Author's note: A chapter a lot of you have been asking for - introduction of the Denali Coven! The next few chapters are going to be in order, I think, since they are too heavily connected. :)
Days Seventeen and Eighteen of Forever:
The was just barely started for the mortal residents of Forks when Archie finally gave Beau the all clear to lay down the final planks of rich hardwood, signaling they were done with work for the day. He made sure to place the panels down as carefully as possible, mindful of the fresh lacquer Archie had just finished smoothing over. Once it was settled in, Archie overseeing the placement and giving him a nod of approval, they took it all in.
Beau whistled under his breath, taking a step back to admire their handiwork for several angles. Now that the flooring was down, the cottage looked a lot more home-like. The walls were still bare and the place was empty, but it looked a lot more finished now then it had when they showed up a few hours prior. It looked move-in ready, a thrilling idea considering how little time had passed since they broke ground.
"This looks amazing," Beau said, in awe.
Archie was more critical. "It'll do, I suppose. Edythe really is twisting my arm with this shortened window for the wedding. There's no time for most of the finishes I wanted."
Beau shook his head. "It's perfect, Arch, don't kid yourself."
"I guess I do do nice work, don't I?" Archie beamed.
With the wedding only two and a half days away, Beau hadn't be sure what to expect when they trekked up north to the plot during the night. The Cullens had been coming up to work on the cottage in shifts to avoid rousing suspicion, though of course Edythe noticed they were acting strange. She hadn't said anything, but they could hardly pull anything over her watchful eyes. Still, they were confident that although she knew they were up to something, the exact details of that something were well concealed. It would be well worth all the secrecy to see how surprised Edythe would be when it was all finished.
"She's gonna love your gift." Beau already was in love with it himself. This was the biggest thing the Cullens had done for him outside of accepting him so unconditionally, and it showed. He felt like this wedding was about more than marrying Edythe now - it was like all the Cullens were pulling out the stops to show Beau that he was one of them.
"Well really this is your gift too," Archie stated cavalierly, interrupting his musings. "I mean you basically paid for it."
That threw Beau for a loop. "What? What are you talking about?"
Archie shrugged. "Edythe told you about the bet right?"
That did ring a bell for some reason, something faint he thought he recalled from several weeks ago. He took a second to wade through his fuzzy memories. "The one... About whether Edythe would kill me or not?"
"Exactly. We all put in money - I won, of course." He flashed his teeth. "My siblings never learn. And I used that money to build this house of yours."
"Wow." Beau paused. "Wait, how much were you all betting?"
"A million buy in."
"Wow," Beau repeated. "And they all betted against?"
Archie reached out to him comfortingly. "Only Royal and Eleanor. Jessamine knows better. Carine and Earnest were pulling for you too, but they abstained from the pool. Something about not feeling comfortable betting on your life."
"Imagine that," he replied dryly. Beau couldn't find himself too upset with his siblings' antics; he figured these kinds of things were just how they passed the time and were not intentionally malicious.
"So we can go halfsies on the credit," Archie concluded. "Unless you come up with a better wedding gift, of course."
Beau grinned at him wirily. "Well, do I? You know better than me."
Archie returned his grin. "I guess I could do you a favor and check... I just better not see anything gross - she is my sister, you know."
That made Beau rethink his decision to have him look into their future. He wasn't exactly crazy about having Archie peep in on their wedding night. But it was too late as he was already clearly searching, his eyes unfocused as he concentrated. After less than a minute, Archie was back. And he was frowning.
"What did you see?"
Archie groaned as if he hadn't heard Beau. "Oh great. Now everything is going to get complicated..."
"Arch?"
The dark-haired vampire turned to look at Beau. "Good news for you, yes you will come up with a better gift. Bad news for everyone else, we will have another guest at the wedding."
"What? Who?" Beau could count on one hand the number of people who would even qualify for an invite to a vampire wedding and he was pretty sure Archie had already put them on the list.
His expression was dark. "The newest member of the Denali coven. Come on, let's get back and tell everyone. I'm only going to give the bad news once." They took off immediately, their good humor deflated.
Edythe was waiting for them in front of the house when they arrived only fifteen minutes later, her arms crossed over her deep blue sweater as she leaned against the door frame. She gave Beau a quick kiss before turning her curious gaze to her brother. "What's going on?"
He said nothing, leading them into the house. Most of the family was gathered in the living room, Eleanor and Jessamine on the couch watching Carine and Royal play a lightening fast chess match. Earnest could be heard upstairs, rearranging some furniture in one of the sitting rooms in preparation of their guests.
"Archie, what is it?" Edythe asked insistently as they followed him in.
"Is something wrong?" Carine asked, pausing in her game - Beau thought she was winning anyway from the look on Royal's face.
Archie took a big breath. "Well there's something we need to talk about. Tanvir's coven has grown a bit. Lauren has become an official member and is expected to come with them for the wedding."
A pregnant second of silence met the news.
"Not a chance in hell." Edythe's hiss popped the bubble of shock. She looked poised to attack, her eyes narrowed across her dark irises. "She is not welcome here."
Beau threaded his fingers with hers, hoping to calm her down though he himself was simply confused. He didn't know why this was a big deal. "Should I know who that is?"
"Yes, you should," Edthye huffed.
"She was the third member of Joss's coven," Eleanor explained, frowning.
The blurry face of an olive-skinned woman came to mind for him then. "Oh. Her."
Carine frowned. "We did send her off to them so this is hardly a shock."
"She is actually committed to this lifestyle?" Jessamine's tone implied she didn't put much faith in Lauren having given up human blood. "Is it even safe for her to come to such a populated area with so little experience curbing her appetite?"
"No, it's not," Edythe was practically shaking in her anger.
"Beau is a newborn and he seems to be doing pretty well," Royal interjected.
"Beau is the exception to the rule," Carine said quickly; Edythe looked like she had been about to bite her brother's head off. "It is best to treat this with caution."
