Thursday, March 8, 2018

Seismic Shift Chapter 38

Spirit of the Wolf,
You who wanders the wild lands,
You who stalks in silent shadows,
You who runs and leaps between
 the moss-covered trees,
Lend me your primal strength,
and the wisdom of your glowing eyes.
Teach me to relentlessly track my desires,
and stand in defense of those I love.
Show me the hidden paths and the moonlit fields.
Fierce Spirit, walk with me in my solitude,
howl with me in my joy,
and guard me as I move through this world.

~ Native American Wolf Prayer

BPOV
Slowly, slowly, I inched forward toward my prey. I held my breath to assist me in remaining absolutely silent. If I was to have any chance of besting my opponent, I had to have the element of surprise. Closer, and still closer, and then I finally had to exhale quietly and draw in a another breath.
"Gotcha!" I yelled as I jumped on Edward's back.
He caught my legs around his waist and grinned at me over his shoulder. "It pleases me to see you in a good mood."
I saw the shadow that passed across his face, and knew that I was failing in my mission. "We have today, Edward. I want to spend it with just you, not the twenty-six other people crowded in the big house, and I sure as fuck don't want the Volturi in my bedroom."
"They will not be, I promise."
"You can't promise me that when I know that's all you think about day and night. They've invaded your mind before they even get here."
He sighed, a sure sign he was frustrated. "You are correct, but I have vowed to leave it behind me today. This is our last day… before we fight them," he hastened to add.
And then I was the one sighing. We were huddled together in the meadow where we met, the small circular clearing where we'd lost our virginity to one another and vowed to always love each other. I was bundled in a hat, scarf, and mittens and a ridiculous coat that Edward insisted would keep me warm. I could hardly maneuver in it; no wonder I hadn't really taken him by surprise when I pounced. He probably heard the rustling of the coat from a dozen yards away.
I'd noticed the distant look on his face and knew he was going over strategies and contingencies in his head. But we had all agreed to take today for ourselves, each couple or family spending their time together without fight training. I had desperately wanted to see our meadow one more time, despite how freezing cold it was outside.
"Should we go home?" he asked. "You are cold."
I wanted to argue with him and assure him I was fine, but I couldn't feel my toes. "Okay," I whispered.
I buried my face in his back and pulled the knit hat down low as he ran and I clung to him. His words kept repeating themselves in my head; our last day, our last day, our last day.
Tonight, it would snow. Tomorrow, it would be stuck to the ground in a thick layer of powder, and Alice saw that if we convened in a clearing far away from town, we could save innocents from becoming entangled in our fight.
She saw us fighting, and she saw only some of us walking away. She swore there were several versions of the future in her head, a few where we all lived, or alternately, the visions where we all died. It was dependent on the split second decisions we had to make tomorrow.
It was fucking depressing.
So I smiled as my numb legs dropped from Edward's waist and he took my hand to lead me into our perfect house. We'd almost had the perfect life; we had resolved every issue that had come our way, and we were close to becoming a big family between the Cullens and the Swans and the Clearwaters. I had the perfect mate for me, and I prayed to the ancient gods that I was the perfect mate for Edward.
I declined his offer of food, and instead I moved slowly once more, intent on capturing my prey once again. Off with my hat, my mittens, my scarf. Off came the abhorrent coat, and off with my shoes and socks. Slowly, as he watched me, I unfastened my pants and slipped them off my legs. With eyes dark as a moonless night, Edward took my face in his hands and kissed me fiercely. It didn't matter that we'd already made love that very morning, or the night before. We had a limited number of minutes left in this world. Our kisses were numbered, and I wanted to stomp my foot and scream at the heavens how unfair it was. Instead, I savored the feel of Edward covering my body with his own, the way his marble planes seemed to melt against my softness, or perhaps I was the one melting. I yanked and tugged until his pants were off, his shirt off; frantically I pulled and pushed until we were both naked and finally we came together.
Edward pushed his length inside my body and I wanted to weep. Every little moment was significant now, every miniscule touch and hitching breath was on a countdown. I looked directly into his eyes as he pulled out and inched back in, my legs wrapping around his waist to provide a deeper angle. My hands clutched desperately at the immovable skin on his shoulders, and tears leaked out of my eyes as I was reminded that he wasn't impervious to death. Pushing those macabre thoughts out of my mind, I leaned up to beg for a kiss and Edward obliged, melding his lips to mine. He looked at me, watched me, stared right through me and into my soul. I shuddered at the intensity, gripping his cock inside me as he moved in and out, agonizingly slowly. I would take these gifts that were given to me by the universe, and I wouldn't be sad that they were over. I would be grateful to have ever had them in the first place.
