Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Mentor

Upon first glance, he could have spent the last week sleeping on the streets. With a second glimpse, I determined that this newcomer was, at some point, a wealthy man that had been thrown down a well. The kind of handsome that older mums fawn over, a George Clooney type. Except he seemed to have abandoned the charisma at the bottom of his well.

A voice, hoarse and blended from various loose-tongued accents, crept forth from the man with a vulgar intent. "I shan't wait for your urges to be contented, so you best cut that out."

I am unsure how long it was before I was able to process Alec's fingers stroking my arm. He did it only twice more before letting me go and meeting the man halfway in a firm handshake.

The stranger was a good head taller than Alec; his form extended as a result of the long, thick, and muddy leather trench coat that hung over his shoulders. Just looking at it made me feel heavy, as if the item were weighing me down instead of him. Or perhaps this was a side effect of his clearly sparkling personality. One which held a stark contrast to the coven he was visiting.

Both men turned to me.

Alec extended his arm, but he sensed my skepticism, not that I was hiding it. "There is someone I wish to introduce you to." It made me no more eager to go any closer to the strange vampire, but I accepted his hand. And held on, just to be safe.

"So. This is your troublesome human?"

The man eyed me with a strange combination of disinterest and disillusionment. He had an oddly Roman, hooked nose, the only imperfection of an otherwise flawless bone structure. Locks of bleach blond hair were tugged tightly back into a bun, and despite the vampiric features of perfection, he appeared to be much older than the average vampires I'd encountered thus far. Or maybe he just belonged in a hole 6 feet under. "Good thing Aro turned you when he did. Women weren't quite as exotic as her in your day," he snorted as if he'd made a joke.

"Funny. What's it like smelling like lemons all the time?"

"Bit of a mouth on her."

I was actually going to hold back the remark he had rightfully earned with that comment, but Alec was apparently unwilling to take any chances. His arm went around my waist, sending me a stern look that gave the impression he didn't much care if I verbally sparred with his associate, but we had better things to do. There had to be a reason we were meeting with him and the sooner we got to it, the sooner he left. The man's eyes narrowed at the interaction, judgemental, as if he disapproved of Alec's behaviour.

Their auras clashed, individual bonds of control existing simultaneously like a small bomb ready to go off if it so much as tilted to one side or the other. These two powers buzzed in an incompatible truce, patient and waiting for the moment they would need to put the other in its place. The weapons were different, like a sword and an axe, capable of great and deadly things and equally effective, unmatched, and yet parallel to one another. Their power did not search for a battle, but each would gladly fight to retain the glory. No handshake could change that.

"Saffiya, I would like to introduce you to John. He was one of Jane's and my instructors as newborns." Alec explained curtly, pretending as if the man and I had not just exchanged a rather unflattering back and forth. "He taught us how to expand our gifts."

"And how not to," the older man shot back. There was a natural growl to his timbre that made it sound as if he were entering the worst of a bad cough. He was accusatory, "which, based on your reputation, has been misspent."

With a familiar patience, the vampire beside me answered monotonously, "I assure you, John, your lessons are equally practiced and valued. Especially now."