An Unresolved Past
This story starts off five years after its prelude: 'Life is never what you expect it to be'. Bella is now Caius's mate and they are both very happily bonded. WARNING: This is an adult version of twilight and will have sexual submission and violence (after all; the story revolves around vampires). This is not for the faint of heart; it is very dark and has sexual content. 18+
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the creator of these intriguing characters but has nothing to do with this story.
Chapter 5 – Fate and preparation go hand in hand
Aro had called it a stroke of luck to come upon Messalina shortly after Isabella's kidnapping. Messalina had been created by the American vampire, Victoria who had built up an unauthorized army.
About a month after Messalina's creation Victoria discovered that it was extremely difficult to change the softhearted woman into a cold and calculating killing machine. Messalina had been a nurse in her human life and although she could no longer work as such, she did have access to various hospitals. When her craving for blood had become insatiable she was able to raid the blood banks for the blood that she needed. That and animal kill sustained her in the first few months of her transformation.
When Victoria discovered this she was furious knowing that she would be of no use in the battle. This made her worthless in Victoria's eyes and therefore she decided Messalina's life was to be terminated. Reilly had done his best to keep her alive but Victoria was merciless. When Victoria came to carry out her sentence, Messalina inadvertently discovered that she was able to erase Victoria's memories of herself and in doing so, was able to escape execution.
After the skirmish which cost Victoria her life she had returned to the Seattle area and a couple of Aro's scouts had found her in the forest. Feeling threatened by their appearance she fled, wiping out the memory of one scout. However the other had already reported her existence to Aro and hearing the circumstances he sent them back to detain her. After a couple of months they were able to capture her and bring her back to Aro; since then she had been working in secret with him to refine her gift.
His first implementation of Messalina's gift was four years ago. He had seen the seeds of affection in Alex for Isabella and was afraid that it might cause disloyalty in the future. With this in mind he asked her to remove all Alec's memories of his time with Isabella. She worked diligently taking a small piece of memory at one time until all was erased.
Aro kept her gift a secret and offered her protection and comfort in exchange for the occasional use of her talents.
Dragus however, was an old vampire; once part of the Dacian coven, he was no longer interested or even sympathetic towards the members as he hated both Vladimir and Stefan. In his eyes, they had left his mate at the mercy of the Voltari.
While many thought to have destroyed Dragos in the Romanian/Voltari wars Aro had known of his existence since the death of Didyme and had left him alone. The addition of Isabella in the Volturi however had Aro rethinking his decision. Aro had sent scouts to find him and after four years of searching Aro's scouts had finally found him. When they reported in; Aro discovered that their old advisory had acquired an exceptional talent through the centuries which seemed to have changed the tenor of his mind. This would declare why he had not been detected by Demetri.
He sent the scouts for a second time but this time with a sealed note which held a proposal. Aro went to meet him bringing Alec, Jane along for protection knowing how unwavering their devotion was for him.
Aro then offered Dragos sanction from persecution in exchange for his promise of loyalty to the Volturi coven. It was not unfamiliar for the Volturi to give sanctuary to gifted vampires but Aro warned Dragus not to come within the Volterra walls while Caius or Demetri were present.
Aro had no problem kindling the ashes of resentment that Dragus had always harboured towards Caius and even embellished them. By the time Aro had finally sent him on his way Dragus was obsessed by the thought of Caius's demise.
After bravely sending her friends away Bella had returned to the Cullen home and while waiting for Felix and Demetri she quickly rummaged through her purse in search of her phone so that she could contact Marcus. Of all the vampires in the Volturi she trusted him the most; after Bella's change he and Caius had rekindled their old friendship. Caius always said it was thanks to Marcus and Athenodora that their bond had finally turned for the best and she knew this was true; he was the only friend she had left.
She only hoped that he would answer knowing he had a fearsome aversion to any and all technical contraptions. Unhappily, just as Bella feared it was Gianna, their secretary who answered and upon hearing Bella's voice she sympathetically blurted-out "We heard about Master Caius and are all devastated, I'm so sorry for your loss Isabella".
