Chapter 5

"What in the world has gotten into you both?" Caius growled, scathingly swatting away Aro's reaching hand. "Do you two not find it odd that I do not feel the same as you both? You seem to be forgetting that I am wed, and would've very well noticed if I'd looked upon my mate!"

Aro and Marcus shared a withering glance, and it seemed to anger their blonde haired brother even further as he paced to the other side of his study. He shot them a harsh glare, but they both took notice of how his hand drifted to just over his heart, where the mating pull originated.

"Brother, do you think that Marcus' gift could somehow be deceived?" Aro asked level-headedly, trying to give Caius as much patience he could afford to offer.

"His gift has never been wrong before."

"You have not felt love for Athenodora in ages," Marcus commented dryly, drifting towards the window so that he could peak down at the gardens below. "Your ties to her have been breaking strand by strand since the day we left the United States, and it has been discolored for much, much longer."

Caius gaped at him for a second, clearly not used to Marcus speaking, and speaking so forwardly, at that. He quickly recomposed, and turned his harsh gaze upon Marcus, something he rarely did. "Whom I do or do not keep as a bed mate is not a concern for either of you, ties or no ties."

Aro was trying not to roll his eyes, he was trying very hard.

Caius had not gotten a good look at the girl they'd encountered at their confrontation with the Cullen's, and had not seen the seer's vision of what would've happen if they'd continued with their assualt. Nor could he see the ties that Marcus could.

He was also the one least likely to be okay with sharing.

"Caius, she is ours," Aro declared with finality. "You've never sought reason to distrust us so fiercely before. Do you intend to reject our bond?"

Marcus looked away from the window with a quick turn, eyes burning. "He shall do no such thing. If she suffers any pain from your asinine stubbornness-"

"You'll what?" Caius growled. "You'll go into another few centuries long catatonic state?"

A stunned silence slipped into the room, and it felt much colder.

Caius realized too late the weight of his words, but he didn't apologize. Instead he turned away from his brothers, pointedly casting his gaze into the burning fireplace. "Leave me. Now."

Aro was first to go, rubbing his temple in sheer annoyance as he stepped through the doorway. They both could've sworn he'd cursed at Caius under his breath as he went, but Caius no longer had a spark within him to bite something back at him.

Marcus, however, was hovering by the exit. "Caius... if you reject this bond..."

Caius heaved an irritated sigh, not turning to look his brother in the eye.

"It will not only hurt her. It will hurt us all. And neither Aro nor myself will stand by and allow you to single-handedly ruin something so sacred."

Caius whipped around, only to find Marcus had already gone. The tiny, hollow ache in his chest seemed to flare up slightly, and he resisted the urge to wince at the subtle burning in his chest.

"A shared mate..." he spat, though when he tossed another log onto the fire it lacked the force of his anger. "How foolish could fate be, to tie three kings to one weakness?"

Lilith

"Lilith, this is Felix and Demetri," Alice introduced as I sized up the two vampires hovering over my seated form. "They're part of the Elite guard of the Volturi."

The two looked over me curiously, in the same manner I was regarding them as I took in their appearances without their evil minion cloaks, before looking to Alice. The smaller one, Demetri, spoke to Alice in a slightly aggravated tone of voice. "You removed her from your home."

My brows drew together in confusion, and I glanced over to Alice.

She looked irritated. "Yes, well, Lily isn't a prisoner in our company. In-fact, she plans to be leaving us within a weeks time. Lily, I'm sorry that we didn't tell you, but the Volturi left Demetri and Felix behind to keep an eye on us for a couple of weeks. Sort of like probation, if you will. They're just ensuring all is well, aren't you two?"

They didn't skip a beat, and they were both nodding with her statement. If I'd been less confused and less suspicious, I might've missed the silent conversation between the three. They were looking at each other in ways that told me I was missing a huge part of this conversation, but I knew it was fruitless to attempt to bring out the full truth then and there.

I also couldn't remember telling any of the Cullen's my intentions of leaving so soon, but I could only assume Alice had been able to see my decision. It'd been weighing on me heavily, but the longer I stayed the more I feared that I would be dragging them into my troubles, and that was the last thing I wanted wished upon them.

"Well," I stated, glancing at the two with a raised brow. "If that's the case then you must be forgetting the entirety of the Cullen coven is at home. You both left to follow a single member on her shopping trip not very far from her territory?"

