to fear him, Bella retreated several steps. "What the …?"
It was his scent that she recognized when entering the room -the nagging hint of something not quite right. He didn't smell like Gianna or the other humans she encountered in the cell. He didn't even smell… human.
Dominic looked up at the confused expression on Bella's face and ventured a wild guess. He had nothing to lose, but quite possibly a vampire ally to gain. Maybe... just maybe… she was familiar with other "supernaturals."
"Jacob?" he whispered searching for recognition in her blood eyes.
Bella's eyes widened, "No. Can't be," she stuttered. However, her sharp mind put the pieces together too rapidly for Bella to discount the probable truth. The collar, his continued involvement, the warming comfort he provided on her last night as a human, his unusual smell… it only led to one conclusion.
Bella spun on her heels, trembling with barely controlled newborn fury, and pointed a finger in Aro's direction before letting her accusation fly. "He's a werewolf! Why –?" She questioned aloud, knowing there had to be a reason for a species designed specifically for slaying vampires to present – alive – in the company of the mighty Volturi. She recalled Dominic admitting to having a hand in her abduction, but that conversation had lost its clarity.
Then the answer rang clear in her head: "the loophole" Aro had referred to when he explained how she came to be in Volterra. "You keep him close to me, involved - blocking Alice's sight."
Her voice was surprisingly calm and cool until Bella connected the dots, "Does Edward even know I'm here?"
A/N: So, you were waiting for Bella to identify Dominic for what he was - and she did! Hooray for vampire smarts!
I do apologize if this chapter seem chaotic, but I believe this is what Aro and Caius would do as part of their conditioning process. Situations would come at her so fast, so she wouldn't have time to think and/or process - only act. So, expect some more chaos for her next chapter!
And poor Dominic! But you have the power to make him feel loved - Dominic is up for "Best Original Character in a Full Fic" at the Twilight Eclipse Awards! Voting is happening this month, so check it out and vote for all your faves at this way cool award site! Twilighteclipseawards(dot)blogspot(dot)com
*smooches* to all readers and thanks always to my very competent support staff: Ashling92, RowanMoon, and RosaBella75
