The cold mechanical voice continued to repeat. Katherine clutched the telephone receiver, at a loss. Then, a long, cold hand reached out from behind without warning, effortlessly crushing the delicate receiver into pieces, and even grinding the fragments into ashes.
Katherine felt as if a needle had been jabbed into her spine. She almost screamed as she spun around, her hands grasping the wooden table behind her and splintering the edges. Caius's icy countenance immediately came into view. As their eyes met, the anger that had been building in his eyes was so sharp that it seemed on the verge of bursting out and pinning Katherine to the wall: "Who were you calling?"
Katherine was so oppressed by his shadow that she couldn't utter a word. At the same time, she was furious with herself for not having noticed Caius's approach. Others would never have been able to get this close without her knowing!
"I..."
Before she could finish, Caius, whose hand had just crushed the receiver, grabbed Katherine's wrist. His finger bones were rigid. His scent crashed onto Katherine's face with almost savage intensity, robbing her of her chance to explain. She didn't even have time to hold her breath: "Do you know what you're doing, Katherine! What you've done is betrayal, the act of a sinner. Do you have any idea what you'll face?!"
Katherine stared at him blankly for a moment. The way he was enraged made her almost believe that she had committed some unforgivable sin. However, she had merely wanted to call home to check on her family's well-being.
Since leaving Windsor Castle, it had been Landon who had raised her. Now that she had been confined here for so many days, making a phone call had somehow become a crime!
If it weren't for them, how could she have become a vampire? How could she have been dragged, against her will, into this current life?
The confusion in her eyes was replaced by the anger that had been building up and finally erupted. All caution and wariness were thrown aside. The repression of these past ten days had been unbearable. The thought of them wanting to trap her here for the rest of her life gave Katherine a thousand reasons to want to commit suicide.
Katherine wrenched her wrist free from Caius's grasp and confronted him head-on: "I just wanted to call my family. I've been here for ten days and haven't been in touch with them. I haven't done anything to wrong the Volturi. I don't think I've done anything wrong."
Clearly accustomed to being in control, Caius hadn't expected Katherine to oppose him so blatantly, especially with such harsh words - "you Volturi", "don't think I've done wrong".
These were words that would never be tolerated under Caius's authority. They were the words used by those lowly criminals who deserved to die and be burned to ashes the next second.
Caius laughed in anger, his eyes. The red in his eyes was being gradually encroached upon by that wild black. His bright red, glaringly thin lips curled upward, the curve sharp and cruel: "Katherine, it seems you have absolutely no idea what the Volturi means to our kind, do you?"
He almost spat out these words through gritted teeth, his tone suppressing extreme anger, the threat evident, as if he were reprimanding a heinous and unrepentant criminal. Katherine had every reason to believe that he would drag her out and grind her bones to ashes for her offense.
Even though she was aware of this, she still stood rigid, her teeth clenching tightly under the immense pressure, venom filling every corner of her mouth. Katherine knew that in terms of combat experience, she was no match for Caius. However, her strength and speed were far greater than his. If it really came down to a fight, who would emerge victorious was still uncertain.
She was eager to test it out, but only if Caius's subordinates didn't interfere.
The distinct sound of high heels and another set of footsteps approached quickly. Jane and Alec floated over from the end of the dark corridor, silently taking their positions at the junction of the front desk area and the corridor, quietly observing Katherine and Caius, seemingly pondering what was going on between the two.
Katherine's heart sank. Now all her advantages had vanished, leaving her worse off than a fish waiting to be slaughtered.
"Caius?" Jane called out to him softly, a perfect blend of innocence and coldness, like sugar made of ice and snow. "Do you need anything?"
Katherine subconsciously clenched her fists, her bones making a faint creaking sound. A deep wrinkle appeared between her brows on her smooth, full forehead. She had heard from Sulpicia about the abilities of this pair of twins. They were among the brightest jewels of the Volturi. One could inflict excruciating pain, as if being burned by raging fire, while the other could paralyze the whole body, leaving the victim with no ability to resist.
