It's a long, dead life!

by BDE

We join the Volturi in 1663 when Carlisle was turned for his long, dead life and family drama. Aro, Caius, and Marcus are trying to rule the world. Felix, Demetri, Jane and Alec are creating havoc as child vampires and the Denali sisters soon join them. Mature scenes - Corporal Punishment (spanking/discipline) and offensive things, but its the Volturi, so what do you expect?

145. Midsummer Mess - Part 2

AN: I think this one tips us over 900,000 words! A huge thank you to all those still reading and leaving reviews/PMing me about this, means so much!

Guest, I can't reply to your review, but you are so right - it has been a while. Let me know what you think of this :)

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Midsummer Mess - Part 2

When the elite had called it a night, the guard hall had been in a sombre mood. Somehow, since then, the inbetweeners had managed to liven up the joint. Magnus hadn't given the matter much thought as the guards danced around the hall, falling about all over the place, with shrieks of laughter punctuating the air. He didn't mind babysitting, so long as he was left in peace with his ale.

He had called out a few times, silencing them all with a mere raised hand, to tell the odd reveller to calm down. Mainly reminding Corin and Felix that certain activities were for private quarters only. Other than that, he left them to it.

Magnus wore a face of thunder sitting alone at the elite table all evening, and though it wasn't due to the guards, the guards avoided him anyway. When Magnus was in the mood, as he usually was, he was great company. Something was clearly on the juggernauts mind and he wanted to be left alone, so alone he was left. Until Caius returned, that is.

With his head down and dragging his feet, Caius wandered back into the guard hall. The guards were making such a god-awful row with their merriment that he nearly turned back around. Seeing Magnus still in situ at the elite table pushed him forwards. He needed to talk to someone and that someone was Magnus.

"Late night for you," he said, slipping into a chair.

Magnus offered him a half smile in return. "Freyr's gone to see Atia, I wasn't ready to go home. Too much on my mind." He shook his head when Caius looked quizzical. "How did it go with Dora?"

Soon forgetting Magnus' worries, Caius groaned over his own.

"You said if I gave Dora some space, then she would come back to me." He paused to run a hand through his hair. He'd done the same thing so many times through his strained conversation with his mate that it now looked lank and greasy. "Things between us are getting worse, not better."

"You two have a lot of water under the bridge, troubled water at that," Magnus reminded him. "I know this is hard for you to hear, but…"

Magnus broke away for a moment. He had to be careful with his phrasing. Caius had asked for Magnus to be on his side earlier that day, and Magnus had promised he would be. He was! But being on your side means helping you see Dora's side, too, he told himself.

Clearing his throat, he began again. "But just because you have made some headway in changing certain aspects of yourself, that doesn't mean Dora is ready to fully forgive the way she has been treated over the years now she's realised the injustice."

"So, what are you saying?" Caius asked. "It's too little too late from me?"

Magnus shook his head. "More like, you're expecting too much too soon from her."

Caius sunk into his seat, shoulders drooped. He couldn't think about the state of his marriage any more. It was depressing.

"Whats on your mind?" he asked, remembering Magnus had looked quite forlorn when he'd arrived.

Magnus looked back to Caius with a pointed expression. "Other than you and Dora?" he said with a cocked eyebrow. "It doesn't matter."

Caius followed the juggernaut's eyeline to Odi at the bar. "It's him, isn't it?"

"My son has been avoiding me for six months," Magnus said, sounding terse. "He used to come to my chambers every day, now it's less than once a week. Freyr is heartbroken to have lost another child. So yes, it is Odi who is on my mind."

It was undue, but Magnus had readied himself for some complaint from Caius about him daring to consider his relationship with his son, but no complaint came. Caius had only started on Odi earlier that day as someone to take his frustrations out on. He really hadn't meant to pick on the kid.

Turning in his seat, Caius looked behind him again to get a better view of Odi. "He seems happy enough to me."

"Aye, he does," Magnus agreed. "Do you know how crushing it feels to see Dora so happy with her friends when she can't be that way with you? When you love someone so much, but they are only happy when you are out of the way?"

Caius didn't have to answer, it was clear from his grimacing expression that he understood Magnus' feelings.

"Me and Odi are getting on alright," Caius said, quickly adding 'most of the time' when Magnus gave him a withering eye. "I could talk to him for you? You've done enough for me…"

Caius' face became stricken as Magnus' gift betrayed him, gushing pride.

"Don't start that shit!"

Clearing his throat again, Magnus got himself under control.

"I appreciate it very much that you would even think to try," he said honestly. "But, no. It's not your battle to have with him, Caius. It's mine."

"How's Dora?" Irina's toxic tongue broke into the quiet conversation.

"She still wishes to be alone, Irina," Caius replied without turning to face the girl. "Give her some space."

"I know, of course," Irina said, sounding distant as she spoke. She worried her hold over the woman was slipping if Dora didn't want to see her. Damn it! "I'll see her after the party."

"You could always go home, you know?" Magnus told her.

"Yeah, Odi wants his room back," Caius added.

Irina backed away slowly. Damn, damn, damn! She glanced back to the bar where Odi served their polluted bloodwine. That kid has been in my way since the start of all this, she thought, quickly thinking of a way to have the guard brat back on lock down and out from under her feet.

She skipped back to the bar and ordered a full round of drinks. She even paid for them out of her own pocket!

Had her co-inbetweeners been less drunk, or drugged, they might have wondered where Irina got the money from to pay for the drinks as the kitty had been wiped out hours before. But alas, drunk and drugged they were. All of them, which is why Irina went gung-ho with her plan to ruin Odi without considering the consequences.

Once their small gathering was taken up in conversation, Irina slipped away again, taking two tankards of bloodwine with her.

"Whats this?" Magnus asked as the girl set the tankards down on the table.

Irina gave them a wonky, drunken smile. "Peace offering," she said, before darting back to her friends.

Magnus called after her, offering his thanks, but Irina was already clear across the room by the time he spoke.

"If I were human I'd be worried about her slipping arsenic into the cups!" Caius sniggered, collecting his free drink and bringing it to his lips.

The juggernaut agreed and went to do the same, but Caius' hand came slamming down on top of the tankard before he had chance to lift it from the table!

"Whats wrong with you?!"

"Don't get mad," Caius said quietly, pushing his own drink aside. "There's dungeon blood in the bloodwine."

"What?!"

"Not much," Caius explained. "But it's in there. I know my dungeon blood."

He watched the juggernaut as he tried to contain his rage. Magnus went from one guard to another, delving into their emotions and reading the crowd. An age seemed to pass before he spoke.

Unhooking the guard hall keys from his belt loop and sliding them across the table, he quietly growled, "Lock the doors, Caius."

"I said don't get mad," Caius hissed back, taking the keys.

"I'm perfectly calm."

Caius whistled into the air as he stood. "Your calm is scarier than your rage, you know?"

Magnus waited for Caius to lock the doors before acting. Once he was sure no one was going anywhere, he bellowed out to the guards to cease and desist. An immediate hush fell around the room with all eyes on the guard master. Magnus sat up straight in his seat and removed his belt, dropping it to the table with a heavy thud. He had everyone's attention.

"Line up, guys."

The guards did, Carlisle did, Odi did, Felix did… Irina did not.

Her plan had been for Magnus to bollock Odi and Odi alone. Maybe put the kid on lock down, get him out of Dora's spare room so she could have it. Being drunk, and drugged, Irina hadn't stop to consider that they would all be in trouble. Flashing to the double doors leading into the castle and her freedom, Irina pulled and pushed. Caius stood aside, laughing at her stress, knowing they were locked.

"You have no right to keep me here!"

Magnus offered the wretched young woman a tight smile. "My guard hall, my rules," he said, jutting his chin towards the 'Rules' above the bar.

Irina had never read the rules before, and though her vision was a little shaky, she noticed something that made her cold blood freeze.

'Regardless of perceived status, all coven members will be treated equally in the Guard Hall'.

Perceived status?! she wondered. Equally?! Irina didn't have long to think on the matter, however, as Magnus gave Caius a nod.

Caius knew what Magnus wanted. He obstructed Irina's attempts to break down the doors before she could cause any damage and kept hold of her, being none too careful about the force he used to do so.

Magnus remained seated for the moment and assessed the room. "Dungeon blood?" he asked simply, reading the emotional responses.

Most were confused, if made apprehensive by the simple question. A few, however, were more reactive. Carlisle, Odi, Felix, and Irina being the main culprits. Corin and Turk seemed more nervous than they should be, Renata, too. Magnus called those three to him first.

"I'm going to assume you knew the drinks were spiked, and enjoyed the free buzz," he said quietly, judging them as he spoke.

