Author's Note: *comes out of hiding* Hey lovelies... I know, I suck. I accept any tomatoes and pitchforks due to my dissapearance. Work has been CRAZY, and then I got the flu. So fun. Sooooo here is chapter 18 at long last. A lot of things I've been working on in this story take shape here, which is partially why it took a bit. The next chapter should be posted next week! Thank you for your continued readership and support.

As always, I do not own the characters, I just play with them... consensually.

Last Time...

They opened their mouth then, putrid breath spilling across the exposed flesh of his neck. Before his eyes, teeth elongated and sharpened into jagged fangs. In an instant, they dug mercilessly into the marble flesh at the base of his throat with a deep grinding sound. As the venom drained from his body into their waiting mouth, it was replaced with something else.

That is when he roared in agony.

The discussion of the locations of the guard members before their disappearances slowly filtered into the background of Isabella's subconscious. Her vision became unfocused and hazy, her hand slowly dropping from its place on the back of Aro's throne.

"Isabella?" Athendora's distant voice questioned her sudden change of demeanor with considerable alarm. Isabella looked everywhere and nowhere at once.

With an anguished cry, she collapsed to the ground, the skirts of her gown enveloping her crumpled form. Her marble fingers clawed at her neck as she screamed. Cool hands tore her hands away, Aro's distant words of panic for his mate echoing in her ears.

"Get Carlisle and the seer now!" Aro roared.

Chapter 18

Throne Room

Voices were distant echoes to the roaring agony piercing Isabella's ears. Her vampire mind crossed incessantly between seeing everything and seeing nothing. Every fiber of her was being ripped apart all at once, no reprieve in sight as it continued mercilessly. Acid creeped up every vein, artery, and capillary, eating the immortal venom, traveling to the flesh in painful stabs and spikes of pain.

Her chest caved inwards, her body rocking in a fast rhythym as her body convulsed violently- every inch of flesh twitching and shaking. It was complete internal chaos, the sensations driving her mind nearly mad with an incoherent pleading for death to top everything combined.

The grip on her arms, a forceful touch by her distressed lover, fading into nothingness in her subconscious.

"Isabella... Isabella!" Aro's baritone assaulted the senses of every other immortal present, visages of shock and concern apparent on their faces.

Alice appeared then, Carlisle and Jasper hot on her heels as the door cracked with the impact of their entry.

"What has happened, Aro?" Came Carlisle's alarmed voice as he stopped at Aro's side, sinking to his knees next to the thrashing newborn automatically.

"She collapsed and hasn't stopped screaming." He responded quickly, eyes trained on Isabella as he held her down by one side, Athendora on the other, and Felix at her feet.

Jasper elicited a groan from his position beside Alice. His entire posture was tense with rigidity. "It needn't be said, but Isabella is in agony." He managed through gritted teeth. "I cannot soothe her."

"Go." Marcus nodded, seeing the younger vampire disappear as quickly as he had come. A tense air left with him, a mere hint at what he was capable of projecting when unable to control the onslaught of other's emotions.

Aro then looked pointedly to Carlisle who sat back on his heels after checking his adoptive daughter over. He looked absolutely lost- something rarely seen in an immortal of his skill and precision. "Nothing ails her... There is no source to her agony. It's as if it's in-"

"Her mind." Alice finished for him to the left of Athendora. She winced as the writhing immortal's screams reached a higher pitch, the struggle to pin her down becoming worse; still, it was much a better option than allowing her to claw the undead veins from her marble flesh. "Isabella had terrible nightmares when she was still human. She would murmur about red eyes, fire... She woke up screaming so often.. but this? She was closed to me then, when they started... now, I still see nothing." A look of anguish crossed her features.

"Are you saying they are visions, Alice?" Came Athendora's concerned voice.

"No... not quite. It's almost like... intuition. Many humans report that they feel when bad things are coming their way. A self-protective measure for those that have such insight, it seems. A natural disaster, a bad relationship, and... even when someone is about to die." A very chilling reality for some, indeed. "Whether asleep or awake, these humans get feelings and make choices by them. They do not look for it, as is the nature of my sight. It is really the closest thing I can compare to this aspect of her gift. Every dream has been connected to here... connected to you, Aro. And now she sees things like she is there, just recently on the battle grounds. As her mate, it does not surprise me that her defensive gift has expanded to ensure your safety, and by association, the vampire race in your position... Whatever is happening now is important... though I believe she's gotten the point..."

At that precise moment, Isabella stilled. A deep breath left her lungs as her eyes opened, vacant and unfocused in appearance..

"She needs to rest now, Aro." Alice said softly, placing the ring in his palm for safe keeping.

