Part XI
"Turn off those fucking lights," were the first words I said once I regained consciousness. Vanessa and May were pleased that the attack had not injured my brain.
I was back in human form a white t-shirt covered my nude body and the pain in my ribs was reduced to a dull ache.
Sitting up in Vanessa's bed, I felt her cool arms embrace me tightly. "Oh, I was so worried that man hurt you," she cried softly into my hair, kissing my forehead. "If Marcus hadn't of saved you-"
Marcus.
"Where is he?" I asked remembering something about a meeting that Aro had called. May, who was sitting on the edge of the bed piped up.
"Demetri is doing me a favor and recording the meeting," she told me. "He's trying to make it up to me."
"What?"
"Holding me back from trying to help you. I told him that if he ever did something like that again I'd never forgive him." May reached out and touched my hand. "You both are the most important people to me. I'd never forgive myself if I couldn't help you."
Weakly, I smiled up at her before leaning back into the bed once the dizziness began. "Is Marcus going to be alright?"
Vanessa's mouth twisted into a thoughtful frown slightly. "He might be scolded by Aro for nearly killing Caius, which wouldn't be such a loss since he's useless, but Aro would never risk hurting Marcus."
That was a relief and I allowed myself to be at peace for a while until Demetri came in and I shot up, only to have Vanessa push me back.
The tall vampire handed May a small black box and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I am sorry, May," he whispered against her flesh, looking genuinely solemn. There was a stern look on her face a moment, but it melted quickly.
"It's alright Demika," she whispered standing on the tips of her toes to kiss his lips softly. "Thank you." With a bow to Vanessa and myself, he left and May gave a small sigh. "He's so sweet."
"Almost diabetic," Vanessa teased as she took the tape recorder and pressed the play button. At first there was nothing but static and rustle of wood, then Aro's voice came from the black box.
Aro: This can never happen again. We cannot be made out to look weak in front of our own subjects. To show divisions amongst ourselves.
Caius: Divisions? If you hadn't decided to bed nearly every female in the guard we wouldn't be in this situation.
Aro: I don't remember anyone complaining when you had Odette.
Caius let out a snarl and it sounded as if something had been slammed against a brick wall. He was pissed off.
Caius: Don't speak of her to me.
Aro: Then do not lecture me on my search for pleasure.
Caius: Ha, do you think of anyone else's pleasure? Like your wife's? She is unnerving my wife, Aro, and I will not allow your slut to overthrow my wife's' cousin!
Aro slammed his fists against something.
Aro: No one is being overthrown. Vanessa has proven that to me. She has no desire to overthrow Sulpicia.
Caius: How do you know that?
Aro: Because I proposed to her and she said no.
"Stop the tape!" May yelled and she grabbed the recorder out of Vanessa's hands, before the blonde had a chance to stop her.
My mouth was ajar and it took all my self-control not to gasp. Vanessa turned down Aro's proposal? How could she? She was in love with him.
"Are you crazy?" I screamed. "How could you turn down Aro's marriage proposal? You are mad about that creepy bastard."
Vanessa sighed and tried to grabbed the tape from May, but the ginger had retreated to my side of the room.
"Not until you explain yourself," May said sternly. "You love Aro."
"Really? Because I'm sure Leah wants to know exactly why Marcus nearly killed Caius to protect her and trust me Aro's gonna bring that up."
A flush of heat filled my body and I looked at the recorder with a deep desire that bubbled from the tips of my toes to my brow. Vanessa smirked with the satisfaction of know she made me in her clutches.
Sighing, I turned to May and have a slight nod. "Sorry," I whispered.
"It's fine," May responded with a small smile. "I want to know myself." She pressed the button and the sound of Caius's smug voice came through.
Caius: Really now? Why did she do that?
Aro: None of your business Caius. Just tell your wife that she is safe, as is my wife.
Marcus: Wonderful. Meeting dismissed.
Aro: Not so fast, Marcus. You have your own crime to answer for. Attacking your coven brother in the defense of that Indian shifter. What exactly is your relationship with her?
Marcus: She is Native American and my relationship with her is none of your concern.
