petrichor [rosalie hale] ✔

xxviii. sidelined

Within the walls of the Cullen residence, a somber mood had prevailed. Edward had left to take Bella back to her house, saying their farewells quickly and sombrely. The training had been fun for Kiara to watch but it had only amplified the danger that was quickly approaching the small town.

Things had turned a lot more intense when Carlisle had asked Alice if she had seen any visions of  the Volturi stepping in to prevent the newborn army from attacking the town and she had unfortunately informed him that there had been no glimpses of any of the vampire elites in her mind. Rosalie wasn't sure if she was glad to hear this, as it meant keeping Kiara far away from the Volturi, or if she was concerned at what it could mean for them if they allowed this army to keep growing.

Kiara wasn't sure what to make of it all. She knew that they had strict laws regarding the secrecy of their kind and the interactions with other supernatural beings, so she was a little surprised that they weren't stepping in to stop the disappearances in Seattle before people started to get even more suspicious than they were. Regardless, a piece of her was kind of happy that they didn't also have the Volturi to deal with. The prospect of also having to face the Volturi was nothing short of terrifying, even for the formidable Cullens.

"I won't run and hide," Kiara declared, her voice resolute as the rest of the vampires turned to face her, having been discussing that she had been one of the main targets by the army alongside Bella. "They might come after me, but I won't back down from protecting my pack and this town."

Emmett gave her a nod of approval as a grin broke out on his face from her fighting talk. He wouldn't admit it in front of Rosalie since she wasn't happy about it in the first place, but he really was looking forward to seeing the wolves fighting in action. "That's the spirit, Kiara!"

Rosalie found herself gazing across the room once more at Kiara with an expression of both adoration and worry. The passionate twinkle that crossed Kiara's eyes reminded her why she had fallen for the werewolf in the first place, but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease as Kiara all but volunteered to face off against the newborns. As a vampire, Rosalie was no stranger to peril, but seeing the person she cherished so badly being exposed to the dangers of the supernatural world was a weight she couldn't bear lightly.

Jasper sensed Rosalie's unease, and instantly turned the conversation back to what they could due in the meantime that didn't involve rushing into any battles that the wolves weren't quite prepared for. 

"We can set up a perimeter around Forks, monitor their movements, and intercept them before they get too close to Forks or the reservation. We need to neutralize the threat swiftly and decisively," he said, his mind still in battle mode from the training earlier. Beside him, Alice nodded as she tried to reassure the rest of the family that they were keeping everything under control.

"I'll keep a close eye on their actions, but their unpredictability makes it challenging to predict their exact movements. We'll just need to be agile and adaptable, and since I can't see Victoria's decisions as she keeps changing them, on guard at all times too."

Kiara nodded, rubbing subconsciously at her arm as she looked at the rest of the coven. Esme had just excused herself with Beverly to go hunting, knowing that they needed to be at full strength at all time. Alice had predicted that they still had some time before the army would arrive, but nevertheless they had all agreed it was important to remain vigil.

"You won't be doing any protecting until that arm is sorted," Carlisle replied, his lips in a tight line as he looked at the arm that they had discovered had healed incorrectly from her sudden phasing abilities coming to power. 

"Great," Kiara gulped as Carlisle and Rosalie motioned for her to follow them upstairs to Carlisle's office. She didn't really understand the point in giving her 'privacy' when the rest of the house would still be able to hear every pin drop that happened in the room, but she didn't complain about it anyway.