Dear Reader

As always, thank you so much for your constant support and reviews, I read them all. Let me just mention a few:

LunaWhiteNight, thank you as always for your enthusiastic paragraphs, they always make my day, for real. I'm actually also nervous about the trial to be honest. Not going to lie that is one scary chapter to write. Also, Caius as an affectionate father figure for Bella just melts my heart, they all just deserve some happiness.

Dandelion1112: Welcome here! I've just seen you go through all chapter in one go and comment each time and I just want to thank you for that. Your journey through this story is my personal entertainment.

Nerdicornvixen : Is your husband happy that you can annoy him with this story again? Don't be shy, I'm waiting for his reaction too! Love your comments so much

GeezerWench: I know it's just a profile pic but I literally picture you as Jasper with pop corn just spilling the tea on everybody and calling everyone out on their bs myself included. KEEP DOING IT

Special mention to Moon Dancer and Kouga's Older woman for constantly dropping a line or two with your thoughts and letting me know you're there.

Now: You're about to read something…ok I can't tell you what it is.

But TW: mention of child abuse; physical/emotional domestic violence

XXX

Chapter 16: In The Thermes

He had planned on climbing straight to the Tower, but Caius' resolve was swayed by a sound coming from the thermes. He relieved himself of his cloak and shoes, and followed the sound barefoot on the mosaic tiles.

It was in one of the oldest parts of the castle, dating from when they first arrived in Tuscany and wanted to find a way to fit in with the human population. The heat of the hot springs would hide their natural coldness, the warm steam would cloud and redirect the sun that peered through the open ceiling rooms, the Etruscan wine would easily cloud the human minds, the perfumed oils would cover the smell of blood and the music and chatter would muffles the screams from the private massage rooms, most of which could easily have passed for the voluptuous moans that usually came from those rooms anyway.

Inventing the thermal culture was really one of Aro's most brilliant invention. Though Caius soon found out that Aro had took more than one form of pleasure from choosing his preys amongst the young training soldiers that came to relax in the castle and the even youngest slave boys that replenished the wine cups. Their disappearance didn't attract too much attention, as no one important would have investigated missing orphan.

But now, as he followed the melody of the lyre across the rooms, from one pool to another, barely lit by winter dawn, it seemed as if the ghost of those children were in the vine that invaded each pillar, in the slow whispers of each fountains, in the empty eyes of each statues, in the soft rustling of each veil he pushed on his way

He finally arrived to a large semi cylindric room with a circular warm pool. The once open sky had been covered by a glass ceiling to keep the room warm and luminous at all time, and tropical plants had soon turned the room into a thermal greenhouse, populated by marble statues...only one of which moving.

He shouldn't have been surprised to see his brother chanting this eerie and heartbreaking lament to accompany his lyre, if this had been in August, when he would usually commemorate his mate's death. But seeing him doing this there and now...

"Is this why you left us early, Brother?"

Marcus shot his head up, the melody abruptly stopping in the middle of a sentence. Caius went to sit next to him. His brother evaded his gaze and gently caressed his instrument

"I felt like singing." he simply said

"This song?" Caius asked dubiously "In the middle of winter?"

"I know that is it unusual." Marcus sighed "I cannot help myself."

"You have been consistent with your ritual for three millennia, Brother" Caius insisted. "The eighth day of the month; the eighth month of the year; the eighth year of the century and the eighth century of the millennium, you mourn. I expect you to lament all of next year, but now?"

"You wouldn't understand." he said in a low voice, his curly head dipping as he vacantly looked had his feet soaked in the warm water.

"Try me then! Make me understand, Marcus! I was so glad to see how you helped me prepare for the Child's return, you have now idea. In those rare moments when you talk again, when by brother is back, I'm overjoyed." His voice broke despite himself, but he continued "But now, today, it's as if you're back under all those layers of misery and I just want to help you."

"You cannot help me" Marcus said, "No one can." and it was like he was slowly turning into a statue. Caius knew this statue. When Marcus tuned into it during his mourning ritual, he was able to stop talking, feeding or walking, and would only be a chanting statue, playing the lyre in this shrine of plants for his nymph here. Orpheus himself.

But he was not having it. He was ready to respect his scheduled ritual, but not to see him fall under in his own personal Hell for no reason. "Marcus!"

He grabbed his brother by his shoulder, and made him look at him. "I beg you brother. Don't leave me. Not when I am finally getting my family back. You know how happy I am to see Isabella again. But you also know that this isn't without its challenges. I cannot understand what losing your mate to eternal destruction is like, that much is true. But…" he inhaled deeply, his voice not obeying him as he wanted. "But I understand what it is like when the one you love is no longer here."

Marcus' eyes widened, and Caius kept talking "You know I am struggling. With Athena. You know I am trying to get her back from this...this sickness."

"Caius?"

