52 Weeks
by Wizardtho
Chapter 19:
JWPOV
I’ve been pretendin’ to read this book in Caius’ suite for the better part of 2 hours, but it allowed me to finalize a trainin’ strategy, from the ideas Pete and Char gave me. Hell, they’ve spent as much time with Bella as I have lately, so it’s really just a meetin’ of the minds. What I finally nail down is solid. It’ll be fast-paced, and it’ll put her through hell mentally at first, but this strategy will damn sure break through those newborn stumblin’ blocks without torture or dismemberment.
This quiet time has also let me reflect on the whole Edward returnin’ thing. Somethin’s off… 2 plus 2 is addin’ up to 7, not 4. A part of the equation is missin’, and it has to do with either Alice or Esme. I’d bet my boots on it.
Just as I stand to go prove my theory in the throne room, where Aro and Marcus are currently startin’ to deal with the Cullens, Caius opens the door to his private bedroom. “You may visit her now, if you still wish.”
I give him a small smile and nod as I send him my gratitude, but I say, “Only for a minute, ‘cuz somethin’s gnawin’ at my brain about Fuckhead’s return. I wanna head to the throne room before Aro’s done with the Cullens.”
He hums in his throat slightly, then offers, “Take time for your visit. I will make sure Aro does not let them leave the throne room before your arrival.” His fingers tap out a quick message before he hits send on his phone.
A chair is placed next to the bed near Bella, so I quickly sit and take her hand. “I know this sucks, Little Darlin’, but it’ll all be over soon.”
Bella sends me a mix of pain, crazed mania, and the feelin’ of desperately fightin’. I know what she’s needin’. After scratchin’ at my shoulder where the pain was briefly felt, I pat her hand, “I know. He can’t hurtcha again. He’s currently hangin’ in the torture chamber, his head in a box across the room.”
Caius looks at me curiously, so I offer, “I’ve always been able to just understand the reasons underneath her emotions. No, it’s never happened this way with anyone else, and no, we haven’t ‘tried’ to expand it since my return to the castle. Until now, I’ve never said a word about it. Hell, I don’t even know if Bella knew about it.”
After a nod of acceptance from Caius, I explained, “She shared with me her pain from Edward tryin’a drain her, his crazed and frantic attitude, and her desperation to fight him off and make her shield work. She may have overheard snippets at some point, but she can’t exactly ask you in her state, and she knows I won’t lie to her. She needed to know that he can’t reach her again… that he’s gonna be punished.”
I’ve seen the king before me literally tear a vampire in half with his bare hands, and he’s practically always spoilin’ for a fight, but a tender Caius Volturi is somethin’ only a select few would ever be privileged enough to witness. Wantin’ to keep my tongue intact, I keep my mouth shut while he tends to my sister, soothin’ and reassurin’ her that the boy -and all involved- will suffer greatly.
It’s only a few minutes before Caius nods for me to continue my visit, so I take Bella’s hand again as I lean enough to kiss her forehead. “Sugar, I’d love to stay, but you’re already in the best hands available. The best way for me to help ya is to go figure this shit out. I need to get to the throne room to find out who put a bug in Edward’s ear.”
Bella suddenly tightens her hand in mine while sendin’ me the feelin’ she used to associate with Esme. I hum in thought, “She’s one’a my suspects. Ya think Esme convinced him to come for ya?”
Bella squeezes my hand again while sendin’ me the agreement in her feelin’s, but Caius says in confirmation, “Isabella stated to me that Carlisle and Esme were talking in one of the rooms before the initial sentencing was passed. She and Sulpicia heard them while walking down a hallway. Esme was adamant that Isabella belonged with them… specifically with Edward, and that she not be left in the castle with human drinkers.”
I nod, quickly kiss Bella’s cheek, then whisper, “Rest with your mate, Li’l Darlin. I’ll go let Aro know that Esme needs to be looked at closely. We’ll get this figured out, I promise.” I’m out the door with a nod to Caius, makin’ my way quickly to the throne room.
AVPOV
My sweet Sulpicia. Oh, how I love her. Her soothing attention is the only reason I am calm enough to deal with this fucking coven right now. Deep in my soul, I know either the patriarch, his mate, or little Mary Alice are hiding something. One of them was in league with the sorry excuse for a vampire now hanging in the torture chamber. I doubt it was the McCarty mates. They truly do not seem the type.
