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?

146. Halloween Hell

AN: This one just kept growing as I was writing and there was no obvious place to split, so it's taken a little longer to post up. I need to stop waffling and write shorter chapters!

So, some of our inbetweeners get things so very, very wrong. Or, as we would say where I'm from, 'It's gone tits up!' :D

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Halloween Hell

The Volturi had been a quiet coven since Midsummer with almost all the inbetweeners on lock down. Odi had been allowed to roam the north tower, which meant he had access to Dora and Caius - an injustice Irina had taken against. Well, not about Caius, she wasn't bothered about having access to him. But Dora… Irina felt her hold had slipped at Midsummer with the master's wife unwilling to see her. Lock down couldn't have come at a worse time for the eldest Denali girl. Worse than losing her grip on Dora, Irina had been subjected to the Volturi family trying to include her in things. Grim.

Irina wouldn't lower herself to complaining about her restriction, however. In fact, even when Tanya did her level best to remind Irina that she was being punished, Irina remained entirely passive, explaining that she had nowhere to go anyway so it made no difference. It unnerved Eleazar how the girl seemed completely untouchable, psychologically, at least. Carmen, less affected, had done her absolute best to use Irina's restriction to get closer to her. Irina had at least grown to tolerate Carmen's presence… just about. Eleazar was being kept at arm's length, still.

That helped Carlisle's boredom, though. Eleazar had spent most of Irina's restriction in his brother's chambers to get out of the way whilst still being close should another brawl break out. It felt as though that was his only use in his home - pulling apart sparring girls. Even when they weren't fighting the girls sounded like they were. All conversations were conducted in high pitch squeals as far as Eleazar could tell. He should have been issued with auditory protection when the orphans invaded his home! Keeping Carlisle company was by far the preferable activity.

Felix had been much more vocal about the ridiculous length of his restriction. He had come off worst, to be fair to the boy. Sure, he had run of the south tower like Odi had run of the north, but as Felix's whole home consisted of the south tower, he had no escape. The only time he left the damn place was to run errands for his mother. Sulpicia was doing her best to find ways to let Felix out without braking Basileus' decree, but she was running short of excuses.

Basileus knew what she was doing, of course, but as most of the errands entailed Felix visiting his grandfather, he was keen to encourage the trips, so he could keep an eye on the boy. Basileus had thought issuing the same punishment to all the involved inbetweeners would level things out. But it had only shown the more starkly the differences between them all. To say he regretted his order may have been a stretch, but he had certainly learned from the experience - differentiated punishments were the way forward. He couldn't let Aro find out his new feelings on the matter without discounting his argument for treating his children the same. He still felt Aro was too hard on Felix whilst Alec and Jane got away with murder, which was another reason Basileus encouraged Felix to visit him during his restriction. The boy always sought the reassurance of his grandfather when he was in trouble, (even if he as in trouble with Basileus himself!) Keeping an eye on Felix's temperament was a good way to ensure Aro wouldn't issue any further, unnecessary discipline.

Somehow, despite many claims to the contrary, the boredom didn't actually kill them and they all made it to Halloween… though of course, none of them were invited. Had they been, perhaps Dora might have gone?

Caius exited his bedchamber ready for the evening events. All he needed was his cloak and he'd be off to slaughter humans. What better way to spend and evening? Seeing Dora sat bolt upright in her chair, looking to him uncomfortably, he sensed doom on the horizon. She wasn't ready, and she didn't look likely to get ready, either.

"I'm not coming tonight."

There it is, Caius huffed to himself.

"But you love Halloween," he said, though it came out as a whine. "It's the only night of the year we feed on humans these days."

"It's not the only night, love," Dora replied. "You're exaggerating massively."

"Well, it's the only night we fuck them at the same time," Caius pointed out with a playful smile. She couldn't deny that.

Dora smirked right back at him for a moment before bursting into giggles at the gestures he made.

"Love," she breezed, getting herself under control. "I'm not coming."

Things had been so much better between the two of them with Irina out of the picture. Sure, they still had Odi knocking about - virtually living with them - but Caius enjoyed the kids company. Not that he'd do something like admit that to anyone, but still. Caius had been looking forward to Halloween with his mate - the two of them had really made Halloween their own in their specifically sadistic way and he wanted to share that with Dora.

Caius shifted uncomfortably on the spot. "Have I done something wrong?" he asked, looking pained.

It was most unlike Caius to show anxiety even if he was downing in it, but Magnus had taken great pains to explain to him the he shouldn't hide perfectly normal emotions from those closest to him. He still felt like a prat, though.

"No, love," Dora hurried to say, flashing towards him. "I'd rather not be with the others, that's all."

The others being Sulpicia and Carmen, Caius mused. Dora would have added most of the north and west tower inhabitants into the category, also. It wasn't that anything untoward had happened between Dora and the others, she simply felt uncomfortable in their presence. Awkward. As though she had nothing of worth to say to any of them. It was a feeling that had increased since Dora had taken up friendships with the inbetweeners.

Caius toyed with the idea of missing the event. Freyr had told him in no uncertain terms to make Dora his top priority with the inbetweeners on lock down. But he couldn't miss Halloween, not unless he fancied having the creator at his door dragging him into action - coven events were obligatory for the masters.

"I have to go…"

"You're welcome to go," Dora told him. "Honestly, I expect you to go. You have to."

"I'm still…"

"You're welcome to do that, too," she answered before he could finish. "I expect Heidi will be only too eager to step into my shoes."

Dora slapped his chest playfully when Caius seemed to be getting a little too into the idea of Heidi serving as her replacement for the evening. As playmates went, Dora quite liked Heidi. She didn't overstep the mark like Ashanti, the current siren's predecessor.

"Enjoy yourself," she said, returning to her chair. She poured a glass of wine from the decanter and settled in. "I'm planning a little fun of my own."

Caius suddenly saw red. "Are you choosing to spend the night with Irina over me?!"

"Not Irina," she said, a hand out to silence any ranting that may follow. "She's still on restriction. Renata and Corin are coming over."

Caius calmed instantly hearing that. "I thought they were on restriction, too?"

"Guard restriction only applies to earning money and the being in the guard hall."

"No Odi?"

"He will probably pop by." Dora shrugged, unsure of his plans. "But we're aiming for a girls' night."

Caius raised an eyebrow hearing 'girls night'. "How much fun are you planning?"

Dora couldn't keep her face straight. She and Renata had discussed spicing up the evening, but it would only happen after Corin went home or Odi came to keep her amused and out of the way. Corin was a little too innocent to be considered a playmate in a sexual sense for anyone other than Felix.

A lot of fun, then, Caius guessed from his mate's facial expression.

"We could invite your precious Heidi, if you like?"

"That's very tempting!" So tempting in fact that Caius damn near forgot Halloween in its entirety and went back to his bedchamber to wait for the fun to start…

"You know you have to show your face at coven events," Dora reminded him.

Caius huffed and stomped to the door. "I'll join you on my return."

Aro was having a less enjoyable beginning to the Halloween festivities - he was arguing with Felix.

"I don't need supervising in my own home!"

"Aww, son," Aro sang out sarcastically. "I worry about leaving you inside your own head without adult supervision."

Hearing the twins laughing across the room fuelled Felix's ire. The last thing he needed in that moment was an audience, so Kate and Tanya turning up went down like a lead balloon.

"Why are they here?" he hissed to his father, pulling his wolf pelt around his shoulders to hide the fact he was only wearing shorts. Short shorts at that.

"The girls are coming for the Halloween feast with us as Eleazar and Carmen can't possibly but their dietary choices to one side for the evening."

"With us, huh?" Felix spat, feeling excluded again.

"With those who haven't been naughty," Jane called over to her brother, heavy emphasis on the naughty knowing it drove Felix crazy to be referred to in such childish terms.

Kate did the decent thing and stifled her laughter, Tanya wasn't quite so socially adept, and the amusement shamelessly danced in her eyes.

"I wasn't naughty," Felix replied, sounding bitter. "I had a night on stolen dungeon blood…" before he spoke, he thought the reason for his ridiculously long restriction would sound mature, adult, maybe even impressive! The glare coming from his father had him quietening down.

"You aren't impressing anyone, son," Aro told him in no uncertain terms. I can read you like a book!

"Are we ready?" Sulpicia called out descending the stairs.

Aro shook his head. "Still waiting on the baby sitter."

"Felix has to have a babysitter," Jane helpfully explained to Kate and Tanya. "Because he's too naughty to be left alone."

"Will you tell her?!" Felix shot out to his father. "She's winding me up."

Aro rolled his eyes to the heavens. Having the boy on restriction and home so much meant it had been a very long four months of Felix and Jane winding him up!

"The truth seems to wind you up a lot, son," Aro replied.

Jane preened from across the room. "Who agreed to sit with the baby, Dad?"

Stupid little witch, Felix thought, glaring at the girl.

"Carlisle."

Felix soon forgot his annoyance with his little sister when his father answered. Aro noticed the immediate change in his son's attitude.

"You can wipe that look off your face right now," Aro told the boy. It was clear Felix had launched into plotting mode. "Eleazar and Carmen are staying in the coven and Carlisle is under strict orders to fetch your uncle Eleazar if you come up with any stupid plans for leaving the castle."

Kate and Tanya had to wonder how that would be much of a threat given their experience with the elder Volturi brother. Felix's experience with his uncle was wildly different to that of the Denali girls, and he knew not to fuck with Eleazar. That said…

"Yeah, but Carlisle won't," Felix said easily, relaxing back in his chair feeling like a champ. "He isn't a grass."

"Really?" Aro asked, full of his usual faux calm. "I bet he will."

It was timely that Carlisle arrived in that moment.

"Brother," Aro greeted, relishing in Felix's bad mood and seeing Carlisle looked similarly annoyed with the situation. "Are you sure you're up to this, Carlisle?"

"I'm sure he can sit here as easily as he can sit at home," Felix muttered. He added a slightly too loud 'for fuck sake' under his breath.

"You'll find it impossible to do any sitting at all if your mouth keeps up, boy," Aro told him, full of smiles.

Aro wrapped an arm around his brother and took him over to Felix. "Carlisle," he drawled. "What do you do if your charming nephew comes up with a stupid plan for leaving the castle or trying to get to the guard hall?"

"I fetch Eleazar," Carlisle replied with a roll of the eyes. It sounded rehearsed - because it was. Basileus had drilled the dam words into him before he'd left the west tower.

"And just so Felix is aware how serious we are," Aro continued. "What will happen if you don't?"

Carlisle shot his brother a pleading look, begging not to have to answer.

"Come on brother, loud enough so they can all hear you please."

Oh how Aro enjoyed winding people up!

Carlisle huffed before admitting, "I'll be moving back in with our parents and I won't see sunlight until Christmas."

The girls, naturally, found the whole situation wildly entertaining. Demetri and Alec were similarly enjoying themselves. At that point, the kids wouldn't have been disappointed to find out Halloween had been cancelled if Felix and Carlisle's suffering would be the alternative entertainment.

"Very good," Aro said, nodding along. He patted Carlisle's shoulder and threw his boy a smug 'I told you so' smile.

Sulpicia went to her eldest, slapping Aro's arm as she passed him and calling him cruel. "You'll be free tomorrow, my darling," she said, kissing his cheek.

With that they all left, leaving a fuming pair of inbetweeners behind them.

The Denali girls' bedroom looked out over the main castle gates. Perfect position for Irina to sit and watch the coven leaving for their hunt. As Carmen and Eleazar, the only adults in he coven, were on patrol around the grounds, Irina had free run of the castle. Her plan was relatively simple - watch the coven leave and see if Renata and Corin were among their number. If they weren't, she would collect them from their dorms and take them to the south tower where Carlisle was babysitting Felix. She wouldn't want to spend much time with any of the inbetweeners on their own, but as a group, they had fun. True, Irina's fun came from setting them against each other or at least taking the mocking them relentlessly, but it was fun nonetheless.

Here they come, she said to herself, seeing the coven troop out. She was glad they walked out of the coven hood-less, or she may have missed that Caius was accompanied by Heidi rather than his mate. So Dora's in the castle? Hmmm… that presents a whole new level of fun.

