Rayne helps Benjamin and Jason set you for a fire, a sort of campfire ordeal as Kate had called it. Rayne and Jacob place some wood in the center of the other tree stumps and Benjamin uses his finger to start the fire.
"Oh, I love your ability," Rayne compliments.
"Thank you!" Benjamin boasts.
"Good god," Tia jokes, "you've done went and given him a big head."
Benjamin glares at his mate before he breaks out into grins. "You really did," he says to Rayne as everyone begins gathering.
"That's whay I'm talking about," Jacob finally says about the fire. "A little pre-battle bonfire, telling war stories."
He sits on the other side of Benjamin, Rayne is sitting alone. Jake looks at the standing vampires.
"Why are you standing there like freaking statues?" Jake asks.
Garrett suddenly appears and he sits beside Rayne. "Name any American battle, I was there."
"Little Big Horn," Rayne names off.
"I cake this close to hitting Custer," Garrett tells the siren, "but the Indians caught him first."
Kate appears and she sits on the other side of the vampire. "Try Oleg's assault on Constantinople, he didn't even win that one on his own."
"If you're talking battles, you're talking the Eleven Years War," an Irish vampire named Liam says. "No one does rebellion like the Irish.
"You lost three Eleven Years War," Garrett points out.
"Aye, but it was one hell of a rebellion," Liam adds and soon, the other vampires circle around the fire, Rayne is now between Peter and Jasper, she left Garrett so Kate could sit with him.
"When we ruled, everything came to us," Vladimir claims. "Prey, diplomats, favor seekers. Such was our power, but we never out on white hats and called ourselves saints."
"We were honest about what we were," Stefan adds.
"We say still for a long time," Vladimir says, "we didn't notice we were beginning to petrify."
"Perhaps the Volturi did us a favore when they burned our castles," Stefan claims.
"We've been waiting fifteen hundred years to return the favor."
Peter glances at Rayne, who's eyes are wide. "Are you all right?"
Rayne meets Vladimir's crimson eyes and she stands. "I need a swim."
Rayne speeds off and heads to the cliffs of first beach. She strips completely naked before she dives, not caring for the cold or the dark. As soon as the siren hits the water, the magic whirls around her, filling her with warmth, the ability to see in the dark, and gives her a tail and black hair.
Rayne swims rapidly through the water, knowing the snow has stuck. The Volturi will be here. She's made her decision; she plans to speak with the kings after the meeting. She honestly hopes they will listen and hopes Alice has something mischievous up her sleeve.
"Rayne!" A voice calls.
Rayne pokes her head from the water and sees Leah on the beach. "Hi!"
"You're hot in that form," Leah taunts. "Rosalie called, wanted me to check on you... said you got spooked by a Romanian and ran."
"I needed a swim," Rayne confesses. "It is so calming." She flips, her tail goes out and makes a large splash.
Rayne swims to shore and allows the magic to whirl around her tail, Leah watches in awe as the siren gets her legs back and herb copper hair. Leah helps her stand.
"That was amazing!" Leah exclaims.
Rayne shakes her head in amusement and they spot Vladimir watching.
"What are you?" He asks calmly.
"A siren, haven't you heard?' Rayne asks.
"You're the young siren that the Volturi are obsessed with?" Vladimir asks with a teasing grin. "Oh, wow. This is amazing."
Rayne rolls her eyes and she takes off in a flash.
"Freaking siren speed," Vladimir grumbles but he flashes toward the Cullen home.
