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Chapter 6

Mortal Coil

Vladimir's Point of View

"Well, well," I murmured to myself, my eyes tracking Stefan's progression across the snowy ground from my vantage point up in my chambers as he strode away from the castle. "How surprising."

I snorted in satisfaction, thinking it was high time that he detached himself from Bella long enough for him to think straight. The sickening sentimental display I was forced to listen to yesterday, after our heated argument just a week before, only reinforced my distaste of this pet that Stefan had become unnecessarily fond of. I was baffled by this new side of his persona. He appeared almost…docile.

I blanched at such a thought and rolled my shoulders as I watched Stefan race away until my vampire sight could no longer detect him. He had gone out to hunt, I was sure, and would not be returning for many hours. The both of us were notorious for turning our hunting trips into escapades that lasted nearly half a day, something that now could work to my advantage. Not to mention the burden of my ultimatum that was now hanging over his head, I had more than enough time to speak with Bella on my own terms.

This was exactly the opportunity I had been waiting for and I would not be squandering it.

A devilish smirk crawled onto my face as I swept out of my room, heading straight for Bella's. I knew that Stefan would not be very pleased with me once he picked up the presence of my scent in her room, but it mattered not. I needed to gain some leverage and achieving that while my brother was in the castle, practically gravitating around her like a small sun, was nigh impossible.

In my eagerness, I strode toward Bella's room with all the casualness of a speeding bullet and had to take a moment to stifle my anxious energy before knocking on her door.

I heard her shift from within and a short stretch of time passed before she responded. "Y…yes?" she called, her voice wavering uncertainly.

"It's Vladimir, Bella. May I come in?" I requested politely.

"Um…yeah, come in," she answered after a few more tense seconds.

I entered and shut the door behind me with a soft click, shooting her a smirk as I approached. "Thank you." I leaned nonchalantly against the wall near the window seat where she was sitting and folded my arms over my chest, pausing for a moment before deciding to get right to the point. "So, I've noticed lately that you and Stefan are getting rather…close," I said, arching one of my eyebrows knowingly at her.

She snapped her head away from my penetrating stare and I had the feeling that had she been human she would be blushing. "We… I…I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered uncharacteristically. "There's…nothing of the sort."

I threw my head back and laughed loudly, amused by her flustered state. "Bella, I would still be able to tell what's going on with you two if I was a weak little human, perish the thought."

An exasperated sigh escaped her lips and she brought her gaze back to mine. "Is there a problem with that? He's being nice. It's better than his other side when he was constantly using me."

My eyes were sharp as I stared unflinchingly back at her. "Frankly, I would prefer to see that side of him instead of the distracted, indecisive mess he's turning into."

She looked at me coldly, not backing down. "And frankly, I'd rather not be your slave for the rest of my miserable existence, so no one is going to be happy."

I took a step forward and leaned my face closer to hers. "I would be happy if he just got rid of you. Kill you, let you go, anything. I am grateful for your assistance, but you have served your purpose and are now nothing more than a nuisance. His reasoning for continuing to keep you like some sort of pet is lost on me," I told her, and paused for a moment. "Has he said anything to you? Given you an explanation?"

She looked away from me after I was finished speaking and shook her head. "He hasn't spoken much to me. And if I'm such a nuisance, why don't you just let me go now?"

I held back the frustrated grunt that wanted so badly to crawl up my throat, hoping Stefan would have at least given her some insight. "I would love to just turn you loose and never see you again, but it was Stefan who brought you here and it is he who will decide when you leave," I told her, still fully intending to give my brother the chance to make the decision on whether he preferred to kill her or let her go on his own. "You are his charge, not mine. Take it up with him."

Her gaze turned scrutinizing. "What are you doing here, exactly?"

I straightened and moved away from the window seat, folding my hands behind my back. "Well, I was attempting to gain some leverage."

A spark of alertness flashed through her darkened crimson irises as her eyes narrowed, the apathy that was present in her expression only moments before replaced with mild suspicion. "What kind of leverage?"

I smiled charmingly at her, the temptation to inform her of Stefan's current internal dilemma almost too sweet to pass up. The fact that I was unable to discover anything of consequence to hold over my brother's head, though, was enough to sour my mood.

"You will find the answer to that question in due time," I said, before turning and leaving her room, taking a small amount of satisfaction in the knowledge that my scent would still be present when Stefan returned.

Stefan's Point of View

I began making my approach back to the castle several hours later as the sun was sinking lazily behind the mountains, painting the sky with delicate strokes of pastel pink, purple, and orange. I focused my eyes on the horizon as I strode across the mountainous landscape, the colors so vivid to my vampire sight, and allowed a small corner of my mind to wander, thinking back on the span of time I had spent away from the castle.