Ditching the idea to go and fetch Renata and Corin, Irina still swung by Aro's place to pick up Carlisle and Felix. Felix can fetch his girlfriend later if that's what he wants.

She hadn't even made it down the west tower stair well before bumping into Carlisle.

"I thought you were babysitting," she said, confused.

"The baby won't sit, so I'm fetching Eleazar," Carlisle replied, climbing the stairs.

Irina blocked his path. I don't think so! You aren't ruining my night. "Why don't you both come to Dora's with me and save yourself the stress."

Carlisle pulled a face at that idea. "My dad is on the warpath already…"

"Felix won't be leaving the coven," Irina quickly explained. "He'll just be in north tower instead of the south. Who could complain about that? Just make sure you're both back before the overlords and you're in the clear. I could make it worth your while."

She reached into her bag and pulled out a bottle of… something. Carlisle wasn't too sure what having only saw the neck and stopper.

"What is it?" he asked. "Where did you get it from?"

"It's a secret," Irina smirked. "Are you coming?"

Carlisle had felt like a grade A cunt when he'd told Felix he would be bringing Eleazar in to deal with him – for one, it made him clearly too weak to control his nephew himself, for another, it made him a grass, and there was nothing lower. But if we aren't leaving the coven… Carlisle liked that little loophole and soon agreed, following Irina to collect Felix and on to the Dora's.

They arrived to find Corin and Odi in the ground floor suite, but no Renata or Dora.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"We heard you were having a party without us," Irina replied to Odi, settling herself in like she owned the place.

Felix and Corin sprang into full on kissing mode, having not seen hide nor hair of each other for months. "I'm currently unsupervised," he told her, eyebrows dancing on his forehead suggestively. "I know, it freaks me out too, but the possibilities are endless."

"Where's Dora?" Carlisle asked, trying to ignore where his nephew's hands were heading.

"I'm here," Dora called from the bedchamber, sounding tipsy and giggly. "Get yourselves a drink!"

Renata's voice followed sounding similar, "Pour one for us, we'll join you in a minute."

Carlisle and Irina looked to Odi for explanation, "Use your imagination!" he told them, mildly embarrassed after having heard Dora and Renata getting it on.

Carlisle flopped into a chair, his imagination being a vibrant place. "I wish I could get away with that."

"Who would stop you?" Odi asked. He had long believed the creators baby boy had a charmed life and could enjoy much more of immortalities offerings than he could.

"Are you joking?!" Carlisle shot back. "My parents are ancient and so are their views on my sex life!"

"Are you seriously playing that game with me?!" Odi asked. "My parents are from the dark ages - literally! My dad's morals have been strangling me since I can remember!"

"So weak," Irina tittered with a pitiful glance in their direction.

Neither Carlisle or Odi could disagree with Irina's appraisal - their sex lives were weak! Still, Carlisle felt the need to defend himself.

"It's not that easy to find suitable playmates in the coven, Irina."

"Speak for yourself, Carlisle," Dora said with a wink, coming through from the hallway with Renata following behind. "You just need to open your mind a little."

Carlisle sat bolt upright. Was that an offer?!

"I have an open mind," Odi huffed. "But the women in this coven think I'm a kid, or something."

"You're older than I am," Irina pointed out. "And I haven't struggled."

"It's different for women," Odi replied. "Young woman - no problem, preferable, in fact. Young guy - unwanted."

Felix and Demetri had both managed to score with half the women in the coven during their years in the Volturi, but Odi assumed their luck came down to having an old man who encouraged such action, rather than openly repressed opportunities, as Magnus had done for him. Magnus had done so such thing, of course, but Odi was blaming just about everything he could on his father at that point.

"Aww, poor little Odi!" Dora went to sit on the armrest of the kid's chair and stroked his head. "You're a good-looking guy," she told him. "Any woman would be lucky to get their hands on you."

"Any woman?" Odi asked, eyeing Dora up.

"Clearly not any woman," Irina scoffed. "His dry patch would be competition for the Sahara."

"Dora!" Renata called over from the bloodwine barrel. "We've drank you dry already."

"I brought supplies," Irina told them with a small smile. She pulled the bottle from her bag and placed it on the table.

Everyone flinched!

"We can't drink dungeon blood!" Odi said with wide eyes. He wasn't having a repeat of the library meeting ever again in his life!

"I'm not up for that," Carlisle agreed. His father knew no bounds when it came to reining in his sons and Carlisle didn't fancy pushing the man to see what he would come up with next. Four-month restriction had been torturous enough. How long would the next one be?!

In years gone by, Dora wouldn't have minded having a little dungeon blood. She used to enjoy the effects on a regular basis until she realised it was the cause of Caius' evil mood swings. She wasn't Caius, so she feared no such effect, particularly only taking the drug in small doses, but she wasn't up for it that night. Seeing most of her friends looking wary, Dora offered to find them something else to drink.

"We could maybe manage a barrel of bloodwine from the dungeons?" she suggested looking to Felix.

Felix shook his head. "I can manage the weight, but I need help to manage the size." He glanced at Odi and Carlisle. "They won't be enough help."

Poor Carlisle and Odi - no chance for those lads to build an ego problem with their friends and family!

"Dungeon blood it is, then," Irina said, triumphant.

"I'll sort something," Dora told her before she could pull the stopper from the bottle. She scooped up Caius' dungeon keys and stopped at the door. Looking to Renata and Irina, she said. "When I get back we need to work on their dry patch." She offered Carlisle and Odi a lopsided smirk before heading out the door.

Odi and Carlisle turned to each other. "Our dry patch?" Odi repeated. "Do you think she's serious?!"

"Maybe…" Carlisle mused. "You know what her and Caius are like."

"Will Caius mind, do you think?" Odi asked, trying not to get too far ahead of himself.

"Why would Caius mind?" Irina asked, disbelief in her tone. "He'll be fucking Heidi before he comes home."

Odi looked unconvinced. "I think Caius might mind…"

Odi played the idea over in his mind. Yes, he did know what Caius and Dora were like. He had even had the misfortune of walking in on them mid flow once - an occasion that marred his day. Not only had he seen some serious animal kingdom moves, but he had had to spend the rest of the day with his dad, because there was no way he could look Caius or Dora in the eye after, well, getting an eyeful. Caius hadn't minded, though, he remembered. No, he blatantly took the piss out of me for my horrified expression. He shuddered remembering how Caius had sat him down and tortured him with a detailed chat on the birds and the bees, solely to watch the kid squirm for his own amusement. The bastard! Maybe he wouldn't mind?

Irina thought the idea of an impromptu orgy sounded like a perfectly nice evening. But Odi looked like he was wavering already. Useless brat! "Were you born boring, or did you have to work at it?"

"He's not boring, Irina," Renata huffed at the girl. The night Dora had proposed was far preferable to the night she was ending up with. Renata would choose any night without Irina as preferable, in fact.

As usual, Irina completely ignored Renata's interference. Sitting with Odi and Carlisle, she continued antagonising the kid.

"Aww, Odi," she crooned, full on pout for the boy. "Are you worried what mommy and daddy will think?"

"Fuck off!" Odi spat back.

"Oh!" Irina burst out as though an epiphany had struck. "Bless him," she said, mocking the kid, and then turning to Carlisle, asked, "Doesn't he know what to do?"

Odi glared daggers at the girl and jabbed Carlisle in the ribs for daring to laugh. Divide and conquer - that's how Irina worked. They both knew it, they ALL knew it, but somehow remained powerless to stop it.

"Fuck. Off."

Irina nodded to his words with a smile as though Odi had just whispered sweet nothings in her ear rather than telling her to do one.

"We could draw you a picture, couldn't we, guys?" Irina offered, gesturing around the gathered vampires. "Well, probably not Carlisle…"

"Hey!" Carlisle looked up in offended surprise, annoyed to find both Odi and Felix laughing at him.

"But Felix knows what he's doing, doesn't he, Corin?" Irina waited just long enough for the pair of young lovers to feel slightly empowered before bringing them back down to earth. "Or is it that neither of you know what you are doing?"

"You're on the wrong topic if you're trying to wind me up, Irina," Felix replied, pulling Corin in close. "I know how to make a woman happy."

"A woman?" Irina asked with a confused expression. "Oh! You meant her!" she said, pointing and laughing at Corin. "Of course, silly me."

Corin raised an eyebrow and had drank just enough bloodwine before the others arrived to make her a little more bolshy than usual. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you are what? Twenty?" Irina mused aloud. "And a sixteen-year-old kid is the best you can do?"

"He's an old sixteen," Corin replied. She had no issue with Felix's age. Four years wasn't a big difference in her mind and Corin fully admitted she was something of a young twenty-year-old.

That was Corin's opinion, however, not Felix's. Felix was incredibly sensitive about his age and his relatively recent demotion in coven life because of it. It was Felix Irina was trying to pick on with that nugget.

"Yeah right!" Odi burst out.

"He used to be," Carlisle said, trying to defend his nephew in a cack-handed manner.

"Maybe, possibly," Irina half-heartedly agreed with Carlisle. "But not anymore, sweetheart," she said to Corin. "He's a child and you know it."

Seeing Corin getting emotional, Renata stood up and blocked Irina's eyeline to her fellow guard. "Irina, back off."

"It's alright, Ren," Corin called from behind the woman.

Irina rolled her eyes at Renata's display. "What are you going to do about it?!"

"If you keep picking on Corin, I'm going to put you through the window," Renata replied. She was only a small woman, as most women of the time were, but Renata had been a Volturi guard for many centuries and was expertly trained.

"I'd love to see you try," Irina drawled, sounding so very unimpressed.

Silly little bitch, Renata said to herself. "I would wipe the floor with you."

Irina looked the guard up and down. You really aren't going to give up, are you? Fine, I'll play. "Maybe, but what would happen to you afterwards? The overlords don't take kindly to guards getting uppity with the elite."

The other four were already interested when Renata stepped up to Irina, now they positively on tenterhooks!

"If you think you are elite," Renata paused to laugh at the very idea. "You are dreaming. If you think repercussion for me will save you when you're picking on her," she said, pointing to Corin behind her. "You are deluded."

Renata and Corin were close, very close. The elder guard looked out for Corin as she was somewhat naive and susceptible to suggestion. More than that, though, Renata loved Corin, and Irina was pushing the wrong button with the coven shield.

"Yeah, yeah," Irina nodded along. "And you will be dead for starting on me, so make sure you enjoy giving me a kicking."

"Renata's the only shield the Volturi has," Felix pointed out. "Aro thinks an awful lot of her."

Renata offered the boy a beaming smile before turning back to Irina. "I'm sure I would be forgiven for putting you in your place, Irina. It would be worth a whipping."

Shit, this is getting serious! Irina was a master of the cool facade, but it took every ounce of strength to remain seated under such an ominous threat.

"I'm not going to fight you on my first night out in four months," she said. "I'll leave your precious Corin be."

Renata smirked to the girl. She knew when someone was backing down. She didn't expect the likes of Irina to submit outright, but she would take her at her word when she said she would leave Corin alone. That was all Renata cared about anyway.

"You're so aggressive, Renata," Irina tutted once the guard was safely back in her seat. "It's no wonder you are single."

Renata scoffed. "There have been plenty of proposals, thanks."

"But they all turned you down?" Felix asked, easing the tension with his playful comment.

"Cheeky sod!" Renata offered him a lazy swipe with her words but laughed with the others.

An uncomfortable silence soon fell around the group, the only noise coming from Felix and Corin kissing far too passionately for polite company. It didn't take long for Irina's boredom to turn to trouble. She looked between Odi and Carlisle, working out which one's agitation would entertain her the most.

Odi won, or lost, depending on your point of view.

"Are you still wondering what mommy and daddy would say about you having a sex life," she asked the kid.

"I have a sex life," Odi muttered back. "I just don't broadcast it."

Irina patted his head - could she be more patronising?! "Neither does anyone else, which suggests you aren't worth talking about."

