This is going to be a two-parter, but it's late, and I couldn't be bothered to finish the second part tonight! I'll be continuing with the England fic soon, just gathering background stuff for it at the moment!
Stephanie Meyer is the master behind Caius and part of Athenodora – I'm just elaborating on them for my own and others' enjoyment.
Reviews make my day! And any reviews will get a paragraph of the next chapter (yes, that is my version of bribery).
The doors to the library had always been grand, even before they had been covered with gold metalwork. Athenodora had always liked them.
There were not many parts of the stone building that she did not like, but Athenodora knew that was not her decision anymore. The right of feeling true emotion had been taken away from her – and that was something she couldn't even be angry about. She no longer had the ability.
She could not mind. She could not even want to mind. Nearly all of her real emotions had been altered in this place, by one talent or another.
Only a few emotions were true to her.
One, was the love of books.
She floated into the library as the sun was setting over Volterra, a bulking member of the guard shadowing her from a distance. The shelves were infinite in this room; stacked three metres high and fifty shelves deep, Athenodora could lose herself in there for hours at a time. Eventually, over months, however, she had read the entire collection. She returned for few reasons; the smell was always a comfort to her. It reminded her of an older time, a time when she was free to feel whatever she wanted, free to love the man she adored. Now, she was merely allowed to love him, when it pleased him, and her emotions and relationships were controlled by a vampire she hardly cared to know. And yet, when he was with her, she hardly minded. He was the real antidote for her deep numbness.
He was also the reason.
Athenodora settled herself into a chair near the back of the library and dragged one of the old volumes towards her.
Romeo and Juliet – William Shakespeare.
She sighed, and pushed it away from her, glaring at the gold words embossed into the thick leather of the binding.
It didn't take long for him to find her.
The creak of the ancient wooden door informed her of his arrival, and her guard moved slowly towards the door.
"Sir," he mumbled with a bow. He dismissed him with the wave of a hand.
He glided down the shelves of books towards her."So you're in here," Caius said calmly, standing at the opposite end of the table she was sat.
Athenodora didn't look away from the window she was gazing out of. "Yes. I like it in here."
"I know," he smiled. "I've known you for over a millennia. I know where you like to go. Where are you going?" he added, as she rose gracefully to her feet.
Her eyes roamed over him appreciatively. "I'm always furious with you," she began with a smirk. "But whenever you're here... I seem to forget."
"Why are you always furious?" he enquired haughtily, shifting his robe on his shoulder.
"I don't know. Because we are rarely together anymore." She took a defiant step towards him and lifted out her hand.
He took it in his own and brought it slowly to his lips. Bringing his face down to her hand, he inhaled her intoxicating scent and kissed her it very gently.
"I've missed you so..." Athenodora trailed off as Caius' lips pressed against her fingertips, palms, wrists and forearms. He glanced up at her and saw her eyes were transfixed on his mouth as it crept up her arm. He smiled slightly, and pulled her towards him.
"What are you..?" she failed to finish her sentence. One of Caius' hands was wrapped around her wrist, the other pulling around her waist until she was standing with her back directly in front of him. Her small frame was quickly encircled by his robed arms as his parted lips traced along the nape of her neck. She leant her head back lazily on his shoulder and began rubbing the arms that locked her tightly to him.
"You said we aren't together much," Caius breathed against her neck. "So I'm making it up to you." His hands flattened out against her stomach and roamed to the top of her cloak, shaping themselves on her chest as he went. His fingers worked quickly with the clasp and the velvet fell to the floor in a heap. Athenodora moaned quietly when his lips kissed the spot behind her ear, his tongue darting out for a moment to taste her marble skin.
Caius' hands slithered down to her chest again, and began gently massaging her breasts. Athenodora's fingers reached down her sides and slid onto the top of his legs as she left out another groan.
"I've missed this," Caius chuckled lowly, turning her around in his arms to kiss her mouth, his arms again locking around her. She felt his hands pressing up and down her back, resting at the bottom of her spine and pressing her towards him.
The door creaked again, and a voice floated through the stacks of books. "Master, Aro wishes to see you. Now."
"I'll be back," Caius promised, resting his forehead against his wife's, and kissing her deeply for a second. He was gone before she could draw a long-awaited breath.