Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Air filled my lungs as I revelled in the purity of the world around me.

Above me, clouds as white as snow were suspended in a sea of ocean blue. The view might as well have flown off of the pages in a children's book. The breeze weaved itself through my hair and tickled my cheek and I let my head slowly fall back. It was idyllic and I had never appreciated it until today.

Around me, an ancient building rose up from the earth on four sides. Built from bricks and spotted with lovely vines of ivy, it was almost as grand as a castle. The sky met the steeple, the highest point of the building which was designated with a cross placed in the same way as with an angel on a Christmas tree. Below it was the clocktower with a bell that chimed loud enough to induce a migraine.

The cloister hallways that surrounded me would echo with every step and an archway in the middle of each of the four walls granted access to the gravel path where I was sat. The path was surrounded by the greenest grass you've ever seen, always perfectly cut and it had never been walked on. Which made it all the more tempting to do so.

I was in the center of the courtyard — a garden designed to be a 3 foot tall maze of flowers took up most of the open area. The colours that made it up could give the rainbow a run for its' money. Between the lavender, the roses, and the dashes of other attractive flowers that I did not know the names of, the senses were so overwhelmed that they eventually evened out to become somewhat subtle. I hardly noticed it anymore.

Though it wasn't a particularly complicated maze, my younger self would attempt to zoom through it as if racing an invisible playmate. My goal was always to reach the middle, where a stature of Mother Mary rested. For some reason, I found comfort in sitting and looking up at her. Perhaps, because I'd never known my own mother and wasn't Mary supposed to be everyone's mum?

I'd never bought into religion much, despite being raised half my life by a faction of nuns. I had tried, really I had, but the fantasies in my head provided me more structure and satisfaction. The nuns never pushed belief on me and I think I'd be more devout if I had been introduced to religion as a child than as a pre-teen. Still, I followed the daily schedules and attended mass and prayer (most of the time). It was a part of my life and while my life was lovely, it wasn't enough.

I still had Mary and she was there whether I believed in her son or not. The first time I found her I was crying and alone. When I had discovered her in the middle of the maze, I'd been so struck with fascination that I had stumbled into the flower beds behind me. Rose bushes.

The nuns found me a few minutes later, where I was still staring up at her with thorns in my hands from trying to catch my fall. One or two in my shoulder and my legs. They fretted over me and tried to carefully pluck them out when they noticed that I had no reaction to the feeling.

It was called CIP - congenital insensitivity to pain.

My entire life, I'd lived without ever experiencing physical pain. Which is great — in theory. In practice, however, dangerous and literally, scarring. When I was three, I ended up with third degree burns after leaving my hands on a stovetop without ever realising that I was burning the skin off of my hands. I wasn't clumsy, it was just that bumps and bruises were almost as natural as meal times for me.

To put it into perspective for you, here's an example. The part of your brain that rationally reminds you to not punch a wall because it would hurt does not exist for me. If you did punch a wall hard enough, you'd get bruises, maybe blood on your knuckles if you were angry or strong enough. But, you would feel it because it would hurt. Maybe you wouldn't be able to write with that hand for a bit or brushing it against your bedsheets would make it sting.

That pain wouldn't register in my brain. I could keep punching the wall until I broke every bone in my hand and I wouldn't feel a thing. To be completely straight with you, the life expectancy for people like me wasn't particularly high due to the accumulation of health issues and injuries. Still, there were benefits.

Before leaving me at the abbey, I'd traveled the world with my father. He was a brilliant man, with the brazen and charming contradictions of a showman and a pattern of opportunistic behaviour. My father was a notoriously avaricious cannibal — a con man, who cleverly used my condition to his advantage.

When I was growing up, we'd create cons centred around my inability to feel pain, finding guilt and pity to be excellent motivators to throw half your salary at a stranger.

There was an awful lot of risk involved for me, despite my condition, as traditional cons such as "The Flop", involved stepping in front of a car and exaggerating what was really usually only a minor hit. My youth meant less hesitation on the target's part and typically more money. For those that were reluctant and insisted on calling an ambulance, my medical history included an extensive list of injuries that helped rake in the insurance money.

Since I couldn't feel the pain from being bumped by a car, we were able to take steps to make it more believable and I'd just be fixed up by the docs. Was it reckless? Absolutely. Did it work? 78% of the time.

Maybe he wasn't the best father, but he loved me.

When he left me with the nuns of Santo Domingo de Silos, he promised to come back for me. Only, it's been five years and no one has heard from him since. The easy answer would be that he'd abandoned me, but I knew this couldn't be true. With each day my hopes only grew, until I had decided that I was sick of waiting.

Presently, I picked at my fingernails and lifted my head back up to eye the stone woman. I always found Mary's statue when I was lonely. It was a disparately one-sided relationship but I still considered her to be a friend, of sorts. I'd spend hours sitting beside her, entertaining myself with a book or a puzzle. Despite its lack of privacy, the garden maze was where I went to be alone.

This is why I was resting here at the moment. I was settling myself in the ease of the world and reminiscing about my time at the abbey before I left it behind. Mary was physically weathered and silent as always as she gazed down at me. In my mind, she was whispering words of encouragement. But she was only stone.

Footsteps on the gravel alerted me to approaching company and I raised my hand to block the sun from my eyes as a voice lilted through the air.

"Are you ready?" I nodded, spinning around and lifting myself to my feet. "You've got your passport? Toothbrush? Money for the train?"

"Yup, all that's left is Mary here. Help me stuff her in my bag, will you?"

Sister Misha's lips pursed as she gave me a sour look that suggested she was clearly not impressed. Though she was one of the youngest of the nuns, she'd entered the convent not long after her twentieth birthday. From the day I arrived she acted as my guardian angel, using her free time in between mass and prayers to care for me.

My early days at the abbey are filled with memories of her plaiting my hair while humming a psalm from the morning mass. Bedtime stories were her own recounts of history and she would fill my bookshelf with worldly adventures, classics, and Shakespeare. None of the other nuns were quite so refined or old fashioned, even the older ones. It was just Misha.

She sighed, a hint of a smile growing on her face as she raised a hand to cup my cheek. "Just don't go looking for trouble and it won't find you." It wasn't a fair thing to ask of me and she knew it. The very nature of my mission was going to require some skills I hadn't used in a long time. Skills that were less than honourable but with good intentions, and that was enough for me. I had nothing to lose.

"I'm not familiar with that passage — is it Luke?" She lightly tapped my cheek in a fond form of comeuppance. She was far too used to my witty comments and while she tried to appear unamused, I had no doubt she found it too endearing to not appreciate my humour.

"Cheeky girl," she marvelled. However, she was still frowning as she asked me in a breathy voice, "Saffiya, are you positive that you want to do this?"

"He could be in trouble." Every time I said it I'd be gifted the same pitiful look, doubt evident in their eyes. For nuns, they seemed to have such little faith. I knew my father was out there. I just didn't know where.

The day he left was a blur. I can remember hushed voices before I was swept up into the arms of one of the nuns and promptly carried away from my father. No explanation, no proper goodbye — he was just gone. Every day I waited for him to return. But he never came.

A tug on my shoulders brought me back to Misha as the nun pulled me into her arms in a tight hug. I laughed, dropping my bag from my shoulder and wrapping my arms around her in return, "I'm going to miss you."

When she finally released me, she reached out and clutched my hand, noticing the gauze taped loosely to my palm. I had kind of been hoping she wouldn't notice, but I knew it was a long shot. She gasped, flipping my hand over to examine it. The night before, I'd tried to make soup and while reaching above the stove for a pot, I'd set my hand down for a few seconds. Alright, maybe a little more than a few seconds, but it wasn't the worst injury I'd ever had. "It's fine. I promise."

I wasn't sure why she was still surprised when I appeared with a band aid on my arm or a few bruises on my legs. She'd treated enough of them herself to be prepared for such an event. Misha mutters something incoherent in Spanish and gently drops my hand. Side by side, we made our way to the front of the abbey where the sisters had gathered to see me off.

There were no more hugs exchanged, but many of them whispered a sweet word or two, a "good luck" or a "stay safe". Sister Anne, a nun in her early sixties, brushed my hair out of my face with a gentle smile. A few others performed the sign of the cross over me with no words. It was a gesture that made my heart swell despite myself.

After I'd given a goodbye to each of the nuns, there was a beat before they began to part like the red sea as another woman joined us. They moved as if it had been choreographed and a few of the nuns reached out to touch her, as if she were an antique that you took off of the shelf maybe once a year, if only to admire its existence. Though each step she took matched pace with her cane, she hardly relied on it as she shuffled elegantly through the nuns.

Misha stepped aside, allowing me to meet the faded green eyes of the Mother Superior. Lines decorated her face like an expressionist painting. The short, deep lines above the bridge of her nose made it appear as if she were squinting. Her eyebrows, thin ivory hairs laced with a darker silver, brought closer to their twin with age. Perhaps her ageing youth had provided it, but there always seemed to be a glow around her. She was like a light, full of wisdom and the epitome of integrity.

I knelt my head in respect and recognition, "Mother Abbess." Before I could offer it, she took my hand in her own, paper thin and withered, and I realized that I would miss the transparent veins and spots on her hands that I'd studied so much as a young girl. Out of childish jealousy I had wished for my own while she gave a throaty laugh, promising that one day I would.

She watched me for a moment before the noachian woman enveloped me in a warm embrace. I eagerly returned it, as affection such as this was rare from the Mother Superior. I had spent years attempting to attain an interaction like this and it only made the moment more bittersweet.

I regained my composure once she'd pulled away, watching as she delicately lifted her rosary from her neck and placed it over mine. "So your new life will know that God watches over you. And so you may never forget where you are from." I began to blink quickly as I lifted the cross of the rosary. I swallowed as I gazed upon the small, pale pink pearls and my chest felt like it was going to implode. This was all a lot harder than I had expected it to be.

"Thank you," I managed to croak out. Beside me, Misha grabbed my non-burnt hand in a final goodbye. "For everything." I lifted my bag over one shoulder from where I'd placed it on the ground and waved awkwardly at the group of women.

Then, I began my journey. Yet, every step towards the front gates of the abbey seemed to be harder to take. As if each time I took another step, my foot sank into an invisible puddle of mud. Every step out felt like a suction cup out of the mud, requiring strength I barely had. I knew I shouldn't look back because I wasn't sure if I could leave if I did.

I had hardly set foot outside of the abbey since the day I arrived. It had never truly occurred to me how desperately I longed for the rest of the world. The people, the food, and because my father and I had essentially lived nomadically, there was always an adventure around the corner. I longed for an adventure and this was it.

I couldn't help but glance over my shoulder to take in the miraculous place I'd called home the last few years and the women who made it so. I bit my lip, stopping in my tracks.

It was then that I noticed the Mother Superior's face had become graver as she issued me a final piece of advice. "Be careful, Saffiya. Not everything is as it seems."

I nodded, making to turn around before she spoke again, "and for goodness sake child, stop biting your lip." A few of the nuns began to giggle as I was chastised for possibly the last time.

I felt my face widen into a large grin, my courage returned to me as I left the abbey behind.

I don't remember if I planned to return. I like to think I would've, if only for a visit. Reader, I'd be lying if I said that I was glad I didn't know the end of my story that day. Y

et, I know that even if my fate were crystal clear, nothing would have stopped me from finding my father. Even if it cost me my life.

And as I now know...it would.

Chapter Text

My sweet Saffiya,

An old friend of mine has a lead on a major job. It could be really good for us, Princess. I promise you, our lives are going to change for the better. Just you wait. See you soon!

Miss and love you,

Dad

See you soon. 

My fingers brushed over the ink. As if the ghost of his pen would somehow bring me closer to him. The handwriting was large and harsh, as if every word that he wrote was a sentence behind the one in his head.

See you soon meant that my father hadn't abandoned me. I was right all along.

See you soon meant that he planned on coming back.

So, why didn't he? The question had been repeating itself in my head all the way from the hostel to the train station in Monte Carlo. But I found that dwelling on the numerous possibilities only made it worse. 

Even so, as I sat beside an overgrown potato on a day bus to Volterra, the question burned in my mind. Along with a multitude of others that the letter's very existence raised, most of which I would never get the answers for. Not long after I had left, Misha called to inform me that the Mother Abbess had died in her sleep and they'd found the letter addressed to me in the bottom of one of her desk drawers.

"I think it's from your father."

I'd been in Monte Carlo for a week, surviving on an elementary understanding of the language and a quickly diminishing supply of money when the letter finally arrived. The Sister had sent it inside a larger envelope and the original letter appeared to have been unopened. It was dated only a few months after he had left me at the abbey and postmarked from some random city in Italy.

See you soon...

Misha had picked up the phone on the fourth ring. "Saffiya! How is Monte Carlo—"

"Did you know?"

"Did I know what?"

"The letter. Di...did you know?"

There was silence on the other line before she answered, "I did."

My legs gave out as I slipped down the wall and crashed to the ground, tugging the phone cord with me. Her words became babble in my ears, a mere buzz of meditative tones that did nothing to ease my pain.

"We were trying to protect you, little one. When there were no other letters, I thought we'd made the right decision, but—"

"I can't..."

"—never meant to hurt you, little one."

"Goodbye, Misha."

"Saffiya — Please!"

My eyes grew cloudy and I dropped the phone, letting it bang against the wall as it hung upside down on its cord. Misha's cries became more desperate as she realized I was no longer listening.

Instead, I was grabbing my bag, checking for my passport, and slamming the door on my way out.

The memory of her disembodied cries rang in my ears. I pushed them aside. I had bigger things to worry about.

I was aware of the odds. It'd been five years since the nuns had received my father's letter. If he never sent another...I shuttered in my seat. I refused to even entertain the obvious answer. 

Still, I was hesitant.

Was I doing the right thing? This letter got me further on my father's case than I could have ever hoped. I was one large step closer to finding out what had happened to my father. And it pissed me off because now that I was here I couldn't help but wonder if I even wanted to know.

Was it easier not knowing? Would I be better off calling Misha, apologising and going home? 

Could I live the rest of my life not without knowing — having gotten this far and then giving up? There was a high chance that ignorance would be the best decision at this point, at least in the long run.

But I knew I would never be able to let it go. I had to know.

The bus rolled to a stop in an open courtyard at the bottom of the city. The man beside me stirred, snorting himself out of sleep.

The windows had been taking heavy fire from the rain for the entirety of the bus ride. Despite the mix of different languages, I had no doubt that every single conversation was commenting on it. As was human nature, but the thought amused me as many of the tourists rushed off the bus and into the nearest hotels. Instead of joining them, I slipped my hood over my head and began my trek up into the city.

The cobblestone streets were busy with people packing up shops or rushing home to escape the rain. They all seemed lighthearted about it though, unlike the tourists who acted scared to death of water falling from the sky. I twisted and winded up the streets under beautiful stone arches and shop windows. Each home and entrance was seemingly carved into the old brick walls. I could feel myself falling in love with Volterra the way people fall in love with cities. 

It wasn't until the rain had soaked through my jacket and my hair started to stick to my face that I decided to slip into a pub. It seemed to be the only place still open and I'd never been in a pub before.

On the outside, it was a surprisingly dodgy shack of a building when compared to the rest of the city. The inside wasn't much different...perhaps only slightly more homey.

Photographs lined the walls with images of, I assumed, customers. From young to old, families to friends, it seemed that the pub was quite a local spot. Booths surrounded the outer lane of the space, tables and chairs popped in wherever there was space. None of the furniture was new, only barely a step above classic. But it all meshed well, each element pulled together by the large collection of alcohols with fancy labels neatly arranged on shelves behind the bar. 

It was nice, I decided.

The bartender eyed me carefully and I realized that I was still standing in the doorway. I smiled sheepishly at her before walking to the far end of the bar and sitting down. As if she were my shadow, she moved to stand opposite me on the other side of the bar. She spoke with a throaty voice, something in Italian. I had no idea what she'd said, but it was beautiful.

"I'm so sorry, I don't speak Italian." 

She huffed dramatically, "what do you want?"

"Oh...err. Water, please." She rolled her eyes as she turned away mumbling, "too many Americans tonight." She said it in English, so clearly she didn't care if I heard her. I didn't bother to correct her, as the comment made me look around. I spotted a group of boys in a booth that I hadn't noticed before. They were a bit rowdy, so I'm not sure how I missed them. 

One of them noticed me staring and hit one of his friends. All three of them were now watching me before one of them winked and I quickly turned my head back as the bartender set my glass in front of me.

She watched me then eyed the boys, her previously irritated face now softer as she turned back to me. "No good, from men like that."

I frowned slightly, unsure of what she meant exactly and my innocence seemed to confound her.

I glanced casually around the room, trying to remain inconspicuous as I scoped out the patrons. I had no idea how I was supposed to find this friend of my father's. I didn't even have a name. But I'd come all this way and I couldn't give up now. I could always just ask someone and maybe the universe would let me catch a break. 

If there was a reward for taking leaps of faith based on less than nothing, I'd win it hands down.

One of the boys let out a "woot!" and slammed a bottle on the ground as his friends cheered him. The sound of glass breaking made me jump and the bartender shouted something in Italian.

"Out!"

The boys stood with smirks, one of them throwing a few euros on the table. One of them threw a nasty smile at me before he joined his friends, all three waltzing with arrogance out the door.

The bartender grabbed a broom and dust pan from behind the bar and walked out to clean up the boys' mess. I quickly got up to help her.

"Grazie"

"They were jerks." She laughed in agreement and I was glad I made her smile. As I glanced back down, my eyes were drawn towards one of the pictures on the wall. Freezing for an instant, I went to remove the photograph from its place before thinking better of the idea. I didn't need a closer look, anyways. I was positive.

In the picture, three people were seated at one of the circular booths in the bar. A woman sat on one end, smiling sheepishly at the camera. Opposite her was a much shorter man and although he was smiling, he still had a grumpy aura. The man in the middle had a huge grin on his face and he was looking at the woman. 

It was my father. He was younger than I remembered, but I could never mistake him.

I tapped the picture harshly and searched for the bartender's eyes. "Do you know this man?" She seemed offset by my insistence and I realized I'd been sending this woman through a rollercoaster of emotions all evening. She quickly recovered, shaking her head.

"I know man next to him."

"Do you know where I can find him?" She gave me another look at the audacity of the personal questions. "Please, it's really important."

She shrugged, "he left for a fishing trip two days ago, back tonight. You'll find him in here before anywhere else."

"Thank you — so much — grazie."

"You're bleeding." I looked down at my finger which was, in fact, bleeding. I glanced down to the dust pan full of glass and found the culprit.

"It's fine. I can't feel it anyways." Nevertheless, I returned to my bag and pulled out a bandaid, quickly taking care of the small cut. "Thank you again, for your help." I set one of my last few euros on the bar. She nodded, watching me leave her bar with a newfound determination.

The streets were bare when I stepped outside. I couldn't have been in there for that long. But the sun had just barely gone down and with it, every Volterra citizen. It felt too early for the sun to set, but I couldn't be sure of the time. There was an extra chill in the air, paired with the low whistle of wind finding its way down the narrow streets of the city.

The rain had slowed to a drizzle and while my jacket had dried off significantly, its damp nature plus the wind made the cold even more intense. If the man was returning tonight, maybe I should have just waited in the pub. I stopped off at a bench and after weighing the pros and cons, shoved the jacket into my backpack. I was able to lift it back onto my shoulder and look up just in time to see a light flicker off in one of the houses.

It might as well have been a warning, because not a second later was my shoulder grabbed. I spun around to come face to face with one of the boys from the pub. "Boo."

I stumbled back, coming into contact with one of his friends.

"It's our lucky night, boys."

The one behind me grabbed under my shoulders and the others tried to pick up my feet. I grunted, throwing my head backwards into the guy's face. He shouted out, letting me go and messing up his buddies' balance. I half jumped away from them and began to run. I could hear their footsteps join mine as I turned down a street. A dead end. How utterly predictable. 

My stomach dropped with an overwhelming feeling of dread. They had me cornered. The first one took a step closer to me until I felt the pressure of the wall on my back. I could feel my chest heaving up and down, my breathing increased with the pounding of my heart.

He leaned closer to me and before I could think it through, I spit in his face. In a last ditch effort, I tried to take the opportunity and run. I'd hardly gone a few inches before one of his buddies helped him pull me back and I was right back where I started.

"That wasn't very nice.”

He was thrown away from me in an instant. I thought for a second that maybe one of his buddies had grown a pair, but they were flying backwards in their own directions. I watched as they landed, realizing with a harsh intake of breath that they were dead before they hit the ground.

That was when I saw him. He must have been my saviour but in the moment he presented himself as anything but. He stood between me and the men, all three on the ground. His face was hidden under a black cloak but he seemed to be watching me. I opened my mouth to say something but before I could even blink he appeared in front of me, a hand over my mouth. 

My hand immediately went to remove his but he caught it with his other free one. He wasn't looking at me, instead his eyes seemed focused on my band aid. And his eyes, they looked black. Except, that wasn't possible.

Without warning, he shoved himself away from me as if I'd attacked him. "What are you doing to me?" His voice was husky, intense and I think I could actually feel my heartbeat increasing. Good question.

He let out a groan that was oddly lustful as he breathed in the air around him and took one step towards me. Automatically, I pushed myself as far back against the wall as I could. Clearly muscle memory from the last five minutes of repeated male dominance. Only, my reaction seemed to pull him out of a trance and he stopped. A small noise from the corner attracted both of our attention. One of them was still alive.

I blinked and suddenly, my so called saviour was across the alley. He had the frontman of my attackers pressed against the opposite wall and I could've sworn he was kissing him. Except, his lips seemed to be at the man's neck. Before I could react, he moved away and the man's body fell to the ground in a heap. 

My saviour raised his head to look at me, blood staining his lips.

"You idiot." We were joined by three more dark capes, blocking my only exit out. One of them threw her hood back as she hissed at the boy, "what have you done?"

The third one, a man, added, "Aro will be furious.”

But he didn't answer them. He was looking straight at me. His hood had fallen, yet I could hardly make out his features through the darkness. Except his eyes. Which now barely passed as red and I wondered how I could have confused such a colour with black. My mind was in such disarray that it hadn't even processed the events in front of me yet. It was like I was stuck, because I couldn't tear my eyes away from him either.

"What's done is done," the man continued. "Let's just kill the girl and —“

That got him to move.

The boy was crouched in front of me, as if ready to pounce on his friends if they suggested such a thing again.

The smallest cape stepped forward and the other two seemed to shrink away to give her the floor. The boy relaxed in her stead, rising from his previous position. They watched each other for a second, as if having their own conversation that the rest of us weren't privy to. "If you insist, brother. Aro can decide what we'll do with her." She turned on her heel without giving anyone the chance to oppose her. The boy turned to face me.

I was looking up at him with wide eyes and although my stomach was overflowing with butterflies...I had the oddest wave of peace. And for a moment, it felt like I was standing in front of Mary's statue back at the nunnery. I bit my lip and broke contact, unnerved by the unexpected emotion.

"Demetri, clean it up.”

"But he —“

I couldn't see her face, but whatever was on it must have frightened him because he nodded. The smaller girl continued to lead the way out of the alley. Immediately, Demetri went to my attackers, their bodies discarded on the ground and the lack of sympathy I felt for them threw me off. He began tossing one and then two over his shoulders as I watched.

The boy moved to block my view and quickly lifted me into his arms. The same thumping pressure in my ear alerted me to the increasing pace of my heart. "Could you please stop that?" 

I heard a snicker come from the other vampire — Demetri, I had learned. Before I could ask him exactly what I was doing wrong, we were flying.

At least, it felt like flying. The wind whipped the air around us and I couldn't hear anything but its whistle. I tried to open my eyes to see but his hold on me tightened so I was facing his chest. 

The next second, I was standing in an entrance hall. It was ancient and I'm no architect, but I was pretty sure that between the pillars and the arches and the golden rectangles that there was a multitude of styles thrown in to the building. It was all marble though and the only sound was the heels of the two cloaked women as they led the way to eccentrically large doors. The smaller girl opened it and I marvelled at what I assumed had to be super strength.

Super strength. Speed. Blood? Had somebody spiked my water? 

I blinked. My surroundings pulling me back in to their reality as the marble walls seemed to fold in on themselves. We were now standing in a circular room. It could've been a ballroom, except the three thrones that were front and center suggested another purpose. Men and women in light grey cloaks stood spaced around the circular hall. All face forward and watching me with straight faces, though some of them let slip a hint of curiosity at my presence. 

I faltered in my steps, but a hand on the small of my back kept me steady and moving forward. I looked over my shoulder to see it was the same boy, his face forward and empty, unblinking.

But that wasn't what I noticed. He was beautiful — otherworldly. It wasn't natural but apparently it was because they were all stunning. Everyone in the room. And I don't just mean stunning like attractive, I meant stunning like the literal definition. Stunning like Hermione Granger pointed her wand at me and yelled "stupify!". Stunning, like walking into a room and seeing your parents getting it on. Stunning in the same way that normal people desired to be supermodels, only they were what supermodels desired to be. All of them.

Even the three men at the front. One, with eyebrows tilted down in a cynical yet inquisitive stare. The middle one, now standing, pale as his counterparts but with a smile on his face that was as greedy as it was unsettling. The third, white as a sheet, even more so than the others, and face empty as a supermodel. He reminded me of Mother Abbess. 

Mother Abbess. Misha. My father. 

The man standing sighed as I met his eyes for the first time. Red. Like blood. What the hell was going on here?

"Alec, child. What have you done?"

Chapter Text

"Alec, I am disappointed with you."

"Alec." The name tasted foreign on my tongue, like when you've gone to a new country and eaten the food they're famous for after only eating knock-off versions in chain restaurants for years. It was like honey, in its evolution from the jar to the taste in your tea. It sent shivers down my spine and I didn't realise I'd said the name out loud until the ancient man in the right throne lifted his head, watching me intensely. But he still looked sad. He looked sad in the way a homeless man not asking for change looked. I had the urge to sit beside him in contemplation for hours, as if the company of one in silence would make him feel a little bit better.

The man in front of me had a growing grin on his face at my previous words and he was eyeing the boy behind me. Alec spoke clearly, "parce mihi pater." He moved away from me and offered the man his hand. The man took it eagerly, closing his eyes as if Alec's hand was a new piece of music and he wanted to focus on it.

After a moment, he tittered with excitement and released the boy's hand. Without a glance at me, Alec joined the small girl off to the side of the room. Though, now that we were closer I could see she wasn't much different in size than me. She was young, but probably around the same age as the boy — Alec. He didn't so much as look at me, but he was seemed a little more than upset with the situation.

The girl, however, was watching me with almost as much focus as the ancient man. She was wearing a completely blank face, with her eyes betraying an almost bewildered state of curiosity. When she noticed me watching her, her eyes flickered back to the man in front of me and the emotion disappeared. Perhaps it was never there.

The third throne guy spoke up, as if annoyed by my very existence, "Aro." Aro seemed to ignore him and he raised his hand as if asking for mine.

When I didn't comply, he spoke, "You have nothing to fear right now, dear one. I only want to see if your experience was similar to our beloved Alec." Right now. Did he think that would convince me?

I could see that I didn't particularly have a choice. I held my hand out and he met me halfway, the same look appearing on his face as it had with Alec. He took his time making friends with my hand before releasing it and I pulled it to my chest, as if to protect it.

"Et petram, ex saxum." Except it wasn't Aro who spoke. It was the relic in the left corner.

They were both looking to Alec, whose face hardened at the meaning the Latin words must have held. "It appears so, brother." They all stood in contemplation, switching their gazes between me and the boy, who definitely wanted me to disappear.

I tended to agree. "Look, err...thank you for saving me, lovely to make your acquaintance, but I've got things to do, so if someone could show me the way out—" I began to turn around but once I did, two men moved from the wall to block my path. And I say moved as in they made teleportation look like technology of the past. "Right, what are you?"

The blond one hissed, "is she slow as well, then?"

"Actually, yes. And that's rude," I shot back at him and the shock on their faces allowed me to continue. "But I want confirmation."

Aro let out a stuttering laugh. "She is a breath of fresh air, is she not?" He was as giddy as a child with a new toy. "They make a lovely match, don't you think Caius?" Caius rolled his eyes, turning away as if now bored and placing his head gracefully on his propped up hand.

"So long as he doesn't eat her first." Someone muttered behind me. I was completely and one hundred percent lost as to the purpose of their banter. The topic and all of its implications flying right over my head.

Aro ignored them and answered me, "vampires, my dear. All further questions will be answered, but first..." He took my hand again, closing his eyes. He almost looked peaceful for a moment. When he opened them again, he continued talking, which must have been a hobby of his. "There is something intriguing in you, dear one." He was addressing me as if I were a child and to him, I guess I may as well have been. "I wonder if we might try...a test of sorts." He didn't wait for my permission, instead taking a few steps back from me.

"Jane," he said, turning to the girl in the corner, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking straight at Alec.

Nevertheless, she fixed her gaze on me, just as concentrated as before but void of emotion.

Nothing happened. Although it felt like something should be happening. She was definitely expecting something to be happening. Maybe there was a delay. Maybe it was some kind of code — should I be responding to her?

Then, I felt it...a slight pressure that began to envelop my body but still, nothing too bothersome. Except, the pressure grew into a light prickling all over my body, like what I assumed it was supposed to feel like when doctors jabbed a needle in your thumb.

And it hurt more than I think a pin prick was supposed to, but I've never actually felt it before so it was hard to tell. I can tell you that I didn't like whatever it was. I began to scratch my arms, seeing if it would go away with some outside action like when your foot falls asleep and the feeling went away.

"Err...ouch?" She looked just as surprised as I did and I realized that she was the one who had made it stop. Did that mean she could do it again?

She growled - actually growled. Not a low, warning growl, but more of a howl of angst and frustration. Then, she lunged at me.

I had barely shrunk my body away in a poor attempt to protect myself before she was stopped as the boy beside her placed a hand on her arm. "Sister." She met his eyes and reluctantly did as she was told, returning to her stance and fixing me with the darkest glare I've ever seen someone give. Dang, she was scary and yet, I wondered what she was like when she wasn't angry.

"I wonder," Aro muttered and turned expectantly to the boy again. Alec blinked before nodding in the same way a small child would after getting caught with their hand in the cookie jar. As if he were accepting a punishment.

I suddenly became very aware of my feet standing on the marble floor. I could feel the harshness of the material through the worn down soles of my shoes and the way it made me shift from side to side. The end of my jeans tickled my shins and the denim was rough against my skin as the nuns had bought them for me just before I left and they'd still not softened with use. My hipbone was slightly exposed as my t-shirt had been offset no doubt from the recent events and I could feel the cool in the air.

The cool air, which had caused goosebumps on my skin but caused me no mind. The pumping of blood in my ears and the weight of my eyelids. My lips as they brushed against one another. The rise and fall of my chest and its' pressure on my ribcage. The only sound in the entire room seemed to be my breathing and the air being used tasted bitter on my tongue.

The last thing I saw were Alec's eyes — returned to an empty noir, before everything vanished.

The floor had fallen out from under me. I tried to ball my hands in a fist, except I couldn't feel my fingertips touching my own skin. I gagged on the air that flooded into my throat as I gasped. Only, I couldn't hear myself choking and I wondered if I was doing it at all. If I existed at all. If I ever had or if I ever would again...

My heart started to pick up speed and almost immediately, my senses returned. I fell to the floor, grasping at my throat and taking in as much air as I could, desperate to feel real again. When I'd settled, I looked up at my captors. Alec's eyes were cast downward and I couldn't really tell behind their capes but his sister was standing closer to him and I think she'd grabbed his hand.

"Truly remarkable." He turned his back on me and announced to his brothers, "we'll keep her. Human, for now, I think."

Caius hissed, "why wait?"

"In time, Brother." Aro threw over his shoulder to satisfy his co-worker. Caius growled, and I had a feeling patience wasn't one of this guy's virtues.

Keep me? I'm not a pet. "I can't stay here. There's someone counting on me —"

Aro looked back at me, nodding thoughtfully, "ahh yes, your father."

Okay, weird because I didn't tell him that but I decided that wasn't as important as the matter in hand. "Yes. Listen, you can do whatever you want with me but I need two, three days max." Nobody moved. "Please."

Aro turned fully to face me again, his hands folded in front of him. And though his voice held sincerity, his face lacked empathy of any kind. "I am afraid that will not be possible. Unfortunately, your time with humans came to an end the moment Alec exposed our kind to you."

"You don't understand —"

"You stay. Or you die." Caius hissed. "Your choice."

The nuns had always told me I was stubborn and impulsive, but I never realized how much until that moment. "Then I die." I didn't really want to die, but maybe they'd prefer preservation of a life and let me go. Then, I remembered where I was standing and with whom I was standing.

Freaking vampires. I mean, get real.

It was Jane who growled at my response.

"I agree with Jane. An ultimatum is hardly fair considering the situation. The child is tired. She should become acquainted before her new life begins."

I opened my mouth, as if to argue or question again but before I could, Aro was directly in front of me. "For now, dear one." Ruby eyes met mine once more and I stared as defiantly as I could right back into them. "Vetus et Somniabunt." He nodded to my right, and the pale hand of Alec gripped my arm. It was no longer gentle and timid as it had been before. This time it was rough, unkind and I no longer felt any kind of safety. I immediately flinched away from him, but his grip never left me.

This was all his fault. "Don't touch me."

He ignored me, basically dragging me out of the room. The large stone door slammed shut behind us and I stumbled trying to keep up with the boy. "You're hurting me," I threw in lamely. It was a lie. For all I knew he was cutting off the circulation in my arm but he didn't seem to care as he pulled me through the corridors of the castle.

There were old paintings of ballerinas and random people in intricate canvases lining the walls, but we didn't stop for a tour. I continued to throw complaints and insults at him, though they slowly lost their passion as we continued on.

"Let me go, you tart!"

He refused to acknowledge me and a new burst of annoyance allowed my profanities to grow worse and worse in nature the further we went until I was just throwing them around for the heck of it, "devil spawn". So, maybe my version of profanity was a little old fashioned but could you blame me?

Still, it seemed to be the only one that caught his attention. He stopped abruptly and pulled my arm closer to him as if he wanted to rip it out of its socket and my body followed. I looked up at him.

He was quite handsome. Aside from what I assumed was a vampiric makeover, I imagine he would still have the same high cheekbones and classic jawline. Like Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic, the ghost of boyhood would forever stain his cheeks. Purposefully tousled hair, black as his eyes, made you want to run your fingers through it. A thought that immediately clouded me with shame before I was distracted by the length of his eyelashes. He was lovely, and even though his eyes belonged in a horror film, they were no different than any other human's. I could see into them and I swear there was a touch of humanity. In them, I could see the potential for emotion, of anger and concern, of fear and care. Humorous or snarky, peaceful…

But right now, he looked mad. Like, really really mad. The kind of mad that only appeared as a defence mechanism and was followed with irrational actions. For someone who had had blood dripping from his mouth only an hour or so ago, I decided that he was way too close for my liking. So, I continued to struggle until a growl ripped through his throat.

"Stop that."

I stuck my bottom lip out like a petulant child, "no."

He leaned closer to me and his eyes locked with mine. I felt as if we'd returned to that alley, because I couldn't move and I think I forgot how to breathe. Yet, none of that mattered and for a moment, I thought he was lost in the same trance that I was. That is, until he spoke. His voice as slow and dark as I imagined his soul to be.

"Do you feel your heartbeat, human?" I did. It was pounding against my chest and I wondered if this was enough stress to induce a heart attack in my fifteen year old self.

He leaned over me and wrenched open a door, pushing me carelessly inside. I landed on the floor, rolling twice as if I were going down a hill, before pushing myself to my knees.

I met his eyes once more as he glared down at me in superiority. "Challenge me one more time and I'll make sure it never beats again." All the fear that should've been driving my instincts for the last hour hit me with his words. I exhaled what sounded like a single choked up sob and he smirked in satisfaction at my reaction, pulling the door shut as he left me. Wow, he really sucked.

As soon as I was alone, I expected tears to come. But my eyes were so dry they almost itched. I slowly curled myself into a ball on the carpet, bringing my arms to wrap around my knees.

I took in the room around me. Elegant, extravagant, and dramatic as hell-o. The bed had four posts and a canopy, the style you only really saw when you toured one of those French castles. Or so I assumed. All I really remembered from my father and I's day trip to Versailles was convincing the daughter of our current mark that if her daddy bought the castle she'd be considered a real princess. Yes, my father tried to sell Versailles. Twice. Whether one or both of those business men currently believed they owned the 17th century palace or not isn't the point.

What is the point, is that the room I was in had a walk in closet and a bookshelf the length and height of an entire wall. A window split the bookshelf in the middle of that wall, a gracious window seat attached to it. Directly across the room was a vanity table and chair that could've come from a Victorian IKEA.

While the room was lovely, one look at the bed reminded me of my situation. I mean, I wasn't stupid. Clearly there was something about me that had to do with their 'beloved Alec'. But did it have to be so important to kidnap me? To kill me?

The anger began bubbling up in me. The unfairness of the situation washing over me like a flood. 'Become acquainted before my life begins'. My life — as if I weren't currently living. As if what I had now was the existence of a maggot or of a caterpillar. They clearly wanted me to turn me into a vampire. No, not wanted. They were going to turn me. To make me like them. Forever. Whether I liked it or not. I felt like I was going to explode.

I screamed. A roar that clawed its way from the pit of my stomach and ground into my vocal chords as it was released into the air.

I stood, racing over to the bed and ripping the pillows off of it, followed by the comforter, the sheets and eventually shifting my weight to push the mattress off to the side. The pretty vase of flowers on the bedside table were thrown across the room, water and petals showering the floor as it soared through the air. The table was pushed on its' side and without stopping, I made my way to the rest of the objects in the room. Each item appearing as old as the world itself and each spared no mercy in my rampage.

Until I faced the bookshelf. Out of all the books residing on the shelves, the binding of the book inches from my face caught my attention. My face scrunched up in remorseful distaste. Slowly, my breathing returned to normal as I simply stared at it.

Once I'd calmed down, my wits returned to me and I looked around the room with guilt. I ran my hands down my arms and glanced in a mirror I hadn't shattered, checking myself over for any damage. A practice I had to do religiously in my world, as I wouldn't be able to tell if I'd been hurt without physically seeing the wound. I noticed nothing obvious and no blood.

I shivered, trying not to imagine what could have happened if I had accidentally cut myself on something. Because, well, you know...bloodthirsty vampires and all. I'd have to be even more diligent in my awareness of such things now. What had always been a general life or death possibility, became an almost guarantee for the latter.

I collapsed to the floor and moments later, the door creaked open. Two male vampires stood in the doorway, their physicality almost exact opposites. They moved inside the room cautiously, as if they had been listening in to my little tirade.

The first was quite brutish, large in size and gruff in nature, yet he was hunched over as if trying to make himself appear less intimidating. This was aided by the childish smirk that rested on his face. If it weren't for the grace of his vampiric attributes, he would have resembled Lenny from Of Mice and Men. He snickered, "you sure she's not already a newborn?" I quickly tossed the previous comparison from my mind, his tone and mannerisms far more sophisticated than he originally presented. And yet, he seemed to favour humour in such a situation.

"She's an angry little human." His friend seemed to hold the charm between the two of them, and while he was shorter than his friend he was taller than me. "Exactly what Alec deserves." It didn't sound spiteful, as the two seemed to find amusement in their own words. The comedic timing of this duo, however, did not translate to me. In fact, the meaning behind their words only confused me further. Yet, they didn't seem to mind my lack of appreciation for their routine.

The big one took a step towards me and I shifted backwards onto my bum, scrambling awkwardly in a backwards crab walk until I hit the bookshelf in the corner. He ceased in his approach and exchanged looks with the other one.

"We're not going to hurt you." Despite my fear, I rolled my eyes in sarcastic cynicism at the claim.

The short one took over, pushing the big one behind him. "My name is Demetri. The meathead is Felix. He looks big and scary and...well he can be — but he won't hurt you. Unless he has to, that is."

Felix whined behind him, "you're making it worse."

"Please leave." Their eyes widened at my words, and I felt a brief flash of regret at my harshness. Demetri sighed, giving me a sad look, and led Felix out of the room.

"That was your fault. She was gonna be my new best friend..." Their words cut off with the door and I shivered at the blasé nature of their conversation.

I stood and began to put the room back together as best I could. I walked to the side of the mattress that rested against the floor and attempted to lift it back onto the bed. A simple yet slightly taxing feat when comparing its size against mine. I groaned, dropping it only half way on the bed, grateful that most of its weight was balanced on the bed instead of the floor.

It was then that the tears began to flow freely.

I had to get out of here.

Chapter Text

These people were delusional if they thought I would just let them keep me here. I just needed to figure out how I was going to make my escape.

As if hearing my plea, a timid knock sounded from the other side of my door.

Demetri poked his head in. "I know you told us to go away. But Felix and I thought it would be way more fun if we didn't" I bit my lip carefully, watching the man, his friend standing sheepishly behind him. "Look, we know you're probably really scared right now, but the way I see it - you're stuck here. Might as well make the most of it."

Felix, likely too eager to stand aside anymore, pushed the door open to join the conversation. The longer they stood there, the more I relaxed. They weren't exactly attacking or threatening me.

"So, you in?"

"A tour. I'd like a tour." They both looked at me. "Please."

Felix's face lit up and he grabbed my hand. I winced at the sudden contact and he released me, checking his excitement. It seemed an odd personality trait for such a large man, but it was somehow endearing. "Let's go!"

"Err...do you think you could help me put the bed back. Apparently lifting it back up is more difficult than pushing it off." Felix let out a booming laugh and the two started walking down the hall. I jogged to catch up with them before falling into step.

"Don't worry about it. Heidi's probably already redecorating."

"But it's my mess, I wouldn't want—"

Felix held out a hand. "Trust me kid, you'd only get in the way." I gave him a puzzled look.

"Super strength, 'member?" Demetri chimed in with a grin.

"Right."

They led me through the halls, pointing out their rooms which were a floor below mine. They couldn't tell me much about the paintings on the wall, but I recognised a few and made them stop occasionally. One of them however, caught my full attention.

"Is this...it can't be." Demetri and Felix flanked my sides to look over my shoulder at the painting I had pointed out. "This is En Canot. This is supposed to have been destroyed by the Nazi's."

Demetri seemed to laugh it off, "is that the story they came up with?"

"It's a forgery, right?" I wished at the moment I had my father's eye for art. He'd posed as a forgery expert so many times but I'd never paid much attention past the types of paint and how to mix them so that it could be used to fool even the best of experts.

Felix shook his head. "Nuh-uh — real deal."

"That's impossible..." I trailed off, staring at the painting. I was never one for Metzinger, but I couldn't help but be in awe of the rare opportunity that I was being presented with. "This is over 2 million dollars."

Demetri eyed me. "you really know your art for a kid in the 21st century."

"Between education with the nuns and my father's work with forgeries, it was hard not to." I paused as we continued, wondering if I should admit the rest of my background or not. "And I may have forged a Degas or two."

"So you're like, a criminal."

"I was a kid. I barely knew what I was doing." 'Monkey see, monkey do', my father would say when he had a heist that required such a skillset. Now that I'm older I see the impossibility in such a talent. It was highly unlikely and easily discredited. Which is exactly why we pulled it off. Most of the time. "I was just a good copycat."

A few floors down, another painting made me pause and I hesitated to stop at it. Two people were standing side by side in a portrait style. Though it was more elegant and flattering than most old portraits you'd see of kings and queens.

Demetri seemed unsure of himself, "that's Jane and Alec, the twins."

"They look..." I tilted my head, trying to find the right word. "Unhappy."

"That's one word for it."

"Sadistic is another."

I frowned, tearing my gaze away from Alec's eyes as even through a painting, they seemed to bore into mine. "What are you talking about?"

"Come on, don't tell me you haven't noticed it?"

I shook my head, "what?"

"Felix, slow down." Demetri shoved Felix aside, deciding he was the best to give me a little history lesson. "Some vampires have...gifts in addition to the rest of the vamp stuff. Remember how Aro touched your hand?"

"Yes."

Felix cut in again, "he can read every thought you've ever had with just a touch. Demetri can track stuff—"

"It's a little more complicated than that," Demetri mumbled.

"What does this have to do with Jane and Alec?" The two men exchanged glances, as if unsure if they should tell me or not.

I raised my eyebrows expectantly and Demetri continued, "the twins have opposite gifts. Jane can cause pain, unimaginable extreme pain with just one look. It's like being burned alive." The pin pricks...was that what it was? Had she been able to make me feel pain? It wasn't possible. Supernatural element aside, nothing in the world was able to make that happen. Pain didn't exist for me. And yet...

"And well, you experienced Alec's gift." I shivered, remembering the emptiness of the world that must have been the effects of Alec's power. "Yeah," they nodded at my response to the memory. "That's the general consensus."

"It's why they are the most respected and highest level of the guard."

"Level?"

"Some of us are more valuable than others. An easy way to tell is the darker the cloak, the higher up." I recognised the dark grey of their cloaks, lighter than Alec and Jane's but by less than a shade.

I frowned in response to his comment, "your worth is placed on whether you're telekinetic or not? That seems impractical." They didn't bother to correct the random superpower I threw out, which made me think such a thing might actually be possible. "Wait...what are you guarding?"

"Aro, Marcus, Caius. The Volturi and all that it stands for."

Scoffing disrespectfully, I demanded, "exactly what do you stand for?"

"We maintain order within the vampire world. Those that threaten our existence or lack control threaten that order." He checked to see if I was still listening, "our main purpose is to — "

I cut in, "maintain secrecy." The overflow of information was swimming around in my head, little bits and pieces beginning to make sense. Though the whole thing only seemed to present me with more questions.

"Correct."

"So, you're basically the vampire mafia."

Felix shrugged, "I'd say we're more like royalty but close enough."

"Long live the Monarchy." I whispered in a plummy tone, looking back up at the painting of the twins.

We continued on through the halls, the men pointing out various rooms until we finally reached the destination I'd been waiting for. "These are the kitchens, where you will have most of your meals."

"You don't eat?" Demetri flashed me another grin. How could I forget. "Right, stupid question."

"And across from the kitchens, this is one way to get to the throne room." We walked down a flight of stairs, across from which was a woman sitting at a receptionist desk. The men ignored her as she stood in respectful greeting. I turned my head and tugged on Felix's arm.

"What's that way?"

"Oh, that leads to the town center." He dismissed the words even as he spoke them, "big clock tower, fountain, nothing special."

We skipped the throne room and turned down another dark corridor. "This way to the dungeons!"

I had grown to appreciate the two men's company. They spoke with a more modern tongue than Aro or Alec had, though I doubted they were younger than the last hundred years. Their banter and wit was as human as could be. An unexpected behaviour if I'd based all my knowledge on only my first interaction with them.

"Demetri, I'm cold. May I borrow your cloak?" Without a second thought, Demetri handed it over. And as much as I appreciated their hospitality, my objective for this tour had been achieved. I knew my way out.

Therefore, as we made our way down the steep steps to the dungeon, I decided this was as good a chance as any to end the tour. With both the men in front of me, I did my best to fake a fall and they froze as they turned in time to see me land on the stone steps. I moved my hand to grip my ankle and for a second I thought that they wouldn't believe my performance.

"You're pretty clumsy for a human, aren't you?" Felix chimed with a giggle. I merely shrugged as his arms slipped behind my back and under my legs, easily lifting me and speeding off to my room.

He set me down in front of the double doors, where a man with a buzzcut and short eyebrows stood waiting for us. "Tour was almost over anyways. Demetri and I have guard duty, but this is Prosper. He'll be your guard for the night."

"Keeping me in or others out?"

Felix grinned to Prosper. "She doesn't miss a beat, this one."

I nodded my head to Prosper, "pleasure." I said to him. He shifted his head down once before looking forward again.

Felix muttered to me, "he doesn't say much."

"Perhaps he's afraid of you." It was an actual suggestion, but there was a teasing tone to my words. I had certainly become more comfortable with him.

Felix didn't answer me though, instead lightly shuffling me into my room. "Off you go then."

Was it my room? The bed, the glass from the vase and every little detail that I had spent time destroying was back in its place. Right down to the three flowers beside the bed. The place was immaculate. It seemed no one had redecorated because the only difference was my bag on the corner of the bedpost. I'd completely forgotten about it.

The door closed behind me and I assumed that was my goodbye for the night. Which meant it was time for operation get the heck out of here.

Demetri had forgotten to take his cloak back from me, as was my intention. I opened my backpack and walked into the bathroom, scavenging through my bag. I turned on the faucet just in case Prosper was listening to me. His presence outside my door was a bit of a snag in my plans, but it was easily amended.

Shifting my backpack onto my shoulder, I opened the door and Prosper turned to me. "Prosper, I'm sorry to bother you, but could I get a cup of tea?"

"I am not to leave my post, miss."

"Please? It's just that I can't sleep." I relaxed my face into a distressed, mopey sort of expression. He hesitated slightly, his eyes softening with pity before agreeing and walking down the hall.

Once he'd disappeared from the corridor, I quickly slipped the cloak back over my body to cover my backpack and headed in the opposite direction.

Right, left, left... "shoot." I froze at the top of a staircase. Had I missed a turn? I was running out of time. No doubt with vampire speed, Prosper had already noticed my absence and had gone to tell Aro. I knew they might find me, but I hoped to achieve my mission before then. Without the time to waste, I headed down the stairs.

Wrong decision. I came face to face with two members of the guard I hadn't met yet. Their cloaks were light grey — so lower on the chain than Demetri and Felix.

"Oh...hey..."

"Are you lost, human?"

"Actually, I was heading to the kitchens. For tea." I could tell they didn't believe me.

One of them gruffly offered, "we'll escort you."

While I'm sure it was more of a statement than an offer, I pretended it was. "That's fine, actually. Felix and Demetri gave me a tour and said it was alright if I ever wanted to just get some." They still didn't look fully convinced, but were unsure whether to challenge what actually could have been Felix and Demetri's instructions. "Plus, it is helping me...become acquainted with the castle." I used Aro's words and their eyes flinched with recognition of the phrase and they stepped aside, allowing me to pass.

"Down the hall and to your left."

I gave them a smile with fake cheer, "thank you."

When I was no longer in their sight, I turned right. Up another flight of stairs and I saw the receptionist's desk. She was sitting with her back to me, typing. I quickly threw Demetri's hood up over my head and walked as quietly as I could towards the entrance.

I breathed in and out, attempting to slow the pace of my heart. I refused to get caught because of some petty physiological reaction.

I turned in the hallway and spotted two doors. Praying that these were the right ones, I pushed them open. I was greeted with the night sky. Unlike earlier, it was a dark blue and more stars than I had ever seen twinkled on its canvas. This was late enough to be considered' tonight.' Now, all I had to do was find that pub.

I couldn't help the nerves that rattled my stomach as I took my first step onto the cobblestone street. I should have just run away. Escaped the city and looked for clues elsewhere. But I'd already looked everywhere I could think. If I was going to find my father — that pub was my only chance. If only I could remember what it was called.

I headed down the slanted street, picking the path that seemed to lead most directly towards the road that led into the city. After several winding turns and hills so steep that the people living in those houses must have been lopsided, I found the familiar flag. The bench only steps away from the entrance confirmed it. It was easier than I expected. Easier than it should have been, really. Not that it mattered because I had found it.

With a sigh of relief, I swung the door open.

The bartender noticed me, but paid me no mind as she went back to her customers. The place was much busier than it had been in the afternoon. Italian words hummed through the air, along with boisterous laughter and clinking of glasses. I had believed the Italian to be slightly more refined than this before I heard the distinct strident tones of German and English cut into the romance language.

I'd barely become fully acclimated to my surroundings before a honeyed voice tickled my ear. "Silly girl...I will always find you."

Chapter Text

"Did you truly believe we would not follow you?"

My blood ran cold and I whipped around to face the speaker. The face was familiar, but now held bright red eyes hidden behind a pair of shaded sunglasses. Who wears sunglasses at night?

It struck me then that I was now privy to an element of the world that was incredibly sacred. So secret that it had been able to exist for centuries through only folklore and myths. They had been demonized, becoming synonymous with the word monster. Were they monsters? What exactly constituted a monster? Despite my doubts, I could feel my blood pounding in my ear at the arrival of my captor.

He lacked a cloak, but was still garbed in the old fashioned, formal wear of the guard. A golden V necklace hung from his neck, visible under the top two undone buttons of his tunic. The oversight on his part seemed out of character, as if he'd been in the middle of undoing them when something distracted him.

"I wanted a head start." Alec raised an eyebrow. "I've some loose ends that need tying."

He rolled his eyes and took hold of my arm, beginning to pull me to the exit.

I dug my heels in and pulled against him, "wait, wait, wait—" He must've seen the look he got from the bartender because he stopped, not wanting to draw the attention. He reluctantly let me turn him around to face me and I couldn't believe I was even touching him by choice. "Jane is all you have left, right? She's the most important person in the world?" He didn't answer me, but a flicker in his eyes was strong enough for me to catch through the glasses.

"This is for my father. So, just…"

The door to the pub blew open with a gust of wind. A short, round man hobbled in, his left hand clutching a rather shiny cane. He sat at the bar and rested the cane on his lap, raising his right hand to get the bartender's attention. My eyes narrowed — got him. I started towards him, but a tug of my arm kept me back.

Alec was watching the man with a fierce look in his eyes. I took a step towards Alec — closer than I ever wanted to get to him again. This movement made his head snap back to me. He seemed to be studying me, scanning my face through his dark glasses. His gaze dropped to my lips before meeting my green eyes. "Alec...please." There was something in the way I said his name that seemed to spark an illusion in us both.

After a moment, he let my arm go.

I wasted no time in case Alec changed his mind. I lightly pulled the picture off the wall and approached the older man. I sat beside him at the bar, facing him straight on. He gave me an odd look as the bartender placed a glass of whiskey in front of him. The choice in drink contrasted with his focus on the football game on the tv above the bar.

I had planned to behave more smoothly. To sit beside him casually, order the same drink as him and start a conversation before I bombarded him with an interrogation. Only I was clearly short on time, so I went with a more aggressive approach.

I set the picture down in front of him.

"What do you want, kid?"

"Do you know where this man is?"

He ignored the picture, taking a sip from his glass. He barely acknowledged my presence, instead throwing a look over his shoulder at Alec. The vampire stood against the wall, eyeing us.

"Who's that, your bodyguard?" I gave him a taste of his own medicine and ignored the question.

I swapped the picture out with the whiskey, picking it up and placing it out of his reach unless he wanted to get closer to me. Which he clearly was not going to attempt, especially with Alec's presence.

I tapped my father's face. "This man." He sighed irritably and reached into his inside jacket pocket, placing a pair of reading glasses on the bridge of his nose. He glanced at the picture for maybe three seconds before turning his head back up to the match.

"Sorry, sweetheart. That was a long time ago and I didn't know half the folks I'm with in these pictures."

I frowned suspiciously, "you seem pretty chummy to be strangers here."

"Look kid, I don't know him." He turned away from the game and glared at me. His back straightened and his mood shifted to provide a more frightening appearance. He was like a different person and I flinched under his scrutiny. "Now, do you mind buzzing off? I got money on this match."

Sighing, I apologised, "sorry for wasting your time." I slowly got up and retreated back towards Alec, who was still watching the man with intensity. "You were right, then. Waste of time, I'll take my punishment willingly."

"He's lying."

Was he helping me? "What?"

"He lied to you."

"Yes, well, I can't exactly force him to tell me the truth." I looked back over to the man, whose focus had returned to the game. His fist balled up as a goal was scored and he tossed back the rest of his drink, waving his hand for another. Money...he was betting. If he was the right man, and I was positive he was, this didn't make sense. Con artists didn't take a gamble unless they're sure they'll win. It was what made them so arrogant.

"I'm such an idiot." Alec growled lowly and I looked up at him confused before continuing my thought process.

What's a con man's incentive? Money. And clearly, he was running low. If the job he had been planning with my father had gone through, he'd probably be in Monaco right now. But he wasn't. He was here.

Before Alec could stop me, I returned to my seat beside the man. At my appearance, he groaned and shouted to the bartender. "Make it a double!"

He opened his mouth, probably to tell me to get lost again but I cut him off, "when my father proposed to my mother, he didn't have a cent. He believed she deserved the world and he wanted to give it to her. So, he went into this private high stakes poker club one night to try and win some money so he could buy her a ring."

He picked up the glass, basically tearing it from the bartender's hands and mumbled into the drink, "get lost, kid."

"They took one look at him and called him a sucker. The man running the game was some retired mobster and he let my father play, if only to humiliate him." The man rolled his eyes, still starring at the football match. "However, his big ego — lost him his great great grandmother's engagement ring. She had received the ring from the bastard son of a woman named Sophia Matilda."

He fixed me with another pissed off stare. "This little fairytale have a point?"

"Sophia was given the ring by her father." I undid the clasp around my neck, letting the ring slip off its chain and onto the bar. It spun around itself before landing on its side. A large emerald rock stood out from the gold of the ring. "King George III."

He stared at me for a moment before throwing his head back with an exaggerated guffaw. "Bullshit. Nice try, Princess."

"Have a look, then." His eyes narrowed. If I was right about his current financial status, as a con man and an acquaintance of my father, he had to be miserable. Between scores, a con was either living a lustrous life or living off scraps in the gutter before they found their next opportunity. Their nature didn't typically allow them to engage in activities of the poor for long and this guy had definitely spent too long in his current low status.

There was no way he wasn't at least tempted by my story. Confidence men loved a story.

"Even if I'm lying, if you're any kind of...professional...you'll recognize that the ring is indeed even older than this story. It'll fetch a pretty penny no matter what you tell the buyer."

He squinted at me and picked up the ring, handling it delicately in his fingers. He reached into his pocket to pull out a different pair of thick glasses, watching me out of the corner of his eye as he put them on.

He sneered at me, "what do you want to know?"

"Everything you can tell me about Thomas Civello."

"What's it to you?"

"He's my father." This surprised him and he quickly examined the ring once more. Yet, he said nothing. I shifted impatiently, "he's been missing for five years. His last letter told me he was meeting you — here — for a final score."

"Yeah. He never showed up." My face dropped as shoved the ring loosely into his pant pocket. He continued spitefully, "it fell through without him and I ended up here."

"What was the job?" He glanced back over to Alec and it looked like he spotted the V around his neck because he whipped his head back to me.

He grumbled, "do'n't matter." He made eye contact with the bartender and ever so slightly tilted his head towards Alec. I watched in confusion as she immediately moved from behind the bar and over to the vampire, making conversation.

As soon as she blocked us from his view, the man grabbed my knee. The sudden move surprising me as he whispered hurriedly, "Friday, 2 AM. Meet me at the bottom of the city."

Before I could question him, he turned his attention back to the football match and the waitress returned. It didn't look like she made much headway with Alec, as the boy was frowning in silence.

As if to spite Alec in a moment of courage, the man directed, "careful kid, boys like him never have good intentions." I tilted my head, unsure of what to make from his warning.

Alec stalked over to us and glowered down at the man, directing his words to me. "It's time to go." I obediently stood, placing my bag back over my shoulder.

I placed a hand on the man's arm, "thank you." He grumbled once more before Alec guided me out the door.

Outside, the rain had returned and I lifted my hood up. My lips began to tilt up with a giddy expression. It wasn't the information I was hoping for, but I had gotten further in my father's case in the last two days than in the last five years. Misha would be proud of me. If only I could tell her. I was taken from my reverie as Alec spoke, lifting the corner of the cloak with distaste, "whose is this?"

I bit my lip and glanced down, only feeling slightly guilty. "I may have tricked Demetri into giving it to me." His face held no reaction, but he returned his hand to my lower back.

He guided me silently through the streets of Volterra and I wondered why we weren't using his speed. He always seemed to be in such a hurry to be rid of me. This empty air between us however, wasn't dark and foreboding as it had been when he threatened my life. It seemed easier to be in his presence and I didn't shy away from his touch. What was the matter with me? I should be running, hiding, going anywhere that he wasn't. That is, if he wouldn't catch me. Which he would.

The castle entrance came into sight and Alec's voice cut through the air once more. "Was it true? Your story about the ring."

I reached into my pocket, eyeing the ring and placing it on my finger. "You tell me." I winked at him and he stopped in his tracks. All hostility between us momentarily forgotten and he almost seemed impressed. He pushed the doors open and allowed me to pass through. Were those doors ever locked? Although, I suppose burglars were the least of the Volturi's worries.

Our arrival triggered the receptionist to stand, looking ashamed and I realised that my escape could've gotten both her and Prosper in trouble. I joined her shame, not believing how inconsiderate my desperate curiosity had made me.

Her presence and the reminder of his role within the castle walls seemed to remind Alec that he hated me, because he pushed me past her and hissed in my ear, "if you try to escape again, your father won't be the only one missing." I glared up at him, fear for my father's friend and the reality of my situation returning to me tenfold.

Whatever bonding progress Alec and I made in the last two hours was apparently moot. So much for that.

Alec led me to a separate section of the castle, to a chamber that I recognised to be what Felix and Demetri had declared: 'the casual throne room' - as opposed to the formal one I'd previously experienced. It wasn't much different. Less marble, a little darker and probably more of what you'd expect from an ancient vampire cult.

The extravagant doors opened in as we approached. Aro, Marcus, and Caius were standing around a table, examining old scrolls and documents. Aro clapped his hands together, delighted by our arrival. He left the other two at the table and gracefully floated towards us.

Less guards than before scattered around the room, Demetri and Felix included. I recognised the two I'd passed in the hallways, but Prosper was nowhere to be found. Jane stood in the corner and once he'd placed me in the middle of the room, Alec went to join her. Dick.

"Not even a day and you've already caused quite a stir around here, dear one." He raised his hand to me. "Now, how did you come up with such a plan?" I gave him my hand, not even bothering to feign reluctance. Especially now that I knew what he was doing.

He'd see my escape plan unfold. From conception to tricking Felix and Demetri into not only showing me the way out but also my pitiful audition for a life alert button ("help I've fallen and I can't get up"). As well as my escape past poor Prosper and the receptionist before I finally stepped out of his beloved palace.

Which never would've happened if his guard knew I was bullshitting them all.

"Yes, perhaps I should have prepared the guard for the intricacies of your condition." There goes my secret weapon. He released my hand and sidestepped me to face the general room.

"Saffiya has a condition known as congenital insensitivity to pain. It is quite rare and quite dangerous on a day to day basis..." His brothers looked bored and I made the assumption that Aro had already informed them of this. The guards, however, looked no more clued in than before, because despite understanding the words and perhaps even the condition, they weren't sure how it applied to my jail break. For the first time, Aro looked hesitant and I realized that despite being inside my head, he wasn't sure how to better explain.

Aro had already spilled the beans so, though I was loathe to give up my trade secrets, I aided his explanation. "When I tricked Felix and Demetri into thinking I'd hurt my ankle," I started my story here, assuming everyone but Alec was already been filled in to their sides of the story. "In actuality, even if I did twist my ankle or something, I wouldn't know right away. I'd probably have walked on it the rest of the night before noticing something might be wrong."

An idea seemed to occur to Aro as I said this. "For example," Aro began, moving his hand to the right sleeve of my shirt. "May I, dear one?" The request sounded odd, as he'd never asked for my permission before doing anything before.

"Err...I suppose."

Once receiving confirmation from me, Aro lifted the right sleeve of my shirt to reveal a black and purple bruise forming. Different areas of pressure and shape indicated the possibility of the culprit being a hand. It certainly wasn't the worst bruise I'd ever had, but it definitely looked it.

"Oh wow!" I unconsciously laughed if off, raising my arm to get a better look. "Didn't catch that one." I absent-mindedly checked the other arm, remembering all the physical shifting I'd done throughout the day. In fact, I should've checked myself over right after getting chased down by those guys. And being tossed around by Alec. There was sure to be a few minor marks but it was unlikely they'd need any kind of attention.

I hadn't noticed that Aro still had skin to skin contact with me, and my current thoughts must have also flashed through his mind because he addressed the room once more. "Additionally, it seems we must be more careful with dear Saffiya than with a normal human." He had a point. "As she will be unable to tell us if we have perhaps, been a bit too harsh in our handling of her." He aimed his comment to Alec, who was still staring at the bruise around my bicep.

His sister shot him a glare, a sibling level of annoyance brewing in her expression. Probably because he'd ruined their golden child image.

"My boy, you, of anyone, should be most gentle with her."

"Yes, master." I highly doubted he'd see the order through.

However, Aro seemed satisfied with Alec's response, "from now on, I think it best to keep a specific rotation of guards around you. For your own safety and to prevent any further attempts to flee." There was a glint in his eye and I wasn't sure if it was malicious or light-hearted before he leaned in to me. "Of which you must promise never to do so again."

Fat chance. "Yes, sir."

I was given a wave, dismissing me from their presence and Alec returned to my side. As we began to leave, Aro spoke up, a lyrical lift in his voice as he added, "gentle, Alec." Alec nodded, actually refusing to touch me at all as he once again led me out of the room.

Chapter Text

"Hey, Afton!" The serious vampire stopped, staring at me as if I had two heads. He might not enjoy my next question..."Did you know the earth is round?"

He looked back and forth at the two men behind me, before an arid expression overcame his face. "What kind of inane question is that?"

"Nevermind." I tossed back over my shoulder, crossing out a date and walking back towards Felix and Demetri. "So, either he was born after the 5th century or he believes in recent science." I rubbed a finger on my chin in mock contemplation. Only some 1,000 years of possibilities — no big deal.

"What are you three doing?" I looked up slowly to meet Heidi's eyes, marked with the elegance of a French wine. She came to a stop in front of us, hand on her hip and garbed in her usual skin exposing outfit. Though this one held a bit more modesty.

Heidi had been my guard for most of yesterday, surprising me with an immediate trip to her room where we chalked her bedroom walls. She talked a lot, but I didn't mind because she didn't tip toe around subjects. When she turned on surprisingly modern music, she began talking about how she discovered the band on one of her fishing expeditions.

Yeah. That's how I found out. The grand plan took the whole 'being bored to death on a museum tour' to a brand new level. Go figure.

I hadn't seen Alec since that first night.

He'd left me off at my room without a word. Refusing to touch me, even when I'd almost tripped up the stairs. One part of me was grateful, because the last thing I wanted was to be any closer to him. The other part of me spent the rest of the night trying to ignore the way he'd looked at me in the pub as I said his name.

I'd be lying if I said Alec hadn't crossed my mind at all over the last three days. I'd also be lying if I said it had only happened once. The ridiculousness of it all made my disdain for him grow all the more.

The only thing able to occupy my mind when I wasn't being distracted by someone else, was the increased curiosity about my father. There were so many possible things that his friend might have to show me. I had only two days before I was supposed to meet him again. Two days too many. The extra time was precious, but dangerous as I found myself lost in idealised scenarios which led me straight to my father — no more unnecessary risks with vampires. I knew it was all a dream, and while I tried to keep my thoughts realistic, I couldn't help but cross my fingers and wish on a star every night. I needed all the luck I could get.

The more time I spent with Felix and Demetri, the more I forgot that I should be truly terrified by my situation. I had, after all, been kidnapped by vampires and was being forced to become one. Along with the added element that I was to stay human — for a reason that had yet to be sensibly explained to me — in a castle full of vampires who had to try not to eat me for a few weeks. All for the purpose of 'bonding' with my new playmates.

Perhaps the situation was so absurd that I'd processed it and moved on. Or perhaps my rock solid faith in a non-existent escape plan — that had to factor in 'running from vampires', was enough to keep me going. Or maybe it was because every time I tried to remind myself exactly what I was supposed to be afraid of, alI could see was Alec.

He leaned closer to me and his eyes locked with mine. I felt as if we'd returned to that alley, because I couldn't move and I think I forgot how to breathe. Yet, none of that mattered and for a moment, I thought he was lost in the same trance that I was. That is, until he spoke. His voice as slow and dark as I imagined his soul to be.

"Do you feel your heartbeat, human?"

Even the memory of the blood on his lips mere seconds after he'd killed someone in front of me wasn't enough to get my heart racing. At least not in the way it needed to be.

Evidently, he had been shifting his guard duties off on the others. After Aro had admonished him in front of the entire guard the other day, he had been pawning his shifts guarding me off on the others. Whether he was embarrassed (Heidi's theory), guilty for bruising me (Demetri's dumb theory), or was just plain sick of me (Felix's theory), I was grateful because I didn't want to see his ugly mug either.

So maybe I wanted to see him a little bit. If only to give him a piece of my mind. Because for some ill-contrived reason, he decided that I was the burden in this arrangement. If anything, I should be the one with a grudge. After all, even Aro had admitted that without Alec, I wouldn't be in this mess.

His sister, Jane, had stopped by my room two or three times for a game of chess or to put a puzzle together but we didn't talk much. It was actually kind of nice.

Felix and Demetri were absolutely bewildered when I first told them. Nor did they stop bringing it up any chance they could to try and reiterate how ruthless and unstable she actually was.

"Alec is the "nice" twin."

Do you feel your heartbeat, human? "He threatened to kill me."

"Exactly." Apparently, they had predicted that Jane would declare me public enemy number one, though they refused to tell me why.

Felix's deep voice interrupted my memory as he gleefully filled Heidi in on the assignment he'd given me on behalf of Aro. "We're making Saffiya guess when everyone was born!" Heidi raised her eyebrows.

I added in the educational component, "I believe Aro thinks it'll help me learn everyone's names."

Heidi took a look over my shoulder, doubt clouding her face. "Felix...none of her answers are right."

I gasped dramatically and pulled it away from her, "it's a work in progress!" I defended myself as the two men snickered. "They're not even giving me any clues or anything!"

"How come Elizabeth's name is crossed out?"

Childishly, Demetri pointed a finger at me, "cause she cheated!"

"I did not!" I argued back with indignation, "I just asked her and she gave me an answer."

Felix scoffed to discredit me, "you can't just ask for the answer! You're supposed to figure it out with little details and the kinds of words that they use."

"That's impossible!"

"Is not!"

"Yesterday, Demetri used the word, 'yeet'!"

Brushing off my extremely valid example, Felix rolled his eyes mockingly. "Demetri doesn't count."

Demetri, having been distracted by Heidi's...dress, resentfully leaned away from our debate, "I'm right here."

"You know what, you're being mean so I'm going to be the big kid and walk away." I gathered my materials and carried them through the nearest doorway, leaving behind the sound of two groan men giggling. With another turn, I entered a side door leading to the room where I'd had my second audience with the masters. A few days ago, the masters had been convened around the giant desk, standing and appearing rather busy. But today, only Marcus was resting on a chair, his attention focused in a blasé manner on a piece of parchment in his chalky hands.

I stomped in, notebook and pencil in my arms and collapsed on the top stair of the outside ring of the room. I'd entered too quickly to acknowledge the fact that I might be disturbing Marcus and the thought didn't occur to me until my bum hit the ground. I bit my lip, deciding to be extra quiet because it'd be rude if I just left after such a melodramatic entrance.

"Saffiya." My name seemed to ring from his mouth. God, vampires could say anything. They would be fantastic voice actors. I raised my head and tilted it to the side in curiosity. I'd hardly heard Marcus say anything without prompt. His ghost like hand raised itself from the parchment and gave me two waves, encouraging me to approach him.

I pulled my things back against my chest and did so, sitting when he pulled out the chair on the corner for me. "How is your day, child?"

I sighed, "I'm fine, Marcus. And yourself?" He gave me a gentle nod before placing a finger on my assignment.

"And what is this?" My response came slowly, as I was still in shock at the fact that I was having a real conversation with the stone man.

"I am trying to deduce the original year of every member of the guard." I said this proudly. Glancing back down at the paper, the numbers and boxes for my answers suddenly seemed too messy and incoherent. Sitting with Marcus, instead of in-between two bored and unruly vampires, brought me down from the high energy haze I had been in. Marcus' calmer presence seemed to lend me a boost of intellect and my shoulders quickly deflated, "Felix said Aro wanted me to complete it, but I'm beginning to think he was lying."

Marcus raised his head and I was suddenly too nervous to look at him. Had it been so obvious of a lie that I'd made a fool of myself in not calling it out sooner? I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, waiting for him to chide me for a foolish mistake. Though he hardly seemed the type, the refined manner he embodied was so strong of a reminder of the Mother Superior that I think I'd been projecting. Marcus, however, gave me the opposite of criticism. "Will you continue?" Pausing, I considered his question, additionally coming up with my own; Why learn if I wasn't planning on staying around?

"Well, Demetri and Felix said there were levels of the guards. And even if I don't seem them all that much, they're still important to the Volturi and it would be rude if I didn't give them the same respect."

Marcus nodded in thought, "You have a good heart, Saffiya."

"While it beats." I looked back up at him, worried he'd take offence to my statement.

He didn't, instead offering, "a word of caution, child. Not every vampire is fond of their birth." Then, he looked at me, as if to convey a full round of information through a nonexistent telepathic connection.

I bit my lip, glancing down at the two names on the bottom of the list. "You mean Alec and Jane, don't you?"

"In time, dear one." As slowly as a gargoyle, he returned his attention to the piece of parchment, once again as still as a statue. If I didn't know any better, I'd believe he was one.

I took this as my cue to leave. I'd nearly made it to the archway of the door when I heard my name.

"Saffiya." I jumped, startled that he'd dropped his composure again, but when I looked back he hadn't moved. "Perhaps the library will provide you with more appropriate answers than Felix and Demetri. Elizabeth appears to have given you an incorrect year."

I returned to the foyer to see that my apparent guards had disappeared. I frowned, wishing I had had this chance only days ago when I'd needed a lapse in my 24/7 watch to escape through the corridors and out into the streets. But there was no point yet. I still had two days before I was supposed to meet my father's friend — whose name I had failed to catch. Therefore, I no longer had any reasonable destination, and surely not one that would keep me hidden from my captors for long enough.

Glancing down at the assignment in my hands, I decided that I wouldn't mind spending time in the library. There had to be a few books that would tell me about the typical lingo during the different time periods for this fake assignment. Or perhaps I'd just pick a random book and enjoy the quiet. After all, I'd hardly had a moment alone since I arrived.

It was only after I'd turning the corner on the long corridor that led to the library that a buzzing sound caught my ears. As I got further and further down the corridor, I began to pick up noises that could have formed words...only it seemed the conversation was on fast forward and I could barely understand anything being said. Good to know that vampire speed applies to more than just physical activity, I suppose.

"...won't leave...guilty..."

"she..."

Garbled nonsense, I determined, ready to keep on as normal until I heard Felix's voice loud and clear,

"...what he did to Prosper..." I froze, an overwhelming wave of guilt crashing in my stomach. I hadn't seen Prosper since I'd sent him on an errand under false pretences in order to escape my room. I had come to assume that perhaps it was only by chance that we hadn't run into each other. After all, my current rotation of guards, sans Alec, kept me relatively busy or sequestered in my room.

Felix had included Prosper's name on my list of the guards and I had hoped that meant he hadn't gotten in trouble for letting me escape. Now, it sounded as if he had. What had Aro done to him?

As I got closer, I was sure to hold my breath and each step I took was cautious and painstakingly slow. I was almost at the end of the hall by the time I could hear some of their words more clearly.

"...don't...even Jane...capable of that." I thought vampires were indestructible? Had Aro instructed Jane to use her gift on him, then decided he deserved something worse? What could be worse than burning alive?

Demetri's lilting voice came through, "...Alec was furious..." Alec's gift. Though I was only under it for a few seconds, I had no doubts that it could indeed be considered worse. I may not have felt the full extent of Jane's power, but I had experienced Alec's. I could only imagine what the emptiness would do to someone if it held them captive for an extended amount of time.

Was Alec upset that Aro made him use his gift? He didn't seem to want to use it on even me, so I could only imagine how he'd feel when he had to use it on someone he knew better.

"Saffiya thinks he..." My ears perked up at the mention of my name, but the speed of their conversation still muddled the words.

"...denial..."

"...doubt either of the twins expected to find..."

There was a pause and I worried that perhaps I had been discovered when Heidi timidly proposed a question, "does she even know?"

They had to be talking about me. There were already so many things I was being kept in the dark about around here. One more wouldn't be surprising. Between the Latin phrases and mysterious warnings, I hadn't bothered to learn much about their future plans for me. I wasn't planning on sticking around for them anyways. But this...this sounded different. Important.

"Someone has to tell her." I'd stayed in the shadows long enough and now I was determined to get some answers. I stepped around the corner and they froze, caught red handed, as I revealed myself.

"Tell me what?" I hadn't even realized I'd been holding my breath until I spoke, releasing it all with my demand for information.

Heidi started to step forward, as if to feed me an explanation when Demetri quickly shook his head. So, she stopped and they exchanged nervous expressions among themselves.
I crossed my arms, eyeing Felix because I expected him to crack first out of the three. "Tell me what?"

Sighing, he shrugged off Demetri's increased attempts at a warning, "Saffiya, listen —"

Suddenly, his eyes rolled back in his head and his back bent with unnatural flexibility. His knees began to fold but he remained upright. I stood, in what should have been horror as I watched his body unfurl. Demetri and Heidi immediately took up their monotone guard faces as they would in the throne room, looking on with apparent disinterest. Though neither of them stared directly at Felix.

I, on the other hand, couldn't stop watching Felix. I'd never seen anyone exhibit such an extensive show of pain and I admit, with a politician's apology, that I was fascinated. His body was contorted, flinching every few seconds from what seemed to be sudden influxes of whatever was attacking him. His head fell backwards, reminding me of a newborn without the strength to hold up its own head. I wondered if his face, which was contracted with stress, would ever be graced by his normal lazy smile again.

In the doorway stood Jane, her lips curled up as she stared Felix down. Though her demeanour demanded fearful obedience, I couldn't help but liken her to a doll. Not one of those creepy ones, despite her eyes which held the truth behind her diet. Her smile was light, cheeks rosy and the resemblance between her and her twin was obvious. And though her gift was feared, the joy and what could have been relief, seemed to cathartically reinvigorate her. In that moment, she was the epitome of innocence. Innocence, that had the ability to bring Felix to his knees with the very pain that had destroyed it. So, this was Jane's gift.

Felix's knees landed on the stone floor as if hit with another surge of power. Groans left his mouth and I couldn't shrug the feeling that he'd experienced whatever this was more than a few times. It was as if he were holding on to the experiential knowledge that it would end.

And it did.

Jane continued smiling, "playtime's over."

I could feel his eyes on me before I even looked in his direction. Alec's eyes narrowed as I dared to meet his gaze. Though he didn't look away, instead his eyes stayed focused on me, forever hostile, consuming and vigilant. His eyes gleamed red, darker then his sister's and perhaps even more than the others. Heidi explained something about this; the darker the red the more recently fed. I only remembered this part because it rhymed, but I'd been too focused on trying to mix her chalk colours to make pink to remember the rest.

Beside her, Alec matched the commanding form of his sister. A natural aura of intimidation gave off less intensity, but a subtle warning rested underneath. If his sister exhibited a discernible balance of pain, surely her twin with such an opposite demeanour was not to be underestimated. He seemed to lack the same externally sadistic lust as his sister, but I had the feeling that by the time the bells went off for his prey, it would be too late.

I tore my eyes away from Alec and was immediately gifted fresh air. I breathed it in, free of the daze his eyes always seemed to leave me in.

Looking at my other guards...my friends, I picked up on their behavioural adjustments in regards to one being hurt. Though his face was as stoic as Heidi's, Demetri's eyes remained on his friend until he was able to stand. As Felix regained his composure, Jane relayed her message, "Aro wishes to see us."

I observed my guards, each waiting for the next move. Jane seemed to be daring anyone to defy her, likely eager to use her gift again. With her brother by her side, they looked like the two most intimidating beings in the entire world and I couldn't imagine anyone even trying to defy them. Even one without the other — but then, I'd already thrown myself to the sharks with Alec. Jane, however...

"I'll just take Saffiya back to her room, then."

Jane's head whipped to Felix and he flinched. This seemed to be enough for her and Felix appeared to get the message. Jane had made her position perfectly clear upon her entrance.

Whatever they were hiding, wasn't to be shared with me.

"The human was going to the library," Jane's eyes fixed onto me. "Were you not?"

I stared back at her, locked in a wave of calm before a storm. I wasn't lost in her eyes, in fact I was barely looking at her. My mind was whirling and I couldn't decide what was more important — whatever secret they were hiding from me or the power of Jane's gift. My behaviour seemed to throw Jane off, but she kept her composure. "Human — Were you not?" She repeated.

Yes, they all knew something that I did not, and even though Heidi and Felix seemed to think this secret was important for me to know sooner rather than later, it could wait. Secrets came out eventually, and there was a lot I didn't know.

Still, I couldn't help the emptiness in my tone as I held Jane's stare, addressing Demetri. "She's right." I blinked, taking a step back from the middle of the group. I received odd looks, as if each vampire perceived my behaviour as off but either didn't care to comment or didn't know how.

Jane had moved on, "Best not to keep Aro waiting."

Heidi and Demetri nodded, taking steps to the throne room. However, Felix hesitated as he looked between me and Jane and Alec.

Jane's smile had returned to her face, although with a more sadistic edge. "Don't worry. Alec won't let her out of his sight." She turned to her brother, who finally moved his eyes from me. "Will you, brother." It was impossible to miss the playful petulance in her tone.

The glare her brother gave her went unacknowledged by Jane as she turned on her heel and led the others away.

I stayed in my spot for a moment, watching their forms disappear down the stairs. Alec had gone back to watching me, his gaze looser then before. I frowned, trying not to become too irritated, too quickly with his presence. After all, I had no idea how long I'd be stuck with him.

"Right." I turned around, moving to push open the library doors. Except, they wouldn't budge. That's another thing — none of the doors in this place would budge without superhuman strength. I get that they were old, but it made no sense for doors to weigh more than an average dog. Which was the best comparison I could come up with in my head at that moment because my sanity had been interrupted by a chiming, mocking short laugh.

I tossed a glare at the useless male over my shoulder, giving another futile push against the library doors. I threw my hands against the door, leaning on them and dropping my head down in-between my arms. I refused to ask him for help. I tried to sneak a glance to see if he would graciously just open the door for me because he knows that it is literally impossible for me to do so. However, I was met with a different sight.

He had leaned one shoulder against the wall to watch me, with his arms crossed loosely over his chest. The position alone was unusually casual and as much as I hated to admit it, it made him undeniably attractive. As if he were reading my mind, a smirk lit up his face with delight at my failed efforts. I could practically see the smugness coming off of him as he caught me looking. No way was I caving now.

I stepped back to examine the doors. I was even less than a feather as far as the inanimate objects were concerned. There was no other entrance and no other options, seeing as Aro had taken everyone who would've done the decent thing by now and just opened the door.

Without thinking it through, I called him out, "wasn't there such a thing as "being a gentleman" wherever, whenever, you're from?" His eyes narrowed at me and I took the hint, Marcus's warning flashing across my mind. I quickly turned my head back to the door and waited for Alec to chew me out or threaten to eat my heart with a fork or something.

"I was under the impression that women in your era were independent." There was a lightness in his voice I had yet to hear and he was definitely messing with me. The idea initiated a slow rising of giddiness before I remembered that I'd been pushing against what I am now positive was just a fake door, for multiple minutes as he simply watched.

I bit my lip, my frustration growing, "yeah, cause chivalry is a scam." He continued to watch me for a few more tries of doing nothing but simply pushing on different pressure points of the doors before I turned to him. "Would you mind..." He raised an eyebrow and I gave him an exasperated glare before putting on my best fake smile. "Please?"

I caught a hint of amusement on his face as he opened the door with his stupid vampire strength and held it open for me.

I gave him a begrudging, "thank you" and once I was safely inside, I added sarcastically, "what a gent".

Chapter Text

He was staring at me.

From the moment we entered, Alec had been watching me. Not glaring, not simply looking in my direction, just watching. And he wouldn't stop. Even as I disappeared behind bookshelves in my quest for nonspecific books, his eyes were still locked on me when I reappeared.

It was as if he were observing my every move, waiting for me to do something rash. The behaviour was almost protective - but then that would insinuate some level of care about my well-being or even simply, my existence. Which I knew was not the case.

The library was extensive, as only a library developed over hundreds of years could be. It was as if they had transported the library of Alexandria to Italy. There were rows upon rows of elegant bookshelves, each one entirely filled with books older than I'd ever seen. Plus, I think one might've been made out of human skin so I just skipped that section.

The shelves, by the way, were ordered by topics of interest but there was no structure beyond that. which was gathered by subject but surprisingly not organized past that. It wasn't careless, but I expected better from vampires who seemed to have all the time in the world.

We had settled in the very center of the library which was a rounded out area that reminded me of a university's library. There were four wooden tables, the kind where you would scratch out names and society letters. Only these were pristine. I couldn't even find a small dent in the corners of the table I'd chosen.

I had made myself at home on the table, scattering the collection of books I had gathered from around the maze. Books that included information that I had very little ability to comprehend, let alone apply for my intended purpose. Though, I had hope that I might find something that could at least give me an idea of where to begin.

Alec was sitting in an armchair a few feet away, with his elbow resting on the corner in yet another unexpectedly relaxed positioning. He didn't move and he didn't ask me what on earth I was doing, which I was glad for because I barely knew myself.

As I turned a page in an unbelievably useless text, I glanced up to see if Alec had finally found something else to focus on.

He hadn't. Even as I made eye contact with him, he only blinked. He had to be doing this on purpose. There was no way it was just happenstance that he'd literally been eye stalking me throughout the entire room. I took in a deep breath, reminding myself that I would not give in to his childish games. I was better than that. Then, he smirked and the action alone irritated me enough to break.

"Can you stop that?" He raised his eyebrow, as if to question my sudden outburst. As if he didn't know exactly what he was doing. "Looking at me. Can you stop?"

"I could." I sent him the darkest glare I could muster. Was he an English teacher now?

"When are the others coming back?"

He leaned backwards in the chair, lazily folding his hands behind his head before giving me an answer. "They are busy welcoming Aro's guest," he waved a hand towards me dismissively. His eyes had left mine and he closed them as he laid his head back. "I am to babysit."

"I'm not a child." He didn't respond. I was so done with him. "Why you?"

This seemed to get his attention and he probably saw the opportunity to exploit my 'lesser human emotions' because he eyed me from his position and said simply, "In case Aro's guest decides he'd like a convenient snack." I broke contact with him, automatically glancing towards the doors and my reaction seemed to satisfy him.

He chuckled deeply, "don't worry. I'll protect you from the scary vampires." His words sent a chill down my spine that had nothing to do with fear.

I scoffed at his arrogance, returning to my current book and pretending that the vast collection of medical journals inside it were the most fascinating thing I'd ever seen. But a growing impatience refused to dissipate because I could still feel his eyes boring into my head. Fine. If that's how he wanted to play, I'll play.

"Why can't Prosper be my guard anymore?"

He clenched his jaw and finally looked away from me. Score one for Saffiya. "You are a curious human, aren't you?"

"Did you hurt him?" I was referring, of course, to the tiny piece of the overall conversation I'd overheard outside the door. It was gnawing at me and I had planned to just ask the others, but from the way they'd been talking...

"No." I frowned in disbelief and he rolled his eyes. "As soon as he told me you were gone, I went - Aro, sent me to find you."

I hesitated to believe him, but I remembered the top two undone buttons in his tunic when he'd arrived at the pub. Looking at him now, dressed to the nines and topped with a turtleneck, I doubted he ever left his room with a button out of place. "Why haven't I seen him?"

"You could've been damaged." He let out a low growl, "he's never going near you again."

"Stop referring to me as if I'm less than I am. I am not a toy and I am especially not a child. Plus, you're barely older than me, if at all." That damn smirk.

We sank into silence and I chose yet another book from the table, gently flipping it open. But, there was still one more question burning on the tip of my tongue. I stared blankly at the page in front of me. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna ask him.

"Alec?" I raised my head and red eyes were already on me, as if he knew I wasn't done asking questions. I swallowed, immediately rethinking my strategy.

"Yes, Saffiya?" My shoulders tensed. I'd never heard him say my name before. Was it possible that a word I'd heard thousands of times before, my own name, had never sounded so cherished as it did right now? I wanted him to say it again. To never stop but for fear that I would lose the sensation it gave me

I cleared my throat, shifting my legs before asking, "did Jane?" He raised his eyebrow once more. I went more specific, "did Jane use her gift on him?"

"What is your point, human." I held back a pout, expecting him to have used my name.

"Felix and Demetri said it felt like...fire."

"I would not know."

"But you know how it works, right?" His eyebrows furrowed and he seemed more cautious to continue answering my questions so freely. "Is it an illusion, or —"

"Just be grateful you cannot experience it." That was definitely a threat. This would be a good time to stop asking —"

"But how —"

His voice turned cold, an underlying threat tracing his words. "If you ask nicely, I am sure Jane would be only too willing to try again." Right. So that was the end of that conversation. "Careful what you wish for."

Well, that got me nowhere. He was so sensitive.

I got the impression that I should give Alec some space, so I had gone in search of any other books I could find. Alec hadn't provided me with any additional information throughout any of our brief and spotty conversations in the last few hours. The last one had earned me a reprieve from his staring, at the very least.

If anything, I was the one who had adopted the behaviour, waiting to see if he had started again. Instead, Alec had taken up a chapter book, though I hadn't seen him flip a page since it appeared in his hands.

After a few more minutes, I dropped the silent matter. Perhaps he'd gotten what he wanted or I'd asked just enough questions to make him regret doing it in the first place. Or maybe he wasn't even aware of it.

Pulling out a random medical book, I returned to my spot, flopping into the chair and opening the book with relative care. Though the information in it was the last thing on my mind.

What I was trying to understand, is why, despite everything, was his presence having such a calming effect on me. Maybe I'd just had time to stew in my frustration over the conversation I'd been forced out of with my friends. He'd done nothing but stare at me after all, and as irritating as it had been, he hadn't exactly threatened me — except maybe by proxy. It was almost the exact opposite. Perhaps I was just used to my new situation, more comfortable with the castle and in my expectations of day to day activities.

This seemed to make more sense than Alec's attendance because the last thing his company could ever bring me was this feeling of safety. And yet...

I sighed heavily. I was tired of thinking about Alec. His behaviour was so contradicting that it had me whirling. Yet, I had foreseeably turned him into a mystery. Trying to figure out the reasoning behind the way he acted to the way his name alone created an army of butterflies in my body.

I forced myself to refocus my attention on the book in front of me. Which was useless, because I still had no idea as to what I wanted to find. After flipping impatiently through it, I shoved the offending pages away from me. The behaviour perhaps a bit more attention grabbing than I'd considered.

My body reacted before I'd made the decision and my eyes — for the thousandth freaking time — came into contact with Alec's.

"Would you please stop staring at me?"

"Why?" He was like a three year old and there was absolutely no reason for him to decide that he could now withstand being around me. I don't know what I was more suspicious of — the fact that he hadn't threatened to kill me yet or that I hadn't done the same. Maybe he was trying to rile me up on purpose so that if I did something to him first, he wouldn't get in trouble with Aro for whatever he did to me next.

"It's distracting." He stood and instantly reappeared behind me. Before I could move a muscle, his hand was slowly moving my hair behind my right shoulder. Fingertips tapped at my collar bone as if it were a piano key. My breathing hitched as the pads of his fingers began walking to the strongest center of my pulse. He hummed lowly and my eyes slowly closed of their own accord. As if I wasn't allowing a vampire to test his limits and risking my life.

As he began to trail his fingers to retrace their steps back down my throat, I came to my senses. I jerked forward and turned awkwardly in the chair to face him. "What do you think you're doing?"

However, he didn't acknowledge me, his eyes now on the forgotten book in front of me. His hand disappeared from my body and began playing with the pages of the book. His fingers were long and as flawless as the rest of his skin. He leaned over my shoulder and I could feel his arm rested on the back of my chair, leaning across my shoulders. His face was beside mine and I bit my lip as if it would keep me from looking at him.

Almost immediately, his fingers left the pages of the book and landed on my lips. The behaviour felt strange...intimate. I could feel the pressure of his fingers, lightly but firmly putting a stop to the offending action. "Do not," his gaze lifted from my lips to my eyes and his had darkened substantially from only mere seconds ago. "Do not do that," he whispered lethally. He stayed there for a moment, before returning to the book as if nothing had happened.

"This does not look like a history book."

I blinked, "how did you—"

"Marcus." His eyes scanned the rest of the table before finding the clipboard. My messy scribble was mixed with Felix's surprisingly small cursive and ill formed boxes. "He said the dates—"

I crossed my arms with exaggerated frustration, throwing myself backwards into the chair and using to action to lean away from him. "Are all wrong, yes, I am well aware." Alec was still examining my assignment, more distracted by the page than the rant that followed, "Felix and Demetri refused to give me any hints and apparently Elizabeth doesn't like me very much because she lied about hers but, at least I know her name now."

He didn't answer me, still focused on the paper and while I was glad he was no longer watching my every move, I kind of missed his attention. Not his specifically. That'd be stupid.

And though he was focused on the page, arguably with too much intensity, Alec seemed to be lighter. I got the impression that he was always too consumed with a dark and weighted aura. I couldn't help but wonder if the time we'd spent in the library, alone, provided him with a brief respite. One that he'd never had access to in all his years as a vampire. He felt almost...happier. Well, as happy as Alec could ever be when he wasn't making snide comments.

Alec picked up my pencil and added something to the sheet. And suddenly, he had returned to his chair, a random book in hand. He was no longer watching me.

I looked down. There, next to his and Jane's names, he had written 381 A.D.

Chapter Text

Whatever truce that had risen between us in the library seemed to have disappeared literally overnight as Alec returned to being the world's most obnoxiously horrid person.

The entire day, we'd been throwing heedless insults back and forth. It got to the point where even Jane, who had stopped by for a civil game of chess, had left us to our stewing.

It had been only a matter of time before one of us broke first.

He was leading me to the kitchens, neither of us speaking a word to the other after I'd suggested that if he couldn't say anything nice than he shouldn't say anything at all. We'd only made it down two flights of stairs when he finally checked to see if I was still behind him. I was. If keeping ten paces in-between us counted as such.

Alec didn't seem to think so. His eyebrows narrowed as if inconvenienced by my basic human inability to walk at vampire speed. To be fair, ten paces might've been a bit excessive. "Keep up."

"Keep up," I mimicked him in a childish tone under my breath.

He stopped abruptly and I conveniently remembered that vampire hearing was also a thing. Alec seemed taken aback by my words, though it was hardly the worst attitude I'd thrown at him. "You can't speak to me like that." So, he did use contractions. Welcome to the English language, buddy.

I scoffed, "watch me."

His eyes sharpened and his voice lowered, "you do not seem to comprehend how lucky you are —"

This was ridiculous. "In case you forgot, I didn't ask for this. My life is over and it is all your fault." I shoved a hand against his chest but it had no effect on him. Instead, he clenched his jaw, not even bothering to deny my accusation.

Alec took a step towards me, raising his hands as if to physically enunciate what should've been an apology. Except, this action alone triggered a flurry of activity behind my ribcage. He moved towards me again, his face shifting from shame to arrogance.

He smirked, "do I make you nervous?" The deep, huskiness of his voice made my eyes widen, and I swallowed unnecessarily.

"I'm not afraid of you."

"No..." he clicked his tongue. "There is something else..." The implication alone was enough to send a shiver running from my spine down to my knees.

"What are you on about?" He stepped forward again and I now countered his movements.

Watching me with amusement, he repeated the action twice more only to have me do the opposite. "Knock it off."

"Your heartbeat betrays you." I bit my lip and he held out a hand as if to touch my cheek. I closed my eyes, unable to handle the combination of the combustable, emotional response inside me and the anticipation of what he was going to do next.

It wasn't until I felt a light pressure on my arm that I opened my eyes to see him focusing on my bruise. The one he'd caused. It was nearly gone now, more yellow and green that was overtaking the red tones underneath. Bruises weren't always so apparent on my mixed skin, so when they were I knew it was a particularly nasty one.

My eyes widened because he trailing a light finger over the bruise and goosebumps sprung up over my arm. The shame was returning to his expression and as much as he pissed me off, I'd do anything to distract him from his thoughts at that moment. Yes, it was technically his fault, but he clearly hadn't had to spend too much time considering the welfare of a human.

Especially not one that was idiotic enough to throw his own words back at him.

And just when I was convincing myself that he might not be so bad after all; He opened his mouth. "Humans are so fragile. Though I cannot imagine you will be much better as an immortal."

What a prick. "Right, because you're such a dream."

Now I'd done it. He whipped his head to look at me, his palm flattening against my arm before he took hold of my chin. His hair had fallen into his eyes, which were no longer the brightly satisfied colour they had been. Nevertheless, there was a flash in them, a flash of resistance and Alec faltered for the briefest of seconds. Then, it was gone.

"You, girl, are the most insignificant human to ever exist." It was a lame comeback and he knew it.

I pulled away from him, which was easier than I expected so he must have taken Aro's warnings to heart. "Oh yeah? Then, why didn't you just let those boys kill me?"

He gritted his teeth, "clearly, I made a mistake."

Alec turned and stalked away from me, as if to leave me behind in the empty corridor. I blew air out of my lips, bending down to take off my shoe before throwing it right at the back of his head. "HEY!" I missed, of course, but the result was the same. He stopped, his palms curling into tight fists. "You know what I think?"

He appeared in front of me and I tried not to be thrown off by the supernatural factor. He hissed, "I do not care—"

"I think you're sad." He froze and I found myself replacing anger with an unusual sort of empathy. "I think someone hurt you a long time ago and you've been taking it out on the rest of the world ever since. And I think you're too afraid to admit that you're just as broken as any one of us." I took a breath, highly aware of the fact that I stood close enough to him to touch him and my hand was already reaching out when he caught me by the wrist.

His words were venomous, full of poison and ready to strike at any moment, "you do not know anything about me." I pulled my hand back, but his grip on my wrist only tightened.

The fire in my chest began to grow again and I tugged my hand away from him until he finally released me. "Here's my question —" My chest rose and fell with breaths I had to retrieve from my diaphragm, but I was nowhere near done. "Why me? Why was it my life you had to destroy?"

Looking at him made me lose my breath with a fear I'd never felt before. The mere timbre of his tone outlined the restraint he had to maintain to keep himself from doing the one thing he was built to do. Yet, just being near him made my mind became cloudy and irrational and if I didn't stop picking fights with him, I'd probably wind up with teeth marks on my throat.

"What life?" An evil smile appeared on his face, the kind that an evil villain practiced in a mirror. "Chasing after a father who didn't want you." It was the smile the villain prepared for the exact moment he revealed to the hero that he'd killed everyone they ever cared about. "So defected that you could end up killing yourself without a babysitter." That they had destroyed them. "A burden — flawed and insignificant." It was the smile of someone who had already won and he was just getting started.

How could someone so beautiful, be so cruel. He'd already made it very clear that my very existence was the bane of his. I could feel my mouth open, completely and totally at a loss to defend myself. I was no hero. I was just a girl. I'd done nothing to make him hate me enough to make him play the role of a real life villain. He'd done nothing but try to convince me of such since I'd arrived.

Except, I don't believe in villains. Bad guys — sure. But, assigning either role for Alec...I was unconvinced.

Don't get me wrong. His attitude, spiteful words, and misguided hostility made my blood boil and I had definitely played out several cartoon scenarios in which he went splat on the pavement in some construction zone. He had no right to treat me the way that he did. He shouldn't treat anyone with threats and harsh words.

But as much as I wanted to return the favour, I don't think I could. Because even villains...

"At least I'm alive."

A bitter laugh left him and he seemed quite pleased with himself as he left me standing pathetically in the hallway.

"Not for long."

Chapter Text

"You talk in your sleep." Her voice lilted over from the armchair in the corner of my room. My head snapped over to her, as if to assess a threat. Not that I'd have any kind of upper hand if that were the case. She merely closed the book in her hands with a loud clap and stood. "Did you know?"

She watched me and it took a few seconds for me to register that she was expecting a response, "no." Seeming satisfied with my answer, she returned the book to the bookshelf.

"I thought your brother was supposed to be my guard today?"

Jane raised a single eyebrow. "Would you prefer I go and get him?" Though her words sounded venomous and resentful, there was a tingling sound as if she were teasing me.

"No," I spoke automatically.

"Yes, he has been rather moody as of late. That would be your doing, of course."

I felt guilt overwhelm my stomach, "what did I do to him?" Jane only looked at me, not even a shrug of indifference.

Resigned, I pushed the covers off of me and made my way into the bathroom. I stripped, careful about choosing the levels of both hot and cold before stepping into the shower. I tilted my head back, allowing the water to cascade over my face and down my chest. I breathed out before recognising that I had to get out sooner or later to face the day.

Today was Thursday. The day I was supposed to somehow manage to again sneak out under the noses of the all-hearing, super speeding, watch dog vampires that were to know my whereabouts 24/7.

I'd assumed it would be Alec that I'd have to get past. As he'd complained about having to babysit me while Aro's guest was here. Which, as far as I knew, they were. The plan was loosely based around the fact that I could annoy Alec enough to leave me alone in my room then I could escape. But if Jane were guarding me, I'd have to go back to the drawing board. With a very small time frame. Unless, she was just visiting and her twin would return.

A rush of nerves flew through my stomach as I considered the possibility that Alec would have replaced his twin in the short while I'd been away. That he'd be sitting in a chair or even on my bed —

A cough wracked its way out of my chest at the direction my thoughts were heading. At the feeling it brought up that I didn't quite understand; an inkling in my brain slipped the word desire to the forefront of my mind. I immediately shoved such ideas aside, ashamed at the audacity of my brain to go to such a place. As if.

I quickly finished my routine, eventually stepping out and carefully tucking the towel around myself. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have to convince myself that there was no logical reason for Alec to be in my room. It would just be Jane. Innocent looking Jane with a major dark side and an apparently, insanely painful power that may or may not have an effect on me.

When I did open the door, Jane had chosen another book. She didn't acknowledge my presence and so I made my way over to the excessively large closet. I inspected the rows of clothing, which had been filled by the magic elves that had put my room back together. Even an eternity wouldn't be enough time to wear all of the outfits that filled it up. I eyed the clothes I'd arrived in, purposefully separated from the new clothing. They'd bought me some new jeans and other modern clothing, but I hesitated at accepting expensive gifts. Not to mention the current trends were an incredibly obvious out of place fashion that I'd been wearing around for the past few days.

I glanced to Jane once more, and I think she noticed because she let out a harsh, "what?" I didn't respond, but reached up to pick out a dress that matched hers. I disappeared deeper into the closet and slipped the dress over my head, loosely tying the string that hung at its side behind my back so that it fell to form a tiny bow below my waist.

As I stepped out of the closet, I was attempting to braid my own hair - something I'd never been very good at it. I took a seat at the vanity, turning to face Jane to attempt to strike up a conversation when a cool breeze gently swiped my neck. I realized, with a light tug of my hair, that Jane had taken over my braiding for me. This was confirmed as I caught sight of her in the mirror, intensely focused on my hair. We were silent for a time as she gracefully plaited the strands at a surprisingly patient human pace.

Jane lightly dropped the end of the braid over my shoulder. I glanced up at her through the glass, twirling the end of the braid between my fingers, "thank you." She nodded and we continued watching each other in the mirror.

"Who is Misha?" My face scrunched up in confusion to her knowledge of my recent past. "You asked for him. When you were asleep."

"Misha was one of the nuns that watched after me. My father left me at an abbey when I was eleven and he never came back. It's the closest I've ever had to home, thanks to her." A frown was evident on Jane's face at this information, which surprised me. I assumed it was a response to the religious connection, as she already knew my father was missing. It seemed that only in recent years that a dislike of the church wasn't uncommon. So, religion was likely to have been built into their lives from the beginning, if my guess at history had any weight. Had her experience with it stayed so long into her years as a vampire?

My hand touched the rosary hanging around my neck and as soon as I pulled it out, Jane was in front of me. The tiny cross dangling in-between her index and ring fingers. Just as quick, she dropped it as if it had burned her. Yet, her eyes were still wild with curiosity and I continued my story.

"I wasn't fit to be a nun — I always asked too many questions." A smile graced my lips as I looked down in remembrance of the priest and mother superior's faces whenever I was too logical for the Bible. "And I needed to find my father." I slipped the rosary back under my shirt, my eyelids fluttering closed as they began to sting. I blinked it away and noticed Jane, who was still watching the mirror. Though it seemed she was lost in her own appearance, her own memories.

"They were worried I'd get into trouble because of my condition..." Her eyes flashed back to mine. There it was, the root of her inquisitiveness. "If only their imaginings of possible dangers had spanned as far as vampires."

I saw the corner of her lip tilt upward ever so slightly. "Yes. If only." I stayed silent this time, seeing if she would share a token of her thoughts with me. They seemed to be drowning her and I wondered if maybe she needed saving. I wondered if Alec were the only one that could do so.

I was sure that if she were human, she might have been crying. Not dramatically, but maybe a tear or two before she would brush it away, denying its existence. I mused briefly if her eyes had been the same colour as Alec's when they were human. A stirring in me suggested a temptation to ask her if she remembered, but I remembered Marcus' warning and a more intelligent part of my brain urged caution. "Switch?" I asked her and her head snapped down to me. She seemed to consider my question and I thought she would deny me but she nodded slowly. I stood and she took my place at the vanity.

I released her hair from its beautiful French twist and watched in awe as her locks fell down her shoulders like a wave in the ocean. Slowly, cautiously, I began to separate strands of her hair. She closed her eyes, seeming to lose herself in the behaviour. It was intimate, and not at all what I expected from the girl based on what I'd seen and been told so far. Another reminder for myself of why I liked to make my own opinions regarding new people.

Silence settled around us and I noticed Jane's eyes remained closed, as if returning once again to her earlier trance. She looked so peaceful, delicate, so I left her to it, because this was the first time I couldn't hear my heart racing since I'd entered the castle. I wouldn't say I was carefree, I knew to keep my guard up while in a building with beings that could snap my neck before I even noticed their presence. I wasn't that stupid. But, I was content in Jane's presence and that was enough for now.

After a few moments, she asked me, "what is it like? To have never felt pain?" Jane was watching me carefully in the mirror and I could tell the question bothered her. While I wasn't sure that the answer would provide her with the answers she was looking for, I tried to figure out how to explain it. I hadn't had to do so very often in my life. I bit my lip, automatically glancing in the mirror to check that I hadn't bitten it too hard before knowing where to begin.

"Every morning, I have to check over my body, to make sure I haven't scratched my eyeball in my sleep or bit my tongue in half. I can tell that your skin is cold and a tea kettle is hot, but I wouldn't be able to tell if the tea were burning my tongue." She was looking down in thought, and given her gift I wondered if she was pitying me or if she were jealous. "I can feel textures, the weight of a book, a hug..."

I trailed off and focused on finishing her braid, mimicking what she'd done for me and laying it over her shoulder. Red eyes stared into mine with rapt attention and I was reminded of her brother once again, the almost childish spirit of inquiry gracing her face was unlike any expression I'd seen on his. There was something good in her, and if there was good in her, there had to be some in her brother.

"I've learned about what should be painful by observing others and mimicking them if I receive a similar injury. But it's never clicked in my brain." Jane was looking over my handiwork on her hair when a thought overcame me and I gulped rather noticeably. "I'd give anything to feel pain...the other day with your gift..."

"You responded." I nodded. "Barely." I nodded again, remembering how she had almost attacked me in frustration. How Alec had stopped her...

She continued to stare at me and I took that as an opening to present my evidence of why she should do what I had yet to request from her. "Any sliver of pain would - it would likely be overwhelming for me, as I've nothing to compare it to. I could pass out, I could—"

"You want me to use my gift on you, do you not?" She dropped down into the same armchair, relaxed, yet guarded. I cautiously shook my head up and down in confirmation. "Just what are you expecting to happen, human?" Her tone was cold and I struggled to refrain from shivering.

I swallowed again and gave her my half baked idea that I'd spent hours trying to research.

I moved away from the chair, trying to find the right words. "If you could break through that wall in my brain...maybe you could make it fall."

"You believe the pain will trigger your brain into becoming normal." She wasn't looking at me, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. "It is a loose theory."

My shoulders fell, looking away as I prepared to apologise for even suggesting it.

"But," she continued, "I do enjoy my gift."

I turned back around to face her. She had risen from the chair. Her irises already empty and focused on me.

There was less of a delay this time and when the wave hit me, there was no denying it. I let out a small cry - out of both surprise and what I could only assume must have been pain. And it hurt - a lot. It was all warmth, except it flickered, like when you put your hands up to a fire as it danced, the ends of the flames striking towards you and away the next second. There was even a slight calm to the rush of pain, despite it taking my breath from me. I began to gasp for air, another strangled sound escaping me before it stopped — suddenly and without explanation.

The doors to my room flew open and through the tears that had begun to fill my eyes, I made out the form of Alec in the doorway. "What have you done?" He snapped at his sister, appearing at my side on the floor. I hadn't even noticed that my knees had buckled because my mind was whirling. The pain was unimaginable and it had only been a taste of what she could do. I felt dizzy, nauseous and I never wanted to feel anything like it ever again.

At the same time, I felt normal. For the first time in my life, the one thing that had always separated me from everyone else was no longer impossible. All because of her gift. I raised my gaze to meet Jane's, recognizing the shock and a fear that couldn't be helped reflecting back at me. She quickly examined my knees but noticed no other outward sign of my former distress and in the next second, her gaze snapped back to her brother, void of the emotions we'd exchanged.

"I was only complying with her request, brother." She informed him innocently, a small evil smirk on her face. My eyelids fluttered, the memory of her gift's effect only just fading despite the initial feeling being gone. Alec let out a deep sigh and suddenly his hand lightly encased my forearm, lifting me to my feet. I couldn't quite stand and he uncharacteristically wrapped a gentle arm around my waist to support my weight.

I could feel his eyes on me as they scanned my body for any outward signs of harm, just as his sister had done. Only this was different. It was as if he were drinking me in, every part of my body despite the fabric covering it. I briefly wondered if vampires also had x-ray vision and I bit my lip. Which immediately drew his eyes to them.

Apparently satisfied with his assessment as he growled to his sister, "never again."

She shrugged dismissively, and left us alone. Though, before she stepped out of the door, she blinked at me and I think she was watching to see if I regretted asking her. I tried to nod or make any acknowledgement that it was okay that wouldn't set Alec off but she was gone before I could do so. It hit me a moment later, because I was too out of it to complain about her absence, but my breath caught in my throat as I processed my situation. Even though Jane's talent terrified me, her brother's presence made my blood run cold. And here I was, alone with him once again.

I didn't have much time for recovery before Alec spoke, "that was incredibly stupid. Angering her - on purpose." He almost sounded worried, but I dismissed it as concern for his sister's decisions.

I could barely muster the courage to speak and I wanted to keep my head down, because I could feel him glowering down at me. I chose not to correct his assumption because if he disapproved of her using her gift then I doubted he would take as kindly to our reasoning behind it, "I was curious." A hand softly lifted my chin to see how he scowled at me with a look that I'm sure was meant to convey his utter distaste for my existence. The contrast in these actions — the careful touches and the disciplined hatred of my humanity — triggered a burst of rage which bubbled in my stomach. He was so contradicting. His attitude prompted my unbridled defiance and I struggled to keep it in.

"Curiosity killed the cat." He chided me, releasing my chin and dragging me over to the corner armchair. He dropped my body into the plush cushion like a rag doll and I thought that just because he could, didn't mean he had to treat me like I was as worthless as an old toy.

"I didn't think-"

My next words caught in my throat as his face appeared in front of mine, my body trapped as his hands came to grip the sides of the armchair. I tried to dig myself back into the cushion, but my efforts were futile as I found myself no further from him. "No - you did not." His red eyes met mine and my breath caught in my throat, the same exhilarating feeling racing through my chest as I couldn't help but stare back. "Next time, you might not be so lucky."

As he began to turn away, I could feel it rising in me, that deep anger of injustice and I couldn't stop myself. "What do you care? You're just dying for the day Aro gives you permission to kill me."

"Do not test me."

"Bite me!"

He let out a low growl at my sudden bravery and in less than a millisecond, my back was slammed against the wall and I know it should've hurt, but I still felt nothing. It made me want to ask Jane to try again, as twisted as it was. It wasn't that I was attracted to the pain, at least not in a masochistic way. Rather, I believed that there was a high possibility that my theory would work. If only we could try one more time.

As I opened my eyes, two hands landed on the wall on either side of my face, trapping me once more. Involuntarily, my heart skipped a beat and it registered in my brain that I was not safe right now. Alec seemed to have forgotten his lecture from Aro about being gentle with me the angrier I made him. I wanted Jane to return - anyone, because only my nightmares could express how truly terrified I was to be alone with Alec. But there was no way I'd ever let him know that. Until his lips curled up into a smirk and I realized that my heart was beating faster than it ever had in recent memory — and he could hear it.

He leaned closer to me, his lips automatically finding themselves inches from the dip in my collarbone. As my heart beat increased in speed, a low chuckle escaped him and he trailed his nose along my collar bone and up my neck. I couldn't help the involuntary shiver at the surprising warmth of his breath as it conflicted with the cool touch of his skin. While I could barely register the difference, my body seemed to pick it up without a problem. His lips reached my ear and he stopped breathing, taking a moment.

"Watch your tongue," he murmured dangerously, his eyes meeting mine and sending the butterflies in my stomach into another flurry of activity.

Just like that, he released me. My hands found the wall of their own accord, needing something to ground them to the earth. My breathing grew heavier and the bad kind of butterflies knocked around recklessly in my stomach. He was looking at me with contempt and I frowned. There was no way he was winning this one.

"You first."

A feral growl escaped his mouth and he raised his hand back, as if to knock me down for my insolence. But it never came. My eyes fluttered open to see that Alec's hand had been captured in its drawn back position by the most unlikely of saviours.

"That is enough."

Chapter Text

"Best not to damage the human, brother."

Alec pulled his wrist back from her grip, a reluctant glare matching his sister's as they stared each other down. He was the first to back off.

"Sister," he acknowledged her.

Why had she returned? Not that I was complaining.

As if to answer my question, she stated, "Aro wishes to see her." They both stood in front of me, neither one seeming to want to leave me alone with the other. Then Jane cautioned forcefully, "you need to feed."

The dark smoke had indeed returned to fill his irises. Realization spread across his face and he angled his head away from me. Coal black hair fell across the side of his face, fully blocking my view of him.

"I'm fine." His chest stopped moving in response to the deep intakes of breath he'd been using before Jane's arrival. He stepped away, turning his back on me completely. "Get her away from me." Something shoved against my chest in response to his sentence, as if the words themselves wanted to further elucidate how little he wanted to do with me. To be honest, even if it wasn't exactly news, it hurt my feelings and I think it showed on my face because Jane interrupted my moment of self pity.

"Come." She indicated that I follow her and I did, but I couldn't stop glancing back to Alec every few steps.

Everything had happened so quickly. Every little thing I did seemed to infuriate him to the point of losing control. The part of me that should've pointed this out and stopped me from egging him on was nowhere to be found during any interaction we had. It was simply him, me, and a lack of self-control from either of us.

Yet the anger and fear that had been recklessly in charge of the wheel only moments ago, had vanished. In fact, the remnants of the overwhelming emotions seemed to fade the further I got from him. Alec seemed to be the fuel to a fire that I didn't even know existed in me. It made me feel alive, and if I could learn to control it -

In one instant, he looked back at me.

"Saffiya." Jane's voice pulled me away. I had stopped in the middle of the hallway and she was watching me with an almost pitying expression, but she pressed on. "Aro is expecting us."

I glanced back again, but he was gone.

As I fell into step with Jane, the silence we so often found ourselves enjoying together settled in between us. And as usual, I was the first to break it. "Jane, about earlier..." She lazily raised her head to acknowledge my words, so I continued. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to anger you. I was just...curiosity killed the cat, I suppose..." I rubbed my arm, the apology escaping me without forethought.

There was no response from her for a second and I worried that I'd damaged whatever form of association we had with each other. "But satisfaction brought it back." She was wearing a disarming smile and I released a small breath in relief.

With nothing else to say, our silence returned. It was short-lived, however, as we turned a corner to a single short hallway. A pair of double doors settled, almost hidden, in the cubby of the hallway. I took a step forward, but was interrupted as Jane held out her arm in front of me.

It was her turn to interrupt the quiet. "He wouldn't have done it."

"Huh?" She rolled her eyes and I wondered if she was more annoyed with me or her brother for the start to the morning. Though there was a softness in her tone as she continued, similar to the one with which she spoke to her twin.

"Alec would never lay a hand on you."

Sarcastically, I chimed, "you sure about that?" The immediateness of her response stung.
"Yes."

I expected her to be fixing me with a glare and prepared to test her gift on me, this time without my consent. Only, she wasn't. She regarded me with a kind of inward contemplation, as if she were as unsure of the situation as I was. I didn't see fit to challenge her. For one, I knew I'd lose. But for some reason, despite the show of exact opposite behaviour from her brother, I believed her. I nodded and she accepted this, pushing open the doors.

The room was new to me. It was extravagantly simple, the definition of sophistication and culture. The room rounded in the shape of an oval and was about half the size of either of the throne rooms. The walls were made of bookshelves, save for the door Jane and I had just entered from. Unlike the library, these books were carefully organized and delicately maintained.

On either side of the doors stood two guards. One of them, Demetri. The empty expression they all seemed to have when they were on duty enveloped his face and he didn't so much as glance at me. They were like the queen's royal guard and I finally understood the connection of referring to the Volturi as royalty.

In the back of the room, Marcus was seated at a table, frozen as ever with a pen clenched in his hand and a piece of parchment paper curled up under it. In the corner, striking white blonde hair introduced Caius with his back to us, one arm holding up a heavy looking book and the other hand twirling around a standing globe.

Aro was in the middle of a chess match with a man I'd yet to meet. The man was the most normal looking vampire I'd ever seen within the walls of the Volturi's castle. Head to toe 21st century attire, his posture was as elegant as any vampire if not only slightly less dated than Caius or Marcus's. A curious smile rested on his face as we made eye contact. Gold.

Aro and his guest were the only ones to acknowledge our entrance.

The leader of the Volturi stood gracefully, softly dancing over to me and Jane. "Ahh, Saffiya!" The lilt of his accent was distinct, treating each syllable of my name to its own individual attention. "I was just telling Carlisle of your unique condition."

The man, Carlisle, stood to meet me and held out a hand. I followed the societal expectation and shook it. "I've heard wonderful things about you, Saffiya."

Aro reclaimed the conversation. "We heard your cries," his eyes flickered to Jane. "Jane has informed us it was of your own free will."

As polite as ever, I replied, "yes, sir." He raised a hand to ask for mine and I fulfilled his request without a second thought. When he was satisfied, he dropped it.

"A fascinating theory indeed, my dear." He stepped away from me and glanced to the side. "Would you mind sharing it with Carlisle?"

Sure, I'll just spill my entire life story to a stranger like a circus freak. "I have a rare condition —"

"Congenital insensitivity to pain." I confirmed this.

"The first time Jane used her gift on me, it didn't effect me right away. Eventually, I did feel a small pressure that I associated with what could be as close to pain as I've ever gotten." He was staring at me with rapt attention, seeming fascinated by a topic no stranger I'd ever met knew much about. Yet, his focus implied a more comprehensive understanding than the bare minimum of what Aro may have told him. "It hurt, a lot, but I believe that it was because I'd never experienced the feeling before. It wasn't until I saw Felix's response to it that I thought it might be possible for Jane's gift to overpower the wires crossed in my brain."

"To rearrange the neurological blocks?" He tapped a finger to his chin, regarding me with a sterner, more professional tone. "And what did you discover?"

"It worked. But only for her gift." Carlisle nodded, processing the information in the way only an intellectual would. That is, slowly and completely. "I'd like to try again, if Jane is willing." I couldn't see her as she'd moved behind me, but both Aro and his friend seemed to spend a moment observing her reaction to this.

Carlisle folded his hands together, regarding me with a mix of curiosity and concern. "The experiment in itself does contain several risks," he pointed out and I provided him with a patient smile.

"My life is a risk, Mr. Carlisle."

He nodded, tilting his head in thought once more before turning to his friend, his tone just as patient as mine. "Aro, have you considered the change?"

"We haven't set a date, yet, old friend."

Carlisle hesitated, looking to me once more before addressing Aro. "We should discuss it."

Before I could ask what exactly this stranger could have to say about my impending future, Aro spoke, bringing us back to the matter at hand. "Since there is no bad blood," I found his choice of words to be a tactless choice of phrasing considering their diet and my current human status. "You would be content if Jane were to remain as one of your guards?"

"She is not the guard I want to avoid, sir." I heard a snicker from behind me, but it was ignored by the room. Aro raised an eyebrow, and Marcus and Caius seemed to finally take interest in the conversation, though I had no doubt they'd been listening in prior to. As much as he appeared to lead, I doubted that the tokens and perspectives the two men contributed would be undervalued by Aro.

"And whom would that be, dear one?" I refrained from scoffing. As if he didn't already know.

Still, I played his game. "Her brother."

Jane had reappeared in the side of my vision and her head whipped around to me so fast, she might have torn it off her spine. While I pretended not to notice, there was a small rock of regret in my stomach. I could feel the focus of the room's occupants shift to Aro. Only it wasn't him that spoke.

"There is no one safer for you to be with than Alec, Saffiya." I squinted at this, feeling slightly betrayed. I thought Marcus and I were tight.

I couldn't help it, "has anyone told him that?" Carlisle coughed, turning away. But once he looked back I definitely saw a twinkle of amusement on his face. Glad my misery brought someone some giggles.

Aro also failed to hide his cheer, though it lacked the same genuine spirit as Carlisle's. "Perhaps a short respite, then?" He suggested and without waiting for my opinion, "Demetri."
The man appeared beside me. "Master."

"See if you can find a more engaging activity for Saffiya."

Demetri bowed his head to the masters, sending me a wink when his head was down before leading me out of the room like a shepherd. The door closed behind us and I opened my mouth to question him about where he was taking me but he slid a finger to his lips. I huffed impatiently, but obeyed as I trailed behind him.
The further we got from the study, the more Demetri's energy levels increased. He was practically hopping by the time he finally decided we were far enough away to fill me in.

Stopping abruptly, he moved to stand directly in front of me, taking hold of my shoulders. With the guise of an incredibly serious nature, he inquired, "have you ever seen American fighting? WWE?"

"Yes. The nuns got together religiously every Sunday to watch Americans knock each other around."

He gaped at me. "You're joking?" "Of course I am." He pouted. So as not to disappoint him, I asked, "what is it then?"

"Wrestling!" He exclaimed excitedly and I couldn't help but laugh, his positivity amping me up.

"Felix and I are supposed to practice right now and he's typically got the upper hand."

Gee, wonder why. "Cause he's a giant?" Demetri moved his head up and down intensely, brimming with determination. "Exactly. But this time, you're gonna be my secret weapon."

The sarcasm was evident as it coated my words, "yes, I'm sure I would make an excellent weapon against a vampire."

"Just tell him about what happened this morning." With that, he threw open the door to what he and Felix had referred to on our tour as the training room. It was, without a doubt, the most modern room in the Volturi's castle. It could've been taken straight from a university catalogue as one part of the room resembled what could only be described as half fancy cafeteria, half elegant study hall. Which may have been underselling it, still, it was immediately obvious to me that there was no way any of the three masters spent any time in the room. Judging by the variety of furniture and activities, I assumed it must be a space for the guard members to gather. Like a teacher's lounge, only more inclusive.

The doors opened, on the far right side of the room, into an array of modern, yet classy, sofas and chairs. Bookcases spread out around the area, some holding an additional entourage of chapter books while another was filled with board games lazily shoved on top of each other. The seating was arranged in small clusters, meant for small groups to gather and chat comfortably. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't imagine a single member of the coven doing so in an every day routine.

Towards the middle of the room, there were tables, two chairs per each. Assumably, the setup was meant for chess or a similar game. A large circular table in the middle could've been used for anything but, someone had failed to clean up a recent game of mahjong.

On the far side, it was clear where the room's name had come from. It was empty of any additional trinkets or tables, as its main purpose was clear. This entire side was claimed by a giant mat that reminded me of a gymnastics class I'd taken once as a kid. I had twisted my ankle in the first five minutes and never went back. This was a practice mat and judging by the various markups and tears, it was quite popular.

Felix was flicking around pieces on a checkers board when we entered. He jumped up gratefully at the opportunity for interaction and I had a feeling he had very little patience when it came to board games.

"Fiya!" New nickname. I bit my lip, not too sure how I felt about it. Felix ruffled my hair in greeting, which I quickly smoothed back as soon as his hand left my head of curls. My reaction cause him to chuckle and I beamed up at him.

"Hullo, Felix."

He pulled out a chair for me at a table and I squinted suspiciously. He'd done the exact same thing before giving me 'Aro's homework assignment'. Once I did take a seat, he was prompted to investigate my progress on the very topic, "how's the homework?"

"I'm still missing a few of the guards' dates. Including Prosper." I'd tried to talk to the different guards while Alec was guarding me the last two days. But he was such a bully to both me and the others, that nobody really wanted to talk to me past providing their birth years. Which was more counterproductive than I liked, seeing as I actually wanted to remember them. Eventually, I'd given up. Alec's mood had, however, remained as sour as ever.

"And the twins', right?"

I shook my head, remembering that day in the library. "Alec wrote it down himself."

"You actually asked him?"

Shaking my head once more, "I didn't have to. Marcus did."

The two men gasped dramatically, winking at each other. "That sly old dog." I scrunched up my face at the idea of Marcus being described as a 'sly old' anything.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing!" Felix chirped. "Demetri, you ready?"

In the least casual manner possible, Demetri indicated his head towards Felix when the man's back was turned, "Fiya's gonna watch."

Right. Distraction. "So, Felix. I met Aro's friend today." I lamely offered up the story. I wasn't the best at storytelling, usually including either too much detail or the wrong ones. Though, Demetri didn't seem to have any preference so long as I talked.

"Nooo," Demetri whined. "Start at the beginning."

Apparently, the plan was for me to tell Felix about my morning in the hopes that it would distract him enough for Demetri to get the upper hand. As Demetri went flying across the room, it was clear that it hadn't worked.

Though Demetri was smaller and more agile, Felix's strength seemed to be the ultimate upper hand. He was unbeatable and their matches were the opposite of any fight scene you'd watch in an underdog movie. It had only gotten more embarrassing for Demetri once Heidi had joined us. Felix seemed to take even more joy out of embarrassing him in front of the woman.

Especially when Demetri got a bit arrogant and like a child, told us to "watch this" as if he had gained any inch of the upper hand against Felix.

I'd been assigned the role of referee. Though the job had gotten a bit dull after the first nine rounds of Felix shoving Demetri's face against the mat. They were moving at a normal speed so I could clearly see. The playfulness of their competitive natures was amusing, enough so that despite a small break for food, I'd been able to watch them battle it out for a considerable amount of time. Heidi had brought a colouring book though, and I was grateful for the side hobby.

Felix rose from a crouch, standing in front of me as Demetri tried to recover across the room. He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. They had been wrestling in full formal attire, which should have have been put into consideration before they started. However, their attire didn't hinder their movements in the slightest and I quickly realized that that was the purpose. If they were to fight, they likely wouldn't be wearing yoga pants or basketball shorts — not that I could imagine them in either. Like me, they didn't sweat so it wasn't a factor. Their only concerns would be for outside damage like rips, which so far had been avoided, or mud, which was not a feature of the inside wrestling mat.

"How many is that?" How many times had he absolutely destroyed Demetri's pride?

"I stopped counting." A victorious Cheshire smile revealed Felix's teeth as he put his hands on his hips, gloating to the rest of the room.

Heidi rolled her eyes, "does this really entertain you?"

I shrugged, "it'd be more fun if I could actually get in the ring. But for now, I'm satisfied watching Demetri get his butt kicked."

"Hey!" Demetri trampled over and the men seemed to have agreed to a brief time-out for a higher purpose: Gossip.

"Heidi — get this! She actually enjoys being around Jane."

My mouth dropped open as they revived the conversation topic for what was most likely the eighth time today. "It confounds me how you're so upset by this."

However, the shocked expression on Heidi's face was proof that the men may not have been overreacting. "You mean she hasn't threatened to kill you?" I shook my head avidly, for some reason determined to defend Jane. "I would have lost that bet."

"You bet on whether or not Jane would kill me?" I wasn't sure whether to be amused by the audacity of the statement or alarmed by how casually she considered my life.

"Chelsea thought she would just ignore you," Heidi explained, "but I was sure she would've tried to tear you apart by now."

I pointed towards Demetri and Felix. "That's what they said. I get that her gift is scary, but she's—"

"— the most feared vampire in the world." I frowned, not doubting the claim but disturbed by the implication. Most feared was a negative association, as if there were something evil about Jane. I could fathom it and I'd certainly seen it, but the puzzle piece didn't seem to fit. "Her and Alec, of course."

"Jane is...nice." I didn't know of a more suitable word to use. I'd left out several details in my recount of the morning events to the boys. Jane and I's interactions were always private and I had a feeling she wouldn't appreciate if I told the entire castle that she had a gentle side where she softly giggled every time she tried to cheat at chess. That it instantly gave her away and made the game more fun. Felix and Demetri would probably die if I were to tell them that she giggled. If they hadn't already seen it, there was no way she wanted them to know that side of her. "It's her brother with the murder agenda."

"He's changed since you arrived." She met my eyes and quickly reassured me, "in a good way, I think."

I considered the idea for a moment, the suggestion contrasting sourly in my head. "Jane said he's been moody."

With a lilting laugh, she informed me that, "the twins seem to have switched personalities on you."

"How so?" I turned away from Demetri and Felix, questioning the woman's perspective. However, her opinion was drowned out by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.

"Jane's usually the one throwing temper tantrums —" Felix was cut off as Demetri came barreling towards him and managing to knock him on his back, propelling him a few feet away. Demetri winked at Heidi, grinning proudly before finishing Felix's sentence.

"Alec's usually the one taming her." He shouted out as he caught sight of Felix running towards him. He met him in the middle with a loud crash. Newly invigorated, the two men began darting around the room at vampire speed, no longer interested in slowing down to show off.

I looked to Heidi for clarification, relying on the fact that she wasn't one to mince words. "You bring out the...passion, in Alec."

I snorted, "right, because I exude impetuous passion that attracts righteous jerks that like to threaten my life."

"In a way..." Heidi smirked, "your blood is practically begging him to come and suck you dry 24/7." My eyes widened as a loud bellow came from one of the guys on the other side of the room at the innuendo, followed by another crash.

My mind flashed back to the alley. Running through every detail of events since that day. Each time, Alec's eyes, a deep burgundy one moment and black as sin the next. To the tap tap tap of his fingers on my pulse in the library and right up to this morning. When his lips had hovered at my neck, the rise and fall of his chest producing airy breaths that tickled the sensitive skin.

A small gasp left me as my hand snapped to my neck. "Oh my god." Heidi gave me a weird look before she appeared in front of me, forcing my hand away.

"What is it? I wanna know!" Felix whined from a headlock in the other corner. His heightened interest in the conversation now having the impact Demetri had originally intended for their competition.

"He was making me so mad — I didn't even consider..." Suddenly, Demetri and Felix joined us and the three vampires crowded in a circle around me. They all peered down at me as I took my hand back from Heidi and ran two fingers deliberately across my neck. I could make out a small bump around my collar bone. "I told him to bite me."

Felix let out another extravagant laugh, causing Demetri to take full advantage of his diverted attention and flip him back onto the middle of the floor. Felix was still giggling, unfazed by his defeat, as he rolled around on the mat in theatrical amusement. In-between the laughter, I could pick out his words, "he gave...a hickey!" If I weren't so stunned, I would've blushed in embarrassment.

"Didn't know Alec had it in him."

"I've got to give Alec some credit," Heidi shrugged, returning to her chair across from me. "When I found mine, it took me only seconds to drain her."

"When you found your what?" She ignored me, inspecting the design on her nails. I noted that her interest in art seemed to extend past her wallpaper. Each nail had its own intricate design reminiscent of the 20's flaunting art deco style.

Felix chimed in, "from the way I learned about it, I couldn't believe the Cullen's pet lasted as long as she did."

Demetri offered his two cents, jogging back over to our table with Felix casually following behind him. "I'll bet you Alec can last longer than the Cullen did."

There were so many secrets that they used to whisper, but now discussed right in front of me without ever clueing my in to the topic. The bits and pieces I did pick up, only fuelled my curiosity. They continued to banter and I felt that curiosity mutate into the unfamiliar rage that had attached itself to me. I needed to get control over myself. I'd always been a tad temperamental but nothing so overwhelming as the emotional immaturity that seemed to plague my behaviour in the last few weeks. I pushed the raw emotion aside, not wanting to explode at them in a melodramatic fashion.

Taking a deep breath, I insisted, "can someone please tell me what you're all on about?" They all gave me a quick glance before exchanging expressions with each other. I shot daggers at Felix, the one with the weakest willpower of the group. He couldn't help it — the man loved to gossip.

As Felix opened his mouth, Heidi stood abruptly, "you're on your own. I want no part in pissing him off." She dawned a brilliant mask of dominance, but she seemed almost...scared. With that, she strutted flawlessly out of the room. Her departure left a a certain heaviness that captured the air in the room. Had I asked for too much?

Left to their devices, Felix looked to Demetri, who nodded and took Heidi's seat. Felix pulled a chair from a neighbouring table and sat beside me. "What do you want to know?"

I swallowed. I'd expected them to throw me some curveball answer, but this — I could finally get the answers I'd been dying for. "What did Heidi mean? She has to give Alec credit?"

"It's called la tua cantante. As Heidi put it, oh so delicately, your blood calls to Alec. Arms waving, voice shouting — well, actually singing, but you get it." I frowned, confused by another factor but Felix guessed my follow up and answered, "More than any other human's."

Not one to miss out on the action, Demetri included, "It's extremely rare. You, dolcezza, are a delicacy."

My gaze dropped to the floor as I worked to process the information and assume the implications. I had to ask my questions carefully, but my emotions, again, got the better of me. I whispered hoarsely, "so, you're all keeping me alive so Alec can drink my blood at some random future interval?" Betrayal hit me like whiplash as I prepared to move away from them. A gentle hand on my knee stopped me.

"No. Aro will turn you." I stared at the hand. It was flawless, smooth, as Alec's had been, courtesy of the venom in their veins. But it was different. It didn't bring me the same calm that his did. Calm. How could I ever be calm in his presence, especially with this new information. I felt small. The kind of small that engulfed the senses when you contemplated the universe. Where you ended up in a maze and every turn challenged your beliefs and questioned your free will. I felt small and I hated it.

My hand began to shake and I balled it up into a fist, placing it down onto the table as I demanded more information. "Then why are you making a bet to see who can last longer between him and...Colon?" Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the two men exchange timid looks.

Felix corrected me, "Cullen. You met Carlisle Cullen earlier. His coven is...unique."

"Stay on topic, Felix." Another secret.

Felix appeared to heed his warning, as Demetri backed off, his hand dropping from my knee. "A few years ago, Carlisle's 'son', as he refers to him, met a human who happened to be his blood singer-"

"Le tia...?" He nodded.

"La tua cantante. Only, instead of drinking her blood...he fell in love with her." An eye roll, "he refused to change his mate into a vampire." Felix relaxed a little as he noticed that I was no longer in fight or flight mode. He spoke with a relatively laissez-faire observance of the story, though the hint of irritation was clear in his choice of words. "She knew our secret, however, and so, by our laws, he didn't really have a choice."

"Mafia." Felix cracked a smile at my taunt and continued,

"She was his mate, so it was an inevitable situation." He folded his hands behind his head and leaned his chair back on two legs. I refrained from trying to kick one of the legs out of balance to see if he'd fall, recognizing that this was not the time for such antics. "Long story short, his stubbornness for her to remain human created an unfortunate avalanche of events that were easily avoidable. As a result, their little love story caused quite a few problems, which is why Carlisle visits once a year. He's trying to repair the damage his coven caused us."

Demetri interrupted with an uncharacteristically scathing statement, "but the Volturi do not forget."

They waited for my response and I tried to come up with a reply that had to do with anything but the one question the story thrust into my head. Except I couldn't.

Reluctantly, I punched away butterflies as I deadpanned, "You're messing with me, right?" I squinted at each, moving my head back and forth, less than 1% serious as I continued to clarify, "are you trying to tell me that Alec is in love with me because I'm his...compadre?" They seemed to dismiss the idea with a wave.

"Cantante — learn Italian, woman!"

Demetri and I both ignored him. "We're just trying to explain that being around you is...difficult for him."

I scoffed, "the feeling is mutual."

"Minus the whole extreme temptation to drink your blood thing."

I groaned, pushing away from my chair and throwing my hands up in the air. "It's like Aro has a death wish on my behalf." I turned back around to face them and both men stood at attention, as if they expected me to either go on a tangent or throw some more furniture around. Either way, they planned to be there with me. "If it's so hard for Alec not to kill me, and Aro wants to keep me, then why does he refuse to take him off my 'protective detail'?"

"He has his reasons." I glared at Demetri, before pulling my chair to me and plopping down in it with my arms crossed.

"Yeah? Well, I don't know what they are. But they're stupid." Demetri chuckled beside me as I ranted. "I mean, Alec hates me."

Felix spoke up a little too quickly, "he doesn't hate you."

"Well, I hate him." I didn't. I don't think I hated anyone. But the claim obviously held more weight for the two of them as they immediately sat up to rebut the declaration.

"Don't—" I raised my eyebrow and Felix hesitated, ignoring the warning look from Demetri. He sighed, "listen...It's near impossible to resist your blood singer and he is obviously not handling it well. Maybe just give him a chance?"

I couldn't believe they were sticking up for him. All they did was give his sister crap and makes jokes about how rude he was to me. But now they were defending and supporting him, as if it mattered. They shouldn't want me to get closer to Alec. It would be safer for me if he were to stay far away from anything remotely related to me. That is, if they truly wanted to keep me alive. It wasn't exactly rocket science.

