CHAPTER FIVE

BPOV

I felt as though I had just pressed send when I heard him knock on my door. I almost dropped my phone in the bath water. Shit. I quickly typed out a message Um, sorry but could you please give me 15 minutes?

Is everything alright?

Yeah! I just need to get ready. Doesn't this guy have vampire senses? I splash around a little getting out of the tub, hoping he would take the hint. Dead silence from the phone and beyond the door. Surely I had not offended him? I quickly dried off and tried to find something cute for a night walk. I settled on the lavender sundress I wore my first night and some sneakers. My hair was still wet and I wasn't sure what to do about that. I didn't want to waste time drying it. I desperately searched for some hair accessories and found none. I made a mental note to finally crack open that laptop and email Chelsea asking for at least some hair ties. I towel dried as best as I could and headed to the door.

The moonlight gardens were really amazing. The night blooming flowers were planted along a stepping stone path we reached after walking through a hidden tunnel through the castle walls, behind a secret door of course. Marcus told me the path led to a secluded area in the woods behind the castle. He explained that when everyone in your house has super hearing, sometimes it was nice to get away and feel truly private. It all really just felt too surreal and magical. Marcus looked regal and beautiful as always of course. He was wearing the emerald green lined robes again. I wondered if his eyes had been green when he was human. Or maybe blue...I realized he was talking and tuned back in.

"...Sulpicia planted the moonlight garden just a few decades ago. It is the newest edition to our palace gardens. She has also been maintaining the orchards and making jams and jellies for the past few centuries. She goes undercover to the farmers market and sells them." Marcus leaned in close to me and whispered the last part. I gasped and laughed. "Wait- how does that even work?"

Marcus laughed "You should see her. She wears long sleeved blouses, gloves, sunglasses, and the largest straw hat I have ever seen. Oh, and a surgical mask. If anyone asks, she will tell them it is to prevent contamination of the product…" Marcus was laughing so hard he had trouble finishing the story. It was really beautiful seeing him with his guard down like this. Who even knew that the Volturi could laugh? "And Aro has NO IDEA. He has never figured this out! She has a brand deal and he thinks she sits up in their towers like a good little queen!" I laugh with him and try to imagine buying my apricot preserves at the market, not realizing that I was buying from a vampire. Cherry jam created from vampire harvested fruit from an orchard several centuries old does sound like it would be in the latest Goop newsletter I had to admit.

"Marcus, I really think I'll have to witness this." He laughs again and gently takes my hand and places it at the crook of his elbow as we resume walking. I blush furiously.

"Of course, cara mia I should have assumed you would. You and Sulpicia seem to share some of the same spirit. I am certain she would take you along."

"You talk about them with so much kindness...so the Volturi is really like a family?" Marcus is idly running his thumb over my fingers. I wonder if he realizes, because I definitely do. He nods. "I am not sure what you have heard about us before coming here. I can guess that it was nothing pleasant, considering how frightened you were…" His tone is dark and pensive, and I deeply grieve the mirth and joy we shared moments before. "We are a family first, whatever you have heard. We are tasked with a duty that is often unpleasant and taxing. We are trying to protect our kind...and yours. We want to live quiet lives in the shadows. Anything else is a risk to everyone. At the core, our mission is simple. It is not all that we are." Marcus stops us and looks down at me, seeming regretful. "Isabella, may I have permission to carry you? This conversation has unfortunately reminded me of a conversation we need to have, and I would like you to have privacy from those remaining in the castle. We have a while longer to walk…" I nod before even thinking. Any excuse to be close to him. Fuck, what was going on with my head?

I expected him to turn and kneel so I could climb on his back like Edward had done, but instead he lifted me bridal style. Oh, I really was going to faint. I put my arms around his neck, to hold myself up I justified, and felt his hands tighten on me. And then we were off.

MPOV

Perhaps I was overconfident. I had thought that by taking Isabella further away from other vampires, my instincts would calm and my mind would be clear enough to be gentle with her. It had worked at first. It had been some time since I had laughed so hard. But now with her in my arms, I felt the beast rising in me again. I knew I would never hurt her, but I worried about frightening her. Especially if she revealed to me that the Cullens had harmed her in any way.

