Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries

Consequently

Consequently - con·se·quent·ly - /ˈkänsəkwəntlē/

1. as a result

Alec pulled Odessa into the throne room harshly by the only arm she had left and pushed her forward when the doors opened. She stumbled and glared at him with as much hate as she could muster for manhandling her. She opened her mouth to tell him off but shut it and winced when his deadly and blazing eyes met hers. She shrunk in on herself and turned away from him in an instant. The vampires in the room watched the two with vigor, wondering what had happened during their trip to cause an inseparable couple such as themselves to disregard each other with malice and contempt. Not to mention the glaringly obvious detached limb in Alec's hand.

"I trust your little vacation went well? Although it seems there may have been an incident," Aro said pointedly with a raised eyebrow. He held out his hand and Alec was eager to take it and share his memories. Aro stiffened and took a deep breath to steel his nerves, something he had not had to do in a while. Caius zeroed in on the action and smirked. He glanced at Odessa and sneered at her presence, eyes laughing with mirth at her missing limb.

"What has she done now, brother?" Caius asked. "I'm guessing she got into a fight and lost."

"It appears our dear Odessa has acted out of turn," Aro said lightly yet dangerously at the same time. "Tell me, did you think to stop and ponder over your words and actions before following through with them?"

Sensing the trouble she was in, Odessa kept her mouth closed and stood as still as she could. She figured if she didn't move and if she didn't say anything, she could act like she wasn't there at all. It wasn't one of her favorite approaches to danger, but it was an option. Aro growled loudly and stormed up to Odessa. She tried to back away from him, but she was pushed towards Aro by Felix and Demetri. She looked at the pair in shock and scrunched her eyebrows, hurt especially by Felix's actions. She didn't have time to think about Felix's betrayal as Aro's hands found their way around her neck and began squeezing. She tried removing his hands but with only one arm, it was too difficult of a task. She looked over Aro's shoulder and pleaded with Alec to do something to help her. His form was tense and ready to spring into action, but he held himself back with immense control and turned away from her helpless gaze. He wouldn't betray Aro. Besides, she deserved some sort of consequence for causing so much trouble. It was only right.

"You are part of the Volturi now, and as such, your actions reflect on us. We are not undignified cavemen waltzing around and spreading our authority. We do not cause conflict wherever we go, and we do not cause unjust and unnecessary death," Aro gritted out. He lifted her slightly off the ground and ignored her pawing hand. "There are times when we need to remove a powerful being from a coven, but we only do so when that coven is trying to outsmart us and outpower us. The Volturi may have overthrown the Romanians, but we did not make it so we were the rulers of the vampire world." Odessa started seeing black spots dance in her vision and wondered if she was going to experience the phenomenon of passing out. "The vampire world chose us! They could have revolted and removed us from power if they very so wished, but they haven't simply because they trust us to judge others and serve punishment to those deserving. No matter how fragile the relationship between the Volturi and the rest of the vampire world is, they still trust us enough to govern and lead their lives. We do not take insubordination lightly!"

He tossed her to the side haphazardly. She flew past dodging members of the guard and hit the hard wall, cracking the surface and her skin and sliding down until she was laying against the marble floor. Her eyes, half-lidded from the lack of oxygen, watched as Aro walked up to Caius and spoke something to him before sending him in Odessa's direction. Caius approached her with a dangerous and alarmingly innocent smile. The last thing she saw was him reaching for her before she blacked out.