Yeaaaaaah, y'all knew I was totally gonna cave. I just can't leave these guys alone ^.^ So I decided to announce my decision with a whole big sequel-randomly-appears-one-day-like-freaking-MAGIC! instead of just announcing it as a tack-on message. Cause I'm a drama queen like that. Before we start off on a whole new shitstorm together, I just have to say one thing:

Oh, Micheal Sheen, you are fabulous. Seriously. Aro in BD2 just had me in raptures. Perfection. Gave me another awesome take on our resident not-too-sane vampire king.

So...yeah. Enjoy!

Call,

Call me alive,

Your heart carries mine,

Don't leave me to die,

I'm alright.

A sigh of relief gusts through my lips as my sensitive eyes catch the sight of the beautiful ancient city, glowing on the hilltop just a few miles ahead.

"Thank Christ," Felix mutters, clearly as pleased as I am to be home. It's been a long fortnight that seemed to drag on for a few squillion millenia. Especially due to the fact that Alec hasn't been with me. He hasn't even been holed up in Volterra. He's been in Hamburg with Jane, Demetri and Chelsea, dealing with a similar situation to the one Felix, Afton, Corin and I went to tackle. Small covens of vampires scattered across Europe and beyond, making holy shows of themselves, snatching random humans and turning them. And, of course, these newborns don't have the care and experienced elders that I had at the beginning, so they're running riot. It's a new pattern that has developed, and Caius and Aro are not happy bunnies. Caius strongly suspects an alterior motive, but that's just Caius. He's paranoid out the ass.

I was originally supposed to go in Jane's place to Hamburg and she in mine to Siberia (when I first heard Siberia I had been absolutely shitting myself to go and hunt me some werewolves. Real werewolves – big and hunched over on two hind legs with claws like Edward Scissorhands and teeth like Predator. Not like the oversized puppies that Jacob kid that was latched to the Cullens. But Caius grudgingly scoffed at me and told me through his teeth how he had personally hunted 'those vile creatures' to near extinction, and the chances of me coming across one were about as likely as Marcus donning a coconut bra and doing the can-can...alright, that may have been my example). However, Alec tactfully suggested that maybe he and Jane should go together. And, shocking as this may sound, I didn't overreact and cling and sulk like a child. In fact, I understood. I have him to myself most days...and nights...and it might not be the worst thing in the world to share him occasionally with his twin sister. The ying to his yang, I suppose you could say.

However, this separation was making me very tense and antsy. We didn't even bring cellphones with us, so we had no method of communication other than Demetri letting Alec know every so often that I was in fact alive and kicking and not ashes to the wind. However, I had no such comfort and Felix had to repeatedly assure me that Alec was a professional and could handle himself. And I had to hang on to my attempt at maturity and not remind them of not one, but two examples of why that, in fact, was not true.

Corin outtakes all of us in a few swift bounds, taking advantage of the fact that my newborn strength is slowly beginning to wane. In just four short months, when I officially hit my year mark, it'll start deteriorating a hell lot faster until I'm just as strong as an average vampire of my size. With the likes of Felix and Demetri around, that ain't something that I'm anticipating with too much enthusiasm. I need some edge in a house full of strong, talented monsters.

Corin cackles triumphantly and shoots ahead , her cloak billowing behind her like a big black flag. A low growl of competition rolls off my tongue, and I utilise my remaining extra strength to lengthen my strides and dart past her again. I snicker with glee when Corin huffs, and in the distance, Volterra nears with every touch of our feet to the ground. I hear Corin's teeth grit.

Oh yes, the race. Is. So. On.

"You know, if you two could quit your games for five minutes and give us a hand with this, it would be greatly appreciated," Afton calls from behind. I can hear bits of stone flesh clacking together, as parts of the disembodied vampire rattle around in his grasp.

"I still don't get why we couldn't just haul his ass back here in one piece," Corin drawls, her leg launching out sideways, trying to catch me unaware as we hurdle down a steep hill.

"Don't look at me," Felix complains, juggling body parts of his own (oh how bad that sounds...no. Stop. Maturity, remember? I bet Caius that I could act as mature as the next vampire, in return for permission to buy my own car. I want my own car. Alec can no longer be bribed into letting me use his since I tried to steer with my teeth. What? I never claimed to make good decisions. Alec certainly didn't appreciate huge gouges out of his pretty silver-and-leather steering wheel). "Nyx is the one who beheaded the frisky bastard."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Don't blame me, man! He tried to pull my head off by my hair. I'm lucky I'm not coming home bald."

"Besides," Corin chirrups as I skip over her feet. "You guys were the one who ripped the rest of him into nice bite-sized pieces. We could easily have stuck the fucker back together."

"Oh, but what fun would that have been?" Felix grumbles.

"Oh, and Nyx?" Corin calls, a smirk in her voice. "If you had come home with an enormous bald patch, I'm sure we could have gotten Caius to help you style your hair nicely." I whip my head back just in time to catch her teasing wink. She and I share a catty snicker.

There have been several conversations between us about my desire for Caius's hair. Ugh, it's just so...perfect. Like a shiny blonde waterfall plonked on his head. Not a bit like mine – dark and difficult. Gah! I should not envy a man!

Corin lunges past me again, overtaking me and darting several steps ahead. I blink in surprise, my teeth baring together automatically. When Corin laughs, I growl.

