Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

She had heard before, quite a few times, that life is what happens while we make plans. It didn’t feel that way in that stonewalled chamber, surrounded by hostile supernatural creatures. In the oppressive atmosphere of the cold room, watched by the vigilant eyes of cold ones, it felt like life was happening while she made a decision. Because in a few seconds, the entire path ahead of her could take such different turns depending on her answer that she had two completely different lives sprawled before her.

Unlike making plans and letting life unfold itself instead of acting, making decisions of that importance was quick and dramatic. She couldn’t take too long, none of the vampires looking at her would give her time.

Time . Ungrateful little thing, always escaping.

“Uhm, I...”

She glanced at her Edward, still clinging to him in her damp clothes, and he frowned at her hesitation. Was it there? The reassurance she wanted, the certainty that she would be immortal one day? But his eyes were charcoal and let nothing through. She searched for Alice’s eyes and there it was, the firm gaze that promised her the future she deserved.

Does it matter, though? If she left before even when she didn’t want to, just because he said so...

“ Yes.”

“ Bella!”

She looked down but soon searched his face again. His frown was much more pronounced, creases cutting as deep as her desire to belong. She couldn’t bear the sight of his shock and disappointment, and yet she felt angry. Wet anger, the type that makes you yell and cry at the same time.

“She doesn’t mean that. She...”

What was she taking on? She didn’t really know, but she hoped . She hoped that she was grabbing the only real chance of becoming immortal that would ever be presented to her, she hoped that she would be able to leave that place one day, and more than anything else, she hoped he would forgive her and take her back.

Her eyes were pleading with his, but he just shook his head. He shook his head a lot and murmured again and again that she didn’t mean that, she was tired, she didn’t know what she was accepting. His grip on her was verging on painful and yet she clung to him, she would do so for as long as she could. She would cling to him forever if she could.

“Edward, my dear,” Aro sighed and Bella finally noticed the condescension that marred his sweet words, “we are all entitled to our free will, even the young ones. Bella should be able to make her own decisions.”

“Is that really your decision?”

She choked on her words, took a breath, and tried again. He was getting angry too and her own anger gave way to the empty sadness she felt when he left. She was finally being given a real choice and the truth was that she wanted to take that opportunity. She could deal with whatever else that entailed in due time. For now, she had to take her chance at immortality.

My thoughts are safe. I can become immortal and serve them for however long I have to and then I’ll be free, and they don’t have to know I don’t want to stay. I can pay my debt and go back to you, Edward. Please, please understand. Please forgive me.

Sadly, her thoughts were safe from him as well and she could only hope he could read them on her face. With sudden determination, the answer jumped from her lips.

“It is.”

He gawked, stunned. Alice must have seen something because his head whipped in her direction. It was back to Bella in a split second, his voice betraying an edge of desperation.

“Bella, please... ”

“You cannot be serious, Aro.”

The whole room shifted its focus to the white-haired king and Bella tensed. She did not consider that Aro’s offer was not final, or that her acceptance of it did not constitute a warranty. Caius motioned to her with annoyance but Aro dismissed his protests with a tight-lipped smile.

“Ah, brother, surely you see the potential. Imagine the possibilities when she is one of us!”

Edward’s chest shook with a low growl and Alice grabbed his hand. No one uttered a word as Caius looked pointedly at the seer. A light gush of wind brushed against the hem of the cloaks donned by the guards standing around them like Greek statues. Bella tried to concentrate on her own heartbeats, counting them to keep track of time. She thought she could taste ancient dust on her tongue from the air she painfully inhaled.

Caius spoke.

“I know nothing of such a future.”

The air thickened with his words - as if it was even possible. The guards turned their heads to Alice almost imperceptibly.

She stood perfectly still, another marble statue finely dressed. Her face let nothing on, a perfectly blank mask. The order was implicit but hardly nebulous. The underlying meaning of his declaration was not lost on anyone, not even Bella, and so Alice took two steps forward, letting go of her brother with deceiving nonchalance – such was her way. She ungloved a hand and extended it to Aro, who took it eagerly.

Another silent altercation threatened to choke Bella. She still clung to Edward as best as she could, but he seemed to drift farther and farther away with every passing second. She realised he was not truly holding her anymore, she was keeping close to him all on her own.

“How incredibly interesting,” Aro smiled his placating smile. He then looked at his sanguine brother and nodded graciously. Caius relaxed on his throne, letting himself fall onto the back of his chair. Aro addressed Edward.

“Heidi will be here with our meal very soon. You and Alice should stay beneath until dark. You may take this time to exchange goodbyes.”

He didn’t move, didn’t do anything to acknowledge Aro. His lightless eyes were fixed on Bella.

“Edward, let’s go.” Alice grabbed one of his arms and pulled him towards the doors. He took Bella by the hand, pulling her along.

“Welcome, Isabella!”

Aro’s last words were nearly cut off by the heavy doors closing as Demetri led them out of the room. He looked over his shoulder and stared at Bella for a few moments too long, polite curiosity morphing into rude staring. He took notice of Edward’s expression and smiled sheepishly.

“Forgive me.”

He averted his eyes with no explanation and did not spare her another glance until they reached the reception area. Bella had no idea of what prompted the staring but considered that he too might have a gift that didn’t work on her. She looked at Edward for an answer but he kept his eyes straight ahead, his jaw tensed and his cold hand grasping hers as if it burnt him.

She wished she could see what Alice showed Aro, what Edward must have seen too. She wished she could at least ask her and have a real, transparent conversation about what she did and its consequences. Transfixed by the movement of Demetri’s shoulders underneath his layers of clothing, she wished she could ask Edward what the red-eyed vampire thought of her and why he stared at her like that. Demetri’s burgundy eyes met her brown ones again once they reached Gianna and she was reminded that she couldn’t ask them anything. Not with so many powerful ears around them ready to drink in their every word.

The vampires seemed to hear something in the distance, something too quiet for human ears and that remained a mystery to Bella. Demetri bowed respectfully before disappearing through the same corridor they used to reach the reception.

“Please do not leave before nightfall,” he told Edward and Alice. Then he turned to Bella, “I will be back for you after the feast.”

Feast?

She didn’t voice her confusion, merely nodding in understanding. He vanished, the few hairs that danced around Bella’s face were the only indication that he was ever there at all. Gianna kept working at her desk, her head slightly tilted as her manicured fingers tapped her keyboard. The blue light from her computer screen gave her a ghostly aura even under the warm lights that illuminated the room. The carpets, the flowers, the pictures on the walls - everything was composed to confer the place a cosy atmosphere, and yet something felt cold and dissonant. Like there was a sombre organ note that lingered in the air, a shiver waiting behind the doors to run down a spine.

“Bella...”

Edward forcefully relaxed his muscles and softened his expression. For an insane moment, Bella thought he looked like a devout paying penance. She was never a church-goer – was never forced nor encouraged by either of her parents – but his face made her think of religious paintings and sculptures from museums she visited as a child, in school excursions. She half expected him to fall to his knees.

Alice interrupted him, her voice much more urgent but just as pained. “I’ll do it, Bella. If he doesn’t want to turn you, I’ll do it, you know that. And if not me, Carlisle would sure...”

Why would they? Why would any of them turn her if not to exempt themselves from more guilt, the same guilt that led Edward to Volterra in the first place?

“You left.”

She murmured, knowing they could hear her anyway. Alice blinked once, twice. Edward didn’t move.

“I don’t know what to expect from the future. I can’t...”

I can’t go through all of that again, all that you put me through. I can’t make it out of there one more time.

“This is different,” Alice promised. “This is completely different, Bella, we would never risk your life. Everything changed now.”

“But we did.” Edward shook his head some more, like he could shake off his terrible guilt or the awfulness of their situation. “We left her unprotected while Victoria is still out there.”

“We didn’t know... we didn’t mean to...”

“It doesn’t matter. Everything that we have done, even without meaning to, has hurt her. She has every right to reject us.”

Alice swallowed and frowned, her tiny hands grasping each other. She had one glove on and the other one was peeking out from the pocket of her jacket. Bella wanted to tell him he was wrong, that she would never reject them. She parted her lips and the words formed a lump in her throat, but she stopped in time. She couldn’t say that.

“I love you,” she said instead, watching his eyebrows go up and his shoulders fall. “I love all of you, and I always will. I just don’t know you as I thought I did.”

His hands balled into fists and the surprise that took over his features left in a flash, a sourness taking its place.

“I thought I knew you better than this, too,” he countered. If he meant to accuse her, the slight wavering of his voice hid it well. “Is this who you really are? Someone that would chase beauty and immortality at any cost?”

He was not accusing her, she noticed. He was chastising her. He was telling her that he was not mad, just disappointed, and it made her angry again because how dared he?

This is not how I wanted to see him again.

No, she didn’t want anger or any other bad feeling poisoning their reunion, a moment she had dreamed about for months . She didn’t want anything tainting her memory of him, not even the notion that he was not there for her, not when she didn’t know when she would see him again.

“I want to belong somewhere. I want to fit .”

Edward sighed. He couldn’t scold her for wanting something so fundamental.

“You won’t fit in here, Bella. This place is not for us.”

Us . He chose the word on purpose but Bella could only link it with his departure, the way he had to specify that he said ‘us’ meaning him and his family but not her. Her hollow chest throbbed with the echo of that pain and she shuddered. She vaguely noticed she was still somewhat wet from running across the fountain in the piazza earlier that day.

“I’ll be fine. My time was up when we met anyway.”

The joke didn’t light up the mood.

“I’m here, Bella, and so are you. We still have each other. I know I made a mistake but you shouldn’t have to pay for it. I will not leave you again unless you order me away, please... ”

His words were everything she wanted to hear, but were they genuine? Did they come from the heart or just from the desperation that threw him into the arms of the Volturi, begging to be ended? She wanted to believe him, every fibre of her pulsated with the need to take his words as hard truth, but her stomach still dropped every time she remembered the emptiness of his sudden absence. It could never be as if he never existed, not when she was forever changed by his passage through her life. The only thing he ever accomplished in his attempt was the death of a part of her soul.

That was what it was, that hole in her chest. The piece of her soul he owned that he took away with him when he left her. A little star that sparked new life into her, a star that died when he decided to disappear. She was once again changed beyond repair by his leaving.

But he was there, and so was she. For a little longer, that was all that mattered.

“I’ll be fine,” she repeated, her assurance now a faint echo of what it was the first time around. “I fall on my feet, you know that. Like a cat. Nine lives and everything.”

“How many do you have left?” Alice wondered.

Bella didn’t answer.

“Think of Charlie. Think of Renée. Hell, if it works, think of Jacob. You left to never come back again, think of what you’re doing!”

She did, she thought about everyone that would never see her again and it hurt , but thinking of remaining the uncoordinated outcast among them hurt even more. She knew the wolves would blame the Cullens and probably end the treaty, she knew Charlie would never recover from her disappearance. Still, she felt in her bones that this was her last chance. Her only chance.

She needed to take it.

If it made her selfish, so be it. She should be allowed to be selfish in such a case. Everyone should be.

“Were you thinking of anyone else but yourself when you left?”

He froze, hands mid-air in their afflicted gesticulation. His lips let a sharp intake of air pass through before being pressed into a fine line again. Alice made a strangled sound that could be crying, or maybe choking.

“Bella, I... This is not the answer to your problems that you think it is.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, partially in a vain attempt to feel warmer but mostly in tense reflex to his pleading. Her eyes met the ground.

“I think I have the right to find that out on my own. And I hope you won’t judge me too harshly for it.”

I’ll go back to you, Edward. A hundred times, a thousand times if you’ll have me. I know it’s selfish to expect that but please, please wait for me.

He didn’t look like he would wait for her. He looked crushed and heartbroken.

“There is not a single vegetarian vampire living in this building, have you considered that?”

She blinked a few times. No, she hadn’t considered that.

“They feed on humans, all of them. They are feeding on humans right now.”

She felt it, at last, the shiver that was waiting to run down her spine. Edward finished his sentence looking at Gianna and the secretary did her best to pretend she didn’t hear him, or couldn’t understand his words.

But she shivered too.

“I’ll deal with it. I’ll be fine.”

If I repeat it times enough, does it become true? Is that how it works?

Alice flashed before her eyes and before she knew it, she was hugged with astounding force.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. I thought... I told him that...”

“Alice.”

She stepped back to glare at her brother.

“I told you it was a stupid thing to do. I knew... ”

He barked a sarcastic laugh.

“Yes, you always know, don’t you? What do you know now? Do you want to tell her?”

Bella frowned, but Alice didn’t tell her a thing. She sighed and let go of Bella without a word.

“What do you know?”

The vampire shrugged. “Nothing. It’s very fuzzy, don’t worry about it.”

How could she not?

She tried. When Edward told her to let it go and rest, she tried to enjoy their last moments together instead of fretting over the future. Whatever Alice knew, she didn’t deem it concrete or important enough to warn her about it. It could be too far into the future to be relevant, it could be so uncertain that it would never become reality... Feeling the weight on her eyelids intensify, she sat with them on the armless chairs of the reception area and rested her head on Edward’s shoulder, rejoicing in the fact that he allowed it. Gianna watched them as they sat down, quickly returning to her task once they were settled. Through hushed whispers that only they could completely understand, they started discussing going home and how they would do it, and what they would tell everyone about Bella staying behind. They talked about other things too, but Bella could only catch so much with her human ears in her exhausted state.

Without clocks or windows anywhere, they couldn’t tell if the night was falling. Bella tried not to sleep despite her tiredness, for it would be a waste of her last moments with the ones she still considered family in a way, but she did try to rest. She closed her eyes and listened to their quick whispers as the sun surely disappeared from the sky outside.

Eventually, Edward and Alice turned to the doors Demetri had closed hours ago and Bella did too, albeit much more slowly. To her surprise, it was Alec and not Demetri who appeared through them, his eyes a bright ruby.

Because he fed. On people.

Bella tried not to shiver again.

“You’re free to leave now,” Alec informed Alice and Edward. “We ask that you don’t linger in the city.”

Neither of them spoke. Edward pressed Bella against his chest painfully.

He tried one more time.

One last time.

“Bella, please, come with us.”

He said he still loves me, he said he would turn me. Alice did too. Am I really going to stay here all by myself?

A new fear grasped her heart, a fear that should have made its way to her much sooner. If she was anyone else, she probably would have felt it still in front of the kings when she was offered to stay. What would be of her there, human and alone in that castle? Would they change her right away or keep her human for a while, mortal and vulnerable in the middle of all those vampires? Even as an immortal, what would be expected of her? She would still be so very young, and perhaps she really wouldn’t fit there. They could reject her too.

She had to remind herself that she heard their promises before, that they promised her a future with them, told her she was part of the family... and left. In a heartbeat. Like the words that meant the entire world to her meant nothing to them. Feeling breathless and shaking, she shook her head.

“I can’t.”

By the time she answered him, Jane had joined her brother in the reception, so quietly that Bella only noticed her and her eerie smile when she looked at Alec again. It didn’t take much longer for Felix and Demetri to join them.

“This is quite unnecessary,” Alec complained to no one specific.

Like before, it was evident that Felix and Jane were still hopeful that the Cullens would cause trouble and that they would get to handle it.

No, not the Cullens. They think Edward is going to be a problem.

With that realisation, Bella jumped to her feet. The last thing she wanted was to rush them through the doors with no idea of when she would see them again, but she wasn’t sure that Alec was right. Knowing Edward, Felix and Jane had a good chance of winning that one.

“I can’t just leave you here.”

For a moment, she thought he would offer to stay with her. For no more than a couple of seconds, he looked like he was ready to stay there with her.

“I’ll be fine,” she said for the thousandth time. She bit her lip. “Write me if you feel like it.”

She felt both brave and reckless by asking that, and her eyes travelled to the ancient vampires on their own. Demetri smiled graciously.

“Yes, do write her. That is perfectly acceptable.”

Alice spared her a last pitiful glance before she took Edward’s arm again. He didn’t budge, his eyes fixed on Bella. Felix flexed his arms and took off his grey cloak, walking to the vegetarian with smug purpose.

“Put this on, you’re a little conspicuous,” he instructed with a hint of mockery. Edward yanked the cloak from his hands and put it on. He finally broke eye contact with Bella.

“Of course. Yes, I’ll write you. And I’ll be back for you.” His voice was so hoarse that Bella barely understood him. Maybe he said something else.

He took Bella in his arms one last time, burying his face in her hair and shaking with dry sobs so violently that at that moment, she believed everything. She believed that he loved her and that he did mean it when he vowed to make her immortal. It was too late, though. She couldn’t speak as she felt him kissing her forehead and stepping back, couldn’t find her voice as she watched Felix leading him and Alice away. She was paralysed, watching the scene unfold as if through someone else’s eyes. In her head, she could hear someone screaming, telling her to say something, to go back on her decision and follow them out of that cursed place, but she couldn’t move. She watched them leave in silence, horrified by the delayed understanding of what she had done.

She was brought back from her panicked thoughts by Alec’s apathetic remark.

“Heart-warming.”

Jane giggled and looked at Bella from head to toe, a mischievous smile on her full lips.

“Now, what do we do with you?”

Chapter Text

Nesting uncomfortably in a remote corner of her chest, Bella felt the trepid drumming of her heartbeats changing pattern as if a hummingbird was trying to escape its cage. Not like a crescendo, more like a wandering beast jolting in a quiet forest upon hearing the hunter’s first shot. Her resolve, already so fragile from Edward’s display of vulnerability, came tumbling down and died out with a last pathetic, shallow gasp for air. She sustained Jane’s fierce gaze as best as she could and for as long as she felt capable of before Demetri got tired of their staring match and ended it with a heavy sigh.

“We do as instructed,” he answered the tiny vampire though her question was no more than a taunt.

With that, he turned on his heel and went back to the hallway he came from. Felix returned alone to the reception and spared her a sideways glance accompanied by a playful smirk before he did the same, leaving Bella to follow after the twins. She did so once they started walking back into the hallway, hand in hand. She looked over her shoulder to catch sight of Gianna, but the human secretary was no longer at her desk.

The painful tension was dissolved, but she still felt it in the vampire’s stiff manners and guarded posture. They were much too quiet, and she couldn’t know if it was normal for them or caused by her presence. Because he seemed to care very little about the whole ordeal, Bella kept closer to Alec as they walked to wherever it was that they were instructed to go, but Jane seemed to have a problem with that. Her mean smile disappeared in a flash and her expression morphed into the resentful look of a bratty child. It did not escape Alec’s notice.

“We are not supposed to scare her,” he reminded her.

Jane merely huffed and looked ahead.

Unlike the humid stone maze that she had to enter when she arrived at the castle, this time the vampires guided her exclusively along the simple, well-lit corridors adorned by paintings and tapestries. The sturdy wooden doors scattered about their way remained closed until they reached the upper levels of the building. Tripping on the carpeted floors and shaking both from cold and undisguised fear, Bella was taken aback by the crashing wave of relief that engulfed her when they stopped in front of one of the simple doors. She should be anxious, she knew. That closed door was hiding something unknown, and she had no idea of the guards’ instructions, but she was relieved that the walk to the unfamiliar room was so uneventful and silent.

What awaited her was an entirely different matter. 

The door opened from the inside without any apparent signal from the vampires around her. The smell of old paper and furniture polish hit her as soon as the door swung open revealing a neatly organised study room. Underneath the strongest scents, she could also faintly smell flowers and dry leaves.

“Isabella! Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat.”

Aro’s resounding voice was unmistakable but she took a few seconds to spot him far back in the room, partially obscured from her view by a tall bookshelf. Dressed all in black, but without the undulating robes he wore before, he waved gracefully in her direction and a gentle breeze ruffled her hair. Looking around, she found herself alone with the vampire king. He smiled at her again and fixed the cuffs of his long sleeves before gesturing for her to sit down.

She swallowed nervously but the lump in her throat remained a bothersome reminder of her inadequacy. There was a tattered chair close to where she stood, so she took tentative steps into the room and hesitantly sat down on it. Aro nodded encouragingly, clasping his papery hands together, his warm smile never leaving his lips.

“How nice of you to join us. Thank you for taking up our offer.”

There was an angry huff and Bella jumped in her seat.

“Brother, you startled her.”

Bella had to stretch her neck to see who Aro was reprimanding. The blond king was also there, she finally noticed, and he had his arms firmly crossed over his chest. His scowl was the polar opposite of his brother’s amiable smile.

“It is hardly our offer, is it?”

Aro allowed his smile to slip.

“That is what we are about to settle, is it not?”

Caius uncrossed his arms and took a few steps towards them, begrudgingly nodding in agreement. Bella was perched on the verge of her seat and fixed her posture once she realised it.

Aro took a moment to look from the immortal by his side to the human in front of him, his smile making a timid comeback. Caius' scowl disappeared and was replaced by austere neutrality. It was not the relaxed, welcoming energy Aro tried to give off but it was certainly an improvement. For some reason, Bella’s eyes wandered to their feet and she noticed they wore identical pairs of shiny leather shoes.

“You have an interesting ability, Isabella, even as a human,” Aro stated excitedly. “It is not a common occurrence, which is why I offered you a position in our guard. Unfortunately, this same ability complicates our situation a little bit, can you see how?”

Bella bit the inside of her cheek as she considered his question. She didn’t know if he was testing her or simply wanted to include her in the conversation, but she would feel better if they did most of the talking. She thought of what had happened in the larger room, the fight that broke out when Edward put himself between her and Jane after Aro couldn’t read her thoughts.

“You can’t read me like you read your guards.”

He clapped once and she jumped again.

“Well done! Yes, that is correct. I can’t access your thoughts as I do with my guards. Surely you can see how this could be a problem to us right now, were you to stay here with us.”

She shook off his condescending tone, trying not to be offended by the way he spoke to her as if she was a smart dog. Yes, she could see how that could be a problem. Judging the way Caius raised his chin and stared at her through half-lidded eyes, she imagined that he had a bigger problem with that than Aro.

“She can’t be trusted.”

Aro sighed dramatically as Bella didn’t try to refute him. He took a worn-down chair for himself and sat by her - to put her at ease, she guessed, for he didn’t need to sit at all. Caius made no such effort, staying exactly where he was, unmoving and unblinking.

“Now, I don’t regularly check everyone’s thoughts around here. It is in fact quite rare that I feel the need to do it. With new ones, though, it is good practice. I’m sure you can understand that.”

She slowly nodded. The longer she spent in that place, the less inclined she felt to stay. The fog of her despair had lifted and she started to see her decision for what it was: an intrusive thought that got the best of her after months of declining mental health.

“Which is why,” Aro went on, apparently oblivious to her internal panic, “we ask that you are completely transparent with us. We need to have a conversation about your reasons and expectations, and we need to get to know you better. But you have to be honest. Can you do that?”

Could she?

She didn’t know. She didn’t want to be honest with them, of course. Her entire plan relied on her intention to trick and take advantage of them, but now that she was thinking a little better, she was not convinced that she had the skill to pull it off.

“Ok.”

Aro looked at Caius and they had a quick, inaudible conversation.

“How much do you know about us?”

It was Caius who asked the question, and so he was not clear nor friendly when he posed it. She frowned.

“About you…?”

“The Volturi,” Caius explained impatiently. “The Olympic coven didn’t seem to tell you much about us, so why would you want to be part of the guard?”

She flinched. They knew. Of course, they knew all she wanted was immortality, how could they not? It was too obvious. She felt like punching herself.

“I didn’t have a lot of time to… consider the offer,” she admitted. “I never fit in well anywhere. After the Cullens left Forks… it has been difficult. I want a place in the world, I guess.”

“And to be immortal.”

She didn’t confirm it but her silence was acquiescence enough for the fair-headed leader. He smirked and clicked his tongue.

Aro shrugged. “Understandable, I would say.”

“She has no real knowledge of us or our importance to the vampire community. She wants to get bitten and return to the Olympic clan,” Caius all but accused her, offended by her ignorance.

Aro didn’t seem to care about her questionable motives. 

“She is young. We will teach her.”

“It’s not worth it -”

“Ah, but we don’t know that, do we? We can always hope, brother.”

It occurred to Bella that they were letting her understand the conversation, unlike the whispered altercation they had shared before, which could only mean that she was supposed to be a part of it as well.

“I will stay. For however long you want me to.”

She tried to sound firm but her voice cracked at the end. Caius chuckled.

“Stupid, naive little girl. It is an honour to be part of our guard. You think you are sacrificing yourself to obtain something you want, but you can’t be farther from the truth. If you are not formidable , make no mistake: we will not want you here.”

Her heart began to pound viciously in her chest again, and she tried to steady her breathing. Her fingers coiled up, grabbing the edges of her chair. She could hear the harsh noise of her nails scraping against the wood. Aro didn’t soften the blow this time, waiting expectantly for her reaction to his brother’s warning. 

As unkind as his words were, she knew them to be true, or Aro would have said something. 

It was getting increasingly harder to breathe. She focused her attention on her knuckles turning white for a few moments, rummaging her mind for the right thing to say, the words that would seal the deal and convince the ancient beings in front of her of how serious she was about this whole thing. How committed she was, if not to them, at least to her own goal - a goal that could benefit them as well. Her fingers began to tingle. By the time she uttered her answer, she could barely feel them anymore.

“I’ll meet your standards or die trying.”

They raised their eyebrows in a display that would have been comical if it was not so elegant and synchronised. She curled her toes inside her old sneakers as she waited for them to say something, feeling the pressure in her chest starting to affect her head as well. She took a deep breath as quietly as she could.

At last, Caius laughed. The full, warm sound bounced off the walls of books stored around them, echoing in her dizzy head for a few seconds too long. She didn’t relax.

“Very well.”

Aro cracked a brilliant smile that made him look like a cat about to pounce.

“How nice of you to join us,” he repeated, his voice low and solemn, and it sounded completely different from the first time he had said it. 

He stood up and she mirrored him automatically, nearly knocking over her chair in the process. 

“There is only one more thing to settle.”

At his words, the door behind her flew open. Demetri stood at the threshold, tall and lean, staring down at her from underneath his dark eyebrows. His black hair danced above his shoulders as he moved aside to let the third king into the study room and in a flash he was gone, leaving her in the company of one more vampire behind closed doors.

“This is my brother Marcus,” Aro introduced him. “You must remember him from earlier.”

She nodded. Marcus eyed her with detached cordiality.

“We have discussed Isabella’s permanence in our home, brother, and would like your input as well.”

The youngest-looking king eyed her and she cringed under his absent gaze. He lifted one hand and grazed Aro’s palm with the tips of his fingers, prompting Aro to sigh disapprovingly. He paused for a second, opened his mouth, and decided against whatever he was about to say. Instead, he forced himself to smile again and shook his head.

“I see. Of course, I also believe it is an unnecessary risk. She is much too appealing.”

“ I believe not testing her is an unnecessary risk,” Caius intervened. “Let her prove herself trustworthy. If she dies, it is still better than having a newborn traitor in our midst.”

Bella’s heart skipped a beat.

They were discussing the time of her transformation.

They were deciding to turn her right away. It was two against one if Aro also thought that having her as a human in the castle was an unnecessary risk.

New panic bubbled up in the pit of her stomach, cold and numbing. She felt it spread to her limbs and then she couldn’t feel anything besides the stomping sound of her pulse banging against her skull. That was what she wanted, she chanted in her mind. Over and over, she reminded herself that she wanted it more than anything else, and volunteered to serve them in exchange for that.

So why was she panicking?

It was too sudden. She was alone with strange immortals that had no reason to care for her at all. She was barely a passing curiosity to them, an experiment. They wouldn’t suffer for her death if it was to happen. They would be slightly disappointed at best. It began to dawn on her what she had given up for that life then; her father, whom she would not be allowed to see ever again, as well as her mother and Phil. Her friends at school would also have to think she was dead, and Jacob wouldn’t want to see or be near her once she became his natural enemy. She might have lost the Cullens as well, pledging allegiance to another coven, and one that Edward and Alice seemed to dislike so much at that. She was alone.

Or so she thought for an excruciating moment.

Demetri reappeared, with as little noise as he did previously, this time flanked by Felix and Jane. The excited glint in their eyes and their hopeful smiles alerted her to something wrong involving Edward and Alice.

“Masters,” Jane greeted sweetly. “They are lingering.”

Caius huffed. “Of course they are.”

Aro pursed his lips, visibly dissatisfied for the first time since Bella let him take her hand.

They were lingering. Edward and Alice were still around, in the city, disregarding Aro’s order to leave as soon as they left the castle grounds. They were disobeying the kings of the vampire world for her .

She felt a spark of hope violently ignite in her heart and turn into a flame.

“Have they been contacted?”

Jane’s right eye twitched and her smile turned into an ugly sneer.

“Yes, Master. They have requested another audience, but not before Carlisle Cullen has arrived.”

The little flame threatened to burn Bella’s heart to ashes.

Aro hummed, seeming to reflect on the news. After what Bella could only describe as another awkward exchange of silent looks between the only two kings that cared about what happened around them, Aro rested a cold hand on her shoulder. She held her breath.

“Demetri, please take Bella to her quarters. Jane and Felix, keep watch on the Cullens and let them back in as soon as Carlisle is here.”

The words echoed in her head insistently, intense and uncomfortable like a throbbing headache. Let them back in as soon as Carlisle is here. Her future was not forfeited; at least not yet. All was not lost.

She was yanked from the nervous rambling consuming her mind by Demetri’s calm, grave voice.

“Yes, Master.”

She exhaled.

Guided by Demetri’s featherlike touch on her back, she left the room tripping on the gaps between the boards of the hardwood floor. He chuckled at her clumsiness and she was mortified to feel her cheeks burning up in response. In a feeble attempt to hide it from him, she lowered her head and let her hair fall like a curtain between them. 

Like he couldn’t smell the blood or feel the warmth from feet away.

“You were very brave to stay behind on your own,” he commented, his voice barely above a whisper.

She didn’t dare to look at him, still self-conscious of his hand on her back and her treacherous blushing face, but she thought she heard something like praise in his tone.

“Hm, thanks.” She then considered the possible subliminal meaning of his words. “If it was a compliment.”

She felt his fingers twitch and his nails scrape the fabric of her blouse. When he spoke, she could hear his smile.

“And what would it be if not a compliment?”

Her feet were dragging across the carpeted floor, and that was a disaster waiting to happen, so she made an effort to lift them properly with each step. She wondered if he thought the same thing and if it was the reason for the hand on her back; if he was anticipating her fall and preparing to catch her.

“A threat.”

He laughed. Daring to look at him, she saw him lift his head and laugh fully, the broad smile enhancing his unnatural beauty.

“You would know if it was a threat, Isabella. If you are ever in doubt if a vampire is threatening you, they are most likely not.”

Laurent’s face flashed before her eyes, their encounter in the meadow still vivid in her memory.

She believed him.

“Then thanks.”

Another laugh escaped him, a little more reservedly this time. She stretched her arms and gracelessly shoved them into her pockets, and her elbow brushed against him. He gave no indication that he felt it at all, keeping his hand on her back to guide her as they walked side by side, but she felt a little static shock shoot up her arm all the way to her shoulder and winced.

He removed his hand from her.

“Forgive me,” he said in much the same way he had said it to Edward earlier that day; with a hint of mockery that was not enough to convince her that he was indeed mocking her. With that, he began to walk in front of her, keeping a human pace so she could keep up with him.

He took her through another set of pleasant corridors to a medium-sized guest bedroom. In contrast to the impersonal, commercial-looking reception area and the cold, dungeon-like passageways, it looked and felt perfectly mundane. It had a queen-sized bed sided with a plain bedside table, a simple closet, and a working desk. The supernatural reality of her situation was momentarily muffled by the absolutely ordinary feel of the room she stepped in and she finally relaxed her muscles. Demetri turned around, smiling at the change in her posture.

“The wardrobe is filled with clothes in various sizes, I’m sure you will be able to find something that fits you.” He gestured to another door opposite the one they came through. “There is the bathroom. All you need for a bath is already there.”

She nodded and he walked out, stopping in the hallway with a hand on the doorknob.

“Welcome, Isabella. I hope you feel at home here.”

She swallowed, feeling nervous by the unexpected sincerity in his voice.

“T-thanks.”

His welcoming smile turned into a smirk at her stutter and he slowly closed the door, all the while staring at her through the decrescent gap until it disappeared and the door clicked shut. Finding herself as alone as she could be in a building full of creatures with heightened senses, she fell to the ground in a puddle of nerves and regret.

It was like her heart was shrinking, compressed by the building tension in her chest, and falling through the burning hole Edward left so many months ago. But this time he hadn’t left, and neither did Alice. Carlisle was coming. They wouldn’t abandon her again, they could still fix this. She repeated those comforting truths until she felt capable of going to the bathroom to take a much-needed shower. She couldn’t imagine herself preparing a bath and soaking in a tub at such a moment, and she had no idea when someone would go in there to retrieve her, so a shower would have to do.

Still, as the warm water hit her tense muscles and she tried to unknot her hair with her fingers, she couldn’t keep the wave of worrisome thoughts from taking over her head again.

 They didn’t trust her. She was not sure if she was a guest or a prisoner, but the vampires in Volterra didn’t care for her. They were willing to gamble with her life out of mild curiosity and discard her if she didn’t meet their expectations.

It’s fine , her mind shouted defiantly. 

She didn’t trust them either. 

She trusted her luck to keep her alive for a little longer and that would have to be enough for now.

Chapter Text

It all came down to politics, in the end. 

