Chapter Eighteen

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

To Prepare For War You Need To Be Prepared To Lose

As we assembled in the front yard of the house that we had commandeered I was amazed at how relaxed the other pack of wolves had become in the short time that they had been with us, less than a day and they seemed comfortable besides the fact that the smell of vampiric skin apparently burned their nostrils. It seemed wrong somehow and made me edgier than I already was because of their smell but I avoided thinking about this near my father for the simple fact that we needed them to make sure our plan succeeded. We were given our final plans by Jasper, due to his military training, and then we made our way to the gates of Voltera and the waiting Volturi. As we neared the outer wall I heard nothing but the sounds of a sleeping city and nothing seemed untoward.  I watched my vampire family separate only to link up with a wolf partner, a twinge of unease again slid down my spine and settled in my stomach, we were going in as a group but if we got separated than we were to stay with our partner and escape to the safety of base camp. As we marched on the gate we were surprised as it swung open and allowed us access. We walked through the open portal and were greeted by the complete Volturi guard, the sight of the entire guard facing our poultry defence was intimidating to say the least, alongside their guard, lying on the street, were the people we had come to rescue and the sight of them bolstered our confidence. The piercing sweet scent that clouded my senses was overwhelming and I felt myself dry-heave.

I waited for someone to speak and wasn’t at all surprised to hear the high reedy voice of Aro, the leader of the Volturi as he addressed our group. “We welcome you to Voltera friends, though I am surprised to see you all here.” The snort my father tried to suppress alerted us to the falseness of Aro’s words, he whispered “Liar!” Carlisle shot my dad a look that clearly said ‘don’t antagonise them’ but I didn’t care. I could see Jacob passed out on the dirty street and the most intense feeling of fury flooded my system and I felt a snarl rip through my chest and ripple through the air, the sound was fierce and it surprised the majority of those standing around me, I found myself bound against Emmett’s chest. I hadn’t noticed him moving and I was stunned to feel his iron grip around me.

Aro and Caius stared at me with amused incredulity while Marcus’ expression did not change from one of indifferent boredom. There was a hiss of disbelief and fury at my attitude which drew my gaze to the small form of Jane who stood just behind Aro, next to his shield Renata, she had her beautiful face twisted in a look of rage and then as we looked on her expression changed to one of peaceful contemplation. Her eyes dropped to the prone form of Jacob and I didn’t need my dad’s harsh “NO!” to know what she was going to do. Suddenly pain ripped through me causing my knees to buckle and an involuntary scream ripped its way from my throat. I forced myself to open my eyes, I could see Jacob’s large form twisting and writhing in pain and even though momma’s shield was protecting the rest of our family from Jane it wasn’t protecting Jake and it didn’t stop the transferred pain that I was feeling. I cried out “Momma! Please!” but before she could do anything Demetri moved forward with a wicked looking knife he knelt beside Jake and Aro said “Uh ah, none of that. Jane that’s enough, Carlisle, you might want to stop your daughter-in-law so that I won’t have to order the death of such an interesting specimen.” My dad growled “Bella, Nessie, stop he actually means it. If you want Jacob and the others safe then stand and listen to what he has to say.” I stopped struggling against Emmett and held my breath as we waited for Aro to play his next hand. I felt a curious calm wash over me as Jasper worked his magic to keep us calm enough that we didn’t do anything rash and endanger those we had come to rescue.

Aro smiled in a smug manner before turning his gaze back to Carlisle and Dad, he raised one thin black eyebrow before saying “Renesmee can you come here please.” I was shocked, to say the least, and it was this shock that made my feet refuse to move. When several milliseconds passed and I didn’t move Aro sighed and said without a trace of the friendliness with which he had greeted us “Now Renesmee, I am fast becoming bored.” I heard the hiss from my family but I heard more clearly the sound of Jacob’s pained gasp “NO!” before he slid into unconsciousness. I hurried forward and went to stand in front of Aro. He reached out his hands and I knew that I had no choice but to place mine within his. He stood staring at me and as every thought I had ever had passed unheard –except by my father- into his brain I waited for him to be finished with me. A slight form with flowing red hair, that reminded me of Frina, came forward; her head bowed and body hunched in on itself, she gently touched Aro on the wrist before hurrying back to her spot in the enemy line. I was dazed when he pulled back his lips over his perfect teeth and hissed a profanity. I leant back away from him, the severity of Aro’s anger threw me and I stumbled back to our side of the invisible line. I looked at my father for some hint of how I had angered Aro but I needn’t have bothered. Aro was speaking again and his voice had returned to the friendly tone he had used earlier. “Ah it seems congratulations are in order.” I looked confused and when I searched everyone else’s face they seemed to be exhibiting the same sense of confusion, the last face I looked into was my father’s and he refused to meet my gaze. I looked at Aro and asked “Why?”

Aro’s reedy laughter rang out across the courtyard but he didn’t answer me, instead he went and crouched down near Jacob. I immediately felt Emmett’s arms around my torso, preventing me from rushing to Jacob’s side, and I struggled until Aro reached out a hand to grab a fist full of my Jacob’s silky hair. He dragged Jacob upright and slapped his face to bring him back to consciousness, I heard the crack as Jake’s jaw broke with the force of the blow, I whimpered and I felt tears running down my face. Only once Jacob’s eyes had opened and he was focusing on Aro did Aro speak again “Good you’re awake.” He shook the hand that had Jacob’s hair wrapped within it and I watched in horror as Jake’s head flopped like a rag-dolls, he laughed again and said “There is something you need to know before you die.” I flinched at the tone Aro used and prayed that he was wrong about the dying thing. I listened as Jacob’s deep voice, even weak from the drugs they had given them to stop them from phasing, asked in his usual smart-alecky tone “What makes you think I care what you have to say?” under any other situation I probably would have laughed but suddenly Aro had the wicked looking knife from before and it was placed lovingly against Jacobs’ neck. Aro snarled and said “Be careful mutt I could end your life with a flick of my wrist, then what would your mate do with your pup?”

