AN: Sorry for the delay guys, life is busy, man!
Happy New Year?
Three days later when Friday rolled around, Magnus' world seemed set to collapse. In an effort to explain why Caius had been such a jerk, he and Freyr had sat Odi down and told the boy everything. The conversation had taken an entire day to complete for various reasons – one being the difficulty of explaining their relationship without using any of the usual words attached to such a thing, another being the constant interruptions from Caius, demanding Magnus to shut up and for Odi to swear on his life that he would keep all he'd been told completely private.
After the most torturous discussion of his life, all Caius wanted to do was go home and hide, but he was being held captive in the middle floor suite as Irina had pretty much moved into the ground floor suite with Dora.
Dora, for good reason, didn't want Caius home. The long mission, the nine-month dungeon blood intake, the stuff with Magnus and Odi ... Caius was still overly emotional and prone to outbursts. So, no one blamed Dora for refusing to put up with that from her mate.
Freyr was quite proud of her for taking a stand, actually. She wished Irina wasn't so involved, but if the Denali girl gave Dora the confidence to keep herself safe from her mate, then so be it ... even if she and Magnus had to contend with Caius in the payoff.
Caius offered to go to the dungeons to get out of their way, but there was no way Magnus would permit such a thing. He could feel how unbalanced Caius' emotions were and letting him wallow in the dungeons next to barrels of bloodwine and dungeon blood would be disastrous for everyone.
That said, the clash between Odi and Caius was wearing thin for the guard masters. Odi was used to being much more informal when he was in Magnus' chambers. He didn't even call them by their name in private, and instead he usually called them Mom and Dad, as he had done from his early human life. But with Caius around he was finding the formality Caius expected from him difficult to balance. Matters hadn't been helped when Magnus told Odi to call Caius, Caius, and not 'master' as Caius had instructed.
"These are my chambers, my rules," he had told them both. Magnus was pulling his hair out with the pair of them!
Caius couldn't understand why Odi was even still there. He was fully recovered, thanks to Basileus' blood, but Magnus wouldn't let him go back to the guard hall. Not until he had dealt with Alexander and Afton for their attack.
Oh, the guard hall!
The guard hall was missing both the guard masters and three coven members. What it had gained was a whole host of rumours about Magnus that whilst no one seemed to believe, were continuing to grow in detail and ferocity.
That pissed Magnus off most of all. How anyone could even entertained the idea that he would use submission on anyone, let alone Odi, was unconscionable! In return for the guards' disloyalty, Magnus had refused to hand over the keys to the bar, so no one had been able to get any bloodwine, or alcohol of any sort, since Christmas day.
Not a huge deal in itself, but it had sent a very stern message to the whole coven that Magnus had weight and he was no longer wary of using it.
Basileus had joked that he'd created a monster, but he was happy with the results. His sons weren't quite so pleased. Aro, in particular, realised he couldn't overturn Magnus' decision about keeping the guard hall locked. For one, he didn't have the keys! He knew deep down that even if he did have the keys, even if Basileus wasn't there to keep him in check, even if he disagreed with Magnus, he couldn't have opened that guard hall. Magnus wasn't just a master of the coven … in some matters the juggernaut really was above the king. It unnerved Aro when he realised it, but he couldn't deny it.
Fridays, when the coven held their housekeeping meeting, there was often the odd guard to be called up for discipline. Usually that would be a simple dress down, nothing physical, though the whip still found its regular victims. It wasn't an unusual affair. In fact, it was so regular that it rarely even dampened spirits. That Friday was different. There was a tension in the air that Magnus found difficult to sit through. Already stressed and on edge, his gift was working against him, soaking up the tension and making him a tightly wound spring ready to release.
"This will be a bloodbath if you don't take control," Atia hissed to her mate.
Basileus didn't necessarily disagree, but he refused to take over unless he was called upon. "If our own coven members had attacked one of our sons, what would you want me to do?" he asked in return.
Atia didn't have a reply for that. It wouldn't be ladylike to voice her thoughts. Basileus was shocked enough by what was in her mind!
"Exactly," he said.
Soon enough, Aro had made it through his address. There would be no Christmas honour that year, at Magnus' request. Aro had never felt so awkward stood before his coven. The complete lack of control over proceedings was new. Even when he was in serious shit with his father, Basileus had never taken over entirely. To hand the gauntlet to Magnus was … novel.
"Before we deal with you pair," Magnus started, glaring at Alexander and Afton. "I want to know who believes these rumours about me."
That took Aro by surprise. There had been many rumours in the coven over the years about Aro and Caius. The way they both dealt with it was by ignoring them, in the main. Occasionally they would do something to prove the rumours untrue, but they never called them out.
"You all feel very guilty to me," Magnus continued. "But is that guilt because you had a part to play in spreading fallacious bile, or is it that you believe the rumours?"
He stayed fixed in his chair, gripping the arm rests as though it were the only way to stay seated. Magnus didn't need to move. He focussed his gift on each coven member in turn until he found the truth.
One.
Only one believed Magnus capable of using submission on Odi, or anyone else for that matter - Alexander. The rest were, as Magnus had thought, guilty of playing the pathetic game of spreading gossip with no thought to the cost to a man's station, his credibility, his self-respect! He made damn sure to tell them all what he thought of their game and by the finish there wasn't one left standing who wasn't oozing regret.
Even Alexander felt regretful. By the end of Magnus' roaring round of fucks he didn't believe the rumour anymore either - and he'd been the one to start it, off the back of the misinformation Caius had given him, of course.
"I raised that kid from the age of ten!" Magnus boomed. "I've kept him close since we arrived in this coven because he is my son. You ALL KNOW THIS!" He had to stop. He was losing control. That was not a road anyone wanted to go down.
It was true, all the guards did know. But when Magnus and Freyr stepped up to coven master and didn't take Odi with them, they all took that as the pair moving away from the youngest guard.
As it was, they hadn't moved Odi to their private chambers because Odi was happy with the best of both worlds. He went to the masters' chambers whenever he liked, and he enjoyed falling back into their old relationship when he was there ... without the coven watching. It felt all the more special to him because it was so private. But he also enjoyed being in the guard hall with his friends. The separation had allowed Odi a little more freedom without his parental figures constantly watching over him and he felt more secure in the guard for it. Caius had totally fucked that up by setting forth a chain of events that led to Magnus having to officialise his relationship with Odi.