"Why don't you just tell Tanvir to leave Lauren back in Alaska," Earnest called out as he appeared over the balcony. "With an escort to watch her, of course. It will be sad to have one of our friends unable to attend but safety should be the priority."
"Safety for her," Edythe corrected. Beau squeezed her hand gently but she didn't seem to feel it.
Archie shook his head. "If we ask them to keep her away they will be offended. Ivan and Lauren are mated now." The family shared a collective groan.
"So where he goes, she goes," Carine said with a sigh. "That does complicate things."
"No, it doesn't." Edythe was resolute. "I will not have her at my wedding. As far as I'm concerned, he can just stay with her in Alaska."
"Edythe," Beau said quietly. "Is this really worth offending the only other family of vegetarian vampires over? Lauren didn't even do anything."
She rounded on him, shaking him off when he tried to reach for her again. "She would have if we hadn't piqued her interest with our diet. And who is to say she isn't still in contact with the male, Victor? We haven't seen him since we lost him to the ocean but what if he decides to come back because of Joss's death?" Edythe turned back to Carine. "I don't like it and I don't want her here."
Carine looked at her sadly. "Edythe, everyone should have a chance to redeem themselves."
She threw her hands in the air. "Unbelievable."
"I don't see anything unfortunate happening," Archie said thoughtfully. He folded himself onto the couch beside Jessamine, who wrapped her arms around him. "She isn't deciding anything that will cause problems. I'll keep an eye out but I doubt she will be trouble. They'll arrive tomorrow before nightfall."
Royal flicked over his black king, conceding to Carine. "They couldn't even call ahead to warn us about the new addition?"
"They probably suspected how Edythe would react," Eleanor snorted. She was winding her hair into a long, curly braid as she spoke, her hands moving in a blur. "And Tanvir always did enjoy pushing your buttons, E."
"If this is his idea of a prank, he and I are going to have very strong words," Edythe promised darkly. She stormed up the stairs, shutting herself inside the room she shared with Beau.
Carine stood, saying she would attempt to call their cousins to warn them about how Edythe was taking the news; she took up to her upstairs office with Earnest joining her behind the shut door.
"You know, I doubt he was only trying to be funny, though," Royal said ominously. His eyes flicked over to Beau who was looking up at their closed door, debating if he should go after her or if she needed some time to herself. "He wouldn't do something like this without a motive - he had to know Edythe would be pissed. He always did enjoy riling her up any way he could."
He had Beau's attention now. "This is the leader of the Denali coven you're talking about?"
"Yes - Tanvir." Royal cleared away the chess pieces in the compartment inside the ottoman. "He was always pretty taken with her. Following her around, trying to provoke her into fights..."
Jessamine frowned at Royal. "Knock it off."
"I'm just saying what I observed."
"You're making it out to be more than it was. You're being obnoxious." Jessamine gave Beau a knowing look. "Tanvir likes a challenge - which is what Edythe was since she had no interest in him whatsoever. It was never anything more."
"Right. Yeah, I know." He did his best to work his face into a neutral expression. Jessamine didn't seem to believe him though, watching him pityingly.
Royal rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying Tanvir is trying to break up the wedding, Beau, so relax. I just think he'd enjoy making things tense if it meant pissing Edythe off a little."
"Making her mad is one of my favorite pastimes," Eleanor said offhandedly, winking at Beau. "She's the kind of person that's funny to make mad. Pretty sure she just brings that out in a lot of people. Nothing to freak out over."
Beau tried to feel better about that but it wasn't really working. With a sigh he sat down in front of the couch. Archie grabbed his shoulder right away, squeezing gently.
"Trust me," he said quietly. "I wouldn't have invited Tanvir if I thought he was going to be a problem. This Lauren thing is what's going to make everything a little awkward. Ivan isn't going to be happy if Edythe keeps up this attitude - he's always been a little sensitive and will take it personally if she doesn't approve of his mate."
Beau let himself be distracted by the Lauren situation instead. It was not as disconcerting. "Because of how close the families are?"
"Sort of. Tanvir and his brothers, Ivan and Kirill, have always been together for centuries and unmated. Mostly because they chose to be that way. They, well, have never been the type to stay with just one partner," he said, raising his eyebrows to convey what he was too polite to say out loud - that they were known to be promiscuous. "It's actually really unusual for our kind. But if Ivan has chosen to take a mate after all this time he is bound to be seeking everyone else's approval. If Edythe makes it known how she feels about Lauren, or worse, threatens her..."
"We could be looking at a fight." Jessamine laid her head against Archie's arm. "A blood feud to be precise. It wasn't uncommon in the South. Large covens in nearby territories would fight over some imagined slight of one party to another and they would then set out to decimate any who stood in the middle. Whole covens could be wiped out over something as silly as stealing prey from another or as serious as killing someone's mate."
"Things won't get that out of hand." But Archie didn't look as convinced as Beau would have liked.
"Can we do anything?" he asked, looking back at their closed door. Beau imagined Edythe had her favorite noise-cancelling headphones on and was listening to some angry grunge band as they spoke. It was one of the few ways she could calm herself down.
"Aside from keeping them as far away from each other as possible?" Archie groaned. "I don't know Lauren well enough to say she will mind herself, but I'm sure she's aware she isn't going to be on anyone's good side showing up like she is. Maybe that will keep her in line." He gave Beau a long look. "Will you be okay with having her here? Her old coven leader did kill you, Beau."
He figured that he was supposed to feel some sort of way too, but didn't have it in him. "Lauren didn't do anything," Beau repeated. "She could have helped Joss like Victor did, but she chose to leave to become like us instead. I think Carine is right and we should let bygones be bygones."
"Good to see someone can let things go," Royal said snidely. "But Edythe is kind of right - Lauren had a hand in your death, Beau. Don't hold a grudge but never forget what she could be capable of."
