Knowing this was no time to induct Marcus into a new feeding regime, even if he had been willing to try it, Carlisle tasked Edward, who had more experience in such matters and could, at least, pick a worthy victim, to accompany the old vampire to a place where he might find sustenance.

In the meantime, he knew he needed to feed as well and that he would likely find some wildlife to sate his thirst in the forest behind the castle. It was where he had always gone to feed when he lived here, and although modern life was steadily encroaching on the lower slopes, the Volturi ensured that, through bribes and threats, human civilization didn't get too close. They wanted reasonable access to their natural food source but didn't want too many curious humans invading their space.

Just as Carlisle was following the scent of a large fallow deer, his companions had arrived in the least salubrious part of Volterra, and Edward had little difficulty locating the mind of a particularly repellant excuse for a human being—a vicious drug dealer and exploiter of underage girls. As Edward led Marcus into an unlit alley, he could see the man bending over a young girl who looked to be little more than fifteen or sixteen years old. She was half-sitting, half-lying on a pile of trash bags while the man gripped her hair and kept slapping her as he harangued her in the local Tuscan vernacular.

"There's your meal, Marcus, but leave the girl; she's suffered enough."

"Of course," he rasped in response. He flashed to the man's side, plucking him away from the girl and leaping up onto a nearby roof where he proceeded to drink his fill—his first full meal in way too long.

As Marcus fed, Edward approached the girl, who looked around in confusion. It had all happened so quickly that she hadn't been able to register where the hell Paolo had disappeared to, but she was glad the beating had stopped. She knew from bitter experience that such thrashings generally led to him taking her roughly for his own pleasure and wondered if she could get away before he returned, if only to delay the inevitable.

It was at this point that she finally noticed the stranger in the almost pitch dark—he was too tall and svelte to be Paolo. Before she could speak to offer what Paolo took for free, he leaned down and gently helped her to stand.

In her own language, he told her Paolo wasn't coming back and that she needed to take herself somewhere safe. As she stared up at his shadowed face in confusion, Edward took out his wallet and extracted a wad of euros. It wasn't enough to change her life, but it might at least get her to another town or back to her family, if such an option existed.

She gazed at the money, which was more than she had seen in her life, perhaps five hundred euros or more, until Edward took her hand, placed the cash in her palm, and wrapped her fingers round it. He was about to send her on her way when Marcus jumped silently down behind her. Seeming to her as if he had magically materialized, she gave a little gasp and pressed herself against Edward. Marcus smiled in the dark and took her free hand, into which he pressed Paolo's bulging wallet.

"Come ti chiami, figlio mio?"

"S-Sophia, signore."

"Prendi questo e lascia Volterra, Sophia, vai ora. Paolo non ti cercherà."

She stared down at her hands in shock but, feeling a slight breeze, looked back up, only to find herself completely alone. This time, she didn't hesitate. A miracle seemed to have occurred, and she wasn't hanging around to find out if it was real or not. Despite her split lip, she smiled, ignoring the pain it brought. And then she hastened away from that fetid alley, ensuring she wasn't observed as she left.

The exsanguinated body on the roof of an abandoned hovel wouldn't be found for over a week, by which time, the elements and local vermin would make it impossible to either identify him or determine a cause of death. He would just be one more crime statistic in an area that was under-resourced and under-funded. There would be no one to miss or mourn him.

~o0o~

At the same time as the three vampires were searching for a meal, all was far from quiet at the castle.

Following Jasper's directions, Emmett led Kate and Laurent along the narrow passage they had accessed via a concealed door behind the thrones. Somewhere ahead, they could make out the click of Caius's leather-soled boots on the flagstones as he hurried down toward the dungeons. When they reached the staircase, Emmett urged caution—he didn't want to waste time, but neither did he want to run headlong into those who might remain loyal to the blond vampire.

Steadily but surely, they made their way down endless steps and corridors, Caius's fading footsteps no longer offering any clue to his whereabouts. Rounding a final spiral stairwell, they were struck by a foul odor emanating from some way ahead, down another long passage. They wondered just how deep below the castle they were and all agreed they couldn't wait to get back to ground level and out of this godforsaken place.

Muffled speech alerted them to at least two vampires up ahead, and they hoped one of them was Caius. The closer they got, the more fetid the air became, and Emmett was pretty sure they had discovered the location of Caius's misbegotten pet. Surely, nothing else could smell that bad.

Ever vigilant and moving stealthily, Emmett hoped that Caius and whoever he was speaking to would be distracted enough not to notice their approach until it was too late.

