AN: Wow, it feels like forever since I updated last, doesn't it? I've been itching to update for days, but these holidays, lol. Can't wait till it's all over. But yeah, Alice took a bit of a dark turn in the last chapter. I had tried earlier to make her more sympathetic, but most people didn't go for it, so I let her character progress this way instead. For now, at least. In the context of a soapy vampire drama, I think it's a fairly natural progression. Back in the early chapters Alice was so supremely confident that she actually told Bella to wait around as a second choice, no care in the world. But now she's realizing how much Bella really means to her and how she might've already lost her forever. So it's kind of like a comeuppance for her arrogance, to falter and spiral out of control like that. I don't believe she's beyond redeeming, though. We'll have to see. :)
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Chapter 24:
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The two vampires bought me down into the catacombs and already I could hear the dim throb of dancemusic from the halls beyond. At first we were walking in utter blackness, me completely sightless, my escorts each leading me by an arm. My heart was racing, but I wasn't afraid. Too much of my life was falling apart for me to be afraid of simple darkness or death.
Eventually there were lights up ahead along with the music. The lights were wallsconces of live flame, things you might find in a medieval dungeon, and now I could see that the walls of the corridor were lined with stone tombs that contained whole skeletons, the skulls and bones yellowed with age, spiders nesting in the eyesockets, enormous rats squeaking away at our footsteps. My skin crawled at all the filth and bugs but as we continued down the hall the area became cleaner. Eventually we were walking on a red carpet with gold embroidery that had been laid out on the stones, frayed and dirty at the beginning and slowly clearing to a rich crimson in the orange glow of the wall lamps.
The carpet led to a polished darkwood door with gold hinges that opened into a stone room which looked like an underground parlour. There was a fire in a fireplace, some furniture—scarlet colored sofas and settees—and oilpaintings on the walls. There were no bugs in this room and not even a speck of dust.
The two vampires who had bought me here conferred with themselves in inaudible whispers, glancing at me, and then the woman left me with the man while she turned and sauntered in her purple dress out through a different door. I could still hear the dance music in the background, dim and throbbing, and the man was watching me with his wrists crossed like a security guard, silent, smiling, waiting. I didn't know what he was waiting for, but I didn't have to wait long.
The woman never returned, and instead a set of ornate doubledoors flew open and in entered a man who wore long black robes that fluttered with a flourish behind him. The robes were adorned with gold trim and gold tassels and the lining was bright and red. He entered and smiled with certain flamboyance, like a host or a king come to greet a particular guest, and he was using a handkerchief to dab at a speck of blood in the corner of his mouth, left there from whoever he had been feeding from before my arrival. I tried not to think about all the people who were losing their lives down here and I tried not to show any fear. He smiled at me and tucked his handkerchief away somewhere among his costume and clapped his hands together in delight. His hair was long and black, his face was pale as paper.
"Well, well, well," he said, "you must be the stray they've been telling me about. And my, you do smell delicious. Tell me, my lady, how did you…"
But he trailed off when he got a closer look at my face. He seemed to recognize me and his smile and his delight grew.
"Ah, you must be the dear Isabella that Edward thinks so fondly of, yes?"
I frowned at him. I didn't think Edward would speak so freely of me, especially not to a these people who might want to kill me for being aware of their existence. "How did you know?"
"Actually, I have a special power. Sort of like a party trick. Not dissimilar to Edward's, in fact, only more powerful. My name is Aro, by the way, I'll be your host for whatever remains of your evening."
He squared his heels with a click and gave a bow. I regarded him strangely. There was something foppish about his manner that made him seem more like a man pretending to be a vampire ruler in a stageplay than an actual vampire ruler. But his eyes were sharp and keen and blood red and something in his smile urged me to take him very seriously.
"You can read minds?" I asked.
"Yes, only not telepathically like young master Cullen. My gift requires a touch. One touch of the hand and I can read every thought a person's ever had."
