Umm...hi...

Yes, I know. I am just the world's worst human ever. But, um... Happy New Year to all and to all a new chapter?

Who are you to make me feel so good?

Who are we to tell ourselves that we're misunderstood?

Who am I to say I'm always yours?

Who am I to choose the boy that everyone adores?

As soon as I see them, I understand Aro's motives at once.

"I want to see my niece, Aro. Right now."

There are twelve vampires, each one strong, oozing anger and ready for action. Twelve more bodies to add to Aro's arsenal of soldiers.

It's easy to pick out Luca, Renata's great great great great great great great great great great great great great great (breathe) great great great great uncle. He's of average height and build, with sandy hair, ruby eyes and a chalky pallour. He stands in front of Aro, Caius and Marcus flanked by seven of the eight decendants that he chose to change. The accompaniment of mates is a pleasent addition for Aro. Even more fighters. The fierce anger and determination in the soft, femenine features of the women make them appear just as fearsome and strong as the men. Aro got more than he asked for.

Aro's voice is sugary, sickly sweet, like thick, oozing honey. "Of course, dear friend, of course! However, my Guard have been given strict orders. Darling Renata and her young friend are under constant surveillance and none can pass without clearance. I shall escort you there myself!"

Ha! I can tell by the crooning tone of Aro's voice that he's trying to score some major brownie points with this guy. Luca, how and ever, seems to be having none of it. His chin juts out defiantly, his eyes tight at the edges. The seven other vampires exchange glances, shooting doubtful looks at Luca's back.

Unlike him, they seem all too aware of where they are.

Caius fixes the coven leader with a black glower, and I can feel Alec stiffen beside me. Even that slightest of movements is enough to gain the attention of most of them. Their heads whip around to stare at him, eyes bulging as his identity registers. Alec isn't the only guard in the room - Felix stands tall and menacing beside the thrones, just to Marcus's right, and Afton remains at his post by the doors, a new white bow and a set of white arrows strapped to his back, hood pulled low over his face to give off an air of intimidation - but, to the audience, Alec is by far the most fearsome.

Several of them balk and flinch. Those of those who don't are frozen solid, staring at Alec as if they can't bear to take their eyes off him. One small, red-headed woman clutches at her mate's arm, and he grasps her hands, both staring, wide-eyed, at my terrifying mate.

I pull an incredulous face. Amazing what a few rumors and stories can accomplish. Cause c'mon, Alec's not that scary. I don't think I ever looked at him with that level of horror, even as a weak little human.

Alec plays this fear to his advantage to keep the frazzled group in line. He lifts his chin, his eyes narrowed, and lets one low, menacing growl roll through his teeth.

Those that didn't flinch before sure aren't as brave now.

Caius observes this from his throne, his lips pulling upwards into a smug smirk. Aro gives a small tut-tut sound, but even he can't help a smile of his own.

"Now now, Alec, dear," he cooes, his tone rebuking. Alec lifts his eyes to his master, like a show dog waiting for a command. "Be polite to our guests."

Alec's tense position relaxes, his expression smoothing out. Aro's smile widens, even more so when the fearful gazes flick back to him. Alec's obedience gives an impression of Aro's absolute control - and the crowd of riled-up vampires have learned some respect.

Aro's smile becomes appealing. "Forgive my dear boy," Aro implores, his voice soothing. "He is merely doing what he has been taught. Now, Luca."

Luca tears his eyes away from Alec. His expression is less terrified than the others, more curious. His eyes land on Aro, and I see him struggle to keep that same angry resolve. "Yes?"

"If you'll follow me, I will take you to see Renata. As for your lovely family, I will have..." Aro's eyes flicker to me for a brief second. "Heidi," he decides. "Settle you into some rooms."

vVv

Never let it be said that Caius is one to slacken off. Furthermore, never, ever let it be said that Caius is one to let us slacken off.

"You two," the blonde leader snaps, gesturing sharply to Felix and Afton. With Aro ushering Luca down to the infirmary and Heidi - having been summoned to the Throne Room as soon as the pleasentries had fizzled out - tucking Renata's various cousins and in-laws away into rooms, Caius has taken it upon himself to give us all somethng to do. Marcus lounges carelessly in his throne, uninterested and more than willing to let Caius take charge. "Go and relieve Chelsea and Corin from watch. Tell Corin to march herself to the tower and send Chelsea to me. We have things to discuss..." Caius lets his sentance trail off, his eyes roving slowly from the pair of rigid vampires across the stone floor. They land on Alec and I.