The poor sods didn't even need to reply verbally - their emotional reactions, the ones they couldn't help, were telling their sins clear enough. Magnus nodded to himself and made to stand. Each in turn, he grabbed hold of their face and checked out their eyes. Reddening and glassy. You must have been ingesting dungeon blood over the last few hours, at least. Fucked. You're all fucked!

"You're all on block until I say otherwise."

The women accepted it, they had expected it, even, but Turk was taken aback. He'd never been put on block before!

Early into the evening, Turk had attempted to serve Richard a goblet of bloodwine from the polluted barrel, only to be accosted by Odi and man handled out of the way. Odi had been forced to explain himself to his old friend, and Turk had, understandably, flipped out. It took some convincing, but with Odi swearing on the eyes of his mother to never commit such an atrocity against Turk again, Turk had relented. What else could he do?! He wouldn't dob Odi in again to his parents – he had felt retched for months after the last time – and he couldn't take the dungeon blood out of the bloodwine. He decided the best way forward would be to endure no one else drank the infected bloodwine and hoped no one would ever discovered what Odi had done.

"But the bar… Master?" he asked, awkwardly.

(Well you would be awkward, too, if your face was being held in a vice like grip by one of the strongest vampires on earth!)

"If you were so bothered about the bar, Turk," Magnus ground out through gritted teeth. "You would have stopped those idiots from doing this."

Turk really wished he had waited until Magnus had released his hold before he'd complained. The tight grip the guard master had on him became painful as Magnus dug his fingers into the sides of Turk's face. He'd be left with the bruising for a good day or two.

"Any more complaints?" Magnus asked, taking a step back.

Turk's hands immediately found his thumping cheeks and thought better of saying anything else. He retreated to the line of guards with Renata and Corin.

Magnus picked up his belt and used it to point out Carlisle, Odi, and Felix, and then to the spot in front of him. Before they even reached him, Magnus was certain of what they had done. The three of them were so groggily-eyed that Magnus doubted they would be awake for much longer. Damn stupid kids!

He pulled Felix forward first.

"You and I both know your old man is going to flip about this," he whispered into the boy's ear. "I don't want you in any more trouble than needs be, young one."

Magnus paused and looked over to Irina, still struggling fruitlessly in Caius' hold.

"I know you four spiked the drinks, I want to know whose idea it was."

Oh fuck! I can't grass! I'm not a grass! Felix stayed silent.

Magnus didn't need him to talk. "Was it Irina?"

"Magnus!" Felix whined. "That's not fair!"

Magnus chortled to himself. He had his answer from the boy's emotions, but that whine was enough to condemn the Denali girl.

"Who supplied the dungeon blood?" he asked, reading emotions as he went. Odi, Carlisle, and Felix reeked of guilt, though surprisingly, not Irina.

"Felix," he said softly. "Did Irina supply dungeon blood, too?"

Felix groaned knowing he would be grassing again without so much as a blink.

Magnus thanked the stars for his gift and the ease of life it offered him in such situations. So, she got you three goons to do the dirty work for her. If Felix thought Magnus' laughter was a sign he would go easy on him, he was mistaken.

"Let's get on with it, shall we?"

Magnus swung Felix out in front of him by his left arm, presenting the young Volturi prince to the room. Holding the boy at arm's length ensured Magnus could deliver a full round-house smack with his belt, and, unfortunately for Felix, the guard master could put a hell of a lot of weight behind each strike!

The boy quivered in anticipation, trembling slightly with sweat beading on his forehead. Were it not for the huge crowd of onlookers, the boy would have been begging before Magnus started. As it was, Felix managed to clamp his mouth shut right up until that first strike was levelled at his behind.

"Magnus! Please! No!"

Carlisle would never admit it out loud, but he knew if Felix was up on his tiptoes roaring to the Gods from Magnus' blows, then he stood no chance! Odi knew the same, and he had far more experience facing Magnus than just about anyone else on the planet. With a particularly pained shriek from Felix, Odi quivered inside. Oh hell!

It suddenly struck Odi that if that was how Felix was fairing with a load of dungeon blood inside him, how would Odi cope when Magnus repeated the message once he'd sobered up?! Magnus had always been clear with his boys in their human lives that if they copped for trouble outside of his home he would repeat the message once he caught hold of them. It was a covet that had followed Odi to Volterra.

Magnus wasn't unusual. All the parents Odi had ever met had been the same. He knew Basileus and Aro would apply the same covet to Carlisle and Felix. Odi wasn't sure who had it worse - him or Carlisle. He thought Felix would be okay only facing Aro, and being a child, and all.

To be fair, Felix agreed with Odi on that score. Being one of few lucky coven members who had suffered the wrath of just about every possible punisher the Volturi offered, Magnus was the worst!

The problem with Magnus was that you couldn't fool him. The covens trained delinquents, such as Felix, had become adept at saying the right things, thinking the right things, to get Aro or Basileus to back off. It even worked with Caius! But Magnus didn't work that way - he went on feelings, and he kept up delivering strike after strike until he felt the poor sod's feelings match their mouth.

That's not to say that the juggernaut was cruel, he wasn't - he had a cut-off point like every other man in his position. The issue for those facing his wrath, like Felix in that moment, was that they had no way to manipulate Magnus into an early finish.

That said, dungeon blood, like many drugs of its nature had a depressive effect once the buzz was over. The buzz might have lasted longer on Felix were it not for the thunderous strikes being added to his hide. As it was, the boy was feeling contrite and repentant much sooner than he might otherwise have been.

Magnus ended his assault and took Felix in his arms until he'd calmed to a regular pattern of breathing.

"What you've done tonight," Magnus whispered into the boy's ear. "It wasn't just juvenile, it was very dangerous."

Felix tried to reply, he really did, but the heaving sobs he fought to control took centre stage. "I… under… under… stand…" he finally stuttered out.

Magnus sent the boy to wait at the doors where Irina was quick to call him a cunt for ratting her out. She didn't understand how Magnus worked and that Felix had no way to stop the man from finding the truth. Not that Felix really cared what Irina thought of him. He was hanging out with Carlisle and Odi and getting to spend time with Corin – Dora and Renata were okay, but Irina was just the sucker paying for it.

Seeing Felix was safe and sound, Magus moved on.

"Think carefully before you answer me, boy, because my patience for your petulance is all but exhausted." Magnus stepped up to his son, towering over the kid. "Was this just another way for you to get one over on me?"

Odi didn't look up. He couldn't. If I look in your eyes I'm going to see the disappointment and I'm going to crumble. He could feel the guards' eyes on his back and there was no way he would give them the satisfaction of seeing him bowing down to his father.

"Not everything I do is about you," Odi replied, sounding much more confident than he felt.

Magnus dragged a hand down his tired face. Prideful little cock, he thought to the kid. He didn't want to punish his son in front of the guard, but what choice did he have?

With his father taking just slightly too long to act, Odi dared a glance in the man's direction. He didn't see the disappointment he had expected, no, Odi saw something else - clear determination.

As he had done with Felix, Magnus grabbed Odi's left arm tightly with his steely left hand. Except this time, he didn't swing the boy out in front, instead he twisted Odi's arm around behind his back, forcing him to bend at the waist and greet his crowd arse-on.

Carlisle gulped down the air around him, sure he was on the brink of hyperventilating. He had never seen a more compromising position in his life. Oh, please God no! he prayed. Don't let that happen to me!

Again, Magnus wasted no time in conveying his anger and displeasure with his son's behaviour by the firm, rapid-fire repetition of his belt.

At once Odi was petrified and embarrassed - petrified of what the guards would think of him taking a strapping from his father at his age and status, and embarrassed… well, for the very same reason!

Carlisle wasn't feeling much better. With careful appraisal, the Volturi prince noticed Magnus put more force behind the strikes he offered Odi than those he offered Felix. Maybe it's because he's Odi's Dad? Carlisle wondered. Surely to God he won't hit me that hard? With a particularly worrisome shriek coming from Odi, Carlisle's fears took an iron grip in the pit of his stomach. Maybe he will hit me harder?! Because I'm older than Odi?! Fuck! Please be wrong, please be wrong!

It wasn't long before Odi begged for a reprieve, and soon after that Magnus ended his assault. Without looking at his boy, Magnus directed the kid towards Felix, leaving Carlisle for his round.

"Magnus, please," Carlisle said softly. "I'm much older than…"

Magnus scoffed. "You should have acted like it then, shouldn't you?"

Pulling the Volturi prince in close, Magnus wanted to offer Carlisle a slither of redemption.

"The only thing that will lessen what you have coming from your father, is telling me the truth now."

Carlisle felt his stomach lurch and he was forced to gulp down the bloodwine rising in his gullet.

