Dear Reader

Sorry for the late update, things didn't go as planned.

I really hope you'll enjoy this chapter though.

As always, don't forget to tell me all about it later, okay?

Chapter 17: Ominous

"You know that I understand what it is like when the one you love is no longer here."

Athenodora's struggle was known to most in the castle, but no one really talked about it, not publicly at least. They all knew how sensitive Caius was regarding his mate. Just then, before he left, he saw it: her bond with Caius was one of crimson passion intertwined with golden family ties, but something had changed. The deep green bond of friendship that used to braid the two others together, had been devoured and rotten by betrayal. He wondered if this could ever be redeemed, or if their relationship was doomed to fail now. It wasn't often that vampire changed, and so relationships when true, usually endured until death. Usually.

Caius was right of course, he thought. He was relapsing, mourning more than he should. Forcing himself to, even.

He had originally planned to go watch the sunrise on from third's floor terrasse, but chatter stopped him on the second galleries. He wouldn't normally pay attention to just about anything when he was "under layers of misery" as his brother had so matter-of-factly phrased it, but he knew exactly who the chatting voiced belonged to...and more importantly whose door they had opened slightly ajar to peer through

"Aren't human just so adorable?"

"And delicious…

"Alec!"

"-Ouch! What! I'm just saying…"

"What are you doing?"

The witch twins straightened up immediately at the sound of his voice. Marcus put his hands in his pockets and slowly walked up to them "I said: What. Are you? Doing?"

"Nothing, master" Jane prompt said.

"Wrong." Marcus said to the ancient thirteen-year-old brats pouting in front of him "You were spying on our guest."

"Bella's no guest," Alec seemed to find the term offensive "She's going to be one of us!"

"Wrong again, witches" Marcus corrected with a raised eyebrow "That will entirely depend of the verdict, and until then, she is to be our guest." he decided to drive his point home, as they clearly hadn't moved yet "You wouldn't want our young guest to be weakened because she couldn't rest properly for the most important night of her life, would you?"

"No master" they said as one, a bit sheepishly, before leaving.

Marcus remained a moment in front of that door, his eyes on the handle. He could hear so much from where he stood. He could hear the crackling fire, still warming the room. He could hear the rustling of the sheets as a human chest would rise and fall with each deep breath. And beneath that chest, he could hear a beating heart, pumping blood through her veins. The scent of that blood. The same scent of clean lavender and sweet freesia. Maybe if he looked, he'd see that blood color her cheek

Suddenly, he grabbed the handle and pushed the door shut.

It was a miracle she'd lived that far, he thought joylessly. This girl was a honeyed trap for any immortal in her continent, and she was now living in a castle filled with them.

Again.

XXX

Around noon, the run pierced to stubbornly through the curtain that Bella had to wake up, and when she did, for a moment she was six again, gazing at her canopy bed burgundy velvet ceiling. There were birds perched on her window, and at a distance, she could hear a church bell ringing. She wasn't in a castle with red eyed vampires behind her door. She was home. And soon, Aunt Dolores would come for her daily lesson and…

"Bella?"

She was up in a second at the sound of that voice "Aunt Dolores?" he said, and then her hand had to reach for the closest wooden post as her blood rushed to her head for standing up too fast. Immediately two long delicate freezing hands caught her and when Bella opened her eyes again, her attention was on the familiar Sicilian face of the young woman in front of her. Her hair was darker than ever, and flowing in perfect gracious waves, but it was as if her olive skin had been covered by the softest, most sophisticated of white powder. She had always been beautiful even before her grey eyes turned red.

"When did you…" Without thinking, Bella raised a hand to her Aunt's crystalized face, and was about to brush her skin, but then Dolores was suddenly three steps away, an apologetic look in her eyes.

That's when she noticed the cloak. Light grey. A Low Guard, as Heidi had told her in the plane. The lowest rank amongst Volturi, below the High Guards and Inner Circle each a shade darker. Only the Family, the three Kings and their wives, wore black cloaks. Chelsea, Corin, Renata formed the Inner Circle, as their missions - whatever they might be, Heidi hadn't précised - needed them by the Family's side at all time. Jane, Alec, Felix, Santiago, Demetri and Heidi were the High Guards, and all the other guards were Low Guards including Chelsea's mate Afton...and Dolores.

"I was turned when you were very small Bella. You were all but five then. They wouldn't let me approach you after that, I was too unstable. You don't remember?" There was wariness in her expression.

Bella shook her head. Dolores sighed, her eyebrows rising with empathy "I see. It's probably best to let you remember at your own pace."

Bella moved toward her, but Dolores winced and raised a hand protectively in front of her. "I'm not a newborn anymore, but I'd prefer not to tempt fate. I don't seem to be handling my transition very well. I visited you when you were twelve, and it almost went badly."

