Tenebrous ↠ Volturi Kings {1} ✓

05

Caius' visit undeniably ended up being much more eventful than Marcus', though this was more due to outside circumstances than anything else. Things began to crash and burn, for lack of a better phrase, Friday afternoon. I had just returned from my lunch spent in the car with Caius and was in the process of unzipping my jacket when I was unexpectedly grabbed and yanked into the nearest empty room, which just happened to be the men's restroom.

I kicked up quite the protest until I realized it was just Jasper, who had since braced himself against the door to avoid any unwanted visitors.

"Okay, what the hell?" I asked crossly, heart still beating rapidly from the scare.

"Victoria, I saw Victoria in a vision during lunch. She's coming back this weekend. She's after Bella, she's still furious at her for killing James, she's returning to try and hunt her down once and for all," Alice said in a rush.

I stood stock-still, shocked, and it was several moments before I was able to actually speak. "When?"

"I don't know what day, sometime in the evening. I know it's this weekend. Edward saw what I did, I'm sure he already has some sort of plan in place, but we have to go and try to end this," she said.

I was starkly reminded that I was the only human member in a coven of vampires. "And what about me?"

"You'll be with Caius, you'll be fine. He'll protect you with his life if necessary, but Victoria isn't interested in you. Just stay in the house and you'll be perfectly safe," she said.

"Is that all that you saw?" Jasper asked. His perfectly sculpted features had settled into a worried frown, though upon catching my gaze he sent a wave of reassurance my way.

"Yes, that's all. She must have just decided," Alice said.

I was struck with a sudden thought. "We are going to tell Caius all this, right?"

"I'm not sure that'd be a good idea," she said carefully.

"Why not? It's stupid not to tell him, do you know how angry he'll be if he finds out you guys have lied?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"If Caius thinks you're in danger with us, he won't hesitate to take you right back to Volterra with him! It is taking a lot of trust on their part to let you stay here, you know that right?" Alice said, her voice rising shrilly. "They are all absolutely terrified that something will happen to you here, I don't have to be a mind reader to know that! And the second any one of them, especially Caius, thinks that you are in any sort of danger they will take you back to Volterra whether you like it or not!"

"I think he'd be more pissed off if we didn't tell him! Caius could have you all killed for keeping something like that from them! You think I want that?" I fired back.

"Give us this weekend. If we don't kill Victoria by then, we'll tell him what's going on. Like I said, she's not after you - you're in no danger from her. Please, Rowan," she said softly.

I sighed. It wasn't a perfect solution, not by a long shot, especially not if something unexpected occurred. But Alice did have a point, loath as I was to admit it. "Okay, okay. I won't tell him."

"Good," she said, and conversation was effectively ended.

It did not take me very long to realize that lying to Caius - though perhaps knowingly withholding the truth would be a better description - was much different than lying to the Cullens. For starters, he picked up that something was off almost immediately and unlike Marcus wasn't one to wait for me to speak about it when I was ready.

"Something bothering you, love?" He asked as he drove me home, taking his eyes off the road for several seconds to give me a concerned look. "You seem quiet."

"I'm just tired." It was a pathetic, flimsy excuse, and I wasn't entirely sure that he bought it, but he didn't push. "School, you know?"

"Not really," He said with a low chuckle. "It's over now, though."

I leaned back against the seat, staring out at the scenery that flashed by. Caius didn't drive quite as fast or as recklessly as Alice, though I suspected this was in part because I was with him. We arrived back at the house quickly enough, and I hoped Edward had the sense not to mention Alice's vision while Caius was near.

"What would you like to do?" Caius asked after I dropped off my backpack in my room and flopped back onto the bed. The side of the bed dipped under his weight, and I glanced up at where he was sitting.

I shrugged. "Anything you'd like."

"I think I need more to go off of than that, love," he said, amused.

"How about we go outside? I know some good spots with nice scenery where we could draw, if you like," I suggested. I knew I needed to get him out of the house so that Alice could discuss her vision with the rest of the Cullens, and while I felt guilty for keeping something so important from Caius I had promised Alice that I'd give her and my family a chance to deal with this on their own.

He was on his feet in a moment. "That sounds perfect."

I tossed a few sketchbooks, pencils, and colored pencils into a bag (which Caius insisted on carrying) and we were off. Edward sent me a discreet nod of thanks as we walked out, and I knew they would wait until Caius was out of earshot to begin their discussion.

"So where are we going?"

"The border between our land and the Quileute land. The Cullens hate it when I go out that far, what with the werewolves and all, but if you climb a tree there's a really pretty view," I said, tucking my hands snugly into the pockets of my jacket.

"There are werewolves here?" Caius had stopped dead in his tracks, and when he spoke his voice was utterly horrified.

"Yeah, but they don't bother us, and I never go down to La Push anyway, so it's not that big of a deal," I said, casting him a concerned look. Surely the Quileute wolves didn't warrant such a strong reaction?

"Not that big of a deal?! Werewolves are dangerous, uncontrollable beasts, slaves to their instinct! There's a reason I've had them hunted nearly to extinction!" he hissed.

I suddenly remembered something Carlisle had mentioned to me, and everything made sense. "Wait, they're not what you think they are-"

Caius cut me off. "They will kill anything they can touch, and a one human is no match for a pack of them, you're in incredible danger here. Aro was foolish to allow you to leave Volterra!"

"You don't understand-"

"No, you don't understand! You are our heart and soul, Rowan, to lose you would be to lose ourselves! Having you so far away from us, even under the watch of our Elite Guard, is like agony as we are not near to look after or protect you! And to know that you are so close to such danger is unacceptable, I least of all will not allow it, just as I know Aro and Marcus won't!"

"They're shape-shifters!" I exclaimed, when Caius finally stopped his rant for an unneeded breath. "They're not Children of the Moon, they're shape-shifters who can take the form of wolves at will. I misspoke."

There was a moment of tense silence, and then, "Forgive me."

"Yeah," I said softly. "I know of a different spot, if that's better."

"Take me wherever you'd like. I trust your judgement," he said. And while I knew this was likely his way of apologizing for his earlier outburst, the sentiment was appreciated.

Edited 4/16/2021