AN: Just a quick note to reassure everyone that yes, all of Meyers' characters will appear as we go through the years. Mostly as and when they should, according to their character time line. Eleazar will end up with the Denali girls, Carlisle will end up with his family, etc. We have a fair amount of time to play before then whilst Carlisle is 'maturing' (and we will get to use it against him when he's a father himself - for example, can you imagine how the Cullen brood react to finding out Carlisle took Felix to a brothel? :D )
Anyhoo, let's jump forward two years and see how Aro is doing…
1670, April - Boys Club
"Finally!" Caius moaned as Aro appeared at the bottom of the dungeon stairwell. "You wanted this card game and you are an hour late!" he complained, with Magnus, Eleazar and Carlisle wearing similarly annoyed expressions.
Aro huffed as he took a seat at the table. "I'm sorry, feel free to exchange lives with me - you would better understand why I am always late if you had to live with my brats!"
"Brats?" Eleazar questioned.
Since he had met the Denali girls he considered his niece and nephews to be angels! He had noticed his brother being particularly hard on them recently, occasionally with no just cause. Eleazar had assumed Aro was stressed out from managing the new treaty, especially as Basileus had been spending a lot of time away over the last two years. He and Atia met with the Amazonian tribe every third month and they were gone for at least a month at a time. That, Eleazar had assumed, added pressure to Aro's role in the castle but, oddly, he looked like he didn't have a care in the world.
Aro nodded in reply to Eleazar. "A life and death game of chess… I had to decide whether I should let them live or die whist listening to the arguments from them playing."
Magnus smiled, "they are only young, Aro."
"I let them live!" Aro answered with a playful shrug, neglecting to mention that it was a rare hour he had spent with his family since his parents had been away, and during that hour he had managed to bawl at all four of his children which ended up in Sulpicia shoving him out the door.
Heidi and Ashanti both came to Aro's side, Ashanti with a glass of bloodwine, Heidi with a shot of dungeon blood.
"Many thanks, ladies." He said, though he was a little surprised to see them. Once they were clear he quizzed Caius on the extra guests.
"They offered to serve drinks." Caius explained, "they are free all night." He added pointedly to his brother in arms.
Caius was pig sick of socialising with Aro. He knew it was only so Aro could get off his face on dungeon blood and he felt used. He was even sick of fucking Heidi and Ashanti. You are a selfish ass, Aro, you have turned me off sex! Aro's requests to socialise had been manageable to begin - a couple of times a month was okay. But every time Basileus and Atia went away, Aro was pounding on Caius' door day and night!
Aro widened his eyes to Caius and flicked them quickly to his brothers, they can't know I'm fucking other women! He thought desperately hoping Caius caught his drift quickly.
Caius rolled his eyes. "Understood." He whispered. Though why you do it if you are so scared of getting caught is beyond me! He added to himself.
Caius wanted Aro to get caught. That's what the whole card game was about. He was exposing Aro to his brothers and Magnus in the hope that one of them, any of them, would leak back to Basileus that Aro was on dungeon blood and playing away from home. Once that happened, Caius could get his life back, he hoped! He did feel a little guilty knowing the creator would tear Aro to shreds for his drug abuse, let alone the women, but he just couldn't take it any more. He was arguing with Athenodora every time he went home from a night with Aro. Caius had promised to lessen his use of the dirty drug to help him become easier to live with at home, but with Aro dragging him out every night to indulge Caius was becoming more and more abusive with his mate. Caius resented Aro for that most of all.
"Are you going to drink that?" Eleazar asked, looking at the shot of dungeon blood in Aro's glass.
Aro laughed and knocked it down in one. "It's a tiny amount, brother. I think I can handle it." He said patronisingly.
Eleazar raised his eyebrows to Caius, and how long as this been going on, he wondered. Caius nodded discreetly in return. He was desperate to tell someone about Aro being back on dungeon blood. I'm covering your ass left right and centre and all I will get for my trouble when Basileus finds out is damn good thrashing - if I am lucky!
Aro looked between the pair of them and laughed again. "Why are you stressing so much? I have it under control."
"Really?" Eleazar questioned. "I have been hearing a lot of complaints about your conduct from your children, and the guards. How long have you been back on dungeon blood, brother?"
