Chapter Nine
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but I do own my OCs and this story.
Summary: Witches and Vampires were at war to the point of exposure to the humans. To stop this, the Volturi and the Blackthorn Witches came to an agreement and there was peace. But, an incident happens which threatens the peace and Demi must act as an advocate to make sure that agreements stays intact. While there, Demi must endure the Volturi and ends up finding her mate, Alec Volturi.
Just for my story, Alec and Jane were changed when they were 17 years old.
Hope you enjoy!
TWILIGHT
Alec followed after Jane as she stormed away, furiously muttering under her breath but he paid little attention to the venom she spewed. Alec's mind was entirely elsewhere – on his Mate. He had learned her name and it made his inner monster purr in pleasure. Demi. As soon as Demi had entered the room, his eyes had been on her, watching and observing her. He had wanted to rip Santiago's arm off for touching his Mate but he held himself back – barely. He had sensed she was nervous and he had wanted to comfort her, reassure that everything was okay. Another thing about her that made his undead heart sing was that she cared so deeply about her own Coven and had spoken up for them, a trait he hadn't witnessed in a Witch before. Alec quickly snapped out of his daze when he felt his sister's heated glare on him. Quickly scanning his eyes around the room, he noticed they were back in his room.
"Have you been listening to me?!" Jane hissed at him, her eyes ablaze in anger.
"My mind was elsewhere," Alec admitted easily.
Jane huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Who does that Witch think she is? Telling Demetri what to do," She stormed over to the window seat and sat down. Just thinking about the Witch made her angry.
Irritation shot through him. Alec did not appreciate how much venom was being thrust in the direction of his Mate. "She doesn't seem too bad," He commented mildly. That was the understatement of the century but he knew this wasn't something he could just drop on his sister suddenly.
Jane scoffed, "How can you even say that? She is insufferable!" There is nothing she wanted more than to shut that Witch up. If Aro just gave her permission to show the Witch what pain truly felt like then maybe she would fear Jane.
Alec bit back a growl that threatened to come out but luckily Jane hadn't seemed to notice as she was too absorbed in her hatred. "She looks like a child who shouldn't even be here! We don't need her here anymore, she should be sent off home already and leave us in peace," Jane huffed in anger, a dark scowl on her face.
The thought of his Mate leaving did something to Alec. This time, he couldn't hold back the snarl and he bared his teeth to Jane. This caused the small Vampire to freeze – Alec had never snarled at her before and she couldn't understand what had happened.
"Did you just snarl at me?" Jane hissed lowly, more shocked and hurt than anything.
Astonishment filled Alec for a moment before he regained his composure. "Leave this petty hatred for Demi alone," He said, his voice firm.
"Petty?!" Jane echoed in outrage but then it dawned to her what he said and her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You just called her by her name,"
Alec fell silent for a moment, not understanding the issue, "And?"
Jane stood from her seat and walked over to Alec and only stopped when she was in front of him. "You have never paid attention to the Witches that come here before. You have never referred to them as anything more than what they are. What has changed?" She stared at him as if trying to decipher a great mystery.
Alec could not deny her words as they were true. He had never once paid attention to any Witches that came to the Volturi. Like most Vampires, he had ignored them as if they never existed. He would remain cordial because of the Treaty but that was as far as he went. Unlike his sister who despised Witches, he was indifferent to them. He held no hatred or fondness to their kind and remained neutral, something his sister could never understand.
At this silence, Jane continued to think out loud. "You were also staring at her throughout the meeting…"
Again, this was something he could not deny. If Alec were mortal, he was sure he would have started to sweat. Jane was getting closer to the truth the more she spoke and it worried him of what her reaction would be.
"Don't tell me you're besotted with her as well?" Jane questioned, dread in her voice. The thought of her brother even having feelings for a Witch was painful.
Alec purposely blinked slowly, "As well…?" The implication that someone else was interested in his Mate sent him reeling. The monster inside him roared in anger, demanding that he find this Vampire and tear them to pieces, something Alec had to push aside so he could find out more information.
