Lunar Black: A Twilight Story

Chapter 17: Help

(A/N: song is Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift cover. Sorry again for the really late update, I've been thinking of ideas and I've been busy. Thanks for bearing with me!)

Edward's POV:

I had gone back to where Bella was, and she wasn't there. I was about to follow her scent, but I decided to call Alice first to see if she saw anything.

I dialed the number and Alice picked up on the second ring.

That's not normal for Alice.

"Edward," she breathed. She sounded panicked, shaken.

"What's wrong?" I asked, suddenly drowning in worry. Was Bella okay?

"It's Bella. She got a call, and it wasn't from her dad."

"What do you mean?"

"It was from the Volturi. I saw something like this when they decided yesterday, but they kept thinking about other things in case I was watching so I didn't really know what they were planning. Follow Bella's scent, quickly, before they - well, before they do what they are planning to do."

"What are they planning?"

"Just go, we'll meet you there soon."

And Alice hung up.

So Bella was somewhere out of a public place with the Volturi. I muttered a profanity under my breath, and started to follow Bella's scent.

Bella's POV:

"You?" I asked, stunned.

"Yes, me. And Aro. I don't really want Edward, Aro does. I'm just here to do his bidding."

"But, your power doesn't affect me, Jane." I said, trying to help myself calm down.

"No, but I am a vampire. And you're a mere human. And I could kill you with one flick of the wrist and one clench of a fist."

I flinched. Then I saw a figure coming out of the forest behind Jane.

"Aro." I said, sighing in defeat and falling to the ground.

"I'm sorry for this, Bella. But you know we don't give second chances. Your precious family will have a talking to as well, after we're done here. Heidi hasn't gotten us anything for a week now, and we are simply dying of thirst. Well, at least, it feels that way." Aro said, stepping up next to Jane.

Marcus, Caius, and Alec stepped into the clearing now as well, flanking Aro and Jane.

"Do you really need this many people just for killing stupid, naive me?" I choked.

"Well, we didn't know you were going to sacrifice yourself so easily. We figured you would bring Edward." Jane said.

"Surprise." I muttered irritably, and Aro chuckled. I glared at him.

Jane took a defensive step towards me, and Aro cleared his throat, making Jane turn to him.

"Relax, Jane. Nothing to get defensive about. She can't hurt us now."

I felt like a weak animal at a petting zoo. I couldn't touch them but they could touch me. It felt strange, uncomfortable. I shuddered.

"Let us get this over with," Caius said impatiently.

"Yes, let's not play with our food," Marcus mumbled.

"Alright. Alec?" Aro said, gesturing Alec forward. I didn't know his power, but I figured it wasn't one I could block.

Then I remembered, as Alec lifted his hands and black smoke snakes towards me. Alec could take away all your senses. Sight, sound, and touch.

The smoke wrapped its way around my wrists and neck, and it was like being submerged into a pool.

First ringing of the ears, and then my eyes went black. Then I felt like I was floating on my knees.

I waited for the pain, and waited. And waited. Nothing happened. Did I lose track of time, too? It felt like I've been here defenseless for hours.

Then I felt a sharp pain in my back and head. I screeched - at least I think I did, I couldn't hear it - and I had no idea what had just happened. Had they punched me? Had they pushed me to the ground?

Suddenly I could see again, and feel, and hear.

I felt the warmth dripping down my back from my head, heard the sobs erupting from my throat, smell the rust and salt smell from the gooey blood oozing from my arm.

I was up against a tree trunk, and Caius and Jane were lurking over me. Aro, Marcus, and Alec were roaring in the background. It sounded like they were fighting.

"You brought someone?" Jane growled.

"What? N-no!" I said, trying to see who had come.

Jane stomped on my arm, and I screamed in pain, hearing the cracking in my bones.

"Don't lie."

"I'm not l-lying!"

I started feeling woozy and cold. My eyes clouded up, but I couldn't see Jane and Marcus anymore.

I felt cool arms grip my back. Not a threatening way, but a comforting way.

"Edward, can you hold her? The blood." I heard Alice coo, like I was a baby. A defenseless, prioritized baby.

I got passed to more cold arms, and I whimpered in pain as the arms touched a painful spot on my back. I still heard roaring in the background, but I couldn't focus. I wanted to see Edward's face, but my eyes were clouding more and more.

"Bella, Love, I'm so sorry," Edward whispered. Upset, anguished, torn.

"S'Not your fault," I murmured, fighting the sleep.

"Don't sleep, love, you might have a concussion.

"I'm trying not to."

"Bella, you can't go to sleep! You might not wake up!" He said, more urgently.

My eyes flashed open, and I saw his face. Gorgeous, even in pain.

"Thank you." He whispered, his breath flowing across my face. It made me dizzier than I already was. I felt my heartbeat pick up.

"I probably shouldn't do that," Edward mused.

My eyelids were like weights to hold up, and when they closed, I couldn't open them again.

"Bella? Bella? Love!?" I heard his voice trail away...