Chapter Nine| Volterra

Caius held onto me with a desperation and clinginess that I never imagined someone would have.

The entire time it took from us to leave America to Italy he held onto me as though I was the most precious person in the whole entire time, and I was sure everyone would agree with this statement. He held me and ran his fingers through my hair and closed his eyes as he held me, wanting nothing more than to be alone with me most likely so he could hold onto me in a more private manner.

I could not help but ask him if I would meet the two other kings when we would arrive in Volterra and the castle. He shot me a possessive look, one that made me flushed since no one had ever given me this look before in my life. It made me feel more alive than I ever felt before and I embraced it with a desperation that I never felt before either.

"They will have plenty of time to meet you tomorrow. Today you are mine. We shall spend time in our chambers where I can pamper you and hold you in our bed just like I should have a millennium ago," Caius informed me in the kind of tone that left no type of complaints from me.

Not like I ever wanted to have a complaint like this, I wanted it just as much I wanted him to keep holding me in his arms until I would become a vampire.

I stayed quiet the rest of the time it took for us to arrive at Volterra, even surprising myself when I had fallen asleep in Caius's arms.

He felt like home, he felt as though he was meant to hold me in his arms and cherish me.

I had never had this happen before, everyone treated me with caution and barely touched me, but Caius embraced me and held me like a normal human. He didn't hold me like I was too fragile to touch, barely holding me but still holding me.

His fingers brushed against my cheekbone, waking me from my slumber. I blushed, which in return made his eyes turn a darker shade of crimson. It did not scare me; it was a natural reaction for a vampire to have their eyes darken when blood would rise upon a human's skin.

I knew that others would find comfort in the golden irises of the Cullens but I had to admit there was something comforting and seductive about the burgundy hue of the eyes of the Volturi.

They embraced their natural diet, and they held no shame towards it, which in return made me know I would embrace their diet without any issues since it would make me closer to my mate.

Alec and Jane were completely quiet on the other end of the plane cabin, the twins seeming as though they were doing what they were always doing.

They were talking to each other without even having to say anything, just little motions and nods for yesses or shakes that meant no that let the other know what their opinion was.

It was both strange but captivating, on how the twins were over a millennium old in vampire years but were actually twelve in appearance and would always be twelve.

We arrived at the ancient city without any issues, my eyes scanning over the beautiful scenery around me. I had been accustomed to scenery so different from this, yet I liked it. I had always been a nerd for history and knowing I would live in the oldest city of Italy for as long as the Volturi resided here made me thrilled to pieces.

Caius did not put me into the wheelchair that we had brought with us. Partly because he looked at the wheelchair with an annoyance that was very obvious. He would make sure I was only in the wheelchair when he wasn't able to be around me.

Instead, he kept me in his arms as we went through a secret corridor that led up to where the chambers were for Caius and Marcus since they were the ones who did not have mates for the longest time. That wasn't the case for Caius anymore.

There was one other chamber that was in the tower where the other queen resided, but it wouldn't be used until after I would turn into a vampire. That would be probably less than a year from now.

Caius of course would join me.

We went throughout the secret tunnels and corridors until we reached the floor where Caius's chamber was. There were so many stained-glass windows that were rounded and reminded me of churches in England.

They were more than beautiful; they were stunning, and I almost wished I could just sit on one of the bench nooks that were underneath some of the windows. They looked comfortable with the satin fabric that were in light shades to bring more attention to the stained-glass colors than the actual bench nooks for the windows.

He led me to extravagant double doors that looked as though they were here from the very beginning of when the castle had been built. I wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case.

The castle hadn't been around as long as the Volturi but that didn't mean that it wasn't old.

It just wasn't as old as the coven that resided within its walls.

I didn't know what to expect when it came to what his chambers looked like. I knew someone else would still expect to see coffins and other things that reminded them of Brahm Stroker in the worst and cliche manner. I wasn't that kind of person, thankfully.

The doors opened and all I saw was two types of color: the blackest of blacks and shimmering gold. Not pure gold, which actually had the shade of yellow and orange to it and wasn't as appealing as the kind of gold you'd kind of expect to be pure.

