I know what you're thinking if you've been waiting all this time since the last update...'finally', right? But hey, it's here now :)
Leon gasped for breath as he ghosted a hand across his chest. Even the slightest of touches sent a bolt of agony through his body. Caius had called his man off and in the brief respite the werewolf took stock of his new injuries. Aside from his broken ribs, there was a slash from his hip to his knee on his left leg and he was sure his cheekbone had been broken too, or at the very least fractured. "Are you ready to talk now, Dog?" Caius sounded almost bored, watching Leon struggle to his feet. Dante smirked, standing half in shadow, sneering as Leon fell back to the marble floor.
"No." The werewolf coughed, tasting blood on his lips. Caius sighed.
"Then you are of no further use. Dante?" The dark eyed vampire flitted forwards, his thin lips twisted into a cruel grin. One cold hand closed on the collar of Leon's shirt and he was lifted from the ground, to Dante's eye level.
"I told you that werewolves are noble creatures, Caius." A voice that reminded Leon forcibly of century old parchment forced Dante to freeze in his movements.
"You did." The old vampire conceded. Another ancient vampire flitted into the room, accompanied by the girl, Jane, that had helped drag him from his cell. Leon growled weakly. The newcomers laughed.
"I told you they would never turn tail on their own too." The old man sounded amused. "Didn't I, Caius?"
"You did, Aro." Caius sounded as if he was barely restraining his frustration now, when before he'd easily countered Leon's bravado. Dante slowly lowered him to the ground.
"And? Was I right, brother?" From his position on the cool floor Leon could easily see everything in the room, even the dark eyed vampire slinking back into the shadows behind the trio of thrones, unnoticed by the others.
"You were." Caius bowed his head, while Aro shared a glance with Jane.
"Then your pet project is not faring well." Aro's crimson eyes danced with barely hidden delight. "Such a shame you are so terrified; the wolves are beautiful creatures." Caius shuddered, drawing his cloak around his spindly body. "I wonder if he is too injured…I would like him to see we can be noble too." Aro turned to Leon. Carefully, with shaking hands, the wolf lifted his right hand and gave the vampire a thumbs up gesture. "Excellent. Jane?" The girl moved to the centre of the room, not far from where Leon lay and fell into a combative stance.
"What are you doing, Aro?" Caius sounded bored now that the topic had strayed from his own projects. Aro swept away from him to sit in the centre throne. Caius took his seat at his left.
"Dimitri?" Another vampire entered the room, breezing into the centre to face Jane without even glancing at the other vampires in the room. Leon knew he didn't stand a chance at fighting his way out of the room, not even if he was in peak condition. He could only hope that whatever was going to happen, they would be too distracted to focus on him and he could sneak away.
"Aro, what is this?" Aro smiled, pressing his fingers together into a steeple before him. Anticipation glittered in his crimson eyes as Jane and Dimitri glared at each other.
"This, Caius? This is a duel." Caius shifted in his seat slightly to eye the other regal vampire. "You see Jane and Dimitri have had a…disagreement of late. It appears that Dimitri has had ideas above his station, and that he has…provoked my dear Jane in the process. I thought it would be a good idea for them to work it out." Without warning Dimitri flew at Jane, ivory teeth flashing as his lip curled. The child, for she was only a child, merely flicked brown hair from her face and the man fell to the floor, yelling in pain. Leon shuddered at the display of power, squeezing his eyes closed even as Dimitri struggled to his feet.
/
Amber darted through the corridors of the Volturi Vaults with an undisguised ease, Michael on her heels. He had remained silent since the tunnels; whenever he tried to speak the other vampire shot him a cool glare that caused his words to die in his mouth.
The corridors had been curiously empty thus far and it wasn't until they reached the centre of the maze like structure that they found out why. The unmistakeable sounds of battle were raging behind a heavy wooden door, and those sounds were almost deafened by cheering, and catcalls.