"So, do you think Aro will get anything interesting out of this guy?" Afton asks Felix as they lag behind us, arms full of vampire.

"I damn well hope so, or else this whole trip was a waste o- oh for God's sakes!"

And that is when I rugby-tackle Corin, catching her around the waist and sending us both skidding and sprawling along some even ground. Corin gives a high-pitched, surprised yelp that makes my ears ring. We tumble over and over eachother, taking chunks out of the grassy earth as we go.

Felix and Afton don't bother to stop and help us - even if their hands were available to help - they simply breeze past us without breaking stride. Eventually, Corin and I stop rolling, coming to an unsteady stop in a big knotball of tangled limbs and messy hair.

"Nyx!" Corin screeches, and I follow her gaze to a clump of dirt knotted into her long white hair. Ouch. My bad.

I unjumble myself from her, springing to my feet, eyes bright and flashing giddily. My strength might be waning, but my newborn energy is as hyped as ever. Much to the dismy of many - many boring grownups. I bounce on my toes, and when I speak, my voice is near-hysteric.

"Race is still on!" I yip, springing forward eagerly and launching back into full-speed throttle. Behind me, I hear Corin give a snarl and begin to rocket after me.

We sprint uphill, keeping a safe distance between ourselves for the sake of Corin's hair and my manners. We leap simultainiously as we near the large wall surrounding our city, clearing it swiftly. Corin does it with much more style than my hop-tuck-n'-roll method. She poises herself on her hands on top of the wall, then uses the strength in her arms to flip herself back onto her feet on the other side.

One day I will be that cool, I promise myself as we break into a run again, darting past all the houses with their sleepy, tasty inhabitants. One day. Maybe not this millenia, maybe not NEXT millenia, but ONE MILLENIA, I swear I will be able to do neat little acrobatics without looking like a twat on steroids.

It's close, very close. We both dive for the manhole - left open for us. Awh, how thoughtful - knowing that only one of us is going to get through first. The winner.

Gritting my teeth, my compeditive streak really kicks in.

I attempt another tuck-and-roll just as Corin steps into the empty air, and we both plummet. Corin lands on the damp, cobbled stones on the tips of her toes - a fraction of a moment after me.

Felix and Afton are waiting for us a couple of feet away, both smiling like half-amused, half-worried parents, shaking their heads. I punch the air in triumph, my teeth gleaming behind my wide grin.

"I win! I fucking win!"

Corin shrieks. "Cheat! Foul! You did not!"

I spin on my toes, dancing away from her before she can pull my ears off or some shit. "Yes I did so! I win!"

"Did not!"

"Actually," Afton intervenes smoothly, smiling toothily as our heads snap sideways to look at him. "I win."

He flashes his dimples.

Corin and I, both bug-eyed and slack-jawed, scream in unison: "WHAT?!"

Felix smirks as the high-pitched keen of our voices echo through the tunnel. Afton shrugs nonchalantly.

"You both lost. I came through the manhole first, Felix second."

"You weren't even racing!" I growl, as Corin stamps her black Converse and sweeps past him with her nose in the air, a hiss bursting sharply through her teeth.

"Who says we wern't?" Felix retorts, grinning. Shit sakes! Why is no one afraid of my newborn temper anymore? There was a time when people would duck and cover and use the furniture as shields when I let fly. Now all I get are remarks about replacing Jane as the baby of the family. Which I do not appreciate. Not one smidgen of a bit.

My mouth pops open again in disbelief, my fingers clawing at my hair in exsasperation as half-formed protests fall gracelessly from my lips. Afton gives a low chuckle and follows Corin, shaking his head. With a crooked grin, Felix beckons me with a toss of his head.

"C'mon, short shit. The Masters are waiting for us."

He turns on his heel and makes his way down the tunnel, still clutching free-range vampire bits. My lips push outwards in an angry pout.

Fuck no. I don't feel like acting like a mature Guard member. I feel like standing here and sulking. I cross my arms stubbornly. Fucking Afton. That sly bastard. No wonder Chelsea likes him so damn much.

A drop of water drips next to my feet. Hmmm. I'm suddenly very aware that I'm all by myself in these dank, creepy tunnels. Alone with the spiders.

"Oh, shit. Wait for me! Hold up a minute, would ya?"

vVv

Aro, Caius and Marcus are painfully predictable. Really they are. If the vampires of the world knew that all they did was sit on their royal asses in the same spot all damn day, no doubt they'd be very headless by now.

Maybe that's why Aro likes to keep an air of mystery around the Volturi.

The huge double doors are opened for us, and the four of us walk into the large stone room. I feel a pang of something in my stomach at the familliar sights and scents. I still havn't gotten over my whole clingy homesick problems. I find it hard to believe that there was a time when I would have happily died to escape Volterra. Now, I find it almost hurtful to leave.

"Aaah!" Aro exclaims delightedly, practically springing out of his throne to welcome us home. "Che gioia! How glad I am to have you all home safe and sound!"

Aro still hasn't recovered from the whole Romanian-capture escapade. Easy for him. It's not like he sat in his throne wringing his hands while I, like, died, or anything. Nup.

Caius' welcome is far less...welcoming. "We heard a tantrum, so we assumed that Corin and Phoenix must be home," he says snidely, shaking his head. My pout returns, twisting itself into a scowl.

Marcus sits there with a blank expression and says nothing. But I know he's glad to see us. I feel the love. I feel it.

