We waited for two days in the clearing. The exact same field where we had slaughtered the army of newborns. It was like deja vu, the same fear and nervousness was echoing through the family's minds but only Bella and I knew the true outcome now, we wouldn't get through this fight alive.
We had come to believe that the Volturi were only tracking Edward or Carlisle, we assumed Bella and I were immune and they would be able to tell that Alice wasn't with us, that must have thrown them. We wondered if it surprised them that we were weren't running, that the closer they got the clearer we became to Demetri. Hopefully it made them a little nervous.
Over the last forty-eight hours Jacob and I had become inseparable, even more so than usual. No matter what he was doing I stuck to his side, I even went training with him for the new recruits. I didn't want to waste a minute of the last few days of my life without him in it. We didn't have a last goodbye the night before, we ventured out to wait in the clearing, Jacob didn't see a need for it... because he thought we were going to win.
Two tents were set up, one for Renesmee and Seth and one for Jake and I. We had placed them a few yards back into the forest to help protect from the elements, but then suddenly that caused even more deja vu. The night before our last battle Bella and I were clinging to Jake for warmth and now look where we were. It was nearly impossible to believe how much things had changed in the last seven months, everything had finally fallen into place only for it to all be destroyed before we even had a chance to enjoy it.
The night before New Year's Eve the snow began to fall in thin flurries. Just before Jacob and I called it a night, the snow made a thin icing over the clearing only. It wasn't yet thick enough to make it through the trees. Through the night the snow grew heavier, and in the morning when I popped my head out of the tent the picture from Alice's vision was complete.
As the morning progressed the others joined us in the forest, some eyes like liquid gold, others fierce and red. I ventured with Jake, deeper into the forest to meet with the packs. There were seventeen pack members in total now, the six youngest looked tiny compared to the rest of them, even smaller than Leah with their smaller bodies and paws they hadn't grown in to yet.
I hugged each and every wolf, spending longer with Jesse, wrapping my arms around their thick, furry necks, thanking them for joining us. Lastly I turned to Jake, who was still in his human form, and my bottom lip quivered as the tears built up. This could be the last time I see his human face.
"Come here." He coaxed, opening his arms to me.
I blurred into them, my arms wrapping around his torso as I buried my face in his chest. "I love you so much." I whimpered as one of his hands stroked over my hair.
"I love you too." He breathed, taking a hold of my chin so I was looking up at him. "We'll get through this." He was so sure it sent a new wave of tears rolling down my cheeks, he caught them with his thumbs.
"Remember your promise to me." I reminded him, my voice still quivering.
"I remember." He stated surely, his confident eyes looking at the fear in mine. "I'll be right beside you."
He kissed me then, long and deep, holding me so tightly against him I forgot what it was like to breathe. I left him with the tears still in my eyes, grabbed my jacket from the tent and met with my family and our guests. I met them out in the snow, and it crunched under my boots as I walked towards them. Carlisle and Edward were placing the others into a loose formation.
I waited to be placed but no one came to me, so I turned my attention to Bella and Renesmee who were venturing out of the forest. Bella had the wedding present Aro had gifted her around her neck, just to try and sway him slightly but I wasn't sure if it was going to work. Edward met them halfway and then and brought them into a hug.
When he released them they met me and then Edward showed us to our places. Bella, with Renesmee now hanging onto her back, were a few feet behind the front line which was made up of Carlisle, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie, Tanya, Kate and Eleazar. I was placed beside Bella in the centre. They wanted Bella and I central to the group so our shields had an equal chance of reaching everyone. On my right I had Benjamin and on Bella's left was Zafrina, it was out job to protect them for as long as we were able to. They were our best offensive weapons, if the Volturi were the ones that ended up blind that would change everything.
Zafrina was hard and fierce, her lips already curled up into a snarl, and Senna was her mirror image beside her as always. Benjamin was sat on the ground, his palms pressed to the grass after having moved the snow out of the way, muttering quietly to himself about fault lines. Last night, he'd stacked up piles of boulders on the other side of the field, ready to distract the Volturi if needed.
Our witnesses clustered to our left and our right, the ones closer to us were the ones who had declared themselves. Behind us, inside the forest all of the wolves were ready, their heavy panting and beating hearts were all that the regular vampires could hear but I was more focused on their minds, talking over battle strategies and how much longer we'd be waiting for. I zoned in on Jake's voice, it helped to calm my nerves despite what he was thinking about.
