"Heath—"
He threw up a hand to stop me from continuing. "Why didn't you wait for me?"
I was silent for a moment but I would not take this from him. Who was he, to command me? And wasn't he my loyal servant, sent to do my bidding? "Silence your tongue, Heath."
"You don't control me anymore. Aro does."
"But I control our future."
"And I am ending it here." His breath was calm, erythematic. Habit. Mine was inactive. "You've messed with me long enough, using me."
"I have never once used you."
He barked out a harsh laugh full of menace and vengeance. "I never once saw you make an effort to make me feel better. You reveled in the fact that I adore you; watch your every move like your dear Corpus."
"I could care less of what you think about me."
"No!" He pointed a finger at me with a jab. "You do care. You don't see yourself properly. You've used people since the day you were born! Your mother! Me! Even the men that fought today and some that died." He thrust his arm down and glared with resentment at me. "Did you ever once think that I would tell Aro? I planned on it—to keep you from him. He is the very pit of evil."
"How so when you helped him save me? When you—a former captive from England—guided my husband in his execution of what to do with me?"
"I did what was necessary to protect you!"
"I don't need your protection."
"You don't understand."
"What?! What don't I understand?"
"He is poison!"
"Do you think you would be better for me?"
Heath looked as if he were to cry. He held out a hand limply, motioning to me to come to him. I refused. "I am infinitely better for you. I would even prefer it if you stayed with Aro. Just don't go to him, to King. He's already turned your mind—no man should have that control over something so special."
"It is you who don't understand." I drew in a cold breath and lifted up my eyes beneath my lashes. Yep. Completely and totally consumed by hatred for me. "He is my world, my other half…you don't know the story…"
"I know it well enough, Dark…the angel."
"Never call me that."
"That's what you were. The two innocents, the angels that fell from heaven to be enraptured by Lucifer and his mignons—to be turned into his Prince and Princess. The Angel of Darkness and her King…"
"Shut up!" I snarled ruefully.
"No! And I—I was the loyal servant, swept up into your embrace and always held there to protect you—to swear my allegiance!"
"Then swear it! Swear to me you will not tell Aro!"
"I am no longer yours to control. Bound by blood to the brother that sought the thrown of your King. I must tell him now."
"I hate you."
"And I hate you."
Blood had been spilt in the room where I now stood, but it was the blood of our hearts.
"I'm leaving." I whispered.
"I know."
In a flicker he was gone and I had only minutes. Angel of Darkness, her King, her slave…all of it made perfect sense and yet…
Things were still unanswered. I needed him at that moment. Corpus was the only one who could help me.
"Aro!" Heath yelled the second the door to the main chamber opened. It was vacant except for the three brothers who snapped up their heads at the sound of a voice.
"Was she successful?" Aro asked in a blur of words incomprehensible to the human ear.
Heath roughly shook his head. "She fell to him."
"Impossible." Aro murmured to himself as he stroked his chin. "We mentally prepared her."
"She knew, Aro. She must have known."
Aro began to pace around with a purposeful slowness. "Then that means that someone told her."
Heath stood still knowing there would be only two outcomes to telling the truth. He would either be killed in which case he could have cared less if he was to never see Lilly again. Or he would live as Aro's ultimate death dealer to hunt her down and drag her back. Both were invigorating but had dire outcomes.
"You knew, I suspect."
Heath nodded once.
"How many are dead?"
"Helena, Damian and Navid."
"Bring me the others, but tell Patricio, Felix and Demetri to wait outside."
Heath did as he was told, bringing the assembled to the main chamber where it was sealed off. Where was Lilly? She must have been packing or—already gone. Aro smiled slyly and that was when Heath knew. Death was upon them—all of them. But he, the servant to the Angel, was to die. And that was the worst part. He couldn't care much for death as he had lived through it once before. To never see the angels' face again, however, posed a problem. He had failed in protecting once and had done so again. The circumstances were different but still, he was a failure.
All Heath could remember in that instant was a ripping sound of uncontrollable torment and then—all was still.
