Chapter 16 – Search
Trent
"God damn it!" Trent slammed his hands down on the table in frustration and sent his cup of coffee tumbling to the floor, causing the ceramic mug to shatter upon impact with the tile.
He stared down at the remains of the cup, feeling numb. He completely forgot he had poured himself a coffee when he set himself up at the kitchen table with his laptop and binders earlier that morning.
The source of his frustration was the notice in his email telling him that his request for a $5,000 loan from the local bank had been declined.
Originally, he had almost $20,000 saved up in his checking account, some of it from work and the rest being what was let over from his mother's will after she had passed away a few years prior.
But now he had no more than $53.62 in his account as he had exhausted all his savings on private investigators and plane trips to different cities. He had leads from the tip line that had been set up for anyone to call who might have information on Castiel's whereabouts.
But he was still in better shape than Castiel's father, who had barely had enough money to pay this month's electricity bill, since he had also used up all his savings trying to find his daughter.
Trent didn't want to give up, and though he knew it would take much more than a denied bank loan to make him give up, he realized this meant that finding her would only become that much more difficult.
Unable to help himself, Trent's eyes strayed to the bright pink flier next to his laptop, the face of his missing friend smiling back at him in black and white. The bold Have you seen this girl? headline felt like a punch to the gut every time he saw it.
Castiel.
Trent slammed his elbows down on the table now, before bending his head and grabbing his hair in his fists, yanking hard.
All my fault, he thought despairingly.
If only had had stayed with her that night. If only he had asked her to go with him to the store. She had been cooped up so long she probably would have enjoyed going out even for a few minutes.
She could have picked the RedBox movie; he knew she would have stood there reading the synopsis of every horror movie on the screen and predicted how bad they would be. He would have laughed with her as they selected the worst one, arguing over who would put it on their debit card as they both had a bad habit of forgetting to return movies.
Tears burned in his eyes, and he couldn't stop the sob that forced its way from his lungs.
"Please," He whispered hoarsely to the empty room, "Please old man, tell me this lead meant something."
He was referring to Castiel's father, and the call the two of them had received exactly a week ago.
They were standing in the kitchen and sunlight was streaming through the windows as Trent stood at the stove, frying himself and Castiel's father some eggs to put on their toast.
It had been silent the whole time he cooked, and Mr. Rodgers was busy on the computer and sipping his black coffee when the landline rang shrilly and made them jump.
The house hadn't had a landline before Castiel went missing. It had been set up so people could call in tips directly to the house. At first it seemed like a total waste of time because they received tons of calls from telemarketers and bums who, seeing the missing posters all over town, thought that calling and saying they saw her walking into the local Thriftway meant they were entitled to some reward money.
Assholes.
Castiel's father reached the phone before he did, answering on the third ring with a curt, "Bryon Rodgers speaking,"
Trent couldn't hear what the person on the other end of the line was saying but found himself turning off the stove and staring concernedly at Bryon as his expression morphed into one of suspicion.
"Who is this?"
Whoever was on the other end of the line said something that made Castiel's father stand up straighter, hanging onto the unknown person's every word.
"Yes. Yes, I suppose I can." There was a pause, "Now? I guess. The place you're saying is almost an hour from here though."
Trent moved forward hoping to get close enough to hear what the person on the other end was saying when Bryon spoke again, "Well if you're sure you'll wait I will leave now. Yes. Goodbye."
And he had left immediately after hanging up the phone. Castiel's father rushed to his room to grab his jacket and wallet before taking his cellphone off the kitchen counter to place in his front pocket.
He assured Trent that he would call him in the car on the way back from the meeting and wouldn't answer any of Trent's hurried questions. All he said was that the person on the other end of the phone claimed to know Castiel and said that the guy believed he knew where she was.
But Castiel's father never did call Trent back. All Trent received was a text massage from him three hours after he left the house.
All is fine. Possible lead on Castiel. I will call you when I know more. Do not wait up for me. I will be traveling.
Trent stood from his chair, stooping to clean up the broken mug and trying to avoid looking down the hall. He didn't want to look at Castiel's bedroom door. He didn't want to see the bright yellow tape with the bold POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS stamped on it.
Being in this house felt impossible in that moment.
After tossing the pieces of the broken cup in the trash, Trent found himself throwing open the front door and sprinting out into the night without bothering to lock it behind him.
He was shirtless, wearing nothing but dark grey sweats and his running shoes as his feet hit the pavement hard. It was cold out; probably only thirty degrees and pitch black since it was nearly 2am.
Castiel's father, a man he had come to see as his own father, had ghosted him. Trent had sent over forty text messages to Bryon and hadn't gotten a response to a single one. Hell, he didn't even get a read receipt.
Feeling the worry he had been fighting back the last few days beginning to suffocate him, Trent slowed his run to a jog before he sat on the damp sidewalk multiple blocks away from the house. He stared up at the sky, now not only praying for the safe return of his best friend, but for the safe return of his father figure as well.
He sat on the sidewalk for a very long time, lost in his thoughts until the numbness in his hands showed him how very cold he was.
Slowly he stood and began his slow trudge back home.
Castiel
Castiel was on her knees, most of her slender body within the cabinet under the sink in her bathroom. Earlier that morning she had gone to retrieve the little blue box of tampons from their storage place and put them on the back of the toilet for easy access since she would need them starting that night, only to realize that the box was empty.
She had mindlessly tossed the empty box out behind her and was moving all the cleaning supplies, spare rolls of toilet paper, and extra shampoos around, hoping there was another box hidden somewhere.
It wasn't entirely unlikely that Sulpicia and Athenadora had forgotten to order her more than what she had started with when they first stocked her room with everything she could need when she first came to Volterra.
"Castiel?"
Marcus' voice surprised her, and she jumped, whacking her head very hard on the pipe under the sink.
"Ow!" She screeched, both of he hands covering the spot on the back of her head and applying pressure. "Fuck! Ow, Ow. That really hurt."
Tears were burning in her eyes as she gritted her teeth, breathing harshly through her nose as two cold large hands grabbed her hips and dragged her body out from under the sink.
Marcus wasted no time in moving her across the room and placing her on the edge of the bathtub, gently trying to pry her unyielding fingers from her head.
"You scared me," Castiel gasped, blinking quickly to clear the tears that had formed in her eyes.
He didn't acknowledge her words. "Let me see Castiel."
Unwillingly she dropped her hands, the lump that had formed on her head throbbing painfully at the lack of pressure.
Marcus' fingers gently probed the area around the bump, his touch so light she could barely feel him moving her hair.
"You'll need to put some ice on it. I'll send Afton for Arkos so he can take a look too."
She couldn't help rolling her eyes at him. She knew that if she got so much as a paper cut the doctor would be called to check her over. Marcus was ridiculous like that when it came to her getting hurt.
Taking his hand, she moved it so it was covering the bump and sighed at the coolness of his skin.
"What were you doing under there anyway?" Marcus indicated the sink with his chin, and she noticed she had managed to knock most of the cabinet's contents on the floor when she hit her head.
"Tampons," She said shortly, and both of their eyes strayed to the empty box with Tampax emblazoned on the front.
"Ah," Marcus had almost entirely forgotten that she was still fertile. Of course he could smell the slight change in her scent whenever she was menstruating, but since she used tampons it was very hard to tell when she was bleeding. He was the only one who noticed the change in her scent because he was so attuned to her.
He could smell it now come to think of it.
"I need to go into town," Castiel said gently, peering up at Marcus to gauge his reaction. She hadn't left the castle grounds yet and knew that now was a bad time for her to want to go out. Most of the Volturi were insanely busy at the moment and everyone was rushing about finalizing plans and packing as they were all going to be leaving the next day.
Her face fell as she considered that.
Aro, Caius and Marcus would all be going to Mexico with the guard, and while she didn't see any of them entering the fight, Aro insisted it was necessary that Marcus leave as the two of them were essential in finding the creators of the newborn army.
Marcus is essential in finding those responsible. Castiel reminded herself. Marcus is the only one capable of reading the bonds the newborns would have to their creators, so he was necessary for Demetri to be able to find a trail.
They couldn't just send Demetri because it wouldn't be the first time a criminal tried to get around his gift and used a sire scheme to try to avoid being traced.
A sire scheme was when a vampire created another vampire, solely for the purpose of changing and creating a bunch of newborns for use in an army. It was a ploy so that if Demetri, who was known around the world as a near infallible tracker, were to be sent to find the creator of the army and follow the mental tenor of the sire of the army, he would find the wrong person.
This was where Marcus came in to play. One mere glimpse of the scene with his gift and he'd be able to see the strands linking them together. He'd be able to find the sire of the sire and lead Demetri to them. Because no matter how much a person could lie through their teeth about whom they loved, who they hated, whom they created, and who created them – they would not be able to lie to Marcus.
And then Aro had to be there so he could be sure they had the right person by reading their thoughts.
This was why she hadn't expected Marcus to come and see her, she had assumed he'd be busy.
She saw him open his mouth and was sure that he was about to argue, so she hurried thought her next words.
"I can see the pharmacy in the town square from my window." She said quickly, stumbling over some of her words in her haste to get them all out before she was interrupted. "Please, it won't take long! I'll be gone only thirty minutes max."