Unfortunately, I was still no closer to a decision on my release of Bella than I was when I left. I had hoped that putting a considerable amount of distance between myself and the young vampire that was currently cloistered inside my castle would clear my head long enough for me to come up with an unbiased solution, but I had experienced no such luck. Our brief moment of bonding the previous day over my skill with the violin had left me even more conflicted than I thought possible.

She had been staring at me, her eyes fixated on me while I played my violin, and the look on her face when I lifted my head… I'd never witnessed anything quite like that from her before, especially when it came to me.

Her pupils had become pinpricks as our gazes locked, the tiny muscles of her irises rapidly constricting, and even though it hadn't lasted long – barely three seconds – I could still hear the echoes of the strange thoughts that had blown through my mind in that insignificant amount of time.

Although, I had managed to come to one minor conclusion. I was sure that Vladimir would consider this deviation a step backwards, but frankly I did not care. Pushing thoughts of my brother's ultimatum into the back of my mind was a menial task. Of course, I did not think his threat was something to be taken lightly. On the contrary, I knew he was serious, but this situation was my business alone and it would be handled as I deemed fit.

Bella was mine to deal with, not Vladimir's, and, as the castle appeared before me, I picked up my pace, intending to visit her immediately to tell her of my decision regarding her stay in my territory.

The castle's enormous double doors swung shut behind me with a dull booming echo, shrouding me in semi-darkness. I wasted no time in crossing the entrance hall and swiftly ascending the grand staircase, taking them two at a time. As soon as I stepped into the second floor corridor, the doors to Bella's room just fifty meters in front of me, Vladimir's scent wafted by my nose and stopped me in my tracks. We were the masters of this castle, and the presence of his scent had never given me a reason to pause before. Not until now, on this particular floor, so close to…Bella's room.

Immediately, a strange heaviness plummeted into the pit of my stomach. There was only one reason why Vladimir would be in this area of the castle, and his warning along with the most gruesome images of Bella being torn apart at his hands dredged themselves up from the dark recesses of my mind.

I had been foolish to leave Bella alone in the castle with Vladimir. So unbelievably foolish!

All thought and reason promptly vacated my mind; only raw instinct remained. I didn't even think about what I would see when I opened those doors. I just reacted. Rushing forward, I unceremoniously burst through the doors, unconcerned as they bounced back loudly on their hinges, and immediately spotted her standing in front of the bookshelves, intact and none the worse for the wear. But that did nothing to comfort me.

Bella's head whipped in my direction as soon as I threw the doors open, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "Stefan?"

I closed the short distance between us in the blink of an eye and began circling her, checking her for injuries. "Vladimir was here," I stated, leaning my head close to hers and inhaling deeply. Vladimir's scent was nowhere on her. Promising. "What did he want?"

Her breath caught in her throat and she flinched when I moved toward her, clearly unprepared for my sudden appearance and strange behavior. "Umm…" she stammered, collecting herself. "He wanted to know about you…and me." She paused, cringing away from me when I leaned forward to sniff her hair. "Stefan, what is going on?"

I circled her a couple more times, making doubly sure that no trace of Vladimir's scent was on her directly, then stepped away from her, lifting my hands and sweeping them through my hair. His presence here had been a warning, I was sure. Turning away, I began pacing back and forth in an attempt to work off my agitation.

"It's…nothing," I grumbled, finally answering her question. "Nothing that you need to be concerned with."

I heard her footsteps approaching just a few seconds before she appeared directly in front of me, her expression guarded. I had no choice but to stop my pacing. "I'm already concerned, Stefan. He told me he'd rather see me back to being a slave under your control, that I was a nuisance, something you should get rid of. Stefan, I want to know what's going on."

I pressed my lips together, making sure that the explanation she was searching so desperately for didn't suddenly jump out of my mouth and reveal itself. When my gaze fell on hers I noticed immediately how dark her irises had become and knew that some deflecting was in order. She was thirsty and I knew it.

"You're thirsty," I observed. "Come, take a walk with me and I will get you blood."

She shook her head, clearly unimpressed with my subject change. "My thirst can wait. I know that I mean nothing to the both of you, but I am involved in this. I want to know what Vladimir wanted and why he was so willing to kill me or throw me out if it wasn't for you. I want to know why he came here seeking leverage."

