02 Swan song
Jane – Road to Port Angeles, Washington
Jane had never been someone's maker before. It was a strange feeling. She felt the bond form tentatively and then settle between them from the moment her venom had started to take hold of the human. It wasn't exactly unpleasant – quite the opposite. It was only the third bond she was able to physically feel in her entire vampire existence, and it was…
Jane decided she liked being someone's maker. Master Aro had turned her and Alec when they had been just shy of fourteen and had taught them everything they needed to know. He took care of them as if they were his children. Now, Bella was too old to be considered Jane's daughter and Jane was too young to be considered Bella's mother. Physically, of course. However, they could be sisters and that was a strangely pleasant idea.
Alec was a good brother but let's face it, he was a boy, and therefore absolutely impossible. Having a sister, though, could be nice. She could share with her even silly girly things and Bella wouldn't be afraid of Jane's and Alec's gifts. Maybe they could even tease each other like other sets of siblings did, couldn't they?
Bella trashed again and a scream left her throat. It was painful to listen to it – she had already screamed herself hoarse.
"Alec?" Jane asked, reaching out and touching her small hand to Bella's forehead. She was so warm. No wonder that the idiotic Cullen liked to keep her human. The warmth was nice.
"On it."
Bella's shield had failed when the transformation had started and as soon as Alec's dark mist touched her, the scream was cut short and the spasms subsided. She was completely still, paler than was normal for humans.
"Thank you."
"Anything for my little sisters," Alec said with a small grin. Jane didn't need to have Master Aro's ability to know that her… Their brother was pleased as well. As soon as Jane had sunk her teeth into Bella's neck, Alec had grabbed her broken arm and injected a small amount of his own venom into Bella's bloodstream as well. Jane wouldn't have it any other way. They had always been alone against the whole world, just the two of them. Then Master Aro had come and saved them, but Jane and Alec always shared everything. Now they would share their sister as well.
Jane couldn't wait for Bella to wake up. Bella was like them – she had been immersed in the supernatural as a mere human just like them, and her gift complemented theirs so perfectly. She and Alec would teach her everything she needed to know and then they would take care of each other. Yes, that sounded right. That felt right. It would be the three of them against the whole world now.
Well, if Master Aro would insist, Jane supposed she could let him spend some time with Bella as well. Now, Jane might be frozen at the age of fourteen but she wasn't stupid. Master was Bella's mate, so he probably had dibs on her free time… And it had been his orders that had led the twins to Forks, and his wish for them to look after her. But Jane didn't want to think about her father figure right now. She reminisced about the last four days instead.
The newborns hadn't been the only thing the Guard had been monitoring on their mission. Master Aro had wanted them to make sure that 'dear Isabella' wouldn't be harmed in any way, so Jane and Alec had taken turns babysitting the human. While doing so, they had discovered that they – shockingly – liked Bella.
The Guard had arrived just in time to see Edward Cullen's marriage proposal being turned down. Bella's relationship with the whole coven had been on rocky ground ever since their return from Volterra, and it sure as hell wasn't going to get better anytime soon. Ah, the Cullen's loss was the Volturi's gain.
The gold-eyed losers even dared to plan to keep her human despite the girl's desires. Now Jane wasn't exactly concerned with the opinions of food but Master Aro had wanted his mate turned, Bella herself wanted to be turned – so there shouldn't be any problem in actually turning her, right?
How stupid did the Cullens think Jane's coven was? The vegetarians' idiocy was hard to believe; they had honestly thought that they hadn't been watched and that the Guard would not take interest in their newborn problem. That the Volturi would simply forget about a gifted human for several decades. It was insulting.
Jane was rather impressed when Bella hadn't let the Cullens run her over. She had personally witnessed one of the rows between the Cullen boy and Bella. It had been most amusing – as it turned out, Bella wasn't a doormat and had respect for the law. She also knew the consequences of angering the Volturi and demanded to be turned just after the graduation arguing with them until she lost her voice.
Listening to a tiny little human girl tear into an immortal was so entertaining. Watching the mind-reader mope around and the whole Olympic coven grit their teeth to act politely toward the Guard was the most fun Jane had had in the last century.
