When human Phoenix arrives in Volterra, she does not expect to be taken in as a "pet" and given to one of the most powerful vampires in the world...but really, who WOULD expect that?

Say goodbye,

As we dance with the Devil tonight,

Don't you dare look at him in the eye,

As we dance with the Devil tonight...

Nyx POV

The demonic, red-eyed creatures each fix me with curious gazes as they leave the "feeding chambers". I glare in return. I am left alone with the three cloak-shrouded ones. The one named Aro, who seems to be ine one in charge, holds out his hand to me to help me to my feet. When I glare furiously and don't respond, he kneels so quickly I don't even see him move. He grabs my hand and hoists me to my feet. He traps my hand in both of his and now matter how much I fight back, I can't wrench myself away from him.

Of course, the demon would be strong.

I aim a kick at his shin, but it's futile. An involuntary hiss escapes through my clenched teeth. My steel-toed boots do nothing against him, and I only hurt myself. A smile spreads across his papery cheeks. Smug fucker.

He makes a sound of delight. The eyes of the demons behind him bore into the back of his head, but he doesn't seem to notice. The white-haired one scowls ferociously at me, in a look I imagine is meant to be intimidating, but he just looks like a sulky child. The other one looks perfectly uninterested, and for a moment I'm insulted that he doesn't seem to find me worthy enough to hold his attention.

Were they all born assholes, or...?

"Marvellous!" Aro cries. I finally manage to free my hand from his iron grasp. I glower at him with as much ferocity as I can muster. He claps his hands together in evident wonder. "Simply marvellous," he breathes. "You'll do perfectly."

"Perfectly?" I repeat sceptically, trying to keep my voice fierce. "For what?"

Aro's eyes look down upon me with amusement. "She is wonderfully feisty, is she not brothers?"

He receives no response, but this doesn't deter his excitement.

"Listen to me, you retarded fucker-" I start to spit, but I'm interrupted.

"No, child, you listen to me," Aro interrupts, his voice shifting several octaves colder. "You will know your place in Volterra. We are your Masters from here onwards. Unless you wish to perish like those less fortunate-" he takes a second to let his eyes rove around the room, filled with carnage and the slaughter of the tour group. Their blank eyes stare back at me. Aurelio, poor fool Aurelio, is twisted in an unnatural shape on the floor, his warm brown eyes glazed and empty. "-You will obey us."

I hold my chin high and try my very best to hold his gaze. "And what if I'm not afraid to die?"

His alien, friendly smile returns. "Sweetling," he murmurs. "There is not a person alive that is not afraid to die."

"Even you?" I challange, trying to hold my wits. His smile widens.

"Pheonix," he says, and I start in shock – I never told him my name. His smile becomes more like a leer and I take an involuntary step back. He looks me in the eye.

"I am not alive."

Twenty Four hours earlier

"Put me to sleep, Evil Angel. Open your wings, Evil Angel. Fly over me, Evil angel. Why can't I breathe, Evil Angel?" I hum in time to the Breaking Benjamin song that's blaring from my earphones, and receive dirty looks from the passanger beside me. I give him a wide, wicked smile, showing my teeth, and he recoils. Even through the heavy bass I can hear him muttering about 'freakish teenagers'.

Lovely dude.

I sigh and wriggle about in my seat. I hate flying. I seriously despise it. Damn these last-minute airline tickets. Why couldn't I have gotten a damn boat? Boats are good. Boats are nice and grounded. Why why why did I have to take a fucking plane?

Tremours from the turbulance makes the plane rock. I give an agonised groan.

"Fucking HELL," I curse loudly, causing two little kids in the seat across from me to giggle.

"Excuse me, do you mind?" Their mother replies, cupping their heads and sheilding their ears.

"I do, actually," I reply sweetly. "Freedom of speech, lady. It's American soil till we touch down. Now kindly fuck off so I can get back to my music." I smile one of my most angelic smiles at the outraged woman. Her kids squeal in delight.

What can I say, I never claimed to be a pleasent person. And maybe I'm not in the best mood. But whatever, I can entertain myself. I spend the majority of the flight making faces at her kids while she isn't looking. They giggle and make faces in return. Anytime I catch her eye, their mom gives me the evils. And any time the turbulance hits and I resist the urge to throw up all over my lovely neighbour, she looks smug.

Eventually the bitch falls asleep and I'm free to play with her kids. Through a whispered conversation I get the little blonde boy to agree to tell him mom I said "Sayanora, bitch," when we're off the plane. I teach him and his little even-blonder sister how to flip someone off, which they try out on the hostesses (who are all giving me dirty looks too). But soon, they fall asleep, and I'm left alone again.

I start to shift around, trying to settle and maybe get some rest before we land in Italy. I curl onto my side and close my eyes, letting the soft music of "Before the Dawn" by Evanescence lull me to sleep. (I have a serious girl-crush on Amy Lee.) Just when I'm there, more turbulance shakes the plane and I'm stirred out of sleep.

