An hour later found us on the East side of Volterra admiring a mural that took up a 50 foot stretch of the outer stone wall. Caius was explaining the process that the young man had used to get the design up to scale and how the pigments he used for the paint came from another local family. I'm sure I retained half of the things Caius had explained on the way here; he spoke of the woodwork in the doors and the ironwork that decorated the buildings. The history of the city itself, sieges and crusades through the centuries, a church that had been rebuilt because of a fallen tree. Caius was an endless fountain of information. I asked only a few questions but Caius offered most of my lessons without prompting.
And I was in love. Completely taken by him. The smile hardly left his face, lighting it like the sun. He had a dimple on his right cheek and a very slight scar bisected the dark arch of his left eyebrow. And like the day before, many who saw Caius came to greet him, shaking his hand with a smile. And again, he knew everyone's name.
I held his hand nearly the entire time we walked and every so often he would pull me closer for a kiss and when we passed a quartet of musicians in one of the squares he led me in a waltz until my stomach growled.
When my hunger was satiated with a delicious pesto chicken and mozzarella panini and chilly sangria in a fairly busy restaurant near the north side of the wall, I told him, "I'm glad I wore my good shoes." In truth, my feet were hardly achy and if I noticed it was far overshadowed by the immense amount of joy and contentedness I felt. He made quick work of his identical meal and asked if I was ready to keep going. I embarrassed myself and said, "I would follow you to the end of the world."
From there, we walked much slower and he guided me through a much older part of the city. The mismatched stonework of the buildings glowed almost orange in the midday sun and we passed what Caius said was the oldest church in the city. He showed me the stained glass that was added 'only a few centuries ago' and spoke of the patron Saint Marcus who rid Volterra of a scourge of vampires in the early second century.
The West side was home to most of the specialty shops in the city. We wandered through stores filled with handmade silver and gold jewelry, hand thrown pottery and painted ceramics. Caius introduced me to the owner of a glass shop, with a painted blue door and a blue flowering tree in front; it was where he got the vase he had brought me that morning. An elderly gentleman by the name of Giuseppe gave Caius a very enthusiastic handshake and told me in stilted English that Caius had been at his door before he unlocked it this morning to pick up the vase at my apartment. Caius managed to look embarrassed- an expression I found hilarious on him, much to his chagrin- and Giuseppe led me around the shop pointing out what his son and granddaughter had made. He shouted very loudly at us after we had left and crossed to the other side of the street that Caius should 'keep me forever'. My heart stuttered and I hid my warming face in Caius' arm.
"Are you getting hungry, tesoro?" He asked through chuckles.
It didn't seem like we ate that long ago, but I felt hungry, nonetheless.
"A little," I told him.
"Good, I want to show you one of my favorite spots in Volterra." He turned us down a narrow road that seemed to go through a more residential area. The buildings were mostly stone with carved wooden doors and shutters and iron details around the upper windows, a style I was becoming familiar with. Being that it was near supper time, the streets here were quieter but you could see families gathered through windows in kitchens and family rooms. The most delicious smells drifted out to the street and my stomach started to growl as we came up to an arch I assumed was the West Entrance in the surrounding wall.
The view was beautiful and I felt my jaw drop. Beyond the wall the landscape sloped down into a valley with rolling hills, capped with dark evergreen and almost orange in the late day sun. Scattered on every other peak were homes and villas and on the far horizon, taller mountains framed the whole scene. "Oh," I said. "Caius, this view is beautiful."
His arm wound around my shoulders and he squeezed me to him, kissing me soundly on the mouth.
"It's only another short walk to where we are going. Come, piccolo." He steered me to the right and there was a short stretch of paved road sloping downwards where it turned into a well-maintained dirt road. We walked in companionable silence and I admired the wildflowers that lined the road and counted at least a dozen different kinds of butterflies. I was much quieter outside the walls, the bustle of people and the city left behind the wall.
I was about to make some dumb joke about a secluded cabin in the woods and a naive girl when a small villa became visible beyond a curve. White stucco walls contrasted starkly in the deep green foliage and we walked up to an arch set into a low white wall that surrounded a small courtyard. Flowers lined the space against the wall and colored pavers made a swirling pattern around a tiered black metal fountain. On the other side of the courtyard the villa sat, much of the visible wall made of glass doors. The scalloped clay tile roof baked in the sun and there were flowering trees on either side of the low building.
