Chapter Twenty-Three

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  Edward paced back and forth, his eye glowing bright yellow. The pile of dead animal carcasses lay in a heap beside the frantic vampire. He had consumed a couple of gallons of blood, insuring his strength will be maintained as he prepared for the most important battle of his lifetime.

His brother Jasper was leaning against the side of his den, his arms crossed as he spewed our battle tactics Edward had heard all before. He knew his coven mate was just trying to help, but all Edward could think about was his mate. His gorgeous, probably scared to death, mate.

"Rip off his arms first, it will disenable him to grab you," Jasper calmly told him, his soldier side coming out as he advised his brother. "Don't let your rage take over, it will blind you and it will make you more vulnerable."

Edward growled in annoyance while turning a burning gaze to his old battle partner, his temper starting to bubble over. "She is my mate Jasper; I will fight with every ounce of rage my body can create."

"You need to fight with your head, not with your anger," Jasper told him firmly, "The moment he finds an opening, he will take it. Whatever you do, do not get distracted. This battle is only between you and him, if he gets the upper hand, we will not be able to interfere." Jasper grimaced at the thought of his brother getting ripped into shreds in front of him. Both he and Emmett knew that if things got too bad, they would fight.

Edward scoffed though, obviously not seeing any trouble with the Volturi male. "Jaz, I've fought with many vampires like him. What makes you think he is any different?" Edward quirked an eyebrow at his brother, almost offended.

Jasper sighed through his nose, "This time, you have something to lose. And that will make you weak."

Edward paused at this, realizing it was true. This time he did have something to lose. In the past, he had fought without hesitation, not caring who he hurt or if he had gotten hurt himself. But now he had a mate and baby to look after. "You're right. If she lost me, she would be stuck with that monster and he would surely kill my offspring." He clenched his teeth at the thought. "And if he did let my son live, he would have to go on his whole life without his true father."

"That is not the only thing," Carlisle proclaimed, stepping into the cave. "Son, there is something I need to tell you."

Edward growled at his father, angered by his previous actions of letting his mate go with the enemy clan. "What? You're here to tell me I can't fight for my mate or some shit?" He spat with venom, glaring harshly at the blond coven leader. He knew he was treading on dangerous waters by yelling at his father and leader, but at the moment, Edward didn't care.

Carlisle didn't react, but he did step closer to insure his son with the information he had been holding. "You need to understand Edward; I did what I did for a reason. Do you know why Bella has been attracting so much attention?" He questioned, his hands raised in a calm manner.

"Because she's irresistible?" He stated bluntly, as if it were the obvious thing in the world.

Carlisle snorted, not pleased with his son's lack of knowledge. "Son, your mate is a Cantante."

Suddenly, the wheels in Edward's head started to click together, realization dawning on the red haired vampire. "Of course," he starts, "It all makes sense now."

"What is that?" Jasper ignorantly asked, puzzled by his brother's reaction.

"My Bella is a singer; it means she's the perfect mate."

Jasper, still looking confused, cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms. "Care to elaborate?"

"A singer is a rare female that has powerful enchanting beauty that instantly makes unmated males attracted to her. Only two have ever occurred in vampire history," Carlisle explained, looking at his son with pleading eyes. "Son, if you do not win, Bella will never be able to move on."

"That's right, Singers can only bond to the first male they mate with," Edward pointed out. He suddenly felt himself get very light-headed, his stomach filling with nerves. Bella could never move on, she could never be with another mate. The thought gave shivers down Edward's spine, his emotions were suddenly happy. But the feeling didn't last long when he heard his father continue.

"If Felix truly cares for Bella like he believes he does, he won't fight you. If he kills you—"

"He kills Bella," he finished, his eyes lighting up in a burning fire.

"So you're telling me Felix, the big headed prick, will not fight because he will harm Bella in the end," Emmett's loud gruff voice made itself known as he intruded into his brother's cave.

"Exactly," Carlisle said. "Why are you not at your post?"

"It's almost dawn," the youngest Cullen declared, pointing into the sky where you could slowly see the escaping sun rays.

Jake whined from the foot of their bed, his eyes showed sadness as he expressed his distress from his missing master.

Edward stiffened but nodded, turning to the growing wolf cub. "Don't worry buddy, no matter what, I will get my mate and baby back."