Finally, they reached the end of the corridor where it turned sharply left, and from where they could hear a kind of guttural cawing and the sound of massive wings flapping.

God, thought Emmett, I hope they haven't let that fucker out yet.

However, now that they were close enough to make out actual words, it seemed the two men were arguing.

"My Lord, please, you can't release her. She will be vulnerable to attack—"

"Nonsense, man, she's a vampire vulture, and she can fly—"

"But that's just it, Master, she can't really fly, not properly. She can glide but her wings are clipped, and she can't actually get airborne more than a dozen feet. She's only safe inside her enclosure with humans or with vampires restrained by the reinforced chains. An unrestrained vampire could easily overpower her. Please, Master, Betty can't survive in the real world, don't you see?"

Emmett frowned. Betty? What the fuck?

"Shut your disrespectful mouth, you fool. She's my pet, and I'll do with her as I please. Perhaps I'll feed you to her, you malodorous little gnome."

There was a pause and then the bird's keeper spoke up again, his voice becoming ever more belligerent. "Betty wouldn't harm me; she knows me as her caretaker, and the one who provides her food."

"Ha, if you think that, you're more of a dullard than I gave you credit for. And for the sake of my sanity, stop calling her Betty. Her name is Nekhbet, who was a goddess. You're her jailer, that's all she knows, and she'll crush you like a bug if it means gaining her freedom. But why don't we put it to the test, eh? Give me the key."

"I can't do that, Master."

The sounds of a brief scuffle were heard, followed by a cry of pain, and then silence.

This is it, thought Emmett, signaling to his companions.

The three of them swung around the corner just as the sound of a heavy key being turned reached them. Again, they heard that ghastly raucous cawing as the bird presumably anticipated the arrival of food.

Upon making themselves visible, Caius turned, clearly shocked to see them, and the door fell open behind him, causing him to stumble backward into the enclosure.

The cawing now turned to a kind of gargling cackle, and once again, they heard the spine-tingling sound of huge wings fluttering and flapping.

Despite his growing repulsion and strong sense of self-preservation, Emmett shot forward, following Caius into the unnatural aviary. As he did, the bird started to swoop toward them.

The stench was overpowering, but Emmett forced himself to ignore it, along with the bones and rotting viscera scattered across the floor. He trusted implicitly that Laurent and Kate were right behind him, and that trust was borne out when a bolt of electricity crackled out over his head and hit the gliding bird squarely in its bony chest. Immediately following on her heels, Laurent stormed inside, wrinkling his nose, and then spotting the monstrous bird fluttering ineffectually and screeching in pain, he leapt onto its back, straddling its body and grabbing for its scrawny bald neck.

The bird was strong though, recovering quickly, and with a gargantuan beat of its giant wings, it rose off the ground and spun, managing to throw off its attacker. Falling to the filthy ground onto his back, Laurent started to jump up, but the bird was upon him, its foul-smelling hooked beak seeking his eyes as its talons dug into his chest. Grunting in pain, Laurent nevertheless managed to get his hands around its neck, only to feel his feet skid from under him on the greasy flagstones which were covered in all manner of human blood, excrement, and other bodily fluids, as well as spilled vampire venom.

From the opposite side where he was trying to get to Caius, Emmett saw his companion begin to fall again, releasing the bird as he scrabbled for purchase on the slick flagstones.

"Kate, zap Caius, keep him down," he yelled, even as he scaled the wall and leapt across to where Laurent was struggling to regain his feet while trying to keep the screeching, squirming bird from pecking at his face. Landing on the vast bird, Emmett took its long neck in both hands and ripped its head off, flinging it across the enclosure.

To his surprise, the headless bird continued to flap and beat its wings in a frenzied effort to escape. Horrified, he recalled reading about a chicken that'd had its head cut off and went on to live for years, being fed with a pipette down its neck or some such fuckery. The thought sent a chill down his spine, but moments later, the flapping turned to a weak fluttering and then the bird was still.

Jumping off, Emmett grabbed Laurent's arm and hauled him out from beneath the animal, and then immediately pushing him away. "Oh, fuck me, that's nasty … you really stink, man!"

"Merde," the Frenchman hissed.

"Merde is right, compadre; you are covered in fucking merde!" He laughed, even as he held up his hands as if to ward off the stench.

Laurent scowled but held his hand out. "Merci, mon ami, you saved my ass."

