A Soul Darkened
by Laura Spudzmom
Over the next month Demetri and I continued to solidify our relationship. I now had a permanent presence in his rooms. Well, they were now 'our' rooms. He didn't seem to mind giving up his single status, and I was more than happy to spend my spare time wrapped around him in whatever position we found ourselves.
I was becoming familiar with the Castle and the vampires who resided there. Some of them were becoming my very good friends. Surprisingly, one that I counted as a friend was Jane. I think it's because we recognized similarities in each other. We both tended to be sadistic bitches, especially to those we decided we just didn't like.
Heidi was one such person. Aside from bringing in our meals, bitch could go die as far as I was concerned. She was vapid and vain with nothing to back it up but it made kicking her ass in training fun, so there was that. The fact that she was Demetri's jealous ex didn't endear her to me either.
So, kick her ass I did, along with those of plenty of other people. Turns out all that combat training stuck with me through the burn and I was now one of the toughest to beat even without using gifts.
My gift. It was now the end of my month of probation and I was able to cover about twenty other vampires with my shield, mental and physical. One at a time or both simultaneously.
The duration remained a question. We knew that I could hold the mental shield over a group for hours at a time. The physical one we have only tested for up to two hours. It got boring at that point and we all had better things to do.
Jane and Alec were invaluable in helping with my training. I don't know how I would have done it without them, not to mention the poor regular guards that got stuck being test subjects. They went through a bit of hell at first until I got the hang of it all.
Speaking of Jane and Alec, they were to be giving their report on my progress to the kings today and I was ready to get that pendant. I've earned it without a doubt. I was itching to get an assignment.
So now I find myself sitting in my room reading a book, or trying to anyway. My thoughts just won't leave me alone. Demetri is out being briefed on an upcoming assignment. I toss the book beside me on the couch. I'm almost ready to go pick a fight just for something more exciting to do. I grin to myself. Wonder if Heidi is around? I get up and it's this moment that Demetri enters the room.
I eye him from top to bottom as he strolls toward me. Good god, but he's sin in a suit. He must see a certain gleam in my eye because he gets that smirk on his face that says he knows what I'm thinking.
"Bella." He pulls me into his arms and kisses me deeply. My knees go a bit weak.
He pulls away a bit and brushes the backs of his fingers down the side of my face. "What have you been up to Cara?"
I sigh and return to the couch. "I was trying to read but I couldn't get into it. My mind kept wandering. So then I was just thinking about picking a fight with Heidi when you walked back in, saving Heidi's ass." I smirked at him.
He rolled his eyes. "You really don't like her much do you?"
I smile showing all of my teeth. "No. No, I don't. She still looks at you like she has a claim, and besides that, there's just nothing to like. I'm glad that your taste in women has improved dramatically Demi." I shrugged. "I guess everyone is allowed one big 'Aw shit' in the relationship department. Look at me and Edward." I smirked at him. "So I forgive you honey."
He laughs. "Oh Cara, thank you so much for not making me grovel."
I look at him imperiously. "You're very welcome. Just don't abuse the privilege."
He sits beside me on the couch, leans his head back and looks over at me, smiling. I curled into his side and he put his arm around me.
"Are you nervous? Jane and Alec make their report today, right?"
I nod. "Yeah they do and no I'm really not nervous. Just excited. I'm ready to be a full fledged Elite Guard and go out and do something. Being stagnant here is about to make me crazy."
He nods. "Well if things work out I have a feeling that we will be heading out of here very soon Cara. They're discussing sending me after a large coven that might just split up and run. That should make things interesting, not to mention who they are." He glanced down at me and I looked up at him with wide eyes.
"You mean...." He nodded.
"Yes, the Cullen Coven. I'm not sure if their seer can see around your shield, but if the kings make the decision without you there, as they may be doing as we speak, then she may see it and they will probably split up and run."
A knock came at the door just then and it was a guard summoning us to the throne room. We got up and donned our cloaks and made our way there.
We presented ourselves before the dais and bowed. Jane, Alec and Felix were there also.
Aro stood and approached me. "Isabella, it is with supreme pleasure that I present you with your Elite Pendant and your permanent rank as a Volturi Elite." He fastened the pendant around my neck and stepped back. I bowed to him.
"Thank you Masters. I am honored to be among you as an Elite and shall perform my duties with all loyalty to you."
