At World's End
Rome, 73 b.c.
The man I was servicing was almost finished with me. I was on all fours waiting for him to be done with it, moaning so he'd think I was having fun. When he was finally done, he almost fell onto his back and groaned loudly. I stepped away and put back on my dress while the man tried to recover himself.
"That was incredible." I smiled my sweetest smile, knowing that was the smile that seemed to do the best for me.
"I'm thrilled you enjoyed yourself, sir. Lady Zitia will be thrilled too."
The man stayed in the bed for a little longer while I walked out and went straight to the bath. Foe and Betricia were there too and had just finished with their customers. Foe had been visited by Prefect Tibirian and had spent a good five hours with him. Betricia was laughing about it with Foe smiling.
"How do you make him stay here for five whole hours? Is his marriage that miserable?" Foe shrugged as I stepped into the tub.
"He talks about that enough. It's not that he hates his wife, he just never loved her. He prefers to talk about politics, though. It's more his thing."
"How much time is spent talking with you two?" Foe shrugged.
"Sometimes, we'll talk for at least two hours before we do anything." Betricia's eyes widened.
"Do I sense a possibility of being bought?" Foe shrugged.
"He's never brought it up with me." Betricia grinned and nodded her head approvingly.
"He will, I'm sure of it. How old is his wife? Do you think anything will happen to her any time soon?" Foe looked at Betricia disapprovingly.
"I would never wish for something to happen to her! She's not a bad person. Tibirian is just unhappy because they were never in love. They married out of convenience, that's all it was." I offered my opinion then.
"Do you think he might buy you and keep you as a house slave?" Foe shook her head.
"His wife is an incredibly jealous type. They only have ugly female slaves and ugly male slaves. From the few of them I've seen, they all have facial deformities."
"That's an interesting pattern to pick." Foe shrugged.
"His wife does all the shopping, so it's really her pattern." Betricia giggled.
"Do you even know his wife's name?" Foe nodded.
"Pompeia. She comes from a wealthy military family and her brother currently resides in the senate."
"How does a military family end up with a kid in the senate?"
"Good luck, approval from the Gods, and lots of promotions and gaining rank. Eventually, a man can become important enough to be able to run for senate. That's what Pompeia's bother did and that's what Tibirian is doing now. He wants to get into the senate one day."
We stopped talking about that after Foe's last statement. Neither Betricia or I wanted to talk about something like that. It made us both realize how unlikely that it would ever happen to us. In the two years I'd been at the brothel, I've had regulars, but none of them seemed to have enough interest in me to want to buy me. And I wouldn't want any of my regulars to buy me anyway. Most of them were old and disgusting. And Dracian was another matter entirely.
I had a feeling that if he could afford me, he would buy me just to prove a point. He'd seemed to become very possessive of me in the last two years. Lady Zitia didn't seem to mind in the least. Dracian had even convinced her to increase my price seeing as I had been a good whore. I wasn't sure how true that was, but the higher price did at least make men a little less likely to choose me.
When we were all done with our bath, we got out and went to our rooms with little to do but wait for another customer. The bath was really the only place where we could all talk without Lady Zitia yelling at us for being unproductive. When I got to my room, I closed the door and took a seat on the bed and played with a piece of tied up string that I'd made. It worked better when there was someone to play with, but I settled with making shapes by myself. I ignored the door when I heard it open and kept making shapes with the string.
"You know, my sister's cat does the same thing." I looked up at Dracian questioningly.
"What are you talking about?"
"Plays with string. My sister's cat plays with string a lot too." I nodded.
"A lot of cats do. It's a form of entertainment, or in my case, it's something to keep me occupied." I didn't bother giving him a form of acknowledgement that I understood what he was talking about. I simply gave my attention back to my string toy and kept making figures.
Dracian smiled a little and took a seat next to me on my bed and started playing with me. He took the string from me the way my sisters used to and maneuvered the string around until he made a broom. He held it out for me so I could take it too. I was a little cautious at first before I took the string in my fingers and manipulated it into a cat.
"I've never been able to make a cat."
"My sister taught me how to do it."
"How many sisters did you have?"
"Two. Antonia and Niobe. Antonia was the one to master this game and taught me and Niobe how to play."
"My big brother taught me how to play this game. He died in battle a few years back." I looked away from him and started making a new figure.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. My brother died a hero, that's all that matters." Then he took the string from me and tried forming a new figure. This time, he made a sideways model of the coliseum. "Beat this." I rolled my eyes and took the string through my fingers and maneuvered the string into a smaller building. He laughed.
"What?"
"I gave you the coliseum and you give me a puny nameless building?" I rolled my eyes again and threw the string at him.
"It's not fun if you turn it into a competition. It's a pastime game, no more. Stop turning everything into a brawl." Then I moved onto the bed and turned so I was facing the wall and laid down wanting to go to sleep.
"It's not my fault you're a sore loser."
"It's not about being a sore loser. It's about you being a prick when I'm trying to pass the time." He laughed a little and moved closer to me.
"I could think of a much better way to pass the time if that's what you're wanting to do." Then he wrapped his arms around me, but I pushed him away from me.
"Get off me. You had me this morning, you're done."
"Don't be pushy, Chelsea. I say when I've had enough of you."
"No, I say when you've had enough of me. And I've had too many men between my legs today and I'm tired of being humped. Now get off me and leave me alone."
"You only had four customers."
"Yes, and that's four more than I would like." Dracian laughed a little and laid down on the bed next to me.
"I think you're starting to get a little too comfortable with me."
"Didn't you want me to be comfortable with you?" He shrugged.
"I had a different kind of comfortable in mind." I rolled my eyes.
"You're asking me to be okay with being a whore?"
"I'm not asking you to be okay with being a whore. I'm asking you to be okay with me. That's all that matters."
"Beggars can't be choosers, Dracian."
"Beggars can't me, but paying customers can." I turned my head to look at him with a confused expression.
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm saving up my money. I'm planning to buy you."
"Why?" He grinned.
"I just don't like sharing you anymore. I've already talked to Lady Zitia about it. She said that she'd give me a big discount for you and wants me to find a slave to replace you."
"Why would you want to buy me when you already get me for free?" He laughed a little.
"Like I said, I don't want to share you anymore. And I was planning to put you to other uses."
"Such as…"
"Cooking, cleaning, running little errands for me so I don't have to worry about them, rub my shoulders when I've had a bad day. You know, that kind of thing." My face only became more confused.