Both brothers froze at that exact same moment, and Caius knew exactly who was calling him from behind. Athenodora was standing in the entrance of the room, still among the three layers of veils. Dolores wasn't far behind her.

"Master, I'm sorry, she tricked me." the guard said with alarm.

"It's fine," Caius said in a calm voice, his eyes on his mate "you may go, Dolores."

The young guard dipped in a low curtsy before leaving in a hurry. None of the three ancient immortals so much as looked at her. Athenodora was wearing a white nightgown that made her look positively ethereal among the veils in the dim light of the early morning. Her face and body had gained substance from being forced fed, but her eyes reflected the light of those who have stepped over the edge

"I wanted to see you."

Her smoky voice completed the heartbreaking picture. Nothing of the ghost of who she used to be, and yet, she was still the most inhumanly beautiful goddess that ever walked this earth. Her mind, however, had been under the harshest strain even since Corin started waning her off her addictive medicine.

One side glance what all that it took for Marcus to leave the room.

"You left me tonight." Athena said, her despair plain in her voice, and Caius was with her, amongst the fluid layers of white veils "You know I never leave for long" he replied, his hands cupping her face.

She shook her head "You always leave me" she whispered. "I'm scared you won't come back." and she buried her head in his shoulder.

Caius immediately returned her embrace, holding her tightly and inhaling the enticing smell of her hair. "My love. How could I ever leave you? You know I love you more than anything else in this world."

He felt her freeze in his arms, and had barely time to look down at her when she suddenly pushed him back with all of her strength, sending him stumbling at the edge of the pool.

"You don't love me" she sobbed; her eyes red with too much blood. "You...you imprisoned me!" she screamed. "You drugged me and you kept me in that tower, in this palace!"

"I wanted to keep you safe…" he pleaded.

"You made my world small, and made me believe I was happy there!"

Caius knew all that. He knew that she was right. The knowledge that he had indeed been so wrong, so naive to let Aro convince him that this was somehow for the best, simply so that Sulpicia could have a companion chained by her side, was utter torture to him. How in his weakness he had betrayed her so, all the while thinking he was protecting her. How blind he had been. How unworthy of his title as King.

"And then you denied me the only thing I ever wanted." she clutched her belly, and Caius knew exactly what she meant "You erased me, and denied me, and you took it all away and made me DRINK!" she inhaled sharply, "and then today you left, you left me alone, you…. YOU!" Her voice choke on her sobs, and then he was crushing his lips to hers.

"I know."

"you-" he kissed her again, muffling her sobs

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry love." He kissed her over and over again, her feet stumbling to the nearest wall and he pinned her there, holding her waist to his body.

He knew. He knew as he reached under her dress and knelt. He knew this was the one thing he could do to soothe her. The one apology that she always accepted. It had always been this way whenever they would fight, over the centuries, and he'd known he'd made her feel insecure, he would reassure her wordlessly with his tongue: I love you, I want you, I worship you. But ever since Corin stopped supplying her with artificial satisfaction, ever since the withdrawal symptoms had started, and worse of all, ever since she had started to understand clearly exactly how much he had stolen from her, his wordless answer would mean: I'm sorry, I have no words, use me.

And so, she would. So, she did.

She pushed him on the tiles, crouched on him and tore off his shirt, scratching her way to him, biting his chest, not enough to leave permanent scars, but enough to hurt. And she wanted to hurt him, she wanted to hear him apologize as she fucked him on the mosaic tiles and slapped him just to see how much he'd let her degrade him.

She had every right to do so, he thought as he looked up at her and grabbed her hips on top of him. She had every right to hate him, and punish him. He looked at her through the white-hot pain mingled with pleasure, and reached for her face to kiss her. She was crying. She was on top of him and her face was torn by misery, but when he looked closely, he saw that her eyes were burning with frustration and... hunger. Something dark switched in him and he made them both fall in the pool. Pinning her to the tiles with his entire body, he grabbed a fistful of her luscious blond hair and tugged on it to whisper hoarsely in her ear "Is this what you want from me?" he said, leaning deep in her, his other hand reaching below her navel. He slid halfway out of her, the warm water rustling between them "Is this what you need, Athena?" he repeated, and pushed inside her once again "This?"

"Yes" she sobbed, and it was all the confession he needed.

XXX

Dear Reader

I won't lie to you, I'm nervous. This is literally my first time writing a sex scene, and it included violence and was written from the point of view of a man. All things that make writing this pretty difficult, so I really need you to honestly tell me how you felt during that scene.

Tell me what you think of Marcus too, while you're at it. I felt like smacking him in the face when he said "no one can understand" but honestly…he'd say that. I just know he would.

Next chapter is almost ready, I have most of the fiction figured out and I have detailed chapter plans until chapter 25 so far. I'm trying to avoid another March disaster.

See you tomorrow!