Disclaimer- All recognizable characters belong to Mrs. Stephenie Meyer, whereas all new characters belong to me.
Chapter 7- Overcome the temptation
I looked out the window, lush green trees whizzed past. We'd just gotten off the plane and into the car that was now taking us into Venice. It was beautiful; Italy never ceased to amaze me. The elegance and beauty was marvelous to see every day. I longed to jump out of the car and just lounge in the tall grass, the sun beating down on me. I just wanted some time to relax. I wanted time to slow just a bit, to stop being so damned fast-paced. I sighed and turned my head forward. The driver was an old man, I'd guess around sixty. His hair was a pepper gray and his eyes were a storm blue. He must have been quite a looker in his day. I smiled and imagined it. Maybe he'd been a soldier, fighting for her fiancée back home. 'Noleen you have way-y-y too much time on your hands.' I scolded myself mentally.
" We'll be there in fifteen minutes." He informed us, his voice soft but strong. I nodded my head and tried to stop the tense-ness that had taken over my muscles. It was like I was prepared for a fight every second of every day. I was sure I slept with one eye open if I happened to fall asleep.
" Evangelo," I murmured. " Nice name."
" Yeah, I guess he was supposed to be a Volturi member. But he declined." Ash told me, her eyes on the file. I grabbed it out of her hands and snapped it shut. " Hey," she exclaimed. " I was reading that."
" Yeah, for the what? Twentieth time? Give it a rest. I'm sure if I asked you something that was in this file, you would know it instantly." I replied. She rolled her eyes and smacked Mike when she heard him snickering. He held up his hands in surrender, but winked at me over her head. I bit back my chuckle and then, did something completely reckless. I ripped up the file into tiny bits, and chucked them out the window. Ash's mouth gaped open and she let out a scream.
" What did you do that for!" She yelled, punching my arm.
" You don't need it! Ever since you've gotten your job you've become more. . . Professional. You never read a file for a job before! You just got the information you needed and that was that! Chill Ashley!" Her eyes narrowed and she hit me again.
" It's Ash," she mumbled underneath her breath. Mike put his arm around her and brought her close to him.
" She's right babe," he whispered. " You need to relax." I smiled and laid my head against the seat. My work was done. I did what he couldn't, and in return he would calm her down from her crazy hysterics. That's usually how it worked. I was used to it. Exactly fifteen minutes later we pulled into the long, winding driveway. The villa loomed before us, it's red brick shining in the sun. I grinned and didn't wait for a complete stop to jump out of the car. I thanked the driver quickly and gave him a nice tip, then I ran up to the doorway. This place looked like a nice getaway from Volterra. It was peaceful, and the only villa around for a couple miles. All by itself. . . I knocked on the door, rolling onto the heels of my foot and back. The door swung open, and who I assumed was Evangelo, grinned at me.
" You must be Isabella," he said, drawing me into a tight hug. " Welcome to my villa! Come in, come in!" I walked inside and gasped. It was beautiful. The best part was, it was comfortable. There weren't many things I could break here, unlike in Volterra. There was a cabinet in the dining room with some good china inside, they were some of the only breakable things I could see so far. I heard Evangelo greet Ash and Mike, but I was already making my way towards the kitchen. The walls were a light brown, and the floor was white tile. A cook was hovering over a stove, the smell of lasagna lingered over to me. I furrowed my eyebrows and tilted my head slightly. Human food? How strange. Maybe Evangelo was in denial.
" Hello." A voice said suddenly. I whirled around and inspected the woman. She was wearing a light yellow dress, her light brown hair hung to her shoulders. A warm smile illuminated her face. I sniffed and then became even more confused. She was human. She laughed lightly and nodded her head. " Yes, I am a human. I'm-" A hand suddenly wrapped around the middle of her and nuzzled closely. Evangelo's white teeth sparkled in the sun from the window.
" She's my wife," he finished for her. Only then did I notice the rock on her ring finger, and oh what a rock it was. Strange, but things couldn't get much stranger than a human married to a vampire.
" Oh, I see." I replied simply. " Umm, wouldn't it be easier if she was. . . Well to be blunt, if she was a vampire?" Evangelo laughed, the sound filled the kitchen.
" But of course it would," he responded simply. I licked my lips and let out a small 'hmm'. Ash and Mike were behind the happy couple, equally as confused as I.
" Then, why don't you change her?" I questioned him. She put her hand on her stomach and looked at Evangelo.