I also find it hiiiiighly amusing how none of them are remotely surprised by the dismembered corpse we've lugged home. Not so much as a freaking blink. Sometimes I worry about the people I've ended up with. Sometimes I worry about the fact that I seem to fit in so easily with them. Mostly I try not to think of it.

I guess Felix and Afton are sick of carrying vampire, because they unload their armfuls and body parts clatter to the floor at Aro's feet. Aro's smile only widens.

"Oh, my dears! How very clever of you," he exclaims happily, his eyes brightening tenfold. Damn. If I hadn't seen him mad, I'd swear there was nothing scarier than seeing him happy.

Aro takes his time taking each of our hands, reading our memories of our trip. It happens as it usually happens with me - I squirm and cringe and die inside while he chuckles and 'hmm's and shakes his head.

Aro gives a low laugh, releasing my hand with a reassuring pat to the top of it. "Ah, Phoenix. How nice it is to see you warming to your role as a member of our family."

"I'm just toasty," I reply lightly. It's true. I do like being a member of the Volturi and doing what we do. But I'm also not an idiot. I know that Corin and Chelsea are playing a big role in my adjustment. Much bigger than anyone's letting on. It sure wasn't a coincidence that Corin - whose main duties remain at home - got to leave Volterra with us this time around. Seeing as I've never left Volterra without Alec, I guess Aro felt I might need the help. I wasn't complaining - Corin was good fun to have around. She's promised to teach me how to spin a dismembered head like a basketball the next time there's an execution at home.

Yeah, these are very serious trips we go on.

My nose wrinkles when Felix retrieves the dismembered head from the floor - it's jaw moving and black eyes rolling and flickering. I have to drop my lashes over my eyes pretty fucking fast to avoid some very not-nice feelings in my stomach. Bleugh. That's just freaking fucknasty.

Felix hands the head of the coven's leader to Aro, who grasps it firmly to read the lawbreaker's memories. We all watch Aro's expression flicker and change, and his teeth appear behind his lips. He's mad. Angry. Furious. Raging.

Oh...shit.

"Are Chelsea and the others back yet?" Afton asks hurriedly, his eyes darting from Aro to Caius somewhat anxiously.

"Not as of yet," Caius replies absentmindedly, watching Aro too. My heart sinks in disppointment - the second freaking Titanic.

Damn. I'd been hoping I wouldn't beat Alec home. Being seperated was okay when I was out doing stuff, but waiting restlessly at home is going to chew my nerves right up. What can I say? I'm needy. I don't like being reminded of times when he wasn't there. Renata assures me that I'll outgrow this phase - and I damn well hope she's right. I hate being the overly-clingy, dependant loser. It's just not me. I still remember there being a time when the only thing I would cling to was my pillow on a Monday morning. But then along came Alec Volturi, who worked his way into my mind and my heart that had been used for target practice several times over - quite a few times by him - and set up home. Now, he's stuck with me. Just as I'm stuck with him. Lovely mutual stickyness.

Suddenly, the dismembered head in Aro's grasp shatters, crushed between his strong hands. White chunks fall to the floor, and Aro's talon-like fingers shake with rage. His pale crimson eyes flare furiously, his teeth clenched tight together. Caius leaps out of his seat and rushes forward, grabbing Aro's shoulder. Marcus lifts his head, looking almost semi-interested.

"What? What is it?" Caius snarls, his body poised for attack. I cringe back a little. Afton and Felix are like Caius - on their toes, anxious and ready. Their offensive postures set me off, and a low growl rolls through my teeth. My skin boils as my killcrushdestroy instincts push to the surface, anticipating danger of some sort. Any sort. My instincts don't really apply calm, logical thinking. I'd behead the mailman at this point.

Aro's eyes snap away from Caius to me, and his own posture straightens. His eyes lose some of their hostility. They become cool and unreadable. I don't think it's because he realises that his mini bitch fit has freaked the newborn - more like he's remembered that he has an audience.

"Brothers," he says, his voice clipped, icy, lips thin and tight. "Come. We must speak at once."

Marcus rises from his seat as Aro drifts hastily towards the doors. Marcus follows, looking as uninterested as ever. I wonder why he bothers. Meh, maybe he's just nosy. Nonetheless, he follows Aro out of the room.

I try to untense my shoulders and settle myself as Caius settles his gaze on me. His eyes are hard, but I don't think I'm the reason. At least I hope not. Shit. He's not really gonna hold one teensy newborn reaction against me, is he? One bitty little spaz-out won't totally screw my chances of having my very own prettyshiny vehicle. Will it?

Caius' attention diverts quickly to the problem at hand. As he breezes past us, he barks out an order - "Clean that mess up" - and leaves the four of us wallowing in a stunned, edgy silence.

vVv

After some less-than-mature bickering between the three of us (Corin stood still for about three seconds before declaring "not it!" and pegging it out of the room) it's decided that Felix has to gather up all the bitty bits of vampire noggin and burn the body. Afton argued that he had to write up the report on our trip (i.e. our fantabulous trek through snow and shit, beheading vampires and having a grand ol' time), and then the point was made that I would probably end up burning myself, plus the entire household to ashes.

I strongly disagreed, but whatever. Far be it from me to volunteer myself for more work than absolutely neccisary!