"Who supplied the dungeon blood?"

Carlisle grimaced. "I stole a bottle from Basileus' stores."

Magnus wasn't impressed. "You lot have got through more than a bottle."

With a look back over his shoulder, Magnus fixed his sights on Felix and Odi. "You're feeling guilty again, lads," he told them. "Anything you'd like to admit?"

Felix steeled himself and admitted his part in their stupidity. "I took the bottle from the south tower."

Magnus bobbed his head, it was just as he'd suspected. "And you took one from my place?" he asked Odi.

Odi didn't answer, but as with Felix shortly before, his emotions betrayed him anyway.

"Oh dear, son," Magnus sighed. "I'll deal with you later."

Hearing the tiniest of sniggers from the guard line-up had Odi cringing so hard that his muscles ached!

"Irina?" Magnus called in question. "Did you take a bottle from Eleazar's quarters?"

Irina smirked back at the juggernaut, believing her honest answer would be her 'get out of jail free card'. "I couldn't find it."

"You got this lot to do your dirty work and kept your hands clean?" Magnus asked, with Irina reeking of self-indulgent pride for her clever scheming. "Right, I will take that as a yes, my dear."

All too soon, the question and answer part came to an end and Carlisle suddenly found himself being man handled into position. Carlisle didn't wear Volturi uniform. He fashioned himself as his brothers did, with dress coats, shirts, britches. The Volturi uniform tunics didn't get in the way of a thrashing, but a dress coat would, so Carlisle found him first being extracted from his coat before being bent over in the same way Odi had been. This is even worse! Carlisle thought, knowing how tightly his britches would be stretched across his backside in such a position.

Naturally, Magnus knew he was adding a touch of humiliation to proceedings. It wasn't accidental! It was part of the punishment. Forcing trouble makers to eat a little humble pie helped massively in reforming behaviour, in the juggernaut's opinion.

Just as the first stroke landed, Carlisle's fears were fully realised. Magnus was definitely hitting him harder than he had Odi. A pained 'fuck' escaped his lips as he reared up against the blow.

Magnus soon had him back in position and directed a bonus blow at Carlisle's legs.

"Keep your language in check, boy," he roared.

Whimpering, Carlisle forced his lips between his teeth to keep them together – he couldn't take another surprise strike like that!

Somewhere around the fourth strike, Carlisle caught sight of Felix and Odi, the latter watching in torrid fascination. We really need to tell Odi about the code, Carlisle thought, gritting his teeth through Magnus' onslaught. Felix wasn't watching. He was pretending not to watch, at least, which was preferable to outright staring with a horrified expression.

"Magnus," Carlisle called out in a strangled sob. "Please," he begged. "No more!"

With a final thunderous strike, Magnus spun Carlisle around to face him. "you are much older than them," Magnus said, agreeing with Carlisle's initial plea for mercy. "So, I'll do you a deal. You bring trouble to my hall again any time soon, and I'll finish what we've started here."

That really wasn't the kind of deal Carlisle had wished to strike with the man. Finish what we've started?! Carlisle repeated to himself. He hadn't kept tally of Magnus' delivery, but he was sure he counted at least ten and his backside burned!

"Are you listening to me?!" Magnus asked, shaking the young man by his arm.

"Yes, sir," Carlisle squeaked out, before hurrying over with a limped step to his partners in crime.

"Silly boys," Irina said, mocking the three humiliated guys. "I do hate to see people cry."

Felix turned to his fellow delinquents. "It reminds her of how little she cares about others."

"Isn't that the truth!" Odi chimed in, giving a rough swipe to the never-ending tears he produced.

Magnus strolled over and took Irina from Caius' hold. "Let's see how much she cares about herself, shall we?" he breezed, dragging the girl along behind him back to his table.

"Excuse me?!" Irina threw out haughtily. "I don't think so!"

Magnus barely blinked as he continued to drag her along at a human pace.

With the fear rising in her stomach, Irina tried desperately to get away from the juggernaut and whatever it was he proposed on doing to her. Even then, even right then at that point when Magnus had already belted the lads and still held the belt in his hand, even then Irina remained semi-secure in the belief that the guard master wouldn't dare to treat her in such a way.

Magnus brought the belt down sharp, but with Irina jigging about it only grazed the back of her legs. With the heavy fabric layers of her gown, she didn't even feel it. Not that it mattered. The gesture was enough to see the girl shriek and put renewed efforts into fighting for her freedom.

"What reasoning could you possibly come up with…"

Magnus cut her off sharp with a second strike, this one making its target. Irina wailed into the air like a wounded animal. If it weren't for his years of experience, Magus may well of questioned the level of strength he'd used!

"I don't need any reasoning, young one," Magnus explained patiently.

He took Irina over to the bar where the 'Rules' hung. Watching her face as she read, Magnus waited until she had completed a thorough run through of the list before speaking. When the girl was white as snow, he assumed she had come to the end, and therefore the comprehension that it really was his guard hall, his rules!

"I'm not a vindictive man," Magnus told her gently; a tone unbefitting of the tight grip he maintained on Irina's arm. "But I am responsible for anything that happens in this hall, and, therefore, you defer to me from the moment you step foot over the threshold."

He felt the girls anger spike as he spoke, though to be fair, it may have been the guards stifled sniggers Irina was reacting to.

"As it is," Magnus breezed, absorbing a little of the girl's tension. "Inciting strife in my hall is my reason."

"That's not fair…"

Irina found herself unable to voice any further complaint. The horror of her situation utterly consumed her. She had suggested the dungeon blood as a free high, but she'd been careful to keep her hands clean, on that Magnus was right. She would have got away with it with Eleazar and Carmen, Basileus, too, she reasoned. With another thumping strike levelled at her rear, Irina screamed her frustrations.

And it was frustration - not pain. Magnus used the same force he had used on the boys, all's fair in equality, after all, but the effect differed for Irina. She wore a dress made of many layers constructed from rich, heavy, voluptuous fabric. Magnus' belt thumped against the girl rather than slapped, as it had against the boys - who only had britches and linen braies to protect themselves.

Magnus knew what was happening - he had enough women in the guard, after all. It was a simple situation to remedy in the guard, though. The guards all wore the same uniform, for one, which had been designed for battle and consisted of britches and tunics. Though a few of the female members wore dresses on their days off, they knew to change into more appropriate clothing before Magnus arrived at their dorm if they suspected discipline and they mostly did. The odd one, younger women - girls, as Magnus thought them - chanced their luck occasionally. But in the privacy of a dorm room Magnus had no problem in putting them straight and ordering them to bare themselves. He couldn't do that to Irina in the guard hall. Hell, he wouldn't even do that to a guard, not even one of the lads. He might have not suffered the same sensibilities as Basileus regarding punishing the girls, but he had standards to maintain!

After another ear-splitting shriek from Irina, Magnus quit, unable to take the noise any longer. I dread to think the row you'd make if this actually hurt!

Once Irina realised her torment was over, she concentrated on getting herself under control. Her breathing quickly returned to a normal rhythm, and the few tears she had allowed herself to shed were wiped away.

Turning to the juggernaut, who maintained his hold on her arm, she spat in the man's face!

A gasp spread through room as everyone watched the globule of spit running down Magnus' cheek.

"Disgusting," Caius muttered, thoroughly repulsed.

Odi gulped at his side. He had a vague memory of doing that to his mother once in his human life… he never did it again, that was for damn sure!

Magnus kept his cool, bobbed his head once and wiped the offending substance away with his sleeve.

Irina went to do it again!

Magnus wasn't having that! He moved quickly, placing his hand under Irina's chin and squeezing her cheeks so tight they cut into her teeth. Holding her in place with lips puckered like a fish, he brought his own head down low and close. So close, their noses nearly touched.

"If you ever do that to me again," he said, danger in his gravely tone. "I will personally ensure you are unable to sit down for a month." With a shake, he added, "Do we understand each other, or would you like a demonstration?"

Oh, how Irina wanted to tell him to go fuck himself! Self-preservation stopped her, but only just.

Reading her emotions, because Irina couldn't talk with the position he held her in, Magnus worked out that the girl had given in to his authority. Finally, he thought, releasing her face.

In a gentler tone, because he knew it had been an ordeal for the girl, he said, "Let's get you home, shall we?"

You bastard! Irina cursed. The sudden change to Magnus' demeanour pissed her off! You can't humiliate me one minute and be nice the next! Do you think I'll fall for that shit?

Magnus wasn't trying to lead Irina into a trap, as she thought it. Discipline had been dispensed, so it was back to business as usual. For Magnus, that was being, nice! Irina's emotional read out told Magnus she was annoyed again, but he didn't understand why. You're giving me a head ache, girl. I know that much!

