Disclaimer: SM owns Twilight and the characters contained in this story – I own nothing.
Warning: Rated M for a bad words and naughty things!
I am soooo sorry for how long this has taken me to update! I will keep my explanation brief and say that my Mom got much sicker. She passed late last year, leaving my Dad alone after 62 years of marriage. Beyond that, my heart just wasn't in the writing world and I couldn't force it, no matter how hard I tried.
THANK YOU for all of your encouraging words, even after waiting so long! Truly, I can't express how much they have meant to me.
PLEASE READ**I had originally planned on a sequel to this story and, unfortunately, that will not be happening now. Sorry :(. The problem with that is that I had scenes setting up for the sequel in these final chapters (1 of them was in this chapter) and I struggled with what to do to fix that. I think I've come to a solution though, and I've removed that scene from this chapter. It changes some of the story a bit (more than I'd like for one of the characters) but I couldn't figure out another way around it. I will be adding the 'deleted scenes' at the very end of the story, so that way you can read them if you wish (or not if you don't) - keeping in mind that they were meant to set up for a sequel that will not be happening.**
Moving on...
Previously: Carlisle has found out that Aro has been spying -playing with him- all these years. Aro has known all along about Emmett, Alice and Jasper. And now he knows about Bella.
The Volturi are coming. But Bella has a plan. A plan that somehow involves... Maria?
Let's see what happens next...
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
"I'm afraid I don't fully understand, Bella. What is you plan?" Carlisle inquired, everyone falling silent as all eyes were now on Bella.
"Right now we aren't only out-skilled by the Volturi, we're out-numbered. We need to even the odds if we want to have any chance of surviving their attack," she explained.
"And you somehow think bringing Maria into this will give us those numbers?" Carlisle asked, looking for further clarification.
"You can't seriously want to bring that bitch here!" Peter interjected, his voice taking on a slightly hysterical tone.
Bella frowned and turned her attention to Char.
"Don't even give me that look, Bella. I'm sorry, but Peter is right this time. You have no idea what Maria is capable of – you couldn't possibly – unless you had been there to see it with your own eyes!" Char answered, her voice vibrating around the room with the urgency to be heard. "There must be another way."
Bella was clearly disappointed by her response, but I could also see the deep concern for Peter and Char waging a war of its own inside her. She didn't want them to be hurt anymore than they already had, but she also appeared mostly resigned.
"Is there anyone else you can think of who would pose a threat to the Volturi? Someone who challenges their rules and leadership and would be willing to fight against them if given the opportunity?" she questioned Carlisle.
"Well...there were the Romanians. They were the original rulers but were overthrown by the Volturi. However, no one has heard from them since they fled that day."
"And no one knows exactly where they are either, except for a select few," Eleazar added. "Given the circumstances, I doubt the select few Volturi who know will tell you."
"Doesn't matter anyway. They aren't looking for a fight if they've been hiding, licking their wounds and egos for centuries," Bella insulted.
Eleazar stared at her, he certainly wasn't happy with her response by the look on his face. Not that she seemed to care, she was staring right back at him in an almost challenging manner.
"Maria?" Carlisle mused aloud in resignation, glancing warily over at me.
"Yes. The newborns Maria will bring with her will not only provide us with numbers but they will be expendable numbers. That may even the playing field against the Volturi.
"Look, I know it's not ideal," Bella continued, looking directly at Peter and Char. "But it is our only option at this point."
"Jasper?" Carlisle addressed me, looking for my input or approval, I wasn't fucking sure which and quite frankly, I didn't care.
No, I didn't care because my mate was about to use herself as bait to lure that sadistic bitch here. I'd kept quiet, willing myself to remain calm. But right now, it felt like my venom had frozen solid inside my veins. Could I lay my mate at Maria's feet willingly?
"No. I won't allow you to use yourself as bait," I growled, staring down into my mate's eyes.
"Jasper," she pleaded, glancing over to Carlisle for his help in pleading her case. I didn't care what he fucking said.
"Could it work, Jasper?" he asked. Fucking bastard.
I said nothing as I glared back at him.
"Answer him, Jasper. You know I'm right about this. I promise she won't harm me," Bella tried again.
I didn't even need to respond to that; it was Char who did for me. God fucking bless her.
"Don't you realize, Bella? You can't possibly make him that promise!"
"We're all going to die if we don't take this chance! And yes, it's a risky chance, but there is no one else to help us and we are running out of time! So you need to decide now... Do we simply let the Volturi come and kill us all? Or are you willing to take a chance with me and stand up and fight?" Bella growled, her tone quickly taking command of the room and all of us inside.
I looked around the room, my eyes coming to rest on Bella. It had never been in me to surrender, and that wasn't going to change now. I took a deep breath and gritted my teeth. The next words were the hardest I'd ever had to utter because I knew, they could change everything.
"Maria won't pass up the opportunity to take out the Volturi," I growled in resignation to myself and the others. "They've hindered her desires for more control for a very long time. Their restrictions on how large of an army they will allow her to have, how large of a territory she can maintain at one time before they'd intervene... She won't pass up a chance to eliminate them if it's a good enough one. It won't take her long to realize that she won't get a better chance than this," I answered Carlisle's earlier question.
"Is it possible to get the news of Bella and Jasper's location to her quickly enough?" Carlisle addressed Peter.
Peter nodded shakily even though it was obvious he was less than thrilled with the idea. Once again we would be fighting for our lives, and once again that fight would involve Maria.
"I can help. I have some associates in that area who will be all too eager to spread that word around," Garrett added his support.
"Very well. Let them know after we are done here."
"So your plan is to lure Maria here in hopes that she'll help us?" Tanya asked Bella.
"No," Bella replied curtly. "We merely need her to provide us with extra bodies to distract the Volturi. This isn't an alliance," she hissed the last word with disgust.
"Then what's to stop her from helping the Volturi take us out instead?" Tanya shot back incredulously.
"Nothing. If that happens then we merely die quicker," Bella said dryly. She didn't really mean that, but it was quite obvious just the sound of Tanya's voice was grating on my mate's nerves, as well as others from their emotions.
"I think we've already established that she will fight them first in a hope to eliminate them; since she will need our numbers as well to accomplish that," Garrett interrupted, frowning over at Tanya before winking slyly at Bella. Bella smiled back at him in thanks.
"What about those wolves in Forks?" Tanya asked.
Bella's body went rigid, her eyes turning toward Tanya once more. "No wolves."
"Why not?" Tanya retorted incredulously. "They would help us fight, wouldn't they?" Her eyes swung to Carlisle.
"They aren't trained enough to handle these vampires..." Bella began.
