The stillness that succeeded my actions lasted only as long as it took those present to get over their shock; that is, the stillness ended almost as quickly as it began. It was replaced by total chaos.

I really don't know what I expected.

Aro and Caius were shouting - at me or the guard, perhaps both - as was Caesar, though it was clear his shouting was aimed directly at me.

"What the hell were you thinking, Rowan? For someone who's not a half-bad strategist, I truly question your decision-making. How are we supposed to get out of here?"

"Oh, come on!" I said, grabbing both Hugo's and Caesar's arms and tugging them towards the main doors, which Caius had ordered were to remain closed. Praying it would work, I dragged them both straight into the door, and we passed right through to the other side.

"That is so cool!" Hugo enthused. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"Kind of a new thing," I said. "Sorry about this, Caesar, but I had to talk to Demetri. Aro calling for him wasn't part of the plan."

"No shit!" Caesar snapped. "We need out of here."

"Follow me," I ordered. Caesar hefted Hugo onto his back, seeing as Hugo was the slowest of the three of us, and I led us through the halls towards the front exit. We passed through the wall like it was nothing and I could feel my shadows immediately starting to dissipate as the sun hit.

"Over here!" I said, dragging Caesar under the first shaded spot I could find. "This is bad."

"Oh, you think?" Caesar asked sarcastically, pinching the bridge of his nose. "The second you drop these shadows, the tracker knows where we are. You drop the shadows out here and the secret is blown."

"Just let me think," I said, tugging him farther back into the shade of the building, where Hugo dropped off his back. It was mid-morning, and Volterra was buzzing with tourists.

Caesar glanced back towards where we had come. "It won't be long until they realize we're not in the throne room anymore."

"Why are we running?" Hugo asked.

"Because if the kings see me, they won't let me leave. They want me safe," I explained.

"Oh," he said, kicking at the cobblestone road. "Because you're their mate?"

"Right." I looked around, thinking quickly. "I have a bad idea."

Caesar raised an eyebrow. "Is that not what all of your ideas have been up until this point?"

"Shut up. We're going to use the tourists' shadows to get out of here," I said.

"That is so much worse than what I was expecting," Caesar muttered. "We should just wait until nightfall."

"That will be plan B," I said. "Let's go."

We darted through the streets, and I relied on Caesar to ensure Hugo was keeping up, my entire focus on keeping enough shadow around us to be concealed. The shadows cast by pedestrians and the buildings was just enough that the sun wasn't able to burn through what surrounded the three of us.

"Stop, stop," I said, skidding to a halt as we reached the exit of the city, the three of us huddled under the shade of the wall.

"Shit," Caesar said. Between us and the shade of the forest was two miles of open valley.

"We can't stay in the city," I said. "It's too risky. Once we reach the trees, we can hide there until nightfall."

"We run the risk of being seen if we go now," Caesar said, frowning.

"How long do you think it will take to get over there?" I asked, looking up at the sky.

"Fifteen seconds, perhaps? Give or take a few seconds," Caesar said after a moment's deliberation.

"When that cloud goes over the sun, we run," I said, pointing towards one of the large white clouds that was slowly drifting towards the sun.

"This is a bad idea," Caesar muttered.

"It's worked before," Hugo said confidently. "It'll work again."

I grinned and ruffled his hair. "Thanks, Hugo."

Caesar looked like he wanted to ask but thought the better of it. "If you're certain."

"This will work," I said, grimacing as the bond flared painfully.

Caesar eyed me with concern. "Perhaps it would be better for you to see the kings after all."

"Why?" I asked suspiciously. "I thought we were agreement that no one was to see me."

Above us, the cloud inched slowly over the sun. Caesar frowned. "I'm concerned about adverse effects."

The cloud passed fully over the sun and I had no time to consider Caesar's worries. "Time to go!" I said, pulling as many shadows I could around us and sprinting out into the open field, hearing their footsteps behind me.

It was halfway across the stretch when the sun began to peek out again and three-quarters of the way when the mate bond seized in my chest, more painful than it had ever been, and I staggered, legs failing me.

Caesar cursed, wrapping an arm around my midsection before I could crumple completely and swinging me into his arms without breaking his stride. The sun was quickly burning off the shadows that I had just managed to keep over us through the delirious pain I found myself in. Caesar dove under the cover of the trees just in time for us to be safe from the sun.

