Behold the power of reviews - a new chapter only 2 days later! I won't always be able to do this, but ta-daa! Plus, Happy Birthday to my sister, MAM!
I do believe I am hopeless when it comes to tenses, apologies in advance.
Warning: somewhat gruesome content and descriptions of violence.
Chapter 6
Caius POV
"You fell victim to one of the classic blunders—the most famous of which is, "Never get involved in a land war in Asia"—but only slightly less well-known is this: "Never go against a Sicilian when death is on the line"! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha…[thunk]..." Jane's voice rings out into the room as she reads, with great gusto, to Isabella whose body is shaking with silent laughter, a brilliant smile lighting her face. Jane held her composure only a half moment longer before giving voice to her own mirth.
"And what great work of literature has elicited such effusions?" I questioned, approaching the young ladies. Witnessing such jollity has already gone a long way toward ridding me of my anger and disappointment with my brothers wishes to spare the Cullens. I do hope Isabella is accepting of the decision we have reached. If not, I can always appeal for reconsideration.
A carefree smile lit Jane's face, the likes of which I have never seen, as she explained that the drivel they are reading is called The Princess Bride. If Isabella likes it so much I suppose I could subject myself to it as well.
I looked about the library as Jane took her leave. I have always thought it a magnificent room, dominated by massive bookshelves - softened somewhat by the cream colored carpeting and furnishings throughout the space. I was notified earlier, by Demitri, that the girls have spent practically all afternoon here.
During our short conversation, he brought up a matter that I feel will need to be discussed with my brothers. He says all the vampires of the guard he has spoken with today, as well as himself, have been feeling...off. They all seem to be experiencing some small measure of - longing perhaps? - to be around Isabella. I immediately inquired if they were drawn to her in a predatory sense, but Demitri assured me that it was in no way connected to the desire to feed. He had trouble finding words to describe the sensation. Apparently, he was driven to be sure that Isabella was safe, before the anxiety began to lessen. I don't know what to make of this development, and I'm not sure I like it. But first, I have a matter to discuss with the only human to ever capture my attention.
I look to her now, sitting upon one of the few window seats throughout the room, watching the sunset over the great hills in the distance. The waning light is playing upon her hair, catching hues of the deepest red and gold causing them to glisten in her rich brown hair. Her skin, though always lovely, is practically glowing in this dim light that separates brightest day from darkest night. As I sit down, near enough to converse intimately with her, I discover that I have forgotten everything I had planned to say. Her deep, gentle eyes are boring into mine, and I swear if she were to ask me for anything in this moment I would move heaven and earth to grant her request.
My shining angel, what have you done to me?
I don't know what she saw on my face, but my silence clearly began to worry her. With questioning brows and gracefully moving hands she drew me from my reverie.
'Has something bad happened?' She questioned.
"No indeed," I choked out. "I was merely lost in thought. I'm sorry to have worried you."
'Has a decision been made about the Cullens?' She signed next.
"It has. In my opinion they are getting off far too easy, but my brothers wish to spare them. Indeed, I suppose it would be somewhat hypocritical to end them over a human that I..."
I quickly snapped my mouth shut. This girl scrambles my brain! Focus, Caius.
"They have not been formally sentenced yet, but Carlisle and Jasper have been notified that none of the lives of their family will be lost due to their actions."
'That is kind of you.'
"Make no mistake, they will still face punishment. We cannot be perceived as weak by those who would seek to challenge our authority. I hope you can understand our reasoning."
'Yes, I do," She replied. "But I can't help but feel that this is all my fault, that I brought this all on them. So many things are my fault.'
"Bella," I spoke without thinking as I placed my hand on her soft, warm cheek. Lifting her downturned face gently, I caught her turmoil ridden eyes. "I don't know what number of burdens you carry on those petite shoulders of yours, but I can tell you, with no doubt in my mind, that you are in no way at fault for your association with the Cullens. Aro saw very clearly the pull your blood had - has over Carlisle's youngest son. That boy would have followed you to the ends of the earth. I promise angel. You could not have stopped him from perusing you."
