Vices and Venom (Twilight Fan Fiction)

Chapter Eight: Volturi

"Edward, we have to go." He seemed bemused at my panic. His hand brushed softly against my cheek until I ripped away from him. This seemed to make him pause, but I didn't wait for his reaction. Without effort, I pulled him further into the shadows just in case someone saw us standing here.

"I can't believe how quick it was. I didn't feel a thing-they're very good," he mused, wrapping his arms around me again before closing his eyes and pressing his lips against my hair.

His voice was like honey and velvet. "Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty," he murmured, and I recognized the line spoken by Romeo in the tomb.

The clock boomed out its final chime. "You smell different, no longer do I feel the blood lust" he paused. "So maybe this is hell. I don't care. I'll take it."

"I'm not dead," I interrupted. "And neither are you! Please, Edward, we have to get out of here. They can't be far away!"

I pushed against his arms, and his brow furrowed in confusion. "What was that?" he asked politely. "We're not dead, not yet! But we have to get out of here before the Volturi-"

Comprehension flickered on his face as I spoke. Before I could finish, he suddenly yanked me closer to the shadows, spinning me effortlessly so that my back was tight against the brick wall, and his back was to me as he faced away into the alley. His arms spread wide, protectively, in front of me.

I didn't need to peek under this arm to know when the two dark shapes moved from the gloom. I had felt them there since I slammed into him. Why didn't he listen? Dread pooled in my stomach. Now was not the time for me to express to him that I did not need his protection because honestly, I just wanted all of us to make it out of this hell alive.

"Greetings, gentlemen," Edward's voice was calm and pleasant, on the surface. "I don't think I'll be requiring your services today. I would appreciate it very much, however, if you would send my thanks to your masters."

"Shall we take this conversation to a more appropriate venue?" a smooth voice whispered menacingly.

"I don't believe that will be necessary." Edward's voice was harder now.

"I know your instructions, Felix. I haven't broken any rules."

"Felix merely meant to point out the proximity of the sun," the other shadow said in a soothing tone. They were both concealed within smoky gray cloaks that reached to the ground and undulated in the wind.

"Let us seek better cover."

"I'll be right behind you," Edward said dryly.

"Halston, why don't you go back to the square and enjoy the festival?"

"No, bring the vampire," the first shadow said, somehow injecting a leer into his whisper.

"I don't think so." The pretense of civility disappeared. Edward's voice was flat and icy. His weight shifted infinitesimally, and I could see that he was preparing to fight. I felt a pull towards his mind, he was processing that they referred to me as a vampire. How did he feel about that?

I stepped from behind him, no longer willing to stand aside as he fought our way out of Volterra. "You do not get to push me away this time." My voice was rough, daring him to challenge me. My mind swept through theirs until it connected to the problem. Jane.

Felix. He turned to Edward. "Aro would simply like to speak with you again if you have decided not to force our hand after all."

"Certainly," Edward agreed.

"But the girl goes free."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," the polite shadow said regretfully, but I knew from his mind that this was just a pretense.