I stumbled into the main chamber, no longer able to control myself or my thoughts. I didn't care if he knew or if my brain ran amuck into his own. He wasn't going to keep me in this castle. No one was going to stop me.
I hardly noticed the pristine cleanliness of the chamber which was usually only this way after they feed. They must have done so to distract him. But oddly, I hadn't run into any members of the coven who fought with me that day. Just Patricio, Felix and Demetri were waiting outside the doors.
"Aro!" I called out desperately. I couldn't just leave abruptly without telling him. He would follow me.
"Over here, Lilly."
I tapped quickly over to him and like a small girl, yanked on his robes to make him focus his attention on me. "I'm leaving back to Washington. My family needs my help." My words were on constant string of hums, not coherent words as they often were.
"I know."
"I'm not staying."
"I know."
I observed his face to find him calm, reserved and smiling silently to himself.
"You're not mad?"
"You said you would leave and I expected as much."
"Right, then—erm…I'll be off."
I was still in my "armor" and my heels made small clicks as I ran for the door.
"I could never keep you from him." A whisper came to me just as I placed one foot outside. The others were watching me skeptically and—was that a hint of hatred? I retreated back inside the chamber and shut the doors but rested my hands on the doorknobs. Aro continued. "I know you didn't kill him. How could you when all I was doing was keeping you from him? I should have foreseen it, the inevitability of it all, how very much attached you are to him. I even forgot the story…"
"Where is Heath?" I asked feeling something not quite right with the whole situation. Shouldn't he be here or outside, hating me with the others?
"He is dead, Lilly."
"Dead?" No….no that—that was impossible. He was the servant sent to protect me.
"He was the other angel sent from heaven to protect you—but like all angels that fall, he was tainted by the dark."
"So—he is no longer under the protection of heaven?"
"Was."
My hands violently shook themselves into nervousness, the metal rattling with them. "Why would you kill him? He was only doing his job."
"After he partook of the dark fruit his orders were to serve me and he did—until a few months ago. But the problem lies within me, not the others I have slain."
"Others?"
"I couldn't keep the ones bound to me without them knowing the secret as well. Only Patricio, Felix and Demetri are loyal servants who won't shed a word on this day."
I bit my lower lip to try and hold in the angst. "You are evil."
"Just as you."
"But I have a reason for living—and I have the light. My King."
"Yes, your king, my brother. What difference does it make? There are no gray areas when it comes between evil and good. The humans are good and we are evil. Our very name sends the shiver of death up the world's spines."
"I have to go now, Aro."
"And I won't stop you. But know this, The Angel of Darkness Lillith Carolina Scuro Vespacelli, you are not welcome here any longer."
I lifted the handle and moved to open the door once again when he gave his last words. "I will have your things sent back to you, Dark."
And that was the first time in the vampire world that I would be known again as Dark. Now, in both worlds, I was not just a simple mortal. I was Dark, the ancient vampire cast down from heaven as a test to see if darkness could prevail—and it had. Many had forgotten it, almost all except for a chosen few. But the story would be retold upon the recollection of my name. And as I stepped from the chamber, Aro's last words sending me ice all over my bones, the others heard my name being called. Their stances stiffened, and their curt nods were of respect because they were there. They had witnessed my fall and destruction and they knew who I was.
They knew who Corpus was.
I had a lot to contemplate on my way over to Colorado. I hadn't given Corpus a specific place to meet me—but that was unimportant. What was important were my unexplained answers. What had caused me to commit such a crime as suicide? And what exactly was the story of my fall again? I knew there was some importance to the reason why I came back. Was I untouchable? Was that why no one could kill Corpus?
I laid my head back and sighed contently. So many questions that could be answered later. I was only hours away from him. I was also almost positive that he would trigger some memory in me that opened up more doors to explain everything…
My cell rang and just as it reached its second buzz I had answered it. "Lilly speaking."
"Dark, where was it you wanted to meet?"
My heart soared, my head spinning. Just the sound of his voice set me off into a frenzy. "Dublin and Haven. There is an abandoned house to the right of the intersection where no one ever ventures near."
