CHAPTER 4 – BLOOD AND LUST

~X~

I do not own Twilight, no copyright infringement intended.

Lemons and err...blood-drinking vampires. What else were you expecting?

Thanks to spsb92 and duskwatcher at PTB for their help and kind comments ;)

~X~

94AD

After discovering what it was that I craved for so much, I'd felt disgusted.

Despite my initial abhorrence of what I needed to do to survive, as soon as a human came close I forgot about everything else but their blood and my need to feed on it. It became a little easier to reconcile with my conscience until, after a few years, death became mundane and I hardly gave the fact that I killed regularly a second thought.

I had seen enough of death and disaster while I was human for it to lose its shock value. Life was cruel and unfair, and a human life hung by a thread. People died of a million different causes every day. What if I took one of those lives? Chances were that an accident, old age, or disease would do the job soon after, if I did not. Death by vampire was not drawn out, and I could even make it a pleasurable experience if I was so inclined.

Their deaths were not pointless; they died to ensure my survival. I simply accelerated the ending of the painful journey that was life. A human's time on earth was numbered no matter which way you looked at it; to sit and dwell on morality was pointless.

Not that morals came into the matter when Hortensia returned to the cave with living, breathing humans. My reaction was automatic. Blood was the most vital substance in the universe, and the lust it inspired consumed me; I was too blinded by it to even consider resisting.

The only time that now held meaning for Felix and I was when Hortensia would leave the cave and return with what we needed most above all else. Her presence in the cave often irritated us, as it meant we had to endure our thirst for a little longer.

Gradually, we managed our irritation with a little more patience, and the fighting between myself and Felix became more playful than serious. Felix's brute strength often bettered me, but I was devious and not beyond hitting below the belt. Our new-found strength was surprising and exhilarating.

Hortensia had returned from her daily excursion out of the cave to beautify herself, away from prying male eyes, to find us wrestling as usual. She said that she would have to be naked and doused in human blood for us to listen or pay the slightest attention to her. Maybe she was right; I always dared her to try it, for purely education purposes, of course.

Hortensia would roll her eyes at our newborn vampire antics. She was an entirely different species; for her, the time between feeds was an opportunity to read, write, or sing. She was captivating and tried to encourage us to expand our minds, but our attention spans were short.

Despite our lack of focus, the times between feeding and fighting were always filled with schooling. Our teacher was pleased that I, at least, had the beginnings of an education, although I was still greatly lacking by her standards.

The only teaching Felix had ever received during his human years was how to inflict maximum damage on an opponent. Surprisingly, he was the keener student. I had more natural ability, but I was lazy, uninterested, and easily distracted. Music, art and reading held no appeal for me.

Not to say that I didn't like nice things. I got great enjoyment from that which I considered aesthetically pleasing, and I preferred when Hortensia brought us richer, better dressed victims. I scavenged the bodies for possessions which would then become my own, now that their previous owners no longer had any need for them.

Hortensia had furnished our new home with various items, and it had become quite comfortable. It seemed to me like a strange combination of my rough gladiator cell and my lavish home in Pompeii. The rough cave walls, the sturdy wooden furniture, and luxurious beds which were never used for sleeping, only lounging.

Still, it was poor accommodation by Hortensia's standards. Considering herself royalty, guarding a pair of newborn soldiers was a lowly task, and she longed to return to Rome and take up her place with the Volturi.

Hortensia told us that she had been a Greek princess many centuries ago when she was still human, and had gained a reputation as a siren for her enchanting voice. She demonstrated this talent regularly, until she'd become infuriated with Felix and I not giving her the appreciation she deserved.

She went on to tell us that she was given the opportunity to join the Volturi on the basis of her talent and refinement, along with her husband, who had not survived the change.

I noticed pain in her eyes as she told us the tale. It was obvious she still loved him intensely, although his death had happened a long time ago. I found that kind of bond difficult to comprehend, never having loved anyone other than myself.

Hortensia told us of the civilized group of vampires, all created equally, who we were to guard once we were sufficiently educated. We would be expected to live amongst them, and were being kept out of the way until such a time as we were more in control of ourselves.

Apparently, the brutal blood lust Felix and I demonstrated was a natural state for a vampire. The Volturi, however, were different from others of our kind. They chose to be more careful and hidden from view; they lived a life of quiet, murderous luxury, rather than one of battle and dominance of the humans around them.

The end of our phase as new vampires ended once we began to register that blood was not the only pursuit in the world worthy of our time. Then, if we could blend in with their ideology, we would be able to join in with their lifestyle. I tried to use that thought to control my rage—sometimes it even worked.