"So, basically, you're asking me to marry you." I expected him to give me a weird look, which he did. What I didn't expect was the burst of laughter that followed it. I'd never seen him laugh this hard since the day I met him. He just kept laughing and laughing until he couldn't breathe anymore. When he had enough control back, he finally spoke again.
"You think I want to marry you? And here, I thought you were one of the smarter whores here." I responded as he kept laughing.
"I said basically. I never said you actually were. But what you are doing is turning me into a housewife with no strings attached. What's next, you'll ask me to bare your children? I don't think so."
"Whoever said anything about kids? I just want you to be a house slave that I just happen to sleep with. What's so complicated about this?" I groaned and rolled my eyes.
"Whatever, I don't care. It's not like my opinion matters anyway."
"No, it doesn't. You tend to forget your place and that's caused you a lot of problems. And don't think that just because I've taken a liking to you means I won't get on your case about back talking me or being rude to me. You're a slave now and you'll always be a slave unless I sign the papers that say otherwise."
"And you'll never do that, will you?"
"What do you think?" I didn't respond at all. He wasn't telling me anything new, so there was nothing to say. "Now that we have that out of the way, turn over will you?"
"I said I don't want to."
"Well, I don't care if you don't want to."
Without another word, he forced me to face him and he went about what he wanted to do. I fought him for a few minutes, but that only seemed to encourage him, so I stopped altogether. That clearly annoyed him, but he didn't say anything about it this time. He just kept doing what he wanted to do and that was that. When he was done, he laid back down next to me and I turned away from him.
"Think about it, Chelsea. Instead of having clients all day, you'd only have me. And I'm at work most of the day."
"You're here most of the day because you're fooling around with me. With me at your place instead of at the brothel, you'll be around your home more often and less at the brothel. Unless, of course, you plan to keep up the other two women you usually sleep with." I shook his head.
"No such luck, Chelsea. They don't thrill me like you do." I rolled my eyes.
"Lucky me." Dracian laughed at my sarcasm and started petting my hair.
"See? What other master would you ever find that would be willing to put up with your incessant rudeness?"
After he said that, he left the bed and walked out of the room, leaving me alone again. I didn't bother putting out the candle. I just stayed in bed and let the candle go out on its own. Lady Zitia would be mad that I wasted a candle, but that was the least of my cares. I finally fell asleep after the candle ran out and woke up to someone's foot on my stomach. I woke up with a startled screech and saw Dracian with his foot on my stomach and a smile.
"Morning, Chelsea. Time for another day's work." I sneered at him and grabbed onto his foot and pushed him off me. He lost his balance and fell to the ground with a loud boom. I picked myself up out of bed while he tried to get back on his feet.
"Next time you want to wake someone up, it would suit you better to just nudge them."
While he was still getting off the floor, I walked out and started walking to the bath with the other women. When we were all done, Dracian came to us and took five of the whores, including me, downstairs to show a client. Dracian was still mad at me, I could tell, but it was fine. It made me laugh a little even.
"These are some of our finest sir." She started at the end of the line with Betricia. "This one's been with us for a while. She's a favorite of a lot of our customers." The man, a new senator I believe he was, looked at Betricia for a minute.
"Is it because she's sincerely a good lover, or just because she's blond with blue eyes?" Lady Zitia smiled.
"I like to think it's a little of both, milord." Lady Zitia moved down the line to Foe. "This one is a wonderful lover, though I must warn you, she's a bit on the pricier side." The senator raised an eyebrow at Lady Zitia.
"And how much would that be?" Lady Zitia made a guilty/how-dare-he-ask sort of look and walked closer to him.
"2500." The senator's eyes widened.
"That's a bit much, wouldn't you say?"
"It is. But I assure you, there is a reason for the high price."
"With a price like that, the girl better fuck me like Venus with her ass on fire." Lady Zitia giggled.
"She can, I assure you. But she's a favorite of the Prefect Tibirian and he pays extra for her and I gave him my word that I would make her more expensive to discourage other men from paying for her services."
"And you agreed to that?" Lady Zitia smiled politely at the senator and shrugged.
"He plans to buy her eventually. He's waiting for his wife to pass away before he does, but he is planning to buy her."
"Why is he bothering waiting for his wife to pass away? It's not like that'll happen any time soon. And it's not like he loves his wife."
"I'm only informing you of what I know, milord." Lady Zitia walked back to the line. "I assume that she isn't to your liking?" The senator looked at Foe a little longer, then shook his head.
"She's more expensive than she's worth I think."
"I understand sir." She moved on from Foe and came to me. "Now this one is relatively new. She's feisty, but she's calmed since we first got her. And all who've had her say she's quiet pleasing."
"Isn't she the one that nearly killed one of your customers?" Lady Zitia tried to not look embarrassed or ashamed as the senator laughed a little under his breath.
"With all due respect, milord, that was two years later. She's not been any trouble to anyone since that incident. And she's very well priced. A bargain, even."
"And how much is she?"
"1000." The senator smiled and nodded approvingly.
"That's more like it. How much are the others, about the same?" Lady Zitia nodded.
"Ranging from 1000 to 2000. It depends on their credibility and how long I've had them." The senator nodded approvingly and looked at the line again. He looked at each of us thoughtfully. I didn't get sick through this process anymore. I didn't have the will to care.
"I'll take her, then." He pointed, but it wasn't at me. It was the girl next to me. Lady Zitia smiled and nodded.
"Wonderful choice, milord." She looked at the girl. "You go get ready. The rest of you go upstairs until I need you."
We all bowed our head respectfully and left to go upstairs to do something else. Dracian took the girl that was to service the man to a room to the far right upstairs. He was gone for a few minutes before he came out again and called for me to follow him to another, free room. When we were in the room together, he closed the door so we were alone and came to me with his same angry face.
"You know, Chelsea, any other person would whip you for your little stunt this morning."
"I was simply getting you off me so I could breathe. Your lack of balance is no fault of mine."
"Don't push your luck with me, Chelsea. There's only so much of your insolence I'm willing to tolerate."
"Don't tolerate it then. Do your worst to me, you know I don't care."
"There's nothing to be gained from it if you don't care, you should know that. Then again, that doesn't mean you like it." We stared at each other for a few minutes before he sighed and walked to the door. "I'll talk to Lady Zitia about your price. Expect to leave the brothel within the next few days."
