Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer. I do not own any of the Twilight characters. I only own ones I have made.

Author's Note: Many thanks to all who read and reviewed my story. I really appreciate the encouragement. Hope you like chapter 2. I'll update again tomorrow. :)

CHAPTER II – THE GUEST

I had not realized how much time had past until the rising sun peaked over the horizon. Its newborn rays greeted me brightly and my eyes opened taking in its splendor. As my mind began to reanimate I quickly remembered yesterday's events. Juliet! She's been alone all night! For the first time in years I felt panic, and not just panic, but worry for another's condition. With great urgency I returned to my room sniffing the air for any signs that her scent traveled. To my great relief I found her asleep on the bed, unharmed. I sighed happily and cursed myself for acting so impetuously.

My mind said to leave now, but my legs would not budge. Instead I found myself taking a seat next to the bed, watching her sleep. Again, I felt a tingle upon my face. You're smiling again. No! Quickly I returned my face to its stone-like stupor and kept watch over Juliet. As the sun rose to its full position, outside I heard the market place coming to life. I heard the children running on the sidewalks; the vendors shouting out their produce; the summer tourists gawking at the sights; and the locals carrying out their daily routines. Amidst all this noise, I only concentrated on Juliet's breathing.

I watched her chest slowly rise and fall, as her eyes randomly moved beneath her closed lids as she dreamed. I put to memory every facet of her face; every symmetry line; every shade. As my mind gathered this information, I realized I had not notice the rest of her body. I scanned to her long russet locks that framed her face then moved to take-in her entirety which, surprisingly, I found pleasing. She had a petite frame and a youthful face, but her mature figure proved her to be in her late teens or early twenties. While my eyes were examining her shape, suddenly she stirred in her sleep and spoke one word, "Marcus." It was no more than a whisper but to me it might as well have been shouted. If I had a heart it would be pounding through my chest right now. I found myself smiling from ear to ear and I could not make myself stop. She said my name! The only word to describe how I felt at this moment was joy, pure joy. Until now I did not believe I was capable of experiencing such an emotion again. But, this moment was short-lived as my ears picked up the footsteps of someone approaching.

Instinctively my body tightened like a spring ready to pounce and a growl escaped my lips. My growl must have been loud because I heard Juliet awaken, but I could not break my concentration now. I had to…protect her. As the visitor came closer I picked up their scent and my anger grew. "Jane!" I spat the name under my breath and I felt the venom pooling in my mouth. Immediately I stood in front of Juliet positioning my body between her and the door. I could feel Juliet's eyes upon my back and her body tensing with alarm, no doubt going off my reactions. As anticipated Jane did not bother to knock. Our kind hardly did, due to our acute senses we would already know what was taking place. However, Jane did have the good sense not to enter; rather she hovered at the doorway.

I narrowed my eyes demanding an explanation, "What?!"

Jane did not flinch other than to raise an eyebrow. "That's a fine greeting. My master wishes to have breakfast with you and your guest."

I hissed at the incredulous request. "Tell my brother I respectfully decline."

"My master said you might refuse." Tilting her head to see past me she stared at Juliet. "How about it human, are you hungry?"

That did it; I snapped. In the blink of an eye I had Jane by the throat pinned against the inner wall. "How dare you look at her you witch!"

Jane tried to break free physically but quickly realized it was hopeless and yielded. She knew the hierarchy and she would not dare use her evil gift on me. Otherwise, I would be convulsing in pain on the floor right now. But, Jane also knew that I knew how fond Aro was of her. She stared at me defiantly, her eyes filled with confidence that her preservation was guaranteed since she was Aro's pet. As I realized the potential consequences of me destroying Jane, I released her.

As Jane quickly gathered herself, regaining her composure, she continued with her message. "As I said my master requests the pleasure of your company. He told me to remind you of his generosity and to assure you that your thoughts shall remain your own." I gave no response other than lowering my eyes in defeat. "I shall inform my master of your arrival." With her task fulfilled she vanished.

Damn you Aro! Of course he wants our 'company.' He wants to examine Juliet and see if she has any potential abilities and if so add her to his collection. No! She's mine! As my mind raced it wasn't until Juliet spoke that I remembered she was awake. "Marcus?" I turned to address her. Her voice was weak and she was cuddling a pillow against her chest; obvious signs of distress. "I apologize for my behavior." Her eyes burned at me screaming for answers. "It seems we must accompany Aro this morning. I will wait for you outside." I was already at the door when she shouted, "No! Please, don't leave me." At once my body seemed to melt. Without a second thought I returned to my former position at the foot of the bed, "As you wish."

