Prelogue

The hunt was on. Demetri prowled the land, closing in quickly on the scent of human blood. A small, auburn blonde girl came into his sights, and the scent of her blood left him momentarily dizzy. There was only one reason for that reaction, but Demetri did not dwell on that long. He could see her clearly, sitting on the park bench with the courtesy lights shining brightly on her pale face.

Though no sound was made on Demetri's approach, the young girl turned her head slightly as if she knew he was there. One long, wavy lock of hair fell over her shoulder, concealing her expression. It was then that Demetri knew a casual approach would be best. The thought pattern he was receiving from her was thin, which amped his curiousity about the human girl. As a tracker, he followed thoughts to find people, and they were usually thick, full streams of information. Aro might want this one for himself.

She turned as he tapped her shoulder, startling him just a bit. He spoke first.

"Well now, you look lonely. What are you reading?" Demetri asked, indicating the book open on her lap.

"The Shadow In The Dark," the girl whispered, not looking at him.

"Wonderful book. How terribly rude of me. I am Demetri. What do they call you, angel?"

"Sagira," she said, still whispering.

"I do believe that is Ancient Egyptian?" Demetri breathed right back.

"Yes."

"What is bothering you?" he slipped in casually.

"Nothing of concern."

"But it is concering someone, is it not?"

Sagira sighed in resignation and frustration, keeping her eyes downcast. "I need a job. But the things that are available disgust me."

"Well. What are you capable of doing?"

"Why?"

"I might have a job for you. Are you willing?"

"What does it entail?"

"It's just a maid job. I work for three men that are serious neat freaks. But their last maid got pregnant and had to leave. They do their best to keep things clean, but it is not always easy. And they get bored of each other's company. It's a well paying job-what, three figures a month? If you are interested, I would be happy to take you there."

"Give me reason to trust you," Sagira said bluntly. She still had not raised her voice above a whisper. Demetri released her black shrouded shoulder and stepped carefully around the bench she was sitting on.
"I guess I can't," he said flatly. Sagira nodded and stood with a fluid grace, closing her book and pulling up a big, loose black hood over her hair and eyes before Demetri had the presence of mind to check their color.

"That works. Where to?"

"You will see." Demetri reached out and pressed a nerve on Sagira's neck, right behind her ear, effectively knocking her cold.

Demetri then sighed and picked her up, beginning the long trip to Voltura, Italy.

Chapter 1

Sagira woke up silently, with no indication of change. She was being carried, straddling someone's back as they walked through a dark, cold tunnel. Sagira heard iron clang against stone, then was carried through a door where she could suddenly see.

The stone hallway was bright white, warm, and an elevator was at the end of it. A bolt sliding into place made Sagira restless, but she didn't show it. A short elevator ride later brought Sagira and Demetri into a luxurious waiting room with thick, dark green carpets. A green eyed, brown skinned woman-the receptionist- watched Demetri carry his burden halfway down an intricately designed hallway.

A panel in the wall slid to the side, and Sagira couldn't see what happened because her hood moved into her eyes, but when she was moved forward again, she assumed that a door had been exposed. A cold draft chilled her again, but that didn't prevent her from noticing how the small room became a huge, round room like the turret of a castle. No light came through the high, rectangular windows due to the fact that it was nighttime. Only the moon, and she doubted that would be sufficient enough to see anything. Sagira couldn't even see the throne like chairs scattered at uneven intervals in the empty room. She didn't even hear three men enter the room, didn't even know that one was in front of her until she was set, standing, on the ground and her hood was cast off.

A man was standing, cloaked, in the darkness before Sagira. As her hair fell down to her waist, she was pulled violently back against Demetri. A paper thin voice demanded to know what was going on.

"I have brought you three something."

"For what purpose?"

"She wants a job."

"And we should not kill the both of you this moment for what reason?" a second voice asked icily.

"Why did you pull me?" Sagira demanded quietly, trying to change the subject.

It worked. The man in front of her answered.

"He believed I was in danger with you so close to me, but I do love humans. I wish to keep you," he said softly.

"Aro," a man behind the one in front of her hissed. Sagira recognized it as the voice that had asked why both of them didn't deserve to die. "Quit with the arrogance and human loving."

"Caius," Aro mocked. "Quit with the scolding." A third man, whom Sagira could barely see in the darkness, drifted away to sit on one of the chairs concealed in the shadows. Caius pulled his hood down to get a better look at Sagira, his white hair flowing down past his shoulders. He pushed Aro aside, and Aro playfully complained, "Marcus, Caius is picking on me!"

