Ariana had finally fallen back to sleep as I held her in my arms. I did not want to chance waking her by moving her to the bedroom. Instead, I maneuvered her further onto the sofa before standing and grabbing a blanket to cover her up. I then went to my desk and wrote out everything that I currently knew about Yevgeni and the newborns. Even still, none of it made sense.

At some point, I went into a daze, all in my head, and the room blurred around me. There was a time some years ago where this would be my daily life. Sitting and waiting for something to occur. One day, it did, when sweet Bella and Carlisle's son, Edward, arrived in Volterra. It set a chain of events into motion, and I found myself feeling alive again, where I had not so much before.

Hours passed, and when I heard movement across the room, I reattuned with the present. Ariana rubbed her eyes as she sat up and finally turned to glance back, where she probably knew I would be at the desk. I smiled gently before standing and coming over to her. "I'm glad you were able to get a few more hours of sleep. Did you sleep, all right?"

She nodded. She had not stirred to my knowledge, which meant her dreams had hopefully been peaceful. I held out my hand to her, and she took it hesitantly as I helped her up. Now that she knew about my gift, we had upped the stakes, but she was smart enough to know that I would not take a refusal.

"Why don't you get ready for the day, and then we'll make sure you have your breakfast," I commented.

She sighed but went on her way into the bedroom. The girl had only eaten one meal while she was in Caius's care, and it was after our second to last phone call. The first call I had made to check in on her, I expected Caius to make sure the food went down, but instead, he had left her with the secretary. That ended in a mess. At least he stayed with her the next time around, and then when I made my final call an hour or so later, he had the sense to make sure Marcus would stay. Still, if she were not eating properly, then my plan would never work.

Ariana came out of the bedroom minutes later, and I took her up to the kitchen. As usual, a meal was waiting for her. I grabbed her an apple, which I learned was a favorite fruit of hers, and I placed it on the plate next to the pastry the secretary had bought. As was typical, she grabbed the apple first and bit into it. The quickness of her eating had slowed since she had been here, for which I was grateful. The last thing I needed was a choking human, but now it was almost painful to watch at how slow she was. I never complained. I had all the time in the world.

When she finished the apple, she sat staring at the pastry. "Little one, it isn't going to bite you."

I watched as she frowned. "I'm full."

"I doubt that. I've told you before, eating only fruit is not substantial. Now eat the rest of your meal." She continued to study the pastry before her, so I made my tone more authoritative so she would know that this wasn't a choice. "Ariana, not eating is not part of our little deal. You will keep yourself well, and that requires nourishment. Eat." Slowly, she picked up the pastry and bit into it.

We went back to my rooms once she had finished her breakfast, and I decided to go ahead and discuss with her about what I had assigned her to read as I had promised I would do. I was not shocked to see that Caius had shown her the movie versions instead of enforcing her reading; however, I was curious to the fact that when reading her thoughts, she had a better grasp of the material than she had material in the past. She paired the words with images and remembered it.

Truthfully, I had no reason to discuss it with her at all since I already knew what she thought, and since she now knew I could read her mind, I did not have to pretend to ask. Instead, I inquired, "Do you learn better through videos?"

She blinked, obviously not expecting that to be the start of our conversation. "Sometimes."

I reached into my pocket where I took out my mobile phone and called Chelsea, who answered immediately. Ariana looked at me strangely, and I knew, even without reading her mind, that she found it strange I knew how to use the technology. After seeing Caius, however, I would have thought that the shock would be gone.

I spoke in Greek, asking Chelsea to bring down a laptop. Unlike my brother, I did not keep one readily available for use. I hated the things as much as I despised these mobile phones, but they did come in use more often than not. Still, I was allowed to miss the days of letter writing and non-instant responses, as the world seemed to want today.

Chelsea arrived soon after, laptop in hand, and I took it from her. Once she departed, I brought it over to Ariana before sitting down next to her. "Can I trust you with this?"

"What do you want me to do?"

"Entertain yourself for a while. Besides the little incident with the food, while I was away, I am proud of you for behaving with Caius. There is a program on there which the guard uses to watch different movies and television shows. I believe Demetri had it up the other day when he was here. Feel free to find something you'll enjoy."

I stood and went back over to the desk, where I finished the writing I had not been able to complete earlier. The girl fiddled around on the laptop until she found something that she liked apparently and then played the film. Whatever it was, happened to be lost on me. As long as her mind was busy, that was all she needed.

Later that evening, Ariana had started on another movie, when Demetri came to the door. He had found Yevgeni, and he was waiting with Jane and Alec in the council chambers. I quickly read his memories and was glad to see that no struggle had occurred. Yevgeni had come willingly, and that would play well in his favor. I had Demetri stay with Ariana, and then I made my way to see my wife's son for the first time in four centuries.