Grinning, Emmett took the proffered hand and shook it. "You're welcome. The next time I need saving from a pissed-off, giant turkey, I'll expect you to return the favor."

Laurent laughed but stopped abruptly when a sardonic cough came from behind Emmett. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Kate leaning against the door jamb, the air around her sizzling and crackling as she sent yet another jolt of electricity into Caius's torso where he lay twitching on the ground.

"I've never tested it, so I don't know how long I can keep this up, but if you two stinky mudaks could get your asses over here and help me, I'd be much obliged," she told them, her slight Russian accent lending her words a certain gravitas they didn't really deserve.

The two men grinned at one another, and then turned to do as Kate asked. When they got closer, she wrinkled her nose. "Oh my God, you really do stink!" she gasped.

Emmett laughed. "You got that right, sister; he's a walking shitshow!"

"Oh, you're no rose garden either, Emmett. The two of you need to take a shower and change your clothes."

Face falling, Emmett placed a well-aimed kick in Caius's ribs. "This is all your fault, you fucking maniac. Who bites a fucking vulture, and then keeps it as a pet? You are one sick fuck, Caius."

Kate laughed, straightening from her position against the door jamb, and turned to leave. "You two can bring him; I'm staying well away from both of you." With a wry chuckle, she stepped into the corridor.

All of them had forgotten about Rasmus.

With a scream of rage, he launched himself at the statuesque Russian beauty, his short, stocky physique meaning he could only reach her chest, but he used his considerable strength to trap her arms and attempt to crush her ribs.

Following right behind Kate and dragging their prisoner, Emmett and Laurent were taken aback at this turn of events but quickly recovered. Emmett dropped Caius's arm, shouting, "Hold onto him," at Laurent.

The little warder was strong and full of rage, but as he held on to Kate, he discovered she could radiate her electrical charge throughout her body, and he just couldn't maintain his grip. Teeth gritted, he tried desperately to keep up the pressure, but the next thing he knew, he was being bodily lifted by one of the biggest vampires he had ever met aside from Felix. Struggling impotently, he felt Emmett wrap on arm around his neck in a headlock, and then it was all over as his head was wrenched from his body and flung away, hitting the far wall.

"Jeez, but we're going to need a big fucking fire!" Emmett grunted.

"EMMETT!"

Kate's warning cry alerted him to danger, but already, Caius had used the distraction to twist out of Laurent's grip and was racing at vampire speed toward the steps leading back up to the main part of the castle.

It was his bad fortune that someone was coming down them at that precise moment, her voice ringing out in the close confines of the spiral staircase.

"Emmett McCarty, you better not be playing with that damned bird—damn!"

"Rose, look ou—"

Even as he yelled out a warning, Caius seemed to have taken flight as he sailed back into the corridor past Emmett, who roared with laughter as his beautiful wife sauntered down the last few steps to join them. Before he could vocalize his praise, however, a desperate Caius was back on his feet and running straight at Rosalie, whose focus was on her filthy husband.

Too late, Emmett caught sight in his peripheral vision of a flash of movement as Caius launched himself at Rosalie, who was blocking his path to freedom. Beside him, like a deadly tornado, Laurent reacted instinctively, spinning across the narrow space, dreadlocks flying, at the same time reaching for the other man's throat. With unerring accuracy, he closed his hands around Caius's neck and, as he continued to spin like a whirling Dervish, tore off his head in a blur of grinding stone and flying bodies.

Ignoring the noxious odor emanating from Laurent, Emmett threw his arms around him, slapping his back. "Thanks, man; I owe you one," he told him, his gratitude plain to see.

"Forget it, mon ami; no thanks are needed. Let's just call it … how do you say it? Quits?"

"I guess, but I mean it, Laurent. If you ever needed anything, you just have to ask."

With a smile and a nod, the dreadlocked vampire merely clapped his hand on Emmett's shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze. "Come, let us burn these monstres down here and get back to our friends."

Returning to the rancid bird enclosure, they set aside their revulsion for their task and started gathering together straw and other flammable detritus in order to build a makeshift pyre, which Kate then set alight with a sizzling shot of electricity. Finally, they dragged the bodies and heads of Caius and Rasmus into the huge stone pen and tossed them onto the growing flames, quickly adding Caius's abominable creation to the sickly-sweet smelling barbecue.

Once the flames had thoroughly enveloped, and then obliterated the remains, they quickly died down. Turning their backs on the pile of ashes which was all that remained of one of the most powerful vampires ever to have existed, along with the result of his megalomania and its misguided keeper, the four vampires locked the door and walked away, keen to get back to their family, and thence to the clean, open air.

