"So What You're Saying Is, I'm Your Brand Of Heroin?" (9)

Smell is most intense to vampires, because one can smell the blood of his prey.

"Wonderful!" Aro exclaimed pleasantly. "Alec, Jane, why don't you show our promising new member to her room? She will be staying in the suite next to yours."

"Why next to their rooms?" Odessa questioned snarkily. "I thought you would have me in a more secure location, seeing as how I am an unknown, of sorts, to you and your clan."

"If you insist, we can place your lodging area in the dungeons. It would be quite fitting for an urchin such as yourself," Caius snapped. He regarded her clothing with distaste and held his nose in the air like he was more important than her.

"Now, now, Caius," Aro placated to him. "You were always in favor of the stronger ones. What's changed, brother?"

"She is an insolent fool who stands for nothing but her survival and selfish needs," he spit out.

"Sounds like the two of you are more alike than you wish to acknowledge," Marcus spoke humorously. It came out soft and dry, like he hadn't used his voice in years. Rusty was the best word Odessa could use to describe it. Almost like a singer had undergone tonsil surgery or something similar and was prescribed rest from throat disruptions for months before they could sing or even hum a tune. Quite tragic. Marcus's voice was probably very harmonious - beautiful - before his mate met her end.

Odessa couldn't fathom falling into a depression forever due to the death of a loved one, of a mate. Never being able to die and continuously living in a constant state of numbness and pain, sadness and hurt. The death of her grandmother was painful enough. Honestly, if she ever had a mate, she'd want them to be powerful and strong, someone who could protect themselves in times of danger and survive even the worst situations. They didn't need to protect her as she was fully capable of doing so herself, but they needed to be strong enough not to die. Of course, that was irrational; everything - everyone - had to die some time. You could only live for so long before the earth was ready to swallow you whole.

She followed Alec and Jane through the hallways. They were well-lit and the walls were decorated with paintings probably older than her. Gradually, the halls became dimmer and dimmer until the three were engulfed in darkness. Thankfully, their vision was top notch; otherwise, they would have been running into walls and lost in the eternal abyss. They walked through the castle until they came to a door with light flooding out underneath it. Jane opened it, introducing a well-lit area with seating arranged throughout the room.

"This is the common room," Alec told her. "We don't spend much time here, but there are times when it comes in handy."

There were four hallways connected to the common room, and Odessa deduced they led to the living quarters of the guard. Alec pointed to the closest hallway to them and said, "There are three rooms down every hallway. Chelsea and Afton stay in those rooms down there. Down that hallway," he pointed to the next one, "Felix, Demetri, and Heidi stay in those rooms there. Santiago, Corin, and Renata," he pointed to the first hallway to the right, "stay in those rooms. Jane and I stay in the rooms down this hallway."

He led them down their designated hallway and opened the last door at the end of the hallway. It revealed a room with a big, iron canopy bed sat in the middle. It was intricately detailed and had a sheer, white fabric draping down the sides of the bed. Currently, they were tied to the corners of the bed canopy. The lighting was low and produced by small, black, exposed canister light fixtures spread throughout the ceiling of the room. There was a spacious wardrobe in the corner of the room and storage seating at the end of the bed. A small dresser occupied the space next to the bed and a small and rounded black, gas fireplace sat in the corner of the room. The structure of the room held a roundness to it and light gray crown molding bordered the top of the ash gray walls. There was a black door open, leading to the bathroom, which was painted the same color as the room and had the same aesthetic.

"This is my room," Alec announced. Odessa liked its decor but was confused as to why he was showing her his room. It wasn't like she was going to be staying there.

"Why are you showing me your room?" she asked.

"Should I not?" He shot back quickly. He leaned his head slightly to the side and analyzed her, calculating the ignorant look in her eyes and the tense body language she held. He closed his eyes and shook his head to laugh at the incredulity of the entire situation. Honestly, he wasn't sure if he was laughing at himself for not understanding sooner or if he was laughing at the naivety that still lingered in her despite the malicious acts she was comfortable performing and the malevolent thoughts she spoke freely. "You do know we are mates, do you not?"

Odessa narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips in contemplation. Were they mates? No one had told her what the signs of being mates with someone were. She just assumed some voice would tell her in her mind that she was mated to someone else and that would be that. Was there supposed to be some outer signs that told her she was destined to be with someone?

"I'll leave you to talk," Jane dismissed herself. She entered the bedroom across from Alec's and closed the door behind her. It wasn't much privacy since vampires could hear from miles away, but Odessa appreciated the sentiment behind it.

"How do you know we are mates?" Odessa questioned." For all I know, you could just be saying that to keep me in the Volturi. Was it some plot of Aro's to seduce me into staying here?"

"You must be stupid then," Alec commented freely.

"Excuse me?" she asked. "Would you like to correct yourself, or should I assume you are trying to anger me?"

"I meant what I said," he said. Before she could interject, he continued, "Mates are identifiable by their scents and the pull they feel towards each other. When I entered the field, ready to defend the Volturi from the Cullens and their allies, a warm, spicy smell, soft, sweet, and woodsy - cardamom - permeated the air. I did not know it was you until I stared in your direction and felt a pull towards you. Even now, the smell of cardamom is wafting through the air. Am I wrong in assuming you had a similar experience?"

