Later that evening I sat before the full length mirror in Aro's room, studying myself, my eyes in particular which had now returned to their usual brown, though I could have sworn at certain angles a hint of violet was visible.

Perhaps I was hallucinating.

Once Felix had dispatched of William and burned the remains Aro had dismissed the room, only a few were brave enough to throw lingering glances over their shoulders at me.

So now here I sat in his room, Aro had remained in the throne room with his brothers, all three of them rifling through books, determined to discover what newfound power they now possessed, and Heidi had escorted me back to the tower.

"Purple eyes huh? Can't believe I missed it!" She had been upholding her usual duties of gathering humans from the tourists in Volterra for feeding time and as such usually missed the proceedings.

"Yeah…" I said, turning my head again as I leant closer to the reflective surface and tried to see any color other than brown.

"So you can control people? That would be handy in my job!" She flicked her hair over her shoulder and smiled at me seductively.

"You practically already do control people!" I turned to look at her and rolled my eyes.

"No, I entice them. There's a difference… Hey, try it on me!" She stood and walked toward me confidently, without even a wobble on her sky high heels.

"Heidi…" I said doubtfully. "I don't think it works like that."

"How do you know if you wont try!" She placed her hands on her hips and looked at me in a way which was very much reminiscent of my mother. I forgot at times that the two of them had been friends.

I sighed in defeat and stood to face her, trying to think of what I wanted her to do. A sly smile curved my mouth as I thought of something and she raised a perfectly arched eyebrow at me in question.

Hop on one foot…

I snorted in amusement as I pushed the thought forward, looking directly into her eyes. She blinked, quite clearly waiting for something to happen and when it didn't I sighed in disappointment.

"See, it isn't working!" I realized I was being petulant but for some reason, couldn't help it.

"Perhaps you aren't trying hard enough. I wonder what could have triggered it?" She asked and I had to admit I had been thinking the same thing. Why all of a sudden had these powers manifested? True I had always had protection from other vampires powers, but what had changed to make my dormant ones surface?

A beat and then I remembered…the deliciously sweet taste of Aro's blood on my tongue and how invincible I had felt after. How awakened to the world around me I had become. How I craved more of it.

I had just believed that to be because it was his blood though, his power…

"Heidi, if I was to have… had a vampires blood." I began tentatively but her eyebrows shot up immediately in shock, she even took a seat on the chaise lounge to support herself. "Do you think that could have… I don't know. Unlocked my ancient blood or something?"

She opened her mouth as if to speak, closed it again, then opened it again. I tilted my head at her and watched as she struggled to voice her thoughts. Her painted red lips opened again and I leant forward in anticipation, before she closed her mouth again and frowned.

"What?" I practically yelled in frustration.

"Sorry!" She said seemingly coming back to herself. "I'm just taken a little by surprise, that's all. I'm guessing that It was Aro's blood?"

I only nodded and watched her as she raised a perfectly manicured nail to her lips and chewed on it in thought.

"Maybe, he is the oldest of us… It in turn follows that his blood would be the purest." She looked at me with a wickedly suggestive glint in her eyes. "You completed the mating ritual did you?"

I frowned at her and I could feel my eyebrows creasing in the middle with the strength of my confusion. "Do you mean?…" I trailed off, hoping she would save me the embarrassment and finish the sentence for me.

She didn't. Instead she just looked at me with that same lasciviously suggestive leer.

"You're going to have to correctly explain if you want an answer Heidi, I don't know what this 'ritual' consists of!" I felt embarrassed now, like she was mocking me.

"Oh come on Bella you cannot be that naive, surely Renee gave you the talk." She looked genuinely concerned for a moment.

"Oh-OH! No, we haven't! We didn't! Oh god." I hid my face behind my hands as a deep red blush spread over my cheeks.

"I did wonder how you'd managed to emerge from such a scenario so quickly!" She sounded relieved and she smiled and me with a maternal affection. "So what did you do?"

"I gave him my blood, and he gave me his…It was to heal my back after the attack." I rolled my shoulder in a shrug, but watching Heidi's face told me that what i'd just said wasn't quite as simple as that.

"You offered it freely?" she asked and I clarified with a nod of my head. "That's a very powerful gesture Bella, it would have created an almost unbreakable bond between you. I'm sure if you asked Marcus he could look for you, his power is determining emotional ties."

"Aro said it made us mates…" I said, somewhat questioning her, wondering if he had been telling me the truth.

She nodded and I felt relieved to know he hadn't bended the truth to suit his will. "Yes, it communicates your wish to be so and your desire for each other, I had wondered why he didn't partake in the feed today…"

At my questioning frown she smiled at me softly, realizing I didn't know to what she was referring she patted the seat next to her. Once I walked over and sat beside her she took my hand in hers in an action which I would have found uncomfortable with anyone else, but with Heidi I felt so at ease that I wondered if her power had some form of effect on me.

"He didn't feed from anyone else, I imagine it was because your blood was the last in his mouth, in his system. Meaning he would carry your scent with him, and you his." She nodded at me, indicating toward my mouth. "He probably didn't wish to taint that with the scent of another's blood."

"You mean… I smell like him?"

"To our kind, yes. You consumed his blood, his scent lingers on you of course, but its deeper now, even if you stripped and showered and went weeks without seeing him… His scent would still be on you, marking you as his own."

I felt somewhat warm at this thought, that every vampire who came across me would know that Aro was mine, I felt proud of that. I couldn't stop the small smile that crossed my lips, unfortunately Heidi saw it.

"So it's the real deal huh? I never thought i'd see the day where Aro…"

"What?" I asked, trying to prompt her to continue her thought, wondering how many women had come and gone before me.

