Woman of the Hour // volturi kings

25. teeth

1996

Maybe it was her unbridled loyalty to the kings, the coven that gave her a new life and a new sense of power, or the sheer uneasiness she felt around Santiago, but Jane couldn't, in good conscience, allow him to be in control of Claire's safety. Aro had been too distracted by his new-found mate and the hunt for the Cullens to notice the changes in one of his guards.

Jane and Alec, on the other hand, had become even more observant and protective. They now had to keep Claire safe, as well as their kings. They were both happy for them, as were the rest of the coven. Except Santiago, who had subtly been withdrawing from the rest other guards. The twins noticed and had confided in Felix and Dimitri.

Now, everything he did was monitored. Every glare, every indignant huff, every spiteful comment. They heard it all, compiling their evidence against him. They had planned to tell Aro about Santiago's attitude when they returned to Volterra, share their memories with their master. But now their hands were forced, and they had to share their findings as soon as possible.

While the other guards patrolled the area and Santiago hunted, the twins approached Marcus before they left to see the Denali coven, tactfully voicing their new distrust for their fellow guard. Of course, Marcus was immediately interested, the thought of Claire in any sort of danger upset him greatly. They knew he was the most level-headed of the leaders, having him on their side before informing the others would only benefit them.

Marcus managed to pull the other kings away from a still-sleeping Claire, telling them he had some critical information. Jane and Alec both willingly shared their memories with Aro, who relayed what he saw to Marcus and Caius.

They were livid. One of their own, trusted guards was being insolent, even going so far as to doubt his kings and insult Claire. Santiago would be dealt with, when they returned home and he could be handled, away from their mate.

Aro was the most enraged of the brothers. He had taken Santiago in, when he was a lost newborn with no future. He didn't have any special abilities that would give an advantage to the coven, but Aro welcomed him anyway.

Maybe he was too lenient with his guard. He put his trust in them to never let him down, never let a threat eventuate, and they hadn't faltered before. He put so much faith in them that he had respected their privacy, never forcing them to share their thought with him, he would always try his best to only collect the necessary information. Clearly, that was a mistake. One he would be rectifying as soon as possible.

"You and Dimitri will stay behind," Aro pointed at Jane, the fury around him was palpable. "Keep an eye on them, a close eye. If he so much as hurts a hair on her head, I will personally tear you limb from limb."

As much as he wanted to stay behind with Claire, they had responsibilities and political obligations. They would keep their meeting short and return to her with haste.

"Yes, master," Jane bowed her head before disappearing out the door to find Dimitri, her brother hot on her heels.

"I want to kill him," Caius growled and began pacing the living room. He was shaking with rage, the audacity of this lesser immortal to act so disrespectfully towards their future queen.

"We can't reveal that we suspect him of plotting treason, he'll run. It's not worth the manpower to find him again. We don't let on that he's under watch, and we don't let him get close to Claire. That's all we can do until we return to Volterra, brother," Marcus explained, as ever-headed as ever.

Oh, don't get him wrong. He could not wait to get his hands on Santiago, slowly separating his head from his body and making him watch while his own body burns, but he was logical. Reprimanding the disloyal guard needed a secure location, no room for error. If he fled, he would pose a more serious threat to them down the line.