As I kissed Stoyan, I felt frozen. I didn't expect him to feverishly reciprocate the act, but he had. His tongue fought to meet mine, and when I finally gave in, it felt like he was sucking the air right out from my lungs. My pulse raced, and I wondered what was going through his mind as his hand met the back of my head, holding me still. I was the one who went down this path, and I would see it through until my bitter end or his.

I began to pull back, but it wasn't for another few seconds that he decided to release me. I bit my bottom lip before meeting Stoyan's eyes. "How was that for convincing?"

Stoyan grinned and took my hand in his. "Has Aro ever kissed you like that before?"

"Maybe." In actuality, he hadn't. Aro was too scared to accidentally bite me, not that he would've cared for changing me sooner than later. Still, we stuck to no tongue makeout sessions, if they could be called that. He had pushed a few times but had started to let me take the lead.

"It will be best to turn you once we've left Italian territory. I'll need to have Andrei take care of Demetri before we go."

"No!" I blurted it out, and Stoyan questioned me with his eyes. "It's just that we can use him. Besides, Demetri is a friend. I don't blame him for Aro's decisions. You said so yourself that he's tied to Aro by Chelsea. I don't want him to get hurt."

Stoyan sighed, taking a few steps back in the direction of the cabin. "It's too dangerous to keep him alive. If he informs Aro of your whereabouts, Aro will come for you with the full strength of his guard and brothers. He won't stop until he gets you back."

"He won't stop until he gets me back either way." I moved closer to Stoyan and used my hand to turn his chin so he was looking at me. "Let him come for me. It would be ironic if the one who is supposed to be his mate was also the one who destroyed him. It's not my fault Aro destroyed our bond. He did that all on his own. I should be thanking you for saving me from him. I had started to give in, thinking that I had no other option. You proved me wrong."

"Well, then," Stoyan said and gave a small bow, "I am glad to have been of service."

"But I should tell you something else that Aro did to me," I began, and Stoyan gestured for me to continue. I moved back, putting some space between the two of us. "Aro didn't just try to keep me locked up. He was also teaching me about his world. He wanted me to know how dangerous it could be, and he was right. And through all of that, I learned. The moment you think you have everything figured out and that you've won is the exact moment that you realize you were being played all along."

It was a blur passing so quickly in front of me. Stoyan was there one second and the next, he had been pinned to the ground. Someone grabbed me from behind, and I gasped, shocked at the suddenness of it. "It's okay. It's going to be okay. You're safe now."

"Emilio!" I turned in my best friend's arms and met his amber-colored eyes. Gods, he was beautiful, but I didn't have time to stare as I heard a shout from behind me, and my attention went back to the scene of Stoyan and Aro in the midst of a deadly battle.

Before I knew it, another vampire appeared, Caius. Aro had subdued Stoyan, and the moment Caius had started a fire with what looked like a matchbook, Aro had ripped Stoyan's head from his body. Emilio's hand forced my head to turn away. "Don't watch." We stayed like that as I smelled the smoke and listened to the crackling of the flame.

"Thank you, Emilio." The voice came from behind me, and just hearing it caused every muscle in my body to relax. Emilio released me and stepped aside as Aro approached and pulled me into his arms. "I thought I had lost you."

I breathed in his scent, for once, not forcing myself to enjoy the feel of his arms around me. It felt natural and right. I felt safe. "I'm right here. I'm okay."

"Those things you said…"

"They were true once, but not anymore." I pulled away and stared into Aro's eyes. They were completely black, and I wondered if he had kept himself fed or if it was merely because he had been terrified when he realized that I was gone. "I knew you'd come. Alice said I'd be okay."

Aro softly smiled and peered up as footsteps were heard on the path. I followed his gaze, and there in front of me was the same female from my dream, pixie-cut and all. "As I said," she confirmed as she reached us.

"Thank you." I offered her a smile as well, and she returned it. "But how did you find me? Demetri was-" I suddenly remembered about the tracker, and my eyes widened as I swung around to face Aro. "Demetri is still back there!"

Aro only chuckled, which confused me until he said, "Jane and Alec took care of Andrei. Felix is with Demetri now."