"How long do you think it will take them to notice us?" mused Alec as they lounged in a tree in a comfortable listening distance to the Cullen residence. He was picking at his teeth with his fingernails and Jane watched him with distaste.
"Putting your hands in your mouth is a disgusting habit to have, brother."
"Well, I don't spend an hour in front of my wardrobe at least. That's a wasteful habit to have, sweet sister."
Jane sent a short shock of pain his way and Alec stiffened and almost fell from his perch. He had to grab the nearest branch to keep himself in place. It bent dangerously and he frowned, hissing, "Hey! Do you want to blow our cover?"
"Sorry," Jane said. She wasn't, though. It was a good thing that other members of the Guard weren't around. Her brother was absolutely graceless and Jane rolled her eyes and focused on the sound of the human heartbeat. It picked up speed and she leaned against the tree trunk, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Bella's footsteps reached the front door and she knocked. It was showtime.
"Shockingly, they haven't noticed us yet," continued Alec. "I mean, they have that psychic, don't they? Shouldn't she see us lurking around their house? That gift of hers is seriously flawed. Not to mention they should be able to smell us."
"You can't smell much around here, not with the stench of wet dogs clinging to every tree and every bush."
"Yes, about those werewolves…" Alec drawled. "Are you sure we shouldn't call Master Aro about them?"
"They're shifters, dummy, and Master Aro's decisions are watched. We're lucky that Master changes his mind so often that he probably gives the psychic a headache."
They snickered. They were lucky that looking after Bella didn't require either of them to make any decisions. They took turns automatically without having to think about it, and they followed orders, so the shopaholic was completely oblivious to their presence. As long as they wouldn't get involved, they should be fine.
"I wonder-"
"Shhh!" Jane hissed. "It begins!"
The twins grinned at each other and closed their eyes to better focus.
"Bella! What a wonderful surprise, we haven't expected you. Come in! Edward's upstairs," said the matriarch. The door closed and she raised her voice slightly, probably for the human's benefit, when she called, "Edward, honey, Bella's here to see you!"
"Uh, hi, Esme… I'm hoping to speak with Carlisle, actually."
"Oh, buuuurn!" Alec raised his palm and they high-fived.
"Bella! Hello!" The mind-reader sounded like an enthusiastic puppy. "What are you doing here? Why do you want to see Carlisle? It's not about… about that, is it?"
"Edward…" Bella sounded like she had stepped into a puppy poo. "It's none of your business."
"I will, uh, give you some privacy," said Esme uncomfortably and then a door somewhere in the house closed gently.
"I'm your boyfriend," continued Edward. "I believe that gives me the right to offer my opinion if you're making an enormous mistake…"
"I'm pretty sure I broke up with you when I told you no. You know, when you tried to use my change as a bargaining chip."
"Oh, God! I love her," gushed Alec and jammed his whole fist into his mouth to stop himself from laughing loudly. He still made strange coughing sounds, though.
"Shhh! They'll hear you!" Jane kicked him. "Alec! Shut up! I want to know what she says next!"
"You aren't thinking this through, Bella," Edward whined. "You don't know what you are asking for. You are just confused and afraid…"
"I'm not afraid to do what I have to do to survive, and I've never been more certain about what I want from my life."
"Of course, you know you want to die at the tender age of eighteen," he scoffed.
"Is Carlisle here?"
"No."
"Your father has to listen to me, you can't hide him from me indefinitely."
"I'm not hiding my father from you, for Christ's sake! Even if you spoke to him, Carlisle wouldn't do anything to endanger your soul!"
"Just my puny mortal life, right? You know what? Fine! I'll drop by the hospital."
"Bella, be reasonable. Don't you think you're rushing this? What about Charlie? Renee? You're not thinking about them at all!"
"Ugh, he's like a broken record. They already had that conversation! He's not listening to her at all!" complained Jane with a shake of her head. Boys. They were just terrible in general.
"Drinking animal blood obviously impairs higher brain functions," whispered Alec and they sniggered again.