"They are, by their very nature, meant to kill vampires, Bella. Do not underestimate their capabilities. They would be an asset to us," Carlisle argued.
"And what would Maria think seeing us standing with a pack of wolves? Would she hesitate? Perhaps decide it too risky? It is her army that we need the most, not a few wolves.
"And the newborns? Would they even be able to override their instincts enough to not attack the wolves or would we be simply leading them to a slaughter and losing our numbers in the process? Jasper said I would have attacked Jacob, and I know him and didn't want to hurt him. I'm telling you, it's too risky!" Bella argued right back.
"She's right. It's too risky. I don't think Maria would trust the wolves – not that she'll trust us either – but she knows she won't be able to negotiate with wolves in any way," I added in defense of my mate.
Her posture softened at my words. I knew part of Bella's reasoning. She wasn't saying it out-loud but I knew; it had to do with her father. The wolves are all that stand between him and our kind, and she wants to make sure they stay that way.
"Our very lives are on the line here! Are you really telling me that you are all willing to protect those fucking dogs when they could help us, or at the very least die in one of our places? Why? Because she says so?" Tanya growled, her eyes narrowed on my mate with disdain and...jealousy.
"Tanya," Eleazar spoke authoritatively. "Jasper and Bella are right. Their very presence could make Maria reconsider – a chance we can not take. No wolves?" he addressed to Carlisle, looking for his agreement as a fellow coven leader.
"No wolves," Carlisle agreed, although slightly reluctant.
"Now, what's the plan once we have Maria and the Volturi here?" Garrett asked Bella, attempting to direct our attention away from the wolves and back to the matter at hand.
"We're going to need to find a way to make sure we are positioned with the Volturi between us and Maria's newborns, so that we are able to attack them from both sides. If we end up between them, it's not going to go well for us – and I'm afraid Maria will also see that as a huge weakness and decide not to take the risk in fighting them at all."
"But how are we going to do that? The Volturi have a very strong tracker, he'll lead them right to us. They'll never position themselves that way," Kate questioned.
"That's the part I haven't quite worked out yet," Bella grimaced, watching as everyone's faces instantly fell.
"Well, isn't that just great! Great fucking plan, genius," Tanya sneered, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "And this is who you choose to listen to instead of me," she added under he breath, but we all heard her clearly.
"It's too bad you can't make us "disappear" like you did when Tanya was sexing up Edward," Emmett mused, smirking at Edward, who groaned in response.
Bella shook her head in warning at Emmett, her face apologetic as she glanced over to Edward.
"Or, you know, maybe Jasper could just knock them all out for us like he did with Bella," Emmett attempted to backtrack, but it was too late for that.
"What is he talking about?" Tanya immediately asked, looking from Emmett to Edward.
Emmett grinned widely as he addressed her, "We heard it all! And let me tell you, that was some funny shit..."
"Emmett, shut up," Bella growled, cutting him off.
"What did you do?" Tanya growled at my mate, causing me to take a defensive step forward.
Bella took a step forward herself and was about to respond when Eleazar interrupted us all.
"That's the other part, isn't it? You can project it onto others as well? I could sense something more, something greater, but you blocked me before I could see," he stated, not sounding happy about his discovery.
"I didn't do anything to hide us," Bella grumbled, stepping back and shaking her head in denial.
"Actually, you..." Eleazar began again.
"I said I didn't do anything!" Bella hissed at him, causing him to push his mate behind himself in a defensive move.
"Bella," I said softly, touching her shoulder which was tensed and trembling. Her anger practically snarled at me as I finally felt her emotions she had been blocking. I needed to approach this carefully, very, very carefully. "I think you did...something. Nothing bad, baby, but I do think it's all part of your gift."
The look she gave me made my cock hold up a white flag and wave it about frantically, while I was about two seconds away from falling to my knees and begging for her forgiveness.
"Bella, why don't you tell us what happened – from your point of view, okay?" Carlisle negotiated, sensing the tension building.
"I didn't try to do anything," she replied defensively, but her resolve was crumbling. She knew she had – unintentionally of course. I think that was what bothered her the most, not having control over her gift. "I don't know why they couldn't hear us; we were right there the whole time."
"And they couldn't hear you, and by "they" I assume you mean Edward and Tanya?" Carlisle asked, glancing over at the two of them. Edward nodded.
"They were there the whole time?" Tanya gasped. "But you said you didn't sense anyone nearby! What the hell, Edward?"
"I didn't sense anyone! I didn't smell anyone. You didn't smell anyone either. Neither of us heard anyone...," he trailed off as he thought it over and then the light bulb went off. "Holy shit," he remarked when he finally realized exactly what Bella had done.
"You didn't just block my gift; you blocked everything," Edward concluded, staring at her in awe and some well placed fear.
"Not everything," Eleazar shook his head as he replied for her. "She can't block our sight or our touch. Just some of our gifts, senses of smell, and our hearing."
"Yeah, just those," Emmett gulped. "And here I thought the 'knocking vampires unconscious' thing was badass."
"About that, Jasper," Eleazar interjected. "It's rare, but not unheard of, for a vampire to be able to do things they wouldn't normally be able to when their mate's life is in immediate danger. You felt Bella was going to die if she got away from you again, so you used your gift to do everything it could to prevent that from happening."
"So it was like a vampire adrenaline rush? Like when humans lift cars and stuff?" Emmett asked.
"Huh. That's actually a great way to describe it, Emmett," Eleazar said looking shocked at Emmett's insight. "The fact is, you may never be able to do it again. There's no way to know unless Bella is in danger of dying and even then it's definitely not something you should rely on to save her," he warned.
"So what could I do?" Emmett asked eagerly.
Eleazar shook his head in exasperation. "Well, I don't know. There's just no way to know if or what you could be capable of until that situation presented itself. Take Edward for example. If he had a mate, he might be able to extend the range of his gift or even delve deeper into others minds. Or Kate might be able to project her electric current. Or maybe none of those. Maybe nothing at all. Like I said it's rare, not unheard of, but definitely rare, so don't rely on it to save your mates," he warned again staring directly at Emmett.
"Great, I'm as good as toast," Rose commented with a roll of her eyes.
"Back to the matter at hand, you still think she's merely a shield, don't you, Carlisle?" Eleazar asked, shaking his head in disappointment. "You actually have no idea what you have here, do you?"
Carlisle sat up straighter and moved forward to the edge of his seat, his eyebrows drawn in confusion. "I don't understand. I know Aro will be interested in her and that's why I thought you were concerned. So if she's not a shield, then what is she?"
"I can understand how you came to that conclusion, but shielding is only a part of what she is capable of. In fact it's not her main gift at all. No, she's far more dangerous than that."