Aro steepled his fingers together under his chin. "Wonderful! And on that note, we have an assignment for all of you gathered here. You are to bring in the Cullen coven. We have serious matters to discuss with them. They have much to answer to. Isabella, your shield will be most useful in that their mind reader will not be able to be forewarned and hopefully their seer will not see around you if you shield your entire group. Are you up to the task my dear?"
I bowed my head once to him in assent. "Yes Master. I look forward to it."
He sat back in his throne. "Splendid. The Volturi jet is at your disposal and at your direction Demetri. Please check in with regular reports on your progress. You are all dismissed."
We all adjourned to a meeting room. Demetri stood. "Right now, the only detail I have is that Carlisle Cullen is in the United States, the state of New York to be more specific. I think we should acquire the coven leader first and then go from there. He may be able to gather the others or lead us to them since I haven't met them. Any objections?" We all looked around. No one objected or had any other input.
"Alright then." He turned to Jane. "Make the flight arrangements and we'll all pack and get ready to travel. Everyone make sure you have plenty of contacts available. The Cullen's are notorious for mixing with humans regularly, so we have to be ready for that. Let's go." We all got up and went our separate ways.
There was something really bothering me and I had yet to speak to anyone about it. It weighed heavily on my mind and so I guess I was being unusually quiet. Demetri, of course, noticed.
"Bella, is something wrong Cara? You are so quiet. I'm too used to you giving me shit. This is not like you."
I smiled. "You miss me giving you shit Demi?" He shot me a serious look. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
"Okay, you got me. Something is bothering me. There's a member of the Cullen coven that really doesn't deserve punishment because he wanted to do the right thing, even if it was to kill me. He was out voted though so he kept his mouth shut but had it been up to him the law would have been kept. So I really don't want to see him suffer because of the others obstinance."
He pulled me into his arms. "They will all have trials Cara. They will have a fair chance to be heard and all will be considered. The kings are fair. You will most likely feature prominently in the trials since you were involved. All will be well."
I nodded and laid my head on his chest. "Good. I may be somewhat heartless, but I would hate to see him go down for something that he objected to from the very beginning. It wouldn't be fair to him."
He ran his hand through my hair. "If there's one thing I know about you Bella, it's that you are not heartless, no matter how much you swear to being just that." He kissed my neck. "You are tough but never unfair or heartless."
I backed out of his arms and continued packing. "Okay, enough of the sentimental B.S. Remind me to pick up some good tequila while we're in the states would you?" I met his eyes and he smiled.
"Alright Cara, no more sentimental B.S. as you call it."
The flight....yeah, you guessed it. Long and boring, just as it was when I made it as a human. At least this time I wasn't in terror for my life. And this tin can was more luxurious than the last one. The fact that I talked them all into a rousing game of poker helped too. Now if I just had a good bottle of Don Julio.
"Felix, if you fold one more time with a decent hand, I'm gonna have Jane zap your ass." I gave him my best stink eye.
"What? I don't like losing!." He sat back in his seat with his hands up to ward off any attack. He looked kind of ridiculous considering his size.
I rolled my eyes while everyone else smirked down at their cards. "So you fold every hand Felix, even the good ones? That's not how you play the game! You're supposed to bluff sometimes. You know, take some risks. That's the fun of it. Look at the crap hand that Demetri had last round, and he won by bluffing. That's how it's done."
He shook his head. "I don't like it."
"Felix, it's three bucks. It's not like we're playing high stakes here."
He sighed. "I know, but it's just the thought of losing."
Demetri came to his rescue. He reached over and patted my knee.
"Go easy on him Cara. It'll take time for him to get used to the concept."
I smirked over at a grateful looking Felix. "Alright. But when we get back to Volterra, we are going to revisit this issue Felix. We'll have you up to speed on this game in no time and then there will be no stopping you. Wait and see."
After all of that, I ended up losing the worst out of all of us. Guess I had it coming after harassing poor Felix. Sigh. Jane laughed at me and Demetri gave me his famous smirk. Alec gave me a sympathetic smile and Felix refused to meet my eye.
Thank all the gods that we were landing. After making sure everyone's contacts were holding up, we gathered our bags, went through the joy of customs and picked up the black SUV that was reserved for us. Felix had to sit in front because there was no way in hell he could fold himself into one of the back seats. Demetri, the vampire GPS, drove.
We were going to check in to the hotel before driving to the Cullens. It was early evening so the timing was perfect. We got up to the suite and got out our cloaks. We wouldn't be putting them on until we got to the Cullen's. We didn't want people thinking Halloween came early in the hotel after all.
