"At least we get to go to London again." Esme told Carlisle as they finished packing, a smile on her face, "We haven't been there in a long time."
"Alright." Jacob said, swinging a bag over his shoulder as he turned to the door, "Let's get this show on the road." He stopped when he saw Sam coming out of the forest, a ripped page in hand.
"Why do I have a feeling this isn't good news?" Lyra said as the rest of the Cullen family came outside, luggage in hand, "Oh, right, because nothing could possibly go right, that would make life too easy."
Carlisle met Sam at the bottom of the stairs, the rest of the family behind him. "Alice and Jasper asked me to give you that." Sam started, handing the note to the vampire, "They crossed our lands to the ocean last night."
Carlisle read the note, and you didn't have to be an empath to sense the dread that came over him, "They left us."
Rosalie looked as if she was punched in the gut, "Why?"
"They didn't say."
"Can I see that?" Carlisle handed the note to Bella and Lyra read it over her shoulder.
Gather as many witnesses as you can before the snow sticks to the ground. That's when they'll come. -Alice
The two girls glanced at each other, not having to speak to know they were thinking the same thing. Why would she leave at the moment they needed her most? What did she know?
***
Lyra ran beside Emmett and Rosalie as they went after one of their many targets to aid in the witnessing.
"Shut up." Lyra heard a gruff voice say, followed by cloaked grunts, "I hated the first British Invasion. And, I hate the second one even more."
"Even the Beatles?" Emmett quips, arm wrapped around Lyra's shoulders tightly with Rosalie on her other side. Lyra's lips quirk into a slight smirk at the shocked look on the vampire's face as Emmett adds, "Really, Garrett?"
"Old habits die hard." Garrett replies.
"Carlisle needs you." Rosalie tells him.
Garrett drops the man to the ground, "Sounds interesting."
"Help!" The man calls.
"But first I'd better finish my meal." Garrett flashes towards the man as he screams for help and kicks him, but before Lyra can see any more, her eyes are covered by Emmett's hand. However, judging by the grunts and gurgled screams, Lyra can guess what happened. A sharp metallic scent met Lyra's nose but she did her best to ignore it. "Aww, covering your girlfriend's eyes? Who knew you were so whipped, Emmett." Garrett teased.
Lyra pulled Emmett's hand off her eyes as she smirked, "He's my bitch." She told Garrett, causing Emmett to nod proudly and the red-eyed vampire to flash over to her, looking her over.
"I like her." He tells Emmett upon seeing the way she didn't even flinch at his speed. He looked back at her with a smirk, "You got a name, doll?"
"Lyra." She responded, "And, don't call me 'doll.'" She allowed her eyes to flash red as she sent a small push into Garrett, causing him to stumble slightly.
Garrett grinned at her slightly, "See you later... doll." He told her before disappearing in a flash.
Lyra grinned and looked at Emmett, "I like that guy."
"I had a feeling you would." With that the three of them took off towards their next target.
***
Peter and Charlotte were the last of their targets and returned back with them. Charlotte was very reluctant to stay, but Peter had a feeling that Lyra was telling the truth and Renesmee was not going to hurt anyone.
Bella and her family returned later that night with the Denali coven, minus Irina. And, aside from Garrett, they were quickly Lyra's favorite. Maybe because she already knew them, maybe because she could trust them not to slaughter half the town, she didn't really know.
The Egyptian coven was the next to arrive. Benjamin was possibly the biggest sweetheart Lyra had ever met and his mate, Tia, was also sweet but quiet. Amun looked pissed at all times and kept his distance almost as much as the nomads did. His mate, Keri, was even quieter than Tia and never left Amun's side. Lyra found herself tensing up whenever she was near Amun, since he seemed to dislike her for some unknown reason.
Carlisle and Esme were the last of the family to return with the last witness. A vampire with long blonde hair named Alistair, who was even more unpleasant than Amun. He immediately went to the attic when getting to the Cullen house. Lyra had only seen him once, when he had left the attic three days later to go hunt.
Everyone heard it before they saw anything, the sound of jungle animals in the wild just before two tall and tan vampires stood on a tree branch.
"Who are they?" Bella asked.
"Senna and Zafrina. From the Amazon." Edward answered.
Bella took Renesmee's hand and led her to the vampires, Edward and Jacob with them.
"Who went to the Amazon?" Lyra wondered out loud.
"No one as far as I know." Rosalie replied as she watched Renesmee put her hand on Zafrina's cheek, showering her everything the child had seen.
"Alice and Jasper?" Lyra suggested as she got to her feet.
"That would make sense." Rosalie agreed.
***
Everyone was skeptical of the little girl. However, between Renesmee's gift and charm, essentially everyone fell in love with them. None of the vampires, aside from Garrett and Benjamin, were particularly fond of the wolf shifters being around constantly. And as more vampires set foot in the Quileute territory, more of them turned, and Jacob was busy with them if he wasn't with Renesmee.
"If you weren't holding my hand right now, I could swear this was real." Edward told Bella as he looked around. Lyra was just as amazed by what she was seeing of the Amazon, but she knew it wasn't. However, this vampire power was truly amazing.
"I don't see anything." Bella mentioned.
