I don't own anything in the Twilight universe, only my OCs and drunk ideas. Please don't repost any of my works.
There are going to be a few little cameos in this chapter as well as a couple of rando OC vampires, so I've created a little character summary for each of them (both the OCs and ones from the main story - whom I do not own) which I've stuck at the end of the chapter, just to make it a little easier to follow.
Thanks for all your support and I hope you enjoy!
Pandora POV
"Now that our story is over, I would like to introduce you all to the newest members of our coven. You have already met Athanasia, so I would like to present my children Theodotis and Pandora, and the son of Marcus: Nwaekerendu." Upon hearing our names, we stepped forward as we'd been instructed in our trial run. I felt completely exposed, despite knowing that Felix was standing just behind me. Much to my horror, I caught the cloudy eyes of the ancient lady, which were staring in earnest at me. I did not look down though. I trusted my parents. Mum's reassurances of safety and father's expectations of me gave me the strength to stare back, unafraid. Or at least that's what I pretended.
"My son Theodotis would like to aid you in proving our sincerity, if you are willing, for he has the ability to transfer memories between individuals," father spoke, almost as if he was daring anyone to admit they didn't trust him too.
"We would like to see," one of the golden-eyed vampires said after a moment of tense whispering swept through the crowd of guests. The man was tall and dark-haired, his face as kind as it was curious. As he stepped forwards, a brunette lady with eyes identical to his followed, their hands entwined.
"Eleazar, my old friend, and Carmen, I'm thankful you could make it, especially with the events of last year so fresh in all of our minds," father replied solemnly.
"Personal matters aside, a new law is an extremely important thing to witness and I must admit, it does feel nostalgic to be back," the man called Eleazar smiled. "How does your gift work Theodotis?"
Theo held out his hand towards the man.
"It is very similar to Renaissance's gift," father said. Eleazar joined his palm to Theo's as father placed a hand upon his shoulder, allowing his memories of Joham's trial to be passed on to Eleazar. If this interaction had happened two months ago, both father and Eleazar would have had to be thinking about the same person or object for Theo to be able to convey anything at all, but he'd gradually trained his skills of perception until he was now able to attract specific thoughts to him at will like a magnet. But this would only work as long as he was in contact with someone who could receive them - similar to how an electrical appliance had to be plugged into the mains to be able to work.
Unlike our audience, I'd witnessed Theo's gift in action too many times to count, so I continued my inspection of the vampires with the yellow eyes. Eleazar's companion was very pretty. Her amiable demeanour seemed almost… human. I must have been staring at her for a while because she turned her head towards me in surprise. I looked away quickly in embarrassment.
Sneaking one more brief glance at Carmen, I noticed she was smiling at me. I felt a warm blush gather in my cheeks and I smiled back at her. If I had to guess, she must have been one of these vampires who didn't drink human blood. Perhaps their diet was what had such an effect on their eye colour.
"I see Aro. Yes, I agree that you made the just judgment regarding Joham," Eleazar said with an uneasy smile.
"How can we be sure that you are not still obedient to them, Eleazar?" a gruff voice spoke from within the crowd. It belonged to a man with long slicked back black hair and suspicious maroon eyes.
"Florin! I'm so pleased that you could make it. I do hope Stefan and Vladimir are doing well," father smirked. The man slinked forwards, his expression predatory. I heard Felix take a step closer to me, in anticipation of an attack.
"I am here only to pass on your message. I may not have been around to witness the terror you brought to the coven of my ancestors, but you know as well as I that my allegiance sides with them, so you can stop the forced pleasantries," Florin said, his voice barely louder than a low growl.
"Florin, why don't you let Theodotis show you the evidence that I saw, I'm sure it will absolve your suspicions," Eleazar said kindly.
"Fine, but why am I the only one to question why the Volturi are allowed to keep four of these abominations and everyone else is only allowed one?"
In a split second, half of the guard had risen from their posts and were ready to fight, Felix and Demetri were now standing in front of me and Theo, shielding us from the eyeline of this Florin. I felt my heartbeat quicken in my ears. Despite this sudden change in tone, father remained cheerful. He just laughed and walked forwards, past the line of bodyguards.
"Worry not, your concerns are completely rational," father said, bravely approaching the man. "We are currently not the only coven in possession of more than one hybrid. For example, two of Joham's remaining children now cohabit in the Amazon. And if you regard hybrids as 'abominations' then I assume that you would not consider creating even one, let alone more! You must also remember that I said we would allow exceptions should sufficient justification be given, so I implore you not to jump to conclusions, Florin."
