Chapter 10

Ok, I promised you a hot chapter and a hot chapter you shall get….

Just not in the way you might expect….

Bella's POV

As soon as I got inside, I slumped against the wall, drained of energy and strength. My encounter with Aro had exhausted me, and even now my blood pounded through my veins and my skin tingled.

It made me all the more determined to work who, or what he was.

I dumped my bag by the stairs, as I wandered into the kitchen. Charlie still wasn't home, and I preferred the silence usually. The solitary comfort of my own company.

But now the silence seemed deafening, and the empty house sent shivers over my skin.

Why did I feel like someone was watching me intently, with a feeling which was all too familiar?

I shook away my fears, and noticed the light gently beeping on the display of the answer machine. Rolling my tired shoulders, I flicked my hair over one shoulder and crossed to the ugly gunmetal grey machine, pressing its concave button to hear the messages. There was only one: Jessica Stanley.

Asking me if I wanted to join her, Angela, Eric and Mike on a trip to La Push, for surfing and whale watching. Neither really appealed, but it would be a distraction from all that had happened in the past few days. Plus it would mean I could escape my suddenly creepy home on a day when Charlie spent most of the day fishing.

Sighing, I picked the phone up and called Jess back. I only got her voicemail, and left a message saying I'd meet them at the front of Mike's parents' hiking store on Sunday.

Putting the phone back in its cradle, I rubbed my forehead. I could feel a headache coming on. Mental and physical flashes of remembered pleasure swept over me, and I shuddered.

He was dangerous. He could consume me whole, if I let him. I had never felt so drawn to anyone before, so mystified and dazzled, yet I wasn't fooled. I could glimpse beneath his polished, civilised façade, and see the true man.

It didn't scare me.

All those questions he'd deigned to leave unanswered still clustered in my head, crowding my brain. Why wouldn't he let me in? What did he mean when he said it was better for me not to know?

Unable to answer them, I reached for the cupboard that held the aspirin. Swigging down one with some water, I discovered I really wasn't hungry.

Besides, thanks to Charlie, Renee would be frantic. I should email her. I jotted down a quick note to Charlie, telling him I'd gone to bed so he wouldn't disturb me when he came in, adding that there was some cold pizza in the fridge.

A few minutes later I trudged up the stairs to my room. A cool breeze caressed my hot skin, taking me back to those charged moments outside on the porch.

With a shake of my shoulders, my gaze drifted to the sprawling tree outside my window, as I spotted a flash of black. Frowning, I crossed to my window but outside it was entirely still, and then I spotted next door's cat moving around at the foot of the tree. Sighing once more, I poked my head back inside and started to get ready for bed before I emailed Renee.

After my minute in the bathroom, I trudged back into my room and fired up my laptop. And smiled fondly at the number of emails from Renee.

I opened up the first one:

Bella, Bella?

Are you alright, honey? Email me back when you get this.

And the last one.

Bella if you don't email me back soon, or phone me I'm getting on the first plane down there!

Exhaling wearily, I replied quickly, just telling her I was alright, and that I was going to La Push on Sunday, and that everything was fine. I could probably expect a very worried call tomorrow.

After a minute, I shut my laptop down, as the breeze picked up, the curtains flying through the air. Then something happened to make my blood freeze.

A blood-curdling howl rang through the air, as I almost dropped my laptop and rushed to the window. Outside it was pitch black, and after one minute of frozen immobility, I slammed my window down. My heart was pounding.

Silence resumed, and I couldn't help but shiver from fear, as I switched on my bedside lamp. I willed my pulse to settle, as I rearranged my rebellious hair into a loose ponytail. I straightened my grey pyjama top, and then noticed that my window was open once more. Frowning, I could've sworn I'd closed it; I stood up and paced towards the window, to close it again.

Ok, now I was sure I had closed it, but it seemed like the day for questioning all my certainties.

Again the thought brought back more of cool skin, raven hair, odd eyes, and powerful lips taking my own. Cool strong hands pressing me back into the door…

Shutting my eyes, I willed away those images and walked blindly back to my bed. And managed to trip up at least twice along the way, but then again, I had shut my eyes so it was my own fault.

Finally I fell into the warmth of my bed, face-first and rolled over onto my back, pulling my covers over me.

Silence had again descended, as I snuggled into my warm duvet, but I couldn't relax. My skin felt feverish, I needed cold to dim its fire. I tried to get comfortable, but everything: the soft touch of the covers, the caress of linen over my skin reminded me of him.