"I would much prefer a hotel."
"Why?" Plenty of reasons. It was probably more convenient to talk amongst fine furnishings instead of a dusty room.
His soft chuckle sent me thrills all over my skin. "I'm not used to rickety old houses. I've been living in luxury for quite some time."
"But—you were in that castle."
"Not mine. I'll show you where I lived but for now, we have business to attend to."
I nodded even if he couldn't see me. "The Broadmoor?"
"Perfect." He whispered into the receiver.
I shut the phone exhaling in excitement of my future meeting with my only dream…
The Broadmoor was particularly crowded that day as I stepped to the register, people ogling at my outfit. It was couture, but still a bit outlandish for such a place. This place was of elegance and luxury—not anorexic models in black Goth costumes. The lady at the register smiled politely ignoring my dress. "The Galliano fashion shoot is just down the hall to the left."
"Oh, I'm not here for that." I blushed feeling ridiculous and the woman sharply gasped. I must have begun to glow and I was worried she might comment. But she controlled her emotions, whipping them into shape in a matter of moments.
"I'm sorry but all of our rooms are booked."
"Maybe he already booked a room." I nibbled my lower lip in nervousness. What if we couldn't talk in private?
"Yes, I did." A voice came from behind me. People were in aw of the sound and as I slowly creaked around to face my reason for existence, others did as well. His presence commanded attention and it had always caught mine. I could have fallen into him right there yet I held my composure like I was taught as a little girl. I linked my hand onto his arm and we were the Lord and Lady again visiting an eloquent castle for the spring. "The room is the King's sweet," I noticed his wink at me though his face hadn't moved, "and it's under Vespa."
"Ah, yes, here you are. The room is ready for you." She handed Corpus a key, eyed us two in wonder and called for the next person.
Our footsteps didn't touch the floor as we fled off towards the upper part of the building and into the King's sweet. I hadn't even seen the faces of the people that watched us or the whispers that past us. All I saw was him.
He shut the door and turned to me with a twinkle in his black eyes. No red rimmed them. "There are many things left unexplained." He took my hand and led me over towards the balcony. That's when I noticed how cloudy it was. That's why there were so many people inside—they didn't like the rain. I laughed softly as we threw open the doors and stepped outside onto the balcony. It was separate from the rest of the other balconies, signifying its importance. "But first thing first." He put his hand on my waist, my figure molding into his like it was always meant to be there, and his penetrating eyes were softened by my small smile. "I missed you, Dark." With one hand, he lifted up my chin, my hair spilling over his other arm that held up my waist and he sighed with longing. My eyes shut as he pressed his icy lips on mine and I felt like a human again. He was stronger, colder, handsomer and more graceful than I and yet he loved me all the same. I parted my lips and his teeth bit roughly onto my bottom lip. The venom oozed out but it would never harm me. I slid my hand into his hair and held on with all my strength. The music sounded again like the trumpets of heaven and I could see it. I could see heaven when I was with him. Everything was light and all the darkness of our lives couldn't stand against it.
He pulled away abruptly making me franticly scan his eyes as to why he would do such a thing.
He laughed at me and kissed the tip of my nose. "We only have an hour."
My shoulders fell limply but I wasn't too sad. Besides, I was to be with my family soon. "Oh Corpus…" I hummed ruffling my hand through his hair like I did when we were first married. "My other half…"
His grin made my legs turn into jelly. "My soul."
He released me but followed close behind as I weaved my way back into the room. We were encased again but it felt like there were no limitations to our happiness. He reached for my collarbone, tracing it with his fingers until he found my chain. Gently, he tugged it from underneath my blouse where it clasped free from my neck. He took the hand that he had been holding my left and slid the ring onto it with care. Perfect fit. "You should have never taken it off."
"In a town like Forks, one doesn't flaunt such a thing freely. And I highly doubt that an eight year old would have something so extravagant."
"If not for Aro, you wouldn't have ever experienced eight again."
I tapped his cheek with my free hand, my fingertips brushing back the hair that was in his face. The work of God, my King, my angel… "Tell me the story again."