He didn't give me a chance to respond. He just walked out with a scowl on his face and slammed the door behind him as he walked out. I didn't bother going after him or trying to reason with him. Instead, I went to where the other girls were and joined them in their little activities for the day.
I didn't think about what Dracian said for the next few days. He'd threatened to do things and he rarely ever went through with it. At least, I didn't think anything of it until there was suddenly a new girl at the brothel. She was much younger than me and couldn't speak a word of Latin. Since she couldn't tell us her name, Lady Zitia just named her Mina. The day after Mina showed up, I was woken up in the morning from feeling something nudge my side. But it wasn't very gentle. It startled me awake and I screeched from the shock.
"There. I nudged you this time. Just so you know, you're coming home with me after work today, so have anything you want to keep packed up before the end of the day."
Then Dracian walked out and went about his work day like usual. I didn't have anything that was really mine for me to take, so I just stayed in my room while some of the women from the brothel came in at different points of the day to say goodbye to me and to always remember them and try to get Dracian to agree to let me visit every now and then.
"Somehow, I knew Dracian would buy you. He never used to stay at work late before you."
"I doubt that means anything. He's just a child that doesn't want to share his toy. Trust me, the moment he has me all to himself, he'll be bored with me and I'll be no more than a house slave." Foe shook her head.
"I don't think so. He's nicer to you than he is to the rest of us. And he's not very wealthy, so the fact that he's willing to spend that much money to have you, that means something."
"It only means he's willing to go to great lengths to get what he wants. It's no different than any other petty child. He's not like Prefect Tibirian is with you. The Prefect respects you and he goes so far as to promise to free you after he buys you." Foe knew I caught her and she held her head down.
"That's a once in a lifetime relationship."
"I think he's leading you on. I don't understand why he's so concerned with his wife." Foe shrugged.
"It's a political thing. And though he doesn't love her, he still thinks well of her. She's a good mother, a good wife, he simply doesn't love her and that's not her fault. He doesn't want to hurt her for something that isn't her fault. So he keeps us quiet and plans to until she passes away."
"And when do you suppose that will be. How old is the Prefect?"
"He's forty two. His wife is forty six. I doubt she'll live much longer. It isn't often a women lives past fifty." I sighed.
"So you're going to wait around for four years as a whore for his wife to die of old age with not but the Prefect's word that he'll buy and free you after the passing?"
"I never said it was logical, Chelsea. But sometimes, hope is all you have, especially in a life like this. I'd rather have hope that my life will change eventually than live my life miserable."
"It must be nice." She nodded and hugged me.
"It is, Chelsea. It really is. It's easy to be miserable and cynical. It takes a real human being to trust people."
"You're asking me to trust Dracian?" She shook her head.
"I'm not asking you to trust Dracian. I'm asking you to trust that everything will work out in the end. I can't tell you how, but believe that it will." I didn't answer her. It seemed like such a farfetched concept. She kept hugging me and I hugged her back. She held my head close and rested it on mine.
"I wish I could feel the same way you do."
Foe didn't say anything more. We just sat together hugging without saying a word. We were forced to let go of each other when Dracian came in and told Foe to come downstairs so she could be looked at. I was told to stay upstairs. I was left alone in the room for several more hours with nothing to do but play with string and make shapes. When it was the end of Dracian's work day, he came into the room with a grin on his face.
"You ready to go, Chelsea?" I sighed and stood up.
"As ready as I'll ever be." His smile widened and he walked over to me and grabbed a hold of my hand.
"Good. Let's get going, then. My home is a few blocks from here, so stay close to me."
He pulled me with him out of the room and down the stairs, said thank you and goodbye to Lady Zitia, and out of the brothel and took a left. I didn't look at anyone on the way to his home. I only looked at landmarks trying to remember the area. I'd only been out of the brothel to go to the lady that gave us the abortion elixirs, but never anywhere else. There was a meat market close to his house and a large open area that surrounded the coliseum.
It took ten minutes worth of walking to get to his home. It was in a little apartment complex that still had people outside in the middle of the housing complex where there was a large table shared by all the tenants and there were barrels and vases surrounding the area. He took me up the stairs to the second floor and walked us into a small, semi-one-room house. The kitchen, like most Roman homes, was at the front. To the left was a bed and in the far back was another room that he evidently used as a closet space.
"This is where I live. It's not as nice as the brothel, but make yourself at home." Dracian walked further into the house to the back room and got something. It was a dress and he tossed it to me. "Put this on. It's more appropriate. The last thing I want is my neighbor complaining about a slave in sheer clothing walking around."
After I had the dress in my hands, Dracian walked into the kitchen area and started pointing things out, like water, wine, where the food was stored, and so on. He told me where he kept his rags that I needed to use for cleaning and told me to start changing, so I changed while he kept showing me around.
"And just so you know, I always have wine with dinner. So let me know when we're running low and I'll leave you money so you can get more. Same if we're running low on food."
"What should I do with these?" I held up the sheer garment I'd changed out of. He shrugged.
"Just throw it in the back. We can always save it for another day." Then he winked at me. "I haven't eaten yet and I know you haven't either. You know where everything is, so have at it." I was silent a moment and he broke the silence after a few seconds. "You do know how to cook, right?"
"Of course I know how to cook. I grew up on a farm." He chuckled.
"Good, because I don't. I was scared I'd have to make you friends with that old lady next door so she could teach you how to cook." I shook my head.
"That won't be needed. Just tell me what you want for dinner and I'll make it." He grinned and walked a little closer to me.
"I bought a chicken yesterday. Do something with that." I was about to nod, but he just kissed me and walked over to his room and picked up something. "I'm going to go buy more wine. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Once he had a small pouch in his hands, he walked out of the house and I heard him walk down the stairs. When he was gone, I located the chicken he told me about and butchered it for my use. I hadn't butchered a chicken in two years, but I remembered how to do it once I had all the feathers plucked and in a cloth bag that would be burned later. When the bird was butchered, I put some pieces in a pan over the fire and some back in the salt for storage. He didn't have many spices to use for seasoning, but all I really needed was salt and pepper.
I had the chicken done within two hours. He was back as soon as I finished butchering the chicken. When he came home, he put the wine on a counter, gently spanked me, then walked to the table and started to work on something for Lady Zitia.
"What are you doing?" The silence was bugging me to my amazement and Dracian looked at me and smiled.
