Alec's shoulders stood tall, two paces in front of me. I could step on the back of his shoe if I liked, not that doing so would make the halls any less tense. But his reaction would at least give me a glimpse into his frame of mind. Usually, if I zeroed in on the tiny details – a flinch of his brow or a flash of something more profound in his irises, I could get some idea of where his head was at. But he was entirely emotionless, present in the moment and, as such, impossible to predict.

He was a master at playing characters, something I continued to marvel at. Like an actor running lines for a show he's been performing all his life, in the same role, dedicated to his craft. So devoted that it consumes his life until it is no longer the character into him, but he, who becomes the character—melded into one with a thin veil of reality holding the line. Or he may already exist as the character, with no trace of who the actor was before he entered the masquerade.

The stoic character Alec was tasked with presenting to the world was never permanent. But it certainly clouded his mind, and an equal effect was demonstrated through his rational behaviours as well as in his rash actions. It was as much a part of him, as he was of it. Both equally intoxicating, as damaging as they were damaged by the world that had forced them to sacrifice everything they touched.

Alec chose his words deliberately. He weighed the possible effect of every word, how they paired together, the impression, and how it would further his goals. He was clever, quick-witted, and a massive pain in the ass. And I couldn't understand how I could be both angry and wanting to be near him at the same time.

And yet there was a prickling electricity at the tip of my fingers, from my thumb to my pinkie, drawn by an external force to see if he was still real. To grip the fabric of his satin vest, as dark as the shadows lurking in every corner of the old castle we were confined within. I wondered if I would still feel this same urge if his skin froze mine as it should if I knew that an icy shock would be guaranteed with every brush of our skin.

I stopped abruptly in the middle of the corridor. Alec hardly stopped with me, as if he reconsidered doing so, but he didn't turn around.

"It wasn't about you. Leaving was not about you."

"Not now, Saffiya."

After Aro's comment on my escape and Alec's private conversation with the kings, I had been expecting a lecture from the boy. A disciplinary hearing. Possibly starring Jane as a guest witness. "What about–"

"Later," Alec asserted again.

I clenched my jaw, mostly pissed at myself for trying to reassure him when he was the one being unreasonable. My hands went to my head, dragging my fingers through my hair, and his expression softened. His steps were quiet on the stone floor, and I lifted my chin to question his intentions. Alec's hand came into careful contact with the small of my back, eyes observing mine for any indication that I didn't want him to continue.

His hand slipped under my shirt and rested on the curve of my spine. Before my heart could even think to react, a light pressure brought me into his shoulder, fitting me in the crux of his chest. I leaned into his body, and the familiar exchange encouraged a shared exhale of relief for us both. Not that it erased the real-world events that were currently swallowing us whole. But there was something about the long period of separation when he left for a mission that made me feel just a little off. Nothing unmanageable. Just…a lack of comfort, I suppose.

Alec's thumb slid back and forth on my skin like ice skates, calling me from the depths of my mind. His lips brushed against my temple before he shifted us. "We are late."

"We're always late." Alec slipped his hand under mine, and though he tried to hide the briefest twitch at the corner of his mouth, I caught it. Maybe he wasn't as angry as I thought.

The door to the training room swung open with a rash shove. The culprit of this abuse was one of the lower guard members, and the man froze in the doorway upon seeing Alec and me. His face morphed from contempt and fell blank. He seemed to know our destination because he stood aside and held the door open for us.

Inside the training room, there were raucous shouts and deep laughter. Felix and Demetri had said this was mainly a guard hangout in my first tour, but I'd never had the chance to see it being used for such purposes. I started to lift onto the balls of my feet to try and see round the corner. Alec squeezed my hand to keep me at his side, reigning me in.

Instead of separating, Alec guided me through first and followed behind, ignoring the guard's existence. I gave the man a small smile for the simple gesture, "thanks, Riu."

Riu's eyes widened and flickered to Alec, awaiting a retaliation. When no warning came, he returned a careful but friendly smile.

There was another shout and a loud clump from inside, but I tried to focus on the man in front of me. "Why are you leaving?"

He hesitated, likely not expecting me to follow up with a conversation, but Alec had stopped as well. His lack of interest in our discussion was rudely evident as his eyes swept the room with another intention entirely.

Riu swallowed, "I lost my round."

"Your round?"

Alec's hand moved to my back, "come."

I waved at Riu, and it didn't take more than a millisecond for me to put the subtle clues together once I saw the arrangement inside. Two vampires were tangled up on the mat, cheered on by their peers. A decent sized group made up of both lower and middle level members as far as I could tell. If my recall was correct, and with the intensity I'd studied it with, I was. To the left of the mat, five members stood side by side, spaced out in a straight line with concentration written across their faces.

Our entrance was met with swinging heads and sent a shockwave through the group of guard members. I glanced up at Alec out of instinct.

Alec's presence disturbed whatever ecosystem had been established prior to our arrival. Jovial grins were replaced with nervous glances. The closer we got to the group, the more guards started to engage in minuscule grooming behaviours. The vampires were rattled by a boy they saw every day for the last few hundred years – at the very least.

I was familiar with the individuals present, though I had not engaged with any of them since I'd filled out Felix's homework assignment months ago. The paper had given me an exaggerated confidence in my ability to name all of the guards, as I never needed to test it. I might not have been able to go down the line and get them all correct, but some of the names stayed with me. Especially those that I had to redo. It only took Alec's intimidating presence over my shoulder to keep them from messing with me. Most of them.

Speaking of, Alec – high and mighty as he was, ignored the attention from his inferiors. Whether out of ignorance or arrogance, I couldn't swear to.

The two women in the centre of the mat had paused in their fighting match, startled but not as outwardly awkward as their counterparts. They were still aware of their opponent, weighing the cost benefits of using this distraction to their advantage.

Felix had not acknowledged us yet, standing with his arms crossed over his chest like the mountain he was, scrutinising the lack of fighting on the mat with disdain. His head tilted to the side, and in an instant, there was a flash from the sidelines and one of the women was knocked off balance and dropped on her back in front of the other members.

