Timeframe: Chapter 1 of Tenebrous

Aro knew the Cullen boy would do something foolish. The loss of a mate was devastating, but he couldn't allow the boy to just run rampant about his city. Gifted or no, the law was the law. That led him to the problem with the other human girl the Cullens had brought into their fold.

Rowan Ailes. Her past, or at least all that Edward knew of it, was horrific; even Aro had enough compassion in him to warrant that. And though it was clear enough that the Cullens planned to turn the girl, he had to ensure they wouldn't go skirting the law, especially now that she was of reasonable age to go through the change.

Overhead, the clock tolled.

"Jane," Aro said, pulling himself out of his musings, "go see what is keeping Demetri and Felix. Surely Edward has made his move by now."

"Yes master," she said, gliding silently from the room.

"If more of the Cullen clan have come to prevent the brat from succumbing to his own stupidity then I don't know what Carlisle's been teaching them," Caius grumbled. He had been in a sour mood for the past month after a spat with Athenodora and Aro was long tired of it.

"I wouldn't fault them if they did. I'd like to think that if our places were reversed, you would do the same for me," Marcus inputted.

"If you were foolish enough to get yourself killed in such a manner, no, I would not." There was a long pause. "Though I would, perhaps, attempt to dissuade you from doing such a thing in the first place."

"You have a heart after all," Aro said, suitably amused as Caius scoffed. Any further conversation halted as he heard the footsteps indicating the guards' return. It was accompanied by the quick, erratic beating of a human heart.

Aro stood from his throne, making his way down the dais as the doors were pushed open and Jane lead the way into the room. He paid little mind to Alec's quip, far more fascinated by the owner of the beating heart: Isabella Swan, back from the dead.

"What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all. Isn't that wonderful." Aro was desperately eager to hear this story. It was, perhaps, the most interesting happening in the past two centuries. "I love a happy ending. They are so rare."

Aro looked past Edward's reluctant thoughts and frankly tiring self-loathing to find the truth. She had indeed jumped, it seemed, but was saved by a shape-shifter. Aro was briefly surprised and filed the information away to follow up on later; he had assumed that the shape-shifters whom had once inhabited the North American continent had all died out.

Only now that the girl was present did Aro understand the full extent of Edward's bloodlust for her. It was a miracle she had survived their first meeting. Sweet blood like hers was such a rarity. "La tua cantante. Her blood appeals to you so much. It makes me thirsty. How can you stand to be so close to her?"

"It's not without difficulty."

Aro did not need to be a mind reader to detect the disgust that emanated off the boy. Aro didn't mean much harm though, really, and the whole situation was so absurdly extraordinary that he couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, I can see that."

"Aro can read every thought I've ever had with one touch," Edward said, this time speaking to his mate. Their bond really was remarkable considering her humanity. "And now you know everything." The disgust was back, only momentarily diluted by the girl. "So get on with it."

"You are quite the soul reader yourself, Edward. Though you can't read Bella's thoughts." It was, Aro assumed, an early indicator of a gift that would manifest if she would turn. A shield, perhaps, like Renata, but quite different. "Fascinating!"

Edward's disgust grew and Aro dropped his hand at last, tired of the hostility but more curious than ever about Isabella Swan. "I would love to see if you are an exception to my gifts as well." He extended a hand. "Would you do me the honor?" It wasn't a request, really. And if his hypothesis was correct, he would see nothing anyway.

Still, he was surprised by her bravery when she stepped forward and obliged him. He took her hand eagerly, and experiencing the strange phenomenon that Edward had - as if he was touching no one at all, as if she simply did not exist - was both startling and enthralling.

"Interesting. I see nothing." Only Edward knew of the thoughts that were now racing through his mind. She would be a powerful immortal. Very powerful indeed. He turned, pacing back towards his throne. Perhaps one more experiment, just to see how far her gift extended. "I wonder… Let us see if she is immune to all our powers. Shall we, Jane?"

The response to this suggestion was far greater than Aro ever could have hoped. Not only did Jane have an excuse to use her gift on Edward (something, Aro suspected, she had been desiring since he had entered their company) but Aro got to see just how strong the mating bond was between Edward and the girl.

She was pleading for him. It was fairly strong, then, for Isabella Swan to have such a reaction, though he'd really need to consult with Marcus to know the true extent. He gave a soft command to cease when Jane did not relent.

"Master," she said, rescinding her power at once.

Edward was in no shape to attempt to stop her now. "Go ahead, my dear."

"This may hurt just a little," Jane said, and Aro couldn't stop the twitch of a smile on his lips at her theatrics.

