AN 12/12/2018: So, there's been a few changes. If anyone noticed, I've changed who plays Caius. I recently saw the last Twilight movie and couldn't help but notice how UGLY they made Caius look in that one and it also reminded me how they progressively made him uglier in each film.

So, he got changed. There have also been a few edits made to this chapter and to the current rest of the story. Not too noticeable, but still needed to be done.

Also, I'm including playlists for each chapter. I started it on my crossovers and decided to give it a shot when I did edits on my regular stories.

Song for this chapter: Main Theme (from The Dark Knight Rises) by Lindsey Stirling, Gavin Greenaway & Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

The Devil King's Desires Ch. 1: The Truth is Out

*Bella POV*

"HALT."

Edward, Alice and I froze.

What did they want now?

Edward and Alice had each promised to turn me, so what else was there? We turned and I saw Marcus, the one who had allowed Alice to speak for me, was holding the hand of Caius, the blonde Volturi I knew nothing about, feared and wanted to far away from.

It wasn't that he disgusted me, far from it. To be honest, he was hotter and much better looking than Edward ever was or would be, but the coldness in his eyes frightened me.

They reminded me of James' eyes in so many ways.

He was staring at me now as Marcus released his hand and grabbed Aro's. As Aro's eyes widened in shock, I remembered what Edward had told me about the gifts they each had. Aro's ability to read thoughts and memories, though limited, had been amusing to deflect even though I had no idea how I'd done it. Marcus' gift was actually the one I was curious about. Marcus had the ability to see Mating and loyalty Bonds between vampires and, in rare cases, between vampires and their human Mates.

Seeing their gifts work in tandem was truly amazing.

Alice, having Seen something, let me go suddenly and I was pulled to the side gently by Demetri. Surprisingly, Edward let me be pulled away. Then again, he was too busy growling at Caius to really protest. By the way Caius was smirking at him, it seemed as if he was thinking something Edward didn't like. Still smirking, Caius asked, "Marcus, are you sure brother? The lines don't lie?" Marcus shook his head and said, "What I see is the truth." Caius' smirk deepened and he said, "Felix, restrain the boy." Alice was pulled away as Felix restrained Edward to the point that if he moved wrong, he'd lose his head. Demetri, who had put himself between Alice and me, said, "She stays with us."

Alice, reluctantly nodding, said, "As you say. However, she needs to return home for a short time. While her father is in the dark about our true nature, he is still a Chief of Police. Should Bella disappear without a trace, he'll use any means and resources at his disposal to find her. We've kept him in the dark to avoid any trouble, but this might be too much to cover up." Aro nodded as he turned to Caius, who merely shrugged and said, "It may involve me to a point brother, but I don't care as long as HE is kept far away from her."

I was confused.

What the hell is going on and why can't I just go home?

I turned to Alice and asked, "What are you talking about? Alice, I am going home to Charlie, hope he won't ground me for the next century and then I'm talking to Carlisle about Turning me after graduation. I still think it's stupid that I have to sit through classes I've tested out of in order to get my damn diploma." Turning to Aro, I asked, "What is Caius talking about? Why do I need to be kept away from Edward? He's my Mate even though he left me."

Caius smirked and asked, "Oh really? You still believe that he is your Mate despite that fact that he abandoned you for the better part of a year?" Hesitantly nodding, I said, "Yes, because he told me so." As he scoffed and turned away, Jane entered and whispered something in his ear. Aro chuckled and said, "Ah, excellent. Someone is here to help clear all this confusion up. It seems, Alice, that you forgot to inform a certain someone of your travel plans." Alice somehow paled as the big doors opened and, to my surprise, Jasper strode in along with Alec.

He briefly smiled at me, but then glared at Alice and Edward.

Something was going on, something I didn't want to know but probably would

Jasper walked over and said, "She will never be alone with you again Alice Brandon." Alec came up behind Alice and put her in the same hold that Edward was in. I turned to Jasper and asked, "What is going on? Why are you mad at Alice?" With a brief glance to the kings, Jasper drew me to a bench over to the side and said, "Bella, I'm here to take you home, help you pack and say goodbye to Charlie before bringing you back here for good."

"Why Jasper? Why can't I go home?"

Caius apparently had had enough of everything going on and said, "Stupid human. Major Whitlock is escorting you because while you are not Edward Cullen's Mate, you are the Mate of a vampire. He discovered this around the same time that he discovered that his own Mate is false because he caught the Seer and the Mind Reader in bed together."