"Our world isn't made up of good vampires and bad vampires," Jessamine added. "It's more like vampires who seek to harm and those who don't seek to harm at that moment. We all have the ability to cause all kinds of trouble and most just need the proper circumstances to do it."
Archie nudged Beau with his foot. "But forget all that for now, Beau. You're getting married in less than three days. Just try to focus on that, okay?"
Beau nodded but couldn't help but to feel that was easier said than done.
By the next day things were tense around the Cullen house as anticipation for the Denali coven's arrival grew. Edythe was particularly sullen despite Beau and Archie doing their best to keep her occupied and distracted with wedding details. Not even Jessamine's boosts of joy could make a dent in her mood.
Carine had reached out to Tanvir but as Archie had predicted, was met with radio silence. They were already en route from Alaska and signal with going to be spotty at best until they crossed into the state, by which time the call would be moot. They would just have to let them come and accept that the chips would fall where they may.
They could not focus all their attention on the impending arrival, however, and went about setting up for the wedding as if nothing had changed. Earnest continued to clear out rooms for their cousins to retire to on the third floor and Carine helped by moving some of her books into the basement for storage.
The yard behind the home was to be arranged for the ceremony and the subsequent party to follow. The Cullen siblings were fast at work to make the area look elegant for the affair, setting up canopies and garlands, all of white. Flowers were artfully strewn along designated pathways, lending the area a flora scent meant to compliment Edythe's own - Beau had been in charge of coming up with the right combination, a task he had taken very seriously. Bundles of freesias, roses, orange blossoms, and lilacs lined the aisle they had laid down, giving the whole yard a perfumed scent that, while lovely, still paled in comparison to the real thing in Beau's mind.
Eleanor, Beau, and Royal were in the middle of carrying in the long wooden benches under Archie's watchful eye when he announced their cousins would be at the home soon.
He and Beau exchanged a worried glance before turning their eyes up towards the house where Jessamine was helping Edythe try on her dress for a final fitting; Jess was still pouring out heaps of sunshine and rainbows for her sister but they knew there was little change. Archie still saw a confrontation on the horizon, but couldn't tell just yet how badly it would end. Best case scenario was a verbal lashing that resulted in Edythe all but kicking Ivan and Lauren out of the house. They knew that wouldn't be pretty but it was better than the alternative, so the whole family was crossing their fingers.
"Yes it's fine there," Archie said distractedly as he directed his siblings. Beau and Eleanor laid their pair of benches in symmetrical columns on either side of the aisle while Royal placed his on the sides of the designated dance floor of stone tiles. Archie then went over to right the benches unnecessarily, his eyebrows pulled together as he existed in both the present and the future simultaneously. Eventually Beau took pity on him and pulled him into the house.
"No matter what I see, I can't find a way to change this," he said, clearly frustrated as Beau walked him inside. "I feel like I'm missing something..."
"So it's inevitable?"
"I guess." Archie tugged on the sleeves of his shirt, straightening out the cuffs obsessively. Beau thought this was the closest he had seen of a vampire having a nervous tick. "Maybe there is a choice to be made that I haven't thought of, some angle unconsidered. The future is rarely contingent on a single factor. More often than not its a series of interwoven decisions and chances. And predicting which paths to follow down that will result in a certain outcome is pretty much a game of guess and check."
Beau gripped his shoulder. "I know you're doing the best you can."
"But I don't." Archie leaned against the banister, glaring at the door. "It's so maddening to know some things with extreme clarity, like the fact that they will be pulling into the turn in exactly three minutes and twelve seconds - traffic was light - but have so many other things hanging in the balance. Between stuff like this and losing track of you in Phoenix and then not being able to see the wolves at all its beginning to feel like my gift has a lot more holes nowadays. It's not a great feeling. And I don't know what I can do about it."
Beau couldn't help but still feel a little guilty about tricking Archie and Jessamine when they were on the run from Joss; he hadn't realized that Archie still carried that with him as a failure on his own part. "Come on, Arch. I hate to see you down on yourself."
Archie watched his best friend with a profound sadness. "You don't understand, Beau, this is like my job in the family. I look out for us. Jess gets our credentials and identities, Carine provides our tie to the community, Earnest sets up our house, Royal provides our transports, Eleanor makes sure no one gets too close to us, and Edythe keeps an eye out for anyone growing suspicious - everyone has a role to play, that's how our family has managed to survive as long as we have. And now should be when I step up to the plate. I don't like letting the family down..."
Beau could see how much this was hurting Archie and it bothered him deeply. But something he had said also prompted an idea in Beau. Maybe there was nothing Archie could do to deescalate the situation, but he thought he might have a better chance as the center of the controversy. The Cullens all did have a role to play; maybe this would be a chance for him to discover his.
When the nondescript white Toyota pulled up to the house, the family was gathered and watching with bated breath. The only person not a bundle of nerves was Edythe herself who was assuming a blank expression despite her clenched fists at her side.
The doors opened and they poured out of the vehicle. Carine had the door open wide and ushered them in politely, her attention equally between a tall man with strawberry blonde hair and the olive-skinned woman Beau recognized to be Lauren. She lingered in the back of the group with another man, this one with hair so pale it shimmered a silver color, shaved on the sides but with the center cascading down to his chin.
Carine was quick to introduce the guests to Beau, pulling him into the center of the action. "This is the newest addition to the family, Beau." Her smile was genuine. "The one, of course, responsible for our happy occasion."
The man in front took Beau's hand enthusiastically, clearly Tanvir, the leader of the Denali coven. He was every bit as attractive as every other vampire Beau had met so far, but had the same striking features that made Royal a standout among their kind, he realized uneasily. Tanvir's hair was a bit longer than his and had a bouncy, slightly curled quality to it so that his locks framed his face attractively. He was tall, though maybe an inch or two shorter than Beau himself, but carried himself with extra height in his confidence. Clearly he was the type of man not used to being waved over in any circumstances and with good reason. Beau wanted to groan.
