Chapter 32 – Leave out all the Rest
-I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through
I've never been perfect, but neither have you
Carlisle was startled when Jane appeared in front of him in the office. How long had he and Eleazar been waiting? He blinked rapidly before he rose to his feet.
Jane casually looked back over her shoulder. "Thank you, Corin. You may return to the tower."
"You distracted us with her effect!" Eleazar snapped to attention. "This is part of your hospitality? Drugging your guests!" He directed his anger at Jane before spitting venom at her feet. "I see things have only gotten worse around here."
Carlisle shook his head to clear out the cobwebs he felt had taken up residence. "We've been restrained?"
"Yes," Eleazar answered. "Kept here quietly under a spell, if you will. The aftereffect, unfortunately, will be much less pleasant, I can assure you."
"Where is my family?" Carlisle spun and charged at Jane.
Her eyes cautioned him to cease his aggression, and Carlisle heard Eleazar call his name in warning. Both men anticipated the blaze of pain, but instead Jane only raised her thin eyebrows.
"As Aro considers you both to be friends, I will respectfully refrain. Come, the masters request your presence."
Jane led, Carlisle and Eleazar followed. As they left the office, they paid little attention to the human male, who smelled strongly of fresh blood. Once in the turret room, instant relief flooded Carlisle's system when saw his family intact, although it did little to calm the queasiness gathering in his gut. What were the brothers up to that they felt the need to delay him and Eleazar?
The Cullens and Denalis were ushered before the brothers.
Edward, we're okay. Bella? Carlisle's thoughts reached out to his son.
"She's here," he whispered.
"Ah, my old friend, Carlisle. I do apologize for keeping you waiting, but I had some matters to attend to that couldn't be postponed. I asked Corin to provide you with some stress relief – you did seem so tense. I hope I didn't overstep my bounds as a host? " Aro offered as an explanation to the obvious displeasure registering on Carlisle's face."
Carlisle's eyes narrowed. There was always just enough behind Aro's words to make them appear authentic, but there was also purpose behind every action Aro took. Carlisle knew him well, and Eleazar even more so - there was a specific reason Aro didn't want him and Eleazar present. "What have you done to my family in my absence?" Carlisle questioned without hesitation.
Edward's eyes shifted focus to the polished marble floor. He knew his father would fight his decision to stay. However, Edward saw it as his only way to reach Bella and still protect his family.
These thoughts were confirmed by the images floating in Aro's head hinting he would destroy Edward's coven one by one if Edward did not comply. Of course, Aro would never verbalize this in front of so many witnesses, and Edward's talent made doing so unnecessary.
Aro had proved he could take what he wanted with his abduction of Bella, leaving Edward no other choice but to believe Aro could do as he threatened: take his coven down at will.
Besides, he had rescue Bella. His heart sank as he again recalled her cloaked in the Volturi uniform. There was no doubt he had failed her miserably. If he could just find her…
Do it!
Alice's determined thoughts broke Edward from his internal intrigues. He shot her a look, but her gaze was locked on Jasper. Though Jasper didn't meet Edward's eyes, his thoughts were clearly directed at him: Edward, find her. We'll do what we can. Act fast!
Before Edward could process the meaning of Jasper's words, all heads turned in the direction of a strained sound. Standing at Caius's left, Chelsea was … weeping. Her agonized moans making up for the blood-red eyes that couldn't shed tears. The brothers were on their feet in an instant, puzzlement covered their faces at they scrutinized Chelsea's bizarre behavior - until Caius caught the gazes of the Cullens, whose eyes were fixed all on Jasper.
"Stop this attack!" he commanded having put all the clues together. At his alarmed words, the guards moved forward, but were still in the dark as to exactly what kind of attack was occurring…
In that split second of confusion, all hell broke lose at break-neck speed.
Tanya took full advantage of the hiccup in the well-oiled Volturi machine, lunging at the guard nearest to her. With a guttural yell, she stunned Afton, grabbing his right arm and twisting it behind his back until it snapped off with a loud crunch. She kicked his legs out from under him and quickly swung around to face the attack she anticipated coming from behind. Using her momentum, she swung Afton's detached arm around her body and it connected with Alec's ribcage, thwarting his attack.
