Timidi mater non flet.
But his maker would be inconsolable. Felix watched as the eldest Cullen progeny prepared to step into the sun. At Aro's instructions, they were to wait for the actual infraction, but Felix still felt it a waste of time. They should have killed the coward when he started demanding a death sentence; he didn't even have the balls to kill himself, he wanted others to do it for him.
Honestly, Carlisle should be embarrassed.
The city center was crowded, but the sea of red cloaks parted around them easily enough. Heidi was out there somewhere collecting tourists. The feast of St. Marcus was considered ironic to anyone who didn't know the truth. It wasn't a celebration of removing vampires so much as representing the formal establishment of the Volturi stronghold and the coven as absolute authority. Carlisle had a better grasp than most of the vital role the Volturi played in protecting humanity, but it seems he neglected to share this with the mismatched tapestry he called a "family". Felix could only imagine the earful the immortal doctor must've heard from Aro after the boy's first audience.
Splashing drew his eyes. A dark-haired girl had thrown herself into the fountain and struggled to cross the knee-high water. At first, he thought she was drunk, or on drugs. It had happened before, an American tourist having a meltdown after overindulging. She was a lovely thing, he moved to step forward, Dimitri knew his soft spot for brunettes, but he paused when her panicked flight developed a specific route as she ran full tilt toward the Cullen boy, crashing into his chest and wrapping herself around him. Shielding him from the sun Felix realized, as he and Demitri shared a look before following the couple into the alcove. They reached the entrance of the alley before Felix froze as her scent washed over him.
Sweet olive flowers.
The compound where he lived as a human had a courtyard on the other side of the wall from the training grounds and beneath the balcony where nobles would gather to watch, picking prize stock. The grounds reeked of blood, sweat, and desperation, but in the quiet moments after a spar, the faintest scent of olive flowers would float over the air. She smelled of those same flowers.
For over two thousand years Felix wondered what his mate would be like. If he ever found them. Timid, like Renata? Confident as Heidi? A warrior, like himself? She was nothing he expected. Large brown eyes framed with dark lashes, a rosy blush staining the milky white of her skin. Her brows furrowed with distress as she continued to futilely convince the would-be martyr that they weren't dead. Reckless or brave or both to fling herself across a fountain into the arms of an unstable vampire. Loyal too. To travel halfway across the world for the sake of one who had abandoned her. Felix immediately put the pieces together, realizing that this was the same Isabella whose supposed death drove the mind reader to seek out his demise at the hands of the Volturi.
He felt venom pool in his mouth and clenched his fists, but the bloodlust building in his veins was directed at the fledgling contending to be the bane of Felix's existence as he watched the younger vampire bury his face against the girl's neck before kissing her. Her breath wheezed and she choked back a sob, her words in sync with the frantic pattering of her heart as she tried to reason with the wretch.
"Ed-edward, you have to move! I'm not dead, we're not dead-"
"They're very good. I didn't feel a thing."
Felix audibly ground his teeth. He would kill the whelp and make sure he felt every second.
Finally, the boy pulled away, tightening his grip on the girl. Isabella looked frightened as Felix and Dimitri stepped out of the shadows, a natural reaction, but it still chafed. "Gentlemen, inform your Masters I will no longer be needing their services."
Not for the first time, Felix wondered if the boy was deranged. He thought he could dismiss the Guard?
"That decision is not in your hands, Cullen."
Felix was relieved when Jane arrived, even with the Cullen's oracle in tow. The threat of Jane's gift was enough to cow the boy, without him needing to fight Edward. Instincts aside, ripping the head off of the interloper was not the first impression Felix wanted to make on his mate.
He watched her shiver as they approached the castle, ignoring Dimitri's gaze boring into the side of his head. The younger vampire would have a field day when he realized. Instead, he watched the two teenagers continue to watch one another with cow eyes, the insipid look on Edward's face was at odds with his earlier performance.
Edward's earlier hysteria was a demonstration of his own self-loathing, not true grief.
