**One Year Later**
I looked at myself in the mirror. Not bad, I thought. Though I was a little annoyed at always having to wear black. Still, I looked quite good. I pulled up my hair in a neat bun and the V pendant. I put on a pair of stylish black boots and peeked at the mirror for the last time. My eyes were onyx this time and I noticed how thirsty I was. I would hunt after I finished with whatever Aro wanted me to do.
But then I remembered that I had to meet Alec after that. We had another German lesson planned. I had already mastered Latin, French, Italian and Spanish since Alec promised that he would teach me. I improved my calligraphy too. Alec was a very good teacher, though the sometimes he would just stare at me. Over the months we formed a bond. There was something between us though I quite couldn't figure out what it was. I knew that he was attracted to me, though he wouldn't show it after what happened in the woods a year ago. I giggled at the thought.
I entered the throne room and found a very amused Jane using her gift on a vampire who was whimpering on the floor. He had shoulder length hair and a straight nose like those you see on an ancient Roman vase. He looked at me with an icy glare. In the shadows I could see Alec and I felt a wave of relief brushing over me.
"Ah, how nice of you to join us! As you can see we have a misbehaving guest. I thought that maybe you can try out your gift on him, see if we can allow him to leave." Aro told me.
"I'm not sure if I'm up to it. I still haven't quite mastered it." I said in a small voice.
"Yes, but Alec told me that you have improved. I'd no problem if you fail. That's the only way you can learn." he told me simply.
"Oh, alright then." I answered. Dimitri grabbed the vampire's hands and held them behind his back and made him kneel in front of me. I touched his forehead with my index finger and closed my eyes. I strained myself to penetrate his mind barriers. After about ten seconds in he same position I felt fog around me. Suddenly the fog shifted into an image. I saw the vampire exit through the clock tower's doors. Then hue fog shifted into another image. I saw a boy about my age being bitten. I penetrated his future once more and I saw the boy in the middle of a crowd in the sunshine, his skin shining while people stared at him and took pictures. That was all I needed to see. I relaxed and the fog went away. I opened my eyes and found myself back in reality. I was proud of myself. I managed not to faint this time.
"So, what did you see?" Aro asked me with an excited note in his voice. He truly found my gift fascinating. He probably appreciated it even more than I did!
"I saw him leave unharmed. Then I saw him turn an eighteen year-old boy." I looked at him and I could feel the pity rolling in my eyes but I couldn't risk our kind getting exposed. It was my duty. "The boy exposed us." I said in a blank voice.
The vampire growled at me. He escaped Dimitri's grasp and lunged at me. I put up my hands in front of my face but of course it was useless. I froze. The next thing I saw was Alec's back in front of me. He jumped between me and the outraged vampire and gripped his neck. He paralysed him and I saw him lunging for his throat. "Stop!" I said as I regained my voice. Alec stopped his bare teeth from ripping out the vampire's throat. "Future visions can change. They're not written in stone. Perhaps if he is allowed to live he won't do what I saw." I said.
"Yes, but he has already gravely offended our kind. He has already tried to expose us. The Volturi give no second chances." Caius said to me. I cringed away from him even though I was already at a respectful distance. "Finish him up." Caius ordered. Alec snapped his neck with one graceful bite which sent his lifeless head rolling on the ground.
"So much commotion. Dimitri, take care of him." Aro said. Dimitri did as he was told he picked up the vampire's head from the hair. His eyes were blank and his skin looked like cracked marble. I shuddered.
"Very, good. I see you have enhanced your gift. You can go now." he waved his hand to dismiss me. I walked away and Alec followed me. He caught up with me in a few seconds.
"Follow me." he told me.
"Alec, would you mind if we skip today's lesson?" I asked him weakly.
"Oh, we're not going to do a normal lesson today." he said. "What happened in there can happen again. Just because you can't fight. Today we're starting your training." he concluded as we set of into the night. He grabbed my hand and led me to the woods.
Alec's POV
"Alec, I'm not really a violent person." she told me. "Well that's the problem. You're just too sweet and helpless to be a vampire. Our nature is to kill not play heroes." I answered angrily.
Suddenly I couldn't feel her hands under mine. Before I could even responded to it I felt a steady blow from the front. The next thing I saw where her black eyes boring into mine. "Don't you dare call me helpless! I haven't been helpless in a long time and I'm not starting now." she said in a low menacing voice that made her sound more seductive than she already was. My obsession for her was getting worse. But I felt it in my bones. Tonight was the night.