Marcus pursed his lips, his dark eyes scrutinizing her face.
All of the elite guards were so busy at the moment that none of them were available to watch her and Caius certainly didn't have the time right now. Marcus personally did not trust any of the younger guards with her protection.
There were still guards watching the city, they would never leave Volterra unprotected, so surely she would be fine walking to the store on her own? Heidi was due to arrive with a tour very soon anyway… if there was ever a good time to make sure she was out of the castle it was now.
"Please?" She said softly, obviously worried he'd say no, "It really can't wait."
This was true, she couldn't exactly tell her period to come back at a more convenient time.
He sighed, "It's very windy out, you'll need to make sure you wear a scarf and promise me you'll see Arkos about that bump on your head when you get back."
Her face split into the biggest grin Marcus had seen all week as she jumped up to hug him, before swaying gently and grabbing his arm for support.
"Whoa – head rush."
Hurrying around him, obviously so she could go to her closet and get ready, she paused by the bathroom door, turning to face him with her face suddenly reddening as she blushed.
"What?" Marcus asked, concerned as she averted her gaze from his, staring down at her shoes.
"I need some money."
Oh. Marcus nodded and reached into his back pocket for his wallet so he could pull out a few bills for her. He knew that asking him for money made her feel very self-conscious because she was used to paying her own way and unaccustomed to life where money wasn't an issue. Not to mention that she obviously felt as if she were freeloading.
Meeting her by the door he pulled her securely into his arms, kissing her softly before making her promise him that she would be careful.
It was very windy when Castiel stepped onto the cobblestone street from the front entrance of the castle. The sun was at the highest point in the sky, signaling that it was noon as she bent her face against the wind, heading in the direction of the pharmacy.
She had changed into a pair of blue jeans, sneakers, and a grey cable knit sweater before she left, and she had on the light brown leather jacket she had worn her first day in Volterra. It was Athenadora's, and when she mentioned how much she liked it her sister said she could keep it.
Her walk to the pharmacy took no longer than ten minutes, and in that time Castiel looked excitedly around the city at the people mulling about on their business. There were little shops all around the plaza that people were bustling in an out of. There was an antique shop, a jewelry store, a bakery… all of the stores here seemed to be family owned.
When she entered the pharmacy, the door made an electronic beeping sound announcing her arrival. Removing the scarf she had wrapped firmly around her head to cover her mouth, nose, and ears, she inhaled the overly clean scent of the store as she took a quick glance around.
She might not have been fluent in Italian, but even she could pick out that the sign that read igiene femminile meant feminine hygiene.
And luckily upon closer inspection of said aisle, she noticed that while Volterra might not have had many brand-named stores, they did have brand named tampons.
She grabbed two boxes of Tampax, sure that they would be enough to hold her over for three months or so, and head over to the register by the front of the store. She wanted to be quick about her trip knowing that Marcus was probably having angina at that very moment.
There was no line as the store only had one elderly couple browsing the aisles at the back near the small pharmacy counter, and the boy working the register looked to be around her age.
He had sandy colored hair, brown eyes, and a stocky build. He smiled at her in a friendly way as she approached, and she noticed he had dimples when he grinned just like she did.
"Ciao! Trova tutto a posto?" He said happily, smiling hugely so she could see all of his perfect teeth at her answering, and slightly more timid, smile.
"Err sorry," She apologized, setting the boxes down on the counter, "I don't speak Italian."
"Ah American?" It wasn't so much as a question as a statement, and he continued in near-perfect English, seemingly oblivious to her nerves and her haste to leave. "I'm surprised. Many tourists don't stay longer than a week after the parade."
His accent was thick when he spoke, but his tone was no less friendly as he rang up her purchases and put them in a paper bag.
"Parade?" Castiel asked curiously, her head tilting slightly as she surveyed him; passing him the money Marcus had given her.
He looked a little confused at her confusion as he handed back her change, his expression indicating that she must have given him way too much money. She hadn't bothered to so much at glance at the bills after Marcus gave them to her in the bathroom. "Yes, the Saint Marcus Day Parade. It passed nearly three weeks ago. Is that not why you come here?"
She was shocked. Saint Marcus Day parade? No one had told her there was a parade that took place in the city; she probably would have liked to go. Maybe she would have wondered why she didn't notice, but she spent so much time inside, and most of the castle was underground so no matter how much noise was being made it probably wouldn't get through the castle walls.
And Saint Marcus? Her imagination was starting to run away with her, there was no way it could be-
"Saint Marcus Day is when our town celebrates an old priest that ran all the vampires out of Volterra three-thousand years ago." The boy behind the counter explained, smirking at her expression when her mouth popped open in shock. "I mean, it is just a novelty thing, we use the day to celebrate our police force here. Volterra is a very safe place to live.
Castiel was sure that was true, but only she knew that that safety was not because of the stellar job the police was doing.
Well not the human police anyway.
She must have gotten lost in her own thoughts, because she didn't even notice the boy trying to pass her bag over the counter until he cleared his throat.
"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry I must have spaced out a bit." She said, embarrassed as she tucked the bag under her arm, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
He smiled reassuringly, watching her with an almost hungry expression as she lowered her hand, "No problem bellissima," He paused thoughtfully, "I'll see you around yes?"
"Err," She really didn't know what to say, and was confused by how hopeful expression had become. "Yeah, yeah I suppose. Bye!"
When she had returned from her trip to the store Castiel didn't go see Arkos, instead she went straight to the meeting room knowing that Marcus was probably sick with worry. It was good she did too, because when she paused to ask a passing guard where Marcus was the guard told her he was in a meeting that was probably going to end any second now. Castiel knew he was likely to go out looking for her at any moment.
She had been right, of course. Marcus was pacing nervously back and forth when she entered at the very moment that Aro was telling him to just relax and be patient.
And now Castiel was cackling, sitting lazily in Marcus' throne and repeating the phrase "Saint Marcus" over and over through her laughter. Her legs were thrown over the left armrest as her mate stared at her with a bemused expression from the table on the left side of the room. He and Caius were in the middle of finalizing flight plans for the trip to Mexico, Aro was reading something on his phone from his place on the throne next to Marcus', and Sulpicia and Athenadora where sitting on the floor by his feet, looking at a map.
She was laughing so hard tears began to run down her face, "Why didn't you tell me?"
He didn't respond immediately since Caius was talking in his other ear making it hard to choose whom to respond to first.
"You guys really toe the line sometimes you know?" She asked, wiping her eyes on the handkerchief Aro held out wordlessly to her and calming down, "You, the brave priest who ran all of the vampires out of Volterra thousands of years ago."
Marcus shrugged, choosing to ignore Caius for the moment, "Most of the myths about vampire's stem from us Castiel. Making our species a product of myths and legends was essential to survive."
"I know that!" She said indignantly, "But c'mon. Specifically saying you were the one to rid the town of vampires." She shook her head, grinning. "The boy at the register looked at me like I'd lost my mind! I couldn't focus on a word he said after he told me that."
Caius spoke loudly, determined that he wouldn't be overlooked again. His expression was pretty cross as he rounded on Marcus. "Why don't you go to your rooms and retrieve the papers. We already know your little mate has lost hold of her senses, so I see no need to humor her questions-,"
Marcus rolled his eyes and turned toward the door – missing Castiel giving Caius the finger – and only turning around again when he was at the doors to the room due to Caius' cry of outrage.
Caius spluttered incoherently for a moment, before jabbing a finger in Castiel's direction, casting a furious glare at Marcus. "You need to control her!"
Marcus raised one perfect eyebrow at his brother, looking thoroughly unimpressed and causing Caius to bark demandingly at Aro. "You saw her!"
Aro did not look up from his phone and continued scrolling, giving a short, "I saw nothing" in reply.
"Alright children that's enough," Sulpicia said, giving both Caius and Castiel a sharp look in turn.
Castiel stuck her tongue out at Caius, who motioned furiously at her, staring at Marcus with a look that would have made any of the guard tremble.
Marcus rolled his eyes, "Dearest don't antagonize him, and Caius grow up."
"She gave me the finger!" Caius yelled furiously, his expression now one of the utmost indignations.
Marcus shrugged, turning and striding from the room saying, "Innocent until proven guilty. I will go get the flight plans."
"What's this?"
Everyone's gaze flickered to Marcus' back at his words because of how alarming his tone was.
He had been retrieving his change from the bag that held Castiel's purchase, she had set it on the table he and Caius were working at when she came in and said she unthinkingly dropped the money in there on her way back from the store, and was now staring down at something in his hand. His entire body was rigid.
"Err," Castiel was confused. Marcus sounded very… mad, and she couldn't imagine why her tampons had offended him. "Tampons?"
He turned to face her then, and everyone's eyes now strayed to the piece of paper he was holding up.
Castiel squinted as she tried to bring the paper into focus, but it was too far away for her nearsightedness to allow her to see it clearly. "Uh – my receipt? What they weren't super expensive or something were they?"
Both Sulpicia and Athenadora turned to look at her, but it was Sulpicia who spoke first.
"No honey, it's not the prices-," She glanced nervously at Marcus, who slowly stride over to where Castiel was sitting on his chair and held the receipt out to her, his expression now completely blank.