Looking back over his shoulder, Magnus suddenly remembered his guard hall remained occupied. "You may have already guessed, but the party is over," he told his guards. "Goodnight to you all."

He had a feeling Irina would bolt if released, so Magnus kept a hold of her arm. He judged Carlisle and Felix would walk without complaint.

"Home time, young ones," he told the pair of them, before asking Caius, "Could you escort Odi to my chambers and keep him there?"

"I don't need an escort!" Odi complained, only to be ignored as Caius readily agreed, unlocking the doors to allow their release.

Before the groups divided towards the north and south tower, Magnus pulled his son back. "Odi, you know whats expected."

That wasn't a question, Odi thought with a huff. "Yes, sir."

With Irina struggling in his grasp, Magnus pushed Felix and Carlisle ahead to lead the way to the south tower. The pair of them looked like they were heading for the gallows, though they might have preferred that to facing their fathers! All too soon in Felix' opinion, the foursome arrived at Aro's door.

"Go on," Magnus encouraged when Felix stalled. "You'll survive, young one."

The boy opened the door slowly, already close to tears knowing how much trouble he would be in. Magnus and Irina followed. Seeing Aro was conveniently accompanied by Basileus, Magnus smiled tightly.

"This has saved me a job," he said, calling for Carlisle to join them. "Spiking the bloodwine with dungeon blood."

That was all Magnus had to say.

Aro flashed to his son's side to read the boy's memories and from the look on Basileus' face it was safe to say that he was already doing the same from across the room.

"Explain!" Aro roared, the tight grip he had of Felix' wrist flexing with his anger.

Felix gulped down the rising venomous sick in his throat.

"It's not my fault!"

It was his go-to phrase, and as always when he muttered such words, it was a lie.

"Are you daring to stand there and lie to my face, boy?"

"No!" Felix shot back quickly. "I just meant… not…" he stumbled over his words trying to back track. Aro continued to glare at Felix as he lost his momentum until the boy slumped in defeat and said very quietly, "I'm sorry, Dad."

Basileus ignored his own troublesome boy and looked to Magnus instead. "And this happened under your nose?"

Magnus puffed out his cheeks and nodded. "I know," he said, before Basileus could ask how such a thing had come to pass. "I wasn't on the ball tonight," he admitted.

Basileus bobbed his head once. "We'll talk it through later," he promised, before gesturing to Irina. "Why do you have her?"

"I'm sure I don't need to tell you who was the mastermind." Magnus released Irina into Basileus' hold.

"That bastard just… he just… eugh!"

Irina couldn't even say the words. Her tongue was tied between shame and utter outrage over Magnus' treatment of her. She had never expected in a million years that the juggernaut would treat her the same as the guys involved. Never!

Basileus wished he had the confidence Magnus did dealing with the women in their coven. How many times had he wanted to knock that smarmy smile of Irina's face since she'd joined the Volturi? He couldn't count.

The hypocrisy of expecting Eleazar to do so when he wouldn't didn't skip Basileus by. To be fair to Irina, there were a few others Basileus wished he could knock into touch; his own daughters in law, Kate and Tanya, Athenodora, a few of the guards, even Jane on occasion. It was a mental block he would have to get over at some point, he knew that.

"Fair play to you, my friend."

"Fair fucking play?!"

Irina stamped her foot into the floor with such force that it shattered the wooden heal to her shoe. That only added to her rage! This is Magnus' fault, too!

Basileus heard the words forming in Irina's mind, and slapped a hand across her mouth before she could shame him further.

"If she has something to say, I can take it," Magnus said, unfazed.

Basileus winced a little feeling Irina's attempts to bite her way free. She couldn't hope to break the creator's skin, of course, but it still smarted to have the bitch chewing on him.

"She said you're a cunt, my friend," Basileus explained. "Make that, we're all cunts."

"Is that so?" Magnus bobbed his head. "Well this cunt just barred you from the guard hall, young lady."

Basileus started laughing. "Irina doesn't think you can do that." He soon started out right guffawing at the girl's thoughts. "Let's hope Eleazar will provide the follow up that sets her straight, eh?"

"Yeah right!" Aro tutted into the air. "He won't do anything and we all know it."

Aro wasn't wrong. He'd heard his brother had stepped in once or twice when the younger Denali girls were tearing a strip off each other in their usual argumentative fashion. He'd even heard that El had given Tanya a smack once, but he doubted his brother, famed for his avoidance of confrontation, would go there with Irina.

It felt particularly frustrating to the coven king knowing he would have to go through the rigmarole of belting his son when Irina, the orchestrator, would walk away unscathed. Although, he thought, it might stop my idiot from following the little bitch when he feels the injustice.

Aro looked to his son on the sofa with his uncle and was surprised to see them both out for the count.

"How hard did you hit them, Magnus?!" Aro asked, alerting his co master and father to the state of the passed-out pair.

Magnus held up his hands. "That will be the dungeon blood, Aro," he explained. "Not my doing."

Aro tried shaking Felix to wake him, and he gave his brother a slap to no effect.

"Leave them be, son," Basileus told him. "It will hurt twice as much belting them with a hangover."

"On that note," Magnus interjected. "I have Odi to deal with."

And as I left him with Caius, I might have Caius to deal with, too. He truly hoped Caius hadn't been spiteful with the lad because the mood Magnus found himself in, he would rip the guy to shreds if he had.

"They are all banned from my hall until Halloween, could you pass on the message?"

"Don't worry," Basileus replied. "We'll be sure to beat the message into them."

Caius had sent Odi up to the middle floor suite, so he could pop into his own chambers and tell Dora what was going on. He was glad to hear her shock when he explained all he knew - how Irina had manipulated the situation, and purposely given him and Magnus the polluted bloodwine. In fact, Dora wasn't simply shocked, she was angry!

"She gave you dungeon blood?!" she asked. "You?! Dungeon blood?!" Dora took to pacing her living chambers at vampiric speed. "But Irina knows how you are on it, I've told her!"

"I know, love," Caius jumped in, happy with the way Dora's mind was going.

"But she knows I would leave you if you took dungeon blood again - I told her!"

You would what?! Caius felt his shirt collar becoming damp. You would leave me over a bit of dungeon blood?! With a gulp, Caius thought about the dungeon blood he had been taking for several months… Without incident, he told himself. Why would you leave me over a bit of dungeon blood?! Caius really didn't understand what dungeon blood represented to Dora at that point.

"Why would she give it to you and Magnus?" Dora asked, pulling Caius from the horrors of his thoughts.

"Erm…" Caius had been blindsided by Dora's throw away statement. It took a moment to get himself back on track. "To get the lads in trouble with Magnus, I expect."

"But they are her friends," Dora said, poo-pooing the idea. "She must have been too drunk to know what she was doing."

Caius left it at that. Dora wasn't one for seeing the best in people, that wasn't her MO. But she usually believed the easiest explanation - a feature of her character that had served him well over the years and it wasn't something he necessarily wanted to change.

Joining Odi on the middle floor, Caius dropped Magnus' guard hall keys on the table and took to watching the kid curiously. Odi sat cross-legged at the foot of the wall - the same wall Magnus had stood Caius against to whip him after the dungeon blood fiasco at the tribune ball, in fact - where he rocked back and forth, banging his head against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Odi's eyes cut across to Caius, looking hazy and bloodshot. "What my dad expects of me."

"Magnus expects you to bang your head against the wall?" Caius asked. It was a valid question - Caius knew the juggernaut wasn't cruel or unusual in his punishments so Odi's actions were still odd in his mind.

"Obviously not," Odi replied, yawning. "Trying to stay awake."

Caius understood that one. Dungeon blood could knock your average vampire out with a couple of shots. Drinking it throughout an entire evening as the inbetweeners had would drag out that effect, but it would still come.

"Fuck," Odi cursed quietly. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!

Taking a seat on the floor next to the boy, Caius pried into the kids state of mind. It was a rare opportunity for him to find out a little more about the inner workings of Magnus' family - a family Caius himself had one foot inside.

"Are you scared?" he asked.

The question came out of the blue for Odi, so he ended his head banging and looked to Caius instead. "Of what?"

"Magnus," Caius replied. Obviously! "He looked furious with you."

"I'm not scared of him, he's my Dad."

Odi made it sound as though there would be no reason to fear one's father. Caius liked that. it wasn't' something he was familiar with as his own father, his human one, had terrified him at times. Aro's father could be pretty scary, too. They were the only father's he had any experience of, before Magnus took an interest in him, of course.

"But I can still dread things I'm not scared of," Odi continued.

"Dread?" Caius repeated. "What are you dreading?"

Aha! Odi rolled his eyes around. Fishing for information, huh? Well you can jog on, brother. "What do you think, Caius? Use your imagination."