Bella tensed as everyone stayed quiet. I reached for her hand and she took it without hesitation.
Eleazar turned his attention to Bella. "She's essentially an assassin; everything about her gift is designed to make her a perfect killer," he stated.
Everyone gasped. Bella seemed to shrink away from their reaction, her fingers pulling slightly from my grasp. I tightened my grip and pulled her closer to me until she was pressed against my side.
"You're wrong. She doesn't want to hurt anyone. It was her first concern when she realized what she had become – she didn't want to feed on a human, I made her," I argued.
"Her gifts are designed to hunt other vampires, Jasper, not humans. Any desires she may have to kill humans would be simply for food, as with us all, nothing more. And, is it really so hard to imagine that the infamous Major would find a mate not simply his equal, but even better at vampire extermination than himself?" Eleazar countered.
"We killed other vampires to survive. We never killed them for the fucking thrill of it," I growled. I said 'we' because at the moment both Peter and Char looked beyond pissed off, and rightfully so. How fucking dare he think what we went through held some sick kind of joy for us.
"And that appears to be -for now anyway- the way that Bella is using her gift," he argued back.
"You're painting her out to be some sadistic vampire killer..."
"I'm not painting her out to be anything, Jasper. She is what she is. And the fact is, she is perfectly designed to kill other vampires. Think about it from a strategic standpoint. A vampire capable of shielding their scent, able to move about completely silent, as well as able to shield themselves from those that are gifted. Those that rely on their gift to win fights, she forces them to fight her physically after she's already taken them by surprise. And just how are her combat skills?" he asked smugly – the fucker. I wanted to tear him to shreds when I felt Bella pull herself from my embrace and take a step away from me.
"He's right. I am dangerous. I can't control my anger, you've all seen it," Bella whispered, taking a step further away from everyone. "I could hurt one of you. I don't want to hurt one of you."
"Bella, no. You're a newborn and that is completely normal for a newborn vampire. Please don't listen to him," I begged.
"He's right, Bella," Peter chimed in. "I told you in Forks that I would always be truthful with you, do you remember?"
She nodded sadly.
"Then listen to me now when I tell you that Jasper knows what the hell he's talking about. Do not listen to this fucking idiot." He paused to sneer at Eleazar before continuing, "You are a normal newborn dealing with very strong newborn emotions. It takes time to adjust to all of that. You've done nothing wrong. You won't hurt us, honey. Jasper and I can handle this, please trust us."
Char stepped up and wrapped her arms around Bella in a loving, sisterly embrace, one that Bella returned with equal fervor after a moments hesitation.
"I'd like to speak to Bella alone. Please," Eleazar asked suddenly, intently watching Char and Bella hug.
Both Peter and I stepped in front of them protectively, our growls the only answer he deserved.
"Okay," Bella whispered.
"What?" Char said in exasperation, pulling back from their embrace. "Bella, you don't owe this asshole another moment of your time..."
"You mentioned being honest with her and yet you don't seem to want her to know the truth," Eleazar goaded.
"It's okay, Char. Jasper, Peter...it's okay. I'd like to hear what else he has to say."
"Fine then, let's go," I motioned towards the door.
"Alone, Jasper. I'll be fine, I promise," she attempted to reassure me. I didn't feel reassured – at all. "Besides," she continued, staring directly at Eleazar over my shoulder, "If he pisses me off too much, I'll just kill him. Since I am the perfect vampire killer and all."
She placed a gentle kiss to my lips and then she was gone, the door left open behind her. Eleazar dashed toward the open door but I reached the doorway first, stopping him in his tracks.
"If you so much as touch a hair on her head, I'll send you to hell piece by fucking piece," I warned.
"If I touch her, I imagine there won't be anything left of me to tear apart before you even find out," he replied calmly.
I moved aside, though it killed me to let him run after her. I had to have faith in her decision. Right?
I stared at the doorway a moment before looking over my shoulder towards the others, only to find Peter staring as well. It meant a lot to me to feel the deep concern coming from him and he wasn't the only one feeling protective of my mate; Char and Rose's anxiety was through the roof and Emmett kept flexing his muscles angrily, as if willing himself to not go after her. Even Edward's concern had risen, and for once not for himself.
We all stood there silently staring at the open doorway, until a voice caused us all to turn around...
"I can't believe you are all blindly listening to Bella! She's insane!" Alice shrill voice rang out from the stair landing. "She's going to get you all killed!"
"There's irony for you," Peter remarked without missing a beat. "Cuckoo, meet clock. Clock, meet Cuckoo."
All eyes shot him an incredulous and slightly scolding look, to which he just shrugged, "What? You were all thinking it too. Bella's whole Maria plan is fucking crazy and well Alice is..."
"Alice, have you seen something?" Carlisle interrupted Peter while standing up.
"I...No," she stammered with wide eyes. "I can't see...anything. But that doesn't matter! You can't trust her! Didn't you hear what Eleazar said about her? You have to believe me! She's just after Jasper! That's what this is all about!"
Carlisle looked sadly at her. It was apparent he wasn't going to listen to anything Alice had to say for once. Thankfully.
"You need rest, sweetheart. Don't worry about these things. Why don't you and Edward head out now; though I'm afraid he'll need to return instead of staying there with you in Denali, in light of recent events," Carlisle told her gently, guiding her back up the stairs to get her bags while glancing over at Edward briefly in silent conversation. Esme and Carmen followed him up the stairs, their faces sympathetic and concerned for her mental well-being.
At this point I completely tuned it all out. I didn't care about Alice or any of her stupid psycho bullshit; didn't care if Edward went with her or stayed or what Carlisle was saying to him in his head.
Right now I had one thing on my mind and one thing only.
Once again my eyes traveled to the open door.
~O~O~O~O~
"You can stop being afraid of me. I was joking back there. I won't hurt you, no matter what you think I am," Bella said, studying his reactions to her proximity closely.
"You won't be able to control it," he stated rather bluntly.
"Hurting you?"
"Your gift. Eventually, the need to kill will be in your every waking thought until you are consumed with the need to kill other vampires."
"And how do you know this?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"Because you aren't the first with your type of gift. The most powerful, surely, but not the first," he explained.
"Where are they now, these others?" Bella asked hesitantly.
"There have been two others such as yourself, Isabella. Both are now dead."
"But I thought no vampire's gift was the same as another?" she inquired.
"That's true. Neither of them could project the way that you can – which is what makes you vastly most powerful than they were. They could merely shield themselves. One could only shield their sound and scent and the other could shield gifts as well the way that you can. Both were excellent fighters, although I suspect you are more powerful in that regard as well."