"Lady Zitia wanted me to fill out a list of blacklist notes. There're a few politicians that are losing money in some mock investment that started a few months ago, so they don't have the proper status for Lady Zitia's services anymore. We make a list every month or so updating the blacklist."
"So you turn them away because they're not the proper status?" Dracian nodded.
"We're one of the finest brothels in Rome. Lady Zitia came from a very wealthy family and has very high prestige, and hence is able to charge high prices. And if a customer isn't good enough for her brothel, she has the authority and high reputation to turn them away if she wishes."
"You're not from a wealthy family and yet she lets you sleep with the whores."
"I'm an exception. I work for her and urn my right to have a little fun for my hard work. And none of the customers know I sleep with them. Besides, you're the only one I've slept with in a while."
"Is that supposed to make me feel special?" He chuckled.
"It does make you special. I've slept around that brothel since the day I started there. That was seven years ago I'll have you know. First, you were a challenge. Then you were my favorite. Now, you're the only one that's any good anymore." I sighed.
"Hurray for me." Coincidentally, the chicken finished cooking shortly after that. "Here's your chicken."
I handed him a breast and leg, giving myself the same amount and he tasted it before digging in. I waited a moment before I started eating and once I started, I figured I'd keep a conversation going.
"Is it to your liking?"
"A little more salt next time. But other than that, it's pretty good." He took a sip f his wine and kept eating. "Help yourself to some wine if you like." I smiled a little and shook my head.
"I'm alright." He finished his dinner long before me. When he was done, he put the dishes on the counter close the bucket he used for cleaning and went back to what he'd been doing.
By the time I was full, I'd finished only half the breast. I put it in the salt bin with all the other stored foods so I or Dracian could have it tomorrow. Then I cleaned all the dishes and put them back where they were supposed to go.
"Chelsea." I looked at Dracian and waited for him to talk. "Come here." He was standing next to a counter putting down the clay plates he'd been filling out and turned to face me. Cautiously, I started walking over to him like he ordered. He noticed my reluctance and sighed. "Stop lollygagging and come here, Chelsea."
Still a little cautious of him, I sped up and got to him in half the time it would've taken at my previous pace. When I was close enough, he took me in a hug and kissed me. It was like any other kiss, so I went along with it like I always did. He made it a deep kiss within minutes and his hands moved freely. I hated letting my arms hang, so I brought them up so they were between us and the back of my hands resting against his chest.
He took a hold of my wrists and tossed them up so my arms were wrapped around his shoulders. Then he pushed me back until I fell back onto his bed. He slipped of my dress and removed his clothes before falling onto me and having his fun. When he was done, we laid there, me staring at the ceiling, silent for several minutes while he caught his breath.
"So where do I sleep?" I turned to look at me with a weird look.
"Here. Where else would you sleep?" I shrugged.
"On the floor or in the back room?" He chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"We'll have sex often enough, so what's the point of making you sleep somewhere else? Besides, you'd hurt my feelings if you slept somewhere else." He laughed a little harder at his sarcasm and pulled me close to him.
"I never guessed you would be so considerate."
"I paid a lot of money for you, so I might as well take care of you and make sure you last. And be happy that I don't plan to lash you or hit you. The problem with that is if one goes about that method, he has to keep at it. But then the woman being whipped doesn't look so pretty." I rolled my eyes and my voice was thick with sarcasm.
"How kind of you." He grinned and reached over to kiss me.
"The rules still apply. You're a slave, so sarcasm is frowned upon. I'll take it, but don't use it with anyone else. Understood?" I sighed.
"Yes, Dracian." He smiled wider.
"Good. Save that feisty sarcasm for me."
After that, he started feeling my body and kissing the back of my neck again, then he was humping me again within minutes. After this, he fell asleep at last and I scooted away from him to the far edge of the bed and tried to fall asleep. I woke up to the same thing we'd done last night, though it was the last few moments of it. When Dracian had his fill, he got out of bed and got dressed.
"I had the chicken from last night for breakfast, so that's gone. I have a list of things I need you do on the counter. You can read, right." I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, damn it, I can read." He smiled at the thickness of sleep in my voice.
"Good, then you'll have no problem getting everything done. I'll see you later tonight when I get back."
As he spoke, he walked to the door and he walked out as soon as he was done talking. When he was gone, I groaned and got out of bed, changed into my clothes, then walked to the kitchen where the clay piece was with all the things I needed to do for the day. One of those things was cleaning the house. I sighed and went right to that.
Dracian's house was a complete mess. There were things lying around, stuff on the floor that shouldn't be on the floor, dirty clothes, dirty dishes. It was every woman's worse nightmare. No wonder he needed a slave. The house would never get clean otherwise. I started with the kitchen area by cleaning off the counters. There was blood and dried blood from several animal butchering on the counter and it was next to impossible to get out. After an hour and a half of scrubbing the counters, I managed to get out enough of the blood that all that was left was faint red.
When I couldn't scrub anymore, I went to the back room and organized all the clothes and put them all in a chest that was in the room. With all the clothes put away, that left a lot more room for other things. I had no idea what he would put in the back room, but at least the space was now available. Then I cleaned his room and cleaned the sheets. They stank horribly. I shuddered to think how long it'd been since the last time they were cleaned if ever at all.
I walked to the neighbor's house, the little old lady he was telling me about, and knocked on her door hoping she would answer. I waited about three minutes and was about to leave to go back when she opened her door.
"Can I help you?" I smiled kindly and bowed my head respectfully.
"Yes. I was hoping you had some soap I could use to clean sheets. I looked all over the house and my master doesn't seem to have some."
"You're his slave?" I nodded.
"Yes, ma'am." She sighed and went back into her house. She took a moment to look around, then came back with a large bar and handed it to me.
"You give your master a message. You tell him that I said to get his own damn soap. I expect that back in good condition when you're done. I have my own cleaning to do." Then she slammed the door in my face and I took a step back in surprise.
I didn't think about what'd just happened. I had a lot of cleaning to do, I knew. If the smell of his sheets was any indication, it would take a long soaking time to get the smell out. When I got back, I got a bucket and went to the middle of the complex where a fountain was and got some water to fill a bucket. Once it was filled, I took a spot where there were hangers and started lathering the soap in the water.