So I mosey on back to my bedroom to shower and change. I still have my own bedroom and Alec still has his, and seeing as neither of us are willing to surrender our private domains any time soon (apparantly my bedroom is "too small" and "too girly" to move into. Alec made these points with a trace of a whine in his voice, so I stood as tall as I could manage and growled: " 'Scuse me? Do you have a problem with things that are small and girly?" He sure shut up quicklike!), it looks like it's gonna stay that way for the forseeable future. Neither of us mind too much, really. As Alec says, it's two places to have sex. And as I see it, I get to have my own space to chill in - no matter how small my space might be - without having it all cluttered up with all Alec's boyish crap. I like my room being cluttered with my crap. I like a little clutter, too - I've always liked the whole homey, lived-in feely - but Alec is kind of a neat freak. Despite the fact that he wouldn't clean to save his life. Kid's never so much as held a duster in his lives.

When we returned from Paris, Alec asked me to move back into his bedroom. It was hard to say no, especially with that hopeful, puppyish look on his face, but I did. He pouted and stropped and argued for days, but I didn't want to give in. Alec changed his tune pretty fucking fast when I said that I would...only if he painted his room purple. How I managed to keep my serious face is still completely beyond me.

Don't ask me why I said no in the beginning, because I really have no idea. I mean, we did share a room before, for months on end. I don't know. Maybe it's because when I did share his bedroom, I was a prisoner. Maybe I just like the freedom. Maybe I like feeling like an individual member of the Volturi instead of just "Alec's mate." Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

As soon as I turn the corner into the hallway I share with Santiago and Heidi, I'm hit with the distinct scent of human. It makes my stomach clench and my eyes roll back into my head, but I manage to resist the urge to go barreling into Santiago's high-tech bedroom and chow down on his Pet.

Barely.

I think I'm doing pretty fucking fantastically as far as self restraint goes. Not even Caius can dispute that. Only a few months ago it would have taken half the Guard to keep my teeth out of her neck. Perhaps it's my empathy for her situation that makes me want to prolong her life. That's what Aro thinks. I like to think that I'm growing up a little. Metaphorically speaking, of course. But in the end, I just like Santiago too much to do it to him. He likes the companionship of having his own personal plaything.

I try hard not to take the whole situation personally.

The household feels weirdly empty as I twist my doorknob (oh no...oh yes) and step into my bedroom. Heidi's not here - she's gathering food. My Mentor, my mate, my not-quite, hell-if-I-admit-it sister in law and their Mentor are gone too. None of the Lower Guard are here - they've all been dispatched across the globe too, keeping things in order and reporting incidents back to us at base camp. Corin's up in the tower giving the Wives their daily dose of happy, Afton and Felix are acting like obedient little drones, and the Masters are in conference. Renata's been allowed - much to my amazement - to travel to_ and visit her Maker. With everything going on, I was kinda surprised that Aro would allow her. I'm still trying to figure out his alterior motive. If he has one. Pssh, of course he does! He's Aro - Evil Genius Extraordinaire. I wonder about barging into Santiago's room and interrupting his tech-y work to assuage my boredom, but the reminder that Lucy in all her mortal juicyness is in there, plus the fact that I haven't fed in quite a few days, kinda puts a damper on that plan.

No one to bother. No one to play with.

Sigh.

It seems so wrong after all the action to come back to quiet and boredom. Not right at all. I pace restlessly across my room, shoving a Halestorm CD into my player just to drown out the silence. I keep it playing on repeat as I shower, taking my sweet time and enjoying the hot water. But...gaah! Even my shower seems lonely without my bathing-buddy. It's been a while since I've showered alone.

I hate using my sponge rather than Alec's smooth hands, so I shut off the water and step out, proceeding to towel myself dry. God damn it, when did my vampire life become so mundane?!

Damn, I need to chill. I've been home, what, all of half a minute? And I'm already complaining that I'm dying of boredom? I think I'm becoming the very first ADD vampire. Sure doesn't sound wrong.

I think about prank-calling the Cullens, which I may have done...once or twice...in the past. But as Alice caught me out the last time and turned the tables on me, I'm reluctant to challenge her again.

Hmm...sudden idea!

While I'm flipping through an American phone book looking for Jacob Black, there's a jaunty knock on my door.

"Come in, whatever," I mutter, eyes scanning the pages. God fucking damn it! I've got a Jeremiah Black, a Jamelia Black, a Jehova Black...what the fuck? Jehova? As in fucking Jehova's Witnesses?! Aw, I used to have such fun with those fuckers. Maybe I'll save that number for later.

My bedroom door swings open and Corin bounces inside, chipper as ever. Man, how does she of all people stand this dullness? Maybe she's high off her own talent. That'd explain a lot of shit.

"Someone's grouchy," she grins, taking in my grumpy expression and hunched-up position on my squashy sofa. "Damn, girl, can't do a thing without him, can you?" She shakes her head as my eyes narrow at her. "So fucking whipped."

My frame stiffens defensively. "I am not whipped," I growl darkly. Really, I'm not! Whipped is such a lame-ass, pathetic term. I refuse to accept that I'm a pathetic lame-ass. Not a chance.

Corin scoffs, tossing her white-blue hair back over her shoulders. "Whatever. I've had the very same arguement with His Truly. Like talking to a wall, let me tell ya! You're as bad as eachother," she shakes her head again, this time with a complimenting eye-roll. Before I can argue, she speaks again. "Anywho, Heidi's back. Dinner is served!"

vVv

Dinner is most certainly not served. When I bound eagerly downstairs with Corin on my heels, I'm a little concerned by the lack of noise. By which I mean the lack of screaming and frantic heartbeats.