The drive to the Cullen's wasn't very long. Demetri did a good job in pin pointing their location.
Was I nervous? No. I would describe myself as being filled with anticipation. I wouldn't be doing the talking. This was my first mission after all. They wanted me to observe how they do things. That was fine with me. I was just happy to be here helping out. My shields were up in full force just in case.
We donned our cloaks, pulling the hoods up and approached the front door. It opened before Demetri could knock and there stood Carlisle Cullen. He looked resigned.
"Demetri, won't you all come in?" He stepped back from the entrance and gestured inside.
Demetri dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you Carlisle." And we all filed through. Carlisle led us through to a comfortable living room where I could see Esme standing off to the side. "Won't you all be seated?" Demetri, Jane and I sat on a couch while Felix and Alec chose to remain standing behind us. Carlisle moved to Esme's side and then they both took seats on a loveseat facing us.
Carlisle didn't waste any time with pleasantries. "Why are you here Demetri?"
"We are here to retrieve your Coven and deliver you all to Volterra. The Masters require your presence to address a breach of law that occurred."
Carlisle visibly stiffened while Esme hung her head and leaned into his shoulder. He took her hand and patted it.
"Can you tell us more Demetri? To my knowledge, we have done nothing to breach the law." It was at this point that I reached up and drew my cloak hood down. Carlisle's eye's widened and Esme gasped. "Bella!"
Demetri glanced at me and returned his gaze to Carlisle. "I see you recognize our newest member? Perhaps her presence helps with your recall?" He looked around the room pointedly. "Where is the rest of your coven Carlisle? They will all need to accompany us back to Volterra."
Carlisle now looked stricken. "They are not here and I'm not sure where they went. None of them shared that information with us. Alice said it was imperative."
Demetri nodded. "That's alright. It will prolong this mission for me, but now that I have been in close contact with you again, I will be able to find them. We will just have to deliver you and your lovely wife back to Italy first. I will be lenient and give you two days to get your affairs in order before we depart. We will be your guests for the duration."
He tossed the keys to Felix. "If you would go get our things and check out of the suite Felix?" Felix nodded and departed.
At this point, Carlisle's attention was drawn to me. "How could you? Weren't you satisfied with your payoff?" He was literally sneering at me with his lip a bit curled. I couldn't help it. I laughed.
"You think I was the only one that could've ratted you out? I told Edward when you all left that there were others who knew I knew. I begged him to change me. If he had, none of this would be an issue.
If you had a spine as a coven leader Carlisle, we wouldn't be here right now. You knew the law very well. Since he refused to change me, you should have stepped up even if you didn't want me around forever. But no, you all ran at his direction.
The only one of you that had the right idea was Jasper. You should have listened to him more often than not because it turned out he was right about Victoria. You remember her? James the tracker's mate? The one he insisted would end up being a problem if you all let her go?
She's the one that went to the Volturi to tattle after she gave up trying to find me. Turns out she didn't have the resources of the Volturi, but she had my name and the story which they found very interesting. So they sent Demetri for me.
So don't put your shit off on me Carlisle. I kept my end of the bargain, and you've all had a nice four year reprieve. But that's all it was, a reprieve, and you should have realized it because I did. And here we are." I smiled viciously.
He smiled ruefully. "So you think Jasper was right about everything do you Bella?"
I eyed him knowingly. I could tell where his train of thought was headed so I gave him his moment. "Yes Carlisle. He was the most sensible of all of you in my opinion."
He chuckled. "You'll be shocked to know that he wanted you dead Bella. He thought you should be killed after witnessing what Edward did with the van. How's your regard for him now Bella?"
I shrugged. "I see his point. Hell, I saw his point long ago even before becoming a vampire. The law was breached. If you all weren't willing to change me, I should have been killed. There's no ambiguity there Carlisle. Fact is that I respect the fact that he was the only one of you with the stones to want to do what should have been done. The fact that your spinelessness worked out in my favor changes nothing about the situation."
I met his eye. "Looking back, can you honestly say that he was wrong about any of it Carlisle? Or are you kicking your own ass, wishing that you had listened to him?" I grinned.
He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "That I am Bella, that I am. So many decisions would be made differently, but I can't go back unfortunately, so like you have said, here we are." He hung his head and shook it slowly while Esme rubbed his arm and shot me a dirty look.
