Never enough time
Aro finds his second mate, and wants her to be changed as soon as possible. She should have listened to him.
oooooooooo
After centuries of searching, Aro had found the perfect woman who would provide him with companionship for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Since his mate Sulpicia had been banished from the Volturi for her sexual betrayal, breaking her vow of fidelity to him with a lowly guard, he had never felt so alone. His self-esteem had taken a hit when he learned Sulpicia had played the whore with not just one guard, but several, along with a few passing nomads and even one human male she had drained dry when she tired of him.
His destruction of the guards with his own hands should have felt satisfying, but it had not. Then something happened to draw his attention away from the past. He was walking in the village one late afternoon, when he saw her sitting at a table at an outdoor café. She was alone, and appeared unhappy. Perhaps she had been stood up. A shame, Aro thought, since she was very beautiful, with long light-brown hair and clear blue eyes. She wore a sleeveless knee-length blue dress which showed off her crossed legs.
Aro smiled and decided to speak with her. Walking up to the table, he looked down at her, and asked, "Are you alone tonight, cara?"
The woman looked up, and upon seeing the dark-haired man peering down at her, she smiled. "How perceptive of you, but yes, I am alone."
"May I?" he asked, touching the back of the empty chair sitting opposite her.
The woman nodded, figuring there would be no harm in talking to this handsome, yet slightly odd-looking man. Something exuding from him made her feel comfortable. His brown eyes seemed to deepen in colour as he sat down, his hands resting gracefully on the table.
"My name is Aro. And with whom am I so fortunate to sit?"
"Andrea. My name is Andrea."
"Ah, from the Greek Andreas, meaning courageous and brave. I am Greek myself, my dear."
She gave Aro a genuine smile. "My parents were Greek. They moved to Italy when I was two years old. Before you ask, that was 24 years ago."
"Sei perfetto," Aro replied. "You're perfect and I mean that, my dear. It is your appearance I compliment, but I can hope there is more to you."
Andrea raised her brows at Aro. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Aro leaned forward as if to whisper to her, "I want to know more about you."
That was how their relationship began. They walked along the village street, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells that surrounded them, well into the night. She led him to her apartment door, where he took her hand and kissed it, as he might have done several hundreds of years ago. She was pleasantly surprised that he didn't try to maul her. When Aro asked her to supper the next day, she readily accepted.
He came for her on time, where he treated her to a delicious meal in an indoor restaurant. They danced and talked and laughed for hours. Aro found out Andrea was to be married, but her fiancé backed out. He had promised to meet her the night she met Aro so they could talk. He never showed, something Andrea didn't regret now.
She and Aro dated for several weeks, Aro being the perfect gentleman. He had kissed her and held her close when they danced. He whispered endearments in her ear, and occasionally nuzzled her neck to enjoy her fresh scent. But as much as he wanted her physically, that was something he would leave up to her to initiate.
When Aro left Andrea at her door, she was about to close it, then looked out to call Aro back. She embraced him, telling him she loved him. He murmured the words she longed to hear, and they laughed together, hugging on the steps of her home.
Aro was elated that this perfect woman wanted him as much as he wanted her. Over the weeks, he shared only some things about his life. When they had sex for the first time, he restrained himself for her sake. She had invited him to her bedroom, slowly undressing while he watched from the bed. His body betrayed his desire, which spurred her on. He undressed, exposing his vampire body. She ran her hands over his chest, aware of the cold of his flesh.
"Cara, before we do this, I must tell you something." He felt her hands on him while they lay on the bed, her legs winding themselves around his. He removed the brown contact lenses and let her see his red eyes, darkened with desire to near black. "I am a vampire, my dear one."
Andrea smiled, leaning in to kiss his cool lips. "I know, but I love you anyway."
Aro was shocked. She had said nothing to him, nor questioned him. Ever. After his initial surprise disappeared, he indulged in her need to show him how much she wanted him. They made love first in a gentle exploratory way, then unleashed their passion. By morning, Aro was walking from the bathroom where he washed up back to the bed, when he passed through a beam of sunlight streaming from the bedroom window.
Andrea gasped when she saw his naked body begin to shimmer in the light. She rose from the bed to look him over, her mouth open in a partial smile. "You are truly beautiful, Aro."
"Now that you know, Andrea, will you join me at my home, the Piazza dei Priori."
"You live there? she asked in awe.
"We all do, cara. We call ourselves the Volturi, and all of us are vampires. You may be one too, if you agree to become my mate, my wife, if you will."
Andrea grinned at Aro, then hugged him. "Yes, yes, my love, I agree!" She kissed him, eager to know more about this inhuman Adonis she had met and fallen in love with.
Aro introduced Andrea to his brothers first. Caius gave her his typical objectionable look, but he was actually satisfied Aro had finally found someone who would make him happy, after Sulpicia's betrayal and banishment. He knew if his mate, Athenodora, had done the same to him, he would be livid, and everyone in the castle would know it.
Marcus nodded at Aro when he introduced Andrea to his more melancholy brother. His gift told him this human was the perfect match for Aro. That was all the ancient founder of the Volturi needed to know.