"What happened to them?" she asked, sitting down on the grass. Eleazar remained standing, though his posture relaxed somewhat at her non-aggressive pose.
"As the days went on, they both became consumed with their need to kill other vampires. In the end, the Volturi killed them once they had lost all control. Though that was not before Aro...made use of them-"
"Used them how?" Bella asked angrily.
"Aro has been searching for another gift such as yours for a very long time," Eleazar explained vaguely, avoiding the heart of her question. "He will, with certainty, ask you to join the guard-"
"But I won't join them..."
"And he won't let you go no matter what your answer to his invitation. Do you not see, child? Your ability to project your gift would provide unimaginable power for the Volturi when combined with their other talents. He won't let you go. He will kill us all to acquire you, rest assured."
"Acquire? I won't let that happen. That may have worked for him before with others and Chelsea, but I can assure you that won't work with me!" Bella growled, jumping to her feet.
He studied her for a few moments before finding his voice once more. "You judge her."
"She gave in," my mate replied speaking of Chelsea.
"Did she?" he pressed. "Tell me, when Aro has Jasper's head held between his palms and your words of allegiance are all that stand between its removal... What will your answer be, Isabella?"
Bella's breath grew to staggered pants; her anger steeping at the very thought. "Then I would plot his death every single fucking day until I could seize the opportunity," she growled defiantly.
"What makes you think she hasn't done the same?" Eleazar chided her. I grimaced, waiting for Bella's angry reply.
Her response shocked me.
"You're right."
"I am?" It apparently shocked him as well.
The path of their conversation detoured as Bella's face morphed again into one of a cunning strategist. "I bet that's exactly what she's done. I bet she imagines killing Aro every single day for keeping her and her mate prisoner. Why didn't I think of this sooner?"
Eleazar nodded, brows furrowed, not quite following where she was going.
"So what if we help her see that the opportunity that she's been waiting so long for now exists?" she hinted. "What if we offer her an alliance? Her and her mate fight with us in exchange for their freedom from Aro and the Volturi if we win."
Eleazar nodded again, his mind turning with possibility.
"How many do you think are under her influence?" Bella interrogated.
"I can't be certain. When I was with them it was but a small handful. Now, with Aro's quest and growing thirst for more power, I imagine it's many more, but I can't be certain."
"Enough to make a difference if they suddenly weren't feeling so...loyal?"
"Enough that I think combined with Maria's army we just might actually have a chance of surviving," he told her, hope creeping its way onto his face before he contained it.
"I have a plan, but...I'll need to shield us – all of us except for Maria and her army - for this to work. I've no idea how I shielded them before. Can you help me learn to control it?" she asked.
"The amount of time it would take to teach you...," he trailed off, his head shaking while staring into the distance.
"I can do this. I know that I can. I just need someone to teach me how," she promised, her eyes fierce.
He studied her for a moment before replying, "I believe that you might be able to. After all, you've been shielding Jasper this whole time, haven't you?"
She looked in my direction and I made my way quickly to her side.
"Then let's get started, we've no time to waste," he answered.
~O~O~O~O~
She stood in the center with Emmett on her right and Eleazar to her left. Peter stood alone about twenty feet away facing them. "Focus. Peter is the enemy and we do not know what gift he has. Under no circumstances can he be allowed to hear or sense our presence. You must shield us completely, do you understand?"
She closed her eyes for a few moments and then sighed heavily, already becoming frustrated. Eleazar glanced to Peter, but he shook his head negatively, indicating that it hadn't worked. I knew it hadn't worked, simply because I could feel her frustration building steadily. She wasn't blocking anything at all at the moment.
"Focus, Isabella," Eleazar admonished her, causing me to grip the tree at my back so I wouldn't go to her.
"It's Peter," she huffed in exasperation. "He's not the enemy, nor will he ever be...it's difficult. It would be so much easier with Jasper next to me. Can't he come stand here too?" she suggested, glancing anxiously over to me as our rope tugged on both of us slightly.
"No. You must do this without him; it will make you stronger and he won't always be right by your side. Now focus and try again," was all he responded with, causing her to frown deeply and the rope to give another swift tug. I know, baby, but you can do it – you can do anything, I told her silently with an encouraging nod of my head. Meanwhile, my fingers dug even further into the tree at my back.
She sighed wistfully and snapped her attention back to Peter. He nodded encouragingly at her as well, giving her a fake growl and hooking his hands into claws to urge her on. She chuckled at his attempts but her face became more serene after a few moments as her eyes shut slowly once again. After a few moments, there was a gentle rippling in the air current, so minute you could barely feel it, but it was there. Her eyes opened and Peter sniffed the air, his face contorted in concentration. I could feel nothing but Peter's awe as I watched my mate make them silent and scentless. I tried to send some lethargy through her shield but it simply floated around them, almost as if it were being redirected after hitting some type of invisible wall.
"He can't hear us either?" Emmett mouthed, bouncing in his place excitedly.
Peter shook his head. Though we could see they were speaking and read their lip movements, we could not hear them.
Eleazar looked to me and I shook my head, telling him that I could not use my gift on them either.
"Very good, Isabella," Eleazar mouthed, though his face did not indicate he was truly pleased and I could not hear his tone or feel his emotions to know for certain. "Now, Emmett, I want you to try to get through her shielding from the inside."
Emmett rubbed his hands together and nodded, happily up for the challenge. "Yo, Petey!" Emmett mouthed through a cupped hand, causing Bella to flinch. I could only assume from her reaction, that it was rather loud.
Nothing. We could hear nothing.
Emmett grinned mischievously, masking his lips with his hands so we couldn't read them. "My paper kicked your rock's ass, Petey boy! Face it, I will always beat you!" Emmett boomed.
What he hadn't noticed was the mischievous grin on my mate's face. We heard every single loud word. Apparently, she had figured out how to remove her shield with little effort.
Emmett laughed and then startled as Peter was suddenly right before him, grinning widely at him. "Is that so?" Peter asked smoothly.
Emmett went to respond and then suddenly realized what Peter had just said, causing his face to fall quickly. "Oh, shit. You heard that, didn't you?"
Peter simply pursed his lips and nodded his head gravely.
"Bellaaaahhh," Emmett whined, looking to her pleadingly.
"Yes, Emmett?" she cooed, all batting eyelashes and sweet, innocent smile. She really could be dangerous.
"You're mean," he pouted before dashing away with Peter hot on his heels.
She laughed unbidden as she watched Peter tackle Emmett to the ground. Her laughter sparked a heat inside me that I couldn't ignore any longer and I stalked purposefully towards her, approaching her from behind. I leaned down to her neck and placed a small kiss to her skin, causing her body to completely relax with a forceful exhale. "I love you," I whispered into her ear.