He extended his hand. It was fine and white and almost translucently pale, emerging from the cavernous sleeve of his robes like a ghost hand.
I frowned at it and didn't take it. If he could read minds like Edward—all of a person's mind—what would he see in mine? Victoria would be there and all my feelings for her and the fact that she had never killed me or turned me which—
The man in the robes gestured with his hand and smiled patiently. "Would you mind? It would be the simplest and most effective way of finding out exactly what you're doing here and how much you know."
"I'm looking for someone," I said, still not taking it. I was hoping I could simply talk about it and limit how much I told him, but his smile curved into a smirk and I knew I wouldn't be able to refuse a second time.
"Take my hand and we'll find out who," he said.
I still hesitated. If he saw anything that caused them to hurt Victoria, I would never forgive myself. The orange firelight washed against the man's candlecolored skin and he beckoned with his fingers.
"Take my hand, Ms Swan," he said. "If it makes it easier, you don't have any choice."
I knew he was right and I decided to do it. At the very least, he seemed like a friendly evil vampire. Maybe it would be safe.
So I reached slowly and placed my hand in his. His fingers were ice cold, like all vampires, and they held me loosely. I looked at his face, watching to see if his expression changed from what he saw inside me.
What I saw didn't seem encouraging. His smile had already slipped away and now his brows were beginning to knit slightly. Not as if he was angry. But maybe as if he was having trouble seeing. His crimson eyes lowered to our clasped hands and his fingers tightened slightly. He stared at them for a moment and then he looked at my face. An odd expression passed over his features, a strange smile, and then he let go of my hand.
What had he saw?
Thankfully, it was nothing that enraged him. He even seemed slightly amused and maybe a little puzzled. The vampire who'd escorted me into the catacombs was still standing by like a bodyguard and the vampire named Aro glanced at him before turning back to me.
"And who is it you were going to say you were looking for?" he asked. "In your own words."
It seemed like an odd question, but I figured maybe he was trying to figure out if I had been going to lie. Part of me wanted to claim I was here to see Edward, to avoid mentioning Victoria's name at all, but I knew he had seen exactly what I was doing here.
"Victoria," I said.
"Hmm," he murmured thoughtfully. Then he turned to the other vampire and said, "Fetch Victoria and bring her here."
The vampire nodded wordlessly and left through a door in the side wall.
Then I was alone with Aro. I had no idea how highly this guy ranked in the Volturi, but Victoria spoke of him like a leader. He had his hands laced behind his back and he was watching me curiously. I guess he had seen something interesting in my mind. Sex with other girls. Free porno.
I looked around the room, a corner of my mind already planning an escape if that's what it came to. My eyes landed on the fire place and I took comfort from it. I had experience using fire as a weapon and I could picture myself grabbing one of those burning logs out of the blaze and clobbering this creepy vampire king over the head with it if I had to. Of course, it would probably be suicide, but just the thought of fighting was more comforting than plain fear and helplessness.
I turned back to my host. He smiled with thin white lips. Like an albino. He seemed to be forming his words in his mind and after a moment he spoke.
"I must admit to being slightly perplexed," he said. "The truth is—which I didn't want my follower to know about—is that I couldn't read your mind at all."
That surprised me.
Then I realized it really shouldn't.
"Edward couldn't either," I said, not only to him, but to myself too.
He smiled and tilted his head to regard me, almost in admiration. "It seems perhaps you might have a gift of your own," he said.
His words stirred something inside me. That had never even occurred to me, but I guess it made sense. Edward and Alice both claimed to have traces of their powers as humans before the transformation to vampires intensified them.
"You think so?" I asked.
"Yes, a very special one to be so powerful as a mere human," he said. "Actually, it reminds me of Victoria's particular gift. A certain survival mechanism."
I snorted a chuckle at that. "I've always been good at surviving."
"Well, we'll see if you can still say that after tonight."
