EMOTIONAL NIGHTMARE

Basileus knocked on Magnus and Freyr's door and waited patiently for a response. No one had seen Magnus all night, he hadn't gone back to the guard hall, or even left his chambers since Basileus had seen him the evening before.

Freyr answered the door and invited the creator inside. "My lord," she said politely as she stood back for Basileus to get a look at Magnus.

"You look very weak!" Basileus said in surprise.

Magnus staggered to his feet to greet Basileus, waving away any concern from his mate. "I've been feeding Lucy on and off all night. Every time she woke up I gave her more ... I think it's starting to work."

Magnus gestured for Basileus to follow him and led them both all to his own bedchamber where Lucy lay asleep in the masters' bed.

Basileus sat with the girl, who took no notice of his presence - she was out cold. "Did you get the blood I sent?" he asked, generally. Basileus had instructed Katarina and Mikhail to drain a beast, a human, anything that would bleed and to take the blood to Magnus' chambers.

"Yes, my lord," Fryer conformed.

Magnus sighed when Basileus turned a knowing eye on him.

You should have drunk it! Basileus thought.

"I planned on taking some myself but the poor thing guzzled it down. She was starved Basileus, literally starved!"

Basileus shook his head. He could see Lucy was still very weak, the blackening around her eyes and her jaw was still evident and the cracks in her cheek still hadn't healed. "Magnus, you need to feed. Take a break, I can feed her," he offered.

Though he genuinely wanted to help Lucy, Basileus felt guilty as sin over what his decree had caused emotionally for the poor girl, and even more guilt over his inaction when he knew Caius would be harsh with her.

"No, my lord, it must be me. How else will I build a bond with her? I need her to bond to me quickly or we could lose her forever."

Magnus staggered back into the wall as he spoke. He was wiped.

Basileus joined the master and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Magnus, we may lose her anyway, you need to know that."

"I do know that, but it won't be for my lack of effort, that's for damn sure."

Magnus' breathing was becoming laboured and Basileus knew he had to act fast. "Sit down," he commanded as he took off his coat.

"Lucy needs my blood, my lord."

Magnus tried to balance but quickly fell to the wall again. Freyr's concern was mounting and her worried eyes flickered to Basileus.

He smiled tightly to the shield maiden as he rolled up his sleeves. "I know," Basileus said to Magnus. "But my blood will do wonders for you."

Magnus looked confused, he was having trouble processing his thoughts.

"Sit!" Basileus commanded, more gruffly this time, and pulled Magnus to the bed.

"My lord, I cannot ... "

"Magnus, you are a master of the Volturi, and I respect your role, more than that I respect you. But I am still the creator of vampirekind, you are all my descendants one way or another and I will be damned if I will stand by and watch a good one go down." Basileus pushed the hulking master down to lie next to Lucy, who instinctively cuddled into his side. "Drink," Basileus said simply as he placed his wrist above Magnus' mouth.

Magnus didn't move. Biting the creator? I'm not stupid, he thought, dazed from his blood loss.

Basileus rolled his eyes to Freyr. "Is he always this obstinate and I have just never noticed before?"

Freyr laughed lightly. "He is a little out of sorts, my lord."

Basileus bit deeply into his flesh and forced the spurting blood into Magnus' mouth. "Drink!" he commanded, and this time Magnus did.

He couldn't have resisted even if he'd wanted to. The creator's blood was like sweet nectar flowing down his throat, easing the burn from his need to feed and rejuvenating his entire body in only moments. When he broke away, Magnus felt as light as a feather - quite an achievement for the juggernaut that he was.

"Wow!" he exclaimed as he felt his entire body tingle in response to Basileus' blood gift.

"Yes, I am told its quite special," Basileus commented nonchalantly. Pooling some venom in his mouth, Basileus licked the ragged edges of his wound to seal the severed skin. It stung, but it only lasted a mere moment before the venom did its job.

"It is that, my lord." Magnus replied hazily.

"Are you okay?" Freyr asked, stroking her husband's brow. "Yes. I feel a bit light headed, that's all." Magnus told her with her eyes half closed.

Basileus threw on his coat and did up the fastenings. "Do you need more?" he asked.

"No, no, that was plenty, I feel amazing! Thank you!"

Freyr tucked Lucy into her husband's hold and covered them both with a blanket from the dresser.

