Twilight : Fondness for an Ancient Warrior

This is a fictional story based on the Twilight Series, of which I own neither part nor parcel. Just borrowing the Volturi temporarily. (I'm late to this fandom. I do research online since I haven't committed the films to memory, and hardly recall the books. So I'm sorry if canon is upended a little.)

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Chapter Eleven

Illyana was surprised to find she was actually enjoying spending time at the castle, following Caius around, wide-eyed while he explained vampire history here in Volterra and answering any questions she had, although she didn't have that many for now. Caius had been pretty open with her once he had revealed himself. But the questions would come later, as it grew closer to Aro's not yet decided change date. He had said it could come at any time. This left Illyana on tenterhooks for the time being, and she wasn't happy about it.

Caius showed her the art room and the library, impressing her immensely. She ran her hands over the old volumes and manuscripts, most in languages she didn't understand. Maybe, someday she would. He was proud of their collection, and told his mate she could read anything she chose. Some manuscripts were in old English, so she thought those might be easier to start with and fun to decipher.

He showed her the kitchen where their human chef would cook for any of their human helpers and guests. Illyana was surprised to hear so many local authorities worked with the Volturi. She had to admit to herself, this world was very different from the outside world, but she still worried it was not for her. It was so enclosed and had its own rules. She wanted Caius in her world, but in truth, she would love being with him anywhere. Her fear of eternal boredom was still real. Illyana hoped Aro would keep to his word that they could live on the farm and come to Volterra when needed.

"So if I'm hungry, I come here for my meals?" Illyana asked, her tummy already rumbling.

Caius replied, "Yes, but come with an escort. If not me, ask Felix or Demetri to come with you. You will be better protected that way."

"Well, my darling, I'm hungry now, and you are my favourite escort. Do you think the chef has anything already prepared?"

"I'm sorry, love. I had forgotten." Caius hugged Illyana, then kissed her until he heard her stomach making noises again. He saw her blush with embarrassment, making her even more beautiful than usual. "Let's get you something to eat before you wake the dead." Her eyes widened when Caius laughed. "I'm kidding, love. We don't keep dead people lying around." She was frowning now. "Food. Eat." He kissed the tip of her nose and wrapped an arm around her, leading her back to the kitchen to speak with the chef.

They sat at a table in the corner, waiting for the friendly chef to fill a bowl with some fresh-made pasta e fagioli. Illyana looked at the steaming soup and warm bread he brought over a few minutes later with hungry eyes. Is this how she would look upon humans once Caius changed her? Food that made her stomach rumble with hunger?

"Caius, when you look at food like this, does it do anything for you? You know, make you feel hungry? I guess what I'm asking is, will human food just suddenly stop stimulating my appetite?"

He thought a moment. "I'm sorry, my love. I really don't remember. It was so long ago. Now finish your meal, so I can introduce you to the Elite guards. Felix and Demetri, you've already met, but you should know the others."

Illyana ate the soup and buttered bread, enjoying every bite. It wasn't a feast, but it satisfied her hunger for now. She handed her dishes to the chef, thanking him, " Grazie per la zuppa. È stato delizioso."

Leaving the kitchen, she followed Caius into a long corridor. They turned and entered a large room, where several guards were working out. Some sparred with each other, while some used the fitness equipment.

Illyana knew she was protected by Caius and from what, although it unnerved her to think of the dangers here inside the castle. She would have to trust them all in the end. What else could she do?

Caius introduced his mate to the upper level guards, those most trusted by Aro. He explained to Illyana that Felix, Demetri and a few others were very old and were used to being around humans, so were less likely to be a threat to her. He trusted them completely, although the really tall one, Felix, still looked scary to her. Demetri she knew, so felt more comfortable with him. Next to Felix, he was shorter, if 6'3" could be considered short. Perhaps he would not be so bad to be around. "So Caius told me I could trust you, Felix, you and Demetri. I hope we can become friends."

Felix gave the human female a smirk, but he nodded in all seriousness. Demetri had told his fellow Guard member about Master Caius' mate, and he seemed to like her.

"Welcome to the Volturi castle, as we call it, Miss Illyana," Demetri said in a welcoming tone.

