Chapter 12

Aro's expression was grim. "I have found something you need to see."

His words sucked the levity from the room like a vacuum. Jane gave me a concerned look – but I didn't have time to return it. Aro reached for my hand, and pulled me out the door without another word.

I decided not to stress myself out about it – though Aro's disquiet gave me the irrational need to soothe him.

What was that about?

We arrived at his office in no time – I saw a collection of books laid out on the side table by his fireplace.

Seating myself in one of his leather recliners next to them, I looked at him expectantly.

He grabbed the oldest book out of the collection. It was not only covered in dust, but looked like the binding was barely hanging on by a thread.

"This came to me a hundred years ago," he began, "by way of an execution. A coven was killed for plotting against the Volturi, I read the mind of a newly turned member who had seen evidence of them working with the Romanians, and a powerful coven of witches. Felix was able to infiltrate the vampire coven – and assassinate the few members with troublesome gifts before they could be turned against us. But the coven of witches had only made contact through a third party that couldn't be found, so they escaped judgment. However, this book was found in the study of the coven's leader. I wasn't able to make sense of their purpose in giving it to him, or any of the people listed on its pages and so let the entire endeavor go... but when I opened it up today, I happened to read the names in the family tree listed on the title page again..." He turned the book so it was facing me – and pointed out the lowest branches, before continuing - "I now realize they must have had a member with psychic gifts, because when I received it, these people had yet to be born. And the ink it was written in looks to predate my acquisition of the text by at least 200 years."

I looked at the page he was pointing to – it seemed to be a royal line of witches, based on the crest at the top bearing a crown – and the names of the last of their lines sent a deep chill into me. It showed the union of Renee Higgenbotham and Charles Swan. The final heir being Isabella Marie Swan. There were no additional details, no dates of birth – nothing to give away when these people would enter the family tree. But the significance was not lost on me.

Both of my parents came from Royal Witch stock. And I was their only heir. The very last of a long and powerful line.

My father obviously had no idea. He was clumsy, and mundane. BUT my mother on the other hand...

Did she know? Was she leading this coven right now? I'd lived with her for 16 years and never seen anything that would indicate she was... but little things started to filter through. Little tiny clues... not of her power – but other things. The seeming randomness of our moves across the country. Her carelessness over our finances, the low level jobs she seemed to pick up and discard like newspapers. Her lack of close friendships. As if we were in hiding...

But if that were the case – why was my father able to maintain a permanent residence? So, maybe we weren't hiding. Maybe she was working for the coven all along... we always lived a comfortable lifestyle. Despite Renee's seeming lack of skills, she always appeared well paid, and we were able to facilitate our moves across the whole of the US with ease. Just picking up and going in a matter of days. She never seemed overly concerned, but when we got to Phoenix – she seemed to become very comfortable, very quickly. Suddenly, she was making friends, buying a house, settling down.

That must have been where the coven's headquarters were located.

I felt like I received a premonition of confirmation – an eery shiver went through my body. Somehow I just knew I'd stumbled onto the right answer.

Aro was my mate – despite our lack of bonding. Should I tell him what I'd figured out? He was also the head of the Volturi and the witches obviously represented a threat. Would he move against them?

I willed myself to see what would happen next. The certainty I received in my thoughts a moment ago, making me think it would work.

My mind started to whirr with thousands of images all at once. It was such an overload I dropped the book and whimpered.

I willed it to stop, apparently "next" was too broad a search into the future and started to focus on what I'd seen. My vampiric mind could recall with perfect clarity each image that had passed my mind's eye, but it was like watching clips of a movie out of order.

I saw a few that caught my attention, but not because of their significance so much as because of the content. I saw snapshots of my life with Aro. I knew deep inside that we would be together. But to see... and not just what I thought I would. There were images of us talking, laughing, kissing, fucking - and as interested as I was in those, the ones that stole most of my attention were the ones of us ruling. Aro and I sitting on matching thrones. Images of us in battle – killing everything in our path. Or standing in the back during an attack – watching the Volturi Guard slaughter some nameless coven.

There were several of disturbing images of me by myself, too. Crying bloody tears, destroying a small town, tearing a bunch of unknown vampires apart. In one - I was the very image of Death. Covered in venom, eyes black, teeth bared, holding someone's severed head in the grip of my left hand, a fireball in the palm of my right. Whoever was on the receiving end of that glare, wasn't going to live much longer.

But what happened to get me there? Surely, only something traumatic would make me act that way...

Aro was on his knees in front of me, and without thought I grabbed him in a hard hug, and breathed his scent into my lungs deeply. The action caused me to relax my grip a bit, and I made a swift decision that if everything I had seen was true – Aro would never act against me. The coven of witches no more deserved my loyalty than a distant cousin I'd never met – but Arowas my future. My mate. And I could never withhold anything from him, if I wanted his trust in return...

