I'm a big fan of this chapter. I hope you guys like it too.
WARNING: Light M-rated content
It was without a doubt the best sex she had ever had. Granted Wendy wasn't in any way surprised by this fact, the only one who could ever compete to it would be Caius. It was strange to think of the differences between the two, Aro who took without regard and Caius who gave more than worried about himself. Such polar opposites to who they showed the world. Aro hummed at her thoughts, Wendy's body pressed up close to his, skin meeting skin without interruption.
"Caius has always been much softer than people would ever assume. Though do not assume that he is not one of the best warriors this world has ever seen." Aro's voice was barely a whisper, not wanting to shatter the environment they found themselves in.
Wendy didn't vocally respond saving the conversation for later as she closed her eyes snuggling in closer. Several seconds passed before Aro spoke again. "I wish sometimes as well that I was able to dream the way humans do. To let go of it all for a few hours."
Once again she didn't respond, only squeezing her eyes tighter closed as if that would change anything. As a human she had loved sleeping in on the weekends, the idea of never sleeping unnerved her. As if insanity would creep in along with the boredom. Aro just chuckled, "Hobbies, Wendy. Far too many of them. Learn a hundred languages, try everything. Travel and see the world. I will make sure that boredom never strikes." He tilted on to his side resting a palm on her stomach, fingers splayed there. "At very least I am always willing to entertain you like this."
Those once still fingers came alive stroking long lines from her collar to her knees, her whole body instantly responding to his touch. The bond had fast forwarded the trust between the two, allowing the desire to course through her naturally. Aro barely had to do more than smile that sly Cheshire grin before she was wet again. It was clear he could tell her reactions with the way her spine lifted, the smell in the air, and the thoughts that entered his mind at their touch.
"You spoil me, dolcezza, I will never be able to resist you again." His hand didn't stop following that same trail, across her left collarbone, over her right breast, across her stomach, between her legs, and up her left thigh to circle her knee and back up again. The rhythmic pattern of it had Wendy panting into the side of his neck. She was ready to beg, bordering on it before Aro's amused and husky voice interrupted, "You already have, Wendy."
Hand venturing against the damp heat, two fingers swirled in a circle on the sensitive button there. "I believe that is the sixteenth please you've whispered into my head."
Her voice cracked, "Please."
He chuckled, the breath from the action ghosting across her check as he began to lean over her only to freeze his actions, expression going hostile. Tilting his head back he snarled, "Damn you to the underworld, brother!"
Caius's laugh echoed from outside of the door. "Don't worry I can continue where you left off if you'd like." Aro only snarled again leaning down to ghost a kiss across her lips before standing.
His voice was cold as he began dressing glancing longingly at the woman every chance he got. "Which of them is it?"
"Suculi, they've forgotten not to slaughter humans in mid daylight again." The sarcasm bordering on Caius's voice had Wendy smiling as she sat up in bed.
She called out, "Oh do come in, Caius, instead of talking through the door."
There was a pause before Aro added, "Very well." It took Caius another several seconds before he actually walked through the door, finding Aro fastening a tie and Wendy sitting unclothed on the ruffled bed. The scent of the room made it very clear what they'd been up to if the loud noises she'd been making before didn't give them away. He paused just barely through the doorway, the door closed carefully behind him one hand still on the knob.
The silence stretched as Aro finished with his tie, extending until he walked forward and began to stand in the ornate mirror across the room, running long fingers through his hair to fix any of the tangles. No one would have ever known he was on edge if it wasn't for the fact she could feel it, the tension rolling off of him as he waited for Caius to respond. It was clear that what Aro had said before about no one ever being allowed in the room, extended to the other kings as well.
It was obvious with the way Caius kept his eyes politely on the floor despite his mate sitting nude before him. There were rules that even a warrior as strong as he would not tamper with. Still Aro didn't rush continuing with his hair treatment before finally turning and attaching the second cuff link. "Wendy, carina, I believe Marcus wanted to spend some time with you. He's usually on the rooftop this time of the day."
