Chapter 25
Hunger
It seems that all vampires can do with me is throw me in jail. First Stefan and his little cell, and now here in Volterra I'm once again being held captive. This time it's for the horrific crimes of wanting to stay human, and singing some songs – I am such a threat!
I can't stand what they've done to him. A human wouldn't have been able to withstand even the first attack, but he took several minutes of brutal punishment, even while laughing and goading Caius into a frenzy. I know he can heal from almost anything, but I also know he's not immune to the pain. He endured it all to save me. Not because my crimes should have earned me a death sentence, but because I'm merely a tool to punish him. I don't matter at all to them except for how they can use me.
I can't believe that Aro has been so honest. Well, not exactly honest, but at least he's opened up about wanting to see me turned. It scares me, since he's so used to getting what he wants. He holds his hand out for me to shake on the deal we've just made. I hate touching him. The idea that he can read my every thought at a touch disturbs me more than the deal itself. But I reach through the bars and he takes my hand. His twisted smile makes me wonder what memory he's latched onto, and I try to yank my hand back.
He continues to hold my hand, easily resisting my effort to pull away. "It's so interesting the way your mind works. You've watched everyone around you suffer and die, and yet you resist the gift we offer you. You are an amazing creature, but still you consider yourself below even the animals in your worthiness to live."
He smiles at me, still holding my hand. "I know you would want to end your life if you become one of us. You think you can deceive me with your promise of two years, when you would plan to end yourself as soon as possible." He squeezes my hand uncomfortably. "You need to know Summer, if that were to happen, I would make them both pay, at least two fold. Just think of it; Stefan mourning over you, and having the pleasure of serving the Volturi for four years in your place. But then you and I both know if you ended yourself, he would follow you into his final death."
He draws me closer, pulling my arm through the bars as his other hand slips around my neck and we are almost nose to nose. "You have made a deal with me, and if you lose, I will collect, one way or another." He holds me longer than necessary to make his point, and I feel the fear building in me. I also feel the anger that he is able to read this from my own mind. With his red eyes gazing into mine I fight to control my fear. He smiles triumphantly, and I feel him start to relax his hold.
Before he releases me I feel his fingers on the back of my neck, no longer holding me, but now touching and caressing me. "You are such a lovely girl, and oh the things you've done with him – even the thoughts are tantalizing." Rather than releasing me, he pulls me even closer, and his face is almost touching mine. His scent is drawing me in, but everything in me wants to pull away from him, and I stand almost frozen in place. Even Aro is not immune!
He laughs then. The sound is beautiful and it sends shivers down my spine. "How wonderful! Your magnetism even works on me. Even though I know what's happening, I still can't resist you. And I can see in your mind how it upsets you, and you still can't contain it. Remarkable! You have such a gift! Il dio mio, I want you!" He moves with hypnotic grace, slipping his arms through the bars to pull me as near as he can with the metal between us.
"No! Please don't do this Aro, I can't resist you." His lips brush my cheek, and I can't help but think that he's really a vampire, and if he wanted to, he could open the door and pull me out to feed on me, or worse. Our eyes meet in sudden understanding. "You can read my thoughts – oh god, no! He pulls back a bit, obviously trying to decide the best way to get me out without letting go of me.
It's then Stefan attacks. I barely hear the low snarl as he launches himself at Aro, who still has his hands on me. With his hands and teeth, he tears into his arms with a speed and fierceness that catches Aro off guard. As soon as I can tear myself away, I back up to the far wall. The two stand glaring at each other, and so many things are communicated but not spoken. Even as they face off, I can see that Aro is losing interest in me. Stefan is clearly a threatening presence as he guards the door in case Aro opens the cell. Eventually Aro glides to the other side of the holding area.
He looks past Stefan, to me. "You almost had me... no, you did have me. You just might win our bet. Well, that depends on whether he saved you, or merely saved you for himself. I think I need to go find my wife now. You have a pleasant evening." He strolls out of the area, and I'm left looking at Stefan, who isn't looking at me intentionally.
