Answers

Wind swirled past Adriane's head, whipping her hair into her face and mouth. Gagging, she tried to spit it out and just managed to only to have another piece take its place. She wouldn't dare lift her arms off of Marcus's cold neck to tie it back, though she doubted it mattered if she held onto him or not.

At first Adriane had tried to keep a margin of her pride and travel through the woods on foot. Marcus didn't want to risk the chance of being seen by any night-time travelers and opted to go a more scenic route than take the main road leading from Voltera. It wasn't soon after they set out that Marcus started to get edgy about their slow pace. Oh, he never complained about it out loud, but as his movements became jerkier and his strides longer Adriane got the point that she was taking too long on her own. While she highly doubted that either of their presences was missed yet, she didn't want to waste time that they didn't have. Finally she asked Marcus if he was strong enough to carry her again. He picked her up a second later and threw her over his shoulder without even breaking a stride.

They had now been traveling like this going on three hours and the sun was just starting to peak up over the horizon. The wind hadn't died down over night and that combined with Marcus's glacier-like skin was numbing Adriane's already aching limbs. She weighed her options and decided to risk a quick stretch to try to bring some feeling back into her bones. She tightened her death grip around Marcus's neck and slowly outstretched her right arm, bending her elbow back and forth.

Marcus came to a sudden stop and Adriane's arm snaked itself back around his neck. Unsure of the sudden interruption, she was more afraid to move now that he had stopped than she was when he was moving. "Why'd you stop" she whispered, "Did they follow us, can you hear something?"

"No."

"Then why?" she persisted.

"You need sustenance. Your stomach screams like that of a banshee." This wasn't exactly untrue. She hadn't eaten anything since the previous morning; she had been too distraught to eat last night, and for the latter half of the trip her stomach had been rumbling in protest. Rumbling, not screaming. Stupid vampire hearing. Food wasn't something she had wanted to mention around him.

Adriane had concluded that vampire's eyes gave some kind of hint as to when they'd eaten. When she was first brought to the Volturi, the vampire's eyes had been a dark flinty black. On her second encounter, after they had eaten, their eyes had had a bright violet hugh. Marcus however, had never changed from that terrible black color. Now that she thought about it she knew he must not have eaten, or whatever it was vampires did. This surprised her greatly. She made another mental note to ask him about it later. She was racking up quite a list of questions for her mysterious savior.

Marcus hadn't made any kind of movement since he stopped and she slowly came to the conclusion that he was waiting for her to get off of him. She looked down and measured the distance between herself and the ground and mentally cursed him for being so tall. Mouth turned down into a grimace, Adriane unbent her limbs and tried to hop down from Marcus's broad shoulders.

Unable to catch her footing, pain flared through Adriane's body as she crashed to the earth, her arms and legs compiled beneath her. Stone arms wrapped themselves around her torso a moment later and lifted her up, steadying her as her weary legs swayed to and fro. "I'm fine", she snapped, unable to hide her embarrassment. He was so strong. He'd practically flown through the night with Adriane strapped to his back, yet Marcus's breathing had never increased. He'd never once faltered. And poor weakling that she was, Adriane could barely stand up straight. It was infuriating.

Marcus obeyed her and let her go, backing up a good two feet from where she was standing. Well, leaning more like. She grabbed hold of a nearby tree trunk and steadied herself for a moment. Sighing she said, "Sustenance sounds pretty good right now. Did you bring any food?"

For once Marcus looked perplexed at her statement, as if he was only just realizing that she was human and would indeed need to eat human food. He gazed around as if he half expected food to materialize in front of him.

"Well, this is just great. Remind me to never let you make any kind of snap decision again, cause boy do you suck at last minute planning!" With a yawn she slid down the trunk of the tree and leaned her head back, letting her eyes fall closed.

"You eat meat do you not?" he asked, tone as flat and deadpan as usual.

"Umm…yea…why?"She said questionably.

"I will hunt for you" he stated simply, already beginning to turn away from her.

"Wait, what?" she cried. "Hunt, as in go out and shoot something and eat it now?"

"Yes".

"Oh my god! That's so…barbaric. I don't know if I can eat something that's just been killed. Wait how are you going to kill it anyway, it's not like you brought any kind of weapon did you?"

He gave her a long meaningful look, obviously waiting for something to click. He doesn't need any weapons so that means that…oh. Well, that makes sense. "You are the weapon", she said, very calmly.

Pause. "Yes, I am the weapon". He was gone the next instant, giving no clue that he'd ever even been there. For all Adriane knew, he was nothing more than a figment of her imagination and she had actually gone crazy. She went to her battered suitcase and started rummaging around inside it. She withdrew a soft cotton sweater and snuggled into its inviting warm. Sunlight made all the dew in the trees sparkle like a million diamonds. This would make a pretty painting she though, and knew no more.