Felix would spend a lot of his time exercising his new found love of reading, and I would laugh at the sight of him sat on a couch, entranced by words. I learned Greek, and I gave our jailer and babysitter a new nickname in her native language as a joke. Haidee, which meant "well-behaved." I thought it was quite apt.

One day, I had pounced on Felix and surprised him as he read, and in retaliation he'd sent me flying across the room, crashing into Hortensia who had been deep in thought. She was less than impressed with our escapades.

Personally, I found her reaction amusing. "Haidee, instead of scorning us all of the time, why don't you join in? It's much more fun than music or reading!"

Her eyes flashed. "Being uncivilized brutes, of course you would think that. At this rate, we're never going to be ready to return to Rome."

She righted the furniture around her and glared at me in particular. Felix and I collapsed with laughter at her reproach. Still shaking with mirth, my gaze connected with hers.

I had never registered the way she looked at me until that moment; now, in the back of my mind, I knew it had always been that way. She found me attractive.

My mind had always been too focused on my next feed to comprehend that there were other urges. Hortensia had always been synonymous with blood supply; I remembered that she was a beautiful female, and I was a male who hadn't had female "company" in over a decade. My realization must have shown in my eyes as something unspoken passed between us.

Felix seemed oblivious as he climbed onto a bed after our rough play, and went back to reading whatever it was that Pliny had written that he seemed to find so interesting.

My attention was also caught, but not by words. I got to my feet, my eyes never leaving Haidee's.

"Demetrius, follow me. Felix, stay here and we will be back presently."

Even if it was possible to resist her command to fall into line behind her, I doubted that I would want to. A massive dose of lust washed over my body, and for the first time in many years it wasn't for blood. If my heart had still been beating, it would have been pounding within my chest in anticipation.

We left the cave, even though it was still bright daylight outside.

My new life had become one of darkness. During the day, we remained inside the cave, and at night Hortensia had begun to let us go for short runs, getting steadily closer to areas inhabited by humans.

For the first time in many years I felt the heat of the sun heating my cold skin. I had missed sunlight, but on the rare occasions a beam had caught me, I'd seen why I was a prisoner to it—I looked unearthly. The sparkling of my skin was unnerving even to myself.

Hortensia turned back to see me examining the diamonds embedded in my skin as I dawdled along behind her.

"Keep up, Demetrius." Her eyes flashed at me with annoyance, but the slight parting of her lips told me that the lust was still the emotion which was in control of her actions.

She led me down the rocky incline until we found the cover of pine trees. My eyes traced the curve of her glittering neck and shoulders, before dreaming about what lay underneath her blue tunic, and would it sparkle, too?

The mutterings of Felix's mental voice told me that my vampire friend was still on his bed reading and had not attempted to leave the cave. The whirr of voices in all directions also told me there was no-one in the vicinity for endless miles. The other members of the Volturi, with the exception of Eleazar, were south-west of here, and Eleazar was quite some distance north.

No-one around and no interruptions.

Once we were past the tree-line, Haidee turned and faced me. I wasted no time in striding up to her and kissing her roughly.

Her lips were firmer than any I'd ever kissed, yet they still gave way under mine. I ran my hands down her arms; her skin was like granite wrapped in silk. She responded by wrapping them around my neck and tangling her long fingers in my hair. My arms moved round to her back and I crushed her to me.

I frantically tried to remove her clothing but she pushed me away, and then removed it herself. Once, I had thought she looked like a goddess; now I knew better, but while she was naked before me, I was sure I could convince myself once more. Her entire, flawless body shimmered, and for a moment I was unable to do anything other than observe.

Hortensia moved herself closer to me, and I needed no encouragement to undress myself also. I tore my clothes to shreds in desperation, and my female companion rolled her eyes at my over-eagerness.

Gold and gemstones had nothing on me. I, too, sparkled in the sunlight like some fantastic being—everywhere. Some of those areas were more precious to me than others.

Grabbing Hortensia by the waist, I pulled her to me once more. We kissed again, while our hands explored each other's nakedness. In some ways, a vampire body was similar to that of my memory of human women, but with some noticeable differences. Her body was cold, as was mine, and more solid than you would expect without losing any of its fluidity. Her perky breasts molded around my hand, but they did not wobble when she moved.

Her entire body fascinated me and I examined every inch of it, much to Haidee's satisfaction.

As I explored between her legs, I pushed her against a tree. Vampires got aroused in much the same way as humans, I discovered.

