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?

152. Irina The Outcast - Part 2

AN: So these chapters are turning out to be the most complicated I've had to write. It was a personal challenge and I don't think I'll repeat this crossing over days format - pain in the arse!

And you lovely lot keep recommending new works for me to read - which I'm reading! So totally y'alls fault for the delay this time. I hope you're all hanging your heads in shame! I'm also thinking of starting a Game of Thrones fic, and an Avengers fic, which is also your bloody fault. I'm going to end up divorced at this rate :D

As a side note, as a few people have messaged me to ask about Alex, I thought I'd explain a little. He is a long-term guard, one trained by Caius personally to be a particularly violent mission guard. He was introduced in 'The Start of a Very Long Day' and will be popping up more as we go through, as will the other guards who have already been named. He's not a bad guy… he just doesn't care very much about many people!

Irina The Outcast - Part 2

JANUARY 3RD

Close to dawn, Irina returned to the west tower. Her dress, covered in frost, crunched as she crept up the stairwell to the middle floor apartment. Alex hadn't wanted her to stay the night with him, as he'd offered. Once she'd served her purpose he sent her away. 'Cuddling in the afterglow isn't my thing, sweetheart,' he'd said. Irina had nowhere else to go, so in her misery she'd returned to the frozen ground outside until the sun started to rise.

She would have gone straight home - even Irina wouldn't have chosen a whole night out in the cold - but Alex liked it rough and she ached all over. She didn't want anyone guessing what she'd been up to. That had been a confusing realisation for the Denali girl. Flaunting her sexuality was her modus operandi… usually. Eleazar's rejection had cut her deep and despite what she'd felt when she'd followed Alex back to his dorm, fucking him hadn't helped at all. Irina had enough ego left to believe that was Alex's fault, of course.

No sooner had she opened the door, her eyes locked with Eleazar. Carmen did well to hide her smile whilst wondering which of them looked more embarrassed.

Clearing his throat and returning his gaze to his book, El asked, "Where have you been hiding?"

"What makes you think I've been hiding?" Irina closed the door, rolling her eyes as she did so. She was quite tempted to go back out - if she hadn't felt frozen to the bone she might have.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Irina narrowed her eyes at the man. I'm not giving you the chance to go through with punishing me, you simple fool. "I'm sorry about yesterday, okay?" she said, hoping that would be the end of it.

Eleazar rested his book on his chest and watched her for a moment. He wanted a little more from her than that. "Which part?"

Irina shrugged. "All of it?"

"That's good, Irina," Carmen chirped up. "Really good." Eleazar was less sure, but he as they had firmed up some plans between the two of them to ensure there would be no repeats, he let Carmen lead. "Thank you," she said, setting down her sewing and approaching the girl.

"Oh, right, yeah, sure." Irina tried to return Carmen's smile, but hers lacked warmth. "Is that it, then?" she asked. "Are we square?" This might be easier than I thought!

Eleazar snorted at that gem. He couldn't help himself. Not by a long shot.

"Why don't you take a hot bath?" Carmen suggested before her mate's annoyance could ruin their plans. "Warm yourself up," she added, walking Irina to the bathroom. "And then come and talk to us."

Eleazar waited for Carmen to return. "Do you think this is going to work?"

"I'd say that depends on your commitment to following through, my love." Taken up her husband's shirt which she was midway through sewing, Carmen raised her eyebrows pointedly - she wanted a reply of some kind from him.

"I'll do what needs to be done," Eleazar huffed. Commitment, indeed!

After his pep talk with Magnus, Eleazar had sat down with his mate to come up with a plan to move them all forward. She had been surprised at first considering how resistant he had been to the girls having a permanent place in their home. Surprised, but pleased. The word 'commitment' had been thrown around a few times with Carmen questioning Eleazar's responsibilities towards her and the girls.

"You've been absent, El," she had said. "I've needed you to step up with the girls, but you've hidden away."

Eleazar had hung his head to her words. She was correct, he couldn't deny it. "I'm putting things right," he returned. "We're going to set some ground rules."

Carmen had done a sterling job of hiding her amusement as Eleazar told her all about how he planned to lay the law down, but he really was serious - he couldn't quite get his head around Irina's proposition, even knowing how the girls had previously conducted their lives, but one thing was for sure - he had to guarantee there would never be a repeat! Or, dear God, a similar situation with either of the little two!

"They're coming."

Eleazar had been so lost in thought that he'd almost missed Carmen hissing at him to get his game face on.

Here goes nothing, he said, psyching himself up and getting to his feet.

The girls stalled in the door way seeing the unusually stern face he wore, but they were soon directed into seats - Kate and Tanya together, as always, Irina alone… as always.

"I am a laid-back kind of guy," he began, lightly pacing the floor in front of the girls. "It's only possible for me to be laid back and relaxed if everyone is respecting everyone else's boundaries."

Irina clutched her stomach with one hand. No! Don't talk about it!

Eleazar knew what she would be thinking - he felt the same way. Clearing his throat, he continued, gesturing to his dear mate with a piece of paper which he then waved at the girls. "We've been talking, and we've decided to draw a line under yesterday…"

Irina breathed a sigh of relief.

"… but going forward, here are the rules…"

"Rules?!" Tanya suddenly spoke up. "For us?" The poor thing looked stricken!

Glad to see her baby sister on-side, Irina joined her outrage. "We're not being given rules by you. I won't allow it, I won't…"

"Unless you would rather we scrap the rules?" Carmen asked, quickly adding before anyone could answer her fake offer, "In which case we'll be scrapping that line under yesterday."

"Rules are fine," Irina scowled, slumping into her seat. Bastards. Utter bastards.

Eleazar glanced down at his earlier scribbles. "No hitting."

Irina smirked. "You or us?"

"Either," Carmen told her with so much certainty that the over-confident Denali girl shrivelled. "Though we will correct your behaviour however we choose and whether that is through words or something else, you will take it without complaint."

As Eleazar continued drivelling on about his new rules - expectations, really, but reinforcing the general coven rules as he went - all the girls could focus on was the whole 'correct your behaviour' thing. To date, Eleazar had snapped a couple of times and really shouted at Tanya, Kate once. Carmen usually ended up joining in the girls' arguments rather than putting an end to them as she intended. The girls were neither dim, nor blind, however. They all knew how behaviour was corrected for everyone else in the coven, especially the younger coven members.

"They all fall under one simple rule," Eleazar rounded up, getting the girls attention once more. "Behave respectfully."

The three of them nodded, but Carmen had guessed they had drifted in and out of the one-sided conversation. "So you are all clear on the sanction?" she asked.

Three blank stares in return. They quite simply weren't used to sanctions for poor behaviour. Whenever Sasha found their inane bickering too annoying, she would leave them to it and go out for the day… or a week… or a month! Even though she would frequently return to one or more of her girls bloodied up from their brawls, she saw no good reason to involve herself more that commiserating with the loser and shaking her head at them all for being over the top in the first place. Sanctions hadn't been a thing.

Carmen sighed to herself. "He said," she began, joining her mate in front of them all. "That if you misbehave there will be sanctions. That may be grounding you for a time, or you may lose some of your allowance…"

"Or all of it," Eleazar tacked on.

He had a feeling money would be the best motivator with the girls. Particularly when they realised their 'allowance' in part funded their clothes and makeup - both of which all three girls had become ridiculously well bonded to.

"Fuck that," Irina muttered, folding her arms and glaring out at the cold. Should have stayed out there and frozen to death - it would have been preferable.

"She's cursing," Tanya pointed out. Not necessarily to get Irina in trouble, but to check the state of play with such things.

"I heard," Eleazar replied. "You can have that one for free because you're only just hearing of this now. But that's your only one." He paused to tell Irina to give him eye contact, before adding, "Don't be surprised if you get a smack for a repeat."

Irina burst out laughing before she could stop herself. "You must be joking? You can't do that to us."

Eleazar cocked his head to one side. Sure, he had been pretty lax since the girls arrived - mainly because having the three of them dumped on him had come as a huge life altering shock which he was only just coming to terms with - but Eleazar was not a push over. His nieces and nephews could attest to that. The boys, at least, he thought. And my brothers, and a good many guards. Even Caius!

"Why can't I?" he asked coolly. "You won't be the first kids I've put over my knee, girls."

Oh my God! You did not just say that?! The day before Irina had been offering to lay with the man, and now he wanted to spank her? Okay, that won't be a new experience in itself, but he won't be doing it the way men usually want to do it… or at least, not for the same reasons. Fuck! The poor girls head was set to implode with the topsy turvy twists shes suffered to her very understanding of life!

She took to her feet waiting for the words to form.

"Irina…" Carmen called softly, trying to coax her out of herself.

"Whats wrong with you people?" she snapped back. "Why do you think it's acceptable to go around hitting young women. I actually thought you were better than the rest of the morons in this place…"

"Calm yourself down, Irina," Eleazar said, hands on his hips. "You've already had one for free you won't get another one."

"It's not about hitting people, Irina," Carmen explained. "It's about encouraging good behaviour by…"

"Beating us into submission?"

Eleazar shook his head at Irina dramatics. "I've never beaten anyone in my life and I don't intend to start now."

That was too good not to comment on. Irina smirked and stifled her chuckles. "Noted."

"My love, that didn't sound too good."

Eleazar rolled his eyes at all four of them, but his faux pas had served to lessen some of the tension. "You all know what I meant. A smack never hurt anyone."

"Then what would be the point?" Kate asked, wondering if she had the whole thing wrong.

"Okay, it will hurt a little," Eleazar amended, huffing in frustration. "But it's never done anyone any harm to receive one."

Irina scoffed into the air. "There are quite a few adults around here who think it's perfectly fine to hurt those in their charge. I'd say that's some damning evidence of doing people harm."

"Noted," Eleazar replied, returning Irina's earlier smirk. You aren't drawing me into your play, my girl. "The discussion is over, if you wish to extend this into an argument, feel free. But you know the consequences, yes?"

"You were asked a question," Carmen prompted as Irina remained quietly glaring at the two of them.

"Yes," she snapped. "Consequences have been noted."

"Could everyone stop saying noted?" Tanya huffed. "It sounds weird." And this is a big drama over nothing.

She'd heard nothing to make her change her feelings on living in Volterra, or with Eleazar and Carmen. Tanya was set for life in her eyes. Besides, she knew from Jane that girls could expect an easy ride in the coven regardless of any supposed rules and consequences.

Kate looked a little more nervous, sat silently playing with the fringe of the cushion in her lap. She had always been the quiet one. (Or quiet for one of the Denali girls, at least.) Kate seemed to live her whole life in fear and she never had been able to really attach that fear to anything tangible. It made her subservient, in the main, for fear of reprisal.

Camren and Eleazar had already worked that out. The girls' attitudes to life had been a feature of their twilight conversation as Kate and Tanya slept and Irina was Christ knows where. As were plans for encouraging Kate out of her shell whilst managing Tanya's giant ego. They had a few ideas between them, though both were at a loss with what to do with Irina.