The world seemed to stop...

Alice and Edward? But Alice loves Jasper with all her heart…

Alice had always told me the she was the reason Jasper stopped being the 'monster' that he'd been forced to become. Yet, at that thought, some things that I'd seen and dismissed suddenly made sense.

Alice telling Jasper what to wear

Alice telling him when to hunt, etc.

She was controlling a vampire that was older than her

As for Edward, I finally saw what Charlie saw…

Countless times, I'd allowed Edward to tell me what I could and couldn't do. He'd tell me what to wear, what eat, etc. I had stopped hanging out with my human friends because he didn't want me around Mike alone. Alice was the same, only she controlled my wardrobe. None of my clothes from Arizona, according to Alice, were suitable for Edward Cullen's girlfriend to be seen in. All of it was currently stored away in Charlie's attic and that was only because Alice didn't have the balls to try and take it to burn with Charlie close by. To be honest, nothing of mine, besides a few personal items, were in my room anymore.

Alice and Edward had taken over my life…and I'd let them.

The realization left me in the most pissed off of moods. Seeing the look of smug superiority and satisfaction on Caius' face, I snapped, "And just who is my Mate, oh wise vampire king?" Jasper snorted, easily detecting my mood and sarcasm. Even Marcus cracked a smile, as did Demetri, who I gathered could be a friend and ally in the future. Caius, however, didn't appreciate my sarcasm because he swooped down, grabbed me by the throat and said, "You are not worthy to know who your Mate is. The Volturi claim you as one of their own until your Mate decides to Turn you."

He turned to Jasper and said, "You, Major Whitlock, will escort her home, make sure she packs everything she wants to bring, and says goodbye to her father in a way to keep his suspicions to a minimum before you return. You will be her Guard, understand?"

Jasper nodded and said, "I will guard her well my King." The way he addressed Caius had a hint of loathing and I had a strong feeling that he wasn't obeying out of any loyalty to them.

Caius released my throat and went back to his throne.

I massaged my throat, trying to make sure that bruises wouldn't appear. Aro noticed my actions, turned to Caius and said, "You should not have done that brother. You cannot..." Caius roared, "DO NOT tell me what I can and cannot do with her Aro! The fact that she is being allowed to go and say her goodbyes is my only kindness to the girl."

He turned and left the throne room.

Caius didn't like me, that was obvious, but his changing moods and allowing me to go home and tell Charlie goodbye was confusing.

Why was he so angry and if he hates me so much, why not just kill me and get it over with?

I turned to Jasper for answers, but he shook his head and said, "I can't tell ya Bella, it's not my place. Just think about it and you'll figure it out."

Just then, Aro seemed to realize that Edward and Alice were still being held by the Guard. His demeanor went from jovial to ice cold as he said, "Alice Brandon and Edward Cullen, you are hereby ordered to stay far away from Bella Swan and Major Jasper Whitlock. If you disobey or harm them in any way, I give the Major full authority to kill you without fear of reprisal. Is that understood?"

Alice and Edward seemed to be in shock. I remembered Edward telling me once that Aro had always desired having him and Alice on the Guard. The fact that Aro was allowing for their deaths was truly shocking.

I guess Aro didn't want them so badly after all…

Aro nodded to Felix and Alec, who eased their holds enough for Alice and Edward to move, but not run.

Alice shrieked, "You can't order me away from my husband!" Jasper snorted as Marcus sneered and said, "I think, Miss Brandon, you'll find that you are no longer married or connected to Major Whitlock in any way. The Bond never existed to begin with, and the Major has dealt with the human aspect of your prior relationship."

As Alice began to wail, Edward was trying to get my attention, "Bella, don't believe anything they say. You are my Mate. "Having heard enough of his lies, I turned to Jasper and asked, "Can you shut him up long enough for me to speak?" Jasper smirked and then concentrated on Edward with a hard look. Edward collapsed, but was held up somewhat by Felix. As Jasper turned away, he said, "He's subdued, but can hear every word you say. "I nodded and slowly walked over to him.

Felix smirked and made sure that Edward was looking at me as I stood over him.

I said, "You're a coward and a liar Edward Cullen. You lied about how you felt about me. You constantly put my life in danger and made me feel guilty about it." Suddenly, memories of our first meeting and the encounter with James at the baseball field filled my head. I glared at Edward and asked, "You goaded James on purpose, didn't you? You knew exactly what would happen if he caught my scent and you made sure he did. I should've realized what you were doing the moment you asked me to take my hair down. You knew he'd have the same reaction that you did to my scent." Edward tried to deny what I was saying, but Jasper's gift really wasn't letting him do much of anything.