I pulled her into my embrace as the first tears fell from her eyes, and it was the sweetest torture I have ever endured, Heaven and Hell all mixed up into one life changing experience. Her hot tears burned my neck as they hit, before rolling downward and collecting in the fabric of my shirt - her sadness searing me in a way that physical injuries fail to emulate. The scent of her hair and skin is filling my senses and fogging my brain. I have never, in all my years, felt so strong and so incredibly weak all at the same time. My heart aches from her sadness, yet rejoices in her nearness. Deep in my being a satisfaction flares to life - the likes of which I have never known. No hunt, no battle has ever engendered this feeling of accomplishment achieved by the mere act of holding this mortal woman's body close to mine in an attempt to comfort her. The realization is frankly quite terrifying.
Minutes later, as her tears subsided, I plucked up my courage and began to speak, still holding her securely.
"I sought you out this evening mio angelo," I whispered into her hair, "not to distress you, though that is what I have done. My purpose was to ask you, to inquire if..."
Yet again my words failed me. So much for an eloquent speech.
"Isabella, I want to be close to you, that is to say, I request permission to get to know you on a more personal level. I have already witnessed your bravery and selflessness first hand. I could have killed you so easily in the cave. My wounds needed more blood than your body holds to fully heal - and with your previous knowledge of vampires, I'm sure you were well aware of that fact. Yet, you still made the sacrifice. I have also witnessed your caring nature. The vampires of your past are practically innocent kittens compared to the Volturi vampires, and yet here you have one the world's most feared - giggling like a schoolgirl. You show an acceptance of our baser nature that I was unaware a human could possess. I know you suffered under a misapprehension due to lack of explication earlier in your stay, so I would like to leave no room for error. I am interested in courting you Isabella, if you will accept me as your suitor. It is true that we have known one another only a short time, but I am earnestly desirous of attempting to win your affections."
When my bumbling ramble finally reached its conclusion she leaned slightly away, but did not remove herself from my embrace. If my heart were capable of beating I believe it would be racing as fast as Isabella's currently beats. She searched my face for incalculable moments - looking for what I know not. My chest clenched most painfully when her eyes trailed down to land upon my mouth. Only half a breath later she began to move, torturously slow, closing the gap between us two. A puff of her moist breath caressed my lips just before they were pressed, fully and earnestly, by her own warm full lips. This perfect first kiss lasted only a moment, but my life as I know it is over. In this moment I am born anew, and I am made only for her.
oooooooooooo
"And how is our dear one this evening, brother?" Aro asked with an inane smirk plastered across his all-knowing face.
"You know very well how she is. I have already made contact with your blasted thought-siphoning hand, have I not? You also know that I wish to discuss the information I received from Demitri about the affliction of our guard." I am most assuredly not willing to rehash the events of the library, the lovely walk Isabella and I shared when I escorted her back to her chambers, nor what I felt when she allowed me to kiss her once more, as I wished her good night.
"Demitri. Alec. Felix." Aro called, his voice only minutely raised from the level at which we were conversing.
Within moments the three appeared.
"Please share with Aro what we spoke of earlier, Demitri." I requested.
As he read Demitri, a speculative look began to form on Aro's ancient face.
"And you, Alec." He shifted his attention to the next vampire and began to glean what information he could from this new source.
"Interesting, very interesting. You have had a similar experience as well, Felix?" Aro asked, turning to the last of the assembled guards.
A brief touch later, and Aro had observed the phenomenon from all three vampire's perspectives.
"That will be all, thank you." I dismissed them, eager to continue our discussion. "What do you make of it Aro, Marcus? Have you ever heard of such an occurrence?"
"I have indeed witnessed a similar spreading of communal emotion, though it was presented in the form of happiness." Aro spoke warily.
At his words my eyes snapped to Marcus, who had been sitting silently, staring into the flames dancing wildly in the fireplace.
"Yes indeed," he whispered. "I have seen the similarity myself."
"I'm so sorry Marcus," I said, internally cringing. "I wasn't thinking. I had other matters on my mind. If you wish, Aro and I can speak of it another time."
"No. I am well, but thank you for your concern. It seems Isabella inspires devotion and protectiveness as involuntarily as Didyme promoted happiness in those around her."
"If she is capable of so much as a human, just imagine what she will do as a vampire." Aro speculated.
