If I thought that my second time in control training would be easier than the first, I was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

There were several new faces when I arrived, and I clenched my jaw to keep from snarling when Doyle barked at me to get against the wall with the others as if I hadn't just done this the day previous.

"I believe we're waiting on Caesar to bring two more down here, then we'll begin," Doyle said, his red eyes raking over all of us, ensuring we were staying put in our places against the wall. The minutes ticked by until I heard footsteps coming from down the hall.

Caesar nudged two more newcomers in the door. "Here are the last two for you, Doyle. Next batch isn't set to complete the change for three days, they were just brought in this morning. So you have a bit of time to focus solely on this group."

"Excellent," Doyle said, grinning too widely for my liking. "Thanks as always, C, don't know what I'd do without you."

Caesar merely grunted in response before turning on his heel and disappearing. Doyle fixed his eyes on the final two newborns that Caesar had brought him. "Alright, newbies, here's how this works. You get against the wall. You stay against the wall. If you move off the wall, you get punished. Ain't that right, Cullen."

"Yes, sir," I ground out, knowing that was the answer he was looking for.

Doyle shoved the newborns aside to saunter towards me. "What was that? Couldn't quite hear you."

"Yes, sir," I repeated, digging my nails into my skin.

"That's what I thought." He turned away from me and I resisted the urge to rip off his head while his back was turned. "What are you standing around for, newbies? Get against the wall!" The two newborns quickly took places against the wall, looking like they'd rather not test Doyle's patience. "Good. Sam! Holt! Bring them out!"

The scent of blood hit me like a wall as Sam and Holt dumped two humans unceremoniously in the middle of the floor. I could hear their heartbeats pounding like a siren call as I forced myself to both breathe and ignore the call of the blood. I dug my fingers into the stone wall behind me and it crumbled under my grip.

"Against the wall!" Doyle snarled at one of the new faces I didn't recognize from the day previous, shoving the newborn back. I wondered if it would be worth it to lose my arms for even a drop of blood-

"Back, Cullen!" Sam bellowed. I hadn't even realized I had moved off the wall, and I backed up before Doyle could come and shove me.

It took six minutes and seventeen seconds (I had taken up counting the time as an attempt to distract myself from the scent of blood, though it was hardly working) for one of the unfamiliar newborns to snap and lunge forward.

Holt, who was devastatingly fast, grabbed him around the neck and threw him back into the wall. The newborn crouched, hissing.

"Don't do it," Holt warned, leaning on the balls of his feet. "You do not want to find out what happens to those who have decided to attack."

The newborn sized him up and lunged. "He warned you!" Doyle bellowed as Holt pinned the newborn in seconds. Doyle grabbed one arm and Sam grabbed the other, ripping them off in unison as the newborn screamed in pain.

"Against the wall," Holt snarled, hoisting the newborn up by the back of his shirt and tossing him into the wall. "Or it'll be your head next."

The savage display cast a sort of order over the rest of us newborns, who weren't eager to have the same happen to us. Stay against the wall, fight the bloodlust, and you don't get hurt. That was how it worked here.

My throat was on fire, as if it was being melted from the inside out with each breath, a hundred times worse than yesterday. It was easier yesterday. I had fed yesterday. But there was no blood in the air this session, and for that I was thankful. I doubted my tenuous control would stay for long if blood was exposed to the air.

"Eleven already," Doyle commented, checking his watch after two hours gone by. "Seems to pass in the blink of an eye, doesn't it?"

None of the newborns in the room looked like they agreed with him. The one who had lost his arms looked mutinous.

"Can we get this over with?" Sam asked, sounding bored.

Doyle shrugged. "Very well. Dismissed."

I, along with those who were accustomed with how these sessions worked, shot forward. I used my smaller frame to my advantage, ducking under blows and sinking my teeth into the calf of the closest human.

Blood, glorious blood, flowed into my mouth, a salve to the burn of my throat. I was ripped away by one of the just-turned newborns, blood still coating my lips. I let out an angry roar, but by the time I could fight my way back to the bodies, both had been drained dry.

"It's done. Out!" Doyle barked, glaring at all of us as we left the room.

I sped, infuriated and thirsty, back to Hugo's quarters. Hugo took one look at my expression and skittered to the farthest corner of his room.

I licked my lips and dropped down onto his couch. "You can come sit, Hugo. I'm not mad at you."

"Wasn't sure," he said sheepishly, and took a seat beside me. "What happened?"

"Control training. Need I say more?"

He giggled. "No. It's worse, I think, to get a little bit of blood than none at all."

