SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW ➻ DEMETRI VOLTURI

V E N T I D U E

They returned to Volterra exactly two weeks after flying to Russia. This time they travelled by land, which was quicker than any plane ever would be. They made it in a couple of hours, which could have been less if it wasn't for the prisoner they had to transport along with them, still in two pieces. Cecilia turned to look at her soulmate, grateful that he was by her side once more. His head turned as well and their eyes locked, a soft smile on his face.

Cecilia tried to push away the feeling of guilt. Right before they had left she had taken Demetri's memories about Nikolai and their plan of escape, filling his head with nonsense instead. She had long ago accepted the effects of her gift, but whenever she had to use it on her soulmate, even if he was the one insisting, it left her with a feeling of disgust. She knew many other people would abuse her gift, even more than she did, even on their loved ones. Cecilia wanted to believe she was different, but deep in her heart, she knew that might not be true.

Seeing the castle's outline in front of her, Cecilia lowered her pace. Demetri followed her movements quickly, almost as if they had shared the same thought. It was dark and the streets were deserted, leaving the two of them to find their way to the castle comfortably.

Arriving at the throne room, she allowed Demetri to open the doors, while she threw in the pieces of Anya's, or rather, Vasilisa's body. Her head rolled theatrical through the room, ending in front of the plateau with the thrones, face up and black curls tangled. Cecilia curtseyed. "We bring you the body of the red princess."

Aro closed the book he'd been reading with a loud thud, an amused expression on his face. He always seemed to love gore and the beheaded face staring up at him certainly appeared to lift his spirits. "My young friends, you have done very well."

Cecilia found Demetri's side in the middle of the room. She could feel a lot of eyes on her statue, burning holes in her skin. The witch twins, close to the thrones, with evil sneers on their faces, Caius with a look of approval, Marcus with something that resembled slight disgust. She ignored all of it, focusing on the presence of the vampire standing next to her.

"Take her to the dungeons, allow her body to heal," Aro ordered. Only a split second later a lower guard ran from one of the dark corners of the room, retrieving the two parts of the body and disappearing from the throne room. Aro's milky red eyes shifted from the guard hurrying away to the couple in front of them, the corner of his mouth twisting in a dark smile. "You have done very well indeed. May I?"

Demetri held up his hand, and Aro's clasped his around it, zoning out. As the years passed and she made more and more use of her gift, it had become increasingly difficult for Aro to sift through her mind. It contained many memories, which wasn't necessarily an issue, but all of them were fresh and in the foreground, both the real ones and those she'd made up. So, not only was it hard to find the desired memory, but also the right version of it. About three years Aro had stopped trying, trusting her on her word or raking through Demetri's mind.

He let go of his hand, a pleased hint in his eyes. "You have done very well indeed," he said, nodding. "It is reassuring to know, that amidst all these traitors and hawks that there are those we can rely upon blindly. Many would like to dispose of us, take our places, but with all of you on our side, we are unstoppable. You have once again proved this."

Cecilia kept on staring at the man in front of her, not fooled by his pretty words, but Demetri bowed his head slightly. "Thank you for these kind words."

"You are dismissed for the coming week," Aro suddenly said, surprising both Demetri and Cecilia. The latter didn't bother to hide her surprise, her eyebrows raising high. As she let her golden eyes scan over the room, she felt a strange sort of delight to see Alec and Jane looking oddly disgusted, as if they had just eaten sour candy. They covered it up quickly. "The private jet will be at your disposal. Use it as you see fit and travel wherever you want. I will see you both next Tuesday."