The other woman had a slightly better chance, having seen the attack on her previous opponent but the new enemy did not falter. The fabric of his wrapped garb was the only way I could keep track of each vampire, until Amaya grunted, falling to her knees and rolling onto her front.

The whirlwind of enigmatic energy that surrounded Felix's attacking assassin was mesmerizingly vivid. The man wore royal blue and it blended magnificently with his skin, and I might have mistaken him for real life royalty in a different setting. He presented himself with a natural countenance of honour and self-humility. The kind of man that, if you saw him on the train, would rather stand and observe the train car rather than distract himself with a book or music through headphones. The kind of man that wouldn't take the train, and it was this juxtaposition that empowered his aura. Talib, I recalled.

Amaya pushed off the mat, bumping Talib's shoulder and grumbling, "that's not fair!"

"Maybe if you practised situational awareness more regularly, you might have thwarted my attack," Talib commented in an austere tone as a genuine offering of advice.

She scoffed, "a surprise attack doesn't make you a better fighter."

"No," he agreed and she seemed a bit taken aback. I could see why. There was something enigmatically unnerving about his sentiment. A kind of wisdom that rivalled a monk in years of meditation, but unique in that it had been built from defeat. Survival.

Felix stepped in. "Either way. You would be dead and he'd still be here. Whatever works." She huffed. "You did well, Amaya. Don't ruin it."

She took the underhanded compliment from her commander and joined the guards gathered around the tables, flopping backwards into a chair as she received pats on the back.

Felix cleared his throat, immediately bringing the crowd and the competitors' attention back to him. He stood with his arms crossed, an intimidating force, a brute compared to the other guard members present.

Alec tapped me as Felix began to lecture the group and I hadn't realized we'd stopped to watch. He guided me towards Demetri, who was waiting on the opposite side of the mat. I was hesitant, as the men had not been too excited to see me earlier. However, it seemed I had nothing to worry about because Demetri's face lit up as he acknowledged us.

"Look who finally decided to show up."

Alec hardly had to prompt me again before I eagerly hurried to join our grinning friend. Demetri patted the empty table he was leaning on and I lifted myself up, swinging my legs in an excitement inspired by his energy. He raised his fist and though it was odd, I pounded it back before turning to observe the scene before us with careful confusion.

"You two should start watching the clock. People might talk." He suggested slyly, wagging his eyebrows. I shoved his shoulder, trying to ignore the growing embarrassment as I considered the implications of his teasing. Having entertained me, he nodded to my companion, directing his question to Alec. "How long?" The boy had chosen to stand, focus sharp as an eagle on the others as Felix struggled to keep their focus on him and his brilliance.

Alec's vibrant stare hardly swiped to Demetri before returning to the group of vampires, "twenty minutes."

The older man raised his eyebrows again and not so subtly tilted his head in my direction. Alec frowned and neither attempted to clue me in on their conversation. "Forty."

He rubbed the back of his head, almost sorry to have asked as he reached behind him and handed Alec a thin folder. Before I could ask, Demetri nudged my shoulder, "ready to see some action, kid?"

I shrugged, still a little confused as to our purpose here. "What's going on?"

Demetri gestured widely, "sparring competition. Every once in a while we put the lower guards to the test. The last one standing gets the honour of being demolished in a one on one with Felix or me. Just a bit of fun."

"If it is all fun and games, Demetri, I imagine you would take great pleasure in documenting the assessments," Alec commented. But it almost sounded like he was complaining.

Demetri raised his hands, "paperwork is all yours, pretty boy." Alec scoffed, tossing the folder behind us onto the table.

This piqued my interest. "Assessments? Why would you—"

"Efficiency, my dear human!" Felix had left his fighters to join us, our conversation promising more entertainment. "We run the vampire world. We can't simply sit around and play video games all the time." He winked at me as if his explanation was satisfactory.

"Could've fooled me," I muttered and Demetri snorted.

"We operate like a business – top to bottom."

"So, the Masters?"

"Oversee it all." Felix shrugged. "Marcus tends to handle the finances. Aro and Caius do the rest of the executive roles, but Aro usually has the final vote."

"Exactly what does that entail?"

"A lot of delegation – everyone's got some sort of 'job'." The corner of Felix's mouth tilted up as he continued somewhat haughtily, "some more important than others."

I pushed my questions through before they decided I'd learned enough, but neither they nor Alec seemed to mind the topic. "So training – that's your job." Felix and Demetri exchanged glances before they shrugged.

"Sure, among other things." Like that wasn't suspicious.

"What about the others?"

"Chelsea handles the guards – scheduling shifts and groups for missions. Renata keeps track of the human world - a silly interest if you ask fishes—"

Demetri added in with an appreciative hum, "looking fan-bloody-tastic as she does it."

He was awfully goofy and I couldn't help but laugh, "you always say that."

The tracker's head swung back and forth as he insisted, "today, she looked especially exquisite."

"Wow, Dem, didn't know you had such a vocabulary," Alec commented dryly.

"When it comes to women," Felix started, "he's gotta make up for that face somehow. Not to mention the low satisfaction under the sheets – oi!" Felix cackled as Demetri swiped at him.

I giggled but Alec didn't appreciate the dirty humour quite as well. He placed a hand on my knee, a subtle way to remind me that we were not alone. "Felix, do contain yourself," he drawled from beside me.

"Buzzkill," Felix muttered, spinning and loudly calling all eyes back on him. "Who's next!"

Demetri eyed Alec's hand, still on my knee. He winked and I pushed the boy's hand away, overly conscious of the attention. "You're gonna love this," Demetri said with the same level of excitement he had displayed before our conversation. He didn't seem to care that Alec wanted a more professional appearance, too excited that I was there for the show.

As the next two vamps geared up against each other — Talib returning to the mat with Alejandro joining, Demetri leaned over, "whistle," just in time for me to process the word before Felix blew the lime green instrument and it echoed in the room.

I tugged on my ear, the pitch disorienting. "Why does he need a whistle?"

"He doesn't."

I got a thumbs up from Felix, who then watched as his two students collided.

