Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
Chapter 3
I'm not sure how long its been since that incident in the throne room. Heidi escorted me back to a room after I broke down in front of the three rulers. Everything was getting to me, I want to go home and the worst thing is I don't know how the hell to go about it!
After goodness knows how long of crying. I got off the cold floor and took in my surroundings. It was beautiful to say the least, but admiration of anything right now wasn't on the list.
A king sized bed with draped mustard and red silks was placed in the center of the room facing the entrance door five meters away. Under it a large dark red circular carpet spreading out two meters from the bed, encrusted with gold lining. Giant windows took over the far end of the room covered by heavy black curtains. A black chandelier hung above the bed and lit up the room in a dull eerie glow. There were two wooden doors near the entrance, but looking inside was not an option. Who knows what was beyond there? Maybe some torture room with knives and other gruesome stuff. The thought sent a shiver down my spine.
I picked up the sleeves of my jumper and wiped my eyes. Good thing I didn't sleep in pajamas or I would have looked like an even greater fool landing up here with hello kitty plastered on my rear. Still does not help the fact that I ended up here in the first place! It has broken physics! LITERALLY! Unless I'm dead...
I jumped at the sound of the door opening. Heidi walked in with a tray of food.
"Sorry to startle you, Master Aro told me to bring you something to eat." She came and put the tray on the bed. "I wasn't sure what you would like so Giana made this for you." She eyed me nervously. "I know what was said back there was probably a great shock, unless you're not quite sure what it means? You know...Master Aro's mate?"
I walked towards the bed where the tray was placed. I had forgotten about what was said back there, it still felt so unreal. I was more upset about how I ended up here rather than the...other...situation.
Oh no! When I broke down, did Aro think I rejected him? Did I?
Heidi was in front of me. "Listen, to be Master Aro's mate is one of the biggest things. Master Caius was lucky to find his mate, and well, it seems you already know about Lady Didyme, rest her soul." She looked at the floor then back at me. Her eyes piercing through my own.
"Master Aro has a wife named Sulpicia. He married her to keep the status of the Volturi at a stable high. Obviously you showing up has pushed that over the edge, especially with your little fit in the throne room. Everyone thinks you're not good for him, I don't think you are either." She tore her eyes away and slowly walked to the door. "But Master Aro cares, unfortunately he has no choice in the matter, so be careful what you say around him. The guard will be keeping a close eye on you." She opened the door and let herself out, slamming the door behind her.
I stood there shell-shocked. Aro cares? Sure I get how the mate bond can be so big, but he's a story character and that's all I know him from. I don't know him as a person and I certainly don't know if I harbor the same feelings! Something tugged itself at my chest and quickly trying to ignore it I brought my gaze to the tray of food. It was lasagna and a glass of orange juice. Strange enough I hardly felt hungry, sleepy or even in need of a rest room.
Ignoring the food I walked to the entrance door and turned the handle. It opened, would have thought they'd lock me in for safe keeping. I glanced left and right through the thin corridor and tiptoed out onto the red carpet. I made my way right, tiptoeing as fast as I could to find a way out. The halls were dimly lit by candle light, giving it the same eerie glow as my room, and not enough light to see as much as Id like to.
I turned again walking down a wider corridor lined with paintings, my movement became slower as I took time to examine them. Most of them were paintings of war, which was a topic I wasn't completely fond of. One particular painting streaked my attention. As I walked up to it I realized what it was. It looked exactly the way it was described in Twilight. There in all their glory was Aro, Marcus and Caius on a balcony indoors, observing a party below. In the far right hand side was Carlisle.
My attention came back to the figure standing in the middle. He was beautiful, like a dark angel, ever so deadly yet so attractive you couldn't help but be drawn in. My hand reached up and traced the outline of the angel, taking in every bit of detail the painting portrayed.
How could I be his mate! Me, out of everyone, a person that's not from this world be the mate of this! Its like arranged marriage, minus the marriage bit. It's not right, it's not fair, I could never be with him and him with me. Were worlds apart. He's probably a dream and I'm going to wake up in tears if I let myself go here. I swore once and I will swear it again, I will never fall in love nor will I find someone who could have the power to destroy me.
My hand dropped and I lowered my head.
I need to go home.
I spun around and bumped into something hard. My head shot up and my eyes met bright milky red irises. Both my hands flew to my mouth as I let out a gasp and backed into the wall where the painting was hung.
Aro's mouth curved up into a small smile, his soft eyes still holding mine. "Sorry to interrupt you." A chuckle left his lips which softened my menacing thoughts.
"Um, how long were you standing there?" My hands lowered and pushed myself away from the wall. Heat crept across my cheeks as my eyes drifted to anything but the angels own in front of me.
"Long enough. You shouldn't be wandering around here by yourself, you're in a castle full of creatures that consider you their meal." He came beside me, observing the painting I was previously studying a little too hard on.
"Do you like it?"
"Mhmm."
I turned around to look at the painting once again. My eyes drifted to the man beside me, he was taller than me only by a few inches. His hands were resting behind his back his gaze fixed on the painting in front of us.
His eyes shot to mine and I quickly averted my own.
"I...uhh..sorry." I glanced back towards the painting.
"There is no need to apologize, mio amore." I glanced back up at him. Was this the real Aro, soft-spoken with such love in his eyes, or was it all an act?
