Violet Forsythe has finally found peace.
She successfully escaped a coven of malignant vampires, worked hard to get an education, and has actually managed to pull herself together.
But, as old acquaintances begin to resurface, the life that Violet w...
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Rebecca Layton lived in a spacious condo in the ritzier part of north Dallas, generously paid for by her incredibly wealthy father.
Trust fund babies threw the best parties, I've learned.
Rebecca and I weren't close, by any means, but we had shared a few classes throughout our time in school together. We had a few mutual friends, though I didn't talk to most of them much anymore.
The condo was sleek, modern, and decked out for the biggest blow out party of the year.
By the time Mark and I arrived, the party was already in full swing. The vast, open concept living room and kitchen was packed with copious amounts of booze, loud music, and rambunctious party-goers.
It definitely wasn't my usual scene, but I grabbed a red solo cup anyway and tried to make the best of the night.
I felt edgy about being out in public after dark, and the wall of windows on the north side of the house didn't help. The wide doors that led to the large swimming pool stood open and extended the party out into the backyard, which left me feeling even more exposed.
So, since I was unable to to do anything about it, I took a deep drink from my cup and did my best to enjoy myself. I figured that if I was going to go out of my comfort zone, then I might as well have fun while I did it.
"See? It's not so bad," Mark said with an enthusiastic grin. His sandy hair flopped over his forehead and brushed his glasses as he leaned in to speak into my ear, over the pulsing music.
"Yeah," I replied. I couldn't help but smile back. He was right; The music was good, the people had great energy, and I was genuinely beginning to have fun.
I finished my mixed drink a little too fast and replaced it just as quickly. It was a celebration, anyway. It wouldn't hurt to let my hair down for once.
As the last hours of the year slipped away, I found myself getting swept up in the thrill of welcoming the New Year. A new year of endless possibilities. I was young, talented, educated, and I had my whole life ahead of me - and for once, I actually began to feel excited about it.
* * *
"Well, it's good to see that she's been having fun without us," Jane said without inflection to the rest of the group, Felix, Demetri and her twin brother, Alec. They stood on the rooftop of the building neighboring the condo in which Violet was attending a particularly rowdy New Years party. They could easily see her milling about the room, laughing, dancing, and apparently having the time of her life.
Alec looked at Jane and tried to discern whether or not she was being sarcastic. Usually he could read Jane like a book, despite her vacant facial expressions and lack of tone in her voice, but things always became muddled when the topic of Violet, the newest recruit in their vampire coven, came up.
It had been five long years since Violet left them in Volterra, Italy, and it had been the most painful five years of Alec's existence. It was agonizing to be so far away from her, but he knew he owed her the respect of giving her space.
Alec knew he had damaged his relationship with Violet gravely, although it took him several years to be able to accept responsibility for the mistakes he made.
He felt ashamed. He had been shortsighted, immature, and self centered, and Violet wasn't the kind of girl to put up with that kind of mistreatment. She's gotten sick of his behavior and, although she was his mate, dumped him. He felt like an old toy she'd tossed aside, easily replacing him with a shiny new one within a matter of days.
"No kidding," Demetri said casually, "She looks great."
Alec resisted giving Demetri a cold look.
Years had passed since Jane had informed him that Demetri's relationship with Violet was nothing more than a cover for a ridiculous revenge plot, but Alec was still furious with him, nonetheless.
Over time he'd been able to move forward and continue to work alongside Demetri - they had no choice, they were assigned to the same sub-group within their coven - but it hadn't been easy.
The inauthenticity of Demetri's relationship with Violet didn't change how Alec felt. He detested him.
Demetri had taken his mate from him, led her down a dangerous path of avenging her family by killing other coven members - almost killing her in the process -and, if that wasn't already enough, Alec suspected that Demetri had grown a little too comfortable with Violet while he was with her.
Alec had been looking forward to seeing Violet again, to have a chance to start over, but he worried that Demetri had gotten ideas after being with her. He worried that Demetri would intervene and try to sabotage his attempts to rekindle his relationship.
Demetri had backstabbed Alec by taking up with Violet in the first place, but flaunting a fake relationship with his mate was like twisting a 12" kitchen knife in his back for no reason at all. It was all completely unnecessary; it was just a way for Demetri to make him absolutely miserable.
Regardless of his ill feelings toward Demetri, Alec couldn't deny that he was right. Violet didlook good.
Really good.
Her large, raven curls still cascaded down her back, and Alec could clearly recognize the large scar she received during a werewolf mauling, but she looked...different. Her physique was softer, and her skin had more color to it. She looked much healthier and, most importantly, she looked happy.
"Wow. She has really filled out since high school," Felix said bluntly.
Alec and Jane turned to glare at him, while Demetri tried to stifle a laugh.
"What's this?" Demetri asked while keeping his eyes on the party. His interjection successfully saved Felix the twin's retaliation for such a tasteless remark.
The four Volturi soldiers refocused their attention on Violet, who could be seen walking out of the condo and into the backyard with a tall, bookish man at her side.
Despite the loud music and all of the chatter, their keen senses, sharpened by their vampirism, allowed them to pick up on the conversation between Violet and the man, although it required a little focus.
"What did you want to talk to me about, Mark?" Violet asked the man with a light giggle as they approached the edge of the shimmering swimming pool. Her cheeks were rosey, and she looked at the man as if he were the only person in the whole entire world.
"I don't mean to pull you away from the celebration, but," the man began as he turned to look down at Violet meaningfully.
"TEN!" the massive crowd of party-goers chanted as the countdown to midnight commenced.