The impact reverberated throughout the room as Talib immediately flipped Alejandro over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground. Their speed picked up until they were mere blurs across the floor. I tried to track them, but the flashes from one side of the mat to the other gave me whiplash. Nevertheless, I remained enthralled as they bounded back and forth – they froze.

Talib was in a lunge, ready to pounce again when Felix blew the whistle and he stood with a sullen expression. Alejandro hooted triumphantly before crossing the mat and offering Talib a hand. The show of sportsmanship was naturally inclined.

I elbowed Demetri, "what happened, is it over?"

"Since we can't end a match like we would a real fight, the first to step off the mat loses," Demetri explained. He pushed off the table and stood up, winking at me before joining the other guard members.

He stopped and clapped Talib on the back, exchanging a few words with him before he threw his arm around another vampire in line and pulled the kid away from the others. He looked like a couch giving a boxer a pep talk. Felix approached Talib and Alejandro in the centre of the floor.

While their trainers were busy, the others seemed to be talking, almost gossiping. The nervous glances aimed at Alec and I bordered on unprofessional, some shared motivation distracting them enough to forget their expected roles at that moment. The attention was much more than I would have expected from guards that had been in a castle, and in the same rooms no doubt, with Alec for several decades.

"Alec," I spoke softly, even if our conversation was far from private, "why are we here?"

It took him several seconds before he decided to answer. "You enjoy watching Demetri and Felix train," Alec answered monotonously. "Now, you can see what they use it for."

"Why are they staring?" He wanted to be annoyed, but it'd been a while since I'd peppered him with questions and I liked to think he valued the nostalgia.

Alec tilted his head down, eyes briefly scanning my face with a shrewd expression before looking away again. "You confuse them." Me?

I frowned, "why?" But he didn't give me an answer, instead leaning against the table and crossing his arms over his chest.

I could only imagine that their interest with me was the result of my interactions with the twins, a relationship that still had Felix and Demetri on their toes at times. Was there really such an ominous mystery that the twins were considered with? The way the guards avoided them as if they were more than simply vampires. It was a different kind of respect and fear than was consensually held for the Kings. Like the ominous warning of a bedtime story. Only the role played by the twins was neither the villain nor the hero. They were Hansel and Gretel. Forged by their circumstances. Each member of the high guard, most of the guards, had a uniquely significant value to the Masters. Yet, it was reputation, an orchestrated infamy that made the twins seem indestructible.

Alec rolled his eyes, sounding exasperated as he lightly turned my chin forward."Fai attenzione." [Pay attention] I knew that one.

Talib and Alejandro shook hands firmly before the loser left the mat and Alejandro greeted his next challenger. Malik joined him and Demetri, who had switched roles with Felix. The latter half practically skipped over to join us.

The large man leaned back on the table much like Demetri had been. "Talib is usually the most capable, but ever since Killian and Elizabeth…His confidence has begun to hold him back." He trailed off.

Confidence? Or lack thereof, I wanted to inquire. I watched Talib, who could no doubt hear the blunt description Felix used to define him. He sat by his lonesome near the mat, not by exclusion but by choice as he leaned forward with disciplined contemplation on the match.

Felix continued, " "Alejandro is flexible, adaptable, but less reactive than the others. He can still hold his own – mostly." The guards had begun to try and mingle, pretending they didn't hear every word he said. It was clear that each was waiting for their own name, to be praised or judged by one of the strongest fighters in the Volturi.

"Consistency," Alec seemed to dictate as a preference. "Arrogance is unreliable."

Demetri shouted and Alejandro turned a sharp eye on him until he remembered he had no right to argue with the call. He spun on his heel and took his time stomping off the floor.

The larger man nodded as if he'd already factored this into his thought process and he continued, "Malik gets cocky, but he can back it up. Most of the time." Felix's expression faltered and I glanced at Alec just in time to catch the end of an unimpressed deadpan scowl at the information.

"Percy is fluid. Young, bold, dedicated."

"Adjectives," I said, calling out his lacklustre description of someone who was clearly more deserving of a thorough introduction. Percy was the only woman remaining, patiently waiting by the mat for her turn.

Alec crossed his arms over his chest in consideration, analyzing every detail from across the training room as the match continued. While he put on his little mystery act,I decided to mess with Felix.

"Only one girl, Felix? Don't you know that's sexist," I taunted.

"An unfortunate mess of statistics, little Fiya. There are more men in the guard than women."

"Or maybe her fluidity makes her appear bold because you expect less from a young, female fighter who is dedicated to proving your ingrained doubts about her talents to be false."

There was a pause and I almost expected him to laugh off my point before he began muttering to himself. "She's 'Metri's pick anyways," he glared harmlessly, redirecting towards Alec. "Your girlfriend's kind of a know-it-all."

Alec responded blandly, not disputing the title I'd been given and instead using the sensitivity of the man against him. "Pity, Felix. Can't hold your own?"

Felix pushed off the table and brought his whistle to his lips and capturing the room's attention like a ringmaster in his own circus. "A challenge for you all, in honour of our guest," He waited for dramatic effect, "slow it down."

There were a few small groans, but with this, the room started to relax.

Felix blew the whistle again, receiving a dirty look from Demetri as he threw out orders. "Hamzah! Why don't you earn that ego you're boosting." Undeterred, the young man's face lit up with the thrill of being first in line for a rollercoaster.

The two mischief makers, though current leaders, switched places. Demetri stood, only half facing us. Across the floor, Hamzah prepared for his next match and Demetri wasted no time before bragging, "Hamzah is my guy." Malik stood opposite the identified man on the mat and unlike the previous fighters, Hamzah was grinning ear to ear like a child in a candy shop. "He's a poster boy for the guard, draft pick numero uno."

The humour had no effect on Alec and his sarcasm was like a school bully, "do I sense a bias, Demetri?"

"You'll see." Alec actually considered the gaudy answer, his chin lifting ever so slightly as the fight began. Their speed hadn't decreased by much, but the fluidity with which they moved was astounding. Like a ballet, and I missed half of the tactical details simply because of hyperfocus on any transition I could catch.

