Noonday Sun: a Fanfiction Book

  Chapter 23, Preparation

  Bella had her face in her hands. “My baby. My baby.” She moaned quietly.

  She was in better shape than I was. I couldn’t even talk. The torture in my body wouldn’t let me. I felt like my heart was being ripped out, trampled by elephants and dumped in acid. I couldn’t live without my Nessie. I couldn’t even try.

  There was a buzzing in the air. I couldn’t make out what it was. It was annoying and it went on endlessly.

  When Bella said, “Hello?” I finally figured out it had been the cell phone. I couldn’t function.

  “No. We barely missed the flight. It was pulling out as we arrived at the gate.” She paused and then a cry of pain emerged, “Oh, Edward, what do we do?”

  “Yes. Yes. I understand. Let me check with Rose. If she can’t, then we’ll come straight back to Forks.” I was too incapacitated to hear Edward. My brain couldn’t focus. Her side of the conversation didn’t make any sense. I shook my head. I couldn’t think. My reason for existing was gone.

  Bella turned to me. The attendant was approaching. I was too far gone to even try to glare. I was an empty shell. A nothing.

  Bella shook me a minute. I didn’t resist. My head moved limply. She looked intensely into my eyes. I could barely understand what she was saying. “Jacob. You have to focus. I need you. For Nessie.”

  Hearing her name snapped me out of it. We needed a plan. Some way to get her back. There had to be a way. Edward would know. My brain woke up. My fighting instincts took over. We would get Nessie back and the bloodsuckers would die. I could taste their vampire blood on my teeth.

  Bella watched the rage form in my eyes and cautioned, “Control, Jacob. Control. You can’t phase here.”

  I concentrated on being calm and slowing the shaking rage that was threatening to send me into a wolf.

  “I need to talk to Rose. If we can’t catch Nessie’s flight, we need to head back to Carlisle’s for a planning session.”

  I nodded, then stood up and walked back down the hallway. The attendant looked like she wanted to have me arrested. This time, I did glare. She turned away and shuffled some papers. Sensible.

  Bella was calling someone on the cell. “Hi, Rose? We missed Nessie’s flight. It’s heading into New York. Do you think we can catch it there?”

  This time, I could hear. My brain was working again. Rose’s voice was clear. “I can’t see how I can get a flight plan arranged that fast. The layover in New York is only 45 minutes. By the time I got the flight plan registered and us loaded, we’d be in New York five minutes too late. Security is too tight around the airport. We can’t fly in there unless I’ve registered a flight plan. We’d be shot out of the sky.” I knew what that meant. We’d all survive but our mode of transportation would be gone.

  Bella and I exchanged anguished glances. “We’ll meet you in Forks, then. Edward wants us to get together for some planning.”

  The Vanquish didn’t have any passenger space. Emmett and Rose would be going home the same way they came.

  When we got to the Vanquish, it was being attached to a tow truck. I growled and headed for the driver. “What are you doing with my car?”

  “You were in a no parking zone and the car was unattended.” He smirked at me. I wanted to beat him up.

  Bella walked up to talk to the driver. She put her hand softly on his arm, a feather-light touch so her cold wouldn’t sink in past his clothing. She looked up at him with an expression that would’ve melted the heart of a statue. Her beautiful words flowed out like music, “We had an emergency. I’m sure you’ll understand.”

  I would’ve been mesmerized if Nessie wasn’t my world. I couldn’t imagine what this was doing to the poor truck driver.

  Wordlessly, he unchained the car and pushed it off the trailer. “Must’ve been some mistake,” he mumbled.

  Bella smiled brilliantly and I could hear his heart accelerate. Without even trying, Bells was stunning. When she turned on the charm, it was like watching a hurricane in action. No man alive was safe.

  Despite the horror of my day, I couldn’t help the twitching of my lips. “Wow, Bells, that was some show.”

  She smiled in response. We simultaneously jumped into the Vanquish.