Santiago leads the coven into the throne room just as my phone vibrates in my pocket. I quickly check to make sure Isabella is not in need of me again. Instead, Caius is warning me to stall, saying that Major Whitlock has a hunch.
Hmm… that means the McCarty mates are to be read first.
They stop in the center of the room, and I choose not to stand from my throne to even greet them. “Do you know why you were called to return?”
Though his words are soft-spoken, I can clearly hear Carlisle say, “We were only told that Edward was found back in the castle after our departure.”
Esme tries to ask where her ‘son’ is, but Carlisle quickly hushes her, reminding her that they need to tread carefully in a whisper so soft I nearly didn’t catch it.
Rising from my seat, I just now realize I still have Isabella’s blood on my shirt, but that fact will only help me in the moments to come, especially with Caius' throne empty. They will surely smell Isabella's blood when I walk down to read them.
“Yes. Edward Masen Cullen was found on castle grounds after he had specifically been told he was not to return. Not only was he found on the grounds, but he had abducted a king’s marked mate, and was in the process of draining her.”
I take a deep breath to calm as I watch Carlisle nearly double over as if the wind was knocked out of him, Esme gasp in outrage as she holds tight to Carlisle’s arm, Emmett ask, “Where is the little punk, so I can kill him,” Rosalie become overwhelmed with sadness for the situation, and Alice fall to her knees as she cries out, “Please, no! Is Bella alright?”
I see Rosalie and Emmett both looking at the deep red stain on my shirt as I reach them, “Each of you is here to be read thoroughly. At the conclusion of this meeting, you will either be cleared of wrongdoing… or you will be found guilty.”
Emmett and Rosalie both offer me their hands, and Rosalie says, “I may not particularly have liked her, but I would never condone Edward kidnapping or draining her. We all knew from her bracelet that Lord Caius had claimed her as his mate that day.”
I nod as I take Rosalie’s hand, and though I have my answer in a few short seconds, I draw out the time that I seem to be reading her. Not only is this giving Marcus time to delve deeply into her relationship lines, but it is giving Whitlock time to arrive.
I do the same with her mate, Emmett. Neither is a concern as far as Isabella goes, but I back up and return to the thrones, talking quietly with Marcus for several minutes. When I do speak, I am standing tall and facing the coven, though my words are directly for the McCarty mates. “Concerning the mated pair of Emmett McCarty and Rosalie Hale McCarty… you have been found innocent of aiding in the abduction and murder of a royal. You have also been found innocent of conspiring with Edward Masen Cullen in any manner. You are free to wait in the reception area if you choose, or you may stay with your coven.”
Though the McCarty mates do not leave the throne room, they seem to shrink themselves as far as possible into a corner along the back wall.
I now have a choice to make. Does my intuition lead me toward the patriarch and his mate being involved? Or is little Mary Alice Brandon the culprit? After reading the McCarty mates, I am even more inclined to believe it may be ‘Daddy and Mommy’ behind this, so I slowly walk toward Mary Alice. She willingly offers her hand as venom pools in her eyes, asking in a choked voice, “Please, Sire. Is Bella alright? Tell me someone got to her in time.”
I take her hand, pat it with the other, then shake my head, “In due time, Miss Brandon.” Closing my eyes, I am assaulted with a mix of visions, conversations, and worry. I pick through each slowly, as it seems Mary Alice’s vision capability has now expanded to the past. While watching the small pieces she was able to see during the journey here, something curious happens. The doors to the throne room open, bringing the soft scent of Esme’s perfume our way on the shifting air. Jasper stops at my side, but I am suddenly watching a brand new vision as Mary Alice gasps.
Esme and Edward are in the woods somewhere. Edward is whining about how Isabella didn’t even speak to him before they were ordered from the castle. He is sure he could have convinced her to come back to him if he had been given the chance. Esme mentions all of the human drinkers in the castle, stating that she believes the bracelet was a ruse, and Caius must be keeping her as a pet against her will. He is ruthless, after all, and he himself is a human drinker. Bella surely won’t last long in the castle, and Edward needs to bring her home, where she belongs with him.”
Mary Alice and I both gasp at this information, and she cries out in horror, “No! Esme, how could you?!” just as I call for the guards to detain both Esme and Carlisle separately.
Both Carlisle and Esme struggle as the guards carry out their orders flawlessly, but Jasper smirks as my eyes catch his, “Looks like my trip was wasted. On a hunch from my recent visit, I was gonna tell ya Esme needed to be looked at carefully. Shit just wasn’t addin’ up properly. Seems my dear ex spilled the beans for me, though.”