"You're way smarter than any eleven-year-old has a right to be," I groused, reaching out to tousle his hair.

"Almost twelve," he corrected, laughing.

"Fine. Smarter than any almost twelve-year-old should be," I corrected. "When is your birthday? I don't want to forget."

"June 6th," he informed me. "I wish I could have a party. But I don't think the masters will approve. Maybe for thirteen."

If we live that long. I did not voice my thoughts aloud. Instead, I said, "They better. If not, I'll complain for you."

"Don't do that," Hugo says, eyes round. "They don't like it when they're questioned. Especially by girls."

"Don't worry, I wasn't really going to. I know you can't have a party, but I'll try and get you a gift, how about that?"

"Really?" A bright smile spread over his face. "That would be awesome!"

"No promises, but I'll try," I said.

"I hope you can manage it! Oh! I forgot to mention, Caesar stopped by. He reminded me we have to go to both combat trainings today. He excused us yesterday."

"There's two?" I asked.

"Si- well, there's really four. But everyone goes to two. Caesar oversees all of them. We have the one at 1800 hours, like last night, and one earlier at 1400 hours."

"Two P.M.?" I asked.

"Si. The masters have us operating on a twenty-four hour clock, since no one sleeps. It's an easier way to tell the time," Hugo said. "Both last two hours, so we have our two sessions almost back to back."

"Why so many?"

"There's a lot of us, more than Caesar could handle in one session, and the different control training and assignment schedules mean that not everyone can do one time. So there's four," Hugo summarized.

"That makes sense," I said. The Romanians were thinking this through; the care they were taking to not only teach control but ensure their newborns were combat-ready was unsettling. Because sure, maybe they had learned from their past mistakes, but I had a hunch that this strategy wasn't entirely their own. The queens, I believed, were far more influential than any normal vampire here assumed.

All the more reason to kill them when the time is right.

Hugo and I made our way to the grassy clearing for training once two o'clock rolled around, the sun that was shining brightly overhead causing everyone's skin to reflect brilliantly in the light. It had been cloudy yesterday when we had been out for training; this was the first time I had seen myself in the sun.

"Neat, isn't it?" Hugo asked, noticing how I was examining my arm with fascination. "I didn't believe Caesar when he told me we sparkle until I saw it for myself. It isn't very scary, though."

"You're right about that," I said, smirking when I caught a glimpse of Doyle. He looked much less intimidating when he was glittering like a disco ball.

Hugo followed my gaze and giggled. "Don't let him hear you say that."

"Fall in!" Caesar bellowed, striding onto the field. He too was sparkling in the sun, but the effect somehow made him formidable instead of laughable.

Just like yesterday, silence fell over the field as everyone scrambled to find a place in the line. Caesar gave out instructions - newbies with Sam for introductory training, the rest in the ring - and I once again found myself forming the circumference of the ring. Hugo was half-hiding behind me, likely hoping to remain unnoticed.

"First fight of this session! Roman and Mack versus Byron and Gil," Caesar said, his eyes sweeping over the faces that made up the ring. I recognized two of the four from my control training.

"You know the rules," Caesar said, standing just inside the ring, acting as referee. "Set! Begin!"

This fight lasted longer than the normal one-versus-one fight, until it was two versus one and the remaining vampire was easily overpowered.

"Win to Byron and Gil!" Caesar yelled over the roars coming from the spectators of the fight. "Next pair! Doyle and Jackson!"

Doyle swaggered confidently out from his place in the ring, smirking as he faced his opponent. Jackson was taller but just as bulky as Doyle; however, if I had to bet, I'd place my money on Doyle. He was too ruthless for me to place my bet anywhere else.

"Set! Begin!" Caesar said.

If I thought Doyle was savage during control training, it was nothing, nothing, compared to what he was like within the ring. Jackson was down an arm in seconds, but that didn't stop him from landing a solid punch that send Doyle staggering backwards. But down an arm, it was clear who was going to win this fight.

Doyle was on Jackson again, slamming him to the ground by the neck so harshly that cracks appeared in Jackson's skin.

"Win!" Caesar shouted. "Someone get Jackson his arm! Next pair, Hank and Antonio!"

There were several more fights until Caesar finally called my name. "Let's change it up, shall we? Rowan and Ana!"

"Catfight!" One of the male vampires cheered from the crowd; he was no the only one. Most of the male vampires seemed thrilled to see two women fighting. I rolled my eyes and stepped forward to meet my opponent.

So this was Ana. She was about my height and reminded me a bit of a cat, moving in a lithe manner that was distinctly feline. We met eyes, and I got the impression that she was just as annoyed by the reaction of the male vampires as I was.

