Silence fell across the room as soon as Jane uttered those words, Aro's eyes widened and Caius slammed his book shut which startled me slightly. Jane offered her hand to the now worried raven haired vampire and he gently held her hand as he watched her thoughts unfold as if they were a film. She said nothing but I noticed how tense Jane seemed and it reflected onto the three vampires as Aro explained the events that just unfolded.
"There is something I wanted to discuss with you and I have a fleeting suspicion it relates to the attack." It was the first time I had spoken up since I entered the room and Jane immediately whipped her head around to face me, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion but she kept quiet.
"What is it Charlotte? Any intel you may have is vital to us, especially now." Caius spoke up this time and I noticed how Marcus sent me a reassuring nod from where he was stood. I took a deep breath and explained how I essentially befriended a coven of vampires without knowing when I was in London and the recent nightmare I had about Marissa. Aro sat unmoving as he processed my story whereas Caius began to pace around the room which created a rather cold draft and I pulled my jacket closer.
"So you think they banded with another coven?" Caius spoke up and I nodded, they had hinted that they were planning on moving after school which began to make sense the more I thought about it. They were scared that people would find out about them and ask questions about their appearances.
"None of them turned up during the last week of school, even Marissa who was still human at the time." My thoughts went back to my nightmare and I frowned at the thought of Marissa dying to the hands of the Cullens.
"I feel like there's more at play here than we thought, the vampire earlier knew about Charlotte joining us and it was no mere coincidence that they caught us once she had settled in." Jane mentioned and numerous possibilities ran through my mind.
"Might be a long shot but this sounds like something the Romanians are behind." I wasn't fully caught up with the history of the Volturi but I remember Carlisle briefing Bella on them and I just happened to be in the room with them at the time. He mentioned that they were the ruling coven before the Volturi took them down due to different beliefs and apparently they were more focused on physical strength rather than those with gifts.
"Don't you guys check up on those left in the coven?" I questioned the three kings and Marcus simply sighed in what sounded like disappointment.
"We usually send Demetri and a few other guards to check on them but we aren't due to visit them for another decade. However I feel like a surprise visit is required soon, they know about Charlotte and it won't be long before they find out she's gifted." Aro spoke in a serious tone, Marcus and Caius nodded behind him.
"What about Marissa? I'm scared that what happened in my nightmare might actually come to fruition." I asked and played with the fabric of my skirt, I grew anxious the more they spoke about the situation. Not only was my friend fated to die at the hands of the Cullens but I was also being targeted by a coven that wanted to see the downfall of the Volturi. This just felt like a normal day for me at this point.
"We think it might be wise to alter your changing date as we can't risk you staying human any longer. As for your friend we can send Demetri and a few others to locate them and the rest of the coven." I nodded at Aro's words and thought about the fact that my time as a human was coming to an abrupt end.
"Jane, please go and call for your brother." Marcus spoke up this time and even I sat up slightly at the mention of Alec, how is he going to react? Jane bowed her head towards the three kings and sent me a quick glance before she disappeared from my side. The majority of people both human and immortal would have fled from the room within seconds of being dismissed due to the presence of the three powerful immortals but I found myself wanting to stay. Caius seemed to sigh and turned his attention to me before gesturing to the plush velvet couch beside the window. He sat down first and I took the empty space next to him, the oh so menacing white haired vampire king offered me a small smile before engaging in a group conversation.
My name was mentioned and I found myself staring into the crimson eyes of Aro yet there was no malice behind them. In fact they seemed to soften since Jane's departure and I could feel the bond between myself and the three kings strengthen, Marcus must have noticed this and he simply nodded in my direction. I know I wasn't around Charlie as much as Bella is but I can genuinely say that I never felt this strong fatherly bond around him which really made me question if he even truly cared for me. It was obvious that I wasn't the family favourite, I mean they sent me away to a whole different country because they couldn't handle raising both me and Bella at the same time. Their intentions and feelings were made crystal clear when none of them visited me once to see if I was actually still alive and it seemed that none of them cared.