Did he honestly think he was fooling anyone with his charade? Claiming he lost his mate while in the same room with Marcus was a display of narcissism as impressive as it was ill-advised. Felix hadn't even spoken to Isabella, but Edward's earlier description, her desperate leap from a cliff, the image of her tiny frame hitting the waves, or landing in a broken heap among sharp rocks…
Venom pooled in his mouth with the urge to bite her, to remove the possibility of reckless suicide.
The elevator ride was as tedious as it was absurd, but it gave him time to think.
Normally, any vampire that revealed the truth to a human was automatically executed and the human was given the option to turn or die. Aro would attempt to recruit both the seer and the mind reader, while Felix would bite Isabella. Or perhaps he could convince Aro to give her more time. If Edward Cullen believed his ravings from his earlier audience, Felix could only imagine what he told the girl. Many of the younger vampires who didn't remember the world before the Volturi established order, considered the Italian Coven to be power-hungry and militant with three mad kings at the helm. While that wasn't entirely inaccurate, it was still a better alternative to nomadic tribes constantly fighting for territory. Still, Felix knew the girl would be frightened and confused; he needed to explain everything to her, but he didn't know where to start. What was instinctive for him, was foreign to her.
He watched the girl shiver in her wet clothes, her green button-down plastered against her slender frame, the soaked denim chafing her skin. Her frame was bordering on spindly, her eyes were slightly sunken and her trembling was growing worse. She needed a bath, sleep, and food. He briefly considered offering his cloak but knew she wouldn't wear it.
The vegetarian fledgling glared at him, wrapping an arm possessively around the human girl, hard enough that she flinched slightly, putting her hands against his chest to soothe him. It looked practiced, had the boy hurt her before? Edward made eye contact and then pressed a kiss to Isabella's brow. Felix saw the provocation for what it was and ignored him with no small amount of effort. If he killed the boy, it would frighten the girl.
The elevator opened with an insipid 'ding' and Jane led them to the reception hall.
"Sister, they sent you for one and you bring back two…and a half."
Alec had a terrible sense of humor, but Aro found him amusing, so he indulged the twins.
"What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all!" Aro made a show out of welcoming Edward back, and it was a show, a demonstration of catching a vampire red-handed with a human. His life was forfeit, Aro's desire for another telepath aside. Dura lex, sed lex.
"I love happy endings, they are so rare." Aro reached for the boy's hand, Isabella gasped as he pulled it free.
Aro bent over the weaker telepath's hand for a moment before opening his eyes. "La tua cantante." Aro licked his lips and swallowed. "Her blood appeals to you so much, it makes me thirsty. How can you stand to be so close to her?"
"It's not without difficulty." Edward ground the words instead of speaking them, as though admitting his nature was painful. For the vegetarian, perhaps it was.
Isabella was the Cullen boy's singer? He would have to die, Felix would not tolerate the threat to her safety. Meanwhile, Isabella watched her former lover with concern, as though she wasn't inches from a starving vampire. A singer was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, much like a mate. The Cullen boy wasn't the first to confuse the two, but a mate drove a vampire to bite, not to drink.
"Aro can read every thought you've ever had with a single touch," the Cullen boy spoke quickly, without breaking his insolent eye contact with the king. "And now you know everything, so get it over with."
The boy was insane, Felix always knew that Carlisle's alternative diet was insufficient. Edwards' body had clearly cannibalized his reason in its search for nutrients.
Aro's eyes darkened, half his mouth curling in a smile bereft of amusement. If Carlisle wasn't a friend, the boy would be dead. "You're quite the soul reader yourself. However, you can't read Bella's thoughts. Fascinating."
Felix cast a surprised look at his young mate, though she didn't see it, too absorbed in watching Aro step back, hands clasped together. Was Isabella gifted? Even as a human?
"I would love to see if you are an exception to my gift as well." Aro extended his hand to the human. "Would you do me the honor?"
