(Thomas POV)
The side archway we stood in fell silent. Even the bells seemed to hesitate between strikes.
The young girl in the dark cloak stepped forward, small and slight against the stone walls, but the space around her shifted as if gravity itself was hesitant to touch her. Behind her, more cloaked figures appeared, gliding in quiet formation until the hallway was half filled with black hoods and pale faces.
Felix bowed his head. "Jane."
She didn't acknowledge him. Her eyes—crimson and ancient despite the youth of her face—moved over each of us in turn. They lingered on Bella, then on Edward, and finally on me. For a heartbeat her gaze sharpened, curious, like a cat noticing a sound that doesn't belong.
"Master Aro will see you," she said simply. The words weren't a request.
No one argued. Even Felix's easy confidence thinned to obedience.
Alice's smile was faint and brittle. "How gracious."
Jane's lips curved, not quite a smile. "Indeed. This way, please."
The few people that had gathered to watch the group in the archway murmured in confusion as the Volturi began to move. To them it must have looked like a procession—black robes leading a group into the byways of the city. A guard stepped forward and pulled a grate aside in the wall. A staircase of worn stone descended into the earth, lit only by torches guttering in iron brackets.
Edythe's hand brushed mine briefly before she followed Jane down. Her touch was cold, but it steadied me.
I looked once toward the bright square behind us—the sunlight, the noise, the color—and then followed the others into the dark.
The air grew cooler with every step, the noise of the festival fading. The hallway led to a locked gate that once opened, lead to stairs to take us below the city.
The air changed the moment we stepped off the last stair.
The warmth of the surface vanished, replaced by a chill older than the stone itself. Torches flickered along the walls, their light too thin to chase the dark.
Only the escort moved with us—ten vampires, gliding in a perfect formation. Jane led, her small frame cutting the air like a blade. Felix and Demetri flanked her, muscle and precision. The rest followed at measured intervals, silent and watchful.
No other guards waited in the corridors. That was almost worse. The emptiness made every step echo like a heartbeat in a tomb.
I studied them while we walked. Felix's stride carried the weight of a brawler; Demetri's was balanced, effortless. But Jane—Jane didn't walk like a fighter. She walked like someone who knew she would never need to fight.
Something about her made my thoughts stumble. In the flickering light she looked… young. Barely eleven, maybe twelve. Her face was smooth, still carrying the softness of a child.
I leaned closer to Edythe, trying to keep my voice low. "You told me once the Volturi forbid turning children. That it always ends in chaos."
Her eyes stayed forward. "They do. Children can't control thirst or temper. The law is absolute."
"Then what about her?" I nodded slightly toward the small figure ahead of us. "She looks—"
I didn't finish, but the word hung there anyway.
Child.
The corridor went still.
Jane's steps halted mid-stride. She turned her head, just enough that one crimson eye caught the torchlight.
Edythe's fingers brushed mine in warning. Too late.
Jane's smile was delicate, deliberate. "How observant," she said, her voice sweet as frost. "Most people don't survive long enough to notice."
Felix chuckled under his breath, but even he shifted a half-step away from her.
"I meant no insult," I said evenly. "Just… surprise."
"Surprise," she repeated, testing the word like it was foreign. Her gaze slid over me, measuring, filing me away. "How refreshing."
Edythe's tone turned crisp. "He's new to our world. His curiosity isn't disrespect."
Jane's smile didn't change. "Curiosity can still be dangerous. Especially when it forgets its place."
Then she turned and continued walking, her cloak whispering across the stone.
The rest of the escort moved again, the rhythm restored, but the air hadn't recovered. It felt charged now—like metal right before a lightning strike.
Edythe exhaled softly beside me. "You just made a friend for life."
"Didn't sound friendly."
She gave me a flat look, as if I'd missed the obvious. "Sarcasm."
I smiled sheepishly. "Hey, come on. I've been around Rohan too much lately. It's going to take some time to recognize tones."
Her lips twitched—the closest thing to a smile I'd seen from her since we started down here.
We walked in silence after that. Even the torches seemed quieter.
It was at that point that Edward finally spoke, his voice low. "Alice… what happened?"
Alice's golden eyes flicked toward him, then around at the escort surrounding us. "It's a long story," she said, keeping her tone even. "In summary—Bella jumped off a cliff. But not in an attempted suicide, as I first thought."
She paused, her expression turning sharp. "Apparently, Bella's into extreme sports these days." The scathing notes in her voice echoed off the stone.