~o0o~

It was some three hours later that the visiting vampires finally sat down with Marcus.

Circumstances had demanded that showers and fresh outfits were required, particularly by Emmett and Laurent, while Kate and Rosalie were so certain that the stench of the dungeon had seeped into the very threads of their clothes that they also insisted on getting cleaned up. It was therefore decided that Jasper and Edward would quickly run down to the derelict house, collect everyone's luggage, and then drive the two cars back and into the castle's quadrangle.

Meanwhile, Marcus, who had been revitalized and transformed by his feeding, had ordered that rooms be prepared for everyone in a part of the ancient structure that actually boasted indoor plumbing—it seemed that many members of the Volturi coven eschewed baths and showers because their skin didn't really get dirty, and they did not, of course, require toilets. However, a wing of the old building had been modernized to accommodate those who did enjoy such human facilities and, of course, the small group of human acolytes who lived within its walls.

At last, feeling much refreshed, with those who needed it having fed, they all gathered together to discuss the way forward. However, despite the fact that the remains of Aro and the twins had been taken away and burned, no one felt inclined to return to the throne room. Instead, they joined Marcus in a large anteroom annexed to the vast library, the only part of Carlisle's life in Volterra that he missed.

A conference-style table had been set up with thirteen chairs, around which the main players in this extraordinary drama were now seated. In addition, another dozen chairs were placed behind the thirteen, and Marcus had requested the presence of the surviving senior members of the Guard, which included Felix, Dimitri and Chelsea.

To the surprise of everyone, Gianna was also present, sitting close to Marcus.

"Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to meet with me here. I think—"

"Did we have a choice?" grumbled Felix, his face a picture of disgruntlement.

Sighing, Marcus put his hands together and raised them in front of his face, as if in prayer. "There is always a choice, Felix. We are all creatures of free will. Now, if I might continue?"

He paused for a moment before beginning to speak again. "We are here, as you know, because great change is upon us, and we can no longer continue in the same way that we did when … others were in charge. Now, there may be some among you who are unhappy with the events of the last twelve hours, but what is done is done, and we cannot go back. It is therefore incumbent upon me to put forward a strategy for the future which I hope we may all agree upon."

A tentative hand was raised behind Jasper, drawing Marcus's attention. "Chelsea, you have something you want to say?"

"Yes, Master. I just wondered …"

"Yes, my dear, please feel free to speak your mind."

"It's just … well ..." She shook her head slightly, but when Marcus smiled kindly at her, she seemed to find her courage.

"Am I to be your shield, Master? I mean, I protected my Lord Aro for a millennium and … well, I wondered if I might … have a little time off?"

Marcus shook his head sadly. This woman had spent a thousand years keeping her fingers on Aro's back except when he was stealing vampires' memories or with his wife—a wife who hadn't even emerged from her rooms or showed any appreciable emotion on being told of Aro's death—and now she was afraid to ask for a little time away from such an onerous duty. The list of Aro's wrong-doings was apparently endless.

"My dear Chelsea, please be assured that I will not need a shield—at all. I would very much value your contribution to my proposal, but you are free to pursue whatever activities or plans you may have, whenever you want."

Chelsea looked stunned, seemingly robbed of speech. After a second or two, she merely muttered a tremulous "thank you" and sat back.

"Now, as mentioned, I have a plan for the future, but it will require collaboration and consensus. For three thousand years, Aro, Caius and I operated as a cross between an absolute monarchy and a kind of plutocracy, during which Aro eventually manipulated events in order to create an autocracy, with Caius's tacit support. Indeed, Caius's only real contribution was to strike fear in those around him and to pursue his immoral and iniquitous … projects."

He paused, staring unseeingly at the wall behind Felix. "I know it was Aro who arranged the murder of … the murder of my beloved Didyme, his own sister, but I forced myself to deny the truth for so many years … so very many years." He shook his head, as if to rid it of the past, and refocused on those around him. "But I … we can no longer dwell on events we don't have the power to change."

"So, what is going to change, eh?" Felix interjected.

"Well, Felix, much will remain the same, of course. Our primary law will still be that of secrecy. But there must be a more judicial way to deal with infractions—mitigation should be taken into consideration. Having discussed matters with Carlisle and—"

Felix stood, his chair falling backward with a clatter.