Caius: Oh come now brother. Tell me, have you ridden the shores to the new world?
I heard a smash and a yell of pain come from Caius.
Caius: You son of a bitch!
Marcus: Caius, if you ever talk about Leah Clearwater in that manner again I will do more than just break your nose. My relationship with Leah Clearwater is simple; she is of importance to me and that is all you need to know on the matter. As I said before meeting dismissed.
The tape went back into a static buzz mixed with footsteps until there was nothing but silence and May clicked the recorder off.
If I could see my face I could imagine it was red with embarrassment and heat. He cared about me? I mean, of course they had become close during these last few months. But to hear him say I was important to him, was more than my little heart could take.
I thanked the spirits that I hadn't been reduced to giggles. Instead I lifted the covers over my face to avoid the smirks that came from the two women. "When I take this sheet off you'd better have those smiles wiped off your faces."
0o0
He was avoiding me. Problem was he wasn't any good at it. As he saw me coming, Marcus would sneak behind a pillar or turn the corner hoping I wouldn't notice.
I always noticed and it was pissing me off.
He was probably felt shamed because I knew about his feelings for me, since Alec-little snitch-told everyone about the recording.
I wanted more than anything to simply confront that black cloaked, morose, annoying man and grab him by the neck to kiss him hard, then soft and then hard again. I was tired of him acting as if I was a little human girl.
For goodness sake I was a shifter and in a few more years I could match him and any of his coven folk.
Walking through the gardens I fingered the fresh blossoms that came from the ground. A wild combination of orange and reds, like the flowers Marcus sent me as an apology for being rude to me.
"Well he needs to send me some again," I muttered folding my arms over my head. Laying back into a clear patch on the ground I allowed the scents of the flowers to wash over me and overpower it all. To just let my worries wash away with the perfume of roses.
"I don't understand you at all, Vanessa!" I heard Aro's voice yell.
"It is not that complicated Aro," she said to him calmly. "Until Sulpicia no longer loves you, I will not marry you. Bed you, always, but marry you, never."
"How long will that take? Decades? Centuries? What if she never concedes?" Aro bellowed.
"Then it just shall not be."
"I will not deal with his kind of insolence. I offer you the world and you spit in my face."
"No, Aro, you offer me another woman's place. I have taken enough from her, but this is just too much. I can not, please understand."
"No!" he yelled. "If you will not be my wife, then you will not be my lover either! I shall go to Jane and what shall you think of that?"
Vanessa gave no answer. I heard the door get pulled open and then a moment later slammed closed. Angry muttering and footsteps heading in the opposite direction of me and then vanished. Vanessa's footsteps followed.
Getting up from my sanctuary I ran to Vanessa's door and opened it to see her on the floor. Her head buried in her knees and her sobbing filling the room.
I stepped into the room and screamed. "You are an idiot!" My cries were obviously frightful since May came running into the room.
"Leah?" she gasped. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing is wrong with me, May. However something is wrong with Vanessa," I said looking at the blonde vampire. "Aro proposed to you again and you said no?"
"What?" May yelled. "Nessa you didn't?"
Vanessa sighed and stood up from the ground slowly. "I did. I can't marry Aro."
"Why the hell not?" I screamed. "You are in love with him! You want to be with him forever! So just marry the man!"
"I will not rip Sulpicia's status as wife away from her!" Vanessa yelled slamming her fist into the wall, making a small hole in the pavement. She pressed her forehead against the wall. "Don't you understand Leah? As long as Sulpicia still loves him how can I ask him to leave her and marry me?"
"Simple you be selfish. You go after what you want, like always. You have his bed why not his name?"
Vanessa shook her head. "I can't, until the day comes when Sulpicia no longer loves Aro, I will not marry him," she repeated again like a mantra.
"Then you are a fool," I spat.
"Leah!" May yelled.
"No! She is because she has a man who loves her and she can't even accept that! What happens if it never comes? What happens when she remains his wife and you are cast aside for another mistress?" I asked coldly.
Vanessa stood up. "Then it wasn't meant to be," she said frankly before leaving the room.
"Leah," May's voice said softly.
"What?"