It was a test of whether Isabella would be a candidate for the guard. Aro paused for a long moment before finally lifting his head. "Interesting. I see nothing."
Felix froze, catching Aro's eye before the king turned. That calculating look in his eye was dangerous.
"I wonder if she is immune to all our talents. Jane?"
There was no reason to believe that Jane's gift would affect the girl, considering her immunity to other talents, but Felix took a slight step forward, prepared to intercede on her behalf. The Cullen boy lunged before Felix could propose an alternative and received the full effect of Jane's gift for his trouble. Felix enjoyed watching him suffer until Isabella started screaming.
"No, no. Just-stop hurting him!"
Bella stumbled forward but Felix grabbed her arm, careful not to crush her delicate wrist. "State fermi."
The girl evidently didn't hear him, still fussing over the pathetic huddled lump on the floor, but Caius raised a brow from his throne.
While the boy recovered, Aro looked to Jane, but Felix stepped forward. "Signore, let Alec test her."
"Oh?"
Jane's gift inflicted the feeling of being burned alive on the recipient. Since the twins were antithesis of each other, if the girl was immune to one, she would be to the other. Therefore it shouldn't matter if Alec were to test his gift as opposed to his sister. "She is not to blame for the Cullen's indiscretion. She should not be punished in their stead."
Aro raised a brow and Felix extended his hand for his king to grasp. Aro held for only a moment before his eyes brightened. "Ah! That changes things indeed. Alec, if you please?"
Felix dipped his head, thanking Aro who waved him off, smirking. Felix knew he would hear more about this later. A dark mist slithered across the floor from where Alec stood towards Isabella. It crawled over Edward Cullen's prone form, the boy's eyes going unfocused and limbs going limp. She took half a stuttering step back, before clenching her fists and staying still as the fog swirled around her ankles, climbing her jeans to her knees.
Ragazza coraggiosa.
She remained alert, clearly concerned about the sentient mist, but completely aware of her surroundings, her eyes snapping to Felix when he deliberately shifted his weight.
Laughing, Aro clapped his hands. "Marvelous! You truly confound us all, my dear."
Isabella jumped at the sound of Aro's laugh, not an unusual reaction to the unhinged sound (he'd picked up the maniacal tone a hundred years ago and Felix was unsure how much was performative). Alec pulled back his gift and the mind reader snapped back into an agitated state, returning to his feet and crowding the girl, who was still watching Aro, as though expecting him to test Jane after all.
"This is a wonderful occasion, indeed. Felix-"
"No!" Isabella flinched as the immortal teenager roared before charging the Captain of the Guard. Whatever he saw in Aro's mind, clearly driving him to his breaking point.
The boy was fast, but Felix was over two thousand years old. He flung Edward like a rag doll, slamming him into the marble and locking eyes with him for a split second. The unnatural golden color was repulsive, but the fear was pleasing. He enjoyed the confusion that twisted into horrified rage as the mind reader absorbed his thoughts before Felix slammed him hard enough into the marble to incapacitate him before standing to face her.
His mate watched him with wide, panicked eyes, darting between Felix to the Cullen boy. "Isabella-"
The boy's cracked cheek healed and he threw himself at Felix once more. The older vampire pitched him across the room, following as the boy skidded across the marble before breaking one of the stone benches over him, then used Edward's body to break the stairs leading up to the thrones. Melodramatic, yes, but from Felix's perspective, entirely necessary. He could feel the eyes of the kings upon him ranging from annoyed (Caius) to amused (Aro). Felix held the boy still easily, putting his other hand below his throat; he wanted to rip the brat's head off, his instincts screaming that this was the only fitting punishment for his transgressions; the urge only magnified when Isabella started screaming. Whatever attachment she had for the boy would dissipate upon her turning, but it was still irksome to hear.
"No, no! Please, please! Kill me! Not him!"
He could see the curiosity on Aro's face at being interrupted by a petrified human girl. Felix growled; her life was not a bargaining chip, certainly not for the aberrant failure of a vampire flailing in his grip.