"You believe she will choose to be changed?" I asked my nerves on edge as I awaited his reply.
"Oh, brother Caius, I forgot to tell you! Thanks to a short chat early this evening with dear Jane, I have what you might call 'the inside scoop' to Miss Isabella's opinion of her own immortality. How could it ever have slipped my mind?"
Dramatic bastard.
"And what might that opinion be, brother?" I ground out, trying desperately to keep my temper - knowing full well he is only doing this to wind me up.
"Well, it seems her biggest hang-up is the fear of being alone, with no one around to love her as she wishes to be loved."
The moment Aro made his pronouncement, Marcus snorted. It is a sound I am positive I have never heard him emit in these multiple millennia we have been family.
"Something amuses you?" I asked him, unable to keep a half smile off my face.
"Judging by the change I am currently witnessing within your very heart, I know Miss Isabella will seldom be alone again. I have no doubt she will also be the recipient of as much love an affection as she can handle." He responded, smirking slyly in my direction.
Just who is this vampire, and what has he done with Marcus?
"Am I correct then, in assuming that she is my mate? I have never felt emotions of this magnitude. It was not even this intense until she kissed me."
At this Marcus raised an eyebrow and cut a glance in Aro's direction. Aro winked at him and smirked knowingly at me. Infuriating individuals!
Unbidden, a growl began rumbling in my chest. I have never been in such a position, so unsure and vulnerable. I don't like it. I don't like it at all.
"Peace brother," Aro spoke soothingly. "I apologize. We are just so happy for you. I suspected the moment you deposited her in my arms - to have her taken to the hospital. There must have been some level of awareness, already deep within you. For intriguing or no, if you had not recognized her as your mate on some level, she would be but a corpse, rotting in that cave."
Then it was apparently Marcus' turn to add his wisdom to the mix.
"Remember however Caius, we do not know to what extent or intensity her feelings may develop while she is human. The strength of the bonds she can maintain is not in question, but her human brain and past experiences may be a hindrance. For us, one day or a thousand matters little. Our temporal perception is quite different. She may need time for her mind to work through what she is most likely already feeling, and adapt it to an acceptable pace for a human relationship. Do not rush her. If she becomes an immortal the point is moot. But until then, you will need to tread lightly. She has been deceived by one our kind into believing she was his mate and he left her. She may not believe in the permanence of the devotion you offer her for quite some time."
"I have waited many lifetimes for her." I responded, feeling much more calm than I had been only moments before. "I am satisfied merely having her near. So, set your mind at ease. She will have as much time as she requires."
oooooooooooo
Jasper POV
"I love you too. See you soon."
"We will at least keep our lives then." Carlile sighed after I ended my call to Alice.
"It looks that way." I told him. "But they won't be letting us off scott-free either, I can guarantee you that."
He looked to be contemplating the possibilities before changing the subject slightly. "Does Alice see any issues with tying everything up within the two month time frame the Volturi set?"
I know he is concerned about leaving his fellow doctors in a bind, not to mention the fate of the family in general. Having spent so many years with Maria, I can think of quite a few ways they could punish us that would leave us begging for death, but I don't think the Volturi's plans lean toward the sadistic. There is a sickly twist to the emotions of the truly evil, and despite rumors to the contrary, the Volturi seem to be lacking that distinctive emotional mark. I'm positive Caius would be a force of nature in battle, wild and terrible - but even he does not strike me as the type to maim and torture for the mere pleasure of doing so.
"Alice says there should be no issues getting everyone here within the given time frame. Emmett and Rosalie will arrive first, they are leaving on a 'honeymoon' after their 'elopement'. Alice's visions show Esme finding a buyer for the house within approximately six weeks and then she and Edward will join us."
"How is Edward?"
"Well Carlisle, I won't lie to you. He hasn't spoken to anyone since he found out Bella is here with the Volturi." We will need to keep a close eye on him. I'm not sure his elevator goes all the way to the top these days - if it ever really did. He could be a danger to both Bella and himself.
I gasped as a sudden crippling terror washed over me. Carlisle shouted, trying to understand the cause of my discomfort. I was unable to respond at the moment, but I immediately recognized the personal tenor of the emotion.