I soaked the sheets in water for about an hour and left the sheets to clean the rest of the room. When I was done, I went back down and started scrubbing the sheets in the water to get the last of the smell out. After scrubbing roughly, I took a quick sniff and sighed in relief. The smell was gone. I rang out the sheets and hung them so they would dry. It was still early in the day, so I was hoping that the sheets would be finished drying by night.
While the sheets dried, I went back to the house and started prepping a fish that he had. It smelled fine, so I hoped that it wasn't bad. I started with the hardest thing to do and scrapped the scales off the fish until there was nothing left. I wanted to make sure it kept until Dracian came home, so I kept it as the full fish.
When I was finished prepping the fish, I went back downstairs and got the sheets from their hanger. They weren't completely dry yet but I hung them over a chair so they could dry the rest of the way and got back to the fish. It was almost sundown, so Dracian would be home soon. He probably wanted his dinner ready when he got home.
While I was working, it felt great that I didn't have to worry about clients. I didn't have to deal with Lady Zitia, I didn't have to be raped four to five times a day, I could be to myself and not worry about being yelled at, it was really nice. I would never admit that to Dracian, though. If I thanked him, he would never let me hear the end of it. As grateful as I was, I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.
"You're fixing the fish." I turned and saw Dracian standing in the doorway. I nodded.
"Yeah. It didn't look bad, so I thought it would make a good dinner." He grinned.
"Wise choice. I bought that fish yesterday, so it would've gone bad if I waited any longer to use it. Is it almost done?" I nodded.
"Yeah. It'll be done in a few minutes."
"Good, I'm starving. I haven't eaten since this morning." I heard him walking closer, but I figured he was about to sit down, so I ignored him. "How was your first day as a house slave?" Then I felt him wrap his arms around me. It made me uncomfortable.
"Decent."
"Better than the whore house?"
"It'll do I suppose." He chuckled and his hands rested on my hips.
"You know, a normal person would be grateful for the transition." I shrugged.
"A slave is a slave. There's no way to make that truth glamorous." He sighed.
"Glamorous wasn't the change I was looking for. Maybe more tolerable is the word." I didn't respond. I kept working on cooking the fish. He smiled and kissed my neck before walking to the table. When the fish was done, I put it on a platter and put it on the table,
"Here you go." He grinned.
"Well done, my pet. I could get used to having you around. Things actually get done." I nodded and sat down at the table. "I noticed you cleaned my sheets." I nodded.
"Yeah, I did. They smelled revolting so I cleaned them." He chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"I don't think they were that bad. But thanks anyway for the effort. They smell like lavender now."
"It's better than what it was." He chuckled and nodded while he cut off a portion of the fish. He grinned.
"Cooked all the way through. You really do know what you're doing."
"I told you I did."
"I guess that's what comes from having a country girl for a slave." He kept that smile on his face as he started eating.
I took a portion of the fish, but I didn't eat much of it. I wasn't feeling well and I wasn't in the mood to eat. He noticed, but didn't say anything about it. When he was done with his fish, he took my piece and ate it himself, knowing I wasn't going to finish it. When he was done, he took the dishes to the cleaning water and threw the fish in a bag that would be burned at the end of the week, then he walked behind me and rested his hands on my shoulders.
"That was a good dinner. I'll see about getting a lamb as soon as possible. I'm in the mood for a rack of lamb." Then he kissed my neck.
"Whatever you say."
"You know how to cook lamb I assume." I nodded.
"Yes, I know how to cook lamb."
"Good." Then, before another word was said, he pulled me out of the chair and took me in his arms. I was stunned and he just smiled as he walked us to his bed. "There's nothing better than a slave that knows her way around a kitchen."
Then he kissed me, which I expected, and he went about his usual routine that he had. In truth, even if I wasn't in the brothel anymore, I was still a whore. I was simply a whore that served more good than just sex. When Dracian wasn't around, it wasn't bad. I didn't mind being a house slave when he wasn't around. The moment he was home, it was like nothing had changed and I was still at the brothel. At least at the brothel, I had Foe and Betricia and all the others to talk to. Here, until Dracian came back, I was all alone.
While he was having his way with me, I started thinking about my family. I'd avoided thinking about them for a long time. I couldn't live with the shame that they probably thought I'd run away to escape an unsure marriage. But now, they were all I could think about. What I wouldn't give to have my bed with my two sisters and be able to yell at them every morning for sleeping on top of me and snoring in my ear. What I wouldn't give to have mother yell at me for eating the olives or to see my father smile again.
"What's the matter with you?" I was taken out of my trance and looked at Dracian.
"What are you talking about?"
"You're crying. Is there something you want to tell me?" I was stunned a moment, then I brought up my finger close to my eye and I felt the tear that he spoke of. I looked at the tear a moment, then looked at him. I didn't want to talk to him about this. He wouldn't care. So I avoided the situation and went on all fours.
"You know you don't care, master. Just do what you want and get it over with." To my surprise, Dracian grabbed a hold of my hair and pulled me up until his face and mine were right next to each other.
"Don't you backtalk me Chelsea. I'll tolerate your sarcasm, I'll even tolerate you cynicism. But when I ask you a fucking question, you answer me. Now what the fuck is your problem?"
"It's not important." He pulled on my hair again.
"No it's not, but I'm just nice enough to ask my female slave about her fucking feelings. So answer the god damn question." I held back a wine from the pain in my scalp and answered him.
"I started thinking about my family and I missed them."
"You were thinking about your family of all things while you were being pounded? How the hell do you do something like that?" I didn't say anything. I had an answer for him, but it would make him mad at it wouldn't end well. "Answer me, Chelsea." His voice was like ice and it made a chill go down my spine. So I answered him.
"I'm able to think of my family because I'm wishing for something I'd rather have then be forced to have sex with you."
"See, was that so hard?" Then he let go of my hair and went back to what he'd been doing as if our conversation never happened. When he was done, he was still a moment before he grabbed my hair again and pulled me back up. "How you feel is of little concern to me. Don't mistake my hospitality for anything other than pity and pure lust. You remember your place as a whore and don't question me, then my hospitality won't run thin."
Then he let go of me, pushed me down onto the bed, and fell onto his back on the other side of the bed and went to sleep. When he was out, my thoughts went right back to my family and how much I wished I could tell them what really happened to me. Maybe even beg father to buy me back and free me so things could go back to the way they were. It made me cry because I knew that would never happen.
The next morning, Dracian was gone and there was the clay list the things on the kitchen table that I needed to get done today. One of those things included taking the garbage outside and putting it with the rest of the garbage so it could be collected and taken out of the city to be burned.
