Penance ↠ Volturi Kings {2} ✓

Bonus 01

Timeframe: Chapter 1 of Tenebrous

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Aro knew the Cullen boy would do something foolish. The loss of a mate was devastating, but he couldn't allow the boy to just run rampant about his city. Gifted or no, the law was the law. That led him to the problem with the other human girl the Cullens had brought into their fold.

Rowan Ailes. Her past, or at least all that Edward knew of it, was horrific; even Aro had enough compassion in him to warrant that. And though it was clear enough that the Cullens planned to turn the girl, he had to ensure they wouldn't go skirting the law, especially now that she was of reasonable age to go through the change.

Overhead, the clock tolled.

"Jane," Aro said, pulling himself out of his musings, "go see what is keeping Demetri and Felix. Surely Edward has made his move by now."

"Yes master," she said, gliding silently from the room.

"If more of the Cullen clan have come to prevent the brat from succumbing to his own stupidity then I don't know what Carlisle's been teaching them," Caius grumbled. He had been in a sour mood for the past month after a spat with Athenodora and Aro was long tired of it.

"I wouldn't fault them if they did. I'd like to think that if our places were reversed, you would do the same for me," Marcus inputted.

"If you were foolish enough to get yourself killed in such a manner, no, I would not." There was a long pause. "Though I would, perhaps, attempt to dissuade you from doing such a thing in the first place."

"You have a heart after all," Aro said, suitably amused as Caius scoffed. Any further conversation halted as he heard the footsteps indicating the guards' return. It was accompanied by the quick, erratic beating of a human heart.

Aro stood from his throne, making his way down the dais as the doors were pushed open and Jane lead the way into the room. He paid little mind to Alec's quip, far more fascinated by the owner of the beating heart: Isabella Swan, back from the dead.

"What a happy surprise! Bella is alive after all. Isn't that wonderful." Aro was desperately eager to hear this story. It was, perhaps, the most interesting happening in the past two centuries. "I love a happy ending. They are so rare."

Aro looked past Edward's reluctant thoughts and frankly tiring self-loathing to find the truth. She had indeed jumped, it seemed, but was saved by a shape-shifter. Aro was briefly surprised and filed the information away to follow up on later; he had assumed that the shape-shifters whom had once inhabited the North American continent had all died out.

Only now that the girl was present did Aro understand the full extent of Edward's bloodlust for her. It was a miracle she had survived their first meeting. Sweet blood like hers was such a rarity. "La tua cantante. Her blood appeals to you so much. It makes me thirsty. How can you stand to be so close to her?"

"It's not without difficulty."

Aro did not need to be a mind reader to detect the disgust that emanated off the boy. Aro didn't mean much harm though, really, and the whole situation was so absurdly extraordinary that he couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, I can see that."

"Aro can read every thought I've ever had with one touch," Edward said, this time speaking to his mate. Their bond really was remarkable considering her humanity. "And now you know everything." The disgust was back, only momentarily diluted by the girl. "So get on with it."