Eleazar moved with incredible speed to Tanya's side, fending off another assault by Santiago. As the two men grappled, Carlisle directed his attack toward the brothers. Despite his determination, he found himself defected by Renata's shield over and over. Still he relentlessly tried to break through as soon as his bearings returned.
Jasper stalked closer to Chelsea amid the mêlée going on around him. Keeping her distracted was vital to the group standing a chance of succeeding against the Volturi. Never before had he unleashed his gift in such a concentrated form. In front of him, Chelsea sank to her knees, holding her head between her hands as she cried and groaned with unbearable, crushing feelings of loss and sorrow. The despair unhinged her gift, sending it ricocheting around the room, adding confusion to the chaos.
Edward turned and made a dash for the doors. His job was to find Bella...
"Stop the emotion manipulator!" Caius bellowed over the disappointing response by the guard.
Foreseeing that it would be Jane to follow Caius's command and attack Jasper, Alice leapt on her back, struggling to get Jane's head in a firm grip, not only to keep her gaze averted from her mate, but hopefully to rip it clean from her neck.
Figures blurred around the room while jagged pieces of marble and granite flew in all directions. Above the noise of the bedlam, Aro demanded Alice and Edward not be destroyed. To Edward, that only meant one thing: the rest were completely expendable. He hesitated.
"Go!" he heard Jasper yell, and Edward knew his brother must have sensed his uncertainty. But before he could resume his mission, Edward found himself caged between Felix and Demitri. He fought them both, seeking freedom, but the single-minded guards couldn't be overpowered.
It was Alice's sharp scream that brought the brief battle to a final stop.
Heidi had managed to tear Alice's hold from Jane. Freed, Jane spun around to attack Alice with an excruciating jolt of pain. The cry from his mate was all it took to break Jasper's concentration, allowing Chelsea a reprieve.
Rushing toward Alice as she lay on the floor under Jane's torture, Jasper turned his back on Chelsea. With a vengeance, she attacked him from behind. He didn't fight her, instead Jasper allowed Chelsea to secure him indicating his surrender. Alice's cries ceased, Chelsea regained her faculties, and the Cullens and Denalis, already out numbered, were subdued.
When the dust settled and silence ruled, Aro tugged on his suit coat to pull it straight while he assessed the scene before him. A one-armed Afton and Santiago held Eleazar secure; Alec had corralled a slightly disoriented Carlisle. Heidi stood over an injured Tanya, who still managed a smirk as she clung triumphantly to a thick wad of Heidi's sleek, dark hair in her hand. Edward stood helpless in the confines of Felix and Demitri's steel grip wondering what their fates would hold now.
"Carlisle!" Aro spoke with the tone of a reprimanding parent. Alec ushered Carlisle to the front of the dais. "How dare you bring this ... this... anarchy to my home? I demand reparations."
From the back of the room, Eleazar muttered, "Leverage."
"I renounce my coven!" Edward called out.
Aro's postured softened and he inclined his head to view Edward. "Release him," Aro commanded. "You have something more to offer?"
Please, no, Edward. There has to be another way!
Edward's eyes met Alice's as he acknowledged her plea. "No. This is the only way. Please, explain my reasons to the rest when you can."
Edward moved slowly to stand in front of the brothers, carefully taking in the thoughts of each one of his family members on the way. How he wished they could hear his thoughts...maybe they would understand.
When he stopped in front of Aro, he knew without reservation what the leader craved – not just for Edward to give his talent to the Volturi, but to give his loyalty to them as well. Edward hoped for his family's sake his offering would be enough to spare them. With eyes downcast, Edward sunk to his knees before Aro. "Let them go as you promised. I'll swear my allegiance … Master."
"NO!" Carlisle's protest filled the room. "You have taken one member of my coven, you will not have another. He's my … son."
"Carlisle!" Edward snapped, growling at his father-figure, his voice leaving no doubt of his conviction. "This is my choice. I will remain with my mate. How could you expect me to do otherwise?"
