~Theo~

Alec darted back towards the clearing where his mate and sister remained, but for the fifth time, he was outmaneuvered by the largest of his companions. The Herculean man grabbed the boy's shoulder before sending him flying backward into another tree. The oak tree shivered yet held its own.

Alec collapsed on the ground, covered in pine needles and snarling. "You cannot keep her from me."

"I'm keeping you from her," the man said almost lazily, folding his arms across his chest. I recognized him as one of the men from the airport hangar - when I was still human.

Their discourse was interrupted as a man with tanned dark skin joined the clearing, and he didn't waste a second. "Talib fears she has lost too much blood. We need to return to Volterra."

Alec stepped forward, eyes blazing.

"Without you, Alec," the man continued hastily to escape the boy's wrath, "Your sister volunteered you to stay behind and ensure our secret is maintained." Clean up the supernatural evidence, I assumed.

"That is not her decision to make."

"It was your mate's suggestion," the man confessed after a pause. "It is too risky to take her to a human hospital. We must return her to Volterra immediately."

Alec curled his lip, ready to take on all three men to reach his mate. Each of the men, in return, lowered into stances prepared to defend. Their eyes darted to the forest floor around the boy every few milliseconds.

"Fine." Alec straightened up, back tall, as if his feral rage were a distant memory. "Inform the Cullens that Volterra requires their assistance." His companions displayed no hint of surprise or doubt about the boy's new-found control, though a hesitance hung over the group. Alec's eyes flashed, "Go."

The quiet one spoke up, the one they called Prosper, "I will remain with you."

Alec said nothing to contradict the others, ignoring them as the quiet one and the giant exchanged nods of understanding.

One by one, the remaining guards followed suit until it was only Alec, with Prosper standing watch.

There was silence when they were alone, sans my spying eyes.

"This is Silvertongue's betrayal, not yours."

"And yet it is my venom in her veins." Alec snarled, spitting out a mouthful of venom as if to rid himself of the taste of his mate's blood. "I will never be rid of this tainted ambrosia." His vampire side would never have let a drop remain on his tongue. Yet, still, he tasted the inside of his mouth as if the crime stained the gummy interior. His guilt had manifested, flooding his senses with despair.

Prosper waited patiently. His fingertips betrayed this outward facade, tapping together at a nearly imperceptible speed while he scanned the perimeter. His eyes darted near me, and I ducked. If I was seen, he said nothing.

"He knew too much." Alec hummed, almost to himself.

Prosper's tone turned almost venomous at this detail, "What did he say?"

"I should have trusted you..." The boy did not answer, preoccupied with his own thoughts, "You have always placed my mate's safety above your own existence – above your own mate."

Prosper took care in choosing his words. "You chose her to guard Saffiya. It is only natural to defend your judgment."

"I wish to hear it from her," Alec growled lowly. "She must confess."

"I am afraid the opportunity has passed," Prosper informed. "Percy was our only casualty. Given my suspicions, I highly doubt it was by chance."

Exasperated, Alec bent over, bracing his hands on his knees. "Razin eliminated his spy before we could." He shook his head and reiterated, "I should never have doubted you."

A moment. "You did what you believed best."

"I was wrong. And my mate's life may soon be the price."

The biologically older man allowed a few moments for the boy to process before he pushed on Alec's interaction with Silvertongue. "What else did her father tell you?"

Alec shook his head. "Patience. I must sit with it a while."

"Perhaps you would have the most success doing so by your mate's side."

The proposal hung in the air, and neither spoke for some time.

"I need to be with her. Will you remain? Determine any leads from the mess they've left behind? Though I do not doubt Silvertongue is long gone." Prosper nodded, and Alec took another moment. He addressed Prosper directly, "This is the second time I will have sent you alone to pursue our enemy."

"A task I willingly undertake. Go. Join your mate."

Alec tilted his chin, an unspoken note of gratitude, before he retired from the clearing.

In his absence, Prosper stood with his fingers pressed to his temples.

A light breeze tickled the leaves, casting dancing shadows across the forest floor. The clearing seemed to hold its breath, the tension palpable. The air was thick with the earthy scent of moss and fallen leaves, mingling with the faint metallic tang of blood from the recent skirmish. Every rustle of the underbrush, every distant bird call seemed amplified in the silence, a stark contrast to the earlier chaos.