"You know the rules," Caesar said as the din faded some. "Set. Begin!"

Ana moved first. I anticipated her, dodging her blow and ducking behind her, kicking her forward. She picked herself up from the dirt, narrowing her red eyes. Her voice tickled my mind. "Don't expect a win against me, newborn."

"Cool parlor trick. I thought we were here to fight," I said, grinning in that infuriating way that I had seen Emmett so often do to Edward.

Her lips pursed. "You asked for it."

She lunged forward again. I dodged, landing a blow to her torso. We sparred, exchanging blows closer than I had experienced in the ring before. She grabbed my arm, flipping me over her and on to the ground. I rolled away as she pounced for where I was a half-second before.

I went on the attack this time, aiming for her left side as she seemed to favor fighting with her right. We were evenly matched, Ana and I, but I was slowly gaining the upper hand.

"Fun's over," she snarled, and screamed into my mind.

I dropped like a sack of potatoes, not expecting the mental onslaught. She wrapped me in a headlock. "Win!" Caesar shouted over the roars and jeering from the ring.

"Don't feel too bad," Hugo said as I returned to my place. "She's like Xander; no one ever wins against her."

I hissed. Already I wanted a rematch, to see how she'd fare against me with the shadows protecting my mind from her influence. Not so well, I'd guess. "I'll be ready next time."

"Everybody says that," Hugo said as Caesar called a win on the next fight. "They never are. But maybe you'll be different. I'd like to see you win."

I grinned at him. "Thanks, Hugo."

Ana was a dangerous opponent to those with no mental shields. On the true battlefield, she'd have to be taken care of, and quickly. Myself, Bella, and possibly Renata were the best options to do so, and I filed it away as another thing to mention to the kings on my next check-in with them.

"Hold!" Caesar shouted. Instant silence swept across the ring and the two currently fighting froze, looking at him in confusion. Clearly, it was not often that Caesar interrupted a fight.

"A message from the queens, Caesar!" Two of the ring parted to let a messenger enter.

"Let's have it, Adrian," Caesar said, motioning for the unfamiliar male to continue.

"Queen Athenodora and Queen Sulpicia request the presence of Rowan Cullen," Adrian said, chest puffed with importance.

Caesar's eyes settled on me. "Go with him. I would recommend not keeping our queens waiting. Return once they are finished with you, if possible."

I stepped forward to walk after Adrian, uneasy. The noise of the ring started up again as Caesar called for the fight to resume once we were outside the ring.

"Did they say why they're summoning me?" I asked Adrian.

"No. It is not my place to ask," Adrian said. Jane had said something similar once. "I am nothing more than their messenger. It would be impertinent for me to ask what their business is."

"Of course. My apologies," I said, mind whirling. Certainly my cover hadn't been blown? If it was, there would be more fanfare than this.

"I would not worry yourself overly. They don't seem angry with you, if it is any comfort," Adrian said after several seconds of silence had passed.

"Thank you," I said. We traveled the rest of the way in silence, running once we entered the castle. I was taken to what I assumed to be the private chambers of one of the queens, and I stored the location away in my memory. It could come in handy someday.

"I have returned with Rowan Cullen as requested, my queens," Adrian said, kneeling. Remembering how Caesar had done the same for the queens, I knelt as well.

"Thank you, Adrian. You are dismissed," Athenodora said. "You may rise, young Cullen."

I stood. "You summoned me, my queens?" The words were sour on my tongue. I was queen. Not them, not these cowards that used my mates for power and prestige and then sought to overthrow them when their power was lost. I quickly clasped my hands behind my back so they wouldn't see the way my fists clenched.

"Yes. No need to fear, child, we are not angry," Athenodora said.

"The farthest thing from it, in fact," Sulpicia said, regarding me with a calculating look. "We wish to speak with you about your previous coven- or family, should I say. The Cullens."

"Yes, of course. What about them?" I asked.

"You may prove to be a very useful ally to us, if you can manage to get your dear family to join our side. Of course, Rome was not built in a day, so we do not expect you to convince them right away; though that would be the best-case scenario," Athenodora said.

Sulpicia plucked a cell phone from a low table and offered it to me. "We would like to call your patriarch, Carlisle. He is a reasonable man, and I hope he will see the sense in coming to our side."

"Certainly," I said, taking the phone. I could only hope that Carlisle would be wise enough not to say anything about the Volturi, or the kings, the moment he answered the phone. Otherwise… well, I'd have to kill the queens earlier than I planned.

