Disclaimer: I do not own most of these characters, they are the product of Steph Meyer's wonderous imagination.

A/N: wow! This was a hard chapter to write. I've re-written it 3 times now, and I'm still not happy with it. It's probably longer than it needs to be, but I couldn't figure out what to cut. Let me know what you think or would like to see happen in Volterra. Thanks for all the comments and to all my readers.

Chapter 25 Life Among the Court

Marcus led me off the dance floor, his hand resting against my lower back as he guided me through the twirling bodies to a door in the back of the room. As it clanged shut and the noise of the festivities died away, I suddenly became aware of how very alone we were. Not the most observant person, am I? The hallway was all cold stone with torches perched on the wall sporadically casting an eerie glow and deep shadows.

We walked in silence, Marcus never taking his hand off of me. I could feel his nervous energy and, as much as I'd like to deny it, his love for me. Though, I was more certain than ever that it was better that Marcus was still in love with me than if he wasn't. I'd need all the allies I could get while I tried to survive a month in this foul place.

We followed the passage, twisting and turning many times. If I was human I'd have already been lost, but I was able to file everything away creating a mental map. Finally he released me and opened the only door in the vicinity. I gasped as I took in the room. An aquarium made up the walls on all sides. Great fish of all sizes and sea life floated around the tanks which were lit in purples, blues, and greens. The room was furnished in deep brown leather, the floors blue marble with green veins cutting through it. In the middle of the room was a grand piano.

"This is the place where I …escape the madness of court," he said with a flourish as he led me all the way in. He slid his tux jacket off and draped it over the arm of the couch while I walked the perimeter of the room taking in the multitude of sea life floating past me. I heard him shuffling around behind me and when I turned he had removed his tie and unbuttoned several buttons on his shirt and was now seated at the shiny black piano, his fingers reverently caressing the ivory keys, but making no sound.

He glanced at me, a very happy smile on his lips, devotion evident in his eyes. "Shall I play for you?"

I nodded as I moved around the room examining his large book collection. The first few notes drifted through the room in a wave of despair. With each note that he pressed, I was overcome with sadness. Edward sitting at his piano floated through my vision as I sat in the buttery soft leather chair. I relived the memory of him playing my lullaby for me while Marcus's song tore a hole through my heart with his pain.

The last note resonated and my chest was tight with unshed tears, not only for my angel back home, but for the heartache that this man was living with each day of his life. It was his own damn fault, but I still felt guilty about it.

I felt the air around me stir and realized that I'd closed my eyes while watching my Edward pass through my memories. Marcus was kneeling on the floor in front of me a look of longing on his face. "I have envisioned you coming back to me," he whispered, "though, I never dreamed that it would become a reality. Each day that came to an end and you did not arrive was like a small death to me." His hand engulfed mine and he brought it to his lips, eyes never straying from mine.

I did not pull my hand away, though I wanted to. "Marcus, I am with Christian…"

"Ah, my love, I feel what there isn't between you." He rubbed my hand against his smooth face, his eyes closed. "There is lust, but not love between you. You two do not share half of what you and I once had, what we could have again."

"I came here so I could put an ocean between me and Edward. Needed some time to…grieve. Please, please, allow me that." I slid my finger down his cheek. "I'm not saying no, just not yet."

"That is more than I ever hoped for, my love, and I am a very patient man."

He moved to the chair across from me. "Aro has sent Santiago and Seline out to acquire some animal blood for you and Christian. They should be back shortly and then we will share a few drinks together."

I was beyond shocked that they would indulge our foreign diet here. I thought for certain that Aro would demand that I feed off of humans. Small favors. Still, if it had been their plan all along to acquire me, then why were they so unprepared?

"So…you do not already have animal blood here?"

He pursed his lips before saying, "Why would we?"

"You were not expecting me to show up here eventually?"

"As I said, I hoped one day to be reunited with you, but that was highly unlikely. Why would we have reason to believe that you would ever come back here? We have a treaty that states that we are to leave you and yours alone for all eternity, we honor that agreement, Bella." He rested his ankle across one leg as he smoothed his hand down the arm of the couch, his brows knitted together. "We were quite shocked by your sudden appearance here, love. It was a delightful surprise, but a surprise nonetheless."

