Chapter Twelve

The warm edge of the dream world faded until I was left with cold reality. I turned over, trying to hold onto that last bit of warmth, and smacked at the hands shaking me. I had to cling to these lazy feelings. I fought to return to my dream. I loved the sound of a lake at six in the morning; the magic of fish hitting the surface and birds and crickets chirping together. I rarely fished, but I loved to recline in the boat with a book and listen to nature. The warm fuzzies I had were too relaxing to let escape.

“Bella, it’s eleven thirty-eight,” a voice called from the distance.

That was supposed to mean something to me, but what was it? I didn’t care about time. I had all the time in the world out on the pond. I wanted to sleep. I had nothing better to do; everything was safe.

The pond was ripped away. Bright images flashed behind my eyes in the darkness—all the events that led up to this moment.

Everything was not safe.

I jumped back to consciousness with a snap. Angela hovered over me with a smile, and the next thing I realized was that I was lying on the sofa. Did I kick Angela off during my nap? I always was a bit of a fitful sleeper.

I stretched easily, the last shred of the warm dream sliding away. Wait. My hands felt for the straps of the holster, but I already knew it was gone; my shirt was too loose, that stretch had been too comfortable. I sat up and searched the room with blurry eyes. Most of the lights had been turned off, the TV playing some cop drama, and it was surprisingly empty. I figured some of the Marines would be up for guard duty or something, just in case.

“I’m sorry, Bella,” Angela said sheepishly. I rubbed my eyes and gave her my attention to see she held my shoulder rig. “I took off your holster while you slept. I thought you might be more comfortable.”

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to flatten it but knew it was too thick to do any good without a brush. I hated that she took my gun. No wonder I had such a lousy nap. But I must’ve been way more exhausted than I thought; I didn’t feel her touching me or wake up when my gun disappeared. She was only trying to help, and I couldn’t hate her for that. At least, I could try not to hate her for it. “Thanks, Angela. Where’s Sam?” I asked.

Ugh, my mouth felt fuzzy, like something might’ve crawled in there and died. Hopefully my breath didn’t smell that bad. I took back my rig as she answered.

“Sam crashed upstairs. I swear it looks like he aged a few years in a matter of days. It’s scary how work can affect people.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Marines are still sleeping in the basement.” I jumped at the masculine voice; I didn’t even see Mike sitting in the armchair. “All the others disappeared upstairs,” he answered.

“How were things while I slept?”

“I really think we ran all those bastards out of town. Good riddance.” He grinned at me, and the swelling of his injuries made it look painful. “It’s been silent so far. Besides your sleep talking, that is.”

I ignored the jab, trying hard to keep my face from overheating. No matter how many times people joked about it, my childish habits still made me uncomfortable. I especially hated blushing. How come I could fight against vampires, yet blush so easily? Fate was a cold, cruel harpy.

Mike was laughing to himself, but I turned my back on him. With a satisfied smile, I settled the rig around me, snug on my shoulders how I liked it, and drew my pistol. Since I got the bigger guns, I felt it had been neglected, and that just wasn’t fair. The pistol would always be close to my heart, but sometimes it took a lot more than a 9mm bullet to kill a vampire.

Angela eyed me speculatively. “Bella, is something going on?”

“What do you mean?” Was I that easy to read? Maybe. Playing with my gun wasn’t helping that matter. I holstered the pistol. It needed a good cleaning, but that would have to wait.

“You’re acting weird again. I mean, why not just sleep the whole night? Why not let Sam sleep? You’re hiding something from us, and I’m worried. It isn’t like you to make a brash decision. Whatever you need, I can help.”

Her words made me reconsider. Sam needed the rest. He had a huge load on his shoulders, and I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted him to meet Carlisle. He could make things worse. I was going into it with a level head and itchy trigger finger; Sam could just yell and make a fuss, ending negotiations and leaving us without a lead. Then again, Sam wasn’t the type to yell without a good reason. Having calm, quiet Angela with me might’ve been the better choice. She might’ve kept me composed instead of dealing with the emotions that would volley between me and Sam, but he was our leader, and leaders should always be present for negotiations.

“Thanks, but this is a little too dangerous for you, Angela,” I said.

She frowned, but she was never one to argue. Thank goodness for small miracles. “Okay then. Just be careful.”

“Don’t worry about me; I’ve got it under control.” I hope, I added silently. “I’m going to talk to Sam. Why don’t you get some sleep? I have a feeling it’s going to be a long day.”

In the middle of a crisis, no one passes up the chance to get some rest. Angela stripped out of her holster and took my spot on the couch. I grabbed the FAMAS and Striker from the floor, settling them around me, before I dashed up the stairs. I heard the frustrated sigh before I turned the corner. Embry sat against the wall at the top of the steps with a cell phone pressed to his ear, rubbing his temple with his free hand. It sounded like he was at the end of a stressful conversation.