Aro smirked and looked away, choosing not to answer his brother's questions. If he had been sensible, he wouldn't have drunk a drop of Caius' special brew in front of Eleazar. But Caius was becoming harder and harder to convince to join him in taking the drug, and the only way he would agree to another night on the stuff was for it to truly be a social affair. Caius wanted back up and he was sick to death of babysitting Aro on a high.
Eleazar started dealing out the cards between the five of them chuntering about what an absolute idiot his little brother was.
"What are we playing?" Carlisle asked, he knew very few card games - all of them taught him by Eleazar so he hoped his brother would choose something he was familiar with.
"Twenty-one" Eleazar confirmed, to Carlisle's relief. He was actually getting quite good at that game.
As he picked up his hand and eyed his pile of coins on the table, he heard his human fathers voice floating through his mind. "A pack of cards is the devil's prayer-book." He thought out loud.
"We don't want to hear from the preacher now, brother," Aro said, laughing to himself.
"Pastor!" Carlisle corrected.
"Whatever." Aro twitched realising he was using not only his eldest son's words, but also his tone.
It was the only thing Felix seemed to say to him lately. 'Whatever', whilst walking away, 'whatever', whilst ignoring any and all requests, 'whatever', as Aro punished him severely for every slight indiscretion. Aro was being a bastard to live with and he knew it. But try as he might, and as much as he loved his family, he just couldn't stop.
Magnus checked his cards and took a look around the group. They all have fantastic poker faces. It's going to be really hard not to use my gift and find out who's lying. "So how long are your old dears away for? I assume that's why we are having this impromptu game of cards?" he asked the Volturi family.
Eleazar dealt another card to everyone who wanted one. "They have been gone for a month tomorrow, so I expect them to return any day now."
Aro laid his cards on the table, king and ace of spades. "Until then, whilst the cat's away the mice will play!" he said triumphantly, having won the first hand.
Heidi and Ashanti kept everyone's glasses filled to the brim, and they were all taking regular shots of dungeon blood, too. Magnus had only taken the magic potion immediately preceding battles as part of the Volturi war ritual. The drug took away any fear and gave the guards an added bounce to their battle cries. It was a very different experience to shotting the drug at leisure during a card game. It was playing havoc with Magnus' gift, and rather than being able to get a good read of the room, he was emotionally chucking-up on the whole gathering making them all feel ultra-relaxed.
Carlisle had never tired it before and was pleased with the effects, as he sprawled in his chair he realised he had never felt so chilled. "Do you know what I don't understand…" Carlisle began, slurring a little.
"I could fill books with the things you don't understand." Aro retorted, snorting at his own joke.
Carlisle rolled his eyes. "Of all the places we could do this, why are we in the dungeons?" he asked.
"It's the only semi-private place in the whole castle." Caius complained, stressing the 'semi' as since Basileus had asked him to take over bloodwine brewing, he had to accept he needed the regular use of some guards to assist him so now Richard and Phillipe, the two guards selected for the brewing task, were regular visits to his dungeon rooms.
Aro slapped Caius' shoulder. "We will have more space soon." He said with a happy glint in his eye.
"How so?" Caius asked eagerly. "Are you kicking some guards out?"
Magnus bristled until he realised Caius was joking - Caius joking was still a relatively new thing so Magnus could be forgiven for assuming the man held malevolent intent towards his wards.
Aro laughed. "I need the guards, and the masters are all needed… I can think of a couple of layabouts that we could lose" he said, turning sly eyes on his brothers.
Eleazar leaned over the table and matched Aro's expression. "Keep it up, little brother, and I may slip out to Basileus that you are drinking this shit again." He dared dangerously, wiggling his own shot glass under Aro's nose.
Aro sat back in his chair and shrugged. "You are drinking it too."
"I have never been told I couldn't." Eleazar reminded him. Aro had no come back to that. Damn it!
"Why were you told you couldn't drink it?" Magnus wondered aloud to his co master. He pushed his shot glass away and cursed himself for not checking whether dungeon blood was Basileus-sanctioned, or not.
Carlisle mimicked the juggernauts actions. Damn it! I wouldn't have touched the stuff if I thought Basileus was against it! He lied to himself.