I finally opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling, watching the play of shadows over the plaster. Gradually I fell into a disturbed doze, full of cold skin and soft raven hair.

Even in sleep I couldn't escape him.

Aro's POV

I watched from the tree outside Bella's room as she stood in the very centre, looking lost. Finally she closed her eyes and walked towards her bed, tripping twice in quick succession without opening her eyes.

What was she doing?

Shaking my head, I fought not to flit in there and simply put her into bed myself. When she did eventually lie down, and pull the covers over herself, I was content merely to watch her sleep. She was restless, tossing and turning in her bed, before she finally quietened.

Was she thinking of me?

Her determination to uncover my secret was both encouraging and saddening. Because I knew what would happen when she did, and whilst some part of me wished with all my heart for her to see me for what I truly was, instead of this pathetic human pretence, I feared to lose her.

Once she knew there would be no turning back. I would have two choices: kill her or turn her.

If I turned her against her will, I would lose her forever.

But there was something in Bella that gave me hope, an edge in those soft brown eyes that told me she might be one of the few people on Earth that could accept us. Could accept me.

Not for a hundred years had I been driven by a yearning this powerful, and I was helpless against it. I couldn't resist her unconscious allure, and I wasn't just thinking about her blood anymore. Everything about her drew me in, ensnared me like a siren's song.

"Aro…."

My name on her lips. Was I hallucinating?

My head snapped up from my reverie, to see Bella restlessly tossing in her bed, my name dropping from her lips in an entreating sigh. It was poison and nectar, sweet, urging me to make yet another mistake.

Since coming to Forks, I had broken my own laws many times over, but not for one second could I regret the transgression. So this time, I didn't hesitate to simply jump from my perch in her tree to her window, swinging myself inside soundlessly.

I alighted on her carpet, the darkness shrouding me from any eyes as I moved forward, and into the small circle of light surrounding her bed. I was drawn, like a moth to the flame, towards her and I sat down beside her, her soft form pressing against my leg slightly through the bed covers.

"Aro…"

Her voice whispering my name was intoxicating. I really wished she wouldn't…it was making it impossible for me to leave. The yearning in her tone made me lean forward and gently brush her lips with mine. My cold ones warmed at the heat in hers, just as my name once again slipped from her lips. Abruptly I was almost forced upright as her eyes snapped open and she tried to sit up. The move only pressed her lips against mine fervently, and I inwardly groaned. After a second, Bella arched into my arms, twining hers around my neck, pulling me closer. I was tall enough that she had to kneel to pull herself flush against me, a move that sent my wits into a whirl. Without thought, I kissed her back and pulled her closer.

Bella's POV

I woke up from one dream straight into another. He was there, his hands passionately caressing my body, his lips ravaging mine. I pulled myself closer, his cold form a dream, an escape from reality. I didn't want to wake up, back to the cold light of day, and the questions that plagued me.

So I felt nothing but a burgeoning sense of desire as he pulled me into his arms, his hands moulding my body to his, my soft limbs to his hard muscle. Exhaling shakily into his mouth, I did what I'd longed to do since the first day I'd met him.

I undid the clip which restrained his hair, and let it fall forward around us. I threw it away, somewhere in this dream representation of my room, and heard its clunk on my carpet. At this, as my fingers splayed through his hair, relishing its silkiness beneath my palms, as he groaned into my mouth. Suddenly he threw me back on the bed, my head landing on the pillow, as he followed me down. His weight on top of me sent shivers down my spine, and I pulled his lips back to mine, his dark eyes devouring me in their burning glance. But something in his kiss, something too tangible to ignore caught my attention, had me frowning.

He stopped our kiss, and raised his head, as I lay my head back on the pillow and panted, staring up at him. In the semi-darkness of my room, he had become my shadow lover in the night, and whilst my body battled to pull his lips back to mine, my head told me this was no dream.

His lips hovered inches from my own, our heaving chests touching every second as our syncopated, shuddering breathing fought to slow. A moment later his cold hand appeared on one side of my face, stroking back the lock of hair that had fallen over my face. What I glimpsed in those dark eyes, both tenderness and possession and devotion, had me shuddering with pure need.

"This isn't real," I murmured, so quietly no-one should've heard me, but I guessed he did. His eyes darted down to my lips and back again in the blink of my eye, trapping me in his gaze like the bird before the snake.

"That depends on your perception of reality," he murmured, before gently brushing my lips with his own. And in that moment, I knew he was here, that this was real, and I wasn't dreaming.

I felt no fear.

