– Alec –
As newborns, we craved our orders.
My sister and I were hungry for revenge on a world that had shown us there was little else. Our new lives welcomed us with powerful gifts, and our makers gave us a purpose for which to use them.
The guards (who were yet to become The Guard) became our toys from the moment we were presented to them. A guard dared to snicker at our age, and Jane's temper nearly lobotomised the vampire. While my gift moved with greater patience, I was able to use it as a deterrent long before the others traced the source to Jane. The Masters watched, enthralled, enraptured, as bodies began to fall. One by one, their entire coven succumbed to two children. Children under their command.
Jane and I tested our gifts early on, learning the full extent of our powers by way of friendly, sibling rivalry. We did so in the form of competitions that proved we were near opposites in every way. A race to see who could inflict our powers on a single target first, how long we could sustain it, and the amount of misery we could inflict upon others. We thrived on the terror that we created. It was an intoxicating high on every occasion, and the response of our victims never failed to disappoint. Which of our gifts was worse? It was the one competition we could never settle.
Eventually, we settled into our new lives. We learned to use our gifts as tools rather than as toys. The lesson gave us more power, our gifts more prestige, and our presence, more intrigue. Even our own coven hesitated to turn a corner, lest one of us waited on the other side with an unstimulated mind. It had not taken long for us to pick up on Aro's cues, his directive to use our gifts on the incompetent vampires we ruled over. A verbal request was a formality. The Masters were the only members in the coven that our gifts had never touched. The three men alone were safe from the nightmares we inspired.
We needed no humility, for there was no objectivity to the fear we inspired.
Jane had a smoother transition into our new roles in the afterlife. She was naturally suspicious, a trait that served us well in our childhood and made her a competent leader for our elite group. The dynamic was more efficient, and while the lighthearted banter of Felix and Demetri was uniquely based and coincidentally tailored for my sister and me, I was able to integrate easier and more often than she did in a group setting. Her gender, I have postulated within the last few hundred years, may have been an influential factor in this behaviour and hesitation to let down her guard. She would never admit it.
"She is asking questions, Brother. Questions that I cannot answer." I sighed shortly into the phone, and Jane asked rhetorically in an unnecessary whisper, "has she always been so inquisitive?"
My mate had given my sister something I could not. Their friendship was a gift I would forever be grateful for. The likelihood of either of us finding a mate had been so unlikely, that it never bothered us. We had each other. And now I had found a mate, but the arrival of mine did not guarantee hers would follow. It was fantasy to believe in, and Jane had given up on such ideas a long time ago.
"What does she want to know?"
Jane scoffed, "everything."
Prosper's call had forced me to decide between my mission and my mate. And while my sister and our companions stood behind my decision, I feared the consequences from the Masters. I should not have entertained my doubts, as they proved once more their wisdom and superiority. Aro understood. He always understood. And with Saffiya safe, I had no hesitation returning to complete the task we had been assigned.
When we first left for this mission, it was a simple task: Surveil and assess. We would identify any potential threats, assess the risks, and report. An ally of the Volturi had shared information directing us to four dens potentially harbouring members of the Resistance. The first three we visited before returning for Saffiya were abandoned or showed no evidence of occupation and we left it undisturbed.
Unfortunately, our current mission also found the last den empty – only this time, it was recently abandoned. The ground was still seeping with human blood, staining the earth with the careless feasting of newborns. The air was strangled with the scent of burnt flesh, distinct enough to indicate that the extinguished fire had fed on both live and undead bodies. They had burned their newborns once again, and we were left with nothing but ash.
They knew we were coming.
The coincidence was indefensible. I sent Santiago and Prosper to retrieve the vampire who informed us of the locations and return him to Volterra for trial. He had been a long-time friend of the Masters, yet not one above suspicion. The man should have known better than to betray the Volturi.
I would have sent Demetri, as a tracker, and kept Prosper had the Masters not given me a second, more pivotal assignment. A minor detour. And with the absence of my twin, Demetri would be accompanying me amongst the humans.