I know that I haven't been with the Volturi for long but I can safely say that I have felt more compassion and care around them compared to my time around my biological family. My home wasn't in London and it certainly wasn't in Forks or Arizona, it was here in Volterra with the Volturi. During the time it took for Jane to get Alec, I had told the three kings about the London coven and my conspiracy about them splitting up which Aro confirmed he'll look into it personally.
Minutes passed and Jane burst into the room with her brother directly behind her, I looked away from my conversation with Marcus and my eyes immediately found Alec's. I stood from where I was sitting and took a step towards him, apparently we must have had the same thought as I merely blinked and he was standing in front of me. His hands immediately found my cheeks and I watched as he scanned over my facial features, I noticed the worry on his face and I wanted to do nothing but reassure him that I was fine. My arms wrapped around his waist as I stepped closer to hug him and I felt him return the favor as his arms snaked around my waist and he seemed to relax slightly. Numerous pairs of eyes were burning holes into us and I sincerely forgot that we were in the presence of the masters, my cheeks flushed slightly as I pulled away from the hug. Alec seemed reluctant to let me go and insisted on holding hands instead, however I didn't miss the looks of endearment from Marcus and Caius.
"Due to unforeseen circumstances we have changed Charlotte's turning date to now, we can't risk her staying human when there are threats on the horizon." Aro spoke to the three of us and Jane stepped forward to my other side, I couldn't explain the look on her face but it was a mix of acceptance and protest. My heart was hammering in my chest as I took in his words, it was really happening and to be honest I was looking forward to it.
"Who will change her?" Jane questioned and I nodded in agreement, I was curious as to who'll actually turn me.
"I will." Aro looked over to me, he was studying my reaction and I simply nodded. Logically speaking it made the most sense, there may be three kings of the Volturi but it was decided between them that Aro did the majority of the decision making and had more control over his actions. The news didn't seem to please Alec as he opened his mouth to speak but Caius raised his hand before speaking.
"We know that she is your mate and that you are more than capable of turning her yourself. However, she is your blood singer and since her blood is more potent to you it will be harder to control your thirst once you bite her. There would be a high chance of you biting her and draining her blood, essentially killing her." Alec visibly backed down at Caius's words as if they stung but sadly it was the truth.
"Well what are we waiting for?" I was growing agitated just standing around causing Caius to snicker under his breath.
"Let us go somewhere more suitable." Aro raised from his seat behind his desk and motioned for me and Alec to join him. I let go of Alec's hand causing him to send me a confused stare but I turned to Jane and quickly hugged her.
"This may sound a bit much but could you take a picture of me? I want to see how different I'll be after the change." I handed Jane my phone and she eagerly grabbed the device before snapping a pic of myself, I didn't ignore the fact that she also snapped a quick selfie before handing the device back to me. How cute.
"I'll see you on the other side." I gave her another hug and followed the two vampires out of the door. Aro led us down a familiar hallway and I soon recognised the two golden doors from the day I entered the castle with the Cullens. He unlocked the doors and motioned for us to enter and I gasped at the room before me.
It looked more like a common room where people would gather to chat and hang out yet it was empty. There was a table on one side of the room alongside numerous sofas but I soon realized why it was empty as I spotted the comfy looking bed on the other side of the room.
"This is the room where we change those who join us if they aren't already a vampire, it isn't used often but I'm glad we can use it again." I looked around and Aro followed me over to the bed, I'll admit it was just as soft as it looks and I wanted to do nothing but sleep. Alec was soon around the other side of the bed as I laid down on top of the blankets, his hand found mine and gave it a slight squeeze. We must have had the same idea as I turned my head and soon my lips met his as we kissed, it was gentle and quick but there was enough passion to satisfy both of us.
He pulled away and caressed my cheek before kissing me on the forehead before Aro cleared his throat from the other side.
"Trust me when I say this will hurt." He warned me as I took a deep breath.
"It'll be fine, I'm ready." I nodded and Aro stroked a hand down my cheek whilst his other hand supported my neck. One moment I was calm and collected but the moment his teeth pierced my skin it felt as though I was being burnt alive, I couldn't help but scream in agony. I screwed my eyes shut as the venom began to make its way through my system, I could sense that Alec was still by my side as the last thing I felt was him squeezing my hand before everything faded to black.