The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner Chapters 15

Come with us. Dont concur iodine rash move or I will educate you down.I felt angry again as he glared at me, and a smal part of me unavoid suitablenessed to snarl and show my teeth, besides I had a flavoring he was spirit for vindicatory that kind of excuse.Jasper paused as if hed just thought of roughthing. Close your look, he commanded.I hesitated. Had he decided to kil me after al ?Do itI gritted my teeth and shut my look. I felt twice as mazed as I had before.Fol ow the arduous of my vox and dont open your eyes. You look, you lose, got it?I nodded, question what he didnt lack me to front. I felt some relief that he was b a nonher(prenominal)ing to protect a secret. There was no savvy to do so if he was just outlet to kil me.This bearing.I walked easy after him, particular(prenominal) to give him no excuses. He was considerate in the port he led, non walking me into any trees, at least. I could try on the substance the hold up changed when we were in the open the feel of the wind was different, withal, and the smel of my coven terminateing was stronger. I could feel the warmth of the sun on my face, and the insides of my eyelids were b skillfuler as I sparkled.He led me belt upr and closer to the muffled crackle of the flames, so close that I could feel the dope brush my skin. I k newfound he could fox kil ed me at any time, merely if the nearness of the fire stil make me nervous.Sit here. Eyes closed.The design was warm from the sun and the fire. I unploughed real stil and tested to concentrate on flavour harmless, precisely I could feel his glare on me, and it make me agitated. though I was not mad at these lamias, who I truly believed had only been defending themselves, I felt the oddest stirrings of fury. It was or so outside myself, as if it were some left(a) handover reiterate from the battle that had just taken place.The anger didnt make me stupid, though, because I was too sad miserable to my core. Die go was aways in my mind, and I couldnt help ringing well-nigh(predicate) how he must throw away get goingd. I was for certain in that respect was no way he would energise voluntarily told Riley our secrets secrets that had given me a contend to trust Riley just enough until it was too late. In my doubt, I proverb Rileys face again that cold, smooth expression that had formed as hed peril to punish any of us who wouldnt behave. I heard again his demented and oddly detailed description when I take you to her and hold you as she tears off your legs and wherefore s mortifiedly, behind burns off your fingers, ears, lips, tongue, and all(prenominal) other superfluous appendage unrivaled by one. I agnise now that Id been hearing the description of Diegos death.That night, Id been sure that something had changed in Riley. Kil ing Diego was what had changed Riley, had hardened him. I believed only one thing that Riley had ever told me he had valued Diego ofttimes than a ny of the rest of us. Had even been fond of him. And yet hed watched our precedent shock him. No doubt hed helped her. Kil ed Diego with her.I wondered how a good deal pain it would have taken to make me betray Diego. I imagined it would have taken rather a lot. And I was sure it had taken at least that much to make Diego betray me.I felt sick. I wanted the show of Diego screaming in agony out of my head, notwithstanding it wouldnt leave.And then there was screaming there in the field. My eyelids fluttered, but Jasper snarled furiously and I clenched them together at once. Id seen null but heavy lilac-colored smoke.I heard shouting and a strange, savage roar. It was loud, and there was a lot of it. I couldnt imagine how a face would have to flex to create such a noise, and the not knowing make the sound more frightening. These yel ow-eyed vampires were so different from the rest of us. Or different from me, I guess, since I was the only one left. Riley and our creator wer e long gone by now.I heard names cal ed, Jacob, Leah, Sam. There were lots of distinct voices, though the howls continued. Of ancestry Riley had lied to us close the number of vampires here, too. The sound of the howling tapered off until it was just one voice, one agonized, inhuman yowling that made me grit my teeth. I could see Diegos face so clearly in my mind, and the sound was standardised him screaming.I heard Carlisle talking over the other voices and the howling. He was begging to look at something. Please let me take a look. Please let me help. I didnt hear anyone arguing with him, but for some reason his tone made it sound care he was losing the dispute.And then the yowling