“And you haven’t talked to the guy in years?” he asked the phone. I tried not to listen, but I had no idea where Sam was camping for the night, and Embry might know. “Big favor, huh? Shit, man, you’re not seriously going to do it, are you? That place gave you nightmares.” He waited for a reply. “Well, if you could. Fine, whatever; it’s your call. Let me know if anything turns up, Pete.” He snapped the phone shut, his breath coming out as a frustrated growl.

I fought against the temptation to ask what his conversation was about. It wasn’t my business. I knew he wouldn’t tell me, but it was a big impulse to beat. “Hey Embry, do you know where Sam is?”

“Same room where the brain trust was earlier,” he replied, his voice dark with his anger. “Careful, though. The other guys are sleeping in there, too. You might step on them.”

I was about to continue down the hall when he grabbed my wrist. “Bella, you didn’t happen to open a can of worms recently, did you?”

“What?” I asked. My heart jumped into my throat. “What makes you say that?”

“My sources are saying there’s a ruckus going on in the underworld. It started after you made a certain phone call.”

“I only called a . . . friend.” I choked on the word, and the look he gave me said he wasn’t convinced. “Tell your sources to run their information again. I haven’t done anything.”

He released my wrist. “I don’t appreciate liars, Bella. Whatever you’re protecting, it’s gonna bite you hard. Just tell me this, is the shit about to hit the fan?”

“Why, so you and your scary ex-military friends can get out of here?” I hissed. I didn’t like how he was cornering me. What did I do? I called for help. That’s it, that’s all I did. That shouldn’t change anything. Why did Embry believe I was mucking things up in the underworld?

“No. I need to know so I can call in more backup,” he replied. “The worse that can happen now is that we’re taken off guard. I want everyone to be well protected.”

Who knew Embry cared? I sighed with my exhaustion as I touched the straps of the rig. It wasn’t as comforting as the cool leather had been, but it helped a little. “Honestly Embry, I don’t know what’s happening. Right now we’re just meeting with someone who can help us get to the Seattle nest. We’ll go from there.”

“Don’t get us killed, girlie.”

I ignored his comment and continued down the hall. Thanks to Embry, I was ten thousand times more nervous than I originally was. Did I do the right thing when I called Carlisle? It still felt like betrayal, but we were literally in the dark. Our intelligence group had nothing to work with, and we had no information to lead us to the nest.

Carlisle was basically our only hope of finding Charlie.

The master bedroom door was shut. Loud, angry snores sounded behind the wood, and I hesitated going inside. Embry said other guys were sleeping inside, as well. I was guessing that was Jared, Paul, and Jacob. I already knew where the Marines were, and assumed Eric was in his room. My dilemma wasn’t who was in the room, but how to enter. You didn’t just walk right in there. With four armed men, most likely sleeping with one eye open, I could get shot.

I opened the door slowly to make sure no one was sleeping near the doorway and peeked inside the room. With the hallway light, I saw Jake passed out on a pile of blankets closest to the hall. He barely stirred when the light touched him. I tiptoed into the room, tried not to step on Jake, and found Sam on the bed.

Even in the dim light he looked dead tired. His face was peaceful and slack in sleep, but I saw the dark bags under his eyes. He didn’t sleep in the truck like some of us, he probably didn’t even sleep the night before while he planned our last minute arrival, and he had more to deal with than the rest of us. I hated to wake him, but he wanted to be there when Carlisle showed up. The only question was: how do you wake someone who slept with a gun under their pillow, and who could use it effectively while half unconscious? And how do you make sure the other guys stay sleeping?

Ah, screw it.

I flipped on the overhead light and called Sam’s name. Jake woke up first, groaning and complaining, before punching Sam in the leg. I noticed Paul’s head peeking over the foot of the bed, glaring at me with all the anger he could muster. Sam rolled on the bed, and it kind of worried me because his hand was under the pillow, but he didn’t pull a gun.

“What is it?” he mumbled, his eyes barely open a crack.

“He’ll be here any minute,” I answered simply. He knew what it meant.

He sat up and rubbed his eyes, giving a small groan. He was as reluctant as anyone to get up after so little sleep. “I’ll be down in a minute. If he gets here before I get downstairs, don’t answer the door. Make him wait outside.”

I nodded and left him to wake up. What we could all use was a hot pot of coffee, but I wasn’t sure where the Yorkie’s stored their beans around here. Besides, it might make too much noise. I wanted as few people awake as possible when Carlisle arrived; the less to know about his visit, the better.

Two minutes until midnight and Sam was wide awake, unlike me. I was rubbing my eyes furiously, hoping I wouldn’t pass out during our impromptu meeting. I was still feeling the aftereffect of the immense adrenaline rush that pushed me through the day and the shock I’d had about Charlie. I didn’t get enough sleep to recover. But whatever Carlisle had to say, it was something important enough, or scared him enough, that he couldn’t talk over the phone. I had to stay awake.

