SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW ➻ DEMETRI VOLTURI

Q U I N D I C I

Jane grabbed Cecilia's wrist, not nearly as roughly as Aurelia had, but stern enough, and lead her out of the atelier. Only then did the moans of pain cease.

"Oh, and I expect these clothes to be finished within three weeks," Jane called over her shoulder as they moved through the front room. "Actually, make that two."

➻

Dear Cecilia,

We all hope that this letter finds you well. We all miss you so much and we can't wait to visit you in three weeks. Just a heads up, not all of us will be at the Volturi at the same time. Rose, Emmett, Bella, Edward and Renesmee will visit you first, and Jasper, Alice, Carlisle and Esmee will come along later. For obvious reasons Jake can't come to Volterra, but he wishes you 'good luck with all those backstabbing leeches'.

She chuckled. It was a bummer Nessie's boyfriend wouldn't come along, but she knew it was for the better.

As for your recommendations to Greece and Spain, we might just consider them. People at your dad's job constantly comment on his good looks and the way he doesn't seem to age, so we'll probably be leaving as soon as you're turned. He's already looking for jobs in Europe.

By the way, how's your school going along? I know Volterra and the castle are way more interesting than the physics problems, but they need some solving as well. I trust you though, I know you'll stay on track.

Volterra sounds wonderful indeed and it's good to hear you're enjoying yourself. Don't spend too much time thinking about us. This is only temporary and we'll have all of eternity to spend as a family soon. You might just be thankful for this get away from your family (:

Alaska has been the same since you left. It's still cold and snowy, nothing you would miss. Those rays of Italian sunshine will do you some good, Celia.

Anyway, know that all of us love you very much and that we can't wait for you to get home.

Be careful and lots of love,

Mom

She lied down the letter on the desk, a shaky sigh escaping her lips. The letter had been on the desk when she and Jane had gotten back to the castle from Aurelia and a soon as she opened it, the same homesickness that had terrorised her late last night, was crashing over her. The letter smelt of her mother's subtle perfume and her handwriting made her heart ache.

She pushed back the chair and walked into the bathroom, staring at her reflection in wonder. Her gaze travelled to her shoulder and softly biting on her lip, she pushed the fabric of her dress down her arm, leaving her skin exposed. The places where Aurelia had dug her fingers in were turning a mixture of blue and purple already, the rest of her shoulder slightly swollen and flaming red.

With her other hand, she traced the outline of the fingers, hissing softly in pain.

"Who did that?" a voice all of a sudden interrupted her train of thoughts.

Letting out a loud shriek from surprise, she pushed the fabric back in place. She turned to Demetri, an expression of disbelief clear on her face. "You know I can't hear you when you sneak up like that," she rambled. She let out an exasperated sigh, putting her hands on her sides. Most of the times when he neared her, he made sure his footsteps were well audible, but every now and then his sudden presence scared the living bricks out of her. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I don't care," he said. He entered the bathroom, the look in his eyes forecasting hell. His hand reached to her shoulder, but before he could actually touch her, she slapped his hand away, snapping him out of his trace. His eyes travelled from her shoulder to her eyes. "Show me."

"Maybe if you ask nicely, instead of demanding it," she muttered as he walked past him. She bumped into his arm a little harder than was necessary, but she didn't care. "You don't have to be rude about it, you know."

She heard his footsteps follow her out of the bathroom. "Alright, will you show me your shoulder then, Cecilia? I would very much appreciate it if you show me your shoulder."

She ignored the sarcasm in his voice as she turned around, slightly pulling the fabric from her shoulder. With careful eyes, she observed Demetri, the way his face twisted in obvious dismay, how his eyes were simply locked on the bruises of her skin. He reached out, gently this time, his cold fingers skimming down the bruises. A shiver travelled over her spine and his touch seemed to leave a scorching trail. Not wanting to lose herself further, she brushed the fabric back.

"Who did that?" Demetri asked, his red eyes snapping to hers.

"It's nothing," she muttered as she took a seat on the settee. Her eyes travelled to the tiles underneath her feet as she crossed her ankles and folded her hands together, everything to avoid the vampire's angry stare.

"Hey, it is something," he said. From the corners of her eyes, she watched him crouch down, felt his cold fingers pushing her chin up, lingering there as he forced her to look at him. Her heart fluttered against her chest. "Aro promised your family you'd be safe here and apparently something happened that put your safety in danger. You should tell me, I can do something about it."

"My safety was never really in danger," she said as she grabbed Demetri's hand from under her chin, guiding their hands to one of her knees. "Jane took me to the seamstress this morning, but she stuck a pin in my arm and kind of lost control. Jane intervened before something could happen."

Demetri squeezed her hand softly. "I'm sorry that happened."

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, a smile cracking through on her face. She looked down at the vampire in front of her, resisting the strong urge to run her hand through his hair and over the side of his face. "You weren't even there. Accidents happen."