Twilight: Darling of Volturi (YURI/GL)

[Jane’s POV]

To vampires, time held no meaning.

Jane carried out every order issued by the leaders with unwavering loyalty. Hunting down lawbreakers, training newborn vampires, tracking the remnants of the Romanian Coven. The authority of the Volturi required loyal enforcers, and Jane delighted in watching her enemies writhe in unbearable agony beneath her gaze. 

Once she had grown tired of playing with them, Alec would step in at just the right moment, spreading his black mist until every enemy became a motionless puppet. Then Jane would choose whatever rhythm suited her mood as she cheerfully tore off their heads, ripped apart their limbs, shredded their bodies, and finally consigned the remains to real flames until nothing was left but ashes.

The entire process brought her immense satisfaction.

Demetri and Felix could never understand her enjoyment. To them, burning their own kind was merely part of the job, but Jane seemed to savor every moment of it. Neither of them had the courage to question her directly. After all, a family member's peculiar habits deserved a certain amount of respect. Of course, Jane had also taught them through personal demonstration that failing to show her that respect came at a price far too painful to bear.

After becoming vampires, all differences in physical strength that had existed during their human lives disappeared completely. They all possessed equally powerful muscles and bones, unimaginable speed, and equal standing within the family hierarchy. Coupled with Jane's terrifying gift, which struck fear into every vampire who knew of it, almost no one dared provoke her.

If Jane ever discovered that Demetri and Felix had been gossiping behind her back, a single glance would be enough to bring both men to their knees, begging for mercy through unbearable pain.

The gifts possessed by the four captains of the guard ranked among the greatest in the entire vampire world. To make training the guards easier, Caius later established a rule: supernatural gifts were forbidden within the training grounds.

That, however, came later.

Vampires possessed an exceptionally strong sense of territory, and Jane hated physical contact with anyone besides Alec. The training grounds, where people constantly brushed against one another and gifts were prohibited, were her least favorite place. Whenever possible, she either attended alongside Alec or found an excuse to avoid training altogether.

As Master Aro's most loyal guard, she was more than entitled to indulge such small whims.

On May 1, 2005, several promising individuals were selected from the latest batch of newborn vampires imprisoned inside the "Black Room" beneath the Palazzo dei Priori.

Jane found it impossible to associate the word potential with these worthless creatures, whose only talent seemed to be standing around with red eyes while howling mindlessly.

Still, Master Aro had graciously decided to give them an opportunity to prove their worth.

Jane's duty was simply to obey.

Aro truly was merciful and compassionate. He was willing to grant these sinful newborn vampires a second chance.

The vampires who had transformed them had violated Volturi law and had already been sent to hell by fire.

The newborns themselves had been brought back to Volterra and imprisoned within the underground Black Room beneath the Volturi stronghold.

Those found to possess no supernatural gifts whatsoever had already been disposed of through incineration, simply as a precaution.

The ones who remained possessed at least a trace of potential.

To welcome them, Master Aro had decided to bestow upon them a magnificent feast.

There were four captains of the Volturi guard, and Aro intended to place this new group under Jane's command.

She would supervise them.

Train them and eventually reward them.

She had repeated these tasks countless times over the centuries.

Every procedure had long since become second nature.

Frequent use of her burning gift consumed a great deal of blood, making it inconvenient for Jane to leave her post. Most of the time, she simply fed directly from the refrigerated blood stores to ensure she remained completely satiated.

Her venomous fangs pierced the blood bag, and the warm liquid slid down her throat.

This particular batch happened to be from healthy adult human males, one of her preferred tastes.

Strong, grown men.

Men like those who had once murdered her mother...

Men like those who had tied her and Alec to the stake.

Using their blood to quench the burning thirst in her throat made their deaths feel worthwhile.

Meanwhile, Alec maintained control over the newborn vampires.

Although newborns possessed overwhelming physical strength, the experienced guards possessed far greater skill and discipline. Herding the newborns was as effortless as managing a group of unruly children.

Once Aro decided to host the feast, Heidi, disguised as a human tour guide, became responsible for selecting suitable victims to form a special tour group.

Every participant had to be an adult.

Healthy.

With few social connections.

Preferably carrying at least some form of criminal record.

That way, if they unfortunately died during the tour, cleaning up afterward would be significantly easier.

Among the selected victims were international traffickers who posed as wealthy heirs to deceive women into trusting them...

Fraudsters who stole other people's money to fund their own investment immigration...

The sins humans committed far exceeded the amount of blood flowing through their veins.