With an agitated whine, I flip back into a sitting position, trying as hard as I can to jostle my sleeping neighbour. Several hot, silent tears wash down my face, and I'm conscious of my already smudged makeup becoming even worse. Then I snort. Trust me to be worrying about my makeup when I'm heading to a new country in search of a random lady that I've never met.

Fuck. My. Actual. Life.

I lean my head back against my seat and breathe in deeply. Just a few more hours, just four more hours till we land in Rome and I can find my Nana's friend who, hopefully, knows more about the situation than I do. Because if she doesn't it'll just be two really confused and freaked people in a room. Which is so much worse than just one really confused and freaked person.

Eventually I do drop off, but it takes forever. And I don't dream, which is a disappointment. I love dreams. But I drift in peaceful blackness until I get poked in the face with a crayon and then I'm back on the rocky plane and the two little kids expect me to play with them.

And I do, because I'm a freaking awesome person and all that shit. I draw them Sharpie tattoos and I even whip out my makeup case and brush eyeshadow on the little girl's eyelids. I smooth red lipstick over her smiling pink lips and she gives a squeal of delight when she sees herself in my little compact mirror. Their mom has stopped glaring at me – I think she's just glad I'm keeping her kids entertained and off her back. However, I'll bet that she won't be so thrilled when she sees all my little doodles on her kids. But

"Cinque minuti fino all'atterraggio a Volterra."

"I'm sorry," a middle-aged man says to a hostess. "I don't speak Italian very well. How long until landing?"

"Five minutes," the hostess smiles.

And because languages have never been my friends, I don't click to the fact that the voice said Volterra and not Rome. All I heard was five minutes and my heart skips with relief.

Halle-freakin-luja.

The woman calls her kids back to put their seatbelts on, and I buckle myself in eagerly. I pack up my stuff into my carry-on bag – the only luggage I brought – and swing my legs like a kid on Christmas morning. My stomach flips excitedly when we begin the descent. As soon as people start unbuckling their seatbelts with that heavanly click, I'm bouncing out of my seat. I turn to wave at the kids and they grin at me, holding up their middle fingers. I laugh – it feels so good to laugh – and run towards the plane's exit before their mom can get me.

As soon as I'm out of the viscinity of the airport, I notice that something is off.

There aren't as many public streets as I thought there would be in a big city. There are cobblestone alleyways that seem oddly sinister and dark. I stick to the main street that seems to wind upwards, hoping that it leads me somewhere – anywhere – that I could stay until I figure this shit out.

I stop walking and take deep, laboured breaths. Panicing, I fumble in my bag for my inhaler, and take deep puffs of air. Fucking athsma. Fucking no sense of direction.

I calm down long enough to spot a good looking guy of around twenty two with dark skin and friendly brown eyes. He's speaking english to a couple of tourists. I approach him, trying to swallow my nerves.

"Dude," I announce my prescence. He turns and his eyes flick down to look at me. I give him a wry smile. I'm not oblivious to the fact that he's checking me out. What can I say? I like older guys.

"Hey there, bello sconosciuto," he grins warmly. "What's your name?" Despite the flurry of Italian words, his accent is reassuringly easy to understand. I relax.

"Phoenix," I reply. He's still grinning.

"I'm Aurelio."

"Hi," I reply. "Um, are there cabs in Rome?"

His brow furrows. I wonder if Italians know what a taxicab is. But before I can explain, he speaks again.

"Rome? No no, little Phoenix. You're not in Rome, you're in Volterra."

My heart sinks, and I think what little colour was in my face must have fled it altogether, because Aurelio suddenly grabs my arm in an effort to steady me.

I got the wrong flight.

I got the WRONG flight.

I. GOT. THE. FREAKING. WRONG. FLIGHT.

"Volterra?" I choke. Oh holy fuck. I've never even heard of Volterra! Where the fuck am I? This is some bad shit right here. "Where the hell is Volterra?"

"Right here, of course!" A voice like a windchime reaches my ears. Despite my dizzyness, I manage to whirl around and come face-to-face with the most beautiful person I've ever laid eyes on.

The woman is tall and statuesque, with long mahogany curls and sparking violet eyes. I stand still for a moment, enchanted. I swear, if I wasn't seventy five percent straight and feeling like shit, I'd have been fucking this bitch here and now. Aurelio beside me, and several others in the crowd behind the angel woman look like they're having the same thoughts. Despite myself, I'm grinning like a fool.

She's wearing knee-high black boots with towering heels, dark tights, and a tight black skirt. She's wearing a thin white tank top that emphasises every curve. On top she's wearing a uniform jacket with elbow-length sleeves that's cut to emphasise the curve of her waist. Hanging around her neck is a beautiful, valuble-looking necklace in the shape of a V, though I can't be sure as I'm (sadly) not close enough to get a decent look.

