THE UNDYING | TWILIGHT

31. Last Stand

"They're breaking through!" Heidi cried as she anxiously cast her eyes toward the shuddering ceiling. With every shake, chips of alabaster were flaking off the stone and falling like snowflakes.

Banging and banging. Banging and banging. They kept banging against the elevator! And ripping and tearing! She could hear the metal screaming!

"They're going to get through," she uttered. "Demetri, they're going to get through! What do we—?"

Heidi whipped around and let out a frightful gasp. Demetri was gone.

"He left us." Her eyes widened and flickered over to Felix. "He left us."

"I know," replied Felix as he focused his eyes on elevator's weakening doors. "I saw him go. He said he would, didn't he? Deep down, we all knew he would do it. Demetri's not willing to die for anyone. Smart man, I say. Well, smarter than us at least. That's why he'll outlive us all."

"Not if I kill him," Heidi growled.

Felix chuckled, but his attention never wavered. "You should go, too. Heidi, you should leave. You know Demetri will never hunt you. The Volturi will never know. Save yourself while you still can."

"But what about you?"

For him, the answer was simple: "I swore an oath, Heidi. I'd rather die than break it."

Heidi shook her head. "Always the faithful solider, aren't you? To hell with your integrity, Felix! I swear, they don't deserve a guard as loyal as you. You're better than us all ..."

"Is this really it?" she wondered. "Is this how it all ends?"

"Every empire meets its end eventually. We had a good run."

"Still, it seems too soon."

"It always does."

"And it was all for nothing, wasn't it? I've dedicated my entire life to them. Do you know how many secretaries I've trained? How many phone calls I've made on their behalf? How many hours I've lost trying to keep this place organized? Everything I've built is about to be destroyed. Everything. My legacy dies today. So what's the point of living then?"

"What about Dahlia? Is she not part of your legacy?"

"Dahlia ..." Heidi suppressed a laugh. "Dahlia, yes. I did a fine job with her, didn't I? One of my best transformations, I think. A real dimwit, but she's strong, stronger than any of the others. Honestly, I thought she was going to survive us all. And I guess she will, won't she? Hard to believe."

The lobby lights flickered and dimmed.

"You should go," Felix said. "I would hate to see any harm come to a face as beautiful as yours. That would be a tragedy."

Heidi felt her chest tighten at those words. She might've cried if she'd possessed the tears.

"You're sure you won't come?" she asked, a bitter smile on her face.

Felix nodded. "This is what I was made for. It's all I know."

"So this is goodbye then."

Rising onto the tips of her toes, Heidi wrapped her arms around Felix's neck and pulled him close. Seconds later, she felt his muscular arms gently squeezing her tiny waist. He lowered his head into the crook of her neck and whispered into her ear, "Take care, Heidi. It's been a pleasure working with you."

Her eyes burned with dry tears. "The pleasure was all mine. Goodbye, Felix."

She stepped back then and started toward the tunnels. Only once did she glance behind her, and she saw Felix smiling, smiling like everything was going to be okay. He even winked, that overconfident bastard.

We had a good run, thought Felix as the lights burned out and darkness covered the lobby. It wouldn't be long now. They were already inside the car. He could hear their claws screeching against the metal doors.

In preparation for his final battle, Felix stretched out his neck and shoulder muscles. 

And three, two, one ...

At his count, a black paw smashed through the elevator door.

✧ ✧ ✧

Renata's eyes widened. "They're inside."

Seated on his throne, Aro carefully eyed the large wooden doors which separated them from the beasts outside.

He had a choice now: escape certain death or embrace it. Caius had insisted that they abandon their palace and flee the city, a plan Renata whole-heartedly supported because her master's safety was her sole priority.

When asked for his opinion, Marcus merely shrugged and said, "Everything will happen as it is meant to happen."

That poor, useless fool. If the other leaders hadn't been watching him so closely, he probably would have opened the doors himself and welcomed death with open arms. For that, Aro considered him both a great liability and a complete waste of life. If not for his special talent, Aro would have thrown him to the wolves ages ago.

"We must decide now," said Caius.

"The answer is clear," Aro announced. "If we leave now, we will be sending a message to the rest of the vampire world: the Volturi can be defeated. That will make us vulnerable to future attacks. Think of the larger picture, Brothers. The Volturi is and will always be the strongest coven. The day we expose our weakness is the day our rule ends. Think of our enemies. Do you really want to give them the ammunition they need to overthrow us? If so, you might as well open those doors right now because those beasts will show you more mercy than our own kind will."

Aro's words sparked a new fear in Caius. He thought of all the vengeful vampires who were eager to see him burn. Too many names to count at this point.

"Aro is right," Caius finally said. "The Volturi do not run from wolves."

Marcus sighed and settled into a more comfortable position. "At last it ends."

The beasts were at their doorstep now. Over and over they pounded at the door with their hammer-like paws. With every slam, Caius scooted further back in his chair.

And yet, in those moments before the doors opened, Caius's final thoughts did not include himself. Instead, he thought of the woman upstairs, his precious Athenodora. Most of all, he hoped she would survive this night. But if she were to meet her end, he took some comfort in knowing that she would die in peace. She would feel no fear. No pain. She probably wouldn't even know what was happening until it was already over. She would die in blissful contentment.

As he glanced over at Aro, Caius wondered if he was wishing his wife a similar fate. He would probably never know.

"Renata," Aro kindly said to his most faithful employee, "our fates are in your hands. Don't let me down, my dear."

"Never, Master," she answered in a quiet voice.

With the little time she had left, Renata readjusted the collar of her dress and swept her fingers over her tight bun, making sure every tiny hair was perfectly in place.

As always, they were.

Despite everything, she found herself smiling. This was it. Tonight, her master would witness her undying devotion. She could think of no better way to prove her loyalty than to sacrifice her own life for him.

At last, the doors flew open, and Renata proudly went to greet their guests.