A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you everyone who has reviewed/faved/alerted! It really makes me happy that people are actually interesting in my story. It gives me a lot of motivation. Please do continue to read! Reading all the reviews makes my day, honestly. This is an interesting-ish chapter...
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter Eight
-VII-
Bella's short shallow breaths filled the dark chamber as her face was crushed against the Black Dragon's chest. He felt like cold stone…unyielding and of no compassion. She listened closely against his chest, trying to ignore her thundering heart, and attempted to see if her captor had a heart beat…if he even had a heart. Perhaps he was truly a demon, for surely he acted like one.
Abruptly, she felt him tug her hand while he backed away slowly, directing her in the darkened chamber. Bella was thankful that she was able to breathe properly now that she was free from the constricting embrace. Yet, her weak body had no choice, but to follow the dominant force. Her feet were tripping over themselves- not able to find any balance at her captor's compelling bearing. She followed submissively and blindly in the darkness, for the reason that she was afraid to disobey.
Bella heard the door handle click open and suddenly a flood of torch lit light scared the shadows away. Her eyes squinted in the light, trying to adapt to change of light. It seemed like it didn't faze her captor, as he swiftly dragged Bella into the hallway. He didn't speak a word, or bothered to glance behind at Bella while he strode briskly. He just heaved Bella's wrist behind him, like if she was a naughty child awaiting a punishment. Bella could only stare at his back, watching the torch light gleam against the black leather. At most, it eased Bella to be able to see her surroundings and her aggressive captor. She was able to study him better, because this was the truly the only time that she was able to see his full physique in sufficient lighting, despite it only being his backside. She had never seen his face.
Bella observed that he was quite tall, and that he had a muscular build, but not terribly so. A sheathed sword was attached to a belt around his waist. He wore a heavy raven-black shirt that fit comfortably around his frame. His pant legs were of black leather and he wore dark boots that came up just before his knee. She glanced up to the back of his head and saw his hair was auburn. He did look human to some end, but in the darkness, it was hard for Bella to tell the difference.
But now, she only concentrated on her surroundings, if she ever was to escape, she had to figure out how to get out- if there were any possible ways to leave this place. She made note of the hallways, the windows, and doors. Bella was so enwrapped trying to study her surroundings that she didn't know her captor had stopped, which resulted her to crash into him.
He froze up and didn't flinch a muscle. Bella was about to fall backwards, but was prevented to do so with The Black Dragon's firm grasp on her wrist. Her wrist felt bruised with the immovable grip digging in her flesh.
"Don't think you can ever find your way out, beloved," The Black Dragon warned forebodingly, still unmoving despite Bella's mishap, "Escaping shouldn't be present on your mind at all… never run away from me."
Bella swallowed hard at his words in skepticism. He knew what she was up to…how did he know? He didn't even look back at her…
Bella's heart felt like it was lodged in her throat, for the reason that suddenly, her captor spun around and stared vigorously at her. Bella could only gaze at his face. His face…was covered? Why? There was a black leather mask covering the upper portion of his face. It was certainly menacing, but what was he hiding? She recalled when she asked to see his face, but was refused, and also when he demanded her to wear the blindfold and not to look upon his face…who is this man? Bella had a gut feeling that there was more to this than meets the eye, but was lost in the confusing puzzle. She was just a common woman thrown into this strange and insecure predicament.
Bella couldn't tear away her gaze from her captor however. His eyes though…were intense and seemed to ensnare hers in a dangerous hold. It almost appeared like his eyes alone could trap her. They made her incapable to move and that scared Bella to death.
He took a step closer to Bella, which caused Bella to take a step back. He took another step, and she took another back. The next step had Bella up against the cold stone wall. Her captor fenced in Bella by placing both of his hands on the wall besides Bella's head. Bella couldn't move anywhere without coming into contact with him.
"Why can't you just succumb to me, woman!" The Black Dragon growled angrily, his face just inches from hers. Bella could feel his hot breath against her face.
Bella just avoided his stare and moved her head to the side, trying hard not to look into his eyes. She didn't know what to respond to his outlandish question. It was pretty obvious the reason. Firstly, the man taken her prisoner, claims that they are to be wedded, would murder others just because of her, and treats her like a plaything! Can't he see his mad behavior?
"Why…?" The Black Dragon snarled, seizing Bella's chin with his fingers, forcing her to face him, "Speak, damn it!"
"Do you want the truth?" Bella questioned looking into the Black Dragon's fierce eyes. She took a quick breath of air trying to gather up all her courage. She would be straightforward.
"It's because I hate you!" Bella spat into his face. That would certainly add kindle to his fire.
The Black Dragon didn't like that answer….not one bit. He swore underneath his breath and punched the wall with his fist.