"I'm thinking about them all the time, Edward!" Bella's patience had run its course and she raised her voice at him. "As long as I'm a human, they're in danger! Did you forget about that psycho that's stalking me and has created a whole army of bloodthirsty newborns to get to me? Did you forget that sooner or later one of the Volturi is going to pop in for a visit and most probably snap my neck or something? It could happen in our house for all I know! They could take care of Charlie, too – just to be sure! But I'm not having this argument with you again! Bye, I'll see myself out."
"Bella, it's getting dark soon. Give me a minute and I'll accompany you to the hospital-"
"No, thanks. I'll risk running into Victoria. I bet she'll be happy to bite me – unlike you."
"That's just unfair, Bella."
"I've been more than fair. You know I don't really have a choice and even if I had, I would choose to become a vampire anyway."
"It's not as glorious as you think it is."
"It's not as terrible as you make it sound! I've met a lot of vampires and you and Rosalie are the only ones unhappy about your existence! I'd suggest you get help. Maybe Carlisle should become a psychotherapist?"
"Wow, she's good!" Alec whistled.
"Shhh, you idiot!" admonished him Jane but it was too late as they listened to Edward's low growl.
"Edward? What is it?"
"Someone's out there! Esme, I need you to guard Bella, I'll have to check the forest…"
"Damn, the game's up," sighed Alec and dodged Jane's attempt to kick him down the tree. "Well, it was fun while it lasted. Come on, we can just knock on the door now. Then we can torment the Cullens with our very presence."
"I hate you," grumbled Jane as they jumped from their tree and made their way toward the Cullen residence. "You just had to spoil it, didn't you?"
"Just think about Edward's face when he's forced to be polite to us, sister," Alec said and took her hand in his affectionately. "And we get to see Bella Show live! That's a plus."
She supposed that Alec was right about that.
Once their presence in the area had been detected, Jane and Alec saw no point in avoiding Isabella and decided to hang around her more openly and pushed their way into the lounge. The moment she saw them, she looked them straight in the eye and greeted them without as much as blinking even though her heartbeat went through the roof.
"I have a date set," she told them softly even though the Cullen boy growled at her side softly. "So, uhm, you don't have to worry about that. I mean, you don't… have to kill me right now. I won't back out of the deal."
"Yes, the matter's going to be honored one way or another," Jane nodded assuredly just as the main door opened and the slightly panicky looking patriarch of the Olympic coven rushed in. Well, that was quick. Had he run all the way from the hospital?
"Jane, Alec! What a surprise… To what do we own your visit?"
"Please, Carlisle," Jane was tempted to remind him why it was a bad idea to try and play stupid but refrained. "We've heard about your little newborn problem. Master Aro sent us to monitor the situation."
"He… he did?" Carlisle looked shocked and Jane smiled sweetly at him.
Oh, the little physic was going to have a fit. The horror of living like your run-of-the-mill immortals without knowing the future! Jane wanted to cackle but contented herself to projecting her smugness toward the mind-reader.
Bella started, her wide eyes glued to Jane and Alec, just as Edward snarled, "Monitor but not help us?!"
"I'm happy to see you regardless." Carlisle recovered and greeted the twins with customary pecks on their cheeks. He then came to stand right between them and his 'children,' blocking Jane's view of Edward and Bella with his body in a truly protective fashion.
"You didn't ask for assistance, did you, Carlisle? Master Aro felt that it wouldn't be our place to meddle in your affairs," said Alec.
"Yes, and seeing that the Volturi have no business to intervene into coven disputes if neither party demands justice, we are here to observe and step in only if there is a risk of breaking the law," added Jane and shared a small smile with her twin.
"It's got nothing to do at all with protecting their master's interests, of course," muttered Edward softly, almost too softly for Jane to pick it up – but she did and was annoyed that he was repeating her private thoughts out loud. Dear God, that boy was irritating.
"Yes, of course, Master Aro also does have a keen interest in the wellbeing of certain members of this coven… even the human ones."
At those words, the human in question peeked from behind Carlisle's shoulder to look at Jane in surprise.
Silly human. Jane winked at her. Did she expect a vampire of Master Aro's caliber would not take interest in the wellbeing of his mate? She was almost certain that Edward knew or guessed, but poor Bella had no chance of feeling any pull, or spark, or whatever it was that potential mates felt while she was still human. To anybody, she stressed out in her thoughts.
