Disclaimer: Twilight is not mine. That's why I'm on this site.
It was raining miserably in Volterra. The sky was churning with dark clouds, and vomiting cold, thick rain onto the muddy streets. Thunder snarled, lazy and slow, across the horizon, and bright white flashes of lightning could be seen some distance away. Demetri and Felix wandered boredly through the empty alleys, keeping their eyes and ears open; a thunderstorm was the ideal setting for a vampire attack, as it helped conceal the sound of an approach. Jane and Alex patrolled the outer borders separately, as Demetri and Felix gutted the dark paths sneaking around the sewers.
Felix rubbed a large hand through his short, scrubby hair and snorted, kicking up a magnificent shower of water with his boot-laden foot. The poor and the homeless crushed themselves against the brick sides of the buildings as the two men passed, staring with mingled fear and wonder. They passed the reeking homeless with a sneer of distaste; the smell of sewer-stink was enough to offset the pleasant odor of blood.
"I hate this job! Patrol duty is the worst," snarled Felix, pulling his dark cloak tighter over his massive shoulders and neck. Demetri, slight beside his giant friend, shrugged mildly, his expression patient.
"Not the worst," he disagreed softly, thinking about Gianna, the poor secretary who alternated between nightmares of being killed and dreams of joining the Volturi. He wrinkled his nose at the pungency drifting from an open door. But certainly not the best.
The rain was a nuisance, though, when one was trying to see. Each crystalline drop shot off a hundred glittering lights from the lamp posts, distracting his busy eyes in a wild frenzy of perception. Felix and Demetri both closed their eyes and groaned at the same time. Opening them, then glanced towards each other, and then to the left, where a dimly lit restaurant promised warm dryness and some time to relax from the strain of the storm.
They tramped towards the building together, feeling the wind pick up and the storm howl. Besides that, they could detect nothing except for the distant sounds of Alec and Jane stalking the perimeter of the city. Volterra was at peace for the moment.
Felix shook his head like a dog upon entering the building, sending flecks of rain all around the small waiting area. Demetri scowled and removed his cloak, his dark curls completely saturated even though he'd worn his hood up. The wind had blown water straight down their cloaks, and not one article of Demetri's clothing wasn't sopping wet.
The hostess approached them, and upon perceiving the faces of the new guests, jumped a few steps back. Not only where they impossibly handsome, Demetri knew his eyes shone bright burgundy even in the dim lighting. She blinked a few times and cleared her throat before managing to speak.
"T-table for two?" she stuttered, her hands trembling over the menus she held. Felix grinned toothily at her, his cheeks dimpling. She struggled to return the smile.
"Four, actually," murmured a musical tone behind them. Demetri didn't have to turn to know who it was. Apparently Alec and Jane were as sick of the rain as he and Felix were. The hostess paled and swallowed loudly before turning to lead them into the comfort of the restaurant. They walked silently behind her, and she had to check several times to make sure that they were still there.
She seated them in a rather secluded area, in a back corner booth. They slid sinuously into the red-cushioned benches, and she managed to promise them a waitress before stumbling away. The four vampires spent a few seconds in silence, listening to the rain pouring outside.
"This is fucking boring. I say we visit the Cullens again, and this time, we bring Demetri and we track their sorry asses down!" exclaimed Felix excitedly. Demetri knew better than to suspect any trace of anger or resentment from Felix towards the Cullens. Felix simply enjoyed nothing more than a good fight.
"I don't want to visit the Cullens," muttered Demetri. He hated knowing that one of them had a developed resistance to his tracking abilities. The others ignored him as if he hadn't spoken. What he wanted didn't matter, and they all knew that. It was what was best for everyone that mattered.
"I don't see the point. They're not exactly a threat, they've never used force against us," murmured Alec, but Jane scoffed.
"They haven't yet. Do we want to wait until they're strong enough to be a threat?" snapped Jane, her scarlet eyes flashing. She hated the Cullens as much as Demetri did, because Bella also shielded herself and others from Jane's devastating powers. "I think we should exterminate them now, before they get out of hand. The size of their coven is staggering!"