Her shower did little to relax her and she hadn’t managed to sleep before Carlisle arrived. In clean clothes she would never have picked for herself, Bella quietly watched as he exchanged string after string of pleasantries with the three kings, their voices warm and friendly but their words hiding dangerous subliminal meanings. She couldn’t blink. She hadn’t expected it to go like this, but of course, it would. Stupidly, she thought Carlisle would strut right into the castle and heroically rescue her. Maybe Edward would start a fight, and the three vegetarians would have to throw a few punches before running off with her on their shoulders. Seeing her “rescue” actually happen put everything into perspective for her. No, that’s not how things are done. 

It was all very diplomatic.

Carlisle did strut right into the castle; that part was just as she had pictured while she anxiously waited for him. He walked in with his usual confidence, holding his head up and smiling his doctor smile - the gentle one you could barely see, accompanied by a slight frown. He could be walking around a hospital looking for a patient, worried about blood test results. She half expected him to breathe out and ask her what happened and how she was feeling while listening to her rapid heartbeats with an unnecessary stethoscope.

He looked at her with the familiar frown, but there was no smile. His thin lips were uncharacteristically turned downwards, making him look more severe than gentle. Her stomach somersaulted at the sight as her mind raced with its possible meaning. It couldn’t be good, it did not look good at all.

“Bella will be perfectly safe in here, dear friend. We assure you.” Aro was looking down from his throne at his so-called American friend, dismissing his worries and refuting his arguments with ease. “She will be cared for and instructed, and of course, when she is ready, she will be free to leave if she so wishes.”

Like her, Alice and Edward watched the exchange in tense silence, looking straight ahead and avoiding glancing at each other. Should she say something? What would happen if she backtracked on her decision? It didn’t feel right to let Carlisle do all the talking when he was trying to fixher mess. At the same time, she trusted him to know what to say and to do and feared that her interference would only cause more trouble. Still, she had to take responsibility for her own mistakes, didn’t she?

As soon as she decided to interfere, Alice’s head snapped in her direction, followed closely by Edward’s, and they both stared at her with wide eyes. Edward shook his head as subtly as he could while Alice mouthed a single word, barely separating her lips.

“Don’t.”

Bella closed her eyes and took a deep, painful breath.

“Of course,” she heard Carlisle’s polite answer from afar like it was drowned out by water, feeling dizzier and dizzier with each word. “There is no doubt about that. We’re only concerned with her comfort. We believe that Bella would feel more comfortable if she went through the transformation with us by her side.”

Aro’s eyes flashed dangerously.

“I see,” he smiled his Cheshire cat smile and gracefully crossed his legs. “In that case, I would suggest one of you stay here with her, or perhaps two of you.”

His eyes then wandered to Edward, falling on Alice. Edward clenched his fists and his jaw in undisguised indignation. Alice, however, bit her lip and fidgeted with her leather gloves. Edward growled.

“ Alice .”

She shook her head, continuing to avoid his gaze. Her eyes met the floor, but Bella was sure they were full of doubt.

“No one is staying,” Edward declared. It sounded final, but Alice was bouncing on the balls of her feet, her entire frame shaking with anguish.

“I…”

“Alice, please. ”

She finally looked at her brother. While he gave her a stern, warning look, she retributed it with a sorrowful one.

“How can I leave her again?”

She didn’t say it, but everyone heard it.

How can you?

Bella could tell they were walking on thin ice. She could see the Volturi did not want to let her go now that she had accepted their offer, and pushing them too much could change the tone of the conversation. Caius would only keep up with the friendly facade for so long and put up with so much insistence.

Carlisle sighed loudly.

“I hoped we could have a more informal, intimate discussion.”

The oldest-looking king raised one snowy eyebrow. Somewhere in the room, a guard scoffed. Aro ignored them both and took a moment to analyse Carlisle, tilting his head like a curious dog. His glinting eyes lost part of their calculating severity, their iciness melting away as he considered the request. For excruciating seconds, the large room was in complete silence. Bella thought she was losing her grip on reality again, her dizziness making her feel like time had stopped. 

But Aro shifted his position in his adorned chair and spoke.

“Very well.”

Bella felt he would have denied anyone but Carlisle.

Descending from his throne with regal elegance, Aro glided towards the Cullen patriarch and took his hand. Half the room moved with him in eerie synchrony, dark clothes billowing around quiet feet. The king lowered his head in concentration, letting his raven hair obscure his pale face. 

Bella’s rumbling stomach disturbed the silence, and her face warmed up when she noticed a few heads turning her way.

“Ah, it seems that our Bella needs to eat. Let us continue this conversation in my study.” Aro smiled and turned to Felix. “To the kitchen with our human guest, hm?”

“Not him.” Edward swallowed hard before adding forcefully, “Please.”

Felix smirked but said nothing.

“I’ll take her,” Alec offered. Jane tried to suppress a grimace, possibly anticipating Aro’s next sentence.

“Thank you, Alec. Jane should go with you.”

“Yes, Master.”

Jane looked ready to throw up.

Bella wanted to protest, certain that she could easily ignore her hunger to continue witnessing the discussion of her fate, but remained quiet. The twins passed by her wordlessly and exited the room; their slow pace was the only indication that they expected her to follow. Giving Alice and Edward one last remorseful look, she fell in line after them.

Her hopes for another silent walk through the building were immediately crushed by Jane’s angry hiss.

“What business Carlisle Cullen has in coming here is beyond me. Disrespectful, meddling child.”

Alec shrugged, but Bella had to refrain from fully breaking into laughter upon hearing the little girl call Carlisle a child. She wondered again just how old they were, for she knew Carlisle had been turned centuries ago.

“This is all quite pointless,” he agreed, though not nearly as passionately, “especially because Bella doesn’t want to leave. Isn’t that so?”

He looked at her then, his eyes flashing with an amusement that seemed oddly misplaced in his still blank face. Caught off guard by the malicious question, she tripped but didn’t fall. Biting the inside of her cheek, she mimicked the diplomacy of the immortals to the best of her capability.

“I… I made my decision. Whatever happens next is out of my hands.”

Her voice was weak and unsure, and he smirked. Jane rolled her eyes, surprising Bella again with her sudden lack of decorum.

“You should have left with them and spared us from this circus.”

“ Sister, what are you saying? She is gifted. Like us. To turn down such an amazing offer - a position within the guard - would be so foolish. And we would lose the addition of a gifted member to our coven.”

Bella nearly stopped dead in her tracks until she realised he was teasing his sister as well, just like he did earlier when she arrived with Alice. His face was always so serious when he said such things that it took Bella a while to notice that he was joking, but Jane seemed more than used to his antics.

“Like us,” she echoed pensively. “I hardly think so.”

He finally broke character, laughing and shaking his head.

“Well, maybe your gift will work on her once she becomes immortal.”

The prospect lifted Jane’s spirits as much as it inflicted sheer dread on Bella’s heart. Jane’s hopeful smile broadened when she noticed the change in Bella’s heartbeats and she continued her walk joyfully. 

Bella watched them curiously despite her deteriorating physical and mental state. They both took pleasure in tormenting others, she noted, though Alec preferred to be much more subtle than his sister. She stored away that small piece of information, deciding to keep her distance from them as much as she could.

The kitchen was nothing like she had expected. 

It was a large, bright modern room packed with shiny appliances. The walls were cream-coloured and the cabinets were painted white, while the countertops were made of white marble. She squinted her eyes to shield them from the sudden change in brightness and heard her stomach complain again.

Alec leaned against the large island in the centre of the room. “How often do you need to eat?”

“Uhm, every few hours. Like three or four.”

He nodded, only marginally interested, and Jane giggled.

“I don’t think we will remember to feed you all that often. How many days can you go with no food before dying?”

Bella opened her mouth to answer, feeling her stomach sinking, but no sound came out. Alec laughed again and Jane joined him as Bella stood there with her mouth open like a fish, feeling utterly stupid as she realised they were just teasing her again.

Her skin heated up in embarrassment all the way down to her neck and she kicked herself mentally for being such an easy target.

“You do smell amazing,” Alec commented matter-of-factly before pressing a button under the island’s countertop. “The type of blood that should be truly enjoyed, not just used to quench the thirst… and we just fed. It’s a shame we can’t try it.”

She crossed her arms tightly around herself, unable to tell if he was just trying to get a reaction out of her, but he paid her no mind. He was facing the ceiling with unfocused eyes, and his voice was a low monotone. His musings still managed to unsettle her and she nervously bit her lip.

Turning to Jane, she noticed the girl staring at her with utmost concentration. As she met Bella’s gaze, her face relaxed.

“Very annoying.”

Alec chuckled.

She was saved from Jane’s growing aggravation by a middle-aged human man who entered the kitchen through a backdoor. His bald head reflected the bright lights as soon as he set foot inside, and his hairy arms were partially covered by long sleeves he had rolled up to his elbows. Bella thought he looked exotic and foreign with his thick dark eyebrows and pitch-black eyes before remembering that she was the exotic foreigner in that scenario. He hurried inside, bowing twice before looking at Bella questioningly.

Jane spoke to him in an unfamiliar language, quick and permeated by harsh sounds. She seemed to be instructing him but Bella couldn’t pick anything from what she said. The man nodded profusely when she was done, rubbing his hands on his dirty apron. 

“Someone else will come for you in an hour,” Jane told her, loud and clear. “Hopefully someone else…” she amended in whispers, still loud enough that Bella could hear her.

Alec smiled at his sister’s annoyed tone and left the room without sparing Bella another glance. Jane was quick to follow him, turning on her heels and vanishing without a sound.

Bella eyed the man whose name she was never told, unsure of what to do. Did he even speak any English?

If he did, he didn’t seem willing to use it on her - or to speak to her at all. He gestured for her to sit on one of the stools by the island and proceeded to open the fridge, taking a few items and placing them on another counter. It was awkward and, to Bella, borderline rude to sit there and watch him cook for her, but she had no choice. Her hunger and her tiredness did a good enough job at making her less self-conscious and embarrassed of staring at him and waiting to be served, and so she waited. Her eyelids were heavy and she soon noticed her limbs were weighing her down. The stranger began to cook, expertly cutting meat and vegetables and moving frying pans on what seemed to be pure muscle memory. Bella’s eyes snapped open at the display and she felt suddenly awake, enraptured by the one-man spectacle.

The smell of food filled the room and her stomach protested again. The man glanced at her amusedly and raised one hand, his thumb almost touching his index finger. She nodded, looking away as he finished her meal.

She hoped he was not cooking anything that would feel too exotic to her.

He claimed her attention again as he placed a plate on the island counter in front of her.

“Thank you.”

He didn’t answer her. Patting his hands on his apron, he turned on his heel and left her alone in the kitchen.

It was harder to eat than she anticipated. Though her stomach begged for food, it rejected it at the same time. The spices prickled her tongue and the strong smell that assaulted her nose when she brought a spoonful to her mouth made her cough. She took a moment to get used to it, stopping and smelling it before trying again. After the third bite, her nausea relented and she could tell the food was exquisite, better than anything else she had tasted in her life so far. A morbid thought occurred to her then, and it was like ice washed over her entire body.

It felt like being granted a last meal.

She shook it off and slowly ate it all, taking her time to savour it seeing as no one was around to make her feel pressured to finish - or so she believed. A velvety voice reached her ears as soon as she set the silverware down.

“Are we done?”

She jumped, turning around to meet its owner. Demetri tilted his head.

“My apologies. I thought I made enough noise when I entered the room.”

Bella could tell by the way he smiled that he knew he made no noise when he entered the room.

“Uhm, yes. I’m done.”

She took the plate and stood up to wash it, but Demetri caught her by the wrist.

“Leave it. We have people for that.”

She did as she was told, relieved that he let her go just as quickly as he touched her. The coldness of his skin made her deeply uncomfortable, something she didn’t feel when touched by the equally cold hands of any of the Cullens, and the fact that he touched her so frequently with such ease unnerved her. She rolled her shoulders to release some tension and ventured a question.

“How is it going? The talk.”

He shrugged. “Well.”

Noticing he was unwilling to spare her any details and fill her in, she sighed, prompting him to smile.

“Are you worried? Do you, perhaps, feel you are in trouble?”

She shook her head, though he hit it on the nail. No, she couldn’t let on just how scared she was of the consequences of her own actions, especially not after he mentioned how brave she had been.

“I feel I’m being a nuisance.”

He smirked, lifting a hand and gesturing her to follow him back into the corridor she came from.

“Aren’t we all at some point in life?”

Whatever he meant by that, she didn’t know. It certainly didn’t soothe her worries. Walking by his side, she frowned and he decided to grace her with an explanation.

“You are young, Isabella. It is perfectly acceptable to need support and guidance. You’re not imposing on us.”

She fought the urge to correct him about her name.

“Jane might disagree.”

He clicked his tongue.

“Ah, Jane. She is upset because you stole the spotlight. It will pass soon enough.”

Bella hoped he was right. Even with her childlike appearance and without the aid of her gift, Jane was scary. She was still incredibly stronger than Bella and seemed very easily annoyed.

“You should sleep for a while,” Demetri interrupted her train of thought, “I’ll take you back to your bedroom.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep right now. I couldn’t before.”

He eyed her curiously, catching her by the elbow and immediately letting go when she tripped.

“It doesn’t matter how much you fret over it, the outcome of their discussion won’t be affected.”

He was right, but it didn’t matter.

“I just… I wish there was more I could do. It’s awful to stand by and watch everyone get busy because of me while I rest .”

Demetri was quiet for a moment. He resolutely guided her through the various corridors with a steady pace, looking straight ahead, and stopping at the door of her assigned chamber.

“Have you ever baked bread?”

Bella frowned in confusion.

“Uhm, no. Not really.”

“Most of the process of baking good bread is just waiting.”

He opened the door for her and stood aside. She hesitantly stepped into the room, scanning it while still paying some attention to the sneaky vampire behind her. To her surprise, the bag she brought to Italy was by the bed.

“How…?”

“Alice Cullen brought it over.”

She nodded, making her way to the bed and kneeling on the floor to open it. Everything she packed was in there, much to her surprise, including all of her documentation.

Realising she would be left alone in that room for some time, she wished she had packed a few books and instantly felt silly.

“Is anything missing?”

Demetri was still by the door, staring down at her inquisitively. His hands were clasped together in front of his body and his upright posture made Bella feel inadequate in comparison.

She stood up, throwing the bag on the bed.

“No, it’s all there. Thank you.”

He didn’t leave and didn’t answer, lifting one eyebrow and slowly entering the room instead.

“What’s the matter?”

Bella looked down and ran a hand through her hair to dissipate some nervousness before deciding to speak.

“I just… wish I had something to read if I’m going to be waiting alone in here.”

“Oh.”

They watched each other for an awkward moment before Demetri smiled again.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

She tried to say no and thank you, mortified to impose even more on him, but he was gone before she could blink. The door closed by itself, moving smoothly and clicking shut long after he touched it.

Sighing heavily, she jumped on the soft mattress and kicked the covers away. The bed was nearly too comfortable to be used, she decided, which could have contributed to her inability to sleep there the first time around.

The whole situation with the Cullens didn’t help, of course.

She closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing, imagining Carlisle and Aro in the same room filled with books where she talked with the kings. In her head, Aro allowed Carlisle to be alone with him in the little study except for maybe one or two guards. Their conversation was amiable at first, but her racing mind didn’t take long to turn the pleasant picture she painted into a violent nightmare. Eventually, Aro’s smile became feline and dangerous rather than warm and friendly, and his guards carefully positioned themselves behind the Cullen patriarch, crouching like lions ready to attack. Bella tried to scream, tried to warn him, but her throat closed up and she choked, furiously gasping as Carlisle was subdued.

Approaching the restrained vampire in his eerie, gliding manner, Aro put his papery hands on his face, grinning like a madman before pulling hard, and Carlisle’s head was torn from his body with a metallic clash.

The entire scene collapsed when she sat up on the bed, covered in cold sweat. Her hair clung to her wet face and her whole body shook, making her teeth clatter. She put her arms around herself to stop the shaking and locked her jaw, hearing it clack, but soon opened her mouth in search of air. She stayed there for several minutes, arms firmly closed around her body and mouth wide open, gulping down the air like it was water. When she calmed down, she pushed her hair away from her face and looked around the room trying to find a clock or anything that could tell her much time had passed, but found nothing of the sort. The room was dark, though not completely, and she guessed a few hours must have passed. It made her feel detached and dislocated; her nightmare seemed to last for a few minutes.

The only thing she found upon closer inspection was a tattered copy of Wuthering Heights on the desk. On top of it, a small piece of paper carried a short message, written by hand in stunning penmanship.

“A favourite of yours, I’ve heard.”

Trying not to think of exactly how he got that information, she opened the book, grateful for the distraction.

Chapter Text

“JAH-nah,” the receptionist sighed, not bothering to conceal her exasperation this time. Her eyes didn’t leave the computer screen, her fingers gliding effortlessly across the keyboard. Bella bit her lip, scared to try one more time. 

Gianna seemed content with her silence.

Suddenly standing up, the secretary took a grey folder from the desk and shoved it into a leather briefcase, clasping it hurriedly and sparing Bella only an annoyed glance before hurrying away.

“Stay right there.”

As if she would dare to wander alone.

The computer screen flicked to show a boring, professional-looking screensaver—dark background with something written in what Bella guessed to be Italian. The letters didn’t bounce off the screen borders. They mimicked Bella and stayed exactly where they were. To her still-tired eyes, the yellowed plastic of the machine looked even more yellow than it should, as if the computer was sick. She wondered if she looked somewhat the same.

Jane and Alec were right, after all. The vampires did not remember to feed her as often as necessary, though she didn’t know if by accident or on purpose. After nearly eight hours with no food or liquids, she gave in and called for someone. The uncloaked stranger who showed up at her door hummed in response to her request and left her with Gianna, who was supposed to be more aware of her human needs.

The woman did not eat as frequently as she should, immersed in her work to an unhealthy extent, so now Bella was being watched by an unwilling nanny on top of starving. 

Plus, she now had to ask to use the bathroom, and Gianna would scowl every time she heard the question, like a mean teacher.

Wonderful.

Bella noticed quickly enough that vampires operated in an entirely different time to humans. She had never realised that before, only seeing the Cullens doing their best to fit in. In Forks, they would always abide by human rules and schedules, and it had never occurred to her that they had no real reason to do so. In Volterra, things moved very differently, and after five days, the three Cullens were still around having an on-and-off discussion with the kings of the vampire world.

She had little to do. With one single book at her disposal, she read it three times over before admitting to herself that it was no fun anymore. It had to be put to rest for a while, long enough for her to forget most of the story's details. Considering how bothersome her most basic needs were to those around her, Bella felt like asking for more entertainment would be imposing too much.

So she waited.

A lot.

Gianna seemed to be the only human working in her position, so it was no surprise that she was overworking. Bella saw her taking a single fifteen-minute break in twelve hours and had no idea how long her shift should be.

She was yanked from her rambling thoughts by the soft, rhythmic thud of the secretary's high heels. She held something, and before Bella could give it a good look to discern what it was, Gianna let it fall on the desk before her.

 “These won’t fill you but they should trick your stomach for long enough. I can get actual food when I clock out.”

Bella flipped the package in her hands, the name and description of its contents eluding her completely – everything was in Italian. An illustration of a kind elderly lady stared back at her from the front and the words “Matilde Vicenzi” claimed her attention. She must have looked confused because Gianna sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Biscuits,” she explained, and Bella could almost hear the rest of the sentence that was not voiced:

“You stupid American.”

“Thank you.”

When she clocks out… When would that be? She seemed to always be there and Bella would have doubted that she ever did leave if not for the fact that the woman was just as human as she was, and needed to sleep just as much as she did. Sitting down by her side, Gianna brought her slender manicured fingers to the keyboard as usual but paused. Her long nails hovered over the yellow keys and she tensed, locking her jaw.

Bella froze. What could have caused the crack in her stoic, professional armour?

Then she heard it too, footsteps so light that were barely audible at all. Gianna seemed to know exactly who they belonged to and didn’t turn or move in any way. Bella was not so familiar with the place and its inhabitants. Slowly and cautiously, she turned her head in the direction of the sound.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to Aro, standing tall and confident at the front and in the middle of the group. Her attention was then claimed by his pale-haired brother, the colour of his hair too shocking to be ignored. The third brother was amiss, and the two kings were flanked by the monumental form of Felix and the more elegant, less intimidating frame of Demetri. He stared at her but so did all the other vampires in the room, and she was relieved. It had worried her that he had paid her any more attention than the rest of the guard, for it raised the question of why he would do it. She was self-conscious enough as it was.

“There you are, young Bella. I see that you were preparing yourself to enjoy a meal, and we have interrupted you. My apologies.”

She frowned, taking a moment too long to realise that Aro referred to the still-sealed package in her hands. She shook her head, setting it down.

“No. I mean… It's fine. I can eat later.”

Caius huffed.

“Just bring the damn food.”

His tone caused a jolt to travel to her body. She felt reprimanded, fumbling with the biscuits as she jumped to her feet. Her nervousness translated into clumsiness and the package fell to the floor after bouncing pathetically on her hands. Someone snorted to suppress a laugh. She bent down and picked it up so quickly that she could hear her knees popping. Keeping her head down, she went around the reception desk.

As she followed them away from Gianna and her computer, Bella noticed how incredibly strange it was to see them in that area of the castle. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the secretary stare at them in shocked silence before snapping out of her trance and diving back into her work.

Their walk was surprisingly short. Only three or four minutes later, Demetri stopped, gesturing for her to keep walking. She passed by him trying to ignore the tingling sensation of being watched that spread through the nape of her neck.

They were not in a room per se, but the corridor sloped to the left to form a secluded area with no doors. The smooth curve gave the illusion of privacy without evident restriction. They were still in the carpeted, well-lit area of the building and Bella imagined that the vampires intended to put her at ease by choosing that place and going in person to retrieve her rather than summoning her.

She did not feel at ease.

“You may sit down,” Caius informed her in what she considered to be almost a friendly tone.

She sat on one of the cushioned wooden chairs and discreetly glanced around. More flowers adorned their surroundings, neatly placed on top of small coffee tables, and golden chandeliers hung from the walls - though the flames had been replaced by electric light bulbs. The green floor and the flowers made Bella feel like she was in a poor, sad imitation of a meadow and her heart clenched at the passing thought. The kings sat across from her at human pace while Felix stood behind them, unmoving. She couldn’t see Demetri and assumed he was still where he had stopped, obscured by the curved wall. Before she had time to be uncomfortable, Carlisle joined them and his gentle smile made her exhale heavily.

“Hello, Bella. How are you feeling?”

She hesitated for a moment, looking around for the rest of the Cullens. 

“Edward and Alice already left,” he explained. “They are very sorry that they couldn’t see you one more time.”

She ignored the crushing wave of disappointment that threatened to take over her and nodded.

“It’s fine. I’m fine.”

What did it mean, though? If they left before Carlisle - and without her- what did it mean?

Aro crossed his legs.

“It has been brought to our attention, by our friend Dr Cullen of course, that it would be in everyone’s best interest to postpone your transformation for a few years,” he started. “We understand that you would like to become immortal as soon as possible, however ,” he raised his voice a little, possibly catching some indication that she was about to interrupt him, “you are still a little too young, dear Bella. Well above the minimum age, yes, but it is true that we would like to avoid the addition of any more teenagers to our ranks whenever possible.”

She frowned, allowing herself to process this. They had a minimum age? She knew of Jane and Alec, but no other teen members of the guard. Could their youth cause enough trouble to justify that choice?

“I’m eighteen. I’m… of age.”

She realised how weak her argument was before she finished her sentence, but it was too late. 

“You are not old enough for a plethora of things even in the human world, in most countries.”

She shook her head, but what was there to say? He was right. The prospect of becoming even older than Edward was inconceivable to her but hardly a good enough reason for them. Her eyes met Carlisle and she tried not to resent him. This was his way of helping her, his way of fixing her mess; she couldn’t bring herself to be mad at him for trying.

“You will be safe here,” Aro went on. “We will tend to you until it’s time and no harm will come to you. Your friends can write to you as much as they want and visit you whenever they can.”

Carlisle smiled and nodded in gratitude.

Bella remained in silence, frantically searching for anything to persuade him otherwise. She turned to Caius and decided to appeal to his undisguised dislike for humans.

“I’ll be much more of a nuisance as a human living here. I’ll…”

But he laughed, raising a white eyebrow in mocking disbelief. “You’ll be a nuisance either way. Newborns are hardly enjoyable company.”

She fidgeted with the package of biscuits in her hands. 

“How long?”

Carlisle sighed, anticipating her reaction. “According to most recent research, your brain will be fully developed at twenty-five.”

She choked. There was a noise of something falling to the floor and she started to hyperventilate.

“Bella, calm down. Twenty-five is very young.”

“It’s older than Edward. Older than Alice, Emmett, Rose or Jasper. It’s older than you , even.”

She took a step back, suddenly realising she had stood up. Her ankle met the chair she once sat on, now flipped on its side. The biscuits lay in front of her, unopened.

“Your biological age will matter very little in the future,” Caius said dismissively.

“Then why… ”

“It matters now,” Aro intervened. “It will affect your adaptation to your new life. This transition will be much smoother if you are a little more mature, Isabella, and for the decades that follow it will be better for all of us to deal with an adult rather than a teenager.”

Caius scoffed. “Though it matters little ,” he added, “no one in their right mind wants to deal with teenagers forever.”

At that, he received a very sharp, pointed look from Aro. Carlisle quickly tried to dissipate the awkward mood.

“It will be better for you too, Bella. You will see. There are many difficult emotions that become easier to manage and behaviours that become easier to avoid with adulthood.”

Rationally, she knew he had a point. She knew exactly what he meant, but ironically those exact emotions he was alluding to prevented her from accepting reason and logic. All she felt was pure dread because all she could hear was that she would become much older than Edward. Would he even want her then? Could he still relate to her at all if they had such an age gap?

Would she still be able to relate to him?

“What about twenty-one? I’ll be an adult. Isn’t it good enough?”

The three vampires exchanged indecipherable looks. Bella bit her lip, her heart beating painfully quick. She could feel her chest shaking.

Aro simply smiled.

“Be patient, my dear. You will be quite busy in these seven years, I assure you they will fly by.”

It was like they threw her from a cruise ship and she plunged right into dark, freezing waters.

She fought the urge to crumble down but her knees were like jelly. Her eyelids were suddenly too heavy, as well as her head, and she barely registered Carlisle moving to her side to support her weight. He put an arm around her back and used the other one to hold her hand on the opposite side, his forearm positioned across her abdomen. She held onto him for a few seconds before shaking her head again.

“Sorry. I’m fine.”

He didn’t let go.

This was not a discussion. Not like the first time, when Aro wanted her opinion - or at least let her be a part of the conversation. They had already decided and were just informing her. It was pointless to treat it like a bargain; nothing she said would make a difference. 

She looked up at Carlisle and he stared back at her with a slight frown. Worried, surely. She tried to smile reassuringly.

“I feel better now.”

He released her hand, keeping his arm around her back. “We will write, Bella. And visit. You will be ok.”

She nodded, hopeless and speechless.

“Thank you, dear friend, for your visit. It was very nice seeing you again, and of course, we greatly appreciate your input on Bella’s future here. We do hope you won’t take long to come back.”

Carlisle understood he was being dismissed before Bella could register what Aro said. He let go of her, softly squeezing her shoulder and walking back to where she imagined Demetri was standing guard.

“Thank you for having me. I will return shortly.”

With that, he offered Bella one last rueful look and disappeared. She couldn’t help but think that he ran away as soon as given permission, but she could hardly blame him for that either.

Once Carlisle was out of sight, Felix moved closer and Demetri joined them. Bella shifted her weight from one foot to another, trying to release some of the pressure she still felt on her limbs.

“Her schedule and her permanent quarters,” Caius directed his words to Demetri and he bowed, acknowledging the simple command and leaving them again.

“You will start by assisting Gianna in her daily tasks,” Aro instructed her. “It has been brought to our attention that her workload is a bit too heavy for a human. She will train you and when you are ready, you two can take turns. When you are settled with that, we will start your education.”

She blinked. “My education? Uhm, about the vampire world?”

“Languages as well. We do not speak English here very frequently.”

She nodded, still in a haze. It would take a little longer for her to digest the new information. Seven years . She couldn’t stop thinking about it, couldn’t believe it.

She tried not to think that she would probably have been turned much sooner if she had just gone back to America with Edward and Alice. 

Aro took a necklace from inside his suit and held it up for her. It was very similar to the ones worn by the guards, with small differences. The pendant was simpler, with no crest behind it, though it had the same red stone. The chain was more delicate and the entire thing was silver instead of golden.

“May I?”

“Yeah... S-sure.”

He stood behind her to put it on and his closeness sent shivers down her spine. It was unnerving enough to be by vampires when you could see them.

She jumped when she heard the clasp.

“A little ‘do not eat’ sign,” Felix explained with a playful smirk.

“Oh.”

He extended his hand, offering her something that nearly disappeared inside his large palm. When she made no move to take it, he opened it for her.

The biscuits.

“Thanks.”

He winked as she reached for it, and she almost dropped it again. 

She started to eat, only realising how hungry she was after the first bite made its way down to her stomach. It rumbled, seemingly awakening from its own haze and noticing that it was empty. Aro gave her an approving smile.

“Very well. Now, we have just a few rules for you.”

He explained to her how the castle was laid out and which parts she was allowed to go into, specifying which ones she could go alone - such as the library and the common areas shared by the human employees - and which ones would require an escort. She was free to leave the castle as much as she pleased, through the front door only during work hours and using the back passages during any other time.

“You don’t need to hide from the sunlight in public, but we do like to be discreet and maintain the illusion that no one lives here in this building.”

“Right. Sure.”

“We ask that you leave your room every day for at least an hour so it can be cleaned,” Caius added. “Keep your used clothes in the basket inside your bathroom so they can be collected and washed before being returned to you. You are expected to join the human staff for every meal in the kitchen; Gianna will give you your schedule so you know when to head there to eat. You can write letters to the Cullens and walk to the post office to send them, or you can use the computers in the library to send them electronic mail. Questions?”

She had thousands of them but wasn’t sure which ones would be safe. The mention of letters reminded her of her family.

“My parents? My human friends? Do they have to think I… that I died?”

He shrugged. “That is not our competence. It is the responsibility of the Olympic coven to keep the humans in their territory oblivious to our existence.”

She would have to ask them, then.

“Oh my God, seven years. Seven whole years. How can seven years just fly by?”

It was much too difficult to pay attention to the instructions given to her. Her brain refused to soak up anything else before it could fully grasp that one piece of information, and Bella was certain that she would never be able to fully process it. 

Seven years!

“Are there many humans working here?”

Caius squinted, suspicious, but Aro giggled. “Not many, my dear, but do not worry: you will not feel lonely here. If you are not comfortable spending time and striking conversation with any of our residing or visiting immortals, you can always make friends with the humans living in town. Just be conscious of how much you share with them.”

Bella tried to think of anything else she might want to ask them, but nothing came to mind. She had a feeling they wouldn’t be personally checking on her during her time there; surely they had better things to do than to cater to her all the time. Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to ask any more questions. She kept eating the biscuits, partially to keep herself busy as she waited for them to dismiss her.

Caius was quick to take advantage of her silence. 

“That is all. You may return to Gianna. She is waiting for you.”

She nodded, hesitating for a few seconds when she realised no one was escorting her back. It made sense; they only walked for a few minutes, so there was no reason for them to think she couldn’t find her way back.

She was not so sure that she could.

She turned on her heel and started to walk back anyway, looking at the walls and following the ones she thought she recognised. It was not so easy, but a handful of them had distinct ornaments that made it possible. She doubted herself several times, munching on her snack out of nervousness once the hunger vanished, and sighed with relief when she spotted the human secretary again.

The woman didn’t seem nearly as happy to see her.

“Garbage bin,” was all she said, pointing to her left and turning back to the pile of paper she had in front of her.

Bella murmured her thanks and threw the empty package of biscuits in the bin, going back to the vacant chair she occupied earlier. She waited, expecting Gianna to talk about her training or her schedule, but the woman kept working in silence. 

She decided to risk small talk again.

“So… how long have you been working here?”

The woman paused and sighed dramatically, visibly annoyed. Still not looking at Bella, she answered in a dry tone.

“About seven years.”

Bella’s heart jumped and her hands started shaking. 

Her silence seemed to please the Italian, who handed her a thin folder without a word. Opening it, Bella found her schedule printed on a simple white sheet of paper, along with a coloured map of the castle.

She didn’t thank her. She stood up and left the lobby without as much as a glance at the other human.

Seven years already felt like way too long to be civil to someone who was not willing to reciprocate.

“Seven… whole years. ”

She just couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Chapter Text

Bella stared at the flashing line of the insertion point on the blank document and blinked right back at it. The computer screen switched to the bouncing screensaver for the tenth time since she sat down and she quickly moved the mouse to switch it back to the empty page. Her email was open on another window, filled with messages from nearly everyone she left in America. What could she possibly tell them? She had decided to answer her father first, but the well-constructed lie she conjured as she failed to fall asleep last night refused to flow through her fingers. She should answer Jake as well, but the way his message lacked any sort of punctuation or capital letters, and even line breaks… It scared her. She imagined him yelling all of the words to her face and shuddered.

What an enormous mess she made of everyone’s lives.

And of hers as well, of course. The initial feeling of hazy displacement had just started to subside but she still felt so wrong - like she was following an invisible line into the future with no real agency, an unmedicated Donnie Darko among immortals. She wondered if she would have a panic attack or a manic episode once she found herself out of that stupor.