I slide down the wall and sit on the floor, which is the only seat they've left me. It seems like hours that we each stay where we're planted, until finally a woman comes in. It's the one they call the shield, Renata. She opens the cell door and takes me out. She explains as she leads me away that I'm allowed a certain amount of time to take care of my human needs. I'm given food, and allowed to use the bathroom and bathe quickly.
When I'm taken back he's kneeling in the corner, again chanting or praying. Because his words are so fast and muted I can't tell which. He doesn't look up as Renata closes me inside with him. The lights of the cell are turned off one by one, and I think they're trying to do me a favor and give me time to sleep. I'm exhausted, but there's no bed, nor even a soft place to lie. I stretch out on the cold, hard, floor and close my eyes. My body still hurts from everything that's happened, and I can't get comfortable.
I try to sit up in a corner, but all it does is remind me of how cold and hard it is in the cell. Even Stefan when he planned to end my life, was more conscientious than the Volturi. And the worst prisons back home at least afford their prisoners a mat to sleep on. I'm a prisoner. In the dark it hits me that my life is once again in someone else's hands. Only this time I don't even have the freedom to use the toilet when I want, and no one cares if I live or die. No, that's not true, they only care if I die.
I curl into a ball and close my eyes. It's only two weeks, and I'm sure I can get used to it in time. The memory hits me like a sucker punch. My mother... my mommy, back before she left me and I was still little. It was a nightmare that had me calling for her; one about bugs crawling out of the dark to get me. I remember her holding me and comforting me, and singing her favorite lullaby; 'All the Pretty Little Horses.' She had such a soft sweet voice, and I can remember the sound like I haven't been able to for years.
I feel my tears, cold and wet, and trickling in uncomfortable angles across my face. My body shakes with my sobs, and I almost scream at the touch of his hand. Stefan is kneeling beside me with his hand on my shoulder. "You're crying." His voice is a shadow of what it should be. "I'm so sorry." His hand traces lightly down my arm. "Can I hold you?"
"You tell me. If you can, I would... I would like that."
"I don't know if I can resist you. But I can't stand to hear you crying all alone. Come." He moves slowly, and it takes a minute to realize he's removing his shirt. He wraps me in the borrowed silk, and pulls me against his bare chest. "You're almost as cold as I am." I feel his arms around me, and somehow feel warmer even though he doesn't offer heat. It surprises me how naturally my body conforms to his, and how much I've missed being held in his arms.
"I remember my mother. She used to sing a lullaby to me when I was little... when I was afraid. It was called, "All the Pretty Little Horses," and I loved the song so much I began to love horses too." I'm resting with my head against his chest and my body curled against him. I can feel his hand stroking my hair, as his other arm holds me close.
His voice is weak and quiet, but he sings to me; "Hush a bye, don't you cry, go to sleepy little baby..." I may not wake up in the morning, but it feels right that I'm with him.
"I love you Stefan. Don't be sorry, I don't blame you for any of this." He doesn't answer, and I close my eyes and drift off.
I actually do make it through the night. I feel unreasonably happy to wake up in his arms, even though I can see he's struggling with his hunger. I wish some of the vampire books I'd read had been true, and I could give him small amounts of my blood. He's not exactly withering away, but he looks hollow. He's losing his vitality, and he looks like a human who's been rescued after being lost in the woods for days; hungry and tired.
I try to sit up from where we're lying on the floor, but he holds me tight. "Not yet. Just let me hold you while I can." I relax against him with a smile. "I think I may have been wrong. I don't think it helps to stay away from you. You can't get far enough away from me in here to keep me from wanting you. But when you're with me, you at least seem calmer, and I don't feel you pulling me so much. I love you, Summer."
I can feel him press his cheek against the top of my head. "You can see now that I'm not human, and I'm never going to be completely safe. Right now it's all I can do to resist taking you. But I feel more peaceful too while I'm holding you. Across the room I feel like stalking you and feeding on you. With you in my arms I don't feel like I'm hunting."
"But you still feel like... feeding on me."
