Chapter 20

Ok, I am only going to say this once. In future, if there will ever be an M-rated chapter that is explicit in any way, then I will put up a warning in the previous chapter so if you find the idea of Aro actually being male and getting off with a human disgusting, then you can avoid it if you so wish, but I am not going to change my storyline because a handful of people are uncomfortable with it where the majority aren't. I am writing the story, and if the thought of Aro and Bella together like that truly disgusts you, why the heck are you reading an M rated fanfiction?! If you want sweet, innocent fluff either write it yourself, or don't read my stories, because as I have warned before, I write only M or T ratings, it's what I do best as some of you will know from reading IDIB. Which is why I have also disabled anonymous reviews- I don't fancy getting flames from people I can't even retort to.

And as for the slightly crude idea of Aro being horny, well he hasn't had a mate for a hundred years, give the guy a break! Most of the men I know would be pretty horny if they hadn't had someone in a hundred years.

Flamers will be ignored

So on with the show!

Aro's POV

I laid through the night, holding my Bella in my arms, feeling her soft breath against my chest, hearing the thud of her heartbeat like it was my own.

The sweet purity of the love I bore my Bella surprised me, the protectiveness and the need to cherish contrasting against the possessiveness and desire that welled up in my broken soul, whenever I so much as thought about her.

Bella stirred in my arms, and I smiled at her mumblings.

"Aro…love you…Aro,"

Just the sound of my name on her lips was enough to send a shudder through me. I leant down and pressed a kiss to her temple, as she murmured sleepily.

"As I love you, mio amore," I breathed, before adjusting our position so she was not too uncomfortable.

We lay there, limbs entwined as the night passed and slowly dawn rose over the earth.

I heard her father rise next door, leaving the house early, as I sighed.

How a father and a daughter were supposed to bond when he was never here was beyond my understanding.

But then again, maybe it was better she was distant from her parents. It might make the separation easier to bear, when the time came.

My cellphone rang silently in my jacket pocket, and I flipped it open before it could wake Bella.

"Hello, Alice," I breathed resignedly.

"Hello, Aro," the little pixie trilled, and I wanted to roll my eyes.

"I trust you weren't watching last night?" I said, too quietly for Bella to hear. I could almost see the little psychic's sheepish grin.

"Sorry, Aro. I did try but little flashes kept getting through," she replied apologetically, and I snorted.

"Yes, I'm sure you 'tried'," I muttered and she laughed. I did like Alice, she was one of the few Cullens who didn't treat me with either contempt, fear or awe. She was just on this side of respectful, but also playful. I could see why she was so beloved by Carlisle and her husband, Jasper.

"It annoyed Edward," she retorted, and I could just imagine her playful shrug. "You do know he's on the warpath now? He thinks, that after this is over, you'll just kill her or abandon her."

I unconsciously snarled. "He knows nothing! I will never hurt or abandon Bella."

"Won't you?" she asked, and I snarled again. "Hey quit snarling at me, I'm just curious because I quite like Bella, and I don't want to see her hurt. You know once you've taken care of the werewolf, you'll have to return to Volterra, and then your brothers will demand her death, or change."

I sighed. "I know, and I will not shy away from that step if I must take it-" I began, but Alice cut me off.

"Bella has a life here, Aro. What if she doesn't want it?" she asked, and I paused. The thought of leaving Bella was too much to contemplate. Then I frowned.

"Do you see her as a human, Alice?" I asked in a whisper, as the human in question

shifted against my chest. There was silence on the line, before Alice came back.

"I don't see her human. She's made her choice, but I needed to make sure you wouldn't leave her for her own good, and all that baloney Edward keeps coming out with," she replied carefully, and I felt my dead heart leap. But some of her words were true; I would need to return to Volterra to settle things with my brothers, and retake control of the Volturi but neither could I leave Bella.

But to have her suddenly disappear would be detrimental, both to her and the secret of our existence.

"You're right, Alice, so I'm going to need your help," I mused, planning in my head.

"That could work," she replied immediately, and I nodded once.

Bella's POV

I stirred, lying against something cold and solid, as I raised my head.

"Good morning, mio amore," a silky voice suddenly murmured in my ear, and I turned, smiling, to come face to face with Aro.

"Good morning," I murmured, moving closer and kissing him gently. He returned it, and I sighed in pure happiness.