The room was vast, and despite the fact that the walls were black. The crown molding and bottom molding of the walls were covered in gold.

The bed frame was one of the strangest bed frames I had seen.

There was an black wrought iron frame on the outside that arched upwards and came together in a point in the middle, the kind of shape you'd find in high arched castles. An inner frame was in gold and was the same shape as the outer frame but not as large, a metal window frame that was common in the medieval time period with vertical lines that went down the frame.

The bed itself was uniform black with all the covers and the pillow shams, probably the softest silk you would ever feel.

The bed was a king size bed, the perfect bed that you could lie in all day and never want to get out of.

A bed I was certain made no use for Caius since he couldn't sleep.

Still, it would finally be used for the time I would be still human and eventually when I would become intimate with Caius after I would turn into a vampire (I would not have him touch me in a sexual way while I was still in this pathetic state).

Closer to us were gothic chairs that were in a circular manner, along with a round black wrought iron table that held multiple books upon it along with a gothic candle holder (three spots) holding already melted wax candles that were all the scent of vanilla.

There were oil paintings upon the walls along with thick golden silk curtains against the window, keeping the sunlight from coming too far into the room.

There was a slit from not being closed all the way, when it came to the drapes framing the window. So, it made it easier for me to be able to see all the different things that made up my future husband's bedroom chamber (I couldn't believe how easy it was to think this to myself, as a hot blush crept across my pale skin…I knew with the way that Caius was it wouldn't take too long before he would change me into a vampire and marry me).

I didn't say anything, just observed Caius as he led me towards the bed.

There was no lustful look upon his features, there was nothing that made me nervous. He sat me down upon the bed and propped me in a manner that let me know he sensed what way to sit me without me slumping over and needing help to get back to my original place. I gave him a small smile, one that was shy, but he beamed brightly when he saw that I appreciated his little acknowledgements.

"I am partly sorry for having to take you away from your father and medical helper—"

"Don't b-be," I whispered back to him, my eyes closed as I just soaked in the fact that he put his fingers against my cheekbones.

He ran his fingers against my skin as though it was the most delicate thing in the world, and I embraced it eagerly–way more eager than I imagined.

"And that is why, my Ciccio, I am mostly not sorry for taking you from them. Carlisle had told me about your father and about your helper…Leigha. His daughter, Alice, saw into the future that things will get better for your father. He will find love again, marry a woman with children."

My eyes opened when I heard that part. I hadn't imagined that Charlie would find love again. He had been so attached to his love for Renee for him to even accept dates from women that asked him in the police station.

Still, I had to admit even when I heard this guilt seemed to consume me more than I wanted it to, but then again guilt was something that humans experienced, and I had more than my fair share of feeling guilty.

It was the feeling I had the majority of the time.

Without thinking about it, I couldn't help but have tears rise up in my tear ducts before they went to cascade down my cheekbones.

I almost jolted out of my skin when Caius brought his fingers up and wiped away the tears from my face. The cold didn't help but I had been told that would change when I would become a vampire, our temperatures would be the same. He wouldn't feel as though he was an icicle.

"Why are you crying, Ciccio?"

"G-Guilty, a-ashamed."

Caius laid down next to me and wrapped me in his arms after he grabbed the blanket that was sitting at the end of the bed. He made sure there was no random part of my arm or neck that was showing, so that I wouldn't have myself jump out of my skin if his skin touched it. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, well not too tightly or else I would probably have a broken body due to his inhuman strength. He held me as though I was glass, just like always.

Caius didn't say anything in response to this. It was obvious he wasn't in the same situation as me. He didn't regret taking me from Charlie and Leigha. He didn't regret the fact I would never see Charlie again, and he would think I had been abducted or run away, and he'd probably go to the Cullens first to make sure they weren't hiding me.

The stress and fatigue made me flutter my eyelashes down, and my eyelids closed. I slumped in his arms, and he softly hummed against my ear.

It reminded me of the Italian and French Operas that Grandma Marie would play when I was a little girl, she always played them whenever I was stressed and for some reason the pretty singing and music in the background of the songs soothed me. She didn't try to sing along with the singers, but Caius ended up being different.

