Aro, being a vampire so old and...well, the better term was ancient. He could safely say he thought himself an exceedingly patient man. He thought he was wise and fair to those who had done no wrong, cruel where it was justified. Perhaps he was rather malicious and perhaps he did truly enjoy that darker part of himself that craved to hurt those who deserved it...and even those who didn't...but that comes with the job and was just a part of being what he was. No matter how saintly some liked to portray themselves, the urge to hurt and the enjoyment that came with it lived inside all of their race. It was just their nature.

Through all of his bad qualities, he knew the one thing he admired about himself was his patience. The patience he exercised to put up with Caius's unrelenting anger and irrational impulses day in and day out, despite how tiring it was. The patience that had allowed him to be there for his poor brother Marcus when he had been an unfeeling, unmoving husk of a man. It was only that patience that had let him be supportive when he secretly had just wanted to throttle sense back into him. The patience that allowed him to keep that vermin, Joshua alive so that when he was ready to show her, Nora could have her sweet revenge.

Yes, in his opinion it was the one good quality he possessed through all of his many unsavory ones. Which was why he absolutely loathed that it had run thin on this particular day. He was ashamed that he had let this happen.

Now, he stood back, watching the chaos he had started unfold silently.

His lips pulled back into a disgusted sneer when a severed finger rolled to brush against his shoe. With a roll of his eyes he carelessly kicked the appendage away, refocusing on the absolute bloodbath happening around him and how it had come to fruition.

He hadn't meant for this to happen, he had wanted to wait for Nora to return. He had been determined they were going to. But the profane, unprincipled monster in him craved access to Edward's mind and the secrets it withheld–it couldn't be helped, regardless of his best efforts. It was his gift...his curse, that made him almost unable to go minutes without rooting around in others minds.

That need he had suppressed was only further encouraged by Edward's sketchy behavior, a clear tell he had something he did not want Aro to wheedle out. Aro had tried and tried and had successfully, admirably defied the monster in him. He had been relieved that in the end it wasn't that monster that made him do this.

It was Marcus, his silent and moody brother, who was the eventual cause.

Aro had noticed, as they waited with worry for Nora and Demitri to return under the ineffective death glares from the Cullen family, the way his brother's eyes had taken on a far away look. It was an obvious sign he was using his gift and Aro was left to wonder what had made him do it. He could only logically guess that Marcus had been trying to see if Nora was getting any closer. The bonds, as he had been lucky enough to see through his brother's mind, would flare and brighten to a startling gold if that was the case.

While it was odd his brother had chosen then of all times to use his gift, since he rarely took joy in using it at all, it was the surprised and disgusted expression on Marcus's face as he came out of his bond sight and looked at Edward that made Aro make up his mind in the end.

Catching Marcus's eye, his brother had nodded at Edward who had been released for now, hovering anxiously near his family and mumbling something desperately to Bella who was oddly not looking at him or paying him any attention.

Marcus had muttered something so quietly in the lost language of their home, only the ancient ones in the room could understand and hear him.

"You need to look. Now."

That was all the encouragement Aro had needed, for he knew Marcus of all people would have waited stubbornly for Nora. Whatever he had seen, it was clearly enough to override that strong–willed resolve. It led Aro to believe things were soon going to take a dire turn.

Caius of his own accord had violently grabbed Edward by the shoulders, keeping him still just long enough for Aro to touch his hand briefly, ignoring the Cullens as they fussed and caused a ruckus over the abrupt call to action.

What Aro saw had left him...both equal parts disturbed and mesmerized.

Edwards mind was like no one else's, human and vampire alike, that Aro had come across before in his long lifetime. He had seen inside the boy's mind only once before this, months ago now, but he was awed to find that he would never grow tired of it. So refreshingly bleak, so full of hatred for himself and his race, so full of disdain for what was bound to happen and become of his dear Bella thanks to he and his brothers verdict.

In spite of having seen and heard it all already, it was still so shocking that one could be so macabre. Never had Aro come across a vampire who seemed to utterly hate themselves as much as Edward Cullen did. Not even his old friend Carlisle, who had become the very thing he had hunted all of his human life before his change, had despised himself quite as much.

No, Edwards mind was filled with thoughts of damnation and sin, of despair and fear for his darling Bella who was soon to lose her soul when she joined him in immortality, despite how much Edward schemed ways to himself to prevent it. That was what was perhaps the most interesting thing to Aro...this idea the boy had that he lacked a soul, it was humorous and to a point, ridiculous. Aro mused to himself as he flickered through thought after thought, that their minds in some aspects at one point in time had been so much alike.