She just couldn't resist. "How can you be so cold Bella? We were being merciful to you! We gave you our love and everything you asked for, and for what? For you to sit here now and condemn us for it!"
"We live in a harsh world Esme, the vampire portion of it even more so. There are very few laws that we, as vampires must follow. Is it really so difficult to grasp?" I shrugged. "It isn't for me. If you are sentenced to the final death, and I am charged as a Volturi Elite to carry out your sentence, guess what? You will die the final death. No question on my part. I shall do my duty.
That's why I am here now. It's not personal. Well not really. I'll admit a certain morbid interest in the proceedings, but this is about the law. If the kings decide to be merciful to you, then I will abide by their judgement. I have no part, aside from my eventual testimony, in deciding your fate."
She looked away and shook her head mournfully.
I glanced from Jane to Demetri and clapped my hands once. "Well, on that note, do you have accommodations for us or shall we just choose a room on our own? I would like some privacy, at least as much as can be afforded in a house full of Vampires anyway. I need to wind down."
Carlisle nodded. "You may choose any room you wish with the exception of mine and Esme's at the end of the first hall."
Demetri, Jane and I got up and joined Alec. "Perfect. Thank you for your hospitality. We await our things from Felix, and then we will see you tomorrow.
They both nodded, but didn't move from the loveseat.
Demetri and I wound up in what I came to realize was Edwards room. I was shocked because it had a large bed. Last I remember, prude boy only had a couch because beds were for other activities that he didn't engage in. I smirked. Maybe he was engaging more than his hand these days.
It was this thought that prompted me to have a little look around. Sure enough, there was a sweet picture of Edward and a girl on his bedside table. My eyes widened. A very human looking girl with light brown hair tumbling around her sweater vest clad shoulders. As a matter of fact, paired with the pleated skirt and knee socks, it looked very much like a school uniform. That or he's into kink now.
"Hey Demetri?" He walked over to me and slipped his arms around my waist, propping his chin on my shoulder.
"Yes Cara?" I turned my head and gave him a kiss, then I held up the picture for him to see. "Take a look at this. Looks like he's trolling the human population again. I wonder if she knows?"
His eyebrows rose. "We must find out. If she does know, it must be taken care of." I nodded and turned in his arms.
"Do you think that Carlisle or Esme would be forthcoming?"
He shrugged. "It would be in their best interests to be so. Hiding things at this point would be very bad for their future well being."
"Should we confront them now, while they're still in a bit of shock? They may be more willing to talk at this point than any other. You know, before they find a spine."
He smirked. "Or these 'stones' you speak of." I laughed. "Yeah, those too. Let's go then." He nodded and we headed to the living room, me still holding the picture.
We found them still seated on the loveseat, leaned into each other. It would have made a sweet picture had the circumstances been different.
"Carlisle?" He looked up. "Yes? Is there something you need?"
I nodded. "Yes. Information. Could you please tell me what school Edward is attending now?" His eyes traveled quickly from mine down to the picture I was holding and he reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"She doesn't attend school with him. He attends the public high school here and she attends a private girls school."
Demetri and I sat across from them and I placed the picture on the coffee table. Demetri leaned forward. "You can understand our concern with this situation Carlisle. He's developing a pattern. How many others that we have yet to discover, have been left behind, possibly with knowledge of our world? Has he been involved with other human girls beside the one in the picture and Bella?"
Carlisle looked at Esme for a long moment and then back at us, placing his hands in his lap and leaning back tiredly.
"There were two others years ago, but to my knowledge, they never figured out what we are and we never had contact with them again. His involvement with them was never anything close to what his involvement with Bella was like. He pinned me with his gaze. "He loved you."
I shrugged a shoulder. "Not enough to turn me and stay with me."
Esme shot forward in her seat. "He didn't want to destroy your soul! He left you to save you! He tortured himself for years after we left you! How can you be so callous?!"
I stood up with my hands balled into fists. "Don't feed me your bullshit! If there's one thing I know about Edward, it's that he loves having something to mourn. If he's not busy mourning the fact that he's a monster then he's torturing himself over loving someone he shouldn't or having to leave said love. He simply loves to mourn. How can you not see that?
The fact that he always has to get involved with the forbidden fruit of human girls instead of finding a nice vampire girl for himself should be a major red flag for you people. In my opinion, you should have put him out of his misery long ago."
