Chapter One

Darius

My life was simple these days, I monitored the Volturi communications and if I saw an opening I messed up their plans. At first they'd put it down to mere chance but over the years they had finally come to the conclusion that someone was behind all their failures and computer glitches. They didn't however know who, I had kept in the shadows ever since I escaped from Caius leaving Sara's ashes behind and my soul with them. At first I had doubted I could go on, the pain was so terrible, but the more I thought about the Volturi and Sara's death the colder the pain and anguish turned until I found myself looking for ways to avenge her death. When I allowed myself to think about my beautiful tender hearted mate my whole body ached with the sorrow and loss so I didn't think about her often, not any more, it just exhausted me. I considered joining her but I knew she would be shaking her head slowly and telling me to stay alive for her sake. That left only one option, revenge, and I was determined that one day I would bring the Volturi to their knees.

I didn't care how long it took me or how much time or money I had to pour into the venture I finally had a goal that allowed me to continue. I broke off all my friendships and found a way to live off the grid making it almost impossible to track me down. The empty ramshackle cabin on an island deep within the Everglades was perfect, even the locals, the swamp rats avoided the place, it had a certain reputation for being haunted and very bad luck to set foot on it. Of necessity it meant travelling some distance to feed but that didn't bother me, I knew if I'd made it too easy I might never have left my lair at all. As it was I stocked up by breaking into hospital blood banks occasionally, it just meant if I were too busy to leave the island I had food to hand.

I taught myself all about computers and became a rather celebrated hacker although anonymous. I had chosen my code name carefully, making sure it couldn't be traced to me in any way, Wormhole Monster. A little colourful I guess but I allowed myself that little whimsy. Once I had everything worked out I set up a trap door in the Volturi security so every communication between Volterra and the rest of the world came through me first. Most of it was insignificant and the messages were automatically passed along the system but certain key words set off an alarm and I could listen in to what was going on. If they were sending out a snatch party for a rogue nomad I would send a warning first and often it took them far longer and used up valuable resources to find them. It had been many years since anything interesting had happened and I was beginning to lose hope that I could accomplish anything, but then I heard the alarm again and with fingers crossed I checked the outgoing message.

It was from no other than Aro Volturi and concerned the Cullens. Had Carlisle finally gone too far and upset his old friend enough to order his return to Volterra? I would most certainly be putting the boot in if that were the case. I leaned back in my chair looking at the monitor screen and rubbing my twisted leg out of habit. So, it was the Cullens and at last they were in danger from the Volturi.

"Who's been a naughty boy then Carlisle? Bringing a human into our world and Edward tut tut, refusing to change her once she knew. I wondered if they'd developed a death wish because that was the likely outcome of their actions. Now the decision had to be made, how did I spoil this little jaunt of Aros? I could warn the Cullens but I didn't like them, in fact I found them too self righteous and congratulatory. For two pins I'd leave them to their fate but stopping it would upset Aro more, decisions decisions. I had almost made my mind up to send them a warning anyway when there came a second message, this time from someone in the Cullen house and I smiled broadly for two reasons, Carlisle had a mole in his family and the information they had just passed on to Aro would have him drooling. The human they had introduced to the world of the vampires was gifted, a shield of some type. That made my mind up for me, I would snatch the human and kill her myself then send the corpse to Volterra with my best wishes. That would really anger Aro and his precious brothers.

I waited until they had their flight plan filed then sent in a virus and crashed the air traffic control system at Pisa airport, no planes would be flying in or out for some hours which gave me room to manoeuvre. The human was in Forks so I arranged a flight for myself using a private jet I had shares in under a fictitious company name and a car to be waiting when I landed. Against a vampire I might struggle in a fight with this leg but snatching a human was child's play. On the flight I made my plans, checking the area on Google Earth and deciding on the best way to approach the humans house. Interestingly her father was a police chief so she was alone quite a bit although Edward Cullen hung around at night. The only time I could snatch her easily was when he went to hunt but there was a slight problem. A female nomad was also watching for an opportunity to snatch the girl, Bella Swan what have you done that so many vampires are looking to snatch you away?

It might be an advantage if everyone thought the nomad had taken the girl, at least for a while, so I planned my snatch for the following evening early. Edward had already organised to go hunting with his "brother" Emmett and "sister" Rosalie. The nomad was going to try too so I would need to get in and out fast before she made her move. I watched as Edward said goodbye to his girlfriend and left and I knew the nomad had not yet returned from her hunting, then the girls father drove away in his cruiser and I listened while the girl showered and got ready for bed. While she was in the shower I eased up to bedroom window and waited. It wasn't long before she came back in to her bedroom but in the half light she didn't see me and I wrapped one arm around her body and arms and put my hand over her mouth whispering in her ear,

"One sound and I'll kill you right here. Do you understand?"

She nodded, her heart pounding fast and her whole body shaking with fear. It was pretty easy to jump down from her window onto the lawn and carry her to my car bundling her in the trunk with her wrists tied together and a gag in her mouth. I could hear her struggling as I started the car and drove to the end of the street then waited until I saw the nomad follow in my tracks, leaping onto the window sill and into the girls bedroom. Good, her scent would mask mine from the Volturi so I smiled to myself and set off on the long drove back to my swamp home, I couldn't fly with my prisoner but I could drive with her in the trunk especially as I'd made breathing holes in the floor for her. I didn't want her dead yet, I was curious to speak to this human who captured the heart of a vampire, especially one as proud as Edward Cullen. If she did have a gift I'd seen no sign of it yet but I would take precautions, I wasn't going to lose her now she was in my grasp.