Chapter 23

Remi PoV

I pull out my phone and call Arabella while we're waiting. "Hey Bella, I'm taking care of the funeral arrangements," she said as she answered. "I figured you have enough on your plate right now. Neither Renee nor Phil have any next of kin other than you, so I may have fudged up some paperwork giving me rights to act on your behalf. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh god, a funeral! I hadn't even thought about it. Yes, thank you, Arabella. That… that means a lot to me."

"You're welcome. It's the least I can do. If I'd gotten here 12 hours earlier, I could have stopped this. I could have caught them in the act. I'm so sorry, Bella."

I shake my head. "It's not your fault. It's the Volturi's. And I'm going to go take care of it right now."

"What? By yourself? No. Wait for me. I'll go with you."

"No," I tell her. "I have a veritable village going with me. 10 friendly vampires, two werewolves, Bobby, Dean, Sam, and Charlie. My friend Charlie, not my dad. THough he tried to come along, but thankfully, there's another village back in Forks that'll tie him to a chair if they have to."

"Good," She replies. "Your dad is a lot like me. Or rather, I'm like him. Stubborn as all hell. Always wanting to help, but damn stubborn."

"I guess that's a trait we share," I agree. "You stay there and handle what you can. I'll be to Florida as soon as I'm back. I just… I have to take care of this first. Maybe it seems a backwards way of doing it, but my mom and phil deserve justice for what happened. So does Charlie and my two classmates that were kidnapped. The Volturi need to know that they're not invincible or omnipotent."

Arabella agrees with me and ends the call. She'd added a fact that I already knew. My mom and Phil would be cremated. I'd come back to a pair of urns with ashes to spread. I wasn't sure of where Phil wanted his ashes, but I knew where my mom wanted to be. Everywhere. Everywhere she'd never been.

We had done some travelling when I was a kid, but could never afford much in that way. As a result, she rarely traveled far from Phoenix. It really wasn't until I moved in with Charlie and she travelled with Phil that she got to see more of the country. And even then, she'd never left the continental US. Maybe one trip barely across the border to Mexico, but nothing major. She'd want her ashes on every continent in as many places as possible. And once this was all over, I had every intention of doing just that. Dean and I could take a break from all this saving people and hunting things and do a bit of travelling.

Once we're all back on the plane, we get into discussing strategy, before takeoff. Carlisle knows of a lot of secret passageways that are hidden throughout the walls of the castle. He thinks we can get in relatively undetected and remain a mystery for some time. "Do you think you can keep your shield intact over all of us?" he asks.

"Yes," I answer. "That won't be a problem." I can feel the power of it emanating off of me. It's like it has its own power source and does not require much of my own energy to make it bigger or stronger.

"Good, then any gifted vampires won't sense our presence like Edward would if he were there."

"I can't see anything!" Alice complains. "Is this how it is for the rest of you?"

"Yes," we all chorus in unison.

We decide that we'll enter as silently as possible and attempt to take the trio by surprise. "It probably won't work, but so long as your shield remains intact, we should be protected from any of their attacks, physical or mental."

It seems as though we're relying on an unstable part of me that I haven't fully explored, but I don't dare voice those concerns. I want everyone as confident as I was, even if it meant we all die trying.

"Aro may demand proof that you're immune to venom," Jasper comments. "He may think that he'll be able to get to you at some point, but if you can prove that you're immune, that's another facet he can't use against you."

"Okay, so how would we prove it?" I ask.

Jasper takes a deep breath. "One of us would have to bite you." No one seems all that eager to do it. In fact, everyone is looking anywhere but at me. All but Jasper himself, that is. "I'll do it."

"Jasper, no," Carlisle disagrees. "I should. I've had the most practice with being exposed to human blood."

Jasper shakes his head. "You also have little practice with actually tasting human blood. Emmett was the last one you tasted, right? And that was more than eighty years ago. As you can see by my eyes, I have rather recent experience with it. By my own choice, not lack of willpower. Plus, Bella has no scent to us when her shield is up. If I can't smell her blood when I bite her, I'll have little reason to keep drinking."

"I feel like this is something we should test," I reply. "But how, without making the rest of you uncomfortable with my blood?"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," Balthazar announces as he appears. Everyone jumps, including me. I don't think I'll ever get used to the sudden appearance of angels in my life. Or that I'm related to one. "I could heal your skin right after he bites you."

"How do you know what we've been talking about?" I ask.

"Oh I've been here a while, just invisible," he says as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

Edward comes over and pokes him in the shoulder, making him rock backward. Balthazar cuts him a look. "Sorry, I just had to make sure you were real. You don't have a scent and I can't hear your thoughts."