"Right, is that it, then?" Irina needed some time away from them all to digest… to come up with a plan. A plan for what, though, she questioned herself. Her chat with Atia the day before weighed heavy on her mind. She wanted to work out how to convince the Volturi fuckers to release her sisters into her care, and now she had a whole heap of stress to think about on top thanks to Eleazar – the goon!.

"You're free to leave," Eleazar replied. "As we are now going to the south tower."

"No thanks."

He caught hold of Irina before she could get to the door in a bid for freedom.

"It's not an option, my girl," he explained, his soft tone at odds with his firm grip.

"I'm not your girl," Irina hissed back through gritted teeth. "You had your chance."

Eleazar didn't even flinch. "Let me make something clear for you," he said, moving in close. "What you offered yesterday, no man worth his salt would want."

"So now you're insulting me?!"

"You know exactly what I'm saying, Irina." It suddenly struck Eleazar how he would be dealing with Irina from now on - exactly as he did Aro! Don't engage in arguments, don't let them deflect attention, hold them to account. "We can talk about it some more, if you like," he offered. "But I'm guessing you would rather pretend you never came onto me and move on?"

Irina couldn't hold his gaze any longer. Feeling two-foot-tall and tears brimming in her eyes, she looked to the floor and nodded.

"Say so then."

"Forget it," she whispered. "Move on."

Eleazar bobbed his head, opened the door with his free hand and let the younger girls and Carmen file out as he pulled Irina in close. "If you find a man who accepts your… offer around here," the very thought made him queasy. "Let me know, and I'll kick the shit out of him."

Irina chuckled and smiled, feeling a sudden spike in emotion. It wasn't a negative emotion, either, which made a refreshing change. More one of contentment, she supposed. It didn't last long before being pushed back deep inside. But it felt nice for the moment it lasted.

…

Aro opened the door before they even had to knock. He didn't bother with 'hello' or anything quite so pleasant. "I'm telling you girls right now, I'm not having you screaming and squealing whilst you're here," he said, full of his faux calm as he ushered them inside. "My house, my rules."

"Enough with the rules!" Tanya flounced, seeking out Jane across the room.

"My punishments, too, ladies," Aro added. "Real ones, unlike his." He gave his elder brother a jab in the ribs as he passed to ensure he knew who he was talking about.

Eleazar merely smiled, and then cracked the snarky sod across the back of his head. A little rougher than Eleazar's usual way, but Aro didn't think on it.

With the kids all taking one end of the enormous main chamber, and the adults already seated at the other, both Carlisle and Irina stood awkwardly in the middle. As they still weren't really talking to each other, they couldn't set up a middle ground seating area for the one-time inbetweeners. Knowing his brothers would mock him if he joined Demetri, Carlisle headed to the adult end leaving Irina to follow her sisters.

"Where's Felix?" El asked, seeing the boy was the only one missing from their clan.

"Hiding at a guess." Before Aro could explain why, Irina was back at Eleazar's side.

"Felix doesn't have to be here, but I do?" I'm not sitting with the brats if he doesn't have to be here. No way.

Usually, Eleazar would have backed down at that point, giving Irina what she wanted, and suffered his brother's ribbing about being weak, and what not. So it surprised Aro to see his brother squaring his shoulders. "Felix isn't mine…."

"I'm not yours!" Damn it, Irina cursed to herself as she realised she may have stomped her foot into the floor as she spoke. Such immaturity wouldn't get her overlords to treat her more maturely. Fuck.

"Yes, you are," Eleazar replied, holding up his hand before the girl could complain. "Think ahead before you argue with me."

"I'm not arguing, I'm stating a fact." Eleazar barely took a step before Irina started backing away, hands held aloft. "Okay, okay," she snipped, putting some distance between them. "For God's sake, chill!"

"Aro, don't."

"I didn't say a word, Mom," "I was wondering where he found his balls, sure, but I didn't say it."

Throwing his brother a withering look for his comment, Eleazar explained that they were simply starting the new year on new footings, followed quickly by asking where Felix was hiding - using Aro's own 'deflect tactic' to divert attention from himself.

Basileus kept his eye on Eleazar as Aro filled them all in on Felix' most recent trouble with Corin. He was running through his eldest son's mind, nodding along to the conversation El and Carmen had had with the girls that morning. An improvement, Basileus mused, though he doubted Eleazar would see it through. Lazy sod.

"Luckily Jane was there to catch Corin before she could slink back down the wall," Aro said, laughing along with everyone else over Felix' brazen rule breaking.

Having listened with the other Volturi kids from across the room, Tanya didn't find it so funny. "You grassed on Felix?!" she shot at Jane, her face contorted as though she'd supped on bad blood.

"No," Jane replied, tutting at Tanya's mistake. "I grassed on Corin."

"But you knew that would get Felix into trouble," Kate added, similarly affected as Tanya. The idea was quite simply unconscionable for the Denali girls.

Jane didn't answer, but she did frown as she rolled the comments around in her mind. Of course she knew calling out Corin hanging from the third-floor window would get Felix in trouble… but it sounded mean that way Kate had explained it. I'm not mean to Felix, she thought. It's just how we are. He would have done the same to me.

Realising all eyes were still fixed on her, Jane shrugged and rolled her eyes, acting completely disinterested. "It's not a big deal."

Jane got the impression that had been the wrong thing to say by the reactions she got. Demetri and Alec turned away from her in their annoyance, Irina outright scoffed in her face, and Kate suddenly found the floor very interesting. Tanya, however, couldn't keep her thoughts to herself.

"It is a big deal!" she hissed across the carpet. "Felix is your brother, Jane."

"He would do the same to me," Jane explained. "It's how we amuse ourselves."

"It's how you amuse yourself," Demetri pointed out. "Felix would never grass on you."

Their elder brother was many things, and a good many of those things weren't particularly good things, but he would never grass on his siblings. Neither would Demetri or Alec, come to that. In fact, it was a recent development for Jane, the girl soon realised. Winding each other up, playing little tricks on each other and the like was fair game, but purposely getting Felix in trouble with their parents?

"Felix and I, we just tease each other," Jane said, trying to convince herself rather than the others.

"Yeah," Demetri agreed. "But you know you always get away with it and Felix never does."

"It's not always like that."

"Mostly is, Jane," Alec whispered to her. "You win, Felix loses."

"Have you always been like this?" Tanya asked. "You and Felix, I mean?"

"No… we used to be close, I thought." Jane gulped.

The only reason she had her brother's bedroom in the first place was because he had filled her room with spiders -the jerk - but that was because she had been doing her utmost to land him in trouble with their father. Jane ran through a few memories of Felix taking a stand for her and their brothers. The fool had frequently put himself in harm's way to save his younger siblings from Aro's wrath, particularly before they formalised their family relationships. When Dad wasn't Dad, when Dad was Master, she remembered with a shiver.

"I love the big oaf," she said quietly. "He's my big brother."

"Will he still love you now?" Kate asked. She truly wasn't trying to hurt Jane, but instead, genuinely worried for the young girl. With a side eye to Irina, Kate doubted she could be assured of her big sisters love if she or Tanya landed her in hot water with anyone. "Loyalty is the bones of love…" Kate added. "That's what Sasha used to say."

"Theres a lot Sasha used to say, Kate," Tanya scoffed. "A lot of bullshit."

Kate cringed! She didn't necessarily disagree with Tanya, but she knew Irina would.

Sure enough, Irina fumed. She slowly stood, eyes fixed on Tanya as she shook on the spot. Oh, how she wanted to launch her baby sister across the room for her disrespect towards their mother! But Eleazar's words that morning rang in her ears. I'm not giving that man any excuse to punish me like a damn child - I've got too much self-respect to suffer that indignity. With more restraint than she thought she possessed, Irina left the Volturi kids and stalked out of the south tower.

"Irina, where are you going?!" Carmen called after her to no avail as the girl let the door slam behind her. Telling Eleazar to stay where he was, Carmen took after her. "Irina, wait!" she called again, quickly catching up with her eldest charge.

Irina came to a halt, but she couldn't stay still. A step in one direction, and then back in the other, she danced on the spot as she tried to regain control of herself.

"Why are you so upset?" Carmen asked, softly stroking the tears from Irina's face.

Irina pushed her away and held her hands out to hold Camren back. "I'm not upset, I'm angry!" she said, roughly wiping the traitorous tears away. Why do I cry when I'm angry?! For fuck sake! God her body pissed her off at times.

"You said we can't hit each other, so I needed to get out of there." There, Irina said to herself. Perfectly simple. "I'm following your stupid rules, okay?!"

"Who do you want to hit?" Camren asked, keeping her cool, though she briefly wondered if it was her! "What happened?"

"I can't tell you because I'm not a grass," Irina explained. "But if I stay in there I'll kick Tanya's head in."

Carmen didn't say anything, she just waited for Irina to calm herself down. It took a few minutes, but eventually the irate girl slumped against the wall and released the last of her pent-up aggression with some deep breathing.

"I know you all hate her," Irina started, resulting in Carmen looking confused - not knowing who they were supposed to be hating. "Sasha was my mother for centuries before those two came a long and centuries after and I'm not going to forget her because you tell me to."

Aha, Carmen bobbed her head. Sasha. Always Sasha. Carmen had quite enjoyed her time with Sasha at the previous alliance balls, but since the woman had been executed she'd been nothing but a giant pain in the ass!

"I don't want you to forget Sasha," Carmen lied. "None of us expect you to." Irina scoffed and turned her head only to have Carmen force the girl to keep eye contact with a firm hand under her chin. "We don't," she said again. It was a lie, of course - Carmen's life would be infinitely easier if Sasha disappeared from the Denali girls' memories, but she truthfully didn't expect it to actually happen. "Sasha must have been thought of very well indeed to have been brought into the alliance, after all. And she kept you three alive for centuries in fraught lands."

It had been a long time since Irina had heard a good word said about her mother and it softened her a little.

"Sasha did a lot of great things," Carmen went on. "But she did some things that weren't so great, though understandable in the circumstances."

There we go, Irina thought. That's what you really think. "You don't think it was 'understandable in the circumstances', though. You live here in a cossetted castle - our lives are not comparable."

Carmen pulled the girl back before she could flee. "I do, actually," she insisted. "Having been in the kind of circumstances that required me to use whatever talents came to hand, I understand very well. I haven't always lived in a cossetted castle, and now we both do. Quite comparable, actually."

Irina wasn't sure what to say to that. She knew Carmen had been a slave in southern France before she came to Volterra, and she could only imagine the life that would have afforded her 'warden'. Okay, she said to herself. Maybe you understand a little?

"What I struggle with is the fact that you girls were in that position in the first place, because that breaks my heart. I'm sure your mother would have wanted different for you, too, had she had the choice."

