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 Thirteen

While at the castle, Caius was showing Illyana his weapons room again. She was looking over some of Caius' swords and saw a pair of rapiers set on the wall in display form. She removed both weapons from their place on the wall, and called to Caius. "Here, catch!" She tossed one rapier to her mate.

"Illyana, don't be stupid. You could get very hurt." Caius regretted calling her stupid the second the word left his mouth.

She acted as if she hadn't heard it, when actually she had, but knew it was only because of Caius' concern for her that made him use the word. "I'm not that bad, love, and you have the reflexes that will keep me safe. I trust you."

He came to her and slipped his free arm around her body, pulling her close. He gazed into her brown eyes, knowing what he had to do. Later, once she was a vampire, precautions would no longer be necessary, in anything they did together.

"Are you ready then?" Caius smirked at Illyana. He assumed the appropriate position, his eyes focused on her. She faced him in the same position, then thrust her blade forward, her weight on the advancing leg. Caius easily parried the blow and twisted his blade around hers to push her backwards. Still, he admired her stance and skill with the weapon.

The contest continued, blade hitting against blade, metal hitting against metal. Parry and blow, thrust and parry. Sometimes Caius' sword would hit Illyana but with the flat of the blade, and his restraint allowed the blow with no damage to his mate. If Illyana hit Caius, to her it felt like her sword was hitting a stone wall.

The two fought in what appeared to be an equal contest, had Caius not been holding back. He was making sure he didn't harm Illyana, primarily fending off her attacks rather than attacking her. But at one point, Illyana missed her cue, and Caius' weapon slipped past hers. His blade was at her throat, the edge cutting into her skin just enough to cause it to slowly ooze blood from the cut. Caius stared at the small slice in her skin, wanting to taste her again. It had been awhile since she had offered her blood to him.

Illyana noted the darkening of his eyes, and let her sword fall to the ground. She stepped up to her mate, and placed her arms at his waist. Her eyes never left his when she said, "Taste it, my love. It's all right. Just be sure not to let any venom stay within me."

Caius held her upper arms, then one hand reached up to pull her ponytail aside. He placed his lips over the small wound, the tip of his tongue laving her skin. He couldn't hold back the low growl in his throat as her blood washed over his tongue. He sucked gently, not only to draw her essence into his mouth, but to remove what small amount of his venom had entered the cut. When he no longer tasted blood or his venom, Caius stepped back. His fingertips glided over her cheek. "Hai un sapore così buono, amore mio." Her scent and the flavour of her blood were intoxicating to him.

Illyana was in the midst of some sort of hypnotic effect from his drinking from her. Was this how they would seduce women to allow themselves to become prey without a fight? It was only because Caius was her mate that she survived each time she shared her blood with him. His love for her kept his self-control in line.

She bent to pick up the sword and handed it to Caius, whose eyes were now their normal red again. "You won, my warrior."

He smiled at her, taking the two swords and putting them back on the wall. "How did I win when you gained control over me just by letting me drink from you?"

"I gained control over you? Whose sword was at whose throat, Caius?" She gave him a smirk. Why was the attraction of human blood so powerful? Illyana wouldn't know the answer to that question until she had experienced the transformation herself. Until then, she would have to compare it to the thirst she felt after eating a Chinese dinner. Always, after eating salty food, she would experience such a thirst, that ice water alone could quench it. Was the blood thirst going to feel like that, a desire so strong, only human blood would satisfy her? It intrigued and terrified her.

Caius knew when Illyana was deep in thought. To distract her, he held her flush against him, then kissed her. "I worry about you Illyana. Since Mystique died, you haven't been...quite the same."

"I have no death wish, my love, if that's what you're worried about. I just need some...stimulation. I'm going nuts here. Can't we just go back home?"

"But Aro..."

"Fuck Aro!" She pulled away from Caius and paced the floor of their bedroom. "I'm sorry, my love, but he does not rule over us. Not me, because I'm not fully one of you, and not you, because you're his equal." She sat on the bed and crossed her arms, looking down at the patterned rug that lay on the floor. She felt she was talking too much. "I'm sorry, Caius. I can be sharp-tongued at times."

He sat next to her, one arm draping around her shoulder when she leaned against him. "And I have not been a supportive mate. Your well-being is my responsibility now and I'm failing you."

Illyana pulled Caius backward, forcing him to lie on the bed, She straddled his legs and leaned over him, kissing him then sitting upright. "That is not true. You've given me a new reason to live. I know things would have been very different had I never met you. But would I have been happier? I don't think so. You don't sleep, Caius, so maybe its difficult for you to understand. When I first wake up every day, I don't think about getting myself a cup of coffee, or worry about what the weather will be like, or what my plans are for the day. I look forward to seeing you, to being with you. And when we're together, I know I can handle anything with you at my side." She kissed him more deeply, then smiled. "I could even handle Aro."