"I didn't know exactly how to tell you this but-"
"What?" I hissed aggravated.
"Sam called, he left you a message."
I felt my heart drop. Sam hasn't spoken to me since I'd been in Italy. Last I remembered he was livid when I left saying that I was being a traitor. Bastard.
"Saying?"
May was obviously uncomfortable discussing this with me, her eyes refused me meet mine instead she kept them on her painted pink toes. "He wants you to come home and take over his pack as an Alpha. Since he and Emily are thinking about starting a family-"
The lurching in my stomach was starting and my eyes widened. An Alpha female? I was given an opportunity to become an Alpha female. Sam was asking for me. Yet, I felt no joy…no excitement.
There was only one person that gave me that and he wasn't a shifter. He was the last guy I would have ever chosen to love. He was Marcus and I wanted him in my life.
So I was gonna get him.
0o0
Marcus was pacing when I entered his room. Instantly he turned and looked at me.
"Leah," he spoke softly. Trapped, without an exit with me barricading the door.
I looked at him carefully. How had I allowed this to happen? I allowed myself to fall for a vampire. This went against nature and everything my genes told me. Yet, I wanted this. I wanted to be happy.
"Sam called for me."
Marcus's eyes narrowed as he heard that. "Your former lover? What did he want?"
"He asked me to become the Alpha of his pack in America."
"I see."
"What do you want me to do?"
"It's your choice, Leah Clearwater," he said reversing to that emotionless voice of three months.
"Don't give me that shit!" I yelled taking a step towards him. My finger pointing at him accusingly. "After these last three months, please don't talk to me like that."
I heard him give out a sigh. "What would you have me say Leah?" he asked. "Would you have me ask you to stay?"
"I want your honest opinion," I told him. "I want you to just say how you feel, please."
Marcus, using his speed, was suddenly right infront of me. His red eyes like flames as the looked into my brown ones. My heart fluttered nervously and I couldn't help but feel weak in the knees. I damn sure didn't show it, though.
"Sam was a fool to give you up in the first place. This is not the first time he's tried to get you back under his thumb. I think you should stay here."
"With you?" I asked with a small smile.
Marcus's mouth twitched and I felt him reach out and stroke my neck. I deliberately put my hair up before coming to see him.
"What did I tell you about wearing you hair in this manner?" he asked. The slow husky tone of his voice took me by surprise.
"I know," I said, surprised to hear my own voice match his tone. "I did it on purpose."
"You are foolish to tempt a vampire."
"I have always been a risk taker," I told him. Looking up at him I grabbed his hand and took it in mind. "Marcus, I…I care about you a lot. Just tell me if I'm wasting my time."
"You are wasting your time, but not because I don't care. You are a shifter, my bite could kill you and I do not wish for that," he told me, his fingers curling around mine. "You are an odd woman, Leah Clearwater. For the first time in ages, I feel somewhat at peace. I find that peace through you, which considering your temper, is quite ironic."
I laughed realizing that he was trying to make a joke. I reached up and touched his cheek. My brown skin in dark contrast with his pale complexion.
"If it's my blood, I could just cut myself. I heal quickly and…"
"No," he said strongly. "I would never allow you to mar perfection."
"Perfection," I mouthed, shocked to hear anyone say that to me.
Marcus's forehead pressed against mine lightly. I trembled slightly at the change in temperature, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was like a refreshing breeze on a hot day.
"Perfection, Leah Clearwater. Perfection, you have shown since the moment you came to me, a perfection I tried to deny. Until the dance."
"Ha, so you did notice my looks!" I proclaimed proudly.
Marcus let out a tiny chuckle. "I am very much a man, Leah, despite being a vampire. You have always been captivating to me. Especially in your wolf form."
"I have no idea why."
"It's because you are a piece of nature while I am a accident of nature. There are few things that are as magnificent as a wolf, Leah."
I blushed and turned away. The flattery was too much for me. Even when I was with Sam, complements were a weakness. I always got weak and mushy.
"So will you stay? Here in Italy."
"I will," I told him with a smile. "On one condition."
He rolled his eyes at me. "You always have conditions."