"Felix, he hasn't earned a chance! The first time I met him, he killed someone in front of me."

Demetri piped in. "For you."

"Sorry?"

"He saved your life."

I stared at him incredulously, "by killing someone?" A disbelieving cough clung to my throat, "are you mad?"

"We're vampires. Murder to you is a meal to us." It was a harsh reality that I constantly needed reminded of. They were vampires. Humans weren't people, we were things. Food. I suddenly had a real appreciation for cows. "Just another way to look at it."

Felix brushed invisible dust off of his tailored pants. "As far as Alec is concerned, you're here. Whether they are or not is irrelevant."

I shook my head back and forth so hard it made my head ache little. "Are you trying to tell me I should thank him?"

"Saffiya," Demetri's voice gained my attention away from Felix. "That night, the four of us were returning from a mission. We all heard you running, we knew what was happening. Alec was the one who broke rank."

Felix butted in, far too relaxed as he leaned back on two chair legs once more. "If you ask me, those boys got off easy compared to what Alec did to Prosper." He snorted, completely missing yet another warning from Demetri. "When Prosper lost you? Phew, it took Santiago a long time to put him back together."

Demetri rumbled lowly, dropping his head into his hands. "Damn it, Felix."

Felix whipped around, his gaze landing on me and my wide eyes. He quickly realised his mistake, but it was too late. Another secret spilled from Pandora's box and they couldn't put it back. I was already hooked.

"What are you talking about?"

His face fell with every word. "...you didn't know."

"Why would he go after Prosper?"

He hesitated, but couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut. "With the whole, you know 'blood thing'...by our, I guess...vamp commandments..." He stumbled over his own words, trying to make it seem like he hadn't given me more information than he should've. But it was impossible to hide what had escaped the shadows. "You kind of belong to Alec." I flinched at the suggestion. "And Prosper—"

"—didn't do anything wrong. I tricked him." Felix desperately turned to Demetri, who was just lifting his head from his shell. Poor Felix, in his attempt to help ease my concern, was only making things worse. It appeared that Heidi had made the right decision.

"Go," Demetri muttered. "I'll take her back to her room."

Felix rubbed the back of his head, shoulders dropping uselessly. "Sorry, Fiya." He placed a large hand on my head and with that, he was gone.

I could feel Demetri's eyes on me as he contemplated his next move. However, I was stuck in a trance, four words repeating themselves over and over in my head.

"He lied to me." I wasn't sure why I felt so betrayed. Alec had even less reason to tell me the truth than he did to lie to me. But he had given me an answer when he could've just refused to say anything or pretended I hadn't asked. There was nothing for him to protect in a lie. He didn't care what I thought of him so he didn't have to hide anything from me. So, why did he?
Demetri stood. "Come on. I'll take you back to your room," he repeated. I silently followed his lead, crossing my arms tightly over my chest as we walked side by side down the long halls.

When we'd arrived at my room, we stopped in unison in front of my door. "Fiya..." the nickname meant to soften his intent but it was still unfamiliar. I'd never been called anything but my full name. I regretted that it didn't do what Demetri intended, "with you being his blood singer...Not everyone finds what you are to him and he's doing his best."

"His best is mean."

"It doesn't excuse his behaviour." Demetri nodded fervently, trying to appeal to a more agreeable side of me. "But now that you know," like Felix, he seemed to struggle with his words. However, in a more well-thought out manner, he suggested, "you've hardly had a non-hostile moment with him since you've arrived. Maybe it's time for a different approach."

I couldn't keep the bitter tone from my tongue, "what? Be the bigger human?"

Demetri relented, pushing open my door for me. "I have to return to the masters."

I stepped inside the door, spinning around at his words, "wait, I thought I was supposed to have a guard at all times?"

He tilted his head. "I suspect Alec will be back soon then," and he winked in an attempt to change the mood, but the sparkle didn't reach his eyes.

"Demetri?" He waited patiently for me to continue. "If love kept Carlisle's son from killing his blood singer, what's keeping Alec from killing me?" He shrugged, unable or not willing to provide any more thoughts with me, lest he also revealed their secrets. "Really? That's all you're going to give me?"

He sighed, "it's not my place." There was a lump in my throat. Clearly, our conversation had crossed some unspoken line. But it seemed innocent enough. They were simply answering my questions. Didn't I have a right to know something as big as my blood being a constant craving for someone I spent most of my time with?

Still, seeing the downtrodden looks and nervous reactions of my friends, who had nothing but the best intentions, upset me. I wanted to help them, but how could I when I didn't even know what they were afraid of. Now, I was lying to myself. The answer was too obvious to miss, no matter how much I wanted to ignore it. Heidi's voice rang in my ears; 'you're on your own. I want no part in pissing him off.' No way was I letting anything bad happen to Felix or Demetri, especially not for fear of retaliation from someone who could've prevented this whole situation in the first place.

I raised an eyebrow, placing a more mischievous tone to my voice. "Oh, but it is your place to tell me everything else?"

Demetri tried to hold back the small smile that slipped onto his face. With an equally mischievous song, he provided me with a "buona notte, dolcezza." He closed the door with a soft thud and I was alone.

Maybe Felix was right. I needed to start learning Italian. And Latin. Maybe even Romanian, for the heck of it. If I was a vampire, I'd have all the time in the world. I could learn every single language ever spoken.

The clanging of the clocktower, however, was a reminder of the real plan. Despite kidnapping me and wanting to change me into a soulless, invulnerable vampire, the Volturi coven had grown on me. But, I had something bigger than me to take care of. There was no time for friendships that couldn't last. This was about family — blood that wasn't a meal.

I was going to find my father.

Chapter Text

I hadn't noticed it at first.

It did not take long for me to change into the clothing I'd arrived in and throw my few possessions into my bag. I was ready within minutes after I'd been left to my own devices and I wanted to move quickly. I had no way to know how much longer I had before Alec's arrival. The vampire once again being forced to guard me while trying not to kill me. Which was apparently, inevitable.

A bitter part of me was glad that he was assigned to me for this next shift. If Alec was supposed to be guarding me, he would have to punish himself for my escape this time. Still, I wanted to leave before I had to see him. It would be easier that way.

However, I was held up by the presence of an unexpected item that had been placed on the vanity table. I stood admiring the intricacy of the black leather bound journal. A thin strap wrapped around and tied at the side to keep the pages tightly bound within it. Unlike notebooks at a commercial bookstore, everything about this one declared its history. It certainly owned up to its age and could have been classified as lightly used - if at all. My hand currently hovered above it, unsure of whether I should bring it with me or leave it behind.

"Mate in four."

"I see it in three." Jane declared smugly, knocking down the white king before resetting the table. As much as Jane abhorred losing, her real enemy in chess was her own patience. She had long since become fed up with the amount of time it took me to make a single move, a default of my human mind. Instead, she began to play herself and I was content to simply watch as the afternoon passed us by.

The giddy pride that surrounded her after every win made me smile. While we were decently matched, I rarely won. Somehow though, she seemed to find more pleasure in defeating herself. She wore a gloating grin every time she reset the board and it slowly shifted into a determined stare as another match began.

This time, my attention had shifted from the chess board to the stain glass window behind Jane. It framed her almost perfectly and though each held their own form of beauty, the glory of the glass only served to reiterate the exquisiteness of Jane's natural self. The vampire factor disappeared and there she was, clear as day.

Her features were defined by raised cheekbones, subtly decorated with a youthful amount of baby fat. It further projected the innocence that should accompany a young woman. Full lips set in an innate pout and a deep shade of pink, giving the impression that blood still flowed through her veins. Her hair was up in a favoured French twist and not a single hair was out of place. She blinked and scarlet flashed through long, thin eyelashes.

"What are you doing?" She was staring at my hand, which was darting around the counter's edge of the table.

I removed it before retracing the pattern. "I was drawing you."

"Into the table?"

I shrugged, "I don't have paper." It was a trick I had learned during the various art focused heists and schemes my father directed. I never really had paper on hand, so if I wanted to remember a detail of a painting I would physicalise it for myself. The tactic isn't unusual, equivalent to a piano player tapping their fingers as if playing the keys of their instrument.

She tilted her head at me and I could almost see the wheels turning in her head as she processed this. "Shame." It was all she said before she returned to her game.

It was a gift. She had provided me with paper and it hurt me to acknowledge that now, I would never get the chance to actually paint her in person. My sentimentality was showing and it was wasting time. An instilled habit of traveling lightly was likely one of the only values both my life with my father and my life at the convent taught me. I pulled my hand away from the book, denying myself the frivolous present.

I changed my mind, quickly picking it up and holding it to my chest. I quickly moved to exit the room, trying to make up for lost time. I pulled the door open, only to be met with a fist preparing to knock on the wood.

Standing in my way to freedom once again, was Prosper.

My eyes widened and I faltered, taking in the military presence of the man. "Prosper."

He nodded. Right - strong and silent type. Or was he still afraid, as he had been in Felix's presence upon our first meeting. I remembered a gentleness in him when Felix had gone. We were alone now, but all traces of any similar emotions had been masked if they still existed.

Instead, he held himself with a rigid stillness indicative of the same uneasiness he'd had with the higher guard member. A reaction that I could only assume was a response to whatever Alec had done to him. Whatever it was, it seemed to haunt him, as if the violent vampire could turn a corner at any moment and repeat the damage done just because he was with me.

Perhaps I was dramatically projecting my own storyline. I couldn't help it. I had so little of the story that it was all I could do to not interrogate the vampire in the middle of the hallway. I had the right to embellish, especially as I noted a few short scratches marring Prosper's neck. It almost looked like a bite mark except that the deepest part of it dragged along the skin nearly an inch. The further away from the origin, the lighter it got. As if the offending weapon had been ripped away before it could cause any real damage.

I hadn't paid enough attention to know if it had been there before, but I thought vampires were invincible. It seemed impossible that he would even have a mark on him, especially not one so prominent and they clearly stood out if it was enough for me to notice. Perhaps it was the bite that had turned him - if classic vampire lore held any accuracy, though I was under the impression that vampires had fangs for that task.

He seemed to realize what I was looking at and quickly rearranged his cloak in an attempt to cover it. That wasn't suspicious at all. He didn't comment on the subject, only offering me a formal, "the Masters would like a word."

I swallowed, "again? I was just going to sleep..." He raised an eyebrow at my fully dressed form. I tried to casually hide myself behind the door a bit more. He didn't seem to buy it.

"I'll have to insist." He hesitated before adding, "you should leave your things in your room." Sheepishly, I returned the notebook to the vanity and slid my bag underneath it. When I reappeared in the doorway, he nodded in approval before leading me to our destination.

Yet again, my mission was put on hold. My daring escape would have to wait.

Instead, I spent the entire walk in mental distress. I wanted to apologise to him, for the trouble I had clearly caused him. For my selfishness. For Alec's rage. But I didn't know how and I could feel my mouth gaping open and closed like a fish as I came up with new ways to open the conversation. Yet, each one failed before it was even presented, none seeming to match the gravity I felt was owed to the situation.

I finally gave up once we turned the stairs and approached the throne room. The doors opened before we even reached them, the vampires on the other side both expecting our arrival and identifying our footsteps behind the massive barrier. We stepped across the threshold and I blinked to adjust to the change. The openness of the extravagant room was a stark contrast to the dark and empty halls.

Aro's familiar greeting echoed in the hall and my name bounced off the walls. "I do hope we caught you before your bedtime."

The infantile implication of his words bothered me. Not for the reason being that they were clearly older than me, but rather because I legitimately had the rights of a child. The rules were undeclared, but clearly not optional; Come when called, go where you're told, eat at a determined time, always have an escort.

I spotted three of my escorts sprinkled around the room. The absence of the other two let slip a sort of disappointment before I shoved it away. I'd done nothing but think and talk of the male half of the pair the entire day. Almost to the point of obsession and the disappointment faded into a squeamish nausea at this realization. I truly was like a child — a schoolgirl with nothing better to do than gossip and bicker with boys.

It was as immature as I'd ever been and I felt as if I'd mentally aged backwards. Still, there was a sort of exhilaration to it all. I'd never had the opportunity to be what one was at that age, a mix of naivety and a loss of innocence. I suppose most of that stage was influenced by friends. Which I'd certainly had, but I never formally attended school and if I did with my father, it was only for a short time.

The nuns had essentially taken care of my formal education. I would play with the children that came to mass at the nunnery every Sunday. But I'd always been a bit of an old soul and the personality didn't mesh with the others as we aged. Perhaps that was why Jane and I got along so well. All she'd ever had was her brother and while they were close, I wondered if she and I just happened to fill in a missing piece for the other.

My growing relationships within the Volturi appeared to be filling in the gaps of my social developments and education among a similar age group. Well, physical age group. And I think I was genuinely happy with them.

All three thrones were occupied by their constituents and Felix's royalty analogy won out again. For each man embodied an aura that could only be described as regal, in every sense of the word. Carlisle stood to the right of the thrones at the bottom of the stairs. His golden irises made him stick out like a sore thumb among the sea of red.

The guard hovered in designated spots against the walls. Many with cloaks and a far more formal wear than most donned around the castle when off duty. Their presence was solid, an undeniable force of power but as bleak as a well. I scanned over the group until something peculiar caught my attention.

In the far back corner of the room, a hunched form was covered by a coat or a blanket. It was only slightly hidden behind and in-between two members of the lower guard. It must have been alive, as the thing was making only the smallest movement, rocking back and forth on the hard floor. I tried to determine the nature of the figure, however, my attention was forced away from whatever it was to give the kings the respect they so deserved.

Aro was tapping the tips of his fingers together, waiting for my reply. "What's going on?"

Caius' raspy voice injected itself into the air, "you will witness your first trial under our laws." The vagueness of his statement was purposeful and he watched, waiting for me to squirm and question him further. I wondered if the so called 'trial' had anything to do with the creature across the room. Before I could think of a more specific question, Aro broke his false brother's icy intent.

"Exciting, is it not?" I nodded, to assuage his desire for something more than I could give him.

"But first —"

The doors through which Prosper and I had entered opened once more with a distinctive groan. "Wonderful timing, Jane. Alec." I bit my lip in an outward attempt to gain control of my nerve as Aro welcomed his favourite members of the guard. In the corner of my eye, the twins took their place on the left hand of the throne. Jane's face was unreadable, yet her brother was glowering at Prosper.

He's never going near you again.

Beside me, Prosper took a strategic, single step away from me. He didn't leave to join the other guard members around the room, however, and Aro didn't dismiss him.

"As I was saying, there is a matter we wished to discuss first. As you know, we have yet to decide the date you will officially become one of us." My eyes narrowed. Aro moved to the edge of his seat, a curious sprinkle of delight in his eyes. "How much do you know about the transformation?"

He spoke about it as if it were more than what Dracula and other stories had suggested. Not that I knew much vampire lore beyond the scope of factual events in history, but I had assumptions as one does. "It hasn't exactly been at the forefront of my mind."

His head swayed up and down in consideration. "When you shared your theory with us this morning, our dear friend, Carlisle, thought of an additional factor that we had yet to consider." He cut off and I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to continue.

Instead, Carlisle stepped forward, hands folded behind his back. "Your theory may have more weight than you originally entertained."

I tried to keep my tone from being too rude as I interrupted him, "sorry, but, exactly how familiar are you with my disorder?"

"I've been studying medicine for a very long time, though I must admit I have never personally met anyone like you." A vampire doctor. A doctor vampire. The very concept was a contradiction in itself. One took lives, the other saved them. I had so many more questions, but the one with the loudest voice repeated in my head - was this the reason his eyes were gold?

"It is Carlisle's belief that the transformation process may not be as simple with you, as it would for any other human."

I frowned, finding myself automatically relying on Carlisle's medicinal title for my information rather than Aro's. "Why is that?"

Carlisle explained, "the change lasts for at least three days and is especially arduous. The minute the venom enters the veins, an individual is overcome with excruciating pain." He kept his voice even, as if he predicted his words would instigate an adverse reaction. As his eyes flickered to my right, I realized that it was not only my reaction he was concerned about. "Not everyone survives it."

I could feel all the eyes of the room on me. But I stayed locked on Carlisle, following his speech but only picking up on the words that seemed most important. I struggled to both listen and process what he was saying, but I could feel its weight and I think I already knew.

"With your unique condition, I suspect that if you were to undergo the change with your current inexperience with pain...you would not survive the transformation."

The fullness of the room became apparent to me then. It was odd to be having a conversation of such a sensitive nature in front of so many people. A conversation for three, being observed as if we were a play. Though I felt no need to put on a performance, I did wish for a blanket, or a hoodie. Something that would shield me from all the elements of the world as they picked on me with the arrogance of a bully. The only sound in the room came from the corner, where the large ball seemed to be sniffling. It sounded pitiful.

"I would die." My eyes flickered to Alec without prompt. His face was stoic, but his eyes caught mine and for the first time, he didn't immediately retreat to emptiness. Yet, I almost wished they had. I had never imagined the boy could ever appear so utterly helpless and it wasn't an expression he seemed to have the ability to hide. The suddenness of the news seemed to have crashed into him, disarming the protections he had placed around himself.

Was it possible that the near guarantee of my death scared him? Was it possible that he cared whether I lived or died? The schoolgirl in me shied away from the idea, not wanting to get her hopes up. Hope that I refused to acknowledge.

Jane grabbed his hand and I tore my eyes away.

"It is possible." Carlisle warned and I was sure he would rather be anyone else in that moment...A vampire doctor. Wow.

"I assume this doesn't change your minds, though." I eyed Aro, "does it?"

For such an archaic man, Aro didn't seem to get bitter sarcasm. Perhaps he'd chosen to ignore it, but it was most likely that he'd convinced himself I had no qualms with the life he was forcing on me. "Your transition will be delayed by this, I fear. Though Carlisle believes he may have a solution to remedy this inconvenience."

I allowed the men to continue feeding me information as Carlisle stepped in to provide the explanation to Aro's comments. "The actual feeling of the pain during the transformation is not dissimilar to Jane's gift. If you were to be exposed to it in structured sessions, gradually introducing incremental doses, your chances of survival may be much greater."

I waited for an outraged response to expel itself from me at this news. They seemed to be oblivious to the fact that the other option was for me to live my life and not immediately die. Apparently, they wanted me to be a vampire so badly, that they were willing to risk my life without any guarantee. To design a step by step plan based on one doctor's theory that had been based on my own delusional, unsubstantiated idea.

I should be upset that I was expected to simply accept my fate and allow them to subject me to the most painful experience a vampire ever encounters not once, but several times on purpose. I should be livid that this was unnecessary torture, all in preparation for an event that did not need to happen. And I was. However, there was one detail of it all that I had little to no quarrel with.

Jane's gift.

I glanced over to the shorter twin, who had her entire focus on her leader. Carlisle picked up on this and added, "If you were both willing, that is."

"Master." Her voice joined our play, her role being one of uncertainty. Aro nodded and she made her way up the three stairs to offer him her hand. His head tilted down for a moment as she shared her thoughts.

He emerged from her mind, his eyes flickering to Alec before giving one curt shake of his head. "For now, there is no other way, dear one." The term of endearment surprised me, but there was no acknowledgement of the tenderness in his response from Jane. Instead, she retreated back to her position. This time, she kept her hands to herself and her posture grew even more stoic than before.

Aro seemed to pay her response no mind either, because he clapped his hands together gleefully. "Excellent! Then, I suppose there is only one final matter for this evening." His cloak spun around him as he returned to his chair. The retreat puzzled me, before Caius rose with the intensity of a Bond villain. As if this was their cue, two guard members dragged the whimpering form in the corner to collapse on the marble floor between me and the masters. At a painfully human pace, the form lifted its head.

Almost simultaneously, my heart seemed to shatter and enter what felt like what I assumed was cardiac arrest.

The door to the pub blew open with a gust of wind. A short, round man hobbled in, his left hand clutching a rather shiny cane. He sat at the bar and rested the cane on his lap, raising his right hand to get the bartender's attention.

Caius seemed pleased by my response. "You are familiar with Mr. Tima, are you not, girl?" I couldn't answer, my eyes taking in the sight of my father's friend. The confident, disgruntled, demeanour that the man had carried in the comfort of his friendly neighborhood pub had vanished. His eyes glistened, but not with tears - with fear. I'd never seen fear in someone's eyes as telling and haunting as it was in his. He was absolutely terrified.

"Aro —" Aro held up a hand to silence his friend. Carlisle hesitated, but stepped back, respecting the orders of the man in power.

"A short time ago, Victor Tima," Caius circled the man who cowered away at any angle he possibly could. None of which provided the distance he desired from the relic. "The Volturi allowed you to keep your life, provided you continued to procure a unique array of art for our collection and did not interfere in our affairs again. Was this not our agreement?"

I'd never heard Caius speak more than a few words at once. The sound his voice produced slithered through the air like a snake and I realized that his words weren't for volume, so much as they were intended to prolong the impending doom his victims were experiencing. We were his victims and he was relishing in our fear before he would deliver the first strike.

A whimpered, "yes."

"If not for Saffiya, you may have continued to exist under this gracious condition." Ouch. I should have rushed to the man's side, shown an ounce of humanity that was absent from the situation. But I was frozen. Caius was right, this was all my fault. They must have found out he was helping me. That I was to meet with him.

Aro. My mind flashed to the ignorance I had shown in the last few days. How easily I'd handed over my every thought to the vampire, without even a second thought. How could I have been so foolish? I closed my eyes, my head falling to the side as I drowned myself in shame and self-pity.

Caius took pleasure in my growing stress, continuing with his torment. "Last confession, human. Tell the girl the truth about her father." Victor was slow to answer him and the man's eyes didn't leave me. "Speak, human," Caius hissed.

The old man croaked, "your dad...he died."

I retreated from the claim, unwilling to give it any credence. Caius had to be making him say this. It made no sense. He'd asked me to meet him, which meant he had to have some information on my father. I reviewed his words from that night...'I'll get you out of here.' "But, I thought..." It dawned on me then that he never had any information to find my father. Getting me out of the castle wasn't about my father. He had been trying to save me from the monsters. 'Careful kid, boys like him never have good intentions.'

Victor's voice never lost its gruffness, "he was on his way to meet me, but the story was he got nabbed by Interpol." The story. Inside secrets passed through criminals to keep up on the current happenings of the crime world. Straight from the horse's mouth. Like a game of telephone, the messages could easily be distorted. But there wasn't much room for conspiracy with something as finite as 'dead'. "He tried to run, but..."

Running when cornered was messy. Slipping under the local cops' noses added to your resume and kept you off the grid. While reinventing one's identity was a nuisance, it was better than escaping custody. Which, when prepared for could be smoothly coordinated, but a con man's credibility favoured an invisible record over a flawless prison escape.

My head began to shake of its own accord. My breathing was rough as I insisted, "my dad would never run."

He was never without a backup plan. And there was always a backup plan for the backup plan. No room for error. It was our promise, so that we would never lose each other. I'd seen him caught up with the police. He could charm his way out of any situation and if he couldn't he'd figure out an escape before they could contact any international authority to transfer custody to.

My view of my father, even now, painted him as invincible. It is an idea that we all have of our parents. Until the moment we realise that they're not superheroes. They were just our parents, only human. Flawed and human. My father was just my father. He was only human. But humans...humans can get caught. This was that moment for me, when I had to wake up to the reality that my father was not all powerful. He was dead.

Caius waved a hand, as if suddenly bored with my grief, and returned to his seat. "Prosper."

"Wait - no!"

With an exasperated sigh, Caius instructed, "control your human, boy."

I lunged forward, but my hands were secured behind my back in an instant. I struggled against my captor but the grip held firm, preventing me from interfering in the Volturi's sentencing.

Caius jeered mockingly at me, "if only you did as you were told."

Victor cast one last sorrowful look at me, "I'm sorry, kid."

Without so much as an acknowledgement of my protest, Prosper obeyed his unspoken order. He flashed to Victor's side and lifted him up by his shoulder. The plump man, dangling and before he could react, the vampire sunk its teeth into his neck. A tug on my hands tried to turn me away from the horror, but I stood my ground. I wanted my father's friend to see something not entirely evil before he died.

Though I didn't see myself as 'not evil' right now. And I think as much as I tried to convince myself my observation was for him, it was not. I was punishing, forcing myself to face my greed and the result of my actions. I watched as each sip the vampire seemed to take encouraged the older man's body to fade until his body slid back down to the floor. Lifeless. Gone. Taking all hope of finding my father with him.

I slowly tore my eyes away. Each of the three kings were watching me, but Carlisle had hung his head to the floor.

My knees wobbled and I relied on the person behind me to support my weight. I was extremely grateful for their presence. The hands had released mine, one settled on my hip and the other at the middle of my back to support me without it being obvious to the leaders before us. He had become more of a protector than a captor.

The room was waiting for my reaction and I didn't want to give them — especially not Caius — the satisfaction of a breakdown from me. This was a very different side to the Volturi than the one I'd been exposed to. Yes, I'd seen glimpses, heard the screams down the hall, and Felix had insisted but Aro had always given me the show. And I'd been too distracted by foolish escapades to defend myself against it.

I was messing with a world I did not understand. One in which I had no control. To have believed I could have escaped was arrogant and it seemed everyone but I, had paid dearly for the mistake. My future had been decided and though I was loathe to even entertain the thought, I had to consider giving up and giving in.

Victor's body still lied on the floor in front of us.

I had to choose my next words carefully.

"I'm tired."

Caius' lips twisted up in satisfaction at my demure attitude. I could feel the tension exit out of my protector behind me and a squeeze on my hip brought another wave of comfort.

"You are dismissed." I had hardly turned an inch when Aro's voice shattered the world once again.

"Saffiya." His eyes were dark, power seeping out of his every pore, "you would do well to accept your fate. The Volturi do not give second chances."

Carlisle was watching me sadly from the sidelines, but he didn't dare intervene. There was nothing he could do. None of the guard were looking at me. Their faces all entirely empty, mindless. Jane was standing alone now, eyeing my protector carefully. My protector. Alec.

Alec began to lead me from the room, when Marcus contributed his first sentence of the conversation. In a hollow tone, he offered, "our condolences for your father."

"And his friend," Caius hissed. My head moved from the other men to the most sadistic of the three kings. A cruel grin hailed his face. He was baiting me. It worked.

Fire whipped through my veins, but Marcus must have seen it because he acted before I could.

"Alec."

With that, I was swept into the air and carried away from the scene of the crime.

Chapter Text

Within a single breath, I was being placed on my own two feet in my room. The side of my bed pressed against the back of my thighs as I let myself sit back on it. I found myself staring directly at the door across from me.

My mind felt empty. Nothing crossed the front of my consciousness and I wasn't actually thinking anything. Just existing. I was breathing. My heartbeat felt entirely too slow for all that had just happened. I didn't feel numb. In fact, it was the opposite. I felt everything and it spoiled my body from my throat and down my chest. But no words or memories flashed to take control of a narrative. It was all just...there. One thing was for sure, I certainly wasn't tired.

Movement to my left caused me to blink, the torso of my protector interrupted my staring contest as he stepped right in front of me. His cape briefly tickled my calves as he repositioned himself, but my response was minimal.

"Saffiya." My name passing through his lips caught my attention, and I realized he'd been asking me questions all this time. Still, I couldn't quite find the energy to acknowledge his efforts. When even my name didn't garner a response for him, he knelt in front of me and his hands automatically placed themselves on my knees. He repeated his question, "do you want to talk about it?" My eyes flickered to his and my face must have been very clear because he sighed. I dropped my head away from him.

After a moment, his voice was soft, favouring a new tactic. "Tesoro." A hand left my knee to brush my hair from my face. It was tender and patient and I closed my eyes at the relief his touch brought to me. "Tell me what you need."

His thumb ran back and forth over my knee, the weight of his hand seemed to ground me more than the actual floor below us.

"I'd like to be alone right now."

He shook his head, "I can not do that." Did he really ask just so he could do the exact opposite of what I asked for? I couldn't catch a break with this guy.

"I'd like to be alone - please." Manners didn't seem to make a difference.

"No." As if to further his point, he moved to my side and fell back onto the bed. Throwing one arm under his head, he winked at me before he fixated his gaze on the canopy above us. I stared at him incredulously and it was the first emotion to stand out for me since we'd left the throne room. And it made me feel...better? As if the normality of his behaviour was somehow consoling in light of my loss.

So I said nothing. I'm not sure how long we stayed there. Empty minds and a single beating heart. At one point, Alec had begun to twirl the ends of my hair that hung messily down my back. I closed my eyes as a burst of light spread through my infected veins and I found comfort in the subtle reminder that I was not alone. Whether that was his intent or not, he continued the behaviour as innocently as a bug.

Now sitting on the edge of the bed, I must have changed positions at least three times. Alec, however, didn't move an inch except to return his hand to play with my curls after I'd settled from each transition. It seemed to be a reflex, an absentminded detail meant to comfort me. Like when you were consoling a crying friend and hesitated to change the pattern or speed in which you patted their back. Like you worried that the slightest change would set them off again.

That was me. A ticking time bomb. And he knew it. Not only was I reeling from recent events but the memories from our tête-à-tête the previous morning weighed heavily in the air between us. So much had happened since then. It seemed impossible to keep track of it all. However, one thing was clear to me. Alec had a lot of explaining to do.

It seemed that I was not the only one with heavy questions.

"In the library," he started, his voice gruff. "You were attempting to find evidence to convince Jane to hurt you."

I corrected him, "to use her gift."

"Never again." He repeated himself and the unsupported finality in his statement was practically begging me to challenge him.

"You heard Carlisle—"

He wasted no time jumping back in, a dismissive respect claiming, "I do not care what the Cullen said. It isn't going to happen." It was the protest of a child. Empty and insignificant to all outside forces with the real power. It made no sense as to why he cared whether Jane used her gift on me or not, let alone if it worked. Perhaps he was simply trying to protect Jane's image or even an innocence to his sister that only he could see.

Either way, I turned around to address him. His jaw was clenched and he was glaring at the fabric above my bed. The tenseness of his body didn't seem to translate to his fingers, which were still twirling the ends of my hair in oblivious zen. "That's not your decision to make."

Alec snarled and I actually jumped, "like hell it isn't."

"I'd have thought you'd have more faith in your sister."

I was receiving some serious side eye as he drawled, "Jane is not the impetuous variable."

I crossed my arms and stood, throwing my weight to one hip. His hand fell from my back and I'd forgotten it was even there.

He frowned and sat up to match my height. Our eyes met, and with him sitting, we were now on the same level. I attempted to control my facial expression, to keep it from giving any indication that he was increasingly pushing my buttons. Biting my lip, I retreated to the bathroom door and paused just outside of it.

"You should leave. Or you're not going to like what I have to say to you when I come back." He said nothing, so I stepped inside the in-suite bathroom, closing and locking the door behind me.

In the loneliness behind the closed door, reality hit me tenfold. The second I turned the lock, I pushed away from the door too quickly. I nearly tripped over nothing and my hands just barely caught the sink, gripping the edge to keep me from collapsing on the tile floor out of sheer emotional exhaustion. I could feel a wall somewhere inside of me begin to chip away at itself.

A subtle twitching in my hand spread throughout my entire body and I began to shake. No. I tightened my hold on the counter. While I would take the time to respectfully tend to a guilt and sadness for the life of a man I'd hardly known, I refused to mourn. This was merely a setback, not an excuse to give up. Not a reason to give up. Yes, I'd lost my only, last, and strongest lead in the case of my missing father, but I'd survived on hope with much less. This was a minor complication. It didn't mean anything. This was far from over with, six feet under or not.

Shit. I tore one hand from the sink to cover my mouth as I struggled to contain the cries that demanded a release from their prison. Their echoing rally ready to make an appearance before tears even had the chance to form. They weren't far behind and informed me of such as the silver faucet in my line of vision began to cloud over. I quickly shook my head from side to side in an attempt to force the physiological reaction away.

I caught sight of my eyes in the mirror and they became my focal point. Staring into my own eyes, I pulled myself from inside my head and breathed i and ou — hiccup.

Close enough.

I had to find some hope. Convince myself that I would find a new lead and I would figure out the full story of what had happened to my father. I had to remain positive. All I had to do was make it out of here alive.

This was a plan that would suggest I had no intentions of antagonising the one vampire who wanted to kill me and struggled to not do so every time he saw me. Only, I did intend to do so. I definitely did.

Apparently, he wasn't quite done with me either because Alec was still in my room. Despite the tensions we both still carried from the throne room, we still had dimes to split with each other.

He'd laid back down on the bed, his eyes now closed. He looked peaceful, as if lost in a dream. He barely acknowledged my entrance, though his body tensed as the bathroom door swung closed. The brief wind it created softly waving past me.

After the minute I'd taken for myself, I was well aware that I was in no state to engage in any form of conversation with him. The brewing argument I'd cut off mere minutes ago was proof that nothing productive could come from any continued debate. The contents of which were still fresh in my mind and just the thought of his audacity was enough to reinstall my frustration with him.

Because even if Demetri and Felix had asked me to be patient with him, the reality was that patience was a false virtue. Based on our scuffle before I'd left, he had some issues with my choices. Unfortunately for him, I did too. And I wasn't going to let him scare me off of them like he'd gotten everyone else to do. I had questions and I expected answers.

The only question — which one of us would break first.

"You lied to me."

He barely lifted his head. "Did I?" He drawled lazily, his accent peaking at the end of his question with an annoying, cocky timbre.

"Yes."

"Would you care to be more specific?" The question upset me and he absolutely knew it because he did sit up this time, watching for my reaction.

"Prosper." His eyes flashed. "You said you didn't hurt him."

The accusation immediately put him on the defensive. "The man made your father's friend into a midnight snack and you care that I may have damaged his ego?" I physically had to shrug off the harsh reminder to stay focused on my goal.

"That wasn't a no."

He snarled, "his mistake could've gotten you killed." Prosper played a minor role in my escape, it was hardly his fault. It was an overzealous statement. While it was dramatic, his insistence almost convinced me and I believe that he was at least under the impression that this had been the most likely scenario - 100%. "It is my job to protect you—"

I rolled my eyes, "I have plenty of guards."

"That is different." He shot me a look that should've shut me up and it would've. If I cared to trim his temper, which wasn't exactly a factor I even attempted to consider. Not that any of this had been meditated over, neither of us were speaking from the sanest places right now.

"How?"

"It just is!"

This was the moment I expected my brain to grow cloudy, as hazy as it always did when Alec drove me insane. Only this time, it didn't. This time, I was ready. "That's not good enough."

"Leave it be, Saffiya."

I crossed my arms over my chest, considering the risk if I did not, in fact, leave it alone. "No." He was leaning over the desk, hands clenched around the edges of its chair. Unnecessary breaths seemed to be delivered from his chest as I watched his body tense. "I think I deserve —"

"Damn it - will you do as you are told!"

His hand collided with the hard wood of the desk. The sound resonated around the room, bouncing from one wall to the next and lingering in the air. The table under his hand wobbled in response before stilling.

His eyes widened as he raised his head to me. Across the room, I had grabbed my chest in surprise, but I hadn't flinched away. Given no outward sign that I was afraid of him because I wasn't. And my curiosity hadn't faded, but rather something else had joined it. Something I couldn't quite place. I was just watching him and my gaze was nothing unique in my opinion. But whatever he saw on my face made Alec's entire body shift dramatically. He reached a hand towards me, but I raised one in response as if to tell him to stay back. It was as if I'd stung him, "Saffiya —"

Jane had been adamant that Alec would never hit me, never hurt me. And his surprise at his own actions matched my own. It had me wondering what exactly it was that we brought out in each other. And why. And just how bad would it get before we looked in the mirror and didn't recognise who we saw. It was dangerous and would continue to be if left unchecked, that much was clear.

Still. It was exhilarating — like nothing I had ever experienced before but I couldn't name it. Couldn't truly describe how even his name made me feel as if I could run a marathon. When he was near me, I felt sick to my stomach with the flittering of the butterflies inside me. Fear of what he'd do. Yet, in this moment, I entertained the possibility that fear was the wrong diagnosis. Only I couldn't figure any other possible answers. And while this was all running through my mind, another horrifying realization brought me back.

"Felix said it took Santiago ages to 'put him back together."

"If Prosper," he spit the name through his teeth, as if the word itself brought poison and misfortune to rest on his tongue. "Did as he was told—"

"Which would mean that he was ripped," I choked, "apart."

Alec answered my question resentfully, enunciating each word. He'd lost all care and caution to protect my mind from whatever horrors he was previously attempting to conceal from me. Anger misleading his good intentions and burn down the walls he'd built. His voice was coated with an ambrosial flavour, as if he derived pleasure from the bestial resolution, "he is lucky I didn't rip his throat out."

The marks on Prosper's neck. The ones that looked like he'd been bitten into.

"Oh my god." The exclamation flew from my mouth before I could cover it, my hand landing across my lips mere milliseconds after.

My knees buckled and I dropped, landing haphazardly on the floor. All at once, Alec appeared at my side, checking for damage on my body from the fall as if it were second nature to him. All signs of anger gone without a second thought.

There is was again. Emotion that he couldn't hide. That he was too distracted to catch and force it back down to hide it from the world. There was no immediate recovery, return to emptiness, and then a harsh reminder of my unimportance. No, this time, his eyebrows were furrowed and his lips tight. His eyes glittered with concern. His movements unfettered, driven by moment to moment thoughts instead of through a filtered dedication to being the evil guard.

He was vulnerable.

It was the most human I had ever seen him.

"Saffiya? What's wrong? What happened?" His hand went to the back of my neck, to provide a kind of balance. It reminded me that he was not human. That my neck was easy access to my blood. That a throat could be ripped out to kill even a vampire. That he was willing to do that to someone who he perceived had risked my life. I flinched at his touch.

"Why am I still alive?" He wasn't expecting that and even if he were going to respond, I didn't give him a chance.

"I just watched a man get the life sucked out of him by a vampire. A vampire. And the whole time, I was blaming myself. But it's not my fault — it's yours."

He frowned, refusing the responsibility with a wounded expression. "You shouldn't have tried to leave."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hurt your feelings? Trying to flee my kidnappers?" I pushed myself from the ground and away from him. "You understand that that's what you're doing right? It's a crime, maybe you've heard of it? Its illegal."

Alec copied my movement, standing to rise above me so I had to glare up at him. The dark had returned, but there was something behind it. A hint that he was portraying only false emotions, that he still had a reason to hide the real ones. "Would you prefer I left you to the mercy of those dogs?"

I laughed mockingly, automatically picking up the falsities of the facade he so quickly restored. "Right. So, you kill 3 people and I should be down on my knees, thanking the gods that you didn't kill me in a dark alley. Get over yourself."

He growled in warning, but I didn't care.

"My entire world was flipped upside down in the span of a single day and you can't find the decency to treat me like a human being. Or even pass off a half-hearted 'sorry I destroyed your future.'"

I reached out to shove him away from me, but he didn't so much as falter. I balled my hand up into a fist, pushing against his chest again and again as if I were knocking down a door. "What do you want from me?" He let me continue to hit him, without pause and lacking reason. Eventually, he caught one of my wrists when I started increasing the weight behind each hit — to keep me from shattering my hand against the invincible marble of his chest.

I pulled against him, but he refused to budge. I took my other hand and weakly wound it up for a punch aimed at his face. He caught it, and the momentum forced me closer to him. "You want everyone to be so afraid of you. They see the fury, the power of a god. I see a coward."

He clenched his jaw, a scowl darkening his features. I struggled to reclaim it my wrists but he held them in place between us. "Get off of me." He made no such moves to do so and I may have overreacted because I began to thrash in his hold.

A guttural growl came from his chest and he pulled me closer to him. "That is enough!" I froze once again, trapped as I watched an inky pool of black begin to devour the cardinal that had called it home.

"Breathe." He commanded.

The word mimicked a snap, as if releasing me from a hallucination and I immediately began gasping to fill my deeply deprived lungs of their nutrition. It was then that I ascertained another explanation behind his strong arming. A factor that he never had to account for before me: Air.

"One mistake cannot go unpunished. Because the next time could be the last." He loosened his grip on my wrists, but still held them close. As if the proximity would assist in his defence. "So, if Prosper gets a hundred more minuscule scars, so be it. You do not have to like it, but, I am only trying to keep you safe."

I bit my bottom lip, failing miserably as I attempted to keep it from visibly quaking. But with a sharp intake of breath, I lost the battle. "I hate you." I hissed at him. I began to adamantly shake my head back and forth, unsure of what exactly I was supposed to be feeling right now. How was he so calm? He'd hardly tolerated lesser comments from me before and now that I'd thrown the lot in he just didn't seem to factor it in to anything he was doing. Drops of water began racing from my eyes to pool at the corners of my lips, to fall from my chin and cover my cheeks in its salty liquid. "And I will spend the next thousand years of my life hating you."

I made the fatal mistake of meeting his eyes, as I'd done so often before.

I waited for another harsh word. A warning that I'd gone too far. His eyes were still dark as midnight and I almost expected him to just drain me dry then and there. Instead, he did the unthinkable. The implausible. The unexplainable.

He gently moved my hands to rest on the back of either side of his hips and pulled me into his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and kept me there as I continued to cry. Without thinking, I tightened my grip around his waist, clinging to him with what was left of a quickly diminishing energy level. I collapsed into the embrace. My body was still shaking with tears that had barely begun and with a mind so exhausted it was empty of any conscious efforts to genuinely control my thoughts.

The emotions I'd pushed away in the bathroom came spilling out and Alec only tightened his hold on me. My thoughts were replaced with senses. His smell encompassed me in a buzz of relief and I could feel the tension begin to drain from my shoulders. A slow, careful rise and fall of his chest was empty of a heartbeat, but the subtle motions lulled me into breathing through another wave of sobs. Firm arms held me to him and I didn't think he would have ever let me go. I don't think I ever wanted him to.

He pressed his lips to the top of my head and muttered something that sounded an awful lot like, "so long as you're with me."

But that didn't make any sense. Did it?

Chapter Text

"Balloons?"

Felix nodded eagerly, hauling over a medium sized cardboard box from the depths of his closet. I waited patiently on his couch with my legs crossed. Demetri sat on the floor in front of the couch and next to Felix's briefly abandoned spot. A joypad, as the men had been suggestively referring to the video game controllers as all day, hung loosely in his left hand. The pad of his thumb tapped impatiently on the A button. Though his focus was as equally dedicated as Felix's regarding the purpose of the box.

"Genius, isn't it?"

I tilted my head and looked between the two of them. "What exactly is your plan—?"

"Never mind that." Felix dropped the box beside me on the couch. Growing all the more curious, I reached in and clasped a handful of latex party balloons. "First, you blow up these balloons and we play video games."

My jaw dropped and with a whine, "how come I have to do all the work?"

He waved me off, sitting back down with his controller. "We all have to pay our dues."

"Fiya," Demetri kept the game paused and rhythmically patted my knee. The nickname they had adopted had grown on me. While I rather liked my full name, this was the first time I would receive a real nickname from actual friends. "Dear, sweet, Fiya. It just so happens that Felix and I are the kings of the prank world. And we are willing to train you in the sacred art of practical jokes. This is truly a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Felix was nodding urgently on my other side, feeding me a theatrical explanation of the so-called, 'coursework'. "You will study the most exalted pranks of them all. The art of the prank requires stealth, creativity and at times, even a dash of Judas."

I squinted at the duo's natural flare for dramatics. Forget video games. They should be putting on full scale Shakespearean productions. They could rewrite each play for vampires. It would definitely put a new spin on Romeo and Juliet...

"But first. You have to blow up like 50 of these things."

Unfortunately for them, embellishments and persuasion had been ingrained in me by a professional con man. I wasn't eating any of their baloney. "No way. Your instructions alone could be a prank." If I was going to individually blow up 50 balloons, it had better be for a real prank. If they ditched the latter and only pranked me, I'd accuse them of being false kings for such a bland and uncreative approach.

Felix wiped a fake tear from his eyes. "She's a natural! So intelligent." He threw a sassy smirk to Demetri. "She gets that from me."

Four days. I had received four days alone to grieve before Felix and Demetri had kidnapped me from my room to watch them engage in various activities - mainly, video games. It became the regular routine in order to keep me from wallowing alone in my room. They meant well, declaring that distraction was the best medicine. I'm not sure that the jingle held quite as much weight with me. Mainly due to the fact that it didn't seem like the healthiest coping strategy, but they insisted so I sucked it up.

In the days that followed, we found a pattern of hopping between different hobbies. As odd as the approach had seemed at the beginning, I found stability in the developing schedule. There were a few sparring sessions where Demetri got his butt kicked and we played a rather heated game of Monopoly. For the most part, however, we were usually holed up in Felix's room as they switched off between playing several games where the goal was to tally the most kills in one war zone or another and another game, something called Mario Kart.

Their rambunctious behaviour had been turned up about three levels from its standard. Eventually, somewhere between the stupid jokes and witty banter, I started laughing again.

The guilt that I felt from being able to tell jokes and smile only a few days after learning of my father's passing, wasn't as overwhelming as I expected it to be. It was possible that I'd numbed myself to the idea, relying on the memory of my father rather than the reality. The memories from my childhood had been what was driving me for the last five years. They were flashbacks from a child's perspective, romanticised and influential but subject to change as I grew older.

One of the strongest was of a silly little excursion to find the best gelato in Italy was once an imaginative quest, such a perspective that had been destroyed by the disillusionment of reality. A homeschool field trip to a museum was a cover for a reconnaissance trip to survey the building and time the changing of the guards. As I got older, our grand adventures became more targeted and less fantastically oriented. A memory that had been forcing itself through my mind the last few days made my stomach twist in knots. Another once happy memory, impeded by the recollection of the details. Details that changed the whole story. It was my memory of the first time I purposefully broke my wrist for the overall success of a job we were working. I'd done it of my own volition and he bought me an ice cream cone. I wonder now what he thought we were celebrating.

I was a good little soldier back then. Perhaps that was what Aro saw in me. I was young enough to be moulded, directed and inspired. Maybe he believed that if he gained my loyalty, a perfect soldier would be his reward. It wouldn't be a half bad plan. Especially since, even after his show of cruelty the other day, I found myself unable to hold any sustainable form of ill-will to any of the three masters. For they had given me something I craved more than my own life. Something I had been unable to discover on my own and that no one else was willing to help me uncover.

The leaders of the Volturi had given me answers. Their methods were questionable, sure. But the value of the information to me, outweighed even a man's life. Apparently, my primary loyalties didn't abide by an ethical code in life or death situations. Perhaps Aro knew this.

Demetri rolled his eyes at Felix and gave me a charming smile. I eyed him suspiciously. After all, this conversation had begun with a simple question presented in his charismatic voice and now, all of a sudden I was being tasked with giving up my air supply to an army of rainbow latex balls. "You're one of us now. You're on balloons cause the next steps require a more vampiric quality." He winked. "All in, baby."

"Yes!" Felix declared, pointing his finger towards the ceiling in a matter of fact way. "We must redeem ourselves. For you see," He dropped his head, lifting his hand across his heart and an arm reaching for air as if he were delivering a rousing soliloquy. Bingo for melodramatic storytelling. "Our last prank was extravagant. It would have been a marvel! A new take on a complete classic."

I looked to Demetri and he offered the actual background. "We put saran wrap over everyone's doors so they'd walk into it. Including the throne rooms."

"But alas!" I laughed in both surprise and amusement at Felix's sudden exclamation and shoved his shoulder. He humoured me and let his shoulder tilt as if I actually had the strength to make him move a muscle. He did however, finally drop the storytelling act, admitting plainly. "It totally backfired cause, you know, extreme vampire senses. Everyone could see it." I shook my head in pity and amusement. This could be really fun.

I bit the inside of my cheek and gave in. "Fine. I'll blow up the stupid balloons." They fist bumped and immediately turned away from me, their focus now returning to their electronics. I picked a blue balloon and began my long journey into balloon world.

Watching them play was surprisingly entertaining, and blowing up the balloons was an excellently mindless task to do at the same time. Without much space beside nor in front of me, I'd been tossing finished balloons in different directions around the room. Felix clearly hadn't accounted for the space the balloons would take once they were full of air. So, I had fun making his room a mess of random traveling balloons.

As the guys swapped out their current game for another, I voiced a question that had been picking at me for a few days. "On the topic of your vampire abilities, just how invincible are you guys?" I finished off another balloon and threw it over my shoulder.

Demetri shrugged, "err...completely?"

"Well, I mean, technically nothing is invincible. Any comic book will prove that."

He tittered, doubling down. "No, we're pretty much invulnerable."

Felix let out a barking laugh, chanting "Yeah! Superman who?", while strategically weaving his body and his controller with his avatar's movements on the screen.

Adding another balloon to the room, I proposed "what if you were to get lemon juice in your eye."

Felix snorted, "what?"

"Lemon juice." I said simply. "It's supposed to sting."

"Doubt it." I could see the arrogant grin in the reflection of the television.

I tapped my chin, a thought occurring to me that may or may not have been inspired by our last conversation. "We should try it."

Felix snorted again, "no."

I crossed my arms mockingly and even though he couldn't see me behind him, the playful taunt was clear. "What are you, scared?"

Demetri chipped in giddily as Felix's character walked into a room full of unfriendlies. "Sounds scared to me."

The mere suggestion was enough to knock him off his game, as he turned to both of us and shouted indignantly, "I am not!" Almost simultaneously, his screen filled with blood and Demetri cackled in glory as the game declared him the winner. "Damn it!"

I doubled over in a fit of giggles, almost missing the high five Demetri offered me. Felix was frowning, pointing a finger of blame in my direction. "Evil." I stuck my tongue out at him and he responded in kind.

"Speaking of evil," Demetri turned on me, winking at Felix this time. The game was momentarily forgotten as Felix caught on to whatever Demetri was about to suggest. They both faced me with goofy looks. "How is Alec?"

After the night Alec had spent consoling me and basically being the exact opposite of who he'd always appeared to be, I hadn't seen him. He'd let me cry in his arms for hours until I fell asleep. The act was gentle, caring and it kind of freaked me out. I'd pledged a thousand years of hatred to him and in return, he showed a great deal of unearned compassion. These contradictions in his attitude weren't exactly new. What was bothering me however, was the traction his behaviour had gained within my own emotional responses. Yet, he was gone and so my questions and confusion went unanswered and untested.

His lack of any presence was only in the physical sense, because I could not stop thinking about him. What he was doing. How he was feeling. If he was okay. If I'd crossed his mind at all. Little things reminded me of him. And not in a logical way to be reminded of something. Of course not.

It was stupid, inconceivably inane things. The smooth handle of a door were like the touch off his hand and the small details of a canvas that hung on the corridor walls matched the wave of his hair. I'd put my hair behind my ear and suddenly, it felt as if he were standing behind me. But when I turned, he was nowhere to be found. The list goes on.

It was horrible.

I avoided eye contact, focusing on another balloon. "How should I know?"

"An interesting response, don't you think, Demetri." I glared at Felix, but he was too busy rubbing his chin in fake thought.

"Hmm," he agreed. "Quite defensive."

I groaned, fixing them with a glare, "what are you two implying?"

"Oh nothing." Felix commented nonchalantly, though this was quickly replaced by a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "Just that one of the lower guards might have mentioned seeing our dear Alec leaving your room a few mornings ago."

Demetri had joined Felix's investigation, both playing their own form of good cop. "Anything you'd like to tell us?"

Rolling my eyes, I picked up another balloon. "Not particularly."

They frowned before attempting a new tactic. "Say, Demetri, where has good ol' Alec been anyways." I couldn't help it, I glanced up from my project to wait for his response.

"Escorted Dr. Cullen back to his coven." He gave me a side look, seeing that they had my attention. "Wonder when he'll be back...how about you, Fiya? Looking forward to Alec's return?"

I shrugged off their tactics, trying to appear as impartial as I could. "He can disappear with the library of Alexandria as far as I'm concerned." Seeing they weren't getting much out of me, they restarted their games with pouts.

As much as I hated to admit it, I did miss Alec. Though, I wasn't quite sure why or what about him triggered the feeling. It was some sort of hole in me that kept him around and at the forefront of my mind. Then, knowing it may only give them more ammunition, I couldn't help but ask, "Why do your eyes change colour?"

"Don't you remember the rhyme?" Felix said indignantly, "the darker the red—"

"The more recently fed, I know. But how long should it last?" The two exchanged mischievous glances once again and paused their game another time.

Demetri turned a shit eating grin on me. "Why do you ask?"

I bit the inside of my cheek and glanced up, trying to calm my heartbeat at the suggestion. "It's just that sometimes they change to black so quickly..." As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I'd been made. I could only be referring to Alec's fits. He was always told to go feed after I'd pissed him off. With their additional knowledge, of course they'd made the connection.

"Base instincts." Demetri offered. "Anger, jealousy-"

"Arousal." Felix winked and flipped back around to the game. My eyes widened as I took this in and Demetri barked out a laugh before picking up his console just in time for Felix to unpause it. Felix's attempt to cheat distracted the conversation and it seemed they'd forgotten about their prime opportunity to tease me. That is, until Felix asked again with an even more suggestive tone, "so, how is Alec?"

I impulsively turned the balloon I was just about to tie and let the air blow into Felix's face. He attempted to bat it away from him as I burst into a fit of laughter. "Gross! Not cool."

I was too busy holding my stomach to sympathise with the distress my attack had caused him. "Your face!"

Felix grabbed a new balloon and blew it up to a wimpy size before returning the favour. I also tried to push away the air spraying my face. "Ew! You're disgusting."

"You did it first!"

"Shh!" Demetri hushed us and all three of us froze as if expecting something dramatic. Demetri's head swung to the doors and he jumped up. "Incoming. Hide the balloons."

"What?" I barely moved before the balloons started disappearing from around the room two by two. I leaned back onto the couch solemnly as the two men returned to their controllers on the ground in front of me, already gearing up for the next level.

The room was clear of any balloon evidence just in time for Heidi's heels to enter it. The woman's normally professionally suggestive attire had been traded in for a much more risqué theme. She'd gone from a high end, but discreet escort to Paris Hilton circa 2006.

Letting out a low whistle, Demetri winked at Heidi. "Looking good, Heidi. What's the occasion?"

She pointed to me then herself, purposefully excluding the guys, "we are going out." Before I could ask any questions, the boys denied her, claiming me for themselves.

"Psh. No way, Saffiya's ours. We are attending to some very important business." That was one way of putting it. "You can have her tomorrow."

Heidi crossed her arms over her chest. "Haven't you two got anything better to do than force her to watch violence and half naked women?"

"It's educational."

"Yeah, we're teaching her battle strategy and war stuff."

I piped in for two reasons. Mainly because I was oddly enjoying the violence in the game despite multitasking with our various conversation topics. The storyline wasn't half bad and it was almost like watching a film. The second was that I had a feeling that Heidi expected me to dress up right along with her and her heels could spear a freaking shark. No, thank you. "And its role in gender politics. It's a metaphor...for the transition of society...during wars."

Heidi blinked, almost seeming convinced. Felix took one hand from his controller and discretely fist bumped my save, giving Demetri the opportunity to attack him in the game. Yet again, a game over screen appeared and Felix's jaw dropped.

"Not fair!"

"Snooze, you lose!" Demetri gloated, glancing at Heidi to see if he had her attention. He didn't.

I threw my arms behind my head and grinned at Heidi. "Hey Heidi, Demetri had some unique thoughts on the dangers that video games pose to modern society due to their hyper sexualization of women." The man I'd referred to stared at me, wide eyed at my claim. I jerked my head over towards Heidi.

Heidi raised an eyebrow at Demetri, actually looking impressed. Demetri appeared to be uncharacteristically flustered by Heidi's level of interest in the fact that he had positive, forward-thinking, intellectual thoughts on gender. It was a change from his usual glamorous charm, but he'll thank me one day.

"Is that so?" I'd noticed that in Heidi's mural, between a blue sun and a yin and yang symbol, was an attempted portrait drawing of Gloria Steinem. I figured she'd be intrigued if Demetri showed any recognition of the topic, but I never thought she'd believe it so easily.

Especially not with the man's blundering reply, "what can I say? I love sex!" I waited for her to roll her eyes, but she giggled. It was my turn to exchange looks with Felix, both of us equally dumbfounded at the unexpected sound coming from the woman. Our reactions might've been for different reasons, however, because Felix followed this up with:

"Who doesn't?" I snorted and Felix patted my knee eccentrically as if I wasn't already paying attention to him. "Right, Fiya?"

"You all seem to keep forgetting that I spent my teenage years in a convent." I added nonchalantly, "outside of an anatomy book, the closest I got to sex was probably Shakespeare or the Parliament of Fowles." All eyes turned to me, stunned by my words. Although I wasn't sure what exactly was so surprising about my statement. "What?"

Heidi was also staring at me with slight disbelief before declaring, "oh my god. She's a nerd."

"I prefer intellectually curious."

A muttered, "no wonder the twins have taken so well to you" was drowned out by Felix's taunt,

"A fifteen year old who reads Chaucer? Please — nerd."

I fell back against the couch and crossed my arms in a fit. "Okay, then what do you do for fun? I can't imagine any of you have never read a book in all your centuries of existence."

Sheepishly, Demetri ran a hand through his hair. "We've just been so busy." Felix nodded his head in agreement, supporting the empty excuse.

Heidi ratted them out. "Their 'intellectual curiosity' went out the window once they discovered video games." She sat gracefully on the arm of the couch, inspecting her nails with the perfectionistic attitude of a cat.

"Can you blame us? It took a decade before Aro agreed to buy a television." Demetri defended them, sliding in an amusing brag of how they "had to convince Aro that video gaming would one day become a respectable art form that deserved the Volturi's admiration."

I let out a small bout of laughter, halted slightly by the sound of the leader's name. Yet, my amusement at their dedication for such a simple activity allowed me to focus on the charm with which my friends had exhibited for such a case.

Demetri grinned at this and with a quick glance to Heidi, he added, "I don't think he bought it, but he let us buy whatever we wanted."

Felix snickered beside us, "convincing him to build the movie theatre was a little more difficult."

My jaw dropped, "he actually let you build a movie theatre?"

With his signature lopsided grin, Felix said, "not yet!"

Heidi, taking her eyes briefly from her nails, chimed in with an unusual suggestion. "Perhaps you could get him to change his mind, Fiya."

Felix patted my leg excitedly, "yeah! He likes you." He missed the pointed look Demetri sent him, but I was already questioning his logic and the audacity of his words. Heidi swiped at the back of his head and his hand went to cover it, "hey!"

I almost choked on the air that rushed into my lungs. Collecting myself, I tried to bring the lightheartedness back into the room, but my attempt fell short. "I'd hate to see what he does to the people he hates."

Demetri's face grew real serious for a second before he nodded and said, "don't worry. You will."

Almost immediately, Heidi broke the tension that had been ignited with Demetri's ominous comment. "That's enough of that. It's my turn." She declared, standing from her seat and waving her hand towards me. "Ready, Saffiya?"

I hesitated, glancing at the guys. "Where exactly are we going?"

"Lusso."

The answer drew a surprisingly outraged response from the two men. "Without us!"

"No fair!"

Heidi raised her hands as if to hold them back. "Girl's night, gentlemen." She winked at Demetri, "maybe next time."

"But Fiya might not be human next time. There's so many possibilities—"

"What's Lusso?" I interrupted, feeling even more out of the loop than usual.

"It's a night club."

I started to rise from my position on the couch, "like, outside the castle?" If there was one thing that had become clear over the last two weeks or so, it was that I was severely lacking in vitamin D and fresh air. All I wanted was to sit outside, under the sun and just take in the world around me. Though right now, I'd settle for the shining moon and night air.

Heidi raised a finger to include the single stipulation. "You have to promise not to try and run away again."

"Cross my heart, " I agreed fervently. "Can we go now? Let's go!"

"Kids. They only break your heart." I heard Felix cry dramatically as I practically dragged Heidi out of his room.

Chapter Text

We made it to Heidi's room in record time after she 'liberated me', as she put it, from Felix and Demetri. Unfortunately, an early arrival on our part only provided more time for a contractually obligated fashion scene.

Not much work had been done on her mural since my last visit, and it still remained half coloured and half empty of any drawings whatsoever. A true work in progress. The rest of the room, however, looked like the backstage of a fashion show running three hours behind. Every surface possible had been hijacked, including an easel in the corner, and put to use for shoes, clothing, jewellery, cosmetics, and the necessary undergarments.

Unlike my room, there was no bed, rather a half moon couch as the main focus of the room. The length of the couch had been put to use to separate and spread out different sections of clothes, mainly a slew of dresses and several fashion-not-warmth geared jackets. It was organized chaos, but I bit my tongue to keep from jokingly asking whether it took more time for the two of them to make the mess or to get ready in it.

I'd like to consider myself a team player, but something about the setup made me feel a little ill. It's not that I wasn't into clothing or dressing up. My father was part American and no matter what country we were in, we always celebrated his favourite holiday: Halloween. And when I was a little girl, I had this doll that I liked to pretend was a part time princess/part time time traveling spy that got to wear both royal ballgowns and historically interesting outfits.

Although, the fact that I just named Halloween and a childhood doll as my connections to fashion, certainly gives an idea of my level of interest in the task at hand. The task being finding me the perfect clubbing outfit.

Upon our arrival, my current outfit had been given a shameful head shake by Heidi just in time for Chelsea to emerge from the bathroom. The shorter woman was already dressed in a spaghetti strap, short, cheetah print dress and heels that made her legs go on for miles. "Oh good, you procured the human. Those," she pointed to a pile of dresses hanging over one section of the couch, "should fit her."

I'd only been around Chelsea a handful of times so far. I definitely wasn't her favourite person in the entire world. And I think my blood bothered her since she was one of the younger of the Volturi. Though she was an extremely high ranking member and perhaps that's why her control was still well managed with me. If she had the choice, however, I don't think it would be to spend time around me.

She never addressed me directly, but she wasn't cruel about it. Heidi assured me it wasn't personal, rather it was the matter of my humanity. And once that was fixed she was positive that Chelsea would want to spend more time with me.

"Elizabeth's coming as well." Hands on her hips, she smiled at me. "You've met, haven't you?"

Elizabeth was the lower guard member who had given me the wrong date on Felix's fake homework assignment. I hadn't exactly spoken to or seen the woman since. "I suppose."

"Actually, Bess sends her regrets."

The other woman's jaw dropped at the news. "But why! She never misses girl night."

Chelsea shrugged, her eyes flashing over to me before returning to the larger mirror in the bathroom, throwing over her shoulder, "She said to 'have fun with your pet'." The cattiness was unnecessary, though not purposeful on Chelsea's end. Still, I rolled my eyes; I should've stayed with Demetri and Felix.

Where Chelsea tolerated me, Elizabeth apparently had no patience for my existence. This wasn't the first time I'd heard of a snide comment aimed at my expense from Elizabeth's desk. The guys, gossips that they were, had mentioned one or two offhand comments about how she needed to learn her place. As usual, they refused to go into any further detail but managed to slide in a subtle joke about me needing to get back on her good side.

Like with Chelsea, I tried not to take it personally. I couldn't help but think that her reasons for disliking me spanned beyond my humanity. But, I had only theories on what those reasons could be, and so I didn't let it bother me much.

"Saffiya — pay attention." I snapped up from my slouched position on her couch as Heidi held up yet another dress. She refused to let me sit, as she raised each new hanger up to my body from five feet away with her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. I shook my head yet again as she held up new dresses in each hand. Sighing, Heidi tossed one aside before throwing the other at me. "Try it on." I lifted the piece of fabric to my line of sight and stared at it with distaste.

This was nothing like Halloween.

Not only were they not costumes, but none of the dresses before us were the kind you would wear on any general outing, like a sundress and they were about as far from a church dress as you could go. Aside from colour, they didn't look all that different to me. Each one was short, busty and tight — and I turned them each down like a fashionable Simon Cowell.

Shaking my head profusely, I declared, "there's no way I'm wearing that." Heidi let out an extremely exaggerated groan of contempt and threw the dress onto the growing pile of no's.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she grumbled, "will you work with me here?"

"I don't understand why I can't just wear this." I gestured to my current outfit — jeans and a tank top. I'd never been to a club before, but I'd seen movies. How different could it be? And surely, there would be enough people that no one would care who I was or what I was wearing. It wasn't exactly a red carpet event.

Heidi shrieked in distress and the sudden sound had me jumping up from the couch once again. For half a second, I thought that maybe there was some kind of a substantial threat that I hadn't noticed before I realized it was only Heidi's reaction to my request. "It doesn't even have sequins!"

"I don't think I've worn sequins since I was six."

"Heidi, leave the child alone." Chelsea walked out of the bathroom once more, pining the final touches on her hair. The shorter woman frequently glanced between the mirrors in the room again before seeming to finally decide that her hair was satisfactory.

Vampires were likely the most beautiful beings in existence, which is perhaps why their automatic slips of vanity amused me greatly. A fact that, one would think, would lessen their insecurities rather than heightening them. Instead, the opposite seemed to reign true. It moved across gender lines, I'd noticed, though Demetri was more regularly beholden to it than Felix. I'd even caught Caius folding a piece of his hair under another as he'd passed by the library one day, oblivious to my presence. The various mirrors throughout the castle saw so many visitors they may as well have been moving portraits like in the Harry Potter world. Perhaps there was a Freudian fear within the vamps that urged them to treasure it in place of what they could not recover from their humanity. I wondered if I, too, would fall victim to such an ideal once they'd changed me.

Chelsea gave the most recent dress option a more thorough glance over, then made her own face. "I agree with her...it will be much too short."

The other woman tossed the dress off to the side with a disdainful look. "Well, I refuse to let her dress like she's attending a sports match."

"Of course not, but I do not believe that Alec would appreciate your promoting of her assets to a crowd of rowdy, inebriated men." Chelsea asserted sternly and recognizing the validity of her friend's perspective, Heidi backed down. She muttered something unintelligible in response just as the door to the room swung open with a measured pace.

"What is this about my brother?" A slightly more mature looking Jane let herself in to the room. I'd never been so relieved to see anyone in my entire life. If anyone would be able to help get Heidi off my case, Jane had to be at the top. However, as the three of us took in her appearance, my hope for a bail out lowered.

The better half of the twins had managed to hit an ideal classy/slutty mark in her outfit tonight that Heidi was having difficulty finding for me. Not that this was her goal, after all, because from what I'd observed, Heidi's style never needed to be classy. She was able to pull off a combination of slutty and mature by simply existing and it worked wonders for her. I, however, never had to dress for any particular style before. Though looking between the three women now, I did know which one I'd gravitate towards if I got a vote.

Chelsea smirked as her eyes ran over Jane's body, from going out heels to a hairstyle designed by an overnight braid that left her hair flowing past her shoulders in messy waves. "Speaking of pissing Alec off."

"Spot on, Jane." I admired her, and she gave me a small smile. "I like your jeans." I turned my head pointedly to Heidi.

The woman barely lifted her head. She gave me only one short and mocking laugh, "ha!"as if to tell me that there was no way she was backing down.

I crossed my arms against my chest again and threw myself back dramatically into the fluff of the couch. Jane made her way to sit beside me, flowing elegantly onto the cushion and sending me a little more genuine of a grin now that the others weren't looking.

Just like the rest of my main circle, she'd been missing from my daily activities while I mourned. I hadn't realized how I had grown to rely on her visits in the beginning to stabilise myself in the new environment. I was constantly reminding myself how fortunate I was to have gained her as a friend, especially considering that her twin and I couldn't so much as be in the same room as each other at the time.

Though I spent no one-on-one time with guard members outside of my body guard circle, I continued to test myself on their names. In doing so, I also uncovered more and more about their individual routines and personalities. Overall, one could claim that while on duty the guard was more serious and when off, most of them lost that stern quality in favour of their natural personalities and quirks.

After casual observation and a few pointed questions, I came to understand that the members of the Volturi had a unique balance of who they were on the front lines as opposed to how they interacted when the masks came off. It certainly wasn't a big, happy, sitcom family, though there were clusters of the guard that hung out more often than not. These clusters were often made up of the lower and middle guard members that were single and as a result, their activities were much looser. Typically, they confined their hangouts to the training (and games) room or other facilities in the castle. There was once a standing Monopoly Monday that the entire castle was invited to, until one night some things were said, money was thrown, and the hat was stolen. The next day, Caius and Marcus had announced a ban on Monopoly to the guard, a meeting that Aro was suspiciously absent for.

It seemed that personal bedrooms remained relatively private. A standard that Heidi assigned to a hundred year period where Aro held an innumerable amount of parties. After a number of complaints about room privacy not being respected and the lower guard members, the unspoken policy moved into place. I have chosen to refer to it as the House Party Bunny Conundrum.

The low, middle, high level separations of the guards did keep the groups quite separate. Though this was more out of happenstance than any sort of mean girl system. The lower and middle guards were the only members that rarely, if ever, interacted with the three kings or the wives outside of official duties. The higher guard members were more often the direct guards for any of the five ruling vampires.

While the coven mixed quite a bit, the highest ranking guard members were less involved with the other guard's extra curricular activities. Most notably, the twins. The guys told me that, for the most part, the twins were satisfied with each other's company for most of the beginning of their lives. Eventually and up to the current date, they branched out to the significant members of the coven, if not only the black coats. In general, it sounded like their attendance for anything casual was rare but everyone had a good time whether they were there or not.

I did notice one thing that stood out when the twins were included. In the most casual settings, such as this one right now, in which playful conversations and empty quips were being thrown about whilst they played 'dress the human like a trollop'; all appeared normal. Jane was smiling, happy, but it didn't take much to recognize the vigilance of the other members of the guard.

They, too, were enjoying themselves. But, Jane's presence alone worked as a trigger for every vampire's underlying self-preservation instincts.

History and every day since, had taught all of the guard members that Jane was quick to anger and always more than willing to respond with her gift. As a result, there seemed to be an underlying focus on maintaining Jane's mood whenever she was present; and of Alec's, if they were able to get a read on the more calculating twin. Everything only seemed to reinforce the idea that she was unpredictable, and her brother was no better.

Until I arrived, that is. It had been pointed out to me that my arrival and the nature of my relationships with either twin had resulted in a choose your own adventure book of possible scenarios. Already, members were seeing the effects from Alec's attack on Prosper to Alec being scolded by Aro. (The latter referring to two separate occasions in my first two days that had apparently delighted a middle level guard, who had major beef with Alec, so much that the guard decided he and the boy were even. My bruises and I were happy to help.) Some guards, like Elizabeth, weren't fans. As if I had any say in the future.

The twins proved to be a consistently controversial topic within the coven and it seemed that my fate had been tied into theirs.

"Alec has no say in what I, nor what Saffiya, wear." Jane declared, in a lighthearted tone, "— speaking of, why are you not dressed?"

I pouted, sticking my tongue out at the hold out. "Heidi seems to have forgotten that I was raised by Catholic nuns and anything that hangs above my knee feels like a sin." Chelsea snorted from inside the closet and I gave myself a mental huzzah for the reaction, while Heidi rolled her eyes.

She held up another dress, this one made out of thin black satin or something else silky. "Uh huh, no way. I'm beat." I shook my head as fast as I could from side to side, letting my curls whip around my head with a childish lack of control. "Besides, did you think this through? I'm not even old enough to club yet." It had been my last resort argument and it fell flat, especially when Heidi managed to move past it so smoothly.

"Which is why you need to wear a dress." Heidi stood her ground and I moaned, throwing my head forward on the couch pillows yet another time. About ten seconds after my head was hidden in the cushions, there was a fast-paced mumbling of words before Heidi spoke back up with a new approach. "Fine. Here. If this one doesn't work, we can talk about a skirt." She grabbed one of the last three in the pile and handed it out for me to take. I raised my eyebrows before giving in because I didn't have much of a choice.

However, as I reached out for it, Jane intercepted the fabric. She held it up to examine the front and back before nodding and shoving it at my chest. I made no effort to hide my contempt for the cloth, though I hadn't actually looked at any other detail of the item. "At least try it on," she requested and without waiting for a response, she pushed me off the sofa and the other two women shooed me towards the bathroom.

I instead ducked into the closet, vowing to make quick work of my assignment. I ran the fabric through my fingers, checking for a zipper. Reluctantly, I slipped the dress over my head and tossed my jeans and tank to the side. In my hurry, I didn't consider checking the mirror before stepping back out. I had a feeling that any personal issues I may have with the dress would be overshadowed by the apparel itself.

Flexing the skirt of the dress in the light, the holographic material definitely made a statement. I reconsidered the purpose behind my dress options. Perhaps, it was Halloween after all and they were just assuming I'd take part in the adult version. Maybe they'd already decided we had a group costume to be a bunch of night walkers and this particular dress was the backup costume idea. Maybe Halloween in July was an Italian thing?

"Er...Heidi? What kind of club is this?" I asked the women, beginning to mess with the straps of the dress, already prepared to take it off. I was interrupted as Heidi grabbed my hand and pulled me further into the middle of the room before I could take it off.

Her eagerness backfired as she had already started to exclaim in fabricated excitement, "it's perfect!" Just before she saw the dress in its full glory. She faltered, taking a step back and scanning her eyes up and down the tight uniform. The positivity she'd tried to spark around the dress was left in a free-fall as she struggled to find a word to benefit her goals.

Chelsea and Jane were also lost for words, watching as I awkwardly shifted my arms around, trying to pull the fabric that barely covered my boob to cover more of my skin.

Jane began to giggle as soon as she caught sight of me. "You look like a jellyfish."

"Oh," I commented thoughtfully, looking down at the dress. I was forced to blink rapidly the instant my eyes caught the reflection of the ceiling light in the fabric. "I was thinking of an alien."

Jane had scrunched up her nose, now taking a swipe at the fabric. "What's that noise?"

"Factory plastic?" I shrugged. "Chelsea?"

Her name was repeated by the other girls twice more before she pulled her focus from the dress to us. She fiddled with her words for a second as if searching for something useful to contribute. "Alien jellyfish?"

All three of us turned to Heidi. The woman took one circle trip around me and finally, she sighed. "I thought you'd like this one."

I bit my lip. "I do!" I did. As a Halloween costume. For a friend...a really eccentric friend. "Just, more for a child's birthday party." Even Chelsea seemed to take pity on me and they let me retreat to change back into my normal clothes.

It seemed that Chelsea had also grown tired of the relentless back and forth of dramatics because she exited the closet just as I did the bathroom, just in time to see her throw something at Heidi. "Compromise." Heidi frowned, letting the fabric drop in the air between her fingers. "Black jeans, booties, that top. Red lipstick et voilà. It will age her four years." It was clear that Chelsea was the brains behind the fashion and I took a mental note, wondering how I'd never noticed.

The top she'd chosen was actually the perfect compromise. It was still the most revealing thing I'd ever worn, but I liked the way it made me feel. Confident. Attractive. It was a backless black top that tied together in the back with a thin lace. Short strings of tiny beads dangled from the bottom and tickled my stomach right below my belly button, giving it a taste of youthful class.

It was an automatic crowdpleaser, immediately receiving approval and praise from Jane and Chelsea. Heidi was still pouting and I bit my lip. "Heidi, I promise one day I'll wear any dress you want me to. But, for now, I think we should just work up to something so…revealing."

This seemed to satisfy her and that was when it hit me. The first step of the plan that would get my life back. A first step that would be easier said than done, but which was so glaringly obvious that it was a wonder I was only just thinking of it.

I'd taken my time to mourn. I'd tried to escape and I'd fought back in whatever ways I could. But vampires had become my new normal despite it all. It was time to give in and play the part I'd been assigned until something changed. I was adjusting to saying the phrase 'when I'm a vampire', but I still had no intent to see it through. So, if I got the chance, I would take it.

Only by playing this role, could I ever hope to escape the Volturi. It wasn't over until my heart stopped beating.

I turned to look in the mirror, as Heidi gave me a genuine smile and confirmed her approval, "you look fierce, Fiya."

I ran a hand through my hair, feeling more subconscious than I had only seconds ago. "Is that a good thing?"

A smug smile appeared on her lips and she winked. "Let's go find out."

Chapter Text

The fast-paced beat of dance music reverberated through the floor like an earthquake. A continuous rumble kept the nightclub on a constant earthquake alert status. If there were words to the songs being replayed, I would bet money that the partygoers did not know the lyrics. Or perhaps the lyrics did not matter to them as they flailed about, shouting out random words in sync with the music before laughing about nothing in particular.

The building had been remodelled from an old theatre, the seats taken out to make room for a dance floor on the ground level. The DJ booth was set up on the stage, raised up in front of a mass of dancers and surrounded by enormous speakers. From the orchestra to the mezzanine, and throughout the grand entrance hall, there was gold marble lining the walls and floors. It must have been a grand performance space in its peak.

Our entrance into the main area triggered a subtle reaction. Crowds parted and heads turned to stare as Chelsea led our small group's way through the throngs of people. Their presence alone was like a magnet for people's attention. There was no audio cue over the blasting music to inform them of the arrival of the most beautiful creatures they have ever seen. Rather, the recognition seemed to be innate. As if it were their very purpose to be seen and acknowledged by something so otherworldly. They were practically begging to be the vampire's next victims.

We had barely reached the dance floor before Heidi and Jane were asked to dance leaving Chelsea and I to awkwardly adjust to the location and our new one-on-one situation. Chelsea handed me her purse and directed me to choose a table overlooking the dance floor. At least, that's what I think she meant. She just sort of waved her hand towards the DJ and then at the booths nearest us.

I weaved through the masses of people, finally popping through to the near empty seating area. It was early enough in the night, that no one needed nor wanted to sit. Only a single couple, already lost in each other's throats, practically wrestled with each other in a corner booth. I settled in, casually tossing the purse on the other side of the table and turned to watch the dancers.

Chelsea joined me moments later, handing me a drink.

"Thank you, but I don't drink."

"It's water." She barely glanced at me, choosing instead to look through her purse. "I have no interest in managing a drunk human tonight."

"Make that two of us." For some reason, my response earned me an amused twinkle of her eyes. Maybe it was the smoke in the air or the unexplained gust of air on my exposed back, but I considered the possibility that I might just win Chelsea over tonight. That is, if I played my cards right.

Before I could do so, Jane returned, deliberately seating herself between me and Chelsea and assumably, more importantly, further from the crowd that teetered on the edges inches from our table. We both gave her curious eyes, but Jane shook her head deliberately.

"Humans do not change."

Chelsea let out a sweet giggle, hiding her laugh fashionably behind her hand. "Sweetheart, humans change. Men, on the other hand."

I spoke before I could think, suggesting half-heartedly, "should've used your gift on him." A sly smirk grew on Jane's face as she stared out into the crowd.

"Jane!" Chelsea exclaimed, not half as outraged by the girl's behaviour as she sounded. "You didn't?"

Jane rolled her eyes as if being scolded by a step-parental figure. She held onto her hard, carefree demeanour. "He's fine…a little sore," as soon as she caught my eyes, the smirk on her lips became more genuine of a smile. "He was so drunk he slipped on an ice cube. Broke his nose." I broke first, and soon Jane joined me in small laughter. As surprised as Chelsea was to see Jane laughing so openly, I think she was more in awe at the fact that I had triggered it.

"You two really are a pair, aren't you." I was definitely mistaken, but there was the slightest hint of adoration in her voice at the thought of Jane and I's friendship. And what did she mean? Were we a unique pair in general? Our ages were practically the same biologically. Or was it just that Jane's stone cold demeanour was so excellently crafted that imagining her with a friend was as impossible as man in space?

Not long after Jane's arrival, we spotted Heidi stomping over to our table. The small Italian man who had offered her his hand only minutes ago was trailing behind her, shouting what sounded like apologies. I was genuinely curious as to how the human had so quickly wasted his opportunity to even engage with a gorgeous being such as Heidi but only a few feet from our table, he managed to jump in front of her.

It all happened so quickly. One second, the man is trying to smooth talk her, but in the instant he placed his hand on her bum to pull her closer, she reacted. Heidi nearly ripped his hand off of her before stepping back and full on flipping the dude in front of her. He landed on his back, groaning against the tile. I could now read the distinctive letters on his otherwise black shirt: Best Man's Best Man, written out in silver. Was that supposed to be a compliment?

Some of the people around them gasped and were all too happy watched the action unfold. As gracefully as a movie star, Heidi fixed her front curls and literally stepped over the man, closing the last few feet to sit beside Chelsea at our table.

As soon as she had moved away, two men sporting similarly themed outfits stood above him and giggled childishly at their friend's misfortune. One shirt read: Best Man, and the other: (Un)lucky Bastard. Quite a unique group of friends, with a wonderful way to celebrate a wedding. No one seemed particularly worried about the man's physical condition, though it seemed that pride would be his most damaged possession this evening. I turned away from the sight, though the others seemed just as entertained as the rest of the crowd.

"For a group that claims to hate humans. You all sure enjoy an activity that requires a lot of them."

Heidi shrugged, admitting, "we don't usually interact quite this much."

Chelsea added a coy smile to the conversation. "At least, not like this."

"This is more for your sake."

"So, you, handing that guy his butt, that was for my benefit?"

"All for you." I raised my water in cheers at Heidi's giddy claim. The DJ said something into the mic that got lost in my translation, but whatever he said perked Heidi up even more. "Oh my goodness, I love this song!" Heidi squealed. It seemed that the more we settled in, the more prominent it was that Heidi had adopted a new personality. One that was suspiciously identical to the tipsy, ditzy woman in a crappy teen film. Even more curious was that I don't think she did it on purpose, as if the persona were a natural adjustment to the scene.

Jane ran a hand through her hair beside me, much like her brother. She muttered to me behind a raised palm. "It gets worse."

"Let's hit the floor, ladies!" With that, Heidi swept me from the booth, leaving Jane to cackle at my misfortune. But I wasn't about to let that slide, so I managed to grab a hold of her hand to pull her along with us.

There was no way I was doing this alone. "Time to act your age, Janey!" I grinned childishly at her. She rolled her eyes at my words, but accepted my hand, joining us on the embracing of the dance floor.

Now dancing among the other people, I was introduced to another gratitude that was owed to my congenital insensitivity as I observed hundreds of other humans dancing with beads of sweat on their foreheads. I noticed after we passed a rather pretty girl smiling and laughing along with everyone else. The baby hairs on her forehead stuck to her skin as she jumped to the music with her friends. She'd stopped dancing as she fanned herself, complaining to her friends of overheating and how the sweat was ruining her makeup. Not being able to feel the temperature meant I didn't sweat. That's right, I always smell this good.

All in all, it had been a great nice so far. A right of passage, of sorts, that I never expected to experience no matter what my future held. I guess it all goes to show that life has its own plan, its own surprises and all you can do is hang on for dear life for the ride.

As I laughed at something Heidi said, a gentle tapping on my shoulder prompted me to spin around.

And into the arms of a very fit, very human guy.

Even under the dark, flashing lights of the club, his olive skin stood out in the crowd. A five o'clock shadow enunciated a square jaw and for some reason, I lost the ability to use my words. The polite thing to do, would be to look away. After all, staring at a complete stranger was not only rude, but it was certainly something you didn't want to get caught doing.

He was just so darn pretty.

It took me a moment to realise that he was saying words. "Oh, sorry, I don't speak Italian."

He smiled and surprised me as an undistinguishable accent repeated, "would you care to dance?"

I turned back to the girls. Jane had stopped dancing, a distinctly sour expression on her face, which made me inclined to deny his offer. However, Heidi didn't seem to notice either of our hesitation. "She'd love to!" She gently shoved me towards him, letting me stumble into the random guy's arms.

I hastily regained my balance, mumbling an apology and turning around to shoot Heidi an indignant scowl. However, I was distracted by the terrifyingly livid expression on Jane's face. She was already whispering angrily to Heidi, but a gentle tug on my hand brought my attention back to the boy beside me. His eyes were soft, but murky and I politely smiled before changing the direction I was looking in. The familiar wave of butterflies made an appearance in my stomach as I caught myself wishing they were the familiar red of someone that wasn't present at the moment.

"Shall we?"

"Er…sure."

As we walked away, I saw Jane accepting the hand of a boy asking Heidi to dance and dragging him away from the older woman. The boy didn't seem to mind much at all and Heidi claimed his friend.

My view of the Volturi women was blocked as we headed deeper into the crowd of dancing people.

"What is your name?"

"Saffiya."

"I am Travis." We shared awkward smiles, standing in the middle of the dance floor, until he made the first move.

He placed a hand on the small of my waist and I blurted out, "listen, I really don't know how to dance like…" a young woman passing us by was moving her hips like Shakira with one hand in the air and her mouth slightly opened.

His laughter in response to my confession was disarming and I found myself smiling in return.

"I must tell you a secret." He leaned down to whisper in my ear, his breath was light with a gentle scent of liquor on the tongue. "Neither can she." Travis pulled away from me, looking down and grinning.

"Good to know." He seemed to be pleased as I laughed at his confident humour, and so he continued.

"Let me teach you basic steps, and I promise that they will always see you through on the dance floor."

I didn't exactly need any tips, seeing as it wasn't likely that I would spend much more time on a dance floor in the near future. But his face glowed, keen and eager to share his secret with me. I moved my head up and down to accept his offer.

"Do you feel the rhythm?"

"Maybe?"

"Good. Now, try moving your hips…like this." He slowly moved his hands to my waist, watching me as if waiting to see if I would stop him. But he was harmless, so I didn't. His large hands securely, but gently held each of my hips and he guided their movement to match our steps.

He was able to loosen his hold as I picked up the moves. Before I knew it, we were actually dancing along to the music. The simple success made me giddy and my excitement was shared by my teacher, who announced my competency. "You're a natural!"

Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, I joked, "are you a professional dancer or something?"
Rubbing the back of his head in slight modesty, Travis smiled warmly at me. "Actually, yes. My dance team and I are here for an international competition."

I nodded, impressed with his obvious determination and passion though my genuine interest was lacking."That's amazing!"

"We've spent half our lives working to get here and it's our last chance, but we have a good shot." He declared proudly, looking down at me and switching gears for an equal conversation. "So, what brings you to beautiful Italia?"

I frowned slightly, "I was searching for my father. He was missing for five years."

"Was?" "He died." I informed him, not particularly caring about the bluntness of my statement. "1500 kilometres, two countries over from where he was supposed to be."

"You're sure he's dead? Ever seen the movie, Cold Case?" I glanced away at the odd and slightly inappropriate question. He got the hint to move on.

On my right, I caught another glimpse of Jane.

Jane seemed to be walking a fine line from the first tottering human we'd seen on the sidewalk. The clear contempt she held for humans was clear and unfortunately somewhat valid in our current activity. The tolerance level had definitely lowered as the general amount of inebriated individuals went up. The less magical view of the club than I'd been admiring would've seen a woman throwing up in a potted plant in a corner and some couples going a little further than they should've in public before they got shoved out. Shameful for human kind? No doubt. Shameful for them? Not tonight. But Jane was definitely dishing that shame out.

Seeing her interact with other humans struck me as odd and I was able to put together why Felix and Demetri were so perturbed by our friendship. It should scream all kinds of suspicious, but Jane had never given any reason for such distrust. Besides, I was only human. What had she to lose? Hearing her talk and listening to her stories, her hate for my kind was clear, even if I was some sort of exception.

Yet, she hid her distaste well while she interacted with the lot. Distracting herself with other aspects of their presence. Still, I caught her scrunching her nose for a second as the boy holding her in his arms leaned down to whisper in her ear. Surprisingly, a sugary sweet smile followed it, softening her face into the false security her innocent appearance provided. Well, I guess it was safe to say she'd forgotten her anger with Heidi.

She whispered something back to him before taking his hand and leading him away from the dance floor. Jane caught my eye as they passed me and she winked.

Right. There was only one reason for them to interact with humans like this. It wasn't as if they needed them to have this kind of naive fun, although maybe to fill some other needs.

My dance partner took my hand and managed to guide me through a spin under his arm and I laughed out loud through the manoeuvre. Travis pulled me back in against his chest and our dancing slowed to a near stop. His fingertips rested on the exposed skin of my back, just above my jeans. I could smell the bourbon on him as he leaned in closer to my face. He paused.

"May I kiss you, Saffiya?" He watched me through thick lashes, and though they were beautiful…they weren't the ones I wanted to be looking into.

I cleared my throat and took a step back, right into another person. I mean, clubs are close contact by nature but I was not this clumsy. Manoeuvring back around to say I was sorry, the apology caught in my throat and was replaced with, "Alec?"

It was Alec all right, with an arrival as if cued by my thoughts. He lacked his usual formal jacket or sweater, looking more casual than I ever expected to see him. Mostly due to the wrinkles that creased the expensive shirt. He was still supposed to be on his mission and even if he'd returned early, why was he here instead of at the castle?

I bit my lip as a fear intruded on my thoughts; what if he had heard Travis' last words?

Judging by the intense, smouldering look on his face as he glared slightly upward at the poor guy, he most certainly had. And he definitely didn't appreciate the proposal, despite the technically polite design of asking for permission.

In his usual high and mighty demeanour, Alec ordered, "it is time to go."

I was stuck staring at him. The last time I'd seen him, I'd not only picked a fight and said some awful things. I'd also broken down in a fit of grief and pity with tears streaming down my face and sobs wracking my chest. And he'd stayed with me. Held me safely in his arms for hours after exhaustion had driven me to sleep. When the sun rose the next day, he pressed a kiss to my forehead and disappeared on some secret mission.

"What are you doing here?"

Now here he was, standing before me in a nightclub and I wasn't sure whether to thank him for that night or tell him to mind his business in this moment.

Left in the awkward interaction, my dance partner reached out a hand to greet Alec. "Hey, man. I'm Travis," he introduced himself casually and tossed an arm over my shoulder. Alec didn't shake his hand, instead staring daggers at the arm across my shoulders. Travis' prompted, "and who are you?"

Alec's glare dissolved into a smirk, "I'm her boyfriend." Somehow, the loss of aggressiveness was more intimidating than his hostile approach.

Travis raised his eyebrows at me and some of the weight on my shoulders disappeared a little. I glared at Alec, shaking my head relentlessly. "No. He isn't." I assured the man, not wanting to be seen as a cheater or a harlot. The fact that Alec suggested such an idea tempting me to tell him where he could shove it.

Travis gave me a lopsided grin, not seeming to care that Alec was still with us. "All mine, then." The weight of his arm reappeared and he tugged me in so our sides were touching. I caught myself from a minor trip at the sudden movement, but Alec still caught it.

I watched the vampire's jaw tighten, clearly displeased at the purposeful act of dominance. There was a fierceness that hit me in the chest and sent my heart from zero to fifty. Without missing a beat — literally — Alec's body tensed even more and our eyes met. My throat constricted, conscious of the fact that very little held Alec back from harming the other man. I was used to Alec's temper by now, but there was something different about this.

Or maybe it was me, because it was the first time that I had the conscious thought that stated: This boy is beyond fit.

As commercially appealing as Travis' was, he couldn't hold a candle to Alec — with, or without the immortal bonuses. Alec was naturally handsome. I had certainly noticed it before, but I wasn't keen to pointedly acknowledge it. So, whether the thought was inspired by the context of our situation or it was just him, once I admitted the attraction, I couldn't not notice it. The youth of his features, which may have played against him as a human were amplified by the vampire attributes in a way that maintained the fullness of his cheeks but defined his bone structure. Between the way his hair fell into his eyes and the intensity of his gaze, I likened the way it made me feel to what I imagined Elvis' presence had inspired in young women. A thought that only made me feel more embarrassed and I swore I'd never admit any of it out loud.

Travis triggered some kind of amplification of the superior predacious nature of Alec's species, nature overcoming hundreds of years of nurture. In a low voice, he accidentally returned to his originally threatening technique, "take your hand off of her." The threat was crystal clear as his eyes grew a tint darker. The space between the three of us became more sinister, thick with the animosity of protection.

But Travis' level of intoxication may have hindered his ability to recognize the obvious danger, as he responded harshly with, "No offence dude, but that's not your call to make."

Before Alec could do anything rash, I removed Travis' arm from my body. "Alright, let's alpha this down." Facing the latter, I asked him politely, "give us a minute?" Travis nodded, giving an additional reluctant nod to Alec.

Once he had fully retreated to his friends a few feet away, I cleared my throat and crossed my arms over my chest. "Okay, what was that?"

He wasted no time. "I do not like the way he looks at you."

My stomach erupted in a millisecond burst of butterflies. In defiance of my hormones, I snipped back, "you mean, like he doesn't want to kill me?

He ignored my jab at our la tua situation, wholly intent on making Travis an unworthy enemy. "Human males, such as him, seek to take a woman's innocence for a mere game."

I coughed in surprise at the bluntness of his statement. "Not everyone has bad intentions." If I could blush, I was sure I would be. The taboo topic having been ingrained in me through the teachings of the church. "And my…innocence has nothing to do with you." Alec was clearly amused by my bashfulness and my poor attempt to cover it up.

"Look at you," he started and his tone was littered with snark, "how would you expect to handle such a situation?" I tilted my head at him, astounded by the bitterness with which he spoke. I wasn't sure whether I should feel insulted or not. As if he had fully examined the possibilities and decided that the best way to deter me from any unfavourable situation was through fear.

I considered his position. He made a good point, as I hadn't exactly been exposed to these kinds of situations much, if at all. But I believed in people and after the last few weeks, I clung to the naive hope that I was right to do so. My silence in thought made him think he was getting through to me as he confidently continued, "now, you won't have to." Thanks to him. He repeated, "time to go."

It took a minute, but I shook my head. "I don't want to go with you." I watched Alec's eyes narrow as Travis appeared at my side once more.

"Alright, here?"

Adamantly against missing a beat, Alec cut him off, "yes. We were just leaving."

I pushed against his control of the situation. "You're wrong, and I'm gonna prove it."

His hand suddenly encased my wrist and he gently pulled me away from Travis and closer to his body. The action was so smooth that it felt almost like a dance move, one far more elegant and sensual than those around us. This action in itself reiterated every claim he had made to protect me but apparently, we perceived threats to my safety differently. He was reminding me that he had the upper hand, the strength, and the arrogance to see it through. In the lowest decibel of his voice, he hissed, "either you return to the table on your own or I throw you over my shoulder and carry you there myself."

His eyes burned red into mine and I took a step closer to him. "I'd like to see you try." I gave him a moment to process my challenge, then hesitated, before adding, "you know, one day I hope to see the side of you that Jane sees."

My words immediately transformed him into a puppy. As was my ideal intention, but the whale eyes I was receiving were more pitiful than I ever would have believed possible for Alec.

Still, I took Travis' hand and pulled him in the opposite direction, still half waiting to see if Alec would make good on his threat. But, it seemed that I found just the right way to put a chink in his armour. He let us leave and I could feel him boring holes in my back as we did so.

Chapter Text

"That guy was scarrryyyy." Travis words were starting to slur and I took note of the empty ounce shot glass in his hand that he exchanged for a full one as we returned to his group. "So…he your ex?"

"What? No, I'm sorry. He just gets on my freaking nerves." He offered me the shot glass and I contemplated taking the drink.

I shook my head. He shrugged and downed it. Over his shoulder, I caught the familiar gaze of the wounded pup we'd left behind. Only it seemed that his wounds had quickly found a healer in two older women. He flashed a smirk to one, while the other took the initiative to make an attempt to run her fingers through his hair. I turned my head, not eager to catch if he let her or not.

The instant I looked away, something unfamiliar overwhelmed me. It was like a roar of an emotion too impatient to be named and too eager to exist. Whatever it was had not consulted the part of my brain that made smart, rational decisions because I would have gladly continued the playfully innocent nature Travis and I had already successfully established.

But as Travis, now two more shots heavy, delicately spun me around on the dance floor, I made no move to stop him when he pulled my back flush against his chest. Despite the flow of alcohol in his veins, he stood solidly behind me. As his hips started to sway to the music, mine followed of their own accord. Our previously beginner lessons in dance now attempting to join the big leagues.

A mate of Travis' stood a few paces from us and upon seeing us, the man shouted, "güepa!". He pointed at me and raised a fist in congratulations to Travis, who returned the gesture.

I closed my eyes, shoving away how the moment could have made me feel. On one hand, it was slightly dehumanising and disrespectful. But, on the other, I'd never been so much as catcalled before tonight. There was something interesting about the conflicting emotions upon the reception of male attention, good and/or bad. Tonight alone, I had experienced it and witnessed it in different forms, with reactions ranging from an initiated kiss to splashed liquid. I had a feeling Heidi had a few theories on the topic if I ever got up the courage to talk about it.

Travis's fingertips brushed the skin of my neck, moving my hair to the side. The pads of his fingers were rough, worn from work and daily existence and they slid from the back of my neck back down to my hips. I noted that the friend was two steps ahead of us and I watched as he raised his head from his girl's neck, a small mark dotting her skin. As she tossed her head back with a drunken giggle, my own eyes widened. I stepped forward out of Travis' embrace and turned around to face him in an unusually graceful manner.

I gulped as my eyes flickered behind Travis once again. Alec was on the opposite side of the club, eyebrows narrowed and mouth slightly agape, but still keeping a heedful eye. Jane stood next to him, a frown prominently displayed on her face as her mouth moved at a ridiculous speed. He said nothing, so I guessed she was likely chastising him and assuming from how he only half faced her, she was probably right. He was too far away for me to tell for sure what he was feeling, but there was a guilt that manifested in me that decided to fill in its own blanks. We held eye contact for mere milliseconds before he looked away. I guess I was on my own.

Travis frowned, passing the empty glass in his hand unceremoniously to one of his nearby teammates who took it absentmindedly. I muttered something about the bathroom and darted off in that direction.

I chose the wrong side of the club however, as the door to the bathroom clearly indicated that it was the men's toilets. To back this up, even if I couldn't read the Italian, the alcove was entirely empty. Definitely, the men's side.

As I turned to step out of the hideout, I was instead joined by the man I had just left partnerless on the dance floor. His grin had grown sloppy over our time together and I questioned if he knew that he'd drunk past his limit. But beyond recognizing the physical signs, I had no knowledge of how to handle a drunk. Which was apparently, only half of my biggest problem at the moment as Travis' true objective became clear.

"Here, baby. I can help you forget all about the big bad ex."

There was a churning in my stomach, but the warning came too late. My mind flashed back to my arrival in Volterra as I found myself once again pressed against a wall by an unwelcome force. His close proximity allowed him to begin to feel up the side of my thighs and to barely graze my navel; automatically, I pushed him away from me.

I concentrated on keeping my voice still, as if it were armour that would break with the slightest falter of emotion. "No, thank you. We're done here."

"Such a tease." His hand landed sharply on my bum, holding its place there and pulling me flush against his chest. His hands remained on my backside, keeping me in a firm hold. I realized I was more annoyed than worried, and I was getting tired of being manhandled by…well, men. "I love a tease." I bit back a snarky reply.

I balled up my fist, ready to punch the shiz out of him but he was torn away from me.

Alec's porcelain hand gripped the neck of the young man, holding him up in the air. The exposure of his superhuman gifts didn't seem to matter, and it took me a second to realise why. Travis was raised just high enough for the front toes of his shoes to desperately attempt to regain the support of the ground below. And just like that, his role had switched.

"Alec," I breathed out for the second time that night. It seemed that any time he appeared, 'hi' was an unsatisfactory greeting or recognition. Did he purposefully choose to be dramatic, or had I suddenly gained a penchant for placing myself in damsel situations?

The déjà vu of my saviour was sending me into the Twilight's Zone's version of Animal Kingdom. Once again, I was privy to the hunt of the predator, his prey trapped and defenceless. Fully capable and a more then willing predator, Alec was free to play with his food. And Travis was his food. It was the circle of life that humans passed off as scary stories and greedy, slightly unhinged people in history. I'd seen a man have his blood drained from his body, yet this moment put my entire situation into an even deeper perspective.

The scuffling sounds of Travis' shoes scampering on the tile became more pronounced the longer the vampire held him up there. It wasn't a deliberate method of torture, but nonsensical whimpers hadn't ceased from falling out of his mouth for more than a few seconds.

In a gravelly darkness, Alec sneered at the man. "You were warned. Yet, you dared to put your hands on her."

There was no doubt that Alec cared nothing for the complications arising out of the situation. I fully believed that Alec would kill him and the rest of the party would be collateral damage. If I did nothing, there was a good chance that this kid would not make it home tonight and a part of me was indifferent to the dark thought. And for some reason…it didn't bother me.

"Pathetic human. Can you not beg for your life?"

Wheezing, Travis managed to do just this, "I'm sorry man, just let me go!"

"When I am through with you, there will not be a woman alive who won't scream in horror of your very existence."

While I should have acted out of a desire to save Travis' life, consideration for his survival played no role in my following decisions. There was a driving force deep in my chest that declared that there was something much more important at stake. However, until I could figure what that was, I had to keep him alive.

Pulling myself together, I dashed to Alec's side and made to loosen his hold on the drunk man's neck. The only thing I could come up with to stop him was, "It's okay, I'm okay."

Incredulously, he demanded, "you defend this filth?"

"No. But, you don't have to do this." Alec growled, but still, he wouldn't face me. Frustrated, I moved closer and his eyes flickered to mine and back to the other man. Timidly, I raised my palm to his opposite cheek and he let me gently turned his face towards me. His eyes softened as he took me in, before quickly looking over my body for any evidence that would allow him to crucify the man without my protests. Even though he was already convinced and I had no intent to deny what had happened, my objective hadn't changed. I was still prompted by for an unknown reason to delay his punishment. "Alec, please. Let's go home." The word slipped from my lips before I could think it through. The Volturi's castle…did I somehow consider it to be home?

His eyes flickered to the slouched man one more time, before he looked at me and nodded. I took my hand from his cheek, allowing his fingers to unclench. He took a genuine pleasure in destroying the man's previously arrogant composure. He'd been dying to put the man in his place; he simply needed a reason. The fear that rolled off of the centuries younger man fuelled Alec's grandiose behaviour and not quite ready to let it go, Alec used the moment to shove Travis. The man stumbled two steps backwards and hit the wall head first. He collapsed to the ground, landing roughly on the tile floor.

Allowing the violent action, I took the opportunity to deliberately walk Alec backwards a few steps and to place myself in-between the two. My palm firmly placed on his chest, his focus had shifted back to me. I twisted my fingers around a button on his shirt as if to get a better grip and keep him in place.

His hand moved to lift my chin up. I didn't fight the direction, giving in to the desire to observe the emotions hidden in his eyes. Unconsciously, I bit my lip and Alec moved a thumb to stop me.

In less of an order and more of a smoky request, "do not do that…" The moment felt like forever, but I quickly remembered our surroundings and how contrasting our actions were.

Forcing Alec to join me, I attempted to convince him, "I think he's learned his lesson." But, an unexpected interruption made this pointless.

From the floor, a hiccup and a disturbing chuckle echoed from my attacker. "Come on, man. Why don't we share?" Surely, this man had a death wish. In an abhorrently thick voice, he continued, "little minx like her, I bet she can handle the both of us just fine."

A snarl ripped from Alec's chest and the buttons of his shirt disappeared from under my fingertips. Pivoting around, I was struck by the scene before me.

Truly, I must admit that the stillness of Alec's figure would haunt me for days to come. His head was tilted as if in contemplation while a hazy mist began to engulf our captive. Travis gasped before he was sucked into a strangled silence. I could only stare on, frozen and wide-eyed at the body of his victim. An empty shell of a disturbed man on the outside. On the inside, suffering numbly, losing himself in a state of madness that caused even vampires to plead for death. Wondering if it would ever end, terrified that I never would.

I had experienced Alec's gift of sensory deprivation and its value had been made clear to me through stories of the Volturi's missions. Seeing it play out before me, however, was something different. I couldn't bring myself to pity the recipient as I began to recall my own encounter with the paralysing ability. I couldn't speak, and I thanked all the clocks in the world as it was no longer necessary for me to do so.

"Brother." Jane appeared in the doorway of the small hallway and I could feel a small weight drop from my shoulders. He would listen to Jane, allow her to ground him and expel the fury that had overtaken him. Gradually, the mist pulled away from Travis' body and he returned to the physical world that had been lost to him.

"Sister." He acknowledged her before commenting in amusement, "such excellent timing."

Jane examined the scene with dulled eyes which landed on me, then returned to her sibling. Neither responded to the moan that came from the back wall. Instead, Jane directed Alec to reorganise his responses to the elements around him. "Perhaps your ma…Saffiya should currently be your priority."

Immediately, Alec refocused on me and the deteriorating effect witnessing his gift had started to have. He stepped towards me and I blinked, finding the control that had escaped me. And just like that, I recovered from the intrusive memory. Alec released a deep breath from his chest. The exposure of his ability had backfired in a way he wasn't prepared to handle. Yet, a lack of remorse framed his face, his eagerness to follow through with his threats was undeniable. Despite the short repercussion it had forced on me.

A silent understanding passed between the twins and Alec relinquished his control of the situation, and of Travis, to Jane. "Let this be done with."

Upon hearing the finality of her decree, sealing his fate, Travis cowered away from her gaze. Her nostrils were flared and as disorienting as it was to see the merciless execution of Alec's gift, I could see how Jane's apathetically false, innocent persona had defined their reputation. Without Alec to reign her in, she was guided by the deadly sin of wrath in its purest form.

I'd be lying if I said it hadn't bothered me that not a single vampire in all the Volturi's centuries of existence had floated the idea that if they treated Jane and Alec as they did everyone else, then maybe they wouldn't present as weapons of mass destruction all of the time. Stoking the feared reputation of the twins was more important to Aro than a well-balanced and healthy environment for the youngest members of his guard. So, for as long as this remained Aro's position, neither of the twins would ever be just another member of the guard.

As much as I felt the personal need to demonise the stereotype, every time I had to remind myself that maybe they didn't need anyone but each other. The twins revelled in their sordid reputation. A fact that was clearer than ever right now and though I desired better for them, I was having trouble vilify their direct performances.

But while I still struggled to come up with an appropriate alternative, I continued to prolong the enactment of this particular plan

"Wait!" I reached out for Jane's shoulder, physically distracting her from her task. "Don't kill him."

Alec placed his hands on my upper arms and Jane raised an eyebrow at the gesture. In an attempt to sooth me, he claimed, "He deserves nothing less."

Weakly, knowing that it was a terribly understated argument and one that I had no support for, I tossed in, "but he didn't actually hurt me."

Jane spoke up, "this time." Simultaneously, the three of us turned our heads to look at the mewling form on the ground. Clearly, the twins felt that even a taste of Alec's gift was not yet enough suffering for him. Additionally, it was likely that Jane's gift would attract too much attention, especially if timed incorrectly with the shuffling of the music. The ominous statement was likely resurrected from the same hatred her brother displayed for humans. Yet, Jane's words triggered a collection of evidence in my mind.

I thought of the girl in his friend's arms and how his friend supported the bulk of her weight. I thought of how smooth Travis had been all night and contrasted it with their indelicate declarations of jubilance as we danced. Of how Alec had claimed falsities in the man's behaviour. I considered the delight on Travis' face when we talked about his dancing and his team. Recalling the importance conveyed on his competition being his last chance to prove himself.

In the interest of reparations, I could think of only one punishment that would prove suitable while also satisfying Jane and Alec's quest for a righteous justice. A permanent consequence that I may once have deemed too harsh. But that was before I discovered vampires. The ruthlessness I had been introduced to in the last few weeks had not yet effected my choices. Until I was put in a similar position of control. And suddenly, the explanation for my interference in the twins' chosen act of retribution made sense to me.

My sentencing brought a smile to Jane's face, the innocence of her appearance in direct conflict with the verdict. Though I lacked the underlying sadistic design, I supported her with a confident look of my own. A new, unrecognisable muscle movement in my face that had been absent for many years. Had I always believed in such violent standards?

I separated from in-between her and Alec and crossed the floor's distance to stand over Travis. He stared up at me with eyes full of fear and his body folded in as if to protect himself from further harm. But I saw no regret, and so I felt none. With an empty intent, I performed the sign of the cross over his chest. The hint of my humanity revealing itself in the act, as if reminding me that it was still there despite my cruel creativity.

The twins observed my process, muttering to each other. Pausing in my return to them, I picked up the end of their limited conversation.

Jane's eyes flickered to me, "Aro will be pleased."

They were talking about me. I looked up just in time to catch Alec's eyes and they burned with warring emotions.

"Aye," he agreed silently, his eyes never leaving mine.

Chapter Text

Alec placed a hand on the small of my back, guiding me back out into the oblivious crowd. His touch sent a ripple effect through my brain, which immediately sped up my heart rate. I glanced over my shoulder to see a small smirk on his face. Prick.

He handed a ticket to the valet and I wondered if Heidi had planned for my departure to be with Alec all along. She'd flirted with the valet upon our arrival and I was sure I saw the kid quickly scrawl his number onto the back of the very card Alec passed over. I wasn't sure whether I should be impressed or embarrassed at the possibility.

We stood in silence in front of the club, on the verge of an awkward silence. Which was odd. I would've thought I'd be pulling my hair out if I'd ever had to experience what happened inside. But I wasn't and I didn't. We just stood there. Facing forward. Not saying anything. What do you say in this moment anyways? A fist bump? An obnoxious 'we showed him!' Or exactly what we were doing now? Nothing. As if it hadn't happened, as if what we had done was insignificant. As it were nothing.

Alec shrugged off his jacket and placed it over my shoulders and I allowed him to help me put my arms through. All at once, I was hit with something calming and overwhelming, in a really pleasant way. Jesus Christ. It smelled like Alec. I flinched, trying to get the thought out of my system as the car pulled up with a swerve. The valet, clearly making the most of his quick thrill in the million dollar car.

"I'm not cold?" I asked Alec in confusion. He was well aware of my inability to feel the cold and despite the whipping of the wind around us, I was unbothered and unaware of the element's affect on my body. Still, he zipped it up halfway.

"That is not why —" I raised an eyebrow at him and he sighed. "It will help lessen your...scent inside the car."

I swallowed, nodding. He avoided eye contact with me. Yet, his hand returned to my back, — under the jacket, and I could feel the pressure on my bare skin; And I think I had a 2 second mini stroke as a result just as the valet opened the passenger door of the car. I recovered quickly enough as the valet reached out to hand us the keys. Automatically, I responded and interrupted his hand-off to Alec. I looked down at the keys and could feel a grin growing on my cheeks. I'd never really driven much before. If I could just —

Apparently, Alec noticed my reaction and before I could even open my mouth, he cut in, "absolutely not."

I stuck my tongue out at him, to which he rolled his eyes and the valet hid a laugh at our routine. Alec guided me in to the sleek black Bugatti, slipped the valet a well-hidden tip, and patiently closed my door. It had hardly shut before he was sitting in the driver's seat beside me.

"How will the others get back?"

I didn't get a response until he took off from zero to thirty and I was thrust forward. His arm reached out to stop me from hitting anything except his marble-like body. I'm not sure which would be worse, but I feel like the glovebox would've left less of a bruise. He pulled off to the side of the road and demanded, "seatbelt." I wordlessly mimicked him as I turned away to do as he asked.

"Saw that."

Most of the ride back had been silent as Alec refused to respond to anything I said with more than one word. Somebody got grumpy quickly. With one hand on the wheel, I couldn't help but imagine him in a perfume commercial. The windows were only slightly open, but the wind whipped through his hair, as black as the night sky outside. He ran his free hand through it and I had to look away as my heartbeat betrayed me again.

I rested my arm on the middle console and rested my chin in my palm, staring out at the road ahead. I bit back the urge to ask my travel partner the one question I actually wanted him to answer. He'd yet to give any details about where he'd been for the last several days. Not that I needed to know, but my curiosity was driven by a more base desire.

Once we were out of the city and on the empty roads, Alec decided to change his career path and star in a real life version of the Fast and Furious movies. He pushed the car to a speed that I'm sure would make even professional race car drivers ill.

He glanced at me, probably double checking that my seatbelt was still on, as I rolled down the window and stuck my head out a few times. He may have even laughed when I shouted out the only Italian word I thought I remembered, which was strawberry; "fragola!" If he did, it was drowned out by the wind quickly suffocating me. The concept was unlikely, I convinced myself.

He was, however, forced to slow down after I'd tried to sit in the open window of the car door.

"What are — are you insane?" He barked as he pulled me back in. Though he'd slowed down, he was instantly fuming and the road was no longer his main concern. His hand was gripping my wrist, as if, if he let go, I'd try it again. I could feel myself get a little smaller, like when a child does something stupid, like run in front of a car or something. They knew it was wrong, so when they were caught they still felt guilty about it and the whole time the parent was yelling at them, they just sort of sat there, slowly tearing up but still thinking 'yeah, I did bad'. Of course, my father supported me jumping in front of cars for the insurance money when I was a kid, so I'm improvising on a normal childhood experience.

"But they do it in movies." He removed his hand from my wrist and forced himself to concentrate his anger on the steering wheel.

"Are you naive or do you simply lack the basic intelligence required to consider your own safety?"

It was a low blow, but he didn't seem to care as his ruby eyes scanned my body, crashing into my eyes. The glare he gave me before turning back reprimanded my behaviour all on its own.

My attempt at a circus act had taken his last straw and cut it into tiny little pieces. Whatever had been bothering him since we left the club was clearly more important to him than he was willing to admit. It was as if he refused to talk about what was really on his mind and decided to take his anger out on me. Well, it was more like me sitting, growing inattentive in the car and him playing through a one-sided mean girl conversation. Which, I didn't mind for a very simple reason.

As targeted as his words were, the comments felt empty. They were harsh, but, they were nothing new to what we'd argued about before. Nothing unique that he nor I hadn't already thrown in the other's face. And it was all true. Plus, all his ranting gave me enough time to come up with the perfect comeback, but I was brought back as he faltered.

"You are reckless - careless! Constantly exposing yourself to dangers you refuse to accept." His jaw locked and even from my side view, his eyes made him seem...lost? He was almost like a pitiful puppy...and I recognised that look. I think I knew where his strained anger was coming from.

Just as that discovery came to me, I forgot my comeback.

As if he'd made a simultaneous, but different, discovery of his own, he grew softer. His grip on the steering wheel loosened as he stared ahead, steely eyed and determined. Alec grunted out in a rough voice, almost as if he didn't want me to hear him but, he needed an answer. "How are you still alive?"

He stopped talking and I wasn't sure if he was done or if he were waiting for my response. What I did know — or thought I knew, was the reason he had blown up so suddenly. I considered my theory that he hadn't let our moment in the club go; The wounded puppy eyes and the fiercely stubborn attitude that gripped his body were my clues. So, pushing aside the worry that I was simply being self-centred, I struggled to think of a solid explanation for the question he wanted to ask. After all, I had chosen the bad guy, a stranger, over him.

"I thought he liked me." I mumbled and a low growl came from Alec's chest, telling me that I'd hit the nerve intended. "And you were being mean." Once I started I couldn't stop, feeling the need to make up for a decision that became a mistake, through no fault of my own. "Like you always are. And he was…nice."

"You should have listened to me."

The nuns had always taught me to 'turn the other cheek' and I was beginning to learn the difference between standing up for myself and being the bigger person. And yet…

"I get it. You were right, I was wrong. Is that what you want to hear?" I huffed and stared pointedly out my window.

He said nothing, but I could feel the car begin to slow down as if he were too focused on our conversation to drive at the same time.

I attacked again, facing away from him but wanting to make my own point. "You underestimate me."

"I believe you underestimate your importance..." I turned my head sharply back around to him before he clarified, "...to Aro. You're no use to him dead. And you're welcome."

I took a deep breath, a small shock of guilt hitting me as he did technically help me and I was raised to be annoyingly polite. However, I refused to back down. "I am grateful for your help. But, I didn't need saving."

He spoke slowly, but vehemently and there was an irrationality in it that scared me. Where Alec was involved, I recognised the same senseless gluttony in myself that he displayed at that very moment. "I will always save you."

We'd come to a complete stop in the middle of the blackened road. I was speechless for a time, the sincerity in his eyes striking me as he purposefully met mine. My chest ached as if I were starved of the unwavering, steadfast, patience that bore into my soul. Something entirely impossible, but that seemed all too real. His own eyes, ravenous and all too enticing. My mind became my heart, the two tormenting each other, obsessed with the power of total control. I was in a trance. I couldn't speak, couldn't move, but I didn't want to. I blinked and my heart rate increased tenfold, but my mind won out and I was finally able to break eye contact with him.

A blanket of silence passed over us again and I could feel his gaze still on me. I stared down at my hands, folded on my lap. After a minute, he put the car back into drive and we were soon speeding down the road once more.

I crossed my arms, stating as if to defend myself, "I was gonna punch him."

He gave a mocking laugh, though his voice lacked the viciousness it held previously. "Did you learn self-defence from a votary?" The old-fashioned term for nuns dated him, though I hardly acknowledged it.

Instead, I shook my head, raising it to stare through the windshield again. "No. My dad."

He grew quiet again. "I did not give you my condolences for your father." No, he'd been too busy making sure I didn't fall apart. We didn't dare look at each other again, but I blinked and that seemed to be enough. "Had I known the Masters' plan, I might have..." he trailed off, both of us knowing there was nothing he could've done even if he knew. The loyalty the twins displayed to the Volturi, particularly to Aro, was that of a parent to children relationship. They were the perfect children, following all the rules— be obedient, speak only when spoken to, don't question the adults.

"Isn't that what you guys do? Violence, torture…murder."

"The Masters believe in reparation and punishment as deterrents, as well as teaching tools." His face grew dark for a moment, "Jane and I know it well." This was the closest to a negative reaction I had ever seen one of the twins reveal about their father figure. He didn't dwell on the idea long and I picked up the conversation faster than he expected.

"He was all I had left. My father." Alec sighed quietly, and his hand returned to my thigh. The touch initiated the usual response in me, but it also provided the familiarity of comfort and I yearned to join my hand with his. He spoke before I could properly talk myself in or out of it.

"What about your nuns?"

I turned away, shame reverberating through me. "They lied to me." It was childish, but I was adamantly against a return to my former life. I'd never go back, even if I wasn't being held captive in a vampire "castle". It would feel false, knowing what I knew now. I needed to start over.

"Why?"

Now that I know what happened to my dad, "it might've been the difference between my father living or dying. I can't..." I'd never get over how they hid something that was so obviously important to me.

He shook his head and clarified his question, "why did they lie to you?"

"Does it matter?" I bit back. His expression didn't change as he watched the road, however, unaffected by my outburst.

He didn't challenge me, although I could see the words on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he favoured a gentler question, "don't you miss them?"

"I'll never see them again." The bitter taste in my mouth from the mere thought escaped through my words. We'd reached the bottom of the city, the streetlights shining brightly and guiding our way through the tunnels and darkness. "Best to leave things where they are. For their own safety." He knew I was referring to our previous conversation and that we'd come around full circle. In an alternative approach, Alec's thumb began to innocently move back and forth as if to provide the comfort he couldn't through words.

As we pulled up to the castle's open parking garages, I leaned forward in my seat. "I miss the stars," I whispered. The sky was so full of the bright balls of light that I found it hard to find my favourite constellations. Never before had I been so close to the stars and seen so many all at once. My view disappeared as Alec slowly pulled the car in.

I felt kind of bad for the turn of our conversation. So, I tried to make a joke to change the somber mood that had settled over us. "Maybe I'll just carry some pepper spray next time. No bodyguard needed." My joke failed and Alec's reaction was a clear indication that I should never go into comedy.

The engine turned off. His hand still rested on my thigh, inches from my knee. My words caused him to tense up, and I could feel the change from the very tip of his fingers and up through his arms. He stated darkly, "there will not be a next time."

"What are you on about?"

"It is too dangerous for you to leave the castle, again."

I scoffed, speaking before thinking. "Dangerous? The only time I've actually been hurt in the last few weeks has been inside this castle and because of you."

And we were having such a nice moment. Whoops. At least we went a short while without raising our voices or throwing our frustrations on each other. In fact, we'd been almost civil. More than civil. We'd been, dare I say…friendly.

He took a deep breath, as if trying to not lose control twice in one night. I pondered the possibility that I wasn't the only one that found friendliness more comforting than harsh tones and raised voices. If only he wasn't so darn rude. Exhibit A: "It is not up for debate."

"Maybe it should be. I bet we'd yell at each other a lot less if you just used your freaking words." Communication is supposed to be the key.

"Don't be a smart ass."

I mimicked him again, repeating him words back to him as overtly childish and immature as I could. "Don't be a smart ass." So much for communication.

A deep growl ripped from his chest, "I swear to god, Saffiya—"

I blinked and he was gone. The driver's door shut and I jumped as he reappeared to open my door in exactly the same second. He was putting no effort into moving at a human speed, undoing my seatbelt and helping me out before I'd processed each action. As I stepped out, he slipped an arm under my knees and the other behind my shoulders, picking me up into his arms. I didn't have time to tell him to cut it out before we were whipped through the castle.

I was dropped gently, but not carefully onto a bed. I angrily pushed myself up and came face to face with Alec.

He was standing at the edge of the bed and my knees were inches from touching the fabric of his pants. I found it hard to breathe as I lifted my chin up, inches from his. I worried that he would hear my heart beat increasing before I scolded myself because obviously, he was probably constantly aware of it. I needed to get a handle on the devil-may-care behaviour of the organ. Maybe use a dimmer light switch but always keep the beats per minute on the lowest possible setting. Not only was it a traitor, but its' dramatic reactions to Alec's existence were basically risking my life by reminding the vampires of my current level on the food chain.

I visibly gulped and tried to avoid a repeat of our earlier staring contest when it became clear that he was not aiming for that.

No. His eyes were on my lips, which barely parted with an intake of breath as I realized this.

His eyes flickered to mine.

And the way he looked at me…

I was so screwed.

Chapter Text

His eyes would always be the first thing I noticed about him.

It was as if with every glance, every flicker of emotion that passed through them struck me in the chest like a drum. The world kept turning, there were no people frozen in time nor emptiness around us. The world merely became the background for something much more important. We could be in the middle of a battleground and the danger around us would never take precedence over the electricity that passed between us with a single look. Ben Franklin was an amateur compared to us.

Us. What was us? An unstable, unpredictable clash of two storms that had no intent on backing down. Storms, that would never give an inch but desired eighty plus. Storms that sparked lightning by simply entering the same room. I had to believe that everyone must feel this way, though it became hard to convince myself of such a fact once I realized how strange it would be if Alec were to strike such a response in all of those he encountered.

His eyes had returned to the colour of a ripe cherry and the intensity of the way he observed me made me drop my head. Butterflies raced across my chest and a flash of regret passed through my bones as I watched his shoes take a step back from the bed.

It was only moments ago that we had been in his car…Weren't we talking about something? Wasn't I mad at him?

Before I could pursue that thought, he set a pile of folded clothing on my lap.

"Change. Now." Alec ordered, an errant harshness in his tone. I flinched, refusing to look him dead on. He gave a small sigh as he took in my sensitivity, his own mind processing a better tactic. "Please." He added in a husky voice.

I nodded slowly and shifted the night clothes onto the bed. Following his orders, I moved past him to a floor length mirror and reached behind my back to try and unknot my shirt. I watched in the mirror as Alec's eyes darted around the room and anywhere that I wasn't before he coughed, "I will be right outside." I hadn't considered the taboo before I started, but I couldn't help the small smile that spread on my face at his expense until I realized my own problem.

"Wait. I err…I need help." The single string that tied neatly at the back of my waist had been double knotted by Heidi. While I was grateful for the extra insurance that no club goers would have been able to pull the string and let the shirt fall off of me, I couldn't help but scrunch my nose at a second, possibly suspicious, Heidi involved circumstance that happened to take place while I was with Alec. Although, who would have expected I'd be alone with Alec only a few hours later as I changed into his clothes and disrobed in his room. God, what was with me today?

He nodded and started towards me. I dropped my gaze down, pulling my hair over my shoulder so he could have better access to the knot. His shoes entered my field of vision and involuntarily, I met his eyes in the mirror. I patiently let out a breath I'd just barely taken in, as if to prepare myself for the pressure of his touch. His fingers hardly grazed the middle of my back but it still provoked a small gasp which I tried to turn into a sneeze. He muttered a gentle blessing for it before I felt the strings fall from their bond to hang down at my sides.

I held the top against my chest and studied him in the mirror as he retrieved the unfamiliar shirt from the bed. He handed it to me, averting his gaze the entire time. "I will be…"

"I'll call." I assured him and his eyes snapped to me, before unconsciously noticing my bare shoulder and likely the rest of my exposed back. Instead of feeling ashamed or embarrassed, as I would have expected of myself, I gave a genuine and full bodied laugh. Alec's eyes widened, realising he'd been caught.

He mumbled an adorably innocent apology before swiftly exiting the room. Wait, did I just find him adorable? And innocent?

I changed and found myself observing the walls around me. I'd never been in this room. It was smaller than the other bedchambers (a term the others sometimes used) I'd visited. I ran through them in my mind as I weighed the differences and similarities.

One wall, similar to my own room, was essentially a full bookcase. Though, it held more than books; records, old bottles, and even a few toy train sets held their own cubicles amidst the novels. A velvety, forest green, half L shaped couch rested in front of the wall and a record player claimed the top of the end table. An unlit fireplace was built into the wall beside it.

Like Heidi's room, there seemed to be a neat divide between the seating section and the bedding side, though her room had significantly more open space separating the two. In this new room, taking only a few steps from the end of the L landed you at the foot of the a more modern, canopy bed.

This was a real bed, unlike Heidi's daybed, and it had the kind of comforter that made adults want to close their eyes and fall back onto, just for that sigh of peaceful relief. My more immature self, immediately deemed it an ideal bed for pretending you were on a trampoline during an intense pillow fight. Though, I suppose using it for sleep, its intended purpose, would be nice as well.

There was another big difference. The other rooms barely included windows, presumably sticking to the original castle design. However, this room had been given a modern upgrade because the middle part of one wall was hidden behind solid velvet drapes. They began at the top, just below the ceiling and cascaded down the wall, tickling the floor. The design suggested that the window behind it covered the entire wall, but the dark of the night gave me no further clues to confirm the possibility.

Before I could investigate further, Alec knocked. I granted him entry and gave him a small smile as I stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

He froze upon seeing my new attire. His gaze trailed over the oversized shirt and as I began to play with the ends of the fabric, it caused his focus to snap down to my bare thighs. I frowned, unsure of what he could be looking at. The shorts were a reasonable length, just a few inches longer than the shirt that hung loosely off of my shoulders. I realized my naivety only a moment later.

Catching himself staring, he moved to the bedside table and undid the V necklace that always rested on his chest. I was surprised he'd ever take it off, but it also revealed the main question I'd failed to consider while playing investigator.

"This is your room." I stated and he nodded, sort of amused by my wonderment.

"Yes." He set the crest down respectfully and stepped towards me, watching as I still surveyed his room. Alec seemed slightly hesitant to be giving me full reign in it, so I made sure not to actually touch anything. Rooms were intimate things for people and I wanted to respect that for him.

I tried to hide my still growing curiosity at the intricacies in the room, delivering a tease to help ease any worries he had about my presence. "And I thought my room was extravagant." It was. My Victorian style room was a little girl's dream and nearly twice the size of Alec's. I preferred his.

He chuckled at my comment and my fears of intrusion became irrelevant. "You may sit, if you like." He nodded his head to the couch and, feeling on the verge of awkward, I did so with a quiet,

"Thanks." So good, so far. With high hopes for a positive conversation, I inquired, "where did the clothes come from?"

"Heidi chose them." Of course she did.

"Does she have something to do with the eviction from my room?"

"She is redecorating it, personalising it." He leaned against the end of his bed, where I'd been sitting several minutes ago. "Don't tell her I told you. She wanted it to be a surprise."

"I thought that was already done…you know, after I destroyed it." He smirked, furthering my embarrassment from my first night. Though, two could play at that game. "Which was partly your fault."

"I am not the one that broke a 200 year old vase."

Defending myself, I revealed, "that vase deserved it."

A genuine smile began to show on his face and I found one growing on mine as a result. He pointed out, "it's an inanimate object?"

"Yeah, a pointless one." He chuckled under his breath at my high-spirited behaviour.

I gestured to his bed, feeling more comfortable as we settled into the natural rhythm of a calmer, happier version of our arguments. The quick, high-energy, back and forth we usually entertained in a negative context translated into a genuine, balanced, and witty conversation during a positive interaction. But good things must be tested if they are to endure. "Are vampires able to sleep at all?" I knew they didn't have to, but with all the beds they must have had the ability to.

"We do not."

"Then, why do you have a bed?" I had asked Heidi and Demetri the same question and they offered up different reasons as to why they appreciated the access to one. Though they did have one thing in common. The realization hit me only seconds after he raised an eyebrow at my question.

My eyes widened before I looked away. "Oh." I felt a slight tug at my heart, which I forced back like a vial of cough syrup. I'd never even considered Alec partaking in such activities when the others would joke about being the vampires without mates. But it made complete sense. After all, he was some hundred years old. He'd probably met loads of women. And why would I care. It's not like I was interested in him that way. It was a silly notion.

He seemed to realise where my mind had gone and quickly fought to dismiss the theory. "It helps me think. Sometimes." Though his new theory was somewhat half baked, the embarrassment flooding off of him was enough to make me giggle and it may have been the first real laugh I'd ever shared with Alec.

He coughed quickly noticing this and I found myself missing the sound of his laughter. Ever the professional, he sought to continue briefing me on how Heidi's plan was to unfold.

"You are to sleep here tonight." It was my turn to raise my eyebrows and for him to stumble once more over his words to untangle himself past the incidentally suggestive statement. "Jane's room would have been an option, except that she's a habit of leaving it in a terribly disastrous state." His nose crinkled in distaste of his sister's messy style.

I envied their sibling relationship. I'd always been alone and I was generally fine with that. I usually had my dad or someone else to turn to. But, the twins had something more, something deeper and exquisitely profound. Maybe it was just a 'twin thing'. A bond that was made even stronger through their endurance of time and all the challenges and pain it had given them. All the loss of hope and youth taken from them, as time does. Still, their immortality provided them with a gift worth all the rest. They would forever have each other to stand by and to share with. They would never be alone, again. I hated being alone.

Cross-checking what I knew about sibling relationships in general, I inferred, "I suppose she accuses you of being too clean?"

He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. He did this with such petulance that it exposed his humanity. "I happen to enjoy being able to see my floor."

I couldn't hide the grin on my face, and his eyebrows lifted as he examined my response. "It's not what I expected," I admitted. "Your room."

"What did you expect?"

I gave the question a thought, before answering. "I don't know…Hamlet skulls?"

Alec gave a soft laugh and tilted his head, giving credit where credit was due. In this case, "untidy as she is, Jane had an 'interior design' phase a decade or so ago. She allowed me to choose a colour, but the rest is all her. And Heidi, her conspirator."

I watched him as he talked about Jane's brief passion and the result of her dedication. He had turned away from me, now looking around his room and appreciating it in the context of his sister. His eyes sparkled with a light that never woke without his twin's presence. I found myself never wanting to see that light go out, to be a lighthouse for the nights when the dark seemed emptiest. Was this what it was to never be alone? For even when the twins were apart, the memory of one still sparked the best in the other. "Eventually, her interests changed. But, she has a talent for it."

I nodded subtly and silently in agreement with him. And as he admired the room, I took the moment to admire him.

I'm not sure when I stopped being terrified of his very nature and started leaving the door to my mind unlocked for him to open at anytime. I couldn't tell you what caused the exact beat at which my heart diverted from its' fast paced fearful rhythm into an intoxicated flurry of action. Although, I cannot say with certainty that fear was not a part of this transition; Only that I was no longer afraid of him.

Somehow it had gotten to the point where I had no second thoughts about asking him to basically help me undress; A point where I didn't question why his room was the one I was to sleep in. It had to be the same period of time where I started wanting to spend more time with him, even if we were taunting each other. Where I started to seek out excuses for picking small fights because it left me reeling and full of energy. Or perhaps it was after that, when I started glancing at doors with the hope that he would enter the room and experienced a strange disappointment when he did not.

The same dangers were still present — his vampirism left him constantly craving the blood in my veins, the la tua cantante thing made it even harder for him to not give in to this craving, and as a result, my death could always be seconds away without anyone ever realising it.

But if you asked me right now if I thought he wanted to kill me…I would hesitate to answer.

"Alec?" He turned back to me, his hair falling into place. Ebony locks favoured the right side of his head, as he'd run his hand down the middle out of mere habit. The gentle curl framed his face and I swear to you, it was the business formal of bed head.

"I don't want to fight with you anymore."

He was quiet for a long time.

Finally, he swallowed, as if unsure of how to begin his next sentence. As if wanting to make it perfect, for fear of muddying the translation of his thoughts. "I would like to apologise for how I have treated you these last few weeks…and tonight as well." I struggled to keep my mouth closed and to not let my jaw drop out of the sheer implausibility of the statement. He was looking patiently into my eyes and I wanted to give him no reason to stop. "It took the few days that I was…away to clear my head and I am sorry that it has taken me so long."

"Where did you go?" He gave me an exasperated look and I zipped my lips guiltily. He took a breath before continuing.

"It has been unfair of me to allow my frustrations to pass on to you." This was a top-notch apology. I couldn't help but question the legitimacy of it, but it was difficult to cast any ounce of doubt on his sincerity. Was it possible that time had lessened the integrity of apologies? "I will strive to respect your decisions and to contain my temper when I do not agree with them."He stopped talking, his eyes flickering over me for any sign of a negative reaction.

Still, I waited until I was sure he had finished. "I haven't exactly made it easy for you."

"No, you have not." He chuckled, running a hand through his hair with three shakes. "But, I hope that you can forgive me. And that one day you might consider me a friend."

I believe it was the most I had heard, or probably let, him talk continuously at any point since I'd met him. The guys had said he barely opened his mouth before I arrived, aside from the general greeting of the masters and the occasional snark or teasing gesture meant to rile up the guard members. All in jest, but never anything that revealed his personal thoughts or opinions on any one matter. He was a soldier, but there are days when soldiers do not fight.

I considered his proposition. Though it sounded more like a loose suggestion for a future event, I weighed the possibility of preparing for the opposite. We may have had all the time in the world, but I couldn't imagine spending one more day as anything but the future. "How does today, sound?"

He was taken aback, firmly questioning my methods. "Today?"

I stood from the couch and took the few steps to stand in from of him. I held out my hand and he stared at it. "Hello, Alec. It's nice to be your friend today." I forced, or rather strongly encouraged him to shake my hand. They were soft in spite of the marble-like structure of his body and I tried to ignore how they seemed to fit securely with mine.

The especially normal action made him seem out of place. "This is ridiculous," he grumbled, though he was not unwilling to entertain my motive in partaking in the physicalisation of the agreement we were making. It was unusual, yes, but the uniqueness held a fair bit of entertainment.

I shook my head avidly, pouting and critiquing his word choice. "Now you say…"

He rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth quirked upward and he replied with a plastered smile, "Hello Saffiya. You too." I shook my head and mouthed the words at him, as if they were pre-scripted in anything but my own mind. "It's nice to be your friend today."

I grinned, allowing our hands to fall, though still locked together. We stood still there for a moment and Alec stared down at my hand in his and his in mine. I released his hands as casually as I could. "And all it took was a handsome stranger in a club…" Alec growled lowly. "Too soon?"

"You truly are—"

"The most amazing friend in the whole world?" His eyes narrowed as I added onto my previous poke at his sensitive mood. I giggled, and it took him a second to catch up. His face shifted to give me a half-hearted glare at the quip, as if resigning himself to the fact that this would almost certainly be our new game. My giggles continued as I declared, "this is going to be so much fun."

He groaned in good humour, laying backwards onto his bed. I lifted myself to sit on the edge of it, resting my cheek on my shoulder to gaze down at him. His eyes were closed upon impact and if I didn't know any better, I'd have sworn he had fallen asleep before he moved again. Almost immediately, his hand found the ends of my hair and he twisted them around his fingers in a gentle tug. I was thrust back to the night he'd first done this and how comforting it had been. Now, it seemed that comfort was joined by the exact opposite, destabilising the heartbeat that had just started to rest.

"I owe you an apology as well. I said some kinda mean things too." He listened, though he seemed a bit more focused on the movements of his fingers in my hair. "Also, I think I hit you once."

Ruby eyes fluttered open and he interrupted me, as I had done to him. "And you threw your shoe at me."

I scoffed, "I stand by that. Anyways, I missed." I tapped a thoughtful finger to my chin, adding, "but I am sorry for saying you looked like a boy band wannabe."

"You said what?"

My voice raised half an octave as I tried to play it off, "Oh, did I never say that out loud before?" He fixed me with a playful glare and I fumbled to find the perfect witty response, which only increased the energy sparked by his taunt. It was only a matter of time before he jumped on my next move, or made his before I could recover. Which I didn't — recover, that is. At least, not in the way I meant to because I blurted out:

"You gave me a hickey!"

The boy's eyes widened at the reminder, and the childish glee on his face was replaced by a smirk. And suddenly we weren't just having a laugh and messing around. Suddenly, the air grew thick and his eyes once again glanced to my lips. Something was stuck in my throat and I couldn't release the breath held in my chest.

At the pace of molasses, his hand found its' way from the ends of my hair to my hand that supported my weight on the bed. Alec gave my wrist a tug, moving it out from under me and encouraging gravity to let me fall back on the bed as he countered the movements. His other hand found my other wrist and he pinned them both to the soft fabric of the comforter beneath us.

He hovered over me, effectively trapping me between him and the mattress. I frowned and tried to move my hands to no avail. Even despite his strong hold, he seemed to be supporting himself so as not to put any more weight than necessary on them. His chest barely brushed mine as I tried to twist out of his grip once more. Embarrassed, I looked anywhere but at him until I felt a rush tickle my skin at his touch. Alec's hand trailed across my forehead, brushing my hair out of my face.

Inside, I was a wreck. I couldn't even feel my heart and I was getting oxygen but there was no way I was breathing. All I could do was look up at him and wait for his next move. He was taking his sweet time in doing whatever it was.