...

The wind blew in wisps as the fierce vampires ran through the awakening forest. It was just the time of dawn; the sky was light up in pink rays of sunlight. The sound of feet crunching against the earth was heard before the large coven was seen.

The Cullen's were lined up in order, Carlisle leading the front with Edward flanking his right, and Emmett flanking his left. The females were further back, standing in each other's arms as they wait for the tragic battle that will unfold in front of them. Jasper and Peter were posted protectively in front of them, holding a stance as if daring anyone to take a step towards their females.

The Volturi stepped out of the trees, Aro leading the group with Caius to his side. Edward felt himself growl and purr when he saw his mate, but snarled instead as he noticed the bulky male standing in front of her.

Bella could feel herself brighten when she saw her mate; she tried desperately to escape the tight grasp the strange male had on her but was unsuccessful. "Edward!" She called, her eyes clouding over.

Edward instinctively took a step forward.

"Not yet Edward," his father warned, not taking his eyes off the rival leader. "We don't want to provoke a fight, think about the others." The clan leader stood up to his tallest, showing dominance and power. "Bella belongs with us," Carlisle said louder, his trained eyes narrowed into slits. "She belongs with Edward."

"She belongs with me!" Felix snarled into the field, causing the Cullen's to hiss in return.

Caius glowered at his son, "Quiet boy! You'll get your chance."

"Bull shit," Alice growled from behind her mate, her fist placed at her hips. "Bella has no interest in that large bear!"

"Sh, mate," Jasper warned.

Alice bristled but stayed quiet, still glaring at the male who had taken her sister. Esme placed a gentle hand on her daughter, hoping to calm her high temper offspring.

"This feud will end here, if we win, you must never come near our territory ever again," Carlisle demanded, his voice filled with authority.

"And if we win?" Aro pressed, a slimy smirk playing on his lips. "

"Bella will be yours," he stated. "But if any of you progress, we will all fight," the blond vampire warned, Jasper and Peter stepped forward in a threatening manner.

The dark haired male frowned, his eyes scanning from the big figure of Emmett down to the group of female being protected by two healthy warriors. He then looked back at his own coven; taking noticed that they were equally matched in males but outnumbered in females. When he finally turned back, Aro's voice seemed unsure. But coming to a conclusion, the old coven leader dipped his head in agreement, "Agreed."

"Then let the battle begin." With that, the Cullen males retreated, leaving Edward to stand by their mates.

"Knock 'em dead," Emmett bellowed as he passed his brother, taking Rose in his arms once he reached the rest of his family.

The Cullen females cheered encouragingly to their deputy.

Edward looked back at his family, a reassuring smile graced his features before turning back to frown at his rival.

Bella whimpered from behind Felix, "Edward."

The vampire in front of her snarled, walking forward to confront the other male. His steps were fierce but unconfident, Edward could tell by the look in Felix's red eyes he was unsure if he could beat the Cullen.

A weakness.

"We end this here Cullen," he growled, taking an aggressive stance.

"Likewise Volturi," Edward hissed, crouching down with his hand ready to grab.

They stared into each other's eyes, their lips pulled back to show their teeth as they waited for the first play to unfold.

Felix moved first, his fist pulling back as he lets it shoot out to hit Edward. But the warrior was expecting it, ducking low and missing him by a mere inch. He responded by jumping up to tackle the large male, pinning him against the ground with his hand clutched tightly around his neck.

They struggled in this position before Felix could figure out his next move. The Volturi member swiftly kicked the red head's chest, pushing him off where he landed few meters away. Then as Edward tried to regain his footing, Felix was by his side and slamming him against a hard boulder that was nearby, leaving a large crack on the side of the Cullen's face.

Demetri and Alec cheered while Bella and the Cullen's cried, shouting out words to make Edward get back up.

"My baby!" His mother screamed from behind Carlisle, Alice holding her back. Emmett took a step forward, but was halted by his father's raised hand.

"Stop! He needs to do this on his own."

Bella could feel tears streaming down her face; she clutched her round belly protectively. She wanted so badly to interfere, to stop the strange male from hurting her mate. But she knew it was too dangerous, and she wasn't going to put her baby in harm's way. "No," she cried, her soft voice cracking from sadness.