Carlisle smirked and saw a way in to tease Odi a little. "Turk looks happy now and again…"

"I'm not fucking Turk!" Odi boomed, thumping a chuckling Carlisle in the arm.

"Of course you aren't," Irina agreed. "Not since you got him in trouble at Midsummer. He isn't even talking to you, is he?"

Odi threw the girl a disgusted look and took to his feet, pacing the windows and glaring into the darkness.

Oops, Irina said to herself. That might have been too close to the bone?

"I wonder where Dora has got to?" Carlisle asked in an attempt to break the tension.

"Oooo!" Irina looked Carlisle up and down and smiled. "Are you psyching yourself up for some action?"

"I don't need to psych myself up," Carlisle replied, pulling himself up to sit taller in his seat.

"Are you going to, though?" Irina pushed. "Really?" Carlisle only shrugged in response so Irina tried to pull Odi back into he conversation. "What about you?" she called over to the kid.

"I might," Odi snapped at her. "Whats it got to do with you?!"

"I was thinking of joining in," Irina told the pair. Having suitably shocked them both, she left them and headed over to the bloodwine barrel. As Renata had already worked out, it was empty, but with help Irina reckoned she could get another glass out of the dregs. "Felix," she called. "Help me tilt this barrel."

Odi took a dive back into his seat. "I'm definitely up for it now!" he told Carlisle in hurried whispers.

"She's been taking the piss out of us all evening so far," Carlisle reminded him. "Why would you even want to fuck her?!"

"I've been alive for eight hundred years, and I've never been involved in an orgy." That was reason enough in Odi's mind. "Besides," he added. "Look at her!"

Irina was many things, many bad and nasty things, but she was smoking hot and Odi would have happily sold his own mother to fuck a girl that looked like that! And though he hated to admit it, so would Carlisle.

"Yeah, I'd fuck her, too," he quietly agreed.

"Shall we do it, then?" Odi asked, bouncing about like an excited puppy who couldn't find the newspaper. "Both of us?"

Carlisle recoiled at that offer! "Not with each other!"

"No, you twat," Odi flicked out his hand to catch Carlisle's arm. Having already thumped the guy in the same place Carlisle was glad he couldn't bruise easily. "Not like that!" he said. "I'm thinking me, you, Dora, Irina… possibly Renata… not those two, though," he finished looking over to Felix and Corin.

Felix had literally put down the barrel and got straight back into position with Corin. They were so grossly involved with one another that Odi worried they would be putting on a floor show any minute!

Carlisle couldn't work out whether fucking Dora and Irina would be allowed or not. As if reading his mind, Irina retook her seat beside them with her half glass of bloodwine and tried to put his mind at ease.

"I'm not a guard," she explained.

Renata tutted. Thank god!

"I am an adult," Irina continued.

Renata tutted again. Questionable!

"Theres no reason your fathers could come up with to reject me as your playmate," she said, leaving out how Eleazar might feel on the matter.

Before either Carlisle or Odi could respond, Dora staggered through the door clutching three full bottles of whiskey, and a further partly drunk bottle of whiskey. "It's going to get messy!" she declared, dropping Caius dungeons keys on the floor and kicking the door shut behind her.

…

The Halloween hunters had to travel much further than they had planned that night. The first town they came to had already been decimated by Barbary pirates taking captives to sell on as slaves. Basileus didn't like having his plans changed for any reason - he always took it as a personal insult to his status. I have to change my plans for mere mortals, he had muttered on the journey to their substitute destination. By the time they arrived in the sleepy village, he was thoroughly pissed off. It's a damn outrage!

"You'll have to speak to Tao and Xola about this, Aro," he shot to his boy. "I'm not having their slavers moving in so close to our coven."

Magnus took the chance to play with Basileus' emotions a little to help him settle down so he could enjoy the evening.

"It's nothing to do with Tao and Xola," Aro told him in return. "The Barbary pirates aren't under their control. Tao makes his fortunes from selling his countrymen to the west, but he doesn't make anything from the ones the Barbary's bring in. Amun makes a tidy packet, though, I believe."

"Tao's colluding in selling his own countrymen?!" Magnus had never considered how the other covens amassed their fortunes before, but human slavery was below the belt for vampiric interests, he felt.

"Good business, apparently." Aro shrugged. He didn't have much of an opinion on affairs in Africa - so long as Tao kept paying and kept his vampires in his lands, Aro was happy. "Didn't you hear him and Amun arguing about the ethics of it at the last ball?"

"He was humping barrels about for Henri," Basileus reminded his son.

"Amun works with the Barbary pirates, and Tao works with the chieftains in his lands." It looked like Magnus wanted more of an explanation than he had received. Aro huffed and went on, "Tao feels his trade is more honest, and doing his country a favour by keeping the human levels down to a manageable level."

"And Amun's opinion…" Magnus prompted.

"Amun thinks he's on the moral high ground because he doesn't touch his countrymen," Aro explained. "Just moves a load of Europeans around for a profit. It's not as black and white as that, but its good business."

"Don't even think about it," Basileus warned his boy. "We're not getting involved in the human slave trade."

"We don't need to," Aro drawled, placating his father's worries. "The more money Amun and Tao make, the more they have to pay us. A tenth of their earnings belong to us – that's the tithe for alliance covens."

"So we are making money from slaves?" Magnus asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Only indirectly," Aro replied with a smirk. "Our hands are clean."

"Aro!" Sulpicia's voice broke through their quiet conversation. "I could use your help!"

Sulpicia had been left with the five youngest members of the coven, who had all disappeared in different directions, leaving Sully to search in the dark for her babies. You're the one who offered to bring the Denali girls, she fumed, glaring to her mate having a lovely old evening with plenty of time for chewing the fat whilst she, as usual, looked after the children.

"Yes, my queen," Aro forced out. He rolled his eyes to his father and Magnus before bidding them good night.

No sooner had Aro left, than Caius arrived. Though Caius wasn't there to see Basileus and Magnus, oh no! He was rolling around the floor with some poor, screaming human and taking great pains to teach Heidi how he 'enjoyed his food'.

Basileus and Magnus turned away when Caius began to strip the woman bare.

"Sick, isn't it?" Magnus commented as he and the creator walked away.

"I was just thinking it's without his usual flare," Basileus chuckled. He had been long since desensitised to Caius' ways. "How's he doing?" he asked, flicking his head back in Caius' direction. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"

Magnus bobbed his head. "It's difficult to go through a private struggle so publicly," he replied. "But I think things are looking up for him."

"And what about Dora?"

"Dora, too," Magnus told him confidently. "Freyr is doing her best to intervene with Dora where possible." He paused to take a quick look around.No guards, he happily realised. Safe to talk. "It was difficult with Irina around so much, she's such a manipulative little madam but Dora can't see it. Luckily, my mate is quite manipulative too, when needs must."

Magnus went on to explain how Freyr had managed to separate Dora and Irina after the Easter party and plans to do so again should the need arise.

Basileus beamed. That was very clever, well done Freyr!

"It worked well after Easter for a while," Magnus explained. "Having Irina on lock down for the last four months has worked out well, too."

Basileus sucked in the air around him and avoided Magnus' eye. Truthfully, he had regretted the ridiculously long restriction imposed on the inbetweener tribe. But if its helped someone… Not a dead loss, then?

Magnus continued, unaware of the creator's thoughts. "I'm hoping these last few months have bonded Caius and Dora back together and they will be okay again," he said. And judging by the row I've heard the pair of them making, I'd say they are happy enough, he thought with a shudder. The north tower needed better sound proofing. It's like living above a bloody farm yard!

Time to address the elephant in the room, Basileus said to himself. "So why didn't Dora come tonight?"

Magnus sighed. He wasn't pleased that Dora hadn't come, but he understood the woman's reasoning. "Freyr said Dora feels uncomfortable with the elite of our coven," he admitted. "We'll be working on that next." Magnus laughed tiredly into the night. "I know they say marriage takes work, but I always thought that meant for the two people in the relationship!"

Basileus had to agree with the man there! He wondered if he would be willing to put so much time and effort into someone else's relationship? Even for his sons? He couldn't honestly say he would, though part of him believed Caius and Dora would have got back on track quicker had he been involved. Magnus was too nice, too soft, Basileus felt. He should have banged their heads together and laid the law down, he thought. That's what I'd have done. Yes, the creator and the juggernaut, thought certainly great friends, had very different styles of management.

Something else came to Basileus' mind. "Are you and Odi back on track?"

Magnus outright huffed at that one. "I ruined his life last Christmas when I told the guards to back off my kid," he said, in a fabulous rendition of his son's eyerolling and shrugging and flopping about like a dying fly.

"Would he prefer if you had left Afton and Alex to beat the crap out of him?"

"I think he thinks he would have preferred it," Magnus replied, tutting at his son's audacity, before pointing out, "Best of it is, I only made announcements about Odi because of what Caius had done but Odi's all over Caius! Loves the guy!" Magnus threw his hands into the air. "How does that work?!"

Basileus couldn't help but laugh. It was nice to be on the outside of family dramas for a change. "Kids, huh?"

"Aye," Magnus agreed, although, thinking of Caius and Odi, he was grateful for one thing. "At least they are getting on."

Basileus nodded to that one. "It could always be worse, my friend."

…

It was into the early hours of the morning when the happy hunters finally returned to the castle. Freyr and Magnus walked along behind Caius and Heidi, with Magnus muttering about the inappropriateness of taking a guard to private chambers with the sole intention of having a fuck fest.

"You know how their relationship works, love," Frey said, trying to placate her mate. "If Caius and Dora are happy with it, it has nothing to do with us."

Magnus continued to mutter, but Freyr was grateful it was at least under his breath. For a man who dislikes making demands of people, there were a few topics where Magnus could really get on his soap box if allowed.

Caius and Heidi made it to the ground floor suite ahead of the older pair, but Magnus and Freyr could hear them clear as day as they caught up.

"Oh this is pathetic," they heard Caius sneer. "Are you having a playdate?"

"I don't have playdates." That was definitely Dora, and Dora was definitely smashed.

They heard Caius laugh pitifully, adding, "Do their parents know they're here?"

Magnus tipped his head back and sighed. Another long night ahead.

"Heidi, my dear…" Freyr called to the siren as she approached.

"I should call it a night, Master," Heidi said, perfectly finishing the guard masters words.

Freyr stood aside to let the woman pass and thanked her for her understanding as she went.

Gutted! Caius cursed to himself before heading inside his home and taking a seat at the table. You must have planned this all along, he thought to his mate. The last few months have meant nothing, clearly. First chance you got you rejected me for your motley crew of misfits. Glaring from one to the other, he was the epitome of quiet rage.

Magnus and Freyr stuck their heads inside. The inbetweeners lay around the main chamber in various states of undress and intoxication. It didn't look good. Freyr pulled her mate inside and closed the door behind them.

"Nice job babysitting, Carlisle," Caius told the Volturi prince as he eyed Felix.

"I kept him in the castle," Carlisle replied, finding himself ever so funny. "Aro wasn't too specific on where I should keep him."

Like Carlisle, and a good many of the others, Caius laughed, but there was no humour in it. "You thought my chambers would be a good idea?"

"Your wife invited us," Felix drawled, clearly aresholed on whatever he had thrown down his neck that night.

"I think you should be getting home now, young one," Magnus told the boy. "Your old man will do his nut when he finds you missing."

Dora tutted to the juggernauts words. "He doesn't have to go if he doesn't want to."

"Dora…" Freyr called, only to be quickly cut off by the woman in question.

"These are my chambers," she replied. "I can decide who's here, and when."

"Aye, you can," Magnus agreed. "But he's a child and he should be at home."

Freyr sensed her mate riling himself up and decided to intervene. "I'll take him," she said, attempting to pull Felix to his feet.

Felix stayed firm, snatching his arm away from Freyr and keeping the other wrapped around Corin. "Dora said I can stay, so I'm staying."

I'm not dealing with other people's bratty boys, Freyr thought. Looking at the state Odi was in, eyes rolling and barely clothed, she thought her own bratty boy would be enough to contend with. "In that case I will let your parents know where you are, so they don't worry."

Freyr had hardly made it ten steps before Felix reacted behind her.