How could this be? Was Marcus simply not privy to Aro's newest plan? That seemed highly doubtful, but I could feel the waves of truth emanating from him. He believed all the way to his toes the words he spoke. He was certain that the treaty was still in effect.

And where was Virat? I'd certainly expected to see him make his grand entrance tonight. Perhaps I'd finally get to see what that trouble maker looked like tomorrow. Gorgeous, no doubt.

Aro glided through the door with a woman practically plastered to him, her eyes flicking around the room before she eased up and moved off to the side. His bodyguard. "There you two love birds are!" He flopped down gracefully on the couch nearest to me, the woman remained standing behind him. He noticed me staring at her. "This is Renata, my bodyguard. She rarely lets me out of her site."

She moved forward and took my hand as Aro introduced us, before sliding back to her position.

"Felix informs me that Santiago and Seline are back. They will escort Christian here shortly. They are going to be your guards here." He removed his tie and ran his hand through his hair suddenly looking older. "Anything you or Christian desire, you need but ask and they will see to it."

"Guards? Why do we need guards?"

"All of us have guards, little one," Aro stated.

I glanced at Marcus. "He doesn't seem to have someone watching his every move."

"No, Marcus has been most difficult about it. None would willingly subject themselves to that task as they all fear him now. Sadly, he's only gotten worse since we came back from Forks. Perhaps your presence here will soften him up."

So, I was to have guards looking over my shoulder, paying careful attention to me and Christian, noticing how involved we were. Getting out of Volterra without cheating on Edward was looking unlikely.

Despite that, I was really looking forward to seeing Christian again. I knew he had nefarious thoughts about us, and if he could somehow manage it, he was certainly going to try and take advantage of the situation we were in. He was going to be ecstatic about our close supervision, then. Still, I felt oddly at ease and safe with him. Ask me that in a few hours when we were alone in our bedroom sharing that luscious bed and I might feel differently.

Marcus and Aro were deep in conversation leaving me to my own thoughts while I awaited Christian. Renata sat next to me a very pleasant smile on her face. "You have made them very happy, you know? I can't remember the last time this place felt alive and cheerful."

"Truthfully, I'm wondering if I made the right decision coming here."

"I do not doubt that," she chuckled. She moved closer to me and lowered her voice, casting a sideways glance at Aro before saying, "Seline is one of your guards. You should be wary around her. She was quite upset when Felix ordered her to leave Christian alone."

"What did she do to Christian?" For some strange reason that I could not fathom, I was jealous and angered at the thought of her flirting with him.

She gave me a knowing look, a half smile tugging at her painted lips. "Do not fret dear; your Christian is loyal to you. In fact, that's what really frustrated Seline. She is unaccustomed to men refusing her solicitations."

"Great, just what I needed to make my stay here more enjoyable: a jealous narcissist. Is there a specific reason why she was selected to be my guard?"

"I think she requested it actually." She shrugged in one fluid motion. "Aro and Marcus talked about you and Edward a lot. Going on and on about how strong your bond was, however did things come to this?"

I sighed softly and was very aware of how quiet the two men across the room had suddenly become, but I never took my eyes off of Renata as I explained what I'd done to Tyler and how close Demetri and I had become.

"You killed an old classmate?" She asked, her eyebrows rose in disbelief.

"Yes. He smelled like nothing I'd ever encountered before and there was just no fighting it." I did not add that I had Virat to thank for that.

She shook her head. "Was that you're first and only taste of human blood?"

I nodded, still ashamed of my lack of control.

"So, do tell me what there was between you and our Demetri? I must admit, that I miss him and Heidi something terribly." She glanced at the two silent vampires. "Aro was beside himself when they betrayed him and joined you," she murmured softly.

I felt like I should apologize, but I hadn't been the one to orchestrate their defection. They had fled because Heidi believed that they would die if they fought us. In the end she had died anyway.

"But, we have you now and Aro is euphoric. He's already ordered the northern wing to be redecorated and made ready for you by tomorrow evening."

I looked at Aro for confirmation and he nodded smiling indulgently. "Nothing but the best for our newest members."