"What was that for?" he breathed against my lips, and I shrugged. He sighed exasperatedly. "There comes a time, my dear Isabella, when not being able to read your mind is aggravating."

I raised one brow cheekily, grinning at him. "And what happens to people who aggravate you?" I asked, leaning closer. He smiled a slow, predatory smirk as he abruptly rolled me over, and then gazed down at me, pretending to think hard.

"Well, it depends," he mused, "But there's one woman who does it quite often."

"And what happened to her?" I asked, going along with his teasing. He bent his head, and I shuddered when I felt his cold lips on my jaw.

"I'm going to ravish her into insanity," he growled, and I laughed until I felt his lips caress my throbbing pulse. My laugh turned into a moan, and I slid my hands into his hair. His hands and lips were pure heaven, as I arched my spine, meeting his rock-hard chest.

Aro abruptly raised his head, and smiled at me, baring his pearly white teeth. He rolled off of me, and I gasped at the loss of his chill.

"What about the whole 'ravish me into insanity thing'?" I asked belligerently, sitting up on my elbow.

"Not yet, mia cara," he breathed laughingly, brushing my lips as I glared at him. I muttered darkly under my breath as I pushed him away so I could sit up.

He let me, and I swung my legs out of bed.

"What are we doing today?" I asked, crossing to my closet to yank my shower towel from the bottom. When I turned back, he was still lounging on my bed, watching me hungrily.

I guess he heard the annoyed tone of my voice, because the next minute he stood in front of me, his arms around my waist.

"Mio amore, I have a very good reason for not taking you just yet. I do not wish to hurt you or put you at risk," he breathed, and I sighed.

"Are you're sure it's not something else?" I asked sadly, looking down.

"And what would that be?" he asked, and I could imagine his frown.

"Well, I'm not…I mean I-I'm not anything special," I mumbled, surprised when I heard his leashed growl. Abruptly, he tilted my head up and kissed me deeply, pressing me back against the closet door. I moaned, and pulled myself closer, needing more.

He let me go, and I gasped wildly. His breathing wasn't exactly regular either.

"Bella, you are the most desirable, beautiful thing on this planet. Sometimes I feel I shall go mad if I do not claim you as mine-" he began, and those words warmed my heart, but I still cut him off.

"Then why don't you?" I asked, frowningly.

"Because I could kill you Bella. If I lose control too much, I could end up crushing your skull or biting you. You don't know-" he answered, and I felt annoyance well up so I interrupted him again.

"I know now. So let me make my own decisions. I want to be with you forever, but I also want to be with you human, at least for a little while," I breathed, resting my head on his chest and closing my eyes. He held me close, and I felt his lips on my hair.

"Very well, Bella. We will make love, but not yet. Once this threat to your life no longer hangs over us, then I will claim you as my own," he murmured, and I felt pleasant shivers run down my spine.

"I don't have much choice in the matter do I?" I replied archly, grumpily. He chuckled.

"No you don't," he replied, just as archly and I sighed.

"We make a right pair, don't we? What will your brothers think?" I asked, lifting my head from his chest and looking into his crimson eyes. He smiled.

"They will love you," he murmured, but he let me go. "Your father has left for the morning. In answer to your previous question, mia cara, I will be taking you to the Cullens' house for the day. You should get dressed and eat."

"I need a human moment," I said, picking up my towel and slipping from my room.

I had what was probably the quickest shower in human history, brushed my teeth and combed my hair into some sort of order. When I went back to my room, Aro wasn't there, but I guessed he was probably downstairs.

Sighing, I crossed to the window and felt the sun's warmth on my skin. I closed my eyes and savoured it, thinking over Aro's words.

He did want me, but he thought he might hurt me. I could understand that, but somehow I didn't think he would hurt me, ever. And I loved him too much to let this come between us.

I still couldn't decide if I was still dreaming or if this was reality.

Maybe the plane had crossed on the way from Arizona, and I was in a coma somewhere.

Turning back to my closet, I slipped into my underwear, and some blue jeans. I pulled on a red sweater, arranging my hair around my shoulders before I remembered something. I picked up Aro's hair slide from my desk, and slid it into my jean pocket.