It was comforting, at least, to fall into a routine. To have a set schedule to follow; she felt grounded. It didn’t make things any easier, but it did make her feel much better about how difficult they were, if that made any sense.

Gianna was as good of a teacher as any unwilling person would be, but Bella cared little for her curtness and even eventual rudeness. There was an insistent throb of inadequacy pestering her each day, constant like a headache, and trying to cater to Gianna wouldn’t help it in the slightest. She had more important things to focus on.

The other human had to endure her either way. The fact that she was using her computer in the lobby was just a small proof of that.

She sighed heavily and forced her fingers to hit the keyboard, doing her best to pour onto the digital page the white lies she created while lying on her bed. She tried not to be too specific about things; better to let them ask for details than to try and guess which ones would call for their attention. For now, it should be good enough to let Charlie know that she decided to get a high school diploma in Italy, and that she was accepted into a university that had granted her a scholarship so he and Renée wouldn’t worry about her expenses. She threw in an apology for never warning them about the trip and justified this decision by the suspicion that he wouldn't let her come on such short notice if he knew about it beforehand.

That’s so lame, who would believe it?

How does someone just finish high school in Italy so suddenly anyway?

She didn't even speak any Italian.

Even taking into account that her parents were not quite the regular type, it was a leap of faith. She would have to cross that bridge when she came to it.

Jake was a much more complicated affair. She went back to Edward’s message, and then to Alice’s, trying to piece them together for a fuller picture of what was happening in Forks. All that she could be sure of was that the treaty was still valid and would remain so for as long as the Cullens kept their promise not to bite anyone in town.

That particular piece of information engulfed her in overwhelming relief.

Her eyes glanced over Edward’s observation at the end of his email:

“It gives me peace to know, at least, that you are safe from Victoria. The only thing that could give me more peace of mind would be the certainty that you are completely safe from the inhabitants of the castle as well.”

She couldn’t disagree with that.

At the same time, she could never be at ease staying all the way across the world from them knowing that Victoria was hunting her back home. Alice’s soothing words were, in fact, anything but.

“Don’t worry, she is focused on you.”

“ Lex talionis” , Demetri had whispered with a smirk earlier that day when he read Alice’s email from over her shoulder. The right to retaliate. The law of retribution; an eye for an eye.

Except , Bella thought bitterly, that I am not his mate .

But Victoria didn’t know that. Or that Bella wasn't in Forks, and if she discovered her whereabouts she still wouldn’t dare going to Volterra to take Bella from inside the Volturi Castle. In that sense, she was in the safest place in the world at that moment.

She huffed at the irony.

Shaking her head to dissipate the anxious thoughts, she let the cursor hover over less urgent emails and decided to answer them first to buy some time. 

Yes, let’s answer Angela and get fired first. Let's leave Jake for later… 

Someone sat down on Gianna's chair before she could open Angela's message. Bella held her breath when she turned her head. The large figure barely fit on the regular-sized chair, but he still held himself with more elegance than Bella could ever hope to achieve. Shimmering red eyes met hers from under thick dark eyebrows.

“Felix.”

He smiled, leaning back on the cushioned office chair.

“Working hard on your novel?”

Bella huffed, causing him to chuckle.

“Yeah, something like that.”

He could tell she was pretending to be calm in his presence, couldn't he?

“Breathe, Bella. I'm not here to bite.”

Right. Not yet, at least.

She straightened herself up, trying not to look at him. He was terrifying in a way Emmett could never be, larger and clothed in a pressed dark-grey suit, with no mass of brown curls to soften his image. If anything, his short black hair only added to his menacing air.

“I don't know what to tell all of them,” she said to justify her rapid heartbeats, not entirely lying. The digital pile of letters was putting her on edge.

Felix passed his eyes through the email she had opened on the screen and shrugged. “It matters little. Someone might think you are lying, or hiding something, but they will not come to any fantastic conclusion on their own. If you told them yourself that you are living with vampires, they still wouldn't believe you. You would have to convince them.”

She bit her lip, mulling it over.

“Uhm, I guess. Well, what if my parents or anyone else wants to come over to visit?”

Felix shrugged again. “You go to whatever town the Cullens said you are living in and show them around. You'll have time to travel and know some places before they come.”

“But what if they want to come now ?”

He laughed, making Bella feel more stupid than she already was.

“You're worrying too much. If they want to come now, tell them you're busy. You're studying , how dare they disturb you? You have to learn a new language. They can come when schools stop for vacanze estive.”

She blinked. “For what?”

He laughed again and her face burnt from embarrassment.

“You really do need to study. Tell them to wait.”

She drummed her fingers along the keyboard. He was right, of course, and it was all very obvious. She was just too nervous to see it all properly. Felix watched her quietly as she composed her answer to Angela, and the clicking sound of the plastic keys was the only noise in the room for a while. She almost forgot he was there.

“Humans don't simply stumble upon this secret,” he murmured when she hit send. She thought he was reassuring her some more, but then he smirked, “That is why it is such a serious offence when they know. They need to be told .”

She shivered, staring into his ruby eyes with wide ones. Satisfied, he got up from Gianna's chair and squeezed her shoulder, making her jump.

“See you.”

Looking around to see he was gone, she breathed.

Being a secretary for the Volturi, Bella soon learned, was the complete opposite of being a regular secretary.

Gianna walked resolutely through the halls and corridors, passing through panels and tapestries as if they hid no part of the path. Her heavy satchel must have swayed a little too much for her liking because she eventually took it in both hands and held it firmly against her chest.  The carpeted floors were a permanent bane in Bella’s existence, but she soldiered on and was more than satisfied to see that the other woman ignored every single one of her missteps and stumbles. It was enough to embarrass herself and require assistance from half a dozen vampires regularly.

When they stopped, Bella found herself in front of a gorgeously carved double door. Sturdy-looking dark wood stood in their way, with flowing patterns of flowers and leaves shining in gold. She unconsciously parted her lips in awe, and a soft gasp left her mouth. Gianna allowed herself a brief smile at her reaction, but soon her face morphed back to the stern expression she usually wore.

“This is Master Caius’ personal chamber,” she explained as she unlocked the doors. “We are instructed to use his fireplace - and his fireplace only - to get rid of all the paper trails we produce.”

“Do we know why?”

She stepped inside and waited for Bella to follow.

“The position of the room in the castle makes the smoke less visible to anyone in the city than if it came from any other part of the building.”

“...oh.”

Bella expected a much more macabre explanation, admittedly.

The room looked beautiful in what Bella could only describe as traditionally tasteful. The walls were a rich, deep green, blending well with the dark hardwood floors. She couldn’t identify the type of wood in all the furniture, but it was shiny and firm, reflecting the little light in the room in glossy waves through the skilfully carved designs. Against the green of the walls, half a dozen paintings rested in golden frames, depicting various subjects - from landscapes to crowded rooms, with a few portraits in between... She instinctively averted her eyes, feeling like the intruder that she was. The mild sense of inadequacy that poked her every day exploded in a blaze. As majestic and beautiful as everything looked, she wanted nothing more than to bolt and get the hell out of there.

Gianna marched to the enormous fireplace that stood opposite the double doors.

Unlike a regular secretary, her job was not to organise and preserve documents, accounting for their authenticity, but rather to forge and then destroy them most efficiently. She had been told to share this specific duty with Bella, and once Bella learned exactly where they had to take the papers to be burnt she understood why the Italian was so nervous about it. 

She did not like the idea of going in there by herself more than Gianna seemed to like giving her a copy of the key.

“What should we do if Caius - uhm, Master Caius - comes to the room while we're still here?”

“ Leave,” Gianna grunted. “Obviously. Keep all the visits short, always, but if he does come and you haven’t left just drop everything and leave. And don’t talk to him at all unless he speaks to you first.”

Not that she wanted to speak to him anyway.

Gianna hurriedly proceeded with the task at hand, opening her satchel and dumping all the paper inside the fireplace. She fished a matchbox from the front pocket and tossed it to Bella, who miraculously managed to catch it despite an initial struggle. Bella approached the fireplace cautiously, slightly intimidated by its size. The firebox was almost as tall as them,  and it was so wide that she could surely lie down with the paper with ease. The lintel reached Gianna’s forehead and the mantel shelf stood several inches above her head.

“This is the only occasion that requires us to enter this chamber,” she warned Bella with severity. “ Do not enter for any other reason, ever. Try not to come too frequently. As you surely have noticed, this is a lot of paper, and this is the reason for that. We should keep our visits to a minimum.”

Bella nodded and lit a match, throwing it at the disgruntled pile of paper. The flames soon grew tall, and the paper blackened and shrivelled up, creaking soundly. The smoke was promptly sucked up and thrown outside, leaving no trace in the room. Bella realised that the fireplace was not simply big - it was also incredibly well-projected and masterfully built. 

“We stay until we’re sure it’s all gone,” Gianna instructed. “As soon as there is nothing but ashes we leave with no further delay. If a single letter or mark is visible, we light it back up.”

Bella nodded in acknowledgement. She felt strangely disconnected from reality, as if inside a dystopian book, so absurd it was what she was living.

“It’s Fahrenheit 451”, she thought and had to refrain from giggling at her own joke.

It was a quick burn. Just as quickly as the flames grew, they died out.

“Come.”

With the satchel now empty, Gianna went as fast as she could without running in her heels. Bella tried to keep up without tripping, but even in flats, she managed to land face-first on the carpet outside Caius’ chambers.

“ Porca miseria!”

The Italian grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet, huffing in exasperation and straightening her pencil skirt.

“Keep up.”

Bella took in a deep breath and shook off the need to cuss her. She was too obviously distraught to be judged too harshly.

“Aiutarmi… non ho bisogno dell'aiuto di una idiota!”

Bella tuned out the angry mumbling - she couldn’t understand it anyway. Instead, she tried to memorise the sequence of twists and turns as she followed Gianna away from the frightening burning chamber. 

I guess I’ll just call it that in my head.

It felt better than to think of it as Caius’ chamber.

Gianna stopped in front of another pair of doors, these much simpler than the previous ones. Framed by an elegant but plain archway, they stood only a few inches taller than the two humans. Through the glass panel, Bella caught a glimpse of several bookshelves lined up in a dim room.

“The library,” she whispered with bubbling excitement. Gianna threw her a sideways glance as if confused by her reaction.

“Yes.”

She turned the golden doorknobs and pulled the doors open, stepping inside like she would rather do anything else in the world. The only light coming in was courtesy of thin glass windows way up in the stone walls, near the ceiling. The faint, musty smell of old paper and leather hit her like a nostalgic shockwave.

“We have acceptance letters from various schools in the country, as well as many other documents we may need to replicate in the next few years. Let’s find them.”

Bella nodded, instantly understanding the next assignment. The first lesson was destroying; the second one was forging.

They entered a corridor covered by index cabinets from top to bottom, and Gianna handed her a flashlight.

“No lights in here.”

Turning it on, Bella paced through the corridor, pointing the light to every cabinet she met on eye level, but so very few of them were in English that she started to wonder why Gianna bothered to give her a flashlight in the first place. Wouldn’t the one they needed be in Italian anyway? Then she noticed the other woman didn't have her own flashlight - she was looking at the cabinets that Bella illuminated. Bella herself was not supposed to look for anything; she was just a walking, breathing lamppost.

Ugh.

Her suspicion was confirmed when a slender manicured finger pointed at a drawer and Gianna barked, “Hold it over this one.”

Irritated, Bella complied, holding her flashlight so Gianna could flip through the index cards until she picked one up.

“Hm, this should do.”

Sliding the metal drawer back to its place, she marched deeper into the room as Bella followed her closely, their dissonant footsteps making the only audible noise. Bella felt the excitement slowly evade her as she felt the eeriness of the place, her footsteps suddenly sounding like the sad echoing cries of a forgotten wonder. The quietness was not comforting or sacred, it was just sad. It was a dead, cold, abandoned place.

“Does anyone ever come here?”

Gianna shrugged.

“Not very frequently. Why would they? With a perfect memory, you only need to read anything once.”

She searched the archives on the far left with exasperated purpose as Bella held the flashlight over her head. As her fingers rapidly worked through piles of yellow pages encased in leather folders, clouds of dust flew up in the air, fairly visible as they danced in front of the artificial light. Bella couldn’t understand how the secretary could read anything without taking the folders out and properly opening them, but soon she noticed the woman was comparing the index card to the folders’ index tabs. 

“Che palle! I should have remembered we would need masks!”

Bella bit her lip to keep herself from answering, holding her breath so as not to sneeze.

It only took a few more minutes before Gianna sighed and pulled a folder from the cabinet. Bella followed her to the nearest table and looked curiously at the papers they needed so much.

“Aren’t these outdated?” She dared to ask. “I mean, wouldn’t the papers from this same school be different nowadays?”

Gianna arched a thin eyebrow.

“Will your parents notice if they are?”

Well, she has a point.

“But probably not, these are only about ten years old.”

When the younger human kept her silence, Gianna turned back to the frail papers and gave them a once-over before returning them to the folder and handing them to Bella.

“I’ll take care of it, just leave them on my desk. Now you know where Master Caius’ chamber is, and also the library. I’m sure you still remember where your own chamber is, so you can just put these on my desk and go back there if you like.”

Blinking at the sudden dismissal, Bella watched Gianna promptly leave the library. Processing her words, she realised there would be no lesson. Gianna was just making her assist her without actually teaching her anything of substance. 

Then she remembered she was already expected to know her way through the castle and walk around by herself.

Great.

She didn’t have her map on her and hadn't memorised the entire thing – that would probably take all her damned seven years to do. Considering Gianna didn't give her a deadline to put the papers on her desk, Bella decided it would do no harm to get back to the emails she was ignoring.

She then remembered Jake's emails and wasn't so sure about it.

He was just in a hurry. Or maybe he just types all emails like that, maybe it’s a teenage thing I never caught because I had no friends.

She took in deep breaths before approaching the computers Caius had mentioned, a few to calm herself and the rest so she could hold her breath before messing with the equipment and lifting more curtains of ancient dust. They were sad little things, even older and yellower than Gianna's. Bella was sure they were at least her age, probably older, because she had never seen those models in real life and much less had to use one. They almost seemed like a joke, a prank the immortal creatures felt like playing on her to brighten their long, dull existence. Tiny boxes with even tinier screens sitting on top of bulky bricks. The keyboards looked like they could kill an adult man if thrown with enough force.

God, do I know how to turn these on?

They didn't look that different from the ones she knew, so she tried to look for the same features and buttons. Surely the first step would be plugging them into an outlet?

She stopped and then frowned at the darkness. She had been holding a flashlight ever since she entered the room, were there even any outlets?

There had to be. Right? Gianna said no lights, she didn't say there was no electricity. Then again, English wasn't her first language.

On the other hand, why would they have computers but no outlets?

Right. Let's look for outlets in the dark, I guess.

She scanned the walls, throwing the light around and deciding that it was no use trying to feel the stone for them. If they were there, the wires would be visible.  The vampires would probably not damage the outer structure of the building to install them. She then turned her attention to the floors but could still not see anything resembling an outlet.

“There.”

She squealed and jumped at the feminine voice suddenly coming from the shadows behind her, dropping the flashlight. The vampire caught it before it hit the floor.

“Forgive me. I should have announced myself.”

A tall, stunning woman stood next to her. Her hair was long, its waves shining in a warm brown even in the dark. Her astounding beauty reminded Bella of Rosalie, though they looked nothing alike. Her clothes were bright-coloured and tight, scandalously hugging her curvy form.

Bella faked a smile. “It's ok.”

The vampire smiled as well, pointing to the floor beneath the computer desks.

“There,” she repeated, moving the light to circle the area. Bella crouched while the woman gracefully kneeled next to her, falling on her side and closing her legs so her short skirt wouldn't expose her. She reached for something Bella still couldn't see and pulled it up.

An outlet tower.

“Oh. Thanks.”

The immortal smiled again.

“You're welcome.”

How long had the vampire been watching her there?

“Everything good in your first weeks?”

Bella pondered the question as she struggled to plug the computers in. The vampire watched her with polite, detached interest, like someone watching a zoo animal.

“Uhm, yes, I would say so. No problems.”

“How nice.”

Not the word Bella would choose, but it was certainly not as awful as Edward and Alice made it seem before they left. Has it really been two weeks already? 

“I'll leave you to it.”

Before Bella could reply, she disappeared, leaving the flashlight on the floor. The strangeness of her presence lingered in the air, and Bella wondered what she wanted with her. Such a brief encounter, and only to help her with outlets? Almost like an undead fairy godmother.

Well, it was good she helped. I would have looked for the outlets for a lifetime on my own.

She got up and pushed all the buttons she deemed necessary on the closest device, expectantly focusing on the screen to see if it would come alive. When it did, she sighed with relief, but then she frowned in confusion.

There was nothing but lime green characters on a pitch-black background.

Oh, no.

She turned that one off, deciding to try the others until she found a user-friendly interface. There were six in total, so by the fourth one she was starting to get nervous.

The fifth one blinked and came alive showcasing the Windows 95 logo.

Thank God.

Less than two hours later, Bella stumbled into the lobby, the leather folder held tightly against her chest. Gianna was nowhere to be found, so she put the papers on the desk behind the front counter and plopped down on her chair. The clock between the computer and the one page calendar on the desk ticked softly, and Bella took notice of the time. The night should just be falling outside; it was unlikely that Gianna had already retired to her room. It was almost time for dinner, so maybe she was already in the kitchen. Bella looked around before opening the folder and flipping through the pages, scanning them out of curiosity though she knew she would not understand anything written. She allowed herself a brief moment of annoyance and resentment for the secretary and wondered what the older woman would do if she just stayed there watching her work on the documents. Would she send her away? 

If she did, would Bella comply?

She heard quiet footsteps, muffled by the green carpet. It couldn't be Gianna's high heels — they were too soft. She followed the sound to find Demetri gliding towards her.

She prepared herself for small talk, anticipating his inquiry — surely something along the lines of her conversation with the woman in the library, or about things in Forks — but Demetri stopped in front of her, leaned against the counter and stared pointedly at the corridor on the opposite end of the hall without a word. He could be mistaken for a statue if his hair didn’t look so silky under the artificial lights.

Bella didn't dare speak. If he wanted to engage with her he would have initiated. She tried not to stare at him, following his gaze to the corridor instead. Her neck started to itch and she threw her hair over her shoulders, considering putting it up later.

Demetri flinched.

She stopped, startled by his reaction. 

After agonising minutes of absolute silence, Gianna's clicking footsteps were finally audible in the distance. She jumped when she saw Demetri, but Bella almost didn't notice. She kept walking to them without breaking stride.

“Buonasera, Demetri.”

He nodded, still not uttering a word. Bella fidgeted in her seat. The difference in his behaviour compared to their last interaction was about to send her into a spiral.

“You and Bella are to forge her papers together,” he said instead of a greeting. 

Gianna sat down slowly, hesitantly staring at him as she did. 

“Uhm, I think it would be better if I handled…”

 His eyes shone with a subtle, dangerous glint as he stood upright, hovering over them. Bella instinctively shrunk under his shadow. She had the impression that Gianna recoiled slightly as well.

“Teach her.”

Gianna lowered her head.

“Of course. Forgive me.”

He spared Bella a glance, a softer look on his face. 

“Good night, Bella.”

She parted her lips and stared blankly at the space where he once stood. 

Gianna sighed loudly, shaking her head and massaging her temples as she rested both elbows on the desk.

“Porco Dio…”

For a moment it seemed she was about to cry, but she quickly regained her composure and lifted her head, rolling back her shoulders and taking deep breaths.

It was only then that Bella noticed the calendar on her desk had a single day circled in red, solitarily standing out four months in the future like the last match in a box.

Chapter Text

At night, she often tried to hear the whispered echoes of his phantom. 

Alone in the quiet darkness of her bedchamber, there was a certain danger emanating from the obscured emptiness that evoked a thrill, making her heart beat loud and fast, slamming against her ribcage almost painfully. She could feel the prickling sensation of being watched at nearly all times in the dark room, the invisible eyes crawling up her neck like spiders. She couldn't remember being afraid of the dark as a child, but she imagined the feeling would be quite similar — only now she knew the prying monsters to be very real.

Still, it was never enough. It was insane to want to be insane again, and she knew that, but ever since Edward had left Volterra those moments of insanity were her best chance to catch another glimpse of him. She longed for the ethereal coldness of his ghost, for the hollowness of his imaginary murmurs.

God knows when we’ll meet again.

She tossed and turned every night, and though her nightmares were ridiculous compared to what they once were, she somehow felt worse whenever she woke up screaming. There was no Charlie there to comfort her… but as she sat up by herself in the spacious bed, she felt selfish. There was no Charlie there to be yanked from slumber by her night terrors, she corrected herself;  no one around to watch her spiralling down a brand new hole, no one to worry sick about her.

Then again, she knew he was worried. She could tell by the emails.

Oh, God, the emails. The memory of her most recent nightmare was pushed from the back of her mind and she groaned. How utterly stupid. Could that even be called a nightmare? As the hazy images made their way back to her, she felt the familiar flush creeping up her neck and spreading through her face.

They were certainly not scream-inducing.

To her surprise, she heard a gentle knock on her door this time.

Great. Someone is finally fed up with me.

She checked herself to make sure she was decent enough to be seen. Her plain t-shirt and flannel pants looked acceptable.

“Uhm, come in.”

Gianna poked her head inside and Bella turned on the lamp on her nightstand. The Italian then rushed in, wrapped up in a flowy maroon robe, and softly closed the door behind her.

“Alright, what is all this?” She demanded, exasperated but barely raising her voice.

Bella shook her head, passing her fingers through her hair.

“Sorry. I don’t know. I mean, I haven’t slept decently in months.”

"Right.” Gianna huffed. “Does it have to be everyone else’s problem then?”

“No, of course not. I just don’t know how to stop.” 

She stood by the door for a second, tightening the rope around her waist. Then she fished something out of one of her pockets.

“This is not what you need,” she admitted, “it will just shut you up so I can sleep.”

She threw the object to Bella and huffed with disdain when it hit her shoulder and fell on the bed. Fighting embarrassment yet again, Bella picked it up.

A small bottle of pills.

“For dreamless sleep,” Gianna clarified, surely anticipating she wouldn’t be able to read the label.

“Oh.” Bella stared at the bottle, surprised and uncertain. “Okay. Hm, thank you.”

"They’re for me,” she stressed, reaching for the doorknob. “I don’t know how much longer I can go without sneaking in and pressing a pillow to your face.”

Bella’s eyebrows shot up, but Gianna already had her back to her.

“Wait,” she called out and the secretary looked over her shoulder. “I was thinking, hm, can I ask you something?”

“I can't know if I want to answer if I don’t know the question.”

With adrenaline pumping through her veins from the sudden awakening but still sleepy, Bella struggled to keep her cool. She moved a sweaty strand of hair away from her forehead and tucked it behind an ear.

“Well, obviously. It was more of a heads up that I was going to ask an invasive question.”

Gianna raised a single eyebrow at her outburst. “And what invasive question would that be?”

Bella paused, picking her words carefully, and swallowed nervously.

“You don’t want to teach me anything.”

Gianna tilted her head but did not object.

“I thought you just didn't like me, which is fair. I don't feel like I did anything to make you hate me, though."

They stared at each other in heavy silence. Gianna pursed her lips and crossed her arms, making Bella regret the conversation. It was none of her business, was it? But it was too late now— she had laid the ground.

“Are you afraid of being replaced?”

She sustained Gianna's gaze for what felt like an eternity. Fidgeting with the end of the rope tied around her waist, the older woman was the first to relent. She heaved a loud sigh and marched over to the bed, plopping down unceremoniously on the thick mattress. Bella instinctively moved away to give her space, soon realising it was completely unnecessary. The bed was larger than she was used to and they both could fit in there comfortably. Gianna raised an aggressive finger to her face, making her jump.

"You can play the oblivious girl part all you want, I know what you really are. I've dealt with your type times enough." She caught herself and lowered her hand, closing it in a tight fist on her lap. "Don't you use this naïve little act on me. You know perfectly well you're here to replace me! As if that wasn't what they offered you in the first place!"

She contorted her face with ugly fury before spitting one last word.

"Viper!"

Bella froze, watching the woman in front of her with wide eyes. Her chest rose and fell rapidly underneath the fluid fabric of her clothing. 

"That's not what they offered me." Her voice cracked and she shook her head. "Carlisle pointed out that you were overwhelmed and I could help, that's all."

That didn't seem to sit well with her either.

"I'm not incompetent !" She was close to yelling now. "I've been doing this by myself for the past seven years, you can't possibly be this stupid. They know I don't need help!"

Bella blinked. 

"I don't want to replace you."

Gianna rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Why are you here then?"

Bella opened her mouth but no sound came out. Her thoughts came to a halt, scattering about haphazardly.

"Is this what happened when you were hired?" She inquired instead. "Did the last secretary train you?"

"No," the Italian admitted unwillingly. "I was hired to fill a vacancy. Whoever preceded me had already been... Fired." They shared an understanding look.  "No, Heidi trained me for the most part."

The name sounded familiar.

"Heidi?"

"You might not have met her. She brings in the food."

A shiver travelled through her body, leaving a trail of arm hair standing with static before dissipating at the tip of her fingers. Gianna bit the inside of her cheek, not as unfazed as she liked to appear.

"Well, it must mean something else then. Maybe you're being... Promoted."

She was uncomfortable with their choice of words, self-conscious and guilty about the intentional minimisation of the subject. Gianna's eyes lit up, but she was appropriately contained when she spoke.

"Perhaps."

She then got up, and they both jumped when the door slowly swung open before she could reach for it again. Alec stood on the threshold with an amused smile. The blue denim pants and grey hoodie he wore were the closest to modern teenage attire Bella had ever seen on him.

 "Excuse the intromission, but your father is on the line," he said looking directly at Bella. Still, she thought she misheard him or that he was talking to someone else.

"On the line?" She parroted and cringed internally at the shakiness of her voice.

"The telephone line," he explained and she blushed, feeling slow.

"Right."

Charlie called her? He hadn't mentioned anything about it in his last email. She tried not to, but couldn’t help wondering if any of the Cullens had something to do with it. Maybe she would get to hear his voice…

No, that was too much to hope for. Besides, what type of daughter was she, thinking of a boy who left her when her father was worried enough to call her from the other side of the world? 

The type of daughter that runs to Italy and leaves only a note.

Alec stood there as she searched for a jacket to throw over the shirt she had been wearing to sleep and she noticed the strange looks he gave Gianna. Was he eavesdropping?

Was it eavesdropping if he could hear them from several feet away?

She grabbed the first jacket she saw in the wardrobe, a black denim one, noticing a little too late that it was too big on her. Not willing to make Alec wait any longer, she rolled up the sleeves instead of looking for another one. Why was he waiting, anyway? She knew the way to the lobby. When she exited the room, quickly slipping into her loafers, he stood aside to let her pass and closed the door.

He walked steadily but slowly; the confidence in his impeccable posture was the only sign of his true age and nature apart from his bright red eyes.

She was sure she had never seen them in such a vivid red.

"You haven't sorted through the clothes in the wardrobe", he commented once she started to walk by his side. His tone was slightly disapproving. "Or redecorated your room at all."

She looked down, partially from shame but also because she felt that, unlike other vampires, Alec wouldn't bother to catch her if she tripped. "Not yet. I'm sorting other things first."

"Such as?"

She shook her head. "Internally, I guess."

He laughed, putting her at ease for a second, only to immediately throw her off.

"You sleep talk."

She baulked, mortified. He turned around and glanced at her mockingly. "Don't worry, it's rarely anything remotely interesting."

“Rarely is not never."

He smiled, resuming his walk. With great effort, she caught up with him, looking at anything but his face.

"You should go into town," he carried on lightly. "Gianna should take you, but I reckon she is lacking in her task to assist you. Demetri will be glad to take over this once he has returned. You should eventually go without him, and regularly, of course. Acquaint yourself with the city."

"Gianna is doing fine," she blurted out, uneasy with the implications of his statement. 

Surprisingly, that seemed to instantly irritate him. His playful smile vanished, replaced by a frown so deep it was nothing but misplaced on his youthful face.

"She's been a bitch to you."

She nearly stopped again, baffled by his sudden change of demeanour. 

"Well, she's not... my friend, but she is teaching me. It's not her job to be nice to me, is it?"

He hummed, and the pause in the conversation allowed her to realise they were not heading to the telephone at the front desk. Alec was leading her further down, to a part of the building still unknown to her.

"It is very important for us to keep people capable of prioritising the wellness of the coven. Someone overly concerned with themselves and their own gains is not an ideal member of a group, especially a large one."

She bit her lip, a little too distracted by their detour to defend Gianna any more. When they stepped into a dimly lit tunnel behind a tapestry she was thoroughly confused. Framed by brassed torch holders with flickering light bulbs, the path in front of them was underground. If not by the cobblestone underneath their feet she would have thought he led her into an abandoned mine.

"Your father has not called," he admitted, pausing for just long enough to unsettle her. As usual, as soon as he was satisfied with her level of discomfort, he defused it. "But he will. The number he has been given is not ours. He will call a small inn on the outskirts of the city, just in case someone ever decides to locate you with any precision."

Charlie was still going to call? How did they even know? But before she could voice the question, the answer occurred to her.

Alice.

"Do I have to go there every time someone calls?"

"Not for long. You will have a mobile telephone eventually."

The information made her heart leap. Alec must have noticed because he quickly said: "Not yet. In a while, still."

He was not very elusive. She could take advantage of the unusually long time they were spending together to question him and clear her doubts. Jane's absence encouraged her even further; then she noticed that was one of the things she wanted to ask him.

"Your sister doesn't like me much either. She didn't want to come with you?"

He smiled again and she was relieved he was back to a better humour. "My sister thinks you're with us for selfish reasons, and the Cullens never made a good impression on anyone here. She doesn't know you well enough to have anything against you, personally. None of us do. She is displeased that her gift does not work on you, but that is hardly personal either." He was pensive for a second." She would be here with us if she was not abroad on a mission."

"With Demetri", she guessed, remembering what he said about her visits to the city. 

Alec smirked. "Among others."

The tunnel was long, or at least she thought so, and it went up and down so gradually that she wasn't sure if they were walking straight, still descending or already returning to the surface. She wished she had a better sense of how much time she had alone with him to better organise her questions.

They were walking rather slowly and Bella wondered if he wasn't growing impatient with her pace. If so, he didn't mention it.

"Where did your sister go?"

He finally hesitated and she cursed herself.

"She shan't be gone for long," he dodged, "she usually isn't. You'll have to deal with me somewhat frequently, I'm afraid. The Masters are not willing to trust you to the Lower Guard and I don't travel much anymore. We don't need my gift outside of the castle very often nowadays." He looked at her and she had the impression he expected her to keep questioning him.

She was more than happy to oblige.

"Why is that?"

"I'm quite useful against large groups of people and not many oppose us anymore." He grinned and Bella shivered. "Jane can handle the missions on her own now."

She recalled Jane's display of power in the throne room and believed him. 

"Do you think your gift would work on me?"

She wanted to know what gift it was in the first place. He didn't seem to mind her string of questions but she couldn't fathom he was enjoying them either.

"It doesn't. I've tried."

"You did?"

"When you stepped inside of this tunnel a few minutes ago."

Her stomach dropped but she reminded herself that it didn't work. She felt betrayed and then she felt ridiculous. She had no reason to trust him.

He was just generally nice. She couldn't help it.

"What would I feel if it worked?"

It took her more courage to ask that than she had anticipated.

"Nothing," he answered promptly and she frowned. Wasn't that what she did feel?

He laughed. " Absolutely nothing," he clarified. "My gift is sensory deprivation. It would have robbed you of all five senses for as long as I wanted."

Her mouth fell open. "Glad it failed."

Alec smiled with satisfaction.

They seemed to be at the end of the tunnel and she was finally curious about it. It didn't look new, though it was well-kept enough that Bella couldn't be sure about its age. They emerged inside of a small mediaeval church and she wondered why such a passage was still in use. The thought of ancient vampires going there to pray seemed absurd. Then again, who knows? Carlisle was still religious, maybe other vampires brought their beliefs into their afterlives as well. Yet, she couldn't imagine why they would keep the lights; the state of their library made it obvious they didn't need them to see.

"Heidi uses this tunnel the most", Alec commented as they exited the church. "You've met her."

He didn't elaborate but this time she remembered the name. Gianna had just mentioned her.

She brings in the food.

It clicked. The food was people, of course. Heidi used the tunnel to bring their victims into the castle.

She tried to remember when she had met Heidi but wasn't sure.

The buildings were sparse in that part of town and the pathway was not as walkable. The sun was still timidly rising on the horizon, lighting up their surroundings just enough for Bella to see the ground without a flashlight. After passing unscathed through an underground passage, she had hoped she would meet the end of the tripping hazards.

No such luck.

"We have time to walk but it would be faster if I carried you and ran."

She was a little too quick to say no and might have said it a bit too emphatically. Alec chuckled.

"Very well." He then decided he hadn't tormented her enough. "When you talk in your sleep you mention a person named Jacob. You usually apologise profusely to Edward after that. What does Edward have to forgive you for?"

Oh God.

The ground was uneven enough that she was fighting for balance with every step. Jacob's name didn't help in the slightest. If Demetri was walking with her he would have grabbed her arm by that point but Alec simply stared at her, amused by both her clumsiness and her embarrassment.