"Alec," Caius snaps again, his voice as cutting as the crack of a whip. "Find your sister and rally the lower guard. I want bodies on every wall. On the double!"

"Yes, Master."

Alec nods obediently, moving towards the door after Felix and Afton. He turns to give me one quick, reassuring glance before picking up his speed and disappearing, leaving me alone with Caius and Marcus.

Aw, hellballs.

"Phoenix," Caius drawls, spearing me with a glower. My eyebrows perk helplessly, mouth pressing into a tight line as I rock back on my heels and nod.

" 'Sup?"

Caius grimaces at my 'infantile slang,' looking like he's supressing a shudder. "Go," he says darkly. "And find out what progress Demetri and Santiago are making."

Personally, I think he just wants to send me packing, but whatever. It's something to do.

"Will do," I chirp, fighting an overwhelming urge to give him a Nazi salute. He dismisses me with an impatient wave of his hand and I deicde to take the window of oppertunity for escape, darting towards the door.

"Phoenix," Caius calls suddenly, making me grimace as I halt my retreat, turning back slowly. I'm rewarded with a smug smirk. "Don't think that amist the chaos, I have forgotten about our training schedule."

Why. Just...just why...

He gestures for me to leave, but even as I do, his arrogant tone chaces me out the door. "I shall send for you when I need you."

"Can't wait," I grit out. A dark chuckle fills the hallway as I shut the door.

vVv

I rap out a rhythm on Santiago's bedroom door with my knuckles. A low, mentally distant mumble is my only welcome.

I take that as a come on in.

Shoving the door open, I let myself in. The pair have been in there for hours. When I slip inside, the room is dim and dingy. The curtains are shut, the lights off. The only light comes from the manymany screens looming over Demetri and Santiago. I give a low, drawn-out whistle. Demetri's sprawled everywhichway in one of Santiago's swivel chairs, rubbing his temples like a bad psychic act. He's thrown his crossed ankles up onto some rare space on one of Santiago's overloaded desks.

"Damn, dude. You look like you've got a shitty hangover."

Demetri flattens out his hands and slaps them over his face, groaning. "I wish."

I can't even see Santiago. He's hunched himself up under his cloak, the hood thrown over his head as if to shut the real world out as he immerses himself into several screens and monitors, spewing out various speels of data and whatnot.

"Santiago?"

Another low, incoherent mumble.

Demetri scrapes his hands down his face and off, sighing deeply. Clearly, he stopped bothering with attempting to communicate with Santiago a while ago.

"Aaaalright then," I say to myself. I plop down into a spare seat, pushing myself forward on the wheels until I bump against the desk. Tipping my head, I glance up under Santiago's hood to be met with hooded zombie eyes and a slackened jaw. My eyes flicker to Demetri beyond.

"What's wrong with him?"

Demetri casts a weary glance at the vampire in question. "He's no longer among us. He'll snap out of it in a day or so." He pauses. "I imagine."

"Right," I mutter. Best just to nod and agree. Clearly the both of them are on some kind of come-down from a work high and need to fester away for a while before rejoining the real-life creatures. "So...what's the up?"

Demetri reburies his face in his hands, giving a desperate groaning sound that sounds like a dying animal. "Nothing. Nothing is up. Nothing is bloody anywhere!"

"Yeah. Okay. Well, I cannot repeat that to Caius and expect to keep my head. So, for the sake of my neck, would you be a dear and rephrase that into something worth hearing?"

Demetri grunts into his now clenched fists, looking mentally exhausted and emotionally wrecked. I nudge his knee with my toes, unwilling to move any closer on risk of losing a limb to Demetri's frustration. He shrinks back like a snail's retracting eye, burrowing himself into his cloak like it's a security blanket. I sigh harshly. I decide to give up on him and turn to Santiago instead.

"Santiago."

There's a brief pause. "Nurrfmuhgrr."

My eyes dart to the side and then back again.

"Yeeeah. Kay. Wanna try that again?"

"Nurr..."

"C'mooon."

"Nurrrr..."

"C'mooooon!"

"Nnnnurrrmuuugh..."