Aro ignored Magnus, he didn't want to answer his question - he was too ashamed of the events that had led to him being banned in the first place. Deflect, deflect, deflect!
"I am beginning plans for a building project in order to give the guards private quarters and create some guest suites. I am hoping to include some more communal spaces and Basileus has mentioned you will need more room for your experiments, Caius."
"A dedicated science lab wouldn't go amiss." Caius was suddenly very interested in Aro's plans.
"Your wish is my command." Aro offered a bow as he spoke.
"You know, a door on my torture room would be a grand gesture." Caius said, casting his hand towards the gaping hole that had 'magically' appeared after the visiting covens left town years before.
"How did that happen anyway, Caius?" Magnus asked.
None of them had noticed until Caius pointed it out, and it was the first time any of them had been down in the dungeons since they had retrieved Felix from Caius' clutches years before.
"It's remained a mystery for exactly two years now." Caius replied to his co-master, though he looked directly at Eleazar as he spoke, hoping he would find some relevance to his words.
"Two years you say?" Eleazar repeated. Oh, he understood alright!
Eleazar had nearly spat his bloodwine out hearing the magnitude of Aro's plans but now all he could think about was what the hell his little brother was playing at. I need to get to the bottom of how serious this is, he thought. But he knew it would have to wait. If this game lasts long enough I'm sure the little bastard will hang himself with the truth anyway!
"Who's will be paying for the extension then, brother?" Eleazar asked, trying to distract himself.
"That's not for you to worry about, El." Aro crooned, "I will need your help though, Carlisle. My project will involve some interactions with the humans and I know how you love those simple little beings."
Carlisle knew Aro was mocking him but he was keen to have something proper to do around the castle.
Calling for a fourth shot of dungeon blood, when everyone else still had a little of their first shot left, brought Aro more attention from Eleazar.
"I was thinking that the guard hall will become our new office." He announced quickly, pulling the idea out of the air in an effort to distract everyone as he downed his shot. "Somewhere just for the masters to convene in private, or to meet with individual guards… to keep them away from our own chambers."
Caius was happy to be distracted for a change. "I like the sound of this Aro." He said, impressed with Aro's plans.
"So do I! The guards see my place as an extension of the bloody guard hall - some separation would be useful!" Magnus agreed. He and Freyr spent most of their time in the guard hall and whenever they left, a trail of guards seemed to follow them back to their quarters.
"I don't have that problem." Caius told his co-master happily.
"That because you scare the crap out of everyone." Carlisle butted in.
"It's a means to an end." Caius breezed easily.
"It's because you're an evil bastard." Carlisle added under his breath. Everyone heard him.
"I WAS an evil bastard… I have begun to mellow with age, I am living off my reputation now." Caius replied, a little anxious about how his future dealings in the castle would work with his new mindset.
"And long may it last you, brother." Aro said as he eyed Caius for a moment.
Aro wasn't comfortable with the idea of Caius mellowing. Caius makes me look like a pussy cat, it's much nicer playing reason to his rampant viciousness… how will that work going forward? he wondered.
They continued to play cards, with Aro winning a decent pot only to have Magnus wipe him out on the last hand. Magnus watched Aro down another shot of dungeon blood. He had counted at least six by then and he was sure his co-master could have snuck some by them all had he wanted to. He, like the others, was only on his second hit and didn't plan on taking any more.
"Are you going to tell us why you are banned from dungeon blood?" Magnus couldn't understand it, he felt so chilled on the dirty blood and wondered what made Aro so different - the guy looks crazed, his eyes are all over the place and he's clearly getting more and more agitated. What's going on?
"I may, occasionally, have difficulty knowing when to stop. That's all." Aro finally answered.
That's all? Eleazar repeated, much like Caius had. "And it makes you a violent bastard." Eleazar added as Aro had clearly forgotten.
Aro laughed away his brother's complaint but Caius quickly backed Eleazar up. "He threatened to rip my throat out if I didn't give him the keys to the dungeons not so long ago…"
Aro's eyes flew wide open and he had to stop himself from growling at his brother in arms. "You knew I didn't mean it." He sang out with glowering eyes at his co master.
