Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. Stephenie Meyer created it all. All credit goes to her for the lines utilized from her books.

Aro POV

"Il mio amore, you need to eat. I'll sit with her," Sulpicia murmured against my neck, leaning over the back of the chair to nuzzle me.

Smiling, I reached around and pulled her into my lap. The feel of her lips against mine never failed to excite me, and as my fingers gently combed through her pale hair, my body came alive. Because I had been so wrapped up watching over Isabella, it had been several nights since we'd made love, and that fact was suddenly very clear. She grinned into my mouth, feeling my obvious appreciation of her.

"Aro," she said my name as a caress.

Our moment was interrupted as Isabella screamed from the bed beside us. She'd uttered so few sounds that, whenever she did, it was a startling experience. This was the first scream. The others had been Carlisle's son's name and another boy's. Sulpicia was at her side in an instant, in a protective stance that I'd seen her use with no other person. My mate was as enamored of this slight child as I was.

"She is reaching the end," Sulpicia observed as she bent over Isabella, placing her hand against the girl's forehead.

My little Isabella. She was such a mystery to me. I'd never encountered anyone whose mind was denied to me.

She'd been under unimaginable stress when she was escorted into the throne room. The only other humans who had graced that particular room had been solely for feeding purposes, and they'd instinctively been terrified to the point of silence…until our frenzy struck and they screamed for mercy. Yet Isabella had stood tall, even though she'd shaken as violently as a leaf in a storm.

She was extremely intelligent; that much was clear within just moments, when she'd quipped back at Jane's insensitive comment. "Food always tastes better clean."

Even Caius had chuckled softly. "She's mine if you don't want her."

He'd attempted to establish his claim on the young lady who was destined to become one of us. His laughter amazed me; Caius finds so little humor in our lives. Perhaps the child could crack that sour exterior where so many others had failed. To add to the fascination of the moment, the whole room heard Felix's low rumble. Shocking…my loyal guardsman showing an interest. It was time he mated; his bachelor lifestyle had caused enough controversy to last me for the rest of eternity. The thought of someone finally taming him had extraordinary appeal to me.

Of course, Isabella wouldn't have heard the exchanges, but I saw her study each of us, noting our appearances. Caius was as astounded as I was when she caught the finer nuances of our conversation. She'd understood the need to show appropriate decorum in addressing myself and the others, increasing my intrigue, which exploded exponentially when she admitted to having deduced the truth about the Cullens before being told. The information about Carlisle and his family had come as a moment in the sun. Pleasure had coursed across my skin in reaction to hearing about my protégé. The agony laced through her voice when she mentioned Carlisle's son told me all I needed to know. It would seem that Felix's courtship of this young woman would not be so easy. It was a puzzle that I intended to solve, and excitement streaked through me. The tedium of year after year of court responsibility and intrigue grew thin even for me.

But when I touched Isabella, her fate had been sealed. This child was mine, sent to me by the Fates after so many years.

Caius had to murmur my name to break the spell she wove over me. Tearing my gaze from her after that moment had been incredibly difficult, as the implications buzzed through my head. She'd stared at me guilelessly, pleading for her side to be heard. I couldn't read her mind, but her thoughts were apparent through the expressiveness of her face.

Unbeknownst to Isabella, Marcus had softly touched my hand, letting me see the strength of the bond that had just been formed. He shocked me when his lips lifted slightly. Was it possible that she could reach even his long-dead heart?

The vampire who had brought this incredible gift to me was a pathetic example of what our kind could become. She was mentally unstable; her guilt was apparent the moment her vile mouth opened. Isabella adamantly defending the man I loved, and her audacity to challenge a vampire, had been startling. But when she informed the group that she'd been bitten and that Carlisle's son had been able to resist her blood, draining her of the venom, we'd all frozen in our consternation. After I witnessed the blasphemy scrawled across her wrists, Marcus, Caius, and I immediately made a decision. Carlisle would need to answer our questions. No other way would suffice. I'd let him go those many years ago as an indication of my affection for him. It was time he returned to our fold, and I couldn't wait to see what his son had to say about his actions.

Touching the witch had been an act, not to determine the credibility of her statements, but solely of selfishness on my part. I wanted to see Carlisle through her thoughts, to look on the face that had been denied to me for so many years. Many reports of his unusual coven had been brought to me over time, of course, but to have an opportunity to catch a glimpse of his world was intoxicating. Being the selfish, vain creature that I am, I wouldn't even consider denying myself the pleasure.

