CHAPTER 6 – RENAISSANCE

I do not own Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.

Thanks to GinginLee and JointGifts at PTB.

End of the vampire wars calls for a bit of R and R. Demetri likes to relax with lemons...just saying...

1525AD

I opened the wooden door to my bedroom with my mouth still attached to the Dutch vampire. She seemed as unwilling to leave as I was to let her, but I had my mission to get back to. Playtime was over.

"Vaarwel Bianca. Tot de volgende keer "

She chuckled as I attempted to capture her mouth again. "Wie zegt dat ik jou zo graag weer in mijn bed wil?"

"Ik heb een goed geheugen, en ook vele andere goede kwaliteiten. Je weet dat je het wil. Moet ik het demonstreren? " I pulled her close and gave her a heated kiss to remind her of exactly how accommodating she could be, and had been—all evening.

"Misschien heb je gelijk. Tot een andere keer dan." I slackened my grip around her waist, and with a swish of her skirts she turned to go. "Vaarwel Demetri," she said, looking over her shoulder and smiling as she opened the door and disappeared into the night at vampire speed.

I laughed to myself before I sensed a presence. I looked at the corner of the room and saw Heidi sitting in a chair reading. She looked up, raised an eyebrow and went back to the large book on her knees. I had been otherwise occupied and hadn't noticed she'd returned.

I noticed her bright red eyes were narrowed as she stared at the page, and I was thankful that she hadn't taken the time to learn Dutch yet, although I was sure if she had been there for very long she wouldn't have needed a translator. This would mean I was on rations in the bedroom again; even though our sexual relationship wasn't a possessive one, Heidi occasionally got a little jealous and would hold out on me.

That wasn't so much of an issue while we were tracking the Children of the Moon. There were always plenty of other vampires roaming around the forests of Northern Europe, and I used it as an opportunity to sow some metaphorical oats.

I went back into my room and attempted to straighten it and myself up. Now that I had time to take notice of such things, I had gotten quite interested in fashionable clothing. I thought I looked quite dashing in my tights, pantaloons and feathered cap. Bianca had disagreed and decided I looked better out of them.

I couldn't argue with that.

After a while, I gave up and went back into the main room to see if Heidi was in the mood for conversation. She wasn't. Felix was still in the nearest town and he wasn't alone, so I amused myself by mentally locating all of the vampires I'd been told to keep track of throughout the years. There were no surprises and nothing was worth reporting.

Now that we weren't always occupied with the Carpi, there was plenty of time for leisure. Occasionally, we would hear reports of a vampire openly killing or creating an immortal child, and we'd drag them back to Italy for their judgment. The sentence was always death, but Aro liked the pomp and ceremony.

The leaders of the Volturi had once again taken an interest in the arts, and we'd settled in Florence for a while, before a collection of religious zealots had grown suspicious. We had relocated overnight, burning our home with a number of human bodies left inside to make it look as if we'd perished.

Aro had lamented over the loss of the various wall and ceiling paintings, but we'd taken as much as we could carry. The Volturi paid ridiculous amounts of money to various renowned artists to paint scenes of our history. These were the only humans that were allowed to spend time with the vampire royalty and permitted to go free afterwards. It was considered too much of a waste of rare talent to do otherwise.

Of course, the artists and sculptors were released with the knowledge that immediate death would follow their telling the tale and so their silence was ensured. The scenes they painted were enough to leave them with little doubt that we were more than capable of carrying out our threats.

Aro had commissioned a new underground palace, which held a little piece of ancient Rome out of sight of human eyes, and a few houses built above for our human employees.

To his surprise, the settlement had grown and become a town. We thought that our intimidating presence would scare humans away, but we were wrong. Aro liked the idea of being hidden under the human bustle, and in order to maintain our cover, we were told that we could not feed, or hunt in other ways, within a three-mile radius.

This meant that if we wanted to feed or if I wanted sex with someone other than Heidi or other Guard members, then we had to travel.

