Sulpicia POV

Athens was the same, everything was I place the flickering lamp lights in window and the livestock grazing in the country side windows.

We split up through the city. Dimitri and Felix and Aro and I.

I maneuvered my way through the streets like a shadow.

Aro insisted that we hunt before finding Airlia, but I was too excited to focus on anything else.

The orphanage came into view and a ran to the window with the excitement of a small child.

Airlia was inside stretched out on a cot. Her eyes were rimmed with red and her breaths were short and uneven.

I felt sad at the sight of her mourning.

"Sulpicia" Aro said resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Look what I've done, she's gone I don't even recognize her anymore." I sighed unable to cry,

"We should go, you're too thirsty" Aro explained. I nodded and followed him back through the streets.

"Her thinking your dead will just quicken her recovery." Didyme told me.

I pulled my hair back and turned in front of a mirror.

"I just, I don't want to hurt her" I sighed.

Didyme clipped my hair up and took my hand.

"She'll be okay" she reassured before we walked into the corridor. The sky was gray with rain and a breeze blew through the open windows.

Aro met up with us in one of the halls with a smile on his face.

"Ah Sulpicia there you are" he said gripping my forearms.

I smiled and looked at Didyme who was looking out the window.

"I'm going to find Marcus" she said taking my good mood with her.

Aro took my hand and we continued down the hall. There was something going on in the throne room that required Caius' shouting that Aro seemed to ignore. Instead he led me down the hall past the doors leading to the secret garden and through

a pair of double door.

Inside was an almost empty room it like most of the rooms had large windows with tables below, the rest of the room was empty so you could see the mosaic floor. The colored tiles were laid in a hypnotic and exotic swirl of color. I walked to the window and looked outside at the view. We were high on a mountain overlooking the city below.

Aro stepped beside me and took one of my hands in both of his.

I thought back a few days ago. Aro must've read my mind because he pulled me back into the center of the room and spun me in slow circles. I laughed and moved faster so we were dancing at speed nothing could match.

I was surprised at how fluent and perfect I could move it was like I was born to dance.

Aro spun me around the room my hair was shimmering around me like a halo.

Aro stopped and pulled me close.

I looked out the windows to see the sun setting behind the horizon we'd danced all day and I hadn't even realized it.

"Soon I'll have been here a year" I mused.

"You've been here nine months already." Aro told me.

Time was going by so fast and I couldn't care less soon I forgot all about missing Airlia.

Aro POV

Caius ripped the head from the vampire's body and watched with grim satisfaction that we all shared as the body fell to the floor and Felix carried it away.

"That is the third one to have told a human" Marcus sighed rubbing his forehead his his hand.

"Now that that is done with we have matters to discuss Aro" Caius said his voice dark.

I sighed and stood up, meeting Caius in the center of the room.

"What do we need to discuss that we haven't already?" I asked bored already.

"You've lost your goals. I thought you wanted power but I was wrong" Caius growled.

"Caius has a point brother, you've lost all your intentions" Marcus sighed.

"Not all, I still have the goals we set out for but as you both can see nothing is happening we've taken care of the rule breakers" I told them.

Caius grabbed my hand and I read his mind. Releasing his hand I looked at Marcus who offered his hand that I took as well.

"Now you know," Marcus told me. I stepped back to my chair and sat down looking at Marcus.

"If you think it's true then perhaps it is" I sighed.

Marcus nodded and Caius seemed to calm down, "if you wish for her to truly be one of us then it's the best option, we know its what you want. Why you didn't let her die" he mused.

I looked at the door at Dimitri came in looking pleased. "This is the group the traitor told of our existence" he announced. The group of around twenty people looked frightened. "Let us eat" I said before attacking.

Didyme POV

Sulpicia smiled at her perfect reflection. She was happy, either from me or herself I couldn't tell.

She spun again and laughed.

She was completely oblivious to how my brother truly felt about her. That even though his heart didn't beat anymore he'd given it to her.

She walked over to me and pulled me in front of the mirror with her.

We couldn't be more different. She had long dark blond hair with natural highlights and waves. Her lips were naturally dark and her skin was milky white. My hair was black with waves and no highlights. My lips were dark pink and my skin was near translucent. The only similarities were our bloody eyes. "You're beautiful" I told her.

"So are you, I see what Marcus is so happy about." She told me.

"And I can see the same with my brother." I replied.

She knitted her eyebrows together and looked at me confused.

"You don't know?" I asked proving my earlier assumptions.

"Well…no" Sulpicia admitted. "Oh" I sighed meeting her eyes.

"Why what is it?" She asked her high clear voice twisted with concern.

I sighed again and ran a hand through my hair. "Maybe Aro should tell you" I concluded. She seemed unsure but finally nodded and returned to fixing her image.