The snippy tone to Odi's reply pissed Caius off almost as much as being shut down before he'd gathered any useful material from the kid. "You know I'm still your coven master, I assume?"

Odi smirked to Caius, "Not in here you're not."

With an almost friendly thump to the kid's arm, Caius called him a prick, but he made no effort to deny Odi's premise.

"Right back at ya!" Odi chucked. "You don't have to stay,"

"I'm not going anywhere," Caius laughed back. Folding his arms and stretching out his legs, he looked every bit set to stay. "I'm looking forward to the show,"

Odi's mouth dropped open. He hadn't even considered Caius would be around for the follow up from his father. Oh, hell no!

His parents weren't cruel, and they wouldn't go out of their way to embarrass him - Odi knew that. He also knew Magnus saw their home as a private space where only those he truly trusted would be allowed to enter. So, if Odi was in some sort of trouble, and he was home, he could expect to be dealt with regardless of who was around.

Odi saw it as a double standard – so you can embarrass me as much as you like in my own home?! - and had told his father exactly that only a few weeks before when Basileus sat at the table whilst Magnus gave his boy a damn good slap for mouthing off. That was Magnus' opinion on the apparent double standard.

"Please, Caius," he begged, trying to get the man on side. "Please go before Dad comes home."

"No way!" Caius scoffed. "I need to know the score," he explained. "And this is the least painful way of finding out."

Odi looked askance to his faux big brother. "For you, maybe!"

"Well, yes."

Caius couldn't say anymore, he was too busy laughing at the kid's argument for sending him away. I'm not going anywhere, he thought resolutely.

"You're such a prick!" Odi called out, returning Caius' earlier playful thump in the arm with a fully meant punch of his own.

"Would you like to try that again?!" Magnus boomed, coming through the door.

He was glad Caius seemed in good spirits and not set on battering Odi for his rare brutishness.

"You had better watch your mouth, son," Magnus added, glowering down at the kid. "I already told you my patience for your petulance has long since gone."

"That's because you're a prick, too," Odi muttered.

He thought it was quiet enough to get away with… sadly not. Magnus snorted and shook his head. Damn fool, he thought, whistling into the air and telling Odi he was done for.

"A prick?" Caius repeated. "He stuck his neck out to give you a job in the guard hall just so you could have some self-respect in earning your own money and you threw it in his face. You're the prick."

There was no malice in Caius' voice. He had offered a simple summary of the facts, as he saw them.

Odi shoved Caius hard, though as he was drunk, drugged, and tired, not to mention pretty weak compared to Caius, Odi's attempts to even move the coven leader at his side failed miserably.

Isn't having you hear for my round of fucks bad enough?! Do you have to join in?! Again, Odi told Caius he was a prick - although he had the sense to do so privately in his own head.

"Whats it got to do with you?!" the kid snapped. "Why are you even here?!"

"He's right," Magnus told his son. "I gave you the bar job…"

"You demoted me soon after!" Odi cut in. "I could only work coven events…"

As Odi continued his gripe, calling his father out on all the injustices in his life, Magnus grew weary. He would have to explain himself to Basileus at some point - not an event he was looking forward to.

Being best friends forever with the overseer of the entire coven had its perks, it also had its downsides. Having to explain failing in your duties to your boss, bad enough. When that boss is also your best mate? Awkward as fuck! How am I supposed to explain away having half the young ones in the coven doped up on dungeon blood whilst I sat across the room in the only space within the coven I claim complete control over? Damn it!

Odi continued to witter on, lamenting his life through his slurs and trying to level the blame at Magnus' feet. Magnus was done in and he needed an end to the God-awful evening.

"I pulled you from the bar," he barked. "Because you were stealing from it!"

"I was not!" Odi shot out without thinking.

"And now you are lying to my face," Magnus shot back. "You're list of trespasses grow every time you open your mouth!"

Caius got to his feet and pulled Magnus aside. "Seriously?" he asked the man. "Odi's been stealing from the bar?!"

"Aye," Magnus said, bitterly disappointed in his child. "He's always been a thieving, lying little shit."

Caius thought stealing dungeon blood was bad enough! He suddenly wasn't so sure that he wanted to stick around for the aftermath after all. Part of him wanted to flee, and possibly question his mate as to how involved she had been with the stolen drinks flowing across the bar.

"I knew at Valentines you were giving drinks to your mates," Magnus told his son, though he kept Turks admission to himself. "I didn't want to take your job from you, but I couldn't leave Turk with the full burden of your debt, so I knocked you down to coven events only."

"You left Turk to cover for you?!" Caius was loyal to his friends so Odi couldn't have done much worse in his eyes.

"Shut up!" Odi spat at his interference.

He wasn't so mad at Caius, as himself. Being reminded of what a shitty friend he had been when, ironically, he had only been trying to cement other friendships, came as a painful stab in the guts. The embarrassment over his actions gave Odi another stab.

"You found out at Valentines?" he asked his father, whispering, as if it would help to speak quietly. "I thought you were suspicious at Easter…"

"I tried to make it clear at Easter that I knew you were still giving drinks away," Magnus explained. "I thought you got the message which is why I let you serve tonight."

Dragging a hand through his hair, Magnus took to his seat, slumped in defeat. It had been a sticking point since he'd first clapped eyes on his son - the kid stole shit that wasn't his. Somehow, Odi always had a way of reasoning his theft to himself at the time, but that reasoning never stood against his father or anyone else who caught him. It didn't even stand up to Odi himself in the aftermath of being found out. Magnus found it embarrassing. Odi does, too, he thought. But not until he's caught.

Odi shuffled around on the floor leaning his back against the wall. Playing with the hem of his untucked shirt, he looked like a nervous little boy. So far removed from the typical deportment of a true Volturi guard.

Gathering together his courage, Odi asked, "Why didn't you say anything, Dad?"

Magnus chuckled, but there was no humour behind it. "I was angry about the theft, son, don't get me wrong."

Reaching around the back of his neck, Magnus paused to rub out the tension gathered there.

"I know you've had it tough in the guard recently and I was trying to do you a good turn, I was trying to avoid having to whoop you for stealing again."

Stating his intentions aloud, Magnus hung his head apprehending how foolish he had been. Give that kid an inch and he always takes a mile. Odi isn't the only slow learner around here.

"You've forced my hand," Magnus said, with a stern eye on his boy. "I hope you can see that?"

"I can, I'm sorry, Dad," Odi said solemnly. "I won't give any more drinks away, I won't do anything like this again…"

"You think you're going near the bar?" Magnus really did burst out laughing that time! "Never again!"

Okay, Odi knew he had screwed up. But an eternal ban on bar work?! Extreme, Dad! Having Caius laughing with his father a foot away wasn't helping Odi's mood one little bit. He felt on edge, tired, emotional, worried about relations in the guard hall, stressed about everyone else finding out about his thievery… dungeon blood does make one rather unstable!

"That's not fair, Dad," Odi called out, dragging himself to his feet. "You can't be seriously banning from the bar forever."

"You half-filled a barrel of bloodwine with dungeon blood!" Caius reminded him.

"It wasn't half filled," Odi growled back.

"Three bottles, son," Magnus stated. "Three bottles!" Saying it out loud riled Magnus. "I should string you up by your toes, you little shit."

Caius could feel the strain between father and son, even without Magnus' gift, and he tried to offer Odi a smile of encouragement. The kid really was in it up to his neck and he felt for him. Sadly, Odi translated Caius' smile as a smirk, or maybe a mocking smile, the start of a laugh at his situation - something spiteful or cruel, at least.

Pissed off with Caius, fuming with his father, Odi muttered 'miserable cunts' to them both.

Magnus flashed to his feet. He was finished. "I was going to let you sleep off your drink," he snarled at the boy. "But if you want to do this now, we can do it now,"

Odi started back tracking, quick! During their strained conversation Odi had forgotten he had more punishment due.

"Not with him here," he spat out in disgust, jabbing an angry finger in Caius' direction. "No fucking chance!"

Odi winced when he saw his father's face tighten into resolve once more. Cursing hadn't been the kid's best idea. Magnus and Freyr didn't like to hear him swear at the best of times, let alone when he was already in trouble. Fucking whiskey! Odi fumed. Fucking dungeon blood! Drink and drugs had stolen his sanity!

"I should go…" Caius said, backing away to the door.

"No," Magnus held up a hand. "You're staying. Pour us some drinks. This won't take long."

"You can't let him stay when he wants to go!" Odi's words came out as a stutter as he voiced the injustice. "Can we go to my room, Dad?" he begged, tugging on the man's arm to try and move him along. "Please?" he implored again when he failed to move his father an inch.

