**This story has been nominated for The Non-Cannon Awards!**
Thank you, by the way, to the lovely reader or readers who nominated me!
Voting is open through April 9, in case any of you are interested in doing so at:
thenon-canonawards . blogspot . com (don't forget to remove spaces) My Angel is on Voting page 4 - the Volturi and Nomad section for best Caius/Bella
I could apologize about the updating delay, but I'm sure you've heard all the excuses before...so ON with the show!
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CAIUS
The two newcomers crossed through a narrow opening in one of the many low decorative hedges defining the garden's pathways. Opposites in almost every way, they did not at first glance seem particularly suited for one another. The male was tall, with a tight cropping of dark curly hair and an excessively brawny frame. The happy, albeit absent look on his face made it abundantly clear that his brain was not amongst the muscles this vampire often exercised. He was also not bothered in the slightest by the murderous glare I had trained upon him. Following a half step behind came a svelte female, her lover's contrast in almost every discernible way. She possessed long luminous blond locks, a haughty demeanor, and her handsome features loudly telegraphed disdain for her current task. She appeared most thoroughly underwhelmed at seeing Isabella while her partner, puppyish to the extreme, bounced energetically along, practically vibrating with excitement. How disgusting. Beside me, Isabella's tension was palpable, humming in the air between us, seeping into my arms - nestled as they were about her waist - though her face showed no great change of emotion.
Having expected them to adhere to at least the most basic of social niceties by making civilized introductions, I was woefully and inexcusably unprepared when the oaf charged right up, rudely invading our personal space. It can only be assumed that the fool is either deaf or preposterously ignorant, for neither the blatant warning rumbling within my chest, nor the sudden and visibly rigid stance adopted by Isabella influenced the way he chose to address her.
"Hey there Bellsy! Lookin' good! We've sure missed you girl!" The oaf leaned forward, sharing what he must have believed to be a conspiratorial wink. "I couldn't believe it when I heard you're shacking up with the Volturi these days! When you rub elbows with the supernatural you really go all the way don't ya girl? You're turning into a regular vampire fangirl!" He ended, waggling his eyebrows.
I barely registered the look of shock on the blonde female's face or the sharply indrawn breath beside me before I snapped. In that one instant it was all just too much. He was too close, insulting my mate - my silent angel bearing a permanent and daily reminder of pain and suffering due to nothing more than the alarming stupidity and negligence of this family. The very family I am unable to send to their final death because it will displease the one who matters above all.
His over-large body gave him no leverage against my speed and experience. Before he even registered the threat, he was on the ground. I locked his arms tight behind his back and crouched down. As he began to struggle I grabbed his chin with my right hand and stretched his grimacing face toward the sky until the building pressure caused tension cracks to begin forming along his thick neck. I was soaking in the thrill of my victory when suddenly Isabella rushed into view. Her face, so close to mine, was ashen, filled with desperate tears as she shook her head, silently begging me to release my quarry. My vision tunneled onto her face as emotions warred within me. I was disturbed yes, by the thought of causing her pain - but she cannot expect me to accept such behavior, can she? Why, if not for her, he would already be a pile of ash for daring to speak so to someone in her station, and to see such censure on her face when my actions were meant solely for her benefit and protection was impossible to accept. I tried desperately to ignore my gut reaction to lash out, but clouding my rational mind was the cloying and sickly fog of betrayal. Her twisted expression telegraphed clearly just how much she detested my actions. The shimmering tears sparkling and dripping from her lovely brown eyes are shed not for me. No, her tears spill for the vampire beneath me, the one who's first words to her in years carried insult to her character. I've been a fool to believe that she so easily understood me. I would be willing to give her anything and everything. I would burn the world to the ground if she asked me, but she will not do the same for me. I see now that no matter the depth of my bond to her, she is either incapable or chooses not to reciprocate. Fear and hurt resulting from my grave introspection tempered my words.
"So they still own your loyalty do they, Isabella?" I asked in barely a whisper. "These creatures have gleefully ruined your life, and yet you cast such looks upon me for merely defending your honor? I understand. Please, do not let me keep you from your lovely reunion!" I spat as I smashed the fool's head back to the ground and fled from the source of this exquisite torment, and her haunting eyes.