"But if they're not a threat to begin with, and as I suspect never will be, then it's a waste of time and effort. Besides, Demetri can't even track them anymore, since the newborn learned to project her shield."
As Jane and Alec debated the topic between themselves, Demetri tasted the mental flavors surrounding him in the restaurant. He detected Jane's poisonously sweet essence, Alec's gentle, mild aura, and Felix's rough, nearly metallic touch. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander. Someone behind him was wonderfully spicy and rich, and someone to the left was a rather soothing blend.
Then, it hit him like a bolt of lightning. His eyes flew open, and his hands were suddenly gripping into the edge of the table. Warm, delicate, smooth; it was a flavor he could recognize anywhere. She was here. In the building.
"Excuse me," he choked before pushing himself from the booth. The others looked alarmed, but did nothing. Demetri was heading for the door.
He dashed out into the cold rain, ignoring the freezing drops that pummeled his lean body. He took a deep breath...and realized why he had rushed for the door.
She wasn't in the building, as the others had suspected. He had thought that his body was pulling him away from the irresistible scent, but it had in fact been leading him straight to it. Or, rather, to an alternate route.
His mind settling into that of a predator, he stalked around the of the building and found a back door. He leaned forward, nearly touching the tip of his nose to the door; dozens of humans scuttled around the large kitchen area...including one exceptionally delicious human girl.
He leaned against the wall of the building, his mind running. All he needed to do was wait for her to leave. The rain should wash his scent from the path to the back door eventually, and by the time Alec, Jane, and Felix left, they wouldn't be able to smell him at all. They'd leave, thinking he had either gone back to the underground castle or continued patrol without them. They wouldn't bother him, he knew; none of them wanted to talk about his issues with this human.
The wide brim of the roof left enough space for him to stay out of the rain, and the building provided a shield against the wind. He blessed the walls silently, glad that they let him dry a little. He wrung out his shirt and his wavy, shoulder-length black hair.
He hid himself whenever someone who wasn't the redhead came out to smoke or to leave for home. He'd have no more deaths than this. He wished that he was good and thirsty, to really make this exquisite, but he knew it wouldn't matter either way. He'd still enjoy it immensely.
Finally, finally, around midnight, he heard her soft voice call his teeth to her.
"Alright, Mr. Roberts, I'm done for the night!" he heard the rustling of cloth; he hadn't realized that it was still raining so heavily. All his attention was focused on the sound of her feet against the tile floors.
Screw Aro and his preconceived notions of love. He didn't want her in the way Aro had assumed. He wanted her in the way a true vampire should want a human. He lusted for her blood, he trembled in anticipation of his teeth at her throat. He didn't have long to wait.
It took half of a second to whip her from the frame of the door to the side of the restaurant. It took another six for her to focus her eyes enough to realize where she was. And another two to open her mouth to scream. But only one for fear to clog her throat as her eyes met his and terror struck.
Demetri closed his eyes and leaned forward, his face in her hair. He breathed in; glorious. She would not escape him again.
"Hello, Autumn," he murmured, his scarlet eyes glinting wickedly. She shuddered at his voice, and seemed unable to speak. He bowed his head and kissed her throat, his lips drawing back from his teeth as the heady sound of her pumping heart filled his head.
"Wait!" she gasped, trying to struggle from his iron grip. It was almost too easy to hold her back; she didn't budge and inch. But he was stunned all the same. Never before had the victim interrupted his meal. He drew his head back and stared down at her, unable to completely wipe the shock from his expression.
"What do you want? Why are you following me?" she whispered, tears gathering in her dark eyes. "Please...just leave me alone!" Demetri tried not to lose his perfect mask of composure. He'd never before run into resistance in his entire life as a vampire. Most females he killed had begged him to kiss them, had pressed their bodies against his even as he drained the life from them. This one...she seemed horrified at the idea of his proximity, even repulsed. He was intrigued and offended simultaneously.
But he was a master of the mind, and refused to be denied his game. He bared his teeth in what might pass for a smile if his eyes hadn't been so feral.