Nothing happened, and Aro couldn't help it. He laughed. This girl, this human girl, had not only trumped the powers of Edward Cullen and himself, but his most powerful guard as well. A complete mental shield while the girl was still human? It was nothing short of unheard of. How Carlisle managed to recruit such gifted members seemingly without looking was astonishing. Even the other human they had taken in, the Ailes girl, was gifted, though his focus would turn to her only after the present matter had been appropriately handled.

"Remarkable! She confounds us all. So, what do we do with you now?" He did hope she would be turned. An immortalized Isabella Swan would be a force to behold.

"You already know what you're going to do, Aro," Marcus cut in. Aro was slightly surprised he had spoken up at all.

Caius condemned her, naturally. "She knows too much. She's a liability." One of Caius' duties involved overseeing the training of any newborns they accepted into their ranks, so it was no wonder he wanted her killed rather than turned. For a great strategist he truly lacked foresight.

Aro made a thoughtful noise. He doubted the girl would join them, so invested with the Cullens. Besides, they already had Renata. Was another shield truly necessary? "That's true." Such a waste. "Felix?"

He wasn't at all surprised that Edward intervened, though it was a shame that he would have to die soon. A waste indeed. Though even with all his powers, Aro had no doubts that Felix would overpower him. Felix was a staple in the guard, one of the elite, for a reason. He was unconquerable.

Edward lay stunned on the floor and the girl became Felix's object. At the very least, Aro mused, Isabella's end would be quick. Unlike Demetri, Felix had never been one to toy with his prey.

Edward was halfway to his feet when there came something Aro did not expect. A second heartbeat, and a voice.

"Stop!"

Even if the world was burning around him Aro wouldn't have noticed at that moment. She was perfect. There was nothing in the world but her. He would kill for her, die for her, burn for her a thousand times if it meant she would stay forever by his side.

Felix's movements didn't register until Caius had sprung upon him, foot upon his chest and wearing a ferocious snarl the likes of which Aro had never seen. Aro's eyes flicked only briefly to Marcus, whose expression confirmed the hypothesis that had been rapidly forming. The girl, the gifted human girl from Edward's memories, was their mate. And oh, he hated sharing, but it was only fitting that he would have to share her with his brothers. They themselves had shared a soul brother bond for many millennia.

"Extraordinary," Aro breathed. For the first time in his very long life, he had been rendered speechless. No one else dared to speak as Caius released Felix with a final growl.

Aro gravitated towards her, completely transfixed, though he forced his steps to cease when she edged backwards. "No need to fear us, mia cara. I take it you are Rowan from young Edward's memory?"

She nodded slowly, her eyes wide and skittish, but Aro couldn't help but find them beautiful. Had he ever encountered such an alluring shade of blue before? He was certain that he had not. Marcus joined his side, briefly touching his hand to share what he had seen. The mate bond was beautiful, so beautiful, completely fitting of the ethereal creature that was before him.

"Extraordinary," Aro murmured again. "Truly extraordinary."

Rowan glanced towards Alice and Edward and her heartbeat suddenly spiked. Edward's voice was incredibly cautious when he next spoke. "Aro, you're scaring her."

Scaring her? Aro felt suddenly off-balance. He was her mate, he would never harm her; it hurt to even imagine such a thing! He took a step back, revulsion for himself flooding his system. Of course she feared him! He had been behaving as foolishly as the Cullen boy.

"You are in no danger from us, my dear," Marcus said gently. Marcus had always been, in Aro's opinion, the least threatening of the three of them. He was still incredibly dangerous, of course, but he was by nature gentle.

Rowan did not look at all reassured, opening her mouth and shutting it again. Caius muttered a string of ancient Greek curses too quietly for either human to hear. "Look what you've done now, Aro."

She stepped away again, back towards her siblings as Marcus sent both Caius and Aro sharp looks. "Peace, brothers. Join the other Cullens if you wish, my dear."

Demetri released Alice on Marcus' orders and their mate darted to the psychic's side. Alice did not look at all surprised by this turn of events, and though perturbed that she would even consider concealing a vision of such magnitude from them Aro was far too impressed by her abilities to be truly angry.

"What do we do with the girl?" Caius demanded. He had always been to the point and now that their mate had come he had no desire to string out the trial of Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan.

"I feel like killing the girl would cause our Rowan considerable distress," Marcus inputted. "Her tie to Bella is quite strong."

Aro sighed, quite irritated that Edward Cullen's warped views on immortality were making this so difficult. "If only it was Edward's intention to give her immortality."

"Bella will become one of us. I've seen it. I'll change her myself," Alice said. Her eyes were steely, all golden fire, and Aro hoped that perhaps one day she could be convinced to join his ranks. Silently he stretched out a hand that she took after pulling off his glove.