Irina couldn't in conscience disagree with Carmen there. In the early days, when it was just Sasha and Irina, Sasha had expressed her concern seeing her new daughter following in her footsteps, but she was fearful of leaving their lands to facilitate a better life for them both. It was a time when the Volturi were in their infancy in controlling the vampiric population and the Romanian coven held more power over Sasha and her daughter. It had been a hard-won win for Sasha to remain separate from the Romanians and leaving their lands could see Vladimir and Stephan hunting them down. Sasha couldn't risk that, and so they stayed, with Irina using her female attributes to please the men they came across to retain their freedom, to fund their daily living, to feed, to keep them safe. Kate and Tanya soon fell in line doing the same, though they had never enjoyed it like Irina had, at times.

"Come back inside."

Carmen's voice pulled Irina from her thoughts. Shaking her head and pulling her shoulders back, Irina came back to the present. "I don't want to," she said. "No one's even talking to me."

Carmen smiled warmly and wrapped an arm around her girl. "Sit with me - I'll talk to you."

For a brief moment, Irina considered taking up Carmen's offer. She would have quite liked to talk to someone about all the thoughts in her mind. Her head was working double time to assimilate new rules and new order. Despite her reticence, Irina had begun to question her old life, and that meant questioning Sasha… which felt… disloyal.

"Can I go to the guard hall?" she asked. "I just need time to think, or something."

Agreeing, Carmen sent her on her way. She watched Irina walk down the castle hallway looking downcast and confused and she felt for the girl. She wanted to help her, to care for her. Am I starting to love her? she wondered. 'Love' is perhaps a little strong?

"No Irina?" Aro mocked when Carmen returned alone. He couldn't stop himself from smirking at his big brother.

Carmen ignored him and headed in her father-in-law's direction instead. "What were they talking about before Irina left?" she asked the man. "She wouldn't tell me."

Basileus frowned and looked over to his grandchildren, running through their memories. He soon found the conversation and repeated it verbatim.

"Those were Tanya's exact words?" Eleazar asked, picking up on the girls cursing.

Basileus nodded, keen to see what his son would do about it. The girl's language in general was appalling to his ears. Felix' bad language he could just about put up with as he did see the boy as being so much older, but the other Volturi kids knew better than to curse in his presence… except the Denali girls - they spoke as they pleased with no repercussions. Sure, Eleazar and Carmen told the girls to watch their language, but it didn't work. Looking at Eleazar and the resolve in his stern facial features, Basileus wondered if his son would finally take charge of the situation.

"Tanya," Eleazar called. "Get over here."

"Huh?" Both Tanya and Kate said, mildly confused. Demetri instinctively ducked down hearing the man's tone of voice.

"Get over here, Tanya," Eleazar repeated. "You know cursing is not allowed. We discussed it this morning."

Pushing his chair back and turning away from the adults in the room, Eleazar waited. That was as much privacy as he was prepared to offer, and in Tanya's eyes it amounted to none! You want to smack me in here? Are you crazy?!

Eleazar cut a foreboding figure with his legs slightly spread and a hand on each knee. "Are you disobeying me?" he asked, his glare unmoving as he continued to wait.

Shit! Tanya bit into her lower lip to keep her cursing aloud. "But you didn't even hear me!" she threw out in defence.

"Irrelevant," Eleazar snapped back.

Before Tanya could respond, a low, rumbling growl rolled across the room. It shocked the young Denali girl enough to see her flash to her guardian's side.

Aro and Basileus watched the scene with fascination, one wondering what Eleazar would do, the other hoping he'd do it! Eleazar knew they were watching – he could feel their eyes burning in his back. He kept his cool, though he felt anything but. True, he had enough experience dolling out discipline when required of him, but his experience had mostly related to the young boys in the coven. Boys are easier to deal with. For one, baring a boy's backside for a spanking wasn't so embarrassing for them (though they may have thought of it differently) because they were better dressed for it. Thin britches, for one. Shorts beneath if you need to lose a layer. They even wear shirts long enough to cover the goods! Eleazar mused. None of that applied to girls. Much easier with boys, he thought, looking at the heavy layered dress Tanya wore. To smack her hard enough for her to feel it through that gown would surely bruise her. No good, he thought. My hand would thump her, I don't want to do that. A slap, that's what he wanted to do. But he couldn't slap a child's face and that was the only area of Tanya's body unprotected by thick fabric. Her hand? Eleazar heard his father scoff from behind him as the words formed in his mind. Really helpful, thanks, Dad. Deciding on a course of action, Eleazar pulled Tanya in a little closer with a sad smile and lifted the hem of her dress, just high enough to expose the back of Tanya's legs and keep things decent.

Oh my God! In Tanya's shocked state she barely managed to mutter a 'but, no', before Eleazar cut her off with a sharp eye.

"Are you going to add a third strike for arguing, or are you going to stand still?"

After a quick glance around the room, Tanya realised everyone was watching. Sure, they weren't' actually looking directly at her – except Aro and Basileus - but they all had one eye and one ear on what was going on. Thoroughly embarrassed, she clamped her mouth shut and took two stinging smacks to her left calf in almost silence.

Eleazar was doubly aware of their audience as he wrapped Tanya in his arms afterwards. Her distress came more from embarrassment than pain, which he knew, and calmed the girl with some kind words. Eleazar didn't need to be a mind reader to know what they would all be thinking. Carmen, his mother, and even Sulpicia, he assumed, would be pleased with him. Basileus, mildly surprised, perhaps even amused. But his brothers? They wouldn't like it.

They waited until Eleazar had sent the girl back to her cousins, though not a second more.

"That was harsh, El," Carlisle whispered, unhappy with the public display. Being occasionally treated to such embarrassment by their father, Carlisle knew only too well how wretched it felt.

"She's a little girl, brother," Aro pointed out (as though Eleazar wouldn't know). "And in front of us all… and she's a little girl." Being a girl was, of course, the major sticking point for Aro, which shocked no one.

"We laid out a few rules only a few hours ago and she broke one," Eleazar replied, shifting his chair around to re-join his family. "There are penalties to breaking rules." He caught the small smile from his father. It wasn't totally supportive, however. No, Eleazar thought. There's definitely a little amusement there. Supportive as ever.

Basileus caught his boy's thoughts. Cheeky brat. It's my advice you're following, boy. That's your support right there.

"Still, El…" Aro shook his head. "Shes a little girl and we're all here and…"

"She's fourteen, brother," Eleazar told him. "Old enough to follow simple rules. And I know you're all here, I'm using you. A little embarrassment to add to the punishment means I don't have to smack them too hard. Which I prefer."

The Volturi kids had all offered Tanya sympathetic smiles when she returned to them, but were all hanging onto every word of the adults' conversation across the room.

"I think I'd prefer to be harder in private," Alec said, scowling at his uncles use of embarrassment as part of the punishment. What kind of sick idea is that anyway? Aro embarrassed him in the same way on occasion, though not for the same reason. The coven king simply didn't feel the need to offer his youngest any privacy, being a 'little boy'. Something Alec loudly contested when feeling brave enough.

"Definitely," Kate agreed with a shudder.

Demetri and Jane stayed quiet on the matter - Jane knowing she was largely untouchable wherever they were, and Demetri knowing just what 'harder in private' from their father actually felt like.

Aro calling his big brother a 'cruel bastard' suddenly retook their attention.

"You've done exactly the same thing with your boys, son," Basileus reminded him.

"I have not!" Aro blustered. "Okay," he relented quickly seeing everyone raise their eyebrows in unison to his assertions. "I threaten Felix with an audience because I know it gets his attention. Demetri and Alec are younger anyway so it's no big deal for them to have an occasional audience."

"It is!" Alec burst from his seat.

"A huge deal!" Demetri added.

Aro tutted in their vague direction, which might have riled the boys up to argument were it not for their mother giving them the 'don't you dare cause a scene' look.

"Tanya and Demetri are the same age," Eleazar reminded his brother.

"I know that. But she's…"

"A girl?" Eleazar cut in with a smirk. "It makes no difference to me. It shouldn't make a difference to you, either."

Basileus nodded along feeling pleased with his boy, (and quite pleased with himself, too as he believed it was solely his instruction that had seen the sudden turn about in Eleazar's parenting directives.)

Aro folded his arms and smirked right back at him. "You've gone from pushover to pompous prick in one day!"

"I've never been a pushover, as I'm sure your own children will testify-." Kate and Tanya immediately launched into questioning Demetri, Alec, and Jane! "-But I do like an easy life - for me to have one, I need everyone else toeing the line."

Aro watched as his elder brother made eye contact with each of the young Volturi's in the room… including his own precious princess. Aro wasn't having that. "You have no right…"

"I have every right, I'm their uncle," Eleazar laughed, finding his brother's distress quite funny. Before Carlisle joined in too loudly with the laughter, Eleazar fixed his baby brother in his sights. "I'm also your older brother," he reminded him, much to Carlisle's annoyance.

You can do what you like to Carlisle, Aro said to himself. But you aren't lording it over my girl. That said, Aro didn't really have an argument to make… not one that he could think of in that moment, at least. "Dad, tell him," he settled on. Have I ever sounded so weak?!

"Tell him what, exactly?" Basileus asked. "That he can't be fair to all of them? That he can't do the very thing you stated you would do when he walked in here this morning?"

"It's different." Weak, weak, weak, Aro cursed himself.

"It's not," Sulpicia chuckled across to him. "It's just not in your favour."

Aro looked aghast to his mate. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

"It is clear to everyone but you that Jane has a dysfunctional level of control over this family," Sully replied, only too pleased to have her brother-in-law on side. Jane had been increasingly difficult to manage at home and Sulpicia grew tired of all the heavy lifting falling to her.

"Exactly," Eleazar smiled to the woman. "I'm not having that spread to how my girls behave."

"You're trying to blame my princess for how your girls behave?!" Aro shook his head. Get fucked.

"Not at all." El shook his head. "I'm just saying I'll not let one walk whilst the others are held to account."

Demetri forgot his own annoyance about being lumped in with his baby brother as a 'little boy' and found great delight in hearing of his sister's coming downfall. "Sounds fair to me," he crowed.

Jane was horrified. "It does not!"

"It is," Kate said, enthusing the same calm as Eleazar had with Aro. "Isn't it, Tan?"

"Yeah, I guess." She much preferred being yelled at by Carmen, who she could yell back at. Having her first brush with Eleazar's new plans and how embarrassed she felt by it, she quickly decided the only that thing that would make it better would be to know that she wasn't going to suffer alone.

Demetri dived into the seat beside his sister and wrapped an uncomforting arm around Jane. "Wait until Felix finds out!" He fell into hysterics. "You're fucked!

The little princess of darkness didn't find it so funny - because it was true! Taking Demetri by surprise, she shoved her brother off the chair, onto the floor, and called him a prick for good measure.

The whole room fell into silence.

"Jane, my dear one," Sully called, breaking the quiet. "I believe your father will want to speak with you."