The clouds rolled in and the sky darkened a touch, giving everything a kind of grey hue. I let in a shaky breath and grasped Bella's hand, they'd be here soon. I focused on stretching my mind forward to see if I could hear any unfamiliar thoughts, for the moment their was nothing.
All our family and allies braced themselves.
The heavy thudding of Jacob and Seth's paw prints became the only sound and I let out a short sigh, relieved he would be standing here beside me. His huge size and russet fur looked beautiful against the white backdrop, I would treasure that image for as long as I could. Jacob move to stand between Benjamin and myself and Seth on Bella's other side next to Zafrina.
As if we planned it, Renesmee and I reached out to our wolves and intertwined our fingers in their fur, and Edward reached back for Bella's free hand, grasping it tightly. Another slow minute ticked by and I found myself straining, just trying to hear a thought.
And then I heard him.
Aro.
Then Caius, and Marcus, Jane and Alec, Demetri and Felix and then so many more voices.
My body felt rigid as I hissed in warning, glaring at the other side of the meadow. Jacob shifted closer to me and then Edward heard them no less than a second later, his body stiffening too as he hissed low between his clenched teeth.
More seconds passed and soon it began to look as if the tree trunks were moving closer in the darkness until the first group of them touched the snow. Black against white, there was no missing them now.
They moved in formation, one foot in front of the other in perfect synchronisation, like extremely disciplined soldiers heading towards their battle. The members on the outer edges of the group were a dark grey, the colour darkened as it went along to the centre, that was where the deepest black resided. Each member's face was hidden in the hollow of their hoods, completely shadowed, and that infuriated me more.
Then their positioning changed suddenly, as if it were part of a dance, the grey cloaks spread to the flanks of the group whilst the darker colours surged forward in a silent wave. Their progress was slow but deliberate, with no hurry, no tension, no anxiety. It was the pace of the invincible. Their faces showed no emotion but their minds held no surprise for the witnesses we had gathered, or for the two giant wolves that stood in our midst. They knew of the wolves because of Irina... they knew that I had lied.
I counted them and there was thirty-two in total compared to our twenty-nine, but we had two wolves with us now, and fifteen more lingering in the shadows behind us. But there was only twenty of us that had agreed to fight, we outnumbered them, but not by much.
"The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming," Garrett muttered mysteriously to himself and then chuckled once. He slid one step closer to Kate. He was a strange one.
"They did come," Vladimir whispered to Stefan.
"The wives," Stefan hissed back. "The entire guard. All of them together. It's well we didn't try Volterra."
And then, as if their numbers were not enough, while the Volturi slowly and majestically advanced, more vampires began entering the clearing behind them. Witnesses of the Volturi's own began to swarm but their faces held every emotion the real members didn't. They didn't expect to see so many of us, to see the wolves, the shock was clear, but they recovered quickly. It was clear that these randoms were asked upon for a reason, as their eyes caught Renesmee their anger caught alight, these were in fact not randoms, but vampires that hated immortal children more than most. When we were dead, they would spread the word that the criminals had been eradicated, that the Volturi had acted with nothing but impartiality.
We didn't have a chance, there were more than sixty of them. Even if we could blind them, incapacitate them with the elements or electrocution, even if Bella and I neutralised their gifts, they would still outnumber us. Even if we killed Demetri, there was little chance Seth could outrun all this. They were here to acquire us gifted individuals and destroy everyone else.
One vampire, in amongst the cloaks, looked like she didn't belong. Irina hesitated between the Volturi and their own witnesses when her eyes landed on her sisters standing in the front line. Edward snarled, a very low but threatening sound. "Alistair was right," he murmured to Carlisle.
I watched Carlisle glance at Edward questioningly.
"Alistair was right?" Tanya whispered.
'They - Caius and Aro - come to destroy and acquire," Edward breathed almost silently back; only our side could hear.
"They have many layers of strategy already in place. If Irina's accusation had somehow proven to be false, they were committed to find another reason to take offence. But they can see Renesmee now, so they are perfectly sure about their course. We could still attempt to defend against their other contrived charges, but first they have to stop, to hear the truth about Renesmee." I whispered, explaining it all as Edward took a calming breath. "Which they have no intention of doing."
Jacob growled lowly, leaning in to me more. "I won't let them take you."
"They won't." I whispered back, stroking over his fur. I'd kill myself before I'd let happen.
"Sam, Jesse, now." As Jacob said those words inside his head his growl got a little louder.
