Disclaimer: All characters and content of Twilight solely belong to Stephenie Meyer.
In order to get my plot going, I have jumped the timeline to after Bella graduates. I know Victoria attacks quite before then, but in my mind it is plausible that she waits this long before really getting desperate because let's face it; she is a coward and only cares about her own survival when it comes down to it.
Enjoy, Lovelies.
-Silver
A Tasteful Seduction;
Chapter One
The urge to sigh once again surges up in my chest as I count the lines in the ceiling for the hundredth time. Boredom is slowly driving me insane, but it's not as if I can just leave my room and saunter through the dark, cold halls alone. I might as well cut myself and run through them screaming "dinner time!" at the top of my lungs… No, I like my beating heart right where it is in my chest, thank you very much.
Still though, is it so hard to send someone up to see if I need anything? Maybe offer some books, or anything really, to help pass the time in this stuffy place? The only company I have had since arriving here is that of Jane during the quick seconds it took her to deliver my breakfast and again later when she returned to collect my dishes.
It must be beneath them as vampires to associate with a lowly human girl, or maybe they have merely forgotten that I am here as their 'lovely guest', as Aro puts it.
The urge becomes too strong and I finally let out a heavy sigh and roll over onto my stomach, propping my head up with my chin resting in the palm of my hand.
"It's only a few weeks," I mumble half-heartedly, "I can do this."
With that little burst of self-assurance I allow my mind to wander and find myself going through the events of the day before; when my life had been taken out of my hands and placed into those of the Volturi.
~Ss~Ss~Ss~Ss~Ss~
My damp hair clings to my neck and the sides of my face, causing my already stiff body to tense further.
Here I am, just out of the shower and standing in the Cullen's living room while Edward drones on about something or other. I am not sure of what exactly, I know he is talking to me, but I stopped listening about a minute or so ago; when he all but decided my life for me.
"Excuse me," I grit out with my hands lifting to rest on my hips, "mind going over that part from a moment ago again? You know, where you asked, no; told me to gather up my stuff to leave? What the hell Edward? What makes you think this plan is even remotely okay with me?!"
I watched unfazed as the vampire in question froze in front of me, his eyes narrowing.
"Bella, love, please don't use that language. It is not lady-like and you know I don't approve of it. Now," he continues as if I wasn't about to flip out on him again, "you know we only want to protect you the best we can, and if that means having you stay with the Volturi until we can eliminate Victoria then that is what we will do."
"But Charlie-"
"Has been taken care of. The wolves swore to watch over him while we hunt and Charlie himself believes that we decided to go on a family trip suddenly and want to bring you along with us."
"Edward, I only have a small overnight bag here with me. I need to go back home and pack a larger bag! I am horrible at lying; he is going to know something is up when I try to explain where we are going!"
I am grasping at straws by this point, my dad is the only thing keeping me here in Forks; I graduated last summer and have been out of school for nearly a year now. Charlie had wanted me to go straight into secondary school, but I had been able to ward him off this long by saying I wanted to travel and work a bit to find myself and what I want to do before spending all the time and money on something I may not end up liking or using.
Edward smiles in what he must think is a charming way and stalks forward a bit more to wrap his arm around my shoulders. I want to shrug him off, but I know that that will only make him pout so I refrain from the action.
"We told him it was a surprise for you, and he gave Alice permission to go into your room and pack a bag for you since she knows your tastes so well."
I almost snort in amusement; Alice could not be further away in her knowledge of my tastes in clothing. Her style is completely on the opposite side of the spectrum compared to mine.
Right as I am about to speak my thoughts aloud, the pixy-like vampire prances into the room with a blinding smile on her face. Behind her, the rest of the Cullen clan follows, all sporting different levels of the same expression.
"Edward, are you and Bella ready to leave? We need to get going to make our flight."
Carlisle's calm, fatherly voice floats about me and I find myself giving up on fighting it. They would counter any points I could make, and once they got their mind on something these vampires were a stubborn bunch.
My anger at having my choices taken from me still coils in my chest, but I manage to deflate long enough to gather my left over belongings into my backpack and head outside where everyone has gathered to decide driving arrangements.