Looking into Hortensia's face, I noticed that she was no longer calm and serene as usual. Her eyes were feral, and she looked as violent and out of control as I felt. She looked much as she did when she fed, and that encouraged dark fantasies to form within my mind.

Vampire females were far more durable than any other woman I had ever been with, and that thought excited me.

Still pinning her against the tree, I positioned my hips between her thighs, and she wrapped herself around me. Supporting myself against the tree with one arm, and holding one of her legs behind her knee with the other, I slowly slid my rock-like erection inside her. The venom that made her ready for me tingled a little, but it was far from unpleasant.

I withdrew and thrust forward again, this time with a little more force. The groan of ecstasy it elicited from the dark-haired aphrodite encouraged me to give it everything I had on the third entry, causing her to writhe and grip my shoulders with a hiss. The tree creaked and complained.

Her hair began to come loose from its usual, intricate style, and she looked wild. I liked seeing her this way and I wanted to see more, so I gave her as much rough and wanton passion as she could take. Unfortunately the tree was less equipped to withstand the force, and we soon sent it crashing to the ground—much to my delight. I had always considered myself skilled, but I had never felled trees in the act.

Vampire stamina took me by surprise when it seemed we could both carry on indefinitely. We continued with a procession of varying positions, until the sun had long set and the moon had completed half its nightly journey across the sky.

Once we were finally sated, I paused and looked down at Haidee's perfect form pinned to the earth by my hips. Moonlight and shadow played on her body, and the sight was even more breathtaking than when sunlight had reflected on her skin.

She looked up at me with a relaxed expression and soft crimson eyes.

I smiled down at her. "Is vampire sex always like that, Haidee?" In all my time on earth, I had not experienced anything that had come near what we had just done. I was in awe. It was a hundred times better than human sex.

"I've not done anything like that since..." she whispered hoarsely, and ran her fingers down my chest.

"Was it worth the wait?" I asked with a chuckle, but then I noticed that her eyes had changed and she looked upset. I left her body and lay on the earth next to her. "Are you alright, Haidee?"

Her eyes flicked over to mine and I saw that they glistened with venom. "I haven't done that since I was last with my husband. I miss him so much. I feel as if I've defiled his memory."

I pulled her close and pressed my lips to her head. "What we did was perfectly natural, or unnatural, depending on how you look at it. I am sure you won't go to hell for having a moment with a good friend."

Her eyes met mine again. "I swore to be his and his alone for all eternity. I know for sure I am damned, and I do not know if I will meet him in the afterlife once this ends. He may be dead, but I feel like I've just committed adultery."

Feeling bad for her, and upset that what we'd just done was hurtful rather than one of the most euphoric moments of her life, I tried to reassure her. "You're not ruining his memory. He is still your husband, and so long as you remember him he will live on. Forever is a very long time."

Hortensia got up and began dressing herself. "You're right, but still..."

"I am right, Haidee. I respect that you were married, and I don't wish to lure you away from your husband. I am your friend—like Felix—although I'm far better looking...and much better in bed."

Hortensia looked into my eyes and smiled. "Thank you—although I do think you're just trying to keep the window of opportunity open."

I smiled back. "Of course. I would be stupid not to. That was quite possibly the finest moment of my existence so far."

Hortensia laughed, and the sound was like music. "For me, it was second only to how it was with the man I love. That is quite some compliment." Her eyes still had a hint of sadness about them, but at least her mouth was curled upwards.

I snorted. "I don't do second best, but I'm never one to look a gift horse in the mouth—or a beautiful woman for that matter. We should do this on a regular basis."

I began to trace a line of kisses that followed her collarbone before a shift alerted me to the fact Felix was leaving the cave. "But for now, we should get dressed, before Felix finds us."

~X~

95AD – 238AD

We returned to Rome under cover of night. I saw the city with new eyes as we passed silently into the place I was soon to call home. It was no house of the Gods, but I swore that if they had ever settled in Rome, then they would have chosen such a place. Obviously, vampires were wealthy.

The most notable thing about the house of the Volturi was the small number of servants and slaves for the number of people who lived there. There were only two humans. Apparently there had been a third until very recently, but Sulpicia had been feeling a little too lazy to find food for herself, and the girl had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

We were given a warm welcome in the main hall. Haidee had been greatly missed, it seemed. Felix and I were greeted with a little more trepidation and anxiety.

Eleazar observed me for a few moments. "Well, I never expected this." He turned to the others. "The tall gladiator was as strong as expected, but the tracker...well, I did not expect his talent to be amplified to this extent."

