Part Sixteen

We spend the rest of the day like this, lounging on the bed and alternating between whispering sweet nothings and fierce kisses. More than once, we clean up in the shower only to get sticky all over again.

I could live like this, with him, forever.

We're laying on the bed, my head Edward's bare chest and his fingers caressing my hair when his ministrations falter. "What is it?" I ask, tiling my head up.

His fingers resume tracing a path along my hair line. "Jane's on her way up – she's riled up about something."

I sigh. "If we stay really still, maybe she'll just leave."

I can hear her footsteps as she comes up the narrow stairwell. "Alec," she calls, knocking on the door.

Edward starts to sit up, but I just push him back onto the bed. "Go away, Jane," I say, stretching.

"Alec," Jane hisses, jiggling the knob that I have long since learned to lock. "Open the fucking door before I break it."

"What is it?" I grind out. I stand swiftly from my bed, casting a glance behind me at Edward's prone form. He seems concerned, and that in itself bothers me. Whatever it is that he is hearing from my sister's mind, it's far from good.

I pull the heavy door open just a crack, blocking her view into the room with my body. Her youthful face is pinched in that shared, particular way of ours – sharp, irritated, drawn.

"Aro needs us."

I arch an eyebrow, demanding more information. "What is so urgent, Jane?" I feel the first sparks of worry, deep within me, at her ensuing silence. Aro almost never requires me without warning.

She pushes pass me, her hand knocking loudly against my bare chest as she forces her way in. "Oh, nice," she jibes, glancing briefly at Edward's near naked form on my bed. He hastens to cover himself as she breezes by, sitting at my desk. "And for god's sake, Alec, put some clothes on."

I effortlessly pull on a dark button up and a pair of slacks, waiting for her explanation as to why she so rudely intruded on my privacy. Aro may need me, but I also need to know what I'm about to get myself into, since she clearly does.

I step toward her once I'm dressed. "What is it, Jane?" I repeat, concern coloring my voice as I take in her intense gaze.

Her eyes are bloody, a mix of glee and anger, a combination unique to Jane. She'd probably be tormenting Edward with her power out of frustration at this point, like she usually does when irritated, if she thought that I'd let her.

She answers me with one, bitter, venomous word, crossing her arms. "Romanians."

My breath leaves me in a rush. "Well."

Edward joins me, his presence comforting to my whirling mind. "I don't understand."

"And you're supposed to read minds," Jane scoffs.

I narrow my eyes. "Be nice."

She rolls her eyes and intones sarcastically, "I'll try."

I turn to Edward, who is clearly only aware of about half of what is going on right now and isn't particularly enjoying this new experience. "The brothers… replaced the Romanian coven. Aro's allowed them to live this long only out of pure impulse. They stir up trouble every now and then, but…" I trail off, my eyes darting back to Jane.

"They haven't made an appearance in centuries," Jane finishes for me, standing, her black cloak swirling around her ankles and sweeping along the floor. "Come on, we need to go to the throne room."

I trail after her, pulling my own robe free from my wardrobe and fastening it around my shoulders. "Grab your cloak," I tell Edward, reaching for his hand and pulling him out into the hallway. "Quickly."

Jane is already out of sight, on her way to the main level, but I wait for Edward. He only takes a few seconds, and then we are descending the stairs from our tower, my hand gripped tightly in his.

"I still don't understand," Edward says from behind me as we climb down. "Why is Jane – why are you – so worried?"

"I wouldn't say worried," I correct. "Concerned, on the other hand, is probably the right adjective."

"And?"

"A good healthy dose of concern does wonders for the spirit." I look over my shoulder and see Edward raise an eyebrow, unimpressed.

I sigh heavily as we near the bottom. "They were crushed the last time we dealt with them – they escaped by mere luck and chance alone, or else we would have destroyed them. Our trackers couldn't find the remaining two members – Stefan and Vladimir – we thought that they might have finally died. They desperately want to overthrow the brothers – and, before you ask, that would be a bad thing."

"Why?" Edward probes, drawing level with me as we hurry down the long hallways.

"Remember those rules, about not revealing ourselves?" He nods. "They think that humans should know about us – that vampires should rule over them. And, Edward, you know about humans now – in modern times. They wouldn't accept being ruled, being controlled by vampires like the Romanians. With their technologies and lack of superstition, they would try to annihilate us. They would fail, but it wouldn't turn out well – it's better for everyone to keep the knowledge of our kind under wraps."

Edward frowns, his eyes troubled. While we don't always see eye to eye about some things, he clearly agrees that it is a very bad idea to let the Romanians take over again.

I release Edward's hand when we step through the threshold of the throne room. Aro is waiting for us there, Caius arguing angrily with him. Marcus loiters along the edge of the dimly lit room, but when Edward and I enter, his eyes linger on us for a moment too long. I shift uncomfortably under his knowing gaze, reminded of his gift.

"Caius," Aro sighs, weary. "What would you have me do? Kill them all?"

Caius brandishes a hand. "Why not? They have broken a law, our most sacred law, and now they are working with the Romanians!"

Well, this is more complicated than I thought. I wracked my brain for who they might possibly be talking about.

Cauis paces angrily, Jane following him with her eyes. "If we do nothing, they will surely try to regain power once again, and we can't afford that kind of fight in times like these. Even a second of video could – oh, how do they say – go viral? It could ruin us, everything that we have worked so hard to maintain, Aro." I'm honestly impressed by Caius' new vocabulary – he who most staunchly avoids the human technologies; whoever said an old dog couldn't learn new tricks must have never met a vampire.