Then, suddenly, he backed away. He stepped backwards into the rain, his expression gentle and his hands open.
"Come here. Come here, little Autumn," he murmured, his voice honey and his body the most tempting of bait. He watched her face turn from fear and indecision to determination. He waited for the feast to come to him.
But suddenly, she bolted. He could have caught her easily, but he was too amazed to move. She ran to her car, an old 1990 mustang, and shoved the engine to life. She took off, her midnight blue car disappearing into the black night as he stood, alone, in the rain.
He could have followed her, but something ate at him with a ferocity like nothing he had ever experienced. He couldn't quite place the sensation, but it was unpleasant nonetheless and he felt stuck to the sidewalk, the rain beating him fiercely.
The sensation tossed and turned until it hardened into a writhing ball of rage. He took off as if werewolves were chasing him; he'd never run faster in his life. It wasn't hard to follow her scent; he could have followed it to the moon. He didn't trust himself in this state, but the pull of her mind was like gravity to him. He wasn't thinking when he caught up to her car, he wasn't thinking when he followed her home...
And he wasn't thinking as he hid around the side of the apartment building. He listened as she climbed the stairs, and scaled the walls easily. It was easier than walking to cling to the side of the apartment, just listening to her voice. She spoke quite a lot for someone who lived alone. Though...she wasn't alone, now that he broadened his senses. There was another presence. He sniffed; a young girl, he smelled generic brand shampoo and cheap soap, flannel, and that mild, gentle scent that all females seemed to have some variation of. He guessed it to be the differences in the levels of estrogen and testosterone that gave males and females such different scents.
Her soft voice echoed through the small apartment.
"What's for dinner?"
"Oh, just some stuff I...damn it! I dropped the bag!" Demetri heard a hitch in her voice as she remembered the encounter. Anger blurred his vision red; how dare she shun him! His hands crushed handholds into the side of the building as he struggled not to launch himself through the window and onto her throat.
The sound of kitchen cutlery sang as she began to prepare a meal for the child. Demetri glanced through the window. The child couldn't be younger than nine or ten. The girl, Autumn, was around eighteen or nineteen. Demetri quickly judged them to be sisters. The young girl had hair of a darker shade, more dark brown than red, but the same color gray eyes. Her skin was completely clear of freckles, unlike her sister's, but they had the same nose and mouth shape. An upturned nose and full, pink lips.
Demetri perceived all this in a nanosecond. The next moment he was safely out of sight.
He wandered around the apartment for a while, listening to the sisters eat and chat about various daily activities. Suddenly, a new aura entered his mind and he was crouched, his teeth bared and a low warning growl spitting from his throat.
Heidi stepped out, her dark hair fanning out behind her and her red eyes gleaming. She stopped a safe distance away, her expression confused and pleading. She held out her hands in peace.
"Demetri, come home. You shouldn't be out stalking the citizens," murmured Heidi, only half joking. Demetri straightened out of the crouch, but his body didn't relax. His eyes narrowed.
"What's it to you? Aro doesn't need me tonight. You know, if he'd just let me finish the damn kill I wouldn't be doing this!" snarled Demetri, and Heidi laughed quietly.
"If you really wanted the kill, you'd have taken it by now," she chuckled. Demetri's breath froze, but she continued. "Do you know what Aro said? He said you're starting to remind him of Edward, the mind-reader."
Demetri didn't need to be reminded of who Edward was. His vision blurred red at the sound of the name. Edward and his little mate, probably the one couple on the planet he couldn't track. But...to have Aro connect them in such a way was shameful.
"I hope to never give him that impression again," said Demetri coldly, turning his back on the apartment complex. But even as he said it, his body yearned towards the source of that delectable smell that so dominated his thoughts. His throat burned like fire, but he didn't dare reveal this to Heidi. She smiled and took his hand.
"There's the Demetri we all know and hate," she laughed fondly, and they walked together back towards the Volturi underground castle. It took all of his inhuman strength not to look back.
Okay, as a side note, Demetri and Heidi do not have any sort of romantic relationship going on; they're just friends, as I can pretty safely assume most of the Volturi are at this point.
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