Corin and I burst through the double doors, hoping that maybe we've been beaten to it and all those lovely, warm necks have been snapped like twigs for convenience sake...but no.

Heidi stands in front of the thrones, shivering. Marcus is there, but Aro and Caius are incognito...most likely still deep in conference about whatever thoughts Aro mind-raped from our souvenir...and most likely arguing bitterly about it. Afton and Felix are there, too - Afton with his hand placed comfortingly on Heidi's shouder, Felix looking like he's having a hard time controlling his temper.

Something's amiss...big time. But, err...is it bad that my mind can only really focus on one concern?

"Wh...where's the food?" I ask, my voice high with restrained panic. No food? No. No. Brain cannot compute. No. The words no food to a newborn is pretty much like end of the world to anyone else. END. OF. THE FREAKING. WORLD.

No. Chill. Heidi never fails to bring food. never ever ever. She wouldn't be a Volturi if she did. The dungeons. Sure. That's where our food is. Locked up nice and cosy and safe in the underground cells, ready and waiting for us.

Corin's brows are knitted tightly together, her mouth sewn into a straight line. "What happened?" She demands, a look of oddly adult concern washing over her features. Her expression makes my stomach twist. If there's one vampire that can rival me for my immaturity, it would be Corin. Seeing her now, acting her own age (twenty-one human years, I was shocked to learn. Jeez. I figured she was nineteen, or something) is a little offputting. Strange feelings gnaw at my insides just as Santiago trots cheerfully through the doors, oblivious to everything. He positively reeks of human. Sigh. 'Splains a lot.

"Allright! What is on the menu-" He stops dead in his tracks, his face dropping in an instant when he takes in the empty state of the room, his eyes flickering from left to right as if his dinner has simply escaped his notice. "Tonight," he finishes flatly. To the relief of my nerves, he does a much worse job of acting like an adult than Corin does. He chews anxiously on his bottom lip, his eyes big and confused and puppyish. "What's going on?"

Heidi swallows rapturiously, hugging her arms around her curved torso. My eyes widen when my inner hysteria winds down a little, and I finally take in her appearance: Her short skirt is torn up the thigh, her soft, clingy red sweater shredded at the neckline, a sleeve missing almost entirely. Her tights have several holes and ladders in them, and her shoes - Versache stilletos that she was so proud of - are missing completely. Her hair has taken on a new, I've-just-licked-an-electric-socket look, clumped and damp and bedragged. Her makeup, applied so carefully to fool the humans - is smudged and far from pristine as it trails down her ghostly face. I have to swallow a gasp.

Heidi's eyes close and she breathes deeply - if shakily - as Marcus touches her upper back to comfort her. She shivers, pressing her lips together.

"Heidi was attacked on her way home to us," Marcus tells us. His grave voice seems to add another whole level of sinister to his words.

A jolt seems to pulse through the room as we all freeze, taking his words in.

"Attacked?" Corin whispers, sounding utterly thunderstruck. Free-roaming Volturi members are not attacked. It just...doesn't happen. What fool wants to bring the wrath of the world's most powerful coven down upon themselves? It's as good as suicide. A very painful, messy, drawn-out suicide. You take on one, you take on all. The Volturi aren't exactly famed for mercy.

My mind flashes back to Vladimir and Stefan, safe and very much undead in their big castle full of enemies - rapists and sadists - and I realise just how wrong our self-assured assumptions are.

A shiver tingles coldly down my spine as Santiago rushes forward, scooping the shaken vampiress into a tight hug. Heidi leans her cheek weakly against his shoulder, her eyes shut tightly as if she's trying to awaken from a haunting nightmare.

"Who?" Corin asks, her voice hollow and brimming with emotion all at once. It's a jolting sound, and I shudder again. My hand lunges out without permission and I find myself gripping into the long, bell-sleeve of her uniform dress like a child.

Damn it. Am I not trying to prove that I can act like an adult and not a feral, emotionally haywire infant? Though Caius isn't here, so I've really got no one to prove myself to - Marcus sure won't judge my girlish reactions - but I still feel foolish. Just as I force myself to untwine my fingers and keep the fabric intact at the same time, Heidi replies in one fast, shaky hiss that sets my teeth on edge and makes the hair on the back of my neck rise.

"R-Romanian soldiers," she spits, her teeth snapping together as Felix touches her hair.

Fuck it. My hand can stay where it is.

"They've been regrouping, advancing against us, certainly," Felix says, with a subtle urgency in his voice that nobody misses. "We need to attack, now."

Marcus' ashy voice inputs; "There is no evidence that the situations have got anything to do with them. They have not attacked us since..." He trails off, and six pairs of eyes flicker briefly to my face. When a low, involuntary growl rises in my throat, they all avert their gazes.

"We cannot attack without cause," Marcus continues.

Afton suggests something. Felix retorts with some kind of smart remark. I'm not listening.

Only Aro knows of the constant, nagging fear that's been eating away a me since I returned to Volterra as a fresh new vampire - and that's only because his power lets him cheat. The gnawing, itching, silent terror that my family and I have not seen the last of Stefan and Vladimir - my Maker.