Once Andrea had been presented before the Guard, Aro was ready to help her acclimate to vampire existence. He told her about their history, their laws, and what was expected from her as his mate. But he also lavished her with gifts and time out together.
"My dear, you will have to be changed soon, so I won't have to worry about you anymore."
"Aro, this change you're speaking of is referring to me becoming a vampire, isn't it. Does it have to be now? I rather enjoy going out with you as I am. Human." She wound her arms around his waist, moving in closer to him. "is there a deadline, Aro? I don't feel I know everything just yet. Please indulge me. I will be one with you as you want me to, just not quite yet. Trust me, will you? I love you, believe that."
"I do believe you, cara, but now that I have found you, I don't want to lose you. Humans are such fragile creatures."
Andrea laughed. "You worry too much, my love."
Aro and Andrea lived together at the castle over the next few months, sharing Aro's rooms, living and loving and growing closer. Aro's impatience was only outshone by Andrea's reluctance to accept Aro's bite. She reminded herself once it was done, the effects could not be reversed.
On a warm Summer day, Andrea had asked Aro if she could borrow his car to visit a friend in Pisa. He offered to go with her, but Caius reminded him of the arrival of a criminal vampire who was being placed on trial for turning a ten year old boy rather than killing him. Aro gave Andrea the keys to his vehicle and kissed her deeply. "Call me when you leave your friend's home, so I can expect you."
Andrea kissed him again, smiling at him before she headed for the back door to the exit gate. She drove away, happy Aro let her go even though he was too busy to join her. Sometimes his concern was stifling.
Her visit was fun, and her friend made supper for them both. Once they had finished eating and visiting a while longer, Andrea decided she had better go home as it was already dusk. She had just turned onto the main highway back to Volterra, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw a truck filled with hay bales coming right for her. It hit her on the driver side, pushing in the door until it was pressing against her body. The last word on her lips was Aro's name.
An emergency ambulance came, taking her to the local hospital in Volterra. A staff member searched her cell phone's saved numbers list and called the name 'Aro Volturi' when they saw 'my most beloved' next to the name.
When Aro received the call telling him about Andrea's accident, he called for Marcus and Caius to accompany him. The three vampires flashed to the hospital and were led to the emergency room. Aro saw Andrea lying on a table, her purple sweater cut open so the medical staff could work on her. The looks on their faces spoke volumes. Aro knew it was a dire situation , and that he was close to losing his heart's love.
Aro desperately wanted to bite her, but the humans trying to heal her would not leave the room. What was he to do, demand they leave? "I want to have a moment with my betrothed. Will you all leave us?" It was then Andrea began to experience trouble breathing. Marcus stood to the side of the door, watching Aro in despair.
The doctor and nurses began to work on Andrea again, their efforts to ease her breathing becoming more urgent. The hospital staff did all they could to save her, but her body was too crushed to survive for long.
Aro's anger and frustration grew with each passing moment. He had to bite her now or she could die. "Will you all leave!"
The doctor looked at the dark-haired man, confused as to why he would tell them to stop trying to save his fiancée. "But sir, if we stop, she might not make it. Her broken ribs are affecting her ability to breathe." Almost in response to the doctor's explanation, Andrea gasped loudly, her body convulsing. Aro hurried to her side when he heard her heartbeat becoming erratic, and he knew time was running out. "Leave us now!" he shouted.
Marcus tried to persuade the humans to go. As they had with Aro, the medical staff gave the taller man disbelieving stares. "If there is nothing more you can do, let us be with her alone," Marcus insisted.
Looking at one another, and admitting the patient wasn't going to make it, they filed out of the ER cubicle. Aro slipped his arms beneath Andrea, and flew from the room faster than human eyes could see, with Marcus and Caius close behind him. They ran to the castle at break neck speed. Once there, Aro placed Andrea carefully on the floor of the audience room, seeking to get his venom into her body before she died. He would then take her to their rooms to wait for the transformation to occur.
Marcus and Caius stood by, ready to assist if Aro needed any help. It was then Marcus looked at Caius, neither hearing the woman's heart beating. "Aro..."
"Quiet! There is little time left." He bent to bite her wrist, his venom filling the wound. He bit her upper thigh, leaving more venom inside her body.
Caius and Marcus could only stand by and wait for Aro to realize it was hopeless. They watched when Aro knelt at her head and lifted Andrea in his arms, his face buried in her neck while he bit her throat. Her blood was already tasting different in flavour. He listened for her heartbeat, which was non existent. His head dropped in grief. She was dead, he knew it, finally accepting that fact. There had been no time for the venom to flow through her dying body. "No..." Aro keened quietly.
"Brother, you tried. It wasn't your fault."
It was his fault, for not insisting harder that she change. Now she was gone. To a waiting Felix, Aro ordered, "See to her body. Choose a nice location in the garden, and you and Santiago bury her. Let me know when you are done."
Marcus reached out to Aro, knowing what it was to lose a beloved mate. The two vampires left Aro to his grief. When the grave was completed, and Andrea buried, he would sit with her, flowers in his hands to place on the mound of dirt. Later, he would build a monument for the local cemetery and have her body moved there.
The ancient vampire was alone once more.