Aro cast the smallest of glances at Felix before descending the steps, hands outstretched as though staying Felix's hand on her behalf.
"You would risk your life for a vampire, a soulless monster?" Felix nearly snorted. Soulless monster. Not even Carlisle indulged in self-flagellating drivel to that degree.
"Y-you don't know a thing. About his soul." Her voice quavered at first, her slender limbs shook with fear and exhaustion, but she was braver than either Cullen. Aro never tolerated insolence, but admired courage.
"Wait!"
When Aro paused, the oracle, still in Dimitri's grip, continued. "I've seen it. Bella will be a vampire."
She extended her hand, all too willing to trade knowledge of the future in return for her worthless "brother" which Aro eagerly accepted. At a nod from Felix, Dimitri released Alice who pulled her glove off, stepping forward to take Aro's hand. Whatever else she saw, Felix caught the gleeful look Aro sent him.
"No!"
Edward's denial was strangled by Felix's grasp on his throat, but he redoubled his struggles and the Captain of the Guard weighed the pros and cons of just killing the boy and solving the problem.
Aro lingered, absorbing more than the seer probably knew before finally withdrawing to clap his hands together. "How fascinating to see that which is to come! However," he cocked his head, eyes sharpening "-I'm not sure young Edward shares your certainty. He's changed your visions before, hasn't he?"
The seer swallowed hard and seemed to consider several answers before speaking. "I'll turn her myself, if necessary, but I was hoping I might be able to make a request."
"You are in no position to make demands. The law is the law. The girl is forfeit, as are your worthless lives." Caius was clearly tired of this farce of a trial, not sharing his brother's flair for the dramatic. "Aro, end this."
"Peace, brother. I would hear her. Yes, Alice?"
Alice took a step closer to Isabella. "Bella's father is a member of law enforcement. He is aware that Bella is with me. If she were not to return, then he would investigate."
"Then we kill him as well." Caius tapped his index finger against the arm of his throne, bored.
The seer paused and Bella gripped her arm tightly, panic filling her face. "No, my dad- it's not his fault. Please don't-"
Edward was still struggling, pulling at Felix's grip on his throat and Felix twisted his hands sharply, breaking the boy's neck to incapacitate him for a few moments. Isabella gasped in dismay and rushed forward, but Alice held her back. "He's not dead, Bella."
Felix stepped away from the crumpled form of the eldest Cullen sibling, towards Isabella and Aro. "Signore, if the girl's father were to initiate an investigation, his death would not bring it to a close and with the rapidly increasing technology of the humans, it would be no small problem."
Felix turned his gaze to Isabella, taking in her confused, but grateful expression. "I suggest we allow her to return home to tie up loose ends. At that point, she will be turned and an accident will be staged."
"Let her graduate high school," Alice added. "Then she can go away to college and lose touch naturally."
"Aro, you can't possibly entertain this farce-"
Aro tapped his chin, overtly turning over the possibility, but his eyes danced with glee when he met Felix's eyes. "It is not without merit, brother. It is in our interest to minimize the risk of discovery." His eyes fell on Isabella who was still tugging pointlessly at Alice's grip. "You have until your graduation, which should be in the spring, yes?"
Bella nodded. "Yeah, it's at the end of May."
"Bene. After you graduate, you will return to Italy to be turned, at which point, young Edward will be released."
"Wait, what?-Why can't Alice turn me?"
Aro tutted, as though she was being unreasonable. "Calmatevi, piccola." He parted his hands as though the decision were taken from them. "The Cullens have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted. Therefore, Edward shall remain as our guest until you have joined us as an immortal. You will serve in the guard for one hundred years, after which, you will be free to leave, if you so choose." His gaze flickered to Felix who ignored him. Aro was impossible to deal with in this mood.
"But-" The girl seemed ready to protest, despite the seer's grip on her arm, her eyes watching Edward's unconscious form, worried.
"If that seems too much trouble, then you could always join us now." Aro was unused to having his generosity rejected. "I'm sure clever Alice could explain your unfortunate accident to your father."