"There is a thin line between hate and love…" The Black Dragon murmured wrathfully, moving his hand down to Bella's throat. His fingers trailed her throat lightly, causing chills to run up and down her spine. He then settled his fingers in a grasp around her neck, not choking her, but fit snuggly around her throat. He could feel her heartbeat from his hold. She was truly immovable from the wall now, but was struggling to breath. He inclined his head closer, as if wanting to hear her heartbeat; it fascinated him to her fluttering pulse.
Bella remained silent, not wanting her captor to get into another fit of anger and snap her neck. She knew those hands were capable of it.
"No matter…you belong to me, and me alone… you are my sacrifice," The Black Dragon whispered possessively, drawing his hand up to her cheek and stroking it softly with the back of his hand.
"I don't belong to you," Bella spoke through gritted teeth, now being able to catch her breath. Never would she be his, "I would rather die th-" Bella was cut off mid-sentence.
"Stop it!" The Black Dragon seethed in impatience.
What surprised and scared Bella was to feel his lips crash on to hers in an infuriated kiss. It was more of a dominant and controlling kiss wanting to possess her. The weird sensation shocked Bella and left her with a blank mind. She couldn't move.
Bella could then feel his hands taking a hold in her hair as he became more desperate, while he became more frantic for her. His fingers were roughly entwining with her locks of hair. He was panting heavily as he closed the space between their bodies, craving to be close to her. Bella gasped for air from his confining kiss, but the opportunity allowed his tongue to enter her mouth. Bella tried to cry out as his tongue explored her mouth. She had never been kissed before and this man had stolen her first kiss, damn him!
Bella was beginning to lose her senses and attempted to struggle against him, which only influenced him to hold her tighter and deepen his kiss. Bella moaned involuntarily, which made the Black Dragon pleased.
"Yes, give in to me. Your body is already obeying me…"The Black Dragon murmured into Bella's mouth.
Bella came to her senses hearing him say those words. Never would she allow him to have her, neither body or mind. He was a cold blooded lustful killer that deserved a slow and painful death! She was foolish to let down her defenses to be taken in by surprise. She had to stop this and she only did what she thought would release him from her.
She bit his tongue.
He growled as he broke the kiss and backed away from Bella.
"Damn you, viper!" The Black Dragon raged as he put his hand to his mouth.
Bella could taste his blood in her mouth, which made her gag. It made her sick to taste the metallic flavor.
"I was correct, you are indeed hungry," The Black Dragon snarled heatedly. He then spat out the blood from the wound in his mouth.
"Pardon me; my mistake," Bella responded mockingly, crossing her arms across her chest. She was trying to erase the recent event from her mind. She hated herself for not doing anything in the beginning. He just took her by surprise, that's all.
The Black Dragon chuckled dangerously. A rumble of thunder soon followed, which made his laugh all the more unnatural.
"You tempt me dangerously so," The Black Dragon smiled wryly, which made a cold tremor run down Bella's frame, "You are treading dangerous waters that are awfully rough and deep. Better not drown."
Bella was left wordless at those remarks, unsure how to interpret them. He continued his stride, hauling Bella behind him once more. He tightened his hold on her more possessively, which made Bella's bruised wrist ache further.
Bella just stared at The Black Dragon's stride- just watching his lengthy legs almost gliding across the stone floor. She concentrated on the sound of his footsteps echoing in the corridor and his sword hitting his belt. She was afraid to look anywhere else and wondered if she would ever leave this place alive. She placed her free hand up to her lips, still feeling the lingering taste of his mouth upon hers. Her lips were swollen.
Soon enough the Black Dragon stopped to open up a large pair of oak doors. Bella gaped in awe at the large dining room that opened before her eyes.
Volttera, Italy
A man clad in deep red robes was walking idly across marble floors. His crimson robes seemed unearthly as they fluttered behind him. It was almost as if he was gliding across the floor, as if the marble was made out of ice and he was simply sliding on it.
"What news have you brought me, Marcus?" The man questioned lamely as he heard footsteps following behind him. He knew who it was without having to turn his head around.
"I've heard rumors and accounts, Aros, from over in England," Marcus spoke, not even having to catch his breath.
"Is James not doing his job accurately? We can always pay him a visit if that's the case…" Aros spoke mildly interested.
"No, it's not that. He is continuing to carry out our commands like a faithful dog," Marcus smiled amusingly, "He's too frightened of us. We have the collar firmly tied around his neck, moving his head in the right direction…his tail in between his legs."
"As it should be," Aros sighed, "Then what is the matter?"
"They say the land is being pillaged by a black dragon," Marcus spoke intriguingly.
"A black dragon, eh?" Aros questioned, turning around now and glancing at Marcus.
"They say it's the curse of the old king since the black dragon was the family insignia," Marcus spoke begrudgingly.
