Bound To You: Marcus Volturi

Chapter 66: Travelling Companion

"Are we there yet?"
"No, Lee. We're not."
"How about now?"
"No. We're still driving aren't we?"
"How abouutttt......NOW?" I jump up and down in my seat as I spot the wooden cabin isolated on the hill.

Felix turns around in his seat and glares at me. "Will you be quiet?" He thunders. "I'll lose concentration. For Marcus's sake, I don't want your blood on my hands." He adds.

"The place is there, surely?" I point at it impaitently. "You're an interesting friend to have, Lee Volturi." He smiles to himself. I glance at him from my window.
"I'm not your friend. I'm your travelling companion." I stress the title carefully and he smirks.

"Travelling companion." He mocks dryly, pulling into a parking spot. He pulls me out of the car, carrying me over to the cottage and opening the rusty wooden door. The hinges squeak as if they haven't been used in a long time. He steps in, looking around warily.

When he's satisfied there's no danger, he lays me out on the sofa, turning on the TV. "Stay here. I'm bringing in the luggage from the car." He rises to leave but I quickly grab his wrist. "What is this place?" I ask, glancing at the map pinned to the wooden board on the wall.

"It's one of our last safehouses." He sighs, a look of sadness on his face. Before I can ask him anymore questions, his expression returns to cheeky and playful and he walks out to the car.

I roll over and start focusing my attention on the TV. We've arrived in France, after a two hour flight and a forty minute car journey, which has been, needless to say, exhausting. Along with Felix's wisecracks and messing around, it's been torture.

He comes back in, holding stacked suitcases in his strong arms. He drops them onto the other sofa and sits on the floor, stretching out his long legs.
"How long will we be here?" I look around the room, dusty from lack of visitors and quiet. There are no other buildings for at least a mile in every direction.

Felix shrugs. "Hard to say. Maybe a month, or two." He notices my horrified face and smiles. "It's for your own protection. They've done the same for your brother. Anything to keep you safe." He adds. "Safe from what?" I scoff, knowing Jeanie is a soft, delicate person, who could only ever be dangerous during a game of Monopoly.

"Jeanie isn't the murderous sort." I snark, changing the channel. I offer him the remote. "Would you like to see what's on?"
He raises his eyebrows at me and shakes his head. "Do I look like the sort of person that watches TV?" He stands and heads over to the suitcases.

"I'll be unpacking." He points to a door that presumably leads to a bedroom and I sit up, panic stricken. "Wait!" I cry and he turns around, a smirk on his face. "Something wrong? Are you afraid to be alone?" He teases, taking pleasure in my fear.

I growl at him. "I always feel uncomfortable in a strange place." I defend, taking in the living room.

Two overstuffed sofas, with plump cushions opposite one another, the TV on the wall beside. A long table with weapons on top and inside the cupboards. A map of France pinned to the cork board on another wall and several doors, where hopefully, one of them leads to a kitchen.

"It looks so....like....not mine." I try to describe, but he smiles again and stares at me funnily. "We'll make it homely by the time we leave. I'll make sure of it." He nods confidently at me and unzips one of the suitcases.

"Fine. I'll unpack here." He decides for my benefit.
"It's not even dark and yet you lay there, cowering like a baby." He splutters, finding it hysterical. I glare at him. "Fuck off!" I yell, throwing a pillow at him, which he effectively dodges, even though it wouldn't have hurt him even so.

Instead, he laughs at my pathetic actions and continues to unpack.

           ******************

By dark, I've shivering like a leaf, a thin blanket around my shoulders as I hunch up on the sofa, lip trembling, teeth chattering, while Felix makes hot chocolate in the kitchen. He's lit the log fire in the living room in the hope of warming me up by a few degrees.

"We can't have you freezing to death." He had muttered.

"Here we are." He announces, coming back in to hand me my mug which is steaming from the hot milk. I blow it carefully, willing it not to splash or taste too hot when I sip.

Felix sits on the opposite sofa, holding a cup identical to mine. "Is that hot chocolate?" I sit up to try peering into the cup. "It's just water." He shrugs, watching the fire glow and radiate heat around the room.

"You've been here before, haven't you?" I ask, noticing the way he seems comfortable and familiar with his surroundings. He looks up at me and smiles sadly.

"Yes. This used to be Demetri and I's hideaway during assignments. We'd stay here together, sleeping under the stars." He looks away, lost in thought. "It was on one of our visits here that we lost our best friend, Tanis." He sighs, chin on his chest from sadness.

I await his explanation on how he died. "Wolves." He answers before I can even ask him. "Werewolves came before we even reached our weapons." He turns away, eyes closed. "He stood no chance." He adds softly.

"How come you survived?" I ask in curiosity. He smiles. "I was already a vampire. He was just a poor human guard." He tuts in anger. "Master Aro wanted to wait before we turned him. Too late."

I sip my hot chocolate and curl up on the sofa, feeling worried. "Where's Liam?" I blurt, suddenly, realising that like Marcus, I haven't seen him since yesterday either. Felix sighs. "In London, with Priest and Demetri." He looks wistful. "I haven't been to London in over a century. I suppose it's changed a lot since?" He asks me directly.

A feeling of relief goes through me knowing that Liam is safe. "It's more modern. Coffee shops and tall buildings." I summarise and he closes his eyes as if he's picturing it.

"Theatres. That's what I loved the most. Black and white film. So rare these days." He gives an offhand wave, as if he feels he shouldn't be thinking about his past.

Then it strikes me and I start to see him as a person, a once human being who walked the earth in a time different to mine. Where London was business and theatre instead of restuarants and politicians. A man who had friends, family.

"Why are you staring at me?" He asks, snapping me out of my trance. "Uh, sorry." I clear my throat awkwardly and change the topic back to Liam. "Have they taken his medication with him? He's a nightmare without it."

"Everything has been taken care of." He reassures. I sigh in relief. "How about a board game?" I suggest, pointing at the travel pack Snakes 'n' Ladders stowed on top of the cabinet.

He smiles in amusement.
"Tomorrow. We'll play tomorrow. You must sleep." He gestures towards the bedroom door. I finish my hot chocolate and head into the bedroom, him following. "I've left you clean pyjamas and the rest of your clothes are in there." He points to the bed and then to the chest of drawers.

"You're a good friend, Felix, thank you." I turn to get undressed but he smirks. "I thought I was your travelling companion, not your friend." He teases, holding me on my word.

"I've changed my mind." I stammer and he smirks. "If you'd like to argue, do it tomorrow. Goodnight." He closes the door just and leaves, the smug bastard.