"If he doesn't, I'm sure your uncle Eleazar will," Carmen added. It wasn't that she wanted to see the girl in trouble, but Carmen had been the listening ear to Sulpicia's increasingly stressful homelife which was largely orchestrated by Jane and her spiteful play.

Jane stayed fixed in her seat, refusing to even look at her traitorous mother and aunt. "I was only replying to Dem - he said worse than me."

"Me or you, brother?" Eleazar asked, daring Aro to come up with another option.

Aro opened his mouth to send his children to their rooms, safe from punishment, but Basileus caught his thoughts too quickly. "Or me?" he asked, so Aro couldn't worm his way out of it.

Aro released a small growl in his big brother's direction. "Come to daddy, kids."

"Nice one, Jane," Demetri hissed. He dragged himself up from the floor and slowly made his way over to his father. Only Carlisle had the good grace to look away. You're all cunts. All of you.

Basileus caught his grandson by his wrist before he made it to his father. "I heard that," he said looking thoroughly disappointed with the boy.

If Demetri thought that was all he was getting, he was to be disappointed also. Basileus planted a firm swat to the boy's backside, seeing him leap forwards with a yelp!

"Now you can have a go," he told Aro, sending the boy on his way.

"Dem, I want you to know this is all your uncle's fault," Aro said before offering his boy the same light slap Eleazar had given Tanya. "Watch your mouth," he said, sending his boy on his way.

With all eyes on him, Aro threw his hands up in question. "What?" he asked. "That's all El did." And then he took up his goblet and tried to ignore them all.

"Looks like we're going to have to deal with Jane, son," Basileus said to Eleazar, knowing it would force Aro into action.

"Jane!" Aro shot out. "Get over here now."

The girl had been so busy mocking her brother that she forgot she was in the firing line, too. "Me?!" she asked. "Really?"

The adults, bar Aro, fell about laughing. "Look at the surprise on her face!" Eleazar choked out through his laughter. "I almost feel guilty."

"You should!" Jane snapped at the man. "It's your fault! How dare you do this to me…"

"Hey!" Aro sprang to his feet. "No," he said, shaking his head in warning. It was one thing getting his princess out of trouble when it concerned winding up her brother, he could even turn a blind eye to her attitude towards her mother in private, but blatant disrespect made him look bad and Aro wouldn't ignore that. He pointed out the floor in front of him. "Come here."

"Seriously?" Jane could barely hear her own thoughts for her brother's whispered taunts in her ears. "But, Daddy!"

"Jane be sensible about this," Aro pleaded. Don't make this worse for either of us by resisting.

Basileus caught his son's thoughts and shared them with their family, much to Aro's annoyance.

"Don't make this harder for him," Atia scolded her mate. She even gave Carlisle's thigh a slap when he continued laughing. That cheered Aro up a little.

"Jane," he tried again, throwing on his dad voice.

Not a chance in hell! Jane stood but she didn't walk in her father's direction. Instead, she took a step towards the stairs.

"Don't you dare!" Aro bellowed across the room. He hated shouting at his girl, but he hoped the shock of him doing so would have her see sense.

The only 'sense' Jane could see was to get the hell out of that room! In a blink, she was gone.

"See how much respect she has?" Sulpicia said, shaking her head. "None. That's how much - none at all."

Aro retook his seat glaring at his mate and mother who were in full agreement as to what a brat his baby girl was. Carmen, too, he realised, turning his glare on her.

"What are you doing?" Basileus asked, swiping at Aro's hand as he reached for his bloodwine. "You can't let her get away with that!"

"I'll deal with her later."

Basileus shook his head. "You'll deal with her now if you know whats good for you."

"I'm sure Aro only planned on taking a sip of blood before he does so, my dear," Atia told her mate sensing how close to the edge her middle boy was. She turned to her youngest son. "And you'll quit laughing unless you'd like to join the girl."

Carlisle's mouth dropped open. "What did I do?!"

"You're winding him up!" Atia shot back. "And so are you, Eleazar."

"I'm right…" El tried, only to be cut off by his mother's stern glare.

"I never said you were wrong," Atia replied. "But you are goading your brother and I won't have it."

"I'm not goading him," Eleazar huffed. "Hysterical woman."

"Do you want to try that again, boy?" Basileus reached out and cuffed Eleazar across the head like an errant child. "You're talking to your mother!"

It was a rare day that Aro had their mother's favour - that was usually Carlisle's gig - but it was even rarer that they all got to hear Eleazar suffering a rebuke. As the eldest Volturi brother offered his mother an apology, Carlisle couldn't hold his laughter in any longer.

"Brilliant!" he burst out, loving being on the outside of the drama for a change.

"You're spending too much time with Odi," Basileus muttered hearing the familiar word. 'Brilliant' was Odi's usual response to just about anything! "I'm not as lax as Magnus, so I would advise against mimicking any more of his habits."

Mimicking habits? Carlisle huffed and looked away. You always make me sound like a fucking child.

"The language from you all today is disgusting!"

Carlisle tried to defend himself as his father left his chair. "It was in my head!"

"I'm past caring!" Basileus boomed, clouting his youngest around the ear. Then he turned on Aro once more. "And you had better shift yourself before I go up to that girl."

Grateful for the short reprieve his mother had created for him, Aro squared his shoulders and went to follow Jane.

"And you had better bring her back down here," Basileus called after him, knowing Aro had no intention of doing so had he not said.

Bollocks. Aro threw his father a fake smile before heading up the stairs. He would have liked to talk to Jane, perhaps convince her to join him and face the music quickly. But he couldn't do that knowing his father would go through his head if the girl looked too pliant.

Throwing open Jane's bedroom door, Aro offered his hand to the girl on the bed.

"No!" Jane barked out at him, resolute.

"You aren't making this easy for either of us, are you?"

"You're not being fair," she replied. "None of you are being fair. Tanya was warned about cursing, I wasn't."

"Come off it, sweetheart!" Aro was starting to see that perhaps his baby girl was a bit of a brat. Perhaps. "You already know I won't put up with that kind of language from you lot and you know damn well I won't stand for you disrespecting people, either."

Yeah… Jane didn't care what her father would put up with or what he would stand for. In that moment, all she cared about was protecting her pride and hell would freeze over before she willingly went with him to be embarrassed in front of her whole family. No way!

Aro saw the resolve in his girls' eyes and he briefly contemplated turfing his parents and brother out of the tower just to save himself the stress of making Jane comply. That was until he saw the small smile creeping on his daughter's face. You think you're going to win this? Aro might have found some perverse pleasure in butting against Felix in a battle of wills, but he wasn't prepared to do that with a little girl. You've just lost this one, my dear.

Aro swept across the room. "I'm done," he said, pulling the girl to her feet. When Jane still refused to move, he wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her from the floor before carting her out of the room.

In her panic, Jane put her efforts into freeing herself. Kicking her heels into her father's leg, digging her nails into his arm. It did her no good, mind.

Aro retook his seat to the right of his wife with the girl still vying for blood. Had it been one of his boys he would have launched the little fucker across the room by now. As it was Jane, he just about retained his composure and waited for her to calm herself.

It took a good few minutes or so and, in the end, it was the combined tutting and mild jibes from the other adults in the room that saw Jane quit her attempts for freedom. Once she had, Aro spun her around and gave her a look to have her shiver. And then he showed her his sleeve, or rather, what was left of it.

"Are you pleased with yourself?" he asked, ripping off the tattered cuff completely.

Jane shook her head, tears already brewing behind her eyes. "But…"

"No more buts!" Aro barked. For the love of the Gods, my girl! Before Jane could add anymore defiance with her self-defence, he man handled his girl into position in front of him. As Eleazar had with Tanya, Aro tugged up the hem of Jane's dress (despite her resistance) which he secured in his left hand which also held Jane's left arm. Then he let her have it!

Crack! "You do not curse." Crack! "You do not disrespect your elders." Crack! "You do not defy me." Crack! "And you definitely do not attack me!" Crack!

After shaming herself with her display when Aro had dragged her downstairs, Jane had decided to keep herself at reserved as possible through whatever utterly pointless and unfair punishment her father dished out. But it had been tough! He hadn't been too heavy handed, but as Aro had landed each swat in the same place, Jane sported a vivid purple handprint on the back of her leg. And it stung like a bitch!

As Jane concentrated on breathing through the burn, she almost missed Aro prompting her to speak. "Anything to say for yourself?"

Jane bit back a sob and shook her head.

Aro pulled the girl back in close. "Say sorry and be done with this, my little one."

"Sorry."

It was barely above a whisper, but it was enough for Aro to release his baby and send her on her way. Swiping his goblet from the table (which had thankfully been refiled for him) he slumped into a heap.

"Look at the face on him!" Carmen said, nudging Sulpicia.

Sulpicia chucked to Carmen and smiled sadly at her mate. "I think that truly hurt him more than her."

Sulpicia lived forever in the hope that Aro would start parenting their younger children, though it was a hope she felt would never be fully realised knowing how reluctant her mate was to correcting Jane's behaviour, but their girl was causing Sulpicia a heap of hell some days and she needed his help bringing her in line.

Aro ignored both women, of course. He looked back over his shoulder at the children, mainly to check that they weren't teasing each other. At first, he was pleased to find they weren't, that was until he saw his dejected girl still fighting back the tears. Aro felt like such a bastard. He could feel the guilt in the pit of his stomach.

"Hey," he called over to the kids, offering them a bright smile. "You lot should go and find somewhere to hide until my vindictive brother buggers off."

In a flash, four of them disappeared upstairs. Kate, however, headed to the door.

"Where are you going?" Carmen asked before Kate could leave.

"To, like, check on Irina…" Kate drifted off seeing the woman's face contort. "Oh!" She said, suddenly remembering the mornings talk. Be more respectful, she reminded herself. "May I go and check on Irina? Please?"

"Of course," Carmen smiled, pleased at how easy everyone seemed to be taking to new order.

Kate slipped passed Odi into the guard hall. She almost stopped to speak with him, but the kid looked preoccupied. As his eyes were fixed on his father, who was midway through giving Alex a round of fucks in the guard hall, Kate assumed Magnus was the cause of Odi's mild distress.

"The next complaint I get about you will see you on block for a month, boy!"

As Alex tried in vain to talk Magnus out of his decree, Kate sought out her sister. Stony faced as ever, she thought, heading to Irina's lone table at the side of the hall.

"You always look so unapproachable," she said, though her tone was sympathetic.

"And yet, here you are." Irina's tone was definitely spiteful.

Why do I bother? Kate turned on her heel. She had only sought Irina out to smooth things over between her sisters. Tanya was always telling her to leave Irina to her misery, 'no point making yourself miserable by forcing yourself to spend time with her'.

Shit! Irina knew she was on borrowed time with her sisters after her little chat with Atia the day before, and there she was scaring off the closest one. "Kate," she called after her quickly. "Kate, come back!"

Kate turned to face her, looking uncertain.

"Sit," Irina said, pushing a chair out from the table with her foot. "Drink."