Marcus did not answer, merely stared at the scene without the slightest hint of interest. Aro shoved his hood down as well, and his long black hair fell loose of its confinement.

"Release her, Demetri," Aro commanded, becoming serious again, and his order was instantly obeyed. Caius gripped Sagira's wrist and pulled her a few feet away from where they had been standing, and immediately she could see him in the moonlight. He gently gripped her jaw in his ice cold hand and guided her face up so she was forced to look at him.

His hair and flesh matched in their pale coloring, and his beautiful red eyes caught and held Sagira's hazel before she could even try to look away.

The book was gently pulled out of her hands by Aro, but Sagira couldn't move to protest. Her full mouth fell open in silent gasps of confusion and wonder. She couldn't explain it worth a damn, but his eyes...those blood red eyes...they were mesmerizing her...

"What is your name?" Caius breathed, his breath sweet on her face.

"Sagira," she shuddered. "Ho...how are you doing this to me?"

"I am a very talented individual," Caius said.

Marcus hissed, but remained an uninterested mask. Aro chuckled.

"It has to do with the mind. Power of suggestion," he laughed.

Demetri reached out and touched Aro's palm.

"No, I do not believe so. It is to be determined. And I believe Caius shall make that determination." Aro released Demetri's hand and turned to look at Sagira, and Caius looked away and released her so that the spell would be broken. But Aro took over where his older brother had left off, and Sagira wondered why his eyes were misty. She also wondered why she didn't feel as strongly mesmerized by his eyes as she did by Caius'. He stood, towering over her, their bodies not touching. Sagira was unnerved by him being mere inches away, but could not move to put distance between them.
"Your name. It is Ancient Egyptian?" Aro asked conversationally, still holding her entranced.

"Yes...it means-"

"Little one," Aro finished for her. "I have seen the hieroglyphics and know the Egyptian language inside and out, as do my brothers. There is almost no language at least one of us does not know." Aro released his mental hold on her with a half smile, and one of his teeth looked a little long...

A realization hit her hard. "You guys aren't human." Sagira said suddenly.

"There is no way you are albino. They have pink eyes, not red. The touching and odd way of speaking...The way you said 'human'... Oh my God. V...va...." Sagira couldn't finish the word. Caius drifted over and took hold of her again, wrapping his thin arms around her tightly and staring deep into her hazel eyes once more.

"Volturi vampires," he breathed, inches from her mouth.

Aro reached out to Demetri this time.
"Thank you, Master. I will greatly enjoy that." A wide grin showed fangs, but Sagira didn't see it. Neither did she see him leave the room to go hunt for food for himself. She couldn't tear her eyes from Caius'. So Caius smirked and let it slowly morph into a fang bearing grin, and Sagira's mouth fell open in an O of shock. She couldn't seem to remember how to breathe, and the air came and went in little gasps. Caius' fangs were long, and sharper than any razor.

Sagira could tell that Caius very much enjoyed torturing people. He leaned forward just slightly, and a lock of long white hair slid over his shoulder, framing the side of his pale face. To Sagira, he looked so beautiful, so dangerously beautiful. She suddenly wanted to kiss him so bad, but they both stood there, unmoving statues.

His fangs were merely an inch away from her mouth, but Sagira was not as afraid as she was entranced.

Everyone was watching as Caius ran his fang very lightly against the sensitive flesh of Sagira's lip, and even though he did so very gently, her lip was sore when he pulled away. She sucked it into her mouth and realized it was bleeding, which caused her hazel eyes to widen-his fangs were damn sharp! Caius smirked again.

Aro busied himself drifting around the empty room, mulling over the millions of thoughts he had seen in his lifetime. Marcus sat as a statue, uninterested in all that was happening. Sagira groaned and tried to pull away, but it was pointless. Caius didn't even have to try to hold her.

"Look, I was told there was a maid position available?" She asked dryly. Aro came out of his million thought mulling long enough to nod, bouncing back and forth on his heels. He drifted over to Marcus and began playing with his long black hair, back in thought.

"Yes, there is one available. I am taking it that you are interested?" Caius breathed. Sagira made the mistake of looking up at him, her being 5'0" and him being well over that, and meeting his eyes. The moment she did, she felt that familiar tremor run down her spine and the icy feeling grip her, and she was once again caught up in that cold, mesmerizing stare.