"Thank you Gianna, can you connect me to Marcus?"
After a moment of silence she answered "I'm sorry Marcus cannot be disturbed; I'll connect you to Aro". Before Bella could protest Aro was on the line.
"Isabella my love, how are you? I heard what happened and am worried about your safety. I promise you I will find out who is responsible."
Bella quickly interjected saying "It was the South American; Demetri and Felix can verify it. They followed his scent to the airport but he was able to escape".
Aro answered "you can't be sure, you didn't see him; did you?"
"No, maybe not but I remember the sickly sweet smell; I will never forget that!" she exclaimed and ultimately realizing that the same fiend had taken her lover reawakened the anger and frustration she had spent years trying to forget.
"I heard you are sending Alec and Jane down here to investigate; there is no need I can promise you that we are all doing our best to look for him." She lied as she quickly forced herself to concentrate on this crucial discussion with Aro.
All of a sudden Aro was quiet on the other end of the line and Bella's tension grew "Are you still there Aro?"
"Well of course my dear! It's just …..well I'm sorry my love but we cannot build upon false hopes. Caius is gone; Demetri says he can no longer feel his essence" Aro sympathetically explained, silently miffed that she held on to her hope.
"Maybe not but I can still feel him and I won't give up my search!" She countered, desperation colouring her voice.
"But I heard you almost killed yourself" Aro complained "You are the only queen left of the Volturi Coven and I cannot condone such actions".
"No, at least it wasn't my intention; I just wanted to follow him; see if I could help him" she pleaded
After a moment of silence Aro sighed "He wouldn't have wanted you to die. No vampire can exist after such a fall; even if the fall doesn't destroy his body the ice will definitely crush him. No vampire could survive that; not even Caius".
"Please allow me to search" she implored. She hated begging Aro for anything but was beyond caring about her dignity; she would do anything to find her mate.
As she spoke her ears registered the sound of the front door opening. Both Felix and Demetri stepped into the room taking their coats off as they discussed the arrival of Alec and Jane. First they looked at Bella; then their eyes took in the room in search of the others.
Overhearing them Aro asked "Isabella, my love I hear that Demetri has arrived; can you give the telephone to him for a moment?"
"Why?" She asked suspicion permeating her question.
Disregarding her question Aro voiced his concern "Isabella I know you are distraught and I sympathize that is why I need to speak to Demetri"
Bella knew she had no choice and begrudgingly gave the phone to Demetri saying "Aro wishes to speak to you". As she had feared; her freedom was officially over.
"Hello Master" Demetri said then went on to say "Yes, there was the distinct smell of the frangipani flower in the area where we found Caius's sword. After we sent Isabella back with the Cullens, Felix, Riley and I followed the scent which lead us to the airport"
Hearing Demetri say this she realized that Aro had proof of the Cullen's innocence which allowed her to leave, knowing her friends were no longer under suspicion. With that in mind she slowly inched her way to the door.
Demetri then continued his explanation saying "We just arrived but it seems the Cullens are no longer here. No I don't know why but I will find out".
After a moment he answered another request "Yes, we will watch Isabella while we wait for the arrival of Jane and Alec" His automatically raised his eyes to see that Bella was retreating towards the door and motioned Felix to stop her.
Before she had a chance to run Felix barricaded the exit; his voicing carrying a tone of disapproval as he inquired "Where do you think you are going Isabella?"
Realizing that in this case the best defence is a good offence she straitened her back and arrogantly answered "I am Caius mate; what right have you to question me?" Subsequently Bella tried to push past him but he moved to block her way looking above her to note Demetri's actions.
Following Felix's eyes she looked at Demetri just in time to see him shake his head in a silent refusal of her request. Demetri who had just completed his call, slowly and carefully approached her as a hunter would a wounded animal saying "I'm sorry Isabella, at the moment you must accept the fact that Caius is gone. I can no longer feel his presence".