"Gah!" I exclaim, shooting to my feet in a burst of impatience. "Look! I could be doing something far more time-worthy, like eating, or kicking it in my room watching reruns of the Walking Dead, but I'm not. I'm here, trying to get some basic english out of you losers. So you are going to give me some straight answers or so help me I will take my crowbar to every breakable object in this room, including your genitals. So talk. Now!"

There's a long pause.

"Nurrfmuhgrr..."

Fuck this shit! I direct a fierce kick to Santiago's chair, and it breaks beneath him. He lands in a sprawling mess on the floor while Demetri reveals a raised brow and tired eye from underneath his cloak.

"Oh," Santiago says, looking around and blinking as if he has no idea how he got here. I watch him incredulously as his eyes find my boots and he raises a squinty eye to my face. "Hi, Nyx."

"Hi yourself," I drawl.

"Look who's back in the real world," Demetri mumbles from under his cloak. Scoffing, I march forward and whip it away from him, tossing the offending fabric to the other side of the room.

"Uch. Bitch."

I growl. Jamming my foot against a lever underneath the seat, the entire thing abruptly drops several inches towards the ground, stopping with a harsh judder. This seems to finally shock Demetri back to life. He blinks sproadically, leveling me with a ferocious glare.

"Why are you so evil?"

I shrug, swaying on the spot, kicking my boot against the ground. "I'unno."

Demetri rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands before straighening up, looking stressed. Santiago hasn't gotten that far yet. He remains squatting on the floor, gazing up at his screens.

"What on earth are you doing?"

"Hacking a satellite."

Demetri and I share a perplexed glance.

"Hacking...a...satellite?"

"Y'mmhmm."

"Why the fuck..?" I grind out. "Why..?"

"Lookin' for vampire territories nearby. Demetri's broken."

"I am not," Demetri snarls.

"Aawww," I croon, reaching out to pat Demetri on the head. He slaps my hand away irritably. "How'd he break?"

A look of actute disgust overcomes Demetri's features. He glowers furiously at his thumbs. Santiago sighs and decides that giving Caius some form of a progress report is better than nothing.

"Dunno. He just can't tap into them. Now he's got a migraine and he's grouchy."

I glance at Demetri, who squeezes his eyes shut and grunts. "Migraine does not even describe it."

"Neither does grouchy, apparently."

I find myself on the receiving end of a long string of swearwords.

vVv

Because of Renata being out of commission and Aro's new, stunning sense of insecurity, Alec is on throne duty a lot of the time. He provides a nice, menacing prescence lingering by the thrones, staring intensely at anyone who happens to shuffle through the doors.

Aro is happy to let me be Alec's shadow. I suppose because Demetri's otherwise occupied and everyone else is busy so there's no one to keep me out of trouble. Plus, my thirst is really kicking my ass and it's making me antsy. He needs someone to make sure I don't lose my shit in a fit of thirsty temper. He knows that the redhead's surprise apperance has rattled my nerves.

"Hopefully, Heidi will return soon," Aro says, watching my darting eyes with a bit of wariness.

Alec and I spend most of our time in the Throne room playing watchdog, and I grow bored quickly. Alec doesn't know how to thumb-wrestle and refuses to learn. Jackass.

The sun is lingering in the mid-morning sky when Afton pokes his head around the double doors.

"Master."

Aro nods his permission to enter, and I briefly wonder if he'll let Afton stay long enough to learn how to thumb wrestle.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Master, Jerome's coven have arrived. Shall I send them in?"

Aro rises from his throne, and in an instant, Alec is hovering by his side, eyes hard. Alarm bells sound immediately.

"Yes, Afton dear, send them in."

Afton bows his head before slipping back out the door. I watch as Caius and Marcus exchange a glance. Not quite anxious, but more...expectant. Aro drums his fingers against one another, lips set in a grim line. There's a new vibe in the room and I don't like it.

There's an edgy kind of vibe in the air when Jerome's coven show their faces. Three more big, strong male vampires to up Aro's defences. They jump right to it, too. As soon as they're finished down in the infirmary, they demand to know what they can do.

"We are not launching any retaliations at the moment," Aro says, his voice that of a commanding officer. I almost roll my eyes. "Not until Demetri and Santiago can assertain what we are up against."