Caius took my hand and we went through one of the doors and came to a spacious sitting room, decorated with white cushioned couches and dark woods furniture. Much like I saw at the castle, there was art everywhere. Sculptures and books lined the built-in shelves around a wide stone fireplace and small alcoves were spaced in the wall with vases or other works. Caius pulled me slowly, letting me admire, and we made our way through the house, passing a kitchen and a smaller sitting room, completely lined with bookshelves. We came to the back wall of the villa and much like the front, there was a long stretch of glass paneled doors, hinting at an expansive view of rolling hills beyond the property.
We stepped out onto a covered veranda that had an outdoor kitchen with another fireplace and small iron table and chairs and a few large cushioned chaise lounges turned to face the view. It was very similar to what we first saw outside the West gate, with rolling hills and mountains in the distance but below the drop after the veranda there was a vineyard, as many acres across as it was long.
"Oh, Caius. I see why this is your favorite place," I said quietly, moving to the short wall around the edge of the veranda. I looked down and saw climbing vines and a small dirt footpath that originated from the left somewhere and meandered down to the rows of grapes below us. Beyond the acres of the vineyard I saw the subtle shimmer of water, a small lake nestled in the valley of two hills. A flock of white birds took off from the water and flew up the rows and over the house, their song following them where they went. I think I laughed in wonder.
"I'm very glad that you like it here, il mio tesoro."
His eyes were soft when I looked back at him, leaning against one of the white stucco pillars of the veranda. He was staying back a moment, letting me take it all in. I looked back over the hills, captivated by the beauty.
"This is my private home, you may come here whenever you wish. The door is usually unlocked but I will give you a key." His words registered and I suddenly felt entirely overwhelmed.
I know that money isn't everything and it shouldn't equate to happiness. But Caius is obviously beyond wealthy, very well educated and completely capable. Not to mention, sinfully attractive. He could have anyone in the world. Yet, here I am. In this man's private villa outside his city where his castle stands. In the current moment I felt completely out of depth. I hadn't known much luxury in my life, maybe briefly when my mother had started seeing Phil, but nothing like this.
He must have read some expression of that on my face and he came to me holding me against his chest, hands tilting my face so I would meet his eyes.
"What is it, piccolo?" He was very serious.
I was very tempted to close my eyes from the embarrassment, to break the unwavering contact he held. But before I could take the coward's way out, the words rushed out.
"Why me? When you're so utterly amazing and have so much and could have whatever you wanted?" I asked plainly. His face was blank for a mere moment before a smile broke and he barked a laugh.
"Oh, Isabella. I don't care about the things I have. I have collected the tomes in my library and the art on these walls, but this house could burn down tomorrow and I would not grieve for it. These things make life interesting, yes, but I want something to make life worth living. Someone to share my time with, to make my days brighter, my belly sore from laughter. I am prepared to raze everything to the ground, all for you, il mio tesoro. You have shown me more happiness this last 24 hours than I have known in all my life. This joy and blessed bliss you have gifted me by your mere presence is the true gift." He leant forward and kissed me softly despite the wetness on my cheeks. This kiss seemed to last for an age, all of the emotion behind what he spoke distilled down to the connection of our lips. I did not stop crying, but my nerves and inadequateness left.
His words left me quite embarrassed about my apprehension and when his lips finally did leave mine I said I'm sorry immediately. He only wiped my cheeks and shook his head, "None of that, piccolo. I told you, no apologies."
I hugged him around his waist and we settled together both looking over the view for a few silent moments. Again, my treacherous stomach was the next interruption.
"Ah, yes, dinner." Caius guided me to one of the chairs at the table, sat me down and proceeded to pick me up, chair and all, and turned me to face the vineyard below. "Sit and rest your feet, il mio dulce."
