*
Sophie rubbed tiredly at her eyes, a yawn escaping her mouth as she did so. It was getting to be later in the evening and with Charlie snoring on the couch and the television droning on in the background, Sophie could feel her own eyes growing heavy. Bella would be home soon and Sophie wanted to wait up for her, but she knew she couldn't stay awake much longer.
She leaned up from her position of lounging in the recliner and tossed the book that she was reading onto the coffee table after slipping a bookmark in between the pages to save her place.
Her day had been relatively uneventful - she had visited Emily during the day, enjoying just her company while half the pack was on patrol and half were finishing the last few days of school before summer break. She had come home to help Charlie with dinner before the two relaxed together in the living room. The kings hadn't made an appearance that day, which Sophie felt conflicted about. Although she was still very uncertain about being their mate, she noticed herself missing them each more and more throughout the day.
After another big stretch and yawn, Sophie stood from the chair and turned towards Charlie. His arms were crossed over his chest, face still pulled into a frown even in his sleep. Sophie sighed as she looked at her dad, wishing that his days at work would get easier for him and the stress would ease. She pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over him and leaned down to kiss his forehead, smiling softly when he let out a sleepy grunt.
She turned to the stairs then, hand just gripping the side rail when she lifted her eyes and paused. A shadow shone on the wall opposite of Bella's bedroom, formed just enough to show Sophie that it was a person. Her heart jumped in her throat, knowing that Bella wasn't home yet and it was only her and Charlie in the house. She was frozen, watching as the person moved around in Bella's bedroom and unable to move towards or from it.
Sophie couldn't wake Charlie though - couldn't risk the person knowing she knew they were there and couldn't risk Charlie getting hurt if this person wasn't human. Suddenly, the shadow on the wall straightened and ice cold panic filled Sophie's veins when the shadow grew larger and larger, until a boy with dark brown hair and deep red eyes appeared on top of the stairs.
Her breathing froze, hand trembling on the stair railing as she forced her legs to move backwards. His face twisted into a sadistic grin, like he was gaining pleasure from knowing he would win this hunt. The boy began to move down the stairs at a predatory slow pace, taunting Sophie with each step he took.
Sophie knew the position she was in - she couldn't run anywhere, not willing to risk her father waking up and becoming another one of the vampire's victims. She would face this alone and hope that she was enough to satiate him.
In a flash, the vampire appeared directly in front of Sophie, his hand tight around her neck as he pushed her harshly against the wall. Sophie winced, her eyes filling with tears, chest tight with fear as she was held there. Just before the vampire closed in on her neck, a loud crash sounded upstairs and the vampire's head snapped up. In an instant, the guards Sophie had come to know as Afton and Chelsea appeared on the stairs. Chelsea rushed forward and pulled Sophie close to her, while Afton grabbed the other vampire, the two of them flashing back upstairs, where Sophie could hear growling and fighting until it became silent.
Everything else went silent then too, the only sound being Charlie still snoring away on the couch and Sophie's increasing shallow breaths. Now that the situation was over, her adrenaline began to crash and the weight of what just happened landed on her shoulders. Chelsea still held Sophie close, almost too tightly and she needed to shake her off. Sophie pushed against Chelsea, needing air and space in order to calm down.
Chelsea let her back off but kept a hold of her arm, leaning in close to whisper in her ear. "The kings are nearly here. Let's go outside, so they don't wake your dad."
Sophie nodded, though she wasn't exactly listening. Her neck was aching and hot, the points were his fingertips had sunken into her skin surely to be producing blood. She reached her free hand up to her neck, hissing when she touched one of the wounds and pulled her hand back to confirm that she was bleeding.
The sight of the blood made her stomach flip and she inhaled sharply. Chelsea had just shut the front door when Sophie began to cry, her breath shallow and harsh, her chest tight and painful with the increasing panic she felt. Chelsea invaded her vision again, her red lips pulled into a comforting smile. "It's okay, Sophie. He's been taken care of and your mates should be here any second. It's okay."
Just as she finished her sentence, a black car swerved into Sophie's driveway and doors flew open. Caius was the first one out, flashing to Sophie's side so quickly she flinched back before she knew what she was doing. After a split second to assure herself that it was just Caius, she threw herself at him, her arms flying around his middle and her face burying into his shoulder.
