I stood before the ornate, full length mirror and eyed my reflection sceptically. I turned left and right, viewing myself from different angles before meeting the ruby eyes of the man with the midnight black hair who stood behind me, admiring me with more appreciation than I held for myself.
"This is what I need to wear, just to come into the throne room?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest, feeling uncomfortable.
Aro came up behind me and laid his hands on my shoulders. His skin stood out white as snow against the black of the cloak he had laid over my bare shoulders only a moment ago. "It is a presentation dearest one, you will be seen at my side for the first time before my coven." His voice dipped deliciously as he whispered in my ear. "This spectacle is to ensure there is no doubt with regard to whom you belong."
"Aside from that…" His eyes traveled my body in the mirror, sending delicious tingles down my spine. "Red becomes you my dear."
The dress fitted to my body like a glove, the maroon coloured material wrapped around me like a bandage but the feel of it left me in no doubt of the quality. It was clearly designer and I narrowed my eyes at him in suspicion. It fell to below my knee thankfully and I supposed the heels could have been worse. God what was happening to me?
"And just how many dresses do you have which happen to be my size, Aro?" My hands rested at my hips now as I raised an eyebrow in question. He smirked at me deliciously and I fought my base reaction to him in an effort to remain irritated.
"I may have prepared for the occasion Isabella, in the hope that you would one day stand at my side."
Damn. When he put it like that how could I possibly be mad at him?
"And the cloak?" I asked, picking up a handful of the lush material and rubbing it between my fingers.
"Specially designed and made for you, little one. It is tradition for the Volturi, however I hope you will forgive me for taking a few liberties with yours. I couldn't resist." God his voice. How did he do that to me? To go from talking normally to deepening his voice with such an irresistible gravelled sexiness that I almost swooned in front of him.
Thankfully I didn't swoon. I did however blush deeply. "Liberties?" I asked in an effort to divert his intense gaze from the flush spreading across my chest.
"Most aren't customised." He explained. "Many join and are given the standard, for you however my angel, I had to ensure it fit and complimented you perfectly."
He gestured for me to look back to the mirror instead of over my shoulder at him as his voice had bewitched me to do without me knowledge. "The fabric is of the highest quality, to be both warm where the weather may be cold and to keep you cool in the heat. The rest of our coven of course have no such requirements, but I wish for you to be comfortable."
His beautiful large hands stroked along the fabric as it fell alongside my hips.
"It has just enough shape to hint at what is beneath." His eyes glittered with mischief and possessiveness. "But not overly so. What is hidden is mine and mine alone." He growled in my ear, setting me aflame all over again.
"Really?" I asked in a tone I hoped was stronger than my knees felt. "I don't remember agreeing to that."
He pulled me to him hard, his grip around my waist bruising in its strength as he spoke, his tone warned of danger, but not to me. "You shared your blood with me Isabella, and I you… We are mated."
I looked at him in surprise, turning so that I may face him, his grip relaxed just a fraction to allow me to do so.
"I didn't know…" Was all I could say.
"No…" He whispered, nuzzling my cheek and breathing in the scent of my hair. "Not consciously perhaps, but your soul knew that it had met its match… If indeed I am still in possession of such a thing. You never willingly shared blood with Edward, did you? Never offered your own?"
All I could do was shake my head, dumbfounded. I remembered the overwhelming urge I had felt earlier for him to taste my blood and how it had only taken a moments hesitation before I had accepted his own.
"He just said we were mates…" I realised how stupid this sounded once it had come from my mouth and Aro affirmed this with a mocking laugh.
"My darling, immortal mates are inexplicably drawn to one another, beyond blood lust or La tua cantanté. For that to have manifested between us whilst you are still somewhat human proves just how powerful our bond will be. All mates have shared the blood right, Carlisle and Esme, Alice and her young soldier… It creates a bond for all eternity, once you are turned." He held my face between his hands. "I can assure you, Edward Cullen was not your mate. He could never have let you go, if that were the case. He was- is obsessed with you, I agree… However this is far beyond anything that the boy could have felt for you. You were mine you see, all along."
He turned me back to the mirror as I struggled to comprehend everything he was telling me. How come I never knew this, in all my time with that family it was never mentioned? My brown eyes met his once more in the mirror and the look of total adoration in his crimson eyes had me hooked, I couldn't have looked away then even if the castle had crumbled around us.