Alec's gaze focused on my lips before his eyes trailed over my jaw and across my cheekbones. I blinked profusely before he caught my eyes with his, for what must have been the hundredth time that night. The vampire's thumb ran over the dip in my collarbone, exactly where he'd marked my skin previously. Two fingers tapped this spot on my neck before pressing lightly to feel my pulse, only an inch away, which was no doubt running a marathon of its own.

Alec's cheek brushed my jaw and his lips grazed my ear. I felt his breath tickle my skin and in a low voice, "I stand by that one."

Holy

"Fuck." I exhaled and my eyes widened as the unfamiliar curse word slipped from my lips. Alec seemed extremely satisfied with himself and in a single flash, he was laying on his back once more.

I sat up quickly, taking in short, deep breaths as my heart thundered in my chest. I pushed my hair out of my face, trying to walk myself through exactly what just happened.

"You're right. This will be fun." I turned to look at him over my shoulder, but he pretended not to notice. He was gazing up at the ceiling with an arm casually folded under his head and the only sign that anything had occurred was the small remnants of a satisfied smirk.

Without a second thought, I reached back for a pillow and smacked him with it. His jaw dropped and his head moved back and forth between me and the offending object. A bunch of giggles broke free from my chest at Alec's face.

"Whoops."

Alec's eyebrows narrowed at me in a familiar style, sizing me up as I laughed at his expense. He reached for another pillow and before I could react, I was struck with the match of my own weapon. As my hair tangled itself with only one hit, I immediately pushed it off of my face and I was sure it had a similar expression to the one I'd inspired on Alec's with my first attack. It was his turn to gloat, his laugh light and as carefree as he'd ever been. It seemed almost an impossible sight.

And to my delight, another attack from my pillow did nothing but increase the purity of it and I was sure that nothing else would ever sound as lovely to me as his laughter.

"Seriously though, when's your next album drop?"

Chapter Text

"Now, I see it."

"What do you see?"

Alec's question announced his return from the unexpected meeting that had called him away not too long ago. I sensed his presence as he came to stand behind me, but I was so lost in thought that I'd not processed his question. I was too busy staring up at a portrait that hung above the fireplace mantle and noting that it was similar to the one I'd seen of Alec during my 'tour'.

I was standing in the common room that connected Jane and Alec's bedrooms. Normal siblings shared a Jack and Jill suite. These two immortal vampires each had a marvellously decorated room to themselves and enjoyed a common area the size of a church. It was no wonder they hadn't formed stronger bonds through the years with the other guard members. They had no need to share the training or game room because they had their own personal one complete with a grand piano in the very center of their common area.

Heidi was taking her time redoing my room, which had left me to camp out in the twin's common room and more specifically, in Alec's room. The siblings and I had settled into an irregular routine that ended with nights where we'd read books, play board games, watch movies, or play Dance Dance Revolution on their television. A game that I was becoming rather fond. Eventually, Jane would retire to her room or other duties and Alec would insist that I had a bedtime.

I only seemed to leave the suite when neither of the twins were guarding me. Felix or Demetri would pick me up at the door and we would relocate to another room. Sometimes, transporting the mat for DDR. (That's right. I use abbreviations now.) Although I hadn't seen the Prank Kings since they left for a mission a few days ago, and we'd parted on a bit of a rocky slope for one very simple reason;

I, kind of — sort of...went rogue.

They kept telling me that their so called, 'greatest prank ever' was almost ready. When I offered my services to make it move faster, the two insisted I had done the only part I could. But nothing happened and they were dodging any curiosity I showed in regards to the subject of pranking. I was cooped up in this stupid castle and I wanted to have some fun. After persistent nagging on my part about when exactly they planned on putting it on, they finally admitted the plan was on hold for creative reasons. Apparently, the timing had to be perfect. In an attempt to compensate, Felix assigned me yet another 'task' to make a list of the people I thought would be suitable pranking targets.

And yes, they were on the top of the list.

Unfortunately for them, they had opened the door to the prank world for me and left the door unlocked without proper supervision. Unable to still my growing curiosity and excitement on the subject, I happened to spill the beans on the whole production to Jane, whose eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

The guys had mentioned that some of the vamps had limits when it came to the pranks they'd pull. What they had failed to mention was that involving the twins was a hard limit; The importance of not involving the twins.

And it was apparently, a castle wide standard. Jane and I had been giggling over possible pranks as she gave me examples of common, every-day pranks. Our laughter attracted Heidi's suspicion and as the word 'prank' slipped from my lips, her eyes went wide. Heidi got our attention face on once we'd settled and she pointed a finger at us. She wagged it at us with the bossiness of a new babysitter that was quickly realising they had very little control over what happened next. Her confidence dissipated when Jane and I responded with false innocence, so she later complained to the Kings of Pranks. This led to Felix pulling me aside one day to give me an unnecessarily theatrical storytelling of the strangely sensitive topic.

According to Felix, the twins had gone through a phase in their younger years where they terrorised the guard, and even the masters, with pranks that nearly 'crossed the delicate pranking line between comedy and mean-spirited actions'. Felix's words — not mine. I have no doubts that he utilised a fair bit of embellishments throughout the rest of his story.

He claimed that the main problem was that Jane and Alec had no limits. Once the Volturi rose to power, Aro began spoiling the siblings rotten and their value to the coven allowed them to do whatever they pleased — right down to torturing other guard members with no real reason. Their discovery of the game of pranks provided them with a proper outlet for their remaining immaturity. Having also never partaken in such activities in their prior life, their 'reign of terror' was the only way they knew how to have fun. They weren't able to recognise or find concern in the fact that they were the only ones doing so. Behaviour that built into their growing reputation.

Eventually, members of the guard began to retaliate until Aro announced his only rule for the twins. They were not allowed to engage in any pranking or related activities — 'unless fired upon first'. Felix's retelling had begun to sound like an increasingly intense game of paintball by the time he made his point.

Felix coughed, puffing his chest out to make himself seem more accountable. "The point is — the twins are trapped in a pranking cease fire." He attempted to lower his already deep voice, moving with robotic-like movements. His attempts to keep my attention and relay his message had failed from the moment he sat me down for 'a little history lesson'. In that moment, I had experienced the same level of second-hand embarrassment that schoolchildren did when their teacher tried to rap out their lesson plans. "If you were to come in, it would be their loophole to start an all out war." I raised my eyebrows at the seriousness with which he spoke.

"But that sounds like fun."

"Balloons are fun. Dying Corin's clothes pink is fun. The twins don't stop at fun." He had shuddered, which made me giggle, which in turn made Felix's face turn grave. He took hold of my shoulders to get through to me as he instructed, "as your elder, Saffiya, under no circumstances, are you to engage in the discussion, action nor thought of pranking with either of the twins."

Within that same week, both Chelsea and Demetri had approached me separately with similar concerns. But the more I was told no, the more I did the exact opposite and Jane was all too happy to comply. This time, she was older and didn't need to pull pranks geared towards humiliating or negatively effecting others. Plus, she had me and we were in it for the laughs and good fun all around. Jane and I had covered our bases with solid ideas and we would be able to defend our plans against any one of Felix's assertions.

By the time Caius summoned me to the masters' study one afternoon, I was prepared. Mentally pushing aside my own grievances with the man, I offered him a deal; Allow the twins and I to prank to our hearts' contents in return for full immunity and all access — including a heads up and veto power on all pranks Jane and I were to put into action.

To my immense surprise, he agreed.

Jane and I started small, with Demetri and Felix as our test subjects, so that I could get my bearings before we committed to anything big. Also to keep a low profile until we got to the real stuff. We had a few failed attempts. Like when I smashed a lemon inside Felix's shower head hoping to test my theory that it might, at the very least, sting their eyes. Instead, he came out smelling freaking amazing. Seriously, it was like a delicious candle in the summertime. Lemon. Who'd have thought.

She did insist on limiting Alec's participation in our shenanigans, briefly stating that he lacked the ideal medium between going too big and too small for pranks. I didn't question it, grateful to spend the time alone with her. I was getting a little tired of losing at chess.

Distracted with the brewing prank war, my looming and still unknown death date, and my newfound friendship with Alec, I'd stopped keeping track of the days I'd spent with the Volturi. Days grew into weeks and one month became two and it didn't seem to matter at that point. Plus, I always asked the receptionist the date, but they had just hired a new woman. The new one was not as nice as What's-Her-Name. What's-Her-Name had sweeties on her desk just for me. And when I'd pulled my first amateur prank on Demetri, one that Jane defined as 'overdone but always a laugh', What's-Her-Name let me hide under her desk. But when I asked the new chick for help, she just stared back at me. Which was just rude...unless she just didn't speak English. Something I had not considered until now.

Either way, she didn't have any candy and that was the true crime.

It just so happened that Jane and I had begun planning our first real and original prank when she, Alec, and all my other guards were summoned to a meeting in the throne room this morning.

There had been an abundance of these meetings occurring within the last week. They increased after a single lower guard member returned from a mission sans the two companions he had left with. He told a harrowing story of being forced to watch as their attackers ripped Killian, a younger guard member, limb by limb and burned him. He'd been helpless as they dragged his other partner away; Elizabeth, whom he presumed dead.

Though she had shown the most contempt for me, I had a general concern for Elizabeth's survival. I preferred to focus on the part of the story where the surviving guard had not seen her die. Thinking deductively, it was obvious to me that if they planned on killing her, they would have done it at the same time as they did Killian. But, I was also smart enough to recognize that my opinion was not of interest to the Masters and so I kept my mouth shut.

I gathered more information after catching soundbites from small conversations here and there. I'd put together that they believed it to have been a choreographed attack. Someone had specifically targeted the Volturi and left one alive to pass on the message. What the message was exactly, I was still unclear on.

The meetings seemed to increase the intensity of the guard and I wasn't left alone for even a millisecond. During the meetings with the higher guards, I was practically locked in a single room guarded by four members of the middle ranking guards. Feeding time left me in a similar predicament, only the lock on my door was to keep my temporary guards out — just in case. While a lock wouldn't stop them when they were at their most famished, I had no doubt that they feared the wrath of Aro and the twins more than they craved a single human. I was, however, still warned not to do a single thing that might possibly end with my blood being spilled.

It wasn't the first time I was left alone in the twin's common room with nothing to do, but this time, as I had done maybe a few weeks ago in Alec's room, I decided to take a closer look around.

I'd ventured over to the far wall, the one part of the room we never spent much time in. Mainly because it consisted of a large meeting table, a single bookshelf and a fireplace whereas we spent most of our time on the much more comfortable couches and in front of their television. The two seemed to share an aversion to this side of the room, particularly of the fireplace itself. Obviously they had no need for it and it was better for me to stay away from fireplaces to avoid the possibility of overheating. So, my exploration gave me the opportunity to view a painting just above the mantle of the fireplace.

A woman I'd never seen before centred the portrait and Aro was seated in an identical throne on her right. Alec and Jane stood on either side of the two adults. They were all garbed in 17th century clothing — Volturi style. The crest of their coven stood out proudly around each of their necks. It seemed that family portraits were not only a human indulgence.

The unfamiliar woman had a beauty surpassing even that of Heidi's and though her mouth was set in a straight line, there was a firm gentleness to her. Jane and Alec had identical empty faces, while the tiniest of smiles stood out as a signature contrast on Aro's face. Alec had a hand on Aro's shoulder, the role of the dutiful son. The rumbling of a husky voice behind me required that I, once again, make the conscious decision to tear my eyes away from the ruby gaze the artist had managed to capture in the boy.

"What do you see, vita?" Alec further questioned my intended lonely, rhetorical statement in a dulled voice with mumbled Italian words. He often returned from these meetings less than bright, but his eyes were scanning the portrait as I had been. My attention, however, suddenly became much more focused on his proximity to me. My shoulders were inches from his chest and I tensed to keep myself still, conscious of what would happen were we to make contact for even the briefest of seconds.

This awareness was not an uncommon occurrence over the last few weeks. Alec had a habit of slyly brushing a hand against my arm, my hand, or my leg, almost as if to check that I was really there. At least, that was the purpose at first.

Every time his skin touched mine, my heart jumped into my throat. It never adjusted to the act and the quick shock through my system was a surprise every time. I think it became a bit of a game to him because he'd time out taps on my skin with whatever non active activity we were doing. And although it amused Jane at first, the fact that I couldn't remember more than a few details after a marathon of our favourite tv series' drove her mad after a few days.

Alec didn't care much when Demetri and Felix began to take notice, until he realised that their winks and sly commentary was distracting me from fully responding and engaging in his unruly game.

The thing about being friends with Alec, as I had come to discover, was that the guy loved to mess with those around him. As often as Jane used her powers, Alec seemed to find more pleasure in witty remarks and snarky comments. Occasionally, he'd make a particularly funny one and any amount of laughter from present company at a successful joke spurred more unsuccessful ones. I'd laughed at a few of them until I realized Jane looked ready to explode at him, so I began hiding my amusement in my shirt or under coughs. He never did give up, though. So, whether he was trying to be funny or not was still on the table.

He did have his days. He'd have moments where he'd grow silent and brooding instead of his usual silent and observant aura. The amount of patience and discipline instilled in him was astounding. I'd learned from watching Jane that just continuing on and letting him wallow by himself resulted in overturning his mood more often than not. But sometimes, I would earn a small crack in the hard exterior by giving someone bunny ears, making silly faces, or engaging in other harmless, childish mischief.

It wasn't practical, that our tumultuous relationship could be flipped upside down with a single handshake. Was it really so easy to turn heated arguments into shared laughter? For whatever reason, we'd been able to pull it off so far. Still, the energy that passed between us, no matter what state or mood we were in, was always 100%. And I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that.

I hadn't had time to sort out why Alec was able to cause this sort of response in me. The amount of space he occupied in my mind on a daily basis drove me crazy and clearly my heart couldn't take it. I had programmed myself to always hope for the best, but to expect the least. I was very aware of every worst case scenario that this situation could end in. For now, though, it was fun. And that was enough.

I could feel his eyes on me, naturally, unconsciously before he turned to also gaze up at the portrait. The meeting had certainly set up the potential for him to catch a moody vibe. But there was a difference in his moodiness when we were with others and when we were alone. Instead of me actively trying not to piss him off or distract him, he found his own ways to calm himself down.

It was almost like clockwork that once his gaze left me, I felt a familiar tug on my hair. His fingertips brushed my skin and I found myself leaning in to it, as easy as that. Long fingers found company untangling the ringlets at the base of my neck and sliding down to the ends of my hair. It was an action he performed almost unconsciously, and never in the company of others. An action too intimate to even be put into words, let alone shared with others.

I couldn't help but wonder if maybe these weren't things that normal friends did.

His touch seemed to disappear as quickly as it had come and with it, the serenity of absolute contentment.

Clearing my throat, I finally answered him, "I understand why Felix refers to the Volturi as royalty."

He considered the idea and I could almost hear him smirking with pride. "I suppose. In the vampire world."

Referencing the portrait once more, I informed him, "I don't recognize her." Alec took a seat at the head of the meeting table, twirling the chair around to examine the portrait.

He dropped his head to the side in acknowledgement before tapping his fingers lightly on the table. His fingers moved fluidly, as if he were pressing keys on a piano."Sulpicia." He offered no further explanation or details, famous for one word answers as if I could read his mind. I'd called him on it several times, so he knew it mildly irritated me. Now, every time he did it, it seemed to be just to rile me up. Even if it wasn't always the case.

I noticed the hand Aro rested on the woman's knee. "Who is she?"

"Aro's wife."

I laughed softly until the look Alec gave me made it clear that he was not making a joke. "Aro has a wife?"

He nodded, not quite picking up what had amused me. "The Master's wives remain in the tower."

"Why haven't I met them?"

"Their control is not as developed, as they spend very little time with humans." He halted in his table playing before continuing, "Jane has told me they look forward to meeting you, especially seeing how fond Jane is of you."

Nodding, "I heard that was unexpected." He didn't acknowledge my comment and I turned away from the painting to see his head down. He was studying the table with a conflicted intensity.

"As Aro's mate, Sulpicia may as well have raised Jane and me." Joining him at the table, I made sure he could see that I was giving him my full attention to encourage him to continue. It was rare that he shared tidbits about his earlier life. I'd been told nothing of his human experience, but he sometimes provided unexpectedly angsty opinions about historical figures or to provide an addendum to the sagas told by our recurring companions. I never pried any further than what was shared, that same warning from Marcus still loitering in the back of my mind.

His eyes moved to the portrait and I mimicked him. My focus rested on the entwined hands of Sulpicia and Jane. "She would never replace our mother, but she, and Aro, have been good to us." We rested there in silence, letting his reveal sink in for both of us before I started up again to keep his mood from slipping.

"What is a mate?" Like I said. I took care not to pry into his past.

However, this question didn't seem to be one he wanted to go into either. As soon as the words left my mouth, he visibly took in a sharp, unneeded breath and held it in. He was frozen staring at the painting. He raised his shoulders in a timid reluctance, finally answering my question.

"A mate is a vampire's partner. Their soulmate, if you will." I opened my mouth to scoff at the term but thought better of it. I don't think Alec noticed, appearing to be in deep contemplation.

"So, the guard members in relationships, are all mates?"

"Chelsea and Afton, Percy, though her mate belongs to another coven," he named two other pairs in the lower guard, but took me by surprise with the last pairing, "Prosper and Elizabeth—"

"Prosper and Elizabeth?"

"Aye." Old-timer. "This surprises you?"

I tried to form words to describe the dynamic I couldn't process. "He's just so...gentle...and she's so cold."

Alec nodded in thought before sharing evidence that opposed my belief. "He became barbaric once he learned of her disappearance. Felix had to restrain him." He pursed his stone lips, "Prosper believes she is still out there."

"Do you?"

He shrugged, continuing on about his fellow guard member, giving me more detail than I'd managed to catch. I assumed that with all the information, this must have been the topic of their most recent meeting. "For his safety, Aro has confined him to the castle — an attempt to keep him from trying to find her." My heart went out to Prosper, believing that I could only imagine what he must be going through.

Another thought came to me, "are you still sour on him?"

He smirked, shooting back at me, "was Elizabeth still unfavourable toward you?"

With no qualms, I answered straight out, "relentlessly. Maybe I should ask Prosper why?" I chuckled emptily, not actually planning on acting so selfishly when he was so distressed.

It seemed Alec did still have some harsh feelings against Prosper because he provided me with an immediate answer. "She holds you responsible for Prosper's injuries after your first escape."

I raised my eyebrows, "you mean the injuries you caused?" He waved me off, as if it made no difference. Refraining from rolling my eyes in annoyance, I huffed, "what kind of messed up logic is that?"

With a more serious tone, he told me that "mates can often be irrational when it comes to their match." Nonchalantly, he continued, "being human, she already regarded you with slight contempt."

I scoffed, "yeah, yeah, let's just blame humanity." None of them seemed to recall the fact that they were also human once. Whether it was a lack of control on their part or simply an irrational dislike for humans, many of the guard were either polite from afar or they completely ignored me. While Heidi had certainly warmed up to me, I think she agreed to be my handler only when she sought entertainment. Or when Demetri was around. Their flirty banter had always been amusing, but with my new information about mates, I understood why it never seemed to be anything more. A thought occurred to me and though I knew it may test Alec's patience, I proposed it anyways. "If you had killed Prosper, would that irrationality have made her...you know...'seek revenge'?"

He actually laughed. "She wouldn't dare."

"Not on you," I clarified. His head whipped to me and flames danced in his eyes.

"No one will ever lay a finger on you. I promise you." My stomach fluttered.

I continued my questionnaire, taking advantage of the fact that for some reason he was more than willing to answer everything I was asking. "What will happen to Prosper — if she really is...dead?"

He paused for a moment, as if it was painful for him to even consider. "Some broken mates choose death." He stopped once more to gather himself. "Others continue on, though I cannot imagine their demeanour would be much different from Marcus'."

"What do you mean?"

"Marcus' mate, Aro's sister, was murdered. An act against the Volturi."

My mind was racing with all this new information, details into the personal touches of what made the masters' tick. Aro's sister was Marcus' wife? And they never found her killer? It didn't seem possible that the Volturi, supposedly the most powerful coven in the world, would be unable to find the vampire that murdered someone so important, so high up in their hierarchy.

"What was her name?"

He looked back up at the portrait and muttered sadly, "Didyme." I thought of Marcus. The sweet, extremely old man that had been so kind to me at the beginning. Even if he'd insisted that I be constantly surrounded by mean Alec. It wasn't right. Someone like him...he didn't deserve such a horrible tear in his life. But then, who did really? "Mates are for life. We only get one chance." His eyes flickered to mine and he watched me, as if he wanted to say more.

I, too, bit my tongue, too cowardly to ask if he had found his mate and too afraid of the answer.

His hand found my cheek lifting my head up to look at him. I knew he was supposed to feel cold, but all I felt was the smooth, uncalloused palm of his hand and the tips of his fingers on the side of my face. No cold, no warmth. Just him. He whispered something in Italian as he studied my face. "Cuore...vita...", but to be honest, I could only make out every few works and despite the few Italian lessons Demetri had actually offered, it still sounded like mumbled gibberish to me.

A second later, the double doors to the common room creaked open and a sweet voice chimed out, "my turn to play with the human!" Somehow, Jane managed to make the normally demeaning term sound like an endearing nickname.

Alec stood abruptly and I jerked back in my own chair at the act. She paused as she took in our position and smirked, before practically skipping over to us. I could feel the smile on my face widen the closer she got. I'd never really had a friend, especially not one my age. I'd spent most of my life with my father around adults and though I had made friends with the children that took Sunday mass at the convent, it was never anything like what Jane and I shared. As close as I was with the others, there was something different about having a girl that understood me. Alec, however, was another story entirely.

Jane kissed her brother on the cheek in greeting and took both my hands, pulling me quickly to my feet. "Sleepover party!" She was grinning eagerly and I couldn't help but match her energy, even if I had no idea what she was talking about.

I giggled at her excitement, "Jane we've practically been having sleepovers every night."

Denying my claim, she corrected it, "a real sleepover. No boys!" I tilted my head in a mix of amusement and confusion and Alec added in to the conversation.

"Jane will be your guard for the next two days."

"We're going to put every sleepover movie to shame." She dropped my hands as she had a thought attack, "We need movies! And games!" Jane declared, flashing over to the other side of the room. She opened up the cupboard under the television and began searching for activities she deemed worthy of the event.

Alec was watching after his sister in amusement and I looked up at him over my shoulder. "You're leaving again," I commented, unable to keep the disappointment from trickling into my voice. Alec's lips curled up in a slight smirk at the vulnerability I displayed.

"I must. Felix and Demetri require my assistance."

I rolled my eyes playfully, "oof, sucks for you." It was his turn to roll his eyes at me.

Jane called me over, pulling us from our conversation. "Saffiya, come here." I obeyed, leaving Alec to join her on the floor. She placed her arms behind her back and faced me. "Right or left?"

I tapped her right bicep, "right."

She pulled two DVD cases out from behind her back. The one I'd chosen was a film and the other looked like the case to a violent video game that I had to admit, grew on me the more I watched her play it. "Looks like we're starting with Magic Mike."

Alec frowned, examining the cover of the DVD from his standing position. "Are those not Heidi's film sets?"

Jane shot me a look to mock her brother before informing him of her plan in a matter of fact tone. "Yes. Saffiya is from the 21st century, yet four of the last five films we've all watched were from the 40's and 50's."

"I like Marilyn Monroe!" I defended myself.

Mocking me, Jane declared, "we're going to be normal teenagers and watch half naked men dance and...actually I think that's it."

This detail of the film seemed to be a hard line for Alec. With a firm voice, he denounced the plan, "absolutely not."

"I agree, Jane. It sounds a bit...pornographic?" Maybe I was a bit of a prude, but I had lived with women 'married to God' when I first started noticing boys. There was no way anything like this movie would have been included in the nun's movie collection.

She shrugged, "I have no idea, I've never seen it. But Heidi suggested it," she addressed Alec as if to convince him and get his permission to let us watch it. But, it was very clear that she wasn't giving him a real vocal input on the decision. "This is a normal experience for 16 year olds, so would you rather it be me or Heidi that she watches something like this with?" Alec frowned, pursing his lips at his sister's bossiness.

Scoffing, I picked up the case. "What are you guys, my parents?" I flipped over to the back of the case, scanning the description. The content was highly adult, but Jane was right. It was the closest I'd probably ever get to a normal teenager's movie viewing experience. "I'm in."

"Ha!" Jane gloated to her brother. "Two against one!"

Alec sighed, seeing he was losing a case he'd have no control over anyways. "Try not to get into too much trouble, you two."

"No promises." Jane said in a sing-song voice before standing to give her brother a brief goodbye and returning to her task. I giggled at her tone and at the slight irritation it sparked in Alec, though he couldn't stay upset with her for long.

Seeing that Jane had moved on from him, Alec then locked eyes with me. I remained on the ground, looking up at him with a slight frown. It was more out of some bothersome tug that didn't want him to go, but I made sure to push that aside and replace it with a quick, small smile. He hesitated before giving me a nod, "Fiya," and retreating to the door. I watched him go, void of any pertinent thoughts.

It took me a second after the door shut to realise that Jane was staring me down from her spot on the floor, arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

"Yes?"

"Nothing." I relaxed my shoulders and shifted my legs, tucking them into my side. Then, she couldn't help herself. "You two looked comfy."

I laughed softly, expecting the suggestive phrase. "Is this the part of the sleepover where we gossip about boys? Because I don't have anything interesting to share."

Jane raised her hands, yielding to my denial. "Talk about anything interesting?" I shot her a half-hearted glare as she persisted.

I considered the minutes that had passed before her arrival and it struck me that I was a little more than still curious about the conversation we'd ended on. I was sharing before I knew it, "he told me about Marcus' mate. Didyme."

Jane froze at the name and this only spiked my curiosity. Calmly as she could, she continued sifting through the rest of the DVDs. "What else did he say?"

Shrugging, I joined her lazily and without really reading the titles of the entertainment options we had available. "Nothing really. I just asked him a bunch of questions."

"And he answered them?"

I huffed lightly, "I know, I was surprised too."

On a mission, Jane insisted, "but he said nothing else?"

"Er...no?" I eyed her, suspicious. "Why?"

She shrugged, "just curious." Before I could press her on it, she jumped up. "You need snacks. All sleepovers have popcorn and other gross human food."

Clearly, there was something more than curiosity driving her. I soon, however, found the topic fading from my mind by the time the opening credits of our first movie appeared.

Chapter Text

My first real crime was insurance fraud.

When I was about five, I started joining my father on some of his work trips. It soon became clear to him that within the very nature of my neurological condition and its' obscurity lied a possible gold mine.

It was very simple, he had explained to me. I was to step in front of a car and possibly retain a minor injury from being hit by said car. And if I was not injured, I was to pretend to be. The injury, fabricated or not, had to be exaggeratedly dramatic with tears, loud cries, and whatever else that would stress the driver into settling on a cash compensation. Or, we'd receive thousands in the driver's insurance money after a doctor confirmed my injuries. Which, due to my history of them, was never hard to do. My father had made it sound so easy and after boosting my confidence, he'd succeeded.

I had no hesitation as I stepped in front of that silver Volvo.

My father had been so proud of me. Getting two scoops of ice cream had made it the greatest day of my life. That con became our go-to to stay under the radar and to claim some quick cash when we needed it. As a result, I got quite good at mimicking other's pain. I would pay attention to news clips of accidents or scenes on TV in order to learn the facial expressions and movements of the victims. To know just what level of pain matched what injury so that I was never selling too much or too little into any given damage. It was a skill that I was able to translate throughout every area of my life. But, it was never quite as useful for anything as it was in my father's scams.

After my mother disappeared, my father pulled me in to his real cons. From forgery to extortion, my father had managed to gain a reputation in the world of white collar crime. Because of this, we often held numerous identities and traveled from country to country living scam to scheme.

In the next few years, we managed to pull off several confidence scams. One of our most successful was a con plainly nicknamed, 'The Miracle Operation', where my father convinced someone of a wealthy status, usually a woman, that there was a doctor that would be able to heal me of my incredibly rare condition if only we could pay their fee. It was a long-con where eventually, out of pity, wanting to please my father, or actually having fallen in love with him, the mark would doll out the exact amount. The next day, we were gone.

Despite multiple encounters with the front bumpers of various types of vehicles and my own dangerous stunts, I'd still never felt pain until Jane's gift. And even then it was…strange. Which, I suppose to a certain degree, should be expected considering the supernatural element of the power. You could also argue that there is something oddly supernatural about my inability to feel pain, but I digress.

Experiencing Jane's gift was almost like lucid dreaming in a nightmare of your own design. Except, you had none of the control.

Carlisle's suggestion had been weighing in the air between us with unspoken pressure. The entire theory that gradually exposing me to percepted pain would help raise my tolerance was as unsupported as it was wild. I should know — I came up with it. But with my life on the line it didn't seem like we had a choice. I knew Jane was reluctant to take part in causing me purposeful pain but her duty took precedence over her own feelings. Which is why we now found ourselves in the throne room with the three Masters and only a handful of the guard.

Jane and I stood across from each other in the center of the floor, as if facing off in a daring battle. The three kings were seated in their thrones, regal and undead, while their guards stood still as stone spaced against the surrounding walls of the hall.

When we'd arrived, Aro had explained that we would have several of these 'practice sessions' to measure and develop my pain responses. Each session, Jane would use her gift on me and increase the intensity of the pain I received based on how well I was doing. Eventually, theoretically, and if all went well, I would be able to withstand enough pain to undergo the transformation process. Fingers crossed, I guess.

"Again."

My inability to feel pain was what made me most fascinating to Aro. Perhaps, if Jane's gift worked well enough, it might actually cure me. As long of a shot as it was, if this did fix my brain, maybe Aro would no longer want me. I wasn't naive enough to believe he would simply let me go, but all I had these days was hope. No matter how implausible. If anything, uselessness would be an even greater guarantee of my death. And what would be the point of going through this whole painful process if I was just going to get my neck snapped some other way. I mean, talk about having no choice.

Aro was practically giddy when we'd started this practice session. Whether that giddiness stemmed from anything less than selfish curiosity, I wasn't sure. Though the session had started out with a light-hearted energy, Aro had grown weary and frustrated as it became apparent that Jane's gift had suddenly ceased to work on me.

"Perhaps, an intermission—"

We must have been at this for over an hour and out of the eleven or so times Jane had delivered an attack, it had only seemed to actually hit me twice. There did not seem to be a clear distinction between when her gift worked and when it did not. Nor was Jane able to control the intensity of the pain I received, something that was greatly puzzling the group.

Basically, this first practice session was not going well. Jane seemed out of sorts from the moment we arrived and I was struggling to even process my own thoughts. The Masters were not pleased.

Marcus was silenced with a look and the heavy command was repeated. "Again."

The very first time Jane had ever attempted to use her gift on me, I had no idea what she was trying to do. I'd felt sharp pokes, like pin pricks, and I wasn't even sure if they actually hurt until after they were fully present and I put together what was going on. The two instances today were as minimal as they had been that first day, so my physical reaction was a lot less impressive than our second time trying her gift in my room. The one Alec had interrupted and Jane regretted.

That second time when I'd asked her to try it again, was the only time I experienced the true greatness of her gift. It was after seeing Felix fall victim to it so I actually knew what was supposed to happen to me. Before her gift touched me, it was a guessing game of how it was supposed to feel. But, in my memory it felt easy to recreate the feeling — but only the feeling. I had trouble recreating the painful aspect of it. When I tried to recall the exact sense of pain and its' touch, I could only manifest it in a physical manner. My entire body would tense to the point of shaking and while the discomfort was evident, it was manageable.

It may have just been my fault that it wasn't working. Not that it made much sense, but part of Aro's increasing annoyance was my inability to focus on the session. I was growing increasingly distracted the more time we spent on this and I couldn't help it. You would think focusing on the fact that the closest person I'd ever had to a best friend was being told to use her gift to cause me pain in an attempt to theoretically save my life. But no. Caius' growing impatience and deepening frown didn't scare me into obedience, nor did Marcus' careful gaze shame me into paying attention. Not even the grimace replacing Aro's creepy little smile was enough to jolt me from my anxiety surrounding my friends' absences.

Jane and I had been about ten minutes into a Marilyn Monroe marathon when we were summoned to this first practice session. Alec, Demetri and Felix had yet to return and it was only yesterday that Jane and I had binge watched all but two of the Fast and the Furious movies. We'd started this morning with Law and Order: SVU until Jane got too heated so before she got any ideas, we switched to Scooby Doo. I know. All of the amazing games and books available to us and we chose to hole up on the sofas in the room and watch a television screen for two days.

TV had been the only things able to keep my mind off of the mission that the guys were on. When Demetri and Felix left several days ago, all I told was that they'd been checking in with the Volturi's allies across the globe. With the unknown vampires that had deliberately attacked the Volturi guards on a mission only two weeks prior, the potential for the trip's level of danger was clear. Sure, the boy blunders could handle themselves but there had been three guard members in the group that was attacked and Felix and Demetri were not joined by any others.

My paranoia was a product of the changing atmosphere in the castle. Alec, for the most part, had tried to keep me unaware of as much as he could. My curiosity, however, was far more cunning than he anticipated. Listening in to the guards that had stood outside my door during the Volturi meetings would usually be irritated at having to babysit my human self. Though, as days got tenser, they would chat carelessly outside my door and either took no notice or didn't care that I practically sat on the other side of the door to listen in. Their discussions were the equivalent of water fountain gossip and provided me with an insight into the lower guard's mentality.

I used to be under the impression that missions were an exciting venture, something the guard members looked forward to. However, ever since that one guard had returned from a standard mission with news of the deaths of Elizabeth and Killian from an unknown enemy, this seemed to no longer be the case. Apparently they'd rather sit outside my door all day then go on a shot in the dark mission. It was a reasonably cowardly stance, but they didn't seem to care what I thought.

This was how I got the details of all the business that Alec would only share a sentence of. He was rather annoyed the day he returned to find out I now knew details as insignificant as the receptionist being replaced and as big as Elizabeth's disappearance on a mission. Once I knew random business topics, he started to let more and more slip unless I asked a direct question. He would immediately shut down and change the subject. Unless Jane slid in. The elder twin had no problem weighing in and sharing all the gory details of whatever subject we were discussing. Though she was very political in what she did share, never giving me more than I needed and never introducing a brand new piece of information. To her, if I already knew the basics, it was best that I understood it. Still, her vivid accounts greatly displeased her brother and had been the cause of quite a few domestics between the two.

However, now that Demetri and Felix had called Alec in on this assignment, the little info I had was simply not enough. Jane, fed up with me asking her whether she thought they were alright or if they'd checked in yet, finally caved. While she never liked to offer much more than I already knew, when the television wasn't enough to distract me she shared whatever she could about their mission. The purpose of this one, she explained, was to find any leads on the group of vampires that were behind the attack on the guards. For their crimes against the Volturi guard, they would be returned to Volterra and receive a formal trial. I had a feeling that the actual trial would be more of a formality of showmanship than of actual truth and justice. Not that I wanted to complain because I'd liked Killian. Though the moral high ground in my head tried to push back against the idea.

For some reason, scouring the globe was a much more difficult task than they believed it would be, mainly due to the fact that Demetri had been unable to lock on to Elizabeth's track. Evidence that most had seemed to take as proof of her death. Though, Demetri did not seem quite as convinced, Jane admitted though was unable to explain her doubts further. They needed Alec because they'd managed to finally track the group down down and the guys needed his help in returning to Volterra with the packages. I made a mental note to add transportation and baggage services to the plus column of Alec's gift.

Nevertheless, the fact that they had added Alec to their numbers did little to ease my worry. His importance and his inability to properly defend himself while using his powers magnified the dangers of the mission tenfold as far as I was concerned. Plus, there were only three of them, and though they were all much more experienced and skilled than the other group, I still worried that they would end up missing, just like Elizabeth. Or worse.

During the discussion, I became increasingly suspect of Jane's willingness to share so much information. She never wished to spoil our 'bonding time' with talk of official business and she shared more than enough to attempt to give me peace on the topic (even if it didn't necessarily work). It was more like she was ranting on the topic, so I asked, more like blurted out, if she were afraid for Alec. She reminded me that he was one half of the most formidable vampire duo in the world. Then, she skilfully changed the subject to a story that proved this point or she'd play a new episode of whatever we were watching. "Alec isn't afraid of anything", she'd say, "and neither was she". She hid it well.

It felt very human of me to fret for their immortal lives and while part of me hated the emotion associated with my mortality, a bell in my head reminded me to cherish it. Although, none of the Volturi were immune to this rising threat either. Both the twins' heightened sensitivity (recently Jane had used her gift in a manner that could only be described as 'willy-nilly' and "unprovoked") and the guards' watering hole discussions made it evident that the stress stemmed from the top of the chain.

Their stories began to show a theme of eggshells cracking under the weight of the Volturi's reputation, which was crystal clear to me now as I stood in front of the Masters. It felt as if this were some kind of de-stress session for them, watching me be tortured. But without the torture they were expecting, the frustration had only grown. Even Aro was flipping back and forth between deep thought and slight comments of irritation.

They wanted me to be their entertainment? Fine, I had thought. I'll just let myself be exposed to agony and be done with it. Except, they weren't the only ones distracted today. The more I tried to focus on the task at hand, the more Jane seemed to struggle to reach me with her gift. Thinking this through, a new hypothesis began to form in my head. Though I had no ideas as to why, I considered that it was possible Jane's gift had an easier time effecting me the less prepared I was.

She had caught me completely off guard the second time she'd used her gift on me and originally, I had no idea what to expect. The first time, I'd been strangely unafraid for my life and even though I'd just been attacked by strangers and kidnapped by more strangers, I'd argue that I was fairly relaxed. Which wasn't a particularly surprising revelation for me, as my fear response was messed up due to my condition; If you're not afraid of falling from a tree, you tend to climb a lot of trees. This made me believe that it was possible that this attack plan, with one gust of her gift after another, was unlikely to have the desired effect. Which meant that we were all wasting our time and I wasn't the only one with the latter takeaway.

Marcus droned from the corner, "this is no longer a productive use of time." I rolled my eyes, keeping my head down, studying the marble floor. I decided to keep my mouth shut a few attempts ago and just let the vampires figure out what they wanted to do with me. I was at their mercy, mercy I was only receiving because the alternative meant my death.

Caius sneered at Jane from his corner, "she has grown sentimental." The finger of blame being pointed at Jane made me straighten my back. True, Jane did not want to hurt me, but to suggest that she may have actually been holding back was ridiculous. I was only human and if she tried much harder it was possible that it may be too much. Though, I had to admit I understood his frustration.

Jane dropped her gaze in shame as Aro's focus flickered over to her.

"Peace, Brother."

"Is this true…Jane, dear." The false question made me swallow a newly formed lump in my throat. Would they punish Jane if her gift completely stopped working on me? No, Aro would never go there. But the way he watched her now was enough to keep me second guessing. Did he doubt her? If Jane had been holding back on purpose, it would no longer be possible anymore. I refused to be the reason Jane fell out of favour with Aro, especially if it wasn't something she could control. But judging by Caius' new finger pointing technique, they wanted something to blame.

Aro was telling her to prove Caius wrong, to prove that she was completely capable of bringing me to my knees without any qualms. He was forcing her to prove her loyalty. Determination replaced shame as Jane's eyes hardened and trained on me. Like Alec's gift, I imagined a path for her gift to follow as it made its way to me. Zigzagging like lightning, it traveled with the speed of a cobra's deadly strike.

It started off with the subtle flow of a headache, only it vibrated so erratically that it slammed against my skull as if attempting to break down a door. Once. Twice. My hands flew to my head and I folded at my waist. And it was over. I forced my eyes open, following the imaginary zigzagging line of Jane's gift retreating back to her and disappearing. I rested my palms on my knees and met Jane's eyes. The abruptness of my reaction may have been what surprised her, as it was the first time I'd done anything more than flinch all day from her attacks.

The smile had reappeared on Aro's face as he gave a clap of praise at my show of pain. "It seems she has not grown immune, after all." Sure. All it took was half a day to trigger what was the beginning of an unlikely and risky process. If every session was like this, it would take far longer than I'm sure they wanted to wait to get to the point that I would be able to handle the sting of their venom. My original theory had centred around the idea that the pain would break down my defences against it, but what if I was becoming more and more used to Jane's gift.

If we kept at this, there was truly no way to know what could happen. The repeated exposure of her gift on my mind could either build my resistance to it or make me even more susceptible to it and other pain sources. After today, the latter might be more likely. I bit my lip, realising that eventually Jane would have to hit me with stronger bouts of pain if this were so. At what point would the high concentration of her gift on my human mind be more than I could take?

The sage minds thousands of years older than mine were already aware of this, but even they appeared hesitant in continuing. "We should discuss, Aro." Marcus raised his concerns, "lest she be damaged in our haste."

Callously, Caius argued back. "Her life is not our only concern."

"I am aware, Caius."

"Then she must be changed. Now."

Marcus didn't back down, sitting forward with the most energy I'd ever seen him exert. "No final decisions should be made today," he insisted.

Aro made no move to stop their debate. Men of few words, it was the most I'd ever heard them say but if anyone else was surprised by the open exchange, they didn't show it.

Caius slammed his fist on the arm of his throne. "This is a waste of time." He looked stubbornly away from Marcus, trying to get Aro's attention with his tone. "Time that we do not have."

"Yet, it is time that must be made."

It was odd to hear them discussing time with a limit. It was, after all, the one thing they had the most of and they took advantage of it in everything they did. But whatever they thought was coming was enough to disrupt that vampiric standard. Whatever it was, jeopardised their eternity and for some reason, it made a difference if I was human or not when that threat arrived.

"Again." Aro demanded.

Both Marcus and Caius' snapped their heads in his direction. In a frail whisper, I saw Marcus' lips move, "Aro—"

Driven by something hungrier in him, he ignored the surprise and reluctance from his partners, telling Jane to "sustain it."

If I didn't have a reaction this time, would Marcus' argument win out? Would they simply send me back to my room, do some research and gather again with a more thorough plan? Or would Aro agree with Caius, that the reasons they had kept me human were no longer worth the risk if Jane's gift couldn't get through to me.

If it did work, would the original plan be seen through? I preferred this, as it kept me human longer and gave me more time to figure out my next steps. Steps that I had been distracted from figuring out. But I was running out of time if they didn't choose to allow my brain to adjust to the experience of pain. Instead of changing me once we were sure I wouldn't die from the transformation, I could be changed as soon as they made the decision. Tonight? I couldn't let that happen — I wanted to be human.

Why did I want to stay human? I faltered as the thought hit me. My defences had become worn as I spent more and more time with these vampires. I'd been adamant in my position of avoiding immortality. I wanted to live my life, the life I'd planned to not plan. Although doubts and denial stung at my insides, my father's death had freed me in a way that I almost felt selfish for appreciating. It was like not knowing what had happened to my father was holding me back from doing anything but focusing on finding him.

Now that I knew, I felt like I could move forward. It opened me up to living a normal life, whatever I wanted that to be — that is, if you took the vampires out of the equation. I'd made friends with these vampires and I'd grown accustomed to their way of life. I was happy here. But, I wanted more than this life they lived and as sad as it made me to think of leaving them, it was the only way to truly enjoy my freedom.

I wanted to be free. And alive. My reaction to Jane's gift was the only thing keeping me human.

I remembered Felix when she'd used it on him. The way his body expanded and writhed with uncoordinated agony. The red of his eyes aimed to the ceiling as they had retreated into his skull and the sedated movement of his head dropping back, limply, as if being severed by the dull blade of a guillotine.

Jane raised her head up slowly, hesitantly, before dropping it in a nod to obey her Master's order. Her eyes met mine as she faced me once again, the familiarly innocent porcelain smile on her lips. But her eyes burned with warning and she gave me the tiniest shake of her head. It was so quick, I was sure I imagined it.

I remembered the sounds that had escaped Felix's body. His groans were the breadcrumbs left behind to remind him that the pain would not last forever. But until it did, he was a prisoner to the Jane's powers and every flinch of his body was proof of that. I had been unable to look away. I had studied him. That had been pain — true pain.

Jane blinked and a howl tore through my lungs. My knees guaranteed bruises in their future as they met with the marble floor. I paired the act with another cry to fit the shattering pain that no doubt belonged to the introduction.

Jane's gift never hit me the same way twice. But this one. This one was blinding, almost too overpowering to even be painful. It was every car slamming into my body, sending me flying until I returned to the ground and the next one took its' shot. It was every piece of bark that cut into my leg as I fell from the top of trees I climbed and every furnace I'd rested my hand on for too long. It was the first time my father showed me a car accident scene in a movie, pointed at the injured character, and said, "monkey see…"

I gave another cry as another wave of pressure was thrust over me and the sound was immediately followed with a crash from somewhere in the room.

“Stop!” There was a tug on my upper arm and a hand was placed on my lower back, as I was lifted up from the ground. The hand on my back pulled me in against a hard chest, as if it could protect me from the mental attack. A hideous, carnal growl rose from deep inside the boy's body. A warning, aimed at his own sister.

I gasped for air, and to my surprise, a familiarly comforting, tasteless smell surrounded my nostrils and sent tingles under my skin. This new olfactory scent fought against the strength of Jane’s gift, and the compressed effect slowly dulled into obscurity. Alec held me against his chest with a protective arm around my back, prepared to keep any further threats from reaching me. 

I took in and released a deep breath, confirming that there was no outside force still trying to cause me harm. My head was spinning slightly, but other than that I felt completely fine. I felt my knee twitch and became aware of the hard marble under my shoes. Alec’s arm was more like an anchor to keep me in place against him, but I was, for the most part, supporting most of my bodyweight. Only seconds ago, my legs had given in to an invisible pain and now I was somehow able to stand on my own two feet.

I tried to catch a glimpse of Jane without physically moving to look at her except my hair had fallen to the side like a curtain, effectively limiting my line of sight. She had had to prove herself to the Masters, but I hadn’t expected her to push her gift to that extent on me - at least, not yet. It was so much more intense than any of the other times, so she must have been holding back before. I’d been too curious to be bothered by the brief, limited pain her gift had caused me, but after being sucked through the blackhole that I’d just been down…I was beginning to rethink my willingness to be subjected to Jane’s gift. I wasn’t as confident on my ability to withstand that level of intensity again.

In a sing-song voice, a warning was issued with a single word. “Alec.” His name was dragged out, and the c rolled off the man’s tongue with a charming lilt. When the young man didn’t respect the generosity of the forewarning, one of the lower guards in my vision began to take a step forward. Alec snarled in response, combative, daring her to try. I started in surprise at the primal sound, which only made him tighten his protective hold on me. The guard froze and turned her head in Aro’s direction, likely waiting for a direct order before she dared to risk performing an offensive attack on the boy. 

Aro must’ve been waved her down because a firm, final warning reverberated throughout the room. “Enough.” The word echoed with finality and I couldn’t help but tilt my head up to look at him. The voice seemed to bring Alec back to his senses and I could almost see the savage instinct fall back in line. The tension drained from his eyebrows and down, releasing the rest of his body. The vibrations in his chest lulled into silence before Alec dropped his chin to examine my face. His arm was still wound tightly around me and I was extremely aware of just how close we were. I followed his irises as they diligently scanned my body from my scuffed boots all the way up to my neck. Unlike me, he appeared unconcerned with our closeness as he made no moves to pull or push me away, He spent a millisecond staring at my pulse, matching it to the beat of my heart overwhelming his ears. I waited for his eyes to catch mine after they’d made the trail to double check every inch of my face.

I wish I could say I had not noticed how his arm felt around my waist or the inch of skin he touched at my barely exposed hip. But I could not. I did notice it. It made the caterpillars in me  skip the cocoon stage to become instant butterflies, spreading from my stomach to every inch of my body like an emotional freaking cancer. Maybe cancer was too harsh a description. Stockholm Syndrome. My butterflies had Stockholm Syndrome. There’s a chance that was too dramatic as well. Conceivably, it was much simpler. Hormones. My butterflies had hormones. 

After all, it wasn’t every day an attractive boy matching every detail from every Happily Ever After ending pulled out all the stops from Every Girl’s Guide to Finding Your Prince Charming. At least, until I met Alec it wasn’t. Not that Alec was Prince Charming. Far from it…except for — 

I took a deep breath, getting a whole new scent supply of the vampire holding me. I couldn’t remember ever taking distinct notice of someone else’s smell before. Yes, entering someone’s room or hugging them often splashed that person’s distinct air into cognisant prominence. But never before could I recall remaining aware of it, expecting it, remembering it…missing it like I missed their laugh. At least, again, until I met Alec. With thoughts like this, it seemed the butterflies’ hormones were going to my head now. Alec’s expression was growing slightly more worried as I ranted in my mind, so I gave him a quick, reassuring nod. 

It was best to keep my mind from that complicated avenue. With the whole vampire mate business, that would be a misguided and pointless path to walk down. Clearly, he’d yet to find his ‘soulmate’ and I think I’d know by now if I had that position in his life. Not that I wanted it, I defensively pointed out to myself. His protectiveness obviously stemmed down to his bloodlust and perhaps a little of it was awarded to me for my value to his sister. I highly doubt she’d be very pleased if I were to end up in the middle of a vampire battle. Blood — both the desire for and the family relation were core elements of Alec’s existence. It was a reasonable and supported deduction. I could be a detective one day. That is, if I ever actually lived to see past seventeen at this point.

I gulped and gave myself a mental pinch to keep on task. The main goal was still to convince them to keep me human for as long as possible. I stepped out of his arms and turned to face Aro. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see him slowly do the same.

The etiquette brought a thin smile to Aro’s face, hitting me with the full gravity of my decision and filling me with nerves. I had unintentionally done the one thing that Aro did not expect, but cherished dearly in that moment. While I acted out of necessity, to the Masters, my choice to return attention to them was obedience. It was exactly how their guards were to behave and I had initiated the move when one of the Masters’ most loyal members was displaying the exact opposite. 

“What the hell is going on?”

I saw Caius raise his eyebrows at Alec for the outburst. Alec, recognising that he was pushing his luck, stood down reluctantly. Caius hissed to Aro, "I told you the boy should have been present.”

Aro ignored him, informing Alec cheerfully, “preparation, m’boy!” But he explained no further, leaving Alec to fill in the blanks himself.

“Enough for today, I think.” Marcus’s voice was raspy, sounding, as it always did, as if he hadn’t spoken for several days. His lips were barely parted and his head was raised in curiosity as he seemed to be watching both Alec and I, equally. 

Caius supported the statement with a restrained declaration, “I agree."

Marcus’s eyes met mine for the briefest of seconds and after a flash, he seemed to sigh before they trialed off like a snail to Jane and then to the wall. His ability to appear extraordinarily disinterested once again enveloping him in an empty cloud. A cloud that I now had a surge of condolences for after hearing his backstory. Perhaps he could see this newfound sympathy in my eyes, as he often seemed to be paying attention when I was forced front and center. Whenever his name came up, the others had this twinkle of pity in their eyes and now that I knew why, I must have adopted the same look. I felt a wave of helpless guilt for simply knowing the reason behind his sadness. Maybe he didn’t want me to know. Maybe he liked that I hadn’t known. Maybe he liked that I hadn’t looked at him like a damaged animal barely breathing on the side of the road. Or maybe, he really was bored.

Jane appeared frozen in the same position as she had been before. I could see her out of the corner of my eye as well, watching me intently. The expression on her face had returned to the black hole her coven subscribed to. I could feel the muscles in my neck adjust as I tilted my head in her direction, a behaviour I’d adopted in my time with the twins. Of course, I would receive no verbal response at a time like this, especially as their leader disagreed with the two grand men.

“Not quite, Brothers.” Aro’s smile hadn’t changed, but there was almost a new maliciousness in the way the words entered the air. He continued, his tone implying an intent lacking scientific faculty, and more in the business of ‘for satisfaction’s sake’, “I do wonder what—”

“Aro.” Caius spoke up, looking over me before he gave his companion a single shake of his head. Aro’s shoulders dropped, but he did not protest further. Since when did Caius care about my well-being?

Aro sighed and I tried to keep from glaring at him. “Very well.” He turned, his black cloak extravagantly billowing around his ankles as he returned to sit in his center throne. Still watching Alec and I, he spoke forward but aimed his words at his fellow rulers, “We should invite Eleazar for a visit.” His believed equals said nothing, but their agreement required no verbal confirmation. Aro opened his mouth as if to continue speaking, but he was interrupted.

A roar bellowed through the thick door Alec had entered from only moments ago. It was followed by a loud bang and a small shriek from who I assumed was the receptionist. The step I had taken away from Alec earlier was countered by him in response to these noises. I could feel the fabric of his clothing grazing my left elbow. It triggered a small push of annoyance because there was such a thing as too protective. Yet, I forced myself to acknowledge that that roar had sounded very inhuman and I was still very much not that. And technically it was Alec’s job to ensure that this distinction did not result in my extinction. So, I put a reluctant check in the vampire plus column and tried to ignore the fact that neither my heart nor its’ speed made so much as a peep in response to the violent exclamation from an unknown vampire until after I connected it with the increased proximity of my second favourite Volturi twin.

Another clap from Aro’s thin, white hands echoed in the chamber. “It appears that Alec has left Demetri and Felix with our rather unruly guests.” He gave Alec a look then, to which the boy nodded and retreated back in the direction he came in. As he slipped back through the doors, another protesting yell claimed the extra sound in the hall, louder and more prominent than the sounds from Aro’s hands. The guard had a brief moment of disarray as some comments were scattered but Caius cleared his throat and order returned.

To Jane and I, Aro exclaimed, “Until next time, my dears.”

Jane’s eyes left me. “Shall I return Saffiya to her chambers?”

Delight flickered in Aro’s eyes as he scanned my posture. I hadn’t moved an inch since separating from Alec and the simple gesture pleased him enough to prompt an unexpected decision from him. “No. This will soon be her life, let her be witness to a proper trial.”

He presented it as if he had awarded me a great honour in allowing me to remain for their next order of business. It was unlikely that he had forgotten that I had already been afforded the opportunity to witness their display of law and order. As if I hadn’t watched Prosper drain the blood from Victor Tima’s body on his orders. Apparently, he did not recall it with the relevance that I did.

If that had been my first experience, I could only imagine what he had in store for me this time.

Chapter Text

Jane led me to her and Alec's usual place at the left-hand side of the thrones. As soon as we were set, the double doors were pulled open by the guard.

Alec emerged from between them, strutting confidently down the center of the hall as if it were a catwalk for Young Villain's Weekly. A ruthless, cocky smirk stood out prominently on his face and a special kind of darkness chilled off of him in waves to rush over the room. Even members of the guard were avoiding staring directly at him, as if doing so would turn them to dust from the sheer power the vampire commanded.

Behind him, Felix and a lower guard member, Xavier, half dragged, half carried a male body through the doors with Demetri trailing off to the side. The man's eyes were rolled up inside his head and his body was limp, as if he were asleep. Under Alec's gift, the man was completely vulnerable to the coven and whatever they planned to do with him.

Alec bowed his head to the Masters. Felix and Xavier came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the floor and they lifted the rag doll up as if he were standing on his own two feet and not being fully supported by them. Their captive was surprisingly young and he couldn't have been older than his university years when he'd been turned. A medium build, light brown hair hung over his eyes and rested above sharp cheekbones. His face was scrunched together, the only visible reaction to the darkness currently swallowing up his consciousness. Under Alec's gift, the man was incapacitated and utterly useless.

Caius spoke first. "One? We were expecting four."

Demetri's voice wilted from the side, "three older newborns. He disposed of them prior to Alec's arrival. They left a mess behind with the humans."

"We also believe he has been recruiting nomads for quite some time."

"An unusual method to create a coven," Caius remarked, pulling together the most likely assumption of the facts.

However, Demetri shook his head, providing the detail that Alec had been reluctant to. "To form an army." Caius lifted his head as if to challenge the finality of Demetri's conclusion.

Alec claimed the spotlight of the leadership role once more. "Sir, he returned to Volterra willingly, though he has behaved in a hostile manner. " The three kings exchanged looks at this news and my stomach churned nervously. Caius raised a single eyebrow, impatient with having to prod the young man for details. "He claims to have an urgent message from his coven."

Requiring further detail, Aro held out his hand and Alec elegantly moved up the stairs to grant Aro access to his thoughts. After a moment, Aro removed his hand from Alec's, dismissing him. "Very well. Let us see what he has to say."

One might think the reveal of the chain of command would take the young man's arrogance down a notch, or at the very least cease the showboating. After all, it was Demetri who actually tracked the target down and Felix's strength that managed to drag him from who knows where all the way back to the city. Alec had only been included to make the captive go night night for easy travel. Whether he'd been necessary to the mission or not, his dominant position over the other three men was evident with a single look. Not to mention, Alec's graceful parade was eerily identical to the way Aro conducted himself on the steps of the thrones; A young prince mimicking the power of the father.

The aura of magnificence surrounding him didn't go anywhere as Alec stepped back down the stairs; And even though he had returned to an equal level with the rest of the guard, it was clear that any belief of this equality belonged to that of a fool. He was a big game hunter, parading his kill in front of anyone who dared be in his presence. And then he turned and his eyes found mine. There was a flash of something in them and I assumed that he did not expect to see me still present for this part. He dropped his gaze for a brief second and I almost had to do the same to keep from poking fun at what I'd be delighted to assume was the way he handled himself in all of these meetings. And to think, I'd been missing out on excellent taunting material all this time.

I only closed my eyes for a millisecond, but, when I opened them, he had already appeared on my empty side, sandwiching me between him and his sister. He faced the center of the room as if he'd been standing in this position with us the entire time. I resisted the urge to shift my body to look at him properly, knowing that the move would likely be frowned upon for drawing attention.

This swing back to reality put me on the slightest edge, however, and I found myself wishing I could mute my heartbeat. Because while most of the Volturi had at least some practice remaining tame around me, this was the first time I had been exposed to a vampire that was very much not. And while I had confidence that even if the new, blood-drinking arrival was able to get past Demetri and Felix that Jane and Alec wouldn't miss a beat, I was well-aware of the danger I was in.

So, I did what I did best. I faked it. I put on my best 'serious Jane' face and gave myself a new mantra of 'I am not human. My heart does not race ridiculously and attract the attention of everyone in the room. I am stone…' I glanced to Jane and immediately shifted my body to match her, from her stance, her straightened spine, right down to the lack of expression on her face. Though, today was not one of the days that I had chosen clothing to match hers so I stuck out like a sore thumb among the dark cloaks and black clothing. Hopefully this vamp wasn't attracted to colours like raccoons were to silver.

My attention was pulled from the 'guest' anyways as Aro nodded to Alec, who focused on their captive until the man began to regain control of his body again, limb by limb until he was able to stand on his own. Felix and Xavier stood not two inches behind him, each with a hand on either side of the man's biceps. The boy pushed off from the men as soon as he regained control, though they did not respond.

"Welcome to Volterra."

The boy scoffed, once again trying to shove Felix off. "Nice welcoming committee you got here." Aro tilted his head and the men released their prisoner, though they flanked him within a mere step. "Though, I did not expect much from the tyrannical rulers of the vampire world."

Caius' eyes narrowed at his attitude, though neither Marcus or Aro gave it much credit. "You know us and yet, your identity has eluded us," Aro admitted passively.

He hesitated, before wising up, "you may call me Zafir."

"Zafir." Aro smiled at him in his creepy style. "It has been brought to our attention that you have engaged in activities that violate the laws of vampires. Are you aware of these laws that govern our society?"

"I am aware of your laws."

"Yet, you have broken more than one. Including an unprovoked attack on members of our guard."

Zafir sneered, "my coven does not recognize your insignificant rules." Several of the guard hissed at the audacity of the man.

"These laws have been in place for centuries for the protection of all vampires." Marcus rasped, "your coven presumes to know better?"

"We do." He gloated with an ignorant arrogance. "We can and will do better." The suggestion triggered a spot of anger from the crowd.

Caius leaned forward with an icy dominance. "Why, you insolent—" Aro raised a hand and Caius sunk back in his chair.

Aro continued, prompting the vampire to incriminate himself further. "Is this so?"

"I agreed to return with your guard to deliver a message on behalf of my coven's leader, Razin." He spoke casually, as if his words were not sparking dissonance and distaste for him and by extension, his coven. "He is willing to offer you, Aro, Caius, and Marcus, the opportunity to renounce your reign and influence over the vampire world to him and his coven. This would ensure that no harm will come to you or further members of your guard."

I waited for a punch line, a laugh, something that suggested he was of a solid state of mind. He did none of this, his face remained stoically unconcerned. The atmosphere in the room shared the same sentiment of disbelief that I did. Though, I'd only been privy to the Volturi's working for a short time, I was under the impression that in their hundreds of years as 'rulers' that no one had come close to dethroning them. That with the twin's powers behind them, they were unstoppable. What gave this Razin character of theirs the impression that he could do what others failed to? I could not figure any possible reason that would give someone the confidence to announce a plan to overthrow the Volturi's leadership to their faces.

The leaders kept silent and if his words had fazed them, they didn't show it; Which Zafir took as encouragement to continue. He took a deep breath in through his nose and out through his mouth before continuing in a more formal tone. "It is time for the Volturi to step aside."

"Have you any cause for such a demand?" Caius and Marcus turned to Aro, his question humouring the rantings of a confounding individual. Aro's curiosity led him to odd questions and decisions, but to entertain the ramblings of an obsessed man seemed fruitless upon first thoughts.

"You have been blind to a developing world. The humans are growing more powerful." Aro was listening intently and I tried to identify the origin of such outlandish prospects. The likelihood of humans wiping out vampires was as likely as someone returning from the dead. Wait… "If we do not act now, it will mean the end of vampires everywhere."

Caius was livid, but Aro showed no emotion as he continued the conversation with the young rebel as calmly as possible. "And if we do not accept this offer of yours?"

He smiled, too willing to answer the question. "If you choose to stand against us, we guarantee that the legacy of the Volturi will end in fire." No one said a word. The threat was more than clear and I held my breath for the next move Aro would make.

"Jane."

A first-timer, Zafir dropped to his knees almost instantly. He wailed, a dramatically pathetic sound. Once Jane had retreated, he slowly returned to his feet. Zafir shot a glare at Jane before shaking the feeling back into his hand and raising his head in unsupported confidence.

Aro seemed almost amused as he watched the man struggle to stand. "You were saying?"

"The reputation of your Witch Twins precedes all expectations," he commended sarcastically. Witch Twins? "Sad, though. That your survival hinges on children." Aro provided him with no response. So, instead, Zafir's eyes shifted from the twins to me and a grin began to grow on his face. I did my best to remain as passive as the others. He said nothing, instead he swung his head around before settling with playing to the attention of his entire audience in the room. The bragging tone he had been using for his warring threats became pitchier, playful even.

Zafir's pride was bruised but his delusions of his coven's grandeur status were only reinforced. He remained adamant, fixed and confident in his unrealistic beliefs. "Razin has no fear of your Witch Twins. Even their power will not be enough."

Aro waved him off, having grown bored of his empty threats and grandstanding. "Then your leader has made severe miscalculations that have guaranteed not only your death, but his as well." Aro nodded to Caius, who stood from his throne to descend the stairs.

Zafir frowned upon seeing the unchanging faces around him, "you misunderstand." His warnings falling on ears that had crushed every threat they'd ever encountered, but instead of becoming frustrated, he kept his tone light. "He knows all your secrets," he sung in the style of a sinful children's rhyme.

In a rapid swing, his arm cut through the air and he pointed a finger directly at me. Zafir was grinning wide as the Cheshire Cat, his boastful determination returned full fold as he attempted another tactic to get under the nerves of his audience. Automatically, Alec's hand slipped to my wrist and with a quick tug, he'd smoothly hidden most of my figure behind him and out of the stranger's view. Over Alec's shoulder, I could see that the reaction made the man's disturbing grin grow with pompous success.

"And he knows all about the little Witch Twin's pet." He let out a low hum, eyes directly on me.

"I'm no pet." Wrong move.

"I wonder." He teased, "will you taste as good as you look?"

Jane got to him first. The words had barely left his mouth before he was curled into his chest, already on his knees before the Masters. The dark chuckle that had ended his threat turned into screams of agony, Jane's gift showing no mercy. At almost the exact same time, there was an echoing boom behind me. As I whipped around to the source of the noise, I had hardly processed Alec's missing form from my other side before I realized that he had been the cause of the startling sound. Demetri had him pressed against the wall as he struggled to free himself. His teeth were bared and wild eyes were aimed at the same person his sister was mercilessly torturing.

She had been too fast for her brother and I reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, hoping to bring her back from the white rage that had overtaken both the twins' reactions. Caius had ignored the outburst, instead returning to his throne with a calmness matching the other kings and diametric to the rest of the room. As he did so, Aro signalled an end to the disarray. Finally, Jane's name joined the air, another soft contrast to the howls echoing in the chamber.

The scream began to die out as Jane obeyed the order. Felix and Xavier grabbed the vampire's arms as he fell forward, halting the man before he could wrap his arms around his chest. Alec shoved Demetri away from him and reappeared at my side as if nothing had happened, though he had shifted his body once more so that I was almost completely blocked from the view of the vampires in the middle of the room.

The prisoner gave a low chuckle, though he coughed in the middle of it — no doubt, a result of all the screaming he'd just done. Still, he kept forth his devoted, dense, attitude and though it was clearly more show than reality, the nonchalance still tickled the thin strings of patience in the rest of the guards. Jane had a slight pout and I could almost hear her beating herself up for falling for the provocative taunts.

I grabbed for her hand behind Alec's robe, a telling reaction that would no doubt be frowned upon if anyone had seen it — especially the captive. Nevertheless, she squeezed my hand back, but released it all too quickly. This was no time for my puny, bothersome, human emotions, I chided myself. I was lucky that no one had seen, but I struggled to settle back into the numbness I had started the trial with.

Once everyone settled, Aro cleared his throat. "Your threats are without foundation," Aro informed him. "Your coven may desire power, but any attempt to destroy the Volturi will fail."

"They are not threats, but rather a forewarning of the rebellion that is to come." He began to bend his leg to stand but Xavier pressed him back down to his knees. "Razin will save our kind, restore us to our former glory at the top of the food chain. His reign will become legendary and it will commence as he stands on your ashes in this very room. He tried again to stand, but Felix placed a hand on the back of his neck and tugged his arm out and behind him, holding him in place. Still, he continued, losing more of his credibility in his frenzied rant, "he shall announce our existence, our majesty to the humans. They will bow before us and we will be their Gods."

Zafir's voice rang out in the chamber and his head dipped, darkness seeping into his words for the first time. "He has seen it." I had no idea what he meant, but it caught Aro's immediate attention. A smirk on the man's face took on the same harshness as his tone, as if he had been expecting this reaction.

In a flash, Aro had glided down the stairs and taken hold of the man's hand. The silence in the room was killing me and my eyes skirted between everyone I could lay my eyes on. But nothing clued me in to exactly how or why Aro's low rating of the possible calamity in Zafir's warnings had flipped so quickly.

Aro released Zafir's hand and turned his back on him, giving one simple nod to his partners. However, he continued to address Zafir. "Razin. Your…leader, has chosen a telling nom de guerre."

Zafir's chest puffed out and commendations for his coven leader spilled out of him. "By rebelling against the oppressive rule of the Volturi, he stands akin to the greatness of the Cossack leader, Stepan Razin. My leader is fearless and he leads an army greater than your mere guard." Felix and Xavier gave sharp pulls on his arms and I could see him hold a groan in his throat at the careless pain they inflicted.

Weighing the young man's aggrandised review of his coven head, Aro stated, "Stepan Razin is considered a hero of the Cossack yeomanry."

Not missing a beat, Zafir declared, "my chief will be remembered as a hero for his people."

The leader of the Volturi clicked his tongue and gave Zafir a pitying glance, sans any real empathy. "And yet he has sent a vampire just past his infancy to threaten the most powerful coven of vampires. Alone."

This was the first time the captive faltered and he gave a quick, nervous glance over his shoulder to see the guard members trained on him, just waiting for the word. He was going to die here, today, and no doubt he would go down preaching the words he'd been fed by his commander with the intensity of a cult-like influence.

He doubled down. "It is not a matter of if, but when, you and your coven will fall." He turned around, stuck his chin back up and said, "one day soon, the Volturi will pay for your cruelty and repression of our kind."

"Perhaps." A small smile found its way to Caius' lips. "But, I am afraid you will not live to see it."

"My death is a necessity in the story of your defeat."

Marcus leaned forward, his voice hollow as he agreed, "then the punishment shall fit the crime."

"Your actions have risked the exposure of our world and the future of vampire-kind." Caius declared. "For this, you will die."

With a roar, Zafir managed to manoeuvre himself out of his captor's grasps and he lunged toward the three kings, though he did not make it far. Felix had him caught cold before he could take a step and shoved him back to the ground, slamming his face into the marble stone floor. Surely, this would silence his disrespect but it only seemed to spur him on. A small hum turned into mocking laughter as the man lifted his head with a cynical grin. A long, thin crack ran across his face from his left ear to the other side of his lips. So, this was what Felix and Demetri's sparring practices were meant for. Except, Felix held nothing back this time. I viewed his large stature as somewhat endearing, similar to that of a lovable oaf. But, as he shoved the man's head back into the floor, I could feel my chest fighting against opposing judgements of the scene.

My throat tightened at the sight and I could feel the glass shatter around the part of my heart that believed Felix could no do evil. It was like the heartbreak when you watched your favourite childhood movie only to realise you could now only see it from an adult's point of view. Watching Felix pull the man to his feet, his cheek shattered like a porcelain doll, was gut-wrenching in that moment. I felt like I was reading Of Mice and Men, and only just comprehending why George refused to let Lenny near the fluffy, fragile bunnies on their imagined farm.

I had been humanizing my vampire friends. Which even though technically I would argue they were still human in everything but nature, I had been decisively ignorant in the reality of what they were. I knew it, and they never failed to remind me, but this was perhaps the first time I felt that 'monster' was more a part of their definition than it was an insult. And all it took was playful Felix initiating a pointlessly violent attack, one that I was more fascinated by than terrified of.

Felix's strong-arming did little to diminish the passion that his captive preached with. He had not achieved fear within the leaders, as seemed to be his intention. Instead, Zafir chose a new target. His words came tumbling out in a shout faster than they his mouth could move. They leaked of desperation, but the bait was too good, too unexpected and it caught the two men holding him off guard and they froze, as I did, at the captive's words.

"He's coming for your mate, Witch Boy."

I'd hardly processed the words before a tiny gust of air swept over me. Alec snarled, dashing forward and grabbing Zafir by his throat, slamming him into the floor. His right foot stomped on the lesser vampire's arm, holding it down as Alec crouched above him. "Stay away from her," he hissed.

"So protective of the human. Can't say I blame you — with enemies like yours." Zafir turned his head to look at my stunned face and his eyes scanned my body. Amused by the power he held over Alec, he continued egging on the boy that literally held his life in his hands. "Just being your mate will put her in constant danger. And it's all your fault."

I knew I shouldn't have engaged, but the words slipped out, "what are you talking about?"

Zafir raised his eyebrows before the reason for my confusion seemed to dawn on him. He sniggered, cheerfully exclaiming, "oh!" A delighted, broad smile spread across his face as he laughed in Alec's face. Alec's glare hardened, aimed to the offending vampire. "She didn't know?"

Alec shoved against Zafir's throat, choking him. If he pushed hard enough, he would crush the rebel's larynx. Before he could do so, Felix grabbed him under his arms and removed him from atop the man. He shoved Alec back in Jane and I's direction and helped Xavier put Zafir back on his knees.

Alec froze when he met my eyes. I swallowed, wetting my lips before asking, "what is he talking about?"

"Oopsie." Zafir giggled behind Alec until his voice was stolen, his throat running raw as Jane attacked again with a vengeance. But he'd gotten what he wanted and the damage had been done.

Alec appeared in front of me, his hands gently cupping my cheeks. His eyes bore into mine and he pushed my hair off of my face. "Saffiya…" he whispered desperately, "cuore mio." I began to shake my head, the weight of the situation intensifying. My hands hung limply at my sides and I clenched my fists as they began to shake. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to pause this moment or to rewind and find more time to process. To think. I needed to think.

Finally, my eyes blinked open and Alec's mask had completely dissolved, revealing a remorseful and pained expression on his face. He breathed out his confession, "you are my mate…unico mio." I couldn't find it in me to remember how to speak or how to breathe. I was frozen, stuck until I was saved by the villain in the room.

"Listen to that heart race. How sweet — I love a good doomed romance." Alec let out a low growl and broke away from me to face the source of his emotions, keeping me as best out of sight as possible. But, I stumbled back and Jane's hand landed on my shoulder blade to steady me.

He was posturing now, but we were all falling victim to it. He had identified the weakness none of us could have expected or prepared for, thus delaying his inevitable death for a short period of entertainment. The three kings did nothing and he remained in the hold of Felix and Xavier, though Demetri was now placed directly behind him. Waiting for the order to see his sentence through and rid of us the burden. But, no one made a move.

Zafir was emboldened by his success so far and as he'd done since his arrival, he continued talking. Because I was the weakness and somehow, he knew just where to poke. "I wonder. If only daddy dearest could see you now — joining a vampire cult. Would he be proud of his little girl?"

That stole my attention, but I wasn't the only one.

"Enough." Caius declared and he flashed down to stand before the vampire, his hands wrapped around his face.

"Wait!" I cried out, forcefully pushing past the twin's delayed line of defence to stop me. The sick smile returned to his face as I broke the Volturi wall of stone affect once more. I couldn't bring myself to care, desperate for the information I was sure he had. "What do you know about my father?"

Felix pulled the left arm taut as Xavier grabbed his other arm, and Caius began to twist his head. A distinct cracking sound paired with garbled sounds in the back of Zafir's throat.

"No!" But Alec grabbed hold of my waist and held me back. With a loud crack, a sound mimicking shattered glass signalled the end of Zafir. The vampire had been torn to pieces before I could blink.

I cried out, struggling weakly against Alec's arms. He pulled me closer to his chest, lowering his head to whisper in my ear. "Saffiya, he was playing you." The lilt of his voice that normally soothed me should have calmed me down as he intended. But, I refused to give in. "He knew nothing about your father."

I shouted out as some of the lower guard began to clear the body and Alec finally released me. "Really? Because he seemed to know about a lot of other things." I threw back.

His eyebrows narrowed and I wondered if he would even realise why I was upset before his frustration prompted an outburst. "That is not fair."

"Isn't it?" Forgetting our audience, I lost myself in the stillness between us. I bit my lip, trying to find the right words. Normally, I would never address one of our grievances in front of others, but this time it was different. And I had to know. "How long have you known?" The question caught him off guard and his face fell, as if he expected me to just move past him keeping what was probably the biggest secret possible from me.

"From the moment we met."

He was looking straight at me. His hood had fallen, yet I could hardly make out his features through the darkness. Except his eyes. Which now barely passed as red and I wondered how I could have confused such a colour with black. My mind was in such disarray that it hadn't even processed the events in front of me yet. It was like I was stuck, because I couldn't tear my eyes away from him either.

"You were not supposed to find out this way." Alec reached out a hand to touch my arm. But, I moved quicker than he expected and slapped the attempt away from me. He froze, watching me cautiously, waiting for my next unpredictable move. If he tried to grab me again and I fought back, he risked accidentally injuring me — or rather I risked injuring myself on his marble body. 

My mouth was dry, but I summoned the courage to look at him again. "You should've told me."

He nodded, "I know."

The room was stunned into silence, all eyes on us as I dropped my head away from Alec. They had all known and clearly, no one expected this reveal between Alec and I to happen like this. Maybe it was a sign. We'd been at odds for half the time we'd known each other. I doubted friendship would be easy to recover after this incident. Then there was the third option. A new option.

The room was stunned into silence. They had all known and clearly, no one expected this reveal between Alec and I to happen like this. Maybe it was a sign. We'd been at odds for half the time we'd known each other. I doubted friendship would be easy to recover after this incident. Then there was the third option. A new option.

Finally, Aro cleared his throat. "Jane, would you please escort Saffiya to her room. I believe some rest would suit her." Jane was as shocked as the others, but she quickly recovered.

"Master."

I came to a stop at the top of the second stairwell. It only took Jane a second to realise that I was no longer following her.

"What are you doing?" She snapped at me, though her face softened as she took in my blank expression. She hadn't said a word to me since we'd left the throne room, only leading me through the dark hallways with a cold shoulder vibe. I assumed her behaviour had something to do with what I'd said to Alec, so maybe she was just surprised or she was upset with me. Either way, I was too mixed up in my own head to question her and have a conversation if it was merited. I'm not sure I could handle something like that at the moment..

I looked up at the grand doors that housed centuries of books behind them. "I want to be in the library."

Jane shook her head, denying my request. "You need to rest."

I closed my eyes, dropping my head down pitifully. "I can't. Not right now." I still had a vexing electricity coursing through my veins, causing the kind of adrenaline that makes you feel like you were moving at the speed of a turtle — mentally and physically.

She relented as she realized that my mind had been made up. The two guards that had followed us exchanged glances before taking up post outside the library doors, opening them up for us. Jane followed me to one of the seating areas, eyeing me as I collapsed on the couch and faced out of the window.

"One hour. Then, you sleep." I nodded, not feeling up to countering the time limit placed on me. I had been staying in Alec's room and I had no desire to go anywhere near him at the moment.

Jane hesitated and I could feel her eyes boring into the back of my head. I knew she probably wanted to say something else, probably about Alec. But she didn't and I didn't ask. I continued to stare out of the window at the open skies. A few seconds later, I heard the library doors close and I was left alone.

Chapter Text

I wanted nothing more than to sleep. For days, ideally. Demetri and Felix, however, had other ideas.

Since Jane had left, I'd been unable to fall asleep. The day's events had been overstimulating my brain as I struggled to find a suitable distraction. Which is why I was glad when Felix and Demetri barged into the room. They never stayed on any one topic for too long and their bickering made for excellent entertainment. And after bribing me with popcorn, they'd talked me into having a movie night.

"Pick something." I looked up from my book and raised my eyebrows at Demetri. "Seriously. Before Felix returns or we'll end up watching three hours of lasers in space."

I convinced Demetri to let me finish my chapter until Felix got back. It was only fair, seeing as they'd been the ones to interrupt me. But, I decided that satisfying his question would allow for that. "What film do you want to watch, then?"

His answer was immediate. "Something with cars."

"Great, any movies about cars?"

"A few come to mind," he said casually, his grin growing.

"Then I pick those movies."

"Which one?"

I shrugged. How many could there be? I looked back down to my book and not a second later, Demetri sighed dramatically on my right.

"I'm almost done. I promise."

He lifted the book up in my hands so he could see the cover. "I thought you finished this one weeks ago?"

"I read it a lot," I said, shrugging. "Wait, how did you know that?"

He copied my shrug. "Alec mentioned it. The guy wouldn't shut up about you for the last two missions. Seriously, the whole time." He threw one hand behind his head and leaned back on the couch, mumbling to himself, "kid needs a muzzle." I looked down at the book in my hands, my fingers tracing the text printed inside it. Demetri froze, realising his use of the boy's name broke the code of silence on the elephant in the room. He gave a guilty chuckle, "my bad…" I was surprised to hear that Alec talked about me at all, even more so because it wasn't Jane telling me this.

"It's okay. A muzzle's a good idea." Demetri grinned when he heard my joke, probably pleased I hadn't yelled at him instead. And Demetri, being far more emotionally intuitive than our dear friend, Felix, used the moment to breach the topic of the boy.

"You wanna talk about it?" I cringed at the suggestion, though I gave him a reluctant smile, appreciative of the gesture.

I closed the book in my lap with a snap. "Not even a little."

"Can I just say one thing?" I sighed, willingly giving him my attention. I felt so lost that it couldn't hurt to have a few outside perspectives. "If Alec kept the—" I tensed, expecting him to use the word I'd been trying to avoid thinking about and he noticed this. "Thing… from you for this long, he definitely has his reasons."

"Demetri—"

"I'm not saying let him off the hook, but maybe just hear him out?"

My tone was bitter with the history between Alec and me. "Would you?" He appeared thoughtful about it, but didn't get the chance to answer as the double doors of the library disturbed the peace.

Felix barged into the room, along with a strong smell that wafted through the library like cigarette smoke. He turned the corner into the alcove, holding a bowl of popcorn at arm's length.

I pouted, "you burnt it."

The large man rolled his eyes at me, holding the bowl above my head and out of my reach. "Thank you Felix, my favourite-st and the hottest vampire to ever exist, how thoughtful of you." I pouted and his eyes checked out the ceiling once more before he gave in.

I grinned as he plopped it in my lap and moved to the couch diagonal to mine, his nose crinkling from the smell of the human food. "Thank you."

Throwing his arm over the back of the couch, Felix reminded us of our main task for the night. "So, what are we watching?"

Demetri nearly squealed, "Batman!"

I couldn't help but give a snort of laughter. "That's a car movie?"

"Humans can make all the corvettes and jaguars that they want. But the Batmobile — now that's a car."

"Well, it is appropriate," I agreed. "Especially after how Felix kicked that guy's butt today." I declared, pretending to throw a punch and a kick.

Felix beamed with pride. "Hell yeah, I did."

Demetri chuckled, "so modest."

I leaned forward excitedly to Felix, "will you teach me how to do that?" I wasn't completely helpless when it came to fighting, but I definitely didn't look as cool as Felix when he fought.

I expected him to be ecstatic, but he hesitated and glanced at Demetri. "I'm not sure that's the best idea."

The other man rubbed his neck and added, "yeah, Fi. You're kind of…breakable."

"I'll wear kneepads and a helmet if I have to." Felix considered this and nodded eagerly.

"That could work!"

"It's a bad idea," Demetri countered, taking on the rarely held position of 'party-pooper' in our group. "You get so much as a bruise and Aro'll have his head."

Felix's let out a booming laugh, "not to mention Alec—" Demetri shoved an elbow at him, but it was too late. Both men turned to see my reaction.

I pretended not to notice the slip. "Oh, please. I've had so many fractures, breaks, burns, and cuts that I can hardly remember where they all came from." I laughed a little at their sensitivity, "I swear, I could scrape my knee on the sidewalk and you'd all act like the world was ending."

"Only if you were bleeding." I snorted at the comment

"Now, that, is a scar I do not have," I winked, thinking of the fang marks critical to the vampire legends. Felix couldn't help but give a boisterous laugh and Demetri rolled his eyes, but smiled anyways.

He leaned back, throwing out, "maybe when you're a newborn. You might just put Felix through the floor."

I swallowed at the reminder of the impending, undecided date. I still had no escape plan, short of trying to scale the castle walls, and no ideas as to where I'd go first. But I nodded along with Felix, attempting to mirror his level of enthusiasm.

"As an expert in kicking ass, it is my honour to take you on as a student." He gave a little bow and Demetri scoffed.

"Please. You should see my skills — when I'm not going easy on this guy." He winked at me, baiting Felix even more.

"Hush, Demetri. It's my turn for the spotlight."

"But if she really wants to learn, it should be from the master."

I was silent as they bickered, stuck on something they'd mentioned as a throwaway word. "What's a newborn?" I asked, remembering the word from the trial earlier.

"A new vampire." Demetri easily explained away. "The first three months of a vampire's life, every one of your new attributes is heightened — from strength to blood lust."

Felix added, "they're near impossible to control." I frowned. "What does—"

"Questions later!" Felix appeared in front of me, patted my head, and helped pull me up from the couch. "Movie time." He handed me my popcorn.

I cast a glance over to Demetri, who reassured me, "don't worry, we'll answer all your questions. You have time." Time. But, how much? I lagged behind the two men as we headed for the doors, and as if it'd been planned, they began to creak open.

Alec halted in the doorway upon seeing Felix and Demetri. They had done well enough to distract me, but now that the source of my frustrations was unavoidable, I doubted even Batman could heal the furious and contrasting emotions raging inside me. His entrance reminded me of everything I'd been trying to ignore.

Alec's eyes narrowed as he traded looks with Felix, then Demetri, before finally landing on me. His eyes softened, inspecting me for any damage, as he always did when he hadn't seen me for a while. I used to think it was some weird insurance to avoid getting in trouble for accidentally hurting me again. Now, though, I knew that I was probably wrong in this assumption and that Alec likely had a less calculating reason for doing it. A reason that sent butterflies through my stomach before they were forced to take a backseat by the unmistakable fury that shared its' space, refusing to be silenced.

Demetri leaned in a bit, as if to hide me from Alec's view or vice versa, stealing Alec's attention from me. He glowered at the man, but I still couldn't tear my eyes away from his face.

After standing in silence for longer than was reasonable, Alec looked back at me and croaked out, "can we talk?" The sound made me bite my lip, wondering if vampire's could cry, would I see tear stains on his cheeks. I brushed the thought aside, thinking my thoughts were too dramatic.

I hesitated as Demetri turned around to give me a look. He tilted his head to Alec, as if assuring me that if I chose not to stay with Alec that they would stand by me. I glanced back to Alec. He was looking at me with a sort of saddened hopefulness that pushed past my anger, though the fire kindled, impatiently waiting for an opportunity to return.

I found myself nodding, politely declining Demetri's unspoken offer of support. "I'll be fine." I gave him and Felix a small smile and it was the best I could manage under the circumstances. I pushed my bowl of popcorn off into Demetri's hands, "protect that with your life."

Demetri wrapped an arm around the bowl to secure it and walked to Alec, claiming his direct attention. However, it was Felix that spoke. "We'll give you the room, then," he was matter-of-fact, ruffling my hair casually as he passed by me. In an obvious attempt to brighten my mood, he cheered, "movie night will prevail!" But I had already turned my attention back to Alec so Demetri nudged his shoulder and led him out of the door as he pouted childishly.

The boom of the doors closing bounced off of the library walls, waking me from my haze. Alec made no move to say or do anything and the longer we stood there, the more I struggled to suppress the reckless emotions inside me. Seeing no point in standing and staring at each other for an unnecessary amount of time, I spun on my heel and returned to the couches the guys and I had occupied barely two minutes ago.

I'd been reading a fairytale book before their arrival, so I retrieved it from the couch. I considered the collection more 'light reading' than one that required constant focus and comprehension. It was one I often pulled from the shelves to read a story or two out of. Due to the chaotic state of the library's system, I was committed to returning my borrowed books back where I found them. This was as good a time as any while I waited for Alec to get out whatever he wanted to say so we could just move on.

I turned to look for Alec by the door, but he was gone. A quick flash of disappointment and relief passed over me just as I turned into the pathway between the bookshelves and spotted him. His hands were in his pant pockets and he stood directly in between two aisles of books. Specifically, the exact aisle I needed to complete my task. He must've assumed which book I'd been reading and remembered its' location. He gave me a soft smile, one just barely there.

Frowning, I brushed past him, turning into the fourth row of books. I slid my fingers across the binders of the dusty and weathered novels until I found the spot I was looking for. As I reached up, I could see Alec out of the corner of my eye as he waited for me to finish. He leaned against the shelf and silently watched as I slipped the antique copy of Grimm's Fairytales into its' rightful spot. There was nothing else to do that would help me put off this interaction with Alec. It was time. So, sighing roughly, I crossed my arms over my chest and faced him.

With my attention, he rubbed the back of his neck and shifted back and forth, stepping away from the shelf. He looked awkward, uncomfortable and there was no hint of his carefully crafted exterior of pride and arrogance. It was an emotion that I never would have imagined him giving anyone the opportunity to observe.

"Jane said you were here." I nodded, confirming his sister's story. Not that I needed to, considering our current location. "She wanted to apologise for the way your practice session ended."

I raised an eyebrow. "Jane…apologise?" Jane had at least three tendencies when it came to dealing with 'societal expectations': 1) She never verbally apologised for anything. Though, she did perform little tasks or the like that expressed the notion as best she could. 2) She was a notorious cheater in board games and everyone knew it. And if you confronted her, she'd double down. And 3) a lack of patience that often led to temper tantrums and ended with her amusing herself by using her gift on whoever was to blame. She was a charming girl.

"She seemed to be confused," he corrected. "Do you know what happened?"

"Err…yeah. It hurt." I rolled my eyes, my tone dripping sarcasm. "She doesn't need to apologise. It's barely a memory."

"You're sure?" Of course I was sure. She'd done nothing wrong.

It was as if he were attempting to gage my mood and my level of hostility, waiting to see if I were still upset with him. I decided to make it clear, "what do you want, Alec?"

He dropped his head to study the floor, debating his response in his head. Why couldn't he just tell me — "Marcus said the Masters would wish to speak with us. If we cannot figure out how to, well…"

"Not kill each other?" I filled in the blanks with a slight humour and his eyes immediately returned to mine, burning like wildfire.

Yet, his voice was gentle, "that's not funny."

I bit my lip and rubbed my arm guiltily, knowing it was a step too far. "Sorry." I turned to lean my head back against the books, supporting myself on the shelf.

So, the adults wanted to step in and mediate. I debated how bad it would be to talk about all of these strange emotions I was experiencing in front of Aro, Caius, and Marcus versus discussing them privately with only Alec. It sounded mortifying, but I refused to give in so easily. "I don't want to talk to you." His mouth dropped as if he expected a more timid response from me. No way, Jose. Not this time.

He recovered quickly, however, unconsciously puffing out his chest and adjusting his stance. "Well, too bad, because I do."

I scoffed, "you see — that. That right there."

"What?"

"You! You're the most egotistical, self-righteous person I've ever met." I threw my hands up in distress, easily falling back into the battle positions we were so used to. This was, however, much more than a simple tiff. "Just because you've decided now is a convenient time for you to talk, doesn't mean I have to."

He gritted his teeth, frustrated with my temper and trying to control his. "Then, when would you like to talk?"

"Never." I crossed my arms again, refusing to look at him.

He chastised me impatiently, "you are behaving like a child."

"Or maybe you're just old." "What is your problem?"

I turned my glare from the bookcase in front of me to him. "Seriously?"

He cast his eyes down and away from mine, running a hand through his hair as he struggled to find the words to help me understand. The gentleness returned to him for a moment, revealed in the insecurity. "I wanted to tell you."

As much as I wanted to hear what he had to say, I couldn't bite back the betrayal that was consuming me. Demetri had asked me to be patient with him, but I wasn't able to manage even that. Not yet. "Would that have been before or after I'd been turned into a blood-sucking demon and had no choice but to be stuck with you?"

I achieved my goal as his face filled with hurt and immediately, he denied the accusation. "Do you truly think so little of me?"

"Is it not reciprocated?" I retorted and he seemed to be confused by my claim. "Until a few weeks ago, you were absolutely horrid to me, even knowing what you did." I was struggling to move past the fact that he'd kept this secret from me and until I did, I wouldn't be able to even consider what it all meant. What did being 'mates' actually mean, how would it change our current relationship? These were questions begging desperately for attention, but it was more than I could give at the moment.

He pursed his lips and I could see him processing my words, though he didn't seem to comprehend my point. "I've told you I was sorry." He took another step towards me but I held a hand out firmly to deny his attempt to connect with me. If he touched me for even a second, I would not be able to stay angry with him. That, I knew for sure. His touch clouded my determination and if I gave in before we'd addressed the details, we'd never be able to move past this.

"And yet, three months later and we're right back where we started. With you and your secrets." I pushed past him but he caught my wrist and pulled me back. I gasped, immediately meeting his eyes which burned into mine. For a moment, I was lost in him and I could almost feel the wall of my enmity breaking down.

Through his teeth, he tried to convince me, "Like it or not, those secrets keep you safe."

For some reason, the return of those words sent a raging fire through my bones. His words inspired my fury to push back against the effect he had on me and I tore my wrist away from him. I glared and told him, "I'm getting really tired of hearing that."

"It is the truth."

I scoffed. "Where I come from, the word secret is synonymous with a coward."

"I did not make the decision to keep these secrets lightly."

"And yet you've lied to me and forced others to do the same."

He closed his eyes, his voice tight and divisive in itself as if trying to hold back the bull that kicked impatiently at the door of its' stable. The bull was winning. "Must you be so difficult?"

Throwing his vexed attitude back at him, I charged, with little regard for consequence, "because I didn't just give in and fall into your arms to live happily ever after like a good little human?" I knew it was unfair of me, but he easily took my bait.

He didn't falter, didn't hesitate as he raised his voice at me again, "it'd be a hell of a lot better than this!"

I froze and he dropped his head in shame as his temper attacked me. Before he could recover and try to offer a new apology, I continued to let my anger control my brain. It took the reins and tossed them aside, and I'm not even sure I felt human anymore.

I smirked bitterly, ruefully as I stared back at him. "Was it worth this?"

His jaw tensed before ruby eyes focused on mine. "Yes."

"Pardon?"

"You are my mate and you are alive and breathing - here. With me." He stared at me, wide-eyed, as if he didn't fully believe that this moment would come to pass. He cleared his throat, "I stand by my decision."

I choked on a breath, struggling to even fathom that this was real. "Then this conversation is over."

He let out an exasperated sigh at my contempt, that I wasn't going to make this easy on him at any turn. He wasn't giving up. But, instead of trying to meet me halfway, he muttered woefully, "all of the centuries. Of all the women. And it had to be you." He said this more to himself, but he made no attempt to lower his voice or hide the spitefulness that coloured his words. It would've been amusing if it didn't feel so personal. He wanted it to sting and it hurt a lot more than I was willing to acknowledge.

Momentarily lacking the ability to consult the least reckless part of my brain, I found myself on defense, biting right back at him. Honestly, I didn't mean to say it — I was just so angry, "brilliant. Go make one of them your mate and leave me alone." Alec's face dropped and I felt a pang in my chest at the sight.

"Saffiya!" He exclaimed, appalled, as if I'd just confessed to some heinous crime.

"What!" He didn't answer me. Instead, he closed the gap between our bodies and captured my face in his hands.

And his lips came crashing down on mine.

Chapter Text

Kissing Alec was like silence.

The kind of quiet that stirs a drumroll in your soul.

We were the silence of the battlefield, the empty space before the clang of armour and the stillness in the middle of a city just before the dawn. It was New Years Eve, the buzz in the air at the start of the countdown and the first breath you take before the calendar marked a new start. Our silence was hanging upside down on the monkey bars and just closing your eyes…it was freedom.

Mentally, I urged myself to push him away, still upset with him but I found that anger eagerly delving into the kiss. Even if our lives depended on it, I would not have been able to deny his touch, so I surrendered to the feeling. His touch, like the petals of a freshly picked flower tickling my skin. Everywhere his fingers landed — my jaw, my elbow, my waist — sparked an electric shock that exploded from my chest like a firework. It left a lightness in my stomach, heavy as a breath of air.

I was completely and utterly lost in him, his taste, his lips.

Weeks of lingering touches and scattered glances hid within our friendship. Raised voices and slamming doors, contentment in the anger and desire in the loneliness. I caught myself staring at the doors just waiting for him to appear. At night, he was a whisper in my dreams and when I woke, I couldn't not think of him. Not of what he was doing or thinking or wearing — just him. As if I were contemplating his existence in the world we both inhabited. I was consumed by him. I couldn't breathe without —

"Oh my god." I was breathing heavily and though I was more desperate for air than him, Alec's chest was rising and falling in sync with mine. My hands were on his chest, steadying myself as my thoughts zipped back and forth trying to process the moment. Until finally, "oh my god!" I pushed back against his chest and out of his arms. He seemed surprised - either with my sudden retreat or his own actions I couldn't tell, but he obeyed and his hands disappeared from my body. His eyes quickly scanned my body, as if worried he'd hurt me with a kiss. A kiss.

"You kissed me."

A small smirk, on its own accord, replaced the concern and confirmed, "I did."

I smacked his shoulder. "Wh — Why!"

"You didn't like it?" He raised an eyebrow with a teasing tone, as if daring me to deny it.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to maintain the same calm and regal attitude as I struggled to find a comeback. "What? I didn't — that's not…" I pointed a finger at him, trying to collect myself. "You can't just go around kissing people."

"I'm sorry." The apology was oddly genuine as he continued, "I'll take it back."

"Huh?"

He took two fingers and brushed them over my lips quickly before tapping them on his own. "There. I took it back."

My hand replaced his at my own mouth, and though it was impossible, it did feel as if the ghost of his kiss lingered on my lips. "You can't just take it back."

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can't."

"I just did," he laughed at me. "It's mine, again."

"No." I huffed, wrapping my hands around the soft silk tie that was tucked into his vest and pulling him back down to my mouth.

I lingered. I did. I'll admit it. And the millisecond that I did caused Alec to automatically take hold of my hips so when I pulled away, the shocked expression on his face was only inches from mine. He began toying with the loops on the sides of my jeans, twisting them around his fingers in a secure grip. Our eyes locked and the glow of red in his were growing darker. Only this time, I wasn't so naive to attribute it purely to hunger.

I swallowed, suddenly timid under his heavy gaze. "Now, it's yours." My eyes fell to his lips with the words and as I bit my own, I saw something flash across his eyes.

"Mine," he growled, giving a sharp tug on my jeans and pulling my hips into his.

My body collided with his as we met halfway with a fervent desire, both driven by something we didn't quite understand but knew we could no longer resist. Whatever I was going to say vanished as butterflies escaped my stomach and entered my bloodstream. I became lost in my attempt to protest his words with more than playground retorts.

There were so many things that needed to be said. The bad, the underlying fears, and the innocence associated. These topics hadn't been pushed from my mind. And being so aware, the last thing I should have done was let him kiss me again. But I knew that once they were said aloud, this couldn't happen again. No matter how much I wanted it to. So, I indulged. Selfishly, fatally, euphorically.

My fingers found themselves at the nape of his neck, knotted in his hair. His grip tightened on my hips, holding me close with a cautious note as if to keep himself from forgetting how delicate I was. I tempted these boundaries, tracing my tongue over his lower lip. He squeezed my right hip in an empty warning, and still he grasped control in both himself and the battle we were engaged in.

His fingers briefly flashed by the skin at my navel and I tugged his hair as a natural response, pushing myself closer to him. Emboldened, his teeth scraped my bottom lip and with a gentle nip, a targeted electric pulse bolted through my veins, lighting them on fire. A small whine emanated from my vocal cords and I could feel him smirking at the reaction.

Not one to give in quite so easily, I took the opportunity I'd been presented and pulled a little harder on his hair. I was awarded with my own guttural groan originating from Alec's chest. He broke away in astonishment to see that my power matched his own. He narrowed his eyes as I giggled in triumph, a direct challenge to his dominance.

Also not easily deterred, Alec leaned in again, his breathing bracing against my own as his eyes met mine through the fullness of his lashes. Our faces inches apart, we recycled the air between us, not willing to part for an activity so inconsequential as breathing. With a devilish smirk, Alec took advantage of my pause and gripped my waist, pulling our bodies closer together until space was merely a theory.

I gasped at the impact and instead of returning to our previous activity, Alec brushed the mess of my hair off of my face as I stared up at him, missing the taste of his lips. He traced my cheekbones with two fingers and pressed his lips to my forehead. He took a moment there before whispering against my skin, cherishing the meaning in, "my mate." He said the words as if he couldn't believe they were true. As if the statement alone would bring him happiness for the next thousand years.

But it was the one thing he could have said that would end the moment between us.

He was breathing just as heavily as I was and I think he knew what he had done. Had he done it on purpose, knowing that the comment would ignite a certain response in me or had he gotten what he wanted and was ready to move on? As I quietly questioned his intentions, he kept me close.

Alec watched me through cautious eyes. Yes, he knew as well as I did. There was no avoiding this.

Almost reluctantly, a touch of bitterness coated my throat. "Of all the centuries, of all the women, right?" I began to quote him.

"I don't want anyone else." My stomach fluttered despite the returning of my normal brain functions. I breathed in, not yet willing to pull away from him but I squeezed my eyes shut, too afraid of what I might interpret in his eyes. "Only you. Always you."

I shook my head, his words ringing in my ears like church bells and catapulting me back into reality. All of a sudden, I could feel the caress of his skin against mine become more distinct, no longer stuck behind a haze of fog. I couldn't take it. The purity in his words with the backdrop of unintended damage, but damage none the less, made my chest ache. His words were sweet, but the intimacy in them haunted me.

I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. He rested his forehead on mine, his lips inches away and I let him, too weak to resist. I needed him, his touch, his faith.

"Saffiya?" His voice nearly broke my heart. All frustration and disgruntled sass had disappeared. I couldn't stop the innate pull to check in with him. My eyes opened and he was already staring at me. He looked at me like a puppy, devoted and naive as concern began to grow on his face the more he observed mine.

I couldn't taste my own words as I used them to close myself in an empty sepulchre. "A…again," I breathed out, still finding my voice. "You said you wouldn't lie to me again."

It was not difficult to note the differences from the first time I'd accused him of lying to me. That annoyingly attractive and conceited smirk that had rested on his face, playfully challenging my claim was nowhere to be found. Instead, it was replaced with a deeper emotion, an internal case of shame and guilt with a loss on how to rectify the damage of his decisions.

I struggled to resist as his hand came up to cup my cheek and his breath washed over me like the morning tide.

"Forgive me," he pleaded in a whisper and I whimpered, unable to retain the height of my anger when he was this close to me. My knees were weak and I was sure that if he let me go, I wouldn't have the strength to hold myself up. I lifted my head to look at him and he observed me through thick lashes. His eyes searched mine for any sign of absolution. In his desire for it, he soothed my uncertain affect by touching his nose to mine. Softly, slowly, his lips found my forehead and with a soft kiss, my body's tension begin to dissipate. In turn, I could feel his chest lose a similar tension caused by mine. His lips fluttered over my eyelids, continuing their exploration of my face and leaving whispering kisses along the curve of my cheekbone. I couldn't remember what I had to say, if I even wanted to say anything.

"Perdonami." He repeated his plea, the Italian tickling my skin. His lips pressed gently at the height of my jaw, directly beneath my ear. They trailed down my jaw, leaving no one kiss as they made their way to the corner of my mouth, tempting me, confusing me. It wasn't his intent, as he asked for forgiveness he may not have deserved. I'm not sure if it was our proximity, or something else I wouldn't yet acknowledge, but I could almost feel the pain radiating off of him.

He whispered something else but my ears were clouded as his lips barely brushed mine with the words. The gesture of intimacy lacked a lustful intention, serving instead to convey the judgement and honesty mixed along the emotions that were at war inside of him. The last thing I wanted was to stoke the emotions that taunted him, but I had to be clear, while I still could be.

"I can't trust you right now."

I found strength in the admission and I gave a soft push against his chest, asking for space in-between us. Unwillingly, he once again followed my silent command and took a full step away from me. He'd step off the world if I requested. It occurred to me then that it was possible I owned him as much as he did me.

"I was trying to protect you." He went to say more but stopped himself, rethinking the words he had already formed. But I knew what he was going to say; 'mate'. The guy wouldn't say it for months and now all of a sudden he couldn't stop reminding me that I was had been claimed.

The mere reminder of the relationship triggered the exact response Alec had attempted to avoid. One of defiance. Defiance against some unknown force that apparently gets to decide who we are supposed to spend the rest of our lives with. The audacity of such a system made my blood boil and I took it out on him.

Automatically, a short laugh came out of me and he was taken aback by the abrupt shift in my behaviour. "You keep saying that, but have you considered that maybe you did all of this for yourself?"

The accusation struck a nerve and he growled unthreateningly at me, "that's not true."

"Maybe not consciously, but did you even think to ask what I wanted?" The prospect of the validity in my statement caught him off guard, taunting him to reconsider his actions and their effect on the world outside of himself.

"What do you want me to say?" Alec snapped, an already exasperated attitude surrounding him. I shot him a glare and slammed my hands on the nearest table because it was a stupid question and he knew it.

"I lost everything just so you could keep me here." Alec's eyes were intensely cautious as my anger began to physically manifest itself. I wondered if he feared what I'd do and I think a part of me wanted him to. "Your very own pet human."

He spoke desperately, but his surety came off more condescending then he obviously intended. "Don't be foolish."

I was already at a point where reason would be useless and Alec wasn't exactly helping anyways. I stifled a scream and reached for an old silver candle holder on the table and whipped it towards his head. He easily dodged it and as I turned away to grab something else, he caught my wrist, turning me back around.

"Stop it." He warned me, "you are going to injure yourself."

I responded quickly, however, raising my hand to his face. He caught it, glaring down at my impetuous behaviour with stern eyes. Somehow, he'd overlooked the availability of my other hand, which collided with his face only a second later in a backhanded, half punch half slap. I heard something crack and while I knew it wasn't his face, I really wished it had been.

"Screw you."

His shock from both the physical and verbal attack gave me the chance to put as much force as I could into pushing against his chest and moving past him. However, as I turned my back on him, he appeared in front of me, blocking my exit. Before I could tell him to get the hell-o out of my way, he pushed me to the side and I dropped at an awkward angle into a forgotten chair. I had no chance to readjust or stand back up because almost immediately, Alec slammed his hands on the arms of the chair and leaned forward. Leaving me with few options but to sit and glare up at him like a child.

"I am aware that this is difficult for you to process." I watched him run his fingers through his hair before he sighed. "Everything I did, I did for you, and perhaps I have also been selfish in my desire to preserve your life." I blinked, utterly shocked and a little impressed that he admitted it. Honestly, it'd been a shot in the dark on my end. However, I couldn't help but wonder just how many hoops he'd jumped through and still expected to jump through to ensure that I kept breathing. It almost made me feel guilty for testing my superhero flying powers with a flimsy bathroom towel and jumping from a very tall tree as a kid.

"I have waited centuries…and I cannot lose you."

My breath caught in my throat. His words were sweet, but it hit me that what I needed was time. Time to think. Time to process my own thoughts and feelings. Because this was…a lot. So, trying to muster the same intensity and independence as I had before, I barely gained the courage to meet his eyes. I swallowed and with a small shake of my head, I denied him.

"I am not yours to lose." A small part of me had meant the words to hurt, to throw him off enough to regain the upper hand but he didn't miss a beat.

"But I am yours."

There was a smouldering intensity in his eyes that sent me soaring and I nearly forgot how to breathe. It seemed that neither of us could find our own footing, much less share equal ground.

Three heavy knocks resonated from the library doors and I jumped at the sound.

"What." Alec barked at the person on the other side, eyes not leaving mine.

Felix slowly opened the door, freezing as he took in our position. He cleared his throat and in an unusually timid tone, he said, "you should know. The entire castle can hear you screaming at each other."

I'd been so focused on Alec that I hadn't even considered the fact that just because we were alone did not mean we were alone. My eyes widened as I wondered exactly what they had heard…or didn't hear.

Alec hardly glanced at Felix. "Is that all?" He asked rudely, impatiently.

Felix's eyes flashed up from the broken candle holder on the floor behind Alec. "The Masters finished deliberating and have requested you in the study."

Alec kept his eyes on my face, hardly acknowledging the other male. "I will be there in a moment."

At the same time, I looked at Felix over my shoulder again. "Deliberating what?"

Felix looked between the two of us awkwardly. When Alec also gave his attention, the vampire answered, "…Heidi wants to show Saffiya her new room, her 'masterpiece'." He included air quotes around the word, gently making fun of Heidi's enthusiasm for interior design.

"Deliberating what?" I asked again and turned in the chair.

Felix again checked in with Alec, who sighed and pushed off the arms of the chair, giving me the room to stand. I crossed my arms expectantly. It was Alec who answered.

"How to win a war."

As we stepped out into the hall, Felix moved to walk beside to me and bent down to whisper in my ear, "scale of 1-10?" He was only teasing, but a trademark growl sounded from behind us.

"None of your business." I rolled my eyes, but I still had no intention of answering the question. I tried to convince myself that the question wasn't about the…thing that happened, but I had a hard time winning that argument with myself. Felix pouted at the missing gossip, but he dropped it.

They escorted me the rest of the way to my room, outside of which Heidi was standing and checking her nails.

"Finally!"

Alec avoided eye contact with me as Felix ruffled my hair and the two men went on their way. Heidi raised her eyebrows.

"As juicy as that looked," everyone in this castle had way too much time on their hands if Alec and I were the only gossip. "It can wait because…" She pushed open the doors as if they weighed nothing and held up arms out like a ringmaster introducing his circus.

"Ta da!"

The room was lovely. A canopy bed, a beautiful vanity, and a new love seat took up most of the attention. I cannot honestly say it looked much different than before because I couldn't fully remember it. After all, I hadn't spent much time inside it. This time, though, it did feel more personal and homey, and it was definitely better than before. There was a chess set in front of the bookshelf wall, which she'd kept. The rest of the walls were changed and were by far, my favourite addition.

Heidi saw me looking at the side wall and grinned, "Chalk wallpaper." She pointed to a basket on the ground in front of it. "Hope you don't mind, but I left it open for the others to come in and write you some messages already."

Scattered across the wall were signatures by some members of the guard. A few had drawn pictures or written a little 'hi Saffiya!' message near their names. Even some that had barely spoken two words past their date of creation. I spotted Jane and Alec's names side by side, as well as surprisingly enough, Caius's, a little further away from the twins'. Aro's was front and center and even Marcus had written something in tiny writing. I decided I would read them all later and give Heidi the praise and attention she deserved.

"You may have to do a bit of damage control every once in a while," she nodded her head to a newly erased circle next to Demetri's name. Not far away, Felix's name had a smile next to an arrow that pointed towards the empty white space. I could only imagine what he'd drawn.

"How did you—"

"You seemed to enjoy helping me draw on my walls, so I thought I'd give you a fun new medium to—" I threw my arms around her waist, hugging her stone body.

She patted my back awkwardly, "you like it, then?" I gave her space.

"Heidi, it's amazing. Thank you." For as long as I could remember, I'd never had my own room to decorate. My father and I often moved from downtrodden hotel to luxury hotel, repeating that pattern in each new city. The nuns lived simply and while I enjoyed a few simple exceptions to that standard, I found I didn't need much anyways.

"You've also got an entire new wardrobe. Complete with castle-appropriate outfits, modern wear, historical costumes, gala dresses, etcetera, etcetera." She sat on the armchair of the loveseat as I stepped into the doorway of the walk-in closet. It was so large it had a bench in the center with two turnoff hallways. Heidi continued, "oh! And club wear."

I spun around and rolled my eyes at the last one. "Because that turned out so well before."

"In my defence, I had hoped it would get Alec to confess his feelings for you." She shrugged and leaned back, "so maybe it backfired a little."

"A little," I commented, more miffed about the mention of Alec than the event from weeks ago.

Ignoring her quip at Alec only seemed to encourage Heidi's curiosity. "When you're no longer a pathetic, defenceless human—"

"Thanks?"

"He'll probably get turned on by it."

I choked on air. "Oh my god." Heidi giggled as I spun on my heels and retreated further into the closet.

A knock sounded on the door and Heidi shouted, "come in," through her laughter.

Another pair of heels joined the echoes of the room. "I thought I heard the little human." The voice sounded like Chelsea, but there was no way I was going out to check.

Not one to get particularly lost in clothing, I retreated to a bench in the center of the closet and plopped down on it, crossing my arms across my chest.

I could still hear them chatting. "She's hiding."

"Or she's simply lost in that maze you call a closet."

Much to my dismay, Heidi didn't even defend her accomplishment but rather continued on. "I mentioned lover boy and she got all flustered. It's adorable."

"Did you tell her about the lingerie?" The suggestive nature of her voice only made my embarrassment grow.

I felt my mouth part and I scanned the walls, finally resting them on a section separate from the undergarments that showcased a lacy, black and red 'number' above several drawers that I could only assume held similar items.

I gave a small yelp, which made the two women immediately burst into a round of giggles at my expense. I grabbed the hanger off the wall and stormed out of the closet doors with it, tossing it at Heidi's face.

I pointed at the two of them, casually lounging on the loveseat. "I'm fifteen. You should be ashamed."

Chelsea tutted, sweeping her hair over her shoulder. "Sweetie, in Alec's day, you would've already been married with kids." I gagged.

"Or a prospective bride."

I snarked back, "what would that make you two?"

"Touchy, isn't she."

"Well, it's a wonder why." They fell into another fit of laughter.

I turned and shoved an empty vase on a table beside the closet doors, which didn't move an inch. I paused and pushed it again, a little harder.

"Caius insisted we fix the expensive items in their place. Just in case." I rubbed the side of my head in embarrassment, which Heidi saw as an opening to what she really wanted to talk about. "Which, from the sounds coming from the library, was a good idea."

"You run a bit hot, don't you?"

They were right. I'd always had a bit of an impulsive temper, which was apparently not unusual for someone with my condition. Though, I'd never experienced emotions quite as intensely as I did where Alec was concerned. And the fact that Caius had had the foresight to tell Heidi to glue stuff to the tables just so I wouldn't break them in a fit was slightly more mortifying than the lingerie.

I tried to be an adult about the inevitable conversation. "No offence. But I really don't want to talk about this right now."

It didn't work.

"It just wasn't exactly the response we all expected."

I groaned and sat at the vanity while they generated gossip.

Chelsea nodded, agreeing with Heidi. "We knew you'd be mad. I told him to tell you weeks ago."

"We all did." Heidi insisted heroically, "Felix and Demetri nearly let it slip about fifteen times in the first week alone." Now, how in the hell did I miss that?
Chelsea cut Heidi off, recognizing the beginnings of a rant on the two men's theatrics. "Anyways, you were just a wee bit angrier then we were prepared for."

I bit. "Why does that surprise you?"

The women looked at each other before carefully choosing their words in answering me. "It's just that Alec sort of has this way with women—"

"Oh my god." I turned to go back into the closet, not wanting to know where they were going with this fun new direction.

Heidi zipped over to me, guiding me to the sofa to sit in the small space between her and Chelsea. "All we mean is that he's particularly charming - even for a vampire."

"It's to your credit that you stood up to him."

I remembered Alec's words and the sincerity in them and the conflict that still ran inside me. While I was confident in the validity of my reaction, I wavered at the memory. "So, you don't think I'm being unfair?"

Heidi began to play with my hair pointlessly. "Maybe a tad. But he deserves it."

Chelsea chimed in, "Aro gives him everything on a silver platter. The boy hasn't heard the word 'no' since he was a newborn."

The other woman tucked my hair behind my ear, agreeing with her friend. "Plus, angry sex is fantastic." She joked, tossing me back the lingerie. I fumbled with it before letting it fall to the floor.

I squinted and quickly stood. "I need a shower."

They laughed me all the way into the bathroom. I was 100% positive that if they could still drink, they'd be wine at 9 ladies.

I glanced in the mirror as I turned on the shower and realized that my non-dominant hand, which had hit Alec's rock hard vampire body only a short while ago, was hanging weakly at the wrist. I'd completely forgotten about it and I was lucky no one else had noticed. They'd all make a big fuss over something that I could handle in five minutes.

Everyone here already thought I was a violent freak. I didn't want to give them even more evidence to support that theory.

To Heidi's credit, the bathroom cupboards were stocked with all the essentials — enough to wait out the zombie apocalypse. She had, however, not included the one thing I used more than my floss — crepe bandages. Which wasn't actually surprising seeing as they were all so overly cautious about not injuring me that I'd had less injuries in my time at the castle than in my entire life.

My shower forgotten, I wandered through a side door in the bathroom and into the closet. Heidi had her quirks, but she definitely had an eye for convenience in design. I was able to find both suitable nightwear and a t-shirt that easily doubled as a mock bandage wrap. I knew I had some extras in my bag, but it was nowhere to be found.

Although Chelsea and Heidi's giggles had disappeared, it seemed I still wasn't left alone. Alec stood in front of the chalk wall, reading the messages left by his fellow guard members.

"Don't you knock?"

Grateful that I'd picked an outfit with both long sleeves and pockets, I subtly hid my injured hand in the fabric of my clothing. The only person I dreaded finding out about it more than Alec, was his sister. Although I couldn't exactly determine why, Alec was a close second. Though I was surprised the crack in the air had slipped his overprotective, detail-oriented mind. Until I realized that my never getting hurt also meant that my guards hadn't heard my bones crack or smelled burning flesh or any other clues that were used to determine when I should've been in pain. Though, I had no doubt they had all cracked a few bones in their day, so I let it go before it drove me mad. Besides, I had other things to worry about.

Nerves erupted in my stomach as Alec turned around to face me, so I quickly made my way over to sit at the vanity. I picked up a brush placed elegantly to the side with my non-injured hand and took a deep breath. I had to settle my stomach before it notified my heart to pick up its' pace.

"I have been given a mission." I stared straight ahead into the mirror, trying to pretend like he didn't exist. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure how to react. Heidi and Chelsea's teasing came to mind but I quickly squashed the embarrassing reminder. "Aro retrieved Razin's last known location from his minion's mind," he continued.

When I still didn't acknowledge the information, frustration carried his voice across the room. "You're angry, you've made that quite clear." Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was at the moment. I definitely wasn't as angry as I was before, but I doubt that even with a hot shower that I would be completely calmed down. But I wasn't about to fill him in. "Have you nothing to say?"

I don't know what he wanted me to say, and a dozen sassy comments flowed through my head before I chose one with less spite. "Why are you telling me?" I watched in the mirror as he stopped in front of the door, staring down at his Italian black leather shoes.

"Last time I left without saying goodbye, you were upset with me." I pursed my lips at this, because I couldn't fault him for sharing this with me if I'd been slightly bothered when he hadn't told me before. It seemed so long ago that he'd up and disappeared alone on a 'mission' to a location he still had not disclosed, but I appreciated the gesture no matter how frustrated I was with him now.

I couldn't quite gather the courage to turn and face him and I heard an exasperated sigh pass through his lips. But, all I could muster was a soft, "okay."

There was slight pressure on my temple and my eyes flashed to the mirror in front of me to see Alec tenderly giving me his own goodbye. My eyes fluttered closed, missing the touch that I'd barely spent any time without. As his lips left my forehead, he met my eyes in the mirror and I quickly turned away, feeling a wave of self-consciousness surround me.

"I will return soon." As much as I would've sworn I hated him at that moment, I couldn't help but worry — only a little. Because what if he didn't come back? What if this time was different?

"Alec!" I stood abruptly, almost knocking the chair I'd just vacated onto the floor. Alec was paused with his hand on the doorknob, waiting patiently for me to say whatever I was going to say.

I faltered, before saying the best thing I could think of. "Don't die?"

His face softened, but he only nodded. And then he was gone.

Chapter Text

"You are…quite talented, my dear."

Aro looked out of place in my room. Like computers in an old library or fire burning on the ocean. There wasn't any particular element of the room that caused this. It was more that I was used to seeing him in more regal or intellectual locations like his throne or at a chess table. Seeing him now, leaning over to examine my pencil drawings, almost required me to humanise him in a way I wasn't used to. It was the same readjustment I had to make when I found out he was in love with someone. It just did not seem to compute as compatible facts.

"You should see what I can do with some real paints."

He was no longer studying the details in my drawing. He had switched to studying the details in my facial expression as I admired my own work.

Art was the only thing I truly felt comfortable bragging about. My excellence in the field had been proven over and over again whenever my forgeries were 'confirmed' to be originals. From Rembrandt to Vermeer, I was able to see each brush stroke and break it down into my own mental formula. My recall wasn't great, but when something was right in front of me I could make an identical copy of it as if by magic. From art to pain, mimicry was innate to my core being — that was my thing. Some people can sing, others are natural-born athletes. I guess we all make do.

I hadn't slept since Alec and the others left for their mission. I hadn't been bothered, except for a few meals delivered if I hadn't ventured to the kitchen. Which I didn't. Instead, I'd spent my time using up the paper in another notebook Jane had given me and placing the semi-finished products on the floor, leaning up against the wall of my window.

I'd started by copying down the messages written on my chalkboard wallpaper, so that I could erase the wall for more space but still save the memories. From the curves of each letter to the signature of the owner, you would've thought it was copied down by the original author. I was used to living off very little, but while I had the space, I decided to log every detail I could. Because when things changed — and they always changed — I could look back and remember how it all started.

When I'd finished copying down each friendly yearbook style message, I had idly moved on to attempting recreations of the famous paintings. As I said, my recall was not the strongest and so half of these copies remained unfinished — The Starry Night had only scribbles in its sky and a few houses scattered along the bottom and I'd given the woman in Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 features that reminded me of the Mother Abbess. I'd folded up and tossed the latter drawing over my shoulder, leaving it somewhere on the floor in the room. This was one memory I preferred not to memorialise.

"We shall see to it, then." He gave me his odd smile before moving right in front of me. I blinked quickly with the rush of air from the vampire speed and had little recovery time as Aro had already spoken again. "May I?"

I lazily handed over my hand before realising what I had done. I quickly raced through my mind, trying to remember what, if anything, I had been trying to hide from Aro. But apparently, I had nothing to worry about. Instead, Aro simply held my injured hand with both of his and examined it, removing the poorly wrapped t-shirt I'd forgotten I had put around it.

He didn't touch my skin - in fact he seemed to be taking great care not to. Aro usually never missed a chance to read my thoughts. But now, it almost seemed as if he were avoiding them. I almost couldn't imagine a scenario in this moment where he preferred to be blind than to have every detail of information in my head. The only possibility that popped into my head was that he was doing it for me, to keep my thoughts private, but again, I couldn't imagine why that might be the case.

I was about to ask him how he knew about my wrist, when he answered my unspoken question.

"Alec informed us of your…emotional distress…" That was one way to put it.

Damn it. I really couldn't get away with anything in this place. When Alec hadn't mentioned my hand during his goodbye, I had assumed he'd forgotten or not noticed. I had actually been silently smug about getting out of a lecture about being more careful and not hitting vampires. It was a lecture I could recite in my sleep after a decade of hearing it — although the vampire part would be a new addition.

"I am disappointed…" here we go, "that you felt unable to share this with us."

"I can manage." He ignored me.

"We would have given you the proper care at the time."

As if rehearsed timing, there was a knock on the door to which Aro granted entry. To my surprise, it was Prosper that slipped through the doors. He carried a medium sized, brown leather bag, the kind that physicians brought with them on home visits.

"Ah, Prosper." He turned back to me, "Saffiya, you remember Prosper, of course." I nodded in confirmation, then again to Prosper who did the same. He stood tall as a soldier, waiting for his next orders. "Wonderful! We believe that it would be advantageous to include Prosper on your detail, full time." I frowned at the news, more from confusion than any sort of disappointment. I liked Prosper, in the little time I'd spent with him. But I was confused by Aro's specifications of 'full time'.

"Until Alec returns?" Aro folded his hands together and I could tell he wasn't used to being questioned this much. If he gave me full responses, maybe I wouldn't have to ask so many questions.

I half expected him not to answer me before he finally did, "in addition to."

Of course, this only raised more questions from me. "I thought Prosper wasn't allowed to be my guard anymore." I spoke without thinking and it felt a little rude to be so blunt in front of said man, but Aro spoke slowly and I was hardly given enough information. But his response gave me no room to continue questioning his decisions.

"Prosper is more than capable of protecting you on his own. He will also provide you with the proper care for your injury." He stepped aside and waved the other man forward. "Sit." I did.

At a normal pace, Prosper stepped towards me and kneeled down in front of the loveseat. "Have you done anything for it?"

This wasn't exactly my first hurt wrist, so I couldn't help but sigh and answer him with a monotoned, experienced response. "Ice, compression, yada yada."

Thankfully, he didn't take any outward offence. "May I?" He repeated his Master's words and gestured to my hand. I nodded and he gently picked it up, bending and testing the muscles and bones or whatever. I had stopped paying attention and tried to subtly watch Aro out of the corner of my eye. He stood over us, watching with uninterested intensity. Prosper glanced up at me. "Are you feeling anything?" I raised my eyebrows and he cracked a small, shy smile before it disappeared. "Well, you may not feel it, but we should secure it for the time being." He set my hand on my knee and began rummaging through his bag.

"Splendid!" Aro clapped his hands together, impatient with the evaluation process. Clearly, he wasn't done with his little visit and I doubted he cared that much about my hand. There had to be a better reason for him to make the personal trip to me instead of just summoning me to wherever he was, as had become to usual.

"Aro, may I ask you something?" He waited for me to continue. "When you looked into…Zafir's mind…did you see what he knew about my father?"

He simply stared at me for a moment, creating a build-up of tension rather than the usual awkward atmospheric result of his behaviour. "He had hoped to lure you in so as to bring you harm." I could feel the disappointment creeping in as he continued, "Zafir knew nothing of your father." The way he said it made me feel silly, because of course that was the answer. I had hoped to make something out of nothing and Aro knew he was bringing me back to earth.

"Right," I nodded my head as if reassuring both of us that I wasn't so in the clouds. "Of course, I just—"

"I know, child."

And for a moment, it felt like he really did.

"I have a gift for you." Before I could turn down the idea or make another inappropriate comment, Aro pulled a well-loved notebook from inside his jacket pocket and handed it to me. "Do you know what this is?" It was phrased like a rhetorical question, but from the way he was looking at me I think he expected an answer. So, I accepted the leather-bound book.

The notebook itself was assumably several years —maybe even a decade — old. The pages had curled with water damage and time and it smelled like old parchment paper, but not the good kind. The kind that wafted through your noise and made it scrunch up while also somehow leaving a bad taste in your mouth.

While many of the older pages were illegible due to running ink, the newer ones seemed to have been written after the book had had its bath. The tops of each entry was marked with dates and locations. I riffled through the pages carelessly. Until one of the last few entries caught my eye. In the top left corner in the owner's messy handwriting, the date of this entry matched the one on the last letter my father had written me from years ago. It might've been a simple coincidence, only Aro's wide eyes and praying hands told me it was anything but.

May 4

Burgos, Spain

The Pirate has finally made a mistake. I am mere days from bringing him to justice. My career rests on the capture of this man and while I should be proud, I can't shake the feeling that I'm missing something...

My head snapped back up to Aro. "Who wrote this?" His lips curled up in a smile too genuine for me to believe, but still, I found my exterior somewhat softening to the caring perspective Aro had adopted today. He'd caught me off guard with this and he knew it, but I didn't dwell on it. I was more focused on his answer to my question.

"The inspector on your father's case." I tried not to ask how exactly Aro had gotten his hands on the journal — both because I knew I was pushing my question limit and I was almost positive that there was a less than desirable method that went into acquiring the item in my hands. "It is my wish, my dear, that this may give you the closure you need on your father's life." He placed a hand on my shoulder as I ran my fingers over the somewhat blurred writing, but I didn't miss his last clue… "and ease you into your new one."

I bit my lip. "I don't know what to say." I corrected myself, "thank you…"

"Family is…so precious." He patted my hair and with a few more words, he was gone.

Prosper remained silent as the door closed behind Aro. He had finished with my hand and was standing off to the side of the seating area Heidi had fashioned in the middle of the room. I closed the notebook with a gentler hand then before and set it beside me. All of a sudden, the thought of reading it made me nauseous.

I was so lost in the feeling that I almost didn't hear Prosper's diagnosis. "It's just a sprain. You should be fine in a few days."

"Huh," I commented, raising my hand and examining his work. "I expected it to be worse."

"How did it happen?"

"Aro didn't tell you?" He shook his head, moving to sit in the loveseat across from me. "I err…I hit Alec."

He chuckled and I was genuinely taken aback by the clarity in the sound and the reaction itself. I hadn't imagined Prosper could be so lively and certainly not so quickly. "You really aren't afraid of anything, are you?"

I played with the bandage on my wrist, slightly embarrassed. "Actually, I don't really have the same fear responses as normal people. You know what guns are, right?" It was his turn to raise an obvious eyebrow at me. "Right…so most people see a gun and they run away from it, yeah? Because they're afraid of getting hurt or dying." I started off, hoping what I was saying made sense. He nodded, and continued as if clarifying my words.

"You've never felt pain, therefore you never learned to fear it."

"I am, quite literally, fearless."

The vampire nodded in thought before he asked lightly, "how many times has that backfired?"

"I'm currently living in a house of vampires," I said with a playfully mocking tone. "What do you think?"

He chuckled again and I couldn't help but note that even for a vampire, his posture was immaculate. It was as if, even when he was sitting, he was still at attention. And I didn't miss the quick surveys he took of the room every few seconds or so. "Have you any other injuries that need seen to?"

I considered telling him that, yes, I just so happened to notice during my nightly check to make sure I didn't accidentally break or injure myself in some other place during my daily activities, I had discovered a few interesting things. Like the fact that the left loop on my jeans was ripped and there was a red swipe that looked like a rug burn along my hipbone as a result and if I showed him that one, he would no doubt notice the markings of the fingertips that had gripped either sides of my hips both to pull me close and keep me from falling when my knees went weak. I might get away with the large bruise above my elbow, on the back of my arm that I paired with the back of the chair in the library if I kept wearing long sleeves, but I pulled my consideration.

Mainly because telling Prosper all of this would require me sharing the fact that Alec and I had kissed. And that we'd done so in a way that may have been a little too intense for a vampire that lusted for my blood when he was simply in the same room with me, let alone so close. I remembered noting the control Alec had seemed to have had, but it seemed that the more I'd antagonised him the harder it must have been for him to remain vigilant and cautious of his strength. As much as I wanted to ask someone if kissing Alec had actually left me seconds from being exsanguinated and if so, why the hell anyone hadn't barged in sooner, none of these bruises needed medical attention. So, I kept my mouth shut.

"You're lucky your wrist is not worse." He responded to my earlier comment. "If you'd hit him straight on, it could have shattered the bones in your hand."

Despite his seriousness, my stubbornness decided to override his warning. "Would've been worth it." I declared.

He paused for a second before speaking again. "It is not my place to say, but if I may offer some thoughts?" It was a unique offer. Mainly, my friends either teased me or warned me about Alec. While it was two very conflicting views, it also did not help that none of them were particularly insightful in any way that was influential. Demetri had his moments, but my conversations with Heidi were always rather shallow and bland and Felix was…Felix. Jane would make casual or sarcastic remarks, but we had so many other topics and activities that Alec rarely came up when we were together. I nodded.

"I am not saying that he made the right decision to keep your…mateship, from you. But, I must say that I think I might have done the same in his position." My head tilted. I certainly hadn't expected him to approach anything involving Alec with such a genuine and equal comprehension. I let him continue. "Alec has a dark past. To him, you are light. This is not your world, not yet. I can understand why he would want to keep you in the light as long as he possibly could have."

I considered his words, but said nothing. I wasn't sure what I could say, but I don't think Prosper expected anything from me. Instead, he sent me a cheeky smirk.

"A kiss is bold however, I must say."

He said it so casually that I popped up from the back of the couch, leaning forward in surprise. "How did you—"

"I didn't." He grinned and I groaned as I realized my mistake. This entire castle was full of nosy peers that were probably dying to know what had happened in the empty space between Alec and I's angry words. Felix had sparked it and I should've seen it coming. His silly pride in his elegant trickster ability only made me glare at him before I covered my face as if it would lessen my embarrassment. I probably would've thrown a pillow or something at Felix or Demetri, but Prosper had done it so innocently that I couldn't help but laugh along.

But, I had to make sure. "Nobody else knows, right?"

He shrugged. "They have their suspicions. Your wrist will only increase their curiosity." I huffed, blowing a piece of hair out of my face. We settled into a simple silence, a comfortable one and after a moment, I felt solitary enough to say out loud what I'd been fighting against for weeks. No one else would understand and I had no risk of hurting Prosper's feelings by admitting,

"I don't want to be a vampire."

"Neither did I." He let out a short laugh at my shocked expression. "We did not all choose this life." For some reason, I hadn't considered this. Sure, none of them had been in my exact position, but how exactly did they become vampires? Were they chosen? Found in the woods? Or just a snack abandoned?

"I was born in Jerusalem during the religious wars — the Crusades. My mother married a frank, he was a physician dedicated to learning the intricacies of eastern medicine. As a boy, all I wanted was to fight. I was small, but much quicker than my peers. When I got older, because I spoke both languages, I became a messenger between the nearest encampments. Still, I wished to fight and when I got my chance — I discovered…that I hated blood."

I snorted, "what?"

"I couldn't stand the sight of it." He laughed with me, a fondness in his eyes as he nodded before continuing. "Eventually, I returned to England with my father and I became Prosper, the physician's son from the Holy Wars. We traveled across many towns and villages, sharing our acquired knowledge of eastern medicine. Which, thankfully, slightly lessened the amount of blood I had to be around.

"Not long after, I met Elizabeth. She was a lady-in-waiting for a young noblewoman. We married and had a daughter — Zara. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. We were not rich in material, but we were happy with each other." He was lost in his recollection, but he seemed to be recalling something less than actual memories. Almost like a story he'd heard or an old dream he couldn't quite remember.

"I was visiting a nearby town when I got word that my village had been attacked. With no survivors. I was distraught, naturally." I swallowed with a small unsettling feeling in my stomach. Because I knew how the story ended, but his retelling prompted images in my head that filled me with pity. "On my return, Elizabeth appeared to me in the forest, stunning - a vampire and she very nearly killed me."

He'd paused as if that were the end of the story, so abrupt, so missing in detail. "I thought new vampires didn't have that kind of control? Shouldn't she have killed you?"

He looked up at me, his eyes gaunt and very nearly hopeless. "If we were not mates, I believe she would have…and even then." He trailed off, collecting himself from his story. I leaned on my elbow, taking my time in processing everything he'd shared. But then, his eyes narrowed and I felt a raw guilt for asking my question because I'd never seen anyone look both simply sad and angry in such a way as he did in that moment. "So long as this enemy coven has Elizabeth, I am considered a liability in the field."

Of course, I wanted to know more of his story. If he knew where his daughter had ended up or his mother and I was curious about his time amidst the wars, but he'd had enough. So, I waited till he made eye contact again before I tried to help change the subject. "What is their mission, exactly?"

"Alec didn't tell you?" I shook my head. "That follower…Zafir's last known location of their base camp. It is unlikely that his leader is still there, but we may gain insight into their plans."

I had further questions, but he'd grown sad and I was reminded of his gentleness the more we spoke. I hated to admit it, but being away from Alec did leave me with an unsettling feeling. If I felt like this, I could only imagine what Prosper must be going through. However, while I had assumed it best to change the topic, he surprised me with the opposite.

"She would be very entertained by you."

I almost laughed as I recalled the various glares she had sent me in the brief interactions I'd had with her

"I thought she hated me."

He tilted this head as if to avoid agreeing with the statement. "She was angry with Alec." "Because he hurt you?" The scar Alec had given him was hidden under a wool coat jacket, but I still remembered the shock and disappointment that ran through me when I'd learned of its origin.

Prosper laughed softly. "She's quite protective. With your connection to Alec, it was natural of her to despise her counterpart in his life."

"Great. So, I'm going to get blamed for every bad thing Alec's ever done?"

"Once you are changed, it will be different." He noted. "You are an easy target as a human."

I scoffed. "Vampires need to stop being so cocky. There's like twenty different movies about people that hunt you guys."

He gave another clear, full-bodied laugh that filled the room. A weight seemed to be lifted along with it and I couldn't help but smile at his ability to find happiness in the simple things when his world seemed so dark.

It didn't last long and only a second later, he went still.

"They've returned."

My head whipped to the door and I pushed myself up to my feet. "Already?" I expected him to lead me out the door, but he was a blur as he moved from the ground to hold an arm between me and the exit.

"What's wrong?"

He wouldn't answer me for a minute and I kept quiet because he was definitely listening to conversations no doubt happening a few floors of stone below us. I swallowed back any anxiousness that the moment had started to inspire and ground my heels into the floor to wait patiently for my companion's next directive. Which was only easy for the first seven seconds.

"Prosper?"

While he didn't physically acknowledge me, eyes closed and head tilted towards the door, he did provide me with an answer. "There are others." It didn't help ease much of the room's confusion as I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth.

"How many others?"

Prosper shook his head, dropping his tone mysteriously. "I do not know."

"So, let's go down there and find out?"

His head turned to me faster than I'd seen him move before and his voice was so low his words almost sounded like a growl. "No. We wait."

I had several relevant questions and sarcastic responses to this, but with the way his body had tensed, I thought it best to do as I was told for once. It didn't bother me so much when Prosper ordered me around. At least, not so far.

Waiting, however, took less time than expected. Not a minute later did Prosper's arm appear around my waist and disappear a moment later, only for me to realise I'd been placed in the back of Heidi's dream closet. I blinked and his red eyes were staring into mine. A pale finger appeared over his lips in a silent shush and I nodded slowly. He vanished and I wrapped my arms around my knees, pulling them against my chest.

Quiet. I told myself. Don't make a sound. Then, I paused. If we were worried about vampires coming in, did it really matter what I did when they could hear my heart beating louder than any breath I took? Still, I convinced myself not to argue with Prosper's logic. Who knows. Maybe the extra distance it took to navigate through the gigantic closet would be the difference between my life and death. But who were we worried about, now?

Perhaps it wasn't the Volturi Guard that had returned at all, but really it was the enemy of the hour that called himself Razin, flanked by his army of nomads and newborns. Or perhaps it was the Guard, and they'd returned with said vampire as a captive. If so, what if Razin had gotten himself captured on purpose. The Guard will have simply walked him and his ranks in through the front door. Was it possible that only a few floors below, a deluded vampire believed he was seconds away from overtaking the Volturi?

And if this was correct, where were my friends? Present and unaware? Had they even returned with the rest of the company? The only possible way that Razin could expect to complete his mission was without fear of the twins. So, it came down to one of two questions: Had he already taken care of the twins or was Prosper's desperate attempt to hide me the last hope for the Volturi and their twins.

Bright red eyes shocked me back and my head bounced off of the wall. I'd gone weeks without so much as a paper cut and now all of a sudden the universe decided to play catch up on beating me up.

"Demetri?"

"'Ello, Fiya." He tapped my nose and I scrunched my face in response, but took Demetri's hand as the light was flipped on and he helped me up.

I yawned at the intrusion of light and mumbled, "what's going on?" From the entrance of the closet with his finger still on the light switch, Felix was grinning at me.

"Prosper's paranoid. Good to see he takes this new post seriously." The humour in his tone was hard to miss, mostly because I was clearly missing the setup to his punchline.