"I'm an angel, darling...and you certainly look the part. Are you certain that you don't have any angel in you?" Edward shakes his head. "Would you like to?" Dean laughs, Sammy rolls his eyes, Carlisle clears his throat, and Edward merely looks like he's constipated.

Jasper comes closer and sits in the vacant seat next to mine. This all feels very intimate, though I have no feelings for Jasper whatsoever. I look to Dean to see how he feels, but his face is not showing anything, surprise surprise. "Keep your shield around the two of us," Jasper advised. That way if your blood starts having a scent once its out of your body, the rest of the vampires here won't lose their minds." He has a point. Edward may not be able to hear Balthazar's thoughts, but I'm sure Dean is having a field day giving Edward all kinds of visuals to go off of.

"I'd better be in there, too, my dear," Balthazar suggests. "One, so I can heal you right away, and two, so your blood-drinking friend there doesn't get carried away."

I look at Jasper to see how he reacts and he agrees, better safe than sorry, his eyes say. I open up my shield and let it envelope the two of them, closing everyone else out. Even, Dean, which doesn't feel right, but I need to familiarize myself with every facet of this gift if we're to get through this endeavor.

Holding out my arm, Jasper takes it gently, leaving a space between his hands for his teeth to bite into. I notice his eyes aren't turning black, so he must be reigning in his thirst. His mouth opens, and the atmosphere in the room changes. Everyone is bracing themselves or looking away. I concentrate on keeping my scent to myself while letting him bite into my flesh. I have to separate the physical shield from the rest. Let him in just enough to bite me, but not be overwhelmed by the apparently enticing aroma of my blood.

For a creature capable of such speed, I've never seen anyone move so slow. It's even slower than when Edward kissed me for the first time. I can tell he's holding his breath as he approaches my skin. Then, ever so gently, he bites down. I feel the sting of the bite, but not the burn of the venom. It was like fire before, and now it just feels like a knife cutting my skin. It hurts, but it isn't unbearable. A moment later, he pulls away, and Balthazar covers my arm with his hand to heal the bite. When he's done, not even a scar remains. Good… I don't want to have one of those again.

What could have been a dramatic event that crashed the plane and killed every non-immortal on board, ended up being as uneventful as getting a shot. "Damn, Edward I get why her blood sings to you. I only got a few drops in my mouth, but it's damn tasty," Jasper comments. Edward looks a wee bit jealous, but reigns it in, thankfully.

A bit more strategic talk while Carlisle fires up the plane, and we're off the ground headed across the ocean. Once we had landed in New York, I was already the farthest away from home that I've ever been. Now even farther. Who knew my first trip across the ocean would be to avenge my mother's murder?

We get off the plane in Rome and it's a short drive to Volterra from the airport. I have to wonder if someone has tipped off Aro that we're coming, or if he'll be completely in the dark until we arrive in the city. He probably has spies all over the damn place, both human and non-human alike. Hell, he had that Djinn in his pocket. There are probably all kinds of supernatural creatures that call him boss, or master, as Jane called him.

Once we're off the plane, we pile into a series of black vehicles that were waiting on tarmac outside the plane. Thankfully, it's cloudy and the onlookers aren't blinded by the diamond-like sparkle of the vampires. I can't believe that I once found that beautiful. Now I only see it as a marker of what they are. Something supernatural. I'm in that category, too, I know, but where I used to see beauty and something I desired, I now see something cold and inhuman.

I know them well enough to know that they are capable of love and making real emotional connections, but they are more reliant on their baser instincts than other creatures are. Dean, Charlie, Sam, Garrett, and I get into one vehicle, with Garrett driving. Dean tried to protest that, but I assured him that no one could drive like a vampire. "Going a hundred and forty for them was like forty-five miles an hour for us," I'd told him.

"They can weave through traffic like nothing I've ever seen. With them behind the wheel, we'll get there that much faster. I promise." Garrett offered his own promise of safety by simply winking at Dean.

It'll take a couple hours still, even at the breakneck pace. But not all traffic jams could be averted and we get stuck a couple times behind other vehicles. Finally by the early afternoon, we arrive an are let into the gates thanks to Charlotte and her persuasive nature. Or maybe she flashed the kid. I don't know.

