Chapter 33 – Setting the Date

My heart is racing as I walk down the hall. Will Caius be there today? I wonder, but there's a chance he could be too busy, or even a chance that they don't want to accidently reveal anything about our relationship that would make Eleazar suspicious. I'm not sure if I'm hoping he'll be there or not. On one hand, I hate that I haven't seen him in so long. On the other hand, he has never actually seen me train before, so there's a bunch of nerves fizzing up inside me. The last thing I want is to embarrass myself... again.

Upon opening the door, my eyes scan the room and immediately land on Caius, who's already there standing with Felix and Eleazar. My stomach flips. His arms are crossed, but his expression softens slightly when we lock eyes. Felix leans casually against the side wall with a knowing smirk, while Eleazar runs over to me immediately, before I can even fully step foot into the room.

"Anna, can I talk to you outside for a moment?" he asks, his usually calm demeanor looking much more frazzled.

"Of course," I say, surprised, as he leads me back out into the hallway. "What's up?" He closes the doors before speaking in a hushed tone.

"I really hoped we could use someone in the castle you trust to help you get to this next step in your training, but Felix and Caius both insisted that Caius be the one to come, since he's tasked with changing you." Eleazar says, looking more stressed out than even me. Little does he know... "Just... don't feel too pressured today. No matter what happens, you'll get there eventually. You have the power to," he encourages, patting my shoulder.

"Thank you," I answer, thinking quickly, "Um, well I think I'll be more comfortable with Caius anyway. Unlike Felix, he's never actually tried to kill me," I laugh, getting a small smile out of Eleazar too.

We walk back into the room and Eleazar calls for Caius and I to stand a few feet from each other. Felix is looking completely entertained from the sidelines, while Eleazar looks like he needs more encouragement to get through this day than I do. I position myself in front of Caius and wait for Eleazar's word.

"Go ahead," he finally says.

I take a deep breath, and extend my shield outward, feeling the familiar blanket of energy lifting out from around me. Caius waits patiently, watching curiously.

"Ready?" Eleazar asks.

I nod, and Caius steps forward. His movements are careful. As he approaches, I focus on keeping my shield steady and open for him to come in. He reaches the edge of it, and my heart pounds in my chest, but I focus only on Caius.

He steps completely through. My eyes widen and the adrenaline immediately sucks my shield back in. I look around to see that Eleazar and Felix are both looking just as surprised as I am.

"It's progress!" Eleazar exclaims with a new light in his eyes. "Let's try that again, and Anna, I know you're nervous. Remember to channel all your emotions into the strength of your shield."

Caius steps back into his starting position and I give myself a moment to recuperate my emotions. I can do this, I tell myself, before letting my shield expand and open up once more. I meet Caius's gaze, prompting him to step forward again. Again, I keep my eyes locked on his, which brings me back to the way he looked at me that night we danced in his room. I smile slightly at the memory, remembering the coolness of his hand on my waist, and the softness of his lips against mine. Once again, Caius passes through the shield. This time instead of shock, I feel excitement. He takes another step so that he's right in front of me. He reaches up and gently grasps my wrists, which are still in the air sporting their defensive position, pulling them down to my sides. Then he goes further, holding the right side of my head with one hand, and resting his other hand on my left shoulder. He pulls my hair lightly, causing me to tilt my head. He bends down to my exposed neck and... Wait, he's not going to change me right now, right?? I panic, and my shield snaps back to me with an intensity it has never had before.

"Please don't tell me you were going to change me here of all places." I look between everyone, shocked, and a little freaked out now that the reality of me being in the most vulnerable position I've ever been in in my life starts sinking in. After all this talk about trust... there's no way they were going to just jump at the first opportunity to bite me, right? I guess I did give Caius the go-ahead to change me any time after the baby shower, whenever the chance arises. But... here in front of Felix and Eleazar? In the training room? I dunno, at the very least I expected it to be a bit more private. Felix laughs and Caius looks like he's trying his best to hold in his own dark amusement.

"Don't worry," Eleazar finally says, grinning the biggest grin I've ever seen from him, "I wanted Caius to see if he could get into position with you. Not that I didn't have confidence in you, but I think we're all a little surprised you made it this far today. If I would have known, I would have told you the plan ahead of time."

I nod, relieved. I definitely didn't expect this from myself today either, so I guess I can understand that.

"And with that," Eleazar begins, "I think the bulk of my work here is done. From now on we can focus on shaping your shield so you can protect specific people while they fight, and IF..." he annunciates, directing the word at Caius's suspicion, "IF you feel the need to practice strengthening your pain tolerance again, we can start doing that again as well."

Caius immediately narrows his eyes at the suggestion, but I speak up first. "That sounds great, Eleazar, thank you."

* * *

"Anna, I need to speak with you," Caius calls after my training session is done for the day. Thank God I'm not the only one who wants to talk. I think to myself as I run to grab my things and follow him out into the hallway.

The echo of our footsteps is the only indication of life in these stone halls. They have been feeling empty for weeks. Caius's pace is steady, but there's something about his demeanor that seems different. A bit more on guard than usual, despite Eleazar being far behind us already. Maybe it's just his fancy Volutri robes putting him in a mood, the way service dogs flip a switch when they're wearing their work gear.

When we reach his room, he opens the door without a word and gestures for me to follow. I step inside and he shuts the door behind us. I turn to face him, wondering what he wants to talk to me about.