Florin scoffed, but said nothing more. Eleazar said something inaudible to him and he eventually reluctantly accepted to partake in Theo's demonstration after Eleazar's wife Carmen. Florin skulked back to the cluster of guests in silence and father addressed them all once more.
"Would anyone else care for a demonstration of my son's gift, or would you rather we begin the festivities?" he spoke, the pride he had for Theo evident in his voice. Another couple stepped forwards, this time both dressed in long flowing gowns. Their features slightly resembled Oharu's and I wondered if they could be from Japan too.
"Kikuka, Katsunosuke, thank you for coming all of this way, I trust your journey went smoothly?"
The lady Kikuka, whose shimmering obsidian hair was longer than even mum's, smiled sympathetically, flashing her teeth which appeared, much to my surprise, to have been dyed black. She instinctively raised her hand, which was covered by at least twelve layers of beautiful silk, towards father, who happily took her hand as an answer to his greeting.
Kikuka's companion Katsunosuke stood a little behind her, his protective gaze never leaving both father and the other bodyguards in the vicinity.
"I shall introduce you to her after, my lady," father said. The lady nodded respectfully.
The couple received my father's thoughts with the help of Theo and once the exchange was complete, the atmosphere in the room shifted immediately from that of tension and intrigue to jollity.
After a quick warning to everyone to not eat the four human musicians, they were welcomed into the hall and the room exploded to life, animated by their refrain. I'd not forgotten my other duty of the night which was to change all memories of the quartet after their set ended. I was to ensure that every memory which portrayed us as vampires was altered to make them remember us as lowly humans. I'd never been as good at music as Athy or mum, or Erendu or Jojo, but I'd always been able to appreciate its value and I was happy to see that its presence finally allowed everyone to relax.
Grateful that the sour notes of earlier had seemingly been forgotten, I gladly accompanied father on his rounds of the guests to be formally introduced.
So far, I'd met Amun, the very vampire responsible for giving father the gift of immortality, and his wife Kebi. They were both very courteous and polite, but appeared nervous and uncomfortable the longer the conversation lasted. Kikuka and Katsunosuke were a little more interested to learn of our coven's new additions, though their curiosity seemed to extend only to Oharu.
I noticed every so often that vampires would leave the hall, only to return a few minutes later, eyes a brighter red and movements more fluid and lively. I guess it made sense to keep the live buffet away from the quartet to avoid any accidents.
As I watched mum and Uncle Caius slip unnoticed out through the great wooden doors which had been left ajar for this purpose, a tall, slender vampire dressed in a sky blue wrapped lamba approached father.
"Aro, long time, no see. News takes a long time to reach us in Madagascar," the man chuckled. Looking closer at the print on his clothes, I saw an extraordinary scenery filled with baobab trees, mountains and hundreds of other peculiar plants and animals that I didn't yet recognise.
"Zanahary! It's so good to see you!" father enthused. "It is such a shame that you came without Ratovantany, it's been three centuries too many."
"You know how it is, we can't leave our territory entirely unguarded. It wouldn't be right to let our subjects fall prey to anyone else," Zanahary replied. However, my concentration was now focused not on their conversation, but on the intriguing landscape depicted on his lamba. It got me thinking about just how much about the world that I hadn't even heard of, let alone seen with my own eyes.
I always enjoyed listening to mum's stories of her nomadic life as I fell asleep each night, but I'd always been content with living in the confines of the city if that is what kept us safe. To me, they were purely a fantasy world to which I could escape in my dreams.
After Zanahary left to go and visit the buffet, a couple of very elaborately dressed men were the next to steal father's attention. The one man had mahogany-coloured hair and a well-trimmed beard. He would have stood out as impeccably handsome, just as every other vampire, if it weren't for his partner, who was truly a spectacle. With voluminous blond curls and marble-coloured skin which seemed to glow even without the aid of sunlight, his appearance reminded me of Heidi. It was truly impossible to take my eyes off this man.
"Louis, I see you've finally found your mate," father said, shaking the hand of the angelic man.
"It took 'im long enough to show 'imself," he replied, rose-red eyes glinting in the light of the chandelier. "Jean-Noël, zis is Aro." Jean-Noël too shook father's hand.