Despite standing in the center of a courtyard in our new location, the scent of humanity tainted the air. The area itself was visually appealing, designed to invoke intrigue for an unquestioning audience. An old, weather-worn statue watched over the small island. I stood beside it, doing the same. It was clear that there had been little upkeep to the statue itself, a detail that stood quite antithetically with the blossoms of greenery cut and styled to near perfection around it.
"The physician-" Jane was interrupted by a sweetly cautious voice in the background. My grip tightened on the phone, desiring the greatest amount of detail possible, but she spoke too softly for the useless device to pick it up. "I don't think he wants to–"
I interjected, "is that her?" As if I did not already know the answer.
Jane felt the need to inform me, "we were practicing." I had to refrain from a physical response to the information. My sister and I swore never to use our gifts on the other long ago. A pact that would have extended to my mate if I had not disposed of her attackers within the limits of the city. Much as I loathed the decision, I understood the necessity of the punishment. The sanctity of our city was paramount and blood singer or not, I knew better.
There was another pause, four beats, before Jane grumbled into the phone, "she wants to speak with you."
Demetri made a poorly feigned hacking sound behind me, and I had to refrain from snarling at him. His curiosity outweighed my empty threat as he had become visibly more interested in the casual conversation with my sister than I would have liked. He leaned against one of the columns in a disgraceful attempt at a carefree, mysterious impression. The woman he spoke to was none the wiser to our little interaction, prattling on about something useless, as humans do. And though she did seem taken with the dashing effect of a vampire's qualities, he would be better off adhering to his usual tricks as a successful Lothario rather than waste his energy pretending to be complex.
Refocusing on my sister's implied question, I was tempted to say yes. If only to hear my mate's voice, my name passing through her sweet lips. Logically, I knew doing so was too risky before finishing our assignment. There was no way of knowing how our conversation would go and I needed to be focused. Especially here, now. My foul mood left me with little patience since we left Volterra and I was driven only by completing the task at hand. Agreeing to speak with her was a decision that risked the mission's success. It was a risk I could not take.
My contemplation examined the statue in detail before I resigned myself to an answer. "No."
"Brother–"
"We will return by morning. You should prepare for the others." Santiago and Prosper were likely to return before us, especially if we spent any longer within these walls.
A bell chimed above us, echoing with a ridiculous ringing as if to inform the entire country of their activities. It did, however, catch both Demetri's and my attention for the sky. The metal steeple of the church stood out against the blue sky, adding to the idyllic nature of the convent and making me all the more eager to return to Volterra.
Jane sighed into the phone, "there is something else."
I glanced back at my unfortunate companion, acting as if he had any right to be smug. "What is it?" The snap of exasperation slipped without intention, and I felt guilty when my sister took a moment to collect herself, before responding.
Silence. I wanted to explain everything that weighed on my thoughts, to inform her of my current location and what we could gain from a visit like this. She would excuse my temper and sequester the various elements that kept me from focusing. My sister could help, but I held it in. I had to do this without her, alone.
Demetri was merely a witness.
My twin's voice was taut, leaving me no room to apologize, "I hope you know what you're doing."
She decided that was the end of our conversation, offering a hasty goodbye. I ran my fingers through my hair, knowing I had left her to somehow explain to my mate that I needed more time. Of which she would be accurately sharing. I did require additional time to reflect on the last discussion Saffiya and I had engaged in. However, time was disparate from distance. The latter of which I hoped to lessen between us. I only hoped Jane could assuage the internal, racing concerns that would be dominating my mate's mind.
I resisted the urge to redial and dropped the phone in my pocket. To avoid the pointed look Demetri was undoubtedly sending my way, I gave our surroundings another once over before joining him and the woman he was attempting to abscond to the Garden of Eden with. My arrival distracted her. She froze, forgetting her conversation and watching me with wide eyes. Her future vows were, no doubt, being reconsidered.
Demetri coughed, and the blood rushed to the girl's cheeks. "The bell means she will...will...I'll see how long she'll be." She squeaked something else that assured her return, ducking away in embarrassment and hurrying the opposite way down the corridor.
Refusing to allow Demetri to come up with some ridiculous personable quip, I interjected, "really Demetri, even enhanced characteristics would not be enough to sway these humans from their blind vows." I smirked, delighted by the twitch of his eyebrow. "Not for you, anyways."
"Is that a challenge?"