After a few minutes with no one daring to speak, Basileus went to the back of Magnus' throne and lent down to his ear. "My friend, I will take over with Afton and Alexander if you …"
"No," Magnus replied quickly. "Caius will."
Caius baulked. "Me?!"
The spotlight was already on him in the coven as it was, he didn't want to be more involved whilst he was still so unsteady in both feeling and thought.
"Yes." Magnus looked past Aro to see Caius. "It was you who started all of this, so you can whip them both."
Caius squared his shoulders and took the whip Aro offered. He didn't particularly want to play whip master that day, but what else could he do? It's not like I haven't done it a million times before, he told himself. If Caius thought he was getting off that easily, he would be sorely mistaken.
"Think yourself lucky that it's not me holding that whip, Caius." Magnus vibrated with the rage he felt. "Because I'd have you stood next to those pair of morons and you wouldn't be walking out of this room!"
Caius stalled mid-step - he damn near fell down the throne floor stairs! The coven members, who had been mostly dumbstruck during proceedings, suddenly found their voice in the form of a combined gasp that spread through the great hall. Everyone had their eyes on Caius.
Every. Single. One.
Oh fuck! Aro thought, ready to pounce on Caius should the man blow as he expected him to.
The guards weren't stupid. Though the masters ran the coven, they all knew it belonged to Basileus. They all knew, or rather some knew and most presumed that Basileus would have taken the masters to task over the years. Aro's regular disappearance from coven life rarely went unnoticed. Caius had similar instances of removal from the general populace. So hearing Caius being threatened with such punishment was not out of the realms of possibility. But Magnus issuing the threat - that was unprecedented and shook the whole coven. Even more so when Caius, unlike as Aro had anticipated, silently continued down the steps, manhandled Afton and Alexander into position, and got on with the task at hand.
Caius felt every pair of eyes from the guards on his shoulders as he whipped those guards. He daren't look up as he knew the elite gathered on the throne floor would be looking to him similarly. He had spent the previous three days trying to convince Magnus that a rumour about submission wasn't a big deal, it wasn't worth creating a fuss over. 'Who cares?!' he had said. 'I hear shit about me all the time,' he had said, and again with the 'who cares?'.
Magnus cared - that was who cared! Caius could live with a tarnished character because he legitimately had one. Magnus wasn't willing to participate in coven life with his reputation tarnished with such depravity.
Basileus completely understood, of course. He felt the same about his own secret, the one that haunted him on the same matter. If anyone ever found out that he had been forced into submission with Aro, he couldn't honestly say how he would cope.
Magnus calling out the rumour publicly had worked a treat with the guards. It forced them all to stop and think about what they actually believed possible, and when they did, none of them believed it could be true, even after using their own mouths to spread it. That said, it wasn't going to end the Volturi rumour mill, it wouldn't end the way gossip travelled around their halls.
Magnus hadn't intentionally fed the guards a new titbit of gossip - he was neither a callous or vindictive man - but his comment to Caius about whipping him would electrify guard gossip for years to come.
From Caius' thoughts, Basileus knew the master was fully aware that the entire guard would be watching his every move, his every interaction, his daily conduct, his relationship with the other elite members … Caius was screwing! The guards were silent, but their thoughts were loud. 'Is Magnus over Caius?' 'Can Magnus whip Caius?' 'Has Magnus whipped Caius before?' Basileus chuckled to himself. Let's see how you like those rumours, Caius.
…
"Nope," Magnus said casually, directing Caius away from the ground floor door and towards the winding staircase.
Caius hadn't said a single word since they left the throne room. Magnus was feeling much better now he'd set everyone straight, but he sensed he still had to deal with whatever Caius was about to throw his way. That was okay. He was ready. With Caius storming ahead, Magnus made sure he was last to take the stairs, letting Freyr and Odi go ahead of him. No sooner than he had closed the doors, the eruption started. But it didn't come from Caius.
"Why did you do that?!" Odi shouted out before Caius had a chance to say anything. "You've singled me out, you've made me a fucking target!"
"Excuse me?!" Freyr shot back. "Who on earth do you think you are talking to?!"
"That fucking idiot!" The 'that', was Magnus and Odi wasn't done. "All the guards are going to be against me now. Why would you do that to me?!"
"What he did to you?!" Caius asked, flabbergasted. "What about what the fucking idiot did to me?!"
"You caused this, Caius," Odi snapped, spitting the man's name. "You deserve everything you get."
"How dare you talk to me that way?!" Caius shook on the spot. "I will rip your fucking throat out!"
"Then he will whip you and I will make sure everybody knows it, too," Odi offered in return, full of a false bravado the young guard rarely felt.
Caius' eyes widened. It was everything he feared in one sentence. "You'll be dead you stupid prick."
Magnus may have been initially taken aback hearing Odi come at him verbally, but he soon recovered when he saw the pair of them readying for a fight. He was between the two in a flash.
"SIT DOWN!" he roared, shoving each into a seat.
When he stepped back, Caius reached out and booted Odi in the shins. Odi was back on his feet ready to fight. He knew he'd lose against Caius, or anyone else in the coven for that matter, but he didn't care. He'd taken months of Caius' frustrations on the mission, completely undeservedly, and the few short days they had been back from the mission had been miserable for the lad.
First being set about by Afton and Alexander, then learning he would be sharing his parents with the goon who'd caused his torment, and having to suffer Caius' continued company whilst they were all on house arrest.
The announcement in the great hall had been the icing on the cake that would surely see the guards distancing themselves from Odi, in the same way everyone liked to maintain a comfortable distance from the elite, so they could conduct their days without fear of reprisals. The guards would assume Odi would grass on them to Magnus and Freyr and they would exclude him, 'just in case'. He knew they would and he fucking hated Caius for all he had caused.
Magnus caught the kid in mid-air and gave him a wicked smack to his backside for the trouble. Seeing that cheered Caius right up until Magnus clouted him around the ear for the initial kick. Forcing Odi to retake his seat, Magnus dragged his chair in close. They couldn't hope to get near enough to each other with Magnus in reaching distance. Or rather they could, if they were willing to risk the slap that would surely follow.
"Love," Magnus called to his mate. "Could you return Afton and Alexander to their dorms and take them some bloodwine."