"I see you 'ave been busy, Aro," Louis continued, looking at Theo and I with his piercing orbs. It seemed that both Theo and father were just as spellbound by Louis' beauty as I was as both of them seemed to be lost for words for a moment.
"It would be great to catch up, Louis, would you two care to go for a drink?" father asked finally. "Theodotis, Pandora, you two should go and enjoy the party, I'm sure I've bored you enough already," he continued, dismissing us from his side. He placed a hand on Louis' back and began to lead the couple towards the door.
"I assume Sulpicia is giving you an 'ard time again?" I heard the angel of a being say as they walked away, leaving Theo and I standing marooned in the middle of the hall, not knowing what to do. After a couple of minutes of deliberation, Theo decided to go and hover by the string quartet, who were now playing Shostakovich no.8, to try and look busy and I walked up to Erendu, who seemed just as bored as me and asked him if he wanted to dance.
"Why not, I love this piece," Erendu answered, jumping to his feet.
"What have you been doing tonight?" I asked.
"Nothing, dad had me and mum meet a load of the guests. To be fair though, there are some really interesting people here," Erendu replied.
"Me too, but I haven't got round to meeting everyone yet, father went to catch up with that really good-looking man Louis and his mate."
"My dad says he has a similar gift as Heidi. Apparently your father used to visit him a lot in Paris during the eighteenth century 'cause he was some sort of big-wig in the fashion industry. Apart from that Eleazar guy, he's the only guest here who has an ability,"
"Really? What can Eleazar do?"
"He can tell what power someone has. He actually used to work here until he met Carmen."
"That's convenient. What else do you know about the yellow-eyed people? I've never seen vampires like that before," I asked curiously.
"Their eyes are yellow because they drink animal blood. Dad says it makes them slightly weaker than what they could be at their full potential, but he thinks it's a reasonable alternative. I guess it's similar to how some humans choose to eat meat while others don't.
"The other couple are Cullens; they're the grandparents or something of the other gifted hybrid child. Carlisle, the blond one, was the pioneer of the whole 'vegetarian' thing."
Satisfied with his explanation, I thought the new information over as we carried on dancing, gradually moving across the ballroom which had been denoted by the placement of the stone plinths. Earlier on, I had felt extraordinarily over-dressed, but looking at the scope of colours and designs of the clothes of our guests, I felt almost disappointed to be wearing all black.
As we waltzed around a congregation of vampires, the scary ancient-looking vampiress crossed my line of sight once more. She was standing in the far corner, speaking with the messenger for the Romanian coven, Florin. Realising that I had not yet been introduced to her, I asked if Erendu had any information on her.
"Oh her? Your father didn't tell mine much about her, but he heard that she's one of the first vampires ever. She was created around 5000BCE along with two others. Dad specifically used the word 'created' instead of 'turned'; sort of how they speak about us…"
"She's over seven thousand years old?!"
"That's what I heard," Erendu shrugged. "She's called Lamashtu and her sisters were Lilith and Sekhmet, but they were killed years ago. Anyway, she's from Mesopotamia and used to eat children, so hell knows why she was invited here."
"Does Uncle Marcus know anything about how vampires were first 'created' then?"
"As I said, dad doesn't know much, you'd be better asking your father, he's the one who can read minds." I took a moment to take it all in. Was the ancestor of all vampires really still among us? I'd thought it was impressive meeting Amun, but this was on another scale entirely.
"Actually, he did say one thing," Erendu realised suddenly. "He said she has a strange bond with Uncle Caius. Almost like family." I looked over again and saw that Athy and Oktai had joined their conversation. Maybe my sister could be distantly related to Lamashtu. That would explain why she was so scary sometimes.
Bored by our half-arsed attempts at dancing, we both took a seat on the marble steps in front of the thrones. Maybe the only reason people danced at parties was to look busy instead of standing around like a statue doing nothing, because it wasn't really that fun when there was nothing to talk about.
Mum and Uncle Caius returned back to the ball. Spotting me instantly from the other end of the room, she pecked Caius on the cheek and walked over to Erendu and me. The colour of her eyes gave away that she had just visited the buffet.
"Pandora, Erendu, the string quartet will be finishing soon. We just bumped into Aro and he says you should both go and grab someone to drink so you can use your abilities to their fullest."
"Okay mum," I said, jumping to my feet.
"You think about food way too much, Panda," Erendu sighed, following me out of the hall and through the castle.