She looked beautiful. Her skin seemed to glisten in the moonlight, almost as if she were already one of us. Her wet hair only caused her scent to be that much more overwhelming. She smelled heavenly, truly divine. I remembered the smell of incense in the temples we worshipped at and she brought me back. When I lifted her and she put her arms around my neck so sweetly without hesitation, I thought my heart would break. I knew she did not need a protector, she had tenacity, but I wanted to shield her tender heart more than anything.

When we made it to the secluded clearing, I sat gently on the stone bench with her still in my arms. I had meant to sit next to her, really, but my arms just would not unlock to release her. She did not seem to mind and smiled shyly at me. I wanted this moment to last...but I also needed to know. "Isabella, when you asked me about my family...I would also like to ask about yours. You said the Cullens sent you here, I need to know how you came to be involved with them. Please." I saw her face blanch and felt her hands clench my robes. My dead heart lurched, and I opened my mouth to tell her to forget, I would never need to know, when she started talking.

"I was seventeen and had just moved to Forks to live with my dad, Charlie. He and my mom had divorced when I was a baby and I had only seen him sporadically over the years. I wanted to live with him before, but I always felt guilty about leaving my mom. She is kind of a mess. I've always taken care of her, and I didn't think she could manage without me. I've been paying our bills since I was12." She gave a sad little laugh at that and I couldn't stop myself from cupping her cheek. She nuzzled into my cold stone hand as if I had offered her a silk pillow. I wished I was better for her. "Eventually though, she met someone. I finally felt free. Let him have her. I moved to Forks and enrolled in school." She started speaking very quietly. 'Edward Cullen was in my biology class. I thought he hated me. He looked at me with so much rage. I couldn't figure out why. Later, he told me that I was his 'singer'". I shifted and sat her on the bench so I could stand. I needed to move away before I frightened her with the force of my reaction. His singer. How is she even still alive? I feel my chest vibrating with rippling snarls and I work on trying to calm. Isabella was being vulnerable with me, and I could not break her trust by not being able to cope. I took a steadying breath and breathed in her scent. She was alive, she was there with me. She could not be harmed here. I sat back on the bench, but did not touch her. "Isabella-"

"I know Marcus. I think I only survived because of Carlisle and Alice. Alice saw that we would be good friends some day, and of course Carlisle is...Carlisle. Edward left town for a while. When he came back he seemed...obsessed with me. He told me he loved me and I believed him. But he…" Isabella stopped and blushed vibrantly. "I'm sorry Marcus, this is embarrassing. But, um, well-" She stammered and the blush spread down her neck. I carefully took her hand.

"It is alright Isabella, this is not about judgement. It is required by our laws that I understand, but more importantly…" I take my other hand and gently turn her face towards mine again. Her eyes are worried. "I need to know what has caused you so much pain. It is important to me Isabella." Her eyes widened and she nodded. I released her and let her gather her thoughts for a few moments.

"I knew something was wrong when he would not be intimate with me. He said he loved me. He would kiss me sometimes, but it would all be wrong. He wanted to smell my neck or my wrists. He just wanted to smell my blood. He refused to even consider anything else. And he was so against changing me. If I even brought it up he would be angry and couldn't understand why I wanted to talk about it. Alice had talked about doing it herself, but she wouldn't cross her brother. And then...I was bitten by another vampire. James. He was a tracker. He came across the Cullens by random chance while roaming, and I happened to be there. He wouldn't stop until one of us was dead. He tricked me and I ended up alone with him. He-" Isabella shuddered. "He bit me. That's all we need to talk about today. And Edward, uh, removed the venom himself instead of letting me change. It took so long to heal and I was in so much pain...I couldn't understand why he forced me to live through months of recovery and agony when he could have just let me change. I think he felt guilty because he became really obsessed with me not missing out on human experiences after that. He forced me to go to prom with my leg still in a cast. I...broke up with him not too long after that. How could he just watch me be in misery, and then order me around as if he knew more about being human than I did?" Isabella started weeping. I took her in my arms again and she clutched at me, burying her face in my neck. "I didn't think they would all punish me for it. I thought that he might leave town, but...the next day they were all gone. No word, nothing. They just left me. They were my family Marcus." She sobbed and I held her. She had been too young to understand. I let her cry herself out.

