gift or curse (A Twilight fanfiction)

Chapter 32

It was a boring flight. Felix and Alec never spoke a word and I was beginning to wonder if Demetri had been like this before we met. After a while I stood up and went to sit with him in the co-pilots seat. I shut the door behind me, even though that could not keep the others from hearing us.

He smiled at me with his charming smile. All calm and ease, like we weren't on a mission to exterminate two ancient vampires. His eyes seemed to ask: 'you okay?' and I nodded.

After the mental breakdown I'd suffered when we had returned home, I had found solace in my husbands arms. The hurt still lingered, but the petrifying ache was gone now.

This time the mission should be easier. No villagers, no army, at least that's what we hoped. Apparently Aro had kept in touch with Carlisle. He had told him that there had been no sudden bursts of violence. So it was simply us against them.

What did they hope to accomplish by hiding in Alaska? Had they not been in league with the Cullens the last time they met. Why would they put them in danger? Or did they think the family would stand with them as they once stood with the Cullens? It was hardly the same, hence the call Carlisle made.

Would we meet the Cullens? I hoped not. The enmity between that family and my new one still existed. I meant them no harm, but it wouldn't be a good idea for both parties to meet.

So it surprised me greatly when Demetri opted, a little less than an hour before we would land in Petersville: "You can stay behind, if you want. With the plane, or even with the Cullens, if you feel safer there."

A high pitched hiss reached our ears from behind the closed door, but we ignored it.

Knowing Demetri's dislike for them, I hadn't expected him to offer me this way out. "Why? Do you think the job will be easy?" Did he think he wouldn't need me? Or the opposite, would it be so dangerous, that he wanted me out of the way?

He pursed his lips, took a moment to ponder and then replied: "I know you don't want to leave me, but it is probably something you do not wish to see. Not after everything."

"Do you want me to stay away?"

He pressed a few buttons, probably setting the plane to auto-pilot, and turned my way. Taking my hands in his, he stared deep into my eyes and said: "I will always want you near me, but I also want what's best for you. I will return safely, I promise, and I won't be far away. Go to the Cullens and I will come and get you when we are done."

I mulled over his words for quite a while, changing my mind at least a dozen times. By the end of the ride, I figured Demetri was right. I really didn't want to see more fighting and ripping.

When he landed the plane and looked at me, I sighed and nodded. "But if you need me, you must call."

He fished an old model cellphone from one of his pockets and showed it to me.

"You have a cellphone?" My eyebrows almost touched the roof of the cockpit. Somehow the idea that my thousand year old husband had a mobile phone seemed ridiculous.

After only a few days in the carefree village of Volterra, the world had seemed to have been moved back in time. The little silver device made me realize how different my life had become in less than a month. I didn't count the five years I had lived like an animal. That kind of embarrassed me now.

I stood up from my seat, made to open the door, but was shoved against it instead. Demetri's body pinned me down and his hands made a mess of my carefully brushed curls as his lips devoured me. I recognized the need. We had little time, the others were waiting, but I didn't want to let him go any more than he wanted to release me.

A short ruffle on the door finally broke us apart. No heavy breathing, no sped up heartbeat. I still felt sorry for the loss of those fervent sensations.

---

Outside, a human man came up to us, inquiring after the reason for the landing. Before anyone could offer an explanation or kill the man, I stepped up and told the man everything was fine. He left satisfied and I received a little begrudging nod of approval from Alec. It almost made me reconsider staying with them.

Demetri needed a moment to determine our heading, then we took off. It was night, so we made a good time and arrived at the border of the Cullen territory before dawn.

We were greeted by a rather large party, whom I all recognized, except for two.

They didn't seem as surprised to see us, as I was, although my presence did raise a few eyebrows. Edward stared at my husband with open hostility and Esmee eyed our joined hands curiously. Carlisle was with them and he was the one who stepped forward. His palms up in a friendly manner.

"Thank you for coming so swiftly. Aro told me about what had happened in Romania, we do not want that here."

"Could you not have taken care of them yourself?" It was the first time I heard Jane speak since our little debacle.

It appeared Carlisle had a lot more patience with the girl than most, because he lowered his head a little and calmly replied: "That is not our way. We expect you to pass an honest judgment." He emphasized on the 'you'. It was a very diplomatic answer.

Would they accept my request to stay with them? I looked for a friendly face and smiled back a little when I saw Esmee nod at me. The two new golden eyed vampires stood a little to the back, not as hostile as Edward or Emmet, which gave me hope they would not throw me out.

Demetri turned towards me, and held my face with tender hands. He wore gloves and the leather smelled nice. We didn't feel the cold, but I figured it was all part of the ruse. All the others were also dressed as one would expect in the northern hemisphere. My own short dress was covered by an expensive padded jacket with a large faux fur trim.

"Are you sure?" He asked, not caring how the Cullens reacted to this display of affection.

"Yes, go. Be careful. And call me."

He kissed me softly on the lips, pulled one corner of his mouth in a small smile and then he was gone. Jane, Alec and Felix had also disappeared and I was alone with the Cullens. I stared after Demetri for as long as I could, then I looked at the family.

Their expressions had turned a little less tense, now that the Volturi guards were gone. Would they accept my allegiance to them? To my husband?

"You married him?" Edward bristled and equal expressions of shock appeared on all their faces.

Immediately I remembered the mind reading thing. Being already on edge, it didn't take me long to get angry and I yelled: "Don't ever read my mind again."

With satisfaction I watched as Edward straightened, blinked and then narrowed his eyes. "What have you done to me?"

The alarm on Carlisle's face rained me in a bit, but wasn't I within my right to keep anyone from invading my privacy? I shrugged and said, calmer now: "I warned you before not to read my mind."

"Edward?" His so called father eyed him concerned.

"It's ... nothing. I'm fine. Apparently she ... ordered me not to read her mind again."

I wondered if he had seen the gift I had come to embrace, in the short time he had read my mind, but he didn't say anything else, so I guessed not.

"Come, let's go back to the house. I don't like being divided now that Vladimir and Stefan are here."

Carlisle had not even finished speaking and Edward had already bolted. Probably because his wife and child were back at the house. The rest of us followed at a slower pace.

The new girl was to my right as we ran through the woods, the sun on it's way up above the clouds. She was pretty and petite. Her hair as black as my own but cut short. She reminded me a bit of the fairy stories I read about as a teenager. Was this Alice? The one they had told me about. The one who saw the future? It certainly explained how they knew we were coming.

In the distance a house loomed. It was huge, all wood and glass and filled with vampires who wanted nothing to do with me.

I wished with all my heart that Demetri would hurry.