He had thought for many millennia that vampires were soulless monsters. How could he, or his brothers, possess souls when they only appeared to exist on this Earthly plain to cause torment and pain? When they felt no remorse for each life they took and ruined, no regret over how many were slaughtered for them to gain their power, no guilt for the misery they inflicted to keep their world safe. He had thought for years that his soul was lost, gone for eternity. Or if there was a possibility he did have one, his many heinous misdeeds had stained it black beyond repair. For most of his immortal life, he had been convinced of this.

Until Nora came along, that is.

She had been a blessing, a shining beacon of hope to three creatures so old and so hopeless as they were becoming in their complacency with life, with all it had to offer.

She, in all of her grace and kindness, in all of her sarcastic and daring nature and will to love so selflessly; she had shown them what it was like to feel again. Every joyful twist and trying turn through their relationship had given way to feelings and wants that proved to Aro his soul was still within him somewhere...buried deep beneath years of stagnancy and boredom that inevitably came with vampirism. Slowly, she was coaxing it out of him and he loved her for it, as did his brothers.

That was the only similarity between Edward and Aro; he came to that conclusion the longer he had traipsed his way through the boy's mind–and there was a lot to get through. As he worked his way through all of the boy's pretentious and self righteous drivel, he had made a truly alarming discovery. A discovery that left him utterly aghast.

Poor Isabella was not Edward's mate.

Aro had been given no time in his shock to share his discovery with an eager and awaiting Caius, for using his own ability, Edward had seen the exact moment Aro had stumbled across that very revelation he had feared would come to light...and it had made him mad, wild with terrified fury.

He had ripped his hand from Aro's fiercely, face contorted in rage. With some sudden enigma of strength that had come from nowhere, Edward managed to push Caius off of him and to the shock of every vampire in the room, he went running straight at Aro with murderous intent. The raven haired king stumbled back, looking into Edward's dead, soulless eyes with no fear.

Aro, who was older and faster and stronger in every way, had simply stepped to the side with a blank expression and a calculated tilt of his head. He moved so quickly Edward had no time to react or slow down. With insanely precise, swift movements nearly invisible to the eye, Aro had wrapped his hand around Edwards neck, forcing him to his knees so quickly it was as if it had all happened in a millisecond.

Without any further invocation, Aro had torn off the boy's arms that had been seeking to do the same to his head with a satisfying and sickening rip, a truly joyful smile painted across his face as he dropped the limp limbs from his hands and watched Edward's venom spill over the white tiled floor. The boy had convulsed at the excruciating pain, his mouth open in a silent scream.

That simple act had been all the provocation Emmett needed to jump into action. With a feral and enraged roar he had headed straight for Aro who stayed stock still, the giant of a man only becoming angrier when Marcus intervened and stepped into his path.

Rosalie followed behind her mate, rushing towards a grinning Caius whose eyes were practically shining with delirious happiness as his wish was finally granted, his body falling into a defensive stance that was second nature to him.

So here Aro stood, watching as his snowy haired brother laughed with glee and tore another of Rosalie's perfectly manicured fingers from her hand just for the fun of it, the blonde woman screeching in pain and trying to free her arm from his crushing hands. Emmett, hearing her cries was distracted long enough for Marcus, who had been holding him back, to sweep his legs from under him and pin him to the floor under his boot. He held him there as if it were taking him no effort at all–that same intolerably bored expression on his face and his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans.

The rest of the Cullen family were grouped together in front of Bella, being kept from intervening by a grinning Felix. Bella, surprisingly, only stared at the desolation numbly and without any emotion at all.

The same could not be said for the Cullens. Their horrified stares bounced from Rosalie, who had just lost half an arm to Caius who held it proudly in his hands and marveled at it like it was some sort of prize, to Emmett who struggled under Marcus's foot that was pressed disarmingly against his throat, cracks appearing and spreading so deeply along his skin it was a wonder his head was still attached.

Lastly they looked at Edward who was cowering on the floor, his arms lay around him as he writhed in a pool of his own venom, the silvery liquid dirtying his clothes. He was wailing...screaming, the sound ear shatteringly loud and grim and nowhere close to sounding human. It was pitiful for his family to watch him as he sobbed tearless cries of agony, turning his face away from what had been done to him.

Carlisle prayed as he watched Rosalie be thrown back, her body creating a severe crack in the wall before she hauled herself up and ran with boundless fury back at a waiting, unhinged Caius whose grin was petrifying enough to fuel nightmares.

He prayed as he watched his oldest friend stare with detached scarlet eyes at the mess he had created, doing nothing to stop or prevent his brothers as they attempted to kill his children.

Carlisle prayed that Nora would appear like a heavenly angel, so she could save them from the three Devils who sought their demise.

Cool air rushed in through the open windows of the car that sped down the deserted road of Forks, an angry female voice piercing the quietness of the night, the driver blissfully ignorant of the carnage she was quickly approaching,

"I swear, when I get my hands on Edward Cullen I'm gonna fuck him up! I don't care if he's a vampire, I'll find a way."