I snickered at his sensitivity, "hardly the time or place."
He screwed up his face, before tilting his head and indicating to a group passing across the courtyard with their attention on us. "Says you, kid. I seem to be the talk of the abbey."
I smirked, leaning against the stone wall. It was no surprise that Saffiya had adapted well to the castle. "Yes, well. You are standing beside me."
Demetri glowered, his only defense being an attempt to shame me. "You have a mate."
"Aye, I do. And you have...?"
He huffed and crossed his arms across his chest, standing to his full height. It was something he often did once his ego had been deflated. His height was much greater than my own, but standing beside Felix had made him sensitive on the matter. It tended to be a sore subject if one were to remind him that I had been unable to finish growing, while he had reached his full height, and potential, before he was turned.
"Damn, I forgot how mean you were without her." I rolled my eyes, both of us well-aware that sarcastic battery was hardly 'mean' by my standards. "Soak it up now, pretty boy. Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing a certain newborn's reaction next time something like that happens with someone not practicing abstinence."
Saffiya was hardly the type. "Do not be alarmist. I've done nothing wrong."
"Sometimes, that is even worse." His grin only seemed to grow as my expression hardened. "Women."
"Your scenario lacks realism. Even so, if no blood is spilt, newborns are easily distractible."
Demetri let out a disruptive booming laugh. "You're pretty, pretty boy. But you haven't even kissed her and you already think you can distract her like that." He may have been working with false information, but the consideration had not been as far from my mind in recent weeks as I may wish to claim.
I immediately denied the assertion. "That was not–"
"Although, it is more promising than Felix locking you two in a closet." Dimwitted. Both of them.
A growl came from my chest, "I would rather not kill my mate as a result of giving into base desires."
He waved me off, just in time for a pair of nuns to pass us. He had the audacity to wink at the women, each more than twice his biological age. Despite the aghast looks on their faces, he grinned.
I collected myself, using the greenery nearby to center my head before hissing at him, "do pull yourself together. It is in poor taste to tempt the pious."
He cackled, amused by the bias of my demand, "it wasn't too long ago that you were charming the pants off every dame you could. Besides, you loathe religion."
"I loathe you, yet here we are."
"Okay, smartass." I was rewarded with silence for about two seconds before Demetri opened his uneducated mouth once more. "She misses you too, you know." He had the decency to flinch at my glare before tilting his head back and forth with indecision. "She didn't exactly confess to stealing Felix's device, but she's been using it to message me all day."
I growled, more annoyed with the situation than her breaking Caius' rule. "Who taught her how to use it?" He didn't answer, more intent on getting through to me. Believing himself to be a confidant for my 'girl troubles', a term he and Felix had moronically taken to using. This time, however, my resolve was slightly weak, "she said this?"
He did a double take, shaking his head fervently. "What? No, it's Fiya. If she knew how to use her words, you would be texting with her. Like teenagers should do in this day and age." It was a difficult point to contend. "Do you want to read them?"
I hesitated, a light exhilaration running through me at being given a second chance to interact with Saffiya. I shook my head and Demetri's eyes widened, all playful banter wiped from his expression. He removed his hand from his pocket, presumably having expected to present me with their conversation. "Damn. You really are mad at her."
"If I recall, you once shared in my disdain."
Demetri shrugged, "yeah, I was disappointed in her. But what Caius said makes sense–"
He had held his tongue in the presence of Prosper and Santiago, knowing better than to bring up a potential crack in my armour in front of others. Not to mention, I would have ensured he paid dearly for daring to do so. And although Prosper had become of far more use than expected in the recent months, he and Santiago remained our inferiors. They had already witnessed the recent argument with my mate – one I was bound to receive a lecture on from Marcus or Aro. The latter preferred to offer additional advisement that was eerily similar to the linguistic style of his wife. A woman who knew I respected her, but that I was likely to accept her husband's advice with more expediency.
The young novice reappeared in the hallway. My eyes flickered unconsciously to Demetri before turning toward the human. Her stutter was less prominent, her heart calmer and the light hint of her accent came through as she informed, "I received permission to show you her room."
