Sweet Saffiya. To my knowledge, there was no significance behind the nickname. My father, and only my father, had used it interchangeably with my given name since I could remember. Bastian's use of it could have been a coincidence, and his laughter at my reaction merely a malicious appreciation.
My father never believed in coincidence, and I decided now, it was a shared skepticism.
Alec had gathered his team, including the Reserves and the High Guard, minus Jane and Maliq, to meet with the Kings in the secondary throne room to discuss the phone call and proposal we had received from Bastian. Some of his tension was relieved once Demetri identified Jane and Maliq, presumably returning to Volterra within the hour based on their location. I was grateful to stop listening to the voice informing me that Jane's voicemail box was full and gladly shoved the phone into my pocket.
The moment we entered, Aro beckoned us over to the thrones.
Alec did so obediently, already guiding me in the direction of his Masters as if he expected the request.
It took Alec a second to let go, but under a stern gaze from Caius, he took me straight to his Masters. It was like they were sharing a toy, Alec begrudgingly handing me over – not that he let it show. In fact, he appeared relieved to give me up in an attempt to sell the charade.
Aro stroked my cheek with a pitying expression, absorbing each of my thoughts into his mind. I stared back, observing the dips and curves in age that had been preserved on his skin. Guess vampirism didn't get rid of wrinkles.
Despite likely hearing my last thought, Aro's face morphed into one of thoughtfulness, eyebrows raised in strategic contemplation as if playing a mental game of chess against himself. He dropped his hand and spared his counterparts a glance, one that meant more than the rest of us could ever guess.
I turned over my shoulder at Alec, who had already been watching me with what I knew to be concern. It hadn't exactly changed since I'd broken down in the city. Checking with Aro, Alec reached out for me as if expecting Aro to return me. It was a logical move, especially since the elder vampire had retrieved what he desired from me. He was wrong.
"Ah." The condemnation was sharp, stinging us both despite having done nothing wrong.
The sound made Alec freeze. Not as an instinct like fight or flight but a learned behaviour. He froze like the ice of a glacier, solid and deliberate as it melded into a sepulcher around him, sheltering its core inside layers of an impenetrable structure. His demeanour changed unintentionally, and his presence before me was losing its accessibility. Alec pulled back.
Eccentrically satisfied, Aro took my hand and guided me to sit between his and Marcus' thrones. Caius's stern stare was fixed on Alec, despite the boy being nothing but the epitome of loyalty and obedience. Meanwhile, Marcus had his eyes on me as I tried to brush away the protective instinct, but the vacancy in him was more than I could handle. I shared it too deeply. And for the first time, I looked away first.
It occurred to me that something had shifted over our last few interactions with the Kings. Almost like they were training us to present in a way we had not been. Though, that made little sense. Aro and even Caius had praised my distinct obedience in Alec's presence. And Alec didn't begin acting out until their rules started to change.
There had been no verbal direction or exchange of information to express their wish for a change. If anything, they had relaxed their expectations by having me sit behind the thrones at times. But now, Alec seemed to get a message I did not have the experience to decipher, and the ignorance made the remaining snip of Aro's censure tug at my gut.
I crossed my legs on the marble floor, subconsciously mimicking the influence of an internal safety I had lost and craved as the Kings moved on from the pathetic human to discuss the real issue. The growing distress and interior shame were increasing, and it latched onto the incident only moments ago that I had been trying to stick behind a wall. But it seemed like they brought up Bastian's name every minute, and it shoved against my brain until I could no longer squeeze it out.
The truth was, Sweet Saffiya was not a term of endearment. It was a code word. A call to action. It was how my father signaled me to begin distracting a target, how he identified which car I was to cross in front of, and how he rewarded me for my role in his schemes. Crime for affection.
Bastian's words were purposeful, spurred by an inside knowledge greater than even the women at the nunnery had. There was no way he got that lucky. And there was only one person he could have obtained that intelligence from. Only one person might suspect what it would mean to me. I should have been elated. Bastian's knowledge also meant that, for the first time, there was nearly indisputable evidence to prove what I'd known this whole time.
My father was alive or was at some point, and Bastian was my key to finding him.
I bit my lip, glancing up at the room before going back to inspecting the leg of Aro's throne. The revelation was too real, and a part of me was...unfulfilled.