They didn't need to act together. Either one of them could leave Katherine dead and dismembered.
All it took was a word from Caius.
Katherine's series of precautions were noticed by Caius. Besides ridiculing her for overestimating her abilities, he rejected Jane's offer almost without hesitation: "No need."
He was well aware of how much pain the burning spell would cause Katherine. However, his straightforward rejection made him extremely irritated. He was tempted to change his mind and ask Jane to come and do her routine job, to make Katherine remember the consequences of resistance once and for all. But when he thought of the aftermath, he just couldn't bring himself to say it.
Just as he always wanted to cripple Katherine, but it was only limited to the thought.
Caius resented this feeling of being restrained, especially when the other party hadn't even done anything. Suddenly, he grabbed Katherine and dragged her towards the direction of the dark room, his voice extremely cold: "Jane, come here."
Jane and Alec exchanged a glance, and then Jane alone followed behind Caius and Katherine as they walked towards the dark room.
Katherine didn't dare to struggle, nor did she know what he intended to do to her. It wasn't until they arrived at the same dark room from before that she realized she was probably going to be locked up here again.
Caius pulled her through one gloomy corridor after another and soon arrived in front of the most secluded cell. Inside, a vampire was locked up, with a strong smell of blood on him. Caius reached out and placed his hand on Katherine's shoulder, gently caressing her face as he said: "Take a good look at what happens to those who betray the Volturi, Cassie."
The eerie, affectionate nickname made Katherine shudder. She stared wide-eyed at the vampire in front. Judging from the muscles of his arms, he should be a man. His hair was a mess, hanging down on his head and shoulders, sticky with the damp soil and blackish-red blood on the ground. It was barely possible to make out that the original color was golden.
There were many, many crescent-shaped wound marks on his arms. They had healed but still left scars. Katherine didn't know what had caused them, and she didn't want to know if she could help it. The air was thick with the smell of venom and blood, making one's hair stand on end.
The man seemed to have passed out, remaining in the position of sitting on the ground, leaning against the wall, with his face buried in his arms, motionless. Katherine heard herself asking in a strange tone: "Who is he?"
"Ah, a reckless newborn." Caius's voice was as melodious as singing, a knife coated with honey and poison, dancing on Katherine's nerves. "He killed many people in Florence and almost exposed our identities. So, he got the punishment he deserved."
It was normal for a newborn to lose control of their instincts and kill, but that didn't mean it could be forgiven. Neither in the vampire world with its laws nor in the human world with its laws could it be forgiven.
However, Florence? Killed many people?
Katherine suddenly felt a chill run up her spine. She stared at him even more intently: "When did this happen?"
"That was before you came to the Volturi." Caius was nonchalant, as if the unforgivable reason for this newborn was that he had violated vampire laws rather than killing many innocent people.
Of course, he would think like that. After all, humans were their food. Who would show respect to their food?
"Jane." Caius called out to the stunning girl. Jane immediately stepped forward and stood outside the iron bars, staring intently at the wretched newborn.
With a roar from him, the newborn began to roll on the ground in agony, tearing and scratching frantically at the ground, the walls, his own arms and body. Hideous wounds of all sizes covered his body and then disappeared on their own. It was a tug-of-war between wild destruction and restoration.
The pain of the burning spell was unbearable. Before long, he was on his knees, begging for mercy, pleading to be forgiven, babbling incoherent words due to the pain. The general meaning was that he was willing to do anything for the Volturi, anything, and be forever loyal.
He was a vampire too, yet here he was, more wretched than a dog.
Caius leaned close to Katherine's ear, his fingers caressing her cheek with a touch that he couldn't get enough of, his voice so soft that it seemed to melt Katherine's consciousness, leaving only the terrifying scene before her eyes: "See, this is the fate of those who violate or resist the Volturi. At least he's still alive. Some people have already been reduced to a pile of ashes."
With that, he turned Katherine's head and gracefully pointed his finger at the blood-red roses blooming eerily in the sunlight outside the iron window. Their petals were as red as blood, while the ground beneath them was an eerie grayish-white.