Jacob, Paul, and Jared were awake, too. When they came clomping down the stairs, I told them to go back to bed; they weren’t needed for this meeting. Sam said he wanted backup, just in case. I’d guessed that’s why Embry hadn’t found a place to crash as well. He was alert on the sofa, watching Mike flip channels. Nothing was on this late. I wished he’d gone to sleep like Angela. She was curled in a ball on one end of the sofa, sound asleep already.

None of the other men knew what they were waiting for; at least, I didn’t think Sam would tell them. If Paul was angry the first time I met him, then he was going to be livid about this. Hiding information, meeting face-to-face with the things we vowed to kill—all because we didn’t have proper information. Maybe calling Carlisle had been a hasty decision. Suddenly, I wasn’t so comfortable with my brilliant plan. I wondered if, when he showed up, he would leave if I told him to. Sure, and pigs fly.

I hugged my pistol closer, the butt digging into the side of my breast. It was sturdy and couldn’t second-guess itself. I needed that. Right now, it was the only thing I could count on. It would always fire as long as it had bullets, and I usually had a lot of those. Yeah, pretty darn dependable.

Sam noticed my nerves. He was about to say something, but our time was up. There was a light knock at the front door. Paul stiffened at Sam’s side, and Jake cursed under his breath. Sam put a hand on Paul’s chest, and that small touch seemed to calm him. He motioned to Embry, who got up and answered the second, more hurried knock. His FN P90 pistol was out by his thigh, hidden behind the door.

The strain in the house was tangible, but Embry showed none of it on his face. He grinned at our guest. He was so calm, so normal, that it kind of scared me. Wasn’t he against vampires, too? How come he wasn’t glaring and growling, like Paul? Actually, I wasn’t aware a human could make the kind of noises Paul was making; he sounded more like an enraged beast. His body was shaking so fast it was a fine vibration that coursed through his body, and scared me. I thought he was having a seizure, but the concentration and anger on his face was unmistakable.

“Well, I didn’t know Jehovah’s Witnesses had a night shift,” Embry said pleasantly. “I’m not sure I can let you into the house.”

“We don’t need to be invited in, if that’s what you’re getting at,” a deep voice replied good-naturedly.

That didn’t sound like Carlisle. I squeezed past Jared’s broad back to get closer to the door, but I didn’t get very far. One second the house was quiet, only the low hum of the TV invading that space, but with the next second the tension exploded. There was an ugly ripping sound, someone pushed me towards the steps, out of the way of the problem, and I had just a second to turn and see a blur of gray run out the door. I caught myself on the banister and hit the safety on my gun before hurrying after Sam. Mike and a frazzled Angela followed me.

Standing off to the side of the porch was Carlisle’s entire coven, except one was missing. They stared, captivated, by whatever was happening in the street. I turned slowly towards the loud growling to find a fight.

The missing Cullen, the big burly one I saw once, was wrestling with . . . a giant wolf. I saw the gleam of its silver pelt from the streetlight, the ferocious growls and snarls tearing from its throat loud enough to shake the house windows. Where did it come from? It wasn’t in the house, was it? Had it been lurking in the streets? I never saw such a huge wolf before. What the hell was it?

The vampire caught the drooling jaws of the wolf in his hands. He laughed like it was all fun and games, like that thing wasn’t about to rip his face off! The wolf snarled and swiped a massive paw at him; he vanished, but quickly reappeared behind the wolf.

I raised my gun, but I wasn’t sure my pistol could do any damage against that beast. Jake caught my arm, lowering my gun. I looked up into his face, but he wasn’t even surprised. His eyes were cold as he tried to keep them on the vampires huddled on the porch, yet his attention continually drifted toward the fight. What was he thinking? We had to shoot that thing! If the vampire didn’t kill it, we would all be done for. That thing looked way more than vicious.

In my peripheral vision I caught Jared handing his weapons off to Embry before jumping onto the lawn. I screamed for him to come back, but as he ran across the lawn, he completely transformed. With a small explosion, Jared’s big body was replaced by a dark brown wolf as bulky as the gray one.

The brown one—was it really Jared?—tackled the gray wolf just before it could grab the vampire. The gray wolf whined, quickly getting to its feet, and started growling at the new wolf. In the blink of an eye, it lashed out with a massive paw. Jared didn’t flinch; he dodged the attack and grabbed the gray wolf by the back of the neck with his jaws, holding it down while it thrashed and whined and yipped.

My hands were shaking around my gun. It took me three tries to flick the safety on. It’d suck if I shot someone by accident because of my weak nerves. The vampire left the cooling fight, joining us near the house. He didn’t have a scratch on him, his speed giving him the upper hand, and he smiled at his coven. I tried to ignore the wolves in the street, but with their barking and growling, it was hard to do. Worrying about it would just send me into shock. I couldn’t let that happen. Since I wasn’t allowed to shoot it, I concentrated on simple matters. Like the vampire. What was his name? I heard it once from Alice, but I couldn’t remember.