Alec's shoulder brushed mine as he left my side to approach the floor himself. It was the last thing I expected him to do in this environment, but being with Demetri, I wasn't too concerned. My original theory held more weight, however, as Felix promptly jogged over to us. Demetri mimed notching an arrow to a bow and aimed it at me. I smacked his hands away.

"Shut it."

While we had our fun, Alec's move had prompted an entirely different response across the room. The vamps on the sidelines had grown restless, but remained somewhat dedicated to the fight. Neither of the fighters had noticed him, and I prayed the spectators were more invested in the match and/or Alec to eavesdrop.

"Uh huh." Demetri began as Felix plopped beside me. "You know, all this fighting causes you both so much tension."

"You know what they need, 'Metri?"

"What's that, Felix?"

"A room."

I scoffed, "a room?"

"Yes! A room," Demetri confirmed, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "You simply need to get in a room, just the two of you, and talk it out."

Felix cut in, running his mouth, "actually, I think talking is what got them into this mess."

"That is an excellent point. If only there was something more…physical." I gaped at Demetri.

"You know what they haven't tried–"

"If you value your senses, I wouldn't finish that sentence."

Felix clapped a hand to his chest in delighted pride. "You hear that, 'Metri? She's threatening us with her mate's gift."

Demetri fluffed my hair and I whacked him away. "Earning her place among the ranks already, isn't she."

My head snapped up to find Alec at the same time that Hamzah was slammed on the mat with a resounding boom, disrupting my torment. Unfortunately for Malik, they'd landed right in front of Alec. Malik balked upon recognizing the prince and Hamzah took advantage of the hesitation.

Hamzah jumped up, throwing his arms up in the air to gloat like a class clown to his mates – his back to Alec. When he turned back to acknowledge his opponent, he too froze at the sight of their patron. Alec offered no congratulatory notes, surveying the event with an empty expression, arms crossed once more. Felix blew his whistle, providing the young man (though physically older than Alec) an opportunity to get out from under the twin's iron stare.

Demetri let out a loud guffaw, not even bothering to be subtle as he shared, "he idolizes Alec. That was just a dream come true for him."

Felix zipped from my side, returning to the floor and setting up the next pairing. He paused by Alec.

"Told you he was the best," Demetri continued.

I huffed, still a bit put out from their banter at my expense. "Alec's not gonna pick your guy, Dem."

The petty competitor in him jumped on my comment, demanding, "what are you talking about?"

I tilted my head to the side, making it seem like I was contemplating the claim more than I was. "Why is Hamzah your top pick?"

"I never said–"

Our attention, thank god, was returned to the mat. "You're not saying the right things. Not for Alec to pick him."

He had the audacity to pretend as if this wasn't exactly what they were being so ominous about. Though I had no idea what for. "Alec's not picking–"

"Oh, please. I'm not an idiot." Demetri grimaced. "And this is way too elaborate for a friendly competition."

Lucky for him, Felix returned with his own agenda. "How do you like the lineup, Fi?"

His excitement was almost too much to bear, pressuring me to offer up an uneducated commentary. "They're good."

"What do you think of Percy?" The girl was pairing off against Hamzah, the final two before fighting one of their commanders. A reward all its own. She moved with a more deliberate mind, taking her time before pouncing with an aggression that conflicted with her other tactic. Hamzah, however, expected the style from her and was able to counter before she grabbed him round his waist and knocked him near the edge of the mat. Instead of backing off, she pursued him, securing her win. It was the quickest match we'd seen so far.

Felix was waiting for me to say more. "She's impressive." He grinned and Demetri snorted as I stuttered to come up with something useful to add. "What are you expecting me to say, they can hear every word we're saying."

A small wave of laughter travelled across the group of vampires. Hopefully, their attention was guided by the cocktail party theory and limited to the new topic.

"You can be honest, Fi." He stood as Alec approached. "It's not like you're going to hurt their feelings." Guilt stung my stomach for disappointing him.

I eyed the group, most too scared to even glance over and others darting their focus away when they saw I was looking. I watched Hamzah, half modest as he accepted props from the others. Percy and finally Talib, who had done nothing but observe since his early defeat. But his observation was more concentrated, almost tactical.

"You should put Percy and Talib on the mat."

Felix crossed his arms over his chest. He hadn't asked for suggestions, but he didn't seem bothered by it. "Why?"

I shrugged, "Talib could be your classic underdog. You gave him one chance, you consider him to be one of your best - you said it yourself. If he comes in and beats your champion of the day, maybe he's simply outgrown your training style. And Hamzah has more than proven himself already." I caught a grin from the young guard member, who quickly looked to Alec for the same approval. Alec was otherwise too occupied with his thoughts to even send a harsh glare to shame the boyish character for daring to interact with me. Or perhaps he just didn't care anymore.

"You hardly saw their match," Felix argued at a modulated pitch. "They were going at vamp speed."

I smiled coyly, "Felix, it sounds like your feelings are hurt." He gaped at me and Demetri snorted.

Felix checked in with Alec, who took a moment to observe me before he nodded. Felix scowled, "fine, Civello. But if he wins, he's fighting your mate." The gaggle across the way didn't try and hide their eavesdropping now. The prospect of fighting one of the twins, win or lose, insured no positive outcome. Instead of silencing them, their superiors all ignored the commentators. To be entirely presumptive, it was likely that whatever the group was saying fed the egos of the three men.

I took a peek at Alec, who was smirking at the group, more then willing to show off his gift. If he even chose to use it. But there was no significant response to the way Felix was now choosing to label us.

"No, you drama queen." I rolled my eyes at Felix and Alec both, knocking on Alec's side. "But I bet either one of them could take down you and Dem – simultaneously."

Demetri stretched his arms over his shoulders. "Ha! Not likely."

I hardly had to incentivize the idea. "Let's see it then."

They didn't even hesitate. "You're on."