Freyr was relieved to hear her husband sounding so calm, so reasoned. She was pleased to be able to get back to her guards, too. Her anger with Afton had long since abated. Afton was a nice guy, a good guy, but he enjoyed a fight and was easy to lead into one. Alexander had always been an issue in the guard hall, but Freyr even felt bad for him after Caius had left the man a bloody mess in the great hall.
"What about the guard hall?" she asked, taking the keys from the side and jingling them.
Magnus leaned back in his chair and looked between Caius and Odi. Ideally, he would have liked to have put off leaving his chambers until he had the pair of them on an even keel, but Magnus knew the coven would have died of thirst if he waited for such a miracle. Instead he made a snap decision.
"Spread the word that the hall will be open on Sunday for New Year's Eve, and that we're having a party to ring in the new year and new beginnings."
Odi and Caius watched Freyr leave, both wishing she would stay.
"Right then," Magnus began, grabbing both young men's attention from the closed door. "Let's set a few things straight, shall we?"
If Caius or Odi thought that meant it was time for them to voice their complaints, they were profoundly wrong. Magnus didn't have the will to hear any more of their bitching. He told Odi he was free to go back to his dorm, if he so wished, but that he was free to stay, too.
It only took one sharp look to Caius for Magnus to keep the man in check as he offered Odi his choice. Odi just wanted things to go back to the way they were. He wasn't sure they could, not after his father's announcement, but he wanted to try and maintain his dorm as his home from home, with Magnus and Freyr's place being his proper, if infrequent home, as it had been.
Magnus was fine with that, so long as it was what the lad wanted. It will make my life easier, he thought, seeing the petulant expression on Caius' face. In the hope that it would prevent Caius from going through with ripping Odi's throat out, Magnus had the kid swear not to reveal anything about the relationship the masters shared.
"What happens in these walls, stays in them." Magnus pinched Odi's chin and held the boy's face still so they could maintain eye contact. "You know that, yes?"
"I know," Odi agreed, wincing a little. "I wouldn't say anything."
"It will be your death if you do!" Caius butted in.
"And as for you …"
Magnus turned on Caius, reminding the coven master why he was stuck in the middle suite, again, and that it was all down to his own pathetically bad behaviour. It seriously pissed Caius off to have to take the round of fucks that came in front of Odi. It was improper. But what else could he do?
Basileus had been bang on the nail on Christmas day - Caius' relationship with Magnus, and Freyr, too, wasn't the same as the one he held with Basileus. It did feel different, and it did scare him. Though he wasn't ready to admit it to anyone - even himself - Caius was scared of losing them. His biggest fear, though, was that one day those two loving people, those giving and forgiving people, would finally see him the way he saw himself.
"Neither of you are invited to my party on New Year's Eve unless I can be sure of your conduct going forward."
What?! That stabbed Caius in the guts. He couldn't not be at that party. How would that look?! he thought in horror. It would be bad enough braving the coven after Magnus' stunt in the great hall, but it would be infinitely worse for the rumour mill if Caius didn't attend.
"You have two days to show me I can trust you."
To be fair to Odi, Magnus was really speaking to Caius, but both men agreed. Both also knew it meant they weren't being released from Magnus' chambers until party night … and apparently only then if they were lucky!
Once he was sure the three of them were on the same page, Magnus replaced his chair and fixed them all a drink. "There's one more thing," he said, passing out the bloodwine. "I don't care what you choose to call me, what you choose to call what we have, what we are to each other," - he did actually, he cared very much, but Magnus understood Odi's need to be a 'normal' guard and Caius' need to protect his status - "but, if either of you dare speak to me again the way you have today, I will take my belt to your bare backside wherever we are. Do we understand each other?"
Odi nodded rapidly. There was a tiny part of him that was quite proud of himself for having the balls to call his old man a 'fucking idiot', a tiny part. He had never spoken to his father the way he had that afternoon, never. Not even in the rather fraught teenage years when he was human. He doubted he ever would again anyway, but hearing that threat, Odi decided to make damn sure not to if they were anywhere other than private chambers!
Caius was less interested in the threat Magnus had issued and more in the other part. What you choose to call me … Caius knew what he thought of Magnus as, but he wouldn't say the word even in his own head. He knew Odi called Freyr and Magnus Mom and Dad in private, and likely always had done, he now assumed. Caius thought of them the same way, and somehow, after the shit storm he'd caused, Magnus still seemed to think of him as a son. Caius couldn't get his head around that. He didn't deserve their love, if that was what was being offered. But still, 'Dad'? He tried out the word. That felt weird! He had been right before, Magnus was Magnus. Don't push things too far, he told himself.
There was another issue with the whole family labelling for Caius. It was one thing thinking of Freyr and Magnus as parental figures. Caius couldn't deny that he did, even if he struggled with the terminology. Freyr and Magnus were Odi's parents. There was no assuming there, no pretence, Odi was their son. What the fuck does that make me and Odi?!
"Caius?" Magnus pushed. "Do we understand each other?"
"Yes, sir." Caius wasn't even sure why he said sir, but it felt appropriate at the time.
…
"You ask," Caius hissed at Odi.
"You're the coven master," Odi hissed back. "You ask him!"
They had been sitting in the window, playing chess for hours watching the sun getting lower and lower in the sky. Freyr was with Turk getting the guard hall ready for the New Year party, so Magnus stayed on babysitting duty. He sat reading a book - Caius had never seen Magnus read before, but then they usually spent their time together in Caius' quarters drinking and playing cards. Magnus wasn't exactly engrossed in the text, he kept one ear on the hissing he heard coming from Caius and Odi.
It should be noted, they weren't sitting there out of choice. Caius and Odi had argued for thirty-six hours straight over whose room the spare room was. Naturally, Odi claimed the room as his own as it was full of his things. Caius didn't necessarily disagree with that, but he was clear that Odi could only have the room when Caius didn't need it for himself - Odi being younger and further down in the pecking order. Caius had tried to call the room on status alone, being a coven master, but Freyr soon put Caius in his place for that one before throwing her hands into the air and leaving to find companionship that wasn't led by testosterone.
Magnus had stood back and let Caius and Odi argue it out until it became physical. He'd been compelled to intervene when Caius attempted to remove Odi's head. The chess game had been forced on them as a punishment, with the rather odd covet being that the winner would be taking the hiding for the whole fight. It meant their game had lasted three hours and counting with only four pieces lost to Odi, and three to Caius.
