Sulpicia and Aro's bedroom was awe-inspiring and Anna had to take a moment to gape at it when she walked in. It was all white marble with gilded accents and a vaulted ceiling that featured a mural that appeared to depict her, Aro, Dora, Caius, Marcus, and a few other faces she didn't recognize as the Twelve Olympians. The implication was actually a little amusing, she had to admit. Marcus was sprawled across the fresco, almost naked except for a drape of cloth covering his waist, with a lyre in one hand, apparently depicting Apollo. Sulpicia and Aro were aptly portrayed as Hera and Zeus, while Dora and Caius featured as Aphrodite and Ares. The latter of which seemed particularly fitting, Anna thought to herself.
Sulpicia saw where her attention was and giggled oddly girlishly for someone who was thousands of years old, "Yes, I thought you might find that entertaining."
She flitted through the box, easily organizing it into pants, shirts, and dresses for Anna's convenience and laying them out neatly on the bed.
"Try on whatever you like first. There is a mirror there for you to see," she gestured across the room. "Although we would certainly like to see how they look as well. If you are comfortable with it, of course."
"Thank you," Anna said sincerely.
Sulpicia smiled reassuringly. "It is my pleasure."
Once the door closed, Anna reached out hesitantly to touch the fabrics. They were all so beautiful and soft. She had never owned anything this nice before. She decided to try the shirt closest to her on first. It was a simple black collared shirt, although it had a slight sheen and the cut looked as if it would be flattering on her shape… as she put it on, she knew she was right. It slid right over her and hugged her in all the right places, showing off her figure. So this is how the other half lived, she thought to herself. No itchy polyester blends or unflattering styles and gapping here.
She tried on a pair of the jeans with it and almost sighed. They didn't even bag at her waist or stretch unflatteringly at the hips or gap at the waist, which every girl with large hips had seemed to be cursed with. She looked… good. She was amazed at her own assessment. Was that even a word that could be used to describe her? She looked put-together and, though there were still dark circles under her eyes and her hair was in a haphazard braid, she looked sleek.
"Anna?" she heard Dora call at the door. "Are you alright? Do you need any help?"
"N-no! I'll be out in a minute," she called, and realized she had been admiring herself in the mirror for a little too long. She quickly smoothed her hand over everything to be sure there were no wrinkles and opened the door. They were all grouped together in the sitting area again and she blushed when they all turned to look at her in unison. She felt incredibly awkward just standing there and wasn't sure whether she was supposed to go to them or-
They made her decision for her, thankfully, as Dora and Sulpicia flocked around her, admiring the outfit, adjusting it slightly here and there, and telling her how nice it looked – how it accented her small waist and emphasized the curve of her hips – all the things she knew she should want. She was still uncomfortable with the thought of being physically attractive and had to fight the urge to cover herself from their admiring glances. Sometimes she had those waves of feelings where she didn't want anyone to ever look at her again, as if she had already been seen too much, in too many horrible ways, and had filled her quota for the rest of her life. She just wanted to crawl up in a cave in the desert somewhere. She tolerated the feeling in order to make Dora and Sulpicia happy, though. They had done so much, it was the least she could do for them.
"It needs a little something…" Sulpicia mused, and disappeared into another room for a moment. When she came back, she brought an oversized rose gold chain with her, which she fastened around Anna's neck and took a step back to look.
"There, now it's perfect!" she said, obviously satisfied with the addition.
Marcus hung back, standing in the doorway with his eyes roaming over her figure, not hiding his ogling. She blushed at his blatant appraisal and quickly turned back to the other two women. For some reason, his gaze gave her the complete opposite reaction – she wanted only him to look at her that way. For the rest of their lives… and hopefully very long lives, at that. He smiled when he saw and smelled her reaction. His mate was adorable when she was shy.
As Athenodora was fixing her hair – apparently this had turned into Anna Barbie playtime – Anna revelled in the comfort of her touch, which she decided to allow herself. After spending so much time with them, she did not think they intended her any harm. She had spent long enough with people who did mean to hurt her to know the difference, in her estimation.