I moved past them and back into the room, not missing Felix pointing at Heidi's lingerie corner and sticking a finger down his throat mockingly. "He said you guys weren't alone." I quickly scanned my room as I exited the closet. "Where's he gone?"

Felix hid a laugh behind a cough, "hallway." I raised my eyebrows with a pointed expression to make it clear to him that I was indeed questioning his sanity.

"What's going on?"

"Nothing! We missed you is all." I eyed them suspiciously and found myself actually taking in their appearances. "You two look like you've spent a day in the trenches."

Demetri made light of it, but neither of them denied the accidental dark undertone of my comment. "Day and a half, maybe."

"What happened?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about." Felix patted my head and I swatted him away as we joined Prosper on the other side of my door. "Video game time."

Knowing that details of the mission would be less likely to slip, I gave in and began walking with them. I still didn't give up, though. "So…who are these people that came back with you? Felix get a girlfriend?"

Demetri fist bumped me while Felix pouted before correcting me, "first off, definitely not people and second, hurtful." I stuck my tongue out at him.

Off-hand and more to himself, Demetri commented, "can we truly consider them as vampires?" However, Prosper smirked a bit and Felix laughed and their reactions left Demetri with no choice but to explain himself to my questioning eyes. Which he did a piss poor job of, "they're vegetarians."

"Like…they drink leaf blood?"

They enjoyed that one so much we had to stop in the middle of the hallway. When they were finished laughing at my totally natural assumption — what was I supposed to think — Prosper started to explain.
"Animals. They prefer not to drink from humans."

"Don't vegetarians want to save animals or something? Wait — can you really do that?"

"We can survive off of it. It turns their eyes gold and allows them to interact more regularly with humans, if they so choose." My jaw dropped. Golden eyes had to be a lot more appealing than red ones, then again, if all vampires had gold instead of red eyes I imagine the human population would be pretty low in comparison. "It does have its limits," he noted with a shrug.

Felix picked up the explanation. "They're weaker than us. Animal blood doesn't provide the same…nutrients that human blood does."

"Care to test that theory?" The challenge was light-hearted in sound but was undermined by the appearance of its speaker. The three men around me tensed as two women appeared at the end of the hall in front of us. We halted, waiting as they approached us. One girl was tall, broad, and built like a volleyball player. It was her that had seemed to challenge Felix to a match and although she looked a bit brutish like Felix, she walked with an extra beat in her step that seemed to both feminize and lighten the aura around her. The woman next to her was almost her opposite in every way and her eyes, an odd light brownish colour, were focused directly on me.

In impulsive fashion, I stared right back. Like a moron.

"Raincheck," Felix responded with the same playful tone she had used, but he remained at the ready as the girl continued as if nothing was off.

"I was just showing Libby around the castle. It's been a few centuries since I was here last." She glanced down at Libby and took her hand. Instead of looking at me, as I expected because, you know, human, she looked to Prosper. "Swell to see you, Prosper. I was wondering where you were." She didn't ask about Elizabeth.

"Issa." He acknowledged her with a friendly tone, but he offered no insight into his whereabouts. "I see you've met your mate."

This dragged Libby's attention from me and Issa raised her mate's hand to her lips. "Hardly a century old." When she returned her attention to us, she continued talking. "We were about to rejoin our Mother." She didn't ask about me, and I wondered if she already knew who I was.

Her partner went back to staring at me, so Demetri spoke up. "Felix and I will escort you to her." Although his tone left no room for discussion, it was light-hearted and in any other situation without a human, I could see the history of camaraderie between Issa and the guys.

Issa's mouth moved and she said something quickly at a low volume to her partner. When her mate finally looked at her, she finally addressed me.

"You'll have to excuse Libby. She still struggles around humans."

"It's fine. I don't bite." The others got my joke, the girl however decided to bare her teeth at me.

"Funny, I do."

You know how you meet someone and automatically, you just know that they are a horrible human being? Well, apparently that doesn't stop at the species line. I could still feel the effects of her vampiric traits, but maybe I'd been surrounded by the vamp treats for so long that it wasn't effecting me as much. Or maybe I just had a one track mind because Prosper had to put a hand on my back and lightly push me forward. "Come, Saffiya."

Everyone but Prosper and I stood frozen as Libby and I kept eye contact. I'm not sure if they were waiting for her to attack me, but they definitely were not expecting my reaction — which was literally to bite the air in front of me as I passed by her. Impulsive was one word. Her eyes widened in surprise before a flash of her hair and the colour of her shirt blurred in front of me. I'm not even sure she was planning on attacking but either way she didn't lay a hand on me. Instead, Prosper had her in a chokehold on her knees before even Felix or Demetri could reach her. Her partner began to apologise for her, explaining again how she was sensitive around humans because of the new diet. The vegetarian thing?

"Enough." Prosper hissed at his old acquaintance, who immediately did as she was told. Then, knowing his place wasn't to give orders, Prosper looked to Demetri and Felix, who assumed the position. The chain of command around here honestly intrigued the hell out of me. I'm not sure I could ever take commands from anyone, at least not like they did.

"Aro will want a word." Demetri said and Prosper pulled the girl up to her feet by her throat and shoved her forward towards Demetri, who caught and restrained her. Felix moved to stand next to the other girl and he leaned down to say something in her ear. She nodded and walked dejectedly after Demetri and her mate.

Prosper returned to my side and I raised my eyebrows at him. "Little overqualified for a bodyguard, aren't we?"

"For the trouble you get into?" I ran a hand through my curls guiltily but he winked. "Come on, kid."

Chapter Text

Felix and Demetri had definitely left parts of the castle out of their grand tour on the day I arrived. It took me a minute to recognise the room we entered as the same place I'd first met Carlisle. Mainly because Aro was sitting at the same chess table he'd been at before. Only this time, his opponent was a truly stunning woman with skin as thin and ghost-like as his. Yet, her beauty remained undeniable, as if she'd been plucked from a queen's portrait and placed here on earth to grace us with her majesty.

Neither she nor Aro acknowledged us right away, and I took that time to take another look around before realising I'd been quite unobservant during my first visit. I'd previously identified the quarters as a combination between a library and an office, but there was a new object dead center that nixed that assumption. A giant telescope pointed towards the curtain covered windows and stood out gloriously from the rest of the space. Yet, its newly polished exterior appeared untouched and there was no acknowledgement of it by any means.

Demetri and Felix remained in the front, open part of the floor with Issa and Libby, and I followed Prosper to stand off to the left side. I began to take in the rest of the area as we waited. In a desk near the back, my eyes landed on Caius. He was frowning, clearly bothered by the disruption our entrance caused, and his discontent only grew as his eyes passed over me. I could almost see his sarcastic commentary asking, 'what's the human done now?'.

My focus shifted from him and moved upward to the open plan of the second floor. Up on the balcony, Marcus seemed to move with the speed of a turtle as he took one look at us — also probably judging my presence. The balcony went along the outside of the rounded ceiling and the inner wall was lined with books. Looking up at the open landscape between the two levels, the roof should have been a clear giveaway that we were standing in the middle of an observatory built naturally into the castle.

Drifting my attention directly across the room, I felt myself take a quick, deep breath as I received the answer to a question I hadn't even known I was asking. Standing opposite of me was Alec and something in me sighed in relief.

I was looking at him, but he hadn't so much as glanced at me since our arrival. Beside him, his sister also didn't acknowledge our arrival and both of them stood as stoic and intimidating as ever. However, I moved on from these factors as I finally processed an oddity about his form.

Something was off. Alec's eyes were dulled, though the illuminated colour showed that he'd recently fed. The hair on his head had an odd sort of independence that he would definitely not appreciate if he could have seen it. It was probably best that he couldn't. There was an unnatural arrogance about the thick ebony locks and it was one of my favourite of his features, but I still made sure to tease him about it whenever I could.

The collar of his shirt moved me from his face to observe the rest of him. He must not have had a chance to return to his chambers for an outfit change because he lacked a vest or a jacket over the dark grey button up, which was only slightly untucked on his side. This should have been my first clue because he never went without the extra layer, an addition to his wardrobe that I had once called 'unnecessary fabric' because he also wore his cape over it. I spent the next half hour listening to Alec give a brief history of men's clothing. (He seemed to know a little too much about the American Wild West and I had every intention of finding out if this knowledge translated to cowboy boots in his closet).

Despite the dark colour of his shirt, there were two drag marks that stood out on it with the brownish tint of mud. Which I knew also had to be bothering him because I'd seen him throw a shirt away because one cuff had an ink spot even a vampire would have to squint to see it. When I told him that he could just roll it up, he looked at me like I'd suggested we could casually burn down the library. He then proceeded to choose an entirely new outfit for movie night. With me and Jane. In their suite. Literally right outside his room. On the couch.

My point is — Alec looked nowhere near his own standards in fashion or appearance. There was a slight darkness under his eyes and I wondered if exhaustion like that could even show on vampires. He looked worn and slightly beaten down and I couldn't image why Aro hadn't dismissed him out of pity. My own pity dissipated an inch in the next second because he was apparently still well enough to send Prosper a quick glare for his proximity to me before returning his attention to Aro.

A move was decided on the chess board and a lilting voice spoke before the patriarch. "I am sure that despite whatever my daughters have done, that there is no need to confine them so." It wasn't a threat until dark golden eyes looked up from the chess board and directly at Demetri, whose own eyes pivoted to Aro. With permission from the Volturi leader, both Felix and Demetri gave the women space to move away. Issa took hold of Libby's hand. My eyes flipped back to the woman and it took me a few seconds longer than I'd like to admit before I realized that there way no way she was either girl's actual mother.

Aro stood and swayed with deliberate steps towards the group of four. "To what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?"

Libby seemed to shy away from Aro's close proximity, but Issa stood tall and respectfully answered with, "there was a minor misunderstanding."

Feeling that this understated the event, Demetri added less formally, "this one momentarily forgot she turned vegetarian."

"Is that so?" Aro said, still not sure what had happened. He held a hand out to Libby, who hesitated but with a sharp look from her coven leader she complied with his request.

It couldn't have been more than a minute before Aro's eyes opened and looked straight at me. I immediately looked away, the seriousness of the situation not quite dawning on me yet.

The older woman followed Aro's gaze towards my small frame standing beside Prosper. She examined me, head to toe and I tried to keep my head up but there was an intensity about her that even I had to give in to. With a single look, she'd managed to make me feel smaller than anyone else had in my entire life. Somehow, though, it didn't feel intentional but more of a side effect of the aura she possessed.

However, as I dropped my head away from her, I caught the attention of Libby, who narrowed her eyebrows and glared at me as hard as she could.

"What is it, Aro?" It was weird to hear someone ask him outright what he's seen in someone else's mind. Not even Marcus or Caius did so and they were making 2/3 of the decisions. The thoughts he heard were more like extra information that only he was actually interested in.

He didn't answer her question and the adult woman pouted briefly before she tried again, seeing his attention was fully shifting away from her. "It is unlike you to preserve a human life."

From behind them, Caius felt the need to make it clear that keeping me alive was, "not without reason."

Classic Aro smiled his tiny smile and stood, gesturing for me to join him. I did so without hesitation, walking directly past the group of four. I half expected Libby to jump me again, but she didn't move an inch. She only gave me a dark stare until something spooked her and she dropped away. I realised why as I stopped by Aro's side because I could see Prosper following behind me, playing the role of bodyguard to a tee. Aro waved him back.

Aro placed his hands on my shoulder and guided me to stand in front of him. His friend stood, her backdrop included the twins standing to my right off against the wall. Both watched the moment unfold, but neither would make eye contact with me. In the corner of my left eye, Caius also watched, somehow both impatient for the introduction and content to wait at the same time.

"Huda, this is our Saffiya." Our Saffiya.

She seemed to notice the word choice as well and raised her eyebrows "Human."

"For now," Aro said. A line he knew only magnified her curiosity. He directed his next words to me. With an educational tone, "Huda and her girls are nomads. Do you remember what nomads are?" I glanced to Alec. He taught me.

"Yes."

Huda leaned down to me with a smile. The move was almost motherly, but she was too close and I had to tell myself not to try and push her away. She questioned, "what is so special about you sweetie?" She didn't ask it in a condescending way, but it was also as if she weren't really asking me. It was like she was walking herself through the question to uncover the answer herself. She raised a hand to brush my cheek and despite my attempts, I tensed at her touch and jolted back.

"No need to be shy, dear one." Aro encouraged me.

I wasn't being shy. I just didn't like strangers touching me for no reason. I straightened back up and ignored Aro to stare back at the lady. "What's so special about you?" She found a little more amusement than I would have liked in my rebellious retort, laughing through closed lips in a hum.

Then, similar to the movement Aro was known for, she raised her hand up and out for me. "Let me show you."

It was a direct challenge and I didn't have to make eye contact with Alec to know he was not okay with the interaction taking place. Though this might have been in my head because aside from a small crease in his forehead, he hadn't moved. Even Marcus, who still stood in the rafters above us was looking down with disdain. I don't know what I was trying to prove, but I nodded stubbornly and placed my hand above hers, palm to bandaged palm. I prepared to respond to her trick with some sort of crafty, sarcastic response, but I didn't get the chance to find the right one.

She didn't waste a second, grabbing my hand firmly and tightening her fingers around it. Her grip was a Venus fly trap and I was stuck. I met her eyes with a stunned disobedience as she asked me a very simple question, "how did you come to discover the vampire world?"

The instant the last syllable formed on her tongue, I was hit with a nauseating feeling deep in my stomach. That feeling began to climb up my oesophagus and it might have choked me had I been able to even attempt to stop it. But I couldn't do a thing before words felt like vomit and I spoke bluntly and without preservation, easily using words I would normally hesitate to choose.

"Alec saved me from three intoxicated guys, using his strength and his speed. I saw him drink their blood, kill them." It wasn't a decision, not even a possibility of a response I'd have chosen until she uttered her question. If it were, I wouldn't have told the truth. I would have lied before I described my first encounter with Alec, first of all, without any commentary, and definitely not with such bland personality. Except, I couldn't stop and her hand seemed to tether my memory to her question without consulting any part of me.

"Then, he kidnapped me." The longer she held on, the more information it seemed I wanted to give her "Because I'm his…la tua something."

The gap in my knowledge of the Italian language saved me as a charmed laugh was pulled from her lips. I took advantage of the moment and ripped my hand away, stumbling back into Aro. I stared at her, wide-eyed and with a nasty feeling of dread in my chest. She was watching me with a smugness I did not appreciate and I cradled my hand as if to keep it away from her.

"Hmm…la tua cantante." I nodded, even if that wasn't the information I would've chosen to answer her question.

I saw Alec's eyes widen as I confirmed the phrase and it hit me then that Alec didn't know that I knew this consequential piece of information. It was another thing he kept from me but for some reason, this secret didn't trigger the same feelings of betrayal that the other did. My brain automatically started rationalising it, excusing and reasoning the less desirable elements away. Saying it made more sense to keep this a secret over the other. Maybe he thought I'd be more afraid of him if I knew this and of the higher risk of danger just by being around him, and so on.

This realization also caused me to unintentionally expose my friends as the information leak when I immediately checked in to see their reactions. I saw Demetri form the word 'shit' silently as he and Felix also looked at me, then to Alec. Alec was seething and at just the sight of his contempt, the two men whipped their heads away, skilfully avoiding Alec's glares. Honestly, though, he should've known better than to think those two could keep all the secrets.

Huda had also looked to Alec, ready to make her own commentary on the information she'd learned before I cut her off. I doubted any of the boys wished to handle this matter at the moment, and definitely not in the company of the Masters.

"What was that?"

Aro placed a hand back on my shoulder as I watched the woman's smile grow. "Huda has the ability to pull the truth from others. With a single touch, she can make you spill your darkest secrets.

If that were true, I was definitely going to thank my lucky stars that she hadn't asked me anything more personal. I'm not sure I wanted this woman knowing anything more about me than what was absolutely necessary. And as far as I was concerned, she'd already passed that point. I didn't necessarily have a bad feeling about her, but I was definitely missing something. I just couldn't quite put my finger on it.

"It also makes for a neat party trick." She winked at me.

I smiled softly at her with a natural politeness. "No offense, but I'm not sure that's a party I'd be eager to attend," I tilted my head to her coven, "between you and them."

"Manners, Saffiya." Caius reminded me in an unusually casual way, but he hadn't even looked up so maybe he'd grown bored again. It wasn't often that Caius gave me an order without a harsh tone, so maybe I should have listened. However, I was of the very strong opinion that manners didn't matter in this particular situation.

"That one tried to take a bite out of me." My defence made Demetri's earlier statement click for those in the room still out of the loop.

Issa was more displeased with my claim than her partner, the actual culprit, but Libby defended herself with an aggressive edge. "I didn't touch her."

"Lucky for you," I snapped, as if I could have stopped her in any way, shape, or form. Though I realized that technically, I did have three guards that did make my statement true, whether it was what I originally intended or not.

So far, my guards at any given time, from Demetri and Felix to the lower members, felt like they had more of a representative purpose than a protective one. Whatever danger I was ever in was dealt with mainly by Alec, or at the very least he would be my immediate protector. It was a promise he'd made and kept from the beginning and with this thought, my sightline had zeroed back in on his face.

The colour in his eyes seemed to become a little brighter as he realized I had looked at him first but other than that he did nothing to draw attention to himself. He still looked like the perfect soldier, despite a small hint of amusement dancing across his eyes. I'm sure I imagined it, but there was a quick shift because he had my attention. He gave a quick glance towards Huda and Aro before returning to my eyes and giving a discreet, single shake of his head. And he became stone once more. I knew what he meant. I had had my fun.

Except neither Aro nor Huda did anything to stop our bickering and the pleased looks on their faces made me think they'd grown bored with their game of chess. Instead, their two weakest and newest members going at it was like some sort of contest. Both flaunting their assets and seeing which of us would emerge from the petty argument as the winner.

Behind the two women, Felix and Demetri were trying to hold their straight faces and stern demeanours, but their enjoyment was evident because apparently neither of them sensed a threat in our hostile banter. Even Xavier was smirking at the humorous tone, though he could not hide it as well as the others.

As much as I loved providing the comedy, I did try to take the first step to behave more responsibly. The best way to do that seemed to be removing myself from the situation, as best I could, and so I stepped backwards to return to Prosper's side. While it seemed a good idea not to turn my back on them at first, my backwards step managed to catch the front of my shoe on my other shoe. I didn't trip, but I did teeter a bit before catching myself. Libby apparently found this hilarious and she seemed to forget that she was at the disadvantage here because she hissed at me an incendiary threat, "careful there. Humans break so…easily."

The minute I looked at Libby, my jaw tensed as a rush of charged negative energy coursed through me. It was almost like the excelerated, uninhibited roller coaster that I went through around Alec. Except this was a single emotion and it beat a drum of dominance. It wasn't anger, it was more like an overdose of testosterone. The rational side of me was well aware of the idiocy of my next sentence, as was the opposite irrational end as both seemed to be sending red flags to my mid-conscience. However, neither seemed to be at the reigns. So, without accounting for the reactions of those I'd grown close to or my of sparring partner, I spat back, "and vampires burn so…quickly."

Now. When it was insinuated that I could be easily killed, I responded with an aggressively identical threat. Which had to remain strictly verbal for this occasion, for obvious reasons. At least on my end. It was reckless, but I couldn't fight the sudden desire to throw a bit of an aggressive technique in my comeback.

What I did not have was the animal instinct and mindset of kill or be killed that a vampire did, so predictably, my empty threat sparked a match. Libby reacted first, moving in front of her mate and towards me, which caused the three main fighters — Demetri, Felix, and Prosper, to respond in kind. As the first two men blocked her path and dropped into defensive stances, Prosper pulled me behind him and then matched them as Issa dropped into a similar position. All five waited with knees bent, ready to strike if the other side so much as breathed.

I frowned, having already put together that there was something particularly unusual about the relationship between this nomadic coven and the governing coven. Most notably, was the unnatural absence of Marcus at his brother's sides, who still hadn't come down from the second floor balcony. He was physically fulfilling his role, sort of, but he was clearly wishing to be deposed of the conversation. Not out of boredom, but almost out of a need to stay as far away from the discussions taking place with the rest of us as possible. If he could fly, he'd be hovering at the center and highest point of the dome ceiling.

My eyes drifted automatically to Jane and Alec, who also served as my evidence for this theory. They hadn't moved a muscle since we'd arrived except for following the main focus of the conversation at hand. In fact, they appeared entirely bored with the existence of everyone in the room despite their focus on Aro and the five in the middle. They usually had a pretty outstanding form for these meetings, but they could've given a gargoyle a run for its money. Whatever the reason, the twins had been deliberately confined to their corner as if strictly serving in a ceremonial capacity. I wondered how long I'd last standing beside them like that. Human or otherwise, I doubted I could do it for long.

This was also the first time I was placed in front of a supernatural threat without Alec by my side and he had done nothing to rectify it. Whether that was because he really wasn't allowed to move or he'd chosen not to, I couldn't help but feel disappointed by it. It was an odd sort of disappointment, like I didn't have a right to the emotion. Likely because I had been the one to push him away. I'd yelled at him for protecting me before. I couldn't just change my mind because maybe I missed him and wanted him to stay at my side while still claiming I had no feelings for him. Trust wouldn't be the only issue between us if I gave into such an immature concept of life and relationships.

My emotions were so tangled up in general that adding that sudden wave of aggression plus this pathetic need did nothing to improve the conflicting thoughts racing throughout my mind. I had intended on taking the time to process things maturely and appropriately while the team was gone. Instead, I procrastinated with paint while I reflected on Alec and I's biggest fight yet. Which could have counted as processing if I hadn't shoved every reminder away when I started to feel one emotion growing louder than the others.

My point is, my safety was in three pairs of very capable hands. But without Alec right beside me, I still didn't feel 100%. Which was fine because 100% was overrated and I wasn't afraid of Issa and her darling, relatively crazy mate, Libby. It was just that a part of me wished he'd at least check that I was in the clear. And I hated how that wish made me feel, so I shoved it to the ground like a schoolyard bully and released myself from my mental maze.

Back in the active world, the tension wavered in the air, sensitive, breakable and every second that passed held the threat of being the second that broke the dam. My attention returned full circle to Libby, who had already shown that she was more willing to attack first.

Only this time she was controlled, thinking through her options instead of reacting detrimentally. I could see that wild nature searching for any way to rip me apart without interference. When she found none, I could see her struggling to figure a way out. And the barbaric nature returned when she landed back on me, weighing whether or not she cared about her own life if it meant ending mine. Even that, however, was not an option. Each guard maintained a heavy focus on the two women.

She'd be in pieces before she could even reach me.

I hadn't noticed I was smirking at this fact until I saw the recognition fully process in her mind. The ill smile was my only indulgence into the power that I held over her simply because of the protective detail assigned to me. This did not sit well with her and to be entirely honest, I mentally slapped it off my face as soon as I knew why it was there. Nothing about the moment or my actions brought me pride, just an odd form of shame. Around me the tension had continued to rise, but it was finally broken with a nonchalant comment of, at first glance, uniquely ignorant proportions.

Sitting back down in her previous chair, Huda commented off-handedly to Aro with a small laugh, saying only, "children." As if that alone excused the sequence of events. Her 'daughters' — who looked to be in their late twenties, by the way, so not children — got the message and relaxed their stances first, allowing the Volturi men to cautiously do the same. Prosper returned to my side, standing in the space between me and Libby, who still glared at me with contempt until Huda cleared her throat.

I felt weaker the instant after Libby's eyes left me. Not weak, just not as charged as I had been. The hardened belligerence subsequently left my mind as easily as it had entered it and judging by the shift that followed, it had left behind no residually aggressive emotional responses or reactions. As if it had never affected me in the first place.

"Children must learn to know their place," Caius countered to remind her that we had to be accountable for our behaviour, but he offered no suggestion for how to teach us this.

Huda raised her voice again, holding a breadth short of command over the room. It was almost as if she recognised Caius' push for an end to the matter at hand and what usually followed and she managed to elegantly reconstruct the negative insinuation into one she perceived as more favourable. "And what a wonderful lesson this has been," she said, seeming to agree with Caius' statement but altering the actual purpose of the words. With a silver tongue and the cleverness of a scorned woman, she added a personal touch to seal the deal, "for both our girls." I'd only seen a few women able to exhibit the type of charm and confidence that Huda had pulled forth in that moment. I'd recognize the sly wisdom from a mile away and I assumed that men who had seen as much of the world and lived as many lives as the kings would be immune to the con. She was so clearly pushing to save her daughter's head, but Aro seemed to pause and glance at the twins, then me, and back to Huda. By including me, she just might have saved Libby's life.

I was astounded by her success, but I knew better than to try and call out a woman as convincing as her on something I couldn't prove. Briefly forgetting that they could all hear me, I mumbled under my breath, "some lesson."

Huda's tactic was so delicately scribed that the next steps in this moment were crucial to ensuring its success. Somehow, the vampire woman's mastery and its sensitive state went over her own coven's heads and nature took over to risk it all. Issa wasn't fond of my quip and despite my lack of any real threat, she growled at me in warning to make sure I knew it. My head popped up and I tilted it to the side as she targeted me with this, a mistake she was unprepared to face.

Not a second after her sound announced itself did a separate, more menacing snarl claw through the air, decimating her growl with a warning of far worse proportion.

Issa automatically folded into a submissive position, preparing for the threat to see itself through. She peeked at the source and I was sure that the owner frightened her worse than the sound he'd sent her way ever could.

An almost playful, teasing smile of a boy was directed not at Issa, but at her mate. I saw it now. The power behind an eye for an eye, a mate for a mate.

And my mate's guns were bigger than hers.

Chapter Text

He could've been an angel. Just walked straight up to the front gates of Heaven, knocked, and God would've let him right in. No tests, no background check, not even angel school. 

He might've been one, had the world not gotten to him first.

Behind the facade of purity and youth, a predator laid in wait. Alec had hardly moved, but there was an emanating aura of sadistic dominance that I'd never seen in him before. The empty glare that told his prey she wasn't worth the gum on his Richelieu shoes — yes. The bored expression that gave the impression that her attempt was as pointless as an injured gazelle under a lion's paw — sure. But this Alec, from his princely debriefs after missions to the fury inspired by my bad decisions, I don't think even Zafir, brainwashed and wild, would have been able to recover from this Alec.

I almost felt guilty. Like I should have somehow warned her. I'd convinced myself that Alec wouldn't react to anything this time, but apparently, I was wrong. While the guys had seemed familiar with Issa, I highly doubted the same relationship, if any, existed between her and the twins. There was nothing to break but her will, to take the one thing she could not live without. Then, all of a sudden she got lucky. He lost interest and she was freed, all in a matter of seconds.

As Libby tried to bring Issa out of shock, Huda showed no concern, her focus instead moving from Alec and me and then to Aro. Her disbelief was the first genuine emotion she'd shown and it turned itself into a forced smile that didn't reach her cheekbones, let alone her eyes.

"Congratulations to your boy, Aro." She didn't address Alec, who had returned to dutifully focusing on Aro as if nothing had happened. "A special human, indeed." Although there was no ill-intent in her words, which were filled more with self-preservation, there was something about it that seemed ominous. Something about the knowledge she had just acquired changed her whole game plan. Not only did she know Alec's thirst for my blood, but she had figured out why he hadn't already drained and dumped me. I assumed Huda had looked towards me again, but I wasn't focused on either her or Alec.

I'd been caught in Jane's crosshairs when everyone had been distracted by Alec. Her stare was empty, identical to her brother's, but it was aimed directly at me and there was nothing positive or familiar about it. It was a build on the glare she'd given me the last time I saw her, right before Alec and I had it out in the library. She had seemed upset with me, but instead of the vexation subsiding, the look on her face gave me an inkling that it may have ballooned out instead. For a moment, I never would have believed that she had anything but hate for me in her bones. I swallowed anxiously and my heart nearly stopped. When she was sure that I'd seen and been affected by the stare, she turned away.

Aro barely acknowledged the back and forth of animalistic sounds nor did he exchange niceties with Huda's words. Instead, he stood in the same place with his hands folded together, deep in thought. Caius had made his position clear with a brief sentence. But neither he nor Marcus seemed to actually care what Aro chose, as if it didn't matter what they said. As if the decision had already been made.

"Yes," he began as if inspired by his own thoughts. He watched for Libby's reactions to his next words. "A lesson in control for two very special young women." While I couldn't see her face, I could see Issa's eyebrows lift from a small frown, still cowering, into a more worried expression. Though everything about his posture and words said otherwise, she would be right to worry but Aro didn't care about her. "No harm done." He waited to see if there was any protest, specifically looking between me and Libby.

I said nothing. I didn't particularly enjoy the chick, but I had no intention of seeing yet another person be torn apart in the same week. Every time I talked, a pit in my stomach seemed to grow and nag at me with disappointment. An excessive worry about Jane's thoughts didn't help. However, I was more miffed that this entire meeting, just like the others, had been added to a growing list of supernatural involved confrontations where I stood around and basically waited to be attacked.

If there was going to be anything positive about becoming a vampire, it was that I would finally be the one on defense, the one attacking - protecting, and not acting as the unpredictable hinderance that caused more trouble than her worth. But for now, I had to own the fact that I had been pushing my luck this time and Libby nearly paid the price for it, so I focused on keeping my mouth sealed tight.

Huda rose from the chair again. She composed herself before glancing abruptly up at Marcus, who narrowly avoided her gaze. She then shifted her attention over to Caius, giving him a nod and doing the same for Aro. Instead of a thank you, she claimed, "we would have hunted before, had we known." Her eyes flickered to Alec as she raised her head and I felt a second-handed pride that at least she shared the same apprehension the rest of her kind did when it came to the twins.

Aro nodded in an unnaturally understandingly and sympathetic movement, directing her towards the main doors where Xavier stood, already waiting. "Xavier will show you the area where you may do so. Outside the city, of course."

Huda smiled, showing off the whiteness of her teeth. Still flawless. "Of course." The three women bowed respectfully in concert with each other and turned to follow Xavier. I made eye contact with Libby as she turned and almost immediately, we both retracted the action as quickly as we could.

I wouldn't see Libby or her coven for a long time after this. And it wasn't until then that I would realise that yes, Libby kept her life, but I had cost her much more than that. That was the lesson I wished I'd learned this day, but unfortunately, life doesn't work like that — undead or not.

As the women passed through the doors, Caius' voice rang out to bring up a new topic. "We should reconsider the diets of our other guests." Other guests? I refrained from groaning at the inside information. If all my meetings with outside vampires continued with the current pattern, there was no way I'd survive many more of them.

Now free of Huda and her members' presence, Marcus had finally come down from the balcony to join the rest of us. He listened to the others as he glided down the steps and across the floor. I watched him curiously, feeling safest keeping my eyes on him so as to avoid another distanced and potentially hostile encounter with my closest friend.

"Perhaps it was fortuitous that the young ones had their disagreement." Aro began, moving to sit in a larger and more regal chair than his previous one at the chess table. The three leaders were now positioned in a lopsided circle, as if they were playing out to the rest of us as their audience. Which we sort of were because it was obvious that this had been a privately discussed topic that they did not want, nor did they previously seek, outside opinions or comments from their guards. "Huda's coven may have adopted Carlisle's ideals, but our new arrivals will likely experience a similar, if not stronger, temptation."

Marcus chimed in, speaking slowly but with an unwavering firmness. "We have already concluded this matter—"

Again, Caius countered with little patience and an equally even tone. He got right to his point, revealing the problem at hand to the rest of us. "Suppose her blood spills in unfavourable company or she continues this brazen antagonism?" Marcus raised his head at the bluntness, but didn't argue back. Which wasn't surprising. I'd known Caius had little faith in my self-control and I knew, as Marcus did, that I had done little to prove him wrong. He tested my temper and prepared the future for it, the glued down valuables in my room were proof of that. His eyebrows narrowed even further, nearly meeting in the middle of his face. "What then?"

None of the men were denying that my humanity or rather the blood that ran through my veins was a temptation to every vampire around me. A pull that only their oldest, most controlled, and respected could stand to be around me. One so innately provocative that when those highest were unable to watch me, that not two or three, but four of their other guards had to both protect me from an unknown threat as well as those within their own ranks. Therefore, they had no need to verbally address the fact that while it was loyalty and fear that kept me safe among the Volturi, fear alone might not be enough to keep me safe from others of their kind. It was clear that the three Kings did not believe it would.

Their conversation began to pick up speed, until all I could really make out were a few words and a general buzz in the air as they discussed next steps. For men that seemed to consider every avenue, they'd certainly failed to do so with such an obvious factor like their food source. I would have believed it was faith in their own guard that produced this blind spot, mainly because I was convinced of their guard's success. For some reason, the near-miss attack on my life prompted them to revisit a decision Marcus said they had already moved on from. It left me wondering exactly who or what was coming to the castle that this threat to my life now posed a larger and supposedly unexpected threat.

As I waited impatiently for them to slow down so I could get clearer intel, I observed everyone around us. An odd number due to the departure of Xavier left a single mid-tier guard by the doors, Afton. Demetri and Felix had flanked to opposite walls with Felix on my right. Directly across from Prosper and I, I could feel eyes waiting for me to reach them. Whether it was Jane or Alec, the shift in the room had caused the individual to actively search for my attention. Or perhaps it was my own desires that dragged my attention in that direction.

In defiance of my own will, my stomach still unsettled, I shut my eyes tight and tried to concentrate on the only conversation in the room. Without the distraction of my other senses, I did manage to pick up a few words - enough to partly piece their conversation together. Enough to know that they had no idea what to do with me. With a clear and present threat outside their walls and and several new ones being cordially invited inside, their options were limited to locking me in a tower and…well,

"There is only one solution." Caius' suggestion brought me out of my thoughts and my head snapped up. Caius had always been an advocate for my quick transformation, like an executioner with a newly sharpened blade. Though the intensity behind his argument seemed to have a less sadistic and impatient drive in the current debate. And I could have convinced myself that he just might have been looking out for my overall well-being. Perhaps he might tolerate me a bit more if I was already a vampire.

Aro quickly shut the idea down, and clearly not for the first time. "She is not ready."

Marcus supported the decision with a solidly logical point. "Nor do we want the recklessness of such an unpredictable newborn." Despite its validity across my time with them, I was growing frustrated with the developing reputation.

I'd been slightly reckless, sometimes short-tempered, and usually prone to trouble throughout my life — I would be the first to claim it. But I would be remiss to not also appreciate that I had proven myself to be more than that. After all, I was just barely sixteen, yet disciplined enough to copy every detail of artistic masterpieces and to balance on my knees with practiced patience through several hours long masses delivered entirely in Latin. Besides, it wasn't like Alec, their pride and joy, was much better. Where was his call-out?

Caius paused before making his point. "At least her life would be guaranteed." And it almost seemed like he cared.

They continued to debate and like actors on a stage, they pretended as if we weren't there. And even though the other two rulers had moved past Caius's last argument, the atmosphere of the guard had shifted. Still, no one spoke and the Kings did not acknowledge it, if they'd even noticed.

After an abrupt hum of silence, Marcus' hollow voice had dropped the low tone and mocking secrecy from before with a new proposal. "Perhaps, Carlisle."

I was lost to how their conversation had progressed to this seemingly unconnected topic. I wasn't planning on asking, but my curiosity increased as the highest in their ranks disobeyed an unspoken rule with a low hissing sound at the name. Every head turned to face the owner, to see what kind of explanation they would provide that was important enough to interrupt.

"Speak, boy." Marcus snapped, taking an unusually sharp tone with the boy.

The reaction surprised me and I wasn't the only one. Doing as he was told, Alec framed his words like a question, careful not to add to his insubordinate behaviour by challenging his masters' judgement. "Is the loyalty of Carlisle's coven not in a state of uncertainty?" From what I knew about Carlisle Cullen and his coven so far, it seemed a fair question to ask. Carlisle had been nice enough when I'd met him, but the way the others spoke about his 'family' did not paint many of the members in a very flattering light. While it seemed unlikely that Carlisle would allow them to betray the Volturi, I wouldn't be surprised if they took actions to do so.

Aro took over, shutting Alec down. "Come now, my boy. Did you not find a recent kinship with young Edward?" It was a rhetorical question, stated to dismiss Alec's theory, as if it were preposterous to suggest otherwise.

"Aye, Master." Alec was reluctant to agree, but his response was merely a formality. Aro had already made his decision.

"I am sure he will be quite pleased with your progress over the course of these past three months." Three months? When had Alec talked to…it took me a minute to connect the pieces of a puzzle I'd long since abandoned. I had forgotten about the mysterious trip Alec had taken after Victor Tima confirmed my father's death. Alec had been particularly secretive about it at the time and even though I tried, he wouldn't give up any details. So, with no success, I had finally let it go - until now. But, it hardly seemed like anything of consequence that he had met with the Cullen, at least nothing that he would want to keep to himself. A whole new slew of questions began to form in my head, but I pushed them to the side as a reminder for a later time.

The Volturi's leader had moved on, "Afton, notify Regina," the current secretary, "that she is to inform Carlisle he will be receiving guests — discreetly." Afton nodded and disappeared through the doors.

Unwilling to give up his role as the devil's advocate, Caius spoke up again with an enigmatic stance. "And should our enemy discover their whereabouts in spite of this?"

Aro's answer was too muddled for me to hear, but I noticed Jane's cloak move the smallest bit. I had missed any actual change in their physicality, but I believed I knew them well enough to assume that whatever Aro had said did not sit well with the siblings.

Caius pushed his agenda, "and if he is?"

Aro's burgundy orbs flickered over his small audience, all of them awaiting their next direction. He stopped on Prosper who stood dutifully beside me. "Prosper will accompany them."

This seemed to satisfy the other men, but the frown on Alec's face grew darker. His distaste for the plan was still evident and Prosper's added involvement made it even less favourable. Suddenly unable to keep these doubts to himself, he received a dirty look from his sister as he again interrupted their Masters.

"Masters." This time, he waited until they gave him permission to continue. "Prosper has failed to prove his ability to assist in an assignment as sensitive as this." He paused, but the Kings made no move to agree with him. He tried harder. "I do not trust him." I'd been doing so well in the last few minutes, but at this, I just couldn't help myself.

I gave a sharp laugh. "Sucks, doesn't it?"

"Saffiya!" My head whipped to the source of the ferociously disciplined voice. Jane was glaring at me, not quite as harsh as when we'd first met but with a coldness I hadn't seen since. She'd said nothing the entire time, hadn't acknowledged me for even a second, but now her silence was broken with deliberate consequence. "Be quiet." It was the first reprimand I had received all day and it was well-earned, and succeeded in shutting me down.

The problem with impulsivity is that it blinds you to reality. When that high drops, there's moment of clarity when you're hit with all the negative effects and the consequences of your actions under it consume you. The past hour of my behaviour fell with a heavy and immediate weight triggered by Jane's discipline. Filled with shame and embarrassment, I crossed my arms and dropped onto the couch behind me.

But the way Jane had said my name stuck to me like a spider's web and as I sat there in disgrace, it began to inspire an almost daydreamed story made up of the last few months. Except this story included a twist that made the memories far from nostalgic. I'd automatically sent my brain through a fashioned flip book film in which Jane had reacted to me as the others expected. It showed me what my life would have been if she hadn't walked into my room, sat down and started playing chess out of nowhere. It mocked me with the events that would have unfolded had Jane decided I was an enemy, instead of a play mate. And in all honesty, I hadn't realized how drastically this decision on Jane's end could have shaped my time in the castle. I'd been angry, scared, upset…but I never felt alone.

The Masters observed the exchange with no particular interest except to wait for it to pass.

Once it had, Marcus cracked his uninterested facade and his next comment was, no doubt, prompted by the moment just past and the tumultuous relationship Alec and I had become infamous for. "Perhaps we should…prepare Carlisle as well." Warn. He meant warn Carlisle that the Volturi had had to glue down the valuables and stock up on extra blood - just in case, because Alec and I couldn't get our shit together.

I hid my face in my hands as Aro began dishing out orders so quickly all I could really hear was a buzz. Everyone seemed to move at once and Prosper tapped my shoulder, which I took as an indication to stand.

"Alright?" He asked me and I nodded, catching Alec glaring at him from across the room. I thought he was going to approach us, but one of the masters called his name and he turned away.

Prosper led me out of the observatory and we made the familiar trek to my bedchambers. I'd spent months in this dramatically large castle, but had hardly spent time in more than a handful of spaces. I made myself a silent promise that the next time I was able to ditch my detail, I was going exploring. If Versailles had a hall of mirrors, I could only imagine what the Volturi had lying around this place.

"Hey, what was wrong with Marcus in there?"

Prosper was staring at the ground and he stumbled briefly before gave a late reaction to my question with a poorly constructed confused expression. "I didn't notice anything."

"So, the Great Gatsby routine was just a coincidence, then?" He laughed before giving in as easily as the Wonder Boys — Felix and Demetri always did. The entire guard gossiped so much they deserved their own reality show.

"Long before my time and before she was a nomad, Huda was a member of the Volturi. She betrayed her own coven, with whom the Volturi were at war at the time. She believed she would be rewarded with a seat at the table, so to say." He hesitated and it probably hit both of us at the same time that maybe he shouldn't be telling me this story so candidly in the middle of the corridor.

I prompted him, "she didn't get one, did she?"

He shook his head and continued despite the risk of an awkward encounter. "Still, she stayed. She, supposedly, fell in love with Marcus, whether for his power or his sparking personality, you may decide yourself."

"Didn't Marcus have Didyme?" Prosper nodded. "As far as I know, it wasn't until after Didyme was killed that she tried to seduce Marcus. Unsurprisingly, each attempt proved more futile than the last."

My face scrunched up at the information. I refrained from using any choice words or disrespectful language, aware that we were still in the hallway and I was on thin ice already. Prosper nodded once more at my reaction, confirming what I wasn't saying out loud. It was no wonder Marcus had avoided her like the plague. My mind began to wander and the thought popped into my head before I could stop it.

What would Alec do if his mate…me…if I…died and someone tried to seduce him? The possibility of the first part alone seemed to have been haunting him from the moment we met. It had fuelled his decisions, his mistakes…it was almost as if. I cut myself off. Groaning inwardly at myself, I threw the rude intruding thoughts into a closet and tossed the key into the depths of Tartarus. However, even the brief interaction with the imagined possibility was enough to make me feel ill.

What would I do, if he —

Unaware of my mental battle, Prosper summed the story to a close. "She left just before the height of the Volturi's rise, before Jane and Alec. She returns every few centuries, and while the Masters welcome her as a visitor, it is evident she is always looking for a way into the inner circle."

"Why did she leave?" I asked, suspicious of the decision, especially if she was as power hungry as Prosper was suggesting.

He shrugged. "What may once have been truth, was adapted and exaggerated over centuries of the guard's gossip." I raised my eyebrows, expecting more and he shook his head. "Conspiracies are bad for the heart."

I squinted at him and with a clear joking tone, "you don't have a heart."

"Ah, but you do, kid."

I rolled my eyes instead of commenting on the obvious time limit of the subject. To avoid a drop in the conversation, I further questioned, "And Issa? You're…friends, at least?"

Prosper nodded, confirming this. "Huda believed she would be gifted." I frowned, looking up at him but he was looking ahead. "Issa has spent her immortal life attempting to make up for the fact that she is not. It seems as though her mate may rectify that disappointment."

I stopped in the middle of the corridor in disbelief. "Libby has a gift?"

"Could you not tell?" I shook my head wildly, not having even considered the possibility.

Rubbing the back of my head, I admitted, "I was more focused on besting her in…well, anything I could."

"That would make sense. Libby appears to have an aura of aggression," he saw me about to interrupt because that sounded like a stupid power, but he shook his head to keep going."It means that she can induce a primal type of aggression and wrath into those around her, often leading to a need for violence." I wanted to question him on the claim, but it made complete sense.

Sarcastically, I chimed it. "Now, that's a party trick."

Prosper continued to fill me in on his theory, which didn't feel theoretical in the slightest. "She does not seem to have control over it yet, which is likely why, as a human, your mind was so susceptible to her influence."

"Wait, you didn't feel anything?"

He shook his head, denying this. "We all did, with less intensity." He paused, tilting his head down at me. "Why do you think no one stopped you?" I took this in. He was right, the Kings had hardly acknowledged or seemed to give a damn that we basically wanted to kill - or at the very least, injure, each other. Even Jane's check on my attitude didn't occur until after Libby left the room.

I pressed my hand to my head, trying to shake off the memory. This whole day could have gone a lot worse if I had gone just a step further. "I've never been so antagonistic in my life. It was mind-bendingly numb, and it was like I had — absolutely had to break her."

"I believe you inspired the same in her."

I bit my lip as a great deal of sadness swept over me. "Do you think she always feels that way?"

Prosper raised his head up and down slowly. "It is possible."

Our conversation dropped to a lull as we finished our trek to my room. After opening the still ridiculously heavy door, Prosper stationed himself just outside.

I paused before going in. "Don't you need like, my passport or something?"

He gave a very small, very light chuckle, as if my question were ridiculous and gave me a brief answer. "Pack a bag, get some sleep. We leave late tonight."

I groaned dramatically, to his entertainment, and let the door fall closed behind me. 'Late tonight' meant I had a decent amount of time and my brain was already debating whether I needed a shower or a nap more. However, I froze not two steps into the chamber.

I had a visitor, and she looked less than pleased to see me.

Chapter Text

"Ow!" Jane's harsh gaze snapped to my face, using the mirror before us as a vessel. It was an automatic response to see if there was any validity in my claim, even if I was not the most reliable of sources when it came to exclamations of pain.

Her expression shifted to give me a look that clearly said she had no patience for my antics. She rolled her eyes dismissively when I gave a sheepish face in return, before continuing to run the bristled brush through my curls.

"I can still hear it," I mumbled, offering a defence for such an obvious lie. As I did, the brush caught yet another tangle in my hair and tugged my head back with the resistance. Instead of running it through anyways and causing aforementioned sound to happen again, she moved the antique brush away. Jane didn't acknowledge my sass, but she did take the time to comb the tangled strands loose with her fingers.

This exchange was the first crack in her highly guarded exterior since I'd returned to the room almost an hour ago. I'd been aiming for a reaction from her, so whether the brief, tiny smile on her face was due to a dip in her anger or was owned by a more sadistic cause, I did not care. I'd take anything at this point.

I didn't get the chance to ask her why she was waiting for me because only a few seconds after the chamber door had shut behind me did she tell me to "take a shower". Word for word. It seemed like a weird directive to me, but because I'd already been debating it, I did as she said without another word.

As soon as I'd closed the bathroom door, I was racking my brain, trying to figure out a reason why she would be upset with me. I tried to remember when I'd first noticed it and it was just before my fight with Alec so it was an unlikely possibility, at least when considered as the main cause of her anger. Of all the options that ran through my head, none stuck out as something that would upset my friend. I'd hoped that maybe I had just imagined it, but it was very clear that Jane was, at the very least, extraordinarily frustrated with me.

And it wasn't like I could come right out and plainly ask her what was wrong. That would be too easy.

Water still dripped from my hair as I'd emerged from the bathroom soon after, both nervous and eager to see what my friend was upset about. I observed the room first and I was surprised to see my rucksack, which had been missing since I'd moved back into my room, resting against the bedpost. It looked like it had been filled to the hilt and just barely managed to zip closed. The journal Aro had given me and a book of Jane's current poetry favourites sat on top. We'd been reading through them recently and discussing our perspectives afterward, almost like we were in school.

When my eyes landed on Jane, I realized why she wanted me to take a shower. She was standing at the vanity desk, brush in hand, waiting for, but not looking at, me. It was a contradicting activity to her emotions and I almost second guessed my assessment. Except that ever since I sat down, she wouldn't say a word.

Small tugs of exhaustion were already pricking my skin, but I pushed them down. There would be time to sleep later. But, god, I wish I would've known I'd need the sleep. The shower had done nothing to reverse the effects of my previous nights, which included a less than restful R.E.M. cycle. I'd been sitting patiently and obediently and I was sort of impressed by my doing so. I chalked the submissive attitude up to the tediously drawn out day. A day that was far from over.

Jane wasn't known for starting conversations. This time, however, I was determined to let her do so. After all, I truly was lost as to the cause of her frustration and I doubted trying to start a conversation about the last movie we watched would be enough to pull her out. Though this staying quiet tactic had, unfortunately, not initiated the conversation as quickly as I had assumed it would. Instead, Jane remained intent on the single task of combing through my hair. It was almost like she was in a trance, but her anger came through every once and again when a particularly stubborn tangle resisted her touch.

Every time my eyes flashed up to check in with her, I felt a tug in my chest.

I wanted to ask her how the mission had gone, as she often returned with a very strong positive or negative opinion on the events. Mostly, I wanted to know more about what they'd left for, because it was clear that the threat they were chasing was still prominent. I was also curious about what other insight she might have on the three mysterious women, if she had one at all. I guess I'd been turned into a bit of a gossip by association. I tried to figure out how to ask if she wanted to play a game of chess, because it felt like we hadn't done so in ages. I just wanted her to talk to me.

And yes, I also wanted to know if Alec was okay because if I was honest, I expected him to be the one in my room before her. His disheveled appearance at the meeting worried me more than I cared to admit, both out of a fear for over-reacting and of not wanting to have any emotional response to it in general. It was just that I couldn't push it down and pretend that this hyperawareness of him didn't exist. Not anymore.

My consistent curiosity only made me wonder further, pondering if there would ever be a day that I walked into a room with a member of the Volturi and did not have a question. If I would ever be on the inside, with all the necessary information and more answers than I had questions. But I had to focus on the present before the future could even come to exist and right now, I wasn't the only one with questions.

"Why are you pretending to be affected by my powers?"

My attention snapped back to Jane, her voice and her claim surprising me. "I'm what?"

She ignored me again, continuing with the accusation. "You shun my brother for his secrets, yet you've keep your own all the while." I turned around in the chair, but she pushed my shoulder back in place. I had to settle for looking at her through the mirror as she continued to accuse me. Without waiting for me to deny her previous statement, she got to her point, her eyes imprisoning mine.

This was nowhere to be found on my list of possible problems Jane had with me. It wasn't even a concept I had considered myself. Simply because it made no sense. I'd felt the pain first-hand and the entire guard had been witness to my dramatic reactions to Jane's infamous gift. The last response I expected anyone to have was doubt.

My eyebrows dipped into a deep frown, unsure of how she could have possibly come to this abrupt and faulty conclusion. As well as to where she would have gotten the idea. Alec had mentioned she wanted to apologise, but from her demeanour right now it seemed he may have softened his interpretation of her original message. Which was way off on his part — obviously.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your 'fits of pain' at the end of our session was not caused by me." Her eyes darkened as she gave evidence for her accusation. She spit her words with contempt, "you faked it."

By the end of the session, Aro had lost his patience and was eager for results after multiple attacks from Jane had seemed to lose their power. But, he'd stirred her up and it started working again, arguably even stronger than the previous attempts. "That makes no sense." I thought she might be joking, or at the very least trying to catch me off guard for something else. But she continued with an incredibly sober disposition.

"I did not intend on continuing after Marcus attempted to end the session." While her words seemed gentler, her tone hadn't lost its spite. "I believed you had have enough."

I frowned, finally able to drop my gaze from her as I zeroed in on a spot on the table in front of me. I tried to think back to each individual attack from the other day. I briefly recalled checking in with my memory of Felix, writhing in agony during my first few days. In the times Jane aimed her gift at me, I knew it was coming and I'd created imaginary paths and sounds. It didn't seem possible that I could have let these imagined creations overwhelm my mind with an attack of unequal proportions.

Except, this was a process I'd been perfecting since I was three years old. The ideal key to mimicking anything was preparation and if possible, knowing exactly what was going to happen. I could walk myself through stepping in front of a car and replicating the strokes of a brush by breaking down every move in the process step by step. With only a look, Jane could make others feel immense pain in less than a second. After analyzing Felix's response and referencing my own gallery of pain responses, I would — theoretically — be able to fake a reaction to her gift. There was just one problem with her theory. Or so I thought.

"But, I felt…pain."

"Did you?" She mocked me out of a self-preservation instinct, and despite the vulnerability in it, all I could see was the bracing cold that was Jane, Volturi Guard. Not Jane that liked reading upside down on her bed and giggled every time her character was killed in a video game. The Jane before me was the relentless, unforgiving, savage girl that ran on fear and gave nightmares to a species that couldn't even sleep.

This Jane tried to take advantage of the moment as I tried to make sense of my confusion. She gave me a particularly bitter look, as if I'd betrayed her a thousand times over and I almost believed I had earned it on purpose. However, the personal connection we shared that made the betrayal element so temperamental, did not allow her to maintain her regal composure of indifference. "You had me believing it was my fault that you were crying out, trembling from a pain you know nothing about." She spoke bitterly as her throat tightened, and she continued stiffly, "It was not until you did it again, without any provocation from me, that I knew you were deceiving us."

I was lost for words, unsure of how to convince her of something she so adamantly believed in. This was no mind for Jane, who used her words like venom in a situation like this. Unlike her brother, she was able to secure the exact string of letters and sentences to pinpoint her thoughts, sometimes her emotions, and coherently translate them into being. And unfortunately for everyone in contention with her viperous attitude, she knew just where to strike to make her words sting so violently that the guilt could almost be physically felt. "I thought I was killing you." It didn't appear that she intended to say this, but she made no effort to retract or deafen the impact of the admission.

Whether or not I had deliberately done as she accused me, I realised that I had never accounted for Jane's feelings nor her opinion on the assignment she'd been given. A sort of pitying grief began wracking itself up inside of my chest, even if I wasn't fully accountable for the cause because I knew how potentially damaging something like this could be for her. Jane adored her gift. She used it every opportunity she had, but the signs I'd missed that supported her claims were only now illuminating in my memories. The doubtful glances she'd send to Aro and her look of shame when Caius accused her of being sentimental. She wasn't ashamed because she was not satisfying her masters' requests, as I'd assumed. She was ashamed because Caius was right — she had grown sentimental.

I tried to take a deep breath, but it was all too quick as I was desperate to clear my name. "I didn't think—"

"No, you didn't." If it were possible, her eyes became even sharper, piercing mine with the tip of a newly forged sword. There was a shift in her energy and with this switch, Jane had gained a new wind, passionate and certain of my culpability for the reverberations of my alleged crime. Yes, she was hurt by what she believed I'd done to her, but this was different. She was no longer speaking as the scorned best friend. Now, she engaged me with the ferocity rivalling that of a mother bear — the defensiveness instinct of a sister. She continued.

"My brother has built his world around keeping you from harm, only for his sister to be the only source of pain he cannot save you from." She cut herself off, correcting her posture after she'd started to become undone by the emotions her passion was stirring up. "You've retained your humanity, but you have failed to consider the cost."

Alec had made his feelings clear about Jane's gift being used on me and I'd shown him defiance in return. Of course, this had been before I'd known about our being…mates (an admission I still hesitated to make without notation). But, if he had not brought it up, I would not have sought out his opinion by any means. It wasn't his choice, so why would it matter? Knowing what I did now, I could see how it would.

"That was never my intention. Jane, you have to believe me." She gave no indication that she would do any such thing, so I tried to offer ideas supporting a reasonable doubt. "What if I've just grown used to it?"

She shook her head and answered as if she'd already considered the possibility. "No. Your physical responses have never matched the intensity I directed to you. I attributed the dramatics to your being human, but now it makes sense."

"It does?" I asked softly, wanting her to forgive me more than I wanted to continue with such a negative conversation.

Her gaze had not backed down, but there was a strange genuineness in her voice as she admitted, "I do not believe you ever felt it to begin with."

She had to be wrong. From the first time we met, to only two days ago, her gift always felt so real. If she were right, then I'd been extremely lucky in my assumptions before I witnessed her attack on Felix. Yet, there was something else that bugged me even more. The same insecurity that this whole thing started with began to rise and I didn't want to give in to it. Jane's gift was the only thing that made me even partly normal. So, out of fading desire to hold on to it, I tried to provoke her, posing a challenge — which never ended well with the competitive twin.

"Fine, try it again." I abruptly pushed myself to my feet, opening my arms as if to say I was fair game. "Right now, then."

"I have." She narrowed her eyes. "From the moment you entered this room."

Her words hit me in the chest and I had to physically step back to catch my balance. My head retracted, as if having to reprocess and then reframe what she had just said. Surely, she hadn't been trying consistently this whole time to excessively torture me. Surely… Still, the fact that I hadn't noticed anything, that I didn't even have an inkling that this was happening was disorienting. I raised my arms, scanning them as if I'd somehow missed a visible clue that the rest of my body should have been squirming in agony. But I'd felt nothing. Not even the little bit of pressure I always thought I felt right before her gift would hit me.

Not to mention that if this were true, then she must have been positive about her conclusions. No matter how angry she was with me, I couldn't imagine her attacking me on purpose for a selfish reason. With this fact alone, I could feel my doubt being convinced of what it hoped to disprove. Which begged the question Jane had started with — why had I pretended and more importantly, how was it possible for me to not have some consciousness of the fact that these were a false performances.

She repeated her message again in a definitive statement. "My gift does not effect you, Saffiya."

My lips parted slightly as I processed her words again, but I no longer denied them. Jane was watching me, likely contemplating what to do with me. I just wanted her to believe me when I say I had no idea. But, how could I claim such a thing, especially one I did not yet understand.

She only faltered in her strict form for a brief moment, almost seeming to regret the responsibility that she otherwise cherished and respected. But she was a professional. "I must inform Aro."

Of course, Aro would want to know. Would he be upset? You could never tell with him, but I had a sinking feeling I wouldn't get lucky with this one. Caius would no doubt be furious, raving and all that, and I couldn't even bare to consider what Marcus would say — if he would even speak or look at me. The immense dread that was growing in me reminded me of the time I tried to hide the priest's prayer book so I didn't have to go to masses with the nuns anymore. I was about 12, a bit temperamentally rebellious, and when Sister Misha told me I had to return it to the Mother Abbess herself, I was terrified. I knew I'd done wrong and I didn't want to disappoint her. Except this time, I was innocent of my own crime and it could literally take thousands of years for them to forgive me. That's when it clicked.

Jane had insinuated that I had hid a deceptive performance in an act to preserve my humanity, even though the act had negative consequences for my friends. She'd made the assumption long before I ever discovered my motive. If I wasn't effected by Jane's gift, then there was technically nothing to delay my being changed into a vampire for much longer. It should've been clear as day, but my mind had only just finished putting together what I hadn't yet connected the dots on.

"Wait," my hand landed on her wrist. "Please don't."

"Saffiya, I must."

"I know. But the Masters just decided they don't want a newborn around right now." The words tasted sour in my mouth.

"Because we cannot account for—"

I stopped her, desperate to make her understand just how crucial it was for me to reclaim control over the single pivotal factor in this entire situation that I was never consulted on. Even if it was only for a little while. "I just need time to get used to the idea." She still looked hesitant. I pleaded, "not yet."

Finally, she nodded.

"Time should be the very least of your worries, anyways." She commented boldly, her tone far too casual for the words she was choosing. "This mission holds its own possible paths that are far more timely and treacherous."

I had to repeat her words for myself, unsure whether she was skirting around something or being purposefully broad in an attempt to get me to respond a certain way. I only waited for her to explain exactly what those potential paths might lead, already assuming the answers ranged from the growing rebel group to other vampires. Rather than offer me anything remotely close to this, she decided to take a separate, particularly blunt step in another direction. "Besides, I am of two minds on whether you would stand a better chance as a human or as a newborn if such an occasion were to arise."

I rolled my eyes, noting the slight humour — well, Jane's humour, in her phrasing, but still finding myself somewhat miffed. "That is wonderfully reassuring, thanks for that." She shrugged, unaffected by my sarcasm, as she took my arm and quickly returned my to the chair, undoing her interrupted work to start over. Her indifference only continued to prod at my irritation. "If it is so dangerous in the real world, then why are they sending us away." The challenge to the Masters' authority made Jane twitch as if preparing herself to jump into action to defend her leaders. However, instead of getting angry, she provided me with an actual clear answer.

"The Masters have invited our closest allies to a reunion, of sorts." She smirked to herself in the mirror. "An opportunity to demonstrate their continued support of the Volturi."

An invitation like that reeked of suspicious intent and I was curious to know whether or not Aro had shared the second piece of information in his little invites. Either way, limiting it to the Volturi's 'close' allies implied a level of loyalty and trust that was exposed to too many outside variables to be consistently reliable.

I'm sure that anyone receiving this invite that just so happened to know something about the rebels yet hadn't, at the very least, warned the Volturi, would be very conflicted right about now. On one hand, if they showed up in Volterra, within minutes the resident mindreader (thought-reader, whatever Aro was) would likely shake their hand and follow up with a prompt, 'off with the head'. Though, I assumed that a missing RSVP would also result in an automatic assumption of guilt and a handful of Volturi guard members would appear at their metaphorical front steps for a 'check in'. However, I got the impression that invitations from the Volturi were not turned down, and definitely not optional. So, either way. These vampires would be screwed.

"You mean to test their loyalty," I asked, surprised at how comfortable I was with the idea when I wasn't on the other side of it. With the assumably large amount of vampires in attendance, something else clicked for me. "That's why Huda's here?" Aro could touch as many hands as he wanted, but I imagine it would be much easier for someone to just come right out and admit their betrayal for all to see. And for all those other people to witness the punishment for defying their allies. Fear was certainly a powerful motivator.

Jane nodded. "We need numbers. But numbers threaten your safety. It also does not benefit that my brother does not have the control he thinks he does where you are involved." The subtle dig at her brother didn't go unnoticed as I recognised that this was definitely true. Even if they could keep me safe and tucked away from all the vampires wanting to eat me, it was shown earlier that this was easier said than done. Not to mention, the intensity of my protector couldn't take a joke, and even my other guards might respond to a general comment and accidentally open up additional issues and infighting. A generality that was made more substantial and conceivable by the recent encounter with the Volturi's first visitors.

As expected as the potential for danger was in general, it hadn't soaked into my mind as much as it was able to now. "Exactly how much danger am I in?" Even if I didn't exactly understand why I was a target, the resulting consequences convinced me to rely on the Masters' decision. And I was suddenly grateful that there were three, instead of just one making the calls. Despite Aro standing at the helm, the additional input was much appreciated.

Jane's face softened at my question, and her residual contempt began to fade. "You will be safe with Alec and Prosper. And the Cullens certainly have the will, if not the talent." She seemed pained to even utter the second part and I might've laughed if not for the seriousness of the moment. "They will protect you."

But who will protect them? I wanted to ask, but if I didn't want to delve into that idea, I definitely didn't want to open if up for Jane. If it hadn't already. That's when I realized, "you're not coming with us?" Her name hadn't been mentioned earlier, but I'd just assumed if Alec were coming then she would as well.

She shook her head sadly and patted mine. "I am to stay here to fortify the allusion that Alec is present as well. The vampire world is under the impression that Aro would never separate us." I frowned at the statement, not because she said it, but because I knew what it meant for her to be separated from her brother for even a short while. Much less an unknown amount of time, which this it would be.

"I'd rather you then Alec," I pouted childishly, trying to alleviate the negativity and although she often laughed when I poked innocent fun at her brother, this time she did not take it that way. Her protective sisterly instinct rising once more as she snapped.

"You need to stop." The clarity in her tone made room for an emotion I couldn't quite name, but was certainly overwhelmed by it even in secondhand exposure. "Both of you. Before one of you says something that cannot be forgotten." I didn't look at her, her reaction making me too nervous to own up to the associated casual meanness in my comment. But, I also wondered what exactly Alec had been saying to prompt the reaction.

Despite my injured pride, my snark to her warning was technically avoidable. And yet, "too late for that."

"Damn it, Saffiya." She growled in light frustration, "he nearly lost his arm because of your—" Jane stopped talking, catching herself a little too late. She couldn't take it back and I faintly heard an Italian curse word hissed between her teeth at the slip. She'd dropped my braid, seemingly giving up on finishing it off.

My eyes widened and my jaw fell open with an involuntary whimper. My hand came up to cover it a second too late. I tried to speak, but couldn't remember how. I'm sure Jane could see the thoughts racing through my head with what she'd said. Or even just the emotions, because that was all I could manage to take note of; A wafting smell of disbelief, a touch of vengeful righteousness, and a whole lot of fear. Yes, I'd seen him just an hour or so ago and other than the obvious, he appeared to be fine. Two arms and everything. But what if he wasn't? What if…

"It is not what you think." Jane did her best to thwart this progression of natural assumptions in my brain before they could continue to build on their own. In her brilliant fashion, Jane kept her explanation brief, clear, and full of facts. She didn't really tell stories. Similarly, unless you caught her twin in a very unique and specific moment, you'd barely get more than a sentence or two from him. They were well-practiced. "He was distracted, he got careless, and a newborn tried to attack him from behind." She explained slowly, staring at me like I was an animal that could be spooked by the faintest sound in a forest. To reassure me more, she added, "it hardly touched him before Felix and Xavier had its' head in the flames."

I turned my gaze to the floor, not sure how I was supposed to feel and not even close to understanding what I was actually experiencing in that moment. It spanned from fear and anger somewhere around Alec and a debt of gratitude towards the men who had his back. But if Jane was still this emotional about it, was it really as inconsequential as she tried to make it seem? I tried to move the topic past this, only for it to backfire immediately. "Distracted by what?" She raised her eyebrows at me. "What…me?

"I do not know everything that happened between you two in the library," the sensitive edge dropped in her tone, "but whatever you did not resolve could have gotten my brother killed."

More dazed by her words than the harshness of the reality, I mumbled my confusion, "I wasn't even there…"

"Do you not think of him when you are apart?" I raised my head, her point striking me in unexplored territory. "You silly girl," she chided with an endearing sort of pity.

I moved away from the vanity only to settle on the open area of carpet on the floor. I laid down as Jane came to sit beside me. We weren't strangers to the occasional floor party. It helped me feel grounded, which this topic did nothing for.

"I know you two are not on the same page at the moment and you may continue to claim you hate him all you like." She placed a hand on my arm before laying beside me, staring up at my ceiling as if we were stargazing. She continued softly, "but while you are away, you must push your pride aside. Do everything Alec tells you to, without question and please," I met her eyes. "Bring my brother back to me."

It dawned on me then that I was not the only one worried about the danger my protector was putting himself in, despite his supposed invulnerability as a vampire. Jane was my friend, and I was hers. But she was a sister first. No matter the reason, he was in danger because of me and reassuring her of my same commitment was the least I could do in return.

She accepted another simple nod as I agreed to her terms and we both looked up to the ceiling.

"I don't hate him," I whispered into the air and I know she heard me, but she kept quiet. Until a minute later, she reached for my hand and squeezed it.

"I know."

Before I could lose myself in some reverie and now assured that she and Alec were physically okay, I moved on to the second tidbit of information she had accidentally provided me with.

I nudged her shoulder with mine. "So. You guys were fighting newborns?" She pointedly ignored me and I kicked the empty air with my foot in protest from the floor beside her. "Nobody tells me anything."

"Maybe you should focus on resolving your issues with Alec before you worry about the grown up stuff." She was teasing this time, as eager as I was to forget the darkness while we could.

Her words did surprise me a little because she hadn't mentioned anything specific. I'd assumed she knew. The twins told each other everything, even the mundane elements of their day. They once engaged in an exhilarating debate about evolution after Alec mentioned a cloud shaped like a squirrel. A cloud. He hadn't even stepped a foot outside that day. "He didn't tell you?"

"Some things." Keeping with our break from the seriousness of life, she gave me a smug grin and uncharacteristically chimed, "nice splint, by the way. Is it vintage?"

I groaned, feeling a little lighter as I collapsed backwards onto the bed, "of course he did." Jane giggled softly at my embarrassment, which was more out of knowing he'd chosen to share it with Jane rather than the fact that he'd actually shared it with her. He wanted to tell his sister and the implications of that were astoundingly real. Out of everything he could've shared. It presented more nerves in my stomach — teasing, giddy butterflies at their finest and I couldn't stand it.

There were voices outside the door and they briefly rose in volume as Jane and I both turned to look in the direction.

"What's going on?"

She sighed and laid back down. "I don't claim him when he's like this."

Before I could ask what she was on about, there was a slam that reverberated throughout the room and made one of the heavy antique doors shake. Jane opened one eye to see me looking at her with concern. "You probably should, though," she suggested. Still unsure of what exactly I was walking into, I stood to open the opposite door that hadn't been recently attacked.

As soon as I pushed it open, two faces turned to look at me. Alec had Prosper pinned against the door, the latter man with hands up to prove he wasn't a threat. Alec's eyes softened when he saw it was me who had interrupted them.

I just sighed disappointedly and glanced back to Jane, who grinned smugly at the fact that she'd gotten me to take the bait.

"Really?" I prompted, because I thought Alec had moved past his irrational mistreatment of the other man.

Slowly, his knuckles released their tension around Prosper's shirt and he moved a single step away. Prosper eyed him cautiously before fixing the garment to lay flat.

As if to excuse his behaviour, Alec muttered, "he shouldn't be here."

I crossed my arms suspiciously. "He's my guard." His eyes burned.

"I am your guard."

"You weren't here." I threw back. The words had an unintended side meaning and the look on his face had me flashing back to Jane's warning. I lifted my head to look at her, who had joined us in the doorway, and then to Prosper.

"Would you guys give us a minute?"

Jane nodded, sliding gracefully past me and switching places with her brother, who shot another look at Prosper before he realized I was still watching him. I raised my eyebrows and Jane held the door open as he slipped into my room.

She leaned in and whispered to me, "words, not hands." Which would've sounded like some hippie, peace not violence line except that she giggled as soon as she said it. I glanced at my broken wrist before noticing that Prosper too, was hiding a small laugh at the dig. I rolled my eyes, letting the door fall shut behind me as I found myself in the same position I'd been in only hours before, this time with the other twin.

He was standing in front of my paintings, but turned when he realised we were alone. I stuck my hands in my pockets, unconsciously mimicking his own position. I muttered softly, only now recognizing that the last thing I said to him had been more of a possibility than I'd imagined.

"You're here."

It took a moment but his lips curved up, hesitant and almost bashful. Until it was joined by his familiar petulance that drove me crazy, but now filled me with relief as he teased my worry.

"Did you doubt me?"

Chapter Text

I wanted to kiss him again.

I wouldn't, of course.

But, god, did I want to.

It was more than a pull or a desire. It was a need that blew past my common sense and seduced my grasp on reality.

I took this moment to look him over, a large part of me double checking that he was still unharmed. He'd cleaned up from the mission and traded his gothic victorian style out for a more relaxed, yet still formal, modern look. Modern as in he belonged on the cover of one of Heidi's magazines, his clothes no doubt had the label of some renowned fashion designer. For vampires, they all cared quite a bit about the quality of their fashion choices. Still, I had to admit, modern wear suited him almost as well as his historically accurate, every day style.

I would have never known he'd almost been killed only hours ago.

I hadn't realized I was staring until he caught me, tearing himself from his own thoughts and sending mine into a flurry. His eyes were the only warning that he was not as he seemed and yet I could spend the rest of my life just inspecting them. I would count every speck and memorise each shade if it were possible. The emotion that seeped so clearly into his irises made everything seem clear, as his thoughts paraded in a mess of sentiment.

Normally, he'd have called me on such unabashed gawking, teased me about my focus levels or simply sending me a wink. But he'd moved on by the time I came to.

"This is new?" He was holding up the notebook that had newly entered my possession. He didn't open it, but flipped it over to examine the outside for clues to his question.

Often an ear for me to vent about my father, I didn't hesitate to fill Alec in. "The case agent's notes on my dad. Aro gave it to me." He didn't ask how Aro had acquired such a personal item, and his indifference to this factor had my curiosity fading as well. A product of my situation, I suppose.

He continued, "Have you read it, yet?"

I waved at the item off-handedly, as if the book wasn't calling out to me as we spoke. "Not really, no."

The motion drew Alec's attention to my injured hand and with a zip of air, he was standing in front of me. He reached for it before pausing, as if terrified to touch me after the last time he'd been this close.

His eyes met mine and his voice came out in an unnecessary whisper, "may I?"

I nodded, somehow still caught off-guard by the quick movements of vampires. Alec cautiously picked up my hand and placed it between his. It was different than when Aro or Prosper had done the same. As if awakening to the return of his missing touch, sparklers flashed throughout my arm and around my chest. Alec's eyes returned to mine, worried as he felt my heart rate pick up speed, but when he saw nothing was wrong, he smirked.

What a prick.

I took my hand away from his. "It's fine."

"You should be more careful."

"You should be nicer."

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe if you did not throw candlesticks at me."

"It didn't even hit you!"

"Yes," he admitted with a devilish grin. "But you did."

I frowned harshly, moving to shove a finger in his chest and tell him off when it struck me that we stood way too close for a move like that. My lips parted audibly and I became acutely aware of his hand, holding my hand, was the only thing separating us. An electric strike shot through my chest as I attempted to process what was happening. I was very aware that his lips were mere inches from mine, that all I had to do was lean in…but the only coherent, real thought that I could process was how badly I wanted to taste those lips again.

"Saffiya." His breath trickled over the skin of my face like the tiniest ocean wave, with a crash not so widely celebrated as those that were many times its size. Yet, this crash was special, its' wave was ambrosia - something to be cherished, a gift from the gods…

He was smirking and I realized I'd been caught staring at his lips. And that there was no way he was letting this one go. I groaned, using this to put a little more space between us so I could come up with a more reasonable, intelligent thought.

Alec teased me with a light tone, "thinking of me?"

"Absolutely not." I scoffed, as if the merest suggestion was a sensational miscalculation.

"Hmm," he hummed, as if accepting my claim. His actions, however, sought to prove differently.

He moved even closer, his hand coming up to gently place a misplaced curl behind my ear. I looked up at him, confused by the intimacy that for twice, hadn't been provoked by anger. With bright red eyes, he seemed even more emboldened and I bit my lip In humble anticipation.

He leaned closer, watching me for any sign of retreat. But I was still, waiting with bated breath and staring right back into his eyes as his face came within inches of my own. I glanced down at his lips, taking my own biting my own in response to the nerves overwhelming my brain.

My eyes fluttered closed as he lingered there, and I could feel his lips, a breath away from my own. A drum beating inside my ribcage with a feverish rhythm was impossible to ignore, stronger even than the butterflies that lied in wait for their moment to arrive. Somehow my hands had found their way to the fabric covering his chest, clutching it between my fingers as if it could bring us closer than we already were. I nearly closed the remaining gap myself, but that was exactly what he wanted and I refused to give in any more than I already had.

Too soon, I sensed his retreat and my eyes fluttered open to find gentle, vibrant orbs of crimson opening as well, finding their way back to me. I held my breath, waiting for him to make the move I so desperately craved.

But I knew better.

My captured senses were struck with a lightning bolt of reality as his thumb moved absentmindedly over my wrist. For whatever reason, it thrust Jane's voice to the forefront of my consciousness, reminding me of more relevant issues at hand than our raging hormones.

And once it had been projected, there was no avoiding it and I couldn't wait. So, kicking myself the entire time, I broke our moment first. "Jane said you were attacked." My voice was brittle and while he seemed to recognize the precarious introduction, a separate barren weight won out.

He sighed, stepping away from me. My hands fell from him in the empty space and I had an urge to wrap them around me to try and regain some of the comfort that he took with him, but I refrained. Alec was looking towards the door, as if sending his sister a frustrated glare through the wood before refocusing.

In a gruff tone, he glowered pitifully at the information his sister had provided me with and turned away. "She should not have burdened you with that."

"What burdens me is not knowing." I frowned, not quite sure where my words came from but failing to find any falsity in them — and I tried.

I expected him to at least look back at me, but instead he dropped onto the edge of my bed and put his face in his hands, as if stressed by the familiar elements of the existing world around us. The move was so distinct, a unique sort of unintentional vulnerability that escaped, not out of a lack of control, but from a place of gloomy solemnity.

I didn't really understand what had happened on the mission, but it was clear to me that he hadn't taken a moment since.

I reasoned that this response came from a recognition of the danger he'd faced. After all, humans lived with the looming possibility of death every day, but vampires maintained a presumption of exemption to it. As jarring as a near death experience could be for humans, it occurred to me that, for vampires, it had the potential to be even worse. Scarier - though none would likely admit it. Alec's reputation and status did not allow for this fear, this acceptance of vulnerability. The fact that nothing had happened did help to maintain that claim. But even vampires could never truly live forever. A very long time, yes. But not forever.

However, as I reflected on this, there was a fear growing inside me that I had to entertain. A fear that Jane was 100% correct — that all the distress he was exhibiting now was because of me, the guilt I'd insisted on and couldn't quite forgive. Did my opinion, our conversations prove as arduous for him to push aside for even a moment, just as they did for me? Did I — Was I doing this to him?

Of course I was. I'd only been told as much a thousand times over and still, contemplating the possibility was an outrageously negligent idea for the reasonable side of my brain.

I couldn't be sure of any of it, but what I did know, was that this would haunt me the next time he left for a mission, maybe even longer. The very thought - the possibility of him being hurt left me breathless. The kind of breathless that makes you feel as if you were drowning, clawing for air. Air that would just barely touch your lungs before you were dragged back under, the air replaced with the tumultuous water that consumed you. And I felt swallowed whole.

Only, here he was. Right in front of me. Safe, unharmed, yet distracted. There was so much we needed to get over, but this was more than that.

Yet, I found myself stepping forward of and placing my hands over his, removing them from his face. I'm sure his brow furrowed and I could see his head tilt to the side, a physical response that he was unaware of and for this reason I'd become quite fond of it. I slowly sat down beside him, placing my arm across his shoulders. He tensed slightly, but didn't look at me. I ran my other hand through his hair and his shoulders visibly relaxed under my touch. My hand came to rest on his opposite cheek and he leaned in to my palm, eyes barely open as if he were falling asleep. I gave a little bit of pressure to pull him into my arms and he forwent his vampiric strength to fall willingly into my hug.

His arms naturally enveloped my waist and I tightened my grip before he had to. His head rested just below my chin and I rested my cheek on his head as he leaned into me, the weight of his body becoming heavier. But I withstood it and held him still, as he had once done for me. It was a simple comfort and the only thing I could offer if he refused to talk about it.

His body was still as he held his breath to withstand our proximity. He'd recently fed by the intense light in his eyes, but I'd only just begun to notice the small precautions and steps he took on a regular basis just to be near me. The only time he seemed to struggle with his control was when he didn't expect it to be challenged, when our interactions became heavily emotional, draining.

I'm not sure how long we stayed there, not moving. With this moment, everything that could have been said didn't need to be heard to be properly conveyed. I absentmindedly picked up his habit of tangling his fingers in my hair, our roles now switched. It always seemed to calm me down when he did it and I hoped the effect would be similar.

We weren't pretending that there were not several unresolved issues that needed to be dealt with before we could move forward. Yet, despite any level of animosity we harboured, there was something that withstood all of the bad. Something steadfast and unyielding. I couldn't deny that this…everything that concerned Alec felt like an extraordinary circumstance. And 'mates' seemed to be the only appropriate definition available.

Eventually, he shifted to look me in the eyes, a hand coming up to warm my cheek. His thumb ran softly across my cheekbone before his hands left my face. I smiled lightly at him, just as he opened his mouth to speak. My smile dropped within seconds.

"Do you truly believe it would be so horrible?" He started and I held my breath as he continued, "to spend forever, with me."

I leaned back a bit to make sure I'd heard him right. "Why would you ask me that?"

"That's not an answer." I gaped at him, but his expression remained unchanged, piercing and challenging whomever dared to meet his eyes. I dared. I always dared. But not this time. His question caught me as off guard as anything he may have said and it pulled me in.

Would it be so wrong? So awful to join Alec in eternity? Forever to play chess with Jane, to pull the ultimate tricks on the Wonder Boys, and receive cryptic advice from Marcus that was somehow always relevant. Why couldn't I spend forever in Alec's arms? Figuring out all of the ways to make him smile and the things that made him laugh. The simple things, the little details that you knew by heart once you really knew someone. I did worry that if we had forever, would we fight like wolves for forever? I forced myself to consider that maybe we wouldn't fight like wild animals if I'd just let him in, if I stopped being so damn stubborn and stopped questioning everything. Because this possibility of a life with him — the idea was peaceful. Blissful. Too good to be true.

He looked ready to pose it again and I cut him off furiously. "Don't ask me that." I pushed away from him, as if five steps would stop him from pushing the conversation.

"You resent me so intensely?"

"Stop it."

"Do you?"

"Yes." I said forcefully, cutting the repetitive track we often lost ourselves in. His shoulders drew back, keeping his strong stance but backing off. I repeated myself, the word hissing through my teeth as I glared at his empty face. "Yes." No.

"Why?" He demanded and I could have screamed.

But I didn't. I stopped and took a deep breath, which confused him. I'd never taken a breath in our arguments and I didn't usually pause. I'd never been able to. Perhaps it was because it was his turn to be irrational. His turn to have a normal response to nearly dying. His turn to pick a fight with me. Still, I could feel the pickup of crashing waves in my chest, just waiting to let loose.

Alec glared at me, his eyes still bright, under control. "Tell me."

Fine. "When you're gone." I started strong, but faltered when I realized I didn't know what to say yet. I tried again. "I stare at the door just waiting - I cannot think when I'm around you…" His eyebrows seemed concerned and the corners of his mouth tilted down, conflicted and unsure of where I was heading with this. And even I didn't know, so I stepped away from him again, hoping I would be able to organize my thoughts before they started streaming themselves through my mouth again.

I shook my head in disbelief of myself, admitting, "you own me! — I can't breathe for anything but you." I couldn't stop trying to explain something…anything… and the more I tried the more difficult it became. "There's something rabid that infects me when you're involved and I don't know why. It's—"

"It is as if you are consumed." He finished for me and I stopped, startled as he brought me out of my head. I could hardly fathom how he found the words I needed when I could barely come up with a single coherent comparison.

An uneasy feeling settled in my stomach. "How did you—"

"Because I am consumed by you."

My chest tightened, my breathing deliberate and directed to expand in my chest. I felt no butterflies, no bothersome electricity running through my system, and my heart, was silent. All I could do was stare blankly back at him, even knowing how much his words meant and the implications of this discovery. The world stood still, as if in all of its existence prior to this moment it had moved from side to side, a constant rumble of an earthquake counterbalancing as we rotated around the sun. Of course, the world had not stopped, nor was the entire planet ever impacted by a single earthquake. It was unreasonable, improbable…

And yet it still seemed more likely then the situation I found myself in.

"I believed it to be the bloodlust at first, but then it became clear that you were also experiencing an increased emotional instability."

I tried to decide whether or not I should be offended by the comment, but I couldn't deny that it was well-beyond accurate. Then I realized, 'also'. As in he was also under the influence of electric, emotional storms. And if I had been uncharacteristically unreasonable, I could only imagine how Alec had fared. These emotions had turned me aggressive, practically violent — and that was without a bloodlust.

As if he were reading my thoughts, Alec nodded. "It was not without difficulty. There were times…" Specifying, "if not for Jane…" and he paused, but I knew. Because while I hadn't put much weight on it, Jane had made a point to, as if the possibility terrified her more than it should have for me.

I flipped through the rest of my memories, pieces of a puzzle I hadn't bothered to put together began to slide into place around this new understanding. Though I could only spot so many before realising that there was still far more pieces to go before these could be secured. There was no telling way to know yet, what the puzzle could become. But I could see the difference in Alec's control over time, especially when compared to mine. While he learned to attempt to focus his distress, the emotions in me raged on like wildfire.

"Carlisle suggested I speak with his son—"

"Edward?"

He nodded. "He had a theory," he stopped of his own accord this time. I was frustrated that he wasn't continuing, finally feeling like I was understanding something about this messed up situation. Whether he was aware or not, Alec changed topics. He spoke as if he'd only just discovered something, with an insistence so full it seeped into his body language. "This. Us. This is real." He had taken my previous words as confession, acceptance of our situation and of him. I felt like I'd swallowed him up in a desert and given him a lovely mirage, only to snatch it from him the second he let himself believe it. Because I may have given a confession, but it was not the one he wished it to be and he was trying to make it so. He saw me recognizing his attempt, but he tried to convince himself otherwise. "You must see it?"

"Don't," I swallowed, trying and failing to bring him back without damaging the situation even more. "Not now…" I pleaded. Everything in me saw a brighter world where he was concerned and still, I denied him. I was hurting him, and I hated myself for it but I couldn't stop. Even here, even now, when I was as curious as I was uninformed and Alec was offering the answers to questions I hadn't even considered. As stressed as this all made me, I could see that his patience was thinning at twice the rate, through no fault of his own.

I was trying to come to terms with a world of the supernatural, where vampires were real and soulmates were unquestionable. I wanted to know his world, if not for my own survival, but for him. Yet, every time we tried to move past these concerns that engulfed our lives, he always pushed just a little too far. A little too serious. He wanted so badly for me to understand, that he forgot I was still human. Alec meant more to me than I even knew, but his naivety and genuine declarations became far too real, scaring the progress we'd made two steps back.

"Then when?" The guttural response was sharp, more injured than attacking but I still jumped.

Neither of us were at fault, both victims of what could have been a beautiful love story. But was instead turned into a story of unchartered waters and even the storyteller had lost control of the origin. We were left to tell our own story, because none of this was going away. All we had was the other and we could run all the circles we wanted, but we had to finish the story. Of this, we had no choice.

I wasn't exactly pleased with being questioned on something I couldn't really answer, so I didn't stop myself from snapping back at him. "When I know everything you know."

His face fell, realising how close we were to loosening the foundation on which our armistice had found its footing. How susceptible it was to one mistake made by either of us. "There are many things I wish to share with you, Saffiya—"

A loud double knock came from the wooden doors, pulling us out of our own little world. Neither of us acknowledged it and the owner pursued no further attempt to gain our attention.

Alec moved away from me. "On the train." He said, but his voice went up and I realized it was more of a question than a statement. He was asking for my agreement and the hope in his eyes made me a tiny bit nauseous. I nodded and in seconds, he was across the room, waiting to hold the door open. As stressful as this all was, a weight lifted, ridding the air around us of a toxic negativity that had been enveloping us both.

There was an anger-less animosity between us, an old wound eager to heel but unsure of how to begin. Jane's words came whispering back to me. While you are away, you must push your pride aside. She was right. Neither of us would survive a tense, distressed, atmosphere building up in isolation if we couldn't at least talk. The least I could do was try, and hopefully come out on the better side.

I stayed in my spot on the carpet, folding my arms over my chest and attempting to hide a small smile I could feel on my lips. I tried to hide it under a serious tone, "you owe Prosper an apology." Alec's held tilted at the sudden demand and the look on his face sent a wave of giddiness through me as I waited to see how he would respond to the purposefully provoking suggestion. He seemed to have been doing a similar evaluation of me, relieved that I wasn't upset with him this time. And based on his reaction, we could find ourselves grateful that we'd established a truce, or rather a pause, on our disagreements. We could just…be.

He picked up on my impishness. As I expected, he gave an overdramatic eye roll and pushed the door open. "He'll get over it."

I joined him at the entry, suggesting again, "you should still apologise."

"Maybe he should apologise to me."

"He probably will." I commented mischievously. To bug him even more, I added, "Prosper's nice."

He scowled at the reference to our earlier conversation and he examined the laughter on my face, a quick smile rising and falling from his face. His silence caught my attention and we paused in the corridor at the same time, both waiting until he gathered enough courage to say what he said next.

Solemnly, "I am not asking you to love me. I only…" Alec stopped, because that was exactly what he wanted. It was what he had expected and what was automatically implied by the connection itself. A grimace appeared on his face and he realized I was likely expecting more. But just as I had earlier, he struggled to find the words.

I reached for his hand, interlocking our fingers and tilting my head up. He lifted his head as I did so, confusion flooding his face as I reached up, brushing my hand through his hair to move it off his face.

His eyes followed me carefully and I glanced to them, then to his lips and back. My hand returned down to his chest. I let my eyes flutter closed as I pressed my lips to his cheek, just to the side of his chin. Alec went still, finally remembering to hold his breath as I got close to him again. After a moment, I lowered myself back onto my heels and stepped away, giving a small tug on his hand.

Alec's eyes blinked open and I gave him another, soft, hesitant smile. "Ready?"

It took him a moment to process, but he squeezed my hand in return.

I broke out into a grin at the gesture and released his hand. "Race you to the car?"

Chapter Text

"You know, this really doesn't seem fair."

Felix had shoved past Prosper, who had his eyes closed and his head back and was unbothered by his assigned spot in the backseat of the car, to lean on the center console. Whether it was childishness or because he sensed an unbalanced dynamic between me and Alec, Felix couldn't let go of the fact that his large body was forced to squeeze into the back of Corin's Tesla.

The larger man was aghast when I'd called shotgun and I was even more surprised when he begrudgingly, but willingly followed the classic claim of the passenger seat. Technically, he was supposed to be the one dropping us off, but he'd rather argue with me than with Alec, who had slyly slipped into the driver's seat behind Felix's back. To add to Felix's disappointment, I hadn't engaged in his banter as enthusiastically as he expected for much of the ride.

Alec's eyes stared intensely at the road ahead, ignoring yet another speed limit sign on the empty road. As aware as he was of his actions, there was more than the road flashing through his mind.

Prosper commenting from the back, his tone uncharacteristically haughty and the vocal equivalent of an eye roll, "would you cut it out? I think we've had quite enough of your antics."

"Saffiya loves my antics, don't you hunny bun." He ruffled my hair and even though he now had my full attention, I thought that responding to it would only encourage him. But he knew my general distaste for pointless nicknames, and when he saw a button, he just had to push it until something cool happened.

"What did you call me?"

"Your new nickname!"

I leaned my elbow back on the window, trying to resign from the conversation. "You guys already gave me a nickname."

Felix threw his head back in protest. "But Demetri got to pick that one! I want my own."

"No."

"You let Caius have one!"

He was ridiculous. "I don't think I 'let' Caius do anything."

Prosper scoffed, opening his eyes and joining the conversation. "Caius doesn't have a nickname for her."

"Does too."

"What is it then?"

"Human." Alec spoke up, casting a glance at us. Noticing I was slightly miffed by his contribution, he added, "Jane uses it as well."

I frowned, "That's not—"

I was interrupted and I cast a glare towards the betrayer. Prosper just smiled back at me. "Aro calls her 'dear one'."

Felix teetered on the suggestion. "He only uses that on kids — like the twins."

"I am several hundreds of years older than you." Alec pointed out, no longer as entertained now that he was a side target.

"I think it still counts," Prosper declared. "For Saffiya, I mean."

"See! Even Aro has one." His voice jumped up, the pitch similar to that of a child bragging on a playground or tattle-telling on their playmates. "And Alec has like, five."

Before I could turn around to contest this, because I was sure that if Alec had a nickname for me, I would know, Alec's hand left the wheel and shoved against Felix's chest with the roughness of two boys play wrestling. Felix fell from the center console and landed on the seat with a melodramatic gasp and a cheeky grin on his face.

"You almost crushed my Chopards!"

Prosper delivered a quality parental scolding, "maybe you shouldn't put a pair of thousand dollar sunglasses in your back pocket."

"They're four hundred thousand, I'll have you know." As Felix continued to whine, adding something about pocket sunglasses being an 'in' fashion, my head turned to see Alec's hand return to the wheel. We made eye contact just long enough for the recovering Felix to see all the ammo he needed for the rest of the ride. However, as our car joined a sudden onslaught of other, less impressive vehicles into the train station, I cut him off before he could think of new material.

"No nicknames." I warned him.

"What if it's really good."

"Felix!"

"But sweetums." He whined, not missing the glares both Alec and I sent him through the rearview mirror.

I faked a gag. "Gross."

"Hotstuff." I rolled my eyes. "Shortcake."

I turned my back on him, trying to ignore his voice throwing out random, uncreative, and inappropriate nicknames. Unfortunately, that's not how cars work. So, by the time he got to, "Babydoll" and Alec nearly bumped into the car in front of us because he was so busy shooting death glares in the rearview mirror, I decided to put an end to the shenanigans the only way I knew how.

Flipping around in the seat, I pointed a very unthreatening finger at him. "When I'm a newborn, the first thing I'm gonna do is come after you. Winner picks nickname."

"Challenge accepted!" His eyes flicked over to Alec, who was navigating through the other humans arriving at the station but was twisting his knuckles on the steering wheel. "Although I think the first thing you're gonna DO —"

Prosper stepped in, throwing a sharp jab of his elbow into Felix's side and cutting the man off.

"Damn, what was that for —"

Prosper cut him off again, lowering his voice so that the only word I could make out was, "Jane." Felix frowned, crossing his arms and throwing himself back in his seat. I assumed that Prosper had reminded him that he may be dropping one twin off in public where he was unable to fully retaliate, but that the other would hardly need to hear the whole story from her twin before she reacted accordingly.

Alec pulled over to the curb and set the car to rest. Felix and Prosper wasted no time in climbing out of the car, Felix throwing on his sunglasses as he did so. I went to open my door, but Alec's hand reached over to encompass mine. His thumb slowly traced my palm before he lifted my hand to his lips, placing a light kiss to my knuckles. His eyes closed, cherishing the fact that I wasn't pulling away.

"You asked for time and I have not respected it."

My eyebrows lifted in surprise as he took advantage of the short moment we were alone in the most sincere way possible. I opened my mouth, ready to offer him a way out, because I had asked for time to figure out my own emotions and I did need it. But so far, time apart hadn't made anything any clearer and after his last mission, I'd been away from him enough.

"Saffiya." He stopped me, making a point to stall until I'd refocused on him. "I will wait. For as long as you need me to." His eyes searched mine for answers, his features relaxing as I nodded slowly.

Felix bumped the window twice.

"Come on, I'm the one getting ditched! We need a proper goodbye," the large vampire immaturely declared. Alec rolled his eyes and I had a soft giggle as Felix stepped back from the car and, classy as ever, started commenting to Prosper "I'll bet you 50 they're gonna," Alec briefly winked at me, before disappearing. " — shit! There was a small bang on the car and my door opened a second later. I leaned out to see Felix rubbing his arm and sticking his tongue out at a bemused Prosper. The smug smirk on Alec's lips remained on his face as he helped me out of the car before I could formulate a full idea of the step by step reenactment.

Prosper and Alec stepped off to the back of the car. They began to discuss something in excessively speedy Italian and Felix took advantage of their distracted state. Shoving his sunglasses back in his pocket, he weighted his hands on my shoulders, posed to give me some kind of lecture. "Now, young lady. Don't forget to practice your Italian."

With all the chaos of the last week or so, I'd been able to avoid Felix's I-talian Tuesdays. After I put very little effort into learning Italian, he had declared that every Tuesday the only language that could be spoken within the castle walls was Italian. When I complained — in English, I was promptly ignored. For some reason, many of the guard found it hilarious because even the three kings played along. Although Caius quickly grew bored of the affair and had a few Italian translations of children's books sent to my room to try and hurry the process along. Rather than taking offence to the genre he'd delivered, I applauded the snarkiness. Between his tolerance of pranks and spot-on sarcasm, Caius certainly had some redeemable features.

Anyways, I spent most Tuesdays with frown lines and a dry tongue because I wouldn't comply. I saw no reason to learn a fifth language, seeing as every vampire around me was fluent in at least a dozen languages — including the ones I already knew. Half knew — I wasn't exactly completely fluent in all the four languages I currently had under my belt.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, a laugh slipping out after as he continued his eccentric speech.

"Don't fall for the Cullen charm, oh, and if Alec tries anything…" he glanced down at my hand. "Maybe stick to words. Understood?"

"Sure, Felix." I grinned at him, trying not to give anything away at his comment. In the corner of my eye, I could see Prosper smirking with his own knowledge. "Whatever you say." Felix wiped a fake tear from his eye and picked me up in a bear hug, my feet leaving the ground as he swung me side to side.

A low drawl from behind us lazily requested, "I'll thank you to release my mate, Felix."

Doing as he was told, Felix otherwise paid no mind to Alec, still focused on saying goodbye to me. "I'm just going to miss my little firecracker." He tried to pinch my cheeks but I swatted his hand away. He raised a hand to his forehead as if he were going to feint. Alec continued to be unamused.

I hugged Felix again at my own height, a more nefarious goal in mind than a goodbye after the additional nickname suggestion. A thought popped into my head as we parted a second later, Felix's forgotten sunglasses casually concealed in my left hand. I tapped his shoulder with my left and declared, "we need a secret handshake!" Felix's face exploded in childish delight at the idea, only for our short-term dream to be dashed.

Alec interrupted, clearly growing more and more irritated with his fellow guard member. "We will hardly be away long enough for such gratuitous sentiments."

Felix pouted and I took advantage of the moment to slip his sunglasses on top of my head as seamlessly as I could. Still, none of the vampires took note of it.

"Fine." Felix fist bumped Prosper and climbed back into the car, rolling down the windows. He gave me a wink.

"Au revoir, babycakes."

I scrunched my nose at the nickname, but quickly realized it wasn't for my benefit as he threw another wink to the testy male beside me.

"Ready, then?" Prosper asked and I nodded as Felix sped off down the street.

As I turned around to join Prosper, I nearly tripped over a fallen luggage pile left haphazardly on the sidewalk. Lucky enough, I quickly found my balance, thanks to my graceful swerve — and Alec's helping hand. I was glaring down at the baggage when a high voice demanded my attention.

A woman was scolding me in Italian and I had no idea what she was saying, but her tone didn't exactly imply any sort of apologetic or gentle acknowledgement of the accident. She pointed at the bags, then at me as a young boy came out from behind her and started loading the luggage back onto a trolly. I scoffed at the woman, ready to shoot back an impulsive retort when Alec tugged me away.

"Scusa signora." Alec flashed a disarming smile to the woman and her glare was replaced with a schoolgirl's giggle before a younger boy ran up to grab her leg. My jaw dropped, flabbergasted and irritated at how positively she backed down from Alec after being so mean to me. I wanted to attribute it to vampire traits, but the thought brought to mind Heidi and Chelsea's comments from ages ago. Right. 'Particularly charming', they'd said. I'd show this lady charm.

My internal rant was interrupted and I didn't hear the lady's response to Mr. 'Particularly Charming's apology as he led me away, Prosper following dutifully behind us. Once inside, I jerked my arm back from Alec, giving him a glare of my own. "Why'd you do that? She's the one who should've apologised."

He wasn't listening though, his head on a deliberate swivel, as if he were trying to account for every traveler and tourist in the building. I gave him a weird look, which he also ignored, and focused on my other, more agreeable travel companion. Although he too held a similar high-strung, serious aura for a very different reason. Prosper's hand was casually scratching under his chin, his eyes scanning the crowd as Alec had been and I briefly wondered what detail I was missing that these two were so keyed into. Prosper's hand returned to his side just before he noticed I was staring at him. He pursed his lips and cleared his throat, giving me a curious lift of his head.

I blinked, before coming up with a solution to the problem I'd discovered. "Err…you night want to borrow these." I took the sunglasses I'd lifted off of Felix earlier and and offered them to Prosper. The contacts he'd put in before we left were being replaced with a colour that was much too dark to go unnoticed by a passerby.

Alec's head abruptly snapped to us and he snatched the sunglasses from me, making himself the unnecessary middle man in delivering the object to Prosper after he'd evaluated the situation. He then opened his mouth to ask Prosper a question the man already had the answer for.

"I'm fine," he promised and to my surprise, Alec took his word without doubt. Alec's nod was as firm as a knight's and I mentally frowned at the moody attitude he'd adopted from our location.

"Put your hair down." Alec told me, leaving no room for sass. Which was fine, because the direction clued me in to their secret sign language.

I let my hair drop over my shoulders, impatiently switching back to Prosper. My curiosity was almost giddy, completely skipping over the fact that I'd just had to change my hairstyle to make it less likely that my friend could attack me at any second. "You're thirsty?" My excitement was a result of connecting the dots between Prosper touching his neck and Alec's conclusion that he was thirsty. It was so simple, and probably too obvious, but I was never around any of the Volturi unless they were clear of such a risk — not even Jane. Alec was the only one with such a privilege, though his level of thirst was never depleted on purpose and somehow we were always a bit too preoccupied to note such minor details when it did happen.

Either way, a new fact to include in my tidbits of vampires knowledge was a successful piece of info and I'd put it together without anyone's commentary on how I relied too much on religious vampire lore over Dracula. Apparently, neither was reliable but, in Demetri's words, 'at least Dracula had some personality.' I wasn't quite sure what he meant — as I'd never read Dracula, but I was grateful just to escape the topic after that.

Prosper glanced at me and then to Alec. "I'm fine," he reassured us, but he gave his throat one more poke before distracting himself. He went to slide the sunglasses on his face before pausing and examining them. "Did you pickpocket Felix?" The words sounded funny coming from his mouth and I couldn't even pretend to hide the proud grin on my face at the implied admiration of my accomplishment. I took the opportunity and attempted to lessen the tension in both men.

Waving away the accusation, I casually explained that "they fell out of his pocket." Prosper snorted and put them on, but Alec raised his eyebrows. One down, one to go. "On to my head."

Alec smirked. "I'm telling Felix."

Prick.

Chapter Text

I was surrounded by my own species for the first time in months.

I'd never stood out more.

Not that anyone was looking at me anyways, seeing as I stood between two of the most gorgeous beings any of these people would ever see. I was highly aware of the fact that I was now exclusively privy to the darker secrets that existed under my own kind's very noses; Acquainted with an entirely disparate manner of existence that humans had documented and dismissed as fantasy. If they only knew. For this reason, I was more of an enigma than I'd ever been with my condition before. Now, I'm sure that manners and social acceptable behaviour would be my biggest challenge as I was returned to the human world.

I hadn't left the castle since the 'girl's night' several months ago. So, my interactions with other humans had been limited to the few receptionists. And we already know how some of those went.

The night had ended with the twins torturing a man guilty of cheap morals and a deductively long history of despicable decisions. Jane and Alec may be considered evil in their world, but I believed true evil came through when others suffered for another's gain and purely selfish wants. Ironic, considering how I spent the better part of my young life. Though this perspective had clearly been developed during my time surrounded by faith. No matter how I'd come by it, my actions that night had been rooted in this core principle.

We had assumed his guilt, delivered justice on our own terms, and destroyed a man's life. Would that be my life with the Volturi — traveling around and delivering punishment to vampires that dared to defy Aro, Marcus, and Caius? I could understand now, after the nightclub incident, where Aro's gift would be quite useful overall. The better part of me wished I'd been able to confirm what I deduced about Travis's past crimes. Aro's gift could have determined this with 100% assurance. Surprisingly, the situation had given my not-so-better half optimistic realism on its' side this time and I couldn't find it in me to regret my role. Without even realising it, I had come to adopt the Volturi's perspective on the rule of law. This was not the only thing my time with them was affecting.

I'd grown accustomed to a life where exploration inside the stone walls was enough. Presenting me as compliant and accepting of my confinement to the Volturi's world. So much had changed over the last few months and I would occasionally be struck with an all-encompassing desire to flee the castle, sneak out as I once had and never stop running. Other times, I'd struggle with a confessional fear that it was wrong that I'd given in to this life. That I was experiencing a kind of Stockholm or Lima syndrome when my captors one day became my friends the next. I'd fought tooth and nail from the very beginning and only time had softened my resolve.

Though it made sense that I would be experiencing a mentally tainted perspective, there was a theoretical element that seemed to hold more weight as I continued to deal in the world of the supernatural. Under these circumstances, this theory may surpass the human understandings of psyche, identifying the day to day changes as rational behaviour. After all, the syndromes were based and studied according to humanity's scientific method, which I'd never doubted, but I had no idea how science would be able to comprehend the world I'd been introduced into.

I often questioned at what point I would be able to reconcile my waving of the white flag as a conscious decision and not one clouded and falsified in my own mind. Perhaps it would be when I no longer referred to the transition as a white flag. Still, this switch had occurred unintentionally, a build-up with a late warning.

Actually, it happened that night. The night that Alec and I agreed to be friends, a decision made equally on a vulnerable level and with full respect for the other. That night had opened my mind to view the Volturi, not through the lens of human morals and expectations, but as an entrance to an entirely other world. Which is what they were. After accepting Alec, I was able to also accept that though they once had blood running through their veins, vampires were a part of something new. Not better, not much different…just new.

I was still hesitant to give in completely to the life they had decided for me. Mainly because of that very aspect of it being decided for me, without my input. I was only just learning how to come to terms with becoming a vampire, to serving as a member of the Volturi's guard, and spending forever with my first genuine friends. The thing that was playing the largest role in slowing this process down was the very person who had left me open to it.

How could I make a decision (as I preferred to believe I had) like this, if it was based purely on my feelings for someone. Feelings that apparently weren't even my decision either, but rather the universe. As if the universe stood a chance against my free will. Although, I had to concede that it was putting up an exceptional fight.

And Alec…Alec.

My skin sparked, igniting the butterflies that had eagerly been awaiting the return of his touch.

Once Felix had disappeared among the other cars, Alec's hand had lightly placed itself on the small of my back. He clenched his jaw as he observed the world around us, eyes burning with distrust. The hardened affect of his posture and expression could have only been triggered by our current environment. And whichever part of the environment it was, had struck an instinctual response that I was unprepared for.

Given his general preference for privacy, especially in the moments we shared (the good and the bad), the last thing I expected him to do was to display any sort of physical attention towards me. The pressure of his hand caught me off guard, mainly because it alerted me to a flaw in the conversation we'd had only seconds ago. Alec had not specifically defined what he meant by "space and time", and when I'd first proposed it, I hadn't even considered the need for specific do's and don't's of the situation.

He seemed to realise the oversight at the same time as I did, and he promptly removed his hand to respect whatever boundary we had yet to determine.

My chest felt like a blank canvas at the lost connection. My body responded to this, seeking out the return of the protective nature I'd come to rely on before I caught myself, putting my emotions in check. He took a single step, not making eye contact with me but clearly waiting until I joined him before he led the way into the station. As the crowd thickened, his hand still did not return, though he and Prosper stood on either side of me like bodyguards.

The crowd parted for them in the oldest comparison of the Red Sea. The humans did it unknowingly, unquestioningly. Though they did so at the last second, only remembering that they had legs when we were inches from bumping into them. One woman turned to her husband, only to see him staring our way. She went to chastise him for doing so when she found herself just as enamoured with the sight of the two vampires as her husband was. An elderly tutor, escorting a small group of teenagers was also caught in the Venus fly trap that these men so glamorously mimicked. So caught up, in fact, that they were unable to catch some of their students from mucking about.

All of the instincts my father had instilled in me went wild in this distracted crowd. They were a potential gold mine. I almost wanted to time myself and see just how many wallets and goodies I could snatch while they were fantasising about my travel companions. Not because I wanted to steal. Just…experiment, a little. Honestly, if I'd been unassociated with the two vampires, I would have engaged in such an activity. But there was no way Alec was letting me run around unsupervised. Still, train stations were prime spots to pickpocket and I had itchy fingers like a revived addict jonesing for a hit. No one was paying me any mind anyways. It would've been perfect.

Although I recognised the rashness and indelicacies of my father's lifestyle, it was still a part of my upbringing. No matter how decent of a person I tried to be, my first thought would always be to discover their greatest possession, how to acquire it, and how to walk away with it. I was still searching for the most valuable item in the Volturi's collection, not that they needed to know this.

A tourist stumbled in front of us as they got their first glimpse of the vampires. The obstruction of our path slowed my pace and Alec's fingertips returned automatically. They were barely touching the back of my shirt, nowhere near crossing any empty lines. He murmured an apology and looking up at him, it was clear that the undefined guidelines for this declaration challenged even the most innocent behaviours we performed on a daily basis. Behaviours that I had hardly noticed, that I craved without fully comprehending their existence.

Through the dark sunglasses, I found favour in his stare. He observed me as I did him. A world under the thick lashes that emphasised the shape of his eyes, the strength of his brow, the distinct outline of his cheekbones forever frozen in the last traces of a baby face in a young man. I pressed my lips together, twisting my wrist and stretching out in a demure, delicate manner for the slightest chance that my fingers would brush his.

"Sc…scusi." The human stumbled out and as Alec and I were otherwise occupied, Prosper stepped up to the Volturi name.

In a near hiss, he turned the man white as a ghost, "watch where you're going."

The uncharacteristic sound from Prosper's throat, caused me to turn as they scampered away. The second my eyes broke from Alec's, our fingertips found each other in an accident we had both been attempting to create on our own. With the buzz of an electric shock, we returned to each other's eyes and my heart beat firmly against my chest.

Reassured by our moment, and with a slightly heightened intensity, the touch I'd desired returned to my body. This time with a purposeful positioning as his arm crossed behind my back and secured itself with a hand on my waist. He glanced down at me to take note of any possible reluctance or resistance and I gave none, wanting nothing more than to appreciate the short period this would last. I wasn't surprised that he'd opted for a more secure and controlled position than the usual guided hand on my back. After the harmless run-in, this act was spurred as much by innocent connection as it was by a precautionary care. It seemed his desire to protect was stronger than his preferences regarding privacy.

It occurred to me then that being my bodyguard inside the walls of Volterra was much different than being my bodyguard in the real world. I knew as well as anyone, better actually, that living in the world was full of risk. I'd been extraordinarily lucky in the castle, in a controlled environment where I received only the occasional bumps and bruises was nothing. I could bleed in the real world — that is, the possibility was currently at a higher statistical probability than in Volterra. Simple accidents were a regular occurrence and sometimes, these injuries drew blood. Bloody incidents happened more than they probably should have. Unless I saw the blood, I'd never notice a paper cut and if I scraped my knees, I'd see it when I checked for injuries before I went to bed. It was routine. It happened quite a bit. Not disastrously — more, casually.

I no longer had the option to bleed casually. Now that I knew the world had vampires and that I was going to be surrounded by them for the foreseeable future. Accidents and injuries were possibilities that I needed to be aware of for the next few days. Living cautiously was a lot less fun, but I suppose in this case, it would keep me alive. Perhaps I should've been wrapped up in bubble wrap and shipped to the Cullens instead.

Prosper muttered something in Italian. He didn't appear to be struggling much with the temptations surrounding him, but the way Alec checked in with him had me second guessing this conclusion. Agreeing with whatever was said, Alec tightened his hold on me, guiding us away from the thicket of people with Prosper obediently following behind. Said people, were too busy eyeing the two men up like eye candy to clear out of the way and ended up getting tipped at the last second. We no longer stopped for them.

My waist was released once we'd reached an empty area with travel benches, much less trafficked than in the middle of the station.

He placed me in front of the individual seating against the wall beside us, releasing my waist. Despite the comfort that had been returned to us both, it seemed the feeling wasn't strong enough to override the radiating negativity that had continued to surround him as we'd made our way through the throng of people. Which only seemed to translate into a souring mood, solidifying a temperamental Alec as the dominant feature driving his behaviour for who knows how long.

Though I'd previously been able to pull him from these negatively fuelled emotional states, if given the time; this time, I seemed to not be enough to distract him from sinking deeper into it. Jane often had spells like this, though the only thing to do for her was to simply wait out the fit. I grimaced at the possibility that we'd have to just endure Alec's moodiness, with no way to help him speed through it and no way to avoid the sharpness of his tongue during the process either.

Alec reached into his pocket and casually pulled out a shiny, black phone. I did a double take, never imagining such an object to be in his hands. Or that he would even know how to use it. He glanced at the time and slipped it back into his jacket.

"Wait here," He ordered, though I'm not sure whether it was intended for directing me to stay put or as an order reminding Prosper of his place below Alec. It was for me, it turned out, as he sent Prosper a dark look for his next thought. "Don't lose her."

"I'm not a thing."

Alec grunted, leaving us and cutting to the front of the long line of the front desks — to retrieve our tickets most likely.

"What climbed in his egg salad and died?" Prosper shrugged. I sighed and leaned back against the wall, drumming my fingers against it behind my back. "I will never understand why he is so rude to you."

Prosper shook his head, but didn't look at me. His military persona had returned in full with the setting and further solidified the soldiered code both men were exuding. His eyes zipped across the humans milling about around us. "You are his mate." He spoke softly, choosing his words with a careful intelligence. "Losing the woman he loves would be his purgatory. He sees me as proof of this." Because of Elizabeth.

Love. It wasn't the first time someone had mentioned the word in a conversation related to Alec and me. It was the first time, however, that I stopped to actually process what it meant in practice and for a long term consideration. I struggled to push it away. I had enough emotions rolling around in my head waiting in line for their turn to be contemplated. There was no way I was adding in another complicated variable. Even if it was an obvious one to consider. I managed to shove the idea of love, forcefully and with unnecessarily roughness, to the back of the line. Not now — but soon, I reminded myself, remembering that Alec and I had just started and been interrupted in a very related conversation.

As complicated as we were, I couldn't imagine being separated from Alec as long as Prosper had been from Elizabeth. Not like this.

"We'll get her back." He gave me a sad smile.

"This, I know." He concurred, demonstrating unwavering faith in an unlikely future. To satisfy my curiosity, which he knew me well enough to know was growing, he answered my earlier question. "He grows tense around the humans." Prosper explained further, glancing through the crowd for Alec as he did. Though he didn't seem particularly worried that said vampire would overhear. "The twins do not particularly care to spend long periods of time around them, not that any of us do." He swallowed, reminding me that his thirst was an increasing factor in our current environment. I opted not to bring it up, reasoning that this would likely make it more difficult for his control.

I turned my gaze in the same direction, searching for a glimpse of the boy somewhere in the crowd. "But, I'm human."

Prosper nodded. "That you are."

Huffing, I mocked the concept of vampires and mates woefully, albeit with a small inner conflict. "So, without the stupid mate thing, he'd hate me. That's promising. What an excellent system." I was was splitting my attention between Prosper and my absentminded scanning of the station, waiting for Alec's walk to emerge from the crowd. It wouldn't be hard to spot him— he charmed half the room by merely existing. There was sure to be a few signs before we had a chance to lay eyes on him.

"You do realise," Prosper's voice thickened, his tone much more serious. Though, he didn't seem to mind not having my full attention as he shared only half of his. "Your mate-ship was as sudden to Alec as it was to you, if not more. Having a mate — let alone one that is a human and his blood singer… As important as you are to him," he trailed off.

I became nervous to ask him where he was going with this topic. The shared similarities with our most recent discussion of Alec had an interesting taste. Like the sweet before the burning spice of a pepper.

"In truth, Saffiya. I do not know how he manages." My attention was returned to him. He spoke with the echoes of a cracking voice in the background, but the breaks did not lessen his words. He was unyielding in his admission. "My Elizabeth is my everything, but I do not believe she nor I could withstand all that Alec has with you. The bloodlust is too engrained, too altering."

"Prosper…" I started, but paused, replaying what he'd admitted. I tried to reframe his wording for it to make sense, until I had to accept that he had said exactly what he meant. If he and his mate — his Elizabeth — were in Alec's position, he believed he would have killed her by this point. It had always been clear to me that he adored his mate, with all his heart. But, if a love that strong wouldn't make it, I struggled to figure what could make Alec and I's situation so different? Prosper didn't seem to have an answer either. He just posed the questions, and he always had a way of making me see Alec's side in a way that no one else had been able to.

Prosper shook his head once more. "For all his faults…" Alec broke through the crowd and I could feel an unresolved tension release from my body at the sight. His eyes landed on me, checking me over for damages as he always did. As if he actually expected Prosper to have actually lost me.

He landed in front of us, he informed, "our train is behind schedule." He and Prosper continued, but their conversation became side notes to me as Alec's arrival was timed perfectly with Prosper's words. Either Alec didn't notice or he chose to ignore me as I gazed up at him, almost dazed by the perspective that had been shared with me. Whether I was fully aware of it before this, I wasn't positive. The idea was still hazy and a familiar echoing guilt for the complications I'd added into our situation began to rise in my chest.

Prosper said something about a newsstand before he disappeared from my peripheral view.

"It is impolite to stare." He would know.

I blinked, "everyone else is staring."

"Yes. Because they are led by baser desires." He pointed out, attempting to fluster me with the implication that my reasoning may not be much different. I scrunched up my face in response, but I was too focused to fall into his trap.

"That's not why I'm staring."

"Pray tell, cara mia." A small smirk graced his lips, the first real crack in his cranky attitude.

I had a witty comment at the ready, but I held it back to take him in once more. His modern attire had been particularly dashing in the castle, but now that we were among the same era's wardrobe choices, it was different. Somehow better, perhaps due to the direct comparison of being surrounded by so many bland and normal people that were nowhere near his calibre. Of course, he had the vampire beauty and grace, but it was more than this. There was no doubt that he was gifted with features that superseded the appearance of any other boy I'd ever met, with or without the vampire traits.

The deep burgundy of his turtleneck stood out brazenly from his pale skin and the awe of the look became more prominent in glances between the lightweight fabric and his eyes. It was a wonder how I ever managed to look away from him. He swallowed, drawing my focus to the top of his turtleneck, the cut of his jaw and the definition of his Adam's apple. An image flashed through my mind and my lips parted with a small intake of air, embarrassed to even consider the pursuit of the fleeting thought.

My unabashed inspection of his overall form had his eyes flashing with a roughish inspiration.

"Like what you see, then?" With this comment, he received his desired response as I quickly turned my stare into an unimpressed glare. It was almost as if the audacity of both suggestive statements was only just hitting me.

I decided not to dignify the taunt with a response. "Humans would worship you like gods if they knew about vampires." He found a little amusement in the suggestion. "Why is secrecy so important to the Volturi?"

He sighed as if wishing I'd asked something different before slowly reaching for my arm to guide me onto the bench. He leaned against the side of it as I continued to study him. "Humans are simple-minded, yet a distinct few demonstrate the potential to greatly impact the world with their inventions or ideas. Ideas of government have destroyed civilisations throughout history. Inventions in science and war threaten the same. In ignorance, we maintain our food source and they live their lives none the wiser.

"Before the Volturi, and the covens that led before us, there were those that proved vampires do not bode well for the survival of humanity." And therefore, their food, but he didn't verbalise this factor. "Helen of Troy, would be a titular example."

"Helen of Troy was a vampire?" I exclaimed and his head turned sharply to see if anyone had heard me. He rolled his eyes, his bitter mood still present underneath the pleasant distraction of our banter. "Whoops."

I took advantage of the continued, brief respite in his negative mood to connect this information with the current events. The man they'd captured, Zafir, had said his leader sought to reveal vampires to the world. In relation to this, I posed, "so, Razin…"

Alec's eyes hardened at the mention of the growing threat. They'd been so careful not to speak about Zafir or what he had revealed in the throne room - besides the obvious, of course, around me. Nor had I been given information about the various missions the guard had been sent on. From missions requiring small groups to ones that needed a larger collection of guard members, there was a lot more happening behind the scenes. Now that we'd been sent away for purposes involving this rebellion, I figured I was owed at least a bit more detail. Apparently, Alec agreed.

"Only desires the revelry, the worship of a reveal to the humans." His lips drew back in a silent snarl. "So far, we have determined from his followers that he shows little concern for the inevitable end of such a reign, nor for the dangers it poses to our survival when it does end."

"You've all been searching for his followers, then? For information?" He nodded, "his followers are recruiting, creating new vampires, and none have known his exact location. He has stayed one step ahead of us from the start."

The Masters had chosen not to take Zafir's warnings seriously, which resulted in the loss and kidnapping of members of their guard. Their pride led them to underestimate such a brazen enemy at first and this Razin had counted on their prideful behaviour, apparently still continuing to play into it.

"Which is why Aro is inviting vampires to the castle…" I filled in my assumption and he nodded to confirm my guess. I hesitated, feeling small as I dared to ask, "will it be enough?"

"The rebels are only causing minor inconveniences. Any true attempt to directly attack the Volturi would be counterproductive to his cause. Jane and I have defeated greater challengers than this trickster." Trickster…the choice of word was odd on its own, but it hinted to Alec's thought process on more information that I had yet to learn. "There is nothing to fear."

I put my chin in my hand and stared off into the crowd, my thoughts lining up one by one.

There were so many elements in place, possibilities and dangers that a faceless enemy presented. So, if Alec and Jane were enough to protect the Volturi on their own, it seemed irresponsible to separate the twins, their greatest weapons, just to keep me safe from their guests. I'd been given believable explanations, but there had to be something else that wasn't being revealed to me yet. Jane had made a point to promise I'd be safe on this trip, but what did it matter where I was when the twins were strongest together? That was most important, was it not?

He ran a hand through his hair and I decided it was best not to question him further on the topic just now. After our last conversations, I don't believe he intended to keep anything else from me. There was time. But, I had one more question I needed to ask him.

"Alec?"

He lifted his head to indicate he was listening, though his eyes remained on the world around us.

"Do you think Elizabeth is still alive?"

A line appeared between his brows, softening as his hardened eyes met my naive ones. Perhaps I wasn't looking for a truthful answer, just one that would provide some hope for the time being. Just enough to get us through this part.

Alec's face softened and he lifted a hand to gently brush a strand of hair off my cheek. The palm of his hand returned to my cheek, the move clearly aimed for innocence yet held much more than that. I leaned into his touch, my eyes nearly fluttering closed but not wanting to completely sever the connection flowering between us, emotions high but in sync. He seemed to be savouring me, our moment set in the middle of a busy station.

His eyes flickered over my shoulder and he nodded. "For his sake, I believe she is." He returned his attention to the crowd and with that, the conversation was ended.

I was still staring at him when Prosper returned, a plastic bag in one hand and a gossip magazine in the other. I raised my eyebrows at the purchase and he scratched the back of his head. "Crossword," he explained and I let it go, not quite as entertained by his answer as I'd hoped.

Only a few minutes after that, the same woman that had snapped at me outside the station approached our near empty section of seating. She was clearly a mother, now holding a baby with her two young boys walking next to her, as they settled in to a bench directly across from us. She barked a direction at the children to behave before sitting down herself. The oldest boy had settled in with a book, while the middle child played with a tiny airplane.

It did not take long before I decided that the kids were just as terrible as their mother. The eldest was still reading his book, excluded from my distaste on the account of being terrifically monotone. His younger brother was still flying his airplane. The adventurous tale of which, had apparently reached the climax as the boy eventually began running circles around their seating area with the toy in hand. His airplane noises were basically raspberries and I'd been scowling at the child long before his stupid baby sibling woke up and started screaming.

Now that it had, the middle child's germ spreading would have been a boon as the monster of a newborn increased the volume as it sang a horrendous tune. The mother lazily tried a few things, but nothing soothed the little bugger and she seemed to just give up. Which was even more infuriating.

Alec was intently scanning the crowd as he sat on the arm of the bench Prosper and I shared. Prosper was casually focused on his crossword and had already filled in almost every word. There were scratches of notes scattered across the rest of the page in what appeared to be multiple languages. I'd contemplated why he'd dropped the soldier stance until I realized he hadn't scratched his throat once since he'd started the puzzle.

While all of this was well and good, neither vampire seemed to give a damn that this baby thought it was Whitney freaking Houston.

"You both literally have super hearing, how is this not killing you?"

I looked at Prosper, clearly getting no sympathy from Alec. Prosper, however, simply shrugged and tried to bury himself back in the puzzle. He was still trying to distract himself from his slowly increasing thirst, though he continued to nod when Alec checked in nonverbally.

He must have been somewhat controlled at the very least, because he answered me. "I did not take you for a kid hater," he commented with slight humour.

"They're sticky. And loud." I sent another glare to the middle child across from us as he blew raspberries in the air and jumped onto a seat to mimic his plane. "And they ask too many questions." Both Prosper and Alec had quick reactions, exchanging looks of shared amusement, though they tried to hide them from me. "What?"

Prosper didn't falter, "you may have a tendency to also ask an array of questions at once."

"I do not!" Prosper shrugged to escape my wrath, though he failed to hide the growing smile on his face.

"67." Alec spoke up, his focus back on the crowd.

"Huh?"

"67. It is the highest number of questions you have asked me in a single day."

I scoffed, "what's your point?" Alec smirked. "Oh, stuff it."

The baby's cries subsided and I threw myself back against my chair dramatically. "Thank god."

Except, it wasn't done. It started a whole new round of unsettled cries not a moment later. My reaction was immature and unnecessarily dramatic, but I couldn't help myself. The baby had driven me to the brink.

"Okay, that's it!" I shoved myself up from the hard bench, ready to lay into the worthless mother of the monstrosity she considered a child. Both vampires beside me grabbed my arms and pulled me back into my seat before I could get far. The family didn't even notice my outburst.

I ripped my arms away to cross them over my chest. "Lucky baby." I grumbled.

Alec's low voice appeared in my ear in a husky breath, "as appealing as it is to see that lovely temper directed towards someone other than myself, it would be preferable that we do not attract unnecessary attention." I tilted my head up to look at him sideways. The sunglasses both he and Prosper wore were incredibly out of place during this particularly murky day. Especially now that we were indoors. Though even this couldn't seem to hide the fact that they were extraordinarily beautiful beings walking among the living.

I glanced off to the right, where a group of girls on what must have been a school outing, had zeroed in on both Prosper and Alec. The sound of the young group giggling was prominent, despite the several pace distance separating us from them.

"Yeah. I'm the one that's out of place."

Alec followed my gaze and gifted the group a slow, but beguiling smirk at the group. All of whom erupted into another fit of giggles that got them stressfully shushed by one of their instructors.

I smiled at the innocence they displayed. They were barely younger than me. Each girl wore matching uniforms, some with their skirts rolled up at their waists to make the fabric shorter on their thighs. Their concerns for this lied with the others in their class, rather than the opinions of adults. These teenagers had fantasies that lied in daydreams and gossip I couldn't help but dwell on how much simpler my life would have been with a uniform and boarding school.

"You're going to give one of those poor girls a heart attack." I knew first hand what one look from him could do. He ran hand through his hair, messing with the locks of ebony in very movie star fashion. "You really do belong in a boy band." He was ready to offer a signature sassy remark, his poor mood forgotten, when he was interrupted.

"Alec." His eyes jumped from me to Prosper, who continued his sentence in fast-paced Italian. A muffled voice came over the loudspeaker as he switched back to English. "That'll be us."

Our fun was ended once more. Alec's fingertips returned to my lower back as we now followed the older man through the crowd in order to board our train. The throng of people differed from our first trek, now parting with the hurriedness of a wave in an approaching storm. Those that had only gotten a brief, star-struck peak of the two gorgeous men previously tried to do so now, their subtly being left to debate.

We eventually settled into a compartment, private and away from the prying eyes of the masses.

Prosper pulled a deck of cards he'd also obtained from the newsstand, encouraging me to play a few games with him. Our enjoyment at the simple fun was a stark contrast to the boy sitting across from me. He'd scoffed as if we were the lame ones when we'd tried to get him to play an admittedly childish card game with us. Though he couldn't help but add sarcastic commentary every once in a while aimed at our gameplay choices.

They were all clever remarks, and I might've laughed if there wasn't such a deliberately mean-spirited intention behind them. Jane loved to pick on him when he was like this, but I didn't exactly want to encourage him any more than I usually did.

We were soon awarded a reprieve from his negativity, to my surprise.

Once the train had reached a fair distance from the station, Alec stood and slid open the compartment door. He impatiently shared, "I will return soon." He turned right back out the door without giving space for discussion or even a brief goodbye, not that we offered one. I looked to Prosper for the answer I hadn't gotten a chance to ask.

"He is going to secure the train. We will do so after each stop."

Secure the train? Who did they think — who would even know to look for us outside the castle? "I thought no one knew where we were."

"Tis better to be safe." He muttered, with an unintentionally ominous structure that sounded nothing like him. He tried to appear focused on his next move, but he knew what was coming.

I hummed suspiciously. "According to whom?"

He paused.

"Caius."

Caius's hyper-vigilance. Jane's apprehension. The high guard's quiet acceptance, though reluctant, to rely on the Cullens. Most of the coven member's behaviours in the last 24 hours had been uncharacteristically sensitive to the unknowns of the future. Though they didn't seem to be expecting nor preparing for the supposedly imminent attack. More like, getting things in order. Preparation without an extremely pressing nature.

It was all a little disquieting.

Jane had warned me to focus on my issues with Alec before worrying about these topics that were out of my control. Not that it made a difference. Alec and I still had to finish our conversation. And while it seemed unlikely that this talk would simply flip some kind of switch to make everything okay, it finally felt like I was getting all the answers I wanted to know and he wished to share.

"Saffiya." My head snapped up to Prosper. "You should get some rest."

I shook my head, refocusing on our card game.

"Are you positive?"

"Go fish."

Chapter Text

Part 1

We were waiting for our next train when Alec got the call.

He answered in English, but whatever the person on the other line said sent his eyes directly to mine. So, he switched to a language I didn't recognize and turned to Prosper.

I tried to look at Prosper for answers, but his laugh had also disappeared. He was watching Alec intently, a soldier waiting for an order. Prosper's command came in the form of a black credit card and brief instructions before he hurried away from us.

I groaned, frustrated with Alec's deliberate attempt to keep me in the dark. His eyes returned to mine through the dark sunglasses and he knew I wasn't pleased. He offered neither an apology nor an excuse, simply shoving the phone back into his pocket and returning to me. "Get your bag," he told me before reaching down and throwing it over his own shoulder anyways.

"What's going on?"

"Your ticket," he requested. I reached into my pocket and handed over the bent, stamped slip of paper. He placed it over his and discarded them in the bin a few steps away.

My jaw dropped. "Why would you—"

Alec took my hand, and when I tried to pull it away, he held it tighter. "Stay close and keep your head down." He didn't wait for me to agree, just pulled me into the throng of people. The dominant language around us had changed from Italian to French. I'd missed being able to understand at least half of what people were saying, rather than none of it. In our haste, however, none of it registered.

We passed the front desk kiosks, heading against the crowd to a less occupied end of the station that was roped off. A single security guard stood in front of it, a woman scanning a couple's tickets. As we approached, I wanted to tell Alec what a shame it was he ripped up our tickets. Because there was no way this lady was letting us through.

That is, until she let us through with a giggle after only a sentence from him. Right. I'd forgotten who I was with.

Alec's hand had switched to my lower back as soon as we left the guard behind us. The platform behind the roped guard was identical to the other, only fewer people waited for their trains. Though I wasn't able to take much more in at the pace Alec was going. He glared around the platform as if they were all potential threats and finally stopped us off at a bench at the furthest end.

His hand left my body and he placed the bag on a bench behind me. Immediately, he pulled the phone back out and began dialling another number. As he placed the phone to his ear, I questioned him again.

"Alec, who are you calling? What's going on?"

He responded in Italian before I realized he was speaking to whoever he had just called, and ignoring me. I glared at him, growing increasingly miffed. I waved my hand to smack him lightly in the chest as a response. Without looking at me, he caught my hand and brought it to his lips before I managed to pull it away. My chest fluttered. Prat.

Prosper joined us a minute after. He passed Alec two newly purchased tickets, holding his own in his other hand as he returned a black platinum card to his inside jacket pocket. I frowned at the exchange. Prosper then said something in Italian, but Alec didn't respond to him either. I looked at Prosper, assuming he would offer me the answers Alec was too distracted to give. "Where are we going?"

Prosper's focus switched to me. "Croatia." I frowned in confusion. We'd only just arrived in France. Alec's phone call was obviously the game-changer, but I wanted to know why we were suddenly turning around to head in the opposite direction.

"I thought the Cullens were American?"

Alec spoke up, blocking the speaker on his phone and commenting snidely, "did you previously assume we were taking a train to America?"

To be honest, I hadn't considered the geographical impossibility and as a result, I had no idea of our previous final destination. Though we'd just crossed into the French border, they had given me the impression that we still had quite a journey ahead of us. It was astounding to me how easily I relinquished control to the two men, considering my usual response to similar attempts.

"Why Croatia?" Prosper hesitated. Immediately after making eye contact with me, his eyes flickered to Alec in an all too familiar pattern.

My jaw dropped and I turned a disdainful glare onto the nuisance of the hour. "Seriously?"

Alec drawled lazily, snapping his phone closed. "It is not a secret, Saffiya."

"Then, why does Prosper need your permission to tell me?"

"He was given no such direction." Alec corrected, turning around to grab my bag from the bench. "Time to go."

They took only two steps until they realized I was not following them. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Saffiya. Now."

"No."

Alec's jaw set and nerves started to bubble in my stomach. He turned back to Prosper, practically tossing my rucksack at him. Prosper retreated towards the train without even glancing at me. I briefly reconsidered changing my mind, thinking that of all the times to challenge Alec, this might not be the best one. But, I was already committed.

"Tell me what's going on."

"You're behaving like a child," he snapped. His shoulders tensed but he was gentle as he took my hand again, "On the train—"

I shook my head. "That's not good enough." I tugged my hand back but Alec's returned to grip my elbow. The gentler approach having failed, he had me trapped. He fixed me with a hard stare and I did my best to send back one just as intimidating. I came up with the best threat I could. "I'll scream."

He leaned in, his voice low as he delivered his warning. He hadn't looked at me the way he was now since the night we'd met. I thought he was going to drag me to the train to make a point. "Unless you would like to be responsible for the lives of every human on this platform, you will not dare." Alec's voice was lethal and familiar eyes burned into mine. I'd seen him do far worse for much less. And no matter how much of a hurry we were in, I was sure he'd make time for it just for me. I felt my resolve falter as I accepted that he wasn't lying. Alec saw this and I could feel a spark of fire in my veins at the smug look he adopted.

He released my arm and turned away, expecting me to follow as if he'd tamed me. I had nothing but spite running through me. I took a deep breath and opened my mouth to fulfil my threat. The growing scream was thwarted before it had a chance to break into the world. Alec's hand was against my mouth, stifling the sound. I stumbled back and his other hand caught me at my waist. I was pulled flush against him and I gasped at the impact, the sound still blocked. My eyes widened as he stared me down with a snarl.

"Must you always challenge me?"

I was in over my head. That was all I could think as I was reminded of the reason I had first believed him to be cruel. This was Alec. An Alec I was well-versed in and that I had grown to accept despite his worst qualities. He responded to me with misplaced, defensive anger, as if my defiance were hurting him. But, he couldn't intimidate me into getting what he wanted anymore. I was prepared to fight back.

I did my best to hold my ground, and convince him that I was solid on it. As his hand fell, I took advantage, "tell me."

He growled lowly at me, but relented. "Carlisle Cullen's residence is no longer safe." My lips parted. I expected him to have forced me onto the train before I received a complete answer on my terms. I was not prepared for a resolute willingness to answer the question he had refused to acknowledge only seconds ago.

Alec searched my eyes for recognition of the potential calamities of what he disclosed. "I know you have questions, but I need you to trust me."

I nodded slowly.

Alec's arm remained around my waist as he hurried us to join Prosper at the train. Prosper was speaking with the conductor, who quickly ushered us on board the train. Alec entered first, helping me up the stairs behind him as Prosper followed. There was no luggage cart at the entrance and the only direction for us to go was through a tiny hallway. There were only two doors along the wall as far as I could tell. Alec stopped in front of the second one, quickly sliding it open.

We'd only just purchased the tickets, and yet the Volturi name was scrawled elegantly on a matte black card in the slot under the compartment number. I'd never been on a train that had assigned seating like this, and as soon as I stepped inside, I knew why.

"Are we in the right place?"

Prosper frowned at me in confusion, sliding the door shut. "You didn't think we'd be sitting among the humans, did you?"

"I thought we'd be in a compartment, like the last trains."

"Technically," Prosper corrected me with a light humour, "it's a suite."

The 'suite' was the epitome of luxury and wasted wealth.

When my father happened to be conning a wealthy widow, I'd had the opportunity to stay in penthouses, a duke's manor, and a castle. (That is, if Cinderella's castle at the Disney theme park qualified). Even with these experiences, I had yet to encounter a room that was almost too grand. And yet, the suite was roughly the size of three normal compartments, complete with a full bath, a tea cupboard, and an entire bed.

To the right of the entrance, an L-shaped couch was built into the walls. Clothed in velvet, this lounge area was distinguished from the other side by the placement of a small dining table built into the wall. With two chairs on either side, the top of the table was occupied by two champagne glasses and an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne inside. The sleeping area on the opposite side was dominated by the lavish four poster double bed. The area was designated by an archway of hand crafted wood. It was likely to remain untouched for the better part of our journey.

"You guys really are the mob. Immortal mobsters."

Prosper laughed, "I've never thought of it that way."

"Seriously…champagne? You guys can't even drink it."

"It's unlimited — and free."

I rolled my eyes, mocking the amenity. "Shame."

"Prosper." Both Prosper and I spun our heads to Alec. He was leaning back against the table, looking a way I could only describe as sober. "I must to speak with my mate." My eyes snapped to his with the title.

I didn't argue against Alec's request, letting Prosper pass by me. I watched him leave and my eyes stared into the empty space left behind him as the sliding door shut.

The lighthearted mood Prosper and I had started to initiate left with him.

I wasn't sure whether I was upset with Alec or not. Still a bit put-off by his behaviour, I couldn't help but feel that more important matters were at hand. After all, I'd been waiting for this for a long time. Alec waited until I checked in with him.

"Carlisle and his coven received a visit from two vampires claiming to be soldiers of The Resistance."

Alec had said Razin was recruiting newborns and nomads, but the Cullens were an established coven. One familiar with the Volturi, despite the generally recent events and almost war. It was a bold move, but I struggled to label it as reckless when Razin had previously made moves that dawned similar labels of assumed weakness.

Alec claimed his own seat across from me, turning the chair at the in-suite dining table around to face me. I couldn't help but wish he'd taken a seat beside me instead.

"What did they want from him?"

"Loyalty. Carlisle claimed a stance of neutrality in Razin's so-called 'war'. But, he believes they are still being watched. " I nodded, indicating that I was still listening without interrupting. "Half of his coven will remain in Forks. The others, under the guise of," he rolled his eyes, "'spring breaking', are traveling to their property in Croatia. Where we will join them. This is all I know."