My smile faded. His own grew. I wasn't exactly sure what he meant, but I got the feeling he was just reminding me that I was in danger. It didn't feel like a direct threat.
At least I hoped not.
We didn't speak again until Victoria arrived. The other vampire was with her and he hadn't seemed to have told her I was here, because when she saw me there, down here in the catacombs, in the presence of Aro, she actually froze for a moment. But only a moment before continuing into the room, forcing herself into a casual air as if she had no idea who I was or why she was summoned. She was wearing a flowing red dress with a slit up one side that revealed glimpses of her pale leg and I observed the color of the dress with a sinking heart.
Red.
It was red dress, just like Alice said. She hadn't been lying about that part. What else hadn't she lied about?
Victoria and the other vampire came over to join us and Aro tossed his chin regally.
"Leave us," he said to the other vampire.
The other vampire bowed, still without speaking, and left.
Victoria stood there, trying not to let on how shocked she was to see me there. She must've guessed that Aro would've read my mind—or tried to—but she seemed determined not to betray even the slightest recognition, as if that might somehow keep me safe. Unfortunately I had already mentioned her name and Aro saw right through her.
"Well, Victoria," he said. "I think you can understand why I'm so upset with you."
Victoria glanced at me and back at Aro, still saying nothing. Aro extended his hand.
"Come," he said. "I refrained from reading your mind when you first arrived out of respect, but now I'm afraid I must insist."
He gestured with his ghostly hand. A grudging look passed over Victoria's face but she knew she had no choice. I watched anxiously and after a moment she exhaled and placed her hand in Aro's.
Aro's eyelids fluttered shut and a strange smile came over his face. You could almost see him become flooded with every thought and feeling Victoria had ever known. He seemed to enjoy it and it made me angry. It was an invasion of privacy.
Finally he let go. Victoria was frowning darkly as she took her hand back and Aro smiled at her.
"Wrinkle not thy scarlet brow at me, my lady," he said. "You've been keeping secrets."
He turned his smile to me. Then he turned it back to Victoria. He was clearly enjoying this leverage and being able to decide if I lived or died or if Victoria did too. Victoria and I glanced at each other worriedly and he seemed to notice the glance.
"Hmm," he murmured. "Yes. You two have been through a lot together. Why, you might even be mates. Would be a shame for such a journey to end here, wouldn't it?"
He let the question linger. Neither Victoria or I answered. Neither of us had even uttered a word since she had entered the chamber.
Aro looked at us, smiling, and turned to me with his hands laced behind his back once more.
"Well, Ms Swan," he said. "What are we going to do with you?"
Once again he waited for me to answer. I didn't.
"As I'm sure you're aware," he went on, "we don't tolerate humans to know our secret. Hunting you down would've been a chore, but here, now, why I'm sure your execution would be a pure delight. Victoria, what say you?"
Victoria had her fist clenched at her sides and her whole body was lightly trembling. Deep in her throat, just barely audible over the fireplace and distant throb of dance music, I could hear a low growl. She looked like she might be ready to try her luck by pouncing on him and killing him and fleeing with me as fast as she could.
Aro smiled. Waiting. Then he smiled again.
"Now would be the time to start begging for her life if you intend to," he advised.
Begging seemed to be a bit below a woman like Victoria, but she seemed to realize it might be her only hope. She glanced at me and slowly she stopped trembling. Her hands loosened at her sides. I gazed at her as if I loved her and trusted her and she seemed to take strength from it. She turned back to Aro.
"I always intended to turn her," she said. "We were only waiting for an opportunity to do it with maximum control over her newborn phase."
Aro raised his eyebrows, as if to inquire if there was more. Victoria swallowed her pride and added:
"But I did intend to."
It was probably the closest she'd ever come to begging, but it didn't seem to be enough for Aro. He shook his head, clucking his tongue like an uncle disappointed with his favourite niece, and sighed.
"Intentions, intentions," he said. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."