Having another woman fuss with her hair brought her back to her childhood, when she had enjoyed that sort of feeling and had loved when her sisters would play with her hair and brush it, and the times when her mother would run her hands through it while she was sick or upset to sooth her. They were good memories. Memories she had buried so far that she hadn't considered in so long that she almost thought she might have forgotten them for good.
Sulpicia's voice broke her out of her reverie and asked, "While you are occupied, would you like to see the plans for your new room? We can begin the renovation this afternoon if you like it! We're finally finished with Marcus' renovation, no thanks to him," she scowled at him playfully as she said it.
"Uh, sure, that sounds good," she said hesitantly. Sulpicia flickered for a moment and Anna realized she had just run and gotten the piece of paper that was suddenly in her hands in the span of a second. She flinched a little in response.
Sulpicia crouched beside the plush dressing chair Anna was sitting in and held the large blueprint in front of her. It had a few paperclips attached of what appeared to be pictures of pieces of furniture and phone numbers neatly printed next to them, as well as paint chips in beautiful shades of egg shell blue, teal, and cream.
Anna was honestly in awe of it. She didn't know anything about interior design, but the pieces she had chosen and the colours were beautiful. Even her untrained eyes could see that clearly. She told her so, sincerity obvious in her tone, and Sulpicia beamed in response.
"I am so glad you like it! We will start immediately!" She disappeared again and Anna flinched once again in response.
She saw Marcus was scowling and Athenodora sighed as well. "Do not let her bother you, Anna. She forgets her manners when she is excited."
Sulpicia was back in another minute and Anna steeled herself against the flinch. She saw her turn toward Marcus and then her eyes widened and she looked back at Anna at human speed.
She walked over to her and knelt down again – something that made Anna uncomfortable, as this beautiful, powerful creature should not be kneeling in front of her.
"Oh my sister, please forgive me. I didn't mean to frighten you. I was distracted and forgot myself."
"That's okay," she responded, eyes widening in surprise. "You didn't do anything. It's really okay."
"I will make certain to move at speeds you are more comfortable with," she responded, and patted her hand before standing back up.
Trying to distract her, Dora sought a subject that may not be uncomfortable for her. "Your hair is so beautiful," she praised. "I understand that humans do not wear their hair this long anymore, and it is so thick and such a beautiful colour."
She saw Anna's smile in the mirror and felt triumphant. "No one else in my family had red hair, my mom used to say I was a changeling left by the fairies. They all had this pin straight brown hair so I definitely stood out a bit.
Sulpicia warred with herself over whether she should ask the question that was eating at her, but did it anyhow, as it seemed an important subject to address, "Where is your mother?"
Anna frowned at the question, searching the other woman's face, before quickly averting her eyes and staring at a spot in the distance, her thoughts apparently a mile away.
"She and my father died in a car accident, along with my sisters."
"When?" Dora asked as well, her face full of sympathy for the obvious suffering of the young girl. She had stopped the movement of her hands, although she watched the girl through the mirror.
"When I was a child. I was raised by my aunt."
"I'm so, so sorry, Anna."
The girl shook her head; something they were quickly beginning to understand was her way of ridding herself of unwanted thoughts. "It was a long time ago. There is no need to think on it now."
She forced a smile. They all knew it was forced, though they said nothing about it. Wanting to distract her from that area of conversation which, once again, made her clearly uncomfortable, Dora returned to the braided hairstyle and steered the conversation back into safer territory. "So, sorellina (little sister) do you speak any languages other than English and Italian?"
Anna tilted her head at the term, however ignored it. She recalled that Marcus had called them her sisters previously as well… as much as she wanted to balk at it, it seemed almost right, somehow. As if her soul already knew they were meant to be sisters. She was trying not to question these preternatural instincts, as so far they had turned out to be correct.
She seemed to be placing pins in her hair, so Anna listed them off as she finished, "I can speak Yoruba and Igbo, though I can hardly write in them. I am the same with Italian. I picked them up conversationally. I can both read and write in English, and I could likely get by with my French and German in a pinch."
