Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Bishop

– Alec –

As newborns, we craved our orders.

My sister and I were hungry for revenge on a world that had shown us there was little else. Our new lives welcomed us with powerful gifts, and our makers gave us a purpose for which to use them.

The guards (who were yet to become The Guard) became our toys from the moment we were presented to them. A guard dared to snicker at our age, and Jane's temper nearly lobotomised the vampire. While my gift moved with greater patience, I was able to use it as a deterrent long before the others traced the source to Jane. The Masters watched, enthralled, enraptured, as bodies began to fall. One by one, their entire coven succumbed to two children. Children under their command.

Jane and I tested our gifts early on, learning the full extent of our powers by way of friendly, sibling rivalry. We did so in the form of competitions that proved we were near opposites in every way. A race to see who could inflict our powers on a single target first, how long we could sustain it, and the amount of misery we could inflict upon others. We thrived on the terror that we created. It was an intoxicating high on every occasion, and the response of our victims never failed to disappoint. Which of our gifts was worse? It was the one competition we could never settle.

Eventually, we settled into our new lives. We learned to use our gifts as tools rather than as toys. The lesson gave us more power, our gifts more prestige, and our presence, more intrigue. Even our own coven hesitated to turn a corner, lest one of us waited on the other side with an unstimulated mind. It had not taken long for us to pick up on Aro's cues, his directive to use our gifts on the incompetent vampires we ruled over. A verbal request was a formality. The Masters were the only members in the coven that our gifts had never touched. The three men alone were safe from the nightmares we inspired.

We needed no humility, for there was no objectivity to the fear we inspired.

Jane had a smoother transition into our new roles in the afterlife. She was naturally suspicious, a trait that served us well in our childhood and made her a competent leader for our elite group. The dynamic was more efficient, and while the lighthearted banter of Felix and Demetri was uniquely based and coincidentally tailored for my sister and me, I was able to integrate easier and more often than she did in a group setting. Her gender, I have postulated within the last few hundred years, may have been an influential factor in this behaviour and hesitation to let down her guard. She would never admit it.

"She is asking questions, Brother. Questions that I cannot answer." I sighed shortly into the phone, and Jane asked rhetorically in an unnecessary whisper, "has she always been so inquisitive?" 

My mate had given my sister something I could not. Their friendship was a gift I would forever be grateful for. The likelihood of either of us finding a mate had been so unlikely, that it never bothered us. We had each other. And now I had found a mate, but the arrival of mine did not guarantee hers would follow. It was fantasy to believe in, and Jane had given up on such ideas a long time ago.

"What does she want to know?"

Jane scoffed, "everything."

Prosper's call had forced me to decide between my mission and my mate. And while my sister and our companions stood behind my decision, I feared the consequences from the Masters. I should not have entertained my doubts, as they proved once more their wisdom and superiority. Aro understood. He always understood. And with Saffiya safe, I had no hesitation returning to complete the task we had been assigned.

When we first left for this mission, it was a simple task: Surveil and assess. We would identify any potential threats, assess the risks, and report. An ally of the Volturi had shared information directing us to four dens potentially harbouring members of the Resistance. The first three we visited before returning for Saffiya were abandoned or showed no evidence of occupation and we left it undisturbed.