OK LOVLIES SORRY THIS TOOK SOOOO LONG BUT IT IS HERE FINALLY! READ and REVIEW PLEASE! lOVE HEARING ALL YOUR FEEDBACK! METRI AND BELLA XOX

Chapter 24

DPOV

I didn't want to leave Bella, but I made a promise to Carlisle that I would help in finding Esme. I stood there up in my room gathering a few things to take with me, I didn't know how long I would be away for. I heard our front door shut and that meant that Bella had gone to follow Jacob. Something I said had upset Jacob and that was never my intention, I know how happy he makes Bella and it's true that I hadn't seen her smile like that in quite a while. I just don't understand why he hates me. Shaking my head I realised it was because Bella was mine. Jacob always wanted Bella, well not always, he had imprinted on Ren but now that she was gone, I didn't know what was going to happen, how he was going to act around Bella. They are best friends and I'm not going to be compared to Edward and keep Bella from seeing him. Was this all my fault? The turn of events, was I to blame? Right now I had a job to do. Carlisle as well as the rest of the family were all counting on me to bring Esme home. Quickly I packed a few of my belongings into a small duffle and hung it over my shoulder. I grabbed my phone and keys and put them in my pants pocket. As soon as I figured out what I was doing, or where I was going I would let Bella know. I ran down the stairs and headed out the front door and locked it behind me. I looked up and it began to get dark, hopefully Bella would be home soon.

The sun was beginning to set and I headed toward the Cullen mansion. Once there it would be easier to take off after Esme. Carlisle mentioned that he followed her to the Canadian border and then she just disappeared. This was strange, especially since Carlisle and Esme had been together for so long that he could just loose her scent. Something was seriously wrong. When I arrived at the mansion I noticed that no one was home, which actually suited me quite well, I needed to concentrate and didn't need an excuse to be away from home any longer than needed. I gathered my things as I left the car in the garage and wandered over to the edge of the woods. Carlisle had given me a blouse of Esme's that I could use to track her down. I don't specifically need a scent to track a person down, once I am locked on to their thoughts, I can find them anywhere. The sun had finally set which would make moving around a lot easier. I would do most of the searching during the night as to keep inconspicuous. The deeper into the woods I walked the more sounds and scents came rushing to me. I stopped to concentrate, shut my eyes and let my mind wander. The cars from the highway nearby, the sounds of the various wildlife, these were all small distractions in my search. I stood in one spot, not moving and fell into a sort of a trance state. My head rolled back and I blocked out all of the noises from the surrounding area. Almost instantly I could tell that Esme was no longer in Forks. As I delved deeper into her mind I came to the realisation that she wasn't even close. I opened my eyes and lets out an exasperated breath. Esme wasn't even in the country. I took out my phone and dialled Carlisles number.

"Yes Demetri?" Carlisle answered so fast as if he was waiting for my call. "Have you found out anything?" He asked.

"Carlisle, I'm afraid Esme is no longer in the country" I began, "I have been led to believe she is in Italy. Volterra to be exact" I sighed. This meant I had to go back to retrieve Esme. There was silence.

"Carlisle? Are you there?" I asked.

"Sorry Demetri, yes I am. Volterra you say. You are going to go get her aren't you? I will accompany you if you wish" Carlisle said sounding a little worried.

"I will go and alone is fine." As much as the thought of going back to Volterra kills me, this is something that I have to do. "You have to stay here with the family, they still need you. I will leave immediately."

"Thank you my son." Carlisle said in a whisper as he hung up the phone. He had never called me 'son' before and I didn't know what to make of it. Before I left I would call Bella just to assure her that everything will be ok and I'll be back soon. I walked back to my car and hopped in and headed to the airport. I dialled Bella's number and there was no answer. She must have left her phone at home, I thought to myself. I called again and still no answer. The phone went to voicemail so I decided to leave a message.

'Babe. I have found Esme, she is in Volterra which means I will not be home for a few more days. Take care my love and I will call you again when I know anything else. I love you Bella and will be home to you soon'

I put my phone away as I drove towards the airport.

