"Alessandro, is that you dear heart?" Isabella whispered.
The form by the fountain turned to face Isabella, she sighed with relief as soon as she saw that it was indeed Alessandro. He stood there smiling at her for a while. But, Isabella noticed something different about him. His glorious smile didn't touch his eyes…his eyes. Was it just the light of the full moon and the torches lining the gardens stony walls, or were Alessandro's eyes red?
Alessandro stepped forward, grabbed Isabella's hand and pulled her towards him. He slowly began to trace the outline of Isabella's lips with his cold thumb. He leaned his head forward, hesitated for a moment, and then leaned until his lips touched hers. Alessandro kissed her slowly at first, testing the waters to se how she would react, then their kiss grew into a passionate frenzy.
"Isabella, I have to tell you something." Alessandro said, breaking free from his lover's soft lips.
"How now my love?"
"It is not just the coming winter's chill that makes my skin so cold. Isabella, I am a monster. I am going to fly this place, tonight. I would ask that you not follow me."
Isabella broke away from Alessandro's embrace. "What are you saying? You take flight because of me? Alessandro, I think you not a monster, but a man that I love dearly. If you are to fly, let me fly with you, love." Isabella said pleading.
"No! No, my darling. I would surely kill you if you came. Isabella you must under stand. What I am about to say, you must swear to me that you will never repeat." Alessandro said, putting his hands on Isabella's shoulders.
"I will not speak a word of it ere I go."
"I am a…." Alessandro stopped short, for he was interrupted as someone came into the pathway where the lovers stood.
"Well, well, Alessandro. I never thought a man like you would break his knees for a mortal woman. I guess I should have seen it coming." Eduardo said stepping out from the shadows where he stood. His eyes were different as well, red like Alessandro's.
"Eduardo. You know I love Isabella, of course I would tell her. Above all it is my affair. I ask that you stay out of this." Alessandro said his voice growing as cold as the winter snow.
"Come now Alessandro. Why don't you let me tell the tale?"
Isabella rubbed her eyes. First Eduardo was about ten yards away form Alessandro and herself, then as fast as anything Isabella had ever seen, he was face to face with Alessandro. How was that humanly possible? Unless…
Alessandro stepped in front of Isabella. He was willing to kill his best friend to save her. "Go ahead Eduardo. For you know it as well as I."
"Alessandro Di Medici was born in 1125, and murdered in 1148… by yours truly. At a ripe young age of 23, I made him perfect; I made him into a vampire. He is of the walking dead. He is the life of your nightmares. The ledged, the fairy tale in the back of your mind. The monster under your bed. For we are the superior race, are we not Alessandro? Deadly, and beautiful, irresistible to our prey, strong, fast. You would never be able to escape. Isn't that right, Alessandro?" Eduardo said with a wicked smile spreading across his face.
Isabella backed away from both of the men. Vampires? Not Alessandro. And yet, it made perfect sense. He was graceful, beautiful. She backed away further until she was stopped by two strong arms around her waist, holding her arms in place with fierce power. All Isabella could see was the astonished expression of the face of Alessandro. And as she watched his expression soon grew to anger.
"Let her go Eduardo!"
As quick as lightning Isabella was face to face with her lover. The movement was so sudden that her head snapped back against Eduardo's firm chest. A hand came to her forehead kept her head in place. Another hand brushed back her raven locks to revel her porcelain white neck. She tried to brake free, but the hand that held her was incredibly strong.
"Come now Alessandro, don't tell me you can't hear her heart beating. Smell the young blood running through her veins," Eduardo began to run his nose up and down Isabella's jaw and neck. "Don't tell me that you can't smell her fear."
Alessandro looked transfixed, unseeing. Then he spoke with such vengeance that would stir the heart of any poet. "Let her go Eduardo, for I will not hold back when I smite thee."
"Smite my O, Alessandro!" Eduardo said in mock horror. "I think I shall feast upon her flesh, but what of that? You, Alessandro, think not so. But I will win. I will always win, just like the thirst will always win." He said calmly. "If I stick this girl with my dagger, drawing the slightest amount of blood, you will feast with me. How long has it been since your last meal Alessandro? Two, three weeks? Your thirsty, and will spill your beloved's blood upon the green. You will drink with me."
"You are wrong Eduardo. I can resist, I will resist. You will pay for your treachery before the night is out. I will cast thee into the belly of the flames of Hell." But Alessandro was too late. Eduardo had dagger drawn and cut a slit in Isabella's throat. She bit her lip as the pain hit her, perhaps it would have been better if she had screamed.
Alessandro stepped forward, unable to resist the sent of the blood filling the air. Eduardo was having trouble, trying not to feed. He needed to draw Alessandro closer.
"Come, dear friend. Come and drink with me Alessandro." Eduardo said, dragging the struggling Isabella into the shadows like a rag doll, with Alessandro following. Alessandro's mind was not his own, it had given way to instincts, the need to survive. The monster was raging through him, coursing through his mind. He no longer could tell friend from foe. It was only when his beloved's screams came tarring through his mind and the taste of blood on his tongue that he saw with new eyes what was taking place.
Alessandro looked on with horror as he saw Eduardo bent over his loves neck, sucking her life away. He watched in shock as he saw the lights in Isabella's honey eyes flicker like a torch flame. She was barely alive, hardly dead. He got to his feet and ripped Eduardo off of her. Eduardo hardly had time to react as Alessandro's foot met him in the face, sending him flying. Alessandro continued that way to tear Eduardo apart. Limb by limb, Alessandro bit and kicked and scratch until he was covered in the gore that was left of Eduardo. Alessandro grabbed a torch from the stone wall and set aflame Eduardo's body.
He then ran over to Isabella's prone figure upon the dewy grass. She was still alive, but barely. "Isabella, my love, I will never have a love as I found in thee. Your smile, a beckon to my lost soul, your eyes, pools made of nectar. Come now love, your cheeks grow pale. How do the roses there fade so fast? Stay with me love." Alessandro leaned forward to whisper into Isabella's ear. "I will be lost without you. You cannot leave me dear heart."
Alessandro felt his love stir, but for a moment. And heard her whisper softly with the last of her breath, I love you. He broke out into tearless sobs of loss until the morning light spread over the horizon. He gave his love a parting kiss, and then ran into the dark wood about a mile off. There he called into the depths and made a pact with the devil. To do his bidding for a thousand life times, and then be reunited with Isabella, his angel in heaven. Or so the devil had promised, but his promises are lies and are empty.
The devil had changed him, made him into The Beast. Not a man, not a monster, not vampire not werewolf. He was a kind of his own, made to walk alone in the world. He was capable of transforming into human form and was capable of human speech, but he was an animal at heart. The Beasts time on the earth had been, as of this year 881 years "alive", he was a true blemish upon the earth.
The Beast felt a cold tear run down his snout. He sat in the darkness, waiting for Isabella to come out of a house she had just entered. They had moved down a ways to the town of Forks. The house was fairly nice; it had a shiny Volvo parked out front. Victoria had gone up into one of the second story windows. Seeing a figure open the window again, The Beast saw Victoria climb back out. She was by his side in a matter of seconds.
"I did it my pet. Isabella drank the poison that I slipped into her water, right under the noses of her protectors. All we have to do now is wait until they take her to the hospital, once there we will take her back to the clearing and the ceremony will begin."