Not able to hear the war inside Alec's mind, Jane continued while rolling her red eyes, "Felix has shown interest. He said that she is fun. He explained that when he met her, he picked her up and brought her to the training area and wasn't scared," When Jane had heard what Felix had done, she had wished he would have squashed the Witch but alas it didn't happen. Even Santiago was being unreasonably kind to her. Every corner Jane turned, she would always hear how the Guards seemed to like the Witch.
A deep growl vibrated from Alec's chest as his eyes darkened. Felix could have harmed Demi and that thought alone nearly sent him into a frenzy. If what Jane said turned out to be true then he would be paying Felix a visit.
Jane's eyes snapped over to Alec in shock and she involuntarily took a step back at the sound. She had never heard Alec make that noise before. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She stared at him as if she expected him to answer.
Alec said nothing as he tried to calm himself down. Jane had never seen Alec this angry before, there could have been a vague memory from when they were mortal but their human memories had begun to fade – hers had anyway. Realisation dawned on Jane. "She's your Mate…" She had only ever seen one Vampire get like this before – so possessive and protective that it was borderline primal. It was when Demetri saw Heidi flirting with another Vampire – Edward Cullen – before they had mated with one another. Demetri had nearly killed Edward and had made the exact same sound. Jane had never seen Edward run so fast and it had been heavily amusing to watch but it made Jane wary of Heidi and her wellbeing.
Alec said nothing and this confirmed her worst fears.
"NO!" Jane screamed out, "I refuse to believe that! How can that be your Mate?!" A wave of explosive anger filled her at the thought of a Witch being her brother's Mate. She had waited a long time for Alec to find his happiness just as she had waited for hers, but she refused to accept this. A human wouldn't have been any better but why couldn't it have been a Vampire.
Alec bared his teeth and snarled, "Don't you dare say anything about Demi!" He took a step forward and Jane took one back.
Hurt flashed in Jane's eyes but that was soon replaced with anger, "Are you threatening me? How about I go down and introduce the Witch to my powers?" A malicious grin rolled onto Jane's face.
Something snapped within Alec and in a flash, he had Jane pinned against the wall with his hand around her throat. "Touch her and you will regret it," Alec hissed lowly, his eyes nearly black in rage. His grip on her throat wasn't lethal but it was a clear warning to not push the matter any further.
Jane stilled for a moment as she realised she had crossed a line. Aro and Caius had warned her about how strong the instinct was to protect their Mate. It would take president over everything else because with a Mate, they could find happiness. But to see it in action was another thing altogether. It was unnerving to see her brother so unhinged and she wondered if this would happen to her when she found her Mate.
Slowly, Alec removed his hand from Jane's throat when he felt she had received the message. Anger filled Jane once more as she shoved her brother away and stormed out of the room. Alec watched her go, remorse in his eyes. He hadn't wanted her to find out this way but it was too late.
TWILIGHT
Demi sat in her room with a book. She had been too scared to go back to the library so she had asked Santiago to pick her up some books and he had been happy to oblige. Santiago had told her that the library was open to anyone and she could borrow books at her leisure, just as long as they were all returned by the time of her leaving. He had picked her up eight books and Demi was already on her third book. She had far too scared to go back to the library especially after Santiago had warned her that Alec and Jane lived on the same floor. As much as it pained her, Demi had decided to stay away from the library for a while and this was something Santiago had agreed with. The books that he had picked up for her were exactly what she wanted – historical and heavily detailed. Demi was so engrossed in the book that she hadn't realised that her phone was ringing.
The phone stopped ringing for two minutes before it started up again with a vengeance. Demi raised her head when she thought she heard a noise. When she realised what it was, she dived up from the bed and grabbed the phone, answering it. "Hello?"
"Demi! Are you okay? Why didn't you answer me?" Camille asked, her voice very worried and filled with concern.
Sitting back down on the plush bed, Demi smiled sheepishly, "Sorry about that Camille. I was just reading and I was too absorbed," Any time Demi got stuck into a book she wouldn't put it down until it was finished. She would ignore the whole world around her and it was something Camille was very aware of. The amount of time she had tried to call Demi down for a lesson was a nightmare.