reached a strident new pitch, and suddenly Carlisle was saying give thanks you in a fervent voice, and under the yowl there was the sound of a lot of movement by a lot of bodies. numerous heavy foot locomote coming closer.I listened harder and heard something unexpected and impossible. Along with some heavy breathing and Ive neer heard anyone in my coven breathe comparable that there were dozens of deep thumping noises. Almost like marrow squashbeats. plainly definitely not human hearts. I knew that particular sound wel . I sniffed hard, but the wind was blowing from the other direction, and I could only smel the smoke.Without a inform sound, something touched me, clapped down firmly on either side of my head.My eyes started open in panic as I lurched up, straining to jerked meat free of this hold, and instantly met Jaspers warning gaze about ii inches from my face. midriff it, he snapped, yanking me defend down on my butt. I could only just hear him, and I tangibleized that his detention were sealed tight against my head, applications programme my ears entirely.Close your eyes, he instructed again, probably at a normal volume, but it was hushed for me.I struggled to calm myself and shut my eyes again. There were things they didnt want me to hear, either. I could live with that if it meant I could live.For a second I sawing machine Freds face behind my eyelids. He had said he would wait for one day. I wondered if he would grasp his word. I wished I could tel him the truth about the yel ow-eyes, and how much more there seemed to be that we didnt know. This whole world that we real y knew nothing about. It would be interesting to explore that world. Particularly with somebody who could make me invisible and safe.But Diego was gone. He wouldnt be coming to pay back Fred with me. That made imagining the future faintly repugnant. I could stil hear some of what was going on, but just the howling and a few voices. Whatever those spiritual thumping sounds had been, they were too muted now for me to examine them.I did make out the words when, a few proceedings later, Carlisle said, You have to his voice was too low for a second, and then from here now. If we could help we would, but we cannot leave.There was a growl, but it was oddly unmena cing. The yowling became a low yowl that disappeared slowly, as if it was moving away from me.It was quiet for a few minutes. I heard some low voices, Carlisle and Esme among them, but also some I didnt know. I wished I could smel something the blindness combined with the muted sound left me straining for some source of sensory information. But al I could smel was the horribly sweet smoke. There was one voice, higher and clearer than the others, that I could hear most easily.Another five minutes, I heard whoever it was say. I was sure it was a girl who was speaking. And Bel a wil open her eyes in thirty-seven seconds. I wouldnt doubt that she can hear us now.I tried to make sense of this. Was someone else being forced to keep her eyes shut, like me? Or did she think my name was Bel a? I hadnt told anyone my name. I struggled again to smel something.More mumbling. I thought that one voice sounded off I couldnt hear any ring to it at al . But I couldnt be sure with Jaspers detainm ent so securely over my ears.Three minutes, the high, clear voice said.Jaspers hands left my head.Youd better open your eyes now, he told me from a few steps away. The way he said this frightened me. I looked around myself quickly, scrutinizing for the danger malarkeyed at in his tone.One whole field of my batch was obscured by the dark smoke. Close by, Jasper was frowning. His teeth were gritted together and he was looking at me with an expression that was almost frightened. Not like he was panic-struck of me, but like he was scared because of me. I remembered what hed said before, about my putting them in danger with something cal ed a Volturi. I wondered what a Volturi was. I couldnt imagine what this scarred-up, dangerous vampire would be afraid of. can Jasper, four vampires were spaced out in a loose barrier with their backs to me. One was Esme. With her were a tal blonde woman, a tiny black-fuzzed girl, and a dark-haired mannish vampire so big that he was scary just to look at the one Id seen kil Kevin. For an instant I imagined that vampire getting a hold on Raoul. It was a strangely grateful picture. There were three more vampires behind the big one. I couldnt see exactly what they were doing with him in the way. Carlisle was kneeling on the ground, and next to him was a male vampire with dark red hair. Lying flat on the ground was another figure, but I couldnt see much of that one, only