Tanvir expression was bright as he took Beau in. "Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you." There was just a hint of an accent in the way he drew his words out a beat longer. "We have heard many things from our dear cousin, of course," he added, with a wink to Edythe where she stood at the top of the staircase. She turned her head away wordlessly at his acknowledgement, already a red flag.
Beau tried to distract from her rude behavior. "I'm sure it wasn't the most flattering picture she could have painted, given her opinion of me at the time of her visit."
The other man laughed loudly, his frame shaking. "Oh no, her words were most apt given her obsession with you. We were simply fascinated to see her so agitated! Dear Edythe had a reputation among my brothers and myself for her perfect composure in all situations." The way he smirked sent a spike of unease through Beau as if he wasn't privy to some inside joke. "We had to know who this man was who got under her skin so intensely - and here you are! We are not disappointed!" Beau let himself be clapped on the back too hard, trying to keep his own expression light. "But I am being rude. Here, these are my brothers for many years, Ivan and Kirill-" The silver-blonde from before dipped his head as did a second man with hair almost as pale but much longer and tied sleekly down his back. "- and my good friends, Elena and Carlos."
The two vampires came up to Beau, the female bouncing up to kiss him on both his cheeks. They both had features that made him think they were Hispanic from their dark hair and her full lips. She was tiny, especially against Beau's height, but built very curvy. He was slender but ordinary outside of his warm eyes that were not unlike Earnest's. Like his own family, Beau sensed some worry in both their lovely faces, their eyes darting from Edythe to Tanvir. He thought they too might be anticipating an unpleasant altercation in the near future.
Tanvir himself did not seem bothered by the mood in the room, going on with his introductions. He put his hand on the final vampire, his smile deepening. "And lastly is Lauren here, newest to our coven these past few weeks. But, of course, you know her already."
"Of course." All eyes turned to Edythe as she echoed Tanvir. She crossed her arms, floating down the stairs to stand beside her mate. She did not even look at Lauren, the full force of her glare on Tanvir.
He unflinchingly returned her expression was a grin that was much more mocking suddenly. "She speaks! The woman of the hour. How is my fair cousin doing?"
She ignored his niceties. "Why did you bring her?" Beau winced at her tone. "What business does she have being here?"
Ivan frowned. "Lauren is my-"
"I didn't ask you," Edythe coolly cut him off. Ivan bristled, shifting his weight fractionally.
Tanvir stepped between his brother and Edythe. "I didn't think one more guest, especially on such a happy day, would be frowned upon. Was I incorrect in that assumption? I have never known your family to be unfriendly to those of our diet."
Carine eyed Tanvir carefully. "Not at all. The more the merrier. But surely you could have informed me before today. Why did you feel it necessary to conceal this?" Her words were innocent, but there was an accusation between the lines.
He pretended to inspect his nails as he answered. "I did not want to cause needless stress on our lovely bride and her groom with this news. I could not anticipate this level of irritation, naturally, as unwarranted as it is."
"Are you out of your-"
"But not completely unwarranted," Beau interrupted over his fiancée uncharacteristically, taking her hand in his and squeezing it firmly. Edythe shot him a look, pressing her lips in a tight line. "I'm sure you already know how our last encounter with Lauren's old coven ended. I would say we are justified in being at least wary of her."
"But she was not even here when the other female began her hunt," Tanvir snorted quietly, perhaps anticipating this line of reasoning. "Should she be held responsible for the others actions?"
"Not at all," Beau quickly agreed. "But if she didn't feel she bared any responsibility I doubt she would have needed to arrive here today under this veil of secrecy. Right?" He directed his last comment to Lauren herself, who had her eyes trained to the floor.
"She didn't do anything," Ivan insisted.
Lauren put her hand on his forearm, lifting her head then. "Beau is not wrong," she said finally, her trilling voice more accented than the brothers'. "I have worried about how I might be received today. Though I did not join the hunt, as a part of that coven, I share some part of its outcome. I do apologize, to both of you, for Joss's actions." Her words seemed sincere.
Edythe huffed. "I'm sure you're aware we killed her for her 'actions'. Do you not have any lingering attachment to your old coven?"
Lauren shook her head. "I joined them for security, not out of any actual loyalty. It suited my purposes to follow her. Now I have seen there are other reasons to be a part of a coven." She entwined her hand with Ivan's, mirroring Beau and Edythe's position. Her mate smiled down at her. "I have found this path you all have chosen difficult but rewarding. I ask only for the chance to see how I might fit in this dynamic."
"I think it's only fair to give you that chance," Beau said diplomatically. He turned to Edythe, his voice gentle now, almost pleading. "Don't you think?"
She could only sigh at his hopeful expression. He could see she was wavering as he turned the full force of his eyes on her. Edythe finally looked Lauren over with a critical eye, sizing her up before consenting. "Fine. We will hold you to your word."
It was as if the whole room took a breath then.
Carine was beaming at her daughter, stepping just past her to shake Lauren's free hand. "Then we belatedly welcome you into our home again, Lauren. It's good to see this diet agreeing with you," she added, acknowledging the amber of her eyes, a color not quiet gold yet but thankfully far from scarlet.
The crisis averted, the group began to break into smaller groups, conversing easily and sharing updates since the time they last met. Edythe and Beau remained obtusely where they were in the center of the foyer as the others spread out, with Tanvir not taking his gaze off them.
He looked contemplative as Edythe turned to him. "I am grateful your mate is so gracious," Tanvir said slowly. "Things have worked out well."
"Lucky for you," she answered dismissively.
"Yes, things ended much better than we could have hoped for." Beau's voice was almost dry enough to be mocking. "It was kind of you, Tanvir, to allow Lauren to accompany you here and orchestrate this reunion. It's a good thing you were solely focused on repairing things and did not have a hidden agenda." He kept his sarcasm light enough to seem joking though Edythe knew him well enough to see the anger behind his words. She eyed him curiously, her grip on his hand anchoring him now, as had been the reverse before.
