Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

~ Bella’s Point of View ~

Gone.

It was the only way to describe it.  Gone.

He wasn’t coming back.  There would be no afterlife with shining white robes and fluffy feathers for us to reunite.  He was just… gone.

It was a numbing feeling at first.  Actually, at first I disbelieved the whole notion entirely.  There was just no way.

He had been my hero as a child and as much as I would have hated to admit it before now, the closest living being to me, I nearly mirrored him perfectly.

Thoughts and emotions raced through my head.  Starting with the numbness and quickly progressing to hurt and rage.  It was a selfish thought, but I just couldn’t connect the dots at this stage.

How could he leave me?

Didn’t he know I needed him? 

My only guess was that anyone unfortunate enough to lose a parent before the age of fifty felt this way.  I was supposed to have a husband and an armload of my own grandchildren before he passed.  I knew the thought was impossible to begin with but it didn’t stop me from being irrational.  I was only nineteen, things just weren’t supposed to happen this way. 

Of course after the pain and rage left me, I felt guilty.  It nearly consumed me. 

Not even knowing the truth behind Charlie’s death I felt guilty.  But I could only guess that something in my subconscious knew that if I hadn’t aligned myself with that prick, my father would still be alive. 

I wanted to believe myself to be crazy, that Edward had nothing to do with my father’s untimely death… but even in my grief addled mind, I knew. 

It was the only way to actually get at me.  While it was true that I loved Renee with all my heart, Charlie was my daddy.  He was my alpha male, my hero… my everything as a child.  A man of few words but those fortunate enough to know the man behind the mask, he was very wise.  My only regret now was that I didn’t get to know him as well as I should have. 

I guess I was like him in that way.  Distant and cold.  I liked my space and all that really knew my father would say the same about the man.  He didn’t share much, whether it be his heart or his thoughts, the man didn’t share.  But I supposed the mystery of it all is what lured the outside world to him.  He never had to utter a word.  I had witnessed it on many occasions, people just flocked to him, much to his dismay. 

~ Caius’ Point of View ~

For not the first time in my vampire life, I felt utterly helpless.  Watching her fall apart, turning in on herself as the weighty grief fell upon her.  Tears were already pouring from the depths of her soul and there was nothing I could do to comfort her, my mate. 

Anger quickly replaced the quilt I felt for taking her from her father, for not protecting him better.  I knew that this man, her only kin of worth was everything dear to her in the world and now that light was gone.  Her dead eyes turned to mine, pleading to me to tell her in was all some ridiculous hoax, that it was a lie. 

But it was not a falsehood, a fib or an invention of the imagination.  Charles Swan was of the deceased and not even I, with all my abilities and strength could bring him back. 

My black heart swelled and constricted with her inconsolable wails.  Her cries seemed to touch the heavens and I could do not but look beseechingly to my brothers for help.  They knew no more than I of how to deal with the situation, but Marcus, the sentimentalist of us three pulled my Isabella into his arms, just as her eyes rolled up and she succumbed to her own pain. 

Red tainted the edges of my vision as my glowing scarlet eyes transfixed on my target.  While it was true, Edward had been the one to execute the order for the head of Charles Swan, I still blamed the one who promised me no harm would come to the man.

~ Aro’s Point of View ~

Animalistic and fierce, my pale haired brother rose from underneath the long stemmed legs of his mortal princess.  His booted feet pounding upon the polished marble of Marcus’s study with the thundering force of an earthquake and I realized with a shutter what he intended to do. 

As much as I favored all the children of Carlisle, for one reason or another, I did not envy the blonde Major, the once feared vampire of the Southern Wars.  Caius had never, since my knowledge held an even temper, but the pain radiating in his eyes frightened me.  He was out for blood and I prayed to the heavens for Carlisle’s sake that he didn’t interfere.

“Incompetent,”  he hissed, circling the blonde man who in his foolishness had the gall to glare back.  “You have lost your edge, Majeur.”

Golden eyes cut to the crimson eyes of my brother as lips pulled back against sharp, straight teeth.  “It was not my intention for her father to die.  I thought the natives would protect him, I obviously miscalculated.” 

“Erreur de calcul!”  He thundered, grasping at the shaken vampires collar and hoisting off the floor.  The Italian leather of his loafers squeaking against the floor as he swayed and struggled to find purchase on my brother’s infallible grip.  There was nothing he could do.

“I warned her!”  Jasper spat, cutting his cold black eyes to Isabella.  “I warned her to stay away from him, from my family! Charlie’s death was her own folly!”

I’m positive my mouth was hanging open at this point and as I looked about the room I could tell I was not the only one suffering acute shock.