"Edward, we can appeal to our friends," Carlisle reasoned. "We will tell them what happened here. I'm convinced they will help us to get Bella released."
Edward's expression softened. Carlisle still believed he could reason with the Volturi... "No. Look around, Carlisle. It's too late for that. I will not be the reason any of you are harmed. My life isn't worth saving without Bella; you know this. Go. Leave, don't come back, and I beg you not to involve others. It's the only way to end this peacefully."
"Wisdom speaks at last," Caius remarked sarcastically.
"All have witnessed Edward's declaration to remain. Escort our guests from the premises. Heidi will pilot the jet. Felix, Jane, and Alec, you will accompany them back to Seattle." Aro turned his attention to Carlisle. "I give you my word, no harm will come to Edward and Isabella if they reside with us. Our leniency should be noted in this circumstance. You know Alice's gift is not without fault, so it would behoove you to follow your creation's explicit instructions or there could be ... unfortunate consequences. "
With a wave of his hand, Carlisle, Eleazar, Tanya, Jasper, and Alice were briskly escorted out of the room. No goodbyes or second thoughts, though Tanya's parting profanity-laced vow to sever sensitive parts of Aro's anatomy helped to ease the bitterness and uncertainty welling in Edward's gut at the hasty removal of his family. Alice was nearly in a panic, and it took all of Jasper's ability just to keep her moving forward. Edward's mind clung to their thoughts until they faded out of range.
Before Edward, the brothers took their seats. Aro dramatically drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair while he gazed appraisingly at Edward. What to do with you now?
"I wish to see my wife," Edward answered Aro's unspoken question.
"A privilege you will have to earn, my boy. However, I will allow you to reside in her previous quarters until such time you are deemed worthy. Afton, Santiago … if you will."
Resigned to do Aro's bidding in exchange for the opportunity to see Bella, Edward complied with his escort to Bella's "quarters," only to find they more resembled a holding cell.
"Enjoy your stay," Afton intoned as he closed the door behind Edward.
Alone, a mixture of scents assaulted his senses, but the one that blotted out all the rest was Bella's lingering human scent. Edward let it consume him and he greedily breathed it in, wallowing completely in its fading existence.
Gravitating to where her human scent was the strongest, he found himself on a bed. The smell of freesia and strawberries had been heavily embedded into the material leaving no question this was where she had writhed during her transition ... also alone and in incredible pain. Because of him. The punishment for his pathetic, self-centered decisions should have been his to bear alone. The Volturi should have taken him, made him suffer – not Bella, who he had given no other option but to remain human.
Then he realized – Aro had sent him to this room as punishment.
He had not had a moment to rejoice over Bella being found, and it was difficult to find that joy as he lamented over his regretful lapses in judgment. How right Aro had been that he was a coward, not because he feared he'd love Bella any less, that was simply impossible, but for putting his concerns over her choices. His reservations had clouded his judgment – hadn't his whole family, save for Rosalie, told him as much when they "voted" Bella should become vampire?
Her vampire scent beckoned to him as much as her human scent and it aroused the vampire in him while cruelly reminding him she had paid for his indiscretions. Paid with her life. Yet … it cemented for him the fact she was, in fact, his one true mate.
Bella was vampire.
But at whose hands? The question was raised the primal side of his nature. It raged at the thought of Aro or any other vampire sinking his teeth into her beautiful, fragrant flesh, drinking the blood that was his and his alone. Edward's fists clutched the bedding beneath his hands until his fingertips ripped through the material.
Images of her assault flashed in vague, violent pictures in his mind. Had she fought against it? Did she call to him in her distress and fright? Or did she curse his already cursed existence for leaving her vulnerable to such an attack? By her reaction in the turret room, her anger toward him was clear – just as it had been the morning she left.
The memory of her driving off in his Aston Martin on the morning he last saw her human came marching callously into his mind, allowing her last words to claw slowly down his memory, creating gashes that could never be mended.
Edward pulled the handful of material and it shredded easily in his hands, sending downy feathers airborne. They invaded his too-crowded mind with painful flashbacks of their honeymoon. Bella had been the sum of his worth and he had failed her! All of his anguish exploded from his body in an agonizing wail.