Caius looked askance to Aro and tutted pointedly. Oh yeah, sure you didn't! He thought.
Eleazar dealt the next hand around the table. "The way I heard it, he attacked Basileus when he was off his face on that stuff. Isn't that why I was turned? Because you needed a baby sitter?"
Aro sunk into his chair like a petulant child. He didn't like being called out on his faults. "Thank you, brother." He snapped. "You clearly did a shitty job as we needed Carlisle, too!"
Aro sat up, ready to play. Everyone else remained leaning back in their chairs, waiting for Aro to give them some juicy information. Aro sighed and allowed himself to fall back into his chair.
"Okay," he sighed. "Caius and I had been having one of our private parties…"
"Private? Me, you, and twenty or so human whores…"
"Thank you Caius!" Aro snapped again.
He knew he was being unfairly terse. Just tell them the story and they will leave me in peace with my drink! He thought.
"I was tanked up on a dungeon blood binge that had nearly used up all of our stores… and then I went home and got into a fight with Sully… and Felix… and Basileus." He said, feeling shame flooding his veins.
Magnus narrowed his eyes. "You actually had a fight with Basileus… as in, he didn't just wipe the floor with you?"
Of course you would want more information, you nosey bastard, Aro thought, annoyed.
"Oh no, he did wipe the floor with me, but I landed a good few punches first." He replied before reliving his most shameful day for his brothers and co-masters' amusement.
Aro staggered up the stairs to his top floor suite. How he had made it all the way to his door was, quite frankly, a miracle. He couldn't see the steps, and frequently missed the walls when trying to brace himself - the only way he managed to find his way home was through pure muscle memory.
"Sully!" he called, clattering into his chambers.
Sulpicia sat with the young high guard in the living chamber, all reading quietly before Aro had rudely interrupted them.
"My love?" she asked, with a heavy heart.
She could see he was off his face again. He hadn't been home for three days and she had been lying to Basileus regarding his whereabouts.
"Fetch me some wine." Aro requested gruffly before flopping into her vacated seat.
Sulpicia rolled her eyes to the heavens, but did as she was bid. One look to her young guard and she could see they felt awkward… and a little fearful.
When she gave him the goblet of wine, Aro caught her wrist and held onto her whilst he downed his drink and let the silver cup fall to the floor. Aro smiled mischievously to his mate and pulled her into his lap.
"I want you, now!" he growled into her ear as his hands search for an entry through her dress.
"Aro, no…" Sulpicia tried to pull away, gesturing to their young audience.
Aro sighed, his head whirled and he had forgotten they were even there. He and Caius had been holding their drugged-up orgy for three days but now that all the human whores had been fucked to death and drank dry, he had relented and come home. But he still wanted to fuck, so the high guard had to leave.
"OUT." He bellowed, paying little attention to their thoughts or feelings in his inebriated state.
"Yes master." Three replied as they scurried to their rooms. Only Felix stayed.
Sulpicia continued to pull away seeing Felix standing over the pair of them. When Aro tore her dress, Felix grabbed hold of his master's wrist. Aro looked to the hand holding him tightly, and slowly followed the arm up to see who it was. He struggled to focus, but when he saw that the hand belonged to Felix he laughed.
"Problem?" he asked with his eyes rolling in his head. "I told you to leave."
Felix stood fast. "I think I should stay."
"Well you aren't joining in, but I don't care if you watch." Aro was fucked.
There was a part of his brain that questioned him as he spoke, wondering what the fuck he was thinking and why the hell he would say that to the boy, but he pushed that part of his senses away as he allowed his lust to take the front seat.
Aro put all his efforts into forcing his mate down onto the sofa, one handed.
"Felix, its fine, go on." Sulpicia told her young guard as she struggled beneath her mate.
"Yeah, fuck off Felix - you're killing the mood." Aro jeered.
Felix thought about going to his room and cowering with his siblings as they listened to Aro on a rampage. Not this time. He said to himself, resolutely.
"I'm not going anywhere until you get off Sully." He cursed his voice, it didn't sound half as fierce as it had in his head.
