Aro's voice was so comforting and affectionate, it took me in for a second. And then I heard Edward's teeth grind together and, far behind us, Maggie's outraged hiss at the lie.
"I wonder," Aro said thoughtfully, seeming unaware of the reaction to his previous words. His eyes moved unexpectedly to Jacob, and instead of the disgust the other Volturi viewed the giant wolf with, Aro's eyes were filled with a longing that I did not comprehend.
"It doesn't work that way," Edward said, the careful neutrality gone from his suddenly harsh tone.
"Just an errant thought," Aro said, appraising Jacob openly, and then his eyes moved slowly across the two lines of werewolves behind us. Whatever Renesmee had shown him, it made the wolves suddenly interesting to him.
"They don't belong to us, Aro. They don't follow our commands that way. They're here because they want to be."
Jacob growled menacingly.
"They seem quite attached to you, though," Aro said. "And your young mate and your... family. Loyal" His voice caressed the word softly.
"They're committed to protecting human life, Aro. That makes them able to coexist with us, but hardly with you. Unless you're rethinking your lifestyle."
Aro laughed merrily. "Just an errant thought," he repeated. "You well know how that is. We none of us can
entirely control our subconscious desires."
Edward grimaced. "I do know how that is. And I also know the difference between that kind of thought and the kind with a purpose behind it. It could never work, Aro."
Jacob's vast head turned in Edward's direction, and a faint whine slipped from between his teeth.
"He's intrigued with the idea of... guard dogs," Edward murmured back.
There was one second of dead silence, and then the sound of the furious snarls ripping from the entire pack filled the giant clearing.
There was a sharp bark of command - from Sam, I guessed, though I didn't turn to look - and the complaint broke off into ominous quiet.
"I suppose that answers that question," Aro said, laughing again. "This lot has picked its side."
Edward hissed and leaned forward. I clutched at his arm, wondering what could be in Aro's thoughts that would make him react so violently, while Felix and Demetri slipped into crouches in synchronization. Aro waved them off again. They all returned to their former posture, Edward included.
"So much to discuss," Aro said, his tone suddenly that of an inundated businessman. "So much to decide. If you and your furry protector will excuse me, my dear Cullens, I must confer with my brothers."
BOOK THREE: BELLA 37. CONTRIVANCES
Aro did not rejoin his anxious guard waiting on the north side of the clearing; instead, he waved them forward.
Edward started backing up immediately, pulling my arm and Emmett's. We hurried backward, keeping our eyes on the advancing threat. Jacob retreated slowest, the fur on his shoulders standing straight up as he bared his fangs at Aro. Renesmee grabbed the end of his tail as we retreated; she held it like a leash, forcing him to stay with us. We reached our family at the same time that the dark cloaks surrounded Aro again.
Now there were only fifty yards between them and us - a distance any of us could leap in just a fraction of a second.
Caius began arguing with Aro at once.
"How can you abide this infamy? Why do we stand here impotently in the face of such an outrageous crime, covered by such a ridiculous deception?" He held his arms rigidly at his sides, his hands curled into claws. I wondered why he did not just touch Aro to share his opinion. Were we seeing a division in their ranks already? Could we be that lucky?
"Because it's all true," Aro told him calmly. "Every word of it. See how many witnesses stand ready to give evidence that they have seen this miraculous child grow and mature in just the short time they've known her. That they have felt the warmth of the blood that pulses in her veins." Aro's gesture swept from Amun on one side across to Siobhan on the other.
Caius reacted oddly to Aro's soothing words, starting ever so slightly at the mention of witnesses. The anger drained from his features, replaced by a cold calculation. He glanced at the Volturi witnesses with an expression that looked vaguely... nervous.
I glanced at the angry mob, too, and saw immediately that the description no longer applied. The frenzy for action had turned to confusion. Whispered conversations seethed through the crowd as they tried to