Both Demetri and Felix left to approach the mat, taking the initiative to inform their students of the plan. As competitive as they were, the two were inspired by unfair advantages and sneaky tricks. From the first time I'd seen them fight, I was used for such intentions and it was an entertaining pattern that never seemed to fail. This was the perfect chance to give them a taste of their own medicine. I took advantage of their distraction and held my hand out in front of Alec.

He made no acknowledgement of my silent request at first, but a second later he reached into his pocket and handed over his phone. All without looking at me.

Alec had begun carrying the phone around after we returned with a deep-seated reluctance. He had an irrational loathing for the device but the Masters decided it was best he kept it on him after I'd offered his number to the Interpol agents. They weren't pleased at first, but ultimately agreed with Alec; My past would have to be dealt with eventually. Though how they planned to do so had yet to be either discussed or disclosed to me. I took what I could get.

Caius hadn't wanted me to have constant, unsupervised access to a telephone, so Alec was left with no choice but to keep it handy at all times. Of course, it had been a short time before he left, but he had let me play around with the device enough that we developed this shorthand without a verbal request. As far as I knew, Aro had not yet outed me for the phone calls I'd made to my father's acquaintance. It didn't matter much if Alec would run and tell him the instant he received a call – if the call ever came.

Taking Alec's phone, I wasn't exactly sure of my plan but I was going more for adding humour to Felix and Demetri's competition than winning the bet. Searching through the various guards' contact information, it occurred to me just how handy the devices could be in reaching out to the other members of the guard. Which is, no doubt, why Alec preferred not to have it on him. I, however, in the limited moments he allowed himself to be with me, may have found a new form of entertainment.

I grinned to myself, maybe a little too maniacally as I managed to type out a message and returned the phone to Alec. He didn't check to see what I'd done, simply sliding it back into his jacket pocket.

A loud cheer followed a resounding boom throughout the room, snapping my attention back to the fight. The challenge to go up against their teachers had reinvigorated the few vampires remaining. Their speed made it difficult for me to tell, but Percy seemed to have the upper hand.

"Saffiya." I blinked. The lilt of my name from his lips was unexpected and a part of me longed to hear it whispered again. It was the same part that wanted to pretend the care of his tone erased any anger he was suppressing.

Alec was watching me with hollow confusion and I looked down. My fingers had a death grip on his arm. The pressure of my hold was visibly harsh, more so on my skin than his of marble. Alec's hand covered mine, gently trying to coax me into releasing him. I pulled it back as if he'd electrocuted me.

"Sorry–" I muttered, turning back to the entertainment with Alec's eyes trained on me.

We'd missed the end of the fight as a guard member seemed to joke, "condolences, Talib!" Percy shoved the heckler backwards, but returned to shake Talib's hand. She leaned in to his ear and waited until he nodded before parting.

Too invested in the private exchange, I asked Alec, "what'd she say?"

His chest rose and fell with a thin breath and he translated with a monotonous tone, "'watch your back'."

My head whipped back, thinking I'd misread her physicality. Only, as Felix and Demetri took their place across from Talib, her words came together. It wasn't a threat, but a warning.

Demetri and Felix hardly gave Talib a moment to break before their match. The others had been given time to review and reflect, but this was different. The two men didn't care that this was practice. If Talib made one wrong move, one misstep, they wouldn't hesitate.

Yet, Talib stood nobly and lowered into a fighting position. If he had any doubts, they did not show. He was ready.

Afton stood in front of the mat, refereeing in the High Guard's place. There was no whistle this time and the air thickened as we all waited.

One beat.

Another.

They disappeared into a flurry of action.

I couldn't tell Demetri or Felix apart, but Talib's magnificent blue hinted to his progress. Spots of black surrounded him at nearly every turn, knocking him to the floor, meeting in the middle, or a strike from the side.

It was no wonder I was the only one who appeared to notice the door behind the larger group of guards opening.

Heidi entered the room, already dawning a suspicious expression as she surveyed the performance. Her attire, I assumed, had not changed since the guys last saw her because she did look particularly extravagant today. There was a more elegant twist, dress looser but fitting – a beautiful velvet blue. Demetri hadn't been enthralled with her because she'd worn more exposing clothing, but rather by the genuine beauty of her and her gift alone.

I sat up in my chair and started to lift my hand to wave her over. The action caught Alec's attention and he patiently covered my hand, bringing it back down. Heidi leaned in to one of the guard members, who pointed at the fighters as Talib dumped Felix over his shoulder. I could see the mischief sparkle in her eye as she was filled in and her eyes immediately sought mine across the room.

She winked, adjusting her posture and parting the guard to take a place in the center between us and the other vampires. She would be in the ideal line of sight for both Demetri and Felix.

I love that woman.

Demetri caught Talib before he could prepare and rammed him backwards where Felix was already waiting. He caught the lower guard and thrust his shoulder into the ground. It was a move that slightly concerned me from the sound alone and it brought me back to my days of rewatching fights and car accidents to try and understand pain. Only Talib exhibited no pain, and the two men remained unsurprised when the man kicked under Felix, bringing the giant to the ground and returning to the fight.

Talib blocked two punches from Demetri and as he was about to land one himself, Felix returned. He pulled the lower guard back by his shirt collar and threw him across the mat. Directly in front of Heidi.

In a singsong voice, "hello boys. Having fun?"

All three were surprised by her sudden existence but Felix recovered quicker, rushing Talib who was damn ready – his focus deliberate and fierce as he evaded Felix's attack with well-nurtured ease.

Heidi thrust out her chest and moved closer to the mat under the pretence of getting a better view. Whatever her plan was, I missed it as a cold hand gently covered my eyes. "Hey!"

"Heidi lacks sufficient boundaries when it comes to men," was Alec's only explanation. I bit my lip to keep from giggling at the situation but he continued unfazed. "Which is why you summoned her, was it not?"

He finally let me remove his hand, but he'd moved in front of me to block my line of sight. "The boys are right," I pouted. "You are a buzzkill. I'm not exactly clueless–"

His eyes flashed, but when there was no counter offered for my argument, I assumed I'd won. I leaned to the side to catch whatever Heidi had planned. But it turns out, Alec had overheard my earlier conversation with the guys because he decided on a non-verbal approach to make his point.

