They followed as she led the way to their revenge, watched and marvelled as she took to her new being like she had never been anything other. They had thought her perfect before her rebirth but now, with the venom of their combined bites twisting through her body, she seemed like something from only one of their most wondrous fantasies. Her hair now held a lustrous glow that could rival their memories of the sun, her eyes now crystal clear and sharper than they had ever been and her skin seeming to take an ethereal glow as the evenings moonlight hit her just right.
But, more important than any of those things, she was eternal. They would never fear the passing of time stealing her away, would never have to worry for sickness destroying her body or mind. She would be by their side for as long as fate dictated and only the cruellest of twists would change that now.
Yet, at the same time, there was something inside her that seemed different. Angry and all consuming. Could they truly let her go through with her revenge? She had said it was their revenge but they had nothing to truly avenge. In their eyes, they had won and Travelli had lost, she was eternal and by their side, she was their queen and he would never know the joy they felt for that fact. If she went through with this, would it haunt her?
"My loves… I have known you my entire life, there is not a thing I do not know about your hearts that you believe to no longer beat… I know that you fear for me, that this act of revenge will taint my eternity. But, I am not doing this for me alone. You cannot see past your own nose in this matter but Travelli did not only hurt me. He forced Roxanne's change, put her through unimaginable pain that will never be forgotten. He almost stole Felix's future happiness, a man I see like a brother to me. But, more than anything, he brought you three pain. My kings, my loves and my reason for being, I will not forgive the man who caused you fear, who caused you sadness…This revenge is not for me. He hurt the ones I love and I will not tolerate that. He needs to learn that his actions have consequences"
Her words hit them hard as they found themselves unable to argue with such logic. Never had they known such fear as the possibility of losing her and who were they to stop her from achieving justice upon her 'murderer'.
She chose that moment to turn her face forward once more, sapphire eyes gleaming with hunger as the house grew closer upon the horizon and the thirst within her throat began to burn a little stronger. His blood would be the first she tasted, but first he would pay. A slow smile graced her lips. Oh yes, he would pay dearly.
There was silence in the office as he twirled his glass of scotch, his phone in his other hand as he read the message that confirmed her death. His mother had told her she would regret running out on him and he had delivered his mother's threat. Nobody disgraced the Travelli name and did not suffer the consequence.
He scoffed as he raised his glass in mock salute, smirking as he spoke
"To Felicity Jenkins… May you rot in hell"
Still chuckling at his twist words, he chose to turn his thoughts to his latest trophy girlfriend. She was nothing like Felicity. Lillian was completely at his mercy, she yearned for his approval, would do anything he asked and never question his choices. A perfect little trophy to have his children with he thought as he downed his glass and made to pour another glass, stopping mid-pour as a gentle voice drifted to his ears, singing in a soft tone filled with melancholy.
"Do not forget me…. Do not forget"
He cast his eye towards the office door, ice filling his veins as a whisper of blonde hair flitted past, a flicker of a white dress fluttered past the door. No, he wouldn't believe it. Just the scotch playing tricks with him. And yet, he found himself following, the voice luring him away from his scotch and the sanctum of his office as the ghost of her hair vanished around the corner, the flutter of the pure white dress she wore ghostly as it seemed to float behind each step she took, towards the room she had once prepared in for their wedding, that haunting song still echoing behind her as he never seemed able to get more than a fleeting glance of her.
"Remember the maid… the maid of the mill"
Entering the room, he began to search for any sign that what he had seen was real. Nothing, not an item out of place, nobody hiding in the closet and nobody hiding under the bed. He sighed, swiping a hand over his face as he turned his back on the bed and found the air stolen from his lungs and the blood drain from his face.
The mirror. It had been clean only seconds before, yet now it was stained with words written in lipstick the colour of blood.
'Death awaits'
"Hello Julian"
What chance he had to scream in horror was robbed as, with a sharp swipe to his left temple, darkness took over his vision and her smile was the last thing he saw, three figures surrounding her.
She watched, eyes never moving as she drank in each twitch his unconscious form made, the scent of his blood filling her senses and tempting her as it trickled slowly from the shallow wound she had created when she had knocked him out cold.
She would savour this moment, draw out her first meal and her revenge. With a swift glace to her side, she wondered if her lovers would see her differently after this night? Perhaps it was for the best if they realised she was just as capable of cruelty as they were.
"My loves. Do you promise that you will not intervene with this? No matter how far I take this before ending his life"
There was silence for a moment before Marcus moved to her side and placed a gentle kiss atop her head, running a loving hand across her cheek.
