The subtle rumble of the car engine guaranteed a smooth ride through the streets of Berlin, but the ambiance in the front seat was miserable. We may as well have been driving a boat on land or some stupid metaphor like that. I didn't really have the energy for metaphors right now. Not when everything seemed to be falling apart.

The glow from the dashboard was dim in the early evening light, not yet ready to acknowledge the soon to be setting sun. I ignored the urge to risk a side glance at Alec.

He hadn't spared me a look since we left Volterra. Nor during the entire hour and a half plane ride, where he stayed on the opposite end of the aircraft discussing god knows what with the others. His outburst in the throne room had set everybody on edge, but other than a few check-ins with me, none of Alec's team dared to acknowledge the dreary awkwardness of the situation.

Which Alec had only made worse by pointedly ignoring me. Not even Felix chipped in to try and break the ice. He, Jane, and Demetri, in the oddest formation, spent the flight whispering – undoubtedly about Alec and I. I would have chastised myself for overanalyzing and thinking so vainly if Alec had not confirmed my suspicions and called them out for it. No one seemed to be on his good side.

"What else are you willing to sacrifice for a man who never cared if you lived or died?"

It wasn't true, and now, hours later, I still couldn't fathom what prompted Alec to say such a thing. My father spent hours upon hours in dozens of hospital waiting rooms throughout my childhood. If I so much as tripped, he would rush me off to the nearest emergency room. He almost cared too much, but parents always worried in excess. The only good part about these visits was to use them as 'documentation' for our insurance fraud schemes.

Alec's words had been escorted by a suffocating silence. No one seemed willing to call him out on the baseless attack. Thankfully, Demetri stepped in before Alec could continue his nonsense, sending me off with Heidi to get ready.

Alec's poor mood had persisted for the majority of our travel, only acknowledging my existence to insist that he would drive us alone to Bastian's club. Demetri seemed reluctant, but Alec forced the others to follow in separate vehicles, thus condemning me to the most uncomfortable car ride of my life.

I plucked at the crepe fabric of my almost floor-length fancy dress before reaching down to pull one side of the slit over the other. The cut in the noir attire was much too high for my liking, stopping mid-thigh, though it did make me feel more mobile than other cocktail dresses might have. I'm sure it would be normal for a teenager's formal or prom. Not that I would know. Heidi had picked it out before we left, and I wasn't given a choice. Which dress I wore was low on the list of priorities. She didn't push, and I didn't complain.

The fabric fell on either side of my thigh as soon as I released it, so I gave up and used my left foot to push the heel on my right off, doing the same so I could rid myself of the damn shoes, if only temporarily. I folded my legs under me, no longer caring about how much of my skin the dress did or did not cover.

I still lacked the nerve to look at Alec, and his brooding didn't make me feel any better. It was suffocating in the small space. Instead, I took in the industrial buildings as we drove through the city, which was just as dull.

So, I caved, sneaking a glance at the boy who drove me crazy. Figuratively and literally.

His jaw was tight, lips set in a thin line as he glared at the stoplights and any pedestrian that dared walk in front of the speeding vehicle two blocks ahead.

He was taking his anger out on anything and everything that wasn't me.

Alec combed through his hair, and for some reason, the fact that his frustration began and ended with me made the action and his newly tousled waves effortlessly attractive. He was lethal, carnally so, and I was assaulted by a fleeting desire seizing my gut, an all-consuming mania that roared with impatience. My skin tingled, and I shifted as if to push through the profound feelings.

Alec inspected me with some confusion and some surprise before refocusing on the road. His tongue traced his teeth as if debating how truthful he should be in his sensitive state. "Your loyalty distresses me."

That sounded stupid, both as a statement and as a rationale. He didn't clarify – he never did, even when he knew I would ask.

"My loyalty?"

"It is naive and hopeful." It was a dangerous combination, surely, but I was unable to determine how he thought it applied to me.

Naive and hopeful were the kinds of words that were simultaneously innocent and withdrawn. The older I became, the more I found them to be used with the latter, either as a delivery of grief or a sign of contempt. It was an 'oh well' in a natural disaster, with nothing to do but exist until it ached. Brutally so. "Is that an insult or an observation?"

Alec clicked his tongue, the exasperation airy, "An observation."

We let it sit, neither of us fearing the pressing thick tension as it increased between us. It couldn't get any worse.

"You're wrong."

"Am I?" The response was immediate, daring me with the delayed bitterness he'd been struggling to keep from directing at me.

The wayward glimmer in his eyes was unwillingly vindictive, and I couldn't tell if it was aimed at me or something else hammering the back of his mind.

His phone rang in the cup holders. I glanced at the caller. "It's Demetri."

"What?" He snapped, having already answered with the device pressed to his ear.

