The human girl's scent still lingers on me. The smell of her blood making it all the more difficult to stop myself from turning around and going back to finish what I almost started. I never should've hesitated. I should have taken her to the remote cabin that I found in the middle of nowhere. Where the Cullen's would never be able to find her. What was I thinking taking her home? So stupid.
That doesn't matter now though. She's still under the Cullen's protection. The yellowed eyed pixie showing up proves that. Bella's lover probably not far behind. Why was she in wolf territory though? There is no way they would allow her to consort with wolves...
As I'm running through the trees in the dark, I find myself wondering what I should do now. It's going to be more difficult to get to the human. But perhaps if the Volturi knew that the Cullens told a human about themselves, they might step in. The Volturi only have a few laws and they take them very seriously. They're notorious for destroying covens that have stepped out of line. With that thought, I decided that is exactly what I'll do. The Cullens will likely hide Bella until they know that she is safe from the Volturi. I just have to figure out where she will be while the Cullens are being confronted.
As I'm running, I change course. I'll need to fly to Italy, running would take too long. If I'm going to be on a plane, then I need to feed. Being trapped in a flying tin can with tons of humans could be very bad for me, especially if I'm voluntarily walking right into the Volturi's lair. I can't make a spectacle of myself. Lucky for me, I hear a vehicle approaching. It's about two miles away but at my speed, I reach it in a matter of seconds. There are so many things I can do to overpower the driver, but I decide to make it simple. I run at the same pace as the vehicle, throwing open the driver side door. Before the driver realizes what is happening, I'm pushing him into the passenger seat. Perfect, I found a car and a snack.
"What the hell? Who are you, what just happened? Get the hell out of my car!" He exclaimed, his eyes in shock. I also sense a bit of anger in his tone.
With one hand on the wheel, I turn to look at him, my red eyes gleaming in the lights of other cars passing by. Adjusting my expression into a deep piercing glare, his eyes widen and his jaw drops. The fear in his eyes pleases me. My free hand shoots out and I grab his tongue. He grasps my wrist with both hands struggling to get free. I pull him towards me until his face is an inch from mine and whisper in his ear. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue? You humans are all the same, you act big and bad in dangerous situations but have no follow through. Pathetic."
He whimpers as if he is pleading for his life, but I have other plans. I pull his face even closer and bite deeply into his neck. He screams while I still have a hold of his tongue. The smell of blood instantly filling the air. Keeping my eyes on the road, I drain out every ounce of this man's blood. He struggled at first but within a minute his body was limp. Once I'm sure he's completely drained I open my door and throw his body out into the night. Luckily traffic is bare in these wooded areas.
The nearest airport is one hundred and forty-four miles away from forks. I'm already halfway there considering I ran for about forty minutes, hoping the wind would carry away the stench of the human. I'll have to get new clothes at the airport and ditch these ones, they reek of her. I step on the gas, speeding the rest of the way. Even for a vampire, time moves slowly when you're trying to get something done.
I switch on the radio, humming along to the latest pop music blaring through the car. It would amaze people to know that some of the newer artists are actually not human. Just stone cold, blood sucking creatures with the voices of sirens. They lure you in with their melodic voices and make millions. The only way anyone would ever know they're vampires is if they're caught in the sunlight glowing like a disco ball. That's why most of them only tour at indoor venues. If I didn't loathe humans with a passion, I'd probably do the same. James always loved listening me sing... With that thought I switch off the radio, my annoyance peaking. I will do whatever it takes to avenge James. Even If I can't get to the human girl, Edward will pay.
________________________________________________________________________________
The twelve-hour plane ride was gruesome, even in first class. I didn't pay for it of course; I just swiped a redhead's purse and luggage. She was about my height and weight so I knew I could get away with using her passport. Her clothes would likely fit too. I had no problem purchasing a ticket to Volterra with her credit card either. I was seated on the plane between a mother and her child. A middle seat. The child was quiet for a majority of the time, but the mother kept trying to strike up conversations with me. I decided it was best to lay my head back with sunglasses on and pretend to be asleep. I can be pleasant on occasion, but I do get annoyed easily. Me being annoyed is a very bad thing in the presence of humans. I could demolish this plane in the matter of minutes.
After the plane lands I find the nearest vehicle and steal it. It was a lot easier this time as there wasn't a person in it. Finding the Volturi was pretty easy. Rumors spread in the vampire community of them living in a secret city built beneath Volterra, Italy. Finding an entrance was a bit difficult but moving at super speed helped. There were humans everywhere, all dressed in red. I stole a red robe to blend in with them. I didn't really care about whatever event was going on, I had business to take care of. I found a little alleyway between two older constructed buildings made of brick that was degrading away. I could flick it with two fingers and it would crumble to pieces. I followed the alley to the back of the bigger building and there are brick steps leading down into what looks like an empty cellar.