Then without a word they were both gone, leaving her alone in Aro's bedroom. The stale taste of their tension left in the air as she shifted, wetness still present between her legs. Knowing she couldn't put clothes back on with that, Wendy padded to the first door opening it to find a large color coordinated closet. Sliding the door closed she shuffled to the other side, bare feet near silent against the floor.
The second door led into a bathroom with thick wooden cabinets, a white porcelain clawfoot tub and a brown tiled walk in shower. Once again everything was a touch more modern than she expected, but with brass fixtures and a touch of what looked to be a different stone framing the bottom of the shower. Crouching to look at it, she touched it with a finger feeling the thick cream stone.
Standing again, the woman flipped on the water and stepped into the warmth. Not wanting to leave Marcus waiting too long, she used the towel already hanging there to dress, pressing the fabric to her nose for a moment of childish adoration. Aro's scent was strong against it, making her clench her toes before moving back to dress in her old clothes. When she exited the room Jane and Demetri were already waiting.
They both greeted her, Jane with a small near imperceptible smile and Demetri with a low nod of his head. Then they were off weaving back through the halls until she'd returned to her own room. With a wave of her hand she slipped inside to change returning in a soft orange dress that fell in waves to her feet. The top had short sleeves and a shallow neckline. To combat the length she wore tall heels making Jane seem tiny in comparison.
Once again in companionable silence they slid upstairs to the rooftop she'd yet to visit. At the top were thick planters for a plethora of grape vines, a rooftop vineyard. Looking around in pleased surprise she found Marcus kneeling down before one box, picking weeds with human slowness. He glanced up as she approached giving Wendy the closest thing he had to a real smile.
His hair was tied back in a messy bun, a smear of dirt on his cheek with a black apron over a black button up and dark jeans. It was an entirely different Marcus than any she had seen. Turning to her guard Wendy gestured with her head to dismiss them for the time being, watching the two exit the roof before turning back around. Her voice was low but speckled with soft tenderness, "Dirt suits you."
At the statement he stood wiping the dirt from his hands on the apron. "So I've been told. You look radiant today." His compliment though as dramatic as her mates didn't hold the same flare, the kind you say to a friend to aspire confidence.
She chose to just give a small smile in response. "Is this all yours?"
He nodded, the sarcasm leaking into his response, "Saint Marcus Wine, a Voltura staple. It keeps me busy, I find it soothing most days to keep my hands busy." It was near reflex to pull a grape from the vine, holding it casually between two fingers. The grape made it as far as her bottom lip before she stopped, the smell which would have one time been sweet and appetizing was now floral in nature.
A flower you would never want to eat. Wendy blinked at it for a second longer before Marcus took the grape from her tossing it into a compost bin close by. "That will go away with time, you still have more human memories than ours."
"I haven't tried to eat human food since the change. What would happen if I do?" She asked.
Marcus gave her a wry expression, "After you experience the taste of mulch, you would need to force yourself to throw it up otherwise you'll be making wine in your stomach. There is no venom in most of your organs, so there is nothing present to break it down. It isn't a process I would recommend." After a brief pause Marcus added, "Did Aro send you?"
Wendy followed him to the outcropping that overlooked Didyme's garden. "He told me you were asking for me."
Marcus was silent for a long time still staring at those plants far below, his arms coming back to rest callused fingers against the stone railing. "While you and Caius were away, Aro and I spoke." Just from his tone alone Wendy knew whatever he was about to say was important shuffling a few inches closer to offer comfort as needed. "I am thinking of giving you my throne and leaving Voltura."
Wendy sucked in a surprised breath, "Why?"
Marcus sighed, "Aro is a multifaceted man, he does it all and wants it all. Ruling our world was never my goal, but it was always Aro's and being near her brother made Didyme happy. It seemed the best decision for all of us, but what we did to those who ruled before. What Caius was so happy to do, it was cruelty. Unjust, there was no cause to ask me to tell them which were mates just so Aro could break them. To destroy Vladimir and Stefan, to target those they loved. What we did, what Aro did, Didyme had a very hard time accepting it.
