9. Assassin
Slow, languid kisses and licks brought him back from the Lands of Darkness; a velvety tongue lapped at his wounds with joyous care causing his whole body to forget the pain and anguish he had felt as those claws and fangs tore into his flesh. His skin tingled and his lips opened unconsciously, allowing a small whimper to escape them.
He was safe in the arms of his Master, because there was no one else who could cause him such great pleasure while healing his wounds. Yes it must have been his Sire, no one else. He knew that tongue and the power that flowed over him was too familiar to be faked. Yes it was him.
"Master," Harry sighed, slowly opening his eyes, looking down at the raven black hair that covered his chest at the moment.
His only answer was a mischievous suckle and he threw his head back in pleasure, moaning wantonly at the feeling. But the next moment his memories broke through his hazy mind and he would have bolted upright if two strong hands didn't hold him down by his shoulders.
"Master, please," he didn't even know what was he begging for, yet he couldn't suppress the needy, desperate words. "Sire..."
"Hush now, Childe. You're still too weak to move or think. Everything will be all right," Sanguini whispered reassuringly.
"Nothing will be all right," Harry gasped as those luscious lips enclosed around his nipples. "It was a fucking trap, wasn't it?!"
"Language, Harry!" his Master growled against his mouth before kissing him harshly.
The kiss was full of demands, desperation and fear, it was like the last wish of a man who was sentenced to death and in a sense they were. Harry knew no matter what he said, Aro wouldn't allow his mistake to be taken lightly, because he had sworn not to attack any of the resident vampires in the castle or in Volterra.
"We could destroy them, before–" the young Childe couldn't finish the sentence, because Sanguini's sharp teeth grazed at his neck, nipping the sensitive skin there lightly.
"I said, be silent, my Childe! This is not the time or the place to speak about such a foul thing like revolution. Everything will be all right!" Harry was forced into submission by a more demanding bite and he offered his neck meekly like he should.
His Master was so sure in himself yet, for him, it wasn't enough. The nobles would want their heads, he knew they would. He showed them he was a real threat to them and the first lesson he had to learn after he arrived to Volterra was vampires were just as much cowards as were the humans they were turned from.
But he was helpless, and until his Sire decided otherwise he had to remain silent and enjoy his – probably – last intimate experience in his vampire life. He couldn't look at his Master, he didn't want to see his face, because the shame would be too much to bear.
It was him who condemned them to this fate. It was him who, instead of ignoring the pitiful baits of the wife, decided to act like a fool he used to be as a human, attacking before thinking and it would be him who would bear the consequences. Not his Master, not Marcus. He and only he.
"Sire," Harry moaned a little more loudly this time, his hips rose on their own accord, searching for more friction with the silky fingers that were ghosting over his straining erection.
That sneaky tongue, which was torturing him so sweetly, drew soft circles around his navel, dipping in sometimes, enhancing his senses more and more until he felt like he was aflame by need and desire. His unnecessary breath hitched and he moaned shamelessly, not caring who heard the sounds of his pleasure. He wanted to enjoy his last time to the fullest.
"Yes, Childe, ride your desire, allow yourself to be freed from the shackles of life," Sanguini's always controlled voice rasped with lust and need and the boy just had to see the other's face.
He wanted the sight of the display of raw, uncontrolled emotions on the usually stoic face to burn into his mind, he wanted to treasure the moment until his execution and he wanted this sight to be the last he remembered, because it was just too precious to him. It was a breathtaking sight to behold, the marble features were glowing and the bottomless onyx eyes were swirling with emotions and power. His Master was painfully beautiful that moment.
"I want to feel your powers, Childe. Show me your magic, cover me with it! Embrace me with it!" came the husky snarl and the next second something cool and wonderful engulfed him and at that exact moment something just snapped in him.
The room was filled with a frosty, electrical windstorm, howling, zapping at everything and encircling their feverish body, filling them with something impossible, something never known before. For a moment they felt complete, they were one whole being, greater than anything and anyone... then the moment passed and the incomprehensible feeling disappeared.
Both of them were panting and still achingly hard however neither of them could move, because that sensation had been too overwhelming. Harry's head was spinning and if he were a human he would have been hyperventilating, but because he was an immortal beast he was only struck with the remembrance of humanity.
"Everything will be all right," Sanguini repeated his mantra, and for the first time, Harry believed him.
"I forbid it! Do you understand? I forbid it!" Marcus hissed, staring at his brother with flashing mahogany eyes. "I forbid you to turn him into a monster!"
"But he already is a monster, my brother, and you know it," Aro answered sternly, however his usually overwhelming persona was worth nothing against the other vampire. "He almost killed Athendora and destroyed a whole hall of the castle! And you accuse me of attempting to turn him into a monster?!"
