Never Again

Jane's POV

"He's dead," Alec declared savagely, his eyes flashing angrily.

"No," I said. "It wouldn't solve anything."

"Yes it will," he argued. "Jane, how can you sit there and accept this? He hurt you!"

I shook my head. "What good will his death do, Alec? Nothing. Besides, Lord Aro values him more than us. He'll probably have us killed if we touch Sebastian. No. Do nothing."

Alec looked at me dubiously. I spent most of the night sitting beside the window, thinking hard. This was one time when I wished I could still cry, but vampires don't have the luxury of tears. Instead, I threw everything he ever gave me across the other end of the room. It didn't cheer me up, but it felt satisfying to hear the jewelry smash into tiny pieces.

Sebastian's cruel words echoed in my mind over and over: "Good Lord, Jane, don't you see? I don't love you anymore! The incident in Romania showed me you're not the one I should spend the rest of my life with! I need a woman who can take care of herself, who isn't distracted, and who certainly isn't-"

And then I slapped him. I knew what he was calling me: weak. Weak because I looked out for him, cared for him, and gave him my heart. I loved him with every fiber of my being, and he ended it like I was one of his every day flings.

I shall never love again, I vowed silently. Never. Love has made me weak; Sebastian has shown me that much.

I looked at Alec, who was studying me carefully.

You're all I'll ever need, Alec, I thought. I certainly don't need some male distracting me from becoming the most ruthless vampire in the Volturi.

"What are you thinking of, sister?" he asked worriedly. "Is there something bothering you?"

"No, Alec," I assured him. "Come with me. I want to see if our Master needs our services."

Alec looked surprised, but he followed me anyway. We walked to the throne room, again ignoring the frightened and wary glances other vampires threw at us. I relished their fear; I now knew that my love for Sebastian blinded me from the true power and position I held in the coven.

But still, there was a part of me that felt hollow and empty. The air would never feel as sweet, and the knowledge that he might very well take another mate was like a knife in my already dead heart.

The truth was, I would never forget him. Worse still, I knew that I would never stop loving him – no matter how hard I tried.

Aro's POV

20 years later

I still love him.

By everything that is evil in me, I swear I still love him.

I don't! I have crushed my feelings for Sebastian the moment he called me weak.

Oh how I miss him so.

No! This cannot be! I swore never to love any man other than my brother and my master, and so it shall be!

Dear Jane's thoughts flowed through mine, and I smiled.

"You still love him, dear one," I whispered slowly, allowing my words to take effect.

"Master," Jane said, bowing her head.

"Come, come," I told her brightly, tilting her chin up so that I could look into her eyes. "Why must you be ashamed? Love is a rare commodity nowadays; must you hide everything you feel? Dear Jane, you have achieved the reputation you and I have wanted the minute you arrived in Volterra. Shouldn't you talk to him again?"

I desperately wanted them back together, mainly because they were an unshakeable force. If they became mates, then I – or rather, the Volturi – would be unassailable. I knew the extent of Sebastian's power, but when Jane threw in her power, and the power of her twin, Alec, nobody could usurp the power from our grasp.

Such a delicious thought. If only…

I gave Jane one of my fatherly smiles. "Dearest Jane, I can have him sent back, if it pleases you," I told her. "He has never disobeyed an order from me."

Oh yes, Master.

No, he might have a mate. If he's with someone else, I don't think I can bear the thought.

Jane's thoughts were conflicting, yes, but I knew what her heart truly desired. She desired my son.

I had sent Sebastian to London on his request, but he visited occasionally. I knew Sulpicia missed him dearly – she loved him like her own son, that much was clear – and I, in my own way, missed his reassuring presence. Without him, Volterra seemed less unprotected, but I had Jane and Alec, my precious jewels.

"Sebastian has no mate," I declared. As I expected, Jane's eyes flickered up as she studied me briefly. "I've heard that much from him. He has had a few proposals, true, but he refused them all."

"But Master, if you send him back…" Jane's voice faltered and her gaze dropped to the floor.

"Nonsense. Brothers, I do believe that 20 years without Sebastian is far too long," I said, glancing at Caius and Marcus.

"Very well, if you must," Caius drawled, while Marcus nodded once.

"So be it," I said, happy with the way things were going. "Demetri will travel to London and tell your Sebastian to return. I trust you are happy now, Jane."

Jane nodded, and I dismissed her. As I sat down on my throne, I marveled at how simple problems could be solved. I certainly was cut out as the spokesperson of the Volturi; if I left it up to Caius we would have constant bloodshed.

Marcus, on the other hand, has become unstable ever since the death of my sister, Didyme. Nevertheless, he would have been too great of an asset to lose if they left. Sebastian never betrayed me, and I knew where his loyalties lay.

I watched Alec approach Jane and smiled. Everything was going according to plan. Excellent.

Jane's POV

"I thought you'd be pleased," Alec said as we walked back to our rooms. "Sebastian's coming back – isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, and no," I admitted. "Look at it this way, Alec! I've spent all this time trying to forget about him, and now he's coming back? What if he has a girl with him? I could kill her!"

Alec grasped me by my shoulders and shook me. "Listen to me Jane! I admit I hated Sebastian for what he did to you, but the two of you obviously love each other after all this time! Why won't you talk to him when he comes back? You won't lose anything by doing it."