As I could have guessed, I am set to travel with Edward in his Volvo, Emmett and Rosalie in his Jeep, Alice and Jasper in their yellow sports car, and of course Carlisle and Esme in their Mercedes.
I settle into the passenger seat with Edward in the drivers beside me. He must be able to tell I am still pissed because he only smiles and starts the car before pulling out to follow Carlisle.
"Why do we need the whole family to go to Volterra? Carlisle doesn't think we will be attacked, does he?"
Edward glances at me out of the corner of his eye before looking back to the road. He knows I hate it when he turns away for even a moment; vampire abilities be damned.
"Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rose are only coming along so that they can leave their cars at the airport. It would look suspicious if we weren't all seen leaving together. It is just a precaution. Once we get there, they are going to double back on foot back to Forks and lay low while they wait for us to return before we all start the hunt. Carlisle and Esme are only coming along to Volterra because Aro is an old friend of Carlisle's, he thinks it would be rude not to thank him in person for giving his word to keep you safe."
I let out a small huff, thought I feel relieved that I won't have to sit on a plane with Rose glaring at me and Alice chatting my ear off.
"Why can't the Volturi simply take care of Victoria? Surely they would be able to catch her and kill her faster than you guys will?"
"Bella, love, Victoria hasn't done anything wrong in vampire law. The Volturi don't get involved unless one of our rules is broken or our existence is threated to be revealed to the humans. Aro agreed to take you in only because he likes Carlisle. You should be grateful that we have such a heavily guarded place to keep you out of danger."
There it was; that patronising tone he always uses on me. Instead of continuing the conversation, I pull out my IPod and slip in my earphones, purposely turning my head to stare out the window while I blast my music.
I continue to ignore Edward for the rest of the drive, and through the flight until we reach our destination, only replying politely to Carlisle and Esme when they ask me about the drive, and to Carlisle's various assurances that I will be safe.
The sun has just set in Volterra when we pull up our rental cars in front of the old castle. I place my nearly dead IPod back into my bag before getting out and stretching my arms up above my head while I take in the huge building before me. I didn't really have time to take in the enormity of it the last time I was here.
One of the vampires from last time, Felix was his name I believe, opens the doors and waits for us to enter before bowing slightly to Carlisle and ushering us through the halls. He has a smirk resting on his lips and I can't stop the thought of slapping the look right off his face. A little violent but hey; I am tired, hungry, and still more than a little pissed off.
We come to the large wooden door that holds the world's most ancient and powerful beings behind it, and I feel a slight shiver run down my spine.
'Well, here we go.' As if reading my mind, Felix opens the doors almost immediately following my thoughts. Within moments I am herded in to stand in the middle of the room with Edward to my left and Carlisle to my right, Esme beside him.
The door closes soundly behind us and echo's ominously in the room before a voice that I could have done without hearing ever again rings out and Aro steps calmly down from his throne to stand a few paces in front of us.
His deep red eyes fixate on mine and he grins.
"Isabella my dear, welcome to Volterra!" His tongue rolls my name just like before and I want to turn and leave right there but I manage to somehow keep myself from doing just that. He steps forward and takes my hand just like before, with Edward tensing and letting out a soft growl beside me. Aro lets out a soft 'tsk' and he settles his piercing gaze on him instead.
"Now, now, young Edward. I am merely being a gentleman and greeting my guest. Surely you would prefer that to me being a rude host?"
Carlisle steps around me and places his hand on his sons shoulder.
"Of course my old friend, we appreciate everything you are doing for us. Edward is just a bit tense about leaving Bella behind, you see. He can't help but worry for her, you understand I am sure. Isn't this right, Edward?"
I feel a sharp movement come from the vampire in question beside me, and I glance up to see his now darkened gaze settled somewhere behind Aro before he drags it back and nods once.
"Yes, I am just tense about leaving my mate behind."
My eyebrows furrow and I wonder about his stress on the two words, but I know I won't have time to question him so I leave it be and instead glance behind Aro to try and see what Edward was so intently staring at moments ago.
I am not expecting my eyes to lock with blood red ones on the left side of the room, where one of the remaining two leaders sits with his cheek resting on his fist. A small movement brings my attention to his lips for a moment, where the corner of his mouth tweaks up a little on one side. When I meet his eyes again he gives me a small nod of acknowledgment without letting go of my gaze and I fight off the rising heat in my cheeks.