The cellar was dark but that isn't a problem for me. I find a brick wall in the east corner that has an indent in the wall, like a trap door. I scan the wall with my eyes in the dark and see a brick that sticks out just a centimeter further than the rest. I gently press it and it slides back about one inch into the wall. After about twenty seconds I hear a chime. The door imprint in the wall begins to shift, opening directly in the middle, the bricks sliding sideways to reveal a spacious elevator. Finding myself impressed I step inside and there are only two buttons. One with an arrow pointing up, and one with an arrow pointing down. Pretty simple. I find it surprising that they didn't have guards protecting the cellar. Anyone could wander in here, although maybe they want that. Nothing like an unsuspecting snack, wandering your halls.
I press the down arrow and the doors close quickly. Within thirty seconds the elevator chimes and the doors open up to reveal a long brick hallway. Alabaster lighting fixtures line either side of the hall, making it just bright enough for human eyes to see where they would be stepping. Large brick pillars line the walls of the hallway every twenty feet or so. I begin my journey into the underground city. The heels of my boots clack against the concrete, echoing into the brick dungeon. I quicken my pace as the hallway is long and swerves a few times.
A faint noise stops me in my tracks, it's a heartbeat. A human is down here. The heartbeat is calm so the human must not be in danger, yet. I begin walking again following the sound of the heartbeat. I see the hallway quickly coming to end, leading into an open room that looks like a lobby. There is a woman sitting behind a desk. She is incredibly pretty for a human. If she were to be changed, her complexion would send men to their graves. She must not have heard me approaching because when I get to the desk and speak, she lets out a little yelp.
"I'm so sorry, you startled me. Are you lost? I see you're from the festival. I'd be happy to give you directions to back to the surface of the city." She says, gesturing towards the red robe I'm wearing. Her tone sounding concerned.
I assume she knows about vampires because why else would she be in this underground city? If she doesn't know then I just found my next snack. I lift the hood of my robe and remove my sunglasses, allowing her to see my eyes.
"Oh my goodness, you'll have to excuse me. I thought you were a lost citizen from the parade. I'll let the council know you have arrived. May I have your name please?" She grabs a card from her desk and a pen.
"My name is Victoria; I need to speak with the council about the Cullen clan." I say, watching as she writes. Her movement is slow, it's like watching a snail coil around a twig.
"Feel free to have a seat while you wait, can I get you a refreshment?" She politely asks when she's done with her snail like movements.
"A refreshment?" I ask, confused.
"Yes, today's supply is O positive, and B negative. I can get you a glass if you like or you can feel free to help yourself while I deliver your message to the council." She gestures to a bar across the room.
I'm absolutely shocked that they have a bar stocked with "refreshments".
"I'll help myself, thank you. The sooner you announce my arrival, the better." I say, spinning on my heels and eagerly making my way to the bar.
The pretty human stands and makes her way out of the room, her heels clacking away painfully slow with each step. I listen to her footsteps fade away slowly. I examine my surroundings finding a miniature fridge behind the bar. It's bright red with silver handles. Of course, their fridge full of blood would be red... It looks as if it belongs in a 50's diner. Peaking inside the fridge, I see human refreshments as well as medical bags full of blood. There must be about fifty bags stacked neatly in multiple rows. I grab the first bag in reach, tearing it open with my teeth and dumping it into a wine glass from the bar.
I take a seat with my wine glass. I'm not used to this kind of luxury. I don't think I have ever drank blood out of a glass before. I prefer it warm, and from the source. The furniture in the dungeon lobby is luxurious. If it were possible to sleep, I'd doze off sitting in the giant leather chair that I just picked. The whole lobby is set up as if they expect to have human company. How often are humans down here?
I hear the pretty lady's sluggishly slow footsteps reapproaching. After a few moments she enters the room with two male vampires by her side. One of them is short with blonde hair and a cocky expression on his face. The other is massive, his dark hair sweeping across his forehead. He looks a little annoyed, and kind of intimidating if I'm being honest.
"This is Demitri and Felix. They'll escort you to the council." The human lady gestures towards the two guards.
"We weren't expecting any company. Who are you?" The blonde one named Demitri asks in a snarky tone.
"I'm Victoria, I have news regarding the Cullens that I would like to share with the council." I say with a smirk.
The large guard Felix gestures his arm towards the hallway that the human retrieved them from. I stand and walk over to the receptionist's desk, gently placing the blood-stained wine glass in front of her. "You'll take care of this for me, won't you darling?" I ask, playfully winking at her. Her cheeks turn bright right, she nods and then smiles.
Demitri scoffs and then starts heading down the hallway. I follow in tow, eagerly awaiting to speak to the council. This Hallway was just as long as the other one. We are moving as a leisurely pace, and my annoyance is becoming almost intolerable. We can move faster than a cheetah at full sprint, and we're moving as if we are taking a stroll through the park. I decide to take in my surroundings to occupy my mind. This hallway was brick like the one before but massive. It looked more like an alleyway. There are multiple intersections leading in different directions. The alabaster lighting fixtures brighter than the ones before. This whole place just reminded me of a brick mansion.