I sat back down and Demetri took my hand. He looked over to Carlisle. "These relationships with human girls will have to be thoroughly investigated. We will need their names, last known locations, and all other information you can provide. Believe me, it will be in your best interests to cooperate fully."
I was becoming familiar with the Castle and the vampires who resided there. Some of them were becoming my very good friends. Surprisingly, one that I counted as a friend was Jane. I think it's because we recognized similarities in each other. We both tended to be sadistic bitches, especially to those we decided we just didn't like.
Heidi was one such person. Aside from bringing in our meals, bitch could go die as far as I was concerned. She was vapid and vain with nothing to back it up but it made kicking her ass in training fun, so there was that. The fact that she was Demetri's jealous ex didn't endear her to me either.
So, kick her ass I did, along with those of plenty of other people. Turns out all that combat training stuck with me through the burn and I was now one of the toughest to beat even without using gifts.
My gift. It was now the end of my month of probation and I was able to cover about twenty other vampires with my shield, mental and physical. One at a time or both simultaneously.
The duration remained a question. We knew that I could hold the mental shield over a group for hours at a time. The physical one we have only tested for up to two hours. It got boring at that point and we all had better things to do.
Jane and Alec were invaluable in helping with my training. I don't know how I would have done it without them, not to mention the poor regular guards that got stuck being test subjects. They went through a bit of hell at first until I got the hang of it all.
Speaking of Jane and Alec, they were to be giving their report on my progress to the kings today and I was ready to get that pendant. I've earned it without a doubt. I was itching to get an assignment.
So now I find myself sitting in my room reading a book, or trying to anyway. My thoughts just won't leave me alone. Demetri is out being briefed on an upcoming assignment. I toss the book beside me on the couch. I'm almost ready to go pick a fight just for something more exciting to do. I grin to myself. Wonder if Heidi is around? I get up and it's this moment that Demetri enters the room.
I eye him from top to bottom as he strolls toward me. Good god, but he's sin in a suit. He must see a certain gleam in my eye because he gets that smirk on his face that says he knows what I'm thinking.
"Bella." He pulls me into his arms and kisses me deeply. My knees go a bit weak.
He pulls away a bit and brushes the backs of his fingers down the side of my face. "What have you been up to Cara?"
I sigh and return to the couch. "I was trying to read but I couldn't get into it. My mind kept wandering. So then I was just thinking about picking a fight with Heidi when you walked back in, saving Heidi's ass." I smirked at him.
He rolled his eyes. "You really don't like her much do you?"
I smile showing all of my teeth. "No. No, I don't. She still looks at you like she has a claim, and besides that, there's just nothing to like. I'm glad that your taste in women has improved dramatically Demi." I shrugged. "I guess everyone is allowed one big 'Aw shit' in the relationship department. Look at me and Edward." I smirked at him. "So I forgive you honey."
He laughs. "Oh Cara, thank you so much for not making me grovel."
I look at him imperiously. "You're very welcome. Just don't abuse the privilege."
He sits beside me on the couch, leans his head back and looks over at me, smiling. I curled into his side and he put his arm around me.
"Are you nervous? Jane and Alec make their report today, right?"
I nod. "Yeah they do and no I'm really not nervous. Just excited. I'm ready to be a full fledged Elite Guard and go out and do something. Being stagnant here is about to make me crazy."
He nods. "Well if things work out I have a feeling that we will be heading out of here very soon Cara. They're discussing sending me after a large coven that might just split up and run. That should make things interesting, not to mention who they are." He glanced down at me and I looked up at him with wide eyes.
"You mean...." He nodded.
"Yes, the Cullen Coven. I'm not sure if their seer can see around your shield, but if the kings make the decision without you there, as they may be doing as we speak, then she may see it and they will probably split up and run."
A knock came at the door just then and it was a guard summoning us to the throne room. We got up and donned our cloaks and made our way there.
We presented ourselves before the dais and bowed. Jane, Alec and Felix were there also.
Aro stood and approached me. "Isabella, it is with supreme pleasure that I present you with your Elite Pendant and your permanent rank as a Volturi Elite." He fastened the pendant around my neck and stepped back. I bowed to him.
"Thank you Masters. I am honored to be among you as an Elite and shall perform my duties with all loyalty to you."
Aro steepled his fingers together under his chin. "Wonderful! And on that note, we have an assignment for all of you gathered here. You are to bring in the Cullen coven. We have serious matters to discuss with them. They have much to answer to. Isabella, your shield will be most useful in that their mind reader will not be able to be forewarned and hopefully their seer will not see around you if you shield your entire group. Are you up to the task my dear?"