"That is impressive for one so young! I would be happy to assist you in any practice you need, as I am fluent in all those dialects."
"How many languages can you speak, Dora?"
"213 at last count, although there is some crossover, of course. And I am constantly in the process of learning new ones, as well as refining the old ones to the dialect currently spoken. Language is such an ever-changing, fluid thing. Even moreso now with all the globalization." She took a step back to look at her handy work. "And I'm done. You look marvelous!"
"Four languages doesn't sound quite so impressive when compared to 213," Anna grimaced at the reminder of their superiority.
"Well, I have had a few millennia head start! For one so young, you are very learned. It is admirable."
Dora held up a mirror so Anna could see the back of her hair. She didn't know how she had done it. Her usually long, boring hair was twisted into many braids and piled into an elegant bun that didn't look too formal or casual for the look, but completed it perfectly.
"That's beautiful, how did you do it?"
Dora winked at her and said saucily, "Magic."
Sulpicia then pouted at her a little and said, "Well that is all fine and good, Dora, but now she cannot try on the rest of her clothes!"
"I'm sure she can try them on in her own room," came Marcus' voice of reason. "For now she must go see the doctor and then eat lunch."
Both women sighed dramatically before kissing Anna on the cheek before she departed.
"We will see you later, Anna. Enjoy your afternoon," Sulpicia told her. "I will deliver your clothes to your room for you."
"Thank you Sulpicia and Athenodora this was actually…" she tried to find the right word, her brow creased a little, "… fun."
And what a strange feeling it was.
The meeting with the doctor went as expected - a little uncomfortable, however not overly horrible. He told her he could barely tell she had ever been injured in the first place. If it weren't for the obvious healed break in the xrays, she wouldn't have believed it either. She felt perfectly fine, if a bit tired still.
"Well, Signor Volturi, I do not know that my services will be needed any longer," he said as their meeting came to an end. "This remarkable young lady seems to be the perfect picture of health."
Marcus nodded at him curtly and said, "We will settle this later, then. Leave your bill in my office. Thank you for your time, Doctor."
He stood up to see the Doctor out and retrieved a tray of food, which he placed in front of her on the table when he returned. It was a large salad with pieces of steak and goat cheese in it. She couldn't hold back the little moan that escaped her. The food here was perfect. Gourmet, but not to the point of being inedible to her slightly unrefined palette.
Marcus felt himself harden in response to the pleased noises of his mate and had to contain his own response. He didn't want to frighten her. She had already had enough upset for one day. He frowned a little at the thought and told himself he could not be angry with Demetri. After all, he had exercised a reasonable amount of caution. His instincts told him a different story, however. They told him he should rip the offending man into tiny shreds and burn them as he did with the foul nomad that had tried to kill his mate… it was fortunate for Demetri that he had so many millennia of controlling his instincts. Although this little human had done quite a number on them, forcing responses from him he had never felt in his entire existence.
"If it's okay with you…" she began, pushing the empty plate away from her. She cleared her throat, "I was thinking I might have my nap."
"Of course that is okay, piccola. Would you like me to stay with you?"
She was overcome with the wave of instincts that seemed to try and cajole her to say yes. It itched at her consciousness, promising that he would keep her safe, make her comfortable, purr for her…
"Oh," she squeaked. "I couldn't ask you to do that..."
"Is that what you would like, my mate?" his voice was sinfully melded with that purr and it sent delicious shivers down her spine.
"Y-" her voice was barely more than a high pitched squeak. "Y-yes, I would," the last two words were barely audible.
"Then I will stay with you."
The way he said it, she knew there was no arguing. And not because she would be punished if she did – but because she knew she didn't want to.
She ended up falling asleep in a chair in front of the fire, reading a book that pictured a young boy with a scar on his forehead standing in front of a train. He had taken it out of her hands once she was in a deep sleep and read it. It was interesting what humans were interested in nowadays, though it seemed the fascination with witchcraft and magic never went out of style.