Carlisle is in the lead car and knows where to go to find the most obscure entrance to the castle. Edward has been probing minds since we got into range and as of yet, no one knows of our arrival. We find an obscure area that'll hold our cars and park. Edward is still listening intently, trying to gauge where everyone is that might alert the trio of our presence. We follow his lead, trusting that he's not leading us into a trap. Peter seems to trust him, too, and his non-gift, he said, would tell him if Edward was being anything but truthful.

We find a rarely used entrance and wrench open the door as quietly as possible. Carlisle remembers it as one of the many hidden tunnels throughout the castle. Escape routes in case their anonymity was ever compromised. Many of them have been in disuse for centuries. Carlisle mentioned that Aro used to have each one patrolled daily and kept in repair, but as he's amassed more power, he's become complacent. This particular tunnel is very dusty and has a few fallen stones on the floor, marking its disrepair.

We follow it quietly, with my shield up over everyone. I know it does nothing for sound, but at least it'll mask the humans' scents, and keep any vampires' gifts from sensing us like Edward or Alice would. After a veritable labyrinth of turns and staircases, we come upon a door. Carlisle signals that it is one of the hidden entrances to the throne room. "They're in there," Edward says as quietly as possible. "Amun has been brought in on charges of treason. He kept a gifted vampire a secret from the Volturi, and they're now seeing it as a crime. Bella, our timing couldn't be more perfect."

I nod, signalling Emmett and Jasper to open the door. My shield is up at full power, enveloping everyone in our party. Nothing will get through it. Not Jane's imaginary pain, Alec's paralysing vapor, nor the strength of any vampire in that room. I can feel the power as it vibrates through my body. I feel as though I could lift this entire castle with a single thought. Maybe I'll have to.

"What's this?!" I hear Caius shriek as the doors fling open. He has the most non-melodic voice I've ever heard, especially for a vampire. I have to wonder if he suffered some damage to his vocal chords as a human that never quite healed when he was turned. "How dare you interrupt us? How dare you enter without express invitation? Why are you here?"

Marcus was seated in his chair, as bored as ever, and Aro was probing the group, looking for me. I was hidden behind Emmett and Garrett and could just barely see him. I tapped them on the shoulder and they parted ways to let me through. "Ah! Young Bella! I am so pleased to see you! But… you are still human. We have been gracious with our time, miss Swan. I do believe you have overestimated our hospitality on the matter. And now you and your bodyguards have barged in here uninvited. and for what? To simply show us that you have not followed our very simple orders? Why?" He cocks his head like a confused puppy, but it's rather creepy instead of adorable. I could tell he was trying to hide his surprise at our arrival. He really had no idea we were in the building.

"You had my father kidnapped and nearly killed by a Djinn. You had my mother and her husband murdered," I say through clenched teeth. It's taking everything I have not to wrap my shield around Aro and squeeze it around him so tight, he fractures into a pile of dust.

"Murdered? Kidnapped? Whatever are you talking about?"

I don't need Edward's ability to know he's lying through his teeth. "Your façade won't work on me, Aro. I know it was you. You want me in your collection because you think I'll be gifted as a vampire. You want Edward and Alice, too. Where as Caius and Marcus would just as soon see me dead. They'd have found me and had me killed, not threaten me by going after my loved ones.

"But I've got a secret for you, Aro. I'm not human." His eyes narrow as he takes me in, looking for some kind of physical trait to indicate me being some other species.

"Well, you're certainly not a vampire. You may be pale, my dear, but I can hear your heart and feel your warmth and smell your… oh wait." he sniffs. "I cannot smell you. In fact, I can't smell any of you? What is the meaning of this? How are you doing this?" I could see the panic build up in him.

Jane and Alec are so well trained that they instantly are at his side and sending out their own gifts to incapacitate us. Another vampire steps up behind Aro and puts her hand on him. Renata, his personal shield, I remember. Jane shifts her focus to each of us, eventually shooting daggers, and I can feel her gift testing at my shield, but it does not get through. Alec's gift, however, is different. It's more like a smoky mist. It creeps along the floor and I see it stop at the invisible barrier of my shield and slowly move upwards, searching for a break in the dome I've placed around us. Dean's hand in mine has tightened, and he offers me a reassuring squeeze, that is also asking if I'm alright. I squeeze back, letting him know all is well. I'm pissed as all hell, but I'm in control, and I'm not getting tired at all.

Caius and Marcus flank Aro, and the rest of their guard is circling around us. Aro nods his head minutely towards Felix, who then rushes towards us at top speed. I see him turn towards us but then disappears until he slams into my shield. I feel the strength of his attack, but the barrier remains intact, having little effect on my resolve. He bounces back, flying across the room and into the wall, shattering the marble blocks. A few more sizeable guard members test the shield, some simply probing at it with their hands others coming at us at full speed. Nothing breaks through.