When she finally awoke, Adriane was surrounded by the pungent smell of burning wood. She cracked her eye open and squinted into the blinding rays of sunlight. It was well into late morning and the sun had risen high in the sky. She honed in on the little fire that was burning a few feet away from her; each stick of wood was in perfect place and the fire was burning merrily. This was a lot different than Adriane's approach at a fire. On a good day she'd throw some sticks down, put dried leaves on the pile, light a match and hope on the off chance that the fire gods would be so kind as to bless her with a flame. Needless to say she had never been a girl scout.

Adriane untangled herself from her sweater, which had somehow wrapped itself around her head and was currently trying to choke her. With a sigh she got up and moved over to the fire. Camping was not her forte and the sooner they were out of the woods the better. Figuratively and literally.

Marcus came out of the woods then carrying what looked suspiciously like a slab of meat. Unless she had been looking in the direction he was walking Adriane never would have known he was there. She looked him over and was surprised to see him out of his usual black cloak. He was wearing plain non-descriptive clothing that she was glad weren't soiled from "hunting". The cloak was folded neatly and rested on her suitcase.

It was shadowy near the fire, so when Marcus walked into one of the few patches of sunlight her heart gave a sudden jolt of surprise. She had always heard that vampires couldn't go out in the sunlight, and though this proved to be true she now had a much better understanding as to why. Marcus's skin glistened in the light, almost like there were a million tiny gems faceted to his skin. It was absolutely breathtaking. A small gasp escaped her lips as she looked up at him. "This is why we do not often venture outside during the day", he said quietly. She supposed he was judging her reaction, waiting for her to panic. But she felt no fear towards him just then; she could only marvel at his inhuman beauty.

"I guess that makes sense then", she replied.

Stepping out of the light, Marcus knelt down in front of her on the other side of the fire. His hair shadowed his face and made him appear even more distant than usual. He took an already bare piece of wood and slid the meat onto one end, then held it over the fire. Hmm, yum she thought sarcastically.

Oh be nice, he didn't have to do this for you. He could have just as easily let you starve. She hated it when her conscious kicked in."Thank you for doing this for me", she said, waving her hand in the direction of the fire.

He gave no notice that he had heard her, just continued to watch the flames. At last he said "This is deer flesh, will you eat it?"

Adriane rolled her tongue slowly over her teeth. Even now her stomach was rumbling in protest, at last she said, "Yes".

He looked up at her then and Adriane almost fell back in surprise. His eyes were a startling shade of violet and looked clearer than Adriane had ever seen them. She had been so distracted by his skin that she hadn't even noticed his eyes before now. A thin, white sheen still cover his pupils, but they were not quite as bad as they had been before. He studied her reaction a while and when she didn't move he asked "Do you fear me human?"

There was almost a sarcastic note to his voice, though not quite. She doubted he could ever muster up enough strength to actually put any conviction in his words. "No", she said and jutted her chin out defiantly. Then, "You ate didn't you?"

Long pause. "Yes."

Adriane could feel her shoulders slump and for reasons unrenowned to her she asked, "Who was it?"

"No one you should concern yourself with", he said at last.

"Why won't you tell me?" she persisted.

"It is of no importance to you", he replied in a low tone. He shifted slightly and Adriane got the feeling that he was uncomfortable talking about his dietary needs.

"It wasn't…a child or anything was it?" she asked very softly.

Marcus's head snapped up and he glared at her through the flames. Adriane quickly stood up and backed away. His eyes never ceased to follow her. Never mind, she though, I guess he can show emotion. It's just my luck that it's anger.

"Do you think me so lowly that I would resort to taking infants?" he snarled. And yes, he did snarl. It was a low and terrifying noise.

"N...No I just, how am I supposed to know?" she snapped at him and backed away another foot.

He closed his eyes and inhaled a long, slow breath. "It was an aging doe, since you are so curious. And no, this was not of the same carcass". He waved the now ready meat in front of her, moving only to give her the food before crouching back down in front of the fire. "I assumed you would not approve," he said quietly, "though you would not acquire any contamination from doing so".

Guilt flooded through Adriane at having said such a thing. She didn't realize what she was doing until she was standing right next to him. Hesitantly she reached her hand out and touched him on the shoulder. "I'm sorry", she whispered, "please don't be angry with me".

Finally he said, "It is of no matter, I apologize for my conduct. Eat. You enjoy it warm, no?"

"Yes", she said quietly. Adriane knew he was still angry, but there was a question she was absolutely burning to ask him. In an effort to show Marcus that she was not scared of him, she grabbed the meat and sat down next to him. Marcus never moved, just continued to stare at the fire.