JWPOV
I’ve been pretendin’ to read this book in Caius’ suite for the better part of 2 hours, but it allowed me to finalize a trainin’ strategy, from the ideas Pete and Char gave me. Hell, they’ve spent as much time with Bella as I have lately, so it’s really just a meetin’ of the minds. What I finally nail down is solid. It’ll be fast-paced, and it’ll put her through hell mentally at first, but this strategy will damn sure break through those newborn stumblin’ blocks without torture or dismemberment.
This quiet time has also let me reflect on the whole Edward returnin’ thing. Somethin’s off… 2 plus 2 is addin’ up to 7, not 4. A part of the equation is missin’, and it has to do with either Alice or Esme. I’d bet my boots on it.
Just as I stand to go prove my theory in the throne room, where Aro and Marcus are currently startin’ to deal with the Cullens, Caius opens the door to his private bedroom. “You may visit her now, if you still wish.”
I give him a small smile and nod as I send him my gratitude, but I say, “Only for a minute, ‘cuz somethin’s gnawin’ at my brain about Fuckhead’s return. I wanna head to the throne room before Aro’s done with the Cullens.”
He hums in his throat slightly, then offers, “Take time for your visit. I will make sure Aro does not let them leave the throne room before your arrival.” His fingers tap out a quick message before he hits send on his phone.
A chair is placed next to the bed near Bella, so I quickly sit and take her hand. “I know this sucks, Little Darlin’, but it’ll all be over soon.”
Bella sends me a mix of pain, crazed mania, and the feelin’ of desperately fightin’. I know what she’s needin’. After scratchin’ at my shoulder where the pain was briefly felt, I pat her hand, “I know. He can’t hurtcha again. He’s currently hangin’ in the torture chamber, his head in a box across the room.”
Caius looks at me curiously, so I offer, “I’ve always been able to just understand the reasons underneath her emotions. No, it’s never happened this way with anyone else, and no, we haven’t ‘tried’ to expand it since my return to the castle. Until now, I’ve never said a word about it. Hell, I don’t even know if Bella knew about it.”
After a nod of acceptance from Caius, I explained, “She shared with me her pain from Edward tryin’a drain her, his crazed and frantic attitude, and her desperation to fight him off and make her shield work. She may have overheard snippets at some point, but she can’t exactly ask you in her state, and she knows I won’t lie to her. She needed to know that he can’t reach her again… that he’s gonna be punished.”
I’ve seen the king before me literally tear a vampire in half with his bare hands, and he’s practically always spoilin’ for a fight, but a tender Caius Volturi is somethin’ only a select few would ever be privileged enough to witness. Wantin’ to keep my tongue intact, I keep my mouth shut while he tends to my sister, soothin’ and reassurin’ her that the boy -and all involved- will suffer greatly.
It’s only a few minutes before Caius nods for me to continue my visit, so I take Bella’s hand again as I lean enough to kiss her forehead. “Sugar, I’d love to stay, but you’re already in the best hands available. The best way for me to help ya is to go figure this shit out. I need to get to the throne room to find out who put a bug in Edward’s ear.”
Bella suddenly tightens her hand in mine while sendin’ me the feelin’ she used to associate with Esme. I hum in thought, “She’s one’a my suspects. Ya think Esme convinced him to come for ya?”
Bella squeezes my hand again while sendin’ me the agreement in her feelin’s, but Caius says in confirmation, “Isabella stated to me that Carlisle and Esme were talking in one of the rooms before the initial sentencing was passed. She and Sulpicia heard them while walking down a hallway. Esme was adamant that Isabella belonged with them… specifically with Edward, and that she not be left in the castle with human drinkers.”
I nod, quickly kiss Bella’s cheek, then whisper, “Rest with your mate, Li’l Darlin. I’ll go let Aro know that Esme needs to be looked at closely. We’ll get this figured out, I promise.” I’m out the door with a nod to Caius, makin’ my way quickly to the throne room.
AVPOV
My sweet Sulpicia. Oh, how I love her. Her soothing attention is the only reason I am calm enough to deal with this fucking coven right now. Deep in my soul, I know either the patriarch, his mate, or little Mary Alice are hiding something. One of them was in league with the sorry excuse for a vampire now hanging in the torture chamber. I doubt it was the McCarty mates. They truly do not seem the type.
Santiago leads the coven into the throne room just as my phone vibrates in my pocket. I quickly check to make sure Isabella is not in need of me again. Instead, Caius is warning me to stall, saying that Major Whitlock has a hunch.