  I drove almost as fast back to the Cullens as I had when I was heading out to Seattle. The quicker we made plans, the quicker we’d be getting my Nessie.

  The tires squealed as I stopped the car in the garage.

  “Alice’s Porsche is here.” Bella gasped.

  I looked at Bella. “So?”

  “She and Jasper are back.”

  I hadn’t even known they’d been gone.

  We headed into the house. I stopped short.

  Benjamin and Tia’s Egyptian coloring showing under the vampire white contrasted with Esme’s white walls. They were sitting on the couch. To my surprise, their eyes held the same topaz coloring the Cullens shared.

  “Hi, Bella,” Tia’s unconcerned tone grated on me.

  Bella’s eyes registered surprise. “What brought you into the area?”

  “We promised you a visit. Benjamin,” her eyes slid over to him, “felt like this would be a good time.”

  Jasper and Alice had taken the other couch. Either Jasper was doing an outstanding job of keeping everyone calm or these people hadn’t heard the news.

  I couldn’t stand it. I burst out, “Nessie’s been kidnapped. By Aro.”

  “What?” The blast came from Jasper.

  Alice’s eyes were an icy ocean of fear. She whimpered. “I didn’t see this coming. I mean, of course, I wouldn’t have been able to see Nessie, but to not see Aro? I don’t understand. I-I can’t see.” She buried her face in her hands. “I can’t see anything,” she wailed. I knew she was talking about the future and not the stuff happening here, in this room.

  Jasper’s peace filled the room. This time, I was grateful for it. I needed to think.

  Esme and Edward walked through the door. It was time for our planning session.

  Esme pulled out the rumpled letter Bella had handed to her. She read aloud the note from Aro, her voice shaking.

  Bella’s eyes narrowed to furious slits. “He has some nerve, threatening to kill Nessie if I show up.”

  “May I have the letter, please?” Edward held out his hand to Esme.

  She handed it to Edward. He took the letter and ran his nose along the length of it. “Jacob, this would have been easier if you wouldn’t have stuffed it into your pants.”

  I shrugged. “It wasn’t like I had a choice.”

  “I can’t smell anything here besides werewolf.”

  My eyes narrowed. “Can’t you smell something a little like… Nahuel?”

  Edward ran his nose along the length of the letter again, pausing here and there. He nodded, “Yes, it does have a similar scent.”

  Bella gasped, “I know why Alice can’t see.” All eyes turned to her. “Aro is using Nahuel’s sisters.”

  “Of course!” Alice looked relieved. “Aro was going to visit Jahom after he left us. He knows I can’t see anything the half immortals are involved in. It all makes sense. Why I haven’t been able to see him planning anything.”

  “How many sisters does he have?” I asked, stunned. I’d forgotten Nahuel had sisters.

  “Three.” Edward informed me. “Their names are Naomi, Nedra, and Naphtali. I heard their names when Nahuel was telling us about them. Naomi has an unusual ability to see her siblings. It’s much like Alice’s gift, but I thought it was limited to her siblings. That’s how Jahom located Nahuel. Maybe her ability extends to all half immortals. If that is true, she would have known when Jacob wasn’t with Nessie.”

  We exchanged uneasy glances. His words meant that every half immortal born was at risk. But this wasn’t about any half immortal, this was about my Nessie.

  Carlisle walked in. His shift at the hospital was over. He stopped and looked at the gathering. “Our first order of business should
be to call the Denali Clan.”

  He opened his cell phone and dialed. “Eleazer, Nessie has been kidnapped by Aro.” I heard the hiss that sounded from the cell phone. “I don’t expect you and Carmen to come down. The newborns need some supervision still, but I was wondering if you could ask Garrett, Kate and Tanya if they can come down to help us.”

  I could hear the heavy sorrow in Eleazer’s voice, “I am so sorry. Of course I will ask. Since they’ve been discussing ways to defeat the Volturi, I’m sure they’ll be happy to come.”