"As if you care about Bella's wellbeing! You can't wait to see her dead," cried Edward in response indignantly.
Well, he wasn't wrong about that, conceded Jane and grinned, enjoying the growl her thought elicited from the vegetarian. Becoming a vampire meant, technically, that one had to sort of... die.
"Edward! That's enough…"
"Let the child sulk, Carlisle," interrupted him Jane with a smirk as she observed Bella roll her eyes and then snigger at Jane's address of the boy. "He knows what will happen if he annoys me too much."
Then Jane reached into her pocket and offered Bella a simple business card. She felt like a snake tempting the human with a juicy red apple and made sure to project that image loudly in her mind, making Edward growl. Again. How tiresome.
"In case you run into unforeseen trouble," she said and flicked her eyes toward the mind-reader, who was glowering at Jane from behind his father. "Just give us a call and it will be handled. Master Aro would be happy to assist you with your transformation." Among other things.
"Thank you, that's very generous of your master." Bella blushed slightly and stepped around Carlisle to take the card. She flipped it in her hands and stared at the phone number printed there for several long moments, quietly muttering to herself. Jane realized with a start that she was memorizing the number in case the card went missing. Mysteriously, of course.
Clever girl. It was at exactly that moment that Jane and Alec simply knew that they were going to like the soon-to-be vampire. Quite a lot.
Jane was forced to return to the present when Felix had to swerve as a massive russet wolf jumped out of the forest. With a howl, he started to run alongside their car and Jane sighed just as the rest of the Guard answered with loud growls.
"Are you sure we can't kill them?" Alec muttered.
"The Cullen patriarch owns them. We can't muck up his alliance without getting an earful from Master Aro." Jane bit her lower lip and glanced at her new sister. She wasn't entirely certain they wouldn't get an earful from their maker anyway. He had asked them to keep Isabella in one piece and they hadn't quite managed that.
Thinking about Master Aro was making Jane uncomfortable. She – and her brother – had heard quite well his reaction to Bella's almost dying. She just didn't wish to think too deeply about it, not when Master Aro was going to pluck those thoughts from her mind at the first opportunity.
The truth was, hearing her maker falter had scared her. That low keening sound had been so filled with unimaginable pain that she never wanted to hear anything like that again. It had paralyzed her and when Master Caius had barked at her to change Bella, Jane had obeyed without question, just itching to do something to help Master Aro in any way she could.
The idea that Master Aro had found his mate after all these years was making her happy. It compounded her joy from gaining a new sister but also made Jane keenly aware of how precious their cargo was. There was just no way that the twins and the rest of the Guards wouldn't face Master's Aro wrath for endangering his mate.
"Well…" Alec glanced at her and shrugged. "I'm pretty sure we've mucked up our relations with the wolves the moment we bit Bella."
They exchanged a long look. That was an understatement if there ever was one. Once the idiotic mind-reader finally managed to bring the broken and bleeding body of his supposed girlfriend to Carlisle, she had been almost entirely gone. Bella's heartbeat had been irregular and fluttered weakly like a bird's broken wings. The only other option had been to let her die, so they had bitten her, grabbed her, and here they were now. Running.
All work and no play. It sucked.
"You know what, brother? Your right," Jane grinned at him. "Felix? Fancy bringing back a new fur doormat?"
"I thought you'd never ask!" Felix met her eyes in the rear-view mirror, smiled broadly, and then sharply drove right into the running wolf at their side. The wolf howled in pain but the impact was minimal – he managed to jump out of the way quickly.
"Damn, he's only limping." Demetri checked in the outside mirror and shook his head. No more wolves appeared to keep them company and Jane felt slightly disappointed as well. She planned to shock them and have Felix drive over their paralyzed bodies. That would serve them right for trying to tear the Guards into pieces.
Her phone started to vibrate. Jane fished it out of her pocket and looked at it for a second. Master Aro's name flashed on the screen but she doubted it was him. It was probably Master Caius – but Jane couldn't stop the fear that it was maker about to chew her out. They had messed up. Kind of.
"Master?" her voice betrayed her trepidation and he waited tensely for the caller to speak.