After a second Demetri went on to say "Please understand Isabella, we have our orders; Aro wants you back at the Volturi coven. The situation is much too dangerous and we don't want to loose you as well! Now tell me where the Cullens are?"
Bella obstinately tilted her chin up as she answered his question "I was afraid of Aro's wrath and sent them and Riley away!"
Looking from one to the other she then added "Now that you were able to tell Aro the truth I hope he will not pursue them or the Denali's. You both know as well as I that they had nothing to do with what happened".
Hours later Bella was still in the company of the two Volturi and although she had tried to convince them to let her go, they wouldn't budge. Her phone began to ring and she looked down to see Marcus's name.
She quickly picked up, clicked the receive button and was comforted to see his face.
She turned away from the others in the hope of gaining some privacy. "Hello Marcus" she said, her voice hoarse from pent-up emotions.
She saw his haggard face as he answered "Hello my dear Isabella"
Bella felt relieved upon hearing his voice, automatically a warm smile grew as she blathered "Thank you for calling me back Marcus, I tried to call you but the call was redirected to Aro".
"We heard about Caius, how are you holding out my dear?" Marcus asked his already broken voice and spirit seemed to have aged since they had last spoken.
Hearing the sympathetic tone of his voice broke her defences and she blurted out "Oh god Marcus it was so horrible, I feel like my life force is gone. Caius was my world! I'm barely surviving without him and I desperately need a favour"
"Anything dear Isabella" Marcus compassionately replied.
All of a sudden the words spilled forth "Could you talk to Aro. Caius is still out there and I need some time to find him. Aro wants me to come back but if I do I'll never have a chance to find him".
Bella hearing only silence added "Marcus, please! You have to help me with this!"
After a moment of hesitation, in which Bella could hear Marcus clear his throat he slowly answered "I'm sorry Isabella but this once I think that Aro is right. Caius could never survive; even Demetri can no longer feel his presence"
She then pleaded "But I can Marcus, I can! I'm his mate; I would have felt his death but instead I felt him plummet over the cliff".
"I'm so sorry Isabella. I know how difficult it must be. I remember when I lost Didyme; even as I saw her laying there, her body decapitated and burning I refused to believe it. It took me centuries to accept it" Marcus explained with a sad tremor in his voice.
Bella realized that although Marcus sympathized he did not believe her so in a toneless voice she said
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you Marcus" and sluggishly hung up.
Since his conversation with Isabella, Aro was furious; how could she still feel his presence? If what Isabella said was true; then either Dragus had not sent Caius to his death or the bond between Isabella and Caius had grown deeper than he had imagined. Aro hated lose ends; he trusted Messalina knowing her dependence towards him but Dragus was a different matter altogether. The deed had however been done and even Aro couldn't change the outcome but at least Caius, if he survived the fall, would not be able to tell anyone the truth.
All pawns were now in place and now, with Caius out of the way he could finally take possession of his brother's mate. He had seen the scenes that had played in Alec's mind while he had Isabella in his power; since then he had become fascinated by her. Her body was enticing, her spirit forceful and even her fight to get away from Alec had been intense. She had not just rolled over and allowed Alec to do anything without protest until the end, when she pragmatically surrendered to him.
Shortly after seeing that, Aro had withdrawn Corin from Sulpicia's apartment. Aro had slowly tired of her in the past century and often made due with others in her place. He never had any interest in severing their bonds until then; he had to admit she had always been a week link, ever since Didyme's demise. Once Corin no longer accompanied her, Sulpicia gradually became depressed and eventually; uncontrollably mad. Many had seen her tantrums and she had even attacked Aro a couple of times in the presence of witnesses. After her last attack Sulpicia had been executed for treason and that was about a year ago. Aro was glad that, unlike Marcus and Caius for whom fate had chosen a mate, he had chosen his own mate. He therefore would never share the fate that Marcus and now Isabella faced.