Heidi possessed an extraordinary talent for manipulating hearts.

No one understood human nature better than she did.

Even without relying on her supernatural gift of attraction, countless people willingly stepped into the traps she laid, completely of their own accord.

That talent extended beyond humanity.

Even within the Volturi itself, Heidi was regarded as nothing less than a goddess.

Every guard hoped she would smile at them.

If she exchanged even a few words with someone, that lucky individual would remain delighted for days.

Jane could never understand why Heidi smiled so warmly at insignificant people without tormenting them afterward, instead allowing them to leave happily.

It did absolutely nothing to establish authority.

Still, Jane respected Heidi's peculiar habits.

They were family.

The V-shaped pendant resting against each of their chests bound them together.

Every member fulfilled a different role.

Together, they formed the Volturi.

Once the newborn vampires had taken their positions behind the hidden entrance, the heavy stone doors could no longer block the irresistible scent of fresh human blood flowing beneath warm skin.

Without the guards restraining them, and without Alec severing their sense of smell, the newborns would probably have already smashed through the doors and rushed the humans outside.

Only after the great golden doors closed completely...would the hunt begin.

Today, however, something felt unusual.

Heidi seemed to have encountered some sort of trouble.

The humans had obediently entered the banquet hall, yet Heidi herself remained outside, delaying the moment she closed the great doors that signaled the beginning of the feast.

A strange instinct stirred within Jane.

She exchanged a glance with Alec.

Without a word, he immediately deepened the reach of his black mist, tightening his control over the newborns.

Jane lowered her black hood, revealing the carefully maintained cascade of golden hair beneath.

In the next instant, she appeared beside the doorway.

"Heidi, what's taking you so long? Aren't you going to eat?"

The moment Jane stepped outside, the human girl holding Heidi back drew in a sharp breath. The intoxicating scent that accompanied it awakened the thirst Jane had only recently managed to suppress. She instinctively held her breath.

There was no burning sensation in her throat.

Good.

She had fed more than enough. A Volturi guard would never lose composure over something as trivial as blood.

The girl was roughly Jane's height. She looked no older than sixteen. Minors fell outside the Volturi's hunting regulations.

Was that why Heidi had hesitated?

Jane decided to solve the problem herself.

Rules always had exceptions. If a guard desired a particularly unusual flavor, who exactly was going to enforce the law against them?

Jane was willing to show mercy. Rather than allowing this girl to be devoured by filthy newborn vampires, she would personally grant her a swift death.

To have your life consumed by the Volturi's most honored guard...

Consider it your privilege.

"I'm sorry, could you please..."

Then...

It was as though Jane had stepped into a vast sea of mist. Only a single path remained before her, silently guiding her forward. When she regained her senses, her own hand had already moved without permission, pushing open the stone door reserved exclusively for vampires on behalf of the human girl.

Sunlight stopped at the threshold.

Very well.

She isn't worthy of such an honor after all.

Jane swept her cloak across the girl's shoulder, coldly watching as she stumbled through the doorway. The stone door slammed shut.

Two worlds were separated once more.

Jane immediately returned to the banquet hall reserved for vampires. The savage newborns tore into the humans with reckless abandon, torturing them as blood sprayed in every direction. Jane calmly allowed herself to stand amid the overwhelming scent of blood. Occasionally, a careless newborn brushed against her. Each one received a taste of her burning gift in return.

From beginning to end, however, Jane herself remained perfectly calm and composed before the sea of blood surrounding her.

She had to prove her strength.

"Heidi."

After finishing her meal, Heidi was helping Alec direct the newborn vampires. Whenever Alec was involved, Jane's tone naturally became less severe.

"Don't ever use your gift of attraction on me."

Heidi readily agreed, even though she had no idea why Jane had suddenly emphasized such an odd request. Jane's burning gift was terrifying. Unless absolutely necessary, Heidi had no desire to provoke trouble.

Satisfied with the answer, Jane decided to let the matter rest. She classified the entire incident as nothing more than an unfortunate accident. She had merely stepped in to help Heidi out of goodwill.

Although Jane privately blamed Heidi for failing to control her gift properly, allowing its influence to spread to her and causing her to abandon her original intention of killing that unusually fortunate human, pursuing the matter further would only interfere with her duties.

She decided that the girl had simply been lucky enough to escape death.

But next time...

Jane silently swore to herself.

If I ever see that human again...

I will never allow her to leave the Palazzo dei Priori alive.

The following day, Jane Volturi fulfilled that vow...

Without ever realizing it herself.

She never saw Sophie alive again.

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