The second I walked into the council chamber, Yevgeni had started over to me. "Aro, it wasn't me. It's not what you-"

"Silence," I cut him off. Seeing him again, I had to get my urges under control. I was angry, yes, but the emotions I had, stemmed from my wife, burned. I wanted to rip his head off only for not showing his face in the past four hundred years.

Though vampires did not need to breathe, I took a few calming breaths to keep myself under control. Caius was noticeably absent when I finally glanced out across the chamber. Marcus sat in his seat, examining Yevgeni intently. I was almost tempted to see for myself what it was that had his interest, but that I could do later. I held my hand out to Yevgeni, and quietly, he put his hand in mine.

I was instantly distraught. Yevgeni's mind had always been easy for me to read, as it would be for anyone except for a shield. Now, it was almost as if his thoughts and memories over the past few years were fragmented. I couldn't grasp onto any single one. Nothing of the sort had ever occurred before, and I released his hand, stepping back to take a seat on the dais. I watched him, my eyes staring into his trying to understand what had just happened.

"What did you see, Aro?" Marcus finally asked.

I sighed while shaking my head. "A puzzle." My fingers steepled under my chin in thought as I said, "Tell me your account of the events. I saw your face in the memory of one of the newborns. Speak to me of why that was. I give you a moment to plead your case."

Even Yevgeni watched me in confusion, probably hoping that what I saw would clear his name. "I never created any newborns. I swear that to you! You know I wouldn't be foolish enough to do such a thing."

"Many things can change in four hundred years," I answered him as if I were bored of his pleading. Truthfully, I wanted to believe him, but the evidence I had seen countered what he said. If only I could see his thoughts. Why could I not? What had changed?

"You must have seen…"

"I am unsure of what I saw. Your thoughts are unreadable to me."

Yevgeni swallowed, quickly gazing down at the floor before making eye contact with me again. "I don't know how that can be, but I did not create any newborns. I don't know how to make you believe me."

"Aro," Marcus called to me. He held out his hand, and I took his in mine, seeing what my brother wanted me to know. What I saw was only more confusion. Someone was connected to Yevgeni with the strangest colored bond. It was black, one that had never been seen before, and yet, the bond exceeded outwards into nothingness.

I turned to my brother. "What does this mean?"

"I do not know," my brother replied.

One mystery only piled on top of another. Could this strange connection that Marcus saw be what was keeping me from reading Yevgeni's thoughts? If that was the case, then to whom was the bond connected? Not only that, why was the color pitch?

"Until we can deduce more about the situation, I will offer you a reprieve. You are not to leave Volterra or the confines of this building," I spoke to Yevgeni. "You will be under watch until further notice."

Yevgeni bowed. "I will do as you bid. Thank you."

He was nervous, but I had told Sulpicia that I would thoroughly investigate before rendering judgment. I only hoped that he was right, but if he was, then who had created the newborns? Who had caused the interference we now had between us?

At that moment, Caius entered the room, and before I could stop him, his fist reared back and slammed into Yevgeni's face, causing cracks to appear across his skin. I sighed. "Caius, let's do please remain civil towards one another. I have offered Yevgeni a reprieve until we further understand what has happened. There is no definitive proof that he is not telling the truth."

"Let us retire," Marcus added, and he stood from his seat, as did I. Yevgeni waited by the wall, away enough from Caius as Caius sneered in his direction, but my brother ultimately left with Marcus and me. Yevgeni would obey, of that I was sure.

"Please do not tell me that you seek to play favorites simply because he is your wife's child?" Caius questioned as we moved further from the council chamber.

"I have never had an intention to do so," I answered. "Contrarily, I am unable to read Yevgeni's thoughts, and Marcus has noticed a strange bond with no connection in sight. This development is something we must look into more. Yevgeni may very well be telling the truth. Perhaps he was not the one who created the newborns."

"You said you saw it yourself in one of their thoughts!"

"As of now, I am unsure of what I saw."

Immediately, I stopped, a name coming across my mind, not one that I often cared to remember. Like Marcus, he was my older brother, the completion of the first three created by the original. Perhaps he would know more. As much as I did not want to call upon him, he was our best source.

Marcus and Caius had both stopped along with me and turned, wondering why I had fallen behind. "Marcus, I know we swore to never speak of him again, but-"

"This is a bad idea, Aro," he remarked, knowing of whom it was I spoke.

Caius shook his head. "You wish to bring him into this? Even I know he won't be thrilled at being called upon."

"Caius is right," Marcus agreed. "He made it clear some time ago that it was best we parted ways. He did not like what we started."

"No, but if he is familiar at all with what is occurring, then we must utilize his knowledge. He was the first our creator begot. If anyone knows anything, it will be him."

Marcus ceded, and Caius gave in as well. The reunion was unlikely to be pleasant, but we might find out some information yet. The three of us had not seen him since the day we met the young Cullen hybrid, and that particular meeting was not one to be remembered lightly. We would request his presence in Volterra, and Amun would come.