"I love you," I moaned, and every nerve in my body sang for Edward.
"I love you," he whispered harshly, the muscles in his neck flexing as he neared his completion. "I love you so much, Bella."
I fell off the live wire I'd been walking, Edward's name on my lips in a prayer as my body went limp. A few more pushes at a faster pace, and Edward stilled against me, burying his face in my hair.
I didn't envy Edward's inability to sleep as the day drew to a close and I was able to escape for a few hours unconscious. At least, until I woke gasping for air and blindly groping in the dark room.
"Shh, I am here, love," Edward assured me in a pained voice.
"Oh, God." I rolled into his body, latching on to him as I sobbed. "There was nothing but darkness," I wailed. "Nobody was there, just me. I was all alone!"
He did his best to comfort me, but there was nothing he could do. In the end, we rose and dressed for the day. I kept wanting to add the word last every time I thought of the future, but I had to push it aside. I had to be strong and brave today. I had to protect those I could, and I had to defend our way of life.
I could just make out the shapes of some of the others in the predawn light as we reached the large clearing. It was the size of two football fields, surrounded by forest on all sides. The Olympic Mountain Range loomed over us, a protective sentry. It was bitterly cold, but I had dressed in layers and sat at the firepit someone had built. Connor, Shelly, and Maria were sitting on logs they had pulled over for seating, and I joined them gladly. Shelly draped an arm over my shoulder and leaned the side of her head against mine.
"Good morning," she said quietly. Her dark skin glowed in the firelight.
"Good morning," I replied. I scanned the nearby area and found that I could pick out each vampire as they sat in pairings or stood in the trees, searching. I realized that they were on watch, and wondered if our timeline had moved up.
Maria handed me a granola bar and a bottle of water. I tried to eat, but it tasted like sawdust and churned in my gut. Edward came to my side after speaking to Carlisle, and I wondered if they had been saying their goodbyes.
I felt something prickling down the back of my neck and realized that the wolfpack was joining us from the treeline. My senses seemed to pick them out one by one, and I counted them off in my head. Jacob, Leah, Seth, Emily, Quil, Collin, and Brady. As they emerged and came into my line of sight, I was pleased to see that Emily fit in with them like family, and she walked closely to Brady in particular.
The sky had lightened significantly by the time I finished choking down my breakfast. The vampires were paired off, standing in each other's arms and gazing at each other for the most part. Those that were not paired off huddled together, and I realized that there were two sets of three sisters. Then it occurred to me that only my birth parents were not present.
I'd spent a teary morning with Harry and Sue yesterday, promising them to be careful and asking the same of them in return. They were staying behind in Forks as protectors of the town, on the odd chance of a vampire feeling like making their way down Main St. and wreaking havoc.
"I love you, Bella. You are a good daughter, and I'm proud of you." Harry's words caused a gush of tears to fall, and I was a snotty mess by the time I reached Sue's arms.
"I love you as well, Bella. I know you know it, but it's good to say it and erase all doubt. You're strong and smart and have been a blessing to us."
I'd managed to choke out my feelings in return, and I felt the loss keenly as we'd driven away.
I looked around again. So help me, if Charlie convinced Renée to run…
"What are you looking for?" Edward asked.
"Charlie and Renée. They're the only ones I don't see."
He hummed and his eyes looked distant for a moment. "I believe they are headed this way—slowly and with reluctance."
As long as they made the effort, I could forgive the reluctance to die.
I finally saw them, a good ten minutes later. Renée came right to me and asked Shelly if she could have her seat. Shelly hugged me, her tight, springy curls tickling my cheek before she got up and gave my mother her chance at goodbye.
If I expected sonnets or poetry, I was wrong. Renée merely picked up my hand in hers and held it wordlessly. I caught Shelly's eye from across the fire, and she smiled and shrugged.
Quiet murmurs continued for much of the morning, none of us wanting to break the solemn atmosphere. The sun struggled to make itself known behind the cloud cover, and the previous night's snow glowed dully. Eventually, I heard a noise in Edward's throat, and as I looked at him, I saw the pain in his eyes and the tight set of his jaw.
It must be time.
Everyone sort of moved at once then. Alice stood from Jasper's lap and moved to a far spot in the clearing, her body a blur and followed immediately by her mate. Edward stood and pulled me to my feet, my mother coming with me as she refused to release my hand. Maria put out the fire by dumping a bucket of collected snow on top of it, and it smoked feebly. One by one, we moved into our previously agreed on positions around the clearing.