And though she attempted to stay upbeat in starting a conversation as she took us down another corridor, it was clear the temperature had changed between her guests. She continued trying in limited English, until Demetri took pity on her. He thumbed towards me and lied, "he has no idea what we're saying." To which she giggled, feeding his vapid personality.
I paid them no mind as Demetri took the lead. If there was anything I abhorred more than humans, or most individuals; it was communicating with them. That is before I was mated to one. Still, I had little interest in attempting to speak with these devout humans, even with their connection to my mate. And though her humanity was the sole source of our hardships, I cherished the purely human traits about her. The catch of breath inspired by the brief connection between her body and mine that turned eyes of jade my way. An occasional agitation that either overwhelmed her mind or made her inclined to provoke the same in another, usually in me. Oddly enough, the blood that rushed to the marks I had twice left on her throat, reminding myself that she was human, delicate, precious in every way. The flutter of her heart when she scolded me for doing so. And though it was the most perilous and tempting of all, her heartbeat was everything to me.
"May I ask..." the timid nun spoke up. "Is she alive?" I held back a snarl at the inane question.
The Kings had been content to allow our interaction with the human police before any rash decisions were made. But when I had not been contacted after a month, Caius grew concerned. His concern was not for their investigation, but rather regarding the commitment on the part of the nuns to recover Saffiya. We were to tell them whatever was needed to stifle that desire.
The woman stopped at one of the wooden doors, plain and unassuming as the rest. It creaked as she pulled it open and I was nearly knocked to the ground as a rush of air whipped straight toward me. The room still smelled like its owner and the remnant of her lasting scent hit me with a near overpowering force. Demetri hissed something insubordinate at me, but I was subjugated by my mate's perfume, forcing him to cover with the human.
"Is he alright?"
"Absolutely," he clapped me on the back, half subtly pulling me back up with a tug on my coat. "Allergies."
I shot him a glare, the nudge pulling me from my thoughts before I grudgingly confirmed with a hoarse voice, "Yes. Allergies." Whatever those were.
She nodded, unsure of what to make of the display, but entered the room. I elbowed Demetri aside, pleased by the small hiss of pain from him and followed after her. But there was already another woman standing inside.
Rather than the unusual blue veil of the novice, this woman was in the traditional all black habit and white coif of a nun. Her years were nowhere near old enough to gray but hardly young enough to deny her future. Fair creases were subtle across her forehead and around her smile. Her eyes were delicate and extraordinarily determined as she waited for the younger girl to acknowledge her presence.
The novice exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Misha! You're supposed to be in..." Sister Misha gave her a warm, yet intentionally naive smile, one I could recall seeing on both the wives's faces once or twice, that advised the young woman not to finish her sentence. "These are officers from Interpol. They are here about–"
"Thank you, Sister. I can manage from here."
"But, the Reverend Mother –"
With a firmer tone, Sister Misha reiterated, "you may close the door behind you, Sister Elena."
My throat tightened and I was no longer able to hold back the venom from flooding my mouth. The combination of my mate's scent and the blood pumping through this woman's veins was a combination that was almost unbearable. My muscles tightened and the burning in my throat that I had spent the last several months attempting to ignore now reignited from a mere ember. Closing the door was a very bad idea.
Whether he actually used his intellect to deduct my temporary discomfort or not, Demetri began to converse with the remaining human. I took advantage of the distraction. Saffiya's scent was not as tempting as when we were together. I could not sense the blood, alive in her veins, nor the flutter of her heart – only the remnants of her previous life. A life before me. I refrained from delving too deep into the thought while a similar, but not nearly as satisfying temptation stood only steps away. Instead, I attempted to use the environment to distract myself from the suffocating hunger that had been triggered.
The room was small, simplistic, and devoid of much individualized personality. Though, this was to be expected considering the minimalist lifestyle of a convent. The majority of the space was centered around the wooden bed, perfectly made but slightly rumpled, as if it had been recently slept upon. There was a table in the corner with two chairs on either side and a stack of books was neatly stacked underneath it. A small window vented the only fresh air into the room and as luck would have it, I was able to take it in without the nun's additional scent poisoning the air.
I took another risky breath, swallowed, and my mind began to clear. The fire in my throat remained.