Basileus waited by the door. "I will let you rest for a while and come back to check on you all after the address to the guard. Freyr, are you coming?"

Freyr literally bounced to the door, so relieved to see her husband returned to a healthy state. "Yes, my lord."

"Are you alright?" Basileus asked the master of the guard as they walked at a leisurely pace to the throne room.

"Of course - why? Should I not be?"

Basileus looked down to the woman. "Your mate is sharing your marital bed with another woman ... most women would have a reaction to that," he said a little apprehensively, not wishing to put ideas in Freyr's head.

"Ha! No, my lord. Magnus has a huge heart, but it belongs to me entirely. I want him to help Lucy."

Basileus chuckled. "Magnus isn't the only one with a huge heart, my dear."

"We are looking thin on the ground, Aro." Basileus spoke out as he approached his son's throne.

Only Aro and Marcus were on the throne floor, with around three quarters of the guard on the main floor.

"Marcus!" Basileus headed over to the master and shook his hand. "I must say, I am impressed. Genius, just genius!"

Marcus tipped his head slightly. "Thank you, my lord."

"What is this?" Aro asked, not one for being left out of the loop.

"He hasn't worked it out, has he?" Basileus asked Marcus, who simply laughed in response.

"Neither has Caius!" he said, resulting in guffaws from Basileus.

"I don't know what?" Aro pushed, feeling nervous on the outside of the joke.

"Marcus," Basileus started, "has managed to double his supplies to carry out his post as educator using your labour and Caius' supplies, without costing himself a penny. Genius!"

Aro's mouth hung open in shock. How did I miss that? "Marcus, you sneaky bastard!"

Looking at Aro's expression, Marcus and Basileus burst out laughing again. "Well played." Basileus sang out as he patted the master's shoulder before moving back to his son.

"Where is your household? And your brothers? And Atia, for that matter?"

Aro smirked. "I believe El is supervising Carlisle and Felix and their scribal skills." Sneaky bastard, Marcus! Aro said to himself again. "Carmen and Sully were with the twins when I left – they are working on some treasury projections. I saw Atia heading up to them on my way out ..." Which will please them greatly, Aro appended sarcastically.

"Hey!" Basileus warned with wide eyes to his boy. "Don't!"

Basileus had been concerned when Atia first joined the coven that she would influence his daughters-in-law, as well as the women in the coven generally - he had never imagined they wouldn't get on. Never! It had come as quite a shock to the creator to be fielding complaints from one woman and then the next.

It was mainly Atia complaining about Sulpicia and Carmen's spite, and then Sully complaining about Atia interfering with her children and he was sick of it, quite frankly.

"Demetri?" he asked, wanting to change his thoughts.

Aro scoffed. "In his room, sulking no doubt." Basileus looked pensive but Aro couldn't figure why - Demetri was often sulking!

"No Magnus?" Aro asked, to which Basileus shook his head sadly. "Is he still with Lucy?" Aro was starting to worry about what state the poor girl was in and made a mental note to visit her after he had spoken to the guards.

"Magnus has suggested that we do not employ Chelsea's services against our own guards again, whatever the reason," Basileus told his boy quietly, adding a warning. "Go against him at your peril."

Worried, Aro bit his lip. "Do you think it was the wrong thing to do ... under the circumstances?"

Basileus leaned into his boy's throne. "I think, on seeing the effects it has had on both Lucy and Demetri, that we should procced with extreme caution in future."

"What do you mean about Demetri? He's okay!" Aro said defensively.

Basileus could hear that his thoughts were less assured than Aro would care to admit.

"He's an emotional nightmare ... even more than usual. I think breaking his bond with Lucy may have had more of an effect than we first thought. Once Magnus has finished with Lucy, I am going to ask him to take a look at your son, just to be sure."

Aro gulped. "Demetri has been difficult to live with, but I thought it was because I put Felix in the dungeons for a spell. Perhaps there is more to it?" Aro thought back to the many 'timeouts' he had been recently forcing on his middle son in response to his tantrums and outbursts. Shit, have I done this to him? Aro wondered. The timing could not be worse! "Amun is going to want to see Demetri ... if he isn't well that will look badly on us all."

Basileus nodded. "As it should," he said to himself, feeling his own guilt over the situation. "Magnus will be able to help him. Don't worry, yet."

Aro's head shot up. "Yet!" Now, I am worried!