What would it mean if he was alive? I knew he would not be disappointed to see me, and I was aware of how disillusioned I sounded by believing he had a good explanation for leaving me. But he always had an answer for everything, and he never lied to me. He never needed to. I accepted him – international crimes and all.
If we were reunited, it was possible he would expect me to join him on his adventures again, and continue our lives as they had once been. I could not see my father being satisfied doing anything else in his life. It was all I'd wanted. I'd crossed borders for that purpose. But in the process, I found the love of my life.
The saliva coating my throat was too thick to swallow once, and it tasted like bile, as if my emotions tainted my taste buds. Perhaps the Volturi would take him, but if I was being truthful, the thought of my father as a vampire made my blood turn to sludge. I refused to delve into why.
The air around me thickened, and the subtle weight of Alec's gaze fell over me like a trauma blanket, soothing the brief spike in my pulse.
I assumed Aro expected taking me away from Alec would guarantee the boy's focus. He knew his protege well because I could feel Alec's eyes wander to me only a few times. He would be more eager to settle the matter and determine an efficient strategy so I would be returned to him. The guys teased him for his touchiness, but I felt incomplete without it.
Aro steepled his fingers across his lap, rationalizing, "Bastian's business thrives under the Volturi's laws. It would not be as lucrative if vampires were exposed."
Caius spat sourly, "You give the fool too much credit."
"It is true, Bastian poses little threat. However," my skin tingled, and I lifted my head to see Aro looking down at me, his eyes alight with a deeper intrigue than I cared to know. They turned up to Marcus, translating what Aro's old friend was surely considering but too drained to contribute. "Alice Cullen's vision has not changed. We mustn't squander the good fortune we have been presented."
Send me into the lion's den.
Alec's eyes were on me again.
"Easy, dear boy." Aro seemed to warn, clicking his tongue. I missed the interaction, but I imagine Aro was speaking proactively.
With input from Alec, a general plan of action began to take shape. Most of which, I confess, was a mess of half-shared details and brief disagreements. Or rather, Caius complaining about something or other before Aro, and even Marcus, outbid him.
They determined how many members of the guard we would travel with, and whom to leave behind to maintain the safety of their city. Not that anyone would dare target Volterra, of course. I rolled my eyes at this, but I think I was just being moody. The benefits of a larger Volturi presence, Alec and Marcus suggested, were outweighed by a less provocative entrance. This earned us the relevant members of the High Guard and most of Alec's task force for the trip.
After what must have been over an hour of debating next steps and the obstacles involved, the topic changed.
They discussed not sending me. Then, they considered sending me to Berlin but keeping me safe outside of the club to somehow technically still meet Bastian's request. After wasting time on those options, my safety inside a nightclub full of vampires became the hot topic. If Alice Cullen's vision applied, and Razin's little comment was any clue, I would be rewarded with information regarding my father. It would be worth it.
Before Caius could take the high likelihood of failure and challenge the mission for a third time, Marcus rasped, "The presence of other humans does not eliminate the danger she may attract from others of our kind." His stoic demeanor had taken more shape than normal, perhaps finding the discussion incomplete without his contribution. Not in an arrogant way, but a recognition of his unique perspective and way of thinking that mediated between Aro and Caius. His attention added to the complexity, but not in terms of their planning. It was like the gravity of the discussion required the involvement of all three men.
"If I may," Atlas broke away from Oakley and Garrow in the corner, cutting Alec off. The full weight of the room's attention was surely more than he bargained for, but he held his own under the scrutiny. "The results of your request may present a solution in this matter."
The Kings were definitely the only vampires aware of what Atlas was talking about. Even Garrow and Oakley exchanged looks, and I doubted they felt secure out of the loop.
Alec cut in, and for some reason, none of the leaders seemed bothered by it. "What solution?"
With a nod from Aro, whose robes brushed my knee as he returned to his throne, Atlas addressed the Guard. "My gift is to manipulate desires. I can increase one's desire until they are ravenous and can think of nothing else." He paused, letting the others murmur. Atlas, however, surveyed Alec with as much intensity as the other boy aimed at him. My eyes flashed back and forth between the two, Alec's demeanor, detached as ever, was almost too disconnected. It unnerved me. "Or I can eliminate the yearning entirely."
Prosper, as usual, urged the conversation forward. He was the first of the task force to comment without permission. "Your solution?"
Atlas nodded, proposing, "If other vampires cannot detect the scent of Saffiya's blood, she will attract less attention."