"I would like to talk to you somewhere more private if I may?" His hand outstretched in a gesture for my own. Silently contemplating whether it was a good idea or not to deny an offer by him, I slowly placed my hand in his. The electric shock I felt the first time from his touch rippled through out my body once again, making me draw in a deep breath at the unfamiliar feeling.
We were now walking side by side down the corridor, my breaths were short-lived as air seemed scarce being so closed to the man walking beside me, hand in hand. The electricity ceased but heat replaced it and I could make out the small smile edged onto his lips at the corner of my eye.
I'm not exactly as amused as you seem to be..
Thoughts spun through my mind on the silent journey through the corridors, being so close to him and his hand still tightly holding onto mine was jumbling up every thought and feeling I had.
The corridors became a lot wider and the ceiling stretched into colored glass as we came to a halt in front of a giant stone door. The border had stone carvings of dragons and knights.
Aro let go of my hand and held the door open for myself to walk through. I didn't glance up at him, rather I walked in silently, standing still in the sudden shock at the wonder in front of me. It looked like a study of some sort but not just a mere study. It was massive! Bookshelves and bookshelves lined along side one another. A blue carpet was plastered on the floor with gold and green swirls, the ceiling arched up in stone, and large glass chandeliers hung from every corner of the room...four of them! At the far end of the room a desk the size of a long dining table sat with six wooden chairs neatly tucked in and books stacked all over the desk space. Five large colored windows were in front the large desk, all open letting in a cool breeze. A lone table sat at the corner of the room, three wooden chairs were untucked but resembled carved dragons, papers were littered all over the work space.
I let out the breath I was holding in for what seemed ages. The smell immediately hit me, the smell of old books, dust and, roses?
"Right this way, mio amore." Aro's voice shot through my ears bringing me back to reality. His hand gently touched my shoulder as he moved forward guiding me to the desk in the corner of the room. "You may sit wherever, this desk is usually used by myself or my brothers." His voice was soft and soothing, it calmed my nerves along with the cool breeze, helping me sit in the chair next to Aro's in the center.
I placed my hands in my lap slowly looking up to Aro's calm expression. His chair faced mine, legs crossed and his elbow resting on the desk beside him. He smiled and looked at the paperwork gathering it up in lightening speed and placing it neatly in one pile beside him.
"I do apologize for the time it took for us to be having this talk. It should not have waited even a moment." He smiled at me, his eyes searching my own for any emotions I was giving away.
Heat once again rose to my cheeks as he let out a small chuckle. "Do not look so nervous mio amore, I will not harm you in any way. I just wish to talk about earlier this morning and about your life." His legs uncrossed from one another as his face became more serious. "I will not force you into anything you do not wish, but I do ask for you to stay here and live with me for a month at the least. It may not make sense now for you are mortal, but in time, things change." He slowly got up from his chair and came behind my own.
Daring not to move away I sat in silence listening to what he was to say next.
"As for changing you, as you well know we can not let you go as a human, but I will give you time to adjust, within a month." His breath came down to my ear as my whole body froze. "Even if you may not feel this bond to its extent as a mortal, once you are turned I have no doubt that you will truly begin to realize what it all means."
Woah! A shiver went all the way up my neck prickling at my scalp.
He came around sitting in his seat once again. Looking at me with a grin stretched from one corner of his mouth to the next. "As well as you not knowing your identity, I would still like to know about your life, and this 'book' you speak of. It has drawn my attention that maybe you are suffering amnesia and in this book of what you know us from is just another way of eventually remembering and of whom or how you gained this knowledge."
I finally braved up the courage to talk. "A question for a question then?" I asked, my voice slightly shaky.
"Fair enough, mio amore." He smiled a devilish smile at me, excitement swimming in his eyes as he clapped his hands and leaned back into his chair.
I giggled at his childish act which seemed to make him smile more. A little calmer now despite the chilling words on an earlier note, I began my first question.
"Well apart from what I have 'read', and what I'm told, you have a wife, don't you?" It wasn't the question I wanted to ask but it was the one that was going to have come out sooner or later.
"Hmmm, starting with the larger ones first. As you wish, yes I am currently married, but I'm sure Heidi told you what you needed to know about that." He brought his two hands together entwining his fingers well bringing them up to his chin. His gaze was dead set on my own.
"How did you.."
"How did I know about what Heidi had said?" He chuckled at this. "Mio amore, for one that knows so much about us, you should know I have ears and eyes in every corner of the castle. But now it is my turn to ask the question. Two, if I have counted correctly."
I smiled up at him. This wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. I was actually beginning to feel a little more relaxed than first walking in.
"First question. You flinch when I touch you, you must have felt what I felt at first, what was it exactly?"
My cheeks burned.
Awkward! Maybe not so relaxed after all!
"I...uhhhh."
"Go on..."
"N... r..really... Was probably static electricity or s..something..." I didn't sound so convincing, the stuttering gave away everything.
A grin stretched across his face. "Static? Interesting. But now for question two." His grin dropped and a pained expression made its way on to his face. He quickly covered it by straightening his posture and looking towards the stack of papers.
"What do you know of my sister Didyme?"
Uh oh.
The past haunts us all, some greater than others, some more than most.