Marcus hissed, spitting venom in the blondes direction and clutching our future Queen tighter to his chest.  The largest of Carlisle’s boys had his bulking arms crossed, one over the other with the deepest frown I’ve ever seen settled on his brow.  Even the covens mother-hen looked thoroughly disappointed and by all rights. 

“Her own folly?”  Caius hissed, his eyes glowing a deeper red than that of the blood running through Isabella’s veins.  “You, Major are a coward!”  he bellowed shaking the ground with the force of his growing voice.  His hands tightening around the blondes neck with ever syllable uttered and I was far beyond angry to think of stopping him. 

It was only when the skin of Jasper Cullen started to crack and flake like abused marble did the small seer gasp and cling to the arm of her father, pleading with him to do something.  Apparently the vision of Caius ending her lover was more than she could bare, even if it was plain to my eyes that she thought her husband to be in the wrong. 

Carlisle being the good natured man that he is, stepped forward, his face fearful but determined.  “Please, I beg of you.  Do not kill my son.  If not for my sake than for the sake of Bella, she would never see her brother die for a mistake of the tongue.” 

“Mistake of the tongue?”  Marcus spat, leveling my old friend with a glare that threatened to burn him to ash where he stood.  “You dare ask this in the name of Isabella?  How dare you!” 

“I must say Carlisle, you have always been one of my fondest companions but this you ask…”  I trailed off letting the obvious hang in the air.  Sighing I continued.  “Caius, please release him.”

My brother who I have always looked to like a son didn’t even turn in my direction as he continued to apply pressure.  The cracking sounds of Jasper’s flesh were almost sickening and I knew should Caius continued it would signal the end of the comradry I had worked so hard to preserve. 

“Caius, that is an order!”  I snapped raising my voice. 

Marcus who had been sitting there silently, clenched his fists and set Isabella slowly off to the side before he stood from the sofa and strode to me with purpose.  I had an idea of what he would do and what I would let him do to vent his anger.  Without word he glared into my eyes just before his hand raised came down hard against my cheek.

“Have you lost what is left of your mind brother?”  He demanded, his black eyes burning through my soul like white hot knives, stripping me to the bone. 

“Leave,”  the sweet voice of our Isabella carried over the shrieking of the mate of Jasper, over the snarls of both my brothers and the pleadings of Carlisle. 

As she fled from the room, I couldn’t help but wonder what she might have been thinking and a strong feeling of guilt crashed over me, possibly from the projecting empath who finally realized the weight of his words. 

We all stood there dumbfound and at a loss.  Not even Caius knew what to do, but as his eye trailed to the door his Queen just walked through he tossed the Cullen boy to the ground and spat at his feet. 

“Leave.”  he snarled, his dangerous eyes flashing from one Cullen to the next.  “You are not welcome in Volterra.”  His eyes landed heavily on Carlisle who swallowed thickly before hesitantly crossing the room and picking up the small silver bobble Isabella had left in her wake. 

Had Caius not been so hostile at the moment he might have noticed the pain in his eyes.  As it was even though Jasper had survived Caius the look in Emmett’s eyes made me question the Major’s safety at home. 

A heavy silence hung in the air until the clairvoyant daughter of Carlisle stood up, her eyes taking on a look of terror right before a scream tore from her lips and see darted down the hallway toward Isabella. 

Caius not even hesitating a second followed but as the scent of flowers hit the air I had a sinking feeling that we were already too late.  

~ Bella’s Point of View ~

It was a slow process when I finally came too.  If it were up to me, I would have never awakened.  Caius was the only thing keeping me rooted here, on this plane.  If not for him I think I would have offered myself up on a silver platter for Edward’s enjoyment… anything to stop it.

But as was my fate, or possibly the fate of the world… my conscious came alive.  Sure, it was slow.  The reconnection of my senses.  From hearing to sight to verbal sound.  I silently became myself again.

I gapped when that first lung full of air hit me.  I gasped for several reasons, the most being from the nasty snarls and cursed words coming from multiple members of what I called my family.  The second and more important was that I was no longer next to Caius.  I was left alone on the sofa, my knuckles wipe from the grip I had on the velvet upholstery as I tried to steady myself into a sitting position. 

My eyes darted from one set of coal eyes to the next until they found what they were looking for.  He had his back to me, but it was easy to see that he had Jasper suspended in the air by his throat as Jasper snapped like a rabid dog at his had. 

