Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Allegedly

"You know, this really doesn't seem fair."

Felix had shoved past Prosper, who had his eyes closed and his head back and was unbothered by his assigned spot in the backseat of the car, to lean on the center console. Whether it was childishness or because he sensed an unbalanced dynamic between me and Alec, Felix couldn't let go of the fact that his large body was forced to squeeze into the back of Corin's Tesla.

The larger man was aghast when I'd called shotgun and I was even more surprised when he begrudgingly, but willingly followed the classic claim of the passenger seat. Technically, he was supposed to be the one dropping us off, but he'd rather argue with me than with Alec, who had slyly slipped into the driver's seat behind Felix's back. To add to Felix's disappointment, I hadn't engaged in his banter as enthusiastically as he expected for much of the ride.

Alec's eyes stared intensely at the road ahead, ignoring yet another speed limit sign on the empty road. As aware as he was of his actions, there was more than the road flashing through his mind.

Prosper commenting from the back, his tone uncharacteristically haughty and the vocal equivalent of an eye roll, "would you cut it out? I think we've had quite enough of your antics."

"Saffiya loves my antics, don't you honey bun." He ruffled my hair and even though he now had my full attention, I thought that responding to it would only encourage him. But he knew my general distaste for pointless nicknames, and when he saw a button, he just had to push it until something cool happened.

"What did you call me?"

"Your new nickname!"

I leaned my elbow back on the window, trying to resign from the conversation. "You guys already gave me a nickname."

Felix threw his head back in protest. "But Demetri got to pick that one! I want my own."

"No."

"You let Caius have one!"

He was ridiculous. "I don't think I 'let' Caius do anything."

Prosper scoffed, opening his eyes and joining the conversation. "Caius doesn't have a nickname for her."

"Does too."

"What is it then?"

"Human." Alec spoke up, casting a glance at us. Noticing I was slightly miffed by his contribution, he added, "Jane uses it as well."

I frowned, "That's not—"

I was interrupted and I cast a glare towards the betrayer. Prosper just smiled back at me. "Aro calls her 'dear one'."

Felix teetered on the suggestion. "He only uses that on kids — like the twins."

"I am several hundreds of years older than you." Alec pointed out, no longer as entertained now that he was a side target.

"I think it still counts," Prosper declared. "For Saffiya, I mean."

"See! Even Aro has one." His voice jumped up, the pitch similar to that of a child bragging on a playground or tattle-telling on their playmates. "And Alec has like, five."

Before I could turn around to contest this, because I was sure that if Alec had a nickname for me, I would know, Alec's hand left the wheel and shoved against Felix's chest with the roughness of two boys play wrestling. Felix fell from the center console and landed on the seat with a melodramatic gasp and a cheeky grin on his face.

"You almost crushed my Chopards!"

Prosper delivered a quality parental scolding, "maybe you shouldn't put a pair of thousand dollar sunglasses in your back pocket."