Despite the view, I watched as he fiddled with a small panel next to the back door and low instrumental music flowed from unseen speakers. He went to the barbeque and clicked the gas on and shut the lid to let it heat. A low stainless cooler was near the grill and he pulled out a few plates with what looked like seasoned chicken and asparagus, ready to go on the fire. He disappeared into the house for a minute and returned with a bottle of white something in an ice bucket and two glasses. He brought a tray over from somewhere and swiftly uncorked the bottle, pouring us both half a glass. He walked around the table to hand me mine, which he handed over with an exaggerated flourish after he gave me a kiss.
The wine was bright, fruity and refreshing and I took a very greedy second gulp, suddenly parched. Caius placed a large plate on the table with prosciutto wrapped melon and a small dish of honey with a dipper. Drizzling the appetizer, with much showmanship, Caius explained how well this particular pinot grigio went with the accompanying dish; the different notes of vanilla and melon in the wine would go very well with the salty prosciutto and juicy cantaloupe.
"I'm very impressed," I said genuinely, but still playful.
The wine, as it turned out, went very well with the appetizer and I told Caius as much as I licked honey from my fingertips. He just grinned and turned the chicken and veg he had put on the grill.
Light conversation flowed between us as he told me about the vineyard. His, of course, from which he made many types of wine, the pinot grigio we were drinking being one of them. Being unfamiliar with the process, I asked about the types of wine and how they were different. He gave me a beginners lesson on the different types of grapes and fermentation processes and told me his favorite was a cabernet sauvignon.
When I asked about his family he told me about his brothers, Aro and Marcus, both around his age and that their parents were long gone. The three of them ran their portion of the business and were all very fond of art and the philanthropic work they did with museums worldwide.
"When you meet them, you'll see that Aro has a flair for the dramatics and Marcus is quite boring," he rolled his eyes and drug out the last word and I felt that there was much joking between the trio.
When dinner came off the grill, Caius stepped inside and brought out a different bottle of chianti and fresh glasses. He didn't allow any help on my end, and cleared the table of the near empty appetizer and pinot grigio, setting out plates and utensils.
The main course was delicious. Simple but well seasoned and the chianti went with it perfectly, of course. I was giggling a lot and the wine was keeping me warm.
When I tried to help Caius bring in the dishes, he led me gently to one of the chaise lounges, which had the softest purple throw blanket on it, and firmly told me to relax. I undid the buckle on my shoes and left them at the foot of the lounger, flexing and stretching my feet while I admired the view. The quiet music still played and I was hypnotized by the expansive sky slowly turning lavender and orange.
Caius joined me on my lounger— it had plenty of room for two to lay comfortably— though he stayed towards the foot of it and had me sit back. He took my feet one at a time and rubbed the aches into submission.
"Caius," I groaned. I really hammed it up and leant back, grabbing my wine glass—refreshed and sitting readily at the side table where Caius had put his and mine— I took a long pull and groaned again. "You're spoiling me."
"I must ruin you for anyone else, il mio dulce." He hadn't looked up from his wonderful work on my feet, but his tone was serious. I regarded him for a moment before I spoke.
"Consider me thoroughly ruined." His eyes met mine and I grinned brightly. "Please come up here Caius, we've been separated far too long." He needed no more encouragement and joined me. I unabashedly wrapped myself around him and gave a long sigh. He too toed off his shoes and we both sunk into the cushion.
"Much better," I said very bratty. He laughed and squeezed me to him.
"Agreed."
We did nothing more than enjoy each other's company and the sunset that slowly bled across the sky for half an hour. We finished our glasses and I asked about the restroom, no longer able to hold it.
After the longest pee of my life in the luxurious bathroom, I came back to the veranda. A string of lights hung around the perimeter of the shelter was now lit and a few candles were lit on flat surfaces.
Caius laid with his arms behind his head and a grin on his face.
"Thank you for today," he said when I sat down next to him.
"Thank me? Thank yourself, Romeo. I don't think I've ever been more thoroughly in love." My words didn't register until I was laid back with him again and I was granted the small grace of having already turned to look over the hills. I'm sure my face was flush, maybe from the wine, but definitely from embarrassment, certainly unprepared for the confession.
"In love, you say?" I could hear the smile in his voice and I traded my chagrin for confidence. I turned and looked him square in the eye, my playfulness gone.
"Yes. Is that so hard to believe?" He did indeed have a smile on his lips and that smile slowly fell away to a more neutral expression as he searched my face.