"I'll tell you both what I said to the last men who came – Saffiya is no criminal."
We had done little to adopt our false role of an 'Interpol officer', as it was unlikely we would be doubted by a group of nuns. Especially when it was a matter of such sensitivity. There would be no reason for anyone to lie. Or so we believed. Sister Misha was clear about her doubts from the start.
Demetri performed a taken aback reaction, playing innocent. "We never intended to make any allegation of the sort."
She hummed, waving the comment off before taking a seat at the small table against the far wall. Without addressing us, she opened the single drawer with a sharp tug. Wooden figures clattered inside it, pieces for a chess set. Aro had requested Heidi add the chess table to Saffiya's room and we had found it highly unlikely that the young human would partake. All but Jane, who made it her mission to ensure my mate put the game to good use and to prove Aro knew best. I had not doubted my master, but now I knew why. Sister Misha began delicately setting up a new game, glancing up at Demetri. "Do you play?"
He made a face and she smiled softly, looking to me next. I had to admit, the woman's aura and her abrupt approach to our visit was unexpected. My curiosity defied my nature and I accepted, sitting across from her. Both of us ignored Demetri's poorly hidden shock at my decision to sit across from the woman to play a silly game. Especially when we had a purpose, a task to accomplish. It had been ages since I played anyone but my sister in the game. In an unusual move, Sister Misha claimed white and continued the conversation on her own terms.
"Whatever she's done – it's her father's influence."
Demetri was still confused, caught off guard by the hostile direction the woman had started in. "She has done nothing wrong," he assured her.
Her eyes wavered between us as I made my first move. Her lips dropped their smile into a straight line, but instead of an expression of anger or resentment, she resembled a deep sorrow that was palpable in the tension already surrounding us. "My apologies. The last time your agents visited they were rather impolite."
"Impolite?"
"And abrasive." She tried to meet my eyes despite my lack of participation in the conversation. I narrowly avoided her attentions, losing my knight in the process. "I'd hardly reported her missing."
Demetri continued, "you have our apologies for your treatment." I rolled my eyes at his attempt to charm the older woman. "I am sure they had the best intentions. All we wish is to help bring Saffiya home."
"Yes, that would be why you're here," she commented, somehow maintaining a playful, yet firm and gentle disposition beholden to a nun. "Which is odd. Considering I cannot reach anyone at your offices besides a young intern. But even he will not answer my calls now."
I exchanged glances with Demetri, a response that did not go unnoticed by the nun as my companion continued, "I see. When did you last speak with him?"
She turned a suspicious eye on him before abruptly leaving our game unfinished and moving to fluff the pillows on the bed. Nerves. I tuned in to her heartbeat, but it was steady. If she was not lying, we needed to determine what had triggered the shift. "About two months ago, I'd say."
"Two months? Are you sure?"
"I am." No change in her heart – she was telling the truth. Saffiya had provided my telephone contact to the boy within that time. If the nuns had not heard from him, then he had chosen not to de-burden the woman with the news that my mate was alive. The realization was not what I expected. The teenager had projected an integrity that was entirely contrary to the other man. But if he had not shared any updates with the women by now, it was doubtful he ever would.
That was it. The information we had travelled to obtain. We could depart for Volterra, abandon the nun in her growing distress. Mere hours ago, I would not have blinked an eye at the decision. Yet Demetri nor I made a move to do so. There was something about this woman.
"What has changed that you needed to visit us in person when a telephone call would suffice–" She froze seconds after the words left her mouth, something occurring to her. "Is she...has she passed?"
The word and its association with my mate made venom pool on my tongue once more. "No," I answered sharply, speaking up for the first time. Demetri's head whipped over to me with caution evident in his expression.
He was quick to recover from my mistake but too smooth to lessen the woman's skepticism. "Her whereabouts are still unknown. Do you have any ideas as to where she might be?"
Now settled that her fears had not been realized, a coy tilt of her lips appeared at the question, but only for a second. "She's rather resourceful."
She was holding something back, and Demetri expressed his appreciation, "is that why there seems to have been no reservations for sending a fifteen year old with a detrimental condition, alone into the world?"