I guess they'll just have to settle for being assigned to Chelsea's patrol rota.

vVv

Everyone's busy. All the time. Aro switches up my days to keep me occupied. When I'm not hanging down in the Throne Room with Alec, I'm left up to my own devices. After I kick a chip of stone out of a step by accident, Aro tells me to go and find Corin. I feel Caius' glare on my back as I scurry away, making a beeline for her room. When I get there I don't bother to knock, I just shove the door open and let myself in. She's done it enough times.

"Shush!" Corin hisses, before I've even opened my mouth. "Gossip ahoy!"

I part my lips to ask what the flying fandango she's doing with the side of her face pressed against a wall when she could hear perfectly from the likes of her sofa - y'know, that bulky, plushy thing designed for sitting and general laziness - but she seizes my wrist and yanks me towards her, her hand pressing against the side of my head and shoving my ear right up against the turquoise plaster of her bedroom wall.

"Thanks very much for that," I grunt, wriggling. She digs her knee into the back of my thigh, a silent shut the fuck up. I comply with a quiet grumble, perking my ears, trying to listen for what's got her so nosy.

I hear plenty of interesting things - the sound of Santiago's computer keys being abused by his quick fingers, the sound of pages flicking as books are leafed through, and, most disturbingly, the distant sound of a couple failing to keep down as they get hot and heavy in their borrowed bedroom - but as my nose wrinkles in disgust, I tune in to a murmured conversation between two more of Luca's kiddiespawn.

"I don't know," a low, female voice breathes. I recognise her voice - it's Lory, a twitchy blonde who came to Volterra with her mate. "Renata said she was harmless."

The second female snorts. This voice is unfamilliar - lucky for its owner. "She thinks most of them are."

"She knows them."

"Apparantly not well enough. They're taking their time moving to avenge her. So much for loyalty."

Behind me, I hear Corin's teeth grind. My fist clenches tight, my nails biting into my palms. This is why I'm not all that fond of gossip - the shit just makes me mad. I get the feeling early on that this is one conversation I shouldn't repeat to Alec - not if these women want to keep their tongues.

"Aro's not going to make any stupid moves. I hear they have masses of men at their disposal," Lory says.

"Whatever. All I'm saying is that Renata is hardly the most reliable source when it comes to which of them to watch our backs around. She doesn't have to watch hers."

"I suppose you're right," Lory sighs. "Still, she doesn't look too dangerous."

"Neither do they," the second woman hisses. "Have you ever seen more angelic faces? Looks are deceiving."

I notice how careful they're being not to say names. My eyes tighten, my spidey senses tingling. Shit's suspicious, very suspicious indeed.

"I suppose," Lory repeats, sounding weary. "I mean, I guess he picked her for a reason."

"That's what I'm saying," the other woman says, a little smugly. "And I'm betting they kept her for reasons other than keeping Alec quiet."

My feet nearly go out from under me. A furious hiss spits through my lips as my teeth crash tightly together.

It's me. They're talking about me!

"Mmmhmm," Corin murmurs, her suspicions confirmed.

"Shut up!" Lory hisses, and I hear stone-on-stone as a shove is exchanged.

"Sorry. I'm just saying, I get a vibe from her. I wouldn't turn my back on her."

Not now she fucking well shouldn't! I spring away from the wall, trapping the enraged snarl in my throat so as not to give away the element of surprise when I charge through their door and rip their miserable fucking jaws off-

"Ah-ah!" Corin says, appearing in front of the doorway, wagging her finger at me. "No killing off Renata's cousins."

And seeing as I doubt very much that Renata would be best pleased with me if she woke up to cousins with less than a hundred percent of their faces, I settle for kicking the nearest wall.

"Oh, Nyx!" Corin yells.

Let's just say it might take a while to get the plaster dust out of my boot.

vVv

Eventually, Aro seems to become as bored as I feel, what with all the useless moping around, watching Caius pout and Marcus sulk (even though that pretty much qualifies as a regular afternoon...). He decides he's wasted enough eyesight on Alec and I, and sends us packing in favour of some fresh faces. Well. So long as you could consider Corin and Afton fresh.

As they slink through the doors, I make absolutely zilch effort to hide my delight at the dismissal.

"Whelp, see you guys later! Y'know, in a century or so...when your shift is over...which it never, ever will be-"

At which point Alec hauls me out the door, before Caius can spring into action and begin hurling things at me, be it profanities or priceless ornaments. Whichever he has handy.

"Come on," Alec sighs, gripping my shoulders and steering me down the hall.