"Do you wait for an invitation?"

I took this cue and stepped through the brush to enter the clearing.

I had only seen him from a distance before, but up close, his presence was even more intimidating. While he stood with the Volturi, he appeared almost military-like: precise, disciplined, and obedient. His demeanor was demure, a picture of stoic professionalism, always a step behind his supposedly superior counterparts.

But on his own, as the facade melted away, I understood why the elder newborns grew skittish at the mere mention of his true identity.

Razin.

Gone was the restrained posture of a soldier. Razin's true presence was entirely divergent, outweighed by a dark aura that seemed to drain the warmth from the air. His movements were fluid, almost predatory, like a tiger stalking its prey. His eyes, which once held a veneer of subservience, now burned with a fierce intelligence and determination.

There was an unsettling ease in his manner, as if the chaos around him was a mere backdrop to his own orchestrations. The air grew heavier, the shadows deeper in his presence. It was as if the very forest recognized the danger he embodied, the leaves whispering warnings to each other in the breeze.

His voice, when he spoke, had lost its previous deference. It was now laced with a cold authority, a tone that brooked no argument. He was the mastermind, the true power behind the Resistance.

"Where is he?" Razin's voice cut through the silence, demanding. Silvertongue had hidden the plans for this attack on the Volturi and his scheme to trick Alec into turning his mate; this was evident. However, I did not expect to find myself one-on-one with Razin while he sought those accountable.

"On his way," I answered quickly, with the hope that Silvertongue arrived before I received the brunt of our leader's wrath. "The Volturi eliminated the noxii." The Resistance called their ungifted vampires noxiis – to mean replaceable. We existed for a single purpose: target practice for the real gladiators of his newborn army.

"All of them?" The question held more weight than he presented it with.

"All present."

He pressed his fingers to his temple again as he scrutinized me, a gesture of unimpressed contemplation. "All but you…

"You are extraordinarily fortunate the Voturi did not notice you lurking." His red glare finally acknowledged me with more than annoyance. A flicker of recognition passed through him. "You're the one Silvertongue keeps as a trinket from his human life." He finished there, but I knew where his thought process was heading.

Keeping me around contributed to Silvertongue's ego, having tricked and eliminated my former supervisor and me, who investigated him as a human. Such confidence might have given him the impression that he could get away with this master plan. If Razin believed that was so, and likely it was, the best step to regain control and put Silvertongue in his place would be to kill me. Just to make a point.

A deep voice joined us, and the tension in my body eased, "Better to ask forgiveness than permission, I say."

For once, I was grateful for Silvertongue's arrival.

He wandered past me with all the misguided conviction of a Pope. Razin raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"I know you're upset, but why don't we return to Bastian's club? Allow me to explain my reasons and the benefits of these events over a glass." Silvertongue attempted to defuse the situation with a smooth opening. His charm did not fool his superior.

"Pass," Razin's voice chilled the air. "But you should enjoy a last drink inside before you burn it to the ground, per the Volturi's orders." I did not recall such an order being relayed in the conversation I witnessed.

Silvertongue frowned, "but we would lose a main source for the newborns –"

"Newborns that are now ash." Razin sneered dangerously but seemed to change his mind, as if there had been no mind to change in the first place. "Ensure Bastian knows he can keep his club for now, but he is on Alec Volturi's hit list. And that is something we will not provide protection for."

Still, Silvertongue persisted in defending himself, though his confidence wavered. "Big risk, high reward."

In a moment, Razin held the collar of Silvertongue's cape in his fist. "Our cause is greater than you seem to comprehend. We are ridding the vampire world of the Volturi to return our species to our rightful place in the hierarchy. Humans subservient and willing to do our bidding, to be our sustenance."

Razin abruptly released the other man, ignoring his reaction and turning his attention back to the task at hand. "We cannot afford any more mistakes. Do you not understand that every detail of the future solidifies with every step we take?"

Silvertongue's expression soured at the implication. He knew Razin spoke of a world where humans were slaves to the vampire race, an idea that had been fed to the entire Resistance with a revolutionary mentality.