"Do you?" she asked coyly, looking up at me over her shoulder. I wound my arms around her and pulled her further back against me.
Eleazar shook his head in disapproval at our antics and stalked off into the surrounding forest. Neither of us could be bothered in that moment to care, though, as our rope wound us tightly together.
"So much," I whispered seriously, while I rubbed my nose up and down the smooth expanse of her neck.
"I want you," she admitted softly, exhaling sharply when I licked her skin. Her scent was so strong and needful.
I tilted her face up and kissed her deeply, causing her to moan into my mouth.
And then the moment was broken by the ringing of my cell phone. Fucking phones.
I pulled it from my pocket, both of us staring at it for a few moments as it continued to ring. I had a pretty good idea who was calling without having to look at the caller id, since everyone else was here. For once I had actually hoped it was Edward calling, though I knew it wasn't.
"What do you want, Alice," I answered brusquely.
"They're coming, Jasper," she replied quietly. "The Volturi will arrive in two days at dawn's break."
"And Maria?" I questioned in a business-like tone.
"I see her arriving shortly after them. Your plan will work, they'll follow Carlisle and your scent trails and they'll come face to face before you reveal yourselves...or so I assume that's the rest of the plan, since I can't actually see any of you with Bella in the way."
"Have you seen anything else, anything about the following battle?" I interrogated her further. This wasn't a fucking social call.
"No. That's all. But..." she said hesitantly.
"Then thank you for the information," I told her and hung up. I didn't need, nor want, anything that wasn't a vision from her.
~O~O~O~O~
It was in the last hours of practice on the night before the dawn that would bring the Volturi, that Bella's eyes darkened considerably and her hunger became more prominent. Still not over her last experience with intense hunger, I insisted she eat sooner rather than later. Emmett and Rosalie took her hunting, along with Peter and Char helping to monitor her from a distance, in case they were needed.
I decided to take the time to hunt as well before making my way to a perch nearby and above our waterfall. I needed this time alone to focus my thoughts a bit before the battle to come. I needed to really let it sink in that Peter, Char, and myself would be seeing Maria again – very soon.
It was as I was lost in those thoughts reliving old battles, old wounds, scars that would never fade, that her soft voice reached my ears.
"Jasper?"
Bella stood below staring up at me with concern. "Where were you just now?"
I shook my head. "Nowhere important."
"What's that?" I quickly redirected her attention as I gestured to a jar held in her hands. I was battling some intense emotions inside myself at the moment. I needed her to bring me back, to ground me, as only she could.
"Oh, um...it's mud," she replied, wrinkling her nose cutely.
"Mud?" I questioned incredulously. Why the hell is she carrying around a jar of mud?
"Emmett...," she began and that was all I needed to hear to begin nodding my head in understanding, "He thinks we should use it to camouflage ourselves, since I can't make us completely "disappear"," she explained with a shrug of her graceful shoulders and a roll of her beautiful eyes.
I didn't comment, simply raised an eyebrow as I stared in contemplation at the jar of mud.
"He just looked so damn excited about his idea, I didn't have the heart to tell him no. Don't worry, we don't have to actually..."
"No," I cut her off, hopping down from my stone ledge and landing in front of her on the leaf-covered ground. "I think it's a great idea," I finished with a small kiss to her lips.
"You do?" she breathed, pulling back in surprise and quite possibly questioning my sanity.
"I need you, Bella," I blurted out, pulling her body towards my own, unable to hold in my need for her any longer. "I need to be with you – I need you so much right now, baby," I admitted, feeling extremely vulnerable.
"I'm yours."
Two very simple words and yet they meant everything to me.
I swiftly lifted her up into my arms bridle-style with the jar of mud still cradled in her hands, and took off into a full run.
She squealed and asked what I planned to do with the mud but I didn't answer. She would see – and feel – soon enough.
When I reached the tree house, I bolted up the stairs and into our room. I set her down on her feet and carefully took the jar of mud from her hands to set it on the table beside the bed, directly underneath the lap so that it would warm. After that, I began undressing her very slowly. Once she was naked, I laid her down on her back on the bed, spread out before me like a canvas.
I studied her body with my eyes, every small dip and curve – never touching. She waited impatiently, her teeth nibbling on her bottom lip. I could see she wanted to ask, but she wanted to see where I was going with this just as much as I wanted to.
I reached over and picked up the jar. I held it with one hand while I dipped my fingertips into the smooth mud, testing to make sure it had warmed enough before coating them generously.
"Where to start...," I mused in contemplation.
Her breathing picked up as she understood.
"Turn your head to the side and move your hair for me, baby," I instructed, my warm, muddy fingers poised in wait over her throat. She obeyed immediately and her neck stretched out further as she felt my warm fingers drag down the side of her throat slowly.
She hummed, almost a purr as I traced her collarbones after reapplying the mud to my fingers.
"Do you like that? The warmth?" I purred into her ear. Our bodies were so cold that anything warm on our skin felt amazing. One of my favorite things, before Bella anyway, were warm showers or laying out in the sun. Now, my mind ran with ideas of what we could do with the warmth besides simply bask in it. "Imagine my warm body after a hot shower... Making love in the sun with my warm cock sliding inside you..."
"Yes," she moaned, arching her back invitingly. My cock moaned as well at the very thought.
My hand moved lower, tracing the generous curves of her breasts and circling her nipples, once, twice, and again. I left her nipples uncovered so that my mouth could enjoy them afterward.
I stared at my moving hand as my mud coated fingers slipped and slid smoothly over my mate's pale, unmarked skin, her breathing changing once more to small stuttering pants as I increased the pressure of my fingertips and drew further down her body. Continuing my course, I drew a steady line from hipbone to hipbone, dipping slightly in-between them, but not as far as she wished me to go, before flattening my palm and making my way back up to the center of her chest. I stopped at the gentle hollow created by her collarbones and admired my muddy work. She propped herself up on her elbows and looked down at her glorious body.
"I didn't know you were an artist," she commented genuinely, ghosting her own fingertips over what I had crudely drawn with the mud.
"I'm not," I disagreed. And yet, she was right. It was beautiful. "It's you that's beautiful."
"Hmm... But it's you who has made me naked and covered in mud while lying in this bed," she grinned, earning my deep, highly aroused, chuckle in return. My cock was thinking mud was good, but he had something else he'd really like to paint her with, and it wouldn't be warm. I rather liked his idea.
"That I did. Maybe I am an artist after all," I conceded, moving to sit beside her and set the jar on the table.