"She was a soft woman, adoring all the beauty in life. She never enjoyed the hunt, insisted only criminals be fed upon. She was far too good for this world, and when we destroyed the Romanian coven. When we ripped Vladimir's mate apart in front of him and fed the pieces in the fire, Didyme was crushed. She didn't want this, the iron throne and cruel political atmosphere. Looking upon her brother, who had reveled in his new power disgusted her. She wanted to leave, and I would give her anything she ever wanted.
"I began to make arrangements, looking to find someone worthy of replacing me. I told Aro and Caius that we were going to explore the world, find a new home for ourselves. They were sympathetic, Caius especially so. He saw what the bloodthirst had done to my wife, he gave me my blessing to go. Caius told me in confidence that if we were to go to never come back, that Aro was enraged with my leaving. That he believed our departure could crumble the foundation of the Volturi coven, so new in form."
Marcus's fingers tightened on the railing, crumbling rock breaking underneath the unnatural grip. Wendy stood in silence unsure of how to respond to this information about her mates, the anger and pride that they had. She knew it was there, accepted it as a necessary part of their status, but to hear it put into such words by Marcus was unnerving.
His voice lowered, the pain lacing in with every word, "You know of Chelsea's gifts?"
She nodded. Chelsea had made her nervous, and she'd avoided the woman like the plague every chance she got. Wendy needed to make her own decisions, and the idea of someone changing them for better or worse terrified her. Marcus continued, "I know she is the only reason I am here. I know she'd been holding me stagnant since Didyme's passing. If you choose to take my seat, I beg of you to consider it carefully and suggest that Chelsea be removed from the coven. Her gift only makes everyone here weaker. There's a reason the Cullens nearly destroyed us, they are bound together by nothing but love. The guard already adores you. You may be the very thing that holds the Volturi together when Chelsea is gone. Know that you don't have to do this, someone else can take my place. It doesn't have to be you, but it could be."
Wendy swallowed the venom welling in the back of her throat. "Why leave now?"
Marcus chuckled, nothing but anger behind the response. She'd never seen a lick of anger come from Marcus usually so quiet and subdued. "Aro has ordered Chelsea to release her ability over me, so that I may make my choices freely. It is the closest thing he will give me to an apology."
"I don't understand, Marcus. What is he sorry about?" Wendy tried to keep her voice even, like talking to a spooked mare.
He laughed again and a large chunk of rock practically disintegrated in his palms. "I know Aro and Caius better than anyone, the joys of knowing them for as long as I have. I know Caius is secretly a lovelorn artist, and that Aro craves control like breathing. I know so many things about them, too many things, yet." He trailed off looking out toward the clouds. "I never thought, for one second, that it was Aro who murdered my wife."
'There is nothing I will not forgive you for.'
Wendy made a noise she wasn't sure was human, as she placed her hands against the half crumbled railing in front of them to steady herself. She'd felt Marcus's feelings of loss, of agony regarding all that had been taken from him. She'd felt his anger at not knowing who had been the one to do it and the guilt for not being able to save her. For her mate, her Aro, to be the one responsible. "Does Caius know?"
Marcus continued to stare straight forward. "Not unless he's just told him minutes ago." Knowing what she did about Aro, Wendy knew that that hadn't happened. Aro's tension, his stress, suddenly made so much more sense. It was much more than leaving her parents to die, it was this. A secret so big it could crack the very core of her family down the middle.
"The others can't know. We would crumble." Her voice was raspy, eyes stinging even though tears couldn't fall. "I don't, there are no words."
Marcus finally turned to look at her, "I would say you understand the response to there are no words very well." She blinked, he was right. Wendy had spent years unable to speak because of what had happened to her family, her inability to say goodbye. It was only now that words were even becoming possible. When he spoke again his words were cold. "I'd have killed him, if it weren't for the fact it would destroy you."
"Thank you." She covered her face with her hands for a moment, before looking at him. "Marcus." Rushing forward she threw her arms around his waist holding him tight, feeling his grief in wave after wave. It took him a second to respond, wrapping his arms around her. Minutes passed before she stepped back, and he pulled the necklace from his pocket where it usually would have laid around his neck.