The entire room was in an uproar, from Carlisle pleas to let Jasper go, to an angry Marcus berated Aro over being an insane fool.  Alice was shrieking uncontrollably while Rosalie and Esme struggled to hold her still, least she do something foolish like attack the vampire royalty foaming at the mouth.  Emmett stood stock still, eying the room with a sickening scowl, not uttering a word and I quickly realized that it wasn’t the room he was looking at like that… no, it was Jasper. 

It struck me then, even through my catatonic state he words rang through my mind, piercing my heart as though he just stabbed me with a rusty blade. 

“I warned her. I warned them all! I told her to stay away from him, from my family! Charlie’s death was her own folly!”

Though most of what he said was the truth, I could help but be stung by his cruel words.  Did he really feel that way?  Was I truly at fault for Charlie’s murder?

I felt sick all over again. 

“Leave.”  I whispered into the den of roaring vampires, who at the sound of my voice went silent, all turning to me with wide eyes and different ranges of emotions flitting across their stone faces.  “Please.”  I begged. 

I didn’t want them here anymore if this was how they felt, and to me that was obvious.  In the strange static that filled my grieving heart I knew I was being hasty but at the moment, I didn’t give a shit. 

They needed to go.  They needed to be with Edward and leave me the hell alone like they should years ago, when the world of vampires was first brought to my attention. 

So naïve.

Naïve and stupid…

Stupid enough to have ever believed that Isabella Marie Swan was worth it.  Stupid to believe that Edward, even in his lust for my blood would never willing hurt someone I cared about.  I was just stupid.  Foolish.  Naïve.

Unclasping the silver locket from around my neck, I sat it silently onto the round book table to my right.  They could do with it what they willed as far as I was concerned. 

No one said a word as I made my way through the throng scattered throughout the study and no one moved.  They all stood motionless as statues and for the most part that’s what they all were to me now, statues.  Beautiful faces with hearts of marble.  I was just done. 

The guards standing at the door spared me a glance but quickly lowered their head as I passed through the library doors heading down the hall that had led me here.  The path that had led me to this painful fate. 

Not even Caius followed, whether it was out of understanding that I needed time to myself or possibly because he was in the middle of tearing the head off one Jasper Whitlock, I didn’t know… I didn’t care. 

Done.

Period.

End of discussion.

Entering the bedroom that had just so few hours ago seemed bright and happy now felt hollow and empty… much like my heart. 

I was surprised when no tears came, as I sat amongst the rubble that was once my bed and though back through my life and at just how much I had missed out on with my father.  It was a great injustice to the world; that he was no longer a part of it.  If anyone had deserved to go… it was me.  After all, I was the one who brought him into this life, put him on Edward’s radar and then left him to fend for himself. 

“God!”  I cried, a sob finally breaking from my lips, I was no better than Edward himself.  He had abandoned me much in the same way. 

I sat silently weeping for the longest time, or perhaps it just felt like an eternity. 

I couldn’t tell you when or how I found myself standing in the bathroom behind a locked door, with a decorative blade in my hand.  I didn’t even remember picking it up, or where I had even found it.  Flashes of the silver and sapphire encrusted blade raced through my mind, held up like some precious jewel from an ivory stand on the mantel. 

I did remember thinking it was beautiful though, as I picked it up, admiring the navy blue stones and white gold roping that decorated the guard and grip.  But for the life of me I couldn’t remember what I was doing with it now.

The wrists will be too slow…

It came to me just like that, in a sickeningly sweet voice from somewhere in my mind. 

The jugular is best…

And that was how I found myself, staring at the shell of girl I once knew, pointing the tip of a vampires to the thick pulsing vein in my throat. 

A piercing scream carried down the hall from somewhere in the castle not a second before the blade opened up my neck like butter.  It was nice, and other than the slight sting from the initial contact I felt no pain.  The blade must have been very sharp.

Paying no attention to the syrupy warm crimson liquid that poured down the front of my white dress or the bitter taste of copper that filled my mouth, I sunk to the floor the adrenaline no longer able to keep me upright. 

If all those things my mother had told me as a child were true, then I was going to Hell, where I could finally atone for the sins committed against my father and the burden I caused the Cullens. 

As black started to tint my vision I heard heavy footsteps approaching but it was hard to focus, and I was growing very cold. 

“Forgive me… Caius.”

Authors Note: 

Sorry guys about the long wait.  Computer crashed and I had to start writing from scratch… still not sure if this was exactly how I had it before.  But I hope you all enjoy. 

This chapter is decidedly on the morbid side and I’m sorry if it offends anyone.  But the story will take on a slightly darker tone before it will get better. 

Again, so sorry for the long wait and thank you to all my loyal supporters, you guy rock! 

Big kisses from Caius for all my reviewers. 

“Erreur de calcul!”  = miscalculated

Majeur = Major