Basileus shook his head, not wanting to burden his son with his own worries. "Is Caius coming?" he asked, deflecting the conversation.

"After what you did to his face? No!" Aro bristled in reply.

He felt a little protective over Caius, Basileus had left him in a right old mess! When Aro had gone to collect Felix and Carlisle at midnight the night before, he had been confronted with Caius trying to wrap bandages around his own face. His nose was actually caved in.

"I told him to be seen," Basileus said sternly. He knew it wouldn't have been Caius that went against him ... Aro had to have interfered, he reasoned.

"He has been, its unnerved the guards, dad! I told him to stay in his chambers until he's healed." Aro hissed over his shoulder. They were beginning to attract the attention of the guards now Freyr was wrapping up the few items of housekeeping she had to address.

"Have you fixed his nose?" Basileus asked.

Aro didn't answer, he just sunk slightly in his seat.

Basileus loomed over him and leaned down close to his face. "Have you?" he all but barked.

Aro smiled nervously.

"God damn it, Aro!" Yep, every guard listening to every word now. nice one, my lord, Aro thought in annoyance.

Freyr had heard the altercation occurring behind her and decided now would be a good time to measure up the few guards for uniform who she hadn't gotten around to yet.

"My lord, please. This isn't a good time, you know how fraught the guards are, how fraught we all are. I know I went above you this time ... but you know I rarely do that."

"Rarely! You let Felix and Demetri out today!"

Aro sighed. So you are going to be pretty strict about their restriction, then. Great. "Please understand, I had no choice."

Basileus jabbed a finger into Aro's chest. "Fine. But you can tell your little playmate that I will be watching him very closely from now on, and I will make good on my threat if need be."

Aro scowled at his father's hand which was doing a good job of pinning him in place. "I'll tell him," he replied flatly, not liking that he was taking the flak for Caius' crimes.

"Make sure that you do," Basileus warned as he raised his hand.

Aro scooted out of his chair and he thought for a moment that Basileus was going to slap him in front of his coven! "Jesus Christ, I said I will!" he said as he sidestepped his father and threw on his game face, ready to speak with the guards.

"Welcome home, my friends, and may I say what a welcome sight you all are." Aro took a look around his assembled coven and breathed deeply, he felt in control, he felt safe, he felt confident. Having their smiling faces hanging on his every word, his every breath, filled the coven king with confidence and he knew he could pull off his plans, even if the other senior members of the coven couldn't quite imagine it yet.

Aro made a short address to the guards, informing them of the new payroll system that would be in operation from the end of the month. Aro had pulled some tricks out of the bag in the past to liven up coven life, but being paid to serve in the Volturi was totally unimaginable. They already had the most cosseted positions of any vampire in their world, and soon those positions would become coveted when outsiders learned of the new perks of the job.

Aro handed the meeting over to Freyr to instruct the guards on the finer details of defined roles and occupations going forward and, of course, the remuneration attached. He was pleased to see that his co-masters had constructed a hierarchy based upon talents and experiences and he raised a small smile to himself when another cheer erupted from his coven in thanks for his offerings. They didn't even seem to mind about having to continue to cover the lesser duties of cleaning and the like until replacement vampire stock could be found. Oh yes, Aro was pleased with himself.

When Freyr retook her seat, Aro had to make a final announcement before he could dismiss his coven.

"My friends, I have been asked by Magnus to reassure you all that our current members who do not posess an additional ability will not be dropped through the ranks when new, enhanced vampires arrive. Magnus will explain in full when he is free to do so, but for now, please feel safe in your positions. As it stands, you are all high ranking Volturi guards and any intake will sit below you as we move forward. Exciting times lie ahead of us, my friends, and we will be embracing them together."

As the whooping and hollering of the guards filled the throne room, with many thanks given to Aro and his fellow masters, Basileus pulled back his son. Neither allowed their game face to slip, but, as his father tightened his grip on his shoulders, it took great effort from Aro to remain so poised.

"Do you hear that, son?" Basileus whispered into his ear. "They think you are a god! If you fall from grace it will come at great cost - you must be certain you can bring us all through this overall plan you have, or we will lose everything."

"Are you with me?" Aro asked.

His words were loaded with emotion, he wasn't just asking if Basileus would back him, he didn't need to ask that. Even if he fucked up monumentally he knew his father would back him. Aro was asking if Basileus was on board, fully, and importantly if he was prepared.

