Caius
I was positively caught off-guard when I saw Seraphina burst through the door. Though I could smell her, hear her, and feel her beating heart well before she came close to the door—and hesitated outside of it—I expected her to enter gracefully and quietly. Instead, the doors banged loudly against the walls, and she seemed to stumble into the room.
I raised my eyebrows. Seraphina was not a clumsy girl.
"…Are you all right, Seraphina?" I asked, working very hard to keep my tone detached and unconcerned; I would betray nothing of the emotions raging through me.
She blushed bright red, tempting me horribly with her irresistible scent as her blood pooled to the surface of her skin. I swallowed the venom that swam to my mouth. She tucked her hair behind her ear slowly, visibly working to control her shaking hands.
"F-fine," she replied.
The room stood in stillness for a moment. She seemed embarrassed to move about the room without permission, and I was losing myself as I observed her standing before me. Her delicious allure increased threefold when she looked as though she had been rushing. Hair slightly ruffled, but still laying in an organized fashion over her shoulders, breathing escalated just so that her chest heaved a little more, accentuating her feminine qualities, and the flush it brought to her skin was absolutely appetizing.
That's quite enough!
"Come," I ordered, gesturing towards the piano bench.
Seraphina visibly flinched as I spoke, leaning backwards a bit as if she was contemplating whether or not to run, and I realized a moment too late that my tone must have been harsh and commanding instead of suggestive, as I'd hoped it would be.
I swiped my hand in the air, as if erasing my words. I softened my tone. "Have a seat, if you would prefer."
She nodded once and walked towards the piano, sitting down in the middle of the bench and interlacing her hands together, straightening her arms and putting them between her knees, obviously nervous by her posture.
"Have you selected a piece?" I asked, trying to be pleasant.
She nodded again—still not speaking a word—and reached for a manila folder on top of the shimmering black piano, opening it, and shuffling through numerous pieces of sheet music that looked like they had seen better days, finally sorting out two pages from the middle.
"This one," she all but whispered, handing me the two pieces of paper, and then yanking her hand away just as soon as I had them in mine. I looked down at the music—it looked simple enough. I hummed the notes mentally in my head, and smiled at the graceful melody that it spoke. I glanced upward at the handwritten line above the printed ones. The notes scrawled, several octaves higher than the piano notes.
Handwritten? By whom?
"It looks satisfactory," I said, downplaying my excitement, and betraying nothing. She nodded once, keeping her eyes elsewhere as he extended her hand for the music. I handed it to her, but as I did, I felt the heat of her pulse, and I froze. I was afraid that my instinct would take over, and she would be on the floor beneath me in seconds; writhing in pain as I sunk my teeth into her delicate flesh.
But instead…I wanted to touch her hand. I wanted to feel her pulse beneath my lifeless hand, and feel the softness of her skin. Seraphina's eyes came up to mine—filled with concern—as I paused. She immediately began to examine herself, looking for someway that she had displeased me.
I handed her the music, settling for a brush of her hand rather than a pure touch. She jerked back instinctively from the coldness of my hand, but grabbed the music on her retraction, placing the sheets on the backboard of the piano and overlapping the edges of the two pages about three-fourths of an inch over each other, examining her work before withdrawing her hands, and resting them back between her knees.
The corners of my mouth twitched into a small smile as I watched how carefully she treated the sheet music. Perhaps I simply was not observant enough, but I could never recall hearing her play…
"I…I haven't arranged for a second player. I could re-write the music if you wanted, so that we could both have a piano part—" she began, wringing her hands underneath the keyboard, and speeding up her words as she spoke, as if I would be displeased with her explanation.
I raised my hand to silence her. She cut off immediately. "I will not be accompanying you on the piano, Seraphina,"
I held in my chuckle as she crinkled her brow in puzzlement. "Then what will you…?"
She trailed off as I reached my hand downward to grasp a small handle sticking out from underneath the stool beneath me. I lifted a long, black, rectangular case out, and perched it onto my lap; unclasping the front and opening it slowly to reveal my faithful—and rather expensive—violin.
She looked astonished. "I…I didn't know you played the violin…" she said softly, watching with awe as I removed the violin from its case and rested it safely under one arm as I retrieved the bow next and then set the case down at my feet.