While I was going about that chore, I started feeling nauseous, but I ignored it. It only lasted for a moment. But as I worked on the house and was cleaning throughout the day, they nausea kept coming back. I did my best not to vomit. The last thing I needed was to get everything dirty and have to clean it all up again. When it was late enough I started dinner, but the smell was making me sick again. I stopped because I couldn't take it anymore.
"Where's dinner?" Dracian asked when he walked in. I was sitting at the table willing myself to feel better.
"The smell was making me sick so I stopped."
"Then don't breath in the smell. Just because you're sick doesn't mean I need to go hungry."
"You've cooked without me for a good while. You're capable of cooking for yourself just this once."
"Please tell me we don't have to have this little slave/master discussion again." I groaned and got up and went back to cooking. It was poultry, so it could handle a little more abuse. In truth, I hoped the bird would be really dry.
I forced back getting sick and handed him the plate of food. I didn't bother eating anything. I was fighting keeping food down as it was. I took a seat at the table and waited for him to tell me something. When nothing came, I got back up.
"If there's nothing else you want me to do for the day, I think I'll go to bed now."
"How sick are you."
"I've been nauseous all day and really dizzy."
"Can you hold it?"
"So far, I've succeeded."
"Then you should be fine for tonight. Just go to bed and wait for me."
"I'm telling you I'm a hair away from vomiting and you still want to have sex?"
"If that were the case, you would've done it already. It's probably just a cold."
"I've had colds and this isn't a cold. I already figured out what's wrong." He stopped eating a moment, then his groaned and shook his head.
"You're pregnant aren't you?"
"Every time, this is what happens." He groaned again.
"I guess you have to go to Tiberia tomorrow. I'll send you with some money."
"So you still plan to do this?"
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?"
"I don't know. Forget I said anything."
"You're not keeping this baby. End of story. I don't want any fucking kids and I certainly don't want any fucking kids with a house whore."
"I never said anything about keeping it. You've made your point perfectly clear many times before. I'll just kill the baby like I've killed all of them." My voice was void of emotion when I said that, and that scared me.
We didn't talk again after that and Dracian didn't lay a hand on me. It was the first time in two years that I'd had one day without any sex at all. It was wonderful and refreshing and I savored the feeling for as long as I could. The next morning, Dracian was gone again and there was money on the counter that he said he would leave for me to go to Tiberia.
I didn't go for the money right away. I wanted to prolong what I didn't want to do. In the two short years that I'd been at the brothel, I'd gotten pregnant a grand total of six times in two years. That was more than any of the other girls. And Dracian, I knew, was the father for all if not most of them. And every time I had to get rid of my child, I felt like a monster afterwards. I didn't want to go through that again.
By midday, I decided I wasn't going to go through with it. I couldn't go through with it. Not again. Instead, I took the money from the counter and left. I didn't have any possessions to carry with me so I just left. The money he left me wasn't much, but it was enough to get some food when I was hungry and maybe bribe a drover into taking me back home.
No one stopped me as I walked out of the complex and no one stopped me or looked at me when I reached the streets. I walked up to a female vender and asked her how to get to the gates. She smiled and simply assumed I was a tourist, which I technically was, and told me where I needed to go. I ran down the streets eagerly, never stopping. I was too happy to be tired. I had to contain my excitement, but the moment I exited Rome, I planned on dancing. I would probably need to sneak out of the city, but I didn't care. I'd figure something out.
As I was running, I was so excited that I didn't see three older men in fancy garb walking past me. I completely ignored them until one of them grabbed a hold of my arm and dragged me in between two buildings blocking my way from either exit. The oldest of the three looked familiar. I didn't remember who he was until he reminded me.
"You're the little whore that nearly killed me." I got nervous and prepared to defend myself, but they probably had weapons, so I was out of luck. The slightly younger man standing next to the senator laughed a little.
"This is her? I half expected her to be huge. How did this girl beat you?"
"That's not important. What's important is that she's a slave. She shouldn't be out and about. Lady Zitia's probably looking for her. We should do her a favor and bring her back." The man standing behind me spoke next.
"I say we have a little fun with her first. I say we should get a freebie since we're the ones that found her and are bringing her back." All three of them laughed and I unconsciously moved my hand over my belly were my baby was. The senator laughed.
"She's pregnant I think." The man standing next to him laughed.
"So that's why she's trying to escape. She wants to save her little bastard." The senator simply smirked at his friend. Then he glanced at the man behind me, who then grabbed a hold of me holding onto my arms so I couldn't punch.
Then I felt a pain like no other when the senator punched my stomach as hard as he could. Shortly after the punch, I started feeling blood run down my legs and the pain became even worse. The other man groaned.
"Couldn't you wait to do that until after we raped her? Now she's covered in blood."
"We'll just throw water on her before we do anything. Just be patient." The tears in my eyes wouldn't stay back any longer. The pain was too much, both physical and emotional.
They laughed at me while I cried. I'd just lost my child, I was about to be raped, and I was going to be sent back to the brothel to live my life as a whore. In that moment, I simply gave up all hope and prayed for death, begged for it even. The other man left for a moment and I was thrown against the way and water thrown on me.
"There, the blood's gone. Now let's just have at her. Who gets to have her first?"
They argued amongst themselves over who would get to have a shot at me first while I stayed against the wall wishing it was all over. But then they suddenly stopped talking. The man that'd been behind me moved back to my left and I looked in the direction he'd been in before. Where he'd stood was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. She was Greek, that much I could tell. She had long, gorgeous wavy hair and a soft, but stern face. And when she spoke, I could swear no singing voice was more beautiful.
"Leave her be, inbred swine." I heard the senator's voice respond with a forced anger that was drying to cover awe.
"How dare you order us around like our master? Who are you to tell me what to do?" The woman smiled, and it was the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen.
"I'm a predator that hasn't fed in a few days." I was confused a moment, then became even more so when she was suddenly gone. I heard cracking noises and looked to my left where the sounds came from. I was about to scream at the sight of the three dead men at her feet, but something cold and hard covered my mouth. "Marcus, don't hurt her. She's just scared."
"Didyme, I don't think letting her live is a good idea. You know how anal Aro is about secrecy." Didyme, the woman, walked over to me and touched my hand. She closed her eyes for a few minutes, then took her hand away and looked sad.