If it hadn't been for how confused she looked, Marcus might have been very very hurt by that little piece of paper. His emotions were ranging from anger, to jealousy, to betrayal, and back again so fast he could hardly make sense of his thoughts. He was trying very hard to fight off the worst of the feelings though; the feeling of the pain that had become so sharp in his chest it felt as though a knife had been lodged in his heart.
Taking the paper, Castiel suddenly saw what all the fuss was about and understood why both her sisters, and now Caius and Aro as well, were looking so apprehensive.
The name Kevin was printed on the back of the receipt in an untidy scrawl and what was obviously a phone number was written beneath it.
"Who's Kevin?" She asked aloud, though she knew she wouldn't get an answer.
But those two words seemed to ease the tension in the room as everyone shared confused glances and their stiff postures thawed.
Aro leaned toward her, stretching his arm out from his throne in a silent request.
Castiel reached out and gripped his fingers without a second thought, her brows still pinched together in confusion as she stared at the phone number.
"Ah Castiel," Aro sighed airily, shaking his head as he leaned back in his throne. "I swear you wouldn't recognize someone flirting with you even if they wrote it on their forehead."
"Hey!" She said indignantly as Aro continued speaking, ignoring her outburst.
"The boy was enamored with you the moment you walked up to the register. But I see you had other things on your mind so you missed it." His sharp gaze shifted to Marcus' face. "Relax brother. Castiel's a very pretty girl and new to the town, is it not so strange the boy tried courting her? I did notice he checked her hand for a ring while she was lost in thought."
Marcus' gaze flickered unconsciously to Castiel's left hand at this. He knew there was no way he'd be able to convince her to wear a ring, but perhaps giving her another hickey before she went out anywhere…
The idea was tempting at first, but then he remembered the fit she threw after finding out he had given her a hickey for the first time and decided against it.
"Marcus," Castiel's soft voice pulled him from his train of thought, and he saw that she was smiling at him, but her eyes looked a little sad. "I wasn't interested in him at all… you believe that don't you?"
Her words rang with sincerity, and he didn't hesitate to crumple the little paper and drop it to the floor before reaching down to grip her waist and pull her to him.
He embraced her tenderly, folding his arms around her and burying his face in her hair. He had never considered just how much it would hurt if Castiel was to say she wanted someone else, someone human. Of course, if it was truly what would have made her happy, he could have let her go. He loved her enough to do that. He loved her so much that even if it meant he would be damned to eternal misery without her, he would take it so she could be happy.
So the relief that she still wanted him, him and not some stupid human boy, was so all consuming he felt lighter than air.
He realized by the slight noise of his siblings shifting in their places that they had turned to look away from him and Castiel, sure they felt as if they were intruding on a very private moment by looking.
"Come," He whispered to her after a few more minutes of silence, during which he continued to bask in the warmth of their bond; in the solidness of it, "I need to finish packing."
"Take me with you," Castiel insisted again, her voice no louder than a whisper as she sat curled up on Marcus' lap at his desk by the window.
She knew it was no good. Marcus merely sighed deeply and pressed his cheek against the top of her head as he stared serenely out the window too, enjoying the comfort of holding her.
"You know I cannot allow that. It's much too dangerous." He said wearily, flexing his arms to give her a light squeeze.
"But I can help!" She said loudly, causing him to let out a small growl of frustration.
"I'm not discussing this with you any further." He said sternly, no longer willing to argue the subject with her.
And that was the end of that conversation, because she knew frustrating Marcus would get her nowhere, and she really didn't want to fight with him before he left for god knew how long.
Hours later, Castiel found herself standing in the garage between Sulpicia and Athenadora, the former of which had her arm around her shoulders, securely wedging her against her marble side.
The guard had loaded up into a fleet of black SUV's, the vehicles looking very ominous with no descript markings and entirely tinted windows. Many cars had already departed but there were five more waiting to leave after the car that would be transporting Aro, Marcus, and Caius. There was a small holdup since Marcus had yet to climb into the back of the car.
"Just a moment," He whispered softly to his brothers as he leaned down slightly to poke his head into the car, "I just have to say goodbye to my girl,"
Aro and Caius both gave an understanding nod and Marcus stepped back, shutting the door with a soft thump, and effectively cutting them off from the coming conversation in the only way he could because they'd still be able to hear him regardless.
He drifted forward to where Castiel stood with his sisters and took her face in his hands. "Dearest," He murmured gently, "Don't fret, please. You know everything will be alright. No one is going to die."
"I know that," She mumbled, trying to focus on relaxing her stiff posture against Sulpicia's side. It was true. She wasn't worried that anyone was going to die, and she wasn't worried the plan would go wrong, or that they would be gone longer than expected.
She was only upset that Marcus – Marcus who had been there for her since her very first day in Volterra, who made the castle seem more like a home than a prison, who had become her best friend – would not be around.
Castiel knew the bond must be tugging at him, she could feel it. It was like something in her heart was insistently trying to yank him closer to her… trying to make him stay.
"We'll take care of her Marcus," Sulpicia reassured, giving Castiel's shoulders a small squeeze.
"Yes!" Athenadora said excitedly, grabbing Castiel's elbow from her other side, "We're going to have a sleepover! It'll be great."
Castiel gave Marcus a very forced-looking grin, causing him to narrow his eyes at his sister. But before he could open his mouth to speak, Athenadora scoffed, "We won't let her get a black eye Marcus, so you can just be quiet."
With a small headshake and a sigh, Marcus leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead.
"Stay in my rooms while I am away. It will make it better I promise." He was referring to the inevitable bond strain of course, and while it was nearly unbearable for him to leave his imprint behind in another country, the idea of take her with him into an extremely dangerous war zone was completely abhorrent.
He might have seemed completely at ease on the outside, but he was only controlling his expressions and emotions to the best of his abilities for Castiel's sake.
He drifted back to the SUV and opened the door, and had only climbed half in before he stopped and turned back to look at the three of them, a pleading look in his eyes as he stared into the blue eyes of his mate.
"And stay out of trouble. Please."
Day One
Thud. Thump. Smack.
…
Thud. Thump. Smack
…
Thud. Thump. Smack.
…
Athenadora's hand shot out and caught the pink high-bounce ball, interrupting the rhythmic bumping as she stopped it from hitting the wall again.
"Dora," Castiel whined, irritated. She had been bouncing the ball off the wall, where it would hit the floor and land in her outstretched hand for over and hour. She had reached 507 uninterrupted bounces and was hoping to get to a thousand before her fair-haired sister broke her rhythm.
Athenadora looked swiftly around the throne room, watching as the dozen guards they had been left with seemed to be shaking themselves out of slight stupors since all eyes in the room had previously been following to progress of the ball.
Castiel was sitting on the floor in front of Marcus' throne, and Sulpicia was sitting in Aro's, her ankles crossed as she flipped through a National Geographic magazine.
Tossing the ball back to Castiel, Athenadora said, "I only came to let you guys know that they've set up camp in Mexico around an hour ago. The scouting team is scavenging the area at the moment and the fight will take place in six days."
"I know that," Castiel sighed. It was true, she had been continuously watching the progress of Marcus and his brother's since they had left yesterday, unable to help her nervousness at Marcus being gone for the first time – and to fight some dangerous enemy too!
She knew he wouldn't be fighting, but the simple fact that he wasn't with her, but somewhere in Mexico was enough to scare her.
Athenadora scowled and Sulpicia looked up from her magazine to gaze at the pair before speaking, "How are you feeling Castiel? You haven't eaten anything since before they left."
Castiel, who had been expecting the question, shrugged her shoulders as she turned the ball around and around in her hand.
"I'm not hungry,"
This wasn't a lie. She hadn't felt even the slightest stab of hunger since everyone left. She saw out of the corner of her eye as Sulpicia and Athenadora shared a concerned look before the latter came to perch on the arm of her Mate's throne, reaching down to stroke her hair.
"Come on," Athenadora did her best to sound enthusiastic, "Lets get you something from the kitchens, then we can go work in the garage together!"
"Castiel, why don't you come give me a hand over here?"
Athenadora's voice broke Castiel out of her musing as she inspected every inch of the Harley Davidson Road King closest to where Athenadora was working on the undercarriage of a jet-black Aston Martin with entirely tinted windows. The only visible part of her sister being her shapely legs that were clad in simple blue jeans.
She let out a small sigh; dropping the rag she had been using to polish the bike carelessly onto the ground before going to sit next to Athenadora's legs.
It became obvious that all Athenadora needed her for was to pass her certain tools that were slightly out of reach, so Castiel found herself becoming bored rather quickly. Her eyes kept straying to the stationary Honda Shadow Phantom, and she was fantasizing about how nice it would be to go outside and just ride for hours.
If only…
The idea occurred to Castiel within seconds and as discreetly as she could Castiel slipped into one of her visions, trying to make sure she remained mostly present so Athenadora wouldn't realize anything.
"Err, Dora?" Castiel did her best to sound nonchalant, but something in her tone must have given her away, because moments later her sister slid out from under the car before sitting up on the skateboard to look at her.
"What is it?" Athenadora's voice was appropriately concerned, and Castiel knew she was worried that she was experiencing bond strain.
"What uh... what's the plan for tomorrow? I mean, is anything going on?"