"Fuck Carlisle, what's he got to do with any of it? All this is his fault—"

Suddenly, the giant vampire found himself flying backwards and being pinned up against the wall by an invisible force as Bella stared daggers at him from the other side of the table. "All of this, every fucking thing that has transpired is down to Aro, so don't even start with that shit, you overgrown bully," she snarled.

Felix struggled, astonished at the power of the girl's ability. No one had ever bested him in a show of strength; not in over two thousand years.

Moments later, a wave of calm swept around the room, and Bella slowly withdrew her shield, allowing Felix to move again. However, instead of sitting down, he cast an angry look around the table and walked toward the door.

Carlisle stood, quickly moving to block his path and holding up a conciliatory hand. "Felix, please, just listen to Marcus for a few more minutes. I know you're angry, but we shouldn't be at loggerheads. We have a real chance to bring about change for the good. Please, give him a chance."

"Give me one good reason why I should?" he demanded.

"Because if you leave, what will you have? You really have nothing to lose if you stay, and you may find there's everything to gain. Five minutes, Felix, that's all we ask."

For a moment, he looked like he would ignore Carlisle's plea as he looked toward the door, but then something must have made him change his mind, and with a great show of reluctance, he turned, picked up his chair, and sat back down. "Five minutes, Marcus, then I'm out of here."

Marcus smiled and nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Felix; I appreciate your patience. Very well, as time is clearly of the essence, I will cut to the chase. I propose that we form a vampire council that will comprise, say, nine senior members of our coven. The council will have a chairman, but all proposals and laws will be discussed by the full council and the chairman will only use his casting vote when the council is deadlocked.

"It is a fact that Aro and Caius ruled through fear, which is not how I would wish things to continue, but in a community such as ours, where we have so many lethally powerful members, we must retain an element of retribution in order to maintain control and ensure our laws are observed and followed. To that end, I still need experienced guards, and I hope that you, Felix, would wish to be a part of the new regime and serve on the council. I hope, also, that Dimitri and Chelsea will join me, along with other members of the Guard." He paused as he glanced around the table at each one of those who had assembled there, gratified by several nods and murmurs of assent. "We will need to hash out the minutiae and fine-tune the plan, but I believe we have the core of a workable strategy for the future. What say you, Felix?"

"Will Carlisle Cullen or any of his … family be joining this Council?" he responded disparagingly.

It was Carlisle who answered. "No, Felix. I want no part of it, and neither do any of my family. We plan to return to the US as soon as possible, and we have a jet on standby at Galileo International in Pisa for that very reason. I will, of course, always be available to my old friend to lend an ear or some encouragement, but neither I nor any member of this family is interested in being a part of the Volturi. In the very unlikely event that changes any time in the near or far future, then our involvement would, of course, be subject to the council's approval. I hope that puts your mind at ease, Felix."

The man grunted, but, after a moment, he nodded his clearly reluctant assent. Then he turned his gaze to Gianna. "And the girl? I told you, Aro prom—"

"No, absolutely not," Marcus interrupted vehemently. "Gianna is under my protection and will remain so."

Felix sneered. "Oh, I see how it is. You've finally gotten over your big sulk and want to dip your wick, eh?"

Marcus sighed heavily. "You shouldn't judge me by your own very low standards, Felix. And while we're on the subject, you should know that I will not tolerate any more abuse or torture of the human women who come through our gates. If I hear of any such behavior in future, there will be consequences. And your position on the council is dependent upon a change of attitude. If you cannot control your sexual predilections, steps will be taken to … help you learn control. Do I make myself clear, Felix? I will be watching you. I may have sleepwalked through the last several hundred years, but I'm awake now."

The two vampires locked eyes for a long minute, but it was Felix who looked away first. "So, are we done here? May I leave the table, Master?"

Marcus ignored his sarcastic tone, merely nodding his acquiescence, and with that, Felix was gone.

The moment his footsteps had faded, Carlisle turned to Marcus. "I'm afraid he's going to be a problem, my friend."

"Yes, I know, but I need him, at least for the moment. I cannot let the vampire world think that there is no one to enforce the law or that they can get away with flouting it. So, at least for the time being, Felix is a necessary evil, and I'd rather have him here where I can keep an eye on him than out on his own where he can cause mayhem. In the words of Sun Tzu, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Edward, do you have something to add?"

"Only that Carlisle is right. His thoughts are muddled, and quite frankly, he's so angry at the moment that it's hard to keep track of what he's thinking because he's all over the place. He's particularly annoyed about Gianna."

