Bella's Little Sister

Chapter 46

Riley had only taken no more than two steps forward when Seth jumped out from behind a large boulder, latching his teeth into Riley's shoulder. He was dragged back and forth across the snow like a ragdoll as Seth fought to tear off his arm. Seth finally released Riley's arm, only to close his teeth around Riley's hand, successfully removing it from his body. I turned my gaze to Victoria, who had leapt down from her branch and began to run away. The sound of Edward calling out after her made her stop in place and turn slowly back to face him.

"You won't get another chance like this again!" Edward took slow and measured steps away from me, moving closer to where Victoria stood. "You want her. You want me to feel the pain you felt when I killed James." Edward knew exactly what to say to trigger Victoria's anger. "When I tore him to pieces... when I turned him into ash... when I turned him... into nothing."

Victoria was then completely overwhelmed by her anger, her body shaking violently as she bared her teeth. She stilled for only a brief second before charging at Edward, taking him roughly to the ground. She stretched out a hand in an attempt to reach me, but Edward was quick to pull her back, before throwing her into a nearby tree. Victoria's red eyes were now dark with anger as she took hold of the branches, her gaze locking with mine.

I took Edward's hand in mine as he passed me, both of us quickly moving to stand on the side of the clearing Victoria was now on. He glanced back at me, silently telling me to step back before he moved to fell the tree Victoria was clinging to. She was quick to stand as the tree crashed down to the snowy ground, her suddenly black eyes meeting my expressionless gaze.

Edward once again took her down before she could even come close to reaching me. My gaze flickered to Riley, who was still fighting against Seth. Riley kicked Seth in the jaw before he ran to Victoria's side. Edward briefly managed to get a hold on Riley, but his efforts to eliminate him were halted when Victoria wrapped her arm tightly around Edward's throat. With Victoria and Riley now having the upper hand, I became increasingly fearful that Edward would lose.

I don't know why it came to me now of all times, but it was then that I remembered the night of the bonfire back on the reservation, where Billy had recounted the legend of the third wife. She had sacrificed herself in order to save her tribe. Frantically, I scanned the surface of the snow, looking for the sharpest thing that I could get my hands on. I ground my teeth together against the pain of the jagged rock slicing through my flesh. Blood immediately began running down the length of my arm, falling to the snow in small droplets, staining it red.

It was enough to get their attention. Both Riley and Victoria paused, snapping their gazes to my face. My actions were just enough of a distraction to give Edward the chance to throw Riley against a wall of rocks behind him before he turned his attention to Victoria. Seth dug his teeth into Riley's shoulder again, dragging him quickly up a small hill and behind some trees to finish him off.

"Victoria!" Riley's call for help was blatantly ignored as Victoria locked eyes with me once again. Edward cut off her advance on me, his hands moving to her neck as he prepared to end her once and for all. Within a matter of seconds, the fight was finally, finally over.

My eyes were locked solely onto the fallen body of Victoria, my mind struggling to realize that it was now officially over. I would no longer have to worry about Victoria harming my father or my sister. I could now rest easy, knowing that she would never return. Edward slowly began to stand from where he had been kneeling in the snow, gradually closing the distance between us. I turned my gaze to his face as he ripped the edge of my shirt, tying the fabric tightly around the gash in my arm.

Seth growled lowly behind us, and Edward glanced at me. "Alice needs us to go. Now." He then turned back around, pulling a lighter from his pocket, dropping it onto the lifeless body of Victoria before taking my hand as we hurried away.

A large fire was burning brightly in the center of the field where the fight against the newborn army had taken place, with the wolves and Edward's family gathered around it.

"How long?" Edward questioned Alice as we neared them.

"A few minutes," she responded, though she also sounded fairly uncertain. "Maybe ten?"

Carlisle then told Edward that the pack needed to leave, as the Volturi would not honor a truce with werewolves. Jacob, who was still in his wolf form, trotted through the forest line into the clearing, his eyes zoning in on a lone newborn who had been hiding behind a grouping of rocks. Leah, who was also still in her wolf form and closer to the newborn than Jacob was, jumped forward.

"Leah, don't!" But Edward's call came too late. Jacob rushed forward, taking the newborn's shoulder between his teeth as he leaped away.

I watched in silent, expressionless horror as the newborn got his arms around Jacob, crushing his bones. Sam and Leah were quick to kill the newborn as Jacob quickly shifted back to his human form. I did not bother nearing Jacob's side to check on him, despite seeing him in so much pain. Besides, I had already 'done enough'. Carlisle and Edward moved to Jacob's side as I felt the others turn their gazes on me, obviously wondering why I was not more concerned for him.

"The bones on the right half of his body are shattered," Carlisle spoke quietly to Edward, though it was still just barely loud enough for me to hear.

Each member of the pack had shifted back to their human forms and re-entered the clearing. "Jacob, you idiot! I had it!" Leah snapped at him. Sam, however, quickly shut her down.

"I need to set the bones before his accelerated healing kicks in." Carlisle told Sam. "It's already starting."

"We need to get him out of here. We won't win a fight with the Volturi." Edward stated, his voice tense.

Carlisle instructed Sam to take Jacob back to Billy's; he would be there as soon as he could. Edward returned to my side as Alice informed him that the Volturi were almost here. I was staring into the flames, watching them burn through the pile of bodies, turning each one to ash.

"Impressive," Jane's tone was as emotionless as always. "I've never seen a coven escape an assault of this magnitude intact."

"We were lucky," Carlisle simply responded.

"I doubt that," Jane countered with a faint smirk resting on her lips.

Alec chimed in, stating that it appeared they missed an entertaining fight. Jane agreed, claiming that it was not often that they were rendered unnecessary. Edward responded that if they had arrived only a half-hour before, their purpose would have been fulfilled.

Jane turned her gaze to something behind Carlisle and Esme. "You missed one."

I followed her gaze to see a brown-haired newborn standing just behind them. She couldn't have been older than sixteen. "We offered her asylum in exchange for her surrender," Carlisle told Jane as Jasper moved to the newborn's side.

"That wasn't yours to offer." Jane turned her attention to the newborn again. "Why did you come?" she questioned. A shrill scream passed through the newborn's lips only a second later as she fell to the ground. Esme glanced at Jane and told her that what she was doing was unnecessary, as the newborn would tell her everything she wanted to know. Jane smirked in response. "I know."

The newborn raised her head from the ground, her eyes wide and frightened as she spoke. "I don't know, Riley wouldn't tell us. He said our thoughts weren't safe."

"Her name was Victoria," Edward started to say. "Perhaps you knew her."

But Carlisle shook his head in response to Edward's words. He claimed that if the Volturi had known about her, she would have been stopped. Felix took a step forward then, preparing to end the newborn's life.

"She didn't know what she was doing," Esme called out quickly. "We'll take responsibility for her."

"The Volturi don't give second chances," Jane responded as she turned her gaze to me. "Keep that in mind. Caius will be interested to know that you're still human."

"The date is set," Edward spoke up at my lack of response.

Jane directed her gaze to the newborn again. "Felix," she sighed. "Take care of that. I'd like to go home."