Marcus cradled the woman close to his body as Alec used his gift on the sisters, letting the one smelling of dog crumple before Alec himself came to fetch her. He wrinkled his nose, bowing before Marcus. "I'm sorry, Master. I should not have allowed them to come so close to your excellency. My sister and I were just…" Marcus was not Aro, so Alec saw no need to tell the truth, that he and Jane were playing with their food...again. The thought of either of them harming her filled him with anger. This human who filled him with hope for the first time in centuries, who allowed him to feel a pull stronger than the binds put on him by Aro's pets, something real.
"Summon my brothers." He commanded deftly, Jane running off quickly to obey as Marcus cradled the woman closer to him, carefully, gently. "Do you know their names?" Marcus attempted to sound indifferent, as he always had, but there was a spark to his words that had Alec eager to respond.
"I watched them enter, their names are Elizabeth," Alec nodded towards his mate—oh the use of the word in even his thoughts! —and then to the girl in his own arms, a few years younger and with slightly darker coloring, "And Victorya. Though they usually referred to each other as Eliza as Tory, or a pet name."
Marcus swept a strand of hair from her face, dipping his finger across her long braid, wondering for a moment what it might look like loose and wild. He carried her, as Alec followed with the other woman, towards his bedroom, placing Elizabeth down on his bed softly, over the covers as not to smother her. When Alec hesitated he waved for him to follow suit, and the two were laid to face each other on their backs, head turned so they might open their eyes to see one another and be comforted, even if just a little.
Aro and Caius entered without knocking, as they were prone to do, though Marcus had long grown accustomed to it. They paced with a slight urgency, recognizing the scent of their mate, just as he did, and rushing forward. "Marcus…" Aro was grinning wider than Marcus had ever seen, delight swirling in his expressive eyes. Aro could mask any emotion but glee, it seemed, and it rang right through him.
"Don't touch her yet," Marcus snarled, protective and cautious, "She is sleeping still, under Alec's persuasion." Where Aro was excited, Caius seemed enraged.
"Why do they smell of dog?" Caius snarled, flitting forward to stand beside Victorya, crinkling his nose before her unconscious form. Alec opened one of their purses, riffling through a wallet within until he pulled out a drivers license and pointed at the younger sister, "Victorya Jane Black, age twenty-two, address is listed as the La Push Reservation in Washington, 1996 Mariposa Drive."
"La Push? Like Jacob Black?" Aro frowned at that, knowing it could cause issues with the Cullens, with Carlisle. Alec opened the second purse, his frown depending at the second wallet.
"Elizabeth Margaret Tempus, age twenty-six, same address." Alec recited, confusing Marcus slightly. They were sisters, he could tell by their bond, it was a tight one of family, his mate had a handful of strong bonds, and a recently broken one, one which caused her pain he was sure. Was she married, was that why they had different last names? Or perhaps they had different fathers?
"Is she who I think she is?" Aro challenged, staring between his brothers, confirming his suspicion.
"It's a trinity bond." Marcus replied, a rare thing indeed, an occurrence he had only read about and never personally witnessed, some said it was an omen of great change, others of destruction. All Marcus could think was it was one of hope. Each had chosen to take a woman in their bed before, call them mates though the bond was never quite gold, always filled with hints of rust, but they were lonely creatures, and Didyme had made him so happy at the time. But their lust for a mate, no matter how impure of a choice in bond, had nearly destroyed them. They had vowed once, to let no woman come between their brotherhood, and the gods had given them what they had wanted, a woman to love the three of them, without need to put one over the other.
"Do you think she felt the pull, that that is why she came?" Aro mused, ever the romantic, the bleeding heart. He pressed his palm against Elizabeth's neck felt the rapid flutter of her heart...what was she dreaming about? He used his gift:
Eliza stood in front of a temple, it sort of reminded her of Indiana Jones, only it was Greek in image. For a moment she thought it was the dream she had about Star Trek, Where Commander Ryker appears to end the simulation on the Holodeck and she ends up saving the world from the Borg. But instead there were two people on the large stone altar of the temple, arguing and shouting.
"Don't you see, this is our chance to live! To really live!" The man was excastic, grinning like a madman, but the woman was not impressed. She sighed and shook her head.
"At what cost? Our children, the humans? What makes us so much more worthy than them of life?" The woman argued, fire spinning from each word, dripping down her lips and burning the man, who grows colder and colder.