"He is different with you, around you. It's wonderful to watch." She patted my hands and stood, flicking her perfectly blowdried hair over her shoulder. "Now I will say goodnight, the master will join you shortly."

She lent down and placed a peck on my cheek and squeezed my shoulder. Then she was gone.

Suddenly I was nervous, her speaking of Aro and I sharing that kind of intimacy made me tremble like a schoolgirl. I made a quick decision and sprung into action, I practically ran through the library to my own room where I got changed into a chemise and some shorts, brushed my teeth and ran back through to his room, diving into his enormous bed and pulling the silk sheets up to my chin.

I'd decided I wasn't ready for his questions tonight, or his probing. I just needed to sleep, to sort out my thoughts without his intense eyes following every movement of my face.

So I evened out my breathing and closed my eyes. Years of feigning sleep around Edward had at least taught me to be a good actress in this respect. In fact it worked so well that I really was almost sleep when I heard the door close softly.

I knew it was Aro because I felt completely calm and relaxed, I could feel his eyes on me and I was suddenly aware how very thin the silk sheet was, it must have moulded to my shape perfectly, but I remained still.

A moment passed and I heard a rustle of fabric and the soft thump of his shoes hitting the rug, then I felt the plush mattress dip somewhat with his weight as he settled beside me. I could smell his wonderfully intoxicating scent and I decided I needed to be closer.

"Mm Aro…" I mumbled sleepily, this time with no need for pretense as I rolled over and stretched my arm out to find him, once I found his familiarly broad chest I shuffled closer and laid my head there, throwing my bare leg out from under the sheet and over his pant clad one without thought.

"I did not mean to wake you, my love." He whispered into my hair and pressed a cool kiss to my forehead, his arms wrapping around me as he pulled me tightly against him.

"Nuh'" I mumbled into his shirt. "Didn' so dun wry."

He huffed a laugh which tickled my hair as he dipped his head toward my hair and breathed deeply. "I was so inordinately proud of you today tesoro mio."

"Mmm." I sighed and breathed him in, enjoying his fingers as they caressed my bare shoulders, enjoying even more the feel of his body beneath mine.

"Goodnight, Isabella." I tilted my face up and he took the request for what it was, placing his beautiful cool lips to mine in a lingering kiss. As he withdrew I settled down, cuddling him as tightly as I could.

"Don't leave me…" I whispered just before sleep consumed me. Whatever power it was I had used, it really had exhausted me and there was no longer any acting involved on my part.

"Not until the fires of hell overcome me, will I leave your side."

-o-

The next day dawned and it was the bird song which woke me, I was so ridiculously comfortable that I could have happily not moved for the whole day. As I slowly woke I realized my face was burrowed into the cool yet deliciously smelling skin of Aro's neck, my lips were pressed against what once would have been his pulse point and my body was mostly using him as a mattress.

My chemise had clearly ridden up in the night for most of my back was exposed and I only realized how short my shorts truly were when I felt the cool breeze brush the very tops of my thighs. I squeezed my eyes shut tight at the thought of half of my bottom being on show to him but then I was determined not to be embarrassed, so I decided to remain exactly where I was but pushed myself up on my elbow which rested on his chest, so that I may look down at him.

I frowned momentarily confused when I saw his eyes were closed, long black lashes fanned out against his chalk white cheeks. His blood red lips were so inviting, they reminded me of ripened cherries, ready to be tasted. I gave in to my urge and leant forward, capturing his lower lip in mine I swiped my tongue across it, half expecting to be greeted with the taste of cherries.

"Good morning." I whispered against his mouth. "Why are your eyes closed?"

He opened them slowly and I was greeted with deep black pools gazing at me with content happiness. "Mm, I was merely enjoying the feel of you upon me my dear."

I was determined not to blush as his hand crept up my thigh to the crease which separated my bottom from my leg.

I smiled at him, but couldn't help notice his eyes again. My own eyes scoured his face, his strong jaw and nose, his perfect eyebrows and his widows peak where his jet black hair began and swept back and down his shoulders. "Heidi mentioned you didn't feed… Are you not hungry?"

He blinked once, slowly as he contemplated me carefully. "She did, did she? Do you have your own spy's keeping watch on me, little one?"

I smiled at him and turned my face to kiss the palm of his other hand, which had moved from my shoulder to my jaw. I was still steadfastly trying to ignore his other hand, where his fingers traced that crease softly, teasingly.

"She said it was because you didn't want to replace my taste with someone else's."

"Hm." His thumb traced my lower lip. "She is correct. Once tasting you Isabella I can admit that no other could ever satisfy me again." He leant forward and captured my mouth passionately, holding the back of my head with his hand as he plundered my mouth and I was unable to stop the moan that left me.

He tasted so damn perfect that I could imagine what he meant. I couldn't ever kiss another person, I realized. I would be forever disappointed after I had tasted his lips, the sweet euphoria they had to offer.

Once he released me, realizing that one of us had the unstoppable requirement of oxygen, I gulped in lungfuls of air.

Once I had regained my composure I raised my right hand between us and presented my wrist to him.

"I want you to drink from me, here." I pointed to the scar which had been left by James, the skin was cold to the touch. "I want you to replace this bad memory with one I can cherish, a mark I can be proud of."

To my surprise he didn't protest and again I was reminded of the stark differences between Edward and Aro. Aro knew what he wanted, he had merely waited for me to offer it I realized that once I had done so. He took my wrist in his cold but gentle touch and raised it to his mouth.

His lips which were already the color of blood, stretched in a smile before I felt his teeth against my skin, pushing against the scar tissue left by James and surprisingly I didn't feel afraid, I felt adored.

AN: You're all so wonderful with your reviews that I've stayed up almost till midnight completing this chapter for you! I'd love to wake up to more of them to read!