"Jane," the brusque voice of Master Caius greeted her, making Jane sigh in relief. "How are things progressing?"
"I've bit Isabella as instructed, Master, and we're on our way to the airport."
"What is her condition?" someone murmured and Jane exchanged a confused glance with Alec. That had sounded like Master Marcus… but Master Marcus never paid attention to his immediate surroundings, let alone things at the other end of the world.
"Do you expect her heart to hold out long enough for the transformation to finish?"
Jane looked at the girl strapped to the backseat next to her and listened to the frantic beat of her heart. Her sister was strong. "Yes."
"Good… Now, I need you to listen to me carefully and follow my orders faithfully. It's going to be difficult. First, however, answer my questions."
What? Why was he saying such things? Alec frowned grabbed her hand and leaned over Bella. Jane met his eyes and found her concern reflected back at her. Swallowing, Jane whispered, "Yes, Master?"
"Is the Olympic coven capable of supporting Isabella adequately?"
"They're not her coven." Jane grimaced, immediately disliking where the conversation was likely heading. "They'd teach her their disgusting diet. Animal blood surely couldn't be healthy for a young one, Master!"
"That is not what I asked, Jane," Master Caius growled. "Give me an honest answer. Will they be able to meet a newborn's needs?"
"Well… I don't think that caring for a newborn of my venom would be too high on their list of priorities right now," she said carefully. Jane didn't want them to. Everyone knew that a maker and their fledgling shared a special bond. Jane was a member of the Volturi, and unless Bella behaved unacceptably, so would she temporarily until her newborn phase ended. Then it would depend on Bella to either become a permanent addition to the coven or to wander and form her own. Jane had no doubt what Bella's future held, though. Master Aro's actions had made it quite clear.
Then there was the fact that the Cullens were probably busy relocating to a different location, seeing that the shifters were not happy with them. And of course, they probably wanted to rip Jane's head off for condemning poor Bella. Idiots.
As soon as Master Caius had given his order to change Isabella, all hell had broken loose. They had all heard – the shifters, the Cullens, the rest of the Guard. Master hadn't been exactly discreet as he had roared at Jane. There had been growls and snarls and loud protests and Jane's path to the dying girl had been immediately blocked. She had been forced to knock them all out of her way with her gift and as she had sunk her teeth into Bella's neck, the rest of the Guard had to cover for her.
"Explain."
"The Cullens and their allies didn't wish Isabella to transform." Jane was not going to leave her sister with disgusting animal drinkers. Nope, no way.
"They would rather see her die?" gasped another voice Jane recognized as Mistress Athenodora's. What exactly was going on the other side? Demetri held himself stiffly in the front seat, his head half-turned to listen in on the phone call. Alec's eyes were unnaturally wide as he stared at Jane, too.
She had no idea if she should answer or not but Master Caius thankfully saved Jane from that decision.
"But you followed my order immediately without bothering to deploy the use of diplomacy or tact, am I right?"
"Very right, Master." Jane didn't think that Master Caius was the right person to try and lecture her on her lack of diplomacy. She wasn't a politician, her gift was offensive and Jane never handled things with kid gloves. Asking her to be inoffensive was like asking a raging storm to thunder quietly. "But there was hardly a minute to spare, Master. Bella was growing weaker. Had I waited a moment longer…"
"How bad is the fallout going to be?"
"It should be fine… eventually."
"Will they or will they not want the girl as a part of their coven?" the Master growled, low and deep. He was not amused with Jane's evasion tactics.
"They will want her back, Master," Jane said with a cringe. To be honest, the Cullens had probably wanted to oversee her transformation as well, if the outraged cries that had followed the Volturi had been any indication. But it was Carlisle's coven they were speaking about. The doctor was eating animals so he didn't have to harm anyone. That man was not going to declare war on the Volturi for making off with their favorite human, was he?
"Damnation!" Master Caius barked out, displeased even more. "Now comes the hard part. You cannot under any circumstances allow Edward Cullen into Isabella's proximity. Do you understand?"