The thrill of finally being set free after endless, mind-numbingly dull hours of having telepathic conversations with the dust bunnies is making me giddy. That, and the burn in my throat is driving me a little crazy. I've never gone this long without food, not ever. The Volturi keep their newborns well fed.

However, Heidi won't be home for another couple of hours at least, so I attempt to divert my attention to another of my vices.

"Alec."

"Yes?"

"I'm bored."

"So you've said. Many times."

"Have sex with me."

Alec laughs, and the sound of it echoes through the corridors, making me smile. It's a warm laugh; the light of the low afternoon sun streaming through the window slits seem to intensify. "Is that all I am to you?" He teases. "A mere distraction?"

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to keep from laughing too. Whirling around, I pinch his pale cheek between my thumb and index finger, grinning up at him. "You're a pretty mere distraction," I offer, almost seriously.

Alec whips my hand away, rolling his eyes. They're almost fully black. I haven't seen them this colour since Jane was hurt.

I pull his face to mine until our foreheads are touching. He grins against my lips as my hands trail down his front, fingers latching onto his belt loops beneath his cloak. He walks me backwards through the hallway until we reach the end of it. He presses my body against the cool stonework, one hand bracing the wall above our heads, the other cupping the small of my back. I lean his body against mine, tilting my hips to press suggestively against his.

"Willing to distract me after all?"

Alec's dark chuckle is borderline evil, sending chills tingling down my spine as his lips get to work. They close over my lower lip, applying just the right amount of pressure. My soft breath makes him growl. He pushes closer against me, pinning my hips to the wall with his own, allowing the very tip of his tongue to draw patterns against my captured lip.

I blink stupidly when he pulls away, gazing down into my face with seductive, half-lidded eyes. "Distracted?"

I gulp, feeling that my heart should be suckerpunching the hell out of my chest, but it isn't. It hasn't in quite a while. It never will again. "Not nearly enough."

Alec chuckles again, manouvering his body to invade every square inch of my personal space. If it was anyone else, I think, revelling in his proximity. But as it is, I can't seem to get him close enough. There's something mischievous in his smirk that makes my chest flutter. He pushes up against me suddenly, making me gasp, my eyes flashing open.

Alec pauses suddenly, the purpousful look slipping from his face. His brow creases as he examines my eyes, a frown replacing the devious smirk.

"Food first, sex later," he says, his voice commanding and firm, leaving little wriggle room for argument. Lucky for me, I never need much room.

I unwind my body from around his, leaning back against the wall, fixing him my best I am not impressed face. "Food can wait. I can't."

I can see the conflict in Alec's face, two needs warring internally. "Your eyes are completely black, Nyx," he says, and his eyes begin to harden as one side wins out. "You need to feed before you snap."

"I'm not going to snap," I snarl, harsher than I intended. My teeth remain bared as Alec tuts at me. My temper is inadvertently proving his point.

"Whatever you say, dear," he says, brow perked. He finds my hand, balled up into a fist, and leads me back towards the hall. "I'll ask Aro if we can venture outside the city walls to feed."

The hormonal side of me hopes that Aro will go all mother-hen and say no, too dangerous, not now. I know it's a vain hope. Aro rarely refuses Alec.

vVv

"Stop pouting," Alec sighs. The sound is lost on the wind as we run, through Volterra's underground tunnels to a small town just a few measely miles beyond. It's been a favoured hunting spot of ours in the past, ripe with fresh blood and victims for the taking, and so Aro barely hesitated when granting Alec permission to drag me there. After the massacre, it's too close to Volterra for the Romanians to try anything stupid. We've got extra sets of teeth now.

If not for the maddening call of food, I might have pouted at home.

"No. I shan't. You eunich."

Alec chuckles, and it's laced with a sultry mischief that reminds me exactly what I'm missing out on in favour of easing Alec's fretting and my thirst.

"Eunich," Alec laughs, wickedly, smugly. "Now, that's not quite true, is it, dear?"

I huff, pushing myself that bit further with my nifty extra strength to overtake him and tick him off a little. He chuckles again, and in a few quick bounds, has bypassed me with little effort. He laughs harshly when I growl.

We enter the town by rooftop. Alec snatches my hand into his to keep me from diving through the first window I see and slaughtering the inhabitants. Hunting, especially so close to Volterra, has to be carried out with the utmost of stealth.