" I'm pregnant. He can't change me yet," she said. Clearly, I spoke too soon. Things could get stranger, and did.
" That's impossible!" Ash chuckled from behind, her laughter not as deep as Evangelo's. He rose an eyebrow and turned to her.
" It's impossible for her to be married?" He asked. She shook her head, still laughing wildly.
" Yeah! You're dead! Your little floaters do not reproduce anymore. I mean, this has to be some kind of joke!" I agreed. Maybe Aro set them up too it, it would be quite like him. He was quite the jokester. Even when he was the only one who thought the joke was funny most of the time. Eh, gotta love him. While Ash was laughing and Mike was holding his back, I concentrated on the woman's stomach. It was faint, but it was there.
" No. . . She's not lying. She's pregnant. I'd say. . . Two months?" She nodded her head, a smile on her face. " I'm sorry, but what is your name?"
" Eliza. And you must be Isabella."
" I am. Well. . . This makes absolutely no sense. I mean, congrats on being pregnant. But it definitely is not Evangelo's child." Evangelo smiled and whispered something in Eliza's ear. Then the cook led her out of the kitchen. Something was definitely up, but I couldn't tell what.
" Please. . . Follow me." Evangelo turned and started to walk. Well, it looked more like a glide with him. His long black hair flowed, his pale skin looked odd yet also beautiful in the colorful home. I glanced at Ash and Mike and shrugged my shoulders. They did the same and then we started to follow him. He led us through a dark brown corridor, into a dark red library. It was almost as big as the one at Volterra, but not quite. Books lined the shelves and a long carpet laid upon the hardwood floor. He sat on a couch and waved his hand around the room, silently telling us to make ourselves comfortable. Ash and Mike quickly sat down in the two other seats in the room, leaving me to sit on the couch with Evangelo. I growled quietly, I was still wary of him. I politely sat down and looked at him.
" So. . . " I began, waiting for him to unravel the mystery for us. He laughed and swung his arm around the couch, his hair falling limply around his shoulders.
" I've known Eliza since she was a child. There was always something. . . Different about her. Something that I never saw in a child before. It interested me, so I followed her throughout the years. Soon I learned that she had seen her mother being raped and murdered when she was a young girl. It scarred her, which is understandable. She fell into a deep post traumatic stress disorder and never really snapped out of it," he began, his eyes on mine strongly.
" So she's crazy." Ash stated. Mike swatted at her hand but she pulled it away before he reached it.
" No she isn't crazy. But she is unable to care for a child by herself. She sometimes goes into these trances and it is very difficult to get her out of them. So-"
" So you married the little girl you were so fond of." I finished for him. He bent his head once for confirmation. " Are you actually going to change her? Mentally ill people make for pretty bad vampires." I told him.
" Your friend Alice came out alright." I raised an eyebrow and stood.
" How did you know that Evangelo?" That was the wrong thing to say to me. Such a wrong thing to say to me. I mean, I didn't trust him before. I sure as hell was not going to trust him now!
" Settle down Bella, Aro told me briefly of you and your family," he waved his hand and motioned for me to sit down. I did, but I kept my distance from him. Something wasn't right.
" Remember to whom you speak Evangelo. You may be older, but with my status that does not matter." I could tell by his facial expression that I had just hit him with an invisible knife. " You had your chance." May as well stick it in a little deeper.
" That I did," he replied calmly. But I could see the slight anger burning in his eyes. I liked it. " Now, about your vampire. I would check a local underground club. Some of our kind hunt there." He leaned forward and scribbled the name down on a piece of paper. I pocketed it and stood back up.
" Do we have rooms?" I asked. He nodded his head and stood, not quite so graceful. Maybe I had knocked him down more pedestals than I thought. Huh. I never know my own verbal strength. We headed up a small flight of stairs, coming to another long hallway. There were at least seven rooms down the hallway, four on one side and three on the other. Another flight of stairs was at the end of the hallway. I assumed it was to the attic. Hmm, that stuck me as interesting. Maybe I would just happen to go up there and just happen to see a box opened that revealed some of Evangelo's personal papers. I smiled and had to ask him again which room was mine because I hadn't heard him the first time. He told me the first door on the right and then said if we needed him to let a maid now. Then he was gone. I opened my door and glanced inside. The walls were a light blue, why was nothing ever the same color in this house?