Of course, the practical part of me has always honestly known that one day we would have to face them again. They would snap at us or we would snap at them and we would need to exterminate them once and for all. But I just kinda figured that wouldn't be for a couple squillion years or so. I figured I'd have time to, y'know, prepare myself. Train myself to be emotionally ready for their retaliations. Because anyone with a brain knows that Vladimir is ultra-pissed about his teensy little upfuck that landed the Volturi another number to their ranks, and landed Alec his mate. His got the big hate out for me - not that the feeling isn't entirely mutual. And them some. Whenever my thoughts manage to drift back to Romania, I fantaisise about tearing his appendages off - one by one - and setting them each and every alight - one by one. It's my most carnal, bloodthirsty desire. This, I have shared with Alec. He promises me that one day I really will meet my maker, and I'll get the revenge I'm owed for my murder. And Alec also promises to help me in cooking up the most painful, grotesque vampire tortures there are. He's had plenty of experience, after all.

But, of course, that's my biggest fear.

The day I allow Vladimir within a hundred yard fucking radius of Alec is the day my own head is no longer attached to my body. No way no fucking how. Because, in the eyes of the Romanians, the vampire empire is only half the prize. One of the most powerful vampires in the world - one whose power they both fear and crave - is the ultimate trophy.

I shake my head a little. Damn. I hate serious thoughts. They make it real damn hard to be mellow, y'know? I try once again to remove myself from Corin's clothing.

"We must speak to Aro about upping our defences a little. We don't know if they'd be crazy enough to try and sneak in here. We should be prepared," Afton says firmly, and it's not hard to guess that his wife is on his mind.

The very thought of them entering my home is enough to make my body jolt sharply, and my fingers grab Corin's slender white hand. She doesn't shake me off or make a playful pass at me. She squeezes my hand, still acting like the adult I see in her face.

Emotionally haywire infant indeed.

Needless to say, once Aro and Caius return from their bitching sess- oops, sorry, conference, to find no humans and the seven of us standing around like kids who've had their sandcastles well and thoroughly kicked, they demand to know what's up. Needless to say, once they find out what's up and Caius has turned a hundred and thirty two different shades of white, the entire universe implodes. By which I mean Caius throws a ma-HOO-sive bitchfit that has the rest of us running for cover. He rants and he screams and he paces and he throws his arms around crazily until Aro, who remains spookily serene throughout the whole ordeal, places a hand on his shoulder and gently chastes him for his temper and his "unseemly language." Because Caius' tongue can be blacker than mine when he really lets his inner diva out.

Needless to say, Caius boils over like a freaking whistling steam kettle. I can practically see the steam billowing out his ears.

In a voice so calm that it makes me quiver, Aro gently orders us to leave him and his brothers to speak.

"We have much to debate, my dear ones. Do run along."

Oh, we run along alright.

Corin takes Heidi to go "freshen up". We take it to mean she's gonna fetch Heidi some clothes that aren't so...Bride-of-Frankenstein-esque. By the way Heidi holds her expression, chin up, mouth pursed, eyes everywhere but our faces, I'm guessing she's gonna cry. And as bad as I feel for her and as all-round nausious the idea of Heidi VS bad Romanian bitches makes me feel, big emotional shitstorms are not my strong suit. Like, at all. So I give her a tight hug and a kiss on her stained cheek, and then follow the guys to the Lounge for a session of Halo 4 and some good old-fashioned sulking.

These, are my strong suits.

"We should head back out tonight, comb over a couple of miles, make sure Heidi wasn't followed," Felix says. Despite the "should" in his plan, I'm guessing this is more of a "we're going even if I have to drop kick you out the door" kind of suggestion.

"Good idea," Afton agrees, his face grim.

Despite the thrill of terror that grips me at the thought of coming face-to-face with anything resembling a Romanian, I'm game. Hell, at least the boredom didn't last long. "I'm in."

Felix and Afton share a hesitant glance.

"Oh, what?" I growl, frustration making my grip tighten precariously on the X-Box controller.

Santiago whips it hastily out of my grasp. "Whoa, easy there, little Nyx," he chuckles uneasily. "Our supply of these things isn't unlimited, you know."

I ignore him, my eyes burning holes in the two older vampires. "Why can't I go?"

Felix shifts in his chair, and I can tell he's trying hard to be diplomatic. He's got to keep me under control. Demetri left me in his charge. "Well, we need security here, for one thing," he says reasonably.

"I'm not going, either," Santiago chips in. He's paused the game - a goddamn freaking miracle for the likes of him. "I'm gonna do my thing on the good ol' interweb and hack into some security cameras in Minsk, see if I can drag up some faces for us to work with."

I cast my glance back to Felix and Afton. "Are you going to Minsk?" I ask skeptically.

Minsk was where Heidi was gathering our food. A bit out of the way, but Caius said he felt like Russian, so she jumped to it. My shoulders sag a little when I think of how she won't be up to jumping for a while.

"Certainly not," Afton replies coolly. "Just the two of us, when we just got home? We need some rest. Perhaps later."

"It's just a quick scouting trip, Nyx. For security's sake. Truly, it would bore you," Felix says, giving my shoulder a light punch. I glare icily at his fist until he folds it neatly in his lap. I know they're all lying to me. The mission in Siberia was so run-of-the-mill they could have done it blind and handless. Now that there's some real action, they don't need the newborn as the tag-along liability.