Castiel knew she was failing miserably at sounding as if she weren't up to anything but, though Athenadora raised her brow, her sister answered her question and thankfully didn't sound suspicious at all.
But perhaps that was just because she had become a very good actor in the many centuries she had been alive.
"Actually, we have a few trials going on tomorrow," Athenadora sounded suddenly apologetic, as if she felt bad at the prospect of leaving Castiel with no company. "It is customary for Sulpicia and I to sit in for our mates when they are away… Veronica and Daphne were going to sit in on Marcus' behalf."
Of course. Castiel had nearly forgotten Veronica and Daphne were still in Volterra. Perhaps because the departure of the rest of the Ushakov coven made her forget that the twins were not fond of fighting.
"But you can sit in for Marcus if you want!" Athenadora said quickly, as if she was worried Castiel would be offended that she wasn't asked to sit in for her mate from the get-go. "I see no reason that you can't at least try to vote in a trial. We can all help you if you are confused too. It's all about hearing the facts and speaking your mind on the matter, you only need to tell us exactly how you feel for-,"
"Dora!" Castiel interrupted her sisters rambling. This plan was not going in the direction she wanted it to, and with a fugitive glance at the motorcycles that she hoped her sister didn't catch, she shook her head. "Dora… I'll be fine. I think – I think I'll just come down here and rotate some of the tires and change the oil on the cars you tagged for yearly maintenance."
Her heart rate had picked up slightly at the lie and Athenadora thankfully didn't look suspicious. Her sister looked sympathetic, mistaking her increased heart rate for nervousness.
Well, she was nervous, but not about being left alone.
"I'll come down right after the trials," Dora promised, reaching forward to pat the hand Castiel had resting on her thigh. "And then we can do something fun! Maybe we can go out into town and you can get a Gelato, we don't have to tell the boys we left the castle."
She winked at her, and Castiel almost laughed at the fact that Athenadora had called Aro, Marcus, and Caius "the boys" as they were as far from boys as one could possibly get.
Day Two
Castiel's heart was hammering in her chest. It felt as if it were going to break through her ribs as she shut the heavy metal door to the garage.
She was fortunate she was even able to open the door without assistance, why on earth did all the doors here have to weigh a ton?
As the motion sensitive lights kicked on, all the hairs on Castiel's arms stood up. Turning slowly on the spot she looked around the seemingly deserted garage, hoping that this feeling, the feeling that she where being watched, was all in her head.
She felt a slight pressure in her head as she fought back the urge to slip into one of her visions. The unexpected feeling of vulnerability was causing her gift to attempt to act up in her defense.
With one last fleeting look around the garage, Castiel walked quickly to the Phantom and threw her leg over the seat before zipping her jacket more securely. She had dressed for riding. She wore the leather jacket Athenadora had given her, sturdy skin-tight jeans, and tightly laced black boots with a rough tread on the bottom.
She used to own gear specifically for riding, but she knew that if she asked for special gear here, she would be promptly denied.
The key was still in the ignition, but before starting the bike Castiel looked around again and saw what she was looking for right away.
A sleek black helmet that would protect her head with a face shield that looked like a black mirror was sitting on a small shelf among others like it on the wall to her right.
Jumping from the seat, she hurried to the shelf and picked up the helmet that originally caught her attention. It was shiny and new, and as she flipped it over to look inside, she noticed it looked completely unused. This was strange because as she inspected the others on the shelf, she could see that they were worn in – some were even decorated with an assortment of stickers.
Castiel as glad she gave herself a messy braid, so she didn't need to waste any more time other than what was necessary to make sure the helmet fit properly and was latched correctly. It fit her perfectly and that only made her feel even more uneasy.
Walking away from the shelf she headed to the only vehicle she knew held a garage door opener and stood on the wheel of the hummer before reaching in the open window to hit the small grey button.
The garage door rumbled immediately to life as it began to go up, and Castiel jumped down, landing lightly on the balls of her feet.
She didn't remember going back to the bike or it rumbling to life, she didn't think about how she would shut the garage door or, if it closed automatically, what she would do to get back in.
Because the feeling of the bike flying forward, and her moving slightly too fast up the sloping tunnel that would lead her out into open air was the only thing her mind could register. It was as if she had left all her worries and stress behind her in the garage.
Blazing sunlight. This was the first thing she registered as she came out onto the small paved street that lead to the tunnel. The road only went right, as this little path seemed to be a side branch from a larger road somewhere, so she followed it without a second thought, glad that her helmet was tinted darkly enough to protect her eyes from the suns glare.
She was relieved to find that she didn't feel cold at all … well if she didn't include her hands that is, which were currently stinging with cold from the harsh winds of the hilltop.
She had forgotten gloves.
She rode for a little while along the windy road, thinking of nothing in particular and just luxuriating in the exhilaration she felt to be free, and truly free, for the first time in months.
Unexpectedly her path met with the larger road it branched off of, and she had to take a hard left, the bike leaning dangerously far but still not causing her any fear. She gasped aloud once the righted herself because the view. The view was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The lush green hills of Tuscany rolling below her where all she could see since she seemed to be on one of the highest. Castiel knew that if she looked behind herself and up, she would probably see the outer walls of Volterra.
Going downhill was a little frightening to her because there were parts of this road that were very steep, and she didn't see any other cars for a while.
But when she did see another car, her ears were met with the sound of an angry horn as she let out a cry of shock and yanked her bike to the right to avoid collision. She was going rather fast, and she had a moment where her heart raced furiously as she had to bring the bike under control as it had a few moments of speed wobble.
And once the bike was steady again, she found herself laughing so hard she thought she would cry because she was both happy and startled.
She didn't even care that the driver of the other car made a rude hand gesture to her out the window, which she saw in her tiny side mirror, because she was too busy laughing at herself.
Right. It would probably be a good idea if she refrained from riding in the middle of the road. She wasn't the only person in the world after all, even if it certainly felt like she was at this moment.
She continued to drive for what felt like a long time. Was it an hour? Two? She couldn't be sure though she knew she must be getting further and further from Volterra once she started encountering more traffic and new towns. She had to stop multiple times for gas and was very, very relieved that in one of the saddlebags on the bike the owner had stashed a roll of money.
Venice was only a few hours' drive from Volterra, was she heading in that direction? Or was she going the wrong way?
For a moment her stomach felt like it did a summersault in her chest. She had been riding instinctually and was so focused on her feeling of freedom that she didn't think about where she was heading at all.
How on earth was she supposed to get back to Volterra? She could try and ask someone in the next town she came to but that was only going to work if they spoke English.
She should be worried Castiel knew she should be concerned that she couldn't find her way back, hell Sulpicia and Athenadora probably already noticed she was gone. What would they do? Would they send some of the guard that was still in Volterra after her? Would they call Marcus, Aro, and Caius? Would they assume something bad had happened to her?
Probably.
But she didn't want to go back, not yet! Not when for the first time in months she was completely alone to do as she liked.
So, against what she knew was her better judgement, she continued to ride taking a small road that led her on a flat plain through very level grassy fields. There were no cars as far as she could see, and she was utterly at ease coasting along this road for a very large number of minutes.
And then she saw it. It came from nothing, as soundless as a shadow the sleek black sports car appeared in her side mirror.
All the windows were fully tinted, it was low to the ground and the glossy black paint glinted in the sunlight. It was an Aston Martin Vulcan… the same Aston Martin Vulcan she had observed in the garage just the other day – she could tell by the license plate.
Fuck.
Castiel went rigid as she stared at the car, not slowing or pulling over, even though she was sure it had come for her.
A minute or so passed, and the Vulcan didn't get any closer to her than it was when in appeared in her mirror. It was still about five car lengths back. Whoever was driving didn't honk the horn, or flash the lights, or try to cut her off; the car just tailed her exactly like a giant shadow. If she veered a few feet to the right it would do the same, if she slowed a bit so would it.
Who was driving? There was no way it was her sisters or Daphne and Veronica; she knew they wouldn't be content to merely follow.
Suddenly, in the distance, the outskirts of a town appeared on her far right and, before she could debate if she should go to it or continue past it, the Vulcan flashed its lights at her once and put its right turn indicator on for a fraction of a second.
She paused for a moment but hit her right turn indicator for a second as well to show she understood.
It was no good to pretend she would be able to lose her unexpected guardian.
It took nearly twenty minutes to reach that distant landmark, and she was startled to notice that as she got closer that the little town, she could see that it was overlooking the water. She must be somewhere near the coast.
As she and the Vulcan came to the outskirts of the town, she noticed they passed a sign that said Livorno. Castiel had never seen the word before but could only assume it was the name of the place.
It was not as easy to traverse into the town, no, the city, as she assumed it would be. The roads were very narrow, and the homes were so colorful and close together she was sure she would get desperately lost in a matter of minutes.
Finally, she saw the opportunity she had been waiting for as she came to a wider road that had cars parked closely on either side of her.
Alright, she didn't see the opportunity. The Vulcan did. It was only when it turned on it's left turn indicator that she noticed a spot large enough for both the bike and the sports car to squeeze into.
Conveniently this whole street was shrouded in shade, and she pulled into the spot without a second thought, allowing the front wheel of her bike to nudge the back bumper of the car in front of her.
