A/N I know, I know, that was the worst cut-off I could have chosen. I did that on purpose, as a sort of segue into this next part of the drama: Tamara! You may very well hate me at the end of this chapter.

Enjoy!

Tamara's POV

I entered an open, brightly lit room, and immediately understood why Brady had compared it to a throne room. There, at the top of a small staircase, along a red carpet, were the three famous—or infamous—rulers of our kind: Caius, Marcus, and Aro at the center. A thrill of nervous energy passed through me. I resisted the urge to fall into an instinctual defensive crouch. Suspicion would not do me any good here.

I paused at the foot of the staircase, staring evenly into Aro's eyes, before placing one palm over my heart and bowing slightly. I felt silly doing the motion, but I didn't want to offend the Volturi.

Aro laughed airily and I raised my head once more. He stood and clasped his hands in front of his chest. "Delightful child!" he breathed, his voice nonetheless echoing through the great room. He glided with inhuman grace to the step immediately above mine, Caius and Marcus trailing behind him. He examined me closely, his papery hand tracing my cheekbone. Again, I forced back the instinct to jump back or, worse, to growl at him.

"But you are a newborn," Aro determined, intently gazing into my eyes. "Even mature vampires do not possess eyes of such a brilliant red."

"A drawback that makes us more easily identifiable," I quipped, speaking for the first time. I took a nanosecond to marvel at the wind chime sound that my voice had made for the last nine months.

Aro chuckled. "Ah, there are some things that can never truly be hidden, child," he replied somewhat sadly. He waved his hand dismissively. "But never mind that. I assume that this is not merely a social call. Do you have a request to make of us? The desire to join the Volturi, perhaps?" His eyes glinted at the prospect of a new addition.

I smiled self-consciously. "I am afraid that I would not prove very useful to you, Master Aro," I answered. "I do not possess a gift such as those that give credit to your coven."

Aro nodded, already losing interest at my revelation. I hurried to add, "I am here because I have acquired information that could be considered a threat to your governance, or to the secrecy of our existence as a whole."

Both Aro and Caius perked up when I mentioned that the Volturi could be at stake, and I silently praised Brady for helping me script my conversation with the great leaders beforehand. At fifteen in the 21st Century, I could never have framed such a formal response that vampire-kind seemed to dictate.

"Surely this threat isn't as dire as it appears?" Caius ventured, but his expression was hungry, his eyes dancing. He wants a fight, I realized.

"I hope you will forgive me for reviving a delicate subject," I began, lowering my gaze momentarily before standing straight with resolve, "but this threat is directly related to a coven that seems to disregard authority for the sake of their own exploits. I believe you are familiar with the Cullens?"

That one question provoked a wild response from every vampire in the room. Members of the guard hissed, muttered angrily between each other, and clenched their fists out of supreme hate. Caius growled, his eyes glinting dangerously, and Aro struggled to maintain a calm façade, but his skin pinched at the cheeks and his brows furrowed in anger. Marcus, however, sighed wearily and dropped his face into one hand.

"Is something troubling you, Master Marcus?" I asked politely.

Marcus raised his eyes to mine. "I have known Carlisle for centuries," he informed me, directing his attention to include his co-leaders. "He has never been one for violence or disturbing the peace, but rather, out of compassion, he cares for every creature that resides on this earth, vampire, human, and shape-shifter alike. Even in our last confrontation, he made no move to harm us, though the fight would have been at least even." Aro, Caius, and numerous members of the guard growled at Marcus's assessment; they didn't relish in not having the upper hand in a fight.

"It is unnecessary to fight them, or to seek out evidence against them. Their only crime is forming alliances with our enemies that would otherwise have killed them. Why should we counter their desire to connect with every aspect of the supernatural world as long as they do not risk exposure and continue to support the race of vampires first and foremost?"

"But you see, that is exactly why I am here!" I cried. I followed my gut feeling to speak with passion rather than calm eloquence to present my point to the Volturi. "The Cullens have rejected our alliance in favor of a common enemy!"

The murmurings in the chamber ceased abruptly as every eye focused on me. I met first Marcus's, then Caius's eyes, and then finally rested on Aro's ancient face. "I will give you every justification you need to confront the Cullens once and for all, on one very important condition."

Caius shifted irritably at my demand, but Aro studied me with interest. "Name your terms," he said with reluctance.

"You will never pursue my coven, regardless of the talents we offer," I said strongly. "You will allow us to continue our lives as nomads."

Aro watched me thoughtfully. "What gifts does your coven have that you feel the need to set such a restriction?" he wondered.

I grinned impishly at the leader. "I will say only that our gifts are the reason I was sent to mediate. We did not want you to feel threatened."

The guard shuffled uneasily at this new information. What gift could be powerful enough to take control over all of Volterra? I smiled internally at Brady's persuasive abilities.

Aro's eyes widened infinitesimally. "Interesting," was his conclusion. After a pause, he said, "Let me consult with Caius and Marcus."

I inclined my head out of respect. The three formed a rigid triangle and spoke so softly that even my newborn hearing couldn't decipher their counsel. Around me, though, I picked up snippets of conversation from other members of the guard:

"Her coven must have a concentration of talent."

"Do you suppose they could rival the Cullens?"

"I wonder if they mean to give us an upper hand, after hearing of the confrontation seven years ago."

Everyone cast me furtive glances, but I stood in a seemingly bored and casual position. I would not let their maturity affect me.