Just fucking charming.

"When are you leaving?" Santiago asks, breaking the tense, awkward silence that settled over our heads.

"The sooner the better," Afton says, standing immediately. "We'll have a better chance of finding something if we're proactive about it."

A wide, evil smirk stretches Felix's face. "Now that's what I like to hear," he purrs.

They run their plan by the Masters, who give the okay, and load themselves down with pretty silver flamethrowers and the knife that was used against Jane - just for extra leverage. I'm reluctant to hand it over, to be honest. That shit has sentimental value. It's a nice reminder that Alec's sister owes me a huge one. Given that I saved her life and all. That kinda warrents a thank-you, don'tcha think?

But in spite of my prickly irritation at being left behind, I relent and hand it over. To be honest, I feel a little better at the thought of the two of them having a leg-up, just in case. Thinking back on the cages the Romanians had at their disposal - made of solid vampire bone, like the knife, the only thing besides vampire teeth than can cut through stone flesh - I can only imagine what weapons they've got at hand.

Felix and Afton leave quickly. Santiago retreats to his room where his human is sleeping soundly, oblivious, to get to work. I darent follow him. Tense as I am, with no dinner in my belly, the mere thought of Lucy is painfully tempting. Aro assigns me 'throne duty', which I guess is his way of keeping me from feeling left out. Basically, I get to hang with the Big Three while they discuss the 'events,' all while playing bodyguard.

To my enormous relief, Caius has chilled some. He's not exactly a fully signed-up member of the Nyx Volturi Fan Club, and he tends to get a bit...aggressive when he's distressed. Long story short, I want to keep my fingers attached to my hands and not lit up like wriggly birthday candles.

But they're being cryptic to keep me out of the loop. Personally, I feel insulted. Am I really so bad of a gossip whore that they think I'll go sprinting 'round the castle telling everybody all the horrendously juicy details and spread horror and mass hysteria...

Err, okay. That does sound about right.

So I sit cross-legged on the step by the thrones, playing I-Spy with myself. Don't ask how. It's freaking complex.

Hours pass without my realising it, and when Afton strides through the doors again, the dawn is just beginning to break.

"Masters," he breathes, sounding as if he's out of breath. I spring to my feet immediately, alert in an instant.

"What news?" Caius demands. "Your search was fruitful?"

Fruitful? What does Caius expect them to have found when the attackers had an endless head-start?

"It was," Afton replies.

Well, shit. Colour me surprised.

"They left a false trail and circled back around. Easily predictable," Afton says airily.

Caius rises eagerly, shadowed instantly by Aro. Marcus remains seated, his eyes lingering in the corner of the room. Afton moves towards Aro, holding out his hand. Aro touches his palm to Afton's, and after a long moment, he nods.

"Felix?" he calls loftily.

Afton turns to me, a small grin on his face. "We felt guilty about having to leave you behind, Phoenix," he says. At the sound of low growling, he glances back over his shoulder. My eyes follow his gaze through the open doors, searching for the source of the racket. "So we brought you something."

Felix enters at last, his vast arms clenched tightly around the torso and upper arms of a stranger. A dishevelled, uniform-clad immortal.

My eyes glint happily, excitement rising in my chest as Felix hauls the terrified, thrashing prisoner forward. A gleeful gasp breaks through my teeth, gleaming dangerously behind my smiling lips.

"Felix. You brought me a vampire," I purr, my voice taking on a sinister darkness that makes my skin crawl with pleasure. My eyes gleam in delight. "You shouldn't have."

Felix smirks at me, and throws the Romanian to the floor in front of the thrones. The second the vampire hits the floor, he's up and snarling, venom glistening on his teeth. His head whips around for a moment, helf-hysteric, before a growl breaks on his lips and he lunges towards the thrones. He's quick.

I'm quicker.

I don't restrain him physically. Thanks to my many millions of training sessions, I don't need to.

When the attacking vampire comes to a jolting halt, his whole posture sagging and his eyes becoming empty, Aro smiles a wicked smile.

"Excellent work, child," he croons, patting me on my head in the patronising way that he does, before turning his attention to the soldier under my control.

I lower the man to his knees, practically bouncing as Aro slides his fingers around the curves of the jaw, reading his thoughts. I'm waiting, waiting for him to finish, waiting for Caius to give me the go-ahead so I can unleash the full extent of my little talent.

Y'see, Aro is kind of a nutjob. If that wasn't obvious to everyone before. As soon as Alec and I returned from our little vacation, Aro had me launched straight into intense training sessions. With Jane.

Oh yes.

Needless to say, I died inside about a hundred times over. Especially seeing as the one in charge of training the vampires with extra abilities is our very own Caius. And he did not go easy on me.

Alec used to attend our little training sessions, mainly for his own peace of mind seeing as Jane and I clashing is pretty much on a par with the apocalypse in his mind. But after a few sessions of watching Jane hurt me and me pummel Jane, his nerves got the better of him and he stepped in the middle of us, which was not the smartest idea of all time, seeing as Caius kicked him right out and forbade him to attend the sessions again. I think Alec was a little relieved, really.

The training was pretty simple: Caius would give us our mark, and whichever of us could strike first won. Except, for me, losing is pretty fucking agonising. Caius would let Jane keep up her burning hellfire torture for about half a minute while I screamed and died and cursed them both to Hell, but then it would be over and I'd have to get up and get over it and prepare myself for the next round.