jeans and smal dark-brownish boots. It was either a female or a young male. I wondered if they were putting the vampire back together. So eight yel ow-eyes total, plus al that howling before, whatever strange kind of vampire that had been there had been at least eight more voices involved. Sixteen, maybe more. More than twice as many as Riley had told us to expect. I found myself fiercely hoping that those black-cloaked vampires would clear up to Riley, and that they would make him suffer.The vampire on the ground started to get slowly to her feet moving a wkwardly, almost like she was some clumsy human. The breeze shifted, blowing the smoke across me and Jasper. For a moment, everything was invisible except for him. Though I was not as blind as before, I suddenly felt much more anxious, for some reason. It was like I could feel the anxiety hemorrhage out of the vampire next to me.The light wind gusted back in the next second, and I could see and smel everything.Jasper hissed at me furiously and shoved me out of my turn away and back onto the ground.It was her the human Id been hunting just a few minutes ago. The lift my whole body had been focused toward. The sweet, wet scent of the most delicious blood Id ever tracked. My mouth and throat felt like they were on fire. I tried wildly to hold on to my reason to focus on the fact that Jasper was just waiting for me to jump up again so that he could kil me but only part of me could do it. I felt like I was about to pul into two halves seek to keep myself here. The human named Bel a stared at me with stunned brown eyes. Looking at her made it worse. I could see the blood flushing by her thin skin. I tried to look anywhere else, but my eyes kept circling back to her.The redhead spoke to her in a low voice. She surrendered. Thats one Ive never seen before. Only Carlisle would think of offering. Jasper doesnt approve.Carlisle must have explained to that one when my ears were covered.The vampire had both his arms around the human girl, and she had both hands pressed to his chest. Her throat was just inches from his mouth, but she didnt look frightened of him at al . And he didnt look like he was hunting. I had tried to wrap my head around the idea of a coven with a pamper human, but this was not close to what I had imagined. If shed been a vampire, I would have guessed that they were together.Is Jasper al right? the human whispered.Hes fine. The venom stings, the vampire said.He was bitten? she asked, sounding shocked by the idea. Who was this girl? why did the vampires al ow her to be with them? Why hadnt they kil ed her yet? Why did she seem so comfortable with them, like they didnt scare her? She seemed like she was a part of this world, and yet she didnt understand its realities. Of course Jasper was bitten. Hed just fought and destroyed my entire coven. Did this girl even know what we were?Ugh, the burn in my throat was impossible I tried not to think about washing it away with her blood, but the wind was blowing her smel right in my face It was too late to keep my head I had dulcet the prey I was hunting, and nothing could change that now.He was trying to be everywhere at once, the redhead told the human. Trying to make sure Alice had nothing to do, actual y. He shook his head as he looked at the tiny blackhaired girl. Alice doesnt need anyones help.The vampire named Alice shot a glare at Jasper.Overprotective fool, she said in her clear soprano voice. Jasper met her stare with a half smile, seeming to forget for a second that I existed.I could barely fight the instinct that wanted me to make use of his return and spring at the human girl. It would take less than an instant and then her warm blood blood I could hear pumping through and through her heart would quench the burn. She was so close The vampire with the dark red hair met my eyes with a fierce warning glare, and I knew I would die if I tried for the girl, but the agony in my throat made me feel like I would die if I didnt. It hurt so much that I screamed out loud in frustration. Jasper snarled at me, and I tried to keep myself from moving, but it felt like the scent of her blood was a giant hand yanking me off the ground. I had never tried to stop myself from feeding once I had committed to a hunt. I dug my hands into the ground looking for something to hold on to but finding nothing. Jasper leaned into a crouch, and even knowing I was two seconds from death, I couldnt focus my thirsty thoughts. And then Carlisle was right there, his hand on Jas pers arm. He looked at me with kind, calm eyes. Have you changed your mind, young one? he asked me. We dont want to destroy you, but we wil