A/N: I read all the books written by Stephenie Meyer, but try as I might, this fact won't make me become her, so she's the owner of the characters from the Twilight saga. I'm only the author of this smutty fiction intended for adults. And since I got a marvelous 7 reviews(give or take) for my last chapter, I want to thank you again, dear readers. Keep them coming, and I'll keep updating. Enjoy.
Chapter 9
Edward meets Bella
EPOV
It was late in the afternoon when my brother Emmett joined me in my apartment, a huge smile upon his face. Unfortunately, this didn't make him look smarter… not that my elder was stupid; he was merely a man without intellectual pursuits. He didn't seem to think much and he found happiness in the simple things in life. Sometimes I envied his ability to enjoy the daily activities we were expected to do outside of the training of the slaves.
As for me, when I wasn't chatting with my father or fencing with Jasper and Emmett, I didn't have much to occupy my time. The current pool of slaves didn't need much training anymore and they were behaving well, so I couldn't punish them either. The only variation in my weekly routine was when the Volturi sent me on an errand, but it occurred only on very rare occasions.
"Heck, brother, you look ecstatic!" I remarked when Emmett collapsed on my chaise longue.
Of course, I already had some idea as to why he was paying me a visit.
"We found five survivors on the seashore, Edward!" he said excitedly.
"There's clearly more to this. I've never seen you with a smile that big before," I replied, curiosity starting to get the best of me.
"You want to know about the freight, don't you?"
"Holy fuck, Emmett! Give me details before I lose my cool!" I snapped.
"All right, all right! There's a young man who will be perfect for the work in the fields, an older lady who will fit in the kitchens, and three startling young beauties!" my brother exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
I raised an eyebrow, my doubt evident. "This seems too good to be true. How old are those girls? Don't tell me you brought back some whining, pre-pubescent adolescents?"
"Jesus, Edward! What are you thinking?" my brother boomed, his voice full of indignation. "I wouldn't be this happy if I had come back with a bunch of crying teenagers! No, I'm telling you it's the best possible situation. The captives are three aristocrats approaching twenty, the perfect age."
Nobility? That would be a first in the harem's history. Up until now the harem consisted of poor girls who left their villages to avoid starvation, of foreigners bought at the slaves market of Candie, or even of inhabitants of Volterra who had been noticed by one of the Volturi brothers when they went out of the citadel to inspect their domain.
"If I'm getting this right, those girls were not afraid enough of you so as to lose their ability to speak?" I asked, more interested by the second.
"Jasper played the part of the good Samaritan with them at first. You know how convincing he is when need be. So we learned directly from the older woman that her three protégées were the marquise de Courville, the comtesse de Marillac and the duchesse d'Essanges," Emmett continued.
Being part of the nobility myself, I knew fairly well how these young women must have been raised. They learned politeness and good manners, conversation skills without a doubt, and probably a plethora of useless skills such as playing the harp or water painting, or even horseback riding or chess, if their parents were liberal enough. In short, they were young, educated girls who were destined to be married to lords with the same social background. The families who arranged weddings between their respective heirs were conventional most of the time, and I was almost certain that we would have to train three virgins who didn't know the first thing about sex.
"Emmett, you know as well as I do that young aristocrat girls are kept ignorant about anything related to their sexuality," I sighed.
"I'm not sure that's the case here, but if I'm wrong, I can assure you that I'm very willing to change this situation, brother," he answered playfully.
"And what if the Volturi wanted to screw some virgins for a change?" I asked pointedly, in part to see my elder's reaction.
Truth be told, I was hoping that if the new slaves were virgins, the Volturi wouldn't learn about it too quickly. If I didn't have enough time to explain some of the rules and hard limits regarding their masters, those girls wouldn't be able to stop the Volturi from abusing their power. They wouldn't know better so they wouldn't protest. I was still thinking about the taper Tanya had barely avoided. The Volturi were foolish and cruel enough to try again with an innocent victim. Tanya knew better than to agree to every one of Aro's fancies, whereas the new slaves would be in the dark about what was unacceptable.