What are you her lap dog now? How could you give her such power over you? Her face was in an expression of shock; obviously she did not expect me to comply either. As she saw I was not going to leave, her face lit up with gratitude as a small grin appeared. I fought against myself not to smile back, but I lost as soon as her smile widened revealing dimples on both her cheeks. Be still my heart! Her eyes glowed as I smiled back. Within this moment our eyes interlocked and I would gladly have drowned in her deep pools, but time was against us. "If you are ready we must see Aro."

Without another word she left the bed. The sweater she had wrapped around her shoulders slipped off as she exited the bed and to my horror revealed huge discolorations on her bare arms. Fury consumed me, "Who did this? Who harmed you?" My voice must have been sinister because Juliet jumped and shivered. I remained in place not moving closer so as not to frighten her any further.

Her answer was sheepish but clear, "You did."

Shame kicked me in the gut as I realized she spoke the truth. When I first saw her and picked her up in the main counsel room, I did not even consider how forceful my grip was. I bowed my head in regret, "I am sorry." This is unforgivable.

"Did you hurt me on purpose?"

I was appalled by her question, snapping my head up immediately I declared my defense, "No!"

Her response was sincere and final, "Then I forgive you." She did not even linger upon her reply as she continued to retrieve the sweater that had fallen to the floor and put it on, covering her arms. "I am ready."

How can she forgive me so easily? Seeing I was still stunned, she approached me resting by my side. She did not repeat herself, as I thought she would, rather she stared at me patiently. You are a strange creature. "Stay close to me. Come." I lead her down the hallway then down the staircase, always careful not to touch her. I could not recall the last time I had to be self-conscious of my strength. Walking at her pace would make the journey longer but Juliet is so fragile I did not want to chance hurting her again.

To my delight this side of the castle was deserted, most likely at Aro's request. But, once we left the west wing I knew we would encounter members of the coven. I mentally prepared myself for all potential scenarios, but my anxiety grew as we fast approached the east wing. Of course the guards would restrict the young ones to the south end, but it would take more than that to put me at ease. The few residents that we came across lingered to stare at Juliet but quickly vanished once I growled marking her as my territory.

As we approached Aro's chambers, my body stiffened as I saw Felix leaning against one of the doors with his arms crossed against his chest. I stopped dead in my tracks, as did Juliet following my lead. What is he doing here?

Felix slowly raised his head till his eyes meet mine. "Fancy meeting you here. Who's your friend?"

My only response is a hiss. What are you trying to prove Aro? Obviously Aro is testing my feelings for Juliet. I cannot let Felix get to me; however, my protective anger could easily be masked as my normal surly demeanor.

"Friendly as ever, my lord Marcus. Lord Aro has been expecting you." Felix opened the door he was leaning against and remained at the end. The hairs on my back stood on end as I lead Juliet through the door. Luckily Felix was to my side, not Juliet's, but that did not stop him from winking at her as we passed. It took every once of self-control that I possessed not to decapitate him right then and there.

Once the door was shut, I heard Aro's chipper voice, "Good morrow brother! Welcomed guest! Come, come!" Rolling my eyes I lead the way to the square granite table that was seated in the middle of the room. I was very irritated by this farce. I took the seat next to Aro, who sat at the head of the table, while Juliet sat next to me. If this had been any other time, I would have been elated that her body was so close to mine, but this was no time to let my guard down. I resumed my normal detached behavior eyeing Aro.

"Brother, don't be rude! Are you not going to introduce us?"

I knew if I did not freely give him information he would surely press his ability on to Juliet. So, for her sake, I complied. "Aro this is Juliet. Juliet this is my brother, Aro." Then I heard a loud clearing of the throat as a figure emerged from the shadows. "And this is Aro's first wife, Sulpicia." Sulpicia grinned as I said her title taking her seat across from me next to Aro. Since Sulpicia did not take the seat at the foot of the table I could only assume Caius would not be joining us, but I had to ask, "Caius?"