Somewhere behind him, Magnus heard Caius chuckle as he filled a jug with bloodwine from the barrel.

"Caius, if you're staying, you're staying quiet," he called, silencing the man with his words.

When Magnus started unbuckling his belt for the second time that evening, Odi's knees almost buckled beneath him. Not that it would have mattered if they had. Magnus had already taken hold of Odi by the back of his neck, directing him to window seats at the far end of the room. Soaking up his apprehension, Magnus took a moment to run through the situation with his boy. He hooked a finger under Odi's chin, tugging his face up so he had eye contact with the kid.

"Why am I letting him stay?" Magnus asked.

"Because I'm trying to take control and I shouldn't," Odi drawled. It was a well-worn phrase for the boy to state. "I'm sorry, but please…"

Too late. Magnus already had his left foot up on the seat, presenting his thigh as a shelf of doom for Odi to throw himself over.

It was the end of the argument. Magnus' mind was made up and there would be nothing anyone could do to change it. Odi whimpered knowing he'd lost, but he just couldn't make himself comply.

"You know better than to make me wait, young one," Magnus said, folding his belt in two. "You learnt that the hard way when you were a boy."

That was enough of a reminder to have Odi flashing into action. Odi knew what to drop and dropped them. He knew what to lift and lifted it. He knew where to go and almost threw himself over his father's knee.

Magnus didn't waste any time. Straight to business. For once, Odi was grateful of his father's attitude to such things.

He toyed with asking Magnus to change his mind, that the embarrassment of having Caius there was just too much, but he kept his mouth closed. His father had told him many times that a little embarrassment was part of the punishment. Fucker.

With Caius sitting a few feet across the room, the kid couldn't have found his dignity with a map, but he tried to save any semblance of pride by taking his punishment stoically.

Yeah… that didn't work either. Before the third strike, Odi was begging, by the tenth, his shrieks and sobs rendered his words indistinguishable. He couldn't help it.

The feeling of leather on his bare skin was different from in the guard hall when the dreaded belt had to penetrate through his clothing. The scant fabric of worn britches and linen shorts had at least offered some protection. The pain was sharper now as the strikes came. More immediate and leaving a burn in its wake. Odi's muscles reacted before he could regain control, contracting and twisting his body as he hung from his father's knee.

Mid gut-wrenching sob, Odi was deposited back on his feet. No sooner had Odi landed the right way up, he was stooping low to retrieve his lower garments and redress himself.

Magnus did it for him sometimes, if he was in too much of a state. It was a gesture Odi appreciated when it was just the two of them, or even the three of them, if Freyr was around. He didn't want Magnus trying such a thing with Caius about, however. Too embarrassing. Who am I kidding, Odi asked himself. Like anything could be more embarrassing than this?!

Regardless of the onlooker across the room, there was one tradition Odi wanted maintained – he needed the comfort his father would offer after tearing him to pieces.

When Magnus held open his arms, he did so warily, unsure of whether Odi would want him to with Caius… Odi went straight in, soaking up his father's affections and forgiveness. It cleansed the boy's soul.

Magnus held him for until the kid's tears abated, then he pushed him back a little and took his face in two hands. Getting a good look at the state of his eyes, Magnus frowned in disapproval and shook his head.

"Look how drunk you are," he chided the boy gently, bumping his fist against Odi's chin.

Pulling his son in tight again and kissed the crown of his head and used his gift to pry into his child's emotional state. A little bitter, Magnus gathered. But that's no doubt because Caius is here, he correctly assumed. There's anger there, too, Magnus mused, but that was frustratingly usual after he'd whipped the kid. Mostly, Odi was simply shattered!

"Get to your bed and sleep it off," he said, pushing his boy in the right direction.

Odi yelped when Magnus slapped his backside to send him on his way. He would usually have flashed from the room but being so unsteady on his feet put an end to that plan. As it was, he sloped passed Caius with his head down low, avoiding the older man's eye.

Had he looked at Caius, he wouldn't have found the amusement Odi expected. Caius was dumbfounded! The experience had been a salutary one for the young coven master and he certainly didn't think any less of Odi for his display. Not that he thought less of Magnus, either, of course. He was just… shocked.

Magnus' voice cut into Caius brooding, though the message was for Odi, not him.

"I'll need to talk to you when you wake up, son, so don't leave these chambers until I release you."

"Yeah," Odi called back. "I know the drill, Dad."

Magnus dropped his belt into his usual chair. Shedding his dress coat, he threw it on top as if to hide the implement from sight. He took the seat next to Caius on the sofa and happily indulged in the cup of bloodwine waiting for him.

Caius hadn't said a word since Magnus had told him to keep quiet. He couldn't wait any longer, he had to say something.

"That was possibly the scariest thing I have seen in my life," he said, shiver running down his spine, and not for the first time.

Magnus pinched the bridge of his nose, sure he would have a bruise there from how many times he had done so that day.

"Odi will get over it, he just has to be a brat about it first."

Caius wasn't referring to Odi in any way, shape, or form.

"I don't remember any of that loving stuff when you whipped me," he grumbled. It was one of the things he was wondering about, not the main thing, but one of them.

Magnus chuckled into his cup. "You don't want me anywhere near you after I whip you, Caius," he reminded him. "That's on you, not me."

Yes, that was true enough. It did seem to bring a nicer end to proceedings accepting the comfort, though. Caius still wasn't sure what to do with that information, but he banked it just the same.

"Why are you so worried?"

"You wouldn't try doing that to me, would you?"

Before Magnus could remind Caius that he had, in fact, whipped him a couple of times already, Caius qualified his question.

"Not like that, I mean…" Not over your knee like a fucking child, he thought, though he couldn't say it. The words stuck in his throat.

A smile tugged at Magnus' lips realising what Caius was getting at. Aww, bless him.

"Odi is half your age, and half your size," Caius continued. "And he's your son, so I get why you do that with him, but you wouldn't try that with me, right?" Why doing I keep saying that, like that?

It was no good, Magnus couldn't hide his amusement any longer. Laughing, he patted Caius on the head in the most patronising fashion.

"If those are your only reasons why I shouldn't, then you aren't coming to me with a strong case, short stuff."

I'm six foot… almost. Cheeky fucker.

"You wouldn't though, right?" Caius asked again. He wanted confirmation of some sort that that wasn't in his future.

Magnus merely collected his bloodwine from the table and ignored the man.

"Magnus!" Caius huffed, jabbing the juggernaut in the ribs when the fucker started chuckling again. "I couldn't take it, you need to know that."

"So Odi is stronger than you, is that what you're saying?" Magnus asked.

Caius huffed and folded his arms across his chest. "I'm saying my sense of pride is stronger than his, clearly."

"Don't I know it!" Magnus returned. "Listen, Caius," he started, getting serious. "The fact that you have asked whether I would or not, tells me a lot about whether I will."

"Like what, exactly?"

Magnus wasn't about to tell Caius that by his simple question, he was actually accepting that Magnus could put him over his knee if he chose to. Caius wouldn't understand how it worked, but that's exactly what he was doing. Otherwise he would have told Magnus to forget the very idea of ever doing such a thing to him, or else! But Caius hadn't made a demand, he'd made a request, one Magnus was fully intent on ignoring.

"You wouldn't, though, right?" Caius pushed with his previous question being ignored.

Magnus looked at Caius for a moment, considering the man at his side. Had he lived long enough, Magnus' eldest son, Ivar, would have been 26 years old when Magnus was turned. Caius is only 28, Magnus mused. That put to rest Caius' covet of Odi being half Magnus' age. You're half my size, too. That sorted the second covet. My son, though? Magnus played the idea over in his mind. He thought of Caius that way, and he believed Caius thought of him in a fatherly way… not quite father, but fatherly.

A devious thought crossed the juggernaut's mind and wicked smile spread across his face. Dropping his cup on the table, Magnus got to his feet.

"Stand up," he ordered.

Caius raised an eyebrow and stayed seated, unsure of what was going on.

"Just stand up," Magnus said again, pulling Caius to his feet.

"Now what…" Caius began.

Magnus popped his foot up on the sofa and Caius' words soon strangled in his throat as he was ripped from the floor only to find himself ass-up over the juggernaut's' knee! A yelp soon followed when Magnus planted a solid strike to Caius' backside.

"There," Magnus breezed, holding a struggling and bewildered Caius in place. "Now we know you fit just fine, let's keep it in mind, shall we?"

As quickly as he had been hoisted up, Caius was deposited back in his seat and Magnus plonked back down next to him.

"You've gone ever so pale, little one," Magnus mocked the man as he refilled their cups from the jug.

"You just… you can't… you just…"

Magnus wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled Caius in tight to his side. "I did," Magnus said. "So, it would seem I can."