"Hopefully not, Edward, and when you see these gorgeous creatures, you'll understand why I'm so enthusiastic!"
"And where are they right now?" I asked.
It was part of my duties to verify the quality of the merchandise meant for the Volturi, and it was something I both enjoyed and took very seriously.
"Well, given that it's the beginning of the evening, they're probably done with their baths and in the common room," Emmett answered.
"I'm going to speak with Felix and Demetri, then," I said. "We never know, maybe they will have details to share with me. The girls are usually cooperative and comfortable with them."
And so I abandoned my brother to his fantasies about the new prisoners. I took the corridor that led to the eunuchs' quarters. Their apartments were connected to the harem by an indoor garden. The path I used prevented me from crossing the seraglio, a forbidden place for any male living in the palace, except for the eunuchs. I didn't need to knock at the door to speak with Felix and Demetri; they expected me at any hour of the day, especially when new slaves were brought in and delivered to them.
"How did the bath time go with the new acquisitions?" I asked without any other introduction.
"The duchesse wouldn't let me touch her. She was worse than a wild beast," Demetri disclosed. "And the little comtesse is very ticklish but it's hard to tell if she's experienced."
"Do you know if they are still virgins?" I inquired.
"The tall blond, I'd be surprised. She told me she would never lower herself as to be fondled by a subordinate. Her words, not mine," Demetri replied.
"And what about you, Felix, with the others?" I asked.
"The governess is still beautiful even though she's not in her twenties anymore. Too bad the Volturi don't want to play with more experienced women… they are missing something."
"She'll be assigned to the kitchens and won't be bothered. It's for the best," I stated.
"But not for you, comte," Felix pointed out.
I had decided I wouldn't be in charge of the slaves that were over thirty. If the Volturi were interested in women past this age for their sexual games, I let Emmett train them. He was less picky than I was. But in general, anyway, the Volturi preferred girls who were at the dawn of their twenties, and even younger. In fact, it was the reason why they wanted Tanya and Irina out of the harem: they just didn't meet their criteria anymore. Tanya had been Aro's favorite, which is why he wanted to get a chance to sodomize her before he let her go.
"And the marquise, Felix? What do you have to report about her?"
"She isn't talkative, but she is quite a beauty, really. And she is also very sensual. But for the rest, I couldn't say if she is unspoiled…" Felix trailed off.
I didn't need to hear more, anyhow. I would find out soon enough. I would start the taming of those girls as early as tonight. And with any luck, I would find an excuse to discipline at least one of them. I was starting to regret not having asked Emmett more details about the journey from the beach to Volterra. If I had learned the prisoners had misbehaved, I could have acted upon it. But my brother has probably gone to help Jasper corral the slave workers back to their housing. Damn it!
"All four of them are back in the dormitory, Felix?" I asked.
"Well, now that I think about it, I don't recall seeing the marquise de Courville again after I left her alone to get dressed, comte," the eunuch replied.
"Do you mean you lost her?" I asked, barely containing my frustration.
The slaves were never to be left all by themselves, not even for a minute, and there were many reasons for that rule. The most important reason was that the Volturi's palace was gigantic and labyrinthine as well. It was easy to get lost if one was not totally familiar with the layout of the rooms and passageways. That's why one of my responsibilities was to escort the slaves from one place to another. It had happened, not very long ago, that some women went missing in the maze of hallways, stairs and secret chambers the castle was made of. They had been found after many days, half dying of hunger and thirst. I tried by all means to avoid that from happening again.
"That's correct, comte," the servant admitted, his voive barely audible.
"Let's hope the girl has a brain and that she will have found her way back, then," I muttered with clenched teeth.
I made my way to the entrance of the women's quarters and asked for Kate, who was always aware of anything that was going on inside the harem. She came to me shortly after.
"What can I do for you, oh almighty master?" she asked, sarcastic.