Aro proceeded to whap Marcus' skull continuously with the book, until Marcus' hand shot out and caught his brother's wrist. Aro scowled and wrenched free, then went back to happily mussing his older brother's hair, to which Marcus sighed and endured the torture.

"Yes..." Sagira choked out.

"Excellent. Most excellent. You do have a uniform, you understand."

"I don't care as long as it is modest and it is clothes. Caius and Aro exchanged glances and Sagira saw it, which sent her paranoid mind into overdrive. She fought hard to calm herself and won. Then she changed the subject.

"I know your secret now. I can't leave, can I?"

"No no no-oo," Aro chimed.

"There was no pregnancy with the last maid, was there." It wasn't a question.

Aro repeated his answer.

"You guys...what? Ate her?"

Aro, Marcus, and Caius all enjoyed a good laugh at that one.

"No, dear little one," Caius chuckled. "We simply drained every drop of blood in her body."

"Wonderful."
"It was."

Sagira shuddered, and Caius chuckled again.

"Hehh hehh hehh...you are cold?" Caius asked, his eyes half closed as he stared down his nose at her. He released her, unhooking his cloak and wrapping it around her shoulders. Strangely, it was warm for having been on a body who's core temperature had to have been somewhere in the negatives.

"Thanks," Sagira choked out, unsure of what else to say. "When can I start?"

"So confident that you have the job?" Caius asked arrogantly, retucking his black silk shirt into his black leather pants, his Volturi family crest flashing on his right ring finger.

"You told me you weren't going to let me leave. I doubt that I did anything to get eaten, or drained, so yes, I do believe the position is now filled." Sagira cut off abruptly before she could let her emotions take her over. She really didn't feel like getting killed, so she knew that she should not say too much.

Caius wrapped his arms back under his cloak and tightly around her, burying his face in her neck and inhaling deeply.

"Yes..." he breathed against her tingling flesh. He looked over Sagira's shoulder at Aro and nodded. Aro bounced happily on his heels again. "Your scent is intoxicating...and very pure. No man has ever possessed you, yes?" Caius asked Sagira's neck.

"And none will. Men are filthy creatures. Selfish. I hate them." Sagira seethed.

"A man has hurt you?" Caius inquired. Sagira ignored him.

Aro drifted away from his brother, who was busy pulling out several braids in his hair, over to the moonlit couple. He raised his hand and looked at her questioningly, and she stared back with the same expression.

"He wishes to see into your mind," Caius chuckled. "He sees every thought you have ever had, and Marcus reads relationships."

"Every?" Sagira choked.

"Every," Caius repeated, releasing her and stepping back. Sagira didn't want to admit to the strange emptiness she felt without Caius holding her.

"What have I to hide?" Sagira mused, reaching out her hand. Aro's cold, skeletal hand wrapped around hers, and she felt a whisper of presence in her mind. Her body became entirely too cold, and she shivered even as she couldn't take her eyes away from his. Sagira could feel a portion of Aro's strength just through his hand, and she knew that if this playful vampire ever became angered, he could easily rip her to shreds.

Aro smiled, and it was a sweet, albeit unnerving, smile. Releasing her hand, he said, "Thank you. That was very interesting."

"What did you find out, brother ours?" Caius asked innocently.

"Well, she is eighteen, pure, and shy until you anger her. The only real sin she has ever commited is a few counts of minor thievery, and some of the thoughts she has are surprising, even to me. She is a manic depressant. Her mother was Egyptian and her father American, but somehow she managed to have pure white skin. I believe her mother worked in the house all her life. She inherited her father's hair color and her mother's eyes, along with a bit of their own color since her mothers are a brownish green...I surmise the golden coloring threw itself in. As for what happened with a man, I will leave that to her to tell you."

"Oh God thank you." Aro nodded. "My mother was very lightly colored, my father was as you said, and I never go outside in the daytime. I..."

"You play vampire," Aro finished with a chuckle.

"Yes," Sagira whispered.

"You always wanted to be one, but were afraid."

Sagira shivered. He really had seen everything. She gasped. That meant-

"Yes. I know what you look like when you are undressed. You do not have to be afraid or ashamed of your body. It is wonderful. You also have nothing to fear from me. I have no intention of harming you. Which is a lot to say, for I wonder if you realize what the scent of a virgin's blood does to a vampire?"

Sagira shook her head. Caius stepped forward.