I bowed my head once to him in assent. "Yes Master. I look forward to it."
He sat back in his throne. "Splendid. The Volturi jet is at your disposal and at your direction Demetri. Please check in with regular reports on your progress. You are all dismissed."
We all adjourned to a meeting room. Demetri stood. "Right now, the only detail I have is that Carlisle Cullen is in the United States, the state of New York to be more specific. I think we should acquire the coven leader first and then go from there. He may be able to gather the others or lead us to them since I haven't met them. Any objections?" We all looked around. No one objected or had any other input.
"Alright then." He turned to Jane. "Make the flight arrangements and we'll all pack and get ready to travel. Everyone make sure you have plenty of contacts available. The Cullen's are notorious for mixing with humans regularly, so we have to be ready for that. Let's go." We all got up and went our separate ways.
There was something really bothering me and I had yet to speak to anyone about it. It weighed heavily on my mind and so I guess I was being unusually quiet. Demetri, of course, noticed.
"Bella, is something wrong Cara? You are so quiet. I'm too used to you giving me shit. This is not like you."
I smiled. "You miss me giving you shit Demi?" He shot me a serious look. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
"Okay, you got me. Something is bothering me. There's a member of the Cullen coven that really doesn't deserve punishment because he wanted to do the right thing, even if it was to kill me. He was out voted though so he kept his mouth shut but had it been up to him the law would have been kept. So I really don't want to see him suffer because of the others obstinance."
He pulled me into his arms. "They will all have trials Cara. They will have a fair chance to be heard and all will be considered. The kings are fair. You will most likely feature prominently in the trials since you were involved. All will be well."
I nodded and laid my head on his chest. "Good. I may be somewhat heartless, but I would hate to see him go down for something that he objected to from the very beginning. It wouldn't be fair to him."
He ran his hand through my hair. "If there's one thing I know about you Bella, it's that you are not heartless, no matter how much you swear to being just that." He kissed my neck. "You are tough but never unfair or heartless."
I backed out of his arms and continued packing. "Okay, enough of the sentimental B.S. Remind me to pick up some good tequila while we're in the states would you?" I met his eyes and he smiled.
"Alright Cara, no more sentimental B.S. as you call it."
The flight....yeah, you guessed it. Long and boring, just as it was when I made it as a human. At least this time I wasn't in terror for my life. And this tin can was more luxurious than the last one. The fact that I talked them all into a rousing game of poker helped too. Now if I just had a good bottle of Don Julio.
"Felix, if you fold one more time with a decent hand, I'm gonna have Jane zap your ass." I gave him my best stink eye.
"What? I don't like losing!." He sat back in his seat with his hands up to ward off any attack. He looked kind of ridiculous considering his size.
I rolled my eyes while everyone else smirked down at their cards. "So you fold every hand Felix, even the good ones? That's not how you play the game! You're supposed to bluff sometimes. You know, take some risks. That's the fun of it. Look at the crap hand that Demetri had last round, and he won by bluffing. That's how it's done."
He shook his head. "I don't like it."
"Felix, it's three bucks. It's not like we're playing high stakes here."
He sighed. "I know, but it's just the thought of losing."
Demetri came to his rescue. He reached over and patted my knee.
"Go easy on him Cara. It'll take time for him to get used to the concept."
I smirked over at a grateful looking Felix. "Alright. But when we get back to Volterra, we are going to revisit this issue Felix. We'll have you up to speed on this game in no time and then there will be no stopping you. Wait and see."
After all of that, I ended up losing the worst out of all of us. Guess I had it coming after harassing poor Felix. Sigh. Jane laughed at me and Demetri gave me his famous smirk. Alec gave me a sympathetic smile and Felix refused to meet my eye.
Thank all the gods that we were landing. After making sure everyone's contacts were holding up, we gathered our bags, went through the joy of customs and picked up the black SUV that was reserved for us. Felix had to sit in front because there was no way in hell he could fold himself into one of the back seats. Demetri, the vampire GPS, drove.
We were going to check in to the hotel before driving to the Cullens. It was early evening so the timing was perfect. We got up to the suite and got out our cloaks. We wouldn't be putting them on until we got to the Cullen's. We didn't want people thinking Halloween came early in the hotel after all.
The drive to the Cullen's wasn't very long. Demetri did a good job in pin pointing their location.