Not my favourite time of the day.

Nine times out of ten, Jane will beat me to the punch and I will suffer like no one has ever freaking suffered before, but those rare times when the fear gets to me and I manage to get in there before her fill me with such vicious joy that I actually want to continue. Jane's talent is pretty damn good motivation to learn. And I have noticed improvements - I'm faster off the mark. A lot faster than before. And I'm beginning to be able to scratch the need for eye contact. A few times I managed to get her from behind.

Anywho, back to the whole Aro = nutjob scenario. See, Aro can be quite the fanciful guy. When my talent began to advance and mature, his candyland imagination began running away with him, and he began fantasising about all the things I could do with it. Mostly, his expectations seriously let him down. Could I take control of more than one person at a time? No, I could not. Could I do a whole copy-and-paste deal with the talents of other vampires and turn myself into some kind of super-vamp? HA, no. Could I tear a vampire's mind apart from the inside out and leave them in a vegetated state for evermore?

Maybe.

Aro steps smoothly away, his face a mask of indifference. As he swishes back to his throne, Caius gives me the nod of approval. "Proceed, Phoenix."

A smile twitches my lips.

Aro began to 'study' my talent, so to speak, after all other experiments with it had crashed and burned. After a lot of head-probing and 'hmm'ing, he came up with a somewhat realistic theory.

Seeing as the connection is already forged, it doesn't take long for me to get down to it. My eyes tighten at the edges. The vampire gives a sharp jerk, his eyes rolling a little. I don't need to glance behind me to see the smug expression plastered all over Aro's face.

It took time and a lot of practice - any rulebreakers that had their asses hauled into our home were passed my way once Jane had been through with them - but I had, after a while, learned to turn my talent into a "gift worthy of the Volturi ranks." In the words of Caius, that is. Which I found not only a teeny bit flattering, but also damn hypocritical, seeing as Caius himself has no talent to speak of. Except, maybe, for super-rage-powers. Super-scowling. Super-sadism. Super-bitch-fitting.

My victim keels backwards until his back hits the cold stone floor, his eyes wide and blank and flickering sporadically under my influence. Firstly, I seek out the Limbic system of his brain. I find that now that I know what I'm looking for and where to find it, that I can almost sense it. A strange, warm signal that draws me in and highlights my target. With one swift, mental jerk, I demoloish it, ultimately destroying his memories; everything he knew, thought, believed in. Gone.

The vampire's head snaps sideways with the interference. The sight used to make me shiver, make me feel ill and wrong inside. Now, I'm able to push those feelings away, lock them in a filing cabinet in my own mind to deal with at a later date. Alec was right when he promised that the destructive aspects of my talent would become eaier to deal with emotionally.

"Well done, child," Aro murmurs.

Next, I locate the Neocortex. One mental squeeze. Everything that his mind was ever good for. Intelligence. Instinct. Gone.

This time, the entire body snaps to the other side, the head rolling as if his neck is broken. His back bows upwards from the floor. The sight is so eerie and unnatural that for a moment I'm completely thrown, squeezing my eyes shut and ducking my head, shuddering. Wrong, my mind screams. Unnatural. Put it away.

"Finish it, Phoenix," Caius commands, sounding both eager and impatient.

The connection is still there. I'm embedded so deeply in this vampire's mind that by now, only my will can break it. I ignore a nausiating flip in my stomach and obey my orders. Though I'm not entirely sure why.

Finally, I focus my concentration on the hindbrain, pulling it apart piece by crucial piece. Through this, I eliminate the connection to his spinal cord, paralysing him.

The body sags completely, sprawing haphazardly against the floor. Done.

I take a step back, closing my eyes again, breathing deeply and wearily as I sever the connection. My fingers tremble, and so I knot them together. I spare a glance at the ruined vampire on the floor.

"Excellent work, Phoenix," Aro says gleefully, his words hissed through his teeth. I ignore him, busy fighting off the all-too-human conflict in my chest.

He was a rapist and a ruthless killer, I tell myself. And it's true. I know it, really. I've seen the inside of the Romanian castle. Whatever new women they have in there, this means one less brute to torment them.

I lift my chin, feeling a wave of triumph, a little pride, misplaced though it may be. One down. Many, many more to go.

"How very impressive," a wonderful, heartachingly familliar voice purrs approvingly.

My head snaps up, severing the connection altogether. Alec stands in the double doorway, tall and glorious, his hair slightly askew atop his head, his eyes smouldering in the most heart-wrenching way.

His lips curve into a dark, sultry smile. "Miss me, love?"

Wow. Dark. Of course the Ancients would find a way to turn a semi-safe power into a weapon. Well, did anyone expect that life with the Volturi woudl be all sunshine and bunnies? Naah. Just want to thank everyone who voted on the poll and who messaged and reviewed their opinions. It was nice to get all kinds of helpful suggestions and feedback. Thanks a bunch you guys! Hopefully this second installment won't be a complete upfuck. Not too sure how I feel about this first chapter.

Oh, and though I have plenty of IDEAS, I have not got one single plan in regard to this fic. I'm gonna try and go with the flow more so than I did with The Pet. I also recognise a bunch of mistakes and such from before, so hopefully there will be vast improvements this time round. Not promising anything though, seeing as I am a) lazy as shit, and b) allergic to editing. But there you have it!