Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.
Author's Note:
Hi again!
I'm posting early because I'm impatient lol. I hope everyone's enjoying the story so far.
This chapter is all Astrid's POV, and the middle section is slightly kinky, so if you're not into that type of thing then I'd recommend skipping from the first time skip label to the second one.
Let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions.
Please follow, favorite, and review!
Last updated/edited on 03/13/2024.
First Person POV: Astrid
I woke up the next morning bright and early for my first day of training, I couldn't wait. I ordered a big breakfast from Abigail when she arrived, I figured that I would need plenty of energy for today. While I waited for my meal, I picked out an athletic tank top and leggings. Funny enough, I could only find a single pair of sneakers in all of the shoe cubbies that lined half of the right wall of my closet. I slipped the pair on and then exited my suite.
I saw that Jane and Alec were guarding me again today. I owed them an apology for nearly getting them in trouble yesterday.
"Jane, Alec, I want you to know that I'm sorry about yesterday. You were nearly punished for following my orders and I hope you can forgive me for that." I said and the twins looked back at me dejectedly.
"No, my lady, you prevented our punishment when we deserved it. There is nothing to forgive." Alec responded.
"Deserved it?" I asked, taken back. "I was the reason we went to the training room and the reason you joined sparring. You absolutely did not deserve to be reprimanded for doing as I asked."
The twins shared glanced and then simultaneously replied with, "yes, my lady".
I sighed; I could see that I wasn't getting anywhere with this converstaion. I decided to drop it for now.
I started towards the training room with the twins flanking me. Once we arrived, Alec took position guarding the door while Jane laid out a few practice mats. I noticed that there were no other guards present in the gym, unlike the last time I had been here.
"Is there a meeting happening currently? Last time I was here there were other guards around." I asked.
"Aro reserved the area during your training." Jane informed me. I snickered lightly; I really should have guessed. I didn't need the entire gym to train, but then again, I was relieved to not have any onlookers.
Jane guided me through some basic stretches and warmups.
I had been a dancer and participated in long distance track for my high school. Although I was never the all-star in either activity, I was in good shape.
Once we were done warming up, Jane led me over to a punching bag and had me practice different punching drills as she circled around me correcting my form. Once she was satisfied, we moved on to kicking drills.
As the practice dragged on, I grew impatient. When would we get to the fun stuff?
"Jane?" I asked as I performed a side kick at the punching bag.
"Yes, my lady?" She responded.
"When will we get to spar?" I asked her.
"Once you've mastered the basics." she responded curtly.
I pouted at her and shockingly enough, she caved.
"Fine, we can do some basic sparring at the end of every practice until you're ready for the real thing." She told me.
True to her word, Jane led me back to the mats with 15 minutes left of the practice. She put on a pair of boxing mitts, tossing a second pair to me. I caught the mitts and looked at her with a quizzical expression, were these really necessary?
"Aro said that I can't leave a mark on you so we're going to have to use these as a precaution until you're able to dodge basic attacks. Today I want you to come at me full force and I'll dodge your attacks at human speed." Jane told me and I nodded at her instructions.
I stepped forward, trying to remain conscious of my form and threw a jab at her. Logically, I knew that it wasn't possible for me to injure Jane, both because she was virtually indestructible and because she could easily dodge me with her enhanced speed, but it still felt wrong to punch her in the face. My hesitation showed through my attack and Jane dodged easily, even at human speed.
"I said full force, Astrid. You won't hurt me, I promise." She assured me.
I sighed and regathered myself. Then I lunged forward and turned, throwing a roundhouse kick at her side. Jane countered by grabbing my leg and turning it to the side. I was caught off balance and fell face first onto the mat. I stood back up with a disgruntled look.
"I apologize my lady; I hope I didn't hurt you…" she began but I interjected.
"No, no, I'm sorry for the attitude. That was fine, I want you to be tough on me, it's the only way I'll learn." I assured her.
The last few minutes of sparring flew by and before I knew it, Jane was passing me off to Demetri. Demetri led me towards the back of the gym were there was more open space available.
"Before we begin, I need you to think back to the times you teleported in the past." Demetri told me and I grimaced. Those weren't pleasant memories…
"What sensations did you experience right before you teleported? And what emotions were you feeling?" He asked.
"I've only teleported twice so I have limited examples. But fear was what they had in common. I was scared, time slowed, and I felt adrenaline in my veins. Then I closed my eyes and, bam, I was somewhere else." I told him.
"Okay, we can work with that. I want you to bring yourself back to one of those moments. Feel the fear, imagine those same sensations." He instructed.
That sounded simple enough. I closed my eyes and thought back to the car accident. I tried to tap into how I had felt right before the crash. When I opened my eyes, I was disappointed to see I was in the exact same spot I'd started in.
Reasonably, I knew that this was my first try and it would take practice to control my gift just like any other skill. But I couldn't help the disappointment and doubt that came with my failed attempt. How would I ever master my gift if I was starting from nothing?
"Hey now, don't look so sad! Most people don't get any results their first time around." Said Demitri.
"What do you mean? I didn't move an inch." I replied in confusion.
"No, I saw your body glitch for a second, that's something. Didn't you feel it - what you described to me before?" He asked.
"I did… Well, at least that's something." I said.
We continued to practice, testing out different strategies, but I kept glitching at best. I was starting to get frustrated and was forming a mild headache. Demetri seemed to notice my mood shift and called for a break.
"We're missing something…" He said.
"I know, but I have no idea what." I agreed.