"Oh yes!" His arms tighten around me. "But it's not driving me. I feel like I can... save you for later."
"I hate what they've done to you!" I raise up to look at his face.
"This is nothing new, my love. It's always been in the back of my mind that I could... feast on you. It's part of what I am, and what I'll always be. I pray that my will is stronger than my nature. It's our only hope."
"I know you're stronger than that. I'm in love with the man you are. I know that you're never going to be human, but it doesn't matter to me." I kiss his neck and he groans.
"I wish we had privacy. It would be nice to satisfy at least one of my hungers for you." It's nice to know he still has his dry sense of humor.
"Me too. But at least in two weeks we'll be able to take care of all of our needs. Do you still want to marry me? I mean after all this craziness I can understand if you've changed your mind. It seems it would be like me wanting to marry a chicken or a cow. I mean talk about playing with your food."
"Summer, I don't see you as food, I thirst for your blood There's just not enough for both of us," he chuckles.
"I wish I could give you some. I mean, I know it's more than just the blood, but even a little would help, wouldn't it?"
"You've just had a transfusion yourself, and you'd still give me your blood? I don't deserve you."
"I quite agree!" Aro has slipped in silently and his words startle me. "Oh how cozy you look – still human I see. But then again if you were to try to give him some of your blood that would be all over. He'd be like a shark, and finish you off in one bite. Or he might have more restraint, and stop himself; essentially poisoning you and turning you into one of us. I encourage you to try it."
Stefan sits up and looks at Aro with disgust. "Haven't you got something better to do? Some little children to frighten, old women to harass, or puppies to torture?"
Aro laughs. "I hear lately you're the one torturing puppies. Or do you prefer your fuzzy animals a bit larger? It's so nice to see you're not suffering too badly; I was quite worried yesterday."
"Go to hell Aro. You can save me a place. Tell me, is it part of your plan to freeze her to death? Or do you just hope to keep her from recovering by forcing her to sleep on the stone floor?" He stands and pulls me to him. "Let me put this in a way even you can understand. In two weeks of treatment like this, she is going to be a horrible looking bride. She already has dark circles under her eyes, and she will get sick if you continue to mistreat her."
"As if you've done better yourself. I know all about that squalid little cellar room you kept her in. And at least we haven't drugged the girl."
"The girl is right here, and that's not your memory!" I was afraid Aro would use my memories against him, and now he is doing just that.
"Oh please! You can't expect me to allow him to look down upon me from his high horse. I will talk to Caius and convince him to at least give you a place to sleep and a way to stay warm. Or maybe I should have him spend some time with you himself and let you charm what you want out of him." He grins maliciously at Stefan. "It would be be interesting to see both of you fighting over her, but I fear there wouldn't be enough left to turn if you did."
"Why are you here?" Stefan has his arms protectively around me
"I'm glad you haven't disappointed me by feeding on her so soon. We do still have a wedding to plan, and it's so difficult to work with newborns. Not to mention having to wait for that inconvenient time during the change to pass. But I'm here for invitations. Specifically, I need to know who you would invite, and who you would ask to stand up with you?"
It is almost impossible to concentrate on what seems to be trivial details when my life and safety are constantly at risk. Finally Aro just asks that I allow him to touch me. With Stefan by my side he reads the details from my mind as he asks me questions. There comes a moment when he strokes my hand affectionately, and Stefan pulls me back away from him.
"Don't be ridiculous. If I want her I could easily have her at any time! Aro looks almost angry. His eyes are a dark red, and I know enough to understand that he will soon need to feed. Someone is going to die soon.
"Easily? I think you overestimate your power." Stefan's voice is stronger as he confronts Aro. "Unless by easy you mean to use the guard to do your bidding."
"Why don't you just save us all a lot of time with all this protesting and posturing and just bite her. She's delicious – my mouth waters just smelling her – no one would blame you. Get it over with Stefan, you and I both know that in two weeks you'll be more dead than alive. You may be able to resist her now, but in thirteen more days you won't be able to see beyond her pulse, or hear more than her beating heart." Aro's laughter is musical, but his words chill me. Not that it's news he wants to turn me, but because he doesn't care at all what I want. As a human I am nothing but a bag of blood.