A careful pressure rested on top of my knee and my head rushed, chin dropping to see Alec's hand drawing light circles over my jeans. When he had my attention, his hand patiently explored up, higher on my thigh. My chest tightened, nerves buzzing like bees around my heart as it struggled to maintain a normal pace. I tried to shift my leg but his fingers pressed into my leg, keeping me right where he wanted me.

His hand tightened around my mid-thigh as his thumb moved with a mind of its own. It slid across my jeans, grazing to the inside of my thigh as his grip loosened. Not to let go, but so he could continue, tauntingly, testing me as his fingers dipped between my legs halfway up the inside of my thigh. My head snapped to him, my eyes wide enough to prove him right. Every nerve in my body was acting like a sparkler, too aware of him and nothing else, and I found it ironic that the boy with the gift to numb one's senses could send mine into overdrive with the ease of a rainfall. The adrenaline of his touch was one thing. This – was another entirely. A prideful smirk grew on his face as he appreciated the reaction he got from me, for the first time, speechless.

A roar sounded from the fighters' mat, putting an end to Alec's little game. In a blink, his arm wrapped around me, sharply pulling me out of the chair with a gust of air.

He set me down only a few feet away, arm still tightly encompassing my waist. I pushed my hair out of my face just in time to see Felix crashing onto our now vacated table. It collapsed under the force of his weight but he jumped up from the wreckage in an instant, lips curved in a snarl.

"Not cool, 'Metri!"

He got no response as the remaining fighters grappled for the upper hand.

Felix scanned the room, stomping over to Heidi, who had joined Alec and me between the destroyed table and the group of guards. A vein popped out in his neck as he gestured to the mat and back at her.

"You did that on purpose," he accused her.

She graciously brushed his accusatory finger to the side and fixed her hair. "I was only checking in to see how it was going. Clearly, well."

He grunted, "convenient timing."

"Although it looks like you are having a little trouble." She glanced to Demetri, who had Talib in a headlock on the mat. The higher guard looked up automatically for an endorsement.

A mere wink was all she offered and Talib was clever enough to take advantage. The man ducked down and landed the heel of his foot directly into Demetri's stomach, knocking him back and halfway off the mat.

There was a weight in the room as Demetri took his time standing. He stared Talib down before looming closer to the tensed guard. He offered his hand.

Their audience broke out into raucous cheers like a high school football team. Demetri separated from the grown adult vampires and joined us.

"Shut it," he mumbled at my grin. "We had him until Heidi showed up."

"You really do look exquisite today, Heidi," I managed to get out before biting my lip and turning into Alec's shoulder to hold back the giddy laughter in my stomach.

"It's her gift. Not fair." Demetri sighed, and he might have let the loss go if my suppressed snickering hadn't caught their attention. He put it together first, but Felix's mouth was quicker.

"You little she-devil." Alec's grip tightened on me as he let out a low warning growl, but Felix ignored the blanket threat. "She planned this on purpose!"

I matched his theatrics, "I am utterly offended by the mere suggestion that I most certainly did..." Heidi gave a soft titter at my cut off admission, but it did not amuse the guys. Alec no longer tried to lessen the eccentricity of the activity I'd joined the boys in, his arm disappearing from my waist as he gave in to the inevitable.

The men pointed recklessly, desperate to convince us that we were in the wrong. "That's cheating, he never would have won–"

"Mitigating circumstances!" Felix declared.

Heidi let out a charmed laugh, "oh, so you're both against using an outside distraction to win a match?"

My hand shot in the air to prove her point, "exhibit A." Thinking again of the times they had purposefully directed me to distract the other, usually with some story about Alec and I's latest debacle.

Nearly in unison, "that's different!" and "practice doesn't count".

I gestured to the mat, "and these are?"

"These are tryouts," Felix argued back.

"Ah, great!" Demetri gesticulated towards Alec. I hadn't even realized the boy had left my side, but he was now shaking hands with Percy and Talib as the remaining guards filed out of the room with slightly less energy than before.

"Now he's gonna choose him."

"Choose him for what?" I might as well have been mute.

Heidi cocked her hip, "I thought you guys liked Talib for this?"

Felix blew out his cheeks, "yeah, that was before Fiya cheated and got him a big promotion."

"What promotion?" I asked distractedly, Alec's eyes making contact with mine as the words left my mouth.

"For your guards," Heidi filled me in quickly, going to reply to Demetri before she paused. "He didn't tell you?" She rolled her eyes as Alec returned. "You didn't tell her?"

Alec scowled at the situation, sneering, "it appears I have you for that, Heidi." The vexation in his voice put a dent in Heidi's composure that I could be sure she rarely felt. She tended to avoid intermingling in the twins' serious matters as much as possible.

"Not exactly a novel concept though, is it?" I snorted. Heidi was most surprised with my glibness as I dug myself into a corner. I was already under constant supervision, and with my latest attempt, the order was no surprise. But when you already felt as suffocated and caged in as I did at the time, it didn't matter. Any addition to my security was the end of the world. To me, at least. Still, I attempted to remain lighthearted in the conversation, even if I chose a poor way to do so. "After all, secrets and half-truths seem to be the only way Alec likes to communicate with me."

Alec's eyes darkened and the others tensed. "Fuck," Felix muttered.

"Clear the room."

Alec never really used his authority to his advantage. His gift alone, not to mention his position in the guard, was enough to make even the boldest of men relinquish their will. Jane outwardly used her gift and her brother was reserved for special tasks, more sparingly used. On his own, he preferred a glare or lack thereof to speak for him. Jane, still used her gift. There was no need for him to do so.

The same went for the power he held over others. Seeing it now, I was in over my head. Alec preferred moving our more sensitive discussions (arguments) to private locations. This time, he didn't seem to have the control or care to do so. What that meant for me, I wasn't sure. But the faces of my friends did not offer positive thoughts.