Camille hummed. "Just as long it was only that. I was worried something had happened to you,"
"I am fine," Demi lied slightly. She was fine, it was just meeting Alec had really thrown her off and she was scared of him but she would never admit this to Camille. If Camille found out that she had met Alec and Jane, she would have a fit because she had warned Demi about them two before she even came to the Volturi. "And besides, the magic in the earrings would tell you if I was in danger or not," Subconsciously, Demi touched the earrings that Camille had put her magic into.
"I know," Camille sighed deeply, "I just can't help but worry. You've never been away from us this long before…"
Demi smiled, "I take it Lily is still raising hell?"
Camille groaned over the line, "Like never before. She had a hunger strike yesterday and refused to eat until you came back. That lasted all of an hour before I offered her pancakes," Camille laughed loudly as she remembered the other day.
"Camille, you know she can't have them too often," Demi scolded lightly.
"It's all I know how to make!" Camille argued back, a whine in her voice. They both knew how abysmal Camille's cooking skills were, hence why Demi had to take over or they would have starved. "It's because of that Rhonda has been coming over more to help with the cooking,"
Demi blinked slowly, "Rhonda can cook?"
"Very well actually," Camille admitted, "She doesn't cook often, but when she does it's amazing. Who do you think used to cook for us when you were younger?"
Demi opened her mouth to answer but she stopped when she realised she had no idea. Looking back, she was surprised she had never queried this before. Camille's cooking skills were very limited as well as basic and she was equally as bad with potions. Camille's talents lay elsewhere – out of the kitchen. However, now that Demi thought about it, it made sense. Rhonda used to be around the house all of the time but she had never connected the dots that she was cooking for them. "Remind me to thank Rhonda because, without her, we would have more than likely starved." Demi eventually said with a fond smile.
Camille cackled in agreement on the line.
"How is the apology letter from Nina coming along?" Demi asked after Camille had stopped laughing. She had been waiting for this letter to arrive soon so the issue could be settled. She didn't need that extra added stress and she had a feeling Caius was getting impatient and it made her nervous.
This caused Camille to groan once more, "It's been a pain. Any letter Nina has sent me to approve has not been good. She is still blaming them but in a passive-aggressive manner."
"They're going to be expecting one soon. What's going to happen if the letter still isn't ready?" Demi asked as she dreaded to think what would happen. If no letter arrived in the next couple of days, she and Camille would look like lairs, something Aro certainly didn't like. Demi had a strong suspicion that she was on Aro's good side but she didn't know how long that would last.
"I don't know," Camille admitted, "We may need to offer them something in return for this. I'll think of something,"
Demi hummed in thought, agreeing with her. This mistake could not be left unchecked because the Volturi did not forget anyone who has scorned them. Caius has never fully trusted Witches to begin with so Demi had to contend against that. Luckily, Aro seemed to be understanding of Nina's situation and without that, the situation would be pretty dire. It did make her wonder what Marcus' position was – whether he despised Witches like Caius or would be fond of them like Aro. He was so silent and mysterious that she couldn't read him at all.
"How has your fire powers been?" Camille asked.
Looking down at her gloves, Demi answered with a smile. "They have been fine. The gloves have really been working. No episodes at all," She felt very proud of this and it delighted her that she could report back no incidents. There had been one minor moment when her gifts had flared up but the gloves had controlled it. Due to the explosive and unpredictable nature of the fire element, Camille had given her the repressors and as she got older, the worse the powers got and so Camille had given her more.
"That's a relief," Camille says, her tone light, "I was worried for a moment you may have blown up the castle!" She said jokingly as she cackled.
Demi laughed with her but it was forced and there was no real heart in it. Camille's words had stung more than she expected – like she had freezing cold water splashed over her. Did Camille believe her to have that little control over her power? Demi had thought she was doing well and even though Camille was joking, it still upset her. "I'm sorry Camille, but I've got to go. I'll speak to you soon, okay."