Aro nodded his head, "Unfortunately our brother had a prior engagement. Do not fret; it just leaves more time for us to converse." Then Aro began to laugh uncontrollably and his constant chimes began to aggravate me. "What amuses you, my husband?" Aro managed to respond before irrupting into laughter again. "The idea of Marcus having to endure a conversation!" Sulpicia simply smiled in agreement; she would not dare laugh at me.

I glared at my brother hoping he would show some decorum, but it was the sound of Juliet's stomach growling that stopped his rant. "Ah! Forgive me child, you must be starving." Aro clapped his hands and two servants arrived carrying with them trays filled with food appropriate to the mealtime called 'breakfast.' I watched Juliet's eyes widen at the sight. Stupid! Of course she's hungry, why didn't you notice first?! "Eat child and rejoice!" Aro gestured to the trays of food now sitting in the middle of the table, but Juliet looked to me for permission. I nodded. With my approval, Juliet slowly took some food and began to eat. I immediately regretted this exchange of glances. I knew Aro would be analyzing our reactions to each other trying to decipher our attachment.

"Marvelous! Let us drink, brother." Aro clapped his hands and, again, a servant appeared from the shadows but this time carrying three tall metal drinking goblets. I smelled the blood immediately. It was not till now that I realized how thirsty I was. I was accustomed to fasting so it was easy for me to ignore the hunger, but, as soon as the cup was set in front of me, I quickly consumed every drop. Once I returned the empty cup to the table it was quickly replaced with another and so on. Eventually, the burning in my throat subsided and I was able to think clearly again. As the fog in my mind began to lift, I immediately missed its presence once I heard Aro's attempts at civil pleasantries.

"Brother, how was your night? Did the fresh air do you good?" I met his gaze giving no answer either in sound or body language. "I will take your silence as a yes. Dear child, did you sleep well?" I heard Juliet swallow hard and felt her head turn to me. I refused to meet her gaze; I could not reveal to Aro my true feelings. I felt her eyes linger on me waiting for my lead, but I gave none and immediately felt guilty. Quickly picking up on my aloofness, Juliet answers, "Yes", and then continues eating. "Ah, good to hear. I planned on offering you your own living quarters since you will be our guest for awhile, but if you'd prefer…" Aro doesn't finish his sentence as he looks to me to approve or deny. I respond quickly, "She can stay wherever she wants."

I try to make my tone apathetic but by Aro's smug expression I could tell my acting faltered. Then I noticed that my traiterous fingers were drumming absent mindedly against the empty cup before me. Cursed habit! "Well then, Juliet, would you like me to arrange a room for you?" My fingers froze and my eyes darted to Aro at the sound of her name. I hated the way he said her name. Juliet timidly answered, "No, thank you." Aro gave a toothy smile, "As you wish, child. Brother, do you plan to give her a tour?" Again, my only response was silence. Aro murmured to himself in agitation.

To my surprise Juliet spoke again, "Excuse me, but how long will I be a 'guest' here?"

Aro's eyebrows shot up with renewed enthusiasm, "What an excellent question! Truth be told child the answer lies with my dear brother. Marcus, how long will she be staying with us?" Damn you Aro! Spite! This time my stillness of tongue was genuine You mean will I take her life or not?! Aro let out a light sigh, "Indecisive as always are we? Well it is apparent that the final word lies with me. Juliet, in reply, by first winter I shall have your answer." My eyes widened in horror. Winter! That's only five months away! Out of the corner of my eye I watched Juliet's mood darken and her shoulders became stiff. You have condemned her! Aro continued on making idle chit-chat until our presence bored him and our little meeting came to an end. We rose from our seats as Aro stated his farewells.

"We must do this again, brother! Juliet, it was a most interesting visit." Facing Juliet he held out his hand to her and within seconds I placed my body between them. I would not allow Aro to invade her mind. "Peace, brother. Surely you could not object to a friendly hand shake?"

I had enough of enduring this mockery. "Do not push me, brother." My tone was even but I could feel my eyes burning red. Aro sensed my wrath and wisely returned his hand to his side, then let out a nervous laugh. "Let us not spoil this fine morning! Let us part in peace." Silencing the monster within me I complied, "Good day, brother." In one fluid motion I lead Juliet out the doors and was pleased to find Felix absent. As expected, the journey back to my chambers was silent.