Bella bit her lip in frustration. She knew from previous experiences with...she knew that her presence could be physically straining to any vampire who's struggling with their craving, but seeing her aunt, her beloved aunt with whom she had so many memories with, there right in front of her and yet out of her reach was almost cruelly overwhelming. She slowly sat on her bed and just stared at her for a moment. "If I can't hug you" Bella said, "And you don't want to push memories out of my mind...then why are you here?"

Dolores smiled and pointed to tray on the bedside table. It was filled with as much food as it could hold, from fruits to nuts, to cheese to freshly baked breads and even...cookies.

A low growl escaped Bella's stomach, and Dolores muffled a laugh. "I thought you might be hungry"

"Did…" Bella started as she reached for a warm and soft cookie "Did Corin bake those?"

"So, you do remember some things after all." Dolores chuckled. "I sort of still know in my mind how those taste like, but all the attraction behind it is gone. I don't even like the smell anymore."

As Bella took a bite at the cookie and it melted in her mouth, she took a second to realize that between this and the meal on the plane, she'd have almost no problem eating. The burning pain in her stomach was still there, and the abyss that stood instead of her heart was definitely still threatening her at every moment, but as least they didn't keep her from eating. Even more, swallowing food actually felt good. She wondered if that would last.

"Hey." Dolores said, anxiousness bordering in her voice "I don't know how this trial is going to go. What they are going to say about...how you came to come here in Volterra. And like I said, I don't see the point in forcing memories on you. Honestly, I'm not even sure if I'm allowed to tell you. I really want to tell you though. I do." She was gazing at Bella as if she was burning from the inside from not being about to speak freely. "All I can say is... if they tell you, or when you find out, or when they allow me to tell you, you might not like me so much anymore."

Bella didn't know what to answer to that. She looked at her blankly, waiting for her to explain herself, but her heart was racing in her chest, this ominous feeling rising again in her chest.

"Bella, the thing is…

Bella, stop listening to her.

Her heart rate seemed to quicken even more, her breathing struggling to keep the pace.

"...I didn't have the purest intentions when I first brought you here.'

Bella you should really stop listening, now.

"In fact, when I first took you to Volterra…"

BELLA

"Stop!"

All the birds flew away from her window with a rustle of batting wings and scandalized shrieks. Bella was standing next to it, turning her back to Dolores, her hands covering her ears. She was nauseous all of the sudden, and opened the window to let in some fresh air.

"Dolores...I'm sorry. I'm not feeling very well, can we do this another time?" She managed to say

"Bella, I'm sorry."

"No, don't -"

"No, I have to say this." she insisted, her voice almost a choke and Bella felt as if her head was ringing. "You don't have to look at me, it's fine. But I don't want you to first hear about it at the trial."

"You really don't have to…" Bella breathed, fanning fresh air toward her. She was about to faint, and she didn't even have the slightest idea why.

"Bella, I took you to Volterra as a sacrifice."

The very wind dropped.

Breathe in...1...2...3...4...5 Breathe out...6...7...8...9…

"What?" moving her hear to face her aunt was taking all of her energy. Dolores's back was stiff and straight, but she didn't move an inch. She went on, matter of factly, detaching each word "I had heard they wanted a child. A baby with eyes like yours. There was a painting, you see, so I knew exactly that you would do because your eyes were the exact same at that toddler in that painting. My time as a servant in Volterra was about to end, and I had not proved my worth. I didn't want to die. I wanted to be turned. Badly. I told Renée, my cousin, that having her daughter raised abroad would make you special, but I never intended to have you commute every year back and forth. You understand" she insisted, her chin dipping and her eyes piercing into her, driving her point home with no chance at misunderstanding it "I didn't intend for them to raise you. I thought..."

"...You thought they were just going to go for my blood." Bella finished, and Dolores nodded.

There was silence again in the room between them, and Bella realized she was tired. Really tired, like no amount of sleep could ever bring back her strength. Like her eyes didn't even have the energy to focus the world into anything more than a shapeless fog of random colors.

"Leave" she didn't even entirely hear herself say it, but the door was opened, and shut and she was alone.

She was alone.

She slid on the floor, and before she knew what she was doing, she pulled her phone from the pocket of her dress - why was she still wearing that stupid dress? - and dialed a number she hadn't realized she knew by heart.

"Hello ?"

"Susan...is this a good time?"

XXX

Dear Reader,

Do you hate me very much for this?

Please be honest.

And, rejoice: the trial is next chapter.

I'll post it on Friday, I have tons of unexpected work this week.

Hugs and Kisses, hope you don't murder me in my sleep