Heidi had been absent from my side all day, the last time I'd seen her had been when I handed her my letter. Thankfully she had enough tact to remain silent, merely raising one perfectly arched brow suggestively with a wicked smile curving her lips.
So, I had been alone and thoroughly fed up of looking through internet pages and books with no answers. I could hear the bird song and the beautiful sound drew me outside, into the fresh air and the sunlight. The air smelled sweet here, and I didn't know if it was just due to the amount of Vampires in the vicinity or the fruit which hung, ripe and ready to pick from the trees in the courtyard.
I leant against the stone wall which overlooked the beautiful, lush garden below and the wind rushed through my hair. I tilted my head back and breathed deeply, my eyes falling closed as I enjoyed the scents and sounds around me.
"So you are what smells so delicious." The rich american voice made me jump, hard, so much so that I bashed my knee against the stone it had been leant upon. Ignoring the throbbing I span, with somewhat of a limp and only caught a blur of pale skin and rust coloured hair as the figure sped toward me.
He came to a stop so close that I had to lean backward against the stone railing to avoid our bodies coming into contact. My heart stuttered with terror as I noticed his eyes. They were black.
"Aren't you a tasty little morsel. A welcome home perhaps, after my long journey?" He bent his head forward and breathed deeply. I cringed as far away from him as I could, for whilst he was beautiful, he was wrong. His scent, his eyes, his hair… It wasn't Aro.
"Stay away from me." I ground out, the thought of the fury in Aro's eyes strengthened me. Even though he wasn't here, I felt as though I had him at my side.
The stranger lent back somewhat, in order to bring me into his view fully. "And feisty too, my whatever did I do to deserve such a treat."
"Stay. Away. From. Me." My voice was stronger this time and I glared at the strange man, he smiled back charmingly, fully expecting his power to work over me.
"And what is it you do here, a new receptionist perhaps? Come now, there is no need to be so brash. We can help each other…" He said suggestively and stepped closer, taking my hair between his fingertips. "You want to be an immortal don't you? I can give that to you…"
I side-stepped him, feeling the power of Aro's affection as though it were a drug, one which emboldened me and made me powerful. "I am here because Aro wanted me." The name, I hoped would be enough.
As I expected he hesitated for a moment, but only a moment, before beginning to advance again.
"Of course, my master knows a good prospective immortal when he sees one. All humans here have been acquired for one reason or another." He was practically salivating as he breathed deeply as though it were a necessity, I knew however that he was just enjoying my scent.
Panic shot through me and I could tell the vampire was losing his patience as he continued to step toward me. "I am his." I blurted, feeling the rush of panic recede as I imagined the look in Aro's eyes at hearing my words. "He will kill you if you touch me."
Again the Vampire paused, thinking over what I said. The fear of his masters retribution clearly cut through the haze of hunger, but only for a moment. He laughed richly and leapt, suddenly my back was against the stone and my thin t-shirt had ridden up with the speed of movement, leaving my skin vulnerable to the sharp edges and I flinched as I felt it cut into my skin.
At this the Vampire froze, a cloud of blood lust falling over his eyes as he shuddered in ecstasy and I realised I must be bleeding. Suddenly in my minds eye I saw my hand dripping with blood in the Cullen's Living Room as Jasper leapt at me.
"My master would not lay claim to a human." He filled the word with disgust. "What is your name? I should like to know that, before I taste your deliciously inviting blood."
His voice was full of excitement, I closed my eyes and turned my head away pushing, scratching and fighting with all the power I had. It felt as though my fists were pounding against a solid wall, for all the good it did. He just pressed against me harder and I couldn't help the whimper that escaped me as the stone cut deeper into my skin.
"Aro" I whimpered, desperation overcoming me that I might be taken from him before our time together had truly begun.
"Yourname." He repeated, pushing his arm against my chest more tightly as he emphasised his point.
I breathed in deeply, ready to take my last breath and… then it was there. The familiar cinnamon scent of him both sweet and spicily inviting at the same time. I didn't know if I was going mad, or losing consciousness and so hallucinating, but I was glad that at least I was able to smell him one last time. It calmed my heart and overtook the sickly sweet scent of the vampire who forcibly held me.
Then there was a growl, so violent in its ferocity that I should have felt fear, but I wasn't afraid. It took me a moment to realise it wasn't coming from the stranger who pushed against me, but from behind him. I tried to open my eyes, to fight against the suffocation which threatened to render me unconscious and caught a glimpse of the familiarly beautiful crimson eyes which burnt with fury.
Suddenly I was on the ground, having been dropped and the stones scraped against my back as I fell.
"Her name, is Isabella."
He was here.
His voice poured over me like warm water and I smiled softly as I blinked my eyes open, desperate for proof that I wasn't dreaming or already dead. Desperate to see that he was really here. The sharp pain from my back told me I was very much awake and I saw the strange vampire who had a moment ago been so fierce and terrifying, cower before his master and turn into a sobbing child.