He held her back just as tightly, his own face burying deeply into her neck before he growled, just noticing the small droplets of blood forming from her wounds. Sophie squeezed him tighter and the blonde-haired king stuffed his anger, more worried for his mate than the now dead vampire. The longer Sophie held onto him, the more peace she felt. Though she still felt sick and panicky, she also knew that the danger was over and that her mates wouldn't allow anything to cause her harm.
Two more figures joined them seconds later, Marcus' hand cradling the back of Sophie's head while Aro stood just to the side, close enough to hover, but not close enough to accidentally touch.
Sophie reached for Marcus too, turning her head enough so she could see both him and Aro. Aro looked pained, his hand outreached in front of him in a tight fist, like he was actively trying not to reach for her. Sophie felt another stab at her heart and wished that she could also reach out and comfort him, knowing that he was scared for her and wanted to assure himself that she was okay but couldn't fully.
"Let me see your neck." Marcus coaxed her away from Caius' chest. She pulled away from him just enough to where her other two mates could see her, flinching again when Caius let out another angry grumble. Marcus sighed, his lips flattening into an angry line as he reached out to touch them. "Do they hurt?"
"Yeah." Sophie whispered, her voice and lip trembling as more tears flooded her eyes. "Yeah, they sting pretty bad."
"We should get her to Carlisle." Aro spoke, his eyes boring into Sophie's skin. Unlike the eyes of the vampire upstairs, his made her feel safe and comforted. He turned away after a brief moment, his hand reaching out for Chelsea's and then Afton's a moment later. After looking into both of their minds, Sophie watched Aro's expression turn to stone.
"I agree." Caius nodded and Sophie turned to look at him. For the first time since she met him, the king looked almost completely unguarded. Though he was angry, he was also concerned for her safety and, unlike hiding his concern like he normally did, it was written plainly on his face. "Come, Sophie."
His arm stayed around her waist and Marcus took up her other side, gripping her small hand in his large one. Aro whisked in front of them, his pace fast and face set in a hard expression as he climbed into the driver's seat. Sophie turned her head to the side as she was ushered in the car and caught both Chelsea and Afton's eyes. "Thank you."
Her two guards sent her smiles before flashing back towards the forest and she let herself be pushed into the car.
*
Bella was the first to approach her when the four of them reached the Cullens'. Sophie had barely gotten out of the car when Bella began rushing for her, her arms coming to wrap tightly around her sister, even as Caius hissed at her. Sophie let go of him to hug Bella back tightly, feeling even better now that she was with her younger sister.
"Are you okay?" Bella asked frantically, pulling back to check Sophie over. Her brown eyes landed on her neck, her face paling when she saw the dried blood.
Sophie's lips flattened into a tight line. "I'm okay now."
"And Charlie? He's okay?"
"Yeah, he didn't wake up. Was still sleeping when we left." Though Sophie hated that Charlie was home by himself now, defenseless, she knew that Afton and Chelsea would be there if anyone tried to attack again.
Bella nodded, pulling her sister into another brief hug before letting go. Bella's eyes flickered over to Caius, expression flickering when she saw his harsh face. "Carlisle is waiting for you."
She fell back to Edward's side, who wore an apologetic look on his face. "I'm glad you're safe, Sophie."
Sophie nodded back at him, falling in step to Caius and Marcus while Aro walked behind them into the house. Edward and Bella led the way to Carlisle's office, where the doctor had set up a small workstation in order to check Sophie out.
He smiled when they entered and patted his desk with his hand, offering her to sit. Caius helped her onto the desk, clearly not ready to leave her side even when Marcus and Aro sat in the chairs in front of her.
The blonde doctor was gentle as he looked over Sophie's wounds, his ice cold hands even helping to relieve a bit of the sting as he poked and prodded at them. Carlisle grabbed an ointment from his pile of supplies and placed some on cotton swabs before applying it to the wound. "This will prevent any infection and help them scab over quickly. They will more than likely bruise, Sophie." The look Carlisle gave her was one she knew well.
Sophie bruised very easily, due mainly because of her malnutrition and lack of needed nutrients. She could barely bump into something and a bruise would be forming within hours.
"God, how am I supposed to hide these from dad?" She sighed, bringing her arms up to bury her still trembling hands in her thin hair. "And Jake is going to freak when he finds out what happened."
Beside her, Caius' face scrunched at the mention of her friend and, while Marcus and Aro were better at hiding their distaste, it was still evident that they weren't pleased with her concern over his reaction.
"I wouldn't recommend covering them with anything but clothes for the next few days, until they completely scab over. Since they're only small, I don't see any problems with scarring." Carlisle continued, throwing away the used cotton swabs as he did.
