Chapter Twenty-Two
-Volterra, Italy-
Aro pushed her against the wall, his lips locked desperately with hers. His fingers tangled in her honey blonde hair as his free hand gripped her backside. Her breathing hitched, her own fingers flying down the buttons of his shirt. She tugged his belt, releasing it from the buckle, anxious to reach him. He didn't object when she pushed down the waist of his trousers. A shiver rolled through him as she began to stroke him. He took her bottom lip between his teeth.
He wanted this badly. It had been a struggle, having been able to satisfy his more primal urges whenever the need arose, to suddenly having to deny them again because his partner vanished. Six months, it had been since she left. Lorna hadn't come back. But Natalia was here. She'd been there for him the entire time. The woman practically hovered over him now. It was time to take advantage of what she had to offer.
Natalia pushed him back just a bit as she got down on her knees. Aro licked his lips, brushing the hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. A huff of delight left him as she began to pleasure him with her mouth. His grip in her hair tightened and he began to rock his hips. It was a pleasant surprise that this action was met without complaint. Lorna would have stopped him for a scolding.
Lorna…
Aro tried to push her from his thoughts as he shoved himself into Natalia's throat. He needed as deep as he could possibly get. Because, despite how much he was enjoying himself, he still wasn't anywhere close to climaxing. As a matter of fact, he was beginning to find it difficult to even stay erect. Simply because he had thought of her, and it had immediately opened the floodgate. With a frustrated groan, he turned away from his playmate, walking across the room, "We cannot do this."
He quickly tucked everything back into his pants, securing his belt and buttoning his shirt. Natalia approached him, attempting to wrap her arms around his waist. Aro snapped at her and shrugged away, "No, Natalia."
Anger was bubbling to the surface. Not at the girl, but at himself. Nothing about his involvement with her had felt right, but he had ignored it. He was so angry with Lorna for leaving him. He wanted to punish her; by taking up a relationship with someone who actually wanted him. But he had never felt comfortable with it. Every time they kissed his stomach knotted. It had taken him some time to realize it wasn't nerves of any kind. It was guilt.
There was only one thing he'd ever felt guilt for, and he'd worked hard to put that tragic event behind him. Although Marcus was a constant reminder of it. Now, though, he didn't regret his decisions. He didn't feel guilty for them. He stood by them, accepting the outcome whether it was positive or negative. Any "mistake" he made was a learning experience.
But now, at this moment… although she had been the one to leave, he felt as though he was betraying her with his attempt to be intimate with Natalia. It was not a feeling he appreciated at all. Aro's shoulders fell sharply with his sigh.
"The wolf has her claws in you deep, huh?" she asked, sliding around him so she could see his face. So he looked at hers. There was no trace of hurt or anger on her features. Only a look of genuine concern. The man sighed again, "Deeper than you know, my dear."
She frowned, but not at what he had said, "Demetri and Felix are searching for her again. Why don't I take Wayland and look for her, too?"
Aro smiled as he took her hand, "As much as I appreciate your offer, I must decline. I actually have another task for the two of you."
The Volturi king laid out a map before the small group. Of Saint Petersburg, Russia, and it's surrounding cities. Next he deposited two photographs. The first was blurry, but clearly showed a tall man with messy brown hair and blood red eyes. The other was of a curvy woman with black hair and ice blue eyes. Aro pointed to the man, "This is Bogdan Pavlov. A shield very much like Isabella Cullen. The Russian leaders are using his gift to their advantage. He shields their minds before they issue their orders, effectively hiding them from me."
"His mate," he pointed to the woman, "is a human by the name of Marianna Vasilev. She lives on the outskirts of Krasny Bor. You are to intercept Bogdan on one of his trips to her. Natalia, Wayland, and Nicolaus will be responsible for containing him. Jane and Alec will subdue the human. Bring them both to me."
He raised his eyebrows and waved his hand, indicating they were to leave. Natalia turned, beckoning to the group to follow. They filed quietly from the room. Once alone, Caius spoke up, "Any word on the whereabouts of your pet, brother?"