With a small, but smug, smile, I grabbed the small circle of rosin and began to spread it over the delicate horsehair that strung across the bow. I took my time, making sure the surface was evenly coated before re-wrapping the rosin in its satin cover and returning it to the case.
"Play an 'A' for me, if you would." I instructed, inwardly pleased that my voice had come across gently that time. She did as I said, turning to the piano and hitting a single note. I hummed the note to myself and plucked the string, turning the knob at the top minutely to get the tone I wanted before pressing it inward to the scroll and holding it in place. I plucked the rest of the strings—now that I had a bearing on the middle 'A'—and was pleased to hear that they were still tuned to perfection.
"What is it titled?" I asked.
Seraphina seemed to relax slowly, turning to the music as a comforting friend, and gesturing to the first of the two pages. "Poeme," she replied, "It's one of my favorites."
I skimmed over the notes again; realizing the handwritten part over the top of the printed notes was an accompaniment for the violin.
"Did you write this?" I asked, looking at her over the page.
She began to wring her hands again. "Yes…"
If she didn't know that I played, then why did she have a violin accompaniment written across the top? "Did you know I played the violin?"
She shook her head. "No…it's just how I always imagined it sounding. I…" she dropped her voice to just above a whisper, "I've always wanted to play this with a violin duet."
I could not help but smile softly at the sweetness in her voice. It sounded almost like an aspiration.
We seemed to find more and more sides to the puzzle that matched perfectly…
I wondered for a moment if she had seen it in a vision that I played, but I trusted her words—and the awed expression on her face—that she was not lying to me.
"Are you well-versed?" I inquired, putting the violin underneath my chin.
"In the piece?" she replied, looking sideways at me.
"Yes,"
"I am,"
"Very well then; a dry run," I said, standing from the stool and getting behind her, looking over her shoulder at the notes scrawled over the top of her part. She set her fingers to the keyboard, and began.
. . . . .
Seraphina
I don't understand how in the world he expected me to play with him looming over my shoulder like that.
Even if he wasn't, how could he expect me to be calm and collected after that touch? So brief, yet, electrifying…
Luckily, the part of the rehearsal where we had to speak to each other was not so bad. Though he did frighten me with his gruffness early on, he compensated for it by being incredibly sweet. I tried to soothe my nerves by disappearing into the music. My music…
I placed my fingers on the familiar keys, closed my eyes, and pressed down. The opening chord was perfect; the piano was in perfect tune.
So far so good…
There was about a line and a half of a piano introduction before the violin came in, so I had a short time to compose myself and prove to myself that I could play independently, and block out the world around me. I continued with the finger movements, re-treading back in familiar territory as I fell back into the world of the safety and security I only found in music.
I got to the end of the first line, however, and I hit a wrong note.
My stomach lurched as I yanked my hands off of the keyboard and flushed bright red.
"Did you not say you were well-versed?" Caius said softly; patiently. I thought I detected a small hint of annoyance in his tone, but I convinced myself that I only heard that because I was nervous.
"I am, I'm just…I'm sorry," I spluttered, replacing my hands. "We'll start again."
I pressed down on the same first chord again, slowly calming my racing heart and falling back into the serenity of the piece.
I was only nervous because I messed up, right?
Wrong.
Is it because he's a professional musician, and I'm just a pupil?
No…
You know why it is nerve-racking to have him around…
Do you see the way his eyes glint when he looks at you?
Did you miss the fleeting touch? Vampires don't make mistakes; they are in constant control of their motions…
Shut. Up.
I neared the place in the music where the violin was written to enter—my stomach rising a bit in anticipation as I would finally hear him play what must be a heavenly tune when…
Plonk!
Wrong note…once again.
I flinched and sighed in annoyance. Caius scoffed.
"Perhaps you require a bit more practice,"
"…No…! I'm fine…" I scrambled, staring at the keys with absolutely no desire to turn around and face him.
I paused just as I began to speak; I didn't know what to address him by. 'Master'? No, that was too formal. And he technically was not my superior. 'Brother'? No, that would be more inappropriate, not to mention awkward. 'Caius'? Never; far too familiar. It hit me in the face that even after all of these years, I had never had to address Caius directly. Sure, I had spoken of him to others, but never had I had to speak to him one-on-one.
The mood of the room suddenly became tense as Caius inhaled sharply and stiffened. His steady breathing ceased, as did mine. I plucked up my courage, and turned around—in alarm—to see his eyes coal-black, wide, and on fire.