No more than two seconds later our enemy halted in their synchronised steps about a hundred yards away from us. Their fluid movements turning completely solid.
The packs moved forward, Jesse leading Jake's and Sam leading his own as they filtered through the trees and into the clearing. Their large hearts were beating in a thunder like rhythm, and I glanced left and right to watch them intertwine themselves within our ranks.
This was what had stopped the Volturi. Two wolves they could handle, but not seventeen.
On either side of our assembly, the wolves branched out along our borders, Jesse and Sam taking the lead on either side. I heard Bella gasp quietly as she took in the large amount of wolves that now circled us, she didn't know how many new recruits we had actually gained... how many young recruits.
If the fight happened I'd have to fight for my people, Sam and Jake had gambled our entire species on this confrontation, hoping that we would win. I decided in that moment I would leave the majority of the shielding to Bella, I was going to fight, and I was going to fight dirty, I wasn't going to let any of the Volturi hurt any of my tribe, young boys that hadn't even had a chance to live their life yet.
I envisioned ripping all of them limb from limb, rendering them powerless; Alec, Jane, Caius, Felix, Demetri and Aro... I wanted them all writhing in pain, I wanted them burning alive, I wanted them dead.
I gripped Bella's hand a little tighter as my lips curled back over my teeth, letting the low, fierce snarl tear up my throat. The Volturi were wary now, the amount of wolves shocking them. I smirked, proving to them we wouldn't go down without a fight.
From beside me, Bella, Zafrina and Senna echoed my snarl with their own growls, showing our alliance.
The Volturi members remained stone cold emotionless, their shadowed faces giving nothing away. The only two members that weren't frozen in their path were Caius and Aro, their hands were joined in the centre of the hoard, both pausing to evaluate and silently confer because of the wolves in our midst. Marcus also had physical contact with Aro, though his face was emotionless like the rest of the guard... but that was no surprise, he held the same lack of expression when we first met.
Edward and I listened intently to their silent conversation and I almost lost my cool when I realised they knew about my gifts. Edward has managed to keep it hidden, showing them I was only immune to them like Bella, but Irina had told them everything from what she'd learnt through Carlisle and conversations with her family.
They knew of my connection to the pack, they knew about my mind reading, they knew I could turn my shield on and off, they knew I could project thoughts, but they also knew one thing in my favour... I could easily tear them limb from limb without getting a single scratch on me. I smirked as that thought swept over Aro's mind.
They didn't know how to proceed, they didn't include their witnesses in their numbers, so they had never been outnumbered before. Marcus was using his gift, trying to decipher any weak points in our ties to each other. He found two, he saw that Amun and Kebi weren't bound to us and neither were the Romanians... but they had guessed that already.
The Romanians presence irritated them, they knew we had not seeked out these individuals, the Volturi knew of their vendetta and therefore why they stood with us. They were also worried about the faces of our witnesses that they didn't recognise, like Benjamin and Tia and Zafrina and Senna.
They became busy on focusing on key targets, like Edward and myself because we could determine their every move, and Carlisle and Tanya; the leaders of the biggest covens that stood before them. But I needed to find my own.
There was a woman standing directly behind Aro, her hand resting lightly on his back. From the darker grey colour of her cloak she was an important member of the guard. It was Renata, the other shield. Her gift worked similar to Bella's and mine, by repelling physical attacks rather than mental, but from the way I could dig through her mind I was sure Bella and I could get past her. However, it would be pointless going straight for Aro, or Caius and Marcus, there were other dangers I needed to take out to give everyone else a chance.
My eyes scanned the line of the guard and I had no trouble singling out the two, child-like grey cloaks just to the side of the ancients. Alec and Jane stood on the other side of Marcus, with Demetri standing a little behind them. Like the others's around them, their faces gave nothing away, but they too were thinking about who to torture first, Jane couldn't wait to try her power out on Bella and I again. I hissed in response, staring directly at her and a slight smirk twitched on her lips.
Aro's eyes searched intensely across our lines for Alice's face, and real disappointment showed when he couldn't locate her. She was the most important person he came here for. In that moment, I was thankful that she had ran.
"What are they doing?" Carlisle asked, his voice low.
"They're not sure how to go forward. They're weighing options, choosing key targets - me and Aria of course, you, Eleazar, Tanya. Marcus is reading the strength of our ties to each other, looking for weak points." He sighed, glaring at the accusers.