"She's had a rough time in Rome. I don't have the heart to end her life. And I won't allow you to either, my love."
"Didyme, I know you don't want to, but that's not up to us." Didyme looked like she was about to speak, but then she looked behind Marcus and Marcus looked with her, pulling me in that same direction. There were five more vampires, three women, two men. The man at the front with black hair smiled and looked at Didyme.
"Come here please, Didyme. Show me what she showed you." Seemingly before he finished talking, Didyme was before the dark haired man and gave him her hand. He concentrated for a minute, then he sighed and looked sad. "Truly a great misfortune." The woman standing next to him spoke.
"I agree with Didyme, my love. Let's change her and make her part of our coven. She might have a strong gift you could use. You never know." Didyme shook her head.
"No, Sulpicia, she wants to go home. I say we let her do that." The man standing next to Sulpicia shook his head.
"Now Didyme, she knows too much, we can't let her go." The light haired man spoke next.
"I agree with Aro. Alive, she's a liability. Dead, she's not an issue." The woman standing next to the light haired man spoke next and the woman with mahogany hair walked over to me.
"Caius, let's change her. The more company, the merrier. And like Sulpicia said, she could have a useful gift." The tall dark man, Aro, looked thoughtful a moment, then grinned at the woman with mahogany hair.
"Heidi, if you would be so kind." Heidi nodded her head, then took me from Marcus and I felt something sharp in my neck before I could even comprehend what was going on. I screamed from the pain and she was gone from me after I screamed. Caius looked at Aro with concern.
"We better get her out of here. If she starts screaming, we'll have all of Rome staring at us." Aro nodded his head.
"Indeed we do, Caius. Heidi, carry her with you and take her out of the city. Keep her in the woods until she's done changing." Heidi nodded.
"Yes, Aro. I'll bring her back when she's done." Aro smiled and nodded his head. Then I was in Heidi's arms and we were flying over the city. At least, it felt like we were flying.
As we went along, I felt a burn in my neck that was really uncomfortable. Once we were out of the city, the burn became so unbearable that I was screaming at the top of my lungs. It was like I was on fire. Heidi covered my forehead with her hand, but her cold skin did nothing to cool me down. She didn't say a word to me as the burning continued. I tried screaming questions at her, like what was happening and why are you doing this. But she never answered me. She only kept her hand on my forehead and waited.
I lost track of time a long time ago. All I could concentrate on was the awful burning. I was blazing on fire and yet I wasn't dying and I couldn't understand why that was. Eventually, I stopped screaming altogether. I couldn't stand doing it anymore and it wasn't making the pain stopped. I watched the sun rise and set before my eyes and all I cared about was the throbbing pain that was in during the whole experience. Eventually, the pain was receding, but going straight into my heart that was beating furiously. I was on fire in my heart and I was screaming again. I couldn't believe the pain had gotten worse.
But after a few minutes of the pain, it was suddenly gone and I breathed out. I breathed in, realizing the action wasn't needed but the taste and smell of the things around me was enough to make me want to do it again. I opened my eyes again and saw the world like I'd never seen it before and I could clearly hear and see things for miles. I was so stunned and I forced myself up, surprised how fast and effortless the action was.
"How do you feel?" I looked at the woman, Heidi, who looked happy.
"Fine I suppose. Who are you? What did you do to me?" She breathed out and took a moment to stand us both up before speaking.
"My name is Heidi. I'm a member of Aro's coven, The Volturi. We're a relatively large coven compared to most and we took over as the unofficial rulers of the vampire world." My eyes widened.
"I beg your pardon?" She smiled shyly.
"Aro didn't like the way Vladimir and his coven handled their land or how they conducted themselves. So he, his mate Sulpicia, Caius, and his mate Athenadora, took them down and became the new rulers. I joined their coven over nine hundred years ago." My eyes widened.
"You've lived that long?" Heidi nodded.
"That's what vampires do. And that's what you are now, same as the rest of us. Aro will ask, so tell me, is there any sensation you're getting from me or anything else that's odd. For example, I make people see what they want to see." I was stunned by her question, but didn't bother asking for elaboration.
So I thought about what was odd. All my new senses alone were odd, but I had the feeling that was nothing out of the ordinary for a vampire. Thinking that was so odd and yet I was still able to concentrate, which amazed me more. I looked at Heidi, but saw nothing. Then I looked in the distance and saw a man and a woman together. That was what was odd. I could feel something between them, physically. Like I could feel a six sense sensation. The bond felt strong, so I concentrated and weakened it. It took a lot of power, but I weakened it. The couple that had once been lovers began to argue. I undid that and they were back to normal apologizing to each other.
"I felt something between those two." Heidi looked where I looked, then back at me.
"What do you mean?"
"It was like a tight bond. I made it weaker for a moment and they started arguing, but I took it back and they're normal again." Heidi smiled and nodded her head.
"Looks like you have a gift after all. What about that same man and me or the woman and me? Do you sense anything?" I looked at all of them and shook my head.
"Nothing." Heidi thought a moment, then she looked over her shoulder and waved hello and said hello to the couple. They waved and said hello back, then there was suddenly a bond that I felt.
"How about now?"
"There's something, but it's really weak." Then, as an experiment, I took the bond between Heidi and the man and made it stronger. Before I knew it, the man was looking at Heidi with love and affection in his eyes. I undid it and his attention went right back to his lover. "Relationships."
"Come again?"
"I think I control relationships. At least it feels like I do. I feel a bond between these people and I just think about making it stronger or weaker and it happens." Heidi grinned again.
"That's a fun gift. I'm sure Aro will enjoy it. Let's get back to the city. I have to warn you, Caius and Aro are easy to make impatient."
Heidi smiled a little wider in humor and I simply smiled in return. She led me with her back to the city where my new coven, or at least it seemed like they were, stood at the top of a building stalking. Heidi told Aro about what I could do and he seemed pleased with it, hearing the 'I told you so' from Sulpicia. Didyme walked over and comforted me and tried to explain everything to me so I wouldn't be as nervous. Once I understood what I was, I felt a little better.
"A vampire?" Didyme nodded.
"That's right. You know what goes with being a vampire for the most part, right?"
"I have to drink blood and can't go into the sun?" Heidi smiled and shook her head.
"You're half right. The sun isn't much of n issue except it makes our skin shine. We still can't show ourselves in the sunlight for that reason, but that's about it. Our skin is cold and stone to anyone human and we have a sweet smell as I'm sure you've noticed." I nodded.
