Deadly Weapon 6

“What do you think she will be like?”Caius asked Athenodora as the pair waited in their sitting room for Isabella to bring her new mate to meet them.When Jane had called the king had been happy at the news that Isabella found her mate.It was the identity of the person that made him upset.Of all the vampires for her to form a bond with a Cullen was the least favorable.The coven of animal drinkers were known for rejecting their vampire nature to pretend to be human.It made them spineless and weak.Them being no better than prey in Caius’ eyes.

“Who knows.Carlisle is the sire to the only unmated one.He probably has the poor girl so brainwashed she doesn’t have an opinion of her own.”Athenodora had always pictured her daughter’s mate as someone as formidable as Isabella herself.It was downright depressing to learn that wasn’t the case.

“Hopefully we can break her out of Carlisle’s mindset.”Cauis said.

“It would be embarrassing if we couldn’t.”Athenodora wouldn’t put up with a whiny animal drinker.The only problem she saw was if Isabella took offense to how her mate was treated.”We have to be sensitive to Isabella’s feelings when dealing with the girl.”

Caius sighed.”Yes, yes, I know.We can’t be mean to the girl.”

“Not only that we need the other occupants of the castle warned as well.We don’t need someone pissing Isabella off and her getting fed up with everyone and moving away.”Athenodora knew the chance of that happening was slim but it was still a possibility.

“That’s true.The last thing we need is Isabella not wanting to deal with the castle anymore.”Caius knew that could happen.His daughter had made mention of wanting to travel once she got past her newborn year.If she got pissed off enough she would leave sooner than she originally planned.It would also take her a lot longer to come back.If she even considered it.

“We should make sure that Jane gives the girl a proper tour.That way she can lay claim on her.”Athenodora said.

“That’s a good idea.Actually keeping Jane around for a couple weeks would be better.The more Isabella’s mate is seen around her and Alec the better.”Caius knew that Isabella would be more than ok with her brother and sister interacting with her mate.

“That means you need to get on Aro.”When Caius looked at her in confusion Athenodora explained.”He has been keeping Alec and Jane away from the castle.Sending them on missions not worthy of their talent.He is doing it because he wants to show he has control over them and Isabella doesn’t.”

“I hadn’t been paying attention but Isabella has mentioned that the twins were especially busy lately.”Isabella had brought it up to Caius just the other day that she hadn’t gotten to spend time with her siblings that much since she was turned.

“Well if he doesn’t stop with his foolishness Isabella is going to figure it out and no one will be able to stop whatever punishment she deals out to Aro.”Athenodora was actually looking forward to the confrontation.

“He has been acting very strange lately.Marcus told me that he thinks Isabella is going to kill both of our brothers and our sisters.”Caius told her.

Athenodora laughed.”Why in the world would Isabella kill them?”

“Didn’t you know?You and I are going to order her to so we can take over as the sole rulers.”Caius still didn’t understand how Aro had came to that conclusion.

“What the hell?”Aro had come up with some crazy conspiracy theories before but Athenodora felt this was the most outrageous one he had come up with.

“Oh yes he is firmly convinced that we are using Isabella’s training to eliminate most of the guard.Not only that but he has asked Marcus many times if the familiar bond is real or if we are just faking it.”Caius wasn’t surprised by snarl that came to his mates face.

“He dare think we would claim a false bond!!”Athenodora was going the kill man child.”How dare he insult us like that.”

“When Marcus asked him what reason we would do that he reasoned that with Isabella being Jane and Alec’s sibling that we would take interest in her.Apparently we can see the future because we knew she was going to be a powerful vampire and have been grooming her in our own imagine to be a weapon.”Caius explained.

“That fool!Anyone with eyes could tell that Isabella was going to be a powerful vampire.He is just pissed that not only does his gift not work on her but that he can’t manipulate her to do his bidding like he does with so many others.”Athenodora knew that Aro hated the fact that the most powerful vampire in the castle wasn’t under his control.

“I think he learned that lesson the first time he tried to trick her into helping him with that nomad coven problem.”Aro had asked Isabella to the throne room to meet what he called friends of his.When she got there the so called friends all attacked Isabella and she was forced to fight them.When the fight was over Aro had clapped and starting bragging to the leader of the nomad coven about how weak he was.It became obvious to everyone in the room that Aro only invited Isabella to flaunt his ownership of her.Not only did it not go over well with Isabella but Caius and Athenodora had been pissed as well.

“All things considered it was humorous to watch him try to function without his tongue for that week.”Athenodora had been surprised when she had gone to dole out her own punishment on Aro only to find that Sulpicia had ripped the man’s tongue out herself.The queen claimed she did it so Aro would think twice about falsely bragging about things that weren’t his to brag over.

“He did sulk for quite a while after she gave it back to him.I think that was when the paranoia really kicked in.Him knowing that even his own mate would side with Isabella made him think that he has no allies.”Caius said.