However, the retelling of it – was less dramatic than I'd assumed. As interested as he was in the information I provided, which upon retelling seemed very little... He was more concerned with my feelings about it.

He picked me up and sat me in his lap – and looked deep into my eyes. "Isabella, I know you are disturbed by what you have seen, but you must know – if you choose to bond with me that is what your life will be. These are not images of an irrevocable future – we have not bonded. You still have a choice. But be aware, we – the Volturi – but most specifically me – are the dealers of death to our kind in the world. If a reprieve is ever granted to someone guilty of a crime, it is only a temporary one. Sometimes – though rarely – it benefits us to wait. But again, for the most part – we are simply killers. Discriminate killers but killers, nonetheless. Vampires are violent, powerful creatures. We are difficult to cage, we are unchanging – not just physically but also in personality and temperament. A threat today is still a threat 10 years later. Unlike humans who can be incarcerated and become repentant, perhaps making a different decision in the future when faced with the same set of circumstances... vampires are incapable of the same. The only major change a vampire can have is mating – and even that will not change the key parts of who they are... just their priorities. If you stay here with me – that image – the one that so discomforted you – the picture of you as a killer. That will be your reality as the powerful mate of a Volturi King."

I had no words. I was shocked into silence. He was right, of course. I knew that. The Volturi Guard were not really the protectors of the Royalty of Vampires, so much as the security detail for the Judge, Jury and Executioners of our world. Aro had more blood - and venom – on his hands than any other being on the face of the planet. He was Death – and he wanted to know if I would knowingly remain in the arms of Death for all eternity.

And, I had no answer. It was not a version of my future I'd anticipated.

Suddenly, it was too much. Could a vampire really not choose it's mate? Asking me to contemplate choosing anything but him was like asking me to go against nature. Wasn't it?

He was right about one thing, though. I would have to knowingly make that decision, even if I didn't feel myself capable of making any other. I couldn't walk into that future without being prepared, mentally if nothing else – and I couldn't become resentful of him later if it turned out to be something I didn't want.

I kissed Aro – not passionately like before – chastely, reassuringly – briefly on the lips, so briefly I barely felt a tingle at all and murmured that I needed some time to think.

He looked saddened, but understanding and merely began collecting all the books into a pile for me to take.

I stood, grabbed the armload of books and with another lingering look – fled for my rooms.

The next few hours sped by in a blur – I was capable of speed reading as a vampire – and so I'd read every single book Aro provided me. Eight in total. And seemed to gain a vast knowledge of witchcraft as a whole, but I'd learned very little that applied to me.

I was lying on my bed now – contemplating the differences between what I was experiencing with my powers, and what I had read. It seemed to me my powers had morphed or maybe adapted due to my change into a vampire. While mortal witches had limited energy stores; I didn't. While mortal witches were only able to focus on one thing at a time; my concentration is infinite; mortal witches required spells and materials to do the same things I could pull off with a single thought.

Was it because I was the product of the union of two powerful witches? Because I was the prophetic last of those lines? Simply because all human powers become stronger with the vampiric change?

According to the book I'd read – I was now considered a prospective Queen of the Witches. Once I'd reached the age of majority – and accepted my powers... or began to use them, I became eligible to take control of the monarchy. All I would have to do was prove my powers surpassed my predecessor – because only the strongest held the title. The Royal lines denoted in Aro's book were not family ties, but rather lines of power.

So all those years ago my parents were prophesized to be the next rulers. The strongest of the all living witches. And I was going to be Queen, in that version of reality. I wondered how much I changed things by becoming a vampire...

If most of it was the same, it was entirely possible my mother was the current ruler. But my Dad certainly did not co-rule, so the psychic's vision was already partially wrong. Much like my visions earlier. Just a possible version of the future.

But - since I knew my powers to have surpassed everything documented in those books already... it was clear the title could be mine if I outed myself to them and accepted it.

In a small way, it was a relief. I could choose another path instead of becoming Aro's mate. There really was another place for me in the world. Though the thought of ruling over a bunch of mortal witches in the desert sounded kinda sucky in comparison to staying here and ruling with Aro in lovely Italy...

Plus, everything I read painted witches as a peaceful people. Almost pacifists, since they apparently worshiped life and nature and very much like vampires, only ruled over their kind in the smallest sense - usually by punishing those threatening to expose them. The majority had mostly solitary, under-the-radar lifestyles.

Would I even fit in with them? I found nothing to indicate that my being a vampire discounted me from being able to take over... but as Aro said earlier, vampires are violent creatures. Would I be capable of living with a bunch of nature loving hippies? Doubtful.

I decided to give pondering a break – Christ all I fucking did anymore was sit around and think.

I was hungry – and Aro owed me a real walk, complete with a little scumbag slaughter.

It was time to collect.

A/N: So - I finally worked the title into the story! That took a lot of literary maneuvering. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Don't forget to review! A