Carlisle point of view
The cool damp air did nothing but heighten the suspense we were feeling. The Volturi Guard in their long black coats didn't make me nervous, but I could feel the tension radiating off Esme, my Beloved as she walked close to my side.
This had been my home for many years, although I left for obvious reasons. The long corridors, the darkness, the cries or screams of people held captive to be fed on later. We walked on, on edge and ready as we were still trying to comprehend that we were here. Summoned by Aro himself.
Finally we entered the almost office like area, were a woman greeted us with a soft light in her voice. I could feel that my smile didn't reach my eyes, but I offered it to her anyway. Esme tensed slightly, but didn't lose sight of her surroundings and walked after the guards in a steady pace.
The Guards opened the large wooden doors and stood slightly to the side, as we entered the large room. My mind wandered to the events Alice and Bella had told me about, as they had tried to stop the Volturi killing Edward. The room seemed light, unnaturally so, and more so then I remembered.
We walked in further, fighting the urge to crouch down and stand ready for a fight. After all, the last time we had seen Aro was when he threatened my, our, family. Our beloved Renesmee. Edward. Bella. Everyone.
It was unreal to hear the singsong voice of Aro as he clapped his hands together, in delight that we had came. But what choice did we have? Really? I tensed as he came closer, marveling about Esme's beauty and praising her for keeping the family together in troubled times. I could see her nostrils flare in anger, her topaz eyes turned dark. But to her credit, she remained quiet and stood still until her voice politely answered. I stood beside her, guarding her with my mere presence, close enough to touch and protect if necessary. Long brown locks curled up and pinned out of the way, pants and jacket she wore doing nothing to hide her perfect frame, but giving her freedom to fight if need be. Even now my feelings for her came forth, and my hand slipped to hers to squeeze it gently in support.
My mind struggled to listen to Aro, but I needed to. Any wrong action, any wrong word, and there would be a fight. The room vibrated with tension.
"And so I thought of you dear friend" I heard him say "this pet is marvelous. You will see! She has been here for many months now, and still she behaves differently! Isn't that the strangest thing!" He let out a soft chuckle. My mind raced. A pet? O course, in the many years I had been with them Aro, as well as Caius, kept ...pets as they called them. They were difficult to make, and therefore interesting to the Volturi. Of course they were no threat to the vampire world, if they were the Volturi would not create them. I felt Esme shift slight in her stance, looking questionably to me. She probably didn't know that they existed. My hand squeezed hers gently once again, as if to promise that my explanation would soon follow when we were alone.
"She is amazing, really Carlisle!" Aro still spoke " I gave her to Jane and still she acts so different!" In the back of the large room a door opened and Jane walked in. Within her hand she held a small metal leash that ran from her to the collar around a young girls throat, clasped to the small ring in the front. " aaahhh... There you are" aro turned swiftly and sat in his chair. Letting Jane and the girl come forth.
My eyes moved to Jane in greeting as she walked to a spot in front of the large chairs in which Aro, Caius and Marcus sat. The young girl beside her drew my attention and I took in every feature of her. Dirty brown locks fell forward as her head was constantly bowed, small thin frame covered in bruises, cuts and filth. Her scent was soft and sweet, but hard to make out underneath the smell of blood and dirt. I noticed fresh blood smears on the inside of her thighs and fresh bruises on her abdomen. I saw the cuts on her back. The deep mark on her leg. I didn't see the two bite marks on her forearms that I knew were there. I could feel Esme move slightly closer, her hand gripping mine, not understanding what this girl was doing here, why she was alive.
Without a thought the girl melted down in a kneeling position as Jane stopped walking, knowing her place well. She was still, although from time to time a soft whimper would escape her dry lips. Jane stood beside her, letting the leash drop unceremoniously, knowing that the pain she could give to this girl didn't need any physical contact. Red eyes turned to Aro "Master?"
"Of course, of course, a little show is in order" Aro laughed lightly and sat forward, his elbows on his knees, face in his hands as he watched Esme's and my reaction. The soft cries we started to hear became a louder and the door through which Jane and the pet had entered the room opened again. This time it was Alec, dragging forth a woman and hauling her roughly to the stone wall. She was bound by ankles and wrists, but still she managed to awkwardly try to crawl away. Pleas and cries tumbling over her lips, filling the room. My body tensed, as did Esme's but we didn't move. We couldn't do anything to save this woman, and we both accepted that. There was no choice but to ride this out.