Seeing Irina gesturing to her own tankard of bloodwine as a peace offering was enough for the mild-mannered Kate to take a seat at the girls table. It wasn't often Irina would offer her sister a drink, and even less so from her own glass - Irina saw Kate and Tanya as well below her in the pecking order - so Kate took the tankard quickly and gulped down the soothing liquid. It steadied her nerves a little. Irina knew what Kate was doing. Always such a nervous child, she quipped to herself.

"So…" Kate began, not really knowing what to say. "Whats he done?" she asked, eyes gesturing to Alex.

"Just Alex being his usual self from what I can make out. Idiot." She sounded as though she couldn't care less, but Irina hadn't taken her eyes off the handsome guard since he'd walked into the guard hall. Not that her attention had been returned, she'd noticed. He hasn't seen me yet, she told herself. That's all.

Both Kate and Irina jumped in their seats hearing the thunder clap behind them - Alex had clearly said the wrong thing and earned himself a clout from Magnus.

"You're hanging on by the skin of your teeth, boy!"

"I don't get it," Kate mused, instinctively shuffling her seat a little closer to her sister - safety in numbers. Even if she wasn't actually scared of Magnus, Kate was still nervous. "If everyone knows what the consequences are, why don't they just follow the rules?"

"Because that would be boring," Irina chuckled. "Everyone breaks the rules." Well, not Kate, she realised. Boring little beast. "Only the idiots do it in a way to bring themselves shame." And what could be more shameful than having to cow down to a coven master's in public? Irina would rather poke her own eyes out with a shitty stick!

"Alex doesn't even seem scared," Kate commented, taking another sip of Irina bloodwine. "I think I'd be scared facing Magnus."

You're always scared. Irina did well to keep the words inside her head. She saw no good reason for anyone in the coven to be scared of Magnus. He was a fair and just man from what Irina knew of him. Like most of the elite, he could be predicted. Predicting enemy behaviour was something Irina prided herself on - it was something Sasha had taken great pains to teach her. Although she had failed on a few occasions since becoming a Volturi prisoner - Caius had rejected her advances. Sure, it was a year ago, but it still stung. Eleazar, too, had rejected her - she doubted she would ever rid her memories of his horrified expression. Then Alex. A fucking guard! He hadn't outright rejected her, actually. He'd fucked her first, and then rejected her. Which was worse… or not? Irina couldn't decide.

"Irina?" Kate called softly.

"Alex knows the rules, he knows the consequences," Irina replied, getting out of her head and back on track. "He knows he hasn't done anything that would see him killed and a whipping, though unpleasant, doesn't scare him. Being put on block seems to bother him more."

"Sounds like Magnus has already worked that out," Kate whispered, hearing the guard master threaten Alex with block again - 'You're on strike two, boy,' Magnus told the guard. 'One more and you're on block, got it?'

Kate heaved a sigh of relief when Magnus ended the round of fucks and returned to the master office. His words had given her much thought, though. "I think Eleazar is going to be working on a one strike basis," she said, nodding like a wise old sage.

"Possibly," Irina replied absentmindedly.

Her eyes were on Alex. She felt so affronted by his rejection that she wanted back in his bed - so she could reject him! She was so fixed on Alex that she didn't realise she was looking in Renata's direction until it was too late. Fuck, she scowled to herself, looking away sharply. Renata was a popular guard and Irina desperately needed the woman's forgiveness if she were to have a hope of a social life in Volterra. As yet, that forgiveness was not forthcoming.

"Eleazar?" she said to Kate, shaking her head to herself. "I need more time to work him out." When Kate furrowed her brow in reply, she added, "I'm keeping us safe, Kate. As always."

"Tanya thinks we are safe here, Irina," Kate said tentatively. "Me and Tan… we like it here."

"Like and safe are not the same thing."

"Tanya thinks we're safe here," Kate said again. "She said no one is interested in harming us. She said…"

Irina sighed loudly enough to cut Kate off mid-sentence. She noticed her sister using Tanya's opinion rather than her own. Always so uncertain, always so scared. Easy to manipulate, thought, she remembered. Kate had her uses.

"Why do you take advice from our ego maniac baby sister, and not from me?"

"My ego maniac older sister, you mean?" Kate started chuckling to herself. And then she saw her sister's sour face. "I was just saying…"

"Say less, think more." Irina snatched the tankard from the table and found it empty. Perfect excuse to go to the bar and talk to Alex. Even Renata couldn't stop Irina going to the bar.

"Wave and smile when I look over at you," she told her sister before heading in Alex's direction.

"You've had all you're allowed on Eleazar's tab," Turk said, taking the empty tankard from Irina.

"And now I want Kate's two drinks from the tab."

Turk looked over at the young Denali girl. "And Kate's happy for you to be drinking her quota?"

Irina huffed in the barkeep's direction. "She sent me, you fool." Then she looked across the hall to her sister and smiled. Kate did as she had been instructed. Her bright smile and happy wave convinced Turk that the girl had sent Irina to the bar for them both and he started serving their drinks.

While she waited, Irina turned with her back to the bar and rested both elbows against it, pushing out her chest. She had worked her way into the corner close to Alex and a few other guards - Renata, and Chelsea and Afton being three of their number all sitting at the old Inbetweeners table.

"You aren't wanted here," Renata sneered in her direction seeing what the girl was up to.

"She knows that, Ren," Chelsea said, trying to steer her friend from trouble - that's what Irina was in her mind, trouble.

"I'm not here to speak to you," Irina sneered right back at Renata. "Alex…"

Alex laughed. "Alex doesn't' want you here, either."

"Really?" Irina asked, playing confused. She stoked the side of his face and reminded him, "Last night you said I'm pretty…"

"I said you're pretty annoying," Alex finished for her, taking her hand from his face and backing away from her a step. "Which is why I sent you home once I'd finished fucking you. But fair play for concentrating on the positives there, Irina."

The guards laughed - the bastards. Except Chelsea who admonished Alex for his cruelty. "You don't have to be quite so mean, Alex. She's just a kid."

Okay, being deemed 'just a kid' didn't really help Irina's ego.

"He can't help it, Chels," Afton defended through his laughter. "It's how he was made."

Everyone knew Alexander had been a pet project for Caius. No sooner had he woken from his tortured transformation, Caius began a torture of a different kind. He taught the newborn to be just as depraved as he was through a systematic, bloody and brutal training regime. Caius' experiment had worked a treat and Alex was the best of the best when it came to mission work, one on one combat, fighting of any description, actually. But it had fucked him up. His emotions were a bizarre thing to feel according to Magnus and the volatile little sod was difficult to manage. He had been whipped on a near weekly basis before Magnus and Freyr had taken over the guard. Now it was more of a monthly occurrence, which wasn't bad for a guy like Alex.

Turk set two tankards of weak bloodwine on the bar for Irina. "That's all you two are allowed today."

"I am aware of that, I can count."

Irina felt a pang of guilt for her tone with Turk but didn't think on it long. She flashed back across the hall to her table near the door.

"Here," she said, sliding both tankards across the table in Kate's direction. "I've already had mine for the day. They're both yours."

"Don't be silly," Kate giggled. "You can have one of them. I don't mind."

Irina knew she would say that. So predictable. Irina liked that best of all. Her sister, her happy, smiling little sister. Kate was quite possibly the only person in the coven who actually wanted to spend time with her. Kate rarely asked anything of her, either. Irina wanted to leave the coven because it was the right thing to want to do, in her mind, but she didn't want to leave alone. If Kate will come, perhaps Tanya will, too?

The girls had barely sipped at their drinks when Carlisle walked into the guard hall to sit with Renata. Odi hadn't noticed him as he'd passed the kid talking with his father, and from the stern expression n Magnus' face, Carlisle knew it would have been ill-advised to interrupt. He stopped by the girls' table to check they were okay. Irina scowled to that, doubly so when Kate answered in her usual sickly-sweet way. If Irina didn't know better, she would swear her sister was trying to lull Carlisle in. But she wasn't. Kate was a nice girl who spoke nicely to people just because she was nice. So nice. It made Irina want to throw up over her shoes.

"Do you fancy him or something?" Irina asked once Carlisle was clear of their table.

"What?" Kate gasped. "No! Carlisle's our unc…" she clamped her mouth to stop herself from screaming out. Irina had booted her hard in the shin for the word she'd almost uttered.

"We have no uncles," Irina hissed across the table. "We have no family except for each other."

"Sure… of course… sure."

They sat in silence after that, both sipping their bloodwine, both fighting back the tears. When the silence from their table spread to the rest of the hall, the girls looked up from their drinks to see what the bother was. Odi.

Irina, like everyone else in the guard hall, watched Odi with curious eyes. He just stood there, frozen in the doorway as the silence crushed him. In the time Odi stood still, Caius and Dora passed him, the latter giving his arm a friendly squeeze, and headed to the bar and to buy a round of drinks. Odi did not follow. So you have been cast out, too? Irina thought, bobbing her head. Things are looking up. Having got the kid into a heap of trouble at Halloween, she didn't expect Odi to want to spend time with her, but he looked just as lost, just as alone as she was so she took a gamble.

The guards slowly started their twattling again, gossiping frivolously about things beyond their business. Odi knew damn well he was the subject, though. And the longer he stood there, the worse it got. Just as the tears threatened to spill over his eyes, he felt a sharp kick in the shins, which came as a welcomed distraction.

"Join us," Irina said, nodding at the free chair by her sister. "We can be outcasts together."

Odi wavered on the spot for a moment. The choice was standing in the middle of the hall completely alone, watching his friends continue without him like nothing had happened, or, sitting with Irina. Kate's alright, he shrugged, consoling himself and taking the chair.

Irina let Kate lead in the conversation whilst she firmed up some plans in her mind. She was stuck in Volterra for an undisclosed period of time. In that time, she had to get Kate on side (and she hoped getting Kate on side would bring Tanya, too). But she had a lot of time to kill. She did love Kate, she really did, she thought, but Kate wasn't amusing enough to keep Irina entertained for the next God only knows how long until she could convince the Volturi overlords to release them. She needed more people than just Kate. Odi would do, to begin with. Perhaps with Odi on side they could get some of the weaker guards to side with them, too. Maybe even cause a little trouble for amusement sake? Later, Irina, she told herself. You need to some allies first.

Kate's mild questioning of Odi ended when the younger girl realised he was close to tears. Weak, Irina thought with a roll of her eyes, before getting things back on track with Kate. She apologised for kicking her and even told her she should think of Carlisle however she wished. Kate insisted she didn't fancy him though.

"If you think of him as your… you know what," Irina swallowed hard. "That's fine by me."

"Really?!" Kate burst with hope. If you accept Carlisle as family, you must accept Camren and Eleazar, too? And then we can stay…

"Sure," Irina replied. "Whatever makes living with our captors easier for you."

Captors? Kate sighed and smiled nervously and decided it best to change the topic of conversation. Something safe. Dress plans!