The bond flared again and any control I had retained over my gift vanished, the shadows dissipating as I curled into myself, fingers digging so hard into the palms of my hands that I could feel spidering cracks begin to form on my skin.

"Rowan!" Caesar said, setting me down and snapping his fingers in front of my face. "If you want us to escape, you have to hide us, and you have to do it now. Do you understand?"

"Can't, I can't," I gasped. My chest felt like it was burning, a different sort of pain from the turn but equally painful.

"Yes, you can. The pain will lessen once your body adjusts to the bond. Until then you have to think around it," Caesar said.

"You can do it, Rowan," Hugo said, wrapping his arms around me. "I believe in you."

At Hugo's touch, the pain of the bond seemed to lessen minutely. Enough for me to think. I heard footsteps in the trees and Caesar's head snapped up, looking off into the distance, and he lowered into a protective crouch. "Rowan…"

Edward's voice, low and quick, washed over me like a wave of ice water. "I'm her brother, I mean no harm. I'm ahead of the others, but barely. You have to hide. I'll buy you time."

Caesar relaxed minutely. "She's-"

"Edward! Anything?" Santiago's voice, close by.

"Now!" Edward hissed to me urgently, and with tremendous effort, ignoring how my very being screamed with agony, I pulled shadows over the three of us again. Edward called to the others, whom I could now see. Santiago, Alec, and Jasper were with him. "Nothing! I found their scent, but it has vanished again. Rowan is definitely with them!"

"We have to move from here," Caesar said, pulling me to my feet. Hugo reached for my hand and I held it as we ran, keeping him close.

I was slowing us down, but there was nothing Caesar or Hugo could do. It was all I could do to keep putting one foot in front of the other, to ignore the searing pain of the bond that pushed me to return to the safety of my mates.

We only stopped when we were forced to, once the forest faded into open fields. "We can't go any farther," Caesar said, looking up at the sky. He checked his watch. "I hate having to wait until nightfall, but we have no choice."

I sat, slumping down against a tree and shutting my eyes despite lacking the ability to sleep. I never thought I'd miss sleeping and the nightmares that came with it, but now there was nothing more that I longed to do. Hugo sat down next to me, leaning into my side. Idly I brushed my hand through his hair, opening my eyes halfway to see Caesar still standing, on guard.

"Sit, Caesar. They won't find us as long as we're hidden," I said.

"I'm just as comfortable standing, and we cannot take too many precautions," Caesar said. "I'd say we're about three hours from the Romanian castle at the rate we're going now. Two if you're able to pick up the pace by the time night comes."

"You were right," I muttered.

"Which time?"

I shot him an exasperated look. "I should have stayed away."

"I tried to tell you," Caesar said. "What I would love to know is whatever possessed you to reveal yourself to the tracker."

"His name is Demetri," I snapped, the pain of the bond making me more irritable than usual, "and Felix was his soul brother."

"I see," he said, unaffected by my tone. "You went to apologize."

"Felix died because of me," I said, defensive. Hugo squeezed my arm comfortingly.

Caesar frowned, kneeling in front of me. "He did not die because of you. There's no guarantee that he would have survived even if you had remained at the castle. His death was not your fault, Rowan, however much it may feel like it. It's survivor's guilt. Mourn for your friend, but do not for one moment believe that his death was your fault."

His crest swung forward, and for a second all I could see was Felix's, ripped off his neck. I blinked hard and I was back in the present. Caesar sighed and stood once more. "It may be wise to call the kings. See if you can convince them to call off the guard."

I pulled the burner out of my pocket. In the tumult that had followed the reveal of my presence in Volterra I hadn't even noticed it buzzing. Twenty-five texts, seventeen missed calls, and eleven voicemails. All from the kings.

"They're probably pissed," I said, staring at the small home screen. I didn't have the mental energy at present to scroll through their furious texts.

"Only because they're desperate," Caesar said, leaning against the tree I was seated against. "They'll forgive you."

"What if I've finally gone to far?" I asked quietly.

"You haven't. Before they were kings, they were warriors and negotiators. They will understand. If not, well…" Caesar flashed a sharp grin. "They are free to answer to me."

Not for the first time, I was very glad that Caesar was not my enemy.

"Me too!" Hugo inputted, fiercely protective of me and not willing to be left out. I smiled slightly.

