Epilogue

Athenadora

I was the only one to see Sulpicia flee from the chamber after Aro committed suicide rather than wait to be executed, and I feared for her knowing that whatever he had done Sulpicia would never stop loving him. Sometimes I wished Caius and I had the same kind of relationship but I had learned many years ago that my husband would never be faithful. I had deluded myself for a long time that we were mates but the truth had finally become too bitter to ignore, that although he loved me I was never going to be enough.

I caught up with her in their suite where she lay, a crumpled heap on the floor in the bedroom, hugging herself tightly. She looked up when I appeared and I wondered if she would attack me, blame me for his death, but she just shook her head her expression one of hurt and betrayal.

"How could you Athena? Why didn't you tell me what he'd done? Why wait until now and throw him to the wolves? I'm sure he felt regret at what he had been forced to do by circumstance but it was for our good, to keep us safe."

"Safe? For how long? He made no effort to help find and rescue Marcus. He was relieved to think Marcus was dead, a problem solved and if he ever learned I was privy to his little secret don't you think I would have been murdered too? Aro was evil Sulpicia, but I am sorry to see you in such a state. I would have saved you all this pain if I could."

She got up stiffly, straightening her gown, and looked at me her face stony,

"Well, you have what you want now, a place on the new ruling council and rid of Caius. You must be very happy Athena. It's a shame that in order to get there you had to destroy everyone who trusted you. Now get out of my sight."

I left knowing the inevitability of what would come next and knowing there was nothing I could say or do that would change it. The scream when it came wasn't loud and cut off very quickly and as I entered their suite I saw Sulpicia's outline in flames as she joined her mate and just for a second, a fleeting beat of a hummingbird's wing, I thought I saw her smile and speak his name as if in greeting. I hoped for her sake that they would be reunited in death just as I hoped there was more for me in the future than the cold bitter memory of a man who never really loved me just as I discovered I had never really loved him, after all, I saw a future before me where Sulpicia could not.

Marcus

It was finally over, I had my revenge and Didyme could rest in peace knowing she had obtained justice. Whether I could continue knowing all that I did remained to be seen but I felt stronger, lighter as if a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders and this time it had nothing to do with Chelsea or Corin. I found myself becoming absorbed into the running of the Volturi and vowed it would be just and open as we had vowed when Aro, Caius, and myself formed it. Somehow over the centuries, we had lost our way and it had taken the shock of learning the truth and how little I meant to the man I had called brother for me to find my way again. I had good people around me and everything to play for, a new improved Volturi and a better relationship with the others who inhabited our world. I would contact Johnny H and see if we could renew our understanding and I would scour the countryside and capture as many of the trapped wolves as I could. The least we could do after Aro's treachery was to keep them safe and let them live out their remaining years far from the threat of the shotgun or snare. It wasn't enough, it would never be enough, but it was all I could feasibly do under the circumstances. It was my time now.

Jasper

I had been reluctant to take on a full-time role in the Volturi leadership but eventually, Bella and I agreed to sit on the council whenever there was something important to be discussed. All I wanted was to spend time alone with my beautiful mate, something we had been denied as this last crisis had come along so quickly after our wedding. Esme and Carlisle offered us the use of Isle Esme and we spent two glorious private months there before the others joined us unable to stay away from Bella any longer. She had become an integral part of the family now and I know she loved being a part of it.

We had been surprised when Carlisle agreed to join Marcus, Jane, Athenadora, and Felix on the new ruling committee but that was nothing to the shock I felt when Carlisle told us that Darius was also considering an offer.

"But he hates the Volturi."

"Did Jasper, with good reason but now he has justice I think he feels that he can ensure nothing like that ever happens again by being a part of it. Besides, he's been alone for far too long, he needs to feel a part of something and his hatred had been for Caius and Aro for allowing Caius to act as he did. Sara and Athena had been close friends and I think he feels closer to her around Athena. I also think if he didn't have something to keep his mind active he would join Sara and the world needs people like Darius, or at least our world does."

I was concerned that vampires around the world would see the new Volturi as soft and bring danger to our species and at first, I was proved right by some of the nomads who had been on the Volturi watch list but they soon found that the change of regime did not mean the laws would be enforced with any less vigor and after a few show trials things settled down again. The biggest difference was that the accused were not executed summarily but brought back to Volterra and tried by a jury of their peers so justice was seen to be done. We all knew that somewhere down the line another enemy would decide it was time to make a bid for power, the Romanians had been silent for far too long and there were others but we would be ready for any such attack, we were not such fools as to be caught napping again.

Johnny H sent word that the change of leadership would make no difference so long as the status quo was not threatened. In other words, the guardians would continue to watch and only act if our kind threatened the tribal lands or their people. I didn't think he wanted an all out war with us because the outcome was too close to call and if we destroyed them there would be no one standing between his people and annihilation at our hands.

Bella

My life had been one long struggle, first with my dad, then as a fugitive and finally as I entered Jasper's world but it had been worth it. For the first time, I felt truly free and alive, ironic as that may sound. I was safe and loved, a part of something that valued me as much as I valued it. I found my friends in Volterra every bit as loyal and loving as the Cullens and felt equally at home with either. Sometimes I wondered what might have happened if my dad hadn't been killed or if Jasper and the others hadn't been able to track me down after the accident. How would my life have turned out? Would I have been strong enough to build a new future for myself and become someone who would find a way to trust again? Would my future have held a husband and family? I knew Esme and Rosalie regretted that they would never have a family of their own, it was one of the reasons Carlisle had gathered together the individuals who formed the Cullen family but I doubted you could find a family more loyal and loving even in the human world. True Jasper and I would never have a child of our own but it was a small price to pay for eternal happiness with the man I loved more than life itself.

THE END.

Thanks to everyone who has gone along for the ride, we'll be back soon with a new story. Love Jules xx