Just as quickly, the phone clattered back in place. The car transitioned into a thunderous roar as Alec accelerated, taking a sharp turn that propelled me forward before the seatbelt punched me back into the chair. Alec's head turned on a swivel to inspect me quickly before pretending he hadn't acted like a street racer's last-second lunge to cross the finish line like it wasn't a staple of his driving.

"What the hell was that?" The cars following us sped past on the main street, moving too quickly to copy us at the last minute.

Alec grunted, "Demetri can't keep his ears to himself."

I rolled my eyes, resting my chin in my palm and puffing, "Guess we'll just have to cut them off." My thoughts soured. Naive and hopeful. Is that what he thought? "What's wrong with hope?"

"It clouds one's judgement." He answered after a second, speaking profoundly. "You believe your father was invincible. For you to acknowledge his death is to lose faith in him."

My tongue was numb, but even if I had anything to say, Alec didn't give me a chance. "I have done what I can to plan for all contingencies, but this could be a ruse by our enemies."

Trying to ease his mind, I offered a weak smile, "You'll always save me, right?"

"Aye, I once promised you this," he swallowed, every word calculated as if they were prophecy. "But it is a promise I may be unable to keep if you insist on attending this meeting."

I bit my lip, tearing my eyes away from him.

"You can still change your mind." The plea was soft, childlike in its faith. The light ahead of us turned red. "Please change your mind."

I could only stare forward. I think I would have granted his request if my father was not at stake.

And he knew it, which only made it worse.

My mouth tasted sour as my voice wavered, "Hope or not, I need to know why he never came back."

I dragged my free hand over my face, suddenly exhausted. While there was even the slightest chance that Bastian's 'gift' for me might help me in the search for my father, dead or alive, it was worth it. And I know it drove Alec crazy, but I said definitively, "I have to find him."

There was silence for a moment, before

"And if there's nothing to find?"

I opened my mouth but closed it when I didn't know what to say. The possibility of finding nothing had never once occurred to me.

Alec seemed to expect this.

"Why?" I almost didn't hear him, but the small break in his voice made me tense, and a new wave of tears began building up again. He could never understand. "Your father used your talents, everything that makes you amazing, for material gain. Damn the consequences." The intensity of his words began to grow, becoming rougher as he spat, "Because he didn't have to pay them."

I glared at him, reminding myself that I would be the only one injured if I shoved him in my defensiveness. I resented the insinuation. "He may not have been a great person, but he was a good father."

The claim had Alec's face twisting into a grimace, "Your father–" He cut off just as sharply as he started. The leather on the wheel collected his fingerprints like ink as he desperately attempted to collect himself before his dam broke again, as it did in the throne room. It didn't work.

"If your father were alive, it would mean he purposefully abandoned you."

"Don't you think I know that!" I gave in, kicking my foot against the dashboard before pulling away as if it had hit me back. Alec's expression matched mine, entirely taken aback by my explosion and the words it came with. I threw my head back against the headrest, praying that the seat would swallow me like quicksand as I tried to sort through the ridiculous flood of emotions. "Why are you pushing?"

"It is because of your blind loyalty that I am forced to risk your life around rogue vampires."

I winced. Okay, maybe I deserved that one.

"I can assume, but I would like…Saffiya, I need to know."

My palms pressed against my forehead as some part of a confession slipped through my lips. "What kind of person – what kind of daughter am I if I just give up?" Death certificates could be forged. My father taught me that himself. And I had no reason to trust Interpol. I wasn't in denial. I was being rational.

The silence held.

"One that allowed herself to move on," Alec finally advised, the color returning to his irises and demanding their rightful land. "You have not grieved."

I sucked in a deep breath to fill my lungs, then exhaled, "You want me to give up."

He shook his head. "To move forward." His fingers swept across the back of my hand, and I tried not to react to the sudden touch outwardly even though I wanted to interlace his fingers with mine and succumb to the magnetic intimacy he instilled. "I will always be here, and I will help you bear the weight of his death…"

"A –" My voice cut out as he retracted his hand back to his side of the car. He swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing in a way that seemed to almost pain him.

"But I don't know how to make us work if you can't let him go." Alec calmly turned the wheel and pulled off to the side of the street. He never once met my eyes.

It wasn't an ultimatum, nor was he pressuring me. It was just a statement. An incredibly vulnerable, heartbreaking statement that tore through my chest and clawed at my lungs.

"No."

He raised his brow, putting the car in park.

I sat up in my seat, reaching over to hold his cheek and force him to look at me. Not that I had to try very hard. Those ruby eyes gazed down at me, unsure and unable to hide the conflict overwhelming him. It nearly broke me.

"Mine," I whispered.

I think I stunned him because his jaw slackened, and he whispered back hoarsely, "What?"

"Mine," I breathed again, my voice more aggressive than expected, but I didn't think about it. I didn't think about anything. I just grabbed his silk tie and roughly brought his lips against mine.