He carried her to his newly remodeled bedroom and laid her in the plush bed. It seemed to swallow her as he tucked the covers up to her chin and lit a fire. He debated whether it be inappropriate to be in bed with her… it would not be the first time and after the initial shock she hadn't seemed adverse to it the previous times.
He considered it for a few moments and decided to chance it. The opportunity to have her soft body against his was too good for him to pass up. He slid in behind her, wrapping his arms around her small body and pulling her snugly against him so he could feel every inch of her. This was how it was meant to be with a mate, he knew, as if you were coming home. A home made just for you, that fit in ways you never could have imagined, even in 3000 years.
She awoke to a feeling she was becoming very accustomed to – and even fond of, if she were being honest, with him wrapped around her… she did not even feel frightened at it. Marcus was not dangerous. To others, maybe. She could tell he would be a fierce opponent if challenged. And she had seen some of the looks he gave people around them when they frightened her. But to her, he was only safety.
A hand trailed through her hair, signaling that he knew she was awake, and she sighed happily at the feeling. He continued it for a few minutes, both of them enjoying the exercise. He asked softly after a little while, "Are you hungry, my darling? Your dinner should be ready soon."
Her voice was still slightly groggy when she answered, "A little, but I don't want to get out of this bed…"
She looked around at the dim light, not recognizing the room. She pushed herself to sit up slightly, pulling her legs up to her chest as he followed, lounging back against the headboard. "Where are we?"
"We are in my room. Sulpicia had it updated, in the event that you ever wanted to spend time here."
"Sulpicia really has a talent for this whole decorating thing, doesn't she?"
He smiled. "Indeed. Our family is all exceptionally talented. Sulpicia with her design, Athenodora with linguistics, Aro and his… charisma, or leadership, perhaps you could say, and Caius has an unparalleled mind for business."
"And what about you? What are your exceptional talents?"
"I am highly…" he leaned in closer to her, his eyes melting into hers and his tantalizing scent filling her nostril. The last word was practically purred, "Strategic."
She felt a shiver go through her and she knew he was not only talking about battle or business…
He smiled at her when he saw it and her eyes almost fluttered closed at how thoroughly he was overwhelming her senses without even touching her.
He was eager to repeat that kiss they had shared, even though she had been very flustered afterward. He leaned in slowly – even slowly by her standards. He wanted to tease her, as well as letting her know his intentions and giving her every opportunity to say no. He did not want to force her into anything she did not desire.
She didn't stop him, though. Her eyes dilated further as his scent became stronger and finally their lips met in the sweetest, softest brush and she sighed.
It was short and sweet and when they broke apart she felt her heart flutter from the look in his eyes. He ran a hand lightly over her face, tracing it down to her jawline before smiling at her, the sight of which put her in serious danger of melting from how beautiful it was. His smile was so perfect. All of him was perfect - too perfect for one as flawed as her, and yet she did not have it in her to deny that they belonged together.
"Come, piccola," he said, climbing out of the bed gracefully. "It is time for you to eat."
She shuffled closer, nowhere near as gracefully, and tried to right herself. Her hair was likely a fright and her clothes were rumpled. She tried to smooth them down and, once she was satisfied it was as good as it was going to get, she followed him. Unexpectedly, he combed his fingers through her hair, righting any errant loose strands and tugged on her shirt to straighten it before holding out his hand to her. She looked at it, then up at him to see him smiling gently at her. Without hesitation she took it, following him to wherever he would lead her.
Glossary:
Hera: (Lat. Juno) The goddess of marriage and wife of Zeus. She was often portrayed as incredibly jealous of all his affairs
Zeus: (Lat. Jupiter) The Big Daddy, god of thunder and lightening and king of the gods
Aphrodite: (Lat. Venus) The goddess of beauty, desire, sex. Quite powerful and more than a little mischievous
Ares: (Lat. Mars) The god of war, although he was more associated with the bloodlust rather than military tactics or strategy, which was governed by Athena.
Apollo: (Lat. Apollo) The god of music, prophecy, and the plague. Had terrible luck in love and had a nasty habit of breaking his toys (see: Cassandra, Daphne)