Basileus released his boy as he ran through his own plans for what their coven would do if the outside covens presented as a threat from within their own halls. His main objective would be to ensure his family's safety, over and above everyone else. He cared a great deal for the masters of the coven, even Caius, and of course for the guard, but he would slay every single one of them with his own bare hands if it would deliver his family alive.

Basileus turned his son to face him and looked him dead in the eye.

"Always," he breathed.

And finally Aro believed, for the first time since he started out on this mission to ally the covens, that they would make it out alive ... whatever happened.

From the corner of his eye, Aro spotted Carmen rushing into the throne room. "Dad!" he whispered hurriedly, drawing his attention, too.

"Aro, you have to come home! It's Demetri!"

Aro's heart sank. "What has he done now?"

Carmen shook her head. "He's acting very strange, he's bouncing off the walls!"

Basileus and Aro shared a guilty look. Fuck, came their dual thoughts. Both bid farewell to the guards who, through their elation, hardly noticed the pair swiftly leaving behind Carmen.

When they arrived at the top floor suite, they were greeted with silence ... not what they had been expecting. Jane sat looking sullen in the main chamber.

"How come Alec gets to use his gift? Mine would have been just as effective," she said, mainly to herself.

"On whom is Alec using his gift?" Aro asked sternly.

"Demetri, of course. He's lost his mind." Jane spoke so dispassionately that Basileus wondered for a moment whether Lucy and Demetri were their only problems!

"Oh Aro!" Sulpicia exclaimed as she and Atia came through the archway. "Alec is keeping Demetri under his fog for now, but there is something wrong with him. We need Magnus, really."

Basileus shook his head. "Magnus isn't in any fit state to help at the moment," he admitted.

"Why?" the three women in the room asked in unison. They stood banded together, glaring at Basileus and Aro who looked shiftily to one another, guilt billowing off the pair of them in waves. "We may have hit a snag." Basileus started.

"With Lucy and Demetri ... " Aro added.

"What sort of snag?" Sulpicia asked demandingly.

"When Chelsea severed their bonds ... which was Aro's idea."

"It was not my idea!" Aro shot to his father.

"Yes, it was. It was my idea to separate them. You took Demetri to Chelsea!"

Aro wasn't having that! "Well, what else did you think I was going to do when you COMMANDED they be separated?!"

Atia interrupted the two of them before they could embroil themselves in a war of words. "This is all very interesting, but what has happened to Demetri, and why is Magnus indisposed?"

Neither of them answered.

"Basileus! What have you done to that boy?" Atia demanded.

Carmen and Sully looked on in awe as their mother-in-law had the creator shifting from foot to foot. Atia was certainly a force to be reckoned with, they already knew that, but seeing her stand up against the creator and coven king elicited a new-found respect from them both.

"Lucy has lost all emotion. Completely. She is like a vessel," Basileus admitted. "And, Caius has been mistreating her, so I have taken her out of his charge and delivered Lucy to Magnus and Freyr for now."

Sulpicia cocked her head to the side. That still doesn't make sense. "But what about Magnus?" she asked.

"Magnus has been feeding Lucy his blood to try and make a connection with the girl, which left him very weak. So, I fed Magnus my blood ... now he is sleeping off those effects."

Aro shook his head and sighed deeply. "This is a huge mess," he said, sounding stressed.

Atia scoffed. "I can assure you, Demetri feels a lot, he is not a vessel! He was chattering away, getting faster and faster - so fast that he bit into his own tongue and didn't notice when the blood was dripping from his mouth!"

"I had better take a look at him," Basileus said, softly, as he made his way through the wall of women before him.

They all looked at him like he was something they'd trodden in - it was a very usual situation for Basileus. Aro was far more accustomed to being on the wrong side of his wife but it felt quite oppressive now she had the back up of another two strong women on her side. He followed his father into his son's bedchamber.

Alec sat at the end of Demetri's bed, directing his fog to his brother. Demetri was completely still. Basileus sat one side and Aro moved around the bed to sit on the other. Each taking a hand, they read the boy's thoughts.

"Fuck," Aro growled, seeing his boy's manic mind.

His thoughts were rushed, incomplete, erratic even. Dangerously so.

"We need Magnus, Dad," Aro whispered quickly. "You will have to wake him up!"