"Thank you, Demetri." She flashed the tracker a bright smile. He had a job to do and did it well, but left her and Caius alone for the most part while they were in Japan.

Caius pointed Illyana out to Jane and Alec. "They're brother and sister, and very powerful. You wouldn't want to get on their bad side, love."

Jane smiled and nodded while Alec looked the human up and down.

There were Chelsea and her mate Afton, Heidi, Santiago, and Renata. "Corin stays with Sulpicia, Aro's mate in the tower," Caius explained, leaving out any information about Athenodora. The other guards are used only when needed, and that includes the lower guards. They are the ones you must avoid, my love. They aren't newborns, but have only a little more control."

Caius and Illyana left the training room, and walked along the corridor hand-in-hand.

"I want to see a feeding, Caius. Why won't you let me see how you...do things. Must I wait until I'm the one doing the attacking?"

"No! I forbid it, and you already know why. I won't take the chance of seeing you harmed."

"How many people have died at your hands before they even had time to say the words 'Please, don't'? Are you afraid of me seeing you as a vicious animal?"

Caius turned his head sharply toward Illyana. Maybe what she said was true. Was he a monster? They had to feed, but it was the blood lust that turned them from cultured citizens to hideous beasts. In a moment it was over, and they were themselves again. He didn't want to risk losing Illyana to over-honesty.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"My love, my brother Marcus wishes to speak with you. Is that all right? He wants it to be a conversation between just the two of you, alone. You have no need to be afraid of him."

Illyana wound her arms around Caius, looking into his face, smiling. "I'm fine with your brothers. I assume hurting me would make you upset and they won't risk that happening."

"Angry? Do you think anyone here harming you would make me angry?" He leaned in and kissed her deeply. "I would become volatile, infuriated even. No brick would stand in this castle."

Illyana laughed and shook her head. "You don't need to go that far. I'll be fine."

Caius walked Illyana to Marcus' rooms. He knocked on the vampire's door, waiting for him to respond. "You have merely to call for me when you are done, and I will come for you."

"You'll be able to hear me that far...?"

Caius kissed her and nodded.

"Of course, you will. All right then, I'll see you soon."

The beautifully carved door opened to reveal the tall melancholy-looking man. "Hello, my dear. Please do come in. Thank you, brother, for bringing her here."

Caius squeezed his mate's hand and flashed down the corridor.

Marcus led Illyana to a comfortable-looking sofa. Once she was sitting, Marcus sat beside her. "Welcome to our castle, child. You have nothing to fear."

"Yes, Caius told me not to be afraid. Thank you for your welcome. I'm am nervous about being here, but not that reason you gave."

"Then what," he asked, truly curious about the woman Caius had picked over all others he might have chosen from.

"Marcus, may I ask you, and you can tell me to shut up if you want, but why do you seem so sad and disinterested all the time."

"Caius has not told you." When he saw her shake her head, he spoke further. "I had a mate long ago. A vampire I met and fell in love with. She was Aro's sister."

Illyana's eyes widened on hearing Aro had a sister. "What happened?"

"She was killed when we battled another coven. Since then I have been near suicidal, something rare for a vampire. But I stay here in the coven since I am needed." He looked down at his hand, which the human had taken in her hand, tightening her hold on it. The gesture made Marcus smile a bit.

"Caius told me he had lost his mate in a similar fashion, after she had left him. It's my desire to spend my time making him happy, so we both will be happy."

"My brother is fortunate in his choice. It is why I asked you here, I have a gift that allows me to see the relationships between people, human or vampire. I wanted you to know that what I see with you and Caius is real and strong. Despite what Aro says or does, you both will have a long and wonderful existence together, barring outside influences, such as our enemies."

"Marcus, what kind of enemies do the Volturi have? Do they hate all of you or just certain ones?" She thought about how Aro had treated her and knew he could be a hundred times worse. As old as he is, he must have had time to garner many enemies over the centuries. And if unhuman, their hate would follow Aro through time.

"Our enemies are without number, but we have been able to fight them off successfully."

Illyana smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, you have no idea. Caius seems to be the type of man who could defend those he cares about with little trouble."