Demitri listened with interest and humor, entertained at his queen's raving. Shifting to get more comfortable in the stiff passenger seat of her car, he subtly side-eyed Nora with a degree of concern when she continued to drive like an absolute psychopath, her eyes hardly ever looking at the road. He didn't share this concern with her, not when she was so...manic. She was acting unpredictably.

Hands clenching the wheel, Nora's head spun as they continued to travel through the creepy blackness, down road after road that seemed to stretch on forever. It was only when she looked at the clock on her dashboard and noticed they'd been driving for about 20 minutes did she realize she had seriously fucked up. If it wasn't for Demitri, she'd be out in those woods still, probably having gotten attacked by some wild animal by now with how reckless she was being.

"Turn right up here, Nora." Demitri's quiet voice snapped her out of it when he gave her another instruction and sure enough, there was a new stretch of road leading them closer to the Cullen home.

Sighing, she threw him a half smile. "Thanks, Dem."

He smiled tightly in return, his red eyes reflecting his worry for her that he was trying not to make too obvious. He knew how much it annoyed her when people nagged about her wellbeing. "You were saying?"

Steered back on her angry ranting, her hands squeezed even tighter around the wheel to the point her fingers ached. "I just...I know my sister, Demitri. I know that the words that were coming out of her mouth were not her own, I'd have to be a pretty shitty sister not to notice. I really just...don't understand Edward. I don't get why he would be trying to make Bella hate me or my dad, which is what I am assuming he's trying to do if the way she's been behaving lately is any clue."

"It is rather strange," Demitri agreed, thinking to himself about all of the possibilities for the oldest Cullens actions against his queen's sister. "You're right, I don't think he'd just be manipulating her for fun. He has to have a motive, a reason."

"Exactly!" Nora perhaps got a bit too excited, because the car swiveled and veered to the left as she turned to grin at him excitedly. "Oh–shit! Sorry, sorry." She swerved the car back in the right lane, snorting when she glanced at Demitri to see him plastered against the door with the widest eyes she had ever seen, his nails digging into the cushioned car seat below him.

"Look at you being all dramatic. Relax, Casanova. It's not like you can even die if we crash. You're indestructible, remember?" She mocked, trying to find some humor in this otherwise depressing situation they were all in.

"I know that." He sniped and dismissed her sarcasm, still staying in his rigid position against the door like that would help him at all, refusing to move. "But you still can, thanks to your tiresome mortality that makes you as delicate as a fucking flower. Do you think I want to be ripped to pieces by the Kings? I can assure you that's what will happen if you perish in a fiery car crash when I'm supposed to be keeping you safe!"

Giggling at his exaggeration, her good mood left her and she became somber as a pang of longing hit her, making her heart feel like it was physically aching.

"Are they, um...all doing alright? I–who am I kidding? Of course they're not." She groused in humiliation, raising a hand off the wheel to bite at her nails. "God, I can't believe I just ran off like that without telling them. They're probably worried sick."

"Worried? Caius was ready to uproot the whole of Forks to find you and Marcus, well he was dead set on coming with me. You can thank Aro for making the both of them back off to give you your space." Her heart swelled with warmth for them all, but especially for Aro. He was always so considerate of her feelings.

"I can't imagine that was an easy task."

He shook his head, amused at her understatement of the century. "It certainly wasn't. He was still battling against their relentless arguing when I left and–ah fuck!" She jumped at his random cursing and watched from the corner of her eye as he turned to look behind them with an annoyed grumble. "We missed the road to their house."

Chuckling, she shook her head and shrugged in a secretive and carefree manner. "Don't sweat it, I'll just turn us around."

Grinning evilly at him, she yanked the wheel to the left and did a very speedy U-turn, the beat up tires of her car screeching against the tarmac of the road. She laughed in exhilaration when they stopped for a moment, shifting the gears so she could turn, speeding down the road leading to the Cullen house. Her laugh turned into a cackle at Demitri's panicked expression and unnecessary gasping–he looked like he was about to throw up. It was hilarious.

"Jesus Chr–Nora! For fuck's sake, can't you just behave and not make my job anymore difficult then it has to be?!" He yelled, thankful when she screeched to a stop in the annoying family's driveway.

She was here. She was safe...somehow. Maybe he would start to believe in miracles again after this.

"No can do, my friend...and I'm not even sorry, look how quickly we got here because I didn't 'behave.'" She winked at him, giggling when he simply scowled at her and shook his head, too scared for his life should something have happened to her to respond. They both exited the car and Nora rushed to get inside as the wind whipped her hair around her face and made her bruises and scrapes sting. It was fucking freezing.

Demitri, being a gentleman, opened the door for her and held back a grin when she tapped him teasingly on the cheek with her hand in gratitude. They both paused as soon as they entered and shared the exact same look of confusion with one another when they could hear crashing and banging coming from upstairs.