The sudden silence was deafening and for about a second after Aro spoke I couldn’t comprehend what he was saying, but the second Jacob gasped and started pleading for Aro to let me go I understood what he had said and I started to laugh. My laughter startled every being in that vicinity and it even drew Aro’s gaze from Jacob. It took me several long seconds to control my laughing enough to say “I think you’re a little off this time Aro. I never thought that, so, I don’t know where you got it but it wasn’t from me.” I laughed again and sniggered “Pregnant, ha, ha, ha. That's hilarious Aro!” So quickly, that I had missed the movement, Demetri was in front of me, snarling. I heard the swift movements of my family as they crowded in and surrounded both Emmett and I. I hissed in disbelief and it stopped my bout of laughter, in the background I could still hear Jacob pleading with Aro to not harm me, I jerked my head back and stared in shock at the ferocious vampire in front of me. He leant forward and snarled “Watch your attitude, freak. It wouldn’t take much to destroy you or the thing you sleep with.” I felt a shudder ripple through me and as I stood scared silent by the fierceness in the ruby-red eyes of the vampires surrounding us, another strong pair of arms replaced the ones around me and I found my gaze blocked by Emmett’s broad back and shoulders. I twisted in the arms of the person holding me and saw the worried look on my mother’s face. I reached out a hand and touched it to my father’s but the second I touched him he jerked away as if stung by my touch.

Aro’s voice sounded from behind the mountain that was Demetri and the large Volturi warrior backed into the line facing us. My family stood waiting for the next shoe to drop; we didn’t have to wait long. “See the thing is my dear Renesmee,” Aro’s voice was whisper quiet and deceptively calm as he continued “there is something your family doesn’t know. Since our last meeting we have acquired” the way he said it actually made it sound as if they had purchased whatever it was that he was talking about “a new member to our clan. Like Alice she can see the future, but unlike Alice she isn’t limited to only being able to see others like us or humans’, Alyssa can you come here?” The tiny girl, there was no other way to describe her, who had touched his wrist seconds before stepped out from behind him and looked curiously at our assembled group. She had a street savvy air about her; a feeling that she was only playing at being submissive, her face held fear tinged with frustration at being treated like a possession, she didn’t say anything as she just touched her hand lightly to Aro’s before stepping further back into the group behind her.

Aro watched as my family tried to figure out what it was that he had meant, his head cocked contemplatively to the side, his ruby red eyes travelling leisurely over our assemble group waiting for his meaning to sink in. It was my dad that said “She can see the wolves and she can see Nessie.” His tone was flat and carried nothing in it. I shot Jacob another look as he lay huddled against cobbled street, I pulled against the arms that bound me, eager to escape them and go to his side. My mother tightened her grasp and whispered “Wait Ness.” I quietened down in my attempts to escape and focused my sole attention on Aro. He seemed to be warming to his role as ringmaster in this strange circus, he moved further towards our group and, protected by Renata, he stopped in front of me and said “She can see you, Renesmee, and do you know what she sees happening in the near future? No? Give up? You, she sees you, having a little wolf cub. I’m surprised at you, considering you had actually thought about this. Back in Forks after Billy died.” I heard myself growl “Don’t say his name.” But Aro had continued to speak as if not interested in the topic “And again while on your honeymoon.” I growled “You have no idea what you’re talking about. You are a nut case.” I was stunned to realise I was screaming and even though I was surrounded by strong vampires Aro lashed out and slapped my face hissing “Don’t speak to me in that tone, you need to learn some respect.” I looked over at Jacob and watched as he struggled to get to his feet before collapsing back to the ground apparently unconscious. I was so incensed that I hissed back “I’ll show you the respect you earn, I’m not exactly sure what I thought months ago has to do with this absurd notion that I’m pregnant.” Aro moved back slightly and rolled his eyes before saying “In less than three months you will be welcoming a cub into this world and I can’t allow that. I was hoping to get there before this happened, which is why I sent Nahuel but obviously he failed and will be dealt with accordingly, before I was forced to destroy you as well. You are so unique that I am hesitant to kill you but since you gave yourself to the abhorrent creature huddling on the dirty street I have had to rethink my position.”

Aro paused in his rant and I reeled from his revelation and the fact that he seemed intent on killing us, I shot a look at my father and saw the tense set of his jaw and knew, without him telling us, that we were in deep trouble and if we made it out of this alive it would be miraculous. It was then that I thought of the wolves, we had six gigantic wolves on our side. The wolves existed solely to destroy vampires, it was as this uplifting thought shot like a falling star through my head that Aro spoke again “Ah, as for the team you have assembled to help you recover your pack there is something you don’t, well didn’t, know.” He smiled again and it was a chillingly cold smile, a serial killer smile and we all looked expectantly at my dad who said in a flat monochromatic tone “They’re in on it. They were told that we were the bad guys and that the Volturi needed their help in destroying a dangerous clan, one that had enslaved others of their kind; us.” I gasped and whirled to face the trio of wolves that had slowly made their way to stand away from us and more towards the Volturi; I stepped towards them, unmindful of the fact that I was still restrained by my mother’s arms, and snarled “What the hell are you thinking? Surely after spending the last few days with us you have realised that what they had told you was wrong! You have seen us hunt and you know we don’t hunt people. Don’t you think that, if we had enslaved the wolves that we came here to save, we would have done the same to you? Can’t you see that they used you and if you help them, we all die, and that includes you.”