"Don't try to humor me, gorgeous," I replied a little coldly. "Do you know if the four new slaves have returned to the resting room?"
"The ingénue brunette never came back, Edward, and her friends are starting to be concerned about her absence," she answered, all sarcasm vanished from her tone.
"Fucking shit!" I snapped.
I tried to envision the path the thoughtless marquise de Courville might have taken. I knew there was a door in the spa room that accessed a corridor outside the harem. I decided to go check there first. Assuming that the captive had exited the harem by this door, she could have turned left or right. I would have to guess, but instead of making me feel impatient, this waste of time pleased me. I wouldn't have to invent a reason to take that new slave into the training room. She had given one to me on her own. It was never too soon to learn the rules of discipline that applied in the palace.
I opted for the left side of the hallway. I was having a hard time comprehending why this girl had exited the harem. She must have realized that she was out of the permitted area. The corridors at ground level and below were weakly lit, and there was nothing worthy of a stroll for a young noble lady. Moreover, it was silent and sinister because the confined space in this passageway muffled sounds instead of amplifying them. It made me think that the marquise must have a liking for all that was gloomy, and for a few seconds I enjoyed the idea of giving her what she was looking for, reckless as she was: a good fright. But then again, I didn't want her to have a heart attack right there in front of me.
I walked along the corridor for a while before I could distinguish a slender motionless silhouette with her back toward me a couple of feet away. Obviously she didn't hear me coming her way, so I could observe her more attentively before she noticed me. Emmett had not exaggerated; the girl who was absorbed in admiring the pictures adorning the walls was truly breathtaking. Or at least, what I could see of her from behind was. She had long mahogany hair falling to the middle of her back and she was wearing one of those light and suggestive outfits that were standard for all the sex slaves. I feasted my eyes on the view of her buttock cheeks. They were round and firm and barely hidden by the fuzzy translucent blue fabric of her long skirt. She had the most exquisite curves a man could dream of. But I still had to verify that her face matched the magnificence of her body. So I made her aware of my presence.
"Either you're lost, or you're looking for trouble," I said with a neutral voice as to not frighten her.
The young woman turned swiftly to face me, and I saw her striking brown eyes open wider with surprise. Or was it admiration? I knew the effect I had on women because of my good looks, but the girl was overly shocked, it seemed. Actually, it was kind of ridiculous. The slave acted like she didn't know where she was for a moment. She was looking everywhere and touching her arms as to confirm she was awake. I let her continue acting confused for a while because it allowed me to evaluate the perfection of her delicate features, which reminded me of a porcelain doll. Good God, she was lovely! She was biting her lower lip, and only at that moment did I notice she had a huge purple bruise below her eye on the right side of her otherwise pale face. The contrast between her light skin and the dark mark was troubling.
Felix had told me she was not loquacious, but I began to worry that she might be aphasic.
"My brother Emmett told me about three exceptional young beauties, but he forgot to mention one of them was mute…"
Fucking hell! Maybe the girl was deaf as well, for she was starring intensely at me but she didn't seem to understand that I was trying to make her speak. My courteous smile disappeared instantly and I asked dryly, "Who are you? And what are you doing outside of the harem?"
Of course I already knew who she was, but my question made her react at last. She took a deep breath and said very fast, "I'm Isabella Marie Swan, marquise de Courville. I am at your service, my lord, as soon as I find my way back."
What was it with all the women wanting to serve me? This one, however, probably didn't realize the double meaning in her answer. "Well, marquise de Courville, I'm Edward Cullen, comte de Morvalle, and I'm not your lord. I'm here to tame and train the slaves. And believe me, I can already tell that you need some breaking."
I closed the distance between us and grabbed her arm forcefully to bring her back to my quarters. She was going to see what the cost was for defying the rules so shortly after arriving in Volterra.
Don't you want to slap Edward? I know I want to...
And of course I need to thank my dear beta Just4ALE for her precious help. My story wouldn't be half as good without it.