My heart skipped a beat as that expression was all too familiar. Hunger…
"I think I'll…"
"Go," Caius hissed, stepping away and ramming his back into the wall beside the door. I stood from the piano, wishing I could run the opposite direction, but alas, he stood next to the only entrance and exit to the room.
"Go," he wheezed, dropping the bow to his violin and lifting the back of his hand to his face. I did not see what he did with his hand, I was already in a run; bolting from the room.
. . . . .
Caius
I listened to her play; it was spectacular. Though the piece was not extremely difficult, she played with such poise, and with such clarity, that I loved listening to the simplicity of the piece. From sight-reading the music, I could see that it would become more and more difficult, but I knew without a doubt that she could handle it.
I raised the violin and rested it underneath my chin, prepared to enter with my part, but suddenly, she hit a discordant note.
Though I was slightly disappointed in her mistake, I tried not to let it show. I had to remind myself that she was a human, and still learning the art of music herself.
The rush of blood to her cheeks again was tugging at my control.
3000 years of immortality, and this one mortal is suddenly pushing my blood-lust to the brink of control…
Why?
"We'll start again," she said, her voice quivering on the last word as she placed her hands on the keys again and began once more. I closed my eyes and listened to the introduction again, never tiring of the crystal clear notes that rang from the piano and wafted into the air around the room. I raised my violin to my chin once again, and positioned my bow, ready to play.
But another sour note stopped me before I could begin. I suppressed a growl.
So badly had I wanted to play, and hear the two melodies intertwine to form a masterpiece.
Just as I wanted to join with her…
CAIUS! I screamed. What is this lack of control? This is your pupil—now teach her!
I inhaled to speak, but paused as her scent flooded my nostrils, and sent another wave of venom to my lips. I swallowed it quickly and spoke softly, using the least amount of air as possible. I wondered for a brief moment if I would be able to hold on through the practice…
"Perhaps you require a bit more practice," I said, lowering my violin back down and resting it atop the piano, sending a small hint that I was concluding our session.
"No…! I'm fine…" the initial tone of her voice sounded almost pleading, I was slightly surprised.
Unknowingly, I took another breath as I prepared to sigh.
Mistake.
Something about her scent had increased its allure, and hit me in the face like a marble wall. I held my breath immediately, but red swam to my vision. I was shocked at the intense desire I had for her. But not for her flesh.
I wanted her blood. And I wanted her blood now.
I was beginning to scare myself. For eighteen years, I'd been forced to keep control of myself, but this one human was pushing that boundary of well-practiced control to a dangerous medium. She truly did not know how close she was to her death. Thinking for a moment, one question came to my mind.
Has she seen her own death?
Surely, she has seen undesirable things through her visions…
My thought was cut short as her exhale went straight into my face, bombarding me with her scent once again.
Her face reflected puzzlement, then horror as she caught my expression.
"I think I'll-"
"Go," I hissed, still conserving air as I took a step backwards. I unknowingly employed my vampire techniques; instead of merely taking a step backwards away from her, I flew backwards and hit the wall opposite from the piano with my back, feeling it crack a bit under my left shoulder. Her heart began to accelerate as she became afraid, worsening my scramble for control. Seraphina stood, hand clutching each other as her eyes flickered between the door and me. "Go," I commanded through my teeth, raising my hand and pressing the back of it to my nose and mouth in a vain attempt to block her scent from reaching me.
She startled, but then took off in a dash, throwing open the door and exiting. I listened to her footsteps slap the stone corridor as she ran further and further away, until I heard her slam the door to her room and lock it.
I exhaled heavily, slumping against the wall in slight exhaustion from such an intense sensory attack. But as the seconds ticked by, I began to realize the damage I had done. The piece we might never rehearse together was but a minor problem now.
She is afraid of me.
But wasn't she always?
If so, then it is irreparable now. I've now proven that I wish to drain her of every drop of her precious blood.
With a low growl, I ran my hand over my face, pulling the skin down as I pulled on the downslide. I felt utterly foolish.
A powerful knock sounded from the door, as I smelt the familiar scent of my Brother.
"Caius?" Marcus said, voice not soft or gentle, as is his normal disposition.
"Go away," I grumbled, turning around and running my fingers over the spider-webbed crack in the wall I'd formed with my shoulder.