Jasper appeared then, seeming to sense his mate's call for him before it was uttered. He was visibly relaxed and looked down at Isabella's form with careful interest. "Isabella is as mentally exhausted as one vampire can become... I can influence her to remain in a meditative state closest to the feeling of sleep so she may recuperate." Aro gave his consent with another nod and wrapped his mate in his arms- all the while he tried to manage his own look of distress and self-deprecating thoughts at the state of her.

The trip to Aro's chambers was short with Marcus, Caius, Athendora, Felix, Carlisle, Alice, and Jasper in tow. The bedroom was still in a somewhat haphazard state from their prior amorous activities.

It didn't strike Aro as even moderately embarassing after three millennia. Greek and Roman times would have made modern views of modesty and sexual freedom blush. Clothes lay torn in near the bed where the sheets were very much rumpled and in disarray. A few feathers lay under the tufted bench at the end of the massive four poster bed, noticeable holes- five each- on either side of the bench were where Aro's hands had dug in at Isabella's ministrations. The beams of the postered bed held microscopic cracks, visible to the vampire eye. Fur rugs and luxurious pillows lay scattered near the fireplace. Candles decorated the space, some burned down entirely- forgotten amongst the chaos of the last few hours. And that didn't include the bathroom.

Aro laid Isabella amongst the twined sheets, smoothing the satin fabric over her form. She looked so small there, and his heart broke for her for it. The intensity of this intuitive side of her defensive gift, as Alice described, had been his doing. His fingers constantly tracing her arms, wrists, and twining through her hair in an equally intimate and worrisome gesture.

Vampire instincts made it so that the pull to his mate was even more intense- undeniable in the urge protect Isabella's vulnerable form at all costs. If he let his vampire physiology get to him too much, his eyes would occasionally flash with a crazed, feral expression if someone advanced too quickly towards the pair, or simply were in too close proximity. He had waited over three millenia for her, and he would not let anyone take her from him now.

A snarl echoed within the room as Jasper stepped towards the pair, leaving the small grouping of immortals by the door that separated the expansive sitting room from the bedchamber. Jasper had been very intentional in covering any scars across his forearms and chest, which he often bared in more casual attire under better circumstances. This way, he would not seem any more of a threat to Aro in his protection of his mate. "I only wish to induce a meditative, dreamlike state, Aro. For it to work, I must be in closer proximity." His soothing voice filtered across the room with a gentle push of calm and tranquility. Aro's posture relaxed slightly, his eyes darting to an armchair by the small alcove of bookcases just a few yards from him and Isabella's position. His gaze then turned to Jasper, giving his assent to his request. Aro tracked his movements as he slowly approached the area, staying on the perimeter of the room to allow as much space as he could to appear as unthreatening as possible.

Jasper sat quietly in the dark burgundy armchair, crossing his legs and adopting a relaxed position in an effort to dispel some tension. A look of concentration crossed his features, and in that moment Isabella's eyes fluttered closed, her body relaxing further- similar to a human in deep sleep. Seeming satisfied with the result with a small glance, Jasper plucked a book from a nearby shelf and began to read as the effects of the deep calm wrapped around Isabella's subconscious.

Aro relaxed further as the hours passed, becoming accustomed to the other vampire's presence, especially as he was not only familiar with his mate, but was actively aiding her with his presence. Jasper occasionally sent him small waves of calm, careful to not be intrusive on the highly powerful Volturi King, despite the morose, shamed thoughts he had become entrapped in. Sensing a new emotion- curiosity, he looked up to meet Aro's crimson eyes.

"You have done this for Alice." His voice was very quiet, keeping their conversation out of earshot of the others in the next room.

"Yes." Jasper began. "Her gift can be burdensome and overwhelming due to many interchangeable circumstances. Taking away some of the residual exhaustion and pain is the least I can do."

Silence filtered in again after that, though the feelings of guilt and self-loathing Jasper was picking up troubled him too much not to say anything. "Isabella will not hold you in contempt for what happened." More silence.

"My guess is that she will see it as unusually positive- the information she might reveal when she is awake. It doesn't make sense to us, either." Jasper smiled softly, referring to his time with the odd human girl. Alice had done a lot to ensure she was still alive with her antics half of the time. "Perhaps, Aro, you should not hold yourself in contempt either."

The elder vampire said nothing in return. Jasper had to assume he took it relatively well with the absence of Jane, Felix, or any of the other Volturi clan being called to his side to express his displeasure. And though he did not look at the pair long in present circumstances, Jasper could see a heartbroken, much enamored and dutiful man that was masked behind the Volturi King persona; a man he resonated with as the mate of a highly gifted prophetess, as they were once named. He didn't dwell on it too long, however, as he would not like his thoughts to reveal any notions of prying upon Aro's touch anytime soon.