if you cant control yourself.How can you stand it? I asked him, almost begging. Wasnt he burning, too? I want her. I stared at her, desperately wishing the distance between us was gone. My fingers raked uselessly through the rocky dirt.You must stand it, Carlisle said solemnly. You must exercise control. It is possible, and it is the only thing that wil save you now.If being able to tolerate the human the way these strange vampires did was my only hope for survival, then I was already doomed. I couldnt stand the fire. And I was of two minds about survival anyway. I didnt want to die, I didnt want pain, but what was the point? Everyone else was dead. Diego had been dead for days.His name was right on my lips. I almost whispered it aloud. Instead, I gripped my skul with both hands and tried to think about something that wouldnt hurt. Not the girl, and not Diego. It didnt work very wel .Shouldnt we move away from her? the human whispered roughly, breaking my concentration. My eyes snapped back to her. Her skin was so thin and soft. I could see the pulse in her neck.We have to stay here, said the vampire she was clinging to. They are coming to the trade union end of the clearing now.They? I glanced to the north, but there was nothing but smoke. Did he mean Riley and my creator? I felt a new thril of panic, fol owed by a little spasm of hope. There was no way she and Riley could stand against these vampires who had kil ed so many of us, was there? Even if the howly ones were gone, Jasper exclusively looked capable of dealing with the two of them. Or did he mean this cryptical Volturi?The wind teased the girls scent across my face again, and my thoughts scattered. I glared at her thirstily. The girl met my stare, but her expression was so different from what it should have been. Though I could feel that my lips were curled ba ck from my teeth, though I trembled with the attack to stop myself from springing at her, she did not look afraid of me. Instead she seemed fascinated. It almost looked like she wanted to speak to me like she had a question she wanted me to answer.Then Carlisle and Jasper began to back away from the fire and me closing ranks with the others and the human. They al were perfect(a) past me into the smoke, so whatever they were afraid of was closer to me than it was to them. I cluster tighter to the smoke in spite of the nearby flames. Should I make a run for it? Were they distracted enough that I could escape? Where would I go? To Fred? Off on my own? To find Riley and make him pay for what hed through with(p) to Diego?As I hesitated, mesmerized by that survive idea, the moment passed. I heard movement to the north and knew I was sandwiched between the yel ow-eyes and whatever was coming.Hmm, a dead voice said from behind the smoke. In that one syl able I knew exactly who it wa s, and if I hadnt been frozen solid with mindless dismay I would have bolted. It was the dark-cloaks.What did this mean? Would a new battle let now? I knew that the dark-cloaked vampires had wanted my creator to succeed in destroying these yel ow-eyes. My creator had clearly failed. Did that mean they would kil her? Or would they kil Carlisle and Esme and the rest here instead? If it had been my choice, I knew who I would want destroyed, and it wasnt my captors.The dark-cloaks ghosted through the vapor to face the yel ow-eyes. None of them looked in my direction. I held absolutely stil .There were only four of them, like last time. But it didnt make a difference that there were seven of the yel ow-eyes. I could tel that they were as wary of these dark-cloaks as Riley and my creator had been. There was something more to them than I could see, but I could definitely feel it. These were the punishers, and they didnt lose.Welcome, Jane, said the yel ow-eyed one who held the human.They knew each other. But the redheads voice was not friendly nor was it weak and eager to enrapture like Rileys had been, or furiously terrified like my creators. His voice was barely cold and polite and unsurprised. Were the dark-cloaks this Volturi, then?The smal vampire who led the dark-cloaks Jane, apparently slowly scanned across the seven yel ow-eyes and the human, and then final y turned her head toward me. I glimpsed her face for the first time. She was younger than me, but much older, too, I guessed. Her eyes were the velvet color of dark red roses. Knowing it was too late to escape notice, I put my head down, covering it with my hands. mayhap if it were clear that I didnt want to fight, Jane would treat me as Carlisle had. I didnt feel much hope of that, though.I dont understand. Janes dead voice betrayed a hint of annoyance.