As a result, the heartbeats of the humans in the area accelerated in alarm.
He had sensed their presence; the scent of their blood. But it was their fluttering hearts that beckoned to the predator in him. This was when the obvious finally snagged his full attention: the owner of one of those heartbeats was definitely not human.
His nose easily traced the distinct smell to the opening at the top of the cell. On the other side of the wall, two minds flowed with anxious thoughts caused by his vocal outburst. "I won't hurt you," Edward spoke evenly, motivated by curiosity. "Who are you?"
There was no response though they did wonder who he was and who he was speaking to. Edward's words had also caught the attention of the guards in the hallway; they were listening as well.
Edward moved to stand below the barred opening. Slightly coiling his legs, he sprung vertically, grabbing the bars. As his feet dangled below him, he peered into the room. Clearly, he saw a male and female huddled together on the floor. The female he recognized as Gianna.
Almost immediately, as Edward had expected, the man's eyes located his presence in the window. In Quileute, Edward asked the man his name. In response, he pulled Gianna closer as if to shield her with his body, but didn't answer. Edward repeated the question, again in Quileute.
"I…I don't understand you. What do you want?" Dominic responded to the strange eyes glaring between the bars above him.
"Who's there?" Gianna asked Dominic, squinting her eyes in Edward's direction.
"Are you Quileute?" Edward asked.
"I'm Dominic. And this is –"
"Gianna," Edward answered before Dominic could get her name out of his mouth. "We've met before. I never forget a scent…and I smell wolf."
Dominic turned away as he enveloped Gianna in his arms. "Well don't flatter yourself. I'd rather stick my nose in a sweaty gym sock than breathe in your reek."
To Edward, he certainly acted like a Quileute wolf … and in all likelihood, affected Alice in the same way.
The approaching sound of clapping drew Edward's attention back to his cell. With a clang, the door opened and Aro entered. Edward dropped to the ground to face him.
"Very good. You solved the riddle. He made Isabella disappear from dear Alice's sight." Aro sat in one of the two upholstered chairs speaking only loud enough for vampire ears, "Dominic is a very naughty wolf-man. He and Gianna brought Isabella here to us. If you so chose, I can arrange for you to, how shall we say, to settle your debt with them."
Edward didn't need to hear Aro's thoughts to understand his barbaric meaning. "You would let me destroy them? Don't you need him to block Alice?"
"True, now that I had to let her go, but it is your right to vengeance."
Appearing to consider Aro's offer, Edward eavesdropped on Dominic's thoughts. They centered mostly on Gianna's welfare, but he also was optimistic Bella would come to help them escape…
"No. Not yet. They need to suffer a while longer. Then, I might be interested," Edward hedged.
Aro cocked his head, sizing up Edward's response. "I don't believe you, but that is neither here nor there. We have plans for them if you do not. And speaking of plans, I know you have given your word to place your loyalty with us, but you must understand I like the deck stacked in my favor, as they say. So I have brought some insurance that you will do as you have promised."
Two women entered the open door, positioning themselves behind Aro. They smiled approvingly at Edward.
Edward knew why they were there, and the women were eagerly anticipating their purpose. "Of course, Corin and Chelsea."
"Ah, good. I see introductions are not needed. How your gift must save time! Wonderful!" Aro spouted. "You have already sworn your loyalty, and Chelsea will assure you follow through with that vow, my boy. And, I guess, if you cannot find joy in your work with us, Corin can provide that as well. They will remain close by, at least in the beginning, but hopefully you will come to call Volterra home, as Isabella has." Aro sighed at Edward's hard expression. "Oh, Edward. The stubbornness of youth…."
"You stole my mate. Took her humanity from her. Let me think she was dead! In return, you want my trust and loyalty?"
"Again, you fail to see the positives. It was within our right to end her life. Instead, we aided her in reaching her destiny - perfection." Aro rose to leave. "Oh, I know your penchant for humans and shifters, but I wouldn't get too attached."
Hate for Aro pulsed through Edward, but his need to refrain for Bella's sake kept his anger in check. "What have you done to convince Bella to remain here?" Edward asked as Aro reached the door.