I can't take much more of the sniping. "Please, just go away. If you really believe I've only got a short time left to live, then at least give me some peace to enjoy it."
"My, my, my, the way you two try to protect one another is so touching. And I've gone out of my way to bring you a gift." He waves, and Renata comes in, carrying my guitar. As the door opens, she sets it inside, and takes my hand.
"It is time for you to eat, and take care of your needs." Her English is spoken with a heavy Italian accent. She leads me out and I've learned the way to the bathroom and where they allow me to eat. It's odd how they've tried to provide for me, and yet they forgot things a human would not. They've given me a toothbrush, but no toothpaste. I have shampoo, soap, and thick, fluffy, towels, but not a razor or deodorant. And what passes for toilet paper is so harsh I have to wet it before I can use it.
I linger over the breakfast, hoping to give Stefan as much time as possible before he has to worry about killing me. I try to talk to Renata, "How long have you been one of them?"
"I have been with the Volturi for over twelve hundred years." She seems proud of it, like it's an achievement.
"I bet you get to travel a lot, and see the world. Where's the best place you've ever been?" I nibble the cheese while she watches.
"I have only left Volterra on a few occasions when I was needed. This is my home and I love it here. I have lived here since I was changed, and I don't have any desire to leave." I have to wonder how much of her desire is hers, and how much is the influence of Chelsea and others who can create binding ties to this place. I wonder if I would feel the same if I were changed while I'm here.
"You need to finish, it is time to go back." As we walk I think about spending four hundred years in the same place, doing the same thing. It sounds like a nightmare to me.
As soon as we're back she puts me into the cell, ignoring my delaying tactics. Stefan has to get used to me all over again, and I hold perfectly still to wait for the predatory look to leave his eyes. When he finally takes me in his arms I relax into him. "I love you." I whisper against his shoulder. He's once again wearing the silk shirt, and I slowly put my arms around him.
"I'm so sorry Summer. It's all my fault you're in this mess. And I still don't know if I can resist you for two weeks. Aro is right, in two weeks I won't even know you. This thing that I've become, it wants to survive above all else. I would rather die than hurt you, but the monster inside me will think nothing of killing you."
I look up into his beautiful, haunted face and put my hands on his cold cheeks. "You're stronger than that. I know you're the one in control. The man I love isn't a puppet, and I know you can make it. But if something happens, and you don't..."
"Don't say that!" He interrupts me. "I don't need you to give me permission, or forgiveness."
"I'm not... giving you permission that is. But I love you, and if you lose control, I want you to know I'm here because I love you. It's been my choice ever since Carlisle left me at the airport. My time with you has been the best time of my life, and I wouldn't go back and change it even if I could. Even if it means that this is the end of me, I know you'll remember me forever."
"Shh, you're wrong. I will only remember you until I can end myself. You are the last woman I will love. But you are also the last woman I will lose. I won't live without you." He holds me so tight I can't breathe, then he relaxes with an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry."
"You won't have to worry about ending yourself, I know you're stronger than you think. And now we have something to keep me busy." I look at the guitar and smile. "I have two weeks to practice so that I don't sound so terrible when we play together next time."
We sit together on the floor while I play. The time passes quickly as we sing together. For the first time his voice doesn't overpower mine, and we sound good together. When Renata comes to get me for lunch I kiss his cheek before I leave.
When I come back the cell is a bit different. There is a small bed inside with a couple blankets. There is also a chair, and it's resemblance to the one in Stefan's cellar is a reminder that Aro has read it in my mind. Again I wait for him to adjust to my presence, but instead he comes to me and wraps me in his arms. "I've missed you. You're right, I'm not a puppet, and I will not kill you." He carefully kisses my cheek.
"What's changed your mind? When I left you were convinced that I was about to expire."
