DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!! STEPHENIE MEYER DOES!!
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
BELLA'S POV
Oh, shit. I can't lie to him. He figured it out. What am I going to do? The room is spinning all around me. I think I'm going to be sick. I started panicking and panting hard. I'm going to hyperventilate.
Before I knew what was happening, Aro threw is arms around me and started whispering in my ear. "Shh, shh, Isabella. You're alright. No one is going to harm you. Calm down, now. You're alright." I couldn't believe it. I started crying harder.
"What do you mean? I know what your laws are. I know what is going to happen to me. When will it happen? How long do I have?" I managed to get out through my violent tears and gasps.
"It won't. I won't let it. I told you, you intrigue me." He replied softly and reassuringly.
I snorted my response without thinking, "For now."
He just began rocking me smoothly and didn't respond. We sat there like that until my tears were all cried out. He finally let me go and stood in front of me.
"What are you going to do to Carlisle and his family?" I asked him, still shaking.
"I'm not sure. I'm still thinking about it." He said as he held out his hand for me. I took it and he helped me to me feet. "I'm taking you back to your room, Isabella. You need to rest."
We walked slowly in silence until we were outside my door. He reached out and opened my door. "I'll have Alessandra come get you when your dinner is ready. Rest now." He turned and left without another word.
I walked to my bed, climbed in and lay there, looking up at the ceiling. I don't think I can sleep. I have a death warrant hanging over my head. I knew it was there from the moment Aro and Demitri entered my hotel room, but now it seemed more real than before.
I kept thinking about what he said to me. How long will I continue to intrigue him? Why is he acting so strange toward me? He's being so kind. Edward made him sound like a monster, but I haven't seen that side of him. He seems so concerned with my health and recuperation. Maybe there is more than being intrigued behind his behavior. Maybe he's just playing with me to see how far he can push me until I break.
There was a light knock on my door. I didn't get up, I called out. "Come in" in a small voice. A young, beautiful woman came in and walked toward me. She held out her hand and I took it. She helped me sit up and introduced herself.
"Hello, Isabella. I'm Heidi. Aro sent me." She held out a cell phone and handed it to me. "Aro said you wanted to call your friends. There's no need to hurry. He said to take your time." With that, she just turned and left my room.
He kept his word on letting me speak to my girls. I flipped open the phone and started to dial Michelle's number after entering the country code. She answered on the second ring.
"Hello," she answered in her 'cop tone'.
"Hey, girl. What's up? How are things back in The Big Apple?" I said, keeping my current terror out of my voice.
"Oh my god, Bella! How are you? It's so good to hear your voice. Is something wrong? It's the middle of the night." Michelle started to sound alarmed.
"It is? I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that. I borrowed a phone from someone here. Did I wake you?"
"No, I was up. I'm working on a homicide from uptown. I wish someone would have warned me about the lack of sleep a fresh detective gets. How's Italy?"
"Beautiful. We landed in Florence and drove to Volterra. The things you see in pictures are not done justice by any means. Guess where I'm living in Volterra." I am so happy to hear her voice. I know it carried over, too.
"Where? In a run down slum part of the city? I was afraid that would happen." Michelle said flatly.
"No, it turns out my new employers are the royal family of Volterra. I'm living in the castle with the royals." I said, and found myself smiling.
"What?? No fucking way! How the hell did you land that job anyway? Some chicks have all the luck!" If she only knew.
"I think they saw a campaign I headed. They won't let me start my new position until the doctor they have for me gives the okay. They are very thorough here. I'm not aloud to move around for more that thirty minutes at a time. The doctor said he wants it like that for a week, then he'll add more time with each day until I regain my strength. I even have my meals prepared for me. I have my own private nurse, too. They didn't skip on anything." I hope I can keep fooling her. Maybe she'll think I'm too busy to call if she never hears from me again.
"It sounds like you have it pretty good there. The royal family of Volterra, huh. Maybe you'll fall in love with that great looking guy that was here and you'll become queen. Just don't forget about us little people, Cinderella." She laughed, but I could tell she was worried, too.
"Don't worry, Michelle. I'm fine here. I miss you guys so much. How are the other girls and Aaron? I haven't had a chance to check my email yet. I've had to meet with my medical team and attend a couple other meetings with Aro." I said with sadness seeping into my voice.