"Un Bel di, Vedremo–"

I couldn't help but smile some from the soothing Italian opera song I was listening to, of how a woman believed her husband would return to her even when everyone claimed he wouldn't.

I liked to imagine that the husband would arrive in his ship, for she would be able to see it from the hilltop, and for them to forever be together afterwards. There would be no obstacles in the way, they could just be, and everything would be perfect.

I fell asleep for a second time that day, only for me to be jolted awake to the sound of knuckles rapping against the chamber doors.

I wouldn't be surprised if it were King Aro, since he would want nothing more than to meet me. He also seemed as though he wanted to check and see how my shield would work since it would probably keep him from having his power affect me.

Caius slowly untangled me from him and leant forward to press his lips against my forehead. He pulled away a moment later and got up from the bed before he stalked towards the chamber doors.

I could barely tell what they were saying, since they were speaking in Italian. Caius didn't want me to know what he was telling King Aro about, but chances where he was mostly telling him to leave us alone because he wanted to have me for the rest of the day and eventually night.

Eventually it seemed as though Caius had won the battle because he had waited over a thousand years for me. Aro seemed to sense that Caius would throw him out of the chambers without any hesitation. I had to admit it made me a little flustered at the thought that the muscular, possessive and already loving mate of mine would make sure to stake his claim on me.

Perhaps it was because I was starved from any romantic touches from any boy out there. Now I was with a man that knew my worth and loved me the very moment he had met me. Maybe it was because of us being mates and him being a vampire but I didn't care. I was just so starved from love that I didn't care how much I depended on the new emotion I had gotten.

It was time for me to eat not that long after and once I heard knocking on the chamber doors, I could tell this person was being respectful.

They weren't trying to force themselves into the room without having permission.

They were probably one of the human servants that worked here, but I had been surprised when Alec out of anyone came into the room. He gave a shy look towards me after he bowed his head towards Caius in a way to acknowledge and show his submission towards one of his kings.

"Permission to come forward, Uncle Caius?"

Caius nodded his head, without saying anything. Alec came forward to me, as I laid against the multiple pillows behind me.

Alec made sure he was looking at me though sometimes he would glance down at the plate where there was Italian cuisine waiting for me. I had never had something like that, and I was both nervous but interested in the type of food that was given to me.

My mind kept flickering back towards the memory of Alec claiming he would imagine me becoming his mother figure in the future. I both wanted this but didn't. I just didn't want to disappoint him, especially if I would have my cerebral palsy follow me into immortality. He didn't need to have a mother who had a disability, for the rest of eternity.

He finally reached me and sat the plate of food onto the bed next to me. Caius surprised me when he came forward and sat down on the other side of me, motioning for Alec to sit down onto the bed. Alec looked at him as though he was being tested. Caius nodded his head again and Alec sat down, his hands were twitching.

He reminded me of the fact he had been only twelve when he had been burnt on the stake.

If Aro hadn't saved him and Jane, then the precious boy wouldn't be here.

I could tell that there was innocence that was still in him, something that had turned into ashes for Jane when it came to them waking up as vampires. I wanted to nurture it and grow it, I wanted to collect some of that innocence and bottle it up to remind others that there were those that still were innocent even when they went through hell and were kind.

Caius surprised me when he pushed the food towards Alec. Alec let his eyes flicker from the plate of food in front of him to one of his kings, and then towards me.

He let his eyes flicker towards Caius again, as though he was going through another test. He wasn't supposed to feed me, he wasn't supposed to show that he was just as important as the man who would change me and marry me.

"Bella told me earlier that you called her aunt, and that you could imagine her becoming your mother in the future," Caius explained, and I was certain if vampires could blush Alec would have his flushed bright red–as bright as his eyes.

"Are you sure?"

Alec turned his attention to me, having expected me to shake my head and tell him about the only person in this castle who would feed me would be Caius.

Yet, I couldn't help but nod my head as well as I could, my head slumping off to the side because of the weight of my head. Caius fixed my head back, not showing any reaction towards the limp I would never escape.

