Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Dynamics

"The Cullens that aren't here...it's because of the half-human girl, right?"

​​The sand dipped beneath us, pooling in around our feet. We'd abandoned our shoes and the sweater he's given me at the top of the Cullen's property to make our way down to the shoreline. The waves were subtle, with nowhere to go and nowhere to be except in the moment, as silly as it sounds. A greenish-blue hue in the water was breathtaking and the sun was sparse on this cloudy day, rare patches of light streaming to the earth around us. Between the mountains that rose in the distance behind us, the deep green trees we'd walked under only moments ago, and the ocean in front of us, it all felt like the landscape of some painting hanging in the Louvre.

Alec had been given a change of clothes as well. The light green linen shirt, whose buttons I'd played with only minutes ago, was a relaxed cut. It was only about one size too big for him, but you could hardly tell. He'd rolled up the sleeves once more, and there was a slight shimmer covering the pale white of his skin, like powder. Alec never rolled up his sleeves in Volterra.

As we wandered further down the beach, Alec's eyes scanned the line of trees around us. Despite his vigilance, he was visibly...different here. Lighter. Even with the Cullens' presence, which I had expected to put him in even more of a sour mood.

Maybe Vladimir's defeat brought him peace, to prevail over an enemy that had evaded him for so long. Or perhaps it was the fresh air surrounding us, rather than the enclosed walls in Volterra, that confined my scent inside the castle. And yes, the Cullens were near us, but the further we walked, the more alone we became. As alone as we'd been since the first night I tried to run away. A memory that seemed odd now. Out of place.

"I was not surprised," Alec confirmed, humouring my field of questions. As usual. "Edward's mate holds a grudge against Jane."

"And Jane doesn't?"

"They do not give us refuge out of the kindness of their un-beating hearts," he said sarcastically. "There is an ulterior motive."

"Or they're just decent people."

He smirked. "Not people."

"I'm serious." I rolled my eyes, bumping his side as we continued walking. "The Cullens are nice."

Alec scoffed, revealing his holier-than-thou Volturi attitude. It was almost endearing. "They're weird."

"Well, at least they don't eat humans."

"They're still vampires."

"Vampires that won't eat me," I sassed back playfully. Alec, however, didn't appreciate my wit. Like a snap, he turned me into him, holding me tight against his chest. Almost too tight. I thought I understood why as I looked up, though still slightly stunned by the move. His eyes burned into mine, harsh, with a flash of something new hidden behind the irises.

His voice was low, and though his words were more of a warning than a threat, they certainly seemed like one. "They are still vampires." My eyes searched his, their intensity desperate to make me understand what he wouldn't dare to put into words.

I tipped my head once, and he continued moving closer to the shoreline with an evident change in topic. An equally targeted one, at that. He was clearly still bitter from my comment, though pushing past it with a hint of attempted humour. I was also eager to move past the discomfort, which was easier when he prompted, "Jane had precise questions regarding our latest incident." My brain froze for a moment, and my heart picked up speed before I realised he wasn't talking about our 'one-on-one' encounter but the mini-battle we'd nearly lost. My internal freak out went unnoticed as he continued, "as well as an impressive knowledge of the event."