I look back to Aro to find him studying me with his own little smile and suddenly I feel like I have been left out of something very important. I open my mouth to question him, but I am forced to cover my mouth when a small yawn escapes me.
"Felix," He calls and said vampire is at his side in an instant, "why don't you take our lovely guest to her room while I see off my old friend and his family?"
Edward turns to me and smiles a bit tensely.
"Yes, love. You are tired, go with Felix and I will be in touch to let you know how things are going back home. I will miss you, my love."
He places a kiss on my lips that leaves me feeling like a piece of property that has just been stamped, and I swear I can hear a soft growl in the room before Felix gently but insistently escorts me from the room.
I find myself in a gorgeous room minutes later, though I would never be able to find my way to it myself, and before I can even mutter a 'thank you', Felix is closing the door behind me.
I look around the room to find that my luggage has been brought up by someone else, and I make my way over to the gaudy pink suitcase that Alice somehow passed off as mine.
I grab my night clothes and change in the attached bathroom before crawling into the massive bed and allowing the stress of the past 24 hours to drag me under into sleep.
~Ss~Ss~Ss~Ss~Ss~
I woke up this morning to Jane bursting in with food, demanding I eat, before vanishing out the door again. Since then I have showered and dressed, and my hair was almost completely dry in the ponytail I had set it up in. With my hand against my chin, I could smell the melon-and-lilac hand lotion I had used after my shower. I breathe it in through my nose and let out a happy sigh; it reminds me of home.
A knock on the door makes me jump and after taking a moment to calm my heart, I roll off the bed and make my way over. After a moment of hesitation with my hand hover over the handle, I finally grasp it and pull the door open slowly.
There, standing in front of me, is the Volturi leader from yesterday. I know his name is either Caius or Marcus, but Edward had never pointed out exactly which one was which when I had asked about the picture in the Cullen's house before.
"Good afternoon, Isabella. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself at your last visit or when you arrived yesterday; my name is Marcus. Am I interrupting anything important?"
His voice is soft but strong, and it wisps over me and leaves goosebumps in its wake. I find myself staring at him for a moment before snapping out of it and hurrying to reply.
"Ah, no. No you didn't I was just, uh, well really I was just sitting around."
The corner of his eyes crinkle as his small smile grows a bit more and I swear I see his eyes twinkle in amusement at my stammering.
"Well I am glad, then. I would not want to impose while you are busy. I would like to ask if you would care to join me for a walk in the gardens after your lunch. If you find that you are still just 'sitting around', of course."
I find myself nodding before I have even thought about it, and the words leave my mouth just as quick.
"Sure, I would like that."
As I wonder bemusedly where that had come from, Marcus reaches down and takes my hand in his own. I startle a little, but before I can pull my hand away he is leaning over it and pressing his lips to the back of my hand just above the knuckles of my fingers.
His eyes close for a moment and I hear him breathe in deeply before those red orbs are once again locked with mine and he is straightening to his full height once more.
"I am looking forward to it, Isabella. I will come to retrieve you once you have eaten. Until then, cara."
I can only nod, still too shocked to say anything as he drops my hand and turns to make his way down the hall. I snap out of my trance as he turns a corner and find myself closing the door as fast as I can manage without slamming it.
I let the sturdy wood hold my weight as I lean into it, and slide down until I am sitting on the floor. After a couple moments I finally realize what has just happened and let my head fall back to hit the door.
"What…What the hell was that?!"
I let the words spill out of my mouth slightly louder than I would have liked, before realizing he could probably still hear me and letting out a soft groan.
Edward, you and your family better hurry the hell up, because I don't think I can last a few weeks of that.
WELL then. Hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I did writing it, let me know what you think so far, any mistakes I need to take care of? Anything you guys would like to see? I would like to hear what you guys want as prompts for the story. You can give me scents/tastes, and anything else you would like to see happen in this Fic. I will try to update as much as I can without it getting too overwhelming, and not leave it for too long either!
I can't wait to hear your suggestions and ideas!
See you again soon my Lovelies!
-Silver