Cullen - Origins [English Version - FINISHED]

Chapter Eighteen

The snow had stopped falling when they reached the clearing. The small group of vampires stood in the middle of the clearing, together, united. The werewolves were watching their backs, grouped in a perfect line. Only Jacob was near Renesmee, Edward and Bella.

The Volturi soon arrived. Their large numbers worried their little troop. Glances were exchanged, breaths were taken away, and the tension rose again. Aro and his bodyguard stopped at a respectable distance from them. The others were grouped around them, facing the small group. Irina, of the Denali clan, stepped out of line. Blonde like her two sisters, Tanya and Kate, she looked at them with an evil look. However, a hint of shame at having betrayed her clan could be seen in her eyes. She looked down when she realized that her sisters would not look away.

- Looks like you're ready for a fight, Carlisle ? Aro said, breaking the silence.

- We're not here to fight, we're here to prove Renesmee's innocence. Replied the doctor.

The Volturi leader's attention turned to the child at the mention of her name.

- Renesmee...

He held his hand out to Edward, who was standing next to his daughter.

- So I'll start with you.

Edward did not flinch and stepped forward. He must have read Aro's mind, and knew before he even opened his mouth that the chief was going to ask him.

Aro had a specific power, which allowed him to read the thoughts of others through touch. In this situation, the witnesses collected by the Cullens were going to be very useful, being able to show Aro that Renesmee was not an immortal child.

After Edward gave his hand, the Volturi leader looked surprised. He withdrew it.

- I am impressed. He said. And intrigued, he added, turning to Renesmee. Come, my child.

She obeyed, followed closely by Jacob and Bella. Aro, smiling, leaned forward and held out his hand to the child. Renesmee slowly approached him, with no apparent sign of fear, and moved her hand forward. The vampire was somewhat surprised when she touched his cheek instead of taking his outstretched hand. She then showed him the whole truth, from the moment she was in her mother's womb to the day Irina had seen her, Jacob and Bella in the forest, when she had tried to catch a snowflake and had jumped several meters above the ground. A jump much too supernatural not to alarm the vampire of the Denali clan, who had immediately thought that Renesmee was an immortal child.

Aro stood up, breaking the thought transmission. He had seen enough. The little family returned to their own, as a precaution. Everyone waited for a reaction from the Volturi clan vampire. The latter turned to Irina. The latter anticipated him :

- I didn't know, I really thought it was an immortal child. She defended herself.

- Your mistake cannot be forgiven.

Aro waved his hand, and two vampires approached Irina. A third vampire from the leader's bodyguard also approached. Blond, with flashing eyes, he held a torch in his right hand. Edward tried to step in, understanding Aro's intentions.

- Wait, she made a mistake, but that doesn't mean she deserves the death penalty ! He shouted.

Aro didn't even bother to look at her. Irina's two sisters begged him, knowing how cruel the Volturi could be. One of the two vampires standing next to Irina decapitated her in one swift movement. The body fell to its knees, and the blonde vampire burned it.

Tanya and Kate screamed as one, and rushed forward. With their hearts in their mouths, they knocked down the vampires in the group who were trying to hold them back. Aro smiled evilly. Carlisle and Edward realized at the same time that if they couldn't control the two women, they were going to get killed.