Instead our attention was drawn back to the pet, as she began to shake slightly in her kneeling position. Whimpers came forth, over and over again, from deep within her throat. "Hush" Jane spoke as she kicked the girl which caused her to fall onto the stone ground. The whimpers almost stopped, but the shaking intensified as the girl's head snapped up, not daring to look at Jane, but eyes focused on the pleading woman. Esme gasped as she saw the brown eyes, for the red glow within them was unmistakably there.
She was brave, this girl, as she pushed up from the place in which she had fallen and tried to sit back into the kneeling position. She failed miserably as her thirst drove her to the woman. Pleas of another kind began to fill the air and the red brown eyes filled with tears "please Mistress, please please!" Her voice was harsh, the deep underlying need one we all recognized. It was the need to feed. I shook my head slightly as I realized they hadn't let her feed for quite some time.
Her small frame shook and fingers began to claw at the stone floor as she shook her head, but she managed to stay in her place as Jane waited. Finally, deep red eyes looked to us as she gave a nod "feed" and with that, the girl sprang up immediately, running toward the woman and attacking. Her teeth, only slightly stronger than human teeth, bit the woman who screamed loudly. Trying to push the girl off she fought the best she could. It took a moment, before the scent of blood filled the air, and we watched the girl feed. We could hear her heart beat speed up in excitement and lust, smell the scent of her body as she struggled to keep the woman close.
Esme watched in horror as she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing, and her deep black eyes closed for a moment as if to block the scene. I wrapped my arm around her and heard Jane's chuckle. The cries of the woman stilled slowly as we could hear her heartbeat grow soft, body lying limp against the wall as the blood which gave her life was drained from her.
And then it happened. Aro must have been waiting for it as he clasped his hands together again and laughed wholeheartedly. The girl shrank back from her prey and began to whimper. Hands moved to the woman's face as the whimpers turned into words " no...no...please...no ..." She pushed her head to the woman's chest, trying to hear her heartbeat" no...please..." As there was none she threw her head back and cried out hoarsely, sending a shiver through my body as well as through Esme's. She held me close as we both watch the girl, trying to wake the dead woman whose blood she drank, guilt stricken and filled with grief as she realized that her death was her fault. Her small frame writhed on the floor as fingers clawed at her own skin, trying to replace the deep emotional pain with physical one. Her face showing a mixture of self-loathing and grief, even though it was still covered in smears of the dead woman's blood.
"Enough" it was Aro's light voice as he stood from his chair and moved over the stone floor. "Jane dear?"His eyes moved to her and as she gave a quiet nod of understanding before her eyes focused on the young girl. "Pain" and as the word was spoken the girl cried and thrashed around on the floor as it hit her. It only took several moments before the room became utterly quiet, the young pet having passed out from the intensity. "you didn't need to do that.." Esme's voice was soft and I could hear the tears she was fighting within it. Aro just smiled in response and turned his eyes to me.
"Do you now understand why this pet reminds me so of you?" Aro questioned. I gave a nod and answered, keeping my beloved close, her emotions were taking the overhand as I knew she wanted to protect this girl, but we needed to still remind ourselves where we were.
"Yes.i have never seen a pet have regret about clenching their thirst." My eyes looked to the unconscious girl" she truly is amazing Aro" my eyes turned to him and I and saw his smile "wonderful! I knew you'd like her! That's why I'm giving her to you as a token of good will. After all, after our last meeting I feel there is still tension between us dear friend..."
I felt my body tense at his words and Esme held my jacket tighter. Give her to us? What game was Aro playing? A pet, trained by Aro and Jane, within my house? Living amongst my family? Was it safe? My mind raced, but as I looked down into Esme's eyes and searched my own heart, and I knew we were giving this girl a chance. And so I nodded, forcing a slight smile to curl my lips " that is most generous Aro, thank you"
He gave a soft wave in the direction of the girl "take her then and be on your way my friend" He turned to sit in his chair as Jane walked to the girl and unclasped the leash she had placed there, the collar still around the girls throat. She wrapped the leash slowly around her hand before sliding it inside her pocket. I let go of Esme and walked to them, scooping the girl gently up in my arms, letting her head fall softly against my shoulder. And we moved, Esme and me, carrying this girl out of the large room. The Guards once again closed the doors behind us and we were back again, to walk through the long halls, to where we came.