The cobblestone streets gave way to a towering, ancient structure that loomed over the city. It wasn't just a castle; it was a monument to power, its dark stone seeming to drink the moonlight. Reina's breath hitched. This was Jane's home. Demetri melted into the shadows of a massive entrance, and Felix appeared, holding open a gargantuan iron-banded door.
"My lords are waiting in the throne room," he intoned, his gaze lingering on Jane's hand, which was still wrapped tightly around Reina's.
Jane didn't respond, simply guiding Reina forward into the cavernous, echoing hall. The air inside was cold and still, smelling of aged stone and something else… something metallic and faintly smoky. Their footsteps, Jane's silent and Reina's a soft, nervous tap, were the only sounds.
Torches flickered in sconces, casting long, dancing shadows that made the frescoes on the ceiling seem to move. Reina's heart was a frantic drum against her ribs. She clung to the cool, solid presence of Jane beside her, the only anchor in this disorienting sea of grandeur and implied threat.
"Jane," Reina whispered, her voice small in the vast space. "What are you?"
Jane stopped walking. They stood before another set of doors, these even more ornate than the last. She turned to Reina, her crimson eyes glowing in the low light. She cupped Reina's cheek, her thumb stroking a line down to her jaw. The touch was impossibly gentle, a stark contrast to the cold intensity in her gaze.
"We are the Volturi," Jane said, her voice low and resonant. "We are the law of our kind. And I… I am a vampire, Reina. A predator. The thing you should fear most in the dark." She leaned closer, her lips almost brushing Reina's as she spoke. "And you are not afraid, are you? My strange, beautiful soulmate."
Before Reina could process the confession, the great doors swung open silently.
The throne room took her breath away. It was immense, with a high, vaulted ceiling. At the far end, on a raised dais, sat three figures on ornate thrones. Their perfect, pale faces were statuesque and utterly still. The guards from the piazza—Heidi, the stunning woman, and the others—lined the walls, their eyes fixed forward, a gallery of lethal beauty.
Jane's posture shifted instantly. The possessive lover was gone, replaced by a soldier reporting for duty. Yet, she never let go of Reina's hand, pulling her forward into the center of the room.
"Masters," Jane's voice rang out, clear and respectful, yet devoid of subservience.
The figure in the center throne, a man with long, dark hair and a curious, almost kindly expression, smiled. It didn't reach his eyes. "Dear, sweet Jane. You've brought us a guest." His voice was a melodic murmur, yet it carried through the entire hall. "And what a fascinating guest she is. How… utterly unique."
Reina felt a pull, a strange compulsion to step closer to him. Jane's grip on her hand tightened imperceptibly, a silent command to stay put.
The man on the right, with blonde hair and a face of sharp, cold angles, spoke next, his voice a frosty whip. "A human, brought directly into our sanctum? Explain this breach, Jane."
It was the third man, on the left, who intrigued Reina the most. He seemed older, wearier, his eyes holding a deep, timeless sorrow. He merely observed, saying nothing, but his gaze was fixed on the connection between her and Jane's clasped hands.
Jane took a breath. "My lords. Caius. Aro. Marcus." She addressed each in turn. "This is Reina. I found her in the piazza. There is no human scent to deceive me, no memory in her mind to create an illusion. Yet, when our eyes met… I felt it. The bond you speak of, Marcus. The one you have shown me exists for others. She is my anima mea. My soulmate."
Aro clapped his hands together softly, a sound like bones clicking. "Marvelous! To witness it firsthand! The pull, the connection… it is as Marcus has always described. A thread of fate, unbreakable and pure." His dark eyes glittered with avaricious curiosity. "And you wish for her to stay?"
"I do," Jane said, her voice gaining steel. "I wish for her to remain with me. Here."
Caius snorted. "And what is your plan, guard? Keep a pet human? A sleeping, breathing snack for a moment of weakness? The stench of her blood is already a distraction." His icy eyes scanned the room, and Reina saw several guards subtly shift their weight.
Jane's jaw tightened. "I would never harm her. I would protect her with my existence."
"And how long will that existence last?" Caius countered. "A mere blink. A human lifetime is nothing to us. She will wither and die in what will feel like a season to you, and you will be left with a grief that will shatter the very control you pride yourself on."
The truth of his words landed heavily in the room. Jane's perfect composure faltered for a fraction of a second, a flicker of genuine fear in her eyes. The image of Reina aging, dying, turning to dust, was a horror she clearly hadn't fully considered.
It was Aro who provided the solution, his voice silky and smooth. "There is, of course, a simple remedy to my brother's valid concerns." He rose from his throne and drifted down the dais steps, stopping just before them. He looked at their joined hands with fascination. "The condition for her staying, Jane, is not a matter of permission. It is a matter of practicality. For her to remain at your side, where she belongs…" he paused, letting the word hang in the air, "…she cannot remain human."
He looked from Jane to Reina, his expression one of benevolent finality. "You must turn her."
The words echoed in the silent hall. Turn her. Reina didn't fully understand, but the meaning was clear in the way Jane's hand went rigid in hers, in the way a slow, devastatingly possessive heat began to replace the fear in Jane's crimson eyes.
Jane turned to look at Reina, and the world narrowed to just the two of them. The throne room, the ancient kings, the audience of deadly guards—it all faded into a blur.
"Reina," Jane breathed, her voice thick with a hunger that had nothing to do with blood and everything to do with eternity. "You would have to give up the sun. You would have to embrace the dark. You would be forever… mine."
She raised her other hand, and her cool fingertips traced the frantic pulse pounding at the base of Reina's throat. A shiver, electric and primal, raced through Reina's entire body.
"This life…" Jane whispered, her lips so close Reina could feel the cool whisper of her breath. "It is a bargain. Your mortality for an eternity with me. Say you agree."