Was I nervous? No. I would describe myself as being filled with anticipation. I wouldn't be doing the talking. This was my first mission after all. They wanted me to observe how they do things. That was fine with me. I was just happy to be here helping out. My shields were up in full force just in case.
We donned our cloaks, pulling the hoods up and approached the front door. It opened before Demetri could knock and there stood Carlisle Cullen. He looked resigned.
"Demetri, won't you all come in?" He stepped back from the entrance and gestured inside.
Demetri dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Thank you Carlisle." And we all filed through. Carlisle led us through to a comfortable living room where I could see Esme standing off to the side. "Won't you all be seated?" Demetri, Jane and I sat on a couch while Felix and Alec chose to remain standing behind us. Carlisle moved to Esme's side and then they both took seats on a loveseat facing us.
Carlisle didn't waste any time with pleasantries. "Why are you here Demetri?"
"We are here to retrieve your Coven and deliver you all to Volterra. The Masters require your presence to address a breach of law that occurred."
Carlisle visibly stiffened while Esme hung her head and leaned into his shoulder. He took her hand and patted it.
"Can you tell us more Demetri? To my knowledge, we have done nothing to breach the law." It was at this point that I reached up and drew my cloak hood down. Carlisle's eye's widened and Esme gasped. "Bella!"
Demetri glanced at me and returned his gaze to Carlisle. "I see you recognize our newest member? Perhaps her presence helps with your recall?" He looked around the room pointedly. "Where is the rest of your coven Carlisle? They will all need to accompany us back to Volterra."
Carlisle now looked stricken. "They are not here and I'm not sure where they went. None of them shared that information with us. Alice said it was imperative."
Demetri nodded. "That's alright. It will prolong this mission for me, but now that I have been in close contact with you again, I will be able to find them. We will just have to deliver you and your lovely wife back to Italy first. I will be lenient and give you two days to get your affairs in order before we depart. We will be your guests for the duration."
He tossed the keys to Felix. "If you would go get our things and check out of the suite Felix?" Felix nodded and departed.
At this point, Carlisle's attention was drawn to me. "How could you? Weren't you satisfied with your payoff?" He was literally sneering at me with his lip a bit curled. I couldn't help it. I laughed.
"You think I was the only one that could've ratted you out? I told Edward when you all left that there were others who knew I knew. I begged him to change me. If he had, none of this would be an issue.
If you had a spine as a coven leader Carlisle, we wouldn't be here right now. You knew the law very well. Since he refused to change me, you should have stepped up even if you didn't want me around forever. But no, you all ran at his direction.
The only one of you that had the right idea was Jasper. You should have listened to him more often than not because it turned out he was right about Victoria. You remember her? James the tracker's mate? The one he insisted would end up being a problem if you all let her go?
She's the one that went to the Volturi to tattle after she gave up trying to find me. Turns out she didn't have the resources of the Volturi, but she had my name and the story which they found very interesting. So they sent Demetri for me.
So don't put your shit off on me Carlisle. I kept my end of the bargain, and you've all had a nice four year reprieve. But that's all it was, a reprieve, and you should have realized it because I did. And here we are." I smiled viciously.
He smiled ruefully. "So you think Jasper was right about everything do you Bella?"
I eyed him knowingly. I could tell where his train of thought was headed so I gave him his moment. "Yes Carlisle. He was the most sensible of all of you in my opinion."
He chuckled. "You'll be shocked to know that he wanted you dead Bella. He thought you should be killed after witnessing what Edward did with the van. How's your regard for him now Bella?"
I shrugged. "I see his point. Hell, I saw his point long ago even before becoming a vampire. The law was breached. If you all weren't willing to change me, I should have been killed. There's no ambiguity there Carlisle. Fact is that I respect the fact that he was the only one of you with the stones to want to do what should have been done. The fact that your spinelessness worked out in my favor changes nothing about the situation."
I met his eye. "Looking back, can you honestly say that he was wrong about any of it Carlisle? Or are you kicking your own ass, wishing that you had listened to him?" I grinned.
He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "That I am Bella, that I am. So many decisions would be made differently, but I can't go back unfortunately, so like you have said, here we are." He hung his head and shook it slowly while Esme rubbed his arm and shot me a dirty look.
She just couldn't resist. "How can you be so cold Bella? We were being merciful to you! We gave you our love and everything you asked for, and for what? For you to sit here now and condemn us for it!"