I shifted back into the cushioned back of the pull-out couch behind me. Had these so called 'soldiers' visited Carlisle with the knowledge that we were on our way? Or was it simply a coincidence that the Volturi's newest growing enemy had sought an alliance with the Cullens not a day before our arrival?

"Now you know."

My head snapped up. He was studying me again, unwavering and with a stony expression. Apparently, his courage kicked in before mine as he took the opportunity to address what was our inevitable, but daunting discussion. Now that we were alone, there was no prolonging our unfinished conversation and as eager as I was for answers, a rush of nerves spread throughout my body at his words. I wanted to hear what he had to say, but pushing the what ifs aside was an unexpectedly difficult task. I challenged myself to match his nerve.

Unconsciously, I touched the artery near my collarbone. I knew what he was asking. "I've known for a while now…" The blood singer secret was one of the first I'd learned. I'd completely forgotten that Alec had no idea it had already been spilt.

Alec's eyes flickered to my lips before the bright red returned to hold mine. "What inspired the conversation?"

I thought back, taking my bottom lip between my teeth and avoiding his eyes. "It might have had something to do with the," I cleared my throat. The riotous laughter that had overtaken our friends at the discovery was a distinct difference as I now returned to the topic with Alec. Just thinking the word frightened my nerves. Saying the sentence out loud was mortifying, perhaps even more so than the first time I'd tried to shame him for it. "The hickey you gave me."

The smug grin that had already spread across his face would have made it worse, if not for the roughish spark across his irises. His defence was smooth, with the lilt of a lullaby. "At your request." Technically, I did tell him to bite me. His reminder of this sent the briefest bolt of lightning into my chest before I forced myself to stay on earth.

I scoffed, the memory bringing back the unresolved, harmless irritation I'd hidden the naivety behind. "The topic wouldn't have come up if you'd refrained from giving me a visible mark for anyone to see."

In a tone of apology, Alec crafted his response with a husky descent. "Next time, I will not be so careless."

His words forced my eyes to drop to his lips. My chest tightened at the implication. Next time. I couldn't even sputter a response. My efforts to keep myself together were brushed aside with the ease of a feather in the air. My pulse was racing and the butterflies erupted, fluttering furiously in the pits of my stomach. Their response unbridled, as if they might escape at any second. Like holding your stomach after laughing too hard for too long. Too much. He was too much for me.

I became aware of just how close he actually was, and yet far enough that reaching out would make no difference. Somehow, it was worse without his touch. It was the build up of a desire so strong it became a necessity. I could find no reprieve in it until I found air again. I glanced back up.

That damn smirk.

He paused, no doubt listening to the pounding of my heart that even I was able to track. Not a word was said until my pulse slowed and I could no longer identify it. Nothing was said to acknowledge how he'd driven me to a near heart attack with a single sentence. Honestly, 'heart attack' was too medical. There was no thesaurus sufficient enough to find a word to describe his effect on me. It was unfair, his ability to impact physiological changes in me that I, myself, was physically incapable of managing. Without missing a beat, Alec continued casually,

"I suppose I am grateful to them," he admitted. Though his smile dropped as he clenched his jaw with the reminder that Demetri and Felix had overstepped their bounds. He must not have had a chance to chew the two mischief brewers out for divulging an early secret. Felix really HAD been pushing his luck in the car. "Even now, I am unsure of how to begin."

I had the unfortunate luck to be in the same position. Although, I wasn't the one that would be doing most of the talking in this conversation. He had answers to questions I wouldn't even know to ask. It was all on him.

Alec took a seat on the L part of the couch, leaving a comfortable amount of space between us. But my knees would just barely touch his if I moved to the edge of my seat. He took in this break, his light hearted demeanour still present but now being driven by a heavy return of his more serious disposition.

"How much do you know?"

I gave the question some thought before responding. "I know it translates to blood singer, that it is a near uncontrollable desire."

I'd equated the definition to the Greek myth of the sirens. Women that had come to be portrayed in the modern era as having the appearance of mermaids. Beautiful women, that sung songs so enchanting that they lured sailors at sea to their deaths. Whether it was included in the tales retold to me as a child or it was merely an idea created by my imagination, I'd always believed the sirens consumed the men. I never questioned what parts of the men were a part of the diet, if they were roasted over a fire or swallowed whole. I only accepted the story as it was. Now, I could see only one possible answer. And the women no longer appeared to me as mermaids.

"They said that every time you're with me, there is an incessant, innate yearning to drink my blood." A phrase I was sure I'd never be comfortable saying out loud. Not a stranger to the phrasing, Alec only nodded, though he swallowed as I continued. Perhaps we should have considered a chaperone for this conversation. Not for my peace-of-mind, but for his. I hesitated, before asking, "just how difficult is it? For you to be near me?"

I knew he supposedly had hundreds of years of practice, but if the want for my blood was really so strong then the guy deserved a medal. After all, we'd spent quite a bit of time together in sequestered rooms, most of which he made the willing decision to enter on his own. Not to mention the times we'd been even closer…

"I could smell it before we'd even entered the city."

It. My blood.

His chest stilled as the memory flooded him, withholding air as a precaution while discussing this specific subject matter and its' accessibility. I wanted nothing more than to ease the stress it brought him, but any attempt to do so at the moment would be more counterproductive than helpful.

"When I threw those men from you it was not to save your life, but to end it." His words had lost their warmth. Alec shifted, eyes scanning me now with the calculated gaze of a jungle cat as he leaned forward. I countered the move, an unanticipated act of self-preservation.

His move was purposeful. Conniving if not for a shimmer of pain in his eyes. A shimmer behind the all too familiar wall he'd built, the return of which was self-sabotage. As if he wanted this admission to taint the way I saw him. Like he was trying to scare me. Of course, this could all be in my head. It was unreasonable to assume he would want to push me away when so much progress had been made. I hadn't been truly terrified by him since the first week we met. Even witnessing the display of his gift on a helpless being provided a fear response to his gift, but not of him. Not that he would know. To him, he and his gift were one and the same.

He blinked and his head turned sharply to the window. The brief glimpse of his predatory nature had vanished, a mere millisecond in time. I must have imagined it.

"Why didn't you?" It was a question I had asked him once before, in a haze of devastation and fury that would have judged any answer he might have given to be worthless. Now, I asked for confirmation.

Yet still, he provided me with no answer and it dawned on me that he may not have one.

Alec had gone quiet, staring out at the countryside racing past us. The darkness of a cloudy night obstructed my vision, but of course did no such disservice for him. It was the first time he had looked out of the window for anything but a quick glance for a threat. As if an attacking vampire would barrel straight through our cabin window as the train sped along the tracks. Unlikely as it was, he had made it clear that we would be taking no chances - giving my curiosity a healthy boost of reality.

I couldn't get a read on him, not in the way I usually could. The glare of crimson reflected off of the window like the flash of a camera. I tilted my head, trying to get a clearer look at him. At the inconsistency in the transitions he was working through. Perhaps he was searching for his words.

I took a breath.

He indulged in another few seconds before tearing his eyes from the passing scenery. I took note of the change in his expression - eyebrows furrowed and lips tightly pressed together, conflicted and reluctant.

"I never wanted a mate." I had to admit, the admission stung. I tried not to acknowledge it, but Alec appeared to observe a reaction in me because his hand twitched forward as if to reach out. He caught himself, resting it on his knee. "I did not think I needed one." I kept my focus on his fist, firmly pressed , against his thigh. His distraction allowed his words go unchecked. Their deliberate annunciation prolonged their reveal, begging me to read them. I gave in. The sincerity in the echo of his voice was unbearable and I could no longer pretend that he had no effect on me. Because he did. He absolutely did. "I was wrong."

The air I'd taken in was cut in half and my individual breaths became short lived. I had the capacity to retain more air, but I didn't have it in me to take it. A side effect of the pounding ache in my chest, the entrance of my ill-prepared heart. Each beat with its' own rhythmic drum. I was sure each one could be visibly counted through my ribcage. The pressure in my ears followed as the blood in my veins caught up, overtaking my senses as they wished. In the past, I'd have rebelled, and did rebel, against any such exhibition of power over me. Twice now, as cluttered as the feeling was, I mourned the day the drum would cease.

Alec pushed back the hair that had fallen just short of his eyelashes. "It is true that I did not handle this revelation with the highest quality of grace." I snorted and he sent me an unarmed glare.

"Your behaviour did not ease the weight of the challenge. You were this little human. Arrogantly unaware of your place in the world. Everything I despised about humans. Fearless…fragile…" He trailed off, until his eyes checked in with mine. "Every dispute, every defiant act you engaged in highlighted your existence and tempted the bloodlust." His jaw clenched indelicately. "Hundreds of years and I lost my temper with the barbarous manner of a newborn."

I'd been told that he'd never let slip even the slightest reaction, no hint of emotion since his newborn stage to anyone but a select few. My arrival disrupted this. Until me, the explanation for this had been calculated by weighing his twin as his opposite. Jane was brash, so of course her brother had to be subtler. As if he and Jane had split a generalised list of personality attributes between them. They made the idea that Jane had gotten all of the feelings the twins could ever have normal. Using it to explain away her fits and tantrums. Emotion, as if it were exclusive.

"I became…" In that moment, my brain plugged in the word it believed he was going to use. Afraid. But he could never admit something like that. Alec Volturi wasn't afraid of anything. "Wary of the consequences if I could not control it."

His eyes flickered to my upper arm, the bruises he'd left far gone and forgotten from my skin as much as they were from my memory. My injury was not what I thought of when I recalled that first night. I'd forgiven him and moved past it, but apparently he had not.

Pieces of the puzzle began to fly into place. "Which is why you avoided me…"

"At first, my sister would watch over you in my place." Which would explain why Jane would show up at my door unannounced, let herself in, and impatiently wait for me to politely offer a game of chess. "When Prosper lost you—"

"When I ran away from Prosper," I corrected him. Alec grunted, trying not to argue back. He chose to focus on his narrative and didn't argue the point.

"I was forced to consider a great deal of factors that endangered your life. Your blood being the most pressing. Until the Masters alerted me to the additional dangers posed to you, as my mate."

"What kind of dangers?"

He seemed to flinch and his eyes became apologetic. "Jane and I have made more enemies than friends in this life…" I knew, of course, of his involvement in the war against the Romanians. But just how many vampires had declared an enemy out of the twins? "I believe Jane also wishes to be a part of that discussion." I nodded, giving him permission to continue with a promise that we would revisit the topic at a later time.

He kept on, "I believed you would be safest if you continued to fear me. If you did not know we were mated, if we were not together, there would be little reason for our enemies to suspect. Even the lower guard had unconfirmed details. With this, you would have been safe from retaliation." He had looked away from me again, and I could feel the weight of the self-inflicted shame he'd drowned himself in. I wanted to touch him, to offer what comfort I could, but I stayed put. "You would be safe from me."

I refrained from reminding him of Zafir, who had spilled the beans about all of this in the first place. Instead, I put a pin in the fact that somehow, the so-called Resistance discovered this well-kept secret before I even suspected. It would have to be a concern for later.

"Only I could not stay away." His face twisted, and he seemed to bite his next words. "And along with this, came the bloodlust.

"To be with you — around you, would require certain precautions to be put into place." It was as if he knew what I was going to ask because he included briefly, "Jane and Heidi made arrangements for additional resources and opportunities for me to hunt outside the city. Before, and often after we were together. Among other, more minor, steps." He didn't go into any more detail.

Their diet was one topic I never had any particular questions on. It wasn't exactly rocket science. Any questions I might have had, were answered within the first ten minutes I met them. You could even say that Alec had offered a demonstration. Which sounded better than saying he drank the life out of some guy so that he wouldn't kill me. The Volturi made no attempt to hide their meal delivery system from me. They did take great care, however, to ensure that I was several floors and locked behind a guarded door whenever they had said meals.

"We were successful for a time, but we had only prepared for a lapse in my actions." Meaning that every time I went off script, all of his hard work was for naught. I was only now able to grasp the gravity of what my little experiment with Jane had triggered. Not to mention the resulting arguments and my second attempted escape that led to Victor Tima's death. I'd always been impulsive, but never before had my recklessness effected anyone else to such an extent. I'd realized this before now, but it continued to be a prominent theme the more I learned.

"Our protective measures were not enough on their own." Alec was, again, reluctant to continue. As if he were still trying to shield me from events he couldn't change. As if once he said the words out loud, shared them with me, there was no going back. "And when you told me you hated me…"

"And I will spend the next thousand years of my life hating you."

It was my turn to shy away. I'd forgotten the gutless, vengeful anger that had controlled me at the beginning of our story. It hadn't lessened, but it was new then. Ravaging everything in its path for the very first time like a natural disaster. A tsunami that warned of worse to come, yet still devastated the land all on its own. Each new encounter between us spurred emotions higher than the ones before.

This specific memory, however, didn't appear to shake him as much as it did me. He was calm, desensitised to its' intrusions into the forefront of his conscience. The fact that he cared enough to mention it, hinted to me that he was still prone to the weight of the emotions these memories carried. We remembered our history differently.

He cleared his throat, as if he couldn't finish the thought. Guilt enveloped my stomach, but I wasn't about to turn inwards. Not anymore. I had too much guilt for decisions that could've been avoided. The most recent of which may as well have slapped me across the face because I'd repeated this claim to him mere hours ago. Again.

I'd always had a particularly high emotional intelligence, making up for the talent I lacked in more valued fields. My understanding of empathy could be challenged when it came to physical pain, though I could fake it well enough. Perhaps it wasn't empathy, but an awareness of it that had made me hyper focused on the experiences of others. I'd never believed I could become so selfishly overwhelmed by my own world, that I forced others to carry my grievances. That I would be known for emotional outbursts of aggression to the point where they had to freaking super glue antique vases down. Had I truly become so awful of a person in such a short amount of time? But more importantly, could I be good again after all of this?

Alec was watching me carefully, as if he could see the thoughts that raced through my mind. "It was the following morning that Carlisle invited me to return with him. In order to seek counsel from his son."

My lips parted as more puzzles pieces were discovered. "And you left…to visit the Cullens."

Alec nodded. I'd put this all together a while ago, but knowing the why made it feel like the truth had truly been uncovered. He had been particularly adamant against sharing this one, which made more sense now. I couldn't particularly blame him for it when considering how it conflicted with everything else we were discussing.

When Alec didn't continue, I realized that we'd come full circle. Back at the castle, he had tried to start with his visit to the Cullens. Edward's theory, he'd said. Which meant that there was more. Everything he'd told me had only been the backstory to what he knew about our greatest obstacle. And I wasn't sure if I was ready to hear it.

"What does this have to do with Edward's theory?"

"La tua cantante is only half of it, tesorina." He let this sink in for me, as if still in fear of my response to everything he had shared so far. After a moment, he spoke again. "You should eat." I shook my head fervently, fearing that if we stopped now the topic would be lost.

"I'm fine."

"An intermission, then?"

"I don't need a break."

He paused, before admitting, "I do." I examined his form, sitting with excellent posture in the chair across from me. Once again, I hadn't helped his maintenance of a controlled exterior attitude. Alec seemed exhausted, the wear and tear prominent only in his eyes. His eyes that revealed far more than he was willing. Far more even than he believed himself capable of.

I blinked before I realized I'd been staring into them, and my heart shivered because he was staring right back. I wet my lips nervously, agreeing to his request.

I nodded. "Alright."

Immediately, Alec stood, returning the chair to its' proper place. He picked up his previously discarded sunglasses from the table.

"Err…where are you going?"

"You have not eaten."

"I'm not hungry." I groaned in annoyance and he shot me a look. We'd had this conversation before.

He shut me down with, "how would you know?" I made sure he'd turned his back before I stuck my tongue out in response. I hate when he's right.

At the Abbey, I relied on the structured schedule of the sisters to remember the tedious tasks. Without hunger pains to distract me, pausing my day to eat was nothing more than an inconvenience. The same went for other natural, everyday behaviours. Now, I loved food as much as the next person. A side effect of hopping from country to country as a child was exposure to various cultural foods. I would eat almost anything you'd put in front of me. That is, if it weren't such a monotonous occasion in the first place.

Alec went to unlock the door, when I saw him move his sunglasses over his eyes.

"You can't wear sunglasses around the train." He raised an eyebrow at me, unconvinced. "You'll look pretentious — and attract attention."

Alec's face scrunched up, and the childlike expression of distaste was incredibly endearing. He huffed, not wanting to give in.

I reminded him, "Prosper's wearing contacts."

Immediately, he let out a low hum that sounded suspiciously like a growl. The comment was a 50/50 gamble. A successful one, I congratulated myself, as he tossed his sunglasses carelessly back onto the table. He slipped past me to pull my backpack from the cubby above us.

He unzipped it and the contents inside was not what I had assumed. I had expected it to be filled with clothing, but it was clear it was Jane who had packed rather than Heidi. The case agent's journal was slipped between two other books. A small sealed bag which I assumed would be toiletries and a few other little things. I found myself hoping she'd slipped my watercolour pencils in, not that I knew if I'd have time or not while we were gone. Some manner of clothing did seem to be packed on the bottom of the bag. But I couldn't make out much more as Alec pulled out a small black case and returned the backpack to its' place.

He mumbled something incoherent to me, eyes bright red. It hadn't been long since he'd had them off, but I still cherished the snapshots of emotion revealed in his off-duty time. I remembered Prosper putting his contacts in with ease in the backseat of the car at the exact moment Alec turned a sharp corner. However, Alec moved past me, shoulders slumped dramatically as he made his way to the bathroom mirror.

I leaned against the bathroom door, watching him use the mirror to guide his movements. I kept quiet, as it took him only a moment before he stood in front of the sliding door again.

"Content?" He wouldn't look at me, but I nodded, observing the murky brown colour of his eyes. I frowned, the recurring desire to know the colour of his eyes when he was human hit me once more. It was such a minuscule detail, but even I knew that was too intrusive a question.

I'd never seen him with contacts in, I realized, even in the club. But then, that didn't seem right. I found it hard to believe his sister would have allowed him to walk among humans without them. The colour of his eyes had been darker, but under the lights I distinctly remembered red. Not that it mattered, anymore.

He'd been so upset that night. While it had ended well enough, my mind dragged me back to our last meeting before it, the one that he had just reminded me of.

"And I will spend the next thousand years of my life hating you."

A thousand years was a long time. As if reading my mind, Alec closed his eyes and turned his head away from me. He slid the door to the side, stepping aside to allow me to pass through first. I didn't move, sharing the doorway space with him instead.

"Alec?" He wouldn't meet my eyes. "I—"

That second, his hand brushed the palm of mine before grasping it in his. The act in itself prepping my heart. With a small tug, he gently encouraged me to take the step that bridged the small gap between us. My breath caught in my throat. Our bodies were inches from each other and I followed his gaze down to my hand cupped in his. His thumb moved slowly back and forth across my palm, but he didn't say anything.

My eyes moved back to his face. A blank expression covered it, either deep in thought or ready to close off. I prayed that it wasn't the latter. When he continued to say nothing, I opened my mouth to try an apology once more.

He dropped my hand suddenly, as if he could sense this. I could feel the breath of his words on my cheek before he slid the door open once more. He hummed.

"Not yet, Tesoro."

Chapter Text

Part 2

Maybe it was the way he watched me.

As often as it happened, it seemed almost involuntary. But every time I caught him, he'd wink and continue on until I succumbed to my own butterflies. You'd think that by now he would have grown tired of my face.

Alec gave a gentle, but firm kick to my shoe. Just hard enough to bring my full attention back on him.

"Ouch!" His eyes flashed with a fearful regret before the corner of my lips turned up in a mischievous grin.

"Very funny." He grunted, but I could see the hint of a smile sneak onto his face. He caught my eye, wiping it off his face when he realized I'd seen it. He pointed at the bowl of soup in front of me to distract. "Eat," he reminded me again.

"You're bossy."

He sighed, "please, tesorina."

I rolled my eyes, but the Italian whisper made my skin jump. "Why?"

"Because I would like to continue our conversation. And you, tesoro, get 'hangry'."

My jaw dropped and Alec's eyes widened. There was a pause before a bubble of giggles rose from my chest. Alec broke eye contact with me to drop his head in his hand.

"Say it again!" I requested eagerly through increasing laughter and he mumbled something incoherent, sending me into another little fit. Alec frowned at me, but glanced to the rest of the lounge before putting his head in his hand. I'd never seen him so out of his element and it was an endearing response to be a part of. His nose crinkled and he continued to furrow his eyebrows in an attempt to save face. He was nothing if not refined every second of every minute I'd known him. And this, was excellent.

My laughter had attracted the attention of the only other group in the lounge. He avoided my eyes as he rubbed the back of his head. "Saffiya," he begged.

I gasped out of my fit, uninhibited through the last of my giggles, "that was so cute!" My hands flew to cover my mouth, my own words sobering me up. Alec raised his eyebrow, eager to turn the tables back on me.

Refusing to wait for whatever witty, well-timed, comment he would use this time, I picked up my spoon. I was determined to ignore the arrogant, self-satisfied smirk on Alec's stupid face.

In between sips and avoiding Alec's eyes, I gave a polite smile to an older couple as they passed by us. The click of the door was confirmation that we were now the last patrons in the empty lounge car. I kept my eyes on the door, taking my time to breathe in the moment.

It was the how, of how this conversation would effect us that concerned me. I had failed to examine my own feelings prior, yet again, to figure out what I wanted. I knew what Alec wanted, and pushing his insistence aside had been my attempt to minimise the bias I had regarding him, within my own process.

Yet, it was impossible to ignore any part of him. My judgement was clouded and I was of the belief that this was a personal fault. The consequences of my previous decisions based on impulse and emotion were rooted in my memory. To avoid future unfortunate events, I had learned to make my decisions independent of rampant emotion whenever possible. Alec made me question my methods. To him, forever was truly eternal. When he spoke of mates, the prospect of 'falling out' wasn't a hundred-to-one, 99.9% chance kind of situation. It was invincible, indomitable, and unyielding in the purest form of its definition. The very idea was a concept I would never have entertained if not for my discovery of vampires. For Alec, I was now forced to consider that a biased decision was the only reasonable one to make.

I let the spoon clatter in my, now empty, bowl, regaining Alec's attention from the doorway. I returned it to the coffee table to prove I'd finished my meal. The bartender attended to us immediately, telling us that they were closing for the night but we were welcome to stay if we wanted. I wasn't sure if that were true, but he seemed too nervous of Alec to tell us to leave. I thanked him with the lightest voice I could to make up for my partner's intimidation tactics.

When I turned back around, he was tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, watching me. "Hi."

A gentle smile appeared on his face in response, and in a low voice, he offered the same. "Hi."

We observed each other, innocently, patiently, but with a touch of apprehension. It was Alec's voice that brought me back.

"Why did you throw the candlestick at me?" "What?" He gave no clarification, so I shrugged. "You were being mean."

He repeated me. "Mean. Was I?"

"Yes—," Alec's eyes observed me with purpose. His doubt was enough of an incentive to make me reflect on the curiosity. My mind flashed through memories that flipped across the inside of my eyes like a film strip. A familiar surge of energy raced through me as each passed by. The same energy that was often paired with the emotions that sent me surging into situations, mentally stagnant. I recalled the throwing of the actual candlestick and I'd never returned my eyes to him so quickly.

His expression stayed the same, but he seemed satisfied with my reaction. "What did you feel?"

"Bad?"

Alec shook his head. "No, not now. Think specifically to the exact moment you decided to do it."

I looked down at my hands, touching my thumb to the tips of my fingers one by one. I only spent seconds reminiscing and already, I felt my exhausted body slipping closer to its' deprived sleep. For some reason, revisiting the same memory with the intent to examine my emotions was frightening. To the point where I felt a touch of nausea. Especially where he was concerned. I could feel Alec's eyes on me and I bit down on my bottom lip a little too hard. I owed him this. I could be brave for him.

"I didn't."

"Didn't what?" "I didn't decide. It just—" I breathed dry air into my throat and brought my hand up to tug at my hair. I had been conscious as hell-o at the time, that was for sure. I said a lot of things on purpose, quite a few I'd been too ashamed to revisit since. I did make other decisions, to touch him, to challenge him, to try and make him feel as badly as I did. Of which now, I knew I had succeeded in, for better or worse. Definitely worse. But, by the time I'd thrown the candlestick at him, I was in too deep. Similarly, I hardly remembered the act of rolling my hand back to take a swing at his face. He'd even cautioned me. I used to believe that I had an awareness when it came to risky actions like punching a marble wall. This, however, was impulse to the extreme, unbalanced and dominant.

I tugged my lip between my teeth again, before releasing it. "I was so…"

"Yeah." My head snapped up to him. Alec offered me a sad smile, his eyes leaving my lips. "I know."

"What do you mean?"

He shook his head, phrasing his next question the same as before. "And when I kissed you?" How did I feel? I barely had to think before I averted my eyes, the butterflies in my stomach unable to bear the connection. Hearing him say the words without disguising their fullness brought the memory back full fold. And with it, the desires I'd been suppressing from the minute his lips last left mine. I was subject to a craving that ran through my bones and prodded at my conscious like a curious child. My fingers rose to touch my lips, as if to catch the ghost of the memory.

He didn't push for an answer, considering I'd only just confirmed it with a schoolgirl's inexperience.

"Alec, what's the point of this? What's it matter how I felt?" I had tried not to question him so far, but revisiting these emotions was beginning to mess with my head. The butterflies in my stomach couldn't decide whether to settle or rage on, while my veins prepared a waterslide for a fire of adrenaline.

"Your emotions, tesoro, are essential to understanding our story thus far."

My back straightened and even though the unsettled feelings still lingered, I was compelled to return to him. The brown contacts were only just beginning to fade, but the rawness behind his eyes was what I found comfort in. And as soon as I did, the stress and the battering of indistinguishable sensations vanished. How could he inspire such rabid emotions in me one second, and in the next, serve as the epitome of what I needed to embrace the world as it existed. It was a tranquility that existed in another that I couldn't manage on my own.

"I — We, needed help." Alec picked up where he left off, pushing his hair from his face and letting it fall to the side. "Carlisle's son, Edward, is the only vampire that could offer the kind of advice that not even the Masters had access to."

"Wait — Edward Cullen?" Alec nodded, and the name leaving my lips was not something he was prepared for. "His mate was his…" I paused, certain that I was going to butcher the phrase if I tried. Another part of me fearing I'd erupt with yet another round of butterflies if I said the phrase in general. I'd already said the M word, which had not gone unnoticed by Alec. I tried to let the word flow smoothly from my mouth, as if I'd said it at least a hundred times. He knew I hadn't, as he made no vocal acknowledgement or celebration of my casual use. So casual, it was almost as if I'd fully accepted it. As if it was the only word I could fathom needing, wanting to know every day of the week.

Alec concentrated on the Italian phrase instead. His voice was low, guiding, "la tua cantante." His eyes watched me with the heightened nerves of a spooked deer. "You are familiar with their story as well?"

I nodded, entranced for half a second by the words on his lips. "Courtesy of Felix and Demetri," I admitted. At least bits and pieces from the casual references the men made to their story every few days. Now that I thought about it, the couple was often brought up during discussions associated with Alec. It was astounding that I hadn't clued in to any of this information sooner, what with the poorly executed stealth of the two men.

I expected a reaction from Alec, seeing as Felix and Demetri were wracking up crimes in his eyes. However, he was much more focused on the new topic than I expected. Either eager to share or ready to lose the burden of holding the knowledge to himself. "Then you may recall a time when she was human, that Edward decided the danger our world posed to her life was too great."

"Right. Then, he ditched her and they went all Romeo and Juliet — and Felix kicked his ass." There was a hint of amusement in his eyes before he again circled back to the topic at hand. "What is relevant are the events that took place when they were parted."

I interrupted, forgetting to use the empathetic tone necessary for the topic. "Didn't she try t…to kill herself?"

Alec sighed, "as I understand it, Edward's mate succumbed to an emotional isolation that eventually manifested into risk-taking behaviour." I held up my hand, requesting he pause so I could break down the words he was using. They were easier for me to process in pieces. I nodded, and he continued. "Edward reacted similarly, albeit less reckless. That is, until he believed she had died."

I knew this part of the story only briefly. But, as Alec continued to use Edward's first name it threw me off. It was an unfamiliar approach to the Cullens as characters in a retelling, because none of the others had used it past identifying the players in their versions of the stories. Multiple stories, in which the retelling revealed the true animosity that lied under the mocking nature of these conversations. Alec's detail filled in many of the missing pieces that had been brushed over or unknown by my original storytellers. I had to admit, the amount of detail provided quite a twist on the inflection I'd previously related to the story.

"After learning of...our situation, Edward drew parallels to his relationship with his own mate."

I shifted so I was sitting up again. "What's her name?"

He hesitated. "Bella." I only nodded, letting him continue. He'd never given me so much information at once. I no longer had to carefully craft responses or a lack thereof to learn more about our topic. Now that we had reached this point, he didn't seem likely to withhold as many details as he usually did. I could ask questions without fearing he'd pull back. It was…nice.

"He noted patterns of irrational and emotional behaviour between, and in, both him and Bella. Most prominent during the time they spent apart." He paused, as if unsure that I was still following. I sat back up to support that I was. "Previously, they had attributed these events to the human experience. However, Edward now believes these patterns may be based in supernatural origins."

"I don't understand." I'll admit a level of frustration on my part, but Alec was patient with me, as if he not only expected my confusion, but had prepared for it as well. Right down to the questions I'd follow with. "Supernatural origins?"

The vampire ran another hand through his hair, choosing his wording carefully. "The ties between a vampire and their mate are paramount to our kind. Their experience was greatly exaggerated through the transformation process in the same way that our senses are heightened." I could wrap my head around this. Perhaps it was why humans spent their lives looking for their mates and vampires waited for them to appear. Vampires knew their soulmate existed. Humans longed to prove the possibility of a one and only. No one wanted to believe they could ever be alone.

"Edward theorised that when these emotions are applied to a human, they overcompensate." My head was spinning, but I trusted him to follow through. "Your mind has been struggling to process emotions that were not meant for humans."

"So, trying to maim you with the candlestick?"

Alec gave a grateful chuckle as confirmation, before returning to his explanation with less gravity in his approach. "The breaking point — the highest levels of emotion that you can process before," his brows furrowed before he continued. "It appears to be entirely out of your control."

So, this was why he had stopped me from apologising. Out of my control implied that I couldn't be help accountable for my actions. My dramatic, rampageous reactions weren't my fault. The 200 year old vase that Caius was still sour about? Nope, innocent. And yet, even if this was an acceptable excuse, I felt uncomfortable considering it as anything more than an explanation. It could be held to a higher standard that way, requiring me to acknowledge my behaviour. Whether I was aware of it or not. So, I would be apologising…which had been the first thing Alec did upon his return. I froze, flashing back to him in shock. Had he come to the same conclusion upon his discovery?

Alec was waiting for me, appearing ever so patient if not for the spark in his eyes when I finally did return my attention.

"And these exaggerated emotions…they effected you too?"

"They exacerbated the bloodlust." Right. La tua cantante. How could I forget. "The predator instincts. Of which Prosper was nearly a victim of."

"That was because of this?"

Alec scrunched up his face, before releasing the tension. "Not all of it." I was still stuck on the answer and he seemed to notice. He sighed, but opened up. "I suspect that without it, I may have had the potential to reconsider." Alec fixed his eyes on me through his eyelashes, admitting what we both already knew. "My decision remains the same, even now."

He'd taken a chance, waiting to see if I weighed his honesty over my friend's life. And as much as I wished I could value them equally, my mate came first. I said nothing.

"For most vampires, the bond between mates is only surpassed by our thirst for blood. Somehow, the bond between a vampire and their human mate, their blood singer, is stronger still."

"And you guys think that this…emotional overload is responsible for that?"

He shrugged, leaning back in the chair. "Or a symptom of something else. Without others, we may never know for sure."

"Surely we're not the only cases of a vampire and a human to ever—"

"But we are the only cases, that either of our covens have encountered, that found their mates in their blood singer and did not immediately turn them. The Cullens were the first."

I leaned forward, resting my chin in my hand in thought. "And now, us."

It was the first time I had acknowledged an us in such consequential terms. That there was something, at the very least, that existed between us. It accepted the title, the definition that came with the relationship associated with the word…mate. Us. Him and I. I had hardly picked up the shift in attitude, but Alec did.

"And now, us."

An answer had never before provided me with such clarity. The adrenaline of never-ending emotional turmoil and pressure was essential. The blinding malevolence and uncensored desire, nerves that swam in sharp infested waters and kept me on edge, robbed my sleep, and never stopped. I was no longer weighted down by emotions I hardly recognised. I could let myself breathe.

"Will it ever lessen?"

Alec frowned, and reached a hand out to brush a piece of hair off of my face. His voice emerged with a rough, uncoloured sound. Like he could cry, unable to muster a false confidence. "If you survive the transformation…The venom should rectify the affective imbalance."

I stiffened, for reasons Alec was yet to know. Because I hadn't told him. If Jane's gift didn't work on me, then Carlisle's warning became less manageable and more inevitable. My chances of surviving had decreased substantially. I had to tell him. He'd find out eventually. It was honestly surprising Jane hadn't already shared the news. But if she hadn't…it was possible she was giving me a chance to break the news first. I looked to Alec. How could I do something like that to him?

"Alec?" He lifted his head as indication that he was listening.

"Do you reckon we'll always fight…the way we do now?"

His eyes fell to my lips as I held my bottom captive between my teeth. I was gifted with a soft, genuine smile. "I think that's up to us."

My dearest Reader, I do concede that perhaps we should've known better than to think we could be fixed with a single conversation. He'd practiced for months now, how to keep his cool and deal with my explosions. He wasn't necessarily succeeding all the time, but he did better than me. And now that I knew, I was sure I could learn more control as well. With time. But my blood still called to him through my heart, beat as it must. And no amount of emotion could defend the blood in my veins from the venom that craved it.

A sharp, modulated beep demanded our attention. The sound broke the air twice before Alec reached into his pocket. He pulled an uncovered, expensive looking phone from the pocket and checked the notification. As fast as he was, his speed was subject to the pace of the objects around him. Which is why, in the time that it took for the phone to unlock, I happened to notice something missing.

"You should have a passcode. Someone could steal that."

The spark of his grin reached his eyes and he let out a charmed laugh as if I'd made a joke. I had no idea why, because I was completely serious. Still, I cherished the reveal of his smile. A smile that grounded me to a world I was unfamiliar with. A smile that belonged to the light, and only the light. Of which nothing could break through. Or so I believed.

Alec's eyes returned to his phone's screen, but in an instant they had switched focus to the door.

"I must check on Prosper." I frowned. His demeanour showed no outward alarm at the text he'd received. He stood, all brightness lost as he addressed me with a stern tone. "Do not leave this room. Lock the door behind me."

Alec had spent every second since we'd left the castle with me in his line of sight (or under Prosper's brief care). He was consistently scanning every inch of the 360º view that swept around us. I was unclear on what Prosper needed help with that so easily replaced the hyper-cautious vigilance Alec had already established.

"Because a locked door is vampire proof," I mumbled sarcastically.

Alec's entire posture shifted, completely missing my humour. "Prosper and I have both secured the train. You are safe."

"Then, why does he need you?"

He frowned, managing my incompetence with a blunt answer. "I imagine he's made a mess." I'd nearly forgotten Prosper and his current thirst situation. I'd assumed that giving Prosper the opportunity to complete that need had been Alec's original intent in dismissing the guard member for our conversation.

"Take this." Alec placed the phone on the table and slid it over to me as he stood. "And wait here for me."

I groaned audibly. "Why can't I just go back to our cabin?" He sighed patiently, looking down at me.

"Because I said so."

My promise to Jane flashed across my memory. As well as how I'd done a poor job of adhering to it so far. I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth in annoyance. "Fine."

Alec blinked. "Really?"

"I won't be happy about it, but yes. I'll wait here."

He did a double take, prepared for a debate over his decision. His head tilted to the side as he eyed me suspiciously before concluding. "That is all I ask."

Alec paused again at the door, still somewhat shocked that I gave in so easily. Usually when he left me, Alec would initiate a small touch to my skin. Whether it was a hand on my cheek or knee, or a single brush of his fingers across my arm. This time, he sighed and slipped out of the compartment without doing either of these things. I chalked it up to our 'time and space' agreement, but I missed the contact nonetheless.

I groaned, an inward embarrassment of my admission to myself. I really had some things to figure out. Though, it almost felt as if I already had.

I'd been flooded with a great deal of information. Information that changed how I perceived almost everything over the course of the last several months. But, for the life of me, my brain couldn't analyse it. It was processing, it was all there, but it was just that — there. No doubt some vampire style, Freudian conceptualisation perspective was a good first step to looking into our full story. A story that I now knew both sides of, aside from a few details. Having the backstory was only the foundation, the history. It was the break of the ice for my initiation into a new world. I could feel unwritten questions bubbling inside of me, but I suppressed them. I was tired of thinking. Not only that, but I was exhausted.

I'd been running on nothing but emotion for almost two days, and this was the first time it hit me. There was so much going on, that even Prosper's gentle reminders weren't enough for me to just take a break. I enjoyed sleeping, but it had recently become as tedious as having a meal. Despite this, I needed a nap at the very least.

I could return to our suite. It would put Alec in a poor mood, but he was the one who said it was safe. He'd be surprised, probably angry, maybe a little worried when he returned to an empty lounge. I'd almost convinced myself to do it, because he was a vampire that was a little too cued in to my blood. He'd find me eventually. Plus, sleeping in the lounge car of a luxury train was generally frowned upon. At least, I assumed it was.

Except, the implied commitment of possibly going somewhere to sleep, alerted me to the growing heaviness of my eyelids. My eyelashes slowly struggled against them to little avail. Honestly, sleep didn't sound particularly appealing to me at the moment, considering everything going on. I continued to fight it, but shifted my body almost on command. I leaned back on the arm of the loveseat and folded my body up, placing my head against the back of it. I took in a deep breath, hoping this new position would ease the sandman's pressure to surrender.

I pushed for a brief hold of lucidness against the charge of drowsiness and reached for Alec's phone. I slid it from the table and turned in to face the back of the booth seat, guiltily putting my shoes on the furniture. I clutched the phone tightly in my hand, as my eyelids won their battle and I couldn't help but sink in to the feeling.

A high-pitched rumble kickstarted my heart like a defibrillator. I sucked in a sharp breath of air, fumbling for Alec's phone. It had fallen into the couch cushion and I blinked, trying to read the screen.

There was no contact saved for the caller, only a ten digit number beginning with a 1. An American number? I hesitated answering the call, after all, it wasn't exactly my phone. Though, it might've been Alec, calling to tell me he was overreacting and I could just return to our cabin without him. I laid my head back against the seat, my hair falling into my face as I raised the phone to my ear.

A woman's voice broke through the phone before I could even confirm the call's success.

"Saffiya — hide."

"Who is this?" I straightened my back, sitting up as the urgency in the voice increased.

"He's on the train."

She was too late.

Alec's abandoned chair had been claimed.

A familiar stranger was waiting for me to notice him. A dark grin spread across thick lips as he watched a cold incredulity manifest on my face. He was exactly the same as the last time I'd seen him.

Only now, murky orbs had been replaced with a rich crimson.

I shot up, standing from the couch as if to run but he was inches from me before I could.

He held out a flawless, smooth hand, showing me as he tightened his middle and pointer fingers together. The hand moved delicately between us, tapping once on my forehead.

His very presence instructed my body to remain still, but I had to refresh the command when a wave of defiance hit. He saw this, and his grin grew at his own genius as he lowered his hand almost lovingly to the center of my chest.

He crossed under my collarbone to mark each of my shoulders as he mockingly concluded his blessing of the cross.

My name was being chanted on the other end of the phone as I glared up at the man in front of me. His fingertips started to trace back along my collarbone, adventuring down far enough for me to take a swipe at him. He caught my wrist and smiled snidely, flashing the sharpened edges of his teeth.

"Such a tease."

Chapter Text

I wasn't afraid of my death. I had been prepared for it my entire life. The thing is, I never expected to see it coming.

"Travis."

The foggy air and flashing colours in the depths of the club hadn't done the man justice. The vampire attributes highlighted the classically handsome features of his face. Only now, his eyes were filled with contempt and fuelled by hate.

I tightened my grip around Alec's phone, but my attempt only amused the vampire before me. He pried the device from me and held it in front of my face, shaking it with a 'come and get it' attitude. From the phone, a high-pitched voice repeating my name in a muffled vibration as if from inside a cloud, or deep within a cave — distant and useless.

Travis clicked his tongue, crushing the phone in his bare hand, thus ending the call. Plastics and wiring fell from in-between his fingertips, bouncing once on the carpet before yielding to their fate.

He took his time as his eyes looked me over and I crossed my arms over my chest. "You owe me a kiss," he declared. Travis went to make a move forward and I countered sharply, which only made him smirk.

"He'll try this again."

I frowned at Jane. "He doesn't have to die for us to prevent that."

My features allowed me a slight frown, still cautious, and yet not cautious enough. "I'd rather kiss a toad."

He straightened his shoulders, but chose not to punish me immediately. "You should watch how you talk to me. No witch to do your dirty work this time."

I snapped back, "they would've killed you —"

The twins were fearsome, with no doubt, hundreds of years of experience torturing and killing vampires. Unfortunately, in that moment, all their experience fell under the vampire category. In that moment, I was the one who knew how to deal with humans — without killing them.

And what did I have to offer? If not the extensive historical, anatomical, and gory fairy tale jargon I had acquired from, disturbingly enough, the nunnery I'd last called home. Or even the extensive scars and marks that littered my body by fault of my condition. Not to mention: an overactive imagination.

I turned my head to stare at the curled up form on the ground. At the silence, he looked up. The quiver of his lip halted as our eyes met.

"— I saved your life." I faltered at the irony of my claim.

"I lost - everything!" He roared, advancing on me again as he cut the air with his hand. "You ended my life."

I flinched away as Travis mouthed off once more, testing his boundaries with liquid courage.

"Cuore," Alec murmured in my ear, altogether unbothered by a new round of filth leaving our captive's mouth. "Jane can handle him. You have done well." He placed a
hand on the small of my back, as if to console me for not being as sadistic as them.

It had the opposite effect.

"And you knew exactly what you were doing."

In a near whisper, I muttered, "he wants to be a dancer." Alec frowned, a dark look framing his face at the source of information, rather than the content. He then shot his sister a look, but I turned and stole her attention.

Jane scoffed, "so?" Her fingers were twitching. Being around so many humans was testing her patience. I had to get her attention, ramp up my proposal to match murder in order to keep that attention.

"I've heard stories of your mate and his twin." It was the first time Travis' eyes left me. My eyes darted around the dining car, looking for something to help me get away. A door, a vampire killing stake...but, there was nothing.

"It would just be a shame if something ruined that dream." I shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding the eyes of all three of them. It was awkward to explain my thoughts, but I spoke slowly. I tried to sound sure of myself. "Like a drunken night of fun that ends with an accident...or an attack."

"That Jane is one sadistic bitch." I clenched my fists, hating the way her name sounded in his mouth. "But you—" My head snapped back and the edges of his mouth pulled up, mocking me. "You gave the order."

"That is hardly an equivalent punishment."

I swallowed, looking up to meet Jane's eyes. My stomach turned.

And suddenly, Travis was behind me. His hand wound its' way around my neck. Travis dragged me closer to him and locked me in against his chest. The more I struggled, the tighter his grip became. He rested his hand on the small of my back. Immediately, muscle by muscle, my entire body tensed and I froze.

"It is. If he never walks away from it."

I squeezed my eyes shut. I had to pull myself together. I couldn't afford another injury and though he seemed together enough, I had enough smarts to know better than to challenge a hostile vampire. Dark, vibrant, red eyes spitefully stared down at me with a mocking grin as I finally stopped fighting. Coincidentally, at the same time as his hand on my back started to explore the length of my spine. The touch was gentle, almost teasing. Just as it had been the night we met.

"I woke up in a hospital, with some doctor saying that I'd been in an accident. That my spine had been shattered." He moved up my spine and slowly slid back down it like a slide.

"They told me I'd never have use of my legs, never," a wounded pause "walk...again." Travis' hand paused abruptly, having returned to the curve in my waist. I flinched as his fingers dug into my back. In the exact same place I'd told Jane to target.

"My life, my dreams..." I tensed away from the touch and he let me escape just long enough to turn me around and bring me back into his chest. He chuckled darkly as we came face to face. A superior grimace of satisfaction filled his face as he revelled in his win. "My future. Gone — all because some little brat couldn't take a joke."

I spit at him.

Travis froze and I'd hardly processed my mistake before his hand was wiping the offending liquid from his face. I waited as he inspected his hand, before his attention made its' way back to me.

"You little," he snarled, teeth protruding and darkness rising at a deliberately human pace. His attempt at intimidation saved me, just in time for the appearance of his handler.

"Ah, ah, ah." A willowy voice drifted into our conversation from behind me. "Patience, Travis. She is not our final objective—"

A spitefully sharp tone spat back. "Maybe not yours —"

"Not. Yet." Travis gave what sounded like a quick growl, but turned his back on me.

As grateful as I was for the stranger's timing, the familiarity between the men made it short lived. Now free, I spun around to face the voice, which had taken up residence at one of the bar stools in the back of the lounge car. As to when he entered the small room, I had no idea. I'd still have thanked him, if his very presence hadn't set off a bajillion alarms in my head.

"So," in a blur, the figure joined us. Under the harsh lighting, the man looked like he'd gone a few too many rounds with the blush in the powder room. A formal, but simple black pant, dress shirt, and coat stood out immensely against his skin, though it lacked any identifying patterns. My eyes flew down from the pale golden grey of his hair as he began to circle me. He inspected me methodically, with a clear establishment of predatory intentions. A lacklustre smile graced his features. "This is the mate of a Witch Twin..."

There it was again. That word — like a nickname: Witch. It was almost endearing, affectionate, as it was hissed out of the man's mouth. I knew better than to think it was anything but sincere loathing.

"Do you know who I am, child?" I responded with a scowl that did nothing to phase him. I had no idea who he was, despite his expectations. "My name is Vladimir."

He earned a flash of recognition in my eyes and I responded immediately. "You're from the Romanian coven..."

Without hesitation, he corrected me impatiently, "I AM the Romanian coven." I held my gaze, taking my turn to analyse him in his brief vulnerability. This seemed to amuse him and he encouraged me to "go on."

Though I was half sure this was some kind of trick, I hadn't much choice in the matter. "I know you once ruled the vampire world until the Volturi defeated you. That when you tried to reclaim your power, you gathered an army and rebelled..." I trailed off, unsure of how specific to get. The white haired man waved at me to continue. So, I did. "and lost."

Vladimir nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving my form. Alec had been right to fear this.

"Did he tell you of my brothers and sisters that he left helpless to slaughter?" He didn't wait for me to respond, riling himself up all on his own. "How he isolated and struck down my mate? How he laughed when he heard my screams, my pain at his hands."

I stayed silent, fixing him with a resentful stare. Of course, I hadn't been given these details. They didn't surprise me, but I'd be lying if I were to claim that Vladimir hadn't unnerved me a little. His description didn't sound like a war. With Alec's gift, he made it seem like an extermination.

"It has been fifteen hundred years and the agony of losing my mate has not lessened." He didn't seem to care if I contributed or not, lost in his own rallied, pity rant. "In all this time, we have waited for one of those brats to find a mate." Vladimir didn't need to say it. An eye for an eye seemed only rational in his version of the story. He would only be returning the favour.

The Romanian savoured his story's climax. "That you were human...it is almost too perfect."

"When you and Alec," Vladimir spat Alec's name and I had to bite my tongue to keep from lashing out. "Left Volterra, I made sure to collect my creation." I followed his gesture to see Travis pouting angrily away from us. As soon as he saw me looking, he bared his teeth once more in another warning. I only stared back, until Vladimir continued. "Still human and you have inspired the very same abhorrence in him that I've had for a millennia."

"It's pathetic." My brain screamed at me to keep my mouth shut. Travis' current lowered status, however, encouraged me. I could feel that familiar anger building up and in my faulted nature, I elaborated. "He blames me because we held him accountable for something he chose to do." Vladimir had to hold up a hand to stop Travis from tackling me. Only, he didn't expect my next angle. "You and your mate willingly went to war. I'm assuming she knew the costs—"

A hand slammed down on my mouth. I truly expected him to attack me, but I could see the anger build and manifest into a simple upward curve of the corners of his mouth. Satisfaction.

"It is strange...your heart. It beats patiently, without alarm." The statement was made without intention, but as a displeased acknowledgement. "Do you not fear death, human?"

He talked too much, I decided. Vladimir continued without an answer, but refusing to provide him with one was only feeding his vengeful excitement.

"Alec," he spit his name once more, like sour candy, "knew the costs as well. Though I assume he never expected his greatest weakness to be a human." I tried to swallow, my throat growing tighter as the words processed. Vladimir leaned in to me, his accent thick. "Your mate will die for you, tonight." I could physically feel my heart pick up speed. A dark and slimy kind of smile formed on his face as he exclaimed,

"There it is."

I was an idiot.

Travis grunted in the corner, and although Vladimir did not acknowledge the interruption, he seemed to get the message. After all, I was only step 1 of what seemed to be a much larger plan.

Folding his hands behind his back, Vladimir's placid disposition returned. "Call your beloved. He's been away far too long, don't you think." I didn't agree out loud.

"Can't," I remarked spitefully. "Your little sidekick broke his phone."

This pleased him more than I would have liked. "No matter. Perhaps, a more reliable method."

I planted my feet stubbornly, glaring at him. If he expected me to scream or cry out for the missing vampire, there was no way. He could do whatever he liked. I wasn't calling Alec to his death.

Vladimir's hand took hold of my chin and tightened as I tried to pull away. When he was sure I had gotten the message, he stroked a finger across my cheekbones. He swiped so near my eye that I was forced to blink several times in recovery. He commented woefully as his hand released me, "such a pretty face."

I was getting ready to spit in his, when I caught the slightest change in his eyes. It was instantaneous. I checked Travis's as well, which had substantially darkened as well. Then, I felt it. A single tear-like run of liquid on my cheek.

Unintentionally, I reached up to brush it away. Vladimir had turned to Travis, putting a hand on the younger vampire's chest and mumbling much too fast for me to catch.
In a trance, I glanced down at my hand. A single colour was prominent on my mixed skin. The liquid scarcely smeared on my fingertips, but it was all that was needed for the Romanian vampire's intentions.

Red.

Immediately my hand returned to locate the source. I found it on the corner of my eye and pressed down on the bone underneath the fragile skin. It didn't occur to me that in the presence of vampires, I should be well past dead until Vladimir stepped aside, allowing Travis direct access to me.

I was under the impression that self-preservation went out the window when it came to human blood. Apparently, it wasn't quite so black and white as I was trying to convince myself of. Whatever threat Vladimir finished whispering to Travis, enabled the man to appear at my side and secure my willingness without drinking me dry. Though, he stood on the side opposite my cut. Apparently, he believed that it made a difference.

It was no use to resist Travis's hold, though I made sure to try and stomp on his foot in my brief attempt. I relented my glare to Vladimir, whose eyes had returned from their brief descent into dark. My voice like a child's as I accused him, "you scratched me."

The train made a deafening rumble, as if voicing the rage of a tsunami crashing into the shore. It filled me with an emptying dread. I couldn't breathe. Spots of black blurred my vision and I was forced to lean into Travis to keep my balance. The sound echoed in my mind and I gasped for air.

It wasn't until Travis hummed into my ear, "this is going to be so much fun," that I realised the sound wasn't coming from the train.

Chapter Text

"The prodigal son arrives."

There was no loud burst, kick through the entrance door that Vladimir seemed to expect. I hardly saw the door open before Alec was standing in front of it.

If he were a painting, you might have imagined he was waiting for weeds to grow. I had never seen Alec so unamused, so undistracted, so…numb as he examined the scene he'd entered. His gaze blatantly passed over where I stood, restrained by Travis. I could hardly tell if he recognised Travis, because the expression on his face remained unchanging.

With all of the irrational anger and emotion Alec had shown towards me and all his talk of keeping me safe, I'd expected a little more expression. I thought I'd seen him at his cruelest, at his most base predatory nature. Until this moment, I had no idea how wrong I was.

In all his observations, Alec didn't so much as glance at me.

A delayed spark in my chest informed me of the irrelevant hurt feelings that were a side effect of my humanity. Except Vladimir's smile faded slightly when he noticed Alec's lack of interest as well. He was using me to catch Alec off guard, that was the whole point of these dramatics. Alec knew this, of course, and denied his enemy the opportunity to gain any more of an upper hand than he already had.

With a false respect, Alec finally addressed his enemy. "Vladimir." A taste of the Alec I knew slipped in as he commented dryly, "Where's your uglier half?" Right. I'd forgotten about the other Romanian.

"It is underwhelming that Aro has not taught his brats any manners."

Finally, Alec's eyes scanned over me with discriminate care at an abhorrently leisured pace. Until they found my face, and even with my distance I could tell he'd zeroed in on the cut Vladimir had given me.

I pulled my hand back from Travis, nearly slamming my hand on the side of my eye. While I hadn't felt any more runaway drops of blood, I knew any cut on the face was highly susceptible to excessive bleeding. The more pressure I applied, the more likely I was to stay alive. Or so I convinced myself.

However, Travis reclaimed my wrist, pulling me closer to him. The move shifted my mate's attention to the man behind me.

"Saffiya."

Travis gave me a shake and I reluctantly answered softly, "Alec."

He spoke curtly, straightforward. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." A shadow cast itself over his face and he grimaced, realising that I couldn't answer his question any better than he could himself.

Alec's voice was stone, grey, empty…Commanding. "Release her."

Travis barked out a laugh, "not a chance, witch boy." To antagonise the Volturi member further, he pressed his nose to the back of my hair and breathed in my scent. I flinched but he had me locked in as he murmured in a strained voice, "she's gonna taste so good."

The prized Volturi member didn't dare attack. His powers moved too slowly, which Vladimir had accounted for. He was out of options.

As Travis visibly increased the pressure of his hand on my stomach. It was a reminder that I should be somewhat cautious about the area surrounding my ribs. Mainly, it occurred to me that if I didn't verbally claim any kind of pain, he might actually cause more damaging, albeit coincidental, harm. Even if he didn't particularly care whether he hurt me or not, I had to try.

Vladimir clicked his tongue. He gestured to his partner. "You are familiar with Travis? I promised him your mate, I hope you do not mind."

"I'll take good care of her." Travis' hand moved from my neck and down my side. Alec's once passive face grew less and less so as he could only watch. As much of an innuendo as it was intended to be, his rough nature and recent pettiness made me think he no longer had any intent to play with his food.

The comment pissed me off either way, so I responded in kind.

I grunted, swinging my elbow back into the boy and struggling harder against his hold. He released me immediately and I fell to the floor with a thunk. I rolled over to my back, ready to kick him or whatever I could manage to keep him away. Unfortunately, the move was purposeful, I realized, as he swiftly grabbed the back of each of my arms and pulled me up into nearly the same restraint. I let out a delayed, fabricated cry, but it convinced Travis of the human tolerance for pain and he did loosen his grip. Too soon for the fun to be over.

Alec had taken a step forward, but it was all he could do.

A deep rumble of laughter came from the eldest vampire "That is the problem with gifted vampires. They rely too much on their powers and not on their instinct, on the great power already bestowed upon us." There was something about the way he said this. As if he were speaking doubly. Alec's eyes caught mine.

"You should never have left your castle, Witch Boy." The Romanian vampire taunted him further, inching forward with his master plan. His lips were pulled back in a vindictive snarl. As composed as he was, he was desperate for his revenge.

Alec smirked at the fault in Vladimir's interests. "How far the great Romanian leader has fallen!" He proclaimed in a menacing tone, which built itself around a snide smile that I'd never seen on him before. One I could only identify as delight in the pure sadistic nature of the moment. Because even if Vladimir had the upper hand, the bitterness fuelling him was still quite prevalent. Too focused. "Too spineless to challenge his enemies head on. If your coven could see you now…"

I felt Travis' fingertips switch, but Vladimir gave him no signal. I was a little impressed. I would have already thrown something at the teenage vampire by now. The former was too distracted by Alec's taunt to attack second hand, but for some reason — somehow he held himself back. Then, it became obvious. He knew the perfect nerves to strike.

"It is a shame your devil sister could not join us." Alec growled a warning, one much more savage than he'd ever used with me. "She will have her turn. And I shall depict to her, the tale of her dear brother's demise. How he begged like the pathetic child he was…before you died."

A cry of anguish suddenly escaped past my lips, the sound surprising even me. Travis let his hold loosen enough that I nearly collapsed in his arms. My response delighted Vladimir, having received little feedback from Alec. Another grin slapped itself across his face as he seemed to remember he had me captive. I couldn't believe I could be so stupid.

"And of your dear, sweet, mate." He cherished the moment, grinning wildly. "I will tell of how I burned her alive in the fire of your ashes."

That did it.

Alec launched himself at Vladimir with a ravenous roar. Vladimir, however, had prepared for this and the two became a blur as they managed to manoeuvre a fight in the small space. I might've guessed they were evenly matched, but every time I blinked it seemed the battle had completely flipped.

They seemed to freeze once Alec gained the upper hand. No sooner had this happened, however, was my shoulder was shoved forwards. A gust of air blew past me and an instant later there was a crash that had me grabbing for the nearest surface.

I was free, but Travis had intercepted Alec. He barrelled into him and sent them both flying into the corner wall of the car. The train shook, but the vampires paid no mind. Travis joined Vladimir, both angled towards the corner where Alec was recovering from the hit. The twin stepped out of the new dent in the wall, matching his combatants in a crouch.

My eyelids fluttered as the three disappeared into a blizzard of motion. Alec would easily take the upper hand on Travis but each time he turned back, Vladimir met him with another vicious attack. Every time he got rid of one, the other was already coming at him with full force.

In under a minute it seemed Alec had managed to pin Travis down for good. A break that Alec tried taking advantage of to try and make a dash for me. Only, he had underestimated Travis's recovery time, because he never made it.

Alec's weakness betrayed him.

Travis had caught him round the neck, slamming him into the floor. Alec pulled him down, rolling back up to gain the upper hand. Alec was a superior fighter in comparison to the new vampire, but he was fighting alone. And Vladimir had a secret weapon.

An arm came around me from behind, securing my midsection. I gasped as an additional hand gripped my chin and roughly squeezed my jawbone.

I tried to move my body against him, exclaiming, "get off of me!"

"Enough." Alec and Travis both froze, spinning around to face us. Travis' mouth twisted, while Alec glowered with a furious intensity at Vladimir's hands. "Let him go."

Alec pushed off of Travis, and I could almost see the cogs of a clock working in his mind. Trying to figure out how the hell we would make it out of this, alive and well. If we even could. He tried to approach us again, but Vladimir gave a sharp tug on my head again.

"So long as I have her, you," he pointed a long, thin finger at Alec. "Are mine."

"If you hurt her—"

Vladimir scoffed. "On your knees, boy."

He shifted behind me and Travis responded to the silent communication immediately. Travis placed his hands on Alec's shoulders and heaved down on them, forcing Alec to take a single knee, and then another to the ground. Alec's head and shoulders fell forward, folding his body in half. Travis twisted his hand in the soft night of Alec's hair, using it as a handle and pulling Alec's body up to a suitable position.

Vladimir released my chin to brush my hair off the side of my neck. He inhaled lightly. "You do smell divine," he reaffirmed for me. As if I needed to hear about how my blood could open its' own restaurant.

Alec snarled with the veracity of a lion, swearing to his enemy. "I will rip you limb, from limb, from limb."

Vladimir, too eager to not partake in the domination of his enemy, undermined Alec's threat as he freed me. I was abandoned as he ran across the space to stand over Alec's kneeling form. Travis tugged Alec's head up to force him to acknowledge his new master. A sick grin appeared on his face. "I have waited far too long for this moment."

I had been released, yes, but my purpose was subject to an audience only role. I was entirely useless. In a mental panic, I threw rushed glances around the room. There had to be something I could do. The liquor bar might have had something, but it was much too far to even attempt. Short of breaking through the glass window and jumping out of a moving train, I was out of luck. Even with one of these options, what could I do against a pair of vampires dead set on killing us?

Whatever I had too. I'd made a promise. It was my turn to save him.

"You've lost, Witch." He leaned in, hissing into Alec's ear. "Your dear sister will die of a broken heart before I even touch her. Without their beloved, all-powerful witches, the house of Volterra will fall."

So, that was it. Break Alec to break Jane. Break the twins, and the whole damn operation falls apart. The Volturi was built on the siblings, after all. Aro would give anything, anyone for them. That much was clear to me in my growing time with the coven. Vladimir seemed to believe the same. Still, there was a lack of uniqueness, a familiarity about the plan. I just couldn't…

"Time to say goodbye." Instead of taking over the deed himself, Vladimir had decided to observe his vengeance. Hands off, just watching. A pattern, it appeared. Travis' hand gripped Alec's forehead and tugged his head up. The move forced Alec to stare directly at me. He gritted his teeth, now searching for my eyes desperately.

I had become terrified by the prospect of the afterlife. If I died, I now knew I could be changed to become one of them. But when vampires died…were they just gone? If Alec died in this moment, was there such a place as heaven for him to be? Would this be the last time I—

God, where was Prosper? He had to be coming for us. He had to know — somehow.

I choked back my fear. "What good is it? To kill him when you could hurt him just as he hurt you…by killing me."

Vladimir smirked at my pathetic attempt at a distraction. He waved me off. Apparently, my role was completed. "You, human. Pose no threat to me."

Travis readjusted his hold on Alec to not be seconds away from dislocating his head from his body. He was much more intrigued by my offer than Vladimir was. Still, I felt my own body relax. I tore my eyes away from Alec's, which were begging me to shut up, but I couldn't. I wouldn't. Not if I wanted to keep him alive.

"Maybe not now. But I promise you, I will be. And I will never stop hunting you."

"I will just have to kill you as well, then, won't I." The arrogance of vampires could never be over-exaggerated, I decided.

However, I was caught off guard as Travis challenged his maker. "No! He needs her."

Vladimir hissed sharply at him. "Hold your tongue." But the cat was out of the bag. The Romanian rolled his eyes, exhibiting an exasperation for Travis that I unfortunately, related to.

He turned on Travis, who immediately succumbed under his elder's scowl. Coward. "He has righteous plans for the Volturi, but I have waited nearly two thousand years for my revenge." His muddy, red eyes now stared at me. A morbidly sentimental colouring joined his warning, "Vengeance has a habit of slipping through your fingers all too often. If you want the girl, you take her. Now."

And that's when it happened.

A crash. An inhuman roar. And suddenly, quick winds whipped my skin.

In all this time it took me to open my eyes, I had been transported behind the bar. I landed on the ground, steadied by gentle hands on each of my arms. Crimson orbs stared back at me and my hand went flying to my neck. But when I pulled it away, there was no blood staining my hand.

In that second, my protector disappeared with one quick ghost of a word. "Stay".

And I swear I would've. But within what must have been only a few deep breaths time, Travis's body was thrown against the wall at the opposite end of the bar. I watched him drop to the ground with a crash. He blinked. Our eyes met.

Travis sent a devious grin to whoever had thrown him and I scrambled to my feet, stumbling backwards out from behind the bar. With the crunch of glass, he folded into a blur that came straight at me. I could hear Prosper's voice shouting out Alec's name.

There was a grasp to my shirt that tugged me forward. The rip of a thin fabric swallowed my ears as the pale hand of the attacker was quickly thrown away from me with a much harder force.

The blurs stilled.

Alec had Travis pinned once again, his hand on the neck of the new vampire. Travis struggled under him before he sighed, dramatically, giving in with a false laugh.

"This seems familiar. Are we roleplaying?"

Without warning, Alec wasted no time. "Shut up." Travis' head was slammed back into the ground with a snarl from my mate. "How did you find us?"

The young vampire's exterior was harder than when he was human. Although, I suppose the inability to create tears helped his facade. "How does anyone find anything?"

Alec's arm swung up and his fist came crashing down on Travis' shoulder. A shout and a grunt accompanied a crack as the shoulder lost some of its' form. I was grateful for the long sleeve shirt our enemy donned.

The Volturi member gripped said shirt and lifted the owner's head closer to him. A raspy, near demonic growl vibrated from his throat. "It is not a question of if I will kill you, but rather, how much you will suffer before you beg me to do so."

There was no attempt made to hide his threat from me. To keep this exhibit unassociated with my more idealised opinion of him. He had no patience for his powers. Alec was rabid and there was no Jane this time to pull his leash.

I doubted Travis even processed Alec's icy threat as a goofy smile appeared on his face. "You can kill me, but no matter what you do — the Volturi will fall. He has seen it."

"Razin," I whispered with wide eyes. The name felt more ominous than ever.

He seemed pleased by his true master's infamy. "A war is coming. And you, old friends, are on the wrong side of it."

Provoked, Alec lifted Travis to his feet and slammed the man against the wall. "Where is he?"

"No idea," Travis scoffed despite Alec's clear willingness to follow through on his threats. Though as he realized this, he added quickly, "he's got these bases. They're littered with newborns and he checks up on 'em a lot."

Alec huffed, "we are well aware of this."

"Look, I don't know where he is or how to find him. He just shows up places. Kinda creepy." Travis turned his head to the side to acknowledge me. My arms were crossed tightly over my stomach, a physical admittance of insecurity. Apparently, it was written all over me;

"God, that face. You could sell her in a candy shop."

Alec had warned him enough. "You will not speak to her." In a seamless transition, his forehead uncreased and his lips behaved oppositely of his emotion. The boyhood beauty, similar to the tactic of his sister, distracted from the true nature of the change. I couldn't see the so-called mist, but I had memorised the intricacies of his gift well enough to recognize its' initiation.

Travis' mouth fell open with a small cry, confirming my theory. His eyes began darting back and forth, up and down, searching through an endless sea of emptiness. Stories informed me that Alec always took the light first.

"I can't see!" He writhed against Alec's hold to no avail, crying out as a crack sounded from his other forearm.

The roughed up silk in Prosper's voice joined in from behind. "Tell us everything you know, and we will release you."

"You think I'm stupid?"

Prosper continued, his voice steady as a rod. "No. But I would not be so eager to lose another of my senses." Travis' eyes widened, but his irises continued to search for any glimpse of a respite from the darkness.

Travis stuttered his leader's secrets. "All I know is: he's waiting."

"Waiting for what?

"I'm not…Vladimir was impatient. He wanted his revenge on the wit-, I mean the twins, but Razin kept saying it wasn't time."

Alec repeated Prosper's question, irritated with the indirect answer. "What is he waiting for."

"I don't know," Alec vocalised his disapproval. Prosper breezed past me to place a hand on Alec's shoulder. Alec shoved it off, but did no further harm to his prisoner. Still blinded, Travis aimed his words directly at me. "I think it has to do with…with her."

I bit, "what is that supposed to mean?

"Razin has a…" he spaced the word delicately, "Silvertongue."

"I won't betray the Volturi," I defended. I had assumed he was suggesting such a direction. I was incorrect. Even with Alec's hand on his throat and the fear associated with his loss of sight, his pattern persisted. He grew steadily confident, continuing with the same irrational faith that Zafir had exhibited in the throne room only months ago.

"Maybe, maybe not." Travis jerked suddenly, giving another roar as he tried to escape again before relenting. He reached out the hand of his least damaged arm towards me. As if he would ever get within meters of me again. He shut his eyes, opening them once, twice, and throwing his head back a third time. Alec tightened his grip. "You gotta let me see again, man. Please."

Alec released him, but it was Prosper that spoke.

"Congratulations on immortality." With a growl, "unfortunately, the Volturi do not offer second chances."

Travis reeled, snapping his teeth at us. "You can't win! It is set in stone. You will never —" Alec was ready for this.

He leaned forward and sank his teeth into Travis' throat, ripping the skin from the body with a puff of dust. The vampire went silent, but this did nothing to lessen the damage delivered to his body. Alec's pale fingers dug into Travis' shoulder and his other hand gripped the opposite side of Travis' face. I looked away. This was no normal beheading.

I think Prosper stopped him before he dismantled the rest of the man in front of me, but I was too focused on Alec. He slowly rose from his attack. His voice was dark, angry, "this is why we kill them. Should never have listened to a human." I flinched.

He was right, of course. I never should have stepped in. Saving Travis' life had nearly been the end of all our lives, of him and I. Because I wanted to prove myself?

I could feel Alec's eyes switch to me, regretful and worried for the repercussions of the harsh comment. Only, I had been drawn back to stare at the remnants of Travis' head. Or where his head had previously been. A cloud of dust was prevalent, detached from his torso. His voice pulled my attention away before I could take much more in.

"Tesorina," Alec reached for me. My mind flashed — the look in his eyes right before he'd torn out Travis' throat… I flinched away from him. "Fiya?"

"I—" I tried to speak, but no words came as I turned my horrified gaze on Alec.

Prosper again stepped forward, giving me a moment to myself to recover. Though I never felt an absence of my mate's eyes. I heard Alec ask, "Where is he?"

"Weasel escaped. I've got his scent." A pause. I raised my head up to see that Vladimir had, indeed, vanished. Leaving his protege to the fire. "We need to clean up."

Alec didn't say anything at first, contemplating the next best step. His stare left me so he could direct the lower guard member. "Dispose of him and return to the compartment." Prosper nodded, moving forward to do just that.

Alec tried to touch me again.

My eyes widened and for a moment, all I could see was Vladimir's eyes and Travis gripping my throat. So, again, without meaning too, I countered his move. My arms came up to wrap around my midsection. All I wanted was Alec and his ironically natural ability to calm me by just existing beside me. But, I couldn't meet his eyes.

Alec's eyebrows fell in defeat. He turned to Prosper once more, his voice colder and more official. "Escort her back. I will rejoin you soon."

Prosper nodded and cautiously tried to get me to follow him, finally having to set a bare touch to my arm. I didn't flinch from him and I saw Alec turn away as he saw this opposite response. Prosper led me away in silence, returning to our suite. I felt weak, unable to do anything but stare at the space in front of me.

"Saffiya?" Prosper whispered, as if speaking any louder would make me scatter like a deer. I managed to look up at him. We had returned to the suite and I was seated in my original spot by the window. It was dark now.

I didn't answer him, growing steadily aware of a gaping hole in my chest. Prosper had a hand on the side of my face, pressing something down. I heard the crumble of a wrapper and touched my eye. A band aid for the scratch Vladimir had given me. I blinked, wondering who exactly it was for.

"It was not deep. Still," He gave me a side smile, standing to throw the wrapper away. "Best not to push our luck any further."

The reminder lunged at me like a shot of epinephrine and I jumped up. Prosper steadied me, blocking my path to the door. "Where's Alec?"

"He'll be here."

"What?"

"Have you rested yet?" I didn't answer, unable to both process and craft an appropriate response, even a white lie seemed unachievable. The benefits of my little nap had been obliterated, thanks to our attackers. "Shoot, kid." He continued to curse under his breath. "There's a bed for a reason."

I shook my head with determination.

Alec.

"But Alec—" He gently pushed against my shoulder, leading me back to my previous spot by the window instead. He flashed across the room and returned with the decorative blanket from the bottom of the bed and laid it over me.

"I'll wake you when he returns. You need sleep."

And I tried to deny it, but my eyelids were heavy and the blanket was awfully soft.

I knew I wanted to respond, but I couldn't get my brain to focus on the words I should say. Instead, something else slipped out.

"I need him."

"He'll be here."

"No," I reached out and grabbed his arm, desperately holding on. "You were right." I took a breath. "I need him."

Prosper's stern face tucked me back in with a simple:

"Then tell him."

Chapter Text

"She asked for you."

My arm was asleep, but I didn't dare move. Lest I give away the fact that I'd been listening in on the guard members' conversation for the last several minutes. I had allowed my eyes to flicker open for a brief moment. During which, I'd located the two men seated at the table in the center of the train suite — directly in front of me. My eyes had been closed ever since for fear of getting caught. My other senses, however, were on high alert.

Especially now, when the new topic of conversation shifted to me and my skin tingled. It seemed I didn't need to catch it with my own eyes to know I was under the protection of Alec's watchful gaze.

"She sees me as a monster."

"That is hardly true."

"I allowed her to watch as I broke a man in half." A chair creaked. Prosper didn't argue his point. Astute as he was, he knew it was one Alec had no interest in weighing at the moment. Unprompted, Alec continued with a mournful sourness. "She wouldn't let me touch her."

So that's what this was about. Of course, it made sense. When I had flinched away from him and not Prosper, it had been unintentional. Retrospectively, I should have known he would internalise it.

He tended to be more sensitive to the slight reactions I had to him rather than the explosive emotions. I'd noticed it first when he would draw a single wavy line with his pinky on my lower thigh just to distract me from Jane and I's latest marathon. He was amused by the automatic twitch of my knee and especially by the pickup of my heartbeat. A response, I noticed, he had pre-planned to escape Jane's notice. Specifically achieved by choosing an especially harrowing point during the movie to do it. I would be distracted for the rest of the film, every time.

Prosper coughed politely. "Perhaps it is not the best time to indulge in your emotions."

Pulled from his thoughts, Alec resumed their previous topic and main point of business. "The Romanian is difficult to track."

Prosper didn't disagree, but proposed a delay. "You should eat before I go. I'll stay with her."

"She is not leaving my sight."

In an attempt to convince Alec, Prosper invested in a genuine approach. "On my life, you will not know my shoes." He believed Alec was afraid to be in his position, to lose me as he had lost Elizabeth. Prosper reminded me a knight of Camelot. I could almost picture him in armour, being knighted by King Arthur in one of my old storybooks.

His attempt must have failed, because Alec picked up at, "we haven't time for this. You must go, or the scent will be lost." There was a pause between the men. "And Prosper..." I couldn't help but let my eyes flicker open, more invested in the conversation than I could help being. "Do not search for Elizabeth."

The longing in his voice sent a flood of sorrow through me. "She's alive. I can feel it."

Even with my limited view, I could see the fierce expression on Alec's face. It carried the gravity of his next words. "Then we will find her, but you cannot rescue her alone. Discover what you can and return to Volterra with haste."

"Understood. I wouldn't—"

Alec cut him off. "I would. For her." I immediately shut my eyes, just in case. "Prosper, I am aware of what I am asking from you."

"But —"

"On my life," he repeated Prosper's phrase. "If she is alive, I will not rest until your mate is returned to you." There was a heaviness to the air that stole my breath.

The quiet that followed made me question if I'd been discovered, but nothing more was said. The compartment door slammed shut and Prosper was off.

Before I could contemplate my next move, Alec's voice lilted through the air. Calling me out, he stated simply, "I know you're awake."

I sat up with a sheepish look, which went unnoticed. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop." My companion sat in the chair facing me, on the other side of the table. He didn't acknowledge my apology. "Did Prosper know too?"

Alec kept his head down. "I am more familiar with the transition in your breaths between sleep and waking." My lips parted. He was often at my side, on duty, during the vice versa occasions, but the detail caught me off guard.

He seemed to realise what he'd said almost immediately after it left his mouth. He continued, his tone still sharp and to the point. "Are you well?" I nodded, but he raised his eyebrows as if expecting a more reliable source.

I croaked out, "I'm fine." He said nothing else, returning his attention to a book in his hands. I had not noticed it previously. I recognised it as one of the books Jane had packed in my bag. "Are you?"

He grunted.

"Alec?"

"Not now, Saffiya." I flinched at his tone.

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't…hurt—"

He let out a chilling, mocking laugh. "I am invulnerable and immortal." As much as I wanted to comment on the falsifiability of his statement, I couldn't see that conversation ending in either of our favour. Especially not when we'd gotten to such a good place. Apparently, our encounter with his enemies had a lasting impact because Alec just couldn't help himself. "Unlike humans. Especially those with a habit of antagonising every goddamn vampire they encounter."

I scoffed, folding my arms. "You're being mean."

He closed his book and in a low drawl, "am I?"

"First of all, Vladimir came after me because of you." Alec grimaced at the name. "And last I knew, Travis was human."

Despite much prompting, he was already seething. Alec slammed the book on the table and used the momentum to stand. "You offered him your life."

I pulled my arms across my chest. "To save yours."

"You do not save me."

I jumped up to meet him at the table. I refused to back down, but noted that, for once, I was reasonably calmer than him. "My life is not more important than yours."

"You are human—"

I pushed off from the table, raising my voice in contempt. "Oh, come on!"

"—if you ever try that again —"

"You'll what? Kill me yourself?"

A graphic snarl echoed in his throat. The sound tore through my body. With a burst of wind, my back thudded against the wall; Alec's hand saving my head from smacking against the thick wood. It was the only sign of control he displayed in that moment.

His forearm landed against the wall next to my face, supporting his weight as he leaned in. There was something clearly familiar about our current position. Alec's eyes burned with pure fury. The intensity of which, forced me to look away.

"One drop of your blood…"

It was ominous, not quite a warning but no more or less a threat. The predator in him had been challenged for my blood. Blood that he'd made quite clear to everyone we met — was his. Whether he chose to drink it or not. For the first time in my life, I thought I might actually feel my blood run cold. There was something in his voice. It was harsher, colder…less Alec.

He leaned in as if to kiss me, but our mouths never met. Alec's nose brushed lightly over my jaw, moving up along my cheek until his breath gently tickled my ear. The butterflies in my stomach returned with a sweeping announcement.

I breathed in, wetting my lips. "Anything could kill me. You're not special."

I had expected fury. Instead, Alec gave me a devilish smirk. His hand slid down the inside of my forearm, slipping to the back of my uninjured hand and interlocking our fingers. With this security, he raised my hand to his mouth. Alec waited for my eyes to catch his before he brushed his lips to the bottom of my palm. He watched me as he twisted our wrists so the inside of mine faced him.

The instant his lips met my pulse, my heartbeat began to cloud my ears. The physiological response signalled a rumbling groan from deep in his chest.

"Alec?"

For just a moment, I was lost in the eyes of his demons.

Something snapped inside him. His mouth found my neck with a sudden impatience. My teeth caught my bottom lip as he claimed my skin with a parade of resolute kisses. I had not realized I'd moved from the wall until Alec tightened his grip on my hips and pushed them back against it. Of their own accord, my hands clutched onto his arms as the gap between us lessened.

Anger was not what drove him. It was the instincts that the venom had infiltrated and flooded into his body. If my blood spilled now, it didn't matter how he felt about me. I would be done for.

His lips were soft, fixated on the skin between my shoulder and my neck. I am not sure what I thought the teeth of a vampire would feel like. How it would feel to still be alive as my blood was drained from my body. It wasn't until the pressure increased in the same area, that my singularly experienced brain informed me that I had not been bitten. Well, not in the way I'd expected. My breath hitched in my chest, pushing me closer to Alec.

I urged myself to put my brain back together. Despite my butterflies and their protest, I reminded myself of the social implications from the last time he marked my skin. I shoved against him in irritation. "If you give me another hickey, I swear to god—"

I gasped as my body was again returned to the wall with a soft thump. Alec stared me down with a conflicted, potent expression. A round of electricity ignited inside me. I'm not sure whether it was the look in his eyes or the way that look made me feel, but I shut my mouth. Pleased with my brief fall into a submissive position, he brushed my hair off of my face. His touch — every time he touched me, I lost my mind. And he knew it.

He held my gaze and the smile on his face turned mischievous, before he returned to my collarbone. I just about melted, but I was by no means, ready to let his arrogant butt win.

"Alec!" I growled in warning, a habit I'd most definitely adopted from him. The growl was still in my throat when he cut it off with a contrarily tender kiss to the center of my neck. I stared at him, wide-eyed and speechless as he swiftly put an end to my verbal threats. His roguish personality was messing with me under the surface while his primitive nature dominated.

I raised my hands to push him again, except this time, he didn't bother to humour my weakness. His knee parted my thighs, pinning my left leg against the wall. The action limiting my movements and ensuring that I would behave. He was in control and he revelled in it. He was born, again, for this.

"My name." He hummed, his hand exploring the side of my ribcage. I was completely vulnerable to what was not only Alec, but also, in that moment, a killer. Though I was only vaguely aware of this looming factor. Especially when he began to trace the curve of my abdomen through my shirt. He patiently gauged my response as he checked in with me through his eyelashes. Against my better judgement, I found myself moving my hand up to his bicep, continuing across his shoulder and placing it across the back of his neck just as he lifted his head. His eyes now serious, a smoulder, a hollow warning.

He gently pushed my hips back to the wall they had drifted from for a third time, where they'd been searching for a match. He paused at the waistband of my jeans, which was covered by my shirt. Not one to let this deter him, he played with the bottom of the shirt's fabric casually. Only, the bottom buttons on said shirt had been ripped away with Travis' last grab for me. Which, truly, left nothing in the way of innocent exploration.

I shifted under him, well aware that my skin was still littered with red and purple marks. It would destroy him to see the bruises he'd accidentally had a part in creating. And with his current swinging mood, there was no way to know how he would react. I huffed,

"You—" I succeeded in taking his eyes away from my stomach, just as his fingers brushed against my bare skin. My lips parted at the unmistakable cold of his skin and my rebellion willingly gave in. He sent me a cheeky grin as he innocently traced back up the curve of my stomach. Alec kept his touch light, but it was frustratingly bold. Which made it even more distracting when the pad of his finger trailed under my shirt and along my lower abdomen.

His responses and behaviour was his own, as in not unusual for him. Behaviours that I was unable to admit until now, were quite endearing. Almost charming. But there was a hollow sliver behind the actions that told me to stay on guard. Unfortunately, my guard was one with very little willpower and with currently clouded judgement.

There was just something so devastatingly free about him. About us. I couldn't help but trace it back to all that I'd learned. Now that I knew the missing parts of our story, it felt silly to waste any time at all. I wanted this. I wanted to be in his presence, with him. Obsessively. Willingly. More than anything.

Alec brushed his lips against my jaw, his cold breath returning to the skin just below my ear. My bottom lip abandoned my top and he took advantage of the reaction. My stomach flexed as he flattened his hand possessively over my lower abdomen. I couldn't hide the small gasp that appeared between my lips.

"My name," he paused again, but, I hardly noticed. I tried to be present, to avoid another embarrassing sound from leaving me without permission. I focused on attaining air as his finger painted small circles just above my navel. In what was becoming a pattern, my hips landed back against the wall. Alec continued enforcing space in-between our bodies as he played with the top of my jeans. I inhaled sharply, my eyes shooting up with a glare to the devilish tilt on his lips. He slid two fingers back up my body. My stomach tensed and I lost my breath.

"Alec—," I pleaded. His smirk turned into a small smile. I'd played right into his game.

Damn.

Having achieved his goal, Alec hummed. The predator had returned to full control, elated by the turn of events. "My name is feared by generations of vampires." His hold on me abruptly disappeared and he wandered away, speaking as if in soliloquy. "I have decimated entire covens. I," he insisted. "I am responsible for their demise. For paralysing their existence of light, life…leaving nothing in its place." The arrogance was empty, expected, unwillingly self-indulgent. "My power is legend." The guide to a false glory. "I have spilled the blood of countless humans with the ease with which you breathe."

I frowned, unable to deduce why he was telling me all of this. So, I responded in the only way I knew how. "You don't frighten me."

He pivoted back around with an unnerving grimace. "My darling," I was unable to free myself from his eyes, where an already faded red was growing darker by the second. Still, my current state of mind refused to acknowledge the signal. Too enthralled with the moment, though there was nothing but darkness filling it. "You forget." He retraced his steps towards me as if I were his prey and he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"I can hear your heartbeat."

The return of a phrase that once sent terror down my spine, now ignited something much more enticing. Whatever I was going to say vanished. I couldn't take it anymore. The incessant buzzing desire to taste his lips again was wickedly vehement. Screw time and space.

I kissed him.

Which was, assumably, the last thing Alec expected me to do. Yet, he caught me without hesitation as I crashed into him. My fingers returned to the nape of his neck as he responded, pressing his mouth harder against mine. His tongue swiped my bottom lip and we fell into an unrehearsed choreography. It was an impulsive dance that we'd always known, but never learned. It was a relaxing of muscles, a temptation of heat, an eager desperation rocking to the rhythm of the music we both yearned for.

The first time I'd tasted his lips, I'd been hungry. Now, I was ravenous.

If only I'd taken a moment to process the final stage of evolution in his eyes.

Alec hardly led me two steps before we bumped into the table in the center of the compartment. My knees wavered and I could feel the curve of his lips against mine. Before I could tell him to shut up, Alec lowered his hands to secure a hold on my thighs. My other hand landed against his chest, privy to the ripple of the muscles under his shirt as he lifted me easily onto the table.

He found his place between my legs, venturing to my throat once more. Instinctively, my head fell back, giving him better access to the curve in my collarbone. The vampire pressed his lips tenderly to the skin, and a brush of his tongue sent a shiver through my body. My knees tightened around Alec's hips as I tried to pull him even closer to me. He inhaled shortly, before baring his teeth over my pulse. I let out a small whimper that stopped him short.

I nearly fell as his body disappeared from under mine. The tips of my shoes grazed the floor as I steadied myself. I could feel the ever increasing beat of my heart and the whirring of the butterflies inside of me.

Alec was only a few steps away from me, but he'd collapsed to the floor and was leaning against the foot of the bed. His head was down and his fists were tightly clenched. It was a reaction I had witnessed before. However, as I took an automatic step towards him, I was shocked back with a brazen snarl.

"Don't! Don't move."

I obeyed, a small hurt in my chest prominent but overshadowed by the signs of distress he was displaying. My heart clenched, a phantom mimicking the emotions I imagined Alec was attempting to contain. My patience was fuelled by small indications that he was not completely lost. A small unclenching and re-clenching in his hands, an occasional fall of his ebony locks that further blocked my view of his face. His chest was still, the rise and fall I occasionally witnessed in him had been halted altogether. Like a statue. I clung to every detail until he lifted his head.

Adrenaline still coursed through me, but my mind had finally cleared enough to process what we had both been wilfully ignoring. His eyes were empty, a demonic, inky blackness overtaking his irises.

My hand flew to my mouth, smacking me with my obliviousness. Alec had fed — nearly the minute before we left. He'd made a point to do so. But the last few hours, he had been subjected to several factors, from Vladimir to my bold stupidity, that tested his control. Not to mention, the introduction to the smell of my free flowing blood, albeit distant and brief. He must be in hell.

He pointed towards the wall sofa seating, his voice raspy. "Breathe," he instructed me.

Right. Turn the sound down on the beating organ in my chest. Take a couple of deep breaths to calm it down. I did as he asked, sitting in my original spot. For some reason, I found it a little too difficult to keep my breaths few and far between, only getting in so much air at once. Must be the adrenaline.

Alec stayed where he was, a reasonable distance between us. His eyes closed and his jaw clenched tightly, as if attempting to reel himself in. We were both at fault for acknowledging but refusing to accept the danger. Our emotions had clouded our judgement for an annoyingly additional time, yet he was the only one who suffered for it.

His concentration was interrupted by a sharp ring. The sound barely broke the air before he had placed a phone — a new phone, to his ear. He answered gruffly, rudely greeting the caller. "What?"

I could hear the person on the other end, high-pitched, muffled. Familiar. Alec ran a hand through his tousled hair, fanning it out.

"Is that all?"

Apparently, it wasn't. He lowered his voice after this, his words picking up speed. Whatever the conversation topic, I would be none the wiser. I curled my legs into my chest and secured my arms around them. I faced out the window, seeing as my options were limited to either the countryside or staring at the hungry vampire. I thought it best to choose the shadowed land outside. But my mind refused to let him leave my thoughts.

When the call ended, I could feel him studying me again. There was movement in his direction and I turned to see the cause. Alec had pulled the bottom of his sweater and was lifting it over his head. I turned back just as quickly, a giddy embarrassment rising in my chest.

He must've caught my glance, subtle as it was, because he spoke up. His voice dripped with a bitterness I could almost taste. "Are you afraid of me, now?" Between his execution of Travis and whatever had just happened between us, I wasn't sure if he was speaking generally or to any specific event. I only frowned into my reflection.

The dark shapes outside the window flickered past. "Is that what you want?"

Alec flashed across the compartment, holding out his jumper to me. He didn't make eye contact, purposefully facing away as if to hide the fact that coming closer had not worsened his hunger. I took the sweater, gripping the soft fabric between my fingers. Having learned from the last time we were in this situation, I pulled it over my head. I let my hair down from its tie to hopefully assist in hiding the perfume of my blood. The pained expression on his face never lessened and my heart clenched at the sight.

He apologized with a hoarse throat. "One way or another, Saffiya. Your life will end with me."

Alec didn't elaborate, but I knew what he meant. If we kept tempting fate, that ending would look less like immortality. And more like a funeral.

Chapter Text

"They are not what they seem to be."

He wouldn't so much as glance at me.

Despite Alec's attempt to put some distance between us, the hallway inside the train's exit was limited. He stood facing the door, an arm propping him up against the wall. Alec tended to toe the line between an innocence of Eros and the charm of a strapping young man.

He had rolled up the sleeves on the crisp white button up that had been hidden under his sweater. The sweater that I now wore. It hung loosely off my shoulders and made for a short dress, pairing rather well with the tight jeans I'd been directed to wear.

With the meticulousness of a doll maker, I followed the dips and curves of his face. The lines on his skin were tight, the tension cascading down into his shoulders and released at his wrist. A small thump caused by his fingers tapping against the wall was as consuming as a clock's constant ticking. Which I quickly lost track of.

I was close enough to make out a small imperfection in his skin. The finest sliver of a scar was my first indication that something was off. It was faded and I might've been convinced it was a trick of my eyes. I had never noticed it before, but then, it couldn't be new. Perhaps I'd missed it in my previous...observations of him. Of which, I am rightfully embarrassed to admit, there were several instances of. Every time I glanced up at him or caught myself staring, there he stood, almost dutifully, by my side. However, it wasn't until this moment that I realised I had never really taken in this side — the physical right side of his face.

In fact, it was almost as if a great deal of import was placed on keeping me at his lefthand side. Perhaps I was imagining it or divining an exaggerated explanation for why I had missed a random scratch on Alec's jaw. Except, Jane also stood on his left. And with this, I found my mind falling down the rabbit hole of incoherent ramblings.

The habit, if it was that, reminded me of my father. Despite our ploys that put me in direct danger, he always made a point to stand between me and traffic. So simple. A silly memory that might have meant nothing. Yet, I could remember it so clearly. If we stepped onto a sidewalk and I found myself on the side closest to the street, my father would lightly take hold of my shoulder and change places with me. The behaviour offered what little protection he could from the monstrous vehicles racing down the road.

Because Alec hadn't grown up with cars or sidewalks, the exact example of this gendered courtesy hadn't been instilled in him as it had been for modern men. I might've made an argument to refer to it as the single modern act remnant of chivalry.

Finding myself consistently on Alec's left side must be a simple coincidence. Perhaps Alec was primarily accustomed to keeping the masters on his own right. After all, Jane was always on his left, so it made sense that he would naturally take up the position he found familiar.

I inhaled deeply, trying to shake the self-induced embarrassment of my eagerness to find a connection between two unconnected behaviours. It was a silly notion, especially seeing as when you turned in the opposite direction on a sidewalk, right became left. My theory was pointless. Except that for a brief moment, the rambling thought process had opened up a topic that hadn't yet crossed my mind.

What would my father would think of Alec? Vampire nature aside, he could simply dislike him for the reasons most dads disliked their daughter's...whatever Alec and I were. Or would he welcome the fact that I had someone in my life who treated me better than he had been capable of doing? For me, or for my mother.

I could ponder over the different opinions my father would have on Alec's attitudes, reactions, and general being. I could do so, that is, until I realized that I had absolutely no idea. The last time I saw my father, I was too young to know how he would react to such a topic. Or any topic. I hardly knew him. Which also meant that he hardly knew me. His only daughter, his little con artist...the little girl he'd left behind. His Sweet Saffiya. If only he could see me now.

"And what do they seem like, exactly?"

I was left to speculate as the train doors opened and we were hit with a gust of fresh air. At least, for me. A family of four passed in front of us and Alec muttered darkly, telling me to "stay close".

I did my best to keep up with his quick pace. Which was exceptionally more difficult when I wasn't physically linked to him. He moved with deliberate force and having spotted him long before we reached them, most people moved out of our way.

The day was only just breaking, and though the sky was beautiful, it could not compete with the pair of men that leaned against two pairs of Mercedes outside the train station. They had parked directly in front of the exterior doors and as if there were any doubt that they were here for us, one of them held a firm white sheet of paper. Written in black sharpie, was 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Despite the comparison to the popularised play, it brought a giggle to my lips. Of all the Shakespearean characters they could have compared us to, it was perhaps the most flattering. If looked at from the right perspective. However, I hid my appreciation of the ice breaker back with one glance at Alec. He spoke of our new travel companions as the enemy and I doubted he was likely to join them in a humorous act with such ease. Though after our encounter with Vladimir, I wondered if he might update his ranking of them.

We had come to a halt in front of our escorts. Of which there were only two. Both had the typical vampire features, pale skin, gaping beauty beyond compare, but were each quite distinguishable in their own ways.

The man with an unusually honey coloured, curly hair should not have caught my attention first, seeing as the size of the man next to him was anything but inconspicuous. However, for some reason I was drawn to inspect him with more immediacy. He almost fit the role of the silent brooding type, though with more purpose. He maintained an active stance with his hands folded behind his back. Controlled, actively calculating the situation around us until his eyes landed on me. I was offered a reserved nod, which disappeared the instant he picked up on the distance between me and Alec. The hint of a smile on his face turned upside down the longer he was able to examine the Volturi member.

The other man, the large one with dark curly hair, would have stood out in the crowd whether he had the vampire traits or not. He was built like a Samoan, albeit lacking the uniquely ethnic attributes. As casually as he stood, his muscled form was prominent under the thin t-shirt he wore. A contagious grin rested unabashed on his face as he caught sight of us. He evened out the somber, cautious nature that his brother had mastered, eradicating any intimidating factors they might have spawned on their appearances alone.

Their eyes matched, a colour I hadn't seen since Carlisle's visit. It almost pulled me in more than the crimson I was so familiar with. I glanced back at Alec, who had hidden the latter behind dark shades. I felt a flash of betrayal, no doubt influenced by my friends' shared opinions, at the deceiving amber of their irises. At least the blood red was honest.

I took a moment to observe our surroundings. Much like our departure in Italy, the crowd (made up of less than a handful of people this time) was enamoured with the beautiful creatures that stood among them. And yet, none of the vampires paid any mind.

"You get used to it."

I glowered up at the broad man. "Are you the mindreader?"

He let out a boom of a laugh, attracting even more attention. The man next to him shook his head in mild amusement but took the lead with a more serious tone.

"Alec." He acknowledged with reservation. Alec gave him a curt nod and the attention was turned to me. "You must be Saffiya."

I confirmed, feeling a bit stiff. I hadn't exactly interacted with other vampires outside the castle, and inside the castle hadn't gone so well the first time. "That I am."

He gestured to himself. "My name is Jasper, and this is Emmett."

I checked in with Alec and the other men exchanged glances, before collecting my attention. "You doing okay, kid?," Emmett prompted me. Alec's head snapped to him at the implied accusation, but I nodded, ignoring him.

"Long train ride."

Alec didn't let it go, his thirst getting the better of his impulses. "Exactly what are you implying?"

Jasper cut in, "Alice said you were attacked. We were not close enough, so we informed Volterra of the situation…" Alec maintained his proper, bored expression and with his sunglasses, it was hard to tell if he had any reaction at all. I tilted my head to the side, but Jasper answered my question before it could form. "Your sister answered." That would explain their discomfort.

Alec's chin lifted, his only physical response. While she'd be relieved we were relatively unharmed, I couldn't imagine a scenario in which Jane did not scold her little brother for nearly getting himself killed twice in a single week.

Emmett added, "you should probably call her."

"I'll call Jane." I offered and Alec finally let his eyes land on me, a flash of subtle gratefulness in the shadows under his sunglasses.

Emmett, the big one, held up the paper in his hands. "I made the sign," he declared with childlike pride. "Did you get it?"

I squinted at the paper as if missing the point, before forgetting that I needed to hold back my immaturity. "Oh! Cause I'm human and he's moody." Alec huffed, and though we had several steps between us, he made sure I could hear it.

Missing my tease of Alec, Emmett exclaimed to Jasper, "See! I knew she'd like it." Jasper, however, was still analyzing Alec.

I continued with Emmett. Again, without thinking through my words. "So long as we're talking prior to Act 3, I think it's quite clever." Alec stiffened in corner of my line of sight. Emmett's eyes widened, either due to my boldness in verbally pointing the negative side of the story out or just having remembered the ending of the play himself.

Then, he smiled. "Definitely."

"We should be going." Jasper interrupted the moment, his eyes trained on Alec. "You need to hunt."

Not one to take orders, Alec responded with a casual dismissal of Jasper's necessary suggestion. "After." And as if to try and prove that he could make it through the car ride in an enclosed space with my blood, he took the smallest of steps closer to me.

Jasper moved forward immediately, cutting Alec off. He took advantage of the distance we already had, placing himself halfway between us. I was stunned by either the bravery or the stupidity of the action. Alec kept a straight face, but the faintest shift in the corner of his mouth signalled that he acknowledged the act. No doubt refusing to tolerate the disrespect. After all, he was the Prince of the Volturi. The slow adoption of a more genuine, innocently blank face and a further dip in the kiss on his cheek, implied a summoning of his gift.

The four of us stood entirely frozen. Both Jasper and Emmett stood at the ready, waiting for Alec to attack them right there. Alec. Who was less than half Emmett's size and not nearly as distinctly built as Jasper. A product, it seemed, of his youth in comparison. Yet, the young man held more poise and self-assurance than the other two combined. He was gearing up to take them both down without moving so much as a muscle. Only, he seemed to be withholding his power.

Jasper made no attempt to back down. If anything, he stood with more confidence, ripe with a familiarity of the evolving situation. "Right now, you are the greatest threat to her." I turned my head to Emmett, who was watching the scene closely. The grin had abandoned his face, dedicated to the mission at hand. He was watching the boy just as intently. A heavily southern American accent slipped in, "you have my word that no harm will come to her in your absence." A hefty promise.

I whipped my head back to meet Alec's eyes. His passive facade wasn't enough to hide how clearly reluctant he was to leave me under the care of strangers. Especially those that he wasn't particularly fond of to begin with. But my small movement coincided with a burst of wind, sending my scent directly to him. He tensed and Jasper reacted faster than my brain could process. His hand wrapped around my wrist and somehow twisted me around behind him — fully separating Alec from me.

I wanted to warn him, tell this stranger that that was the last thing he should have done. Except he was already fully prepared to counter the consequences, his focus pinned on Alec like an eagle. As if he had known this would happen.

Alec had lowered himself, no longer relying on his gift. I'd never seen him win with this tactic, one he only seemed to use when he believed I was being threatened.

Jasper cautiously removed his hand from my wrist and tried again. His hands raised to relay a non-intent to cause harm. "This is why we're here. You have to trust us."

Alec bared his teeth. Until, little by little, his shoulders lowered and he returned to his full posture. I gaped at the adjustment as the other two vampires followed suit.

Out of place, Alec threw a snarky comment to Jasper. "A wonder they sent you." He paused, sifting through his options and taking his time. He examined Emmett from top to bottom before speaking to Jasper again. "You were the soldier?" He posed the question as if it would make a difference.

The blonde confirmed.

Would Alec actually leave me here? With these strangers? The thought didn't worry me as much as it should have, seeing as it was our only option. But if he refused to leave me alone with Prosper, I had a hard time believing that he trusted this man to have more luck keeping me safe from future threats. Though, the longer I observed Jasper, the more intimidating I realized he was. The initial beauty had distracted me from it, but what his brother made up for with bulk, he radiated in restraint. I think I underestimated what it meant, calling him a soldier.

"Alec?" My voice was small, and it immediately drew the attention of all three vampires'.

Alec stepped forward again and the Cullens barely had a chance to react before he grimaced, looking physically ill. He no longer moved at an exact human pace, his head whipping to Emmett and landing on Jasper. Behind the sunglasses, his face shifted deliberately for the first time since we'd approached his so-called enemies. It was an expression I'd never seen before, but translated into a rare vulnerability. Looking at Jasper as if he didn't think he'd yet expressed just how important it was to keep me alive. Jasper spoke before he could.

"You have my word."

Alec's eyes flickered to Emmett, who gave him a sympathetic look and nodded.

I spoke up unceremoniously. "Would anyone care to fill me in?"

Suddenly bright again, Emmett's deep voice returned. "Don't worry, kiddo. I'll take good care of him." With a single stride, Emmett opened the passenger door of the silver Mercedes for me. I held my ground.

Alec didn't look at me, but he spoke sternly, "get in the car." I knew that tone, one he never used lightly. Still, I pushed.

I bit my lip, looking between the three men. "What about you?"

He hummed a growl, somehow managing to bring about a gentle touch. Though it was clear that I was making things worse for him. "Saffiya."

I huffed, irritated with the perfectly valid reason as to why I shouldn't be arguing back at the moment. Of course, I should've been more composed, especially in front of people/vampires I'd only just met. Still, I made a show of getting into the car and crossing my arms over my chest. It was immature, but it got my point across. At the very least, it amused Emmett if not the other two.

Jasper didn't move until I was safely enclosed in the vehicle. With one last look at me, Alec and Emmett gracefully entered the other car and pulled out from behind us just as quickly. I could only manage to stare back, unable to hide the concern overwhelming me on the inside. Jasper appeared in the seat beside me, watching as I kept my eyes on their car until it disappeared amongst the traffic.

He really left me. Only, he had received a bodyguard as well…and I sucked in a breath of air with my obliviousness. Because I wasn't the real target. He was. My existence made him vulnerable to those that hunted him. I only put him in more danger. A small ache began to build inside me, but the feeling dulled just as quickly, resting uncomfortably in my chest.

The blond man beside me pressed a button and the car came to life with a simmering hum. I was staring at him, I realized, still unnerved by the events that had just transpired. Not to mention, being separated from the only company I'd had for the last several months. How did I know this stranger with a confusing enemy/friend status with the Volturi wouldn't kill me? Just because he could.

Before he pulled out, Jasper set his phone in the center console and answered my previous question. "We'll meet them at the house. I hope you don't mind the company."

No longer worried about any active threats, Jasper's low maintenance vibe was able to bring down my guard. While he wasn't as light-hearted as the other one, there was more patience with my adjustment. "Thank you," I told him. He winked at me and joined the traffic, weaving in-between the lanes of cars just as his brother had.

I spent the better part of an hour staring out the window. Jasper was good about the quiet. The quiet, however, was not good for my nerves. The early morning light peaked at the tip of the mountains surrounding us. Yet, I was more focused on the various concerns racing across my mind, a great deal of them centred on Alec. Emmett was big, but what if they were attacked by someone bigger? Would Emmett alone be enough? What if —

All at once, those nerves and the melancholy stress that blanketed my brain began to drift away. They were unnaturally replaced with a tranquil agent, forcing me to take a deep breath. The shift was subtle, but undeniable.

"Is that you?"

Jasper grimaced, confessing to his interference with an innate charm. "My apologies. But your emotions were a bit overwhelming."

I'd been told about only three abilities that the Cullen coven held within their ranks. Likely because the topic alone put Jane in a mood for days. However, this experience was not one of the abilities mentioned. "How did you do it?"

"It's my gift. I can read and influence the emotions of others." I dropped my head in thought, realizing I may have already observed his talent in action.

"Is that how you got Alec to back down on the platform?"

He nodded, appearing slightly guilty. "I feared he would lose control, or else I would not have attempted it."

"Yeah." I sighed, resting my elbow on the passenger door. "Losing control is kind of what we do best."

Jasper glanced at me before returning his eyes to the road. "Carlisle mentioned your," he paused. "Somewhat tumultuous situation."

I wasn't eager about going into detail, though a part of me wanted to. There was so much to say. But with the way Alec felt about the Cullens, I didn't want to disclose anything he might prefer to be kept within our own circle. Or more importantly, between us. "That's one way to put it."

"Emmett and his wife, Rosalie," I snapped my head to him, surprised at the offering. "They don't fight often, but when they do, it's best to get out of the way and let them hash it out. They make up pretty quickly too." He let out a breathy chuckle as if there was more to this. He switched gears though, smiling softly and easing the tension in the car. "My Alice knows how our disagreements will end before I even know we're having one." Alice must be the psychic.

The way he talked about his Alice and his family was sweetly domestic and it charmed me more than I would have thought. I hadn't really ever heard a person talk about someone they loved. The nuns didn't exactly talk about God in the same way. Perhaps Chelsea might have let a sentence or two slip about Afton. But I had been too little to remember my parent's relationship, and too nervous to ask my father anything as I got older.

So, I witnessed relationships as a business, typically through my father's scams involving widows and recent divorcées. However, love? It wasn't a foreign idea to me. It's just that, until this moment in the car with Jasper, I had never seen it in practice.

I felt myself willing to spill more on the topic, so instead, I changed the subject. "Would you mind if I used your phone?" He quirked an eyebrow. "Jane isn't known for her patience."

An accent answered my call.

I cleared my throat. "I'm calling for Jane."

"May I ask who's calling, please?" The receptionist. I struggled to remember her name.

"It's Saffiya." There was no response and I glanced up at Jasper as if he would have an explanation for the empty line.

"Human." Jane greeted, her voice smooth and drafty. "Has my brother so little tact that he tricks you into calling me?" Jasper frowned at the harshness of her tone, but relaxed when it didn't upset me.

"He's fine," I said first. She hadn't asked, but it was hardly a learned intuition with Jane that her brother's safety was priority. "He went hunting with…"

Jasper filled me in quietly, "Emmett."

"With Emmett."

"He left you?" Her voice rose an octave, but I wasn't sure whether the words surprised or upset her. "What's happened? The Cullens have provided inadequate information, unsurprisingly." I glanced at Jasper to make sure her comment had passed him, when I realized that of course he'd heard it. Instead, I hoped he hadn't taken offence. I was sure Jane had heard him speak, so she had to be well-aware that at least one of the coven members could hear our conversation.

In my attempt to answer her actual question, I hesitated but presented the story with a less alarming introduction. Or so I intended. "I met your old buddy, Vladimir. Emphasis on old."

Jane snarled into the phone. "He is no buddy of ours."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"And Stefan?" "Who?"

She sighed impatiently. "Was he alone?" "Funny you should ask…" Jane harrumphed at my sarcastic use of the term. I proceeded to give her the cliff notes, particularly the things I knew Alec would exclude. He didn't like to worry her. But certain details I shared because I knew I would want to know if Jane and I were in each other's place. Like the fact that Vladimir had been seconds from taking her brother's head off. Which felt a little insensitive to share with her over the phone. However, Jane gave me all the details from her missions. I figured I owed her the same candidness in return. Though I deliberately withheld everything else — in particular, the time Alec and I had spent alone.

When I'd finished, she decided she had nothing more to say about the topic. Opting, instead, to ask a question I dreaded. "Did you tell him yet?" I had done an excellent job of pushing Jane and I's recent re-discovery about my condition and her powers to the back of my mind so far. The reality check was rough. I bit my lip, and she might as well have been sitting next to me because she groaned in a youthful manner. "Saffiya, you must."

I glanced at Jasper, who was facing forward. I was appreciative of his attempt to maintain an illusion of privacy. Even if we both knew he wasn't missing much.

"I don't know how."

"You two are ridiculous—"

"I promise, I'll tell him the minute we get back to Volterra."

Instead of accepting my answer, she lowered her voice and mimicked her brother. "I'll tell her tomorrow, I want to talk to her, but she's throwing things at me, what if she hates me — I can't tell her—"

My jaw dropped. The receptionist must have left her to her call, as I'd only heard the sassy tone from Jane when it was aimed at her brother in private. I looked up at Jasper for a third time, growing more embarrassed as she went on. Raised eyebrows and the small curve of a smile indicated that he was amused, if a little taken aback by Jane's reaction. He'd likely never imagined the young woman to speak without the eloquence associated with her position. It encouraged me to snap back with, "I suppose you've told Aro, then?" The line went silent. I scoffed in triumph before she responded.

"I thought it best to wait until your return."

"Sounds like a plan." I'd still have to tell Alec before Aro, but at least Jane's agreement to extend the time until I had to do so made it feel justifiable to not share the information.

"Tell my brother the Masters require a debrief." She paused, maybe considering whether she'd let too much of her unguarded self slip to those privy to our call. "And that he should be ashamed for using his mate to avoid his own sister," she reiterated. I bit my lip at the 'm' word, the butterflies in my stomach making me feel ill. I pushed them down.

"But then you wouldn't have gotten to talk to me."

"Nice try."

A loud voice echoed in the background, "is that Fiya?"

"I'll tell him to call," I swore.

She parted with "be smart."

"Fiya! Jane — is that her?"

I heard Jane tell the person, "no," and the line went dead. I returned Jasper's phone to the center console.

"You and Alec's sister seem close." I nodded, letting a small smile slip onto my lips. He glanced over at me with a passive look on his face.

"She was nice to me when her brother and I could hardly be in the same room together. Despite my humanity."

Jasper listened, eventually nodding his head and contributing. "To be honest, we're all a little surprised Aro would let Alec keep you human for so long."

I shook my head. "Aro is the one that wants me to be human." A frown folded onto my face. "I don't actually know how Alec feels about it."

"Maybe you should find out." He suggested casually.

The instant the words left his mouth, his phone rang. Without even glancing at the ID, Jasper answered on the car's stereo. "Alice."

A familiar, high-pitched voice came through the previously empty speakers. She greeted him with a sweet sentiment before her words picked up speed and I could no longer decipher one word from the other. Jasper's responses were just as quick, but soon enough, there was a pause.

"We're not far." He informed her, speaking clearly to share the update with me as well.

I realized that the change in pace meant their conversation was coming to an end, so I whispered to Jasper. "May I speak to her?"

Jasper tilted his head at me and before I could introduce myself, she was already ahead of me with a vibrant cheer, "hello, Saffiya!"

I wasn't sure what I wanted to say, but formalities had dropped to the bottom of my list. "You called to warn me about Travis."

She was quiet for the first time since the call came through. "Yes, I did."

"Thank you."

After saying goodbye to Alice, our conversation lulled. Whether it was the smoothness of the road, his presence, or his gift, we fell into a general silence. His gift didn't stop me from worrying about Alec, but it did ease the weight of the anxieties associated.

As we drove into an increasingly less populated, more rugged area, I couldn't help but push him for answers I hadn't received.

"Where are we going exactly?"

"My family's house. I hope you're hungry, I'm sure Esme has found a new recipe to experiment with."

My mind flashed to the train, to the dining carriage…to Travis and Vladimir. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, a flood of calm supporting my attempt to pull together. Before Jasper could question me, I nodded.

Whether it was true or not, I sought to appease him. "Starving."

His sincerity still motivated my curiosity and so after another pause, I asked the question that had been nagging me for the last day or so. "Why are you doing this for us?" He raised his eyebrows before giving me a half confused, half curious sort of look. "I mean, don't you have…" I couldn't help it, "bad blood with the Volturi?" Jasper laughed softly at my choice of words before shrugging.

"Because you needed help."

I stared at him in disbelief. He made it seem so simple. I couldn't help but wonder if the Volturi would ever do the same for the Cullens as the family was doing for us. I tried not to dwell on the answer.

"We're here."

My head snapped back to the front of the car. My eyes bypassing the land outside, the house, the cars, and whatever else stood between the car and the porch.

The ache in my chest was abated.

Alec was leaning against a post, already examining me with a determined, dark expression. Likely ensuring that Jasper had kept his word. He waited for Jasper and I to approach and the closer we got, the more obvious it became that he was tightening every muscle in his body in an attempt to stay in place. It didn't take me long to figure out why he was holding back.

Jane's reminder was prominent in my head. It struck me again, alerting me to the fact that we were in Cullen territory now. We still had a reputation to uphold, no matter how fretful we were over the other. Only, stopping in front of him made me forget how to mimic her guarded stance and expressions.

Deciding on a suitable public display, Alec raised his hand to the side of my face, bright red eyes confirming their activities. Just the touch of his skin allowed me to breathe a little easier and I couldn't help but be engulfed by the emotional and physical instincts that bombarded me with our reunion. And I broke the reputation rule.

My arms wrapped around his waist, pressing my cheek into his chest and holding on as if he would leave again. On instinct, he returned the embrace. His muscles took their time to give in to the relief that washed over us both, but I could feel the shift the longer we held on. No longer having to be vigilant of some outside threat. We were finally safe, protected.

Reputation be damned, he placed a hand on the back of my head. The hold was tender, fragile, desperate to keep me safe from the dangers of the world. It was incredibly uncharacteristic of Alec to display this level of affection outside of closed doors — to reveal his weakness, if you will. The recent events must have left him just as unbalanced as I felt. As if cued by my thoughts, he tightened his arms around me.

I heard him whisper, "thank you." I assumed Jasper had acknowledged it, probably a bit surprised. He'd now been witness to both the twins displaying attitudes he may never have dreamed was possible from them. Obedient weapons that they were.

When we parted, I refused to fully let him go. I didn't want to leave Alec's embrace before I absolutely had to. My fingers fumbled with the bottom of his sleeve, which had slipped back down to his wrists. His shirt was crumpled, but void of any stains.

I would have expected it to be awkward, having displayed such an intimate moment right in front of the other vampire. But Jasper busied himself with the car, respecting the privacy of the moment. As his gaze returned to us there seemed to be some understanding of how much this meant to us. Jasper had his own mate, was this commonplace? The pull, the longing, the…well, everything. Did he know the intensity of it all?

Clearing his throat, Alec asked Jasper, "how was it?"

"All clear." Direct, the strictness of a military officer that I had originally expected from Prosper.

Alec nodded, satisfied. I poked him in the chest and he looked down at me, perplexed by the action. "He's a better driver than you."

Jasper seemed to hide a laugh behind a cough.

The boy scowled down at me. "You attempted to climb out of the window." Alec objected. "It is hardly a fair comparison."

Before we could get into it, Jasper spoke. Was his mate inside? Was he just as eager to see her as Alec and I had been to see each other?

The southern accent interrupted my dwelling thoughts. "Well, Saffiya. Ready to meet the others?"

I balked. "Others?"

"Just a few of us." Jasper smiled and I felt the sudden spike in my nerves ease.

"Wow. That's incredible," I turned back to Alec. "We need one of him in Volterra."

A booming laugh could be heard from inside the house as Jasper led us inside. With eyes no longer on us, Alec wrapped an arm around my waist and pressed his lips to the side of my head. He whispered in a language he knew I'd understand. "Tu m'as manqué."

He smirked as my heart picked up speed. Damn vampire.

Chapter Text

"— using her to get to us. Since when does the Volturi care about humans?"

"Babe, you should've seen him —"

The argument stalled as the front door abruptly shut behind Alec, Jasper, and I. Alec stood firm behind me, just close enough to assure me of his presence. It was clear we heard the end of their conversation, and likely that both Jasper and Alec were privy to it long before I was.

However, the increasingly awkward atmosphere originated more from the fact that they'd gathered as a welcoming committee in the small entryway rather than from the topic of their argument. Emmett was the only familiar face and he beamed at me while throwing his arm around a fuming blonde beside him. She didn't push his arm away, which I expected of someone as upset as her. Instead, she gave in to his wordless comfort. Though, I suspected, only slightly and with a great deal of reluctance.

"Saffiya," Jasper's accent revealed itself in my name. "This is Rosalie."

Rosalie refused to acknowledge us, but her profile alone caught me off guard. Before I could reflect more on her appearance, Emmett demanded my attention.

"How's it hanging, Kid."

I smiled at him to keep from sharing my displeasure at the nickname. Although, the word slipped into his sentence more casually than Felix's attempts. Jasper continued the introductions.

"And Alice—"

I could physically feel Alec holding back a complaint in the form of a growl as I was swiftly taken from him by a bubbly brunette. The rest of her family had noticed Alec's restraint, though she paid him and her family's trepidation no mind.

The girl, Alice, grinned and held both my hands. She reintroduced herself with a bright face, "I'm Alice."

"Saffiya," I offered politely. "It's wonderful to meet you all. Thank you for...having us."

Now cognizant of the boy behind me, Alice slowly lifted my hand, guiding me in a slow twirl. Shining gold eyes examined me with unexplainable glee. "Oh, you're just adorable! Don't you think so, Rose?"

The blonde previously arguing with Emmett turned at her name. Finally having her full attention, I was able to take her in with greater detail. All vampires were beautiful and Heidi stood out as the most outwardly alluring of the Volturi members. This young woman, however, made headlines in a different way. She was captivating. An independent, elegant aura inspired an admiration of the vampire. A perspective that I'd reserved for women like Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn. She was Helen of Troy, beautiful. The face that launched a thousand ships. I hadn't met many vampires yet, but she definitely gave Heidi a run for her money.

She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "She's not a doll, Alice." Her eyes flickered to me, and I realized that I was still staring. She hissed, "what."

"Aw, babe. I think she's starstruck."

A gentle squeeze on my arm released my tongue and I stumbled to apologize. "Sorry. It's just, I don't think I'll ever get used to the vampire..." I substituted the many adjectives for beauty that rolled around in my head. "Differences."

Rosalie jumped on my sentence. "You will," she promised in a bittersweet voice. Narrowing her eyes at Alec, she continued somewhat snidely. "You don't have a choice."

Alec hissed, "careful, Cullen."

"The hypocrisy is underwhelming." Alec's body tensed even more and I left Alice to move in front of Alec. My lack of subtlety to place myself between the two was clear, though worth it to hopefully encourage a more moderated tantrum from my...companion.

Apparently, just like the Volturi's guards, Carlisle's coven held just as much resentment for the Volturi as was returned in kind.

"Until then," I smiled at her and lifted my hand. "I'm Saffiya."

Rosalie appeared distressed by my nonchalance, her expression quickly shaping into one of tentativeness. She sent a sharp scowl behind me once again before turning from the room. I frowned.

"Don't worry, I think she likes you." Emmett sent me a grin and a wink before he followed after her.

Alice stepped in to diffuse the remaining tension in the room. "You must be hungry?" She took my hand again, leading Alec and I to an open kitchen, nestled between a living room and double doors leading out to a spacious deck. The glass walls provided a view of the mainland, blurry in the distance, with only a glimpse of a sun reflected sea.

The kitchen was designed with a stone outline, producing an atmosphere quite unique from the castle in Volterra. Alice directed us to sit at the island as the woman at the stove turned to acknowledge us. Alec opted to stand, his hand trailing lightly across my back. His subtle way of informing me of his placement, once again. His behaviour seemed to have the unknown woman vigilant, but she radiated a natural warmth that superseded the connection.

"Saffiya, this is Esme." A warm smile was aimed at me from the new woman. She was homely, but attractive, giving off a similar vibe as the walls around her. Her honeyed eyes offered a wisdom unique to her, despite the colour being shared with her family. She reminded me of the sisters at the abbey. It struck me then, how little I knew of the Cullens when it came to their individuality.

"You must be Saffiya. It's wonderful to finally meet you." Her posture gave the impression of wanting to approach us, but she must have decided against it.

"It's nice to meet you too." She seemed overly delighted with my learned politeness.

Her eyes left mine and I was surprised to discover that she was sending an identically genuine smile to Alec. "Lovely to see you again, Alec."

He didn't say anything at first so I shoved my elbow into his stomach, pressuring him to return the greeting to our host. He did so with reluctance, "you as well, Esme." I had to stifle a laugh when Esme had turned, hiding it behind a small cough. The polite response not only made him seem less melancholy, but nearly revealed the youth he'd learned to hide.

Unlike me, Esme didn't dwell on his response. Which, I suppose, wasn't all that surprising. It had been less than a year since Alec had visited the family. And he must not have been a total prick if they were willing to open their home to him again.

"You have a wonderful home, Mrs. Cullen." Manners were essential, and an easy fallback. Especially when the only other guest decided to leave the socialising to me.

She removed the pot from the stovetop before turning to face us. "Call me Esme, dear," she flashed a smile of clear grace before returning to her task. "And thank you."

"She designed it herself," a familiar, smooth voice entered the kitchen. Carlisle appeared beside Esme, the two sharing a kiss in greeting. Carlisle's eyes sparkled as they parted. I don't think I'd ever seen a couple so genuinely, naturally in love.

I blinked, realizing that Carlisle was looking at me expectantly. I immediately looked up at Alec, not wanting to give away the fact that I hadn't been paying attention. It might have been obvious anyhow, but Alec seamlessly stepped in for me, despite wanting to maintain his aloof presentation. The moment did not go unnoticed by the couple. Their entertainment at our interaction offered a brief reprieve in the underlying tension.

Pleasantries out of the way, Carlisle crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter, growing serious. "I understand you two ran into a little trouble on the way here?"

I snorted, "that's an understatement." I was given a courteous smile, but quickly understood that I was not the one he desired an answer from.

"Have you shared with Aro, yet?"

I could feel Alec's body shift behind me. "I plan to relay it to the Masters once Saffiya is settled."

"I would like to join you, if that's alright." I wasn't sure how Alec responded, but Carlisle pushed off the counter. I frowned, caught off guard by his urgency. "My office is through here," he started to lead Alec out. Only, the boy hadn't left me, his fingers actually entangling themselves in the loop on my jeans as if they would keep him rooted to me. Carlisle offered a reassuring nod of his head. The charm of a doctor's bedside manner was evident in his approach. "Saffiya is in good hands."

A supportive smile from Esme gave me the encouragement to look up at Alec. He was much closer to me now that I was facing him and my cheek grazed the fabric of his shirt. "Go," I murmured, as if it made our conversation private. "You hate the smell anyways." He squinted at me, his eyes flickering with distaste to the plate Esme was placing in front of me. Alec gave in, agreeing to go with Carlisle.

"Saffiya," the doctor added. "I'd like to make sure you're physically alright as well after what happened."

"I've already checked," I hadn't yet, so the response came out as defensive.

In fact, in a rare happenstance, I had forgotten to check my body for injury following a physical event. It was a mistake that could have cost me my life, and without his reminder, I had no idea how long it could have been until I did remember.

I tried not to let on to the vampires how nervous I felt about such a dim-witted move. Whenever I had a minor accident at the nunnery, someone, usually Misha, took me to the hospital for a full examination. It didn't matter whether I stumbled, tripped, fell, or did anything halfway risky. It had annoyed me to no end, as usually I was fine. But, the potential for an unexpected physical trauma gave the fear validity. I could be bleeding internally and have no idea anything was wrong. If a simple fall happened to any other kid, it wouldn't have mattered. However, I didn't always understand that I wasn't exactly a normal kid.

"Indulge me, then?" I shook my head up and down, agreeing reluctantly. He was just so nice. Alec followed Carlisle through another door, throwing one more look to me in case I'd changed my mind.

"Thank you," I turned back to Esme, accepting the fork she offered. "For thinking of me. This looks amazing."

She gave me an affectionate smile. "Of course! We've only just arrived ourselves, but I'll have the fridge stocked in the morning." I smiled in appreciation as other members of her family rounded the corner, as if on cue. Alice led them, and I hadn't noticed she'd left the room in the first place. I briefly wondered if they'd waited for Alec to depart before joining us.

Jasper winked at me, but paused before passing through the same door Carlisle and Alec had just gone through. Alice jumped up on the counter where Carlisle had been, swinging her legs back and forth in delight.

"You'll both need some new clothes," Alice added on to Esme's comment. "Rose and I can take you shopping, if you'd like." Her excitement made me smile just as Emmett dropped into a stool beside me at the island. He leaned back cooly, grinning mischievously, and I couldn't help but wonder what he knew that I didn't.

His appearance paired with Alice's suggestion made the absence of their last member quite evident.

"Is Rosalie alright? I didn't mean to offend her—"

Emmett shrugged off the concern. "If anything you flattered her. She'll come around."

I changed the subject. "Exactly how many...vampires are in your coven?

"Four of us stayed back, just in case."

"Right. Alec said they visited your home in America." I didn't specify who 'they' were, but the Cullens exchanged looks of agitation, as if I would break down at the reminder of why we were here. The pause that followed made me think there was another detail they weren't sharing. Out of habit, I didn't push. Though it was unlikely I'd give Alec the same courtesy.

"You have nothing to worry about dear. You're safe here." If only that was my real fear.

All at once, the three turned to look behind me a moment before Carlisle's voice caused me to turn in my seat. "Saffiya, why don't we go to my office." Right. The check up. I nodded, hopping off the stool and following him.

His study was through a small hallway and another door. Books lined the wall and a classic, oak desk was placed in a corner. Though, it looked as if it had been pushed to the side to make room for a thin table, like the kind used for massage and muscle therapy. I assumed this was where he wanted me to sit, seeing as the setup around it could mimic a doctor's office. He already had a mini screen set up by the table, an empty blue case beside it.

"Where's Alec?" I asked him, as he clasped a stethoscope around his neck. An unnecessary action considering the whole vampire thing, but probably habitual for his line of work.

He couldn't hide the smile that slipped onto his lips, as if my question had some sort of humour in it. "Speaking with his sister."

"It's a nice setup you've got here." Satisfied with the answer, I grinned and lifted up onto the table. The medical equipment in the room had to be worth thousands of dollars. "Is this even legal?"

A gracious laugh came from Carlisle as he walked over to me. He encouraged me to sit up straight and placed a hand on my back, between my shoulder blades. "Breathe in, and out again."

"I've already kinda checked." I lied again. "I really do think I'm okay." He smiled reassuringly, but didn't let me talk him out of his process.

Though he resorted to words before he moved on to his next step. "Is there anywhere specific where you could have been injured? Did you hit your head?"

"My head is fine. I did fall on my shoulder, but—"

"I'll need to check for a break. It would be wise to examine your ribs as well." My eyes widened and I could tell my heart picked up for a second. I forced myself to breathe under Carlisle's suddenly apprehensive watch, trying not to trigger any alarms.

I chuckled unconvincingly, "don't tell me you've got an X-ray machine on hand?" The joke got through to him and he showed me an object that could have been a microphone for children.

He sent me yet another award-winning smile. This family sure had a lot of happiness in them. "Next best thing."

He explained the equipment he was using to be a sonographic exam. Yeah. That kind of sonography. The microphone (which was apparently called a transducer) would tell him if I'd fractured anything, as well as provide an image of the muscles, blood vessels, etc. in my body. Blood vessels meant he could detect the bruise on my hip and abdomen…at least I assumed so. It was better not to cause a stir over something that would go away in a few days, so my mind raced for ideas to talk him out of checking my stomach.

When he began to move from my shoulder, I asked him to check my hand in an attempt to distract him. He paused and I think he knew what I was doing. However, somehow, for some reason, he let it go and put the equipment down before focusing on rewrapping my hand.

After he was satisfied and before he had a chance to question me on my suspicious behaviour, there was a knock on the door. Alice entered a second later with folded clothes in her hands. Carlisle zipped up the equipment without another word and left us to it.

"These are Rose's. We thought you might be ready for a change of clothes." She set them on the desk.

I nodded, grateful. "Thank you."

"We can go and buy you both a few things as well. While you're here." This was the second time she'd mentioned going out for clothes, so I figured it must be important to her. I nodded, though I doubted Alec would be happy I'd agreed that we would leave the protection the house provided. Although, I got the impression that Alice's persistence might override Alec's exasperation, leaving him with little choice in the matter.

She closed the door behind her. I unfolded the clothes she'd given me, grateful to replace my jeans with the shorts she'd provided. I hesitated before unfolding the shirt, some silly part of me did not want to take Alec's sweater off. However, my shirt underneath had been ripped with Travis' last grab for me, so it would be silly not to change. I lucked out - Alice had given me a tank top.

I glanced out the window. The current weather nearly required a second layer, so with shorts, I reasoned that keeping the sweater over the new tank would be acceptable. I tucked the front of the sweater into the shorts to look a bit more put together before departing for the kitchen. I found my way back easy enough, following the laughter like breadcrumbs.

Carlisle and Esme were absent. Though Esme had cleaned up from my meal. I felt a small rush of guilt, wishing I could have lent a hand. Alec wasn't in the room, but Rosalie and Jasper had joined the two more social members of their coven. Alice was still sitting on the counter and Jasper stood between her legs. His eyes were on me, as if immediately zoning in on my emotional flip. Emmett hadn't moved either, but Rosalie was smizing at the other end of the island.

I was not asked to explain my outfit decision, but the first thing Alice did was look me over and exchange a knowing look with Rosalie. I pretended not to have seen it. Though Rosalie did notice my wandering eyes, assuming she knew the answer to the question I wasn't prepared to ask.

"He's out there." She seemed upset about the ordeal, which sent a flash of insecurity through me. I nodded in silent thanks. Eager to escape the curious gazes, I turned to open the doors to the outside area. For some reason, a part of me missed the outrageously weighted doors of the castle in comparison.

Despite the murmur of mist in the air, I had never seen an ocean as devastatingly blue as Croatia's waters. Clear enough to see the sedimentary changes underwater from miles away. The sun reflected off of it and back into the world, leaving a shimmer of light on the surface.

Alec was easy to spot. He stood with his back to me, facing out towards the ocean view. I could see the cell phone he held to his ear, but he turned with a subtle smile. His hand reached out for me, but his expression turned sour as he faced the sea again.

I crossed the deck and took his hand, settling by his side. The corner of Alec's lips tilted up again before the person on the other line said something that made him roll his eyes. A specific reactive pattern reserved only for his sister.

"No, Jane." He made no attempt to hide the exasperation in his voice. "I find it to be entirely arbitrary."

A quick bout of giddiness entered me as I ducked under Alec's arm, spinning with my back against the railing. Alec's eyebrows lifted, gazing down at me with amusement. He repositioned his arm to secure me between his body and the railing. The move brought us closer together and I took a deep breath, trying to quell the butterflies in my stomach.

My hands moved to his chest of their own accord, my fingers playing with the buttons on his new shirt. I pointedly ignored the smirk that I knew would have appeared on his face, as even I could feel my heartbeat increase with our proximity.

A sharp tone launched itself from the phone. "You're not even listening to me."

"Of course, I am, Sister." Alec quickly picked up on his lapse in the conversation while I suppressed a laugh. "What else would I be doing?"

I could hear the dramatic sigh on her end as clear as day. "Hello, human." Immediately, I stole the phone from Alec and pressed it to my ear.

"Jane, I miss you." Alec rolled his eyes as I turned to face the ocean. I rambled into the speaker as Alec's now free hand joined his other on the railing. He pressed a kiss to my shoulder, looking out at the Adriatic waters as I chatted happily with his sister. "Don't mind him, he's being moody again."

Alec's fingers tucked my hair behind my ear as I continued, "Croatia's amazing. He's a little distracted by the stunning view here."

"That I am, Tesorina." [My Darling] His voice was low, reverberating in his chest and I swear I felt my heart stop. Alec seemed pleased with my reaction, a smirk appearing on his face. I wet my lips and his eyes fell to the action. The air grew thicker and I swallowed, forgetting how to breathe. My stomach fluttered without my permission, refusing to settle as a sudden timidness overcame me.

Jane scoffed in disgust on the other line and the phone beeped. She'd ended the call. Alec carefully took the device from my hand, his eyes never leaving mine as he placed it on one of the tables near us. I watched him as he stepped back and tilted his head.

"Walk with me?"

Chapter Text

"The Cullens that aren't here...it's because of the half-human girl, right?"

The sand dipped beneath us, pooling in around our feet. We'd abandoned our shoes and the sweater he's given me at the top of the Cullen's property to make our way down to the shoreline. The waves were subtle, with nowhere to go and nowhere to be except in the moment, as silly as it sounds. A greenish-blue hue in the water was breathtaking and the sun was sparse on this cloudy day, rare patches of light streaming to the earth around us. Between the mountains that rose in the distance behind us, the deep green trees we'd walked under only moments ago, and the ocean in front of us, it all felt like the landscape of some painting hanging in the Louvre.

Alec had been given a change of clothes as well. The light green linen shirt, whose buttons I'd played with only minutes ago, was a relaxed cut. It was only about one size too big for him, but you could hardly tell. He'd rolled up the sleeves once more, and there was a slight shimmer covering the pale white of his skin, like powder. Alec never rolled up his sleeves in Volterra.

As we wandered further down the beach, Alec's eyes scanned the line of trees around us. Despite his vigilance, he was visibly…different here. Lighter. Even with the Cullens' presence, which I had expected to put him in even more of a sour mood.

Maybe Vladimir's defeat brought him peace, to prevail over an enemy that had evaded him for so long. Or perhaps it was the fresh air surrounding us, rather than the enclosed walls in Volterra, that confined my scent inside the castle. And yes, the Cullens were near us, but the further we walked, the more alone we became. As alone as we'd been since the first night I tried to run away. A memory that seemed odd now. Out of place.

"I was not surprised," Alec confirmed, humouring my field of questions. As usual. "Edward's mate holds a grudge against Jane."

"And Jane doesn't?"

"They do not give us refuge out of the kindness of their un-beating hearts," he said sarcastically. "There is an ulterior motive."

"Or they're just decent people."

He smirked. "Not people."

"I'm serious." I rolled my eyes, bumping his side as we continued walking. "The Cullens are nice."

Alec scoffed, revealing his holier-than-thou Volturi attitude. It was almost endearing. "They're weird."

"Well, at least they don't eat humans."

"They're still vampires."

"Vampires that won't eat me," I sassed back playfully. Alec, however, didn't appreciate my wit. Like a snap, he turned me into him, holding me tight against his chest. Almost too tight. I thought I understood why as I looked up, though still slightly stunned by the move. His eyes burned into mine, harsh, with a flash of something new hidden behind the irises.

His voice was low, and though his words were more of a warning than a threat, they certainly seemed like one. "They are still vampires." My eyes searched his, their intensity desperate to make me understand what he wouldn't dare to put into words.

I tipped my head once, and he continued moving closer to the shoreline with an evident change in topic. An equally targeted one, at that. He was clearly still bitter from my comment, though pushing past it with a hint of attempted humour. I was also eager to move past the discomfort, which was easier when he prompted, "Jane had precise questions regarding our latest incident." My brain froze for a moment, and my heart picked up speed before I realised he wasn't talking about our 'one-on-one' encounter but the mini-battle we'd nearly lost. My internal freak out went unnoticed as he continued, "as well as an impressive knowledge of the event."

"Oh?" I started, and Alec didn't look away from the landscape ahead of us but raised his eyebrows to indicate he was listening. "Did you answer any of them?"

He sighed dramatically, muttering under his breath, "the two of you." The reaction lightened the air, and I responded in kind.

"Hey!" I laughed, bumping his hip. "You act like I'm going to break anytime I leave your sight, but Jane and I can't be just a little worried when you almost get hurt on a mission?"

He was quick to catch my words, a cheeky grin growing on his face. "You worry for me?" I stopped mid-thought, my jaw nearly dropping at the gall of the question.

"Jane worries," I attempted to brush it off, but the suggestion sent an unfamiliar wave of exhilarating nerves through me.

Alec smirked casually, "and you."

"What? Psh, no." I tried to pull off a casual laugh in a stampede of butterflies, but he saw right through me. He raised an eyebrow, mischief exuding from his expression.

"No?" He questioned, taking a step towards me. Immediately, I stepped back, tripping over the dips in the sand. Alec caught me, of course, his arm shooting out to wrap around my waist again.

I pointed a finger at him, countering with, "you see, that — this, is so not fair—" Alec smirked, and his hold tightened, pulling me flush against his chest. I inhaled sharply, meeting his eyes. My breath disappeared again as he leaned in.

Of their own accord, my eyelids fluttered closed as his nose softly brushed against my skin. His lips swept across my cheek like the whisper of a ghost, and his eyelashes grazed along my temple, their touch even lighter. And yet, as the wind blew against us, he stood firm, holding us to the earth like an anchor. His chest froze as he held his breath.

I couldn't help but look up at him. His eyes were shut tight, and he was still as stone. Until there was a firm tug on my scalp, his fingers tangling themselves at the ends of my curls. I relaxed in his arms, laying my head in the crook of his neck and doing the exact opposite of him. I breathed him in, filling my senses with a smell that had no title, no comparable scent but merely a word: Alec. It was just Alec.

"You are human," he whispered against my temple with a sorrowful tone. Almost seeking my permission as he continued, "and I should think your condition validates my concerns all the more." It felt strange, the straightforwardness of our conversation. We never really talked about it or how it affected anything I did. I knew he was aware of it, and from the time Aro had told him to be careful with me, he had done his best to stay conscious. But I'd never considered that he might be thinking about it, factoring it into every interaction, possibly even more than me.

Then, my brain intruded on my thoughts, forcing new, darker memories to the forefront of my mind.

A flash of Alec's face in a grimace, Travis' hands poised to take him from the world. "I thought he was going to kill you," I said, the words slipping from my mouth before I'd even fully thought them through.

Alec's face became livid, and the flare of madness was gone just as quick as it appeared.

I swallowed, with the idea that some of the ire could be rooted in the role I'd opted to play. "You're still mad at me, aren't you?"

He clenched his jaw and didn't deny it but continued to twirl my hair around his fingers with the gentlest touch.

"He wasn't going to stop –"

He opened his mouth, only able to say a few words, "it was foolish," before I interrupted.

"Would you have preferred that I let you die?" I stepped back. "Because that's hypocritical –"

"I am grateful."

"– and you can't just…." I trailed off as I processed his response. One that was quite opposite during our first time broaching the topic. "Oh."

The corners of his lips curved up at my dumbfounded expression, and he moved on. "You conveniently left your actions out in your narrative to my sister." Before I could talk myself into a corner, Alec took hold of my hand again. His thumb traced curved lines into my palm, and he waited for me to meet his eyes before speaking. "I am here. With you. That is what matters."

He sighed softly. "But please, in the future, do try to refrain from deliberately placing yourself in even more danger than necessary?"

I bit my lip and avoided his gaze, lowering myself down on the sand and shifting to face the water. Alec joined me, watching my every move with the diligence of a hawk. But he waited. He was good at that. Waiting for me.

