Plane to Rome
February, 1989
"How come we're going to Italy? Is this a vacation? Can we get pizza? Don't Italian folks have the best pizza?"
"Raven, you know for a fact that you can't eat cheese. And no, this isn't a vacation," Irina said, unable to keep from smiling at the girl's rambling.
"That sucks."
Raven rolled her eyes and went back to staring out of the window of the plane. She had been afraid of planes, but now she had no fear. There were enough vampires on the plane to save her should something happen. She was more concerned about eating pizza.
The Denali Coven had debated whether or not to tell Raven that she would be seeing Victoria. They were conflicted due to how she would react. They didn't know what she was liable to do. When it came down to it though, they figured that maybe talking to her about it and warning her was the better option.
"Raven, I want to warn you that where we're going is very dangerous. Victoria will be there but I want you to remain beside us until told otherwise," Tanya said, giving her a serious look.
"That's not funny...," Raven gasped, unable to believe what she was hearing. She looked at the faces of all of her family members and they all looked serious.
"Oh my god, I- I don't even...what- how," Raven stuttered, clearly flabbergasted. Her caramel cheeks blushed and she shook her head in disbelief.
"You're going to be meeting people who are the leaders of our world, and they don't follow our diet. So, you have to stay beside us so we can protect you. Okay, love?"
Raven nodded slowly. "Yeah, of course. I'll try, but... I really miss her."
The Denali Coven looked at her sadly, and understood. They could warn Raven not to go to her mate, but seeing her in person was an entirely different story. They all knew how they would react in her situation.
Hopefully, this ordeal would not end tragically.
The moment they entered the Volturi Castle, the dread they all felt increased tenfold for all of the vampires. Heidi and Jane were already waiting to escort them to the throne room. The tension was so thick, one could almost smell it.
Raven, didn't seem to notice.
"Whoa, you're pretty," Raven whispered, staring at Heidi with wide eyes. She looked like a perfect, moving statue to her.
"You're Victoria's little human, right? I wouldn't say that around her, kiddo," Heidi chuckled, finding the girl's awe endearing.
"Her name is Raven and that is the least of our problems, right now," Tanya said pointedly. Heidi nodded slowly, getting her meaning.
"Aro loves children, ya know. I think she'll be fine. I can't say the same for Tori."
"Don't you guys eat children? Aren't you the one that leads them to their death," Kate said, outraged at her statement. They'd all heard about Heidi's fishing.
Heidi laughed. "We don't allow children into the castle. Raven, is the first child to enter in centuries. You could say Aro has morals. Also, children don't have enough blood to be appealing unless they're your singer, of course."
"Enough," Jane growled, tiring of Heidi's incessant oversharing.
"Yes ma'am," Heidi grumbled.
Raven stood wide eyed as their guides opened the massive, ornate doors to the throne room. The three thrones were occupied by three vampires that looked as if they were made of marble. They sat so still that she was certain they were not actually people.
Until, one of them moved.
"Denali Coven! It is a pleasure to have you. I see you've brought the reason for your summons," Aro said exclaimed, causing Raven to flinch in surprise.
"We were happy to come to Victoria's defense. I can assure you that this is a misunderstanding," Tanya said, noticing the way he looked at Raven curiously. It unsettled her.
"The truth will certainly come to light today."
Aro approached, unable to keep his curiosity at bay. Tanya knew exactly what he wanted and proceeded to extend her hand to him. He took it quickly, his eyes becoming distant.
Raven watched at first, confused as to what he was doing, and then her eyes wandered around the room. She was looking for Victoria, but she was nowhere to be seen. She felt disappointed and impatient. She just wanted to see that she was okay.
"Incredible. It seems the child is gifted. That is...unheard of," Aro said quietly, fingers tapping his chin wistfully. He looked at Tanya with a gleam in his eye.
"May I?"
It wasn't really a question. He knew she would not be able to say no, even if she wanted to. Tanya gritted her teeth and nodded. The Denali Coven watched carefully as he approached Raven, who looked at him curiously.
"Hello, young one. My name is Aro. I have the ability to see every thought one has ever had through touch. May I have the pleasure of reading your soul," Aro asked flamboyantly, making it sound like magic to her.