"Your glib opinion is not undeserved, but we are nuns, if you're forgotten. We had a great deal of concern when she made the decision." I failed to hide my amusement at Demetri's deflated sense of self, even if it was a question we had all been asking since Saffiya arrived in Volterra.
Demetri still pushed, as if he'd been passionately fretting over the question as a philosophical conundrum. He was genuinely bothered by it. "She's a child. Was that really her decision to make?"
Instead of taking offense, the nun smiled softly at him. "By supporting her, we were able to provide her with the resources to stay safe and survive on her own. By letting her go, she knew she was welcome to return." She allowed us to process, clarifying, "Saffiya only stayed with us as long as she believed her father was coming back for her."
"She was here for three years."
"Most children are able to recognize the natural faults in their parents by her age, but her life with him was...glamorous. She was too young to understand."
"Understand what?"
She paused at the prompt.
"Your colleagues were quite familiar with her father. I assume you are as well?" Demetri and I exchanged looks, not quite sure what she expected.
Demetri answered, "the con man. We are familiar."
For some reason, this did not satisfy her. She crossed her arms over her chest, bluntly demanding, "why don't you boys tell me who you are – and what you want with our Saffiya."
Our Saffiya, she said, staking claim to my mate. Demetri's head snapped to me, analyzing my response as an imminent threat. The longevity and sincerity of her claim challenged mine with a near equal consequence. Unexpected jealousy rose within me in a frenzied, monstrous plague. But the emotion hit a wall as a burst of queries arose simultaneously, a lifetime's worth – all of which could be answered by this woman who knew my mate better than I.
There was a lurking pressure in my chest, as if I'd only just found the connection I shared with this woman. My mate. My Saffiya. I craved any recognition, any sentiment associated with her, any chance to be closer to her with so much distance between us was an opportunity I could not miss. And this human before me held a part of my world in her memories.
Demetri knew my next move before I did, "Alec, a word?" I ignored him, undoing my collar and separating my coven's crest from the chain I had placed around my neck only days ago. Deliberately, I revealed the ring that would erase her distrust of my intentions.
Recognition lit up her eyes in an instant and her hand went from her chest to her mouth as she let out a violent gasp. Demetri caught her, transferring the human onto the bed, rumpling the linens even more. He rushed to the door in the next second, ensuring it was securely shut to avoid drawing attention to our activities from any passersby. Her hysterics put a bad taste in my mouth, but I swallowed back the venom and returned the ring to its place under my tunic.
"Why do you have that?" Her question was not as accusatory as I expected.
Demetri tried to bring her back, "we need you to answer our questions–"
"Please," she directed towards me. I balled my hand into a fist, glancing at Demetri who was shaking his head at my temptation. That, or he thought I was about to attack the woman for her persistence. An option I was not completely against. "Is she..." but the nun was unable to finish.
I examined the woman, envious of the time she spent with my mate. If I left her with too little information, she might be inclined to continue her search. And she had the answers to many questions my mate could not answer, though she was unlikely to give me much else without receiving something in return.
My mouth moved before my mind could talk me out of the honest approach. "She is safe." Behind her, Demetri clapped a silent and dramatic hand to his face.
"Where–" she stopped herself. "I suppose that is not an answer I will receive." She turned back to Demetri, who gritted his teeth but smiled politely. It seemed someone was no longer interested in flirting.
"Demetri, wait outside."
"I don't think..." his voice trailed off, eyes glancing down as he remembered whom he was speaking to.
I teased under my breath, "let's not be foolish." Demetri's eyes widened, well-aware that I was not above using my gift on him in front of the human. I could take sense by sense away as he would be forced to stand still, act as if he were simply listening to our conversation. Or maybe I would rotate his exposure to each one. One at a time, returning his sight only to steal his sense of touch. He would stumble, uselessly checking to ensure the floor was still under his feet. He would desperately hold onto the sight, but eventually, his faith would waiver. As faith often does. I half wished he would dare to finish his sentence.
"I'll be outside."
I stood as the door closed behind him. Without waiting for her to process, I softened my gaze and added a smooth lilt to my voice, "I can only tell you that she is in danger."
"Did he –" she changed her question. "What happened?"
"Poor timing." It confused her and I grit my teeth, breaking eye contact for only an instant, "she witnessed something she should not have."