Aro took my hand; Haidee had told me that this gave him access to each memory and every thought I had ever had. He responded in utter delight as he saw for himself how my talent worked.

Not only did he have a detailed demonstration of how the voices in my mind made me aware of the position of others around me, but he also knew how close I had become to Haidee. In the cave, the physical side of my relationship with Haidee had become a regular occurrence, and I hoped the arrangement would continue now we were in Rome.

Where I was closer to my two companions than anyone during my human life, I was developing a particular fondness for my lover. For some reason, this seemed to cause Aro concern as his gaze flicked from me, to Haidee, and then to Marcus. I now also knew that Marcus would be able to see exactly where my loyalties lay.

I was never sure whether it was intentional to keep us apart, but Haidee and Eleazar seemed to be sent on almost consecutive missions to find other vampires with potential talents during that first century. Even when we were both in Rome, Caius and Marcus kept Felix and myself busy learning how to fight other vampires, while Haidee seemed to be at the beck and call of the rest of her peers to bring them sustenance. As a result, our fledgling relationship was ended before it had even begun to develop into anything deeper.

I had to resort to looking elsewhere for sexual entertainment, and when I did so, I was prolific. I found that Aro was indeed correct when he said that humans would fall over themselves to climb into my bed. None ever climbed back out.

Felix's drive had also returned and it was predominantly tuned towards human females. Where I was never one to waste an opportunity, I found their fragility highly inconvenient. After the novelty wore off and I realized there was little challenge in luring humans, I decided I was much more enamoured with supernatural beings.

On occasion, Eleazar and Haidee would return with a new potential vampire. Most were rejected by Aro once matured and sent out into the world, but the more talented were allowed to stay to create Aro's perfect vampire army. They never found any with a talent as useful as my own, but it became a joke that they weren't initiated into the Guard until they had passed my own particular kind of inspection.

It did not take long for the ideology of the Volturi as a collection of equals to crumble. We became very much a tiered system, with the Volturi masters and the Volturi Guard becoming separate entities.

Haidee was furious, as she had found herself classified within the latter. She despised being required to act on the whims of the wives and her former companions, and considered her task of procuring food and bringing home potentially talented vampires menial work.

I did not mind my role so much, as I was indisputably the Captain of the Guard, and Felix my second-in-command. We kept discipline amongst our bloodthirsty ranks with the knowledge of Felix's strength and my ability to track any of them, no matter how far or fast they ran.

A few newborns did not manage to convert the Volturi lifestyle of subtlety, and so Felix and I brought them back forcibly. Aro executed them before the others as an example.

The law was then extended to all vampires within Rome, and then all vampires within Italy. As the power of the Volturi grew, Aro, Marcus and Caius became more nervous about catching the attention of the powerful Carpi coven that resided beyond the Carpathian Mountains.

Centuries passed, and for many years, the Volturi did not dare to extend their rule further. They contented themselves by becoming night-time patrons of the arts within the beating heart of the civilized Roman Empire.

They did not concern themselves with such things as human empires and who dared to be emperor, but they would often sit back, pretending to be aloof noblemen as they observed the lavish parties they hosted.

I was amazed by how much wealth could counteract human fear in our presence. Certainly, no-one ever seemed to look closely enough until it was too late. It was not unusual for some humans never to return home after these gatherings, but they were always nobodies and those unlikely to be missed.

The wives became less and less involved with the running of the new order, and they kept mainly to their rooms, socializing only amongst themselves and their husbands. Aro encouraged their separation, after Athenodora succumbed to my charms. It seemed she liked blond men. There was no hiding any indiscretions from my mind-reading master, and I assumed he did not want to risk Sulpicia or his sister also falling prey to me.

I do not believe he ever informed Caius, as I never detected any shift in attitude towards me. Caius was equally as condescending to all the Guard, Haidee included. Having entertained his wife made his attitude much easier to bear, and I followed all his commands with a smile.

Once Aro, Marcus, and Caius were satisfied with the make-up of their hand-picked army, they began to scheme and strategized with more seriousness. Their interest in human culture became less interesting to them than the idea of wider rule, and the parties became a thing of the past. They were less concerned with human affairs than ever.

In the great hall, the couches were removed and it resembled more of a court, with three central chairs for the vampires who considered themselves the mind of the Volturi.

The Carpi began to encroach on Volturi territory, killing freely and brutally. Stories abounded amongst humans of blood-drinking monsters and panic ensued of this fearful enemy, who commanded armies of Rômanians.

There were two choices for the Volturi—either succumb or wage war on their fellow vampires.