Sneering, I said, "Caius is right, we can't be Mates. If I truly have a Mate, he wouldn't leave knowing that another vampire wanted me dead. Do you even remember Victoria Edward? How about Laurent? He showed up in Forks with red eyes and working for Victoria, who still wants me DEAD! You left me with no protection and some psychotic bitch after my head! So, stop lying about us being Mates because it's utter bullshit."

Taking a deep breath, I asked, "How long have you and Alice been fucking anyway? If you and I were really Mates, why would you be fucking another woman, especially one that everyone thinks is your sister? People back home already think the Cullen family is weird. Did you two even think about what this could have done to Carlisle if you had gotten caught? Though, to be completely honest, I don't care who you sleep with because I was just getting my life back together when your sister showed up at my door. Still, I deserve the truth. So, how long?"

Edward hung his head and said, "Since the night of the party. Alice convinced everyone to hunt and made sure that Jasper overhunted. It gave us more time together."

I was furious, but not for reasons one would think. My relationship with Edward was never an equal one and I had always felt like I was hiding it or faking something, especially in public. His infidelity didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, only confirming that once again, I wasn't his equal. What really pissed me off was that he could so easily hurt his brother and his family. And, since Jasper had caught them so easily, it made me wonder if the others knew as well.

His actions could've destroyed everything Carlisle had built and brought unwanted attention on them all.

I turned to Aro and said, "I will return here, but only after I say goodbye to my father and make sure that he is safe. This," kicking out at Edward, "COWARD left me with no protection against a human drinker who blames me for her Mate's death. I will not leave my father vulnerable to her. Plus, I need to get my diploma because I am not going to sit on my ass while my Mate figures things out." Jasper said, "I'll get Jenks on it once we get on the plane Bella. He'll talk to the school."

Aro and Marcus turned to each other and after what seemed to be a silent conversation, turned back to me and Aro said, "We are in agreement. You should not lose what is dear to you due to the cowardly actions of others. But first,"

He turned to Demetri and Felix and said, "Escort the Mind Reader and the Seer to the coast. They can swim home." To Alice and Edward, he said, "Remember, Demetri can track you all over the world if he has to. Swim home and do not return unless summoned." The two of them were marched out, Alice still screeching about how she wasn't leaving Jasper. Jane followed them and soon we heard a shriek of pain from Alice.

I guess Jane was tired of her whining as well…

Aro turned to Jasper and said, "You have one month to do what is necessary. The jet is waiting to take you home." Aro stepped down from his throne and handed me a business card. A crimson outline of the Volturi crest took up the background of the black card while Aro's name and the words 'The Volturi Institute of Creative Writing and Art Studies' covered the rest in elegant script. Looking up at him, Aro said, "Should your father question why you are leaving before the official end of your school year, give him this. The institute is legitimate, so he'll not doubt it." I shrugged and said, "We'll see."

He nodded to Jasper and said, "Take her and be back before the end of next month. Take care of her Major, for she is precious to us all." Jasper nodded and led me out of the room and down the hall to the garage. As we walked, I asked, "What's going to happen between you and Alice?" Jasper growled and said, "It's already done, Jenks fast-tracked the papers before I flew here. I would have understood if she no longer loved me and had told me about her and Edward, but cheating is a deal-breaker for me. What are you going to do about Charlie? You were hiding something when you were talking about Victoria and Laurent."

I nodded and said, "I'll tell you on the plane. Too many ears here. As for Charlie, I'm going to use Aro's card and hope that he believes it. I have been drawing and writing a lot since you all left, so maybe he will. Still, I'll need to talk to the rest of your family before any other plans can be made." Jasper nodded and said, "I'll call Carlisle on the plane and get him to convince Charlie to come to the house. When Alice called to let the family know she was going to Italy to save Edward and that she was going to check on you first, we moved back. I just hope that we can beat her and Edward back home."

"Why did they move back? It's not like they care about me."

Jasper shook his head and said, "As a matter of fact, we do care Bella. None of us wanted to leave, but Edward has a lot of power in the family because of his gift and Carlisle was easy to convince." Jasper and I went silent as the car we rode in pulled into a remote airstrip and hanger. A giant plane with a red and gold 'V' on the tail was waiting for us.

Luckily, the pilot was human and the cabin was soundproof, so I had no fear of anything I said being taken to the Kings.

