A/N: Heya guys, again. :) I'm fully aware this is another short chapter, but I'll gearing up for something, so deal. :) Also I'm working on Black King, White Knight almost twice as much, trying to catch up a little.
Shoutout to cullensbabymama7 and GleekLaughingXDPuckleBerry! I love ya guys! ;)
Enjoy!
The Ghost Of Circumstances Beyond My Control
Simple Pleasures
"Sorry," Bella murmured sheepishly as she shut the door to our place between her.
"Sorry for what?" I asked, wondering what she could have possibly done to make her felt the need to apologize to me.
"I think the Cullens are gone. I know Edward is," she sighed.
"What happened?" I chuckled, fairly pleased with this development. Though I knew the Cullens were staying.
"I told him I was done with his bitchiness, and then..." She paused for nearly a minute, so I knew something serious had happened. "I beat the ever loving shit out of him. If vampires could get head injuries, he'd be a vegetable right now." She smirked ruefully.
"You handed his ass to him?" I burst out laughing. "Damn Bella, I wish I could have seen that!"
"Of course, ripped a chunk out of his shoulder too. You're not mad?" she asked confused.
"Hell no! I can do without him in the tower. I already talked to Emmett." Honestly, I liked all of the Cullens, with one exception. I knew how persuasive Edward could be, and he had no doubt taken advantage of that when he convinced his family to leave Forks, Every one of them would never forgive themselves for that, except maybe Rosalie, but she didn't like being had by her so-called brother. Even Carlisle was angry.
"And?"
"Emmett and Rosalie are sticking around, they can't tolerate him anymore. The rest agree to a point and are staying too," I shrugged. "And Eleazar's coven still has a huge grudge against me and Dem, so I sent him home to talk to them and decide where he rather be. He's probably going to pacify the sisters and come back, this is too important to him not to."
"So nothing has really changed?" she gasped. I thought she probably hadn't fully understood how little I wanted to run the Volturi in the first place.
"Yeah, for the time being," I said. "I'm done trying not to pissed any of them off though, and I only really had an issue with him. Plus, I simply cannot run away from something I made necessary. And honestly, it's easier without having to mind my p's and q's."
And so, there was the start of a new chapter in my life. Felix, one of the Volturi leaders. Ugh. Luckily, it really didn't involve much more than when I was only a Guard. It was actually pretty boring for a few weeks.
"Felix, vamp in the great room for ya," Jane said, popping her head around the corner.
"What can the Volturi do for you today?" I said, looking over the short, blonde immortal.
"I need to speak to Aro," he answered, more sharply than Caius would ever have let him get away with.
"He's...currently indisposed. What do you need?" We were trying to keep the knowledge that the Ancients were dead from the larger world for the time being.
"I want to join your ranks," he snapped, like he was speaking to some lowly servant.
"No," I smirked, raising an eyebrow. I wasn't about to bring in a new immortal when we were all settling into our new roles. "And I'd watch your tone."
"You're nothing but a guard!" he spat. "You don't make the decisions!"
He lunged at me. This guy had to have a deathwish.
"Actually, I do," I hissed just as Jane, Heidi and Demetri came rushing in. "And what skill do you believe you could bring to the Volturi?"
I wasn't about to start killing people for that level of hostility just yet. I refused to be as ruthless as Caius and Aro.
"I manipulate people's thoughts, make them believe basically anything I want, like how I would be a great fit here, and Aro would be delighted to see me now," he grinned, overconfident.
He was trying to use to on me, and I could tell. Bella look of fury just confirmed that. Thank God for her shield.
"Yeah, I don't think so." I lunged at him, tearing his head off before he could recognized what my words meant.
"He could have been useful," Jane sighed.
"More like he would have turned every immortal he could find against us," I snarled. I was not about to allow the vampire community's opinion be skewed before we could truly change thing. I knew it set a big precedent to kill him, but the Volturi was still be to looked at as the reason out world was the way it was, and how those rules kept us all safe and peaceful for the most part. "Not a word to anyone about this. I rather people not view us as Caius on a power trip."
"Agreed," Jane and Demetri chorused.
I pulled our Audi under the arched tunnel of one of the many, many side doors, picked up Bella to head somewhere interesting to go hunt. Maybe Africa.
"Want to hunt a lion?" I grinned.
"Sure, mountain lions are fine. It's been a bit too long since I hunted something I haven't had in a while. I was getting tired of wolves," she smiled, referring to the Volturi's private hunting grounds.
"No, I meant an actual king-of-the-beast lion," I smirked, watching her eyes go wide with surprise and excitement.
It felt amazing to have this level of freedom, and the means to make it happen; to be able to leave whenever we wanted, but still not feel directionless. I needed some mission, some goal in life, and now that the Ancients were gone, that morphed into being the Volturi once again. I thought it funny how every stage of my life focused around the Volturi in some way, perhaps I was more tied to it than I had realized.