  Emmett and Rose walked in. I was surprised they hadn’t arrived before us. “I registered a flight plan for our trip to Italy. We’ll have to refuel in New York and then make another refueling stop at the Ponta Delgada Joao Paulo II Airport. It’s on the largest island of the Azores Portugal. We can leave tomorrow.”

  Carlisle’s eyes looked concerned. “That won’t give us enough time to gather Kate, Garrett, and Tanya.”

  Rose’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll set up the flight arrangements for a trip to Anchorage. We’ll be back late tonight.” We didn’t need to wait for Eleazer to call back. We knew they’d come. Tanya wanted to kill Caius with her own hands.

  Benjamin and Tia had been watching everything with shocked amazement. Benjamin finally burst out, “I can’t believe Aro would have the gall to kidnap your daughter.” He looked at Tia, sensing agreement from her look, “Tia and I would like to help.”

  That made thirteen vampires. And two werewolves. I couldn’t ask my pack mates to leave their imprinted mates. Seth was the only wolf in my pack who hadn’t imprinted. I knew I could count on him, but two wolves against the Volturi guard wasn’t much.

  Edward’s look of anticipation surprised me. Why would he be excited about the death of his whole coven? “Benjamin, I see some possibilities here. Bella,” he smiled at her, “has been practicing her shield. I know we won’t have any trouble with Jane, Alec, or Chelsea. Emmett can handle Felix,” A look of eager anticipation filled his eyes, “and I can handle Demetri. The numbers are a little overwhelming…”

  “A little?” Bella interrupted.

  Carlisle’s voice was grave. “I can’t see how this can be done without a bloodbath.”

  Edward smiled. I looked at him like he was crazy. I wasn’t the only one. “With Benjamin’s help, I can see how this will work.”

  We turned to look at Benjamin, and his eyes registered as much surprise as the rest of us. “What do you mean?” he asked.

  “You have the ability to manipulate the ground, water, fire, and air. The Volturi stronghold is in a castle on top of a hill. If you can shake the earth under it, the innocent humans will flee. If all goes well, the Volturi will follow after like rats running from a sinking ship. Bella can shield Jane, Alec, and Chelsea. Seth and Jacob, if they’re coming,” I nodded when he looked at me, “can rip up any stray vampires, and the rest of us can concentrate on the vampires we’ve divvied up.”

  I looked around the room. Hope was dawning. We just might be able to do this.

  “If Siobhan and Liam can meet us in Italy, her ability to will things her way will enable us to win. I’m sure all of you remember the last time we met the Volturi,” Heads nodded solemnly throughout the room. He continued, “I was sure we were going to fight. Everyone was sure we were going to fight, including the Volturi. Siobhan willed it otherwise. She has a very powerful gift. If she is with us and wills us to win, we can’t lose.”

  “Benjamin is essential in more ways than one. Other than getting the Volturi to come to us, his ability to manipulate fire will enable him to direct flames at the Volturi. If we can disable a vampire long enough, Benjamin can direct the flames where they need to go.”

  “I’m thinking the only way we’ll be able to get Nessie out is to get the Volturi to leave the castle. Benjamin’s earth tremor will do that.”

  Alice was nodding. “There are a lot of half breeds involved, but I can see bits and pieces of this battle where the half breeds and werewolves aren’t blocking my view. I think it will work.” She was smiling.

  Jasper’s face was calculating and… hopeful.

  I was feeling hope, too. I could see this work. Benjamin’s earthquake, the humans fleeing followed by the vampires. Fires consuming the vampires as we incapacitated them. We didn’t have to rip them to pieces. Just tear their heads off so they could catch fire.

  Seth and I were experienced wolves. We knew well how to fight a vampire. We’d team up. The vampire we selected wouldn’t have a chance. And with Benjamin’s fire, we could select a lot of vampires.