"If you don't ask soon we are going to have to walk in the guard hall when it's already full," Odi pointed out. He had already learnt much about Caius during their enforced time together and he knew Caius would rather face Magnus than walk into the guard hall with everyone gawping at him. "Better to ask now and have a few drinks inside us before everyone else gets there."
"Why don't you just spit it out," Magnus asked, looking with a raised eyebrow over the top of his book to them both.
Caius looked out the window. The sun was low… the party would start at dusk. Odi's right, I can't walk in there in front of everyone. "Are we invited tonight?" he asked.
Magnus set his book down on his open page. He toyed with playing with them a little, but after the tensions they had all already suffered he decided against it. The last two days had been strained enough!
"Aye," he agreed. "You're invited."
Thank the gods! "Could we get there early?" Caius asked, with Odi quickly tagging on, "Please."
Magnus knew why Caius wanted to be there first. Truth was, Magnus wanted to be there before the rest of the coven for the same reason. No sooner than he had given them the nod, both Caius and Odi were at the door. Magnus chuckled to himself. We'll go now then, shall we?
Odi turned to Magnus before they went through the double doors. "Leave me to it tonight, Dad," he pleaded. "I need to reintegrate."
Magnus bobbed his head and carried on inside. Caius left Magnus to go to the bar and went to their table, the same table the elite usually sat at. Caius' anxiety wasn't helped by being there drink-less, but he hoped Magnus would sort the first round, which he did.
"I'm going to convince Dora you are level headed enough to have back in your chambers tonight," Magnus explained, setting two tankards on the table. "Do not do anything to make me regret it."
Caius was grateful Magnus planned to help him in his marriage, again, but he had to admit he was pissed off with Dora for rejecting him in the first place. He didn't let that thought pass his lips, however. If the last few days had taught Caius anything, it was that he needed to learn when to keep his mouth shut - particularly when he was pissed off.
The guard hall gradually filled with people, first with the guards coming down from their dorms.
"Time to put your game face on, love," Freyr told her mate when Afton and Alexander nervously emerged through the doorway.
Magnus did just that and called the pair over to the side of the hall for a brief moment of privacy. He had been apprehensive about seeing Afton and Alex, unsure of what he would feel after what they did. Seeing the stiff step they walked with softened the juggernaut. They had acted foolishly, cruelly, even, but Magnus was still their master, their shepherd, their guardian, and he wanted them to be okay going forwards.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, tone sounding sterner than he had intended.
"Still a little sore," Afton admitted sheepishly. "Thank you for sending us the bloodwine."
Magnus nodded and turned the guard around. Pulling his shirt free of his britches, Magnus lifted Afton's shirt to check out the damage. Red, angry looking stripes marked the man's back, but they were healing quickly. There was no worry about infection with vampires and Volturi guards were never disciplined severely enough to be left with scars. After a night on bloodwine, which Magnus fully expected Afton to have, he would be healed by dawn.
"How about you?" he asked Alexander.
Alex turned around without being asked. Magnus did the same as he had done with Afton and checked Alexander's wounds. He hadn't healed as nicely as his partner in crime.
The guard master turned a knowing eye on Afton. "I assume Chelsea fed you then?"
Afton stumbled to explain himself until Magnus waved his apologies away. "I won't stand for any trouble from you two tonight." Magnus gave then the nod to redress themselves. "The first hint of it and you will be in the cells and you won't being coming up for air for the month. You're damn lucky I relented this time."
"It wasn't Afton's fault, master," Alexander admitted. "I convinced him to come with me. I was on edge after the mission, I missed the chance to blow off some steam and I took it out on Odi ... " Alexander trailed off. He felt like an utter cunt. He knew the reputation he held in the coven, he knew being so volatile made him a difficult member to keep in the guard. Alex also knew he only maintained that position due to Magnus and Freyr's good graces and he needed to be sure he still had a place in the Volturi after going for the master's kid.
"What's done, is done, Alex," Magnus said with finality. "Enjoy the party, keep yourselves out of trouble, and we're square. This time."
The 'this time' Magnus had tacked on hit Alex. He was being given yet another chance, but something told him if he went near Odi again, there would be no more chances. He was right, too. It's exactly what Magnus had meant. Sure that Afton and Alex were suitably warned, Magnus sent them on their way to enjoy the evening.
Caius watched the interaction play out from across the hall. He didn't have Magnus' gift for emotions, but he could tell the man had left things on a good note with Afton and Alex. It didn't feel right to Caius that Magnus could do that with the pair of bastards that had battered his kid. For the moment, Caius missed the irony that he was to blame for the attack in the first place. Having been forced to spend so much time with Odi over the past few days and having to accept he was sharing Magnus and Freyr with the young guard, Caius had already started to feel differently towards the boy. As soon as Magnus retook his seat, Caius started hissing across the table to him.
"How can you send Afton and Alex on to the bar after what they did to Odi?"
"I'm a forgiving man, Caius," Magnus replied easily. "Something you, in particular, should be grateful for."
Caius folded his arms and glowered at the pair of guards, both seemingly making peace with Odi as he helped Turk serve. Magnus cleared his throat to grab Caius' attention away for the action. Odi wanted to merge back into the guard - he had no hope of doing so with a couple of coven masters watching his interactions.
"They were punished for their violence," Magnus said. "Violence you incited over the last nine months, I will add."
Caius called over the closest guard, Renata, to bring them fresh tankards. "I have already suffered for that, thanks," he said once he was sure Renata was out of hearing distance.
Magnus clicked his tongue and tutted. "Not half as much as you should have."
Basileus' booming voice called out across the hall to Magnus. "I remember stating, not all that long ago, that we wouldn't be celebrating New Year."
The guards froze, some of them mid-swig!
"I'm putting on a free bar for the night," Magnus replied. "Fancy celebrating that?"
"You're clearly overpaid," Basileus chuckled.
"Not at all, my friend," Magnus disagreed. He lifted and gave a good jangle of the coin pouch on his hip. "I'm paying for it with my winnings."
"So, I'm paying for this?!" Basileus scowled, always the sore loser. "Turk, make mine a very large one."
Basileus joined Magnus and Caius, Freyr and Atia soon followed. Caius felt like a sore thumb as he sat with the four of them, particularly as Basileus had made a point of sitting next to him, painfully close. Caius knew attention would soon turn on him.