"We will not intervene, little love. This is your wish and we shall respect it"
Felicity smiled as she took his hand within her own and placed a loving kiss against the wrist, noticing how he seemed to shiver at the small amount of contact. She would have to think on it later as a slight grunt drew her back to the man currently tied to the chair she had brought in from his office whilst he'd been unconscious.
"Oh my, you're awake… How are you Julian?"
His eyes blinked against the throbbing pain in the side of his skull as he tried to focus upon the woman before him. She seemed different, paler yet radiant, her hair even glossier than before and her eyes now crystal clear. She was hauntingly beautiful, terrifying for the man who had thought her dead by his order.
"You crazy bitch! You should be dead!"
She merely chose to smile, circling around him as she heard his heart begin to pound faster, looking towards her mates for final confirmation, relieved by the simple smiles that gave her the go ahead to do as she saw fit.
"Oh now, don't be like that. We haven't seen each other in months, not since that farce you called a wedding"
Her voice was hypnotic, yet Julian found that he could hardly breath for fear as she stopped for a moment in front of him, slowly running a well-manicured finger nail along the column of his throat before slashing at the skin with speed that had him reeling, a small trickle of blood beginning to pool from the shallow cut.
"But it's true, I should be dead…. And, by all accounts, I am"
Carefully, she collected the small amount of blood upon her finger, drawing it up towards her lips as wrapped her tongue around the digit, allowing him a breath glance of her fangs as she moaned at the taste of fresh blood. Neither seemed to be paying attention to the three kings as the sight of their mate sucking wantonly upon her finger sent a surge through their beings and they had to fight the urge to bear their own fangs towards Travelli. This was her moment and they would suffer their own torture if it meant she could find peace in their future eternity.
Julian wanted to scream, wanted to struggle against his bindings at the first glimpse of those teeth. Had they always been so sharp? Had she always had a taste for blood? Her hand slammed down into his shoulder, the sheer strength behind the movement causing a sickening crunch to sound around the room. She had busted his shoulder with a single touch and he could do nothing but watch her, the pieces beginning to fit together as his situation became clear in his mind.
Felicity could only smile as she saw the realisation upon his face.
"See, here's the funny thing: as children, you hear stories of things that go bump in the night, of the monsters that hide in the shadows and the ones that want to steal your blood and soul. But what you thought were just stories, were my actual family, the ones that raised me and loved me. From the moment that you plotted my murder, you sealed your own fate also.
Even if I had not been turned in time, my three mates would have sought revenge on my behalf, but not only that, the mate of the other woman you 'murdered' that night would have come for you also. You see, it wasn't just I in that car but a very good friend of mine. Luckily, she was turned also"
The air came rushing back to his lungs as she began to circle him once more, his screams like a backing sound for the words she spoke as she dug into his flesh with her finger nail and, with each fresh wound, took a taste of the blood that gathered.
The three kings found they could only watch in silence, watched as she tortured her captive, watched as she drew out her first meal with impeccable restraint in favour of playing with him. Yet, they did not want to stop her, they were captivated by what they were witnessing. When had she learned such behaviour? Had she always had such sadistic capabilities or was this something that she had learned and cultivated over the course of her life with the three kings?
Felicity felt like every fibre of her being had been electrified as she swiped another, final, trickle of his blood upon her finger and savoured its flavour upon her tongue. A strange flavour, rich and slightly musky, it reminded her of the single malt whisky that she had tried once on her eighteenth birthday. With a slightly nostalgic sigh, she took a step back and gave him a smile that had his heart shuddering in a fresh wave of terror, her next words the final seal on his demise.
"I guess, sometimes the dead just don't want to stay dead…. Fortunately, you don't get the same choice in the matter"
Her movements were swift as she lunged in towards his throat, teeth sinking into the skin with determination and surprising ease as she drained him of his life force, the warm liquid coursing down her throat and quenching her thirst like water on a raging flame. It felt like pure bliss.
"My precious, you have done well but now he is drained and the sun is soon to rise"
"Aro is right my love, it is time to leave"
She pulled away, letting the body drop with an unceremonious thud as she looked toward both Aro and Marcus before looking down at her dress with a slight scowl.
"You say it went well, yet I appear to have most of Travelli's blood down my front"
Caius couldn't help but laugh as he swooped down and lifted her into his arms, grinning wider at the slight squeal of surprise she gave.
"Don't let it bother you my treasure, practice makes perfect. All new-borns begin as messy eaters"
"You make it sound like I am a child Cauis Volturi!"
The laughter of the kings and the indignant responses of their young mate was lost upon the wind as they left the house, Felicity looking back only once as she considered her options for covering up the murder before pulling out her mobile and texting Bree and Demetri with the address and a simple message:
"Leave no evidence"