"Jasper?" she asked softly, her tone much more serious .
"Yes?" I asked, worried about her tone.
"People are going to die," she stated, not asked.
I sighed.
"It's war, Bella; people always die in war," I replied matter-of-fact. It was a harsh reality, but reality nonetheless, and I wouldn't lie to her or sugar coat what we were up against tomorrow. It would do her no good in keeping her safe. Though worrying too much would only harm our focus while fighting tomorrow – a distraction we didn't need.
"It won't just be them dying though, will it?" she asked, her tone trying to emit hope but there was too much uncertainty overriding it, also the first bit of fear that I'd felt from her.
"We are going to be okay, baby."
"You don't know that," she disagreed, her fingers now caressing my face lovingly. I opened my mouth to reassure her, but she pressed her fingers to my lips firmly ceasing their intended movement.
"Jasper, will you do something for me?" she asked, eyeing my lips.
"Hmm?" I hummed against her fingers, my lips parting slightly, causing her fingertip to meet the very tip of my tongue.
"Make love to me?" she begged urgently. As if she had to ask for such a thing, much less beg.
I waited for her to move her fingers from my lips and mouth but she hesitated for a moment. "And don't stop...not until it's dawn, please?" Her voice was so very needy and my own body instantly ached with the need to tend to her in return. Whatever you need, my mate. Anything you ever need.
I reached up and pulled her fingers away, pressing a small kiss to the tips, and then her palm, before answering her plea. "I won't stop, Bella. I promise I won't stop until we have to."
And I didn't.
~O~O~O~O~
An hour before dawn found us outside with the others, preparing for what was to come. Emmett surprisingly didn't comment on the mud that was on my arms and face, and that was probably because there was a small heart drawn in mud on his right cheek, along with Rosalie's name on his forehead. He wore it proudly though.
Peter was snickering at him until I saw Char discreetly, or not so discreetly, pat his ass cheek and then he instantly shut up. Something made me think she had branded him with that mud in a similar fashion – not that I really wanted to know, so I didn't ask.
It was as I was attempting to shake any mental images out, when I saw Edward walking over to Carlisle and Esme. I knew he was coming back to fight with us, which I had no problem with since his mind reading would be a useful tool and should be enough to help him through the battle even though he missed training with the others. What I did have a problem with, was the person following behind him and I darted over and stopped her mid step.
"What are you doing here?" I hissed, grabbing her upper arm and spinning her around.
"I came back with Edward," Alice gasped, looking around for his help. He had continued over to Carlisle, leaving her to fend for herself.
"I can see that. Why the fuck are you here?" I growled, losing patience. Today was not the day for things to go wrong. Not when everything was on the line, including my mate. She was a fool if she thought I'd let her try anything today.
"Jasper, they're my family too. I came back to fight with them, for them, just like you," she pleaded keeping her voice soft and non-aggressive, as she had wisely sensed that I wasn't fucking around.
"Part of that family includes Bella now, Alice, and I don't trust you around her," I argued, ready to pick her up and toss her as far as I could throw her to give her a head start back to the Denali's home.
She glanced over to Bella briefly and shifted from foot to foot – in heels, mind you. Who the fuck wears heels to fight in? Only Alice.
"I know she is and I promise I won't hurt her."
I just about laughed out loud at the mere insinuation that she could hurt Bella. Firstly, I'd kill her before she could get to her, and secondly, Bella would kill her before I could finish her off. I kept my thoughts to myself about that, however, and simply addressed the rest.
"I can't be worried about you going psycho on anyone; not today, Alice. No," I refused, moving to walk away from her. The conversation was over in my opinion, but not in hers. Surprise, surprise.
"Would you just listen to what I'm saying for a minute, please? I promise I will never ask another thing of you!"
Something about her tone stopped me in my tracks. Perhaps it was our history, perhaps it was the fact that she had helped me at a very difficult time in my life and I did owe her for that. Whatever it was exactly, I knew I had to hear her out...with a time limit of course.
"One minute," I repeated back to her. One minute to prove she was still completely insane; it seemed fair to me.
"Thank you," she sighed. She was quiet for a few moments and I rolled my eyes about ready to walk away again when she finally started talking.
"Carlisle put a hold on all my credit cards and my bank account after I reached the Denali's. I called him, sure there was some misunderstanding, but he claimed it was for my own good – "that it would help me focus on what was important" - ", she shivered at the memory as she quoted him. "I tried to get Edward to loan me some of his but he refused. Carlisle got to him first."
I wasn't in the mood for listening to her whine about not being able to shop while the rest of us trained to fight for our lives, and my anger was beginning to drift heavily into the air around us.
"The point is," she rushed out trying to hold my attention and keep my anger at bay. "There is nothing to do when you are surrounded by several feet of snow, ice, and trees, but hunt...and think.
"I did a lot of thinking while I was gone, Jasper. I know our relationship wasn't always the best and if we're being honest, I think both of us knew we weren't like the other mated couples and we both chose to ignore that fact and continue on with it anyway," she said, raising her eyebrow at me. It was true, I was as accountable for our relationship as she was.
"But you have to understand what led me to my breaking point. You need to see it from my point of view. I love you..."
"Alice," I warned. I wouldn't stand here and hear this shit all over again.
"We may have had problems and we may not have been true mates but I love you and you loved me, too," she stated. "And then one day, Bella appears and you just stopped! How was I supposed to understand that? How was I supposed to make peace with that in the blink of an eye, Jasper? I understand now, but I didn't then."
"You understand now...?" I questioned not believing her, though her emotions weren't showing any dishonesty.
"Carmen explained it to me," she replied with a nod.
My raised eyebrow clued her in to continue.
"She told me that it wasn't your fault that your emotions changed, that you had no control over your feelings, that our true mates rule above any and all others. She told me that your love for me didn't really vanish, that you still love me but that it's a friendship or familial love now and that I needed to accept that before I returned to the family. She said I needed to realize there was no going back to what we were and that I needed to let that part of us go."
I cleared my throat unnecessarily. "And have you, accepted that?"
"Yes, but I can't say it's easy. It hurts, Jasper. Unlike you, I don't have a mate to turn my love off for you. It will take some time but I do understand your actions now at least and I promise I won't cause any more problems. I know nothing excuses what I've done. I'm not proud of the way I've acted, and I am so sorry – to all of you. I went a little crazy, I guess. I know it definitely wasn't my shining moment, that's for sure," she grimaced and I nodded in agreement.
"I..I can see that you are truly happy and at peace with her," she said, her voice hoarse. "And I know now that we can't ever have that kind of connection. You deserve to be happy and I need to let you go."