Call me crazy, but I didn't. With him, I knew I was safe.

His lips caressed mine again, and I cupped his face, bringing it back to mine, twining my fingers in his hair. Sunk in my comfortable bed, our limbs intertwined sensuously, our bodies pressed together as one, despite the barrier of our clothes. His curtain of raven hair hung over our faces as we kissed, and I experienced the true meaning of pleasure, as he seduced my senses. Our tongues twined, duelling in an endless dance of passion. I yanked my head away, desperate to breathe, unless I wanted to black out from lack of oxygen. Pressing my head back into the pillows, I lost my breath a second later as Aro's lips caressed the skin of my neck, and I arched on pure instinct.

His hand transferred itself from my shoulder to support my back, pressing me against him as I arched, and for a moment, I swore I felt the slight graze of teeth against my neck. I moaned, and bit my lower lip, feeling my eyes roll back into my head from the sheer pleasure of his touch.

He paused, his cold breath on my neck, above my artery, and I froze, waiting breathlessly for something I didn't know.

His hand left my back, and my skin felt bereft. Aro sat up, and my heart seized. Was he leaving?

I wanted him here, with me.

He began to sit up, and I found my voice.

"Aro…?"

No answer as he sat up, and began to stand. I watched him in slow motion, desire warring with fear now. What was wrong?

Had I done something wrong?

Then annoyance sparked. What the hell was he doing here anyway?

Yet another question to add to my growing pile. But I still didn't want him to leave.

"Aro, please, stay. I want you here, with me, tonight," I pleaded, reaching out to him. "Ple-"

I was abruptly cut off as Aro swung back to me, grabbed me by the nape of the neck and kissed me hungrily. Instantly, I sank against him, as his hands on my back travelled downwards, and then slipped beneath the hem of my grey vest. His hands on my bare skin, travelling over the muscles either side of my spine had me gasping, and I accidentally bit down on his lower lip. We both stilled, as Aro raised his head, and we stared into each other's eyes.

There was no blood on his lip, whereas I could've sworn I'd bitten down hard enough to break his skin, but I was soon distracted by the fire in his eyes.

"Stay with me," I murmured, and it was not a question. I knew he would.

"Be careful what you wish for, Bella," he murmured back, against my lips, and he leant forward and tumbled me back onto the bed. I watched, my limbs sprawling, as Aro straightened and shrugged off his dark overcoat and suit jacket, before joining me back on the bed. I frowned, about to inquire about why he hadn't removed any other items of clothing, but his lips on mine soon distracted me once more.

He was so passionate and seductive, drawing me into the intimate game of thrust and parry that was the joining of our tongues. His hand drifted down my body, and I cried out into his mouth as it grazed tender skin, sliding down the line of my sternum, caressing first the skin of my collarbone, and down my midriff to my stomach, where he brushed the hem of my vest up, before splaying his hand over my stomach, and kneading the soft flesh. His lips refused to free mine, keeping my attention of the union of our mouths, as I explored every inch of his hot, sweet cavern. The alien, masculine taste of him seeped in, carried on the tip of my tongue, and I felt every muscle in my body tense in sheer want. His lips left mine, as I pressed my head back into the pillows, breathing shallowly now. Aro's lips drifted over my jaw and down my neck, nuzzling the now burning skin, as I ached for his kiss. His hand on my stomach had stilled, and I silently begged him to resume his devilish game of caresses there. But his lips continued down, brushing the skin of my collarbone, and down over my heart, where he paused to passionately kiss the thin membrane of skin that separated him from my sternum, between the 'v' of my breasts. My breathing abruptly seized, as his now warm mouth fastened on the peak of one breast, through the material of my vest, and his other hand travelled up my body, and beneath my vest to gently cup the other one. Both swelled into his touch, as my body burst aflame. The combination of his mouth through the coarse material of my night vest, and his cold, hard hand now caressing, then kneading the achingly swollen flesh of my breast was electrifying. His free hand caressed down over my hips, following the curve of my leg until it reached the knee and he bent it upwards, and shifted so he lay in-between, in the cradle of my hips. My breath hitched, as yearning and need warred with a slight fear of how much he was making me feel. God, I needed him, but when would I be consumed?

He held the power to utterly destroy me, in those knowing dark eyes.

