One week later:
'Little love, please, I understand that you feel betrayed but let us explain. We would never do anything to intentionally hurt you
- Marcus'
'Mia Cara. Come home and let us make this right, let us show you that we meant you no harm
- Aro'
'My treasure, return to us so that we can correct this. The castle feels hollow without you'
- Caius'
She ignores the texts and rejects all the attempted calls, the pain she feels at each word they send is sharp within her heart. The hotel room that she now resides within is nothing like the Volturi residence. It's much smaller and decorated to appeal to tourists, it doesn't feel like home and that hurts all the more to know that she genuinely misses the comfort of her own room, misses the ever constant presence of the three kings. She shakes the feeling angrily from her mind. That life had all been a lie, fabricated to the whim of three vampires who wanted something she was not sure she could give.
They had no right to manipulate her heart, no right to make her feel love that left her head reeling. Roxanne had said that the feelings had always been there, that they were simply laying dormant for the right moment to awaken. But if that were so then why force such things? If love had really been there then surely it would have reared its head at some point.
"Are you alright Felicity? You seem preoccupied"
She snapped from her musings as she returned her gaze back to the man across the little cafe table from her. Julian was smiling kindly as his eyes trailed along her features, a fact that she tried to ignore. He had asked her out for coffee that afternoon, she guessed it was his attempt at a first date. It was nice, a slice of normal in the life that had so far been filled with vampires and beings with bizarre gifts. Herself included.
"I'm sorry, I have a habit of drifting off into thought sometimes"
It was a lie, a bare faced lie that the young man seemed all too ready to believe as he took another sip of his coffee, those eyes still looking her over. It wasn't that she didn't like Julian, not completely, he was useful to her in the sense of gaining an ordinary life, but other than that, he was of little interest to her. She hated herself for still thinking it, but he was nothing like her three kings.
"You should wear your hair up more often, it suits you better and people can see your pretty face without it getting in the way"
An uncomfortable sensation passed through her at his words, that kind and overly familiar smile upon his face as he spoke. She'd chosen to wear her hair down that day because the sun was out and there was a slight breeze that sent the long tresses fluttering in the wind and tickling against her throat. The kings had always said she looked beautiful with her hair down, more relaxed and natural. She frowned as she pulled a hair tie from her handbag and pulled her hair back into the confines, perhaps the three had been lying about that as well? But why lie over something so small as the style of her hair? Perhaps Julian just had a different preference she thought as she leaned down to pick up her handbag completely.
"Thank you... I think. I'm sorry but I have to go, I still have a lot of paperwork to catch up on"
She knew it was a bad thing that she could lie so easily to this man, but she wanted to go back to the confines of her hotel room, feel enclosed and safe from the outside world whilst she tried to reassess the jumbled thoughts within her head. More importantly, she desperately needed to start hunting for a home of her own rather than the little hotel room she had booked at the last minute.
"That's fine, I hope you get a lot done. Perhaps though, you would like to come out for dinner with me next week?"
"I think I can do that, just text me the details"
She made to walk away, stopped only as his voice piped up once more.
"And wear something more feminine for the night, a dress maybe, I think you'd look lovely"
She didn't give a reply, the uneasy feeling going through her heart again as his second request, what right did he have to dictate her appearance? Or was this normal for humans who were undergoing the dating process? Somehow, Felicity did not believe that was the case.
The moment she entered into the hotel room and the door shut quietly behind her, Felicity felt herself freeze. Something did not seem right. The window was open and a few of her possessions had been picked up and moved, as if they had been examined. The feeling in the air did nothing to help either, there was someone else within the room. She moved further into the room, eyes scanning as best as they could before the sound of another's footsteps caught her ears and a voice sent an involuntary shiver up her spine.
"My treasure"
She turned quickly, a shocked gasp forcing past her lips as Caius smiled down at her, a saddened gleam within his ruby eyes but tenderness within his smile, making Felicity want to reach out and trace her fingers along the curve of his lips and the defined contours of his face. She refrained, choosing to simply scowl at him as she placed distance between them.
"What do you want Caius? What are you doing here?"
"You did not answer any of our messages to you, and you refused to pick up the phone when we attempted to call. We began to worry. My brothers do not know I am here, but I want to see you to try and repair that damage that Aro has done with his actions"
Her scowl only deepens as she watches him attempt to move closer, edging herself away slowly to keep the distance, finding herself gradually backed up against the wall. He should have stayed away from here she thinks, seeing either he or any of his brothers whilst the betrayal is still so raw will do nothing but further damage.
"It was not just Aro's actions though was it? Both yourself and Marcus knew of his little trick as well and did nothing to stop him, you didn't even consider just telling me and saving us all this hassle. In my mind, you're all as guilty as each other"
The pain in Caius' eyes in crystal clear as he finally cornered her up against the wall, her body trapped firmly between the surface and his own solid body. She knew she should have felt threatened, felt fearful of his actions as he placed a hand gently against her cheek, but she can only feel comfort. The weight of his body against hers is something that feels right as she fights the urge to lean into the tender touch of his hand.
"Please, my treasure, you know within your heart that the love you feel is real, that the love we feel for you was never something impure or wicked. We fell to a moment of weakness when offered a chance to finally have your love like we had always wanted since you came of age. Please, find it within your heart to forgive the foolishness of men in love"
His lips pressed down to hers gently, catching her by surprise as she gasped in shock at the sudden spark of sensation that coursed through her body and mind. Like the most perfect liquid fire surging through her and sending a feeling of tingling arousal through her very being as her mind forced up the image of all three brothers around her as lips and hands trailed a blazing path of desire along her skin. Her hands moved of their own accord as she found herself kissing back and moaning in bliss as Caius pressed closer to her body and trailed his own hand down to her thigh, gripping the jean-clad limb and caressing like it was something to be worshipped.
For a split moment, Felicity allowed herself to imagine that this really was love, that the feelings she had been tricked into feeling had not been tainted and torn by the trickery of the three men that claimed to love her so perfectly. But as she felt a hand ghost closer to the swell of her breasts, felt another hand take a firm grip of her backside, she was reminded that in the end, she meant nothing more to them than a source of entertainment and sex. she would be thrown to the side like so many others before her when the next pretty young face came along. It hurt to realise this as she forced herself away from the kiss, but at least she knew that she could now see through the lie.
"Get out"
"My treasure, please be reasonable and see what you just felt for what it truly is"
"I said, get out. Don't come back and tell your brothers to leave me alone as well. You've all done enough damage to me as it is"
With that she forced herself away from Caius completely and ran to the bathroom, locking the door in a futile attempt at blocking him from her. She knew he could easily break the door down if he wanted, but something told her as, after twenty minutes of pleading with her to open the door, he finally left the hotel room, that neither he or his brothers would ever do anything to physically harm her.
She listened as the window that he had entered through was slammed shut with his departure before finally succumbing to the tears that had been pent up since her finally day within the Volturi castle, her heart breaking for a second time with the feel of Caius' touch still fresh in her memory and the ghost of his lips still tracing along her own. Why did it have to hurt so much to know that they had never truly loved her?
'Only love can hurt like this,
Only love can hurt like this,
Must have been the deadly kiss,
Only love can hurt like this,
Only love can hurt like this,
Your kisses burning to my skin,
Only love can hurt like this,
Only love can hurt like this,
And it must have been the deadly kiss'