"They're fine. They miss the hell out of you though. We stayed here when you left the other day for a few hours and we cried ourselves sick. Aaron didn't say much after you left, though. He said if he doesn't hear from you by the fourth day, he's contacting Interpol. So, you better email him ASAP. I hate to, but I have to go. I'm working on this case. I'll tell the girls you called if you want me to. We're having dinner at Abby's house tomorrow night. We all love you, Bella." I could here the strain of holding back tears in her voice.
"I will. I love you, too. Yes, tell them I called and I'll call one of the other girls next time. I'll rotate it around. I'll talk to you later. Take care of yourself, Michelle. Bye" I closed the phone and let the tears roll down my face as lay back down.
I must have fallen asleep. I was woken by Alessandra gently shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Dinner is ready. I thought we would walk to the kitchen and eat there to get you on your feet for a few minutes."
"Okay. What did the chef fix? Do you know?" I asked her, sitting up. I swung my feet over and stepped out of my bed onto the stepping stool.
"No, I'm sorry, I didn't ask when Heidi told me it was ready. Have you met her yet? She's really nice. What is up with their red eyes?" Alessandra asked, wrinkling her brow.
"You'll have to ask them. If they haven't told you yet, I'm sure they will in time." I responded.
We walked to the kitchen and I could smell the wonderful Italian aromas before we turned the corner where the kitchen was. We went in and walked over to the very old wooden farm table that sat on the other side of the kitchen. About ten feet from the end of the table was a flight of stairs. I was looking at them, wondering where they led when I saw Aro coming down them. He smiled at me when he saw me.
He walked over and pulled a chair out for me. "Have a seat, my dear. Did you speak to your friends?" He asked me.
"Yes, I did. Thank you for that. Everything is fine with them." I told him, grateful for the chance to speak to them. "I forgot the phone in my room. It's somewhere on my bed. I fell asleep after I spoke to Michelle, and I had the phone in my hand."
"That's quite alright, my dear. The phone is yours."
"Really? Thank you so much. Why?" I said, astonished again.
"You'll need it to call again. Yelling across the Atlantic doesn't really work." He said in a teasing tone. I just giggled at him. I think he is very nice, but I'm still very leery of him.
"And how are you this evening, Alessandra? Did you have a good day?" He asked, looking over at my nurse.
"I'm good, sir. I had a very good day. I put all of my things away and got settled. My room is breathtaking. Thank you." Alessandra answered him sheepishly.
"Isabella, when you are finished with your dinner, Jane will show to the throne room. I want to introduce you to some people if you feel up to it." Aro shocked me yet again.
"Okay. I feel up to it. Thank you again for the phone, Aro." Maybe since he gave me a phone, he's not planning on killing me tonight.
Aro left the kitchen and Alessandra and I ate another meal that looked too good to eat and tasted better than it looked. As we ate, we talked about our day. "What did you do today, Alessandra?"
"I walked through the gardens. They are gorgeous. I'll speak with Dr. Colletti this evening to see if I can take you out there tomorrow so you can get some fresh air. I think it would do you good." She smiled at me.
"I hope he says I can go out. Where is the good doctor anyway?" I asked.
"He chose to eat in his room. Apparently he doesn't want to be here. Personally I like it here, apart from the red eyes, which I don't understand. I might ask about that. Then again, I was told if it doesn't concern you, I wasn't to wonder or ask."
"Really? If it doesn't concern me not to ask? Wow. You better not ask or tell anyone else you're wondering. Just to be on the safe side. I don't know to be flattered or infuriated. Aro hasn't stopped shocking me yet with the things he does. You can tell me anything and I won't tell anyone. I promise. I just can't answer your question about the eyes." I replied to her. I wonder why Aro is acting like this. It's almost like he's wooing me. I think I like this kind of wooing.
After I finished my dinner, I patiently waited for Jane to come get me. I wonder how old she was when she was changed. I looked around the kitchen and marveled at the modernisms of it. There was a stainless steel double sided refrigerator that sat next to an industrial type stainless steel stove and oven. There was also an industrial size dishwasher set under a wooden countertop. There were all kinds of pots, pans, and skillets that hung over the island in the middle of the kitchen. This place is truly amazing.
