Chapter 11 ~ Loss

I peer down from the roof and see Edward, Jasper, Alice and Zafrina’s eyes meeting my gaze.  Edward’s face is covered in a fading determination. I leap off the roof and slam Jane to the ground. “What’s his plan?” Jane giggles, I slam the heel of my foot into her stomach, “I was talking to Edward.” She hisses quietly, “You can read Jane’s mind right?” He nods “Of course I can” I smirk with great satisfaction. “Fantastic, so what is the hemorrhoid thinking?” Edward circles Jane’s fiercely coiled up body, digging deep into that warped mind no doubt. She growls and hisses but Edward doesn’t falter or backtalk, he just concentrates then quickly turns to me. “He is going to fire bomb the entire area, he knows you would likely survive it but with all of us destroyed he feels he can hone in on you and destroy you.” I take in every syllable, then turn my attention back to the direction Caius is. “That’s good news.” Zafrina grabs my arm spins me to face her, “How the fuck do you see that as good news?”  I brush her hand off my shoulder. “Because Caius knows Edward can read minds, so he would read Jane’s and Alec’s, therefore he planted a plan in their minds.” Zafrina stubbornly crosses her arms, “or he expected Jane and Alec to have killed all of us before Edward could extract anything important.” I smile, “sure that is a possibility, but a stupid one and I think we can all agree Caius is far from stupid.” She raises her eyebrows, irritatingly purses her lips and walks back toward Jasper. “So here is what I think we should do, we run.” Jasper laughs, “That’s a pointless plan.”

“He has Gypsies, he knows he can’t beat me, he knows you can only fight magic with magic therefore I have to assume those Gypsies will know how to kill me.” Jas just nods and Edward glides next to me and grabs my hand, “Bella, even if we run he will still find you, and I am just not sure that is our best option.” I turn to face him, “Edward, it’s our only option.”  He gives me his perfect crooked smile; it gives me a slight quiver in my legs. “Actually, there is another way.” His eyes shift to Alice, she is frowning, “Edward I am not sure we can find them all, they scattered many years ago.” I squeeze Edwards’s hand, “What is she talking about?” 

“ After the war ended and we went to the Gypsy to wipe your mind, she gave us some contacts of some voodoo people, other Gypsies and secret gifted vampires, it was her hope we would find them and protect them, she said in return they would help us with the magical element of all this.”  I can see Zafrina roll her eyes. “Did you ever find them?” He nods, “Some of them and sure they helped, they cloaked Alice and Jasper, and you to a certain extent, but not me.” I can hear Jane’s amused laughter. “Why wouldn’t they help you Edward?” He is gently rubbing the palms of my hand with his thumbs, “Because a high priestess said I caused the darkness within you to rise, and I was a cancer that spread through you, she said my link to you would cause you much pain, that I deserved death.” My hands begin to shake with anger, but Edward grips them tighter, and pushes me closer to him. “Edward, you don’t believe any of that crap do you?” He shrugs, “Asking me to not believe in magic would be like you asking me not to believe in you Bella.”

I sigh in frustration, “Well they can call you a Cancer to my face.” Edward smiles, wraps his arms around my waist. “I doubt anyone would challenge the almighty Bella the brave.” We are both laughing, feeling hidden in our little happy embrace, when we hear someone clear their throat.  “So Edward you are going to go take my daughter to the bowels of the earth in search of these creatures that hate you?” We both turn to Aro , I smugly answer, “ Yep, it sounds like a great adventure, I will bring snacks.” He shakes his head, “Bella I have spent years keeping you safe, I won’t have you running off and get yourself killed just because of him.” I walk toward Aro, and reach my hand out to him. “I think because I want you to that it will work, go ahead father dear, take my hand and tell me what you see?” Aro hesitantly takes my hand, places the other over top, and closes his eyes.  I watch as he sees my life through my own eyes, feels the anguish, fear, loneliness, empty existence I have had. Based on his facial expressions I can tell where he is in my life. I knew only with Edward would he see how happy, safe and loved I was. He releases me, opens his eyes and looks at me. “I never wanted a bad life for you Bella, I knew Moriana loved you, but when you were first born I didn’t care much for feelings, and connections, just power.” He places his hand on my cheek, “You must be an amazing witch to change someone like me, I would hold you for hours drawn away from the rest of the world, but when I heard others conspiring against you, well sweet child that is when I felt.” Aro’s face was full of sadness, and pity, but his eyes looked at me adoringly. “I know you did what you thought was best, I guess you did what any father would do.” He smiles and nods, “Yes, Bella, and I will do you one more thing.” Confusion lightly sweeps my face. “What would that be?” He leans in kissing each of my cheeks, I can hear Edward step forward, “Aro no, it’s suicide.” I turn to Edward, and back to Aro, who has a content smile, “You better keep her alive Edward, or I swear I will find a way to hunt you down.” My mind begins to make sense of the cryptic banter. “Aro you are coming with us, right?” He shakes his head, “No Bella, My final job is one of sacrifice, if you want to buy yourselves time, you will need a diversion.”  I grab Aro’s arms, “No that is not at all what I want, you need to come with me, I need you.” He reaches for me, wraps his arms tightly around me, “It means everything to me to hear you say that my child that is why I must do this for you.” My heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces, I tried not to cry, but no magic could stop the overwhelming emotion that engulfed me, and I sobbed into my father’s chest. Aro lightly caressed my head and tried calming me down with light hushes.” Now my beautiful Bella, you leave these wretched twins with me and you run, and don’t stop, and don’t look back, no matter what you hear you must promise me.” My shoulders slump as he gently pulls me from his embrace. “Do you hear me Bella?” I did hear him, but no words could form, just cries.” Edward, you must take her, and follow what I say, get her far from here, do not come back, don’t let this be for nothing.” I can feel Edward’s hands on my shoulders, “I promise Aro, I will protect her, with my own life.”  Aro brushes my cheek once more, and then I could no longer feel him. My body is numb, I think I stopped crying, but my vision was hazy, Edward was carrying me I could tell, and I knew we were running, and right as we disappeared through some brush, I could hear Aro’s last words, “I love you my Bella.”