  Bella’s shield would prevent Jane and Alec from attacking Benjamin. I couldn’t see how we could lose this one, but I did worry about Nessie. How would we get her from Aro unharmed?

  Carlisle looked around the room. “The Challenger will only hold nine passengers. With the Danali vampires, we’ll be overloaded. Esme and I will leave tonight. We’ll fly to Ireland so we can talk to Siobhan. She promised during the last battle that she would come when we needed her. I believe she will keep her word.”

  Rose was already dialing the airport to arrange the flight to Alaska.

  Edward said, “Bella and I will fly to Italy tonight. We need to survey the land around the castle and see where it would be best for us to hide. I would imagine,” and his gaze encompassed the group, “that Aro will be watching for us. Jacob, your scent would give us away. You need to stay here and fly out with Rose and Emmett tomorrow. I’m assuming Seth will be going with you.”

  I nodded. I was just as sure as he was. Seth wouldn’t miss this for anything. A chance to kill bloodsucking monsters? He’d never forgive me if I left him behind.

  Benjamin spoke up, “Edward, Tia and I would like to come out with you. I’d feel more comfortable if I had some time to see where any faults are.”

  Edward looked relieved. “I didn’t want to ask, but I’m glad you’re coming.”

  Alice had walked over to the computer and was bringing flights up on the screen. “The next flight to Great Britain leaves at six tonight.”

  Carlisle nodded. “Go ahead and book it for Esme and me.”

  She stared at the screen a moment. “One way?”

  Esme hissed. “What are you saying, Alice?”

  “I’m sorry, Esme, I didn’t mean to alarm you. I was just thinking that you’d take the return flight from Rome.” Her face went blank for a moment, her face when she was reading the future. She smiled. “Yes, you will be taking the return flight.” She paused a moment. “I can’t see the flight with the werewolves, but I see you, Carlisle, me and Jasper on the Rome flight, and we look… happy.” Her eyes sparkled with excitement, “Edward, your plan is going to work.”

  Esme let out a relieved sigh. “Of course.”

  Alice continued, “The flight to Rome leaves at four thirty. It stops in New York.”

  “That’s the one we’ll take. Book it for Bella, Benjamin, Tia and me.” Edward had walked over to look at the screen.

  “When did you want the return flight?”

  Edward laughed. “You tell me.”

  Alice’s face took on a blank look. Her face cleared. “Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and I are returning on Thursday. I see Benjamin and Tia heading back to Egypt. Everyone else will fit in the Challenger. I can’t see that, of course, since Seth and Jacob must be there, but I’m sure I don’t need to book another flight.”

  Alice’s fingers flew over the touch screen. “The flights have all been booked. You’ll just need to swipe your credit cards at the gate for your boarding passes.”

  “Do you mind if we take your Escalade, Alice? We won’t fit in the Vanquish.” Edward asked.

  “Of course not.” She tossed him the keys.

  Edward’s eyes moved over the group. “We need to wear camouflage. We have a lot of hunting supplies in the garage.” He smirked. “Keeping up appearances has stocked us up. There should be camouflage for everyone. We have some paint, too. The paint should stick. It’s designed for ceram
ics.”

  Bella’s eyes went wide. “What do we need paint for?”

  Edward laughed. “Somehow, I don’t think our brilliantly white skin is going to hide us very well.”

  “Oh.” Then Bella looked excited. “I remember when we were in Denali, the sun was shining in Carmen’s house. The plaster reflected brilliantly in the light. It looked almost like vampire skin, and I could hardly see Esme.”

  Edward nodded. “The camouflage should work the same way. We can paint each other when we get there, but it’s going to have to go in checked luggage. Paint would never make it through security.”

  He looked at Carlisle. “Could you take the paint with you and send it through checked luggage? As long as it’s not a carryon, it should pass.”

