( outfit in
previous chapter )

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chapter fourteen
power.

        Now.

Christina immediately grabbed onto Annie and placed her on Seth's back. He turned his big sandy head backward and gave her a confused look — but she didn't answer his silent question. She placed Greyson behind his sister and gave both of them a kiss on the head.

She turned to look at Seth with unshed venom in her eyes. She petted his face quickly. "Take care of my children."

He whined lowly but understood immediately.

Christina watched as Jacob and Seth took off into the trees, pushing past all the witnesses and other pack members. The mother gripped Carlisle's hand tightly as they disappeared into the trees — she could only hope to see them again after today.

"Follow them!" Caius shouted. Two guards immediately raced into the trees, making Christina's undead heart drop.

She trusted Jacob and Seth. They would protect the children with their life.

Christina's attention was brought back to Aro, as he was flung up into the air from Alice's kick to the chin. Aro turned halfway in the air, and landed on his feet, glaring towards Alice.

"Take her away," Aro ordered as two guards grabbed Alice's arms once again.

Christina snarled loudly as Alice got dragged into their line. She barely registered that Carlisle dropped her hand as he stepped forward with anger.

"Let her go!" Carlisle snarled before racing forward to help the pixie.

Edward grabbed Christina's arms before she was able to run off after her husband. She snarled and wiggled in his arms, but her eyes never left Carlisle's form.

He was quick to tear off heads and throw random vampires over his shoulder as he raced towards Aro. Both men jumped into the air and met in the middle. Their bodies clashed loudly, making a thunderous sound come over the field. They spun around each other before they landed — Aro on his feet, and Carlisle faced down in the snow.

Christina felt her whole body go numb as her ochre eyes landed on the decapitated head of her husband, clenched into Aro's left hand. She fell to her knees as pain erupted in her body — but it wasn't Jade's power that she felt. It was heartbreak.

It was the worst feeling that she's ever experienced. She's never felt so many emotions at one time. A scream ripped out of her throat — the pain and the anger escaping from her body at one time.

Carlisle. The man that got her to open up her heart once more, was dead from the hands of their enemy. He risked his life for his family, time and time again — and he deserved a better outcome. He deserved the family that he fought to build.

Caius didn't hesitate to set the rest of Carlisle's body on fire as a smirking Aro threw his head into the flames. Christina's eyes filled with unshed tears as she stared widely at Carlisle's eyes. The eyes that used to hold so many emotions. The same eyes that used to silently tell the brunette that he was happy — that he loved her.

Christina would never get to see them again. She would never get to hear him speak again — to say he loved her, to whisper sweet nothings in her ear late at night. She would never share another kiss, another hug — he was just gone.

And Christina was angry.

She snarled loudly, the sound ripping through the silent field, before getting up from her knees. Her eyes locked on the two leaders as she raced forward, setting off all the other family members and witnesses behind her.

The brunette was in a blind rage — she hardly paid any attention to the heads that she was tearing off from vampire's bodies. If her hands got a hold of a body part, it was instantly ripped and thrown over her shoulder.

Christina's eyes turned sharply as she heard yelling coming from the other end of the field. Jasper was fighting against a handful of guard members. As she raced towards him to help, Felix intercepted her way. Her lip curled over her teeth as she looked at the tall guard member.

They danced around each other, each trying to get the upper hand. It was Christina that got the final move, as she ripped his head clean off his shoulders and threw it far away from his body. The brunette paused in her movements as she looked to where Jasper was, just to see his body laying on the ground — headless.

The mother didn't have time to process another death in the family as she was tackled from the side by a few rogue vampires.

She tried wrestling from underneath them, trying to use what little newborn strength that she still had to gain the upper hand.

Benjamin let out a loud yell before throwing his fist into the ground. The earth shook underneath the battle's feet. The field split in the middle, separating it with a giant crack that led into the center of the earth.

Christina wiggled out from the grasp of a male vampire, but the female tackled her down again. The three of them got too close to the edge, and Christina could feel her back teetering. She took a deep breath before swinging her legs over her head and rolled backward. Both vampires that she was fighting fell into the depths below, as Christina gripped the side of the crack.

As she reached forward to climb up, a different vampire jumped on her back. She growled loudly as he tried to pull her backward.

Suddenly, the weight fell from her back as another growl sounded in her ear. She was quick to look behind her in surprise before looking down in sadness as she watched Leah fall into the crack. She let out a single sob as she pulled herself up into her knees.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, getting up to her feet once again. "Leah, thank you."

Christina whipped her head around, trying to find her sister in the crowd fighting around her. Her ochre eyes found Bella racing towards Aro, who was also running towards her. The mother growled loudly before also running towards Aro, feeling the pain of losing Carlisle all over again.

Christina paused in her running as Bella was pushed backward and thrown over her head. The mother quickly turned on her feet and ran towards Edward, who caught the brunette in midair.

"Bella!" Christina called as she came up next to them. "Grab on." She held out her hand, and Bella immediately grabbed onto it.

The mother swung Bella around three-hundred and sixty degrees before letting her go. She kicked Aro's shoulder, sending him off balance towards Edward and Christina. Aro wrapped his hand around Christina's neck, choking her as Edward pulled at his arm, trying to rip it out of his socket.

Bella growled as she jumped onto Aro's shoulders, and pulled at his head. The leader panicked and let Christina's neck go. The mother growled before kicking Aro's legs out from underneath him, making him fall harshly to the ground.

Edward helped Bella rip Aro's head clean off — and for once, since the battle started, Christina felt some sort of relief. She lit a match that was shoved in her pocket, smirking as she fell to her knees. She waved the match in front of Aro's eyes before throwing it into his long hair.

She sat back as she watched his remains catch on fire. The field had grown quiet, no one finding it in them to fight anymore — not while the Volturi had been finally destroyed.

Christina ignored all the cheers that happened around her. Some people celebrating that they were still alive and the empire had fallen. Christina rested her head on her knees as she watched the fire dance in front of her — the heartbreak from earlier reappearing tenfold.

She finally let out the sobs that she's been holding back since she watched Carlisle fall lifeless. It was painful — oh, so painful. Outliving two of her loves.

She's never felt such pain in her life.

Arms wrapped around her shoulders tightly, bringing her into a stone-cold chest.

Christina gripped tightly onto Emmett's shirt, letting out all the heartbreak that she felt from Carlisle's death. From Jasper's death. From Leah's death. Three people that deserved a better life than what they got — three people that deserved the chance to get that life. They were gone, and Christina was hurting.

"I'm sorry," Bella cried into Christina's other shoulder. "I'm so sorry."

Christina just cried harder. She couldn't breathe — not that she needed to. Nor did she want to. She didn't want to live in a world where Carlisle didn't exist. She couldn't imagine going through immortality without him by her side. There was still so much that he promised to show her. So much that they didn't get to do.

Christina would never heal from this.

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I'll just go...