"Jacob's a friend. He... helped me a lot when Edward wasn't around anymore. Kept my mind off things." She wasn't sure of how to go on and took a bit too long to realise what Alec had implied. By the time she caught the undertone of his question and noticed how her response could be interpreted, he was smirking again.

"I sure hope Edward has forgiven you," he taunted.

"It was not like that ." She wasn't sure why she cared so much that he got the wrong idea. "He helped me fix some motorcycles and taught me how to ride them, and we did homework together. Things like that. I just felt guilty because I had promised Edward I would avoid putting myself in danger before he... went away."

He didn't seem particularly interested in her relationship with Jacob and she wondered why he even asked about it. She had the impression that her human problems bored him a little too easily.

"You're used to motorcycles, then. Good, I'd rather not go by car. It's too annoying to be stopped and try to pass for eighteen and I don't want you driving me anywhere."

She was about to correct him because she never did say she was used to motorcycles, but the words died in her throat when he seemed to conjure a garage out of thin air. In a move so quick Bella didn't see it, he took a few keys from his pocket and opened a large stone door camouflaged in the woods. Peeking in, she saw that it was considerably spacious but sheltered only a couple of inconspicuous black cars and a single red motorcycle.

“I thought you said we were going to the outskirts of the city.”

He shrugged. “Outskirts, nearby city, same thing.”

She glanced over herself, suddenly self-conscious. “If I knew we were going into a more crowded place I would have taken a little more time to change my clothes.”

Alec looked at her from head to toe. 

“You look as put together as you always do.” He then turned around and walked inside, unbothered.

Ouch.

She had a moment of panic when, true to his word, he made his way to the bike, but then she wondered if that would be enough to evoke her visions of Edward again. 

How fast did Alec like to go?

She tried to convince herself that it was not that crazy. He was the one that suggested it and, unlike her, he wouldn’t crash. She was safer riding with him than by herself.

“Come on,” his voice woke her and she saw him offering her a helmet. Blinking, she entered the garage and took it from him. 

As she watched Alec put on his helmet, she hesitated. He shot her an inquisitive look through the open shield.

“You’ll make me drive, won’t you?”

She bit her lip. “Sorry.”

He sighed but promptly took it off and stored both the helmets away. She felt slightly guilty watching him open one of the cars’ door to her with a resigned look on his face, but she realised that on the bike they couldn’t talk. In the car, she could keep questioning him.

“If we pass by any police officers,” he warned, “you’ll switch seats with me or we might miss your father’s call.”

“I don’t have an Italian driver’s licence.”

“Sure you do.”

To her amazement, he immediately took it from one of his pockets. Her own face stared back at her from under the words “patente di guida”.

“You want me to use a fake driver’s licence if we get pulled over?”

He looked at her like she was stupid.

“As opposed to my very real one? That I acquired legally, with my very real birth certificate?”

She felt the warmth spreading over her face and quickly got inside the car, avoiding looking at him. He occupied the driver’s seat with an amused expression.

“Can’t see what the fuss is all about”, he muttered, clearly and loud enough for her to hear.

She wished she could melt into the passenger’s seat.

He wore a pair of sunglasses before driving off and the simple gesture surprised her. She had already forgotten his eyes had an unusual colour.

“So,” she attempted to restart the conversation when her embarrassment subsided, “you get pulled over a lot?”

“I don’t use the vehicles all that much.” He shrugged. “It’s been a few years since I had to drive a car. But when I do, yes, I’m usually stopped by the poliziotti. For obvious reasons.”

He glanced at her as if suggesting that it might not be obvious to her.

“Yeah, I can see why they would.” 

They flew by the vibrant green hills she spotted on her way to rescue Edward, though not as quickly as Alice had gone then. It was as ironic as it was bittersweet to think that he made it out of there and she stayed behind, but it was pointless to dwell on her regret. She made her bed and now she had to do her best to lie in it.

For seven years.

Alec didn’t drive as fast as Edward, she noticed with relief. She wondered if by choice or for her sake. As they meandered through the curvy, narrow roads of the countryside and left the city, he leaned back on the leather seat and relaxed his posture. She noticed a malicious smirk returning to his face and braced herself.

She was wrong. He was not nice. He was quite mean but just polite enough to confuse her.

“You don’t believe Gianna is being promoted, do you?”

Bella fidgeted with her seatbelt. “I don’t know. I mean, she has been here for seven years, so she must be doing a good job.”

Alec laughed. “Seven years is no time at all.”

Right. How could she forget that?

“Is she not being promoted, then?”

He snorted. “It’s not up to me. She is being assessed soon, as she might have mentioned to you, so she is about to find out.”

Gianna is being assessed? Bella couldn’t remember her saying anything about it. She frowned and noticed Alec watching her reaction to his words. 

He knew she had no idea of what he was talking about.

Of course he knows.

“We have our guesses, of course… and some of us wish for a certain outcome, but it is up to the Masters.”

She tried to sound unbothered. “A certain outcome as in her being fired so one of you gets to… eat her?”

His childish chuckle annoyed her. Even without any unwillingness to withhold information from her he still made her fight for it.

Besides, he teased her way too much.

“I don’t care. Some of us, however, think she smells particularly nice, and some of us have been aggravated by her lately.”

“Okay, if you’re not going to drop any names just stop talking.”

Gripping the sides of her seat until her knuckles turned white, she looked straight ahead, but the silence in the car didn’t last. Alec’s resounding laughter filled it within seconds.

“Well, since you asked so nicely ” the sarcasm dripped off of his voice. “Felix and Demetri constantly compete. Demetri outranks Felix, so he usually gets the fired ones,” he seemed entertained by her chosen word. “Felix was determined to get this one, though, but she crossed Demetri. I suppose it is personal now.”

They were slowing down and Bella could see old stone buildings taking over the grass-covered hills outside. Alec stopped the car before they entered the city. As she unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door, Bella remembered the calendar on Gianna’s desk. Could that be the date of her assessment?

“What did she do to him?”

Alec slammed his door shut and shrugged.

“That’s his problem,” he was serious now, but not in the uninterested way she witnessed at times. “Ask him.”

Guess I lost him.

He walked into the city, careful enough to step into the shadows. The buildings were not very tall, but neither was he. He avoided the sun with ease.

The rest of their trip was silent, but Bella was still hopeful. They still had to go back to Volterra; maybe Alec would feel more talkative if she gave him some time.

“Go in there and just say your name at their front desk,” he pointed to a three-story brick house with a small plaque. “I’ll be back in a while. If you're done before I come back feel free to walk around, I’ll find you.”

He was gone before she could say anything and she couldn't help but think that he was avoiding her questions now. After giving her name to the receptionist, she waited for about fifteen minutes before being handed the phone. Charlie’s voice was shaky and she felt a knot in her throat.

“Bells?”

She took a deep breath.

“Hi, dad.”

Chapter Text

To wander; what an intriguing concept. To roam the Earth with no destination, goal, or target. An aimless force of nature with no purpose, going forward merely for lack of alternative — for where else would it go? There is nowhere else. Humans run, and they run right into Death’s eager arms. They have no other option but to throw themselves into her cold embrace. They know it, and what a comfort to know exactly where you are going. To be certain. 

Immortals — they walk.

Shrouded by the shadows of the night, they walk resolutely to nowhere.

Through the dark, they wander.

sine duce, per tenebras errant

The screams were always background noise. Like the knife meeting the plate, or the sound of chewing. The clinking of cups. They were louder, for sure, but they were also remarkably briefer — a few seconds at most. The humans barely had time to take notice of their deaths, only catching a glimpse of the brink of the precipice before being thrown over its edge. They fell so quickly… the pain would barely start and then it was over. They were gone, their existence as ephemeral as the sighting of a falling star, and most of them not nearly as captivating. Little flies falling at their feet, dry and useless. 

Their souls should rejoice. They have arrived. Their bodies served a purpose, and now they may rest.

Their culprits will keep wandering.

They were made to hunt, these deadly creatures. During those thrilling moments, they had an objective; a purpose. Their ageless bodies were weapons they could finally use, and their prey was a much-needed target. Seek, find, consume. Rinse and repeat.

Fulfilling. Satisfying in its simplicity.

Demetri’s experience was vastly different from others of his kind and very much the same in essence. His gift allowed him to seek much more efficiently, but it also made it all the more necessary. He ached to search, and he could hardly settle, always anxious for the next goal, always itching for the next target. The next human to drink, the next lawbreaker to bring to justice.

The next lover to conquer.

Target found; eyes locked, quest initiated.

He was patient. On such occasions, walking was not enough. There was a finesse required, a certain technique to be employed. To learn what type of prey had been found, to decide what approach to take, which deck to play; it was all part of the fun. 

On such occasions, he waltzed.

And he had plenty of memorised choreographies to choose from. He had centuries to learn, adapt, and polish his steps. Granted — choosing was not always easy. He had grown picky over time. After a certain number of adventures, the experiences began to repeat themselves. He had to filter, to be creative - being the one choosing had its downsides.

There had been one occasion when his target had chosen him instead, one time when he was starstruck from the moment he laid eyes on her…

He tried to never think of it.

He usually succeeded, too, being such a busy guard. Always needed, barely ever home. The constant focus required for his pursuits kept his mind occupied enough to prevent any type of reminiscing on most days.  Yet, he would still think of her from time to time.

Not too often, though.

Until, of course, she stepped inside his home. Reborn. Human.

Undetectable.

He halted. Target recovered, eyes locked, quest resumed.

He was starstruck.

You're not escaping me now.

The wind was crisp as it gently blew past him and the rest of his group, moving their cloaks softly in the dark. They were true to their name, wrapped in the thick, black fabric – vultures flying through the night, circling their prey as they counted down their remaining days. Moving in synchrony and silently snatching wrongdoers, coordinated like only an ancient army of undefeated demigods could be. At the head of the diamond, Jane shot through the gelid air like an arrow. She didn't need to check if she was followed; several lifetimes of rigid training rewarded them with a connection no other coven knew, for no other coven achieved such a level of familiarity between its members. 

Not even the Cullens.

No, they were unmatched. It was more than just gifts and gimmicks, it was a true connection, grown and fed patiently and organically over time. They knew each other, no need for mind-reading or unravelling intentions from a muddy glimpse of a possible future. No, they acted on muscle memory. Other guards were to him like extra limbs when they were on a mission. There was no need for verbal cues; they knew each other's micro-expressions like the palms of their own pale, cold hands.

So, when Jane entered the bright-coloured house with no warning or hesitation, the other three immortals did the same, still in formation. They rearranged themselves into a line as soon as the last one stepped in, the precision of their movements as menacing as a sharp blade.

Jane was at the very centre, flanked by Felix and Santiago. Demetri stood closer to the door, knowing he should lead the group towards the two occupants should those decide to escape.

They tensed in their embrace, preparing themselves to do just that.

“Don't bother,” Jane warned calmly, almost bored. “I think you know who we are, so you must know that there is no point in trying to surprise us. Or hide from us. Or fight us. Or run.”

Felix’s deep chuckle reverberated through the place.

Jane smiled, her face beaming with an innocent glow that made her look every inch the pure little girl she was not. Her voice remained devoid of emotion, a discrepancy that was fascinating in its absurdity. “We are not here to destroy you. Yet.”

The two vampires in front of them took a few steps away from each other, disentangling themselves. It was clear they were caught in an intimate moment.

Demetri watched with displeasure.

The woman crossed her arms. “If you’re not here to kill us, then… what?”

Though her stance and the nature of the question exuded petulance, her voice was shrill, and her eyes were wide. Her companion glanced at her apprehensively.

“We seek to know your intentions here. Specifically, if they involve… a certain local clan.”

What followed was a dance or more of a theatrical display. They were not there to gain any sort of information. Isabella Swan made sure to keep them informed, both knowing and unknowingly. They had more than enough information on the matter to decide what to do, and they had already decided. They would let the young ones try to destroy the Cullens to be then destroyed themselves.

It was almost too convenient. A lucky strike, per se. To have someone interested in their destruction, someone to do the dirty work…

It was at that moment that Demetri fully believed in all of it. Fate, the stars, and how the Universe worked hard in its own way to lead them through a certain path. Why else would things work in such a way? Why would an entire army of newborns be created to vanquish the Cullens right after they threw his soulmate into his arms? The timing was immaculate, and he couldn’t force himself to doubt it anymore. 

He watched with mild interest as Jane granted the woman five days to accomplish her goal. The outcome of the imminent confrontation was inconsequential to all of them, even to Demetri. Isabella Swan was safe in Volterra, and should they succeed in killing any or all of the Cullens their fates would be the same as if they failed: extermination.

Even so, he was not without worry. Jane was right; it was not their way.

The Volturi do not give second chances.

“We'll need to be fast and clean,” she warned once they reached a safe distance. “As soon as they’re done, we step in and finish it. No leftovers.”

No liabilities.

Santiago frowned. “They'll disperse quite easily, even in battle. We'll need to shepherd them.”

“We can't.” Her voice dripped with displeasure. “We can't risk being seen by the vegetarians, or heard by Edward Cullen. Due to him, we will need to stand several kilometres away.”

Felix grunted. “I suppose we should police ourselves around him?”

Santiago hummed in agreement, but Jane merely shrugged. “Pointless. I don’t believe we would succeed in doing so, and should he survive the ordeal he will either come with us and read our thoughts forever or be disposed of. “

Despite his better efforts, Demetri frowned at her words. He reined in almost immediately, but Santiago grinned.

“If he does come with us, I think he will be disposed of shortly upon arrival.”

His companions laughed. Jane’s high-pitched voice was easily distinguishable among the lower chuckles. Demetri pressed his lips together and ignored them, looking away into the distance.

It was a risky move, but it was not his place to question Jane. Aro gave her all the decision power.

They were venturing into unknown territory. Never before did Jane or any of them have to be put in such a position. It made everything much more thrilling, for which Demetri was grateful, but it also made them prone to mistakes.

They were not used to it.

“We'll be close enough for me to map out all of them as they fight,” he reflected as if he heard no provocation. “We'll catch them afterwards if we need to.”

Jane pursed her lips. “We won't need to.” 

He couldn't blame her for her sourness. Their situation was unusually uncomfortable. Though he had to agree with her; it was unlikely that they would need to trouble themselves with a chase.

Sadly.

If he was honest with himself — a luxury he couldn't always afford — he always wished for fugitives.

“We might have a few runaways,” Jane admitted, “but two or three rogue newborns won't wreak enough havoc for us to waste any time catching them. If they are smart enough to escape, then it's Fate.”

She smiled at Demetri, making her little jab obvious.

“I myself am pleased with Fate lately,” he conceded, and his peers laughed again.

“I imagine the Cullen boy is not,” Felix said.

Jane's smile widened. “Good.”

Santiago raised an eyebrow. “You don't like her.”

“I don't have to like her.” Her response was like a whip. Then she was pensive for a second. “She might grow on me… Alec thinks so.”

“Alec sure is having his fun.” Demetri tried to keep his voice neutral but was unsure he succeeded. He didn't like the idea of Alec toying with Bella Swan, especially in his absence, though he knew the boy meant no harm. Still, he had a history of getting too violent much too abruptly.

“You're worried he's having too much fun.” Felix's suggestion sounded more like an accusation.

Jane cut him off before he could answer. “Alec knows when to stop.”

He refrained from scoffing but Santiago did not. Jane zeroed in on him like a falcon. His shrill scream was brief and reasonably contained as he fell to the ground.

“She's perfectly safe with him,” she insisted, raising her voice. Santiago decided to keep quiet, standing up and dusting himself off.

Demetri sighed. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled.

Entering the evident battleground, they lowered their hoods, eyes glued to the immortals in front of them. The sweet smoke hadn’t dispersed yet, though the fires no longer burned. Listening in for any invisible threats, they scanned the grounds with professional caution. The winds gracefully blew the smoke away from them.

“Impressive.”

As usual, it was Jane’s clear voice that broke the silence. Pairs of golden eyes stared back at their group, almost fierce in their suspicion.

Too many eyes.

The clan was intact, to their surprise and disappointment. He felt his newfound trust in the Universe shake.

Focus. You’re at work.

He discreetly looked around, wondering if someone else noticed the strange, musky scent not entirely concealed by the funeral pyres. Felix stared resolutely ahead, but Santiago met his eyes for a fraction of a second.

He noticed.

 It was positively repulsive. He wasn’t familiar with that particular smell and curiosity threatened to swallow him whole, but he quickly retreated to his own mind. The voices became muffled background noise as he swept their surroundings for the remaining members of the army, locating a few not far from there. He counted them.

Five… no, six. He stretched his search further away just to be sure and found four more.

Too many to ignore.

He looked for the redhead last, stretching so far that he started to wonder just how soon she abandoned her army. He located her somewhere near Fairbanks.

She had to be travelling for at least ten hours to be there.

Carlisle’s voice pulled him back to reality.

“We were lucky.”

Jane scoffed.

“I doubt that.”

“Many scattered before the battle,” the patriarch insisted. “They must have noticed Bella wasn’t here. She is the one they were after. We tried to bait them with her clothing and other personal objects, but they must have realised she was absent.”

It was a sound reason. Demetri didn’t want to believe him, but he had counted the runaways himself. He also remembered the message Isabella received from Edward Cullen discussing this. The day he indulged himself, leaning over her shoulder and reading a shameful amount of messages she decided to open that day… he remembered the way he inhaled so deeply that she eventually noticed him, and how he spoke only to disguise the fact he had been standing right next to her for hours on end.

Edward hissed.

There was inevitable tension in the air. Demetri imagined mind-reading was quite pointless in situations like this; everyone’s thoughts were obvious on their faces. It was as difficult for the Volturi to hide their disappointment upon seeing all of the Cullens alive as it was for the other clan to conceal their accusatory glances.

Jane lifted her chin. “We’re not used to being rendered unnecessary.”

“We’re not unnecessary, we have fugitives to pursue,” he thought with unapologetic pleasure. 

Edward Cullen pursed his lips. “If only you arrived half an hour ago you would have fulfilled your purpose.”

The implication of his words was impossible to miss. Another frivolous dance, Demetri thought. Another mere display.

Still, Jane treaded lightly.

“Pity.”

He searched her face for guidance, noticing how Felix and Santiago did the same. A subtle quirk of her eyebrow informed them that their plan had just been discarded. With all of the Cullens surviving the attack, they had nothing to do there, and the only newborns remaining were far from the clearing; it was time to leave.

They were curious, though. At least, Demetri was. He ached to know how the vegetarians handled the army on their own, a feat that was certain to put them even higher on Aro’s list of threats, even accounting for the deserters. He was also intrigued by the mysterious stench around them.

Edward flinched.

“Let’s go.” With a swirl of her cloak, Jane turned on her heel. Felix and Santiago immediately flanked her, prompting Demetri to move closer to the Cullens to complete their formation.

“Wait.”

Jane looked over her shoulder. They waited in suspense, and Demetri was sure they would finally be accused.

But Edward closed his hands forcefully into fists and hesitated. His voice was strained when he finally spoke. “How… is she?”

A sharp pang hit Demetri deep in his guts, spreading through his chest. It scared him, for he knew exactly what it was. He suddenly felt warm in a most unpleasant way, containing himself not to lash out, shaking slightly with the effort.

It gave Jane obvious satisfaction to answer.

“You correspond frequently.” She shrugged. “Ask her yourself.”

Edward shook his head. “I need someone else’s opinion. Someone who wouldn’t lie to me to spare my feelings.”

“Though I certainly meet the requirements, I’m afraid I barely pay her enough attention.”

“Please, Jane,” Carlisle intervened softly, “I’m sure you can be mindful of his situation.”

Jane raised her eyebrows, staring at Demetri pointedly before speaking again.

“I suppose it is none of his business now.”

She ran then, a smirk lingering on her lips, followed by Felix and Santiago. Demetri hurried to keep up with them, but Edward called out once more.

“Demetri.”

He baulked, startled by the direct address. Looking the gaunt teenager in the eye, he struggled to keep his manners.

“She’s fine,” he all but spat, but in his head he corrected himself.

She’s mine.

The boy growled, and his sire had to catch him by the arm. The rest of the vegetarians inched towards them.

“Edward,” Carlisle cautioned.

Demetri didn’t wait; he had already made a mistake by staying behind for those few seconds. Not wasting another moment, he turned and ran to meet the others. He needed to reach them and take the lead—their mission was not over, and he was the one who knew where to go.

He hoped the teenager could still hear him when he recalled whispering in Isabella’s ear as he read her messages on the computer; when he mulled over how delighted he was by her lovely scent and by the pale elegance of her long neck, so very close to his lips then.

Chapter Text

The faint sound of a chair scraping against the carpeted floor awoke her.

Opening her eyes, Bella frowned, disoriented. That was carpet, wasn’t it? Sometimes it resembled moss, especially with all the flowers they always kept around, but she was almost certain it was green carpet.

She lifted her head from the desk and felt something on her cheek. Looking down, she realised she had fallen asleep on a pile of paper and one of the sheets had stuck to her face.

Jane was staring at her with a wide smile from Gianna’s chair, dressed like a doll in her short black dress and white socks. Her Mary Janes swung back and forth as her feet hovered above the floor.

“Morning, sunshine.”

Bella quickly set the paper sheet down, embarrassed. Blinking rapidly, she glanced around to find herself still in the lobby, where Gianna had left her to take a break. How long had the secretary been gone? She never took more than fifteen minutes, not even to eat, but Bella felt a drowsiness that only deep sleep could provide. She didn’t think she could sleep so profoundly in just fifteen minutes. Jane’s good humour only confused her further, and the fact that Alec was not with her was even more puzzling.

“Uhm, hey.” She rubbed her cheeks on her shoulders to get rid of any drool. “You’re back. Where is Alec?”

She hadn’t seen him for days, in fact. He was absolutely silent on their ride back to Volterra after she spoke to her father, then vanished.

“He’s avoiding you,” Jane answered with surprising honesty.

Bella blinked again. “Did I do something?” The vampire’s unusual good mood set off alarm sirens in her head.

Jane shrugged, her smile unfaltering. “Nice jacket.”

After finally going through the clothes in her wardrobe, Bella discovered that she really liked that jacket despite its size. She briefly debated whether to keep it and decided to claim ownership; she had been wearing it daily since she first put it on anyway.

She couldn’t tell if Jane meant it or was just teasing her, so she ignored the remark. “He is not mad at me, is he? Your brother.”

She replayed their interaction in her head but couldn’t find anything that would offend him. She had asked only a couple more questions before accepting he wouldn’t talk to her anymore.

“He doesn’t care enough, for God’s sake.” She rolled her eyes. Her smile did falter, but it seemed not even Bella could ruin her good mood. “He has his own problems. Let’s talk about someone else’s problems.”

“Okay.” Bella straightened her posture. Though baffled by Jane’s disposition to interact with her, she was willing to take advantage of it. “Whose problems?”

Jane giggled excitedly, kicking her feet.

“First, you have to let me take you to town. Demetri wants to do it, but I found you first. He will be livid that I beat him to it, so you have to promise you won’t fall for his tricks and let him take you instead.”

“Ahm, sure. Doesn’t matter what he does or says, you’re the one taking me,” Bella promptly agreed, and Jane burst into laughter.

“Oh, that is quite the promise.”

Bella had no idea why, or what was so funny about what she said, and smiled awkwardly to reassure her. Why on Earth was she so giddy? Their mission must have been very successful, or maybe she was always happiest right after inflicting immense pain on others.

Jane lowered her voice and leaned closer to Bella. Instinctively, Bella mirrored her and put an ear to Jane’s lips. She felt silly. They were still in a castle full of vampires, but if Jane wanted to gossip in whispers, so be it, so long as she gossiped.

“Heidi is in trouble,” she whispered into Bella’s ear as if it was some sort of breakthrough, then sat up. It could be, Bella had no idea.

“Oh?” She did her best to sound impressed and not puzzled like she was as she also leaned back in her chair. She knew now that Heidi was her strange godmother in the library, and Jane’s tone suggested this was a big deal. Heidi was probably never in trouble or must not get in trouble very often.

“One of the tourists asked to go back,” Jane continued, excited enough about the news that not even Bella’s feeble attempt at acting deterred her, “and now we have a loose end. That has never happened before.”

She sat there with a satisfied smile, like a fat cat who just caught a plump mouse. Bella wondered if she disliked Heidi in particular, everyone in general, or if she was just happy someone who never got a reprimand from the kings was now getting one. Anxious to unravel this mystery, she tried to keep Jane talking.

“They just left? I didn’t think that was allowed.”

Jane bounced and laughed. “It isn’t. We just didn’t have a protocol, because her gift never failed, so she didn’t know what to do. She tried to convince them for a while, but there was an entire group behind her, and she had to let it go to lead the rest of them inside. We don’t tell anyone they’re coming to Volterra, of course, in case someone looks for them, so escorting them out was a major inconvenience. And now we have to go after them anyway.”

She studied Bella as if waiting for her to have an epiphany. With a shuddering jolt, she did.

“Me?” She felt stupid for asking; why else would Jane tell her that?

“You,” she confirmed, grinning.

Bella could feel the horror of the revelation settling into her. They were sending her out on a mission?

It had to be a prank. Or a test.

“I’m not… I can’t do that.”

Jane rolled her eyes. “Why not? It’s just another human girl, like you. Just convince her to come back.”

Bella shook her head in denial. “Why me?”

“For all we know she was unsettled by or noticed something about Heidi. You’re plain and human, she won’t be scared of you.”

She shook her head again, ready to suggest Gianna for the task, but realised it was a bad idea. Gianna was human, but if they needed someone who wouldn’t scare the girl away she was certainly a poor choice.

Still, the mere notion of luring a survivor back into the claws of death didn’t sit well with her. Edward’s words echoed in her head, in a mocking tone he didn’t use when he spoke them.

“They feed on humans, all of them. They’re feeding on humans right now.”

She was always actively trying not to dwell on it. That simple truth had many implications and she couldn’t afford to think of them if she wanted to keep her sanity in that place.

For seven whole years.

“I mean -” she stuttered, fumbling over her words, “I can’t bring her back here… to die.”

“Better her than you, don’t you think?”

Unwilling to agree and unable to disagree, Bella ignored the question. “How am I going to find her?”

As if that was his cue, Demetri materialised in front of them.

“Bella, Jane.” He nodded at each of them. Bella opened her mouth to greet him, but the way he scanned her from head to toe stopped her in her tracks. She then noticed how he was dressed and lost whatever words she had to say.

Instead of the nearly formal style she had seen him sporting until then, he wore a button-down ash grey shirt and a black leather jacket. In place of the high-wasted pleated pants she got used to, he had a pair of dark-wash loose-fit jeans. To complete the careless elegance of the look, his hair was up; only a few short strands framed his face. He seemed more real, somehow. Like an actual person who was just incredibly gorgeous and not like a whimsical character that looked too real.

She unconsciously took a moment to process this, and it was a moment too long.

“Cat got her tongue,” Jane joked.

Demetri smirked and Bella felt heat spreading through her face. With herculean effort, she found her voice.

“Hey.” She refused to look away from him, certain that it would only highlight the awkwardness of her hesitance. “You look… different.”

He raised an inquisitive brow at her. She cursed mentally, hoping both vampires would let it slide.

They showed no such mercy.

“In a good way, I hope,” he said playfully and she wished she could vanish.

Jane huffed. “Oh please, like you even need to fish for compliments after she just gawked at you.”

Mortified, Bella tried to escape the embarrassment by doubling down. “Well, yeah, you always look good, of course. I just never saw you dressed like this.”

She crossed her arms and tried to relax, pacing her breathing so her heartbeat wouldn’t give her away. Jane’s high-pitched laughter was almost entirely drowned out by Demetri’s deep voice.

“Ah, I knew you were a heartbreaker.”

He seemed genuinely delighted by the compliment, and Bella wondered why. She just stated the obvious, and he must have heard it a thousand times from prettier women.

“Right, you two can flirt later. We have a problem now,” Jane said, suddenly serious, and got up from her seat. She turned to Bella, “Demetri will go with you to find our lost lamb. He’s our tracker”

Tracker.

The world evoked horrifying memories from her. Unconsciously, she ran a finger along the crescent-shaped scar on her hand, caressing the cold skin around it. She caught herself when Demetri’s eyes followed the movement and she stood up as well. Her legs tingled and she stretched them a little. “Is anyone else going with us?”

“No need. It’s just the two of you,” Jane answered cheerfully. “And you need to go right away.”

Before Bella could register the order, Jane disappeared. She was momentarily uneasy finding herself alone with the tracker but the sudden quietness reminded her of her colleague's absence.

“Do you know where Gianna is?”

He tilted his head, his hands in his pockets. “With Heidi.”

She frowned, but he didn’t explain it any further. It made her nervous, and she started to worry that Gianna was in trouble too. Did Heidi overlook something when she chose the last tourists? Was it an overlook on Gianna’s part?

Admittedly, she didn’t worry for Gianna more than for the girl she was supposed to bring back; it was a simple matter of a human life ending as she stood by. At that moment, though, she thought of all the consequences of Gianna’s death. She was not ready to take over the woman’s job yet, and she wasn’t excited about a complete stranger replacing her either, especially a stranger who just found out about the supernatural.

She was just not in the right state of mind to deal with all of that.

“They are alright?”

“Quite,” he said pleasantly and she believed him. Relieved, she took a deep breath.

“Right. Lead the way, then.”

He smiled and gestured for her to walk by his side. Praying to any god not to trip on her own feet, she went around the front desk and did so.

“You also look different, if I might say.” He gave her another once-over. “Nice jacket.”

When she felt the ghost of his hand on the small of her back, she shivered.

She wasn’t sure why this time.

The sun was paling by the time they left, but Demetri was still careful enough to somewhat cover himself. One of his gloved hands was on the wheel while the other rested on his thigh. She felt he was watching her from behind his sunglasses, a crawling sensation prickling her skin, but his head never moved in her direction. He faced decidedly forward, and the golden light shining through the car’s tinted windows outlined his profile as if he were a moving Rembrandt painting. Bella forcefully averted her eyes from time to time, but the sight was undeniably mesmerising. With his hair away from his face and the contrast of his silhouette so stark against the dimming light, she noticed the sharpness of his features, defined as if sculpted, and how regal he looked. The olive hue of his skin was much more prominent under the natural warm light and she noticed how well it suited his face. Had he always looked that good?

Of course he had, he’s a vampire. They all look good.

For some reason, noticing his beauty felt wrong. She couldn’t remember actively thinking about it before, and doing so made her feel guilty.

“Jane is in a really good mood,” she commented, hoping that making conversation would distract her. She was curious about quite a few things, and if she couldn’t question Alec anymore she would have to question whoever got stuck in a car with her, it seemed. Demetri drummed his fingers against his jeans and Bella tried not to watch the gesture.

“She was most pleased with our last mission.” He seemed to pick his next words carefully. “I suppose she hasn’t mentioned where it took place.”

Bella frowned, realising he was right. She hadn't asked either. The ordeal with the fugitive girl took her full attention.

“No, she didn’t. Where did you go?”

He was quiet for a while and she grew frustrated. Why would he mention it if he didn’t want to tell her?

“Have you spoken to Edward Cullen as of late?”

Her heart missed a beat. The ache in her chest returned, though it was more of a mild burning and not the scorching pain it once was, followed by the strange guilt again. She glared at him, and he took his eyes off the road to gauge her reaction. For a moment, she completely forgot his question and why it upset her.

“Eyes on the road!”

He obliged so quickly that she was sure he did it out of shock.

“My apologies,” he said amusedly. She huffed, facing forward to avoid the sight of his infuriating smirk.

“I sent him a message yesterday,” she answered once her anger subsided, “but last I checked there was nothing new from him. I only checked this morning, though, so there might be something by now.”

Demetri considered this for a while and she fought the urge to press him for more information. His guarded manner was inconvenient. She became too used to the other guards talking unceremoniously about most of what she wanted to know and was disappointed to see that it would not be the case with him.

She waited, gazing out the window at the blurry landscapes, but got impatient after a few minutes. Before she could tell him to answer her question, she connected the dots.

“You were there?” She looked at him in shock. Then again, of course he was. It was a matter of time before the Volturi felt the need to check the situation in Seattle. “What happened?”

Demetri sighed, and her stomach dropped. Possibly sensing her distress, he was quick to answer this time.

“They eliminated most of the newborns. I tracked the rest and we disposed of them and their creator.”

Bella closed her eyes for a moment, relieved. “They were all… fine?”

She felt the sudden urge to check her inbox, but that would have to wait. She didn’t even know where they were going or how long it would take for them to return to the castle. She should have checked her messages before they left. The computer was right there!

“They were all perfectly fine,” Demetri confirmed gravely. He didn’t seem pleased with the fact.

Her mind went to Jacob and the pack. Were they all fine as well? She couldn’t possibly ask Demetri and hoped Edward had mentioned them in his message.

“Great. Thanks for telling me.”

It was over, then. She could barely believe it. The smothering weight of the looming threat left her shoulders but she wished Edward, or even Alice, could have given her the news. Noticing how Demetri hesitated before informing her, Bella imagined he must have thought she already knew. She would have known if only she had checked her messages instead of falling asleep during Gianna’s break. The knowledge that Demetri had been with them began to plague her mind, and she pressed her lips to prevent herself from asking about Edward. She couldn’t afford to displease him; she had already lost Alec as a source of information for choosing the wrong questions.

“Is that why Jane is so happy? Because she tortured and killed a lot of outlaws?”