  Carlisle nodded. The vampires hurried to the garage to find their clothing. I followed, curious to see what they would find. Carlisle grabbed a suitcase. He loaded the various colors of paint into the bag then he loaded the camouflage clothing Esme had found for them. “We’ll need some for Siobhan, Liam, and Maggie.” Esme nodded and went back to hunt for more. Siobhan and Emmett were close to the same size. She found the clothing and stuffed them into the suitcase.

  I headed out to the forest to phase. I saw Edward transfer a small bag from the trunk of the Mercedes to the Escalade. I wondered briefly what he had in it, but I didn’t ask. My mind was too full of Nessie.

  I could hear the various cars leaving. I could distinguish Rose’s M3 from the Mercedes. The Escalade was probably carrying Edward, Bella, Tia and Benjamin.

  My Escalade was still at school. Maybe my shirt and shoes would still be on the ground where I left them. When I was out of sight of the house, I stripped down and phased. It wouldn’t take long for me to reach my SUV then I planned to go back to Sue’s and catch Seth before he headed to Esme’s. He usually stopped in after school to see his mother before he went to the Cullen home. I felt as hopeful as possible without my Nessie near. I could almost taste success.

  Bella

  Edward’s confidence in his plan gave me hope. I could visualize his plan, and I could see that there was a very good chance of success. Everything depended upon Benjamin’s talent, of course, but I’d seen him in action and had faith that he could do what was required.

  I had experience working with my shield. I’d forgotten I’d left Kate shielded and she remained that way for a couple of days when I’d forgotten to release my shield. It had remained even after they traveled to Denali. My shield would work.

  When we walked into the airport, the humans stared at us. We were wearing military tan camouflage, but we didn’t have the appearance of regular soldiers. I knew we were far too attractive in their eyes. Edward’s bronze hair looked stylishly tousled—his locks falling over his forehead, and my long mahogany hair certainly didn’t have the proper military length. Tia and Benjamin looked closer to the military ideal, but their alien beauty contrasted with the camouflage.

  The hiking boots were more comfortable than I’d anticipated. They beat Alice’s stilettos by a long shot.

  The flight to New York was uneventful. We talked about the events of the past few days. Benjamin and Tia were as amazed as we were. Everything was changing so fast, it would’ve taken my human breath away.

  They told us about the changes in their own lives. They’d broken away from Amun and Kebi. That wasn’t really a surprise. I’d seen the rift forming during the last Volturi battle. Amun wanted to control Benjamin, and he had refused to be controlled.

  I didn’t ask them about their topaz eyes. I assumed they’d tell me why they’d decided to quit preying on humans if they wanted me to know.

  As the jet took off for the flight to Rome, I couldn’t help but taste the bite of fear. Aro said that he would kill Nessie if I came. How would we keep my arrival a secret?

  I reached for Edward’s hand. His touch was a comfort. “How can we keep Aro from knowing I’ve arrived?”

  He smiled. “You’ve been stressed.” He stroked my face in an attempt to relax me. “Did you notice the carry on I brought with us?”

  I shook my head. Worry for Nessie was affecting my vision.

  “I got the idea from Iraq, actually. A lot of the markets we visited had women wearing burkas. When I saw them, I was thinking how easy it would be for a vampire to live there. The burkas would let you roam day or night. I brought back three from Iraq—one for you, one for Esme and one for Nessie. I also bought a sheik robe for me.” He grinned mischievously, “Although I didn’t have a disguise in mind when I bought mine.” I couldn’t help the twitch of my lips as I imagined what exactly he planned with sheik robes for him and a burka for me.

  He continued, “I haven’t had any time to show you because I was assisting with Leah’s delivery the minute we got back. Things haven’t slowed down since.” He paused a moment, as if he needed some time to organize all the events that had happened in the past few days. “I thought Tia, you and I could put on burkas after the flight. Benjamin can wear the sheik robes. With his Egyptian features, our disguise should work. We’ll have to hit the closest restroom to change.”

