CHAPTER TWO:
INTO THE LION'S DEN

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THEY WERE ALMOST THERE. After spending what seemed like forever flying across a vast expanse of water and land, the three girls (two vampires and a human, what an odd mix) found themselves seated in a canary yellow mercedes, the tires screeching as they sped down an empty road, their destination coming closer and closer with each passing instant.

"I'm guessing you didn't rent this car?" Bella's voice was knowing, trembling hands gripping the sides of their seats as she struggled to stay upright.

"I figured you wouldn't be opposed to grand theft auto," Alice hummed from behind the steering wheel, distracted eyes trained on the road ahead.

Bella nodded in reluctant agreement, sinking back in her seat as they swerved around another sharp corner. Verona glanced at her through the rearview mirror, golden eyes peering over the sunglasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Her hands subconsciously adjusted the scarf that was wrapped around her head, the sheer material managing to shield her neck and shoulders from the sunlight seeping through the windows.

It was then that Alice let out a sudden gasp and everyone's eyes darted towards her. Verona reached out to grab the steering wheel, keeping the car on its course as her sister's body went limp, her eyes glossing over with a vision. The panic on her face only worsened with whatever she saw, her splutter of horror lingering in the air as she snapped back to the present.

"What did you see?" Verona asked, leaning back in her seat as her sister continued driving.

Alice's foot pressed down on the accelerator, sending them soaring forward in a flash. "They refused him. Now he's going to make a scene, maybe show himself to the humans."

"What?" Bella cried, leaning forward to look at her. "No, he can't."

"How long?" Verona questioned, trying to keep her fear at bay.

"He's going to wait until noon, when the sun's at its highest."

"Oh, god," Bella whimpered, struggling to comprehend what she'd just been told. "Alice, you've gotta hurry up."

Verona wasn't sure why she did what she did. Maybe it was the terror in Bella's eyes or the pain in her voice. But nonetheless, Verona reached out and gripped the mortal girl's hand in her own, words of reassurance lingering on the tip of her tongue. "It's going to be okay, Bella. We'll get there in time."

"There it is," Alice murmured, peering through the windscreen as a village formed before them, ancient buildings dotting a surface of land that stretched on for miles upon miles. "Volterra."

Before they knew it, they were entering the heart of town, their bright yellow car surrounded by a sea of people in red coats, who scattered out of the way as they zoomed past.

"What's going on?" Bella frowned, face pressed against the window. "Why are they all wearing red?"

She reeled back as they swerved around a corner, only to come face-to-face with dozens more people wearing the same red clothing. Verona's hand latched around her own again, faint black lines beginning to appear on her marble skin as terror-fueled pain seeped into her body. Alice was the only one that picked up on what she was doing, but she refrained from commenting as a group of oblivious humans stepped out in front of them, and her hand slammed down on the car's horn to signal for them to move.

Once they were out of the way, she breathed a sigh and said, "It's the Saint Marcus Day Festival. They're commemorating the expulsion of vampire's from the city."

"Ironic, considering who their leaders are," Verona muttered. "Nonetheless, it's the perfect setting; they'll never let him get far enough to reveal what he is."

"Guys," Bella was close to tears by then, her voice shaking as she noticed the time on the dashboard. "We have five minutes, you've gotta hurry."

"Hey, just breathe, okay?" Verona turned around to face her again, squeezing her hand reassuringly. Bella couldn't start panicking now, they needed her to focus. "We're almost there."

The clock tower loomed in the distance, so close yet so far. Alice pressed down on the accelerator just as several human guards stepped onto the road, forcing her to slow down and come to a deafening stop. Bella threw the back door open and clambered out of the vehicle, wheeling around to face them as one of the guards knocked on the driver's side window.

"Guys," she hissed. "Come on."

"You're the only one he can't see coming," Alice said, sparing her a glance as she wheeled down the window.

"What?"

"If we go, he might read our thoughts," Verona told her as her sister began to converse with the guards, flashing them a blinding smile. "He'd think we're lying and he'd rush into things without hesitation."

"Then what do we do?" Bella frowned. It took her a moment to realise what they were implying and she eyed the people surrounding her in horror. "You want me to go alone?"

"He'll be under the clock tower," she said, reaching out to squeeze her hand one last time. "Now save my brother."

Bella didn't hesitate to dive right into the crowd, shoving people out of the way as time began to slip through her fingers. Verona watched her leave, hoping against hope that she'd be able to get to him in time. If not; well, she didn't know what she would do if they were too late.