I hadn't stopped to consider how this was from her point of view, and I can't imagine how difficult it was for her.
Her head was down, her eyes staring into the ground as her small body swayed slightly, but still she stood her ground in front of me, begging me to give her one more chance.
"You deserve happiness too, Alice, and you will find it," I told her, hoping to console her at least a little bit.
"I hope so," she whispered, more to herself that to me. It was clear she wasn't sure she believed she would.
She would always have a place in my history. But what about in my future? Surprisingly, I found that I did want her in my future...as a friend.
"I hope you've brought a different pair of shoes or you plan to go barefoot, 'cause you are not wearing those to fight in," I told her sternly, pointing to her shoes and shaking my head in exasperation.
Her head snapped up and she instantly dropped her bag to the ground from her shoulder; it landed with a small thud. She gleefully began rummaging through it until she plucked a pair of hiking boots out and held them up to me proudly.
They were pink.
With small gemstones glued onto them in patterns.
The laces had glitter on them.
They were hideous.
"How did you buy those? I thought you had no money?" I asked, slightly dazed by the gemstones and glitter. The pink was surprisingly the least awful thing about them.
"It was the only thing Edward would give me money for," she explained with a small sigh, looking down at the boots adoringly. "They were all boring and brown until I made them pretty. Aren't they cute?"
"Uh, sure?" I mean really, what was I supposed to fucking say? I was trying to cheer her up and I didn't think telling her they were the ugliest boots in the world would do that. Though I did begin to wonder if she wasn't truly insane if she thought they were cute. It didn't seem like something she'd normally wear but I finally reasoned it must be the result of being cut off from shopping. I made a mental note to tell Carlisle to reopen her accounts as soon as possible before we all were dressed in pink with glitter. It was bad enough we sparkled in the sun, no need to add glitter to the mix.
"So, I can stay?" she asked warily, holding the boots to her chest.
"You can stay," I confirmed, unable to contain a smile when she began jumping up and down and dashed over to hug Edward, followed by Esme and Carmen. She didn't push the boundaries by trying to hug me and I was actually glad she was happy, at least for the moment.
Char was another matter. She was scowling at me while Peter whispered into her ear and Bella held onto her hand. Bella gave me a small smile and she let me feel her emotions – pride, love, and compassion – she didn't mind what I had done by letting Alice stay.
I'd deal with Char later.
With that mess out of the way, the minutes had ticked by and it was time to focus on what was ahead. I made my way over to the others, who had begun to form a line. I paced in front of them as they grew silent, watching me, waiting for my words of wisdom. I wasn't sure they were going to like what I had to say, but it needed to be said anyway.
"Most of you have never fought in a battle such as what is to come. Some of you have never fought at all." I paused my pacing and stood still before them, monitoring their emotions closely.
"Listen to me carefully... Mercy has no place on a battlefield. If you show mercy today; if you let one go because they 'surrendered'; if you listen to their fake pleas and falter; if you think they are disposed of enough that you can return to finish them off later... I guarantee you will regret that decision. They will be all to eager to finish you off when you are in their position. These are not vampires with a conscience. These are monsters we face today. Monsters who will tear your mate and family apart piece by fucking piece and bathe in their venom. Remember that when you have the desire to show them mercy," I spat the word, coated in venom, onto the ground before us.
My eyes locked with Carlisle's as their shock hit me and they eyed my spat venom seeping into the ground, taking the word deep into the earth where it belonged; buried and forgotten. This entire area will be covered in venom once we are done here today, a good portion of it our own – Did they realize that? Char and Peter, yes. The others, they had no idea what war was like between vampires. There were no guns or bombs; no airplanes or tanks. There were teeth and fists, legs and arms, and hands ready to grab hold and crush.
I could only hope they listened as I wordlessly climbed to the very top of the nearest tree and got into our waiting position.
Bella stood with the others a moment before she began climbing to the top of the tree. She positioned herself beside me on the branch, her hand reaching beneath the hem of my shirt as she stared into my eyes a moment.
She turned her gaze in the direction our enemies would travel as her fingertips found what she was searching for: the "M" scarred into my flesh beneath my shirt.
"No mercy," she whispered.
~O~O~O~O~
"99 vampires sitting in a tree, 99 vampires in a tree! Take one down, tear them apart and burn the pieces, 98 vampires sitting in a tree..," Emmett boomed, almost shaking the tree he was perched on next to Rose with the sheer level of his voice.
"91 vampires sitting in a tree..," Emmett still continued on ignoring our protests, that is until Rose smacked him good and hard. "Ouch!"
"Would you shut the fuck up already? I'd rather not listen to a song about being torn apart right now, and there aren't even 99 of us, you idiot," Rose growled at him.
"Well it would be a really short song if I sang 15 vampires," Emmett defended with a pout.
"Keep singing it and there will be only 14 vampires sitting in a tree," she warned him.
It was silent after that, but rather obvious he was still singing it in his own head from the small, smug smile on his face.
I believe he made it to down to 62 when the Volturi finally arrived.
~O~O~O~O~
"Demetri!" Aro growled harshly, motioning with his hand for him to come forward.
Demetri stepped closer with a look of confusion and panic. He couldn't find us, and he was in deep shit because of that fact.
"Where are they? You keep leading us here, and yet, no one is here. What game are you playing?" Aro hissed, his eyes flickering over to Jane briefly.
"Master, I swear to you, they were here! I...I swear this is where I sensed Carlisle, their coven leader," Demetri answered hurriedly, not missing the brief look Aro gave Jane. He obviously did not wish to feel her gift.
"If you are lying...," Aro began as he went to grab Demetri's hand to see for himself, but was cut off quickly as they suddenly sensed the presence of other vampires rapidly approaching.
My own body grew tense and a growl rattled the very cages of my ribs, as I too felt her wicked presence invade my senses once more. I could also feel Peter and Char's anxiety increasing ten fold. Bella's hand squeezed mine.
"Who?" Aro practically threw the question at Demetri.
Demetri inhaled deeply, his head tilting to the side to hear better.
"I think it's Maria, Master," Demetri finally said, shrinking back further under Aro's stony gaze.
"Maria," Aro repeated, his voice studying the name while it rolled around inside his head. "Now what would she be doing here?" Aro sniffed the air deeply himself, as if in disbelief, as if the best tracker in the world could be wrong. As the sound of her approach grew louder, it was clear it was more than just Maria.
"And with an army at that?" Aro mused aloud, his milky, red eyes darting around as Maria and her newborn's footsteps grew louder still, closer, with each passing minute. They were moving quickly, and headed straight for them; following my scent trail, just as we had planned for them to.