Marcus looked down at the ring on Illyana's hand. So this was Caius' gift, the bond representing his love for her. He had noticed the ring Caius wore, something surprising, since it was not a vampire tradition for the male to wear a ring in the bond-mate relationship.

"Has Caius told you how he almost died at the hands of werewolves?"

"Werewolves...are real? Why not. Vampires are. And no, he hasn't said anything to me yet. He never seems to want me to worry about him, so tells me little that might upset me. Tell me what happened, Marcus?"

Two thousands years ago, more or less, A werewolf nearly destroyed Caius. You see, my dear, werewolves and those like their kind, are on of the few creatures who have the capacity to destroy us. You have felt our bodies," he said, a gleam in his eye, knowing she and Caius had been as close as two beings can get.

Uhem...yes, Marcus, I know what you mean. Go on."

"Werewolves can destroy vampires with their teeth, tearing us apart. Unless one of us has a gift, like Jane, who can cause the sensation of great pain within someone. She can do that to werewolves as well. Caius had nearly been torn apart. When we found him, he was a mass of wounds. Over time, he healed, physically, but mentally, he was traumatized, child. He fears few creatures of this world, but werewolves are one of them."

Illyana's eyes teared up while hearing Marcus's story. To think that her mate, the man she loved and respected most in the world had a fear he had to stand up to. She had seen this while she was in the Army. At times, fear would paralyze a soldier into immobility, making him a perfect target. It might even force someone to run away from a battle. She had not noticed any scars on Caius' body when they were naked together, but it didn't mean he didn't have scars. The invisible ones could be far worse than the ones that were seen and felt.

"Thank you for letting me know. I'll try not to say or do anything that might be a trigger." She rose from the sofa and looked around the room. "You have some very fine art work here, Marcus."

"We tend to collect items over the centuries."

Illyana laughed. "Like Caius' collection of weaponry. It's very impressive."

"You and Caius seem to have much in common. And you love him."

"I wish I could say more than my life, but losing my humanity...just thinking about it, it isn't easy, Marcus. How can I make it easier for myself to accept this gift Caius wants to give me?"

Marcus could empathize with Illyana, but it had been so long since his change. His emotions at that time had been long forgotten. He held out his hand to her. "Please, come sit. Child, do you love Caius?"

"Yes! Now and for always. He's perfect for me, but I know there are facets of the man I may never know anything about. I would like the time to learn though."

Marcus smiled at the human female. "And as an immortal, you will have time, all you could possibly want. Has Caius explained anything about the transformation itself?"

"No, and that scares me too. If it were easy, Caius would have started my initiation by now. Can you tell me, Marcus, what the worst part is."

Marcus lowered his head, unwilling to frighten Illyana. Caius should have told her the basics in any case. He took her hand in his, enjoying the odd warmth of her skin, because he so rarely touched humans. "Illyana, the worst part about the change is...the pain. A pain unlike anything you will ever know."

"Is it as bad as childbirth? What am I saying. I've never had a baby. Oh, Marcus, is there anything to be done about the pain?"

He slowly shook his head. "No, my dear, but once it has passed, you will be a vampire, an immortal, with someone who will love you forever. Will that make it worth the pain?"

Illyana considered his words. Going to the dentist wasn't fun, but once it was over, she'd go get a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine to reward herself. In this instance, life with Caius would be her eternal reward. "Thank you, Marcus, for your honesty. I wish Aro was more like you."

Marcus laughed in spite of himself. "My dear, I hope you do visit us often."

"And you should come out to the farm sometime," Illyana offered. "I would love to have you see it. There's a lot of room to enjoy the outdoors and be away from human eyes.

Marcus stood, his hand pulling Illyana up off the sofa. "I will definitely come visit you and Caius. Speaking of which, I believe your mate has been pacing the floor outside my doors." He called out the same level as he had been speaking, "You may come in and retrieve your mate, brother."

Caius flashed in so fast, Illyana felt the breeze his arrival created. She wondered how it would feel to be able to run so fast, human eyes could not follow along. "Did you have a nice visit with Marcus, love?"

"Yes, I did. He's nicer than you-know-who." She gave the ancient vampire a quick hug, saying, "Thank you for the visit, Marcus. Remember my invitation." She allowed Caius to lead her from the master's rooms and out into the corridor. "Caius, you never told me about the change process. When were you planning on doing that?"