"There is more I must tell you about myself, piccolo." I got a bit nervous here, my brain going to the leap that he was about to tell me that he was a troll. "I am immortal. What humans would call a vampire I suppose but there are a few things the legends get wrong, at least for one of my age." Well, not a troll.
My brain was quiet. "And what is your age?"
"I have been alive for more than 2500 years." I blinked owlishly at him as my brain computed the number but could make no sense of it. I opened my mouth to speak and closed it, staying quiet for more than half a minute.
"You're old," I said smartly, and turned to stare at the grand smears of pink and orange on the hilly horizon. He held still against me and I got the notion that he was waiting for a laugh or a scream or some other equally panicky reaction. But my brain was calm and I felt myself simply accepting the fact the man I found myself in love with was an ancient immortal being that had walked the Earth long before modern civilization. It made sense, of course. The familiarity with history Caius had I originally contributed to a good education and a studious attitude but he had simply lived it. The sheer charisma and attitude of confidence Caius had made me think that he might also have contributed to shaping the world. Surely he wouldn't just sit back and let it burn.
"I always did like older men." I finished what was left in my glass and leaned over to grab the neck of the chianti bottle, clinking it to my glass and filling it back to half. I turned and brought my feet under me holding my glass to my chest and holding Caius' hand with my other. He was still quiet but turned to face me instead of the landscape.
"And your brothers?"
He took a moment to survey my face and found a lack of hysteria. He answered in a careful voice. "We've surmised the three of us were turned within a few seasons of each other and by the same man and that simple fact bonded us together as brothers. The rest is history, as they say."
"Oh yes, ancient history."
"Quiet, piccolo." Left his mouth in a rush and his careful expression cracked into a grin as a bark of laughter quickly followed it and we both erupted into a fit that didn't cease for a good few minutes. After a while, Caius' nerves seemed to have passed and the comfortable physicality returned and we wound ourselves back around each other and I set my glass off to the side.
"So what about your immortality do the legends get wrong?"
"Well most every account of a vampire says we cannot enter the sunlight and that is not true, though the ultraviolet doesn't darken our skin tone like it would a human. I can still ingest food, though it isn't necessary. Alcohol has less of an effect but can still impair us in great quantities." My hand rested over his heart and I noticed something that startled me.
"You have no heart beat, Caius."
"No, my heart has not beat for a long time, tesoro. But I feel more alive now than I can ever remember being." It was quiet for a few minutes.
"You said 'at least for one of my age'— what's the difference between you and…younger immortals?"
"My brothers and I have compared it to a hereditary line; the oldest of our kind have what we refer to as the 'original curse' and the more degrees of separation there are between those 'originals' and the one changed the more differences there are. The man that changed myself and my brothers we believe to have been one of these originals so we've been afforded a more… subtle curse. Those of our kind that are much younger, as you say, have evolved in a much more conspicuous way. Physically they're strength and speed does not quite match us ancient ones," his eyes shot sideways at me here and I grinned. "But they encounter quite an obstacle in direct sunlight that would certainly be noticed by humans. They don't burst into flames, but their skin takes on a diamond-like quality and it refracts the sunlight."
"Like a disco ball." Caius snorted at this, shaking his head as he answered.
"Aro has used that comparison before; it is a fair description."
Quiet found us again for a few moments and I took a sip from my glass and set it back to the side. Seemingly completely over the shock of the news, I wound myself back around Caius. My head rested on his chest near his shoulder, and my shoeless foot snaked around his leg. My hand slid up his taut stomach and came to draw circles around his quiet heart. Likewise, his arm wound around to my back where he traced his own designs over my dress. He pressed a kiss to my head and continued.
"The main issue is that their bloodlust is much less controlled than ours. These young immortals have caused quite a number of incidents that put the secrecy of our kind in jeopardy. That is where myself and my brothers come in. We are some the last of the older generation and therefore have the upperhand when it comes to dealing with these issues. We've seen many a war in our time and share the opinion that humans cause enough strife without being aware they aren't the top of the food chain. Of course, word of our intentions as enforcers came with a few challengers in both ancient and not-so-ancient times, but it has been few and far between now."