"The Romanians' presence irritates them." I continued as Edward took in an uneven breath. "They're worried about the faces they don't recognise - Zafrina and Senna in particular - and the wolves, naturally. They've never been outnumbered before. That's what stopped them."
"Outnumbered?" Tanya whispered incredulously.
"They don't count their witnesses," Edward breathed. "They are nonentities, meaningless to the guard. Aro just enjoys an audience."
"Should I speak?" Carlisle asked.
Edward and I hesitated, Aro would let us say our part first before he killed us, just for some entertainment. "This is the only chance you'll get." I said softly, reaching forward to squeeze his shoulder.
Carlisle squared his shoulders and paced several steps ahead of our defensive line. I closed my eyes and concentrated, letting my shield expand. I watched the clear, liquid-like film wrap itself tightly around Carlisle, he would not suffer from a mental attack.
He spread his arms, holding his palms up as if in greeting. "Aro, my old friend. It's been centuries."
Both sides were quiet for a long time, Aro was deliberating as to whether he should accept Carlisle or not. His thoughts were so erratic he wasn't sure if he should listen or just attack.
He decided to listen. He stepped forward, away from his protection. Renata sensed his movement moments after and moved forward with him as if they were part of one being. Across the Volturi guards, mutters about the fear of Aro stepping forward rolled across them in a wave. Their emotionless faces turned to scowls, some even baring their teeth and leaning forward into defensive crouches.
Aro held one hand up toward them. "Peace."
He moved forward just a little more and then tilted his head to the side, his filmed eyes filled with curiosity.
"Fair words, Carlisle." Aro said in his breathy voice. "They seem out of place, considering the army you've assembled to kill me, and to kill my dear ones."
Immediately Carlisle shook his head and stretched his right hand out forward, as if they were not still almost a hundred yards apart. "You have but to touch my hand to know that was never my intent."
Aro narrowed his eyes. "But how can your intent possibly matter, dear Carlisle, in the face of what you have done?" Aro's curiosity turned into disappointment. He did in fact respect Carlisle and was truly upset with this confrontation despite the true meaning of his arrival.
"I have not committed the crime you are here to punish me for." Carlisle stated.
"Then step aside and let us punish those responsible. Truly, Carlisle, nothing would please me more than to preserve your life today." Aro said, he was being honest but his eyes burned as they focused on Edward and then Bella.
"No one has broken the law, Aro. Let me explain." Again, Carlisle offered his hand.
Before Aro could answer, Caius drifted swiftly forward to Aro's side.
"So many pointless rules, so many unnecessary laws you create for yourself, Carlisle," the white-haired ancient hissed. "How is it possible that you defend the breaking of one that truly matters?"
"The law is not broken. If you would listen—" Carlisle tried and I was getting more and more annoyed that they wouldn't just let him talk.
"We see the child, Carlisle," Caius snarled. "Do not treat us as fools."
"She is not an immortal. She is not a vampire. I can easily prove this with just a few moments—"
Caius cut him off. "If she is not one of the forbidden, then why have you massed a battalion to protect her?"
"Witnesses, Caius, just as you have brought." Carlisle gestured to the angry horde at the edge of the woods; some of them growled in response, ours growled back. "Any one of these friends can tell you the truth about the child. Or you could just look at her, Caius. See the flush of human blood in her cheeks."
"Artifice!" Caius snapped. "Where is the informer? Let her come forward!" He craned his neck around until he spotted Irina lingering behind the wives. "You! Come!"
Irina's eyes blinked in fear, she could could already see the mistake she had made. She could see Renesmee had grown, that she had made a false accusation and people were going to die because of it.
Caius snapped his fingers when she didn't move and then one of the wives' huge bodyguards stepped forward and pushed Irina in the back, forcing her to move forward. Irina visibly gulped, balled her hands into fists and then slowly walked over to Caius. Her eyes were settled nervously on her sisters.
Caius crossed the distance that separated himself and Irina and struck her across the face. It didn't hurt her, but he knew this and done it in an attempt to belittle her in front of everyone. Tanya and Kate hissed in retaliation.
Irina's body went rigid and her eyes finally focused on Caius. With one pointed, boney finger, he pointed at Renesmee. He face was showing behind Bella's hair between Bella and I's heads, her little fingers still tangled up in Seth's fur. My lips curled back over my teeth and growls rumbled through Seth and Jake's chests.
"This is the child you saw?" Caius demanded. "The one that was obviously more than human?"