I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me. "Any sport Bella gets into becomes extreme. Usually for everyone involved, but especially for her."
Bella flushed and ducked her head, refusing to look at anyone. A few of the vampires nearby inhaled lightly, their eyes flicking toward her. The sound was almost delicate, but I could tell they were savoring her scent.
That sound made something low in my chest tighten. A growl escaped before I could stop it—quiet, but enough.
The escorts shifted, a ripple of alert motion that passed through their formation like wind through grass. Edythe's hand brushed my arm—just a warning touch.
Edward went silent and turned his attention to Alice. For several seconds, the air felt heavy with something unspoken. His face fell into that familiar brooding mask of his—whatever he'd read from her thoughts clearly wasn't pleasant.
{Good,} I thought. {He can sit with that for a while before I share my own disappointment over his choices.}
Shortly after that, the corridor opened into a landing before a massive set of double doors. Two vampires came from behind us and went to the doors, grasped the iron handles, and pulled them open. The hinges groaned faintly, the sound swallowed by the stone.
The chamber was vast and cold, every sound swallowed by the stone. Several of the escorts spread out along the walls, their movements silent and rehearsed.
Jane gestured for us to wait near the center of the room. "I shall inform them you are here." Then she and the others vanished through a smaller archway at the far end, their footsteps fading.
For the first time since stepping foot in Volterra, I could breathe without feeling I had to rush somewhere.
Edythe turned toward me the second the last cloak disappeared. I didn't even think—I just moved. My arms went around her, pulling her close until her forehead rested against my chest. The chill of her skin seeped through my shirt, grounding me in a way no warmth ever could.
"I have missed you so badly," I murmured.
Her voice was soft. "Promise you won't leave me like that ever again."
I kissed the top of her head, closing my eyes for a moment. "Only you asking," I whispered, "will ever be reason enough to separate from you again. Ever."
A sound cut the moment in half—a short, derisive huff.
Edward.
He stood a few paces away, arms folded, his jaw tight. "This isn't the time."
I relaxed my death grip on Edythe and turned toward him, the calm that had carried me this far finally cracking. "No, it's the perfect time."
Before anyone could stop me, I closed the distance between us. My fist connected with his belly hard enough that the sound echoed off the surrounding stone. Edward doubled over, any air in his lungs was forced out.
"That was for putting me and everything I love in danger."
Edward straightened up and his eyes showed his shock that I had actually hit him hard enough to hurt.
"Even if Bella had chosen to end her life." I forced out, my voice cold. "At least she didn't do it in a way that put her whole damn family in danger for her choice."
My next blow landed across his cheek and forced him back several steps.
Bella shouted for me to stop, and I turned on her in a flash. My finger pointed directly at her. "And don't think you are getting away from this either Isabella Swan. What the hell were you thinking? Delivering yourself here like a fucking bottle of 18-year-old red wine."
Bella's face went red and she guiltily looked at the floor.
Edward recovered enough to speak. "I left to keep Bella safe, Thomas. She was in constant danger from being with me."
I held my arms out, gesturing to our surroundings, "And how is that working out for you??? Think long and hard about how you coming here to get yourself killed would have affected your family. For you, it would be easy. Everything would be over, but all that pain you carried would just transfer tenfold to your family. Esme would feel she wasn't worth you seeking her out for help. Carlisle would blame himself thinking it was his fault in the way he raised you."
I kicked Edward into the wall as I continued, my rage feeding my strength.
"Alice would forever blame herself because it was her visions that led to your stupidity. Rosalie for telling you about the vision. Your brother's Emmett and Jasper would probably spend the rest of their very short lives trying to take revenge for you."
I could see my words impacting Edward by the loss of focus in his eyes as I approached him yet again. Reaching out to grab his shirt I pulled him toward yet another fist that actually sent a crack along his cheek and jaw.
When he yet again hit the floor, I finished. "Your sister would have mourned you for her whole life YOU SELFISH BASTARD."
The echoes of my voice faded into silence.
Then a door creaked open behind the wooden thrones, and a procession entered the room — a ripple of motion, dark and graceful.
The first one through spoke in an amused tone, his voice smooth as silk.
"Ah. A family reunion and a brawl. How wonderfully dramatic."
I met his eyes without flinching. "Family disagreements can get messy."
His smile deepened, faintly delighted. "Indeed they can," he said. "And I do so appreciate families that keep their disputes… entertaining."