Chapter Forty Eight

Caius

I felt like a child, the excitement of seeing and experiencing all the new input made me giddy. I was glad I'd insisted on a car and driver so I didn't have to concentrate on the road. There was so much traffic and in reality, it was overwhelming so I slid shut the partition sealing me off from the driver and sat back gazing out of the window as the familiar countryside I had watched for so long from the citadel roof faded to the back and new more populated areas came into view.

Although I was well aware that the population of the planet had exploded it still came as a shock as we entered Pisa to see just how many people there were around. Remembering the world as I had known it I understood it would take me some time to adapt but there was something that both terrified and excited me.

The women! There were so many of them, all shapes and sizes and all showing a lot more flesh than would ever have been acceptable when I was a young man. It was like putting a magnificent buffet before a starving man. I was hungry for my fill of human women and I had hunted well before arriving here so I could control myself enough to sate my sexual desires before killing anyone.

The suite booked for me in the hotel in central Rome was excellent although a lot of the extras were of no use to me. What did I have any need for a minibar, room service, or 5-star gourmet restaurant?

The young woman on reception who greeted me was certainly far more interesting. She was tall with a body which belonged to a catwalk model and she knew it. There was that arrogant knowing smile playing on her lips and she made sure I got a good look at her cleavage and long tanned legs. I couldn't have her, that would be too dangerous but I promised myself someone very similar. How arrogant these humans are, thinking themselves invincible and untouchable. Well, some would find out just how wrong they were. It was time for this vampire to party!

I spent the evening wandering around Rome, reacquainting myself with the city I had once known well but which had changed beyond all recognition. I felt out of my depth, but it wouldn't take long to accustom myself to my new surroundings.

Checking out the females in their evening finery was fun but I was beginning to feel it was time I found myself a woman for the night.

Leaving the hotel once more, I'd been out to buy Athena a placatory gift earlier and taken it back to my suite, I went cruising. My chauffeur come bodyguard was my shadow but I'd told him to be discreet, go check out the town and come back to the hotel in a couple of hours. With Darius gone, there was no one who could threaten me. The Romanians had been totally cowed and no other vampire would go up against a member of the Volturi. I was feeling good.

As I walked the streets I admired my reflection in the store windows. I'd ordered several suits today and bought one off the hanger for this evening. This one made me look pretty good and feel even better. It was Armani, light grey which was a relief from the sombre colors Athena always chose for me. I habitually felt as if I were getting dressed for a funeral!

Suddenly, I heard a soft voice from my left and turned to see a woman standing at the entrance to a narrow alleyway.

"Hi, there. Looking for some fun?"

I frowned, she had spoken to me in English not Italian, and I pretended not to understand. After a few seconds, she smiled and repeated her question in Italian.

I was still wary but I decided to speak to her. My heightened senses felt no danger close by.

"Yes, I am."

"Anything in particular? I know a place where all your desires can be catered for."

"Really? Is it far?"

She smiled, "No. Not far. You're nervous. Is this your first time?"

I chuckled inwardly, well it was my first in many centuries so I nodded.

"There's no need to be. Come on."

I hesitated, if she expected me to follow her meekly down that dark alley she was mistaken. I had no intention of being forced to kill any ambush party that might lurk down there. It would ruin my new suit not to mention my mood.

She moved into the light and I realized that she was much older than I had imagined. Still a nice-looking woman but far too old for my tastes. Seeing my reaction to her she grinned.

"Don't worry. All the girls are young and beautiful. I had my time, now I merely find young men looking for company."

"Where is this place?"

"Only a short walk. That way."

She pointed towards a dimly lit street about one hundred yards away.

"No thanks. I prefer to find my own company."

She shrugged, "OK. Good luck," then faded back into the alley and out of the light.

