7. CONFESSIONS

Aro had been quite upset when he learned that all the vampires had been feeding locally. He enforced a law that said no vampire was to feed in Volterra, ever. When someone challenged this new law and reminded Aro that there was only supposed to be one rule and that was not to expose ourselves to the humans, Aro clearly explained that this feeding law went hand in hand with the original law. For how could you maintain secrecy from humans if you were killing all of them in your backyard? No one argued with him on the subject again and went quite far to hunt if they needed to.

Training continued and one night while Didyme watched the others, quiet footsteps approached her from behind.

"Oh, you startled me!" Didyme said after she spun around to see who it was.

"Come with me," Marcus urged.

Didyme looked over her shoulder at the group and saw that no one was paying any attention to them. She took Marcus' outreached hand and began to run with him. The trees went by in a blur and they laughed together at the thrill of it. Didyme enjoyed these moments with Marcus but feared that they did not mean as much to him as they did to her. He led her to another clearing, much smaller than the first. A stream flowed by and it was peaceful.

"What are we doing here?" Didyme asked with a smile.

"We're going to have a training session of our own." Marcus grinned.

He playfully attacked her but she dodged him by jumping into a tree. He followed her and they spent the next bit of time laughing and trying to evade one another. Then as Didyme leapt from one tree to another Marcus caught her in midair and tackled her to the ground. She lay there laughing as Marcus had her pinned.

"Do that thing you do," Marcus said.

"What thing?" Didyme asked, confused.

"The thing you did to Aro. Look at me with your doe eyes to make me want to spare you."

Didyme did as he asked and pushed her aura of love and happiness out from herself and into Marcus. He seemed like he was concentrating then said "Are you doing it?"

"Yes!" she cried with a laugh.

"Hmm. I feel no different."

"You mean it doesn't work on you?" Didyme asked, surprised.

"I'm not sure. I guess it's because I feel this way all the time. Whether I'm right next to you or not," Marcus confessed.

Didyme looked away from his face and down. When he spoke so boldly she assumed he was just teasing her. She didn't want to be disappointed so she told herself that he was just joking and only cared for her as a friend would. However, Marcus interpreted her behavior as her being uncomfortable with what he had told her because the feelings were not reciprocated.

He released her from his pin and said "Come on. I'll take you back."

She followed him in silence and they moved much slower this time. The castle came into view and Marcus opened the door for Didyme. They walked up the stairs and Marcus' room came first.

"Have a good night. Or morning soon, I suppose," he said.

"Yes, same to you." She turned and walked away as Marcus went into his room and shut the door behind him. Didyme walked further down the hall and was about to round the corner to the hall that led to her room when she heard a peculiar sound. She paused at the corner and just peeked around the edge.

It was Aro. He had Sulpicia pinned against the wall with her legs wrapped around him while he was kissing her. But something was not right. Had Sulpicia managed to change her hair color? Didyme gasped as she realized it was not Sulpicia at all but in fact it was Renata. Didyme turned to go back the other way but ran into a hard chest. She looked up and was relieved to see Marcus' face. He pressed his finger to his lips and quietly guided her back down the hall and into his bedroom.

After he shut the door behind them she spoke with frustration, "What is Aro doing? He's married to Sulpicia!"

Marcus wrapped his arms around Didyme to soothe her. "This is nothing new for Aro. And don't worry about Sulpicia, she accepts Aro for what he is and doesn't seem bothered by what he does."

"Because she's too foolish to know the difference!" said Didyme.

"I wouldn't say that," said Marcus. "She's much more aware than what she lets on. She is different, it's true, but she is no fool."

"I thought that when a vampire found their mate that they wouldn't want to be with anyone else."

"In most cases that is true. I am not sure that Aro sees Sulpicia as his one true mate. I've seen their bond and it is not as strong as you would expect. I think he doesn't like being alone and she suits him so that is why he chose her. But no, Aro does not feel the same loyalty to her as someone like Caius might feel towards Athenodora." He paused. "Or what I might feel towards you." He kicked himself for confessing his feelings again.

"Stop that," Didyme said with a pained look on her face.

"Stop what?" he asked, assuming he already knew the answer.

"Stop teasing me! You say these things so casually yet you have no idea what your words hold for me." Didyme walked away from Marcus and laid down on his bed burying her face into his pillow.

Marcus stood stunned for a moment as he took in everything she had just told him. He sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "I am not teasing you, Didyme. I assure you, everything I have ever told you has been nothing but the truth. I told you once that I would never lie to you and I never have."

Didyme turned to look at Marcus and saw the earnestness in his face. "I believe you." She reached a hand up and wrapped a strand of his hair around her fingertip. Marcus thrilled at her gentle touch. When he could no longer resist her he leaned down and held his face only inches from hers. She unraveled the strand from her fingers and caressed his cheek, never letting her eyes stray from his. Her lips parted ever so slightly and she wanted him. When he felt her sweet breath on his face he closed the remaining distance and pressed his lips to hers.

Her aura of happiness reached a level that it had never gone to before and Marcus was wrapped in it. They felt so separate from the world around them. Marcus laid himself on top of her and reached a hand down her leg. He slid it under her dress and traced his fingers along her raised outer thigh as their kissing grew more passionate. Didyme placed her hand on Marcus' to stop it from going any further.

Breathless, she said "I am still a lady!"

Marcus smiled and rolled off of her and lay next to her. "Forgive me. I got carried away."

After a moment of laying there Didyme said "I know that as vampires we are doomed to burn in hell after this life. But I'd like to believe that if I maintain some virtue, God will show me some mercy."

Marcus did not know what to say. He had not been raised a Christian as Didyme had. He had no idea what might come after this life and he did not want to know. "Well," said Marcus, "as vampires we can live forever. Let's just promise each other that we'll never move onto that next life. All I know is that I never want to be apart from you. Will you promise to stay here with me in this life?"

Didyme smiled. "I will, if you promise to do the same."

"I promise." Marcus gently kissed Didyme again.

"Marcus?"

"Yes?"

"Why were you in the hall again? After you had said goodnight, why were you there?"

"Do you want the truth or the answer I had planned on giving you?" Marcus joked.

"Both,"she said.

"I had planned on telling you that I could sense a new bond being developed and wanted to investigate. That is partly true; the bond between Aro and Renata was emitting so much heat my way that I half expected the castle to be on fire. But the truth is that nothing else mattered to me but you. I couldn't leave things the way they were. I was going to find you."

"Well I'm glad you did," said Didyme.