Eleazar entered the clearing, commenting, "Edward, you didn't tell me your wife is a shield."
"What's a shield?" Bella asked.
Edward grinned at his wife, "The ones I've met are so different."
"It's a defensive talent." Eleazar informed Bella.
"It's why I couldn't read your mind, even before. It's why Aro couldn't."
"You have a very powerful gift." Eleazar told Bella.
Kate grabbed Bella's hand, electricity sparking, "Oh, yeah, she's a shield, alright. Should've put her on her ass."
"Or your voltage has been exaggerated." Garrett teased, a smirk on his face.
Kate put her hand up and wiggled her fingers, challenging Garrett, "Maybe it only works on the weak."
"Garrett, I wouldn't." Carlisle warned his friend with a smile.
Garrett touched his finger to Kate's hand, electricity crackling as it transferred from Kate to Garrett before he fell to the ground. "You are an amazing woman." He told Kate and she smiled in return.
"Ooh, can I try?" Lyra asks excitedly. Kate smirks and turns to her, offering her hand.
"Kitten, don't." Emmett told her, pulling her back and causing her to pout.
In a moment all of the vampires and Lyra turned to face the opposite side of the forest, Carlisle took the lead in going to see what all the commotion was about. Just a little deeper in the forest were two vampires, one dark haired and another with platinum blonde sitting on a boulder.
"Vladimir, Stefan, you're a long way from home." Carlisle greeted the vampires.
"What are they doing here?" Kate asked Eleazar in annoyance.
The platinum blonde one spoke with a thick Romanian accent, "We heard the Volturi were moving against you. But that you would not stand alone." Lyra narrowed her eyes at them apprehensively as she held Emmett's hand.
"So this is the banshee?" The one with darker hair asked the blonde one upon noticing the lone heart beat among the vampires, "I was expecting a little bit more."
"She isn't as beautiful as everyone made her out to be." The blonde one replied.
Lyra looked to her boyfriend, who appeared just as annoyed as the rest of the vampires. She turned back to them with a scowl, "Well, let's not forget this mediocre-looking banshee can have you both on your asses in seconds. Who the hell are you two?"
"Vladimir." Said the blonde one, "And this is Stefan."
Carlisle disregarded the exchange between Lyra and the vampires, "We didn't do what we were accused of."
Vladimir almost rolled his eyes, "We do not care what you did, Carlisle."
"We have been waiting a millennium for the Italian scum to be challenged." Stefan added.
"It's not our plan to fight the Volturi." Carlisle told them.
"Shame," Vladimir said, "Aro's witnesses will be disappointed."
"They enjoy a good fight." Stefan finished.
"Aro's witnesses?" Eleazar asked, stepping forward.
"Aww. Still hoping they'll listen?" Stefan asked.
***
Carlisle and Eleazar gathered all of the vampires, as well as Sam and Jacob into the Cullens living room, calling a meeting with this new information.
"When Aro wants someone from a coven it's never long before evidence turns up proving that coven committed some crime." Eleazar told everyone.
"So he's done this before?" Lyra questioned.
Eleazar appeared deep in thought, "It happens so rarely, I never realized it was a pattern."
Carlisle jumped in, adding, "Apparently he always pardons one person whose thoughts he claims are repentant."
"This person always has an ability." Eleazar explains, "And they're always given a place with the Guard."
"This is all about Alice." Lyra said, sounding almost angry, "He has no one like her."
"Which is why she left." Bella stated.
"Why does he need witnesses?" Asked Emmett.
"To spread the word that justice has been served. After he slaughters an entire coven." Alistair states, speaking for the first time that night.
After hearing this, Amun snatched up Kebi's hand and started to drag her across the room with a furious look on his face. He marched up to Benjamin and Tia, who both looked startled by their coven leader's actions. "Benjamin, Tia, we're leaving." Amun told his coven, heading towards the door.
"And where will you go?" Lyra questioned Amun as she realized what the Volturi truly wanted, "What makes you think they'll be satisfied with Alice? What's to stop them from going after Benjamin next? Or Zafrina or Kate or anyone else with a gift? Anyone they want. Their goal isn't punishment, it's power. It's acquisition." She stood up and faced the Egyptian coven leader, "Carlisle might not ask you to fight, but I will. For the sake of my family." Lyra looked at Emmett, then Bella before the other vampires, her eyes blazing a bright red, "But also for yours. And for the way you want to live."
Jacob looked to Sam before standing up, "The packs will fight. We've never been afraid of vampires."
Tanya spoke up for the Denali coven, "We will fight."
Garrett stepped forward next, "This won't be the first time I fought a king's rule."
"We'll join you." Benjamin stated, much to Amun's dismay, "I will do the right thing, Amun. You may do as you please." Lyra smiled at this. She knew there was a reason why she liked him.
"We will stand with you." Said Senna, Zafrina nodding along.
Siobhan spoke for the Irish coven, "So will we."
Lyra looked to Peter and Charlotte, getting only a nod from Peter in response.
"That didn't take much." Vladimir said to Stefan, causing Lyra to roll her eyes slightly at them.
Edward took in a deep breath, "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."
"We'll see." Alistair whispered to Carlisle before leaving the room for the attic once more.