Chapter 8: Radioactive – Imagine Dragons

Alec POV

"Alec!" Felix ran onto my room without warning, but as soon as I looked at him, I threw my book aside and new something was up.

"You should come with me" he told me in a solemn voice. Dread filled me and the worst scenarios plopped into my head. If Felix acted like this and didn't just tell me what was the matter right away… it had to be something to do with…

"What happened?" I swear if that stupid best friend of hers had done something…

"There has been a breech in our security. The cook is dead" he told me as we ran to the kitchen. I clenched my hands into fists. Please just let that be the problem. Please don't let it have anything to do with Noel. As we came closer to the kitchen, the sweet smell of newly spilled blood reached my nostrils. I had to hold my breath, but my throat still burned. Good thing I had recently fed.

"One more thing" Felix put a hand on my upper arm and efficiently stopping me before we turned the corner to the kitchen.

"I had left Noel with him. I only meant to be gone half an hour. I had no idea someone would break in and take…" he defended himself, clearly torn up about the whole thing, but I didn't let him finish as I rushed the last few meters to the kitchen.

Jane and Tom were standing outside the kitchen door clearly waiting for us, because they moved towards us when we got closer.

"Alec, she is gone" Jane stated in a dead tone, and took my hand. She wasn't one to openly show affection, but I knew she was sorry for me and she would help me get my revenge if I said the word – and Aro's gave his blessings of course. I squeezed her hand as a silent thank you and she let go with the tiniest of nods.

I wasn't sure what I had been expecting in the kitchen. I knew the cook was dead – I could smell him a long way down the corridors – but… I don't know. Other than the body of the fat cook and some blood, there really was no sign of intruders. Sure, their scent was easy to detect behind the evident smell of a certain red liquid, but I was too upset to take much notice of the delicious smell.

"She didn't put up a struggle" one of the newer guard members whose name I hadn't bothered remembering stated, making me want to rip his arm off.

"No shit, Sherlock. She was a human who was taken by vampires, Einstein" Beth said in annoyance looking as though she had the same desire to release this individual from a limb or two. The guard of subject seemed flustered and stepped back a few paces as if he wanted to go unnoticed. Fine by me if that would rid us of his stupidity. However, he was right. The kitchen was disturbingly clean. It seemed so wrong in some way. A terrible crime had been committed here and I wasn't talking about that replaceable cook. I just couldn't fathom how the kidnappers had gotten inside without being noticed.

"Alec" Felix gave me a look and I knew he was wondering how I could be this calm. I wasn't even sure myself. I wanted to trash the place and hunt these bastards down so that I could kill them as slow and painfully as possible for even thinking of hurting my Noel. I was scared out of my wits for her well-being and I couldn't remember ever feeling this much pain – not even when I was burned at the stake with Jane or when she lost her temper and used her power on me. I felt as though I was at breaking point and if someone as much as touched me or just said the wrong thing I would crumble.

But I had to keep myself together. The rational part of my brain begged me to think things through and the old Alec was already doing so. I knew whoever took her, hadn't been after her. The Volturi had nothing if not enemies, but the question was who was suicidal and stupid enough to attack of this openly. They hadn't exactly hidden their trail and even if they had, Demitri would easily be able to track them – if he hadn't already. This was common knowledge so whoever was behind this wanted us to be able to find them, which indicated some sort of trap for us to walk into. Now the only question was how many we should expect to be up against to know how many we should go to deal with this. It couldn't be a newborn army, as we would've known if someone was creating immortals – newborns was messy and easy to spot. Then that left this to be a coven. None of the known covens was any kind of a threat, maybe except the Olympian coven with their lapdogs behind them, but kidnapping an innocent human girl wasn't their style. Besides, they would never pick a fight with us again. They wouldn't dare.

Well, we'll just have to gather some guards and be on our way - if Aro would allow us to go, but I saw no reason why not. This was not just personal for me. Getting past our security unnoticed and steal away someone who was as good as a part of the Volturi was a slap in the face for all of us. It wouldn't go unpunished. And if the unlikely scenario should occur and Aro did not give us permission to fetch Noel and punish the culprit, I…

I felt something pull at my insides as if someone had put a fishhook on my intestines and started pulling. Would I go against Aro and the Volturi to save what I considered as mine? I belonged in the Volturi and I loved my life there – erh, afterlife, I guess – but I found I loved Noel even more. But, was that enough? Was I willing to sacrifice everything I had worked for and essentially Jane too, for the human I had fallen in love with?

A deep sadness rolled over me like a landslide, as I already knew the answer. I wished to everything that was holy and dear to me, that I would never have to stand at that particular crossroad.

"What a mess" it was as if he had known I had been thinking about him.

I slowly turned to look at my master. Before Noel appeared, I would have done everything to please him – and that had nothing to do with Chelsea's gift. He was still the closest Jane and I would ever have to a father – and though my adoration had never been as deep as Jane's, I still cared deeply for the peculiar man who had saved my sister and me from the flames so long ago. Betraying him wouldn't be something I could easily do and I hoped it would never come this far.

"Are we just going to stand here, staring at a smelly human's corpse while some rogue vampires has Noel?!" Beth seemed to have lost the last of her patience – if she ever possessed any, which I deeply doubted.

"Of course not, young one. Demitri, come" Aro said, reaching a hand towards the obviously concerned, but collected guard, who objected without a word. Demitri must've gotten the bastards trail, because Aro soon let go with shadow of a smile before turning to me with a calculating look in his eyes. He didn't even have to say a word for me to know what he wanted and I didn't question him. I had never been ashamed of letting him read my thoughts whenever he liked, and this was no exception. I actually wanted him to know of my most recent concerns and worries about possible desertion. He had to know how serious I was about getting Noel back. He had to let me go after her. The thought of living without her innocence or light was more unbearable to me than living without the Volturi even if that meant living without my dear sister.

"Be sure to clean up after you, when you are done" he simply said as he finally let go of my hand and I almost sprinted out of the room just then as he gave me the permission I needed. However, I did not know where to go and I would need back up even with the gift of mine. After all, it had its limitations concerning it's creeping nature, and I wasn't daft enough to go alone into a trap.

Felix, Demitri, Jane, Tom, Afton and Beth stepped forward before I even had to ask.

"Don't be back too late. We will have to go over the security of the castle as soon as possible" Aro told us before swiftly leaving the kitchen with a short order to the stupid guard from earlier to clean the kitchen and take out the "trash".

"Let's go kick some vacuous vampire ass then, ehh?" Beth smirked with an evil gleam in her eyes and for once I didn't feel the urge to rip her heart out.

"Let's make the insolent children feel the fire if they are so intent on playing with it" Jane gave a soft smile, already looking forward to using her gift on someone.

I couldn't have said it any better myself.

AN: Wow, it's short! And I apologize.

I'll try making the next chapter longer, but since I've just started school again, I most likely won't update before next week.