Beyond the Dawn (Life and Death, Book II)

21. DEFECTION

We sat there for hours, statues of devastation and hopelessness, and Archie never came back. We all were at our wits' ends. The inside of my head was utter chaos, as opposed to my body, which was absolutely motionless.

First and foremost, I was horrified to the truest sense of the word. I wanted to run away with my immortal family to some dark, remote corner of the world where not even the Volturi could find us. But second, I was furious. I was flooded with more anger and hatred than I thought my body could even hold. Angry that we hadn't incinerated Victor in Riley's burning heap while we had the chance, and furious that the Volturi were so dead set in slaughtering everyone that they wouldn't even hear our side.

In the world of vampires, biting a human child to create an immortal child was an absolute taboo. No immortal child had lived in many centuries since the dark days.

I sighed in frustration.

I wanted to yell and voice everything I thought about it in this moment. But the sun hadn't risen yet, and Luca was still in dreamland under my arms. I hadn't let go of him since Archie left. And I wondered what was taking him so long. It was awful having part of the family missing at a time like this, not to mention losing the insight to the future we had through him. I wanted him to come bursting through the door with that familiarly annoying enthusiasm—with some tiny portion of hope so that when Luca woke up, I could manage to smile and keep the truth from terrifying him, too.

I didn't even know if I was capable of smiling anymore. My eyes had not moved from Edythe's face since the news. We'd stared at each other all night, at what neither of us could live through losing. When the sun did rise, I could see my agonized expression in the reflection in her eyes.

"Archie..." she said.

Everyone softened up a little at the sound of her voice cutting the silence.

"Is he coming?" I asked.

She didn't answer.

"He's been gone for so long," Earnest said.

"Where could he be?" Eleanor wondered as she looked out the windows.

"He's never taken so long before," Edythe said. Fresh fear was creeping into her eyes. She'd been so blank all night. "Carine, you don't think they would send someone after them if they saw them running, do you? Would he have time to see if they did?"

I could picture the woman in the painting in Carine's study—Sulpicia. I imagined Archie and Edythe with blood red eyes, wearing heavy black cloaks as they stood on either side of their leader, while her hands lightly touched both of theirs.

Suddenly, Eleanor cussed loudly and ran out into the yard. Everyone else followed in a blur of action.

I was last as I gently sat Luca down without disturbing him. I sprinted out the door.

I was still faster than the rest. I pushed forward, surpassing Earnest and Royal. I caught up with Edythe and Carine.

"Would they have been able to catch him off guard?" Carine asked.

"I don't see how they could," Edythe answered.

"What if this is a trap?" Eleanor called from behind.

There was no scent but Archie and Jess, though. Where were they going? The trail cut into a wide arc east of the house, then north on the other side of the river, and back west again after several miles. Edythe maintained the lead on the trail.

"We're getting close to the Quileute border," Earnest called from behind us.

"Keep on the trail. See if they turned north or south," Edythe ordered.