I ground my teeth together, an odd sensation travelling through me when she said that she meant nothing to Vladimir and me. Vladimir's opinion of Bella was obvious. But what was she to me, if anything? I didn't have an answer to that yet. I merely wanted to keep this information from her as a way of protecting her and that thought made me stop short, immediately wondering why I would be feeling as such. I shook my head, both as a way to deflect her questions and rid my mind of such strange conflicting thoughts.

Closing the distance between us, I hoped that the seriousness in my voice would quell her curiosity. "Bella, this is something that you do not need to know as of yet. You're right, you are involved in this, but…" I paused, unsure of how to explain myself. "I'm sorry."

She held my gaze for just a moment longer, then turned away and sighed, clearly frustrated. "Alright."

As soon as she averted her eyes, a scowl briefly marred my face, a reflection of the turmoil currently raging within me. I sucked in a deep breath through my nose in an attempt to center myself and folded my hands behind my back. "Come with me? There are a few things I wish to speak with you about."

I saw mild curiosity spark in her blackened eyes as she looked back at me, her gracefully curved eyebrows pinched together in the center. I could tell she was hesitant and unsure. I had never before asked her to leave the room with me after all. The silence stretched on between us, hanging thickly in the air, carrying on for so long that I was sure she was going to refuse.

At last, she nodded once in acquiescence and I motioned for her to follow me, heading toward the door before she had the chance to change her mind. One half of my mouth curled upwards, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye as she walked beside me silently. I was not oblivious to the contention she felt over having to stay in her room and after our conversation tonight I was hopeful that would change. I already knew she would be accepting of my proposition, as long as she was agreeable to the conditions as well.

Bringing her out onto the fourth floor balcony, I motioned toward a decorative curved stone bench stationed in front of the balustrade. "Please, sit," I requested, settling my gaze on her. "I will return shortly with some blood for you."

I listened to her footsteps approach the bench as I went back inside the castle, going straight to the room that Vladimir and I kept our store of bagged blood. Even though we preferred to feed directly from the source, the blood still deliciously hot, we kept a great deal of blood on hand simply because neither of us had ever denied our thirst no matter how insignificant the burn in our throats. Just as humans satiated their hunger whenever they pleased, we kept our thirst satisfied.

After being alive for so long we had learned to differentiate between the blood types and eventually develop a propensity for one certain type over all the others. My brother had always possessed an exotic taste in all things, especially blood, his favorite being AB, while mine was a more universal O.

Glancing sideways as I poured the contents of an O+ bag into a metal chalice, my gaze settled on the second bag meant for Bella and an unexpected thought suddenly crossed my mind, something that I had never considered before. She possessed a surprising and unnatural resistance to the scent of human blood, denying and fighting against the predator that she was to hunt animals, but that was her choice. Who was I to prohibit her? I could let her hunt as she pleased; the surrounding mountains held all the furry prey that she could sink her teeth into and it wouldn't be an issue for me to accompany her and ensure that she returned to the castle.

I frowned, instantly perplexed by that thought even though it had just come from my own mind. I filled the second chalice, abolishing such a ludicrous notion as I watched the thick red liquid pour out of the bag. Bella belonged to me now. She would do as I said. It was as simple as that.

After tossing the empty bags into a receptacle underneath the counter, I returned to the balcony. Bella's eyes were on me as soon as I stepped back outside, her elegantly long legs crossed and her hands folded in her lap, her expression riddled with anxiety. I stopped in front of her and extended one of the chalices, which she accepted silently, setting it in her lap and staring down at it. I kept my eyes on her as I lowered myself onto the bench, keeping an acceptable amount of space between us, and watched her for a moment before taking a small drink from my cup. I wasn't thirsty exactly, but I never denied myself blood whenever the opportunity presented itself, wanting to share a drink with Bella more out of common courtesy.

"I did a great deal of thinking today," I told her, breaking the uncomfortable silence between us.

Her fingers tightened around the chalice in her hands and I could tell she was dreading my answer. "And…? What did you find out…?"

"Unfortunately, I have yet to come to any conclusions about you," I began, pausing for the briefest of moments. "But I would like to give you more liberty around the castle. I see no need in keeping you confined to your room."

Her reaction is exactly what I thought it would be. She whipped her head up, her dark hair flying about her head from the sheer force of her movement, and stared at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. "W…what?" she stammered, her frame completely rigid.

The thunderstruck expression on her face succeeded in procuring a soft chuckle from me. "You may go anywhere inside the castle or out on the grounds that you like and explore at your leisure," I reiterated. "On one condition."

Her eyes immediately narrowed, the spark of excitement and anticipation my words brought temporarily overshadowed by suspicion. "What condition?"