Tanvir had a good poker face though. He looked into Beau's eye, giving nothing away as he spoke. "Naturally. The harmony between our two covens has always been my priority. I have known Edythe and her family for many years now, after all, and her happiness is my own."
"So you wanted only to make peace?"
"Of course," he said, maybe too coolly.
Beau's smile was polite, ignoring the hard edge to Tanvir's tone. "I thought so. The leader of a coven could hardly be so petty as to potentially disrupt a joyful occasion simply for his own purposes, after all. Someone like that might not be fit to guide others, selfish as they would clearly have to be."
Tanvir flinched as if he had been slapped.
Edythe observed their exchange, her expression amused until finally a sharp pearl of laughter exploded from her. Tanvir looked at her in alarm as a wide smile spread over her face. She hugged herself around Beau's arm, practically purring. "You're quite right, Beau. Tanvir would never dream of coming all this way with the intention of creating a scene after all. He is far too respectable for that and has to set an example for his family."
He nodded sharply once, a ghost of a scowl on his face. "I should check to see we have our things for the wedding. If you'll excuse me." He turned to leave, but stopped at the door frame, his expression somewhere between annoyance and acceptance, his head cocked towards Beau. "I must say, you seem quite different than I imagined. Edythe has certainly found an interesting partner."
"I'll say." Kirill and Archie had been observing their interaction was matching grins. The blonde was laughing at his brother, clearly amused as well to see him at such a loss. He pushed off the wall as Tanvir stalked past to exit the home, patting him on the shoulder with a wink. "Good to see there's another who can keep my brother on his toes. You're a special one, aren't you?"
Archie beamed at Beau, gratitude and pride pouring from his features. "What else could you expect of my best friend?"
"I'm the one who found him first." With Tanvir out of sight, Edythe was much more relaxed. She looked every bit as radiant as a bride should be the day before her wedding.
Carine walked the dark-haired couple over to them then. The woman, Elena, was scrutinizing Beau in such a way that he actually felt nervous; she was of a slight build and no taller than 5'2" but the look in her eyes made him think she could be much more frightening than her appearance suggested. "Beau, Elena has made an interesting discovery about your gift."
He started. "My gift?"
"Oh, of course," Edythe gasped, catching everything first hand from Elena herself. "Why didn't I see that before?"
Elena turned to Edythe. "He's blocking you too?"
"He has ever since he was human."
She looked impressed. "A very strong shield then."
"What shield?" Beau asked, lost.
"Your gift," Edythe explained. "You must be a shield - you can block certain gifts, like my mind reading."
His mouth formed a perfect 'o'.
"He's doing it unconsciously?" Elena looked puzzled now, and maybe a little frustrated. "I've never experienced one like that in my years. Is his shield his natural state then, unlike others who have to focus to apply theirs? It's quite fascinating. I spent years seeking out innate gifts like his, but for him to manifest as a human and so powerfully...?"
"It's nice to put a name to it finally," Edythe said approvingly as she took him in as if seeing him for the first time.
Beau felt a little disappointed at the revelation, however, though he was grateful at least to have an explanation towards why Edythe had never known his thoughts. He supposed it was nice to know its wasn't that something was wrong with him. But he thought his ability seemed a little underwhelming.
"But I can still see his future," Archie was saying now. "And Jessamine can alter his mood. Is that normal?"
She nodded. "A mental shield, if that's the case. I've seen mental shields, physical shields, and some that had aspects of both. It's not an exact science when it comes to classifying, but it does give us an idea."
"Elena's gift is figuring out the gifts of others," Edythe reminded Beau. "She lived among the Volturi for many decades utilizing this skill. It made her invaluable and they sorely miss her."
"But I had other plans," she said, a sweet smile on her round lips. Her mate mirrored her expression, as if they were two halves of a single being. "Once I met Carlos I couldn't imagine a life in the catacombs any longer. So I do not get to use my gift too often now, but it is always interesting to run into rare skills. It's not often someone can thwart me."
"Huh. I wonder..." Kirill's eyes were alight with curiosity. He reached for Beau's hand then, at the same time Edythe shouted at him to stop, but it was too late.
Kirill frowned as he clasped Beau's hand tightly to no reaction. "Nothing, huh?"
Beau shook his head though he wasn't sure what Kirill had been expecting. "Was something supposed to happen?"
Kirill lifted their hands up to show him. A faint, crackling could be heard seemingly emitting from his skin where a slight blue glow radiated.
Edythe's good mood was spoilt. "You didn't have to do that, Kirill."
"I was just curious. And it's not like it worked anyway." Kirill grinned at Beau. "That dose of shock should have put you on your back."
Instead of being mad, Beau was fascinated. "How does that work?"
"I can channel currents through my body," he explained, wiggling all of his fingers. A blur spark seemed to pass between them under the skin. "It used to be just in my hands but now I can do it all over."
"You can control it?"
He nodded. "I think most of our powers can be trained to work a little differently with a little ingenuity and patience. Yours too, probably." Kirill's grin was a little too mischievous. "I'd love to help you test that out."
Archie quickly intervened. "Kirill, he is getting married in less than 36 hours - I'd really like to keep him in one piece."
"Me too," Edythe said warily.
Kirill pouted. "I wouldn't hurt him too bad, you know. As it is I can't effect him anyway."
"It sounds pretty interesting," Beau said enthusiastically, ignoring Edythe's exasperated sigh.
Kirill pumped his fist. "Awesome." He looked at Archie. "Still need him for anything?"
"Not really. Just need him at the end of the aisle at sunrise day after tomorrow. Can you manage that?"
"I'll do my best."
"Not very encouraging," Beau said, having second thoughts. "Can I change my mind?"