Recently, on his way to Florence, Caius had been attacked by a werewolf. He'd not escaped intact; Felix and I had been sent to collect the pieces he was missing afterwards. The resulting order was that all Children of the Moon be exterminated.

They were too violent and unpredictable, and as such they were a danger to both vampires and our secret existence. Or at least, that was what we were told. Caius would never admit to being afraid of anything.

We were tracking a werewolf that had been running amok across North-Western Europe, and when I'd sensed a vampire nearby, I decided to stop and ask some questions while Heidi and Felix fed. In my defence, I had asked the questions before inviting Bianca back to the abandoned house we currently inhabited.

Once Felix returned, I would tell him and Heidi that our next stop was France, as Bianca had smelled a werewolf's unmistakeable odor in the North par t of the country a few weeks ago. We would set up base in another uninhabited house, and then systematically scour the local area for the offending creature. If we did not find an empty house in a convenient location, then any building could be cleared quickly.

I was interrupted from my train of thought when Felix's mental voice began to get closer, and I counted down the time until I'd at least have someone willing to converse with me.

Eventually, the door was flung open and Felix entered along with an icy gust of wind. Not that it made much difference to the temperature of the room, as none of us had bothered to build a fire. What was cold to us but just another sensation?

With no circulation and venom in my veins, you could say that I was a "cold-blooded" creature. For all I could withstand any extreme of temperature short of a burning fire, I did not like the sensation of the freezing cold and longed for my crystallized body to be heated by the sun that I remembered from my human years.

In Italy, it was warm, but during the day I was imprisoned in the shadows. Here in Northern Europe during winter, I was free to roam but I had to put up with the low temperatures. It would be nice to be able to feel the sun on my unnatural skin, but with Volturi laws, this was a very rare occurrence. Shadows and ice were my life now.

Felix snapped me back out of my train of thought and into the room when he sniffed the air and looked at me. "So you had a fun evening then?"

Heidi got up in disgust and went into the kitchen, staring bloody daggers at me as she went.

Felix looked at me mischievously; he would have been able to tell it was a strange vampire, but one of our favourite pastimes was getting one up on the other. Getting me into trouble with Heidi was the second easiest way for him to do this; the first was to bring up the subject of Michaelangelo and a certain disproportionate statute. I swore that Aro would never convince me to pose again.

I sighed and wondered how long it would be before Heidi crumbled and forgave me this time. Not that there was anything to forgive, of course. It wasn't as if I was her mate.

Felix took off his cloak and took a seat. By the smell, he'd done more than just feed, too.

"I guess you had a pleasant time, as well," I said.

Felix beamed widely and his bright red eyes twinkled. "You could say that."

Heidi growled in the next room. "How on earth did I end up here with such a pair of heathen animals?"

My sizeable friend and I looked at each other and then sat quietly for a few hours until she came around. We knew better than to antagonise her when she was having an irrational female moment, due to experiencing many of them down the centuries.

It was a shame, because I was keen to exchange tales of the evening's conquests with Felix.

~X~

The next evening, we left for France and managed to find a ruined castle with enough rooms intact to provide accommodation for us. After a few days of searching, we came across a foul smelling trail leading to a small village.

We held back for a week or so before attacking, until the full moon waned and it would be safe to engage the beast. A werewolf's strength grew with the full moon and the human it inhabited had little control at this time. To avoid detection, we would have to encounter it away from the village. A vampire approaching a wolf at any time would trigger an automatic reaction; the werewolf would attack regardless of whether there were any onlookers, and their animalistic minds could not comprehend Volturi law.

As it was, I'd gotten close enough to have recognised its feral tone of mind, and I could now follow the creature wherever it led.

Tonight, it had gone out into the forest. I informed Heidi of its position and likely destination: a farmhouse on its own, away from the rest of civilization. She went on ahead and left a trail that would cross the creature's path.

The only thing that would lure a werewolf away from the prospect of food was a vampire. They had an ingrained and irrational hatred of us and would attack immediately. A vampire on its own stood little chance of survival, but numbers were on our side. We had done this many times, and Heidi had grown accustomed to being our bait of choice.