On second thought, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

I dialed Carlisle's number. It rang a few times before he answered. "Hello, Dr. Cullen speaking."

"Carlisle, it's Rowan. I know you're probably worried sick, but I've come to join the Romanian coven. They want to overthrow the Volturi, make it so that we don't have to hide the secret from the humans. I didn't want us to live in fear of the Volturi anymore, after what happened with Bella."

Please realize I'm not alone, please realize I'm not alone. One wrong word and he could blow my cover. "Rowan, I'm so glad you're safe," he said after a slight pause. "But you didn't have to join the Romanians for us to live without fear. I would have changed you if you asked."

Carlisle, bless the man, was remarkably quick on the uptake. "I know. But that wouldn't solve the problem. Surely Edward and Bella aren't the only vampire-human couple to fall in love. I don't want anyone else to live in fear like they did."

"I see your point," he said slowly. "Surely rationalizing your actions to me isn't the only reason you called."

"No," I said, glancing up at the Romanian queens. Athenodora gave me an encouraging nod. "I wanted to know if there was any possibility of you joining with me. To end the Volturi's reign of terror, once and for all. You know how much Aro wants Alice and Edward." Speaking ill of my mate felt like acid on my tongue. "By- by killing them, we could prevent covens from being torn apart again." Even the thought of killing them punched pain through me, so sharp and acute that it took everything in my power not to double over in agony.

"As much as I long to see you again, Rowan, I regret to say that I don't think this is the way to go about doing it. You must make your own path in the world, and I won't try to stop you, but I don't feel comfortable stepping in to help with this. I am sorry, and I hope you are being careful," Carlisle said.

"As careful as I can be," I said, digging my nails into my skin. The monster in me was roaring. Kill my mates, I had said I would kill my mates, I could never do that, I had to protect them, they were mine-

"That's all I can ask for, I suppose. Goodbye, Rowan," Carlisle said.

"Bye, Carlisle," I said, hanging up the phone and handing it back to Sulpicia.

My instincts, the mate bond, was screaming at me, so painful that if I was human I would have blacked out.

"As I said, Rome wasn't built in a day," Athenodora said with a regretful sigh. "We will try again some other day. Perhaps a different family member. You are dismissed."

I gave them both a short bow before nearly sprinting from the room, blindly stumbling down the halls until I made it to the quarters that I shared with Caesar. I unlocked the door with fumbling fingers, pushing it shut so harshly that I was surprised it didn't crack.

I sunk to the floor, breathing rapidly. Was I having a panic attack? Could vampires have panic attacks?

I felt like I was being ripped apart- no, I'd rather be ripped apart than whatever anguish the bond was creating for me. Killing them, killing them, I'd rather die than kill them-

The door creaked open, but I couldn't even muster the strength to lift my head. There was a sigh. "I should have known."

⊱ ────── {.⋅ V ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Hello again, all! Sorry for the wait. I'm trying to sort out some pacing issues with the story (as in figuring out when I need certain events to take place) which gave me a little bit of a block this chapter, but I think I'm back on track. What do you think of Ana, one of the gifted members of the Romanian army? Who do you think found Rowan during her struggle with the mate bond? Let me know what you think in the comments! As always, a huge thank you to all those who have left reviews on past chapters, you all are amazing and I really appreciate your support, it means so much to me! Here are some of my thoughts on your reviews:

interceptor1997: Thank you! I'm glad you're liking both how Rowan's gift is slowly developing and the plot of Penance. I really wanted to do something different and this environment gives Rowan the chance to grow as a character in the likes of which she'd never be able to do in Volterra. I've had so much fun writing Penance so far and I'm thrilled that you are enjoying it! Thank you for reviewing!

rafaelalana0710: Your English is totally fine! Thank you so much! I'm so flattered about how much you enjoy my work. Hugs from America!

seventhhaven: Yes, this development of her gift will definitely come in handy - so long as she can figure out how to do it on command. Hugo is a sweetie but being so young does make him more susceptible to being manipulated, which is a big reason why he follows Vladimir and Stefan basically without question. Rowan will die a little inside having to lose to Doyle at some point, but it's to be seen as to whether her pride will ever permit it. To be fair, Rowan is also always thinking "I should just kill them now" but she knows that if she did that, their army would probably kill her, which obviously she doesn't want. Thank you!

Bloodfreakk: Thank you so much! I work hard to make sure that characters and their interactions are authentic and do my best to give each character their own distinct personality, so I'm really glad that you loved this story enough to pull an all-nighter reading it! Thank you!

Thank you all for reading and supporting me, you're all awesome and I can't wait to hear what you think about this chapter. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!