It took a second before Hamzah, unsurprisingly, scoffed, "That's impossible. We're vampires – craving blood is innate."
Offended, Atlas indicated his head in Alec's direction. "Ask him."
Taken aback, the others exchanged glances, some checking in with their masters, before settling on the boy. Well, keeping their eyes in his general direction. Even with Alec as the focus, none of the lower guards dared to do such a thing in the presence of the Kings. Although, even Felix and Demetri seemed shaken by the austere scowl hardening Alec's expression. No one seemed to have the courage to ask, the King didn't comment, and Alec showed no inclination or willingness to offer an explanation.
So, I did. "Why?"
"Your Masters requested a demonstration of my gift," Atlas answered with a genuine nod towards me. I quickly dropped the gaze, meeting Demetri's eyes. My friend tried to comfort me with the tiniest twitch of his face, but there was nothing to comfort. "I acted gradually at first, but the intensity of the pull grew to be more agonizing than I expected."
Alec grunted, catching another disapproving stare from Caius. And though Aro had his face turned towards the boy, I got the impression that his lofty expectations were digging in. It was unlikely that Marcus did not have a similar glint, but I wasn't about to check. Alec's experience with Atlas's gift was what they had sought from the outset, and they had waited long enough. Especially Caius, who had his cheeks puffed, brimming with his usual aggravated intolerance.
"This morning, I discovered that Saffiya's blood no longer called. Her scent was lost to me." With deference, Alec acknowledged my reaction over the others. "If not for her heartbeat, she was nearly imperceptible."
The significance of Atlas' gift landed like an incendiary device dropped from the sky and designed to explode on impact, decimating everything we thought we knew. Though, I might have been the only one with this feeling.
Even still, the attention split between me and Alec. Atlas's gift changed everything for us, and everyone knew it.
Prosper recovered the quickest, considering Atlas with determination and a slice of suspicion. "And you expect to replicate this with the entirety of Bastian's patrons? That seems quite extensive." And powerful. A discovery I was sure Aro was practically drooling over. On the inside, at least.
The other man nodded, admitting, "I have never attempted to influence the object desired, or individual in this case, but I can try." His eyes flickered to Alec, but he addressed Aro. "It would impact all in the vicinity. If they cannot smell her blood, none of you will."
Aro's eyebrows knit together as he processed the information, and he turned to Caius.
"Do it now," the blond man demanded.
"May I?"
It took a second before I realized that Atlas was asking my permission, something I would never expect from his friends. I appreciated the kindness. "What do I do?"
Atlas tried to give me a reassuring half-smile, and made what I assumed was a joke, "Don't bleed."
His eyelids shut, opening an instant later with a piercing stare on my general form. I held my breath, worried I'd do something and accidentally make him heighten the natural instincts and drive for my blood instead of cutting it off. I hated entertaining the thought because it made the actual possibility more real and scarier than I would have imagined. It would certainly not be ideal. Part of me wondered who would get to me first, whether it would hit them all simultaneously, or if someone would get a head start.
After a minute of withstanding an uncomfortable level of attention from the room, Atlas assessed the rest of the room, trying to gauge his success. I, too, let my eyes bounce from one vampire to the next, hoping there wasn't a delay in a full out attack.
"Holy shit," Hamzah spoke first, the curse falling forth before he could compose himself. "Alec's right. If it weren't for her heart, I could swear she was invisible."
There was some disagreement from Felix. "I can still smell her. But it's faint."
Amaya nodded, concurring with Felix. "Not enough to draw me in."
An eager smirk had risen on Aro's face, but Caius was still handling the discussion.
"Will it endure?" He asked in an unimpressed voice that devalued the shock of Atlas's talent.
Atlas did not seem to mind. "Until I withdraw it." He paused, letting the information process with a subtle pride.
"Shall I release it?"
Caius looked to Alec, allowing him to decide. "Yes. Until we depart." Atlas nodded.
"And for yourself?" It was an ominous question, and the room didn't pretend to have the decency to hide their curiosity.
Alec shrugged, hardly considering the question. "Leave it. I do not need her scent to find her."
I caught Percy's eyes. She dropped her gaze before I could gauge her thoughts. Alec had asked her where we were in the bookstore. And when he had arrived in the back, he was downstairs. A detail like that never would have confused him. He always found me.