"Don't you dare to blame him, you bastard! Do you think I am blind? Or deaf? Or a moron? Do you think I don't know what are you doing?" Marcus spat with such a fury that surprised his brother. "You want to break him into submission, to turn him into a mindless killing machine so he will do your dirty jobs. You planned everything and manipulated him into your little trap and you thought I would not figure out what are you doing?" This was projected directly to Aro's mind.
"It's for all of our sakes!" Aro said vehemently. "You are not the only one who is a good observer, brother dearest," the crimson eyed vampire couldn't suppress a bitter laugh at this. "I can see, he's draining you, you and your Childe both! I can see as his hunger grows – alongside with his awakening powers – with each passing day, lusting for more! And I won't allow–"
"He barely left his Newborn age, what did you expect?!" Marcus cut in angrily. "My Childe and I were in control, guiding him with the care he needed!"
"Of course you were," Aro mocked with narrowed eyes. "Your brilliant plan to allow him to suck the vitality out of you was just perfect, wasn't it?! It doesn't matter that he took more and more as he became older! He is dangerous, a threat to our lives!"
"So you decided to eliminate him? Or if your first plan didn't work, turn him into your personal assassin?" snapped the wizard born vampire, his tone bordering on hateful. "Your arrogance makes me sick!"
"Really? So it doesn't matter he has the power to destroy us? Have you given any thought to what will happen if he accidentally drains you totally?" Aro shot back just as spitefully. "No? Then I will tell you. He will go mad and slaughter all of us. You think he is an innocent little child, who needs coddling and shielding from the big bad ugly world, but he is not a Newborn anymore and he broke his promise, Marcus."
"His promise? His promise, Aro? You had him swear not to attack anyone in the city no matter what! What kind of promise is that?" The mahogany eyes were glowing with barely contained magic.
"I haven't killed him and his Master, have I? But I cannot allow him to continue terrorizing our people. I have to do something and this is the best solution," Aro said, trying to make his brother see his point. "You haven't seen him, Marcus. You haven't seen the horror he caused. You must understand, we cannot allow him to destroy everything we worked for. He has to learn to be controlled and he has to learn to rely only on himself. Please, Marcus, see reason. I ask you."
Those words tasted like pure acid, burned his throat and tongue like the venom that coursed through his veins and filled him every time he caught the smell of human blood. The first leader of Volturi never asked for anything. He demanded, commanded, ordered, charmed and manipulated, but never asked.
Yet he stood in front of the widowed husband of his only sister and felt nothing of his exceptional willpower. The countless portraits of his dead sister surrounded him, accusing him for a sin he committed without remorse or second thoughts and for the first time in three thousand years, the regret for killing his own blood out of jealousy found him.
Of course he always knew he was far from selfless, just like he always knew he was manipulative and ambitious. And ironically his own selfishness caused him the greatest sorrow, but it wasn't enough to cancel his plans. He wanted to be great, greater and more powerful than anyone and he would have done anything to achieve his goals. And he had done everything.
When he first met Marcus, both of them were humans; young adolescents, not quite reached adulthood, but not children either and he was instantly captivated by the sheer intelligence and willpower the other had. Marcus was everything he wanted to be, a charming, noble hearted, strong young man with alluring mahogany eyes.
Aro wanted to seduce him, to ensnare him, but he couldn't. For some reason, Marcus was immune to his own allure, his sweet words and subtle tactics, and even though he was angered by the other's impassiveness, he had found Marcus interesting and intriguing. He was almost obsessed with the other man, yet when his chance finally arrived to have Marcus, he decided to offer his sister instead of himself no matter how much it broke his already dead heart.
He watched for centuries as his new brother showered Didyme with the affection Aro wanted for himself and didn't do anything to ease the pain in his chest. It was his punishment for his actions and it was alright, because he had his power and connections. He even had a wife, a shining, silent trophy who could never sooth his burning needs and desire. Sulpicia meant nothing to him, she was a gifted woman, yes, but nothing else. To him she was just like Jane and Renata; a prized pet.
But then Marcus and Didyme wanted to leave and Aro couldn't bear the thought of losing the only person who meant something to him for good. He moved without thinking, he killed his sister by pure instincts and even ordered Chelsea to use her power on Marcus to ensure his staying. Marcus had had to stay because he belonged to Aro and no one else.
Marcus had never found out and for centuries Aro was satisfied even if his brother remained silent and apathetic. His mere presence worth the sacrifice, or Aro had thought... Until Harry Potter arrived. The Childe changed everything and shook Marcus out of his lethargy. His brother was shining again, his power embraced him like an intoxicatingly beautiful cloak and it stroked Aro's marble skin every time they touched. It was an addicting feeling and Aro felt his old obsession increase tenfold, urging him to claim the other vampire.