Alec reacted immediately, taking advantage of my parted lips and demanding my submission, which I eagerly delivered. I leaned in, and Alec did the rest, lifting me over the console to straddle his lap before once again taking my mouth hostage.

He was relentless, only as gentle as he was required to be.

He growled as I nipped his lower lip, his chest rising and falling with a determination to maintain control despite his impious thoughts. I made it no easier for him as I shyly caressed his jaw with my lips. He grunted, his hand cupping my throat to bring me back to his mouth before I became more adventurous.

Alec was insatiable, devouring my tongue with his own, uncompromising in his affirmation of my claim. I wasn't asking, but he was giving. He had always been giving. This fact was instilled with the exhilaration of throwing a dart at a map and buying tickets for a country you couldn't pronounce the name of. It was like learning about an entire culture, a world I would never have considered entering if not for him. He had lived through entire civilizations, watching history pass him by just to meet me.

Alec yanked me forward by my hips, his residual lividness aggressively reminding me that I was his. No matter what I tried, what games I played, or words exchanged. His hand slid up and into my hair, gently scratching at my scalp with a delirious yearning.

I could not identify Antarctica's icy temperature or describe the sting of boiled water, but I knew that too much of either was a shock to your system. Too hot, or too cold, could kill a human. But Alec was everything all at once, and I could not survive without his cold touch or the heat of his passion. Even if I couldn't physically feel it, his devoutness overindulged every inch of my body.

My hands had a mind of their own, tugging at his shirt and clinging to his shoulders. More. I needed more of him. More of his touch as his hands caressed with restrained patience down from my shoulder blades. I pressed my chest flush against his, closer, closer. This distinction of pleasure, not an emotion but a feeling built from thousands of tiny bursts of feverous nature, made me ravenous.

I was grateful for the tinted windows, whether they made a difference for vampires or not. I didn't give a shit.

My fingers twisted in his hair as his hands adventured further on my body, ignoring my dress and taking advantage of the split in the fabric. His touch sent the shiver of winter through me as he glided up my thighs, and his grip tightened the higher he went. Until they settled on my derrière. Bum. Butt. Who was I kidding? Ass. Alec's fingertips pressed down, squeezing my ass and triggering an unexpected, vulgar moan, impulsively leaving my mouth to vibrate against his.

The abrupt sound mixed with the brash action made me arch forward, my thighs flexing around his solid torso. Alec growled in approval, reclaiming my lips as a conquest and a conduit of our impulsiveness. Seeking faith when we needed each other most.

His lips left, timed perfectly with my need to breathe, only to trail over my chin and along my jaw, lowering to claim my neck with avarous, open-mouthed kisses.

I pulled back, with some difficulty, and cupped his jaw. Breathless, panting, "Mine."

"Yours," Alec reassured with more composure than I. He brushed my hair off my face, his stare piercing through me as our foreheads rested together.

Two sharp raps hit the passenger window, the owner standing off the side and giving the illusion of privacy. How kind of them to wait.

"It's time." Alec leaned back, helping me maneuver back into my seat so I could put my stupid heels back on.

Demetri opened my door a few seconds later, sulking. Alec came around from his side, letting his fingers trail gently across my back as he moved to speak with Percy and Talib.

My friend assessed me before checking in, "Nervous?" Demetri's collar was folded open, but he was otherwise just as conservatively formal as the other two.

Shrugging, I tried to pass off my unease. "Not the first time I'll be walking into a den of vampires to find my father."

Demetri let my statement rest momentarily before his real question came, "That wasn't the first kiss, was it?"

I genuinely laughed.

"Damn it."

Alec said my name, holding his hand out for me to take with a possessive grunt in his tone. His fingers intertwined with mine, bringing me close. Soft lips grazed my temple, and Alec's breath tickled my skin, making me melt. A chain was lifted over my head and secured by someone else. Alec looked down at the gold pendant around my neck, and nodded.

When we were ready, Alec led the way down the barely occupied street, with Percy and Talib flanking us and Demetri taking up the back in a near-perfect triangle. I did a quick sweep around the area, but our extra guards were nowhere to be found. Which was, I guess, the point of having backup.

It was far too early for Berlin's infamous club scene to begin drawing its attendees, but for vampires, the light hour would be ideal timing to lounge away inside some undercover club.

But when Alec turned down an alley, I faltered.

Graffiti covered the brick walls of clearly abandoned stores, the back of them anyway. The length of the alley was even emptier than the main street. Except for a single man a ways down, smoke billowing into the air from a cigarette as he rested one foot against the brick wall.

"It's okay," Alec mumbled. "It is meant to deter humans."

They were doing a fantastic job of it. With each step we took, the grim cloud of weariness grew, practically screaming at me to turn back. The others were perfectly fine, with uninterested expressions on display.