He glanced at her, wise enough to return his attention to the road as quickly as possible. She couldn’t excerpt any meaning from those looks with his eyes obscured by his sunglasses, but she wasn’t sure she could decipher them even without that barrier. He gripped the wheel with both hands.

“That, yes, and she… found a positive aspect of your stay with us.”

Bella frowned.

“Do you have to be this cryptic? I thought I was talking to a vampire, not a sphinx.”

That cracked his armour, and his booming laughter resonated through the car.

“And I thought I was talking to a high schooler,” he countered, “not a detective or a news reporter. Last I checked this isn’t Interview with a Vampire.”

She laughed too, forgetting for a second that she was stuck in a moving car with a vampire tracker on her way to retrieve a girl whose fate was sealed.

“Fair enough. I just get curious. No one tells me anything unless I ask. Well, most of the time.”

“I wish I could tell you everything all the time,” he said, to her surprise. “I’m just unsure of your reaction.”

She adjusted her position on the car seat. “Try me.”

He hummed, drumming his fingers on the wheel. Bella was briefly distracted by it and jumped when she heard his voice again.

“Later,” he decided. “We’ll have time.” He didn’t give her a chance to protest. “Now I want to know how the conversation with your father went.”

A nervous laugh escaped her. “You do?”

“Very much.”

She mulled this over, confused. She couldn’t fathom that he was truly interested in her life. The question was certainly meant to steer the conversation away from topics he wished to avoid.

“He was worried, of course, but also happy I was away from Forks and focusing on myself. When he was done scolding me for running away to another country without telling anyone, he said he would try to visit sometime this year, but didn’t promise anything or give me a date... He seemed proud that I was out in the world pursuing greater things.” She half joked, saying the last sentence with a hint of sarcasm, but Demetri’s reply was stern.

“You are pursuing greater things. Greater than your parents or your human friends will ever even imagine.”

“Greater than even I don’t come close to understanding, maybe. I might be flying too close to the sun.”

He smiled. “Time will tell. I won’t vow to keep you away from the sun, but I will catch you if you fall.”

“That’s good to know. I do fall a lot.”

The light from the sun faded away as it set on the horizon. She convinced herself that it was a good thing because that was easier than acknowledging the wave of sour disappointment that washed over her once she couldn’t see him anymore. He rid himself of his sunglasses and the shimmering red of his eyes became the only truly visible part of him in the dark.

Somehow that was worse.

They were cruising through the soft curves of the road at a steady pace. She didn’t have a view anymore; the beautiful green hills outside were now almost indiscernible. Demetri’s smooth driving began to rock her to sleep in the dark silence as she relaxed for the first time since entering the car.

She closed her eyes for just a moment, unable to fight their heaviness any longer.

Chapter Text

Bella rested her eyes for only a few seconds before a cold hand cupped her face and yanked her head, forcefully pulling her from sleep. Demetri waited until she steadied herself before releasing her, his touch so brief that she didn’t have time to blush under his icy skin. She rubbed her eyes, slowly realising he had just prevented her from smashing her face against the window.

“Thanks. “ She tried in vain to identify the scenery outside. “Did I sleep for too long?”

“About an hour.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

He didn’t answer. His austere expression alarmed her and she couldn’t imagine what upset him. Fighting the drowsiness, Bella felt her curiosity subduing her caution.

“What’s wrong?”

He winced, gripping the wheel a little harder. It made her truly apprehensive when he reacted like that.  She once thought he was unreadable and untouchable, but that idea crumbled much quicker than she thought possible. He reacted to the smallest gesture, the most insignificant word from her.

Maybe she annoyed him. She could understand that, if he sometimes got annoyed by how much of a nuisance she was. He was too polite to say anything, too polite to even let it show, but she knew she was imposing on him. She watched as he recomposed himself and prepared for whatever hurtful thing he was about to admit.

“You talk in your sleep.” There was a cutting edge to his tone. 

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

He relaxed, then frowned, as if confused by her reaction.

“It doesn’t bother me.”

“Then…?”

He inhaled sharply, relaxing his shoulders and hands, but kept his silence. Bella didn’t want to press him too much, but the curiosity was eating her alive.

“Alec said you’re mad at Gianna,” she asked instead. “Can I ask why?”

She thought she heard him growling.

“Alec said a lot of things, I’m sure.”

“Not enough, actually.”

His features softened and he suppressed a smile, resting his hand on his leg again. 

“I think I should be the one asking questions. You ask all the wrong ones.”

She crossed her arms defiantly. Was it a vampire trait to keep things from her? She hadn’t expected any vampire in Volterra to be just as secretive as the Cullens. They didn’t care enough to spare her feelings or prevent her anxiety. She didn’t think she ever asked any intrusive questions either, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was intruding and they would eventually stop talking to her about anything altogether. She eyed Demetri suspiciously, afraid of what he could possibly want to know from her.

“You have night terrors as well,” he said and she almost grunted. 

“Not lately.” She fidgeted with her seat belt, unsure about mentioning Gianna again. “I… someone helped me with that. I haven’t been dreaming at all.”

“Someone,” he echoed and his tone gave her goosebumps.

“What about my night terrors?”

His eyes were fixed on her, and she opened the glove compartment to escape his heavy gaze. There was not much in there to occupy her, and after taking a closer look at every pen and business card inside, she still felt his sombre eyes on her. She took notice of the gloves he had worn earlier, wondering how she didn’t wake up when he stored them there.

 “Tell me about your nightmares,” he demanded.

She shut the small door close. “They’re ridiculous. And boring.”

They were entering another town now, brick-clad houses appearing on either side of the meandering streets, and she hoped she could stall answering him until they arrived. To her dismay, he parked in front of a restaurant right before they reached an intersection and smiled mischievously.

“Take your time.” He turned the engine off and lounged sideways on the seat, one slender hand under his cheek. “We will wait for the girl to come out and it can take a while.”

She did grunt this time, passing her fingers through her hair to dissipate some nervousness.

“ Fine. You’ll be disappointed, though.”

He intertwined his fingers, clasping his hands together, and waited patiently. His smile was still in place and his eyes shone with mirth. The warm streetlights reflecting on the leather of his jacket conferred him a mysteriously appealing aura and Bella felt a knot in her throat that only fueled her desire to wipe the smirk off of his face.

“I have a recurring dream about… the e-mails.” She knew how absurd it would sound before she spoke, but saying it out loud felt truly pathetic. “It used to happen all the time, so I guess it’s more of a flashback. They just don’t go through. All failed deliveries.”

She was satisfied to see his amused expression melting away, but the incredulity that replaced it did nothing to soothe her self-conscious restlessness.

“I said it was ridiculous.”

“It’s not. Dreams have a significance beyond the simple scenes they present us.” 

She watched the people inside the restaurant through one of the front-facing windows to escape his scrutiny. Where were they? She was sure Demetri would give her the name of the town if she asked but couldn’t push herself to speak again. 

He decided to reward her with the answer to her own question.

“Gianna has been sabotaging you.”

Bella’s head whipped in his direction, a sharp pain shooting through her neck. 

“She has always been awfully self-centred and individualistic,” he calmly went on, “but I never took her for stupid. No matter how little we told her about your situation, I still expected her to see that it was vastly different from hers. It seems that she is not that smart, after all.”

She frowned, trying to make sense of that. He was mad at Gianna because of her?

“That’s why you want her dead?” 

She remembered Alec’s outburst and it clicked. If Gianna was going out of her way to sabotage her, it would only complicate her situation, especially with her assessment so close.

“That is why I want to kill her myself,” he corrected her and she was confused once again.

He looked at the restaurant behind her. “Time to go. She is leaving.”

Bella followed his eyes and easily identified the girl. She was the only person leaving the establishment, inspecting her surroundings to make sure she was alone before crossing the threshold.  She ran her hands along her green sleeveless dress, adjusted her backpack and tightened her ponytail before resuming her walk. The front door was heavily lit compared to the rest of the street, giving her light brown hair a glossy glow.

“Her name is Melissa,” Demetri informed Bella “She’s Australian, so language won’t be a problem. If you do convince her to come back, you will have to drive her. My presence might frighten her. The GPS is set to take you back to Volterra, follow it closely and you should have no problems.”

Bella began to fret over this new piece of information. She still felt dizzy from sleep and wasn’t sure if she was in a good state to drive, but he anticipated her objection.

“I will follow you on foot. If necessary, I’ll step in.”

She bit her lip, still reluctant, but reached for the door handle. A new fear gripped her heart, and she lingered with her hand on the door, gathering the courage to voice it.

“And what does that mean?” She moistened her lips, finding them bone-dry. “And what if I can’t convince her to come back at all?”

He seemed to consider the question though he certainly already knew its answer. Bella braced herself, her heart pounding painfully in her chest, because she knew it too. His eyes bore into hers with uncomfortable intensity. 

“She won’t return home either way.”

The handle slipped away from her palm when she tried to open the car door. She was panting, her breath loud and uneven, her throat aching with every painful intake of air. Her hands were covered in cold sweat. She dried them on her jacket and tried again, stumbling out of the car and following the girl inconspicuously — or so she hoped.

As she made her way to her target, an intrusive thought wormed its way into her brain. She pictured herself warning the girl to run as fast as she could, to any unthinkable place as far as she could imagine, and disappearing into the world as well. She started to list all the recluse locations she could think of, any place where she could bury herself so deeply that anyone would think she vanished from the face of the Earth. Catching herself,  she dismissed the senseless idea. It was useless; a skilled vampire tracker was waiting for them and if he was part of the Volturi Guard for his tracking abilities he had to be the best there is.

He would find her. He would find us both and kill me too.

Her treacherous mind pictured him hunting her down around the world, vicious and relentless like James but a thousand times more effective and deadly. She was sure he would find her much faster than James ever could, even if she had never fallen into his trap. If she angered him, would Demetri torture her as James did? Would he take as much pleasure in it?

For some reason, she didn’t think so.

She was catching up to the girl, who looked over her shoulder to see who was approaching. 

“Hey, Melissa,” she called out. 

Melissa stopped, eyeing Bella warily.

“Hello.” 

“I’m Bella.” 

“Hi, Bella.” Melissa crossed her arms. “Do we know each other?”

Bella smiled, looking at the black car she just left, but it was empty. Demetri was no longer behind the wheel.

“Uhm, not quite.” She didn’t have a plan, nor was given a script, and could only hope she would say the ring thing to give the girl in front of her any chance of survival. “I work at the place you just visited and wanted to ask you about the tour if that’s ok.”

Melissa paled, her entire body tensing up. She took half a step back.

“What about it?”

Bella considered closing the distance between them, afraid she would bolt. Deciding against it, she smiled again.

“Would you mind coming back with me? It would be easier. You could also finish the tour if you changed your mind.”

Melissa backed away again.

“What do you want to know? I didn’t finish the tour, I’m sure someone who did could talk about it much better than I can.”

What would happen if Melissa tried to run away? Bella was ready to run after her, but to do what? Demetri would catch her in a second, and then Bella would have followed to watch the execution. Her hands shook when she imagined him capturing the girl and finishing her right there as she watched, so she shoved them into her pockets.

“That’s actually the point. We never had anyone not finishing it, you’re the very first one. We could use some feedback.“

Melissa chewed the inside of her cheek, considering the request. 

“Is it just you?” She looked at the car behind Bella and then around them one more time. Bella nodded.

“Yeah, just me. I’ll take you back if you want to come.”

The girl sighed, staring at her feet. Her white sandals were dark with dirt.

“Right. It’s just… it’s a bit far from here. Could we maybe talk on the way to the airport? The tour guide got me a flight but the guys that were supposed to take me to the airport got lost.” Her voice betrayed her distrust. Bella couldn’t blame her; she would also find that suspicious.

“I have a form in my office,” Bella lied. “I would really appreciate it if you could fill it. I’ll take you to the airport after.”

She began to walk back to the car and Melissa followed. The relief almost overtook her and she tried to disguise it from the girl by her side. When she reached for the door on the driver’s side, she noticed Melissa made no move to open the opposite door. 

“Can I just ask you something before we go?”

“Uhm, sure.”

A soft breeze moved Bella’s hair and she tucked it behind her ears. Melissa’s dress danced around her legs and she held one side of its skirt in place so it wouldn’t be lifted. Bella could hear the rustling sound of fabric against skin. A few droplets of sweat sprung from her forehead and she balled her hands into fists inside her pockets to fight the urge to wipe them off when they dripped down, disappearing into her eyebrows.

“You seem normal. I mean, normal enough, but the tour guide…” Melissa nearly whispered, looking around once again in a paranoid manner.

Bella moistened her lips. “Yes?”

Was Demetri nearby, listening to their conversation? He had to be, and so he would hear any dangerous words Melissa was about to say. If at least they were inside a moving car Bella could convince herself that he might not be able to hear everything.

“I heard her talking to a man during the tour.” Melissa lowered her voice even more, and Bella struggled to understand her. “He passed by as we were going to what the woman said was the final stop of the tour. I don’t know what language they spoke, and I have no idea what they were talking about, but I felt very sick when I heard them. That’s why I wanted to go back.”

Where is she going with this?

Melissa cleared her throat. “They didn’t… they just didn’t seem normal.”

Bella’s heart was about to burst out of her chest.

Just get in the car!

She opened the door, hoping Melissa would unconsciously follow again, but she didn’t move.

“I don’t know about the guy you saw, but Heidi, our tour guide, is not from here. He probably isn’t either.”

“That’s not it.”

Bella couldn’t think of anything to say. As she rummaged her mind for words, Melissa’s body tensed up and Bella just knew she was about to turn and run.

Bella’s mind worked fast, fueled by despair.

“Look, I’m just an exchange student trying to pay the bills,” the lie slipped so smoothly through her lips that she thought for a moment someone else had said it for her. “I don’t get paid enough to go through all this effort but I’m on my trial period and won’t secure the job if I don’t put my best foot forward.” She sighed dramatically. “If you make a point of not going back, I’ll just take you to the airport and you can talk about the tour on the way there. I’ll just try to remember your answers and write them down later.”

Melissa considered her words, still biting her cheek. 

“Okay,” she finally conceded, opening the door and shoving her backpack inside, “but do take me to the airport, please. I’m very tired. I just want to go home.”

Bella felt a pang in her heart. Smiling amicably, she entered the car.

“Thanks.” She adjusted the seat and the mirrors, then turned on the headlights. “So,” Melissa started as they put on their seat belts, “what exactly is that place?”

Bella turned the engine on and checked the GPS on the panel. She locked the doors as soon as possible, afraid her companion would change her mind and run like she intended to just moments ago.

“The city council.”

“Oh, right. The tour guide - Heidi - did say that.” She shuddered. “You’re like a secretary?”

“More of an assistant to the actual secretary.”

“I think I saw her. A tall woman at the reception. Green eyes, brown hair.”

Bella nodded. “Yeah, that’s Gianna.”

Melissa made a sound of acknowledgement, eyes lost in the distance. After a few moments of consideration,  she crossed her arms and snuggled up against the locked door. She must have decided to trust Bella because soon enough her eyes fluttered shut and she fell asleep, to Bella’s relief.

She could finally breathe. Trying to keep quiet, she took deep calming breaths, glancing consistently at the GPS, terrified of getting lost. The road wasn’t busy, but driving in the dark in an unfamiliar place relying entirely on the device kept Bella in a state of alert that made it impossible for her to drift back into sleep. She felt incredibly awake now, all the traces of her torpor completely dispelled.

There was still an uneasiness within her, squirming in her belly. Demetri had said they took over an hour to get there; that was too much time. Enough time for Melissa to wake up and realise they were not on their way to the airport at all. Then what? Bella had no idea of what she would tell her, or what the girl would do. Would she roll down the window and throw herself out? Demetri would get her instantly and Bella wasn’t sure if he would have any qualms about tearing the girl open in front of her.

Something flashed in the dark, right by her side, on the road shoulder, gleaming silver and moving alongside the car. Her chest tightened, a coldness taking over as if her lungs were frozen. She tried to breathe through her nose, counting in her head to keep a certain rhythm. It was him , surely, running outside. 

It’s fine. He won’t have to intervene.

With the wanderer secured by her side, snoring softly, Bella allowed herself a sliver of pride. So far, she did it. She succeeded in the task they had given her, and with the relief that came with the knowledge of what it meant to Melissa she should have the right to feel some level of accomplishment too. She knew she couldn’t celebrate yet but couldn’t help the sense of safety that slowly enveloped her. After half an hour of driving undisturbedly, she was hopeful, and the moving figure outside started to feel more comforting than intimidating.

It all disappeared as they approached Volterra.

Bella looked at the sleeping girl by her side, in awe of her ability to sleep so deeply and for so long in a car with a stranger. She almost envied her. She couldn’t remember the last time she properly slept without the aid of medication, without nightmares, as ridiculous as they could be, shaking her awake. When she reached the exact point marked on the map, she pulled over. The stillness awoke Melissa, who yawned and looked around.

“Shit, are we there? I was so tired I didn’t even answer any of your questions.”

“That’s fine.” Bella unbuckled her seat belt and eyed Melissa. “We’re not at the airport.”

Melissa froze.

“Why not?”

Bella sighed, unsure. What now? She lied to her, and they still had to get to the castle. None of the resident vampires bothered with a parking permit, so they would have to walk. 

Melissa didn't seem like she would willingly walk anywhere except straight home.

“I can’t take you there. I really need this job, and I was told very clearly to take you back.”

“So you lied?”

Bella anticipated her move and locked the doors again, trapping her inside. Melissa pulled and pushed her door to no avail.

“Ok, calm down. I’m not kidnapping you.” Bella paused, scrunching her face with distaste. “Well, I guess I did, but it’s not that serious.”

“Fuck, why do you need me there so badly?”

“I don’t know,” Bella lied. “They just said to bring you back.”

Melissa stopped and grimaced.

“Is this human trafficking?”

Bella almost laughed. A bitter, foul-tasting laugh died in her throat. The girl was worried about the wrong things; she had very mundane, very mortal suspicions.

It was much easier to work with that.

“Sorry. I’m being super weird about this, I guess. I’m very new at this job.” She fished her fake driver’s license from her pocket and handed it to Melissa. “It’s nothing like that. There, some ID. If it helps.”

Melissa turned the document in her hands, analysing it attentively. Her eyes travelled from the card to Bella’s face a few times before she handed it back.

“This is all so weird. ”

Bella took the card back. “Sorry, it’s me. I’m weird. Or so I’ve been told.”

She unlocked the doors and waited for Melissa to exit the car first, hoping it would put her at ease. When she did step outside, Bella waited a second before following her. It seemed to work. Melissa threw her backpack over her shoulder and waited for Bella to lock the doors.

“Are we taking the tunnel again?”

The question made Bella recognise the place. Somewhere around, hidden in the foliage, there was a garage. Demetri would probably take the car inside while she walked with Melissa and would still arrive before them.

“Yes. If you don’t mind.”

And if you mind too because I don’t know any other way.

“I hope you get the job,” Melissa muttered, tripping on the poorly lit cobblestones. “You’re putting both feet forward.”

They walked in silence until the church. With slightly better lighting, Melissa didn’t have to pay so much attention to the floor and started talking again.

“Where are you from anyway?”

Bella talked about Phoenix and Forks at length, reminding herself that it didn’t matter how much she shared because neither was leaving that place. She told Melissa about her friends and family and watched the girl let her guard down. Before they arrived Melissa had told her about most of her life in Adelaide.

“We should keep in touch,” she suggested. “I wanna know if you get the job.”

 Bella’s stomach churned.

“Sure.”

When the green carpeted floors made their appearance, Bella almost felt happy. She shouldn’t , but she was almost taking for granted that Melissa would be spared. Like her. She had to believe that, had to tell herself that she just saved the girl’s life because the alternative was simply nefarious. Jane’s voice echoed in her head, much like Edward’s, though not nearly as placating.

“Better her than you, don’t you think?”

She still couldn’t admit that she did think so.

“Ah, there you are.”

Gianna’s high heels hit the floor rapidly as she jogged over to them, reminding Bella of the pitter-patter of her long fingernails hitting her keyboard. Her face was so weary not even her impeccable make-up disguised the inner turmoil reflected on the surface. Melissa sighed and Bella imagined she was happy not to see Heidi again.

“Can we get it done quickly? I know my flight is only tomorrow but I’m terrified of missing it.”

Bella felt utterly uncomfortable with her choice of words. No, she wasn’t terrified, but she was about to be. Her eyes met Gianna’s in silent understanding.

Her part was over.

“Of course.” Gianna motioned for her to follow as she entered another corridor.

Melissa looked over her shoulder and waved at Bella before leaving her alone with her thoughts at the reception. She didn’t know how to feel, had felt too much already, and now that the adrenaline had worn off, was tired enough to sleep for days. She longed for her bed, for the pills that blocked her nightmares, and headed to her room dragging her feet. It didn’t take long for her to trip on the carpet, and a familiar hand wrapped itself around her forearm to prevent her fall.

It didn’t startle her this time.

“Thanks,” she looked up and met Demetri’s ruby eyes.

He didn’t release her, merely changing the position of his hand to grasp her wrist as he walked by her side. 

“You did well.”

She looked down.

“Will she live?”

He rested a thumb on the inside of her wrist, feeling how she pulsed with life, and pressed small circles in what would be a soothing caress if not for the context. Bella felt it then, the jolt of electricity that coursed through her with his touch. She tried not to pull away, afraid of upsetting him and uncertain if he would let go.

“It is unlikely,” he admitted.

“Why bring her all the way here just to kill her?”

“Master Aro wants to know.”

Of course.

Aro wants to know everything.

Bella fought a smile as she thought he couldn’t know everything thanks to her.

She could see the door to her room, glorious in all its simplicity. She just wanted to throw herself on her bed and sleep , leave everything else for tomorrow, and just as she touched the doorknob she realised she had not checked her e-mails.

“Oh. Oh, no.”

Demetri quirked an eyebrow. Bella pressed her hands to her face, relieved by how easily Demetri released her from his grasp.

“I forgot to check my messages.”

He rolled his eyes. The gesture seemed so alien to him that she thought she was hallucinating from sleep deprivation.

“They’ll still be there in the morning.” He opened the door and gently pushed her inside. “Go to bed.”

Too tired to argue, she let her body fall on her bed, not bothering to change her clothes. She could change the bed sheets in the morning, after a night of sleep and a shower.  She eagerly extended a hand to her bedside table, searching for the pills, but found nothing. Confused, she sat up and looked at it, noticing that Demetri hadn’t left. He stood by the table, staring at the label on the bottle she was looking for.

“You shouldn’t self-medicate.”

Bella jumped to her feet, trying to get the medication from his hands, but he held onto it. They both gripped the bottle, the force Bella applied to it completely insignificant against him.

“I really need it tonight,” she pled but he didn’t budge. “I can’t sleep without them. I need to sleep, please.”

Demetri pulled the bottle from her. “You need to sleep at night, not all day long. It’s affecting your productivity.”

She knew that. Even so, she also knew she couldn’t quit so suddenly and that she wouldn’t sleep that night if she didn’t take it.

“I… not tonight. I can quit some other day.” She extended her hand, silently asking him to give it back.

Eyes fixed on her face, he opened the bottle and placed a single pill in her open hand. She sighed, frustrated, but it was better than nothing.

“Thanks.”

She went to the bathroom to get a glass of water and was shocked to find him sitting on the edge of her bed when she returned. His hands were empty; he must have pocketed the pills. She hesitated before sitting on the bed as well, on the opposite side to him to keep some distance. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was strange for him to sit on her bed at all. It made her uncomfortable in a way Gianna didn’t when she sat in the same spot.

“I understand that you fear for the girl’s life and it can’t be helped,” he said as she swallowed the white pill, “but I advise you to focus on more important aspects of this event.”

She frowned. “Such as?”

“We have someone coming in. A former member of our coven. He can identify special abilities in other individuals.”

“He is coming to see if Melissa is gifted?”

Demetri ran a hand along her pillow, smoothing it out pensively. He didn’t look at her when he spoke.

“You both. Master Caius believes it is a good moment to call him in, as we have two humans with potential gifts in the castle.”

“So, I’m also being assessed.”

Suddenly, he closed the distance between them and buried a hand in her hair, the other one still on her pillow, propping him up as he leaned forward. Bella yelped, staring at him with wide eyes, unable to move.

“Jane is right,” he whispered, his cool breath wafting over her flushed face. “It is unnerving.”

He lingered, trying to find her, hoping the physical proximity and his touch would help him. When he was done, he disentangled his fingers from her hair and stood up, leaving her disoriented on the bed, her heart beating furiously.

“Good night, Bella.”

He left, sparing her a last enigmatic glance before turning off her lights and shutting the door. Bella kicked her shoes off her feet and took off her jacket, burying herself under the covers, desperate for some sleep but too anxious to find it immediately. She tossed and turned for a while, angry with herself for the situation she was in. When she thought of Melissa, she found that she couldn’t feel guilty. Had she not returned to the castle, her death was certain. This way, at least she stood a chance. When the medicine kicked in, Bella was still agitated and felt herself being pushed into a heavy drug-induced sleep rather than falling into it. Demetri’s saccharine scent was nearly overwhelming, emanating from the fabric underneath her, and she lost consciousness as she overanalysed the way he grabbed her so uncharacteristically. Jane’s voice echoed in her head one last time.

“Better her than you, don’t you think?”

Chapter Text

Melissa joined them in the kitchen for breakfast.

The cream-coloured walls did little to disguise the pallor of her face. She wore the same green dress from the previous night and Bella wondered if they didn’t let her shower or if she chose not to. Her hair was down, descending in tangles and knots to the middle of her back. There was a sticky glow to her skin, reflecting the morning light in a blueish, sickly way. Bella’s eyes moved to the large figure behind her and Felix smiled at her, his big hands resting on Melissa’s shoulders to push her into the room.

“There, now you get to chat.”

He guided her to the free chair by Bella’s side and she plopped down, eyes wide and unblinking. She stared into the distance before acknowledging Bella, as if in a trance.

“Hey. Good morning.” Bella took a warm plate from the nearest pile on the table and put it in front of her. Melissa finally blinked.

“Morning.” She glanced at Felix and then at the empty plate. “Thanks.”

There was a movement by Bella’s side and she turned to see Pavel standing up from his chair so Felix could occupy it. Sitting down carefully, the vampire leaned back and crossed his legs, one arm bent over the backrest.

“Head directly to the drawing room when you’re done here,” he instructed. “Eleazar will take a look at the both of you then.”

Bella nodded but Melissa didn’t move. She stared at him in stunned silence, and the slight crease on her forehead was the only evidence that she had heard him.

From across the table, Bella saw Gianna suspiciously still, her meal only half eaten in front of her.  Her pencil skirt and tight blazer were as spotless as always, not a wrinkle or stain in sight, but her hairdo lacked its usual polish, with a few frizzy strands escaping her loose bun. Her makeup skills were no longer enough to cover the stress and exhaustion that marred her features. They hadn’t talked after Melissa’s arrival and for the first time, Bella ached to speak to the secretary.

Felix’s voice reclaimed her attention.

“Everything good in America?”

As her eyes moved to him, it didn’t escape her how every human at the table seemed bewildered by the casual interaction.

“Yeah, all good.” She poked her scrambled eggs with a fork, recalling the messages she finally read at the break of dawn before heading to the kitchen. “My father is still figuring out international travelling, so I don’t think he is visiting yet.”

“Hm. That is actually good. Gives you some time.”

She knew he meant to ask about the Cullens, but he wasn’t peeved by her deflection. Not much unlike Jane, he appeared to be in a better mood than usual and she wondered if it was due to the success of their mission as well.

“My friends are all very upset I missed graduation. Some of them are thinking of visiting too.”

Truthfully, only Jessica mentioned visiting her and Bella knew she wouldn’t travel across the world just to see her. Like Renée, her friend was thrilled by the idea of travelling to Italy much more than by the prospect of seeing her. She didn’t blame them, as a summer trip to Europe was in fact much more interesting than Bella’s company could ever be. On the other hand, some of her friends were eager to see her again and she noted that they had asked her to visit them instead. Unfortunately, she knew that possibility was very far in the future if it existed at all.

“That should finally get you out, I hope.” Felix’s eyes glinted with amusement. “You are yet to venture outside these walls.”

She grimaced. “Jane is taking me out one of these days.”

“Jane?” He echoed with surprise. “Demetri wanted to take you.”

“Well,” Bella shrugged, “Jane asked me first.”

He laughed. “That should be interesting.”

She tried to ignore his sarcasm.

“Is he alright? Demetri, that is.”

“Why do you ask?” Felix raised an eyebrow. Bella shrugged, partially to conceal a shiver that ran along her arms when she reminisced their last encounter.

“He was a little… on edge yesterday, I thought.”

“Ah,” Felix clicked his tongue and smiled again, eyeing her mischievously. “That he is, but worry not. He is working it out. Finish your food,” he got up from his chair, “then Gianna will take you both to Eleazar.”

Bella acquiesced, watching him walk out of the kitchen, his broad shoulders looking even larger under his dark grey shirt as he passed by the smaller humans sitting at the table. She filled Melissa’s plate with bread, eggs and some cheese, uncertain of what she would like to eat, and gave her a yoghurt cup. As if waking up, Melissa blinked.

“Does everyone know?” She eyed the others around them. 

As if she heard it, Gianna grabbed her plate and ran to take the chair Felix had just vacated. 

“Do they?” Bella asked Gianna as she settled down.

“Yes,” Gianna answered impatiently, “we all know, of course. Now, how did you know?” She glared at Melissa, her question almost an accusation. Melissa crossed her arms.

“I didn’t . If she hadn’t brought me back, I would still not know. I would be home thinking this is all just some human trafficking scheme.”

Gianna rolled her eyes. “Like that would be so much better. You would have the police investigating us.”

Bella recoiled at Melissa’s claim but Gianna was right. Melissa herself had no comeback to the allegation, and Bella reminded herself that she did the best she could in her situation.

“What is this Eleazar like? And what happened yesterday while I was gone?” She whispered to Gianna, aware that the precaution would only keep the humans from eavesdropping. Gianna grunted.

“We were frantically looking for some lapse in Heidi’s background check. There was nothing, of course, she never makes a mistake. Then somehow the hypothesis is that I made a mistake.” She whispered back, then huffed. “Once Master Aro saw her thoughts he decided to call this Eleazar, but I don’t know him. He left long ago, way before I came.”

The rest of the staff was beginning to get up and set their empty dishes in the sink. Seeing that Ali was staring at them somewhat impatiently from his seat, Bella finished her eggs.

“Come on, eat a little before we go,” she told Melissa. “We shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

Begrudgingly, Melissa ate some cheese and opened her yoghurt. Gianna handed her a spoon.

“Ok, how do I survive this?” She asked in between spoonfuls, her eyes darting from Gianna to Bella expectantly. Gianna stomped her feet, the sound of her sharp heels against the floor echoing through the kitchen.

“By God, how are we supposed to know that ?”

“Well, you’re both here and both alive,” Melissa retorted as if it was obvious.

Bella shook her head. “It’s one hundred per cent up to them. We’re lucky.”

Gianna stiffened, ready to protest, because of course she wasn’t just lucky , she was efficient and smart, and survived there for seven years on her own merit, but ultimately remained silent.

Melissa sighed. She ate her yoghurt with shaking hands, hurriedly as if she was swallowing medicine. Bella watched her with something akin to pity, both apprehensive and anxious to meet the new vampire and know what he would say about the both of them. Gianna started to tap her foot on the floor with undisguised impatience.

As they watched Melissa finish her breakfast, Bella thought of Edward’s frustratingly brief message. The way he glossed over the entire fight only worried her further, and she found herself torn between sadness and rage for his reluctance to share the essential details of the confrontation with her. Jacob’s e-mails eventually acquired a milder tone, though Bella had the impression it was due to emotional detachment. There was a strange neutrality to his words rather than a friendliness. She felt powerless, trapped away from him and everyone else, stuck with her own struggles within the ancient walls of the castle and slowly growing more and more distant from all of those she had left behind. If she didn’t see them again before her transformation she was sure to meet complete strangers when their reunion finally happened. Alice’s messages were always longer and more cheerful, though she too refrained from sharing a lot. Was Edward censoring her, perhaps? Bella couldn’t imagine him intentionally doing it, but she could picture Alice censoring herself for his sake. 

She considered asking Felix about it, though she knew he had no reason to fill her in apart from entertaining himself with her reactions. She could ask Demetri again if he was in a better mood the next time she saw him but she could see no reason for him to answer her either.

On top of it all, no one ever gave her a straightforward answer about ever visiting her in Volterra. “We’ll see” and “it’s being arranged” were just as good as her father saying he would love to visit instead of saying he would visit her, but she couldn’t blame him for anything; it was not his fault that she got herself stranded in Italy. Unlike Edward, he at least called her frequently, always happy to hear her voice.

“Right, let’s go,” Gianna urged them when Melissa gave up eating. She scrunched her nose at Bella. “Do you ever take this damn jacket off?” Not waiting for an answer, she marched resolutely out of the kitchen, sparing no over-the-shoulder glances to make sure she was followed. Bella jumped to her feet, grabbing a lethargic Melissa by the arm and dragging her along. She faintly took notice of Ali collecting their plates.

Their little group moved forward slowly and quietly like a funeral procession through the carpeted hallways, and the heavy silence shrouding them as they walked to the drawing room was like a tight fist around Bella’s neck. Her chest was compressed as if she was about to choke on the tension, Melissa’s weight on her arm making her feel like she was the one carrying the body to its grave.

