𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍 ; volturi kings

CHAPTER XV

CHAPTER XV

The dusty, narrow streets of Siena faded away into the viridescent vegetation of the outer fields- wiry, hazel-coloured hedgehogs were scattered around every few miles, and small, twittering, orange-chested birds delicately landed on decaying branches.

To say the silence in the car was awkward would be an extreme understatement- the three males (Jas had learnt through the uncomfortable scatters of conversation that the other two were named Felix and Demetri) were uneasily perched on the edge of their seats, as if they expected her to try and make a leap for Alec again.

But, she wasn't a complete idiot.

Finally fed up with the vague gossip of the local radio station (which Jas could barely understand), Demetri turned around to the girl beside him in the backseat; "so, considering it's the only reason you're still alive... what actually is your gift?"

She thought for a moment, pushing her dark-brown, curly locks out of her eyes, "well, if I told you everything, that would spoil all the fun, wouldn't it?"

Yes, perhaps she was baiting them a bit, poking their metaphorical bear with her metaphorical stick, but it was clear now that they wouldn't- they couldn't- kill her, not when she had something that could potentially be useful to their 'masters'.

He rolled his eyes at her, "I'm bored, and a tad peckish," he said to no one in particular.

"I second that."

Jas' comment caused Felix to turn around and face her, "if you think we're letting you out after what you pulled back there, you've got another thing coming."

"Hey- eyes on the road, Lurch."

Demetri snickered quietly as the other two looked at her in confusion.

"Y'know, I was thinking-"

"Ah, it's hard doing anything for the first time." It was now Alec and Felix's turn to laugh as Jasmine shot a glare at the vampire next to her.

"Anyways..." She continued, "why can't we just run? I don't know where the hell we're going, but I know we would be there a lot quicker if we weren't trapped in this tin can."

"Well, first of all, this is a Ferrari, not a tin can," Alec spoke, his tone laced with annoyance, "second, unlike some, we are trying to not draw attention to ourselves."

"Says the guys walking around in 30-degree heat with the giant capes and showy jewellery on..."

"She has a point."

Demetri shared a small, amused smile with Jas, whilst Felix chuckled lowly, "but you would rather die than admit that to Caius' face, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, with no doubt."

Caius.

The name flickered a spark of familiarity within Jasmine's soul, like the first few small shimmers of a flame.

"Caius is one of the kings, right?" She leaned forward as her interest was piqued.

"Yes, that's correct," Alec replied but elaborated no further.

The thick brackets of trees were eventually becoming more sparse as the paving beneath the rubber wheels began to even out. Small villages of beige-brick houses lay in the shadows as they approached the great city that loomed above.

The tension in the car had officially evaporated, and perhaps a small, remaining, human part of each of the men hoped that the lively and bold young woman wouldn't be killed.

━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━

Marcus stared thoughtlessly at the off-white marble flooring- the smooth, sandy-coloured stone was stained with a small splatter of blood. The thick, scarlet liquid spouted from the remains of a decapitated vampire who had attempted to make an immortal child, but had been outed by his own coven.

The guilty party had barely spoken two words before his head had been taken off by Caius, whose patience was reminiscent of an extremely thin piece of string.

It had, obviously, been far longer than a month since the meeting with James.

All three brothers had grown beyond restless, and the responsibility had fallen to Marcus to reassure the other two of the existence of the bond.

He could still see it now, for his eyes were drawn to it in moments where he needed comfort.

What was first a thin, pale, gold strand- overshadowed by a few wavering lines of red dislike and lilac fear- had grown recently. With every aching day, hour and minute, the glimmering string strengthened, as if the receiver at the other end was growing closer.

Aro was aware of the change, much like how he was aware of every thought that Marcus had ever procured, but Caius had still been kept in the dark.

It's for his own good- so he doesn't go sending out the entire coven to scour every inch of Italy. The memory of Aro's convincing voice replayed in his head.

"Ah, Alec." Said voice currently held a fake tone of delight, "you have returned, so I presume the nomads have been taken care of?"

"One attempted to flee and was killed by Demetri, whilst the other..." The boy standing at the bottom of the stairs struggled to find his words.

"She possesses a gift, which we don't fully understand, and so we thought it best to judge her under your eye, instead."

"How considerate." Caius snarked.

Aro ignored the comment from the blonde and grinned at the young guard, "please, do bring her in."

With their enhanced hearing picking up on their king's confirmation, Felix pushed the large doors open whilst Demetri stood at the side of a small woman, the hand on her arm guiding her forward.

It was Marcus who had noticed first, for the frail bond of a shimmering, gold consistency protruded from her.

The other two felt it, a strong pull towards the brunette goddess, whose scent of pink pepper and mandarin orange overwhelmed and appealed to them so.

The doe-eyed woman jumped slightly as Caius darted in front of her.

"Grandi dei." He murmured lightly, a cautious hand coming up as if to touch her, but then resisting the urge at the bewildered look on her face.

"Well..." Marcus had only heard Aro sound so shocked but a few times in his very long life, "we clearly have a lot to discuss."