"You've heard it many times."
"But you know I only like it when you tell it."
He fell back onto a finely decorated couch and I wrapped myself into his lap comfortably. "Very well, where was it I always began?"
"We, the two original innocents not to be confused with Adam and Eve, fell from the sky…"
"Ah, yes." He cleared his throat even though there was no need while his thumb traced circles on my open palm. "We, the two original innocents not to be confused with Adam and Eve, fell from the sky to test the evil ways of the world with something so pure and good that not even Lucifer himself could stand to look at us. We had been trained dutifully in the eye of heaven to succeed all evil and set the world back into the light from the dark ages. But, as all things that learn the ways of the world, we observed that it was easier to be of the world than to be in it. And so Lucifer captured our hearts and made us one of his immortals forever trapped in a world of gliding beauty, eternal life, and loneliness." I hated the part that came next and the hairs on my skin stood up. "For our sins, God punished us and separated us calling your soul back and mine to remain here. To where your soul went, no one knows, but your strength to endure was impeccable. All through the earth you wandered in search of me," a sudden flash of endless rains and winters danced by my vision as he spoke, "and it wasn't until you were given a new life in which I was to find you that we were together again." This was my favorite part, the binding of our souls. "A molecular force held us together and we swayed along like seaweed in the oceans never lamenting our lives or our damnation. Our story was widely known but then—"
I placed a finger onto his lips and shushed him. "No more…I don't want to hear anymore…"
"That part didn't exist when you were last alive."
"And I wish to never hear it."
"You haven't changed."
I felt sick suddenly, the room spun and I was weak. "I have to ask you some things."
"I'm all yours." His smile was dark, devious—a God's.
"Why such perfect English? You spoke to me through my paintings in old English and yet here you sit, perfectly at ease with modern language."
"So do you."
"But I was born into it."
"And I have changed myself to fit the times. The only thing I wish to keep the same is my hair…it would never grow back if I cut it."
"Don't, I adore your hair long."
I ran my fingers through it and inhaled his scent. What was my next question? "Loose yourself again, lills?"
"No…I just can't seem to recall—oh! Yes…that's right. Why did I come back now?"
"That's a loaded question." He rubbed his fingers up and down my neck casually lost in his theories. "My only explanation is that we could never be separated. Man and woman, the Angel and the King."
"Would anyone believe we still exist?"
"Only ones who saw us in the beginning and those that witnessed our fall in the eighteenth century."
"How long have I been gone?"
"You were officially pronounced dead in 1793."
"That's not too long to wait for me…"
"Long enough. It felt like I was missing an arm, leg, eye, ear…I couldn't get up from our castle for a hundred and fifty years after that. I purposefully put myself into a coma." His smirk was sad and once again lost in memories I didn't share with him. "Why did you do it?"
I was suddenly unbearably uncomfortable. I moved myself slightly and his wrists caught mine. I summoned my strength hoping to flee so I wouldn't have to answer and I only found the normal strength of a mortal. He was much stronger than I had ever been and this frightened me. "Please, Corpus."
"Tell me. I never found an answer…"
"Because they would have made me kill you. Only I can kill you…remember…"
"But you committed the act of final sin. Dark—"
"Do you think it was easy for me?" I muttered sharply. "You were still able to live in your own skin you've had since our rebirth and I have had to grow up three times. You're selfish!" I cried out, this time successfully moving from his lap and across the room.
"You're completely right! And I've told you that many times—I am a selfish monster. But you would be a hypocrite if you didn't say you were as well. The whole purpose of your life was to find me, to seal us together again in a bind unbreakable."
"Which, by the way has proven breakable two times."
"No…it was never broken. That is why you came back to me—because it was never broken. The only way you could kill me, Lilly, is if you did not love me anymore."
"How could I not love you? I have tried, but it never worked."
"You never tried and you would be a fool to say you had."
"And if I didn't love you?"
"Then we would be broken and two very lost souls. I think that we would actually just be carcasses and contain no soul. We're both selfish together, I suppose."
"But—if I gave everything I had to you isn't that the most unselfish act? What would be my purpose now?"