In a moment of unusual haste, engendered by the sensory overload I'd just experienced my order to Felix and Demitri to place the female vampire in seclusion came without considering the distance between her and Isabella. My body clenched when Victoria slammed Isabella to the floor. My moment was at hand far sooner than hoped. My plans had been to woo Isabella before turning her, so that it wouldn't be so shocking. As my teeth had sunk into her neck, my only hope was that her apparent desire to join the Cullens in immortality meant that she was ready.

A knock at the door brought me back from my reverie. The interference was annoying. The subordinates knew better than to bother us in our chamber. Sulpicia's hand on my arm halted my initial reaction.

"I asked Felix and Jane to come drag you out of here if necessary, to get you to eat. They'll summon us if anything changes," she said, smiling at me.

My thumb brushed the dark shadows below her eyes only momentarily before I reluctantly agreed. I picked her up, cradling her against me, and made my way through the doorway of the second bedroom (where we'd placed Isabella), through the study, and into our private chambers. Felix and Jane stood with their heads appropriately bowed just outside our door.

"We are going to the throne room. Has Heidi delivered our meal there?"

"Yes, Master Aro," Jane responded.

"Felix, please watch over her and send for me immediately if anything changes."

His satisfaction at being assigned to watch over Isabella was immense.

Sulpicia chuckled in response as we made our way down the hallway but then grew serious. "You plan to contact Carlisle, do you not?" I nodded.

Seeing my answer, she grimaced. "Do you believe that he will come? He has made no effort to contact us in the past."

"He'll come. The girl is precious to them. It was evident through the witch's memories. The situation is perplexing, I admit, a conundrum for which I eagerly anticipate an answer. Don't worry, my love, Carlisle's absence has no relation to his affection for us." Her eyes cut to me. "It is simply that he has little patience for the necessities of a monarchy. Much of what occurs here offends his sensibilities. It is my supposition that he has kept this family of his away from Volterra to avoid exposing them to the 'evils of court life'."

She chuckled, imagining Carlisle saying those exact words. "He keeps them away from you as well, my dear."

"Most certainly, as my resources indicate that he is in possession of an astonishing coven. Can you imagine Carlisle not being protective of them? To think that he would react any differently is ludicrous. He knows my desires and that his children would entice me."

Heidi waited outside the throne room. "See that we are left alone, unless Felix sends for us."

"Yes, master."

We spent little time in niceties as we tore into the warm flesh of the humans. As always, my wife knew exactly what my body craved. When she finished, she crawled over the still faintly warm body she'd just drained to shove me to the floor of the throne room. Pushing aside my black robe, she ripped the silk of my shirt to place her lips against my skin.

"Let me see, where were we?" she breathed against my skin. Her hand had found its way between my legs, capturing me. I groaned.

Blood mingled on our lips and tongues, and she impatiently shoved the body of the man I'd drained away from us. The body thudded against the wall, and Sulpicia giggled at the innocuous sound. Flipping her over placed us in a much more pleasant position. I shoved her dress out of the way, and within a few moments, she was screaming below me, her hands digging into my skin as she twined around me like a serpent. Venom surged through me as her warmth devoured me. Roars of pleasure echoed through the throne room over and over again in the next few hours as we reveled in our ecstasy. The smell of blood was fresh, as we'd rolled in several pools of it during our lovemaking. I grew thirsty again and strode naked to the door. Heidi hadn't moved, and she stood still with her head down.

"Heidi, further fare please."

Heidi was nothing if not efficient at her duty. She'd kept a delicious morsel in storage for me. Spinning the woman around and biting deeply into her neck, I watched Sulpicia as she stretched leisurely amidst the blood and bodies. The Sirens had nothing on her. She undulated sensually in show for me, as the warmth of the body I held drained into mine. Sulpicia watched with desire laden eyes as I dropped the carcass and began to stalk back to her. The moment was broken when a knock came at the door. My snarls indicated my displeasure at being interrupted, but Demetri's voice rang out clear.

"Master Aro, I beg your pardon, but Felix sent me for you. It seems that the girl is beginning to stir. Faint twitches only, but Felix thought you would want to be there. Again, pardon the interruption."

