Sign Of The Times || Jasper Hale

chapter 91

The Cullens gather in the center of the field, converging around Bella. She sees nothing through the oily smoke from the fire.

Jasper and Emmett stand close to Alex. She wouldn't be able to control herself if she was fully herself, but the bites were taking their toll and they knew it. Were glad for it. Jasper wraps an arm around her, trying to keep her standing.

They all hear her as she speaks before she has even appeared. "It appears you've done our work for us." From out of the mist and the smoke emerge Jane, and behind her, Felix, Demetri and Alec. Jane assesses the scene, taking in Bella, as well. "Impressive. I've never seen a coven escape an assault of this magnitude."

"We were lucky." Carlisle tells her and Jane seems to purse her lips.

"I doubt that."

"It appears we missed an entertaining fight, sister." Alec says to his sister who nods.

"Yes. It's not often we're rendered..." The Cullens see her deciding on the right word. "unnecessary."

"If only you'd arrived a half-hour earlier, you could have fulfilled your purpose here." Edward replies. Even the Volturi notice the underlying tone.

"Pity." Jane sees the newborn, Bree, crouching by the fire. Jane looks pleased. "You missed one." She wasn't pleased that they had missed one, she was pleased that she could still wreak havoc. It was what she did best.

"We offered her asylum in exchange for her surrender." Carlisle takes a step towards Bree but Jane raises an eyebrow.

"That wasn't yours to offer." As Jane moves to Bree, Esme shoots Carlisle a concerned look. Carlisle subtly shakes his head, don't move.

"Why did you come?" Before Bree can answer, Jane focuses her power, sending an invisible searing current through Bree's body. Bree screams in pain. Bella flinches and Alex closes her eyes. The screams were very familiar. Esme quickly steps up.

"They came to destroy us -- to kill Bella." Jane ignores Esme and continues her torture, enjoying every minute of it.

"Who created you?"

Esme looks distraught. "You don't have to do that. She'll tell you anything you want to know."

Jane looks at her blithely. "Oh, I know." Carlisle puts a hand on Esme's shoulder. Bree's screaming briefly stops as Jane waits for an answer.

"I don't -- know." The newborn girl sounding haunted. "Riley wouldn't -- tell us. He said our - our thoughts weren't safe." Jane focuses  her powers again. Esme is about to say something but Edward does before she can.

"Her name was Victoria... Perhaps you knew her?" Bree's pain abruptly ceases. Jane faces Edward with an innocent smile that's somehow unnerving. The other three Volturi are suddenly positioned behind Jane. As if they didn't even move. Bella plants herself firmly at Edward's side. The air is tense and Alex groans softly. This could turn bad, fast. Jane's eyes flicker quickly towards her and a small smile appears and disappears at the sight of the deathly sick looking Alex.

Carlisle intercedes with great and purposeful calm, as is expected of the head of the house. "Edward, if the Volturi had knowledge of Victoria, they would have stopped her. Isn't that right, Jane?" Jane just looks at Carlisle before gesturing to Bree.

"Felix." Felix moves to Bree and Esme doesn't hold back as she tries to step before the girl.

"She didn't know what she was doing."

"The Volturi doesn't give second chances." She looks at Edward and everyone knows that he means Bella. "Keep that in mind. Caius will be interested to hear she's still human." Bella faces her without flinching.

"The date is set." Jane is ever so -slightly taken by Bella's confidence. Her look lingers on Bella and how Edward stands ready to defend her. But Jane turns back to Felix.

"I wonder if you'll still be immune to my powers after you've changed, Bella." Meanwhile Felix, with his enormous strength, easily tears Bree limb from limb. Her screams quickly cease, though the metallic screeching sound continues. "Thank you, Felix." She turns back to Bella. "Until next time."

The Cullens can do nothing but stand by as Felix throws Bree's remains in the thick fire before they all turn around and disappear in the woods.

A few minutes seem to go by before Jasper quickly grabs Alex as she seems to fall down through her knees and is breathing heavy.

"Go to Jacob." She tells Carlisle who looks at her worriedly. "I've gone down this rodeo before." She puts her thumbs up but starts wheezing and coughing. Jasper quickly hurries towards the Cullen house and even Edward seems to have a sudden speed towards there while Bella has gone with Carlisle.

"Towel." Edward orders Jasper and he does as he is told. They look at the woman before them as she appears to be deathly sick.

"You guys know that vampire bites are deathly to wolves right?" She mutters and smiles at the two. "Hurts like a bitch for us." She starts to frown and both of them know that she's remembering Pietro. "I guess now only for me."

Edward and Jasper look at one another as they hear the rest walk into the house, making an unspoken decision to not let anyone near Alex. They both knew that hallucinations could come from terrible infections and though they couldn't stand to see Alex in one, they could not afford to protect their own family from her.

Jasper climbs in the bed and hugs her close, her skin burning against his touch but he knew that she needed to cool down. He looks at Edward and the latter nods at his thought. Carlisle needed to come soon.