It had become so routine that it had developed into a contest between Felix and me to see whose teeth could be the first to break skin and kill the beast once our venom entered their bloodstream. The winner would keep a tooth as a souvenir of his victory. Felix's box was becoming fuller than mine, and I was determined to catch up.

As expected, the wolf's course changed as soon as he passed Heidi's scent and he quickly gained on her. Felix and I lay in wait. Heidi passed between our positions and seconds later we heard the heavy breathing and smelled the stench of the creature approaching. Once we caught sight of it, we immediately pounced.

My teeth connected with a deformed, hairy shoulder before being flung off. The beast turned to Felix and swiped at him, but my friend avoided the blows and then tackled it into a tree, which shattered with the force.

Felix leapt away, and the beast got to its feet and howled. It turned and looked at me with yellow eyes and breathed heavy through bared teeth. I readied myself for flight in case it charged, but then it yelped and its legs buckled beneath it. I tried to wipe the disgusting taste of the creature from my mouth before Felix and I approached the werewolf writhing in pain as my venom poisoned it.

The beast finally ceased twitching, and I bent down and opened its huge jaws. I wrenched a tooth from its socket and held it up in victory as Felix huffed and reminded me that I still needed at least a dozen more under my belt to catch up.

Heidi ran back to us while I put my new trinket in my pocket. After a small bonfire, we would be able to return to Volterra.

~X~

On the way home, I decided to take a detour via Rome. It was no longer the city I remembered from my human years, as everyone seemed to have gone crazy with religion, but thanks to human nature, there was always a seedy underbelly for me to exploit.

Rome was ruled by the Pope now rather than an emperor, and all European countries seemed to be constantly at war with one another. Some things never changed. I just had to look deeper within the layers of society to find the debauchery I needed to be entertained, but it was always there waiting to be found.

As it was, I found a couple of women of disrepute wandering the streets that night; the yellow handkerchiefs they held signalled them as easy targets. Yellow handkerchiefs meant one of two things: prostitute or Jew. At this time of night, they were unlikely to be the latter.

Stepping out of the shadows, I approached them and bowed. "Ladies, how are you this fine evening?" As they walked over tentatively, I gave them my most charming grin.

Their profession, the oldest of occupations, was now heavily frowned upon after an outbreak of disease in Naples, and many brothels had been closed. I thought this was a great shame.

"We are well, thank you. It's a lovely night," one of the girls said, taking in my expensive clothing and pleasant appearance. She turned and looked at her friend. They were both dark-haired and olive-skinned, although the shorter of the two was much more generously endowed and her bosoms almost spilled over the top of the outfit that confined them.

I hated corsets with a passion. They looked impressive but were very impractical for my purposes. Breasts were meant to run wild and free. Given the chance, I would rectify that travesty.

"So, ladies. Are you going to tell me your names, or are we going to stand here in the street and discuss the weather all night?" I said with my usual cocky swagger. The women smiled.

The taller one came closer. "I'm Caterina, and this is Antonia. Can we ask you which name you go by, and whether you have means to pay for our...company?" She looked at me intently.

I rolled my eyes at the idea that I was a time waster. I opened my cloak and patted the purse that hung from my belt. The girl's eyes widened as they viewed its impressive size.

"Which one of us do you want, then?" Antonia asked.

I grinned. "It wouldn't be proper to leave a young lady unaccompanied at night. So in the interests of being a gentleman, I'll take both of you, of course."

They both laughed before Antonia's face grew serious. "You do realise that will be twice the price?"

I walked over to them both, putting an arm around each girl's waist.

"A bargain, I'm sure. Name your price and I will oblige, so long as you oblige me."

I lead them back into the dark alleyway from which I'd materialized. Once under cover of darkness, I bent my head to kiss the shorter of the two and she kissed back with fervour. She pulled back a little when she felt the strange texture of my skin, and her eyes widened when she saw how my eyes differed to her own. It was too late for flight; she was already under my vampire spell and Antonia brought her mouth back to mine.

