Author's note:had some extra time so here's 37 :) hopefully things will begin to make sense again in a few chapters so just bear with me, yeah?

Enjoy!

Javan strode down the long winding hallway and sighed in annoyance. The stench of blood coated him, the substance covering his skin, clothes, and hair. The human receptionist had nearly fainted when he'd looked at her, which would've been amusing if hatred and anger weren't swirling dangerously inside of him. He was sick of this charade, it was pointless now, but the vultures would keep circling. Javan itched for a fight. He reached a set of double doors and pushed them open. A fire blazed in the massive ornate fireplace. Javan had to admit, this library was beautiful, comforting even, with its warm-toned walls and the smell of books and paper and ink. It made him sick. The whole fucking place made him physically ill, which was uncommon considering he was a living corpse.

"Couldn't you have cleaned up before coming here? Honestly, Javan, you don't need to look the part of the beast as well."

His wolf paced restlessly under the surface.

"I'm not here to accommodate your delicate sensibilities, bitch."

The blonde man glared. "You—"

"Ah! Javan! It is wonderful to see you back so soon. I wasn't expecting you for at least another two or three days."

Javan wasn't sure who was the bigger piece of shit; Caius, with his smug, self-important face looking down at him as he hid behind his false 'title' and authority or Aro, with his underhanded, manipulative, psychopathic tendencies. He supposed that on paper it would seem easy, maybe even obvious, to pick but Javan was truly unsure of which man he hated more.

"You know I work fast."

Aro reached out as if to touch him and Javan pierced him with a glare. Aro sighed then put his hand down, the twinkle never leaving his eye. Javan would never let that man touch him. He was older than all three brothers, he could kill them if he so wished to and they knew it and Javan would have done it by now if he could. He'd be damned if the bastard got into his head as well. He spotted Marcus on the balcony above him, looking on indifferently as he returned a book to a shelf. Marcus Volturi was the only person in this godforsaken place Javan liked, which was a bit ironic considering he hated his brothers. While usually silent and indifferent to everything and everyone, the man slipped through the castle like a ghost. Marcus was like him, a kindred spirit of sorts.

You've been fighting the monster down for too long my friend.

"Am I done?" he asked blandly.

Aro gave a sad look that was faker than Heidi's contact lenses. Javan rolled his eyes.

"I'm afraid not, dear friend. But we can discuss that later."

Aro and Caius strolled out, the latter sending him a glare as he went. Javan blew him a mocking kiss, simply to annoy him. He threw himself into an armchair and stared into the flames. His thoughts strayed to Anala and Nolan for the first time since he arrived in Italy. He wondered if they were doing alright. No doubt Anala had been angry at him. Javan smirked lightly, picturing he fiery look in her emerald eyes and the faint flush to her cheeks. He was willing to bet she wanted to beat him. At least Nolan would stay calm. The little monster usually was until made otherwise.

"You're going to stain the furniture."

Marcus's voice was soft, quiet, yet it held a tone that demanded respect. He could've been a king in a past life. Javan tilted his head back to look at the man standing behind the chair. His long black hair fell around his shoulders as he stared back at him through sunken ruby eyes. Marcus didn't speak to anyone, not even his brothers, but for some reason had deemed Javan worth talking to. Maybe he too saw how alike they were.

Javan shrugged. "I can't bring myself to care."

He made a sound that was both a chuckle and a sigh. "Of course not."

It was quiet for a long moment.

"Why don't you kill them?"

Javan turned onto his back, smearing more blood on the old, most likely expensive, piece of furniture. Crimson met ruby.

"Why don't you?"

Marcus moved around the back of the seat and settled into the sea next to Javan's. The firelight reflected off his ivory skin and black hair, amplifying the contrast between the two and made his brilliant eyes glow. Javan ran a hand over his blood soaked hair and wished he had his camera. "Because I have nothing to gain from it. Unlike you. They've lost track of her, you know."

This wasn't news to Javan. Anya was smart, like her father. They wouldn't catch wind of her for a while yet.

"I'm not in the mood to declare war on the Volturi just yet."

"Because of the two children you've been protecting?"

Javan looked at the man. Marcus smiled faintly.

"If you kill them, everyone here and our allies will be after you. You wouldn't risk exposing them. Do not worry. No one but I know of them. I will not say anything, of course."