Neither me or Victoria replied. I kept my face hard, but inside my heart was beating. Victoria had tensed up again, waiting for the verdict. Aro looked at us, as if the question of my life and death were no more significant than which shoes to wear, and finally he sighed again.
"Well, there's no need to rush into a decision right now," he said. "There's much to contemplate. That gift of yours intrigues me greatly. Perhaps I'll keep you for myself, hm?"
Victoria bristled even more. Aro seemed to enjoy it and turned to me with a charming smile.
"Tell me, Ms Swan," he said. "Do you dance?"
I glared at him. "No."
He was surprised at my abrupt answer. Victoria's mouth twitched with a proud smirk. Aro chuckled and then he took my hand and lifted it and circled slightly to my side as if to examine my body.
"No? How come no? A woman as beautiful as you could never lack for a partner. Wouldn't you say, Victoria?"
He was still holding my hand in the air and he waited for an answer just long enough to make her uncomfortable and then he smiled and lowered my hand and passed it to Victoria. Victoria took it and tugged me closer to her protectively. Aro smiled at us.
"Come," he said. "We have dancing nightly and you're welcome to join us for the duration of your stay."
"That might be too dangerous, Aro," she said, her demeanor finally softening now that I was safe in her custody—for now.
"Oh, nonsense," Aro said, waving her off with a flick of his sleeve. "We're not savages here. I'll issue orders to all that her every need be seen to and no harm will come to her as long as she remains under my protection." Then he smirked and added: "For however long that might be."
Victoria frowned but she didn't object anymore. Aro sighed and took a gold pocketwatch from somewhere about his robes and flipped it open and held it to the firelight to read it's face.
"Victoria, you'll be able to find Ms Swan something appropriate to wear, won't you?"
Victoria nodded. Aro was still looking at his watch but he seemed to notice. Then he snapped the watch closed and smiled at us.
"Splendid," he said. "Then I look forward to seeing you on the dancefloor, Ms Swan."
He took my hand one more time, the one Victoria wasn't holding, and he lifted it to place a cold kiss on my knuckles. I glared at him as he did so, my heart pounding with fear and uncertainty. His deep red eyes were watching mine and he gave my fingers a subtle caress, as if he was still pleasantly marvelled that his power did not work on me.
I didn't like that look. It wasn't dangerous so much as desirous.
Victoria was watching all this as well, and as soon as Aro let go of my hand, she tugged me away and seized my arm and all but shoved me toward the door.
Her roughness took me by surprise, so quickly after her protectiveness, and I stumbled into the corridor with her fingers digging into my upper arm. There weren't rats or spiders in this area of the catacombs either and the walls were lined with stone shelves and altars that were pristine and empty of any bodies. I hissed in pain as Victoria shoved me along, confused at why she was doing this, and as soon as we were completely alone, she leaned to hiss at me angrily.
"What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay in the hotel room?"
"There was an emergency," I said, yanking my arm away.
That hadn't seem to have occurred to her and she immediately seemed regretful. She shook her temper away and looked at me in concern. "What emergency?"
I looked at her, my heart sinking. We had stopped walking, there in the corridor, the flames of the wallsconces trembling over our faces. How was I supposed to tell her what happened? What Alice did to me?
And how was I supposed to know if she was truly going to cheat on me or not?
Victoria was studying my expression and she must've read something in it. Her brows gathered. She looked at me, at the shame and uncertainty I could feel burning in my face, and then she leaned toward me and sniffed.
Instantly her eyes flared. Alice's scent was all over me. I hadn't had a chance to shower since she had—touched me. Panic filled my chest as Victoria recoiled sharply. Her eyes had dilated in rage and they were so black not even the flames of the wall lamps were reflected in them.
My own eyes filled with tears and I said:
"Victoria—"
She slapped me.