Eventually, the three leaders approached me once more. Aro bore a smile on his face. "Young one, would you please tell me your name?" he requested.

I smiled amiably. "My name is Tamara," I replied.

"Well then, Tamara, our council has decided to accept your proposal," Aro answered. "Please extend your hand to me, that I may search your memories."

Brady had warned me, or rather, advised me, that Aro would require this of me. It was one of the reasons that I was chosen to appear before the Volturi in the first place: only my vampire memories would be truly accessible to Aro, and nine months was certainly much shorter than the decades that Brady, Leanna, and Ashton had lived in the supernatural world. Still, it was with hesitancy that I proffered my open palm.

Aro laughed good-naturedly. "You have nothing to fear, dear Tamara," he assured me. "I mean only to acquire basic information about your coven and any information you possess pertaining to the Cullens." His palm made light contact with mine.

If I expected to feel the flow of memories from my mind to his, I was sorely mistaken. As it was, I faced him curiously, but found his head bowed in concentration, observing and interpreting every thought I had ever had, every sensation that I had experienced. His face gave no indication of judgment toward my memories, so I waited a bit impatiently for his search to conclude.

Aro finally released my hand and raised his eyes to the distance, his face pensive. "Master Aro?" I prompted cautiously.

Aro turned to me abruptly with a pained frown. "Is it true, then?" he asked. "There are more shape-shifters in the world?"

"Yes," I responded without hesitation. I did take care, however, with my next words, mindful that memories couldn't lie, and Aro would surely know if I elaborated my story. "Brady first encountered the Arikara when he was hunting hikers. One of the elk attempted to stop him, so he attacked, discovering that these shape-shifters had surprisingly flavorful blood. We've charged ourselves with ridding the area of their presence, but their numbers continue to escalate, and now the Cullens and the wolves of Forks, Washington, have sided with them, against us."

Aro shook his head sadly. "Your coven has acted nobly, Tamara," he commended. "Honestly, I would expect nothing less from a coven that is dedicated to upholding the law. The Cullens, it seems, do not seem to care for our rules and would defend natural enemies before their own kind."

Although Aro repeated only what I had already said, I bit back a retort and allowed him to believe that the conclusion was wholly his. "My coven would be willing to support you, should this breach end in a fight," I offered. "I would like to reiterate, however, that while we will always respect you highly and side with the law, we wish to continue in our current lifestyle."

"But of course, young Tamara!" Aro cried. "The skills of your mate and his sister are great, but I can see that you are in earnest about maintaining your own privacy. It actually displays a great deal of trust and foresight that Brady himself did not seek to meet with me, at the risk of accidentally turning his power against an ally!" he laughed.

I laughed with him, mentally cheering. Brady had thought every detail through.

"Yes, and it seems that we will be working together quite closely in the near future," Aro murmured. "Brady's talent is intriguing: the ability to physically manipulate one's mind, even temporarily, is vastly more powerful than forcing one to consciously act against his own will. Your coven must be very intricately connected…." He trailed off, so thoughtful that I feared that he had changed his mind about drafting us into his guard after all. I repressed the urge to shiver when Caius grinned wickedly at Aro's words.

"But now, my dear, I am sure that your coven will be anxious to see you," Aro guessed, gesturing toward the door. "Felix and Demetri will escort you to out."

The two guards from earlier approached me, their figures towering over my tiny body. Before I turned to leave, I bowed once more. "Thank you for receiving me, Master Aro," I said formally, in an attempt to obscure my wariness. "I hope that my words will prove useful toward justice in our world."

"Oh, please, Tamara, simply call me Aro," he insisted. "And indeed, your company has been most pleasurable. Please pass my compliments on to Brady for selecting such a lovely and sophisticated mate."

I smiled joyfully, glad that I couldn't blush out of embarrassment. "The pleasure has been all mine," I returned softly. I stepped up to meet Felix and Demetri and followed them to the place that I had entered before.

When I returned to the hotel where Brady, Leanna, and Ashton had spent the day, Brady immediately appeared at my side and caught me in a tight embrace. "You're all right," he breathed. "You were there for a long time. I started to worry."

My heart swelled and I placed a light but affectionate kiss on his lips. "Our conversation went very well," I told him, raising my voice slightly so Ashton and Leanna could hear. "They agreed to the terms we set and seemed very interested in pursuing this new knowledge about the Cullens."

Brady nodded with approval, crushing me against him again. "You did so well," he whispered. "I knew that you were the best to represent our coven."

I felt the instinct to blush again. "I only followed your lead," I murmured huskily, drawing my mate into a more passionate kiss.

As Brady deepened the kiss, I was vaguely aware that Ashton and Leanna moved quietly to the accompanying suite, giving us some privacy. That was more than fine with me. I set my feet on Brady's and let him walk us over to the king-size bed that dominated the room. I sank down first and he lowered his incredibly sexy body onto mine. As he barely fumbled with the buttons of my straight denim dress, I thanked whoever created vampires that they chose me to join the ranks of the immortal and blessed me with such a wonderful mate.

After a heated and highly satisfying two hours on the bed, Brady released and met my eyes seriously. "It's all for you, Tamara," he murmured, running a soft finger along my jaw line. "I will work and fight for justice every day for the rest of my existence if it means that you will be safe."

I sighed with contentment and ran a hand through Brady's thick black hair. "And I will make you the happiest vampire alive until eternity ends," I promised.

Brady hooked his arm around my waist, pulling us together until we connected again, and my mind was filled with nothing but him. The rest would come later.