(2) Katnis Swan: Moved On?

Chapter: 21 The Reveal

He glided closer, and she believe he meant his expression to be reassuring. But his papery features were too strange to reassure. The look on his face was more confident than his words had been. Aro reached out, as if to shake her hand, and pressed his insubstantial-looking skin against hers. It was hard, but felt brittle-shale rather than granite-and even colder than she expected.

His eyes smiled down at hers, and it was impossible to look away. They were mesmerizing in an odd, pleasant way. Aro's face altered as she watched. The confidence wavered and became first doubt, then incredulity before he calmed it into a friendly mask.

"So very interesting," he said as he released her hand and drifted back.

Her eyes flickered to Edward, and, though his face was composed, she thought he seemed a little smug. Aro continued to drift with a thoughtful expression. He was quiet for a moment, his eyes flickering between the three of them. Then, abruptly, he shook his head.

"A first," he said to himself "I wonder if she is immune to our other talents... Jane, dear?"

"No!" Edward snarled the word. Alice grabbed his arm with a restraining hand. He shook her off.

Little Jane smiled up happily at Aro. "Yes, Master?"

Edward was truly snarling now, the sound ripping and tearing from him, glaring at Aro with baleful eyes. The room had gone still, everyone watching him with amazed disbelief, as if he were committing some embarrassing social faux pas. Katnis saw Felix grin hopefully and move a step forward. Aro glanced at him once, and he froze in place, his grin turning to a sulky expression.

Then he spoke to Jane. "I was wondering, my dear one, if Katnis is immune to you."

Katnis could barely hear Aro over Edward's furious growls. He let go of her, moving to hide her from their view. Caius ghosted in their direction, with his entourage, to watch.

Jane turned toward them with a beatific smile.

"Don't!" Alice cried as Edward launched himself at the little girl.

Before Katnis could react, before anyone could jump between them, before Aro's bodyguards could tense, Edward was on the ground. No one had touched him, but he was on the stone floor writhing in obvious agony, while Katnis stared in confusion, and wonder. Jane was smiling only at him now, and it all clicked together. What Alice had said about formidable gifts, why everyone treated Jane with such deference, and why Edward had thrown himself in her path before she could do that to her.

"Oh, for the love of Odin, would you all just stop it?!" Katnis groaned, her voice echoing in the silence, moving forward to put herself between them, but Alice threw her arms around her in an unbreakable grasp.

No sound escaped Edward's lips as he cringed against the stones.

"Jane," Aro recalled her in a tranquil voice. She looked up quickly, still smiling with pleasure, her eyes questioning. As soon as Jane looked away, Edward was still.

Aro inclined his head toward Katnis.

Jane turned her smile in her direction. Though she was irritated with Jane, she even meet her gaze. "He's fine," Alice whispered in a tight voice. As she spoke, he sat up, and then sprang lightly to his feet.

His eyes flew to Katnis, and they were horror-struck. At first she thought the horror was for what he had just suffered, but then he looked quickly at Jane, and back to Katnis-and his face relaxed into relief.

Katnis kept her gaze glued to Jane, too, a smirk on her lips and she no longer smiled. She glared at her, her jaw clenched with the intensity of her focus. Katnis tilted her head, waiting for the pain.