He points to the chair. "Aro is taunting me. I think that's why he keeps visiting you; he knows I won't kill you in his presence. He keeps reminding me that if we lose, he will own me. But I think he wants us to win. He's sending Renata in to take care of you, and she's the only one who can resist us both, and she's loyal to Aro."
"But he wants me turned! He doesn't want us to win." I can't see it the way he does.
"You're thinking like a human. Aro is ancient. If I'm weak enough to turn you, then he wins in the short term. You'll be one of us, and we'll owe him our service. But if you win, he gains in the long term. It looks bad on Caius and makes Aro look stronger. We then have the agreement of our freedom, and the wedding which will do wonders for their image. If we're free to live without the influence of the Volturi, it's the kind of thing that will shake up our world. What we've already done could put us on the path to the conflict with humans he's predicting. Cauis is a legalist, and Marcus is... fading. Aro wants change. But not because he wants things to be different, but because he seeks more power."
"That's quite a convoluted theory. But if it works for you, I'm happy." He surprises me when he pulls me close and kisses me, not on the cheek but the lips. It's a reminder of how long it's been since we've been alone together, and I cling to him.
When he pulls back he smiles down at me. "Aro has never seen Star Wars. I'm going to take my philosophy from Yoda: 'Do or do not, there is no try.' I've been trying to resist feeding on you, but it's not about trying. That allows for failure, and I can not allow myself to fail. I will not feed on you Summer. I don't care if you are reduced to a scent and a heartbeat, and I forget your name, I will not!" I see the determination on his face, and I know he's once again resolved. "And since that is no longer an option, I can see no reason why I can't hold you and kiss you." To prove his point, he kisses me again, and his hands travel over me in a way that makes me wish we were alone.
At night we both sleep in the small bed, but he insists I use both blankets to keep warm. When I wake up in his arms I'm startled to see he's in a trance like state. As soon as I move, he comes out of it with a smile. "I used to rest like that all the time. It's one of those things that comes with age, and I used to think it was a bad thing. But I think I can use it to help me conserve what strength I have left. It used to be impossible to do it with you so near, but when you're asleep I think I can distract myself enough from you to make it work."
We spend long hours during the day playing the guitar and singing. I also do some exercises to keep from wasting away. It's in this way that a week passes without any instances of Stefan trying to kill me. Aro makes daily visits to update me on the wedding plans, and ask my ideas on different details. I'm especially surprised when he tells me that I have so many friends who have accepted the invitation to come. I've chosen my best friend back home to stand up with me, and there are several others he's chosen to be bridesmaids. The plans make it seem much more elaborate than anything I ever would have planned, but he insists.
"So what are you going to do when my girlfriends arrive and insist on seeing me and meeting my fiance?" I hope my question challenges him, but it doesn't seem to even give him pause.
"Oh they'll meet him at the party I've got planned. In three days you'll both go to the party to meet with your friends and socialize. Of course he won't be safe, but that's just a chance we'll have to take. There will be several of us on hand to make sure he doesn't eat your bridesmaids, but it promises to be an interesting evening!"
I want to argue with him, but considering the laws of Volterra I'm sure my friends will be safe. But they may get to witness him biting me if we're not extremely careful.
Later I talk to Stefan about it. "It won't be easy, Summer. I have gotten used to your scent and your presence. But it's all about my control. It's my decision, and I'm not willing to lose so close to our wedding. Just don't expect me to be pleasant company."
The three days pass, and we are both allowed to bathe and dress in elegant party clothes. Someone does my hair and make-up for me, and when I see Stefan again he looks elegant in a dark suit. I'm worried about him; he looks different than when we first arrived. He's almost gaunt, and his skin is dry and papery feeling. His smile is still beautiful, but his eyes are black and piercing. I start to worry that my friends won't like him, but then I realize that they shouldn't. I'm the only one who needs to like him, and I know exactly how dangerous he is.
I was thinking that the party would be in the same building where the Volturi live, but instead we're driven to a hotel where the affair has been organized, planned, and catered. The room is large, and well decorated. There's a buffet with all kinds of food, and tables for everyone to sit. I've got thirty people I know, and they've also brought date's, spouses, or guests. I can also tell there are an equal number of his kind mingling with the human guests.