I took a deep breath and squeezed my eyes tight, worried that I might cry despite the lack of tears building up.

"Saffiya. Look at me." I did, and crimson eyes seized mine. "I will never let anyone hurt you ever again." It was a wonderful sentiment, but we'd been forced into a world of reality. There was only one way to ensure his claim, and that wasn't about to happen anytime soon. "Including myself…"

The train.

My gaze returned to the sand. "You can't possibly guarantee that." The statement hurt both of us, but the words were as accurate as they were inevitable.

"No," he admitted. "But I will do everything in my power to make it so." He must still have sensed my doubt because he leaned back with an unusual casualty that drew my attention. "Even if I must grovel to my enemies," Alec watched me observing him and lightened his voice to tease me with, "or beseech the Cullens for assistance." I breathed out a short laugh and the corners of his mouth tilted up. "I swear it."

We both shared a slight sense of hesitancy that wasn't there before, a new form of uncertainty. But, it was forgotten as we rested there in silence until I had a suitable reply.

"I'd say 'right back at ya', but I don't exactly have any enemies to grovel to. So you might be out of luck, there." I grinned, tilting my head up at him. The piercing red of his eyes contrasted brilliantly with the colours around us, and though it was a cloudy day, he seemed to almost…shimmer. More so than before. I reached out and ran my fingers along his arm, trying to see if I imagined it or not.

I could sense his amusement as he lifted his arm away from my touch and moved it directly under a speck of sunlight within reach. The sand sparkled underneath the burning star, and now, so did Alec's skin.

I reached forward, throwing my hand under the beam of light as well, and was quite disappointed when my skin didn't do the same. Alec burst out in a fit of laughter, a sound I cherished now more than ever. I pouted, taking my hand away and trying again. Nothing.

"How are you doing that," I demanded to know.

He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me in-between his legs, letting me examine his arm - the only skin subject to the sun's warmth beside his face, which is where I went next.

My fingers lightly touched his brow and traced the lines on his skin. His eyes closed, and he leaned into my touch. Even without the direct light, the glow his body emitted was impossible to look away from. My fingers finally reached his lips, and I paused, eyes flickering up to his closed ones.

Alec caught my hand before I got us into trouble. His eyes observed me under thick lashes as he brought my hand back to his lips and kissed my palm.

"You should be careful where you touch a vampire." He hummed, "we do tend to bite."

I felt almost like a child, exposed to the world with this adapting behaviour. This shift in our interactions and how to go about actions, words or activities we might otherwise not have engaged in.

A quick laugh escaped me as I teased, "you wouldn't dare." I pushed myself up from the sand as if to make my way away from him.

His voice lilted from behind me, "Wouldn't I?"

He leaned back in the sand as I turned, and though I stood above him, his mischievous arrogance controlled the conversation. "What are you on about?"

"I did not previously understand the appeal of marking one's partner, despite the insistence of Demetri." Alec flashed to my side, and I tilted my head, frowning in confusion. He continued as if he were merely talking to himself, moving to stand behind me. "It is uniquely, fundamentally enticing."

I opened my mouth to admonish him and his mystery, but as I did, his chilled hand brushed my throat. My breathing hitched. He'd rendered me speechless with a single touch. Alec chuckled, close enough that I could feel his breath tickle my skin. He collected my hair over my left shoulder, his touch never leaving my body.

Alec paused, and I waited with bated breath for his next move.

"It seems that when tempted by two of the seven, I chose temperance…." Seven?* I turned my head to look at him over my shoulder. His eyes were already awaiting mine, "e cedette alla lussuria." [and gave in to lust]

It clicked for me then only as his eyes dropped to my collarbone. The hint triggered a gasp of outrage from me. Alec leaned out of the way, a smart move on his part, as I nearly slapped my hand on my neck. I ran my fingers over my skin until I felt the faintest bump, not dissimilar to the last time Alec had 'marked' my neck. It wasn't nearly as prominent yet, having only been a few hours, but my nerves flashed, and the butterflies fluttered as I recalled the train. I exclaimed in disbelief, "I can't believe you."

I sent him the dirtiest glare possible, but his laugh reverberated in his chest. "Consider, my darling, that you did challenge a rather famished vampire."

"I swear to god–"

"Yes, you never did finish that sentence, did you?" My eyes widened as I realised why. I swear, he chose words he knew would specifically make my heart pick up speed – entirely involuntarily. Even worse, I had no way to retaliate.

I smacked his arm. "I met an entire coven of vampires today!"

He rolled his eyes, still messing with me. "They did not see it."

"Yeah, if they were human," I scoffed. The first time he gave me a…hickey (the word was unfamiliar, even in my own thoughts), I couldn't even see it until the day after Heidi, Felix, and Demetri had pointed it out. Their vampire vision or senses or whatever somehow picked up on the early stages of Alec's brief lapse in judgement. However, days later, once I could see it, it hadn't bothered me as much as it should have, especially at that point in our relationship. It had been almost…. "First impressions are important – aren't we representing the Volturi? And now I look like some sort of trollop."

His smile became softer as he sought to tame my concerns. "I would not allow for such ignorant assumptions to be associated with you." He moved my hair back to cover my neck. "But while I favour the presumptions generated by your wearing my attire, I do believe our first impression was my motivation."

I blinked, just barely catching the confession he'd slipped in before pushing it aside in favour of the current topic. I scoffed, "that's completely asinine."

Alec raised an eyebrow, a habit I suddenly found distinctly more attractive. It nearly distracted me as he defended his actions. "We vampires tend to be very…possessive creatures."

"You don't own me," I reminded him.

He firmly agreed, "I do not." Alec returned to trace his thumb over the forming mark on my throat, and despite myself, I shivered in response to his touch. He smirked, "and yet…."

I smacked his hand, not quite as miffed as I wished to be. However, the embarrassment had faded as his fingers graced over the mark one more time before leaving my neck.

"You're such a boy."

He was truly taken aback, offended by my statement. I couldn't help but let out a small giggle at the look on his face. "I am over a thousand years old." He made a guttural sound, "I am no boy."

I was grinning but put my hands up in fair game. My attention returned to the glitter on his skin, but the novelty had been bypassed for the moment. "You know you don't have to be Batman, right?" Among the various movies the elite guard members had introduced me to, one of the genres I'd found a great deal of interest in was superhero action pictures. Oddly enough, they were a group favourite as well. "Even Bruce Wayne hung up the cowl every once in a while."

I could tell he had several retorts, no doubt fuelled by an impressive rationale. My argument may not have convinced him, but he still played along. "Who?" I punched his shoulder, mindful of the force I put into it before growling softly.

"That's not even funny." He was smiling, so he nodded at my glare. I'd become somewhat invested in the fictionalised hero. "Seriously. Jane and I, we're tougher than we look."

Alec chuckled, "you, my darling. You will never cease to amaze me." He knew he was sending another message to the butterflies in my stomach, but I couldn't help but smile back at him anyways.

Perceptive red searched my eyes, holding me in place. I could hardly think of looking away, especially now, for fear that I may not see them again. It was as if he were staring straight through to my soul, which was, I must admit, quite attached to his.

I began to brush the sand off my body when Alec made a noise from behind me. "I think you owe me an apology for that comment." I raised my eyebrows in giddy delight.

"Oh, do I?" I took a step towards him, making as if to touch his arm before declaring, "you're right. You look more like the Boy Wonder, anyways." I giggled as he reached out for me. I spun out of the way, turned, and ran the rest of the way to the water's edge. The sand fizzled under my feet, sinking me with every step. The wind swept through the air, propelling me forward, competing with the sand over who got to keep me.

Alec let me go, only using his speed once I'd arrived at the shoreline.

He caught me around my waist, and suddenly wind and sand lost their battle as he spun me into the water. I shrieked in-between laughs, slipping out of his grasp as a wave crashed around our calves. I bent down and splashed my own wave at him, evading his counterattack and moving into deeper water. I pushed the ocean to Alec again, drenching my shorts entirely in the process. Conveniently, I had also splashed his shirt as spots of dark green indicated the areas where saltwater was now invading the fabric.

Alec narrowed his eyes at me, and I bit my lip out of habit, backing away. He grinned, disappearing into thin air before succeeding in capturing me. His arms snaked around my waist from behind, spinning me in the water. My feet landed back on the ocean floor, and I turned my head up to him.

A roguish sparkle in his irises had me narrowing my eyes, attempting to calculate his end game. Until I realised he'd deliberately positioned us in the path of the next wave. He sacrificed himself to win the game I'd started as the roar of the sea filled my ears. The wave crashed on top of us, and his arms held me in place, keeping the wave from kidnapping me as well.

I was released, a lovely chime in the air causing me to scowl. I sent a small splash of water at Alec again, despite both of us being covered chest to toe in the salty liquid. My hair was almost entirely plastered to my skin. He reached forward and brushed off the few curls in my eyes that had also fallen victim to the water.

A whip of the wind found the dry sand beneath our feet once again. I let out a small shout, my fingers gripping tightly onto Alec's forearms at the sudden movement. When the world had stilled, Alec's chest was shaking, and I glared at him with as much seriousness as I could muster.

I shoved him, but the fullness of his laugh and the carefree nature of his smile…the genuine freedom in his instant of happiness. I smiled.

Alec's hand brushed the palm of mine before grasping it in his. The act, in itself, speeding up my heartbeat. With a slight tug, he gently encouraged me to take the step that bridged the small gap between us. My breath caught in my throat. I followed his gaze down to my hand cupped in his. His thumb moved slowly back and forth across my palm. The action was almost timid, but he didn't say anything.

He leaned forward, and my eyes shut as his lips touched my forehead. As he pulled away, he murmured demurely, "we should return." He took a step back towards the house and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

He didn't let go.

Chapter Text

I had been filled with a biting discontent. Fretting over what I should've, could've done if only I'd been prepared for Travis and Vladimir's attack. And of all outcomes, I wondered if maybe, just maybe…Travis didn't have to die.

To distract my mind, I was finally reading the notebook Aro had gifted me before we left.

The green ink was blurred. Each turn of a page crinkled with opposition to the action, missing the warmth of its fellow abandoned pages. My fingers traced the warped paper with delicate strokes, as if the words would make more sense if I considered them from a tactile perspective. They didn't. They were simply the notations of a man, a detective obsessed with his case.

He knew my father's birthday, his preferred wine, and the way he ate his steak - medium rare. All things that I had been too young to know or to even remember. It read more like a biography than a crime log, and yet, there wasn't a single word about me. The situational spite I had for the owner of the journal jumped on this. The inspector knew intimate details about my father, but he had written nothing about his target's ten-year-old daughter.

Whatever Aro wanted me to find, it wasn't legible.

A breeze whooshed passed by me, and the deck chair dipped with a new weight behind me. It was followed by a gentle hand, tucking away the hair that had fallen on my face. I breathed in, relishing the way his existence made me feel — a collision of exhilaration and comfort. A gasoline fire – struck with a match and speeding straight to my chest and a flower bud, opening for the first time in the blink of an eye. A star exploding millions of miles away and streaking across the sky. Magnetic.

Soft lips brushed against my shoulder in greeting. When I ignored it, another grazed closer to my neck, tickling my skin and sending a shock of electricity to the corners of my mouth.

"Alec?" He hummed against my skin in acknowledgement, his arms wrapping lazily around my torso. "I'm reading," I tried to sound stern, but I gave in to his prompting, leaning back against his chest. He nuzzled his nose in the dip of my neck. His slow breaths cued the sensitive area to send a pulse through my body.

In a low voice, he requested, "take a break." His hands interlocked with mine, giving me no choice but to relinquish the journal's pages.

"No," I mumbled, and he chuckled, a reaction that reverberated from his chest into mine.

"You really are quite stubborn, tesoro." [darling]

We were rather conservative in our behaviour around the Cullen coven, and while we were both aware that they were nearby, the distance provided by the beach still felt like a barrier. Like a closed door that we could pretend to hide behind. But even behind closed doors, we had been busy with words and shared glances rather than more physical actions. So this, was relatively bold.

The visibility in the water below severely limited any opportunity for a surprise attack, leaving the woods to be the only option for someone that wanted to get to us. And the Cullens had that covered. We were practically an island on the already small island.

Except, a sudden chill fell in the air. Alec ignored it, but the sky grew darker as if a storm were on the way. I went to stand, but Alec roughly pulled me back down. The waves crashed down below, quickly swallowing themselves back into the ocean. Each time they returned, they grew wilder and darker than before. The wind began to whip the air, and I tugged against Alec's hold again, which only grew tighter. I finally turned when he wouldn't release me.

Only it wasn't Alec anymore.

I had awoken with laboured breaths early this morning, still seeing the images my brain had forced into my unconscious mind. Rosalie was the one to bring me back to reality, having to remind me several times that Alec had gone hunting with Esme and Emmett a day earlier. She was under the impression that my worry for Alec had caused the nightmare. I chose not to correct her.

Though this 'hunting trip' did have me on edge. Not for safety concerns, but because Alec and Emmett had started to butt heads the last day or so before they'd gone. Behaviour that seemed to confuse Emmett's siblings. Not to mention, it was one of the only times Alec would speak, let alone acknowledge the Cullen family. Their encounters were brief, a slick comment thrown here and there. Hardly enough to even be considered an encounter. But it had me growing more anxious each time because Alec's natural sarcasm seemed to hit the exact right nerve in Emmett's body.

Which was likely why Esme was elected to go with them, by Alice, no less. The 'older' woman was the only one Alec didn't make snide remarks around. I hoped his unique respect for her was enough to keep both males at bay.

Rosalie hadn't left my side all day, making me realise nothing had changed since leaving the Volturi. I was still under guard all the time. Though, I had expected Rosalie to support her partner and treat me as Elizabeth had when Alec and Prosper were at odds. (Well, when Alec was at odds with Prosper). For this reason, I found her attention disquieting.

It was difficult to ignore the hesitant hostility between Alec and the Cullens. Alec was the cause of the tension more often than not. He'd said only a few words over the last few days, maintaining a diplomatic stature whenever we were not directly alone.

Still, the Cullen family had done their best to keep us, well me, occupied. Despite the sharp comments exchanged between Alec and Emmett, the latter was quite eager to assist in entertaining me. And even if Alec didn't, I liked him. I still wasn't entirely comfortable letting loose in their company, but I spent a majority of our time getting to know them through stories while Alec brooded in a corner. An absence of news from Volterra and a lack of updates from Prosper had made him unsettled, which did little to ease the atmosphere of the home.

Part of me felt disloyal for accepting the Cullens so easily when Alec had such strong disdain for the coven. But to ignore the family that was giving us refuge and support was something I couldn't bring myself to do. Especially when the alternative was spending 24/7 in a castle full of red-eyed vampires that had far less control than the Volturi's guard.

Rosalie spoke up, reminding me of her presence. "Would you like to talk about it?"

I barely turned my head, skipping another thin, flat pebble out on the calm water. "No, thank you," I said flatly.

She tried again, which frustrated me. "Emmett's a hothead, but he won't let anything happen to him."

I cut her off, "I'm not worried about Alec." She didn't believe me. "I'm not worried about anything. I'm just throwing rocks." I picked up a pebble from the pile I'd collected at my feet. It was heavier than the rest, and instead of skipping, it dropped into the water with a loud splash.

My voice was somewhat sour as I asked pointedly, "why'd they send you?"

"It made sense." I eyed her warily, waiting for some kind of threat. Elizabeth hadn't dared to threaten me outright, but what if Rosalie had no such qualms? She certainly had less to fear, with a mate like Emmett and her family/coven behind her. Even together, they were no match for Alec. Unless they used me, as Vladimir had done. Then, they would hardly break a sweat, and it would be the end of us.

I was being too emotional. I thought of Jane and what she might instruct me to do. My recollection of Jane's aura urged me to adopt her attitude. But for some reason, Rosalie sighed and said suggestively, though it bordered on rude, "you're handling everything quite well – for a human."

"I've had some time to adjust," I snapped back, picking another rock and not even bothering to skip it. The splash nearly reached us.

Dryly, she continued, "it's been four days."

Only four? The train ride – and everything that happened on it – seemed like weeks ago. I'd tried not to think about it much, and Alec left the topic alone as well. Though I was unsure of whether this was by design or merely coincidental.

I rolled my eyes to hide my hesitation. "I don't know what you want from me."

"You're not one of them." It was as if she knew this would get my attention, a hint of self-aggrandizement on her lips as I turned to stare at her. Or was it pity that I saw mixed up in her expression? "You don't have to be…this. We can help you." Clearly, the Cullens had some issues about their vampiric selves if they refrained from following their primal instincts and convinced themselves they were almost human. But this seemed a little extreme. Here she was, offering me a chance to avoid an immortal life. What did she have against being a vampire? And why did she care whether or not I became one too? Though her claims revealed her lack of awareness regarding my situation.

"When the Volturi told me that I had a choice – become one of them or die, I chose death." Knowing what I knew now, I understood their logic. It was arrogant, entitled logic, but logic nonetheless. She seemed taken aback by my brevity, but I continued before she could interrupt. "I didn't know it was a false option at the time, of course. And Alec…I don't understand it yet, not fully."

"If not for Alec, you wouldn't be in this situation."

I snorted. "I've only just stopped holding that against him." I glanced at her. It seemed we were still struggling to find the same wavelength. "What do you live for, Rosalie?"

"Pardon?"

"You and your family resent your immortal status. So, why do you stay?"

A thin line appeared between her brows, and beautiful blonde locks fell over her shoulder as she issued a denial. "You don't have to live for him."

I pressed my lips together, her words running through my mind over and over again.

"I know." My eyes left the ocean. "But what if I could?"

We didn't talk much after that. And despite my nonacceptance of her offer, the atmosphere between us was less strained.

Rosalie's voice entered the air only a few minutes later, announcing, "they're back."

She didn't wait for me to follow but started back towards the house at a human pace. I abandoned my pile of rocks, not far behind her.

Alice and Jasper pulled into the driveway at the front of the house, joining us just as Alec, Esme, and Emmett emerged from the trees. Not one of the three looked particularly pleased, though all three had shining bright eyes - two gold and one red. Esme stood in-between the two males – purposefully, it seemed – as she eyed both once they'd stopped in front of our newly formed group.

Emmett's clothing was rumbled and dusty, as if he'd rolled around in a damp patch of dirt. The others were dirt-free, and I briefly wondered if Emmett had wrestled with his meal. He'd bragged about it lightheartedly earlier, but I expected more than just dirt to ruin his clothes if that was the case. Maybe even a little blood.

But, it wasn't until Rosalie sped towards him that I put together his appearance was not standard after-meal attire for the man. Alice and Jasper had also picked up on this, albeit way before me, and their bodies were tensed. Jasper's eyes had narrowed in on Alec, so I followed his lead.

Alec's face was void of any identifying emotion, but I caught the end of his check-in with me. When my non-bleeding and lack of broken bones had been determined, he refocused on the professionalism of his diplomacy had officially dissipated. In fact, he appeared exhaustively bored as Rosalie demanded an answer.

"What happened?"

The front door opened and closed before anyone was willing to answer.

"Alec."

Carlisle walked out of the house and came to a stop beside me, hand extending a phone to Alec. The boy's jaw clenched as he took the phone, and his gaze darkened when someone addressed him on the other line. It was a woman's voice - probably Jane's. His glare was awarded to Carlisle before turning on his heel, immediately leaving our group.

His shoulders were stained with mud.

I made to follow him, but Esme stopped me.

"Saffiya." I turned, and she shook her head at me. Her voice was much sterner than usual, and I observed her face, noticing the same in her expressions. I considered disobeying, glancing back at Alec as he walked further away from us. I probably would have until I spotted Emmett, his eyes already on me. Rosalie was still trying to get him to acknowledge her, to tell her what happened. But he just stared at me.

This time, I scanned him in more detail to get my answers. Emmett stood nowhere near his full height, but his shoulders were hunched, tensed, and his fingers hung limply. He seemed to be relying on Rosalie to support his weight. Creases seemed almost permanent across his forehead. There was a gaunt look in his eyes, and his expression was dulled. The expected light in his eyes had been vanquished, momentarily. Though it probably lasted only seconds, the memory was still haunting him. His gaze dropped to the ground before looking up. He did this once, and then again while I observed him. It wasn't until the third time that I realized he was checking to reassure himself that the ground was still there beneath him.

I felt numb as I came to a deduction defined by a similar emptiness. And for the first time since we'd left Volterra, my tone held the same indifference that was so well-practiced by those in the castle. "Which one did he take?" I could see the others turn to me, but I stayed focused on Emmett as I waited for a response.

Of course, I'd been told about the over-eagerness the twins had for using their gifts, a problem that stemmed from their early vampirehood. I'd even seen it firsthand on more than one occasion. Though they were each quite proficient without it – Alec hadn't let me stick around to watch Jane fulfill Travis' sentence, and this decision alone felt like more proof to the point. Even still, when Alec numbed his victims, he revelled in it. But I hadn't expected Alec's distaste of the Cullens to reach this point of aggression.

"Everything." Carlisle was the only one who didn't react, but he and Esme made eye contact before she dropped her gaze in disappointment. Even Alice, who had clearly not foreseen this, gasped aloud and covered her mouth with both hands. Jasper's face darkened, but he held tight to Alice's hand.

I glanced beside Emmett to see that Rosalie's expression had become murderous, but her mate's hand reached out to her before she could chase after Alec. Whatever progress she and I had made was almost certainly voided.

"But…he didn't." Alice insisted. "I checked–"

Jasper spoke up. "Alec only knows how to respond with force. It's not his fault."

Rosalie hissed, "it wasn't an accident. He knew what he was doing." she turned to her mate so he could back her up.

Emmett's attention, however, had flickered back to me.

I frowned, irritation flooding me. Alec wouldn't be so careless as to attack without provocation. He needed a reason. A good one. "What did you do to him?"

Emmett's shame was prominent, puzzling the family members that did not yet know the whole story. Then, he admitted his actions. But he spoke so low, a vampire habit I despised, that all I could hear was a single word:

"...witch..."

It was all I needed for Alec's behaviour to make sense. Despite not yet understanding the connection, I had seen his reaction to the term. I'd been assuming it was one of the subjects that Alec was waiting till we were with Jane to fill me in on. But the consistency with which it was being used recently made me question the efficacy of that decision. Especially now. Was I supposed to stick up for him and berate Emmett? Or did we just move on? My lack of a reaction decided instead.

Emmett's eyes widened when I didn't recoil as if he expected me to have a much more dramatic response. Even though he'd whispered all but one freaking word. However, he wasn't the one who spoke.

"She doesn't know…how does–" She finally addressed me with an acid tongue towards my mate, "he hasn't told you?"

Carlisle immediately shut her down. "Rosalie, it's not our place."

"The hell it isn't," she snapped back, looking guilty a second later at Carlisle's expression.

"Rosalie," my voice was barely more substantial than a whisper, but her eyes flew directly to me. It was the first time I'd said her name aloud. "Please."

Her face softened, surprising me. "You deserve to know. He's not who you think."

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. What was that supposed to mean? Exactly how much credence could I put into her words when they hardly knew Alec better than I did. Or so I'd believed.

"Saffiya, why don't you wait for Alec inside?" Carlisle suggested, effectively shutting out the topic for the time being. "I think it's best he and Emmett spend some time apart."

I hesitated. The logic in his reasoning was spot on, and it pressed me to want to see Alec even more. Still, I couldn't help but feel like he was trying to get rid of me so they could talk. I wanted to know their side of the story, but I wanted to see Alec just as badly. Which Carlisle knew.

I studied the faces of the Cullen clan before agreeing and making my way inside with too much on my mind.

Thoughts that left as soon as I stepped inside the guest room – my room, for the time being. Alec was already inside, lying on the bed with his arm thrown casually behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.

"The oaf started it."

I struggled not to laugh at his childish defense, leaning back against the door to close it.

I hadn't expected him to say anything. At least not until he grew tired of moping. But, he seemed more petulant than lifted his head and was suddenly leaning against the end of the bed, fully aware of how disorienting his speed was to me.

"Why'd you do it?"

Alec grumbled, "he forgot his place."

I rolled my eyes, hopelessly confused by some of the ridiculous statements he made. "We're guests here, Alec. After everything we've asked of the Cullens, you have to, at the very least, respect them." It felt strange to be the one lecturing, especially after the last few months. Still, he grimaced at my words and I exhaled impatiently. "Fake it, if you must. Civility won't ruin your reputation."

"Our."

"What?"

"Our reputation." He flashed across the room, and I felt his fingers gently lifting my chin to close my mouth. "Jane and I are infamous and you've established yourself with Huda's coven. Word will spread, and rumours only grow." He was so confident, so sure of his world. He continued,

"And I do respect them." I scoffed at such an obviously false statement. His hand slipped around my waist, casually resting on my lower back. "If anyone can keep a human safe, it is the Cullens."

I raised my eyebrows, suggesting, "you ought to tell them that sometime. I'm sure they'd appreciate it."

He snorted. "Unlikely."

"Well, not if you don't mean it." I huffed, a little bothered by the lack of sentiment. "Haven't you ever heard the phrase: 'you catch more flies with honey'?"

His eyebrows furrowed in complete confusion. "Why would I want to catch flies?"

I shoved his shoulder in jest, letting the topic go for now, and he moved back to let me drift into the room. My rucksack stuck out in the corner, and I contemplated digging that journal out but decided against it. I settled for sitting on the end of the bed, letting my legs drift back and forth across from the carpet in the same spot he'd recently vacated.

"How long will we be here?"

Alec tilted his head, his eyes keen on my every movement. "Aro said to await further instructions. With Vladimir's attack, they will deliberate and gather more information from their guests."

"How long will that take?"

He assured me with a laugh, "not long." I sighed dramatically, and pursed my lips before asking a follow-up question.

"Will Huda's coven still be in Volterra?" He shot me a proud smirk.

"Looking for a rematch, are you?"

I grinned. "Let's just say I like my odds."

For the first time since we'd been behind enemy lines, he let out a full-bodied laugh. He flashed towards me, lifting me from the bed and wrapping his arms around me from behind. His chin rested in my shoulder blades, the unfamiliar weight tickled me as his voice grew huskier, "you will be quite the handful as a newborn, my darling."

I froze, my brain losing an ink cartridge and my heart erratically mimicking a scratched CD. I was sure he'd spoken about my life as a vampire before, what it would or could be. And this was a prediction that had already been declared by others. It was amusing, for the most part. But, for some reason, this time, the distress of the topic was magnified. How could I tell him that my newborn life was something we might never have.

Luckily, Alec didn't notice my lapse, and I was quickly distracted as his fingers squeezed my sides. Giggles burst from my lips, causing me to squirm out of his hold to keep from a hysterical fit. Alec quickly pulled me back in with a light touch and tracing a finger across my cheek as I settled down.

"I missed you," he murmured. The admission calmed me, a gentle jolt spreading from my stomach and pushing away the last of the time bomb nerves in the background. I made sure to take a deep breath before fully meeting his eyes.

He'd been gone for only a little over a day, but I'd forgotten what it was to see him, to not have to analyse my own memories to remember the exact shape of his brows. His eyes, the colour I used to paint the devil's kingdom, was now the most beautiful glow I'd ever seen. They saw straight through me, burned straight into my heart. The curves of his cheekbones, surprisingly prominent in such a young face. The details I desired of him were only found through the power lens of a camera. I was sure no painting could ever do his face and those eyes justice.

I realised I was no longer looking into his eyes but at his lips. And I wanted to do more than paint him.

Chapter Text

It was my turn to stare at him.

He had flipped the pages of the book in his hands several times already, his eyes running over the lines at an exaggeratedly human pace. His eyes never left it, but there was the tiniest hint of a self-satisfied smirk resting on his lips.

The tickle of the sea salt in my nose and the breeze off the ocean was almost strong enough to distract Alec from my scent. Or so he claimed. We'd made a mutual decision not to go back downstairs until everything calmed down. It was quiet and the sun was hiding behind the clouds, so after I re-wrapped my hand, ignoring the guilty, puppy dog look on Alec as I did, we ended up on the balcony off of the guest room.

I'd quickly abandoned my own version of a book - the journal, opting instead to lean against the railing and look out across the water. I'd missed being able to exist outside. But the ocean hardly held my attention much longer as it eventually drifted to the smug vampire behind me, and now I couldn't look anywhere else.

I sighed dramatically as he wove a hand through his hair, combing through silky locks with the artful shine of an obsidian rock. Locks just thick enough to wrap around a finger before falling back to caress the nape of his neck. It was more tousled than he usually wore it and I attributed this to his half rumble in the woods. Though I was more curious as to why he hadn't bothered to fix it, because he'd changed clothing and might as well have adjusted the strands out of place on his head. Instead, he'd left them alone and I quite preferred it, if I was being honest.

Alec peeked up at me, and the corner of his lips turned up into a total shit-eating grin as he leaned back in his chair.

"See something you like?"

I dismissed his statement, rolling my eyes at the shamelessness he exhibited and finally looking away. Though a part of his response pleased me, as it was a break from his stoic persona. He chuckled, the sound setting fire to my nerves and surely notifying my heart of his behaviour. His arrogance had always been infuriating, only now I was able to pick out the emotion that spread just as passionately as the annoyance did: a rapturous, frenzied fervour. The acknowledgement only made me glare harder into the horizon.

In a honeyed voice, he pressed on, "is that a yes, tesoro?" [darling]

I huffed, turning my back on him completely. "Not a chance."

I sensed him before he touched me. A tender hold appearing on either side of my waist as his arms overlapped to encompass my midsection. I leaned into the safety of his embrace as he pulled me closer, not willing to forgo this feeling for the half-hearted chest joined the rise and fall of my own, synchronizing the pace even if he wasn't truly breathing. The light pressure of his chin on my shoulder came next and he nuzzled the bridge of his nose into the crook of my neck. His lips brushed over the skin behind my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. I could feel the prideful laughter reverberate in his chest.

It was still new, the open and bashful desire to feel the skin, the presence of each other. Something we were stalling to admit, still too timid to say it aloud, but now all too willing to engage in the behaviours. Without the full discussion.

I turned in his arms, finding his face only inches from though I knew he was behind me, I didn't expect us to be quite so close. My heart trembled — or was it my knees that were losing their balance in anticipation of what was to come. As if he knew, he moved closer to me. His chest pressed to mine and he placed his hand on my back, supporting my body on the balcony's railing and protecting me from the metal.

Those same, oh so familiar butterflies were fluttering at a pace that nearly made me nauseous. And yet, it was intoxicating. His eyes searched mine before dropping to my lips. I wet them as if second nature, struggling to employ the patience he seemed to have mastered. I missed the smoothness of his lips, the taste of his tongue, and the claim he had on me every time we touched. I craved the spark, the connection, the completeness that came with it.

Alec tilted his head, and his lips ghosted over mine as if waiting for me to stop him. My eyelids followed his lead, fluttering closed. He hovered above me, and I worried he might change his mind before he secured his mouth firmly against mine.

This was different from any moment we'd shared before. It was the exhilaration of firsts, the melting of a sweet candy on the tongue. It was new and yet utterly familiar, like a dream of a past life. A rose that had willingly given its thorns for a chance at a moment like this. His lips were velvet, delicate as they moved with mine. Eager and tender, desperate to prolong the feeling of my lips connected with his. It was patience, well worth the wait.

We parted gradually and my breath reappeared like a lost thought. I bit my bottom lip, knowing that if I opened my eyes it was over. I wanted to cherish the euphoric wave for as long as I could. His hand held me tight to him and he made no indication of letting any more space separate our bodies. His lips barely brushed mine once more before he breathed out in a husky voice,"tutto ciò che sono è tuo." [all that I am is yours]. I swallowed, the words sounding beautiful but ultimately lost to me.

His eyes swept up to coax mine open with his, his grip gently squeezing my side.

"Ditto," I said, a grin spreading across my face. Alec watched me with amusement as I pulled away, using the opportunity to claim his abandoned chair.

I sat on the edge of the seat and reached for his sleeves. He moved closer, letting me roll them up to just below his elbow. His skin was soft despite the marble similarities that defined his exposed forearms, and I wasn't able to explain why, but the sight sent a tinge of something unfamiliar to my raised his eyebrows, but continued to regard me with a bemused expression as I silently asked for his other arm. When I was satisfied with the adjustment, he took my place at the railing.

A shout from downstairs drew my attention away from him. "They are playing video games," Alec filled me in. I laughed, scooting back in the oversized chair and leaning into it.

"Who's winning?"

He scowled. "The brute."

I squinted, pretending to scrutinise him."Okay, buzzkill. You're not in Volterra anymore." His full brows lifted in offense to the dig. "Being around the Cullens is the perfect excuse to loosen up. They're so…light." Volterra was plenty 'light', but the Cullens were more open about the things that appealed to them.

He scowled. "If I were to even consider such a notion, and they breathed a word of it to another coven, I would lose all credibility in our world." I snorted. "Something to say, have you?"

"Who would believe them?" I started off humorously. "Even if another vamp did think to challenge you, your gift is a fearful deterrent enough." He turned to look out over the water, but I didn't pick up on the change and continued teasingly, "you can take my word for it."

My joking tone did nothing to lessen Alec's reaction, one I did not expect. His fists clenched and the restriction echoed throughout the rest of his body. His forearms, now visible to me, and his shoulders flexed, tensing in response to my words. I frowned, standing, but only taking a small step towards him.

"Alec?" I'd hardly said his name before he reached out for me. His arm wrapped around my waist and with a quick tug, his lips abruptly captured mine in a hard kiss. He pulled away almost immediately, leaving my head spinning to question if it had happened at all. He released me, but I refused, collecting myself and taking his face in my hands. Alec placed a hand over mine and took a deep breath before lifting his head.

His expression hardened and the intensity in his eyes was enough to devour any humour I'd previously exhibited. If his eyes were telling the truth, he should have appeared broken, distraught even and I had to question what I believed was my talent for deciphering Alec. But it was as if he'd been overtaken by his formal persona. And I was clueless as to why.

I kept his focus, willing the serenity of our location to him, and hoping it made a difference. His eyelashes kissed his cheek, shut tight, and I worried that he'd closed himself off. However, as he opened them, his muscles relaxed little by little, but he clenched his jaw as he took in my expression. His hands found their place on my hips and his features finally softened, but the frustration was evident in the lines on his forehead and the piercing nature of his gaze.

There was no need to prompt him for an explanation, as he offered one right away. "My sister has never experienced the destructive nature of my gift, nor have I endured hers." I wished I could be surprised by this. And though I thought I'd experienced Jane's gift, I had certainly experienced his. If he had any idea of what his gift could do — which he did — I doubted any amount of anger towards his sister would trigger an attack with his power. A position that no doubt went both ways, and Alec was only confirming it. "It is one of my deepest regrets that you cannot share this claim…"

My lips parted with his confession, and the flood of pain he'd hidden previously now dominated his features. My hands dropped to his chest, desperate to fight back his demons. "Alec, I was only joking. It doesn't matter to me."

"It should." His words were uttered with a deep self-loathing. My chest constricted, a mimicking emotion filling up the space between my lungs and my veins. I had suspicions, but I would never have believed his gift could cause the reaction I was witnessing. Jane loved her gift. Alec was less blatant about it, but the grandiosity whenever he used it had convinced me that he appreciated his gift more than not. But perhaps I'd just taken the word of observers, as he had never spoken about his power to me.

Still, it wasn't as if he'd used it on me for fun. "You were following an order. I know that now…"

"An order that would not have been given had I not been so reckless." My fingers began to twist in the fabric of his shirt, my concern growing.

"What do you mean?"

He paused for a minute, and it reminded me that we were alone, but we could still be heard as clear as day. Alec chose his words carefully, though his vulnerability was unavoidable. "Aro knew what it would have meant to me for you to be untouched by something as terrible as what Jane and I can do."

"Then, why—"

"I spilled blood in Volterra." He brushed the wisps of hair off my face, the wind still playing gleefully in the air around us. "We are fortunate it is all the Masters took from us." He reached for my hand, bringing it to his lips, returning to his preferred role of protector, comforter.

I didn't realise why until my voice came out in a weaker whisper than I expected. He was always one step ahead of me. "Is that why I'm still human?"

He hummed before letting out an empty, out of place laugh. "Aro courted Sulpicia when she was human and Marcus with his mate." Didyme. "Perhaps it is a rare show of sentiment." Rare indeed. What were they playing at? On the surface, it appeared that the Masters wished to give Alec the same opportunity and the experience of falling for his mate that they had had. A kind of grooming for their prized possession. Or were we an experiment? A test to challenge their Prince? Whether their intentions were pure or wicked, I questioned if they initially considered that even if Alec proved himself worthy, I might not pass their test. That I would survive their game, only to succumb to the venom they would inject into my veins.

I met Alec's eyes, and I swear, at that moment, I was ready to tell him. He had the right to know that his sister's gift was useless in improving my chances of survival. He deserved to prepare himself for the worst case scenario, which was looking a lot more like the only scenario. My tongue prepared to form the words to do so. But I couldn't.

My hesitance was not because I didn't want to spend forever with him. It was that I could not fathom forever as a tangible option. Planning for the future – any future was more than a foreign concept to me.

My entire world was stuck from the moment I was in this pervasive pattern of everyday activities going wrong and hospital trips after every minuscule fall. The future was for someone who knew they had one. I risked a funeral the first time I tried riding a bike and took a fall on the pavement. Tasks as simple as baking a cake could result in a 3rd-degree burn, and I nearly chewed my lip in half before I taught myself to recognize the differences in the pressure of my teeth.

It was rare that an individual with a congenital insensitivity to pain would ever celebrate their twenty-fifth birthday. This countdown hung over my life like a storm cloud from the moment I was born. If only I'd known it was waiting for me to live amongst a castle of vampires till it ran out. Whether Jane's gift worked or not, it wasn't as if I was giving up a lifetime. 10 years at the most. How many hospital visits and broken bones did I have left in me to even hope I'd last that long?

I was well aware of how fragile my life was, aware of what could guarantee the end of it. That was how I went about every single day. But this also meant that I was ready to live. And perhaps that was what I believed the Volturi had taken from me.

But as I looked at Alec, I realized that, at the same time, it was what the Volturi were attempting to give me.

Inside the room, his phone beeped. He flashed away and back, squeezing my hand upon his return.

He answered with a clear tone. "Caius."

I let go of his hand, slipping away from him. Alec frowned sadly at me, but I left him to his duties. He wouldn't have let me listen in anyways. Not if it was any bit interesting.

If Emmett was winning his video games, I assumed the household had gone back to normal. At least, I hoped it would remain that way if I joined them downstairs.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs to see Emmett and Jasper in a heated game of some superhero game. I stood in the hall, gripping the bannister for a self-inflicted awkward moment before my name was called. I turned to see Esme in the room diagonal. She raised a paintbrush.

"Would you like to join me?"

I nodded gratefully, accepting the brush from her cold hands. Newspapers covered the floor as protection from the paint cans and wet walls. Not that vampires really needed extra care. Though I soon realized, it might have been set in preparation for me.

Esme smiled as if she could see my thought process.

"Alec mentioned that you enjoyed painting."

I did a double take, wondering how on earth they had gotten on the topic. "He did?"

Her smile brightened. "Why don't you take that wall? You can paint whatever you like."

I tilted my head, taking in the wall across from the window. "The whole wall? You don't want another solid colour?"

"With an artist like you on hand?" Her youthful teasing was distinctly parental, but it didn't bother me. Actually, I kind of appreciated her nature.

Despite her reassurance, I debated with a shy request, "I need a picture to base it off of."

A gust of wind signalled the prompt arrival of Alice, who held out a printed piece of paper tucked inside a cookbook. "Here." She pointed to the image on the loose leaf and waited patiently for me to assess it while also tilting it away from Esme's curious observance. "So? It'll be a surprise."

I was nervous before I recognized the painting and I looked back up. Alice winked, clearly already aware of my answer. "Okay," I agreed with a laugh. She nearly squealed with delight before disappearing as quickly as she came, leaving the cookbook in my arms.

I closed the book on the looseleaf and placed it in front of the wall. I opted for a spare pencil, replacing it with the paintbrush, to at least outline my sketch - subtly, to keep Alice's surprise a secret. Painting a mural was much different from using a canvas, especially for the specific image I'd been asked to re-create. I was extraordinarily curious as to the significance of the painting, driven by Alice's desire to keep it secret. But she'd been so excited and I was eager to bring more than drama to the family that had taken us in.

It wasn't until I'd changed to using actual paint that Esme attempted to start a conversation.

"Who taught you how to paint, Saffiya?" The wall was still empty, and her faith in Alec's claim was astounding to me.

I bit my lip, answering before she could pick up on my doubt. "My father."

"Was he an artist?"

Well… "Of sorts." He left most of the actual creation of the art to me towards the end.

In a gentle redirect, Esme prompted me again. "And how are you liking Volterra?"

"It's been..." I wanted to keep the conversation light. "The Volturi have the most amazing collection of art and books I've ever seen, so I've spent a lot of time staring at walls and reading."

To my relief, she laughed and didn't ask for any more detail. "Carlisle has said the same."

I borrowed the mini ladder in the middle of the room and carried it over just as we gained a guest.

Alice returned, heading straight to the window seat across from my wall and smiling widely when I acknowledged her.

In another indication of perfect timing from Alice, Emmett poked his head in the doorway. His face lit up when he saw me and I was slightly worried that he had nefarious intentions. It seemed doubtful, as he hadn't given me any reason to believe he would – despite his scuffle with Alec only hours ago. He wasn't angry with me when I asked him questions upon their return either. I'm not sure whether it was Jasper's influence or my own reasoning that changed my mind, however, because the blond followed Emmett into the room. This family certainly had a habit of appearing wherever the conversation was – no matter the size of the room, it seemed.

He reached out for a paintbrush, but Esme gently smacked his hand away. The smile remained as he posted up on an unpainted wall. Jasper went to join Alice at the window and I realized this would be more than idle chatter.

Still, I only gave them a third of my attention, bringing a dark blue to outline the backdrop.

"Whatcha making?"

I threw him a smirk, tilting my head towards the window. "Ask Alice."

Alice beamed, "it's a surprise!" I could hear the deep laughter from Jasper at his wife's antics and a moan of disdain from Emmett. I got the sense this was quite common for the coven. They may be small, but they seemed to keep entertained with domestic life.

A flash of blonde alerted men to Rosalie's arrival, but I was too nervous to meet her eyes. She had been livid with Alec and I was far from ready to deal with it. She certainly seemed the type to hold a grudge and as far as I was concerned, Alec could take the brunt of arrival did make the room feel even smaller, Emmett's presence already taking up a hefty amount of space. But it was more cozy than cramped – despite the fact that it was devoid of anything but paint cans.

"So, kiddo." Emmett's natural smirk curved up with mischievous intent. "What happened to your hand?" He really was quite curious, like a pestering 2-year-old.

"Eh." I waved it off, ironically with the injured hand. "Alec." I casually answered, as if just the name supplied all the answers they'd need and I continued brushing small paint strokes on the wall.

There was a gasp. "He broke your wrist?" My hand jumped at the implication and I dropped the paintbrush, letting it splatter on the floor. Thank god they'd put the newspaper down.

"Oh my goodness – No. I hit him." I emphasized, absolving Alec of associated blame.

Emmett deadpanned, "you're kidding."

"- why on earth would you do that?"

The rest were quiet and the temperature in the room was rising purely on emotion. Esme's face was so full of concern I almost felt guilty for answering the question in the first place. I knew how the Cullens felt about Alec, and dread filled me in fear that I'd made the tense relationship even worse. But, I hesitated to answer. Not wanting to outright lie to them but trying to figure out how to explain the idiotic move.

"I kissed her." My jaw dropped and I whipped my head to the source of the voice.

Alec was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed with a sly smirk. Outside of Prosper, no one but us knew precisely what had caused my minor accident. I was absolutely floored that Alec offered up the information in the first place, let alone to a group he'd hardly said a few non-threatening words around. It was brazen, un-calculated, antithetical to the mask he'd presented to them.

It didn't exactly absolve him of blame either. But, it turned out to be the perfect ice breaker.

Emmett's booming laughter almost shook the house, triggering an immediate release as everyone seemed to transition into a more relaxed atmosphere. I rubbed my head in embarrassment and a hint of annoyance. Emmett patted my head, despite the extra height provided by the ladder, and ignored the icy glare Alec sent him.

"Feisty little rugrat!" Emmett teased with an obnoxious guffaw. I pushed his shoulder in jest but it hardly phased him.

"Climbin' out of car windows, takin' on supernatural creatures." Jasper tossed up, "sound like anyone we know?"

"Not in the slightest." Rosalie sneered at Jasper, who held his hands up in submission. He winked at me when she'd turned away.

But not a moment later, his face dropped into a grimace and his eyes sought the cause.

"Alec." The room stopped, indicative of a shared insecurity that still lingered on the lack of trust. Jasper was skeptic, but asked, "what is it?"

Crimson eyes fell upon me as I stepped down from the ladder, curiosity rising. Which was probably exactly what Alec wished to avoid. "I have news from Volterra," he admitted.

Alec's gaze left mine and he turned his chin to the side, revealing the missing Cullen standing behind him with a grim expression.

"There's been an attack."

Chapter Text

Alec surveyed the landscape outside the window, arms crossed over his chest with a flash of discontent skating by the blank light of the attack – which was all we could call it as Alec hadn't given us any more information – Aro had given him instructions to read the Cullens in on the current threat assessment.

He had watched me when I entered the room, and it was as if a part of him didn't want me to hear what he had to relay. I did not know whether it was because he thought it would scare me or out of some misguided protective instinct. Whatever it was, he looked away the instant our eyes met, and I remained in the dark.

We were gathered around the family room in the house. A well-loved light blue piano was in the corner, leaving room for the sitting area. Emmett had claimed it, leaning on top of the instrument and flexing his wrists impatiently.

My eyes moved through the rest of the coven like a checklist, yielding to my bias and picking Jasper out next. The blond stood stoically in the doorway, lost in contemplation. Alice appeared behind him not a moment later, moving a phone from her ear and slipping it into her pocket. She placed a hand on Jasper's forearm. He tilted his head down to her as the girl nodded and smiled reassuringly at him, their own non-verbal language. I didn't miss the glance she sent my way, as if she knew something I didn't. I wondered just how much.

Esme had set a cup of tea in front of me before sitting on the loveseat opposite. The mug was thick, the kind that wouldn't shatter into tiny pieces if you dropped it. I didn't touch it for fear that it might. Still, the gesture was more than appreciated, and I hoped I'd communicated it well enough with a mere "thank you."

Alec was right; the Cullens were very good with humans.

Carlisle and Rosalie were the last to enter. He greeted his wife directly across from me, and to my surprise, Rosalie proceeded to join me on the couch without a word. Despite the new arrivals, the silence prevailed, and I allowed myself to check in with our storyteller.

Like a moody teenager, he knew he could avoid his orders no longer. "What do you want to know?" Alec aimed his question at Carlisle, but it seemed to open questions up to the other Cullens. Before anyone could reply, Carlisle responded.

"Why don't you start at the beginning. Aro has shared only what he deemed to be necessary details."

Alec responded indignantly, "I am to answer questions, not tell bedtime stories–"

"Alec." The scolding came naturally but unexpectedly from my throat. It was almost as if he were testing their loyalty. Though Aro did not seem to doubt it, Alec had made it crystal clear that he did not have faith in the Cullens. Even if he'd been forced to trust them with our lives, but he knew I wanted answers as well.

He stared right back at me until, to my immense surprise, he faced around and gave the Cullens his full attention. He delved right in, "we began receiving reports nearly a year ago regarding small groups of newborns, untrained and careless, appearing in small provinces in northern Africa and spanning well into Austria. Mere nuisances, but a suspicious increase nonetheless. Our guards would clear one collection, only for another to rise in the following weeks.

"It became predictable, but we were unprepared when one of our scouting teams was attacked. A single guard returned with a taunt from his assailants that claimed we were 'missing a few'." There were a few perplexed looks around the room, but I lifted my chin. Alec was sharing the details I had only guessed at when these events occurred, and so much had happened since then, I could hardly remember. Surely, the Cullens had no need for this much detail. Was he doing it for me?

"It was not until we managed to capture one of the newborns' creators that we understood the message. His name was Zafir, and he and other vampires had been creating newborns, keeping a favourite, and leaving their mess for us."

Jasper's voice was much more profound, darker than I was prepared for, "they're building an army."

"Selecting an army," Alec concluded. Some faces in the room fell in mourning for the lives of innocents. Something that Alec hardly considered as he continued, "Zafir's coven disregards the Volturi's influence and the laws of our world. In his leader's name, he demanded the Volturi abdicate from power and threatened war if the Masters did not agree."

"Talk about guts." Emmett received several disapproving looks from his family. But, he didn't know how right he was, and Alec chose not to share the details. Instead, he charged back against Emmett's minimisation.

"He praised his leader, Razin, and espoused falsities that romanticized a time before the Volturi established peace."My first introduction to the story of the Romanians was that their reign was characterized by absolute control over humans and vampires alike. I could see the appeal – at least, from a movie villain's perspective. But in actual practice?

Jasper frowned, "that explains why Razin would be working with the Romanians."

"He's radicalizing vampires." Carlisle deducted with great disturbance and intrigue. Deep lines appeared on his forehead as his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. He leaned forward, inquiring, "what else do you know about him?"

Alec's face darkened. "Not enough." He clenched his jaw, hating to confess to anything less than the eminence of his coven. "Using the information Aro collected from Zafir, we have tracked down other followers. All of whom exhibited the same blind loyalty to Razin but knew nothing of his location."

With a snarky tone, Rosalie challenged, "how do you know they weren't lying to you?"

Alec spared her less than a second with a glare to remind her who she was speaking to and what he was capable of. And for a moment, I shared his superiority as she glanced at her husband in her moment of weakness. Guilt quickly followed. I genuinely liked Rosalie, and the idea that I could revel in her fear almost made me sick.

"Had we known the Romanians were involved, we may have responded with more haste. We did not consider this threat truly credible until Aro received a letter from Huda," Carlisle nodded at the name. "She had heard whispers among nomads who shared similar beliefs but had not dared to challenge the Volturi's laws."

Esme chimed in for the first time, her voice sweet and contrasting to the entire conversation. "Which is why he sent you here."

The Prince nodded. "The Masters are…consulting with our allies for any information they may have come across." This was one of the most Mob/High-class crime family sentences that Alec had ever said, and I couldn't even enjoy it.

The Cullens exchanged looks, doubting Alec's claim before someone stated, "you're hiding her." There was no doubt they were talking about me. It was much less of an accusation than I would have expected, the tone more one of understanding.

There was a pause, and I hardly noticed that I was holding my breath for the answer.

"For as long as we are able," Alec confessed, his eyes moving to me. "While Razin and his coven are aware of Saffiya, it appears that others remain in the dark. Though, Razin has already tried to use her to their advantage."

Jasper put it together first. "That's why Vladimir thought he could best you."

"Yes," Alec said. "Now, I have just been informed that the attempt was not originally Vladimir's plan – but Razin's." I sat a little straighter. "Prosper has discovered that Razin had planned to overtake us during our return to Volterra, but Vladimir grew impatient. Had the Romanian not attacked us, we would have been unprepared for Razin's greater numbers." His so-called Resistance.

"Where is Stefan in all of this?" Carlisle questioned.

"Unaccounted for." Alec threw in, annoyed with the name. "But the attack on Prosper was a blessing in disguise." Attack on Prosper? I was almost worried, but Alec had already told us that this was Prosper's information. Which meant he was okay. That he was in Volterra. I released a breath for my friend.

"How is that?"

"Razin did not consider my sister and me to be a threat to his plans. Now we know why."

It was Emmett who said it aloud. "Because he intended to kill you."

Alec's eyes met mine, and my lips parted as he admitted. "Aye." Because I made him vulnerable. I'd been led to believe it was always going to be the other way around, but that assumed he was invincible. Which, despite his pride, he was not.

Emmett continued with his carefree and eager but blunt affect, "why is this good news, again?"

Alec tore his eyes from mine, still visibly frustrated with his role and sharing inside information with a coven he despised on principle. "Prosper's discovery has given us our first advantage over our enemy. Vladimir's disobedience has heightened our defences, something Razin believes has made his plan obsolete."

Jasper's strategic commentary added in, "he'd be right. And if the rest of his plan to overthrow the Volturi relied on the assumption that Alec would no longer be a factor, then he's going to need a new one."

A lighter voice added, "which would take time."

The soldier reluctantly contradicted his wife, "but we still do not know his end goal. There must be a reason he was arrogant enough to announce his intentions if his plan was not infallible."

The Volturi member confirmed, "this is the question that prompted Aro's request." He addressed Alice.

Jasper shifted, almost as if doing so was protecting his wife from an invisible danger. "Which is?"

Alec ignored Jasper, asking, "is it possible to track Razin's decisions, perhaps even his location with your gift?"

"I could try." Alice hesitated, "it's not easy, but I've done it before."

"That you attempt to do so is all we ask."

Alice nodded her head slowly, "I'll do my best."

Someone asked Alec another question, but my ears were growing clouded, my head spinning. The environment, the atmosphere was suffocating. But, this was good news. We finally won one over on Razin and his Resistance. We weren't in the clear, but the unknown was far more complicated to fight than a faltered enemy. This was excellent news. So, why did I feel so uneasy?

"Excuse me," I stood abruptly, and Alec flinched as if to move and protect me from something he couldn't see, identical to Jasper's actions for Alice only moments ago. We were learning. He stopped himself as I made my way past Rosalie and through the middle of the makeshift circle to exit the room.

"Give her a minute," I heard from behind me. Then, "what happened on the train?"

I just needed to breathe.

I didn't go far, choosing to return to the previous room we'd occupied. I picked up my abandoned paintbrush and opened the book to Alice's page. She had chosen Starry Night over the Rhone, van Gogh's first version of the painting that was so famous today. I had little need to study the image, having some experience recreating it (although never on a wall). But I needed a moment.

I was going to need more colours. The blues contribute to the scene below the sky as a base for the orange, yellow, and even green. I stared at the couple underneath the street light in the picture. They were ordinary people. No vampire world with threats around every corner, full of other vampires that would love to see me suffer for grievances I was not responsible for. All because 'fate' decided the trouble was worth pairing a vampire with a human for all eternity, both promising and threatening eternity. For a second time, apparently.

Trouble, I had to admit, that I also brought along. I had created the circumstances for Travis to remain in our lives, purposefully or not. I picked a different brush size and put it in my back pocket, an old habit. I stepped on the ladder to return to where I'd left off in the leftish centre of the wall.

The memory of what had happened on the train was fresher than I thought. With everything going on, especially with Alec, I hadn't the time to replay it in my mind from start to finish. Not that I wanted to. Quite the opposite. I had been more worried about Alec at the time, especially if they overpowered him, which they did.

What I had not revisited was the time before Alec arrived. The sight of Travis had been enough, and a flash of his face nearly sent me off the ladder. Was this fear? Fear for what, exactly? I had to take a deep breath to calm my quickly increasing heart rate before someone came to check on me. Clearly, it was best not to recall the event.

I missed the atmosphere of the Volturi's castle, dark and morbid as it was. I was attached to the individuals there that had entered my life, and it'd only been a few months. I wasn't sure if it was a good development or a bad one because, technically, they had kidnapped me. The betrayal of the nuns still stung with the hurt of a child, and though I would have liked to travel more than I had in the last few months, I had nowhere to return to. My father was gone, and whether I liked it or not, Volterra and the vampires residing there had become as close to a home as I had. Fate, destiny or whatever you wanted to call it, was working overtime for this. Good, I thought.

I had a visitor. My head tilted up to look over my shoulder, but his eyes weren't on me. They were taking in what I'd painted so far. I continued my work while he observed the wall, determined to finish sooner rather than later.

"It looks familiar." As if he didn't know.

I smiled, "don't tell. Alice is determined to keep it a secret."

Silence. Then, "you have an extraordinary talent, Tesoro." [Darling]

"Thank you." I brushed the compliment off, trying not to let it feed my already inflated ego on the subject. "Chalk it up to practice."

"My superior vision," the arrogance on this boy, "allows me to see every detail, every brushstroke that you have made." I breathed out a laugh, facing the painted wall as well. "Extraordinary is a reaction."

My brush continued along as I teased him, "then, I should avoid distractions. Seeing as it is meant for the viewing of vampires."

"You will see it as we do, one day soon."

The smile slowly fell from my face, and I kept my eyes on the wall so Alec wouldn't notice. "Felix and Demetri are finishing business elsewhere but will arrive to escort us back to Volterra within a few days."

"Just Felix and Demetri?"

I knew he wouldn't want to delve into the details, and he shook his head to confirm that the two men would not be coming alone. Just in case Razin did try anything. Another rabbit hole I didn't dare explore.

"Is Prosper going to be okay?" I asked him, now focusing on the minor details of every purposeful swipe of the paint.

"I was not apprised of anything to indicate otherwise."

I rolled my eyes and shot him a half glare over my shoulder. "You didn't think to ask?"

He shrugged, so oblivious to my point that it was almost endearing. Alec lifted a hand as if to touch the paint on the wall, and I smacked it away. He smirked, stepping closer to the ladder, but I did my best to ignore the petulant behaviour.

"Did he find Elizabeth?"

"That," he assured me, "they would have mentioned." I frowned, biting my lip as Alec turned around as if to leave the room. While disappointed, I didn't check to see. This is why, after a short while of silence, when a hand brushed against my lower back, my heart shot. I spun around and nearly set the ladder off balance.

Both Alec's hands had a firm hold on my hips, a light pressure that steadied me. His eyes were wide with surprise, but the longer he stared at my face, the more his expression feared the worst. I blinked, stepping off the stairs as Alec released me. His gaze was fixed on me, and I wanted to avoid the speculative look. Only we came chest to chest, and my eyes immediately dropped to his lips. Where I spotted the dark blue streak of paint across his jaw.

I snorted, covering my mouth to hide the bubble of laughter that burst out at the sight.

Alec tilted his head to the side, confusion dazzling his features as he tried to make sense of my complete shift in mood. I bit my lip a little harder than I probably should've in an attempt to quell the giggles long enough to run a finger across his jaw and show him the paint.

"Oops," I said, immediately bursting into another round of raucous laughter. Until my brush was swiped from my hand, and an arm tugged me back into Alec's chest. I was still laughing when the smooth bristles of the brush caressed the bridge of my forehead to the tip of my nose. I gasped and tried to break from his grasp. I squirmed in his arms to no avail, leftover giggles still escaping me as I complained, "not fair!"

His arm disappeared as soon as I willed it, and I wiped my hand over my face as if that was a good idea to get rid of the paint. A genuine, full smile broke out of Alec's face at my foolishness and his shoulders began to shake. My jaw dropped, offended and irritated that my fun got turned around on me. I looked down at my hand, covered in the paint and tried to hide my grin.

Alec came towards me, still teasing but ready to make peace. I turned my hand just a second too soon, and I was caught – literally. He smirked, and the butterflies in my stomach made a comeback. He intertwined my painted hand with his and leaned in to press a sweet kiss to my lips.

The serious conversations that had previously engulfed us were forgotten, if only for a few bouts of shared laughter.

He pulled away, and I frowned at the tingle on the inside of my forearm. I glanced down to see a line of fresh paint that ran up from my wrist along the inside of my arm.

And the immaturity that followed, is why Alice banned Alec from the paint room.

Looking back, dear Reader, I wish I'd cherished it more. Especially him.

Before everything turned to hell in a handbasket.

Chapter Text

"Is he always like this, or is it just us?"

I glanced over my shoulder.

An extraordinarily moody Alec was posted up by the front door, phone to his ear. His mouth was set in a hard line, and upon first glance, he would appear grim, stoical and uninterested in his conversation all at the same time. He ran a hand through his hair and for some reason, the sight made the corners of my lips lift up. Everything was shifting, and we were adjusting, but it was the little habits that sent me. I made sure to hide it when I re-entered the conversation, keeping what privacy I could for Alec and myself. Though I would've liked nothing more than to –

I shrugged. "Depends who he's talking to." I grabbed for another hat on the wall, tossing it towards Emmett. "Add that one."

Emmett examined the green hat with bright red daisies and decided it was ugly enough to add on top of the other four on his head. He bent down to admire himself in the mirror.

"What about sharks?"

He squinted, but grinned brightly a second later. "You'd have to catch 'em."

I snorted, "you expect me to believe you've never tried?"

"Hey smarty pants," he cocked his hip and pointed a finger at me. Which was even less intimidating with the tower of flower hats on his head. And it had me missing certain friends of mine. "You don't know my–"

"Yes," Jasper rounded the corner with a faux fur jacket draped over his arm. "Multiple times."

"Et tu, Jazz?"

Jasper shrugged his brother's dramatics off, lifting up the large men's winter coat to show me. "Wicked," I approved the fashion addition, so he helped me add it over the two similar ones I already had on. Quite a difficult task considering both the weight and the sleeves building up.

While Emmett was going afternoon tea hat shopping, I was preparing for a winter adventure in Narnia. The three of us had made camp in the fitting room lounge area in the assorted clothing store, hidden behind half-walls and essentially making a mess of a bunch of accessory items while Alice and Rosalie shopped.

It was the fourth clothing store in the informal shopping center. We'd gone into each of them, though they weren't nearly enough for Alice. She had insisted on buying both Alec and my's clothing for the rest of our time with them, which made sense seeing as we were wearing Jasper and Rosalie's old clothes, but she'd eventually gotten fed up with my fidgeting and sent me to sit with the boys.

The recent news about Razin made it feel safer to leave the Cullen's property. This, paired with the fact that once we returned to Volterra, leaving the castle would be a nonstarter, made me practically beg to go with the women. Of course, Alec insisted on coming along, which required extra precaution in the form of Jasper and Emmett. It wasn't too bad. Emmett and Alec seemed to have settled their differences by not speaking, which was the best anyone could hope for. It also allowed Emmett and I to bond over our boredom. Though, being out and about was enough for me.

"So, do you guys factor in an animals' risk of extinction when you hunt or is it just like, eh, to you?"

I didn't get an answer, because the instant Emmett saw me he let out a single guffaw and pointed like a child. "You look like a baby bear!" I laughed along, spinning as if to show my attire off because, to be fair, I was sort of drowning under the three outrageous coats.

Jasper chuckled, resettling the heavy material as it began to fall off my shoulders before re-claiming to his fabulously poor quality leopard fabric chair. Which might have been, hands down, the ugliest thing in the place.

I reached for another hat hanging on the wall a few inches short of my fingertips, but another individual got to it first. Alec deposited it into my hands straight away but was frowning when I faced him. As expected, he'd refused to wear contacts, preferring to look like a pompous tool every time we went inside. And they said I was the stubborn one. He raised an eyebrow as he took in the sight before him. Emmett was balancing a stack load of hats like a debutante practising posture and Jasper, who had allowed us to load him up with a boatload of plastic necklaces and bracelets was lounging back in amusement. And me, who challenged him.

I declared his inconvenience, "excuse you, sir, but I have important matters to attend to." A hint of a smirk quirked up at the edges of his lips, hardly noticeable through his mask of steel. His eyes flickered to the fur of my coats, and his hand rose to feel my forehead, testing my temperature. I went to smack him away for trying to ruin the fun, but he removed it just as quickly.

He took a seat across from Jasper as Emmett and I continued to goof around, getting more ridiculous by the minute.

"I say! I rather like your hat," I complimented the giant with some oddly ancient and exaggerated made-up line set him up perfectly. I'd seen the joke on the tip of his tongue since the moment he put on the second hat. Which made him even rowdier as he exclaimed in a similar accent,

"Which one!"

This was as far as we got before thinking we were the cleverest comedians since Le Chat Noir. We burst into a fit of giggles and I took a sweeping bow to him, tipping off an imaginary hat. When he tried to copy me, he bent over and the hats came tumbling onto the floor. We froze and then fell right back into raucous laughter.

I'm positive that Jasper and Alec were not as entertained by our plight in any means. Still, I pointed at Emmett to make fun and mimicked his bow. But I swung up too fast and stumbled back from the weight of the coats. Straight into one of the salespeople.

Alec was behind me in an instant, hands on my forearms as he put space between me and the unlikely threat. My heart fluttered at the protective instinct – which I promptly ignored. I tilted my head to look at him, but his eyes were locked on the guy I'd nearly tackled to the floor. We got a weird look from the store employee, who replaced it with an irritated expression.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're disrupting the other customers," we were informed in conveniently perfect English. Before I could argue that his store was emptier than a post office on Sunday, the boys were restacking the hats, returning the jewellery to the stands, and my adventure fur coats were slipped off my shoulders.

I pouted in disappointment, and when the other two had their backs turned, Alec smirked, a simple and common behaviour that still set fire to the wild, fluttering butterflies in my stomach. He lifted my chin with two fingers, running his thumb tenderly over my bottom lip. My lips separated as he willed it, if out of nothing but sheer astonishment at his boldness.

His hand fell as the worker reappeared, glaring all high and mighty at us. We joined a waiting Jasper and Emmett to be escorted out of the doors when a lilting voice interrupted.

"Wait!" Alice grabbed my hand, separating me from the men. "I need her." She flashed pearly whites at the boy. "She won't be much trouble without them, I promise." The guy stumbled under the glamour of her vampiric charm and nodded.

"But these guys have to–"

"That's fair," Alice decreed. "Why don't you boys bring the car around."

Alec went to protest against leaving my side, making sure to send a dark glare to the employee. Which, even with the sunglasses, physically unsettled the man. But with another shoo from Alice and a nod from me, he allowed the other two to lead him outside.

We'd already been in the shop for quite a while, hence why the boys and I decided to have a little fun. But Alice promised this was the last store, so I followed her around with shrugs and half-empty opinions on clothing or jewellery or anything else she asked my thoughts on. I'd been all about playing along at the beginning, but by the third shop, it was all one and the same.

When Alice's side of the store grew tiresome, I switched to follow Rosalie around the other side, just to have something new to look at. But in truth, it only took a few minutes for me to become unruly without my playmates. I ran my hand along the racks of clothing and poked at neatly stacked knickknacks as I returned to Alice yet again. The male worker was glaring at me, but desperate to please the beautiful women, he resigned himself to silent stares. I stuck my tongue out at the same time that Alice placed something casually in my hand. She continued browsing without an explanation, and my curiosity was piqued.

I turned the circular tube object over in my hand. The language that identified it was unfamiliar to me. It looked like makeup. "What's this, then?"

"Cover-up."

"Huh?"

"It hides skin blemishes and such."

Rosalie joined us, smirking, and in a teasing, salacious tone, she added, "like love bites."

My eyes widened and I dropped the tube, which was caught by Alice. She giggled, proud of having a go at me. "It's okay. It won't work with our kind anyways."

I spun around and tried to fix the collar of my shirt, glancing in a mirror to make sure I'd succeeded. I was thinking of ways to get back at him for letting me walk around like that. But it wasn't readily visible at all. I pushed the fabric up more and my heart spiked when I saw it, recovering it immediately. I sent barely intimidating daggers at the two women, who were still teasing me in good humour.

Rosalie moved on to the dressing rooms, disappearing behind the half-walls the boys and I had previously been hiding behind. I tapped Alice's shoulder, "I'm gonna go with her." She nodded and proceeded to chat with the woman at the register, handing over her card.

I glanced out the open door as I crossed the store and I slowed to a stop. It was a cloudy day, so only a few groups of shoppers were scattered around the plaza. A small café, a barber's shop, a candy store, and a vintage garment/antique shop were among the most popular. There was a fountain laid out in the center of the plaza and I could see the parking lot on the opposite side.

Technically, Alice didn't need me anymore now that she'd finished her purchase. I remembered where we had parked, so there wasn't any particular reason I couldn't walk there by myself. I would get to the car before they even knew I was gone, Jasper could call and let Alice know I'd ventured away, it was no big deal.

That was my thought process. And I truly believed it. Until, I was halfway across the circle, right by the fountain and someone shouted something in a language I didn't know. Which is probably why I didn't get out of the way.

I grunted as the air was knocked from my lungs and I stumbled back, losing my balance to fall onto the rough gravel stone pavement. I was thankfully quick enough to fall the correct way, avoiding landing on my knee and relying on the side of my shins to land, albeit roughly, on my outer thigh. Which required a little extra support from my hands and forearm. I quickly pushed myself up into a sitting position within a few seconds to look around. I was only a little disoriented, but I couldn't see the person that knocked me over and they didn't stop to help.

My right leg was covered in the small grains of rock that had rolled under my shoes when I'd walked across it. The small pieces of rock made the old pavement slippery and I was grateful I hadn't worn jeans that might've ripped before realizing why this was not the happy conclusion I thought it was.

I was wiping the gravel off the side of my thigh and clapping my hands together to get rid of the last few shards when I noticed of bright red began spotting randomly across the scrape on my palm. I glanced down and saw scratches on my thigh had already spawned a small amount of it as well. It wasn't a lot. But it was enough. Maybe I'd fallen and slid with more momentum against the pavement harder than I thought.

Oops.

I turned my head over my shoulder, but neither Alice nor Rosalie were in my line of sight. In fact, no one had seemed to notice my dramatic fall. I went to push myself up when someone stopped in front of me. And almost in slow motion, the owner lowered himself to my level. Even through the sunglasses I could see that the obsidian black of his pupils had spread like a plague into his irises.

Double oops.

It didn't matter where the Cullens were. They would be too far away and there were too many people around for them to do anything without drawing unwanted attention.

Alec's cold hand reached out and seized my wrist. I jumped as the movement sharply brought me closer, the grain of the pavement making it even easier for him.I could see my skin compressed between his fingers, the venom-filled veins in his hand prominent but his eyes were fixated on my palm. In what seemed like a patient minute, I cast my eyes to his. And there was almost something intimate in the moment his eyes swept to mine, like a predator that pauses to relish in the life it was about to devour. This was not Alec, but his darker side. The side that killed those men in the alley without a thought, who would later behead a vampire I was responsible for creating.

Shit. I really messed up.

He began to pull my wrist towards him and against my will, the speed of my heart doubled. My mind sang a memorial tune to the subtle warning Alec had given me long ago, "it only takes a taste, human."

There was a crash. The piercing cry of a child split the air, attracting the attention of the entire plaza.

And with lightning speed, Emmett's burly form appeared, restraining Alec by the shoulders and yanking him up. Jasper was there next, forcefully removing Alec's ironclad grip from my wrist before both Emmett and Alec vanished. I gasped for the air I'd been too nervous to take.

My head moved from side to side, terrified that someone had seen. I spotted Rosalie on one knee across the courtyard and outside the previous shop, smiling at a young girl with pigtails. The man beside them was animatedly apologizing to Alice as the short woman easily handed him a large box from the ground like it was nothing.

My attention returned to Jasper.

"No one saw," he confirmed and glanced at my palm.

I carefully reclaimed my wrist from his hands. "You good?" There was half a pause before he responded.

He admitted, "it's much easier now than it used to be." Nevertheless, he instructed me to dip my hands into the fountain and brush off my knees as the girls headed towards us.

"Emmett will need help," he wasted no time passing me off and brushed past the few people that walked around us, entirely oblivious to what nearly transpired. The sooner Alec remembered his gift, the less chance Emmett had.

I expected admonishments, but the women were expecting my first question and Rosalie spoke before I could. "Relax." Her tone was sharp and I wanted to flinch, but if anything, I'd learned how not to let on to how I felt about the dangerous reality of Alec and I's...circumstances. "A time out will do him some good. Are you hurt?"

I raised my eyebrows. Didn't she know? I humoured her and shook my head. "Just dandy. Can we go?"

They exchanged looks but granted my request. As we walked to the car, Alice apologized for leaving me alone several times, which was odd because I'd left her. But without warning, she halted in the middle of the road before pivoting and sprinting in the other direction. I didn't need Rosalie to tell me that she had taken off after the boys.

Rosalie called Carlisle on the way back, speaking quickly so I couldn't understand her words. Not that I couldn't tell what she was talking about since she kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror. They were being a bit dramatic, seeing as I typically had to go to a hospital after any fall and Carlisle basically had an equivalent setup. I was going to be fine. Although, I had to admit that the worry made me feel like I was back at the nunnery with the sisters fretting over even the most minuscule of injuries. I'd never appreciated their concern as much as I did now, at least in a nostalgic sense.

I was sent immediately to Carlisle's office when we returned so he could use his mini x-ray to check me for broken bones or anything else potentially life-threatening. It was the most familiar pattern I'd engaged in for months.

"How did you fall?"

"Err..." I had to think about it. "I dunno, I think someone bumped into me or something. It's no big deal." The quick glance I got reminded me that the family did not agree.

Carlisle gently placed a bandaid on my leg, searching for his next question. He asked gently, so as not to assign blame, "how many close calls have the two of you had?"

"This has never happened before." I insisted, choosing to keep 'close calls' to a definition that included only spilled blood. "Although, technically, Vladimir did cut my cheek on the train to trick Alec. You guys saw the bandaid when we got here." Another silent, regretfully judgemental look on his face had me rethinking our arrival, realizing I never replaced the one Prosper gave me. "Right, well, he was a bit more preoccupied at the time anyway so it didn't matter either."

"You were alone with Vladimir?"

I avoided the details, "not for long,"He didn't say anything, acting all mysterious-like, so I prompted, "am I good?"

Carlisle nodded, handing me the ice pack on his desk, along with the other tools he'd prepared after Rosalie called him to explain.

"I bled for like, a second. Thank you, though."

"It's not for the scrapes. You have a bruise forming on your wrist." Damn heightened vampire senses. I looked down, seeing only a slight red tint appearing on my skin. He held the ice pack out to me, and while it was annoying having a doctor tell me what to do again, I knew he was right. I did as I was told.

"Thanks, Carlisle."

"Does Aro have a doctor on call for you in Volterra?"

"Err..." I shrugged, "I haven't really needed one."

He nodded at me, his brows furrowing in thought as I walked out of the office with another exchange of appreciative pleasantry.

Once in the hallway, I swallowed a lump in my throat, a flash of worry able to run through me when I saw that there was no sign of the others. In fact, I couldn't find anyone on the first floor. I was reluctant to rejoin Carlisle, as he seemed prepared to ask more questions than I wanted to answer. So I returned again to the empty room, where paint cans were still left out, and a few additional brush sizes had been added.

I transferred every thought, positive and negative influences alike through the brush and onto the wall. It helped blur the time, letting my focus on the painting take over my worry for Alec. And yes, the ice pack ended up melting in some corner.

I picked up a smaller brush size and dipped it into the colours I'd mixed just as Esme appeared in the doorway, hand over her eyes but with a gentle expression on her face.

"Under the circumstances, Alice approved a sneak peek. If it's alright with you." I made a small sound of approval, but upon hearing Alice's name, my head snapped and her positivity dimmed a little. "They're still trying to calm him down." I grimaced, but nodded and set the paintbrush down to give myself a break. I was worse than useless in this situation and I was growing tired of the problem.

"Looks like I'll know where to find you from now on," she teased, her hand indicating towards the paintbrush.

I played with the hilt, "thanks to you."

Her cold hand reached for my empty one and she indicated her head towards the wall. "Do you know why Alice chose this painting?"

I took a gander, "first date night for you and the Mister?"

She smiled despite my playful sarcasm. "Not quite. It's just one of my favourites."

She let go of me and approached the wall, like Alec had said, she seemed entranced by the details. "We did see the original in the Musée d'Orsay, however." Esme went quiet for a moment, her fingers inches from the paint as if she were identifying a memory among the colours. "The texture, the thick strokes in every wave...your recreation is not dissimilar from the original." She seemed to almost be suggesting something, opening up the dialogue for me to introduce something new. How she'd know anything, even with Alice's gift, I had no clue. Maybe I wasn't giving her enough credit and she just knew. Did that mean I could be honest as to my history with the painting?

I coughed, still not sure what she was getting at. "The Musée d'Orsay was one of my father's favourite museums. We'd spend hours in a single room."

"Really?" Her voice was incredibly genuine. "Your father took you to museums as a child?"

I nodded. It was safer than a playground. "Museums, galleries, the opera, anywhere with culture. He knew everything about art; the history in the natural adaptations of different mediums, how a painting's worth could change over the years – and he could spot a forgery a mile away." I didn't realize I was smiling until she looked at me, the curiosity mixed with concern told me I'd said too much.I picked up my brush and returned to sitting criss cross on the floor in the corner, choosing to continue detailing the reflection of the gas lamps that shone on the water.

"I'm sorry about your father."

I froze, the tip of the brush a breath away from the wall with the wrong colour wetting the bristles. I dropped my hand, wiping the brush on the apron and sending her an unconvincing tone. "Me too."

"Do you mind if I join you?" I thought that would be it, but as soon as I agreed, she joined me on the floor. It seemed odd. Sure, Jane and I regularly made the floor our setting as one would a sitting area. But, for a woman like Esme to sit beside me on the newspaper covered ground...it was unexpected. But it filled a comfort that was unfamiliar, one I didn't know I'd ever want. It was different from any of the sisters. They took up caretaker roles, but Esme was a mother to a rowdy group of young adults. More than a title.

"Thank you, Saffiya. This is a magnificent gift," she said softly as I picked up the correct instrument.

"It's the least I could do. Considering you've put up with Alec and me."

She squeezed my shoulder. "Our covens have not had the best relationship recently. But you and Alec will always be welcome."

I grinned, promising, "I'll pay our intrusion with a recreation of any painting you like."

"Careful," she wagged a finger at me. "I may just take you up on that."

"Well, it's certainly a more honest use of my skills than I'm used to." I joked, but Esme tilted her head and gave me another soft smile. Which left an open space, as if she knew the topic placed a heavy burden on my mind. "Did you know the original painting is roughly worth about $280 million American dollars?"

"I did not."

I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth."The Starry Night Over the Rhone that you visited is now hanging in the private home of some rich bazillionaire."

"My father stole the original." She waited to hear it from me, "the one hanging there today is a forgery." I glanced at her, her non-judgemental and caring spirit.

"Yours." Esme finished for me, nothing but understanding coating her words.

I laughed with a bittersweet tongue, "my dad was an excellent role model."

"And your mother?" I paused, not expecting the question but unafraid to answer.

My face squinting to recall. "I remember that she was happy. Always happy. But she'd have bad days, when she would hear things that weren't there or..." I paused, the memories from my early childhood long since faded. "And then she'd go away for a while, but my dad always brought her back. Until one day he didn't."

Esme gently moved my hair behind my shoulder. I knew she'd been helping distract me from my worries about Alec. But I'd long since stopped painting and I could feel the emotional exhaustion creeping up on me. But it seemed conversations that were not typically draining combined with today's events was a hell of a dose. Esme helped me up and I stared at her as she began to speak, amazed that she'd gotten so much out of me. And even more so because it had been so natural, so unintentional.

"Why don't you get some rest," she suggested but I shook my head adamantly. The corners of her eyes crinkled knowingly. "I have no doubt that you will be his first stop."

I just wanted to make sure he was okay.

I tried to kill time and push off sleep by taking a shower, settling in the large armchair instead of the bed and reading a poem or two. It was the poems that did me in and I drifted in and out of consciousness for the next few hours. Always waking to a silent house. Until, finally, I heard my bedroom door fall closed, clicking against the lock. A thin stream of light on the floor suggested that it hadn't been shut all the way. I leaned up, because why leave a door cracked if you weren't going to open it again.

His voice confirmed my suspicions, only it was defiant and harsh. "Have you come all this way to gloat?"

I considered that he might yet again be on the phone, until I heard a much calmer voice reply.

"To help. And it looks like you need it."

Chapter Text

"You can't pretend it isn't a possibility."

"I do not intend to," Alec assured the man like one would an impertinent child. "Your timing is convenient." His sarcasm was discourteous.

Whoever Alec was speaking with did not appear to be concerned about being on the receiving end of the boy's short temper. "You need to be more careful." The voice warned, aggravation ringing clear in his tone.

"I do not require a lecture, Cullen."

They seemed to have moved down the hall, and my curiosity got the better of me. I abandoned my chair and moved beside the open door. I knew they could've heard me, but both men were rather focused on their conversation, and there was no pause to indicate that I'd been discovered. I sat beside the door and leaned against the wall, trying to even my breath as I listened in.

The man kept pushing, "I was constant, frustratingly vigilant when Bella was human. If she had Saffiya's condition…." I strained to hear the end of his sentence to no avail. But, Bella. I knew that name. Alec scoffed, but the man was ready, "you came to me once before." This must be Edward, then.

"It is a settled matter."

I breathed in and out to control my heart, mimicking an unconscious pace in case they did decide to see if I was still asleep. The man I now assumed to be Edward took another approach. "Bella has offered to speak with Saffiya. It could help."

Alec responded without patience. "I won't have your mate filling her head with lies. No."

"Bella was struggling as much as I was." I'm not struggling.

Alec responded with similar spite, "I am not struggling. My control surpasses anything you could ever hope to achieve."

"You wouldn't be so arrogant if today had ended differently." That shut Alec up, and I was almost incensed by the statement, even if it was valid. "Maybe your control is greater than mine was. But when her blood is spilt, its call is stronger than you are capable of combating on your own."

Alec snarled lowly at the suggestion. He would never allow anyone in Volterra, save the obvious, to speak to him like this. Let alone stay in a hostile conversation where he did not have the upper hand.

Edward continued as if he were answering something Alec had said, but I hadn't heard anything. "Actually, I'm the only one that does." His voice lowered a last-ditch effort to get through to the red-eyed vampire.

There was nothing for a second, but I could finally make out Alec's voice modulating purposefully, "she is listening."

My heart jumped. Just once, I'd like to eavesdrop on a conversation without my useless organs giving me away.

I heard an unfamiliar chuckle as I pushed the door and poked my head around the corner from my spot on the ground, trying to convey my half-apology through the expression on my face. Alec and an unfamiliar, thick browed, golden-eyed vampire, already expecting me. The unknown male seemed amused as his eyes flashed between Alec and me.

"You are meant to be asleep," Alec chided. I stood and leaned against the doorway like a child trying to pretend they had no idea the cookie jar existed. Yet, the shift in his demeanour was instantaneous, and I caught the other man keeping watch over the process. Alec's crossed arms fell, and with them, his shoulders rolled back. He breathed out with his reprimand, but nevertheless, he raised his hand out for me to take, and I drifted to his side without another thought. Even though they'd been somewhat arguing, I was much too curious and eager to meet another of the Cullen clan.

The man offered me a kind smile. "You must be Saffiya."

"Saffiya, this is Edward. One of the many, many Cullens." Edward ignored his comment.

That's when I put it together. "You're the mind reader!" He chuckled again as I apologized for my outburst. There was no way they didn't know I was listening in earlier. Their conversation wasn't that intense…from my perspective. "I've just heard a lot about you."

"Not all bad, I hope." I scrunched up my face to try and think of a positive story.

The best I could offer him was, "probably."

"We were just finishing," Alec started to say.

Edward interrupted him, going serious once more. "I'm not sure we are." Alec scowled, his fingers pressing into my hips protectively and twisting in the loop of my jeans to keep himself from reacting in a manner unbecoming of a Volturi elite.

I spoke up before Alec could stop me. "It's not his fault." The other vampire furrowed his brows at my gull, and I felt as though I acted outside of the submissive bubble he'd already put me in.

Edward quickly recovered, however, as if he'd had the conversation before. "It is his responsibility to keep you safe in our world. Especially from himself."

"And you're gonna help him? Cause you were so great at it–" Edward's eyes widened, perhaps at the bold harshness I attacked a stranger with. I didn't intend to sound so mean. I only meant to defend Alec. My regret seemed to almost trigger a contemplative response in the other vampire, and it took me a second to realize why. I couldn't decide whether his gift was more helpful or intrusive.

Alec's hand slipped behind my back and came to a stop at my waist as he tucked me into his side. I was flooded with relief that he didn't hesitate to be close to me after what happened. Being away from him left a small weight in my chest until we were reunited, the intensity of which I still wasn't quite ready to admit to myself for genuine fear of its power. Hopefully, the action meant that he also found these dramatic reactions tedious. I would discover momentarily, however, that this couldn't be farther from the truth for him.

He hushed me softly, "Tesoro." [Darling]

I peeked up at him, curious and mimicking innocence. Alec gave me a stern smirk, half pride, half warning, before looking back at Edward. I played with the end of Alec's sleeve, tugging at it like it was more fascinating than the conversation at hand. It took a minute for me to put together that said talk was using Edward's gift, cutting me out of a new conversation. There was no opportunity for me to call them out as a second later, Edward nodded.

Topaz eyes examined me politely, a slight curiosity in his gaze. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Saffiya."

Feeling ridiculously out of the loop, I responded automatically. "You too?" With that, he left the hallway for Alec and me.

I lifted my head up, and Alec raised an eyebrow at me, a boyish smirk already on his face.

"You should be sleeping." I rolled my eyes and pushed off of him. He released me with ease, and I regretted the move, instantly missing his touch.

"You're so bossy." I mocked, pivoting back down the hallway with Alec in tow. "You and Jane, what's with you two?"

Alec waited until we reached my room to reply. Faster than my eyes could see, he shut the door and his arms flexed as they wrapped around my stomach.

"I almost lost you today." My head leaned back into the crook of his neck. His voice was thick, and his breath tickled my temple as he tightened his arms around my waist. His lips found the tender skin just below my ear, and I bit my lip, cherishing the stroll of electricity that rushed through my bloodstream. I squirmed at the ticklish sensation as they continued to grace and explore the bare skin along my shoulder. He pleaded with me in a whisper, "never do that again, do you understand?"

"To be fair, it wasn't exactly on purpose," I imagine he rolled his eyes before he squeezed my sides, ending my defence and finally sending laughter to my lips before he moved around me. His eyes flickered to my bandaged thigh, my hand and then to the new forming bruise.

He parted from me to collect a rolled-up bandage and a bag of ice from the top of the dresser and came back to me.

I narrowed my eyes at the items, but Alec cleared his throat, and I lifted myself up onto the edge of the bed. He set the bandage on the bed, coming to stand in front of me as he held out his hand.

I looked at it. "If we're playing pretend, you're doing an excellent Aro."

"Darling, give me your arm." My heart fluttered, and the will to ignore his requests went out the window when the endearment left his lips.

After placing the ice bag where he wanted it, he picked up the bandage and began wrapping it like an expert. "When did you learn how to do this?"

He didn't say anything at first before admitting, "I asked Carlisle to teach me."

I could feel the smirk growing on my face as he refused to look at me. And when he did, he narrowed his eyes and swiftly pecked my lips to throw me off balance.

When he'd finished, he set my arm on my lap and rested his hands on the bed on either side of me.

Alec's voice was soft, his eyes gentle and innocent as a puppy waking from an afternoon nap. It was a look I had not seen for quite a while. I'd missed it. "Forgive me?"

"What for?" He waited for it to click, patient as ever. "Oh." His eyes traced mine, and I was struck, as one often is in the presence of vampires, by the grace of his features. Goodness, he was handsome. I found his lips and shook my head. He was still expecting an answer, though he seemed amused by my process to give one. I said it as if it were obvious, "always."

His shoulders relaxed as if he were actually worried I would say anything else. But I should've known that would not be the end of it with him.

Alec joined me on the bed, laying down and pulling me into his side with a kiss on my forehead.

I lowered my voice as if that would somehow make our conversation private. "Why is Edward here, anyway?"

The familiar tug of his fingers twirling my hair allowed me to breathe a little easier. "I suspect Alice had a vision and summoned him to moralise us." I couldn't tell how sarcastic he intended to be.

"He kinda acted like a douchenozzle." Alec's chest vibrated, and he leaned down to kiss my head. I tilted my head and pushed up to touch my lips to his.

"What happened to playing nice with the Cullens?" He murmured against my mouth; his voice was husky and more focused on tasting my lips than calling me out on the standard I'd set for him.

"Niceness associates with niceness." Alec parted from me, releasing a small chortle in amusement with my reasoning. "And he was blaming you for something that wasn't even your fault." I settled back on his bicep, staring up at the empty ceiling with him.

He didn't say anything at first, but his fingers eventually dropped my curls, neither of which I noticed until he spoke again.

"He was right."

I gripped his shirt in my fingers and shifted onto my stomach to face him, "pardon?"

"I nearly killed you."

I tilted my head to the side, debating as I traced a nonexistent pattern into his chest. "Yeah, but like, not really."

He frowned in the corner of my eye, and the commitment to the topic became more important to him. "Surely you cannot be so desensitised to my kind that you do not realise the danger you were in today?"

"I mean, sure. But nothing happened." I shrugged as best I could in my position. "All's well that ends well, right?"

"Cuore," he ran his hand down my arm, intertwining our fingers and turning my wrist over with his. He had rewrapped it without the ice to try and combat the swelling. However, it did little to change the mark's colour from his thumb, where the bandage wouldn't reasonably cover. The bruise was beginning to darken after these several hours, and it was, hopefully, not as bad as it looked. "I hurt you."

"It's fine." I rolled my eyes and protested, half trying to lighten the situation that I was sure was being blown out of proportion. "I'm alive; I'll heal. It's no big deal," I giggled at the rhyme.

He turned on me immediately. "Do enlighten me, Saffiya. I fail to see the humour in this discussion."

I pushed myself up to a sitting position, and we were already so close that my knees rested on the side of his thigh. But I hoped the change would help to better reassure him as I hardly placed my hand on his chest. I doubt he noticed, but I felt it supported my point. "It's just a bruise. It's not like you broke my arm or something."

Alec stared at me, astounded by my lack of alarmism on the situation. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to reconcile my perspective. "This time, perhaps. But, if you were wrong? If I had broken one of your ribs, would you truly have been able to distinguish before it punctured your lungs – or worse?" I clenched my teeth, trying not to be bothered by his accuracy.

It didn't feel like a fair point to make, but it was. Alec was highly aware that I would not be able to tell the extent of damage inside my body, that my claim was impossible. I had been careless and arrogant, all the while being highly aware that more severe injuries could have been present or developed without professional care. Unfortunately, I hadn't recognised that yet. It had all seemed so tedious when surrounded by those with immortality.

I became defensive, and without thinking, "I check and recheck and check again after everything I do. Just because you can see this one doesn't mean your other ones are any different–"

Naively, I hoped he'd missed the specifics.

Something changed in the air around us. Alec's silence was deafening, striking a blow to my very core as soon as he stopped, and I had to process what I'd let slip. As far as he knew, the only injury I had was my hand, which he was very aware of and visible. My eyes widened, and he scowled, taking control of the situation.

Alec's hand gripped my thigh, and with a hand on my waist, he easily moved my left leg over his body. My hand relied on his chest for balance at the surprise move, but it hardly mattered. The arm around my waist tightened, and suddenly, I was on my back, with Alec hovering above me and between my legs. I would typically have several comments, complaints, and jokes had it not been to subdue me and despite the more than intimate nature of the position.

Except, a much more absorbing and volatile exchange at hand made his action irrelevant.

I tried to look anywhere that wasn't him, but I had nowhere to go. I wriggled under him as if I would ever willingly leave him despite my secrets, but it only brought his chest closer to mine. For a moment, I was frightened. Petrified of the secret I'd kept and the consequences that came with it. I was weighed down by something I didn't even consider relevant, an exact opposite of the ideals belonging to the man who was silently imploring me to meet his conflicted gaze.

I could resist no longer, and the testament in his eyes would forever haunt me.

There was a reflection of a single light in his eyes, piercingly bright among the other colours. Like fireworks, from the very spark igniting in the air with a million strings of red, forced to turn white against the background of the night. I was standing underneath them; the boom was my initial sight, the radiation of light that captivated a wiser soul than me. A soul that knew not to play with fire and knew perfectly well that it was the blood of a recent kill swimming in his eyes. A wise woman would run from that fact.

But I, I sought the flames. I desired the initial strike, the biting sparks lasting in the ashes scattered in the air while the fireworks exploded like rain. Not willingly. Naturally. Like needing to come up for air before the water filled your lungs. It was impossible to dominate the initial contact, but to return again – and again – and again searching for peace had become my favourite prayer.

His eyes knew every beat of my heart that I was too young to understand and too old to romanticise the way he made me feel. He knew me. Selflessly, frustratingly…and yes, honestly. And it put the fear of a god into him. To think that the things he said and the decisions he made mattered to someone. Someone who forgave him for his demons. Even if they cost me my life. This, was what he was unable to accept – happiness he did not deserve. Only a possibility at this moment, but desired deep in the remaining light of his eyes.

Alec's hand raised to brush the stray hairs from my forehead, and his fingers intertwined within the waves of my hair. He returned to trail the side of my face, and his thumb caressed my cheek, once, twice, until my eyes flickered open to see him.

I didn't realise he was working up the courage to prove my lie.

We stayed there, watching each other with a patient impatience that held us together like glue. Then, he made his move. His fingers drifted down the side of my neck and along my collarbone. His actions were deliberate, intimate, but this time, without a distinct carnal intent. I took a small breath of surprise when he didn't stop at the v in my collarbone but continued down the exact centre of my chest to my stomach. He outlined my ribcage and ended just above my navel. The only skin on my upper body he was positive had nothing but the yearning for his return.

I was deprived of his eyes, but only briefly. When he got the strength to look at me again, it was for a purpose. His hand disappeared from my body. And then I felt the familiar cool touch of his fingers through my shirt, drifting purposefully across my abdomen and over my ribs. But as he grazed over the sides of my waist on the way to another section, my eyes shut, breaking contact and confirming his suspicions. He was right. He knew.

There was no distracting him this time as he started to cautiously move under my shirt. I inhaled sharply as my stomach flexed with the brush of his fingertips. He grasped the bottom of the fabric and hesitated. We'd been here before.

"Alec." I brought my hand down to cover his, the fabric falling. Our fingers interlaced without either of us initiating the action. I shook my head lightly as if this alone would change his mind. "Don't."

His jaw clenched at his name. "Show me." I grimaced, biting my lip to hold myself together – anger and guilt and all.

I hated this. I'd never cared so much about keeping the effects of my condition under wraps. I hated that he took my bruises personally blamed himself. That he hadn't gotten over the one, he'd given me before he even knew about my condition. They were just bruises. I'd walk away from a playground with the same injuries that I had now. It wasn't avoidable, and they were not permanent, but I'd seen their effect on him since day one.

I let go of his hand, loathe to see the emotions it would cause him. But it was his decision.

He used both of his to raise the shirt up to my stomach. My eyes shut tight, and my head leaned into the covers as his eyes fell to observe the 'damage' he felt responsible for.

"Oddio, Saffiya" [My god]

Travis had left remnants of his hatred for me that mainly encompassed my lower ribs and near my lungs. It was newer, dark, and unpleasant in its early stage. Alec's fingers briefly and with an oh so feather-light touch swept over the marks. Various scars and marks covered my stomach from my childhood, including a burn scar on the side of my ribs that was outshined by Travis' work. But I knew Alec would examine it all. This was an investigation. He might recognise the rug burn along my hipbone, but it was hardly visible anymore, at least with my eyesight. The bruise on my elbow would likely continue to go unnoticed as it was healing much quicker. My heartbeat increased, faster and faster, and I swore I could see it beating under my skin.

Amazingly, astoundingly, Alec was not acknowledging my heart. His eyes had frozen and narrowed on the bruises that told their story loud and clear. Marks were left by the pads of his fingers and the bones that instructed them. They were specific and prominent on the sides of my waist my hips, and they were undoubtedly his doing. Simply by holding me, supporting my body, catching me, he'd painted my skin with colours that had now faded to blue and yellow.

My eyes fluttered open to watch him place his hand over them as if to repeat the action. A perfect match.

He made a sound I'd never heard before, something guttural, innately dark and lowered my shirt back down my stomach. He moved off of me to stand at the corner edge of the bed.

"I want Carlisle to confirm." He said but didn't move. His focus, despite covering it up, had not left my stomach.

"I told you, it's fine."

He hissed at me, "you are not a physician." I did a physical double take at his tone, and his eyes softened.

With a more potent declaration, I informed him that "it doesn't matter. They're almost fully healed."

He crossed his arms and clenched his fists, turning away and theorising with the logic I'd attribute to the Cullens, rather than his own coven, "having the control not to drink your blood is not enough. I was a fool to believe it was."

"Damn it," I rolled my eyes and protested, getting off the other side of the bed. My mind was still half making fun of the situation that had been blown out of proportion. "Things happen whether I run into a table or punch a vampire." He didn't laugh. "This is my life; it always has been."

He turned on me immediately, "then how do you still not comprehend the gravity of your decisions?"

"It's just that – I mean, I get it. I do. I just don't see the point of making a big deal about it. I always have bruises, scars, all of it."

"That is different." He fumed, gesturing pointlessly.

Exasperation drowned my throat, "how?"

Alec snarled, "they do not bear my fingerprints on your skin!"

I leaned back against the bedpost, the admission taking the air from my lungs. Or was it the guilt that now decided to take refuge in a place of air? That had terrified my butterflies into submission, so they could not flutter without being weighed down by their history.

"Why did you not tell me?"

My eyes looked up, seeing his were already waiting for me. His fireworks were made darker by the distance, hiding within the midnight that centred them.

"I didn't think it mattered." Certainly not enough to put him through this.

Alec crossed the room to get to me. Cautiously, he lifted my chin. His eyes dashed across all corners of mine, into the depths of green and black to the outskirts of milky white. Like he was searching for something in my eyes.

His hold on my chin tightened, not enough to hurt me but enough to gather my attention. His words almost broke when introduced to the air, "why does your life mean more to me than it does to you?"

Whatever he was searching for, he did not find it before his head tilted down to the side, listening to whatever the Cullens were whispering. I'd almost forgotten about them, and frankly, I was surprised that they didn't interrupt us sooner.

I pushed him away a few moments before his gaze returned to my face. I was exhausted, so I only glared at him.

He let out a breath of distress. "We are not done with this," he stated as if I had done something morally wrong, and he was the one to teach the lesson.

I spun around to cool off on the balcony when I noticed the abandoned journal on the floor. The negative feelings the pages already inspired in me, paired with everything else, made me react poorly. The uncontrollable anger that I would struggle to withstand now returned with an invitation. I greeted the familiarity with pleasure.

I reached for the nearest object – the tied journal abandoned on the floor and chucked it half-heartedly at the door that was inches from closing but definitely would've hit his head. I was fully aware that it would likely hit the door. Instead, the door blew open, and Alec caught the journal. When he did, he didn't even face me. He simply set it on the dresser and put his hand back on the doorknob with a sly comment.

"Here, I thought we were past that."

I always had to get the last word.

"Bite me."

Even from the side, I could see his jaw flex and tighten with more than an aggravation. The doorknob made an odd metal clink.

Alec took the role of a better man and closed the door behind him.

Chapter Text

"No," Rosalie's voice was clear as I walked down the steps of the house. "She shouldn't make decisions like this. She's too young."

"Rose–" Someone tried to stop her, but it was too late.

I hung onto the bannister, and assuming they were talking about me, I said, "well, she's not..." The vampires in the room turned to look at me. Their usual pleasantry or smiles were absent, even Esme's. "What's wrong?"

There was a beat.

Rosalie's eyes flickered to the hallway, where I knew Carlisle's office was located. I followed her eyes, but they darted away. The others were all, still, watching me.

Immediately, I took the last step off the staircase and went directly into the hallway. Carlisle's office door was cracked open, and the conversation inside drifted into the hall. But the voices cut off as soon as I reached the door.

"Saffiya, go back upstairs."

The Cullens seemed to wait with bated breath as I pushed open the door, unsure of what to expect. Alec looked up when I ignored his directive.

"What's going on?" Jasper and Alice stood together, their bodies naturally positioned into the other, both a protective and intimate detail. His hand rested on her lower back, his senses heightened as I entered the room. Edward leaned against the bookshelf, taking me in, almost assessing me. For what, I couldn't be sure.

Carlisle was closest to me, and he pushed off a wooden side table. "Good morning, Saffiya." I raised my eyebrows, finding pleasantries to be a poor attempt to ease the atmosphere. He nodded with a sigh as if he expected me to ignore the societal politeness. "Alice has had a vision–"

In the corner, Alec growled, "do not." He tasted each word, creating them from authority and lacing them with venom. But he did nothing to enforce them.

There seemed to be a collective sigh of frustration among the group. Carlisle placed his hands in his pockets but didn't back off, exchanging glances with his family members. The dynamic in the room was curious, and though concern for Alec's threat was present, Alice tried next despite it.

"It appears that Razin does have a backup plan." A similar sound came from the same area, and Jasper hissed back at him, ready for whatever reaction Alec might decide. The two stared each other down.

Jasper's touch influenced Alice to continue. "I couldn't find Razin blindly. So, I tried to look into the possible futures of other members of the Volturi if you really were to cross paths with his coven." Alice peeked at Alec again. "It was…difficult to sort through until I focused solely on your decisions."

I crossed my arms, worried that I wouldn't understand. "But I'm literally not making any decisions. Especially not ones that affect the Volturi's moves."

"Only you will, sometime in the future, and it may lead you to Alice's vision."

"Saffiya," Carlisle brought me back in a consoling tone. "You are Razin's contingency plan."

Immediately, I turned my head to check in with Alec. He refused to look away from the window. I swallowed my nerves, "I thought I was a part of the first plan?"

Edward confirmed, ironic considering he had been absent from the conversation in which we'd learned this information. "You were, but only to lure and subdue Alec." I nodded, not wanting to ask the obvious question. "He's going after you directly now."

Out of nowhere, a snarl broke the air and echoed throughout the house.

"That's enough." Alec's voice lowered, rougher than before. The finality was unchallengeable. More direct than I'd heard him speak in a while now. This was dangerous, a warning. A promise. I realised then it was not a kind of over-protectiveness of me or a desire for control over the room. It was Alice and her gift that unnerved him. The future and what it possibly held.

"Alec." My voice came out opposite from his, and I had to take a breath before meeting his eyes. Fierce and unafraid to follow through, defining an expression that the Cullens understood to be anger. I almost wished it was, and I did consider leaving it alone, for him. "I need to know."

Alec's eyes became hard, cold, but there was a moment as he looked at me. A promise he'd made. So, he crossed his arms and threw his back against the wall but put up no further argument. He was letting me make my own decision, despite his disapproval.

I turned back to Alice expectantly. "What happens? In your vision?" She glanced to Alec once more to see if he would retaliate yet again. It was a fair consideration. Jasper wasn't even facing the rest of us anymore, prepared for Alec to give up on vocal warnings and follow through with a physical one. But that wouldn't be his first move, not now. He was in a tempestuous frame of mind, sure. But he was in control. Full control. And he needed a distraction.

His eyes moved strategically around the room like he was analyzing the various strategies to determine their likelihood of forcing the conversation to end. Only, after covering each Cullen, his gaze would land in my direction, and he had to start over. Because he could stretch his gift to every single Cullen in the room, but he'd still have to deal with me. Edward caught my eye, but I was more focused on Alice.

However, I think even she was reluctant to share the details with me, "it's of you. And Razin. You're sitting at a table together, and you're in a nightclub."

"On purpose?" She nodded. "What in the world would I be talking to him about – let alone, in a nightclub?"

Alec answered for her. "Your father."

A nonexistent wind barreled into my body, trying to steal any air I could breathe to process this news. Still, I stood firm, trying not to let the hope build up and sneak into my heart. This seemed to surprise the others, and I pushed down my annoyance with this as I struggled to ask the question they knew I would pursue. Alice opted to wait for it. As if she thought I'd change my mind. I cleared my throat.

"Is he alive?"

She tried to help me keep my head together, "not that I know. Razin only had some papers, in a file that he was trying to convince you to take." The delivery system was suspicious on its own.

"Could you tell what was on the papers?" She shook her head, only able to give me that same look of pity.

"The vision was blurry, more so than it usually is for humans."

They allowed the news to sit with me, waiting patiently as I stood with my arms crossed. As if I were strong. I did not feel strong.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "There's more."

"Of course there is," I breathed out, leaning back against the desk behind me and waiting for the presentation. I was grateful at least one of them wanted me to be prepared.

The family began to take some of the heat off of Alice, continuing with her knowledge. "Alice is unable to see your future past that meeting."

I walked through this with matching morbidity. "So, what, you think he's going to meet with me and then kill me immediately after?" I muttered, "talk about mixed messages."

Carlisle managed to transition between my poor use of light humour into a realistic overview of the situation. "I agree that it would be incongruous, which is why we need to consider that this meeting may solely be a ruse." The Cullens said 'we' so easily. They'd put in the time and effort twice now to help us analyze what they could to help us while we were here. I could understand why Aro chose to play chess with his friend.

There was a great difficulty for me to exhibit the fearful emotions they were expecting. It almost felt like I had to deliver on it. To be dramatic and scared, but it all felt like facts. Facts that sucked. But that allowed me to ask bluntly: "Basically, you're saying I might go to this meeting and never walk away from it?"

"Anything could change, so there is no way to know for sure. But there is a chance, yes."

Shrugging, I recrossed my arms to propose the obvious. As if they hadn't already discussed it. "What if I just don't go?"

"It may not be so simple," Jasper finally added. "However, you are human in Alice's vision. Which means you're in more danger than necessary if you do meet with him."

"More than necessary?" I bounced on the soles of my shoes, stopping as I got the gist. Only continuing with half sarcasm, "but if I were to be a vampire, for example–"

"You would certainly have a better chance of," Jasper's natural chime picked up on my casualness. Whether it was falling back into a past mindset or trying to make me feel better, he pulled it off well, "walking away, as you say."

Edward added, "it could also change Razin's decisions. He might decide not to pursue you if you're no longer human."

If he wanted to kill me, I doubted he'd have much of a preference in whether I drank blood or bottled water. It also occurred to me that if Razin never approached me for this meeting, then I would never know what was in that folder. Just like with Zafir, I'd be so close to finding information on my father's last few months. But if Razin changed his mind, this chance would also be snatched from me.

"This is all a bunch of what-ifs." I scowled at the only conclusion. "But you're not making it sound like I have many choices in the matter. Life and death, and all that."This seemed to trigger something in the room – even more, doubt and concern. I was beginning to feel the exasperation I'd seen on their faces upon my arrival, and Alec took advantage of the poor timing.

"Go on," His voice was bitter, spiteful as he turned to watch them with what might have come off as sadistic intent. While it was far from aimed at me, it hurt. His glare hardened, "tell her."

Carlisle sighed, reluctant to discuss the last part of this saga as I looked at him. "We should still factor in the actual transformation process."

My eyes flickered to Edward, and I'm sure Jasper picked up on the quick shot of adrenaline the sentence caused. I tried to focus intently on Carlisle's words and not my own thoughts, hoping the men would pass it off as fear. I didn't check.

"I've done a great deal of research on the subject since our first meeting. Unfortunately, it seems our original hypothesis may be –"

I finished for him, "the most likely scenario."

He nodded solemnly.

"So, I can die now or –in how long, Alice?"

Her face was crushed. "5, maybe 7 months."

"Awesome. Can't wait." I fell back on the desk, leaning up to memorize the ceiling when he spoke up, in his habit of trying to claim power only he knew he did not hold.

"You won't be going to any meeting," Alec stated as if it were obvious. And probably one of the reasons for his actions in the conversation. Though none of the Cullens seemed surprised by his declaration, they were less than pleased about either the delivery or the order itself. "Immortal or not, you'll stay in Volterra."

I frowned. If he had said it any other way, it probably would've been a mere, positive comment. But, he'd presented it as a challenge, and before I knew it, "I doubt you'll be the one making that decision."

"Watch me."

"We'll give you two a minute," one of the Cullens offered, and the siblings shuffled out to let us work it out – apparently. Only, before Carlisle left, Alec denied the opportunity for us both.

"No." He didn't have anything else to offer, simply leaving his corner and brushing past me with the words, "I must inform the Masters."

Alec walked off, my eyes trailing after him as he did. Carlisle put a hand on my shoulder as if to promise it would all be okay. But I couldn't help thinking there was a reason he didn't make the promise verbally.

I heard Edward in the other room, "Rose, you should take Saffiya for a walk." I moved in slow motion, and Rosalie was already waiting by the time I turned around.

She led me in the opposite direction on the beach than Alec and I had gone on the first day. The water and the sights held much less appeal for me today. They felt grey. Or maybe it was me that felt like paint in a can, the switch on a used lamp, hidden under a lampshade lovingly coated with dust. The irony of a map of the world being stuck on a wall. The stray piece of snow that lands on a statue in the centre of a snowglobe. A globe from fifty years ago telling time better than a clock. The chime of bells just out of sight. The singing of morning birds on the days you wished they would fly away. The one day they listened.

I asked the obvious. "You know, then?"

"Alice got the vision while you two were," she chose her words smugly but with good intentions, "sorting out your issues. Her vision was the reason we called Alec down."

"Great timing for me," I commented seriously.

I could feel her eyes on me. "They haven't stopped talking about it since."

"Was he that moody all night?"

She answered my questions, but I don't think she really cared to be talking about Alec. I still asked. I wanted to know, as selfish as it was. "Mostly, he was defensive. It took Carlisle and Edward a while to convince him we really do want the best for you, despite our brief time together."

"That was kind of them," I acknowledged. "I feel the need to apologize for him–"

"Actually, he did it himself. To Emmett as well." She smirked at my stunned reaction. "Reluctantly and through his teeth, but it was more than any of us ever would have expected."

I laughed as well. "I wish I could've seen that." Which was probably why he did it when I wasn't around. Half worried I'd tell the others, Jane at the very least, and ruin his reputation while we teased him to all hell. It was always fun to mess with Felix and Demetri, but it was rare to catch something that would be the equivalent sentiment for Alec. Some were better between just me and the twins, but every now and then–

"Rosalie?" She hummed to show she was listening. "What did you mean? When you said I'm not one of them?"

"I'm guessing you have something specific in mind?"

"Alec told you about Travis, on the train?"

She shifted her hair behind her ear, adding,"and how you met him." My lips parted. I didn't expect him to share that history. I didn't feel like figuring out which details she knew and which she didn't, so I stuck with the basics.

"Then you probably know that instead of letting the twins kill him, I suggested something possibly worse, to keep him alive." She nodded to confirm but didn't look at me, so I followed the sand in front of us. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about him. About what I did to him." Rosalie's face grew very dark, and I paused, but she didn't tell me to stop. "Travis became a vampire because of me."

She was somehow able to put it very simply, "yes, and then he tried to kill you." As if I didn't recognize the dark side of him.

I rubbed my hand over my face. "I thought saving his life was worth destroying it. But it's why he hated me, it's why Vladimir turned him, and none of it would've happened if I'd let them kill him the first time."

I think Rosalie tried to clarify my rambling for both her and me. "Are you asking me to justify his actions or yours?" Her voice was straight, but her bias lined the structure of the question.

"You said I'm not one of them – the Volturi. But I will be – maybe even sooner than I thought. Alec and Jane wouldn't understand, and before it happens, I need to know–" God, what was I even saying. Rosalie was still listening. I hoped that was a good sign.

"Your entire family has dedicated your futures as immortals to preserving human life. You understand the morals and ethics of humanity better than the twins do right now." I stopped walking, getting to my point before I started rambling even more. "If I could do what I did to Travis as a human. What the hell else willI be capable of as a vampire?"

Rosalie frowned, and I got the impression that she was more than willing to answer the question. "Truthfully? Nothing good." Her bluntness was almost comforting but not enough to circumvent the disconcerting nature of the question. "But, not all bad. If you decide to stay with–" She seemed to catch herself, solemnly and defiantly, but before I could ask where she was going, she changed the course of her answer.

"Start with Travis." She could see my confusion, and she continued to spell it out for me, her eyes flickering up to observe the shoreline of the beach. "Think about the part you played. Find a way to rationalize it, and then forgive yourself." Her eyes returned to me sharply with a dramatic flair. "And maybe it'll remind you what it's like to be human when you're everything but."

I closed my eyes for a minute, not sure if I should even start to try processing my emotions or my thoughts and which one to listen to first. Before they both broke like a dam and swallowed me whole. "For the rest of my life."

"Speaking of forever," she cast out after my solemn tune. I turned around to see Alec approaching us. He cut down the distance with his speed once I saw him.

"Saffiya." Rosalie's face shifted into one of distaste, and I refrained from laughing at the dramatics mostly because I was feeling a similar way about him at the moment. And yet, his voice saying my name still stirred the butterflies in my chest.

I acknowledged him wordlessly.

He extended his phone to me, a flash of green indicating an active call. "Jane wishes to speak with you."

I took it carefully, almost nervous to touch him when he was upset with me, and I with him, but wanting nothing more than to do so. Rosalie sent a glare at Alec, which was returned in kind, and made herself scarce. Though she smiled softly at me before really was quite beautiful.

"Hello, Jane." I greeted her, trying not to take in Alec's posture as I did. I wanted to know everything he was thinking, so I took a few steps away from him to make it a little easier not to hypothesize.

Jane did not return my greeting with the same enthusiasm or any enthusiasm at all for that honeyed voice was light but almost brittle at the ends of her words. I worried but shoved the sensitivity aside. Unconsciously, I straightened my posture, the muscles in my face relaxed as I listened to her.

"Is my brother still there?"

I nodded, forgetting I was on the phone as I caught a glimpse of him in the corner of my eye. A glance that turned into a reconnaissance mission. He was eyeing me with a level of admiration, heavily surrounded by a misguided vexation. It was likely something much simpler, rather than my imagination conjuring entire narratives behind his eyes. "Yes, he is."

"Send him away."

Assuming she'd explain why she made such a request, I tilted my head towards the house, "you heard her." Thin lines appeared on his forehead and his fists clenched, but he turned around to stalk off. "No eavesdropping," I added. He didn't acknowledge me, but I knew he would respect the request. Even if it pissed him off. "Okay, he's gone." As gone as any of them would be, considering our protective detail who, from what I could tell, was likely out of hearing distance.

"Go for a walk." I obeyed, walking in the opposite direction but still complaining about it.

"What? Jane, he's not–"

"Saffiya, one day soon, you will bear the Volturi's name." She stopped, but I don't think it was for dramatic effect. "Now, you must earn it; You've been given your first directive from the Masters."

I turned around to see Alec had stopped in his tracks, and he was almost…frightened, a protective dominance brimming underneath. The mention of his Masters was the only thing holding him back from taking the phone from my hands and demanding to know what Jane was meant to say.

But he was a good soldier, so he walked away.

"Tell me."

Chapter Text

"She will be an arduous newborn."

Aro dismissed the prediction, "no more so than the twins, I expect."

"Aro, a decision must be made." Marcus reminded the eccentric leader. They could only discuss the topic for so long before they were talking in circles.

"Very well, then," Aro sighed dramatically. "Caius?"

Caius scoffed, reiterating his favourite sentence for the issue. "One human in the castle is one too many."

"Yes, so you have said."

"Marcus? Sulpicia has informed me that Alec shared only positive developments during their absence."

The ancient man contributed his unique perspective on the last occasion he'd been witness to the boy and his mate, "as their connection grows, so does her bond with us all. Her loyalty is entrusted through his."

"Loyal as a dog," Caius mocked, even though the news was especially pleasing to all three Kings. There were no members so well bound to their Masters as the twins. If their new member survived the transformation, she would need little training.

Aro sighed, "and loyalty is so cherished these days."

"Then it is decided–"

Two hard knocks sounded from the heavy wooden doors.

"Enter."

The soft steps of their Elite Guard member became the only sound in the air as the Kings observed their new company. The girl dropped her hood as she entered the private library, but she lacked her preferred proper appearance for their court. Her hair had fallen from its setting, and her crest was tucked under her collar, the gold chain barely visible round her neck. They did not comment on it.

She stopped in front of the thrones and properly greeted the three rulers.

"Ah, Jane. To what do we owe the surprise?"

"Parce mihi pater," [Forgive me, Father] The young girl said clearly, her face a terrible mix of guilt and shame. She offered her hand, and Aro took it immediately, curiosity overwhelming him at the unexpected display from his pride and joy. And just as quick, he dropped it.

"This changes things."

Aro glanced back at the other men, then returned his attentions to the girl. He raised his hand, and she made the slightest twitch before he placed a hand on her cheek. "All is forgiven, dear one."

He turned away, dismissing her without a word, and she walked out with her back straight; her facade returned, but her nerves unended.

"Oh, and Jane."

She kept her composure. "Yes, Master."

"It would be unfortunate to worry your brother with this information. Don't you think?"

Her eyes widened despite herself, but she nodded her head, knowing nothing, if not to do as she was told. "Of course, Master."

"Wonderful!" Aro cheered, looking over his shoulder to the other men. As Jane prepared to take her leave once again, he added in a darker, monotonous tone,

"Ensure his mate agrees."

Jane hid her reaction well and the doors closed behind her.

Caius prompted, despising being left out of the loop, "what is it, Aro?"

They waited, one patient, one impatient, as Aro took his time returning to his throne. "It seems our human is not as susceptible to Jane's gift as we were led to believe."

Caius hissed with lividity, "the human deceived us? The subterfuge–" Before he could continue antagonizing his own narrative, Aro interjected.

"Calm, brother. Both girls were, unwittingly, participating until the discovery was made."

Marcus spoke up, "do you believe Carlisle's theory has sufficient standing to modify our decision, in light of the circumstances?"

"It would be unfortunate if the transformation failed," Aro mourned, with a small exclamation, "all that potential."

"If she were to die–" Marcus warned, "the boy will be destroyed, Aro. Even you could not hope to control him." The words seemed to spark something in Aro.

Caius hissed in reluctant agreement. "He would be unpredictable, vulnerable; it would be as our enemies desired."

"Then, human, she will stay."

Only they had forgotten something.

"Yes. Until the Cullen girl's prediction comes to pass." The blond man continued in impatient displeasure. "Then, what will be the distinction if the human perishes now or thereafter?"

Aro stood once more, an odd passive intelligence exciting the nerves that shot to and fro in his mind. The idealism of the circumstances could be no grander for the Volturi and would ravage their enemies for the scum they were.

"The boy's fury will have a solid place to land if young Alice's vision comes to fruition. He will have a defined enemy: Her murderer." Aro grinned gleefully.

Caius leaned forward, already satisfied with the plot of Aro's plan. Their third leader watched lazily but with a veiled interest as Aro pivoted back around to gloat to the men.

"And we are well aware of what our beloved Alec can do – with the right nudge."

"Then we wait."

Chapter Text

—Theo—

My shoulder was throbbing. The blood rushing to the injury was like a roar in my ears. So loud, I could almost convince myself it was possible to hear the blood in my veins. I shook my head, placing the boxed coffee and two boxes of doughnuts on the table in the middle of the breakroom.

The table was swarmed by underpaid workaholics, and I attempted to manoeuvre out of the way. Holding in the grunt of pain as I received several pats on the back until I finally made it to the doorway. I grinned at the stereotype in action. Even if Interpol agents were several steps away from the cops usually associated with the cliché, it was still an entertaining sight.

"Theo West– best damn intern we've ever had." An analyst pointed at me as she took a bite of a chocolate sprinkle doughnut. "Don't worry about Roberts, kid. He'll run his mouth, but no one gives a damn."

Garrett Roberts was the type of man who enjoyed the glory that James Bond films brought to his profession. But he had none of the skills to back up the Hollywood image, which is why he was currently gloating about having minorly injured an intern's shoulder in a practice session, which would have been disturbing if I hadn't been the one leading the session. Plus, he framed the story better.

The original incident had been embarrassing, and it continued to follow me when I'd walk into the breakroom, and he'd start telling the story all over again. After the fourth day, the embarrassment traded itself in for exasperation for the entire department. Apparently, he would seek out the praise wherever he could.

The shift supervisor had tried to send me home and hopefully avoid a lawsuit in case my shoulder got worse. I reminded her that I'd signed the release forms necessary, and she let me return to my temporary desk in the corner of the office.

That desk was where Roberts found me today.

"You speak Croatian?"

I frowned, but gave in to my curiosity, "Serbian."

"Close enough." It wasn't, but I got the impression he wouldn't appreciate the correction. "Come on. We've got a case."

Eight hours later, I was sitting in a flight hangar casually observing the bustle of activity as Roberts stood above me, glaring at every innocent bystander. He was less than subtle and was certainly drawing attention from others. There were more workers than travellers around us. Anyone not wearing a uniform or without a clipboard stuck out like a sore thumb, including us.

"We caught her face on the cameras in France and again in Croatia," he continued to fill me in on the case. A painting by Edgar Degas had gone missing from a museum in France and was then attempted to be sold at an auction. It would have been a moronic move on the thief's part, except that an identical painting had been forged and submitted. It took three experts to confirm the original. The bids for the fake promptly skyrocketed.

Roberts continued, "the same card that bought her tickets made a payment for their regular plane taking off from this hangar."

He handed over the photograph in his hands. A young girl was smiling brightly into the camera, her short, curly brown hair was untamed, and despite a large bandage on her chin, she beamed at the person taking the picture. Her eyes caught my attention – an unmistakable, undeniable green that put the Wizard of Oz's Emerald City to shame. "This kid can't be more than 7 or 8. You think she helped steal the Degas?"

The older man snatched the photo back. "I think she made the forgery and passed it off in France." He flipped it over and mumbled, "it's an old photo. She'd be a teenager now."

I skipped the more obvious questions, moving to our current work. "What is she doing with someone who regularly uses a private plane?"

Roberts made a sound, signaling his annoyance with me asking the questions he couldn't answer himself. "Trafficking? Or she's like her daddy, and she conned some old billionaire. It's not important." I was pretty sure it was. "I need you to watch her reaction when I mention him. That's your one job. Can you do that?" I sighed patiently at his apish hyper-masculine display and nodded.

"Another thing. That nun we keep making you talk to?"

"What about her?" A woman from a nunnery in Spain called the department to check in every once in a while, asking if we'd found a girl she supposedly reported missing. Ever since I started, they'd chosen me to give her the bad news and to remind her that our department wasn't the one she was supposed to call. She needed Missing Persons. But she insisted.

"It's the same girl." I jumped up, questions whirling in my head before he exclaimed, "there! That's her." I frowned at the group he indicated. They had no bags, but they certainly stuck out, moving strategically through the hangar.

"Are you sure?"

He shoved the photograph back into my hands. I glanced up just as the group came closer.

The only girl in the group looked petrified. The boy beside her had an arm wound securely around her waist. He wore dark sunglasses, despite the fact that the sun hadn't made an appearance all day. Two men, one with a slighter frame compared to the one beside him, walked only steps behind them.

It was the men that had heads turning. The attention that the hangar had devoted to them was some kind of momentary spellwork. The time it took for our brains to register the surprise of a surprise party. I blinked myself out of it as the burly man said something I couldn't make out, but it made the girl's fear melt away. She turned around to grin at him, and that's when I saw them. Her eyes were an unmistakable green.

"Confirmed," I said to Roberts, who moved immediately, mumbling something about interns being useless. I was quick to follow, not taking it personally but eager to prove him wrong.

The inspector weaved through the workers, rushing to keep up with the target. Finally, he landed in front of them as they turned, and they were forced to stop. The boy (at least when compared to the only slightly older men behind him) immediately and smoothly slid the girl behind him.

All three men were extremely pale, a stark contrast to the girl that stood in the middle of them. The initial shock value of their, for lack of a better word, beauty had hardly worn off, so I tried to concentrate on their nonverbal actions rather than their appearance.

The arrogance and possessive nature of the men with this girl led me to assume that Roberts's first theory that she was a victim of human trafficking might be correct. She would be a perfect target. She'd been travelling alone, not to mention young and vulnerable. With her father gone, she might have found a figure in one of them. Most likely the youngest man, who hadn't released her since we'd spotted them. Though she too, had a hand on his arm, so maybe she wasn't terrified of him. Her rare condition would make it difficult to control her, at least the way most traffickers did, so I kept my theories open.

Roberts held his badge up, "Garrett Roberts, Interpol." He made no attempt to introduce me. "We need to speak with the girl."

Her eyes widened, but the bodyguard behind the boy actually laughed, and the other rolled his eyes.

Ignoring the demand, the boy placed his arm back around her and walked around us, putting his body between her and us.

We watched them leave, and I was almost as stunned as Roberts, whose jaw had dropped at the audacity of the guy's disregard for a law enforcement organisation.

The thick man in front of me crossed his arms. "That's not going to happen."

She glanced back at us, but the boy continued to pull her along.

Roberts pivoted around and followed them onto the tarmac, ignoring the bodyguards who followed us at a leisurely pace, though still only a few steps behind.

As we got closer to what I assumed was their plane, I tried something else, stopping in my tracks behind Roberts, instinct pumping adrenaline into my veins. Even with the little I knew, I was sure that we couldn't lose this girl. "Saffiya?" I had to raise my voice to make sure she could hear. She faltered in her steps, her head turning up to the boy. He shook his head, keeping them on their track, but she said something back. Good. We had her attention.

Until two more men, I hadn't noticed before, blocked Roberts, and the man nearly stumbled into them.

"Like he said, not going to happen." If this were a trafficking operation, they would be putting a lot of weight into this one girl.

"Come on, boys." Roberts, likely seeing little ways around our current situation, changed his tune. He crossed his arms, trying to match the dominance of the other men and assuming his badge did most of the work. "I don't want to, but I can ground your plane until we get some time with that girl. We're not going away."

They didn't seem phased, so I tried to appeal to the girl again. I stepped forward, but an arm came down in front of me. "Please, we just need to talk to you."

She had already stopped, and ignoring the boy's objections, she pulled away from him. She tried to come back towards us when the boy put his arm around her once more. He didn't force her away, just kept her a safe distance from us. She demanded, "about what?"

I let out a breath of air, her acknowledgement of our requests giving me hope. It would annoy my superior, but I tried the only thing I could think of. "About your dad," I said, hoping it would secure her attention.

It did. She seemed to stumble, standing still, in the boy's arms, quickly looking at me and then up at him. Even behind the sunglasses, I could feel the fire of his glare. The distrust radiated off of him. Her hand went to his arm, "Alec, please." His lips fell into a hard line, but his head looked down to her.

"Five minutes," I prompted, praying that what I was seeing was a softened resolve. If he was her jailer, he'd broken the number one rule. He almost seemed to genuinely care about her. "Please."

The boy's head moved from her to us, and the intensity of his response was a bit unnerving. He was definitely the one in charge. But he was so young…even closer, I was sure he couldn't be older than I was. What were these kids doing in a situation like this?

"Not here," the boy, Alec, decided.

Roberts clapped me on the back and smiled smugly at the bodyguards as we passed through them. We followed the pair towards a large plane. Their four bodyguards had resumed a circle around them. Which now included us.

The first two men climbed the stairs, one going into the empty cockpit and the other turning around as if he were a flight attendant. The girl went up first, followed by the boy and then us.

As I ducked onto the plane, my jaw dropped. I'd never actually been in a private plane before. The white leather seats and bright surfaces caught me off guard. I only realized it when Saffiya giggled, looking at me. I received a glare directly after from the boy – Alec.

One of the guards directed us to a booth. We squished in next to each other, and Saffiya sat across the table. I couldn't believe this was the same girl I'd been repeatedly asked about for the last few months. It was surreal and almost too good to be true. I might finally have an answer for the lamenting voice on the other end of the phone.

She smiled, much calmer now that we were inside the plane. She no longer looked at the boy as timidly as she did before, and my trafficking theory went out the window when she snapped at him.

"Alec, seriously cut it out. Go sit with 'Metri and Felix." He started to say something back, but she cut him off again with a quieter tone, "you'll hear it all anyways."

Which meant she hadn't been afraid of him outside but that the mens' body language had been more protective than possessive. But why would she need such intense protection?

The tinted glasses did nothing to disrupt the warning in Alec's voice. "Five minutes." Then, he followed after the last two bodyguards and harshly shut the divider curtain.

"You're Saffiya Civello. Saffiya Arsinoe Civello?"

Her demeanour changed with her full name. And where we were previously new exciting acquaintances, we had become potential threats. I glanced at Roberts, perplexed as to why he would take the risk, but he ignored me.

She confirmed, "yes."

"Daughter of Thomas and–"

She cut him off. "What were your names again?" She very politely asked for my pen, then took my notebook, writing our names down on it and tearing the paper off for herself. She thanked me.

"I thought an Inspector Tutlo was on my father's case." Her knowledge caught Roberts off guard. I recognized the name, not from the office but from a plaque outside of it.

"He was." He cleared his throat, trying to recover his false glory. "But, I think the question you really want to ask is, what do we know? Is it not?"

She gave no inkling that that was her actual question, so he continued. "My team uncovered one of your father's storage units about three weeks ago," she blinked, her eyes staying closed for just an instant longer than necessary, but she said nothing. "He sure went to a lot of trouble to keep you off our radar."

"Your point?"

"I wonder how many 10-year-olds were painting Renoir, Manet, and all, in their spare time. The same paintings. Over and over and over again."

Saffiya's lips tilted up gently, and in a higher voice, she teased him. "No, I don't imagine many kids have their version hanging in a museum somewhere either. Allegedly."

Roberts's hand landed on the table in glee with fake laughter. "See. This is why I love forgers. When they get a chance to brag about their work, they take it. Every damn time. Anything else you want to admit so we can arrest you." My eyes wandered to him, wondering what he thought he had on this girl to make such a threat. He was playing a game, but he was playing it alone.

She glanced over her shoulder. "Somehow, I don't see that working out for you." Neither did I. "How did you find me?"

"You've been on our radar for a few months, ever since you left that nunnery of yours."

"Yet, you discovered my existence three weeks ago? Which is it?"

She caught him, and she knew it as he stumbled to talk his way through. I decided to go for the truth. "You were reported missing by the sisters of St. Augustine. A woman named Misha calls every now and then for an update."

Now, I'd turned the tables and caught her. Her face fell as she breathed out the name, "Misha?"

My stomach churned at the idea of using it against her, but I encouraged the emotion, "she's really worried about you."

I thought I had her a second later, but she quickly sobered up. Saffiya straightened her posture and set us with a blank stare. As if she'd grown bored of the conversation. "You both seem good enough to know I won't tell you anything about my father's work – dead or alive. So, what do you want?" Roberts glanced at me, a smirk rising on his face.

I, on the other hand, frowned and went to correct her. He cut me off.

"Listen, sweetcheeks–"

There was a loud bump behind the curtains. "Let's stick with proper names, shall we, gentlemen?"

Roberts rolled his eyes, but a glimmer led me to believe he might have been worried for a second. "We don't give a damn about any code of honour among thieves. What do you know about this?" He looked at me expectantly, annoyed, and I pulled the photocopy of the painting and slid it over to her.

She snorted, unladylike and yet another slip into her true, lighter personality. "You work in art crimes and don't know a Degas when you see one?"

The man stuttered, not expecting her charmed wit. "You know what we mean."

She sighed woefully, tracing the image with a delicate hand. "I never did Degas. Too subtle handed." Somehow, I doubted that.

"I don't believe you." Roberts's rudeness unnerved me, and it wasn't getting us very far with Saffiya.

"My father didn't need me for forgeries. As I'm sure, you're aware."

"Maybe not. But we found more than childhood drawings in those boxes, and it looks like he sure as hell got away with it more when he did use you." She smirked with a practiced expertise, sliding the paper back to me.

"If that's what you think after only three weeks, I'd be delighted to know what you have after three months." Her insinuation was directly in line with the arrogance she'd demonstrated earlier. She watched Roberts expectantly, seeming to enjoy the effect of her unstable responses on his hubristic attitude.

"How about without your daddy? Freelance, much?"

"If I did, do you really think I'd tell you?"

They stared at each other, and somehow, she stole the dominance when she broke eye contact first. That strong green met my eyes. "You want to tell me what this is about?"

I didn't give Roberts a chance to respond or tell me not to. I just did. "The original and a forgery were offered to an auction house. The donor was anonymous, but the painting was stolen from a museum only five days prior."

"And how did my father come into this?" This time, I had to look at Roberts for my cue. She smirked, though she seemed disappointed. Not that I should trust anything about her responses at this point. "I think it's been five minutes."

As soon as the words left her mouth, the cabin door swung open, the breeze from outside wafting over us.

She watched us go, biting her lip in another turn of emotion, and I thought that was it until she called after us. "Wait" and "Alec?" As if he'd been standing right behind the curtain, the boy returned to her side. Sunglasses, oddly still on. She held her hand out. "Phone?" But he seemed reluctant to hand it over, so she did it herself, moving his jacket aside and collecting it from the inside pocket with an exasperated exhale.

Definitely not a victim.

She pressed a few buttons, then reclaimed my pen and wrote a number on the space left in the paper she'd taken from me before. She tore it off.

"Please, if you find anything about my father." She eyed Roberts distrustfully before choosing to give the slip of paper to me.

"This is your number?" I tried to clarify, wondering what she expected us to find.

"Alec's. He'll get your message to me." From the way he looked at us, I doubted her words.

We turned to leave, Roberts was already on the stairs when I turned again to ask, "and if the sisters of St. Augustine call?"

She glanced up at the boy, who pursed his lips but nodded. "Better now then after," he murmured to her, his hand moving to her back as her face fell. The action was natural, familiar, and without recognizing why, she regained the courage to answer me.

Even so, she hesitated, biting her lip. "Use your discretion. Yours. Not his," she eyed Roberts, who scoffed. It was the most genuine she'd been with us, so I tucked the paper in my pocket. She smiled softly at the decision.

One of the guards placed a hand on my uninjured shoulder, and I tried not to jerk away at the shock from the ice of his touch. "If you don't mind. We have a schedule to stick to."

"One more question," her companions grew anxious the more questions she asked. "How did you know it was me? Really?"

I reached into the back of the file, careful not to let anything else show, and handed over the reference photo. "No matter how old you get, you can't change these eyes."

She accepted the picture of her younger self, and after a few seconds, the boy took it from her. His eyebrows seemed to soften as he examined it, but she regained my attention before I could deduce more about her unusual partner. Saffiya smiled at me, almost as if she had a secret.

"I can try."

"You think people like her are just born lucky or taught lucky?"

Roberts thrust open his car door as we watched their plane take off twenty minutes later. We'd made it to the carport with his bruised ego limping behind us all the way through the hangar. I copied him, sliding into the old car and placing the file on my lap.

"Lucky?" I asked, astounded. "Why didn't you tell her?"

She didn't even try to deny...anything. What if she just told us what we wanted to hear? While we were trying to build rapport, she was getting answers. We gave more than we got. And I couldn't help but feel that Roberts had sabotaged us from start to finish. His investment in the case was almost too intense and the experienced detective had lost his head.

"She was lying. Ain't no way she's not involved." I glanced back up the plane, only to see it disappearing behind the clouds. "She was playing you that whole time, kid. Asking for information on her daddy." His tone was unnecessarily mocking, and I felt offended on her behalf. A girl I hardly knew. "That's why you're the intern, and I'm the one with a badge."

He continued, despite my lack of commitment to the conversation.

"Her daddy sure trained the hell out of her. Inconsistent. Edgy. Predictive reactions. Asking for our names – like she could report us, ha! Yeah, right!" He continued prattling on, criticizing her behaviour so intently it started to sound like admiration. He really was a chump.

I opened the case folder to study the security image of the theft once more. The thief had stopped in the middle of his heist to send a smug look into the security cameras. Seconds before he walked out of the frame and disappeared from the world over a month ago. I compared the image with the headshot beside it.

There was no doubt. Thomas Civello was alive.

And I was convinced; his daughter had no idea.

Chapter Text

It was sinful, wearing his cloak to leave him.

The rain was a bittersweet commentary on the juxtaposition of my arrival and now my departure from Volterra. Each droplet was expelled from the sky with a steadily increasing force, splashing on the cobblestone streets.

My face turned up as tiny drops of water began to tap my cheeks like a knock on a door. Alec's cloak was tied around my shoulders, and I stuck out like a sore thumb, but people seemed too eager to escape the incoming weather to question it. The hood dropped while I observed the sky, and I reluctantly raised the collar to help it stay better on my head. Alec always folded the collar down, and it was silly, but doing the same made me feel closer to him.

It allowed me to pretend he would be anything but apoplectic with my actions.

Across the street, a man dropped a phone into his pocket as he spoke hurriedly with another. The two men were engrossed in an oddly public, heated debate, so I angled towards them, my pace tedious but necessary. I dropped my head as I drew closer. Neither of the men acknowledged me; even as I bumped into the anxious one, slipped two fingers into his pocket and lifted his telephone.

"Scusa," he apologized, too distracted to glance at me.

I made no attempt to respond, nor did I look back to see if he cared. I placed my bets on his conversation mattering more to him than a young girl in an old-fashioned black and red cloak. You would expect the cape to be a dead giveaway, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. As if I were a homeless person pushing a cart on the other side of the street.

I ducked into an alley where the roofs of the buildings on either side provided a decent cover from the sky's tears. And though the streets were far from empty yet, one glance around the corner confirmed that I had gotten away with my crime.

Leaning heavily against the wall, I began tapping the phone to try and find the keypad. My nerves seemed to rise with every failed attempt until I swiped my fingers, and it appeared. After typing in the numbers I'd written on my arm, I paused, and my eyes shot up. Paranoia had taken hold of me, but nobody paid attention to the shadow in the alley.

I pressed the green button and raised the phone to my ear.

My leaving should have been predictable. Before the Volturi, my father's disappearance served as the foundation of my decisions, and leaving had been the first decision I'd made within their walls. I only stopped trying to sneak out of the castle when Victor Tima confirmed my fear. Without my father, I had needed a new path.

So I played my role, made friends, and adjusted to what I became convinced would be the rest of my life. My doubts were pushed to the side and given the instructions to remain buried – until something changed. To be honest, I never expected it to.

I glanced up, confirming that I was still by my lonesome.

Alice Cullen's vision had been the modifier, and the suspicions I'd locked away hit me with full force. I still had questions — loads of questions about my father and his passing. And Razin, the Volturi's rising enemy, could have the answers I needed. As wonderful as life with the Volturi had been (aside from particular events), my loyalty to my father swallowed me like a moral obligation.

These considerations slipped into my dreams and allowed the waking peace to be stolen by the antagonists of real life. Two of which appeared with more frequency than the rest; Travis, whose death made him a superficial danger, and of course, the real threat: Razin. They were mere thoughts, not relevant enough to manifest into anything noteworthy. But they followed me nonetheless.

