Beyond the Dawn (Life and Death, Book II)

EPILOGUE - DESTINY

I probably should have been staring out the deeply tinted windows to witness the city of Florence and all the Tuscan countryside as the nondescript black car traversed the Italian highways. I'd never been out of the country before, so in a way this was my first trip anywhere, and likely my last. For one, I was too tortured with anxiety to really see the rolling hills or high-walled towns. But more than that, I was so euphoric at the prospect of still having Edythe forever that I couldn't bring myself to take my eyes off her face.

After a long flight across the Atlantic in a private plane that was most likely stolen, we'd landed in Rome. We separated there into smaller groups, hurrying to get into matching sleek cars that looked important enough for transporting government officials, just before the rising sun crested over the horizon. Our car carried us along with the four most powerful members—Jasen, Alexandra, Felizia, and Delphia—as well as another woman I had no name for who was driving the car. It was difficult to even see what she looked like; she was covered head to toe in normal clothing, barely a single inch of her pale skin exposed. A headscarf covered her hair and forehead. She had some sort of face mask pulled up to the bridge of her nose. There were elbow-length tan gloved covering her arms, and blue-tinted contacts concealed her red irises, blending the colors to appear as a strange shade of violet that didn't make them look any more natural. Then again, I guessed this color woudln't be as creepy as red.

It was dead silent in the car up until we'd reached the heart of the city of Volterra. Large turrets rose high into the sky above the Palazzo de Priori, built seamlessly into the walls of the ancient city. I stared, mesmerized at the towering castle that looked like it belonged in medieval times.

"We do not leave the car until dark," Delphia warned.

Edythe and I nodded, and we watched as the woman driving the car slipped large sunglasses over her eyes and stepped out into the bright sunlight. She disappeared through a big door at street level under the main turret of the castle.

I took the extra time to continue staring at Edythe's too beautiful face. It was hard to believe that she was here in my arms—that we were no longer about to be killed at any moment. Life was almost perfect again... at least until sunset.

"Oh, Edythe," I whispered.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously, moving a hand to the center of my back.

I leaned to press my forehead into hers. "Am I crazy for feeling happy right now?"

"No." She laughed lightheartedly. "I know precisely what you mean. There are lots of reasons to be happy. For one, we're alive."

"Yeah," I agreed. "I'd say that's a pretty good reason. But more important than that, we're together."

She nodded. "And with any luck, those things will remain true tomorrow."

"Forever, hopefully," I amended.

"You should consider your outlook quite good," Delphia said, interrupting our reverie. "You should enjoy your time here. It's truly not what you imagine."

How should I imagine it? A nice vacation? Of course, for Delphia this was different. She could trust her captors. She hadn't been separated from everyone she loved... Well, almost everyone. Lucky for her...

I had a million questions that couldn't be asked, mostly because I was terrified of the answers. Were we really free from danger? Would the rest of our family truly be safe in our time apart? And just what were they going to do? Would we ever get to see them again? I knew perfectly well what the conditions were for our captivity. But there was one little factor that seemed to have been overlooked—Luca wouldn't be a child forever. How long before he was a mature adult? What then? Would the Volturi still demand his blood in the future for retribution?