Hmm… that means the McCarty mates are to be read first.
They stop in the center of the room, and I choose not to stand from my throne to even greet them. “Do you know why you were called to return?”
Though his words are soft-spoken, I can clearly hear Carlisle say, “We were only told that Edward was found back in the castle after our departure.”
Esme tries to ask where her ‘son’ is, but Carlisle quickly hushes her, reminding her that they need to tread carefully in a whisper so soft I nearly didn’t catch it.
Rising from my seat, I just now realize I still have Isabella’s blood on my shirt, but that fact will only help me in the moments to come, especially with Caius' throne empty. They will surely smell Isabella's blood when I walk down to read them.
“Yes. Edward Masen Cullen was found on castle grounds after he had specifically been told he was not to return. Not only was he found on the grounds, but he had abducted a king’s marked mate, and was in the process of draining her.”
I take a deep breath to calm as I watch Carlisle nearly double over as if the wind was knocked out of him, Esme gasp in outrage as she holds tight to Carlisle’s arm, Emmett ask, “Where is the little punk, so I can kill him,” Rosalie become overwhelmed with sadness for the situation, and Alice fall to her knees as she cries out, “Please, no! Is Bella alright?”
I see Rosalie and Emmett both looking at the deep red stain on my shirt as I reach them, “Each of you is here to be read thoroughly. At the conclusion of this meeting, you will either be cleared of wrongdoing… or you will be found guilty.”
Emmett and Rosalie both offer me their hands, and Rosalie says, “I may not particularly have liked her, but I would never condone Edward kidnapping or draining her. We all knew from her bracelet that Lord Caius had claimed her as his mate that day.”
I nod as I take Rosalie’s hand, and though I have my answer in a few short seconds, I draw out the time that I seem to be reading her. Not only is this giving Marcus time to delve deeply into her relationship lines, but it is giving Whitlock time to arrive.
I do the same with her mate, Emmett. Neither is a concern as far as Isabella goes, but I back up and return to the thrones, talking quietly with Marcus for several minutes. When I do speak, I am standing tall and facing the coven, though my words are directly for the McCarty mates. “Concerning the mated pair of Emmett McCarty and Rosalie Hale McCarty… you have been found innocent of aiding in the abduction and murder of a royal. You have also been found innocent of conspiring with Edward Masen Cullen in any manner. You are free to wait in the reception area if you choose, or you may stay with your coven.”
Though the McCarty mates do not leave the throne room, they seem to shrink themselves as far as possible into a corner along the back wall.
I now have a choice to make. Does my intuition lead me toward the patriarch and his mate being involved? Or is little Mary Alice Brandon the culprit? After reading the McCarty mates, I am even more inclined to believe it may be ‘Daddy and Mommy’ behind this, so I slowly walk toward Mary Alice. She willingly offers her hand as venom pools in her eyes, asking in a choked voice, “Please, Sire. Is Bella alright? Tell me someone got to her in time.”
I take her hand, pat it with the other, then shake my head, “In due time, Miss Brandon.” Closing my eyes, I am assaulted with a mix of visions, conversations, and worry. I pick through each slowly, as it seems Mary Alice’s vision capability has now expanded to the past. While watching the small pieces she was able to see during the journey here, something curious happens. The doors to the throne room open, bringing the soft scent of Esme’s perfume our way on the shifting air. Jasper stops at my side, but I am suddenly watching a brand new vision as Mary Alice gasps.
Esme and Edward are in the woods somewhere. Edward is whining about how Isabella didn’t even speak to him before they were ordered from the castle. He is sure he could have convinced her to come back to him if he had been given the chance. Esme mentions all of the human drinkers in the castle, stating that she believes the bracelet was a ruse, and Caius must be keeping her as a pet against her will. He is ruthless, after all, and he himself is a human drinker. Bella surely won’t last long in the castle, and Edward needs to bring her home, where she belongs with him.”
Mary Alice and I both gasp at this information, and she cries out in horror, “No! Esme, how could you?!” just as I call for the guards to detain both Esme and Carlisle separately.
Both Carlisle and Esme struggle as the guards carry out their orders flawlessly, but Jasper smirks as my eyes catch his, “Looks like my trip was wasted. On a hunch from my recent visit, I was gonna tell ya Esme needed to be looked at carefully. Shit just wasn’t addin’ up properly. Seems my dear ex spilled the beans for me, though.”