"Oh… that's fine. Take care!" Camille said before Demi hung up.
Sighing deeply, Demi placed the phone back on the desk before she laid down on the bed. Usually, she didn't hang up on Camille and they typically would have sat there and spoken for ages, but she wasn't feeling up to it. Demi knew that Camille didn't mean it when she took digs at her control but it still hurt her. Camille didn't understand the daily struggle that Demi went through with her powers. Every day, Demi had to release some of her powers otherwise it built up and if she didn't then it was harder to contain. The longest she had gone without expelling was six days and currently, Demi had not used her powers in three days and she already felt the build-up. Her body sung to release some fire but she refrained. She mentally chanted in her head that it wasn't time, it wasn't safe and her fire argued back by her bones aching. Demi eyed the dead fireplace, her fire hummed to be free but she refused. The fireplace was large but it would require more control and she didn't want to risk setting anything else on fire in the room. She would need open space where she didn't fear setting things alight.
Demi snapped out of her thoughts when there was a knock on her door. Presuming that it was Santiago, Demi stood up and opened the door with no hesitation but froze when she realised that it wasn't Santiago that stood on the other side. Alec stood before her, his red eyes watching her. She felt like her heart was in her throat and it was difficult to breathe all of a sudden.
"W-where is S-Santiago?" Her voice was barely above a whisper as it was all she could manage. Her grip on the door tightened as it was the only thing that kept her tethered to reality.
Alec frowned and this made Demi's heart skip a beat, "Aro has requested Santiago leave with Demetri for the mission. I am your new guide,"
Demi suppressed a shudder. His voice, oh dear god his voice. It was low, smooth and very pleasing to the ear which confused her greatly. It took her a few moments to realise what he had said. "Y-you're my guide?"
Alec nodded his head.
Everything became too much. This was too much and she couldn't handle it anymore. Dark spots filled her vision and her grip on the door faltered. The ground slipped from below her and she felt herself plummet to the ground. Vaguely, she saw a panicked look on Alec's face as he dived for her and then she knew no more.
TWILIGHT
Demi groaned as she felt herself come back to reality. As she laid there, she felt confused as to what happened. She immediately recognised that she was lying on her bed – there was no way she could misplace the softness of the mattress. But, Demi didn't remember going to bed and the light that invaded her closed eyes indicated that it was not night time. She knew she was still in her day clothing and not her PJs because she could feel the scratchy material of her dress and instantly knew that something wasn't right. Opening her eyes, Demi scanned her room. When she saw a figure sat at her desk, she froze but then she realised it was just Heidi and not Alec as she had feared.
Noticing that she was awake, Heidi smiled, "How are you feeling biscuit?" She asked as she stood up gracefully. She walked over to Demi's bed and sat down next to the Witch.
"I've had better days," Demi admitted shamefully. She knew she had passed out and embarrassment filled her being, of all the Vampires she had been weak in front of, it had to Alec. Demi cursed her luck, she had got overwhelmed and her body had given out on her.
"I can tell," Heidi hummed, "Drink this," She handed Demi a glass of water which she took gratefully. Demi gulped down the water, not caring that Heidi could hear every gulp because she was so thirsty. She didn't realise how parched she was until she had the water and it made her realise she had neglected to drink much that day. Restraining her fire was also taking a huge toll on her and she hadn't realised how big the strain was until now.
"Thank you," Demi said as she handed the now empty glass back.
Heidi took the glass and placed it on the bedside table. "You gave us quite a scare, biscuit," She said with a concerned look in her red eyes.
Demi flushed, "I'm sorry..." She looked around the room in case there was no anyone else in the room and spotted no one else. "What happened to Alec?" She didn't want to know the answer but at the same time, she did. Alec had been the last thing she saw before she passed out and she wasn't sure what happened afterwards.
