Dark Blood - A. Volturi

Chapter 4

"I've lived long enough to see the worst of it. Trust me, Rosalie, I'd rather not have Shadow endure it at all. But Aro... he's already made his intentions clear to me and to the guard, even if it's not verbal. He'll want to take advantage of this bond, one way or another."

"BUT on one condition," He added.

Shadow's hopeful smile fell, and her happiness fell to the deepest part of her heart.

Alice spoke up. "What condition?" She asked.

"You must promise to not pick any fights with anyone in the Volturi, and no being rude," Aro said.

Jade stifled a laugh. That sentence made Aro sound like an annoyed child who wanted peace.

"Good enough, let's gooooo," Shadow tugged on Alice's sleeve, very impatient.

Aro let out a chuckle, before turning to address the guard.

***

Alice was forcefully sat down on the bed by Shadow.

"I know that your reason for coming is more than just to see Shadow, because Bella would never willingly do so," Jade spoke up from the corner, her face obscured by the shadows.

Rosalie let out a huff. "That's true, but why should we tell you our intentions?" She asked, not trusting Jade at all.

She stepped out, her face not opposing. "I know that you don't trust me, and that you think I will trick you. But the only reason I left was because of Bella. You should know that. Also, I want to know what caused you to come uninvited,"

Rosalie narrowed her eyes, saying nothing to the other vampire.

"Bella was forced to come, but the others came willingly to see if we could hopefully find out why they wanted you and Renesmee so much," Alice explained.

"Let's just say... some interesting stuff happened, End of Conversation," Shadow added gloomily, her eyes downcast. The sudden change of mood was a big change, and Alice knew that something was wrong.

"Hey, what happened?" Rosalie asked softly.

Shadow trembled, and seeing this, Jade answered for her. "Alec is her mate. However, it's a one-way bond. He doesn't feel anything. It's like imprinting," She explained.

Alice let out a quiet gasp. "I-I'm sorry, Shadow,"

"It's eventually going to tear her apart, not unless she finds a forced mate. It's going to steal her heart until she's just a shell of who she was," Jade explained further, revealing just how much she knew and how horrible a vampire imprinting was.

Shadow shifted uncomfortably, her fingers tangling together as she avoided Alice's sympathetic gaze. She didn't want to make Alice sad, or make her feel like she couldn't do anything about this.

Jade's heavy words lingered in the air, harsh tension building each second, and for a moment, no one spoke. The pain was mutual, a hard burden on everyone in the room.

Rosalie crossed her arms, her golden eyes narrowing as she addressed Jade. "And what exactly do you suggest? Forced mate or not, you sound far too familiar with this 'imprinting' for my liking."

Jade's lips curled into a cold smile. "I've lived long enough to see the worst of it. Trust me, Rosalie, I'd rather not have Shadow endure it at all. But Aro... he's already made his intentions clear to me and to the guard, even if it's not verbal. He'll want to take advantage of this bond, one way or another."

Shadow flinched visibly at the mention of Aro. She'd suspected as much, but hearing it confirmed twisted the knot of dread in her stomach tighter.

Alice reached out tentatively, her hand hovering over Shadow's shoulder before finally resting there. "You don't have to face this alone," she said softly. "We'll figure something out. There has to be another way."

"Another way?" Shadow's voice cracked as she looked up, tears shimmering in her swirling blue-violet eyes. "Alice, there's no way to undo this. After finding out that Alec doesn't care about me, it shattered my world. It's like my heart is glass and he threw it away, leaving it to shatter to a million pieces," Her breath hitched, and her voice broke as she continued. "And Aro... he's just waiting to use this to make me some kind of pawn on his chessboard."

Rosalie's expression softened, and for once, she didn't have a sharp retort to spit out. "Shadow, listen to me. You're stronger than you think. I've seen Bella fight for what she wants, and if she can do it, so can you."

Jade snorted, her angelic features betraying her skepticism. "Bella's situation was nothing like this. She had Edward wrapped around her finger. Shadow doesn't have that luxury. And plus, Bella never cared for Shadow. Don't compare them."

"Enough," Alice said firmly, her voice cutting through the heating argument. "Arguing won't help anyone. What we need is a plan."

Shadow wiped her eyes, determination replacing the despair and depression that had threatened to consume her whole. "If Aro wants to use me, then I'll play along... for now. But I won't let him control me forever."

Jade raised an eyebrow, clearly impressed by Shadow's resolve. "A dangerous game, but one that might just work. I'll support you, Shadow. Whatever you decide."

Rosalie and Alice exchanged a look before nodding in agreement.

"Alright," Alice said, her tone decisive. "Then let's figure out our next move. Together."

Later that evening, Shadow sat alone in her room, the blood-red blankets pulled tightly around her body as she stared out the window sadly. The stars glittered above, their light a faint comfort in the darkness.

Her mind raced with thoughts of Alec, Aro, and the Cullens. Every piece of this mystery seemed impossibly tangled, and she didn't know where to start unraveling it.

A soft knock at the door brought her back to the present.

"Come in," she called, her voice barely above a whisper.

The door creaked open, and Jade stepped inside, her expression uncharacteristically gentle. "You did well today," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Shadow let out a bitter laugh. "Did I? I feel like I'm just pretending to be brave while everything falls apart around me."

Jade reached out, brushing a strand of hair from Shadow's face. "Pretending to be brave is the first step to truly being brave. Don't underestimate yourself, Shadow. You're capable of more than you know."

Shadow met Jade's gaze, and for the first time in what felt like ages, a flicker of hope sparked in her chest.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Jade stood, her angelic smile returning. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, we start preparing for whatever comes next."

As the door closed behind her, Shadow took a deep breath and looked back out at the stars.

They twinkled softly, hiding hope within each one, and they made Shadow feel safe.

What she didn't know was that there was a dark turn that no one, not even Aro knew about.

A/N: I hope you like this chapter! I should be able to update more now that I'm on winter break. What do you think is going to happen? LMK in the comments!

Love,

Jade