Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.
Author's Note:
Please follow, favorite, and review!
Last updated/edited 05/28/2024.
Third Person POV: Jane
The elite guard communed outside of the throne room to discuss who would search each area of the castle.
"Alec and I will take the west wing" Jane volunteered.
Corin and Renata took the guards' living quarters in the north wing. Felix and Heidi took the royal family's quarters in the east wing. And finally, Demetri, Santiago, Chelsea, and Afton were left to split the main wing and clock tower.
This assignment was a nice change of pace for Jane since she spent nearly all her time on duty either stationed in the throne room protecting the royal family during court or otherwise in the dungeon helping "entertain" their prisoners. The current mission to rescue a human was atypical given that she only ever saw humans during their monthly feedings, and those ones never lived long.
Jane and her twin brother, Alec, locked eyes for a moment, silently communicating, and then ran to the west wing together. The twins had lived closely together for centuries and – call it twin intuition – but they could invariably guess what the other was thinking through eye contact. Alec would search the top two floors and Jane would search the ground floor and basement.
Jane descended the staircase to the first floor of the west wing. Upon entry, she closed her eyes and took a breath in to scent the area. The most efficient way for a vampire to track a human was by the scent of their blood. Jane had considered the little human as a potential meal before Master Aro had zeroed in on her, and she could still recall the tenor of the girl's sweet blood.
Jane caught a whiff of jasmine and vanilla towards the center of the gallery and cautiously approached the source. She came to a stop by the statue of the Volturi queens, Didyme and Athenadora, who were the mates of Master Marcus and Master Caius.
The scene smelled strongly of the girl's floral blood suggesting that she was likely bleeding externally. Jane peered around the statue and found the girl unconscious and curled against the marble base of the statue. The girl had traces of blood smudged under her nose and on her fingertips. However, much to Jane's relief, there was no open wound visible on her skin. She gently scooped up the girl's limp body and darted back to the stairwell to meet her brother.
Truthfully, Jane was panicking slightly. She knew that bringing the girl back to Master Aro stained with blood would make it appear as though she had disobeyed his direct orders. She doubted Aro would give her the chance to prove her innocence once he saw the blood.
Although the kings' conversation in the throne room had been discreet, Jane had overheard that the girl was Master Aro's mate. It would certainly explain why the girl had stepped towards him in the throne room when all the other humans were cowering. She couldn't even imagine Master Aro's rage if the mate he had waited millennia for was injured while he was unable to protect her.
Jane was happy that Master Aro had finally found his mate, but she hoped it didn't mean she would see less of him. Of course, she had no romantic interest in her master, but he was her sire and because of their bond, she felt compelled to be in his presence. Over the centuries, she had even come to think of Master Aro as a father figure of sorts.
Contrary to popular belief, Jane didn't hate humans unconditionally. Plus, if this human was Master Aro's mate, then Jane would protect her with her immortal life just as she would for her sire.
In the early days of the Volturi, for about two millennia Master Aro had a companion named Sulpicia. Sulpicia provided a respite for Aro while they both waited to meet their mates. However, Sulpicia eventually found her mate - in court of all places – and they left Volterra to travel the world together as nomads. Aro had not been upset when Sulpicia found her mate, in fact, he had been genuinely happy for her. Every mature vampire knew that finding a mate was the pinnacle of immortal life.
However, in the centuries after Sulpicia left Volterra, Master Aro had grown distant. Jane doubted that the lower ranking guards were even aware that he was struggling. He wore a cheerful façade in front of others, but Jane could see through his act. She truly hoped this girl would complete her sire, as only one's mate could.
Jane found Alec waiting at the bottom of the stairwell.
"Sister…" he murmured in greeting while assessing the girl's condition.
"I found her lying unconscious at the base of a statue. I believe the blood on her hands and face is due to a nosebleed."
"I see. Aro will not be pleased if you deliver the girl in this condition."
"I know brother, I have hope that he will be willing to see the truth, but I would not fault him if he assumed the worst." she responded.
If Master Aro took her hand before making assumptions, then he would see the proof of her innocence. However, he did not make idle threats and if he jumped to the wrong conclusion, then this would not end well for her. Master Aro always kept his word when it came to punishment and the guards that he sired were no exception to the rule.
Third Person POV: Royal Family
Aro paced back and forth across his office. It had been 54 seconds since he had ordered the guards to search for his mate, and no one had delivered her yet.
Aro's office featured a dark stained hardwood desk, and a comfortable black leather desk chair stationed at the back of the room. Toward the entrance was a large sitting area featuring three red velvet couches with tall bookshelves lining the side walls.
Marcus and Didyme sat paired up on the couch to his right and Caius and Athenadora sat paired up on the one across from them to his left.
"I ought to be out there searching!" Aro spoke anxiously as he continued to pace.
"Brother, calm yourself. You have the entire elite guard and upper guard out searching. If your mate is anywhere in Volterra, they will find her." Marcus reassured Aro.
"Are you able to help locate her through your bond sight?" Aro asked him.