I inhaled through my nose slowly. "That you stay off the fifth floor," I warned, my voice even and devoid of compulsion.

Her eyebrows pinched together in curiosity and I knew she was aware that I had refrained from using my gift on her, a decision that I was still unsure of. "What's on the fifth floor?" she inquired, unconsciously leaning closer to me.

I turned my head away from her, my mouth straightening into a hard line. I had already divulged too much, far more than I ever had to an outsider, and her piqued interest made the temptation to compel her almost too overwhelming to ignore. I curbed that temptation by bringing my chalice to my lips and taking a small sip, the rich, savory taste of the blood just enough to shift my focus.

"Nothing that you would be interested in," I answered curtly.

The secret on the fifth floor was private; only Vladimir and I knew of what was contained there. Informing Bella of the significance was necessary only so that she would not stumble upon it by accident. And I could only hope that extending such trust would not go unnoticed by her.

Bella offered no reply for many long moments, the night air thick between us, and I took another drink just to keep myself occupied. A part of me was relieved when she took an unnecessary breath to speak, but that relief was short lived. "Can…I ask you a question?" she asked apprehensively.

I brought my gaze back to her and nodded once, suddenly feeling a small amount of apprehension myself. What was she going to ask? And, most importantly, would I even give her an answer? "Of course."

"Why give me this freedom if you're just going to get rid of me or kill me?" she asked hesitantly.

"A valid question," I responded, once again turning away from her as I considered my answer.

"Vladimir seems to think you should. Kill me, that is."

I stopped myself from growling under my breath and shook my head. "Yes, Vladimir has made his opinion abundantly clear. I do not want to kill you, Bella. I never have." I fell silent and clenched my teeth as I stared down at the blood in my chalice, finding it difficult to admit these things to her out loud. "I know I will have to release you eventually, but I am reluctant to do so."

I started listening to the sound of her breathing, my hand tightly gripping my chalice as waited for her to speak. I didn't know why I wanted to hear her reaction so badly and it was maddening. "But…why do you want me to stay so bad?"

I exhaled heavily and looked at her, my eyes locking with hers. "I wish I knew. That is the reason why I left the castle, the reason why I was gone for half the day. I went to find that answer, but it is still eluding me," I explained, and directed my gaze back down at my hands. "I have never…" I trailed off and clenched my teeth, forcefully biting back the rest of that sentence. Transparent honesty with her was still aggravatingly uncomfortable and only succeeded in reminding me of our strange, budding connection.

"You don't have to finish that sentence if you don't want to," she interjected. "I…I get the point."

I shot her a grateful stare as the tension in my shoulders melted away, my grip on the chalice loosening as a result, then lifted it to my lips and took a deep gulp. "In the interim, you may roam the castle freely," I replied, staring down at the remaining liquid in the bottom of the chalice.

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, fixing my gaze on her legs. They were still crossed, the denim of her jeans tightly hugging them, and provided some shapely accentuation to her calf. I suddenly couldn't stop thinking about how soft the skin of those legs were when they'd been wrapped around my waist and I exhaled sharply, turning my head away from her completely.

Why am I thinking about having sex with her? I thought incredulously.

"Thank you," she whispered, a shiver of…something traveling down my spine when I heard the smile in her voice.

I nodded once, then knocked my head back and finished the rest of the blood before rising from the bench. "You're welcome," I said, glancing over my shoulder at her. "Would you like to sit out here for a while or would you prefer to return to your room?"

She blinked wide-eyed at me, the shock over me giving her a choice in the matter written all over her face. "I'll stay out here to finish the blood, thanks."

"Very well," I replied, turning around and coming to stand in front of her. In the back of my mind I knew that I should have bid her goodnight and left the balcony, but I couldn't deny the impromptu urge that had just appeared in my mind, and the most surprising part was I didn't want to.

I bent at the waist and took her hand in mine, gently clasping her fingers, then lifted it to my mouth and lightly kissed her knuckles. I watched her carefully as my lips brushed her skin, watched as her eyes dropped to my mouth and her own lips parted in a soundless gasp. I leaned away and released her hand before I continued to kiss it more, then straightened.

"I will leave you then," I said, beginning to turn away from her in my preparation to head back inside. "Goodnight, Bella."

Her voice followed me as I left the balcony. "Goodnight…Stefan," she murmured.

I barely noticed the passage of time as I walked to my chambers, my thoughts fixated on how my lips were tingling. I did not think it possible, but I felt even more conflicted about what I was going to do with her now than I did when I left the castle this morning, but I was determined to protect her from Vladimir. If I could do nothing else, then I would do that.

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Mortal-paralight & DragonGirl323

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