She tilted her head, standing to approach me. I stood my ground, ignoring how unsettled her lack of trepidation made me. Her eyes scanned my face and for once, I struggled to keep a stoic appearance and I found myself growing as curious as my mate.
"Who are you to her?" I lifted my chin, not expecting the question. I held back an answer. She pursed her lips, but maintained her composure. However, before I could say anything, Sister Misha changed her mind yet again and she placed a hand on my cheek. My muscles tensed but she hardly flinched at the ice of my skin, too lost in her thoughts to notice.
"Dios mio." Her eyes were glassy and in them, there was a strained pain that I recognized. Or rather, I identified with it. With a human and its emotion. My own human was making me vulnerable to such experiences. "What has that girl gotten herself into?"
My orders were to do everything in my power to ensure no one would ever be able to find my mate. This woman would never give up on Saffiya, an undeniable devotion that made her a liability. The only liability. My darling mate would be devastated if I killed one of her nuns. She would forgive me eventually, when she no longer held the same attachment to a human she would hardly remember. But I would not be eager to begin our immortality together with yet another contention in our path.
I took her shaking hand and removed it, correcting the likely bewildered expression on my face. I found myself unable to choose the best wording to convince her. "You must not search for her any longer."
Sister Misha breathed in sharply and shook her head, "I will not give up on her."
"Have you considered that she has willingly chosen not to return?" I hissed automatically. I hated humans. A fact of which Demetri was well-aware. I could practically see his fit from the shadow of his pacing in the crack between the stone floor and the wooden door.
My sudden attack made the nun drop her head. Her fingers went to her rosary as she attempted to recover from my harsh words. The disdain spread across her face and I reminded myself that I needed her on my side.
I took a breath, ignoring the dulled sting in the back of my throat and tried to coax her back, "any further attention given to her existence will threaten her life."
"I want to see her – speak with her."
I denied the request, "that is not possible. Thank you for your assistance." Her hand moved to my arm as if to stop me and out of nothing but respect for my mate, I allowed it.
"You had questions."
According to the Masters' orders, I did not. But there were many unknowns about my mate that I might never again have the chance to discover.
"Tell me about her father."
She blew air out of her nose and every breath she took tested my patience. For a moment, it seemed she was going to inquire for more details, to determine whether she should offer such specific information to two men who were clearly lying to her. The nun had more faith and patience than I, and with the added pressure of my supernatural characteristics, she had no hesitation answering my question.
"She idolizes that man." That much was regrettably obvious to me. "I only met him once, but there was something about him."
It was the way she said it that prompted me to ask, "I presume he made you uncomfortable."
Sister Misha shook her head, adamantly. "Just the opposite. I have never met anyone like him."
"How so?'
Almost laughing, astounded by a remnant memory, she annunciated, "The man could talk his way out of a lion's den." She remained wide-eyed, but her face fell as if reciting poetry, "he taught her everything she knows."
Demetri knocked harshly on the door, swinging it open. "We need to leave," he lied, sending me a pointed glare as the woman seemed to only ramble uselessly.
"Promise me that when this danger is over, you will return with her." I examined the woman again and my lack of response prompted a threat, "or I will–"
I nodded once, ending her useless attempt, "I promise." Her chest heaved a heavy sigh of relief, tears filling her eyes to the brim as she held them back. The lie would haunt me far longer than I cared to admit.
"Thank you for your assistance." Demetri tilted his chin before meeting my eyes with urgency. "But we must be going."
Not yet.
"What did you mean?" Sister Misha waited for me to elaborate, tears already dotting her cheeks. Both of us ignoring Demetri's slump at my persistence. "What did her father teach her?"
Her gaze drifted to our long forgotten chess match before she began, "how to cheat a lion."
~•~
It was not until we stopped at a town near Volterra to feed that either Demetri or I said a word.
I carelessly dropped the male human in my arms and the corpse collapsed weakly at my feet. I kicked it off with ire spreading throughout my veins. Demetri was eyeing me and I refused to meet his stare as I advanced on the last one, previously silenced by my gift. Her eyes were wide with the terror I so deliriously fed on before I met my mate. Tears were streaming down her face, and her body thrashed as I lifted her against the wall, with her palms shoving against me as if she stood a chance.