"Thanks, guys. I'll call," I mumbled, fiddling with the burner. "Did you get me a new phone?"

"Yes," Caesar confirmed. "Do you need it?"

"Still got ten percent on this one," I said as the burner began to buzz. Aro this time. I hesitated until Caesar gave me a pointed look and I answered the phone, my voice small. "Hi."

There were several long seconds of silence, which was perhaps worse than yelling, before all three kings began speaking at once at varying levels of volume. This made the whole call fairly jumbled, but I got the gist.

They were, understandably, very upset. At the very least, Marcus seemed more peeved towards his brothers than me. I held the phone away from my ear and let them rant for several minutes, feeling worse with each passing second.

Caesar, now scowling, motioned for me to give me the phone. I passed it to him hesitantly.

"Get a grip," Caesar spat into the phone, and I buried my head in my hands.

"Excuse me?" Caius roared.

"Brother, please," Marcus attempted.

"Perhaps she would still be here if you had mentioned her presence earlier, Marcus," Aro snapped. "You have no right to speak."

"And you do?" Marcus asked, a snarl in his voice. "Do not act as if you would not have forced her to stay in the castle had you been able."

Aro snarled back. "And do not act as if you would not have done the same thing!"

"Enough!" Caesar barked, so loudly that both Hugo and I cringed. "You are kings, not boys, and this is war. While I acknowledge the mate bond is putting you under tremendous stress, you must recognize the necessity of this mission and realize that keeping Rowan prisoner in the castle will lose you this war. If she, a newborn, is wise enough to see that, then I doubt I am requesting too much by asking you to do the same.

"Furthermore, as her adviser, guard, and sire, Rowan was acting under my orders, and I stand by my decision. Your clear inability to think past your own emotions and recognize the necessity of what must be done is enough to assure me that I made the right decision in ordering her to stay hidden. Be angry, by all means, but know that your anger is both wrongly directed and completely unproductive.

"You should be very thankful to have a trustworthy faction within the Romanian coven because without us you would have no chance of winning. I also suggest you be far more grateful for your mate and all she is willing to sacrifice to stay in the lion's den. Because God knows she's sacrificed enough, far more than you have. If you aren't, I can promise that I will see it. I will know. And you will be very sorry.

"Your mate is safe. In the future, I recommend you trust Rowan to make her own decisions. Seeing as you are currently in no state to be speaking with her, and she does not need your rash words on top of all she is already grappling with, I advise you wait for her to call of her own accord. In the meantime, I provided you with plenty of strategic intel that you no doubt need to work into your attack plan. Focus on winning this war. Goodbye."

And then he crushed the phone in his grip.

I stared at him openmouthed. "Caesar, what-"

"They were out of line," he said, folding his arms over his chest. "Like you are so prone to, they let their instincts cloud their judgement. But unlike you, they are not newborns, and therefore have no excuse for their actions or words. If they were younger, perhaps I would be more lenient, but they have existed long enough to control their impulses. I would not wish to be in their position, unable to protect or even see their mate, but they are kings and lives are on the line. They must look past themselves. It may sound harsh, but it is true."

I was touched by his protectiveness. "Well, thanks. You're lucky that I have all the numbers that were in that phone memorized."

"Yes," he agreed, looking a little abashed. "I'm not sure that anyone knew the number belonging to the new burner, so at least now you have the choice of when to call them."

"They don't dislike us now, right?" Hugo asked anxiously.

"No, of course not," I soothed. "They just let their instincts get the best of them, that's all."

"Promise?" he asked. I found his admiration of the kings to be endearing and smiled.

"Yes, I promise." I wrapped an arm loosely around his shoulders. The pain of the bond had began to ebb somewhat, but I was still acutely aware of it. It was no longer something I could ignore; it was just as prominent as my thirst. Hugo, fortunately, was an easy distraction.

"Look at my crest!" He lifted it out from under his hoodie to show it to me. Five stones, just as I had remembered earlier. Four were familiar because they were also on my crest: Onyx, ruby, and emerald, the kings' chosen gems, and opal for me. The fifth, at the point of the crest, was a brilliant orange gem that I couldn't immediately identify.

"Spessartite garnet, I believe," Caesar said thoughtfully. "Your gem is the opal, Rowan, is it not? Interesting that Hugo's crest contains the kings' stones as well."