"So," Basileus started. "Have you sorted out your head?"
Caius nodded, hiding as much of his face with his tankard as he could.
Magnus and Freyr shared a short laugh before Basileus beckoned Odi to join them. Odi's heart sank, it was visible on his face, but he took the seat the creator offered.
"You look fully restored now," he commented on the lad's health.
"Yes, my lord." Odi looked around skittishly to see how close the guards were. Just as he thought they might, they were avoiding his eye, but all ears were on him. "Thank you for your blood, my lord," he whispered, praying he'd been quiet enough to evade the guards.
"Anytime," Basileus said, slapping a hand on the lad's shoulder. "Though let's hope it isn't needed again, eh?"
"Yes, my lord." Odi had never looked so uncomfortable in his life.
Basileus noticed, of course he did, but in his arrogance, he thought Odi's anxiety was undue, and therefore not worthy of concern, just something the kid had to get over. He was far more interested in Caius in that moment. Not that he addressed Caius, he spoke directly to Magnus, as though Caius was merely a bystander in his own life.
"Eleazar let slip that Irina has been at his place since Christmas," he said to the juggernaut with a side eye on Caius. "I assume that means Caius hasn't been?" By 'assumed' Basileus really meant, 'he better hadn't been'!
Magnus chuckled. "Caius hasn't been anywhere near Irina, don't worry about that."
For fuck sake! I am here! Caius thought murderously in his shame. And so is fucking Odi, so watch what you're saying!
Basileus heard him, naturally, but he kept going in his search for answers. "You kept him under lock and key … is that it?" he asked Freyr and Magnus.
"What more did we need to do?" Freyr returned.
Magnus chuckled again, the chuckle was pissing Caius off! "I can think of a few things," he told his mate, enjoying the general effect the conversation was having on Caius. Even Odi seemed to be relaxing a little.
"You should have walloped the little sod for causing so much grief," Basileus sang out, jutting his thumb in Caius' direction in case anyone missed who the 'little sod' was. "Do you want me to show you how it's done?"
"He's already worse than you," Caius hissed, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Did you hear that?!" Basileus boomed, laughing his head off.
Magnus looked genuinely offended. "How am I worse than him?"
Caius' face screwed up. "Do you want the list?"
"See!" Basileus slapped his hand down hard on Caius' back, causing the coven master to jolt forward. "Far too much cheek." He gave Odi a quick wink seeing the kid was enjoying Caius treated to some scorn. "You need to teach him a little humility, my friend."
Magnus rubbed his chin as though he were actually considering what Basileus had said. He kept up the pretence just long enough for Caius to really feel the nerves rising. "I'll keep that in mind for the next time he screws up."
With Basileus and Magnus breaking into laughter, Caius sank at the creator's side to hide.
"You've had your fun, my dear," Atia told her mate with a stern eye. "Leave Caius be, please."
Thank the gods! Caius thought, flashing a grateful smile to the vampiric witch for saving him. He was a annoyed Freyr hadn't called a halt to his shaming, but then he had been picking on her baby, so what else did he expect?
Basileus had been only partially winding Caius up, and there was one thing he wanted to make crystal clear. "Just so you know," he told Caius, making sure to catch Magnus' eye, too, "Magnus has an open invitation to keep you in check, so do try not to piss him off too much."
What the actual fuck?! Caius pushed his hands into his stomach. It was the only way he could stop the bloodwine from being regurgitated onto the table. He wasn't even sure why the news had come as such a surprise. It's the state of play he had assumed anyway, even chosen. Twice! But to hear it announced by the creator in front of an audience, even a small audience, punched him in the guts.
"So," Basileus continued with a lighter tone, "how are the four of you moving forward?" Basileus asked. The question clearly involved Caius and Odi, but Basileus was only looking for Magnus and Freyr's response.
Magnus sighed to himself. He didn't have anything solid to offer Basileus in reply, he couldn't claim they would be playing a happy family they certainly wouldn't do so publicly. "Without killing each other," he offered, chuckling into his tankard as he took a swig.
Basileus' booming laughter filled the guard hall. "That will have to do for now, I expect," he said, still laughing. "You're all thinking the right way, at least."
"Stop rushing them," Atia warned her mate, jabbing her bony elbow into Basileus' side. "Look how nervous you're making Odi."
"But they are!" Basileus had to be careful how he phrased things with Atia ready to strike should he muck it up. "Some of them may be struggling with the terminology," he directed at Caius. "But you all view each other as one would hope, as a family. I'm happy with that."
Magnus could feel Caius' temper rising, and he understood why - he found the conversation Basileus was trying to have painfully embarrassing and Caius dealt with embarrassment by getting angry. He's done well to keep himself in check so far. Magnus wanted Caius back with his mate by the end of the night and a blow up so early in the evening would put an end to that plan.
"Caius isn't ready to for any big changes, my friend, and Odi wants things the way they were." Magnus explained. "We understand each other, don't we?"
Oh they understood alright! Odi was happy in the main - he still had his family. Bringing Caius into that was beyond weird for the kid, and he was apprehensive about how he would fit back into guard life, but on the whole, happy. Caius felt more secure. After Odi coping for a kicking off the back of his rumours, Caius assumed Magnus and Freyr were done with him. To find out they weren't had made him feel more certain of his place with them. He, too, was concerned with how to play things, though. Odi was a guard at the end of the day, Magnus and Freyr were coven masters, like Caius. How, then, was Caius supposed to play all the hidden relationship ties when they weren't in hiding? Looking to Odi, Caius could see the young guard was wondering the same as him.
"I should help Turk on the bar, my lord," Odi muttered, excusing himself.
Magnus gave him a nod to tell him he could leave, and Odi flashed to the bar to start serving drinks. It was already too late. Too many had heard Basileus had fed him, too many had seen him sitting with the elite, too many were thinking on the distinction Magnus had made about Odi.
"Oh thank fuck!" Caius had never been so pleased to see Aro arrive. He shot from his seat and joined his co-master the moment the guy came through the door.
"Still alive, then?" Aro noted, smirking. "We've all been wondering what Magnus had done to you?"
Caius made damn sure not to let Aro touch him as they spoke, so he couldn't access his thoughts. The coven king still wasn't privy to all the details of the mission. He knew that Caius had been on a drug binge and caused a stir between the guards, he knew he'd been slagging off Odi to all who'd listen, what he didn't know was why?