Marcus—of course—ignored my request and entered. I spun around to scold him for ignoring me, but I was stopped immediately by the hardness and sternness of his expression.
"Would you care to explain to me why Seraphina just left this room in tears?" he demanded, jaw clenching as he closed it.
"Well—" I started, but Marcus cut me straight across.
"I didn't think it would be too difficult to ask you to be civil, Caius. Seraphina is valued by me as my own granddaughter; how could you blatantly ignore the undeniable fact that I would become involved if you made this difficult?"
"Marcus—"
"Don't you dare try to weasel your way out of this, Caius! I want an explanation, and I want one now. Why are you so cruel to her? Do you, or do you not, have an attraction to Seraphina?"
I stopped completely in my tracks and stared.
"…Excuse me?"
Marcus also paused, eying me critically.
"Are you denying?" he asked softly, expression still hard.
"Denying what-?" I all but hissed.
"Caius, Caius…" Marcus groaned, touching two fingers to his temples and rubbing in small circles. "You heard me, and now I am asking you to answer: do you or do you not have an attraction to Seraphina?"
I didn't know where in hell my Brother possibly fathomed the idea that I had an 'attraction' to Seraphina, but it certainly made my hypothetical blood boil. How dare he? After what happened to me, he thought that I could love again?
Not again. Not after losing my Athenodora.
My love…
The mention of her name was enough to pull me back down into the chasm of sadness that I had endured for too many years.
But my thoughts were interrupted as I reviewed Marcus' words.
Was that the menagerie of emotions I was feeling? An 'attraction' as he so delicately put it?
Love?
The thought made me pause.
Marcus eyed me carefully.
"Marcus, I…" I began, just below a conversational tone. My mind was reeling. The pieces were falling into place. As much as I did not want it to be true, the idea of Seraphina standing at my side was strangely…right.
Do you want this? I asked myself. Do you want to effort yourself to pursue this young woman? This 'child' of the Volturi? And do you think you could be successful?
Yes.
"Caius," Marcus called, standing much closer to me as my vision refocused on my surroundings. "I have examined your bonds, and you cannot lie to me. I haven't seen you grow towards a woman since Athenodora."
I snarled.
"You make her sound as though she was a passing fancy instead of my wife! Choose your words carefully!"
Marcus raised his hand. "I meant no offense, Brother; I am merely sharing my observation."
I fell silent, queuing him to continue.
"Caius, I have seen your frustration and struggle while you are in her presence."
"And what is your conclusion, wise one?" I snapped, purposefully inserting a condescending tone.
Marcus looked unaffected. In fact…he looked rather pleased with himself. His stern expression had disappeared, and a tender smile showed across his face.
"She is your singer,"
I groaned aloud. "You sound like Aro,"
"Aro's little belief holds some merit, Caius."
"Then what of…?" I bit my tongue; the very mention of my destroyed wife's name still tugging at the agony stored deep within my heart.
Marcus touched my shoulder; that man picked up on a lot more than I gave him credit for.
"She was your love, Caius. But she has passed. She would want you to find another, and be happy."
I repressed a snarl.
"You know nothing of her wishes," I growled, wrenching from his hold and turning to exit the room.
"Despite that Caius, remember what I have said concerning Seraphina. Think about it."
I scoffed loudly, and exited the room in a blur. The last thing I wanted to do right now what think about the woman that could possibly replace the only love I have ever known.
Seraphina
I buried my face into the freshly fluffed pillow on my four-poster bed, trying to stifle the sounds of my cries. I didn't want anyone to hear. But I knew it would be difficult for me to hide anything that was happening from the supersonic hearing of the vampires around me, but at least I could try.
I clutched the sheets of the bed, feeling my body tense as I held in my cries of embarrassment and inadequacy. Sulpicia noticed early on in my life that the biggest reward that you could give me would be the expression of approval. A simple, 'that's right', 'good work', or 'I'm proud of you', was the greatest gift I could receive.
On the flip side, expressing discontentment or disappointment in me was the easiest way to break my heart.
And Caius had done just that. Knowingly, or not.
I knew I would never be good enough to please him.
I don't know why I even tried.
I could find no sanctuary from my feelings. When I opened my eyes, I was reminded that I was not in the music room, when I closed them, I could only see his blackened, starving eyes…
Three gentle knocks sounded on my door.
"I'm fine, mother!" I said, thinking I knew who was here to soothe me into pleasantness again.
