I could feel every pair of eyes at the table resting on me and I couldn't bring myself to raise my head to look at any of them. Whilst I stared avidly at the table I noticed that a fine glass goblet sat before each space except my own, they were filled to the brim with what I realised was blood. I looked up to again to find Aro watching me, he smirked at the look on my face before he whispered something to the sandy haired vampire, who disappeared and returned again before I could blink, this time with a bowl of soup in hand and silverware. He placed everything down in front of me before moving back to his seat beside his master.
My stomach was still churning from the thought of what was in their goblets and so I pushed the bowl away. "I'm not hungry, thank you."
"Bella, eat please. You must be hungry." It was Edward who spoke up, his eyes and voice implored me with their usual sweet concern.
"I don't have much of an appetite." I said with my gaze fixed upon Aro's goblet. I glanced up in shock when his long, pale fingers gripped the glass and raised it to his lips.
"You're offended by our meal?" He quirked an eyebrow at me before taking a sip of the thick red liquid and I felt bile rise in my throat. "How strange, are you offended on behalf of the animal whose carcass lies on your plate every sunday afternoon? Or the even the animals who are captured and drained dry by your friends here." He indicated to the Cullen's with the hand that held the goblet.
"I hadn't really thought about it before." I admitted to him.
"So this display of revulsion is an initial shock to being confronted so boldly with our nature?" He tilted his head in genuine interest, his hair gleamed with the movement.
"I guess so." I knew I sounded like an idiot but I had nothing to add to his conversation.
"Well, I assure you, your meal is as revolting to us as ours is to you. Please, do eat it though." He watched intently as I slowly drew the bowl back toward me and picked up a spoon. It did smell delicious and my stomach had ached with hunger all day, as i'd been too nervous to eat.
I raised the spoon to my lips and whilst other conversation began around the table Aro's eyes remained fixed upon me, I tried not to feel self conscious whilst I ate but being stared at was never something that made me feel comfortable. I could see the intensity in his gaze and had difficulty matching up the kind, caring friend from my letters to this powerful man. I ate half the bowl before I placed the spoon back down upon deciding that I really couldn't eat anymore.
The bowl was quickly whisked away from me and Aro cleared his throat and finally his gaze deviated from me to flicker to Carlisle. "Now, to the subject at hand. The red-head."
I suddenly felt like I was sat bolt upright and paying attention to everything, whereas before I had been so consumed in Aro's eyes that it had felt like it were only the two of us in the room.
"Victoria?" I asked, my eyes flicking to Carlisle, then Edward and then back to Aro again.
"Yes." Aro nodded, his eyes were once again fixed on me. "I believe you were her focus?"
I chewed my lower lip and shifted in my seat, Alice sensed my discomfort and jumped in. "Victoria held a vendetta against Bella and Edward. Edward killed her mate James when he attacked Bella and so she wanted to hurt Edward in the same way, by killing his mate."
Aro seemed to shift at this, something in his bearing became dangerous and his voice had lowered in tone. "And are you Edwards mate?" He said the word with such venom that I looked at him in surprise before I shook my head and spoke "No."
Unfortunately Edward had spoken at the same time with the opposite answer of "Yes."
Aro looked between us as I shot Edward a warning glare. "Ah, well it seems we have a disagreement in the details. Not that it matters now. Victoria is dead."
I whipped my head around to look at Aro again, my mouth gaping slightly. "What? How?" I asked.
"I killed her, of course." He said as simply as if he were talking about the weather. "She was breaking one of our most important laws by creating a newborn army. All designed to attack you."
One of his long elegant fingers were extended to point at me and he looked at it for a moment before a smile lit his face. "Come now Isabella, you're far too far away for us to have a proper conversation. Demetri, switch like a gentleman would you?"
I felt Alice's grip tighten on my hand and I took note of a panicked glance that she shot to Edward before Demetri was stood beside me to escort me to the chair at Aro's side. I looked at neither of them and instead focussed entirely on Aro, whose gaze was devouring me whole as I walked toward him and took the seat beside him.
