"But must we go back?" Victoria whined slightly, dancing lightly around James as he drifted purposefully along the empty allyway. He growled under his breath in relpy, but continued to stare straight ahead. She grinned and skipped intentionally in his way; he swatted her lazily aside.
"I must confess, Victoria, I am growing quite tired of your antics. I said we must come back, and we are doing so." His tone was icy amd she scowled, falling into step beside him. He paused, quirking his head to the side. "He is here- and he is not alone."
As soon as the words were spoken, Laurent materialized before them, dropping from the rooftop. A moment later, a second vampire landed gracefully behind him. James's stance immediatedly became defensive, put Laurent lifted a peaceable hand.
"Easy, now. She is a friend of mine- she was simply curious," he announced, beckoning the female forward.
Victoria instantly disliked her. Her hair was shimmering gold, long and gently waved; suddenly, the red-head was uncomfortably a aware of her own ungroomed state. She had full, pink lips and wide eyes- eyes that usually belied innocence, but on her flawless face, carried an air of otherworldly seduction. She smiled dazzlingly, and pranced forward to greet James.
"Bonjour," she purred, perching on her toes to press her lips lightly to each cheek. "I am Gabrielle." She beamed up at him, then turned to Victoria and repeated the gesture. Victoria twitched in surprise, and Gabrielle laughed brightly. "But you are not French!" she crooned in delight. "Tell me, what are your names?"
"Victoria,"
"James."
"Victorie, James, it is wonderful to meet you."
Victoria wrinkled her nose, hating how the beautiful female pronounced her name.
"Laurent," James spoke again. "I have something for you." He reached into a pocket on his jacket, and withdrew the second fang- the other he wore around his neck. He dropped it into Laurent's hand, waiting expectantly. Immediately, Laurent's eyes grew huge.
"This is not possible! When I saw you again, I assumed you had not found one, but this-"
"I will tell you about it later, but Victoria and I have not hunted in several days."
Laurent laughed softly. "Of course. However, in such a populous city, it would be unwise for the four of us to hunt together- Gabrielle would be delighted to show you some wonderful places to dine, and Victoria- If you would come with me?"
Victoria narrowed her eyes in suspicious unhappiness, but James and Gabrielle had already vanished.
"I know you do not like me, Victoria," he murmured, tone melodic. "But I hope that you may come to."
"We don't need another member in our coven," she snarled. Laurent shook his head gently.
"James's coven, not yours, dear. I'm afraid it is not your decision. And I believe that Gabrielle may also be growing tired of Paris; we would both like adventure-"
"No!" hissed Victoria, her babyish voice shrill with fury. With a sigh, Laurent asked,
"Why is it that you are so difficult? James is clearly a strong male; I do not see why he tolerates it." He read her expression carefully. "Or does he? Are you not so very difficult with him, then?"
"James and I work well together; we do not need any one else," she repeated viciously. He smiled.
"I see that you are very thirsty- perhaps a quick bite will calm you?"
It did, to some degree. An hour later, they were sitting by the edge of the Seine. Victoria's gaze twitched about- watching humans, boats, buildings, everything lit by a sort of sparkle in the night. Laurent had shown her around some of the highlights the she and James had not explored on their brief tour, and she was feeling distinctly full and generous.
"Do you think they will be looking for us? We've been gone nearly three hours."
"Gabrielle and I usually use a small flat as a place to clean or relax- they've probably returned there. We can go, if you'd like."
"Yes, let's," Victoria agreed. They sped through the city, soon arriving at a small, inconpicuous building. A window on the second floor was open, and Laurent nodded once.
"They are inside."
"Good." She leapt up gracefully, landing lightly inside. "Hello?" she called, moving into the next room. A muffled giggle drew her attention, and her head whipped around.
"Bonjour, Victorie. Bonjour, Laurent."
Venom flooded Victoria's mouth, and a ferocious snarl ripped through her teeth. The scene before her was nightmarish, and Laurent threw an arm around Victoria's waist to prevent her from attacking the grinning female. James's own lazy, satisfied countenance did nothing to remedy the situation.
There was a single bare mattress on the floor in the corner of the room, upon which James and Gabrielle were twined, shamelessly nude. They made no attempt to hide what had transgressed shortly prior to Victoria's arrival, and she could scarely see throught the haze of red that clouded her vision. Not a hint of guilt or remorse marred James's sated expression- he merely quirked one eyebrow, as if to warn her to behave herself in the presence of others.
It was too much.
Victoria's roar resounded through apartment, rattling the very walls. She threw off Laurent's restraning arm, but did not move to attack- instead, she whirled around sprang back out the window, hitting the hard ground and shooting off. She did not have a path in mind, but was only mildly surprised when she stopped on the Champs-Elysées, outside the sumptuous hotel they'd stayed in before begining the hunt across the East. Although she did not have enough cash with her, she walked several streets down and seamlessly swiped the purses of several affluent tourists. After assuring that she'd have enough for a suite for the night, Victoria purchased another osentatious gown, though she resisted wearing it while still filthy from the journey.
All this was done in a haze. As she lay soaking in the deep bathtub, she struggled to make sense of it, of everything.
James did not love her. He had never loved her, despite her best efforts, not when she'd given him everything, anything, saved his life... Victoria sank beneath the bubbling water, and did not emerge for nearly ten minutes. The steamy water soothed her somewhat, but she needed to confront what she'd been avoiding, what she didn't want to think about- while what James did with his victims offended her, she felt betrayed and infuriated now... That awful female was of their kind, not discardable; Victoria would not be able to return now. She'd have to leave, go her own way again... But where? she wondered in despair. She would have to find someone else- but she didn't want anyone else. She wanted James, but she needed him to want her, too.