The prisoners had been moved from the dungeons and into one of the dim antechambers. Their hands had been tied behind their backs as well as a blindfold placed over their eyes. All kneeling in well-organised columns, their ankles shackled to the walls, the smell of their fear grew by tenfold as they heard us walk into their crypt.
Erendu and I looked at one another, sharing a mutual look of sorrow. Whilst we knew that as immortals, we were above humans in the food chain, us hybrids were still half-human. We silently chose our prey, a young woman, no older than thirty. Or maybe she was younger. Her time in the dungeons had not been kind to her, despite the five-star cuisine all prisoners were fed.
As Erendu untied her hands, she began to shake, tears soaking the cloth that obscured her eyes. I didn't know how long she'd been in our custody, but it was surely long enough for her to have already come to terms with her fate, because she made no struggle and made no noise beside the occasional sob. I felt sorry for her and I knew that Erendu did too.
This was the precise reason that we preferred to drink from blood bags as much as possible. Unfortunately though, our duty tonight required maximum strength.
I bit into her wrist, my teeth puncturing the main artery in her forearm. All sympathy I had for her was extinguished as her blood made contact with my mouth and I drank heartily. The combined thirst of Erendu and I was enough to make it quick. She soon began to slouch under the effects of her blood loss, her limbs gradually losing their strength.
Over the past few days of eating practically nothing but human food, I'd forgotten the heavenly flavour of blood. As tempting as the range of tastes attributed to meat, fruit and vegetables were, they would always pale in comparison to the exhilaration and thrill of drinking a human's lifeforce.
It was not long until her heartbeat disappeared. The whole room seemed to go silent in mourning for the loss.
The change in warmth and power was almost immediate. From my brain to my bones, I felt more alive. Stronger. Grabbing Erendu's hand, I began back to the hall so we could dismiss the lucky humans among us who would be permitted to see another day. However, as we were just about to round the final corner, Erendu stuck his arm out in front of me, bringing us both to an abrupt halt.
I was about to have a go at him, but he put his hand over my mouth before I could say anything. Slapping his hand away, I whispered sharply at him.
"What's the matter, Erendu?"
"Shh, listen, they're talking about us!"
"Who?" I mouthed silently. Erendu jerked his head in the direction of the hushed voices, which drifted into my ear from a corner in the lobby.
"...don't want to know how many innocent humans had to die for those children to be born. I just hope they'll treat them well, I'd hate to think of children being used in warfare," a soft feminine voice spoke.
"I agree with you Esme. But it does unnerve me how much power they've amassed in the last year alone. It's extraordinary," the familiar voice of Eleazar from earlier replied.
"I thought I saw a few new faces," another man sighed. I assumed this must have been Carlisle.
"They're the ones with the golden eyes," Erendu mouthed to me, pointing to his own chestnut irises, confirming my assumption. I nodded in acknowledgement and began to listen more intently.
"Though I can't say I'm not surprised. It was almost inevitable that Aro would do this after last year," the other man continued.
"I feel awful that so many people have been dragged into this because of our standing up to them," the woman called Esme said, a note of sadness evident in her tone.
"What abilities were you saying they'd gained, Eleazar? You said something about that Athanasia's mother."
"I believe she's a shapeshifter, or to be more accurate, a chameleon. Not only that, but they have two energy vampires, a telekinet, a hypnotist, a shield and then there's Aro's children: the boy who can transfer memories and the girl, who I think can retrospectively change people's memories. And that's on top of the force they had before."
Erendu and I looked at each other in silence, knowing that we were witnessing a potential mutiny among the guests. Eleazar was good, no wonder he'd lived with the coven for a while. He'd figured out our powers from just being in the same room as us. Though from the way he was speaking, it sounded like we intimidated them. However, father would want to hear about any possible coups in the making, so we both stayed hidden behind our corner just in case they were foolish enough to divulge any of their treacherous plans.
"Goodness me, I really hope he's not planning on wiping us out now," Carlisle spoke.
"I don't think so Carlisle, they could have easily made a move tonight. Taking out Esme and you would be a wise strategy, especially to put a huge dent in your family."
"As much as I wish that weren't true, I understand your point Eleazar. Even so, if he did that, I'm afraid my family wouldn't allow him to launch an attack on them too. I think he's more likely playing the long game, gaining as much might in as short a time as possible to act as a deterrent and waiting for an opportunity in the future."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Erendu was just as gobsmacked as I, both of us eager to hear more and be able to report this.