My heart stutters when she drifts closer and holds out her hand to take mine. "Would you two like to join our tour?" She asks, her eyes dancing between Aurelio and I. I nod wordlessly and Aurelio manages to choke out a 'yes.' The woman smiles. Her smile promises safety and answers and a place to stay. She gently leads Aurelio and I into the crowd. She releases my hand and Aurelio grabs onto the strap of my bag.

"Don't get lost," he mutters down to me, his voice nearly lost in the excited babble of the group. I smile because he is so kind, and I feel so reassured that I'll be fine. No matter what happens, I'll be fine.

It's not that long a walk to our destination, but it's uphill and I'm starting to need my inhaler again. Fucking atshma. Aurelio and I stay side by side as we follow the woman, but we've been shrugged near to the back of the crowd. There is just one family behind us; a man, a woman, two little girls and a baby in a tiny blue sleepsuit. I feel like I should be annoyed – I'm not the type to tag along in a bustling, shoving, loud crowd. I have half a mind to duck out and try and find someplace to stay, but Aurelio has been so kind to me and I don't want to leave him alone. What? I'm not a completely heartless person. Not completely.

The woman's voice carries back to us as we swerve around a large fountain and approach a beautiful clock tower. "We're here," the woman trills. "Castle de Volterra."

It's beautiful, absolutely. I peer around as Heidi leads us inside. I'm so captivated by everything that I barely notice the halls become darker and darker. We go up steps. Up more and more and more steps until I'm ready to yell out in frustration. But then suddenly two people dressed in uniform are flanking us at the back. One is so big and tall that I feel even tinier that usual in his prescence. Every vibe I get from him suggests menace. I scoot closer to Aurelio, who's nervously regarding the big man too. I look at the guy on the other side. He's younger, looks about nineteen or twenty with dark hair. He's taller than Aurelio, and somewhat broader, but he's not nearly as intimidating as his comerad.

But what strikes me most about the two men is the fact that they both have red eyes. Which I actually think is pretty fucking wicked.

"Nice contacts," I say to the less-scary guy. Those eyes rove down to look at me, and a grin spreads across his face. It looks oddly sinister in his cheerful face.

"Thanks," he replies. The big dude chuckles, and a shiver tingles down my spine.

The angel woman is babbling , walking faster up ahead so we have to jog to keep up. The two uniforms lag behind.

"I call dibs on the girl," a deep, dark voice mutters. The big one. I stop, my eyes wide.

Dibs?

One of the little girls bumps into me and I'm forced to keep going.

What did he mean?

We're nearing huge double doors, and I can see more uniforms up ahead. One shares a sultry look with the woman. The other rolls his red eyes at them.

I'm rushed into a big, bright room with three thrones and more red-eyes, and the doors close.

A man in a cloak with hair even blacker than mine and a gliding walk approaches our tour guide and takes her hand.

"Well done, Heidi. They look good," he comments.

People are confused now. Aurelio grabs my arm. Two more men in cloaks descend from the thrones and approach us with hungry eyes.

"Thank you, Master," Heidi beams.

Master? He steps towards us, his arms spread wide.

"Feast, my dears," he says. He isn't talking to us.

Those three little words are like a spring-trigger. In the next instant, screams blast my eardrums and Aurelio is yanked away from me with such force that I stagger sideways. I whip around to see a slender woman force his head sideways. She had long white-blonde hair with blue streaks that contrast with her carnivorous red eyes.

I scream as her gleaming white teeth plunge into his neck.

Aurelio chokes and spasms, his eyes rolling back in his head as blood drips from his neck, and also from his mouth which hangs open in shock. It takes but moments for her to drop him to the ground. He doesn't move. Those red eyes flicker upwards and focus on me.

She steps nimbly over Aurelio's corpse and moves towards me.

I respond in the only way I can.

Run.

I bolt. I sprint around horrific scenes of violence, skid over blood pooling on the floor, spring over discarded bodies until I slam into something. I end up sprawling on the floor, banging my elbow painfully. "FUCK!" I yelp. I manage to look up, into the gleaming eyes of the huge man that had walked alongside me on the way in.

I know what he meant by dibs now.

He leans down to grab me, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Get away from me!"

The hysterical yell doesn't seem to have come from me. The man pauses and reels backwards, looking dizzy. He takes a deliberate step backwards, then stops, shaking his head slowly. He gives a furious snarl and wrenches me from the ground. Razor teeth graze my throat. I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Felix, stop!"

The Master demon had been watching us. Everyone in the room is frozen.

"Felix, drop her," he orders sternly.

And drop me Felix does. I clatter back to the floor when his steel hands release my upper arms.

"Bitch," I grumble, trying not to slip into shock.

"Everybody out. Now."

There is only me and about thirteen other people left, all shaking and sobbing.

"Renata, take those down to the dungeons for Alec and Jane when they return."

"Yes, Master."

I watch as another demon takes the survivors away. The demonic, red-eyed creatures fix me with curious gazes as they leave.