She rose from her bath when the water finally grew cold, around dawn. She still didn't know what to do with herself- it had been so easy to make James the center of her existence, and she wasn't certain that she could go back to being alone. But she would have to leave Paris, and soon. After spending nearly an hour combing her hair until it fell like silk down her shoulders and back, she rang reception.
"I need you to send me travel pamphlets," she ordered. "For anywhere and everywhere in the world."
They seemed unfazed by the request. Once dressed in her far too extravagant evening gown, Victoria spent most of the day flipping through them, trying to find somewhere that looked appealing. The idea of going anywhere alone seemed empty and pointless, but she shoved the thought away. When she went at sunset for another bath, she was toying with the idea of Australian rainforests or Scotland.
It was well into the night by the time she emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a thick robe. Glancing up, her breath caught.
James stood by the set of elaborate French doors opening onto the balcony, and the sounds the city could be heard below. His stance was relaxed, his arms lazily crossed over his bare chest as he lounged carelessly against the frame. The gauzy white drapes swayed around him gently, so that he flickered in and out of her his head tilted slightly to the side, he watched her. His smile was langorous and his crimson eyes warm, but Victoria sensed something predatory about him despite this. Her instinct encouraged her to bolt, but she stayed rooted to the spot.
"My pet," he purred, sauntering towards her. "Surely you are over your tantrum? I did not intend to linger in Paris so long; I've been indulging your pettiness, but enough is enough." He had reached her and extend a hand to stroke her cheek. She jerked her chin away, eyes blazing.
"Go," she snarled. "I will not follow. I was planning to go my own way tomorrow morning in any case."
He arched one eye brow and cocked his head, still not looking angry, but amused. "You were going to leave me, Victoria? You were going to leave me?" And then, he laughed, throwing his head back as if it were a marvelous joke. Her fists clenched.
"Get out of here. I can manage on my own- I have done so for years. I'm done with your tyranny and abuse."
Abruptly, the laughter ceased. His eyes narrowed into glittering slits. "I grow tired of your pathetic attempts at independence. There is nothing you wouldn't do for me, and now, I am telling you to come back with me."
Not asking, she noted. Telling. Her reply was not particularly defiant or emotional.
"No."
With a roar, he sprang at her, and she tumbled aside, wriggling out of his grasp. She prepared herself to fly to the window, but he intercepted her midleap. He slammed her against the wall, her wrists held captive in his hand and pressed above her head. His other arm became a crushing band around her torso.
"Release me!" she cried, struggling ineffectually. He chuckled deep in his throat, and she gasped when she felt his tongue slide up her neck.
"Go on, Victoria," he encouraged huskily. She snarled and fought against his grip, kicking furiously.
"This isn't a game!"
"Oh, Victoria!" he laughed, tearing the shoulder from her gown and forcing her to her knees. "It's all a game, haven't you learned that yet?" His hand fisted in her hair and he pressed her face to the wall, crouching behind her. "Make the game fun for me," he whispered, nibbling her earlobe.
"No," she moaned, twisting uselessly. "Not now! I've given you more than enough chances- you're too late! I've been your fun, and now-"
"Yes, sweetheart. Now."
Victoria had lost all concept of time. The warmth that encompassed her was not from a bath, but something far less tangible- although she could distinctly feel the secure weight of James's arm around her back, his other hand laced in her hair, and his smooth chest beneath her cheek. For what could have been hours, she lay there, simply content to rest upon him, savoring the rise and fall of his chest. It was James that broke the silence at last.
"So what do you say, then?" he murmured, fingertip drifting down her spine. "Shall we go? It will be liberating, Victoria. We will be unconquerable; the world will be ours. The four of us-"
Victoria's head popped up. "Four?"
"Yes. Four."
"No," Victoria slowly shook her head. "Three."
"Now, now," he rolled over, turning her onto her back and smirking down at her. "Really, Victoria. After this, you still say you'll refuse me?"
"Especially after this," she replied, stretching herself beneath him, extending her arms above her head. His gaze fell from her eyes to her chest, and his mouth soon followed. Victoria curled her arms around his head and neck, burying her face in his hair. "I couldn't share this with anyone else. I couldn't live with you and her, together, knowing that this..." she drifted off and he lifted his chin to rest on her shoulder. Much to her shock, he was listening. "We'd need to be mated. It's the only way."
"You drive a hard bargin," he commented idly, fingers sliding between her thighs. She bit her lip, but stayed on task.
"What can she do that I can't?" she demanded. James chuckled softly.
"There are some things, my dear, that cannot be learned outside the court of Louis XIV."
Victoria scowled. "Things that are useful, things that will help you. And besides," she grinned wickedly, flipping him onto his back and showering kisses along the line of his jaw. "I'm a fast learner."
"Oh, sweetheart," he groaned, curling his hand in her flaming locks and urging her lips down his chest and abdomen. His lips curled into a feral grin. "I know."
(Author's Note: Did anyone else see the deleted scenes from Twilight? How about the 'I like it when men chase me' scene? O...M...G.
Wow. Really. That's all I can say. I can see why they cut that from a PG-13 movie though, especially one that a bunch of 10 year old girls would be showing up at!
You know, my James and Victoria are shamelessly movie!Twilight characters. Usually I prefer the book representations, but I must admit that Cam Gigandet as James inspired this whole fic. Really.)