"I-" Jane faltered and shared a questioning look with Alec. That shouldn't be a problem. They were headed to Volterra and the mind-reader couldn't be that stupid to follow them there, could he? He had been rather distraught by Bella's almost dying and imminent change, but…
"Tell them the truth, Caius," implored Master Marcus. "Those four can be trusted above anyone else."
Before the warm glow of gratification at those words could spread further than Jane's chest, Master Caius sighed irritably and snapped, "Isabella cannot be allowed to lay her vampire eyes on the boy. Not until she seals the bond with my idiot of a brother. Is that clear enough for you, now?"
Oh…Oh! It was one of those impossibly improbable situations. Jane gulped and Felix almost ran off the road when he whipped his head to look at the twins and Bella in the backseat. Demetri swore and grabbed the steering wheel. Alec grimaced and glanced down at their new sister.
Then Jane paused. The boy was pretty, that was true, and Bella had been in love with him so much that she had wanted to become a vampire to spend the whole eternity with him. If Edward Cullen hadn't made such a fuss about her transformation, hadn't been such a prude, the odds were that the two of them would have been already happily mated and Master Aro wouldn't have ever known about Bella's potential to belong with him.
No matter. She was bringing her sister to Volterra, and everything was going to work out just fine. Jane squared her shoulders. "Yes, Master. We will arrive approximately in-"
"Twelve hours," supplied Demetri.
"No." That word was delivered in a cold, clipped, angry tone and Jane could swear that her brain froze for a moment and malfunctioned. Had Master Caius just said no?
"Aro does not wish for Isabella to come here. He wants her to stay with the Cullens," he continued and Jane was now sure that she had heard him wrong. Master Aro didn't want his mate to be by his side as soon as possible? Well, intended mate, she supposed, until their bond was properly formed, acknowledged, and sealed. Master Aro wanted his intended mate to remain with a potential rival for Bella's affection? That was…
"I'm…I'm sorry, Master Caius… but…" Jane trailed off, confused. She didn't even have words for how inapprehensible that was.
"Has he lost his mind?!" Felix managed to express his thoughts better than her. When they could hear muffled laughter from the other end of the line, Felix added, "Oh, damn! I didn't want to say that! I didn't mean it!"
It was too late, Felix had already thought it, and Jane found herself echoing the exclamation in her head. Had Master Aro really lost it? Jane's maker was what humans would nowadays call bipolar but most vampires were older than dirt and just went with the word insane. Touched in the head. Mentally ill – if they weren't that old.
Now she didn't look forward to meeting Master Aro and letting him see this whole fiasco. Her thoughts, the reactions of the other Guards, the scheming the other two Masters were doing… It was so discriminating and embarrassing. But what she could do? Jane had no idea. She hadn't been helpless for a long time but now she felt like her physical age.
"What am I supposed to do, Master Caius? I can't…"
Alec's eyes were reflecting her panic when she looked at her brother.
It was Demetri who said from the passenger's seat, "We can't drop her somewhere and leave her on her own."
From time to time, newborns were abandoned by their irresponsible makers but it was by accident. They didn't even know they had turned someone during a sloppy feeding. Leaving a newborn without a sire was cruel because any young one needed help and protection. Not to mention that it was against the law.
They would have to find a vampire willing to supervise Bella, to guide her in her new life.
Jane shuddered. It felt wrong to even think that. She couldn't leave her fledgling to fend for herself alone during her newborn year. Her sister. Their bond was already in place and it would be like tearing a part of herself and throwing it away, and her tie to Bella was nowhere near as strong as the one between mates. How could Master Aro stand it? Jane had thought that their mating bond had already been formed properly. Master Aro had acted as it had been. So, why was he doing this?
"Of course not!" Mistress Athenodora was affronted.
"Our enemies would rejoice at the chance to take someone so valuable from us! Don't you dare to leave Isabella alone!" hissed Master Caius.
"Caius, you are not expressing yourself well. Hand over the cell phone, I am going to handle it…"
"Of course, Dora." Jane heard him take a deep breath before probably handing the phone to his wife.
"Jane, my sweet girl, you cannot come back with her yet," Mistress Athenodora continued. "You cannot leave Isabella unprotected and alone, not when the Olympic coven covets her. What we have to ask of you now will go against your orders from Aro, but I hope you love your maker more than you fear his wrath."