Alec picked up the fork that was on the side of the plate and scooped up the food that was on the plate. They had made sure it wasn't pasta or anything that would have to be scooped some more because half of it would fall out of my mouth.

Caius turned his attention away from Alec and me so he could look at the windows that revealed the sunset beginning to dip over the horizon. It sent out so many different shades of beautiful golds and pinks, along with red.

The shades brought out the jewel chains that were attached to his pale hair, reminding me once again of him being a fae king that had taken me into his realm for him to love me for eternity. He would show me the truth of his race, but he would know I would not judge him. He did not judge me, and I knew he deserved the same treatment.

I had to keep looking at him in the corner of my eye to make sure he was real. I wasn't going to close my eyes only to open them and know he was not real after all. I would probably end up crying and never recover from the heartbreak.

Eventually Alec finished feeding me and went to get up from the bed only for me to reach my hand out and put it on his.

He let his eyes land down on my hand, but he lightly squeezed my wrist. It was barely a brush of his fingers against my wrist. He knew I was more fragile than most people and he didn't want to put too much pressure onto my wrist in fear he would end up breaking my wrist bone.

"S-stay."

I was whispering, earning a nod from him.

Another reminder of my fragility.

Caius leant forward and kissed me on the forehead before he stood up and picked up the plate of my food. He shot a look towards Alec, then walked out of the chambers with the plate of food. I hadn't expected him to be the one to do this. I expected him to just step outside and place the plate onto the floor in front of the doors so that someone could come by and pick up the plate.

"Jane…is she mad?"

Alec sighed as he came and sat down next to me, his eyes peering up at the detailed ceiling. I looked up too, shocked at the Italian renaissance mural that greeted me. It reminded me of the Sistine Chapel with all the angels and God. Though it wasn't something I believed in, I still found that the murals in churches were always gorgeous.

"She is difficult to get on your side. I don't know if she'll end up recognizing you as nothing more than an annoyance in her eyes. She doesn't feel the kind of empathy I have always felt since I was a little boy," Alec informed me, his voice showing nothing more than kindness to me.

He didn't want me to hate his sister, but he also didn't want to sugarcoat his sister and her feelings towards everything that was around her. I appreciated hearing this, because people often did sugarcoat things from me and kept from saying anything that would be negative towards me. It would be refreshing, and it was at this moment.

The bedroom chamber doors opened once more.

Caius in all his glory was once again in my presence and he shut the doors quick enough so that no one else would enter the chambers.

He wouldn't put it past his king brother to rush into the room so he could meet me. He sensed I wasn't in the mood to meet the said king, since he seemed to have a borderline obsession and possible mental status. He would meet me tomorrow, that was for certain.

"Thank you for watching my Ciccio, Alec. You may retire for the night, tomorrow expect to be the head of the royal guard. If anyone objects then remind them who is in charge of the royal guard," Caius stated, earning an acknowledgement from Alec.

Alec stood up and walked away, though he paused for a moment and came up to me. He would be able to call me his aunt when it was just me and him and even Caius.

He wouldn't feel the disapproving look from his sister. He wouldn't have her chew him out for showing disrespect towards their mother figure although the said mother figure wasn't really a mother figure to him.

"Goodnight, Zia Bella," Alec whispered, in such a soft way that I could barely hear what he was saying. He both wanted me to hear it but also not.

He disappeared a second later, the doors shut behind him. Caius got up and went towards the said doors before he locked them and came back to me. He sat down and lightly pulled me against him. He would soon help me brush my hair out and brush my teeth for me (he had claimed this would be his duty and no one else was allowed to get close enough to me to help me with my hygiene. I would have to put my foot down when it came to bathing situations).

Caius soon began to read me one of his favorite novels, which weren't that many. He wasn't that much of a bookworm. Outside it was beginning to rain and as I listened to his velveteen voice, I could not help but be glad that I was here.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: UPDATE 3 OF 3.

NEXT CHAPTER: BELLA MEETS THE OTHER KINGS AND QUEEN SULPICIA.