.:brothers:.
"You are not cautious, Aro," Caius says, eying his brother sternly, his tone implying that an exchange such as this should not be taking place.
"What are you referring to, little brother?"
"Jane. Is it wise to mislead an infatuated girl whose gift inflicts pain?"
"Caius, do not trouble yourself. It is innocent affection, a childish longing for approval, nothing more. As you said, she is very young."
"You are wrong." Caius states. "Perhaps, with great difficulty, you could convince me that she feels no lust towards you, but you cannot claim that it will remain this way."
"How much can little Jane change? She will not grow, and she does not have the head for extensive learning."
"Surely she will realize that there is more to…ah, affection, as you put it, than longing and fleeting touches. When her desires exceed what is proper between master and guard, how will you act?"
Aro sighs, perturbed for a moment. "I do not know. Perhaps I will leave that uncomfortable confrontation to you."
The snow-haired immortal snarls, wrathful and willful as always before his brother interrupts, "What would you have me do? I must buy her loyalty one way or another, and she is impossible to frighten."
"Have you spoken to Sulpicia about this ever-so-clever plan of yours?" A protective note brushes Caius' tone; he loves his golden sister, a quiet, unyielding sentiment bred by a thousand years of surety that her mate will wound her someday. Aro looks away, before his brother notices that his words draw blood.
"You are antagonizing your wife while misleading an enamored little witch. This will end brilliantly," Caius growls under his breath, turning sharply and departing, likely to improve his mood by terrorizing the younger guards.
-
In a room with wide windows and jumbled furniture chosen by immortals straining to recall what childhood entails, a girl is enveloped by her twin's arms.
"You can't do this, Janie," Alec says. "Master Aro will never love you like that." His boyish bluntness wars with concern for his sister, but candor is victorious.
"I know." The whisper is a shard of porcelain.
"He has a mate, and do you remember what Heidi told us? Vampires wed for…for forever, and besides, you're only a child. Like me. We're a matched pair," he amends fondly when her heart splinters behind garnet eyes.
"How important could she be to Aro? We never see this Sulpicia," Jane gulps.
Minutes older and years wiser, her brother sighs. "Be cautious, sister. Your rival has been our master's wife for a long while, and she's probably as…scary as he is." He grins then, before his expression sobers.
"If you know nothing of her, it is only because she wishes it so."
Author's Note: There seems to be a trope in Volturi fanfiction, where nobody is aware of Jane's feelings for Aro. This strikes me as a little counter-intuitive; girls in love have never been the masters of subtlety. That's my reasoning for having most of the members of the coven being aware of her crush so early in the story.
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