"We are better than them! What use are they for, if not for our pleasure?" Ice freezes on his palms as he forms them into fists. Eliza goes to move closer, when suddenly a raven appears before her, squawking, forcing her to move away from the creatures on the altar. The raven moves towards her, ravaging her face and arms as she moves to shield herself, stumbling backwards.
Aro releases his grip over her, noting her heart race increasing despite the use of Alec's gift, then sees the white totem wrapped in her palm. It glows the faintest bit, to the point that a human would not be able to see, but he does. It's a charm, a token of protection, a shield. 'First shape shifters, now totems.' He thinks darkly, he shall have to have a word with Jacob. In fact, he might just summon the entire Olympic coven, he has heard rumors of new members joining.
"Withdraw your gift from her, Alec, leave Victorya under your spell." Aro purred to his one of his two favorite pets, who meekly obeyed.
When Eliza opens her eyes, they focus upon Victorya, snoozing but not snoring, which was rather not like her. For a moment, she remains still, memorizing the relaxed expression on her sister's face, refusing to face the feeling of foreboding for just a moment. She closes her eyes again, takes a deep breath in, then out, reminding herself that she is strong, that she can outlast anything, before opening her eyes once more. She moves to sit up just as she realizes she does not recognize the comforter on the bed. Eliza shifts, looking up to see four sets of eyes on her, all red. Her legs wind themselves into a sitting up fetal position, as if she could kick anyone who came near her, a scream clogged in her throat as upon her movement, one of them raised a hand, silently asking for parlay with his eyes.
Eliza recognized him in a subconscious sense, her memory was hazy, overlapping with what had happened and what she had prevented from happening. Was she going mad? Was she going to lead someone off a building and tell the cops the ghost of her dead girlfriend made her do it, because Alli needed to see Everest one last time? Eliza shook her head, clearing out thoughts of Rushdie and focusing instead on the man whose arms she fell into, quite literally. He moved towards her, holding out his hand as if to shake, thought Eliza feared he meant to use it as a means of grabbing her. But there was this strange, predetermined trust within her that her reaching out her palm, silently cursing her lack of proper manicure, they were still sharp and black from the funeral.
"My name is Marcus." His voice was velvet, pouring into her and making her feel soft and warm. Marcus looked at her with a sense of delicatess, like he feared he might break her. "These are my brothers: Aro and Caius." He motioned to each, who nodded. Eliza could feel her heart racing, though there was little she could do to stop it. She looked towards where the young man had been, but he was gone, disappeared. It startled her, reminding her that she was in a castle of vampires, and even worse...that her mother was right.
"Why aren't you eating me?" Eliza blurted, causing Caius to bark out a laugh. She remembered then that she was not alone, that Tory was there as well. They should have just gone to the torture museum. Her gaze hardened, resisting her instincts as her rational mind provided context, "Like you ate those tourists." She remembered the elderly couple, she overheard them saying they decided to visit Florence for their fiftieth wedding anniversary. They would have have another now, it seemed.
"You feel it, don't you? Even as a human, you do." Marcus challenged, eyes turning black as he stared at her, causing her to fear him in that moment. "Admit it."
"Let my sister go." It was a loop in her head, 'Tory needs to be safe. Tory needs to be safe." "I'll say or do whatever you want, just let my sister go." She alternates looking at each of them, desperation pouring over her. Her hands shake, she squeezes the salmon, prays to her ancestors for help, for mercy.
"No one is going to hurt you, piccola." It was Aro's turn to speak, his voice honeyed. "You're our mate." The words sound so final, ringing in her ears. Does that mean safety or damnation? She thinks of Hades and Persephone, were they happy? It depended on the voice of the tale.
Eliza's mind races, she looks at the men before her, her thoughts tracing back to the monster who was partly responsible for Sam's death, the beast with red eyes. Was she one of their creations? "Please...just let my sister go." As a child, Eliza was eager to get rid of Victorya, the daughter who looked more like their mother than she did, the annoying younger sister, always copying Eliza. Yet here they were, Eliza bartering for her sister's life, betting it against her own. She almost jumps out of her skin when Aro places his fingertips against her palm, eyes losing focus for a moment as she recoils in fear.
"Who hurt you, Elizabeth?" He is angry, snarling at her with a need for misplaced vengeance. How did he know she was thinking of a different vampire? The thought alone that she as surrounded by them was frightening enough, but for him to see inside her thoughts? She shuddered.
"Brother," Marcus cautions, pushing him back, away from her. The man smiles at her apathetically, "Your sister will wake soon, speak to her, make a choice. Stay and discuss what you feel means, or leave and come back when the longing overwhelms your soul." His voice grew detached at the end, as if he knew what such a feeling was, to know incompleteness.