The trio look over to us, confused, surprised, and above all angry. I'm still in control, though,and they need to know who's boss now. I glance over at the group they were accusing of treason and see four olive toned vampires with red eyes. Edward mentioned one of them by the name of Amun. I step forward, out of the dome, but still protected by my own shield. It's like it's two separate parts that work together. "Amun, for what are you on trial today?" I ask. Before he can answer, Aro nods minutely at Demetri who tries to come at me.

Without even thinking about it, I deflect his attack with a flick of my wrist and send him flying through the air to hit the wall, fracturing his face along with the marble that broke his flight. The Volturi may see that as super strength, which only helps my case in proving my inhumanity.

Caius goes to speak, but I imagine my shield forming a tentacle, shoot it out from me, and wrap it around his head, closing his mouth. I use my hands to mimic my shield's actions, giving him the impression that I've got some form of telekinesis, too. He grabs at the invisible force with his fingers, but it doesn't budge. "I didn't ask you, Blondie. I asked Amun." I threaten do do the same to Aro and Marcus, but they both remain silent, Aro a little slack-jawed.. I feel the strength of my grip on Caius. If I squeezed hard enough, I could pop his head clear off his body. It's a tempting idea.

"They accuse me of treason, by saying that I did not report the addition of a vampire to my coven."

"I can speak for myself," the vampire in question comments, stepping up. "My name is Benjamin. When Amun turned me, some time ago, we learned I am gifted. I have control of the elements." To demonstrate, he stirs up a wind in the room, manipulates some water and tops it off with making his fingers catch fire. Now that last one is quite a talent. Fire is a vampire's number one fear, and this vampire is creating fire right in his hand. So it would seem that he cannot be burned. Well no wonder Aro wants him. He probably wants to dissect him and figure out what it is about his flesh that makes him immune to flame.

"Since when is this an act of treason?" Carlisle asks, stepping forward, but still under my dome of protection. "Where is it written that we are required to report additions of members to our families or covens? Aro, I've told you of additions to my family, but merely because we're old friends. I see now that you have begun to expect that from others as well. The only law our kind has is to keep our existence a secret from humans. The purpose of the Volturi has always been to protect that law, and punish those who threaten to break it. Perhaps you should be made aware when a coven has grown to be as large as mine, especially when dealing with situations such as the Southern Vampire Wars. But beyond that, you should keep your nose out of our lives.

"Aro, your greed for power has blinded you to what your true purpose is. Look how easily we got in here. You haven't fortified your hidden passages in decades, centuries, I'd bet. You've become complacent, thinking you're all powerful, impervious and that no one would dare challenge you. But look… look at this young woman." He gestured to me. "Eighteen years old. not a vampire, but she can bring down your entire regime with a single thought."

"Can you?" Aro asks, quirking a brow as if to challenge me. Bad move. I thrust out another invisible tentacle of my shield and wrap Felix up in it, lifting him off the ground. He's immobilized and suspended in mid air. Mentally, I send out several more and simply cause every vampire in the room to trip and fall to the floor, including the trio standing on their gilded platform.

"I also have control over other creatures. They do what I say without hesitation. Maybe a bit of complaining, but my orders cannot be denied." Let him think that my will applies to all creatures not just Crowley. Maybe I can develop that facet of my powers in time, but for now, I'll stick with keeping Crowley as my bitch.

"Why are you here today, Bella? Why now? Did you know we were bringing Amun in?"

"Honestly, I had no idea. I'm here because you killed my mother, step father, and tried to kill my father," I answered. "You'll stop at nothing to get what you want, and that needs to end.

"You thought I was just going to say, 'oh shit, Aro means business I better hurry up and turn?' You thought I was going to swear fealty to you? Become a member of your guard? Or more accurately another priceless piece in your museum? You thought killing or hurting my family is going to get me to do what you want?"

He's silent. "I'm guessing this is your normal course of action. You threaten a coven by harming or killing one or more of its members, and the remaining members are afraid enough that they do what you want. And one of them is probably gifted. Well, that ends today. I will not be turned. As a matter of fact, I cannot be turned. I'm immune to venom."

"Impossible," Caius hisses.

"Turns out it's very possible. Jasper." I hold out my hand and he walks over to me. He takes my arm in his and gently bites into my flesh, taking a short sip. He stops almost instantly and drops my hand. Like before, I feel the sting of the bite, but there was no burning. Balthazar is with us, but invisible again. I feel his hand wrap around my arm and heal the bite. "I also heal really fast," I declare, holding up my completely healed arm.