Alice cut in smoothly. "Sorry, boys. It was my fault for leaving without informing you first. I'll make sure to be more careful next time."

I watched as the two nodded slowly, before turning on their heels to leave.

What the hell is going on?

Alice avoided any possibility of questions, quickly sweeping our shopping bags off the ground and leading us to the exit of the mall. She'd been planning on taking me out to more stores once I'd finished my food, but it seemed our interruption had been enough to make her ready to return home.

I kept my comments to myself. If there was something wrong, surely Carlisle and his family would tell me so. Maybe the Volturi really were just keeping an eye on them for a while to ensure the validity of their side of the conflict we'd prevented mere days before. Even if they were doing so in a really weird manner.

I saw neither hide nor hair of the two Volturi guard again for the rest of the week. Though, to specify, it'd also been the last time any of the Cullen's had attempted to take me on any sort of outing away from their homes.

Not that I minded much. I was busy receiving my new clothes and items that I'd purchased at the beginning of the week, and getting this packed and ready to go. Though, as the week went on, the more it bothered me that I hadn't seen or heard anything about the hovering Volturi guard since the mall incident. I didn't like the deep, sinking feeling I was getting in my stomach, and I was quick to throw myself into unpacking and repacking.

Carlisle was kind enough to get a vehicle in order for me, and had went with Esme to go and collect an SUV from a car lot in Port Angeles. I'm sure if I'd let him, he would've paid for it, too, if I hadn't forced him to take my money and thoroughly warned him that if I saw any of it put back in my account I'd turn around from my trip to come harass him.

It all felt like it'd ended too soon.

I'd spent so much time with each of them, and I'd grown pretty fond of the Cullen's I'd missed out on meeting in the past years.

My mind and my heart felt like they were at war. My mind knew I had to go, because it wouldn't be fair to them to be in danger for housing me. But my heart ached for the family setting I'd fallen into pattern with. It'd been something I'd yearned and bled for since birth, and yet again it seemed to be just out of my reach.

I'd tried to load my new vehicle in peace, to also collect my strength and thoughts as I prepared to leave, but of course it didn't take long for Edward, Jasper, and Emmett to come spilling out onto the yard and start loading everything up for me. I didn't even try to get a word in, just raised my brow as Edward shot me a boyish grin as he passed, a duffel bag on each shoulder.

"Show offs," I muttered when it only took them two trips, vampire speed and all.

They chuckled, and I followed them back into the house where the rest of the family had seemed to be waiting.

Before I could even start my farewell, Renesmee peaked at me from her spot at Bella's side. I was surprised to see the soft glimmer of budding tears, and I quickly bent down to grab the girl in a hug. "Oh, little one... Don't cry, we'll see each other again. It may not be soon, but I promise I'll come visit the first chance I get."

I'd grown really fond of the half-human, half-vampire child. I'd spent several afternoons playing games with her and her family, and I'd even gotten the chance to read to her a couple night before she slept.

As I was released from her grip and bound by a pinkie swear that I'd return when I could, I was passed to and from each Cullen in a tight farewell hug. Each one put a bit more pressure behind my eyes, but I told myself I wouldn't cry.

I'd had quite the time. Despite the initial mess, I'd gotten to spend a good amount of time with them, and it'd been so different actually living in a family setting.

It was something I'd always longed for but had always found out of my reach.

I'd found I gotten along well with most of them, though I had to admit I'd hadn't had much time with Rosalie nor Jasper. But both hugged me in farewell, and I dared to notice the slightest of smiles on Rosalie's face as she rejoined her husband at the base of the stairs.

Carlisle was the last, and I hugged onto him much tighter than the others.

While Carlisle was younger than me, he'd been the first person to show me true compassion. He'd reached out to me, and helped me, when I'd needed it the most at one point in my life. He'd not only helped my body heal, he'd become my first real friend I'd been able to trust and rely on in my whole existence.

"You know you don't have to go," Carlisle whispered, pulling away but keeping his hands on my shoulders. "We can help-"

I shook my head at him, and he stopped. They'd worked so hard for their peace, and now in the after-glow of the Volturi incident, it was time for his family to be able to enjoy that peace.

"This... this is something I feel like I need to do alone," I admitted to him, but inside I was scared. I had no clue where to start with my brother and my current dilemma, but I refused to drag Carlisle down with me. Even if it meant I had to do it by myself. "I'll be back before you know it, and you'll all be wishing I was still six feet under again just so you wouldn't have to hear my nonsense."