"Yeah, I did notice that." Aro grinned and invited me over to him.
"Being a newborn, I'm sure your throat is just burning." It was and it hurt more now that it was at the front of my mind. "We'll take you hunting tonight."
"Actually, Aro, there was something I wanted, need to do really." Aro looked interested.
"And what was that, Chelsea?" I was hesitant a moment to tell him, but he smiled and waited patiently. I finally sighed, and spoke. I wouldn't have to explain anything to him since he'd already read Didyme's mind.
"Lady Zitia and Dracian. They've made my life horrible. And that soldier that forced me from my home in the first place. I want them to pay for what they've done to me. I want every man that ever rapped me in that brothel to regret ever crossing my path." Aro looked surprised and Didyme came back to me to try and calm me from the hissing that I'd started.
"My, Chelsea, that's a hefty request. That's a lot of murders in one night." Caius spoke to my defense.
"People are murdered in Rome every day. It's a way of life. If someone sees a dead body in the street, they won't care."
"For Lady Zitia and Dracian, perhaps. But she wants the men that she serviced dead as well. That means she's asking for the death of very wealthy men and that's not something I can allow. I happen to know some of those men and I need them around for money purposes."
"Gods, Aro, we're vampires. What in the hell do we need money for?"
"You'll thank me for it one day, Caius. You mark my words, you'll thank me one day." Caius rolled his eyes, then Aro looked back at me. "I can't allow the death of those wealthy men. For starters, I take money from them. Secondly, they're well known and high in prestige. If that many were to die, it would be highly suspicious and there would be an investigation. And Chelsea, I can't afford for this to somehow lead to me and my coven. Rome is where we stay and we need to stay here. You may, however, kill Dracian and Lady Zitia if you please. Lady Zitia's well known, but I doubt very seriously that anyone will miss a pimp." I smiled.
"Thank you, Aro." He held up his finger.
"But, I don't want anyone to see this happen. No one can see you, hear you, you can't make a huge scene, and make it quick. I understand what's going on, but I can't risk anything getting out of hand. Are we clear?" I nodded.
"Yes Aro." He smiled again.
"Be back before the end of the night. And from what Didyme tells me, the soldier that brought you here lives down the street close to the market you were sold at. She'll show you the way."
"Thank you, Aro." He smiled kindly once more and Didyme came with me and showed me where the soldier's house was. As I feared, he had a wife and son. I almost felt back until Didyme told me he went to brothels often and he and his wife had a violent relationship.
"I'll get the mother and son out of the house for you. You worry about the soldier."
"Thank you, Didyme." She smiled.
"Think nothing of it. I can't even comprehend what this all must have been like for you. I only saw the events occur. Aro's the one that would hear what's going through your head when it happens."
That said, Didyme leaped to their home and she looked thoughtful a moment. Then she said what I assumed were the woman and boy's names in an old and screechy voice. The woman took a hold of her son and was asking for her mother with confusion in her voice. Didyme kept saying the two names in that same voice and led them away from the house. That's when I took the opportunity to sneak in.
The soldier looked surprised to see me, even horrified. It was probably my red eyes that scared him. Good. I wanted him to be scared. I wanted him to feel pain and fear like I had when he took me away. He begged for his life, but I didn't grant it. As Aro requested, though to my dismay, I kept the kill brief. I strangled him for a moment, let him go, hit him a few times, then snapped his neck and drank in his blood. It was so refreshing that I almost forgot why I was there in the first place.
I went back to the rooftop and waited for Didyme to get back. When she came back, the mother and child followed after, the mother looking rather annoyed. Then when she walked into her house, she let out a blood curdling scream, and that's when Didyme and I took our leave. We went to the brothel next. I wanted to save Dracian for last. I snuck into the brothel and forced Lady Zitia into another room and killed her quickly with her whip. I made sure no one saw us and no one heard us. I was delighted to find that the spurs on the whip didn't hurt me, so I could dig them into her neck to make it hurt her more. I drank her blood quickly when it was over.
I told Didyme to go back to the coven before leaving the brothel. I wanted to handle Dracian by myself. And I wanted this kill to last a lot longer. I would keep it silent, but I couldn't do it with Didyme breathing down my neck, so to speak. When I arrived, the lights were on and no one was outside their homes. I looked around to make sure no one was looking and went through the back to be positive. When I came in, he looked right at me and had a look of fury in his eyes. He sped to me with his voice loud.
"Where the fuck have you been?!" I didn't even flinch at his voice. I had no reason to be scared. He couldn't hurt me anymore. I smiled in response and he looked stunned when he was close enough. "What the hell did you do?"
"I've done nothing." I was in front of him in the blink of an eye and had a tight hold of his through before he could even think. "You're the one that's done wrong, Dracian. You should be ashamed."
"For what, ownership of property? What happened to you? Your hands are ice cold and stone."
"It's the vampire traits. I was nearly killed three days ago and a coven of vampires saved me and changed me into this. I came back because I wanted to return the favor for all the pain you've caused me."
"I've been kind to you." I raised my voice a little in response.
"Kinder than most, but not enough. You were still a beast to me. You've forced me to sleep with you, forced me to kill my children, forced me to do your bidding for two years and I've had enough. I'm strong enough to have my revenge and I intend to make your death as slow and painful as possible." He sneered at me.
"You don't have the guts, whore." I grinned and tightened my grip on his throat a little.
"Try me, Dracian."
I think I might have enjoyed killing him a little too much. The first thing I did was make him mute. I crushed his voice box so he wouldn't be able to scream while I killed him. I dragged it out as long as I could and made it as painful and horrible as was manageable. Before biting into his neck and drinking him dry, I said goodbye to him in the most arrogant voice I could muster.
When he was dead, I went back to Aro and his coven and felt a great relief taken from my shoulders. As the days went by, people questioned what happened to the people I killed. It took a few days for them to suspect me, but that suspicion was gone when a witness told the soldiers that they saw me killed by the senators who also ended up dead. I stayed out of the streets of Rome for years after that. I didn't want to risk anyone recognizing me, though the chances of that were really slim.
I wished I could go home, but Aro told me it was out of the question. My family had long since though I was dead or ran away and seeing them would add unneeded complications to my life. So I stayed with Aro and his coven, The Volturi, and lived my life with them as their manipulator of relationships to lean vampires on our side.