Aro stopped his sexual assault of his wife and stood up to face his young guard. Aro walked Felix backwards until he was up against the wall and cocked his head to the side as he considered his young guard's intentions and capabilities. You are a strong little fucker. Brave too. But I know how to handle you. He said to himself, you wouldn't be living in my quarters if I didn't know I could take you down easily, boy. Let's see how brave you are.
"Are you talking back to me, boy?"
Felix felt sick. He's going to kill me, fuck! He thought after taking one look into Aro's angry, black, coddled eyes. When he realised how drugged up Aro was, he changed his mind. You can't kill me, you're too drunk to kill me.
"Yeah, I am… master." He said bravely. "What are you going to do about it?"
Aro laughed as though it were the funniest thing he had ever heard, and then smashed his forehead into Felix' face!
"Aro! NO!" Sulpicia flew to Felix's side in an effort to help him, but Aro knocked her clean across the room with one punch.
He was amazed for a moment that he had been able to land his fist so squarely into his mate's face - Sully was a small target and he was wrecked!
Felix, having recovered from the shock of Aro head-butting him, barrelled into his master, knocking him clean off his feet. The snarling, snapping and general brawl followed between Aro and Felix, neither winning as with Felix' superior strength, he could grapple Aro to the ground, but with Aro's superior skill, he gave Felix as good as he got.
Calm fell around the room when Alec sent out his fog at Sulpicia's request.
"Can you hold the fog, Alec?" she asked, warily approaching her mate to check he was completely restrained.
"Yes, my lady." Alec replied, looking fearfully to the scene in their living room.
Sulpicia looked over her young guard, Jane, Alec, and Demetri all huddled together in the archway to the inner hall leading to their rooms.
"Demetri, could you find Basileus, please." She asked, "Jane, go with him."
The pair of them left immediately and must have found Basileus in his ground floor chambers as they all returned so quickly.
"What the hell happened in here?" Basileus asked, seeing Aro holding Felix in a head lock, comatose on the floor.
"He is drunk, my lord." Sulpicia said, hiding her face from her father in law.
I can see what he has done to you, my dear. Basileus said to himself, as he fished through his son's thoughts and witnessing his three-day debauchery with Caius and dungeon blood… and the twenty-two humans the pair of them had fucked and drained.
"Alec, release them." Basileus called out.
Felix and Aro returned immediately to their brawl, Aro was dangerously close to ripping Felix' head off his body.
"STOP!" Basileus boomed, inches away from the pair of them.
Felix froze, Aro however, continued to grapple with the boy. Basileus was forced to extricate the pair from the floor. Felix looked petrified to be facing the creator in such a situation. Basileus knew that had Felix not got involved, Aro would have raped Sulpicia and he was damn grateful that the boy had the balls to stand up to Aro over something so potentially damaging to his son's home life.
Aro swung around Basileus desperately trying to land another punch on his young guard.
"You are totally out of your damn mind!" Basileus raged, throwing Aro to the floor.
Aro's head whirled and he wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he took Basileus' stance as a threat and went straight for his jugular. Basileus hadn't expected his son to be so vicious with him, and Aro's attack took him off guard - they both fell to the floor with Aro attempting to rip his father's throat out with his teeth! Of course, Aro's normal vampire fangs couldn't penetrate Basileus' skin - he's a demi-god after all, he struggled to cause a scratch on his father's neck. The brawl continued until Basileus managed to land his fist into the side of Aro's head, knocking him out for the count. By that time, Aro had broken ribs down the left-hand side of his body and had managed to snap both of his own wrist in his attempts to pummel his father.
Aro chanced a look to his co masters and brothers. Carlisle and Magnus appeared quite shocked but Caius and Eleazar shook their heads. They knew there was far more savagery to the event than Aro had told them.
"I had to repair the walls in my living room… it took months for Sulpicia to have me back in our chambers without a chaperon… and I had one hell of a hangover. Basileus decided I needed a calmer playmate so we ended up with Eleazar!"
Aro conveniently left out the bloody pulp Basileus had whipped him into in response to his failings, and he had massively downplayed his brutality towards his wife and son in his retelling. He felt utterly ashamed of the years he spent living in such a way and he couldn't look Magnus or Carlisle in the eye with the clear contempt they were shooting to him. And they only know half of it! He thought.