Aro held steadfast to his mate's side through the sunrise and early twilight, marking a day gone since she had succumbed to her gift's influence. The others gathered in the next room showed their nervous anticipation with human mannerisms such as the tapping of feet, drumming of fingers, and shifting from one foot to another, all discernable by Jasper and Aro's hearing. Both of their irises had melted into onyx pools sometime within the night, Jasper's gift and Aro's constant surveillance of his mate draining their energy from blood's life source.

Standing suddenly, Jasper cued the passing of the day. Nodding to Aro, he released the deep calm placed on Isabella gradually, her body twitching from her fingers to her toes as her body seemed to awaken. A deep, unnessecary breath filled her lungs, her eyes fluttering open at the exhale.

Isabella looked around-disoriented at first-before her eyes landed on her mate who held her in his arms in a loving embrace. His distressed expression was not lost on her- something she sought to distract him from. "What trouble have I brought you through this time, mi amore?" She whispered softly, a humorous smile pulling at her lips with considerable effort.

"Immense trouble, cara." His smile was strained, though he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"How are you feeling, Isabella?" Came Jasper's voice, if not slightly awkwardly at the private moment he was subject to.

"Certainly better than before, thanks Jasper." She gave him a small smile. "You should go hunting... I know how draining this can be with Alice." Jasper gave a curt nod in response and disappeared through the door promptly.

Isabella flexed her fingers and toes, noting the substantial effort she gave for just that. Sitting up was a faint whim, all too impossible to take on at the moment. Aro noted her movements, rubbing small circles into her lower back to soothe the alarm that started to rise in her expression. "You have been through a great ordeal, and should feed as well, amore mio."

Felix entered the room then, carrying an unconscious human in each of his large arms. Aro arranged her gently so she was in more of a sitting position as Felix offered the first human's pulsing throat to her. Inhaling, her throat burned with hellfire- reminding her of just how long it had been since she had sampled the delicious elixir last. Her teeth sliced fervently into the column of the man's throat, her mouth working earnestly in each deep pull she took until he ran dry.

Isabella was strong enough to wind her arms around the next man, replaced quickly in her arms as she drank deeply. Only when she was done did her eyes lift from their deep onyx to their brilliant crimson. "Thank you, Felix." She murmured as the hulking guard member straightened, eyes downcast to the floor as he moved away. "Master, Mistress." He bowed his head before leaving promptly with the two bodies in tow.

She reclined then against Aro's chest, her fingers weaving in his long raven hair absentmindedly. It was one indulgence he allowed her when it came to his hair, and was one she smugly enjoyed all the more for it. "How do you feel?" Came his soft, melodic voice as his arms wrapped deftly around her waist.

"Better." She smiled gently. "Though in the future I would advise against spoiling me so... Or I might as well request all meals be brought to bed."

Aro chuckled at this, pressing a kiss to her brow. "Spoil you? Never."

"Mhmm..." She rolled her eyes, shaking herself from her more... desirous stupor given the guests she sensed in the next room. "I'm sorry to have frightened you, love." She spoke, turning in Aro's arms to rest her palm against his cheek.

"You have quite a habit of doing so, though I do not fault you for it, cara." His soft, accompanying smile was indulgent. "Do you feel well enough to explain what it is that you saw?" Came the tentative question, the soothing circles of his thumbs continuing at her lower spine.

"Yes, but..." Isabella looked thoughtful, seeming to contemplate something just out of grasp. "I need to check something first." She rose with a start then, changing her rumpled skirts in favor for a dark blue velvet dress and dark grey cloak. Admittedly she did still feel a bit unsettled, especially if her suspicions proved correct in just a short while.

Aro picked up on this immediately as she began to smooth her skirts and hair a bit self consciously, her eyes somewhat distant. He came to her side then and grasped her chin gently, raising it slightly until she met his eyes. His gaze questioned her subtle distress as her palms came to rest gingerly on his chest. "Isabella..." It floated from his lips like a gentle caress, urging her to name what ailed her mind.

"Does..." She swallowed, averting her eyes despite him. "Does anything remain that once belonged to Sulpicia?"

A low hiss was the only response for a few beats. Looking up once more, Aro's face was visibly pinched as he contorted so subtlely- anattempted to control the bubbling rage at her name. "Nothing but her burnt chambers, long forgotten." He replied after some time, irises nearer to black than ruby.