"What a bitch," he said, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Hey!" Magnus boomed across the room. "You may have a few beers inside you and that's giving you ideas above your station, but I'm warning you against speaking to my mate that way again or I'll be dealing with your ass before I turn you over to your father."

"Whatever," Felix huffed, hiding any concern he felt.

Oh, right! Magnus bobbed his head. You want to play billy big bollox, do you? "Love," he called to his mate. "Send Aro for Basileus and Eleazar before he comes here."

The B word… it worked like magic with Carlisle. The Volturi prince was suddenly up, unsteadily on his feet and reaching for his nephew. "Let's just go," he said, pulling a reluctant Felix along with him.

Freyr waited. She was willing to let them take themselves home and deal with the others. Magnus, however, was not.

"No, no, no," he said with a smile. Magnus pushed the pair of them back, blocked the door and folded his arms. "You had your chance, you're going to stay right where you are."

Carlisle sensibly relented, Felix though… he made to plough into Magnus! Catching the boy by the scruff of his neck, Magnus dragged Felix back to where he'd started - his seat with Corin. "You think you can take me, young one?" he asked, landing a firm swat to the boy's backside. "You really have had a lot to drink tonight, haven't you?"

For once in his life, self-preservation kicked in and Felix kept his troublesome mouth shut. Slinking back into his seat next to Corin, he cursed ever leaving the south tower that evening.

Then, to make a bad evening worse, Magnus spotted a bottle next to the fireplace. "Oh dear me." Magnus placed a half-drunk bottle of dungeon blood on the table and looked Caius dead in the eye. "Before I go any further… have you drunk any of this?"

Caius rolled his eyes. "No."

"Has he?" Freyr asked, wanting to know from Magnus whether Caius was being truthful or not.

Caius was already on the edge coming home to a trashed house and a room full of twats. Being questioned in front of said twats was quite simply too much. He sprang up from his seat, letting the chair clatter to the floor behind him.

"I said I haven't!"

"Calm it!" Magnus boomed, shoving Caius back a step with a strong hand to his chest.

Freyr wasn't done. "Have you drunk any dungeon blood at all since Midsummer?"

"No," Caius forced through gritted teeth, annoyed with Freyr for continuing the questioning.

Magnus told his mate that Caius was telling the truth, but soon raised an eyebrow when he realised what she had asked. "Why since Midsummer?"

Caius held his breath waiting to see whether the shield maiden would reveal the truth she knew about his drinking prior to Midsummer.

Freyr wouldn't do that, not if Caius had stuck to his word. "You said he tasted the dungeon blood in the bloodwine at Midsummer," she explained, softening somewhat now she knew Caius hadn't indulged.

"Oh, of course," Magnus replied. He gave Caius an odd look, but Freyr soon took his attention away, kissing him goodbye before heading off to retrieve the necessary fathers.

Getting back on track, Magnus turned to the rest of the room - a room of drunk and possibly drugged inbetweeners.

"Dora?" he asked simply, giving the bottle of tar a shake.

"Stupid cow," Caius muttered in his mate's general direction.

"A bit rich coming from you," Irina told him in return.

Dora had drunk plenty of whiskey, sure, but she hadn't and wouldn't touch dungeon blood. "Having one of us destroy our marriage on that shit is enough, don't you think?" she told her mate.

Caius wasn't convinced, and he didn't appreciate Dora bringing up his misdeeds in that moment, either.

"Carlisle?" Magnus asked next. "Felix?"

When the Volturi princes shifted uncomfortably in their seats, Magnus whistled into the air. "May the Gods help you pair when your fathers arrive."

"Yeah, yeah," Felix muttered back. He pulled Corin in a little closer knowing it unlikely he would see his girlfriend again for a while.

Magnus turned to Irina next.

"What I do is no concern of anyone else," the Denali girl replied, full of her usual self-importance.

Magnus rolled his tongue around his cheek. "We'll shall see about that, my dear." They weren't in the guard hall, so Irina wasn't his responsibility, but she had broken the creators command, so someone would be dealing with her, he was sure of it.

That said, two of their number were definitely for Magnus to officially deal with. "Renata, Corin," he called, getting their full attention. "I do believe you were both there when the creator banned the coven from drinking dungeon blood outside of battle or injury?"

"Yes, master," Renata replied, head low. Corin replied similarly from Felix's side.

"You know the punishment for breaking the ban?"

Renata didn't look up, she couldn't. "Yes, master," she replied again with a gulp.

Corin suddenly became more animated. Whipped?! She remembered, horrified. "But…"

"As a coven, we don't whip women," Magnus reminded the girl. "But something will have to be done. I'm disappointed that you would put me in this position," he told his guards. "Especially you," he added, a stern eye on Corin until she settled back down.

"What about him?" Caius asked, pointing out his faux little brother, genuinely fearing for the kid.

Magnus asked Odi whether he had drunk dungeon blood. Odi didn't reply but his emotions betrayed him. "I'd make that a yes," Magnus said, shaking his head.

"You can't let the coven discipline Odi if the girls are getting away with it."

Caius had intended on supporting Odi's case, but Odi, in his intoxicated state, took it as Caius taking the piss - which to be fair to Odi, Caius often did!

"I'm sure you know only too well what will happen to me, Caius," he mumbled, glaring at the pair of coven leaders.

Caius stopped breathing again! It was lucky he was a vampire, or he would have been suffering from lack of oxygen by that point. Carlisle and Felix looked to each other curiously, as did Renata, Corin, and Irina.

Magnus flashed to his son's side, clouted the little sod around the back of his head and forced him into a chair. "Sit down and shut your damn mouth!" he boomed, daring the boy to continue.

Odi's relationship with his father was strained, at best, and he might have retaliated were it not for the fact that that his mother walked through the door wearing a glowering expression. Having the creator and the king follow behind her helped him settle, too, no doubt. Eleazar slipped in with them, looking tired. After a a very long evening on patrol, the last thing he wanted to do was mitigate one of Irina's disasters.

"Magnus, Caius," Basileus greeted, ignoring the inbetweeners for the moment. "Is he alright?" he whispered to the juggernaut, eyes on the younger master.

"Annoyed, understandably, but doing okay," Magnus replied.

Basileus frowned as he searched through the memories in the room. "That may be about to change." Placing his hand on Magnus' and transferred what he had seen in Dora's memories.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Magnus cursed and recoiled. "I don't need to see any more of that!"

Whilst everyone else was busy trying to work out what Magnus had seen, Magnus glared daggers at Dora. "What did I tell you about your deviancy?!"

"I'm hardly a deviant," Dora tutted in reply. "I'm just… broad minded."

"Broad fucking minded?!" Magnus repeated, turning away, hands on hips, breathing fire through his nose.

"What happened?" Caius asked. It took a lot in his mind to be a deviant, though, conversely, he knew how little it took for Magnus to think of someone as such.

"It's nothing these chambers haven't seen before, love," Dora breezed. She was in the clear. She'd don't nothing unusual for her mate to worry about.

"You and her?" Caius asked, looking at Irina.

"Not just her, no," Dora snapped back. She didn't appreciate that patronising little chuckle he'd added.

Caius followed Dora's eyeline. "Carlisle, too?" he asked, outright laughing and making Carlisle feel two inches tall. "Hope you enjoyed yourselves," he told them both. And then he watched where Dora looked next…

"Him?!" he snapped. "Odi?!"

Dora could see her mate's agitation growing as he vibrated on the spot. But she couldn't see the problem. "So what?" she asked, genuinely perplexed. No one was off limits as far as they were concerned… usually.

"Odi?!" Caius asked again, his voice low and dangerous.

"Yes," Dora replied. "Whats wrong with Odi?"

Caius couldn't contain himself any longer. "What do you think, you stupid bitch?!"

The table went up into the air, landing with a crash and breaking two legs. A chair or two suffered similarly. Caius was caught mid-air by Magnus whose arms wrapped around the man in a vice like grip. Holding him so tight and clamping Caius' arms at his side, the raging coven master couldn't do much but spit vitriol at the kid cowering in the corner.

Basileus flashed in front of the two of them, ready to intervene should Caius break free, whilst Freyr slowly, and open mouthed at the shock, walked towards Dora. Freyr had an inkling as to the motivation behind Caius' reaction to Odi, but it wasn't time to voice it.

"Do you want to be single?!" she hissed on reaching Dora.

Dora had been watching Caius carefully but on hearing Freyr's question, her head whipped around. "What?!" Before Freyr could ask again, Dora hurriedly answered, "No!"

A shudder passed through the woman. That was the first time she had been asked outright whether she wanted to end things with Caius, and though she had been toying with the idea in her conversations with Irina, her immediate reaction was 'no'. No, she didn't want to be single. But still, she couldn't see what she had done all that wrong. Sure, she knew Caius wouldn't be enamoured with coming home to a house full of her friends without warning. But fucking Odi? So what?!

Freyr heaved a sigh of relief and sat next to Dora. "Then it's time to buck your ideas up, my girl," she hissed.

Odi and Carlisle stayed huddled together across the room, hanging around the window in case they had to make a run for it. Both believed the combined efforts of Magnus and Basileus would keep Caius contained. Which was lucky, as Carlisle and Odi knew they wouldn't be long for this world if they had to fight the Caius!

"Calm down!" Magnus demanded, squeezing Caius a little tighter.

He tried using his emphatic gift to quell Caius' rage but with so many conflicting emotions in the room Magnus found he was simply feeding off Caius and feeling incredibly angry himself! If he held Caius much tighter he was in danger of crushing his ribs, but with Caius still fighting for the freedom to crucify Odi, Magnus kept on squeezing!

"Magnus," Basileus called out to him. "Calm down, my friend."

Basileus attempted to take over with Caius, but in the man's blind rage, Caius's innate vampiric self-defence took over and he saw Basileus as an attack. Leaning back into Magnus' hold, he used both legs to kick viciously at the creator - Basileus couldn't get close.

Caius wasn't thinking straight, the only thoughts in his mind - other than ripping Odi's throat out, and possibly Dora's - was to keep the creator away from him. He knew Magnus held him and he wanted to stay where he was - even if it hurt! - because Magnus was safe, and he trusted him. Caius did not feel those things about Basileus.

Reading the man's jumbled thoughts, Basileus bobbed his head. "If you don't want me to take over," he told Caius. "Then you need to calm down."

It was still a threat, sure, but it got through to Caius after it had been uttered a few times.

"I've got you," Magnus said, only for Caius' ears. "I'm not letting you go. I'm not letting you do anything you will later regret. You need to trust me, Caius."

Eventually, and after much cajoling, Magnus managed to settle the man enough to loosen his grip and man handle Caius towards the only chair still standing at the upturned table.

Caius didn't want to sit, he wanted to run, or hit something, or referable both. Aro made a wary step in his coven mates direction, only to be held back by Magnus with a hand held out behind him and a shake of his head.

"You will sit here or we're going upstairs," Magnus told him quietly with a heavy hand pushing down on his shoulder.

Caius did sit, of course, but his body continued to pulsate. Magnus could feel the initial anger had gone, however. Caius' shaking was now agitation and overwhelming emotional pain. He was close to tears, which increased his agitation somewhat. Displaying his temper in front of others was fine in Caius' mind, but crying… oh hell no! That would be weak, and he couldn't allow that to happen.

Magnus didn't agree with Caius and Dora's style of relationship, everyone knew that, but he couldn't understand how Caius had laughed hearing about Carlisle yet turned into a raging monster over Odi. That said, Magnus wasn't happy with Odi, either. And by the look on the kid's face, a mixture of embarrassment and fear, Odi knew he had a serious round of fucks coming even if Caius did let him live.

Seeing Caius was steady, Basileus moved on. "I should have asked this question a while ago, but I've been distracted." He started pacing the room, walking between the inbetweeners as they sat, bewildered, looking up at him. "No matter," he said with a shrug. "I'll ask it now. Who has been funding your drinking?"

Basileus looked from one inbetweener to the other as their thoughts told him their personal answers. Most were innocent in their additions to the kitty. One stood out.

"Did you get a reading from that?" he asked Magnus.