Irina's eyes cautiously glanced in our direction, examining Renesmee fully since she first entered the clearing. The more she looked the more intense her expression became. She was comparing her old memory of Renesmee to the child in front of her now, she made the connection and then looked down at the ground in shame.
"Well?" Caius snarled.
"I... I'm not sure," she said, nervousness in her voice.
Caius felt the need to slap her again. "What do you mean?" He said through gritted teeth.
"She's not the same, but I think it's the same child. What I mean is, she's changed. This child is bigger than the one I saw, but—"
Caius's bloodthirsty roar split the air in two as he cut of Irina's explanation. He wanted her dead for wasting their time. Well almost wasting it...
Aro blurred forward and placed a calming yet demanding hand on Caius's shoulder. "Be composed, brother. We have time to sort this out. No need to be hasty."
Caius pulled back into himself and tried to calm down. His face went back to his gaunt expression but inside he was raging.
"Now, sweetling," Aro said in a sickly sweet voice. "Show me what you're trying to say." He held his hand out to her.
Unsurely, Irina outstretched her fingers and took Aro's awaiting hand. He only held on to her for all of five seconds.
"You see, Caius?" he said. "It's a simple matter to get what we need."
Caius remained silent but Aro let a small smile slide over his lips. He looked to his audience, his own witnesses and then back at us.
"And so we have a mystery on our hands, it seems. It would appear the child has grown. Yet Irina's first memory was clearly that of an immortal child. Curious."
"That's exactly what I'm trying to explain," Carlisle said, relief lacing his voice. The Volturi had stopped to listen to us. But I didn't feel the same relief as Carlisle, only more nervous. This just gave them more time to alter their primary plans.
Carlisle held out his hand again.
Aro hesitated for a moment. "I would rather have the explanation from someone more central to the story, my friend. Am I wrong to assume that this breach was not of your making?"
"There was no breach." Carlisle stated again.
"Be that as it may, I will have every facet of the truth." Aro's feathery voice hardened. "And the best way to get that is to have the evidence directly from your talented son." He inclined his head in Edward's direction and then his eyes fluttered to me briefly a longing in his eyes. "As the child clings to his newborn mate, I'm assuming Edward is involved."
He wanted Edward only of course, because once he touched Edward he would be able hear to everyone's thoughts, all except for my own and Bella's. He also knew that touching Edward would give him a deeper insight into my gifts and what we have left out during our last meeting.
Edward turned to face us and placed quick kisses on Bella and Renesmee's foreheads, he took my hand from Bella's and squeezed it before placing it back in Bella's. Then he strode across the snowy field, clapping Carlisle on the shoulder as he passed.
I gritted my teeth as Esme tried to hold in her cry as she watched Edward walk away from us. There would be no point in trying to shield him now, Aro needed to see the truth, but the need to protect my adoptive brother was eating me alive.
Instinctively, my eyes darted to the so-called witch twins as Edward crossed the midpoint in the distance between us. A growl rumbled low in my chest as Jane smiled and the sadistic thoughts filled her head. If she made one move my shield would be wrapped around Edward, then we would see if she could really fight.
Then suddenly I felt something wash over me, my body jolted slightly, as if someone had just nudged me as they walked past me. Bella huffed and ground her teeth together, her hand gripping mine even tighter... and then I realised I had felt her shield pass over me and slingshot around all of our group and Edward as he continued to travel the distance towards the Volturi.
A startled laugh burst through Bella's lips. I glanced at Bella quickly, feeling the others gaze at her too and I squeezed her hand, letting her know to calm down and not give anything away. Jacob side-eyed her, thinking she'd lost her mind.
When Edward stopped in front of Aro, I felt Bella reluctantly pull her shield back from around him. We needed Aro to see, we didn't want him blinded.
Edward squared his shoulders and raised his chin arrogantly, he wasted no time in offering his hand. Aro snatched it greedily, excited to see all that Edward's mind had to offer, the biggest of smiles on his pasty face.
Like a shadow Renata remained glued to Aro, and Caius's frown lines were so deep it looked like his face was going to crumple. Jane bared her teeth in angst and Alec remained ready, he wanted to be the first one to make the attack if need be.
Aro's eyes fluttered closed, and his shoulders hunched under the weight of all the new information he was absorbing. He saw everything, our secrets our strategy's, my gifts, my secrets, my attachment to the wolves, everything our guests had thought. He saw every vision of Alice's that Edward had been close enough to see. Everything that was ours... everything that was his... Aro has now, too.