"Stop!" an all too familiar voice commanded.
Bella's eyes left mine as the newborns stopped in their tracks directly before the Volturi, catching her first slight glimpse from afar of my maker through the heavy cover of branches and foliage. I watched her reaction carefully, worried she might lose her concentration and cause her shield to not protect everyone. Her eyes clenched shut and her body began to practically vibrate with the need to leap from the tree. The branch we sat on creaked in protest as she clutched onto it with a pleading grasp, begging it silently to anchor her just a few moments longer.
"Bella?" I whispered, feeling the shield around us begin to weaken. "Look at me, baby."
She opened her eyes slowly and I inhaled sharply in surprise. Her eyes were still very red from the human blood, but they now had paths of orange around her pupil from the animal blood she had consumed. She literally looked like she had fire burning in her eyes, her gaze lit with unbridled rage.
"We stick to the plan. Her time will come, I promise you. Stick to the plan, don't let her get to you," I reminded her, cupping her face to keep her focused on me. "Don't let her win."
Maria was clever, she would use whatever she could to throw Bella off once she realized she had a gift and was an actual threat, and I was the perfect ammunition.
Bella nodded, her breath leaving her and her body relaxing as she focused on only me.
"That's good, baby. Very good. You have this. You are doing so good," I encouraged her feeling her shield strengthen around us again with each word I spoke.
"Aro," Maria spoke, causing Bella's eyes to leave mine and focus again on our enemies.
"Maria," Aro greeted, his tone light, curious, and friendly. And also fake as hell.
Maria scanned the guard, her eyes narrowing slightly before focusing again on Aro. "You are far from home, Aro."
Aro chuckled. "I could say the same for you. What brings you... and your army... here, of all places?" he asked with feigned ignorance.
"I'm simply here to see a friend," Maria replied, her tone mimicking Aro's. Cat and mouse – they do so love their fucking games.
"I did not know you and Carlisle were friends," Aro replied, goading her. He knew she wasn't here for Carlisle.
"We're not," she replied simply.
There was silence as they stared each other down, each waiting for the other to give the first piece of information.
"Well, then," Aro broke the silence first. "I assume you are here to meet Jasper's new mate," he taunted.
Maria answered with a hiss.
Aro chuckled, earning a low growl from her as well. Her newborns shifted from foot to foot in response. Aro's guard moved in response as well, shifting their position slightly to counter theirs.
"Where is Jasper?" Maria growled, all semblance of niceties gone from her tone.
"Where ever Carlisle is, I imagine,"Aro answered in annoyance, ignoring her tone, while once again scanning his surroundings. Maria did the same as Demetri once again attempted to sniff us out with no success. Bella smiled.
"It would appear that Jasper's mate is quite gifted," Aro said.
Maria's responding hiss went unacknowledged by Aro this time.
"Carlisle, old friend, is this how you treat all your friends? By hiding? Come out, come out, we have much catching up to do," Aro called out.
Bella looked to Carlisle for the signal to move into position behind the Volturi, but he shook his head negatively. She looked to me for my decision and I mimicked Carlisle – He knew Aro, and I knew Maria. We had agreed that if Carlisle or I felt we needed to wait for any reason, then that's what would happen. I didn't know what Carlisle's reasoning was for wanting to wait. But I knew that Maria needed to be angrier, more frustrated, before we revealed ourselves – she needed to feel some desperation at her situation to help her make the decision to go against the Volturi. So we stayed put, hidden high up in the trees - for now.
"Why have you come here to kill your beloved Carlisle?" Maria prodded after it was clear we weren't going to show ourselves. "What has he done, Aro? Stepped on your toes has he? Perhaps broken one of your more beloved rules?"
Aro sighed and ceased looking around to face her one more, and this time there was no amusement or game playing – just anger. "Have you come here to try and kill Jasper's new mate?"
"Try?" she scoffed, unable to help her wicked self. "I plan to have her head mounted on my wall above my bed. She will watch while Jasper pleasures me for the rest of eternity."
Bella's breath left her on a menacing growl while my own anger became too much to control and it seeped heavily into the air, barely confined underneath Bella's shield.
"Not yet. Stay where you are. Let him dig his own grave," Carlisle called out to us urgently, sensing my resolve wavering.
"You really are a sick one, Maria," Aro said with slight disgust. "Even so, I would normally leave you to it, but this time I'm afraid you are over-stepping your boundaries here. You need to leave," Aro ordered.
"You can have your precious Carlisle, and any others. I don't want them. Just give me the girl and Jasper," Maria demanded.
"The girl is ours," Caius spoke up. "Leave now."
"Or die," Jane added, an anticipatory look on her face as she glared at Maria with hatred. Not a fan, I guess – can't say I blame her.
Aro held up a hand to silence them and extended his other towards Marcus. Marcus stepped forward and touched Aro's hand for a brief moment before stepping back again, his face completely impassive the entire time.
"Why risk yourself for Jasper? You still have no tethers to anyone..."
"He is mine," Maria hissed.
"But-," Aro started to argue.
"He is mine," Maria interrupted with a menacing growl, causing her newborns to shift restlessly once more.
Aro hummed, his finger poised in front of his lips to keep everyone silent as he thought. "As I am a fair ruler, I will allow you to have Jasper," Aro offered graciously finally.
"And the girl..."
"Is ours, I'm afraid."
"But you won't kill her, will you?" she screeched, her hands pulling at her hair in frustration. "She must die, at the very least!"
"What we do with her is none of your concern. Take Jasper. Do what you will with him. You do not touch his mate. Those are our conditions or..."
"Die," Jane finished for Aro with a sickly sweet tone and smile.
"Aro has to know that I would never let Maria take you, right?" Bella asked me, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"He knows," Carlisle answered her before me, his tone completely unsurprised.
"I'd kill her though..."
"I think that's what he wants," I answered this time. "I have a feeling he would have killed her long ago but she always skirts the edge of their rules, never truly breaking them. It wouldn't make them look very good if they killed her without a valid reason – too many witnesses in that area of the world for that. But if, say, my mate took her out for trying to take me away...it wouldn't be their fault, now would it?"
"So he's already trying to use me to do his bidding?" Bella hissed.
"Yes," Eleazar said knowingly, his eyes locked with Bella's.
"Well, let's just see how well that works out for him then," she growled. "Shall we?" she asked, once again looking to me and Carlisle for orders to move, her eyes fierce with determination.
As Carlisle and I looked to each other to make our decision, we could feel Bella's gift flexing around us; as if it were alive and breathing with her.
We both nodded...
It was time.
~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
AN:
Who knew mud could be so...dirty. ;) I would love to hear your thoughts!