𝘊𝘙𝘐𝘔𝘚𝘖𝘕 ° 𝘑𝘈𝘚𝘗𝘌𝘙 𝘏𝘈𝘓𝘌 ✓

29 | THE SUN AND MOON |

Her jaw dropped because he was partly right in his accusations. She was not the best at math despite graduating high school with a high GPA. "You don't have to be mean just because you feel inadequate to a damn smart phone." Alec's glower didn't lessen. She sighed deeply and slammed her book shut, setting it aside, and putting her hand out towards him. "Give me the damn thing."

Sometimes it felt like Alec was purposely ruining her day, or at least making it sour. She would come back from an exhausting day of meticulous oil painting or exhibit cleaning to find her dormitory a mess with Alec casually sitting somewhere with no intent of taking care of his own creation.

"Dude, can you at least throw away your used blood bags and not, like, leave them on my desk for me to take care of? I am not your maid." Rory wrinkled her nose in disgust as she lifted the three empty pint-sized blood bags he had left on her desk and tossed it into the stainless steel trashcan.

Since he was spending all his off time from the Volturi stalking her to 'ensure she kept the secret' (as his latest excuse), Alec wasn't hunting as much which meant he had resorted to stealing bags of fresh O-Negative and drinking it to keep his thirst (and foul temper) under control.

"I'm not a dude, I'm a vampire," Alec drawled as he threw sharpened pencils up at the ceiling. He turned his head to her with narrowed eyes. "Be grateful I'm not using you as a blood bag."

She pursed her lips tightly.

"Touché."

Rory left his masterpiece of ceiling art alone. On the nights he didn't appear, which were few and far in between, the figure of a crescent moon provided her some solace from the loneliness. She didn't like to acknowledge that part of her.

"So, are the Volturi more like a cult or the royal family? I know there's a thin line between the two," she joked one time as Alec followed her around the Piazza della Signoria after a night at a gallery.

He wasn't amused by that.

"Be cautious of how loud your words carry, Aurora, if this alley wasn't empty of people, I would've killed you," Alec bared his teeth at her. Somehow he had obtained a pair of blue contacts to mask his crimson eyes from the public; which only gained him even more attention as his now violet eyes topped with his physical perfection.

Rory rolled her eyes. "I'm not an idiot, clearly I saw no one would overhear. And you didn't answer the question." She shook her head. She bet the Volturi was more like the latter. The British royal family were definitely just as sus as the fearsome Volturi. Her mood lifted as she glanced elsewhere, "Oh, the Florence Cathedral looks so pretty from here!"

Alec merely glanced at the view she pointed at. He shrugged and continued following her mini-adventure.

Something about Alec Volturi that was intriguing. He was like the sun, in the way he was unavoidable and irritating at times and she had no protection against him. He was unrelentingly aggressive at times as well. Looking straight at him hurt; he was frustrating to no end and bound to cause long-term damage. But it was in brief glimpses where she found the rarely seen magnificence.

It was nearing the month mark since she had met, or rather been hunted by, Alec Volturi. It also meant she was supposed to be leaving for Forks soon. She wasn't sure when it would be the appropriate time to bring up her leaving with the possessive vampire who ate people.

"So, uh, is there a reason why you're still checking in on me so often? I mean, clearly, I know to keep the secret a secret," Rory sipped her green tea nonchalantly.

A smirk formed on his dusky rose lips. "Why search for this Victoria when I have the perfect bait before me?"

Her jaw dropped as it all made sense then with the curve of his wicked smile. How could she have missed it? "This is why I'm still alive? You're keeping me as bait?"