Chapter 105: The Journey Home

The steady thrum, thrum of helicopter rotors echoed overhead, and the familiar presence of the Volturi settled over Sophie like an invisible weight.

This time, Heidi had finally been given permission to lower the aircraft. The helicopter descended until it hovered only a short distance above the ground. Someone slid the cabin door open, and Sophie immediately understood what they expected of her. She bent her knees, launched herself upward with all her strength, and successfully caught the edge of the doorway with her right hand.

"Hurry up and get inside. It's time for us to go home," Demetri urged as he reached down, grabbed Sophie' left arm, and hauled her effortlessly into the cabin before sliding the door shut. 

Without wasting another second, Heidi smoothly banked the helicopter around and set a direct course for Italy. They were finally heading back... heading home.

Sophie instinctively looked around the cabin. Caius was nowhere to be seen, and including herself, there were only five people aboard. At the very back of the cabin, beside the window, she spotted Alec's familiar black-haired figure. His tall, slender frame had reached that delicate stage between adolescence and adulthood, and even seated, his presence remained striking. Curled tightly within his arms was a hooded figure wrapped entirely in black, the hood concealing every strand of golden hair. Even without seeing the blonde beneath the hood, Sophie recognized her instantly.

Ignoring whatever Demetri was calling after her, Sophie headed straight for the rear seats with unwavering determination.

"Stay back."Alec's voice was low and hoarse.

Both of his arms tightened protectively around the girl resting against his chest, his posture making his intentions unmistakably clear. Although Jane was technically the older twin, by the time they reached sixteen, Alec's taller build had always made her seem surprisingly petite beside him. Everything that had happened in Morocco had unfolded far too suddenly. The shock had completely shattered Alec's composure.

Demetri hurried after Sophie and caught her arm before she could get any closer. Leaning toward her, he deliberately lowered his voice so Alec wouldn't hear. "Don't provoke him, Sophie. Jane was injured protecting Alec. He's drowning in guilt right now. I honestly think he's on the verge of losing his mind."

Not long ago, Demetri had finally tracked down the place where both William and the Moroccan coven had been killed. The murderer had been extraordinarily skilled at hiding himself, yet surprisingly careless when it came to erasing the evidence afterward. Jane and Alec followed those traces all the way back to the culprit's hideout, where Jane led the operation that uncovered an entire arsenal of weapons specifically designed to kill vampires. "We emptied practically everything he owned," Demetri whispered. "After that, we moved in to capture him."

"The problem was..." Demetri paused, his expression growing noticeably darker. "He'd prepared one final trump card." His voice became so quiet that only Sophie could hear the rest. "He deliberately lured Alec into triggering a trap hidden inside the weapons cache. Jane threw herself forward and shoved Alec out of the way. She saved him... but the weapon struck her leg instead. The injury refuses to heal. Wounds like that..." He swallowed before finishing. "...are almost unheard of."

Seeing the confusion in Sophie' eyes, Demetri emphasized the severity of what he meant. "Vampires don't really get injured. Either our venom heals us... or we die."

There had been no time to think. They rushed Jane back to Volterra first before immediately transporting her to one of the medical research facilities in London. Every method currently available has failed completely. Even so, Demetri considered them unimaginably fortunate. Jane had only suffered a wound to her leg. The trap had been designed to inflict far greater damage. Had it struck Alec directly, he might have been permanently crippled... or worse.

Unfortunately, Alec didn't share that perspective.

From the moment the accident occurred, he had refused to leave Jane's side for even a single step. Guilt, panic, terror, and self-blame had completely consumed him. Jane, in turn, leaned entirely against her younger brother, the only blood relative she still possessed in this world. Their silent dependence on one another shut everyone else out.

"A wound... that even venom can't heal..."

Sophie' heart had long since stopped beating, yet at that moment, it felt as though something inside her chest tightened painfully. She was still far too young to truly comprehend just how serious such an injury really was.

Shaking off Demetri's hand, Sophie stubbornly continued toward the final row of seats, approaching the twins despite the invisible boundary that seemed to forbid anyone from coming closer.

A low growl escaped Alec's throat.

This time...

His warning escalated.

He slowly opened one hand, releasing a thick cloud of black mist that immediately spread outward, silently threatening Sophie not to take another step.

"I don't mean any harm." Sophie slowly removed her jacket, exposing the necklace hanging around her neck. "I only wanted to..."

Before she could finish speaking, the black mist surged forward.

It attacked without hesitation.

All she had wanted...

Was to return Jane's necklace.

The Volturi crest represented the protection and belonging granted by one's family. No matter where someone traveled, as long as they carried the symbol of their coven, they would never truly be alone. 

Sophie had already decided long ago that the very first thing she would do upon seeing Jane again was return it. Besides, if even a wandering vampire like Garrett had immediately realized the necklace belonged to someone important, then experienced guards like Heidi undoubtedly knew exactly what had happened between them.

That realization made the situation even more urgent.

She had to return the necklace before they landed back at the Volterra palace.

A Volturi guard temporarily going without their pendant might attract a few curious glances.

But if Jane's personal crest remained hanging around the neck of someone else...

Sophie instinctively knew it would create consequences she wanted no part of.

"Forget it for now, Sophie," Demetri urged quietly. "You can give it back after we return."

He had experienced Alec's gift before.

Being swallowed by that black mist was an experience he wouldn't wish upon anyone.

Sophie knew she had to make a decision immediately.

If she hesitated any longer, Alec's mist would continue spreading until it formed a completely sealed barrier around Jane.

By then...

She would lose her chance entirely.

She freely admitted that Alec's supernatural gift was terrifyingly powerful.

But powerful...

Didn't mean flawless.

Suppressing the fear making every instinct inside her scream, Sophie forced herself to focus on a single thought.

I have to see Jane.

I have to return the necklace.

Without warning, she balled up her jacket and threw it hard toward the opposite side of the cabin.

She wasn't trying to distract Alec.

She was testing something.

If the black mist possessed physical substance, the heavy bundle of clothing would collide with it.

Instead, the jacket passed straight through without encountering the slightest resistance.

So that's it...

The mist wasn't physical.

It was purely a psychic attack.

Yet Alec himself remained vulnerable to ordinary distractions.

Almost instinctively, he redirected part of the mist toward the sudden noise.

That single opening was all Sophie needed.

She moved without another moment's hesitation.

Darting through the narrow gap created by the shifting mist, she slipped cleanly past the cloud blocking the aisle. One hand caught the armrest of a nearby seat, and using it as leverage, she vaulted gracefully over the row before landing inside the protected area surrounding the twins.

Using only one hand to release his gift severely limited Alec's effectiveness.

The mist spread too slowly.

There simply wasn't enough of it.

Had he abandoned Jane long enough to use both hands simultaneously, he might have managed to stop Sophie for a few more precious seconds.

But that opportunity had already vanished.

Sophie had been faster.

She had thrown herself straight into the heart of his defensive perimeter without caring about the consequences.

The enormous difference in combat experience between them immediately became apparent.

The instant Alec realized he had lost the initiative, he adapted with astonishing speed.

The concentrated black mist dispersed, thinning into a pale gray haze that expanded to cover a much wider area before gradually closing in around Sophie from every direction.

Watching from the front of the cabin, Demetri wisely removed himself from the conflict altogether.

"Hey, Alec," he called out with perfect seriousness, "just make sure you're only attacking Sophie. Don't accidentally catch Heidi or me in it."

He paused before adding under his breath,

"If Aro's helicopter crashes because of this... I'm the one who's going to suffer for it."