Any passion that Aro held towards Sulpicia had long died, Isabella on the other hand fascinated him! He remembered the first time he saw her; afraid and yet defying him and his brothers as she pleaded for the Cullen boy's life. "How could a human ever offer their life for that of a soulless monster" he whispered to himself. No she had been so very different than any human he had met; even her name had thrilled him when he let it roll off his tongue.
He knew then that she would be an extraordinary vampire and when Caius had been so reckless he had hoped to turn her himself knowing that a part of her would be his. At that time he had made the offer in order to possess her gift for this seemed to blind him for everything else but having seen the erotic events in Alec's mind he began to fantasize having her in his bed.
He watched in envy as he saw his brother's happiness grow and sometimes went to secret chambers to watch their nightly escapades. The more he watched them the more his jealousy grew and when Caius chose to prohibit further training he decided the time had come to claim Bella for himself.
He knew she would never willingly give herself to him but that would be half of the fun. The knowledge that he would probably have to take her against her will only made everything even more exhilarating. He was tired of those he bedded as they were often all too willing; no, Isabella would be different even in their last telephone conversation he had recognized her defiance.
All he needed now was leverage and he knew what would move her to accept him as he had heard many secret conversations between Isabella and Caius. He had already planted the seeds of doubt and the time of harvesting would be soon at hand.
In the meanwhile however he had to make sure all chances of tracing this to him were wiped away. First he thought to destroy Dragus but his gift was also precious; if used wisely and not too often he could gradually change all his followers. First erase their emotional bond allowing Chelsea to bind them to the coven. Then fill them with other, more 'important' thoughts that would help assure his covens loyalty towards him.
When Dragus and Messalina arrived at Volterra, Dragus was asked to join Aro.
Dragus knew Aro would want to know how everything had gone; not having completed the deed he may have to face Aro's wrath instead of his praise. Dragus's mind went over the possible penalties he would have to face as he walked to Aro's chambers.
He knocked on the door and upon hearing Aro's voice he unflinchingly stepped in.
Aro's voice was void of emotion a false smile gracing his face; a most dangerous indication of inner rage. He silently watched as Dragus stepped into the room then, motioned with his eyes, subtly ordering Dragus to close the doors behind him.
Once that was done Aro walked towards him and asked "I have spoken to Isabella and she still fells Caius's presence; what happened? How did your assignment go?"
Dragus nodded his head in respect and began to explain "Master Aro, Messalina was able to erase his memory but when we came in for the kill the edge of ice that Master Caius was standing on, ripped off. He plummeted down in to the water; it all went so fast that we couldn't stop it and when I looked down into the water he was gone".
After a moment of silence Aro walked forward and motioned that Dragus surrendered his hands, as soon as he did Aro grasped them in an effort to see what had happened.
Aro closed his eyes observing the scene that was captured in Dragus's mind then looked up and saying "Having seen the situation I can only confirm you statement. At least no one saw you; I would hate to lose you"
Relieved by Aro's words the tension that had inadvertently planted itself in Dragus's muscles slowly retreated.
"It might be better for you to forget Alaska and your part in this; I do not want to burden you with further involvement". Aro explained as he slowly made his way to the hearth.
"What if she finds out?" Dragus asked.
Aro turn to face Dragus assessing if his words were a threat or just a question. Upon scrutinizing the expression on Dragus's face Aro's apprehension was dispelled and his cold voice announced "That is not your problem"
After a moment's thought he added "Your task is to step away and forget and therefore deny any involvement".
As he said this he decided to have Messalina visit Dragus, after all he didn't want anyone else to know what was going on; in the meanwhile he would watch Messalina.
A moment later a shadow fell over Dragus's features as he murmured "We have another problem. That seer Alice will know what happened and tell the others!
"You need not worry about that my dear Dragus".
If Dragus was surprised he did not show it; he only nodded his head in acceptance of this news.