Bella hissed with frustration, it was taking such a long time. But, that was expected.
"Easy, Bella," Zafrina whispered to her.
I heard the sound of Bella's teeth grinding together.
It was weird to watch, Edward was frozen, the muscles in his neck contracting as he was forced to revisit all these memories. He watched them twice, just as I did, as he showed them and then watched Aro absorb them, along with his own reactions.
Eventually the guard began to get irritated, murmuring and whispering to each other until Caius snarled at them to return to their silence. I zoned in on all their faces and grinned when I saw that Renata was feeling nothing but distress. She clearly didn't know how to fight, and now it seemed like she might have to.
As Aro straightened up, my attention immediately returned to Edward and himself. His eyes were wide with wonder and his expression mirrored it perfectly, he was amazed and bewildered.
Edward loosened up a bit himself but Aro still didn't release his hand. "You see?" Edward asked, completely calm. I guess Aro's response soothed him.
"Yes, I see, indeed." Aro agreed, surprisingly completely amused. "I doubt whether any two among gods or mortals have ever seen quite so clearly." I was shocked that Aro had given in so easily, and the faces of the guard showed the same surprise that I was feeling. "You have given me much to ponder, young friend," Aro continued. "Much more than I expected."
Aro still did not release Edward's hand, but again his eyes shifted to me curiously, and then Jacob, Bella and Renesmee.
"May I meet her?" Aro pleaded, trying not to let his voice show he was begging, but Edward and I could see the eager interest. "I never dreamed of the existence of such a thing in all my centuries. What an addition to our histories!"
"What is this about, Aro?" Caius challenged, leaning forward towards Aro before Edward could answer. Bella released my hand and brought Renesmee around to the front of her body to cradle her against her chest.
"Something you've never dreamed of, my practical friend. Take a moment to ponder, for the justice we intended to deliver no longer applies."
Caius hissed in surprise at his words. He wanted blood and for us to be obliterated.
"Peace, brother," Aro cautioned soothingly.
But peace was not on Aro's mind. Telling Caius to ponder was basically telling him to think of another excuse to take us out, seeing as their original plans had been disrupted and Aro had admitted no laws had been broken.
"Will you introduce me to your daughter?" Aro asked Edward again.
Hisses sounded along the guard and from Caius's mouth as Edward reluctantly nodded. This was Renesmee's chance to win them over, Aro was their leader, this was clear, if she could sway him to not take any further action we could hopefully all leave in peace.
Internally Edward asked if Aro would agree to meeting halfway, just to keep a calmness amongst both sides ranks. Aro answered his question aloud. "I think a compromise on this one point is certainly acceptable, under the circumstance. We will meet in the middle."
Finally, Aro released Edward's hand, and Edward turned back towards us with Aro joining him, throwing an arm over Edward's shoulder. His aim was to keep in contact with Edward's skin so he could read every thought that Edward could, just in case someone decided to attack.
They began their walk and then the entire guard moved forward with them. My eyes flared, ready to act but I didn't know how, but Aro raised hand signalling for them to stop. "Hold, my dear ones. Truly, they mean us no harm if we are peaceable."
Snarls and growls filled the air as the guard protested to their leader's order. They longed to protect him and to remain close, though I couldn't blame them, we felt the same as Edward approached them... but we were a little more civilised about it.
"Master," Renata whispered, clinging to the back of Aro's robe. Her lack of ability to fight shining through.
"Don't fret, my love," he responded. "All is well."
"Perhaps you should bring a few members of your guard with us," Edward suggested. "It will make them more comfortable."
Aro acknowledged this observation and nodded agreeing it was a good and wise idea. He snapped his fingers twice. "Felix, Demetri, Alec."
All four of them were at Edward and Aro's flanks immediately. I had forgotten how big Felix was, of course Jake was huge and bulky, but he seemed even bigger so... it was a lot to take in.
The six of them stopped in the middle of the snowy field. "Bella," Edward called. "Bring Renesmee... and a few friends."
I was going even if Bella did ask me to.
Bella took in a deep breath and then turned to me. "Aria?" I nodded immediately and then she continued to ask three others. "Jacob? Seth? Emmett?"
Of course she had to ask Jake and Seth, they wouldn't let Renesmee and I venture out to meet Aro by ourselves. The wolves nodded and I contained myself from rolling my eyes as Emmett grinned.