"I believe you know. It has more of a call than any other human's blood. We desire it strongly, and it gives us the best sustenance. So it is difficult for us to comprehend how other vampires were able to keep their distance from you."

Caius' expression suddenly changed and he turned around with a sneer. "Aro, leave my hair alone. Pick on Marcus." At that last part, Marcus growled, low in his chest. Caius pulled his hood up and turned back on Sagira. "If they will not learn to respect their eldest brother, they will never learn anything!" he grumbled.

Sagira almost didn't hold in her laughter. But she knew it would be better for her if she did. Caius glared at her as if he knew what she was thinking. He was in front of her in half an instant, pinning her to Aro's body. His mouth descended on hers in a crush of ice, and even though she knew there was no point to struggling, Sagira tried for the briefest of times. Until Caius' cold hand was wrapped around her throat.

She froze when she realized that his hand was wrapped completely around her neck, fingers touching behind it. She scrunched her eyes, breathing heavily.

"Oh, so very interesting," Aro murmured to himself. Sagira knew that he was hearing her thoughts, so she cried out in her mind.

'Help me, he's crushing me!' she begged.

'He is not even using a tiny bit of his power, darling. You should be grateful that he is not using all the strength that his current level of rage allows. He is cooling down, just be patient and kiss him back. It will cool him down faster.'

Sagira took Aro's advice and kissed Caius back, and said vampire's hand slipped open so that it wasn't wrapped so tightly around her throat, but still rested on it. The kiss did not change, it was still icy and hard, but the underlying message morphed drastically. Instead of hatred, a sense of love rained through Sagira, and she relaxed against Aro's body and Caius' mouth. Caius pulled back without the slightest physical hint of what he had just done, completely contrary to Sagira's labored breathing. Sagira opened her eyes and Aro clapped the heels of his hands together, obviously bored, and Marcus glared at Aro, still attempting to untangle his hair.

Finally he gave up and left the room, not sparing Aro a very solid thwack on his skull.

"Doesn't he talk?" Sagira whispered.

"Don't you talk above a whisper?" Caius breathed.

"Not fair."

"Life," Aro chimed.

"Shut up." Aro grinned. "I think I know better than to threaten a vampire, so you can quit anticipating it," Sagira grumbled.

"Oh, no, dear little one," Caius said lightly. "You may threaten any vampire, just do not threaten a Volturi vampire. You do not irritate the Volturi. Unless you want to die."

"I don't. I just want a job. But could you please tell me if he talks?"

"If he remembers how to use his voice," Aro said thoughtfully. "Mostly he talks through me."

"Oh."

"What is the reason you whisper all the time?" Caius asked smoothly.

"I don't like talking."

"Right. Well. Come. We must get you fitted."

Sagira balked. Custom fit clothing? That was pure luxury. What had that other man-vampire, most likely- said? Three figures a month on pay? These guys must be rich!

Sagira didn't like rich men. Money, to her, was a waste of time. She made every stitch of clothing she owned out of old clothes that she was given with a small, delapidated-but working-sewing machine her mother had left her. She even grew and wove her own thread when she could.

Caius had to grip Sagira's wrist to bring her back to reality. Aro started drifing around the room again, mulling over his thoughts once more. Caius guided her past the door Marcus had gone through, and into a stone hallway. A few minutes of drifting through the hall later, Caius stopped at the wall. Waving his hand across it, a doorway became visible. Caius took Sagira into a huge, dark room that was frigid.

A huge, ornate wardrobe stood at the oppostite side of the room. When Caius walked to the center of the room and clapped, candles all around the room flared to life. He turned to face her, held out one hand, palm up, and bent one finger three times, beckoning her forward.

"Come," he breathed. His eyes met hers at the same time, and Sagira felt like it was a dream as she walked slowly forward and took his outstretched hand. "I require you to remove your clothing for me," he said in the same whisper of a voice.

It was then that Sagira's second meaningful realization of the night hit her. She was alone in this room with Caius, and even if she did try to run, she knew that he could catch her before she could move. Caius just stared at her, waiting. But for some reason, Sagira trusted him. So she removed both cloaks, her black jeans, black shirt, and black tennis shoes and socks.