"You and I were destined for one another Isabella." He raised my wrist and turned his head so that he could press a kiss to the pulse point there and as he ran his fingers down the underside of my arm, I let it drop to his shoulder and curled my fingers around his neck. "No matter what path you may have taken in life, each one would have led you here, to my side."
"Hm… We had better find a way to turn me then, if an eternity with me is what you want." I said, realising it had come out in a questioning tone and I tried not to flinch. Still I was unsure of my worth, unsure of how much the man wanted me. This was the damage Edward Cullen's games had caused my psyche.
Aro only met my gaze unfailingly and spoke with soft assuredness. "More than I can say Isabella. I do not wish to exist any longer, without my angel at my side."
He moved my hair aside and pressed kiss after kiss to my neck and I must have hummed my appreciation because I could feel his lips smile against my skin. His teeth scraped my collarbone and I felt gooseflesh ripple across my arms, he nipped me gently and then soothed the skin almost immediately with his tongue.
"Mine." He whispered, kissing my shoulder one final time before rearranging my cloak and gazing at me with pride in his expression, his eyes lingering on the sapphire necklace which draped into my cleavage for only a moment.
He held out his hand in a movement reminiscent of the very first time I met him, as if sensing my déjà vu he smirked and played along. "Would you do me the honour?"
I rolled my eyes at him, but accepted his invitation as he led me from the room.
-o-
We had taken a different route, once we had left the tower and the gardens I was used to, one I was unfamiliar with and so put this question to Aro on our way up some large marble stairs.
"We do not use the communal entrance, little bird." His voice was teasing and I looked at him to see mirth in his eyes. "We have our own passage which leads us directly to the thrones."
"Convenient." I scoffed. "Is that so that you can stay above the commoners?"
"Quite." He smirked. "One has appearances to maintain."
I wasn't sure whether he was teasing me or not, but I laughed anyway and enjoyed the feel of his strong, large hand holding mine. Once we reached the archway at the top of the staircase Aro paused and I looked at him in question.
"You need not be afraid." He said and raised the hood on my cloak so that it rested atop my head, but didn't cover my face. It draped prettily so that my hair tumbled forth unrestrained and I did feel strangely safer with it up.
"I'm not." I said, taking his hand back and squeezing it. "I have nothing to fear when I am with you."
He closed his eyes for a moment and leant toward me, leaning his forehead against mine he breathed in deeply.
"I would have waited until the very end of time for you, amore mio" He placed a single, tender kiss against my lips before pulling back and apparently gathering himself.
"Please remain at my side."
This was all he said as he unbolted the door and turned the handle, leading me behind him as we entered the large circular room from the opposite end that I had entered before. This time we were upon the raised dais which held the three, gilded thrones. Two of which were already occupied and all I could see of them were the tops of their dark and fair heads.
The room truly was full to the brim of Vampires, all of them staggeringly beautiful and all with varying shades of ruby eyes which were glued solidly to me.
Aro led me forth, his grip strengthening my resolve as he stopped and held our hands aloft between us. His thumb stroked over the back of my hand before he turned to face the room.
"Welcome to you all, may I present to you Isabella Swan." He turned to me with a wide smile on his face which belied the threatening undercurrent of his tone as he continued "No doubt there has been much… speculation about our guest. Let it be known that she is under my protection and any who dare touch her, will pay dearly. Am I understood, my dears?"
A chorus of 'Yes Master' echoed around the high ceilinged room and Aro released my hand for a moment to clap his own together.
"Excellent, then we may begin."
He turned to his throne and sat, holding his hand to me and I did as I was bid and moved to his side, though couldn't quite bare the scrutiny of standing directly beside him I moved back a step and he squeezed my hand in understanding and placed it on his shoulder. I was grateful for the constant link to him and whilst others may have believed it to be so he could read my thoughts, I knew it to be for our benefit.
Watching him from this angle only served to showcase his strength rather than lessen it, and I stroked my thumb across the back of his shoulder where none could see and I could feel he appreciated it.
"What is first on the agenda today, dear brothers?" Aro's melodious and at times hypnotising voice sounded around the silent hall. All seemed to watch him directly, occasionally someone would glance to his side at one of the brothers, but it was clear to see who they all looked to for leadership.
"Humans, humans and more humans Aro." Caius' bored voice drifted over from the left and I was glad to be stood at Aro's right shoulder, beside Marcus. "How so many of our kind are foolish enough to give away our secret is beyond me."