The mystery surrounding this Eleazar character only added to her apprehension. Apart from being a former member of the guard, she had no information about him to outline any sort of expectation about their imminent encounter. She felt heavier and less certain with each step, the only reassurance coming from her own words echoing in her head in place of Edward’s:

“ I’ll meet your standards or die trying.”

Her obstinance pushed her forward, as it did when she ventured out to retrieve Melissa in Demetri’s company, but she was no Gianna. She didn’t presume to truly affect the outcome of the event with her efforts; her human hands were much too light to tug at the strings of Melissa’s fate.

Gianna led them to one of the many rooms near the lobby where she spent most of her time. Bella was surprised to notice this was the first time she even thought of them; though, of course, she knew they existed only a few footsteps away from Gianna’s desk, she never dared venture into one of them. “Innocuous offices”, they called them, but now Felix called one of them the drawing room. It would make sense to use them as such as they were by the entrance at street level, right by the main doors, except Bella knew those doors were never used by anyone who had real business with the Volturi. Her curiosity regarding this new vampire grew, as it seemed obvious Aro wasn’t welcoming him into the castle’s heart even though he used to live there. She remembered how Carlisle had been received much further inside the building and wondered if Eleazar’s desertion was the reason for the difference in treatment.

Soon enough the three humans reached the plain oak doors of the drawing room and watched them unpromptedly open from the inside. Melissa stepped aside, hiding behind Bella, who instinctively fixed her posture as if she could protect the other girl. The doors spun slowly on their hinges, heavy and solemn, gradually revealing the occupants of the room they guarded. Aro was the first one Bella spotted, flanked by his brothers, the black of his hair and clothes too contrasting against his papery skin. Bella was surprised to see Marcus there as he usually abstained from such meetings. Jane stood a few steps behind the trio, wearing her dark grey cloak with a distinction and a pride that was misplaced in such a young face. There was a dark-haired stranger by her side, and the sight of his golden eyes nearly sent Bella into a spiral. 

“He’s a vegetarian? Does he know the Cullens?”

She was suddenly upset by the lack of warning. It was stupid, of course; why would anyone care how she felt about seeing a golden-eyed vampire in the castle? Her problems were her own; she was alone there. No one would cater to her feelings, as she was constantly trying to remind herself.

At last, Bella’s eyes landed on Demetri, towering over them with one hand still on the door handle, and her heart leapt; she wasn’t expecting to see him so soon after the scare he gave her, especially not in these circumstances. He was in uniform, his hair down to his shoulders again, but Bella found she could no longer feel the mental distance between them as before. Her heart raced with the realisation. He was way too real standing so close by.  She thought she saw the ghost of a smile on his lips, but she blinked and it was gone.

“Thank you, dear ones, for joining us,” Aro greeted them amiably, as if they had any choice but to be there. “That is all, Gianna, you may begin your shift now.”

Gianna bowed and turned on her heels to leave. As she passed by him again, she met Demetri’s eyes and they burnt holes in her face despite how they darkened. The softness was completely gone from his features. Gianna averted her gaze like she could feel the heat, scurrying away with as much dignity as possible. 

Bella went into the room, grabbing Melissa’s hand from behind her as she walked. She decided to remain silent, unwilling to be scolded by Caius first thing in the morning. Melissa’s white-knuckled grip on her hand was only a mild discomfort compared to the weight of the immortals’ eyes on them. The doors barely creaked as Demetri pushed them, closing smoothly with a soft thud. Aro extended his arms like he expected a hug, and Bella moved forward to place her free hand on his, dragging Melissa along awkwardly.

With her hand firmly secured between his pale ones, Aro briefly lowered his head. He didn’t bother closing his eyes, merely touching her and releasing her almost immediately.

“Nothing,” he declared through a tight-lipped smile. His happy tone was a façade, his cheerfulness fabricated. Even his features were not perfectly schooled this time, a hint of annoyance marring them. Bella felt uneasy.

“Sorry,” she whispered, knowing it was pointless. Though she was always relieved to be barricaded from his intrusive gift, she wasn’t hiding her thoughts on purpose. Aro caught himself, his annoyance vanishing from his face.

“No need to apologise, child. It’s not your fault.” He gestured for Eleazar to approach them. “Do you have anything to share, my friend?”

Eleazar joined them, calmly walking to Bella. Melissa flinched, her hand twitching against Bella’s.

“Hello, Bella,” he smiled at her. “I’ve heard a great deal about you.”

“And I heard nothing about you.”

“Hey”, she said instead, doing her best not to sound as annoyed as she was.

The statement angered her further, a reminder of how everyone around her shared information while leaving her in the dark. She couldn’t shake the feeling that this man must have known Carlisle and was almost sure it was the Cullens who told him about her. Did they know he was coming to see her? And if they did, couldn’t they have warned her?

She didn’t want to think they would keep it from her if they knew, but as much as it pained her to admit, they probably would. Who did tell her about Eleazar was Demetri, as reserved as he was with her. Unconsciously, she turned to him, noticing how his eyes flashed to her like she had called him out loud. He frowned and she imagined she looked as upset as she was. She turned back to Eleazar, seeing he had been speaking and she hadn't been paying attention.

“I suppose…” he trailed off, eyes going from Bella to Aro with uncertainty. “Would you touch her again? Perhaps…”

Aro nodded, extending his hand to her. She quickly complied, and they stood there for a few seconds, hand in hand, as Eleazar studied her. The vegetarian shook his head and gestured to Jane.

“Maybe her?”

Bella took a deep breath as the coldness of Aro’s skin left hers. Jane stared at Aro expectantly, like a newly trained puppy eagerly awaiting its first command. Bella readied herself, though she didn’t expect Jane’s power to work this time if Aro’s didn’t. 

“Yes, perhaps,” Aro agreed and nodded to Jane. “Go on, my dear.”

Jane focused on Bella, her usual sadistic smile absent from her face. The room fell quiet, and Bella could hear more than she could feel her own pulse, rapid and strong against the skin of her neck. Jane’s eyes bore into hers until Eleazar spoke again, his voice grave with contemplation.

“Yes… I think -”

He was cut off by Melissa’s shrill scream as she fell to the ground, pulling Bella with her. She stumbled, trying to keep her balance until she collapsed on top of the other girl. Melissa released her, writhing and yelling, and Bella pushed herself off of her. Kneeling by her side, she looked at Jane in confusion, seeing her plump lips stretching into a serene smile.

“Enough, Jane.”

At Aro’s words, Melissa’s body stilled. Her screams ceased and she remained on the floor, her hair covering her face as her ragged breaths filled the room. 

Bella hesitantly touched her shoulder. “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer, trying to recollect herself. After steadying her breath, she pulled herself up and sat on the floor.

“Yeah.”

Aro clicked his tongue.

“Not yet, Jane.”

“Pardon, Master.”

She didn’t seem sorry at all. From his spot, Caius chuckled.

Eleazar’s golden eyes travelled from one vampire to another, at last finding Bella again. He murmured something and formed a tight circle with the three rulers, whispering too quickly for human ears to catch. Bella took this moment to look at Demetri again, searching his face for any trace of reassurance, but he was the stoic image of a soldier. Her head was racing with all the possibilities of what was being discussed and Melissa’s fate took a backseat in her mind. During their whispered debate, she feared for her own life. What if Eleazar said her gift would never be useful to the kings? She didn’t think Aro’s so-called friendship with Carlisle would be enough for them to keep her in their home for seven years, not if she never proved to be useful in any way. Even if it was, they might end up never turning her. The prospect of ageing beyond Edward’s eternal seventeen years was grim, but to return to Forks seven years in the future still human was even worse. She knew Edward would postpone her transformation as much as possible, even never doing it if he could avoid it. She imagined the ancient vampires suddenly remembering she existed after a hundred years and arriving at Carlisle’s home to find she had passed from old age. 

She stood up, pulling Melissa to her feet.

“Time to toughen up.”

The four vampires conferencing started to speak louder and more slowly then. Bella couldn’t understand them even so, because they switched from English to an unfamiliar language. By her side, Melissa started to shake and back away towards the doors, but they were blocked by Demetri. Eleazar rendered his verdict.

“Omnilingualism.”

Caius huffed with disdain. Aro was more discreet with his disappointment, but it was still written on his face.

“Well,” he said, “as it happens…”

He turned his milky gaze to Bella, a spark of excitement bringing him back to life.

“But Isabella?” He asked Eleazar, who nodded.

“As you suspected.”

Bella’s frustration grew, threatening to explode in an angry fit. What did he suspect? Would they not tell her what type of power she had?

Would no one tell her anything , ever?

As if he could read her mind without touch, Aro sighed.

“How rude of us!” He shook his head in self-reprimand. “Allow Eleazar to explain it to you, Isabella.”

She bit her tongue to keep herself from correcting him and watched Eleazar. He walked over to her, ignoring how Melissa got even closer to the doors as he approached them.

“It seems to me that you are a shield, Bella. A very strong one, to work against immortals while you’re still human. It is a defensive power, especially useful if you could extend it to others.”

She frowned. It didn’t sound like much, but Caius seized her with a hungry glint in his eyes and Aro was back to his cheerful self. She bit her lip.

“Well… could I?”

Eleazar smiled. “Once you’re immortal, with time and practice, yes, I do believe so.”

That sealed the discussion, and the vampires prepared themselves to scatter away.  Demetri left his post by the doors, brushing against Melissa as he reached for Bella. It was remarkably quick, the vampire’s movements synchronised as if choreographed, and before Bella could process what happened she had been separated from Melissa and guided out of the room. Demetri took her by the hand, his hold on her much stronger than the feather-like touch on the small of her back she had gotten used to. She didn’t have time to feel any sort of way about their interlocked fingers before she was taken away. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Melissa’s fearful eyes for the last time.

Chapter Text

It was like pacing through hospital corridors as someone whistled the Twisted Nerve main theme among unsuspecting passers-by - but Bella was not unsuspecting. The imminence of death unnerved her, and she wished Demetri would walk faster, take her far enough so that she couldn’t hear Melissa’s screams when the reaper collected her soul. His fingers in between hers were coated in her cold sweat, but he didn’t seem to mind. Though the final decision had been clear enough, Bella needed confirmation. She swallowed dryly, trying to find her voice.

“Omnilingualism?” She all but whispered.

Demetri took her farther away from the drawing room before answering. She noticed with surprise that they were not going to the lobby. Instead, Demetri took her deeper into the castle.

“Gianna can deal with her workload on her own today,” he said, sensing her confusion. “Yes, omnilingualism… she can understand what one says regardless of the language spoken.”

Bella recognised the path to the library. If she wasn’t working today, then why was he taking her there?

“It’s not useful?” She guessed, happy that her voice was back to normal.

Demetri shrugged. “As it happens.”

She knew it was a possibility and yet couldn’t stop the wave of sadness that hit her. Eleazar was a vegetarian, she reminded herself; surely he wouldn’t condemn Melissa to death? 

“It could be useful,” Bella pressed, but Demetri dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

“Eleazar is surely appealing on her behalf as we speak. If there is a case, she has an advocate. Don’t trouble yourself with that now. It’s not your problem.”

Stubbornly, she was ready to fight him about it. How could it not be her problem? They made it her problem when they sent her to drag Melissa back into the castle just so they could prod her mind and discard her. He made it her problem, though she had to admit he probably didn’t have much of a choice regarding that. They stopped at the familiar entrance to the library, where Demetri held her face in his hands, and she momentarily lost the will to fight. She held her breath as she waited for another outburst from him, but he calmly studied her, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. She blushed, the iciness of his skin working as a soothing balm against the burning. She stared at him stupidly, trying to make sense of his actions. Was he searching for her mind under her shield again? She couldn’t feel anything different besides the nervousness of being touched by him. Only one other vampire ever held her face like that. Was this touch anything like Edward’s?

Horrified, she realised she wasn’t sure.

She hadn’t heard his voice in weeks, as well, not even the faint echo conjured up by her imagination. Did she still know what he sounded like?

I’m losing him.

He was never going to go back to Volterra, was he? He hadn’t visited in three months and his messages were briefer each time he wrote. Was he not concerned? Did he believe she was safe in there, or did he not care? She tried to remember their short reunion when she first arrived there; she was so sure he did love her then… but now he was fading again and she knew it was by his own choice. Would it finally be as if he never existed? Was his aversion to the Volturi greater than his love for her?

If it is, then maybe his love won’t survive this.

Demetri’s hands moved, bringing her back to the present. Sliding to her temples, they pushed her hair back, tossing it behind her shoulders. She shivered when the strands brushed against her neck, but he didn’t touch her there. His hands proceeded to slide down her arms and find her hands again, and her fingers twitched when he touched the scar James had given her.

“It occurred to me that the library was a rather inhospitable place for humans, and perhaps you wished to spend more time in here but were unable to.”

She looked at the door again, finally seeing rays of sunshine spread on the floor through the glass panel. Her heart jumped with hope and then quieted down with incredulity.

He fixed it?

No, of course not, Why would he?

He stepped back, and her hands tingled with the loss of his touch. He gestured for he to go inside and she nearly threw herself at the golden doorknobs, expecting to step into the place she had pictured when she first stood there with Gianna months ago.

It was there.

Natural light bathed the whole room, bouncing off neatly arranged rows of bookshelves. The small windows near the ceiling had been enlarged, which surprised her the most. When had they done that, and how had she not heard the construction noise? How did they get rid of all the rubble so quickly and so quietly? She spotted the index cabinets a few feet away, finally seeing them entirely, but she had the impression that they had been moved. Bella scanned the place, comparing it to the mental map she had of it after her many excursions in the dark, and found that it didn’t match. Whoever fixed the place - and she couldn’t believe Demetri fixed it himself, or if he did, that he did it for her benefit - did more than enlarge the windows. The books were behind dark glass doors, lined up and clean as she was sure they had never been before. Looking around, she recognised the old computers near one of the walls, though they sat on a sturdier table and the oldest models had been replaced by newer ones. She saw large, beautiful rugs on the hardwood floors, with comfortable armchairs around them. Wooden coffee tables with arched carved legs sat at the centre, completing the inviting and cosy setup.

“We had to protect the books from the light now that we have larger windows,” Demetri commented from behind her. “But I would say it was worth it. Though we don’t need it to see, some natural light does lift the spirits…”

He paced around, observing her instead of the room. Bella found she couldn’t bring herself to wallow in commiseration for a girl she barely knew inside the new library, as responsible as she felt for her death. She deserved to enjoy this, didn’t she? Hell, she deserved to enjoy something , and a few books in a nice library were not a luxury. She could see herself spending her time there now, as long as not many people decided to do the same. She didn’t expect to be the only person using the room, but she hoped to be the only one in there most of the time, at least.

“This whole makeover wasn’t because of me though, was it?” She joked. 

Demetri laughed. “I reckon it was.”

“Right.”

He didn’t comment on her sarcasm, merely watching her walk through the rows of shelves. She had only the faintest idea of where the English fiction section was located, as she hadn’t used the library for leisure until then, and took a moment to find it. The dark glass was not so dark that she needed to open the doors to read the bookspines, so she calmly read them with her hands in the pockets of her jacket.  It crossed her mind that she was wearing denim pants with her denim jacket and she cringed, regretting the poor fashion choice.

She could get used to this, she thought. Whatever they truly meant by accommodating her so much was a problem for future Bella; right now she felt welcomed and safe enough. It was almost too much , having a day off and a renovated library at her disposal at once. Was this a reward for succeeding in their mission? She was probably overthinking this. The library was probably set to be renovated before she even got there, or they could just be striving to make her feel at home. Maybe the Cullens weren’t worried because there was no reason to be worried; maybe she was safe in there. Still, she couldn’t avoid the irritation that surged whenever she was kept in the dark about anything important. She sighed.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

He raised an eyebrow but she wasn’t about to elaborate. Instead, she threw the question back at him.

“What about you? You were upset yesterday.”

He smirked. “Worried about me?”

“Well, can’t I be?” She shrugged. “Felix said you were working it out but he didn’t say what got you so mad.”

“Have I scared you?”

She frowned. That was fairly obvious, in her opinion. She had gotten used to Edward assuming he would terrify her with any small movement he made, even though Edward himself was not at all that scary. She had to admit that Demetri was scary, without even trying. It was her luck that he was always putting her at ease, consciously or not.

“Well, you did startle me. And then didn’t explain it at all.”

His face relaxed into a blank expression, as though something unpleasant dawned on him. “Forgive me. I had been… on edge as of late. I wouldn’t say I’m upset.” He leaned against one of the shelves, crossing one leg and shoving his hands into his pockets. “I’d say I’m restless, but I don’t want you worried. You have enough on your plate.”

She was distracted by the beams of iridescent light coming off of his skin. What little amount of it was left uncovered by his uniform erupted in multicoloured rays, mostly from his face. He wasn’t wearing a cloak but the long-sleeved smoky grey shirt and equally coloured tailored pants he wore were embroidered with the same V-shaped emblem on his necklace.  His hair glowed with a dark red halo and before she caught herself, Bella was gawking again.

For the love of God, what’s wrong with me?

All vampires looked good, she chanted in her head. No reason to be this caught up on this one, was there?

He was exceedingly nice to her and did touch her a lot. She knew he only meant to try and cross the barrier of her mind through physical touch. Still, it seemed that the more she let him touch her however he liked without complaints, the more he did it. It had started to make her feel inadequate and she couldn’t help but think it verged on inappropriate at times.

Focus, Bella.

Why was he so nice to her, anyway?

“No one cares about filling my plate when it’s convenient for them,” she forcefully crossed her arms. “When they need me to fly across the world to save someone from suicide, or if I have to drag a girl back to be slaughtered after she escaped death. We talked, I worried for her, and now she will die anyway. I guess it’s fine to keep things from me as long as no one needs my help.”

Demetri fought a smile. “That is a good reason to be upset, I suppose.”

“Sorry, you don’t want to hear about it. It’s not your problem.”

His dry laugh informed her that he didn’t miss how she flipped the table.

She resumed her walk. He followed her closely and quietly like a shadow, stopping by her side when she opened a glass door to pick out a book. The golden letters on the cover shone under the sparkles from his skin. The Castle of Otranto, by Horace Walpole. How fitting, she thought. She should enjoy reading that one inside a haunted castle of her own.

“I don’t presume to know anyone else’s reasons,” Demetri casually ran his index finger along the title of the book she held, “but speaking for myself, if I keep anything from you is because I fear your reaction to the truth. There are things you are not yet ready to hear and some might frighten you.”

“That should be my predicament. It should be my decision to make. If something affects me directly I should have the choice to do with that knowledge what I think is best. Why does everyone else get to decide for me like I’m a child?”

The obvious answer hung in the air between them. She could read it in the flaming crimson of his irises, the unspoken words burning in the depths of his deadly eyes.

“Because you are a child. Because we’re older, wiser; because we know better.”

He didn’t say it. If for fear of angering her further or because he didn’t believe it, she didn’t know. Instead, he smiled, suddenly amused by something.

“Right, fair enough. Let’s begin with small things, then. Ease you into it.”

He circled her, stalking her like prey or appraising her like an experiment, she wasn’t sure. He stopped right behind her and she stood taller, tensing up. She felt his hands on her shoulders and his cool breath on her ear.

“The jacket you wear every day, this jacket,” he squeezed her shoulders through the fabric, making her jump, “was mine. I bought it for myself and wore it for several years before it was placed in your wardrobe.”

“What?!”

She tried to spin around but he held her firmly in place.

“Alec thinks it’s funny to put my belongings in your way to see if you'll single them out.”

She scoffed, unsure if she was outraged or entertained by this. Why would Alec do such a thing? It sounded like a test, but what could he possibly be testing that way? She almost laughed, out of embarrassment more than anything else. She had been wearing Demetri’s clothes in front of him all this time and no one bothered to tell her? What else had she been using that was his?

Her face almost melted, so flushed it was.

I’m gonna kill Alec!

Demetri laughed, his whole body shaking. She could tell by how his hands were shaking on her shoulders and amid her mortification she felt the urge to kill him too.

“Well, at least you think that’s funny. I would hate for you to resent me because of a jacket, as nice as it is.”

“It is a very nice jacket.” He agreed. He pushed her, making her face him. They were much too close to each other now. “You can keep it. It looks better on you.” 

She did scoff then, astounded by the absurdity of the situation.

He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “As for the lost lamb you retrieved, it's a lesson as old as time: you don't name an animal you're raising for slaughter.” She felt a knot in her stomach. It was not the insensitivity of the remark that hurt her, but more the fact that he played with her empathy to get her to agree to the mission in the first place. He knew Melissa never stood a chance and yet made her believe she could make a difference. How could someone so cold and with such disregard for human life truly care about her in any way? She knew she wasn’t being raised for slaughter, but she was still an animal in their eyes. What could she be, then? A pet, at most; at least until they gave her immortality.

“You didn’t need me to get Melissa back in here.” Bella turned the book in her hands nervously, trying to keep the little distance between them. “You could have found her and brought her on your own, she couldn’t run from you or fight you in any way.”

“I could, but you want to be part of the guard. We’re including you. Besides, I’ll never pass up an opportunity to spend time alone with you.”

She shuddered. Including her . In what sense did they want to include her? A welcoming one, or a binding one? If they wanted to convince Alice and Edward to stay there, having her shackled to that place made sense. It would also make sense for the Cullens to distance themselves from her in that case. Was that what the mission had been? A way to make her complicit so she would feel too guilty to leave? A way to test her?

“I just… I can’t ignore it now. I feel responsible.”

“I see. You don’t care she is dying, you just don’t want to be a part of it.”

Bella flinched. He was right but was she wrong for feeling this way? She had to ignore all the tourists that fell victim to him and all the other vampires regularly, how else was she supposed to live there? She could easily not think about every other tourist that came into the castle with Melissa, all the nameless and faceless people she never had to interact with, but how could she ignore Melissa’s death when they had talked and Bella had learned about her life?

That’s because you shouldn’t have done that.

She didn’t have to do that. She took Melissa’s survival for granted and if she felt any guilt about her death, Bella only had herself to blame.

Demetri ran his fingers through her hair again, as if to soothe her, and she found it disconcerting that it worked.

“Had the girl not left the castle, she would be dead now. Had you not retrieved her, she would be dead. Her death was certain from the moment Heidi picked her.”

Bella fought the lump forming in her throat. “It didn't matter, then. It didn't matter that I got her back, so what was the point?”

“It matters that you accepted to go. It matters that you wanted to do well.”

She was light-headed. As if sensing that — which he probably did —Demetri put a hand on the crook of her elbow and gently guided her to an armchair. She marvelled again at the changes in the room before plopping down unceremoniously. The book fell on her lap.

“Does it matter that I did well?”

He smiled, sitting across from her. “Yes. Though, of course, if you hadn’t convinced her we wouldn't have held it against you.”

She knew deep down she couldn't make much of a difference but it was still strange to hear that no one even cared if she succeeded or not, and that Melissa was doomed from the start. 

Of course she was, the whole reason she came here in the first place was to be food.

“I don't like to think things are set in stone like that,” she admitted. “Not that I feel so important that my actions should change the world or anything, but it's a little suffocating to think we have no choice.”

“Choice is an illusion,” Demetri stated matter-of-factly, oddly conformed with the prospect, “though we do have the power to change the future through our decisions. You should know, having a seer for a friend.”

She did know this, which only made thinking of choice as an illusion all the more difficult. Alice’s visions changed all the time precisely because people changed their minds all the time. 

Alice . Bella missed her friend more than she missed Edward sometimes. She felt Edward fading as time went by, but not Alice. Bella missed her friend just as much as she did when she left for the first time. Her first and only real friend, if she cared to admit. The only close friend she didn’t have to keep secrets from.

Even Alice hides things from me, even if I hide nothing from her.

She used to be just fine with this. For the first time in her life, she was not the one on top of everything all the time. It was a welcome break from parenting her parents and she was thankful, but how much of not letting her decide for herself was caring and how much was patronising her?

She thought of how much the responsibility placed on her shoulders since her childhood could have influenced her need for control until she heard Demetri’s voice again.

“You said you find it suffocating. I, for one, find it very comforting. If the only certainty we have in life is death, vampires have none. It's soothing to think some things are simply meant to be. It takes all the weight of choosing from our shoulders.”

There has to be a balance, she thought. Not making any choices is only freeing if you get to make your own choices most of the time. Otherwise, what are you being freed from?

“If we do have the power to change the future, then Melissa could have lived,” Bella insisted. 

“If she had a formidable gift, she would have – but she was born with this one. If she never took Heidi's offer to come here, her gift would be irrelevant, and she would have lived regardless of it. The inevitability of her death was a result of these two factors combined. Anything that happened after she boarded our plane was inconsequential.”

Bella had to agree with him; accepting that would be comforting. She would have no reason to feel any guilt in that scenario. Still, the powerlessness that it brought her was anything but comforting.

“I guess… we can't expect to win against inevitability. I just don't like to think of anything as inevitable.”

His eyes flashed with a certain mischievousness. “Good things can be inevitable, Bella. Perhaps you should focus on those.”

She fidgeted with the sleeve of her jacket.

No, his jacket.

She hesitated for a moment, twisting the sleeve cuff in between her fingers. She felt the urge to take the jacket off now that she knew she had been parading it around when everyone knew it was his, but what would be the point? She had been wearing it for too long already and he said she could keep it. Still, the denim felt heavier somehow now that it carried meaning.

“It would give me peace to think of a few certain things as inevitable,” she conceded. “Right now, I would like to think my transformation is inevitable.”

“It is.” 

He said with such decisiveness that she instantly believed him. Without the threat of impending death it would be much easier to do a good job there. She felt sudden sympathy for Gianna, working there for so long with said threat always looming over her.

“That is comforting,” she admitted.

Demetri got up a little too quickly, making her jump. Possibly noticing this, he moved slowly when walking over to her and taking something from his pocket. He put the object on top of the book on her lap and Bella instantly recognised the bottle of pills Gianna had given her. She nearly cried out with relief. She was dreading nightfall since she woke up, terrified of facing her nightmares again so soon. 

“As a sign of good faith, here’s to not treating you like a child. Make your own decision regarding this.”

She snatched the bottle before he changed his mind. “Thank you.”

For everything , she almost said, not sure of what “everything” even was.

“You are always free to choose, Bella. I hope you know this.”

She nodded, equal parts confused and grateful. Maybe he meant to remind her she was not a prisoner there, something she did forget quite often. Maybe he just had no hope that she would quit the drugs.

He stared down at her ruefully.

“The sad thing about free will is that we are free to make all the wrong choices.”

Glancing at her book, he smiled again and backed away. “I hope you enjoy your book… and the library.”

He disappeared with barely a gust of wind, leaving her alone. She shoved the pills inside one of her pockets. She was more disappointed that he left than she had expected. She didn’t really think he would stay to keep her company, but she didn’t know she wanted him to stay until he left. He probably didn’t want to bother her while she read, or more likely, he had better things to do. It was so stupid , but her eyes brimmed with unspilt tears. She dried them off with her arm, staining the jacket.

She didn’t know what to think. 

It was strange to imagine the loneliness was affecting her so intensely. She had always been quite alone, and never had many friends growing up. She liked to think she was close to her mother, but even her presence had always been overwhelming. This loneliness was different from her initial depression back in Forks when The Cullens had left. She felt alive now, just caged in forceful isolation.

Maybe Alice would visit her if Edward wouldn’t. It was difficult for either of them to just waltz back into Volterra, she had to acknowledge. Perhaps she was judging them too harshly. 

Then there was Gianna, the person with whom she spent most of her time, but Bella was one hundred per cent sure they would never be friends. The Italian couldn’t be clearer about that if she tried. It was probably for the best; she couldn’t afford to bond with any other human in there - she was going to let Melissa be a lesson. 

Opening the book, she pushed all of her troubles to the back of her mind. She had always been good at repressing bad things and this was not a good moment to stop. She was determined to enjoy the book and the library, thank you very much. She deserved it.

Whatever Demetri was trying to accomplish with all the help he offered was a problem for future Bella as well.

Chapter Text

“spectatores, ego sum Lar familiaris. deus sum familiae Euclionis. ecce Euclionis aedes. est in aedibus Euclionis thesaurus magnus. thesaurus est Demaenti, aui Euclionis.”

Bella focused on the words on the page with utmost concentration, feet on the seat of her armchair and elbows bent on top of her knees. She held the Latin book with unnecessary strength, her face so close to the yellowed pages that she could feel the musty smell impregnating her nose. It helped, in a way, as did the silence. The library was blissfully empty as far as she could tell. The only sounds disturbing the quietness were her own frustrated grunts and sighs. It was a good thing that she picked up Latin and Italian books before anyone attempted to teach her any of the two languages; if she didn’t manage to learn anything by herself, at least she now knew what awaited her. Above her head, a solitary sconce shed a dim, warm light over herself and her tome, casting elongated shadows over the rug at her feet. Irrationally, she felt that turning on the main lights would be too disturbing, as if the vampires would be attracted to the room by the brightness like moths to a flame. They would know she was in there anyway, their heightened senses capturing her every sound and smell. Still, hiding in the dark brought her a certain level of comfort, at least for as long as she could keep herself awake.

And it was awfully hard to keep herself awake as she ran her eyes back and forth through the adapted text, trying to imprint the words on her tired brain. She thought longingly of her sleeping pills, discarded in her bathroom trash can on a whim days ago. It would do her no good to fall asleep in a shared space, where anyone could stumble upon her as her screams shook her awake. Her awkward reading position had been a deliberate choice, made to warrant that should she fall asleep, the book would hit the floor and her head would go with it, unsupported by her arms. Even so, Bella wasn’t looking forward to falling asleep and hitting her head on the ground.

With a loud sigh, she started over, deciding to reread the whole text in spite of how much of it she could understand, determined to memorise as much of it as she could before checking the glossary at the end of the section.

Engrossed in the book, she didn’t notice Jane entering the library and standing right next to her, reading over her shoulder. Her girlish voice was too close to Bella’s ear when she spoke.

“We have a night owl.”

Bella jumped, instinctively gasping and turning her head too quickly, hurting her neck. The book fell shut on her lap when she took a hand to the sore spot. Jane went around her bouncing on her feet and gave her a mean smile.

“Did you have another nightmare?”

Bella fixed her posture and steadied her breathing. That was yet another reason to avoid sleep until she found a way to stop the nightmares; it was mortifying enough that everyone knew she had them, talking in her sleep and revealing what they were about was simply too much for her to endure. She shook her head. “I’m trying to not have any, actually.”

Jane laughed, her eyes passing over the book cover. “Not a light reading for someone like you.”

Bella shrugged, trying to ignore the condescending undertone. Jane’s eyes grazed over the titles scattered on the table in front of them, squinting with undisguised suspicion before landing back on Bella. Among the Latin books were Italian and language acquisition volumes as well, and Jane made sure to mention Bella’s peculiar choices.

“Of all the books in here, I didn’t expect you to venture through those shelves,” she commented. “Latin, last of all.”

Bella frowned. She distinctly remembered Gianna mentioning that all the guards used primarily Latin to communicate. That and Aro’s mention that she should learn other languages made her certain that these two were the most important ones. “It’s the common language here, isn’t it?”

Jane raised her eyebrows defiantly. “So?”

“So I should learn.”

Jane studied her in silence, her ruby eyes stone-hard and calculating. She slowly sat down across from Bella, scanning her face with such focus that Bella began to feel a prickling sensation spreading from her forehead to her chin.

“Yes,” Jane said at last, slowly and deliberately. “I just didn’t think you would bother,” she admitted.

Bella bit her lip, turning her attention back to the book. She read the beginning of the text three more times before flipping the pages to the glossary. She then read it ten times over before reading the text again, now using her newfound knowledge to truly decipher it, a relieved laugh escaping through her lips when two sentences made some sense.

“We could go outside if you’re not going to sleep,” Jane suggested. “I can show you around from above, and when you go into town by yourself during the day, you’ll know your way.”

Bella froze, a small frown forming on her forehead. She had nearly forgotten Jane wanted to take her out after Melissa. She hadn’t seen or even thought about the girl again after their evaluation, and the memory of her caused a jolt to go through her body, but Jane’s choice of words distracted her from the horror of the reminder. What did she mean by “from above”?

She didn’t want to question Jane too much, afraid she would take back her offer, but Bella couldn’t help glancing at her book as she considered abandoning her studies. Jane was quick to address her worries.

“If you come now, I’ll help you with that from now on.”

Bella stared at her in disbelief. “You will?”

“Yes.” Jane jumped to her feet, her skirt falling over her white-clad knees. “You look like you’re actually trying. I could help.”

“Thanks.” Bella put her book on the table with the others and stood up, waiting for Jane. The vampire was unmoving for a moment, listening for something Bella’s ears couldn’t catch. Then she blinked and smiled mischievously.

“Right. Let’s go.”

Bella expected her to start walking, but she made no move, her smile faltering. To Bella’s surprise, her next words were whispered. “We should be quick. Let me carry you.”

A dreadful chill ran along Bella’s arms. “Are we sneaking out?” she whispered back. Jane pursed her lips.

“Yes, but don’t worry. You won’t get in trouble.”

Bella didn’t like the way she said “you” and not “we”. She shook her head.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

Jane dismissed her with a wave of her hand, rolling her eyes. “I said don’t worry. I won’t get in trouble with the masters.”

With who, then?