She thought it over, remembering the sweet smell of chocolate that followed her whenever she was around the Volturi guard. It was such a weird scent that she never thought to associate it with finding one's mate. Why did he smell like chocolate, anyway? It wasn't any scent she would pair with Alec at first glance. Alec was a closed-off and quiet person. He exuded confidence in his own prowess, which clued to the fact that he was hundreds of years old instead of the late teenager, early adult appearance he held. She'd have guessed he'd smell like sandalwood - distinct and smooth - or tuberose - powerful and complex.

She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel a pull towards Alec. It was like she was hyper aware of his presence. When he moved, she felt a slight change in the atmosphere and took note of it. When he spoke, she listened intently even if she didn't want to. And she felt the need to show off in front of him. Her eyes widened as she finally realized that he was right. He was her mate.

She took the time to get a good look at him. Sharp, confident, smart, alert, trustworthy, powerful, maybe a little devoid of emotion. She was content with what she found and nodded her head once in affirmation. She was glad he was her mate; he could take care of himself and he seemed like a loyal person. Was that why he was so adamant in having her go with him every time he left her? Or why he was so adamant about having her stay and join the Volturi? She felt like she had made such a fool out of herself. No one had ever explained what the signs of finding one's mate was. How was she to know she had found hers already? It was so simple and yet it took her so long to figure it out. Could she even claim to be half vampire with the slow thinking she demonstrated?

"Yes, it seems I did," she confirmed. "Funnily enough, you smell like chocolate chip cookies."

"The masters have an idea as to why the scents of mates ranges so wildly: The scent reflects the vampire's favorite smell. It's rather straightforward."

"So, your favorite smell is cardamom?"

"It is. And yours is. . . chocolate chip cookies?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

She hummed and would have blushed if she could. Compared to his, hers was juvenile.

"It's a comforting smell," she defended herself. "It's warm and inviting, and it's reminiscent of a childhood I desired but never got."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

"I do," he said seriously. "My sister and I did not have the best upbringing either." He motioned for them to continue the conversation in his room. Odessa walked in and stood awkwardly beside his bed. He shut the door and gestured for her to sit down on the bed next to him. "My sister and I were feared from birth. Living twins were not common in our village. We were the only set of twins that survived the birth along with the mother. Our powers manifested early on in our human life, so the villagers feared us. We weren't nearly as powerful as we are now, but we were anomalies all the same.

Our mother treated us kindly, but our father stayed as far away from us as possible. He was a drunkard and abused our mother. She died when Jane and I were seven. When she died, our father used Jane as a substitute. His reasoning was because she resembles our mother so much. I tried protecting her and took most of the brunt of his negligence, but it was not enough. Our village was poor and barely had the resources to take care of everyone who resided within it. Our father starved us, leading the two of us to survive on our own. When we were eighteen, the villagers tried to get rid of us by burning us at the stake. They ambushed us one night when we were sleeping and gagged and tied us up. They tied Jane up first." His fists clenched and his body tensed as he relived it. "By the time they tied me up, I could hear Jane screaming in pain and smell the scent of burning flesh. The pain was excruciating. Hearing her screams, feeling my skin melt off, smelling burning flesh, seeing her dying, tasting the smoke. All I could do was pray it ended soon."

Odessa felt for him and wanted to comfort him, but she wasn't sure how to. She didn't want to make him feel awkward, and she didn't want to ask him how to console his pain because she didn't want to make it about her. So, she placed her hand over his fist and squeezed it. His hand clenched harder before it loosened and fell flat against his thigh.

"Why are you telling me this?" she asked quietly.

"I want you to understand that I know how you feel in regard to family, how you must have felt all these years. The masters saved Jane and I and gave us a new beginning. I am hopeful you will find yours here, as well," he explained.

"Thank you, Alec, for being so open with me," she thanked him. "I will try to find a place here in the Volturi."

He nodded satisfactorily and stood up. He offered her his hand and waited patiently for her to take it. He led her to the room next to his and opened it to reveal a room simple in design. The aesthetic was like Alec's room. The only major difference between the rooms was the lack of character. It was like they designed all the rooms the same and left it up to the inhabitants to design it to their liking.

"The room is quite bare right now," Alec mirrored her thoughts, "but once your trial period is over you will be allowed to design it however you please."

"None of my stuff is here. Will I be allowed to get it from my house?"

"That is up to the masters," Jane said as she joined them once again. "The masters want to speak with you in an hour. In the meantime, you may settle in and explore."

"Alright," Odessa said. "Thank you for showing me to my room, Alec. I will see you in a bit, I presume."

"Of course," he said before he disappeared with his sister. Odessa let out a huge sigh and sat on the bed. It wasn't dusty, not like she was expecting it to be, and it was very comfortable. She observed the room and found it to be bleak compared to what she was used to. The walls were bare, save for the crown molding and specific intricacies of the architecture of the room. The room was dark, too, and stuffy. She stood up abruptly and walked into the adjoined bathroom. She turned on the sink and water gushed out of the spigot. She cupped her hands to catch the freefalling, warm water and splashed her face with it.

She gripped the sides of the sink and stared into the water swirling down the drain. A laugh bubbled out of her mouth and a small smile graced her face. She looked up into the mirror and spotted the dimples poking her cheeks for the first time in a month. She wondered if this could really be her new beginning.

I hope you liked it! I'm having so much fun writing for this story again :D

Let me know what you think!

* Stay Awesome *