Demetri met us as soon as Aro and I stepped out of the elevator. He smiled at me. I tried to smile back, but truth be told, as excited as I was to go to Paris, Aro was taking me out of Volterra, and a larger part of me was terrified of what would happen once we got there. Aro squeezed my hand to reassure me as he turned to Demetri. "Is the jet ready?"

"It is. Angelo is waiting for us on the apron," Demetri answered.

"You're coming with us?" I quickly asked. The thought actually made me feel slightly better, but to my disappointment, he shook his head.

"No, but I will be driving you to the airfield." The next part, I knew Demetri said as a joke, and it actually did cause a smile to come across my face. "Besides, I spend too much time with you already. I need a break."

Demetri winked at me while Aro chuckled. "Yes, I had another assignment for Demetri tonight, so Renata and Alec will be accompanying us instead."

As Aro said Alec's name, he and his sister Jane appeared near the door that I knew led to the garage under the building. Alec nodded his head at me while Jane stared at me with her usual scowl. She reminded me way too much of Caius, and I often wondered if Caius had been a sort of mentor to her over the years. "I apologize, Master, but I wanted to see you and Alec off," Jane respectfully said to Aro, deliberately leaving me out of the mix.

Aro leaned down and kissed her on the top of her pale brown hair. "We will only be gone a night, dear one."

"I know, Master. I will be off then." Jane kissed her brother on the cheek, then disappeared from sight.

Alec smirked. "She's jealous because she isn't coming with us."

Aro nodded sadly. "Yes, unfortunately, her gifts will be more useful to me here tonight. We will have to remember a present upon our return."

"She would like that, Master," Alec replied before opening the door we stood in front of and descending the few steps to the garage floor. "Renata is already waiting for us at the field."

Ahead of us were the same rows of cars as before that Demetri and I had walked past not long after he had brought me to Volterra. Demetri stepped up to sleek black one and unlocked the doors. Aro got in the back with me while Alec chose to sit in the front with Demetri. The car was nice. The windows were all tinted dark, and the seats were a smooth brown leather. Not only that, but the dashboard had so many different contraptions on it that I couldn't even figure out what everything was. Demetri started the car with the push of a button, not even using a key, and he backed up and finally pulled out of the garage.

I felt very overdressed, even if Aro was wearing a nicer suit, as was Alec. I wondered what Renata would be wearing. I barely knew her, even though I saw her often enough. It still wasn't like we were friends or anything. I wasn't friends with anyone here. I felt myself shiver as I wrapped my arms around myself.

"Are you cold, my dear?" I shook my head, but even still, Aro told Demetri to turn up the heat, which he did.

I was amazed at how fast Demetri drove. I knew he was speeding, which did put me on edge, but I also recognized the fact that they were all vampires and probably had amazing reflexes. Even still, if we did happen to wreck, I'd be the only one that would die in it or be severely hurt. I put my hand on top of Aro's, and before I could stop myself, I leaned against him, turning my head into his sleeve and closing my eyes.

I could almost hear him smile as he tried to comfort me by softly rubbing my back. That was new. Usually, he would stroke my hair, but in his defense, Chelsea had put my hair up in a bun. It would've been hard to do without causing it to fall out of place, and she had spent a good amount of time on it that if she found out he messed it up, I could see her yelling at him. One thing I had learned about Chelsea and Aro, they were close, extremely close. He'd probably let her get away with anything short of outright disobeying him.

We had arrived at the airfield in a manner of fifteen minutes, and as Alec had stated, Renata waited for us by the stairs that went up to the jet. She was covered from head to toe, and I realized why when I saw the man next to her, which must have been Angelo. Like their secretary, Angelo was very human. But even their secretary knew about them, right?

Demetri had pulled up next to the stairs, so we were only a few feet away from the jet door. He and Alec got out first, Alec with his hood pulled up on his cloak, Demetri joining him. I half assumed that Demetri or Alec would open the door for Aro, but Aro reached out and did so himself. Like the other two, Aro pulled up the hood to his cloak that he had put on over his suit as we left the building, and then stepped out before helping me out of the car.

Angelo frowned when he saw me, but he said nothing about it as he spoke to Demetri of the flight plans. While those two conversed, Renata greeted Aro, and like Jane, he fondly kissed her on the top of her head. She may have been older than me, but she was the exact same height as Alec, which left me feeling like I was towering over her. Aro certainly did by nearly a foot.

"Master, I was beginning to become worried about you," Renata said as she met Aro's eyes.

"Do not fret, my love. I had Demetri and Alec to protect me after all, and now I am back in your care." Aro stroked her cheek with one of his fingers, and Renata smiled. It unnerved me watching them sometimes, but I also knew that Renata cared deeply about Aro, not for him. Considering Aro was married, that was probably a good thing.