Felix snapped his eyes to the dark haired beauty, hearing her voice had distracted him for just a moment.

A big mistake.

In a millisecond, Edward's face healed and he lunged forward, grabbing a hold of the larger vampire's arm. With his strength, Edward bent it back in a way that opposed the joints; he smirked in triumphant when he heard the sickening crack.

A howl of pain rang throughout the clearing, leaving a stumbling Felix to clutch at his now missing arm. White liquid poured from the wound, dripping onto the ground.

Seeing his chance, Edward pounced on the warrior's back; sinking his teeth deep into his shoulder blade. He wrapped his fist tightly against his opponent's neck and twisted it all the way to the right. Cracking stone and ripping flesh was heard, Felix's howls of pain following after it. The diamond hard skin was seconds away from breaking when Edward felt himself being gripped by the back of his throat. He was suddenly ripped off the younger male, a chunk of hard diamond flesh lingering in his mouth. He spat it out, hissing with black eyes at the one armed vampire.

"That is enough! We know who won, please stop before my brother is killed," Demetri shouted from the sidelines. He was being held back by Alec, but even then, the young vampire was having trouble keeping the frantic Volturi brother still.

"No," Felix sputtered, standing up to his full height. "Bella is mine, and I will fight for her."

Edward sneered, his fake laughter taunting the other vampire. "It wouldn't matter anyway, Bella would never move on with a scumbag like you."

"You don't know that," Felix seethed, clutching his leaking shoulder. "Females always heal!"

Scoffing, Edward found the right moment to bring up what they had discussed earlier. "Not my mate, she is emotionally and physically attached to me. If you kill me, you kill her," he told him sincerely.

"What?"

Aro's voice was suddenly heard, "Do you mean to tell me young Cullen that Isabella here is a Cantante?"

"That is correct," he confirmed confidently.

"That is impossible!" Caius hissed, whipping his head around to stare at the frightened female. "The last one died years ago."

Felix turned back as well, "what is that?" He asked clueless.

"Maybe you should educate your son, Caius," Edward sneered.

Felix growled, stepping forward, "I'll still fight you!" Then before he could make a move, he was stopped by a delicate hand placed on his back. Stunned, both vampires turned to stare at the beautiful golden eyed female.

"Please stop this!" Bella exclaimed, her face flushed red while her hand was placed protectively over her growing abdomen.

"Get back with my family Kitten, this fight is not over yet!" Felix ordered, glaring passed her to the grimacing vampire.

"It is no use Felix, I will never love you," Bella declared loudly, crossing her arms. She paused when she saw the Volturi's face fall, but continued with a sigh, her voice growing softer. "My heart belongs to Edward."

Felix began to slowly crumble from the heartbreak his supposedly mate had inflicted upon him. "But Bella, I can change your mind. You with belong to me!"

"I'm sorry, b-but if you really love me...you would let me go," she whispered, pulling away from the trembling vampire.

Edward immediately wrapped a protective arm around her, bringing her flushed up against his front and burying his nose deep into her hair. "Oh god baby, I've missed you so much," he cooed, showering her in kisses. He didn't care if he was showing weakness; all that mattered right now was the beautiful pregnant female that stood in front of him.

A fierce snarl erupted from the other male; Felix stepped forward, his teeth bare. "We're not finished here," he said through clenched teeth.

Edward felt a brush of air pass him and he soon realized Bella was not by his side. Before he could panic though, Alice's high bell voiced reassured him. "Don't worry Edward, we have her. Just finish that monster," she ordered, sticking her nose in the air.

He almost felt sorry for the guy, but then he remembered the reason why he was here. Edward smirked, crouching low, "This is your last chance, walk away now."

Felix spat on the ground in response.

"Your chose," Edward sneered, lunging forward with a snarl.

In one quick move, Edward's fist slammed hard against Felix's nose, snapping his head back with such force, his neck started to tear. Then with his foot, Edward swiped low and knocked the broken vampire to his knees.

Felix whimpered silently, his eyes snapping to his family before they landed on the teary eyed beautiful vampire that was hiding behind the tiny pixie. He let a smile slip from his lips before he felt the pressure of Edwards hands ripping his head clean of his shoulders.

His world went black.  

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