Eliza considered all that had occurred as of late, and of the feeling of warmth that filled her upon looking at the three men. It was like Sam was a speck of light and they were the sun, and she felt guilty for soaking in the warmth after such a time in darkness. She nodded to Marcus, and in a blink she and her unconcious sister were alone in the room.
She took the time it took Victorya to wake to straighten her own clothes and hair, as well as move off the rather large bed to stand by her side. Eliza pondered all that she knew of vampires, from her phase of reading Anne Rice as a teen to listening to campfire tales of the cold ones growing up. With the somber realization that vampires did exist, she pondered what else could possibly exist as well. Wait, were the pack actually a pack?
"Victorya!" Eliza yelled, starting her sister awake. Tory glanced about the room, as if looking to bypass her sister and head straight for an exit. "Are werewolves fucking real?" She felt stupid for asking aloud, but it needed to be done. The sheer look of panic that was quickly masked with a nervous laugh on Tory's part confirms Eliza's panic. "Oh my fucking god." Years of inside jokes that Eliza had never quite gotten suddenly made sense, fueling her rage.
"They're technically shapeshifters, but that's not the point-" Tory started, only to be hushed by her sister's booming voice.
"When were you going to tell me this? When you married one?" For a moment Eliza pictured Seth as a giant poodle in a tuxedo, waiting for Tory at the end of an aisle. How could someone sweet like Seth be a monster too? Were they all monsters in the end?
"Me? You collapsed into a blood suckers arms!" Tory bit back, matching her sister's ire.
"Don't you dare call him that!" Eliza did not understand the need to defend him she felt, but she was controlled by her emotions in that moment and allowed it to seep through. "This isn't about vampires, which of course you knew were also real! When were you going to mention that?" She had never told Tory of the woman with red eyes, though now she was glad she hadn't. What would her sister have done, played dumb and allowed her to think herself mad?
"Elizabeth. We need to leave. Now." Tory was putting her foot down, picking up the discarded purses and lunging the one that was not her own at her sister. But Eliza was rooted to the spot, a sense of panic overwhelming her at the prospect of leaving the men, despite her fear of staying with them as well.
"Tory, I can't. Have you ever heard of a mating bond? I found my mate.." Eliza admitted, surprising herself as the words felt foreign on her tongue. The weight of Sam's loss still presses down on her shoulders, though there is a force propping her up now, one with red eyes. "Look, just give me the day. Let me sort things through, we'll meet up for dinner at that little restaurant you thought looked so quaint." Tory just glares at her, angry and confused by her sister's sudden want to stay in a place she had previously been so eager to leave.
"Promise me." Tory demands, linking her fingers with her sister's, needing the feel of her touch, the reassurance within it. "Promise me you will be safe." She wants to scream, to demand that Eliza come home right that moment, but she can't. How can she deny a mating bond for her sister, when she herself had an imprint?
"I promise." She wraps her little sister in her arms, squeezing her close. Her mind recalls hugs like this, given before long absences: leaving for summer camp, moving away for school, there was a finality to it. Eliza opens the door and leads Tory out, twisting and turning down halls, reversing when they realize they were heading the wrong way, no one interrupted them, though she felt eyes watching them. Fatigue clinged to her bones, making her wonder if she could twist back time if she needed to in that moment.
It takes them a short while to find the entrance they arrived through, Tory hesitant at the sight of it. She does not want to leave Elizabeth alone, not with them, not ever. So they embrace one more time, a long, tight hug, and then Victorya walks away. When she dares to glance back, three sets of red eyes surround her sister, she wonders if she has abandoned sweet Eliza to the wolves.
A/N: So I figured reviews would trickle in and it would give me an excuse to focus on school work this weekend. Then all y'all start following and favoriting leaving detailed, sweet as hell reviews. Thank you all so much for following this adventure.
To answer a few reviews:
Tory is safe..for now haha. I like writing sisterly bond stuff, so she's gonna stick around for a bit.
As for Elizabeth's power, without giving too much away, I'd like to point out the title of the story, the fact that her last name is time in Latin and that she was given her father's surname.
Also a fun fact: I got the idea for this fic listening to the songs "Helpless" and "Satisfied" from Hamilton, because its the same events told from two points of view, which made me think of how hindsight could change previous actions.
I've been considering putting small epitaphs before each chapter, quotes from movies, books or songs, so leave a review if that is something you would like to see. I'm always happy to hear things from you guys, good or bad feedback!