Interesting. "Why?"

"Evil resides in these halls Javan. The devil himself whispers into my brothers ears. I will not stay here. I advise you be careful during your stay."

Javan would've be more than happy to leave if he had the choice. He raised an eyebrow. "You're leaving?" a groan left his lips "Pity. This place is slightly more bearable with you around."

"It holds too many memories." A strange look appeared in his crimson eyes. "You will see me soon. Just not here. I would return here only to watch it burn to the ground."

Marcus disappeared from the room and Javan processed the information he'd just been given. He wondered what this 'evil' was. To Javan, the place had already been evil. Something significant must've been happening if Marcus was willing to not only tell him but to leave his home as well. The blood on him was making him restless and angry. Javan stood, heading to his rooms. His day would come. And when it did, he would revel in the cries for mercy.

Anala leaned against a tree, panting as she choked back sobs. She felt sick. What had she done? Hot hands grabbed her and Nolan's voice met her ears. She wished he hadn't followed her all the way out here.

"It's okay! It's okay, Anala breathe."

Anala tried to pull away from her brother. She was disgusted. She knew she was panicking, her heart pounded and constricted simultaneously; she could barely breathe. Dark shadows stretched and flashed across the ground and the edges of her vision were turning white. Nolan took her face in a firm grip and looked her in the eye. "Anala you need to calm down."

"I didn't mean to—I don't know what happened!"

"Anala!" Her words caught in her throat. Nolan was calm and looking at her, giving her something to focus on. His icy blue eyes bore steadily into her own as he spoke slowly. "You need to calm down."

His composed presence helped soothe her. The panic eased, leaving her with the horror of what she'd done. Anala lowered to the ground and sighed shakily. Nolan sat next to her, not saying anything. Anala leaned against his side. It was quiet in the middle of the forest and for a moment the rest of the world didn't exist. It was dangerous, being out there after being attacked by a horde of demons but they sat for a long moment, merely being together.

"I could've killed him." Anala murmured.

"What happened?" Nolan asked after a minute.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I couldn't even stop myself." Anala brushed tears away. "They hate me."

"Probably."

A sigh passed slowly through her lips. "You're a jerk."

"They don't hate you!"

"I almost killed Carlisle! I wanted to, you know. I wanted to kill him."

Anala hated the sensation. It was dangerous; something that threatened to take over her. She had seen firsthand what power like that did to people, her very own uncle a prime example. She had felt powerful in that moment, unbelievably so. For a moment Anala wanted to let the instinct take over, to enjoy pulling the life from her victim slowly, finding the darkness inside him and pick him apart piece by piece until nothing was left. Anala shuddered.

"I wanted to kill you. Do you hate me?"

"No, of course not."

"Why?"

Anala looked at her brother. "Because I know you didn't mean it and you're trying to prove a point, I get it."

"Then why is it so hard to believe that they can't do the same?"

There was a soft rustle from somewhere above them and Anala looked up to the green canopy above. She almost didn't see him at first. His body just blended into the greens and browns of the trees. Messy auburn hair, nearly the same shade as Edward's fell into sharp amber eyes that stared down at her and Nolan. He watched them curiously. Nolan stood, staring upwards at him.

"Hello again."

Anala froze. The voice that came from behind her was soft and soothing, not at all threatening; yet it held a dark and seductive and dangerous undertone to it could have even the strongest of men, trembling in fear. Anala could again sense the volatility in him, buried beneath layers of kindness. A dormant sense of danger hidden by a ruse of innocence. She turned. Those eyes again. Those odd, hypnotic eyes that were the strangest shade of violet, caught somewhere between deep purple and a light lavender. He was tall, with broad shoulders and chest, leading to a tapered waist. She could see the muscles under his clothes work as he shifted forward. His straight white-blonde hair fell into his eyes. He was disturbingly familiar. Seeing him in daylight, his skin and hair seemed to glow in the grey light of day, giving him an angelic look. He was dressed in a simple black sweater and jeans. He was beautiful. Anala had nearly forgotten about the two black-clad men who had saved them, too caught up in Mike and the attack to focus on the two strangers from the night before. The man in the trees jumped down, landing with a muted thud directly next to her brother, who merely stared at him with a perplexed expression. He was surprisingly tall, taller than Anala had first thought anyway. He was slightly taller than the other man, lean and muscular. The auburn haired man shifted and the blonde stepped forward, his pink lips turning downward slightly.

