Chapter 86: Kiss

In this scene, the crushing weight of Jane's long-standing authority bore down on Sophie, transporting her back to the moment Alec had come to threaten her. The twins knew exactly how to terrorize her.

Jane's grip on Sophie's chin tightened, while her other hand idly patted Sophie's cheek in a mocking gesture. "You were granted eternal life, Sophie, and you've enjoyed the privileges the Volturi provided. Now, you have the nerve to act like the victim. It seems your twenty-two years as a human taught you nothing if not hypocrisy and self-deception."

"I... I won't feed anymore," Sophie stammered. She thought of the blood bags, clearly labeled with dates and hospital names, a sanitized source of blood that had allowed her to drink without guilt. Only today had she finally, dully realized what that peace of mind had been built upon.

"What a boastful lie. Hunting prey is our nature." Jane's vast experience had taught her that many naive newborns believed they could resist the thirst for human blood. Most failed.

The few who managed to restrain their instincts struck Jane as oddities, aberrations. She had no desire for Sophie to force herself to defy her nature; there was simply no need.

Jane released Sophie's jaw and instead seized her arm, pulling her toward the exit. "Once you're in the dining hall and the humans enter," Jane said as they walked, "the moment another newborn bites through a vein, your reason will vanish completely."

Sophie resisted with all her might, crying out, "I don't want to feed again!"

"Stop pretending to be a demon craving blood," Jane countered. "In the Volturi, we are like gods."

"Liar! What gods? What demons? We're just vampires!"

Jane, desperate to bring her into the Blood Clan's ranks, ignored her protests and forced Sophie outward. "Stow your hypocritical kindness. Just as you snapped Charles's neck, follow your instincts and kill the prey before you."

After their struggle, Jane and Sophie reached the doorway. Jane's tone softened slightly; Sophie's resistance was still manageable, or she would have had to call Alec for help.

"You'll soon see," Jane soothed, "how wonderful it is to be a true demon."

Sophie asked one last time, "Is this really necessary?"

Jane didn't answer, but her resolve was absolute. Her fingertips brushed the handle, and with a gentle push, the heavy bronze door swung open a crack.

Sophie knew all too well that she found even blood from the blood bank delicious and appetizing, so she would be utterly powerless against the temptation of fresh blood.

Once I enter the restaurant... No, I can't go there. I can't go near living people, but I also can't keep hurting Jane's body.

Too many forbidden conditions. Every exit was blocked at once.

Think, Sophie, think! Do something to stop Jane from taking you to the restaurant. But how can I make her give up?

Jane's light clothing was pulled along with her arm as she dragged Sophie toward the door.

If I don't act now, it'll be too late. Jane's foot had already stepped out of the room and into the hallway.

Sophie clenched her fists, finally making a decision.

Let's try this.

Seizing control, she gripped Jane's wrist, accidentally brushing against her diamond- and emerald-encrusted bracelet.

With the boundless strength of a newborn, Sophie effortlessly pulled Jane back into the room from the hallway and slammed the door shut. The heavy brass panel boomed.

"Sophie, do I have to burn you to your knees and make you beg for mercy?"

Jane's sharp tongue was every bit as formidable as her Pain Illusion. Sophie suspected she had inherited this trait from Caius. The memory of him berating the entire Guard during their training review was still vivid.

In any case, whether Jane was about to retort with more biting sarcasm or erupt in a furious tirade, Sophie couldn't bear to prolong this. They rarely spoke this much, yet they were squandering every word in a fight.

So Sophie grabbed the family crest necklace around Jane's neck and yanked hard, closing the distance between them.

The sudden closeness cut Jane off mid-sentence.

Her beautiful red eyes widened, meeting Sophie's gaze for a fleeting moment.

*What are you doing?* she seemed to ask silently.

Sophie pulled the necklace, dragging Jane closer until the metal chain tightened against the back of her neck.

Sophie closed her eyes and crashed her lips against Jane's.