Irina let Kate do most of the talking - Kate always filled in quiet dips in conversation with inane chatter. Even scared of silence, Irina thought. She barely listened to Kate's dress plans, however. Irina couldn't think of anything worse. Her sisters already owned a good many beautiful gowns gifted by their captors – Irina had refused such gifts. All of hers lay in a heaping pile in the corner of their room. She had the dress she wore, and one she had brought with her when the Volturi guards had rounded them up. Both had seen better days, tattered and frayed. To Irina, those tattered dresses were a badge of honour. They proved she wasn't Volturi, she wasn't Eleazar's ward, she wasn't forgetting her mother.

Irina kept a close eye on Odi as she nodded along to her sister's dress designs. You can't take your eyes off Caius, can you? That was odd. If Caius had wanted to seek vengeance for the kid fucking his mate - though why when both he and Dora fucked everything that walked! - then he would have done it. Odi didn't look scared when he looked at Caius, though. He looks mournful! Very odd.

Irina took the last of her bloodwine and set her empty tankard next to Kate's. That seemed to get Odi's attention. Odi's need for blood took over Caius in his mind.

Like the rest of the coven, Odi no longer fed to his fill with a full body of blood once a month. He enjoyed the bloodwine on offer as a daily drink instead. The effect of skipping a few days of bloodwine was painful for the kid. His throat held a constant burn - something Odi had only ever felt in the moment before killing his feed. He'd never been starved, he'd never had a meal withheld. Being Volturi born and bred made for easy pickings blood-wise, and he liked it. No matter how thirsty he was, though, he wouldn't relent now and let his father win. There was no way on earth that Odi would put a drink on Magnus' tab.

No fucking way. He only told me to do it to make himself look good, anyway. Still providing for the urchin he got lumbered with. What a marvellous man. Fucker. Turk will shout me a drink.

Odi felt bad about putting more pressure on his best mate for feeding him, but he didn't have any other options. He didn't really fancy braving the bar, though. Not with the inbetweeners - the new inbetweeners which didn't include him, or Irina - sitting so close to the damn thing.

Brain wave! I can send one of you, he thought, looking at the girls. "Have you two had your drinks for today?"

"Oh!" Irina exclaimed. "He speaks?!"

Kate rolled her eyes at his sister's sarcasm and answered Odi properly, "We've both had two," she explained. "El won't let us put more than that on the tab."

Damn it. Odi bobbed his head and summoned his courage to brave the bar himself. Concentrate on Turk, he told himself. Forget everyone else.

Irina watched him go and concentrated on the scene. She wanted to see the scorn he took, and importantly, who he took it from. She couldn't hear from her seat - too much general chatter in the hall - but she was sure she saw Afton taking the piss, and Alex laughing with him. That made her feel a little better. Sure, I'm an outsider, but Odi is, too, if they're taking the piss out of him.

She saw some sort of altercation with Caius, who appeared to be buying him a drink. And then Caius looked over at her with a sneering expression as he spoke something to Odi. That's done it then, she thought. I've lost Odi already. Irina assumed Caius buying the kid a drink, which Odi had accepted, and clearly telling him to stay away from her would be enough to end her outcast team before it had got off the ground.

Odi made to leave and a gasp spread through the hall when the guards saw Caius grab hold of his arm. Oooo, another fight? Irina mused. Entertaining.

"So are you," Odi said, loudly, which made little sense to Irina, and then he re-joined their table. Before he sat down, he made a grand show of emptying his fresh tankard into the girls' goblets.

"Don't you want it?" Kate asked before taking her cup.

"I don't want a drink off him." Odi looked back over his shoulder to see Caius shaking his head at the kid's petulance. "He's a complete cunt."

Irina took a good swig of her bloodwine and was pleased to find Turk had served Odi the good stuff, not the kids' stuff she was forced to drink. "Nah, Caius is only a useless cunt. He doesn't have the depth or capacity to give pleasure."

And just like that, the last year of trouble washed away and Odi suddenly really liked Irina! "So… we're going to be the outcasts?"

"Yeah," Irina grinned at him, which was a little unnerving, and then threw her arm around her little sister. "The Inbetweeners are old news. Time for the Outcasts to run the show."

Odi liked the sound of that. How they would run the show with only three of them, three who barely had a brass button to their name now Irina's thieving spree was at and, he wasn't sure. But he liked the certainty to Irina's tone, even if he didn't necessarily trust it.

Odi wasn't stupid. He had been a vampire long enough to know their advantages. A vampire's good looks and charm were to lower the inhibitions of their potential prey. Their human prey. But it worked on other vampires, too. He had been sucked in by Irina once before against good sense and he wouldn't go down so easily a second time.

Kate, though… he trusted Kate. She was a nice kid from what he'd seen and heard of her. Squealy, like her sisters - why are their voices pitched so damn high!? - but other than that, he liked the girl.

The three of them fell into a comfortable chatter which largely involved bitching about the other inbetweeners. As the spoke, Odi subconsciously used Kate's opinion as a barometer, of sorts, to check whether Irina was just being a bitch, or right in what she was saying. A few times the younger Denali pulled her sister up on an unfair comment or unsubstantiated claim. It annoyed Irina.

"I call it as I see it," Irina had defended.

"That's true," Kate agreed. She knew she'd stepped across the unspoken line by correcting her sister's assertions and she needed to put it right again, quickly. "Irina isn't scared to say what everyone else thinks. It's not always nice, but its honest. That makes her more honest than all the people thinking it and not saying it."

"I guess it does," Odi agreed, much to Irina's delight. Another one who will be easy to mould, she thought.

It didn't take long for conversation to turn to Caius. Oh how Odi wanted to spill the beans on the deeply held secrets of the North tower! He wouldn't though - he truly believed Caius might kill him if he did. Some things were fair game, however. He thoroughly enjoyed telling the girls about Lucy and Caius' part in the girl's demise. Juicy information for Irina to bank for future use.

It would have been nicer to have a few drinks to aid their new friendship, but the three of them managed rather well. Unfortunately, Caius and his cronies had a lot to drink and spurred on by Odi spurning his peace offering, Caius became ever so theatrical with rubbing the kids nose into his new friendless position. He started by buying the whole hall a drink - something which had only on record happened twice before - all except Odi's little table.

"What a prick," Irina had said, voicing Odi's thoughts.

Kate's right. Irina is more honest. Odi looked over to Caius, sneering from his seat. Odi realised he was doing the same and he couldn't seem to stop himself. Nothing honest about him, he thought.

"Have you got something to say to me?" Caius asked, silencing the hall.

Odi looked away and went back to the girls instead. "Sometimes you have to be the bigger person," he told them. Or he may have been telling himself, he wasn't too sure.

"I agree," Kate said, bobbing her head at him.

"But then there are other times when you have to be the bigger bitch and stand your ground," Irina chipped in.

"I agree," Kate said again, bobbing her head at her sister.

Odi 's face screwed into confusion. "You agree with both?"

"Yup," Kate smiled. "Theres a time and place for each, I think."

Hmmm. Odi picked up the tankard in front of him as he mused on Kate's poignant point. Damn it. Of course, it was an empty tankard.

"If you're so hungry, why don't you just stick a few drinks on your Dad's tab?" Irina wanted to say, 'and add a couple on for me, too', but she was trying to win Odi over, and decided against it.

"I'd rather die of thirst."

"You're in danger of doing just that if you're not careful." Irina had noticed how black the kid's eyes were as soon as he'd sat down at their table. "We could go out for fresh meat, if you like?"

It was a kind offer but not entirely for Odi's benefit. Irina, and her sisters though they wouldn't admit it, really missed human blood. Basileus had made the decree that the entire coven would stick to animal blood since the last alliance ball. He'd given no reason, not that he had to.

"I'm not fucking hungry, okay?!"

Irina shrugged at his abrasion. She wasn't to know what a sore point Odi's current feeding level was, nor was she to know that actually, Odi couldn't leave the coven without his parents knowing as they kept hold of his Volturi insignia - without which, no guard in their right mind would let him out. The fuckers.

Being annoyed with Irina, Odi turned away from the sisters again and looked around the guard hall. He soon locked eyes with Caius. Has he just been sitting there looking at me the whole time he's been in here, or what?! This time, Odi didn't look away - instead he threw on his very best fuck you face and hardened his glance into an outright glare.

Soon enough, a good many guards in the hall forgot their own conversations and fixated on Caius and Odi staring each other out. Caius looking much more comfortable than Odi, what with the former being surrounded by his mate and a good many friends, the latter only having the Denali girls for back up.

Afton beamed. That guy was always looking for amusement. "Looks like the whelp has something to say to you after all," he said loudly, nudging Caius.

Caius laughed in Odi's direction. "I wonder if he has the balls to walk over here and say it to my face?"

Odi squared his shoulders and scraped his chair back against the flagstone floor.

"Oh my God!" Kate hissed at her sister watching the kid cross the hall…

When Eleazar arrived in the masters' office, he took a peak into the guard hall. It was eerily quiet, the only noise being a hissed conversation over by the bar. Even that conversation ceased when Eleazar made his way over. He bought two bloodwines in uncomfortable silence and delivered them to his girls, gave them a wink, then joined Magnus in the office.

Magnus appeared to be pouring over scrolls of paper, all in Sulpicia's writing. The expression on the juggernauts face told Eleazar that whatever Magnus was reading was serious, but the ever-helpful coven master set them aside at once when he saw the prince approach.

"So," he said, leaning back in his chair. "What have you learnt so far, El?"

Eleazar collected a chair and brought it to Magnus' desk. "Mainly that my father doesn't like our lighter handed approach."

"You're telling me?!" Magnus snorted. "How about the girls?" (Because he didn't need to hear about Basileus' opinion of his approach right then with all the aggro he was having with Caius and Odi) "What have you learnt about the girls?"

Eleazar rubbed his chin for a moment. "Kates the good one, Tanya's the fiery one." Pausing, Eleazar worked out why that was on the spot. "Kates good because she fears rejection. Tanya's fiery because shes an over confident little madame."

Magnus bobbed along. "That's a start," he said encouragingly. "What about Irina?"

"She's the hateful one."

"Eleazar! You can't think of her that way!" Such a stern rebuke hadn't been expected and the prince ducked down in his seat for a moment before Magnus continued in a calmer tone. "Irina isn't hateful, she has serious trust issues."

"I know that already," Eleazar replied, forcing himself to sit up straight. "But I don't know what to do about it."

Magnus took a sip from his glass and sighed. "There isn't some quick fix for this." If there was, Magnus was just about the last person on the planet who would know, anyway. He preferred things to take their time and work themselves out. "It takes time to break down walls, and that girl would have thrown up some high ones to protect herself over the years. You and Carmen need to convince Irina that you love her…"

Eleazar scoffed at that. For one, he wasn't sure either of them did yet. For another, "I'm not big on telling people I love them." Typical man of his time, bless him. Magnus never would understand why some guys seemed to have such an issue expressing their emotions, but then he had a gift for such things, so he was cheating a little.