Caius explained it all away by blaming Henri and the dungeon blood. The only reason he had been out of coven life was because he'd been on a come down. Aro wasn't so sure, but Caius played convincing enough that he eventually stopped quizzing him. Seeing Dora arrive with Irina helped.
"She didn't even look at you," Aro whispered to his co-master when his mate stalked past him to the bar.
Caius' shoulders dropped. "She thinks I'm a risk," he explained. "The dungeon blood …"
He didn't have to explain any further to Aro as Aro knew well enough about the fights Caius had with his mate when he was tanked up - Aro had been in the same position as Caius on many an occasion due to the same drug.
"Are you going to talk to her?" Aro asked, seeing Caius unmoving. "You seem okay to me, you must be over the come down by now?"
Caius nodded. He was over the come down, but a million other things rattled through his brain ... all causing an equal instability in the man. "Magnus is going to talk to her for me," he said, as they both watched the juggernaut cross the room.
With Caius fixed on the conversation between his mate and the juggernaut, Aro drifted away. He wanted a good night getting wasted on Magnus' money. Caius looked a little too morose to join him and he wasn't having his buzz brought down. It's a sad day in hell when Eleazar looks like the fun one, he thought, joining his elder brother.
Caius waited patiently for Magnus to work his magic. When the juggernaut strolled past, he gave Caius a wink to say job done and Caius immediately went to his mate. He moved the curls from the back of Dora's neck and bit down gently.
"Has Magnus talked to you?" he whispered into her ear.
"He has," Dora replied dreamily. "Magnus thinks you are safe to have home."
"I was never a risk," Caius insisted. "But yes, I'm safe. Will you have me back?"
"I suppose I have missed you a little," Dora replied, turning in Caius' arms to face him. "But I'm not leaving early." She knew what Caius wanted. She quite fancied a decent fuck, too, but she wasn't ending the party early for it. Their first New Year celebration, the first one at which she had friends to call her own, the first event she had ever looked forward to - Dora was staying for the whole night.
"I can show you a better time," Caius tried, bless him. "Would you really rather hang out with Irina and Carlisle than me?!"
"Felix and Renata, too," Dora added. "The 'Inbetweeners' have formed a friendship."
Caius' face fell.
Dora disentangled herself from his arms. "Go and drink with Aro, as you usually do at these events, and I will see you at home." She didn't wait for Caius to respond before re-joining her friends.
Caius dropped himself into the free chair at the elite table with a thud. "Dora would rather spend the night with the other inbetweeners than come home with me."
"Inbetweeners?!" Aro repeated. "Who the hell are the inbetweeners?"
"The lost souls in the coven, apparently." Caius gestured to the bar where Dora stood, laughing, joking, having a grand old time with Carlisle, Renata, Irina and Felix. In the few minutes since Caius had left his mate to her so-called friends, somehow Odi had managed to join the group.
"I don't like the look of that."
Aro didn't really have an opinion on guard friendships, even if those friendships were outside of the guard. He didn't, however, like the idea of those particular coven members hanging around together.
Dora had apparently softened a lot over the last few years, according to Atia. Aro hadn't spent enough time with the woman to see any proof of such claims, so Dora was a cause for concern. Carlisle floated around the coven looking for something to do - on a good day that was good things, helping out Marcus in teaching and the like. On not so good days, his boredom frustrated him to the point of self-destruction. It was no secret Renata was desperate for a mate - Aro couldn't see what Carlisle could offer a woman with her tastes, but any port in a storm … maybe, he thought. And then there was his own son - Felix could cause trouble in an empty room. Odi was only marginally better, that margin, for Aro, was that Magnus had always dealt with his son's fuck ups, so he wasn't Aro's problem. Seeing them all stood together, Aro could see that might change.
"Can you do something about it, then?" Caius asked, pulling Aro from his thoughts.
"Only as much as you can," Aro shrugged. He could pull Felix out of the group, he supposed, but even Aro wouldn't do that without just cause. Beyond Felix, he had no call to disband the little pack based on simply feeling uncomfortable about them being together. "See how they get on," Aro suggested. "We'll keep an eye on them all."
Between the combined efforts of Caius, Dora, Odi, and the guard, not to mention Christmas, Magnus and Freyr hadn't managed to reconnect since he'd returned from the mission. They slipped out of the New Year party soon after midnight to spend some time alone.
Just as Magnus was getting into his stride, Freyr called out, "Stop! Stop!"
"Now?!" Magnus asked. "I can't stop now!"
He tried to keep hold of his mate but Freyr was already off the bed and wrapping herself in the bed sheet. "The door!" she hissed at him.
The door?! Magnus hadn't heard the door. He was close to hearing angels, not doors! "Forget the door," he said making one last grab for Freyr.
She evaded capture and sped out the bedchamber. "It could be Odi," she called over her shoulder, leaving Magnus to suffer his frustrations a little longer.
"If it is I'm putting the little sod up for adoption!" he called after her.
Magnus threw himself back on the bed, narrowly missing his head on the wooden headboard, and waited for Freyr to return. He considered sorting himself out, but he'd been doing that since March. Is it too much to ask to have one night with my wife?! Drumming his fingers on the bed, his annoyance grew as the time passed. Before too long, his erection withdrew, and he gave up waiting. Pulling on a pair of britches, which he held at the waist rather than doing the fastening, Magnus schlepped out to his living chamber.
It wasn't Odi who had disturbed them, it was Caius. Magnus still considered his adoption idea.
"Whats up with his face?" he asked Freyr, fixing himself a bloodwine.
"It's like a tavern for the clueless down there," Caius grunted from his seat, going on about the state of his chambers.
"Dora is throwing an after party for her new friends," Freyr explained.
"Sounds fun to me," Magnus said encouragingly. "Why don't you go and join in."
It was less of a friendly suggestion and more of a distressed plea. Freyr rolled her eyes and laughed at her mate's clear desperation.
"I have been, it's not fun. Not fun at all." Caius accepted the bloodwine Freyr offered him and looked set for staying in Magnus' chambers. "I felt like the babysitter."
"Still, it might be worth you persevering." Magnus took the barely sipped at cup from Caius and pulled the man to stand.