I walked on feeling that I had probably saved a few lives by walking away and feeling oddly happy about that. Was I getting soft in my old age? Or just enjoying my freedom too much to spoil my mood. Aro would jump on any excuse to call me back to Volterra. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he didn't have someone shadowing me even now, although if he did then they were good. I hadn't sensed anyone taking any interest in my actions.

I wandered around a little longer, staying in the brightly lit area I had already identified as one where the higher class hookers and ordinary girls looking for a good time congregated. It was like a high-class meat market and I was enjoying browsing the wares on offer.

One girl, in particular, took my interest. She looked vaguely familiar and appealed to me so I walked slowly over and spoke to her. It seemed she was a legal secretary in Rome for a conference with her boss who was interested in mixing business with pleasure while she, in turn, wasn't interested in an old balding and unattractive married man.

Hearing that I was an executive on the board of a children's charity she relaxed and agreed to go for a drink with me.

She wasn't expensive, happy to settle for a small intimate bar and a bottle of red wine which we 'shared'. The wine loosened her up and I listened as she told me a little more about herself. Her name was Samantha and she had been born in England to Italian parents who were both diplomats. She was funny, witty, and good company and I found myself relaxing in her company. Oh God, how I had missed this. The excitement of the chase and the sexual tension.

It took a little persuasion, she refused to accompany me to my hotel, but she did agree to have coffee at her place. Her boss had been too miserly to book her into his hotel once she refused to sleep with him and instead put her in a small pension further from the city center and the conference venue.

As we walked there she continued to chat making me laugh as she explained how she had run away from home after being propositioned by some of her father's diplomatic and entitled friends.

"That's all anyone ever wanted me for and it gets old very quickly."

I flattered her, telling her that she was amusing and intelligent even though it was her body that I was most interested in also.

The pension was small and not well kept but looked very much like many we had passed on the way.

Climbing up the few steps to the door she looked over her shoulder and smiled shyly.

"Are you coming in?"

I smiled and joined her stepping into the reception area before realizing that my radar was screaming at me that I had just walked into a trap. The girl had vanished and I was trapped with the door I had just entered now inexplicably locked. I shoved it with my shoulder only to find it was more substantial than it had appeared and covered by an iron grating. I drew back my fist to punch it out of my way when a steel hand clamped down on my shoulder squeezing so tightly that I gasped.

"Hello, Caius. Bet you didn't expect to hear my voice again, now did you?"

My body froze as I recognized the voice. At the same time, I remembered who it was that the young girl Samantha had reminded me of, Sara!

"I knew you couldn't resist her. You haven't changed one bit you son of a bitch. Well, now you're going to pay."

Darius

This was it, the moment I had waited for so long. Finally, Sara would be avenged. As I finally laid my hands on Caius I felt a strange kind of exultation and smiled. I didn't need the Major's gift to feel Caius' fear as he understood who had their hands on him, it was obvious by his sudden tenseness. I could never inflict on him what he had done to Sara but I would ensure that before he died he would be begging for mercy so I could deny him the same thing he had denied Sara before he murdered her.

The young girl who had agreed to help us had been discovered by Mary who also ensured he would go looking for someone he considered unthreatening rather than a prostitute. Mary was a very good actress and quite happy to help out in any way she could.

I had saved her from a nomad when she was young. The same nomad who had killed her mother and father and was about to turn his attention to her. She knew what I was but never felt threatened by me. I had promised I would look after her, I had put her through college and helped her with an apartment. In return, she was happy to help me any way she could. It was almost a parent-child relationship. I felt no love for Mary but I did value her and she, in turn, seemed fond of me.

Mary was already on her way out of Italy, on a flight back to the States where she would continue with her volunteer work with an animal charity. Her love was horses and she helped out with those rescued from bad situations. I sent donations anonymously to her charity as a sign of my thanks although she didn't know about that as far as I was aware.

I felt Caius wrestling to free himself and tightened my grip wrenching his neck until I felt the stone flesh begin to tear.

"Don't worry. I'm not about to kill you yet. We have a lot of catching up to do first."