The force of it cut off my words and clapped my jaw shut. My vision blurred and my legs wobbled. My eye felt like it was going to explode out of its socket. I reeled and steadied myself and dimly I heard Victoria gasp, as if she was shocked and aghast at what she had done.
"Bella," she said. "Bella, I'm so sorry. I…"
She reached for me but I shrugged backward, holding my face, blinking at her tearfully. Victoria took a deep breath to calm her roiling emotions, wincing as more of Alice's scent reached her nose, and then she looked at me.
"What did she do to you?" she asked.
I almost didn't want to explain myself after what she did but now wasn't the time to be petulant. I rubbed my cheek and sniffed back tears.
"She lied," I said.
"Lied about what?"
"I'm not sure yet," I said, watching her expression. "That's what I came here to find out."
A trace of guilt passed over her face. Guilt for what? Dancing with James? Sleeping with him? Hitting me? I didn't know, but it made my stomach shrivel up inside me all the same.
I wasn't sure what either us would say next, but we were interrupted by a shadow from the far end of the corridor. Two people passing at the intersection, one of them carrying a candle.
Victoria watched them go and then she turned back to me.
"Come, we have to hurry," she said.
Then she took my arm again, firmly but not roughly, and continued down the corridor.
Eventually we came to a place where a row of doors were set in the stone, all numbered, like an underground hotel. Victoria opened one of them and let me in. It was utterly black inside and I just stood there without moving until Victoria lit a lamp. There was no window in the little stone cell and not much furniture side from a large bed with gold bedposts and burgundy curtains that took up half the room. Was this the room Alice saw in her vision? Was this the bed where Victoria was going to have sex with James?
In the corner there was a gold jug and a gold pan. Victoria filled the pan with water out of the jug and then she handed me a silk washcloth.
"Hurry and wash yourself," she said. "Do it now."
I nodded meekly and took the washcloth and started to undress. I took off all my clothes, already shivering in that cold stone chamber, and then I dipped the cloth into the water and began to clean myself, wiping away whatever of Alice's lust still clung to me. I still couldn't believe what had happened in that hotel. I still couldn't even understand what had happened. I had no idea what was real or what was a lie or what was going to happen or what wasn't. All I knew was that I loved Victoria and there was nothing that was going to change that, not Alice, not James, not anything.
I turned to her, still dragging the cloth across my naked body. The water was cold and it made my nipples hard. Victoria had taken a dress out of the wardrobe that stood against the far wall and now she glanced at me. At my bare legs, my naked chest, my face. I gave her a weak smile and moved the wet cloth between my breasts enticingly. Victoria dropped the dress. Her gorgeous face was set in a fierce frown and now she stepped over the fallen dress and grabbed me roughly. I let the rag fall and looked up at her helplessly.
"She coerced me, Victoria," I said. "I was afraid. I'd never seen her like that before. I think the taste of my blood had tipped her over the edge. You know I would never cheat on you, right? You know I'll always—"
—love you.
That's what I was about to say, but she didn't give me a chance. She forced her mouth onto mine possessively and I surrendered to it eagerly. Just surrendered. For so long I had tried to be strong, but after that day in the cave, it felt like all the strength had bled out of me. I didn't know if I'd ever regain that strength, and right now all I wanted was to be possessed and protected. By Victoria. Her tongue was in my mouth and my jaw fell open bonelessly. I moaned for more into her mouth, more and more, and she gave it to me, kissing me with a passion that was powerful and overwhelming and—
Right.
It was right. Even though she had slapped me and shoved me around and might've even been going to cheat on me, it felt right. Because even if I couldn't put it into words, I knew there was nothing I wouldn't forgive her for, and nothing she wouldn't forgive me for, and nothing that would make us give up on each other, and that's how I knew we truly did love each other.
Then suddenly she broke off the kiss and threw me onto the bed. I landed there, bouncing, my body alive with excitement and eagerness to be possessed. Victoria was hiking up her dress, still clad in her sexy red heels, and now she pushed down her panties and took them off and came climbing into the bed on top of me.