The pendant was different from the guards, more ornate with red rubies embedded inside. The same one that his brothers also wore, the mark of Volturi royalty. He held it out to her, patient in her response to accept the roll or toss the cursed thing from the rooftop. Wendy didn't have to think hard, she already knew the answer. Knew it in the way Caius smiled and Aro sighed.
Wendy took the pendant, carefully hanging it around her neck where it lay against the orange of her dress. Staring at the metal she stiffened her upper lip and caught Marcus's eyes. They still swirled with that same pain, now sharpened into a knife in his back. She forced herself to choke out the words, "Go to something better than this or find whatever peace you need. It has been a true pleasure to know you, Marcus. If there is a life after eternity, I hope to find you there."
They both knew, unspoken that there was only one place Marcus longed to go. And there was a very good chance that they would never speak again. He stepped forward leaning down to press a kiss against her brow, "A life long deep friendship." He whispered into her skin. "Is concluded."
Then he was gone, disappearing into the sun to seek an end she wasn't strong enough to offer him and Wendy was left alone on the rooftop with the earth on her shoulders. Even Atlas has to decide if it is worth it to lift up the sky. She found Jane and Demetri out of hearing range at the bottom of the stairs, both trying hard not to stare at the emblem now clear to see against her chest.
This time the silence wasn't as comfortable. Halfway to the throne room she gave her orders, voice in a quick decisive tone, "Remove anyone in hearing range of the throne room, I will dismiss those inside." Without waiting for a response she continued ahead, Jane and Demetri rushing forward to follow orders. It was luck that the throne room doors were slightly cracked, so she didn't have to dismiss whoever was visiting inside.
By the time she'd arrived the guards had already been spoken with. So she just pushed open the doors and strolled in, head held high while walking to the center of the chamber. "Guard dismissed, to be in hearing range of the throne room until summoned again will result in immediate corrective action against you, as severe as execution or immediate exile."
There was nothing to even hint at that being an overstatement. The present party stiffened before quickly exiting the room in two orderly lines. She waited silently until she was sure there was no one in range, before finally turning to face the two kings. Caius was standing, the alarm clear on his face, gaze travelling to the crest. Aro himself was not surprised, remaining sitting and passive before her.
She zoned in on what he was feeling blocking it off as soon as the choking fear hit her. 'There is nothing I will not forgive you for.' She'd made that vow, promised him it would be the case. It was time to keep her word, but at the same time she couldn't go against what she knew needed to happen. This couldn't be blown under the rug, or ignored like it never happened at all.
Aro had murdered his sister for power and prestige. Aro had chosen his own ambitions over the safety of the only member of the family he had left, and caused Marcus over a thousand years of forced suffering. The fear was a start, the fact that that was the main thing he was feeling made her committed to the loyalty Wendy had chosen. However, he was going to have to deal with the emotional fallout of his decision, and Caius needed to be made aware.
Wendy collected herself taking another deep breath. "Sit down, Caius." He paused considering disobeying before he caught the fire in her eye and resumed his seat. She turned toward Aro, looking at him for a long stretch of time neither saying anything. "Stand up, Aro."
Unlike Caius her other mate didn't hesitate immediately standing, fingers automatically coming to smooth the suit jacket he wore. Anger pounded in her skull, thinking of the way Marcus had begun to fall apart. Aro had unhinged him, would have died if it weren't for her very existence. Aro's beautiful face would have been taken from the earth, taken from her because of a throne.
She walked toward him, heels clacking against the white stone. She watched him tense, prepared for a physical attack he wasn't going to defend himself from. Instead Wendy wheeled past him hand clasped on the top of his chair, before flinging it with all of her strength into the wall to her left. It shattered into splinters on impact, the wood littering the ground like firewood.
At the sight Caius let out a shout, "What the hell is going on?"
She turned her head seeing the blonde begin to stand. "Sit down, Caius." It took even longer this time for him to obey her, sitting at the edge of his seat poised in action as Aro continued to stand stick straight. Turning to walk before him, Wendy stood less than a foot from him, head tilted up due to her shorter height. "If you go after him, I will stop you. Give me your word you won't, that his future is his own to decide."
Aro's chin tilted down so that he could look at her and the woman got a front row seat to his own personal regret. "I swear it."
