With her head resting on her hand she stared out the window of Demetri's room lazily. The moon was only a crescent this night, barely visible, but she still thought it looked breathtaking. She still had one week to go before Demetri would turn her. The thought both scared her and excited her. Excited, because she would finally lose her human imperfections and be equal to her family. Scared, she told herself because Demetri had only turned someone once, but mostly because she was unsure of how her feelings towards him would change once she was turned.
"What are you thinking about?" Demetri's voice broke the silence.
She turned her eyes away from the moon and to the vampire sitting near the fireplace. He was holding a book in a hand, one she didn't immediately recognize. Letting out a soft sigh, she shrugged. "I'm thinking about what it will be like once you've turned me."
She had mostly been thinking about her physical change and her feelings for her apparent soulmate, but from the strained look on Demetri's face, she realised he must be thinking she was talking about where she would be living. Cecilia hadn't spent much thought on the matter, mostly because it resulted in nasty headaches that would torture her for the rest of the day.
She wanted to spend more time with Demetri, obviously, her feelings for him increasing every day, but she didn't want to say goodbye to her family. She also knew, however, that the Volturi would never let their best tracker move to the other side of the world. Besides, she didn't think Demetri would fit in very well with her family, or her family with him. And the chance that her family would move to Europe she considered very small.
"Would you ever consider joining the Volturi?" Demetri asked. He looked at her hopefully, as if that would change her opinion on the matter.
She wouldn't, not in a million years, but she also knew that the walls here had ears and that she couldn't say so out loud. "I don't even know if they'd want me," she answered. She bit her lip absentmindedly, her eyes wandering to the many shelves with books. "I don't even know whether I'm gifted and even if I am, if it would be useful."
"I can hardly track you right now, and you're still human," he said. He closed the book he'd been reading, looking at her with awe. "I'm absolutely positive your gift will be useful."
"Maybe," she simply replied. She didn't want to admit to anything, not before she'd spoken with her family. She pushed the chair back, got up from it and took a seat next to Demetri on the settée instead. As soon as he curled an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, her lips turned into a smile almost on automatic pilot. His hands were cold, but his touch left her skin scorching hot. "What are you reading anyway?"
"Epicurus," he answered, the tips of his fingers drawing absentminded circles on Cecilia's shoulder.
"I don't know him," she said, her eyebrows furrowed. She grabbed the book from his hand, opening it curiously. It was written in ancient Greek and she turned the pages carefully.
"Keep it that way," he answered, chuckling softly. "His writings give me a headache."
She hummed, closing the book again. "Would you ever consider leaving the Volturi?" she asked, out of the blue.
For just a moment, Demetri's fingers halted on her bare shoulder, before they continued their monotone pattern. She didn't dare to look at him, but still, she forced herself to turn her head to his. He looked distraught, staring far away in the distance and Cecilia softly bit her lip, wondering what his reply was going to be.
Her family had told her of Chelsea and her gift. She was basically the glue that kept the Volturi together, breaking and mending bonds as she liked. It was no wonder Aro put her on a pedestal, but Cecilia couldn't help but wonder if the soulmate bond was strong enough to get her claws out of Demetri's head.
"No," he finally breathed out, causing her stomach to drop. "No, I don't think I can."
He finally turned his face toward her, a pained expression on his face and a hurt smile on hers. She shrugged, trying to snuggle closer to his body. She laid her head on his chest, right over his heart, of which she wondered how it would sound if it'd still beat like a human and she closed her eyes. She already felt the familiar pounding in her head beginning to start and she let out a soft sigh. "We'll figure it out."
"Yes," he breathed out, pressing a soft kiss on the top of her head.
She felt her whole body light up like a small fire inside of her was steadily growing into a big flame, heating her up. Ever since their almost-kiss and conversation about the soulmate bond a few days ago, Demetri's somewhat formal politeness had disappeared and she loved it. She loved it when he would grab her hand, or when he would throw his arm around her shoulders and pull her close. But he hadn't made another attempt to kiss her, not yet. She wasn't sure if she was exactly disappointed about that, but she did know for sure that she wouldn't mind if he would try again. This time she wouldn't pull away.
Slowly, her breath evened out and before she knew it, she was well on her way to dreamland.
➻
She woke up alone, but with a great package near the foot end of her bed. Curiously, she pushed the covers from her body and opened the package. Inside of it were several clothes, skirts, shirts and dresses. As she pulled all of them out and laid them neatly on the bed, she even found a mantle, much like the ones the Guard of the Volturi wore.
Aurelia had hurt her and she didn't like the woman very much, but she surely made beautiful clothes. Her eyes were especially drawn to the emerald green dress. It was more of a gown, really, with silver embroidery details. Cecilia didn't even want to think about the many hours Aurelia must have spent on making that piece of art. It wasn't something that she saw herself wear, ever, unless it was a very special occasion.
She lifted the dress of the bed and moved to the mirror, holding the fabric in front of her body and imagining herself in it.
"Ah, I've seen you found your new clothes," the sharp voice of Jane filled the silence.
Cecilia let out a loud shriek, letting the gown fall out of her hands and to a heap on the ground. She turned her head in Jane's direction so fast, she felt the muscles in her neck strain from the effort. Frowning her eyebrows and biting on her tongue to keep a nasty comment from slipping out, she picked up the dress and laid it down on the bed again.
"If you hadn't been so busy with imagining the dress on yourself, you would have heard me open the doors obnoxiously loud," Jane commented.
Cecilia decided not to start an argument on the definition of what obnoxiously loud really was, instead, she looked at the petite vampire in front of her in question. "For what reason do I have this gown?"
"The masters want to throw a feast after you've turned. A great ballroom dance, if you will," Jane answered. She was standing awfully straight, not showing any slumping like a human. "I don't know why they've decided that the turning of a Cullen is all of a sudden worth a whole feast, but to be frank I think they've been waiting for years for a reason to throw another dance and your turning just happened to be in two week's time."
Cecilia stared at the woman incredulously. Well, leave it to her to boost my ego, Cecilia thought to herself. "Right, a feast?" she repeated as she sat down on the chair near the desk. "Who will be attending?"
"Well, your family is invited for starters and let me see, some of the covens who hold up high positions at the other castles," Jane listed. She walked to the clothes, inspecting them as if she was hoping to find a mistake. "Don't feel too haughty. It's really just a political game for the masters, to make sure certain alliances will continue to... stand."
"Ah, I see," Cecilia replied, her throat feeling a bit dry. She didn't quite like the idea of her name being associated with anything political, but she knew she had no other option than to dance to their wishes.
"There's nothing you need to worry about," Jane said, shrugging. "You'll be dancing with Demetri, being all sickly lovey-dovey and before you know it, the night's over."
Somehow, that didn't exactly put Cecilia at ease. Still, she nodded, wondering if that was the only thing Jane had barged in for or if there was something else.
"But that wasn't why I came here," she said, causing Cecilia to look up in wonder. "I want you to join me to the throne room. The masters have a... surprise for you."
That left Cecilia's throat dryer than the dust in the Sahara, but she nodded anyway. It was only then that she noticed that she was only wearing her nightgown. Her cheeks heating up from embarrassment, she hurried into the walk-in closet she shared with Demetri and picked a casual yellow summer dress. She changed into it and managed to do her hair in record-time, still earning the ever so spiteful glance of Jane.
"So slow," the vampire muttered as Cecilia followed her out of Demetri's room in the direction of the throne room.
Cecilia rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out to Jane's back.