"Of course," Edythe said, looking relieved.
But Kirill grabbed his arm, yanking him from her. "No take-backs, kid. Nobody likes to train with me anymore so this might be my only shot."
"Good to see your intentions are pure," he mumbled, letting himself be dragged out the back of the house.
"Kirill!" Edythe dashed in front of him, her eyebrows pulled together. "I really don't think this is a good idea. It's not that pressing anyway."
He rolled his eyes. "He'll be fine! It probably won't even work anyway."
"I didn't even know I had a gift an hour ago," Beau said, kissing the top of her head. "I just want to see what it can do. You shouldn't worry."
She was frowning deeply but said nothing. Archie called her back in then, but she didn't move.
"This is all just theoretical," Kirill added. "It'd be kind of a miracle if we got his shield to shift enough for me to actually shock him, Edythe."
That seemed to placate her enough to reenter the house after a tiny wave to her fiancée.
Kirill smirked before adopting a more serious tone. "Okay, so I wasn't just saying that for her benefit. Each gift is unique and has its own rules. We are kind of flying blind here, but I'm going to try to explain it the way I figured mine out. Hopefully that will help you find the rest of the way yourself."
As he spoke, Kirill led Beau to the left of the dance floor he had helped assemble, to just a few feet away from the river. The sky was beginning to fall to night. It would not impair their vision though so they began their lesson.
The blonde lifted his hand in the air again, letting it light up his fingertips a pale blue. "This used to be the extent of my ability for many years. It never occurred to me that I could extend the field until I happened upon it by accident while I was...hunting." Beau heard the hesitance in his words but couldn't understand it. "My brothers and I were not always of this lifestyle," he explained for Beau's confusion. "For a very long time, we feed upon humans as the rest of our kind did."
Beau tried not to shudder, imaging the trio of handsome men stalking prey as Joss had. He then remembered one of the dark stories Carine had told him as he transformed, a story about their beautiful cousins who seduced their prey before drinking from them.
Kirill saw the flash on intuition in Beau's eyes and knew he understood the implications. "I never had need to use my gift in this life before then; as a human I had been a body guard and was well versed in how to incapacitate threats. Perhaps my gift came from that, somehow? Regardless, it wasn't something I had too much use for.
"But I did on this night," he said, continuing his story. "The woman whose company I was seeking was the daughter of a very rich and very frightened man, a man who heard rumors of men who stalked the night and took only the loveliest of women to fill their needs. He hired several men to guard the girl and locked her up in a tower. It could not stop me - it just made me more determined. But I did not expect one of the men hired to be a beast almost as fierce as I. Vampires are not the only creatures that walk among human," Kirill said darkly. "And we are far from the worst. The beast would have killed me if not for my gift. He lunged and instinctively I reached out to grab his neck. I held him tight, crushing his windpipe and trying to shock his heart still, but he was strong and resisted. I tried experimenting then, trying to build the force of the shock up in my finger tips. It didn't work the way I thought it would, however."
Kirill let the glow in his fingers pull down until it glowed all the way to his palm. The hum was louder now. "This happened. It started spreading. The charge was more powerful than before and I was able to kill the beast." He looked at his hands thoughtfully, searching for the right words to explain. "The change in my power was immediate; I could now feel it more intimately than I had been able to before. The sensation felt like the tide being pulled in, only I was controlling it. My gift felt fluid, like a liquid that could be manipulated with some effort. Others have described their gifts in completely different ways, but try to imagine how your shield feels, weird as it might be. Once you have that in mind it becomes a lot easier to control it - like so." As Beau watched the faint glow traveled all the way up his arm until he was incandescent against the blue backdrop of night.
Kirill held the charge for a beat before releasing it, letting it surge back down to his fingertips. "As you can see, when I let it go it reverts back to its original placement in my hands. When Elena was saying your shield is unconsciously working, she meant its natural state is turned on, so to speak. You don't have to think about utilizing it. That makes it easy to use, of course, but might make it harder to manipulate as you don't have a starting point to at least have a feel for it. So if you wanted to stretch it over someone else, for instance, you'd need to locate the source first and then stretch it. So I want you to try to find it first and we can go from there."
Beau didn't have a lot to go on from Kirill's explanation but it was enough to give him the idea. He turned his investigation inwards, searching for something that was close to what he had described - some source of his shield.
He tried feeling for something fluid like Kirill's gift was but came up short; as it was, he couldn't imagine a shield as being something fluid anyway. Maybe it had to be more solid to block another's abilities. He began searching again, combing through the corners of his mind blindly.
As he was digging around, he came across what felt like an elastic wall. He pushed against it but it had no give, rejecting his intrusion. It was the most promising thing he had felt so far in the recesses of his head. Eagerly, he pushed against it again only to be thwarted. He concluded this had to be what he had been looking for. Beau did his best to memorize how he found his way there and what the wall felt like. He then pulled himself back to explain it to Kirill.
He looked pleased. "You've done very well to find it so quickly."
"It felt kind of weird," Beau said, contemplating the feeling of his shield. "I thought it would be more solid for some reason."
"But it was like a rubber wall?"
"I guess. I couldn't get past it."
Kirill didn't seem surprised. "Elena was impressed by how strong your shield was and she is not easily impressed. And Edythe has never been unable to read a human's thoughts before. You really are special." Beau felt a small rush of pride. "But that might make this next part harder," he warned. "Because now you have to find a way around it, through it, under it - whatever way in you can. You need to find out how to reshape it. And this will take a lot longer, sadly. It took me only an instant to move the charge to my palms but weeks of training to be able to do it on purpose. And then months to hold it that way for longer than a few seconds."
"How long til you could do it all over?" he asked curiously.
"A decade," he answered with a grin. "And even now I'm constantly trying to push my limits. It's a constant process. Eventually I want to be able to project my gift out so I don't even have to touch someone to use it."
"Cool," Beau said appreciatively.