Isabella hung her head. "N-no, no I. Thank you, I'll come back after graduation."
"Of course you will, you're a good girl."
Felix heard Heidi's return, the clamor of the crowd entering the lobby. Aro did as well. "I'm glad that's all settled. Safe travels, Bella. We look forward to your return, ciao."
The oracle heard the dismissal, dipping her head and casting a torn look at the form of her brother that was starting to twitch as the vertebrae healed. "Thank you for your generosity."
She tugged at Bella, who seemed to be unable to look away from Edward. Felix stepped until he interrupted her line of sight and she looked up at him. She looked lost, and exhausted.
"Vai ora, mellila. He will not be abused, you have my word."
And he wouldn't be. He would only be punished if necessary, and punishment wasn't abuse.
Alice finally picked her up and carried her from the reception chamber, which doubled as a feeding room as Heidi entered, tourists in tow.
He heard her horror (All those people!). It was natural for a human, but she would lose that as a newborn. It was the Cullens that perverted the natural order of things, he would not allow that ideology to manifest in her.
The blood of the woman he consumed, more out of misplaced aggravation than true hunger, left a sour taste in his mouth. Demitri and Alec disposed of the bodies while Felix made his way down a familiar hallway.
His rooms were efficient, the furniture heavy, but lacking any warmth. The desk dominated the room, stacked with reports on different Covens, waiting for Felix to consolidate the information for Aro or Caius.
As Captain of the Guard, his rooms were larger, the adjoining antechamber serving as a private library, the windows overlooking a private courtyard he'd never thought to maintain.
The walls were bare, unrelenting flagstone, the armoire held the few sets of casual clothes he owned apart from his Guard uniform. The chairs were solid wood, the fireplace unused and cold. He could see Isabella standing in the middle of the floor, arms wrapped around her middle, a subconscious need to protect her underside from predators, while avoiding his eyes. There was nowhere for her to sit.
Felix scrubbed a hand over his face before running it through his hair. He had his work cut out for him.
The door swung open without a knock allowing Dimitri to swagger in, a grin crawling up the sides of his face. "So? What was that all about?"
Felix felt his own smile form as he sat in one of the chairs he was sure would be too uncomfortable for a human. "She's mine."
"So I gather, but what's with letting that Cullen freak take her home? I wouldn't let my mate out of my sight!"
"She's an oracle."
"Ved'ma."
Felix snorted then scrubbed his hand over his face then through his hair. "She was already overwhelmed. She needs time. And-" he gestured to the rooms with chagrin "-so do I."
"True. These look more like cells than rooms. You should've taken Heidi up on her offer to decorate."
"She's too modern." The elevator was her idea.
"Renata then. You and she both loved the Renaissance."
That had merit. Felix would ask her.
"Not that watching you moon over a human or interior decorating isn't hilarious, I actually came to ask about the other Cullen freak."
Dimitri jerked his head over his shoulder, towards the dungeons. "What do you want done with him?"
"Nothing." Felix scowled.
"Nothing? But-"
"I'll handle him personally." Felix remembered Isabella's wide frightened eyes, her panicked screams, the kisses the Cullen boy deliberately pressed to her skin.
Dimitri tilted his head consideringly. "Can I watch?"
Renata had excellent taste.
They turned the antechamber into his office, turning the larger room into a more comfortable sitting room and bedroom.
He stocked firewood, wanting to watch the light warm her skin. His books were mostly Italian or Latin, but he did own a few first editions in English.
The adjoining room he used for storage was completely gutted and modernized into a bathroom with a sunken tub large enough to remind him of a Roman bath.
The garden was renovated, hand carved stone benches placed under a weeping willow and near the pond which he stocked with large koi at Renata's insistence. "It's important! She will need something to care for, that is hers. Give her the garden."