The Vulcan pulled up alongside her and the car she just nudged before expertly backing into the space available behind her. It didn't matter how hard she stared into the driver's window, or that she took of her helmet, or turned her head to squint at the windshield; she couldn't see even the silhouette of the person driving.
The gentle hum of the Vulcan stopped as the driver turned the car off, surely this was a sign that she wasn't about to be forced into the passengers seat and immediately driven back to the safety of the castle because they would have left the car on if that was the case.
So, what exactly was going on?
The driver's door opened slowly, and the vampire who had followed her got out.
Castiel limbs tensed in less than half a second. She was prepared to bolt as she filled her lungs with air, preparing to scream if necessary before backing into the small area of sun available in the street – just a thin ray of light that escaped a small crack between the upper levels of two houses – hoping this would keep the vampire from reaching for her.
She did not recognize him. He was lean and dark with sharp cheek bones and full lips. His read eyes were dark with hunger, showing he must not have fed anytime recently, and the dark olive tone of his skin made her think of how she had just referred to the Vulcan as a shadow and how the description also fit him.
He was extremely good looking. His hair was buzzed short and his black jacket hugged his body. He wore sturdy looking jeans and tan working boots.
She watched as his hand, strong with long fingers, reached into his pocket to procure a pair of sunglasses which he put on effectively breaking the eye contact the two of them had been holding for a very long minute.
He held a hand up to her, "Peace."
His voice vas very, very deep, and he had an accent that she couldn't place right away.
Castiel said nothing; though she did let out the breath she had been saving for a scream.
"Well well well our pretty little bird finally took flight; I knew it was only a matter of time." His tone was mocking. There was an air of superiority about the way he held himself.
He grinned at her, showing his perfectly white teeth, which stood out in contrast with his olive pallor.
"Who are you?" She snapped, already impatient with this vampire. Something about him told her that he liked to play with his food, and the way he looked at her – looked at her as if she were a joke – rubbed her the wrong way.
"I am Kemar," The vampire said, taking a step toward her but not leaving the safety of the shadows. He raised his left arm and shook back the sleeve to his jacket – that seemed to be a windbreaker – to show her a thick leather cuff on his wrist with a crest she had never seen before stamped into it.
"I don't know what that means," She snapped, she didn't like how coy he was being.
Kemar laughed, his deep chuckle making her hair stand on end again, "Ah you have a sharp little beak, don't you? Raphael told me as much. Our coven has been staying with yours for many weeks and you never noticed our crest?"
Castiel scowled at him. His tone was very plainly hinting that she must be very dim to not have noticed before, but she ignored the jab at her intelligence.
"Raphael?"
He nodded at her, and in that moment the sun shifted behind clouds she hadn't noticed before, and Kemar came to stand close to her, so close that his chest was a mere six inches from her own.
Reflexively she jumped back, and he grinned toothily again, his smile was a mockery of her fear.
She had a feeling he was doing all of this to make a point, to show off to her that she was the prey in this situation, and she suddenly realized why she was so weary of him. The sharp angles of his cheeks, his quick movements and his posture… they all hinted at lethality in a deeper way than she was accustomed to with most immortals.
The only logical explanation was that this vampire must be more dangerous than most.
"Yes, he seemed to think that you needed a guard, and thus," He waved a hand airily, moving so he walked around her in a slow circle, staring at her as if he was looking at a piece of furniture he was interested in buying, "I was drafted into the position."
"Drafted?" Castiel scoffed, turning her head so she could follow his progress as he walked around her. "Oh, I didn't realize being asked to protect me was like being drafted into war."
Her tone was contemptuous, and he raised his perfect brows at her, looking mildly surprised.
"Of course it is," He said, "Being your guard is probably the most dangerous position available in the Volturi… though of course you can't possibly know this, if you did there's no way you would have been so foolish as to leave the castle without a guard."
Castiel paused as she registered what he had said. Being her guard was the most dangerous position in the Volturi? What a joke! There was no way that could be true.
But it still made her uncomfortable.
"I didn't leave the castle without a guard though." Castiel raised her brows right back at him, trying not to let him see how nervous she suddenly was, and he laughed.
"You did not know I was there – or perhaps you did? You looked rather alert in the garage… Hm. But either way, it doesn't count."
The garage. So, she was being watched. He must have been sitting in the Vulcan for hours waiting for her to take the motorcycle.
But if he knew she was going to take the motorcycle then-
"You are a terrible actor," The vampire laughed softly, before reaching up to rub his chin thoughtfully, "Actually… no. From what I have heard you are a very good actor when you need to be. Though perhaps the knowledge of wrongdoing makes it hard for you to lie convincingly."
His gaze was menacing as he lowered his hand from his face, "But I would not want you to walk away with the belief that you'd be able to pull off this little day trip of yours again. The wives might believe you are too trustworthy to lie, but the brothers would have never fallen for your shit." Kemar laughed, "You were so obvious! If it was anyone but Lady Athenadora you would have been found out right away."
"How long have you been watching me?" Castiel's voice was louder than she expected it to be and sounded both unsettled and indignant at the same time.
"Since the ancient's, Raphael, Nikita, and the rest of my coven left. Originally I was supposed to go but Raphael insisted I stay behind to watch you… so many of our kind are very protective of you." He stopped walking around her and stood in front of her again, though not so close this time. "Why?"
"Maybe it's because I'm just so charming," Castiel answered sarcastically.
Kemar shook his head "No it isn't that," he said completely serious and seemingly unaware how offensive he was being. "You aren't even that pretty. You're so small with strange red hair. I wouldn't think-,"
Castiel cut him off before he could continue, snapping, "Well once you've finished explaining why I'm not your type, feel free to fuck off back to Volterra."
She turned on her heel and stomped away from him. She could see a break in the back of the houses further up the street and hoped it would lead her into town.
But, unfortunately, Kemar was beside her in an instant, looping his arm through hers as if in companionship and tugging her close to his side. "Oh, don't be so angry I'm only trying to understand."
Castiel tried tugging her arm free of his, but he held fast and strong. She would not be able to lose him now that he was here. "Well I don't know the exact reason why people care about me! Does anyone? I'm not Aro, I don't have a quick glimpse into everyone's mind to figure out their motives. Now let go of me."
"No, no I don't think I will. I wouldn't want to lose my little bird in a crowd, now would I?"
She bristled, disliking the pet name he had given her but Kemar seemed not to notice or care about her irritation. "You see, there are a handful of immortals who would give their life for you. Not because they have to, but because they care. I personally, along with most of the guard, would die protecting you that is true… but only because it is expected of my position. Not because I care."
"Fuck off, will you?" Her voice had gotten high, and a little bit squeaky, and Kemar finally seemed to notice that he was being rude.
"I don't mean to offend," he said quickly, ignoring her struggles to free her arm, "I'm just trying to make sense of it."
"Well I'm sorry," She said sardonically, not bothering to keep her voice down, "I don't ask everyone I meet "Hey! What reasons do you have for liking me as a person? I'm just a pathetic human so I need to make up a list for when some asshole asks why other's actually care if I'm alive.""
"Keep your voice down!" Kemar snarled suddenly, bending his face low to her ear, "That group over there seems to think you need a rescue, and if you don't calm down, I'll be forced to do something drastic."
Castiel had been so angry she didn't even realize that Kemar had lead her out to a street with many multicolored buildings, most of which were shops with little apartments over them, but some were tiny little homes, and that the street was decently populated with people.
But once her eyes roamed past all these things and she made sure not to focus on any specific person, assuming that making eye contact with whoever Kemar said wanted to "rescue" her would only cause issues, she caught sight of the view and her mouth fell open.
They city they had entered overlooked an expanse of blue sea as far as the eye could see. Looking down into the valley, Castiel saw many little boats docked at the harbor and noticed that the whole city seemed to be made of vibrantly colored stores and homes. It was rainbow of color even to her with her rather limited range of color compared to average people. The city was beautiful, and something she expected to see on a postcard from someone vacationing in Italy and wishing to brag to his or her friends back home.
"We are in Livorno, a port city on the coast. It is only about an hour and a half trip from Volterra, but you took the more scenic route and nearly doubled the time it usually takes to get here." Kemar explained following her gaze before unlinking his arm with hers and moving it so it rested around her shoulders, his hand clamped firmly on her opposite arm. "Now smile and act like you want to be here with me."
It probably would have been hard to do what he said if the irony in his tone didn't show that he knew exactly how badly she wished to be here with anyone but him. So, she laughed, and he said something loudly in Italian that she couldn't understand, before he toed her forward and further down the busy street until they came to an area with a no stores, only a wide-open space of stone ground. The walls to the left seemed to be the back of some larger building that faced another street, while to the right it was nothing but a railing, obviously set there so people could look out at the view.
There were more people here than on the moderately busy street they just left, all taking pictures with their friend's, friend's taking solo shots of one another, and some with more expensive cameras taking shots of the water in a variety of strange positions.
"So, before I do cause a scene and drag you back to the car by your hair, why don't you tell me what your plans were for this little excursion?" Kemar said quietly, still staring out at the water exactly as she was.
His words probably would have made her step away from him, but the arm he had wrapped around her prevented that.