The wolves moved into the trees to hide themselves, and Connor, Shelly, and Maria joined them. The Cullens and Denalis were spread in a semi circle, the more powerful of them in the front and the others behind. I was to be on one end of the curve and Renée the opposite. I would stand behind Edward, and Renée behind Zafrina, as Charlie was to meet up with the wolves and shift. We would make our stand as humans in order to utilize our other skills, unless I had no choice but to shift to save myself. I was powerful in either form, but my human side was an offensive power and my wolf, defensive.
My breath caught in my throat as the vampires around me shifted nervously, adjusting their more casual stance for a fighting stance. I finally saw the forms appear on the horizon, dark hoods concealing faces.
"Oh, my God," Renée whimpered, and I agreed with her.
They were many, many more than I had ever envisioned. They moved in complete synchronicity, fanning out as they seemed to glide over the powdery snow. The color of their hoods darkened further as the first line parted for the second and third line to emerge. It was a frightening display, which was undoubtedly their purpose.
Carlisle stepped forward, and my heart lurched in my chest at the sight of him so vulnerable and alone. Automatically I stretched my shield to cover him. The three leaders in the very front had red edges to their cloaks, and they moved forward to stand five or so feet in front of their army. They looked exactly the same as in the pictures we'd seen in Carlisle's study; two with dark hair and one with pale yellow. The one I knew to be Aro stepped even further forward than the rest, to define himself as the leader. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent, his hair slicked back and reaching past his shoulders. His blood-red eyes practically glowed before me, and I found that I truly did know what fear was.
"Aro, old friend," Carlisle started, and I had to strain to hear him.
"Are we friends still, Carlisle?" Aro spoke, and his voice was higher in pitch than I would have expected. "You seem to have amassed quite a following against us."
"Only because we were unsure of your reasons for coming. We have broken no vampire laws." Carlisle's voice was calm and even.
The strange Volturi leader cackled, and the hairs on my arms stood on end. "We are looking for new additions to our wonderful family in Volterra." He flicked his gaze over his shoulder, and I felt the pin pricks of someone's gift being attempted at Carlisle.
"Renée," I whispered, and I felt her shield bolster and strengthen my own.
"We know you have a few… talented members in your coven, and wish to offer them a place with us," Aro continued in his child-like voice.
"Any member of my family that wishes to join yours is free to do so. Why bring such a large army?"
Aro giggled, there was no other word for the girlish sound that he emitted. I felt it again, that stabbing sensation against my shield as they tried to find a way in.
"My dear friend. I do not wish to fight with you, quite the contrary, I merely feel the need to travel safely," he explained, but there was clearly no truth to his words.
Carlisle merely smiled serenely. "Ask away, Aro, but I will have none in my family coerced to join you." His tone was entirely polite, despite the threat in his words.
Aro laughed again, and it reminded me of nails on a chalkboard. He looked to a short vampire with golden brown hair, who merely nodded. "We are looking for shifters. Those that can manipulate themselves into animals of their choosing. We feel they would be a valuable asset. We have one that is capable of sensing their existence, a tracker, if you will. He senses them here."
"And you may ask them if they wish to join you, but if they do not wish it, you will leave and stop tracking them. They deserve to live how they choose, as you do. They aren't vampires and can't possibly be under your rule," he added.
"The supernatural are under our rule," the blonde one spoke up. Caius. Edward told me he was evil incarnate without the pretenses that Aro affected. "They should not be wandering around, able to reveal our secret at any moment."
"Why would they reveal our secret? It would bring them under suspicion, and then they would be treated as lab rats," Edward said. I knew his voice would carry to the ears of the other vampires, and I tensed as I waited for their response.
I watched a small blonde female, the one I thought was named Jane. Her face was pinched in concentration, her scarlet eyes boring holes into my skull. She focused her gaze on others, and nothing seemed to happen except that I felt her efforts bouncing off my shield. When she focused on Edward with her eyes narrowed and a nasty smile on her face, red washed over my vision.
The ground trembled beneath our feet, and I realized I needed to calm down. No harm would come to Edward while I was still breathing, I would never allow it. I inhaled deeply through my nose and held it before releasing it slowly through my mouth.
Everyone around us had noticed the tremble, but those on the other side of the clearing would never know the root cause. Aro continued to speak after a brief pause.
"There are two in your company that we have wanted to open our home to for many decades," he said as though he ran a summer chalet and not a house of horrors.
"They won't go," I answered, belatedly realizing I should not have drawn attention to myself.
Suddenly three sets of red eyes were laser focused on my face, and soon the entire Volturi guard was staring at me. I did not flinch, or even cringe, I just glared.
"And how do you know this?" Caius demanded.
"I've asked them," I hedged.
There was laughter from across the clearing. "You are not a vampire," Caius pointed out. "Why do you align yourself with the Cullens?"