As we make our entrance, Stefan walks arm in arm with me, and I'm so proud of his restraint. Of course Aro is attending; giving orders and making last minute arrangements for this or that. He greets us as we enter with a smile as fake as the towering floral arrangements flanking the door. "Summer, you look absolutely beautiful! And Stefan, you... look like you're not feeling well." His words are a reminder that we are planning on telling my guests he's not feeling well. Emma, my maid of honor is the first to greet us and she rushes to my arms and we hug as she squeals her delight.
"Oh my gosh you look so beautiful! I'm so glad you finally found someone to be good to you!" She looks expectantly toward Stefan for an introduction.
"This is my fiance, Stefan. He's not feeling well, so you might not want to shake his hand." She looks at him, and suddenly looks wary. "It's nice to meet you." She speaks with a timid voice and a nod of her head. I glance at Stefan, and he looks like he could devour her where she stands. "Excuse me, please." I take his arm and pull him away from the other guests, to a table in the corner. "Are you going to be okay? We can go... I don't care about this party as much as I care about you."
"It's so difficult! I'm so thirsty, and they are so... " He wraps his arms around me tight and buries his face in my hair. "I know I won't hurt you, but... "
"Stefan, this is part of the Volturi plan to win. If you take one of the guests, you lose. You'll be breaking the law, and they will feel they have the right to end you. And I will be without your protection. You have to resist! Tell me what I need to do to make this work."
We spend an hour of the party meeting my friends and guests. He stands behind me with his arms around my waist through each introduction and while I do most of the talking. To most of my friends he looks completely enthralled with me, often burying his nose in my hair or kissing my neck. Any time someone asks him an uncomfortable question, he lapses into speaking Romanian with some words of broken English thrown in. Later when everyone is sitting to eat, I stay with him at our corner table, sitting on his lap. For the most part, my friends are charmed by him, except for Emma who likely thinks I've found an unfaithful, lecherous man.
The last hour of the party is the hardest. The music begins to play, and we are expected to dance. At first Stefan whirls me onto the dance floor, and I'm impressed with how fluidly he moves. He's an amazing dancer, but as we glide across the dance floor I realize we've lost the excuse that he's too ill for this.
I feel my stomach drop as a couple of my friends try to cut in. We stop, and Stefan holds me tight. "I apologize, but I just cannot bear to part with her for any reason. Perhaps I will feel differently after the wedding." We leave them watching after us as he twirls me away. "I'm sorry to seem so rude," he whispers in my ear. "But if I hold another woman in my arms... I don't know what will happen."
With the dancing so limited, it doesn't take long for the party to break up. I have a little more time to chat with my friends, but then Aro comes to let us know our ride is waiting for us. It doesn't take long before we are once again in our cell. It seems so odd to go from a fancy party, to a prison cell.
The next day is not much different, except that Aro comes to chat about all the things he learned during the party. He shares that my maid of honor is very worried about me, thinking that Stefan had looked at her with lust. I'd been so caught up with watching Stefan, I'd missed the fact that Aro had danced with all of my girlfriends. "I've learned so much about you. I never imagined that you dated so many unrestrained, lecherous men. For the most part they are happy for you, though some of them are jealous as well. Today we're going to be fitting your wedding party.
Stefan leaves my side and he confers with Aro in the fast way they are able to hear and understand. I can pick up on some of the words, and I'm reminded of how he was planning our wedding before we were captured. I forgot that I should have consulted with him concerning the details which are so much more important to him than they are to me. I sit and strum the guitar, as they go on for quite some time.
With two days left until the wedding Stefan is weak. Not in his resolve, but physically. He lies in bed in a trance-like state more and more, and I'm afraid that soon he just won't come out of it. His every word is now whispered, and the sunken look of his face looks nothing like him. He still wants me close, but I can feel the way his skin hangs from him and I'm actually afraid I'll hurt him.