Basileus shook his head. "When I left, Lucy was clinging to him with every ounce of strength she has ... if we remove Magnus from her now it may kill of any part of her that makes her, well, that makes her Lucy!"

Aro shot a look of distaste to his father. "Which would be a shame, but I don't care a fuck to be honest! Demetri is my priority!"

Basileus looked to Alec, he seemed to be holding up okay. "Alec, can you keep him sedated for a while."

"For how long? He will have to sleep tonight. How long will Magnus need?" Aro shot back, already on his feet. "I'm fetching Magnus, he can bring Lucy if he has to but I want him here, now."

Basileus held up a hand to call for silence. "I will fetch him. Stay here. And calm down, for god sake."

Aro laughed humourlessly, but sat back with his son and felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Basileus completed a walk of shame through the main room and past Atia, Carmen and Sulpicia and flashed at his particularly fast vampiric speed to Magnus' chambers. The relief when he saw Magnus walking around and seemingly looking well wore blatantly on his face.

"Oh, thank the gods!" he exclaimed, enveloping the master in his huge arms.

"My lord?" Magnus spluttered, unsure what was happening.

"Are you well?" Basileus asked, patting the man down while looking deeply into his eyes.

"Erm, yes ... why?" Magnus asked, stepping back and feeling uncomfortable.

"And Lucy?"

Magnus smiled tightly. "She is awake, and her body is healing now. What's wrong Basileus?"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Basileus explained the situation with Demetri.

"I will come. I'll have to bring Lucy, too."

"That's fine, bring her, just come."

"Lucy, how do you feel?" Basileus asked the moment she came into view.

"I don't feel anything, my lord," she replied blankly.

"Damn it," Basileus exclaimed.

"It will take time, my lord. Please, do not worry," Magnus said as he scooped Lucy into his arms. She clung to him like he was the only person in the world that could offer her safety. "She's attaching to me, a little more and I will be able to draw her emotions out."

Basileus looked between the two of them. "You are sure about this?" he asked, needing to be certain - my grandson's life may depend on your talents now, Magnus, I need you to be sure.

"Yes, I think so, my lord. Let's see the damage to the boy." Basileus wanted to believe him, but having acces to Magnus' thoughts told the creator that Magnus was just as clueless as he was as to how this would all pan out.

"I hope Freyr knows you are carrying that girl around with you now, Magnus," Carmen jibed when the trio came into Aro's' chambers.

"Indeed, she does, my lady," Magnus replied, trying to extricate himself from Lucy's arms around his neck. He soon gave up when his efforts only increased her hold. "Where's Demetri?"

"In his room with Aro and Alec," Sulpicia answered, sounding fraught.

"We will need blood ... " Magnus mentioned, hoping for someone to offer to collect some.

"We will go," Carmen answered, pulling Sulpicia from the room. "You will feel better having something to do, Sully," she whispered as she pulled the queen from her chambers.

Magnus hadn't even made it to Demetri's door before he felt flooded with emotion. "This is mental Basileus," he commented as he caught his breath. "Demetri is feeling everything at once and Lucy is feeling nothing at all! I'm not sure I am strong enough for this."

Basileus' worried eyes moved to his mate. "Can you help, my dear?" he asked, hopeful.

"I can share your gift Magnus, if you tell me what to do with it."

Magnus thought for a moment. "That could work, Atia. I will draw out Demetri's emotions and, if the strength of them is enough, I may be able to spark some emotions in Lucy. I will tell you if I need you to take on some of the emotions ... so don't use my gift until I say so, my lady."

"Certainly, my dear. I will watch for your signal." Atia walked on ahead and flung Demetri's door open. "Alec, you may leave," she kindly told the boy as she shooed him from the room. "You too, Aro."

"I'm not going anywhere," he responded curtly.

"You are," Atia replied. "Go and wait out there, and take your father with you. The two of you have caused enough damage to these young vampires as it is!"

Basileus pulled his son from the room, but they didn't leave. Instead, they hung in the doorway, looking awkward.

Atia sighed loudly but allowed them to watch.

"The less people in here, the better," Magnus confirmed. Aro didn't need Magnus' gift to know how his co-master felt about him, he was clearly furious about the state of the fateful lovers.

As Alec's fog dissipated into the air, Demetri regained control of his body. His head jerked as his limbs twitched, as though his body was fitting from the intensity of his feelings.