"You have forgotten apparently."
"Perhaps."
His hands were stroking my shoulders sweetly and I was suddenly lost of all my anger. "You receive my protection when with me."
"Aw…so I get the gifts of your protection while I have no significance about me."
"Stop it, Dark. You know that I am nothing without you. It is the female who gives the male his strength."
"I guess your right, King."
His laughter was rich like cream and made my hands shake. "Always am."
I grumbled under my breath incoherently when I looked at the clock. We had exactly three minutes left. He noticed my rigid behavior at once and was gravely quiet. "You have to go."
"Come with me."
"I cannot. This is something you must do by yourself."
"At least meet my family and then you can leave."
He thought for a moment and I knew the choice was hard. He might not be able to leave me on a short notice. He might refuse….
"Only for a day."
I rejoiced inside and was able to relax at this. "Let's go meet my parents."
"For the second time."
"Huh?"
"I've already met your biological parents and now I must meet something entirely different. People of my own kind…"
I clutched onto his arm as we walked freely from the hotel room our hair neatly in place and our clothes pristine. No one could ever get the impression that we were doing something entirely immoral and as we strutted past the receptionist she thanked us for our kind donation.
"Donation?"
"With the expense of the room, I donated an infinitesimal amount of money towards their funds for AIDS."
I hugged myself closer to him, to the light that shined from his skin as we hailed a taxi that was just leaving and headed off towards the Denver airport.
"Tell me something."
"Alright, I was once forced to feed on animals and that ultimately changed my perspective of life."
I giggled uncontrollably while I flipped through a boring airplane magazine full of tasteless items that no one would want. "I was going to ask you something before you told me what it was."
"Of course, forgive me."
"Always." He firmly hugged me close to him, breathing in my scents to make up for lost time. "I kept having this vision—or dream—and it was of Heath," I bit my lip hardly at the sound of his name but knew I couldn't grieve just yet, "and you discussing something that's been bothering me."
"Go on." He was stiff suddenly and his eyes were steely.
"You said that because of our blood bond and our love we—we had killed…"
He didn't say anything. His eyes were coals, his jaw line clenched and I could see the warlord that had faced so many battles. I shrank back into myself, afraid for my very life. Even the stewardess that walked by stumbled over herself and ran towards the back. His eyes shot down towards mine and at once his eyes soothed themselves out into black oceans. He hadn't fed in a while and neither had I.
"That was a time when I didn't know what to do. My best councilors couldn't advise me in how to handle the—" his jaw was clenched again "situation. I was lost, confused, dazed…I hadn't needed to change you last time and our bond hadn't killed anyone because we…didn't know any humans."
"Why did our bond kill my family?"
He gulped roughly and licked his already moist lips. "The only reason why your family was ever created was to harbor your soul. I can't explain it clearly but…once we are together and our bond is complete, the humans that know us die."
"Bella!" I suddenly cried.
His head shook immediately. "No…no only blood related. Bella is not blood related."
"But the whole town…"
"Was related to you in some way."
"Talk about incest…"
His laugh was a whisper. "Yes, there were a lot of perverted sexual blood ties within the town."
"Have I always looked like this or is this the creation of sexual perversion?"
"You have always looked this way, thank god. I couldn't stand to have you any other way. This was the way God made you and if you had changed one small bit…"
"Well, I haven't, so let's not talk about the past. The future is ahead of us and—I must now focus on something I feel is entirely out of my hands. How am I going to help them when I'm just as normal as they are? My strength—"
"Was only given to you so that you could endure the battles of finding me." He interrupted with a weary smile.
"And you took it from me."
"No, just took it back. And to be honest, it feels magnificent to have it again."
"I suppose my normalcy is aggravating."
"You are far from normal, Dark."
"Who was the first to call me Dark?"
"Many people…but to be more specific it was the people we met. You have an aura about you that generates…darkness."
"And you hold light."
"That is why we are together. The darkness and the light. However, you and I were both innocent once. I was just the second one to fall to darkness."
"That's why we are confused with Adam and Eve amongst our kind."