She didn’t voice her question. Instead, she hopped on Jane’s back, trying not to think how utterly ridiculous they looked with Bella’s longer limbs snaking around Jane’s small frame. Her gelid arms hooked themselves underneath Bella’s knees, and she darted out of the library, giving Bella no time to close her eyes before she felt the movement. There was a familiar, nausea-inducing feeling of floating as the floor all but disappeared under Jane’s feet, and Bella forcefully closed her eyes, burying her face in the crook of Jane’s neck to shield herself from the wind and their blurred surroundings. The run was much longer than Bella anticipated, and she thought she was imagining things when she felt Jane jump up at some point, but her previous words finally made sense. They were seeing the city from the rooftops; that’s what Jane meant by “from above.” The cold, fresh air from the outside engulfed them, making Bella even dizzier after months of breathing the stale air of the castle. A few more jumps later, Jane released Bella’s legs, and she slowly slid down from Jane’s back, struggling to find balance. The roof tiles felt slippery under her sneakers, and Jane promptly grabbed one of her arms and pulled her down so they could sit side by side.

Looking down, Bella’s stomach dropped. Cold horror lumped in her belly and she choked. They were so high up. Why would Jane think this was a good idea? She closed her eyes for a moment, lifting her head and trying to ground herself. Her hands searched for something to grip, but the roof tiles were merely fitted into each other and would certainly come loose if she grabbed them. The cold air helped once she got used to it. Jane’s hand was almost painful around her arm, but Bella preferred that to no support at all. After a series of deep breaths, she dared to open her eyes to the city underneath them, shivering despite her efforts.

The moonlight shone on the cobblestones covering the square down below, revealing all the houses and shops nearby. It was truly a beautiful place, with its narrow, curvy streets lined by brick and stone, with a charm that only old places possessed. The arches over a few of the streets conferred them a quaint look, and the cracks in the brick walls gave way to climbing plants, creating a lovely contrast between old and new, living and unliving. Though the city was asleep, with not one single human wandering outside, Bella could almost see it breathing, as if the plants moving in the night breeze and the flowing water from the drinking fountains were the chest of a beast, calmly moving up and down as it breathed.

Jane told her about all the main points of her town, as she called it, pointing to them as she spoke. She had chosen a very strategic spot to give her instructions, for which Bella was grateful; she couldn’t even imagine jumping again, not even one more time, so they could see something else. She instructed Bella on how to get to markets and bookshops, as well as the post office and the tourist sites, talking at length about their history. Though Bella was curious about the girl’s sudden change of heart, she didn’t question her reasons. It was clear to her that Jane was as unreasonable and unstable as any thirteen-year-old girl, and Bella would have to make her peace with it.

“You’re cold,” Jane noted when she was finished. “It didn’t occur to me that you could be cold wearing only that jacket.”

She smirked then, and Bella found herself infuriated again. She crossed her arms defensively.

“Right, the jacket.” She glared at Jane when she giggled. “Demetri told me it was his. Why would your brother put it in my room?”

Jane just laughed harder. “Demetri told you this? He should have told you everything, then.”

“Everything?”

Instead of answering, Jane tensed, looking into the distance. Bella followed her gaze on a reflex, but couldn’t hear or see anything. Afraid of moving too much and falling from the top of the building, she held her breath and waited. Soon, a shadow moved on top of the castle across the square, shooting in their direction, and Jane relaxed.

“Dumbass,” she muttered, catching Bella off guard. She never thought she would hear an ancient vampire using the word, no matter how young they looked.

Alec’s features finally became distinguishable to Bella when he jumped onto the roof they were on, his face the only visible part of him as he was dressed in the nearly-black grey of the guard. Jane snorted.

“You shouldn’t come near her just yet,” she chastised him. Alec rolled his eyes, sitting by her side.

“Look who’s talking. You brought her all the way up here.”

They switched to a language unknown to Bella, going back and forth with something in between a serious discussion and playful banter, or at least it seemed to be a serious discussion to Jane; Alec was smiling as Jane pouted and glared at him, their voices in completely different cadences. Bella scoffed, annoyed for being left out of the conversation and denied answers yet again. Alec ended Jane’s complaints with a gentle shove and a decisive, final sentence, pushing Bella as well since Jane still held her arm firmly to prevent her from falling. When Bella gasped and slipped downwards, Jane hissed and pushed her up.

“Careful!”

Alec rolled his eyes again. “Bad place to bring her.”

“So, you’re done avoiding me?”

He didn't look at Bella to answer. “I wasn’t avoiding you.”

“Yes, you were.” Jane pushed him in the same way he had pushed her, barely moving him. He flicked her ear.

“You’re such a gossip.”

Before they could start another fight, Bella jumped in again. “Jane won’t tell me why you put Demetri’s jacket in my room.”

The twins shared an indecipherable look. Alec forced a nonchalance that even Bella could see was false.

“I wanted to see if you would pick it.”

Bella grunted. “Why?”

To her annoyance, the two vampires went on to have another private conversation in what she thought was their mother tongue before Alec finished it again by switching back to English.

“But I want to see what happens next,” he argued, to which Jane shook her head vehemently.

“He is going to beat you up.”

“I’ll live.”

“Alec!”

Taking advantage of a second of Jane’s distraction, Bella stood up when she felt the girl’s grip on her loosen. Wobbling a bit before steadying herself, she felt her heart racing with the imminence of her fall to certain death. The twins mirrored her, standing up much more gracefully.

“If someone doesn’t tell me something right now, I’ll jump.”

The shock on their faces would be comical if Bella weren’t on the brink of fainting from the adrenaline rush. Jane’s eyes widened at her words, but Alec simply laughed.

“We’ll just catch you.” He shrugged. Jane pressed her lips into a fine line, her eyes still wide with panic.

“Speak for yourself.”

Bella took half a step forward to show them she was serious, though, of course, she had no real intention of jumping. Jane growled and reached for her with vampire speed, pushing her back with too much force. Bella fell on her butt.

“Ouch.”

“We can’t tell you. Even if you do try to kill yourself,”

The twins sat down again, this time leaving Bella in the middle. She felt like a child of divorce watching her parents fight, or what she thought that would feel like. She was too young to remember her own parents fighting and divorcing.

Her parents didn’t look thirteen when they divorced, either. Of that she was sure.

“We don’t need to tell her,” Alec reasoned, “we can do what Cullen did and let her figure it out. He can’t accuse us of telling her if she figures it out on her own.”

“She's not that smart,” Jane said, as if Bella weren’t listening. Alec turned to her.

“How long did it take you to realise Edward Cullen was immortal?”

Bella searched her memories for a timeline, counting the weeks between the car accident in the parking lot and her visit to Port Angeles.

“A little more than a month, I think. Less than two, for sure.”

Alec gave Jane a triumphant smile. “See? She might not be smart, but she’s not dumb either. She’ll figure it out.”

Jane eyed Bella with incredulity.

“I want to see what happens, too,” she admitted reluctantly. “It’s a bet.”

Alec’s smile morphed into a devilish smirk. He turned to Bella.

“If you don’t like me testing you, then maybe you should test Demetri instead.”

She frowned, the lines on her forehead so deep she was sure they would soon be permanent. With that realisation, she relaxed her face. “Test him for what?”

“Whatever he does to you, do it back to him. If he touches you a certain way, touch him the same way. If he speaks to you in a way, speak to him just the same. Take note of his reactions.”

Jane had a laughing fit, leaving Bella flabbergasted. Suddenly, an absurd suspicion of what he could be alluding to crept on her, but the mere possibility of what he was implying was so preposterous that she felt pathetic for even considering it. Then, another possibility occurred to her, and she stored it away, deciding to ask Gianna about it as soon as she could. She gave Alec a hard, calculating look.

“And then what, report back to you?”

The twins shared a glance, identical evil smiles on their cherubic faces. They answered in unison, turning their heads to look at Bella at the same time.

“Yes.”

Bella didn’t hesitate. “Fine.”

It was like she told them Christmas had arrived early. Alec gave his sister a winning smile, to which she just rolled her eyes again. Inching towards the edge of the roof, he suggested they walk around to properly show Bella the city.

“No,” Jane spat immediately. “We’ll be seen.”

“We’re not doing anything wrong.” Alec went to push her again, but she dodged him, careful not to yank Bella’s arm this time.

“It doesn’t matter.”

Truthfully, Bella felt like heading back to the castle. She was a little cold out there in the clothes she wore, and hadn’t figured out how to avoid her nightmares to get real sleep. She had asked Charlie for a few of her CDs a few days ago, planning on listening to some music to soothe herself to sleep, but the package was still somewhere on its way to Europe. He made sure to send her all the pictures she had taken in Forks with her new camera as well, and she planned on arranging them on her bedroom walls as another form of distraction when they finally arrived. For now, though, she was still stuck in the silence of her chamber in between its blank walls, feeling watched as anxiety overwhelmed her every time she laid down to sleep.

Ugh.

She hadn’t been having real nightmares, anyway. What was she so scared of? The carnage her mind made up on her first time sleeping in the castle had slowly morphed into ridiculous, harmless dreams. Bella liked to believe that was a sign that she felt safer in that place she was supposed to call home for the years to come, but didn’t want to fall into a false sense of security. Besides, the content of the nightmares mattered nothing if she thrashed and yelled in her bed, awakening the human staff and bothering the immortal inhabitants.

“I should try to sleep,” she finally declared, voice wavering. Jane stood up before Alec could protest.

“Let’s go, then.”

He stood between them. “I should carry her.” He smiled sheepishly when Jane scowled, amending quickly, “I’m taller than you.”

They looked at Bella, making her feel even more like a child choosing a parent’s side. Shrugging, she hopped on Alec’s back, to Jane’s discontent. She puffed, turning her back on them and running back to the castle without another word. Alec laughed.

“Such a ray of sunshine.”

He did warn Bella before running after his sister, giving her time to close her eyes and prepare herself. He was not that much taller than Jane, but even the small difference helped Bella accommodate herself a little better. Alec announced he was about to move, and Bella held him tighter, closing her eyes and bracing herself. During their journey, she thought he was going in a different direction and jumped down to the ground, disregarding Jane’s earlier complaints. When he dropped her with no proper warning, she looked around and her heart jumped as she noticed she was right. They were in a deserted alley Bella couldn’t locate, and Alec pushed her gently against a wall before she could ask him what they were doing there.

“Go talk to Master Marcus when you can,” he whispered with an urgency that made Bella shiver.

“About what?”

The shadow of a smirk passed by his lips. “He will know it before you tell him.”

Bella sighed, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. The moonlight didn’t reach them down there in between the ancient walls as well as it did up on the rooftops. She caught a glimpse of an ominous glint in his eyes before his boyish laughter reached her ears again.

“You must have a suspicion by now. Do tell me what you think it is.”

“No,” she shook her head vehemently. “No way. You just want to laugh at me. Besides, I have a feeling that this,” she gestured between them, alluding to the secrecy of their conversation, “is cheating.”

“I don’t cheat.” His voice was grave now, as if he were genuinely offended. “I’m not telling you anything. It’s not against the rules.”

She almost laughed, too. He couldn’t sound more like a boy playing a children’s game if he tried.

“Right. I’ll try to talk to him as soon as I can.” She pondered for a moment. “But I don’t really know how I would find him. Or anyone… not human… in there.”

“You have a map of the entire building,” he reminded her. “You can find anyone’s personal chambers in there.”

Anyone’s, he stressed. She stored that away as well.

When she didn’t retort, he told her to hop back on his back and took her back to the castle. Jane was pacing around the corridor outside the tower they had used as an exit, waiting for them.

“Took a detour?” She eyed her brother suspiciously.

Alec smiled. “I’m just more careful with the human. They get motion sick, did you know?”

Bella stared at him questioningly after getting down. Tipping her off might not be breaking the rules, but that was a blatant lie. If he wasn’t cheating, why hide it from Jane? She made no comment on it, biting her tongue and looking away when Jane zeroed in on her.

“Right,” Jane conceded begrudgingly. “Go to sleep, then. I’ll help you with Italian in the morning. Latin can wait.”

Bella nodded, slipping away before either of them decided to hold her back for any longer. Her eyes were finally starting to get heavier now that she was safe inside the castle again, the late hour weighing on her. Before making her way to her room, she decided to check her messages on one of the library’s computers, hoping the lack of anxiety to read them in the morning would help her fall asleep. She also thought of the books she had abandoned on the table, deciding to put them away before going to bed.

Throwing herself at the library doors to push them open, Bella jumped and nearly tripped on her own feet when she saw Demetri in the armchair she had occupied earlier, impeccable in his smoky grey clothes, legs crossed elegantly and hands clasped together. Her books were still thrown around on the table in front of him, just as she had left them. He stared at her reproachfully from underneath his dark eyebrows, the dark look he gave her sending a shiver down her spine.

“And where have you been?”

Baulking, Bella inhaled slowly. She had the absurd feeling he was scolding her, but he couldn’t be, could he? She knew she had permission to leave the castle at any hour, and neither Jane nor Alec had used the main doors. Jane did say they were sneaking out, and now Bella couldn’t help but think they were avoiding Demetri earlier. He stared pointedly at her, waiting for her answer with quiet patience.

“Out,” she finally croaked, “with Jane and Alec.”

Demetri quirked an eyebrow. “Out with Jane and Alec,” he repeated incredulously.

Bella crossed her arms. “Which is allowed,” she amended, trying to sound confident and failing. Demetri chuckled.

“Of course it is.”

She changed the weight of her body from one foot to another, looking down awkwardly. She wasn’t sure now that she wanted to get closer to him when he seemed to be chastising her, and reading her messages was off the table now anyway.

Get a grip, he won’t bite.

With the way he was looking at her, she wasn’t so sure of that.

“Were you looking for me?”

That gave him pause. She had the impression he was momentarily disconcerted, though he recomposed himself so quickly she couldn’t be sure.

“I just couldn’t find you,” he admitted uncomfortably.

Oh, right. That ought to make him uncomfortable. After a second of having the upper hand, Bella was pushed against the wall again.

“And what did you do outside with Jane and Alec?” Demetri asked, his face back to its previous stern expression.

Bella stretched her toes inside her sneakers before nervously walking over to him. Sitting across from him in the other armchair, she leaned forward, perching herself on its edge before answering.

“They just showed me where everything is, so I don’t get lost going out by myself.”

Demetri leaned forward as well, mirroring her. “How generous of them.”

She took notice of his gesture, ignoring the mocking tone of his remark. She remembered Alec’s instructions and his bet with Jane.

It couldn’t be, could it?

Her heartbeat quickened as she considered following said instructions. What were the implications of it, and what was she supposed to discover? Her suspicions were too absurd to be voiced; in fact, they felt too absurd to even think about. She considered waking Gianna up instead of waiting for the morning, just so she could ask the secretary what was plaguing her mind.

“It was in good time. My father sent me some of my things and now I know where the post office is. Won’t need a guide to go get them.”

Demetri smiled, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand. “It’s good to see you’re making yourself at home. And studying as well. I must say, I have been worried. I have suggested to Master Aro calling in a psychologist for you.”

“What?”

She shook her head, eyes wide with mortification. A psychologist? There was no way she would have therapy around all these powerful ears, especially with someone who would be there just for her. She was enough of a burden as it was.

“He told me to give you time and have some faith. Your recent progress makes me think he was right.”

Oh, thank God.

“I’m fine. I mean, I’m doing much better. My father could attest to that if he was here.” She thought of her catatonic phase in Forks, when Charlie considered sending her away to a facility. “I’ve been feeling more and more like doing things. I think I’m just taking some time to come back to myself after… everything.”

“I hope I get to meet him,” Demetri commented. “Your father.”

“You do?”

She felt uneasy. If she was really going to test him, now seemed like a good moment. She should take advantage of the fact that they were alone. She didn’t want to think of what could happen or what she would do if she was wrong, but she wanted to think of what would happen if she was right even less.

It won’t mean anything. You’re just testing the waters.

She told herself that she had done it before, months ago in La Push, when she wanted information out of Jacob, but the truth was that this was nothing like it. Demetri wasn’t a fourteen-year-old human with a crush on her. If she was wrong, the embarrassment would be simply crushing. She would never be able to look him in the eye again. He would probably never help her with anything ever again, either.

Jane and Alec were obvious enough with their childish provocations, she argued with herself. There was little subtlety in their jabs. Contrary to what Jane believed, she wasn’t that stupid. Still, asking Gianna about it first would be more prudent.

She studied the vampire in front of her, heart pounding as she considered what to do. He could hear how fast it was beating, giving away her nervousness, but she couldn’t think of that. If she did it now or some other time, he would hear it all the same.

Come on, Bella.

She hadn’t seen him for days. The first time she stepped outside, he appeared, like he was keeping track of her whereabouts. That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? Did he keep track of everyone?

Go on, get up. Go over there and touch him.

“You should go to bed,” he said, eyeing her suspiciously. Her pulse quickened even more.“I’ll put the books away for you.”

She nodded, decidedly giving up on using the computer.

Now. Do it now.

“Thanks.” She got up.

Naturally. It’s going to be fine. He is in your way to the door, just touch him as you pass him by. Casually.

God, she was going to faint.

There was no way she would have a peaceful night of sleep now.

To hell with it.

She made her way over to him, stopping by his side. As fluidly as she could, she took one hand to his forehead, slipping her fingers through his hair.

It was like the entire world stopped.

He turned into a statue. As her fingers slid across his scalp, pushing his hair back, he ceased breathing altogether. His eyes turned into such a dark shade of black that she couldn’t differentiate his irises from his pupils, the pitch black shade overtaking his gaze as if he were possessed. It took her all her nerve to keep going, slowly and smoothly, brushing the strands away from his face until her hand was completely disentangled from his hair. She couldn’t help but notice how incredibly soft it was, and as untimely as the realisation hit her, she thought her hair must have felt absolutely unpleasant to him in comparison every time he had touched it.

As her hand fell to her side, he snapped out of his trance.

“Bella,” he breathed, and it sounded like a warning.

Oh, God. What now? What was that?

Was that enough of a reaction? She could do it again, just to be sure. Tentatively, she took a loose strand of his hair around her index finger and tucked it behind his ear. His lips parted, a soft hiss passing through them.

She pretended not to notice.

“I’ll be going, then.” She put her hands in her pockets. “Good night.”

He didn’t answer her, his eyes travelling from her face to the hand she used to touch him. For a moment, she thought he was going to reach for her, but he didn’t move. As soon as she was sure it was safe, she turned her back on him.

She all but ran out of the library, hands sweating inside her pockets, praying he was shocked enough not to follow her.

Oh, God. No, no, no, no.

Her mind was in disarray as she headed to her room. She thought of Edward, feeling the now familiar, horrible guilt again. It occurred to her that she had been in Volterra for longer than they had dated before he left her in Forks, her perception of time becoming wrapped and meaningless with that realisation. She felt awful, dislocated and insane, and cursed herself for the hundredth time for throwing the pills away. She wished her father could be there, as selfish as it made her. She wished anyone was there to assure her that she was not crazy, and that she wasn’t a horrible, self-centred person using people for her own goals as she went through life.

No, she wasn’t doing that, not to Demetri. Of that she was almost sure. As soon as the sun was up, she would go to Gianna’s room and question her.

She just couldn’t understand how she could be doing better when he was still away. How could she be healing if they were apart? She knew she should be healing, but it felt wrong.

And now this.

Whatever that was.

Slamming her bedroom door behind her, she considered locking it. There was no point, of course. She was sure everyone in the castle would have the key, even Gianna. It was useless.

When she threw herself on her bed, removing her jacket and kicking her shoes off, she immediately had another crisis.

The bed sheets she had changed days ago smelled like Demetri again.

She didn’t get up right away. For a second, she buried her face in the mattress and inhaled deeply to be sure. There was no mistaking it. She would never forget that smell.

He had been there. In her room. In her bed, again.

When she wasn’t even there.

He was looking for you. You knew that.

He didn’t have to touch her bed to look for her, did he? He didn’t even need to look for her in the first place; she only went out for a few hours.

She was going to be completely out of her mind in seven years, she was sure.

Sighing, she turned it all off. The whole situation was absurd enough that when she thought that at least the smell would help her fall asleep, she didn’t feel any crazier for it. It was nice to be able to admit that to herself in the privacy of her own thoughts, untouched as they were by everyone around them. Unbound from self-consciousness and shame, she allowed herself that small slice of truth: Demetri brought her comfort, whatever the reason for that was. She liked his touch and his presence. She enjoyed his company. The smell of his skin on her bed sheets helped her fall asleep the last time, and she knew it would help her again this time.

Tomorrow. Read into this tomorrow, not now.

She closed her eyes in the dark, repeating it like a mantra. Tomorrow, not today.

Today, she would be honest with herself. Tomorrow was another day.

Chapter Text

The ticking of her clock echoed in the quietness of her room, taunting her.

Bella sat on the edge of her bed, paralysed by the absurdity of her conclusion. Absent-mindedly, she ran her fingers through her hair, gasping when they got caught in the knotted mess it became. Freeing them with difficulty, she turned her head once, twice, three times, as if she could find the missing hairbrush so easily after carefully searching the room for hours. She glanced at the clock by the bed again.

She was going to run late.

A few nights of good sleep had finally cleared her of her stupor. She tried not to think of how well she had been sleeping and why, but there was no escape now. She had to face the reality she had been avoiding.

Because my hairbrush is missing.

It was so ridiculous. Bella couldn’t find it in herself to even think the words, let alone say them. Who would she tell anyway? Not Gianna, for sure. She couldn’t even gather enough courage to ask the secretary the question that had plagued her mind ever since she saw the new library. She certainly couldn’t talk to her about any of this.

She had to admit it to herself, at least.

Running back to her bathroom, Bella stared at herself in the mirror. She didn’t look good, but she didn’t look dead any more. Half-dead, maybe, but even that was an improvement. The bags under her eyes were not as dark or deep as they once were, and her skin, though still pale, regained some warmth. Relieved, she thought that at least her father wouldn’t have too much to worry about when he visited for Christmas.

Her reflection wasn’t too reassuring, all things considered. Her untamed hair was the finishing touch on the picture of insanity that stared back at her from the glass.

She did feel crazy, there was little to be done about that, but she would feel even worse if she were right. Because that would mean a different type of danger than the ones she had anticipated, and she was entirely unprepared for it.

Her eyes stared back at her, wide and unsure. She formed the words in her head, too self-conscious to say them aloud and too scared that an immortal would hear them.

Deep down, she knew where that hairbrush was. Just like she knew why her bed always smelled like someone else, no matter how many times she changed the bed sheets. She was sure now that Jane and Alec’s bet was related to it.

Demetri comes into my room. He takes things, sits on my bed.

Why would he do that?

There was not a single word in her vocabulary that could make her feel less ridiculous for considering such a possibility. Because he wanted her, of that she was sure, as unlikely as that was, but not like Edward ever wanted her; more like how the boys at Forks High wanted her when she arrived, and not quite like that either.

If she dared to ask around – and she didn’t – she was sure she would find out he had a reputation with women.

I’m next on the list.

The fact that he couldn’t find her with his gift was probably an incentive to him rather than a deterrent. Though relieved for deciphering the mystery of his actions, she had no idea of how to proceed. Was he even doing anything wrong? Bella couldn’t fathom he would risk misbehaving in his own home, right under the kings’ noses. He might have been doing nothing wrong, and telling them would be for nothing. What, then? She had a feeling that confronting him would be quite useless, too. He would probably just deny it, and without any proof, she would be easily gaslighted.

Bella watched her eyebrows furrow in her reflection. Alec’s words made their way back to her.

She had a map with everyone’s room on it.

Let’s find some proof, then.

“Well, this is decent enough.”

Gianna turned the paper over in her hands, analysing it thoroughly. Her voice betrayed a hint of uncertainty but no disdain, which was progress in Bella’s book.

“Your father is not a cop, is he?” The Italian joked. Her smile fell when Bella hesitated.

“He’s Chief of Police, actually.”

“You’re kidding.”

Bella bit her lip and looked away.

Gianna took a dramatically deep breath. “You’ll want to keep trying, then. You still have a few months until he comes.” Her green eyes flickered to the calendar on her desk. “I might not be around to help you.”

Bella instinctively followed her gaze. The circled day stared at them provokingly, burning like an ember. Startled, Bella realised the date was now only days away. Gianna sighed.

“Well, let’s put this away for now.”

Bella slipped the paper into a drawer as the secretary started the computer. The first sun rays were likely making an appearance outside on the town square, though neither of them could attest to it from the lobby. With the fake diploma secured, Bella stood up and headed to the kitchen.

“I’ll get the coffee,” she announced. Gianna nodded, eyes on the screen in front of her.

She had never been one to drink coffee. It had helped when she couldn’t sleep at night and still needed to work during the day, and now it was a well-established habit.

She tried not to think of why she had been sleeping better for the past few nights, but the memory of Demetri’s scent pushed itself to the front of her mind insistently. It was horrifyingly embarrassing that such a thing would ease her into peaceful sleep when nothing else could, but there was no other explanation for her quiet nights. The pills were long gone; she was clean. She could deny it and try to find another reason, but the truth was looking her in the eyes.

The kitchen was empty, as it was still too early for breakfast.

Bella watched the water go down inside the paper filter as the fresh coffee dripped into the thermos, lost in thought. Alec’s words were a persistent echo in her head, provoking her. She had the map. She could just go into Demetri’s room and see if her things were there.

You’ll be caught. There is no way to go anywhere in the castle undetected by all these vampires.

Even if she was not caught in the act, he would still know.

No, that was an absolutely insane plan.

The sound of fingers tapping against the tabletop snapped her out of her musings. Turning around, her racing heart jumped and picked up speed to see Demetri himself sitting at the kitchen table, as immaculate as always in his spotless grey uniform.

“Good morning.”

She swallowed nervously, taking a few seconds to answer, her voice hoarse.

“Good morning.”

He looked at her with a hint of unconcealed suspicion that had not dissipated when he spoke again. “Have you been sleeping well?”

Another leap from her treacherous heart. “Uhm, yes. Much better.”

He smiled, his eyes twinkling mischievously. “I’m very glad to hear that.”

Bella stared him down, hands firmly grabbing the countertop behind her. She could confront him now, while they were alone. There was no guarantee that they were not being overheard, but she could never be sure of that. Only he could know.

She searched for the words with no success. How could she even pose such a question? “Have you been in my room without my permission? Do you steal from me?” Nothing she came up with sounded any less accusatory than that. Perhaps she should accuse him. Would he expect that? If she caught him by surprise, it could be enough to get something from him, even if not a verbal confession.

The sound of dripping stopped, and she turned to remove the filter from the thermos and close it. Facing him again as quickly as she could, she found him unmoving in the same spot and relaxed.

“You have been taking lessons from Jane.”

She threw the used paper filter in the trash can under the sink. “Uhm, yeah... she offered to help me with Italian and Latin.”

“What about Greek?”

Bella frowned. Gianna hadn’t mentioned Greek as one of the languages the guards used. It made sense now that he brought it up, though. There had to be at least one vampire in there from Ancient Greece — or several, most likely. There was a certain eagerness in his expression that had her venturing a guess.

“Is it yours?”

He smiled. “Yes.”

As she closed the thermos, her hair fell from the ponytail she had put it in after finally giving up on brushing it with her fingers. An exasperated sigh escaped her lips before she yanked the hair tie and began to rearrange it. Demetri watched her struggle with the matted mass with curiosity.

“I can’t find my brush anywhere,” she answered his silent question, and something like alarm flashed through his eyes.

That’s right, I’m onto you.

He recovered quickly.

“How unfortunate.”

Their eyes burned into a quiet tug of war. She didn’t expect him to confess, but the small slip she witnessed was a start. Either way, it didn’t matter. She was set on breaking into his room to find her things anyway; she was sure more things were missing, even if she only noticed the brush now. It was probably not the first time he did that, only the first time he got caught.

Suddenly, the hair tie broke, snapping against her fingers and evoking a grunt from her. Defeated, she let her hair fall.

“Did you want to teach me?” She asked on a whim. “Greek.”

He was taken aback, eyes widening for a second. Bella almost smiled; another small victory.

“I would love that.”

Faster than she could process, he got up from his seat and stood in front of her. Startled, she jumped back, hitting the countertop. He gracefully ignored it.

“Turn around.”

She had half a mind to say no, absolutely not, but then couldn’t find a reason for such a strong refusal. At that point, she was more than sure he wouldn’t hurt her, not even by accident. Slowly, very hesitantly, she complied.

“I came here to inform you that Master Aro gave you permission to cook your own meals.” His hands started working on her hair, and she nearly jumped again. She felt a brush caressing her scalp.

Was that her brush?

No, it couldn’t be. He wouldn’t.

It took all her strength to stay put. Balling her hands into fists and gritting her teeth, she felt a rush of boiling blood spread through her body, white fury leaving pink spots on her skin in its wake.

She couldn’t speak, jaw locked shut. She didn’t dare to move her head in acknowledgement, afraid to disturb him as he brushed and braided her hair. She waited, taking slow, deep breaths until she felt she could speak without betraying her inner turmoil.

“I can cook for myself?”

No other member of the staff cooked their own meals. The assigned cooks made everyone’s food, and they didn’t even choose the menu; it was delivered to them, ready and printed out, every week. That granting seemed like a big privilege. As happy as Bella was to be able to cook again, she anticipated some resentment from the rest of the staff.

“If you so wish,” Demetri answered. His hands worked quickly with surprising softness. Bella imagined he would eventually pull too hard, moving so fast, but he was gentler with her than she was with herself. The news distracted her. Unknowingly, she relaxed more, the offence of the stolen brush momentarily forgotten.

“Can I go grocery shopping too, then?”

His hands stopped moving. She felt the braid fall on her back, long and heavy, noticing how much her hair had grown. Before she could turn around, she felt something scratching the nape of her neck, so quickly and so lightly that she thought she imagined it. When she did turn around, she was disappointed to find that whatever brush Demetri had used was no longer in his hands.

“You are free to do your own shopping as well,” he confirmed. He hadn’t stepped back, towering over her as their chests almost touched. Bella took a moment to process their proximity, and he tilted her face up, index finger under her chin, his thumb nearly touching her lower lip.

As the blood pooled in her cheeks and her heart raced, the now-not-so-odd guilt overcame her again. Only now she knew what it was, though she tried to convince herself that it was uncalled for.

She felt guilty because they were flirting, or rather, he was flirting and she had started to flirt back.

It’s not like that, she thought desperately. It wasn’t, really. At least, it wasn’t like what she did to Jake. It wasn’t a conscious effort; she just didn’t like Demetri’s smugness and self-confidence. It irritated her, that he would purposefully affect her like that and get away with it unscathed.

She liked it much better when he seemed as affected by their interactions as she was.

It’s just fighting for some power.

Did that make it okay?

They were so close that she thought for a moment that he was about to kiss her. She couldn’t quite tell if he was slowly getting closer or not.

“How old are you?”

He raised an eyebrow, moving his head away. His hand left her face to rest on her waist.

“I’m twenty-five.”

Bella fought the urge to laugh. Of course he would be twenty-five.

“And how long ago were you born?”

She had to fight the urge to close her eyes and rest her head on his chest when he began drawing circles on her waist with his thumb. The current weather had her wearing layers, the thickest of them being a green sweater she had over two thinner shirts, shielding her from the coldness of his skin, though it did little to diminish the pressure he applied. Was that an effect all vampires had on all humans? It felt ten times worse than anything Edward had ever done to her, possibly because Edward had never done it on purpose. Studying Demetri through her lashes as she did her best to win against her heavy eyelids, she was sure he knew exactly what he was doing. His answer came low and sultry, vibrating in his chest like a purr.

“About a thousand years ago.”

She must not have hidden her shock well enough. He smirked, finally stepping away and removing his hands from her. She felt instantly lighter, as if a weighted blanket had been lifted from her.

“That’s quite a lot of time.” Bella inhaled deeply, grabbing the counter behind her again for support. “You must have a lot of stories to tell.”

There was a glint in his eyes when his smirk turned into a genuine smile. “It will be my pleasure to tell you all of them, if you’d like.”

He suddenly took a few steps back, turning his head to the door. A short, brunette vampire materialised in the doorway, her thick hair firmly up in a bun. Her uniform was much darker than Demetri’s, and unlike him, she had the staple Volturi cloak on her shoulders. She looked from Bella to him, an amused smile on her face.

“Do I interrupt?”

“Yes,” Demetri answered bluntly.

The newcomer was unfazed. “You’re late.” She stared at Bella’s hair for a moment before meeting her eyes. “I’m Chelsea. You must be Isabella.”

“Bella,” she corrected, realising a little too late that it could be inappropriate to do so. The woman simply smiled.

“Nice to meet you, Bella. Love the hairdo.” She didn’t wait for a response, looking at Demetri again. “Well?”

“My apologies.” He threw Bella a last enigmatic glance, his serious expression betraying a hint of annoyance. “Your Wednesday and Friday evenings are mine now.”

She blinked, taken aback. “Uh, Jane...”

“Has the rest of the week to teach you,” he interrupted her. “I’ll let her know.”

She was alone in the kitchen again, mouth half open as her brain tried to process the altercation. Situating herself again, she grabbed the thermos and ran back to the lobby where Gianna was ready to scold her.

“Took you long enough.” The Italian frowned, taking her in. “You fixed your hair.” It sounded like an accusation, and Bella figured she thought it was the reason for the delay.

“I... Demetri fixed it.” Bella tried to say it casually, setting the coffee on the desk. Gianna stared at her like she had grown a second head. Then realisation dawned on her.

“Oh, God.” Taking her personal mug from a drawer, she poured herself some of the coffee. “And I thought I was in trouble.”

“That's a thing he does, then.” Bella took the opportunity to finally ask. “He has a... reputation.”

“He certainly does.”