"Interesting. I wonder who's conjuring up these old ghosts. Carlisle and his son died only eight years ago, along with his blood family, with the exception of his disowned nephew James. " Aros remarked with a placid expression.
"What do you believe it is all about?" Marcus questioned, "Who's trying to remind the people of the old king?"
"We will find out that's for certain. We can't have people becoming insecure and double guessing the current monarchy with a 'curse', if you will, of the previous one. We must establish stability to ensure our power," Aros stated in his eerily calm voice.
"I shall send out Demetri and Alec to disclose this situation," Marcus assured confidently.
"Hopefully this little spook will end swiftly," Aros whispered, "James is too much of a coward to do anything to stop the rumor of this black dragon. If one piece of our woven cloth of supremacy is frayed, it will gradually unravel the entire piece of cloth. We can't allow that to happen. We must mend what is frayed before other threads begin to loosen."
"I am of the same mind completely," Marcus confirmed.
Bella's breath left her as The Black Dragon abruptly forced her down into a dining chair. Her feet slipped out beneath her while she met the chair roughly. He was certainly no noble. His fingers lingered on Bella's shoulders and she was left to sit staring ahead at the large arrangement of dishes. The delicious aroma from the cooking caused Bella's stomach to rumble in reply.
Bella, forgetting all manners and etiquette, reached out to grab the nearest edible thing, but to be swiftly stopped by the Black Dragon. He snatched her wrist before she could even get close to an apple. Bella was wide-eyed in disbelief, a hollow feeling growing deeper in her stomach; her stomach was begging her to fill in the empty void.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," The Black Dragon sighed as he directed her hand away from the meal. Bella was too surprised to fight back against his grasp.
"I am quite hungry," Bella groaned, while she stared longingly at the hot food before her.
"I know," The Black Dragon said all too knowingly, as he grabbed the apple sitting in front of her, the same one she tried to reach out for. He then deliberately took a bite out of it.
Bella's mouth gaped open in frustration seeing him intentionally do that before her eyes. She could hear him scoffing it down, bite after bite.
"May I ask why I am not allowed to eat?" Bella inquired impatiently. Anger was beginning to boil in her blood.
"If only you will play a game with me first," The Black Dragon answered mischievously, throwing the core of the apple onto the table.
"What sort of game?" Bella inquired angrily. She watched the apple tumble around until it finally settled down.
The Black Dragon didn't answer, but immediately cleared the section of the table in front of Bella off. He used his arm to brush across it, sending plates to crash against each other and fall to the floor in a loud clang. Bella just watched in alarm what her captor was just doing. He pulled out a satin pouch and took out a deck of some sort of cards.
"I am also a magician of sorts," The Black Dragon worded deviously by Bella's ear.
"What are you doing?" Bella questioned hesitantly, trying to get a better look of the cards.
"Ah, just trivial entertainment" The Black Dragon whispered, "Let us see what the cards hold for you, my lady." He sat on top of the table, so he was staring right at Bella.
"Please don't," Bella pleaded nervously, "That's witchcraft!"
The Black Dragon laughed darkly and shrugged as he thumbed the cards. "It's just a simple amusement. They are only but tarot cards. It's nothing terrible…like other things."
Bella had the feeling that he took part in other magic and alchemy that were far darker than she could imagine. He was certainly had that sort of character.
The Black Dragon then set down the deck of tarot cards before Bella on the table.
"Concentrate. Shuffle the cards and then separate the deck into two halves," The Black Dragon instructed, grabbing Bella's hand and forcing them to touch the deck.
Bella sighed, desperate for food, but hesitantly and sloppily shuffled the deck and then proceeded to cut the deck.
The Black Dragon then intervened and took the cards into his hands.
He then dealt the cards face down on the table in almost a horse shoe like arrangement in front of Bella. There were seven cards total laid across the table. Bella noticed the back of the cards had an interesting Celtic design painted on them. It looked like serpents entwining around the corners of the card.
"What is this?" Bella questioned nervously scanning the cards.
"That is an ellipse spread. The first card to your left is your past." The Black Dragon spoke, tapping the card with his forefinger, "The Past is essentially vital to how you have come to where you stand today."
He then flipped the card over. The card was unmistakingly upside down. It had a circle, like a wheel, with weird letters etched upon it. There were weird creatures drawn around it- a sphinx was on top of it and there were winged creatures of a lion, cow, serpent and bird, and human. The roman numeral X was on top of the card.
"Hmm. The Wheel of Fortune is upside down for you," The Black Dragon noted crossly, "Which means you have had awful fortune and experienced hard times in your past. Without a doubt, you being chosen out of all the town folk as my sacrifice is quite fortunate." The Black Dragon smirked.
Bella stared at the card and could agree that her past was filled with bad fortune. She has had horrible experiences in the past, not to mention the whole misfortune of her ending up as The Black Dragon's sacrifice. That was certainly not fortunate.