Raven looked to her guardians, and they nodded, giving her a little more confidence. She decided to allow it, on one condition.
"Will you let me see Victoria?" Raven asked, stubbornly holding his ancient gaze. Aro looked entirely taken aback and he laughed.
"You would allow this child to proposition you," Caius growled at his brother. Aro shot him a disapproving look but did not reply.
"Of course, you may see Victoria. In fact, Felix and Demitri, kindly fetch Victoria, James, and Laurent please."
Raven's eyes widened. Laurent and James were there, too? She didn't want to see James, but she had missed her uncle very much.
Aro smiled and extended his hand, which Raven took without hesitating. Aro hovered over it as if it were precious and allowed all of the child's thoughts to play before him. Much of what he saw from the beginning of her life disgusted and outraged him. When Victoria found the child, her life became much better. Aro righted himself and stared at Raven with a sympathetic gaze.
"You have been through more than I could have imagined and yet, you are not broken," Aro said, forgetting about the other vampires in the room.
"Victoria saved me from them and now I won't ever have to be hurt again," Raven said proudly, holding her chin up high. Her gaze never left his.
"Raven?"
Her head moved toward the familiar voice, and she could not believe her eyes. Although, she had been prepared to see Victoria, it took her a few moments to actually understand that it was her.
She couldn't see anyone else.
Victoria looked disheveled. The bags under her eyes were very dark and her eyes were pitch black. Her hair looked like it was tangled in places and she had a scar on her neck, but she was alive. Her friend was still the most beautiful person that she had ever seen in her short life.
Raven's body moved toward Victoria on it's own. She simply could not control it. Before she could take a full step, cold hands were pulling her back. Suddenly, everything she was warned about vanished.
"I wanna go to her!"
"It's not safe, kiddo. She hasn't fed in months," Heidi chimed in, mistaking the anger on Victoria's face for hunger.
Seeing this, Victoria blacked out with rage. Raven was in danger. She was in a room filled with human drinkers, not to mention James, and they wouldn't let her mate come to her. It was as if a steel cable was pulling her toward the girl with the force of a neutron star. It pulled taut until she could no longer hold herself in place.
"Let her go," Victoria growled, and suddenly she was moving.
She jerked viciously, breaking free of Demitri. Her gift allowed her to easily dodge the multitude of arms that tried in vain to stop her.
"Pain," Jane said simply, smirking.
The most excruciating pain radiated through Victoria's entire body, stopping her in her tracks.
It felt as if she were being burned alive. Every molecule of her body was being burned away into ashes. Victoria could only take one more full step before her body betrayed her and folded in on itself. She could hear Raven's anguished cries as she writhed on the floor, trying to put out the invisible flames.
When the fire was finally gone, she was now restrained by two vampires.
"I trust you won't have any more outbursts," Aro said looking at Victoria dissaprovingly. She simply glared at him.
"Back to the task at hand. Victoria, dear, I am under the impression that Raven is your mate. If that is the case, you have done nothing wrong. Well, other than evading us. That being said, James has committed a serious crime."
The now armless James, looked at Aro with frantic, wide eyes.
"Murder or attempting to murder the mate of another vampire without provocation is against our laws. Although, I am certain you did not know that, as you would not have come here," Caius said as if he were reading the forecast.
"I didn't know the child was her mate! Victoria was my mate," James said adamantly, trying to make them believe.
Aro tsked and shook his head in disappointment.
"You allowed me to read you, child. I know exactly what you were thinking. You cannot lie to me," he replied, smirking.
"Let us find out the truth, shall we?"
Aro ascended the steps to Marcus, his ever silent and unmoving brother. He took his hand and saw the bonds that linked every vampire in the room together. The bond between Victoria and Raven was a strong one, weakened by separation, but just as unbreakable.
It was much different than the bonds of the other mated pairs. Where their's were red with passion, Victoria's was blue with platonic love.
Nevertheless, it was still the bond of a true mate.
Aro looked between Victoria and Raven with a small smile. The things he saw in the child's mind were horrific, but she had found her savior. Victoria's mind had gone from feral nomad to protector upon seeing her.