"Then show me what you can do. Block my attacks" I said as I released myself from her grip and joined the shadows. I saw her as she closed her eyes and inhaled the air around her. I ran silently and tried to attack her from behind but she ran away until she found a tree with a very thick trunk and considerable height in her path. She climbed half way up so I followed her. She suddenly jumped down in a somersault and landed with her feet on the ground. Then she pulled me down from the scruff of my shirt and I landed on the ground facing the starry night and her smug face looking down at me.
"That was just beginner's luck." I retorted. "You wish." she said as she helped me get up. We caused quite some ruckus in the woods during training. I stopped going too easy on her and she resisted for sometime but then I managed to push her down on the ground. As she was falling she tangled her foot with mine and I fell on her.
She didn't move. I could feel her pressed to my body, only a thin layer of clothes that prevented our flesh from touching. Her rosy lips were only a breath away. I stroked her hair. "You're so beautiful." I mumbled. Her eyes bore in mine and I could see a spark in them. Then I made my move. I didn't hesitate this time. I didn't want her to find some unthinkable excuse again and push me in a tree. I kissed her softly and heard her moan in pleasure. I liked her response so I turned our little peck on the lips into a something stronger and more powerful. I could feel her hunger and restraint on her lips and it made me arouse.
Sam's POV
I was really doing it! I was having my first kiss here in the middle of nowhere. He pulled out the clips in my hair and tangled his fingers in it. His lips were soft and smooth against mine but they quickly became eager. Suddenly I felt his tongue inside my mouth. It played with mine and explored my mouth. Suddenly his fingers left my hair and slid between us and stopped at my chest and gave a little squeeze. A surprised "Oh" escaped my lips. I was turned on. I pushed him up and removed his jacket with a little help from him. We both removed our V chains even though we had to break our kiss for a few seconds. I slowly undid the buttons of his shirt and he kissed me still eager. I ran my fingers on his bare chest and felt almost warmth between us even though we both run under average temperature. His lips left mine and he slowly laid kisses along my throat. His hands left my chest and this time started to work with the zipper on my dress. He managed to get it down and slid the cloth down to my waist. His hands trailed up to my chest but he found more fabric that was my bra.
"Why do you bother wearing these?" he said, his voice tinted with annoyance. I did some really hard thinking about what I should answer. "For the same reasons women used to wear corsets." I answered. He probably knew what corsets were, or that's what I thought. He continued kissing and working with my bra. I broke our kiss and smiled a goofy smile at him. I pulled up my dress and the zipper and put on my V chain. He looked at me reluctantly as if I he was a child and I just told him that Christmas was cancelled this year.
"Oh, come on. I won't do anything rash. That's enough for tonight." I said and left.
Back in my room I realised that I had just almost given up myself to a complete stranger. I knew nothing about Alec. But something that felt so good could never be wrong, right? Never in all my life, had I felt so good. My life had been a black hole from the first moment I took my first breath. I turned on the water in my bath, jumped in it and closed my eyes.
Alec's POV
I sat in the woods alone. I picked up my shirt and inhaled her scent on the fabric. I almost had her. After a whole year of restraint and suddenly she stopped. I had a feeling that I would never fully understand her. I heard slow footsteps and thought that she had changed her mind and came back. But as I smelt around me I realised that it was Jane.
I quickly put on my shirt but she intruded me before I managed to get to all the buttons. "Don't worry brother. It's not like I haven't seen your torso before. I thought you were supposed to be teaching her how to fight. I guess the adrenaline turned into something… else." she concluded.
"Were you watching us?" I asked, enraged at her. She shook her head. "Au contraire, mon frère" she told me mockingly. I just want to know something. What's your purpose? Surly you're not trying to mate with her, at least not forever." she said with a trace of humour.
"Has it ever crossed your mind, that I might want something more from my life, a reason to live for, someone to love."I asked her through clenched teeth. She laughed that callous laugh of hers.
"Brother, we have lost our ability to love centuries ago. I dare say we lost it when those pathetic humans burned us alive at a stake." she said as many cruel images penetrated my mental pain shields.
"Yes but she's not human now, is she?" I answered weakly. "She might as well be. She couldn't even block a weak attack. She's weak which will cause her permanent death sooner or later." She said in my ear.
"Nobody has ever taught her before. She wasn't lucky enough to have a master such as Aro. Whoever it was left her alone to fend for herself. We're luck that she has amazing restraint and still an amount of humanity in her or we would have had to go hunt her down and kill her." I answered her.
"Well then, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I come watch her improvement sometime." She said and left, leaving me alone once more for the night in the woods. I thought I was the one creature in the universe that understood Jane completely but this time I was baffled. Perhaps it wasn't just Sam; I would never be able to absolutely comprehend a woman's thoughts.