"So, you, Marcus and Aro are what exactly?"
"I believe the term most widely used by our kind is The Three Kings. It truly tickles Aro and goes straight to his head. He's the personality between the three of us and handles most of what you could call public relations. Marcus is the more judicious of us and offers logic and a level head. Boring, as I mentioned earlier." His gaze went off to the side and he offered nothing else. My curiosity was burning me from the inside. I lifted my head and rested my chin on his chest searching his rather pensive face.
"And you?" He made a slow inhale, still quiet. "What's your role in the Three Caballeros?" His head fell back and his shoulders shook with laughter. A triumphant smile lit my face and his serious mood fell away for a moment. His laughter trailed off and he moved us to kiss me softly on the mouth.
"What have I ever done to deserve you, il mio dulce?" He gathered his thoughts for a minute and after another moment's hesitation he spoke. "I am the executioner. I am the one that handles most of the clean up and doles out punishment. Though Marcus and Aro are as indestructible as I am, I simply have more experience and the right temperament. I was a soldier in my human years and most of my early immortal life. I've made a point of studying any and all styles of combat. And I…" He trailed off, focusing on something far away.
"Caius?"
"I've always found it much easier to kill." His eyes found mine again for a second and he found no disgust. "You've taken all this remarkably well."
"Caius.." I gathered my thoughts. "You are from a time where it was kill or be killed. I cannot possibly judge you for being a product of that." Something occurred to me. "You drink blood?"
Chuckling darkly he nodded. "Not in the savage way modern media has presented vampires. Being older grants me certain gifts when it come to our diet. For one, we only need drink blood about once a month and we can subdue a human in a way that causes them very little pain. It's a trance-like state that lifts when we've taken our fill and we can heal the wound with a lick."
"Oh?" I leered at him, my thoughts falling right to the gutter. He laughed and pulled me on top of him completely, sitting us up and kissed me senseless.
When I needed breath again his lips left mine but kept his forehead resting against mine. I took deep breaths of his musky citrus scent, filling my lungs with him like it was the oxygen I needed to survive.
"Do not take this in a negative way, Isabella, and remember that you are, il mio tesoro, my treasure. You have come to me after millennia of loneliness and turmoil. I have been a harsh and pragmatic man, filling the role of a necessary evil, so that others might not have to. Simply weighing the benefit of the outcome, with the darkness of the task made it no easier or lighter a weight for my soul. Earlier in my years as an immortal, things were easier to ignore, but as the centuries passed, it was a shadow that followed and lived in me. We have all found things to occupy ourselves and give to the human world, but our role in our own vampiric world is much the same. Our newer kind, that is those that were changed and are from this more modern world, have difficulties adjusting to the black and white rules we all must adhere to. The world has become more and more gray as time passes, allowing for morally questionable things but our kind, the fact that we merely exist might bring about a war your kind won't survive. It is a precarious balance we have found." He paused here for a moment, shaking a heavy thought from his mind and refocusing.
"But you, il mio tesoro... There is but a precious few of our kind that have been gifted the reprieve of their carissima, their beloved. It is a strange unexplainable feeling I've been only able to glean from the experience of others, until now. It is like slowly losing all the color in your life, the bright feeling of joy and the anticipation of things to come. Everything is quite monotonous and bland, and repetitive. But you, Isabella, il mio dulce…it's like I've stepped out into the sun for the first time after living in a cold, dark cave. I've only been sustaining myself for thousands of years, operating on the knowledge of what needs to be done, trying to recreate the emotions I could not remember through art. And you just walk right into my castle, reading the emotions I've tried to emulate in my art like it's your mother tongue and accept everything about myself and my world without hesitation. You can imagine how I believe I don't deserve you, how I wish to blacken myself to you so that you can run and protect yourself from all of the sins I've committed. But I'm afraid I am a selfish man and you are mine, just as I am yours, Tesoro." His eyes burned into mine, and I fell into the yawning black pits of them, my heart stuttering at his words. I could feel the truth of it in my marrow and I sighed, a feeling of calm and rightness settling over me. I moved to hold his face in my hands and my thighs tightened against his sides as a show of reassurance.
"I am yours and you are mine, Caius."