Sulpicia helped me shrug into my robe as I helped her straighten her dress, and we ran back to the room. We were just in time. Isabella was beginning to move as the fire receded from her limbs.

"Jane …"

She ghosted into the room from the study. "Yes, Master Aro."

"Please find your brother, and bring him here as well. We haven't dealt with a newborn in nearly a century. It would seem prudent to have our best weapons at hand for the possibilities."

Felix stood directly beside Isabella, watching her as the movements grew more numerous.

Jane's timing was impeccable. She and Alec came through the door as Isabella gasped and sat straight up.

Bella POV

During her religious experimenting, Renee had taken me to a church that was led by a fanatical preacher. We went only that one time because I'd refused to go back. The man had yelled and screamed about blasphemy and sin and the cost of transgression. He'd solemnly intoned that the fires of Hell would burn in ways that we couldn't imagine. As I lay in Hell, I thought back to that man, once my brain could wrap around something other than the flames licking at me. I didn't know how long I'd been there. It could have been a millennium for all I knew. What would my life have been like if I had met someone who preached about God's love instead? For certainly there was a God; there had to be if Hell existed. In addition, I'd once been privileged to meet mythical creatures fashioned by his very hand…creatures who broke my heart when they found me lacking.

When you are trapped in the inferno, you begin to question everything you'd ever known. It would seem that even my mind was not immune to the torture, as visions of my family, friends, and loved ones ran through my thoughts. I called out to Edward and Jacob. I wondered how long it would be before I went insane. Perhaps, I already was.

My salvation came in small snippets. A calm voice through the chaos. It was a male voice reading in a strange language, but the sound of his voice was calming. Sometimes, a female voice spoke in a similar manner, but it was mostly the man who attempted to comfort me. His voice was slightly familiar, as if of a stranger I'd met along the way. Maybe he was my Virgil, leading me through the levels of Hell. If this was the first level, then Dante hadn't described it accurately, and I shuddered to think it could get worse. The magical voice continued for the eternity that I burned, carrying a strange sense of comfort with its cadence. As if sensing my confusion, the voice would switch to English randomly.

"Herodotus' Histories, Isabella. His accuracy is questionable but he was an earnest man, dedicated to studying those around him. 'It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being subjected to half the evils we anticipate, than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what might happen.' He did at least understand the need for action."

"It is going to be fine, little one," the voice reassured me.

When it seemed that I would combust from the torture that slashed through my body like acid, the room grew quiet. I shrieked incessantly, begging for someone to kill me. No one listened. Then, miraculously, it seemed that I would get my wish. The fire left my extremities on their march to my heart. It felt as if it would explode the way it raced. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! When had it grown so loud? It was if I could hear its frantic attempt to keep beating. Die, please! I begged it. Stop this torture. And suddenly it did. The pain ceased, and for a moment, I reveled in the peace and quiet … the pure bliss of nothingness.

But my senses were raw from the experience. There was no other reason for me to pick up the faint stir of the air around me or the oddly erotic and delicious smell permeating the room. My mouth watered, and then my throat flamed in need. It was at that moment that the puzzle pieces slid into place. The throne room … the vampires biting me … the agony while I burned … I'd been bitten and, this time, allowed to change. I was incredibly, unimaginably immortal. The thought caused me to gasp as I sat up to look upon my new world.

AN: Il mio amore - My love

I would love to know what you think! Unlike my other story where I couldn't ask for reviews, I'm soliciting your thoughts here. Please!.

As always, I want to thank my Betas – please check out their stories here on FF – they are incredible:

hopeforastalemate – A better name for this woman would be Volturi Girl. I'd started this story months ago, during short breaks from Harvest Moon. So… in response to her love of the 'Italian scum' and her personal invitation for me to write something a little darker, my planned sweet, angsty story between Bella, Edward, and Jacob took a dramatic turn. Hence the ten other chapters now residing in my recycle bin. I hope I make you proud. See the link to her profile below:

http: / www. /u /2173996/

Crmcneill – For his patience with me (contrary to how he presents himself on his FF profile) and his incomparable editing skills. Male twilight fans are not a myth – they do exist, and I am so glad I was able to connect with him. I've called many men friends, but I've never called one master until now. "Strong is the power of the comma. Mind what you have learned. Save you it can." See the link to his profile below:

http: / www . /u /1933926/