Something Darker (Book Three)

XXVIII. Reconvene

I didn't feel guilt, or sadness, or shame.

I only felt thirst.

The blood was rich and decadent; it tasted more divine than anything I'd ever indulged in before.

In the moment, consuming it was perfectly natural; it felt right.

After feeding, the burning in my throat mercifully subsided, although I was still plagued with concern over how soon the pain would return, and how long I had until it became unbearable again.

"See? It's not so bad," Alec grinned at me after I'd had my fill.

"I don't know," I replied. "You did the hard part."

"It's much easier than you'd think," he said, leaning in for a kiss.

I cringed away from him involuntarily.

Alec looked at me curiously.

"It's still new," I explained without putting much thought into my kneejerk reaction. I just wanted to gloss over it and move on. I was a vampire now. I'd have to get over the killing people bit sooner or later.

"I think I'm ready to head back," I said, standing abruptly.

"Of course," Alec said, eager to accommodate me. "Allow me to clean this up and we can go."

"Thanks," I said, already walking past the edge of the clearing and into the woods. I wasn't able to look the evidence of what I'd just done any longer. It was all fun and games when I was being driven mad by hunger, but after the fact, when it was all said and done, the reality still made my skin crawl.

The rest of the day slipped past us, bleeding into the night long before I was ready. The rest of the group would be returning soon, and Alec and I were rapidly running out of time.

"I don't want to return to real life," I complained, as I was wrapped tightly in Alec's arms. "Today has been so nice."

We were curled up in bed in a home we arbitrarily picked when we returned to the empty village. We'd spent the day talking, laughing, and just enjoying each other's company for the first time in a very long time.

"I know," he sighed, "but we'll have many more days like this in the future."

"Really? Do you promise?" I asked, peeking up at him.

"Of course," he smiled down at me.

I closed my eyes and nestled my face into his chest, inhaling his scent, and doing my best to enjoy every last moment I had before duty called, and we were drawn out of our little blip of paradise.

* * *

The moon was at the highest point in the sky when our group returned.

"Violet," Jane said from the opposite edge of the dark street, intelligently keeping her distance from me. "You look well."

Felix and Demetri flanked Jane, with focused expressions on their faces. It was obvious that they were on high alert, watching my every move closely.

My heart dropped when I saw Demetri.

I'd expected for all of my feelings for him and all of our history together to be wiped away when I turned. I figured that my being mated to someone else would render the complexities of our bond unnecessary, irrelevant, and moot.

I assumed that he would be completely out of my system.

I assumed wrong.

Demetri stared at me intently when our eyes met; I dropped my gaze and wished I'd never been born.

With my newfound vampirism, not only could I see, hear, smell, taste and touch with more clarity - but I could think with much more clarity, as well.

And when I looked into Demetri's eyes that night, something clicked.

I finally understood.

"Where's Renesmee?" I asked Jane coolly, forcing myself to shift my focus to something - or anything - else.

I had to watch what I spoke and be mindful of my actions. I didn't want to give the guards any reason to pin me down and tear my limbs off. Assaulting a coven member as a human could be brushed off as cute and funny, depending on the circumstances; but as a full blown newborn - not so much.

If I made the wrong move, it could very easily lead to my demise, and I wasn't in the mood to provoke death that day.

"We left her a few miles out in the woods," Jane replied. "I wanted to assess your current state before we brought the half-breed out."

I kept my expression smooth and resisted the urge to run across the road and punch a hole into her face. I had a bone to pick with her, and on top of that, I had a history of not taking the high road.

"I'm fine," I insisted with a fake smile, raising my hands as a sign of surrender. "See?"

Jane ignored me, choosing to refer to her brother, who was directly to my right, for confirmation.

"She's fine," Alec assured her. "She has good control of her faculties, considering the circumstances. We haven't had any issues all day."

"For now," Jane said, giving me a cold look.

She didn't trust me. But why would she? I was an overpowered, unusually gifted newborn, and she had given me every reason in the book to want her head on a silver platter - beginning with the first day we met.

And apparently, from the looks of it, Jane had just realized that karma had been breathing down her neck the whole time.

I dropped my hands. I wouldn't get her. Not today.

I had all of the time in the world to serve up her just desserts - why rush?

"How did the rest of your leg of the mission go?" Alec asked Jane, remaining by my side.

"We've successfully purged the remaining villages that were exposed to our kind," Jane said, matter-of-fact. "Only the nest remains to be dealt with."

"Wonderful," Alec said, a hint of adoration touching his voice as he spoke to her. "The rest of the mission should be straight forward, then."

"Relatively so," Jane replied with a subtle smile. "Does she need to feed?"

"You're more than welcome to ask me direct questions," I said bitterly. The twins talking over my head was seriously starting to piss me off.

"No," Alec said, glossing over my remark, "We managed to find a few stray humans while we were out on a hunt."

At that moment, I heard a small, sharp gasp from behind me.

I snapped my head around to see where the sound came from, immediately on high alert, when my eyes met Renesmee's, who stood peeking around a corner of one of the houses, several yards away.

Her big brown eyes were wide and her cheeks flushed brightly. I could hear her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

She looked absolutely appalled.

"Renesmee..." I began, turning towards her.

There was a shift in her eye, and then I saw it.

She was terrified of me.

"I can explain," I said, taking a step towards her.

She shook her head slowly and took a step backwards, her expression exuding a combination of disbelief and disgust.

At that moment, to her, I was nothing more than a monster.