Though Aro's eyes burned with ferocity and his body language spoke of unforgiving steel and fury, he held out his hand to me and I stumbled upright, rushing to his side. I wasn't ashamed of how I threw my arms around him and felt only comfort as his own arms wrapped around me solidly. If I could have, in that moment I would have moulded my very bones to his.
As the vampire on the floor quivered before him he raised his hand to my face, coaxing me from his neck where I had been gulping in his scent so that he may examine me. His eyes roamed greedily, noting my tears and he raised his hand from my back to my face to brush the moisture away, and froze.
I had thought I had felt fear.
I had thought I had witnessed his fury.
I had thought I had knowledge of his power.
I had been wrong.
As though he sensed his terrible mistake, the figure on the floor sobbed, his whole body shaking in abject terror.
Time suspended as power seemed to ripple through him and a growl ripped from his throat. Promising retribution, promising pain. I turned my head to see what Aro's eyes were so fixated on.
It was his own hand and fingers, pale and strong, upon which I realised, was my blood. Thick and crimson and I imagined the smell to him to be overpowering in its temptation.
"Are you in pain?" He asked me and I was surprised at the achingly tender tone with which he spoke to me, ignoring the cowering vampire at his feet.
I shook my head and stroked his face, leaning forward I placed a kiss against his cheek, delighting in his smell and the stubble under my lips. "Not anymore" I said, nuzzling closer.
He closed his eyes for just a moment and I wondered what he was thinking, then suddenly I was in his arms and we were in chambers I hadn't yet seen, an ornate bed which looked ancient in its carvings dominated the room. Midnight blue silk sheets met the torn skin of my back as he laid me upon them.
"May I check your wounds, Isabella?" I gripped his wrists where they held my waist, ready to turn me so that he may examine my back.
"I'm alright, Aro." He merely raised an eyebrow, refusing to take no for an answer and so I sighed and nodded, not knowing what state my skin may be in.
He turned me gently and I laid face down in the plump pillows before me and suddenly was in heaven. This was his bed, I realised as his scent enveloped me fully and I buried my face in the bedding.
The sharp sting of a hand tracing the wounds on my back brought me from the blissful delirium his sheets had wrought in me and I looked over my shoulder to watch him. He was so beautiful, even in his rage. His familiar black hair was half held back by a leather tie, the rest fell at his shoulder and around his strong, pale jaw which clenched rhythmically. His fingers, I realised brushed against my back, removing the grit which was mixed with my blood.
Watching him I became entranced, seeing my blood on his fingers being smudged across my hip and I realised what control he must have, to be able to resist. Suddenly an image came unbidden into my thoughts, of him raising his hands to his lips and tasting. It was so achingly intimate that it made my stomach clench with excitement.
I actually wanted him to.
"You can, if you'd like…" I said awkwardly, hating my inelegant phrasing. His eyes met mine and the strength of the passion in them threatened to overwhelm me, but he shook his head once and I felt my lips purse in confusion.
"I would be more honoured than I can say, to accept such a gift from you Isabella." He began to explain, his voice soft and tender. "But to do so in circumstances which caused you fear, pain and even terror would be abhorrent to me. Do you understand?"
I nodded once, feeling disappointed but at the same time my emotion for him swelled almost to new heights. I sat up and turned to him, bravery taking over my body as I chewed my lower lip shyly and took his blood stained hand in mine.
He allowed me, watching with curiosity as I raised his fingers to my lips. First I kissed the back of his hand and rested my cheek against the cool marble of his skin, then emboldened by his acceptance I raised my eyes to his and took his index finger, tracing my lips with it. My eyes watched him avidly and almost imperceptibly, he swallowed.
Then I took his finger into my mouth, tasting the metallic tang of my own blood on my tongue as the wet heat of my mouth enveloped his fingers, one by one until they were clean of my blood.
"Isabella…" He groaned and I felt the vibration of his voice right to my very core. My heart hammered in my chest as my eyes met his, which now burned with an entirely different fire.
Once I had finished with his hand I released it, only for him to place it upon my neck, his thumb stroking my jaw tenderly.
Remembering what I had thought would be my last thoughts and regrets, I leant forward boldly, determined to do that which I had thought I would never have the chance to.
"I am not afraid now." I whispered, my breath puffed against his face, so close was I to him and I saw his eyelids flutter for a moment as the scent of my blood must have filled his mouth.
Seeing this I felt emboldened, my heart pounded in my chest, giving me away to him I was sure. Still I continued, determined as I placed my own hands upon his chest and caressed the smooth lapel of his suit jacket. My eyes met his and I saw the realisation in his eyes, the knowledge of what I was about to do and I saw the effect it had upon him. His hands tightened almost imperceptibly against my neck and jean clad thigh and this spurred me on, throwing caution to the wind-
I placed my blood smeared lips against his.
AN: Thank you so much to every single one of you who assured me in the last chapter that you were still here, enjoying this story! As a thank you, I bring you this chapter!
Please if you are reading and enjoying, don't forget to leave a review as I can't tell you how much it helps my muse along. I want to write back to each of you but my internet has been cut off, so i'm using the limited amount I have to ensure I get your updates out to you.