I bristled at the way he pronounced the name of my family. "Because I am mated to Edward Cullen," I admitted.
Snickers could be heard at my response. "You are aware of the rule that humans are not to know of vampires' existence?" Caius pressed.
"I am aware, but it does not apply to me," I answered boldly. Edward was inching steadily closer to me as I conversed with this pale demon.
"How very interesting," Aro said in his disturbing voice. "Please explain yourself."
Despite the please, I knew it was not a request, but a demand. I felt that awareness at the base of my skull again, and then I saw out of my periphery as the eleven wolves stalked slowly out of the trees. The tops of their heads would tower over the shorter vampires, their paws were the size of most of our heads, and their drooling jowls hung open to reveal impressive teeth.
There was commotion on the opposite side as several vampires ran in the other direction, and those that remained sank into defensive crouches; all, but the three rulers, and the five that protected them. They watched as the wolves came closer, filling in any gaps between the vampires. They watched in fascination, or derision as far as Caius was concerned, as Edward and I were flanked by two wolves. I did not have to look at them to know it was Charlie and Jacob. Hisses and growls made their way across the empty space to my ears, and I could not resist the smug grin that stretched across my face.
"What blasphemy is this?" Caius roared. He looked frightened to me, and I almost laughed.
"Werewolves have been hunted to the ends of the earth and killed on the spot, because they are unpredictable creatures," Marcus spoke for the first time. He could have been reading the lunch menu for all the inflection lacking in his voice.
"These are not werewolves that turn at the full moon and murder humans without thought," unlike most vampires didn't need to be spoken aloud. Carlisle continued. "These are an ancient native tribe in the area that change when danger is near, and their only goal is to protect humans and keep the secret of themselves and of vampires. Their existence is proof that they are no danger, for they have lived here quietly for centuries and even you have not heard of them."
There was an uneasy rustling across the way, and I had the feeling that they were still looking for a reason to come at us.
"Regardless, we seek to add anybody with a special talent. They would have a place in the guard with us." Aro made his offer sound like it was no big deal, but I'd heard plenty of stories about what they were forced to do in the Volturi guard.
"We respectfully decline your offer," Carlisle insisted.
There was not as much distance between our groups anymore, and I realized that Aro, Caius, and Marcus had slowly moved forward along with their five personal guards.
"That's not how this works," Caius sneered. "Give us what we came for!"
Now that the pretenses were gone, every member on my side of the clearing changed their stance. The vampires crouched defensively, Renée and I planted our feet, readying our hands for possible manipulations, and the wolves started growling. Their jaws snapped and several more of the black-cloaked monsters ran into the forest.
I wished it had moved in a blur after that. I wanted to be able to say that it was so fast I didn't see it coming, that I couldn't remember the terror of watching crimson eyed vampires running for my loved ones. No, it all happened in real time for me, and I would never forget what it was like.
The trio stood still as Aro raised his arms and the others rushed in our direction. I knew the thing I had to fear the most was the blurring speed with which they moved. If I couldn't focus, I couldn't protect myself. I felt the full out assault on my shield as those with talents tried to direct them at all of us. I watched insidious smoke drifting out of Alec's fingers as he curled them into claws. Jane's talent slipped through and I heard Carmen cry out in pain. I redoubled my efforts, panting in exertion. Edward remained in front of me, and Charlie and Jacob stayed on my flanks. I knew the importance of protecting me and Renée above the others, and she had Zafrina, Collin, and Seth at her side; but my heart hurt at the thought that someone might not make it because they lacked help. I had to keep faith in our plan.
I aimed the first fireball at Demetri as he neared, catching his robe on fire. He screamed as he dropped to the ground, and I had never in my life seen anything engulfed in flames so quickly. I didn't have time to gloat my satisfaction that none of us would ever be tracked again. As I hurled more fireballs, the other vampires redirected to the other side of our group. Renée raised boulders up from the ground and smashed them into oncoming vampires; her physical shield strong enough to keep the rest at a distance. I saw in front of me and to my left as Seth closed his enormous mouth over the head of an oncoming vampire that tried to come at them from the side, wrenching it off the body with a screeching metallic sound. Others began hesitating, wary of approaching. The rest of my vampire family had yet to even need to move.
"I must have them!" Aro screamed, pointing to me and Renée. This was not unexpected.