“If you really think about it he doesn’t have anybody.”Athenodora mused.”He has always used fear and manipulation to keep people loyal to him.After Isabella was turned it was quite obvious he wasn’t as powerful as he claimed.Her standing up to him and him having no control over her made others look at him in a new light.”

“He is getting a lot of pushback from our subjects.They aren’t humoring him or willing to play his games anymore.”Caius had just thought that people had gotten sick of Aro.Now that he was thinking about it it had started when Isabella had been turned.

“They defer to both you and I more than anyone else now.”It wasn’t uncommon lately for a vampire to come to Athenodora to deal with an issue.Even issues that would usually be handled by the kings.

“That is true.We basically are the sole rulers these days.We don’t need Isabella to kill Aro he caused his own downfall.”Caius said.

Athenodora chuckled.”To think if he had simply treated Isabella with respect and asked her for help she would have easily sided with him.Instead he had to use her for one of his games and ruined not only the chance he had to have Isabella as a guard but also ruined his own reign.It’s basically up to us how involved we want him in things.”

“That is a rather refreshing thought.I don’t want him killed of course.”Caius hadn’t even considered murdering his brother.”But it is nice to not have to have him as the defect leader because of his gift.Knowing every thought someone has ever had is good but it isn’t the only way to get information.”

“I sometimes wonder if he even tells us everything he learns or if he keeps certain things to himself.”Athenodora had always been wary of Aro.The man always had a way of working any situation he was involved in to make himself benefit the most by the outcome.

“I wouldn’t doubt it.For all his talk of loyalty he is his number one priority.He worries about himself over mate.We have all seen the way he treats her.Like Sulpicia is just another one of his subjects.It’s disgusting.”Caius had mentioned his displeasure of Aro’s treatment of his mate but nothing ever changed.Having a mate was something to be celebrated and cherished and there wasn’t a day that he didn’t tell his own how much he loved and appreciated her.Aro wasn’t like that though.He treated Sulpicia like it was her duty to do his bidding.If living without your mate didn’t effect a vampire so much he and Athenodora would have encouraged Sulpicia to leave the man.

“Luckily we have raised our own daughter to know how to treat her mate.”Athenodora knew that Isabella would be respectful towards her mate and treat her properly.It was something both of her parents had taught her while growing up.A mate bond was the ultimate gift and should treated as such.

“That leads us back to the original topic.What is she going to be like?”Caius asked.

“Let’s think of this logically.Isabella is a powerful vampire who prone to violence on occasion.”Athenodora began only to be cut off by Caius.

Cauis snorted out a laugh.”On occasion, why if we allowed it she would spend all day every day fighting.”

“That’s beside the point.As I was saying Isabella is a powerful vampire.She has a sibling bond with both Jane and Alec.Two more powerful vampires prone to violence.She has a familiar bond with us.Two more powerful vampires once again who are prone to violence.I’m sure you can see the pattern.”Athenodora told him.

“So you are saying if we base what Isabella’s mate is like on her other bonds then the girl will be a powerful vampire prone to violence.”Caius concluded.

“Exactly.Now I’m not saying she is right now because honestly how could anyone vampire or human become powerful with Carlisle as a coven leader, but she could be.We could train her.Make her into a much better vampire than she ever would be under Carlisle’s leadership.”Athenodora was actually excited by the idea of getting to mold another vampire into a Volturi princess.

Caius was thinking along the same lines as his mate.”Being mated to Isabella would make her a royal as well. That being the case she can’t be weak.Especially if she wants to stand beside Isabella.”

“Carlisle and Esme may have claimed that she was their child but the reality of the situation is that she is now officially ours to claim.She will need to know how to be a royal.That means lessons on vampire laws and history.Along with her fight training.”Athenodora was trying to think of everything that would be needed to get Isabella’s mate ready to be presented to court as the princess’ consort.

“You know Isabella will be beyond excited that we are being so welcoming to her mate.”Caius knew that Isabella would appreciate he and the queen already excepting her mate as part of the family.

“Even if she is a worthless Cullen that doesn’t mean she has to stay one.”Athenodora said.

“I guess all that’s left to do now is wait until we meet the girl.”Caius was nervous about the meeting.He knew his mate was as well.They may have made plans for the girl but they wouldn’t be able to set anything up until they met her.Then they would have to talk to Isabella privately about how she wanted things to go.Hopefully they wouldn’t fight to save the Cullens.If Caius was being honest that was the thing he was most worried about.That they would be forced to spare the girl’s coven so she wouldn’t resent Isabella.He may love his daughter but he truly didn’t know if he would be able to refrain from passing judgement on the animal drinkers.The only thing he could do is wait until they got there.Then he would be able to formulate a better plan on how to get his justice.