The four us, excluding Demetri, who was now speaking to Angelo, climbed the stairs into the jet, and once we had, Aro took off his cloak and placed it around me. It was even colder in the jet than it had been in the car. The last time I had been in this cabin, Demetri had been bringing me to Aro. It hadn't changed at all.

I found the seat I had sat in on the way to Italy and sat down in it, Aro seating himself beside me. Alec and Renata seated themselves at the other end of the cabin, leaving Aro and me relatively alone in the front. I bit my lip as I glanced back at the three guards before turning my attention to Aro. "How long is the flight? Paris is far, right?"

"It is around 1,100 kilometers away," Aro replied, and he noticed my confusion. "Americans and their strange ways. Did you know that America is still the only country to not have adopted the Metric System? I suppose I shall have to add that to your list of studies. 1100 kilometers is roughly equal to 683.5 miles. With this jet, we will arrive in Paris within the hour."

"Won't it still be daylight?"

"On the contrary, it is raining today in France."

.

Once we arrived, just over an hour later, given the weather precautions that Angelo had to take, the four of us departed the plane and made our way into another black vehicle. This time, our driver was human and opened the door for us. There were three seats in the back, so Renata entered from one side as I slid into the middle, and Aro sat on my right. Alec took the front again, playing the part of the 12-year-old boy he looked. I wondered what I looked like next to these vampires. Surely the driver could tell something was off, couldn't he?

All three of the vampires in the vehicle had on sunglasses, and I still wore Aro's cloak, which clashed with the white and pastel colors in the dress. I glanced up at Aro as he buckled me into the seat like I was some sort of child. He whispered to me, "I don't trust human drivers."

"Where to, Monsieur?" the human male inquired of Aro. His English was good, but I could hear his French accent.

In, what I assumed to be perfect French, Aro gave him whatever our destination was, and the man smiled before putting the car in gear and driving us away from the small airport in which we had landed. He turned to me then said in English again, "It's just past noon, and you slept through breakfast. I wanted to let you rest, so we'll be stopping to make sure you feed first."

I sighed. Even in Paris, I couldn't get away from Aro's incessant nagging about making sure I ate. I understood the whole fattening someone up before eating them like in Hansel and Gretel, but this was ridiculous. Or maybe it wasn't. I had been able to think better since Aro started to make sure I ate regularly. I didn't get as dizzy anymore when he drank from me, though the nausea never entirely went away.

"I hear the food in Paris is excellent," he continued. "Chelsea got in contact with an old acquaintance of mine, and he prepared us a private table at a restaurant owned by his brother. I've met the brother once, and he is agreeable, though, as I understand it, his protege is the restaurant's executive chef."

"Do you come to Paris a lot?"

Aro hummed then leaned back in his seat. "For business, occasionally. Paris is also rich in the arts, and I look forward to showing you some of it this afternoon."

We arrived at the restaurant nearly 40 minutes later. Traffic was busy for the middle of the day, and the airport was still some miles away. As we entered, we were met at the entrance by a host, or whatever they call them in France. All I could do was take in the sights around me.

It reminded me slightly of some of the galleries Aro kept back in Volterra, but this dining room was open and light with a beautiful heavenly painting on the ceiling and a large oval painting on the wall across from us surrounded by a white silver frame. The walls were adorned with gold with white and gray marble acting as pillars, and the four chandeliers that hung before me added more light to the room from their small shaded lamps. In the center of it all was a glass sculpture surrounded by fruit, vegetables, and greens on a reflective platform.

I felt Aro retake my hand as the host began leading us to another entrance after Aro gave them his name. This entrance was private, and it led into a hall that opened into another small but very intimate dining room. It was darker in here, the only light coming from the wall lamps. There was seating for six, but we only needed two. Renata and Alec would wait in the hall guarding the door.

Once we were seated, the host let us know that he would let the chef know we had arrived and that he would be in shortly. It felt strange that the chef of the restaurant would leave the kitchen to meet with us, but maybe that's how they did things in Paris, or at least for private diners. Aro was sitting across from me, and I watched him as he studied the room. He finally turned back to me, "It is a lovely and quiet space, is it not?"

I nodded. I didn't really have any other reply. Thankfully, before Aro could say anything else, the man, whom I assumed to be the chef, entered the room and greeted us in English. Aro glanced over to examine the chef in front of us and nodded his head in recognition. "You are the chef Phillipe enthused about last we spoke."

"Phillipe is a good friend," the chef replied. "I am Amaud. I hope I can live up to his expectations and make your meal special."

"I have no doubt that you will." I glanced down at the table as I heard Aro's comment. Why did everything he say have to sound like some sort of threat when he talked to humans?