Bella and I took the lead with Renesmee still in her arms, Emmett was directly behind us and the wolves flanked us. As we began our walk there was another rumble of dissatisfaction at Bella's choices. They didn't trust the wolves, were disgusted we had even brought them. Aro raised his hand again to silence them.
"Interesting company you keep," Demetri muttered to Edward.
Edward didn't respond, but a low growl slipped through Jacob's teeth as I gritted mine. We stopped a few feet away from Aro, and Edward ducked under his arm to join us and take Bella's hand.
For a moment we faced each other in silence, and then Felix greeted Bella in a low, welcoming voice. "Hello again, Bella." He grinned cockily while still tracking Jacob and Seth's every twitch with his peripheral vision.
"Hey, Felix." Bella smiled warily.
Felix chuckled. "You look good. Immortality suits you."
"Thanks so much."
"You're welcome. It's too bad..."
I couldn't help the low growl that rumbled through my chest as the image of killing Bella whilst she was still human churned through his mind.
"Yes, too bad, isn't it?" Bella murmured, glancing at me.
Felix winked at us both.
Aro paid no attention to the exchange and focused entirely on Renesmee. "I hear her strange heart," he said almost musically. "I smell her strange scent." Then his eyes shifted to me and he narrowed them slightly, but the smile remained. "Just like you, my dear. I must say, I'm a little upset about your aversion to human blood." He took note of the gold in my eyes that was red when we first met. But he knew I didn't drink blood from Edward's thoughts, he wanted to see if I would lie.
"An aversion to all blood, Aro." I said politely, I couldn't seem hostile.
"That's not entirely true is it my dear. You have craved it, haven't you?" He smiled, knowing the truth, he just wanted me to admit it.
I could hear the questions in everyone's thoughts but I remained calm. "It was only once. I hadn't eaten for days." I clarified. "I didn't satisfy my thirst."
"Strange." Aro mused. "We have much more to learn about you too, Edward has shown me a decent amount, it's nice to see where you truly come from. I suppose he wasn't as informed about you the last time that we met, seeing as the Cullens left you three days after your rebirth." The sweetness of his voice was making me sick. He detested me for lying, but saw me as an asset more so. He hoped to control me after seeing all that I could do.
"I guess he wasn't." I agreed, smiling tightly.
He hummed to himself. "I am happy to see you though, Aria. From Edward's thoughts, your strength and speed are absolutely extraordinary, not to mention your long list of gifts." He concluded happily... I could literally see the clogs turning inside his own head. I'd be the ultimate weapon. His milky eyes then landed on Bella. "In truth, young Bella, immortality does become you most extraordinarily," he said. "It is as if you were designed for this life."
Bella nodded once in acknowledgement of his flattery.
"You liked my gift?" he asked, eyeing the necklace Aro had sent her for congratulations on the wedding.
"It's beautiful, and very, very generous of you. Thank you. I probably should have sent a note."
Aro laughed delightedly. "It's just a little something I had lying around." Funnily enough it was completely true. "I thought it might complement your new face, and so it does."
A sudden burst of rage inside her mind and a pissed off hiss left Jane's lips as the jealously swept over her. She was used to being the prize in Aro's eyes but it seemed Bella and I may be gliding right past her.
"May I greet your daughter, lovely Bella?" Aro asked sweetly.
It felt wrong to leave Renesmee so vulnerable when everyone else on our side was protected. To let Bella focus on Renesmee, I let my shield flow out from behind me and wrap around all of our witnesses and the wolves, covering Jacob meant that I could protect all of his pack, I just needed to wrap it around Sam to protect the others.
Where I was used to pressure on my brain and body, unlike Bella, it was easier to disguise what I was doing without giving it away with heavy breaths and furrowed eyebrows that were focused on concentration. It was like my shield was now just part of me and I could do what I wanted with it without even trying.
Aro moved closer to us and Seth let a warning growl rumble through his chest. "She's exquisite," he murmured. "So like you and Edward." And then louder, "Hello, Renesmee."
Renesmee looked to Bella, a little unsure. Bella nodded in response, reassuring her. "Hello, Aro," she answered formally.
Aro's eyes widened with excitement.
"What is it?" Caius snapped from behind our small group, determined to find out what Renesmee actually was.
"Half mortal, half immortal," Aro told him without even turning his head to acknowledge his fellow leader, his eyes remained fixed on Renesmee's angelic little face. "Conceived so, and carried by this newborn while she was still human."
"Impossible," Caius scoffed, scowling at the back of Aro's head.
