Enzo carried out the prepatory work for turning Allison while Nikolai focused on the small tasks. Kheti refused to work with his plan, preferring to continue her observations of the Cullens and the killers. Unknown to Enzo, Billy Black sent Jacob to visit with Bella and give Kheti an invitation to a location close to La Push. Kheti accepted the suspicious invitation and discovered Billy Black with company casually congregated together.

" If I didn't know better I'd call this an ambush," she remarked darkly. Keeping her distance, Kheti calculated the escape routes and odds of slipping through the men's grasp. " Is it?"

Allison's description of Kheti threw off Billy's initial desire to see her as a monster. Her astounding exotic beauty temporarily forced down his guard. " The one that is known as wise and old,"

" I am old, but wisdom extends only so far. What do you require?" She leaned against the front of her vehicle.

Billy wheeled forward. " Enzo Mariani,"

" He's a bastard, but he's my bastard," She crossed her arms and eyed up the native behind Billy. " What do you want with him?"

" Your bastard is breaking our laws in Forks," Billy answered her collectively. " If he takes a human life in the protected lands, we will kill him,"

She nodded and knelt down to Billy's level. " I will say this once. Enzo listens to Enzo. Not you. Not I. Not the Volturi. The Volturi are traveling here to kill him after he sent a report detailing his plans to destroy them. I don't want him to die, but he is who he is. I love him but he's a difficult man. Head set on his will. If you kill him, I will not fault you,"

The chief's jaw unclenched. " You will not interfere,"

" No. I can not kill the man I love, but I know what he's become. I will not interfere," She promised him. Kheti hated herself for sacrificing her marriage, but too many died at Enzo's hands. Too many will suffer if he destroys the Volturi. For her heart breaks and the world breathes. " You have until the end of the month. If you're truly enterprising, you may even kill those of the Volturi,"

Billy suspected she desired more than a fool's death. Billy suspected her conscience stopped her from fully crossing the line. He respected that. " If you interfere you will be killed too,"

She never blinked. " I was made in 1211 b.c. You'll have to try harder to frighten me,"

" Your age does not prevent me from protecting tribal lands,"

" I'm glad we agreed something will be done," She stood up straight and stepped towards her car. A growl nipped at her back. Kheti never looked over her shoulder and never witnessed Billy motioning for the shifters to take action.

The pack of men retreated to their lands to plan how to rid Forks of vampires.

Except Kheti failed to disclose one important detail to Billy Black. Enzo, in his desire to alleviate her personal guilt, gave the Volturi too much information. Their tracker and handful of individuals accompanied Aro to Forks. This meant that Billy needed everyone who could shift with no exception. She may not wish to help Enzo but she wasn't helping Billy Black either. If they wanted information, they could fetch it themselves.

She settled back for light reading of the newspaper when an article caught her eye. Local man missing, she laughed at it and read through the blurb with a sense of curiosity rather than desire to justify her act of rash anger. She put the paper away after reading the rest of the paper and finally spotted Allison cleaning the house with attention to detail. At least the woman wanted to pass on a clean house. Sad it needed to end this way.

Allison wanted left alone. Kheti understood this because she too preferred space after traumatic events. Enzo treated the mortal with a rough uncaring attitude and open disregard to her wishes. The author made it clear she wanted mortality. Unfortunately for all of them, with the Volturi involved her death and becoming a vampire cemented into stone. Nothing will save Allison.

Or Sehkhet Mariani. Once Aro learned of her passive role in everything, she'd too be punished. Maybe killed, especially given her age. She possessed the potential to lead her own coven just by age alone and chose not to.

If Aro learned of her role. She played with an idea that if emotions run too wild her thoughts will focus on the many emotional memories - not the lies. Not the scheming. Edward Cullen read minds without contact. Aro required contact to read minds. Jasper Cullen could twist her emotions into a hyperactive bomb going off. Or she just accepted her death as well. No one argued with the Volturi and walked away unscathed.

They are that powerful.

She made an alliance with Amun and Kebi but as long lived Egyptians they chose to preserve themselves. So how did she save Allison, not betray Enzo, and solve the problem of James, Victoria, and Laurent? Maybe doing nothing is the best action in this choice.

Two days later Aro surprised her while on the hunt in Portland. She lowered the dead criminal to the ground warily. He stood perfectly still in the alleyway exit draped in black. It took the ancient vampire less than a minute to spot his bodyguard.

" Can this wait?" She held the lifeless criminal by the back of his neck. " Humans are more observant than you may believe,"

He pointed to Demitri. She glanced up at the fire escape. " You have not visited in a long spell,"

" I track down vampires impacting history," She shrugged. " Therefore Volterra is not home,"

He stepped toward her. " You can be a member of the guard,"

" I've been a historian for too long to be settled in one location too long," She let the body drop to the ground. " However you appear well. Have you tracked down Enzo?"

Demitri dropped down behind her. She raised a brow at his proximity. " Yes. He's at your house,"

" And you haven't killed him, why?" She asked in brief emotional break.

" You," Demitri whispered. " You conspired with the shifters,"

" Shifters are not children of the moon," Kheti argued calmly. " Plus they're a solution you haven't embraced. Besides every government that is this old needs to exercise its show of enforcement. What better way to prove it than handle this problem?

Aro smiled, a creepy greek that resembled a - actually she refused to describe how creepy it is to see him smile. " You do not wish to kill him,"

" No. I do not. He is my husband after all," She raised a brow at Demitri's closeness. " Is this my death day? This alley my resting place?"

Aro stopped in front of her. " The opposite. Today is the day you acknowledge your husband earned his death,"

Once again the egyptians failed to understand why they came to her. She sighed. " He's an idiot bastard, power hungry, and greedy for more of everything. I don't understand what you want from me. Tears? I don't want him to die. He needs to die. To protect the peace," Aro's hand moved up her clothed arm. If she twitched he'd pry deeper. No fighting this.

He abruptly let go of her. " You are free,"

Before she uttered a word, she stood alone in the alleyway. What. The. Bloody. Fuck. Snatching up her meal in peace, she slung the body over her shoulder and found a quiet abandoned closet to eat in peace.