For a full half hour, Caius went on stammering through the perplexity of the situation as he supped on his bloodwine.

Only a little time passed before Freyr returned home, looking tired and somewhat annoyed.

"Have you heard what Odi's done?" Magnus asked, assuming their wayward boy would be the reason for his mate's downcast mood.

"I've heard what they have done, love, it wasn't just Odi." Freyr replied, hanging up her cloak and placing a bag in her usual chair. "Basileus has asked that I send you along when you're free. He wants a full run down of the evenings events."

I bet he does. It was just about the last thing Magnus wanted to do, knowing how bloody awkward it was going to be, but he dutifully went. Caius attempted to follow and return to Dora, though he didn't get very far.

"Not so fast!" Freyr blocked Caius' path and pushed him back a step. "I need to speak with you. This business with the dungeon blood…"

"I wasn't involved, Freyr," Caius drawled out.

When Caius had flippantly told the woman that he was close to heading off on a drug binge after a particularly depressing fight with Dora, Freyr had made it clear her opinion on the idea. Caius had been drinking dungeon blood, but he hadn't been involved in the inbetweeners pranks. I'm not going down for them.

"I know you weren't involved tonight," Freyr said, eyes never leaving the younger master. "The young ones took the bottles from Basileus' chambers, Aro's, and here."

Caius shrugged. He knew that already.

"I wondered if they had visited Dora and taken your bottle, too."

Suddenly Caius knew why Freyr wanted to speak to him. Bollocks.

Freyr reached into the cloth bag she had discarded on the chair and revealed an empty bottle of dungeon blood, which she placed on table next to Caius.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Caius couldn't even bring himself to look at it.

"Somehow Dora doesn't know you are back on this stuff," Freyr explained. "I suggest it stays that way, or your relationship really will be for the dust."

"I'm alright on it…"

"No, you are not!"

Freyr's words were accompanied by a hefty clout to Caius' head.

"Christ, Freyr!" Caius complained, left ear ringing from the blow.

"You will not drink another drop of this shit," Freyr growled, snatching Caius close by the front of his shirt. "Or you will be having this conversation with your father."

It's unclear what shocked Caius more - Freyr being so rough with him, or her referring to Magnus as his father! Caius would tell himself later that it was the shock that made him so agreeable, whichever shock it was, but he found himself nodding rapidly and promising to leave the dungeon blood in the dungeons from now on. He meant it, too, and that, perhaps, surprised him most of all.

Freyr relaxed her hold and smoothed out the creases to the man's shirt. "Then we'll say no more about it," she said, smiling confidently, as though nothing had occurred.

Caius took a steadying breath as he headed to the door. Shit, he thought, remembering the bottle. He didn't want to leave that in Magnus' chambers!

"Erm," he stalled at the door. "What should I do about that?" he asked, pointing out the empty bottle of tar.

Freyr returned the innocuous object to her bag, out of sight. "I will be refilling the bottles the young ones stole. I will refill yours, too, if you can handle it being in your chambers?"

Caius offered a tight smile in return. "I can."

"Wonderful," Freyr sang out. Before Caius made it out of the door, she called for him one last time. "Caius," she said. "Don't you dare disappoint me again."

Gulping down the emotion he felt, Caius bowed his head and left.

…

Demetri opened his brother's bedroom door just an inch and called out softly, "Felix?"

Felix wiped a sleeve across his eyes and cleared his throat to hide his crying. Not that there was much point to it - the whole tower had heard the round of fucks the boy had been given, not to mention the sound of leather pounding against skin which reverberated through the walls.

Felix looked set to send his brother away until Demetri held up a cup. Forgetting his tear stained face for the moment, Felix beckoned his brother to join him on his bed.

"I bloody love you!" he crowed quietly.

Demetri grinned and gently closed the door behind him. "It's so much easier to sneak you blood after Dad kicks your butt since we started keeping bloodwine in the house."

Felix struggled up to his knees - he certainly couldn't sit with the state his ass was in. Taking the cup in two hands, he brought it straight to his mouth.

"Ah!" he sighed, enjoying the sweet nectar. "You even warmed it up!"

"You can thank Jane for sneaking it and heating it," Demetri explained. "She's also causing a distraction so I can bring it."

"I bloody love you both, then," Felix said, between sips.

"So…" Demetri winced a little. "How bad?"

They always asked each other that. The one doing the asking fascinated, wondering what they had escaped, whilst the one doing the answering wanted to forget it had ever happened. But they both always asked!

"Dad wasn't as bad as Magnus," Felix admitted in hushed tones. "I feel sorry for Odi."

It wouldn't do the boy any good for his father to catch on that Felix got an easier ride at home than he did in the guard hall. Demetri didn't want his father to find that out, either!

Hearing footsteps, the pair of them watched the door for a moment. If their hearts had the ability to beat, they would have stopped dead when the door started opening!

Jane.

"Why are you still in here?" she shot to Demetri. "Are you trying to get caught?!"

Demetri rolled his eyes to his baby sister and said goodnight to his big brother.

"Jane…" Felix called before the girl could close the door.

"You love me?" Jane asked. "Yes, I'm aware," she added, flashing him a smile.

Felix finished his bloodwine, stashed the cup beneath his bed with an odd collection of other cups he'd forgotten about and went straight to sleep. He still had to sleep on his stomach, but the sting he'd been left with was preferable to the intense burn his father had given him.

When Felix woke the next morning with only a dull ache, he thanked the Gods for his siblings once again. They may have argued like cat and dog, but they always came through for him when he needed them.

Whilst the boy was lost in thought, thoroughly pleased with himself for getting one over on his father, who should walk through the door? Why, Aro, of course!

After a cursory knock, the man strolled in.

"Whats the point in knocking if you're just going to walk in anyway?" Felix asked, still on his stomach in his pit.

"Your mouth has recovered, then?" Aro noted. "What about your backside?"

With that he whipped the boy's woollen blanket back and landed his palm down with force.

"Dad!" Felix complained.

He hissed on impact, but it wasn't the reaction Aro had expected.

It should have hurt more than that, Aro mused, eyeing his child. He knew his little darlings occasionally brought the great lummox a small feed after a decent hiding. Often Aro felt guilty enough that he let them do it without any complaint. But slipping dungeon blood into the bloodwine was serious, and Aro felt no guilt at all that day.

With a quick ruffle of Felix's hair, Aro had all the information he needed. Hmmm, Demetri you foolishly loyal little sod!

"Get up," Aro told the boy, keeping the information to himself whilst he decided what to do about it. "You need to come to the library for a towers meeting. You can expect a serious dress down today," he paused whilst Felix groaned aloud. "Don't make things worse for yourself by making us late."

Felix hissed again from his father's parting shot - another swat to his backside. Bastard, he thought.

At least Felix knew the drill. He knew what to expect in a towers' meeting in the library after a screw up. Odi, however, would be going in blind.

"Why do I have to go to the meeting?" he asked his parents. "You don't usually want me there."

"It's not that we don't want you there, Odi," Magnus explained. "You don't want to join us in this side of our lives, you made that choice, not us."

"Fine, I choose not to go." Odi smirked to himself, thinking he was ever so clever.

Magnus may have been big on 'choice' and free will, Freyr, though, was much more forthright.

"The creator has asked that you attend, so you're coming to this one," she told her boy, shoving him out the door. "After this, you can decide for yourself." Pausing outside the ground floor suite to wait for Caius and Dora, she added, "Until you screw up again, of course, and then you'll be pulled in again."

Odi groaned. The last thing he wanted was to have to sit for scorn from Basileus.

Magnus opened Caius' door and called them to hurry up. They soon came. Both smiling, which was something of a novelty! A few nights without Irina did wonders for the pair of them.

Odi pulled Caius back to walk a little behind the others as he tried to find out what was in store.

"Am I about to have my head ripped off by the creator?" he asked, nervously.

"The creator is your old man's best mate, so your neck is safe," Caius told him with a barely suppressed chuckle knowing he was scaring the kid.

"My neck is safe?" Odi repeated. "What isn't then?!"

"Basileus will probably cane you," Caius told him, openly laughing by that point.

"Me?!"

Odi felt his mouth go very dry. Magnus was the only coven leader who had ever punished him. He'd had the odd slap from Aro, Marcus, Caius, (though Caius rarely went there anymore), but nothing more than that. Nothing from Basileus.

"In front of everyone?" Odi asked.

Caius shrugged. "Only the elite."

"You say that like it makes all of this totally hunky dory!"

"It happens," Caius explained. "Well, not to the adults, or the girls, or Alec, or…"

Caius stopped talking when he realised Odi was no longer at his side. The kid had stopped dead in the hallway, rooted to the spot, with a look of fear on his face.