"You don't need to tell Irina you love her - love isn't something you say, it's something you do."

"Irina won't even accept a gift from me and Carmen." Throwing up his hands, because it all seemed so pointless, he added, "She's walking around in thread bare clothes in preference to taking a florin of my money. She'll accept blood, but that's it. She certainly won't accept love from me."

"She will, in time." Noticing the volume increasing in the guard hall, Magnus looked over just in time to see Caius and Odi squaring up against one another. Damn those two! Basileus is going to be squaring up to me if they keep this shit up! "El, in my experience, kids respond to structure, basic rules, boundaries, positive encouragement, responsibility…" and if I know that, what the hell am I playing at with Caius and Odi?!

That would be the end of Eleazar's guidance counselling session as an alrighty cheer erupted in the guard hall followed by the soul crushing chat of 'Fight! Fight! Fight!' and Magnus flew from the office to divide his secret sons.

Following behind in a dream like state as he considered his options, Eleazar found his way to the Denali girls table before he snapped out of himself and immediately put Magnus' advice into action. "Stay out of the firing line," he told the two of them eyeing Irina particularly. "You'll look after your sister, won't you?"

Irina looked to the man curiously. "Of course," she said, wondering what had gotten into him. It was the first time since she'd arrived in the Volterrian hell hole that someone - anyone! - had acknowledged her as capable of looking out for her sisters. And it felt… good!

Eleazar watched for a moment to see if Magnus would need a hand. Deciding the guard master had things under control, he set a few coins on the girls table, enough for another drink a piece. "That will be enough for one day," he said, knowing they had already had four tankards between them - more than enough to sate blood cravings for almost a week, he reasoned.

Before Irina could scoop the money into her purse, Eleazar closed his hand around hers and the coins. "I want you home by ten o'clock." That gave them another couple of hours, but he still wasn't sure how Irina would take to a curfew.

For a brief moment, Irina considered telling him to stick his money and that she'd be home when she was home. No, not home. The west tower. Not her home. But she didn't, and she didn't really know why.

"Ten," she heard herself say. "Sure." Whats wrong with me?

Eleazar beamed and gave the girls hand a gentle squeeze, kissed Kate on the head and left them both to it.

With Magnus retuning to the masters' office and the hall settling down a little, the girls went to the bar with Eleazar's coins. Irina's timing could not have been worse as Dora arrived at the exact same time. One distracted by Kate, the other by Renata, so they didn't realise they were there together until they literally bumped shoulders with one another.

Irina just about managed to mumble her order to Turk before Dora started growling.

"Stay away from me, for your own sake." She glared the little bitch down until the girls walked away from the bar without the drinks she'd ordered.

Renata collected the two tankards and gave one to Dora. "Lucky for us," she said, cackling together.

Or perhaps not. Freyr had bumped into Eleazar in the halls and heard about the ruckus between Caius and Odi. Naturally she had flashed to the guard hall. Too late to see the goings on between her boys, but in plenty of time to see the exchange between Dora and Irina. She appeared before the young women and place a hand over each of the drinks before they had a chance to sup from them.

"What did Irina want?"

"We're not interested in finding out," Dora replied.

"Manipulative little bitch." Renata scoffed into the air. "We've learnt our lesson with that one."

Freyr sighed and took the drinks away from the women. "I've always believed that when people show you who they are, you should pay attention." Freyr paused to instruct Turk to take the Denali girls' drinks over to their table. "But I will say one thing in Irina's defence…"

"Her defence?!" Dora spluttered, voicing Renata's shocked thoughts also.

Freyr nodded and continued unperturbed. "I have met a number of people in my time who, at first appraisal, had few redeeming qualities."

Dora gulped at that knowing she was such a person.

"It takes perseverance, but I have found there to be many good things about those people, admirable things, things I truly love." Freyr placed a hand in the small of Dora's back and squeezed the young woman gently to her side. "And the bad things…" she shrugged. "Well, there are always reasons for the bad things."

Renata and Dora stayed quiet for the moment, both thinking on the chances they had been given through their centuries of immortality. Renata had never been so callous as Irina, but she had enough scrapes through the years to look back on. Trying to goad Freyr into a fight when she had first arrived, purely so she could steal her mate came to mind… what a bitch! And Freyr has never been anything but nice to me. Renata shook the memory from her mind but resolved to give the Denali girl a break. Dora had too many bad memories to list. Mostly born from the cruelty she suffered from Caius. If she could forgive Caius all his cruel actions, perhaps she should forgive Irina's misguided ones?

Dora huffed at the prospect, though. "Are you saying I should give Irina a second chance?"

"No, at least not yet," Freyr replied. "But I truly hope someone does. She a broken young woman facing the world alone… You don't have to be nice to Irina, but you don't have to be nasty to her, either."

Renata bowed lightly to the guard master and took her leave. Worse than giving Irina a break, she had to tell Chelsea that she was right. She's going to bloody love this, she thought, slinking across the hall to find her friend.

Dora leaned in close to Freyr's ear. Even though they were alone in their conversation now Renata had left, she still didn't want to risk anyone over hearing. "I am trying to get Caius to see reason with Odi," she whispered.

"I'm sure you are, my darling." Freyr tucked a lock of hair behind Dora's ear before continuing. "Caius will come around, he'll get there. He just needs time to get his head straight. I believe it would happen sooner if Magnus put his foot down."

Dora's shoulders dropped a few inches. "But Magnus won't do that."

"Not yet," Freyr agreed. "He'll get there, too." She knew her husband well and there was only so much Magnus would take before the gloves came off. True, his limits were further away than most men, but he did still have limits. The stubborn old mule should listen to his wife more, though, she thought hearing Caius and Odi going at each other again.

"What do you think is going on?"

Irina shook her head to Kate's question, keeping her eyes on Freyr. Or rather, Freyr, Caius and Odi. Of course, she knew Caius and Odi had fallen foul of each other over Dora, but she knew little else and Odi hadn't given them much to go on. Even when Freyr had somehow settled the two men down and Odi returned to their table, the girls still didn't get much information from the kid. All they got was Odi's bad mood! He snapped their heads off for offering him some bloodwine, mardy fucker. It came as a relief when Odi returned to arguing with Caius.

That's how their remaining two hours in the guard hall went - watching Caius and Odi continue a heated, though hissed argument, with Freyr or Magnus periodically coming in from the masters' office to calm things down, looking more irate with each intervention that was required. It was mildly entertaining, at least. Better once Caius was properly drunk and the hushed argument became loud enough for Irina to hear it from the cheap seats.

"I was only trying to be nice to you because your mother begged me to," Caius told Odi quite cruelly (and stupidly, as he'd said so in front of Freyr!)

Irina cringed so hard her cheeks ached! She couldn't think of anything worse than having someone intercede on her behalf.

Odi. Was. Livid.

"You're running around telling people to be nice to me?!" he asked his mother, accusing her of babying him.

"It's just because we love you," Freyr said to her baby boy. She wasn't babying him – she was trying to protect him.

My good god! Hiding her face behind her hand wasn't enough. Irina had to stuff her fist into her mouth to stop herself from laughing. She wanted Odi on side and she knew if he saw her laughing - as many of the guards were, particularly the few guys who had been hanging on the inbetweeners table - then she could kiss her new friendship good bye.

Odi shoved passed his mother to flee the piercing eyes of every Volturi guard in the damn coven. "Love me less!" he called over his shoulder without looking back.

Freyr fixed her sights on her husband, calling on him to do something, to take a stand, to sort it out! But nothing. Magnus made some wishy-washy statement to Caius to remind him that he should avoid displaying personal problems in the guard hall. "Such things require your private attention not public opinion," he had said.

"Is that it?!" Freyr fumed.

Irina was as annoyed as Freyr. What happened to not caring about station in the guard hall? That's what Magnus had told her right before he'd taken his belt to her and the Volturi princes. And Odi of course. Irina wasn't too sure whether Odi counted as a prince or not she realised. Whatever Odi was, or wasn't, Caius should definitely have Magnus' undivided attention for shoving Odi around. Clearly he's all talk, she thought to the guard master. She was tempted to go over to Caius, gurning with Afton and Alex now Freyr and Magnus had both left the hall, to tell him what a prick he was in defence of Odi…

Kate pulling on her sister's sleeve broke Irina train of though. "Do you think we should we go after him?"

"Who?"

"Odi, of course!"

"Oh." Irina shook her head. "He's probably really embarrassed. We should leave him. We'll catch up with him tomorrow."

The girls didn't have long to consider Odi's state of mind…

Basileus stormed through the masters' office, barely breaking stride to snap at Magnus as he passed. "Where is he?!"

Magnus' head whipped around at the bark. "He, who?!"

Too late - Basileus was already in the middle of the guard hall bellowing for Caius' attention.

"I thought kicking you around the training fields would have been enough," he sneered, lifting the young master clear of the floor by the front of his shirt. "No bother, I'm ready for a second round as you're clearly begging for it!"

"My lord, I…" Caius' words soon strangled in his throat.

"Basileus," Magnus called quietly, a hand on his friend's arm with mild pressure. "Not in here."

Oh he wanted to! He really wanted to. Had Caius still been under him, Basileus would have wiped the floor with him there and then. Not so much for Odi, though he did like the kid and he did dislike the way Caius was treating him, but for the stress he was causing Freyr and Magnus. Particularly Freyr. Having the steadfast shield maiden pounding on his door begging for help before Caius and Odi's relationship became truly irreparable… yes, Basileus was quite keen on teaching Caius a thing or two for Freyr's sake. Magnus is right, though, he realised. Not in here.

He dropped Caius to his feet and pulled the man in close. "You had better start behaving for him," he said, locking eyes with Magnus for a moment. "Before I am tempted to bring you in line myself."

For him? Irina had heard Basileus' ground out words, though she struggled to make much sense of them. No matter. A girl like Irina knew to store such information in case it made sense further down the line. Much like Odi's tales of Lucy. It will all become useful if you wait long enough. Sasha had taught her that early on.

Once Caius had fled the guard hall, Basileus turned on Magnus. "We need to talk," he growled through gritted teeth before stalking to Magnus' desk to wait for him.

Magnus rolled his eyes to the heavens. Fucking marvellous! Assuming his chat with the creator would take a while, he decided to start finish up some housekeeping before he left the hall. "Anyone with an early shift will go to their dorms, now."

A veritable groan spread through the room, following by the dregs of tankards being supped up and chairs scraping back.

"Girls," Magnus said gently to the Denali sisters. "Finish up your drinks and get yourselves home."

"Eleazar said we are to be home by ten," Kate explained, assuming Magnus had made a mistake.

Irina knocked the rest of her drink back and threw a withering look in her sister's direction. Have some pride, for fuck sake! Whenever she was forced to do something she didn't want to do, Irina would always hold her head high and make the world believe she wanted to do it anyway. It was a vital part of her self-preservation.