I closed my eyes and breathed out a sigh of relief. "Good." Turning back to Alice, I asked again, "So how did you find me?"

"That was me," I heard Emilio comment. I glanced at him in confusion, and he clarified. "I apparently have an ability, after all. It's similar to Demetri's, but instead of being able to track whoever, my tracking sense is set to you. The moment you were taken, I felt something go off, and that's when Alice had her vision."

Aro wrapped his arm around my waist as he held me close to him and kissed me on the top of my head. "Yes. My theory is that upon Emilio's change, he had been so focused and worried about what I would do to you that this fear manifested into the gift we now know he possesses."

"As soon as I had the vision," Alice went on, "Carlisle contacted Volterra, and that's when Aro told us what had happened. We informed him what we had confirmed about Emilio through Eleazar, and I immediately hired a private jet to fly us out. It seems like we arrived just in time."

I nodded and glanced back at Emilio, who had never taken his eyes off of me. "Are you okay with being near me?"

"I've never been more okay, Lia," he replied, and I knew he was telling the truth.

I smiled before stepping out of Aro's arms and hugging Emilio as tightly as I could. "Thank you. I'm glad you're here."

.

Once we made it back to the cabin, I saw Demetri sitting on the bench outside while another fire burned where I guessed they had disposed of Andrei's body. Jane and Alec sat at the picnic table, and Felix stood by the door. Demetri looked up as we approached, and I could physically see him relax, an odd feat for a vampire.

Not that I should have been surprised since vampires healed rather quickly, but he hadn't been hurt. No ripped limbs or anything of the sort, which was a good thing. Though I was concerned about Andrei's ability, and I glanced over at the fire, and my heart paused. I had to make sure.

I stepped up to him. "What was the first thing you said to me after we met?"

Demetri must have known exactly what I was doing because he grinned. "You were carrying back a couple bags of food for your grandmother, and I offered to help you from the alleyway."

It was my turn to visibly relax, and before I could stop myself, I had my arms around his neck, hugging him. I felt him stiffen and glance up at Aro, who was probably showing some sort of jealous or threatening expression behind my back. When I let go of him, he relaxed again, and I wanted to giggle, but I held back. We weren't fans of each other at first, but over the past few months, we really had become good friends.

Demetri was still weak, his eyes fully pitch with deep circles underneath. I turned to Aro. "He really needs blood." As much as I hated the thought of more people dying, Demetri was a vampire. I had to accept the fact that he and Aro and all of these other vampires, besides Alice and Emilio, killed people to survive, whether I liked it or not.

"Master?" Demetri stood slowly and addressed Aro, asking for permission to go hunt.

Aro gave a curt nod. "Take Felix with you." Within a flash, Felix and Demetri had disappeared. Aro reached out for my hand, and I willingly gave it to him. "You were playing your own game, weren't you?"

I shrugged. "I had to survive somehow. I figured I'd take a cue from your playbook."

"The only part that bothers me is that you became intimate with him." Aro was upset, rightfully so perhaps, but he could tell from my mind that it had meant nothing. Stoyan was the one who had pushed it to go further than I had planned.

Sighing, I shook my head. "I kissed him. If you have such a problem with it, then kiss me yourself."

His eyes lit up on the invitation, and he pulled me in roughly, bruising my lips with his. He forced my mouth open, and our tongues met, a taste much more divine and sweeter than before, and my body felt like it was on overdrive. Aro pulled away after about ten seconds, my breath definitely faster than it had been previously. The others around us had turned away, giving us some privacy I imagined, and I felt my cheeks heat up slightly.

Aro chuckled then kissed me on the forehead before turning to his guard and Caius, who had joined us at some point while Aro and I were focused on each other. "We'll return to Volterra."

I was worried about what Aro would do once we returned, so I touched my hand to his again, letting him know I wanted to speak in private. He immediately knew why on the point of contact, and he commented to Caius, "Go with them. Lia and I will be along shortly."