I bared my teeth, snarling at her and she stopped fighting. "I despise humans," I sneered as she let out a mute wail, desperate that it would preserve her life.
Demetri chuckled, brushing himself off as if either of us would be so messy in a feeding. His broken human lay on the ground not far off from my first. "All but one. You do recall that you are currently pining after a human?"
The girl in front of me turned her eyes upwards as if in prayer, lips moving at a rapid pace despite their muteness. I scoffed in disgust, gripping her chin and twisting her neck. She too was dropped to the ground with the sharp crack, eyes still open with a useless plea.
"Are you going to tell her? Everything?"
"Yes," I growled, wishing I had at least a pinch of my sister's gift to strike him.
Without a filter, Demetri continued, "I am surprised you never discussed her father."
"We have," I grunted. "Frequently."
"And she never mentioned–" I shot him a dark look and he raised his palms but did not choose to drop the topic. "What did she say, then?"
Shortly, I avoided the question, "I am not interested in male bonding with you." However, undeterred by my usual vitriol, he continued.
"I have to say," I gave a low warning growl, not quite ready to reflect on the new perspective we had been given. "Everything the nun told us...it explains a lot."
He was right. At the very least, it shed light on Saffiya and I's fight at the Cullens and her nonchalance when I was inches from killing her, and every moment in between. She understood the rise of our emotions when I explained the supernatural influence of our bond to her and yet, she only seemed to grow less aware. Even someone as careful as her, with her condition, should have known better than to antagonize a deadly creature. If I were a tiger, would she run from me? If my outward appearance struck fear into her heart, perhaps then she might consider me dangerous enough to be concerned for her own life.
Demetri's hand landed on my shoulder in a poor attempt at comfort and I took advantage of the contact. He was well-versed in the sensation of tingling fingertips the instant before my gift registered and he removed the limb. While he still could.
"Listen," he rubbed his hand to rid himself of the numbing whisper. "I think she's right. I think Fiya knows but...I don't think she knows. Maybe it is best she thinks of him with child-like, rose-coloured glasses."
I turned on him. "Are you instructing me to lie to my mate?"
"It's not lying. You wouldn't be telling her anything new," he reasoned and chose his next words with caution. "A new perspective would ruin a lot of happy memories. Ones that she will not have once she's turned."
"He's a monster."
Demetri shook his head adamantly, and his point added to my irritation, "was. One less monster you have to protect her from." He added, "and he can't hurt her anymore."
I ignored him, "Volterra expects us."
"Just consider it, will you?"
He threw one of the corpses over his shoulder and I stared down at the crippled body in front of me. "What are allergies?"
Demetri shrugged, "no idea. Saw it in a movie."
~•~•~•~
A/N: Bet y'all were not expecting any of that ^ Unless you're psychic, in which case, hit me up for some lotto numbers.
You will notice some discrepancies in timeline and such. That is because I changed some things ages ago and forgot to update non-Wattpad websites because it's more difficult. I'll be going back for it, but just FYI.
The original chapter did have Jane and I am very sorry for the change. Hopefully, the surprises in this chapter make up for it but don't worry, you'll still get the same scenes just in a different place. Unless I change my mind and add it in before this chapter, which is a real possibility. Who knows at this point.
This was not supposed to be a chapter, so I literally scrapped the other chapter and started this about a week and a half ago, maybe 2 weeks. I don't like random P.O.V.s thrown into books unless it's done well and consistent, but then I remembered I was doing this for fun and said fuck it.
One reason I did it this way, is because I know a lot of people might be under the impression that the Volturi know how crap of a father her dad was. But the only reason you guys know that, is because of her writing it. But even in writing, she doesn't totally see her dad as a bad guy. So, any stories she would have told the Volturi would not present him as the bad guy, but rather as the hero. Until now. You will get to learn the rest of what Misha told them before the cut (~•~) at a later point, but consider them officially caught up.
Also, I will respond to comments by tonight and update the chapter once I have!
Happy Birthdays all around!
Ro
p.s. I accidentally posted the chapter with the wrong title, so I had to delete and repost. Sorry for the double notifications!