"What if I don't talk to him?" I snapped. Alec had no idea – absolutely no idea of how I felt when I heard Sebastian tell me he didn't love me anymore and how I meant nothing to him – and he certainly didn't have any clue now.

"Then you'll spend the rest of your life knowing that you've already had the man of your dreams and you let him go," Alec said solemnly. "You have the power to inflict pain on others, Jane. Don't do the same to yourself. Not when you have a chance to ease that pain."

I looked at Alec. What he was saying was true; I would be lying if I told myself that I could forget him and that I didn't love Sebastian anymore. The days we spent in the mountaintop retreat showed me how much love was inside me and that the love Sebastian and I had for each other was real.

Perhaps that was why I found it hard to accept that he didn't love me anymore – because I knew he was lying.

"If he does love me, then why did he say those things to me?" I moaned.

Alec drew me closer to him and gave me a hug. "He wanted to protect you, Jane. When he saw what happened to you in Romania, he blamed himself. I think he believed that if you didn't love him, you wouldn't have been hurt in the first place."

I placed my head on my brother's shoulder. "I just want him here, Alec. I miss him so much."

"I'm sure he misses you too," he said near my ear. "We may be Volturi members, Jane, but that doesn't mean we can't fall in love every once in a while. And what you and Sebastian have is love. Never let him go, sister."

"Never," I echoed.

Alec pulled away and studied me. "Remember what I said, Jane. Even if Sebastian comes through those doors with another girl, remember that he still loves you. He probably brought another girl for show."

"If he brings another girl," I said, my expression gleeful, "Do I have the right to torture her?"

Alec shrugged. "Maybe. It depends if Lord Aro allows you to. And knowing his fondness for you, he'll probably let you do it."

I smirked. "I do hope so."

"Sebastian Volturi, my lord," Demetri announced grandly as he entered the throne room the next day. "And his close friend, Morgan."

Alec and I were standing at the front of the throne room when Sebastian appeared. He was still the same: messy blonde hair, athletic build, and warm, mischievous eyes. He had adopted the London fashion, and he was wearing pressed gray slacks, a pearly white shirt, and shiny black shoes, while a leather jacket was thrown over his shoulder, which he held with one hand. The other hand was in his pocket.

Walking beside him was a pretty girl of about seventeen. She was wearing a flowy sundress and flats. They made an attractive pair, and I saw Felix raise his head and watch as Sebastian and the girl called Morgan approach the front.

Alec gave me a slight poke, as if to tell me "I told you so."

"Sebastian, welcome back," Lord Aro said, descending from his throne. "I see you have brought a lovely companion with you. Who is she?"

"Morgan, father," Sebastian replied, taking his hand from his pocket to nudge her forward. She looked back at him nervously, but he gave her a reassuring nod.

I hated her.

Lord Aro immediately clamped his hand on hers, and she jumped back, startled. We waited as Lord Aro absorbed the girl's thoughts, and when he was through, he smiled widely.

"You were wise to bring her here, my son," he told Sebastian, who nodded his head once in acknowledgement of Lord Aro's praise.

"Now, what to do," Lord Aro said thoughtfully as Sebastian walked to his usual position near Lord Marcus. "If only dear Eleazar were here, he'd tell us if she would be useful."

"Does she know of us, Aro?" Lord Caius inquired.

I smiled. I knew if Morgan knew of the existence of vampires, Caius would have her put to death. I would only be too happy to torture the little bitch for coming on to my Sebastian.

"Yes," Lord Aro replied. "Yet she believes that Sebastian can vouch for her."

I quickly turned to look at Sebastian, who was rocking on the balls of his heels.

"Vouch for her? In what way?" Lord Caius' voice was icy.

"She has telekinesis, Caius," Sebastian replied, walking over to Morgan. She seemed more at ease when he approached her, and I had to fight to keep my anger and jealousy under control. "Although it's not as strong as mine, she can still –"

"Why do we need a second telekinetic?" Lord Caius interrupted. "Your powers are more than enough."

"Indeed. But should we risk her joining another coven? Father, if she can do these while she's human, it is possible that her ability will be enhanced when she is turned. Two heads are better than one," Sebastian argued.

Lord Aro nodded. "He speaks the truth. However, are you entirely sure, Sebastian, that she will develop the ability?"

"No. If she doesn't, then I shall execute her myself," Sebastian declared. Morgan flinched, but remained silent. "She knows that much."

"Very well," Lord Aro said. "One of the guards can do it. Santiago, Felix, take her and turn her. She's your responsibility."

Sebastian cast a grateful look at Lord Aro as the latter returned to his throne. Morgan grasped Sebastian's arm as Santiago and Felix approached, but he patted her shoulder gently.

"They won't hurt you, Morgan," Sebastian told her. "I'll visit you shortly."

Morgan let go of his arm and followed Felix and Santiago out of the throne room. Sebastian watched them leave – and then looked at me. I stared back at him, expressionless. His mouth cracked into a smile as he followed them out.

"Talk to him," Alec hissed, prodding me forward.

I looked at Lord Aro, who was smiling at me. He gave his head a little nod, which I took to mean "Go on."

This is it, I thought. No turning back, Jane.