Her voice turned into a whisper. "Was it worth it?"
This time Aro took his time responding, before finally looking her right in the eye, "Yes." This time she hit him, all of that rage finally bubbling up, bursting at the shameless answer. His confidence in the need to have all he had. Wendy's hand snapped out, fingers curled into a fist and impacted his cheekbone. The strength behind the hit required Aro to take a step back to correct his posture.
Caius stood, growling into the room, hand falling on his mate's shoulder. "Explain." Nothing but demand and years of loyalty behind the word. It had to have been years since Aro had actually been injured even if the cracks were already fading. As she'd expected he hadn't tried to block the punch, hadn't evaded or tried to make it less painful. He at least held that level of grace.
Carefully she pulled Caius's hand from her shoulder. "I do not want to be touched right now."
Aro's voice was cold in response, "Yet Marcus's scent coats you."
She snarled stepping forward, "He was saying goodbye. He'd gone off to fucking die!" A life long deep friendship is concluded. They would be his last words, a goodbye after so very long being alone and miserable.
"He left his throne to you?" Caius was careful not to get too close to the two, seeing the fire between them. Wendy didn't even turn to respond too busy remaining in her staring contest, just nodded minutely.
"I accepted for you, for both of you. Though this is not a request, not this. Chelsea is to be removed immediately, if she returns to Voltera I will have her executed. Corrin is also to leave, she wants to go anyway. No more emotional manipulation. This coven will rise or it will fall, based on our own decisions. Do you understand, Aro?" Wendy's voice cracked over his name.
The king gave a long respectful nod, "It will be done." She could feel his hesitance, the terror under the surface that she would leave him for this. It had been considered and dismissed so quickly it was barely a thought at all.
Caius was still trying to figure out what had happened, forced to ask around the question. "Do we know why Marcus is deciding to leave now?" Wendy turned to look at the blonde emotions completely overwhelming her, venom welling in her eyes as a sob finally shattered out of her throat.
Both of them took steps forward only for her to stumble away, hands coming to cover her face. It felt wrong not to be able to cry, as if it wasn't actually happening. Everything else was the same, the tightness in her chest, the sound, but no tears to fall and symbolize her suffering. She hated it, hated that it had come to this. It was Caius who dashed forward to pull her into his arms, tight and secure as he pressed her cheek against his chest.
It didn't matter that he didn't understand what was happening. His mate was in pain, and that's all that mattered. Assuaging whatever she was feeling became his top priority. He glared over her head at Aro who still stood still and expressionless on the dais. "Latria mu, how can I help?"
Wendy didn't speak instead holding tighter to him. It was Aro who spoke, "It was me, I killed Didyme." At the confession she jerked her head up to look at Caius and gauge his reaction.
The blonde's jaw tightened, blinking slowly. "I always assumed it was you. There were no other leads anywhere else."
"He'd have killed you, if it wasn't for me. He didn't want to do that to me." She moved out of Ciaus's grip to approach Aro again. "Is this power worth more than me?"
"No. Never. Wendy, there is nothing I would not do for you." Aro's hands reached out finally showing the torrent inside, face twisting in desperation. "I had to, they were going to leave. The coven wouldn't have lasted without Marcus. I built this for all of us." She paused hearing the pleading and in a way deep down understanding why he had done what he'd done. It was something Wendy herself would never have been able to do, but Aro had done what he assumed to be the best course of action even if it would haunt him for the rest of his very long life.
She reached out finally feeling pity for his warring soul, and pressed her palm against his cheek. He'd made love to her this morning, because he knew it could be the end. One last taste before the waves took her away to another man, so much guilt and fear and pain. All of that, and the loss of his sister and friend. Watching Marcus fade away and knowing it was his fault.
Reveling in the sensation of power that came with his throne because it was the only thing stable. A purpose in a life that could so easily mean nothing at all. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him tightly as the emotions rocked through her, feeling him more keenly than she had ever before. Understanding each flash of emotion and what it meant with equal measure.
Her voice was tender, "It's going to be okay."
Dolcezza - Sweetness (Italian)
Latria mu - My adored (Greek)
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