In a single breath, the doors to the training room had slammed shut. The remaining guard members had scattered at his directive. Any evidence that anyone had ever existed in the room was gone, but an invisible wisp of terror hung over me. It was not my own, but it had been flicked off like sweat into the air and I could imagine nothing else. It wasn't his species that made him dangerous. It was and always had been him. He inspired fear. As if every being he encountered knew he was destined to bring the world to its knees.

Chair legs scraped the floor. "Sit down." I only stared back, adamant against following any sort of order from him. "Sit down, Saffiya." He emphasised each word, making the command clear as day and non-negotiable. I debated whether I even wanted to hear what he had to say.

When I did lower myself into the chair, he changed his tone to one more appropriate for a court, as if he were presenting to the Kings. "As Heidi said, Talib and Percy will be your direct guards. Whether I or another of the High Guard is present, they will be there. They will report directly to me and they have permission to enforce any restrictions the Masters or I deem to be necessary."

"Necessary for what?" My sass was clear as day, but still, he was reluctant to attempt an answer to my trap. I should have expected this. It was an obvious attempt to be proactive in case I decided to break rank again. Precautions needed to be set in place. "That is meticulously controlling."

"Aye," he acknowledged before defending his involvement. "Which is why I offered a more preferable proposal. The Masters overruled me. This is their order-"

"But your plan," I reminded him with a hint of malice.

He looked away, still not meeting my eyes as he ran a hand through his hair, "my first strategic attempt at a plan, which I dismissed for this very reason."

I stood against his wishes, walking around him to the couches that had been pushed to the wall. My fingers tapped the back like a piano, the fabric scratchy under the pads of my fingertips. "Why can't Prosper just be my guard?"

"Circumstances have changed."

"I know, I know. Razin wants me to get to you, but–"

He held out a hand, "you have always made it clear how you feel about my protection, but this is now a direct threat against your life. If I am called away, I cannot…I will not take any chances." I let out a frustrated groan, holding my head, my fingers catching in the tangled waves of my hair. Alec tried to bring me back, losing his stone composure, but I shouldered him away. "Vita, please." [Life]

Please. He was asking.

Three knocks sounded from the door and Demetri stuck his head in.

"Alec, it's almost –" Alec held up a finger and the other man nodded, closing the door.

His eyes scanned me with a contemplative face, before determining that we were somewhat on the same page. Or at least stumbling around in the same chapter well enough that he could end the conversation there. We were not.

"We will continue this when I return." I shook my head adamantly to disagree, wrapping my arms around myself. Alec sighed, but his frustration should have been a warning sign. "I have to go."

"Take me with you."

He nearly laughed at the bold request, one he had never considered for good reason. My face, however, read differently to him and he sobered with a defensive hiss.

"That is not an option."

"Why not?" He went to cut me off but I continued to push. "You'd know I was safe – and I want to help."

He grunted, "your humanity would be a liability."

My nostrils flared, "because vampires have gotten you…where exactly?" The rhetorical sarcasm was a risk, but he didn't respond. Either he was too pissed to snap back – or was he possibly considering it? "I'm not asking to go after Razin with a wooden stake." I tried to take a step towards him, but his eyebrows narrowed."Yes, you guys have hundreds of years of experience and knowledge but I think differently than you do. Where you might see nothing of significance, I might see an answer."

"I said no."

"I wasn't running away. I was looking for something." My hand reached for his shoulder. "There's—"

"That," Alec said lowly, catching my wrist and dropping it. "That is not a conversation you want to have with me right now."

I challenged, "why not now?"

He groaned in exasperation, "because I am leaving now."

My tongue dripped with a bitter taste, "how convenient for you."

"Don't be difficult, Saffiya."

"I'm difficult?" He had to be the most contemptuous, self-aggrandizing– "You won't even look at me."

He turned sharply and his voice lost its stability, destroying his composure. "Because I cannot deal with you right now!" My heart froze, and I now recognized the hidden shimmer in his eyes. steady

"Alec–" Santiago stood in the doorway. I'd forgotten he was joining them on the mission. Neither of us had noticed the door open during our tete a tete and Alec faltered. I, however, had lost my patience.

"Not now, Santiago," I snapped and he did a double take before he listened. I would have to apologize later. My attention whipped back to Alec. "You can't deal with me? What is that supposed to mean?"

"What is–" He recoiled in disbelief, jaw popping as his contempt began to increase, surpassing mine. "You left me. With no consideration, no protection, and no plan. You left."

Rather than address the obvious, I called him out, ignoring my own timidness under his fury, "I knew you were mad at me."

"I am furious with you," he growled and something about the way he said it made me push myself against the back of the couch. "You purposefully timed this venture," he painted his side of the story venomously, "when I was away. Did you expect me to forget so easily?"

Another knock. Alec snarled with the mastery of a jaguar in response to the interruption, but he didn't look away from me so I jolted in an unfamiliar show of terror at the act. The door shut.

I stumbled, "you wouldn't understand."

Alec grabbed his coat from over a chair, throwing out, "understand what?" He wasn't really asking but I didn't care.

"I think I know how to find my father."

This was, quite possibly, the worst thing I could have said at that point. He lost it, forgetting the buttons on his coat and advancing towards me.

"Of course it is–" He started with one angle, but caught himself before he got too far. I didn't catch it because he sneered, "you are an infuriating human. If you were any other –"

"If I were any other human, I wouldn't be here!" I shouted back, discouraged by his attack but driven by the moment. I squared my shoulders, "I could go question that kid from Interpol. Shack up with him till I knew how to find my father and I'd be done within a week–"

Alec's fingers slipped under the waist of my jeans and tugged me into him with a consuming rashness.

I gasped, my hands landing on his chest. "What the hell—"

My contempt was ignored. His voice went low, the decibel moving through me with a nerve-inducing rush. "Never," he snarled, too rabid to even form the caution, "say that again." Alec's grip tightened on my jeans, knuckles digging into my lower abdomen and bringing my body even closer. "Ever."