"Have you had a chance to look over the menu?" Amaud asked as I noticed the menu in front of me that I hadn't even picked up yet. It was probably in French anyway. Not like I'd be able to read it. As if he could read my mind, Amaud offered to give us his recommendations.

I glanced up at Aro, and he replied to Amaud, "Yes, I do believe my young friend would appreciate the help. She seems to have a strange aversion to food. I was hoping to expose her to something more delicate."

At this point, I knew my glance had turned into an outright glare, but Aro only smirked as Amaud came around and opened the menu for me as he walked me through the special selections, apparently only offered for those diners in this room. Oddly enough, the menu was in both French and English, so I was able to understand what was in each dish. All I could think was, why do rich people eat such strange things?

The whole meal was meant to include something that was like a bite-sized before-meal snack, according to Amaud, a starter dish, the main course, a second course, and finally dessert. The thought of all that food had me freezing up. After he had explained it all to me, and I nodded my approval, because what other choice did I have, Amaud turned to Aro. He politely declined, telling Amaud that the meal was meant for me, and instead, Aro asked only for a glass of wine. I frowned. Vampires don't drink wine.

Once Amaud left, a server came in with the first dish Amaud had mentioned and placed it in front of me on the table. All I could do was stare at it. As I had been told, it was just a bite-sized portion. I could do that without issue. The next thing I knew, Aro was asked if we wanted the blinds up. I looked around. What blinds? Aro consented, and the next thing I knew, a pale light entered the room from the kitchen as a window separating the kitchen from the room appeared to the left of where I was sitting.

I could see the staff moving around inside as the server left only to be followed by someone else who brought in a full, unopened bottle of white wine. The man offered to pour it into Aro's glass, which Aro allowed, but once he left the room, Aro handed it over to me. "Drink this."

"I don't really like the taste of alcohol. Besides, I'm not old enough," I replied, staring at the cup Aro held out like there was a snake in it ready to jump out at me.

"You've never had the pleasure of drinking the finer wines, wines that don't cost nine Euros a bottle. You'll like this one. The sommelier chose well. I hear it has a slightly more citrusy taste."

"Doesn't change the fact that I'm not old enough to drink."

Aro chuckled lightly. "My dear, the drinking age in France is 16, and if I remember correctly, and I know that I do, your birthday is in less than a week. I doubt they would say much to that."

"Wait, how do you…?" I started but then paused myself as the answer immediately came to me. "Right, the whole mind-reading thing."

Slowly, I took the glass from Aro and sniffed it. The smell wasn't terrible, so I decided to test a small sip. It wouldn't be my favorite thing in the world, but he was right. I could at least swallow this without feeling sick.

Aro regarded me the entire time, and after I took a taste, he asked, "What is the verdict?"

I shrugged. "It's pretty light. It's not too bad, I guess."

"Good," he replied back, an amused look on his face. Then he pointed to the plate in front of me. "Eat, Ariana." This was going to be a long meal.

.

Thankfully, I had been surprised. The portions served were much smaller than what they served back home in the US, so as much as I maybe didn't want to eat the weird eel and lobster that had been cooked for me, and future note to self, it doesn't actually look like a lobster on the plate, it's just the tail and some claw meat, I was able to get it all down without feeling overly full. After speaking with Amaud again to tell him that everything had tasted good, we departed the restaurant, which was actually on the inside of a hotel, and made our way back to the car which had been waiting for us.

The four of us, together once again, piled in. Or at least I did because vampires were too graceful for that sort of thing, and we were off once more. The dining experience had lasted a couple of hours, and it had been a very stressful two hours. Not knowing where we were going next only added to the stress I was already feeling. I tried to push it down, but I was stuffed between two vampires, one who seemed intent on touching my hand again every second he could get, which right now, was the whole car ride.

When I looked up at him, Aro still had the same amused smile on his face like he had back at the restaurant. I knew he probably found my thoughts funny, but he was the only one who knew what he had planned. Perhaps Renata and Alec were aware as well, but I was in the dark. I hated it. It made me feel like… No, we are not going back there.

"Ariana." My attention turned back to Aro. "Quiet your mind, little one. Where we're going is not too far from here."

He was right. The car stopped in front of a gigantic building with two yellow-golden sculptures peering down on us from up top. "Where are we?"

Once we were out of the car and had begun walking towards the building, Aro answered, "The Palais Garnier. The most famous Paris Opera house. My brothers and I attended a few performances after it was commissioned. An old friend of ours would give us free entry to the best seats in the entire house. Perhaps you are familiar with The Phantom of the Opera?"

Biting my lip, I said, "Please don't tell me it's about you or your friend."

