We began the steep climb, and the road grew congested. As we wound higher, the cars became too close together for Alice to weave insanely between them anymore. We slowed to a crawl behind a little tan Peugeot.
"Alice," I moaned. The clock on the dash seemed to be speeding up.
"It's the only way in," she tried to reassure me. But her voice was too strained to comfort. The cars continued to edge forward, one car length at a time. The sun beamed down brilliantly, seeming already overhead. The cars crept one by one toward the city.
As we got closer, I could see cars parked by the side of the road with people getting out to walk the rest of the way. At first, I thought it was just impatience-something I could easily understand. But then we came around a switchback, and I could see the filled parking lot outside the city wall, the crowds of people walking through the gates. No one was being allowed to drive through.
"Alice," I whispered urgently. "I know," she said. Her face was chiseled from ice. Now that I was out of my head, I could tell that it was very windy. The people crowding toward the gate gripped their hats and tugged their hair out of their faces. Their clothes billowed around them. I also noticed that the color red was everywhere. Redshirts, red hats, red flags dripping like long ribbons beside the gate, whipping in the wind-as I watched, the brilliant crimson scarf one woman had tied around her hair was caught in a sudden gust. It twisted up into the air above her, writhing like it was alive. She reached for it, jumping in the air, but it continued to flutter higher, a patch of bloody color against the dull, ancient walls.
"Alice, I have to go," Alice spoke quickly in a fierce, low voice. "Can you make it from here?"
I nodded, knowing that I could make it, I just needed to know where I was going. "Don't get lost." These were the last words Alice shouted at me before emptiness filled my former seat.
"Palazzo dei Priori, Palazzo dei Priori," I repeated the name I overheard a mortal muttering, trying to focus on anything other than the panic coursing through my body. What if I didn't make it?
Edward will be under the clock tower, to the north of the square. There's a narrow alleyway on the right, and he'll be in the shadow there. You have to get his attention before he can move into the sun. Her instructions played in my mind.
Two minutes, Halston. You have two minutes to get to him.
I took a deep breath, centering myself and focusing all my attention on what I had seen of the clocktower in the photos. I imagined the alleyway Edward would be in, and how I desperately needed to be there... Now. The clock tolled, and I was darkness. The wind was enough to make me uncomfortable when it hit my face now that the crowd was gone. Then I saw him.
Edward stood, motionless as a statue, just a few feet from the mouth of the alley. His eyes were closed, the rings underneath them deep purple, his arms relaxed at his sides, his palms turned forward. His expression was very peaceful like he was dreaming pleasant things. The marble skin of his chest was bare-there was a small pile of white fabric at his feet. The light reflecting from the pavement of the square gleamed dimly from his skin. I'd never seen anything more beautiful. I barreled into him, knocking us both to the ground with the impact.
"No!" I screamed, still processing that I had got to him seconds before he walked into the daylight. "Edward, look at me!" I screamed because his eyes were still closed. I wanted to shake him to attention but shouted instead when I realized he wasn't listening.
"Edward!" His arms wrapped around me as if on instinct. We were still on the shadowed pavement when his dark eyes opened slowly as the clock tolled again. He looked up at me with quiet surprise. "Amazing," he said, his voice full of wonder, slightly amused. "Carlisle was right."
"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.
"We do have much to discuss the rules you broke with this one."
"Then I'm afraid that I'll be unable to accept Aro's invitation, Demetri."
"That's just fine," Felix purred. He was very big, tall, and thick through the shoulders. His size reminded me of Emmett.
"Aro will be disappointed," Demetri sighed.
"I'm sure he'll survive the letdown," Edward replied. Felix and Demetri stole closer toward the mouth of the alley, spreading out slightly so they could come at Edward from two sides. They meant to force him deeper into the alley, to avoid a scene. No reflected light found access to their skin; they were safe inside their cloaks. Edward didn't move an inch.
"Edward, we can jus-" my voice was cut off by Alice who tripped lightly to Edward's side, her stance casual. There was no hint of any underlying tension. She looked so tiny, so fragile. Her little arms swung like a child's.
Why didn't you teleport? I scolded myself. Could you teleport all three of you? Not far enough away that they wouldn't be able to catch up. It could buy us some time though. Time to form a game plan.
Jane. Her mind stuck out to me once again. She would be the first person I killed when we inevitably followed them into whatever darkness was awaiting us. With Jane dead, the odds were much better. With my shields, I knew she couldn't get into my min- I paused, realizing that Jane wasn't the most dangerous. Though she was able to inflict unimaginable pain, her brother was the one who made the execution easy. Alec. He wasn't like her, he wasn't cruel, but he had been raised and influenced just as she was. Jane wanted those to hurt as she did, Alec wanted to take his sister's pain away.
