53 A good bargain


A/N for 2021-01-?: Well, didn't 2021 start out with a bang? And not the kind we want, either. Here's to all of us for getting through last year and its hangover into this one. Hopefully things improve from here on out.

A reading recommendation: I'm currently enjoying "Everlasting Why" by suitablyironicmoniker, which is a delightfully written story featuring our beloved vampire Edward and a human Isabella. She's his social worker. I'll leave it there.

Finally, my thanks to Chayasara and Eeyorefan12 for their editorial, logistical, and moral support with this story, and at times, my real life.

Best,

Erin


"How very interesting," Aro said, hands pressed together before him in an almost prayerlike pose. "You've returned alone." His eyes flicked between Bella and Demetri.

Bella mustered all the courage she could. "I believe it was only my presence that was required."

"Indeed." Returning one hand to Alice's, Aro extended his other to Marcus, who sat beside him, eyes seemingly unfocused. "As ever, it seems," Aro murmured, letting go of Marcus's hand.

As ever what? Bella wondered.

"Regrettably, not as you had hoped," Aro said to Demetri.

Demetri said nothing, standing several feet away from Bella. His gaze remained fixed on her, his expression stony.

Aro stood. "Come here, my dear." He extended his free hand to Bella.

Bella looked briefly at Alice, who remained as unmoving and impassive as she had since Bella had stepped into the throne room. There were no clues to be had there, then, not that it would be safe for Alice to even think of helping her. Bella looked to Aro instead, approaching him with what she hoped was a brave face. His hand still looked velvety, but now that her vision was more precise, she could see that it was a dusty sort of accumulation that created this effect. His skin was coated with—yes, dust. Eww.

Placing her hand in his, she sucked in a breath. God, she hoped this worked, that Edward was right.

Aro tilted his head, grasping her hand tightly. After a moment, his loud, "Ha!" made her jump slightly. "Still!" He turned to Jane. "Your turn, my dear."

Standing beside Aro, Alice gasped but otherwise stayed still.

After her tiny moment of relief, Bella tensed, expecting the worst. Again, it was for nothing. A few moments passed, and Jane growled in obvious frustration.

Bella returned the sound.

"Now, now, Jane. We must all learn to manage our . . . disappointments." Aro looked to Demetri again.

Bella allowed her gaze to follow his and immediately wished she hadn't. Demetri's eyes smoldered with what she could only imagine was jealousy or rage.

She forced her eyes to focus again on Aro. "Are you satisfied?" She had no interest in being toyed with. There'd been more than enough of that before.

"Oh, quite," Aro said. He stared at her, and her heart sank as she saw the look on his face. She had seen that scheming expression too many times before to mistake it for anything else.

She swallowed.

"You will make an excellent addition to the guard."

Despite Edward's warning, her eyes widened marginally. Aro was damnably brazen. The tiny and hopeful—or stupidly naive—part of her had hoped he would honour the bargain he'd made when he took Jasper and Alice in her and Edward's place.

There was no way she was going to be a willing participant in his games. "Thank you, but I have no wish to join the guard."

A wave of laughter swept the room, Aro's high pitched giggle trilling over top of it all.

"Oh my dear, and here I thought Demetri had rid you of your youthful innocence."

If there was anything Aro could say to rile her, it was this. A growl burred in her throat.

"You bargained with your life, Bella." Aro wagged his finger at her as if she were a misbehaving child. No doubt he thought of her so.

"You accepted Jasper and Alice's lives in place of mine and Edward's." There'd been a room full of witnesses to this bargain. Edward had assured her of this.

"Oh no, no, no." Aro repeated his annoying cackle. "The bargain was to release you until your change. I think Edward must have misunderstood. Isn't that right, Alice?"

"As you say, Aro," Alice said demurely. She didn't look at Bella but kept her gaze fixed on some faraway spot on the wall.

Where's Jasper? Bella thought again. Surely Alice wouldn't be playing patsy to Aro without his having some control over her or her husband. There was something more going on.

"Your bargain was for life, my dear. Yours for Edward's . . . although I understand that things have changed on that score. Perhaps Edward might be convinced to join you here . . . after all, I am only collecting on what is owed to me."

Around her, the circle of guard members took a step closer. No! She knew her tensing body was communicating her refusal as much as any words could. But surely they couldn't make her—could they? Her newborn strength alone—

Her thoughts were cut off by a sudden embrace from behind by two very powerful arms, trapping her own against her, lifting her slightly from the floor. Instinctively, she kicked out at her captor but was swung away so her feet could not make contact. Each of her jerky movements was similarly and successfully counteracted.