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BELLA
I stared uselessly at Caius as he walked away from me. My brain ground to a screeching halt. Just minutes ago we were in each other's arms, sharing a perfect moment in time. I breathed him in, pulling his essence deep into my reluctant soul, endeavoring to embrace the love he offered so freely. Still staring at his retreating back as it disappeared inside the castle, I failed to notice my rapid and ragged increase in respiration or the racing heart beneath my ribs. He's leaving, my mind taunted. He's giving up already. It must be your natural talent Bella, to ruin every chance at a happy life. I pictured my future with the Volturi, the existence I was finally allowing myself to imagine and anticipate, falling determinedly beyond my reach. A faint tremor took hold of my hands, the hands which had so recently been carding through smooth blonde silk. His ruby eyes were cold and distant when he looked upon me just now. The vibrations in my hands spread to take hold of my entire body. Why did he react that way? I just couldn't bear to see him hurting Emmett for being himself. But more importantly, why am I reacting this way? Rationally, I know that Caius will speak to me again after he calms down. I've known he has a short fuse since we met in the cave. Why then the depressing thoughts, and why can't I seem to get enough air...?
I sucked more and more oxygen into my useless lungs and clutched a hand to my chest as the world tilted on its axis. I wobbled and felt my knees hit thankfully not the garden path but a soft patch of moss alongside. Concentrating as I was now on the slow suffocating death I seemed to be experiencing, it took me more than a few moments to hear the calls of distress from Emmett and Rosalie.
"Bella! Bella! Are you ok?" Emmett asked helplessly, his voice rising to a pitch I'd never heard from him.
"Bella, breathe slowly. Look at me now, good. In...hold...and out." Rosalie's more helpful input finally began to make a difference. "Okay. Again. In...hold...and out." My heart rate steadily returned to normal, but the discomfort and jitters remained. My skin felt like it was crawling about freely on my frame. I couldn't stop replaying the look I saw on Caius' face when I pleaded for him to stop. Why was he so angry with me? "Bella listen," Rosalie demanded sternly, "First I'm going to help you up and we are going to find Caius. It would also be a good idea for you to talk to Carlisle later. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
I couldn't for the life of me understand why Rosalie was currently exhibiting an ability to give a damn, but considering my current indisposition I figured the matter would best be pursued at a later time. She hauled me to my feet, supporting my graceless weight easily with one arm and we set off into the castle.
It took a ridiculously short amount of time to determine Caius' location. Vicious snarls punctuated with forbidding crashes couldn't fail to catch our attention. It was against my better judgement to disturb Caius in his current state of mind and I tried to hang back, but Rosalie had no such qualms. When we reached the door separating us from the sound of gratuitous destruction she threw it open wide and stormed inside, pulling me quite unwillingly behind. Luckily, she also shielded me from the flying shards of a large ceramic vase as it shattered on the door frame immediately following our entrance. Through the swirling cloud composed of what I assume to be powdered remnants of the room's contents I caught Caius' gleaming red eyes and saw them widen momentarily before anger clouded his expression once more.
"You have no right to intrude here." He ground out, glancing fleetingly at Rosalie before fixing his stare decidedly on Emmett. "Leave, while I allow it."
Rosalie turned, looking utterly unconcerned by the threat from the furious Volturi king. "Give us a minute Em, I'll be right out." Emmett meanwhile, looked torn between listening to his wife and leaving her in very possible danger. "Go on." She chided him. So, with one last doubtful look, he turned and pulled the door closed behind him.
"You're being an idiot." She stated bluntly to the enraged blonde king still fuming before her.
Caius must have been well and truly shocked by the audacity of her words, because instead of ripping her head off immediately, as I half expected, he stood stock still just staring at her, not even breaking his incredulous gaze to blink - not that he needed to. I'm pretty sure if I hadn't been in such an odd state myself I could have found the situation comical.
Then his eyes shifted to me, cataloging my labored breathing and the shaking fists clenched tightly to my body. Suddenly, he was so close I could feel his coolness filling the minute gap left between us. I shivered violently once more and my heart stuttered when he took my hands gently within his own, the insistent tremors stilling almost immediately in his soothing grasp.
"What happened? Did they hurt you?" He demanded.
Rosalie snorted. "Not us. You did this." She retorted with a flippant wave in his direction.
"Watch yourself woman," Caius growled in her direction as he bent to lift me with one arm behind my back and the other under my knees. He then cast an eye about the destroyed room. Finding what he required, he picked his way through the detritus. He carried me as if I weighed no more than a feather, and deposited me carefully onto the only piece of intact furniture in the room, a red velvet upholstered claw-foot chair pushed far into the corner. I heard the door open and close once again, most likely Rosalie leaving, but I didn't look to see.