"Impossible," Aro quips.

"You may think you know all, but you don't. Those of you in Aro's guard. How many of you came to this job because Aro threatened you or someone you care about?" No one replies. They're all simply staring at their leader, waiting for a command of some sort.

"You have to take her out," Edward tells me quietly, pointing at a female in the corner of the room. "Chelsea creates, breaks, or strengthens bonds between people. She's been trying to break ours, but your shield is keeping her out. It's like she can see the threads binding us all together, but she can't get at them. Like they're encased in resin." The vampire in question is now glaring daggers at me and Edward. Aro looks none to pleased as well. "If she's dead, any false bonds created by her will disappear. The only bond stronger than what she can make is the mating bond."

She goes to rush out of the room, but my shield is faster. Wow, some part of me that's faster and stronger than a vampire. Never thought I'd see the day unless I became one myself. I throw it out and wrap her up in it, pinning her arms at her waist, and dragging her closer. Killing a vampire shouldn't be any more difficult for me than killing the demon wearing my ancestor to the prom. I'm dragging her past Amun and Benjamin and the latter shoots his hand out, wrapping it around her throat. I question this at first, but then his hand bursts into flames and within seconds, setting her alight. A bright white flame spreads out like a flash and soon, Chelsea is a pile of ashes at his feet, her dark grey robes smoldering.

Moments later, it's as if a fog has lifted. Many vampires in the room shake their heads as if to clear away the numbness they've likely been feeling for many years. The most visceral of these reactions is from Marcus. He rises from his throne, nearly a foot taller than Aro, eyes that were a dull almost grey-red are now aflame with rage. He promptly grabs Aro by the throat. "Benjamin, if you would be so kind," he calls out in a voice that's far more sing-songy than I've heard from him before. Benjamin steps forward and does to Aro what he did to Chelsea, and soon another pile of purple-grey ash appears on the marble floor.

Next is Caius. He, too, was bonded to Aro, through Chelsea. Edward says it was only to make him slightly subservient to Aro. He is still ruthless as ever, though. He tries to escape, but Felix, Demitri, and a third vampire I don't know grab him and hold him down. This time, it's Jane that makes him feel the pain. Caius screams out, begging for mercy, but Jane does not let up. She starts cursing him for what he and Aro did to her family, for killing her parents and slaughtering the entire town just to get at the witch twins.

I remember hearing the story of the two. You could hardly tell them apart if it weren't for Jane's rather girlish robes while her brother's were more muted. They were young when they were turned. Twelve or thirteen, maybe. But they had powers even as humans. Jane with her ability to make you feel pain, would torture those that tried to cross her. The pain wasn't as intense back then, but it got her what she wanted. Alec on the other hand, just being in his presence made one feel numb, emotionless, blind and deaf. As vampires, their powers magnified and they became two of Aro's prized possessions. And now that Chelsea's bonds have broken, they're none too pleased about that.

Between the two of them Caius is ripped to shreds and then set alight with Benjamin's assistance. From the moment we arrived until now, only a few minutes have passed, and two of the three Volturi leaders are dead. I'm not sure how to proceed as this is not exactly what we discussed during our strategy meeting. I thought we'd take out all three and as many of the guard as necessary, then hold elections on who should be the new leaders of the Diamanpire world… or, send all the Diamanpires back to the realm of Diamandala. Or just kill them all. The last two were Sammy and Dean's suggestions, respectively.

But it seems, none of us needed to worry about who to elect or who to kill, as it had been taken care of for us. As if on cue, the three Volturi wives, Athenodora, Sulpicia, and Patrizia appeared in the room. "Patrizia is Marcus' wife, but not his mate," Carlisle whispers. "His mate was Didyme, Aro's sister. Aro killed her when Marcus' loyalty to him was threatened. Then he had Chelsea bind Marcus to him ever since. Patrizia is merely a friend and confidant to him. In fact, none of the wives were their mates. Aro thought it prudent for the three of them to not have such ties to another." Probably because even Chelsea couldn't break the mating bond. That was why Aro killed his own sister. Marcus would have revolted against him, but he needed him to complete his façade of three ruling brothers."

"We are ready to assume the duties vacated by our husbands," Athenodora declares. I glance at Carlisle, knowing of all of us, he knows the Volturi the best. He seems surprised but also intrigued. "We have seen that an event of this magnitude would occur and have been quietly preparing for it for centuries."

