BOOK II

Chapter XIII: Dreams (Rated T+)

VOLTERRA. . .

Jane kept her face impassive as she led Amun and Benjamin through the carpeted corridors, occasionally throwing a backwards glance at the reputable men trailing some paces behind her.

"I see Aro has acquired more pieces to expand his collection since my last visit," Amun observed, hands clasped behind his back as they strolled leisurely.

The vanished Rembrandt... Raphael's missing portrait... Jan van Eyck's The Just Judges, believed to have been recovered and stashed away by the French government following the Versailles treaty...

Amun smirked. Perhaps not. Masterpieces thought to be lost forever, destroyed in fires, all well and sitting pretty for display underneath Florence after all. "This used to be a bare walkway, you know."

"And when was that?" Benjamin inquired curiously, then joked, "A thousand years ago?"

To Jane's interest, the elderly vampire only shrugged. "Give or take. It's been a long time." Amun's voice was louder this time, directed at her. "And you must be Jane, the witch fiend Aro wrote about in the past. You're nearing your three hundreds now, aren't you?"

Jane gave a nearly imperceptible nod, biting down on the tip of her tongue to pull back a scowl.

"Hn." Amun narrowed his gaze at her consideringly. "Where's your twin? Massacreing villages, yes?"

"Dispatched," she retorted curtly.

"Please, don't mind him," Benjamin told her with a sympathizing look. "He's just annoyed that you guys took in his favorite student before he could." The young Egyptian threw his hands up in an attempt to look innocent when Amun whirled around to deign him with a deadly glare. "What? It's true."

Upon their arrival at the convening chambers, Jane stopped next to the doors and said, succinct, "Masters Caius and Marcus have been notified of your arrival. They will be with you shortly."

"Thank you, Jane." Benjamin bid sincerely as she watched the two step into the threshold. Benjamin added, "Will we be meeting your twin as well?"

Jane paused from her exit, if only to shake her head at the curious visitor. "He will be away for long."

"I see. You must be a bit lonesome then," Benjamin eye-smiled at her. "I'll find you after Amun and I greet the kings, yes?"

Jane's brows pushed together. "What for?" She really just wanted to go back to her room and enjoy the peace while it lasted.

The younger Egyptian shrugged, flicking a dry, pointed look at the impatient old man who had gone straight into the chambers without him. "You know old men. They talk all day. Perhaps a tour of the grounds?" Benjamin laughed softly at her suspicious squint. "I was changed around sixty years ago, so I'm not so old," he humored her before waving a hand in friendly goodbye and disappearing into the chambers. "Let's be friends, Jane. I'll see you later."

Perplexed, Jane stared at the intricate woodwork of the mahogany doors as it closed right in front of her.

Friends?

Jane hadn't met a lot of people outside her existence in the Volturi. She met vampires as young as the visiting Egyptian even less, and she was sure the only friends she ever considered to be as such were the ones in the Guard. She supposed Benjamin Nehesy hadn't been told the full extent of her power yet, and that would explain his naivete about her person. Hopefully, the Masters would tell him, and common sense would dictate him against pursuing whatever 'friendship' he had in mind, then ultimately, she would be able to spend a quiet afternoon lost in the wonders of the internet.

Even so.

Jane felt... weird. Friends. It kept echoing again and again in her mind as she walked. The Egyptian had seemed so... so... what was the word. Unbothered? Self-assured? There was a subtle confidence to his manner that had her thinking twice.

He seemed genuine.

What if he knew exactly what she could do, and what she was, and still wanted to be her 'friend'?

"Friend. What does that even mean?" Jane grumbled under her breath.

Her face must have looked more annoyed than the usual – Afton practically fled out of her way when she passed by him on the way to the east wing commons. See? Afton was a friend. He knew her so well.

Barely resisting the urge to slam her bedroom doors shut behind her, Jane let out a prim scoff.

"I'm not lonesome." She told to no one, tone belligerent, prissy nose in the air. "I'm perfectly fine. I have Alec." She added, nodding to herself decidedly. "Right, Alec?"

She turned to the spot on the bed where her twin would usually be waiting, ready to bother her.

And then she froze in her tracks, horrified.

Alec wasn't there.

Alec wasn't waiting.

Alec wasn't hers anymore!