Which raised the question. Did he realize this fault, or did he believe himself capable of circumventing what Atlas's gift hid? I wasn't sure whether it was stupid or arrogant, but I did believe in him. Alec was aware of his limits, and he wouldn't risk my life for his pride. That was something I would do.
In a coordinated effort, Aro closed their role in the mission. "We know very little about the potential similarities between Alice Cullen and Razin's gift. He may be tracking our decisions and adjusting as needed."
I frowned, but I seemed to be the only one who had not considered the possibility. If Razin was tracking our decisions, which I thought was the exact opposite of his gift, then how the hell did we take advantage of the situation and catch them off guard as the Kings had just planned. I failed to realize they were simply passing the mantle.
"Out of an abundance of caution, we shall leave the details to you, Alec."
Caius stood first, and I almost mistook his expression for someone who cared. Instead, he struck.
"I do hope your task force is capable of keeping your mate alive."
Alec's face remained impassive, but Caius's words weighed heavy in the air as, one by one, the Kings took their left his chair after Aro, his eyes connecting with mine once more. And then, only our group remained.
The murky, stone room was eerie, incomplete with the absence of its token statues. The conclusion left Alec with a much higher burden of leadership he had not expected to take, and quite honestly, one that I worried he was not currently equipped to handle. I could feel his emotions roaming, daring to break free just as sure as mine filled the shadows surrounding me with the same intensity. If we weren't careful, we would break.
"Then, it is settled," Prosper confirmed, but it still sounded like a question.
It triggered a consensus throughout the room, unbeknownst to me until Demetri began plucking at the strings of the plan that had just been tied. However, his team had no input, and apparently, they were questioning if the information Bastian promised was worth the risk. I understood why. Sure, my life was at risk, but my guards were expected to give their lives for mine. And this mission might actually take them at their word.
"Alec, are you sure? If we put too many guards on her, it will attract attention. Too little and we risk..." Alec shot a threatening glare in his direction that shut him down.
"Maybe we should reconsider." Felix took a turn, like a traitor. It made me furious. "It's Fiya."
For the first time, Alec seemed to hesitate. His silence tore through my chest, and a guttural sound not unlike a growl came out of me. An emotion I identified as guilt flashed across his face upon meeting my fierce glare. I was pissed because there was a chance he would actually agree. And I'd be screwed.
"Don't you fucking dare."
Garrow chortled from beside his cousin, unaffected by my human emotions. "That's adorable. Just lock her in a room and keep her here. Less trouble."
"Doesn't work." Hamzah snickered, earning several annoyed looks from his coworkers. "Prosper got a few nice scars the first time she snuck away."
Not quite cueing into the crowd, Garrow sneered, "She's a human. Snap her leg –" I cut him off with a scoff, still heated.
"You're a Neanderthal." My insult hardly phased him. He had won last time, and he planned on doing so again.
"Somebody needs to teach you a lesson, babygirl."
I didn't wait for the possessive response I knew was coming, immediately rushing down the stairs and landing in front of Garrow a second before Alec decided to attack.
Looking back, my proximity probably made it worse, and this might have been the stupidest thing I'd ever done.
"Stop!"
He didn't, darting around me and sending Garrow flying into the marble walls. Alec spun back around, the sudden burst of rage still swimming in his eyes as he snarled at me.
Alec advanced with a low growl, forcing me back to stay away from my incensed mate. "Don't you ever try to intervene between vampires again." I bit my lower lip as it trembled, struggling to create enough distance between us as his eyes burned red. He didn't notice. "Do you understand?" He caught me as I tripped on the stairs to the thrones, pulling me in with residual anger in tone only.
I inhaled sharply, turning away, "Yes – yes, I understand!" Alec's eyes widened as he used my reaction to center himself. But not before I yanked my arm from his hand, targeting him with a weak glare.
"I'm going with you."
"Saffiya."
"It's my dad, Alec." He already knew how far I was willing to go to find my father. "Don't make me choose."
The statement had Alec's face twisting into a grimace, and he couldn't seem to hold himself back before he spoke scathingly,
"What else are you willing to sacrifice for a man who never cared if you lived or died?"
~•~•~•~
A/N: Yikes
This chapter was meant to end the previous one so y'all didn't get stuck in another 'meeting', but then it got long enough for its own chapter. Hope you didn't mind, just bare with me if you will. 5 chapters remaining.
Ro