"You might get to that point before me by a long shot though. It's supposed to be easier for non-physical gifts like yours. How do you think Edythe got to be able to hear thoughts from so far away?" Beau hadn't considered that. "It takes practice. But enough talk. Time to try to find a way to manage that wall."
They worked like that for the better part of the night, Kirill encouraging him to find a way to grab the wall and push it out from just around his mind. It was difficult work but oddly satisfying - mostly. He hit a wall - pun not intended - almost right away. The harder he pushed against his shield, the more it repelled him. He could only assume after several failed attempts to get through it that he would have to grasp it somehow instead and drag it outwards. It was easier said than done.
After several tense hours he was finally able to recognize the band that seemed to the the origin of his shield. It was slippery, for lack of a better word; Beau found he could touch it and even grab it for a second or two before it inevitably eluded him again. He didn't see how he would be able to pull it out from its position much less hold it outside himself long enough for it to actually matter.
Various siblings came by as they experimented and Kirill was only too happy to use them for their training - unfortunately that meant shocking them as Beau desperately tried to push his shield around them. The results were not good and his siblings quickly found busy work they had neglected and made their escapes.
Eleanor stayed as their test dummy longer than the others, for some reason finding being tazed amusing. Her grin was wide as she took her lumps, flinching the longer the glow radiated through her body. Beau couldn't help but to wince in sympathy each time Kirill tapped her skin.
Kirill was frowning. They were clearly in a rut. "You're not making too much progress, kid."
"I'm trying," he snapped, his frustration getting the better of him.
Eleanor ruffled his hair affectionately. "You're doing fine, Beau. At first I didn't even feel it when he shocked me that time."
"Delaying the shock isn't enough though," Kirill insisted. "And I'm doing a tiny volt right now. What if I was actually trying to hurt you?" He paused. "Actually that might not be a bad idea..."
Beau's eyes widened in horror. "No, let's not do that. At all."
"If she's actually in danger we might get a better reaction from you." Kirill flexed his fingers until his entire hand was emitting the familiar light.
Eleanor grinned in challenge. "I can take it. Give me your best shot."
Beau shot his hand out, grabbing Kirill with more force than he had intended, though effectively stopping him from reaching Eleanor. "No, we're done here."
The blonde rolled his eyes, his hand still buzzing ominously. "It's not going to kill her, Beau, give me some credit."
"No," Beau all but growled.
Kirill frowned. "Fine. Have it your way."
"Boooo," Eleanor called out as Beau released him.
"It wouldn't have worked anyway," Kirill told her thoughtfully. "A sibling is pretty good motivation but we need better bait..."
Beau already saw where he was heading and didn't like it one bit. "Don't even think about it."
"Already thinking," he said playfully.
Like clockwork, Edythe appeared at her window, sliding the glass open from the rest of the wall. She poked her head out curiously, calling out at in a normal voice that reached them easily. "What do you want, Kirill?"
"We need your assistance," he said sweetly. "Mind lending us a hand?"
Beau was glowering at Kirill with such intensity that Eleanor was practically roaring with laughter. "Dude, Beau might actually kill you," she forced out finally.
"Good, he can channel that anger into stretching his shield," he said, his tone purposefully obnoxious.
Edythe took a second to read the room before, to Beau's horror, she leap lightly out. She landed easily, strolling towards them and taking Eleanor's spot across from Kirill.
"I thought you said this was not necessary," he reminded her bleakly, the strain in his voice evident.
She shrugged. "It's not, but at least it's not hurting you so I thought I could lend a hand."
"And I'm supposed to be okay with you actually getting hurt?" Anger colored his words now, making them harsher than he had intended.
"She won't if you get a handle on this," Kirill reminded him smugly.
"Shut up," Beau hissed. His body was tense and his eyes shifted to black as an intense flare of rage took him over. Kirill was taking this too far, threatening the woman he loved just for the sake of training. His anger was swift and sharp, clouding his vision and flowing through his veins like molten lava. In that moment he truly was seeing red as he stared Kirill down, a low growl building in his chest.
"Finally!" Eleanor cheered as Beau's posture became almost feral. "Bout time you started actually acting like a pissed off newborn."
Kirill took a slight step towards Edythe. "If I was you I'd spend less time plotting my death and more time preparing your shield, hmm?"
Just the thought of her feeling any pain because of his own failings was unacceptable to Beau. His rage was still front and center in his mind, but he funneled to towards his need to protect Edythe. That made it easier to focus.
Frantically, he reached for the band of his shield, imagining it stretching out over her. This time he found it quickly, digging at it desperately until he found a firm hold on what he discovered was not just a band but a whole layer that surrounded him, a film that originated from his mind but actually coated him like a second skin. It was harder to grasp around just his mind, more fortified there, but he could manipulate the more flexible edges elsewhere, Beau decided fiercely. He forced himself to repel it then, to push it out towards Edythe, only a foot away but still too close to Kirill's glowing hand, approaching her with human-like slowness.
For a split second her eyes cringed shut as the current swept over her, but it was gone quickly and she was able to keep herself upright as a result. Edythe looked down at her arm, still radiating the blue glow that jumped over from Kirill's touch. She didn't feel it anymore though he was clearly still buzzing with energy.
Edythe gave Beau a bright smile. "Knew you could do it."
He grunted moodily. The shield was staying around her like a blanket but he could feel his hold slipping. He released a half-snarl at Kirill.
The blonde quickly released his power then, clapping his hands together. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Beau let his shield snap back into place as he contemplated the ramifications if he was to throw Kirill a few hundred miles into the air. It might not kill him, but it would certainly hurt enough. Vampires healed quickly from broken bones, didn't they?
The blonde gave him a knowing grin. "Ready for another try?"
Beau snatched Edythe up in his arms before Kirill could touch her. "Yeah no. Try it and I swear I will snap you in half."
Both Edythe and Eleanor found his reaction amusing.