Caius left with Jane and Alec, Alice and Emilio trailing behind them after I confirmed for Emilio that it was okay to leave. Aro and I were left alone outside the cabin, and I went to sit at the picnic table, the sun fully set now below the horizon. Our only light came from the fire nearby, which still burned, and I hoped that Caius had remembered to put out the other fire where they had destroyed Stoyan. The last thing we needed was to start a park fire.

Aro sat down next to me and immediately answered the unspoken question. "I told you before that I wanted you by me. Locking you up in the tower will only destroy you, and in return, it will destroy me. I know this. But you still require protection."

"What's wrong with the way it was before?"

"Do you see where you currently are?"

I rolled my eyes, and Aro's narrowed. "What happened came out of nowhere. No one knew that Stoyan had the sort of gift that he had or that Andrei's gift was more than you thought it was. It's not Demetri's fault, and it isn't yours either. I'm safe. I'm okay." I waited for Aro to respond, but he didn't. He wasn't even looking at me. Instead, his eyes were downcast to the planks making up the table. "You know," I began again, "once I'm like you, I'll probably be able to defend myself a lot better."

That got his attention. Aro's head jerked up, and his eyes gazed into mine. "Like me?"

Laughing, I nodded. "Yeah, you know, a vampire. Besides, if this precognitive ability of mine gets stronger upon changing, we won't even have to worry anymore because I'll know what's coming. You wouldn't even be able to trick me anymore."

He grinned slyly, challenging the notion. "It will make for an interesting game."

.

Aro and I arrived back in Volterra around midnight. He had carried me the entire way until we got closer to the city, and I decided that I wanted to walk. Needless to say, it had been a very long day, and by the time we made it to his quarters, I was ready to pass out on the bed. Aro, however, had other ideas.

He was adamant that before I went to sleep that I took a bath. So, a bath it was, and Aro made sure to join me. Once we both had cleaned up and dried off, Aro picked me up and brought me over to the bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

The next morning, I woke up with Aro beside me, stroking my hair. I hummed, my eyes still closed. I heard him chuckle before saying, "It's already noon, my dear."

"Five more minutes," I murmured back.

We laid there together on the bed, Aro switching from my hair to running his fingers up and down my left arm. I had to slap his hand away because it tickled so much, and it finally forced me to open my eyes and stare at him. He grinned before touching his nose to mine, then pulling me up into a sitting position. I protested, but really, I didn't seem to mind.

Aro moved around to the armoire, where he found a soft brown sundress for me to put on. I swung my legs to the floor as he handed it to me then stood so I could put it on, slipping it over my head. I hadn't seen this dress before, so I knew that it was new. I tilted my head to the side, questioning him.

"I was saving it for today. It'll look perfect on your pale skin and remind me of your human eyes."

I sighed. I had agreed to Aro changing me, and he would initiate the process tonight. "How bad is it?"

Aro frowned. "I won't lie to you. The process is excruciating. It'll feel as if your entire body was engulfed in fire, a fire that never seems to cool, and instead, only gets worse. If Alec's ability numbed you from it, I would have him to use it, but I tested it with Emilio out of curiosity for you. It has no effect. The burning is unconnected to your senses. It comes from something else."

"Demetri told me about Carlisle's theory. Do you think it holds true?"

"Perhaps. My friend Carlisle is a very well educated man. I think it at least holds some substance of truth," Aro concurred.

"How is he?" I asked, thinking of Demetri.

"He returned with Felix after you had fallen asleep. He's indeed himself again."

That was a good thing. I was worried that more could have been wrong. It wasn't just hunger that I had noticed in Demetri after Andrei released him from his hold. He was physically weakened, something of the like I had never seen in a vampire before. "Please don't be angry with him. What happened wasn't his fault."

"I know. I have no intention of punishing Demetri." Aro reached out to me, and I let him wrap me in his arms. "If anything, I'm relieved that he was with you."

"Me too."

Aro held me in his arms for some time, but I didn't mind. I knew he needed it. He would never admit it, but he had been terrified when he realized I was gone. Something about his actions told me that it was true. When he did release me, he gently took hold of my wrist, rather than my hand, and led me into the study. "You're friend and Alice have decided to stay until after you've completed the change."