The Volturi continued searching for Razin using the same offensive methods as before, though they were returning with more signs of a fight. It was hardly mentionable, but Demetri and Felix had been spending a lot more time in the training room and others had started to join them. The coven could think of little else but finding Razin – naturally.

Except no one seemed to remember the detail I couldn't forget: Razin knew something about my father. I was determined to figure out what he knew, with or without them.

It wasn't as far-fetched of an idea as it may have seemed; me going after Razin. The journal that Aro had passed on to me contained the disturbingly thorough documentation collected by the original inspector investigating my father.

Once I'd finally convinced myself to open it, I found that it included virtually everything about my dad's work – except for me. Even in the jobs I had participated in, my involvement and existence went uncredited.

But where my name was missing, the investigator had noted three possible acquaintances of my father's with brief but specific additional information. Victor Tima was on that list. The other two names had telephone numbers underneath, and the likelihood that these were active numbers five years later was ludicrous. But I was desperate, and it was all I it was certainly not what Aro intended me to use it for.

If Razin knew something about my father, one of these men had to be privy to similar details. Maybe even the same information could lead us to Razin. That was the ideal and, to be honest, the only outcome I was willing to accept at the moment. I started thinking outside the box to come up with my own plan. If anything, the simple act of sitting and exploring different ideas to beat Razin helped me feel less useless. Even if no one really knew or cared to know about my untraditional ideas.

I could have stolen one of the guards' phones, but none of them seemed to carry a device casually. Still, using any non-high guard member's telephone would get them in trouble. I figured that if I could make it out of the castle and stay out long enough to call the two numbers (calling Victor's felt more morbid than helpful), I might get a call back before I was forced back inside. I would have answers, solutions rather than problems.

If I had this opportunity before I met Alec, I might have gotten somewhere in my investigation.

Before I met Alec.

Alec was still severely opposed to involving me with any topic near Razin. A motive inspired by good intentions but highly impractical the more they started to accept the vampire as a real threat. Vladimir's attack certainly played a role in that change.

Since we'd returned from the Cullens about three weeks ago, Alec had been avoidant. Restrictive. Like he had lost all faith in himself to engage in conversations or activities that might risk a hot button issue rising between us. With our disagreements and his overt caution, he refused to spend any time with me – waking or sleeping, if external factors had already disrupted his mood or made him susceptible to the emotions he wanted to avoid. This was my own rationale to explain why he was also obstinately reluctant to even kiss me. So much so that our friends were still in the dark about how far our explorative friendship had actually progressed – and now, regressed.

After everything that had happened – from our heated argument in the library to the events on the train and our time with the Cullens, I expected our more familiar interactions to remain as the status quo upon our return. In fact, I wasn't even sure if I wanted them to, still a little uncomfortable with the extreme shift in our relationship. Between the two of us, the more intimate actions had ceased as soon as we entered the castle. As if every touch, every word and meeting of our lips were no more than an artificial memory.

And he wouldn't admit it, but I had a feeling he was still grappling with his guilt over my minor bruises. I had hoped the dramatics would be resolved once the visible marks on my body disappeared, but the Kings sent their elite team on a mission before they could.

My frustration with Alec's baffling and irrational behaviour was transparent, so running off might be seen as a significant escalation. In my defense, it wasn't so much running away as it was running to something. I had a little more faith that I might make it further than the first time I left the castle several months ago. Alec wouldn't be so easily fooled – whether he expected it or not. Though it was safe to say he would be unprepared. I needed Demetri out of the way as well, just long enough that I would make some decent progress before they found me.

The four of them – Alec, Jane, Demetri, and Felix – weren't due back for at least two more days. My chances of getting something done before being found increased exponentially with them gone. It could be my only chance to make headway on my father's case.

If we could find out what happened to my father, we could use it to figure out what Razin would show me in five months' time. We'd be ready for him.

I groaned into the telephone as several beeps informed me that the first number I dialled was out of service. The second, and last number, belonged to a familiar name: James Roché. I could almost recreate the memory of a boisterous redheaded man pulling a euro out of my ear in a magic trick that delighted my child self.

I pushed Alec from my mind and tapped the green button. Waiting with bated breath for a voice…

Voicemail. I swore under my breath at the pre-recorded female voice through the phone, " – is unavailable. Please leave a message after the beep."

"Hi…err," I cleared my throat, "I don't know if this will work, but…." It would be unfair of me to expect an answer from a phone number five years old and probably languishing at the bottom of a dumpsite. But the ring was a good sign. It was in service, at the very least. "My name is Saffiya," I hesitated yet again. "Civello. Thomas' daughter? I have a few questions. If you could call…could call me at…." I relayed the number on my arm. Alec would be pissed, but I prayed he would try to understand. I needed him to understand.

I hung up hastily, my nerves vaulting, yet a slight bounce of joy floated in my stomach. Hope was dangerous, but I permitted myself to celebrate the progress. I'd come so far to get to this moment, starting at the abbey…the abbey.

I studied the numbers on the phone, reflecting, until my head lifted up in time to see a flash of black disappear around a corner.

No.

My eyes were playing tricks on me. Even with the rain to cover them, there was no way the Guard would risk coming after me in the daytime. They would wait until nightfall and drag me to the throne room for a third time, kicking and fighting. Marcus would sigh, Caius would make a snappy comment blaming the Cullens for my behaviour, and Aro would chastise me with that smug little smile. But if it wasn't the Volturi tracking me yet, there was only one other option, and it was certainly worse than the lower guard.

Razin, the Volturi's rising enemy, was bold but surely not so arrogant as to risk sending goons into the sacred city of Volterra. Unless this was an act of desperation. Perhaps ruining the twins was worth sending his creations into the lion's den for the mere chance of grabbing me. The concept was almost crazy enough to be practical for the vampire's plan of world domination. But really, there was no way for Razin to have known I would make it so easy for him to 'kidnap' me on this day, at this time.

However, logic, factoring in both possibilities, warned me otherwise. Even if I'd imagined a figure in black, I preferred to air on the side of caution.

I snapped the borrowed phone shut and dropped it, purposefully drowning the device in a growing puddle, and rushed to the other side of the alley. Now, I regretted the gaudiness of the cape as I stepped out from the shadows and slowed to match the pace of the citizens of Volterra.

Less than a minute later, another dark flash caught my attention, so I abruptly turned to take an additional street. It appeared ahead of me again, and I spotted my brief refuge, dashing up the single step and tugging the door open.

Hesitant and unsure of what exactly my purpose was, I stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"I know you," a female voice called. The woman walked out from behind the bar to confront me, the same one I had met my first day in Volterra. She crossed her arms over her chest and surveyed me with growing suspicion. "Victor dealt with a lot of 'em shady characters."

I raised my eyebrows.

The bartender continued, "all them strangers and he only went missing a few days after you showed up."

I didn't appreciate the accusation, despite her being spot on. Defensively, I huffed out, "if he was such a shady character, how d'you know he didn't just leave?"

She narrowed her eyes at me and moved further down the wall, plucking two photographs off with a bit too much force. She waved one in front of my face. "He's still got two of 'em waiting at home."

The shock was written across my face and I made no attempt to hide the guilt that attempted to blend in with it. I automatically snatched it from her.

The photograph was relatively recent but its image made my stomach turn. A young boy sat on Mr. Tima's lap with a gigantic grin, two teeth clearly missing right in front. On the other side of the booth, a young girl looked to be around 9 years or so. She had her arms crossed over her chest, the opposite emotion from her younger brother evident as the glower on her face. A plump woman had a hand on her shoulder, smiling for the picture. But the kind where you knew the instant after it was taken, the daughter received a reprimand that was anything but smile-worthy. One boy, one girl, and a beautiful wife. Everything a con man would never have, and yet, Mr. Tima had found it in a small town in Italy.

And I had taken that away from him. His kids would grow up like me. With the title that had defined me since I was left behind. Fatherless. Only Mr. Tima did not choose to leave his children and my father had purposefully, willingly walked away from me and my childhood. Of course, the distinction didn't make the pain of their absent father any less than mine.

"Any idea where he's gone?"

I bit the inside of my cheek, quickly releasing it as soon as I caught myself. I took a breath and tore my eyes away from the picture. "No, sorry."

I hardly tried to convince her and I began to regret ducking into the tavern more and more. The bartender finally relented, removing the photo from my hand and grudgingly offering me the other one.

"I suppose this is what you're looking for." She eyed my attire once more as I accepted the photo.

"Thank you."

Her harsh gaze hadn't lessened. "Take it. And don't come back."

My eyes widened at the bluntness, but I didn't overstay my welcome.

The rain had picked up, so I pulled Alec's hood back over my head as I tucked the photo in a pocket and scanned the immediate area. If Razin's men were waiting for me, they were smart enough not to do it in the light.

I stepped off the entrance, heading back down through the city. I was being silly. What I had seen was a figment of my overtired imagination. A wink of dark...a trick of –

Ahead of me, another flash of black on the corner. I came to a sharp, stumbling halt and glanced around the area to see if anyone was reacting to it. To see if there was something out of place with what I assumed I had seen.

I moved one foot forward when a cold arm encased my waist. My body was already fighting the marble hold before his hand slammed over my mouth and tugged me back into an alley

Despite the hand, I forced a muffled, guttural scream to try and break through. I kicked at the person holding but the vice grip tightened. A voice in my ear made me stop.

"Fiya, it's just us." Demetri was trying to soothe me, assuming I was reacting out of fear. I opened my eyes, forgetting when exactly I had closed them. "You're okay." His hand left my mouth and I blinked to see Felix standing across from us, a cautious witness.

I hummed in my chest and tried to push him off. "Let me go." Felix's eyes made contact with the man restraining me.

"Yeah, I dunno if we should do that yet," Demetri mumbled, so I made another sharp shove with my arms just to prove a point. "Exhibit A."

"Maybe after you calm down–"

I grunted, "you think this is gonna calm me down?" The consideration was quick and Demetri freed me. I pushed off of my friend, pacing deeper into the boarded-up alley before turning on my heels. "Where is he?" They'd hardly sent another uneasy glance at each other before I scoffed. "Typical."

"Fiya, you might want to pick your battles with this one. He knows–"

"Ha!" I commented mockingly, my better self only hoping my friends would forgive me for such behaviour. I propped myself up against the wall. "I don't want to see him. And I'm not going back."

"Kid."

"You can't make me."

"How did you even get out?"

I scoffed, "'get out', you say. As if I could be any more like a prisoner."

"Felix didn't mean–"

"I know." My lowered voice made their shoulders fall as I relented to the situation. "He didn't even come, did he?" I asked as if I already knew the answer. It seemed that I did not, in all my arrogance, because a familiar voice sent a shiver down my spine.

"Saffiya."

Damn.

It wasn't fair of him to say my name. It had only been a few days, but his voice triggered that obnoxious pull in my chest and awoke the butterflies in my stomach to stir up every emotion I'd been trying to shove down, especially during my current mission. I didn't stand a chance if he could do that with only my name and a smoky tone.

The Prince of the Volturi was the epitome of regality, and in that alley, his stare alone could have mistaken me for some kind of barbaric criminal.

I crossed my arms to state the obvious, still leaning back on the wall. "You're supposed to be in America. With Jane."

"She is waiting," Alec dropped his hood as a black whisper flashed into the entrance of the alley.

Alec nodded to the guys. Demetri squeezed my shoulder and Felix ruffled my hair, either because they were trying to convey their forgiveness or because they pitied me in the current moment. Or both. They walked to join Jane, forced to walk back to the castle in the glimpses of rainy daylight. Leaving Alec and I to the echo of the passage.

Sourly, I commented, "quick mission." 2 days early. Rotten luck on my end.

He was quiet, a stern expression seeking remorse or shame from me. I refused to give in and his tone remained devoid of emotion, straight to the point, "I received a call that you attempted to run away. Twice." Now I know why I made it past the doors this time.

"Third time's supposed to be the charm."

Alec was far from amused. "We are returning to the castle –"

"I'm not going back."

He ignored me, "and you will not draw attention–"

"Wanna bet?" I pushed off the wall to confront him directly.

Alec's smooth voice dropped, sprinkled with a gravelly undertone, but he came no closer. "We can talk about why you've felt the need to behave so foolishly once we arrive –"

"You won't even touch me," I was quick to retaliate, and it didn't put me on his good side. "How do you expect to get me back into the castle in the middle of the day without making a scene?"

It wouldn't be much more trouble for him as the sky became heavier with the incoming storm. In the street, fewer people seemed to pass by every minute. But there were enough that they'd notice me struggling if he tried to carry me out. He sighed, glancing out of the alley as if weighing the options.

I couldn't stop myself from biting off more than I could chew, "only one way to get me out of here. So unless you're willing to use your special talent, I'm staying right –"

Alec's head jerked up and his glare pierced my skin, forcing me to take a step back. He offered no counter-argument but took two steps closer as if he intended to challenge my claim.

Shit.

I retreated on instinct, but my heart started to hum and would soon be pounding in my ears. Alec knew the sound well and just like that, his lips curved up with the arrogance of an over-achiever.

"My darling little human," he murmured as he reached out, two fingers grazing my jaw. I jerked away from his touch but his hand only twisted, capturing my chin with a delicate but subtle warning. I gave in.

How did he do this to me? I had no comprehension of what the hottest part of a flame felt like, but I imagined it was identical to the feeling that bolted through me the moment our skin touched. Yet, he was colder still than the stone of the walls or even the bitter tone of the delicate as he handled me, the opposite enveloped my mind as I was thoroughly intoxicated by the flashes of lightning that radiated between us.

Alec's hand slipped to the side of my neck and his fingers pressed into my skin, just enough to let me know he was serious. He didn't bring me towards him, didn't push me away, but he was prepared when my eyes shot to meet his. He was daring me. Radiant, deep red eyes tracked my pulse, continuing down my throat to the curve of my neckline. The level of danger was vague, and I wondered if he was merely testing himself under the guise of intimidating me.

With a heated glare and a fixed jaw, he was trying to find something to say that wouldn't express more than he wished to reveal. Which is a way I never wanted to make him feel. Locks of hair were plastered to his forehead, and drops of rainwater littered his face, though he paid them no mind. He was too focused on me, and I tried not to flinch under the scowl. I could almost see the steam coming off of him as its own corporeal entity.

He was livid.

His voice was silver and each word he spoke burned with vexation, though he tried to conceal it. "Do not test me."

I kept my eyes from him, conflicted by, well, everything. "You can't make me go–"

"Yes, I can," he cut me off. His eyes flashed. "And I will. Though I would greatly prefer it to be of your own free will."

My defiance spiked. I put my hands on his chest and pushed as hard as I could, seeing as my strength wasn't much against a vampire. He let me shove him either out of surprise or some newfound patience. I took a breath, taking in his posture as he rested himself against the stone, eyes on me with a careful expression. If he was going to test me, then I was going to give him something to test.

I closed the distance, colliding into his body and pressing my lips to his against the alley wall.

My original intention was to preoccupy him, knowing it might take him off guard long enough for me to make it to the alley's edge, but I was thwarted once more by my own covetous longing. He responded before I could process it, his hands taking my face between them as his lips pursued mine with increased fervour. The action was by no means harsh but far from the gentle approach he'd been so committed to upholding. Which he remembered approximately three seconds after I'd crashed into him.

A rabid snarl pierced the air. His. The warning pulsated through him and sent shockwaves to my heart as he pushed me away, slamming my body against the stone wall of the alley. A move that surely would have drawn blood from my skull, at the very least, with the force he used.

He got lucky.

Something kicked in, and Alec regained control at the last possible second, cupping the back of my head and saving it from the misshapen dips and protrusions in the stone. I grabbed his forearms to steady myself, taken aback by his speed and unaware of the close call. Blinking tightly, I opened my eyes to see the dominant, sensible part of him recovering from the sudden emergence of his predatory side. I was still distracted by both the thrill of his lips against mine and the impact of the wall behind me, and of his reaction.

Alec released me as if I'd stung him, and I could see him processing the worst-case scenarios that had been narrowly avoided. While his bursts of emotional overcompensation were as familiar to us as mine, this was another level. Frankly, it was unnerving. An outburst this unbridled and intemperate belonged in the early days of our story. Even then, this was something deprived. It was another step back, and he would drive himself insane if he started reliving the what-ifs. And for the first time, I could think of nothing to ease his mind.

Rubies had transformed into an onyx stone, breathtakingly stern. However, the longer we stood there, breathing heavily under the rain, the faster they began to change. Red to black was almost always immediate, but this time, the darkness that had overtaken his eyes began to disappear. A clearer carmine flooded in as Alec yanked himself from the fray. He turned away from me but when his gaze returned, his eyes were as red as could be, just as they were when he arrived.

He scanned over my form while I remained on the wall. Dread began to overtake the muscles in his face while I remained stunned by the evolution in his eyes.

Alec waited for any sign of fear on my part as he returned to me. Hesitantly, he brushed the hood from my head with a new objective. My face automatically glowered at him because the rain gleefully began to accumulate in the frizz of my hair and randomly parade on my scalp. Though his fingers were soothing, gently landing on the back of my head and finding their way to the roots as they carefully checked for any physical damage. When I determined he'd had long enough to do so, I lazily slapped his hand away, and his jaw clenched, fixing me with a displeased look. He calmly claimed my attacking limb and secured it gently to my side to keep me from disrupting.

Now that the hood no longer obstructed the view of my face, his visage fell to one of submissive dominance as he observed the changes to my face in his absence. He started with the bloodshot attack on my eyes and naturally followed the tears staining my cheeks before zipping to the three-day-old bruise on my hairline diagonal from my left eye. At least, these were the marks I'd identified before I snuck out of the castle. The appearance was enough to throw some self-inflicted guilt onto his features. For some reason, the fact that I could unintentionally injure myself never seemed to occur to him.

When Alec's initial inspection cleared me of any immediate injuries, he nodded to himself and abruptly returned to his assignment while I still breathed heavily. "Right now, the Masters have not been informed that you are missing." His voice came out evenly but scarred, and it took me a minute to catch up with him, "if we do not return before your absence is discovered, I cannot shield you from–"

Someone cleared their throat quite purposefully, the sound travelling through the rain from the entrance.

I identified an older woman carrying a large shopping bag and squinting into the alley. How long had she been there? The vampire lowered his head, no glasses or contacts shrouding his eyes. We must not be giving off the best impression, with him still somewhat trapping me against the wall in more of a hostile manner than a suggestive one, despite his newly undisturbed manner. I doubted the old lady would have left us alone for either.

The woman said something in Italian, a concerned voice lifting at the end of her speech. She'd asked a question. Her face tilted in my direction expectantly, but I was at a loss, so I sought Alec's assistance. I don't think she approved.

The vampire responded to her words with a gruff voice, but the woman stood her ground. Alec muttered under his breath with spite, "she thinks I will harm you." Whatever he had said to her had done little to lessen her doubt about my welfare.

Swallowing my comebacks, I acted on a different instinct. I stumbled with the closest translation I could think of to convince her we were fine, "saremo al sicuro." [we will be safe]

The older woman still seemed unconvinced, but I reluctantly offered a wide, fake smile. Finally, she went on her way, more eager to get out of the rain than to investigate a possibly antagonistic situation by herself. I hoped she would mind her business from then on.

Alec's eyes flashed to me, startled, and I glanced at him warily through my eyelashes. "It's the end of Little Red Riding Hood. Caius gave it to me." I bit my lip, "did I say it wrong?"

"Yes," and I watched with bated breath as a proud but forlorn hint of a smile appeared on his face. He released my hand but maintained control by keeping me between his body and the wall. His thumb freed my bottom lip, then swept softly over my cheek like silk, as if trying to wipe away the tears that had been there not too long ago. I leaned into his touch. It was curious; How we could be in the midst of such a heated battle and yet come together to face an outside adversary.

"It is your decision," Alec continued with a new tenderness. "We can risk waiting until dark when we can no longer give you a choice, or we can return now, and you can tell me what is going on." He needn't give me the option anymore. We were only slightly covered by the roofs above, but the rain had become heavy and the sky dark, so it wasn't much of a decision. A clap of thunder hit the sky as if on cue.

He searched my face, though I was uncertain what he hoped to find.

"You cannot do that again," Alec's voice was melancholic, "it was unwise."

I could not hide the bitterness on my tongue, "do what? Kiss you or run away?" His thumb caressed my cheek, but I dropped my head to deny him the connection.

"Alec." The instant his name hit the air, he removed himself from me.

"Jane."

She was frowning at him, but she looked no more pleased with me. She presented her pale hand for me to take, but I shook my head. "I don't want to," I conceded weakly.

Her voice was coated with stone, but an element of patience lay within. "You must." My time was up. I glanced at Alec, but now, he wouldn't return the gaze. Jane prompted me once more, "vieni, sorellina." [come, little sister]

Trying to ignore the man beside me, I left his side to join Jane, as there was little I would deny her, and I wasn't sure he wanted me with him. He made no move to interfere. Jane was waiting for me, but she was looking at her brother's face, the two sharing a private conversation through some form of twin telepathy or mere familiarity.

She was calm as she aimed her next order to Alec, like a coded message, "we mustn't keep the Masters waiting."

Too calm.

Chapter Text

Our first stop was not the throne room.

"I hate when you do that," I told him, grabbing the bedpost to steady myself, even if his speed was a thrill, like closing your eyes on a rollercoaster and waiting, just waiting, as it jerked away from its station and chugged slowly up the tracks. With your eyes closed, there was always a spike or two of fear that out of all the rides, this would be the one to fall backward. But it never did. And you'd know as soon as it froze—everyone waiting with bated breath at the top. Then, a clear click...and down you fall.

Alec deadpanned, "whoops."

Even if I would rather eat dirt than be in that room, the familiarity of the walls around us settled my nerves. I still imagined Hamlet skulls adorning the fireplace, even if I'd never seen them before. Perhaps it was only the multiple copies of Shakespeare's plays claiming one of his bookshelves. All but a few, with numerous copies collected over the last few centuries. I'd never asked him about them, but more often than not, these would be the books he finished reading when he saw I was awake some mornings. I would hear the soft clump and, occasionally, just barely open my eyes to see him sliding it back in place on the shelf before returning to me. Like the neat freak that he was.

My hair was stuck to my skin, the top half of it anyways. If Alec had left the hood up rather than needlessly pushing it off, it might have saved my head from some of the downpour. He was more soaked than I was, making me realize that his cloak had provided me with greater protection than I would have imagined.

He was deliberately ignoring me, speeding around and across the room and in the span of me leaning against the edge of the bed, Alec reappeared at his bedside table. His fingers were frozen on one of the buttons of a crisp, new maroon button-up, staring down at something. I couldn't see what it was until he picked up the object that had captured his attention, twisting it between his fingers before turning around. My mother's ring hung from the chain in his hands.

Leaving the necklace for him had been a last-minute decision. I never stopped to process the fact that he would have to see it. Run his fingers over the grooves and paths carved into it over time. He would have to imagine why on earth I would do such a thing. My rosary was replaceable, still around my neck. My mother's ring that hung on the chain dangling in Alec's possession was anything but. I had meant it to promise I was coming back to him, but now the only message it seemed to hold was one of an attempted goodbye. He set it down with his crest but didn't acknowledge me.

I hadn't thought this part through either. I knew I would have to face him, but not once did I stop to consider what it might be like, feel like, to verbally rationalize why I'd attempted to run away from him. Particularly now that we were no longer strangers. More than strangers. I could see this and thousands of other ruinous suggestions running through his head, thoughts he would never voice. Not after this.

Regret and guilt stormed my stomach, one battling the other before they teamed up and flooded my body.

I walked away.

He didn't follow me, only called with a reluctant tone, "where do you think you're going?"

The bitterness in his voice made me shiver, but I still managed to whip a snippy comment at him, "to my room. You know, the one that isn't your room."

"I was unaware there was much of a difference these days." Cheeky bastard. Even in anger, his personality shined through. He leaned against the mattress.

It seemed that Volterra was the key to our imbalance. Within less than a day we were back to fighting. Any progress we made was sent back to one, the transition was instantaneous, smooth. So much so that our friends hadn't even picked up on a change in our dynamic. It was as if everything that had happened when we were gone had been erased, but for a few shared glances under suspicious eyes.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" He crossed his arms. "I don't need a babysitter. Besides, I know you'd rather be anywhere but with me–"

"Saffiya." His dominance made me freeze; all rebellion snapped away with his husky tone. "Come here."

He held out his hand. I relented easier than I would have liked and the instant my hand touched his, he pulled me between his knees, moving his fingers to my hips. His thumb absentmindedly slipped under my shirt, trailing in a circle, innocently on my skin. How was it, that a touch so subtle, could be so exhilarating.

Alec tilted his head up but avoided meeting my eyes. His hand brushed the mess of curls from my face, holding them away and cupping the back of my head.

"Alec, I didn't even touch the wall." His lips drew into a thin line, giving the impression that he was not eager to address it further.

I started to step back. Without moving an inch, Alec's eyes darted to mine, capturing me almost instantly.

Air zipped through my lips as I inhaled sharply with the connection. The simple look in his eyes made me forget my breaths, but whether that was him or the blowback from my currently erratic emotions I did not know. But, he did.

His eyes devoured me with a fury familiar, but still quite unknown and the recognition of this emotion forced itself down my throat, intent on drowning me with its arrival. It bubbled around him like radiation threatening me to keep my distance, pulsing inside an invisible force field. I could almost see the sins hidden behind the first layer of muddy red in his eyes. He couldn't hide it, certainly not from me. I was fluent in his anger. At least, I thought I was. Slowly, then all at once; it vanished into thin air.

My eyes finally broke from his to chase it, my gaze flitting about his face to try and identify the spite in any other detail, marking, or crevice. I blinked and returned to his ruby stare, vibrant but hard. I swallowed.

Perhaps I was projecting. Anger would be deserved, but he truly showed no trace of it anymore. Even when he held back, I thought I could see the hidden feeling dancing behind his irises. But there was nothing there. No malice nor discontent. Just eyes that bore into my chest and with an unintentional swipe of his fingertips over my waist, the butterflies erupted in an obnoxiously inconvenient moment of revelry. They cherished and savoured these instances, especially when they had been surviving off of memories and giving my headaches like the little assholes they were.

"The Masters are expecting us."

Alec pushed my hips back as I'd previously attempted to do, standing to his full stature. Soft fingers left my side to brush across my cheek (my stomach fluttered) and with this, his eyes drank mine in once more before they freed me.

He began to lead the way to the door, his fingers nimbly darting across the buttons of his shirt. As he reached for his vest, I couldn't hold my tongue any longer.

"I know how to find Razin."

Alec finished pulling on his vest at the pace of molasses, turning to see I hadn't moved an inch. My stomach rolled, and I was wary to meet his eyes again. He gave no outward indication of his reaction to my crossing the boundaries he'd been very clear in setting. There was no personal indication of how he felt about my statement that crossed his facade, only a single word.

Definitively, "no."

I should have left it there. "What do you mean, no?" I demanded, closing the space he'd put between us.

"Do not start, Saffiya," he sighed as if I were a fly, bothering him for the sake of doing so.

Scoffing, I pushed, "don't be a prick. You won't even humour my idea, will you?"

He lifted a heavier overcoat onto his shoulders, though it hardly showed its weight in his hand. The fabric was laced with exquisite gold trimming and he hardly acknowledged me as he did so. I'd never seen him in a formal outfit so extravagant, until he buttoned the collar. It struck me that this was what he and the others had been adorned with on the night we met.

Before I could let my mind run wild with the possible similarities between that night and this one, it processed that Alec was now staring me down with narrowed eyes. Right. Argument. "Razin's whereabouts are none of your concern."

I growled inwardly, "I have a right to know what's going on with this–"

"No, you don't–"

"– and you keep leaving me out –"

"Enough."

"No," I stood my ground. "Aren't we supposed to support each other? Isn't that how this," I waved my hand between us, "thing is supposed to work?" We had not addressed anything related to an 'us' for what felt like ages. I stood breathing heavily as he took me in, scanning my posture and weighing my current determination against potential recklessness.

He modulated the argument, picking up my sentence with a classic, "not if it gets you killed." The statement made him pause and take in my appearance, still half-drenched in rainwater. He disappeared, returning to hand me a towel. "You'll get hypothermia." From wet hair? Nice try.

"It's always the same story with you." I shoved the towel back at him and it flopped to the ground. He clenched his jaw, but chose his battles. "One day, I'm going to be able to throw it back. What will you do then?"

A double-tap beep came from inside his pocket. His phone. My heart skyrocketed as I remembered the one I ditched. He looked at me and sighed, thinking the increased speed of my heart was my expectation for the strange young man we'd met in the airplane hangar to finally call. From the look on his face, it was not.

But he was still musing my statement, intentionally winding me up, "you will be a newborn. Even more of a reason to keep you out of trouble." Not a chance in hell.

I grumbled as he answered the phone. "You can't control me, especially if I'm a newborn," I was adamant because if there was one thing I knew about newborn life, it was that no one in the castle was eager to handle me if that day ever came. The fact raised my ego, which wavered when Alec muted his conversation to address my statement.

His eyes ardently explored my figure, gradually and with more care, searching for detail in an almost sensuous manner. The loose urgency in his observation sent a thunderous wave through my chest. A maddening flash of night targeted me, finding a match with my eyes. I swallowed, rattled by the incensed flames of intrinsic yearning that crept through and numbed my skin.

"Yes." Alec smirked, his gaze lingering on my body for a second more. "I can." My eyes widened. I knew his intention was suggestive, but I was naive as to its full purpose and this seemed to please him even more. He turned from me and readdressed the person waiting, deciding to speak in Italian.

"Ugh," I complained, trying to shake off the residual effects of the perplexing incident. I was about done with his bullshit. "That's just rude." He hung up just as the last syllable left my lip and I shut myself up, waiting for his next move.

"Time to go."

I frowned, "go?"

Alec conquered the two steps separating us, tilting his head to watch as my nerves crept up my spine. There was no warmth in his eyes, but still he played me like a fiddle.

"Mine," his breath cascaded over my face and I bit my lip, anything else but the sound of his voice was completely removed from my brain.

"What?" My lungs refused to take in more than limited breaths of air and my heart took advantage. I couldn't hear the bastard, but I knew. Knew from the smirk growing on Alec's face that it had just sped up like the little traitor it was. And that curve of his lips only made it worse.

That's when I felt fingers undoing his cloak from my neck. I smacked his hand away, which only amused him.

"You have like 8 other ones."

He removed it anyway, stealing the cape and swinging it around his own shoulders. I scowled at him, confused as to why he'd want to wear a wet cloak. Though, to be fair, it seemed to hardly hold the water anymore. Likely purposeful in its design for the guard.

Alec indicated his head again toward the clothing he'd offered me earlier, "change quickly," he said. "I am debriefing the masters on the mission."

Wait, "you're letting me come?"

He had faded back into a greyer tone, but I didn't let it bring down the excitement growing in me. "So long as you're dressed for court."

"Why can't I just wear this?"

He took in my clothing this time, tilted his head, and nodded. He flashed away and back, handing me a dry pair of shoes. "Meet me by the door." He disappeared and I was stuck still for a second before glancing at the bedside table. I left my mother's ring, grabbing the golden necklace instead and racing towards the main door of the twins' quarters.

Alec was waiting for me with a dark fabric hanging over his arm, pulling it over my shoulders when I came to a stop in front of him. His hand hadn't left my body and as his hand slid down to my thigh, my eyes flashed open. He was entirely unfazed by my reaction as he lifted me up.

Only to set me down milliseconds later outside the ballroom, the formal throne room.

Alec set me down, lightly pushing me to Jane who had her eyebrows raised. She knew what her brother wanted, however, and she stepped forward to secure the heavy object around my shoulders. I would have to be cognisant of the moment I was dry enough to remove it, or I'd go from unlikely hypothermia to guaranteed heatstroke.

"It suits you," she lilted as I realised Alec had borrowed one of her cloaks to replace his. She continued to try and make my hair look manageable but gave up. It would dry wild no matter how she prepared it. Alec glanced at the doors suspiciously.

"What is the delay?"

Felix and Demetri mimicked each other in their attempt to avoid answering Alec's questions and receiving the brunt of his moodiness.

Alec's voice hardened, "for her?"

"For you, dear brother."

Instantly, Alec backed down. His shoulders fell and his head lifted as a solemn expression resigned to a fate I was unprepared for. In my confusion, I blurted out, "why?"

Jane expectantly raised an eyebrow to her brother, apparently too exasperated with my obliviousness to explain on his behalf.

He wouldn't look at me, choosing instead to pull his gloves up until his fingers outlined the seam at the end, stretching the leather. "You are my mate. Your mistakes are my mistakes. Your punishments are mine."

"Do not look so surprised," Jane snapped before I could even process what he'd said. "The only way anyone can get through to you is with Alec – whether you're speaking to each other or not. Maybe it will make you think twice about these stunts."

"I didn't–"

"We know," both twins said, the mixed approaches of understanding and harshness making me flinch. Jane huffed but claimed my hand despite her frustration, which made me think something heavier was hanging over her head.

"They wish to see you." She advised her brother once again. His eyes flickered to her hand with mine but she shook her head. "Alone." I tried to catch Felix's attention but not once did he or Demetri lend me a smile or wink to break the tension.

There was no weakness in Alec's armour as he confirmed and approached the grand doors by himself. The perfect soldier. The crown prince. The pride and joy of his masters; brought to his knees for a human and her sins. Surely, there was nothing the Kings would do to Alec that could harm such a treasured possession.

He opened only one of the double doors, leaving the barest crevice for me to catch a glimpse inside the room. It was empty, aside from the three occupied thrones waiting like ghostly gargoyles for their demands to be met.

"Alec?"

The vampires tensed at the interruption – from the guards around me to the three leaders waiting in the ballroom. Waiting for Alec's response to my fear.

Alec turned and I was cut by the hatred that coated his daggered glare.

"Know your place."

Chapter Text

Paranoia is a symptom of guilt.

My actions over the course of the last few months had unarguably left a trail of consequences for others or at least instigated the circumstances for them.

Taking advantage of Prosper's kindness to attempt my first escape.

Guaranteeing the bloodless end of Victor Tima.

Antagonizing Libby and her mate, Issa, just for my entertainment.

Travis.

I had hardly done anything on purpose. Each of these events had a 'but'. Some sort of extenuating circumstance, and if I stepped away and thought about it…and I mean, really thought about it without my emotions to influence the process; I could see that nothing about any of those situations was black and white. At least, not so simply broken down as I had been recalling them. I was taking on more than I was responsible for.

Guilt stemmed from the bonds I'd created while I'd been here. It wasn't just Alec I had attempted to escape from, but my friends as well. But then there was that word again. Escape. It could have been my rebellious nature revolting against the literally dozens of commands I'd been given in my relatively short time with the Volturi. It might be as simple as not being told I couldn't leave and choosing to stay. I had no real desire to truly leave Volterra, nor those I'd come to know inside the city.

I could have handled this most recent situation better, no doubt. I was attempting to do something of my own free will. Free will that I no longer had. I do not deny that I had been reckless. At the time, I would have swallowed the blame and let it consume me. But was I entirely in the wrong?

No. Not completely. And yet my organs weighed me down as if they were collapsing in on themselves.

Felix had shushed me when I tried to talk to him.

He and Demetri were deep in conversation immediately after this. A conversation that was exceptionally involved, evidenced by the rapid movement of their mouths and the hand gestures they communicated with. I couldn't help but feel as though they'd only started the conversation to keep me out of it. But then, I was projecting once more. The air around us floated on a cloud of tension and I expected at least a playful wink from one of them to break it. It never came.

Jane observed them with distaste. Her doll-like features and stony posture solidified the official manner with which she identified. Occasionally she would switch her focus to different sections of marble and stone with a dulled stare. But never towards me. I wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing.

Not long after Alec had entered the throne room for a private meeting with the masters, other guard members started to arrive. The first few were thrown off, even alarmed by our loitering activity, but I could practically see a light bulb flick on when they saw me. Their eyes would scan over my companions, and the absence of one specific member of our group would dawn on them. After the fourth guard, the news seemed to have spread, and the rest were far more discreet as they joined the gallery.

Then again, perhaps I was being conceited. They did, after all, have a potential war on their hands. I was sure most of them still considered me to be the human nuisance flooding the castle with the scent of blood 24/7. Considering I was no longer allowed to leave. Not that I ever was, but this time was a little more definitive.

The first arrival of their lessers prompted the high guard to reposition themselves around me to serve as a better-equipped protective shield. Yet still, I received no acknowledgement or even the briefest of eye contact until absolutely necessary.

Jane elbowed me to get my attention. "Not a word. Understood?" I nodded, her biting tone unnerving me into submission. Which was undoubtedly her goal, as, on cue, the doors creaked as they were pushed open and one of the lower guard members rushed forward to catch it - Terren. Terren held it open for the younger twin to exit. His presence corresponded with a release of tension in my shoulders, and I breathed out as quietly as I could. The stoic expression on Alec's face kept the other guards away until he was clear of the doors, and then they all flooded inside.

The ceremonial doors shut behind them with a solid thud, like the fall of the last oak tree onto bare ground.

"So?"

Alec sent a dark glare to Felix, who raised his hands in defence.

"We report. As usual."

"Do not ask stupid questions, Felix," Jane added to her twin's unmistakable sass with her own mean girl style. "It's annoying."

They began to move into a formation. One I had seen before, like a square that narrowed on the twins, front and centre. I stood off to the side observing before Alec reached out to manoeuver me into whatever position they wanted me to stand in. Recalling his harsher words before he'd left us, I shifted back and away from his touch, earning a predictably frustrated expression.

Unfortunately for me, patience was not Jane's strongest suit either so I was subsequently placed in the middle of their odd formation and told once more, "do not speak."

My humanity was not meant for this type of presentation, for the perfection and elegance of the vampires around me. I had the posture and appearance to match Jane as best as possible. To check, Jane placed three fingers along my spine and nodded to her brother when she'd decided I was ready. The touch flashed a memory past my eyes, and I squirmed only a little at the touch. If she noticed, Jane didn't acknowledge it.

We had yet to actually discuss any of the formality that was expected from me in these meetings. Not officially. So, having succeeded so far, this time I relied on sound. Light steps, like a ballet. Deliberate movements and the ruffle of cloth on cloth as my wrist brushed the side of my hip.

There was no sound when we entered. No background track or whispers of the lower guard to enter to. It was silent and impatient, and the instant we walked through the doors, my nerves lit up with the distress that seemed to line the faces of every guard member. Even if none of them dared to fully meet my eyes, too afraid of catching the unforgiving attention of only one member of the High Guard. Walking into the throne room felt casual, but from the outside, I was certain it was anything but. I had seen their majesty in this very scenario and I could only wonder how my humanity changed that.

Upon seeing us, Aro rose from his throne, a delighted smile already prepared on his face. Caius had straightened, leaving Marcus to follow us with only his head. Routine, and yet there was something else. As if they were looking for something.

Did my humanity change anything? Or was I only holding myself in higher esteem, once again?

"Saffiya," each syllable was like burning liquid gold on his tongue, "our clever little runaway. What a lovely surprise!" Aro cheered in his usual way, though I doubted my appearance was anything near a surprise. Say what you will about the guy, but his manners were spot on. If a little medieval.

The four stopped in near unison and I might have fallen out of line had Demetri not caught my arm and guided me behind Alec and towards the twins' assigned post on the Kings' lefthand sides. Demetri pressed a silencing finger to his lips out of sight from the Masters, emphasizing Jane's directions, before rejoining his companions. I could do that.

"Whatever shall we do with you?"

"Aro," Marcus interrupted and the other man pouted, but refocused on his premier guards.

Aro concluded, "always a pleasure to have you with us, dear one. You have a great deal to learn."

The white haired ruler turned his head with an exasperated sigh, "so long as she knows her place." I knew they would be keeping a close eye on me, so I metaphorically bit my tongue and physically kept my mouth shut. After the last few days we'd had, Caius seemed pleased with this.

The momentary excitement my presence caused dissipated as the room turned their attention to the elite four.

Caius asked first, "what of our adversary?"

It was Jane who spoke for the group, "we confirm. There is no indication that Razin and his newborn army are active. They appear to have discovered a way to evade our reach." When she received no response, she continued regrettably, "the mission was…" and with a millisecond of hesitation, "unsuccessful."

Aro's mouthy grin had fallen with her first words. The hard faces of the three men were distinct, overshadowing, and cast a shadow of uneasiness throughout the throne room.

"It seems that Alice Cullen's vision remains our sole reliable source." Even from my distance, I could clearly see something flash across Jane's eyes before she corrected herself. Whether it was jealousy or hurt she had tried to hide, her Master's intention to provoke his ward rang clear throughout the room.

It felt wrong to try and ascertain any more emotion that might slip onto her face and I allowed my attention to wander. I rested, predictably, on Alec.

"A most inconvenient fortune," Caius reflected with an adenoidal complexion to his tone."It will not be enough."

Marcus' voice was a groan on its own, deep but almost like the croak of a soprano. A frog on the side of an empty pond and a sky without stars. No…it was a grandfather clock at the end of a long, empty corridor. Waiting monotonously through the tick tick of each long hour as they became nights into weeks into an endless loop of patience. And the loneliness underlying the threat was penetratingly sullen, though he seemed to be almost comforting his audience, "they cannot hide forever."

"No," Caius agreed viciously. "And they will burn!" He slammed his fist on the arm of his chair in refined frustration. Actually, it was more of a sharp rapt. But from the corner of my eye, the movement sent my imagination and my heart racing.

I jumped at the sound. The tap, that I had unreasonably expected to splinter the throne into tiny individual pieces with exaggerated violence. My eyes widened and I tightened my muscles, unfamiliar with the reaction. I had been struck with an alarming amount of panic because of an active imagination. Only, I couldn't identify exactly what I'd imagined.

I was not the only one that noticed. "Calm yourself, Brother." The peace in his tone could only be matched with his offensive curiosity and it read all over his face. I met his eyes and we seemed to be engaged in some kind of silent conversation, but it was one I was absent for. He brushed over my silly human behaviour, once again to return to his guards. "It seems you'll frighten our dear human."

I closed my eyes, willing my heart to slow down. I received a perplexed look from Prosper, who stood directly across the room, observing my uncharacteristic response and recovery from some fearful stimuli. I avoided his gaze, glimpsing an abruptly tense but seemingly unperturbed Alec. I had no answer for Prosper's worried stare as Caius slowly sunk back into a lazy posture.

"A failure," Aro agreed with Jane. "But informative, no less. Unfortunate, however, that in your haste to return–"

Alec stepped forward without prompting, already anticipating Aro's direction and taking the brunt of the attention off his sister. "I would like to take Prosper and Santiago, Demetri as well, to preserve the integrity of the mission."

Aro's grin only grew at his beloved protegé. "Of course, my dear boy." Aro's eyes glistened as he purposefully looked at me while he granted Alec's offer. There was something strategic in leaving his sister behind and replacing Felix with an understudy. Possibly to leave behind trusted allies that could keep an eye on me in his absence. It was definitely something Alec would do.

"If I may–" the boy started again, but Aro was already asking for his hand. He stepped forward and the man closed his eyes, drinking in his ward's thoughts. Seeing the last three weeks since we'd returned, the arguments, the calls he'd received, deciding to return to Volterra for me, and whatever Alec was now asking of him now. Something he had not asked in the privacy of their meeting not half an hour earlier. And if this was new, then what had they been discussing with such formal secrecy?

Aro opened his eyes and nodded, granting Alec's second request. He returned to his throne as Alec acknowledged Felix and Demetri. Both men swept into a graceful bow, Demetri finally sending me a wink before they parted.

Jane and Alec joined me, their faces stone.

"This development does leave our little Saffiya as human for a while longer." I fought the urge to gag sarcastically. He would never let an opportunity slip to bring up the topic.

The Masters believed that keeping me human supposedly gave us more control over the inevitable than if they were to attempt changing me now. With my humanity intact, we knew what the future held. However, if I became a vampire, the future was once again subject to impromptu dangers and we would be as blind as we had been before. Alice's vision could be useless and it had been almost impossible for her to find any trace of a future with Razin through anyone else. Not to mention the Kings were far from pleased with Vladimir's poorly coordinated attack, and to be blindsided and unaware of the other Romanian's activities.

Jane's discovery of my psychosomatic reaction to her gift made the situation particularly complicated. Not just regarding their fight against the Resistance, but within their own walls. We had been forbidden, and warned, not to inform Alec of the development. 'For his own good,' Aro had said and Alec hadn't asked, but he knew enough to be concerned. It had hardly been a month and I wondered how long we would actually be able to keep this kind of secret from him. Aro had never asked Jane to do something without her twin in their immortal lives, and still, with some sadness, she kept faith in her masters to guide us through their plan.

Additionally, the Masters had instructed us to schedule private sessions for 'practice' with Jane's gift. We had yet to start and neither of us was eager to play pretend.

I looked to Jane, who had brains enough not to do the same.

I took a breath.

I'd been desperate to attend these meetings since I started getting ditched for them in my first week with the Volturi. Now that I was here, however, I could understand why everyone insisted I should think otherwise. They spoke faster than I could process and what I did manage to catch was plain words characteristic of a business meeting. One that I was not included in, not that they cared.

Truthfully, once I'd come to the conclusion on the dreariness of their topics, I absentmindedly began to examine the faces in the room – those that I could see. The only notable aspect was the lack of Heidi's presence. She was usually absent the few days before she brought in the tourists and I suppose it was about that time. As amazing as the Volturi's castle was, it wouldn't be my preferred place to tour right before being eaten by vampires. So, it should be no surprise that the marble and stone in the grand ballroom held my interest for less than a few minutes.

However, this level of interest may have been impacted by my attention being swallowed up by Alec.

For possibly the first time (I'd never thought to compare much before) he was significantly more upset with me than I was with him. But his focus on controlling his stronger emotions almost made me reconsider my evaluation. He'd progressed immensely since the start of our torrid acquaintanceship.I could almost be convinced that he wasn't as upset about me running from the castle as I was preparing myself for.

I believed myself to be prepared for the fallout from my attempted escape, whereas he was caught entirely unaware of the event from the beginning. Yet another element of my runaway plans I had failed to think through with a non-analytic mindset.

My guilt was warranted in this case, and quite possibly, not strong enough to equate with the affair. But I struggled to distinguish between understanding how I'd hurt him and not only acknowledging but learning to value my own perspective. It was easier to ignore the latter and succumb to moving past the trouble. But that was clearly not working. Because we kept coming back to this situation. This seemingly inevitable battle of unwinnable proportion.

My nose itched and Alec's head turned towards me, so I turned immediately towards the Kings. Marcus' eyes were already directly on me. I blinked myself back into focus, trying to remember what they'd been saying.

Aro was asking for my hand.

I didn't check in with the twins, knowing Caius would get off on this. Aro didn't have much to catch up on. The last two times I'd tried to leave, the guards had brought me promptly to their leaders. The first lecture pissed me off enough that I tried again not two hours later. I was made to sit in the throne room with them and was given only a stack of my Italian children's books until Caius grew tired of my breathing. They put two guards on me at first, but I was swiftly 'locked' in the twins' quarters not long after. Until I tried again to escape – and succeeded, aware enough to avoid any unnecessary casualties this time.

Prosper had been too busy guarding the kings with a few of the others– a major upgrade for him apparently. But none of the random guards assigned to me wanted to talk, for fear of Alec and his history with Prosper. Apparently, many had been witness to the infamous attack, which I highly doubted I would ever move past.

I was no stranger to the impact of my inconsiderate use of Prosper on my first day. I'd been careful to time this new first attempt without any fallback for anyone but the receptionist – who was the one who ratted me out anyways. The second time, I knew I'd hardly make it past the doorstep. Frankly making it an easy win for the two that were watching me at the time. That attempt was more for a childish rebellion in an attempt to make a point. I was extraordinarily fortunate that the Masters found it somewhat amusing as I'd been so embarrassingly unsuccessful or, in Caius' case, an excuse to rant about the Cullens' recent influence on my behaviour.

Any conclusion Aro might have come to after considering my thoughts was interrupted by a consuming pause. Goosebumps visibly appeared on my arm. I frowned as the heads in the room lifted with the careful accuracy of a praying mantis and not unlike a wildcat as it stalks through sunburned grass as they moved towards the main doors.

Quite suddenly, Alec collected me from Aro. He moved deliberately, almost discreetly as he lifted me into his arms and used the smaller doors behind the thrones to slip from the ballroom. Once we'd passed through the doors, he wasted no time returning me to his and Jane's quarters. But by the time he set me down, his eyes had given in to a glassy noir.

"Lock this," Alec said gruffly and I nodded obediently, but he didn't leave until he heard me do so. As if a lock would make a difference. Normally, they'd have a guard or three feed before the others and keep watch over me during mealtimes, just in case. My…field trip must have thrown off the scheduled preparation.

And if I listened hard enough, I could hear the screams of their victims. And I wondered if I would scream as well when their teeth broke my skin and sent me to hell.

Chapter Text

Alec's shoulders stood tall, two paces in front of me. I could step on the back of his shoe if I liked, not that doing so would make the halls any less tense. But his reaction would at least give me a glimpse into his frame of mind. Usually, if I zeroed in on the tiny details – a flinch of his brow or a flash of something more profound in his irises, I could get some idea of where his head was at. But he was entirely emotionless, present in the moment and, as such, impossible to predict.

He was a master at playing characters, something I continued to marvel at. Like an actor running lines for a show he's been performing all his life, in the same role, dedicated to his craft. So devoted that it consumes his life until it is no longer the character into him, but he, who becomes the character—melded into one with a thin veil of reality holding the line. Or he may already exist as the character, with no trace of who the actor was before he entered the masquerade.

The stoic character Alec was tasked with presenting to the world was never permanent. But it certainly clouded his mind, and an equal effect was demonstrated through his rational behaviours as well as in his rash actions. It was as much a part of him, as he was of it. Both equally intoxicating, as damaging as they were damaged by the world that had forced them to sacrifice everything they touched.

Alec chose his words deliberately. He weighed the possible effect of every word, how they paired together, the impression, and how it would further his goals. He was clever, quick-witted, and a massive pain in the ass. And I couldn't understand how I could be both angry and wanting to be near him at the same time.

And yet there was a prickling electricity at the tip of my fingers, from my thumb to my pinkie, drawn by an external force to see if he was still real. To grip the fabric of his satin vest, as dark as the shadows lurking in every corner of the old castle we were confined within. I wondered if I would still feel this same urge if his skin froze mine as it should if I knew that an icy shock would be guaranteed with every brush of our skin.

I stopped abruptly in the middle of the corridor. Alec hardly stopped with me, as if he reconsidered doing so, but he didn't turn around.

"It wasn't about you. Leaving was not about you."

"Not now, Saffiya."

After Aro's comment on my escape and Alec's private conversation with the kings, I had been expecting a lecture from the boy. A disciplinary hearing. Possibly starring Jane as a guest witness. "What about–"

"Later," Alec asserted again.

I clenched my jaw, mostly pissed at myself for trying to reassure him when he was the one being unreasonable. My hands went to my head, dragging my fingers through my hair, and his expression softened. His steps were quiet on the stone floor, and I lifted my chin to question his intentions. Alec's hand came into careful contact with the small of my back, eyes observing mine for any indication that I didn't want him to continue.

His hand slipped under my shirt and rested on the curve of my spine. Before my heart could even think to react, a light pressure brought me into his shoulder, fitting me in the crux of his chest. I leaned into his body, and the familiar exchange encouraged a shared exhale of relief for us both. Not that it erased the real-world events that were currently swallowing us whole. But there was something about the long period of separation when he left for a mission that made me feel just a little off. Nothing unmanageable. Just…a lack of comfort, I suppose.

Alec's thumb slid back and forth on my skin like ice skates, calling me from the depths of my mind. His lips brushed against my temple before he shifted us. "We are late."

"We're always late." Alec slipped his hand under mine, and though he tried to hide the briefest twitch at the corner of his mouth, I caught it. Maybe he wasn't as angry as I thought.

The door to the training room swung open with a rash shove. The culprit of this abuse was one of the lower guard members, and the man froze in the doorway upon seeing Alec and me. His face morphed from contempt and fell blank. He seemed to know our destination because he stood aside and held the door open for us.

Inside the training room, there were raucous shouts and deep laughter. Felix and Demetri had said this was mainly a guard hangout in my first tour, but I'd never had the chance to see it being used for such purposes. I started to lift onto the balls of my feet to try and see round the corner. Alec squeezed my hand to keep me at his side, reigning me in.

Instead of separating, Alec guided me through first and followed behind, ignoring the guard's existence. I gave the man a small smile for the simple gesture, "thanks, Riu."

Riu's eyes widened and flickered to Alec, awaiting a retaliation. When no warning came, he returned a careful but friendly smile.

There was another shout and a loud clump from inside, but I tried to focus on the man in front of me. "Why are you leaving?"

He hesitated, likely not expecting me to follow up with a conversation, but Alec had stopped as well. His lack of interest in our discussion was rudely evident as his eyes swept the room with another intention entirely.

Riu swallowed, "I lost my round."

"Your round?"

Alec's hand moved to my back, "come."

I waved at Riu, and it didn't take more than a millisecond for me to put the subtle clues together once I saw the arrangement inside. Two vampires were tangled up on the mat, cheered on by their peers. A decent sized group made up of both lower and middle level members as far as I could tell. If my recall was correct, and with the intensity I'd studied it with, I was. To the left of the mat, five members stood side by side, spaced out in a straight line with concentration written across their faces.

Our entrance was met with swinging heads and sent a shockwave through the group of guard members. I glanced up at Alec out of instinct.

Alec's presence disturbed whatever ecosystem had been established prior to our arrival. Jovial grins were replaced with nervous glances. The closer we got to the group, the more guards started to engage in minuscule grooming behaviours. The vampires were rattled by a boy they saw every day for the last few hundred years – at the very least.

I was familiar with the individuals present, though I had not engaged with any of them since I'd filled out Felix's homework assignment months ago. The paper had given me an exaggerated confidence in my ability to name all of the guards, as I never needed to test it. I might not have been able to go down the line and get them all correct, but some of the names stayed with me. Especially those that I had to redo. It only took Alec's intimidating presence over my shoulder to keep them from messing with me. Most of them.

Speaking of, Alec – high and mighty as he was, ignored the attention from his inferiors. Whether out of ignorance or arrogance, I couldn't swear to.

The two women in the centre of the mat had paused in their fighting match, startled but not as outwardly awkward as their counterparts. They were still aware of their opponent, weighing the cost benefits of using this distraction to their advantage.

Felix had not acknowledged us yet, standing with his arms crossed over his chest like the mountain he was, scrutinising the lack of fighting on the mat with disdain. His head tilted to the side, and in an instant, there was a flash from the sidelines and one of the women was knocked off balance and dropped on her back in front of the other members.

The other woman had a slightly better chance, having seen the attack on her previous opponent but the new enemy did not falter. The fabric of his wrapped garb was the only way I could keep track of each vampire, until Amaya grunted, falling to her knees and rolling onto her front.

The whirlwind of enigmatic energy that surrounded Felix's attacking assassin was mesmerizingly vivid. The man wore royal blue and it blended magnificently with his skin, and I might have mistaken him for real life royalty in a different setting. He presented himself with a natural countenance of honour and self-humility. The kind of man that, if you saw him on the train, would rather stand and observe the train car rather than distract himself with a book or music through headphones. The kind of man that wouldn't take the train, and it was this juxtaposition that empowered his aura. Talib, I recalled.

Amaya pushed off the mat, bumping Talib's shoulder and grumbling, "that's not fair!"

"Maybe if you practised situational awareness more regularly, you might have thwarted my attack," Talib commented in an austere tone as a genuine offering of advice.

She scoffed, "a surprise attack doesn't make you a better fighter."

"No," he agreed and she seemed a bit taken aback. I could see why. There was something enigmatically unnerving about his sentiment. A kind of wisdom that rivalled a monk in years of meditation, but unique in that it had been built from defeat. Survival.

Felix stepped in. "Either way. You would be dead and he'd still be here. Whatever works." She huffed. "You did well, Amaya. Don't ruin it."

She took the underhanded compliment from her commander and joined the guards gathered around the tables, flopping backwards into a chair as she received pats on the back.

Felix cleared his throat, immediately bringing the crowd and the competitors' attention back to him. He stood with his arms crossed, an intimidating force, a brute compared to the other guard members present.

Alec tapped me as Felix began to lecture the group and I hadn't realized we'd stopped to watch. He guided me towards Demetri, who was waiting on the opposite side of the mat. I was hesitant, as the men had not been too excited to see me earlier. However, it seemed I had nothing to worry about because Demetri's face lit up as he acknowledged us.

"Look who finally decided to show up."

Alec hardly had to prompt me again before I eagerly hurried to join our grinning friend. Demetri patted the empty table he was leaning on and I lifted myself up, swinging my legs in an excitement inspired by his energy. He raised his fist and though it was odd, I pounded it back before turning to observe the scene before us with careful confusion.

"You two should start watching the clock. People might talk." He suggested slyly, wagging his eyebrows. I shoved his shoulder, trying to ignore the growing embarrassment as I considered the implications of his teasing. Having entertained me, he nodded to my companion, directing his question to Alec. "How long?" The boy had chosen to stand, focus sharp as an eagle on the others as Felix struggled to keep their focus on him and his brilliance.

Alec's vibrant stare hardly swiped to Demetri before returning to the group of vampires, "twenty minutes."

The older man raised his eyebrows again and not so subtly tilted his head in my direction. Alec frowned and neither attempted to clue me in on their conversation. "Forty."

He rubbed the back of his head, almost sorry to have asked as he reached behind him and handed Alec a thin folder. Before I could ask, Demetri nudged my shoulder, "ready to see some action, kid?"

I shrugged, still a little confused as to our purpose here. "What's going on?"

Demetri gestured widely, "sparring competition. Every once in a while we put the lower guards to the test. The last one standing gets the honour of being demolished in a one on one with Felix or me. Just a bit of fun."

"If it is all fun and games, Demetri, I imagine you would take great pleasure in documenting the assessments," Alec commented. But it almost sounded like he was complaining.

Demetri raised his hands, "paperwork is all yours, pretty boy." Alec scoffed, tossing the folder behind us onto the table.

This piqued my interest. "Assessments? Why would you—"

"Efficiency, my dear human!" Felix had left his fighters to join us, our conversation promising more entertainment. "We run the vampire world. We can't simply sit around and play video games all the time." He winked at me as if his explanation was satisfactory.

"Could've fooled me," I muttered and Demetri snorted.

"We operate like a business – top to bottom."

"So, the Masters?"

"Oversee it all." Felix shrugged. "Marcus tends to handle the finances. Aro and Caius do the rest of the executive roles, but Aro usually has the final vote."

"Exactly what does that entail?"

"A lot of delegation – everyone's got some sort of 'job'." The corner of Felix's mouth tilted up as he continued somewhat haughtily, "some more important than others."

I pushed my questions through before they decided I'd learned enough, but neither they nor Alec seemed to mind the topic. "So training – that's your job." Felix and Demetri exchanged glances before they shrugged.

"Sure, among other things." Like that wasn't suspicious.

"What about the others?"

"Chelsea handles the guards – scheduling shifts and groups for missions. Renata keeps track of the human world - a silly interest if you ask fishes—"

Demetri added in with an appreciative hum, "looking fan-bloody-tastic as she does it."

He was awfully goofy and I couldn't help but laugh, "you always say that."

The tracker's head swung back and forth as he insisted, "today, she looked especially exquisite."

"Wow, Dem, didn't know you had such a vocabulary," Alec commented dryly.

"When it comes to women," Felix started, "he's gotta make up for that face somehow. Not to mention the low satisfaction under the sheets – oi!" Felix cackled as Demetri swiped at him.

I giggled but Alec didn't appreciate the dirty humour quite as well. He placed a hand on my knee, a subtle way to remind me that we were not alone. "Felix, do contain yourself," he drawled from beside me.

"Buzzkill," Felix muttered, spinning and loudly calling all eyes back on him. "Who's next!"

Demetri eyed Alec's hand, still on my knee. He winked and I pushed the boy's hand away, overly conscious of the attention. "You're gonna love this," Demetri said with the same level of excitement he had displayed before our conversation. He didn't seem to care that Alec wanted a more professional appearance, too excited that I was there for the show.

As the next two vamps geared up against each other — Talib returning to the mat with Alejandro joining, Demetri leaned over, "whistle," just in time for me to process the word before Felix blew the lime green instrument and it echoed in the room.

I tugged on my ear, the pitch disorienting. "Why does he need a whistle?"

"He doesn't."

I got a thumbs up from Felix, who then watched as his two students collided.

The impact reverberated throughout the room as Talib immediately flipped Alejandro over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground. Their speed picked up until they were mere blurs across the floor. I tried to track them, but the flashes from one side of the mat to the other gave me whiplash. Nevertheless, I remained enthralled as they bounded back and forth – they froze.

Talib was in a lunge, ready to pounce again when Felix blew the whistle and he stood with a sullen expression. Alejandro hooted triumphantly before crossing the mat and offering Talib a hand. The show of sportsmanship was naturally inclined.

I elbowed Demetri, "what happened, is it over?"

"Since we can't end a match like we would a real fight, the first to step off the mat loses," Demetri explained. He pushed off the table and stood up, winking at me before joining the other guard members.

He stopped and clapped Talib on the back, exchanging a few words with him before he threw his arm around another vampire in line and pulled the kid away from the others. He looked like a couch giving a boxer a pep talk. Felix approached Talib and Alejandro in the centre of the floor.

While their trainers were busy, the others seemed to be talking, almost gossiping. The nervous glances aimed at Alec and I bordered on unprofessional, some shared motivation distracting them enough to forget their expected roles at that moment. The attention was much more than I would have expected from guards that had been in a castle, and in the same rooms no doubt, with Alec for several decades.

"Alec," I spoke softly, even if our conversation was far from private, "why are we here?"

It took him several seconds before he decided to answer. "You enjoy watching Demetri and Felix train," Alec answered monotonously. "Now, you can see what they use it for."

"Why are they staring?" He wanted to be annoyed, but it'd been a while since I'd peppered him with questions and I liked to think he valued the nostalgia.

Alec tilted his head down, eyes briefly scanning my face with a shrewd expression before looking away again. "You confuse them." Me?

I frowned, "why?" But he didn't give me an answer, instead leaning against the table and crossing his arms over his chest.

I could only imagine that their interest with me was the result of my interactions with the twins, a relationship that still had Felix and Demetri on their toes at times. Was there really such an ominous mystery that the twins were considered with? The way the guards avoided them as if they were more than simply vampires. It was a different kind of respect and fear than was consensually held for the Kings. Like the ominous warning of a bedtime story. Only the role played by the twins was neither the villain nor the hero. They were Hansel and Gretel. Forged by their circumstances. Each member of the high guard, most of the guards, had a uniquely significant value to the Masters. Yet, it was reputation, an orchestrated infamy that made the twins seem indestructible.

Alec rolled his eyes, sounding exasperated as he lightly turned my chin forward."Fai attenzione." [Pay attention] I knew that one.

Talib and Alejandro shook hands firmly before the loser left the mat and Alejandro greeted his next challenger. Maliq joined him and Demetri, who had switched roles with Felix. The latter half practically skipped over to join us.

The large man leaned back on the table much like Demetri had been. "Talib is usually the most capable, but ever since Killian and Elizabeth…His confidence has begun to hold him back." He trailed off.

Confidence? Or lack thereof, I wanted to inquire. I watched Talib, who could no doubt hear the blunt description Felix used to define him. He sat by his lonesome near the mat, not by exclusion but by choice as he leaned forward with disciplined contemplation on the match.

Felix continued, " "Alejandro is flexible, adaptable, but less reactive than the others. He can still hold his own – mostly." The guards had begun to try and mingle, pretending they didn't hear every word he said. It was clear that each was waiting for their own name, to be praised or judged by one of the strongest fighters in the Volturi.

"Consistency," Alec seemed to dictate as a preference. "Arrogance is unreliable."

Demetri shouted and Alejandro turned a sharp eye on him until he remembered he had no right to argue with the call. He spun on his heel and took his time stomping off the floor.

The larger man nodded as if he'd already factored this into his thought process and he continued, "Maliq gets cocky, but he can back it up. Most of the time." Felix's expression faltered and I glanced at Alec just in time to catch the end of an unimpressed deadpan scowl at the information.

"Percy is fluid. Young, bold, dedicated."

"Adjectives," I said, calling out his lacklustre description of someone who was clearly more deserving of a thorough introduction. Percy was the only woman remaining, patiently waiting by the mat for her turn. I briefly recalled Alec once mentioning Percy's mate as a non-Volturi member, which meant she actively wanted to be here, even if it meant time apart from her mate. I dared not dwell on the comparison with my own circumstances.

Alec crossed his arms over his chest in consideration, analyzing every detail from across the training room as the match continued. While he put on his little mystery act,I decided to mess with Felix.

"Only one girl, Felix? Don't you know that's sexist," I taunted.

"An unfortunate mess of statistics, little Fiya. There are more men in the guard than women."

"Or maybe her fluidity makes her appear bold because you expect less from a young, female fighter who is dedicated to proving your ingrained doubts about her talents to be false."

There was a pause and I almost expected him to laugh off my point before he began muttering to himself. "She's 'Metri's pick anyways," he glared harmlessly, redirecting towards Alec. "Your girlfriend's kind of a know-it-all."

Alec responded blandly, not disputing the title I'd been given and instead using the sensitivity of the man against him. "Pity, Felix. Can't hold your own?"

Felix pushed off the table and brought his whistle to his lips and capturing the room's attention like a ringmaster in his own circus. "A challenge for you all, in honour of our guest," He waited for dramatic effect, "slow it down."

There were a few small groans, but with this, the room started to relax.

Felix blew the whistle again, receiving a dirty look from Demetri as he threw out orders. "Hamzah! Why don't you earn that ego you're boosting." Undeterred, the young man's face lit up with the thrill of being first in line for a rollercoaster.

The two mischief makers, though current leaders, switched places. Demetri stood, only half facing us. Across the floor, Hamzah prepared for his next match and Demetri wasted no time before bragging, "Hamzah is my guy." Maliq stood opposite the identified man on the mat and unlike the previous fighters, Hamzah was grinning ear to ear like a child in a candy shop. "He's a poster boy for the guard, draft pick numero uno."

The humour had no effect on Alec and his sarcasm was like a school bully, "do I sense a bias, Demetri?"

"You'll see." Alec actually considered the gaudy answer, his chin lifting ever so slightly as the fight began. Their speed hadn't decreased by much, but the fluidity with which they moved was astounding. Like a ballet, and I missed half of the tactical details simply because of hyperfocus on any transition I could catch.

Alec's shoulder brushed mine as he left my side to approach the floor himself. It was the last thing I expected him to do in this environment, but being with Demetri, I wasn't too concerned. My original theory held more weight, however, as Felix promptly jogged over to us. Demetri mimed notching an arrow to a bow and aimed it at me. I smacked his hands away.

"Shut it."

While we had our fun, Alec's move had prompted an entirely different response across the room. The vamps on the sidelines had grown restless, but remained somewhat dedicated to the fight. Neither of the fighters had noticed him, and I prayed the spectators were more invested in the match and/or Alec to eavesdrop.

"Uh huh." Demetri began as Felix plopped beside me. "You know, all this fighting causes you both so much tension."

"You know what they need, 'Metri?"

"What's that, Felix?"

"A room."

I scoffed, "a room?"

"Yes! A room," Demetri confirmed, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "You simply need to get in a room, just the two of you, and talk it out."

Felix cut in, running his mouth, "actually, I think talking is what got them into this mess."

"That is an excellent point. If only there was something more…physical." I gaped at Demetri.

"You know what they haven't tried–"

"If you value your senses, I wouldn't finish that sentence."

Felix clapped a hand to his chest in delighted pride. "You hear that, 'Metri? She's threatening us with her mate's gift."

Demetri fluffed my hair and I whacked him away. "Earning her place among the ranks already, isn't she."

My head snapped up to find Alec at the same time that Hamzah was slammed on the mat with a resounding boom, disrupting my torment. Unfortunately for Maliq, they'd landed right in front of Alec. Maliq balked upon recognizing the prince and Hamzah took advantage of the hesitation.

Hamzah jumped up, throwing his arms up in the air to gloat like a class clown to his mates – his back to Alec. When he turned back to acknowledge his opponent, he too froze at the sight of their patron. Alec offered no congratulatory notes, surveying the event with an empty expression, arms crossed once more. Felix blew his whistle, providing the young man (though physically older than Alec) an opportunity to get out from under the twin's iron stare.

Demetri let out a loud guffaw, not even bothering to be subtle as he shared, "he idolizes Alec. That was just a dream come true for him."

Felix zipped from my side, returning to the floor and setting up the next pairing. He paused by Alec.

"Told you he was the best," Demetri continued.

I huffed, still a bit put out from their banter at my expense. "Alec's not gonna pick your guy, Dem."

The petty competitor in him jumped on my comment, demanding, "what are you talking about?"

I tilted my head to the side, making it seem like I was contemplating the claim more than I was. "Why is Hamzah your top pick?"

"I never said–"

Our attention, thank god, was returned to the mat. "You're not saying the right things. Not for Alec to pick him."

He had the audacity to pretend as if this wasn't exactly what they were being so ominous about. Though I had no idea what for. "Alec's not picking–"

"Oh, please. I'm not an idiot." Demetri grimaced. "And this is way too elaborate for a friendly competition."

Lucky for him, Felix returned with his own agenda. "How do you like the lineup, Fi?"

His excitement was almost too much to bear, pressuring me to offer up an uneducated commentary. "They're good."

"What do you think of Percy?" The girl was pairing off against Hamzah, the final two before fighting one of their commanders. A reward all its own. She moved with a more deliberate mind, taking her time before pouncing with an aggression that conflicted with her other tactic. Hamzah, however, expected the style from her and was able to counter before she grabbed him round his waist and knocked him near the edge of the mat. Instead of backing off, she pursued him, securing her win. It was the quickest match we'd seen so far.

Felix was waiting for me to say more. "She's impressive." He grinned and Demetri snorted as I stuttered to come up with something useful to add. "What are you expecting me to say, they can hear every word we're saying."

A small wave of laughter travelled across the group of vampires. Hopefully, their attention was guided by the cocktail party theory and limited to the new topic.

"You can be honest, Fi." He stood as Alec approached. "It's not like you're going to hurt their feelings." Guilt stung my stomach for disappointing him.

I eyed the group, most too scared to even glance over and others darting their focus away when they saw I was looking. I watched Hamzah, half modest as he accepted props from the others. Percy and finally Talib, who had done nothing but observe since his early defeat. But his observation was more concentrated, almost tactical.

"You should put Percy and Talib on the mat."

Felix crossed his arms over his chest. He hadn't asked for suggestions, but he didn't seem bothered by it. "Why?"

I shrugged, "Talib could be your classic underdog. You gave him one chance, you consider him to be one of your best - you said it yourself. If he comes in and beats your champion of the day, maybe he's simply outgrown your training style. And Hamzah has more than proven himself already." I caught a grin from the young guard member, who quickly looked to Alec for the same approval. Alec was otherwise too occupied with his thoughts to even send a harsh glare to shame the boyish character for daring to interact with me. Or perhaps he just didn't care anymore.

"You hardly saw their match," Felix argued at a modulated pitch. "They were going at vamp speed."

I smiled coyly, "Felix, it sounds like your feelings are hurt." He gaped at me and Demetri snorted.

Felix checked in with Alec, who took a moment to observe me before he nodded. Felix scowled, "fine, Civello. But if he wins, he's fighting your mate." The gaggle across the way didn't try and hide their eavesdropping now. The prospect of fighting one of the twins, win or lose, insured no positive outcome. Instead of silencing them, their superiors all ignored the commentators. To be entirely presumptive, it was likely that whatever the group was saying fed the egos of the three men.

I took a peek at Alec, who was smirking at the group, more then willing to show off his gift. If he even chose to use it. But there was no significant response to the way Felix was now choosing to label us.

"No, you drama queen." I rolled my eyes at Felix and Alec both, knocking on Alec's side. "But I bet either one of them could take down you and Dem – simultaneously."

Demetri stretched his arms over his shoulders. "Ha! Not likely."

I hardly had to incentivize the idea. "Let's see it then."

They didn't even hesitate. "You're on."

Both Demetri and Felix left to approach the mat, taking the initiative to inform their students of the plan. As competitive as they were, the two were inspired by unfair advantages and sneaky tricks. From the first time I'd seen them fight, I was used for such intentions and it was an entertaining pattern that never seemed to fail. This was the perfect chance to give them a taste of their own medicine. I took advantage of their distraction and held my hand out in front of Alec.

He made no acknowledgement of my silent request at first, but a second later he reached into his pocket and handed over his phone. All without looking at me.

Alec had begun carrying the phone around after we returned with a deep-seated reluctance. He had an irrational loathing for the device but the Masters decided it was best he kept it on him after I'd offered his number to the Interpol agents. They weren't pleased at first, but ultimately agreed with Alec; My past would have to be dealt with eventually. Though how they planned to do so had yet to be either discussed or disclosed to me. I took what I could get.

Caius hadn't wanted me to have constant, unsupervised access to a telephone, so Alec was left with no choice but to keep it handy at all times. Of course, it had been a short time before he left, but he had let me play around with the device enough that we developed this shorthand without a verbal request. As far as I knew, Aro had not yet outed me for the phone calls I'd made to my father's acquaintance. It didn't matter much if Alec would run and tell him the instant he received a call – if the call ever came.

Taking Alec's phone, I wasn't exactly sure of my plan but I was going more for adding humour to Felix and Demetri's competition than winning the bet. Searching through the various guards' contact information, it occurred to me just how handy the devices could be in reaching out to the other members of the guard. Which is, no doubt, why Alec preferred not to have it on him. I, however, in the limited moments he allowed himself to be with me, may have found a new form of entertainment.

I grinned to myself, maybe a little too maniacally as I managed to type out a message and returned the phone to Alec. He didn't check to see what I'd done, simply sliding it back into his jacket pocket.

A loud cheer followed a resounding boom throughout the room, snapping my attention back to the fight. The challenge to go up against their teachers had reinvigorated the few vampires remaining. Their speed made it difficult for me to tell, but Percy seemed to have the upper hand.

"Saffiya." I blinked. The lilt of my name from his lips was unexpected and a part of me longed to hear it whispered again. It was the same part that wanted to pretend the care of his tone erased any anger he was suppressing.

Alec was watching me with hollow confusion and I looked down. My fingers had a death grip on his arm. The pressure of my hold was visibly harsh, more so on my skin than his of marble. Alec's hand covered mine, gently trying to coax me into releasing him. I pulled it back as if he'd electrocuted me.

"Sorry–" I muttered, turning back to the entertainment with Alec's eyes trained on me.

We'd missed the end of the fight as a guard member seemed to joke, "condolences, Talib!" Percy shoved the heckler backwards, but returned to shake Talib's hand. She leaned in to his ear and waited until he nodded before parting.

Too invested in the private exchange, I asked Alec, "what'd she say?"

His chest rose and fell with a thin breath and he translated with a monotonous tone, "'watch your back'."

My head whipped back, thinking I'd misread her physicality. Only, as Felix and Demetri took their place across from Talib, her words came together. It wasn't a threat, but a warning.

Demetri and Felix hardly gave Talib a moment to break before their match. The others had been given time to review and reflect, but this was different. The two men didn't care that this was practice. If Talib made one wrong move, one misstep, they wouldn't hesitate.

Yet, Talib stood nobly and lowered into a fighting position. If he had any doubts, they did not show. He was ready.

Afton stood in front of the mat, refereeing in the High Guard's place. There was no whistle this time and the air thickened as we all waited.

One beat.

Another.

They disappeared into a flurry of action.

I couldn't tell Demetri or Felix apart, but Talib's magnificent blue hinted to his progress. Spots of black surrounded him at nearly every turn, knocking him to the floor, meeting in the middle, or a strike from the side.

It was no wonder I was the only one who appeared to notice the door behind the larger group of guards opening.

Heidi entered the room, already dawning a suspicious expression as she surveyed the performance. Her attire, I assumed, had not changed since the guys last saw her because she did look particularly extravagant today. There was a more elegant twist, dress looser but fitting – a beautiful velvet blue. Demetri hadn't been enthralled with her because she'd worn more exposing clothing, but rather by the genuine beauty of her and her gift alone.

I sat up in my chair and started to lift my hand to wave her over. The action caught Alec's attention and he patiently covered my hand, bringing it back down. Heidi leaned in to one of the guard members, who pointed at the fighters as Talib dumped Felix over his shoulder. I could see the mischief sparkle in her eye as she was filled in and her eyes immediately sought mine across the room.

She winked, adjusting her posture and parting the guard to take a place in the center between us and the other vampires. She would be in the ideal line of sight for both Demetri and Felix.

I love that woman.

Demetri caught Talib before he could prepare and rammed him backwards where Felix was already waiting. He caught the lower guard and thrust his shoulder into the ground. It was a move that slightly concerned me from the sound alone and it brought me back to my days of rewatching fights and car accidents to try and understand pain. Only Talib exhibited no pain, and the two men remained unsurprised when the man kicked under Felix, bringing the giant to the ground and returning to the fight.

Talib blocked two punches from Demetri and as he was about to land one himself, Felix returned. He pulled the lower guard back by his shirt collar and threw him across the mat. Directly in front of Heidi.

In a singsong voice, "hello boys. Having fun?"

All three were surprised by her sudden existence but Felix recovered quicker, rushing Talib who was damn ready – his focus deliberate and fierce as he evaded Felix's attack with well-nurtured ease.

Heidi thrust out her chest and moved closer to the mat under the pretence of getting a better view. Whatever her plan was, I missed it as a cold hand gently covered my eyes. "Hey!"

"Heidi lacks sufficient boundaries when it comes to men," was Alec's only explanation. I bit my lip to keep from giggling at the situation but he continued unfazed. "Which is why you summoned her, was it not?"

He finally let me remove his hand, but he'd moved in front of me to block my line of sight. "The boys are right," I pouted. "You are a buzzkill. I'm not exactly clueless–"

His eyes flashed, but when there was no counter offered for my argument, I assumed I'd won. I leaned to the side to catch whatever Heidi had planned. But it turns out, Alec had overheard my earlier conversation with the guys because he decided on a non-verbal approach to make his point.

A careful pressure rested on top of my knee and my head rushed, chin dropping to see Alec's hand drawing light circles over my jeans. When he had my attention, his hand patiently explored up, higher on my thigh. My chest tightened, nerves buzzing like bees around my heart as it struggled to maintain a normal pace. I tried to shift my leg but his fingers pressed into my leg, keeping me right where he wanted me.

His hand tightened around my mid-thigh as his thumb moved with a mind of its own. It slid across my jeans, grazing to the inside of my thigh as his grip loosened. Not to let go, but so he could continue, tauntingly, testing me as his fingers dipped between my legs halfway up the inside of my thigh. My head snapped to him, my eyes wide enough to prove him right. Every nerve in my body was acting like a sparkler, too aware of him and nothing else, and I found it ironic that the boy with the gift to numb one's senses could send mine into overdrive with the ease of a rainfall. The adrenaline of his touch was one thing. This – was another entirely. A prideful smirk grew on his face as he appreciated the reaction he got from me, for the first time, speechless.

A roar sounded from the fighters' mat, putting an end to Alec's little game. In a blink, his arm wrapped around me, sharply pulling me out of the chair with a gust of air.

He set me down only a few feet away, arm still tightly encompassing my waist. I pushed my hair out of my face just in time to see Felix crashing onto our now vacated table. It collapsed under the force of his weight but he jumped up from the wreckage in an instant, lips curved in a snarl.

"Not cool, 'Metri!"

He got no response as the remaining fighters grappled for the upper hand.

Felix scanned the room, stomping over to Heidi, who had joined Alec and me between the destroyed table and the group of guards. A vein popped out in his neck as he gestured to the mat and back at her.

"You did that on purpose," he accused her.

She graciously brushed his accusatory finger to the side and fixed her hair. "I was only checking in to see how it was going. Clearly, well."

He grunted, "convenient timing."

"Although it looks like you are having a little trouble." She glanced to Demetri, who had Talib in a headlock on the mat. The higher guard looked up automatically for an endorsement.

A mere wink was all she offered and Talib was clever enough to take advantage. The man ducked down and landed the heel of his foot directly into Demetri's stomach, knocking him back and halfway off the mat.

There was a weight in the room as Demetri took his time standing. He stared Talib down before looming closer to the tensed guard. He offered his hand.

Their audience broke out into raucous cheers like a high school football team. Demetri separated from the grown adult vampires and joined us.

"Shut it," he mumbled at my grin. "We had him until Heidi showed up."

"You really do look exquisite today, Heidi," I managed to get out before biting my lip and turning into Alec's shoulder to hold back the giddy laughter in my stomach.

"It's her gift. Not fair." Demetri sighed, and he might have let the loss go if my suppressed snickering hadn't caught their attention. He put it together first, but Felix's mouth was quicker.

"You little she-devil." Alec's grip tightened on me as he let out a low warning growl, but Felix ignored the blanket threat. "She planned this on purpose!"

I matched his theatrics, "I am utterly offended by the mere suggestion that I most certainly did..." Heidi gave a soft titter at my cut off admission, but it did not amuse the guys. Alec no longer tried to lessen the eccentricity of the activity I'd joined the boys in, his arm disappearing from my waist as he gave in to the inevitable.

The men pointed recklessly, desperate to convince us that we were in the wrong. "That's cheating, he never would have won–"

"Mitigating circumstances!" Felix declared.

Heidi let out a charmed laugh, "oh, so you're both against using an outside distraction to win a match?"

My hand shot in the air to prove her point, "exhibit A." Thinking again of the times they had purposefully directed me to distract the other, usually with some story about Alec and I's latest debacle.

Nearly in unison, "that's different!" and "practice doesn't count".

I gestured to the mat, "and these are?"

"These are tryouts," Felix argued back.

"Ah, great!" Demetri gesticulated towards Alec. I hadn't even realized the boy had left my side, but he was now shaking hands with Percy and Talib as the remaining guards filed out of the room with slightly less energy than before.

"Now he's gonna choose him."

"Choose him for what?" I might as well have been mute.

Heidi cocked her hip, "I thought you guys liked Talib for this?"

Felix blew out his cheeks, "yeah, that was before Fiya cheated and got him a big promotion."

"What promotion?" I asked distractedly, Alec's eyes making contact with mine as the words left my mouth.

"For your guards," Heidi filled me in quickly, going to reply to Demetri before she paused. "He didn't tell you?" She rolled her eyes as Alec returned. "You didn't tell her?"

Alec scowled at the situation, sneering, "it appears I have you for that, Heidi." The vexation in his voice put a dent in Heidi's composure that I could be sure she rarely felt. She tended to avoid intermingling in the twins' serious matters as much as possible.

"Not exactly a novel concept though, is it?" I snorted. Heidi was most surprised with my glibness as I dug myself into a corner. I was already under constant supervision, and with my latest attempt, the order was no surprise. But when you already felt as suffocated and caged in as I did at the time, it didn't matter. Any addition to my security was the end of the world. To me, at least. Still, I attempted to remain lighthearted in the conversation, even if I chose a poor way to do so. "After all, secrets and half-truths seem to be the only way Alec likes to communicate with me."

Alec's eyes darkened and the others tensed. "Fuck," Felix muttered.

"Clear the room."

Alec never really used his authority to his advantage. His gift alone, not to mention his position in the guard, was enough to make even the boldest of men relinquish their will. Jane outwardly used her gift and her brother was reserved for special tasks, more sparingly used. On his own, he preferred a glare or lack thereof to speak for him. Jane, still used her gift. There was no need for him to do so.

The same went for the power he held over others. Seeing it now, I was in over my head. Alec preferred moving our more sensitive discussions (arguments) to private locations. This time, he didn't seem to have the control or care to do so. What that meant for me, I wasn't sure. But the faces of my friends did not offer positive thoughts.

In a single breath, the doors to the training room had slammed shut. The remaining guard members had scattered at his directive. Any evidence that anyone had ever existed in the room was gone, but an invisible wisp of terror hung over me. It was not my own, but it had been flicked off like sweat into the air and I could imagine nothing else. It wasn't his species that made him dangerous. It was and always had been him. He inspired fear. As if every being he encountered knew he was destined to bring the world to its knees.

Chair legs scraped the floor. "Sit down." I only stared back, adamant against following any sort of order from him. "Sit down, Saffiya." He emphasised each word, making the command clear as day and non-negotiable. I debated whether I even wanted to hear what he had to say.

When I did lower myself into the chair, he changed his tone to one more appropriate for a court, as if he were presenting to the Kings. "As Heidi said, Talib and Percy will be your direct guards. Whether I or another of the High Guard is present, they will be there. They will report directly to me and they have permission to enforce any restrictions the Masters or I deem to be necessary."

"Necessary for what?" My sass was clear as day, but still, he was reluctant to attempt an answer to my trap. I should have expected this. It was an obvious attempt to be proactive in case I decided to break rank again. Precautions needed to be set in place. "That is meticulously controlling."

"Aye," he acknowledged before defending his involvement. "Which is why I offered a more preferable proposal. The Masters overruled me. This is their order-"

"But your plan," I reminded him with a hint of malice.

He looked away, still not meeting my eyes as he ran a hand through his hair, "my first strategic attempt at a plan, which I dismissed for this very reason."

I stood against his wishes, walking around him to the couches that had been pushed to the wall. My fingers tapped the back like a piano, the fabric scratchy under the pads of my fingertips. "Why can't Prosper just be my guard?"

"Circumstances have changed."

"I know, I know. Razin wants me to get to you, but–"

He held out a hand, "you have always made it clear how you feel about my protection, but this is now a direct threat against your life. If I am called away, I cannot…I will not take any chances." I let out a frustrated groan, holding my head, my fingers catching in the tangled waves of my hair. Alec tried to bring me back, losing his stone composure, but I shouldered him away. "Vita, please." [Life]

Please. He was asking.

Three knocks sounded from the door and Demetri stuck his head in.

"Alec, it's almost –" Alec held up a finger and the other man nodded, closing the door.

His eyes scanned me with a contemplative face, before determining that we were somewhat on the same page. Or at least stumbling around in the same chapter well enough that he could end the conversation there. We were not.

"We will continue this when I return." I shook my head adamantly to disagree, wrapping my arms around myself. Alec sighed, but his frustration should have been a warning sign. "I have to go."

"Take me with you."

He nearly laughed at the bold request, one he had never considered for good reason. My face, however, read differently to him and he sobered with a defensive hiss.

"That is not an option."

"Why not?" He went to cut me off but I continued to push. "You'd know I was safe – and I want to help."

He grunted, "your humanity would be a liability."

My nostrils flared, "because vampires have gotten you…where exactly?" The rhetorical sarcasm was a risk, but he didn't respond. Either he was too pissed to snap back – or was he possibly considering it? "I'm not asking to go after Razin with a wooden stake." I tried to take a step towards him, but his eyebrows narrowed."Yes, you guys have hundreds of years of experience and knowledge but I think differently than you do. Where you might see nothing of significance, I might see an answer."

"I said no."

"I wasn't running away. I was looking for something." My hand reached for his shoulder. "There's—"

"That," Alec said lowly, catching my wrist and dropping it. "That is not a conversation you want to have with me right now."

I challenged, "why not now?"

He groaned in exasperation, "because I am leaving now."

My tongue dripped with a bitter taste, "how convenient for you."

"Don't be difficult, Saffiya."

"I'm difficult?" He had to be the most contemptuous, self-aggrandizing– "You won't even look at me."

He turned sharply and his voice lost its stability, destroying his composure. "Because I cannot deal with you right now!" My heart froze, and I now recognized the hidden shimmer in his eyes. steady

"Alec–" Santiago stood in the doorway. I'd forgotten he was joining them on the mission. Neither of us had noticed the door open during our tete a tete and Alec faltered. I, however, had lost my patience.

"Not now, Santiago," I snapped and he did a double take before he listened. I would have to apologize later. My attention whipped back to Alec. "You can't deal with me? What is that supposed to mean?"

"What is–" He recoiled in disbelief, jaw popping as his contempt began to increase, surpassing mine. "You left me. With no consideration, no protection, and no plan. You left."

Rather than address the obvious, I called him out, ignoring my own timidness under his fury, "I knew you were mad at me."

"I am furious with you," he growled and something about the way he said it made me push myself against the back of the couch. "You purposefully timed this venture," he painted his side of the story venomously, "when I was away. Did you expect me to forget so easily?"

Another knock. Alec snarled with the mastery of a jaguar in response to the interruption, but he didn't look away from me so I jolted in an unfamiliar show of terror at the act. The door shut.

I stumbled, "you wouldn't understand."

Alec grabbed his coat from over a chair, throwing out, "understand what?" He wasn't really asking but I didn't care.

"I think I know how to find my father."

This was, quite possibly, the worst thing I could have said at that point. He lost it, forgetting the buttons on his coat and advancing towards me.

"Of course it is–" He started with one angle, but caught himself before he got too far. I didn't catch it because he sneered, "you are an infuriating human. If you were any other –"

"If I were any other human, I wouldn't be here!" I shouted back, discouraged by his attack but driven by the moment. I squared my shoulders, "I could go question that kid from Interpol. Shack up with him till I knew how to find my father and I'd be done within a week–"

Alec's fingers slipped under the waist of my jeans and tugged me into him with a consuming rashness.

I gasped, my hands landing on his chest. "What the hell—"

My contempt was ignored. His voice went low, the decibel moving through me with a nerve-inducing rush. "Never," he snarled, too rabid to even form the caution, "say that again." Alec's grip tightened on my jeans, knuckles digging into my lower abdomen and bringing my body even closer. "Ever."

The soft glide of his touch on my lower abdomen triggered a catch in my chest. A timid vibration echoed from his body into mine. My breathing shortened and my brain hyper focused on him. Just him. The little scar on his jaw, the outline and curve of his cheekbones. The only thing I wanted in that moment was to trace every part of his face, to feel the gentle pressure of his cheek on mine. An instant for each of the muscles in his shoulders to relax as I trail a finger across the deep indents of his shoulder blades. I longed for that brief refuge of simplicity in him, but a single breath brought me crashing back to reality. He was far from calm, but the dominance in his demeanor had shifted enough to regain control of my mind. It was blurry now and my nerves were fuzzy, and it all stemmed from his touch and proximity.

I fought for control over my own breath, finding my independence much easier this time. "I'm not giving up on him, you can't make me—"

"Your father is gone." Alec breathed in a cool voice. The statement reverberated through me, leaving me weakened as the declaration of reality struck me with a wall of hurt. Not for my father, but from Alec. In a whisper, a ghastly attempt to soften the blow, "nothing you do will ever change that." If he regretted his words, he hid it exceptionally well.

I shoved him away with a verbal grunt, but I could only stare. "I can't believe you just said that to me."

The door was pushed open yet again. Prosper and Demetri had now joined poor Santiago, who was normally as confident as Felix but had clearly gone for backup after I'd yelled at him.

"We're out of time."

Alec glanced at them and sighed roughly, buttoning his coat and turning away from me. "Perhaps it is best that we both return with clearer heads." He retrieved the thin folder from the destroyed remnants of our table, speaking as he did. "As I said. We can have this discussion–"

"Later," I mocked, giving in and facing the opposite way as well to try and breathe through the overwhelming sensations coursing through me lest tears began to form. There was no way I was crying in front of them.

Alec snapped, "don't be a brat."

Demetri and Prosper sent each other quick, astounded faces, not quite sure how to intervene. And they really should have.

"You know what – screw you!"

His eyes flashed and the folder slapped the table between us, the noise striking the air and sending a shockwave through the room.

"Try again."

He no longer cared that we had an audience. That a single glance at the guys waiting by the door might have revealed the slight worry that I had pushed him too far this time. A valid concern, with devastating consequences. But then, it was already a familiar pattern. Only now, he had a conscious control that somehow heightened the need for fight or flight. A reaction I was unable to call upon.

"Out." Alec stated firmly to the three witnesses.

Demetri's face fell and he stepped forward in an attempt to keep any sliver of peace that remained. "Maybe we should all take a break–"

"Now!" Alec bellowed over his shoulder. With extreme reluctance, they left me alone with him. Santiago first and Demetri not far behind. Prosper caught my eyes last, but he obediently shut the door behind him. It was far safer for me to be alone with Alec than it would be for them to try and step in.

"You are not standing on high ground." I did a double take, ready with a sharp comeback but he was ahead of me. "What you did was selfish and it could have gotten you killed. I cannot fathom why–"

"You would have tried to stop me."

"You never presented me with the chance to do anything else." He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration was far from dissipated but exhaustion was seeping in to us both. And I couldn't dispute a single word he said. "I am your mate, not your adversary."

"I didn't exactly get a say in that first part."

"Nor did I, cara, [dear] and yet I would choose you a thousand times over. You and your biting tongue." His tone was cold and distant, the sound alone ringing in my ears and baiting the tears on standby.

I stumbled for a worthy response, because how could I explain something so important it was almost innate, built into my bones. "It's my dad," I choked. The dark locks of his hair began to shake as he moved his head back and forth in disappointment. "Alec–"

I reached out, but he stopped me once more. Pale fingers pressed lightly into my wrist as he shook his head. I tried not to let it hurt; the fact that he didn't want me to touch him. Alec paused, eyes cast downward as the door opened again. In an instant, he vanished, along with the three vampires. Leaving one man leaning on the doorway, arms crossed and a frown dominating his expression.

"Okay," Felix started. "That is not what we meant when we said to get a room."

I exhaled sharply, shooting him a glare.

"What?"

Chapter Text

– Alec –

As newborns, we craved our orders.

My sister and I were hungry for revenge on a world that had shown us there was little else. Our new lives welcomed us with powerful gifts, and our makers gave us a purpose for which to use them.

The guards (who were yet to become The Guard) became our toys from the moment we were presented to them. A guard dared to snicker at our age, and Jane's temper nearly lobotomised the vampire. While my gift moved with greater patience, I was able to use it as a deterrent long before the others traced the source to Jane. The Masters watched, enthralled, enraptured, as bodies began to fall. One by one, their entire coven succumbed to two children. Children under their command.

Jane and I tested our gifts early on, learning the full extent of our powers by way of friendly, sibling rivalry. We did so in the form of competitions that proved we were near opposites in every way. A race to see who could inflict our powers on a single target first, how long we could sustain it, and the amount of misery we could inflict upon others. We thrived on the terror that we created. It was an intoxicating high on every occasion, and the response of our victims never failed to disappoint. Which of our gifts was worse? It was the one competition we could never settle.

Eventually, we settled into our new lives. We learned to use our gifts as tools rather than as toys. The lesson gave us more power, our gifts more prestige, and our presence, more intrigue. Even our own coven hesitated to turn a corner, lest one of us waited on the other side with an unstimulated mind. It had not taken long for us to pick up on Aro's cues, his directive to use our gifts on the incompetent vampires we ruled over. A verbal request was a formality. The Masters were the only members in the coven that our gifts had never touched. The three men alone were safe from the nightmares we inspired.

We needed no humility, for there was no objectivity to the fear we inspired.

Jane had a smoother transition into our new roles in the afterlife. She was naturally suspicious, a trait that served us well in our childhood and made her a competent leader for our elite group. The dynamic was more efficient, and while the lighthearted banter of Felix and Demetri was uniquely based and coincidentally tailored for my sister and me, I was able to integrate easier and more often than she did in a group setting. Her gender, I have postulated within the last few hundred years, may have been an influential factor in this behaviour and hesitation to let down her guard. She would never admit it.

"She is asking questions, Brother. Questions that I cannot answer." I sighed shortly into the phone, and Jane asked rhetorically in an unnecessary whisper, "has she always been so inquisitive?" 

My mate had given my sister something I could not. Their friendship was a gift I would forever be grateful for. The likelihood of either of us finding a mate had been so unlikely, that it never bothered us. We had each other. And now I had found a mate, but the arrival of mine did not guarantee hers would follow. It was fantasy to believe in, and Jane had given up on such ideas a long time ago.

"What does she want to know?"

Jane scoffed, "everything."

Prosper's call had forced me to decide between my mission and my mate. And while my sister and our companions stood behind my decision, I feared the consequences from the Masters. I should not have entertained my doubts, as they proved once more their wisdom and superiority. Aro understood. He always understood. And with Saffiya safe, I had no hesitation returning to complete the task we had been assigned.

When we first left for this mission, it was a simple task: Surveil and assess. We would identify any potential threats, assess the risks, and report. An ally of the Volturi had shared information directing us to four dens potentially harbouring members of the Resistance. The first three we visited before returning for Saffiya were abandoned or showed no evidence of occupation and we left it undisturbed.

Unfortunately, our current mission also found the last den empty – only this time, it was recently abandoned. The ground was still seeping with human blood, staining the earth with the careless feasting of newborns. The air was strangled with the scent of burnt flesh, distinct enough to indicate that the extinguished fire had fed on both live and undead bodies. They had burned their newborns once again, and we were left with nothing but ash.

They knew we were coming.

The coincidence was indefensible. I sent Santiago and Prosper to retrieve the vampire who informed us of the locations and return him to Volterra for trial. He had been a long-time friend of the Masters, yet not one above suspicion. The man should have known better than to betray the Volturi.

I would have sent Demetri, as a tracker, and kept Prosper had the Masters not given me a second, more pivotal assignment. A minor detour. And with the absence of my twin, Demetri would be accompanying me amongst the humans.

Despite standing in the center of a courtyard in our new location, the scent of humanity tainted the air. The area itself was visually appealing, designed to invoke intrigue for an unquestioning audience. An old, weather-worn statue watched over the small island. I stood beside it, doing the same. It was clear that there had been little upkeep to the statue itself, a detail that stood quite antithetically with the blossoms of greenery cut and styled to near perfection around it.

"The physician-" Jane was interrupted by a sweetly cautious voice in the background. My grip tightened on the phone, desiring the greatest amount of detail possible, but she spoke too softly for the useless device to pick it up. "I don't think he wants to–"

I interjected, "is that her?" As if I did not already know the answer.

Jane felt the need to inform me, "we were practicing." I had to refrain from a physical response to the information. My sister and I swore never to use our gifts on the other long ago. A pact that would have extended to my mate if I had not disposed of her attackers within the limits of the city. Much as I loathed the decision, I understood the necessity of the punishment. The sanctity of our city was paramount and blood singer or not, I knew better.

There was another pause, four beats, before Jane grumbled into the phone, "she wants to speak with you."

Demetri made a poorly feigned hacking sound behind me, and I had to refrain from snarling at him. His curiosity outweighed my empty threat as he had become visibly more interested in the casual conversation with my sister than I would have liked. He leaned against one of the columns in a disgraceful attempt at a carefree, mysterious impression. The woman he spoke to was none the wiser to our little interaction, prattling on about something useless, as humans do. And though she did seem taken with the dashing effect of a vampire's qualities, he would be better off adhering to his usual tricks as a successful Lothario rather than waste his energy pretending to be complex.

Refocusing on my sister's implied question, I was tempted to say yes. If only to hear my mate's voice, my name passing through her sweet lips. Logically, I knew doing so was too risky before finishing our assignment. There was no way of knowing how our conversation would go and I needed to be focused. Especially here, now. My foul mood left me with little patience since we left Volterra and I was driven only by completing the task at hand. Agreeing to speak with her was a decision that risked the mission's success. It was a risk I could not take.

My contemplation examined the statue in detail before I resigned myself to an answer. "No."

"Brother–"

"We will return by morning. You should prepare for the others." Santiago and Prosper were likely to return before us, especially if we spent any longer within these walls.

A bell chimed above us, echoing with a ridiculous ringing as if to inform the entire country of their activities. It did, however, catch both Demetri's and my attention for the sky. The metal steeple of the church stood out against the blue sky, adding to the idyllic nature of the convent and making me all the more eager to return to Volterra.

Jane sighed into the phone, "there is something else."

I glanced back at my unfortunate companion, acting as if he had any right to be smug. "What is it?" The snap of exasperation slipped without intention, and I felt guilty when my sister took a moment to collect herself, before responding.

Silence. I wanted to explain everything that weighed on my thoughts, to inform her of my current location and what we could gain from a visit like this. She would excuse my temper and sequester the various elements that kept me from focusing. My sister could help, but I held it in. I had to do this without her, alone.

Demetri was merely a witness.

My twin's voice was taut, leaving me no room to apologize, "I hope you know what you're doing."

She decided that was the end of our conversation, offering a hasty goodbye. I ran my fingers through my hair, knowing I had left her to somehow explain to my mate that I needed more time. Of which she would be accurately sharing. I did require additional time to reflect on the last discussion Saffiya and I had engaged in. However, time was disparate from distance. The latter of which I hoped to lessen between us. I only hoped Jane could assuage the internal, racing concerns that would be dominating my mate's mind.

I resisted the urge to redial and dropped the phone in my pocket. To avoid the pointed look Demetri was undoubtedly sending my way, I gave our surroundings another once over before joining him and the woman he was attempting to abscond to the Garden of Eden with. My arrival distracted her. She froze, forgetting her conversation and watching me with wide eyes. Her future vows were, no doubt, being reconsidered.

Demetri coughed, and the blood rushed to the girl's cheeks. "The bell means she will...will...I'll see how long she'll be." She squeaked something else that assured her return, ducking away in embarrassment and hurrying the opposite way down the corridor.

Refusing to allow Demetri to come up with some ridiculous personable quip, I interjected, "really Demetri, even enhanced characteristics would not be enough to sway these humans from their blind vows." I smirked, delighted by the twitch of his eyebrow. "Not for you, anyways."

"Is that a challenge?"

I snickered at his sensitivity, "hardly the time or place."

He screwed up his face, before tilting his head and indicating to a group passing across the courtyard with their attention on us. "Says you, kid. I seem to be the talk of the abbey."

I smirked, leaning against the stone wall. It was no surprise that Saffiya had adapted well to the castle. "Yes, well. You are standing beside me."

Demetri glowered, his only defense being an attempt to shame me. "You have a mate."

"Aye, I do. And you have...?"

He huffed and crossed his arms across his chest, standing to his full height. It was something he often did once his ego had been deflated. His height was much greater than my own, but standing beside Felix had made him sensitive on the matter. It tended to be a sore subject if one were to remind him that I had been unable to finish growing, while he had reached his full height, and potential, before he was turned.

"Damn, I forgot how mean you were without her." I rolled my eyes, both of us well-aware that sarcastic battery was hardly 'mean' by my standards. "Soak it up now, pretty boy. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing a certain newborn's reaction next time something like that happens with someone not practicing abstinence."

Saffiya was hardly the type. "Do not be alarmist. I've done nothing wrong."

"Sometimes, that is even worse." His grin only seemed to grow as my expression hardened. "Women."

"Your scenario lacks realism. Even so, if no blood is spilt, newborns are easily distractible."

Demetri let out a disruptive booming laugh. "You're pretty, pretty boy. But you haven't even kissed her and you already think you can distract her like that." He may have been working with false information, but the consideration had not been as far from my mind in recent weeks as I may wish to claim.

I immediately denied the assertion. "That was not–"

"Although, it is more promising than Felix locking you two in a closet." Dimwitted. Both of them.

A growl came from my chest, "I would rather not kill my mate as a result of giving into base desires."

He waved me off, just in time for a pair of nuns to pass us. He had the audacity to wink at the women, each more than twice his biological age. Despite the aghast looks on their faces, he grinned.

I collected myself, using the greenery nearby to center my head before hissing at him, "do pull yourself together. It is in poor taste to tempt the pious."

He cackled, amused by the bias of my demand, "it wasn't too long ago that you were charming the pants off every dame you could. Besides, you loathe religion."

"I loathe you, yet here we are."

"Okay, smartass." I was rewarded with silence for about two seconds before Demetri opened his uneducated mouth once more. "She misses you too, you know." He had the decency to flinch at my glare before tilting his head back and forth with indecision. "She didn't exactly confess to stealing Felix's device, but she's been using it to message me all day."

I growled, more annoyed with the situation than her breaking Caius' rule. "Who taught her how to use it?" He didn't answer, more intent on getting through to me. Believing himself to be a confidant for my 'girl troubles', a term he and Felix had moronically taken to using. This time, however, my resolve was slightly weak, "she said this?"

He did a double take, shaking his head fervently. "What? No, it's Fiya. If she knew how to use her words, you would be texting with her. Like teenagers should do in this day and age." It was a difficult point to contend. "Do you want to read them?"

I hesitated, a light exhilaration running through me at being given a second chance to interact with Saffiya. I shook my head and Demetri's eyes widened, all playful banter wiped from his expression. He removed his hand from his pocket, presumably having expected to present me with their conversation. "Damn. You really are mad at her."

"If I recall, you once shared in my disdain."

Demetri shrugged, "yeah, I was disappointed in her. But what Caius said makes sense–"

He had held his tongue in the presence of Prosper and Santiago, knowing better than to bring up a potential crack in my armour in front of others. Not to mention, I would have ensured he paid dearly for daring to do so. And although Prosper had become of far more use than expected in the recent months, he and Santiago remained our inferiors. They had already witnessed the recent argument with my mate – one I was bound to receive a lecture on from Marcus or Aro. The latter preferred to offer additional advisement that was eerily similar to the linguistic style of his wife. A woman who knew I respected her, but that I was likely to accept her husband's advice with more expediency.

The young novice reappeared in the hallway. My eyes flickered unconsciously to Demetri before turning toward the human. Her stutter was less prominent, her heart calmer and the light hint of her accent came through as she informed, "I received permission to show you her room."

And though she attempted to stay upbeat in starting a conversation as she took us down another corridor, it was clear the temperature had changed between her guests. She continued trying in limited English, until Demetri took pity on her. He thumbed towards me and lied, "he has no idea what we're saying." To which she giggled, feeding his vapid personality.

I paid them no mind as Demetri took the lead. If there was anything I abhorred more than humans, or most individuals; it was communicating with them. That is before I was mated to one. Still, I had little interest in attempting to speak with these devout humans, even with their connection to my mate. And though her humanity was the sole source of our hardships, I cherished the purely human traits about her. The catch of breath inspired by the brief connection between her body and mine that turned eyes of jade my way. An occasional agitation that either overwhelmed her mind or made her inclined to provoke the same in another, usually in me. Oddly enough, the blood that rushed to the marks I had twice left on her throat, reminding myself that she was human, delicate, precious in every way. The flutter of her heart when she scolded me for doing so. And though it was the most perilous and tempting of all, her heartbeat was everything to me.

"May I ask..." the timid nun spoke up. "Is she alive?" I held back a snarl at the inane question.

The Kings had been content to allow our interaction with the human police before any rash decisions were made. But when I had not been contacted after a month, Caius grew concerned. His concern was not for their investigation, but rather regarding the commitment on the part of the nuns to recover Saffiya. We were to tell them whatever was needed to stifle that desire.

The woman stopped at one of the wooden doors, plain and unassuming as the rest. It creaked as she pulled it open and I was nearly knocked to the ground as a rush of air whipped straight toward me. The room still smelled like its owner and the remnant of her lasting scent hit me with a near overpowering force. Demetri hissed something insubordinate at me, but I was subjugated by my mate's perfume, forcing him to cover with the human.

"Is he alright?"

"Absolutely," he clapped me on the back, half subtly pulling me back up with a tug on my coat. "Allergies."

I shot him a glare, the nudge pulling me from my thoughts before I grudgingly confirmed with a hoarse voice, "Yes. Allergies." Whatever those were.

She nodded, unsure of what to make of the display, but entered the room. I elbowed Demetri aside, pleased by the small hiss of pain from him and followed after her. But there was already another woman standing inside.

Rather than the unusual blue veil of the novice, this woman was in the traditional all black habit and white coif of a nun. Her years were nowhere near old enough to gray but hardly young enough to deny her future. Fair creases were subtle across her forehead and around her smile. Her eyes were delicate and extraordinarily determined as she waited for the younger girl to acknowledge her presence.

The novice exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Misha! You're supposed to be in..." Sister Misha gave her a warm, yet intentionally naive smile, one I could recall seeing on both the wives's faces once or twice, that advised the young woman not to finish her sentence. "These are officers from Interpol. They are here about–"

"Thank you, Sister. I can manage from here."

"But, the Reverend Mother –"

With a firmer tone, Sister Misha reiterated, "you may close the door behind you, Sister Elena."

My throat tightened and I was no longer able to hold back the venom from flooding my mouth. The combination of my mate's scent and the blood pumping through this woman's veins was a combination that was almost unbearable. My muscles tightened and the burning in my throat that I had spent the last several months attempting to ignore now reignited from a mere ember. Closing the door was a very bad idea.

Whether he actually used his intellect to deduct my temporary discomfort or not, Demetri began to converse with the remaining human. I took advantage of the distraction. Saffiya's scent was not as tempting as when we were together. I could not sense the blood, alive in her veins, nor the flutter of her heart – only the remnants of her previous life. A life before me. I refrained from delving too deep into the thought while a similar, but not nearly as satisfying temptation stood only steps away. Instead, I attempted to use the environment to distract myself from the suffocating hunger that had been triggered.

The room was small, simplistic, and devoid of much individualized personality. Though, this was to be expected considering the minimalist lifestyle of a convent. The majority of the space was centered around the wooden bed, perfectly made but slightly rumpled, as if it had been recently slept upon. There was a table in the corner with two chairs on either side and a stack of books was neatly stacked underneath it. A small window vented the only fresh air into the room and as luck would have it, I was able to take it in without the nun's additional scent poisoning the air.

I took another risky breath, swallowed, and my mind began to clear. The fire in my throat remained.

"I'll tell you both what I said to the last men who came – Saffiya is no criminal."

We had done little to adopt our false role of an 'Interpol officer', as it was unlikely we would be doubted by a group of nuns. Especially when it was a matter of such sensitivity. There would be no reason for anyone to lie. Or so we believed. Sister Misha was clear about her doubts from the start.

Demetri performed a taken aback reaction, playing innocent. "We never intended to make any allegation of the sort."

She hummed, waving the comment off before taking a seat at the small table against the far wall. Without addressing us, she opened the single drawer with a sharp tug. Wooden figures clattered inside it, pieces for a chess set. Aro had requested Heidi add the chess table to Saffiya's room and we had found it highly unlikely that the young human would partake. All but Jane, who made it her mission to ensure my mate put the game to good use and to prove Aro knew best. I had not doubted my master, but now I knew why. Sister Misha began delicately setting up a new game, glancing up at Demetri. "Do you play?"

He made a face and she smiled softly, looking to me next. I had to admit, the woman's aura and her abrupt approach to our visit was unexpected. My curiosity defied my nature and I accepted, sitting across from her. Both of us ignored Demetri's poorly hidden shock at my decision to sit across from the woman to play a silly game. Especially when we had a purpose, a task to accomplish. It had been ages since I played anyone but my sister in the game. In an unusual move, Sister Misha claimed white and continued the conversation on her own terms.

"Whatever she's done – it's her father's influence."

Demetri was still confused, caught off guard by the hostile direction the woman had started in. "She has done nothing wrong," he assured her.

Her eyes wavered between us as I made my first move. Her lips dropped their smile into a straight line, but instead of an expression of anger or resentment, she resembled a deep sorrow that was palpable in the tension already surrounding us. "My apologies. The last time your agents visited they were rather impolite."

"Impolite?"

"And abrasive." She tried to meet my eyes despite my lack of participation in the conversation. I narrowly avoided her attentions, losing my knight in the process. "I'd hardly reported her missing."

Demetri continued, "you have our apologies for your treatment." I rolled my eyes at his attempt to charm the older woman. "I am sure they had the best intentions. All we wish is to help bring Saffiya home."

"Yes, that would be why you're here," she commented, somehow maintaining a playful, yet firm and gentle disposition beholden to a nun. "Which is odd. Considering I cannot reach anyone at your offices besides a young intern. But even he will not answer my calls now."

I exchanged glances with Demetri, a response that did not go unnoticed by the nun as my companion continued, "I see. When did you last speak with him?"

She turned a suspicious eye on him before abruptly leaving our game unfinished and moving to fluff the pillows on the bed. Nerves. I tuned in to her heartbeat, but it was steady. If she was not lying, we needed to determine what had triggered the shift. "About two months ago, I'd say."

"Two months? Are you sure?"

"I am." No change in her heart – she was telling the truth. Saffiya had provided my telephone contact to the boy within that time. If the nuns had not heard from him, then he had chosen not to de-burden the woman with the news that my mate was alive. The realization was not what I expected. The teenager had projected an integrity that was entirely contrary to the other man. But if he had not shared any updates with the women by now, it was doubtful he ever would.

That was it. The information we had travelled to obtain. We could depart for Volterra, abandon the nun in her growing distress. Mere hours ago, I would not have blinked an eye at the decision. Yet Demetri nor I made a move to do so. There was something about this woman.

"What has changed that you needed to visit us in person when a telephone call would suffice–" She froze seconds after the words left her mouth, something occurring to her. "Is she...has she passed?"

The word and its association with my mate made venom pool on my tongue once more. "No," I answered sharply, speaking up for the first time. Demetri's head whipped over to me with caution evident in his expression.

He was quick to recover from my mistake but too smooth to lessen the woman's skepticism. "Her whereabouts are still unknown. Do you have any ideas as to where she might be?"

Now settled that her fears had not been realized, a coy tilt of her lips appeared at the question, but only for a second. "She's rather resourceful."

She was holding something back, and Demetri expressed his appreciation, "is that why there seems to have been no reservations for sending a fifteen year old with a detrimental condition, alone into the world?"

"Your glib opinion is not undeserved, but we are nuns, if you're forgotten. We had a great deal of concern when she made the decision." I failed to hide my amusement at Demetri's deflated sense of self, even if it was a question we had all been asking since Saffiya arrived in Volterra.

Demetri still pushed, as if he'd been passionately fretting over the question as a philosophical conundrum. He was genuinely bothered by it. "She's a child. Was that really her decision to make?"

Instead of taking offense, the nun smiled softly at him. "By supporting her, we were able to provide her with the resources to stay safe and survive on her own. By letting her go, she knew she was welcome to return." She allowed us to process, clarifying, "Saffiya only stayed with us as long as she believed her father was coming back for her."

"She was here for three years."

"Most children are able to recognize the natural faults in their parents by her age, but her life with him was...glamorous. She was too young to understand."

"Understand what?"

She paused at the prompt.

"Your colleagues were quite familiar with her father. I assume you are as well?" Demetri and I exchanged looks, not quite sure what she expected.

Demetri answered, "the con man. We are familiar."

For some reason, this did not satisfy her. She crossed her arms over her chest, bluntly demanding, "why don't you boys tell me who you are – and what you want with our Saffiya."

Our Saffiya, she said, staking claim to my mate. Demetri's head snapped to me, analyzing my response as an imminent threat. The longevity and sincerity of her claim challenged mine with a near equal consequence. Unexpected jealousy rose within me in a frenzied, monstrous plague. But the emotion hit a wall as a burst of queries arose simultaneously, a lifetime's worth – all of which could be answered by this woman who knew my mate better than I.

There was a lurking pressure in my chest, as if I'd only just found the connection I shared with this woman. My mate. My Saffiya. I craved any recognition, any sentiment associated with her, any chance to be closer to her with so much distance between us was an opportunity I could not miss. And this human before me held a part of my world in her memories.

Demetri knew my next move before I did, "Alec, a word?" I ignored him, undoing my collar and separating my coven's crest from the chain I had placed around my neck only days ago. Deliberately, I revealed the ring that would erase her distrust of my intentions.

Recognition lit up her eyes in an instant and her hand went from her chest to her mouth as she let out a violent gasp. Demetri caught her, transferring the human onto the bed, rumpling the linens even more. He rushed to the door in the next second, ensuring it was securely shut to avoid drawing attention to our activities from any passersby. Her hysterics put a bad taste in my mouth, but I swallowed back the venom and returned the ring to its place under my tunic.

"Why do you have that?" Her question was not as accusatory as I expected.

Demetri tried to bring her back, "we need you to answer our questions–"

"Please," she directed towards me. I balled my hand into a fist, glancing at Demetri who was shaking his head at my temptation. That, or he thought I was about to attack the woman for her persistence. An option I was not completely against. "Is she..." but the nun was unable to finish.

I examined the woman, envious of the time she spent with my mate. If I left her with too little information, she might be inclined to continue her search. And she had the answers to many questions my mate could not answer, though she was unlikely to give me much else without receiving something in return.

My mouth moved before my mind could talk me out of the honest approach. "She is safe." Behind her, Demetri clapped a silent and dramatic hand to his face.

"Where–" she stopped herself. "I suppose that is not an answer I will receive." She turned back to Demetri, who gritted his teeth but smiled politely. It seemed someone was no longer interested in flirting.

"Demetri, wait outside."

"I don't think..." his voice trailed off, eyes glancing down as he remembered whom he was speaking to.

I teased under my breath, "let's not be foolish." Demetri's eyes widened, well-aware that I was not above using my gift on him in front of the human. I could take sense by sense away as he would be forced to stand still, act as if he were simply listening to our conversation. Or maybe I would rotate his exposure to each one. One at a time, returning his sight only to steal his sense of touch. He would stumble, uselessly checking to ensure the floor was still under his feet. He would desperately hold onto the sight, but eventually, his faith would waiver. As faith often does. I half wished he would dare to finish his sentence.

"I'll be outside."

I stood as the door closed behind him. Without waiting for her to process, I softened my gaze and added a smooth lilt to my voice, "I can only tell you that she is in danger."

"Did he –" she changed her question. "What happened?"

"Poor timing." It confused her and I grit my teeth, breaking eye contact for only an instant, "she witnessed something she should not have."

She tilted her head, standing to approach me. I stood my ground, ignoring how unsettled her lack of trepidation made me. Her eyes scanned my face and for once, I struggled to keep a stoic appearance and I found myself growing as curious as my mate.

"Who are you to her?" I lifted my chin, not expecting the question. I held back an answer. She pursed her lips, but maintained her composure. However, before I could say anything, Sister Misha changed her mind yet again and she placed a hand on my cheek. My muscles tensed but she hardly flinched at the ice of my skin, too lost in her thoughts to notice.

"Dios mio." Her eyes were glassy and in them, there was a strained pain that I recognized. Or rather, I identified with it. With a human and its emotion. My own human was making me vulnerable to such experiences. "What has that girl gotten herself into?"

My orders were to do everything in my power to ensure no one would ever be able to find my mate. This woman would never give up on Saffiya, an undeniable devotion that made her a liability. The only liability. My darling mate would be devastated if I killed one of her nuns. She would forgive me eventually, when she no longer held the same attachment to a human she would hardly remember. But I would not be eager to begin our immortality together with yet another contention in our path.

I took her shaking hand and removed it, correcting the likely bewildered expression on my face. I found myself unable to choose the best wording to convince her. "You must not search for her any longer."

Sister Misha breathed in sharply and shook her head, "I will not give up on her."

"Have you considered that she has willingly chosen not to return?" I hissed automatically. I hated humans. A fact of which Demetri was well-aware. I could practically see his fit from the shadow of his pacing in the crack between the stone floor and the wooden door.

My sudden attack made the nun drop her head. Her fingers went to her rosary as she attempted to recover from my harsh words. The disdain spread across her face and I reminded myself that I needed her on my side.

I took a breath, ignoring the dulled sting in the back of my throat and tried to coax her back, "any further attention given to her existence will threaten her life."

"I want to see her – speak with her."

I denied the request, "that is not possible. Thank you for your assistance." Her hand moved to my arm as if to stop me and out of nothing but respect for my mate, I allowed it.

"You had questions."

According to the Masters' orders, I did not. But there were many unknowns about my mate that I might never again have the chance to discover.

"Tell me about her father."

She blew air out of her nose and every breath she took tested my patience. For a moment, it seemed she was going to inquire for more details, to determine whether she should offer such specific information to two men who were clearly lying to her. The nun had more faith and patience than I, and with the added pressure of my supernatural characteristics, she had no hesitation answering my question.

"She idolizes that man." That much was regrettably obvious to me. "I only met him once, but there was something about him."

It was the way she said it that prompted me to ask, "I presume he made you uncomfortable."

Sister Misha shook her head, adamantly. "Just the opposite. I have never met anyone like him."

"How so?'

Almost laughing, astounded by a remnant memory, she annunciated, "The man could talk his way out of a lion's den." She remained wide-eyed, but her face fell as if reciting poetry, "he taught her everything she knows."

Demetri knocked harshly on the door, swinging it open. "We need to leave," he lied, sending me a pointed glare as the woman seemed to only ramble uselessly.

"Promise me that when this danger is over, you will return with her." I examined the woman again and my lack of response prompted a threat, "or I will–"

I nodded once, ending her useless attempt, "I promise." Her chest heaved a heavy sigh of relief, tears filling her eyes to the brim as she held them back. The lie would haunt me far longer than I cared to admit.

"Thank you for your assistance." Demetri tilted his chin before meeting my eyes with urgency. "But we must be going."

Not yet.

"What did you mean?" Sister Misha waited for me to elaborate, tears already dotting her cheeks. Both of us ignoring Demetri's slump at my persistence. "What did her father teach her?"

Her gaze drifted to our long forgotten chess match before she began, "how to cheat a lion."

~•~

It was not until we stopped at a town near Volterra to feed that either Demetri or I said a word.

I carelessly dropped the male human in my arms and the corpse collapsed weakly at my feet. I kicked it off with ire spreading throughout my veins. Demetri was eyeing me and I refused to meet his stare as I advanced on the last one, previously silenced by my gift. Her eyes were wide with the terror I so deliriously fed on before I met my mate. Tears were streaming down her face, and her body thrashed as I lifted her against the wall, with her palms shoving against me as if she stood a chance.

I bared my teeth, snarling at her and she stopped fighting. "I despise humans," I sneered as she let out a mute wail, desperate that it would preserve her life.

Demetri chuckled, brushing himself off as if either of us would be so messy in a feeding. His broken human lay on the ground not far off from my first. "All but one. You do recall that you are currently pining after a human?"

The girl in front of me turned her eyes upwards as if in prayer, lips moving at a rapid pace despite their muteness. I scoffed in disgust, gripping her chin and twisting her neck. She too was dropped to the ground with the sharp crack, eyes still open with a useless plea.

"Are you going to tell her? Everything?"

"Yes," I growled, wishing I had at least a pinch of my sister's gift to strike him.

Without a filter, Demetri continued, "I am surprised you never discussed her father."

"We have," I grunted. "Frequently." 

"And she never mentioned–" I shot him a dark look and he raised his palms but did not choose to drop the topic. "What did she say, then?"

Shortly, I avoided the question, "I am not interested in male bonding with you." However, undeterred by my usual vitriol, he continued.

"I have to say," I gave a low warning growl, not quite ready to reflect on the new perspective we had been given. "Everything the nun told us...it explains a lot."

He was right. At the very least, it shed light on Saffiya and I's fight at the Cullens and her nonchalance when I was inches from killing her, and every moment in between. She understood the rise of our emotions when I explained the supernatural influence of our bond to her and yet, she only seemed to grow less aware. Even someone as careful as her, with her condition, should have known better than to antagonize a deadly creature. If I were a tiger, would she run from me? If my outward appearance struck fear into her heart, perhaps then she might consider me dangerous enough to be concerned for her own life.

Demetri's hand landed on my shoulder in a poor attempt at comfort and I took advantage of the contact. He was well-versed in the sensation of tingling fingertips the instant before my gift registered and he removed the limb. While he still could.

"Listen," he rubbed his hand to rid himself of the numbing whisper. "I think she's right. I think Fiya knows but...I don't think she knows. Maybe it is best she thinks of him with child-like, rose-coloured glasses."

I turned on him. "Are you instructing me to lie to my mate?"

"It's not lying. You wouldn't be telling her anything new," he reasoned and chose his next words with caution. "A new perspective would ruin a lot of happy memories. Ones that she will not have once she's turned."

"He's a monster."

Demetri shook his head adamantly, and his point added to my irritation, "was. One less monster you have to protect her from." He added, "and he can't hurt her anymore."

I ignored him, "Volterra expects us."

"Just consider it, will you?"

He threw one of the corpses over his shoulder and I stared down at the crippled body in front of me. "What are allergies?"

Demetri shrugged, "no idea. Saw it in a movie."

Chapter Text

"They're going to kill you, you know."

I had a love-hate relationship with medical professionals. My earliest memories are riddled with doctor's visits, medical machinery, needles, and tests. Too many tests. Medical curiosity would drive doctors to use any complicated, high-tech machine to beep a new answer about my abnormality. They were arrogant, self-righteous, and irritatingly benevolent.

But Dr. Moore was growing on me.

"After they kill me," I continued, eyeing the doctor. He raised his eyebrows, full and dark, mimicking listening as if the meaning of my words had no impact. More casually, I added, "at least that's what they do with all the receptionists."

He stepped back and wrote something down with a small smile hiding on his cheeks. His white coat was pristine as ever. Each wrinkle had been professionally pressed and tailored to the physician's fit form. The man belonged on a billboard. But somehow, his life had taken him to this small, hospital-like room the Volturi had constructed for emergencies in the castle. For me. Aside from the stone walls and lack of windows, it felt nearly identical to any doctor's office. Complete with a nurse's station and rolling chair.

"Okay, either you have an impeccable bedside manner," he did, but that was beside the point. "Or you know something that I don't." Which would not be the most inconceivable possibility.

He chuckled, "your Masters and I have an understanding."

"They're not my masters."

Dr. Moore acknowledged my statement, returning his stethoscope around his neck. "Do you know how they found me?"

"An American doctor in Italy that happens to be qualified enough to take care of nearly any injury I might have? No." He chuckled while I stared at him with stunned curiosity. "As far as I'm concerned, you're a unicorn."

"We have a mutual friend."

"You and me?" He confirmed with a nod, securing the blood pressure cuff around my upper arm. "I doubt that."

The man's bedside manner afforded him a polite chuckle, "when Carlisle told me of your unique condition, I was intrigued."

Typically, I might've responded with a sassy comment suggesting that he was far from being the only person to be curious about my condition. Instead, I was stuck on, "Carlisle offered you up to be murdered by a bunch of vampires?"

He relieved me of the uncomfortable pressure, returning the blood pressure machine and turning to the table to write another mysterious sentence about my likely unchanged blood pressure level.

Dr. Moore was a handsome man with thick brows and eyes that sparkled when he smiled. His hair was graciously cut on the sides and back of his head but faded the closer it got to his forehead. I blinked, my eyes leaving his head as he sat on his little rolling desk chair and faced me for a bedtime story. He usually worked as I berated him with questions and comments, but this new story tactic of his would take longer. I could practically hear Jane rolling her eyes on the other side of the door.

"We had not spoken for several years, yet I felt the need to inform my old friend that I had cancer, and six months to live." Unlike his response to my blunt words earlier, I gaped at his words. Well played, Dr. Moore. "A fortuitous decision, as the last thing I expected him to do was offer me a job opportunity."

Still, I rolled my eyes and tried to collect my dignity, "you're joking."

A smile crossed over his full lips as he chuckled, "he said I'd be living in a remote city in Florence, necessities paid for, and vineyards for miles. All I had to do was take care of a girl."

He made it all sound so simple, and his kind tone made me return to the smart-ass voice of a teenager. "And when they said state-of-the-art equipment, like any bleeding heart doctor, you said..."

Dr. Moore made me feel normal again. He took my sass and elegantly returned it to me with a fluency that was impossible not to admire.

"I'll open a practice." He shot me a grin, a kind of smoulder, and I couldn't help but return it with a small one of my own. In a surprisingly charitable action, the Volturi had allowed the physician to open a private practice treating the citizens of Volterra, naturally placing my ailments above any other if circumstances required. One downside to my escape's aftermath and resulting events was that my regular visits with the doctor were now confined to the castle. I had enjoyed the excursions to Doctor Moore's small clinic in the city.

The Volturi had filled the small office space with essential equipment and a few of Carlisle's suggested machines worth millions of dollars. Just in case I had a minor accident. I devolved to sarcasm in defense, but in all honesty, if I so much as tripped and fell, I had to be subjected to a battery of tests. While I hadn't been the safest over the last several months, common accidents such as this were easily interrupted by the annoyingly speedy supernatural beings surrounding me. Still, I could not emphasize enough just how lucky I was to be alive.

"Of course you did." I sighed, and he remained amused by my airy disposition. "So, why were you in Italy if you're from America?"

He smiled, "I followed a girl."

"You're a romantic." My doctor hummed, taunting my curiosity before moving on as he returned to his clipboard. As if he didn't have the checklist memorized by now.

"How have you been sleeping?"

"Fine." I was nonchalant. It was supposed to be a standard question.

He raised a single eyebrow and a naturally genuine voice, calmly prompting me to tell him something more. As if he expected something specific. "Just fine?"

I tilted my head, "now you definitely know something I don't."

He nodded a few times, watching me for any signs of disclosure before sharing, "Jane says you've been having bad dreams."

A giggle burst past my lips, an automatic response. "I think I'd know if I was having nightmares. Wait – Jane said?" Jane, who stood right outside the door waiting (impatiently, no doubt), had not said a word about my sleeping habits. She mainly left me to my own devices over the last two days, seeing as I had two additional guards and had permanently moved back to my original room. However, I had been painting quite a bit later into the night. I was still unnerved by my last conversation with Alec, and it kept me up as a bothersome intrusion. "When did Jane–?"

He gave me a disarming yet stern look at the same time—a talent of his. I groaned, biting my lip and thinking. "I mean, sure, fine. I've been a little more tired than usual, but–"

"And were you going to share this with me?" This is why I didn't like doctors. The last thing I wanted was another lecture about taking care of myself, and his knowing frown did little to lessen my attitude. Like he expected better of me, or he believed I was capable of 'more'.

Shrugging, "it wasn't relevant."

He wrote something on his stupid clipboard, but I could see his eyebrows furrow with apprehension. The brief silence held a tension I was eerily familiar with. Dr. Moore appeared to be deciding whether or not to ask me a follow-up question, finally looking up and asking, "any headaches?"

I was firm. "No."

It was like a dance, a pattern, and a repetition of no, no, no. "Any low thoughts or sudden bouts of sadness?"

"Anyone ever tell you, you're kinda nosy." I huffed, and my rude tone took our slightly improved relationship for a turn to the worse.

His eyebrows rose once more. "It is my job," he tried reminding me gently.

"Right, well, I don't have any delusions, so no need to pre-screen for schizophrenia." I snapped harshly. Dr. Moore had never asked for details about my mother's condition, but it wasn't like he needed any yet. I was too young to experience symptoms, technically. Still, I gave my worry away by bringing it up. "We done?"

"Actually, no." I clamped my mouth shut, succumbing to the authority of his position. "But I am concerned about your psychological health. You have had several life changes and traumatic experiences alone in the last few months."

I scoffed, "I'm not crazy." He gave me a smile out of pity. I couldn't tell if he was being sympathetic or conniving, but I decided I didn't like either. "No hallucinations, either."

He didn't move or even seem to take offense, but he was no longer smiling. "How would you know?"

I did a double-take. "Sorry?"

"How would you know if you were having hallucinations?" My mouth opened and closed before I slumped back, and he offered in a genuine tone, "It also seems like you've been avoiding your friends."

Scoffing, I crossed my arms and dropped dramatically back into the chair. I was hardly avoiding anyone. I said no to Mario Kart once, and suddenly Felix was running to my physician.

He added, "and your emotions."

"Little late to that news flash, Doc."

Doctor Moore kept quiet this time, so my fingers grasped the cotton, silklike fabric of Alec's jumper from behind me. I had stolen the material so long ago that I no longer processed the original owner, and I sent a fake smile at the physician. I repeated, "are we done?"

He watched me still, as if he knew something I did not.

"I'm not crazy." I'm not sure which of us I was assuring.

"You're not," he agreed, but he was probably waiting for me to spill my guts about my fears and doubts.

Great. "This was lovely." Doctor Moore didn't find my comment as funny as I did. "Can't wait to do this again for six months." My fingers hardly wrapped around the doorknob when his voice corrected me.

"Five."

"Huh?"

He looked up from his clipboard, a soft expression making me doubt myself. "It's been a month since my diagnosis. Five remain."

My grip tightened, wanting nothing more than to yank the door open and run from the room. I paused, "I'm sorry you're dying."

"You have been through a great deal in the last several months," and I don't know why I waited, but I wish I had walked right out the door. His words would haunt me in the coming weeks. "The world will wait for you to breathe."

What the hell-o kind of hipster, tree-hugging, free-loving kind of prophecy was that supposed to be?

"Have a good afternoon, Saffiya."

"You too." I hate doctors.

The guard outside the door entered the room after me, likely to escort the doctor out of the castle. Jane stood down the hall and uncrossed her arms as I continued past her. She easily fell into step with me.

"You didn't think to tell me I was tossing and turning in my sleep?"

Jane shrugged emotionlessly. "You know now."

I couldn't exactly argue her point, "you told him, didn't you?"

She had the decency to drop her facade in the empty corridor. "He wished to know in what way your distress was manifesting. You have been slightly irritable, which can be a symptom of insomnia." She sent me a side glance with an expression that was about as close to remorse as Jane ever seemed to get.

"Maybe that's why I snapped at Dr. Moore."

I expected a lecture, but instead, she snickered.

"I'm only disappointed I missed the look on his face."

I tugged my bottom lip between my teeth before deciding, "I'll apologize next time I see him."

"No!" Jane's hand took hold of my arm, a shadow darkening her features.

The suddenness of her actions not only encouraged trepidation but also filled me with an odd sort of dread. I could only imagine the worst-case scenario until Jane decided to fill me in on why she'd suddenly flipped a switch.

It took her a moment to realize how her outburst had affected me, and she dropped my arm. She did not explain, saying only, "I'll leave you at your room." Neither of us said another word but the farewell when we arrived.

"You may have to do a bit of damage control every once in a while,"

Heidi nodded to a newly erased circle next to  Demetri's name.

Not far away, Felix's name had a smile next to an arrow pointing towards

the empty white space. I could only imagine what he'd drawn.

Nothing PG, that was for sure.

I couldn't bring myself to erase the chalk messages on my wall. Not yet. And it wasn't until the second day, today, after Alec left again that I was able to contemplate the circumstances for why.

It was incredibly out of character for many of the coven members – particularly the three Kings. Yet, they had each personally signed the chalkboard wall. The white dust briefly staining the hands of the leaders of the vampire world. I could hardly picture such a moment being possible, even with Aro's persistence. And they all wore black. I could only imagine the sneer on Caius' face if his robes got covered in chalk.

Not every guard member had left their signature on the board, but I recognized the names of those that had. I was aware that many of the guards did not appreciate my presence, nor my apparent status as Alec's mate. It was not difficult to figure out how immature or ungracious I had been in their eyes. I might've thought the same of myself from an outside view.

Still, I liked Volterra. I enjoyed being around the others and even sitting in boring meetings when I had to. I laughed when Demetri and Felix fought over a game or when Jane acted as if she were too high and mighty, but giggled behind a book when the guys started to throw hands. They made me happy in a way I never knew was possible. I had good memories with my father and the nuns, but being with the Volturi was a light in my life.

And for a brief moment, a fleeting second, I considered abandoning the search for my father.

The thought was gone as quickly as it had come. It was replaced with Alec. The simple idea of him was enough to leave me breathless. I was sitting on the floor of my room, heart pounding and head reeling, thinking about a boy. It was almost too cliché. 

It was almost as if he was behind me, roguishly twisting my curls around his fingers, seeking my attention without a word. An arm tight around my waist with the claim of possessing, rather than the fear of losing. A misdirect, temporary but nearly fatal. Yet never had I felt as sane as when I was in his arms. And I was sure I could not live satisfied with only the memory of him.

Chapter Text

"Caius says you self-sabotage."

Jane found me an hour later in front of a blank wall, my hands and knees covered in chalk.

She didn't ask.

"How kind," I drawled, thoroughly out of patience for such a topic. "Shall I add it to his list of insults?"

"It was not an insult."

As far as I was concerned, if Caius said it, it was intended to bruise the subject's ego.

Jane cooed, seeing my mood had fallen even lower in her absence. Her mood was considerably better, and I thought it best not to question her about the incident earlier. She held out her hand and pulled me from the carpet, keeping hold of my pinky finger as she proceeded to walk us out of my room, past my guards, and guide me through the halls.

Percy and Talib gave us an appropriate distance, enough to offer the impression that they were unable to hear every word we said. Even so, I doubted they were listening. The two did not seem as keen to gossip as their colleagues.

It occurred to me then that Alec likely addressed the twins' privacy when he 'hired' the two guards. It was the sort of detail Alec would have considered with extensive scrutiny. Even behind closed doors, my guards would be privy to the siblings' existences in a way no one else ever had. If Jane resented the arrangement, she expressed the exact opposite.

Jane's hand slipped from mine as we reached the courtyard. It was simple—a garden path for walking, green grass surrounding the stone like a lawn. Stone benches were spaced equitably throughout, and a single tree stood elegantly, with branches perfect for climbing. That was one thing I would certainly never be moronic enough to do here, even if I loved it in my previous world. I had hardly been to this part of the castle, and it slipped my mind that the outside even existed most of the time.

My friend watched my face as the gloominess lifted and contentment settled in its absence. She nodded, smugly proud of her idea. I laughed, pulling her to sit with me on the grass in the center of the courtyard.

She joined me in a showy and false reluctance, glancing to see the other two waiting casually in the doorway. Her hand went to her hair as if she wanted to undo her tight ballerina bun. But doing so would influence the way my guards saw her, so she refrained and chose to make me her doll. Not that I minded. The air was cool, and the sun was hidden, but it was fresh. Light and new.