Demitri's expression fell into one of shocked realization as he looked at the ceiling, listening to the commotion. He went to grab her to keep her out of harm's way, but he blanched when he saw he was a second too late. She was already rushing up the stairs.

"No! Nora, wait!" He called after her and sped to catch up using his enhanced speed, just appearing behind her at the top of the stairs in time to see her scream lowly and duck as something flew and hit the wall just above her head.

It fell onto the step before her with a dull and heavy thud; as they both looked down to examine it she gasped shrilly, gagging in disgust and whipping around to face him with her eyes screwed shut. He gripped her biceps and pulled her closer to his chest, shielding her sight from the severed arm of a woman that lay grotesquely on the step, venom oozing down the white stairs.

Helping her, he whispered for her to keep her eyes closed and aided her in stepping over it, standing behind her as they made it to the top of the stairs and faced the living room.

Nora's mouth hung open when she opened her eyes, entirely flabbergasted and horrified as she took in the sight happening in front of her. What...what the hell had gone on while she had been gone?!

She gagged again as she watched her sister's gaslighting, piece of shit boyfriend crawl around pitifully on the floor in a pool of what looked like water? Though it was...thick and smelt absolutely acrid. The rancid chemical smell burnt her nostrils when she breathed in.

Nora blinked dumbly and felt her heart drop into her stomach as she watched him wiggle the stumps where his arms used to be, trying to drag them along the floor. It did nothing to help him move and she felt even more nauseated when he bumped into one of those arms, laying right next to him on the floor.

"Holy fucking shit..."

Demitri tried to keep her back, his hands on her shaking shoulders. She ignored his light hold and shrugged him off, bile rising in her throat when she stepped forward to question what the actual fuck was occurring.

Something...something had just crunched sickeningly under the heel of her boot.

Lifting her foot hesitantly, Nora almost didn't want to look down. She very nearly threw up right then and there when she finally looked and noted with dread what lay under her boot. A finger. A fucking finger.

Swallowing the salty spit in her mouth she looked forward once more and could only gape helplessly at the situation they'd come back to. The only one taking notice of her arrival was her empty faced sister; whose eyes seemed to gain some remnant of life back into them as she looked at an appalled Nora over Esme's shoulder. Alice, Jasper and Carlisle stood protectively in front of her, though Nora knew it was for nothing. Her mates would never hurt her sister, they just wouldn't. Not unless they wanted to incur her wrath.

Aro was not far from her, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched it all unfold. She stared at his muscular back incredulously but...she found wasn't angry–disgusted and sickened to her core, yes...but not angry. She knew whatever had happened, her mates wouldn't have been the ones to start this.

Felix was easily keeping the rest of the Cullens docile and Nora was sure they wouldn't try anything considering how unsuccessful the three who had obviously attempted an attack had come out of the conflict. Aro's inaction was making a little bit more sense now, but she also wagered he had somehow already been involved and just wanted to enjoy the show. That same silvery liquid Edward was pathetically slipping and rolling around in was staining the expensive sleeves of his suit, a dead giveaway.

Regaining her composure, Nora shook off how traumatised and stunned she was feeling. She realized she was going to have to yell to be heard over the fucking racket echoing in the living room. She'd already had enough of this and she'd only just got here!

The screeching of a flailing Rosalie was the loudest, and Nora's skin paled a concerning white at the anguish she could detect in the woman's voice, her pretty face distorted. She was missing too many limbs for Nora to count in her baffled state and was being restrained by Caius, his arm locked around her throat and her body pressed suffocatingly against his chest. He looked far too happy at the destruction he was causing. He was like a kid on Christmas getting to open his presents early, the sparkle in his eyes and the genuinely delighted smile on his face disturbingly innocent given what he was doing.

Then there were the wheezing, raspy grunts coming from Emmett on the floor, Marcus's heavy boot pulverizing his throat. The curly haired man towering over him didn't move an inch other than to lift his foot for a split second, stomping the hulking man back into the floor, creating a larger indent so deep it was more like a crater. Marcus was so relaxed while doing it that it was as if he was just standing having a normal conversation or doing some mundane everyday task, like he wasn't doing something that should be strenuous on him.

This–this was madness. Complete and utter madness! She couldn't let it go on.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Her voice, surprisingly loud and forceful, effectively halted the lunacy. Just like that...everything stopped. The room was filled with silence that somehow was too loud.

Unknowingly Nora had become that angel, answering Carlisle's silent plea's.

A/N
Hey! Sorry it took me so long to get this out. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I've been really sick, but I'm doing a little better now. Anyway, I kind of made up my own law about the venom, so if you are slightly confused then...I don't really care😂🤷🏻‍♀️ please vote, comment and follow! It's all appreciated!
Ciao!