"It seems as though the three wives, when combined have a seeing gift not dissimilar from Alice's. Something they've kept secret from Aro for all this time," Edward mentions. He seems astonished by this news. Knowing of Aro's gift, it is shocking that three of his closest could have fooled him for so long.

"Marcus, my dear friend," Patrizia says, approaching the remaining Volturi brother. "Please, do let us end your suffering. Didyme waits for you." A smile appears on Marcus' face as once again, Benjamin's talents are summoned and he turns Marcus into the fourth ash pile in the throne room. I look to Benjamin to see how much a toll all this is taking on him. He seems upset, but has his mate at his side to support him. Amun seems apathetic, which is concerning.

Sulpicia steps forward, ready to address her guard and subjects. "Let it be known that Aro, Caius, and Marcus are no more. Their successors are in power and will uphold the law of our kind. We will however, allow the exceptions of those in this room that are of flesh and blood. Young Bella, you cannot be turned, but that cannot be said of your human compatriots." Her eyes flash to Dean, Sam, Bobby, Charlie, Jacob and Seth.

"However, we do not wish to have such a black and white policy in this regard. Bella, in your case, if you had turned out to be Edward's mate, we'd have allowed you to stay human were that your desire. And in the case of your human companions, we can see that they are important to this world. They shall be under the protection of the Volturi. We wish to be respected, not feared, seen as authorities not dictators, and admired not worshipped. We will not put on white hats and call ourselves saints."

I'm reminded of the last time I was here, to save Edward. It was the Saint Marcus Day festival. The city celebrated the expulsion of vampires from Volterra, not even realizing that the saint they were exalting was himself a vampire. Not that any of them truly believe in vampires anymore anyway. No more than any American believes in witches, monsters, and goblins at Halloween.

"Bella you may take your shield down," Patrizia tells me. "We will not harm you."

"She's telling the truth," Jasper assures me. I slowly let the shield retract from the group and uncover the vampires first, then the two wolves. I keep it over the humans for now as they're the most vulnerable, and the vampires may like the way any of us smell, especially me now that my Simagre powers have fully bloomed. They'll think the wolves smell like wet dog though. A few of the vampires hiss once the wolves are unshielded, and my guys take a defensive stance. Jacob is ready to shift at any moment. I put the shield over them again and the vampires relax.

"Apologies, Lycanthropes," Sulpicia says, bowing. "Most of the guard were not here the last time we dealt with your kind."

"Lycanthropes? What is this? Harry Potter?" Dean muses.

"They're really more like shapeshifters," Carlisle interjects. "They are not bound by the phases of the moon and can transform from human to wolf rather easily, and voluntarily. Correct, Jacob?"

Jacob steps forward then. "Yes, we are not werewolves like in the movies," he informs. "Our magic is awakened by the presence of Cold Ones. Vampires. When they are near, it triggers the change. We get sick, we get tall, and then one day, we explode into a giant wolf."

"I would very much like to see this," Sulpicia states. "Purely for curiosity's sake. You are under no obligation to agree."

Jacob shrugs and quickly strips down to his boxers, handing his clothes off to Seth. I know his boxers will be shredded once he transforms, but he's modest enough not to go full frontal. He takes a deep breath and has the rest of us still under the shield stand back. The air around him starts to shimmer, his boxers become confetti and fly about the room. Moments later, a horse-sized wolf is standing in his place. His fur is russet colored, eyes the same dark brown that I know and love. He steps forward and touches his nose to my forehead, which he knows I hate. "Eww, Jake. You know I hate that." I wipe his slobber away, listening to the others chuckle.

Sulpicia steps down from the throne and walks forward to get a closer look at Jacob. "You are quite similar to the Children of the Moon that we have eradicated. But you don't seem quite as unhinged or uncontrollable as they are. Guided by their instincts, they were ravenous monsters that ravaged the countryside a millennium ago. They were maybe half the size you are, as well. It seems your people have evolved into a much more efficient beast."

"Are you saying there's another kind of werewolf?" Dean asks.

Sulpicia purses her lips. "Are you referring to the lycanthropy adjacent virus that afflicts humans now?" Dean looks at her confused, but Sammy nods. "Yes, that's a mutated strain of what used to create Children of the Moon. From what I understand, these new werewolves don't fully transform into wolves, correct?"

"Yeah, they get superhuman strength, and their eyes and teeth change, and they act like they have rabies," Dean answers. "But they need to eat hearts to survive. We ah… we know a guy that got turned and eats cow hearts and pig hearts and such. Still a heck of a nice guy."