"I've answered that, but perhaps now you are willing to not just hear, but to listen? We have given her what she wished for - equality. Too bad you failed to see her potential. But, your loss is our gain. Oh, and please do help yourself to the sustenance in the cabinet. Isabella found it quite … satisfactory."
Aro's cloak swished behind him as he departed, leaving Corin and Chelsea alone with Edward. Corin grinned like the fabled Cheshire cat, her thoughts crude and explicit.
"Not in my lifetime," Edward responded flatly to her mental propositioning.
"Too bad." She frowned. "I could incapacitate you and have my way with you if I so desire."
Chelsea raised a disapproving eyebrow.
"Fine," Corin capitulated to Chelsea's show of authority. "Now just relax, this won't hurt a bit."
In his short human life, Edward had never experience a drug-induced high, not that he wasn't guilty of shooting some of his father's whiskey when he knew he could get away with it, but this feeling was different.
It was sudden, intense, andvery physical. "Don't," Edward pushed out as he staggered back hoping the distance would lessen her effect … until it paralyzed and engulfed him.
"This is your initial dosing," purred Corin. "It won't be this good again, so enjoy it while you can - or you'll spend the rest of your time here wishing you had."
Edward's back hit the wall as he clutched his stomach feeling a sensation of warmth spread outward. It crawled through his vessels, into his extremities, wrapping his whole body in comfort and safety like a treasured childhood blanket. He gasped as the full effect washed into his brain, the accompanying light-headedness effectively erasing every fear, concern, and rational thought. It was so simple to give in to it as it welcomed him with open arms, promising he could remain in this limbo where time was suspended and nothing could be wrong ever again.
Closing his eyes, Edward felt as though, once again, he could dream. The gentle wave of flowing water swept him away. As he floated on his back, Bella appeared, but not in body, she was the essence of the warm air, the hypnotizing sound of the bubbling of the water around him, and in the sweet heat of the sun that brightly shone upon him.
It occurred to him: this was a beautiful gift from the masters.
Images of Aro, Caius and Marcus floated in the background, behind the clouds drifting overhead. Indeed, they were good benefactors, willing to nurture his talent, bring him into the fold. No more would he be the "freak," but an asset among other like-talented vampires. Loyalty was rewarded. This was his first taste of what could be…
"He looks so peaceful and innocent, does he not?" Corin sighed wistfully.
Although it was clear he was in a hypnotized state under Corin's effect, Edward was still a quick and agile fighter. Chelsea kept alert while she continued to flood a compromised Edward with her bonding effect.
"Come closer," Corin said softly noting Chelsea's trepidation.
"Your offer is appreciated, but I find it wise to limit my exposure to your gift."
"As you wish. I do think we have given our new brother a wonderful welcoming gift." Corin continued to appraise her latest conquest. "Do you think sister Isabella will still want him? He is rather…tempting."
"He believes she is his mate. How a vampire could mate with a human …" Chelsea recoiled in disgust. "But now she is no longer his singer, so we will see. And once she is with him, we will know if she accepts him as her mate now that she is one of us."
"Love. You forgot to consider love," Edward slurred in his Corin-induced stupor.
The two women laughed openly.
"Human emotion. You know instinct and wisdom rule for our kind," Chelsea corrected him. "Or maybe your absurd diet has addled your brain?"
"On the contrary," Edward continued as his knees went weak, and he slid down the rough wall. "It has enabled me to understand and see what eludes even the eldest of you."
"If that were true, you would not be here, would you?" Chelsea challenged. "Your Isabella is special, I will give you that much credit. I think we shall pay her a visit."
Edward laughed dryly. "You think you know her? Know her mind? I'm sure she'll surprise you. She always does."
A/N: I love Edward's last words here - taken straight from Breaking Dawn, Chapter 19, p.381.
I hope the chapter was satisfactory - I always work (read: agonize) for them to be worth your time. And the team is working hard as well!
Questions? Comments? Fire away! I'll be sure to respond. And thank you to those (and you know who you are, so smile for me!) who support me with their feedback every chapter - it does more for this story than you'll ever know.
