ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇ ɪɴ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ ɴᴏᴡ! ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ꜱᴏ ᴍᴜᴄʜ ᴘʟᴀɴɴᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ! ɪ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇᴡ ᴄᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴛ ʟᴏᴏᴋꜱ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ɴɪᴄᴇ ɪᴍᴏ.

ɪ'ᴍ ɢᴏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴀᴄᴇᴄʟᴀɪᴍ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀʀᴏ ɴᴇxᴛ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴄᴀᴜꜱᴇ ɪ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ꜱʜᴇᴇɴ ʙᴜᴛ ʜᴇ'ꜱ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴛᴏᴏ ᴏʟᴅ-

Sometimes I really did like to play with fire. What I was handling right now could not be told in any which way. No, this truly was the story of my lifetime. I was doing something that no other person had. We were about to fool the entire vampire community.

Who could say that they have done that?

I could either make it or break it. This was everyone's first impression of me as a vampire. My coven knew how I layed down the law, but what of the rest of the world? They didn't know how I operated. Nobody knew the inner workings of what made me tick.

Nobody but my mates.

The tension was building inside of the Volturi once again as we prepared for our march on Forks, Washington. Things were going to be different this time. We would have an audience waiting for us when we got there, ready to see the Volturi in action. Our allies would step in if it did turn violent. People aren't allowed to attack during trials unless attacked first. The Olympic Coven would be stupid to think that we would break our own rules.

Alice is trying to play it like you are all going to attack. She can see that you will be coming. She knows the date. Her visions are still a bit blurry. Not only can she not see what exactly gets said, she cannot see everyone that is on our side. She thinks that we are coming alone, that there will not be any other covens to witness this. I do have to say that this may be because of me. I make sure that all of you are shielded against her the best that I can.

How do you shield me? Let's just say that I have a few tricks up my sleeve, Anna. I mean, I am here to make sure that you get the best possible outcome for you and your family. Alice has to choose for herself what the best outcome will be. It is her fatal flaw as she fixates on what one outcome could mean.

Maeve's brief explanation still didn't make much sense to me. She always sounded like she wasn't even a part of my own mind, but a mind of her own. Had my gift really just made a split personality that somehow knew everything that I needed to know? I mean, Maeve didn't have to tell me things. That information was hers to give. Yes, she almost always gave it to me, but she held the reins.

I had been trying to make sense of some of her cryptic messages, but I couldn't for the life of me understand.

It didn't matter right now. Right now I had to run a coven and prepare for the biggest fuck you in all of vampire history. We were going to make them look like morons in front of their friends and allies.

That is what happens when you mess with the Volturi. You may get out alive.

But your reputation won't.

__________________________________________________

Figuring out how much blood we needed to get for the afterparty was quite the chore. Not only did we have to account for human blood, we would need to account for animal blood as well. Everyone would be invited to the party.

Well, everyone but Edward, Bella, and Alice. Their kid could come if she wanted to, but I doubt that Edward's ego would allow him to let her have a good time with us.

Introducing this little girl to our son would be funny. I bet that with two gifted parents, the child would be gifted as well. I was about to burst little Bella and Edward's bubble. If Helios wasn't the first of his kind, he certainly was the first gifted Hybrid to ever grace the planet.

Guess what, Anna? What, Maevey? Don't call me that. Anyways, little Renesmee is gifted. She can also break shields, but only the mental kind. She can also relay thoughts and memories. Quite the opposite to Edward and Aro. You are right, they think that she is the only gifted hybrid of her kind. They found the other hybrids and are going to try and use them against you, citing that they can in fact live in harmony. Of course, Helios is actually the first gifted hybrid. And the second male of his species. Yeah, there's only one other guy. Your little boy is more special than her little girl.

Caius is going to love to hear that our little sunshine is the best of the best. The males are more likely to have venom as well. Bella's daughter isn't venomous at all. Helios is. It makes him physically stronger in so many ways. Renesmee would die if she were torn apart, but Helios would just be able to be put back together like a normal vampire.

"Cara mia, did you get the blood count?" Speak of the devil. He-I'm going to shut up now. "We need to get that soon or else we could have a blood shortage at the party."

"No blood shortages. I added a few more bags and even some O-. Who knows how much Emmett will be drinking," My blonde mate nods, taking the clipboard from my hands. "Lots of alcohol that vampires can get drunk on. Nobody is going to go to the old Cullen house. The entire place is pretty quiet and in the middle of nowhere anyways."

"I don't think I've gotten drunk in centuries," he muses. "Must have been back when Carlisle first joined the coven. We found someone with O- and put our alcohol in it. That's when we all realized vampires could in fact get drunk. Aro...oh lord I can barely remember. The stuff that I do remember just wasn't pretty. I think a few of the guards joined in the festivities. About half of us had gotten drunk for the first time and it was a mess."