Unfortunately, this meant that the rest of the contingency rushed us at once. I used gusts of air and more balls of fire as weapons, and anyone that made it too closely was blinded with Zafrina's gift. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to shield everyone and use any offensive measures simultaneously. Several on our side protested at being unable to see, and I was afraid of who would be caught because of it. I didn't have to wait long to find out as a Volturi guard wrapped his arms around a wolf that must not have seen him coming. The vampire squeezed, and the wolf howled in agony. I couldn't tell who it was, but I thought it was one of my parents' shapeshifter friends. Emmett rammed into the vampire, gripping him by the cloak and throwing him across the clearing. The wolf staggered and fell, and I didn't have time to see if they were alive. The first of the horde had reached us, and suddenly those nearest me were forced to fight.
I felt it again, that rumbling and shaking that indicated my latent powers. I let the fear and fury build, let the earthquake come and do what it may. The ground split a small amount between us and the rest of the Volturi. I saw the look on Aro's face, saw the capitulation as he realized he would not win this fight.
"Edward!" I shouted, and indicated Aro when my husband looked at me.
He nodded grimly, flashing to his brothers in turn. They ran full speed, catapulting themselves over the crack, and I watched as Jacob sailed over it behind the three blurs. The russet wolf landed roughly, but soon caught up to the three male vampires as they chased Aro. His female guard, I thought her name to be Renata, fled in the opposite direction. The scenes around me turned brutal as Alice dragged a screaming Jane by the hair to the waiting jowls of a wolf, who promptly ripped her to shreds. Caius had attempted to run, only to be surrounded by the three blonde Denali sisters, plus a red-eyed vampire with shoulder length dark hair that seemed to welcome the idea of helping them.
"How's it feel, Caius?" The stranger sneered. That was the last I was able to focus on before I looked back to see where Edward and his brothers were.
The sight that greeted me caught my breath in my throat. Aro had Edward by the hand, kicking him in the back to try to dislodge his arm from his body. Jasper was on Aro's back, desperately trying to behead him, while Emmett struggled to release Edward from Aro's grasp.
I screamed, a high-pitched, agonizing sound, and the earth rattled with my grief. I ran without conscious thought, ran through the crowd of murderous vampires, flinging them away from me with a swipe of my hand before they could even get close enough to touch. Charlie followed me closely, and as we neared the fight that would determine the rest of my life, I saw Jacob fighting off several vampires at once.
"Go, Charlie!" I shouted. "Save Jacob!"
I ran until my sides burned, until I had no air in my lungs, until my wolf begged me to release her, but I needed a human defense for this battle. I came upon the four of them fighting, and I saw where Edward's shirt was ripped at the shoulder seam. "Emmett, Jasper! Back up!" I hollered, barely waiting for them to move before unleashing a massive stream of fire at Aro's face. He screeched, wailing as he burned, and his hold on Edward dropped. Emmett pulled Edward completely out of the way as the fire burned and purple smoke reached the tops of the trees. I sat right down in the snow and wrapped myself around Edward, heedless of what might have been going on around me. I needed to know he would survive.
"Edward, look at me!" I ordered. He shifted, throwing his good arm around me and looking up into my face. I shuddered as I saw the flames reflected in Edward's black eyes. "You're alive, that's all that matters, thank the gods you're alive," I sobbed.
"I am, thanks to you," he said before kissing me tenderly.
"Uh, guys, they're still fighting," Jasper pointed out.
Son of a bitch. I just wanted this day to end.
We rose, and I spotted Charlie and Jacob using their teeth to pull apart vampire bodies and throw them on random fires that still burned. Across the clearing, a few of our family members still faced Volturi guard members. I watched the Amazons circling Renée to protect her, and I knew I couldn't let anything happen to her.
I dropped my head back and screamed as loud as I could, and the rumbling appeared again, causing several vampires to back up as cracks and fissures opened up at their feet. Unfortunately, Esme got caught up in a hole that opened up, and if it weren't for Carlisle and Leah working together, she would have been lost. The four of us ran back to help, but I found that my energy was gone. Emmett picked me up and carried me against his chest like a football until we reached the mêlée. I looked around to see what I could do, but it looked like everyone had their part under control.
Marcus was the only one of the Volturi leaders to remain, and he stood looking perplexed in the middle of vampire carnage. Felix remained, but he was missing an arm and I saw a wolf prowling in circles around him carrying a foot. Jane and Alec were no more, and I had taken care of Demetri. Many had fled, and those that remained were breaking off into skirmishes with the Cullens or the wolves. I discovered that Maria had not made it, and Esme was limping, which was such an odd sight to see.
I looked at Edward again, and his right arm hung at an awkward angle toward the back of his body.
As everything around me blurred at the edges, I leaned over and retched before collapsing.

 


2 comments:

  1. I love the pictures, especially the last one lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've been holding onto that since Valentine's day last year. I knew it would eventually come in handy.

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