Caius said nothing, just took the measurements he needed, brushing his hands on her body at frequent intervals. When he ran his hands on her throat, the wind exhaled from her lungs sounded like the shuddering last breath of a human before they died...or lived forever. Caius released her and walked over to the wardrobe with the measurements fresh in his mind. Reaching into the slightly ajar door of it, he pulled out a beautiful black and white outfit. Sagira stared in wonder at the mid thigh length, flared black skirt, the short sleeved, low cut, lace-necked white blouse, the shiny black Mary Jane heels, the long, loose white legwarmers, and the choker with the Volturi family crest on it an onyx stone. Caius handed Sagira the outfit with a chuckle, because the moment it was in her hands, she was pulling the skirt around her hips. Fingering the material, she balked and asked him why it was real silk. Caius did not answer, merely handed her the blouse. Sagira slipped into it, and it clung to her thin body like water, the lace of the neck starting at the middle of her breast swell and stopping below her collarbones. The same intricate pattern was on the ends of the sleeves, but it seemed too soft against her flesh to be normal lace.

Touching the delicate lace, she realized that it was made of silk threads. That explained that. Having pulled on the legwarmers to just below her knees, she slipped into the perfectly fitting shoes. Since the warmers were originally thigh length and were instead around the undersides of her knees, the remaining length bunched around her ankles. It was then that Caius drifted over and put the choker into place with a satisfied smile, adjusting the black ribbon so that it was snug against her flesh.
"Your bra does not show. That is a good thing. Something is bothering you?"

Sagira realized that something had been bugging her. "Yea. I read a lot about vampires, and the royal families were always my favorite, because you have to be strong and survive to become royalty. I think I remember reading that the Volturi family lives in Volterra, Italy. So, I'm not in rockford anymore, am I?"

"Very good observation," Caius granted as he gathered up her old clothes. "Which means you have to live here. Not something you want to do very often, going from Italy to America multiple times. Were I you, that is. Come. We must find you a room. And you must worry not, for all of your possessions at your ramshackle apartment have been transported safely here." He drifted towards the door, and even though he was moving slow, Sagira had to hurry to keep up with him. The instant they exited the room, the candles died with the same rush of air that Sagira had made.

"So where are you two going?" Aro's voice coming up from behind Sagira startled her. She spun around and he looked approvingly at the outfit she wore.

His eyes lowered to her throat. "You look beautiful wearing our crest," he mused.

"Does she not?" Caius asked smugly. Aro brushed hair out of Sagira's eyes, the brief contact sending a shockwave through her. Something felt out of place in her mind after that, like something had been added or removed...but Sagira couldn't place it. Aro just chuckled softly at seeing what his brother had done in the room with candles. Sagira shook her head rapidly and Caius glanced at Aro like he had when she had mentioned how the uniform had to be modest and they realized she was a virgin in mind and body.

"Can we please get me this room if I can't go back to america? And what time is it?"

"Midnight. Italy is one hour ahead of america. Chicago, in truth. But rockford is in the same timezone, so." Aro shrugged.

"Quit with your brambling, Aro."

"Quit with your scolding," Aro mocked. Caius scowled and chased his brother down the hall. When he caught him, he slammed him into the wall by his throat and sank his fangs deep into his brother's neck. Sagira watched in wonder and fear, choking back a scream. She couldn't see Aro's face because his head was bent back, but he wasn't moving. When Caius pulled away, Aro sunk to the floor-laughing.

Sagira's eyes took up half of her face as Caius turned away from his brother and saw her. Blood was dripping down the sides of his mouth, and he looked so savage...Sagira shivered as Caius stalked slowly towards her, every movement fluid. He stopped a hairsbreadth away from her, and her mouth fell open in fear and pleasure. Aro stood and dusted himself off, rubbing his neck.

Caius moved so fast that Sagira didn't realize what was happening until she was slammed into the wall with an icy hand around her neck. His tongue snaked out and got the blood that had dripped down the sides of his mouth, looking like a hungry wolf as he did so. Seriously believing Caius might bite her, Sagira had both hands down by her sides so as not to pose a challenge. Caius' hand loosened again and this time, after resting on her throat for a bit, slid slowly down the front of her body until it fell away and rested by his side again.

"What was that all about?" Sagira asked shakily. Aro laughed.

"He is playing. He plays rough." Aro winked at that one with a chuckle. Sagira shook. Caius laughed and took a step back, letting her pass. When she was next to him, he swept her up onto one arm with ease. Shrieking, she clawed frantically for support, and Aro caught her hand and chuckled when he caught her thoughts about what she would love to let Caius do to her.

Caius balanced her and walked along with no effort. Sagira tore her hand away from Aro and crossed her arms in frustration at the strength and arrogance of vampires.

