A/N: hello my wonderful friends! Here's a new one for you. this is a Sam and Bella romance! Alternate universe
Chapter 1: Mercy
Fire was everywhere. The dark thick clouds of smoke normally make it hard for one to breathe. However, none of it affected the man strolling through the burning grass as if it were a cool Sunday morning. It wouldn't affect him anyway he was a vampire of course. The flame was dangerous but he was paying close attention to his surroundings.
" well, they sure did a number on these lands. Trees were torn from their root! Dead animals, burning land for miles. I say we have about two minutes five max before the humans come running in. You see anything else we need to dispose of?" he questioned his partner.
"No, we got rid of any lingering newborns. any signs of our kind have been covered up and for now, the humans will think it was just some freak natural disaster." His partner James informed him.
" All right then. Let's go report back to the masters."
The duo were just about to leave when Alistair froze. The fire was getting stronger and they needed to leave but something was stopping him.
" Alistair what are you doing! We need to get out of here!" James urged as a fire began to move.
Alistair ignored him and focused on the pull. It was strange but not menacing.
The problem was that the pull was leading him to a fallen tree that flames had surrounded.
Just as he was walking towards it, he felt a hand on his arm.
Looking backwards he saw James looking at him like he was insane.
"Are you trying to kill yourself! Let's go!"
" I can't! I know this is crazy but I feel like someone is pulling me! I have to go over there!" he explained and then he dashed through the wall of fire and towards the fallen tree. He was quick to pat himself down and make sure there were no flames.
As he stepped toward the fallen tree, it was then he heard it. The sounds of a weak heartbeat, and shallow breathing.
He kneeled to the ground to see a tiny child tucked in a shallow hole in the tree. She was lying in a pool of blood.
Without hesitation, he picked up the tree and threw it. Shouting to James that he found someone.
"A human?" James shouted back. They normally could hear each other just fine but with fire in their presence, their flight instincts were in overdrive.
Alistair didn't answer as he picked up the little girl, hissing as her blood coated her skin. When he glanced over for her arm, he wanted to gag. Her arm was in pieces and thrown in a pile next to her.
That could have only been done by a vampire. He thought.
The little girl whimpered in his arms. her pupils were blown wide and she was shivering. He wasn't a doctor but he knew enough to know she was going into shock.
He was quick to jump over the fire, laying the girl down at James' feet. He then ran back and made sure to throw her mutilated arm into the fire. They couldn't leave any evidence.
When he came back, he found James with his hand over his mouth looking at the little girl in shock.
"Alistair.. what- how…why?" was all James could ask.
Alistair shook his head. He had no answers for his partner.
He then crouched down to the little girl. She was whimpering and gasping in pain. Blood was pouring out. To make matters worse, the little girl had been bitten and drunk multiple times. Her ribs which were shown through her torn shirt, had bites all over. How was she not dead yet?
As he looked at her, a pair of brown eyes that he hadn't seen in a millennium flashed through his mind.
Eleanor? He questioned to himself. This little girl reminded him of Eleanor. But why was he just now remembering her? he hadn't thought of her since the day he was changed.
Alistair was quick to bring himself back from the memories of his sister and looked at the little girl at their feet.
"Alistair we have to go. We don't have time for this human." James pleaded. " the other humans will be here, they can…handle her."
Alistair shook his head.
"she's bitten. Then we will be exposed. I need to close her wound."
"well hurry. I'd say we have about 1 minute. I can hear the sirens." James warned.
Alistair was quick to lick the girl's wound closed and picked her up she cried in pain and Alistair talked quietly to her.
"SSH young one. Everything will be alright. let's go." He instructed James.
After an hour of running, the girl passed out in his arms.
They were currently heading to the tarmac that held their coven's jet. The flight would be 11 hours. Would the little girl make it? what else had she been through?
"Alistair, what are we doing with this human? We are disposing of her correct? We can not bring her back to Italy. The masters would surely rip our heads off. "James reminded him.
"she's been bitten James, and she's not changing. The change would have started by now. We can't kill her, we can't take her to a hospital and we can't leave her here to die." Alistair argued.
James shook his head.
"the masters will not be pleased."
When they finally boarded the plane, the little girl began to shiver. They were in the middle of Texas, she shouldn't be cold.
He was quick, to rush her into one of the back rooms. He had no clue what a human needed, so he had to google everything. it had been a millennium since he saw a human he wasn't going to drain.
This was crazy, why was he so concerned about a little girl that would die in a few hours?
Maybe he was trying to make up for killing his sisters. The only one to escape was Eleanor and she had been dead for years.
But why did he risk his life for this child? nothing was making sense.
Currently, he was trying to bring down her fever, by covering her in ice. Maybe she was changing? Her death would come early and It would be by his hands.
The door opened and James poked his head in.
"Hey, we need to write these reports before we get home. Gift or no gift, Master Aro is still old-fashioned."
Alistair nodded and left the little girl. Maybe she would die in the warm comforts of a bed?
with that morbid thought, Alistair left the girl.
…
To his shock, eleven hours later, the little girl was still breathing. And she was awake! Barely but enough to look at him with fear.