"I don't know. I wanted to ride the motorcycle. That's all."
She could see him looking down at her from her peripherals but did not meet the eyes behind the sunglasses as she squinted out at the water. She knew she had surprised him and that he must be checking her expression for honesty.
He seemed to see nothing contradicting what she said in her expression since he didn't begin to drag her away, but he did continue to stare at her for another minute that felt like an eternity since she was trying to avoid looking at him.
"Then let us not have made this trip for nothing." Kemar said suddenly, surprising her as he began to pull her further down the street, staring at something she couldn't quite see in the distance.
He ignored every protest she made about his man handling, and Castiel was surprised when he dragged her into a shop.
It was not a clothing store, or an antique shop, or somewhere that she could get something to eat. It was both a store and a doctor's office in one.
The walls were lined with rows and rows of glasses, sorted by designer, with one side with frames for women and the other for men. There were little round tables with computers taking up the floor space and some already had customers being helped by employees.
Kemar dragged her toward the back left corner of the shop, where there was a doorway that lead into a small waiting area with half a dozen chairs that grouped around two small tables with reading materials and a desk/counter that blocked the wall of patient files behind it. An elderly man was sitting near a computer he didn't seem to be using.
He looked up at their approach, giving Castiel a friendly smile before Kemar released her, muttering at her to sit down while he went up to talk to the man.
There was no one else in the waiting area, so Castiel merely took the nearest seat to the door while Kemar and the man chatted away in Italian. At first, the conversation didn't seem to be going the way Kemar had wanted it to with how the man was shaking his head and motioning to his book, but after a moment Kemar reached a long-fingered hand over the counter and pressed something into the elderly employee's palm.
The man began to splutter in surprise, and Kemar whispered something back.
Castiel glanced back over at them from the magazine covers she was observing just in time to see the employee's hand emerging empty from his jacket pocket before writing something down in the book. Kemar said "Grazie" and stepped away from the desk to sit with her.
He took the seat directly on her right, and his arm brushed hers when he sat as if he were reminding her that she wouldn't be able to get away from him. She scowled at his proximity, wishing he wouldn't sit so close.
"The doctor will examine your eyes in a moment. He said they were booked for a few weeks, but he found an area to squeeze you in."
Castiel stared at him in surprise, finally understanding the exchange he had with the man. "Did you bribe him?"
"Did I say that?" Kemar smirked, removing his sunglasses and placing them in his pocket. "I told him that I had a new acquaintance who moved here recently that has no glasses and an obvious trouble seeing. I merely paid for your appointment in advance and told him there was no need to give me any change."
She gaped at him for a moment before shaking her had and grabbing the nearest magazine to disappear behind it. She didn't know what the magazine was about and ended up just looking at the pictures since the whole thing was in Italian. She only grabbed it in the first place as an excuse to ignore her new shadow.
Her appointment came and went quickly, and Kemar stayed with her the whole time. He didn't even leave when the ophthalmologist tried to argue that he didn't need to be in the room, and since Kemar said something about her not being able to understand Italian he was allowed to stay to translate. It was good his eyes were so dark from hunger, if he were recently fed the red of his eyes probably would have frightened the eye doctor.
He walked across the street with her after the appointment was over so she could get some food in the small café there while they waited for her new glasses to be ready. Castiel was surprised to hear they could make them right away and that it would only be an hour wait. She had chosen a pair of simple black frames, not really caring to look around the store since the ones she had picked up looked very similar to the ones she used to have.
Almost two more hours had passed by the time Kemar told her they had to leave. He had indulged her enough to allow her to walk around the little town and look at the sights with her now crystal-clear vision due to her new glasses for a while, but it was obvious her fun had to come to an end.
"Do you think they realized that I've left Volterra?" Castiel questioned, lifting her helmet from where she had hung it one of the handlebars as the guard unlocked the Vulcan.
"The brothers or the wives?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows at her.
She shrugged as if saying take your pick. She knew that if Athenadora and Sulpicia realized she was gone Marcus and his brothers would undoubtedly get a call from them.
"I doubt it if I am to be completely honest," he said, surprising her, "Veronica and Daphne would have called me right away if you couldn't be found since they knew of my orders to guard you, and I haven't received a call all day."
His deep voice was bored as he showed her his phone screen, cleared of all notifications as if to prove a point.
"Regardless," He continued, putting his phone back into his pocket, "The longer we stay out the sooner the panic will start. I'll allow you to drive the bike back since I don't feel like coming back for it later. But we're going to take the fastest route, and if you veer off course…" His eyes were stern as he glared at her, "Remember I am not your mate. I will not coddle you and have no issue shoving you in the trunk of this car for the ride back to Volterra."
Castiel raised her brows, but her hands up to her shoulders at the threat. She very nearly dropped the helmet. "Fine! No need to get all pissy."
To her surprise Kemar's eyes trained on the helmet and he began to speak again rather than ducking into the Vulcan, the engine of which was now purring softly as he had turned it on seconds before.
"I cannot say that I am not confused as to why Master Caius purchased that helmet for you when Master Marcus is so against it."
This bought Castiel up short, and she found herself clutching the helmet in both hands.
"Caius? What are you talking about?"
Now he was the one raising his eyebrows at her. "I saw Master Caius bringing that very helmet to the garage just the other day. It seems that unlike your mate, Caius felt that if you truly wanted to ride that bike simply saying no wouldn't stop you. Didn't you find it strange at all that there was suddenly a brand-new helmet available that fits you so perfectly?"
Castiel was so stunned she couldn't speak. Caius bought her a helmet?
She and Marcus' blonde brother were not particularly close. Yes he had defended her in the library all those weeks ago, and yes they were polite to each other most of the time, but in the increasing amount of time they had spent together over the last week they bickered rather a lot.
But when Castiel really thought about it, they bickered like siblings… like he was the annoying older brother she never asked for.
As she inspected the helmet between her hands, her throat felt thick, and it became suddenly very hard to swallow. Caius showed his care for his family and for her with his actions rather than his words.
Kemar must have read that the raw emotion on her face was tearfulness, for the next thing he said was, "Oh don't start crying just yet. If you don't bring Alec's bike safely back to the garage he'll give you something to cry about."
And without another word he ducked into the car, shutting the door and revving the engine at her, obviously telling her to get going.
He seemed to enjoy dropping bombs on her, Castiel thought as she put on her helmet and kicked the bike to life. She had never spoken to Alec before even though she had seen him a couple times and was very weary of him. She hadn't known the bike belonged to him and might have thought better of her day trip if she did. Kemar seemed to take almost vindictive pleasure in causing her emotional upset, as if her capacity for emotion made her weak in his eyes.
Yeah, she didn't think she liked him much at all.
Day Three
By the next morning Castiel realized that it really was an extraordinary feat that her day trip from the castle hadn't been discovered. Dora, Sulpicia, and the twins were all still in court when she and Kemar returned, even though the sun was starting to set. Castiel took a quick shower in Marcus' room before heading to the kitchen for dinner.
Emmanuel of course was another story. The chef had gone to look for her around lunchtime because she hadn't come for any food all day and wasn't able to find her. For the first time the elderly chef had gotten stern with her, like a grandparent scolding a grandchild for doing something wrong, as she wouldn't tell him why he couldn't find her.
But, eventually, she cracked and told him about her trip because she was unhappy to see him unhappy with her for the first time and didn't really know how to process it since she didn't have grandparents growing up and therefore wasn't used to having a parent figure seeming so disapproving.
To her great surprise Emmanuel did not tell her off. He waved off her explanation that Marcus had told her she couldn't ride the motorcycle and that driving off like that was against the unwritten rules for her safety. He said that it was time she got out of the castle and hoped she had fun.
He even winked at her before she left and promised not to tell Marcus her secret, all the while advising her to lie about the glasses and say she ordered them online. This would not get past Aro of course, but hopefully her older brother would be able to keep this a secret for her sake.
Athenadora did come by later that night asking if she wanted to go out and get gelato like they had agreed to, but Castiel – already in her pajamas and curled up in Marcus' bed – said she was tired and didn't want to go out. She felt like she didn't deserve to get a frozen treat with the sister whose trust she had knowingly betrayed earlier that day… even if Dora didn't know about it.
But as she lay in Marcus' room in the early hours of the morning, Castiel couldn't help the strange sense of foreboding that seemed to have taken residence in her chest. The fight would be happening in three days and it was possible Marcus could be gone a few days longer than that. He hadn't contacted her in any way, but a quick conversation with Sulpicia told her that this was completely normal because no one would call unless there was something to tell. Anyway, Castiel had been feeling fine for the last few days so it wasn't like she was unintentionally sending Marcus distress signals through her emotions.
But now her chest was starting to ache. It felt like the bond was trying to yank her stomach from her little by little with a fishhook.
It was extremely uncomfortable the longer it went on, and the only thing that helped was curling up on her side and grabbing Marcus' pillow, clutching it to her chest as she shut her eyes and breathed deeply hoping his scent would help.
Day Six
Castiel was sitting between Athenadora's legs on Caius' throne in the council room. Her sister was hugging her from behind and purring softly against her back, trying to put her at ease enough to eat breakfast.
Today was the day of the fight, and the mating bond between Castiel and Marcus had flared up in the middle of the previous night, the pain of it waking Castiel from sleep in the early hours of the morning.
