The city was quiet.
As part of his deal with Caius, Michele Distefano had established a strict curfew, which was met with great dissatisfaction by both locals and tourists alike. Still, when the clocks struck nine, mothers called in their children, tourists stumbled back to their hotels, and business owners begrudgingly closed down their shops for the night.
Of course, not all obeyed the mayor's curfew.
Shortly after ten o'clock, Christopher Redgrave crept out of the shadowed alleyway and began his climb up to the roof of one of Volterra's tallest and most centrally located buildings, which just so happened to be the local history museum. With his messenger bag slung over his shoulder, Christopher climbed to the top and readied his equipment.
"Leave now," the red-eyed man had told Christopher. "Leave this city before it's too late."
But how could he expect Christopher to leave now, when he was so close to capturing real, indisputable evidence of the supernatural? He had a duty to stay—to his fans and to himself. So he stood there on that roof, and he waited.
... and waited.
... and waited.
... and waited.
Christopher checked his watch for the eighth time. It was after midnight, and the closest thing to a wolf he'd seen was the stray dog that had walked by and was now pissing on the side of the road. A pissing dog. Yes, that would surely boost his ratings.
With a deep frown, Christopher watched as the mangy mutt lowered its leg, sniffed the air, and then sped off down the street with its tail between its legs.
Now what's got him all worked up? wondered Christopher as he inched toward the roof's edge and aimed his camera down into the empty city square. With a steady eye, he zoomed in closer and closer until he saw it:
A plastic bag rustling in the breeze.
Christopher groaned and lowered his camera. "Stupid dog."
As he leaned back, however, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. A large, monstrous figure was hanging from the church tower, holding on with one arm and swinging back and forth. With each forward swing, the moonlight would catch its yellow eyes and illuminate its silver-grey fur. And with each backward swing, the beast would throw its head back and let out a fierce howl that shook the earth and made Christopher's ears ring.
At its call, a second figure appeared upon the roof of the bank, and a third above the café across the street.
Coming forward on four massive paws, the third beast stopped on the roof's edge and rose onto its hind legs, instantly doubling its size.
Before he was spotted, Christopher dropped onto his stomach and flattened himself against the building. But his camera was on and filming everything.
Five beasts were perched upon the city rooftops, howling together in perfect harmony. And with every round, a new voice seemed to join the chorus. Six, seven, eight voices, Christopher counted before he lost track of the sounds. They were coming from all over the city, perhaps even further.
Taking quiet, shallow breaths, Christopher turned and focused his camera on the grey wolf that was standing upon the church tower. The light was too dim and the distance too great for him to get a decent shot, so he belly crawled across the roof and repositioned himself.
Closer and closer he scooted.
At last the image was becoming clearer.
Closer ... Closer ...
Just a little closer ...
Suddenly, there was a loud beep. Christopher's eyes widened. The low battery signal was flashing on the screen.
Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Beep-beep!
Lost in a panic, Christopher bobbled the camera right out of his hands and watched it smash onto the street below.
And then he heard a deep growl.
Slowly, Christopher lifted his eyes and came face to face with a snarling brown wolf.
✧ ✧ ✧
"Close the doors, Renata," commanded Aro from the comfort of his throne, and the brunette obeyed without hesitation.
After closing the main doors as her master bid, Renata immediately returned to her position in front of the dais, where she would remain for the rest of the night.
Renata, a petite young woman standing at only five feet tall, was their very last line of defense. She had been ordered to personally guard the leaders and all who'd been invited by Aro to stay in the great hall: the twins, Alec and Jane, along with Chelsea and her silent mate, Afton, who had recently vanished from sight and wandered off on his own. His mate was the only one who'd noticed his absence.
He would rather die than be with me in safety? thought Chelsea. Well, fine, then. Let him die, the fool!
Meanwhile, Alec and Jane were standing on the opposite side of the hall. As requested, Alec had placed himself within clear view of his protective master and took not even the smallest step out of bounds. His sister, on the other hand, lingered right on the border's edge, her bright red eyes fixed to the closed door on her right.
"Have you seen one?" she whispered to her brother. "A true werewolf, that is."
"No, of course not."
"Don't you want to? Don't you wonder what they look like? If the legends do them justice? I've heard many stories of their power, but I wonder how it truly compares. They say a single wolf can rip a vampire in two. They say a single bite or scratch can kill us in seconds. Or minutes. Or hours. Or days. The stories are inconsistent. For all I know, they could all be lies."
"Caius said they are dangerous."
"Caius said a lot of things that aren't true. Why should we believe him now?"
"Aro ordered us to stay here."
"I heard him. He wants to keep us locked away like children, but we're not children, Alec! We could leave if we wanted to, and nobody would be able to stop us. Aro knows that, and that's why he treats us this way. He calls it love, but I see it for what it really is."
"And what is it?" challenged Alec.
"If we did not possess these gifts, we would be outside with the rest of them. That is the truth."
"And would you rather be out there, Jane? Go on, then. Take your chances outside."
Jane's eyes widened and her lips sealed themselves shut.
"No? Then stop complaining and be grateful that Aro finds us so valuable."
"And when he finds someone more valuable? What then?"
"When that time comes, we'll do what we do best."
Jane's lips curled into a smirk. "You always know just what to say to put my mind at ease."
While the twins settled into a comfortable silence, Heidi was rushing toward the lobby, where she would join Felix and Demetri for guard duty.
On this night, Heidi had chosen her favorite red dress and most expensive pair of shoes. If she was going to die, she wanted to die looking her absolute best, as any decent woman would.
Still, as she passed the doors to the great hall, a bitter feeling formed in the pit of her stomach.
"Puts things into perspective, doesn't it?" Demetri said once she'd reached the lobby.
Again, Heidi turned and cast her eyes upon the wooden doors. Never before had they denied her entrance. In fact, they'd welcomed her more than any other guard. But not tonight. Tonight they were closed, even to her.
"We all have our roles," replied Heidi, "and I have accepted mine."
Demetri rolled his eyes. "Please, you would run inside if they beckoned you. We all would. Still, I'd rather be in here than out there."
"Will they survive?" she asked. "Do they even stand a chance?"
"No," answered Felix, "but Caius was anticipating that. They just have to buy us some time. If they can hold off the wolves for a few hours, we may be able to survive the night. And they will fight with all they have because they believe their contribution matters. I know because that's what I told them before sending them to their deaths. I said they would all die heroes and that their deaths would be celebrated, but that's not true. Caius has already begun looking for their replacements."
"Fools, all of them," Demetri spat. "Anyone with half a brain would have fled the city before nightfall."
"And spend their lives running from the Volturi?" Heidi questioned. "That is no way to live."
"At least you get a fighting chance."
Heidi's eyes narrowed. "Would you leave, Demetri? After swearing your allegiance to the Volturi, would you abandon them?"
"My allegiance is to myself, always."
Heidi opened her mouth to respond, but a loud crash from upstairs stole her attention. The two glass windows on the main floor had shattered, and Heidi could hear the sound of claws rapping against the stone floor.
Their time had officially run out.