He leads me by hand, like a fucking child, to a block of apartment buildings. We crouch on the flat roof opposite, and I watch as Alec's black eyes zero in on one window in particular. The sun is setting, and the light is on, and I can sense the bodies within. Five heartbeats. Five fleshy creatures writhing and warm. Five sources of the cure for the immense pain in my throat.

I move without realising, and Alec's hand suddenly clamps down on my forearm, shocking a sharp snarl past my lips. Alec gives me that look, warning me to keep my shit in check. I can see that he's calculating, his eyes flickering slightly as he plans out our course of action that will leave the police with enough evidence to pin our crime on some human scum. After a moment, Alec blinks, and turns to me.

"Alright. Stay here, don't move. I'll call for you in a minute."

He doesn't wait to see if I agree to sit tight or not. He coils his body against the edge of the rooftop, and uses his right foot to launch himself across the gap between buildings. The force of his spring left a portion of the roof in rubble. I watch, sighing, as he lands against the red brickwork as silent as a shadow, fingertips digging in to keep gravity from working against him.

I rap my fingers against my arm impatiently, watching as he scales the building and reaches our chosen window. He manages to jerk it open and slips inside.

A strange sound distracts me from my upcoming meal. A weird "mrrrp!" sound that makes me spin on my heel to face the culprit.

A small grey cat is rubbing her head against a vertically standing pipe, arching her back lazily as her tail swishes. There's something languid and smug in the action that for all the world reminds me of Jane. Half-lidded green eyes watch my still form as curiously as I'm watching her. A delicate pink nose sniffs the air cautiously, trying to get a whiff of my scent. I lean back away from her, certain that the second she does, survival instinct will kick in and she'll be off like a rocket, that tail high and rigid with alarm.

Across the way, I hear a femenine gasp as Alec is discovered, followed by a low thump as she crumples to the floor under his talent. I imagine it swelling, infesting every corner of the apartment with cloying blackness. An involuntary shiver tingles on the back of my neck.

The cat makes another odd miawing sound, demanding my attention. She's obviously a house cat, somebody's pet, because when I crouch slowly and hold out my fingers, she trots towards me on little padded paws and takes a tentative sniff. Her soft breath ghosts over my icy fingers, and the scent of her blood registers. Even in my starved state, it doesn't seem appealling, and I know it would take a lot for me to drink something like her. I wrinkle my nose at the thought as she wrinkles hers, the fur on her shoulderblades raising in alarm. Her tiny heartbeat quickens. I don't move. She sniffs again. She's frozen, completely rigid with the scent of a stronger predator, but she doesn't run. Her small pink tongue darts out and flicks against my fingers. The action isn't exactly ticklish, per se, but something about it makes me giggle and she skitters back, ears flattened against her head, eyes round with alarm.

I wait patiently for her to creep back towards me. Even though she's afraid, curiosity makes her come back for a second go. It's a familliar cycle. I think of me, my little, gullible, curious human self. The prey. I think of Alec, the predator, who could have crushed my skull between his hands if he'd wished to. I always came back for another go.

The cat stays low as I twitch my fingers, testing her. She flinches, but doesn't run. She can't distiguish between my humanlike features and my vampire scent. Experimentally, she butts her head against my fingertips, and I have to be humongously careful not to hurt her as I begin to trail my fingers against her little throat. She's still stiff, but she accepts my little token of friendship and edges closer, rubbing her head against my knee as my fingers smooth over her back, feeling each tiny vertabrae beneath her skin.

I think briefly of keeping my own little pet in the castle. The novelty of the word would make Felix and Demetri laugh. Caius would throw a hairy fit if I ever brought any kind of animal into the house, that freaking Grinch. And I could never guarantee her safety from Jane. Bitch would probably Fed-Ex her to the Cullens just for kicks. I can see the note she'd send them: "A little gift - love from Jane," just to perplex them. I sigh heavily. Poor thing, what kind of person would I be if I exposed this innocent little creature to the wrath of Jane? Besides, I doubt Alec would take graciously to sharing my attention.

As soon as that thought passes my mind, a hiss of my name travels on the wind. My head jerks too suddenly in reaction, and it's one shock too much for my new little friend. She takes off with a loud yowl, disappearing into the shadows. I whine mournfully, straightening up. Alec is standing in the window, beckoning me. He's surrounded by a swirling vortex of pale smoke.