"Gentle, Felix." Aro spoke evenly. "I doubt Demetri would appreciate your damaging the object of his affections—even if the feeling is not returned."

Trying to dislodge herself again, Bella twisted her arm, but all the torque was taken on herself, and there was an unsettling crack and sharp pain that accompanied it. She swore silently.

"So many gifts in the guard. Felix's is very simple: he has incredible strength, greater even than that of a newborn." He paused, tilting his head a little. "I do wish Eleazar was still with us. It would be much easier to discern your gift."

Bella wasn't sure who Eleazar was, not that she had much attention to spare since all her focus was on trying not to panic. Her human memories were strong enough to rekindle the fear she'd felt the last time a vampire had physically compelled her.

Seated on the dais once again, Aro leaned back leisurely in his throne, Alice's hand in his. "Well, that will surely settle things." He smiled at Alice. "I do appreciate your gift, my dear. So useful." He turned back to Bella. "It seems that the Cullens have attracted a rather . . . intrepid enemy. Hmm?"

What? Bella became very still.

Aro looked to Alice again. "Let's see . . . Victoria? Yes. Victoria. She plans on attacking your family with quite a large cohort of newborn companions. How distressing. Such a pity no one can warn them." He sighed and then turned back to Bella, tilting his head while eyeing her with a calculating smile on his face.

Bella's skin felt as if it was crawling, her stomach churning with a queasiness that had nothing to do with her physical well-being. She knew the brutality of the choice he was offering her. She thought of the plans that she and Edward had made and how unnecessary they'd seemed at the time. All of a sudden, they had become something else: a thread of distant possibility. Still, they hadn't considered Victoria as a possible complication.

"However, if you were to give your word that you would stay with us, I would not be opposed to allowing you to warn your family of Victoria's imminent attack." Aro glanced towards Alice. "Yes, you can see when, can't you?"

Alice nodded her head , a wooden gesture to match her glassy gaze.

Aro sighed again as if uttering his next words was an unpleasant task. "But first, I think you should appreciate your options. Felix, please show Bella where we house our more recalcitrant recruits. Demetri, perhaps you can explain our methodology?"

Without ceremony, Bella was yanked from the throne room, dragged through the reception area and then towards the library. Moving at a speed that would have dizzied her as a human, she now grasped the details that had been explained to her in her human time there. The library truly was quieter than the rest of the castle, and this silence increased the further they went into its lower levels. Except, with only silence from the outside, another sound grew in correlating decibels. Someone was growling—no, screaming or shrieking. As they reached the large vault-like doors at the lowest level, the sounds grew even louder. The door was slightly ajar, then abruptly pulled open by—yes, Erastus. His gaze was circumspectly lowered, not even a familiar glance for Bella. She said nothing, not wanting to endanger him with attention that might be considered inappropriate—not that she had much to give since she was so fully restrained by Felix's grip.

The space beyond the door was in sharp contrast to the light stone of the library, grimy dark rocks glistening with the damp atmosphere. Her sense of smell told her they were near the city's sewers. A large chamber was lit by a dim bulb strung from the ceiling. Around the space were ten anvil-shaped objects set into the floor, these made of some sort of metal. Each had circular clamps near their base that stuck out perpendicular to the floor. As her eyes swept the space, Bella realized that they were not mechanical clamps but rather, restraints. In the darkest recesses of the room, a single vampire was strapped down over one of the anvils, his body straining with what looked like spasms.

"Do you wish to train him?" Erastus asked Demetri.

Deemetri nodded, his expression grim.

Erastus moved to the far wall, twirling a wheel-shaped door lock, this opening another, smaller vault-like door. Behind it was a woman—a human. Gianna!

Bella gasped.

Though she appeared fairly clean, Gianna reeked of sweat and terror. Without speaking, she crawled backwards and hunched in the spot farthest from the door.

Bella held her breath but did not struggle in Felix's grasp. Her throat burned out of instinct, but her horror at what her body might do gave her mind full control over it. She would not hurt a human. She would not. Don't be like them, she told herself. Remember who you are.

The restrained vampire seemed to have no such compunction, thrashing and shrieking with want. It made her cringe, just hearing the raw hunger in its voice. It was so sub-human, her resolve nearly faltered at the sound.

"Shall I increase the threshold?" Erastus asked.

"You may as well." Demetri sounded bored. He stood just in front of Bella now, looking back at her meaningfully.

In the tiny cell, Gianna whimpered.

Moving calmly, Erastus plucked a knife from a hook on the wall. It was shiny and its blade well sharpened. Bella watched Erastus unstopper a bottle beside it, pouring rubbing alcohol over its length.

