heartbeat ⇢ demetri volturi

𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒆𝒏

𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐔𝐍𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐕𝐎𝐋𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈.

Where they lived had been one.

How they fed had been another. And a very unpleasant one to learn.

How they carried out the punishment missions... Well, she had an image of it etched in her mind. There, every time she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, the great line of black capes awaiting the final verdict of their leaders would appear in her mind, reliving the fear as if the seventeen years that had passed had, in fact, not existed at all.

Still, that remained a special occasion given Aro's true intentions behind his facade of wanting to do justice to the law.

So it was safe to say that she had no idea what to expect on this mission. The unpredictability of it all gnawed at her nerves.

And yet, Aro had seemed confident in letting her go, even complimenting how well the dark cloak looked on her before she left.

Or maybe he just trusted Demetri to handle everything.

"Newborns have no control, they care about nothing but feeding, satiating their thirst at any cost," the guard told her as he drove a luxurious car that could only be compared to the ones the Cullens used. At a speed that also resembled the one they used. "They are a threat to our kind if they disregard our law."

"What if they don't know about the law?"

Demetri remained calm, his expression inscrutable as he replied. "Ignorance is no excuse. Broken rules demand consequences."

"It doesn't seem fair," she muttered, her sense of fairness rolling through her tongue. "What if they were turned against their will? Abandoned by their creator and left to figure things out on their own? Shouldn't they be the ones held responsible for their actions?"

Demetri smirked, keeping his eyes on the road. "Ah, but they are held responsible, no doubt about it."

Eleanor's frustration grew. "So the newborns are just condemned without a chance to redeem themselves?"

Demetri sighed, his tone taking on a slightly weary edge. "Why do I sense a hint of judgment in your question?"

"Because it's unfair!" she snapped, her voice rising with exasperation. "If the newborn had no idea what they were doing, if the laws weren't explained to them, why wouldn't they deserve a second chance?"

"The Volturi don't give second chances."

Oh but they did. With Thomas.

Eleanor bit her tongue.

"So then I assume we're sentencing two vampires to die today?"

"One," Demetri clarified, his voice low and steady. "As far as Alec has investigated, there is only the newborn in the area."

Eleanor turned her gaze out the window, watching the passing scenery blur into a shadowy tapestry. "And once you know where their creator is, will you go for them?"

"Most certainly."

Eleanor stood still for a few seconds, her brow furrowing as she delved deeper into her thoughts.

Demetri glanced at her briefly. "May I know what is bothering you?" he asked, his tone neutral.

"Do you care?" she retorted, a hint of frustration escaping in her voice.