Glowering at the guilt radiating from Irina, Magnus raised an eyebrow to the girl.

"I believe it's been a group effort," Basileus announced.

"That's not what I'm getting," Magnus replied. Felix felt a little guilty, perhaps, but other than him Magnus would lay the blame at Irina's feet.

"No, you misunderstand me," Basileus replied. "It's been a group effort in where she has been getting the cash from."

Aro and Eleazar had stayed out of the Caius debacle, but they were getting irritated. They wanted to take their charges home and end the night. "Could you inform the rest of the room?" Aro asked his father. And try to remember we're fucking here!

Basileus heard his son's thoughts but ignored them. He did answer his question, though. "Irina has been stealing to provide the money for their parties."

Magnus zoned in on Renata with her spike in emotions. "I think some of them knew that already," he said, disappointed with the girl.

Renata hadn't colluded with Irina, but she had assumed Irina's contribution to their kitty had come from ill-gotten gains. Once she had the chance to explain herself, Magnus was happy.

"Aha!" Basileus smiled broadly. "But do they know who she has been stealing from?"

"Dad, could you spit it out?!" Aro snapped. It aggravated him on a good day when his father pretended Magnus was somehow above him, having the two of them conduct a half private conversation that he couldn't be part of was maddening!

"I'm nothing more than a modern-day robin hood," Irina told them all with an air of pomposity. "Taking from the rich to feed the poor."

"Very cute," Basileus replied, lacking even a slither of sincerity. "Have you got hold of him?" he asked Magnus, gesturing to Caius.

"Shes been stealing from me?!" Caius attempted to stand but soon changed his mind when Magnus dug his fingers into his shoulder, keeping him in place.

Basileus offered Caius a tight smile. "Yes. Both of you on a regular basis," he said, making sure to catch Dora's eye in the process.

Dora felt her stomach flip. It was all she could do to keep the contents contained. As Caius and Irina went back and forth, Caius telling the girl she would be dead by dawn, Irina telling him to go ahead, and that she didn't care, Dora's whole world fell around her feet. They soon both turned on Dora. Caius told her what a blind fool she had been to let the girl into their lives and cause such havoc. Irina told Caius it was his own fault - he chose a weak-willed woman to be his mate, what else did he expect?

"How could you steal from me?" Dora asked, her voice thick with emotion. "We're friends…"

"Don't be so fucking dense!" Irina snapped at her.

She knew Dora wouldn't be any use going forward, so the pretence could end. Whats the point in playing nice with someone if you aren't going to get anything out of it? No point at all!

"You were only too happy to have someone to bitch to, Dora," Irina reminded her. "Do you think I offer my services for free?" she laughed as Dora crumpled into tears. "You really are quite pathetic."

It was perhaps only the shock of Irina's diatribe, which went on, and on, and on, that prevented any of the others from stopping her. All of them, Basileus, Magnus and Freyr, Aro and Eleazar, all stood motionless, absolutely dumbfounded, as the girl obliterated Dora in front of them.

"I'm not alone," Irina told Dora. "We're all using you!" she said. "You've known these people for hundreds of years and they only became interested in spending time with you once I had shown them how much use you could be!"

It categorically wasn't true. But Dora couldn't take anymore. She fled the main chamber for the safety of her bedroom and bolted the door.

Renata looked between the elite members of the coven, all of them unmoving, all being useless. She just couldn't take anymore. It was a matter of honour. Renata hadn't used Dora and she didn't believe any of the others had, either. Dragging herself to her feet, she flashed to Irina and punched the girl square in the face.

The two of them went down to the floor, Renata kicking the shit out of Irina as Irina tried desperately to defend herself. Their brawl didn't last long before they were divided. Freyr dragged Renata away and held her back, leaving Irina for Eleazar to sort out. No one said it, but everyone was quite pleased with Renata. Even Eleazar to a degree. Caius offered the guard a big satisfied grin for her efforts.

Eleazar started walking a screeching Irina to the door, only to be blocked by his father. "Not yet, son," he said. "We haven't finished here."

"Who else has she been stealing from," Aro asked, as he ran through the times Irina had been in the south tower. Never unattended, he realised.

"Aro, you have only provided the hash," Basileus explained. "Though it wasn't always Irina who took it."

Felix sank into his seat and hid his face behind Corin's shoulder. Aro laughed mirthlessly at his boy. Though to be fair to Felix, he didn't look too bad in comparison to Irina, and being the very youngest of the inbetweeners, Aro didn't blame him too much, either.

Basileus went on, "Irina has taken a great amount from you," he told Eleazar before turning to Carlisle. "And you."

Carlisle didn't even look up. He'd been caught drinking dungeon blood again. One shot, maybe two, he thought. But something told him that even if he'd only sniffed the bottle he would be getting it in the neck from his father.

"Your neck's safe, son," Basileus told his boy, answering his thought so Carlisle knew damn well his hide would be paying the price.

"Someone may wish to speak with Odi about where his contribution came from," Basileus directed at the kid's parents.

Magnus closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Freyr had more to say on the matter. "Have you stolen from us?!" she asked, voice shrill. "Have you?!"

Of course he bloody has, Magnus said to himself. He couldn't quite understand why his dear mate was surprised to find their son being a thieving little shit - that's who Odi was!

Odi hid his face behind his hand in humiliation at being called out so publicly. He wasn't used to it. He was far more comfortable facing his parents' enquiries in private. "You won't give me any work…" he managed to squeak out in his defence.

"You think that's an excuse?!" Freyr shot back at him, astonished by not only her sons embarrassing behaviour but also by the audacity of his justification.

Odi hung his head as his mother continued to berate him in front of their audience. He'd felt like cock-of-the-walk earlier that night. His first orgy! What a milestone for an eight-hundred-year-old vampire?! He was now less cock-of-the-walk, more simply, just a cock.

With Irina still spitting her venom at Renata, Magnus could feel the tension rising again. His whole body ached from the emotional turmoil as he soaked up the animosity. Halloween was hard on Magnus anyway with villages full of terrified humans battering his emphatic gift. Basileus soon appeared at his side, calling Aro and Eleazar to join them so they could work out a course of action and end the night.

"Irina's going to be the only one walking out of this unscathed and it was all her bloody orchestrating!" Aro complained. He wouldn't be letting Felix walk away scot free, but he wasn't prepared to condemn the boy alone. They all go down or none of them do, he thought.

"I'm sure your brother will issue his own punishment for Irina as you will for Felix, and I for Carlisle." Basileus offered an apologetic smile to Magnus knowing the man would most likely be dealing with not only Odi, but Renata and Corin as well.

"What are we going to do about this?" Magnus asked the creator. "Your decree stated any who drink dungeon blood will be whipped."

"We don't whip women in the throne room," Aro said, shaking his head. "It's improper."

"What is it with you lot and girls?!" Magnus shot back.

"Girls aren't so much the problem," Basileus explained on behalf of himself and his sons. "Its women I find difficult to handle."

"You're not special on that score," Magnus replied with an eyeroll for good measure. "But needs must, right? I'll deal with Renata and Corin. But I'll only do as much as I feel needs to be done. I'm not whipping them, either."

Aro breathed a sigh of relief. So did Basileus come to that. It wasn't fair, but they were both glad that they wouldn't have to address the matter with Renata and Corin.

"So we deal with our own and keep it quiet?" Aro asked, just to be sure.

"Easy for you lot with one a piece," Magnus said with a scoff. "Don't worry about me with three to be getting on with."

Freyr had finished up rounding out Odi, and the tension in the room seemed to be settling. So it was a shame Eleazar made an innocuous request at that point.

"Do you fancy handling Irina, Magnus?"

"No, I don't!" Magnus snapped, as Basileus clouted his eldest around the back of the head. "You have had those girls for eighteen months and I've already done more with that one than you have!"

The 'that one' Magnus was referring to, was of course, Irina, who was thoroughly pleased with herself for the catastrophe she had engineered. From over hearing Eleazar's request, she was pretty sure she'd be getting away with it, too. There was a strong possibility that she would come to regret breaking ties with Dora - sure, she had stolen a sizable sum from the woman, but she could have talked her way around that, maybe even been apologetic, perhaps? Irina had enjoyed ripping Dora to pieces in the moment, but doubts were already setting in about who she would be able to turn to next… no one, she realised.

Basileus glowered around the group of remaining inbetweeners until he had their full attention. "For your own sakes, I suggest this little party be kept very quiet."

Irina scoffed from bedside the door. "I'm telling everyone…"

Good point, Basileus mused. Irina will sing her song loud, I am sure. Storming over to the girl, he took her like a rag doll by the arm and brought her in close before addressing the room. "You will ALL deny the dungeon blood with every fibre of your being unless you wish to see yourselves lined up in the great hall for the whip."

Everyone readily agreed, Irina gulped. Facing a four-month restriction with a steely demeanour was one thing, she doubted her ability to face a public whipping quite so stoically.

"Yes, my lord," she agreed, cowering to his touch.

"Agreed," Aro declared, clapping his hands together. "Felix, time to go."

Felix disentangled himself from his girlfriend and slowly slumped over to his father waiting at the door. "In my defence, Dad," he said with a playful smirk. "I was left unsupervised."

"Hey!" Carlisle called out. "I supervised…" the Volturi prince drifted off seeing paired sets of raised eyebrows coming from his brothers, and a slightly more aggressive set from his father.

"This is why you can't play with the big boys and girls, son," Aro told his boy with an arm around his shoulders.

"Dad, please…" Felix whined, knowing his dad would be about to embarrass him in front of Corin.

"I'd save your begging for when your ass up over my knee,"

"Oh my god!" Felix cursed leaving Caius' chambers.

"Renata, Corin," Freyr called to her guards. "You are consigned to your dorms until further notice." She looked to her mate wondering if he would offer anything more, but he only had eyes for their son.

"Odi, go to your room," Freyr instructed.

"Your room," Magnus pointed out sharply. "Not your dorm."

Once the had schlepped out, with Eleazar and Irina following, Basileus offered to take Caius off Magnus' hands.

Caius had stayed remarkedly calm, in his own opinion. There was no need for anyone to take him anywhere. Carlisle wasn't keen on the idea of being within arm's reach of Caius, either, come to that!

"He's staying with me," Magnus told the creator. "We'll be alright, wont we Caius?"

It was difficult to say too much with Carlisle there, but Caius knew he'd have to say something if he wanted to stay in Magnus' company and not Basileus'. "I'm fine," he said, staring straight ahead.

"I'm going to speak with Dora about all of this," Freyr told her mate. "So you and Caius need to go to our chambers, love."

"Up there?!" Magnus asked, thinking his wife had clearly lost her mind! "With Odi?!"

"Yes!" Caius was delighted with that idea. "Take me up there!" I'm going to rip the fuckers throat out!

Basileus caught his thoughts and went to take hold of Caius. "I think you'd better come with me after all."

"I'm sure Magnus can handle them both," Freyr interceded, knowing it would end disastrously if Caius kicked off with Basileus. Caius needs sensitive handling right now.

Magnus turned to Basileus with a sigh. "Lucky old Magnus, huh?" He assured the creator that Caius would be fine, and Odi, too, despite Caius' claims on his life. "I'm thinking about asking Henri to hire me as a guard to kick about. It would be easier than working in this damn place."

"Good night, my friend," Basileus chuckled, directing his own son home for a round of fucks.

Magnus kept a hold of Caius by the back of his neck as they walked up the stairs and into the middle floor suite. Odi hadn't gone to his room as instructed - he was far too nervous for that. He'd stayed in the main chamber waiting for (hoping for) his mother to come home and explain where he'd gone so wrong. Sure, he knew the dungeon blood was a mistake, but they'd only had a shot a piece, or thereabouts. Hardly crime of the century even with the creators ban in force. But Dora… How was he supposed to know Caius would react the way he had? Laughing about Carlisle, or rather, at Carlisle, and sneering at Irina - Odi could have coped with either of those reactions. They were the sort of reactions he expected from Caius. Possibly even that Caius would rib him about it, maybe. The rage, though?! Where the hell did that come from?!