"Do you think they've fooled me, then, brother?" Aro's voice was filled with distaste for his brother yet he was still amused by Caius's disbelief. Caius flinched at Aro's tone. "Is the heartbeat you hear a trickery as well?"
Caius clenched his jaw. "The other half immortal possibly."
"So she has two hearts now?" Aro asked sarcastically, his lips turning up into a devilish smile. When Caius remained silent he continued. "Calmly and carefully, brother," Aro cautioned, his smile now softer as his gaze went back to Renesmee. "I know well how you love your justice, but there is no justice in acting against this unique little one for her parentage. And so much to learn, so much to learn! I know you don't have my enthusiasm for collecting histories, but be tolerant with me, brother, as I add a chapter that stuns me with its improbability. We came expecting only justice and the sadness of false friends, but look what we have gained instead! A new, bright knowledge of ourselves, our possibilities."
It had seemed like the Cullens had offered them a lot of knowledge over their brief existence compared to the Volturi; surviving on animal blood, a tolerance for humans and wanting to fit in, myself, and now Renesmee.
Aro then held his hand out for Renesmee, but this was not what she wanted. She leaned forward out of Bella's arms to stretch upward so her fingertips could touch his papery face. Aro had seen in Edward's thoughts that this was how she communicates, and didn't jump away like the many before him had.
She showed him her life from birth till now, even her memories from before she was born, hearing us conversing about Bella being on the brink of death. She focused mainly on her growth. Aro's smile widened as he watched, his eyes flickering as if he was focusing on the images happening in front of him. "Brilliant," he whispered.
Then she asked him a very serious internal question. She asked for our survival. "Please?" she asked him aloud her eyes flickering over all our family's faces and then finished on Seth.
His smile turned gentle. "Of course I have no desire to harm your loved ones, precious Renesmee." But his words were a lie.
I swallowed the snarl building up in my throat as Edward ground his teeth together. Far behind us and back in our ranks, Maggie's outraged hiss echoed through the clearing at realising his lie.
"I wonder," Aro mused thoughtfully, letting his eyes travel upwards to Jacob who was pressed up beside me and then Seth. Instead of the hatred and disgust the rest of the Volturi felt towards the wolves, there was a longing inside Aro's mind.
"It doesn't work that way, Aro." I snapped, watching him carefully. He liked the idea of us having 'guard dogs' .
"Just an errant thought." Aro said, marvelling over Jacob's huge size, and then behind him to the wolves that had intertwined themselves with our family and the rest of the witnesses. He liked their loyalty and hoped to sway them to his side...
"They don't belong to us, Aro. They don't follow our commands that way. They're here because they want to be." I warned him, trying to keep the rage out of my voice.
Jacob growled menacingly from beside me.
"They seem quite attached to you, though." He breathed, still curious, though he had seen in Renesmee's thoughts Jacob and Seth were more bound to us than anyone else.
"They are my family." I stated firmly.
"Hmmm... loyal." His breathed, completely besotted with the idea. If he had to slaughter us all he had decided to save as many wolves as possible, for his own personal gain.
"They're committed to protecting human life, Aro. That makes them able to coexist with us, but hardly with you. Unless you're rethinking your lifestyle." I commented snidely, reaching up to place my hand on Jake's neck as his growls became more viscous.
"Just an errant thought," Aro laughed and clapped his hands together. "You well know how that is. Well none of us can entirely control our subconscious desires."
Edward spoke up then, his voice tight with anger. "I do know how that is. And I also know the difference between that kind of thought and the kind with a purpose behind it. It could never work, Aro."
Jacob whined, wanting to know what the small argument was about... he wasn't going to like this. "He's intrigued with the idea of... guard dogs," I muttered back.
An eery silence lasted for only one second, and the sound of furious snarls ricocheted around the trees from all of the wolves. Sam barked once, silencing the pack and their complaining ended abruptly.
"I suppose that answers that question," Aro said, laughing again. "This lot has picked its side."
Edward and I hissed and instinctively I stepped in front of Jacob as Aro made the conclusion that the wolves must all die as well. Jacob nudged his nose into my back as Felix, Demetri and Alec slipped into their own defensive crouches behind Aro. He waved his arm once again and his minions returned to their reformed stature, and reluctantly after a second or two, Edward and I done the same.
"So much to discuss." Aro said, his eyes flashing over me again, but his tone was like that of a businessman. "So much to decide. If you and your furry protectors will excuse me, my dear Cullens, I must confer with my brothers."