“He didn’t have to help,” the vamp said, rotating his shoulder. Was he hurt? No, that’d be impossible. “I almost had him.”

“Paul needs to be put in his place now and then,” Sam replied frigidly.

“P-Paul?” I sputtered. “You mean those things are actually Jared and Paul?”

He glanced down at me, then over my head. I assumed he was looking at Jacob. “It’s a long story.”

That was a yes. Oh my god. I had to sit down.

He turned his attention to Mike and Angela who were standing in the doorway looking as pale as I felt. “Go find something to do in the basement. Don’t disturb the Marines.”

Sam was in his lieutenant mode, the one that no one argued with. Mike and Angela disappeared into the house. I had a feeling they would’ve argued, knowing there were vampires outside, but I think they wanted to be as far away from the giant wolves as possible. How they even transformed like that, I’d never know. I wasn’t sure I wanted to. Maybe it was an illusion.

My nerves were on a rampage, but I wasn’t going to show that to the vampires. There had been way too many close calls with tears recently, and I was definitely feeling stressed, but that didn’t mean I had to broadcast it for the vamps. I had to suck it up, get a hold of myself. I swallowed the scream building my throat, but I couldn’t fight the physical reaction. My knees were feeling a bit weak; seeing Jared explode like that was more terrifying than facing a really old vampire. Would he be okay? What about Paul, if that was really him? Jake must’ve noticed something was wrong, or I looked too pale, because he offered to help me walk or sit down. I shook him off. Sam wanted him inside, not coddling me. He did what Sam ordered.

Sam was completely unaffected by the fight. He wasted no time inviting the vampires in, turning his back to lead them into the living room, while Embry brought up the rear. It was a big show of faith from Sam. I would’ve walked backwards to keep an eye on the vamps.

If Sam wasn’t concerned, then I wouldn’t be either; we had more pressing matters than men turning into giant wolves, at least, for now. When it didn’t make me look stupid in front of the vamps, I’d ask Sam what happened. Right now, the Cullens didn’t need to know we had a huge hiccup in our communication.

I entered the spacious living room last to find the vampires seated on or around the couch. Carlisle, his wife, and Jasper—I remembered him because of our first encounter—had the couch. The auburn-haired vamp sat on the arm, while Alice was folded up gracefully on the floor with the big guy beside her, and the blond girl in his lap.

A single chair from the kitchen was set in front of them. I got the chair, not Sam, because I called the meeting, and he already decided to be muscle. I think he didn’t want to talk to the vamps, and I couldn’t blame him for that. Seeing Carlisle and his coven made this all look like a bad idea. But it was too late to do anything about it; judging by the polite smile on Carlisle’s face, he wasn’t going anywhere. On the other hand, I didn’t like how Blondie was glaring at us. I wondered if it would hold up in the face of a gun.

I took a deep breath and sat in the chair, situating the guns around me. The Striker was loose at my side, but I kept the pistol in view on my lap as a threat. Although, I was pretty sure the guys at my back were threatening enough. They each held onto their guns, glaring. None of us were happy about this meeting.

Well, let’s get this show on the road.

“Good to see you again, Carlisle,” I said politely—begrudgingly, but polite. I would try to be civil first, but if that didn’t get me answers, then, and only then, would I get ugly.

My approach seemed to surprise him. A little of the tension went out of his body, and his smile became more natural. “Yes, good to see you as well, although I must say I’m surprised. I think our current situation is close, but I believe you said the next time we met, I would be staring into your new weapons.” He chuckled, and it took me a minute to realize it was a joke.

Jacob didn’t get the joke. He stepped forward, sighting down that beautiful AA-12 shotgun. The fledglings held their breath and Jasper looked ready to jump up and fight.

“We can change that,” Jake said. He didn’t sound like himself. There was a roll of a growl under his words.

Things were starting to get ugly when they weren’t supposed to. I wanted to get up and push his arm down, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good. He would probably shoot us all by accident if I did that. So I stayed seated, trying to muster up all the calm in my body. It wasn’t much.

“Jake, that’s really unnecessary,” I said. “They haven’t done anything yet. Don’t point a gun unless you’re going to pull the trigger.”

“I plan to,” he replied in that growling voice. “These leeches shouldn’t be here. It isn’t their problem.”

“It became their problem when I called them and Carlisle had an answer. Now knock it off.”

“Jacob.” It was one word, just his name, but when Sam said it, it sounded like a threat. It worked. Jake lowered the gun against his will and stepped back. He swallowed his anger because Sam told him to—very interesting.