The soft glide of his touch on my lower abdomen triggered a catch in my chest. A timid vibration echoed from his body into mine. My breathing shortened and my brain hyper focused on him. Just him. The little scar on his jaw, the outline and curve of his cheekbones. The only thing I wanted in that moment was to trace every part of his face, to feel the gentle pressure of his cheek on mine. An instant for each of the muscles in his shoulders to relax as I trail a finger across the deep indents of his shoulder blades. I longed for that brief refuge of simplicity in him, but a single breath brought me crashing back to reality. He was far from calm, but the dominance in his demeanor had shifted enough to regain control of my mind. It was blurry now and my nerves were fuzzy, and it all stemmed from his touch and proximity.

I fought for control over my own breath, finding my independence much easier this time. "I'm not giving up on him, you can't make me—"

"Your father is gone." Alec breathed in a cool voice. The statement reverberated through me, leaving me weakened as the declaration of reality struck me with a wall of hurt. Not for my father, but from Alec. In a whisper, a ghastly attempt to soften the blow, "nothing you do will ever change that." If he regretted his words, he hid it exceptionally well.

I shoved him away with a verbal grunt, but I could only stare. "I can't believe you just said that to me."

The door was pushed open yet again. Prosper and Demetri had now joined poor Santiago, who was normally as confident as Felix but had clearly gone for backup after I'd yelled at him.

"We're out of time."

Alec glanced at them and sighed roughly, buttoning his coat and turning away from me. "Perhaps it is best that we both return with clearer heads." He retrieved the thin folder from the destroyed remnants of our table, speaking as he did. "As I said. We can have this discussion–"

"Later," I mocked, giving in and facing the opposite way as well to try and breathe through the overwhelming sensations coursing through me lest tears began to form. There was no way I was crying in front of them.

Alec snapped, "don't be a brat."

Demetri and Prosper sent each other quick, astounded faces, not quite sure how to intervene. And they really should have.

"You know what – screw you!"

His eyes flashed and the folder slapped the table between us, the noise striking the air and sending a shockwave through the room.

"Try again."

He no longer cared that we had an audience. That a single glance at the guys waiting by the door might have revealed the slight worry that I had pushed him too far this time. A valid concern, with devastating consequences. But then, it was already a familiar pattern. Only now, he had a conscious control that somehow heightened the need for fight or flight. A reaction I was unable to call upon.

"Out." Alec stated firmly to the three witnesses.

Demetri's face fell and he stepped forward in an attempt to keep any sliver of peace that remained. "Maybe we should all take a break–"

"Now!" Alec bellowed over his shoulder. With extreme reluctance, they left me alone with him. Santiago first and Demetri not far behind. Prosper caught my eyes last, but he obediently shut the door behind him. It was far safer for me to be alone with Alec than it would be for them to try and step in.

"You are not standing on high ground." I did a double take, ready with a sharp comeback but he was ahead of me. "What you did was selfish and it could have gotten you killed. I cannot fathom why–"

"You would have tried to stop me."

"You never presented me with the chance to do anything else." He ran a hand through his hair, his frustration was far from dissipated but exhaustion was seeping in to us both. And I couldn't dispute a single word he said. "I am your mate, not your adversary."

"I didn't exactly get a say in that first part."

"Nor did I, cara, [dear] and yet I would choose you a thousand times over. You and your biting tongue." His tone was cold and distant, the sound alone ringing in my ears and baiting the tears on standby.

I stumbled for a worthy response, because how could I explain something so important it was almost innate, built into my bones. "It's my dad," I choked. The dark locks of his hair began to shake as he moved his head back and forth in disappointment. "Alec–"

I reached out, but he stopped me once more. Pale fingers pressed lightly into my wrist as he shook his head. I tried not to let it hurt; the fact that he didn't want me to touch him. Alec paused, eyes cast downward as the door opened again. In an instant, he vanished, along with the three vampires. Leaving one man leaning on the doorway, arms crossed and a frown dominating his expression.

"Okay," Felix started. "That is not what we meant when we said to get a room."

I exhaled sharply, shooting him a glare.

"What?"

~•~•~•~

A/N: We're clicking publish because I need to accomplish at least one thing this week.

This chapter was so long and there's a lot going on, so it definitely has the potential to be a little much/confusing. Unless it's major, we're leaving it alone until the next draft edits because my goodness it's around 9800 words. But we got some new characters! So, that's fun!

Also, I have to double check, but I'm pretty sure Jane dominates the next chapter. At least somewhat.

We're going back to Ch 47 and forward w/these comments, so apologies for my tardiness.

Mari - Thank you! I do really enjoy them together as well.

Belle - Alec's definitely got some shields up. I guess he's gotta learn how to do both w/Saffiya and in the castle.

I Like Reading - Thank you! I don't have any plans to stop writing, it's just happening slowly. Every scene you asked for is going to be present at some point, most sooner than later.

Rosalie.rock - It means the world that you reread it. I did consider a Bella and Fiya conversation, but I didn't think, at that point, Fiya was ready for the kind of discussion they would need to have. So, future wise, it depends. I'm not even sure if the Cullens will come back again for more than one chapter in the far future. But I will keep this in mind!

2022 - I definitely had to do a lot of character work on him to make sure

Pamela Hutchins - That's a good point, there are definitely some things that need to be addressed between them. But I like the phrase, 'wits end' for Alec. I feel like it's really accurate at times.

MisticaDove - Holy crap, thank you so much. Welcome! Always love new usernames and you can probably already get a taste of those smartass and innocent moments in this chapter, kinda setting the foundation for more to come ;)

evasamui14 - I love when people are annoyed when Saffiya does something because sometimes I haven't even considered it. It's not only her age that makes her so...difficult, but there's a huge developmental gap that will be sort of subtly addressed throughout this part so she can grow.

Guest - It was really fun to write them from an outside POV. Good on you for picking up on that tap...there's definitely something there.

Thank you also for everyone who left a review that I might have missed. I'm so sorry but I appreciate all of your comments and thoughts. Thank you everyone for reading!

UPDATE 8 AUGUST 2022

Both as an explanation, an apology, and a fair warning for your wait for the next chapter, I offer a teaser:

The next chapter could not be told from Saffiya's perspective...

dUN Dun DUnnnnn...

Love, Ro