Caius and Eleazar continued to watch him knowingly. Caius had been around to see Aro the day after he had gone feral and smashed up every living, or none living thing in the vicinity… "it was much worse than that, brother." He said quietly.
Aro looked away as Eleazar's eyes bored holes into the side of his head. "I imagined it would have been." He told his younger brother.
"Those poor kids have seen a lot of violence." Carlisle mused, wondering how they were as well balanced as they were, considering.
Aro shuffled the deck of cards as he prepared for another round of twenty-one. He was clearing up, or he would have been if Magnus didn't keep wiping out his pot.
"I'm not proud of it. And life has changed immeasurably in my chambers." He smiled thinking of how far they had all come. "Felix talks back me on a daily basis now and I very rarely try and kill him with any real intent." He quipped.
He really couldn't see that over the last two years he had sent them all back to those dark days which caused him such shame.
Caius laughed, but he was the only one.
"I don't find it funny." Carlisle said, glaring at Aro. "Childhood abuse isn't funny."
Everyone waited for Aro to respond. Caius was ready to move the drinks - he knew Aro could go either way on a good day and as he had been supping dungeon blood he reasoned that his co-master would more likely end up fighting than talking.
Aro finished dealing the cards and took a good swig of the bloodwine before answering. "I agree with you brother - I have spent years rebuilding the damage, and even when pushed… and my god have they pushed… I have never repeated that night."
Eleazar sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. Aro saw him.
"I haven't!" Aro implored. "I mean, yeah, I've taken things too far once or twice but never that bad!" He really did believe his own bullshit.
"But you are drinking dungeon blood again…" Carlisle started.
Aro waved away his brothers concerns. "I'm perfectly in control, I'm not on it very often."
Caius raised an eyebrow to that - he was the only one who could have made a good guess on the amount Aro was consuming, and even he couldn't be sure but it was a lot. "More often than you should be." He said quietly.
Aro threw his cards down. "That's a bit rich coming from you!"
Caius mimicked Aro's movements, though he had no intentions of ending up fighting - he was too hazy on dungeon blood and bloodwine for that. "I have never tried to pick a fight with the creator, and I don't have kids living in my quarters, either."
"No, you just use your mate as your punching bag." Aro sneered in response. He was seriously pissed off being in the spot light for some of his darkest days.
Caius laughed. "Are you trying to take the moral high ground there?" He knew, even the others seemed surprised to hear it, that Aro had been just as brutal to Sulpicia as Caius had to Athenodora, though with less regularity.
"Fuck off." Aro growled. "I don't do that anymore."
Magnus raised his eyebrows, he was learning more about his co-masters than he would have liked to know.
"Well neither do I." Caius returned.
If Magnus, Eleazar and Carlisle were surprised to learn that Aro conducted his marital issues with the same penchant for domestic abuse as Caius, they were bowled over by the idea that Caius had stopped beating Athenodora for kicks.
"What?!" Caius exclaimed. "I told you - I've mellowed."
Magnus nodded to himself, "and your 'mellowing' would have nothing to do with their old man breaking your nose now would it?" He asked his co-master outright.
"Maybe a little." Caius agreed.
That wasn't all though. Since having the outside covens in Volterra that first time, Caius had spent a lot of time reflecting on his reputation in the vampiric world and he wasn't completely happy with it - he was keen on the general fear most vampires felt about facing him, that kept him safe, but the idea that everyone believed him to be entirely self-serving, and that he cared so little for his coven mates, or Athenodora made him question his place in the Volturi and re-evaluate his ways in general. That, and Basileus had severely bollocked him for his cruelty and finally being called out on his actions made him bring them to an immediate halt.
Aro spread his hand on the table. There was only him and Carlisle left in the round and from Carlisle's face it was clear Aro had just taken the last of his coin.
"The lord giveth and the lord taketh away." Aro crowed, drawing toward him the gold from the centre of the table.
"Stop quoting scripture at me, Aro." Carlisle hissed. "You don't even know what it means."
Aro smirked. "Don't be such a sore loser then. And it means I have all your money." He replied, happily mocking his little brother over his loss.
"I know you are cheating, I don't know how, but I know you are!" Carlisle accused, glaring at Aro.