»»—- ❈ —-««

"Amun. How are you."

The elderly vampire ignored Caius' greeting and launched into fervid rant, "I understand you saw her potential and took her under your wing. But that girl is more dangerous than she looks." Amun pronounced flippantly. He had enough self-restraint to allow Marcus and Caius to seat themselves in their respective chairs before completely snubbing the niceties. They all knew what – who – he was in Volterra for anyway; there was no reason for them to dilly dally around in retrospective reminiscing of the past. Enough time was wasted as it was.

"I've been told by the lobby girl that she was even given a title." Amun scoffed. "Scholar. How entertaining that must have been for both sides, eh?"

Caius sighed. "You have not changed, Amun." Always so antagonistic. He drew his gaze to the dark man next to him. "And you are Amun's caregiver, perhaps?"

Amun bristled. "Watch your tongue, you insolent troglodyte—"

Marcus leaned back on his armchair, a languid smirk on his face as he watched the two eldest vampires – figuratively and literally speaking – bicker back and forth. The two were so undeniably alike. It was such a shame Amun had settled on the opposite side of the world.

"...Ah, no. Honestly, he's the one that looks after me. But I did take his name." The man replied. "Benjamin Nehesy. It comforts me so to know that Amun's friends are more tolerable than he."

"You—!"

"Kidding, of course," Benjamin continued. "Although I was hoping to meet his former student. To finally put a face to the name. Is she here? Altheia Beneventi?"

Marcus and Caius shared a brief glance. "The scholar isn't in the vicinity at the moment, but if you stay longer you should have the chance to meet." Marcus replied evenly. And then his tone dropped coldly when he turned to address Amun, "I do hope your arrival is more of a friendly visit than an intrusion. I would hate to put you in your place."

"We inducted her, and that is final. Her being a shield – we could not allow her to roam free anywhere else." Caius said sternly. "She belongs in my coven now, Amun."

The elderly vampire's eyes narrowed dangerously, but then he pursed his lips in careful consideration. Sounding mystified, he echoed in a strange voice, "Shield?"

Marcus nodded. "Altheia showed natural immunity to Aro's clairvoyance and other sensory abilities. Just like one of the new recruits – Isabella Swan, from the Americas. We inducted them both. They will be changed soon."

"We will send for Eleazar once she is changed." Caius furthered. "He will be able to assess the full power of their shields."

"Ha! You witless imbeciles." Amun sneered at them, baring his teeth. "Shield your new recruit must be, but the scholar – my student – most certainly is not." At the monarchs visible confusion, Amun clarified, "Altheia Beneventi isn't a shield, she's a—"

»»—- ❈ —-««

ONE OF THE VOLTURI RESTHOUSES, PALAIA. . .

"Resthouse, he said," Altheia grumbled under her breath. "Mind you, Aro, this is a manor."

The Volturi Manor in Palaia was a large, affluent dwelling composed of twelve bedrooms, kitchens, dining areas and other elaborate halls. Outside the household, large plots of land were dedicated to the winery, agricultural plantations, and greenhouses that sustained the estate. Aro had taken the scholar to a full walkthrough of the estate after she had slept the morning off in one of the bedrooms.

Under the high sun, Altheia explored the acreage in avid enthusiasm. Aro was a man who simply never ran out of stories to tell. When the afternoon came, Aro had dismissed all the attendants of the estate from its premises – something about allowing the both of them to enjoy their vacation in paired solitude. Presently, however, the imperial mindreader was trying to convince his mortal companion to hike.

"Absolutely not," Altheia told him flat-out, before pressing her hands to each other and diving into the swimming pool in her black two-piece. When she resurfaced a few seconds later, arms swaying around her figure to keep herself afloat, she reasoned, "I'm sure hiking is just another term for 'Let's Lure Our Prey Into the Mountains.'" She squinted at him. "Bella's told me about how vampires like to treeclimb. No thank-you."

Aro rolled his eyes. He'd nearly forgotten about her fear of heights. "I'd never let anything harm you, merendina."

"That's true," Altheia conceded. "But I also know that if given the choice between helping me down a tree immediately, or making me suffer in high altitude for a few minutes in a demented attempt to appear as my knight in shining armor, you would definitely choose the latter."