"It's Didyme," a voice replied, catching me completely off-guard.
"…Oh," I mumbled, sitting up onto the edge of my bed and wiping a few stray tear trails away with the back of my wrist. "Can I help you?"
"May I please come in, Sera?"
I sighed heavily, perfectly aware that she could hear me. "Yes,"
My door opened, and within two seconds, I felt the bed slump down next to me, and a pair of cold arms envelop me, pulling me against an equally cold torso.
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart," a soft voice said in my ear.
"I'm fine," I muttered, allowing myself to cuddle into her side as I kept my hands in my lap.
"You don't have to hide, Sera; I heard what happened."
I paused, looking up at her.
"You heard it? As in…all of it?"
She nodded once.
"Aw, man!" I growled. If she heard every word spoken between Caius and I, it meant that everyone else in the fortress did. I flushed, a new wave of tears welling. Goodness, I was emotional lately…
"No…!" I whined, wrapping both arms around my favorite and only surrogate aunt, crying against her bared shoulder.
She rubbed my back with her freezing hand, whispering soothing things into my ear until I calmed down enough to speak.
"What is his problem?" I hissed, now becoming angry about how he had treated me in the music room.
"Caius is…difficult,"
"Everyone here knows that," I growled back.
"Don't be judgmental; there are reasons he is the way that he is."
Her statement made me stop for a moment, thinking back to the death of his mate. But what could that possibly have to do with the way he treated me?
"Perhaps he's simply nervous,"
"And why would he be nervous?" I asked, shifting my position to lie across her lap as she began to stroke my hair slowly.
"You are different to him."
"…I'm what?"
Didyme giggled girlishly, scratching my scalp lightly with her fingernails. "Different; it's an antonym for the word 'similar'…"
"I know what it means!" I snapped, hitting the mattress of the bed beside me with my hand as she laughed again.
"I'm only teasing,"
I muttered something unintelligible, really too begrudged to form words.
"Just be wary around him, Seraphina. You stir feelings in him he hasn't felt since Athenodora."
What was she saying? Was I meant to be his next mate or something absolutely insane like that? No, never. Caius?
The idea made my stomach twist into knots.
"Don't rule it out, Seraphina," she said lightly, almost too nonchalantly. "He could use someone like you to heal him."
Aunt Didy, shut the—
BANG.
I jumped as the noise startled me. Didyme looked shaken as well, but she didn't react as I did.
"What the…?"
"It's Demetri," she replied softly, a frown forming at the corners of her mouth.
"What's going on?"
"He's upset,"
"Duh. Why?"
She pursed her lips slowly, inclining her head. "Benito came to pick up Johanna, and from what I heard a moment ago, he didn't ask Aro for permission. They both just waltzed out of the fortress."
"I'm sure that made Aro happy," I joked lightly.
"Mmm," he replied, looking troubled. "She's beginning to hide things, you know. It troubles my brother very much."
"She's always had her secrets,"
"Not like this. Not telling us where she's going, staying out far too late at night, rushing from the room at a moment's notice to take a call…it's all very suspicious."
I shrugged. "I'll keep my 'inner eye' out for her; if I see anything coming, I will tell father right away."
She nodded slowly, eyes staring at the wall beside my door in a trance-like fashion.
I decided to change the topic. "Demetri is head over heels for Johanna. Why is she so blind?" I asked, mostly to myself.
Didyme just shook her head slowly. She, too, changed the subject. "I had best return to Marcus; I'm interested in what he has to say."
"Why?"
Didyme chuckled softly; a breathy symphony in two seconds. "He went to calm Caius down."
I shot up out of her lap and onto my feet.
"What?"
Didyme giggled again, blurring to her feet and kissing my forehead. "I'll fill you in later; ta!"
"Wait-!"
But it was too late; she'd already gone, and shut my thick door. I growled in frustration and threw myself onto the bed, more annoyed at these vampires who always knew more about things that concerned me than I did.
Didyme's words kept ringing through my head.
…"You stir feelings in him he hasn't felt since Athenodora…"
Suddenly, it was like everything around me was changing. Like a dance speeding up that I couldn't keep up with.
Oh, Caius…
I really wish you'd just tell me to my face rather than let someone else hand it to me when I'm not ready.
But one question sprang to mind.
Why hadn't I seen this coming?
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