"If I stay down there I'm going to end up punching Odi in the face." Caius snatched his goblet back. "He's wrecked, he's talking."
"Who else is there?" Freyr asked, hoping Odi wasn't speaking out of turn in front of too many people, or at least, the wrong people.
"Dora, Irina, Renata, Carlisle, and Odi," Caius rattled off. "Can't you tell them they are disturbing you or something?!"
"They aren't the ones who disturbed us." Magnus scoffed looking back to Freyr.
Freyr tutted back at him. "Love, you sound desperate, it isn't a turn on."
"We haven't been alone since March - I am desperate!"
"Nice," Caius sneered. "If I throw up this bloodwine you can clean it up."
"It's your apartment," Caius," Magnus said, pulling him towards the door. "If you don't want them there, throw them out."
"They are Dora's chambers, too, love," Freyr pointed out. "He can't just throw out her friends."
"Well I have even less right to throw them out, so I guess the party continues." Magnus thought he had won with that one. "Go and join in," he told Caius. "You've had tonnes of parties that Dora's had to suck up and join in with, time to repay the favour."
"Have you tried talking to Dora?"
Magnus threw his mate an incredulous look for continuing the conversation when he had Caius half way out the door. Freyr! For the love of the gods woman!
"Of course I have." Caius ran through the brief conversation he'd managed to have with his mate without Irina standing between them.
"Why do you need these hangers on now I'm home?!" Caius had asked rather forcefully. "You're supposed to want to be with me, not them!"
The pair of them were in his bedroom for the smidge of privacy it offered, but they had to keep their voices low if they weren't to be heard by the hopeless crew out in the living chamber.
"I gave up on you," Dora told him plainly. "Not because I don't love you, but because I've been exhausted by you."
"But I've changed now!" Caius insisted.
"You've been taking dungeon blood for the last nine months because you can't control your jealously, Caius!" Dora reminded him. "Whats changed?!"
"I know how it looks to you, but …"
"But what?!" Dora spat. She'd had her absolute fill of Caius and his broken promises. "You've done exactly what you always do - fucked up. The only difference this time is that I'm not suffering the aftermath."
Caius booted the bedchamber door, sure that Dora's inbetweener mates were listening. "There will be no fucking 'aftermath'," he raged, very much like a man still in a dungeon blood aftermath, ironically.
"I making sure of it," Dora told him, swinging the damaged door open to re-join her friends where she felt safe from Caius' mood swings.
"There you go," Magnus said, sounding hopeful after Caius' short retelling. "Simple. Prove there will be no aftermath by going down there and being social with Dora and her friends." He led Caius to the door, opened it and pushed him outside, taking the goblet once more. "Go on," he said, encouraging Caius to go back downstairs.
Freyr was pulling a face when Magnus turned around and flashed an excited smile at her. "I'm not sure that was a good idea, love."
"I'll go down in an hour and check on them," Magnus said, pulling his mate along to their bedroom.
"An hour?!" Freyr burst out laughing at the idea that Magnus could last an hour! "In my dreams, maybe."
Twenty-two minutes later, because they did it twice, Magnus strolled into the ground floor suite much more relaxed.
"Shush!" Caius hissed, rushing to the door. "They're sleeping."
Magnus shoved Caius aside and rushed to the other vampires in the room - all passed out in various states of disarray. "What have you done?!" he growled at Caius. Checking the bodies over, he couldn't see any damage. "Well you haven't hit them, so how have you … have you spiked them with dungeon blood?"
Caius couldn't hide the amusement from his face. "None of them are used to it, so it only took a couple of shots to knock them out," he said, tittering over his own genius.
Magnus wasn't sure how he felt seeing the five of them all splayed out unconscious.
"They don't even know they drank it, they will think they were just pissed," Caius insisted. "No harm done."
Magnus pointed out Irina lying on top of Carlisle, both sleeping soundly on the sofa. "Have you arranged them like this?"
"They fell where they fell," Caius shrugged. "Nothing to do with me."
Magnus started looking around for the bottle of dungeon blood. Caius still kept a bottle in his chambers, as all the masters did, but Magnus made sure to keep one eye on the level. He wanted to know what that level was now Caius had drugged up the party revellers. He didn't have to ask. Caius set the bottle on the table top and tutted at Magnus when he had the temerity to ask whether he'd drank any himself.
"I'm not stupid," he said.
"Maybe not completely," Magnus agreed. He could tell Caius was being truthful, though. Getting a good eye on the remainder of the bottle's content, Magnus set the tar back down and collected the pack of cards that lay abandoned on the table. "Let's play," he suggested, heading for the window seat. The moonlight would be enough for a pair of vampires to read the cards, there was no need to disturb the sleepers.
"You're staying?" Caius asked. He hadn't expected him to, but though Caius wouldn't say it, he really wanted to spend some time with Magnus. His head still wasn't level, neither were his emotions - Magnus could help with both of those things.
"Until they come around, yes."
Magnus would rather have spent the rest of the night with Freyr, but he knew Caius needed him. He also wanted to be there when the party goers woke up - he didn't want Basileus hearing of Caius drugging coven members, particularly not Carlisle and Irina. Hoping they would all, as Caius said, think they were only drunk, Magnus settled in for the night.
It took some hours for the revellers to start coming around. Carlisle stirred first, disturbing Irina who lay out on top of him.
"Oh fuck, my head!" she whined, wrapping her hands in her hair and rubbing at her scalp.
Hearing Irina speak and sounding so very close, Carlisle's eyes opened with a start. "What the hell happened last night?!" he asked. Oh no! "Did we …?"
Irina climbed off the Volturi prince unsteadily. "I don't think so," she said, sounding uncertain.
"Oh thank God!" Uncertain or not, Carlisle had no memory of fucking the Denali girl, so if Irina said they didn't, that was enough for him. "My brother would slaughter me."
Renata sat up on the floor, shaking Odi to do the same. Dora was already awake, although the way she slumped in her chair, no one would know it.
"What time is it?" Renata asked, looking around for a clock.
"About eight in the morning."
Carlisle stood so fast he knocked Irina off the spot, Dora's head bounced up, and Renata was damn near sick. It's safe to say, hearing Magnus' voice had not been expected.
"Master, I, erm …" Renata really didn't know what to say.
