Eleazar stood in a central position of the room addressing everyone his brows furrowed in thought. "When Aro wants someone from a coven, it's never long before evidence turns up proving that coven committed some crime." Andy listened from her spot high in the branches.

"So he's done this before?" Bella's new vampire voice spoke up.

'Yes' she thought unashamed as she grinned to herself, 'we used to do it too.'

"It happens so rarely I never realised it was a pattern." The former Volturi member claimed.

"Apparently he always pardon's one person who's thought's he claims are repenting." Carlisle informed.

"This person always has an ability, and are always given a place with the guard."

"This is all about Alice, he has no one like her." Edward's voice mumbled.

"Which is why she left." Bella's voice was tense, Andy could hear how much she missed her foster sister.

"Why does he need witnesses?" She already knew the answer and wondered who would reply to Emmett's question.

"To spread the word that justice has been served. After he slaughters an entire coven." A rather cynical yet familiar voice tensely sneered. Alistair, she rolled her eyes thinking of the paranoid British vampire.

"Benjamin, Tia, we're leaving." She raised a brow in surprise, she didn't think Amun would show up. And to bring Benjamin as well, that was just the icing on the metaphorical cake.

"And where will you go? What makes you think they'll be satisfied with Alice? What's to stop them from going after Benjamin next? Or Zafrina, or Kate, or Diego, or anyone else with a gift. Their goal isn't punishment its power, its acquisition. Carlisle might not ask you to fight, but I will. For the sake of my family, but also for yours, and for the way you want to live."

'Nice speech Eddie-boy,' the praised knowing he would hear her thoughts.

"The packs will fight. We've never been afraid of vampires."

'Ugh, the puppies.'

"We will fight." The Denali's stood.

"This wouldn't be the first time I've fought a king's rule." She recognised that voice too. It was the guy that Peter had sent after her.

"We'll join you." Benjamin said simply.

"No."

"I will do the right thing Amun, you may do as you please." He replied leaving no room for argument.

"We'll stand with you." She didn't know the vampires that spoke.

"So will we." Their accent sounded Irish and she deduced they must be old friends of Carlisle.

"That didn't take much." She tensed.

'Vladimir,' she mind hissed in hatred and teleported into the room silently.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"We'll see." Alistair whispered harshly.

"So cynical Alistair." A melodic female voice sang out from her position in the shadows startling the other vampires in the room. She grinned widely at their shock and slid into position beside Bree. "Am I late?" She questioned her audience with a grin.

"Ugh what's she doing here?"

"Come now Vladimir, it's been centuries, no need to hold a grudge." She smirked at the Romanian's.

"You cannot trust her when it was her coven that sided with the Volturi." He snarled his accent thickening.

"It was also my coven that aided in the destruction of yours centuries before I was even born." She pointed out with a shrug, "but I'm not here to argue about the past. I'm here to witness in defence of the child."

*****

Demetri shared a grin with Felix as they cornered their prey. The vampire was terrified and the scent of fear only edged the hunter in him on more.

He was in the mood to kill something after hearing about the insolence of the Cullen family, and their new creation. Immortal children were illegal for a reason. He was angry because he knew she was loyal to them. He knew they would ask her for help. He knew she would stand with them. Those thoughts only made him despise them more than he already did.

He groaned slightly as the game was brought to a quick end by Alec's gift. The vapour poured from his hands heading for their prey. He and Felix jumped from their perch cutting the man off from any escape he thought he could make.

Demetri chuckled to himself at the fool's actions as he attempted to throw a punch at Felix. This only severed to anger the giant, who simply pushed him to the side.

The man then stumbled into Demetri his hands grasping the lapels of his jacket. The tracker frowned and pushed the man away from him dusting off his jacket in disgust.

The vampire seemed to think he stood a better chance fighting Demetri, which was foolish. Demetri and Felix were the most experienced hunters in the guard. They didn't rely on Jane and Alec's gifts like everyone else. Their skill in the art of fighting had been refined to the point where they were feared just for that. Their own gifts, like Felix's strength and Demetri's tracking sense, made it hard for anyone to escape them.

Demetri blocked a punch by moving to the left swiftly and caught the man's next attack. Before he even had the chance to retaliate he elbowed him into the wall causing the bricks to crack into a man-shaped indent.

The vampire mumbled some Japanese as the dark smoke consumed him.

"Alec." All eyes turn to the masters and Alec reluctantly gave into the order. His gift drew back, parting around the masters as they approached.

"I will never go against you." The man said from his defeated position on the ground.

"Of course not, my dear Toshiro." Aro taunted and offered his hand to the man who hesitated but did as required.

The guard waited in anticipation as their master read his thoughts. "It seems Carlisle is still expecting you." He smiled and placed a calming hand on Toshiro's head before nodding subtly to the guards as he turned away.

Felix retrained the vampire and smirked as his friend viciously tore his head from his shoulders.

"Carlisle is all but ensuring his own destruction." Caius grinned, he hated that coven and loved killing. What more could a sadistic maniac such as himself want?

"Ah, it's sad, isn't it?" he walked off smirking as the vampire behind him was pulled apart.

*****

"Aro will want us incapacitated before he attacks. Jane and Alec will try to take me out first because I can anticipate their moves." Edward informs. "The tracker is the only match for Andy."

"He's not stupid enough to send Demetri after me." Andy speaks up announcing her appearance. "No, Alec will come for me, he's the only one I won't be fast enough to escape. His gift is too powerful. Demetri doesn't like you Edward, not since you tried to kill yourself. He will come for you."