"Me?!" Aro exclaimed. "Magnus is taking all my money - I know you are using your gift to see who's bluffing!" Aro fixed Magnus with a similar glare to the one Carlisle was giving him.
Magnus offered a crooked smile in return. "Prove it." He had drunk his fill and felt a little hazy.
Caius looked between Aro and Magnus, he was sure they were both cheating! "We should invite Atia, she could block both of your gifts."
Eleazar, Aro, and Carlisle all flinched.
"Do you think Atia would approve of her boys drinking and gambling?" Magnus asked, laughing at the three brothers looking furtively between themselves.
Caius nudged Aro with his elbow. "She's seen you do worse." He announced to the group, sending them with his eyes to Heidi and Ashanti.
"Caius!" Aro exclaimed, avoiding his big brothers knowing eye.
"Ooo…" Carlisle started, happy to get his own back and mock Aro without really realising the implication in Caius' words or gesture.
"Ooo nothing!" Aro snapped. They can't know about Heidi and Ashanti! He screamed inside his head.
Magnus had followed Caius' eyeline and looked the beautiful Volturi sirens up and down. "I think we can guess." He said, winking to Aro.
"I hope for his sake you are wrong, Magnus." Eleazar said seriously as he stared at Aro, waiting for his brother to look him in the eye.
Magnus smiled. "My reading of the room would tell me I am right." He didn't really judge Aro or Caius for their extra marital play although it wasn't something he would do… as a general rule.
Aro made the mistake of checking Eleazar's reaction to what he was being told. As soon as he made eye contact with his elder brother, Aro regretted his curiosity
"What?" he asked with a shrug. He sounded so very nonchalant but his stomach was twisting with anxiety for the repercussions of Eleazar knowing about his secret fuck buddies.
"Come on, El!" he said. He was aiming for happy and jovial but to Eleazar's ears he just sounded desperate. Aro tried again. "You've been tied to Carmen for years now… wouldn't you fancy a change of scene?" Bad move!
Eleazar looked like he was trying to swallow chewy blood. "You disgust me." He spat.
Aro scoffed. "Harsh."
Eleazar launched into a verbal attack. "Just because you pair are happy cheating on your mates…"
"Ah, ah, ah" Caius interrupted, "I do not cheat on my mate, Dora knows all about it."
"And she approves?" Eleazar questioned.
"Approves? She joins in!" Caius stated happily.
He had never cheated on his mate, not in the way Aro did. Athenodora and Caius had an unspoken agreement that he could fuck who he liked, she only took issue with it when he flirted with his conquests in front of her. A reasonable covenant to their agreement, Caius felt.
Eleazar turned back to Aro. "Sulpicia won't know, I can guarantee that."
"So?" Aro returned with a shrug.
Oh you may think your poker face is impassable, little brother, but I know you will a ball of worry right about now. "Does it make you feel all manly or something?" he asked, patronising his brother.
"No." Aro said, sounding bored and looking away.
Eleazar nodded to himself, nothing manly about what you are doing. "Then why are you risking your mate's happiness?"
"What about my happiness?" Aro shot back.
"Why does your happiness rely on you being a cheating prick rather than keeping a happy home?"
Aro threw his hands in the air and sighed dramatically. "I can manage both simultaneously, thanks."
Eleazar sat back, he could see he was getting nowhere, fast.
Carlisle took up his brother gauntlet. "Until Sully finds out." He said slyly.
Aro may have been willing to take Eleazar's probing but he wasn't sitting through cheap shots from Carlisle. "It wasn't that long ago you took my 16-year-old to a fucking whore house so you can step back down off your high horse, brother."
Magnus and Caius shared a shocked expression with their mouths hanging open over that little revelation!
Carlisle felt very uncomfortable having his private life displayed for others. "It was a low point, okay!"
Eleazar looked between his brothers. "Very low, like pond scum." He said, wondering what he had done wrong in life to end up with Aro and Carlisle as his younger brothers.
Aro smiled, looking down his nose at Eleazar, yeah because you have always been such a saint, haven't you! "I'm sorry, El, have you forgotten your old playmate? Ashanti, could you fill our cups, please!"