" He sure is an odd duck." Mike muttered, following Ash into their room. I chuckled and closed my door, sitting down on the bed. It was comfortable, a canopy was wound against the posts. It matched the walls color wise. There was a tan colored dresser on one corner, and I had my own bathroom. Nice. Not that I used them but to shower. My bag was already on the side of the bed, waiting for me. I picked it up and inspected the contents inside. I hadn't even really paid attention to what I'd thrown inside. Hopefully there was a club worthy outfit inside.
Decked out in leather pants and a blue tank top, complete with my leather jacket, I stepped out of the car. Ash and Mike followed. We looked so bad ass. He was wearing a black shirt and black jeans, a black coat completed his outfit. Ash was in bright red leather pants and a white tank, she was without a jacket. We could hear the music thrumming up from the concrete. A bouncer stood in front of the doors that led to the club, trying to look tough. I smirked and picked myself throwing him. It would be so easy it was sad. I walked up and looked into his eyes.
" You got a pass?" He asked me gruffly. I smiled sweetly and tossed my hair over my shoulder.
" Do I really need one?" I asked back. His eyes glazed over, dazzling people was fun, and shook his head no.
" Nah, go on in pretty lady." He replied with a grin. I pinched his cheek and laughed. Ash and Mike stepped inside after, then we walked down the flight of stairs that led to the club. We jumped down the last couple. People were everywhere, the scent of rich blood overflowed my senses. I smiled and felt my eyes darken. I made my way through the crowd to the bar. I leaned against the concrete and ordered a martini with a smile.
" Why bother?" Ash rolled her eyes and grabbed Mike's hands, dragging him to the dance floor. " Let's dance lover boy!" She giggled, throwing her arms around his neck. It was my turn to roll my eyes and I gladly took my drink from the bartender. I sipped it, the alcohol burning my throat. This was going to hurt coming up. I watched the people, looking for anyone suspicious. I could see two vampires in the corner, their eyes black. They were hunting. I growled, making my way towards them. Maybe they would know something, and it would stop them from mauling some poor girl. Or at least stall them. I was against them in a matter of seconds. They stared at me, trying to figure out if they had seen me before.
" I doubt you have." I told them, their eyebrows arched and one smirked.
" Never seen you around beautiful." He went to put a hand on my cheek but I shot mine up first, grabbing his. I clenched it tightly and swung it around to his back. Then I slammed him up against the concrete wall; I'd left that foul drink at the bar. I laughed and glanced at the other vampire. He held his hands up and backed away a few steps.
" Good choice." I told him with a wink. I leaned against the man I had pinned, my lips by his ear. " Have you ever heard of the Volturi?" I asked him. He scoffed and tried to look at me. I slammed him back against the wall, earning a groan from him.
" Of course I have. Why?"
" Ever heard of the new member?"
" Some broad named Isabella. Why?" Again he tried to look at me. I put my hand on his head and held it on the wall.
" Well, that broad has a couple questions for you two lads." I finally let go of him. He faced me, his hand on his head. He was about to say something when I held up my hand. " Yes, I'm her. Now, is there a place we can talk?" I watched as he lowered his head in respect, the other did the same thing.
" Lady Isabella, I'm so sorry." The man said, his head still lowered. I put my hand on his chin and jerked his head up.
" Yes yes, that's all good. But I need to talk about a vampire. Whoever it is has been hunting on their own, possibly leaving the corpses out in plain sight. It's a problem that's been brought to our attention. Any bells ringing?" I questioned. He nodded his head and pointed out to the dance floor.
" Her." He said simply. I turned to look, my eyes falling on a woman with jet black hair trying to dance with Mike. I groaned mentally and bit my lip. " She's been bragging about her kills. Some have tried to stop her but-"
" Thank you. Appreciate it." I cut him off and made my way through the people. The temptation was threatening to overcome me. Some smelled so good. I bit back my desire and tried to cut through the mess of bodies. Ash was going to kill her before we even had a chance to question her for anything. 'Damn, why won't these people move!' I exclaimed silently. Then it happened, the girl went flying through the crowd and onto the stage where the band was playing. Ash had a feral look in her eyes. Oh this was not good. Not good at all.
A/N: Woah, long chapter! Woot. Haha. Hope you guys liked it!! Review and let me know what you thought about it, and let me know if you have any questions. Sorry it took me a couple days. Brief writer's block. Anyways, hopefully this was worth the wait!
Until next time,
Faith