Abruptly a cry erupted from my throat, as his hand reversed direction, sliding down my thigh, his hard lips and hard hands, and even harder body began to move in unison on my still fully-clothed body-

The sound of the police cruiser sounded outside, and we both paused. Downstairs, Charlie had let himself in, as Aro raised his head and we looked at each other. Like deer caught in the headlights, we both listened with bated breath as I heard Charlie tramp up the stairs. A moment later, Aro's weight left my body and I sat bolt upright, flustered and tousled. He retreated to the shadows beside my door, and I quickly lay back down, as my father's footsteps came towards my bedroom. I concentrated on regulating my still elevated breathing, closing my eyes as I waited for the door to open. Finally it did, as Charlie poked his head in, and I felt his gaze on me. I kept up my pretence, until he closed the door, and a second later I heard his bedroom door close. Staring blindly at the white panels of my door, as I sat back up, I sensed another's gaze on me, as my eyes travelled to meet Aro's.

Slowly he walked back towards me, as our eyes remained fixed on one another.

"I should leave," he murmured. "I only wished to make sure you were alright-"

"Don't go," I whispered.

"Bella-"

"Don't leave me," I murmured pleadingly. I was never the needy type usually, but tonight I needed his cold ice to quench the fire in my body. The fire he had stoked to new heights of desire, heights I had never scaled before.

With a sigh, he seemed to capitulate as he wandered back over to me. He bent his head just enough to kiss my forehead, his hand gently cupping the nape of my neck tenderly. I rested my head on his chest, my head on his left pectoral, when I felt it.

No heartbeat.

What was he?

That thought rang like a refrain in my head, as I felt his lips once again caress my hair, before he tilted my chin up to meet his eyes. I looked into them, and still felt no fear. I would discover his secrets, one way or the other.

"Stay with me," I pleaded once more, and he nodded. He bent his head and kissed me, deeply, wildly, as I moaned and sank into his arms, the danger of discovery only heightening the frenzy growing in my limbs. But for all that, I was tired.

Emotionally and physically it had been a tiring day, so when Aro drew back to lay me down, I couldn't argue. Even though some part of me really wanted him to continue what Charlie had so rudely interrupted. When he stood back up, I clutched at his arm.

Who was this creature, this…impossible, beautiful man who was captivating my heart and my soul?

Aro looked down on me, as he gently pulled the covers back over my body, before he took off his shoes, placed them on the other side of bed, away from the door, swiped his coat and jacket and did the same with them, before he joined me on the bed. His arms came around me, pulling me to him, as I slowly began to sink into slumber, his hand stroking my hair, lulling me into sleep. I rested my head on his hard chest, nestling into his shoulder, when I felt, rather than heard, his whisper in my ear…

Aro's POV

I could not quite believe what had just occurred. Such loss of control was unheard of, at least with me.

I had almost bitten her. But not just that, I had so nearly taken her. Claimed her as my own.

I should have left, should have left the moment her father returned home, but I couldn't. Bella's, my Bella's, gentle whisper shackled me to her, a willing captive.

So now, with her in my arms, falling into slumber, where I could not follow, I bent my head and whispered in her ear.

"Non ti lascerò mai, mia cara. Tu sei la mia vita ora, amore mio."

As Bella's breathing deepened, and I knew I couldn't leave her, I sighed.

I felt content, for the first time in centuries. I was at peace.

It probably wouldn't last.

Not with Bella around, anyway.

Ok, heads up. I do not speak Italian, I do not read Italian, therefore if there are any Italian speakers out there, and the phrases I will start using are wrong, either grammatically or linguistically, blame Google translator, not me. I'm an innocent bystander.

In all justice, I couldn't really have these two in bed just yet. I mean it was a bit of a stretch really, imagining Bella not freaking out to find herself waking up with Aro in her room, after the day she's had, and ending up making out with him. To be honest, full-blown sex might have been a bit precipitate and unbelievable.

So enjoy this…semi-lemon and I promise when I do a lemon scene, it will be well worth the wait. You know the drill by now. R&R!

On yeah, I haven't done a disclaimer in a while. I don't own Twilight, because if I did, I wouldn't have put Bella with that slight numpty-emo-just-plain-idiot-of-a-vampire Edward, and Aro would have been my hero. Heck, I'd have just killed off Bella, and kept Aro for myself. (Shrugs philosophically) meh what can you do?

I suppose you might want the English translation of Aro's little phrase.

Non ti lascerò mai, mia cara. Tu sei la mia vita ora, amore mio"

I'll never leave you, my dearest. You are my life now, my love. Thank you to Lucyferina for the actual translation, not the bogus one Google gave me!

There you go. A play on one of Edward's line from the film. Except Aro might actually honour this vow…..take notes Eddie!