SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW ➻ DEMETRI VOLTURI

S E T T E

"Danae," Adras said low, warning clear in his voice.

"They give a province to our enemies to rule over, leaving us at this horrible and outdated castle," the woman went on. Her red eyes were burning with anger and hatred, turning darker with each and every word. "But not to worry, we are invited to a feast in honour of the turning of a girl from a family lower than the sewage system in Rome."

Cecilia raised her eyebrows, but bit the inside of her cheek to keep any nasty words from tumbling out. She could take a personal insult, but only if it was just that. This wasn't personal, this was directed at her family, of whom she felt very protective. She could feel Demetri grab her hand, squeezing it softly.

"Demetri, please take no offence from the foolish words of my wife," Adras said. He tried to laugh it off, but even for a vampire, he looked clumsy and awkward. Cecilia felt for him, but not enough to be actually bothered.

"Danae," Demetri began. His voice was hard and void of any pleasantries. This Demetri, determined and unafraid, reminded her of the stories her parents used to tell her about the Volturi, about the bad guys. "If you have any problems with the way the Masters divide the land under the covens, you can take it up with them in Volterra. If I remember correctly, it was you all these centuries ago who pleaded for this particular castle and the Island of Corfu."

"Years ago it was the Markis and the Volturi together who ruled the world of the vampires," Danae said. The woman was shrieking now and Cecilia thought she looked oddly like an erinye, a goddess of wrath. Maybe she was. "The Markis and the Volturi, Demetri, not the Volturi and the Markis, but you dethroned us and took the power for yourself."

"In that case, you should have played the game better," Demetri said, rising from his chair. The other coven members arrived in the room as well, only adding to the tension. Odina and Kyros instantly went to stand behind Danae, whereas Ptolema, who looked misplaced in such a hateful situation, and Vasyl watched the whole ordeal from the sidelines quietly. "The fact remains that, the Markis are not the coven they once were. Greece is no longer the centre of the world, and neither are you."

That seemed to anger Dane even further and subtly, Cecilia rose as well, trying to hide at least part of her body behind Demetri's. She knew that if a fight would break out, they were the few. They would have to flee back to Volterra with their tails tucked between their legs, if they even made it that far. She had only been a vampire for three days and though Demetri had promised her he would teach her how to fight, there had been no time for that yet.

"Don't forget, Demetri, Rome has fallen as well."

Cecilia's maroon eyes shifted from Danae to her soulmate, suddenly remembering that Aro had said that they had to take care of the Markis one way or the other.

Demetri rose his eyebrows, a menacing smirk on his mouth. "Was that a threat?"

"A promise," Danae said slowly.

She had never felt more useless in a situation than she did now. She couldn't fight and she didn't have enough knowledge about the history of the Volturi and the Markis to actually be of any meaning in the discussion. All she could do was stand still, look pretty and wish for the Markis to forget all about their issues with the division of land. If only they would forget their petty obsessions altogether, from all the way back in the beginning to the present days.

Suddenly, the anger seemed to melt from Danae's face like snow in the sun. In fact, all of the Markis seemed utterly confused for a moment, their eyebrows furrowed together in question. All except Vasyl, who remained as impassive as before.

Demetri tugged on her hand harshly, pulling her away to the corner of the room. He stared at her urgently, but the hint of amazement couldn't be denied. "What did you do?" he asked, his voice so soft she could barely hear it.

"What did I do?" she repeated, sounding just as bewildered as the Markis looked. "I just stood there like a useless fool."

Demetri chuckled, a smile almost breaking through on his face. "I have a feeling you did way more than that."

The two of them turned back to the Markis, who were talking among each other like nothing had happened before. Ptolema was chattering to Vasyl, who smiled every now and then at her words, but ignored the rest in the room. Odina and Kyros appeared to be tormenting some servant about his shoes, while Adras and Danae were whispering amongst themselves, all looks of hostility disappeared.

"Demetri," Adras suddenly called out. He was smiling cheerily again, like a typical happy Greek. "You were talking about a feast when you walked away with your mate."

"Oh yes," Demetri said, as if he suddenly remembered that. "Aro has organised a feast to celebrate Cecilia's turning and he would love for you and your family to attend as their most honoured guests."

"Oh, Danae, it's been ages since we went to a proper feast," Odina instantly bleated. She turned her back on Kyros, looking at the other woman with an enthusiastic expression on her face. "We should contact the tailor right away. He needs to make the most expensive dresses the world has ever seen."

"That sounds like an amazing plan," Danae agreed, rising from the sofa she had lowered herself in. "Let's get it done right away."

"How many people will attend, Cecilia?" Ptolema asked curiously. "I've been dying to meet new people for ages now. That sounds kind of ironic, doesn't it, but sometimes I have a feeling Vasyl gets tired of my stories and it would be nice to tell them to people who haven't heard them yet."

"I don't get tired of your stories," Vasyl said softly. His voice sounded deep and raw. He grabbed Ptolema's hand, pulling her close to his side. "Let's take a walk outside."

"Well, it seems like your invitation is accepted," Adras said heartily.

Demetri smirked, intertwining their hands and pressing a soft kiss on the back of Cecilia's hand. "The Masters will be thrilled to hear it."