Jasper and I got settled in and waited for take-off. Jasper took the time to call Jenks and get him to handle not only my diploma issue, but also new identification for the both of us. When he gave me his last name, I looked up, curious as to why. After he hung up, Jasper said, "I gave you my last name for two reasons. One, for protection until your Mate claims and Turns you. Once he does, you'll fall under his name and protection. The second is to hide you from Edward and Alice, as well as Victoria if she hasn't been dealt with by the time we have to leave. If Chief Swan asks, just say that Edward made some odd comments when we came back or something like that."

Nodding, I said, "You asked what I was hiding earlier. Did you know about the boys on the Rez that can shift into wolves?" At Jasper's nod, I said, "Well, I found out about them when Laurent showed up. I had heard the legends as a kid, but it wasn't until I slapped Paul Lahote and he shifted right in front of me that it all clicked. Once they ripped Laurent apart and realized that Victoria was in Forks for me, they changed their patrols to include my house. Hopefully, they'll protect Charlie after I leave."

Jasper smiled kindly and said, "I'm sure they will Bella. She's a threat to both Forks and the Reservation. If she's not dealt with, I'll make sure they have help hunting her before we leave." I noticed that he didn't mention the Cullens at all in his plan. Jasper noticed that I'd caught his omission because he said, "The Cullens will only help while we are in Forks. I very much doubt they will remain once we return to Volterra." I must have looked shocked in some way because he then said, "I've never fully been accepted by the Cullens, so they've never really been family to me. The only ones I trust are Emmett and Rosalie. They've never judged me for my past or when I slip, unlike the rest of the Cullens."

I nodded as I said, "Emmett was always kind and Rosalie was too, in her own way. She never tried to be my friend or pretend to be, like Alice did. "Jasper said, "For your safety, I'd recommend that you stay at Chief Swan's or the Reservation until we go back. I wouldn't put it past Edward or Alice to try something despite Aro's command. Now, Jenks is dealing with school, getting your diploma and making sure they don't force you to attend class. I want to limit access to you for obvious reasons and if he does his job, you should be free and clear until we return to Italy."

"What are you going to do there?"

"I will be training the Guard and any newborns that come through the castle walls."

After that, Jasper and I didn't talk much.

Jenks, whoever he was to Jasper, must have worked through the night because he called Jasper about an hour before we landed to tell him that not only were all the documents ready, but so was my diploma. We were all set for the return trip.

Now, I just had to get through the next month with Charlie and pray to whatever higher power was out there that I could keep him safe and out of the world I had thrown myself into.

A couple of hours later, Jasper and I were on our way to the Cullen house. Somehow, Carlisle had been able to convince Charlie to meet the family there and they were all waiting for us. Unfortunately, Alice and Edward had beat us back to Forks and, from the look on Jasper's face when he got the call from Emmett, no one was really happy with them. If I had any luck left, Charlie would believe my lie and I could enjoy the time I had left with him.

Caius' behavior was the only thing that was still bothering me and I think I know why.

Caius and I are Mates…joy

Meanwhile, in Volterra…

*Caius POV*

I hate what Marcus showed me.

I didn't need a Mate or want one..

The human girl that had been escorted into the throne room wasn't even worthy of being called my Mate. She was pathetic, moping over the Cullen boy leaving here when he wasn't even her Mate. Not that they boy had left her kindly. We had all seen the Mind Reader's memories and how he had abandoned the girl. It was cruel and I hated how much it bothered me.

Still, even with how skewed my own moral compass was, no woman, human or vampire, deserved to be treated that way. I had discarded my own share of lovers better than that boy had done to the girl.

I had heard her shouting from my chambers and it made me hate the boy even more, despite the fact that I wanted to hate the girl more. The Mind Reader had practically dragged the girl into our world and then left her in it without Turning or killing her. The Seer's visions of how the girl reacted to his abandonment had me curious if he had used his Allure to keep her as a pet. He deserved death for that and breaking our highest law, but Aro had suspended final sentence, pending his behavior during the girl's final month with her father.

The girl wasn't afraid of me, that was certain. I needed to change that if she was to truly be my Mate. She needed to fear and respect me in order for the Mating Bond to truly work between us. Once she returned, I would be making her tougher. I will make her bleed and weep. Only when she surrenders to me, body and soul, will I make her mine for eternity.

Now, I must make sure her chambers are ready for her return. Despite how much I hate the girl for what she is making me feel, I must tend to her needs to the best of my ability.

I hate shopping…