Marcus slipped briefly into bond sight, gauging that the girl was still within the vicinity of castle. His bond sight could be used to find general locations of individuals; however, it was limited in range and not nearly the most precise way of tracking individuals. He saw that the girl's side of the mate bond was now tainted with negative emotions, stained with dark purple and black showing her fear and distrust.
"Vaguely, I believe that she is still within the castle." Marcus responded.
Aro sighed in relief and held his hand towards Marcus, silently requesting to see his memories of the bond.
Marcus hesitated. "Are you sure you want to see the bond?" He knew that Aro would be upset by the impact that his first impression had on his mate's side of the bond and was apprehensive to show him. But Aro nodded firmly at him, and so he reluctantly took his hand.
Aro sucked in a breath, flashing to the back of the room, and slammed his fist down through the center of his desk. The desk split in two, and wood chips flew.
Aro stopped and took a few ragged breaths. He may have already ruined his chances with his mate based off what he saw on her side of the bond. How could he redeem himself after frightening her so badly?
"I'm sorry… I can't seem to control myself. I feel as if I am a newborn all over again." Aro apologized to his family.
Newborns, as they called newly sired vampires, were born still full of human blood, giving them strength and speed that surpassed that of a mature vampire. Newborns were notoriously temperamental and aggressive, wanting only to feed, fight, and fuck - also known as the three F's. Although the durations of how long a newly turned vampire remained emotionally volatile varied by case, vampires were generally considered newborns for one year after their change. If Aro was lucky and had not done irreparable damage to his mate bond, then hopefully he would be siring his mate and helping her though her newborn year sooner than later.
The Volturi hadn't had a newborn in the castle in over a millennium. When they recruited members, they sent them to special training facilities in the less populated areas of Italy, or occasionally to be trained with their allies in other countries. Even after a vampire's newborn training ended, only a select few were recruited into the Volturi royal guard. On top of that, the guards who were provided with a permanent residence in the castle had to meet a minimum age requirement of one century on top of possessing skill and control that surpassed their peers. However, Aro would not see his mate trained outside the castle, precedent be damned.
"Aro," Didyme, his biological sister, began cautiously. "When we find your mate, I think it may be best for Athenadora and I to meet with her first."
"Yes! I want to meet my new little sister! Plus, I don't think she saw our faces in the throne room, so it might be less frightening for her." Athenadora chimed in.
Aro frowned but realized that his sister was right.
"Fine, but please wear contacts and bring her to queen suite on my floor of the royal wing afterwards. I will arrange for the staff to clean it and attend to her."
Aro had taken the suite next to his and tailored it for his future mate. Over time he had held out hope, having the furniture and amenities updated to contemporary standards. Now, after scaring his mate in an unsuccessful rescue attempt, the least he could do was provide her with human comforts.
"We need to schedule a meeting with the guard and castle staff to inform them of the development. I will not tolerate my mate being treated as anything less than queen. She may not know it yet, but she holds the same rank as each of us." Aro continued and his family nodded in agreement.
A knock sounded on the office door and the family froze before flashing to the door. Aro swung the door open so fast that it fell off its hinges, but he couldn't care less at the moment, his mate had finally been found!
Jane stood just outside of the door cradling his mate, standing beside her twin. Aro would have wept in relief if it were possible for a vampire. Except… She was unconscious and had blood smudged on face and hands.
Aro felt the fire of rage build in his stomach. He had specifically ordered that she was not to be harmed. Seeing the deadly glare Aro was sending her, Jane handed his mate off to Alec.
"What have you done Jane?" Aro hissed darkly.
"Please Master, I found her in this state, I would never disobey you. Please take my hand." Jane implored.
Aro hesitated; logically, he knew that he had personally sired Jane and she had been a loyal guard for centuries, but unfortunately, his anger was currently outweighing that logic.
Marcus placed a hand on Aro's shoulder to hold him back.
"Aro, you sired Jane yourself. Do you really believe she would harm your mate against direct orders? Just take her hand and see the truth." Marcus advised him and Aro's jaw ticked in annoyance.
Jane remained waiting patiently in front of them with her head bowed. Aro gripped her fingers tightly for a moment to read her mind, but then quickly released them as if burned.
"Jane…" Aro began, regret lacing his tone.
Sensing an apology, Jane interjected.
"I do not fault you for your assumption, Master."
Aro frowned but nodded in acceptance. He turned his attention towards his mate, who was now laying in Alec's arms.
"Didyme, Athenadora. Would you please clean her up and take her to the medical room?"
As much as Aro craved to hold his mate, he didn't want her to be upset with him when she inevitably learned of his gift. He knew that many individuals despised the breach of privacy and the last thing he wanted was for her to feel violated.
"Jane, Alec" he continued. "Find Santiago and tell him to report to the medical wing to tend to my mate immediately."
Although Santiago did not have a gift, he earned his way into the elite guard with his superior fighting technique and penchant for battle strategy. He also happened to have numerous human medical degrees which, prior to today, Aro had considered completely useless. However, now that he had a human mate, he knew Santiago would become invaluable to him.