The windows had not been spared from the paint, and each mark of graffiti was repeatedly painted over so that letters were nearly indeterminable. Potholes came up suddenly, and Alec lifted me over a rather deep puddle of rainwater at the last second as I was busy taking in the rest of the buildings.

I tried to take more care after that, and because of this, I failed to realize we had stopped beside the man smoking. Only, he wasn't human. And he wasn't smoking.

His burgundy eyes were not nearly as bright as our group's, but he was almost Felix's equal as he stood at his full height. Perhaps we should have brought our strongman as well.

The vampire's voice was nowhere near as gruff as I might have expected, almost sing-songy, as he prompted, "What's this we have here?"

His eyes swept over our group, and I kept my head downturned. Even with my scent hidden, my heart would be a dead giveaway.

Demetri spoke. "We are here for Bastian."

"He is busy."

"We know."

There was a pause, and Alec's hand wound around my front, sweeping me behind him.

"You brought your own human?" Upon taking a step forward, he was immediately blocked by Percy. She was nowhere near as broad as him, but he had the good sense to take her seriously. "No need to make a scene. I was expecting the human plus one, not a whole entourage."

Percy smiled, revealing her pointed teeth. "Entourage comes with the human."

The man clearly knew how to pick his fights and indicated his head behind us. I turned and was the only one to do so, only to realize there was a pair of double doors sans any illegal artwork.

Our group shifted, Demetri taking up next to me as Talib shifted to the back. Alec's hand slid to my other side, giving me a reassuring squeeze on my hip as Percy opened the door.

The man behind us called out in a silvery tone.

"Welcome to Berlin, human."

Alec's anger was palpable, but besides a slight tick in his jaw, he appeared unbothered as a gargoyle.

On the other side of the door was a cramped hallway that we all managed to shuffle into. A young male, no older than his teens, with dark brown, curly hair, welcomed us cheerily, standing in front of a misshapen wall.

"Bastian's guests, I presume?"

His voice lacked the lilt of a vampire, causing my eyes to snap back – he was human.

His face was practically covered in glitter and pale glamour, emphasizing dark eye makeup and sparkles. He wore a satin gold and cropped vest that hung open and bared his chest to the world. After watching the Mike Magic movie, I learned quite a bit about what was considered attractive about the male body. Specifically, the, erm, abdomen area and below.

This is likely why I noticed our greeter was wearing pants with a waistband that weighed low on his hips, only secured by a thin, gold-bedazzled belt to match his vest. However, it was far lower than I think even the film had shown, and I felt a rush of embarrassment. I'd seen several other risque films with the others since arriving in Volterra, but to be face to face with the confidence and lack of coverage was another thing entirely.

I dug deeper into Alec's side, unintentionally and unknowingly, until he pulled me closer. I doubt he realized why I'd done so, only responding naturally to what I was seeking.

The human tour guide, or whatever he was, smirked. He never glanced at me, but I knew he'd picked up on my reaction. Whether the guy was amused or making fun of me was something I would never know.

He did, however, give each of the Volturi guards a decent once over without batting an eyelid at their intimidating and ethereal forms.

Alec and I were the only ones dressed appropriately for the activity. The others were covered head to toe in garb respective to their rank, though they did dawn formal suits; their overlays included hoods pulled over their heads. Which sort of made the whole 'dress for the event' moot. Something eerie about them influenced even me, but the guy in front of us didn't even pause.

Even without a response, the male smiled at no one in particular, and instead of leading us down the hallway, he slid his fingers along the wall and slid it to the side, revealing a dark staircase.

He requested in a silvery tone, "Follow me."

Percy went first, and Alec gave me a soft nudge. I took the first dip onto the iron step before glancing back.

The man from outside had also followed us through the doors.

Another nudge and I continued down with a begrudging delusion. I only made it down a few steps, Percy barely visible in front of me, before the entire stairwell went dark. I froze with a gasp that alerted the others to my surprise.

My skin stung with echoing sparks as Alec's hand came to my shoulder, attuned to my inner workings. He was in front of me with a soft brush of his clothing against mine. His red eyes, though vibrant, were barely visible as he took my hand. We kept going until the dull metal clang and subtle vibrations became a brush of shoes against abruptly carpeted stairs.

Alec's hands moved to my waist, making the butterflies in my stomach flutter as he lifted me down the final stairs. The rustle of fabric and my sixth sense imagined the others gathering around us at the bottom.

Nothing happened, and Alec's thumb caressed my hip, sensing my restlessness.

"Welcome to Revive."

~•~•~•~

A/N: Against better judgement, I've split this chapter into two parts because the ending of it is driving me crazy and I've been so moody lately that I just wanted to post for you guys. There might be a few errors, but those can suck it. See, moody.

Stay safe everyone.

Ro