Heartbeat [Alec Volturi]

Monster

"Did you really believe we would not follow you?"

My blood ran cold and I whipped around to face the speaker. The face was familiar, but now held bright red eyes hidden behind a pair of shaded sunglasses. Who wears sunglasses at night?

It struck me then that I was now privy to an element of the world that was incredibly sacred. So secret that it had been able to exist for centuries through only folklore and myths. They had been demonized, becoming synonymous with the word monster. Were they monsters? What exactly constituted a monster? Despite my doubts, I could feel my blood pounding in my ear at the arrival of my captor.

He lacked a cloak, but was still garbed in the old fashioned, formal wear of the guard. A golden V necklace hung from his neck, visible under the top two undone buttons of his tunic. The oversight on his part seemed out of character, as if he'd been in the middle of undoing them when something distracted him.

"I wanted a head start." Alec raised an eyebrow. "I've some loose ends that need tying."

He rolled his eyes and took hold of my arm, beginning to pull me to the exit.

I dug my heels in and pulled against him, "wait, wait, wait—" He must've seen the look he got from the bartender because he stopped, not wanting to draw the attention. He reluctantly let me turn him around to face me and I couldn't believe I was even touching him by choice. "Jane is all you have left, right? She's the most important person in the world?" He didn't answer me, but a flicker in his eyes was strong enough for me to catch through the glasses.

"This is for my father. So, just..."

The door to the pub blew open with a gust of wind. A short, round man hobbled in, his left hand clutching a rather shiny cane. He sat at the bar and rested the cane on his lap, raising his right hand to get the bartender's attention. My eyes narrowed — got him. I started towards him, but a tug of my arm kept me back.

Alec was watching the man with a fierce look in his eyes. I took a step towards Alec — closer than I ever wanted to get to him again. This movement made his head snap back to me. He seemed to be studying me, scanning my face through his dark glasses. His gaze dropped to my lips before meeting my green eyes. "Alec...please." There was something in the way I said his name that seemed to spark an illusion in us both.

After a moment, he let my arm go.

I wasted no time in case Alec changed his mind. I lightly pulled the picture off the wall and approached the older man. I sat beside him at the bar, facing him straight on. He gave me an odd look as the bartender placed a glass of whiskey in front of him. The choice in drink contrasted with his focus on the football game on the tv above the bar.

I had planned to behave more smoothly. To sit beside him casually, order the same drink as him and start a conversation before I bombarded him with an interrogation. Only I was clearly short on time, so I went with a more aggressive approach.

I set the picture down in front of him.

"What do you want, kid?"

"Do you know where this man is?"

He ignored the picture, taking a sip from his glass. He barely acknowledged my presence, instead throwing a look over his shoulder at Alec. The vampire stood against the wall, eyeing us.

"Who's that, your bodyguard?" I gave him a taste of his own medicine and ignored the question.

I swapped the picture out with the whiskey, picking it up and placing it out of his reach unless he wanted to get closer to me. Which he clearly was not going to attempt, especially with Alec's presence.