"I'll never live this down," he said, close to tears.

Caius looked up and down the hall, checking they were alone. Once he was sure he walked back to Odi, wrapped an arm around him and pulled him alone. "No one will make fun of you."

"No one, huh?" Odi asked, incredulous.

Considering Caius had done nothing but take the absolute piss about seeing Magnus put his boy over his knee, Odi doubted Caius' assertions. Caius caught on to the kids worries.

"I won't take the piss, either," he promised. "Not about Basileus."

Odi gave the man a side eye. "So, the other night's still fair game then?"

"Obviously." Caius started laughing again from the memory. "Hysterical!"

All too soon, they were in the library. Magnus and Freyr chatted with Marcus, Basileus and Atia. Caius joined Dora. The others were yet to arrive. Odi plonked himself down on Dora's free side and brooded.

Odi did nothing but bitch about Magnus making a show of him. He'd been mortified at the midsummer party when his father had belted him. Mortified. At the time he had even though how unfair it was that it was his father doing the belting - surely someone else's father would be less embarrassing, he'd thought, feeling Felix and Carlisle hadn't been humiliated in the same way.

For all Odi's bitching about his old man, Magnus mostly dealt with his kid in private. If another master had an issue with Odi, they reported said issue to Magnus, he dealt with Odi at home.

Odi had never appreciated just how much privacy his father had offered before - the idea of going up against the creator in the bloody library sent a shiver down his spine. Surely Dad won't let Basileus cane me? Not in front of everyone? No, he wouldn't. It'll just be a round of fucks, he thought confidently, certain Caius had been winding him up.

They were soon joined by Aro's and Eleazar's families, Carlisle bringing up the rear. Odi broke away from Dora and Caius to sit with Carlisle, next to Felix and Demetri.

"Whats going to happen?" he asked the Volturi youth.

"No, no, no, no, and no." Felix said, straight faced. "No."

Odi wasn't sure what he was on about, but Carlisle and Demetri seemed to agree with Felix.

"We don't talk about it," Felix explained, heavy emphasis on the 'it'. "We pretend it isn't even happening, or has happened, or will happen, or whatever."

"It's the code," Carlisle said, as though that explained anything.

"Right." Odi tried to sound sure, but he was simply confused. "And the code is…"

"When one of us is punished and another is around, we act like nothing is happened." Carlisle did his best to keep his voice as quiet as possible. If his brothers heard him, they would have ribbed him mercilessly! "It's the only way to preserve even a slither of pride."

Felix nudged his uncle to hush up - Basileus was ready to begin.

"I am appalled by recent events, appalled!"

Odi flinched when the creator started bellowing. The volume was deafening! He had to wonder why he'd been called to the library meeting at all - I could have heard you just fine from the north tower, he thought. The kid was lucky Basileus was too busy dolling out a round of fucks to be listening in on Odi's thoughts.

Odi wasn't paying too much attention to the words being levelled at his head, but he did keep an eye on Carlisle as Basileus went on. When Carlisle nodded, Odi nodded. When Carlisle shook his head, Odi shook his head. When Carlisle said 'sorry, Dad', Odi said 'sorry, Dad'…

"Shit!" he cursed. "I meant, my lord."

Too late, cover blown.

"Oh," Basileus drawled. "Too big and clever to pay attention to me," he said to the kid. "Is that it?"

"No, no, my lord," Odi stuttered in reply, looking around to his father for back up.

Magnus looked back wearily, but he said nothing, letting Basileus continue.

Th juggernaut had taken his own round of fucks for the inbetweeners strife occurring directly under his nose and Odi had barely spoken to him since he'd woken up from his drug induced hang over. Magnus hadn't argued with Basileus on the matter. It had been awkward enough to sit through without trying to defend himself. Had the same thing happened in the library, Basileus would have been forced to speak to Marcus about it, or in the dungeons, Caius, or in the throne room, Aro. Magnus knew that. Still, it had been humbling and difficult for them both.

You're on your own with this one, young one, Magnus thought to his son.

Odi started to worry about what else his father would allow if he merely sat on the side lines whilst his best bud bawled out his kid. Brilliant, Odi thought sarcastically, forcing himself to pay more attention to the creator.

"When were they punished?"

Oh balls! Odi suddenly wished he hadn't been paying attention after all.

"Two days ago," Magnus called over, regarding his son.

"He's fighting fit, even if he is still complaining like a child," Freyr added.

"Mom!" Odi snapped. "Throw a guy under the cart, why don't you?!"

Magnus stretched out his neck, the tension in the room was getting to him.

Freyr pursed her lips to her son's continued self-centeredness. "Do you have any idea what you are putting your father through?!"

"What I'm putting him through?!" Odi repeated. You have got to be joking?!

When Caius had informed Odi that Basileus might cane him, Odi had wondered whether he'd been unfair on his father, suddenly appreciating the privacy Magnus offered when he could. As Magnus was now leaving his boy like a lamb to the slaughter, Odi's reappraisal of his father had gone right out the window - now, not only was his old man an embarrassing bastard, so was his bloody mother!

"Leave him, love," Magnus said, placing a hand on his mate's. "He doesn't care."

Basileus whistled, getting Odi's attention, and pointed out the floor next to where he stood.

It was all Odi could do to put one step in front of the other for the achingly long six step walk towards the creator. He briefly wondered if a vampire could die from shame. I'm not that lucky, he thought, keeping his head down low.

Basileus moved onto his grandson, next, calling Felix up to join Odi.

"I strapped him last night," Aro told his father. "But Felix has healed miraculously since then."

Felix and Demetri groaned in unison.

"Demetri supplied his brother with bloodwine," Aro added, as though it needed stating.

Basileus eyed the younger boy for a moment before pointing out the floor with his cane, again. "You can come and stand with these, then."

"Me?!" Demetri asked. "But… But…" the boy started choking on his own words when Basileus stalked towards him, ripping him from his seat and dragging him in place.

"Carlisle," Basileus called. Moving aside to make space for his son to join them.

"This is degrading," Carlisle huffed, trying to avoid Aro's eye, knowing the knob would be grinning like a loon.

"Good," Basileus replied. "What about her?" he asked Eleazar, gesturing to a very bored looking Irina at the far side of the library.

Eleazar shrugged. "I didn't know I was expected to offer anything else on top of what Magnus had already given her."

A veritable groan spread around the room. Irina hid her face behind her hand, hiding her smirk.

Basileus saw a chance for him to avoid any awkwardness with the Denali girl, and he took it with both hands.

"In that case," he said. "I will leave you to deal with Irina and then you can bring her to me if she requires more."

Neither Carlisle, Odi, or Felix were happy with that!

"Pft!"

"For God sake!"

"Typical!"

"I didn't steal anything, and I didn't put dungeon blood in the bloodwine," Irina reminded them all. "The only thing I'm guilty of is making a suggestion."

"You still drank the laced bloodwine," Magnus pointed out.

"As did a good many of your precious guards," Irina spat back. "Whats your point?"

Basileus knew he had to get the show on the road before someone tore the girl's head off, particularly because he knew that someone stood a chance of being him!

Demetri received only a round of fucks from his grandfather before being sent back to his seat, which he leapt towards as soon as he was released.

That left Carlisle, Odi, and Felix.

In much the same way as Magnus had dealt with the three young men in the guard hall, Basileus swung out each in turn by one arm before wrapping his cane around the back their legs five or six times. They were all in tears by the final stroke.

Odi had to keep the code in mind and he suddenly realised why it was so important. With a room full of watchers, having even a couple who acted like nothing was happening made the world of difference.

Waiting until they had calmed so he would have their full attention, Basileus told them, "You are ALL restricted to your private quarters until AFTER Halloween."

Basileus made sure to catch Irina's eye so she knew she was included in the 'all'.

"You're invites to the next coven event have been revoked due to your abominable behaviour at the last one. Any questions?"

"You expect me to stay in the west tower until November?!" Irina asked. "I don't think so…"

Basileus closed the gap between the two of them in an instance.

"Listen to me, little lady," he said, towering over the girl in her chair. "You can either accept the restriction or I will deliver what Eleazar should have. Choose."

Irina huffed and flicked her hair out to block Basileus from her eyeline. "The restriction, I suppose."

Thank the Gods for that, Basileus thought, unsure of what he would have done had she called his bluff!

So, I don't have to deliver anything? Eleazar thought to himself. Thank God for that, he added, similarly to his father.

After the meeting in the library, Basileus nailed a message to his coven on the guard hall door:

Dungeon blood is hence forth BANNED

for the entire coven outside of battle or injury.

ANYONE who breaks this decree will be whipped

for their blatant disregard of MY direct order.