Penance ↠ Volturi Kings {2} ✓

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Caesar escorted me back to Hugo once some time had passed, long enough that I had stopped trembling and my hair had mostly dried.

"You're okay!" Hugo cried when I opened his door, throwing himself into my arms. I could feel him shaking and he looked up at me, arms still wrapped around my torso. "I told Caesar you hadn't come back, and then he didn't come back, and I was scared that-"

"Shh, Hugo, it's okay. I'm okay," I assured him, rubbing his back gently. "They can't get rid of me that easily."

"What happened? Why were you gone?" Hugo asked, pulling the door shut. Caesar had already gone.

I curled onto the end of Hugo's couch and he plopped down next to me, leaning against my arm. I hesitated, unsure of how much to tell him. "Stefan and I had a... conversation. His behavior left me shaken, so I went to Caesar's quarters after I left Stefan's office to calm down."

"What did he do to you?" Hugo asked, as startlingly perceptive as he always was.

"Please don't worry about it, Hugo. Caesar is taking care of it," I said. "What's done is done, and I'd rather just... not think about it right now."

"Okay," Hugo agreed softly. He looked at my watch. "Caesar excused us from our first combat training session, but we need to leave now if we want to get to the second without being late."

Considering Caesar had spent a fair chunk of the afternoon with me, I wondered who had run the previous training session. When we arrived down at the training field, Sam was calling for everyone to fall in and my unspoken question was answered.

"Caesar is on other business currently, so I'll be running this combat session," Sam said, pacing in front of the lines of vampires. "You will give me the same respect that you give him during training, otherwise I'll have Xander and Doyle tag team for the shortest, most brutal ring fight thus far. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" I intoned with the others, ready to get this over with. I really didn't feel like fighting today, despite how restless my vampire instincts were making me feel. The mate bond had flared after what had occurred earlier, demanding the comfort of my mates, and the resulting pain left me in no mood to grapple with the other newborns.

"As we have no more beginners, you all know how this works. Let's get started," Sam ordered.

I was only called for one fight against an olive-skinned vampire whom I shared control training with. I beat him, if only so my day would have one bright spot in it, and retreated back to my place in the ring without the victorious smirk I would usually wear on winning a fight. Miraculously, Hugo's name was not called at all.

I spotted Adrian as Hugo and I were making our way back to the castle. He was talking with Doyle, who was wearing an expression of twisted delight.

Of course they were looking at me. Adrian caught my eye and jerked his head, motioning me over.

"Go on, Hugo," I said, frowning.

"I'm going with you," he said, and I could tell he wasn't to be dissuaded. I made my way reluctantly through the ankle-high grass towards the two.

"Good news, Cullen," Doyle said before Adrian could even speak. "You and I get a special little one-on-one session. I'm simply dying to know what you did to deserve punishment, but as Adrian won't tell me, I suppose I'll just have to torture it out of you."

Adrian grimaced, looking almost apologetic. "Master Stefan ordered Doyle to carry out disciplinary action after the incident that occurred earlier."

"Just when I thought this day couldn't get any better," I snarked, but my heart wasn't in it. "Go on to your room, Hugo. I'll find you later."

Hugo frowned. "But-"