Caius set her down in front of a very intricately designed door, tracing some of the lines with his finger. When he did, the door opened quietly. He looked down at Sagira at an angle with a mischievious, barely there smirk. His red eyes gleamed with something Sagira couldn't identify as he clapped again. Sagira expected the candles so they didn't startle her, but the beauty of the room did. Caius did not take his eyes off of her as she walked slowly into the room. Aro bounced on his heels again, watching her as well, but with a different kind of interest from what sparkled in Caius' eyes. With Aro, it was purely a 'wow, she is really cool, maybe she would be a good little sister,' interest. With Caius, he wanted to Embrace her. Aro asked Sagira if she liked her room, and all she could do in response was breathe that strange, deathly exhalation.

On the stone floor in the center was a huge stone mural set in the floor that proudly boasted the Volturi family crest in black and gray.

The ebony wood bed in the far left corner had a beautiful black lace canopy curtaining it. The ebony dresser sat a few feet away from its right, decorated in gold designs that looked vaguely like dragons and handles that appeared to be cast iron.

A marble vanity sat nestled in the corner to the right of the dresser, proudly displaying Sagira's blushing reflection. On the wall in front of the vanity was a long, ebony bookshelf that had very few books on it, and most of them were vampire lore. Sagira's heels clicked softly on the stone floor as she walked directly across the room from the door to stare at the huge black, white, gray and red mural on the wall. It was vampires, all sitting formally with no expressions on their pallid faces. All of their eyes were bright red, and they all stared forward. The women all sat in front with the men standing behind them, and there must have been close to one hundred and fifty vampires there. They were covered in gothic style black clothing, the men in suits and ties, the women in high, lace necked, long, puffy sleeved blouses and floor length skirts pulled primly around their knees so not a wrinkle existed. The men had their hands folded at their waists, a ring with the Volturi family crest on each of their right ring fingers.

The women all were wearing the same choker that Sagira had on. They were all so beautiful. All so dangerous. All part of the Volturi family line.

Caius stepped up behind Sagira. "That picture was changed a great number of times. If you look very carefully, you shall notice that there are sections. There is perhaps ten Volturi per section, five males, five females. They were taken one at a time over the centuries and placed together."

Sagira listened intently, then when Caius gestured with a sweep of his arm for her to continue looking around, she did. A turret was at the opposite end of the room as the bed but on the same wall, and all it possessed was a dark gray leather window seat wrapped around its circumfrence- no windows. Aro drifted past Caius and pressed five stones in sequence in the wall to the right of the door. An opening revealed itself, and Sagira walked back over and stepped inside a deep, wall-length closet. Someone tapped her shoulder and she got out quickly, only to have her face guided upwards to the ceiling.

A beautiful wrought iron chandelier hung down from the high ceiling, and every holder where there should be a light held a black candle. Sagira tried the clapping that Caius did, and half of the candles lit up instantly. Caius chuckled darkly. Sagira scowled as Caius lit the rest of them. The dim glow made the room very mysterious and shadowy. Sagira had been able to see everything by the candles in holders in each of the corners mounted on the wall, which still cast soft, flickering lights.

"Yes, I love it," she said in response to Aro's question.

"You do understand that we wish to be called our names," Aro said pleasantly. "That is the purpose of possessing one. To be used. Is that not correct?"

"Sorry," Sagira whispered. "You're...Aro, right?"

"I have been called many names by Caius there, but yes, that is my birth name," Aro chuckled. "You have no reason for apologies," he soothed.

"Why haven't they killed me yet?" Sagira mused softly to herself, forgetting that Caius was right behind her.

"If that is what you wish, it would be all too easy. We use humans often to aid us in our every day endeavors. When they are no longer useful, they are sustenance."

Sagira whirled around, seething, but before she could say anything, she realized what he had said.

'It would be all too easy.' Not, 'it would be my pleasure.' Did that mean anything? Sagira found herself hoping it did. She shook her head rapidly to dispel the thoughts she found herself getting.

"No I do not wish it."

"Are you nocturnal, or do you require rest?" Aro asked politely.

"I have been nocturnal for as long as I can remember."

"Perfect. Then you shall not mind a grand tour of our rooms."

"I would love that. Thank you."

Aro took hold of her hand before she could stop him, and he relinquished it over to Caius with a wink at Sagira. Caius' eyes met hers, and his mouth turned up in that barely visible, mischievious smirk of his.