"You shouldn't be out here alone. They could come back you know."

Anala met his gaze, unable to ignore the familiarity of his presence. "Do . . . have we met?"

The darker haired man leaned against a wide tree. "Technically, no."

"Technically?" Nolan asked.

Mysterious violet eyes locked onto Anala's. "Would you walk with us Anala, Nolan? This is going to be a rather long conversation." How did he know their names?

"Conversation?"

"You must have questions, no?"

Anala looked at her brother, unsure of the two men. While she knew she should be wary, Anala felt completely at ease which was odd considering she knew nothing about the two who had help her and Nolan the night before. Nolan exchanged a glance with her before giving a wary look to the men.

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"Because you can feel it." Said the dark haired one.

Nolan didn't say anymore, unable to deny it. Slowly, he took a step forward.

"Who are you?" she asked, wishing to put names to these men. They walked with seemingly no destination. The two moved in graceful silence, leaving the ground beneath their feet undisturbed by their footfalls. The amber-eyed one turned smoothly, walking backwards as to look at them both. He bowed slightly, reaching out and grabbing her hand, pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles. "Pleasure," he murmured. "I am Elias."

Anala smiled unsurely. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

The other man turned and smiled at her warmly. "Rowan." His voice was a low purr and Anala was noticing that Elias and Rowan were naturally alluring. It was effortless and she wondered if they were even aware of it.

Rowan.

"Rowan," she murmured. It echoed in her head, bringing back flashes of her dreams. Anala suddenly pieced together that this was the man that had appeared in her strange dreams and visions. She suddenly couldn't picture calling him anything else. The name fit him perfectly and it was like figuring out a puzzle and her mind had just processed the image and was saying 'well of course, that's it.' Anala suddenly got the sensation that everything was about to change. Life as she knew it would never be the same and she couldn't decide whether to be amazed of terrified.

"Why did you help us?"

"We weren't going to let Carus have you. Not again."

Anala frowned. "How do you—"

"We will explain," Rowan interrupted calmly. "But there's a lot more we need to get through first."

"Then I guess you should start talking." Nolan replied, eyes narrowed.

"As you wish." Elias said as he stepped up onto a log, walking along it till he got to the end and stepped off. "We'll start with us, and who we are."

He and Rowan exchanged a look. Elias stopped at the base of a tree, looking as if he belonged nowhere else. Rowan joined him and Anala sat on the log, Nolan joining her.

"I was born Elias Andreas Desmond. I lived in Gaul, which was an ancient region of Western Europe that included large portions of France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and neighboring parts of Italy. It was invaded and conquered by the Romans before 100 BC and again in the Gallic Wars of 58-51 BC under Julius Caesar. I had been twenty-one when the wars had begun. It was terrible and bloody. I had lived with my mother and two younger sisters. My father was dead and they needed me. Our town was raided by soldiers and they were going to kill my youngest sister for retaliating and refusing to do as they ordered. I pleaded for her life in exchange for mine. I couldn't let them take my sister. After a while, I managed to convince them and they took me to their commander. He made me a soldier and told me that if I ran they would kill my family.

"I lasted about a year and a half of battles before I ended up as one of the dead and dying on the battlefield. I lay among the bodies, quickly fading. I saw a figure in the distance. I remember the white cloak that he was wearing. It made him glow in contrast to the bleak surroundings. He was beautiful with hair dark as night, but he was somehow terrifying. He moved silently among the bodies, occasionally pausing at one before moving on, like he was searching. I couldn't understand what he was or what he was doing at the time. He eventually stopped at me and leaned down. I thought he was there as some sort of ethereal god of death, there to collect the souls of the dead. I told him to do it, that I didn't fear death. I had fulfilled my promise and kept my family safe. He just smiled at me and told me he would give me life if I accepted it. He was going on to explain exactly what would happen but I didn't listen nor care. I accepted. I drank his blood. Before the change, asked him, 'why me?' he told me that he sensed something in me worth saving."

Elias leaned forward a bit. "Since then I've been this. Stronger and faster and open to the world in a way that very few humans get to learn exists." He smirked. "Though I must admit that after meeting Ro here, life did get increasingly more interesting."

Rowan rolled his eyes before taking a breath and shifting his legs slightly.