APOV

"Mate?" Jane hissed at me, as soon as we were safely hidden from the eager, curious party.

My sister was the unhappiest of them all.

I carelessly risked the information being released, but nothing had caused more of an eruption within me.

The emblazoning sight of Camilla standing near her, my human, my mate...

This evening was not going how I had planned, and I was angry towards myself for leaving Cheyenne alone. Each time I was away from her, nothing but danger seemed to find her. It only rendered me more anxious to be away from her. I trusted no one but myself to take care of her, and to keep her safe. Though I promised her that I would put my best efforts in to be accepting of David, I knew very well of his intimate feelings for her.

Yet, I allowed the two to be left alone with each other.

The Cullens, whom did not escape my eyes, were also becoming part of my suspicions. Their probing, observant eyes would not leave her, and it brought nothing but irritation within me. The Olympic coven never held any interest in new members. They seemed to hold interest in ours, and I knew better than to assume it was because of my mate's gift.

So you have finally admitted it. She is your mate, the proud voice sang to me.

Yes, and nothing is going to convince me otherwise.

"Sister," I spoke soothingly. "I cannot control it. Please, do not be upset."

"As I saw it, you detested that human," she responded callously, her chin jerking upwards. "What happened to that, brother? You promised me that you would not mate with her. Is this why you have not come to see me? You hold feelings for a mere human, whom you swore to hate? I thought we were closer than that."

My eyes clenched shut tightly, as my sister's words caused anger to burn through my veins. For the first time in my existence, I felt anger towards her. She did not understand. There was nothing on this Earth that would stop me from protecting Cheyenne, nor being with her.

Not even Jane.

I heard myself hiss at her, much to Jane's dismay. Her appalled expression left me unfazed, as I spewed my own response at her.

"I cannot control it, Jane. If you had an inkling of what it is like to have feelings that you cannot control, no matter how much you try to escape it, you would understand why my actions were so crass just now. You are worried so much about what is going on between she and I, when you have been spending more of your time with the newborn? Try again, sister. Do not think I have not heard your laughter through these walls. I was the one who could make you laugh. Remember? What happened to that? It seems you, too, have some explaining to do on your part."

She hissed back at me.

"I have not branded the newborn as my mate!" she growled, her signature pout forming on her lips. "Feelings were never in your belief system. You are becoming more distant from me by the day. She has brainwashed you, Alec. Love is not real to us. You never believed in it, as you recall. You have me, and I have you. That is all we needed, or so I thought. You have been spending too much time in the human's presence. She has tricked you with silly, human fairy tales. You never once believed in having a mate, and now you hold her close to you as if she is a lover."

She spoke with heavy disdain, as I expected. I glared intensely at my twin, who was only angering me with each word she uttered. It became clear to me, then, that it was me that had been lacking emotions. My sister was an angry, bitter person, with no remorse for the lives she took. Cheyenne was more to me than a mere lover.

I would not tell her that I could not entertain the thought of feeding on another human without Cheyenne's face crossing my mind. She would not understand. I almost feared that she never would.

You really do have emotions now, don't you? The voice laughed at me.

"I would hope he is not your mate," I snapped. "He has but two and a half brain cells in his entire head. You are smarter than that, sister, aren't you? Or, do you harbor secret feelings that you do not want me to be aware of? Do you fear that I will shun you for your choices? Look at what you are doing to me. I did try to deny it. You haven't a single clue of how hard I tried to deny it, Jane, to ignore it. Do you know what it is like to have increasingly protective instincts without any knowledge of where it is stemming from? To have a growing desire to touch, or be near to someone without knowing why? I did plan on not having a mate. I did want to kill her, and I still do! Her blood sings to me every passing second that I am near her, but I desire to protect her more than I desire to kill her. I did not want to believe our Master's words; I thought he would be wrong in his conclusions, but it was not so. I did detest Cheyenne, but I cannot any longer. I cannot deny what I feel for her. I want to protect her, more so than you. I desire to have her with me for eternity, and to-"

Jane reached out, slapping her small hand across my face. I silenced, staring at her with a stunned expression.