Pulling off a strip of meat, Adriane reluctantly put a piece in her mouth. She chewed slowly and concluded that while it was not the best thing she'd ever eaten, she was hungry and food was food. "If I ask you something will you get angry at me?"

After a long pause he replied, "No".

"Okay…well, you said that you…ate a doe right? That means you don't necessarily need to rely on humans for…sustenance?"

"Yes", he said simply. Adriane nodded and went back to her food. She ate slowly, savoring the feel of a full belly, not knowing when her next meal might be.

"It is not preferred by most of my kind, drinking that which is not human. Though there are those of us who prefer to take only animals. It is a more civilized way of living", Marcus mussed, still refusing to look at her. Adriane gave him a surprised look, not sure how much longer he would be willing to talk.

"Are there many of your kind out there? How many of them eat only animals? Where do they live?" the questions seemed to pop out of her mouth of their own accord.

Marcus turned to her, capturing her gaze with his piercing red eyes. Adriane could hear her heart flutter in her chest and had a feeling that he could too. "There is more of my kind than you would think. We are a very diverse race, spanning the entire globe. Many of us are nomads and roam whenever the idea happens to strike us. The Voltera are one of only a few groups who remain stationary. We are also one of the largest clans that you will find, as vampires do not tend to converse well with one another".

Adriane was fascinated with all that she was hearing. Marcus's voice was so whispery, so alluring that she could listen to him talk about almost anything and not find herself bored. "Why don't you get along with one another?" she demanded, wanting to learn as much about Marcus's brethren as possible.

"We are generally more animalistic than human, especially in the first years of the change. It is hard for us to control our bloodlust. Many will fight one another, unable to control their violent natures. The Volturi are generally made up of older vampires. We are not consumed by hunger, and can therefore remain peaceful".

"And what of the others, the ones who eat only animals? Where do they live?" she asked breathlessly.

"There are two such groups known to us", he said quietly. "Both reside in the Americas, in the colder, winter climates. There the sun is less of a problem, for you already know what it does to our skin". He motioned to his right arm, the only part of him that the light was touching. It sparkled in the light, sending rainbow colors through the air.

"Yeah", she said, "It's beautiful". Marcus looked at her quickly before turning away, so she was unable to guess at what he was thinking. After several minutes of silence she decided to ask him. At first he ignored her and continued to look steadily into the fire. After another minute he replied, "I have just had an idea of where to take you. I am trying to decide whether it is worth the risk or not".

Adriane wasn't sure whether he meant worth the risk of taking her there or if she was worth the risk in general. Either was possible at this point. "And where are you thinking of taking me?" she asked.

"To America, to one of the clans I spoke of earlier". Marcus sighed and rubbed his temple, his fingers were long and articulately shaped, covering the full length of his face.

"And what would be the problem with taking me there?"

"I cannot guarantee that they would be…friendly towards me. To you, possibly, but there are many resentments held between the Volturi and that particular clan".

"Why?, she persisted.

"It is a long story, one I do not feel like repeating now", he said, another sigh following his words. "But know this, if I do take you there, you may not receive a friendly welcome. Do not get your hopes up, for we may end up in the same situation that we are now. However, I have a feeling that they will be swayed eventually. If I must I will leave you with them and lead the Volturi away from you. It is me that they will be after at this point, not you".

Adriane didn't know what to say to him. Just the fact that Marcus, a complete stranger and mortal enemy, was willing to put himself in danger for her was more than she could bear to comprehend. "I…thank you", she said softly. "I will never be able to repay you for the kindness you've shown me".

Marcus merely nodded. Adriane studied him for a moment, yet just as she finally managed to find the courage to reach for his hand Marcus went completely still. While he hadn't been moving before, the feeling in the air changed in an instant. His eyes were focused on the direction they had traveled that morning, body tensed as if he were ready to spring forward at any moment.

He looked at her and then back to the woods, shaking his head. Adriane thought she heard him mutter not enough time before he stood, grabbing her arm and hauling her up with him. "What's going on?" she cried, fear grasping at her heart like a vice.

"I apologize, I was not paying attention as I should have been", Marcus said calmly. His face was back to that bored expression she hated so much. "It seems we have a visitor."

-Well, there you go guys! Originally I hadn't intended for this chapter to be so long but seeing as I haven't updated in a long time I thought you deserved a good read. Well, hopefully you thought it was good. Any who, I do apologize for not updating. I've been really busy the past couple of months but hope to have the time to write more now. I promise there will be at least two more chapters coming out as quickly as I can write them. Don't worry, I haven't given up on this story, hope you enjoyed!