I put a hand on Edward's exposed arm, no longer was his skin cold to the touch. My temperature was equal to his. "We're going to have to go with them." I voiced, and Alice looked at me like I had gone insane so I directed my attention to the teenage vampire who was now forced to make her presence known.
I was very conscious of Edward's protective stance beside me-sure that this was what caused their alarm. Edward's teeth came together audibly.
Even Felix and Demetri were uncomfortable with her presence.
"Enough." The voice was high, reedy, and it came from behind us. She looked like a young boy, but I knew better by the memories in her mind.
The newcomer was as tiny as Alice, with lank, pale blonde hair trimmed short. The body under the cloak-which was darker, almost black-was slim and androgynous. But the face was too pretty for a boy. The wide-eyed, full-lipped face would make a Botticelli angel look like a gargoyle. Even allowing for the dull crimson irises. Her size was so insignificant that the reaction to her appearance would have confused me if I wouldn't have been in their minds.
Felix and Demetri relaxed immediately, stepping back from their offensive positions to blend again with the shadows of the overhanging walls. Edward dropped his arms and relaxed his position as well-but in defeat.
"Jane," he sighed in recognition and resignation. Alice folded her arms across her chest, her expression impassive.
"Follow me," Jane spoke again, her childish voice a monotone. She turned her back on us and drifted silently into the dark. Felix gestured for us to go first, smirking. Alice walked after the little Jane at once. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me along beside her. The alley angled slightly downward as it narrowed. I heard the others following closely behind us. What were our odds of surviving this mess if I unleashed myself on them? Would it be enough to get Edward and Alice out?
"Well, Alice," Edward said conversationally as we walked. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised to see you here."
"You're family," Alice answered in the same tone. "I wouldn't just watch you die."
"What happened?" His voice was polite as if he were barely interested. I imagined this was due to the listening ears behind us.
"It's a long story." Alice's eyes flickered toward me and away. "In summary-"
"I don't need you to explain my story to him, Alice. I'm perfectly capable of explaining once we get out of here."
I could imagine what he was hearing in Alice's thoughts now. Newborn vampire, teleportation, drunken nights at the bar, werewolf boyfriends... I was too busy trying to keep up with the minds of everyone around us to focus on their gossip. I tried to convince myself that I didn't care about what she was thinking, but a small part of me did.
"Hm," Edward said curtly, and the casual tone of his voice was gone. There was a loose curve to the alley, still slanting downward. We continued walking forward, and I followed. With easy grace, Alice slid down an open hole in the street. Even though I could see that it was a small drop, something about the confined space scared me and I hesitated for a fraction of a second. It wasn't lost on Edward or the vampires snickering behind us. I wanted to rip them apart. I took a deep breath, all of this happening within a second, then dropped down, landing with ease.
Edward dropped a second later, putting his arm around me, keeping me at his side, and began to walk with me. It was easy to match his pace, and the emotions around allowing him to touch me made me uneasy. Now is not the time, Halston. I heard them slide the grate over the drain hole once more, and the light from the street was quickly lost in the gloom. Thankfully my eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly. There was nothing but silence in the tunnel as we quickly made our way to whatever was awaiting us on the other side.
Edward held me tightly. He reached his free hand across his body to hold my face, too, his smooth thumb tracing across my lips. Now and then, I felt his face press into my hair. It was probably no more than guilt-the same guilt that compelled him to come here to die. But I felt his lips press silently against my forehead, and I didn't care what the motivation was. I pulled away from his touch. I could present a united front, but allowing him to touch my face sent my body into a panic. I felt him look down at me, but I continued to stare straight ahead. Edward let his other hand drop, but he continued to hold me close as if he still didn't believe I was here.
The path beneath our feet continued to slant downward, taking us deeper into the ground, and it made me claustrophobic. A light started to enter the arched tunnel as we continued to move forward. Long trails of ebony moisture seeped down the gray stones like they were bleeding ink. A small door made of thinner, interlaced bars was standing open. Edward ducked through and hurried on to a larger, brighter stone room. The grille slammed shut with a clang, followed by the snap of a lock. On the other side of the long room was a low, heavy wooden door. It was very thick-as I could tell because it, too, stood open. We stepped through the door, and I glanced around me in surprise, relaxing automatically. Beside me, Edward tensed, his jaw clenched tight.