Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer [188]
I nodded. I would keep my plans to myself, then. First Alec and then, if I was miraculously lucky enough to win, Jane. If I could only even things out-remove the Volturis overwhelming offensive advantage. Maybe then there was a chance My mind raced ahead. What if I was able to distract or even take them out? Honestly, why would either Jane or Alec ever have needed to learn battle skills? I couldnt imagine petulant little Jane surrendering her advantage, even to learn.
If I was able to kill them, what a difference that would make.
I have to learn everything. As much as you can possibly cram into my head in the next month, I murmured.
He acted as if I hadnt spoken.
Who next, then? I might as well have my plans in order so that, if I did live past attacking Alec, there would be no hesitation in my strike. I tried to think of another situation where my thick skull would give me an advantage. I didnt know enough about what the others did. Obviously, fighters like the huge Felix were beyond me. I could only try to give Emmett his fair fight there. I didnt know much about the rest of the Volturi guard, besides Demetri
My face was perfectly smooth as I considered Demetri. Without a doubt, he would be a fighter. There was no other way he could have survived so long, always at the spear point of any attack. And he must always lead, because he was their tracker-the best tracker in the world, no doubt. If there had been one better, the Volturi would have traded up. Aro didnt surround himself with second best.
If Demetri didnt exist, then we could run. Whoever was left of us, in any case. My daughter, warm in my arms Someone could run with her. Jacob or Rosalie, whoever was left.
And if Demetri didnt exist, then Alice and Jasper could be safe forever. Is that what Alice had seen? That part of our family could continue? The two of them, at the very least.
Could I begrudge her that?
Demetri , I said.
Demetri is mine, Edward said in a hard, tight voice. I looked at him quickly and saw that his expression had turned violent.
Why? I whispered.
He didnt answer at first. We were to the river when he finally murmured, For Alice. Its the only thanks I can give her now for the last fifty years.
So his thoughts were in line with mine.
I heard Jacobs heavy paws thudding against the frozen ground. In seconds, he was pacing beside me, his dark eyes focused on Renesmee.
I nodded to him once, then returned to my questions. There was so little time.
Edward, why do you think Alice told us to ask Eleazar about the Volturi? Has he been in Italy recently or something? What could he know?
Eleazar knows everything when it comes to the Volturi. I forgot you didnt know. He used to be one of them.
I hissed involuntarily. Jacob growled beside me.
What? I demanded, in my head picturing the beautiful dark-haired man at our wedding wrapped in a long, ashy cloak.
Edwards face was softer now-he smiled a little. Eleazar is a very gentle person. He wasnt entirely happy with the Volturi, but he respected the law and its need to be upheld. He felt he was working toward the greater good. He doesnt regret his time with them. But when he found Carmen, he found his place in this world. They are very similar people, both very compassionate for vampires. He smiled again. They met Tanya and her sisters, and they never looked back. They are well suited to this lifestyle. If theyd never found Tanya, I imagine they would have eventually discovered a way to live without human blood on their own.
The pictures in my head were jarring. I couldnt make them match up. A compassionate Volturi soldier?
Edward glanced at Jacob and answered a silent question. No, he wasnt one of their warriors, so to speak. He had a gift they found convenient.
Jacob must have asked the obvious follow-up question.
He has an instinctive feel for the gifts of others-the extra abilities that some vampires have, Edward told him. He could give Aro a general idea of what