"Lilith," he chastised, but there was a brotherly grin on his face.

"Good-bye, Carlisle," I said gently, and turned for the door.

I was surprised to see that Alice was there, holding it open for me. She was smiling, albeit a little sadly. "I'd like to see you out, if that's okay, Lily?"

Smiling. I nodded, and followed the small vampire out the front door with a final wave to the rest of the family.

"You better come back soon!" Emmett's booming reply followed us out the door, and I couldn't stop the chuckle that fell from me.

Alice walked me all the way to the driver's side door, and then quickly wrapped me another hug. "Travel safely!"

She then leaned much closer, and I frowned as she whispered into my ear, "Please, Lily, trust them. I can't explain much, because it will change your decisions, but please listen to me. But just remember to try and trust them."

I wasn't able to question her, because as soon as her arms had released me she was back on the porch. She gave me a final wave, then disappeared back into her home.

"...Damn psychics," I muttered, hefting myself up and into the SUV.

My phone buzz, and I chuckled at the text from Alice. 'I heard that!'

I'd driven three days straight, stopping only for food and restroom breaks. If I was honest, I didn't have a good idea of where to go. I could only think of heading back up into Canada to my old cabin, to try and find anything that could be helpful to me currently.

Thankfully, Alice had provided me with a passport and license. How, I didn't bother asking. I assume vampires that integrated themselves into human society had to have their resources, and had merely accepted her help gratefully.

I was in the middle of absolutely nowhere, choosing to take small backroads and avoid all the major highways I possibly could until I was closer to my destination. I'd decided I wouldn't cross the Canadian border until I was closer to where my cabin lay, instead of driving up into Canada and through.

It was raining, hard, and I was barely able to make out a thing through my headlights in the dark. Several times I'd contemplated pulling over when I saw signs of townships ahead, but something in my gut had told me I needed to keep going, so I continued driving on.

I'd turned down the radio to get rid of the distraction, because something just felt wrong.

I was barely able to stop myself from wrecking the car when something landed on the side of the car, and suddenly two vampires were sitting in my backseat, having swung open one of the doors and slid inside within seconds. Both were soaking wet, rain dripping from their clothes and hair.

"Jesus christ!" I cursed, and lifted my foot from the pedal. "What the hell-"

"Don't stop," Demetri demanded as shifted my foot to hit the breaks, his voice a rough bark of a command. I paused. "You are being followed. Speed, now."

Just trust them.

I hit the gas, watching as my meter rose well above the intended speed limit.

My heart was still hammering in my chest from the scare, and I couldn't stop myself from glancing repeatedly at them in the rearview mirror. Both looked guarded, and irritated, as they seemed to be listening for something outside of the car.

"I thought you two were supposed to be with the Cullens, or returning to Italy," I muttered.

Felix glanced at me, before he opened the door and threw himself back out into the rain. It'd been too fast and dark for me to even see if he'd touched down on the road.

Demetri leaned over and closed the open door. "Focus on driving, you're across the middle line."

I jolted with another curse, quickly tilting the wheel so that I was back within my own lane. "Who is following me aside from you two?"

"At first, it was some of those stupid birds," he grumbled, seemingly annoyed. It was then I noticed his cloak had a few crow feathers stuck on it, and he was brushing them off with irritation written across his face. "They attacked us when they seemed to realize we were also following you."

"Yeah, about that," I ground out. "Why are you following me?!"

"Orders," he said simply, igniting my irritation further.

We fell into silence, and I was struggling to keep the vehicle driving straight. The water on the road, combined with my speed, was making it harder and harder to turn the corners safely, and I knew the second we hit too tight of a curve we would be threatening to careen off the road.

I glanced back in the mirror, and my brows furrowed when I realized Demetri was talking. He was talking at a low pitch and faster speed, so lowly I couldn't hear more than a mutter coming from him. He was most likely talking to Felix, who seemed to be traveling outside of the car somewhere within the trees.

"You said at first," I realized, and he went silent. "You said, 'at first, it was some of those stupid birds'. It's not just the crows?"

His brows furrowed. "One of them is different."

"Different how?" I demanded. He stuck silent, and I snapped. "Listen, I know a hell of a lot more about those birds than you do, and you need to tell me what was wrong with one of them or we could be in a shit load of trouble."

His red eyes glittered from the darkness in the backseat, and I could tell he was scrutinizing me. "When they attacked us, one of them turned into a man. He changed back once he realized his physical attacks couldn't harm us."