A cold wind rushed across my skin, and suddenly I wasn’t angry at Jake, or worried about Jared. In fact, I felt strangely indifferent about them and our guests. I glanced behind me to see Sam holding his gun with a more relaxed grip, and Jake didn’t even hold a shadow of his previous rage.

I shook my head, hoping I could dislodge whatever blocked me from my previous emotions. Something was wrong. Fuck, it was one of them. “What did you do?” I asked, turning back to Carlisle. His eyes were wide and not all that innocent.

“I have no idea what you mean, Bella. I didn’t do anything,” he answered, smoothing his pant leg. For being a vampire, he sucked at lying.

“One of you did something that made us, I don’t know, calm down or something. I don’t appreciate it.”

“It was me,” Jasper said hesitantly, “and I’m sorry. We just want this meeting to go smoothly.”

“Why does it matter for you?” I asked. My fingers were running steadily over my pistol, each pass taking me closer to the trigger. Maybe I should shoot one, just to get rid of the impulse. Vampires were for shooting, not conversing.

Carlisle touched Jasper’s shoulder; he wanted to do all the talking, to keep all the secrets to himself. Lovely.

“We’re as anxious as you are, Bella,” Carlisle said. “This isn’t a topic our kind likes to discuss, you realize. You may think of us as strong, unmovable creatures, but everyone has fears. Ours is the very darkness you want to find. With any luck we can avoid drawing their attention tonight, but I feel like uttering their name even once will get back to their ears.” He stood slowly and turned on the floor lamp beside the sofa. “I’ve been thinking about that mark you carry since you left, and after a little research, I think I found my answer. First, may I see your mark once more? I believe it will confirm my fears.”

Sam held me in my seat before I could move. I looked up to see a calm mask, but there was a wrinkle between his eyebrows that said he wasn’t happy. “You’re not going to mind-fuck her, are you?”

“I give you my word I won’t touch her,” he replied. To prove it, he held up his hands.

Sam’s hand withdrew. He still wasn’t happy, but he liked what Carlisle did. I didn’t know why Sam was treating him like a human. Carlisle could snap my neck in the blink of an eye; no one would notice it until I was dead on the floor.

I stood, holstering my pistol, leaving the safety off, and went to the vamp. I heard someone suck in a breath behind me, but apparently he had nothing to say, or Sam gave a crippling glare. Yeah, I already knew it was Jake.

Carlisle kept his hands up by his head as we met between the two sides. His easy smile was still on his face, his whole stance saying he was no threat to us, but I wasn’t sure that was true. I didn’t trust Carlisle . . . but I didn’t not trust him. He saved my life; I didn’t think he was going to waste all that hard work now.

Standing so close to him, I had to look at him, and I saw things I never noticed before. His hair was more of a sandy blond than platinum, and he was exactly a head taller than me; my eyes just barely cleared his chest. He still smelled like the dead, that sweet scent of a preserved corpse, but I never noticed how human he looked. Even the lines that showed on his face as he smiled confused me. Was he really a vampire? Well, duh, but he didn’t look like a monster. I could almost see why men and women would give themselves up to a vampire. Almost.

Turning my back to him, I moved my hair aside and pulled the shirt so he could see that ugly “V” in its elegant script. I watched Sam and Jake for any indication that something fishy was happening behind me. There was nothing. They just looked tense and very, very unhappy.

“Turn towards the light, please,” Carlisle murmured. I did as he asked and shivered as his cold breath ran down my spine. “Ah, there it is. You may not know this, but you have more than one mark on you. It belongs to those who hold a special place in their vaults.”

“What are you talking about?” Sam asked.

I felt Carlisle move, the guys raised their guns, but he only traced the air above my skin. “Originally, it may have been placed because she is Charlie Swan’s daughter, but there is definitely more to it now. It is not your average mark. It’s a crest put on the body during the tattoo process, positioned in the middle of the ‘V’. It’s applied with vampire venom, giving it a ghostly glow against the skin. It appears as a silver scar, yet is hardly noticeable unless in the right light.”

I wheeled around, my eyes bugging out of my head. “What!” I shrieked. “Are you saying I have venom inside me?”

“Not exactly. It’s a superficial imprint, meaning no venom would enter the blood stream, but remain in that small area of raised skin so the body cannot heal it. Unlike the other one, this mark is permanent.”

My head was spinning. I collapsed into my chair. Permanent? Venom? Wouldn’t that make me a vampire? No, it couldn’t be true. If I was a vampire, I’d have no trouble killing others, and it seemed I could barely hold my own in a fight anymore. Maybe I was getting weaker? Well, it wouldn’t kill me to work out a little. No, that’s not right.

“Stop it!” I nearly pointed my gun at Jasper, but I settled for fisting my shirt in my hands. “I’m allowed to be scared, so stop stealing my emotions, damn it!”

“Would there be others with this mark?” Sam asked. His mind was always on business. I couldn’t argue; I really wanted the vamps gone now, too.

