Seth Clearwater Imprinted With Trouble

Chap. 13

Chap. 13

Seth POV

Carlisle blinked twice. “You… took something? From Aro?” he asked quizzically.

Clari grinned brightly. “Two somethings!” she chirped.

Emmett grunted. “Great. Now we’re really screwed over. Aro’s not gonna let us get away with having one of his kids AND the things she stole.”

“Clari,” Edward began. “Just what did you take?”

Clari’s smile faded and she shook her head slowly. “Can’t tell. If you know, Father will blame you. Blame on me, MY fault.”

“Clari, if you tell us, we can help,” Carlisle said gently, smiling down at her. “Aro doesn’t have to blame you. We can rationalize these things out.”

She shook her head again. “Father not rational.”

I couldn’t help it. I snorted. Clari’s head arched towards me the second the sound slipped out, and I saw her raise an eyebrow. I smoothed away the smile and looked blankly at her, holding my laughter in as hard as I could.

Edward had no such qualms about it. A loud and long chuckle reverberated out of his chest. As everyone looked to him, he gasped out, “But it’s true! It’s so true!” Everyone laughed with him.

Even Clari let out a begrudging smile.

But then Jasper left the corner where he was keeping a vigil over Alice and walked over to us—me and Clari. He kneeled to look her in the eyes. “We can’t protect our family if you don’t tell us what you took. We need to know. We need to know if this is worth the risk, if this will endanger us more. We need to be sure that we won’t regret this.”

Clari stared at him for a long moment, then glanced over his shoulder to look at Alice. Then at Emmett, Rosalie. Briefly touched on Esmee, Bella. Lingered on Nessie, Edward and Carlisle. Looked back at Jasper, down quickly, back up again. I felt her tiny hand slip into one of my humongous ones. Felt her warmth radiate out. I squeezed gently, trying to reassure her. She squeezed back.

“If you know, no doubt in Father’s mind that you betray him.” She made it sound like a question instead of a statement, like she was unsure of what she was saying. “He think you know about me, and take me from him, and hide me away from him. He will angry, and hurt you—all of you—if he think you knew.”

“Oh, Clari, what have you done?” I groaned. Clari turned to look at me, her face all pouty-lips. “Needed to leave. Badness. Needed to leave.”

I hugged her to my chest. “Ahh, I know, little one. I’m sorry. I’m just worried.”

A little frown puckered her brow. “No worry, Se-the. No worry. All be fine. Trust me!”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Carlisle mouth something to Edward, and Edward nodding slightly. Clari stiffened in my arms and turned to Carlisle.

She scowled. “No. No, Carlisle.” He blinked. She turned to Edward. “Bad Edward. No look into mind. Dangerous to know. Father don’t like you especially. If YOU know, he will hate, and kill. He will think you think to overthrow him. You can’t look.”

I looked up to Edward, curling my arm around Clari again protectively. “Were you trying to read her mind, Edward?”

He looked at her in confusion. “That’s the second time you’ve blocked me. How can you block me?”

“Edward…” I warned.

“I need to know. How did you do it, Clarianna?” Edward’s eyes widened. “Can you do it to Aro as well, Clari? Can you?” he rushed.

Clari stared at him. “I can.” A strange light entered Edward’s eyes. He looked ecstatic. “But only I can. No others can block him—I can’t help others block him either. So only I can know. If I tell him what he wants to hear, show him what he want to see, he will let go.”

Edward sighed in frustration. “But how, Clari? How can you block me? AND Aro—he’s more powerful than myself! The only one who is able to do either is Bella!”

“I just know,” she shrugged. “I knew before birth that Father would use me, if he knew I knew things I should not know.”

I blinked. “Huh? You what?”

Clari’s blue eyes met mine. Beautiful. She was just so—beautiful. “The truth,” she whispered. “If he knew of the truth I hid, he’d never let me go. He’d want more, and more, and greed would kill him.”

Carlisle, gently, “Is that why you left, Clarianna? Because you were afraid Aro would ask too much of you?”

She nodded just the tinniest bit. “One of many reasons,” she said softly.

Clari looked back up at the whole coven—the family that was swearing to protect her. “I will tell you—but not now. If you know now, he will not leave this place unharmed. It will have to wait.”

“Wait until when?” Edward asked, aggravated.

She looked him strait in the eye. “Until Aro knows he has lost.”

Emmett snorted. “Uh huh. And just how will we get Aro to admit he’s lost? How bout that kid?”

Clari’s gaze dropped to her small hand lost in mine, her beautiful clear eyes full of a deep, aching sadness.

“I will have to tell him what he wants. The truth of life. Even if it kills him.”