Still, it was warm, so I removed my adopted jumper for safety's sake. Jane watched me curiously, before giving a gentle tug on my hair when I was done. She still acted as if nothing had changed, and as upset as Alec was with me, I now understood my actions would have an impact on the others as well. But Jane never hinted at any disdain or consideration for the event. I nibbled at my bottom lip before asking, "why aren't you mad at me?"

"Not mad," she agreed patiently as if she had been expecting the question. "Frustrated by the circumstances, yes."

"What circumstances, exactly?"

A soft sigh left her from behind me, the breath she took when she was contemplating something that mattered to her. "You are very thoughtful and well-versed for your age, but easily influenced. It has been a long time since any of us have been around, well, someone like you."

"Like me, how?"

"Uninhibited."

I rolled my eyes, glancing up at the sky. "Self-sabotaging, uninhibited – talk about an ego boost." Jane snorted, her favourite response of the day, before tapping my forehead. I obeyed, sitting back up so she could continue to play with my hair. "Are you going to tell me why Caius thinks–"

She cut me off, "I did not hear."

My shoulders fell, a faint "oh" passing through my lips.

My hair was tugged and then released, falling back into my face. Jane must have decided to restart because her nimble fingers began to part my hair once more. "I assume he believes we have been expecting too much of you."

"You're joking," I deadpanned. If anyone were to suggest giving me any leeway, the pale blond ruler would be the last. "Caius?"

My sass was ignored. "You share a similar biological age to Alec and me, but you are still young. We have been expecting you to be what you have not yet had the time to become."

"How enlightening of a revelation." I collapsed back on the grass, and this time, she let me. I avoided her eyes, and whatever emotion rolling off of her was too complex for me to pick up on. Not that I could ignore my own enough in the moment to do so. She hesitated, before continuing.

"In response, you have been regressing – unintentionally, in addition to the heightened emotions of finding your mate as a human, Marcus agreed."

I rolled my eyes, well-aware that it was the exact childish behaviour of topic.

"Alec and I were like you. We misbehaved, overreacted, and pushed boundaries. Maybe not in the same way that you do," she admitted. "Even if we were newborns." She gave me a small push on my shoulder, correcting my posture so she could return to my hair. "Alec was angry as a newborn. We both were. It was a heat we carried over from our human lives. I believe he is projecting something similar in you and is concerned you will suffer the same experience."

"Will I?" I swallowed, carelessly tugging at the grass. "Will I really be as bad as everyone says?" The question held its own baggage for us.

Nevertheless, she encouraged, "it'll be fun."

"Have there been other...newborns in the castle since you and Alec." Jane nodded. "And?"

Jane puffed and answered, "and they were easier to subdue."

I thought about it, before realizing exactly why the vampires after their time were 'easier'. "Which of your gifts works better on a newborn?"

"Mine is more fun." I didn't need to turn around to know she had that devilish smirk on her face. "We will need to think of alternative methods for you, of course."

"What if I'm not like you guys? What if I don't even have a gift – if I even survive the –" I cut off, but she knew what I meant. The limited privacy of our current location hardly gave us the opportunity to discuss the secret we'd been ordered to keep. My inevitable demise was as predictable as a coin flip ever since Jane and I discovered her gift did not affect me as we had anticipated. Once the vampire venom entered my veins, I could quite literally die of pain before the transformation was complete. But putting this reality into words was a feat neither of us had been able to confront since I'd returned from the Cullens.

Jane did not sugarcoat her answer, a characteristic I usually admired. "If you were to be ungifted, you would not be joining the lower guard." This surprised me, as it was the only logical choice if I weren't as irreplaceable as the elite guard members. "As Alec's mate, you would be too important to risk on lesser missions...and I suspect you would become well-acquainted with the wives." Her speech slowed as she went on, introducing the concept to me with undeniable clarity.

"In the castle," I confirmed. She nodded. "Forever?" She tilted her head, assessing how dramatic my reaction could be, but I kept my expression the same. "I'd rather die." I doubt she expected any other opinion, but her face fell.

She twisted my braids and pinned them up. I turned to face her fully, not expecting to see a despondent Jane staring past me. "That is the other option, yes."

We stayed silent for a while, and neither of us had brought a book, but between the sunlight and the fresh air, my mind was content. We never needed much more than each other, even when you added Alec into the mix. We could just be.

I was doing my best not to pull the grass out of the earth as it tickled the skin between my middle and ring fingers when Jane spoke again.

"Alec was ill, often, when we were young."

My fingertips froze first, continuing like a tingle up my arm and across my shoulders to fill my body with cement. I didn't want to make a single move to deter her from feeling comfortable enough to share. Admittedly, my curiosity had been growing daily about my friends' past and the secrecy surrounding it.

She didn't look at me but clarified what I'd already assumed. "I think it made me too protective. Another part of me resented him for it. Especially after..." her eyes flickered in the opposite direction and she trailed off before trying again.

"A few months before Aro changed us, Alec kept sneaking off in the mornings and he would not return until I finished with our chores. I thought he was doing it on purpose." A small laugh did nothing to convince me this story was easy for her to tell. "One morning, I saw him hiding his breakfast in his shirt and so, I followed him. We told each other everything, so I planned to confront him." She went quiet for a second time as if something confusing occurred to her.

The pause was long enough that I risked looking up at her. "I lost him in the woods behind our village...

"Branches tore at my skirts and it was mid morning but it had never been darker. I called out for my brother, but it was eerily quiet. No morningbirds chirping, not even the wind made a note. There was a creak of a branch. A crack, then a growl. The only warning before I came eye to eye with bared teeth and yellow eyes."

Her hand went to her shoulder, but she pulled it away just as quick. "I no longer remember the teeth, but the pain was like lightning. And when I saw my twin covered in blood, I assumed it was mine." She was staring straight ahead as if lost in the memory.

I hesitated to interrupt but feared she might get lost in it. "He saved you."

A simple nod. "He had earned the trust of an injured wolf pup. That trust did not extend to other humans." She reached for my pinkie finger, the only comfort she would allow herself. "It was the only friend he ever had," she said it like a sister, petulantly, but the words lacked the sweat of a lie.

Her dark eyes lightened as she pulled herself from the muck of her previous life's memories. I wondered if this was something that haunted Alec as much as it did his twin. If they were the people they were now, I doubt it would do their minds any harm. Perhaps amuse or empower them. But they had not been the same powerful, terrifyingly unmatched twins back then. They had been only children - more so than they were now. Jane had been careful, purposefully or by chance, not to divulge much about their time as humans. Only a twisted version of the little girl with the red hood.

"Alec does not remember any of it," she warned, squeezing my pinkie finger in her hand. "But, it is one of the few memories I still have of our human life." Of all the memories to keep.

"You don't remember being human?"

She sent me a sideways half-smile, grateful for the natural transition. "After the change, your human memories will become hazy. Then, time passes, and it matters less and less."

"What about your," I caught myself and continued, "family, friends?"

She shrugged, and I could sense the sourness towards her past worming its way back in. "You'll forget them all, eventually. Thankfully."

I wanted to deny the potential, and say that I would be different. But even now, I struggled to remember the details in the faces of those who had raised me. The photograph of my father was certainly better than my recall from the last time I saw him. And it hadn't even been a year, but Misha's face was already slipping from my memory.

Jane's head snapped to the side, so suddenly I would've thought it was broken. But she was staring harshly towards the entrance, where Talib was approaching us.

"He's ready for her."

She nodded, and Talib went ahead of us to rejoin Percy. I was guided to my feet by Jane, returned to her status and impatient as ever.

"Who's ready for me?" She brushed the grass from my bodice and eyed me up and down before realizing what was missing.

She ducked down for my jumper, tossing it at me rather unceremoniously. I frowned at the action but naturally pulled it over my head without a thought. She intertwined our fingers once I was situated and smirked with a bit more devil than mischief.

"I don't know what he'll be happier to see - you, or that old thing."

Chapter Text

"Don't talk?"

"That is what I said."

I jogged a bit to catch up with Jane's graceful stride. "As in, don't say anything stupid, or don't be a smartass?"

"Both. You speak out of turn during meetings with the Masters, even though you're not supposed to, correct?"

"Yeah," I mumbled sheepishly.

Jane ignored my sensitivity, more concerned about the issue at hand. "While you have gotten away with insubordination, this will be different. Alec is in charge, and if you challenge him in front of the Guard, you lessen his credibility." She emphasized, "and that is very bad."

"Alec is in charge?"

"Yes." She stared past me at the castle wall. She might have been thinking or listening, but Jane was purposefully quiet. Unlike her brother, her body language in silence was stiff, empty, and she observed the world with the passiveness of a ghost. There was something about the situation that held more than she would say.

Alec usually brought her back with a touch if this happened. It was like some twin telepathy. But in the current company, I kept my hands to myself and tried the next best thing. A question. "Of what?"

Her steps echoed lightly as we stepped into the corridor. "A task force." Her voice became light and airy in the new environment. "The Kings no longer see Razin and his supposed plans to be an active threat."

I halted in the middle of the hallway, and she slipped, sending me an irritated look. "But the train!" I protested, "we were attacked–"

"By the Romanian," she acknowledged, glancing at my guards ahead of us. "A long-time grudge-holder who would sooner run than fight. As far as the Masters are concerned, this Razin character sent a newborn to threaten the Volturi's might with nothing but words." I would argue that Zafir had done a lot more damage than the statement suggested.

"And they're just ignoring Alice's visions?"

"The future is unpredictable, and nothing is set in stone." Jane reminded me harshly, and I felt guilty for mentioning the Alice Cullen. Every answer Jane gave only raised more questions, and the last one put me on the edge of a cliff with her. I didn't push, but she did. "Alec is tasked with determining if Razin is an active and worthy threat and, if not, to assess the damage from the excess newborns created in Razin's desperate attempt to be relevant."

I would have laughed at the comment in different circumstances.

Jane provided the rationale thoroughly, competently, and like the perfect soldier she was. But it felt like propaganda, and I didn't believe a word of it.

"What does he need me to do?"

She tilted her head, finally pleased with my words. Jane would tell me exactly what to do, no matter how blunt or infuriatingly demeaning. Alec would put me above his own perception, and I was beginning to understand the danger in his approach. For now, I needed Jane so I would not be a liability to her brother. "Do everything you can to make sure he does not appear weak. Do not undermine him."

"Everything," I agreed.

Nothing more was said as we moved deeper into the castle, closer to listening ears.

Percy and Talib pushed open a pair of double doors, introducing me to yet another unfamiliar room. We hadn't asked to enter, but all eyes turned to us once it was clear my heartbeat had become the strongest sound in the room.

It looked like it came straight out of a high-rise office building. An oval table was situated in the center of the room, currently serving a meeting of darkly-dressed, grim vampires, with Talib and Percy making the number an even ten as they took their places. And sitting at the end of the table was Alec, returned alive and well.

I ducked my head, trying to do as Jane had asked and cause as little disturbance as possible, out of curiosity, if nothing else. The young girl took my wrist and guided me to a lonely chair in the corner of the room. It was a deep burgundy and velvet, but it meant she was not staying. The assumption was correct. She set my bag against the chair legs, gave me a stern 'be quiet' reminder, and retreated from the room. She didn't even spare her brother a glance. Her brother.

My eyes found Alec again, regal and composed as ever, but he did not search for mine. He was deeply involved in the conversation at the grown-ups' table. I held in a pathetically pitiful sigh, certain that his anger would have at least slightly faded in our time apart. At least enough to look at me. Mine had, not that I wished to admit it.

A black cotton turtleneck wrapped elegantly around his throat, tailored to his torso and enhancing the subtlety with which he moved. The epitome of refinement, Alec leaned back into the chair with a penetrating dominance.

I forced myself to look away.

Sleek, black binders were arranged in front of each vampire. Some were opened, and others had long since been closed. Percy and Talib, the new arrivals, were the only ones sans a binder, but it didn't seem to be a concern for anyone.

My eyes flickered from vampire to vampire, taking note of those chosen to sit at the table for Alec's unique task force. However, my curiosity was put on hold as a stern warning came from the head of the table, "I do encourage you, Dorian, to keep your eyes off my mate."

A floppy-haired blond male snapped his head in the direction of the twin and dropped his chin to the authority in a flustered apology. Alec ignored him, already facing the previous speaker.

However, as Alec's conversation deepened on the other end of the table, my eyes met a pair of black sockets, pupils not nearly visible. I was sure my heart should have stopped in fear as this was the true gaze of a vampire, a starved vampire. His hands clenched into fists, and I was stuck on him, observing the coils and strenuous activity required for him not to risk his life and attack me.

Dorian. Albania. 1446.

I tilted my head, like a scientist examining a mouse. Knowing full well what would happen next, all the awareness to warn someone, and yet, I did nothing. My action was all he needed before he slammed his hands on the table, using the momentum to stand. A loud clunk landed hollowly in the room as his chair dropped back. Without missing a beat, the event was catastrophized by an astounding snarl that made me jolt back. Still, my eyes never faltered from the soulless obsidian sight of the monster, even as his face was slammed into the table by Percy, who had moved faster than my eyes could process to incapacitate the vampire.

She leaned down, grabbing a handful of his hair and breaking my contact with him. She forced his head to flip and face Alec. "Apologize," she hissed.

Whether he did or not was unimportant to me, as Alec's voice cut off whatever the vampire managed to say.

"Something amusing, Saffiya?"

My lips were tilted upwards, but the smile fell from my face the instant Alec brought it to my attention. Only, he appeared to be the opposite of upset. It was almost as if he were entertained — no. Smug. Proud? I couldn't tell.

Uncomfortable in the absence of my answer, Percy asked, "shall I remove him?"

Alec spoke to me, his eyes running over my figure quickly as if to multitask. "Do you have a preference, Darling?"

He was asking if I was afraid of being in the same room as a vampire who clearly lacked the control not to attack me. Was he serious? I took in the faces of the others around the table, assessing their individual reactions. Most heads were down, but the rest were split between Alec and Dorian. No one looked eager to remain in the thick tension, only building on the distress with excessive anxiety. Their eyes, too, were lacking the vibrant red hue Alec was currently sporting.

Dorian had been ready to kill me. There was something about that viciousness and the way he'd been put in his place that erased my pity for the man's situation. If I asked for him to leave, it would signal that I was still afraid of their kind. Despite living one-on-one and spending all my time with the most vicious of their coven, they would think of me as fearful. Fear would be a weakness. But Dorian let out a whimper as if pleading to be free of the enclosed room. I looked away from him, back to Alec.

I had to wonder if Dorian would be able to make it the rest of the meeting only feet away from the temptation of an unattainable food source. He was a few hundred years old, so surely, another twenty minutes (give or take) would be nothing to him. I was curious.

Jane would have been livid at the slip-up, but Alec appeared dutifully the opposite – opinionless. Jane said not to make Alec look weak. I was unsure of the effect any potential fear of mine would have on that goal. I went with honesty, as I was experiencing anything but fear. They usually liked that – when I was not an expected human.

The decision, coincidentally, would fulfill my darker curiosity as well. I shrugged, trying not to let a rising inappropriate entertainment show on my face because this was sort of fun. From the look on Alec's face, I was doing a poor job of hiding my lapse in empathy. A mindset I was becoming more familiar with as my exposure to the Volturi's ethical standards persisted.

Percy, somewhat conflicted, shoved Dorian back into his chair and held onto his shoulders. She looked to Alec for permission to release him. His eyebrows creased, examining the way the man's jaw trembled, palms flattened against the table in distress, silently begging Alec to relieve him of the agony burning his throat.

My teeth captured my bottom lip out of habit. Dorian's eyes snapped to me, making Alec's decision for him.

The twin extended his arm towards me, immediately catching my attention. His fingers stretched and offered his open palm as a request for my company. Damn it. Had I already broken my promise to Jane? Denying him would definitely look bad, so I left my lonely corner to accept, not feeling particularly defiant.

Prosper leaned forward, coming into my line of sight for the first time on Alec's right side, eyes flickering to me, then Dorian. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, but decided against it.

I recognized then that Alec was their leader, but I held a certain control in the balance of the room as well. I had an impact on Alec, and his reaction trickled down to affect them. I cannot be sure I was ready for such power, and looking back now, I know I was not. There was something dark in it, as was the nature of the world into which I was entering. But the type of force I could feel…it was comparable to Mary Tudor's reign on the throne of England, buried under the rapaciousness of Abigail Williams (1). I was beginning to collect my share of sins as this power matured, waiting with malicious patience for a trigger to set it free.

Just as I reached him, Alec pulled Percy's vacated chair back out for me to sit and, incidentally, moved it closer to him. When I made to discreetly move it to an appropriate distance, he stopped me. He nodded to Percy across the table, who released Dorian's shoulders but remained standing over his shoulder. Intimidation in its most blatant form.

"Continue, Amaya." Alec prompted the woman with long, straight deep orange hair who had been cut off by the disruption.

Amaya. Portugal. 1178-ish.

"Why aren't we focusing on why he burns his newborns before they've served their purpose."

"Because we do not know what their purpose is. Obviously." Hamzah's tone was starkly unique from the rest of the room. The humorous tone took, however, and the pale dark-skinned male leaned back in his chair with a wide grin. Victorious as the class clown.

Hamzah and Amaya were not the only ones from Alec's 'try-outs' that were present at the table. It seemed that those who had been rejected for one job gained a coveted position on the Volturi Prince's personal task force group thing. The Kings may not have cared much for Razin's drama anymore, but Alec was pretentious when it came to mediocrity.

Whatever Amaya fired back went over my head as Alec began to drift his thumb back and forth over my knuckles. He was staring, blankly, at Dorian with such intensity, I wondered if he was even listening to his team. I considered turning to see if Alec was merely intimidating the other vampire, or if he was in a staring contest. Instead, I squeezed his hand.

Wordlessly, Alec raised my hand to his lips. He placed a subtle kiss on the inside of my wrist, purposefully directing a glare toward the end of the table before returning his focus to the meeting. It was a chaste display of public affection, and I might have gotten through it just fine if he had not then casually placed a gentle hand on my tights-clad thigh. The thin black material was irrelevant to my brain as the recognition of the cold hardly registered over the racing nerves the touch sparked.

He never once looked at me, but there was no way my heart didn't give a stupid reaction to it. However, no one else seemed to notice. I thought I was in the clear before catching a playful glint from Prosper, who looked away before I could even think about retaliating.

The discussion had traipsed into a detail I was not privy to. "We should prepare the traitor for a trial," one of the vampires offered after clearing his throat.

Maliq. France. 1739.

Alec shook his head, informing mysteriously, "Caius wishes to give him time to reflect." A brief ripple passed over the table. It seemed I was not the only one in the dark this time. However, the information raised a disturbing curl of Maliq's lips.

"Shall I begin?"

Alec nodded. As Maliq pushed his chair back and buttoned his jacket, Prosper added gruffly across from me, "start with an arm."

The crude smile returned to the man's face. He nodded at Alec, tipped an invisible hat to me, and flashed out of the room.

"We need to identify where he is getting newborns from, if he is still collecting them."

The woman beside Amaya spoke up for the first time. "Renata and I will continue to monitor the human reports." Alec nodded at her. Kiara. Japan. 1274.

"Remember, anything we can do to get ahead of him." Prosper assisted, nodding respectfully to his command. "We missed them this time. Not again."

Slowly, all eyes returned to Alec.

"The rest of you have your tasks. Dismissed."

The hand squeezed my thigh before he stood to speak one on one with Percy, who had appeared between him and Prosper. I assumed it to be about Dorian, who was the first to leave the room.

A smooth voice commented from my other side, "you seem much better."

I quirked an eyebrow at Talib, my eyes quickly returning to Alec and ignoring the rest of the room. "How do you mean?" Some members made small talk, while others left immediately. But they quickly began to thin out as the seconds passed.

"You are different with him." My brain laughed before I could at the outrageousness. "Saffiya," I turned to face an admiringly wise expression. "It is a good thing."

After a moment, I nodded, and Talib took his leave with Percy. The two closed the doors behind them.

"Prosper," Alec addressed with an authoritative tone that caught me off guard. Again, I admired the black turtleneck as he rolled his sleeves up to expose his forearms before he reached for a binder on the table. The muscles on his arm flexed as he braced against the table, picking up the pen inside and scribbling (it was actually written quite elegantly, but he'd done it so fast I was jealous of the handwriting skill) something down. He pushed off the table and passed the binder to his second command. "Find John, would you?"

He rolled his shoulders back, his posture perfectly straight as he watched Prosper walk out of the room and close the door. I saw his mouth move before I heard his voice, teasing, "you shouldn't stare at people."

I stood before he could rejoin me at the table and moved to lean on the back of the chair. I hardly noticed the reference he'd attempted, and his eyebrows dropped with a hint of uncertainty.

"Alright," he seemed to resign himself to some eventuality, with an albeit humorous approach. "I am prepared to answer any and all of your questions from this meeting."

Alec arched an eyebrow when I made no move to answer, "Saffiya?"

"Yes?"

"Questions?"

"Oh." I dropped his burgundy stare, using the chair as a modified wall of distance. "No."

He appeared in front of me before I could blink, moving the chair out of my reach. I bit my lip at the loss of my safety net, leaning back on the table. It did little to minimize his influence on me. It was like some kind of magic. The clouded thoughts and feelings that filled up my chest whenever he was near made my chest feel heavy. It wasn't a burdensome weight. Quite the opposite. It was like receiving a box in the mail and not knowing what was inside, but whatever was inside had to be quite spectacular to be so hefty.

I had missed him so incredibly, that the thought of being turned away by his anger rendered me speechless, frozen. Terrified of doing the wrong thing, of losing him. Before leaving, he had hidden his infuriated state, and I had been none the wiser. I'd been under the impression that I could read him well, his responses and emotions. But now, I didn't know. How was I supposed to tell if he wanted me with him or if he was merely tolerating me out of duty?

He placed his temple against mine. His breath tickled my ear with a delicate need, "let me in." I took a sharp breath. "My darling, please."

A tingle began to spread throughout my body at his voice, his touch. Everything about him being here, with me.

"I hurt you when I left," I spoke so quietly; I almost wasn't sure he heard me until he leaned back to look into my eyes. His eyes revealed nothing to me, and my throat almost dried up with another strike of nerves through my system. I wasn't sure whether he wanted me to shut up or finally give him the apology he deserved. If he would believe me. "I am sorry for doing the one thing I should have known would terrify you. I'm sorry for not considering how it would make you or anyone else feel."

"I understand."

"Don't." I urged. "I messed up."

Simultaneously, we pulled the other into an embrace. I slid my arms around his waist without another thought and buried my head in his neck as he tightened his hold. It wasn't long before his silk voice found its way to my ears. "I understand your father is important to you, Saffiya." It was all he said, but it made me sink deeper into him.

"My dad wanted to give me the world. Every parent does, I know, but…I never thought I would lose him. And now, you're here an…and." I stopped, taking a small breath. Alec's hand brushed the inside of my palm. "I don't want to be in constant fear of losing you."

To my surprise, a breathy chuckle passed through his lips. "You will never lose me, Saffiya."

I disagreed, "you don't know that." He stroked the side of my head with a genuine smile on his face.

"One fight – or several disagreements. A million arguments would never be enough to take me away from you. We have been given forever."

I sucked in my bottom lip, releasing it before meeting his eyes again. Despite it all, he seemed content, euphoric even. "I'm not worried about disagreements, Alec. It's 'forever' that I take issue with."

"Only you would overthink the semantics of forever," he commented lightly.

"Forever is a relative term," I defended. "What if one of us says something that we can't take back, and it plagues us for years or for literally forever? Or if something happens, and one of us is left without the other – again, forever? And what if you look at me in a decade and realize you were wrong about us being mates!"

The last one was enough for him to act, and Alec caught me by my forearms. "That is not possible."

I shook my head wildly. "Exactly – what if we're the first to show it is possible? Clearly, we've got a record already of making vampire history, second only to Bella and Edward – but we could be the outlier. We could be wrong. What if–"

"No, Saffiya." He cupped my cheeks, sending dashes of electricity across my body and into my chest. He waited until I was calm enough to listen. "No more what-ifs."

"But what if–"

With two fingers, he lifted my chin. "I will always be by your side. You simply have to tell me where we're going."

His hand moved to cup my cheek, running his finger across my skin. I leaned into his touch, "deal." His eyes savored the shape of my lips, and I wet them quickly, overtly conscious of this. The action made him timid enough to find my eyes through thick lashes.

He was still nervous about kissing me, of how quickly he might lose control. It would be easy to break this temptation now that he'd already done so once. Knowing this, I started pulling away to help give him some air.

In the next second, he disappeared from under me with a sudden urgency that set off a round of warning bells. The wisp of air in his parting reminded me of the train, a small detail that made the walls of the snack bar flash around me. The memory was gone the instant it came, and my attention was demanded by the loud slam of the doors into the room.

I whipped around, suddenly feeling Alec return to me as we both faced the source.

An unfamiliar vampire stood at the entrance, his appearance unkempt and shocking, with a grotesque look on his face. It was either a grin or a frown, but it could not be both. More a look of disdain, I would suppose, as he scanned us up and down in what had to be irony.

"Interruptin', am I, boy?"

Chapter Text

Upon first glance, he could have spent the last week sleeping on the streets. On second glance, I determined that this newcomer was, at some point, a wealthy man that had been thrown down a well. The kind of handsome that older mums fawn over, a George Clooney type. Except he seemed to have abandoned the charisma at the bottom of his well.

A voice, hoarse and blended from various loose-tongued accents, crept forth from the man with a vulgar intent. "I shan't wait for your urges to be contented, so you best cut that out."

I am unsure how long it was before I was able to process Alec's fingers stroking my arm. He did it only twice more before letting me go and meeting the man halfway in a firm handshake.

The stranger was a good head taller than Alec, his form extended as a result of the long, thick, and muddy leather trench coat that hung over his shoulders. Just looking at it made me feel heavy, as if the item were weighing me down instead of him. Or perhaps this was a side effect of his clearly sparkling personality. One which held a stark contrast to the coven he was visiting.

Both men turned to me.

Alec extended his arm, but he sensed my skepticism, not that I was hiding it. "There is someone I wish to introduce you to." It made me no more eager to go any closer to the strange vampire, but I accepted his hand. And held on, just to be safe.

"So. This is your troublesome human?"

The man eyed me with a strange combination of disinterest and disillusionment. He had an oddly Roman, hooked nose, the only imperfection of an otherwise flawless bone structure. Locks of bleach blond hair were tugged tightly back into a bun, and despite the vampiric features of perfection, he appeared to be much older than the average vampires I'd encountered thus far. Or maybe he just belonged in a hole 6 feet under. "Good thing Aro turned you when he did. Women weren't quite as exotic as her in your day," he snorted as if he'd made a joke.

"Funny. What's it like smelling like lemons all the time?"

"Bit of a mouth on her."

I was actually willing to hold back the remark he had rightfully earned with that comment, but Alec was apparently unwilling to take any chances. His arm went around my waist, sending me a stern look that gave the impression he didn't much care if I verbally sparred with his associate, but we had better things to do. There had to be a reason we were meeting with him and the sooner we got to it, the sooner he left. The man's eyes narrowed at the interaction, judgemental as if he disapproved of Alec's behaviour.

Their auras clashed, individual bonds of control existing simultaneously was like a small bomb ready to go off if it so much as tilted to one side or the other. These two powers buzzed in an incompatible truce, patient and waiting for the moment they would need to put the other in its place. The weapons were different, like a sword and an axe, capable of great and deadly things and equally effective, unmatched, and yet parallel to one another. Their power did not search for a battle, but each would gladly fight to retain the glory. No handshake could change that.

"Saffiya, I would like to introduce you to John. He was one of Jane's and my instructors as newborns." Alec explained curtly, pretending as if the man and I had not just exchanged a rather unflattering back and forth. "He taught us how to expand our gifts."

"And how not to," the older man shot back. There was a natural growl to his timbre that made it sound as if he were entering the worst of a bad cough. He was accusatory, "which, based on your reputation, has been misspent."

With a familiar patience, the vampire beside me answered monotonously, "I assure you, John, your lessons are equally practiced and valued. Especially now."

It was clear that Alec's former mentor disagreed. To be fair, as far as I had observed, the twins were masterful with their gifts, but I had never seen them engage in any form of combat like the other guards.

Alec, again, paid no mind to the resentment, and I did not envy the static between the two. I had to stop myself from imagining what this conversation would look like if the other twin were present instead, or as well. Perhaps Jane's similar demeanour faired better in the man's presence.

They seemed caught in some kind of staging, so I went with my best guess to fill some gaps. "So, you're here to help track down Razin."

"No," he said plainly, offering himself a seat at the head of the table previously vacated. He leaned back, joining his hands in a steeple. It was then that I noticed his coat was far from muddy, but rather extremely worn. The leather had been beaten down, and fabric that was originally smooth to the touch had long since transfigured into a coarse texture. Various patches across the coat had been rubbed so far past rough that they developed a much thinner scale, almost suede-like to the touch. Suede that had been dunked, soaked, and smothered in rainwater. Then perhaps gone out for a salty swim in the ocean before being deposited back onto its owner. I tried to rationalize that it could have been rather in-fashion at one time. Like, a long time.

Alec cut in smoothly, "John is one of few vampires that regularly interacts with humans through his work. I've asked him to look into your father's passing." His work? What kind of work would a vampire do that could be associated with my father's forgery and art thefts? Nothing good.

Then it hit me. Had Alec arranged this? He had not been particularly supportive of my theories surrounding my father's possible death. Particularly when I added the word, possible. But he listened and his warning critique for 'dwelling on the impossible' was never delivered maliciously. It was always more protective, as if he were worried about how the disregard of reality could effect me. After what had happened, maybe this was his way of putting that into action.

Alec was watching me with caution. John saw this as well, but I matched his attitude before he could make another quip.

"What can you do that I couldn't?"

He let out a single, demeaning bellow of a laugh. "I have certain connections–"

Alec sighed but didn't intercede as I threw back, "right. And those would be?"

"Your last chance, seeing as he's six feet underground. Unless you have any suggestions?" I sent him a dirty look, a hard ache of defiance building in my chest.

"Charming," I chirped, shoving aside the low-blow and answering rather than having a go at someone I had no material on. He clearly knew more about me than I did about him. I had a feeling he liked things that way.

John grinned at me, a cartoonish sparkle lighting up his teeth. "Thought so. I'll need everything you have on him."

I drawled with a lazy annoyance, "I haven't got much. He's dead, you see."

Alec nudged the small of my back, "Jane had you bring the journal?" I didn't answer, as he knew the answer. I wasn't exactly attached to the journal, seeing as I'd hardly been willing to open it. But I wasn't particularly eager to hand it over to this guy either.

Despite this, I took Alec's hint and retrieved the item. Alec had leaned up against the table crossing his arms as he observed the interaction. I held the book up as an obvious show and tell, and something slipped from inbetween the pages like a feather. John caught it.

"Give that back." He yanked it out of my reach and I clenched my fists, only reminding myself to breathe as Alec hand returned to my spine. He circled softly before trailing his hand up to the back of my neck. I glanced down at him while John was preoccupied and his fingers twirled in the hair at the base of my neck. He moved his head slowly to the left, then to the right as his hand weaved through my hair and left my body. I rolled my eyes, taking his advice and folding my arms.

John took his time examining the photo I'd taken from the pub in Volterra before he decided to acknowledge me. His eyes scanned over my tensed frame and no doubt, my physiological reactions were clueing him in on my frustration. This time, his gaze held a depth I hadn't taken the time to search for quite yet, considering the man had ambushed me rather impolitely. So when he asked, "you'll get it back." I trusted Alec's judgment and acquiesced.

He tucked the photo back in the journal, slipping it into his coat pocket. "So, kid. What do you want to know?"

My doubt required me to check in with Alec again, who nodded encouragingly. "Everything he did in the last three years." The information would be useless and unattainable to a literal definition. But quite frankly, I wanted every detail of my father's life from the moment he left me at the abbey.

"Steep order."

With a hmm, I reciprocated the degrading approach he'd used on me. "Not up to it?"

He ignored me, but a vein popped out in his neck as he turned his head to Alec and I called that a success. "I trust we do not need to discuss the overarching problem?"

My prying glance at Alec was also discounted. "Everything is under control and accounted for," Alec reassured him cooly.

The doors opened once again, "Alec." Prosper had returned, and he waved the male over to him. His face was grim and he hardly glanced at me or John, a single purpose on his mind.

Alec stood to his full height, moving inbetween me and John to leave, "I will return in a moment."

I grabbed his forearm. "No way–"

"Play nice, Saffiya." I could've hit him, fuming at how unconcerned he was about this guy.

John grunted, and Alec abandoning us was likely the only thing we would agree on. And when the door shut behind them, my jaw dropped. Alec barely left me alone around the Volturi Guard, but this guy was free to babysit me in under 20 minutes? What was he playing at?

"Alec says you met my friend, Vladimir."

I spat, "friend?" immediately giving my opinion away. He was giving me a smug look, so I iced myself down and put on my best poker-face. I examined him again with his rugged, vampire-cowboy act. He wasn't exactly threatening, and all he'd done was say a few insensitive comments so I let my shoulders fall and responded bitterly, "not that it's a surprising alliance."

I imagined a cigar in his hand, smug and mysterious. He shrugged, amused by my tone.

"Alec wouldn't associate–"

"I'm friends with everyone, little girl." As if hearing my previous thoughts, he dug into his pockets and pulled out a small silver box. He flicked the top open, exposing it to be a lighter. He kept it off, but flipped it back down before repeating the process again. "It's a job requirement."

I crossed my arms over my chest again. "What are you, a pirate?"

He let out another single, mocking "ha!" before leaning towards me. I refrained from stepping back.

"The kid also says you don't feel pain."

I pressed my tongue into my cheek. "That's right."

He waved his hand to the chair behind me, suggesting that I sit. I refused but he didn't care much. "Real dangerous life. No wonder he's got so many guards on you." I didn't correct him, but apparently I didn't need to. "And you snuck past 'em!" This fact seemed to entertain him far more than it should have as he flipped the lighter lid again. It was an odd habit and an odd prop for a vampire to carry around. Unless he was going around and eradicating vampires at will. I bit my lip, considering this conclusion might not be too far from the truth.

There was no way Alec told him all this. No matter how close they were. "Guess Alec has you all caught up."

"Alec doesn't like to kiss and tell." I scrunched up my face, breaking my facade to show my childish reaction to his phrase of choice. He was difficult to read, not giving me a chance to do so as every word he chose was like he wanted to get a reaction out of me. I did my best to stay stoic, with a hint of disdain at his existence. "Caius, however," he trailed off purposefully. "He had a lot to say about you."

He flicked the lighter open and ignited the fire for the first time. The flame bent and obeyed the natural atmosphere in the room, but it added no additional lighting.

Abruptly, he snapped it shut and tossed it towards me, letting me fumble before catching it.

"Prove it." I looked up, bewildered by the demand.

What the hell…oh.

Fire, or rather heat, is unique from a cut in that it stops blood from flowing. This would only be a concern for me if it reached a second-degree burn, as it would reach through the first layer of skin. With what John was asking me, I doubted he expected his requested experiment to reach such a point. I assumed I could satisfy him with the initial response most people had to fire. If one were to hold their hand over a flame, eventually, it would become too hot and they would remove it. The key for me – and for my demonstration, would be satisfying his curiosity before reaching that point. I gave it a minute.

I threw the lighter back at him, and before he could make another pointless comment, I shoved my hand forward. I let it hover, palm down, in the space between us.

He lifted his eyebrows, and I returned the expression, confirming the challenge. The wild curiosity and excitement in his swollen, red eyes was a warning sign all its own.

I'm not sure if I was banking on him realizing I was telling the truth. Expecting that he'd give in before actually engaging in an activity that would harm 'Alec's mate'. But I really knew nothing about this man, and this was definitely about more than a human experiment.

He lit the lighter again, and held it under my palm, a mere few inches away. John watched with an arsonist's wonder as my hand stayed steady above the flame. About ten seconds in, his eyes jumped to mine with curiosity and I rolled my eyes pointedly, lowering my hand a little but enough to make an impression.

"Get it away from her."

They weren't even afforded a glance. "Just an experiment, boy–"

Alec snarled, the sound pulsating with the agitation of a caged tiger.

John smirked, ignoring his command, and turned to inspect the owner of the menacing warning. It was not my appraisal, but Alec's. This wasn't about me at all. I was the pawn.

The fire still burned warm under my palm, but I hardly noticed. I was too focused on Alec, Prosper just behind him with eyes directed at me, unblinking. But neither took a step towards us. I switched back to Alec, stone-faced and ravenous, but not emotionless. There was one emotion, but I had never seen anything like it in Alec's eyes, nor had I ever imagined he might feel something as debilitating and vulnerable as the feeling compelled. Dread.

"Your mate does not appear to mind the flames."

Was that the issue? Alec didn't answer him, but this situation was too familiar. I pulled my hand back anyways and raised it up to show them.

"It didn't even touch me," I swore. "I'm okay."

John closed the lighter and my palm was in Alec's hand the millisecond it shut. He let his skin serve as an ice pack to soothe the slight irritation that had reddened from the experiment. His back was to the other man, but he directed a dangerous promise over his shoulder.

"Try that again and I'll tear you apart."

Alec's threat may as well have been from a child to the man, who proved this in an instant.

With a snap, John's hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist. The harsh action yanked me from Alec, who flinched as if automatically prepared to protect me, but he held back. Again. Despite his threat. I, however, did not share the same apparent confidence in this man as John's thumb intentionally pressed on my pulse, red eyes piercing me with a stare that made my stomach churn. I glared defiantly back.

"A few month's taste of your sister's gift will hardly make a dent in the pain she'll experience." His eyes flickered to Alec before he released me like a snap. My status as a human already lowered the man's expectations, and so I was only slightly embarrassed when I retreated immediately back into Alec for some remnant of safety. My spine made contact with his chest and automatically, his hand went to my abdomen, keeping me there. His muscles were tensed and though he wasn't breathing, his chest shifted as if he were. As if trying to soothe the rising turmoil inside him. "She either survives the transformation, or she does not."

My breath caught. Did he know? He'd said Caius had had a lot to say about me, but surely, if the Masters wanted Jane and I to keep it to ourselves then there was no way they'd tell anyone else. There was no reason to. Especially not this man.

Another warning growl ripped through Alec's chest, sending alarm bells to my nerves. But the sound never left his body.

"All due respect," Alec replied coolly, "your speculation is as unfounded as ours."

The austere man raised his eyebrows, his gaze dogging back to me before he straightened his posture. I lifted my head up to Alec, who had not dropped the cold exterior his old friend's statement raised. But his eyes never left the man's motions.

"These things take time."

Alec's head tilted down to me, and I realized John was addressing me. "I understand." Part of me was surprised he was taking the job Alec had offered him, and vice versa. I wondered what payment sufficed for a man like him. I swallowed dryly, "you might want to start with the Interpol investigation."

The vampire scrutinized me another second longer before giving a gruff mutter in return. He bowed his head slightly to Alec, a mannerism that was returned with begrudging respect, and left the room with the dramatic billowing cloak whirling at his heels.

I scrunched my nose and, not even caring that John could still hear us, stated, "your friend sucks."

With him and Prosper gone, Alec's arms tightened around me and his head dropped to my neck. His breath tickled my shoulders as he released a deep exhale. My chin lowered, tilting my head against his as he nuzzled into my neck. Nerves raced in my stomach with the position, but I only sank deeper into the safety of his arms.

The anger had not faded, but he tried to keep his tone light. "What he lacks in social skills, he makes up for with various specialties."

"Like training newborns?" Alec didn't say anything, but breathed out harshly when I asked, "will I have to work with him?"

Without hesitation, "no." He pressed his lips to my temple, before elaborating softly against my skin. "His methods are a tad medieval for you." I couldn't hide the small escape of air at the words.

"Are we–do you want to talk about what just happened?"

He tensed once more, placing a kiss behind my ear and releasing me. "Later," he pleaded when I'd turned and it had been ages since I'd seen those wide puppy dog eyes. They had been so endearing the first time he'd given me such a look, and I adored the purity in the natural response. I'd never tell him, as he'd undoubtedly attempt to abstain from the association, but it made me sentimental.

To avoid delving deeper into the topic he wanted to avoid, I offered a nonspecific apology, but tried to acknowledge my role. "I know that was stupid. But maybe a heads up, you know, the next time your friend's a psychopath?" I had a feeling there might be a few vampires that met the rare diagnosis.

Dark locks of hair shook on his head, falling across his forehead. Adamantly, he assured, "it is not your fault. I should not have left you alone."

"You should be able to leave me alone without thinking I'm gonna chance bodily harm."

A low chuckle sounded from him as he leaned back against the table. "Tesoro, that is nothing new, nor anything you can control. I was referring to the company. John is no longer my tutor, he had no right to evaluate me for any reason."

The sentence sent a chill down my spine, because it suggested that while John had been his instructor, something like this would be deemed appropriate. To be frank, it felt more like emotional warfare. And if he had worked with the twins soon after they'd become vampires, they would have been closer to their biological age. It was probably one of the more important questions I could ever ask him, but the answer terrified me into silent submission.

"However, if anyone can find information on your father, I believe it will be him."

"Thank you." I reached for his hand, squeezing it. He smiled softly and the sight made me giddy. "I know it's a long shot," I trailed off but it was more than enough. He knew.

Alec pulled me between his legs, his free hand falling to my hip. "Someone helped me realize what closure with your father's life could do for you."

I snorted, not thinking too seriously as I began to play with his fingers. "Someone? That's specific."

"Demetri and I made a stop on our return to Volterra." I tilted my head up, curious and slightly wary that he was sharing this mission in particular – and how my father was connected. "There's something you should know."

Chapter Text

Immortality was deceiving, like the wrong jacket cover on a book. In theory, all the time in the world was the ultimate desire. In practice, it meant an endless stasis of banality, reading an entire library three times over and repeating meaningless goals. A neverending cocktail party as humanity repeats its failures and history in shamelessly pitiful revivals. Which is likely why the vampires of the Volturi crave any gossip they can get their hands on. Making details regarding most interactions between Alec and me a hot commodity. I was unaware of just how much entertainment we provided until today.

I was minding my own business when the stool beside me scraped the floor, followed by the one directly across from me as Felix and Demetri joined me in the kitchen. I had long since traded out a cold bowl of tomato soup for my sketchpad, and their arrival hardly phased me.

"Is that a train?" I shrugged my shoulder, pushing Felix's arm away.

"Don't touch."

Demetri settled across from me and leaned over the island, "what are you drawing?"

I huffed, pushing my hair out of my face and sitting up. "Something I can help you with?"

"Can't we check in with our favourite girl?" Felix threw an arm around me with a shit-eating grin.

"Err…I guess?"

"How'd you ditch bodyguards one and two?" My eyes widened because, of course, they would notice that Talib and Percy were not standing outside the entryway into the kitchen. As they very well should have been, by Alec's orders. Bossy git. It wasn't as if it mattered. The walls of the castle were practically soundproof, unless you were engaging in an unabashed shouting match - as Alec and I often were. But even then, vampire hearing still struggled to decipher one word from the next. And since most individuals were not as...involved as Alec and I, it seemed to work for the Volturi.

I swallowed, trying to say as casually as possible, "I told them that Jane and I were practicing."

"And Jane?"

"She said I was too chaotic, so she thinks I'm napping."

"And your boyfriend?"

"Alec doesn't need to know." My pencil found its way to Demetri's forehead. I narrowed my eyes at Felix as he laughed at his friend's expense. "And he's not my boyfriend."

"How'd you know who I was talking about, then?" I grit my teeth at the catch, pointedly ignoring the question and continuing to shade in the bowl in my lazy drawing.

"What do you two want, anyways?"

Demetri and Felix sent each other pointed looks. I pretended not to notice. "We have a question."

Sighing as if it were the greatest inconvenience, I reached for my water and relented. "Hit me." The bastards waited until I took a sip from my glass.

"Rate Alec on a scale of 1-10."

I nearly choked, "excuse me?" My mouth continued for fear of what would follow their request. "I haven't even seen him since he got back."

"Aww," Felix cooed with a smug expression. "Does somebody miss their moody little boy toy?" Before I could go off on him, Demetri refocused us.

"It's only a question."

"Don't worry, Fiya. Demetri is convinced you and Alec have broken the sacred seal of the first kiss." Demetri snorted. "But I know that if such a thing ever did occur, we'd be the first to know."

"And why is this information you two would even want?" Their ulterior motive had driven them from considering the rationale of how ridiculous of a question it was.

"Bonding!" Felix answered quickly, almost making me doubt my suspicion-led assessment. "You can't exactly talk to Jane about her brother, so we thought we might offer our open ears and soon-to-be wealthy wallets for you to confide in."

"What do your wallets have to do with anything?"

"In case you needed ice cream. You know, if you were sad or anything."

"I'm pretty sure you guys are all caught up," I confirmed absently. "As I said, I haven't seen him."

"And how does that make you feel?" I faltered, but tried not to let it show. The truth was, the last four pages in my sketchbook were of the same scenery as the page currently open in front of me. They were identical images to the half-finished painting on the canvas in my room and the chalk drawing on the wall. I hadn't been able to draw anything else since I'd last laid eyes on him. It was like some kind of compulsion. Alec made me feel calm, and the memory I'd painted on this page made me anything but.

I narrowed my eyes at them in turn. "You guys are being weird."

They ignored me. "Two days. What are you fighting about this time?"

An exasperated sigh left my lips, "we're not fighting."

Demetri nudged Felix as if to fill him in, "the abbey."

"Yeah? So?"

Felix raised his voice an octave, "you were so incensed, you didn't even say goodbye!" Drama queen.

"That is literally the opposite of what happened." I cocked my hip. "Dude. You were both there for that conversation."

Two days ago, Alec had specifically led us into a room that Felix and Demetri were already occupying so he could tell me about the second half of his trip. His casual attitude about Felix and Demetri's presence caught me off guard, but the oddity was quickly forgotten when Alec revealed he had gone to see Misha. My Misha.

And apparently, all three men had expected a wildly opposite reaction than the one I gave, which resulted in a relatively short conversation. In fact, it was one of the first real mature discussions Alec and I probably ever had. It was almost progress. Demetri, who expected to receive at least half of my anger (Alec's only reason for telling the story in their presence), was not half as disappointed as Felix. He'd wanted a front row seat to me taking a swing at Alec. Apparently, our tedious arguments had grown boring for him, but it seemed he'd found a new area of Alec and I's situation to tease us about.

"It astounds me how you're so calm about the 'nun' of it all." Felix sniggered at his poor wordplay.

I shrugged, briefly remembering how Alec's free hand brushed a few wisps of hair from my forehead, with his eyebrows knit and his eyes concentrated on the details of my face. He expected I would hate him for going without me and without my permission or knowledge.

"Because it's the closest I think I'll ever get to closure with the nuns. And I never would have done it myself – even if I could've." I was only vaguely aware of the sentimental smile on my face, but the other two were prepared to use it as ammunition. "I'm grateful, really."

A cold hand went to my forehead as if testing my temperature. I smacked Felix away. "Bugger off, would you?"

"No," he jeered. "I'm guessing he's a 7. What say you, Dem?"

I scoffed, "I'm pretty sure you were already told that was none of your business."

Demetri placed a hand over his unbeating heart, "we tease because we care."

"Really, it is a harmless question." Debatable, but I let it slide. "Unless you've no one to compare to –" My eyes widened, and I glanced away before I could stop myself. "Oh my 'Metri! She has kissed a boy."

"I never said that!"

"The bet is for her and Alec, doofus."

"Bet?" They looked back and forth between me and their counterpart. "Jig is up, guys. What bet?"

"Bet? Psh, what bet?" Demetri slapped his forehead at Felix's poor attempt to cover their tracks.

I tilted my head back and forth indecisively. "You know who might find this interesting? The twins. I'll call them."

"Ha!" Felix mocked arrogantly. "With what phone, shorty?"

I smirked, took in a big gulp of air, "A–" and barely got a sound out before Demetri's hand covered my mouth. My giggles were muffled behind it, so I poked out my tongue, making Demetri snatch his hand back.

His lip curled, "you're a little menace." I grinned, and he nodded to Felix in defeat.

Felix sighed, giving in – as expected. "Allegedly, there may be a betting pool on whether you and Alec have been–"

I squirmed, jumping off my stool to emphasize how disturbed their actions were. "That's disgusting!"

"No, not like that." Demetri stepped in to reassure, sparing a glare for Felix. "We just want to know if Alec bucked up his courage and puckered up." Ew.

"Classy. Whoever lands you is a lucky gal," I sneered sarcastically. It did little to phase him; he was too intent on taunting me.

"We all know the guy's wanted a repeat of the night he gave you that hickey." My hand automatically went to my neck, making Demetri smirk as Felix babbled. "Honestly, we thought your time away would have done it."

Demetri pouted at the thought. "Hence my misfortune with this ruddy bet."

I snorted, ignoring the flutter in my stomach at the suggestive and accurate assumptions they had made. "He's gonna kill you both." I ripped a corner from my sketchbook, wrote three letters, and handed it over to Demetri.

"Eye oh – I O U? What is this?"

"I want in."

Felix slapped a hand on the table in protest. "You can't be in. It's about you."

"Nope."

"You're one-half of the entire thing."

I leaned back confidently, "nope. I'm not the one with the problem."

"You're always the one with the problem." I rolled my eyes, but didn't deny it. "Besides, it's not if you kissed but when. And you have too much control over that to be a fair player. So?"

"So, what?"

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much."

Out of embarrassment, I defaulted to a denial. "Alec and I haven't kissed." I was proud of how definitive the statement came out, but it didn't get me completely off the hook.

They stared at me inquisitively, with all the charm and suspicion of a 1940's detective. Demetri broke first, "is she lying? I can't tell."

Felix chortled arrogantly, "her heart didn't skip a single beat. Quit stalling and pay up." Demetri grunted and reached into his pocket, handing over something shiny. That's it? That was all their bet required?

"Kid was raised by a con artist."

"A lie is a lie, and a truth is a truth, my now poor friend." Felix cheered, ducking a swing from Demetri.

"Wait." I squinted, considering what they'd revealed. "Betting pool? Who else is in on this exactly?"

Felix was quick, "that's confidential."

"That's bull–"

"No cursing."

I rolled my eyes. "This is ridiculous. Does Alec know you're placing bets on us?"

Their heads snapped to attention, and I broke my composure, breaking out into giggles the instant they responded. Relief spread across their faces. "Very funny, Fiya."

"But, seriously, don't tell him."

"Oh, I won't." I ensured, but then tilted my head side to side as if debating something. "For a price."

They gaped at me for a second before Demetri shook his head in despair and muttered to himself, "that's on us. Should've seen that coming." He cleared his throat. "Alright, kid. What do you want?"

My middle finger tapped my chin in mock contemplation, and I began pacing, milking their apprehension. "Hm…slave for a day is a good one, but maybe we should save that." Felix scoffed, but I settled my elbows on the table as my mind flashed to our previous conversation.

"I want to get drunk. Once."

"Nope!" Felix exclaimed, waving his arms back and forth in an X formation. He was dramatic, but this was an adamant rejection. "No way, Jose. Alec would kill us. What he did to Prosper would look like mercy compared –"

"Deal."

Felix did a double take, shaking his head back and forth like a cartoon and practically throwing himself over the table to get in Demetri's face. "Who are you, and what have you done with Demetri?" The leaner man shoved Felix away and crossed over to me.

He raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing me before offering his hand. "Alec can never find out." I agreed; it was mutually assured destruction.

"Not a whiff." We shook on it with Felix moaning in the background. "Next time he's out on a mission, it's go time." Demetri nodded with a great deal less enthusiasm as Felix flopped his head into his hands.

"We're dead men."

"You two," I waved my hand over them, "have a weird energy today."

"And you, missy," Felix playfully bopped me in the nose with a broad grin, "have one more question to answer."

With an exasperated groan, I asked, "is it about Alec again?" He nodded. "Is it gonna annoy me?"

"Definitely."

"Look, when Alec gave me that…." I waved my hand over my neck, unwilling to describe the mark aloud.

Demetri cut in with a smirk, "hickey."

"Yes." I spat, "that." They found way too much enjoyment in my mortification. "He nearly bit me. As in, could have killed me?" The reminder did nothing to dampen their moods. "Now that we can actually stand to be in the same room, Alec's a little too worried about maintaining control should a similar circumstance arise."

"Oh, we know."

"Then, what do you want?" I closed my sketchbook impatiently, my fingers running over the edges absentmindedly. "I don't have any answers when it comes to him. Your little bet is pointless, because, if anything, Alec and I are just friends."

Demetri dismissed me with a wave of his hand as Felix disguised a blistering laugh before inquiring in a somewhat uneven tone, "just friends?" Matching, mischievous grins grew on their faces, individual of the other as the phrase and all its meanings sunk in, but I remained oblivious for the time being.

However, I continued as if I needed to convince them, grabbing my dishes and bringing them to the sink. I rambled roughly, "he's got a lot on his mind with this new task force, and I'm just another complication. It's best if I don't–"

"Woah, woah, kid. Stop." Demetri caught my shoulders, turning me around and awkwardly trying to match my eye level. His suddenly sentimental, genuine tone made me squirm, the 180-degree shift in demeanour much too quick for me to process. "I guarantee that if you two have that awkward, serious, next step conversation, everything else will fall into place."

"Besides, Alec could handle that task force blindfolded. Kid's a mastermind."

Shaking my head, I dug in. "Friends isn't a bad thing. Nor is it an obstacle for more in the future–"

"So you want that; More?" I froze as Demetri prompted my words back at me. Words that had slipped out without contemplation. I didn't even know where to start.

Like good friends, for once, they let it go.

"We've got training. You want to come and cheer me on?" I shook my head, too busy ruminating. Felix nudged me, "Alec will be there."

My heart skipped, but I denied them again. "I think I'm going to spend some time in the library. Read a little."

"You sure? We didn't mean to make you all depressed and stuff."

"The opposite, actually."

Offering a convincing grin, I told them, "no, you guys are fine. I'm just a bit tired."

Reluctantly, they accepted my answer, leaving me alone in the kitchen with a rush of air as their parting words. Percy stood in the doorway after them, arms crossed and eyebrows raised. I smiled sheepishly.

She sighed, "library?" I nodded enthusiastically, quickly grabbing my sketchbook before following her.

The library was quiet, and as Talib closed the groaning door behind me, the smell of old books and linen overwhelmed the tense emotions that had taken hold of me in the kitchen. I exhaled calmly.

I stood in front of the doors, however, unsure of where to explore first. The library was still out of sync, and I still wanted nothing more than to organize it by genre, at the very least. It would be quite a daunting task. My stride took me elsewhere, and the guiding thoughts only made it to the front of my conscious once I stood in front of a shelf several rows down from the fairytale section I often enjoyed. I was unfamiliar with this new genre.

Vampire lore.

As I reached for a random book, a cold weight rested on my hip, and a roughish voice tickled my ear,

"Friends, are we?"

Chapter Text

"Just friends?"

I whipped around to face the smoky voice behind me. Alec was leaning against the opposite bookcase with a single raised eyebrow, watching me with amusement. His hair was parted on the side, half-heartedly combed down, but he ran a hand through it, thankfully ruining the facade for a more familiar Alec. And though he lacked an outer layer, the form-fitting dark blue button-up indicated he had been 'at court'. Which is what the guards liked to call their shifts when protecting the kings.

Alec's entertainment increased as I stepped back in surprise, running into the shelves behind me. "It's rude to eavesdrop," I accused him softly.

"It was the first thing the two simpletons said." His eyes followed me, examining my entire person and lingering on my lips before he took a step and closed the distance between us, boxing me in.

He was staring right through me. He lifted his arm, moving it right near my head on the bookshelf. My voice wavered, finally managing, "They were baiting you."

"Quite successfully," he admitted. He was close enough that even the slight tilt of my head would connect my lips to his. His bicep brushed against my shoulder, and he stepped back. I looked down.

Alec was offering a book – the book I was about to retrieve from the shelf. I cursed myself for being so one-track minded.

"Thank you."

I went to take the book, but he held on. "You are aware that ⅔ of this will be inaccurate, yes?" I nodded slowly, so he reluctantly gave it up but stated petulantly, "I am a far greater resource than anything you could find in this collection."

He was frowning defiantly, almost pouting. I cracked a smile at the absurd arrogance of his statement, though I did not doubt its validity. "Are you jealous of a book?" His eyes snapped to mine.

"Only being a good friend," I pointedly ignored the shit-eating grin on his face that sprouted from his previous pout.

"Very funny."

Without prompting, his true objective, he commented casually. "I must admit, I am curious as to what inspired the question."

Ducking my head, I glanced to the side. It was suddenly mortifying to say the words aloud. "They wanted to know if we – if you, I mean…if…if we'd kissed yet." His eyes widened, and I avoided giving details, wanting to get ahead of his temper. Before his shock could turn to contempt aimed at the men, I tried to stay light with my tongue. "I didn't think you'd want them to know anything, so I avoided more questions by saying we were simply friends," I admitted earnestly, shrugging it off.

I prepared myself for an outraged Alec with plans to storm off and give Demetri and Felix a worthy punishment, but the boy remained standing across from me.

"It was the best I could come up with," I said in my defense to his silence. I observed the tiny twitch of his lips, the drop of his gaze, and unknowingly imitated his frown. "You're always so upset when you've lost control after we…you know. I didn't want to broadcast your mistakes; Felix tends to have a big mouth." My attempt to make the statement lighthearted failed miserably.

Alec remained quiet, but his face fell with every word.

"You believe I regret – that I pardon kissing you to be a mistake?" His voice was weak and faded out with an empty taste.

My face scrunched in bafflement, and I turned back around while he figured himself out, pretending to read the other books on the shelf. This wasn't exactly a conversation I wished to delve into, especially not with him. It's probably the best he'd ever communicated. "Yes. You've made it clear enough, don't you think?"

He seemed taken aback. "Have I?"

"You don't want to kill me, but being near my blood is tempting." I rolled my eyes. "Touching me, kissing me, distracts you from controlling your bloodlust, la di dah. It's fine."

"Athenodora says that when a woman says 'fine', she means the opposite."

"It's fine." I exhaled sharply, frustrated and still perplexed by his reaction. "Logically, I guess it makes sense." I moved the opposite way, leaving him to his forthcoming temper tantrum. I'd done nothing wrong.

He went to respond, but something cut him off. A new thought, most likely, as he turned on a light offense. He followed me, mimicking the innocent puppy-like charm I could recall from early on as he ventured. "Then why are you so upset?"

This stopped me in my tracks as I passed the last row before reaching the dark, glossy oak table I was aiming for, and I spun around to correct him. "I am not upset."

He smirked, thinking he had me figured out. "You want me to kiss you again."

"What! No," I scoffed, but his smirk had already weakened my knees as his hands found their way to my hips. "That's presumptuous of you."

"Is it?"

"Ye – yes" My eyes widened as I hit the table. Alec, who had subtly been guiding me backward, lifted me onto it, so we were face to face before I had a chance to react.

My heart was racing, and I was not the only one who noticed. Alec's composure returned, arrogant and powerful, with a wanton desire shading his features. His fingers traveled ever so gently up my sides and back down, just barely reaching the end of my dress. Alec's eyes drank me in, watching me carefully, curiously.

"It pleases me to know I still make you nervous." He chuckled lowly, and I know the bastard in my chest betrayed me for at least a second.

I managed to reply, "nuh-uh."

"I hear otherwise." He delivered the comment as if he didn't know the physiological response of my heart better than I ever could. "With every touch," he muttered in a husky tone. Then, to prove his point, the weight of his hands rested gently on my thighs. My eyes widened as his fingers spread over the black silk tights, the edge of his thumb just barely slipping under the edge of the dress. He lifted his head, making me mimic the move and catching ourselves lost in each other. His gaze austere, yet impassioned, burned into mine as if he were gauging my reaction to the touch so bare it set my veins on fire. My teeth went to capture my bottom lip, and this time, he did not stop me.

His fingers tightened, grasping my thighs and tugging me to the table's edge. A sharp intake of air escaped past my lips, and my fingers gripped the stiff fabric of his formal shirt, leaving me in a state of shock before I looked up at him.

Yet again, my face was so utterly close to his, and it was impossible to miss the smirk inspired by his success. I had to close my eyes, the intensity too heavy to bear. In an attempt to soothe me, his nose gently brushed the bridge of mine, and his lips graced along my cheekbone to reach my ear.

"I yearn for your blood as naturally as your heart beats. But my mind is consumed with thoughts of you." His hand slid down to my knee, and I tensed in preparation, but he breathed out a laugh. "I have been reckless to give into them, but my only regret is endangering you to do so."

His breath scathed over my lips, and I knew if I made a single move towards him, all bets were off. We were on the verge of the breaking point he'd been desperate to control. He believed distance might help, but we were currently proving how senseless that could be. The brush of my chest against his was enough to prove this. We were the spark of a match, desperate to burn the one that fulfilled its carving for oxygen, the same oxygen I seemed to lack as I realized his hand had not left my thigh. In fact, it had moved slightly higher over the paper-thin fabric but rested with a timid innocence, a naivety its owner hid so well. I took a deep breath.

My eyes fluttered open as he moved back. Laughter danced in the corner of his eyes, his lips tugging up as he murmured, "to confirm, you do not wish to kiss me."

I wet my lips, realizing I had been staring at his. "That's correct," my voice was anything but sturdy. He smirked as he moved a safe distance away, removing his touch from my body, but his eyes dropped as I drew my bottom lip between my teeth.

A familiar touch pressed against my mouth, gently freeing my captured lip and tracing his thumb's flawless pad across it. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, lingering on my parted lips. In a husky tone, Alec taunted, "so long as we're clear, my friend."

And then he was gone. I huffed, raking my hand through my hair haphazardly in a moment to catch my breath. After I somewhat gracefully landed back on the floor, I was stopped in my tracks. Alec had skirted ahead only to pull the chair out at the table I usually selected and was waiting smugly. I begrudgingly accepted the gesture and held back any 'just friends' comebacks that came to my head. I had a feeling it would only come back to bite me.

Instead of finding his own reading material, Alec chose the seat beside me, sans any personal activity to occupy him. He rested his head on his hand, leaning on the table with his eyes directed at me. He hadn't made any attempt to leave a reasonable distance between our chairs either. I tugged my lip because staring at me until I called him out was one of his favourite games, but I was much too flustered to say it outright. My breathing hadn't settled, and when I tried to subtly feel my pulse, it didn't take long to confirm that my heart was still speeding.

It'd only been a few moments, but he just wouldn't stop staring.

"Aren't you supposed to be in a training session with the others?"

Alec chuckled, "I rather spend the time with my friend."

"Okay," I left my book alone and turned towards him. "What would you prefer I have said?" He paused before his expression grew increasingly frustrated, and I assumed he hadn't thought that part through yet. Before I could continue with my own smug response, he retorted.

"You might have at least provided an adjective?" He complained thickly, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he was a bit more sensitive than he was letting on. "Best of friends or the like?"

I stopped, fixing him with a deadpan stare. "Jane is my best friend."

Alec gaped at me. "What?"

Why was he confused? I repeated clearly, "Jane is my best friend."

"You can have more than one best friend."

I shook my head. "I don't think that's how it works."

The lines on his forehead deepened as he scowled, "and so I am relegated to the same status as the two dalcops you keep as company?" I refrained from asking for a definition, but I assumed the word to be another one of his variations for dimwitted, which he tended to use for Felix more than Demetri.

"First of all, they're your friends, too, whether you claim them or not." He wrinkled his nose in distaste with the ostentation of a spoiled, posh schoolboy but didn't deny it.

He had a plummy tone as he relented, "I suppose they do have their uses." What a nice compliment.

Now that I'd given him some attention, Alec's gaze had at least dropped to my book, or rather the tapping pattern I'd been making with my fingers. Then, he sat straight, unable to hide the grin on his face as he eyed me up and down. "This is what friends do, is it not?" He then said the most unnatural words I'd ever imagined could be in his vocabulary, "contemplate life, gossip," he paused, making air quotes for his following words, which were so unnatural for him they made me cringe "'and hang out'?"

Where do I start? "Will you just stop saying that?"

"Saying what?"

I scoffed, turning the page of the book I now cared very little about.

"All of it, actually."

He merely hummed in delight, but I kept my focus on the novel in front of me. I traced each word, folding over the corners when there was something I wanted to return to. Each time I did, Alec made a small sound to express his disapproval in my choice of reading material.

Which is how I knew he had gone back to staring, as if I couldn't already feel his eyes boring into me.

"What do you want?"

A jury would have believed his innocence based on his reaction alone, which was obviously fabricated to mess with me. "I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"Staring at me has got to be the least entertaining thing in the world. You have to stop."

He laughed – actually laughed, as if what I'd said was absurd. "I have been waiting to admire you for centuries, Tesoro [Darling]."

"Cool," I said flatly. "You'll have several more to do so, so cut it out."

It occurred to me that I might have won when there was no witty response, but a modulated voice indicated that I had been mistaken.

"Do you mean that?"

Guilt clenched my heart, tearing through it like the claws of a rabid wolf. There was no guarantee I would live, but with nearly every outside element working against it, we had to at least acknowledge the statistical reality that I would not make it through the year.

But, on the small chance that I did…I nodded. "Yes."

He made no move to touch me, only leaned back in his chair with the most genuine of smiles, a slight tilt of his lips, graceful as they parted to say,

"Good."

Chapter Text

Alec traced his thumb lovingly over the thin skin below my jaw, testing my pulse. "I cannot live without you."

For the first time, my body fell into fight or flight. And I chose flight.

He was in front of me before I'd even fully turned around, hands gripping my forearms. "No!" It was the scream that comes from your throat with all the power of your gut as if it's been waiting to tear through the back of your throat. To burn you for expelling so wretched a sound. It meant nothing to the ravenous vampire within him. "Don't, Alec. Please don't –"

It was as if my pleas had fallen on deaf ears as he tightened his hold, pulling me in by my waist. He tutted, "I know, baby, just close your eyes." I repeated my cries over and over as he shushed me, pressing a kiss to the side of my head, and dropping to my neck.

"Please, no – please, please!"

I begged unconsciously, desperately, repeatedly for him to change his mind. There was no patient build-up as he nipped the skin over my pulse. He moaned at the thin separation between his fangs and my blood. I tugged against him, nearly collapsing in his arms before his hold transferred to a firmer grip.

His fingers tightened on my torso until two clear cracks triggered a sharp pain that reverberated throughout my body. I yelped, scrambling to get away from him, but still, he refused to let me go. My eyes pleaded with his as they darkened, black swallowing red before his face began to shift and morph into something else right in front of me.

Until it was no longer Alec staring back at me. It was never Alec to begin with.

Travis's lips turned up in a twisted grin, fangs bared, "calmáte ventarrón [chill out*]." His hand trailed purposefully along my spine, and I cried out as he whispered, "don't you want to live forever?"

~•~

Aro's sly, singsong voice spoke up across from me. "You hesitate, child?"

"I'm only thinking." I blew a piece of hair out of my face, scrutinizing the chess board as if there was a possibility for me to turn the game around. I wasn't above cheating, but my options were limited when playing against vampires, and the game was already too far along.

Caius commented sadistically, "a forfeit game is a lost game."

Biting the inside of my cheek, I cursed inwardly. How did he know I planned on quitting? "Not according to the definition."

"Saffiya..." Aro clicked his tongue to hide his humour, a poor attempt at a warning for me. I would never get away with this attitude if it were not what Caius was aiming for. He seemed to enjoy sparring with me, as there was no way for me to win. I'd have no more buttons to push after a day with him. Every bone in my body was willing me to fight back when:

"Check." Aro elegantly knocked my knight to the side and removed it from the board.

My pinkie twitched.

Aro started up what Caius had grown bored of, likely some kind of rude tactic searching for the same form of entertainment. "And how is your Italian coming along?"

I grit my teeth while Aro was looking down, trying to answer evenly so as not to give away my frustration with the constant nagging. "Fine."

He raised his eyebrows, amusement growing. "È così?" [Is that so?]

There was a hostile, mocking scoff, "truffatrice!" [con artist] The scratch of Caius' pen was followed with, "do not fib, Saffiya."

I whipped my head, glaring at the back of his head, "I'm not lying."

"Even a white lie is false."

Aggressively, I knocked Aro's knight off the board in defeatist retaliation. Unaffected, he slid his bishop into place. "Checkmate."

I grunted in response, throwing my arms across my chest and slouching back into the chair. Aro was grinning as if he'd just kicked a puppy, and he inquired, "do you wish to play again?"

"No, thank you." I ground my jaw, "I wish to draw."

"Very well."

Pushing back from the table, I grabbed my sketchbook (I'd been encouraged to put it under my seat and engage in some light brainwork) and returned to the raised windowsill. It was just barely wide enough for me to fit, but I preferred it to the other shapes and chairs in the room. I was not a particularly competitive person, but I was exhausted. A result of either poor sleep or a lack thereof, and it did little to ease my well-earned tantrum and odd preferences. To add to it, I may have retreated to my corner, but Caius was not done with me. It was not long before his aggravating voice attacked my ears once more.

"She should be studying," he began tautly as if I were no longer in the room. "Rather than wasting time imitating the success of another." I bit my tongue, ready to ask just who had pissed in his chicken nuggets when I was saved.

"And what subject would you have her learn next, Caius?" Marcus commented in his own blithe tone. Selfishly, I hoped he was as tired of Caius' bullying as I was.

Bitterly, he spat, "etiquette to start."

I snorted, drawing attention back to myself. I did my best to cover it with a convincing sneeze, knowing better than to push my boundaries. He looked away, unimpressed but said no more.

The knock on the door only registered with me when it opened as I continued 'imitating' a random composition by Rembrandt. My pencil dug a little too hard into the paper, the tip snapping off. I maneuvered the lead back into a loose hold, but even then, I didn't look up until I heard the greeting.

"Masters."

"Ahh, Alec! Our dear boy." Aro welcomed his cherished protege, whose eyes were already waiting for mine. I puffed out empty air and forced the lead tip back in, refusing to get another pencil at such an awkwardly inconvenient time. "How is our guest?"

Guest? I assumed that was Aro's word for what Alec's team had called a prisoner when they'd returned from their mission two or so weeks ago. It was sort of difficult to tell time with the Volturi. "The guards tell me he is as well as we wish." I frowned at that, the comparison to a modern version of medieval racketeering flashing through my head. I mourned my knight, still knocked carelessly to the side of the chess board across the room. Aro smiled proudly, arrogantly at Alec. These vampires reeked of suspicion and deceit. No wonder I ended up with them.

In a response far too cheery for the topic, Aro complimented, "wonderful!" The air shifted, and I could practically feel Aro's focus move to me. "Ah, yes. A shame you missed Saffiya and I's latest chess match." I grimaced, refusing to acknowledge the commentary. My pencil gave in, and the lead fucked off somewhere on the carpet. "It was quite a game."

"I doubt it not, Master." There was a moment of silence.

"Shall we, brothers?"

And just like that, Marcus abruptly disappeared from the table in front of me. My eyes searched for him discreetly, finding Caius and Aro had also taken their departure – uncharacteristically, as they left without additional comments. Only Marcus had stopped in front of Alec. Whatever the man said made the boy's eyes flash to me before he nodded, and the elder vampire left. I pretended my focus had never strayed, even if my moving pencil marked nothing on the page.

A soft whip of wind was evident after the click of the doors and the stillness that followed.

My eyes drifted closed as my hair was brushed over my shoulder. However, I shrugged away because losing four times in a row to Aro had made me fucking moody.

Unaffected, Alec innocently brushed the pad of his fingers across my stilled hand. "Tell me, Tesoro [darling], why are you unhappy?" I swear, if he used some ambiguous Italian nickname again, I was going to lose my mind.

Thankfully, somewhere in my rational brain, I knew it wasn't Alec's fault. So, the slower his thumb stroked across my skin, the more susceptible I became to my over-exhausted emotions. When he reached for me again, I turned into his body, resting my head in the crook of his neck. He helped me off the windowsill, and I gave in to my weight as his arm wrapped around my waist to support me. I guess if anyone knew the distinction between my irrational anger and my lack of sleep, it would be him.

"Come," Alec said after a moment. He secured my fingers with his and coaxed me from the room.

Talib and Percy were not waiting for us in the corridor, but I didn't comment on their absence. Alec's pace was slow but deliberate, and when we went down the staircase instead of up, I knew I was right to be suspicious. I tried to stop, but Alec merely brought me along with his stupid vampire strength. My already tested temper was beginning to blow hot air into my lungs until I was finally guided through an unfamiliar entryway. Curiosity won out.

A solid glass wall on the right revealed the garage. I spotted the Bugatti we'd driven last time among the line of cars that were almost as expensive as a can of gas these days. I glanced at Alec, but he only continued forward, pushing open another door.

A door that led outside.

The cobblestone street was a welcome sight, and Alec was already awaiting my wide stare.

I called him out. "I thought it wasn't safe to leave the castle."

Remaining quiet, Alec instead cupped the back of my head and kissed my temple. Even I could tell the night air was quite chipper, but I eagerly followed after him, locking my arm in with his. I didn't catch his surprise at the action. I was too busy staring at the row of additional vehicles underneath a hangar, just waiting to drive free on an open road. He guided me to a silver vehicle with a black roof. There were empty car spots on either side, which I only noticed because he opened the passenger door.

Ignoring my deductions, I stayed where I was. "I'll drive."

He smirked and opened the door wider. Scoffing, I mocked his silent routine as I slipped into the car — which only amused him more. He'd closed the door and started the car before I could even reach for my seatbelt.

I paused because there was no center console between the driver and the passenger seats. Should I sit in the middle? Did he want me to be so close to him? What kind of car didn't have a console in the front seat?

"Saffiya." My eyes widened, shooting up to see Alec's stern countenance. "The seat belt stays on this time."

The car pulled out from the hangar, facing the opposite direction of the city streets. He barely waited for my agreement. With the click of the seatbelt, the speed-eager vampire took off down a back road behind the castle. At least, I assumed it was some back road, as large trees loomed above us, hiding us from the world. The geography surrounding the castle in Volterra still confused me, but there was no way we would be entering the city streets as I knew them.

Especially when there was a break in the foliage and the thick brick walls of the city towered over the single-car path. To the left was the familiar hill of the olive groves and vineyards surrounding Volterra. Even in the dark, the view was spectacular, and I had the bittersweet wish to see more of the actual city, just as much as the land around it. Perhaps one day.

As we pulled onto one of the main hilly paths, the lights from another auto flashed in the rearview, and I glanced in the mirror to see another expensive, flashy sports car following us. Alec made no move to acknowledge it, so I assumed it must be Talib and Percy, or some of the other guards.

I sat back, looking above me and frowning, realizing why the roof looked so odd. I thrust my hand up, flattening it against a thick fabric. This time, Alec seemed more tentative about my next discernment. He was ready.

"If I lower the roof, I need you to promise that you will not go sticking your head out of the car again." I let out a short gleeful laugh, unable to contain my newfound excitement. I wasn't a car person – I was a car experience person. Ever since I was a kid, I knew the fast ones were fancy and shiny, and the jump from 0 to whatever number was thrilling as hell-o. So, I did nothing to hide the grin on my face. Alec sighed, pressing the button to remove the roof and warily glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. He'd chosen the car; it was his own fault.

As the air commandeered the vehicle, I let my head fall back. The wind whipped through my curls, leaving them as unruly as ever. I didn't mind. This was freedom. I threw my hands up like a rollercoaster – nearly giving Alec a heart attack as I did – breathed in the air as best I could without suffocating myself and eventually let my arms drift down into the safety of the car.

My forearm rested out the window, and I stared as my hand waved and flexed in the wind as if I could see the air shifting around it. Alec turned on the stereo, and a lilting Italian song floated softly through the speakers. I hid the resulting yawn behind my hand, catching Alec's attention.

He let the thrill of the convertible settle before it seemed a specific topic could no longer stay inside his head.

"Jane said you were experiencing night terrors."

My hands went to mess with the buttons on the car before I answered. "Yeah, well, none I can recall." I spared a glance at him. His inner brow tugged up, wide puppy dog eyes exposing his justified doubts, examining me instead of looking at the road. "Alec, I'm fine. Just a little sleepy."

"You may sleep now."

"Now?" I said, already yawning again. "Where exactly are we going?"

He shrugged, tilting his head. "Close enough to be safe. Far enough for you to rest." I frowned, but Alec insisted. "Lay down, Saffiya."

I leaned against the window, my still sour mood poking through as I challenged him, "you said my seatbelt had to stay on – " he rolled his eyes at my snark and undid the belt himself.

Cautiously, I maneuvered around, realizing my bold sauciness originated from some misplaced nervousness. Unaware of my hesitance, Alec's arm snaked around my middle to pull me to his side. Obeying, I leaned back till the crown of my head rested lightly on the door and on his lower chest. And to think, I'd been worried about moving into the middle seat when I was now practically lying across his lap.

Nevertheless, I turned towards the back of the seats and in my already half-conscious state, immediately nuzzled into the soft fabric above his ribcage. The solid black v-neck was quite modern, and a semi-formal fashion that seemed a bit riskier than the turtle neck or layered jumpers. That thought remained solitary as my brain forced itself to shut down, the exhaustion begging to be free.

He left the top of the car down, and the wind no longer struck my cheeks but rather whistled around me like a sweet storm. The smell of rain in the air but not a dark cloud in sight. With mock thunder that rumbled through the air without threat but only a wish to be acknowledged. Like a gift from mother nature after a hurricane, a storm that reminded you of what was good about nature when all it had done was show you just how dangerous it could be. It was an innocent display of power, this storm. With Alec's wrist lightly weighted across my abdomen and the comfort of the natural world, I could finally breathe.

Gentle fingers brushed strands of hair from my cheeks only a moment later.

"Darling," the voice was drawing me from my own mind, but its mellifluous tone nearly lulled me back into the drifting amenity of peace. "Saffiya." The flutter of butterflies in my stomach was not quite as drowsy as my head because the vibration from their animated response convinced me to open my eyes.

I groaned softly at the disturbance, but the lilt across Alec's lips was worth the loss.

"Look up." I let my eyes wander past his head to the unusually bright roof of the car. It took another two blinks for my eyes to adjust fully for me to realize what I was seeing.

I shot forward, forcing Alec to lean back as I began turning in the seat as if the night sky had angles. I needed the best one to see it all. I settled with facing the back of the car, my knees on the seat as if trying to get as close to the sky as possible.

A coat Alec had turned into a makeshift blanket fell from my torso. Alec caught it and tried to slip my hand through one of the armholes. I pushed it away like a child, never taking my eyes off the stars.

"Saffiya, darling," my eyes snapped to him. God, I loved when he said that. "It is cold." I huffed, inconvenienced by my condition and silly things like the weather. I let him help lift the coat over my shoulders.

He, too, shifted in his seat, leaning against the car door and watching as I absorbed every inch of the sky that I could. Alec's knee brushed mine, but he didn't seem to take note of it. I, however, had the briefest consideration of just how easy it would be to lean over and –

The names of some stars were familiar to me, and while I would like to think I could identify them in the sky, I would have more luck doing almost anything else. It was not the stars themselves that I yearned to see, but there was an openness that came with the night sky. Something I was very much lacking recently.

"The Masters are conscious of the fact that being secluded inside the castle has been difficult for you." This drew my attention, and I lowered down into the seat, my knees folding against his calf. "Marcus suggested an outing now and then to temporarily remedy any...distress."

"So, we can do this again?" His expression dulled at my question, and he turned his head to the side, breaking contact. He made a poor attempt at hiding his reluctance, convincing me that while he had initiated this adventure, it was not something he had willingly agreed to. I didn't force an answer, instead leaning further into the seat.

The evening air made me brave, and I laid my hand on his arm, which had been thrown casually across the back of the seats. "Thank you."

"You are welcome."

And because the stars were admittedly not as intriguing as Alec, no matter how entrancing they were, I remained there.

Until I didn't.

Absentmindedly, my fingers were suddenly slipping through his hair, relishing in the silk touch. The movement held no significance until my fingers naturally twisted in the locks behind his ear. A low grunt sounded from his chest. Nerves rolled through me as his eyes flashed away from the brilliant red he'd ensured.

Stunned by my own boldness, I carefully removed my hand, but he stopped me. The awkward position would have been exactly that if his lips had not formed the loveliest pout, wordlessly begging for the contact we both craved.

Alec turned his head, placing a kiss on my palm. He whispered, "you would tell me if you remembered them, wouldn't you?"

He really did have a lot on his mind tonight. To clarify, "remember what?"

"The dreams."

I tilted my head, puzzled by the zeal in his words. "Why wouldn't I?"

Chapter Text

Daylight peeked out from behind the curtains in Alec's room, my only hint as to the time of day since the vampire decided he was too good for alarm clocks. Or clocks in general. Upon returning from our excursion, we spent a great deal of time into the night debating the relevance of morality in times of war. I won. However, Alec had woken me up at an ungodly hour (not even a hint of light in the entire room, mind you) to inform me there was a meeting with his team and promised to return. I think he did it to brag, proud of their work, and I recall cursing him for waking me.

He'd left the door cracked, and just as I reached the handle to close it, a screech barrelled into the room. This scream was more than frustration. It escaped past teeth, sharp and violent. It was ireful and vivid, and worry filled me more than fear at the noise; because it sounded a lot like Jane.

I hurriedly slipped between the doors, only to see the twins on opposite sides of the L-shaped couch. My gaze flickered from one twin to the next, trying to fabricate some context to negate the most apparent deduction for their postures – I could not.

The twins were fighting.

The siblings often engaged in petulant back and forths, sly comments, and teasing remarks, but it was done in good humour. It emphasized their adoration for each other. For two tactful but sensitive teenagers, they were remarkably good-natured after a thousand years with their sibling. But this was different. Neither acknowledged me as I cued into the conversation, and I was hit with extraordinary deja vu.

"I only wished to protect you." Alec took a step forward, genuine distress colouring his voice as his arm extended to further convince her. Jane stuck her nose in the air with an indignant scoff.

"That's a dirty tactic, brother." From his expression, it was unlikely he had identified the pattern. She didn't allow him to defend himself, "and it's not good enough."

"What's going on?" I couldn't help but shrink away slightly as both twins turned to me as if finally registering my presence. They stilled, neither taking their eyes off the other, like two predators in the wild, a starved earth and a single carcass between them.

Alec's eyes softened, finding mine, "nothing."

With a petty growl, Jane lost her predatory stance but bared her teeth, "stay out of this, human."

"That is enough, Jane." Alec's voice shifted, firm and deep, no longer matching his sister's passion.

Her pink lips tightened into a sneer. "Fine. Shall we share?" Alec's hand balled into a fist, and the glare he fixed on his sister disturbed me. This was a real fight, and one twin I could handle but both? Against the other? Out of my league. Jane was absolutely delighted to threaten him, "would you like the honours?"

"Enough." She took this as a no and turned, more than willing to fill me in herself.

Before she could, Alec appeared before me, blocking my line of sight. Jane didn't seem to care, "Aro has refrained from assigning me missions without Alec since you both returned." Ignoring her, he tugged gently on my bicep, requesting to turn back around the way I came. I sidestepped him, ignoring his immature attempt at forcing his sister to give up. Plus, I didn't fancy the reaction if I had gone with him.

Jane continued staring down her brother, condemning him, "I have learned that Alec was asked to lead his precious task force in return for the Masters barring me from leaving for any missions."

My expression tightened in a pout as I looked for Alec's eyes, mixed emotions forcing me to check, "Alec, you didn't…."

Alec was already shaking his head as if he could deny the accusation. I shrugged his hand off my arm, and he lashed back at his sister. "It is not as misintended as you portray, dear sister."

"Old habits, dear brother. Saffiya remembers quite well."

"Jane." Alec hissed through clenched teeth, narrowing his eyes and demanding a forfeit from his twin. As if such a thing were possible. He had no chance of 'winning' in any sense of the word for the situation, turning back and forth between his sister and me, searching for an ounce of compromise, some understanding from one of us. He received none.

The elder twin straightened to her full height. "Saffiya is human, but you and I are equal in power and in weakness. You have made me appear less so in the eyes of the masters."

"That's absurd."

"I would never do this to you." Alec's face fell, at a loss for a tactic to convince his sister he was on her side. "What qualifies you as more equipped than me? Are you better than me, brother?"

Alec growled, "a mission without you lacks precision. Your leadership is invaluable." She was almost taken aback, but her anger held fierce. "This was not about your capability."

Jane stomped her foot, more familiar as behaviour interacting with her brother. Purposefully or not, feeding Jane's ego was guaranteed to ease any situation. I almost allowed myself to relax. "I have never been reckless on a mission. You, however," she trailed off pridefully. I'd nearly forgotten about the limb Alec almost lost in their last brush against newborns.

"And so inspired my request of the kings," he confessed. She rolled her eyes, nowhere near buying his act of honour. "We have already lost two to an unknown enemy. I'll be damned if–"

Her tone melted to silver as she cut him off, "and what will you do, brother?" Jane lifted her head with a taste of superiority, "when your mate is no longer useless?" Ouch. "She will never stand and watch."

"My mate," he enunciated with a burst of fury, and I have no idea how I had been pulled back into the argument, "almost died when my enemies sought retribution."

"The vengeance of our enemies is not a new threat." She spit back as if he'd insulted her by omitting her involvement. Insulted, she may have been, but her lip quivered. The twins were a team. They shared everything – from responsibility to prestige. While he likely lacked malice by choosing the possessive pronoun, it hit an internal sensitivity for her. Making Alec's stance even more unfortunate as he refused to back down.

Alec gave a humourless laugh, which enraged his sister even more. "You cannot change my mind, and the Masters will not go back on their word to me. I won't apologize." Jane's lips twisted into a sneer.

"Then, I'm telling Sulpicia."

I was grateful that the twins didn't often fight because just watching was exasperating, nail-biting. I had yet to meet the Queens and was unlikely to while I was human. I knew it was unlikely Sulpicia had any say over what her husband did in court, but it looked like Jane had chosen the right person to threaten him with. Alec's body tensed, expression flashing from (dare I say) nervous to determined as the siblings seemed to face off, just waiting for the other to make a move.

Slowly, he challenged, "you wouldn't."

Jane smirked.

They disappeared in a blur, giving me whiplash as Alec landed not two seconds later with his back to the door. Just before Jane could reach it.

"Move."

"Take it back."

"Fine."

I was suddenly thankful to be an only child.

"Swear."

And even with her back to me, I knew that smug smirk was still plastered across her lips. She taunted him, "I swear to it." Apparently, she had more faith in the approach than me because her brother didn't fully catch on to her mocking tone.

Alec's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you."

Jane let out a mirthless laugh, backing off Alec and turning as if to walk away from him. Instead, her eyes landed on me, and she stopped. Her regal stare skimmed over my figure as if she was seeing me in some disguise before trying to reassure herself that nothing had changed. Something did change, however, and her eyes flashed.

"We are immortal, as your mate will soon be." Alec narrowed his brows, but there was almost a sort of attachment to her words. No matter how much he sought to protect us. He found comfort in her reassurance but remained distrustful of her reasoning as she turned back to him.

"Until then." Alec seemed to be walking a line between the arrogance of an immortal and an awareness of the potential for its ruin. But the Volturi saw themselves as the central power, and the twins had practically been raised with this perception and the ideals that followed. Awareness did not mean he believed in the possibility because neither he nor Jane could fathom such a fate for themselves.

They were raised with entitlement, and they knew others lacked the same security of a truly immortal life that they bore. But the idea appeared to them as a concept rather than a reality. They had seen the death of a vampire and even performed the act themselves. However, awareness will not always equal understanding, and Alec was falling victim to that gap. He knew 'death' existed, but neither of the twins could ever conceptualize the possibility of it happening to them. Not in this life.

"Your fear is drowning you, little brother."

He scowled, "I rather drown in fear than watch ignorance burn m–"

The twins froze.

"You would know," Jane snapped icily.

Alec instantly recoiled, an unexpected response that caught Jane and me off guard. For different reasons, as the words hinted at a history I was not yet privy to. Her mouth parted as if she wanted to continue, maybe even to apologize, but she closed it quickly.

Alec retreated into his poker face, hardened into stone, and then he was gone. The slam of his door echoed in the chamber, my only clue as to his new location.

A harsh breath flew through my lips, and I had no idea how long I'd been holding it. I leaned back on the armchair, the first time I'd moved since the twins had drifted on from me. My chest was tight, and my eyes stung. But I had no right to cry, so I looked up at Jane, whose focus was fixed on the closed door behind me.

If she were anyone else, I did not doubt tears would have spilled from her eyes, with cheeks turning red and quiet sobs passing through her lips. But Jane was not so unstable, not outwardly anyway.

She set her palms on the back of the couch, head lowered as she collected herself.

I stood, sure that the crash of Alec's door suggested it was better to stay on this side of it. But when Jane was irritated, her anger ran much too hot not to spread to any little noise or movement that dared to tempt her wrath. When she finally shifted, her eyes landed on me with the same piercing stare. I should have known then that she would be out for blood.

Her expression dulled as she attempted to hide behind a strategic armour, but it was strained as she struggled to maintain the energy required to sustain it. The rush of adrenaline left a queasy uncertainty in her eyes, or so I must have imagined, as it disappeared the moment she reached me.

She continued scrutinizing me with an intensity I had not experienced from her in a while. Her eyes flickered to the couch, and I obeyed hesitantly, waiting for orders as she sat on the other end. Being near her was like active, pulsing static, prickly, and tingling with constricted air. I chewed on my bottom lip, second-guessing my decision to stay.

"What did the Romanian say to him?"

My mouth fell, and I shut it immediately, dropping my gaze. Jane was impatient, but she waited as I fiddled with the chain around my neck. Tensely, I tucked my legs under me, restless to avoid the topic but hesitant to leave her in this state. "Does it matter?"

She didn't seem to think so. "You said Vladimir threatened me."

I squeezed my eyes tight and nodded. The memory was recent, fresh, and still somewhat painful. It came in flashbacks, triggered by sensory elements and times of loneliness. And those damn dreams. "Jane–"

"Tell me," she demanded, leaning closer. I winced. I expected Alec would have told her the details I had not in one of their tirades on the Romanians. Apparently not. And it seemed to have cost him.

"I don't remember," the lie was ineffective.

She chided me, "human."

"I don't want to remember," I admitted. Jane seemed taken aback, a similar expression to the one she had caused on her brother moments ago. She held eye contact from across the couch, her stare vacant as she tried to comprehend my statement. I glanced over her shoulder, the memory of Travis sitting across from me in the meal car on the train, his eyes swallowing my thoughts.

And by the time a direct request for every word from each of Vladimir's threats passed through Jane's full lips, the scene was already falling in on me. The rumble of the train became background noise as my brain focused on Travis' hands, which returned to my skin like a ghost, his hold nearly breaking my ribs. His fingertips were on my spine, his breath at my throat with a guarantee. Alec stood helplessly across from Vladimir as the older vampire taunted him.

I nodded slowly and took a shaky breath, hoping it would calm me enough to sort through the noise and avoid the agitation that had appeared only recently. "He threatened to kill you," I paused, letting her take it in, and I tried to skip the details. "It infuriated Alec. I already told you–"

Jane wasn't a fool. Her eyes narrowed, only more incensed by my attempt to limit her information. She gripped the back of the couch. I flexed my fingers and wet my lips, hoping she would at least take a breath before making me dig deeper. I ran my hand through my hair, continuing before she demanded it again.

"He said he would taunt you, tell you that Alec begged for his life before he killed him," she closed her eyes, and her head tilted in the slightest hint of a flinch. It had been this statement that broke Alec's resolve at the time, so this should not have surprised me. My throat went dry, almost as terrified for her reaction as the memory of Travis' hand seemed to materialize on my skin. I squirmed subtly as his fingers explored directly along my spine. The vividness of the memory of his touch was beginning to consume me as it reached my esophagus. I croaked out, somewhat breathless, "and burned me alive."

Her head snapped back to me, and she snarled, nearly forgetting her discomfort. Her eyes bled black as she leaned forward, "he said what?" The ghostly hand on my throat vanished, and I took a harsh breath.

But something about her response made me frown, altogether forgoing the clear hostility radiating from the vampire. Instead of heeding her aggravation, I was filled with a sort of aloof bewilderment.

I wasn't stupid, but I had gone out of my way to pretend I was since the day Marcus cautioned me against exploring the twins' past. But revisiting this detail, aside from the awful insinuations that came along with the comment, burning me alive had been a small win of smugness for me at the time. Sure, I'd die, but Vladimir would not get the satisfaction of hearing me scream. It would likely be disconcerting, but I would be numb to the pain he intended to cause me.

It occurred to me now that the Romanian had savoured the threat more than any other. He yearned for Alec's reaction, and the boy instantly succumbed. All control he had so magnificently displayed prior to had disappeared as soon as the words were cast. And I could no longer ignore the mystifying evidence offered to me more than once. I intended to wait, to be patient, until the twins made the decision to tell me their story. And I don't know why, but despite this, I prompted her.

"Alec didn't like that part either." Rather than an animus response, she avoided eye contact, looking like she was still processing what I'd shared. Coincidentally, the behaviour allowed her to avoid my pointed remark. "Vladimir knew exactly where to sting him. You. Me. And wh…he called him witch boy."

Her head snapped to me, all wrath shoved aside to make room for a distraught contempt. I could not be sure whether this was due to Vladimir's use of the nickname or that I had brought it up so intentionally. It was the first time I'd addressed the obvious nickname with either of the twins. I would not have picked such a time to do so under different circumstances. But Jane started it, and an explanation seemed long overdue.

"I don't want to ask," I said.

"–do not."

"Alec implied he wanted to wait till you were together to tell me."

Jane hissed, jumping up from the couch and roughly dismissing the possibility, "I want no part in that conversation."

"It's how you died, isn't it?" I frowned up at her, returning to Vladimir's statement. Our power had swapped, and I stared at her with an expressionless mask. Her face twisted, filling with distress. She would hate pity, so I let her react without cost. "Your story."

"Alec does not want to tell you – no, not like that." It would not have surprised me, but Jane had a certain authority when defending her brother. I always believed her. She had forgotten some of her anger for what she viewed as more important. "He wants you to know, we both do. You must understand it is not something we wish to revisit." I could relate to that.

I went quiet, and she returned to the couch, this time sitting half a cushion away from me. A deep breath escaped past her lips, the only sound between us as we sank into individual states of detachment.

I was comfortable waiting until the twins were ready to share, but their history weighed so heavily on them that, despite my ignorance, the association was suffocating. Over everything, Jane and Alec were my friends. And I wanted to help carry their burdens when they could not. Just as they carried mine – at least the few I'd shared.

"I believe I know why my brother wished to wait." I tilted my head with a small crack, informing me that I had not moved for some time. Time which Jane had used with purpose. I urged myself to be patient. Jane continued, albeit somewhat guarded, as if she half expected to be cut off. "Alec needs to tell you our story. But there is another you need to hear first."

Jane did not need to be comforted by her decision or hear my blanket encouragement. If she was going to tell me, it was a decision she would make purposefully, even if she was a fair bit emotionally overwhelmed at the moment.

"I am going to tell you how our mother died."

Chapter Text

In all the time I had spent in the twins' living room, the fireplace never held a single ember. I never questioned it.

"Lydia. Our mother's name was Lydia."

"She worked with herbs, a healer by today's terms. She was skilled at what she did, and she served in a capacity alongside the village's medicinal, err…doctor. When he was unsuccessful, she would step in. While many were grateful for her services, there were always those that whispered in the shadows."

Jane noted the brief look of confusion on my face. She raised an eyebrow, already knowing her answer to my unasked question, "because even the history being made today has never fully accepted an exceptionally talented woman. A talent that is the reason my brother is alive today."

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves that were already building. I could keep it together as she kept on, "I told you Alec was unusually susceptible to illness when we were alive." I nodded, indicating that I remembered. "I did not emphasize the extent of his affliction."

"Ever since we were children, there were times when he would have these sorts of attacks. He would seize up, collapse, and convulse in such a way that posed more danger to himself. My mother told me to keep him safe if it ever happened without her to hold him down if I could. But she feared it would happen while he worked with our father, a blacksmith. My father convinced her he would be fine; to our luck, he was.

"His fits were always particularly frightening, especially to those who rarely witnessed or had only heard of the occurrences. And one day, a group of men brought him to our home and said he had collapsed in the market. They were certain he was on the brink of death – and so was I."

I bit my lip, the words sending my heart into a tailspin. Jane eyed me before returning to the story.

We prepared for the worst, grieving him with the many condolences from the townspeople as if he were already gone. My mother stayed at his bedside the entire time, never eating or sleeping." Jane grimaced. "On the third night, I heard her whispering to him, but it was not any language I knew. It was almost as if she were chanting, murmuring.

"Around that time, I was visited by a girl I mislabeled as a friend. She was only infatuated with my brother, of course. I knew she saw being my friend as an opportunity to become closer to him." Jane smirked at whatever expression she saw on my face, aching for something light-hearted to escape the moment briefly. "No need to be jealous, Saffiya. She got what she deserved a long time ago."

"I'm not–" But I realized it was her way of breaking from the stress of the story, so I let her smirk.

"In my grief, I made the foolish error of sharing what I had overheard, my concern over my mother's behaviour." Jane tightened her grip on the couch cushion, the soft fabric barely reacting. If it were wood, it would have splintered. "I made her promise…"

"I would never tell anyone, I swear it." Olive squeezed her friend's hand in comfort. "Perhaps she was singing to him?"

Jane shook her head. "Never once has my mother sung us a lullaby."

Olive lowered her voice, glancing around as the town walked among them, oblivious to the taboo subject being discussed by the young girls. "Are you suggesting witchcraft?"

"No! Keep your voice down." Jane sent daggers to her friend, and Olive flinched at the unexpectedly sharp attack. Jane hissed, "how could you suggest such a thing?"

"Then what are you afraid of?"

Jane shook her head, brushing off her skirt as she stood. "Nevermind. You are much too simple to comprehend the intricacies of a whisper." The bitter words stung, and Olive jumped up as well.

"I was only trying to help!"

"Quite unsuccessfully." Scoffing, Olive shoved past the other girl.

"At least my mum isn't a witch."

"Alec awoke after three days, with more energy and light than he'd had before. No one else thought much of it at first. Of course, we received happy thoughts, and Alec had more attention than he wished. Everything returned to normal until our sixteenth year. Alec's affliction, or lack thereof since this incident, slowly became the topic of the town.

"Olive and I were no longer friends, the opposite, actually. I had not told Alec why, but he stayed by me as Olive turned the other children against me with rumours and lies – nothing about our mother. I assumed she knew it would affect Alec too much, and she still held her ridiculous crush.

"The village was celebrating – something pointless, I have forgotten by now." She waved off the memory block. "Olive and the other girls spent the night giggling, dancing, and flirting with the older boys. Not that there were many of us back then. It was still a small village, which is why whispers spread so fast…" She took a heavy breath, grasping at her chest as if she were human.

I moved closer, squeezing her hand until she returned the grip. "Take your time."

Jane's eyes fell closed, and she took another breath. "We were celebrating…"

~•~ Olive ~•~

A pyre in the center of the square brought light to the nearing night, assisted by the torches spread throughout the village. A light remnant of the recent snowfall covered the ground, but it was kicked up as couples danced around the fire, oblivious of everything else. Cheers and laughter echoed throughout the crowd. At tables, older men told tales of their hunting adventures and bragged about what they could, whether it be false escapades or boasting of their children. It was unusual to have so many of us within a few years of the marrying age, so competition between families rose with every day.

Willingly oblivious to this, we younger girls joined the dancing groups in a circle. It was a night of celebration, and so our group had expanded to include Jane, something I knew the other girls missed. Jane used to be a joyful friend, a good friend, and in light of the festival, we returned to such a notion. We were giddy with the exhilaration around us, giggling as we glanced hopefully at the most eligible boys across the way.

As the son of a blacksmith, Alec stood among them. The firelight reflected off the deep ebony of his hair, sparking in his eyes as he glanced over at our group. Right at me.

Beside me, Jessa grabbed my arm and whispered poorly into my ear, "he is absolutely smitten."

I turned eagerly, hopeful to confirm her words. "You believe so?" Jane was laughing with Beatrice, unaware of Jessa and I's discussion, and while I would previously have checked with her for advice, I grabbed a beaker from a passing fellow and downed it instead. I winked at the girls, whose jaws had dropped with shock and amusement. "Wish me luck."

As I left the group, I heard one of them ask, "what on earth is she doing?"

Similar to the group I had just left, the boys only grew more unprepared the closer I came.

Gabriel smirked, stepping up, "come to see me, beautiful?"

"Not a chance." One of the older boys smacked him upside the head, laughing at his rejection.

I swallowed, clearing my throat. "Alec." Though he had been watching me only moments ago, his confusion almost had me second guessing myself. "Dance with me?"

His eyes quickly ran up and down my form, then flickered behind me. His face soured. "No."

"No?" I repeated, dumbfounded. I threw my arms across my chest, demanding, "why?"

He ignored the gallery surrounding us, whose commentary had begun to draw attention from the nearby table. "Thank you for the offer, but I would rather dance with a fish than with a girl like you, Olive." My eyes tightened and I could feel the tears building up behind them.

"How dare you!" I reached for the nearest cup, stealing yet another person's drink tonight, and attempted to pour it over the wretched boy.

His hand caught my wrist, forcing the cup to clatter to the ground. "Perhaps I would have considered you," he began, coming closer to make his words more private. "If your treatment of my sister was not so revealing of your callous heart." I tore my arm away from him and spun on my heel, forgetting that I would have to face anyone who had grown aware of the incident.

However, this became a passing thought as I locked tearful eyes with the one person that had ruined everything. And she was laughing.

I did not think, nor did I pause, only turned and attempted to return home with as much dignity as I could muster.

My father was a lonely man after my mother's death, particularly during festivities, and so he was already at the kitchen table when I arrived. And something horrible overcame my mind.

"Olive? It is early–"

"Jane's mother has magic. She is a witch."

His face became dark and gaunt, and I instantly regretted my decision.

"Are you positive?"

"Jane saw her whispering something over Alec last winter. He awoke the next day." My father pushed away from the table and left our home. It didn't take much.

He gathered the town's council quietly, but everyone had begun to notice by the time each man had taken their leave. Many ignored it, enjoying ignorance.

I scanned the crowd. The girls had broken up the group and were now dancing with appropriate partners. Jessa was dancing with Alec, all the liberty with a familiar sensuality of the music that took over couples with a false innocence.

Jane was staring after the council members, ignoring Gabriel's attempts to get her to dance again. She seemed to feel my eyes on her, and I returned the same smirk she sent me.

Her twin must have sensed the change in his sister, shoving Gabriel to Jessa (neither of whom seemed displeased). He took his sister's arm, trying to understand until he followed her stare and my grin fell. Alec's entire body shifted, and he began to approach me. A rush of fear flew through me, and I stumbled, falling into a pillar. Jane pulled him back, whispering furiously. I watched his face fall. With another glare at me, he tugged his sister away toward their home.

Whatever his plan, it would be too late.

Whispers spread to every home in the village as council members returned to tell their wives what had been uncovered. My father informed me Lydia would be tried for witchcraft and treated accordingly. I was to testify.

They came for Lydia only hours later, far sooner than I had imagined. The twins were absent from the trial, but her husband went mad at my words. It took several men to restrain him, but he broke free, nearly reaching me before the innkeeper knocked him in the head until he collapsed. They took him to the jail, but my eyes never left the wooden stick dropped carelessly before me. Stained with blood.

I never returned home, even after they had returned the witch to her jailer and families had returned to sleep. To be well-rested for the next day's events. I wandered through the path between homes, only stopping when a rush of black flashed past the opposite end of the street. My heart beat in my chest, louder and louder, but I chalked it up to lack of sleep and continued around the village with empty thoughts.

It was not long after that Alec found me.

"Take it back." He kept his voice low, well aware that those sleeping in the houses surrounding us would easily wake if he spoke at the volume he wished. My voice was caught in my throat and he gripped my forearms tighter, the ire melting into his demands, "retract your lies. My mother is not a witch."

With pity evident, I shook my head. "It is too late. They have made their decision."

He growled, releasing me. "Change their minds." I leaned towards him, but he pulled away.

"They'll come after you too. She saved your life with dark magic. They will consider you tainted." He froze, the thought not having occurred to him in his state of mind.

I took advantage, moving a step forward, taking his hand, and bringing it to my chest. He let me. "Run away with me." His eyes had turned glassy, and though he was not looking at me, I tried to sway him. I had been holding on to the words since the hour he said it, "if you considered me once, you could do so again." Alec's disastrous eyes fell on me, and his hand moved from mine to the fabric at the curve of my neck. My stomach rolled with excitement. My chance had finally arrived.

"Run away with you?"

I nodded frantically, "they will kill you. My father will kill you. But if we leave…your sister will be safe." I cherished the way he searched my face, almost willingly, vulnerably. Truly considering my request, seeing the rationality of my words. "We could be happy together, you and I."

Alec's eyes darkened, "is that what you desire, Olive?"

"More than anything." His thumb ran across my shoulder, and I shivered, "Alec–"

Harshly, he tore the fabric away from my clavicle, his hand moving to tighten around my throat as he slammed my back into the wall. I cried out in pain, but he placed his other hand over my mouth and continued, "is this what you want, Olive? To leave your home behind for me. To be a wife, to pleasure your husband and bear his children?" His breath fanned my face, and I nodded. "Answer me."

"Ye..yes." I loved him, wanted him more than anything. I would prove it to him. Slowly, I moved my shaking hand to his chest, lowering it down his abdomen. My lip trembled as his eyes narrowed, something I had wished for so long. My fingers tripped down past the tie at his waist.

He stopped me.

"I will never be yours." He shoved me away from the wall, leaving me weak against it.

Fury, embarrassment, and shame burned in me, and I cared not for the quiet around us. "She's set to burn with the sunrise." His head snapped to the end of the path between houses, where the sun was already rising. "I love you."

He did not spare a glance, racing away from me.

The villagers did not burn her in the town square, choosing the top of the hill just outside of the town's walls. Jane stumbled after them, the few villagers in attendance avoiding her as she tripped and slid in the muddied grass. Her pleas did little to soften the minds of the town. Pity had lost its battle to fear long ago, and it stood little chance against the hatred of those around her.

They were still building the pyre when they tied her mother to the stake, stripped her down to the barest layer, covered in the dirt of the jail they had kept her in.

Jane was helpless, held back as the innkeeper raised the first torch in the air like a trophy, and the villagers jeered even louder. Lydia, the beautiful mother of the boy I loved, raised her head to the sky and waited.

A shout erupted from the crowd, followed by cries of surprise. The innkeeper had been tackled to the ground, the torch falling away from the pyre and extinguished by the snow. Alec's twin screamed his name, pleading as he was dragged off the man and thrown to the ground. The bloodied man stood and kicked his stomach, smirking at the grunt of pain that left the boy, and did it again. And again, before another villager pulled him back to the task at hand, leaving Alec at his sister's feet.

She dropped to the ground, throwing her arms around him as they stared up at the nasty sneers from the town's leaders. Their actions, unfortunately, prompted another question.

"And your children? Have you corrupted their souls as well?"

Disgust disgraced the gentle features of Lydia's face and she spat at the man's feet. "I have been poisoning the boy since he was a babe. I tested my remedies on him - remedies that saved lives in this town. Including that of your wife, Reverend. If he were corrupted, how are you to know she, too, would not be one with the devil?"

The Reverend panicked, recovering with only half the wit to process how her words saved the lives of her children by presenting the potential threat to his wife. "That is enough. The witch has confessed. Light the pyre!"

I heard Jane's scream from the bottom of the hill, tripping through the same wet earth that she, too had stumbled through in our race to the top.

It was her brother that pulled her back this time. Their mother refused to acknowledge her children, terrified that doing so would bring them the same fate.

A large crowd gathered, guided by the screams and perplexed by the earlier schedule. Not that anyone questioned it. Even after the witch had been silenced and the villagers began to depart. The twins stayed. Wrapped in each other's arms and ignoring those that had only watched.

"They're only children."

"Once they realize what she was, they will be grateful."

"It is better this way," the Reverend dared to say, placing a hand on Alec's shoulder. When the boy did not pull away, he continued, "you will begin new lives from now on with the peace of god's blessing. No one shall hold the sins of the mother against the children."

After a moment, Alec raised his head and nodded respectfully to the man. "We are in your debt, Reverend."

But they could not forget, and they would never forgive.

Chapter Text

This was different.

For quite possibly the first time, the curtains on Alec's windows were pulled wide open. His back was facing me as his head angled down at the streets of Volterra below. He sat in the window nook, bracing his left side against the glass, his trousers somewhat wrinkled around his folded knee. Even as I entered, Alec's eyes remained on the Volturi's city below – Gatsby, without a light and as still as a statue. His chest was still, and he didn't even try to claim fresh air before my scent filled the room.

I leaned back against the door. Something about his stillness made me hesitant to go any further. I assumed he had heard his sister and I's conversation, but whether he allowed himself to listen until the end was another matter.

Alec spoke before I could think of an icebreaker. Straightforward and to the point, "My sister may have been ready to share her part, but I am not prepared to do the same."

Jane's recent warning ran through my head.

"Alec will remain somewhat timid to offer his side. He will likely wait and assess your reaction to my story." She scrutinized me as I dropped my head in consideration with a hint of dismay. "I would take care to reserve your questions for the future – I know you have them."

I opened my mouth to ask just one, but she raised her hand. "I am done, Sister." I lifted my head up and down. She watched me for a second more before she, too, disappeared. Leaving me wondering if sharing her story had been the right or the wrong thing to do.

Alec glanced over, taking me in as I reflected but searching for my reaction to his words. I was only slightly aware of the sleep shorts I still wore, but enough to cross my arm over my body. I was more focused on the conflict in his tone. "Not yet."

I did my best to swallow my disappointment, trying to remind myself it wasn't about me. I knew Alec's retelling would be shorter, neater. Jane and I shared the same propensity for details that Alec did not have the patience for. And just because his twin had been willing to share, her brother was clearly in a different place regarding their past. Just as Jane had prepared me for. And that was

"Okay."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Okay?"

I shrugged.

"You fight me on everything."

"Not this," I breathed, trying not to give in to the contemptuous energy enveloping him. I hadn't quite expected it. Then again, he had been stewing in here while Jane and I experienced entirely different emotions on the other side of the door.

He directed his gaze back out of the window. If I didn't know better, I would have thought he actually wanted me to argue.

"You cannot say nothing." I raised my eyebrows at the monotone snip but refrained from crossing my arms. He needed no further prompting and continued. "Either be angry with me for confining Jane to the castle or pity me for my past life," he spat venomously. He kept his eyes on the city below as he demanded, "but you must say something."

Fine.

"Well, you've nixed one of those topics already." Alec scoffed, dropping his head against the side of the bookcase. "And I think Jane about covered anything I'd say." He barely acknowledged me, and I kept my voice even to add, "and I think you know that."

Alec stood abruptly, flashing across the room, shrugging off his coat jacket, and tossing it over the couch. An action he'd once scolded Jane for doing in the main room. It made me think twice about engaging in this dialogue, but I no longer had that option.

"I should not be surprised. I know you are angry with me." He continued before I could dispute the statement, "you always are."

I did a double-take, "that is not fair."

"And now you and my sister have teamed up against me–"

"We are not against you, Alec." He rolled his eyes as if to question the veracity of my statement. "We're not!"

He disappeared again, repairing as he slammed the bedside table drawer, leaning his weight on the furniture. He glared down at the wood.

"Sometimes, mate, I wonder if you will ever be on my side."

It was the way he said it. Malicious. Less like he was confessing an insecurity and more like he intended the words to hurt me. And I don't know why, but it worked.

I marched up to him, matching his daggered stare before snatching my sketchbook off the same table. He seemed almost surprised, the flex in his jaw losing its tension. There was a hint of something more in his eyes, and I nearly stayed. But if he wanted to punish me for disagreeing with him, then he could stew in his bitterness alone for all I cared.

I'd barely opened the door enough to slip back through when Alec's hand landed right above mine, slamming the wooden door back in place. My body jerked back, bumping into his marble physique.

My chest tightened, and I refused to turn around. Admittedly, I didn't move away either. His essence enveloped me, his chest pressed against my back as his head lowered into the crook of my neck.

The silky fabric of his formal button-up brushed against my bare shoulders, the buttons lightly pressing along the side of my back.

His lips lightly brushed the bare skin where my neck met my clavicle. My eyes fluttered shut as the butterflies in my stomach flitted clumsily. The thin straps of my tank top offered plenty of unclaimed land, which Alec was keen to rectify. But he held back, to my great irritation.

I drew my bottom lip between my teeth as he released a breath. The rush of air sent a shiver of sensational desire down my spine. His bottom lip just barely caressed my skin with an apology, "Darling, I'm sorry." The resounding sparklers that lit throughout my body almost made me regret having my hair tied up and making my exposed neck so susceptible to his touch.

He didn't even have to apologize, so long as he kept kissing my neck I could give less than a damn what his apology was for. However, Alec made no move to further the intimate activity, allowing me to retain my sanity. Though I would much rather succumb to the volatility he inspired in me.

I stayed quiet, contemplating my options and how to best support him when he acted so irrational, revealingly and unintentionally vulnerable. Alec seemed content to wait for my decision. His hand moved slowly down the wood, sliding his fingers between mine on the door as my shoulders relaxed against him. Was he attempting to distract me on purpose or was I so predictably enamored by him that it didn't even matter?

Alec began to kiss up my neck, and I found my voice before I lost it completely.

"You should talk to your sister."

I failed to consider that perhaps he was seeking some sort of distraction in me, to cure himself of the memory malady that plagued him. He sighed, moving back a bit. I repealed the decision, leaning back until he had no choice but to hold me close. I turned my face until the fabric on his shoulder tickled my cheek. "You refuse to accept that this is the only way to keep you safe."

I hummed, "Alec..."

"I know," he murmured in my ear. "I will apologize."

That was not what I was going to say, but the declaration felt more like his decision than a coercement. I released my lip before I drew blood, transferring the tension into my request. "Next time you believe cloistering us away would be a rational decision, why don't we talk it through." His answer was a sweet kiss to my shoulder blade, which didn't really count but I chose not to push for a verbal commitment. "Or all three of us if you're stupid enough to underestimate your sister again." There's a soft growl, more like a hum that vibrates through his chest. And despite it all, I can't help but find amusement in his response – even though he goes silent on me after.

Once again, his patience exceeds mine and I turn out of his arms, regretting the loss immediately. I relaxed my stance against the door. As if being pulled along with me, Alec's forearm flattened beside my head, his other hand resting on my hip as he leaned closer until our chests were mere inches away. It's so smooth a response, I doubt he even noticed the adjustment.

Alec looked a bit cluttered, a lesser version of distraught as his eyes flickered between mine with a new form of vulnerability. His head tilted thoughtfully and I couldn't tear my eyes from his as he considered me. My gaze fell to his mouth as he licked his lips and I had to breathe through my nose before I thought too much about where I wouldn't mind his tongue going next.

Alec's mind, was elsewhere.

"I could turn you now."

A nervous chuckle passed through me, "so you've said. And yet–"

"I mean it, Saffiya." My heart jumped as my name left his lips. His eyes scanned mine. "One bite for forever."

I tried to keep my voice steady as he leaned in. "Aro said–"

Dark, husky as his lips skimmed against my collarbone, "Aro will forgive me." Alec's cheek brushed mine as the bridge of his nose trailed along my jaw. He pleaded, the request for permission rather desperate, "you would be safe."

Safer, I would have corrected. But Alec, like all vampires, spoke in absolutes.

"And if I say no?"

A puff of air released from his chest. He tightened his fingers on my hip as he woefully answered, "then I shall curse your rationality and cherish your humanity all the more."

I shook my head. "You're not thinking,"

Alec seemed unreachable, ready to step into a fantasy world of his own making. His tone was raw and wistful. "I could teach you to hunt," my stomach rolled, but he leaned back until I was caught looking up at him. "We could train you to fight." The look in his eyes had me aghast as his finger hooked in the loop of my jeans. "I could kiss you without fear."

He almost had me because damn if I didn't want him to kiss me. Again and again till all that mattered was the absolute pleasure of his touch. I craved the weight of his mouth on mine and the pressure of an intensified electricity just because it was us.

His eyes were on my lips, never straying, almost frozen as he struggled not to give in to what he would call his 'baser desires'. And I needed to stop myself before he no longer had a say in those temptations. As much as I wanted to do the opposite.

"Aro said–"

Alec's fist hit the wall beside me, so I shoved his chest to correct the behaviour, a receipt. His shoulders dropped in response, but he reclosed the distance immediately, "I do not care." His eyes shut tight as I searched his face for some clue of how to ease the unrest in his mind. "You are my mate. My worth," he trailed off.

A few months ago, I would have lost it at his words. But now, I knew it was all real. And I was sick of rehashing old arguments. There had to be a better way to communicate and convince him that his fears were only heightened by the unknown. Because Jane was right. If I were anything but human and incapable of fighting on even ground, I would lose it if he tried trapping me inside the castle walls again.

Trying to find the best way to convince him, I resorted to, "the Kings would not make their decisions lightly. Especially knowing how difficult this is for you." He didn't answer, his lips settling in a thin line, his brows furrowed as he tried to work through the conversation. Likely already planning for next steps.

"You are my mate," he repeated. "And I am presenting you with an alternative option." I dropped my gaze immediately, and for someone who was trained to lie for a living, apparently, I was pretty shitty at it when it came to Alec. This filled me with a sick, icky feeling at the back of my ribs as he investigated the one query I could not answer, "unless you no longer want this." I don't think he was asking about immortality.

Alec needed to know what Jane and I had discovered. What Aro had forbidden us from disclosing. It was eating me up inside, and I knew Jane felt it too. Everything Alec did was acting on a presumption of my survival for more than the end of this year. It wasn't fair.

His face began to fall with each second I took to answer, only for his jaw to clench slightly as I kept my eyes from his, zeroed in on the slight mark on his jaw. My tongue tasted dry as I falsely coughed out, "what makes you think–"

Alec didn't even try to humour me, and my eyes shot up to meet his stern gaze. "Your heart is racing."

My gut clenched. I had to tell him. But from the moment I'd arrived, it had been made clear that disobeying Aro's orders was tyranny in and of itself. It seemed a harmless bit of knowledge, seeing as Jane's gift was only a potential solution that had never been guaranteed. But I had to stay on the Kings' good side. So, I kept my mouth shut.

"Carlisle's theory holds the most weight." He tried to look away, displeased with my statement. My hands abandoned his shirt for his neck, his jaw, until I held his face still in my palms. I waited for his burgundy eyes to meet mine before subtly, shortly, so Aro couldn't accuse me of trying to expose the truth, "I think we should trust Aro. "

Technically, surviving the transformation was a feat unto itself. Any assumption that I would survive was a prayer, far from a guarantee. If the changing process were so simple, vampires would be rampant worldwide. Alec was functioning off of foolish hope alone, and taking that from him if I died, without even consideration for the alternatives, would be detrimental.

"I will not lose you." He began again, like an ill-written mantra. "Destiny herself could never take you from me." He spoke in an undertone and I had to strain to hear him, "not Razin, not the Cullens." His choices of potential threats were telling, but the malice in his voice cleared the clouds of my obliviousness to what was right there in front of me the entire time, "and certainly not the Romanian bastards."

Oh my god.

I chewed on my bottom lip, my previous defenses melting away with any frustration I'd been previously guided by. "This is about the train, isn't it?"

There was no answer, but of course, Jane had traced the source back before either of us could. I would never have put it together if not for her earlier questions, proving once again that she was far more clever than we would ever be.

Choosing my words carefully, my voice faint with fear, "Alec, you won that fight."

He released a short puff of air, his hands firming into a fist. I took care to observe the tenseness in his shoulders, the physical manifestations of his anger and pain that I had seen but only just begun to understand. "If Prosper had not arrived when he did," he exhaled harshly once more, as if to expel the bitterness of his memories and only barely finding the words he needed.

"You saved our lives." Alec removed my hands from his face until they fell limply by my sides. He stood to his full height and took a step back. His eyes had become substantially darker.

"I was unprepared and distracted." He stated blankly, "it was luck."

Another possibility occurred to me, one that I doubted he would ever entertain. But I toyed with the idea that he didn't confine us to the castle because he thought Jane or I leaving would automatically put us in danger, nor even because he thought Jane couldn't take care of herself. Maybe he did it because he doubted his own ability to protect us. But whether he had realized this self-doubt or not, I didn't think it was something that needed to be said aloud.

I resisted the urge to reach for him again, laying my hands on the door behind me. "We walked away. That's all that matters."

His jaw clenched tightly, and his eyes bore into me. I could practically taste the sourness of each word as he reminded me, "the Romanian walked away as well."

The defeatist mindset got to me, I'll admit it. I understood his perspective. But mutual commiseration would only make this worse.

"We'll get him. Him and Razin."

"Right," he grunted as I failed to quell his doubts with empty confidence. I couldn't help it. I reached forward before I could stop myself but my back swiftly landed on the wall before my hand even touched him.

Alec tugged at his hair. "You should leave. You are not safe with me right now." He gave me one last longing look before flashing across the room and collapsing into the green velvet armchair instead. My posture collapsed as I tried to comprehend his distress.

I opened my mouth, but closed it just as quickly, not knowing how to counter any more without upsetting him further. My inaction didn't necessarily calm him down either. Moreso the opposite, as a moment later he rasped, "cuore, please."

"But–"

"Go." He snapped, making me jump and turn to do as he requested. I grasped the brass handle before pausing.

I twisted the lock instead.

Alec visibly gripped the cushioned arm of the chair when I took a cautious step in his direction. I wavered before trying it again. He lifted his head in return, narrowed eyes daring me to continue challenging the big bad vampire. So, I did.

The closer I got, the less harsh his glare became. His bangs had fallen haphazardly over his forehead, hiding the top of his now furrowed brows. He was waiting for me, still as a statue and slightly weary. But the fire still burned, neither a wet nor a dry anger. This was a vanquished vengeance. A conclusion that had been reached but left behind a grief that followed generations. Ruthless, with blood that would flow from a single word, susceptible to the paper cut that left one hissing and cradling. It was a legacy of fire, violent and raw. The flames of two wrongs. And to think, I only knew half of what had made him so damaged.

Without intending to, I wove my fingers through his hair, brushing his bangs off his face and taking in the beauty of his irises. Unconsciously, Alec accepted me in, his hands finding my hips as I rested my knee on the edge of the velvet chair. His hands slid down my sides to the back of my thighs, lifting me until my legs fell on either side of his. In any other situation, I would be extraordinarily embarrassed about sitting on his lap, and having initiated it in the first place. There was something more intimate about this, however. Something safe.

My hand found its way to the back of his neck. where my fingers tangled in his hair. We had turned the tables, my head now tilting down to get a proper look at his high cheekbones, his sweet face looking for the answers in my own expression. His eyes never left mine, boring up into me with a pain I could not begin to comprehend, and I think my heart slowed for the first time since we met. As if trying to match the nonexistent beating in his chest.

Quite suddenly, his head nestled into my collarbone as if it were too heavy to hold up any longer. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his came under my shoulders as we clung to each other. I tried not to move, to let him hold me tighter without interruption. Nothing to pull him from a moment he rarely allowed himself to have, to watch his walls fall and anchor to something real.

When I could no longer hold my breath, I played with the hair at the nape of his neck, trying to breathe softly to not disturb him. Eventually, his fingers danced absentmindedly over my hip bone as we eased back into the world. But we remained there, patient enough to exist with each other.

"I do want this." I finally murmured against his skin. I ducked my head as he abruptly pulled back. I bypassed his surprise, pressing my lips to his jaw with small, innocent kisses. Alec gave a light push to my abdomen, taking my chin in his hands so I would meet his gaze. His eyes were gentle, but willfully impassive.

"Tell me what you want."

I bit my lip, ignoring my gut and confirming, "I want immortality, but only if it's with you."

Alec's hands tightened on my thighs again until a burst of air transferred us to his comforter. I fell back on the pillows as Alec supported his body above me, his eyes searching mine with determination. Hesitance flashed in his eyes, concern and doubt flooding his irises. He blinked and they were gone.

Alec pressed a tender kiss to my neck and my back arched into him with a gasp. My fingers tangled in his hair as his lips parted, and his teeth lightly scratched the thin skin along my throat. A burst of nerves filled me and I threw my hand out to grasp his. In a shared emotion, he interlocked our fingers, leaving an open mouth kiss above my collarbone.

I hardly felt his fangs pierce my skin.

Chapter Text

A shrill ring erupted from the other side of the room.

The bite never came.

I placed my hand on Alec’s chest, but he had already pulled back on his own. The darkness of pure coal rippled across his eyes as he sought mine. My heart dropped for a second at the sight, but I let the nerves fade away and furrowed my brows to question him. Maybe I just didn’t feel it? I went to check my neck, but Alec stopped me, his hair slightly falling as he shook his head.

I lifted my palm to his cheek, and he leaned into it, his eyes falling closed. We seemed to share the same trepidation, but voicing so would invite a new level of dreaded complications. His eyes flickered between mine as he hovered over me. The phone continued to screech in the background.

“You should probably get that,” I breathed out finally, just as the phone went silent.

It was an instant later that the ringtone broke the air, and Alec grunted, disappearing from above me to fish the object from his jacket pocket. I would have expected it to turn to dust from the fire in his glare. “Don’t break it.” I cautioned, somehow managing a playful tone.

He raised an eyebrow at me before answering the phone. “What.” I rolled my eyes. Goodness, he was rude.

I took a deep breath, fully sitting up and bringing my hand to my neck. I traced three fingers across the smooth, undisturbed skin. Alec was at my side in an instant, cupping my hand away from my throat before leaning in, his lips barely brushing against my temple. The act made me swoon like a freaking schoolgirl.

There was a distinct shift in his demeanour as the person on the other line introduced new information, their voice deepening so that I could hear it without trying. I stilled to watch his expression harden and he pivoted sharply to pace the floor, dragging his hand through his hair. Without any prompting from me, he pulled the phone away from him.

“Stop,” Alec demanded of the person, flashing back to me and standing beside the bed. I scooted closer as he placed the phone on the comforter. “From the beginning.”

“That human your mate contacted is dead.” John, Alec’s former mentor and guy that tried to freak Alec out by putting an open flame under my palm. With Jane’s story in my mind, I now knew why. How did he know I’d called my father’s old accomplice? Alec seemed unsurprised by the news, which meant Aro had filled him in on all of my activities during my little running away excursion.

“Are you certain?”

John chuckled. “I’m looking at what’s left of the poor bastard now.” There was a bump from the other side of the phone and I cringed inwardly, trying to keep my imagination from picturing whatever it could have been. John was still giddy. “I doubt even Hades would take his soul after this.”

Alec huffed impatiently, “and?”

“It’s a goddamn bloodbath – his blood, that is. Whoever killed him definitely worked up an appetite 'cause the little girl and his missus had theirs sucked right outta their necks instead.” I grimaced, the distasteful image hitting me too quickly to hide it from Alec. But I could almost see it. A little girl’s bedroom, probably a favourite colour splashed across the walls and matching her bed. Stuffed animals in a corner. Maybe one grasped between her fingers when –

I was gonna be sick. First, my recklessness half-orphaned Victor Tima’s son and daughter and made his wife a widow. Now, I’d led a monster to slaughter an entire family. Con men didn’t have families, and somehow I had found a rare two that did and tore them apart. How could a simple phone call kill a man? Did he know something? Or was he just a victim of my selfishness, Mr. Tima, Travis, and now a man I could hardly remember the name of. I think it was James.

Alec was watching me carefully. “Less graphic, if you don’t mind, John.”

“Ah. Hello Princessa.” I could picture his smug grin, blood thickening under the vampire’s deceptively handsome features.

Alec warned, “get on.”

“I am still looking for the man’s stash. But I reckon the policia will be on their way soon.” There was a crunch on the other side of the line and a grunt. “Ain’t no way neighbors didn’t hear the screams.”

I bit, before I could realize he was baiting me, “how do we know you didn’t just do it yourself?” Alec put a hand on the back of my neck, rubbing his thumb in small circles. The sparks from his touch calmed me. But only a little.

John ignored the accusation anyways as Alec prompted, “anything else?” I crossed my arms, Alec’s hand falling from my body as I flopped back onto the bed and turned away. I hated this guy.

“Yeah. Those agents on your case,” he started. There was some shuffling and a few scratches on the phone’s connection before he spoke again. “They’ve been missing for a few months now.”

“A few months!” My head whipped to Alec. Had it really been that long since we’d seen them?

His tongue ran along his bottom lip, creases appearing between his brows.

“Somebody wants your daddy to stay dead, sweetheart – found it.”

A cracking sound was followed by a rumbling crash that I could only identify as stray rubble like a wall falling in on itself after the collapse of a building. A few beeps from John’s side had me imagining a safe before the squeal of peeling metal interrupted his attempt. Guess he couldn’t figure out the code. “Cash, identities. Nothing useful.”

“Did you check his office?”

John barked sarcastically, “the human’s a genius now.” I’ll take that as a yes. His tone shifted, “hang on. Boy.”

Alec grit his teeth as he answered, “what?”

“Lose the attitude, kid.” He waited, but Alec didn’t snap back. But telling from how hard he was biting his cheek, he wanted to. “Isn’t there a Jaspére painting in the portrait hall?” I pinned this new location in the back of my mind, ready to question how no one had thought to let me at least glance in such a room. I was almost offended, but now was not the time.

Alec managed a coarse, “why?”

“I’ll wait.” Alec couldn’t have been gone more than ten seconds before he was gripping the phone again and pacing his room, leaving it on speaker as I climbed to hang my legs over the side of the bed. The phone had been replaced beside me with a painting the size of the Mona Lisa. I turned the frame carefully towards me as the two men tried to communicate.

The boy informed, “it is here.”

As if he expected Alec to be lying, John scoffed, “then, this is some extraordinary replica I’m looking at.” I tried to bite my tongue, but a mute gasp passed over my tongue.

“Alec.” He held up a finger with an apologetic look that lasted for the brief moment he made eye contact with me.

“Speak plainly,” Alec demanded.

“It’s mine.” I interrupted. Against my better instincts, I trailed a finger over the centre of the canvas before dipping my nails into the thick paint to scratch it away. Alec’s eyes widened, horrified by my actions and he gripped my hand away from the art. I snatched it back. It was good to know he appreciated these things as much as I did. Even if he couldn’t spot a forgery when he saw one. “Look.”

You could just barely make out a small circle underneath the paint, enough to tell there was a definite mark, a delicate circle outlining a few loopy letters etched into the fabric, hidden from a backward view as it was printed on the wooden slate. My calling card.

Alec raised the phone back to his ear, the fact that he hadn’t turned the speakerphone off didn’t seem to matter. “Examine the painting,” he ordered but from the sound of it, John already was.

“Gently!” I urged, jumping up. The art appreciation side of me not finding any excuse for destroying the original.

There was silence on the other line and Alec squeezed my hand. I hadn’t realized I was gripping his for dear life – or rather, for the painting’s life.

I clutched Alec’s arm, both of us staring at the phone with growing distress.

"Tell your Masters their time is up," John mumbled ominously. Then slowly, barely verbal, "there are words here: cry havoc, and let slip the dogs of war."

The next few hours were a blur. Alec was seething but he never let me out of his sight, first bringing me with him to the throne room to discuss the threat John had relayed to us with the Kings. At least, I think that’s what they were talking about. I was in a daze, trying to process everything we’d been told and the implications aligned. My distraction was hardly a nuisance, except when on our way to Alec’s meeting he opted for carrying me after I’d tripped over my own feet.

Either way, I was now sitting on a couch that sunk way too deep, my knees tight to my chest as I stared forward at an empty table. Empty except for Alec’s task force, who sat in an intense discussion around it. Demetri, Felix, and Jane had joined this session, Prosper now seated on Jane’s other side. Alec stood behind the chair at the head of the table, his forearms resting on the back as he listened to the others and their debatably polite arguments.

The collar of his velvet frock coat was flipped up around his neck. It ended below the cut of his jaw, still slightly rounded by boyhood but sharpened by his high cheekbones. The shadows of the room darkened his eyes and hid behind his bangs, which had been swept to the side by the constant running of his fingers through his hair. His eyebrows were furrowed with such intensity that the deep set lines extended above his thick brows with dark ruby eyes narrowed into the table. His full lips remained in their natural pout, thinned only by the drag of his tongue across his lower lip.

The cutout in his high collar shirt revealed his Adam’s apple, which bobbed up and down as he swallowed, and the Volturi crest hung proudly around his neck. I glanced up to see his eyes already on me, not daring to break the impassive soldiering expression he dawned in his position of power. But I felt the pull as well. I pushed myself to my feet and crossed behind the vampires. Not even Dorian acknowledged me.

Alec rolled his chair back enough for me to sit, pushing it back in once I had. Sitting at the head of the table was an odd sensation, but I seemed to be the only one to notice it. Only one or two pairs of eyes flickered to acknowledge me, a small smile following before they refocused. However, my presence seemed to bring about the one topic I’d been avoiding in these last several hours.

“And what does Saffiya’s father have to do with any of this?”

There was a break in the conversation as all heads turned to Alec. “I am sending Prosper to assist John in identifying any possible connections.”

“So, in other words, we have no idea.” Jane turned a glare on Dorian, whose attitude was practically begging for her gift. She held back, however. Alec had made it clear that he wanted a team, and that meant they couldn’t be afraid to disagree with him. When appropriate. As if fear wasn’t his favourite way to get things done.

However, neither twin needed to make a move, as Hamzah slapped his hands down on the table and leaned across it. “Hey Dorian, you tried to eat the boss’s mate. Maybe he’ll move past it if you offer something useful instead of just being a prick, yeah?”

Dorian’s face turned furious and he went to stand when Percy’s hand landed on his shoulder. He sunk back in his chair, dark eyes fixed on the smug brown skinned male across from him.

“Hamzah.” Alec growled harmlessly once they’d settled. Hamzah defended him and shamed the Albanian man for attacking me all at once. If he wasn’t before, he was definitely on Alec’s good side, despite the dramatics. I tried to hide the snicker on my lips as said guy, older than twenty but as mature as a twelve-year-old, rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. If he could blush, he’d be red as a tomato.

“Maliq.” We’d moved on. “You’re to handle Isander in the meantime. This takes precedence.” Who?

A malicious grin grew on Maliq’s face as naturally as sandpaper. “What’s a few more weeks in the cells?” The rhetorical question had Alec nodding, but he neither praised nor condemned the response.

Prosper stepped in to assist, “those without an assignment need to reach out to the reserve guard, per the Kings’ orders.”

Amaya leaned forward, her red hair pulled back into a loose braid. “And if they are not willing?”

“Remind them that prey is simpler to catch when it remains oblivious to the pursuit.”

Jane’s cold tone left an uncomfortable cloud over the room and the occupants were clearly itching to escape the threat of a new world order. Alec decided his sister’s words were a suitable closure.

“Dismissed.”

None of the lower guards stuck around this time, including Jane, who left with a sharp look towards her brother. She’d faked it under the eyes of the other guards, but their reconciliation would have to take a backseat to the matter at hand. Felix and Demetri either didn’t notice or took care not to.

Demetri nudged me, “you okay, kiddo?”

I smiled softly, hoping to get away with the false display. His frown showed I hadn’t fooled him, but before either of them could push, Demetri glanced behind me.

“We’ll give you two a minute.”

As soon as the door closed, I was on my feet. Alec was already by my side, catching me as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He returned the gesture, sending lightning through my spine and not letting me go too far when I broke the embrace.

I rested my hands on his chest, closing the distance between us as I fiddled with the button on his tunic. I think the emotions of the last few hours had weighed us down, leaving us to act even more on instinct than before. The nerves still fluttered in my stomach, stunned that I’d just hugged him so outwardly and he hadn’t even hesitated to bring me in closer.

“What happens now?” I asked.

His fingers ran along my sides absentmindedly, just as restless as me. “Now, we know Razin’s Resistance lacks the requisite strength to engage us directly.”

“As in attack Volterra?” He nodded. The very idea was improbable, yet it had been Zafir’s earliest threat. His claim that Razin would stand on the Volturi’s ashes in the throne room was perceived as a nuisance until we began to connect the dots, Elizabeth’s kidnapping, and the attack on the train. My voice dropped to a near whisper as I breathed out, “how do you figure that?”

Alec tilted his head side to side before answering. “If he believed his newborn army could prevail against us on our own territory, he would not have orchestrated such an elaborate production,” Alec shared. “Instead, he attempts to intimidate us into submission.” By murdering innocent humans in a, and I quote, ‘bloodbath’. The Volturi hardly managed to care about my human life. Why would Razin think this attack would make the Volturi fear him enough to step aside? It was ludicrous – unless we’d given him more credit than he deserved.

“It may suggest that targeting you and me is no longer Razin’s main priority.” Or he was just waiting for us to come out in the open, which was what Alec had always feared. “Though I suspect it never was.”

I closed my eyes, leaning my chin on his chest. “You think it’s because we’ve been secluded inside the castle. Don’t you?”

He hesitated, his lack of conviction surprising me as his arm tightened around my waist. “It is possible that Vladimir’s failure to secure our capture or death may have been a deterrent to pursuing us further. Razin knew he could no longer catch us unaware.” I refrained from commenting back. We’d known this since the Cullens, which was apparently months ago. I prodded for actual information rather than his processing.

“Then why me? Why my father? What –” My voice cracked and my hands pulled the fabric of his shirt as they tightened into fists. He tried to avoid the questions or rather the answers, but that was pretty hard when he refused to release me either. “I know you,” I practically pleaded with him. “I know you have a theory.”

Alec shook his head at himself before risking a glance at me. He gave in, clarifying, “I have observations. Nothing concrete.” Same difference.

I pushed, “Well?” He pursed his lips.

“We…” he corrected himself, “the Volturi has no weakness.” I waited, shrugging my shoulders expectantly. “But you do.”