Jane had a sinking feeling that she knew where this was heading. That's why Master Caius had warned them first. Her stone heart was already breaking at the very thought of what she had to do. This was truly going to be extremely difficult.
"I understand, Mistress."
"Janey, no!" Alec, her wonderful brother, squeezed her hand painfully and even Demetri turned in his seat to look at her. Felix gripped the steering wheel so tightly Jane thought he's going to break it.
"That's a stupid idea!"
"There's no other way," she whispered, shaking her head and touching Alec's cheek soothingly.
It hurt to think about leaving her place among the Guard, her twin, her maker. The ties of the Guards to the Volturi leaders were too strong. The elite Guards were loyal to the Masters, they had mostly been sired by them, and Chelsea strengthened the bonds every time the Guards left Volterra nonetheless to the point it was impossible to break them. Only a mating or another maker/fledgling bond was strong enough to entice one of the Guards to leave. Eleazar had when he had found his mate. Jane would now, to be with her sister.
"A year is nothing more than a blink of an eye for us," she continued softly, "You'll see me soon enough."
"I'll come with you," proclaimed Alec resolutely. "You are my sisters. My venom is coursing through her veins as well. I feel like her maker, too, and I will not abandon the two of you."
"Alec! You can't!"
"It would leave the Guard vulnerable," said Demetri cautiously. "If the word spread…"
"It won't, will it?" Master Caius snarled. "Jane is right. One year is nothing and we did manage quite fine without the twins for more than two millennia. You have my blessing to take an extended vacation with our newest coven member. Once the year is up, I expect you two to return. If Isabella is amendable to the idea, she is welcome to join us. If she is not, impress upon her that she has to come when her wanderlust subsides."
To say that the Guards were shocked was putting it mildly. Jane had always considered herself and Alec as the most important members of the Guard and to be dismissed just like that was baffling.
Master Caius was also the least lenient from the three brothers and now he had given the three of them free rein for a year? He even acknowledged that young vampires liked to wander on their own for a bit before joining a permanent coven. Jane should have asked for a vacation sooner but she certainly wasn't going to complain now.
"Thank you, Master Caius," said Alec and grinned at Jane and touched Bella's cheek with his free hand.
"Do not sound so happy about it, Alec," growled the Master. "I will hold you both responsible for maintaining the law wherever you go, for keeping Isabella out of trouble, and for returning once the year is up. If you two are not here by July of the next year, I will personally come and drag your sorry hides back and there would be hell to pay. Understood?"
"Of course, Master," agreed Jane, almost giddy with the idea of one year free of most of her duties with her brother and sister and the whole world to explore at their fingertips. The twins never had the chance to sate their own wanderlust. At first, they had been too dependent on their maker's guidance, and then their duties had taken most of their time.
"Now, now, brother! They are young. Surely you remember what it felt like?" the low chuckle was warm and Jane's eyes grew wide when she realized that Master Marcus was still there, still listening in. "Let me speak with them as well."
"More than you, you relic," grumbled Master Caius but there was a soft rustling sound.
"We entrust you with a delicate task, children, but that does not mean you cannot enjoy yourself. But do behave! And I suppose we will see you in a year. Oh, and tell Felix and Demetri to come to me first before seeing Aro-"
"They can hear you quite well, Marcus. Modern cell phones work much better than the devices you remember using last."
"Indeed? How interesting. Very well then, you all have your instructions."
"We will not fail you, Masters, Mistress," Jane swore, eyes glinting and the line went dead. She glanced down at her sister and smoothed a long strand of hair away from Bella's face. They could explore the world together, get to know each other, be themselves and have fun without Master Aro's overprotective hovering.
Oh, it's going to be so great.
AN: I was nicely surprised by all the kudos and comments I got! Thank you, guys! Also, I couldn't answer to guest reviews properly but I happily read all of them and I'm glad you seem to like the story.
Who else adores Jane? I had so much fun getting inside Jane's head but I grinned like a fool when she spoke with Caius. Diplomacy, huh? Anyway, what's your favorite part? Do let me know and I believe that Chapter 3 is going to be Aro's POV. Finally, right?