Denali National Park, Alaska
February, 1989
The Denali Coven sat in the their spacious living area, awaiting the arrival of the Cullen family.
They were still completely flabbergasted by what Alice had told them on the phone. If James went to the Volturi, their family would be called forward eventually due to the fact that they were taking care of Raven. This wasn't good.
However, an oblivious Raven was bouncing with excitement next to Irina. She was absolutely delighted to meet more vampires. She had talked to Alice on the phone twice and couldn't wait to meet her in person. Alice had promised to bring her a belated Christmas present.
Eventually, the sound of wheels turning over snow could be heard in the distance.
"Alright, Ray. Before they get here I want you to remember what we talked about," Tanya said, looking at the child seriously.
"You said to stay beside Irina and Kate until you guys make sure my scent doesn't bother them. Got it," Raven recounted, smiling from ear to ear.
"Well done," Tanya chuckled, looking at her lovingly.
When the Cullens knocked on the door, Tanya made sure Raven was protected before allowing them to enter. Raven watched, completely enraptured with all of these new faces. She rarely got to meet new people.
When she saw Alice, she knew it was her due to the massive christmas present in her hands. Her first instinct was to run over, but she remained seated to avoid being scolded.
"Hello Cullens, it is a pleasure to have you all back in our home. As you know, we have acquired a new addition to our family," Tanya said, motioning for Raven and her coven to come forward.
They escorted Raven over to the Cullens, making sure to flank her just in case one of them could not control their bloodlust. All of the Cullens did indeed notice how good she smelled, but they did not show any signs of attacking as Carlisle introduced his family to her.
"I'm Raven Hastings, but sometimes people call me Ray," she said, grinning widely. The Cullens couldn't help smiling with her. Her happiness was contagious.
"Hastings? Was that your parent's last name, sweetie," Esme asked curiously. When Raven frowned, she felt horrible for asking.
"No, that's my best friend's last name. She gave me my first name so I figured I would use her last name too. Since...she's gone."
Alice noticed the solemn mood that overcame her and decided to interject.
"Would you like to open your gift right now or wait until later?"
Raven's eyes lit up. "Heck no, right now!"
The two family's sat down and began to talk about the situation with the Volturi while Raven played around with her brand new, custom Les Paul electric guitar. Her name was written in calligraphy on the mahogany wood. She loved it and couldn't believe she had one of her own.
"From what I've seen, Aro has got her and her friend Laurent locked up right now. James told them she revealed our secret to a human child, but Victoria has also been running from the Volturi for about three centuries," Alice revealed, looking over at Raven sadly.
"Why haven't they executed her yet? Isn't that enough to do it," Rosalie asked in confusion. From what she had heard, the Volturi were ruthless.
"He doesn't have enough information about the situation. He has read Victoria, but he cannot tell if she is actually mated to Raven. I had a vision of him reading Marcus and seeing that Victoria has an active mating bond. One that is connected to a human, not a vampire. That is why I whole heartedly believe the Denali Coven will be summoned to bring Raven before the kings. Marcus will be able to see the bond."
The Denali Coven looked at their adopted child and felt a sense of foreboding.
Volterra was no place for someone like Raven. Her scent was strong and potent. Around a castle filled with red eyed vampires, that was not good at all. Not to mention, Victoria would most likely lose her mind if she saw her young mate there.
"She's the key to Victoria's survival," Tanya sighed, finally understanding.
"Exactly," Alice nodded.
"Why was she running from the Volturi," Emmett asked. Not many people could get away from them and stay away.
Tanya looked at Kate and held a silent conversation before calling Raven over to them. Maybe Raven would like to know some things about her mate that she hadn't known before.
"Raven, did you know that Kate and I met Victoria in the early 1700s in England," Tanya said, smiling as she looked at her in shock.
"Whoa, so she's like...three hundred years old!" Raven exclaimed. She couldn't fathom how somebody could live that long. She was almost twelve and that seemed like a long time to her.
"Yes, we were there to see the country when we ran into a large coven. The leader was a woman named Hilda and it was consisted of five other vampires. Mary, Anne, Noela, Heidi, and Victoria. Anne was Victoria's older sister," Kate explained.
Raven listened intently, shocked that Victoria had a sister. She wondered where she was and why they had never met. She wondered if she had beautiful red hair like her best friend.
"Do you mean Heidi as in Heidi of the Volturi," Jasper asked, putting two and two together.
Kate nodded. "Precisely."
"You see, Hilda's coven was one of the largest covens, besides the Volturi, in those times. It was absolutely unheard of to have a coven that large. I believe the kings would have left them alone if Hilda and her coven decided to be more discrete about their kills," Tanya said, shaking her head. She said her next words quietly so Raven would not hear her.
"We came upon them right after they had massacred an entire small town. I will give Victoria her credit, though. She was only a newborn and following what her elders were doing. She couldn't exactly control her instincts."
"This was the norm for them, and word spread to the Volturi quickly. Soon enough, the entire guard was set upon them with orders to eradicate the entire coven except two. The two who were gifted. All of them were executed, except Victoria, who's gift allowed her to escape, and Heidi, who willingly joined them."
"I wonder why they've left her alone all this time. I've never heard of the Volturi letting someone go," Edward said wistfully.
"We don't know if they've left her alone. Only Victoria knows. What we do know is that she has been a nomad ever since then. Presumably because she has always been on the run," Kate explained. Edward nodded, thinking about how much of a toll that would take on someone.
"Even if you do bring Raven with you to prove she is Victoria's mate, how do we know they won't execute her for evading them," Rosalie asked the question on everyone's mind.
She watched the girl excitedly show Irina her new guitar. When Alice and Edward told the family about her, she was angry. How could Victoria tell a child about vampires? Why would she even take in a child? However, once she got the full story, she completely understood. It was even more clear after meeting the smart, kind young girl for herself.
"That is precisely why we're worried. By the grace of whatever powers that be, Raven is finally okay. She still has her moments, but she's happy. If Victoria is killed..." Tanya trailed off, grimacing as she imagined that scenario.
Every vampire internally cringed at the thought.
When a vampire's mate dies, it is incapacitating. Many go to the Volturi to be killed. The pain of it is so immense. No one could know exactly how Raven would react to that, but Tanya knew it would be severe due to her reaction to Victoria's departure.
Suddenly, Alice tensed, causing everyone to wait nervously. When she came back to, she looked saddened by something.
"Someone is coming."
Two hours later, the unwelcome sound of a vampire running in the distance made everyone in the cabin tense up. Irina, Eleazar, and Carmen closed ranks on Raven while the rest poured outside to confront the trespasser.
Tanya and Carlisle stood in front of their families, waiting anxiously.
The vampire wore a long, black Volturi cloak with the hood nearly covering his red eyes. Neither coven could recognize the man, but that was the least of their worries at this point. Only the most serious situations called for a courier.
The man held a white envelope with a dark crimson seal on it. He looked over all of the vampires before settling on Tanya.
"Tanya Denali? You and your coven have been summoned by the kings. You have a week's time to arrive in Volterra," he said in a monotone voice.
Tanya took the envelope and opened it. She read over the letter carefully, feeling her anger fear rise.
When she looked up, the man was gone. She handed the letter to Carlisle and silently walked back into the cabin, seething with anger and frustration.
Carlisle read the letter aloud for the others.
"Dear Tanya,
There is a matter that requires the presence of you and your loved ones. It seems your friend Victoria has allowed a very young outsider to acquire knowledge of our presence and your coven is complicit in this crime.
It saddens me to know that you have not learned your lesson when it comes to children. That shall be rectified.
Aro"
