Chapter 38
Aro had waited patiently for his mate to awaken. When he sunk his teeth in the sassy Italian woman, she didn't even look terrified. It was as if she knew he was coming for her. They had crossed paths on occasion and Aro had found her to be exquisitely beautiful. Before the word of Carlisle and Esme's love child he had no intention of changing her. The thought of a being responsible for another as a lover seemed far too time consuming.

Now, he thought differently.

Gianna's red eyes burned into his as they sat in the hidden tunnels of Italy. She looked like a royal dark queen, and that was exactly what Aro intended to make of her. She would be his vampiric beauty; his mate.

"Gianna," he spoke from his throne, which was now accompanied by another. He held a hand out, motioning for her to accompany him.

"Aro," she smiled a fierce, evil smile that would have terrified the average human. Gianna joined him. Caius and Marcus sat beside them, looking on.

Marcus could sense the relationship was not nearly as strong as those he had seen from others, particularly the Cullens. He wouldn't dare say a thing to Aro, but both of them had their own selfish reasons for agreeing to the courtship.

Caius was loyal to Aro, and blocked out any negative thoughts that had been accompanying him more and more. He hadn't agreed with Aro's decisions to make peace with the recently born Cullen children, though he knew his place, and he knew it well. The Volturi hadn't come this far by dividing and disagreeing, so he remained silent.

Gianna studied the room, having only been born again as a vampire for a matter of hours. Aro had taken her to hunt, and she had carefully selected the victims as her first kills. One man, an ex cheating lover, and the second his lady friend, with whom she came to know very well at a distance during her human life. They were selfish and arrogant. Once the thirst burned in her throat, she couldn't wait to sink her teeth into those who had done her wrong the most. And it was exactly that, that she did.

Aro joined his hand with hers, and she stared at him with a look of dark excitement. He knew she was already loving her new life, like a young woman who had just hooked up with a wealthy billionaire. He knew from her thoughts that she was far too bold and materialistic for the plain life she had been leading.

"We should find out the exact date of the next eclipse," Aro said to Caius.

"Do you really suppose this is a good idea?"

Aro smiled a warm, fake smile, "What's not good about it?"

"You know how immortal children are. They can't control themselves."

"The child will grow, Caius," Marcus told him.

"It'll still have a thirst to be quenched."

"If need be, we will keep it down here beneath the city streets and bring back several lovely meals so that it's urges suppress."

"It?" Gianna asked.

"When we have the child, we'll know what to call it," Aro said with a stern, yet calm, tone.

"And if the child begins to destroy our secrecy?" Caius asked.

Aro smiled coldly, "Then we'll let Jane do what she does best."