With another low sigh, I follow his example and spring. Courtesy yet again to my extra strength, I land higher up than he did and in a fraction of a second, I've slipped through the window and into the apartment.

Alec touches my arm as I snap into a standing position. My eyes flicker around the room; a dull, underfurnished living room (the owner of the apartment seems to have greviously misinterpreted the title 50 Shades of Grey), empty of anything resembling a human. Given the lack of dinner right under my nose, I manage to take a slippery grasp on coherent thought as I turn to Alec and scowl at him.

"You made me scare my friend away."

Alec's eyes dart to the side and back again, clearly trying to imagine what kind of friend I could have made in under two minutes. Judging my my black eyes, I wasn't chatting up the friendly neighbourhood hobos or anything of the like. Unless I managed to strike up a scintillating conversation with my own shadow, he is clearly stumped. His brows draw up in confusion. "What?"

Then, a scent reaches my nose, cloaked heavily under Alec's gift. Nevertheless, it is maddening, and it distracts me from the completely befuzzled look on his face. My eyes follow the path of the thick, warping tendrils through a miimetre thick gap between a set of doors leading to what, I guess, is the dining room. I stalk forward, dry lips sliding smoothly off my teeth, slick with my venom. As soon as I throw the doors open, sending them slamming back into the walls and, effectively, cracking them like cheap matchsticks, my ravenous eyes land on five figures slumped over a dinner table, eyes wide and vacant, necks bare.

As painted plaster crumbles away from the wall under the force of my entrance, Alec's numbing mist begins to draw away from the bodies, leaving a gap around my body. Alec stands just behind me, and I hear him inhale deeply as the humans begin to come to, the last small tendrils licking at their limbs as they return to their master.

"What are you doing?" I hiss, practically writhing where I stand. I damn well hope he answers me fast, because my listening skills ain't exactly up to par in the frenzy of mealtime.

Alec walks forward until he's standing flush against my back, his arms extended either side of me as he works his freaky voodoo.

"They have to scream," he tells me, his voice a husky murmur in my ear. My body trembles against his as I shiver, eyes locked on the five humans, beginning to rise shakily from their limp positions, clutching their foreheads and squeezing their eyes shut. Their sluggish heartbeats begin to pick up, and my chest heaves as I inhale in rapid breaths through my mouth, their body heat washing teasingly over my tongue. "The neighbours will never believe it was an attack if they don't scream."

As the last of Alec's mist disappears, my desperate snarl makes one woman turn to stare at us. Her eyes grow wide and moist, and as Alec wanted, she screams.

"We have to be quick," Alec hisses.

I lunge for that one first, springing and clasping her in my iron-tight grip. I pin her against the floor, and the bones in her upper arms crunch in my hands. Her scream becomes piercing, ringing in my ear. Her blood is boiling in her veins, thick with adrenaline and terror. Boiling boiling boiling. The pulse point in her throat pounds and pounds, jumping beneath her skin like a convenient little target.

The next thing I know, my teeth are slicing through her skin. So warm. Hot, sweet nectar spurts from her wound, painting my face and neck crimson, bathing my tongue in relief. So sweet.

As soon as the last drop splashes the back of my throat, I jerk my body upright, leaving the ruined woman sprawling on the floor. The neck of her white dress is ringed completely with red. Venom wells over my tongue again. I'm ready for more. A gold gleam catches my attention for a fourth of a second, and it registers in the haze of my mind that her wedding ring seems luminous against her sheet-white fingers. My eyes leave her just in time to catch Alec gripping another member of the dinner party by the throat, lifting him up and throwing him down on the table in a fit of hunger. Alec is on him in an instant, and he feeds even as desperate fingers scrabble at his shoulders and face, searching for mercy. They don't find it. A limp hand falls away, knuckles resting against the cracked table, wedding band shining in the light.

vVv

After a nifty cleanup operation, completed in double-quick time as soft, frantic human fists pounded at the apartment's front door and a wailing siren raced through town, Alec and I make our way back to Volterra, strolling through the fields and their high grasses at a leisurely pace. The sun is barely treading the horizon, the sky painted a multitude of pastel colours.

In between talking about nothing and everything, I remember something that thirst had distracted me from.

"Renata's cousins are afraid of me."