Ashanti swayed over to the group with a bottle of bloodwine. "Hey El." She drawled, filling her ex bed fellows cup to the brim.
Eleazar stood up immediately, removing himself from Ashanti's presence.
Aro scoffed to his brother's actions. "Eleazar don't be such a self-righteous prick."
Aro instantly regretted his words when he saw Eleazar twitch in response. He started to walk away from the card table but turned before he reached the dungeon stairwell.
"You know what, Aro, our parents come home tomorrow - you will see what a self-righteous prick I can really be." With that he flashed from the lower level of the castle and went home to his mate.
Carlisle felt awkward staying without Eleazar "I should go after him." He said quietly, excusing himself from the table and fleeing to follow Eleazar and see what he should say to Basileus when he returned.
Magnus watched Aro for a reaction but Caius was positively gleeful - he was so tired of Aro and his parties that he had to supervise. Now Eleazar knew, the matter was over in his mind. Just get through tonight without Aro smashing anyone up and I am home free, he thought.
Heidi and Ashanti's stayed well clear of the three remaining men, sitting on a long bench brought out from the newborn hall, waiting to be called upon.
"Fuck him." Aro declared. "I'm tired of cards." He added, pushing his hand away and taking his goblet in its place. "
Good job, because you've ran out of money." Magnus smiled, scooping up his winnings. "Money won is twice as sweet as money earned." He said happily, jingling his now hefty coin pouch.
Aro laughed to himself and stood from the table. He looked first to Heidi and then to Ashanti. "Which one should I have?" He wondered aloud. "Why choose? I can have them both."
He staggered over to the castle sirens and sat between them. Aro pulled Heidi into an embrace, caressing her body with one hand whist the other pushed Ashanti down on her knees and between his open legs.
Magnus watched for a moment before turning back to Caius. "Should we stop him?" he asked.
Caius rolled his eyes over Aro's actions. It was nothing he hadn't seen on a weekly basis for the last two years - and damn near nightly for the last month!
"He's just tanked up on dungeon blood, let him 'fuck' through the effects." He replied. Caius pulled his chair closer to his co-master to speak privately with Magnus. "I was wondering, what would you think about offering the guards some dungeon blood, for a price."
Magnus' booming laughter, not unlike Basileus', filled the dungeons. "Not a chance!" he guffawed.
"For free then? I need to get rid of the damn stuff." Caius pushed.
He had been so resistant to getting rid of the dungeon blood when Aro had first offered in his hungover state two years prior, but he had spent every day since regretting that decision. He still didn't know how he would do his job without it, but he was willing to find out and have the noose removed from around his neck.
Magnus considered Caius' offer, but he rejected it quickly.
"But you like it!" Caius whined. He was desperate.
Magnus shrugged. "So what, have you never seen a hypocrite before? It's one thing the guards taking it in the heat of battle, or extreme pain… not just for a Saturday night." He explained. "Besides - I am not having my guards acting like that." Magnus added, gesturing to Aro only a few meters away who now had both Heidi and Ashanti sucking him off. "I'm much older than you pair. I grew out of finding this sort of behaviour funny long before I was turned."
"Do you need some help controlling him?" Magnus asked, seeing how rough Aro was being with the women servicing his needs.
Caius sighed. "I am hoping tonight will be the last night anyone has to control him - Eleazar knows now, and Basileus is home tomorrow…"
Magnus really felt for Caius, it was clear that Aro's shenanigans had worn heavily on the man. "Why have you kept this to yourself, Caius?" he asked, "I could have helped you, we could have told Basileus together, sooner."
Caius appreciated Magnus offering his support, even if it was too late to make a difference. "Honestly, I was worried about the consequences." Caius admitted. I was trying to save my own skin, more like, he thought. Aro has a lot of dirt on me and I know he's not above using it.
"What's changed?" Magnus asked.
He could tell the card game had been set up to expose Aro's misadventures to his brothers. He also knew Caius hadn't done so maliciously, his intentions were to help their co-master, not betray him. Caius is a lot of things, but he is loyal to a fault, Magnus surmised.
Caius looked over to Aro before he answered - now completely naked and fucking Heidi in front of them. "I can't watch him destroy himself anymore. Fuck the consequences."