He looked over at the young woman, who was sitting just behind Marcus. She certainly looked a lot better than when he'd last seen her, but she was clearly anxious, and with good reason. "I'm sorry, Gianna, I know this must be frightening and I don't want to compound your fears, but you should be aware of the dangers and take steps not to leave yourself vulnerable."

"Thank you, Edward. I do understand—and I know exactly what that man is capable of. But my Lord Marcus has promised to look after me, and that is a great comfort."

She smiled warmly at the old vampire, and Edward was somewhat surprised to see in her mind that there was a good deal more there than the simple gratitude of a servant for a master's care. Equally, when Marcus met Gianna's gaze, Edward saw and heard that he already cared deeply for her, and that if she still wanted to be changed, he would do it himself, as he had done for his beloved Didyme.

He felt Bella slip her hand beneath his and entwine their fingers, causing him to look down at her. Her smile was wide, and her eyes held so much love. "We did good, Edward, and now I just want to love you."

He grinned as her words poured into his mind, and he wanted very much to get her alone. So intent was he on thinking of ways to make that happen, it took him a while to tune back in to the general conversation.

"If you can stay another day, I would be enormously grateful, Carlisle."

"I suppose it won't hurt. Jasper, when do we have to be at the airport?"

"Well, we have until midnight tomorrow, but I can call the captain just to let him have a definite ETA so he can file a flight plan."

"I think that would be prudent—let's say we'll be there by nine o'clock tomorrow evening. I'm sorry we can't stay longer, Marcus, but I really need to get back to the hospital, and I just want to go home."

"Don't apologize, Carlisle, I'm most grateful for the extra day, and I understand completely that you have needs and commitments of your own. Perhaps we can talk some more now—"

Carlisle held up his hand. "I'm sorry. We will talk, but can we do it later? I really need to take a break, and I'm sure that holds true for my family also."

There were a number of relieved nods around the table, and Marcus had the good grace to look a little sheepish.

"Of course, of course, forgive me. Take all the time you need. Perhaps we can meet back here in, say, six hours? And, in the meantime, I have some matters I can discuss with Dimitri and the others."

Nodding, Carlisle stood, the others following suit, and they left the room en masse.

For the next six hours, alone in their individual chambers, each couple took the much-needed respite to reconnect with one another.

Only the Denali sisters' chamber was unoccupied as Kate and Tanya had quickly set off in search of a bed-mate for the afternoon. Irina, by contrast, knew exactly where she was going, and moments after her sisters had left, she was tapping on Laurent's door. Following several months of unresolved sexual tension between them, the events of earlier had focused both their minds, and when Irina received a text from Laurent, she didn't hesitate to join him. Life, after all, was too short to waste, even for a vampire.

~o0o~

The following night, as the clock in the Old Town Square chimed eight times, two black SUVs raced out of town on the road to Pisa.

There had been a great deal of discussion throughout the ensuing hours, and many things had been agreed, although there was still much to be resolved. That, however, would be for Marcus to work on with his closest advisers. Dimitri had been a loyal soldier for the new Council Chief, even before Didyme's tragic demise, and he was now Marcus's closest adviser and second-in-command. Chelsea, who was still coming to terms with her freedom, had sworn a lifetime's fealty to the man she saw as her savior and vowed that for as long as she existed, she would protect him—and those he loved—with her life.

There were other vampires Marcus trusted, and they, too, were appointed to roles on the Council, and now the real work of organizing and strategizing could begin.

It was time for the American visitors to take their leave, and at nine o'clock on the dot, their Gulfstream jet hurtled down the runway at Pisa Airport, lifted off and soared high into the night sky.

They were going home.


Translations:

"Come ti chiami, figlio mio?"
What is your name, my child?

"Prendi questo e lascia Volterra, Sophia, vai ora. Paolo non ti cercherà."
Take this and leave Volterra, Sophia, go now. Paolo won't look for you.

Mubak
Russian insult, meaning asshole, smart ass, horse's ass, pain in the ass, or dickhead.


A/N: So, our beloved characters are on their way home, the Volturi are busy reorganising, Marcus has got the girl and Felix is pissed off - who knows what will happen with him but I'm done with his story arc. Maybe he'll meet his mate and mend his ways, or he'll push his luck with Gianna and Marcus will rip his head off. I know you all wanted me to kill him but every now and then one just has to accept that nasty people sometimes get away with being complete arses. Well, just one more chapter/epilogue to go before we say goodbye for good on this one, so I'll save my thank yous until then.