"But he surely knows we have no intention of taking over the Volturi. I know Aro is paranoid, but he's seen my thoughts enough to realise that power does not interest any of us. I just hope that these new additions make him content with staying away from Edward, Alice and Bella," Carlisle continued in a concerned tone.
"I hope you're right, darling," Esme said.
"I've just realised what's made me so uneasy!" Eleazar whispered suddenly. "The chameleon. She's the mother of the so-called oldest hybrid, but why would Caius bother changing her into a vampire afterwards and then act as though he'd never heard of such a being when we showed him Resume? And what would she be doing in Scandinavia if she's with the Volturi?"
"You don't think she could have already been a vampire? She's clearly the mother of Aro's daughter too," Carmen said, speaking up for the first time since we'd started eavesdropping. Her distinctive voice reminded me of caramel.
Erendu once again had to hold me back to stop me from blowing our cover upon mention of my mother. "I swear Panda, calm down, you want to hear what they're gonna say, don't you?" he hissed.
"Yes, that does seem suspicious. Edward never mentioned seeing anything of the sort in their minds last year. In fact, he seemed to think that they were all genuinely surprised that hybrids could exist. So it would have to be thanks to her power, especially if she's able to change her physiology," Carlisle pondered.
"So the poor thing has been forced to breed like livestock," Esme gulped.
"It looks to be that way…" Eleazar breathed darkly. "Though the other two children seem to have different mothers - Marcus's boy is an energy vampire just like one of the newborns, so I'd assume they're related, but I have no idea when it comes to Aro's son."
The words of my father flashed across my mind; his confession from just three days prior that Sulpicia had killed Theo's birth mum and then taken her place as his adoptive mother. What's more, this group of vampires had been able to work out not only our abilities, but so much about our coven from just speculations. Did this mean that what they said about my mum was true too? Had she been forced to have Athy and me? That couldn't be possible, she always treated us both with love and care. But why else would she have a baby with someone who wasn't her soulmate? Where did babies even come from anyway?
"Hey, Erendu," I whispered, my legs shaking slightly.
"Panda, no," he began.
"What has your dad told you about soulmates?"
"Panda, now's really not the best time for this discussion, we have a job to do." He refused to look me in the eye.
"Erendu, please don't avoid my question. I know you're cleverer than me, but please, tell me, who is my mum's true soulmate, I know you know."
"Panda, you know she loves you. Why does it matter?"
"Because I want to know if I'm just meant to be a weapon like what they're saying. Father told me earlier on that we were created to fulfil a role. What if everything we know is false, what if mum only cares about me because she has to?"
"Okay, okay, her true mate is Caius, but my dad also said that the bond between you and her is just as strong as the one between her and Athy. She does care about you!"
"And what did he say about him and your mum?"
Erendu's face fell, a shadow flickering across his eyes and I knew his answer without him needing to say it.
"Face it, Erendu, we only exist because father wants to use us to intimidate others, if not kill them. You heard what they said too. That's why Athy doesn't like being around us. She was born to be loved, and we were just born to fight."
"Come on Panda, let's get back to the ball, we have a job to do," he said monotonously, though I could tell that there was a note of frustration below his faux calm exterior. Erendu led me back to the party where we almost bumped straight into father, Louis and Jean-Noël.
"Ah, there you two are, I was wondering where you'd got to. Nwaekerendu, if you would do the honours, Pandora and I will escort them from the premises."
Erendu complied without uttering a word. As the string quartet was finishing up their performance, Erendu began gradually consuming their energy. All he needed to do was stand a few metres from his targets and breathe in and the four humans would gradually become more and more sleepy.
Once the piece reached its final crescendo and the humans had packed away their instruments, I followed closely behind father, still immersed in my thoughts about what we had just overheard. He offered to let the quartet stay at the ball for a little while longer, but due to their fatigue, they all declined, stating that they needed to set off back to Rome. We escorted them to the gigantic front doors, which led directly onto the now deserted piazza. Once they were safely out of the sight of any vampire aside from father and I, I approached them.
While I could usually use my gift on multiple people at once from a distance, I didn't feel as though I'd be able to properly do my job right now. How ironic that by finding out I was created just for my powers to be used, I'd started to doubt my abilities. In order to make sure I carried out my duty to the fullest, I placed my hand upon the cheek of each of the humans, making sure to change every red iris into ones of brown, blue or green, adding human motions such as blinking, slouching and breathing into their memories of the night. Finally, I made sure that they could not remember where to find our abode. All with a single touch.