Caius knelt in front of me then, and for a moment I thought perhaps I would find out just what had upset him so badly in the garden. He hadn't sent me away but brought me farther into his destroyed sanctuary. I discarded that thought however when he tipped his head to look at me. His expression remained painfully aloof, and I cringed at the thought of being here invading his space when he clearly didn't want to be anywhere near me right now. I made to stand up, thinking I would find Carlisle and ask him about my strange episode, but Caius kept his hands locked on top of my legs, preventing my desired escape. His lips parted as if he were about to speak but instead, with a defeated sigh, he dropped his head into my lap. The movement caused him to shift his hands around to my hips while his nose wedged itself firmly between my inner thighs. Before my mind had time to realize how embarrassed it should probably be by his position, it registered Caius' unusual bearing. He looked so defeated, slumped there on my lap, and I couldn't even begin to guess what was affecting him so.
Without conscious thought or permission, my hands wound their way into his pale golden locks. I rubbed the pads of my fingers firmly down the plane of his scalp, feeling the silky strands separate and slip through my hands as I went along. He released a stuttered breath as well as some of the tension in his shoulders so I continued my efforts, firmly massaging his head, adding in a small orbital motion as well.
When he finally lifted his face from its impromptu pillow his eyes were the gentle ones I had become accustomed to. "I'm sorry." He said so softly I barely made out the words, though they were dripping in remorseful sincerity. "I was angry and I allowed it to cloud my judgement. I despise the way the Cullens have treated you and it violates my very nature to allow them to live, let alone welcome their presence in my home and around my...around you after what they have caused. I admit, outside I was stung by the look in your eyes. I was sure that you were censuring me - choosing that oaf over me, and I found I couldn't bear the rejection that threatened to cut me so deeply. Can you forgive me?"
I thought about what he'd told me, trying to make it all make sense. I do understand that being territorial is a common part of the vampire psyche. I also know that there is a massive amount of 'she-is-mine-ism' coursing through his system due to our fledgling relationship which would make his already hot temper more likely to flare. But what I don't understand is why my attempt at preventing blood, I mean venom-shed, would have agitated Caius to such an extreme.
'No matter what they've done to me Caius, I wouldn't like to see them hurt.' I explained to him, my hands forming the words effortlessly now that the tremors had fully subsided. 'I've seen enough hurt to last my entire lifetime.' A silent and humorless laugh escaped me. 'I can't even stand to squash a spider anymore. I end up tossing them outside.' This anecdote earned me a half smile so I continued on. 'I'm not very good with feelings anymore, so please just listen. I don't know where exactly this thing between us is heading, but I can tell you that even if I am able to completely forgive the Cullens, they will never be as close to my heart as they once were. I've lost too much as a consequence of their actions, and though I believe they are remorseful, they still didn't take my wishes or feelings into account - even though they swore I was a member of the family. I'm taking one last chance on family - taking a chance on the Volturi. You guys have the top slot. I'm working to open myself up one last time for you Caius, and the rest of my new friends. I'm feeling more at peace here with every passing day but honestly, I'm afraid. Now, knowing that you have the power to unsettle me as much as I was just now frankly terrifies me. So please, try to be patient with me. If I do something that upsets you, please let me know instead of pushing me away.'
"Oh Isabella," he murmured, brushing my cheek gently with his own as he nuzzled into my neck. "I am truly sorry." Then his arms snaked under and around me - lifting - to settle me this time on his cool legs as he took my place in the chair himself. I relaxed back against his strong frame and enjoyed the sensation of blissful relaxation as it began to make its way through my stressed body. His soft hair tickled my face as he leaned his head onto mine. "I cannot apologize enough." He continued, "I would never intentionally cause my mate pain" he breathed into my ear.
I know he felt my body freeze as that word passed his lips.
Mate.
He said Mate.
One word to cover a thousand deceptions. An excuse for vampires to play with human's emotions. Vampires may be able to form such impenetrable bonds to each other, but with a human? Doubtful. Old wounds plagued me, insecurities wormed themselves through my being.
Mate. Has this all been an elaborate game? A way to break the monotony of thousands of years? Lies. Loneliness. Fear. Pain. Distraction. I'm familiar with this game. I can't play it again.