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VERONA AND ALICE STOOD out against the crowd of people around them. After spending several long minutes arguing with the guards of the festival, they agreed to park their car in a nearby side-street before heading to the clock tower on foot, their presence creating a wide enough path for them to get there without any issues. As they reached the building, they heard their brother's voice coming from inside.

Verona's relief was quick to fade into dread. Edward's voice had changed from loving to dangerous in an instant, and the sisters knew he was no longer alone. Verona shared a look with her Alice, who didn't hesitate to step forward and push open the tower doors, prompting the argument to fall silent. Verona sighed before following her, removing her sunglasses and scarf as she joined them.

"Come on, guys, it's a festival," Alice chastised, a forced smile tugging on her lips. "You wouldn't want to make a scene, would you?"

"No, we wouldn't." One of the guards standing before them, the tallest of the two, agreed after a moment, his crimson eyes analysing their party of four with caution.

Heeled boots colliding against the cobblestone floor had them falling silent again, a cloaked figure entering the corridor with grace. The vampire's hands moved into the air, lowering the hood that was draped around their head and shoulders. A girl no older than sixteen had been the one to approach them, her blonde hair twisted into a tight bun atop her head, revealing her sharp features and bright crimson eyes, an evil smirk curving the corners of her lips. There was an aura of danger around her, and it chilled everyone she came across to the core.

"Enough." Her voice was like a knife cutting through the tension, sharp and venomous, and completely and utterly wicked.

"Jane," Edward greeted with a nod of his head, his shoulders slumping in defeat. There was no way they could leave now. Not without a fight.

"Aro sent me to see what was taking so long," Jane hummed, exchanging a knowing glance with her fellow guard members.

She didn't say anything more as she turned on her heel, making her way back down the corridor and gesturing for them to follow her. Verona glanced at her siblings, falling into step beside them as they moved with reluctance. She wasn't sure how long they spent walking before they reached a set of creaking stairs leading into another dark corridor. Jane came to a stop by the entrance, her smirk firmly in place as she gestured for them to enter first.

"Go ahead," she whispered, voice taunting.

Edward was the first to move, his head bowed as he stepped past her. Bella was quick to follow him, both of her hands gripping onto him as she stayed close to his side, her heart pounding a mile a minute as fear began to course through her. Verona stepped up behind them, her eyes meeting the blonde vampire's as she passed her small frame. Alice linked their arms together as she appeared beside her, snapping her out of her daze as the darkness below enveloped them.

"Don't be scared," Edward murmured, picking up one his mate's racing heart.

"I'm not," Bella retorted, though her breathless voice said otherwise. "Are you?"

"No," he shook his head. Jane scoffed, the sound echoing on the brick walls. She didn't believe him for a second.

A pair of metal elevator doors met them at the other end of the corridor, masking an entrance that only went down. Jane shot them a malicious smile as they exchanged a wary look, entering the elevator along with the guards. Jane stepped in last, her alabaster hands reaching out to press one of the buttons that had the doors sliding shut. The minutes that followed seemed like hours as opera music hailed through the speakers, piercing their heightened hearing in an almost painful way. Verona's hands were clenched into fists as she stood in front of her brother, who kept a grip on her elbow as he sensed her nerves. Jane was right beside her, the smile that was plastered on her face becoming somewhat of a terror to them.

After what seemed like forever, the elevator doors slid open and they stepped into another narrow corridor. The hall was quick to spread out into a lobby, a young woman no older than twenty with a beating heart rising from the main desk to beam with happiness at them, speaking in a rush of foreign words that only the guards seemed to understand. Verona raised an eyebrow at her, attempting to hide her surprise as she continued on her way towards a set of double doors, her shoulders unbelievably tense.

"Is she human?" Bella asked, her voice lowered into a whisper.

"Yes," Edward nodded, eyes trained on the path ahead of him.

"Does she know?"

"Yes."

"Then why would..." Realisation seemed to hit her then, and she let out a shaky gasp. "She wants to be..."

"And so she will be," Demetri, one of the guards, whispered from behind them, his voice a taunting croon.

"Or dessert," Jane smirked, her eyes flashing dangerously as she peered at them over her shoulder.

Verona spluttered as the group reached their final destination, their impending doom. They'd reached the lion's den and there was no going back from there, not as the devilish blonde in front of them threw open the doors in a dramatic gesture and herded them into a throne room like cattle about to be slaughtered.