I arrived at the airport and parked my car and made my way to get a ticket. As I walked inside I was pounced on and hugged. I didn't see until I turned around.

"Jane" I smiled at her. "I hadn't seen you around the mansion for a little while. What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Demetri, I'm not letting you go back to Volterra on your own! Do you have a death wish? You know they will kill you when they see you. I've heard them speak, when you first left they were furious."

"Jane, Aro is dead, they have no leader anymore. They are lost without him." I smirked.

"I know that but don't you think it strange that Esme is in Volterra? It doesn't seem like a lure just to get you there? They must have known that Carlisle would send you to look for her and Volterra is the only place where they seem safe. I'm not letting you go alone end of discussion." She said sternly and mock punched me in the arm.

"Fine Jane, you can come" I said to her while chuckling to myself. You didn't want to mess with Jane.

I walked to the counter and got two tickets to Italy. I walked back to Jane and for some reason everyone was staring at me. I looked around and got back to Jane and she was laughing at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Everyone's staring Demetri" was all she said. I shrugged and we both walked to our terminal and waited for the plane to get there.

Most of the flight was spent in silence and only occasionally would Jane speak. When we did speak it was mainly us trying to figure out a way to get Esme back. She didn't want to go against the Volturi but she had broken the rules and she was no longer welcome back there either. She was on our side, she would do anything in her power to help us. Once we touched down at the airport, Jane immediately went to find a cab, or even a car of our own that we could use. I waited at the front for Jane to come and she eventually drove around in a small, beat up looking Mitsubishi. I laughed as she stopped next to me and I hopped in the car.

"Umm, nice choice Jane" I said while chuckling.

"It was all they had ok, geez we can't all drive luxury cars Demetri" she said, smiling. She looked at me and looked at the road and took off, heading towards Volterra

We drove along the all too familiar winding road, up to Volterra. Esme was definately here, I could feel her, much stronger than when I was in Forks. I closed my eyes and thought of Bella. I hoped she was ok. She hadn't returned any of my calls but I guess that was just because she knew I was busy. I took out my phone and looked at it, just in case I missed a call or at the least a text, nothing. I sighed as I put my phone away and Jane looked at me and then back to the road as we entered Volterra.

Jane had parked the car a little distance away from the castle, we both hopped out of the car and pulled on some robes. It was the middle of the day, we didn't want to draw attention to ourselves. Without a doubt, Esme was definitely here. Jane and I entered the castle and continued through the dark, gloomy halls. The place had a different feel to it. It was an eerie, almost abandoned feeling. With Aro being gone, I suppose everyone felt lost, like they didn't know now what to do with themselves. Marcus and Caius were always there with Aro but ultimately he was the one who had made the decisions. Now I was left wondering whether anyone had replaced him as sole leader to the Volturi. I began to walk faster through the halls, Jane was next to me almost at a jog. I looked left and right, looking into all the empty rooms and not a single person was in sight. Jane touched my arm and pointed down the opposite direction. I followed her and realised where everyone was. I was with the Volturi for a very long time, they were very strict and obviously this hadn't changed. It was feeding time. Everyone would be gathered in the main hall, but where was Esme? Jane and I stood on the outside of the main doors, I looked at her and she looked back at me and nodded. Jane opened the doors and we walked into a bloodbath. A low rumbling growl erupted from the room and there was not one pair of eyes that weren't locked onto me and Jane. Then I saw her. Esme, but it wasn't the Esme I remembered. She had the body of a small child in her hands and she was sucking the life out of him. I looked at her confused and she looked back into my eyes. Not the loving, motherly look I knew, but a bloodthirsty monster. What had happened? I looked around the room and saw Caius and Marcus up in their thrones and Aro's was left empty. Maybe no one had taken his position. We stood there for a few moments before Marcus raised his hand and the growling and bone breaking crunching noises ceased. I could feel the eyes piercing into me, the looks of the people who I had considered my family, were full of hate and most of all sorrow. I walked into the middle of the bloodstained room and looked to Marcus and Caius.

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