Heidi smiled in amusement, "He came and got me to check on you." She had been setting up more trips for humans to come for 'tours' of the castle when Alec had burst into her room. He had demanded that she follow him and usually, she wouldn't have been pleased but then she noticed the wild gleam in his eyes. Alec was usually composed and unruffled, but at that moment he looked downright vexed and that had made Heidi concerned. Heidi had thought something had happened to Jane but when Alec led her to Demi's bedroom that had set Heidi off. When she arrived, Demi was on her bed and Alec had fled the room demanding for Heidi to make sure Demi was okay.
"Where you the one that carried me to the bed?" Demi asked hopefully.
"No, that was all Alec," Heidi answered as she shook her head.
The flush on Demi's face darkened considerably. The thought of Alec carrying her to bed made her heart clench with nerves. It surprised her, she had thought he would have left her on the floor but then she remembered his frightened face as she passed out. However, that whole scene brought on more questions than answers – why had he been so panicked?
Heidi frowned in concern and placed her cold hand on Demi's forehead, "Are you sure you're okay? You feel warm,"
Demi nearly sighed in contentment when Heidi's cold hand touched her forehead contrasting to her warm skin. "I'm fine. I just got overwhelmed," Demi sat up in the bed and leaned against the headboard of the canopy bed. Demi wasn't concerned about her temperature, she ran at a higher temperature than normal people because of her fire powers. Holding in her powers wouldn't help that situation either, in fact, she was expecting her temperature to rise soon if she didn't expel some fire.
Humming in thought, Heidi retracted her hand. "Do you want to hear something interesting?" A large smirk rolled onto her face and at that moment, she reminded Demi of a cat.
"Sure?" Demi said, unsure whether she wanted to hear what Heidi had to say. However, she could sense that Heidi was trying to distract her and that's something she heavily appreciated.
"The word around the castle is Jane and Alec had a fight," Heidi said, her voice lower as if she was sharing a secret even though they knew the room was soundproof.
Demi frowned, "Okay. How is that interesting?" As far as she was concerned, it was normal to fight with siblings. She didn't have any, but she had heard plenty of stories from Camille about how the other children in Coven fought. However, she has fought with Lily, though they were mostly small and petty arguments, like when she wouldn't let Lily have pancakes.
Heidi shot her a confused look, "Don't you get it? They have never fought or had an argument, ever." The Twins had always been attached to one another since they came to the Volturi. If anyone saw one twin, the other one wouldn't be too far behind unless Aro sent one of a mission.
"Never?" Demi repeated in surprise, "What was it about?"
Nonchalantly, Heidi shrugged her shoulders, "Who knows. All we know is that they aren't speaking with one another which is unusual." It had been Chelsea who had picked up on this issue and had whispered it to Afton near Felix and Demetri so now nearly everyone in the castle knew about it. Felix, Demetri and Afton had placed bets as to what had happened and they were all waiting to see what would happen next.
Demi fell silent as she thought about this. Her thoughts soon strayed to Alec and her heart rate picked up in fear. The thought of seeing him again made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
Heidi frowned as she picked up on Demi's accelerated heartrate, "Are you scared of him?"
Knowing that Heidi was listening to her heartrate made her more nervous, "…Yes?" She answered, almost unsure whether she should answer this or not. However, the answer was obvious. Demi was a Witch and belonged to the Blackthorn Coven, of course, she was scared of Alec because of his reputation. Camille had been very explicit in her warning to stay away from Alec as well as Jane.
Heidi giggled slightly as she played with a strand of loose hair, "I can understand that fear. I was scared of him too when I first came to the Volturi but that went away. He's not as bad as you think,"
Demi openly gaped at her. For a moment, she thought Heidi to be mad but she soon regained her composure. However, she thought back to her last two encounters with Alec. He hadn't actually done anything to her. From what she had been told by her Coven, Alec would sooner tear heads of shoulders than listen to reason. Then, there were the accounts of surviving Witches who fought against the Volturi and they were not pleasant to read. They were gruesome and detailed to the point Demi felt like she was in the battle.