"You were the worst one of all, brother," Marcus says. "Good lord, you almost exposed us that night. I am glad that I was too depressed to drink with you all. Who knows what I would have done. The only time I have been drunk was as a human."

"I've never been drunk," I admit. "Just never got into alcohol and stuff."

"Of course not. You are much too innocent for drugs and alcohol. I would never think anything otherwise. Our innocent queen," Caius wraps his arm around me while Marcus laughed in the background. "I would pay good money to see what you do while drunk, cara mia."

"Aro would kill you, Caius," Marcus warns.

"Always ruining my fun, that man," my blonde mate mutters. "Who knew younger vampires did not know how to have a good time."

"Did you just call Aro young? He's what, 3000 years old? Nearing like 3500 years at this point," I point out.

"I'm more like 3500 years old. I don't keep track. I mean, who would like to see 3500 candles. The dates are out of whack as well. I have no clue when I was born, but it certainly is not a time to celebrate for me," I laugh.

"You are all old people with an 18 year old girl. What would people say?" Both Caius and Marcus let out cries of protest. "All of you are over 10000 years old combined. I'm 18."

"I am physically 20, cara mia, that is three years older than the age when you were turned. Aro was turned at 23 and Marcus at 19. We are all not that much older than you in a physical sense. I doubt that anyone would notice on the streets that we are so far apart in actual age," Caius tries to reason with me. "I would not wish for you to see me as some sort of old man."

"I second that," Marcus mutters.

"My mates, you are literally older than my adoptive father. He's going to be your father-in-law someday and you are older than him. Poor Carlisle, he remembers you for so long and then you go on to be with his daughter," Caius lets out a hardy laugh. Marcus' face pales even further, if that was even possible. "What's wrong, baby?"

"I think he just got reminded of something," my mate laughs at his brother. "Come on, it is kind of similar."

"We do not speak of that, Caius," Marcus dismisses. "Lord, it is similar."

"Poor Aro," I was so lost.

"Yeah, make fun of me for it after the fact, brother."

"Oh come on. You can't expect me not to make fun of the fact that you literally married Aro's sister."

Oh. Oh. Oh yeah, he did. He married his sister. He was married to his sister until she got murdered by the Romanians. Wait. Aro had known Marcus for quite some time before they turned and then... Aro just.... My poor mate. They're so close and...

"Wait a damn minute," I realize. "What did Aro do after you two got married?"

"Things were the same," Caius roars with laughter. "Gift and all."

"I don't think I have ever seen Aro more disgusted in my life. He asked me to kill him right then and there. Said there was nothing that he could do to erase that image from his head. Immortal memories really have been the most painful thing for him. I mean, imagine seeing everything and never being able to unsee it."

My mate had to watch my other mate, his soul brother, fuck his biological sister after they got married. Marcus in bed...oh my god Aro's sister. I mean, she did live the good life until she died but I'm just not gonna say that. Shit. Aro can hear this. Sorry Aro, your sister had a good sex life. I think you already knew that. Poor you.

"Poor Didyme," I mutter.

"What do you mean, poor Didyme?" Aro rushed to my side as he heard my voice. "Why are we speaking about my sister?"

"Oh, just the fact that you had to see her and Marcus screwing," Caius deadpans. I see Aro visibly fill with disgust at the mere mention of such a thing occurring. "With your gift and all, you must have seen some terrible things. I mean, we heard it, but you had to see it. From the state of our nest wall, I am guessing that she-"

"That is enough, Caius," Aro stops him, visibly upset. He lets out a disgusted noise at the memory. "I want to die now. Thank you, Caius, now kill me-" he lets out another whine, likely remembering again. "I hate my life. I hate my gift. Take it away from me."

"Poor you," I pat Aro's shoulder. "Marcus does treat his women-"

"I know! I know already! I see everything, amore," Aro kissed my cheek lovingly, taking in my latest thoughts and memories. "You know, I still hate my gift."

"Don't be like that, baby," I take his hand, wiggling myself out of Caius' grasp. "You may have had to watch your sister have sex with your best friend but at least you know it was good-" I stop myself as Aro squints at the mention of his sister.

"It..It is so bad...Marcus why did I let you marry my sister?" Aro poses the question. "I had to endure that for over 600 years and...lord it was not pretty."

"How many times did we have to replace his walls?" Caius asks. "I mean, he broke them pretty regularly. Made of stone as well."

"At least a thousand times a decade," Aro says. Had to be more than that. Way more. I mean, Marcus is more gentle with you right now, but you are in for a wild ride the second the real beast gets unleashed. A beast? How beast-like are you talking? Like, no human could survive. Your mate is actually insane. Don't be worried, it will be amazing sex, but it will be...rough.

"Let us not dwell on the past, Aro," Marcus suggests. "It is that, the past. Hopefully we figure out a way to erase that from your memory."

"Please, for the sake of my sanity."