Aro eyed at her for a moment then shrugged. "So?"

Bursting out a loud laugh, the brunette drifted further from him. "I will never trust men with my life!"

The monarch huffed once. Sure, fine. They didn't need to go to the forest anyway. Not really. He was just looking for other interesting things to do to pass the time. Anything to distract himself...

Aro watched as Altheia's curved figure swam away slowly, red gaze pinned on the speckles of water running down the surfaces of smooth skin. The mounds of her chest, the arc of her stomach... draped in rays of sunshine and gem-like drops of water as she swam... Like it was in slow motion, a single diamond waterdrop dripped from the side of her neck and Aro had to swallow back his venom. He wondered if he would ever get the chance to adorn her flesh with actual diamonds... maybe rubies. Mm yes, rubies suited her better.

A mischievous smile pulled at his lips and he stood to pull the shirt off his back.

So he couldn't convince her to scale a few oak trees. Big deal... That didn't mean he couldn't have his fun. Her version of fun was torture enough.

A splash sounded out, and five seconds later, gurgling indignation.

"Aro!" Altheia emerged from the water with a shout, sodden, disheveled hair clinging to all sides of her face like a sea monster.

But the monarch in question was many strokes away from her, swimming innocently. He blinked at her, guileless. "What?"

Altheia gritted her teeth together. "Oh, you're dead meat when I get my hands on you...!"

Aro barked out a laugh. Haughty, he raised a hand to her and folded his fingers in a taunting, beckoning motion. "I'd like to see you try."

»»—- ❈ —-««

WASHINGTON. . .

As the Cullens trekked separately through the woodlands in unrivaled speed, Charlie, Mele, and Sulpicia trailed behind languidly on their own pace, a few hundred meters behind. They scout the forestry until late into the night, and the two groups meet near the reservation boundary where the trail ends. The wolves are an intimidating sight on the other side to greet them.

Sam noted the presence of the red-eyed vampires, and Charlie immediately launched into a diplomatic explanation of the agreement between him and the Volturi. Sam nodded in understanding, but his posture was still stiff and ready to pounce at any moment.

"Given our history... the pack keeps its distance." Sam said. "We have reason to be wary."

"Jake and Leah still aren't here." Paul, being the only other one untransformed, spoke his thoughts aloud, distrustful. "They should be by now."

Edward tilted his head to the side slightly. "Well, here they are."

Panels of light filtered through the murky trees, and the revving sounds of motorcycle engines roared into the silence of the night. Two motorbikes sped into their line of sight first, followed by a sleek sedan shortly after. The vehicles decelerated from high velocity as they neared the boundary line, and by the time black wheels screeched to a stop, faint smoke rose from around them.

Jacob and Leah alighted the first motorcycle, eagerly removing their helmets and walking up to greet the rest of the pack. The car engine cut off, and Demetri, Felix, and Alec step out of the luxury sedan. Demetri handed Jacob the Quileute's copy of the pact when they passed him.

Sam and Paul welcome Jacob and Leah back with apparent relief, embracing them just as the rest of the pack do. Howls sound out through the forest and a reddish wolf slinks from the trees, bumping its humongous head at the back of Leah's knee in greeting.

"I'm fine, Seth." Leah mumbled. "You worry too much."

The Volturi settled next to the Olympic coven after greeting Sulpicia and Mele. Demeteri looked dead set on getting the treaty signed and over with, Felix obviously more excited to start running perimeter in search for vagrant newborns to behead and set ablaze, but before either of them could call the pack's attention to the treaty at hand, Embry growled loud in his wolf form. Felix met his glare, eyes sharp and narrowed.

Paul gruffed, "He just wants to know who that is." He jutted his chin to the direction of the figure leaning against the second motorcycle. "I do, too."

Sulpicia giggled under her breath. They watched as the slender figure pushed herself off the motorcycle seating and lifted her hands to remove her black helmet. Luscious brown hair spilled in lengthy cascades down her back, and Bella tilted her head back to face her audience, displaying her delicate profile and glossed red lips.

"You forgot about me already?" The chief's daughter clicked her tongue. "You're hurting my feelings, Emb."

Bella slung her helmet over the sideview mirror of the black Ducati, then unzipped the black leather jacket she wore halfway. A gold coven pendant – ornate, shaped like a V – hung from her neck and settled right above her cleavage.