"Fantastic work, figlia mia," father said after they'd left, slightly dazed and confused, patting me on the back and leading me back into the shadows. "Have you had a chance to meet everyone yet?"
"No, I didn't get to speak to any of the vampires with gold eyes," I replied, though I wasn't even sure if I wanted to meet them now that they'd been responsible for making Erendu and I come to that realisation.
"That's a shame, I'll have to introduce you to my old friend Carlisle at the very least. What did you think of Lamashtu?"
"Oh, her, I haven't spoken to her either. Is it true that she's the first vampire?"
"Well, the legends say she's one of the first," father said with a chuckle. "Even her thoughts don't give away much. All she seems to know is that her father Anu wanted to gain the power of the gods, but ended up somehow turning his three daughters into monsters during his experiments and was devoured before he could pass on his knowledge. What I wouldn't give to find out how he was able to create us."
"Is it true that she used to eat children?" I asked timidly.
"Oh yes, it's what she's most famous for, and I assume it's why nobody ever tried to kill her. Her sisters weren't so lucky. Lilith fell to the Romanians a little after we formed the Volturi and Sekhmet was killed accidentally by Amun when he was a newborn. But no one dared try to take down Lamashtu."
I gulped. Erendu was right. Why on earth would father invite such an infamous vampire here knowing that she had a penchant for dining on children. Father saw my horrified face and laughed.
"She won't try and eat you, Pandora. She was forced to give that habit up a long time ago." I didn't want to question how he could be so certain of that fact, so I let it drop. Lamashtu also hadn't had a choice on becoming a vampire, just like I didn't have a choice in being born. Though I felt sorry for her because she'd killed her own father, I knew it must have been because of the untamable thirst of a newborn vampire. It was inevitable. What a cruel existence.
I told father that I was tired and wanted to go to bed, but he said that I had to stay until mum and Athy had finished their performance, which had already begun by the time we returned to the hall.
I sat alone in contemplation by the exit for the next hour. Theo looked as though he was having fun, trying to act like one of the older kids by hanging around Jane, Alec and Oharu, whilst Erendu had already disappeared from the ball along with Marcus. He must have been feeling the exact same way as me.
As soon as mum and Athy had finished singing, I perked up, knowing I could finally get some rest.
"Pandora, dynan, you look exhausted! If I'd have known, I'd have got Caius to put you to bed," mum fussed, trying to lift me into her arms. But remembering that I was nothing but a burden that my father had forced upon her, I declined, pushing her hands away. Why should I hinder her further?
"I'm fine, I can walk by myself," I muttered.
"Whatever you'd prefer, did you enjoy the ball?"
"It was okay."
"I'll ask you in the morning, honey," she smiled, though I knew that I didn't deserve her kindness. We reached my room in no time and mum helped me out of my dress and into my pyjamas. Tucking me into my bed, she stayed at my side, holding me in her arms, making me feel even worse. I'd have to talk to her about what Erendu and I had heard tomorrow because there was no way we'd be able to deal with this on our own.
As I was drifting into an uneasy sleep, I heard three others enter the room and felt the mattress depress ever so slightly as someone sat on the end of my bed. But it was too late to overhear something else I surely didn't need to, I couldn't stop myself plummeting into the depths of my dreams.
Luíseach POV
Pandora settled quicker than usual. But that was not surprising as it was already way past her bedtime. The ball must have really done a number on her too because she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. With the knowledge that I would soon be leaving her in my mind, I lay next to her, hugging her to me - unable to sleep, but wanting to be there for her as much as I could for now.
I heard the door creak open and felt Caius's arms wrap themselves around my waist as he sat upon the bed next to me. Athy and Oktai had come in with him, everyone ready to hear my verdict.
"Have you come to a decision yet?" Caius asked, his breath tickling the back of my neck.
"I have. But none of you are going to be happy. I refuse to use her against her will - if that means we have to leave her here, then so be it," I stated.
"And what will happen when she comes after us wanting to know why her mother abandoned her?" Athy asked, her arms folded and face just as steely as it had been since we'd first discussed the matter.
"I'll tell her the truth. She's too young to need to know those kinds of things right now," I asserted.