The con man yielded to Razin's statement, deferring to the backbone of their fight—Razin's vision. "Yet the outcome remains? The Volturi will still be destroyed?"

Razin's eyes narrowed, a lethal focus that made me step back even though I was on the sidelines.

Silvertongue grinned at the non-denial. "Then, her life – continued or not, could only benefit us."

"If your daughter does not survive this – that boy will come for you. And I will not stand in his way." If the warning unnerved the con man, he did not let it show.

"That girl has done nothing but survive her entire life. Give her time, and she will return to me, along with the witches." I struggled to understand how the more experienced vampire's points did not deter Silvertongue. He was persistent, with an irrational confidence that was wildly convincing.

"The Witch Twins are loyal to Aro above all else. Even a mate."

Silvertongue seemed to smirk, secrets and schemes gleaming in the black of his eyes. "That is not what you said six months ago."

"We shall see," Razin hissed, but our leader did not deny it. Instead, he transitioned with a lilting tone, "Regarding today's incidents, I must say, it is quite convenient that the single Volturi casualty was your daughter's guard."

Silvertongue raised his arms out wide as if in celebration. "Even you cannot find fault in the decision. Was she not very near to exposing your true alliance to the boy?"

The other man's blithe attitude made Razin strike back like a viper. "Would you like congratulations for assassinating a potential asset to our cause?"

Silvertongue hesitated, acutely aware that Razin had guided him into the reprimand by his ego alone. It became clear, as well, that Silvertongue had not considered other options, such as flipping Percy's loyalty to the Resistance.

"You said the boy didn't trust you anymore."

"I was handling that," Razin said firmly. He indicated his head towards me, "Let us ask your detective how it might look for me to accuse Saffiya's guard of being a spy and be accused of lying, only for the woman to be subsequently murdered by the very group I accused her of working for?"

Both men turned, apparently expecting an answer.

"Suspiciously convenient," I responded formally, echoing Razin's sentiment. One could follow many paths to various conclusions. However, after witnessing his earlier conversation with Alec, and from what I knew, Prosper's allegiance would likely be the twin's first consideration after his overarching concerns were resolved, "especially once Alec's emotions no longer cloud his rational judgment."

Razin hummed, inspecting me again before glaring at his second. "Now that you've drawn more scrutiny to me at the worst possible time, I think I need another hand on the inside." Razin's eyes swept to me again. "Fortunately, your actions have unveiled one discovery.

"The little witch bitch has a soft spot for your protege." His vulgar words made my fists clench instantly, but I released the tension just as quickly. Neither of the men seemed to notice, too focused on their uneven power struggle.

"How do you mean?" Silvertongue grunted.

Razin appeared before me. "Why did Jane not attack you?"

"How did you know –" I started but collected myself. "Possibly because of Saffiya."

Razin took my chin in his hands. The move was one of such dominance that I felt like a child. He spoke to Silvertongue while his pupils scanned my form again, appraising me. "He has your daughter's trust and the witch's interest."

"So?"

"I think it will be enough to keep him alive in Volterra—long enough to earn their favor." Razin chuckled condescendingly as he observed the flicker of emotion on my face. "And he is rather handsome."

I made the connection quicker than Silvertongue, perhaps because my desired line of work involved the dramatized spying behavior he was hinting towards; a target's interest, spying, and attractiveness. He was proposing a honey trap. "You want me to seduce the girl everyone tells ghost stories about?"

Razin smirked, releasing me. "Something tells me you won't have much trouble in the role."

"You're taking him?" Silvertongue caught on, frustration peaking for the first time.

"Will that be a problem?" Razin asked smoothly. "You will be distracted rebuilding what you lost here today while I track down our final puzzle piece. He will keep the Volturi occupied in the meantime."

"And then?"

"And then," Razin's lips curled in a twisted leer at the question. "We will rise."

And the Volturi will fall.

~ End of Part 2 ~

A/N: Once I somewhat finalize my plan for part three, you can expect an A/N update chapter in the story with that information.

You've all been so patient, and I thank you for doing so and sticking by the story. The epilogue gives you a little more information than planned, which was intended to be something positive and fun for you guys but may leave you with more speculation. I guess I'm staying on brand there.