Katherine tried desperately to keep her vision from focusing, to avoid seeing clearly what those grayish-white things were. But it was no use. They were all presented clearly before her. She was a forensic scientist, and of course she knew what they were. The fear that stabbed like needles gnawed at her bones and flesh like ants.
Jane stood there, elegant in posture, cold and haughty in expression, with a chilling, cold smile on her face, like a queen. And the newborn groveling at her feet was in the most abject state, trembling with intense pain, like a worm.
"Alright, Jane. Give him his food." Caius said. Jane immediately retreated behind him, loyal and obedient.
The hand caressing her face was as cold as the fangs and kisses of a venomous snake. Katherine felt something knotting up in her chest, forcing her to stare unblinkingly at the newborn lying motionless on the ground, as if it was not him but Katherine herself lying there.
Katherine couldn't make a sound. Whether in the police academy or at Windsor, she had never been prepared to face all this. She thought Caius had achieved his goal. She understood what the Volturi meant.
It meant that no matter who you were, once judged guilty, you would become the most despicable animal without dignity. Your long life would be spent being slowly and gradually tortured by them.
Perhaps she would be lucky. They might show mercy and turn her into a pile of ashes, sprinkle them at the feet of those roses, and then let the wind blow them bit by bit to every corner of Italy.
See his fate, Katherine? You'll end up like this too.
Caius put his arm around her, looked at her for a moment, sighed, walked in front of her to block those scenes, and said gently: "Katherine."
Katherine knew she was shaking violently, but this didn't violate any rules. She was just terrified because she was nothing more than a pet, albeit a slightly more advanced one. After all, Caius needed her to perceive the world.
She knew what to do. Drop all resistance, forget her former life, and be docile to please Caius. That way, she would be safe, not tortured, not torn to pieces, and could have anything she wanted, except for her nature and freedom.
"Cassie." He murmured Katherine's name softly, like a lover. Suddenly, Katherine pushed him away: "Don't call me that name!"
A terrifying force propelled Katherine to run out like a madwoman. The pitch-black corridors, the dim yellow lights, and the bright red blood all receded like afterimages.
She was like that desperate white/pink butterfly, using all her strength to break free but to no avail. She only heard Caius shouting something in extreme agitation. Alec floated in front of her like a ghost, with a continuous stream of black mist pouring out of his hands, shredding Katherine's futile struggles.
Alec seemed a bit puzzled about what Katherine was thinking. He controlled the effect of the anesthetic gas appropriately, muttering to himself: "How dare you still run? You've got some nerve."
Yes, and she was caught so easily. Katherine even suspected that her first escape attempt had been deliberately allowed by them.
She didn't know what she looked like at the moment, but Alec's expression told her that she must look ridiculous. Alec's lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, they tightened into a straight line. He remained silent until Caius arrived and then released Katherine.
She collapsed on the ground, shaking uncontrollably, repeating over and over: "Don't turn me into that. Don't... don't turn me into that..."
Don't strip her of her last shred of human dignity. Don't turn her into a slave. Don't trap her here for the rest of her life. Don't trap her here for the rest of her life!
Katherine understood that although she had always thought she knew the Volturi's methods would be cruel, when she actually saw it with her own eyes, she was still terrified, extremely terrified.
She was also afraid of the torture, the kind that would make her wish she were dead, leave her helpless, and make her do anything to survive.
Caius looked at her state, and his irritation was even greater than when he saw her making the phone call. It had reached an unbearable level.
He crouched down and pulled Katherine, who was pushing herself backward on the ground with her hands, into his arms. His right hand gently stroked her long hair, and almost involuntarily, he said: "I won't do that to you."
Alec tactfully stepped aside to find his sister Jane.
Caius crouched on the ground, holding her like this for a long time. Katherine was still shaking uncontrollably, as if she hadn't heard his words at all.
He released her and stared into Katherine's eyes: "Did you hear what I just said?"
Katherine didn't know whether to shake her head or not. But in the next second, Caius reached out and clasped the back of her head, and then his equally cold lips were pressed tightly against hers.
What... what was he doing?!