"Too bad we don't all have your shield." Garrett comments looking to Bella and Andy nods, the Volturi would be reduced to hand to hand combat then. Even without their gifts she knew they were formidable fighters, but it would even the playing field.

"Doesn't help me fight though." Bella stated.

"I'll teach you, that's easy enough," Andy informed waving her hand as if it was nothing to be worried about.

"But you could help the rest of us, if you could project it." The petite blonde called Tanya informed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean shield someone other than yourself." She said, Andy sensing her excitement.

"Is that possible?"

"Gifts can be developed, over time." Carlisle nodded though still skeptical of the plan.

"My father Aegeus was a shield." Andromeda told them.

"The strongest one to ever live if the stories are true." Eleazar added.

"He had over two millennia to develop his gift, and he didn't start while he was still human." She looked at Bella knowingly. "It's one of the reasons the Volturi had a political alliance with us. They never stood a chance if it came to a fight."

"And the other?"

"Aegeus, Mathias, Aro and Marcus were all sired by the same vampire. They were brothers. Any fight between them was settled between them, no one else was involved." Andromeda smirked, "Aro is angry because he wasn't aware of my existence before Edward went to them. Not even Athenodora told him of me."

"How was she able to keep things hidden from him?" Eleazar furrowed his brows in confusion.

"As I said Aegeus was a shield, even after his death it was present. Look into my mind Edward, I mean really search."

"It's strange, it's like there's a wall keeping me out of certain areas of your head. Like it's shielded." His eyes widen in surprise.

"The walls are weak because he's not around to strengthen them, but that was the true extent of his gift. Aro could get into my head if he really tried now that Aegeus has passed but developing Isabella's shield sounds like a sound plan," She glanced to Kate who nodded catching on to what the Greek female wanted.

"At first mine was just in my palms. Now I can radiate it all over my body." She informed Bella who looked intrigued by the idea.

"How do you do it?" Bella asks and Kate gives her a look, "tell me." She demands taking the blonde's hand tightly.

"Ow."

*****

He stared at the pile of body pieces that were burning in the alley. They would become ash soon, and blow away with the next wind. All evidence except for the cracks in the bricks would vanish and no one would know they were even here.

"The others have headed back to rally the guard," Felix informed coming to his side. "You should call her."

"She'll be there though," Demetri stated with a frown.

"Just call her." Felix replied heading off in the direction of Italy.

He put his phone to his ear as he waited for her to answer. It didn't take long, only a couple of rings before she did.

"Hello darling how may I be of service?" She sang happily down the phone.

"..." He never actually planned what to say, he just rang.

"Demetrius are you alright?" Her voice held a concerned tone after he failed to reply after several minutes.

"I'm fine," he managed as he desperately tried to organise his thoughts. Was she safe? Did she side with the Cullen's? Had the Cult found her? There was so much he wanted to ask since their last conversation that he couldn't form words. Instead he reached out with his gift searching for her mind. She wasn't in Canada anymore. "You're in Forks." He accused.

"I am." She replied as if it didn't matter. As if she wasn't putting herself in more danger.

"Why do you do this to me Andromeda?" He said with a sigh leaning his forehead against the brick wall tiredly.

"Because they're innocent."

"Do explain darling."

"It's-" she trailed off thinking, "Perhaps it will be better that you see for yourself when you arrive."

"We're not coming to talk, were coming to kill!" He hissed. "Do you realise the position you've put me in?"

"I do, and believe me when I say that I understand." There was no teasing in her tone, it was all completely honest. "But the Volturi can do without more enemies right now you're going to need all the allies you can get."

"I don't like this. What do you know?"

"They've grown." She sounded scared, he didn't like that. "In power and number. That many vampires can't keep a secret this great. I've gotten very little out of them but the next one I'm dropping on your doorstep for Aro to read. All I know is they intend to finish what they started a millennia ago." His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed dangerously as she spoke.

"They want you and Dora." He hated the Cult more and more. He never had direct dealings with them, that was always the Greek Coven and the Masters, but he felt the repercussions of their actions deeply through his mate.

"And when they have us you know the next target will be the Volturi, and at the very top of that list will be you because of your gift."

"So what do you propose?" He raised a brow as he began walking back.

"I'll let Aro in my head. I don't have anything to hide now that he knows I exist."

"I doubt he'll like what he's going to see though."

"He'll deal. He needs to understand who the real enemy is."

"Just promise me you won't get killed."

"I won't, there's too much to look forward to love." She teased him.

"I'm being serious, I've just found you, and I have no intention of losing you."

"That's sweet." He heard her smile, "I'll see you soon, and hopefully we won't have to kill each other."

"Stay safe mi amore."

"Like a modern day Romeo." Felix said with a grin as he ended the call.

"We're older than Romeo." Demetri deadpanned.

Deep crimson eyes stared down at the vampire before him with disgust. "What do you mean you can't find her?"

"My lord, she leaves no trace, not even her scent is present." He whimpered in fear pitifully.

"Then enlighten me as to why I should bother keeping you around? What use are you now?"

"My- my lord I-" the man stuttered.

"Tell me why the Volturi tracker can find her and you can't hmm?"

"His gift-" the man before him began but broke out screaming as cracks formed on his pale marble skin. The creaking and shattering sound echoed around them as the vampire crumbled to pieces.

His eyes didn't move from the scene as he revelled in the torture. Turing to the next terrified guard he issued an order.

"Find me a better tracker."