Caius started fussing as soon as he set sights on Odi and attempted to go for the kid. Magnus increased his grip on the mans neck, twisting and lowering Caius to his knees.

"If I release you and you go for him, I will be finishing the fight."

At that point Caius wasn't too sure what he wanted. A part of him wanted to batter Odi, that was true enough, but he wasn't sure whether he wanted that enough to enter into a fight with Magnus. Part of him still wanted to cry, and he thoroughly hated that part of him. Pathetic!

"Caius, I know his behaviour is disgraceful…"

"Of course Odi's behaviour is disgraceful," Caius snapped up at the juggernaut. "You facilitated him behaving this way into his twenties, and hey presto, he's an unmanageable cunt."

That's a bit harsh! What have I even done wrong?! "You're the cunt," Odi mumbled in reply.

Magnus tried to send his son to the safety of his bedroom, but Caius' rant held Odi firm. "It's not just me you have crossed you jumped up little prick!" he shot at the kid. "You've bitten the hand that feeds you, Odi. Stealing from your own family?! You're not just an unmanageable cunt, you're a stupid unmanageable cunt."

Odi had a spike of bravery for a moment and dared to look as though he would go for Caius. The slight change in Odi's stance was all it took to see Caius lunge toward the boy. Magnus was quick, thank the gods. He slammed Caius down to the floor.

"STAY DOWN!"

With a knee in the man's back and two hands on his shoulders, Caius wasn't going anywhere.

"I had to contribute something," Odi told his father. "And the only shifts I can work these days are on the bar at big parties because of all the shit he spread about me."

"So that's your excuse for stealing from me?" Magnus asked his boy, astonished by his bullshit reasoning. "What the hell is going on in your head, boy?!" Okay, he may have been more than astonished, more like fucking apoplectic! "How dare you steal from me?! This is going to be an awakening for you, young one, I promise you that!"

Naturally, Caius cheered Magnus on, wanting the little bastard to suffer some sort of stark consequences. Not that he was too bothered about Odi stealing from his parents, but he was very bothered about the kid fucking his wife. Caius saw flashes of his early vampiric life running through his mind, taunting him. His brother, his beloved brother Helios and… Dora…

"You can forget the guard hall, you can forget shifts on the bar, you can forget your dorm," Magnus went on. "You're here and you're staying here. You will forget what the damn sun looks like by the time I let you out!"

He'd always been on Odi's side about choosing where he lived and how he conducted his life, mostly, at least. Rapidly realising that giving his boy so much choice had been the kid's downfall, Magnus sought to regain control. Odi wasn't having that!

"No way, not happening," he said, shaking his head.

"Don't argue with me!" Magnus barked back at his son, glaring at the kid. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. A couple of years ago you wouldn't have even so much as questioned me - I am your father and you will do as I say!"

It was too much. Too much. Odi felt like his head would explode any minute. The tears came, and he couldn't stop them. He didn't understand what he had done that was wrong? I haven't done anything wrong! This is all about Caius, it's always about Caius.

Odi returned his father's stern glare. "Only when you're not too busy being his father," he said, angrily jabbing at Caius.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Magnus asked.

"Nothing," Odi said, wiping his sleeve against his eyes. "Forget it." Whats the point in telling you? You'll only defend Caius anyway.

Magnus knew his son well. The kid had always been easy to bring to tears, so that alone wasn't too shocking. But something told him Odi wasn't simply trying to cry his way out of repercussions that time. Something more was going on with the boy, Magnus could feel it.

He tried to release Caius so he could go to his child but no sooner had he lifted his knee, Caius started snarling again. He had to stay where he was, but he needed to know what was wrong with his son.

"I am your father, Odi. If you have a problem, you can talk to me…"

"No, you're not. You're not and you never were."

Magnus heaved. It was a punch in the guts to hear his son thought that way. And Odi wasn't finished.

"The guards are giving me all kinds of crap because of the bullshit Caius spread about us and you do nothing," he said, accusingly. "You send me out there like a lamb to the slaughter while you sit in your plush masters' chambers. You don't give a fuck about me so stop pretending like you do."

What kind of fucked up thinking is going on in that head of yours?! Magnus looked curiously at his boy whilst getting a handle on the kid's emotions - one thing Magnus was sure of, Odi truly meant what he was saying.

"You're the one who wanted to stay with your mates, son," Magnus reminded him. "My door is always open to you, you know that."

"It's always open to everyone!" Odi all but screamed through his sobbing. Glancing at Caius, who seemed to have quit his attempts for freedom and was now far too interested in what should have been a private moment between father and son, Odi added, "Look at what you let in!"

"Now hang on a minute…" Magnus had to stop to push Caius back down.

Odi swiped angrily at his eyes again, wishing he had more self-control. The floodgates had opened, not only for his tears, but also for years of silent brooding. "Since the day you took me in all I have ever wanted was to be your son."

"You are!" Magnus replied.

"No, I'm not," Odi sobbed. "When you still had Ivar and Sven, I was the stray they'd brought home. When they left, and I stayed, I heard what you said, I know you blamed me."

Where the hell is this coming from?! Magnus' head whirled. "I did not blame you, Odi, never!"

"You told mom that if I had alerted you sooner then you wouldn't have lost your real sons. You said I should have gone with them, you said…"

Magnus cut him off short. "I don't remember that."

Caius looked up at the man, there was something very off about Magnus' tone, and the fact that he couldn't look at Odi as he made his claim spoke volumes.

Odi scoffed. "It's burnt into my memory, trust me, you said it."

"If I did, I'm sure it was said in the heat of the moment." Magnus felt sick to his stomach. It was a good job he hadn't been drinking that night. "You are mine, you have been since you I first clapped eyes on you…"

"Then why is he more important than me?!" Odi screamed out. "I've been with you for hundreds of years; how can Caius mean more to you already?!" Why can't I stop fucking crying?! Odi pushed both hands into his eyes, begging them to stop. It was no use. He couldn't stop crying and he couldn't stay in those chambers anymore, either.

Odi flashed to the door, set on leaving and never coming back.

"Don't you dare walk out that door," Magnus told him.

Odi stopped for a moment, hand on the bolt. He looked back to his father and knew Magnus wouldn't be able to follow him without releasing Caius. Of course, Magnus was only holding Caius down in he first place to protect Odi, but in that moment, that wasn't how Odi judged it. He's the one you want here. You don't need me anymore.

"I don't belong in here," he said quietly, his voice hoarse from the shouting and crying. "I don't belong here at all."

"Odi…" Magnus called after him as the door swung on its hinges.

Caius watched wide eyed as the kid left. That did not give me the deliciously satisfied feeling I was going for. He thought he'd feel happy, relieved, even, to get rid of the little bastard who had betrayed him - even if Odi had no idea that he had betrayed Caius! But Caius didn't feel happy. He felt… confused… but mostly guilty. Guilty that Magnus had seemingly just lost his son and Caius was the reason he'd gone!

Magnus appeared similarity affected. In slow motion, he climbed off Caius and headed for his chair beside the fire. Caius had the opportunity to find Odi and tear him to shreds if he wanted, but he stayed watching Magnus instead. The juggernaut looked to be a shadow of his usual self, utterly bereft.

Slowly, Caius got to his feet and approached the man, taking the nearest seat. "You were lying," he said. "When you said you didn't remember… you were lying."

"Aye," Magnus croaked out.

He he told Odi he hadn't remembered saying such a hateful when the older lads left, but he remembered. Oh boy did he remember!

"I'm not proud of it, Caius. It was a bad time." Magnus ran both hands through his hair and let them rest at the back of his neck, rubbing at the build-up of stress. "When Ivar and Sven took off, I blamed Freyr - she blamed me. I blamed Odi - Freyr blamed me. I blamed the Gods - Freyr blamed me."

"I don't see how it was your fault, Magnus," Caius said. "Your sons went in search of land."

"I was a different man back then," Magnus explained chucking lightly. "Freyr was the one to pussy foot around people's feelings. I was a 'lay the law down' type."

"You still are!" Caius shot out, rubbing his right shoulder - one of the many bruised areas of his body from Magnus' handling that night.

"Wimp!" Magnus replied with a tut. "I'm fine with enforcing rules and standards, but the grey areas stay grey," he explained. "With Ivar and Sven I laid the law down, which they rejected, and they left never to be seen again. I couldn't risk that happening again. I couldn't take the guilt. So I started taking every opinion, every feeling - every everything! - into account before I decided on anything. Not great for a Jarl."

Magnus rested his head on the back of the chair and took a few steadying breaths to level out his fraught emotions.

"Are you really going to take Odi out of the guard?" Caius asked. He couldn't see how it would work, though he knew the kid was having a nightmare of a time with one-foot in. Feeling like a pariah in your own coven wasn't nice - Caius had plenty of experience on that score.

"I know what I said," Magnus told the man. "But it must be Odi's choice, not mine."

"Because you're scared of pushing him away?"

"Aye." Though it looks like I've already done that anyway, Magnus thought, the sickening feeling rising again in his stomach. "I'll speak with Odi about Dora…"

An instantaneous change in Caius' emotions occurred on being reminded of Dora and Odi.

"Whats wrong with you?" Magnus asked the man, reeling from all the emotional changes he had suffered that evening. "You laughed about Carlisle. You and Dora get up to all kinds of things with all kinds of people."

"Odi's different."

Magnus sighed. He couldn't quite face having Caius and Odi against each other again - the hellish mission to France still fresh in his memories. "He's my son, Caius..."

"Exactly!" Caius snapped.

Magnus wasn't sure what Caius meant by that, but Caius was painfully aware that Odi was Magnus' son, and that's why his heart had twisted painfully within his chest - Caius had grown fond of the kid, felt a bond with him, maybe even loved him… like a brother. Caius shook the thoughts from his mind. He couldn't think about Odi that way again and he wished he never had.

When Freyr returned home after a long conversation with Dora, she was surprised to find Magnus and Caius sitting in silence. Even more so when she realised her son wasn't there.

"Where's Odi?" she asked, breaking the quiet of the room.

Magnus looked down, but before he did, Freyr saw the mixture of shame and regret in his sad eyes. "Gone." He went on to explain in brief the scene that had led to Odi leaving their chambers.

"And you let him leave?!" Freyr asked, wondering how far her boy could have got in the time he'd had.

Magnus gestured to Caius before raising his eyes to his mate. Like he could leave Caius home alone and chase Odi down?!

Freyr understood what Magnus was getting at, but she had plans for Caius that didn't involve Magnus or Odi.

"If Magnus leaves you here with me, will you attack me?" she asked the young master, knowing full well that he wouldn't.

Magnus baulked at the idea. "He'd be getting the buckle end of my belt if he dared!"

"I wouldn't anyway, thanks," Caius told them both, recoiling from Magnus a little.

Magnus stood and rested his hand on his belt buckle, just to make sure Caius knew he was serious. "What about Odi?" he asked.

Caius refused to respond, even with Magnus looming over him.

"Do you wish to kill our son?" Freyr asked outright. "Harm him, perhaps? Would you really do that to us?"

"Erm…" Caius ran a hand through his hair and gripped tightly, tugging at the roots. Whatever he felt about Odi, and he was still working that out, he wouldn't hurt Magnus and Freyr by going after their son. "No," he said sincerely. "I won't be playing happy families with the kid anytime soon, but I won't hurt him."

Magnus and Freyr turned to each other, the latter sporting a slight grin. That was the first time Caius had ever referred to them all as a family, and though it wasn't under the greatest of circumstances, Freyr took it as a small win. Magnus wasn't so easily impressed, but he felt secure enough leaving the two of them alone so he could track down his troubled son.

Caius made to follow him only to have Freyr block his path. "Sit," she told him, pushing him back into his recently vacated seat. "I'm glad you have stuck to your word, Caius," she said, placing another log on the fire and giving it a stoke with the fire pick. It needed raking out, but the guards would take care of that at dawn. "The dungeon blood," she pushed when Caius stayed silent.

"I have, Freyr, honestly."

Caius was so grateful to her for covering for him and he wanted her to know he hadn't gone against her request. Request? Who am I kidding, it was an order if ever there was one!