Michael felt distinctly sick and hoped that Leon and Lucy had not been forced to fight. He made to go to the door but a marble arm stopped him. Looking ahead he saw what Amber had already seen, the redhead from the city above was cradled in the arms of another vampire. A male vampire no less. He wanted to ask but the look in Amber's eyes stopped him before he began. "Go." She hissed, barely loud enough for him to hear with her eyes fixed on the redheaded beauty. "I'll handle them." Without looking back she swaggered out of the shadows, swinging her hips tantalisingly. He didn't need to see her face to know she would be smirking too.
"Amber." The name fell from the redhead's lips before the man even saw the brunette. The man tore himself from her arms and turned to face her, victory already shining in his eyes.
"Harmony. Leander." Silence fell then, and no one moved, not even Michael; he daren't, not when any one of the vampires could see his movement from the corner of their eye. Amber must have shared his thought, because she half turned her head towards him, before lunging forwards to take hold of Harmony. Before Leander could stop her she had pulled the redhead into a fiery kiss, providing more than enough of a distraction for Michael to dash across the corridor, directly into another.
He knew there would be a confrontation between the redhead and her lovers. He also knew that that confrontation would leave at least one deader than before. But he couldn't wait and watch. He had to keep moving, even if he didn't know how to get where he was going.
/
Lucy kicked out at the cell door one more time. It was odd that no one had responded to the obscenely loud noise that the contact made, but she was past caring as the door finally swung open. Ruby laughed happily, wrapping her arms around the older girl's legs before turning to help her father to his feet. Lucy allowed herself a smile as she led the pair out of the cell, Andrew leaning heavily on the child's shoulder for bother support and guidance.
It was a shame that he'd never see his daughter again, she mused as they inched along the torch lit corridor. She knew he hadn't been blind when he'd first come to Volterra, so somehow the vampires had ruined his sight for good. She shook the thoughts from her head; getting angry wouldn't do anyone any good. A movement caught her eye. She stopped, putting out a hand to stop Ruby.
Slowly, silently Lucy pulled one of the burning torches from its bracket on the wall. A vampire's greatest enemy may have been werewolves, but fire was right up there on the 'avoid' list. A black cloaked figure darted from shadow to shadow, seemingly oblivious of her, but as soon as it came near she caught it by the hood and pulled it close waving the torch threateningly against its body. Only then did she catch the scent. "Mike?" She whispered, her grip slackening.
"Luce." A sigh of relief escaped the vampire's lips and he twisted his body to pull her into a tight embrace. "You're ok." She tossed the torch away and hugged him close, smiling into his cold chest.
"How did you get in?" He let out a rumbling laugh, pulling away. Lucy shivered; his contact left a residual iciness on her skin.
"A girl called Amber let me in." Amber. Lucy frowned, introducing Ruby and Andrew absently. This was the second time she'd come across the crimson-eyed vampire. The second time that a meeting had led to a life being saved. After all, if Amber hadn't pulled her from The Black Swan she'd have left early, never have been able to pull Leon and Ruby from the burning hotel.
"We need to find Leon." She announced, cutting off the harsh conversation between Andrew and Michael. The older wolf, it seemed, could smell that he was a vampire and most certainly didn't trust him for it.
"We need to get out." Michael overruled her smoothly and she could tell something was wrong.
"They took him. I need to find him." She folded her arms across her chest, frustration flashing in her mismatched eyes.
"We can come back for him, first we need to get Andrew and Ruby out." He had a point, she could admit that, but there was no way in Hell she was leaving her brother behind.
"I'm not leaving without Leon." Michael sighed, his shoulders drooping slightly. She felt a brief thrill of victory.
"I had a feeling you'd say that." Her victory was short lived as she was swept into Michael's arms and swung over his shoulder like a misbehaving child. "But it's easier this way." Lucy lashed out with her feet and fists but Michael only began to walk back the way he had come, Ruby leading Andrew along behind them.
Huh...poor Leon...and what's happening with Amber, Harmony and Leander :O wish I knew myself really...