Her visions were incredible, if a little disorienting, and while completely subjective based on decisions Aro highly doubted that the Cullens would be foolish enough to attempt to keep Isabella Swan human, especially now that Rowan Ailes, one of Cullen coven, was their mate.

"Mesmerizing. To see what you have seen before it has happened." Aro released Alice and stepped towards the Swan girl, itching to try his hand at breaking through her mental shield again. She shied away from his hand. "Your gifts will make for an intriguing immortal, Isabella."

"And what shall be done of our mate, Aro?" Caius asked, and Aro's gaze was once more set on Rowan Ailes.

Aro could practically see the thoughts running through her head as she digested Caius' words and wasn't surprised when she finally spoke. "Your what?"

"Your mates." Alice spoke before he could. "That's what I saw, when we were coming here. I was too focused on Edward to see what would occur if you came."

"And a good thing you didn't. You would be very sorry for trying to hide our mate from us," Caius said, his voice icy. His words roused Aro's ire and he hissed lightly at Alice.

"I'm you're mate? All three of you?" Rowan asked, and Aro's fury vanished as his gaze landed on her once more.

"Yes, dearest. It is unusual, certainly, but not unheard of," Marcus said. She appeared a little less wary of Marcus than of himself and Caius, Aro noted.

Her next question was barely a whisper. "Will I have to stay here?"

She didn't want to stay with them? The rejection and horror at the idea curled in his gut and was the closest thing he had come to feeling nausea since he had been human. He glanced briefly at his brothers. Marcus had always been fairly easy to read, and was clearly troubled, but Aro could only guess as to Caius' feelings. They were, in all likelihood, similar to Aro's own.

"Come here, mia cara," he said gently, extending a hand towards her. She hesitated. "I just want to get your thoughts, your reasoning behind wanting to leave us."

For a moment Aro thought she would refuse him but after three beats of her heart (not that he was counting) she hesitantly slipped her warm hand into his. He was not expecting to experience the same silence that protected Bella's mind. "I see nothing. You never said Rowan was immune to your gifts as well, Edward."

"She's not, usually," Edward said cautiously. "But I can never hear her when she's hiding."

Aro released Rowan's hand, not wishing to make her uncomfortable as he questioned Edward further. "Hiding. You're referring to her gift, I assume?"

Edward nodded. He was still wary, Aro could see it in his eyes. "Yes. But her silence is different from Bella's, like murky darkness rather than nothing at all."

"Fascinating," Aro said, and it took him longer than he'd ever admit to realize the implications. He didn't mean to scare her when he reached for her hand again, but he was so curious to see how similar his mate's abilities were to Isabella Swan's. This time, however, the experience was quite different.

He saw the memories that flashed in the forefront of her memory, felt her fear. Her father loomed over her in the dark. And half shocked, half horrified, Aro dropped her hand. The guilt he felt at scaring her so - his mate, the one person in the world he would never harm - was immeasurable.

His instincts screamed to keep her in Volterra, safe, but Aro knew he could not do so. Not yet. He tucked his hands behind his back to prevent himself from reaching out again. "No, we won't hold you here, not against your will. You may leave with the Cullens and Bella, of course. But we will be visiting. You are our mate, after all."

The relief on her face was enough to assure him that he was making the right decision even as Caius hissed "Why?" much quieter than either human would ever be able to hear.

"Trust me," Aro returned at the same volume before his attention was pulled back to his mate.

"Thank you," she said, nodding slowly. She was so completely unaware of the turmoil she was putting them through, but Aro knew he would go through the same a thousand times over if it meant she would one day agree to stay.

Aro smiled at her; he couldn't help it. "Of course."

Caius was still furious that Aro was allowing Rowan to leave, but he made no move to stop their departure. Instead, he wheeled on Edward and Alice. "If anything happens to her under your guard, anything at all, I will rip you all apart."

Ever the voice of reason, Marcus placed a calming hand on their brother's shoulder. "Peace, Caius. You are all free to go, we will not keep you here any longer. Demetri will show you out."

Rowan glanced back once as she left, unaware of the near-silent string of insults that Caius was hurling at Aro for allowing her to leave. Aro wanted her to stay; oh, how he longed for her to feel safe with them. Marcus was already assuring Caius that trust would come in time, the two moving back towards their thrones, but Aro didn't move again until Heidi entered with their meals.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ V ⋅.} ────── ⊰

I'm alive! *shocked Pikachu* Yeah, I disappeared off the face of the earth for a while, but being near graduation has left me incredibly busy. I plan on releasing 2 more bonus chapters (perhaps 3 if Reveri is nice enough to write one as she's mentioned she might) though I have no idea when they will be finished. I do, however, hope to have a new story out for you guys in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for that. I hope you all are doing well and staying healthy!