Heidi continued to speak, unaware of Demi's inner turmoil. "I have been with the Volturi for nearly three hundred years and I have never seen Alec react like that." Out of the Twins, Jane was the more likely one to react emotionally whereas Alec always remained unperturbed. It had unnerved her to see Alec respond in such a way as she wasn't used to it.
Demi blinked slowly at this piece of information, she had no idea Heidi had been with the Volturi that long. "What do you mean?"
Heidi pressed her plump lips together before she answered. "Nothing. Anyway, I'll leave you to rest." Heidi stood up and winked at Demi before she left the room.
Demi watched Heidi go, confusion written on her face. Shrugging her shoulders, Demi stood up and decided to make some potions to pass the time before dinner time.
TWILIGHT
Heidi walked down the hallway and only stopped when she felt piercing eyes on her. "You know, you can ask how she is." She said as she didn't bother to turn around. She knew who was behind her from his scent alone.
Alec stepped out from the shadows, "And why would I even care?" He asked, his voice indifferent but Heidi knew better.
She turned around sent him a critical glance, her brow arched a perfectly, "You can't fool me, Alec. I have never seen you act like that before." She felt confident in her assessment of Alec and knew it would take something big to make him react in such a manner that was rare for him.
For a moment, Alec said nothing. His red eyes scanned the perimeter and Heidi knew that he was scouting to make sure no one was listening in. "How is she?" He asked lowly only when he was sure no Vampires were nearby to eavesdrop.
A soft smile stretched on her face, "She's fine. She just needs to remember to drink more." It had been a long time since Heidi had been human, but she remembered the days where she went without and passed out as a result. They were more frequent than she would have liked, but she and her family had been extremely poor and little could have been done about it.
Alec nodded his head and his tensed shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, but enough for Heidi to notice.
"She's your Mate, isn't she?" Heidi guessed.
Alec faltered for a moment and sent Heidi a bewildered look. He hadn't expected for her to click on so soon. "How?"
Heidi laughed, amusing danced in her red eyes, "Oh Alec. You forget that it wasn't too long ago Demetri and I found out we were Mates," In reality, it was nearly three hundred years ago when she first joined the Volturi. However, three hundred years was nothing as an immortal being. She had felt the bond immediately with Demetri but didn't want to admit it because she didn't want to be tied down. But, she soon began to appreciate being tied down – in more ways than one.
Alec's form deflated and he nodded his head, "Yes. She is my Mate," It felt great to be able to admit it out loud and not be judged as he had been with Jane. However, Alec knew that Heidi would not judge him because she had experienced it.
Heidi's eyes lit up at this news, "That's wonderful! Congratulations!" Inwardly, she was laughing. The Guards had placed a bet on which Twin would find their Mate first and Heidi had placed her money on Alec. Chelsea, Afton and Demetri had assumed that Jane would be the first to find her mate, but her, Felix and Santiago had bet on Alec and it had paid off.
"Thank you," Alec said, a small smile rolled onto his face.
"Just a heads up," Heidi said, "At the moment, she is scared of you." She felt the need to share this so Alec could work on his, but she had a feeling he already knew this.
Hurt flashed in Alec's eyes at the reminder. The thought of his Mate being scared of him hurt him more than he thought possible.
"But that's not your fault," Heidi added quickly, "I think her Coven may have something to do with it. You know what Witches say about us behind our backs. Who knows what she's been told about us." There were bundles of rumours about the Volturi, some true and others were completely false. Heidi had heard some of them and they were not pleasant or flattering and it often cast them in a hostile light.
"Do you have any advice?" He asked awkwardly. He wasn't used to asking people for support or advice. If he did, then he would usually seek out his sister but they weren't on speaking terms at this time.
Heidi smiled softly, "Just try and prove those rumours wrong. Don't push her otherwise there might be another incident like today," Demi reminded Heidi of a kitten – one that was skittish of any loud noises or fast movements.
Alec stiffly nodded his head, "Okay,"
Satisfied, Heidi walked away feeling as though she had just accomplished something. She hoped that everything went well with those two. It was about time another Guard managed to find their Mate as it had been so long since it had last happened.