Caius hooked his leg around Illyana's and flipped his mate over onto her back. Half his body covered hers, locking her beneath him. "We'll both handle Aro, my heart." He kissed her, until he felt her free leg wrap itself around his hips. His mouth moved against her throat, then his hand tore the top of her shirt, baring her skin to his lips. He moved down to her one bared breast to suck the nipple into hardness.

Illyana's cheeks were warm with desire, and she found she could not stay quiet. Caius was setting her on fire, and her hands moved down to grab his buttocks, trying to guide his hips against hers. "I need you in me now, love. You're taking too long."

He laughed. "In that case..." He sat up and ripped her jeans off her. His own followed, his hips finding comfort in between her parted legs.

Illyana gasped when Caius thrust into her, his cold hard cock filling her. The sensation was perfectly delicious to her, even if it felt oddly stimulating. She might never get used to it, but wouldn't being with him as one of his kind be a hundred times better, even without the coldness? No more need to hold back to protect her physically? They would be the same, a vampire, an immortal, and no longer human.

When both had reached their sexual fulfillment, they lay side by side, talking low and caressing one another. "I love you, Caius.

"And I love you, Illyana. My little human." He brushed her hair back off her face, wondering how he had begun to stop hating humans and started loving his mate.

The next morning, Caius decided to use his authority as a Volturi master, and called upon Demetri for his help.

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Three days later, Aro had left the castle in the morning to go into town to speak business with a city official. He instructed Demetri and Felix to keep a watch on Master Caius and his mate. What Aro didn't know was Demetri had been speaking with Master Caius earlier in the week. He liked Illyana, and if Master Caius and his mate needed help, he would gladly give it to them. Felix was Demetri's best friend and a willing partner in this endeavor. Both might be punished by Aro if he found out what had happened, but Caius told them if they felt threatened with punishment to come to the farm and he would provide them with sanctuary until he could speak with Aro.

Caius and Illyana discussed what to do. Both wanted to go back to the farm, feeling they had been gone far too long. Having no need to pack anything, they went to the back where Caius' car had been brought around from the garage. No guard dared refuse him a demand, even if Aro ended up angered because of it.

Caius drove the convertible out the back gate, Illyana in the seat next to him. Once they were outside the city walls, Caius removed his sunglasses and roared the engine to life, racing down the road and well above the speed limit. Illyana was used to his daredevil driving now. She raised her arms up into the air and shouted, "Libero, libero, finalmente sono libero! " Then she 'woo-hooed' a few times, causing Caius to laugh. This is how he preferred to see his mate. Happy, and away from his brother's heavy-handed rule.

When they reached the farm, Illyana went in search of Pietro. Caius had parked the car behind the barn. No sense in advertising their presence from the road. They found a note on the front door of the house explaining he had a date and hoped to be home before 9pm. Monarch had been fed and brushed, and was ready for sleep, he reassured her. Turning to Caius, she remarked, "I guess we have the place to ourselves, and with whom does he have a date?"

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Illyana made supper for herself of a slice of ham and a baked potato, with a small salad on the side. As usual, Caius sat with her at the dining table while she ate. Sometimes Illyana would have liked to cook for her mate. Eating was just one thing they could not do together. Once she was a vampire, she assumed they'd feed together, but it just wasn't the same as her cooking for a human husband. Still, she smiled when Caius told her stories from his past while they relaxed together in the living room at night. She so admired his courage and strength, despite his nearly being killed by werewolves. That story had broken her heart when he'd told her. She was just grateful he had survived. The trauma would be with him for awhile, but she was here now to comfort him when he needed it.

Once Illyana finished washing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen, she led Caius to the sofa where they both sat next to each other. She saw the fire he had built in the fireplace, making the living room feel warm and cozy. He wasn't affected one way or the other by it, but he knew Illyana loved having a fire going on cooler evenings. She loved the way the firelight shone in his red eyes. Though they had been together for a while now, she still found it difficult to believe she was married to a preternatural being that shouldn't exist. No one would believe her even if she were free to tell anyone.

Tucking her legs to the side, she nestled against Caius, her head resting on his shoulder. "Has Aro called you today?"

He mumbled in the affirmative while he tightened his arm around her. "Yes, only 8 times so far today. He is persistent, if nothing else."

"Caius, I love you and don't give a rat's ass what Aro thinks. But if you want to speak with him, feel free. I won't object to that. I will object if he tells us to return to Volterra."

