A Whisper of Hope

A/N: I'm overwhelmed by all the positive reviews lately. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to favorite, follow, or review. It means so much to me. This next chapter is a short one, but sweet. I hope you enjoy it.

BPOV

"Isabella."

"Isssabbellla."

"Isa."

"Please, Isa…"

My name rolls over his tongue, over and over again - as smooth as velvet, but also hissing like a serpent. The Aro of my dreams stands before me, holding his hand out to me. And I want to take it. I want to take his hand and follow him wherever he leads. But I'm scared.

"Isa."

He calls for me again, but my dream Aro is fading. He smiles at me sadly and I feel a cold hand brushing against my forehead. I wish the Aro of reality would call me that. No one has ever called me Isa before.

"I'm so sorry, dear heart," he whispers as he fades from my view. The cold hand lifts from my forehead and my eyes flutter open in response. The room is dark and it takes my eyes a moment to clear away the sleep before I see him. Aro. He's standing over me, his expression remorseful and tender.

"Aro?" I whisper. My throat feels scratchy like the inside has been rubbed raw. "What are you doing here?"

I don't have any desire to send him away this time. Not after days of illness. Rather, I'm quite relieved to see his face again. I move to sit up, but Aro quickly moves to assist, supporting my back as I lift myself.

"Slowly," he warns, the gentleness never leaving. "You've been very ill. You must be careful."

I can't help the blush warming my cheeks at his care.

"How are you feeling?"

"Alright," I croak. "Thirsty."

Aro produces a glass of water. His hands linger for a second until he's sure I have it in my grasp. I take a sip of the cool liquid and sigh in relief. "Thank you. Much better."

"Good," he whispers, seemingly relieved. Aro sits down in a chair next to my bed, his observant gaze never leaving mine.

"I was worried about you. Marcus… He thought we may need to change you if you did not show signs of recovering."

"Oh," I reply, my eyebrows raising.

"I did not wish to do so without hearing your decision on the matter but I…" He looks down at his hands and I can hear the words unsaid in his action. He would have changed me regardless.

"It's alright," I whisper the words, watching him.

"It's far from alright, Isa." The shortened version of my name passes through his lips, the one I've only dreamed about. My heart flutters.

"We need to have a conversation." Aro looks back up at me, his crimson eyes glistening. "Will you allow me to stay? To speak with you?"

I smile at him, sadly. I denied him this the other night. I needed time. Now that I've had time - and so has he - there is a lot that needs to come out into the open.

"That would be acceptable. I just ask you to be gentle with me… The other night was… painful."

His gaze softens further. He looks anguished.

"I am so sorry, cara mia. You were right… I was out of line. I should not have been so cruel to you." Aro squeezes his eyes shut and presses his long fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"How about you start from the beginning? Start with the day we first met and work from there. Would that be alright?"

Aro nods and remains silent for a few moments before he lets out a sigh and begins his story.

"Vampires are known to have what we call mates. Mates are… well they are our predestined partners; our other halves, so to speak." He lowers his hand and places it on his lap. "The bond between mates is so strong it begins to form the moment each half of the pair meet.

"Marcus had Didyme, Caius has Dora… For me, it's you." I nod, gesturing for him to continue. "The bond is so strong that one does not survive easily after the loss of their mate. Most fall into madness or find a way to erase themselves from this world."

Aro looks toward the fireplace. "Some of us may never even meet our destined mates. Others find them only to lose them in the end. But the connection is - above all - instinctual."

He looks at me again. "Mates exist to calm each other, to provide solace in our gruesome, terrible world. But the drive to claim, to be with one's mate in every way is overwhelming… I didn't understand how overwhelming until that day.

"When I walked into Caius' study, I knew you were my mate the instant I laid eyes on you… My instincts took over without much of a fight and all I wanted to do was claim you as my own… But I was scared, Isa."

I reach for his hand, tenderly holding it in my own trying to encourage him to continue.

"I wanted to make you mine in every way. And the beast within me would have stopped at nothing to have you. I'm sorry for that."

And the look in his eyes tells me he means it.

"Why didn't you tell me before? Why did you tell your brother that you had no intention of taking a mate if you already knew?"

"I was scared. I waited so long for you and when you finally swept into my life, I didn't know how to handle it. I worried you would think me insane and wish to have nothing to do with me… I wanted all of this to be your choice but at the same time, everything in me wanted you. I wanted to show everyone that you belonged to me without bringing the truth to light. My actions were foolish; Marcus made me very aware of that."

I nod, squeezing his hand. "So the rules were?"

"Part apology, part selfishness."

"Apology?"

"I treated you so poorly the day before, I wanted to offer you something to get into your good graces… But some of the rules were borne of my own possessiveness… My own jealousy."

It makes sense now… Now that he is being truthful with me.

"What happened the other night? The night of the ball."

Aro sighs, looking visibly uncomfortable at the mention of our unwelcome encounter. "I was a fool."

I can only nod because no words could be truer than those.

"I was an idiot… I thought you would go with me, that there was no need to ask… Even though we'd been in a disagreement a few nights before, I thought I made myself perfectly clear when I said that you belonged to me… I thought you knew…"

"I can't know anything if you do not tell me, Aro."

He shakes his head and laughs lowly. "Yes well, didn't I mention that I was a fool? I showed up at your rooms, ready to escort you down to the throne room, but you were already gone… I thought someone else found their way into your company that night and my heart couldn't take it. It felt like someone had ripped a hole in my chest… And when I saw you dancing with Felix and Demitri… I will admit that I let my jealousy take over."

I see the memory of that night in my mind's eye. The way he swept in with such power and anger. The possessive hold. With one touch, I could do nothing but follow his lead. There was no one apart from him.

"I felt the bond, too." The words come out breathy, barely audible to my ears. "I felt it immediately. It was confusing to feel such strong emotions for a person who treated me so terribly…"

"I'm so sorry." His voice shakes.

"I know… Over time, it began to make more sense. And when I asked Jane to explain mates to me, it clicked." I think back to that night, back to the moment everything made sense. That was the day that I began to see him in a new light.

Aro's brows draw together, creasing his forehead. "How long have you known?"

"A fortnight… I was hoping you would be honest with me."

Aro hangs his head. "It seems I have much more to apologize for…"

I brush my thumb across the back of his hand. "You are forgiven. But if this happens again - if you lie to me or treat me in the same abhorrent manner, I won't stay. I will find a way to leave no matter the consequences."

He looks almost angry at that. A flash of something dark passes through his eyes and then he catches himself, sagging in resignation. "I understand…"

"Good." I nod and lean back, content. "So we are mates, then. I was right."

"Quite a brilliant girl you are, Isa." A sly smile passes across his lips and my skin flares with goosebumps at the pet name.

"I like it when you call me that… Isa."

"Do you?"

"Nobody has ever called me that before."

"Then I will take pride in being the only one."

For hours we sit, holding hands, gazing at one another, asking questions, and giving answers until I can no longer keep my eyes open. And when I finally lose the battle and begin to drift off into sleep, I feel his cold hand brush my hair behind my ear and his cold lips against my forehead. "Sleep well, Isa."

~AB~