That must be Garth they're referring to. A hunter friend of theirs that I've yet to meet. "Yes, those are not true werewolves, like I said," Sulpicia confirms. "A mutated version of what used to be. Far easier to kill though, I imagine?"

Dean shrugs as his answer. Probably would be easy for a vampire to kill, not quite as simple for a human. I have yet to meet one of the new kind of werewolf. Maybe Garth would be a good starter into that realm.

The three sisters of the Volturi delegate some tasks to people and offer a chance for those that were pressed into service by Chelsea to leave. Demetri and Heidi take them up on that, saying they've had enough of castle life and want to roam a bit. Patrizia says they will always be welcome to return should they choose. Jane and Alec also choose to stay, as they have become accustomed to the privileged life, but they're on their own terms. Free to leave at any time. Felix also chooses to stay, along with a handful of other guard members. Someone comes in and sweeps up the remains of the four deceased vampires and with little more circumstance we are permitted to leave. This time through the front door and with an escort.

The new Volturi leaders were sure to let me know that I am to be regarded as an unspoken member of their leadership. "Quarta Sorella," Patrizia called me, which translates to fourth sister. I take the title graciously, hoping I never have to set foot in this awful place again. With my first visit here, followed by the monstrous place that was created in the Fairy Realm that resembled Volterra, and now, I've had enough of this ancient city to last a lifetime.

Athenodora and Sulpicia offer warm goodbyes to us, but I can tell they are happy to see us leave. Meanwhile I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. It can't have been that simple. Once we're back in our vehicles and away from the castle, the lead car pulls into a hotel a couple hours away. A nice place from what I can tell. Silently, we all file in while Carlisle books a series of rooms for us.

He passes out room keys and basically dictates that we all should rest a few hours and regroup in the morning. Nothing more is said as we all ascend the stairs or take the elevator to our respective rooms. I collapse on the bed as soon as I'm in the room. Dean follows suit and wraps me up in his arms.

"Why did that go so well?" I ask.

"What do you mean?"

I turn towards him. "I expected there to be a battle of epic proportions. I expected losses on both sides. I was preparing for which of those that came with us I'd be able to live without. But none of that happened. There was that miniscule skirmish when the guard tried to get through my shield, but really that was it. It was a cakewalk compared to how I envisioned it."

"You call that a cakewalk?" Dean asks. "Every time a vampire came near you, I thought that was going to be it. They were going to take you from me. Even if you couldn't be turned. They could have killed you." It hadn't occurred to me that Dean would be worried about my safety. I thought he, like the others, was relying on my shield to protect all of us including me. "When that huge fucker came at you and bounced off, I thought that would take a toll on you, that your shield would falter and we'd all be dinner, but then it stayed strong. Nothing got through. How did you do that?"

I shrug. "Sheer force of will, I guess. I really can't explain what it was like. I know when we practiced back in Forks, it took a lot out of me to use my shield offensively like I did today, but for some reason, I felt so empowered. Like the shield was an entirely separate entity. Part of me still, but drawing its power from elsewhere. All I had to do was tell it what I wanted, and it did it. Maybe knowing that my shield was all that was standing between survival and complete annihilation was what it took. I really don't know."

He holds me close and eventually we fall asleep. In the morning, I get a call on the room phone that we're all going to meet for breakfast downstairs. Well, those of us that eat food will be eating and the rest will fake drink coffee and eating pastries.

Once downstairs, I grab a cup for me and Dean and then sit down. My stomach is not ready for food yet. "Good morning," I say to everyone as I settle into my seat. It's the middle of the week, so there aren't many other guests apart from us. We're all alone in the breakfast room. And given the human instinct to steer clear of vampires, I have a feeling it'll remain that way.

Edward stands up to address us. "I know you're all thinking how in the hell did we get out of there, or some variation on that. Bella, I imagine you're thinking something along the same lines." I simply nod. "Well, it all comes down to you. Aro and Caius were utterly terrified of you. The moment they realized that their strongest offensive weapons, Jane and Alec, were rendered completely useless, they knew they'd lost. Everything after that was them scrambling to hold onto some semblance of power. Also using your shield to demonstrate superhuman strength and make it appear as though you're also telekinetic… Aro knew he'd made a huge mistake coming after you through your parents.

"Of course, you're being anything but human was completely unknown to him. He thought, like so many of us, your gift was simply latent or dormant, and would develop after the transformation. And he was in a hurry to get that to happen. Also, thinking that you and I were still together, and that if he got you, he would also get me. And then he may have access to Alice. His plan fell through the second we entered that chamber unannounced, and without them knowing.