On the day before the wedding we have an unusual visitor. Caius stands outside our cell and observes us from the other side of the bars. "I never would have thought it was possible. You should have been dead long ago." Stefan is weak and he doesn't even get up from the bed. I stand to face him, and I'm surprised that for someone who has impacted my life so much, I've spoken very little to him.
I walk over to the bars and fearlessly look him in the eyes. "Why do you hate him so much?" I look at his face, his beautifully childlike face. I can understand how Stefan once thought he was an angel.
He doesn't even look at me. He looks at Stefan as he answers me. You couldn't possibly understand. I have no use for the emotion of hate. It is the law which matters most.
"You can tell yourself that, but I saw the fight, and I saw the rage and hatred on your face. It had nothing to do with the law."
He looks at me. His cold eyes regard me like some kind of insect that has crawled into his presence. "It isn't natural, the feelings you have for one another. Quite honestly it makes me sick. Aro is having so much fun toying with you, but I'd rather kill you, I'd still like that." He steps close to the bars. "You are blurring the lines between our kind and humans. That should never happen! Stefan has always elevated humans above what they deserve; first with his human fiance and family, then with the humans we preyed upon, and of course all those who allied themselves with him and Vladmir."
His smile twists and he looks down his nose at me. "His so-called son Daniel had the right idea, though he needed to be schooled in restraint. Stefan destroyed him, when he merely treated humans as they should be treated." He narrows his eyes at me. "You are food, nothing more. You are simply not worthy of his devotion. Evolution has favored us with greater strength, intelligence, speed, ability, and longevity. It is laughable that any of our kind want to protect you rather than feed upon you. It is a perversion of all we are, and I despise it! This wedding is a mockery. For him to marry you is no different than watching a human marry a cow."
"I love him. And he loves me... doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"Love is merely an emotional response to a physical stimulus. He loves you because you are frail, and pretty, and look at him with doe eyes. He has always enjoyed being adored. It doesn't surprise me that you love him; he is so far above you. It could just as easily have been me, or Aro, or Vladmir, or... any of us. You are not special, you're merely lucky he didn't feed on you when he should have. If you want to call it love, I can't prevent you from deluding yourself. But for him to call it love is blasphemy!"
I don't notice he's so close. He reaches through the bars and grabs my arm with the speed of a striking snake. He pulls me against the bars hard enough to hurt, and I'm so close I can see every detail of his face. "You might have won your bet with Aro, but don't think for a second that you'll ever be above the Volturi! You are nothing but prey, and he should have had the good sense to feed on you. You despise our laws, but if it were not for those laws, I would feed on you myself!" He holds my face in his hand, and he licks me from my neck to my ear. The smile on his face is far from angelic
The lock clicks, and the door swings open even as he still holds me through the bars. He pulls me into the area outside the cell, and Stefan remains still. I want to call out to him, but I'm afraid of what will happen if he confronts Caius.
"I fail to see what all the fuss is about. It's all Aro could talk about – how alluring you were and how he would have taken you himself." He pulls me to him, and I try unsuccessfully to struggle free. He tangles his hand in my hair and pulls my head back. "If I changed you, we could watch a newborn bride walk down the aisle and try to eat her guests. Then the law would be on my side!"
I hear him laugh; cold and unsympathetic. "I feel it now! Aro was right... you are such a temptation! Stefan must be dead if he doesn't want to take you." His hands are moving over me and molding me to his hard body
"You're married. Caius, you're breaking the law!" I struggle, but it seems useless in his iron grip.
"You are only human... it won't mean a thing to my wife. I can play with my food all I like." He kisses me. His mouth is hard on mine and his tongue forces between my lips. When he stops I see there is an arm around his throat.
"Come old friend, this is not the way you would want to go out." It's not Stefan, but Aro pulling him back from me. "Let her go, she's won her freedom." Caius relaxes his grip on me and I pull away. I slip back into the open cell to see what's wrong with Stefan. He's still and unresponsive, and I think he might be gone already. I put my arms around him and try to lift him, and he's so weak he can barely sit.