"Really?" That meant I would have more time with Emilio, that is if he stayed once I woke up. I would also be able to maybe see how my gift compared to Alice's. Perhaps she could even help me figure mine out if I did come out of the change with one.

"Why don't you go see them now?" Aro suggested. "They're in the guest rooms on the second floor."

"It's okay?"

"Go."

.

Before the elevator doors even opened all of the ways, I had been grabbed and pulled into another tight hug. Emilio must have felt me coming with his weird, sort of creepy, tracking sense, and I just enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms once more. Although Aro wouldn't have approved, I think he realized by now, or at least I hoped that Aro did, that Emilio and I were just close friends. We may have seen each other as more at one point in our lives, but everything had changed drastically since then.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you, Lia."

"Same." I stepped out of his embrace and grinned, trying to stop myself from crying tears of pure happiness. The last thing I needed to do was embarrass myself like that, but I knew Emilio wouldn't have minded. "I can't believe you're here."

He glanced down at the floor before meeting my eyes again, a huge grin crossing his face. "It's been a while, huh?"

"Too long. So, you were able to get your thirst under control?"

"Carlisle's a tougher teacher than you might think." He laughed. "But just in this past couple of months, he's taught me more than I could have ever learned back in Siena. And his family has been great. I wish you could meet them, but I'm glad you're getting to meet Alice. I knew the two of you would get along once you did."

"Yeah," I agreed. "She seems wonderful."

It was quiet, neither of us really knowing what to say next, and when I was about to suggest we visit one of the galleries down the hall, Emilio stopped me. "You're really going to go through with it? Becoming a vampire?"

"I don't really have anything holding me back now. Aro and I spoke before we left Mount Lavane. It's for the best. He's agreed to let me stay in contact with my parents for a bit longer through phone calls and text, maybe video calling with contacts once my emotions are under control. We even discussed school. Some universities are offering high-ranked undergraduate degrees online. That'll make my dad happy."

"How do you explain to them that you won't be coming home? What if they decide to visit you in Italy?"

"Aro got around being a vampire in front of them when we went to Dallas."

Emilio shook his head. "They had never met Aro before. They've seen you. They'll notice the fact that you changed. I'm sure Aro knows this."

He was right, of course, and Aro had mentioned the same thing when we had discussed it briefly the previous night. "Then I'll think of something. Either way, I'm not going back now. I've made my choice."

"Ora e per sempre?"

I couldn't help the giggle that escaped as I heard him say the words he would always tell me when we were children. I nodded. "Sì. Ora e per sempre."

.

That night, I laid on the bed in Aro's quarters. I suppose it really was our quarters now. I was nervous, but Aro promised that he wouldn't leave until the change was complete. He had brought the chair closer to the bed as he sat in it, and all we did was stare at each other. I wasn't sure why he was waiting. Perhaps he wanted to make sure that he had control over himself before biting. Once the taste of blood hit the tongue, it was difficult to stop.

"Are you comfortable, my dear?"

"As comfortable as I'm going to be for the next 72 hours give or take a few," I replied, trying to seem indifferent to the question.

Aro hummed. "Then I suppose it is best if we begin. The sooner we start, the sooner you can begin your new life."

"Right."

Aro got up from the chair and pushed back my hair before leaning down over me, so his breath was on my neck. I heard as he breathed in a few times, taking in my scent. "I will miss this and the sound of your heart."

He pulled away for a second, and I took that time to turn my head, reaching up to meet his lips as I kissed him. "I love you."

His hand touched my cheek, and his thumb stroked underneath the bone, his face soft as he studied me. Slowly, I turned my head to face the other direction to give him easy access to my throat. After brushing back my hair, I nodded, letting him know that I was ready. Within two seconds, his teeth had sunk into my skin, and I felt the flame ignite.

Ora e per sempre. This would be our forever. Now and always.

A/N: I'm not even going to say how difficult it is to say this story is complete. It took 2.5 years in total if we take away the 2-year hiatus. Thank you all so much for sticking with this story, checking it out, reading, reviewing, chatting with me... LOL It's been an amazing experience. I hope you enjoyed the ending. Please let me know your thoughts! Love you all.