Bella.
oooooooooooo
Caius POV
Aro, Marcus and I stood in a long glass corridor, windows forming the walls and ceiling, waiting to watch the sunrise over Volterra. We felt the symbolism was worth observing, the dawning of a new era for us all.
We are adding to our number. Isabella had agreed to stay indefinitely. She is beloved already by us kings, esteemed and instinctively protected by the guard, and one day will most likely be the most powerful queen ever known to the vampire world. I personally await the day she is ready to start our future together.
It could possibly be the new-found sentimentality getting to me, but I notice I am quickly developing a gnawing discomfort in my chest. I raise my hand, as if to rub away the sensation - an odd gesture for an immortal - and in doing so draw my brothers' attention.
"What is it?" They asked almost simultaneously, just before pain racked my body - a cry for help, my mind supplies.
"Bella" I rasped before sprinting to her room, my brothers following closely behind.
I burst through the doors to find her unnaturally pale and perspiring, limbs thrashing from unknown provocations. I was in the process of reaching out to her, wanting to wake her from her torment, when Cullen and his boy entered the room. My reaction to seeing that heavily scarred and dangerous vampire so close to my newly acknowledged and vulnerable mate was instantaneous.
A low, threatening growl reverberated deep within me. I knew I could not let this vampire near her. She must be protected. Through my rage the faces in the room blurred away, and all I could see were the bodies of my adversaries advancing.
The scarred one spoke lowly to the others. "We need to back away. Right. Now."
"But he could hurt her in this state." The other blonde countered. The two others were already moving away.
"No, trust me Carlisle. Everything will be fine if we give him space." The scarred one insisted.
He and the whiny blonde backed slowly out of the room, until the scarred one alone was visible in the corridor. He then began speaking to me.
"Caius, we only came to help." The dangerous vampire had taken a position sitting on the stone floor with his back leaning against the wall. "I felt her fear Caius, and I know you want her to feel better too. Look at her. She needs you. There is no danger here, you are among your friends and family."
An odd sensation, that I should trust his words, began worming its way into my consciousness. Rational thought began to reassert itself and I once more turned to Isabella.
oooooooooooo
Bella POV
Blood. So much blood. It's dripping from the ceiling and seeping between the floorboards. The smell causes my stomach to instantly revolt, mixing its contents with the massive amount of fluid and pieces of flesh and organs littering the floor. "No!" I choked past another bout of nausea. "No! Dad..." I had never spared much thought for calling him anything other than Charlie, but seeing his mangled remains, littering the kitchen and part of the living room of our house, the only thoughts that came to mind are that I've lost my daddy, and I don't know if he knew how much I loved him or how much I appreciated his unobtrusive brand of support through my depression. I stayed there, mere feet from the bulk of his body, shaking violently on my hands and knees - fighting desperately to maintain consciousness...
A crumpled letter, read so many times it resembles tissue. It describes the tortures my mother and Phil endured before they drew their last breaths. Removed nails, broken bones, flayed skin and burning limbs were only a few things that bitch Victoria chose to do to them. She generously included pictures to help me get the full impact...
More images, Colin and Brady's heads - mounted on poles in the Black's back yard. Emily's eyes, frozen open in death - her hands clasped to her swollen belly in a fruitless attempt to protect her unborn child. That child, maliciously torn from her body and tossed carelessly onto Sam's front porch...
Demon eyes, red with gratuitous death.
A wreath of flaming hair fanning behind her as she gracefully leaps.
Pain. So much pain, when her hand connects...
"Isabella"
"Isabella"
That voice, so familiar and soothing vibrating against my ear, plus a cool hand running soothingly up and down the length of my left arm, drew me away from the gore and pain and terror. I awoke to find myself completely enveloped in Caius' embrace. Tremors still racked my body and tears ran unchecked. A distant voice asked, "May I help her?"
"Angel," Caius spoke softly. "Jasper would like to ease your discomfort. Will you allow him to assist you?"
I nodded my assent and reveled in the manufactured calm that flooded my being.
oooooooooooo
AN: Yes, I borrowed the first few lines from The Princess Bride. I have no clue if the book follows the movie word for word, but I'm pretending that it does. If you've never seen it - watch it!