Magnus sat on the boy's bed and grimaced as his gift began to soak up Demetri's emotions. Sitting Lucy in his lap, he put his left hand around the back of the girl's neck and his right hand on Demetri's head. The second he made contact with Demetri, he felt the charge coursing through his body, as though his veins were running with boiling lava! The only situation Magnus could liken it to was the feeling of his transformation from human to vampire.

Atia, Aro and Basileus looked on in concern.

"Should I help him?" Atia asked her mate, assuming he was listening in on the empath's thoughts.

"No. Not yet, my dear," he replied without taking his eyes off Magnus.

Aro watched his son thrashing in his bed. He felt like scum but he tried hard to contain his frantic feeling, not wanting to add to the pressure Magnus was clearly under.

Magnus had begun the rumblings of a growl as soon as he'd made contact with Demetri and those rumblings were now deafeningly loud as Magnus roared and his body became rigid.

"Now?" Atia asked her husband again.

"No." Basileus replied. He could hear in the master's thoughts that Magnus was holding up okay.

Demetri still twitched in his sheets, but he appeared to be settling and his eyes were now open.

He looks scared to death! Aro thought, though he was mostly relieved to see his boy returning to him.

Listening in on Lucy, Basileus heard her mind changing. "It's working," he announced. "I can hear it."

Lucy released her tight hold on Magnus and melted away from him, sinking to the floor.

Aro was about to go to her but Basileus held him back.

"She's fine, just wait," he told his boy.

Magnus fell back on the bed, as though he had been thumped with a lump hammer, breaking his hold on Demetri as he went.

"Atia, touch Magnus. You need to take some of the strain off him."

Atia placed her hand on the empath's arm and simultaneously borrowed his gift. The immediacy of the emotional transference astounded her. "He's hot, Basileus!" she said worriedly. Vampires shouldn't be hot ... it's unnatural! Atia's face suddenly contorted as she put a little more effort into taking away Magnus' emotions. As soon as the master opened his eyes again, she let go.

"Is that it? Has it worked?" Aro asked, eyes still fixed on his son.

Basileus crept towards Lucy, not wanting to startle the girl curled into a ball on the floor. She was shaking and looked so very fragile. Taking her wrist, Basileus used his own emphatic abilities to see what Lucy was feeling, or indeed, if she was feeling anything at all.

"Fear ... " he whispered to the room.

Magnus had come around from his emotional hit and was leaning up on his arms, still a little lightheaded. "It's something, my lord. I might be able to work with that," he said hopefully.

Basileus nodded as he went to sit with Demetri. He was a little surprised Aro was still in the doorway but understood his son's reticence - Aro was scared and fear was not a natural state for Aro.

"Well?" Atia asked her mate.

Basileus cupped his grandson's face. "Normal, he feels normal."

Aro let his head fall back as he released the air from his lungs. "Thank god!"

"Thank Magnus!" Atia corrected her son.

"Of course, of course. Thank you, Magnus!" Aro proffered his genuine thanks whilst the empath regained his composure.

"It may not last, Aro," he said sadly.

"Why?"

Basileus' head shot around to the master and he repeated his son's question.

Magnus sighed. "Demetri will be okay, but it may take a few more purges for him to fully regain control of his emotions."

Aro nodded as he went to sit near Demetri. He could deal with that. I just hope you are back to normal before the covens arrive!

Basileus heard his son's thoughts. You and me both, son!

Magnus moved from the bed to the floor and pulled Lucy into his lap. Biting into his wrist for what must have been the twentieth time in as many hours, he offered Lucy his blood ... which she took readily.

"She still feels so little, but there's something there now." He spoke mainly to himself but everyone felt flooded with Magnus' relief. He was having trouble containing his gift ... so what he felt, everyone felt.

Atia excused herself so she could wait with the twins.

Aro was about to object. He didn't like them being with Atia on their own, it pissed him off seeing her play parent to them.

Basileus raised an eyebrow to his son, knowing what Aro was thinking. "You have other things to concentrate on," he said simply as he gestured to Demetri who appeared to be asleep and completely oblivious to what was going on around him.

"I hope you are both pleased with yourselves," Atia said pointedly to her husband and son.

Aro huffed in annoyance but said nothing when Atia passed him.