Sophie stared down at the trashcan Carlisle had just discarded into. Her blue eyes grew distant. "What happened to him?"
The room fell into a tense silence. The three kings and the present Cullens' exchanged looks, knowing exactly what had happened to the rogue vampire. They were sure Sophie knew too, but the shock she was in was likely preventing her from realizing it.
Her pale face was patchy and red from the tears she had shed on the way to the Cullens', her eyes still watery, and breathing still slightly labored after the too-close call.
Bella approached her, grabbing her sister's hand and giving it a squeeze. "I've got a feeling he won't be a problem anymore."
"It was Riley Biers." Sophie gasped, the realization hitting her suddenly as she recalled the vampire on the stairs. She had seen enough of the missing posters on their kitchen table to not be mistaken. "The missing boy that dad's been searching for. I know it."
Bella looked worried then, her eyes flickering over to Carlisle and Edward. Marcus stood then, his movement marking the end of the conversation, though they all knew there were things that needed to be discussed. "We'll talk more tomorrow. It is getting late and Sophie needs to rest."
Carlisle nodded, his gaze moving back to Sophie. "You're more than welcome to stay here, Sophie. If you're more comfortable with that."
"No, I want to go home." She shook her head. "I need to make sure my dad is okay."
"Afton and Chelsea are there to watch him." Aro assured her but Sophie protested again.
"I want to go home."
Bella let go of Sophie's hand to pull her into another hug. "I'll be right behind you."
Sophie nodded, letting go of her sister before moving to hop off the desk. Marcus was next to her instantly, grabbing her hand to help her down before stepping back. She began to move forward, turning her head to thank Carlisle and Edward before leaving his office.
Her mates walked closely behind her, the four of them silent as they moved through the house and out to the driveway. Aro moved to the driver's seat again, while Caius and Marcus sat in the back beside Sophie. As he began to drive back towards Sophie's house, she couldn't help the guilt that shot through her.
"Aro." She spoke, her blue eyes lifting to meet his in the rearview mirror. "I'm sorry."
His stone cold expression melted into something softer as he looked at the girl. "You have nothing to be sorry for, my dear. I'm just relieved that you're safe."
His reply didn't do anything to ease her guilt and she looked down to her lap, entwining her fingers together as she picked at her nails. A pale hand landed on her knee and squeezed, causing Sophie to glance at Marcus to see him looking back at her with a reassuring smile.
She tried her best to return it but couldn't quite muster one back to him. Her thoughts were full of the events of the night - including the fact that she'd nearly died not far from her mind - and how much hurt she was causing Aro by not letting him near her.
"Does your gift work through clothes?"
Her question gained the attention of all three of the men, each looking at her with curiosity as they waited for her to continue. Aro was frowning, not quite sure what she was thinking. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, if you touched my shirt and not my skin, could you see my thoughts?"
He seemed to ponder for a moment. "I do not believe so but I cannot honestly say for sure. It is not something I test often."
Sophie picked at her fingers more urgently, her cheeks beginning to heat. "Well maybe you could try it."
The car was silent once more but Sophie didn't dare to look up, afraid of what they may be thinking. The soft sound of movement made her look up again, finding that Marcus had outstretched his arm to him, which was covered in a long-sleeved button-up. Aro's fingers curled around Marcus' wrist and Sophie watched silently as she tried to read his expression.
Aro's lips tilted up in the slightest bit and his eyes found hers in the rearview mirror once again. "I see nothing."
Sophie's own mouth twitched, pleased with herself that her theory had worked. Over her head, Caius and Marcus exchanged their own smiles - they knew how hard it was for Aro to be around Sophie and to watch how his brothers interacted with her, while he had to keep his distance. A loop-hole like this would satisfy Aro until Sophie trusted them all enough to know her full struggle.
Though pleased with her idea and mostly confident in Aro's claim that he hadn't seen Marcus' thoughts, her heart still skipped a beat when his arm reached behind the driver's seat to settle on her knee. She held her breath, watching him in the mirror to see if his expression changed once again.
The hardness of his eyes had disappeared and his shoulders relaxed, and there were no signs that he was seeing any part of the darkness in Sophie's mind. She loosed the breath she was holding, relaxing back into the seat next to Caius and Marcus, and three of them sat in silence for the rest of the car ride.
***
poor Sophie, she never catches a break.
but yay, win for Aro and maybe a turn in their relationship ð
already working on the next chapter, hope you all enjoyed!! <3
pleuvoirx