He relaxed a little, he had thought I was going to kill him right off but I had other plans. Plans which necessitated getting him out of the city so I continued to twist and finally his head came free. I had a couple of packing crates ready in the abandoned house I had rented especially for this evening and soon had him packed in them and transported to the small panel van that waited in the small lot at the back of the property.

The girl waited across the street until I handed her the envelope Mary had promised her. She checked the contents quickly then walked away without a backward glance. It was pretty good pay for an hours work but I was happy, she'd handed me Caius Volturi and now… Well, now Caius would pay for what he had done and pay dearly.

Caius

It was dark in this packing case but I'd heard another crate packed in beside this so I knew Darius hadn't already destroyed my body although I had no illusion as to my ultimate fate. I had been stupid to believe that he was dead. Did Aro and Marcus know the truth? Or had they been hoodwinked too? Surely the Oracle hadn't been fooled, no one could hide from her second sight, could they?

To control myself and avoid panicking I ran through her words in my head. 'Ahead I see emptiness, no shadow over your future.'

I had thought she meant Darius was the shadow and he couldn't overshadow my future but she could as easily have meant that there was no shadow because I had no future to overshadow. The pure hearts she had also mentioned were the ones that had no shadow over them and even I wasn't so deluded that I would call my heart pure. I had been so blinded by my desperation that I had forgotten that the Oracle never spoke in plain language. I should have thought carefully about her words instead of making assumptions.

Now I was the prisoner of a man who wanted to torture and kill me with very little chance of escape. He might reattach my head but if so he would make sure I was restrained. I would watch for the slightest chance but I was already reconciling myself to a possible horrific and prolonged agonizing death.

If I survived this, if by some miracle I were to escape, then I would have questions for my brothers. If there was a single possibility that they had a hand in this I would kill them both. I doubted that Marcus would become involved in such betrayal but Aro? Our esteemed leader, my brother in arms, had become less interested and more critical of me in recent years. Was he ready for a change in the make up of the ruling council? Was he even now offering my seat to another? And what about Athena? Had she betrayed me? It seemed unlikely that she was involved. She had offered, begged even, to accompany me. No, if anyone to whom I had given my trust was behind this, it was Aro.

The drive wasn't long but we had left the city far behind when Darius finally pulled up and came round to open the rear of the vehicle. The lid was pulled from my crate and I blinked as a torch shone into my eyes.

"Comfortable? Not much further now. I'll bet you're wondering who betrayed you right now. Am I right?"

I kept silent, he wanted me to beg for my life or a quick death and I refused to give him that satisfaction.

"Cat got your tongue? Well, I guess you won't be needing it anyhow. Screaming is pretty exhausting or so I hear. Allow me."

He reached in and with one hand wrenched open my mouth and grasped my tongue with the other. Gripping it fast he jerked hard and I felt agony shoot through my jaw as it came free. I expected him to burn it but instead, he threw it back in the crate then hammered the lid back on. I could feel venom flowing down my throat and adding to the pool that soaked the straw my head laid on. I could already feel the thirst as all nutrients had leeched from my head. My body was probably desiccating too, but for now, at least, I couldn't feel the agony of that.

From his words, it seemed I was right in believing someone had betrayed me and it had to be Aro. Possibly it had something to do with his visit to the Cullens or that girl Edward had fallen for. Then I thought I understood, she had been able to hide her thoughts from Aro so maybe she was also able to hide Darius from the Oracle. Well, if she could and she had told Aro then she was a fool because he wouldn't rest until he controlled a gift as powerful as that.

I vowed if I managed to escape, and I had to hold onto that glimmer of hope, then I would destroy Aro, the Cullen's and that bitch Bella Swan.

If not and that was a very real possibility, then I would soon be wishing I was dead, even begging for it, but I knew my death would be prolonged and horrific. Even thinking about that I felt the panic rising and clenched my jaw. Even though I could no longer scream out loud it echoed around my skull and drowned me in despair.