  I giggled. Edward in a burka I just had to see. Then I thought of something. “The burkas block your vision. Isn’t that going to be dangerous?”

  Edward nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid they’ll block our other senses as well. They’ll muffle our hearing, and... well, you’ll see when I pull them out. They’re going to affect your sense of smell. My ability to read thoughts won’t be affected, though, and that will keep us safe.”

  He had never met anyone other than me who could block their thoughts from him. I trusted that his ability would, indeed, keep us safe.

  Edward talked to Benjamin about his plan and handed over a thick roll of Euros. The Cullens stashed money in their house like Charlie stashed fishing hooks.

  He pulled his suitcase out of the overhead compartment and handed the clothing to each of us. I could smell the stench as he pulled them out.

  My nose wrinkled. “Ewww. What’s that smell?”

  He laughed. “I think that’s mothballs. It does stink, doesn’t it?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s one of the reasons I hadn’t given them to you yet. I was going to have them cleaned, but we’ve had a busy week. Hopefully the stench will mask our smell.”

  Edward couldn’t have picked a better disguise.

  As the plane landed and we were rolling down the runway, Edward opened his cell phone and looked through limousine services in Rome. His internet connection hadn’t worked during the flight. He found a number that looked promising and, speaking in fluent Italian, hired a limousine to take us to Volterra, the castle city on top of a steep hill, the city where my precious daughter had been taken.

  We walked as quickly as we dared down the hallway and ducked into the first public restrooms we could find. I quickly pulled on my burka. Nessie and Tia were close to the same size, so her burka fit as well as mine. I couldn’t imagine that Esme’s burka would be long enough for Edward. Maybe he’d lucked out and the burka was a little long for Esme.

  Tia and I stepped out of the restroom. Our ability to see was significantly impaired, and the material muffled my vampire hearing. It was a little like when I was a newborn and I had to wear contacts to cover the freaky red in my eyes. I could hear, but the rustle of the material was distracting. And the smell. Ewwww. It wasn’t quite as bad as the ointment I’d used during my training in Denali, but almost.

  I was surprised the humans around us weren’t running for cover, but maybe the smell was more intense for my vampire nose. It burned.

  Tia and I moved so our backs were against the wall. She is probably feeling as defenseless as I am.

  Benjamin walked out of the men’s room looking regal in his sheik robes and Edward followed behind, attracting a few strange stares from the passing humans. They were obviously wondering what a burka-clad person was doing in the men’s room.

  I suppressed a giggle.
Edward just didn’t look the same staring at me through the mesh eye patch on the burka. I could see the twinkle in his eye, though, and I knew he was as amused by my appearance as I was over his.

  Benjamin and Edward walked over to join us. I whispered so quietly no passing human could’ve heard. “Your burka is too short.”

  He tipped his head forward in a slight nod then whispered back, “You and Tia can flank me. Our hiking boots all look the same, so I don’t think anyone will notice.”

  Tia and I moved to separate sides and the three of us followed Benjamin closely. To human eyes, we wouldn’t have been anything more than a Middle Eastern sheik with his entourage. We would hopefully look the same to vampire eyes, and the stench of our clothes would certainly hide our vampire scent.

  As we walked along, I could tell from Edward’s alert stance that he was surveying all the thoughts around us. If there was any threat, Edward would alert us.

  We made our way to the limousine area where a driver was standing with a whiteboard containing Benjamin’s name.

  It reminded me of the limousine that had picked us up in Boston so many years before, and I reflected on all the amazing events that had unfolded in our lives. I couldn’t see Edward in his burka, but I wondered if he, too, was reflecting on all that had happened since then.

  We climbed in and the driver closed the door behind us.

  “That was close,” Edward breathed.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “A couple of Aro’s guard were waiting just down the hall from the restrooms. If we wouldn’t have ducked in when we did, they would’ve seen us.” He smirked. “They weren’t watching the restrooms. Vampires don’t use them.”