I sat, stunned. A crow, that had turned into a man? I remembered the crow I'd offered my hair, briefly, but I hadn't thought much of him. He hadn't seemed that powerful when he'd rested upon my arm and snatched up my hair. Could it be that it was him? I'd expected the crows to still be following me, but not hostile and definitely not powerful enough to shape-shift.

"Yeah. ...We're in a shit load of trouble," I heaved a deep breath, running a worried hand through my hair. "Not many crows know how to shape-shift, much less into a human form. Most keep their bird forms for the entirety of their lives."

Demetri didn't seem to be following, but he didn't voice his questions. Instead, he stuck to looking out the windows and keeping an eye out for anything he deemed suspicious.

"Do you know who I am?" I asked him seriously.

He shook his head, calmly. "No. I know your name is Lilith-"

"Lily," I interrupted, but he continued as though I hadn't spoken at all.

"And that our masters ordered that we keep you safe," he finished.

I let that sink in. I bypassed the obvious question of why the Volturi kings wanted me safe, because I didn't feel I'd get any answers out of him that he wasn't already putting out forthwith. Instead, I went straight for the punch.

"Okay, well, hi, as you know I'm Lily," I strained the nickname, seeing him roll his eyes slightly. "I'm immortal, not a vampire as you can see. And I am very, very good at dying. In-fact, it's the thing I do best."

He gave me a look, one that read that he clearly thought I was nuts.

"Looks, I'd stop my heart here and now for you if I wasn't trying to not roll this car," I excused. "It seems to be the only trick that get's through your kind's thick skulls that I'm telling the truth. Ask me to do it some other time when we're not speeding in the rain, and in the dark, while being chased."

He opened his mouth, but hissed out a curse as I suddenly jerked the wheel, realizing the rain had been causing me to steadily drift closer to the side of the road. "Watch the road!"

I glared at him through the mirror, tightening my grip on the wheel. "What is Felix doing?"

"He's making sure they don't get close to the car," Demetri replied, and he sounded a little amused. "But he says that they're gone now."

I was proud of myself for not reacting when Felix hopped onto the vehicle, and swung himself back inside. He was once again very damp, but now he was absolutely covered in crow feathers.

I let off the gas, slowing back down into a safer speed. "They just left?"

He nodded. "They turned around."

"They'll be back," I muttered, and quickly decided to change my rout. I punched a command into the center console, and got the car's GPS set to the nearest hotel.

"You're stopping?" Demetri asked, irritated. "They'll find you even easier if you stop."

I smiled, amused. "No, they'll find me no matter what we decide to do. Crows are everywhere. I assume you're going to keep following me reguardless of what I do or say to convince you not to?"

They nodded, instantly.

"Alright, then. Prepare to play human then."

"Here's your room key. Sorry, there's only one," the dirty man at the counter said gruffly, his dark eyes sliding between the vampire lurking near the entrance and back to myself.

Something in his gaze made me feel dirty, and I swiped the key up quickly. "Thanks."

Felix had taken off his cloak before shadowing me into the center office of the shitty little motel we'd found, in a small town in the middle of absolutely nowhere. He was being careful about looking at the man, making himself look interested in the downpour outside so that he wouldn't show the red color of his eyes.

Or, well, dark red.

I wondered how close the two were to needing to feed, but couldn't find it in myself to ask as we'd parked and left Demetri behind in the vehicle.

As I turned to leave, the man chuckled gruffly. "You two enjoy your room."

I crinkled my nose in disgust at the suggestive tone in his voice, and Felix shot him a dirty look over his shoulder as he followed my quick exit out the door.

Demetri was standing next to our the door to the room, slipping something into his pocket with a smooth motion.

"I was wondering when you were finally going to get tired," he commented dryly.

I was half tempted to try and slam the door in his face, but the second I'd gotten the door unlocked he'd swept through ahead of me.

Deciding against telling him that I didn't actually need sleep, I played along. I didn't know these two, nor could I fully trust them. Despite what Alice had told me before I'd left. These two, just a week ago, were staring my friend's and family down from the opposite end of what could've been a war zone.

"I was expecting it to be dirtier," Felix said honestly, flicking the lights on.

Demetri scoffed out a reply. "It smells like piss."

It really didn't look as bad as it could've been, especially considering the sleazeball manning the counter, but it honestly did have a terrible odor of mothballs and something very, very similar to cat piss that'd been failed to be cleaned from the carpet.