"I'm sorry." She sniffed. I wished I had a tissue to offer her. Why did I not think of that? I had a human partner and I needed to be more mindful. "Please do not apologize Isabella. I believe I understand what occurred, to a degree. When we encounter a singer, it is near impossible to resist. I imagine that only the bond and respect Edward has with Carlisle allowed him to obey and resist you. I have never heard of another instance of it. I believe...when Edward could not have your blood, please forgive me for being indelicate, he settled for keeping it near him. It would explain why he could not change you. And...I imagine that for a vampire with no other experience with relationships, the sudden rush of emotions and obsession..may have felt like love." Isabella nodded.

"I think that makes sense. I've had a lot of time to think about what happened. I don't think he's a monster. I really believe he felt guilty about it all. It was a messy situation, and I don't think they purposely hurt me." She leaned back and looked up at me. "Are you going to kill them?" she asked me solemnly.

BPOV

The initial rage in Marcus' eyes had died down. He just held me. His stone body was oddly still comforting. I breathed in his scent and cried into him as I relived the worst day of my life. His explanation had made a lot of sense actually. It was good to finally talk to someone about what happened. To know I had not made them up.

"Are you going to kill them?" A very important question. I did not have a lot of love in my heart for any of the Cullens now, but I did not want them to die because I walked into their son's life. Marcus sighed and ran his fingers through my hair. My eyes fluttered. "I will have to bring it before my brothers and sisters. I do not think they have warranted death, but I do not think they will escape punishment." I nodded. "Thank you for listening to me Marcus." I looked deep into his red eyes. He was truly so handsome. I felt so drained from reliving the Cullens and from the last few days. I had no strength left to avoid the strange pull I felt towards him. I leaned in closer. He blessedly closed the distance and kissed me.

His lips were cold and smooth, but he was not so careful and distant as Edward had been. He kissed me deeply and coaxed my mouth open. His tongue tangled with mine and the venom tingled pleasantly in my mouth. I locked my arms around his neck and moved to straddle his lap. His large hands slid up my thighs and hiked my dress up over my hips. He broke away and kissed down my neck. "Isabella, cara, may I please remove these?" Marcus fingered the edge of my panties. I nodded quickly. God yes, please take them off or I will die. I did not expect him to just rip them off of my body, and I felt the fresh gush of wetness between my legs. He sucked on my neck as he slid one long finger between my folds and my eyes rolled back in my head. His other hand held up hip and attempted to support me. I was quickly becoming boneless though. Marcus shifted and suddenly I was on my back on the ground with Marcus rising above me, the moon full behind him. He leaned down and kissed me again. It was sloppy and passionate. I was gasping when he pulled away and whispered in my ear. "Isabella, I cannot take you as I want to now, not when you are human and so vulnerable, but will you allow me to give you other pleasures?" I was actually going to die. This is it. "Please" I moaned.

MPOV

I could smell how aroused she was. Her scent hung in the air like the most heady perfume and when I had felt her cunt she had already been so slick for me. She was so responsive. I did not want to risk fully consummating while she was human, but there were other things I would do for her. I ripped the dress from her body. I would buy her ten more if it meant I could see her faster. She was ethereal. Her dark hair spread out and her soft velvet eyes looking up at me with such vulnerability, she seemed more siren than human.

I kissed my way down her neck to her breasts. They were full and high. I took her nipple into my mouth and she arched her back so furiously I paused thinking there was something wrong. "Marcus" she panted and I was undone. I slid down the length of her body and grabbed her generous hips. I pushed her legs back to indicate what I wanted and she compiled. I gripped her soft and supple thighs and licked a long line between her folds. She was already so slick. I devoured her. I fucked her with my tongue. I slid a finger in her and then another. I sucked her clit until she came into my hand, dripping down my wrist. I leaned back and looked her in her warm brown eyes as I licked my fingers clean. She was gasping. I leaned over her and kissed her again. I loved her. I would die for her. She would be changed soon. I was selfish, but I could not live without her. I needed to know she would be safe. I lay beside her and rolled us so that she was lying on top of my chest. "Isabella, please say you will move into my chambers with me." It was the creature asking this and not me, since I knew that offering the choice was a pretense. She would be living with me so I could look at her all day and assure myself she was unharmed.

"Yes."