Carlisle returned to his seat and took his wife’s hand in a comforting gesture. “I’m not sure, but it’s possible. Seeing how some of you are humans of extraordinary talent, you may also have the mark. Anyone who piques their interest, and that’s usually only strong or important political figures, has the possibility of bearing the mark.”

“How about you start explaining who they are,” Sam barked.

“Yes, of course.” Carlisle sighed heavily. “It’s just a matter of how much you need to know and how much I can tell you. Where to begin, is the question. You do not need my life story, so I suppose I will tell you the facts.

“These vampires controlling your area are often referred to as our police. I told Bella they created the vampiric race, and I wasn’t lying. They are the oldest of our kind, the very fathers of our existence; though if you ask them personally which started it, I’m not sure you would get an honest answer.

“They call themselves the Volturi. Only three are in charge, yet their guards all act as their coven. I can’t tell you exactly how old the father’s are, but as far as I’m aware, they have existed since the beginning of time. Perhaps they were never human, but angels, and were part of the fall from Grace.

“When I met them in Italy many, many years ago, I was already in control of my . . . carnal urges. I have never attacked a human, but the Volturi are not so civil. They didn’t kill humans for sustenance, they did it for sport. They brought in humans to chase and kill for fun. I hoped to change that. They were the first vampires I had found that were organized, and I enjoyed their company compared to the revenants in England.”

“I bet you didn’t stay with them for very long,” I snapped. I was definitely feeling more myself now.

“I stayed for fifty-two years. I only put up with it for so long because I was sure I could influence them, and for a while, I did. The friendship I found in Aro was what I had needed at the time, and he was willing to be open-minded despite laughing at me when I first arrived.”

“Who is Aro?” I hated to ask. The name sounded seriously old and powerful, and just saying it sent a chill down my spine.

“Aro is one of the three fathers. He acts as the head of the Volturi. He is usually the voice of reason amongst them, but don’t be fooled; he’s anything but sane. He is perhaps the strongest of them with his odd power, yet I feel it wears on his mentality.”

“What kind of power?” Embry asked, almost excitedly.

Carlisle opened his mouth to answer, but closed it and shook his head. “Let us come back to that in a bit. I’d rather make my point then answer questions.”

“How about you skip all the pretty words and tell us what I asked you here for,” I suggested.

He grinned. “Very well, I will try to be blunt and skip the ‘pretty words.’” The smile slipped away. “These men are terribly powerful. I’m not sure if they completely understand just how much they hold, and it’s because of this I say there is no way you can get your battalion into their domain. They could kill you all with a flick of their wrist.”

“You don’t know what we can do.”

“True enough, but I know what you want to do, and I know what the Volturi have to counter your modern weapons. It’s public knowledge in our world who you are, Bella. Not just because of your work with this resistance group, but because Aro has singled you out.”

I felt the confusion on my face as I asked, “What?”

“The Volturi are always looking to expand their powerbase. Aro has sent some of his most skilled killers after you, and they never returned. What does that tell him? You are a very powerful force to be reckoned with, and he wants that strength.”

“That’s impossible,” I said with a weak voice. “The vamps that I fought were amateurs.”

Jake cleared his throat, and I jumped. “What you fought might’ve been babies,” he said darkly, “but the leeches we found in the forest when we swept the town were a hundred times worse. They knew what they were doing.”

I almost asked him when he went hunting vampires, but that would make me look stupid in front of the Cullens. I thought I had a man’s reasoning inside me, but maybe I was too female for my own good. It was bad enough that I couldn’t hold onto my emotions, I didn’t need to be an emotional and stupid woman to them. “Then . . . I didn’t kill them. Why is he after me? It’s you he should be looking for!”

An ugly, evil grin spread his lips. “He doesn’t know that. We made sure none of them made it back.”

“But Bella,” Carlisle interrupted, “don’t you see how this works in your favor? You’ll be untouched in their underground. No one will try you; they think you’re an unparalleled vampire hunter.”

I shook my head in disbelief. All of this just seemed too unreal. An ancient vampire wanted me to join his guards, or something like that? Why? All because he believed I killed a few of his men? There was no way someone would buy into that—I sure wasn’t. “Wait, wait, wait.” I waved my hands in front of my face, his words just catching up in my thought process. “You said that—in their underground—like we’re not going in guns-a-blazin’. What was that about?”

He almost looked embarrassed. “I came up with a plan on short notice, and we will get to that, but wouldn’t you rather know about your father first?”

My heart leapt into my throat. “Charlie? What about him? Is he okay? Do you know?”

“Well, no, I’m not sure of his physical safety, but I know why he was taken. Apparently, it was an attempt to bait you. Aro figures if he can draw you into the dark, he can claim you. It’s true. However, with your consent, I have a plan to stop my old friend. Have you come up with anything yet?”