Her companion had dropped to her knees and was opening my pants. I leaned against a wall and enjoyed the anticipation of what was to come.

I broke the kiss and roughly grasped at the front of Antonia's corset, tearing it to shreds. She gasped and looked at me in shock. I pulled her to me.

"Much better," I murmured as I explored her exposed cleavage more closely. I noticed that she closed her eyes and threw her head back as I did so, displaying her throat to me in all its glory. At the same time, Caterina took me inside her warm mouth.

Groaning, I allowed my senses to take over. With my head so close to Antonia's chest, I could hear the loud thud of her racing heart, and the flavour of her skin gave me an indication of what she would taste like on the inside. I grew infinitely more aroused.

I resisted the urge that screamed at me to bite, and tried to focus on what Caterina was doing instead. I barely held myself back from intensely violent acts by remembering that it would be over before I'd fully experienced everything I wanted to if I ended it now.

In an effort to prolong the experience and clear my head of the blood haze, I removed myself from Antonia's breasts and began lifting her skirts. Too many clothes, I thought to myself as I searched and found what I wanted.

I used my fingers on her until my dazzled female friend was moaning and running her hands over her own body. Pushing Caterina away from my groin, I flipped Antonia around so she was the one against the wall. Her legs parted and I bent my knees a little so I could bury myself inside her.

I groaned as I did so. The need in my loins was well on its way to being satisfied, and I smiled as I knew the more urgent need wouldn't be far behind; my throat burned intensely.

Caterina got to her feet and her mouth found mine. I could taste a hint of venom on her lips and it made her taste much more interesting. I thrust in and out of the other woman with little consideration as I kissed her friend. I felt the bloodlust inside me bubbling its way to the forefront of my consciousness, and the ability to think rationally dissipated.

The time for pleasantries had been and gone, and now it was my moment to be entirely selfish.

My hand caressed Caterina's jaw before skimming down her neck, and then down to her shoulder. I strengthened my grip before my lips quickly left hers and my teeth connected with her jugular. My free hand moved over Antonia's mouth, just as the blood hitting my throat set off the automatic rush of pleasure that always accompanied it.

The constant burn that nagged me was suddenly quenched and I gurgled my appreciation.

For a short time, Caterina tried to jerk herself away from me, then she went limp and still. I allowed her to slump to the ground before I turned my attention back to Antonia, who looked at me with petrified eyes and whose screams were muffled by my hand over her mouth.

I had already released once, but when my teeth pierced the curve of Antonia's neck, I let go a second time.

This time, I savoured the experience, waiting until I'd drained every last drop before staggering backwards to the other side of the alley in post-orgasmic ecstasy. I allowed myself a few moments to recover and enjoy the warm, sated feeling of a feed. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and set about fastening my clothing.

Once dressed, I threw both bodies over one shoulder and departed the alley quickly. I was courteous enough to give the prostitutes a proper burial in a particularly scenic spot on the way home to Volterra.

Just as the sky began to lighten with the impending dawn, I entered the town walls and walked at human pace through the streets until I found one of the entrances to the home of the Volturi Guard, nodding at Corin who was sentry just inside.

I headed back to my quarters and asked one of the humans to set me up a bath in front of a hot fire. Now that all immediate threats to the authority of the Volturi had been erased, I truly was experiencing a renaissance, and life was good.

TRANSLATIONS (DUTCH):

Vaarwel Bianca. Tot de volgende keer. - Goodbye, Bianca. Until we meet again.

Wie zegt dat ik jou zo graag weer in mijn bed wil? - Who says I'm so eager to have you back in my bed?

Ik heb een goed geheugen, en ook vele andere goede kwaliteiten. Je weet dat je het wil. Moet ik het demonstreren? - I have a good memory, and many good other things, too. You know you will. Should I demonstrate?

Misschien heb je gelijk. Tot een andere keer dan. - You might be right. Until another time then.

Vaarwel Demetri. - Goodbye, Demetri.