Jane came to get me after about twenty minutes. She stood at the door and told me to follow her. She was quiet as usual as we walked the corridors of the castle. We entered an elevator that went up to the fifth floor. When we stepped out we were in a beautifully decorated hallway that had shields of arms and swords decorating the walls. The floors here were tiled in marble tiles. She led me to a set of what looked like very old wooden double doors. She pulled open the doors and I followed her into a beautiful marble room. There were different doorways with words written in Latin above them.
There were three steps that led to what looked like a stage. In the middle of the stage, set three thrones. Aro sat in the middle throne. He stood up and walked to me smiling that same heart stopping smile at me.
"Ah, yes, Isabella. Did you enjoy your dinner, my dear?"
"Yes, I did, thank you Aro." I answered him smiling in return.
"Well, that's good. I would like to introduce to you to my brothers and the members of my guard who you haven't met yet and are here now. This is Marcus," he waved toward the man on the left end of the stage. "This is Caius," he waved toward the man on the right end of the stage. Caius looked like he was pissed about my being there. Great, a male Rosalie. He turned and began pointing to various vampires around the room as he called their names, "Felix, whom you've already met; Afton; Chelsea; Heidi, whom you've met as well; Demitri, whom you've also met; Renata; and Jane's twin brother Alec."
"Hello, it's nice to meet you all." I said, holding tight to Aro's arm.
"They will not harm you, my dear. When you have completely healed, I will introduce you to Caius's wife Athendora. She may want take you shopping and such. I thought it would be nice for you to see more of Volterra once you have healed." I think I might hit the floor, hard. I'm sure I would have if I weren't grasping Aro's arm so hard.
Marcus rose from his throne and walked to us, never taking his eyes off me. "Isabella, at last we put a face to the beautiful name. Welcome to Volterra. I hope your accommodations are to your liking. If they are not, I'm sure we have something that would be more satisfying for you." I almost had to strain to hear him, he spoke so softly.
"My accommodations are fine, sir. Thank you." I answered him politely.
"Aro, what is the meaning of this?" Caius demanded. "Why is she still alive? You told us earlier she had told you everything about the boy from her past. We have the answers we need. What are you reasons behind this?" Oh my god, now I'm terrified again. What if he lunges at me and Aro can't or won't stop him? I'm beginning to tremble with more fear than I have ever felt in my life.
"That is enough, Caius! I told you yesterday not to make demands of me! She is still alive because I want her that way. I have my reasons. Reasons I don't have to give you!" Aro yelled at him.
"Come, my dear. I apologize for my brother's rudeness towards you. I will not let him harm you. You have my word." Aro said, gently guiding me towards the door.
He walked me to the elevator and we went down to the floor I had came from. He led me down a hallway I had never been before. As we walked we talked some more. "When is your birthday, Isabella?"
"September 13."
"Do you like to read or listen to music?"
"Yes, I love the classic books like 'Wuthering Heights' and it various on music."
We continued to talk like that until we stopped in front of another very old looking door. Aro opened it and led me into the massive room. I couldn't believe where we were.
"You are welcome to come here anytime you wish, day or night, my dear. There are many different books here. Some are original manuscripts. There are also several books here on vampire histories if you're interested." We were standing in the biggest, most beautiful library I have ever seen. I can't believe this is happening to me. Maybe I am Cinderella and Aro is my Prince Charming.
I walked over to a bookshelf and reached for a book that was knee-level to me. As I bent for it Aro took my arm and told me he would get it. He walked us over to a red plush couch situated in front of another white marble fireplace. We sat there for a few hours. I wasn't aware of the time until the huge grandfather clock in the corner rang in the midnight hour.
"My goodness, Isabella. It's midnight. I need to get you to your room so you can get some sleep. Come now." He said as he stood, holding his hand out for me. He didn't let go of my had once I was on my feet. This is different. He usually lets go once I'm steady. He held my hand all the way to my room. Once there, he opened my door for me and kissed my forehead. "Good night, Isabella." He whispered and then turned and walked away.
I walked to my dresser and got my night gown out of the drawer, feeling like I was on cloud nine, and feeling extremely confused.
EDWARD'S POV
I've been on this damn plane for fifteen hours now. I hope I get to her in time, although Alice didn't see the Volturi killing Bella. That could be because they were undecided. I can't wait for them to make up their minds. I won't allow them to harm her.