His laugh was full and unguarded for once, and I met his eyes. I could never figure him out. "No, the infamous phantom was neither of us, but the story did take place here. I contacted those in charge of the Palais Garnier and offered them a very generous sum to close down the building for a day and give us a private showing of Idomeneo, which is being performed this season. I had wanted to see Faust, but I am critical of new productions of beloved performances."

"So, Idomeneo is an opera?"

"Yes, one that is based in my homeland of Greece, though it takes place in Crete. I imagine it will be sung in Italian, but I requested an English translation of the synopsis for you."

As soon as we arrived at the building, a security officer let us in after Aro told him who he was. Inside, we were met with an older gentleman who greeted Aro warmly, and I wondered how the two knew each other. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Aro. It has been many years since you last graced this foyer."

"Yes, it has been quite some time, but business has kept me away," Aro responded.

The inside of the building was more magnificent than the outside, grander even than the restaurant we had been at. There was so much gold and more paintings along the ceiling. The chandeliers through the hall were lit by what looked like candles sitting on multiple candelabras, but it wasn't until we entered the hall with the grand staircase that I froze, staring at it. I didn't even have words to describe it.

I could feel Aro's eyes on me, and then he placed his hand on my back. "Magnifico, isn't it?"

We continued on into the theater itself, which only appeared grander than the foyers outside. How much more beautiful could this place get. Renata and Alec stayed back at the door as Aro brought me down to an area near the front by the stage, still a few rows back, but close enough to see the details in the red and gold curtain.

Once we had our seats, we only had to wait a little while longer before the man we had spoken to before came back on the stage to let us know that the performers and orchestra were ready if we were. Aro gave them the go-ahead. I hadn't noticed the orchestra pit some feet in front of us, considering my eyes had been gazing up the whole time, but once I had, I saw the musicians down below as the conductor lifted his arms and the lights in the house went low.

The music was beautiful, but I couldn't say I was much a fan of opera as Aro seemed to be. Though being in that space, I couldn't help but appreciate it at the moment. When the performance was over and the cast had taken their bows, solely for Aro and me, instead of leaving the stage, they stayed. The lights came back on, and the director came out to speak to Aro then introduced us to the cast.

Aro had plenty to say, but I was dead quiet. I didn't even know if I was allowed to speak. I didn't know what was being said to begin with. The cast seemed pleased with what Aro told them, as did the conductor and the small orchestra, so I assumed all was well. They eventually left, and I heard the theater doors open and watched as someone entered. Now Aro's face really lit up. It showed in his eyes, and my heart thrummed hard.

The man who had entered appeared slightly older than Aro, but like Aro, he wore sunglasses over his eyes inside a theater with no light. I didn't have to question it. I knew he was a vampire. Renata and Alec had left as the new vampire entered and glided down to meet us near the stage. "Aro, old friend! What a privilege to have you in my theater once more. It warms my heart."

"You have no heart, Pierre," Aro replied with a grin as he held out his hand. Pierre took it without question as Aro read his mind. "You've been quite busy these last few years, I see."

Aro released Pierre's hand as Pierre smiled back. "This is the human girl then that I heard you talk about over the phone?"

"Yes," Aro pushed me forward slightly as he introduced me. "Pierre, this is Ariana. She's a pet project of mine." At least he didn't lie.

"I thought you had given that up years ago."

"On the contrary, I received new information, and Demetri so kindly brought her to me. I couldn't deny his gift. She is curious, however." Aro paused as he took his hand and ruffled the top of my head. If my hair fell out, Chelsea was going to be so mad. "Did you bring with you what I ordered?"

"In fact, I did." The expression on Pierre's face was telling, and I swallowed hard as he turned back toward the stage, and a small group of humans walked onto it. "The theater has been completely cleared. We are free to do as we please."

"Such pleasant memories of the old days. Come," Aro said as he took my arm and pulled me toward the stage. The orchestra pit had been raised, so it was now level with the stage, making it only a step up to reach the humans who were casually wandering around as if wondering how they had gotten there in the first place.

On the stage, the other humans stared at us, and Aro leaned down into my ear. "Watch."

I didn't want to watch, but I also couldn't tear my eyes away as Aro and Pierre both blinked a few feet away from me and sunk their teeth into every one of their throats.

A/N: Thanks y'all for waiting an extra few hours or a day for this chapter. I really wanted to give you something more substantial after the last two "lead up" chapters I had. Also, I'm really jealous Ari got to the Palais Garnier. I'm a HUGE Phantom fan, and Christine is my dream role (as it is for many in musical theater). I had to throw a little bit of Phantom in here just for fun. Extra note: That restaurant exists. Scavenger hunt. Can you tell me which one it is? See y'all next week! Please review! I need your thoughts on how this one closed out. :)