"Listen to yourself!" She whispered harshly. While hate and anger were evident in her glowing, ruby irises, I did not miss the glistening venom in them. "Where is my brother? How dare you assume that I would have anything to do with that newborn! You know me better than that! I also thought you would have better choices in who you keep around. Camilla? Your human is not a much better fit. She has entrapped you with her insolent voice! She is a siren, brother. She is only deceiving you!"

Her words did not convince me, but the powerful surge of anger that flashed red across my vision only fueled a brand new rage I had not experienced before. It burned brighter and deeper than my rage toward Camilla.

I did know my sister very well, and she never shed dry tears unless she was truly afraid.

As she should be. The consequences of her words would be dire.

"Do you not recall when you voiced to me your fears?" I hissed back, leaning close to my sister's face. "You were the one who feared that you found your own singer, remember, sister? You hid that from me, and you admitted it, too. So, do not dare to fill your words with hypocrisy when you know very well what I am talking about. You do hold feelings for the newborn. I can see it on your face. I do know you better than that. So, do not sneer at me for my choices when you are bound to make the same ones. Her gift has nothing to do with what I now believe, feel, or decide. It may have an affect on me, just as it does every single male on Earth, but it has not played a part in my decisions. She loathes her gift, just as much as I do."

I returned my sister's gesture, striking her across the cheek with much more force. She gasped, a rare, horrified look crossing her face as I continued to speak.

"Just so we are clear, dear sister," I enunciated in a low voice, just for her to hear. "If you, too, plan to hurt my mate, I will not hesitate to protect her from you by any means necessary. Any. Means. Just because you are my sister, does not mean I will allow you to hurt her. She is my life now, and I hold her above any one of you. She comes first, and she will always come first. I do love you, Jane, but it is you who has been brainwashed. You hold onto your bitterness and your anger from our former lives, and it has poisoned you. Perhaps, if you chose to treat her like a person, instead of the dirt underneath your feet, you would understand what I see in her. She is kind. Gentle. Pure. Selfless. She is everything that the humans we dealt with were not. Not every human is filled with misunderstanding and slander, Jane. And, if you even dare to speak about her in a lowly manner again, I will gladly separate myself from you for the rest of eternity. She is nothing like Camilla, and you would do well to never mention her name again, nor compare her to that bitch. I have experienced more elation and happiness with Cheyenne in the last four days, than I ever did with you in the last millennium."

The hurt, sadness, anger, and surprise that colored Jane's features pleased me, as I had made myself perfectly clear.

I would not reveal to her that I would not allow Aro to hurt her, either, for I knew that he could easily hear our argument taking place. His attention always had been placed on us, more so than Felix or Demetri.

It was not until the night that I revealed my true feelings to Cheyenne, that I noticed how dangerous that was.

If Aro took one glimpse into my thoughts, he would know of the shift in my view of him.

The term "Master" had become increasingly abhorrent to me, though I continued to use the reference for appearances. Referring to the vile, corrupted man as my Master repulsed me just as much as Camilla's presence did. I had begun to question the environment I had been reborn into. Everything that once seemed correct, fitting, and perfect, was now questionable, doubtful, and wrong.

"Brother," Jane whispered brokenly to me, and I simply brushed my lips against her forehead.

I knew very well what I was up against, and what choice I was making. I knew what I was sacrificing, and I would do it all for her.

My human. My mate.

Then, a piercing, wailing scream filled my ears, penetrating every one of my senses.

Cheyenne.

Lol I just keep hitting you guys with the good content. Alec really bitch slapped his sister back LOL. It was only fair. Alec's not putting up with her crap anymore! What do you think? Did you all suspect the change in Alec's thoughts about Aro or no? Do you think Jane really has feelings for David? I mean, David kissed Cheyenne, didn't he? Who's touched by Alec's complete change in how he sees their past? Idk about you, but I high key am missing the fluff I was writing. Don't worry, we'll have some more of that soon.

This chapter is named Faultline after Faultline by Starset. Remember, I'm naming chapters after song titles based on their lyrics. This was the best song that I had that best fit the argument between Alec and Jane. The previous chapter was named Bloodstream after Ed Sheeran's Bloodstream because it can easily parallel to the thoughts of someone when they're being changed into a vampire.

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