"And I said now," Magnus replied to the girl. His tone was gruffer than he meant, so he quickly tacked on a winning smile and gave Kate's tiny shoulder a squeeze before heading deeper into the guard hall. "Alex, I'm calling time on you, too."

"But, Master!"

"Dorm," Magnus said, pointing at the stairs. "It's for your benefit, no one else's."

Alex knew Odi wasn't a grass, so Magnus wouldn't know that Caius had set him to goading the kid, but it was clear from the look on the juggernauts face that he knew Alex had been involved somehow. He wasn't angry, as such, but the disappointment was palpable. Alex didn't argue. Instead he bowed his head and backed up until he reached the base of the stairs, then turned and bolted up them. Satisfied, Magnus went to meet his doom.

Their table being so close to the door put Irina in the perfect position to listen in on the round of fucks Magnus was getting.

"And to think you dare to advise my son in matters of parenting when you have that shit show going on under your nose!"

"Eleazar came to me," Magnus replied. "What would have preferred? Should I have sent him on his way to continue guessing at what to do?"

"I dare say it would have been as much use as the softly-softly shit you're pedalling!"

Irina smiled. It would seem we're onto a winner with Eleazar following Magnus' advice. She didn't necessarily agree that Magnus was a softly-softly type - having been at the mercy of his belt - but he was far more reasoned and forgiving than Basileus, which would be Eleazar's other advisor, she assumed.

The sisters left the guard hall together, but Irina immediately turned to go in the wrong direction.

"Aren't you coming home?" Kate asked.

Irina scoffed at 'home' and continued on her way.

Kate soon got around in front of her and forced her sister to stop. "Are you going to try for Alex again?"

"No." Irina was a terrific liar on a good day, but that time her smirk betrayed her.

"Just… just don't throw yourself at him," Kate implored. "It doesn't work here. We don't have to do that here."

Irina shook the girl off her arm. "Go home, Kate. I know what I'm doing. I'll see you in the morning."

"The morning?" Kate had barely taken a step away before halting again. "Eleazar said we had to be home by ten o'clock."

"Like the rest of his little rules, I'm pretty sure that was for your benefit, not mine." Damn sure, more like. Eleazar and Carmen were smitten with the easy-going Kate and cute little Tanya - she was just the awkward addendum to the family they really wanted.

Irina got to Alex's dorm without being seen by a soul and opened the door. Alex jumped back on the bed, expecting it to be Magnus. Seeing it was Irina, who was now laughing, was possibly worse!

"I thought you were told to go home."

"Magnus made the suggestion, that's all."

"Word to the wise," Alex said, settling back down in his bed. "When Magnus makes a suggestion, follow it to the letter."

"He may be your boss, but he's not mine." Irina leaned against the door frame as nonchalantly as possible. "I get it, you're scared of him, I understand."

Alex tutted at her. Silly little bitch. "I'm not scared of Magnus. I respect him."

"Sure you do," she chuckled. "And his swing arm has nothing to do with it, gotcha."

Alex looked the Denali girl up and down. Trying to make me feel weak? Trying to make me feel small? Who the fuck do you think you're playing with, girl? With a look of complete distaste, Alex stood from the bed and started to strip off his clothes. You want to play? Let's play.

"Close the fucking door."

…

Irina had limped home that morning, and now here she was, limping again. Fucking Alex, the fucking demented moron! Heaving a heavy sigh and hoping Eleazar and Carmen were fucking or something, Irina edged the door open, only to have the damn thing apparently spring to life and open fully for her.

Carmen wrenched the girl inside. "Kate got back an hour ago!" she half screeched. "Where have you been? Eleazar went to the guard hall but you weren't there."

"Why would he go to the guard hall?"

"To find you!" Carmen went to the window, threw open the shutters and leaned out as far as she dared. "El, El," she called, pleased to see he was in viewing distance of the tower. "She's here!" Carmen could just about make out his wave and then he disappeared, flashing home, no doubt.

Closing the shutters, Carmen caught Irina trying to sneak to her room. "I don't think so young lady… are you limping?"

"It's these shoes," Irina lied. "The heel is broken."

"We'll have to get you some new ones." Before Irina could refuse a 'gift' of new shoes, as she had refused just about everything else since she arrived in Volterra, Carmen added, "You can't go about the coven walking like that. You look abused!"

Irina didn't argue. Blaming the shoes, and having to accept new ones, was infinitely better than admitting to Carmen (or herself) that Alex had used her again for his vicious style of stress relief. Is he using me if I seek him out? Irina wasn't sure. She had planned on rejecting him as soon as he started in an effort to get back at him for laughing at her in the guard hall… That didn't go to plan, she thought, shaking her head. Irina had had to concentrate hard on limiting the damage Alex was doing and keeping her pride - she didn't have time to reject him! Although, she did leave before he had chance to throw her out. A small win.

The pair of them waited in silence for Eleazar to return. Irina couldn't see the point. She just wanted to crawl into her bed and forget the day had happened. When Eleazar came through the door, she wished she had ignored Carmen and gone to bed already!

"Ten o'clock, I said."

Irina gulped. Thinking on her feet, she decided to play the innocent act. "Oh, right," she said, throwing on a furrowed brown and head tilt. "Are these rules really for me, too?"

"Of course they are!" Carmen shot out.

"Why wouldn't they be?" Eleazar asked sounding more even toned than his mate. "It's about creating some unity for our family, Irina. It's about looking after the three of you properly, keeping you safe…"

"It's just that…" Irina interrupted. "I can understand you want them to be safe. But me?"

"Yes, Irina," Camren went to the girl and took her hands in her own, totally falling for Irina's confused little girl act. "We want you to be safe, too."

Biting her lip al little to really sell the lie, Irina gave the woman a half smile and hopeful eyes. Fool.

"You look tired," Carmen said, tucking a lock of hair behind Irina's ear. "You should sleep tonight."

Sighing, and even yawning a little for effect, Irina stood and went for the bedchambers.

"Not so fast." Eleazar flashed in front of the girl and blocked her path. "We have a little matter to take care of first."

"Huh?"

"I told you to be home for ten and you were late." Eleazar started rolling up his right sleeve. We can both play for effect, he thought, having known exactly what Irina was doing twisting Carmen around her little finger. "Do as you're told or face the consequences. That is what we agreed this morning, is it not?"

You cannot be serious?! Watching the guy take a seat and look to her expectantly, Irina realised, with horror, that he was! Think, think! It was no good - Irina couldn't come up with any way out of the situation. None that appealed, at least. Already aware that she wouldn't be given a guard dorm, and that no other elite member would have here, Irina knew she had to get on with Eleazar and Carmen or leave the coven. Now, she wanted to leave the coven, but she wanted to take her sisters with her. And that option wasn't yet available to her.

Audibly groaning, Irina made her way to Eleazar, scowling at the whole damn world.

Eleazar nodded, pleased with the choice she had made. He'd expected an argument. Just as he had done with Tanya earlier that day, he took a fistful of the girls tattered and torn dress - both he and Carmen had tried to gift the girl with a new one, but the stubborn girl refused - and made to strike. When nothing came, Irina looked down at him with an eyebrow raised.

Releasing her dress, Eleazar's mouth had dropped open. "What the hell have you done?!"

A little confused, Irina grabbed a handful of hem and looked for herself. Shit! Her left leg, usually milky white with her vampiric complexion, was now a mottled patch of purple streaks. It appeared to be blooming before her eyes. Alex, you utter prick!

Carmen saw, too, and was as equally horrified as her husband. Though the girls limp was more understandable. Carmen had said the girl looked abused - she had been right.

"Explain!" she demanded to a retreating Irina.

"I don't know… its nothing… I don't know what you're talking about…"

Eleazar was soon on his feet joining his mate. He felt a rush of anger and for once it wasn't directed at Irina. "Who did that to you?" Once he knew, he planned on gutting the bastard!

"No one has done anything to me," Irina replied. Dragging a hand down her face she knew she was talking shit, and whats more, she knew they knew she was talking shit! "I know how it looks… this is just something I do… I like it… just leave it." Have I ever sounded less convincing in my life?

Feeling Eleazar's vibrating rage at her side, Carmen changed tack to calm things down. "Irina…" she began, gently pushing the girl's face up to meet her. "We just want to know that you're okay…"

"I am!"

"That's fine, then."

Eleazar looked at his mate aghast! "No, it's not!" he said, missing her willing him to calm down. "If she's going to end up in this state then she's not going back to the guard hall and I'll be having a word with Magnus about his guards, too!"

"No!" Oh my good God! Irina remembered how embarrassing it was for Odi having his mother interceding on his behalf. No way did she want to suffer such an indignity! "You can't speak to Magnus. He won't know what happened anyway. I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Just leave it, please?"

"El," Carmen whispered into her mate's ear. "We can't ban her from the guard hall - theres nothing else for her to do around here."

Eleazar huffed. Damn it. She's right.

"She's tired," Camren continued. "We can come at this again tomorrow."

"Okay, we'll leave it for now."

For now? Irina wanted to tell him to get fucked. That he had no right to involve himself in her life and whatever happened to her was up to her. But she didn't. She was tired, and sore. She didn't have it in her to argue anymore.

"Go to bed, Irina," Carmen said, directing the girl towards the hallway. "We'll talk more in the morning."

Defeated, Irina crept into the room she shared with her sisters, both of whom were already sleeping. She limped along over the usual debris of clothes, make up, towels, and other such things. The mess didn't usually bother her but trying to make her way to her bed on the far side of the room was difficult in her current condition. Reaching too far with one leg caused her to hiss and curse under her breath.

Kate sat bolt upright in her bed. She wiped at her eyes dreamily as she made out her sister in the room. "I thought you would be with Alex the whole night?"

Irina tutted and continued her slow path across the room. "He doesn't have anything to offer me."

"I thought you did it for fun?"

"I do, on occasion. But Alexander's prone to all manner of perversions. I wasn't into it tonight."

Kate watched the elder girl as she moved. She knew that walk… sex gone wrong, or right, depending on which side you sat. Irina waved away the look of concern in Kate's face.

"I've heard Caius trained Alex personally. Like a pet, or something. He's supposed to be one on the best mission guards because of it, but it fucked his head up." Kate still looked unsure. Irina sighed and slipped into the sheets. "Besides," she said, thinking of a way to placate her sister. "I'm too tired, and, you know, their new rules, right?"

Kate smiled at that. More than anything she wanted to keep both of her sisters. Tanya was determined to stay in Volterra, Irina determined to leave. Kate quite like it where she was and if Irina would forget her desire to leave they could all stay together, happy and safe. If she's respecting Eleazar's rules, she must want to stay?

Snuggling into the bed clothes, Kate's eyes began to close. "I'm glad you came home."

As she sunk into the soft feather bed, Irina looked over to Kate and smiled. A rare smile of true warmth. The bruises were still blooming - she could feel them. But she felt safe where she was. She even felt… wanted. A little, at least.

In the quietest of voices, Irina had to admit, "Me, too."