Athenadora and Sulpicia couldn't say they hadn't expected this to happen – they were surprised it had taken nearly a week to really act up and cause Castiel some discomfort. But then again, discomfort might have been the wrong word to use. Castiel was in a considerable amount of pain by the time she stumbled out of Marcus' room and into the back of Corin, a vampire whom she knew only by looks and name but no deeper than that; and begged her to find her sisters.
It was good that the wives were prepared for this to happen because they seemed to know exactly what to do to calm her down. They refused to let her curl in on herself insisting that the fetal position would only make it feel worse, and that she had to try to stand or sit straight at the very least. Sulpicia ordered all the male guards from the room and extinguished most of the lights so the room was only very dimly lit as Athenadora sat Castiel between her legs and began to cuddle her from behind.
Even thought the sun had risen hours ago, the room was still very dark as Castiel sat in silence with her company. Only Sulpicia, Athenadora, Daphne and Veronica were present in the room and Daphne had explained to her that the reduction of light and the less vampires around to startle her was the best way to go about making her feel better. Less stimulation to her nerves and senses would help her focus.
Athenadora's purr was very different than what she was used to. Castiel stared at the lines in the floor, focusing on the feeling. Dora's purr was less rough and strangely high pitched, it was more feminine than Marcus' was.
Unfortunately, this fact is what made it harder for Castiel to relax – something that was always very easy for her when Marcus purred – because while it was good, and it helped a little, it just wasn't the same.
"It's noon," Sulpicia said softly a little while later, breaking the long silence, "They will fight in seven hours."
Ah right. Castiel had nearly forgotten about the time difference.
She looked up to see four pairs of eternal red eyes staring at her, all asking the same silent question.
Castiel shook her head; "Nothing has changed, and they're still sticking to the plan. I'll check again now if it'll make you guys feel better."
Everyone nodded, and with a small sigh she went perfectly still, her expression dazed as her pupils dilated further.
No one made a sound or moved an inch. Athenadora stopped purring so the sound wouldn't interrupt Castiel. A minute passed, and then two, then three, before with a shake of her head Castiel pulled herself back into the present.
"Nothing new."
She was relieved when Dora began purring again, because the moment her sister stopped the pain in her stomach came back with a vengeance.
It hurt a little bit – not physically but emotionally – as Castiel thought about Marcus. She was a little stung that the bond was hurting her so much today and he hadn't called. She hadn't spoken to him since the garage and though he never promised that he would call her regularly she had assumed he would. And now that the imprinting-slash-mating bond between them was tugging at her so violently it made he feel like she wanted to puke, she felt like he owed her a phone call at the very least.
She was sure he could feel it too, and maybe it didn't feel as bad to him as it did to her because he wasn't human, but surely he must know that whatever he felt on his end would be magnified on hers.
Suddenly, it was as if there was a strange vibration coming from somewhere near her heart. It felt almost comforting… there was something about it that was reassuring and warm.
This new feeling causing the pain to vanish, leaving her chest as if there had never been any pain at all. There was no aching, no soreness, just… warmth.
Castiel leaned forward away from Athenadora, setting her elbows on he knees and burying her face in her hands, groaning in relief.
"Castiel!"
"Cas what's wrong?"
"What hurts?"
"Has something happened?"
The four frantic and suddenly loud voices made her jump, leaping off the seat and turning on her heel to face her sisters and the twins. She wasn't sure who said what, but their passionate voices had alarmed her.
"No," Castiel said quickly, holding her hands out as if to placate them, "No everything is fine. It's just the bond... it just stopped hurting. I was groaning because I was relieved."
This surprised them, and she saw Sulpicia and Athenadora share a look.
"It stopped hurting." Sulpicia repeated. "Just like that?"
Sulpicia was skeptical and moved forward to lift Castiel's chin with one finely manicured finger so she could look into her eyes.
"Well no it didn't just randomly stop hurting," Castiel clarified, "I began to feel really relaxed, and the bond was kinda… I dunno, humming, I guess. I just felt a little less lousy and my chest still feels all warm."
Sulpicia's expression betrayed no emotion, so Castiel didn't know if she found what she just said odd in any way before she launched into another question, "And what were you thinking about before the feeling?"
Castiel felt the warmth in her ears at the question, but she didn't lie as she answered. "Just… I was thinking about how crappy it was that Marcus hasn't tried to talk to me even once since he left. I was kind of moping about the fact that my heart felt like it was going to be ripped out of me, and I know he should feel it in some way, but he still hasn't tried to call or anything."
She said it all very fast and avoided looking at anyone as speaking her thoughts made her feel like she would cry. She was hurt and embarrassed and just… not used to being so open and vocal about her feelings.
Then it happened again, that same warm feeling engulfed her, and she felt as her body relaxed. She didn't noticed her shoulders had hunched and her body had tensed before.
Two firm, icy hands grabbed the tops of her arms, holding her steady when she suddenly swayed.
"Castiel." It was Veronica who spoke now, her tone kind, "What you were feeling then and no doubt at this very second is Marcus' doing. I know you can't separate his emotions from your own, but he's trying to comfort you."
Castiel's gaze flashed up to Sulpicia; it was her hands that had made sure she wouldn't fall.
"He can't tell you he loves you, so he trying to show you through the bond." Sulpicia explained, her expression tender. "He knows your feelings are hurt and I'm sure he knows you're uncomfortable. But I'm sure there is a very good reason he hasn't called. Are you feeling okay?"
Castiel nodded but honestly, she was feeling very lethargic. The manipulation of her emotions seemed to have a draining effect on her. "Tired. I'm so tired. Can I go to bed?"
Dora loped over to her side, linking their arms with a smile. "Of course. I'll walk you there. Marcus' room, right?"
Castiel only nodded and they set off together at a slow pace.
When Castiel woke up she knew it was very late. She felt groggy as she rolled onto her back and sat up, embarrassed when she looked over and noticed she had drooled on Marcus' pillow… she'd have to wash that before he got home.
When she stood up, she felt… odd. She felt strangely weak and shaky as if she were overcoming a bad bout of flu, but it was entirely possible this was just because she hadn't eaten that day. She probably just needed some sugar in her system.
The room was dark; she hadn't bothered to turn on any lights as she stumbled toward the bathroom and cursed loudly when her pinky toe hit the leg of the coffee table. Once she opened the bathroom door, she felt along the wall, her fingers skimming across the row of switches until she found the third one from the left – the one that would turn on the lights above the mirror – before pressing it and heading over to the sinks to check her reflection.
She was very pale, and she stared at her eyes – the looked too bright in her face – and her messy red curls.
Opening one of the drawers under the sink she was able to find a large toothed comb to run through her hair, and she ran it under some warm water before brushing through some of the worst of the knots, multitasking for a minute and grabbing the box of tampons off the back of the toilet to store under the sink since she didn't need them any more.
Once she was done brushing her hair, Castiel found herself feeling strangely lightheaded and sunk to the floor with her back against the cabinets under the sink. Maybe she was getting ill. Arkos was with the guard in Mexico so she'd have to wait to see him when he got back.
Putting her head between her knees she took a deep breath and shut her eyes.
Castiel could hear a stream rushing nearby – or a river – and birds were chirping overhead.
Her head snapped up. She was in the woods somewhere very green, and light filtered down through the canopy of the trees above her. The grass was thick and dewy, and all the trunks of the trees seemed to be covers in a generous amount of moss.
Castiel stood – no longer feeling shaky on her legs because this was her mental self, not her physical being – and waked in the direction of the water sounds, looking above her in the trees to watch the birds flying around.
She didn't have to walk far to find the stream, and she had been so distracted watching a sparrow flying from tree to tree that if she were solid she would have walked directly into the back of the man that was suddenly in front of her.
But she wasn't solid, so she merely passed through him before turning and looking up.
He was a vampire, all her visions had involved vampires as of late, and very good looking. He was almost as handsome to her as Marcus was – which was saying something – even though he and Marcus looked nothing alike.
This vampire was tall, lean but muscular, and blonde. His features looked like they belonged to a movie star and his eyes were the strangest shade of butterscotch.
The color of his eyes made something sir in the back of Castiel's memory; like she recognized him from somewhere but couldn't recall where.
"Edward," The blond man said, his expression composed as he looked at someone over her head.
The name was said as a form of greeting – acknowledgement of another's presence.
"No Carlisle. Absolutely not."
Castiel turned and saw that Carlisle was speaking to a boy who was standing at the edge of the stream, his back turned to it and his arms folded across his chest. He was glaring at the blonde vampire.
This boy was in his teens, she was sure of that, with messy bronze hair and a lean stature. Castiel wasn't positive he was good looking, but this was just because he seemed a little young to her – he was a boy and not a man – and the scowl he currently wore on his face definitely didn't help.
It was strange to see this boy speaking so rudely to the blonde man, to Carlisle, who must have been in his early thirties. To her it was like talking back to a parent and she cringed at the thought of if she were to speak to her father that way.
If she had ever dared to talk to her father like that... man she didn't even want to think about it.
But Carlisle seemed to expect this reaction, and Castiel's brow furrowed as she stared at Edward, his yellow eyes causing the same stirring in the back of her mind.