Caius warily held my eyes without fail, no doubt watching the screaming wheels in my brain as they fought to reach the correct conclusions.
Mate. What I felt for Edward died a fiery death during my struggles to stay alive while Victoria relentlessly sought my end.
Mate. The compulsion I felt in the cave, to save this vampire's life at the expense of my own. How I couldn't imagine a world in which he didn't exist.
Mate. The grounded feeling of peace growing steadily in my soul, the painless flames lighting me from within when his lips touch mine. Can it be? I tilt my head slightly as truth settles over me. This is why Caius overreacted. Not because of Emmett, but because he has already become aware of our supposed bond and believed I would not accept it.
'I can't do this right now.' I signed to him, the pain and confusion in my heart overwhelming me. 'Please don't stop me, I just. I need to think.' With that I stood, simultaneously relieved and saddened by the sensation of his arms leaving me, and I walked away, desperate to flee the source of such anguish. I strode determinedly through the unfamiliar hallway, my trek made more difficult by the tears now obscuring my vision. Shadows loomed all around me as I continued on, searching for anything familiar. I swept the tears away, only to have my eyes immediately fill again. Raising my hand once more to wipe them away, I missed the deepening darkness ahead and didn't notice the danger until my right foot found nothing but air. Staircase, my tension-addled mind provided one second too late. I reached blindly for a rail, but found nothing. My foot finally made contact, only to awkwardly hit the outer edge of a stair and slide off, twisting my ankle as it gave way. With a sharp gasp I awaited the coming pain.
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?POV
What a disappointing hunt. The woman I chose smelled somewhat appetizing at first, but after being exposed to Isabella's bouquet for so long, my quarry didn't quite satisfy me as much as she might have in the past. Isabella smells truly divine. Her blood just begs to be spilled. None of us can figure out how it is that she has lived among vampires so long and not been drained or turned. Yeah, even turning her would be fantastic - a quick pop through her pale skin, and a few greedy mouthfuls of that mouth-watering nectar before pulling back and letting the venom do its work. Mmmm, I'd better stop that train of thought. Aro will see sooner or later, not that he hasn't thought about it himself, but I know he wouldn't approve.
I rounded the next corner, my quarters and a much-needed shower coming closer every moment when I heard a small gasp. My eyes flicked to the far end of the passageway just in time to see Isabella wrench her ankle on the stairs and start to fall. There was no chance of me being close enough to prevent her from falling, but I raced to stop her descent as soon as possible. The walls blurred beside me and when I was near enough I lunged forward, grabbing her tumbling body, hoping that I could manage to cause her less injury than slamming mercilessly into the stone steps and the floor of the rapidly approaching landing. I winced when I closed my arms around her and felt a definite snap.
Damn.
I looked to my hand, closed much too tightly around her left leg, and prayed that Caius would not dismember me. Her tightly closed eyes snapped open as she threw her head back in a silent scream. I drew in a hasty breath to try and apologize, reassure her, calm her, anything - but in that instant her scent, her insanely appealing blood rammed into my senses and flooded my mind.
Any vampire in the castle could identify this blood in any crowd, and a lonely corridor is sadly lacking in distractions from her enthralling aroma. I swallowed thickly, my previous meal doing nothing to extinguish the burn her blood ignited, literally hanging in the air as it was. Even the stairs themselves taunted me, painted with lovely shimmering red. My traitorous eyes fixed on the wounds causing her body to glisten with the sinfully intoxicating substance.
No. No! NO! Off limits! I shook my head hard, attempting to regain focus.
Isabella. Isabella. Isabella. I chanted her name in my mind as I fought the siren call more passionately than any other moment in my existence. Aside from secrecy, I had never had much occasion or desire to deny myself. This meal, however decadent, would most definitely cause my permanent death. I strained to see her as my mind wanted, a valued member of our coven, a sister, my future queen.
Through the penetrating fog of my blood lust, I noticed tears streaming freely down her battered face and heard her panting, clearly pained, breaths. "Isabella." I managed to grunt past clenched teeth. Her name came out as a harsh growl and I began to fear that I would not overcome this temptation, that I would soon succumb to the madness threatening to take hold.
"I am so sorry."
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AN: for some reason this chapter was super difficult for me to write. I couldn't get the flow to work, and I constantly felt like I was either over or under-playing the Caius/Bella sections...which prompted multiple re-writes. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, and thanks to those who have stuck with me over the long break.