"Much better." He murmured, leaning toward me slightly. A faint twitch at the corner of his mouth accompanied the glint of amusement in his eyes as he glanced between me and Edward, the latter was sat at the opposite end of the table shaking with the effort of controlling himself. "Wouldn't you say so, my dear?"
His voice sent shockwaves up and down my spine and I couldn't decide if it was fear… Or something else. Something I wasn't ready or willing to admit to. I didn't want to analyse the way he made me feel, or the way those feelings made anything else I'd felt previously pale in comparison. I felt guilt well up within my stomach and couldn't look at Edward, I couldn't see the look in his eyes.
I didn't answer Aro but instead moved onto the topic at hand, gathering all of my shrivelled up courage within me as I spoke. "So Victoria is dead, the most pressing threat to your secret is gone." I took a deep, shuddering breath. "Now all that is left, is me." I couldn't stop the tremble in my voice as I finished speaking and hated myself for showing weakness in this moment.
The entire table stilled, every pair of eyes, golden and red were upon the pair of us as I finished talking. Aro had turned in his seat to regard me fully and I met his gaze with the brashness only a fool who already considered their life forfeit would.
"This is true." Aro agreed, nodding his head and gesturing for me to continue as he folded his elegant fingers together over his abdomen.
"So… What are you going to do about it?" I asked, feeling slightly off guard and allowing myself to glance to Alice to see if she was as confused as I was. She wasn't, her face held a look of half resignation and half hope.
Aro looked at his perfectly short, manicured nails for a moment, before raising his head and addressing me. "You've made it perfectly clear that you do not intend to become one of us." I nodded in agreement, waiting for him to continue as my heart thudded in my chest. "Would you say that this decision is… a permanent one?"
He regarded me thoughtfully and I truly believed he wanted to know. Not just for the sake of his race or the job he had to do, but for his own selfish reasons.
I rolled my shoulders in a shrug as I chewed my lower lip. "I don't know. It would depend on circumstances. I don't really have anywhere I would belong in your world now that-" I abruptly stopped speaking and glanced down the end of the table, then flinched at the look on Edwards face. That was precisely why I hadn't wanted to look at him.
As I looked back to Aro I got the impression from the glint in his eyes that he disagreed with my statement, but didn't voice his thoughts. "And if circumstances changed to allow you a place among us, among a coven?" His hand swept out toward the Volturi half of the table and my eyes widened in comprehension.
"Wait…" I looked around at the strain in the faces of the people I used to consider my family and suddenly everything slid into place. "This isn't just a dinner or even a meeting to discuss Victoria or my punishment. You're trying to recruit me?!" I said in utter disbelief, sure my mouth was hanging open in shock.
Aro chuckled and the sound seemed to settle deep within me and I struggled not to shiver. "Your prospective talents are… promising." He caressed the word with what felt like a promise of his own and I realised just how very out of my depth I was against this man.
Luckily for me, but unluckily for him Edward chose that moment to stand and growl his protests. "You can't seriously be pitching this as a recruitment! Is that what you've told everyone, how you've excused your perverse obsession to your coven, to Caius and Marcus? That you believe she will be a good addition to your guard!"
Jane allowed Edward to finish his sentence before she sent him to the floor writhing in pain and this time Aro did not stop her. His eyes glinted dangerously as he placed his unused napkin upon the table, it was a gesture of misplaced civility and caught my attention for just a moment before he stood up next to me. "Please, excuse me for a moment Isabella."
The threat of danger in his tone was clear and I felt gooseflesh rise up and down my arms as a shiver of fear rippled down my spine. This was the leader of the Volturi. This man who held such power and manipulated people with such ease, I realised as I watched him glide toward Edward that he had never truly needed a guard. They were merely there to make enemies believe him weak, so that when they were confronted with the true force of his power it was certainly something to fear.
As Jane's power wore off I noticed that Edward too was having the same realisation as I was and his golden eyes had widened in pure, unrestrained terror as he looked up at the Vampire stood before him.