Forever or Never?

I walked up to the group of wolves and touched Quil’s flank. His big head turned to look at me. He stepped aside and let me into the circle.
“Disperse. We’ve got it. Jake, go to my house.” I told the Alpha. I turned to face Alec and Demetri. “We are going back to my house. You, Jake, Carlisle, Catie, Jordan, and I will be the only ones there. We are compromising. Carlisle, “I turned to face the doctor, “I’ll get Catie and Jordan. Will you get them back to my place?” Carlisle nodded and ran off the reservation with Alec and Demetri behind him. I ran back to Sam and Emily’s and walked through the front door.
“What now?” Catie asked harshly.
“You and Jordan and coming with me. Alice and Eleazar go back to the Cullens’.” I told the group sitting in the living room. “Alice, don’t say a word. Jordan, you have to shield Catie’s mind. Demetri can’t get the tenor of her mind or he’ll be able to track her forever. Can you shield her?” I asked quickly.
“I can, but I have to be able to touch her.” Jordan said quietly, intertwining his fingers with Catie.
“Fine. We need to go though.” They nodded and Catie hopped onto Jordan’s back as he stood up. We ran out the door and through the forest as fast as we could. Catie jumped off Jordan’s back as we stopped in my front yard. Their fingers weaved together as they walked toward the house. I grabbed the doorknob gently and took a deep breath before going in. I looked back and Jordan nodded that he was ready. I opened the door slowly and walked into my living room. Catie and Jordan sat on the black leather love seat as Alec’s eyes followed their linked hands.
“Where do we start?” Jake asked impatiently.
“How about with why are you here?” Demetri threw at Jacob, who glared back.
“Jacob is here because he is the pack Alpha. And Catie is part of the tribe. She was adopted by Quil and Claire.” I informed them.
“And why do you care so much about an adopted tribe member?” Alec shot at me accusingly.
“Because. Do I need a better reason than she’s a friend?”
“Maybe. But you’re too close to her for that to be the case.”
“We’re just really close friends. More like sisters.” Catie spoke up.
“Fine. I guess we have to accept that. We don’t have a choice.” Alec stated.
“This is about compromise.” Carlisle reminded everyone judiciously.
“Right. We get Catie and her secrets and you go home back to Volterra with the happy news that at least she’s still alive.” I offered.
“Ah, but she knows too much for that to be the fair compromise. We at least need a promise that she will be turned.” Demetri said.
“Fair enough. You have my word. Catie will be one of us before her next birthday.” I looked Alec straight in the eye as I gave my word.
“Thank you, then. Your word means something to Aro. Not to me. But Aro is obviously the important one making the overall decision. You know your word doesn’t mean anything to me.” Alec’s words cut me in a way I wished they wouldn’t have. I knew he was right, though. I knew what promise I had broken to him. I smiled at him.
“You know I’m sorry about what happened to you and your sister. I wouldn’t have told Aro if it had been my choice. Just like it’s my choice that he isn’t going to know what Catie will be. Just tell him to be warned. I hadn’t found a normal frame of mind yet when Eleazar and I found you.” I apologized.
“Right.” Alec smirked.
“Alec, believe me, please. It wasn’t my choice. It was always just report to Aro and that’s all I could do. There wasn’t a way to save you. And when he gave me the specific task of saving you and your sister from the flames, I couldn’t lie to him. He’d know instantly that I was lying. I couldn’t just let you die. Aro would have killed me.” I tried to explain to the young looking vampire in front of me. “And your sister rather likes her power, as I understand it.”
“Oh, yes, she does, doesn’t she? And I enjoy mine, too.” He smiled evilly. I sighed and shook my head.
“What will it take you to believe me?”
“Nothing. Because I will never believe you. And I will never forgive you.” Alec said. He stood up straight and shook Carlisle’s hand and then mine. “Our work is done for now, but we will be back. We’ll have more with us then. You should turn Catie as soon as possible. Before the consequences are enforced of a human knowing about us.” Alec warned as Demetri shook my hand and walked out the door.
“Were you able to keep her mind protected from Demetri?” I turned to face Jordan.
“Yeah. I could tell he was prodding, and made it stronger. I had her completely surrounded.” He told me proudly.
“What does that mean?” Catie asked quietly from under Jordan’s protective arm.
“Jordan, don’t let go yet, he still may be close enough to pick it up.” I warned, thinking that maybe they had stopped to see if we would make that simple mistake.
“Who, Aunt Mateja? Who? Tell me please.” Cat stood up and pulled Jordan’s arm with her. He pulled her back onto his lap and tried to shush her. “No, Jordan. Don’t shush me. I need to know.”
“Catie, quiet, please. Demetri, the bigger one, he’s talented. His talent is to catch the tenor of someone’s mind and then be able to track them. He was added around the same time Alec and Jane were. He only met me once before I left Volterra for the last time. So I was one of the first tenors he encountered. That’s how the Volturi’s been able to keep track of me. The way his powers work he can tell how far North or South and how far East and West a certain vampire is from his location. It basically gives him the coordinates of someone.”
“Oh. What now?” Catie asked.
“Now we wait, Catie.” Carlisle said. “We wait for Brooke and her family to get here, we wait for the chance to change you without suspicion, and we wait to hear word of when the Volturi will be back.”