She didn't know these people… did she? Something about them rang a bell.
"Bring Bella to the Volturi? Are you out of your mind?" Edward almost snarled the last words, but it seemed like he was trying very hard to remain polite.
Carlisle stepped closer to Edward, his hands out in a pleading gesture, and into the path of the sun where it filtered down through the trees causing his skin to throw rainbow beams of light across the grass.
"Eleazar has been staying with them for weeks now. I just spoke to him this morning while you were at school. He said the rumors are true. Marcus does have a human mate and according to Eleazar she's very charming-,"
"Why should I care that that one of our rulers," He said the last word with a snide edge to his tone, "Picked some stupid girl to parade for his mate? What difference does that-,"
"Enough." Carlisle interrupted, his voice was not loud, but it was stern as he stared at Edward, who took a deep breath to calm himself. "Aro let you, Alice, and Bella go when the law had a claim on you-,"
"No, it didn't-," Edward began to argue, but Carlisle continued as if he hadn't been interrupted.
"It did. You were about to expose us, Bella knew our secret and remained human – these things were enough to get you put on trial. You need to stop with the way you demonize the Volturi." Carlisle still didn't sound angry, he merely sounded very serious. "Marcus imprinted on a human girl in January, and according to Eleazar she remains human now. Oh don't give me that look! She lives in Volterra with them and this is why she hasn't been changed, being under constant watch allows for that leeway," Carlisle explained quickly, knowing Edward was about to argue that if she could remain human so could Bella.
"Isabella is in more danger here by the passing day. The newborn army has surpassed forty members and I know Alice told you this before." The blonde vampire came forward and set his hand on Edward's shoulder. Castiel was expecting the bronze haired boy to shake the hand off, but he didn't.
"We can no longer handle this issue alone. We must ask for the Volturi's help. The pack, the Denali's… we will not be enough to take down this army without heavy casualties." Carlisle's expression was somber. "We can't ask our friends, or the children from the reservation to die for us. The Volturi deal with this every day."
Edward said nothing, but even Castiel could tell that Carlisle's words were getting through to him.
"Bella's best chance for surviving this would be to stay in Volterra for a couple weeks while the Volturi sort the newborns out. Marcus having a human mate means everything Edward – can't you see that he might hold sympathy for your situation? Your need to protect Bella?"
"Alice can't see them." Edward snapped, but his voice was more anxious than angry. "Alice can't see the Volturi anymore and I don't know why. She's tried to see what the Volturi will say but everything is blank… it's like there's a hole right where her focus should be."
"She worried she's losing her visions." Edward finished, his eyes intense as he stared at Carlisle, willing him to explain what was happening.
"We… will just have to do this blind then." Carlisle amended somberly with a shrug, and Castiel finally understood why they had an irking familiarity to her.
No, she had never met them, but she had been told about them. These were the Cullen's, the vegetarian coven that lived in the Olympic peninsula. Aro and Marcus told her about them and the drama that had unfolded last year when Edward believed his human mate Bella was dead and tried to get the Volturi to assist him in his suicide.
It was the mention of Alice, the only other seer in the world, which bought Castiel to this understanding.
"Castiel!" A frightened voice pulled her attention from the two men, causing her to focus on the feeling of her body and to leave her entranced state.
Athenadora was leaning over her, her beautiful face pinched in concern and her cellphone pressed to her ear.
"Wha-," Castiel began, but Athenadora cut her off in her haste to find out what was wrong.
"What's wrong? Do you feel sick? Do you need a-,"?
"Dora!" Castiel said loudly, her voice slightly pleading, "I'm fine. I just – just felt tired, that's all."
She lied because she didn't want to concern her sister by saying she had a vision. There was no need to cause unnecessary panic when the fight was looming on the horizon and she was sure they were all going to be worried anyway.
But…wait… was the fight still coming up? She had been so stiff when she woke up, and the room was darker than usual. No light escaped the cracks in any of the blackout curtains.
"Dora… what time is it?" she asked slowly, picking herself up off the floor as Athenadora stepped back to give her space and pressed the phone against her chest instead of her ear.
"It's 9:30. You slept for a long time. Marcus called, they're on their way home."
9:30? The fight was over? She just slept right through it?
Castiel's eyes flashed to the phone in Dora's hands, who immediately held it out for her to take. One glance at the screen showed her a call was in progress – the name reading "C" with three emoji hearts next to it.
She figured that meant Caius, but she knew it wasn't Caius waiting to speak to her.
"Hello?" She sounded breathless the moment she spoke into the phone. It was really embarrassing, and she could tell that Athenadora was trying not to smirk at her.
"Dearest." Marcus' deep voice was slightly concerned. He had obviously heard the exchange between Dora and Castiel.
It was amazing how just the sound of his voice seemed to calm her, and she didn't feel so weak anymore.
Okay maybe she did still feel a little weak, but now she was sure it was just because she was famished.
"I can't believe I slept through the fight." She mumbled, mostly to herself, "Is everyone okay? No one got hurt right?"
"Everyone is fine," Marcus reassured her, sounding very pleased now. "It all went down exactly as you said it would. This was the first time we had a fight of this magnitude without losing any of our guard… I'm so proud of you."
She blushed, his unexpected praise causing her to smile sheepishly and feel like she was about to float right off the tile floor.
"Did you find the creator?"
Marcus paused before answering, and Castiel knew what that meant.
"No," he sighed, "We destroyed the whole army and the two newborns they head leading the other young ones – well these two weren't quite newborns anymore but you know what I mean. We believe the creator or creators ran for it. Demetri and I have a general idea of where we should go but… Demetri will follow the trail with Felix."
This confused her, "But, but Marcus if they still need you… shouldn't you stay?"
The words felt like knives through her chest as she said them, and her stomach twisted uncomfortably causing her to wince.
"No. I need to come home to you." Marcus' tone left no room for argument, and she was sure he could feel what she had just felt. "We have been apart for too long."
"No denying that." she sighed, turning her beck to Athenadora, who was still watching her. "I've missed you."
She whispered the last words, and heard Dora say something about going to get her some dinner, obviously wishing to give her and Marcus some privacy incase they wanted to get all gooey with each other over the phone.
"I've missed you too piccolo." Marcus' voice was tender, and she knew that if he were in front of her his eyes would have softened with his words. "Now, why don't you tell me what your vision was about before Athenadora comes back?"
Her mouth fell open in surprise and she gaped soundlessly, like a fish out of water, before her voice came back to her.
"How did you know I-,"?
"I simply know you very well dearest. I could hear it in your voice when you reassured Athenadora. Not to mention that when you have visions, your emotions go numb to me for a few moments." He said sounding amused at the surprise in her voice.
"Well it's-," But she was interrupted this time by a sound on Marcus' end of the phone. A man's angry tenor filled the background.
Marcus sighed, "Caius is on a warpath. Apparently, the guard has put him behind schedule in the flight plans. I should go calm him down; do you want me to put Aro on? Was what you saw of immediate importance?"
"No," Castiel said quickly, not wanting to put Caius any further behind schedule and re-direct his wrath, "It can wait."
"Okay," Marcus said, "I trust your judgment. Please eat your dinner and try to go back to bed. I will be there when you wake up. I love you."
Her face got very hot, and she mumbled "I'll see you soon," before hanging up.
Figuring it was better to do something than to sit in bed and wait for Athenadora to bring her food, Castiel padded over to Marcus' desk and sat down, opening each drawer respectively until she finally found some clean sheets of paper and some pens to begin sketching.
Dora didn't ask what she was doing when she returned and just placed the tray of food on the corner of Marcus' desk and took the cellphone back from Castiel – who had her head bent and her nose only a few inches from the paper as she sketched out the finer details of Carlisle's face.
Mexico
"You cannot deny, the little human is very useful," Xavier stood toward the back of the group of 40 guards waiting to board the plane, talking lowly to the guard on his right side, Macanna.
"Castiel?" Macanna asked, though it wasn't really much of a question, "Yes who would have believed a little psychic would come into our midst's and lead us to our first newborn fight of this magnitude with no casualties. Perhaps our jobs will become much more boring over the coming centuries. I wonder what these law breakers will think when we come and thwart plans they haven't even placed into action!"
Xavier and Macanna laughed loudly, and once they calmed Xavier gave a thoughtful pause.
"It is a shame we could not find the creator, but I'm sure Demetri will bring them in soon enough. Perhaps Master Aro will have Castiel search a little harder for them as well. It should be no trouble for the human to find them – it might just take some time."
Macanna hummed in agreement, "And goodness knows we have plenty of that."
Lest did the guards know as they moved forward to board through the now open portal on the plane, that two kilometers west a man sat listening in the branches of a lone tree surrounded by dry brush, his nails digging deeply into the branch he clutched above him.
Red eyes narrowed into deadly slits, and he glanced quickly around the wide sunny space, before sprinting in the opposite direction of the departing guard, plans forming in his mind and murder in his heart.
Gonna just give a heads up that there won't be any hybrids in this story. I'm sticking with the whole "all vampires are infertile" thing we were told in the first three twilight books. I only made a point of Castiel getting her period because it's realistic and annoying lol.
Revised January 20th, 2021
(43 Pages, 16,855 Words)