"Demetri is taking care of things there for us, Illyana. Now stop worrying and enjoy the fire."

It was Wednesday evening, and Illyana had just finished cleaning up after dinner. She and Caius were relaxing on the sofa, talking about a possible overnight trip to Rome. Caius said he'd book them a fabulous hotel, see some sights, and Illyana could indulge in some haute cuisine as he called it. If she wanted to shop, he'd get her anything she wanted.

Mid-conversation, Caius' phone jingled. He checked his texts to find one from Demetri. "Heads up, Master Caius. Company is on the way. And it's not driving." He showed Illyana the message.

"So this is part of how he is helping us? By sending warning texts?" She disengaged herself from her mate and went to look out the window. So Aro was on the way and not by car. She tried to imagine him traveling across the countryside at speeds faster than the human eye could follow. She wondered how that would feel.

"Well, if Aro wants to pay us a visit, we should let him," she said, turning back to face Caius. "It'll be two to one as I see it." She leaned into Caius, her hands at his waist. She kissed him, her tongue running across his cold lips. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Knowing who it was, Caius went and opened it.

"Hello, Aro. Please do come in." Caius stepped aside, allowing Aro to enter.

"You act as if you were expecting me," Aro said, giving Caius a nod of his head. He held out his hand to his brother, who ignored it. Aro shrugged, expecting nothing more, and glanced at Illyana. He gave the human female a smile. "You look beautiful, my dear. I hope you are well."

"As well as can be expected, Aro. Please have a seat. Marcus is not with you?"

"No, he chose to stay behind." Aro sat in the chair that was closest to the fireplace. As a vampire, he didn't care about the heat, but found the fire itself soothing to watch.

Doubting that Marcus had even been invited to join Aro, Caius and Illyana sat on the sofa across from Aro waiting for the shoe to fall.

"Fratello, sono stato un idiota." He waited for any contradiction to the statement that he was an idiot, but none came. Not wanting to completely humiliate himself, Aro continued. "After much contemplation, I have come to a decision I feel both of you will approve of."

"And what is that, Aro?" Caius asked, curious as to where this was leading.

Aro noticed Caius holding his mate's hand. He had never expected to see Caius of all people become so close to a human. He had initially hoped that with enough pressure placed upon the couple, the human would deny Caius' continued attentions, or Caius would abandon her for his own kind. Neither happened, so Aro had to deal with what both wanted.

"Brother, after a long debate with myself, I have decided to let you live as you wish, in peace. As long as you continue with your duties when needed, I will no longer interfere." He focused on Illyana and remarked, "I see how you two regard one another. I admire your willingness to accept Caius as he is, without fear. To see my brother so entranced by a human amazes me. Illyana, you may remain mortal for as long as you wish. But with a warning. Tell your horse groom nothing. His life would be forfeit if he were to find out anything about us and our kind. On this, I will not waver. Is that understood?"

Caius' expression appeared as human as Aro had ever seen him. He turned to his mate, who was grinning triumphantly.

"We agree, Aro, and thank you," she said. "I may never forgive you for what you took from me, but perhaps someday, I will be able to stand beside you as a sister."

Aro gave an unnecessary sigh of relief. "It's settled then."

"And you won't interfere with us again?" Caius asked, his eyes narrowed.

Aro tilted his head at the pair, promising, "Never again."

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Five days later. Illyana and Caius found out that Pietro had met a woman he really liked. They'd dated a few times, but he already knew he wanted to see more of her. They had met at school, taking some of the same courses, so in finding they had similar interests, when he asked her out, she said yes immediately. Illyana was happy for her groom and friend, and told him he could have her over any time. Just to give her and Caius a bit of warning for obvious reasons not known to Pietro.

For the twentieth time today, Aro called Caius, who was about to hang up on him for the twentieth time. Aro begged him to wait and listen to what he had to say. This hide and seek game Caius was playing was growing monotonous, but Aro had to speak with his brother in order to tell him something very important. Apparently, Caius was not going to make it easy after their earlier conversation.

Caius agreed to listen to what Aro had to say just this once. "Very well, Aro. You have this one call to tell me what you need to explain to me. Go ahead."

"Caius, this is a sincere effort on my part. Listen to me." Aro gave Caius an address. "When I text you, I want you to go to this address. It's very important. You won't be sorry, brother." There was a long pause after he gave Caius the address to remember, then Aro said, "It's for both you and Illyana."

A/N : So is Aro trying to make amends, or is this all a trick to get Caius and Illyana under his control?

Sorry this chapter took so long and is so short, but the end is coming soon. That chapter will tie up all the loose ends. Please enjoy.