"Love is a powerful force Caius, as I'm sure you remember." The slow and yet articulate voice of Marcus came from beside me, I changed a glance at him to see him looking off to his right, seemingly daydreaming as he watched the candlelight play on the marble.
"Yes well, let us begin shall we?" Aro ordered, irritation colouring his tone and I made sure to rub his shoulder again to let him know I wasn't entirely offended. After all I wasn't exactly just human was I?
He relaxed under my touch and I felt the corned of my mouth tilt upward only slightly at this.
The large doors banged again the stone wall as the first people were brought in to face Aro, it was interesting to me to watch the proceedings as the tall, slightly stringy man was lead forward by Jane and a woman, a vampire apparently, was lead in behind by Alec.
Both were forced to their knees before the stone steps leading up to the brothers, all the human man could do was gaze at the woman beside him with total adoration. I wondered for a moment if I looked that pathetic but waved the thought away as Aro commanded the woman to stand. Elena, he called her.
Apparently she had been keeping this human as a pet, her own personal blood bag on tap when she had fallen in love with him and would not turn him. I was listening with rapt attention as Aro stood abruptly and ascended the steps.
My hand fell back to my side at his departure but I remained where I was, determined not to feel any loss at him only being a few feet away.
"My friends…" Aro said beseechingly. "Why have we not completed this sacred bond with immortality hm? You know the law Elena."
The dark haired woman raised her eyes from the man held on his knees beside her to Aro, she looked terrified and I didn't blame her, but there was also defiance there.
"I planned to let him grow old and die, as it should be." Her voice was softly accented with the barest trace of Spanish. "I will then join him in death."
Growls rippled around the room and I felt Aro's body language change. He stood with his back to me and yet I knew his hands were clasped before him and his head was tilted in consideration.
He held out his hand.
I fought not to close my eyes as the woman hesitated and Aro was not as patient with her as he had been with me. He must have given signal to Alec for the human on the floor began screaming gutturally, his voice calling out as his arms flailed in front of him.
"Elena!" He screamed. "Why can't I see her! ELENA." He began to cough and gargle and hunched over where he was knelt and blood splattered against the marble from his thin lips.
She placed her hand in Aro's but only had eyes for the man on the floor. "It is okay Adam, I am here. I will make it stop."
I watched as Aro went silent. I was surprised to see he didn't pull her to him as he had me, he didn't cover her hand with both of his and bow his head so close to her skin that she could have felt his breath should he need to breath. He didn't stroke his thumb repeatedly across the back of her hand as I had seen replayed so many times in my dreams since our first meeting.
It made sense now why Edward had been so angry at the gesture. He could clearly hear whatever it was Aro had been thinking about me in that moment.
Aro dropped Elena's hand almost immediately once he had seen what he needed to and walked back up the steps toward us. He met my eyes for only a moment and yet managed to convey such desire in a single look before he turned back to those assembled before him.
"Elena planned to get our attention once her human lover had died, perhaps provoke our ire in what has become an all too familiar trend in our kind in order for them to be destroyed." He spoke with concern tinting his jovial tone. "We cannot allow such a trend to continue."
Hushed murmurs rose from those who stood around the room as they agreed with their master and he spread his hands wide.
"My friends, the law is absolute. I propose we turn Adam here to further boost our population as punishment to Elena, should she wish him dead she will have to tear him apart and burn him herself." His hands came back together in a clap as he looked around the room. None dared argue with him and he gestured toward Felix, the large bulky bodyguard before turning back to me to take his seat.
"You hypocrite!" Elena screamed and I gulped as I watched Aro halt in his progress toward me. His jaw clenched once and he turned slowly back to Elena, halting Felix who had the human half way to his mouth. "You keep your own human here at your side, unchanged! I can hear her heartbeat and smell her blood as well as every other Vampire in this room. You break your own law and yet dare to preach your authority!"
The whole room stilled but it wasn't a peaceful stillness. The air was charged, thick with fury and I felt it coming from Aro in waves. I was sure his eyes were glowing with his anger and I closed my eyes in fear for the woman and her foolishness.
AN: Another for you! I'm trying to get as much out during my holiday as I can! I'm back to work October 3rd so enjoy the frequent updates whilst they last. Please don't forget your review, I value your opinions so much!