The Black Dragon stared curiously at Bella, trying to read her face. He then continued on to the next card.
"This next card now is the Present. It's what is influencing you this very moment," The Black Dragon murmured as he flipped the card right side up.
The card had a pair of nine swords. It was a lot less intricate then the previous card Bella observed.
"Nine of swords…Lord of Cruelty," The Black Dragon growled as he stared at the card. He ignored the card, keeping the information to himself, and continued on. Bella had a gut feeling it had to concern with her captor's cruelty. She didn't bother asking what the card meant, afraid if she would stir his temper. But had an idea for herself what it could mean.
"This is what is helping to what is yet to come," The Black Dragon muttered under his breath, still displeased, as he continued on to turning the next card over.
The drawing on the card was of six interesting looking wands. The Black Dragon eyed this card curiously.
"Six of Wands…Lord of Victory. Its meaning is fighting for some sort of victory, an aspiration, a need, but it doesn't come easily- there is always the fight," The Black Dragon commented as he thought to himself annoyingly, "I wonder what you are fighting for?" He noted dryly, knowing full well what the answer was. An aggravating air came over him, just thinking about it.
"This is what you should do in your current situation," The Black Dragon spoke dangerously, eyeing Bella.
The upturned card revealed a full moon with the roman numerals XVIII.
"The Moon," The Black Dragon studied, "An attraction for the unknown…The moon has an interesting rhythm in life- how it waxes and wanes. It's more or less a voyage discovering the inner self. If you dare to realize yourself, you'll unlock key secrets."
"Why are you speaking in riddles?" Bella asked confused not knowing how to interpret what her captor was muttering under his breath.
"It's all interpretative. It's up to you what it means," The Black Dragon snapped in annoyance and continued on, "This card is of external influences." He pointed to the next card.
He turned over the card and a crooked smile formed on his lips. The card held a knight type figure on a horse carrying a cup.
"The Knight of Cups…the Lord of Waves and Water," The Black Dragon smirked, "A contradiction. It typically means a person having an influence over you; however it may mean a change in mood. Though, without a doubt, he is a very passionate knight." His eyes seemed to burn Bella, "It may mean he's falling in love and a proposal is on its way."
Bella blushed furiously, ignoring his comment. The Black Dragon laughed darkly and continued on to the next card.
"This next card holds your hopes and fears," The Black Dragon stated, flipping the card over.
The card had only a chalice drawn on its surface. The Black Dragon had another coy expression etched on his face.
"Are you afraid of falling in love, Isabella, or are you hoping to do so?" The Black Dragon mouthed as he stared into Bella's eyes, trying to search her soul. "The card symbolizes a beginning of a loving relationship, or even conception. Our deepest desires come to the surface and are pursued. Which is it then?"
Bella choked on air and was left dumbstruck not knowing what these cards have spoken for her. Her face turned another shade of red. She certainly would like to fall in love one day, but certainly not with the Black Dragon. It was unthinkable.
The Black Dragon was amused watching the battle rage within Bella trying to argue with herself.
"And lastly, the outcome," The Black Dragon spoke quietly.
The Black Dragon turned the card over, but before Bella could see it, he quickly snatched it away. He crumpled the card in his fist and held it a moment, but as if it was burning away in his palm. He swiftly threw it across the room in a fit of rage. He stood there a moment, his temper on a dangerous edge.
Then he snapped.
In his anger, he stormed around the dining table, upturning the chairs around it. It was like he was in a childish tantrum. Bella gripped the table securely, her fingers digging into the wood, as if it would protect her. She watched with frightened eyes at the whole scene unfolding before her.
"Wench, take Isabella up to her chamber, NOW!" The Black Dragon roared to wherever the maid was waiting. He swiftly walked out of the dinning hall, slamming the heavy oak doors behind him. Bella jumped in her seat from the doors banging shut.
Bella was left speechless. Her heart was beating rapidly out of panic. What on God's earth made him act out in such an angry fit?
Bella quickly got up from her seat, picked up her skirts, and ran to the other side of the room, searching where the card was thrown.
She found the crushed card, only inches away from the open hearth. The flames seemed to be begging to devour the card almost. She knelt down and picked it up hesitantly.
She un-crumpled it and the image discerned to be a skeleton holding a scythe with the Roman numerals XIII.
It was death.
A/N: Just so ya know. Death doesn't always mean death. There are other meanings for it like change/transformation/rebirth. Where as, it being reversed/upside down it could mean someone being unyielding/something bad is going to happen...but Bella doesn't know that. She just thinks it means physical death. so, more then likely it's upside down. But remember, the Volutri is coming to pay a visit. So... what does it all mean? lol just a little thought. Reviews always welcome! Please continue to read :D