"Demetri," Aro called softly to his boy, "wake up."

Demetri's eyes flickered open for a moment but he soon fell back to sleep.

"He's been through a lot, Aro. Let him rest," Basileus said before turning to Magnus. "You really are quite remarkable, you know?"

"It was nothing. You should keep an eye on Demetri and bring him to me if he becomes over emotional."

Aro laughed lightly. "He's a teenage vampire - over emotional is expected."

"You know what I mean," Magnus returned tersely, though he instantly regretted it. "I apologise Aro, I am out of sorts," he excused as he detached Lucy from his wrist.

"Understandable, Magnus," Aro replied quietly, feeling ashamed of himself for his role in the entire thing.

Soon enough Carmen and Sulpicia returned with blood bottles for Magnus and Demetri. Lucy needed none, as she was feeding from Magnus.

After he fed, Magnus left with Lucy in much the way they had arrived - her clutched to his chest with her arms around his neck, clinging on for dear life.

It took a while to rouse Demetri. Tired of waiting, Aro pulled him into a sitting position and Basileus put the blood bottle to his lips. As soon as Demetri registered the blood, he came around. The scent of blood was like smelling salts for a vampire.

When she was sure Magnus had gone, and her boy was gulping down her blood offering, Sulpicia turned on Aro and Basileus.

"If that girl recovers and they begin their relationship again, we are going to let them mate," she stated flatly, taking inspiration from Atia putting her foot down with the men in question.

Aro scoffed. "Like hell we are! I will say it until I am blue in the face - our children are children and children do not mate."

Sulpicia wasn't going to back down easily this time. "Look at what you have done to my son! Both of you," she accused to Aro and Basileus.

Aro was a bit put out by Sully's tone, whilst Basileus looked on, vaguely confused.

"Sulpicia, dear. Listen ... " he crooned, thinking her attitude was born of anxiety over her son rather than any malice towards him. He was wrong.

"No! He is my son and I am done watching you play with his state of mind to satisfy your unnecessary desires for complete control!"

Atia, who had heard Sulpicia's raised voice, rushed to Demetri's bedroom. She looked aghast to see it was her own mate at whom that the softly spoken Sulpicia had directed her rage.

"Sulpicia, hysterics won't help anyone."

"Have you heard them, Atia!" Sulpicia raged, feeling incensed at the damage the creator and her mate had inflicted on two young vampires for something as innocuous as falling in love.

Of course that wasn't the reason Aro had instructed Chelsea to brake their bonds. He knew Demetri being in love with Lucy would bring lots of stress as she lived with Caius ... he didn't really have a reason to keep them apart now, he just truly felt his son was too immature to mate with another vampire. He wasn't willing to budge on it, either. A quick glance to his father told him that Basileus was quickly replacing his earlier confusion with annoyance and Aro didn't want that annoyance directed at his mate, even if she was giving him an earful.

"Sully, let's talk about this later. In private," Aro suggested gently.

Sulpicia looked ready to back down, for now, until Atia stuck her nose in. "You should mind your tone when you address Basileus, he isn't one of your children!"

Sulpicia's eyes widened and her nostrils flared as she turned her rage on Atia next! "How dare you talk to me in your patronising tones in my own home!"

Atia huffed indignantly. "Really, Sulpicia dear, there is no need for all of this upset."

Atia's clear dismissal of Sulpicia's feelings only enraged her further. Basileus had heard enough in his daughter's thoughts to know that he had to get Atia out of the top floor chambers immediately. Flashing between his mate and Sulpicia, Basileus took hold of Sully by her wrists.

"We have had an emotional day. Atia and I are leaving now," he said calmly, all the time hearing in Sulpicia's thoughts that as soon as he let go she was going to claw Atia's eyes out and Aro's thoughts about how funny the whole charade was.

"Will you think it's so funny if my hand is forced, son?!" Basileus boomed harshly to his boy, expecting his help.

Aro sighed before heaving himself up to stand behind his mate. Wrapping a secure arm around her waist, he nodded to his father to let go of her wrists.

Seeing real anger in her flame coloured eyes, Basileus backed away feeling very uneasy. "I will come and discuss how to move forward once everyone has had some time to calm down," he said slowly, whilst still trying to make sense of the situation in his own mind.

"That may be wise, my lord," Aro answered, kicking Demetri's door closed once his father was out of its path.