"I know, I think there would have been a few deaths tonight if you hadn't." Seeing the fire picking up, Freyr settled herself in Magnus' old chair and put her feet up onto the footstool. "Not to mention how my chambers would look by now if you had still been indulging."

Caius couldn't deny either premise with his track record.

"I want you to take Dora away from the coven for a while. Reconnect with each other." Unlike Caius, Freyr saw the nights disastrous end as a new beginning for the couple - Irina would be out of the picture going forwards so there would be no one to come between Caius and Dora. All in all, a good night, she thought, smiling quietly. "It's time for the two of you to be happy again, my darling."

"But we're both so fucked up!"

"Yes you are," Freyr agreed. "Two damaged people trying to heal each other. That's love, Caius."

"She won't go with me," Caius said, feeling certain that Dora wouldn't risk being anywhere near him after the display he'd put on, not to mention the things he'd said to her - Caius had been almost as hurtful as Irina. "She'll fear me. Scared of what I'll do…"

Freyr gave the man a wink. "Dora's packing as we speak."

Caius knew he'd been a bit of a dick, but he wasn't ready to roll over just yet. "You're pretty sure I'm going to agree to this," he said, eyeing the shield maiden with a face full of scorn. "Maybe I don't want to go away with her after what she's done. Maybe I don't want to be happy with her…"

"Caius," Freyr called, ending the man's rant before he could wind himself up. "There comes a time when it matters not a jot who was right or who was wrong," she took his hand, offered a loving squeeze and fixed him with her eye. "It appears to me, from the outside looking in, that time has arrived."

Who was right and who was wrong… Caius couldn't even answer that himself. He could get his wife back if he went away with her, he could get his life back on track. They could mend the rifts between them. Or he could refuse; blame Dora… potentially lose Dora… No. That can't happen.

"How long?"

"A month?" Freyr threw out. It sounded a reasonable amount of time to her. "I want you both back for Christmas."

Caius nodded absentmindedly, still brooding.

"I'm not trying to excuse what has happened tonight," Freyr began tentatively. "But Odi was very drunk, they all were."

"I won't hurt him, Freyr," Caius assured the woman. He doubted he would ever want to breathe the same air as the kid again, but he wouldn't hurt him. Caius wouldn't risk losing Magnus and Freyr over Odi. "I wouldn't do that to you. I was just… angry."

"Angry and hurt, I think?" Freyr wanted to ask why. She believed she knew - Dora and Odi brought up buried emotions over Dora and Helios. But she couldn't raise it too blatantly. "Bad memories?" she asked, giving Caius space to expand should he wish.

"Maybe."

You aren't giving much away, are you? Freyr mused. "I don't agree with the way you and Dora conduct your relationship, but I can see it mostly works well for you both." Freyr sighed, sounding sad and tired at the same time. "If Dora being with Odi had such an effect on you, when you so easily laughed away Carlisle and Irina… well, you might wish to think about why that is."

I know why it is, Caius said to himself, though he wouldn't voice the reason, not even in his own head. The guard masters had accepted him into their lives and loved him as their own. Odi was their son. That made Caius and Odi… whatever. Not anymore. Caius had only allowed himself to show that he tolerated Odi, but in his heart his relationship with the kid had gone so much deeper than that. I had a brother again… bastard! Caius cursed himself for honouring Odi with the title. Sure, Caius hadn't let Odi know how he felt, or Dora, for that matter. He hadn't done much more than let the kid hang around his chambers, in all honesty, so Caius knew it wasn't really Odi's fault for crossing a line he hadn't known existed. But that didn't stop it hurting. It didn't stop the fire in his heart.

"You'll be back for Christmas," Freyr said, snapping Caius back into reality.

"I guess so," Caius nodded along.

"It wasn't a question," Freyr said with force, lifting Caius' chin to gain eye contact. "I want you both back here for Christmas."

"Oh!" Caius blinked at Freyr's tone, at once stern, yet so very motherly, too. "Alright."

Freyr stroked a caring hand down Caius' cheek and wiped away the tears he'd unknowingly shed. "And you will treat your mate with love and kindness."

"Of course," Caius drawled, complete with eye roll.

With a light chuckle, Freyr tapped the man's cheek a few times, the last a little too sharp to be considered playful. "That wasn't a question, either, my darling."

…

"One of us needs to speak to her about all of this, El."

Eleazar made an odd noise, as though his words stuck in his throat.

"That would be me, then!" Carmen huffed, rolling her eyes to her weak-ass mate.

Eleazar had ranted at his mate about what the eldest Denali girls had done, about her theft, about the dungeon blood – which she had taken from their chambers, again! – and the appalling way she had destroyed Dora once caught out. Absolutely ranted and raved. It had taken all of Carmen's efforts to force Eleazar to speak with an inside voice as Kate and Tanya were in bed. But as soon as it came to stepping-up to the girl and speaking with Irina about her behaviour, he bowed out.

Carmen didn't want to come down heavy on the girl, however, believing there must be a reason behind such betrayal. Now Carmen wasn't stupid. She knew Irina thought little of her and Eleazar, but she had thought Dora meant a lot to the girl.

Knowing her sisters were sleeping, Irina had headed to the window seat in the main chamber. She would have been more comfortable sitting by the fire, perhaps, but she didn't want to be comfortable. Being cold, being bored, being uncomfortable all helped to ground Irina in her misery and that's exactly how she wanted to feel.

"The restriction was too long, Irina," Carmen said, trying to ease her way in with the girl. "Even Basileus realises that now, I think."

With no response, Carmen perched on the edge of Irina's seat. She was unsure how to proceed with the girl, so she decided on avoiding the evenings antics for the moment and concentrated instead on trying to reach Irina, somehow.

"You seem so unhappy," she said. "Haven't you enjoyed any of your time with us?"

Irina continued to ignore her. Sitting in the same room as the woman whilst her sisters slept was about as much as Irina was willing to do. I'm not up for cosy chats, she thought, face of thunder.

"I can see that face you are pulling, young lady," Carmen chided gently.

Then I have to wonder why you are still speaking?

Unperturbed, Carmen continued. "You have had fun, Irina, I know you have."

They had spent the long, drawn out, seemingly never fucking ending days playing games, reading together, sewing pointless shit. Irina hadn't complained during those activities as at least it had been something to do, but enjoyed? She wouldn't go that far.

"I made an effort for my sisters," Irina explained. You stupid cow.

"Eleazar and I were thinking…"

Irina tittered to herself. I expect that would have hurt.

"You girls have been cooped up in the coven for a while now…"

Are you releasing us? We can leave? Irina sat up, feeling hopeful, excited, even.

Carmen took the girls sudden enthusiasm as encouraging. "We were thinking of planning a break from the coven."

"A break would be a start," Irina replied, but reading the woman's body language, she realised that break wouldn't be her and her sisters alone. "Oh… With you? And Eleazar?" Irina slumped back against the wall. "Right… no thanks."

Carmen exhaled tersely. She would happily forget all the trouble the girl caused, all the strife she had brought to her marriage and animosity that clouded their home if only Irina would soften slightly.

"If you aren't playing nice we might as well address this evening…" Carmen didn't get any further before Irina jumped in.

"Yes, I stole money from you, I stole dungeon blood from you, I even fucked your brother in law. But listen up – I don't give a fuck what you think of me." Irina stopped for a moment to ensure she had a grip on herself, worrying she would cry at any moment. Once she was sure the tears would stay hidden, she went on, "You and your fucked-up family ripped my heart out when you slaughtered my mother. Why are you surprised that I don't care anymore?"

Carmen had to turn away, the girl's words were so hurtful. "How many lives are you prepared to ruin just to smother your own misery?"

"As many as I possibly can," Irina replied, lip curled into a cruel sneer.

Carmen hid the pain in her heart and backed away, but not before Irina offered a final stab.

"Stop trying to be our mother, Carmen," she hissed. "It's pathetic. Have some self-respect."

Eleazar may not have wanted to stand up to Irina, or even get involved with the girls beyond breaking up fist fights. But purposely hurting his wife, the woman he loved and adored? That was too much even for the affable Eleazar to take. Watching Carmen leave, tears welling in her eyes, the hairs stood up on the back of his neck.

"Who the hell do you think you are talking to?!" he shot at the girl.

Irina spun around to face the man stalking into the room, but soon smirked at him, swishing her long hair around her face to block Eleazar from view. Bless him, she thought. What a prat!

"Irina," Eleazar snapped.

"What?" Irina asked, pretending to be thoroughly engaged in the book in her lap. "I was talking to Carmen - as you know that already, your question was redundant."

Eleazar ripped the book from her hand, tossing it to the table. Towering over the girl, it was all he could do to keep his reasoned mind. "You will start treating us with the respect we are due…"

Irina's tinkling laughter cut him short. "I am!" she sneered. "You just aren't due much."

Before Eleazar could react, Irina released a bloodcurdling scream, knees brought up to her chest, arms trying desperately to protect her body and face from an invisible attack.

"What the hell…" Eleazar backed up a step, viewing the girl with serious concern.

The room soon flooded with the other members of their household; Kate and Tanya, having woken with a start and still half asleep, jostled their way in at vampiric speed, Carmen just pipping them to the post in making it to Irina first.

"What happened?!" Carmen called to her mate over the continued screaming.

"Nothing!" Eleazar replied. "I didn't touch her!"

Kate and Tanya, both bewildered, weren't sure what to think. Irina wasn't accusing Eleazar of anything, but then why was she still screaming? From their calming touch Irina's screaming subdued to be replaced with hearty sobs.

Daring to take a step closer, Eleazar called out softly to the girls…

Screaming resumed!

"Just go, El," Carmen told her mate. "Just go."

Carmen wrapped her arms around Irina's body and the girl lay her head on her shoulder, smirking to Eleazar as he backed away.

Eleazar found himself back in his baby brother's chambers, where he had spent much of the last four months! Carlisle made a joke about charging his brother rent. As you can imagine, it didn't go down well! It also gave Eleazar an opening to interrogate Carlisle about his intentions towards Irina. Carlisle denied having sex with Irina, but Eleazar wasn't so sure… still, what could he do if Carlisle denied it?

What difference does it make anyway? Carlisle thought to himself. It's not like you care about Irina!

Carlisle was sensible enough to keep such thoughts in his head. Eleazar didn't care about Irina, no, but he did care about the way her behaviour was reflecting on him in the coven. Being so uninvolved that his kid brother was his charge hardly presented Eleazar as the responsible man he thought himself to be.

Eventually, Eleazar let it go, mainly because he wasn't sure what he could do about it anyway. Aro turning up provided a welcome distraction. For Eleazar at least – Carlisle became immediately stressed.

"If you're here to have a go…

"I'm not. I'm not happy, brother," Aro told him, closing the door. "But I don't blame you too much, this time."

It was only a half-truth – Aro had been instructed by his mother not to blame Carlisle too much, or Felix for that matter. An excessively long restriction ending with a night in an empty coven was always going to be trouble – Aro didn't disagree with that.

"So, what are you doing here?" Carlisle asked, clearly still nervous.

Aro roughly tousled his brother's hair as Carlisle tried to duck away. "I've come to spend time with my baby brother."

"I am popular today," Carlisle said, pleased to have both brothers with him.

"I went everywhere else first, trust me."

"Why are you packing?

"He's got to go and stay with Magnus and Freyr until Dad gets back," Eleazar answered on Carlisle's behalf.

"Gets back?!" Aro shot in return. "Where's he gone?!"

"Nowhere yet." Carlisle threw his cape into his truck and sat down, bored of packing. "All he told me was to pack some things and the report to him for…" he trailed off, unwilling to tell his brothers why he had to see his father.

Naturally, they guessed, and being such lovely supportive big brothers, they soon started mocking him.

"Oh dear, baby brother," Aro drawled. "Have you got to report to daddy for a thrashing?"

"Fuck off!"

Eleazar snorted in his attempt to hide his laughter at Carlisle's response. "I'd say you're bang on the nail, Aro!"

Bastards, Carlisle cursed at the pair of them.