Then, she gave them a forceful, audible smack.

The sharp sound erupted between their four lips like a whistle blast on level ground, a jarring noise that rattled one's very core and stirred the deepest of desires.

After the brief contact, Sophie sprang back. She turned her face away, unable to meet Jane's eyes, but couldn't resist pressing her lips together to savor the aftertaste: a subtle, tingling sensation, both painful and itchy. It felt as if her lips had been violated, yet her heart had been gently pinched and scratched.

They froze, as if a pause button had been pressed, locked in a complete standstill.

A clumsy way to call a truce.

Sophie knew her actions were nothing short of harassment. If she were still in a civilized society, she would have been the first to jump up in protest and stop such behavior.

But who asked her to be in Volterra now, where killing was as common as drinking water? A forced kiss surely wouldn't violate the laws of the Blood Clan, and after doing this, Jane would probably despise her completely and keep her distance.

"Jane?" Sophie called out tentatively.

The searing pain she had expected to endure never came. Sophie plucked up her courage and glanced at Jane again.

The beautiful face, usually so elegant and cold, was now a kaleidoscope of unprecedented emotions. It revealed how the owner's typically impassive feelings had become intensely vivid.

The eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips—each as if meticulously sculpted by the Creator had shifted from their usual positions to varying degrees. Her bewildered, changing expression was difficult to categorize simply as anger, shock, or numbness.

The girl Sophie had called out to finally showed a hint of her true sixteen-year-old self.

Jane's life had been frozen, stalled. Her sixteen-year-old psyche had been maintained for a thousand years, preserving the original and pure essence of adolescent longing.

Jane snapped back to her senses, covering her lips and staring blankly at Sophie, as if demanding an explanation.

"That look... is finally a little different from Alec's." Sophie retreated to a safe distance.

Since I've already offended Jane, I might as well go all the way.

"You're pretending nothing's changed, but I can tell. Ever since Chelsea appeared, you've been looking at me the same way Alec does. Aro has decided I'm no longer of any use, so you've withdrawn your affection, haven't you? Because I'm about to be exiled."

These words were wrapped in a gentle tone, a veiled revelation to Sophie. Fortunately, she deciphered the brutal truth behind them.

"You mock humans for being fickle, yet your kind is even worse. You Volturi distribute affection based on 'value.' For those who are valuable, you offer it in advance to win them over. For those who are worthless, you withdraw it and wait for the right moment to cast them out. You're going to get rid of me anyway... so just stop caring. Treat me like a gust of wind passing through a hallway. Otherwise, otherwise..."

Otherwise, I might actually start hoping for your affection.

Sophie swallowed the words that sounded too much like a plea.

This time, she pulled Jane's head back, brushed aside her resisting hand, and pressed her lips against Jane's again, silencing the venomous words about to escape.

The world fell silent, as if muted.

Jane pushed her away in a panic and fled through the door.

She even forgot to put her hood back on.

Sophie stood rooted to the spot, listening to Jane's footsteps fade into the distance until even her newborn's superhuman senses could no longer detect a sound. She closed the door, then slid down the wall, utterly exhausted, and curled into a ball on the floor.

The wool-carpeted ground was soft and warm. Sophie touched her lips, a self-deprecating smile flickering across her face. She hugged her knees, burying her head in her arms.

Though her posture was far from graceful, Sophie had finally won a moment's respite.

After the shock of the kiss, Jane didn't return until the second feeding window had passed. Sophie breathed a sigh of relief; for now, she could delay facing the reality of her need to kill and drink blood.

But soon, confusion clouded her mind again. She had escaped today, but what about tomorrow? Was killing and drinking blood truly her only way out?

The will to survive began to erode Sophie's resolve. She craved life with a desperate intensity, yet the despair and regret from her own near-death experience tormented her just as fiercely.

She had no idea when she would finally bow her head in submission. The condemnation of cowards and hypocrites already weighed her down, keeping her from lifting her gaze.