"Let's sit," he says softly. I do as he suggests, sinking my body into the sofa, waiting for him to join me. Instead, he moves to the armchair to the left of me, standing and resting his elbows on the back of it rather than sitting. "I've given some thought to your transformation," he begins, his tone measured. I try to shake off the nerves firing up inside me. Now that my transformation is possible, of course they're going to want it to happen as soon as possible. I try to keep my emotions at bay, but I already feel the stinging of salt water beginning to pool around my eyes. Sure I'm physically able to do it now, but I don't feel mentally ready to go through the pain of it whatsoever. Caius continues, "And I believe it's time we schedule it."

I blink in confusion, "Schedule it?" I repeat.

Caius nods, his gaze steady on mine. "Yes. It's important that we plan this carefully, to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible."

Huh, I guess I just assumed it would be the kind of thing to happen in the heat of the moment, like today, minus an audience, of course. Maybe some part of me wanted it to be some sort of surprising romantic notion so I would be too distracted to think about how much it would hurt, as if love and desire could somehow act as my anesthetic. But penciling it into a calendar like any random meeting? I'd just feel like a prisoner waiting for their execution date. I sit up a little straighter, frowning, "But... shouldn't it be something more—"

"Spontaneous?" he finishes, letting the smile I know and love break his serious demeanor. "Your actions towards me have made that sentiment apparent, and I understand, but trust me when I say this is the best way. I want this to be as painless as possible for you."

I blink again, caught off guard. "Painless?"

He steps around the chair and finally takes a seat next to me.

"Seeing you after Eleazar's pain tolerance tests," he says, narrowing his eyes at the memory, "made me realize I don't want to see you like that again. I don't want to cause you that pain. I've already spoken to Alec. He'll be there to assist."

Alec? My mind reels at the mention of his name. Then my eyes widen as the realization dawns. "You want him to take away my pain? Isn't that cheating?" I ask.

"Cheating?" he asks incredulously.

"I mean, the way you're talking about it, it sounds like no one else has had the privilege of being wrapped up in Alec's gift during the transformation process."

"I'm not going to let you go through that kind of torture," he replies. When my eyes meet his I see the raw sincerity and protectiveness that I've been beginning to see, but it feels much stronger now. I nod, moving closer to him with a smile, and letting my head fall onto his shoulder.

"Well, that relieves just about every worry I've been having. I actually wanted to talk to you too about needing a break before you called me over first," I tell him.

"A break?" he asks.

"Yeah, the thought of how painful the transformation process would feel was like a demon possessing my mind 24/7. I couldn't relax, so Raphael suggested that I ask for a break. You've just extinguished every last worry though, so I'm good now," I smile, hugging his arm.

"A break might not be a bad idea actually," Caius says thoughtfully. He gets up and speeds over to his desk, flipping through papers.

"Really?" I ask, surprised.

"Yes, we have a bit of preparation left to do here at the castle before the end of the year. Why don't we spend some time at my home in Greece for a week or two around that time?" he smiles, "Unless there's somewhere else you'd like to go."

"Us? Together outside the castle for two weeks?" I ask, surprised. I was only expecting a day or two to sleep off my worries in my room here, not a full vacation. I'm definitely not complaining though!

"How about this, we leave right before Christmas, and come back two weeks after?" he suggests.

"That sounds great!" I reply, still shocked at the turn this has taken. "But, what kind of preparation is everyone doing anyway? All I've been told is that it has to do with everyone preparing for my role here, but I don't understand what about that would require everyone to do a bunch of extra training all day every day."

"That's an interesting way for them to put it, but I guess they aren't wrong," he replies.

"Cut the cryptic responses and tell me," I demand with my narrowed eyes only inches away from his. He sighs, letting an uneasy expression take over his features.

"We've gotten word that Athenodora will make her attack on midnight, New Year's Day," he admits. I gasp.

"Attack?"

Caius nods, "She's been planning an attack for months, spreading rumors, and rounding up other members of the Volturi to fight on her side. We've gotten word that she plans on enacting her plans on that day, so that's what we've been preparing for."

"Why are you just waiting for it to happen?"

"Don't worry," he says with a small smile, "Trust that we're thinking several steps ahead of her. We aren't just waiting for anything to happen."

"Why can't I help?" I ask.

"While your training is going great considering the short time you've been here, it's still not enough to be able to help significantly in a fight like this."

"Even if you turn me into a vampire?" I ask.

"Yes, even then. Athenodora wants you there. That's enough of a reason to keep you away from the whole thing."

"Do you know who's on her side, and who isn't?" I ask, lowering my gaze to our laced-together hands.

"You can trust Aro, Marcus, and I, along with the others you've grown close to: Chef Lavitto, Jane, Alec, Demetri, and Felix. But don't bring this up with even them, in case there's a wandering ear listening in."

I nod. "So when will I be changed into a vampire?" I ask softly. Caius exhales.

"The timing isn't great. Either I change you before Athenodora's attack, when you'll need the most help, which isn't ideal. Athenodora might take the chance and attack earlier if she knows you'll be vulnerable, which has the domino effect of Alec and I being distracted. We need to wait until after her attack. I'll talk to Alec about, let's say, January 15th if you think you'll be ready then?"

That gives me enough time to mentally prepare at least. Spending time with Caius alone in Greece will surely help relax me.

"It's a date," I say nodding.