Aro shakes his head. "We have no proof. Only that Stefan and Vladimir are visiting them. Oh, I harbor no illusions about their true intentions of being there," Aro adds hastily at Caius' sharp glance, "but Carlisle is a friend, brother. He knows us. He believes in what we strive for. And, he knows that his diet would not be tolerated under their rule."

Oh, Jesus Christ.

I can feel Edward's curious gaze on me, but ignore him, waiting with bated breath.

"But, neither will the girl remaining human be tolerated by us. He knows this," Caius counters. "Which do you think he will choose? You know as well as I that he cultivates a peculiar fondness for the humans." I don't miss the tone of disgust lacing his voice.

"Humans, who would be irreparably harmed by the Romanian's intentions –"

Edward and I go mostly unnoticed as Aro and Caius continue to argue over the merits of killing the Cullen freaks. Hadn't Jane impressed upon them what a bad idea it would be for them to continue breaking our laws?

I glance at Jane, who is watching Caius with an expression that screams her agreement with him. I know she would love nothing more than to kill them – not out of any malice directed toward the Cullens personally, just because she loves enforcing the might of the Volturi whenever she gets the chance.

I, on the other hand, am not so sure of what we would stand to gain from obliterating the Cullens. While our world views them as nothing more than an odd assortment of mildly deranged vampires, albeit with an exceptional capacity for attracting the most talented of our kind, the Cullens have many allies, both normal and delusional, alike. Carlisle is nothing, if not good at making friends.

Edward is still eyeing me curiously, but I don't elaborate for him. I'm busy listening to Aro and trying to determine the severity of the situation we are facing. As Jane and I were present the last time we tangled with Dracula 1 and 2 – and the only survivors of that absolutely fucktastic nightmare – we know that whatever future dealings the Volutri have with them, we're going to be involved. It's important that we listen now and act quickly.

And be successful the next time we try to kill them.

"Marcus," Aro interjects, his cloudy, burgundy orbs searching for the silent brother in the gloom. "How do you vote?"

Marcus sighs, examining his perfect hands with disinterest. "I believe that killing Carlisle and his coven is a poor decision. Their allegiance to us is too valuable to dismiss and Carlisle has many friends," he intones ominously. "Best not give him an excuse to call in any favors. We need to force their hand: make them change the girl, or we will eliminate her. Carlisle will make the right choice – he is not foolish."

Edward visibly finches at the harsh words, but everyone else is too absorbed in the conversation to notice. I brush the back of my hand against his. They will change her, Edward. They have been stubborn about keeping her alive for this long.

"This is reckless," Caius accuses, stalking over to Marcus. "They have grown too powerful, what with that seer – and now the Romanians. They have already enticed Eleazar to their ways. They are up to no good."

"So, we dispose of the Romeni scum," Aro counters, glancing over at Jane and I. "We nearly did it before. It can be done, especially now that we have Edward." I see Jane bristle slightly at the thought that she isn't sufficient enough for the job, but she keeps her lips pursed, her eyes on Caius.

The brother narrows his eyes at Aro. "Do you really think that they will be so naïve as to think that they will be able to escape us again without help?"

"Old habits die hard, Caius. You know of their penchant for relying on strength alone. They'll think that they have a chance – they already do – and our young friend will be quite the surprise." Aro seems almost gleeful at the prospect.

Cauis huffs angrily. "I can see that I am outnumbered."

"Calm yourself, brother," Aro murmurs, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Is it so difficult to spare Carlisle and his progeny? Focus on the real threat, for now. We are too powerful for others to move against us and they know that our laws are good for them. The Romanians bring nothing but destruction and bloodshed with them, wherever they go. No one is imprudent enough to believe otherwise. Not even Carlisle would dare go against us."

Aro faces the three of us, finally seeming to realize that Jane, Edward, and I are here. "I don't want to amass the entire guard, that might concern Carlisle as to our motives. Jane," he addresses her, "take Felix and Demetri with you all, to be safe. I'll have the new secretary arrange for a private jet to take you to the Colonies as soon as possible."

He turns to Edward and I. "Alec, make sure that Edward is well-fed. How do the efforts go?"

I know instantly what he is referring to and brush aside my mild indignation over being addressed like a glorified babysitter. "It doesn't appear like his gift can be turned off, but he is able to listen to more minds without being overwhelmed."

Edward pipes up suddenly. "What do you intend for us to do?"

I glare sharply at him. Aro simply stares at him blankly. "We are going to remove the threat that the Romeni present. I trust that Alec has explained why they are a problem." Edward nods. "Good, then you understand what must be done. We will resolve the situation with the Cullens and then destroy the Romanians."

"What of the girl?" I ask. "If she is still human, that may be a problem –"

"I can control myself," Edward growls, cutting me off. His eyes burn with a fire that is scorching.

If you kill her, Aro will be displeased, to say the least. Not to mention the state of your mental health after such an incident. So, excuse me for being concerned about your wellbeing, I mentally snipe.

Edward has the decency to look chagrined.

Aro cocks a brow, but allows our odd exchange to pass. "If she is still human, the Cullens will have more to worry about than a newborn vampire. We do not make a habit of offering second chances."

I nod.

"Excellent. Be prepared to leave at dusk."

Bah-bum - and the plot moves on, finally!