I expect Alec to laugh, to wonder out loud how on earth anyone could be afraid of someone as small and unintimidating as me, and for my teeth to grind as he snickers to himself the rest of the way home. He doesn't. He nods, lips pursed thoughtfully, looking pleased.

"Good. They should be."

I narrow a strange what the utter fuckery look at the vampire beside me, and he chuckles.

"Members of the Volturi Guard are meant to be feared. We aren't people to stop and have a pleasant chat with. We aren't a hospitable host for travelling nomads. We aren't friends," he says, and suddenly his voice seems harsher. I bite down on my lip as I stare beneath the grasses, watching all the little country-dwelling critters scurrying away from us as he speaks, adding a depressing emphasis to his words. "We are a symbol of the law, a unified force. When that visage starts to slip and other vampires fail to see us as the authority, they act out, endangering all of us. They have to fear us."

As his words sink in, I don't see the entire Guard behind his little speech. Himself and Jane stand out to me as two biggest representatives of fear in the coven. The rest seem to have no problem with conversing, inviting strangers in, or being friends.

I remember Corin hugging Beth and Emma, Demetri greeting that small coven at the last Ball, even freaking Caius having a conversation with vampires on the outside. Somehow, I don't think it's as black-and-white as Alec would like.

"The others-"

"The others get bored. They forget their ideals sometimes."

I sigh. If there's anyone who can rival me for my stubborn attitude, it's my all-too-frequent debate buddy. For once, I decide to let the subject lie.

Alec, on the other hand, isn't finished.

"Over time, when your name starts to spread and rumors of your conquests and work reach impressionble ears, you will earn yourself a formidable reputation fitting to a Guard of your rank."

My brow tightens as a disturbing image flashes behind my eyes; me, striding at Alec's right side, Jane to his left, through a field littered with pieces of vampire corpses. My face is easily as smooth and unwavering as Jane's. Uncaring. My eyes gleam a malicious crimson, ghosting emotionlessly over our mass vampire grave.

I blink tightly, my eyes squeezing shut for a moment. I can't imagine myself like that. I mean, I was never the most social person that ever walked, and the effort of social interaction never fails to make me want to wallop my head against the nearest hard surface. And most of the things that other people say make me want to claw my ears off and cause me to question the purpose of our very existance, but... I think of Jane and her worrying capacity to kill and hurt without so much as blinking. Could I turn into that? The symbol of every vampire's daymares? What would that say for me and Alec? Who would he love - the girl he met; the regular, expressive, somewhere-on-the-verge-of-normal girl with her eyes open to everything in this fresh new world, or the girl I'd become; the cold, hard creature who'd seen so much mayhem and death that she could stroll through a scene like the one I imagined without so much as a flicker of feeling?

Something clenches tight in my stomach, and I turn back to Alec with hard eyes.

"What if I don't-"

Alec freezes suddenly, straightening up and becoming completely rigid. "Wait."

Chagrin clenches my teeth together. "Can I not finish a fucking sentance around here?!"

Alec inhales deeply through his nose, his eyes flickering as he stares into the distance, where Volterra sits on its hilltop.

"Do you smell that?" He asks me, a weird urgency behind his words.

Alarmed by the sudden switch in his attention, I turn my head back to the direction of the city and inhale two deep pulls of air. I smell a lot of things; the countryside, the animals, him, beside me, and...something else. Something distant and faint, thick and dirty and unpleasant to smell.

"Is that smoke?" I ask, the alarm intensifying. This isn't like someone shovelling too much wood into their fireplace, it's too defined, there's too much. We woudn't be able to smell that from our distance. Alec's eyes grow wide.

"Listen," he hisses, tensed for action. I crane my neck, listening as best as I can. Beyond the typical nature-esque noises, there's some sort of din going on in the distance. Shouting. Crashing. The sound of glass smashing. And then something else reaches our ears. Something unmistakable. The bell in one of the castle's towers ringing out. The Volturi's signal that intrudors have entered Volterra - the signal of danger.

Alec doesn't hesitate for a second. On the first ring, a furious growl reverbrates in the back of his throat, and he lunges forward in a sudden burst of speed and energy. I follow immediately, my feet barely ghosting against the ground as I shoot through the grasses, matching Alec step for urgent step.

It's less than a five minute run, but it seems to take five hundred years. When we finally springs over the walls, we're met by screaming from both vampires and the city's human residents, smoke, and the sound of scraping stone as vampires are torn apart.