He covered the floor with thick rugs to protect her feet from the chill, not that she could feel it for long. He carried a bed, piece by piece and assembled the four poster, draping it with soft sheets and a heavy coverlet. He replaced the austere wooden chairs with much more comfortable wingbacks. He also added velvet cushions to the window seat and pulled down the heavy curtains to allow more light. Vampires had no need for rest, but Felix still felt a phantom pull of satisfied exhaustion when the project was finally complete. He could see her there, reading by the window, sitting by the fire, walking the garden.
The lone garment hanging in the new armoire was a dove gray cloak, as his mate, she would need one for formal appearances, though he suspected that her shielding ability would render her an asset on the guard, similar to Renata or Chelsea. As for the rest, he wasn't sure what she liked to wear, so she could either bring her clothes, or he could have some made for her.
Finally satisfied, he closed the door to his quarters and made his way to the main building; he requested a formal audience when the final touches were complete.
"Felix! Finished feathering your nest, I assume?"
Aro clapped his hands, grinning from his throne as Felix nodded in acknowledgment. It was no secret, not with the renovations working around the clock, but Felix couldn't help his satisfied grin. She would be pleased, he was sure. She should be returning within the next two weeks and he wanted to request a leave of absence to court Isabella properly and oversee her newborn years.
Before he could ask, Caius interrupted. "We have received notice that a nomad is amassing an unsanctioned newborn army outside Seattle. Her sloppy behavior is attracting human notice, and the Olympic Coven-" Caius' face twisted in a sneer. He'd never shared Aro's fondness for Carlisle "-is ill-equipped to eliminate the threat, apparently."
Newborn army? The last time that happened was the Southern Wars nearly two hundred years ago. A knot of unease formed in his chest. The Cullens couldn't handle an army. The empath was formidable, but not when weakened by animal blood. The others were cannon fodder at best, untrained and unprepared.
"Come now, Caius, I wouldn't call them ill-equipped. Maria's Major is loyal to Carlisle after all, but it is concerning news," Aro lifted a letter. "Dear Carlisle wrote to inform us of the impending threat, apparently, it will delay Isabella's departure and they are requesting Edward's return for his 'invaluable assistance'."
Caius snorted. "I don't know how much longer you're going to indulge this hubris, Aro. The Cullens must be cowed, lest we dance to their whims like a puppet."
What? They were using the newborns as an excuse to defy a direct order?
"Precisely, brother. Therefore, Felix will investigate on our behalf, and-" Aro handed Felix the envelope. "-here is a formal pardon for young Edward. For his prior infractions."
Cais held up an envelope next. "Here is the official order, granting you the authority to handle this incident, in whatever way you see fit."
Marcus said nothing but held out another envelope.
Felix bowed as he accepted all three envelopes, and grinned. Everything made sense now. With the impending threat, Carlisle would need the Volturi's assistance, and Felix was the best equipped to for such a situation, while also imbued with enough authority to put the coven on notice. The formal pardon served as a warning that Carlisle would understand. It would be in the best interest of his coven not to withhold Isabella as Felix was within his rights to retrieve her and the pardon was specifically for prior infractions only, while Caius' ordinance gave Felix authority to punish the Olympic Coven for any future infractions. While Marcus said nothing, the contents of his envelope were more binding than a marriage certificate, it was an official decree for the formal claiming of a mate. Less than one hundred existed with most vampires preferring a more informal arrangement.
None of the Cullens possessed one, preferring their human rites.
Felix would allow no such loophole, and Carlisle would be forced to recognize the legitimacy of the claim and forfeit the girl.
"Grazie. I will leave immediately."
Caius and Marcus barely nodded while Aro clapped his hands together, satisfied and excited. "Yes, yes! Your lady awaits. We look forward to her formal introduction."
*&*&*&*&*&*&*&
Glossary
Timidi mater non flet. - A coward's mother doesn't weep.
Dura lex, sed lex - The law is hard, but it is the law.
State fermi - Be still
Grazie - Thank you.
Ragazza Corraggiosa - Brave girl
Vai ora, mellilla - Go now, sweetness (literally, little honey).