Aro answered without looking at him, "She is more than a mere pet, brother. I believe you know that."
Caius said nothing. Aro continued, "But no, Demetri and Felix have yet to cross her scent."
His brother raised a brow, "If she truly is more than your toy, what was it you were doing with Natalia earlier this afternoon?"
Aro pressed his lips together, "A transgression I expect will be forgotten."
The blond shook his head but said nothing further. Aro tapped his fingers against the table. His brother didn't understand. He had his mate, locked up in this very building. Caius could visit her any time he'd like, could easily have his urges satisfied. Aro's lover was who knows where. He couldn't see her, speak to her, take his pleasure in her. There was no laying in bed beside her the entire night watching her sleep, holding her securely. No running through the open fields during the moons. Pain spiked through his chest as he rubbed at the corners of his eyes. This was what Caius didn't understand. The pain of not having his dearest one at his side. It only seemed to get worse as the days turned to weeks turned to months.
What was he doing with Natalia? Trying to numb that pain, even for a moment. He realized now it was unwise. Not only that, but it would not have accomplished anything anyway. Despite how badly he wished it, he knew it was not Lorna he was with. And he knew he didn't want that from anyone but Lorna. No, such an occurrence would never happen again.
Aro had to have her back.
-Forks, Washington-
"Lorna, may I have a word?" Carlisle asked, standing near a corner of the house. I hopped to my feet, "If you have to."
Luckily, by this point, everyone knew my sarcasm was playful. He smiled as he waited for me to approach. Damn him and that smile. When I reached him, he took me around to the other side of the house. Why, I'm not sure. The little extra distance wouldn't prevent anyone else from hearing us. He folded his arms, "Some friends of ours will be arriving from Alaska. I'd appreciate it if you were on your best behavior."
"Me? Misbehave?" I waved a hand at him, "Wait, I'm not gonna want to kill them, am I? Please tell me they smell just as bad as you?"
He chuckled slightly, "They share our diet, so yes, they will be just as unappealing."
I wiped imaginary sweat from my brow, "Phew, good. It'd be kind of awkward if I tried to eat one of your buddies. So, when are they coming?"
"Tomorrow."
My face scrunched, "Tomorrow? And you waited until just now to talk about this? What if my being here would have been a problem?"
He patted my shoulder and walked away, answering none of my questions. Probably because he knew me well enough now to know they were rhetorical, but still. Rude. I walked back around to the front of the house, where I had been. The majority of the coven members were out hunting, but a few of them remained. I sat on a tree stump and watched Jacob play chess with the child. So far she had won every game they played. The longer I stared, the more I felt my expression slip. I spoke when the footsteps behind me got closer, "Does Carlisle know much about lycanthropy?"
Esme sat beside me, "I don't believe so."
We sat in silence for a while as we watched Renesmee. I spilled my guts to Carlisle before, so what the hell, I figured. "They say that when a woman is bitten, the virus leaves them unable to have children. But I've also heard a few stories about some who have. Only a rare few, it seems. I was just wondering if he'd know anything about it."
She offered a smile, "Like us, there are so many different stories about what werewolves are or aren't, I'm not sure anyone really knows for sure. Except for other Children of the Moon. Have you met many outside of your pack?"
I shook my head, "None. The Alpha made sure of it. Though, I don't even know of many other packs in the States. There might be one on the East coast? But I know we're pretty much nonexistent in Europe and Asia."
"Yes, they're being hunted by the Volturi. It's a shame."
My heart stopped at the mention of 'Volturi', but I tried not to react to that. Instead, I reacted to the other part, "You feel bad for my kind being slaughtered even though we exist strictly for destroying your kind?"
"Of course," she answered softly, "You are still human."
Tell that to my ex, I wanted to say.
Wait, when did I start considering Aro my ex? We were never even together. Right? Just hooking up to relieve each other's sexual tension. That last outing we were on totally wasn't a date or anything…
But then why did thinking of him as my ex hurt so bad?