Although he loved drama and the occasional sadistic act, it always made him fill some sort of foreign warmth to see happy endings every now and again.
"Congratulations, Victoria! You have found what most vampires never will. Like James here. You've found and protected your true mate," Aro exclaimed, clapping raucously.
"Even more, your friends have done nothing wrong and thus may leave unscathed."
"Thank you, Aro," Victoria said in shock. Although she knew, it was jarring to have that confirmation.
Suddenly, Raven was running toward her at full speed. The two vampires holding her let go and she hugged the child tightly to her chest letting out a dry sob. Relief filled her every pore, and she felt as if her soul was given back to her. As if her humanity had suddenly been restored. Because the warmth within her dead heart felt so real.
"As for you, dear James. Your crime is quite serious. In fact, the consequence is death," Aro said in a fake apologetic tone.
"Wait! I didn't know! I swear! What about her? She's a fugitive! She should be punished!" James exclaimed, trying in vain to break free from Felix.
"You've lied again. Felix."
Victoria held Raven so that she couldn't watch as Felix violently dismantled him. The sound of metal being torn apart could still be heard. She relished in the pain filled look in his eyes as he was ripped to shreds. She shared a meaningful look with Laurent.
They had finally done it.
"That is one matter taken care of. Now, onto the next," Aro said, looking at her with a glint in his eye that she didn't like.
"Although I am quite happy for you, you just so happen to be a fugitive. Your coven answered for their crimes, but you decided to run."
Fear took hold of Victoria then. There was no way that she could get out of this. She had committed this crime willingly, and knowingly. She became a nomad to evade anyone he sent her way. There was absolutely nothing she could say to placate him. He had seen every thought she ever had.
"For nearly three centuries you've evaded punishment for the crimes of you and your coven. You could have simply joined us for a time, as our dear Heidi has. You might have even enjoyed it as she did. But, now, I must punish you for something so trivial," Aro said, shaking his head at her.
"I apologize. Please just let me go and be with Raven. She needs me," Victoria muttered, looking at Raven sadly. They had just been reunited, only for her to be killed. Her luck was running out.
"I've contemplated this deeply. I believe twenty years with us away from your mate would be a lenient punishment. Your thoughts indicate that your year away from your mate felt like one decade."
Victoria was drowning.
She couldn't fathom that amount of time. She felt centuries older having been away from Raven for as long as she had. What did he mean twenty years? It wasn't physically possible for her.
However, if that was what she had to do to live...
"Okay," she said simply. The Denali Coven looked at her like she was insane, and she looked away sadly.
"Well done! Chelsea," Aro called, looking at a blonde vampire in the corner.
Victoria placed Raven behind her and growled ferociously. Aro wanted to sever their bond and tie her to him. The very thought caused her body to shiver in disgust.
The smirking woman took one step forward before the strangest thing happened.
"Aro."
Marcus' vocal chords sounded as if they were petrifying and his voice was weak. This did not stop every vampire in the room from looking at him in utter shock. It was extremely rare that he spoke. Even his own brothers looked shaken.
"Let the young ones go in peace. Their bond has been tampered with enough."
"But, brother," Aro began.
The look in Marcus' eyes made him stop. This was not up for debate and Aro was loathe to go against his decree. His brother never spoke on anyone's behalf. This was important to him.
He turned back to his guests with a downtrodden expression.
"It seems Marcus has decided to pardon you, Victoria. The gods smile upon you. You may all be on your way at night fall," Aro said, giving her a serious look.
"The girl must be changed by age twenty-one and remain under constant supervision. If you should fall to change her by then, we will pay you a visit. Travel safely, dear ones."
The Denali Coven were overcome with relief at his words. Tanya hugged her mates and shared a hopeful glance with Victoria.
"Thank you, Marcus. I can never repay you," Victoria said, bowing respectful. She did not understood his motives fully, but she was grateful for his intervention.
"You can. Cherish the bond, young one. It can be taken away so easily," Marcus said simply, his eyes distant and cloudy.
They left the throne room under the narrowed eyes of the guard and the sneer of Caius. All the while, Victoria's eyes never left Raven. The little human, who held onto her hand as if it were the only thing keeping her from floating away.
Now, not even God himself could separate them.
Not even God.