"Caius and Dora have gone, too," Aro told them, already bored of winding up his brother. "They need to reconnect, or something like that."

"That's why he's here," Eleazar tutted in Aro's direction. "Caius isn't about to play with."

"Will you show some sympathy for me, please?" Carlisle asked, whining. "I've got to stay with Magnus!"

"Magnus is alright, you'll be fine," Eleazar assured him. As restrictions go, spending it in the north tower was definitely the best option, in his eyes. "He'll let you see Marcus, too, so you can keep up with your studies at least?"

"I suppose," Carlisle grumbled, still feeling sorry for himself.

Aro rubbed his chin and grew a pensive expression. He understood why his father would want someone watching Carlisle if he was going away, but he wasn't pleased that someone would be Magnus. Why not me? He wondered, soon answering his own question – because I'd kill him. But why not Marcus?

Carlisle could see Aro had something to say and called him out on his brooding. "Don't let him order you about," Aro said.

"Marcus?" Elazar asked.

"Magnus," Aro tutted. Obviously. "He's getting a bit above himself if you ask me."

"You're the one who gave him his station," Eleazar reminded his younger brother. "Are you regretting it?"

"Not at all!" Aro truly didn't regret raising Magnus and Freyr out of the guard, he just didn't want them getting too big for their britches where he was concerned.

"HOW DARE YOU?!

Th three brothers damn near jumped out of their skin!

"Is that Carmen?" Aro asked, wincing from the roaring argument being conducted above their heads.

"It is," Eleazar replied wearily. He complained about the Denali girls' noise, but his mate was a good match for them. And to think she was telling me to use my inside voice earlier! The cheek of it!

"And you are leaving her to it?" Aro pushed.

If he had heard one of his kids raging at Sulpicia, like Irina was with Carmen, he would have flown up those stairs to tan their hides. Yet Eleazar appeared entirely relaxed, lounging on Carlisle's sofa with his long legs hanging limping off the end. No tension, no motivation, no nothing. Eleazar had always been fairly placid, but he was being inactive in Aro's opinion.

"Carmen has a better chance than I do in getting through to Irina. I can't control that girl," Eleazar eventually replied.

"You aren't trying to," Aro pointed out.

"What am I supposed to do, brother?" El asked. "Do not suggest anything physical, it isn't right."

"You need to find her currency," Aro answered with a shrug, as though it should be obvious to Eleazar. "When you know what is most valuable to her, you have something to bargain with."

Eleazar looked to Aro quizzically and then to Carlisle to see if he had a clue. Nothing. "I don't even know what that means!" he admitted, wincing as he spoke from the sound of glass shattering above his head.

"Okay, an example…" Aro considered his options for a moment. "Felix!" he exclaimed. "He values his reputation most of all. The guards have all seen him whipped, belted, bawled out, but I doubt they have ever seen him really back down, they rarely see me treat him too childishly. It's his currency."

"That makes no sense to me at all," Carlisle said. Looking to Eleazar he was pretty sure his bog brother had questions, too. "You have belted Felix in front of the guard and I've seen him make public apologies…" Carlisle held his hands up, gesturing for Aro to offer more explanation.

"The guards all have to do that, too," Aro reminded them. "That's just normal discipline around here." He stopped and chuckled thinking back to when he'd got the boy home from Dora's party that evening. "Felix would much rather I beat the living daylights out of him than do something that would emasculate him, like spanking him for instance."

Felix had gone wild when they got home. After Aro had forced him to explain himself to his mother – and suffer the following lecture from the woman – Aro stripped the boy from the waist down, shredding his clothing in the process and then, without warning, tipped the boy over his knee. All whilst Sulpicia stood mere meters away. Had Magnus walked by the south tower at that time he might very well have exploded as the boy's shame hit him!

Carlisle's stomach did a flip. Luckily, he had already purged the whiskey he had drunk at Dora's or it would be on the living room floor! He found submitting for any form of punishment from his father as hugely emasculating, so he could appreciate his nephews feeling on the matter.

"So that's the threat… do as I say, or…" Carlisle felt his stomach go again. "You will humiliate him?"

"Yup," Aro replied, entirely relaxed and confident in his parenting technique.

Carlisle looked to his elder brother, hoping Eleazar would say something to Aro, tell him he was wrong, or something. But Eleazar appeared to be paying attention!

I'll say it then! Carlisle said to himself. "That's harsh, Aro. I think it's wrong."

"It's neither harsh or wrong," Aro said with a shrug. "I need to be able to control him. Felix isn't some fluffy human teenager, hes a vampire. A very strong one with no impulse control." With Eleazar nodding along, clearly understanding, Aro posed a question to his little brother. "Could you imagine what Felix would be capable of if he went around completely unchecked?"

With a shudder, because Carlisle knew about the things Felix got away with, let alone the stuff Aro pulled him up on, Carlisle could do little but quietly agree.

"He's bad enough as it is," Eleazar said, openly agreeing that Aro needed a firm handle on the kid. "How would that work with Irina, though?" he asked. "I am not going to hit her."

Aro might well have thought Irina would benefit from a slap, but he understood Eleazar's reticence – he rarely took Jane to task, though he would never admit it out loud.

"That's just Felix," Aro explained. "It wouldn't work with Irina. It doesn't work with the twins or Demetri either."

Eleazar sat up in his chair. Now we're getting somewhere! "Whats the twins currency?"

"They are easy - Jane in particular." Aro wiggled his eyebrows, as though he was about to reveal some mystical secret. "They don't like disappointing me."

Not too mystical then…

"I think Alec's scared of you, too," Carlisle said, voice barley above a whisper in case took offence.

"Yes, he is," Aro said, scowling. Though not at Carlisle - that scowl was for himself. "I don't like that he is, and I'm working on it, but I can't deny it."

"Is that it? A bit of fear and disappointment?" Eleazar felt a little disappointed himself! "Irina isn't scared of me and she would be only too happy to disappoint me. Kate and Tanya too, I reckon, if it meant getting their own way."

"Of course they would,! Aro agreed with a smirk. "You are their minder, not their father, yet."

"Theres no yet about it Aro!" Eleazar took to his feet. "As soon as you find somewhere for them to go, they are gone!"

"You say that like it's so simple, El, but Carmen…"

Eleazar came to a halt in front of Aro. "Carmen is struggling as much as I am, she's just stubborn."

"I'll agree with you in relation to Irina," Aro said, holding out his hand placatingly. "But I'm not so sure with Kate and Tanya. Are you?"

Eleazar wasn't willing to answer that. "Demetri, do Demetri," he said, hoping for something more useful.

"Demetri is a little more traditional," Aro mused. "He isn't as prideful as Felix is - he accepts hes a child and you can't emasculate a child. He will happily disappoint me, too, if it means getting his own way. He doesn't do well with pain though…"

"Pain?!"

Aro wasn't sure which of his brothers had called out in shock! "Not in a 'Caius' playroom' kind of way," he said quickly. "In a 'I will belt you if you do that again', kind of way."

Seeing his brothers settle, Aro turned to his baby brother before he said anything else. "Carlisle if you tell them any of this…"

"Don't they know?" Carlisle asked, surprised.

"Of course they don't know," Aro scoffed. "I doubt they have thought about it much to be honest with you."

"I won't say anything, brother," Carlisle agreed, whilst making plans to tell his nephews the next time he had them on his own.

"Truthfully, I doubt it would matter if you did," Aro said, thinking about it a little more. "I know what our currency is with our old man I can't do anything to change it."

"You know ours?" Carlisle asked. "All of ours?" This is useful information you have been sitting on you dick!

"Tell us then!" Eleazar added eagerly.

"El, you are the twins," Aro repelied. "Disappointing our father has been your Achilles heel since the day he turned you."

Eleazar thought about it for a moment of two before sighing. "That's fair enough."

Carlisle was on the edge of his seat. "What about me?"

"You and I, brother, are more alike than I would care to admit. When Basileus threatens our pride, we sit up and pay attention." Aro huffed to himself realising how alike he and Carlisle were. "You, like Felix, struggle with feeling emasculated, whereas I live and die by my reputation and having control over it."

"Carlisle has a little bit of Demetri's currency to him, too, don't you think, brother?" Eleazar asked Aro playfully.

"He is a pussy, I suppose," Aro agreed, chuckling.

Carlisle threw one of his unpacked books at Aro's head, (he wasn't daft enough to do it to Eleazar). "Fuck off!"

Eleazar moved quick and shoved Aro back in his seat before he could launch at Carlisle and start a fight. "Can you honestly say otherwise when Basileus is looming over you?" he asked, looking down his nose knowingly to his baby brother.

"He can't even say otherwise when Atia is looming over him!" Aro burst into his trademark tinkling laughter, as ever, finding himself hysterical.

"Damn it" Carlisle cursed, knowing they were both right.

"None of this helps me." Eleazar retook his seat, seemingly in defeat. "I'm not belting the Denali girls, but I need Irina toeing the line."

"Then what's her currency?" Aro asked, pushing his brother to think about it. "What do you know about her?"

"She hates me," Eleazar responded, feeling little in response to the realisation. "She isn't scared of me though, and she certainly doesn't respect me."

That's not enough to work with. "What else?" Aro asked.

"She likes Carmen, but she doesn't respect her - she will look her dead in the eye and lie to her face." Eleazar rubbed his chin as he ran through Irina's time in the coven to date. "She's wary of Basileus and Atia, and Magnus and Freyr…"

"No brother," Aro cut him off quickly. "That isn't you controlling Irina, that would only compound the problem. Irina won't respect you if you defer to dad."

"I know…" Eleazar groaned realising he'd come to the end of his 'Irina knowledge'. "I just don't know what else to do."

"What does she like?" Aro asked. "Who does she like?"

"I think she loves her sisters, but the way she talks about them is… weird. More like she owns them." Eleazar winced when he grasped how true his words were – Irina truly did think she owned her sisters. Most unnerving. "She had a great time causing shit with Dora and the rest of the you lot," he said, turning to Carlisle. "I thought she liked you all, so I clearly don't know her at all…"

"You have already found her currency," Aro said, back to wiggling his eyebrows fanatically. "You," he said, pointing at Eleazar. "If she hates you so much, then keep her with you. If she wants to leave the house, she leaves with you. If she wants to attend classes, she attends with you. If she wants to go to the guard hall… you get the picture."

Eleazar outright grimaced at the very idea. He wasn't sure who that would be punishing – himself or Irina! It's irrelevant anyway, he thought. "She won't agree to that."

"For fuck sake El! MAKE HER!" Aro shot back, growing annoyed with his brother inertia. "You are stronger than Irina and you can force her to stay with you without hurting her."

It was telling that Eleazar didn't shout at Aro in return – he knew his brother was right, he just didn't want to have to bother with the girl at all. Kate and Tanya, he liked. He hadn't admitted it to anyone, but the younger girls were really growing on him and, he in turn, was growing in confidence with looking after them… in parenting them, even.

Aro shook his head, dismayed at how his brother would ever manage Irina at the rate he was going. "You know all this would be much easier if you would just give her the thrashing she deserves."

"I'm not comfortable doing that Aro," Eleazar said, whilst thinking, not a fucking option! "Irina's a young woman, it just doesn't sit right with me."

"You need to do something or Dad's going to be giving you the hiding Irina has earned," Aro shrugged. It's your funeral!

"You're telling me," Eleazar groaned.

The trio were startled by the front door springing into life, rebounding off the wall with the force of its opening. There stood Basileus, doubled up belt in hand, looking furious.

"Whats going on here?"

Carlisle started to stammer. "Dad, I…"

"You were told to pack a few things and then come to my chambers," Basileus reminded his youngest. "And now I find you relaxing have a grand old time?! After your recent stunts, really?!"

Carlisle jumped to his feet and threw his books into the trunk. "I'm packed, Dad…"

Basileus barely looked in Carlisle's direction. Instead, he turned to his older sons. "You pair," he barked. "Out." As Eleazar and Aro flashed to the door, Basileus caught hold of Eleazar to pull him back. "You had better have that girl sitting up and called to heel by the time I get back, son."

Eleazar dutifully bobbed his head and headed back upstairs to hell.