That question wasn’t for me. “Our intel is slow going,” Sam answered. “But with what you’ve told us, and if you’re willing to answer some questions, I’m sure we can have a solid plan in a few hours. I’m willing to hear you out, though.”

The surprise on Carlisle’s face was instant and real. I guess he thought we would run the show with no input from the peanut gallery. We needed his information; that’s why I called him. “It was the best I could come up with on such short notice. You might not like it, but we can alter details if you want. As you know, I have an intimate knowledge of how Aro works and my . . . specialist knows how the coven is run. The quickest, though perhaps not the safest way, to free Charlie and destroy the Volturi is to get Bella inside. Yet it won’t work unless she puts on an act.”

“Wait. Just Bella, and what kind of act?” Jake asked gruffly.

“Yes. I suggest only Bella because sending anyone else would be too unconventional. There might be a stronger person, but there is no stronger player than her. Aro wants her, no one else, yet his greed makes him blind and weak. Knowing she is so close, but can’t have her, will drive him mad. It may jeopardize my coven in the process. When Aro learns one of mine ‘captured’ his prized jewel, he will think we are stronger than him. But I have a feeling Bella will not make it easy for any of us with her stubbornness.”

“What are you getting at?” Sam asked, and his voice was definitely less friendly.

“Bella can play the role of a Renfield. It will get her inside and—”

“What does a Renfield even do for the vampire?” Sam interrupted. I was about to ask the same thing. I knew a little bit about their job, but I wanted to know what I was getting into.

“They are basically a human shield,” Carlisle said uncomfortably. “A Renfield protects their master, and is always available for a donation at any time. They are very different from a”—he tried to find a better word, but we all knew what he meant to say—“scarlet woman. Renfield’s work for their master, they protect their master. They often run errands in the daylight. Of course, Bella won’t have to do any of that except when she’s around the Volturi, which shouldn’t be often, if our plan goes correctly. My son will do all the work.”

“Which son?” I asked, because I was getting tired of them talking over my head. I didn’t care if they were each group’s leader, I wasn’t a bargaining chip.

Carlisle made a motion, and Jasper slowly stood up. He looked uncomfortable surrounded by guns, but they weren’t pointed at him yet; after we had started on the wrong foot, things seemed to be going smoothly now. Stiffly, he rolled up the sleeve of his right arm, and turned his wrist over so we all could see the dark outline on the thin skin. It looked like a crest, but I couldn’t be sure from where I sat. How was it even on his skin? A vampire couldn’t get a tattoo, could it? The skin would heal over it.

“I used to be a part of their elite guard,” he explained. “I wasn’t happy with where my life was going, so I left them . . . abruptly, I should say. But with any luck, I can get my spot back, making it easier to move around the facility. It’s true that it would kill Aro for her to be within reach, but there are certain rules that even he follows, and if you, Bella, are okay with it, we can appear as master and Renfield.”

Silence stretched on as I contemplated what he said. My body was cold, and I think I was going into shock. I heard what he said, I just couldn’t believe it. Walk into a huge coven of murderous vampires with only Jasper to protect me? I didn’t bother counting myself. I couldn’t fend off a coven, especially with them being so old. They could kill me with a look.

I stared at Jasper, and he stared back. Be his Renfield? What would I do? Look pretty and smile for the Volturi? I knew it meant one thing particularly, and I definitely didn’t like that. He would have to bite me. No. No, no, no. Absolutely not.

“I can’t,” I croaked. “I can’t do it.”

“There’s no other way,” Carlisle said sadly. “Your entire force cannot get inside, but you and Jasper could easily do their job. You could be the hero here.”

“It’s not about being a hero, it’s about staying alive. And there’s no way I trust my safety with a vampire.”

“I’m with Bella on this,” Sam said. “Hell will freeze over before she goes into that pit alone.”

“I agree,” the blond female sneered. We all looked at her with our confusion. She stood and held her pretty head high, glaring at me. “I don’t want my brother sacrificing himself just to save one person. He shouldn’t have to go back to that awful place for you.”

Because Carlisle was here, and I trusted him to keep his fledglings in check, I glared right back at her. I wasn’t afraid of her, but she seemed easy to anger. We didn’t need an angry vampire on our hands.

“Rosalie, we talked about this on the way over.” Carlisle sighed.

“I don’t care! I’m not happy about this, and you always encourage us to speak our minds. I’m not going to sit quietly while you order Jasper to go back to that nightmare. Why should we endanger ourselves for some humans? They can obviously take care of themselves. They’re armed to the teeth. I think the girl should go alone—by herself, without one of us.”

“Rosie-bear,” Emmett said anxiously.

“No, Emmett, no pet names. I’m not going to calm down. This is ridiculous! I agree with the Volturi. Humans should be killed, they don’t mean anything. We shouldn’t have to die for them.”

“I don’t need a vampire to protect me,” I argued.