"We were never as ignorant as them. We aren't even as old as them. I can't remember that far back, in fact. But yes we are confused with them."
"Our story is a tragic myth, though. People still believe that we are dead."
"And we shall forever remain dead. I don't want our tales to resurface, though, at the mention of your nickname people will start to remember."
"There aren't any cults designated to us are there?"
"None that I know of. I'm sure that even Carlisle has no idea what we really are."
I snuggled closer into the crook of his arm, settling without another word.
"Do you want me to tell him?"
"It won't matter, Edward can read minds."
"Then I'll have to make mine only the sounds of static."
"You can do that?"
"Aro was my brother, after all…"
"Future, remember…"
"The future…I wonder what it holds."
"Alice could tell us."
His fingers brushed the hair from my ear and the touch was unfathomably relaxing. "I wonder if she sees a wedding." I sat up abruptly, my face apparently stricken as Corpus's suddenly became worried. "What, did I say something wrong?"
"You can't be serious? Marriage! King, I'm not even out of high school."
"Keep your voice down." His eyes darted about the cabin but I knew no one was really listening. "Of course I intend to marry you, make an honest living now that we are together. But I also intend to court you."
I laughed at his usage of the word dating. "You mean date me?"
"Isn't that what I said?" His lips twitched and I could only recall the many times I corrected him in my past life on the ways of courtly love. They always twitched when he was aggravated at being corrected. It was, obviously, the most adorable thing and if any teenage girl saw him do it they would swoon forth from gravity towards him.
"You're going to have to ask Carlisle."
He threw up a hand in disgust. "You think I don't know that?"
"You're a bit rusty."
Both eyebrows rose up profoundly and he looked more irritated than ever. "Rusty? Since when have you been kissing—oh yes…that's right." His face folded right into a scowl and he pushed me into my seat. "I had completely forgotten your little pretensions of seducing those two demons."
I took my hand and forced him to look at me. "Then you can't really be mad at me as you know they were just ploys."
"True…but just for the record…was there anything else I should be aware of?" I must have flushed profusely because Corpus's scowl deepened. "What happened?"
"I sort of went unconscious after a fight with Felix and Demetri and they had torn my shirt off in the process. Aro helped me up to his room where I could rest in peace and I woke up and the blanket slipped from my shoulders and…"
"He saw your chest."
"I was wearing a bra."
I heard a snap and when I looked down Corpus held a piece of the arm rest in his hands. His teeth ground together with intolerance and once again I shrank back. "Well, at least you didn't allow him to go any further." His hissed out much more the fearful vampire than a kind hearted creature that held the light of the world.
"Um…"
"He kissed you didn't he?"
"It was my first kiss in quite a while so of course I was going to let it happen. I was physically deprived of emotion."
His body was rigid, a statue. But, unexpectedly, he relaxed. "I suppose that's proficient punishment for taking away his only dream."
"I'm not his only dream."
"Alright, but you were one of them."
"Enough, please. Stop getting all worked up over harmless things."
"Harmless? Do you even know what this means?" This couldn't be good. "I can't allow you to go to school and be around males."
"What?" My jaw felt like it was scraping against the floor. "You're missing the whole point, King! I go to school so that I can interact with people and not feel so cut off from all things human."
"Yes, but I don't want you to."
"I don't care what you want."
He was frustrated and the sigh that came from him was a gust of wind that faintly moved the hair of the person in front of us. "How can I put this so that you understand? Frankly, you cannot be around males because of what might happen. You might fall in love with a human and I cannot allow that to occur. You don't seem to grasp the destruction that will befall us if that happens."
I moaned in angered. "You are a stubborn, selfish, and ignorant creature! Didn't I have Heath," another uncontrollable pain in my heart, "to fall in love with? He was human and I still didn't fall for him even though I wanted to. But I just—I couldn't. You are my soul purpose for existence and I'm afraid that even my heart has that encoded into its Aorta."
His jaw flexed into a more normal position and he finally broke into a smile. "Then I guess I'm stuck with you."
"For eternity."