Waking up from a drink (she presumed) induced coma in a master's chambers … well, it's not a normal circumstance for a Volturi guard and Renata wasn't sure what would happen. Magnus wasn't sure, either, for that matter. They didn't have a precedent for dealing with such circumstance. In theory, that meant Magnus could handle it how he liked – he chose 'dismissal and ignore'. He left his cards on the table and folded his hands behind his head, striking a confidently imposing figure and glared daggers at those in the room. Everyone shrank back from his gaze.
"Good day to you, my dear," he eventually said to Renata.
"Yes," Renata started backing out of the room, not quite believing her luck. "Good day, master."
Odi heaved himself up and went to follow. "I'll come with you …"
Magnus soon put rest to that idea. "Like hell you will," he told his boy. Odi didn't argue. He might have done privately, but not with an audience.
Irina scoffed. She had feared reprisal at first, but seeing Renata sent out without further word she found a new sense of confidence. If Magnus isn't doing anything, no one else will. Irina had already worked out who to watch in the coven. So far there were only three people on that list - Atia, Freyr, and Magnus. Everyone else, even the creator, and especially Eleazar, seemed almost scared of facing off with her. Irina made her way to the bloodwine barrel and found a cup.
"Bar's closed, Irina," Magnus boomed. He was so loud the girl dropped the cup in surprise.
Quickly recovering and deciding not to push Magnus into any undue action, Irina turned to Dora, her host. "Great party, Dora!" she enthused. "Great!"
With that she left in an air of light laughter, without a second glance to anyone else.
Magnus turned on Basileus' boy next. "Anything to say, Carlisle?"
Carlisle gulped. He felt nauseated. It was the dungeon blood's doing, but not knowing he'd drank any, he put the feeling down to being confronted by Magnus. "Nothing worth hearing, Magnus." He looked sheepishly over to Caius, knowing he'd been one of the rowdier members of the party the night before. "Sorry, for … you know."
Caius tutted and looked away. He wouldn't dignify Carlisle with eye contact, let alone words. Carlisle took that as his cue to flee, and so he did.
That left three. Magnus knew Caius would set in on Odi if he gave him chance, so he made sure to get in there first.
"Odi, if you cannot be trusted to hold your tongue when you are drunk, you won't be allowed to drink," he told his son.
From the corner of his eye, Odi could see Caius smirking wildly at him. It annoyed him just enough for the young guard to have a burst of pride and he started muttering about unfairness and his rights.
"Knock it off!" Magnus roared, closing the gap between them in an instant. He pulled Odi in by his shirt collar and lifted the boy's chin, so they were eye to eye. "I'm not going to say anything else about this, but I can think of a few things you want me to keep private, so in return you will keep details about Caius private."
Odi relented. "Yes, sir," he whispered.
Magnus released the boy but Odi waited until he was given the nod before flashing from the ground floor suit.
Dora felt the juggernaut's eye turn on her and fidgeted in her seat. "It was one party …"
"You can have parties, Dora." Magnus offered his hand to help her stand. He could see she was a little worse for wear. "But," he said gently, "perhaps it would be better to agree on those parties before they happen."
"He would never agree." Dora's eyes darted across to Caius. "He doesn't want me to have friends. That's not how we work. I'm supposed to be here, available to him when he wants me, and he goes off and does whatever he likes."
"That's not true!" Caius snapped in self-defence.
"It is true," Magnus told him categorically. In fact, it was so true, it had been the main topic of their conversation whilst they were waiting for the party goers to come around from the dungeon blood. "Your mate deserves a life, too," he added, not for the first time.
Caius' eyes narrowed and he his jaw clenched. "Shacking up with the hopeless is getting a life, is it?"
"They are better than the alternative," Dora replied. "It's the best I can do without leaving the coven."
Leaving the coven?! Caius repeated to himself. Why would we leave the coven?! Of course, Dora wasn't talking about 'we' going anywhere, but Caius had missed that vital distinction.
"I went on a mission, love," he replied. "But I'm home now, we can do things together."
Dora looked askance to her mate. "You don't want to do things with me! You left me at Aro's on Christmas day, Caius. I didn't even want to go there, you promised to stay with me, you bailed!"
Caius tutted, still missing his mate's state of mind. "I had to bail on the party, Dora …" he drawled, as though it were meaningless incident.
You self-centred idiot! With fists clenched at her side, Dora roared, "You bailed on ME!"
"Enough," Magnus called out, getting between the two. "Enough."
Dora was angry, but more than that, she was upset. Irina had been in her ear since Caius had gone on the French mission. The Denali girl had highlighted to Dora just how fucked up her relationship with Caius really was. How much more she deserved. Irina hadn't said anything out of turn, she'd simply played to Dora's greatest fears - that Caius really didn't care about her at all.
Caius had unknowingly played into Irina's hands drinking dungeon blood for the last nine months and returning in a ball of bitter fire. Add to that, Dora was actually having fun in the coven for the first time in forever. And that fun didn't include Caius, more than that - life could be more enjoyable without him in the picture.
It was normal for Dora to retire to her bedchamber when there was trouble with her and Caius. Any disagreement and she would hide. So it came as a shock to Caius to see his mate stand tall, collect her cloak, and head out of the door.
Caius tried to follow but Magnus blocked his path. "That woman has put up with an extreme amount of stress from you, Caius." He didn't want to scare Caius and tell him what Dora was feeling, but he knew Dora felt detached from her mate, cold towards him even. She still loved him, Magnus could feel that, but her desperate need to be with him seemed to have lessened a great degree. "This is the first time in her life that Dora has some friends of her own. I'm not saying I think they are the wisest choices for playmates, but with the way you have been recently, I think it's better for her to have them than have no one."
That didn't make sense to Caius. "She has me …"
"Not really," Magnus told him carefully.
Caius didn't argue, but his furrowed brow told Magnus he'd need to explain in more depth.
"You were on a mission for nine months, you got back still in the midst of a comedown from the very drug that has nearly destroyed your marriage. And despite what you think, your head, your emotions … you're unstable."
"But I'm changing now," Caius said. He sounded like a child begging for help.
Magnus wrapped his arm around the younger master. "I know you are, but so is Dora. She can't rely on you right now, Caius, that's why she needs other people."
He heaved a heavy sigh as he absorbed Caius' emotions which had just found new reason to spike in every direction. You both need other people, Magnus said to himself, wondering if he was strong enough to get the volatile pair through the storm in their relationship.