Penance ↠ Volturi Kings {2} ✓

027

Aro went rigid. His eyes glossed and I knew it was too late to stop it. I forced myself to stay in place, to not make a scene, even when Aro's gaze cleared and he stared at me with horror and agony and rage broiling within his eyes. Not now, I pleaded silently, hoping he would understand. The emotion in his eyes softened a little and he gave a jerky, minuscule nod.

The whole exchange lasted less than two seconds and no one besides Marcus and Caius seemed to notice; even Hugo, still tugging Aro away, was oblivious. Only the slight tightening of Caius' arm around me showed that he was concerned by the encounter.

"Later," I murmured to Caius and Marcus, who were now gazing questioningly at me.

Aro listened attentively to Hugo, but he was clearly far from being at ease. Calm flowed through me, washing away my anxiety, and I nodded my thanks to Jasper for his silent support. His lips quirked into the slightest smile in response.

It wasn't long before Aro returned to my side, weaving his fingers through mine and squeezing my hand. Hugo's memories had made him ill at ease and his mood was being quickly mirrored by Caius and Marcus, who looked tenser than they had just minutes ago.

"I hope we're not keeping you from anything," Carlisle said, the one in the room besides Jasper who was best equipped to identify the shift in mood.

"A meeting with the lower guard meant we couldn't finish an earlier conversation," I said, which fell only a little short of the truth.

Carlisle smiled at me. "I understand. We won't keep you, if you'd like to step away. Much has happened."

"You all don't mind looking after Hugo, do you? He doesn't really need a babysitter, and he's quite safe here, but I still..." I trailed off.

"Not at all," Carlisle assured me. "It will be nice to get to know the newest member of the family. Perhaps soon Edward and Bella can make another visit, this time with Nessie. It will be nice for her to have a playmate around her age, now that her growth has slowed."

"I'll have to bring it up with them later, but I think that would be a great idea," I agreed. "I'll be back later for him."

"There's no rush," Carlisle said, and the kings and I swept out of the room before much fanfare could be made about our leaving.

The run back to Aro's office, which had been cleaned since our last exit, was short and silent. None of us sat; Marcus leaned against the back of a chair, watching as Aro paced the room and Caius and I stood stock-still, both soldiers. There was a brief, strained silence that Aro broke on his sudden halt.

"Did Caesar do it to you, too?"

"Yes." Talking about the brand was easy enough. "What other choice did he have?"

"It was torture! If I had known-" he moved towards the door but I moved quicker, blocking his path.

"There would have been questions if he had gone about it the normal way," I retorted. "You can't change what has past. It's on my skin, remember? Mine, not yours. If I wanted vengeance, I would have taken it."

"What are you talking about?" Caius demanded, pushing Aro back. "What did Aro see?"

"I swore fealty to the Romanians. They gave us a brand to make sure we'd never forget." My fingers tore easily through the left side of my shirt and the brand was there, seared into my skin for eternity. "A brand with their crest, soaked in venom. That's how they changed us."

Marcus made a choked sound that was almost lost under the noise of Caius' snarl. "Those bastards. May they rot in the lowest pits of hell for what they've done to you!"