"Aro?" I called, as I stepped onto the landing. He was stood at the foot of the stairs, in all his dark glory, his perfect body shown to perfection in those high-necked shirts and trim suits. I rushed down the stairs, and almost made it before I tripped and he caught me, laughing. "Damn force of gravity!"

"Bella, why the rush?" he asked jokingly, while I blushed. I reached up and kissed him heatedly, one he returned after a minute, his hands clutching my waist.

When we parted, he looked down at me surprised.

"What was that for?" he inquired gently, while I smiled up at him.

"Just making sure you're not a dream," I breathed, before I kissed his cheek and stepped back.

"Bella, you are the strangest, most surprising woman I've ever met," he breathed, as I grabbed his hand and led him into the kitchen. "I think that's the first time I've been referred to as a 'dream'."

"Then you clearly haven't looked in a mirror lately," I rolled my eyes, before crossing to the cereal cupboard. "And you did save me."

Aro's whisper in my ear had me shivering pleasantly as he cornered me against the work surface, his arms on either side of my stating quite unequivocally that I wasn't going anywhere.

"I did, didn't I?" he breathed against my neck, and I suddenly found myself facing him, sat firmly atop the worktop with him standing between my legs. My pulse raced, and I breathed harshly as I met his crimson eyes. He looped my arms around his neck, and pulled me closer.

"Does it get easier?" I asked, fighting through my desire to speak coherently. "Being this close when I'm super-tasty and all?"

Aro didn't answer me but leant in and took my lips hungrily, our tongues twining a moment later. I groaned and pulled him closer, before he abruptly pulled back. "It does get easier, mio amore,"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After breakfast, I laced up my walking boots and grabbed a coat from the rack. Aro waited for me by the back door.

"We'll be running a part of the way. We can't have anyone seeing you leaving with me," he told me, and I frowned.

My head still refused to stop spinning from his kiss.

"Why not?" I asked, zipping my jacket up.

"Bella, I was your Biology teacher. I don't think your father would take kindly to rumours of his daughter driving around with one of her teachers, would you?" he sighed, and I nodded.

"Oh. Duh." I breathed, mock-hitting myself on the forehead. Aro chuckled, and held out his hand to me.

"Ready to go?" he asked, and I swallowed.

"What if your family don't like me? I mean you are risking a lot for me, and I don't want…" I trailed off when I saw his attempt to hold his laughter in. "What?"

"Bella, you are amazing," he grinned, and I glared at him.

"Do I get to hear the joke?" I asked tetchily.

"The fact that you're more worried about my family not approving of you, than you being in a house full of vampires for the day," he responded, and I continued to glare at him.

Then a very unsettling thought occurred to me.

"You said we'll be running a part of the way? I can't run," I said, a hint panicky. Running was embarrassment Central for me. I avoided it at all costs usually.

"No you can't-"

"Hey!"

"But that's why I will be carrying you," he continued despite my outburst, and I stared at him.

"I'm no rucksack," I told him, open-mouthed. He grinned.

"Bella, to me you are the approximate weight of a feather. We'll be fine," he replied, and I glared at him.

"Damn vampire super-strength," I huffed before I led the way out the front door. I locked the door and took Aro's hand as he led me into the forest.

A few metres in, he stopped and turned to me, hand outstretched.

"Ready?" he asked, and I stepped toward him. I suddenly remembered the hair slide in my pocket.

"Oh, I have something of yours," I said, holding it out to him. He glanced at it, then groaned.

"I knew I left something behind," he replied to my questioning look. I narrowed my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, but as Aro took it, he shifted behind me and I felt him lift my hair. "What are you doing?"

"I think, mio amore, that this will look far more fetching on you," he told me, and I rolled my eyes.

"That is a subject of debate," I sighed, as he clipped the two front sections of my hair back, out of my face, but still allowing most of my hair to tumble over my shoulders. His hands rested on my shoulders, as he leaned forward to whisper in my ear.

"You are beautiful, mio amore," he breathed, and I couldn't help but shudder.

I couldn't help but believe him for one tiny minute.

"Now come," he broke the moment, and I felt my legs taken out from under me as I looped my arms around his neck in panic.

"Whoa, thanks for the warning!" I yelled indignantly. Damn cocky vampires!

"Hold on tight!" Aro replied, and suddenly the forest became a green and brown blur as I felt the wind rush past, and the air literally forced down my throat from the speed of our run.

It was incredible.

More soon!