“Oh really? Then go. Go right into their nest and kill all them. I’ll wait right here. I’m sure you’ll make it back just fine on your own.” She placed a hand on her jutted hip. The picture of condescension.

“Or we could send her with Edward,” Emmett said with a grin.

Edward stiffened on the couch arm. Apparently we weren’t the only ones with problems in our camp; the vamps were even feuding.

Rosalie scoffed. “He would kill her before they got there.”

“Rose,” Carlisle hissed, and it was the first time he sounded dangerous. She didn’t look sorry at all.

“You see the way he looks at her. He tried to kill her before he brought her to the house, and he stalked her even when she was under your protection. He watched her while she slept, Carlisle. Just let Edward kill her so we can be done with this.”

“Go wait outside, Rosalie,” Carlisle said with a dark voice. With his anger, he was slowly starting to look like the monster he really was.

She immediately backed down. That condescending smirk disappeared to fear and worry. Her master gave her an order; all her free will just flew out the window. There was no room for argument. With a quiet sob, she left the house. There was a pregnant pause, and then Emmett jumped up to go after her. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until it came out as a hard gasp.

Carlisle sighed and took his seat again. He was back to being a man, not a master. I knew about the authority a master held over his fledglings—blood ties were a bitch—but I never saw it in action. To know someone could mutter just a few words to control you was scary.

But what was scarier was finding out I hadn’t been wrong. I was watched while in Portland. I glanced at Edward to find him just as uncomfortable as I felt. Did he really watch me while I slept? And what did Rosalie mean when she said he almost killed me? I knew I was a bloody mess when I arrived at the Cullen house, but Edward didn’t seem that young. I’d guess he was at least fifty. Couldn’t he control himself? Did Carlisle’s way of life make them more susceptible to human blood?

I pushed the fear aside. I’d deal with it later. Right now I fought not to hyperventilate, but that didn’t stop me from pulling my Striker closer. These vamps were getting under my skin, and I didn’t like it.

“I apologize for Rosalie’s rude behavior,” Carlisle said tiredly. They didn’t get tired, so I knew it was an act. “She’s just worried for our family, as we all are.”

“Did you force Jasper to put himself on the chopping block?” I asked with a shaking voice. Fuck, pull it together, Bella. I cleared my throat and tried again. “That was some serious power you had. You can make your fledglings do anything, huh?”

He looked shocked. “Of course not. I told Jasper what I had been thinking, and he offered to do it. His connections to the Volturi are strong.”

“But I want to put an end to it,” Jasper added. “It’s wrong how they treat humans. They need to be stopped.”

“Do you have a master there? Is that why you want to go back, to kill him?” That was fine with me. He could kill his target while I burned the rest.

“Kill my mistress, yes. I know what she’s planning, and I want to stop it before it’s too late.”

“So . . . if I agree to this, that means we would go in there, kill anything that moves—together, no Lone Ranger crap—and free my dad and any salvageable humans. Do I have that right?”

“Yes, but there’s a catch.”

“With vampires, there’s always a catch.”

He chuckled. “And you’re not going to be happy about it. If I am to regain my spot among the guard, I can’t go in with golden eyes; Aro knows all about gold eyes. And if you are going to play my Renfield, that means we need a connection. For both our sanities, I won’t make you my real Renfield, but I still need to”—he made a waffling motion with his hand, searching for a word, I think—“smell like you. Renfield’s are a walking blood bank for their master, as you well know.”

“No way,” Jake growled. He stepped in front of me, glaring down that huge body to meet my eyes. “You can’t let a vampire bite you. That goes against everything you’ve fought for.”

I sighed. “Mind your own business, Jake. We’ve been through this.”

“He can mess with your mind, Bella.”

Edward snorted, and Jake turned that glare on him. “You got something to say?”

He shrugged. “Slip of the tongue,” was his stand-offish answer. I caught the mysterious smile that passed between him and Alice that disappeared in a blink. Jake didn’t notice; he turned back to Sam.

“You can’t let her do this,” he whined. Because that’s what it was now; not anger, not fear, just whining. He didn’t want me to do this, and really, neither did I.

“She can do whatever she wants,” Sam replied. “I’m not happy about it, but if she feels it will save Charlie sooner, then she should do it. She won’t be alone, Jake. And we’ll scout the area, set up forces where we can before she goes down.” He looked down and I met his eyes. “Are you going to do this, Bella?”

I tightened my grip on the Striker. Could I really do it? Throw everything I’ve ever learned to the wind and let some vampire I didn’t know bite and protect me? No, I couldn’t. But I could act like a girl and suck up my pride. I wasn’t doing this for me. I was doing it for all the humans the Volturi captured and killed. I was doing it for Harry, and Seth and Tyler, and for Charlie. If I thought I’d do stupid stuff for Charlie, this was suicidal.

With a heavy sigh, I nodded. “When do we start?”