"Marcus said something." Caius was afraid of what his brother might say to his mate. Now he had no choice, but to tell her himself.

"Oh, yes. Now I'm worried more than ever."

"Let's go out to the garden and I'll answer any questions you have." Caius hoped her reluctance and fear didn't increase once she knew everything.

They left the castle through a side door that led to the garden. A gazebo sat in one corner, shaded by vines of wisteria, where Illyana ran up the few steps to find benches encircling the interior of the gazebo. She ran her hands lightly over the purple flowers, inhaling their sweetness. She sat down on one of the marble benches, waiting for Caius to sit beside her. But he didn't.

"Caius, love, what's wrong?" she asked, worry on her face.

"Illyana, you know how much I love you, and how much I want to share my existence with you. And I promise you, it will be a wonderful life."

She tried to keep the smile off her face, thinking back to the old film she used to watch at Christmas. "I'm sure it will be, Caius. But Marcus did mention one little thing," she said, pinching her thumb and forefinger together while fisting her hand. "He told me about the pain. worse than anything I'll ever feel."

Caius finally sat beside Illyana. "It's true. For about three days, once I have bitten you to get the venom inside you, you will feel terrible pain, but look at the reason. Your body will be undergoing a powerful change. The venom will flow through your veins, transforming your organs, basically making them useless. Lastly, once your heart has finished its job, it too will cease to function. And you will awaken, the change complete. You will have my traits, cara mia, as a newborn vampire.

She scooted closer to him, her arms around him. She felt him hold her, trying to offer comfort. She understood the process now, but it didn't make it any easier. "I love you, Caius. I would not go through this for someone I saw as a passing fancy." She looked up at him. "Can we go home for a little bit? I need to see Mystique and go riding."

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Later, Caius came to tell Illyana they were asked to stay the night. It was more like an order. "Take a hot shower and relax. We can talk or play games after, if you wish." He held her close, and nibbled on her earlobe with his lips, not his teeth. He kissed her, her breath coming in pants.

"Shower with me," she purred. She took his hand and pulled Caius toward the bathroom. He turned on the water until it was more than warm. His body temperature made the water seem a bit cooler than Illyana liked. If the night was warm, she snuggled against his coolness. If it was a cold night, they had an extra blanket between them because Caius liked to lie with her in the nude.

Tonight, they showered, making love under the wide spray of water. He took her from behind, thrusting into his mate, his hand around her while his fingers played with her clit. When she cried out his name, he finished, filling her with his cold seed. He kissed the back of her neck, his hands cupping her breasts.

Illyana turned in his arms, placing a hand on her cheek, then leaned in to kiss him, feeling his lips firm against hers. "I love you, Caius, never doubt that."

Once Illyana was asleep in Caius' bed, Aro called his brother to his office.

When Caius arrived, Aro indicated for him to sit in the chair opposite him. "How are you, brother, you and your little mate?"

Caius glared at Aro, uncaring as to the motivations of this meeting. "We're well, brother, and content."

"It pleases me to hear that. Don't you think it's about time we proceed with her initiation?"

Caius knew his mate would not be happy to hear about Aro's accelerating the schedule for her transformation. Patience was not Aro's strongest trait.

When he waited in vain to hear Caius say more, Aro continued. "You must teach her vampire law, as well as our laws. Instruct her about her abilities and what will be expected of her. I will not let you two return to your farm until this done." Aro leaned forward over his desk so Caius would know his words were not a suggestion. "It's time, brother. She is not your mate officially until this is done."

"She is my mate, Aro. We've pledged ourselves to one another, we've bedded together, we've exchanged rings in the human fashion," Caius countered.

Aro stood, his eyes wide with displeasure. "She is a human! That keeps this relationship unofficial. Change her, and I will have nothing to question you about." He sat back down, and gave Caius a smile. "Do it, brother. She won't be sorry, if she truly loves you."

Caius glowered at Aro and standing, said, "You had better keep that promise. No more questions." Caius turned and left Aro's office. He had to find Illyana before Aro took things into his own hands.

A/N : The clock is ticking for Illyana.