Bella shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I figured.”

To her surprise, Gianna sighed with relief. “Did you? That’s good. Well, better than deluding yourself into thinking you’re special to him, at least.”

“Hm.”

Truthfully, Bella hadn’t considered that until Gianna brought it up. She couldn’t see a single reason why she would be dear and special to one vampire, let alone two. Her guess had always been that he was the Don Juan type and focused on her when his gift failed. With any luck, his interest would fade fast when he got to spend more time with her.

A horrible thought came to her, then. Was that what happened to Edward? For the first time, she wondered if he would have looked at her twice if he could hear her thoughts. Worse than that, if he would have liked her at all if he knew what she was thinking about him when they met. She knew she was average-looking at best, and there was nothing in her mind that he hadn’t heard a thousand times before.

That was her curse, it seemed. To be the shiny new toy, interesting enough to induce superficial interest, but with not enough substance to keep said interest in the long run.

She sat down by Gianna, thinking about breakfast time to avoid more uncomfortable thoughts. Her humour improved significantly when she remembered she was going to make her own lunch, and she began to plan it, recalling the markets Jane pointed out when they were outside. The imminence of their next lesson cheered her up as well. Bella was anxious to let the twins know that she had figured it out, thank you very much. Alec would be happy to know that he won the bet.

“No, you didn’t.”

Jane opened one of the books with unnecessary violence, the hardcover hitting the table with a loud thud. Alec appeared in a flash.

“Let’s hear it.”

Bella crossed her arms, annoyed. “I did. I’m not that stupid.”

The twins exchanged a glance, Alec’s amused expression contrasting starkly with his sister’s scowl of incredulity.

“Do tell us,” she rested her angelic face on her hands, a caricature of intense attention. Bella huffed.

“He’s trying to woo me.” Bella spat, her cheeks burning with the absurdity of the affirmation. “He’s a ladies’ man.”

Jane rolled her eyes. “No.”

“Both things are true,” Alec argued. “I would say I win.”

Jane shoved him. “They’re unrelated.”

“She’s half right,” he insisted.

“She’s halfway there,” Jane conceded. “But that’s not it.”

Bella shook her head, flabbergasted. “How can both be true and unrelated?”

They shrugged. Alec chuckled, earning a sideways glance from his sister.

“Are you helping or are you leaving?”

He didn’t need to be asked twice. “Leaving.” He sighed dramatically, looking at Bella one last time. “Some people just don’t listen.”

He left before Jane could question him. Bella knew he was alluding to the advice he gave her in the alleyway.

Right. I should talk to the brooding king. Marcus.

She now felt more motivated to do so. She had been so sure she was right... No other reason crossed her mind. She was at a loss.

“Demetri told me you’re studying with him twice a week,” Jane commented. “Not asked; just informed me.”

Bella cleared her throat. “Right. He didn’t ask me either.”

“He’s so bossy and controlling,” Jane complained, pushing the book towards Bella. “Good luck with that.” She pointed at the second half of the page. “From here. And try to follow the pronunciation guide this time, I never thought I would hear such a butchering of this language in my lifetime before our last lesson.”

Bella opened her mouth, unsure whether to ask what she meant by “good luck with that” or if to contest the attack on her pronunciation. She bit her cheeks, choosing peace this time. Her mind wandered to the last e-mail she had sent Alice, anxious to check for a response.

On the day of Gianna’s appraisal, Bella walked into an empty lobby.

At first glance, nothing seemed different. The two chairs were side by side behind the desk. All the office supplies Gianna kept neatly organised were exactly in their designed spots, not a pen out of place. Bella yawned, wondering if she should leave the desk to get some coffee if Gianna wasn’t there this time. Just as she noticed the metal plaque with Gianna’s name was gone, Heidi walked in.

“Good morning, Bella.”

A tall, brown-eyed woman followed her closely. She reminded Bella of Gianna, though her eyes were brown while Gianna’s were green.

Bella held her breath, her stomach dropping. She knew what Heidi was about to say.

“This is Valentina,” the vampire introduced the woman behind her. The human approached her cautiously. “Gianna has been let go. Valentina will be replacing her.”

She didn’t pass this time.

Bella didn't react immediately, her mind trying to process the grim information so casually given. She wasn’t particularly emotional over the news, but the situation instilled a sense of dread in her. She wondered if Demetri got his wish, if he got to kill her himself.

Clearing her throat, she risked speaking past the knot in her throat. “Good morning. I’m Bella.”

Valentina nodded, staring at her inquisitively. Though she wore a long-sleeved, skin-tight blouse and had thermal tights underneath her wool skirt, her hands shook.

Heidi answered her silent question. “Bella is the secretary’s assistant. She works shorter hours, so don’t expect her help all the time.” She turned to Bella. “I’ll be around a bit while I train Valentina.”

“Ok.”

Heidi then marched over towards the desk, putting a new plaque where Gianna used to leave hers. Only then Bella noticed that she never learned Gianna’s last name. Valentina’s plaque displayed only her first name as well.

“You have been taking better care of your hair,” Heidi commented. Bella shook her head, blushing.

“Demetri has been braiding it for me every day,” she admitted. Heidi laughed.

“Oh, I see. He should have taught you for when he is away, like now. Unless you planned to keep it like this until he returns.”

Bella let out a dry laugh. Demetri always made such intricate braids on her hair that she wouldn’t have been able to replicate the styles if he had taught her.

Wait, he’s away?

“Away like now?”

Heidi tilted her head. “He didn’t tell you? He’s out on a mission.”

Bella feigned indifference. Heidi surely noticed her restlessness, but didn’t comment on it. Valentina sat down on Gianna’s former chair and listened closely as Heidi began to instruct her. Their voices were drowned out; Bella could only think of one thing.

Time to break and enter.

Chapter Text

The day was brand new when Gianna came into the throne room.

Technically speaking, it was beginning, though the sun was far from breaking through the sky with its rays. The calendar always seemed to breeze by, days bleeding into nights bleeding into each other. Demetri found it difficult to keep up with such rapid changes; he would be doing something for only a moment to find upon finishing that the humans in the castle went to bed and rose from it several times, completing countless little tasks in the meantime. Time was a backdrop piece, an afterthought. It no longer wrapped itself around him like a blanket, gradually suffocating him with age and decay. It simply unfolded around him, a mighty beast rendered powerless.

That was until she came, of course. He could barely keep himself away from her, taking note of her whereabouts whenever he could, noticing every single day coming to an end as she went to bed like every other human they housed. It was agonising, truthfully. He had long forgotten how short a span of twenty-four hours was. It seemed like Bella Swan had only woken up when she returned to her chamber and attempted to sleep again, only to have her nightmares shake her awake after a few hours. He found himself gravitating towards her, watching from a safe distance more often than he would like, trying not to impose his presence on her for too long. She had such little waking time each day...

With such restrictions, it should have been no surprise that his body moved on its own as the sun bathed the streets outside, some invisible force pulling him to her vacant bedchamber. Mindlessly, he wandered until he found himself enclosed by its bare walls, moving like a lost soul gravitating towards the light. The room was still void of any trace of character, a blank canvas his Bella was yet to paint to her heart’s delight. Any personal item inside was a treasure, and he loved a treasure hunt.

Demetri convinced himself she would not notice the absence of a few belongings, were he to take a souvenir every other time he ventured into her room. He convinced himself he was collecting rather than stealing. Could she not get a new pen or a new hairbrush? Those specific items meant nothing to her beyond their practical function. To him, they were small pieces of her, little portions of a calming balm to relieve the burning inside him until he could have all of her to himself. It was barely enough to keep him at bay.

Gianna cleared her throat.

For her, the day would not truly start before a few hours had passed. As it was, she might not even live to see the sun rising one last time.

Her unsteady heartbeat resounding through the stone walls of the room was deafening in such proximity. The compass etched in him came alive, responding automatically to his struggle to locate others around him, for Gianna’s heart drowned out every other sound, even her own laboured breath. He felt everyone in the room first, finding all the others in the compound soon after.

All but one.

It was a constant pain, that missing piece. Fate had been particularly cruel by deciding to send her back to him with that little quirk, though he couldn’t say he didn’t deserve it. Not after what he had done to her when he first had her.

He couldn’t remember Gianna’s presence being this oppressive. Her scent was marred by the heavy smell of her fear, though it had never been tantalising in the first place. Just like herself, it was perfectly ordinary. She stood tall and proud in the middle of the throne room, surrounded by the Guard and their three kings, only barely keeping her high-heeled shoes from sinking into the large grate on the ground. She was good at keeping a calm front, he had to admit. Though her heart beat furiously in her chest, she remained poised and unmoving. She didn’t flinch when cold sweat started dripping from her temples, didn’t move to wipe the droplets from her face. She waited patiently and quietly,chin up, shoulders back. Her composure only fuelled Demetri’s need to watch her kicking and screaming, begging for mercy. Though he tried to be just in his judgement of her, he hadn’t quite managed to rid himself of the anger her actions had provoked. Her reckless disregard of his warnings and wishes left the bitter taste of disrespect in his mouth.

Aro stood from his seat.

“Good morning, Gianna. Thank you for joining us today.” He smiled reassuringly. Demetri scoffed internally. He understood Aro’s need for pleasantries towards the human servants, but it unnerved him all the same on most occasions, and especially on this one.

The human nodded, as if she had any choice in the matter. Across from him, on the other side of the room, Jane rolled her eyes.

“Well, as we are all aware, we are here for Gianna’s periodical appraisal.” Aro looked around as he smiled softly at the guards. “Now, before I let any of you come forward with your opinions and reasons, I would like to bring attention to the fact that Gianna will be twenty-eight years old this year. That is reasonably over the limit we tend to set for our secretaries, and we already have a few candidates lined up to replace her.” His eyes flashed with an evil glint in the otherwise dark room.

It was clear that Aro was against keeping the woman in her current position for another year. If not for her recent quarrels with Bella, Demetri wouldn’t particularly care for her permanence. He didn’t think twenty-eight was old at all, not for that position. In fact, he believed the only upside of recruiting young girls for such a job was the possibility of keeping them around for longer. Their youth came with inexperience, and was not a good trait in itself. The fact that Gianna survived for long enough to hone her skills should speak in her favour, not against her.

None of that truly mattered to him any more.

He was surprised that the kings even called for him. He had suspected he would be left out of Gianna’s evaluation that year, considering the most recent events. His presence in the room could be yet another indicator that she was to be disposed of.

By him.

Caius’s impatient voice echoed through the chamber. He believed it was a waste of his time to have direct involvement in the choice of secretaries, although Aro insisted they needed to handle it themselves. “She hasn’t made any major mistakes. Not just this past year, but ever. Twenty-eight is young; she could stay for ten or twenty years still.”

Aro’s eyes ran through the guards, landing on the twins. “Jane, Alec?”

“She’s one of the best we've ever had,” Jane declared begrudgingly. “No reason to let her go as of now.”

Alec frowned. “I don’t like her. She is so full of herself for no reason.” He looked at Gianna as if he was about to spit in her direction. “Too proud for someone so unimpressive, and too desperate to cling to this job for as long as possible. She knows she is ordinary and won’t ever be turned. Her bad behaviour will only get worse as she ages.”

Gianna flinched. Aro sighed, turning to Demetri.

“Would you care for an unbiased opinion, my friend?”

Demetri clenched his jaw, looking the human in the eye. Her fear was evident then, as she met his gaze with pupils so wide he could hardly see the green around them. He would be neutral and professional. Everyone in the room was aware of his wishes; there was no reason to voice them. Besides, he hoped being fair to the lowly creature in front of him would grant him a reward.

“She is, indeed, one of the best we’ve ever had,” he agreed. Gianna exhaled, relieved. “It is a hassle for Heidi to train someone new. As long as she makes no serious mistake that would warrant her demise, we should keep her.”

Heidi nodded, thanking him for the consideration. When Aro turned to her, she too agreed with Jane. Alec grew angrier, his dissatisfaction clear on his face only to the immortals in the room. There was no movement of his eyebrows, no crossing of his arms, no sound from him. The only evidence of his growing aggravation was the nearly imperceptible pressing of his lips. By his side, Jane’s smile was equally difficult to catch.

Internally, Demetri rejoiced. The boy outranked him, and his opinion held more weight. Aro looked at his prized child for long seconds, seemingly torn. He turned to Felix.

“She hasn’t done anything wrong,” the Executioner echoed. “But Alec is right. She has started to forget her place. One of the downsides of keeping humans for too long, I suppose. They get cocky.”

Gianna swallowed, the lump that moved down her throat attracting unwanted attention to her neck. The rise and fall of her chest was more pronounced then.

Aro heard Chelsea and Corin, who both shared Jane’s opinion. When her turn came, Renata stood with Felix. The leader allowed Afton and Santiago to make their remarks before finally turning to Marcus.

“Well, brother, what do you say?”

Marcus sighed, his will to put up with their façade nonexistent. “She hasn’t done anything wrong. However, I must say I sympathise with Demetri’s heartache. To placate his pain and distress, I believe he should have her.”

Fighting to keep himself in check, Demetri lowered his head. He could feel all eyes on him.

“Ah, of course. Although I do not think she deserves a punishment.” Aro sat back on his throne. Marcus waved him off.

“It has nothing to do with her. I’m sure she can understand that.”

Gianna winced. It did not look like she understood it at all.

Caius chuckled. “If Demetri truly wants her, I will not stand in his way. She is not irreplaceable; he is.”

Aro’s eyes swept the room, searching his guards’ faces again. Not one of them spoke out of turn, but there were glances exchanged.

“We all agree Gianna should not be punished, then,” Aro declared, a serious expression on his face now. “But do we think Demetri does not deserve a reward for his work?”

Silence. Gianna’s heartbeats engulfed all other noise again until Alec dared to speak.

“He never faltered. If making no major mistakes is any merit, then what of his exceptional work? He goes above and beyond each time. Just on the last mission, he found all the escaping newborns and their creator. The redhead was especially slippery, I’ve heard.”

A general murmur ran along the ranks. Raising his head just enough to catch a glimpse of his companions, Demetri saw them nodding in agreement and suppressed a smile.

“She was exceedingly good at escaping,” Jane noted. “He still caught up to her.”

“He has been consistently outstanding in all his years here,” Caius offered, an evil snicker stretching his lips in sadistic joy.

Aro rested his face on his hand, lazily lying across his seat. He addressed Marcus again.

“Will this not affect Isabella’s adaptation?”

Marcus shook his head. “Isabella does not care for her.”

Sighing again, Aro studied Gianna’s face. There was a certain sardonic disappointment on his own.

“Ah, dear Gianna. You had quite some time to make friends in here, and it seems like you made none. What a shame.”

Gianna gasped, her hands closing into fists. With a twirl of his cloak, Aro descended from the dais, followed by his brothers. As he passed by the human, he stopped, a translucent hand elegantly resting on her shoulder. Gianna jumped at the contact.

“Thank you for your service, my dear. I hope you do understand this is nothing personal on my part, hm?”

Her eyes darted to Demetri, returning to Aro’s face just as quickly.

“Master, please…” she whispered with difficulty, her voice rasping through her throat. “If I do not deserve any punishment, would you reconsider…?”

“Ah!” Aro clapped, making the human jump again. “I have been outvoted, child, as you have seen for yourself. This is out of my hands now.” He glided towards the doors, where Caius awaited him. Marcus had already made his exit. “You may still plead with Demetri, of course.”

With that, he left the room, prompting the guards to follow him out. Alec didn’t move immediately.

“Can we watch?”

Jane huffed. “Let him be.” She tugged at his sleeve, pointing to the door with her chin. Her brother frowned, but left the room as well, throwing a last longing glance at Demetri and Gianna over his shoulder. When the last vampire disappeared and the doors clicked shut, Demetri crossed his arms and smiled.

“Alone at last.”

In those few seconds that had Gianna standing in front of him in terrified silence, hands still balled into fists, his mind raced with all her possible reactions. Would she plead her case, as Aro suggested? Would she cry and beg? Would she just close her eyes and accept her fate? If he were honest with himself, he would admit that he wanted her to talk. He wanted her to demand why he was so cross with her, and he wanted her to know exactly why he would deny her the quick, peaceful death she so obviously deserved. He knew this; she did deserve a dignified passing. She lasted far longer than most other secretaries and barely ever walked out of line. They owed her as much.

He wanted her to know that she ruined her well-deserved good death at the very last moment, doing something entirely preventable. He wanted her to know that she almost got it.

So, he was most satisfied when she did ask.

“What have I done to you?” Her coarse voice was still barely above a whisper. “I can’t think of any offence that could make you hate me like this.”

He moved with supernatural speed, stopping within arm’s reach of her. His sudden appearance made her take a step back, trip and fall. They were both on top of the grate now. He crouched down by her side.

“I have warned you to be nice to Bella.” He whispered as well, watching sheer confusion take over her features. “No guessing game, no expecting you to think at all. You still chose to be a stupid, stupid creature.”

He knew she disregarded his warning entirely as soon as she heard it months ago. He believed she was doing what Alec accused her of: forgetting her place, being too confident in her position as their secretary. Challenging him. Right then, as she looked at him like she had never heard such words in her life, he realised she just never grasped the urgency in them.

“This is all… because of her?”

His smile faded. She didn’t choose to be stupid, after all. She simply couldn’t help it.

“I was perfectly clear. Do you feign ignorance now that you are about to face the consequences of your actions? Do you pretend to have never disrespected me?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t think… I couldn’t know it was this serious. I didn’t mean to disrespect you.”

He paused, brow furrowed with confusion. Perhaps he hadn’t been clear enough. That realisation did nothing to diminish his annoyance, but it did make him reconsider his course of action.

He sighed. “I believe you.” He watched her exhale and relax the muscles in her arms. She tried to stand up, but he held her neck and pushed her back down, causing her head to hit the metal. “That doesn’t grant you a good death, I’m afraid. I will, however, make this shorter than I planned to.”

She cried out, pressed against the grate on the floor. Her green eyes fell closed, her face scrunched with horrified anticipation of what was to come. Demetri could feel only vestiges of his boiling anger. He felt bitter now. Knowing the human didn’t deserve his revenge tainted whatever enjoyment he intended to take from it. He would keep his word and make it quick, and at least Bella wouldn’t have to deal with the woman any longer.

His hand tightened around Gianna’s neck, her own hands flying to try and get him off of her in a reflex. Heidi would have to recruit and train someone else, after all.

He had to make sure to be clearer this time.

Demetri stood outside his private quarters with his head low, petrified, as if he had fallen victim to Medusa. His eyes met the ground but saw nothing, his other senses enrapturing his attention completely. He had been gone for less than a week, and yet found himself in a most surprising and disquieting situation upon arrival.

Outside, Edward and Alice from the Olympic Coven awaited permission to enter Volterra. Demetri emptied his mind of any thought of Bella, more to avoid any conflict than out of courtesy. Though he liked to think of himself as a polite man, he had to admit that Edward Cullen did not instigate in him a desire to be courteous. If anything, his lack of manners and unwarranted possessiveness over someone he abandoned inspired the opposite. Still, he had decided to make an effort.

Inside his chamber, seemingly asleep, was the person who made it impossible.

He could hear her slow, rhythmic breathing. Following the trail of her scent, put off by his inability to trace her in more efficient ways, he ended up at his own doors and froze. It would be absolutely impossible not to anger the mind-reader with his thoughts if he opened the doors and actually saw her there, especially if she was lying in his bed. Just picturing what he would find was enough to send him into a spiral of hungry, frenzied thoughts.

He felt a familiar presence quickly making its way to him and blinked.

“She’s been sleeping in there for about three days,” Alec whispered with a satisfied smirk. Demetri lifted his head, lips parted with stunned incredulity, and frowned.

“Does she know you are aware of it?”

Alec shook his head. “Why trouble her with that knowledge?”

Demetri scoffed. He could have laughed, but the situation was so absurd that he was unable to produce any sound. He was sure she could feel something, though certainly not as strongly as he did and not as well as he could. He imagined it would take her much longer than this to seek any type of comfort in him, and seeing that she already did so evoked in him a violent need to consume her that he was unprepared for.

“The Cullens are here,” he said, though Alec surely already knew. The boy nodded.

“Master Aro didn’t want to let them in before you arrived.” He tsked. “Such awful timing.”

The smirk never left his lips. He was evidently having his fun with the whole ordeal.

“I should let her rest.”

Alec shrugged. “Should you? I rather think you should go in. It’s your room, after all.”

They stared at each other in silence, Alec’s eyes shining with mirth. He wanted to see the world burn for his entertainment, of course, and Demetri wouldn’t get from him any encouragement to turn around and choose peace.

It served him just as well.

“It is my room,” he agreed, extending his hand to the handles. “I had a long trip and could use a bath.”

Alec’s evil contentment was almost palpable. The boy was more than ready for the chaos that would ensue.

Without reflecting any further about what would happen, Demetri pushed the doors open and entered his quarters. The anteroom looked undisturbed, but the overwhelmingly sweet smell of her blood hit him with full force. The air was heavy with the scent of her hair, her skin, her clothes; everything he owned was permeated by the smell of her. He knew he should hold his breath, should try to avoid its oppression, but he couldn’t bring himself to avoid the bliss of getting engulfed by her. The sound of her breathing was louder now. How did she come to willingly step inside his room and sleep in there, of all places? He would never be upset with her for it, but could she know that?

Alec must have had something to do with it. It is not beneath him to orchestrate all of this for fun.

He might have cared in any other situation.

Not in this one. At that moment, nothing else mattered.

The world around him felt the most vivid he could remember as he contemplated opening the second set of doors before him. He believed nothing could ever compare to the first time he saw her, the impossibly strong hand of Fate ensnaring his heart and squeezing it, juicing it dry and discarding the pulp as if it were nothing. He thought he had felt it all, that nothing could surpass the very mortal feeling of air leaving his lungs and choking him, the lightheadedness her touch had caused him in the library. He should expect it by now, to be knocked out again and again whenever she crossed his path as the invisible golden threads of destiny pulled them together for eternity.

He was not prepared. Not the first time, not now. He would probably never be.

His steps were slow, deliberate. He traced his next moves in his mind as he walked to his inner chamber. He would open the doors, get his clothes from his wardrobe, walk to the bathroom and close the door, all very quietly so as not to disturb her. He wouldn’t stop to watch her sleep; a single glance as he moved through the room would have to suffice. Surely he had enough self-control for that. When his fingers closed around the second pair of door handles and he pulled them open, he was already not so certain of that.

As he had pictured, there she was, wrapped in his burgundy bedsheets, her tangled hair sprawled over his pillows. His heart clenched at the sight. He baulked, mesmerised. She wore her usual clothes, a wool jumper and a pair of denim trousers, nothing that looked comfortable enough for sleeping. If he hadn’t heard from Alec that she had been sleeping in there for three days now, he would have imagined that she had fallen asleep by accident as she walked about the room.

He had anticipated her struggle to fall asleep in his absence. He had, after all, purposefully imprinted his own scent on her bed to soothe her into sleep. He had expected to come home and find her worn out by sleep deprivation, with her long hair in knots without his daily care.

What he didn’t expect was to find her deep asleep in his bed as if she owned it.

It is hers, I suppose. Everything in here, as it’s mine, is hers as well.

Did she know it? Demetri had to admit, as much as it pleased him to have her there, he was puzzled. He was tempted to wake her up to discover her reasoning, but couldn’t bring himself to. She looked much too comfortable and peaceful to be awakened.

She looked entirely his in there, as well. His Bella, his soulmate, in his room, asleep in his bed. All his and no one else’s, no matter what the Cullen boy did or didn’t do during his visit. And if she was already seeking him out like this, soon she would be in his arms, and he would know the feeling of her lips on his. All caution forgone, he pictured her slender, pale hands disappearing into his hair, her frail frame pressed against him as he carefully held her, her soft lips moulding themselves to his. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to keep himself from walking over and touching her.

Soon.

Sooner than he dreamed possible, at this pace, and now his fingertips tingled, anxious to reach out and claim what was rightfully his. Crafted for him, sculpted from the same handful of clay, sparked into life by the same breath of fire. Oh, and how he longed to unravel her, to find out exactly what about her was so similar to him, uncover every single way in which she was perfect for him. He wouldn’t stop until every little crevice of her was explored and he knew her obscure mind like the palms of his own hands. He couldn’t be at peace until they were one again, as they once were before they were made flesh.

Heidi’s voice called from the corridor and he was surprised he didn’t feel her approach.

“We have a red,” she declared urgently and went away. There was no sound of heels hitting the floor, indicating that she ran on her toes.

He gave Bella a last longing glance before he turned around and locked both doors, running as well. He had not heard those words in quite some time. There hadn’t been any need for them, as Volterra hadn’t been truly threatened in a long while. The heart of vampire civilisation lay undisturbed for centuries, their domain established and undisputed. If not for his flawless memory, Demetri was certain he would have forgotten his training for such occasions at that point.

We have a red.

Their code for an invasion.

At the centre of the subterranean corridors, he joined another seven guards. Assuming his position in the second line of defence down the sewers, he caught Alec flashing him a smile from behind Santiago.

“What assortment of filthy thoughts enraged the deer drinker?”

Jane scowled by his side. Demetri sighed.

He couldn’t consider that a real invasion. A single vampire in a fit of jealousy was a tantrum at most, but he had to follow their protocol nonetheless. He shook his head, more annoyed than angry or worried. They would have to stand guard until the compound was completely swept for threats and await clearance. Scanning out the area with his gift, he fulfilled his part of the procedure.

“Clear.”

Santiago nodded, leaving Alec’s side to pass on the message. Another large guard took his place to protect the twins. Demetri knew that near the underground access to the streets, Felix already had Cullen in his grip.

“They weren’t even filthy,” he answered Alec. The boy laughed.

“So it doesn’t even take much to piss him off.”

Jane shoved him. “I knew this was your fault.”

“This is Demetri’s fault.” He shoved her back. “Going after women who are spoken for.”

The guard in front of them sighed, crossing his arms. Demetri himself tuned out their bickering, listening in for any confirmation that the so-called threat had been neutralised. Soon enough, Santiago was back to inform them.

“We’re required in the throne room.”

Jane’s irritation gave way to anticipation. Though they knew they should take this as seriously as any other attack on the castle, Demetri couldn’t blame his companions for their dismissal. Edward Cullen barging in by himself was hardly a real threat. If anything, it was a source of entertainment at most.

Alec seemed to think so, at least.

In the throne room, the entire guard was assembled, as well as a few passing visitors. If he didn’t know better, Demetri would have thought they were expecting Heidi with the next batch of humans for them to feast on. As it was, Heidi herself was already there, no group of tourists in tow. She stared at the hundred-year-old teenager held captive at the centre of the room, face contorted with distaste. Using his gift again for good measure, Demetri confirmed Alice Cullen was still outside, at the edge of town. Making his way to the dais, he stopped at the last step of the stairs, bending one knee and lowering his head. Aro rose from his seat and descended to take his hand.

Aro’s gift brushed against his thoughts as if they were the pages of a book, gently touching each one and abandoning them as soon as he saw it was not the exact one he was looking for. All the obsessive musings over Bella Swan were dropped immediately, as if they scorched him, and Demetri mentally thanked his master for his discretion. The faintest trace of a smile appeared in the corner of Aro’s lips.

“Such discipline, my friend,” he praised Demetri amusedly. “I once thought dear Edward had admirable self-control, but now I would say yours is more impressive.”

Edward growled, thrashing against Felix’s arms. The guard pushed him down, forcing him to his knees and falling to the floor with him. When Aro dropped his hand, Demetri stood up and assumed his position among his peers. Cullen glared at him, his usually golden eyes dark as tar. Remembering how soundly Isabella Swan slept in his bed and how stunning her milky skin looked against his red bedsheets, he smirked at the teen.

“Stay away from her!”

The roar was more desperate than intimidating, especially seeing as he couldn’t break free from his captor, as much as he tried. Surprised murmurs erupted from the immortals around him.

“Quiet!” Caius barked, and the whole room fell silent. Edward locked his jaw, a loud crack echoing through the suddenly quiet chamber.

“Ah, Edward, how unfortunate that your visit took such a turn.” Aro glided over to him, unceremoniously taking one of his hands. Felix reangled himself to allow Aro easier access. Unlike his quick search of Demetri’s mind, Aro seemed to take his time to read each and every one of the vegetarian’s thoughts, uncaring of his privacy. Edward could see and hear his own thoughts from Aro, as well as Aro’s reflections about them, which made for an interesting spectacle. The Cullen child looked as if kicked in the guts, his frown growing deeper with each passing second.

“How very unfortunate,” Aro repeated before letting him go. From his throne, Marcus sighed dramatically.

“It can’t be,” Edward told him, surely answering an unvoiced thought.

“And yet, so it is,” Marcus retorted in his monotone.

A strangled sound escaped Edward's lips as he fought Felix’s death grip in vain one more time. Demetri couldn’t smile any more, not even to spite him. The pathetic scene irked him beyond what words could convey. Edward Cullen’s acid arrogance always made for displays of rudeness and a lack of decorum that were yet to cause him trouble, but only due to his sire’s long-lasting effects on Aro. Demetri couldn’t fathom that the petulant child would speak and behave in such a way in the presence of the kings and remain unpunished. Certainly, this time he wouldn’t walk away unscathed. Not after trying to break into the castle. Carlisle’s charm couldn’t possibly save him from the due consequences of an offence of this magnitude.

Demetri wondered what Bella could have seen in such an unrefined brat, but she was still very young, and the Cullens were the first immortals she had ever met. They merely shone too bright for a human that had been enveloped in dark ignorance from birth. She had no means of distinguishing the skyglow of artificial fluorescent lights from the brightness of stars.

In time.

Edward Cullen growled again, throwing himself in Demetri’s direction. Felix’s strong arms prevented him from moving even an inch, firmly securing his neck and binding his hands behind his back. Kneeled behind him, the guard chuckled.

“This is a capital offence,” Caius declared, inflamed. “He should be executed for this.”

Aro shook his head, a troubled expression on his face.

“What do you say, brother?” He asked Marcus.

“I believe banning him from entering the city would be enough. Alice Cullen must be exempt from this measure.”

“Well, yes, of course.”

Aro nodded to Felix, who got up and pulled Edward to a standing position with him. “I must say, I am very saddened by this turn of events, Edward. Would you like to say something in your defence?”

“I just...” He closed his eyes forcefully, as if in profound pain. Recollecting himself, he opened them. “Let Bella go. Let her come with us, we will turn her. There’s no need for her to...”

“No,” Caius’ grave voice interrupted his plea. “That discussion is over.”

“She is not safe in here,” he insisted. “She is needed back home. Her family...”

“They will have to do without her regardless, my dear,” Aro interjected. “You certainly don’t mean to turn her and stay in Forks, do you?”

Edward looked down, defeated. His blazing eyes fell on Demetri again. “She is not for you,” he spat. “You’re wrong. She is good, not for someone like you. Do not taint her with your touch.”

Some of the immortals burst into laughter, while others were more discreetly amused. If anyone had been confused about what caused his tantrum, that confusion was cleared now. Demetri himself couldn’t laugh, stunned into silence by the sheer audacity of the vampire in front of him.

You do not get to tell me what to do, Cullen. She has always been mine. I will touch her as much as I please, and she will like it .

Edward growled once again, his death glare losing none of its intensity. Renata quickly assumed her position by Aro’s side, eagerly touching his shoulder. After a few moments of silence, Edward’s head fell in silent resignation. Aro took it as a sign that he would behave himself and ordered Felix to release him.

He was wrong.

As soon as he found himself unbound, Edward made a beeline for Demetri, teeth bared. Close as they were, Demetri didn’t have any time to think, acting on pure instinct and muscle memory. When Edward tried to close his hands around his neck, he ducked and slid behind him, going under one of his extended arms. Grabbing the limb as he passed by, Demetri twisted it and pulled it, his right foot making contact with the boy’s back. The loud metallic sound of the arm being ripped from him muffled his screams as he fell to the floor, squirming in pain.

The occupants of the room moved in synchrony; as the Guard tightened the circle around the kings, their guests moved closer to the walls to give them space. On the corner of his eye, Demetri caught Renata’s distressed expression, her small hands attached to Aro’s robes as if glued, and his anger finally emerged from the depths he usually restrained it to. He threw the arm at Edward with ferocity, readying himself to rid him of the rest of his limbs, but Aro spoke again.

“That is enough, Demetri.”

He bowed and straightened his posture, still furious. Spotting a gap between Corin and Afton, he cautiously merged into the circle. By Jane’s side, Alec shook with soundless laughter, having the decency to disguise it only when Caius raised an eyebrow at him. Seemingly oblivious to the exchange, Aro called the other twin.

“Jane, please go tell Alice she may join us.”

“Yes, Master.”

Felix held Edward again, though now there was scarcely any need for it. His arm lay discarded on the floor, the one attached to him restrained with ease. Felix’s other large hand held the vegetarian’s neck, and through his pain and humiliation, he still found it in himself to stare Demetri down with hatred and utter another feeble warning.

“If you touch her, you’re gone.”

Demetri did laugh this time. His fury had subsided as the situation was controlled, and seeing that none of his friends were in danger, he found the declaration quite humorous. There was nothing Edward Cullen could do but bark from his confinement.

She craves my touch. What kind of monster am I to deny her such a simple joy?

The boy fought his captor in vain, yelling in anguish. When he was taken away, Demetri was still smiling.

I will be returning to my room while you’re removed from the premises.

A loud, sorrowful howl echoed throughout the building, growing fainter with each passing second until it faded out into the distance.