Oh, she realized, understanding the purpose of the disinfectant.

Without touching her, Erastus moved at vampire speed towards Gianna, nicking her arm and releasing a tiny speck of blood. Her arm featured a ladder of bright red welts, and as Bella caught sight of her other arm, she saw that it matched as well. Gianna began to shake, and Bella could well imagine why. The vampire's shrieking became a deafening howl, the thrashing making the metal creak and rattle. The sickly-sweet smell of venom was everywhere, splattering from the vampire's mouth and dripping onto the stone floor with a loud patter.

"That's enough," Demetri said. Bella watched him swallow. Yes, even he was uncomfortably thirsty. Behind her, Bella could hear Felix swallowing, too.

Erastus closed the cell door, sealing off the smell of blood and the whimpering within.

My God, how long had they had her down here?

Behind her, Bella felt Felix relax. Demetri's shoulders eased slightly, too.

Demetri turned to Bella, an expression in his eyes that made her tense again against Felix's grip. Nothing good came from such a look, and nothing good came from Demetri. She was just beginning to assess her best chance at slipping from Felix's grip when Demetri spoke again.

"Restrain her," Demetri said.

As Felix began to move her towards one of the anvils, Bella tried to twist her way free of his hold, but it was as unmoving as the stone floor. She was soon forced over one of the metal forms. Felix pinned her chest-first onto the hard surface, securing first one arm and then a foot and then the rest of her limbs. Just like that of the other restrained vampire, her thrashing was useless.

"Leave." Demetri was clearly superior in rank to Felix, and his colleague obeyed without comment.

Demetri waited until the door closed behind Erastus and Felix before approaching her. They were on the opposite side of the room from the other vampire, whose grunts and snarls had dropped to a low enough level to become background-noise.

"These are very old," Demetri said, "so it was necessary to update them." He tapped at the metal cuff that restrained Bella's ankle. "Titanium." He let his digit continue its journey up her leg with his whole hand pausing just above her belt, threatening to edge under her shirt. "These were here when Aro routed the old order. They, too, had two ranks, their aristocracy and their Dacians." He chuckled. "Not that Aro ever told Carlisle, but the Dacians drank from animals too. Aro felt that this was too cruel a treatment even for the most menial of us, hence our training of our own Lower Order." He lifted his chin towards the other vampire. "He will serve one of the new guard members, and even he will be allowed human blood, but it will be cool and from a corpse. It is enough to sustain him, though as you can see, the training is . . . difficult."

Demetri continued to move his hand, skipping over the edge of her shirt and resting it on her back. "I do not wish to see you here, my Bella. This is not what I want for you." His tone was probably meant to be soothing, but it only dredged up more memories reminding her how despicable he was. "You have been offered a place in the guard. It is a privileged position. And Aro would not want you if he did not suspect you were gifted." She heard him give an exaggerated sigh. "How can you not understand what an honor this is?"

Demetri paused then as if waiting on her answer. Bella wondered if the honor to which he referred was the offer to be in the guard—or to be with him. Deciding it would be best not to spit on his feet, which were the only part of him that she could see, she said nothing, trying to think her way through this problem.

"You can warn Edward and the rest of his coven. They will be safe. You only need to stay here in Volterra"—he chuckled—"in much nicer accomodations than this."

Again, he paused. Again, she said nothing.

He bent down and leaned closer, whispering in her ear. "Of course, it would be quite something to take pleasure with you this way."

Her stomach felt as if it had leapfrogged into her throat. Even after Aro's comments in the throne room, it appeared that Demetri was still going to pursue this—pursue her. And she would be helpless to stop him right now. She felt a growl building in her chest.

"I understand that Edward may be attempting once again to claim you as his mate," he said, straightening up again. "Remember that I cautioned you about this when I visited you at your father's home. Perhaps Edward believes that because he has turned you, you now belong to him." Demetri's tone took on an almost convincing tone of sincerity. "I do not know what he has told you, my Bella, but the loyalty that you might feel for him is not unusual for any newborn to feel for their sire. It is a natural response, but it is not a mate bond. You have been misled."

He slid his hand once more down her back to her waist and then slipped it under her shirt. "I am happy you have returned to Volterra. And now that you are like me, I am able to enjoy you without restraint." With his other hand, he waved to indicate the cuffs around her wrists again before chuckling at his own joke. Then he stroked Bella's hair away from the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear in an unwelcome gesture of intimacy that further emphasized her helplessness.