"What makes you think she'll even listen when she does? Leaving her here gives Aro the perfect opportunity to completely brainwash her. She'll kill us before we can even open our mouths!" she insisted.
"You're talking awfully passionately for someone who won't give the girl the time of day," I berated.
"I don't think building bonds with someone you know you have to leave behind is a good idea. At least she'll be able to accept that we left her. Treating her with affection now will only fuel her hatred for you when you eventually betray her. Now, she's forever going to wonder what she did so wrong to turn you against her."
"And you think that wouldn't make her want to kill me?"
"That's one hell of a gamble, mum."
"By showing her the compassion she deserves now, if and when the day comes when she tries to get her revenge, she is more likely to listen. By making sure that she needs an answer, we can ensure she won't kill us straight away. We'll be able to explain everything."
"Then why not explain it all to her now?" Athy growled.
"Because she's a child, Athy. Forcing her to choose between her parents is a burden too big. Even telling her the truth now would be too much. As much as I hate to say it, I think it's better if she can spend time with Aro and grow up before she hears everything."
"Besides, even Aro knows that it's a risk we wouldn't take. It's not worth throwing away our bid at freedom after all your mother has been through to get us this chance. Now he's got us trapped with the one-hybrid rule, he knows the only way we'd be allowed to take her with us is to kill him," Caius added.
"So neither of you want your revenge?" Athy scoffed.
"Revenge will only cause more problems. It's not just about getting rid of the one person who's done you wrong. Think about it, we could deal with Aro at any time, but how many people then would want to kill us? It's just not worth it. It's time for me to be the bigger person."
"You're just mugging yourself off mum."
"She's not, she just wants us all to live. Why should any of us throw our lives away just to overthrow Aro? Unless the opportunity arises, he's not worth the effort," Caius said, squeezing my waist gently.
"Suit yourselves, but don't blame me when it gets us all killed," Athy said and stalked out of the door, dragging Oktai behind her. She'd certainly inherited my passion for vengeance, though it was a shame I burned mine all those centuries ago along with my human life.
Caius, sensing my exasperation, kissed my nape once more, biting it just hard enough to make me wiggle closer to him.
"The one thing that concerns me now is the fact he knew Athy existed before you came back, meaning he had five months to cook up that little plan."
I sighed vexedly. "It doesn't surprise me. I just hope there's nothing else up his sleeve."
"Me too. Thinking over the contract again, I don't think there was anything else..." Caius started.
"Don't worry, it's airtight. I'd rather not dwell on it for now. I've got to make the most of the last month I have with my daughter," I sighed, breathing in his fragrance and resting my head upon his chest. Pulling Pandora closer to me, I silently prayed for an answer that would satisfy everyone.
What choice should one make when there is no right answer? Stay tuned for the next chapter next weekend as usual. If you enjoyed, please follow and favourite, and leave a comment to let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading this far!
Amun & Kebi - (main series) from the Egyptian coven; Amun is responsible for turning many powerful vampires such as Aro, Demetri and Benjamin.
Carlisle & Esme - (main series) from the Olympic coven, Carlisle is the pioneer of vampire vegetarianism and, with his wife Esme, exhibits levels of compassion unheard of in vampire-kind.
Eleazar & Carmen - (main series) from the Denali coven; vegetarian vampires. Eleazar used to work for the Volturi using his ability to identify abilities in others.
Florin - (OC) the 'neutral' messenger for the remaining members of the Romanian coven, entrusted to act as a go-between in dealings with the Volturi.
Kikuka & Katsunosuke・菊花－勝之助 - (OCs) members of the Aomori coven from northern Japan; Kikuka was a concubine of the emperor during the Heian period and her mate Katsunosuke served her as a samurai during the Edo period before she gave him the gift of immortality.
Lamashtu - (OC) ancient vampiress from Mesopotamia believed by many to be one of the first vampires, along with her deceased sisters Lilith and Sekhmet; legendary for drinking the blood of babies and pregnant women.
Louis & Jean-Noël - (OCs) bonded pair from France; Louis was a prominent fashion designer from Paris during the eighteenth century, believed to be behind some of the more extravagant trends of the time; extremely attractive; he found his mate Jean-Noël - a Belgian soldier - while hunting during WWI in the battlefields in Ypres.
Zanahary & Ratovantany - (OCs) these two vampires share dominion over the island of Madagascar; in Malagasy legend, they are believed to be Gods of the sky and the earth respectively.