Grinning I nodded. "The condition is that you kiss me."
"I can not," he said stifling moving away from me.
Placing a defiant hand on my hip I looked up at him. "You can and you will or I shall be returning to America." It was a cruel ultimatum, I'll admit it, but I wasn't going to wait for him. No matter how much I cared for him he needed to let me know I was worth fighting for. He was to me.
"I will hurt you Leah," he pleaded.
"How?"
"Once I kiss you and the taste of you has entered my system. I might not be able to stop. I will not harm you in anyway. I refuse to."
Sighing softly I placed my arm around his waist. I felt his body stiffen under my touch. Placing my head on his shoulder I spoke.
"I love you Marcus. Over the time we have spent being friends, I have learned to love you. With you, all the pain of lost love doesn't hurt me anymore. You've taken away my hurt and I want to take away yours. I don't want to replace your wife. I would never disrespect you or her like that. I just don't want you to hurt anymore, Marcus. I want to be with you. I want to love you as much as you'll let me."
The room was silent and Marcus didn't more. I felt my eyes water slightly. My love and my confession had fallen on deaf ears and a deaf heart. I slowly pulled away from Marcus with my head down. I would not give him the satisfaction of seeing my heart break for the second time.
Before I could get any further I felt his arms wrap around me and pull me into a tight embrace. His hands undid my hair letting it fall down mid shoulder. He took in my scent and whispered against my hair.
"Perfection, Leah. That is what you are."
His lips touched mine gently. His lips were soft and cool just like the rest of him. I felt my body tremble slightly at the sensation. I kissed him back boldly, not allowing myself to be overwhelmed. Our mouths melted together and it felt like sin.
When his tongue slid across mine I could help but let out a moan of surprise. Marcus's hands traveled down my back, sending little shivers down my spine, to my waist. He pulled me closer against him. His mouth left mine and I let out a little whimper. I saw him smirk a little before kissing along my jaw, then down my neck, to my collarbone. He suckled my skin hungrily and I felt my knees get dizzy. I needed to lie down.
"Bed," I managed to whisper through the moans he brought out in me.
Marcus stopped for a moment, damn, and looked up at me. His red eyes warm and inviting, but a little concerned. "Are you sure?"
I then realized the double meaning in my words. I was a virgin. Sam and I never, nor had I trusted anyone enough since. Yet, at this moment in Marcus's arms, I trusted him. I trusted him not to hurt me. He knew my pain and he would never do that to me. And even if he did hurt me in the future I had this moment.
"Yes."
With that he swooped me up into his arms and I let out a little yelp of surprise. Marcus gave out a small laugh as he placed me onto his bed with a kiss.
Then I, Leah Clearwater, was a virgin no more and man did I love every moment of it. No wonder that Bella girl was so stuck on Edward.
0o0
I heard it.
The sorrowful sobs of the one woman who treated me like a person. Vanessa was in the throne room, sitting atop the seat she had worked so hard for all these years. There were no tears, but that only made it worse. The sobs were dry, pains of sorrow.
"Oh Nessa you fool. Just marry him," I said wrapping my slender arms around her, kissing her cheek lightly as she often did to me.
She was shaking her head. "I can't…I just can't Leah! I don't want to lose him, but I can't!"
I rubbed my hands up and down her back comfortingly. That idiot Aro, he had no idea what he was giving up. Jane would drain his wallet within the week and then he would be coming back.
"Don't let him make you cry, Nessa. He is an idiot."
A gasp of pain escaped her lips. "Now he'll go running to that cow Jane," she said in a sad hiccup. "She's nothing but a horrid little girl who has no ideas about love, only obsession."
Rising from the throne, Vanessa gave me a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for coming to comfort me sweetheart, but I just need to lay down and think."
I watched her walk away, head down in such a morose state that it broke my heart to look at her.
Demetri crept out from the shadows; his dark appearance belied the goodness that wrapped around him. Her took me into his arms and kissed my brow gently, stroking my back. "Would you like me to do anything for you?"
Wrapping my arms around his middle I buried my head into his chest. "No, but I think-I think I need to make a call to home. To my father and my aunt. I think…she needs them now."