  My voice shook with fear for my daughter, “Do you think they suspect anything?”

  Edward let out a low chuckle. “When we emerged from the restrooms, they were just thinking about how odd humans were. And they were hungry, but they couldn’t quite get a good take on our scents. It’s a good thing I hadn’t taken these to the cleaners.”

  The combined smell of all our disguises was almost overpowering. I lowered the window a little.

  I shuddered. I hoped the guard with Aro weren’t hungry. Even if Nessie wasn’t in danger of being attacked, I couldn’t imagine what watching the vampires feed on humans would do to her psyche. We treated humans like people. She’d never seen them eaten.

  When we reached the fields surrounding the castle city, Edward asked the driver to pull over next to a small patch of olive trees that were growing by the side of the road. They should be enough to hide our departure from the city towering above us.

  The driver opened our door and we stepped out into the Italian countryside. To my surprise, the sky was overcast. I’d always thought of Italy as sunny, but the clouds allowed Benjamin to step out fearlessly. The rest of us didn’t have to worry. The burkas were better than capes.

  Benjamin turned to the driver and handed over a wad of Euros. The driver smiled and climbed back into his limousine. We watched while he turned the big car and headed back to Rome.

  A grouping like ours would’ve been suspicious to the Volturi even if we did look like humans.

  Edward whispered, “Tia and Bella, you’ll need to lie low for a bit. Benjamin and I will check things out.” Edward pulled off his burka then drew his camouflage cap out of his pocket. It had material that folded down to cover the neck and ears. From the back, it was hard to see him. The August grass had turned almost as brown as the uniform.

  Benjamin followed Edward’s lead and stripped off his robes. He stuffed the hat on and pulled down the neck and ear flaps.

  Tia and I watched as they crouched and moved through the grass. The dry blades waved over their backs. In a few moments, we couldn’t see anything but the slight bending of the tall grass as they paused occasionally. I could picture Benjamin touching the ground and feeling the fault lines. He’d done that the night before our Volturi meeting.

  In a few moments, Edward and Benjamin had rejoined us. Edward’s voice was the sigh of the wind, “The Volturi are so confident in their safety on the hill that the only guard they’ve set is watching the road. They can’t imagine anyone trying to take on the castle. I’m close enough that I can hear Aro. He has every confidence his plan will work.”

  “How is Nessie?” I asked, my voice eager but equally quiet.

  Edward looked away, and I got the sense that he was keeping something from me. “She’s fine.”

  My eyes narrowed. “There’s something else, Edward.”

  He looked pensive, as if he was wondering what to share with me. “She’s scared, of course, but they haven’t… harmed her.”

  That pause would’ve made my human heart constrict. I could sense he was keeping something from me, but I couldn’t imagine what it would be. I could tell that Edward was not going to share any more about Nessie. I changed the subject. “Did we guess right about Nahuel’s sisters?”

  Edward nodded. “Naomi, Nedra, and Naphtali have been involved since Aro went to visit Joham, just as you suspected. Aro knew Alice wouldn’t be able to see anything he planned as long as they were involved.” He paused. “He’s a very cunning person.”

  Edward opened his cell phone and dialed. I heard Alice. “Hi, Edward.”

  “Alice,” his voice was still quiet, but I knew Alice could hear clearly, “we are waiting in a small group of olive trees a couple of miles from Volterra. You can’t miss it. When you hear from Carlisle, please let him know. We’ll all get painted up when the group gathers.”

  “OK. Can you hear Nessie?”

  “Yes. She’s fine.”

  I could hear her sigh. “I’m so glad. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Edward shut his phone and stared through the trees at the castle. I wondered what he was thinking.

  Tomorrow seemed like forever when my daughter was so close and yet still so far. Jasper wasn’t here to keep us calm. Our stress could be seen in our stillness. We sat, quiet camouflage rocks under the gently moving trees above us. My eyes locked with Edward’s. His eyes revealed nothing.