"No one has gotten the drop on them in hundreds of years. And we did. As for the wives taking over… I think that'll work out. Their mindset is very different than the brothers' was. Especially with Marcus being in that fog for so many years. It may take some time for our kind to adapt to the change; it's difficult for us, but in the end we'll be fine."

"What about me being the fourth sister? What was that about?"

Edward laughs. "Yes, you're the Quarta Sorella. The sisters are terrified of you, too, Bella. They thought that offering you the title as the unofficial fourth member would garner them some protections from you. They don't know you, of course, and couldn't have known that you couldn't care less about having any kind of title, but their ways are old. Status is everything. So offering you status seemed a good idea to them."

"So basically what you're saying is it all came down to me and my shield?"

Edward smiles. "Yeah, basically. You threw them off way more than anyone ever has. And that started back when Aro met you for the first time."

"When was that?" Dean asks.

"Back when I was still with Edward," I answer. "Well, I guess we weren't together at the time. He'd left me, and a few shitty months later heard a rumor that I was dead. He wanted to die, too, so he planned to provoke the Volturi into killing him. Suicide for vampires is difficult, I guess. But anyway, Alice and I came to Italy, I stopped him from doing something stupid and then Aro demanded to meet me."

"And they let you live?"

"Yes. They said I had to be changed and soon, that they don't offer second chances. So time wasn't on our side. Plus I wasn't keen on continuing to age while Edward didn't. Clearly my life's journey has forged a different path." I squeezed Dean's hand in mine. "I thought at the time, that Aro let us go out of respect for Edward or Carlisle, whom Aro regarded highly.. But that's not the case?"

"No, he's never not been able to read someone. Not even his personal shield, Renata. And for Jane's gift to be useless, too? Unheard of. He had a lot of ideas of what that might mean, but at the forefront was having you in the guard to protect him from attacks. He also wanted Alice."

"On the subject of me," Alice interjects. "How is it that those three have a gift like mine?"

Edward once again has the answer. "It was odd. When separated, none of them have a gift, but when together, like physically touching, they can see lots of stuff. Usually regarding their own lives, and rarely anything with the outside world. They wouldn't be able to predict stock market trends, for example, like you can. But they saw an event not unlike what unfolded yesterday and had been preparing for it ever since. Quietly creating friendships with guard members and non-Volturi vampires, greasing palms of others. It has been quite the long con, as it were." Edward must have gleaned a lot of information listening to the sisters' minds.

"And you mentioned that Sulpicia and Athenodora were not Aro and Caius' mates, yes?"

Carlisle joins in then. "Correct. They were marriages of status and nothing more. Aro hardly spent any time with his wife at all. Same for Caius. It's like having a wife gave them more power than remaining bachelors. But Aro knew how deep a mating bond could go. He killed his own sister to sever that bond between her and Marcus. Chelsea has never been able to do anything with mating bonds. They supersede her gifts. But any other bond she could manipulate. Edward, you said she was trying to get at our bonds?"

Edward nods. "Yes, in her mind, it was like she could see the threads that bound us all together, whether mates, friends, siblings, or what have you, she couldn't touch them. Like they were under a glass and she couldn't break through. That must have been Bella's shield."

"Do we need to worry about the Volturi coming after any of us?" Bobby asks. "I know they granted us pardon in the castle, but now that we're gonna be splittin' apart and whatnot. I don't wanna have to sleep with one eye open more 'n I already do, anyhow."

"I wouldn't worry, Mr. Singer. I detected no plans in their minds to go back on their word to us. I think they know that any retaliation against any of you would be considered by Bella to be retaliation against her. And the last thing they want is to be on Bella's bad side."

I smile. "It's not a fun place to be."

"No it's not," Edward agrees. "I'm glad to be hopefully moving out of that side." I nod minutely, letting him know he's no longer on my bad side necessarily, but it won't take much to land him there again.

"So what do we do now?" Emmett asks. "Go home already?"

"I suppose we can," Carlisle agreed. "However… when in Rome, as they say."

"I think we could do with a bit of a vacation, too," Bobby added. "Enough chasing stuff around and fighting for a little while."

One part of me agrees with him, while another part of me knows that the supernatural stuff out there isn't just gonna stop killing innocent people. "Even hunters need a vacation," Dean says. And that cements my decision.

"Alright. Let's see what kind of shenanigans we can get up to for a while, huh? I mean, have passport, will travel, right?"

A/N - Lots happened in this chapter! You might think the drama with the Volturi is over, but not quite yet. :)

Thank you to my readers and reviewers. You make my world go 'round!