Christian finally joined us and I didn't want to think about what it meant that I was so thrilled to see him and that a slight tremble traveled down my spine at the sight of him. He was standing in between two others, the girl he'd danced with earlier-Seline, and a male guard, who I assumed must be Santiago. His coal black hair was pulled back in a low pony tail tied with a leather band and reached his low back. Seline had rich brown, wavy hair that fell just below her shoulders. She was clad in a leather strapless gown with slits up to her hips, shoes that laced up her thighs, and practically shooting daggers at me. Felix entered last and bent low to whisper into Aro's ear.

I stood as Christian made his way over to me, a rigid smile on his face. He hugged me tightly and laid a gentle kiss on the corner of my mouth. "Have you been having as much fun as I have, love?" He whispered so softly. I could here the unease in his voice and wondered what had been happening to him while I'd been relaxing.

"I think I'll have more fun now that you're here," I smirked, trying to pull him out of his mood. He sat in my chair and pulled me onto his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around me, as though someone might try to steal me away. Actually, with both Marcus and Aro here, that was probably a valid concern.

Santiago held out his hand to me and introduced himself, then motioned Seline forward. She nodded and continued scowling. I could just tell that we were going to be the best of friends.

"Whenever you are ready to retire to your rooms for the night, we will escort you," Santiago's soothing voice whispered in my ear, though he was a foot away.

"Not just yet, Santiago. We are going to have some dinner," Aro explained.

Felix brought me and Christian two wine glasses full of animal blood while Seline ushered six helpless humans into the room, handing them out like dinnerware. I tried to disguise my disgust by turning my face towards Christian, who was scenting his glass with a look of utter revulsion on his face. I opened my mind to him so we could talk discreetly. "What's wrong?"

"This smells rank. Do I truly have to drink this day in and day out?"

"Would you rather kill some human just because you don't like the smell of your meal?"

He sighed but held up his glass and clinked it to mine. "To doing the right thing," he toasted and downed his in great gulp.

The sounds of the humans screaming was unbearable, but what could I do? This was the way they lived and I was sure that Aro was enjoying subjecting us to this feast. There would be all kinds of little games played over the course of the next month.

Christian's palm was against my face smoothing the tension from me. "I am sorry, love. They are almost finished. Let me distract you from this ungodly sight." His lips brushed across mine. "If we act as though we are not bothered by it, perhaps they will decide it is not an effective form of torment.

I curled my hand around his neck and brought my mouth back to his. He parted his lips and suddenly the sounds of terror and slurping became muted as he kissed me senseless.

"Are you going to fuck him in front of us as well?" Seline's shrill voice lashed through the room.

Aro and Marcus stood abruptly. "Seline, Apologize to Isabella. Now." He bit out angrily, his face actually holding some color since he'd fed.

She fell to her knees in a submissive bow. "Please forgive my rude behavior, Isabella. I meant nothing by it."

Renata leaned toward me. "You must take her hand and help her up as a show that all is forgiven."

I wasn't sure all was forgiven, but I wasn't exactly comfortable having people bow down to me either, so I took her hand and drew her from the floor. "Apology accepted," I replied stiffly.

I glanced at Santiago. "We're ready to go back to our room, if you don't mind."

"Of course." He nodded curtly, casting a warning glance at Seline. Her anger and hate for me burned across my skin. There was no way that we wouldn't have more problems.

Marcus embraced me. "I am most sorry for her outburst. We will make certain that such a thing does not happen again, my love." He kissed me on both cheeks and Christian guided me out the door, his fingers biting into my hand. The level of anger radiating from him surprised me. I'd ask him about it later, right now I just wanted to get as far away from all the Volturi members as possible.

Seline stood a breath from me and hissed," Shall we roll out the red carpet and play trumpets to announce your presence?"

Christian growled at her and Felix flashed her a look of warning. "Do not push things, Seline. You are already in enough trouble for your earlier outburst."

I looked her into her crimson eyes. "Oh, yes please. That would be grand," I replied scathingly to Seline. Santiago stifled a laugh and offered me his arm.

--

I kicked my shoes off the moment we hit the room.