"It's over, Stefan. We're free! Wake up... are you okay?" He slumps against the wall, and his eyes are cloudy as he looks my way.
"Love you..." He whispers before sliding sideways in the bed. His eyes are open but they don't focus on anything. I didn't even notice them come in, but Caius and Aro are standing on either side of me, and all I can do is cry.
"I have never seen anything so ridiculous!" Cauis looks almost shocked. "He's ignoring the very meal that could save his life!"
Aro looks at me and shakes his head. "He's too weak to hunt. One of us will have to hunt for him."
"Will my blood help him?" I ask Aro since Caius won't understand what I'm suggesting. "Not all of it, but a little? Enough to get him up so he can hunt?"
Aro's face is unreadable, but he takes me outside the cell and closes the door with Cauis inside. I hand him the cup I've had for water. "Just like Sulpicia did... no venom." I hold out my wrist and he effortlessly slices across it with his fingernail. The blood trickles at first, but as he manipulates my wrist it pours steadily into the cup. As soon as it's full he wraps my wrist in fabric strips and advises me to keep pressure on it. He opens the cell and pulls Stefan to a sitting position and forces him to drink like a child. It seems odd watching him drink my blood, and crazily hoping he likes it.
Before the cup is half empty, he takes it from Aro and tips it up, greedily emptying it. He seems more alive than he has in days, and his eyes find mine. His voice is ragged as he snarls. "Make her leave before you open the door. I know she gave me her blood, and I want more!" In minutes Renata is there, leading me away from him. For hours I wait and wonder, and I suffer through a visit from their doctor who stitches up my wrist. When finally Aro visits me I'm a nervous wreck.
"He is fine. He has hunted and he's as good as new. He's with Vladmir right now. You'll get to see each other tomorrow, at the wedding. I know it's a quaint old tradition, but it was actually his idea. We have a place for you to stay until then, and you can see your friends." Aro and Renata stay for a few hours, discussing all the specific details of the wedding. I wonder why Renata's there since she clearly doesn't care about such things, but it's obviously so Aro won't feel my attraction.
As soon as it's dinner time Aro disappears. I'm in the middle of eating when Vladmir finds me. I'm so happy I throw my arms around him and kiss his cheek. "I'm so glad to see you!"
"Well, that makes two of us. I thought for sure you'd have joined us by now. You're lucky it was him, I couldn't have done it."
"I didn't feel lucky. But is he okay? I mean really? He looked like he was almost gone. Is that possible?" I have a million questions about Stefan.
"He's fine, except that he misses you. He made me promise to tell you, he thanks you for your blood. And I don't think it's possible to starve us to death, but we can starve to the point of helplessness. Sort of like a sponge we can dry out entirely and not be capable of hunting. It's been used as a punishment before. When we come out of such a state it takes outside interventions to revive us. Stefan was that far gone. I'm glad you both made it out alive." He hugs me and kisses my cheek before glancing at Renata. "Don't you go anywhere, it wouldn't be a good idea for the best man to bite the bride."
When Aro returns he looks a little surprised to see Vladmir with me. Then he smiles. "I should tell her what I've read in your mind. After what you've done with my wife, it seems only fair."
"No! I don't want to hear whatever it is you've read!" I come close to putting my fingers in my ears, no matter how childish it would look.
"Fine, I won't share." He gets past his miffed look and hands me a small fabric bag. "I brought you something to wear tomorrow. It's only borrowed, so you can return it whenever you like." Inside the bag is a bracelet that looks like it would match my engagement ring perfectly. "Wear it over your bandaged wrist." I slip it on and it's the perfect cover.
"Thank you. The doctor said it was a clean cut and it should heal fine."
"I've never seen anything like what you two did. That he starved himself rather than feed on you was phenomenal. But then you offered your own blood to feed him... Let Caius mock what you two have, but to me it looks like love. I had thought I'd seen restraint before, but Stefan has shown me a whole new depth of control. I am looking forward to giving you to him tomorrow. You two belong together."