"We live in a harsh world Esme, the vampire portion of it even more so. There are very few laws that we, as vampires must follow. Is it really so difficult to grasp?" I shrugged. "It isn't for me. If you are sentenced to the final death, and I am charged as a Volturi Elite to carry out your sentence, guess what? You will die the final death. No question on my part. I shall do my duty.
That's why I am here now. It's not personal. Well not really. I'll admit a certain morbid interest in the proceedings, but this is about the law. If the kings decide to be merciful to you, then I will abide by their judgement. I have no part, aside from my eventual testimony, in deciding your fate."
She looked away and shook her head mournfully.
I glanced from Jane to Demetri and clapped my hands once. "Well, on that note, do you have accommodations for us or shall we just choose a room on our own? I would like some privacy, at least as much as can be afforded in a house full of Vampires anyway. I need to wind down."
Carlisle nodded. "You may choose any room you wish with the exception of mine and Esme's at the end of the first hall."
Demetri, Jane and I got up and joined Alec. "Perfect. Thank you for your hospitality. We await our things from Felix, and then we will see you tomorrow.
They both nodded, but didn't move from the loveseat.
Demetri and I wound up in what I came to realize was Edwards room. I was shocked because it had a large bed. Last I remember, prude boy only had a couch because beds were for other activities that he didn't engage in. I smirked. Maybe he was engaging more than his hand these days.
It was this thought that prompted me to have a little look around. Sure enough, there was a sweet picture of Edward and a girl on his bedside table. My eyes widened. A very human looking girl with light brown hair tumbling around her sweater vest clad shoulders. As a matter of fact, paired with the pleated skirt and knee socks, it looked very much like a school uniform. That or he's into kink now.
"Hey Demetri?" He walked over to me and slipped his arms around my waist, propping his chin on my shoulder.
"Yes Cara?" I turned my head and gave him a kiss, then I held up the picture for him to see. "Take a look at this. Looks like he's trolling the human population again. I wonder if she knows?"
His eyebrows rose. "We must find out. If she does know, it must be taken care of." I nodded and turned in his arms.
"Do you think that Carlisle or Esme would be forthcoming?"
He shrugged. "It would be in their best interests to be so. Hiding things at this point would be very bad for their future well being."
"Should we confront them now, while they're still in a bit of shock? They may be more willing to talk at this point than any other. You know, before they find a spine."
He smirked. "Or these 'stones' you speak of." I laughed. "Yeah, those too. Let's go then." He nodded and we headed to the living room, me still holding the picture.
We found them still seated on the loveseat, leaned into each other. It would have made a sweet picture had the circumstances been different.
"Carlisle?" He looked up. "Yes? Is there something you need?"
I nodded. "Yes. Information. Could you please tell me what school Edward is attending now?" His eyes traveled quickly from mine down to the picture I was holding and he reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"She doesn't attend school with him. He attends the public high school here and she attends a private girls school."
Demetri and I sat across from them and I placed the picture on the coffee table. Demetri leaned forward. "You can understand our concern with this situation Carlisle. He's developing a pattern. How many others that we have yet to discover, have been left behind, possibly with knowledge of our world? Has he been involved with other human girls beside the one in the picture and Bella?"
Carlisle looked at Esme for a long moment and then back at us, placing his hands in his lap and leaning back tiredly.
"There were two others years ago, but to my knowledge, they never figured out what we are and we never had contact with them again. His involvement with them was never anything close to what his involvement with Bella was like. He pinned me with his gaze. "He loved you."
I shrugged a shoulder. "Not enough to turn me and stay with me."
Esme shot forward in her seat. "He didn't want to destroy your soul! He left you to save you! He tortured himself for years after we left you! How can you be so callous?!"
I stood up with my hands balled into fists. "Don't feed me your bullshit! If there's one thing I know about Edward, it's that he loves having something to mourn. If he's not busy mourning the fact that he's a monster then he's torturing himself over loving someone he shouldn't or having to leave said love. He simply loves to mourn. How can you not see that?
The fact that he always has to get involved with the forbidden fruit of human girls instead of finding a nice vampire girl for himself should be a major red flag for you people. In my opinion, you should have put him out of his misery long ago."
I sat back down and Demetri took my hand. He looked over to Carlisle. "These relationships with human girls will have to be thoroughly investigated. We will need their names, last known locations, and all other information you can provide. Believe me, it will be in your best interests to cooperate fully."
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