Santiago placed his hand on my forearm. "Tomorrow you will come down to the training room and we will help you with your so impressive list of powers." He winked. I had no idea what he was going on about, but learning how to use my powers seemed like a pretty good idea. They would know more about them than Carlisle and Jasper. "You will get your chance to sharpen your talents against the members of the Volturi."

I couldn't hide my shock. "All of them?"

Seline's high pitched voice interrupted. "Surely Aro would not put himself at the mercy of such an…untrained individual?"

"Do not fret, Seline. Our so dangerous Bella will not practice on your precious Aro." He turned his attention back to me staring intently into my eyes as though he was willing me to understand something. I could always try to open my mind to him. There was no reason that my power would not work, especially as he was touching me, but what did I really know about this man?

"I'm sure that Marcus would enjoy a few minutes of sparring with you, dear." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. What was up with this man? He was unlike every other member here. "He's completely besotted with you. This last month has been most dreadful. Tonight is the first time I have seen him smile since he returned from Forks."

Seline pulled my arm from Santiago's and guided me to another door. "Where are we going?"

"I've been commanded to make sure that all the rooms are to your liking," she replied in a clipped voice, her grip on my arm firm. As we reached the last room, she closed the door and grabbed me by the throat smashing me against the wall.

"If you are going to steal my lover from me, Isabella, then I will make certain that I return the favor," she sneered, her breath chilling my face as we were only inches apart. I wasn't concerned, not really. I had many powers to draw on, but I wasn't here to show off, I was here to spy, so I let her throw her fit and make her point. Let them underestimate me.

"I am not stealing anyone from you. I have Christian-"

"Do you? Do you really?" Her hand convulsed against my throat, but still I refrained from harming her. "I think you want power, Isabella, and the way to power is through Aro and Marcus. Aro is mine, Bella. If you so much as bat those thick dark eyelashes at him I will pluck each and every one of them out of your lovely face," she hissed.

"Terrifying as that sounds-"

"Do not mock me, youngling. Your power makes you brave, but you have not the skill to take me on," she chided me. "Stay away from Aro."

Santiago threw the door opened sending it thundering against the wall, plaster crumbling on the floor. He moved faster than anything I'd ever seen and wrenched Seline's grip from me. "Aro will see you destroyed for harming her," he snarled.

"He might try, but I am not without my own powers, Santiago. Never forget what I can do. One little touch is all it would take." She held her finger out towards me.

"I will rip off your hand if it moves one millimeter closer to her."

Christian finally joined us with Felix at his back and took in the tense scene before him. He lunged at Seline, a snarl reverberating against the dark walls.

Felix escorted me back to the party and explained what happened to Aro.

Aro let out a roar of rage and Marcus gripped his shoulder tightly. "Do not be rash, Aro."

"Felix, you will take Seline's place as Isabella's guard. Come Marcus."

Renata got up and was immediately at Aro's side. "No, dear. You stay here with Bella. Felix will help me deal with this mess."

Renata took her seat next to me, a grim look on her pretty face. "You are very lucky, Bella. Seline's power is ghastly."

"What can she do? What did she almost do to me?" I asked alarmed for the first time. Seline was right, I was letting my power go to my head.

"She has the touch of death."

I just stared at her waiting for her to explain.

"She literally causes things to decay at warp speed." She shuddered. "Aro used to give our enemies to her."

"So with one touch of her finger I could have been dead?"

"Not exactly dead, Bella. But you would beg for death, trust me. I have seen her handy work first hand. Her power steals life from mortals, but a vampire would remain in a state of decay, like a mummy, for all eternity or until she reversed the effects." She took in my wide fearful eyes and laid a gentle hand on mine. "Do not be concerned. Aro will most likely destroy her for this blasphemy. Until the decision is made, we will make sure that she cannot harm you."

"Won't she just use her power against whoever tries to restrain her?" My body felt as though I'd fallen through ice as I remembered Christian fighting her. Please let Christian be alright. I repeated over and over.

"We have people who can counter her powers. Ones who can control her mind and her body. Me, for instance. She cannot affect me as I am a shield. As we speak, an army of guards are securing her and she will be taken to the hall of despair to await judgment."