It was his dirty little secret among countless other lies that left his mouth in the three thousand years of his life. Lies, mysteries, covered mishaps, hidden thoughts, disguised emotions and that unknown feeling which were chasing him mercilessly and uncontrollably. Secrets that could never been found out...
"I want to hate you so much!" Marcus said after an eternity of silence.
"It's for everyone's sake," Aro replied, knowing perfectly well he had won.
"I should just kill you," the slightly older vampire scowled. "I should just rip you into tiny little pieces with my bare hands and perhaps then you would realise what a manipulative, disgusting bastard you are! Perhaps then you would realise how much I despise this side of you!"
Marcus stepped impossibly close to him, his beautiful mahogany eyes turned into deadly black from the uncontrolled rage, while his long fingers grabbed Aro's hand and jerked his head back, perfectly demonstrating the differences between them. And he knew he should have felt apprehension and fear, he should have bowed to his brother's will, but instead he was filled with astonishing excitement and hunger, urging him to do crazy things.
"I have allowed you to play with people as if they were simple pieces on your chessboard for more than a millennia. I have watched without a word as your only amusement was to collect exceptionally talented vampires like they were some kind of dolls for a thousand year. I have stood next you for three thousand years while I wanted to do nothing more than to leave you, to give up... to hate..."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, but just cannot allow him... them... to take you... away..." Aro whispered before, not caring for the wise fingers in his hair, he lunged forward and covered those tempting magenta lips with his own icy ones.
That fist kiss was the most horrendous yet most fantastic thing he ever experienced. It represented his surrender and defeat, however he could care less. It didn't matter that he was a coward, pitiful and vulnerable; he couldn't bear it anymore. Three thousand years of living in a world of pure lies were too much even for him. He hadn't wanted to see the obvious; he hadn't wanted to give up his independence, his power over others. Yet the moment their lips met, his seemingly indestructible walls crumbled down like they were made of sand that could be blown away by a simple breeze.
He was clinging to the once husband of his dead sister desperately while they tried to devour each other in a panicked, utterly horrified daze. Both of them knew they had started something irreversible and in addition Aro could live through Marcus' every dread filled thought and hopeless memory behind his closed lids. He could see memories, feelings, thoughts he could had never seen before.
The desire and the dreamlike heat that were oozing from the other's body made him dizzy and drove his senses crazy and he didn't want anything more than to take Marcus there and then, claiming that graceful creature who ensnared him, like he wanted to do the moment they met for the first time. For some perverse reason, he wanted Didyme to see them, entwined on the floor in front of her portraits, showing her who Marcus belonged to.
But it wasn't enough. He wanted those blasted Childes to see too, because he couldn't stand those snippets of memories of those figures on that huge bed, writhing in pleasure and he wanted to destroy the young vampire and his Master because they dared to touch and taint what was his by right, no matter he should have been grateful to them because they brought back the light in those mahogany eyes.
"I need to despise you so much, yet I can't help but lose my mind because of the love I feel while you amuse yourself with your disgusting little toys; ignorant to the world and to my feelings." The thought tore into him without mercy, blasting the desire inducted haze into million invisible pieces around them.
"Everything will be all right," Aro murmured softly as they broke their kiss. "I promise you..."
A/N: Hey guys,
this is not how I planned the chapter in my head, but I'm immensely satisfied with it. Actually when I opened the original document and found the second part of this chapter I couldn't refuse the idea to twist it and put it here. To tell you a little secret Aro and Marcus' part originally was about Harry's going to Forks, but as you want to see Edward coming to Volterra more, I decided to rewrite the scene.
So here it is. Actually one of my favourite scenes alongside with the Caius/Harry scene.
Some more things. I gave Sanguini the ability to heal with his tongue and lips, he's just too sensual in my mind (despite the mask of stoicism) to have some destructive power. Just like I made up Aro and Marcus' history too, because I couldn't find anything about them before becoming a vampire.
And finally, some of you asked if Caius, Aro and Marcus have that disgusting onion skin and strange appearance. Well, no, they haven't. I haven't read the books or seen the films, but the actor who plays Caius is beautiful and I decided to use him (or a modified version of him) as a role model for my Caius.
As for Aro and Marcus, well they striking and powerful in my mind and that just can't be paired up with middle aged men and strange skin. To me they are older than Caius, but not as much as they were in the film.
As today was a relatively good day for me (after yesterday I can almost say I felt great today), I could finish the new chapter and tomorrow will be the big answering every bit of reviews day, so please send me your thoughts and opinions, because I'm interested in what do you think about my stories.
Next prompt:Consequences
Next update: On Tuesday.
Take care,
Lilith
P.S.: On Monday watch out for the next chapter of Antique Slavery and check out my new update schedule too on my profile.