"don't…don't hurt me… please… " she began to cry.
Alistair's eyes widened as the scent of her fear filled the room. he had tried not to breathe but he couldn't resist. The scent and taste of her blood were sweeter than anyone he had ever tasted. Even then, he still had no urge to kill her.
The door burst open as James appeared. His eyes were black.
"she smells …divine. We'll be landing in thirty minutes. You better have a good explanation for the masters."
The little girl shrieked at the sight of James. Alistair was quick to slam the door in his face.
"hush now angel, no one will hurt you."
"You can't promise her that." He heard James hiss.
Alistair rolled his eyes. James was all bark and no bite. He may like to play with his food but he would never hurt a child.
"Everything hurts…" she cried. " and im hot.."
Alistair sighed in frustration. They didn't have any human medications on the plane. Why would they need them?
But he could help cool her down.
"can I help you cool down?" he asked.
"You not going to eat me, are you? like the bad people ate my parents?"
Alistair cringed.
"no angel. No one will eat you."
She stared at him with her wide, tired brown eyes. She had long chestnut hair with flecks of red. She had to be no more than six. Maybe seven?
And she was so tiny.
"o- ok.. you can help me.." she whispered.
Alistair made sure to keep her wrapped in a blanket as he brought her towards his lap. Her clothes were still ripped and singed barely covering her body.
She shivered at first but then relaxed into his chest.
"what's gonna happen now?" She asked between yawns and trembles.
"I don't know angel. Unfortunately, I can't promise you too much. Tell me where else do you hurt? Are you burning?"
She scrunched her nose as she thought.
"my whole body hurts and no burning.."
"alright. you try to sleep and well figure some things out."
"I miss my mommy and daddy." She told him.
"I am sorry young one."
"can you tell me a story? My daddy would always tell me a story."
"I can try…umm…once upon a time.."
….
Aro clicked the remote to a different channel in frustration. He was in the conference room, waiting as the guard returned from some of their various missions.
He had sent a small convoy to Germany, to help settle some coven disputes over land.
His brother, Caius was out with a group to deal with their mafia alliance. While his brother Marcus, was down in the training room retraining some of the newer guards.
They normally left it up to their head of guard Santiago but Marcus sent him out on a mission.
As it was, Aro was currently watching an American news show about the fires in Texas. They had assigned two of their best trackers to that area to take out the vampires that caused the fires in the first place. It was the month of November, there shouldn't be any wildfires in Texas at the moment, and that pointed to careless vampires.
He was anxious for the report. But he rather wait in the conference room than the throne room.
The throne room was for more important matters, such as coven disputes and putting one on trial. It was meant for intimidation, not for when the guard was giving their report.
He could go wait in his office but then he'd want to see his wife and she was busy herself.
She would be mad at him if he distracted her while she worked.
Just when he thought he'd lose his mind, with impatience, a knock sounded on the door.
"oh thank heavens come in!"
The door opened to reveal James witherdale. One of their top trackers. Of course, the oldest of them all was Alistair. The latter of whom was not present. James smelled like smoke and blood. Blood that smelled divine.
"James, oh my! Did you drain a human on your way home? And where is Alistair?"
"I'm sorry master for my appearance and the smell. I know it is enticing."
"nonsense child, I am old enough to control myself. Now where is Alistair don't make me repeat myself."
James sighed as he gave his report. When they came upon the Texan farm, everything was on fire. They had found a couple of remaining newborns and tore them to pieces. Not before getting some information of course. Their creator was Maria.
Aro growled and pushed his hair back.
"That blasted wench. It seems we may have to take her down earlier than expected. Was she alone?"
James shook his head.
" Vladimir, Stephan, and a man named Kevin were with her."
Aro cussed.
"of course, blasted Romanians. We will have to find out who this Kevin is. But that does not explain why Alistair is not here."
"Master Aro, after we cleared the area. We were getting ready to leave but then Alistair found something strange. He found a human girl. A child. She had been bitten and one of her arms cut off and mutilated. He ran through fire to get to her. he then sealed her wound with venom and catered to her until we got her. he has her locked in his quarters, saying he wishes to see you.."
Aro looked at James in bewilderment. Out of all his guards, Alistair had been with them since the Volturi was created. He was one of their most trusted Guards, so what bewitched him to make such a drastic decision?
"show me," he ordered. Like many but not all vampires, Aro had a gift. He could see all the thoughts someone had up to the present. He could also show his thoughts to others.
Aro saw the events from James' eyes and hissed.
He would need to see the child for himself.
With lightning speed, he was standing in front of Alistair's chambers. James catching up with him. To his surprise, Afton was standing in front of the door as well.
"master." Afton greeted.
"why are you standing out here?" Aro asked in agitation.
"waiting for your presence. I could smell the human a mile away. it has some of the guards riled up."
"tell them to go to the gardens if they cannot handle it!" Aro ordered. He then opened his mouth for Alistair to open the door, but Alistair was already doing it.
" my king. Please come in." he then closed the door not allowing Afton or James to see what would happen next.