"I still had it set to low, you know. Even I wouldn't risk Edythe's safety on the eve of her wedding." Kirill shrugged when Beau's glare did not lessen. "Well at least it'll be easier next time to find your shield. Just practice doing it every so often until its second nature to access it." Still was not ready to forgive Kirill, Beau said nothing. "Um, you're welcome?"
"Gee thanks for attacking my fiancée," he replied sarcastically, turning on his heel and carrying Edythe into the house. Kirill and Eleanor's laughter followed him into the house.
They passed Archie on the stairs, who raised his eyebrow when he saw Edythe still in Beau's arms. "Better get your fill of her now, Beau. At sunrise I'm sending Jessamine and Eleanor to take her from you."
Beau growled. "You're killing me, Arch."
"It's just 24 hours."
"And what am I supposed to be doing that's so important that I can't see Beau?" Edythe asked childishly.
Archie rolled his eyes. "It's just tradition, Edy. Don't fight me on this."
"Okay fine, no seeing the bride until the wedding," Beau conceded crossly. "But that means she's mine for the next few hours so no bothering us, got it?"
He waved them off. "Yes, yes. Go already - you're distracting me and I have too much to do right now."
Beau was already up the stairs and in their room, however, the door snapping shut with a flick of his foot. He placed Edythe on the couch, his lingering irritation making him not as gentle as he would have been normally. She said nothing of it, letting him crawl on top of her and bury his face in her hair as he curled around her.
Beau felt exhausted mentally and emotionally, like he was the one being stretched out. The sudden flood of newborn anger that had filled him was almost as taxing as the training itself had been. He hadn't felt like himself in that moment; it was as if his rage had taken over and kicked out all his reason. It had not been a pleasant experience to be so out of control, even if it was only for a short time.
Carine had guessed that Beau's perfect sense of control had come from something he carried over from his previous life, but if his shield was his actual gift what did that mean? Was Beau just a ticking time bomb and only temporarily in control? Did this make him more of a danger than they had assumed based on his behavior so far?
The thought terrified him. Hadn't Archie been planning to take him into a city soon? Who was to say he wouldn't lose his control then with some tiny prompting? Beau felt like he couldn't trust himself anymore.
"Are you okay?" Edythe's voice was soft in his ear as she ran her fingers through his hair.
He held her tighter, shaking his head.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"I wanted to kill him," Beau said quietly after a beat. "Kill Kirill. I actually did. What's wrong with me?"
"You're a newborn, love. And he threatened me. It was an instinctual response to protect your mate." Her touch and gentle voice were slowly calming him. "I'm sorry if it frightened you, though. Kirill really had no intention of actually hurting me, I promise."
"I think I knew that in the back of my mind," he replied, his voice muffled. "But I couldn't control myself, I was just so angry. I thought I was immune to all that stuff you told me about newborns but I'm not. What does that mean?"
Her words were thoughtful. "I have a theory. Maybe your control is directly tied to your shield, Beau. Before today you had never really had a problem with staying calm and only utilized your strength when you wanted to or were caught by surprise - and today was also the first time you experimented with shifting the perimeters of your gift that you had unconsciously been using all the while. Your control might have been your shield actually blocking most of the behavior we associate with newborns - rage, raw power, unquenchable thirst..." Edythe had clearly been thinking about this since Elena had classified him.
"So if I keep messing with my shield I'll end up a mindless killing machine?" Beau propped himself up on his elbow. "Guess I'll be laying off on the training until my human blood is out of my system then." He thought it was a more than fair resolution as long as it meant he stayed himself.
Edythe face light up with amusement. "I hardly think you'll need to go cold turkey. If I'm right-"
"Which you normally are," he interrupted. She put her finger to his lips, shushing him so she could complete her thought.
"-and your control is regulated by your shield, you simply need to find where the newborn side of you is stored mentally and keep that faucet in tact while playing with your gift. From what Kirill understood of your shield it can be manipulated in parts, right? For instance, even when you shifted the shield over me, I still couldn't read your mind. That part was still under the shield as well."
"So I need to keep the newborn side under the shield too while I stretch it," he said slowly as he followed her logic.
Her smile was triumphant. "Exactly. I don't know how difficult that might be in practice since your shield staying in place around your thoughts is done without need to make it stay, but it should be doable." Edythe kissed the tip of his nose. "You're already a prodigy. You'll figure it out."
"No pressure," he grumbled, though a tiny smile was stealing over his face. Edythe always knew how to make him feel better and say exactly what he needed to hear.
He flipped them over so that Edythe was laying on top of his chest, her face over the spot where his heart no longer pumped. Her hair spilled over him, the flowery scent filling his senses as he breathed her in. He would never tire of the high he got from just being near Edythe. "Here I am moping about my control and newborn stuff when I should be enjoying my last few hours with you before your sisters start their elaborate game of keep away."
She sighed. "I never did understand that tradition. Why would it be bad luck to see each other before the wedding?"
"I think the idea came from prolonging the suspense," Beau said with a shrug. "So the anticipation builds until we finally see each other at the ceremony. I don't think it's necessary because you're gonna take my breath away regardless." He tried to picture how she would looking walking down the aisle in whatever dress Archie pinned her into but knew the reality would outstrip the fantasy by a long shot. "It's really happening, isn't it? I'm not just dreaming this up?"
Edythe took his face in her hands, watching him with eyes twinkling in excitement. "It's no dream, love."
"I'm weirdly excited to be married," he admitted. "I never would have thought that four months ago, but then, I didn't know you back then. I guess it really does take the right woman."
"And the right man," she added, kissing his lips lightly. He returned her kiss with equal gentleness. They melted into each other for the rest of the night, tuning everything else - Tanvir's pettiness, Lauren's presence, even the training with Kirill - out. It was hard to imagine that any of the other things mattered knowing what the next few days would hold for them. There was too much to look forward to, after all.