Right at the end of this path is a massive set of double doors. This better not be another elevator. Without stopping, Felix extends his arms out pushing open the heavy looking doors. Without slowing, I stroll right past Felix and Demitri. I glance around, quickly taking my surroundings. The Council's is a massive circle, it looks like a ballroom. In the center of the room are three chairs, each containing a vampire. The one in the middle stands, I believe him to be the leader Aro. His pale white skin clashing with his jet-black hair. Marcus, the one sitting to his left also has long dark hair but his eyes look sad and exhausted. Caius, the vampire sitting to Aro's right is blonde and also has a cocky annoying expression on his face.
Aro steps forwards. "You must be Victoria! I've heard so much about you." He says while leisurely strolling towards me. I find myself taken aback. Who has been speaking to the Volturi about me?
"And you must be Aro!" I say, extending my hand and matching his tone.
Aro greedily snatches my hand in his. He closes his eyes and is silent for a moment. I look around the room confused.
"Ah, so you're here to report that the Cullens have told a human about themselves. It's a shame that they destroyed your lover... James, is it?" He asks, releasing my hand and taking a step back.
"I.... How do you know that?" I find myself stumbling over my words.
"I have the power to experience every thought, feeling, and emotion that you have ever had with just a touch. I'm sorry to inform you that the Cullens have not broken any laws. Carlisle wrote to me, informing us of the situation in forks when civilians were dying conspicuously. He said that it was you, your lover, and Laurent causing all of that chaos... Carlisle also informed us that they have plans to change the human girl into one of us. Apparently, their fortune teller has even seen it. You must understand, Carlisle is a dear old friend. I will not risk losing him and his coven over something as small as one human girl knowing of our kind." Aro says, lightly pacing around the room.
My mind is racing now. I didn't know that Aro had powers. I also didn't know that the Cullens had a seer. That must be how they found James when he captured the Bella. It's probably the pixie haired vampire that showed up right before I intended to hurt the human girl. That ruins all of my plans, I'll never be able to get to her now. I'll never get to avenge James. I feel the rage growing inside of me, surging through my veins like fire. My rage doesn't matter though. I'm in a closed room full of vampire's that specialize in taking out people of our own kind. I will likely die here.
"I must say, I am impressed with your powers of evasion. After Carlisle told me about you, I sent my tracker to find your trio. Demitri here is the most powerful tracker of our kind. Even he couldn't find you. While we don't usually offer second chances, we would love it if you joined us. Your presence would be most welcomed among us." Aro propositions.
I find myself taken aback once again. I look over at Demitri who is glaring and pouting simultaneously. I'm not even sure what to think of the offer.
"Can I take some time to think about it? It's an amazing offer, I just wasn't expecting it." I say, perplexed.
"Of course, take all the time you need. We do have forever." Aro laughs in a childlike manner.
Relief drowns out my pent-up rage. While I may not be able to get to Bella now, I could take the Volturi's offer and maybe convince them of my case against the Cullen's over time. Especially if the girl is going to become a vampire as well. It'll make the chase so much more fun.
"Our offer only stands if stay away from the human girl and don't make a spectacle of yourself. Keep in mind we will not offer you a third chance." Caius threatens.
"You're free to go, unless you'd like to join us for dinner?" Aro offers. I hear something in the distance, footsteps and multiple heartbeats. Their dinner.
"No thank you, your receptionist made sure I was well fed." I say, declining his offer.
"Oh, well that's a shame. I really did like her. You didn't leave a mess for us to clean up, did you?" Aro asks, his head hanging as if I just took away his favorite toy.
"Oh, you misunderstand. She offered me a beverage from your fridge of blood." I say with a smirk on my face.
Aro busts out into laughter. The sound of his laugh is mildly annoying but everyone in the room is giggling now.
"Go now, our dinner will be arriving any moment. Do think of our offer and let us know what you decide." Marcus says, waving his hand towards the door.
I nod my head and turn to leave. I notice a young blonde vampire watching me from the shadows, she must've slipped in quietly because I didn't see her when I first arrived. The girl had a piercing stare that would terrify anyone. She is smiling at me though, her expression turning curious. I nod to her and continue to the exit. Once outside and halfway down the alleyway sized hall, the blonde catches up to me.
"I have a proposition that I would like to discuss with you at a later time. Meet me at this address, tonight at midnight." The blonde girl says while handing me a small white card. Before I have the chance to ask who she is, she's gone. I tuck the card into my waistband and find my way back to the lobby. A group of humans being guided by a stunning vampire, strolls past me towards the room I just came from. I slip my sunglasses back on quickly, wave to the receptionist and find my way back to the elevator. I need to leave quickly because I will turn around and go back if I smell even a drop of that groups blood.
As I step into the elevator, I find myself uncertain about what do next. I can't hurt Bella now. I never should have come here. I painted a target on my own back by coming to the Volturi. I'll have no choice but to keep my distance from her until I can come up with a plan that doesn't get me killed. My only hope is to find the blonde vampire later and find out if she has a plan.