"What I know," she said in a growl, "is that you belong to me."
I gasped as she shoved her pussy at mine, a quick jab and clash of our clits. My breath was already heaving and I looked up at her helplessly.
"You're right," I whispered. "I do. I really, really do."
I might've said more, but she kissed me roughly, again attempting to force her tongue into my mouth but meeting no resistance that would require force. I moaned and groaned and she bucked her hips at me some more, jolting me on the bed, causing my boobs to move and flow over my chest.
Finally she broke the kiss and then she started to grind against me, first between my legs and then on my thigh, before flipping me over and grinding on my ass as well, the same as Alice had done but right, right, right.
"Yes," I hissed into the mattress, unaccountably turned on at her desecration of my body. "Spread your scent all over me. Yes."
Then she flipped me back over and swung a knee over my head so that she was mounting my face in reverse. I instantly hooked my arms around her legs and moaned into her wet pussy and moaned even louder as she leaned down across my body and applied her mouth to my own entrance.
The small stone cell was filled with our moans as we continued to lick and eat each other out. I climaxed first, with my mouth lovingly attached to Victoria's vagina, and by the time she reached her own orgasm, I had climaxed a second time, my eyes rolling into my head and my head filled with her scent as I came and came and gulped down all of her delicious juices.
For a few minutes afterwards we continued to toy with each other from that position, licking and kissing at those areas between our legs, and then Victoria rose up and dismounted and climbed off the bed.
I watched her liddedly, smiling, enjoying that moment of peace and tranquillity before it inevitably fell apart. Victoria fetched her panties off the floor and stepped into them and lifted them up, wriggling her hips, and then she pushed her dress back down and straightened her boobs and turned to me where I lay there gazing at her. She gave me a smile and my heart soared.
But she didn't speak and she didn't procrastinate. She grabbed up the dress she had dropped earlier and tossed it on the bed beside me.
"Hurry and put that on," she said. "Aro will be expecting us."
I got out of the bed. "Should I wash again?"
"No," she said with a smirk.
I smiled at that and stepped into the panties she given me. She wanted me to wear her scent like perfume, so everyone would know.
The dress was black and after I slipped it on, Victoria gave my hair a quick brushing before touching up my face with makeup and offering a few pieces of jewellery to wear, earrings, a necklace. The room was equipped with a full length mirror in a gold frame and I looked myself over with some surprise at how sexy I looked in that sexy black dress with my sexy short hair.
Finally Victoria bent to the mirror to correct her own makeup and give her own hair a brush and while she brushed she spoke to me in the reflection.
"No matter what, I don't want you to leave my side for even a minute," she said. "Despite what Aro says, the danger to you is immense."
"Okay."
"Also, there's something I need to tell you."
She set down the brush and turned to me. Small traces of guilt once again appeared on her face and I knew what she was going to say before she said it.
"James is here as well," she said.
I nodded and said nothing. So far Alice had been correct about two things. James and the red dress. Neither necessarily meant her visions were the complete truth, but it didn't disprove them either. After making love just then, I was determined that I wasn't going to give up on Victoria no matter what, but that didn't mean I didn't need to know the truth.
She seemed to be waiting for me to question her about something, but I didn't, and then she took my hand.
"Let's go, we're going to be late," she said.
Then she opened the door and led me out into the corridor to where the music throbbed in the darkness ahead.
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AN: Couple of controversial things in this chapter. Victoria slapped Bella, but considering this is the same woman who used to choke her and threaten her and break her arm, I don't think it's too out there, lol. Also, Bella seems to be regressing a bit with her badass-ness. She did go charging into the Volturi lair and she even thought about grabbing a weapon out of the fireplace, but she was very quick to surrender to Victoria. Again, I think it's fairly natural. I tried to make a point that she's very overwhelmed right now and still kind of suffering from post-traumatic depression from that incident in the cave. Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. Have a good new year too. :)