SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW ➻ DEMETRI VOLTURI

U N D I C I

As soon as Cecilia heard the doors to Demetri's chambers, though she considered them hers now as well, open, she turned around with a bright smile on her face. She was wearing the dress Aurelia had made in honour of the feast that was about to begin, along with matching jewellery and high heels. Her smile faltered as soon as she saw who had entered.

She'd expected Demetri to walk in, but in front of her stood Aro. He was also dressed in fine silk and his hair shone without a single knot to detect. He smiled at her like he could become undone any minute, though that was the way he usually looked. "This evening, after some dancing and the official toast, I'm going to ask you to join the Volturi, Cecilia," the man said, his voice low. "And you can't deny."

Cecilia had been waiting for this conversation for many days now, but she hadn't expected it to happen this way. In her and Demetri's chambers, quietly and sneaky. It didn't surprise her. "I only want two things in return," she said. She resisted the urge to bite the inside of her cheek, knowing her appearance was either going to make or break this deal.

Aro raised his eyebrows in question. "Anything I can give will be yours," he said, but she could detect the apprehensiveness in his voice.

She cleared her throat. "I won't ever conspire, plot or fight against my family."

"A done deal," Aro said, nodding.

Cecilia hesitated for a moment. "And I want Angelokastro. For me and Demetri, just the two of us."

The corner of Aro's left mouth twitched upwards, his eyes began to glint with excitement. "It will be yours before the sun rises again."

Cecilia nodded and did a little curtsy, watching cautiously as the vampire disappeared from their room. When she turned back to the mirror, she felt breathless. She rested her fingers on the diamond hanging around her neck, imagining the feeling of her fluttering heart underneath her touch. There was nothing to be felt, except for the rush of euphoria that spread through her body.

"What are you looking so happy about?"

Now it was her soulmate who entered the room. He was dressed in a completely black suit, but the tie he was wearing matched her emerald green dress. Almost automatically, she smiled, feeling the rush of butterflies escaping in her stomach. He looked at her with a clear expression of awe as well, making her feel even more nervous.

She chuckled, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I'm happy to see you."

"I have told you a million times," Demetri began. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around the small of her back. "But I think you're breathtakingly beautiful."

She pressed a soft kiss on his lips, resting her hands on his chest. "And I think you look even better."

She felt content at that moment and the thought of having to go to the ballroom and socialise with high-nobility vampires filled her with dread. If it was up to her, she and Demetri would leave the castle, go to Angelokastro and dance the night away in each other's arms there, where nobody could bother them. Sadly, this was real life, with duties to be fulfilled.

"Let's go," she muttered softly. She let her hands glide from his chest, grabbing his instead. She smiled as he intertwined their fingers and pressed a kiss on the back of her hand. It was in those little gestures that she could feel the admiration and love for her soulmate grow.

The two of them walked through the castle quietly, Cecilia resisting the urge to pull him into the library and spend the night there, arriving at the ballroom not long after. It was a beautifully made room, big and filled with the most intricate detailed Corinthian pillars. The floor was made from marble, shining fiercely and specially polished for this occasion. There were so many chandeliers and candelabra's lit that Cecilia couldn't help but wonder where the Volturi had stored such a great amount of candles. Even at vampire speed, it must have taken hours to light all of them.