I tossed down the duffel I'd had slung over my shoulder, ignoring them for the time being.

Why were they here?

I'd been right to be suspicious of them that day at the mall, because it was very clear now that they were actually staying behind for me and Alice had covered that up for them.

There had never been a discussion of my existence, I realized belatedly.

They'd had every reason to want to question me about my existence. I was a living dead girl without a reason for doing so, I wasn't supposed to exist.

Then again, neither were vampires, if I were being fair.

Aro hadn't been able to read my thoughts, either. I was in no way able to mentally shield myself, Edward read my thoughts just as freely as he did anyone else besides Bella. But I knew he hadn't, because when Edward did read my thoughts, I could almost feel him here. Like a visitor, in the back of my head.

In fact, the Volturi should've known about me years ago, from when they first met Carlisle and Edward and gotten into their thoughts. How that'd been skirted around was beyond me, and I was becoming very aware of the dots that were no longer adding up for me.

What would Aro have said to his fellow kings that day, to make them leave me be? To leave the field without so much as questioning what I was? And why would he?

And I'm sure Thing 1 and Thing 2 over here aren't going to clear anything up for me.

I rubbed at my eyes with heels of my palms, seeing stars beneath my eyelids.

I glared at the two vampires across the room, feeling irritated and stupid. I'd been foolish, laughing and playing games with the Cullen's thinking that the Volturi were behind me. I'd been even more foolish to really believe that I could encounter the vampire mafia and get away scot-free.

"What are those birds?" Demetri finally spoke, looking amused by the hostility I was showing.

"Crows," I told him plainly, watching him narrow his eyes with slight glee.

How's it feel being out of the loop, Thing 1?!

Sighing, I sat down on the bed and nearly yelped with how far I sank into the mattress and realized with horror that it was a water bed.

Both vampires watched with amusement as I flailed slightly, trying to get the stupid thing to stop moving.

"Who even uses these anymore?" I cursed, then huffed. "Okay, story time. Crows are omens of death in many cultures, correct?"

They nodded, looking unsure of the direction the conversation was steering in. Demetri was still looking smug as he saw me struggling to sit still on the moving bed, and I wanted nothing more than the strength to smack the look off his face.

"They would be correct," I finally found a decent angle to sit that didn't make me wobble all over the place, and I could finally look them in the eyes. "Crows are agents of Death and the Underworld. They usually hang around areas that will soon find misfortune brought down upon it, when they're not being used for other reasons. They are also used as eyes and ears, and they are completely disloyal to any single being. Normally."

Felix raised a brow. "And... if they're not normal?"

"They have received a bargain they can't refuse," I answer. "My brother seems to have quite a few following his orders, and I'm thinking that the crow that turned into a man before you two is part of it... and I might've pissed him off."

Demetri gave me a hard look. "Pissed off how?"

"I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. And it was a trick," I admitted, but couldn't bring myself to feel too remorseful about tricking the crow. "I knew he was being used by my brother. But when your coven were arriving, I wanted more protection for Edward and Bella's child."

They looked like they were waiting on further explanation, but I wasn't going to go into more details. I still didn't really trust them. So, instead, I crawled haphazardly across the stupid water bed, peeling back the dusty smelling blankets and sheets until I could bury myself beneath them.

I didn't need sleep, but I would need the extra energy once the crows came back.

"You know most people would be nervous about falling asleep with two predators in the room," Demetri pointed out.

I huffed, stuffing my head between two pillows before muttering. "Oh, stuff it. If you eat me I'll be alive again within a day, and then I'll have full permission to kick your ass."

Drifting off slowly, I heard what sounded like a couple chuckles, and then the open and click of the door closing.

Somewhere, within the darkness of the room, four voices came together as they watched over the slumbering figure in the bed. The room felt devoid of warmth, devoid of light. It was though the darkness were growing, and even the dull light streaming through the blind from the parking lot seemed to be getting sucked into the blackness.

The shadows morphed and twisted, taking the form of a single man and then of four.

She has brushed fate with her heart.

"Interesting."

"They're not good enough. They left her to Orick with two of their guard. What men travel halfway around the Earth when their soul mate is in danger?!"

"Hush, it's not as though they actually know the extent of her danger. Let our lily-flower learn her own path."

"And Orick?"

"The boy is a child. He knows nothing of battle."

"He is growing stronger."

"Let him. He is not of us, and even less of her. He will fail."

"So you say..."