"Well, you can fly, but I think Alec is better," Bella snickered after a slightly rough landing.
"Hey! That was an unpaved strip of hard dirt, not a runway! Give me a break!" I laughed, not managing to keep up my hurt feelings look.
"Well, it's not like I can die in a plane crash," she shrugged.
"Technically, you can." I smirked, realizing how much about being a vampire she still needed to learn. As old as I was, I didn't know everything.
"WHAT?" she gasped, yanking me to a stop and pouncing on me. I was beyond glad her strength was waning slightly. Having a little five foot four woman tackle me like that was a minor hit to my ego.
"The fireball," I grinned. "It can still set you on fire, but the trick is getting you to stand still long enough to actually do any damage."
"Oh. That makes sense."
I flipped off my back onto my feet, pulling Bella up with me.
"Alright, the wilds of Africa!" I announced, sweeping my arm in front of us in an overly grand gesture. "We offer lions, hyenas, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamuses, rhinos, wildebeest, and anything else you want I'm sure they have it. So, what would you like, Mrs. Skylar?"
"Hmm...Lions and hyenas and Cheetahs, Oh my!" she giggled.
Watching Bella hunt was so beautiful. She might not have been as a human, but now she was the most graceful creature I had ever seen. She even made me look jerky and unsure in comparison.
"I'll race ya," Bella grinned, dropping her second lion at her feet.
"You're on," I chuckled.
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but we found Amun and Kebi waiting for us.
"I thought I knew that plane," Amun huffed. "What business has Aro sent you on now?"
"Hello, Amun. Aro didn't send me on any business," I shrugged. I figured it was best to be honest but vague.
"You look different. Your eyes resemble Carlisle's."
Damnit. I just really hoping he wouldn't bring that up.
"Well, you know how Aro can be," I said with a perfect, wry smile. If he still feared Aro as much as it seemed, he'd let it go.
"We have broken no laws. He would do well to keep his distance."
"I'll be the one to determine that, Amun," I sneered, ushering Bella onto the plane. "You'd do well to remember the Volturi's authority."
"The hell was up with that guy?" Bella asked as soon as we pulled the plane into the hanger outside Volterra.
"Amun? You remember the Egyptians we were talking about? He's the last surviving member of that coven, and only because he ran before we got there," I smirked.
"He noticed your eyes though. Won't that raise suspicions?"
"Nah, not for a few years at least."
"But so many people know Carlsile and his lifestyle. Won't they put the pieces together?"
"Probaby, but it's not a bad thing. Everyone will assoicate golden eyes with the Volturi eventually, and it will only make us stand out more and make us appear all the more untouchable."
"But we're not untouchable! But by a long shot!" I could hear the panic in her voice, and given the turmoil the past several months, I couldn't blame her.
"No, we're not, but regardless of how the old regime really was, ninety-nine perfect of our world still see the Volturi as the good guys."
Bella snorted in disbelief.
"I told you Aro was a manipulative bastard. And the law the created did benefit us all, the Ancients just overstepped their authority," I shrugged.
"Alright, I get that. But if our eyes become more or less a symbol of the Volturi, aren't you worried someone will switch to animal blood and use that for their own goals?" she asked. Bella was always far more insightful than most people I knew.
"It's possibility, but I highly doubt it. One, it's an incredibly hard lifestyle to adapt to. Everyone beside you and me have slipped up already, and the only reason we haven't said the hell with it and returned to human is because of you, and the fact we're remarkably disciplined. I really don't know anyone else who could keep it up long enough for their eyes to change."
"And two?"
"Impersonating the Volturi is a serious crime. And no one is that stupid," I grinned.
"As stupid as taking on the Volturi?" she laughed.
"Almost," I smirked and winked at her, nudging her with my elbow. "The difference is we had you on our side."
"And someone insane enough to try," Bella grinned, punching my shoulder.
"I'll give you that one," I laughed. "It was a pretty crazy plan, but necessary all the same. I really think the world is better off without them. The only question is if I can step up to the plate and do a better job."
"It's not a question, babe. You're going to be stellar and I know it. Plus you have me to kick your ass if you let it go to your head." As if to prove her point, she pounce on my back, and kissed my cheek as I headed off to the tower carrying her.
It was the simple pleasures in life, like giving her a piggy back ride, hopping over to Africa to hunt with her, and just being near Bella that did and would forever keep me grounded. I owed her more than I could ever give.
On the way back to the Volturi castle, I thought of how completely life had changed in the past year. The force that had ruled our world for centuries was now in my control. I had the most amazing, wonderful, thoughtful woman to call mine. Now Amun was giving me, of all people, subtle threats. This was going to be an interested century.
A/N:Alright guys, I'll get the next one up asap, but I have a hellishly busy weekend ahead of me, but not expect one until early next week, but who knows? I tend to surprise with early updates at times. ;)