"Will you take me there? I only ask out of necessity, amante." Her voice soothed the beast that was inaudibly snarling just below the surface. The sensation of her fingers gently grasping the fabric of his suit jacket brought his mind back to the present once more. He nodded cooly, disentangling them from their embrace and offering his arm which his mate gladly took as they left the chamber.

"We will be right back." Isabella explained softly to the readily awaiting spectators as they passed the sitting room and exited to the exterior castle halls.

The journey was short, though it was clear the far tower they glided through was no longer used. The smell of burnt wood and ashen stone still lingered despite many centuries. Flecks of dust glimmered in the fading afternoon light as they swirled around the pair with each disrupting step. Her ashes were not here, that she could discern- but many centuries of memories surely laid here.

The ascent up the steps slowed as they neared a charred door, ripped from its hinges and laid precariously in splinters along the steps. The room beyond the lone steel hinges had the most concentrated ash. One could make out the general layout of the room- mere blackened splinters left of the massive bed that occupied the farthest wall amidst many broken windows, outlined in blackened stone. Minimal thread remained where tapestries and some paintings had adorned the walls. A fallen chandelier, now a jumbled mess of melted metal and crystal in the center of the room.

Her legs moved on their own accord as she surveyed the room, leaving Aro on the steps just outside of the crumbling door frame. Isabella stopped then, eyes meeting the fading light on the horizon discernable from the broken windows. She inhaled deeply, seeking a scent that previously eluded her amidst the burnt tones that had originally flooded her newborn senses. Beneath it was a distant sweetness- a mixture of amber sugar, crisp leaves, and fresh rain. While the combination was something she would typically enjoy, it was that sweet overtone of it all that would have made her stomach roll a bit if she were still human.

Even more so as it was so... familiar.

Turning back to her mate, she peered around once more thoughtfully before closing the distance between them and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Hey." His eyes darkened further before they focused finally on her. "I'm sorry for causing you this pain, amante. Is there anything I can do to make it better?"

Aro considered it, drinking in his beautiful mate as a calming mechanism to the distant memories. Mischief sparked in his eyes. "Would you help me finish what I started?"

"Oh?" Isabella responded with equally mischievous candor. Understanding sparkled in her own gaze as Aro moved to quickly create a makeshift torch of the remaining wood of the charred door. "With pleasure, my love." She smiled evilly.

God, he loved this ravishing creature.

Aro's Chambers- Evening

"Ding dong, the last of the witch is dead." Smirked Isabella as they returned to their awaiting company, remnants of their destructive glee present in the form of soot on their hands and forearms.

"Have fun?" Athendora smiled, having found humor in the morbid under Aro and Caius' influence over the centuries.

"Immense fun." Isabella replied, sitting in the vacant armchair by the fireplace in the expansive sitting room, brushing small particles of ash from her skirts casually. Aro was still somewhat on guard, though more visibly relaxed and quite satisfied at the smoke filtering from the godforsaken tower. He stood behind his mate's position, his hands gently resting on the tops of her shoulders- stroking the blades with his thumbs.

"So, thanks for holding this vigil while I was dead to the world." She had been worse for wear just an hour ago, but the sass remained strong and earned her a few low chuckles. "I'm sure you are due an explanation of sorts... The effects of my gift, as everyone has called it, have become much more intense as of late. I believe the danger is drawing closer- which is the exact thing we have been preparing for." Her eyes flitted down to the opal engagement ring she now turned over and twirled between her fingers absentmindedly. "I don't think Aro was intending that this would cause a literal enhancement of these visions, well... more like snippets, but still... but it did enhance my gift and honed it as Alice explained. I was able to grasp some vital information."

Her captive audience nodded for her to continue. "When I was overtaken I was not myself... I believe I was experiencing what was happening to Krystoph through his eyes..."

"Are you certain?" Caius asked with a deadly serious expression.

"My vision was blurred, but I could sense the snow and the rock around me. I'm not well versed when it comes to Europe, but I do know few places are tundras in mid-February... I also felt the weight of the Volturi crest against my chest."

Felix spoke next. "Krystoph last reported before he entered Russia. It must be him."

"He... was in agony. The venom was drained and then... It felt as if I was warring against myself- pure acid was poured into each vein and vessel. So much worse than the change." She shuddered, squeezing Aro's hand for comfort. "And... the smell. Sickly sweet, yet foul... like nothing I've ever encountered. I had to be sure before I came to tell you, but... whoever they are. Whatever they are, they carry Sulpicia's scent."

Author's Note: I promise the next chapter is not going to have a huge delay! I'll actually be camping with WIFI (wow, so cool right) and will be writing up a storm, lovelies.

mi amore- my love

amore mio- my love

cara- love

amante- lover