"Which is which, again?" Hugo asked, tracing the gems with a finger.

"Onyx for Aro, ruby for Caius, and emerald for Marcus," I said. I had told him this before, but Hugo was just as forgetful as any other child, and I didn't fault him for it.

"I remember now," Hugo said, tucking the crest back under his hoodie. "How long do we have to stay here?"

"Until nightfall," Caesar said. "Rowan, at the very least, will need to hunt before we return to the castle. Constant use of her gift will be draining."

"Trust me, I know," I said. I wasn't tired, and keeping the shadows in place required very little thought, but I could already feel how my thirst had increased since we fled Volterra.

"As you age and grow accustomed to using your gift more frequently, it will not be quite so bad. As it stands now, you've had very little practice using it for an extended period and will pay the price." Caesar's voice was apologetic.

"Why is my gift draining, but Edward's isn't, or Aro's, or Alice's?" I asked.

"The common denominator there is that their gifts do not have a proverbial 'off switch'. Yours, however, is something that you must focus and exert energy to use. For example, I would go so far as to say certain facets of Jasper's gift are the same."

"What about Marcus? His gift is one that can be used at will and he doesn't seem to be affected by it," I pointed out.

"I would place his gift in the same category as Alice's. She does not always see the future, but her gift is always present and active. That is my theory, at least," Caesar said.

"That's so unfair," I grumbled.

"As I said, it will become less and less taxing the more you use it. I suspect, once you reach a few centuries, you'll hardly be affected at all."

"Thinking that far into the future makes my head hurt," I said. My immortality wasn't something that had quite sunk in yet.

Caesar laughed. "It's truly not that far off. Though that may just be my age speaking."

"Old fart," I teased, grinning. Hugo giggled.

He rolled his eyes. "Kids these days. Right, Hugo?"

Hugo looked thrilled at being referred to as an adult. "Si!"

I grinned, and realized in that moment that no matter all I had been through, I didn't regret leaving Volterra. Did I miss everyone terribly? Yes, of course. That would not change. But the information I had gathered, along with the little family I had found for myself within the Romanian coven, was worth it.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ V ⋅.} ────── ⊰

To the disappointment of many, I'm sure, Rowan did not end up reuniting (technically) with the kings. While I'm sure it wasn't really a surprise, I don't doubt you're disappointed. But I did give you an Edward cameo and overprotective!Caesar instead, so I hope that's cool. Caesar is the loml, btw. But that's beside the point. What do you think is going to happen during Rowan's last few weeks with the Romanians? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Big thanks, as always, to all of you MVPs who did leave a comment, you guys are amazing and I love you. Here are some responses to your comments!

Jadeamelia: Thank you! Writing the last chapter (and this one, for that matter) was a lot of fun. It was nice getting to write some familiar faces, especially Demetri, Santiago, and Edward haven't been seen in a hot second. I'm very hyped for the battle and for what is to come in the aftermath. It's going to be great, but that's all I'll say. Can't go giving too much away ;)

lxslbrn: Yes, wild, wasn't it! Marcus absolutely knew she was there but he's really the least rash of the kings imo and understands the importance of why she needs to stay hidden. The walking through walls thing is something I've been trying to figure out how to work in for several chapters now, so I'm glad to have finally gotten it in there. Originally she was going to find out through training with Maxim, but that didn't actually end up working out. Thank you for reviewing!

seventhhaven: Yeah so objectively the kings know how important it is for her to return, but their instincts would never allow it. Hence their less than pleased reactions (particularly Aro and Caius) to finding out she had been there but didn't reveal herself. Also love Hugo (as does everyone, how could you not?) and Marcus IS such a dad I love it the whole interaction I was just 333

interceptor1997: So much went on in the last chapter that it's hard not to have a lot of emotions. I loved writing her and Demetri, I feel like especially now they've become something of kindred spirits and it's just a really different relationship dynamic compared to anyone else. Thank you for reviewing, I am doing well and I hope you are also!

Well guys, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and rest assured that Rowan and the kings will get to have a phone conversation (likely next chapter or the chapter following) about how everything went down. But for now Caesar has them in proverbial time-out. Perpetual dad right there. Thank you all for reading and make sure to let me know what you think. Stay safe and healthy, everyone!