Emmett gave a low whistle. Rosalie kicked his shin. Edward sighed, too short and too low for anyone to notice.

Bella met Alec's heated gaze as she walked up to the group, throwing him a quick smile as if they were sharing a secret. And then she met Paul's dumbfounded stare and teased, "Paul. Come on. It's me. Bella. You and Jake taught me how to ride a mountain bike, remember?"

"I... um. Uh..." Paul shook his head, dispelling the haze in his stare. "Right. Bella. Hey. Welcome back."

Bella smirked, then turned her gaze to Sam and Carlisle. "Should we get the treaty started?"

Sam nodded, gesturing to the campfire burning in the off distance. Separate parties started walking to the ceremonial space, heavy thuds of wolfpaws breaking fallen branches as they prowled through the earth.

It started with a shake of hands between representatives. Carlisle and Esme, Sam and Jacob, Demetri and Felix, then Charlie. Bella and Sulpicia and the rest of the others stood at the back, quiet, tense, hopeful.

"May the accords bring peace and protection to all," Sam announced as he unfurled the article handed to him by his beta, priming to read the treaty aloud.

The murmurs of agreement around him were just as firm. "May the accords bring peace and protection to all."

»»—- ❈ —-««

PALAIA. . .

Two bare feet stepped out of the shower and padded onto the cold, hardwood floor of a dimly-lit bedroom. The moonlight delicately illuminated the expanse of the room, and Altheia noted the absence of the black-haired monarch as she wrung the wet ends of her hair with a towel.

After spending the entirety of the afternoon lazing by the poolside, Aro had instructed her to return to the manor by herself. His eyes had been so dark for the last two days, nearly obsidian, and the scholar understood that he would have to take his time before coming back.

Now that nighttime came, her heartbeat thumped around wildly in her chest. Ever since Aro's arrival in Campania, he had stayed next to her as she slept, waiting until she woke, almost dutifully, painstakingly, and to what end she didn't know. She figured that, at least now, they were honest with themselves. Honest enough to be indulgent, to willfully drop the pretense and keep next to each other as the deliberate, conscious choice of each day. Because... in the end, that's what mattered, right? To choose each other? To yield to the gravity between them, pulling them close? To surrender?

An imperceptible change in the night air, a subtle hint of musk, and Altheia knew her suitor had returned even before she saw him. She closed the book in her hands before looking up, expectant.

"You're still awake." Aro stated in surprise as he leaned against the wall. "Couldn't sleep?"

The mindreader had his arms crossed and his hair slightly damp, wearing a fresh set of clothes on him – a charcoal gray shirt that fit his body exceptionally well and dark slacks – evidence that his previous outfit had been stained with god knows what during his hunt but decided to take a shower before returning back to her. Altheia made space for him on the bed as he pushed himself off the wall and walked nearer to her. "I tried to," she muttered, almost to herself. "I kept waking up."

At the small pout on her face, Aro smirked. "Were you worried?"

"You weren't gone long, you know," Altheia laughed, pulling her legs from underneath the covers and huddling next to Aro as he settled against the headboard. She laid her head on his shoulder and admitted in a tiny mumble, "But I did miss you."

Aro stilled, scarlet eyes dropping onto the woman curled against him. She was thinly draped in a rose satin chemise. He could see the telltale flaming tinge under her cheeks, hear the racing of her heart as she waited for his response.

Aro drew out a long-suffering breath. Why did she always have to act adorable.

Slowly, his arm rose from behind her to pull her closer and secure her form to the side of him. He reached for the angle of her neck, tipped her chin upward, then, with gentleness reserved for the heavens, captured her waiting mouth into a soft kiss. The woman under him let out a short hum of satisfaction when their lips met, and when he pressed his mouth deeper, Altheia's eyes fluttered closed, eyelashes caressing the skin of his cheeks. He relented the tepid, sensual assault on her lips, if only to watch the transition of her gaze, and sure enough, her auburn gaze grew vibrant instead of sleepless, honey molten and glazed as they blinked languidly at him.

Slowly realizing that they had been staring at each other, silent and wordless for a long time, Altheia sobered and pulled back, clearing her throat and pushing herself off him, muttering, "I... Human minute. Be right back."