Her skin shivered with revulsion at his touch. He wouldn't, she told herself. He won't. Not now that I can defend myself. Certainly not if I agree to stay and be one of the guard. And that was really the only option available to her at this moment.

If she said she would stay, she could warn Edward and the rest of the Cullens. And as long as they were alive, there was still a chance for them to help get her and Alice and Jasper out of here. She thought again of the plans she and Edward had made in Argentina.

She closed her eyes in temporary defeat before uttering the words. "I'll agree to Aro's conditions so long as I can warn my family." There were other things she wanted to make conditional, but she would bargain with Aro, not Demetri.

"Very good," Demetri said. He still had a hand under her shirt, fingers massaginging the bare skin at her waist. He grunted, leaning forward and briefly pressing his erection against her hip. Then he stepped away, bending down to release her restraints. "Understand though, my Bella, that any subterfuge on your part will be paid for by the members of your former coven, starting with Edward and then continuing with the rest of them."

Bella righted herself, backing away and hissing at him.

He chuckled, leaning against the adjacent anvil. She wondered if she had enough skill to overpower and restrain him. Biting someone in the ass had never been so appealing as it was now. She stood still instead. She would not risk her family, not even to rip Demetri to pieces.

"I am pleased you understand. And your control"—-he lifted an eyebrow-—-"impressive." He chuckled. "Come. You will tell Aro of your acquiescence yourself."

As she walked back through the library, she caught sight of Marcus the Lesser at the far end of an aisle of books. His eyes met hers only briefly, quickly resettling on the book he was holding but not so quickly that she missed the tiny smile on his lips and the glint in his eye. She might have an ally here—one whose thoughts would be safe from Aro, too.

When they reached the throne room, Aro smiled. "That was rather quick, Demetri. Did you not have the heart to demonstrate our methods as I requested?"

"He demonstrated them just fine, thank you." Bella's voice communicated her displeasure clearly.

Aro lifted an eyebrow. "Then I assume you've—"

"When will the attack happen? Where? By whom and with how many? Are there multiple scenarios?" She was not going to be jerked around in getting the information she needed, and she knew that Alice's visions were highly susceptible to change.

Aro chuckled. "I see you've learned to set a better bargain for yourself." He glanced briefly at Alice. "So Alice believes, within ten days near the Cullens' home in a meadow you are familiar with. It's very clear. There are no other visions related to it. Does this satisfy you, my dear?"

Their meadow? She frowned but nodded. "I'll accept your terms, but I need to notify my family now. And . . ." She paused, partly in uncertainty about proper protocol, but mostly to make sure everyone was paying attention. "As I believe you are aware, I am mated now. I need everyone to be very clear about who my mate is"—she turned to give Demetri a dark look and a snarl—"and who he isn't."

Demetri glowered. Bella ignored him as best she could.

"Of course." Aro smirked slightly, looking amused. "Now that you have decided to stay, it would be lovely if your Edward chose to return to us. He would be most welcome." Then Aro seemed to ignore her pronouncement completely with his next words. "And now, Demetri will happily assist you with contacting your family."

Like hell he would. "No."

Marcus, who had sat like a statue during this entire time, now came to life, rolling his eyes. Bella had never heard him speak before, and as he did now, his voice sounded so weary, he might as well be dragging it across the tile floor. "Enough of this pointless cruelty, Aro. Her mate bond could not be clearer, and it was clear enough before. Now that it has been consummated . . ." He gave a careless shrug before turning his face back towards the wall which he had been staring at since she had arrived.

No one acknowledged that he'd spoken, Aro's gaze remaining fixed on Bella. Beside him, Caius watched as well. Their stillness was perfect.

Bella refused to be cowed though it would have been very easy to be discouraged. "Anyone but him." Her voice was close to a growl.

"As you wish," Aro said, chuckling a little.

Bella held her features steady. He could tease all he wished, but she would not rise to the bait. She thought of her training with Edward and Jacob over the last two months, remembering how she had learned to focus only on her own body's responses and to master them when confronted with tests designed to break her concentration and patience. Her lessons, though necessarily rushed, had been thorough. She could do this. She had promised Edward. She would not let him or herself down.

"Chelsea, see that she has what she needs." Aro waved his hand in Bella's direction, and a woman in a grey suit approached her.

"This way, please," she said quietly as she passed by.

Nervously, Bella followed the unfamiliar figure out of the room, hoping that this new bargain she had made would keep Edward and the rest of the Cullens safe for now. It was not a bargain she planned to keep, in any case; she would be breaking it at the first opportunity. She knew what she had to do, but for now she needed to exercise the one ability that was hardest for her as a newborn: patience.


DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.