"How about you give it one last try before we end practice?" He told me and I nodded in agreement.
I took a few deep breaths to prepare myself, when suddenly, Demetri flashed towards me. My fear spiked, time slowed, and I felt adrenaline in my veins. I closed my eyes and braced for impact.
I need to move, anywhere but here.
However, the impending collision never happened. I heard clapping from nearby and I opened my eyes. I was surprised to see that I was now standing a good couple of feet away from the mat I started on. I'd done it! Plus, I figured out what I had been missing,a destination.
Demetri slowed his clapping. "You did it!" He congratulated me.
"I did… with some help that is." I added, feeling jittery from the residual adrenaline.
"Did you figure out what were you missing?" He asked me.
"A destination." I told him.
"Of course! That seems obvious now. I'm so happy for you Astrid, you're off to a great start." He replied, smiling proudly.
"Thank you, Demetri" I said, returning his smile. "I'll see you again tomorrow for another round?"
"I would say yes… but I think Aro's going to have me dismembered and thrown in the dungeon for at least a week after pulling that stunt." he said, laughing even though we both knew he was being serious.
"Absolutely not, you were helping me. I won't let Aro punish you for that." I promised him.
Time Skip
I returned to my room and found another black box with a red ribbon sitting in front of my door. I smiled, knowing it must have been another dress from Aro. I entered my suite and opened the box to find a floor-length, bold red silk dress with a low back and a long slit up to the thigh on the left side.
I ran myself a bath, soaped myself down, and lounged in the water for a while. Then I dried myself off with a plush towel and picked out a matching bra and pantie set from my closet. I was secretly hoping to spend more intimate time with Aro. Well, not so secretly since he would read my thoughts soon...
Once my hair had dried, I walked back over to the box, and I slipped the dress on. I picked out a pair of heels to match and put on a bit of eye makeup. I twirled around in front of the floor length mirror, appreciating my full outfit. The dress hugged my curves like it was made for me, which knowing Aro, it most likely was.
A knock sounded on my door. I rushed over and threw it open to find Aro, looking dashing as ever.
"Angelo mio, did you have fun today?" he asked me.
I smiled widely and held my hand out for him to take. He took my hand and when I saw his lips tighten, I knew that he had found the memory of Demetri rushing at me.
"I wish you had not promised him amnesty..." He told me.
"He was only trying to help Aro." I said with a pout, and he sighed in defeat.
"I will let it go since you're still safe and happy, cara mia." He said and placed a lingering kiss on my lips.
We took a limo to an opera house in one of the larger cities near Volterra. When we arrived, I was handed a pamphlet by one of the ushers, we were seeing Madama Butterfly. The usher led Aro and I up to a private box with velvet curtains. When I took a seat next to Aro in the booth, he placed me on his lap instead. I didn't mind though and snuggled against his chest.
The lights dimmed and the theater went dark.
As the opera went on, I glanced at Aro. He was so beautiful… perfectly straight nose, strong jaw, silky raven hair, and flawless marble skin. I continued to admire him, and he met my gaze with a smirk. I knew he could hear my thoughts through our skin contact, but it didn't bother me. So far, his gift had only been beneficial in keeping him in tune with my thoughts and emotions, and I was glad to not have to voice my desires.
He moved his hand to cradle the back of my neck and my heart sped up when I saw his eyes had darkened. He leaned in and kissed me deeply; it was smooth, seductive, and everything I needed. His tongue massaged mine and he slid his hand up my calf through the slit of my dress. He paused for a moment, and when I didn't object to his touch, he continued his path up to my thigh. I wiggled slightly on his lap, feeling impatient. I wanted him to pleasure me like he had before in his office. The illicitness of being intimate in the theater made me nervous but also turned me on. I felt Aro smile into the kiss and then move to whisper in my ear.
"Naughty girl" He playfully chided me. "Do you think you can stay quiet for me?" I nodded eagerly; I would do my best to hold it in.
He pinched the already damp fabric of my panties and tore them off, placing them in his pocket. Then he slipped his hand back through slit in my dress to touch me. He pressed his thumb against my clit, and my body jerked at the pressure. I gasped sharply but held back the moan that wanted to escape.
"Good girl" he purred in approval, and I felt myself clench. I let out a shaky breath, growing wetter at his praise. He chuckled.
"You like that angelo mio? You like it when I tell you what a good girl you are?" He continued to coo in my ear.
He began to rub my clit, and gradually applied more pressure. I shut my eyes, letting my head fall back. I was panting now, trying desperately to stay silent. I gripped tightly onto the satin lapels of his tuxedo and tried to mold our bodies closer together.
Then Aro slid a long finger into my core. I squirmed a bit at the foreign feeling, but he increased the pressure against my clit and my attention was diverted. Then he curled his finger inside me... My hips bucked and Aro slammed his mouth against mine, swallowing my moan. Luckily the orchestra was also coming to a crescendo at that moment, which I realized was most likely intentional. Once Aro was satisfied that I was mostly silent again, he broke from the kiss and nuzzled my throat, peppering my sensitive skin with kisses. He slipped a second finger inside me and continued pumping them, stroking that special spot. I began rocking in rhythm with his hand, trying to get more pleasure.
"That's it piccola, take what you need…" He encouraged me.
He picked up the pace of his fingers and thumb and I pushed my face into his neck, biting down on his hard skin as my orgasm hit me hard.
Once I came down from the waves of pleasure, Aro removed his fingers and placed them in his mouth, sucking my juices off. He moved to kiss me after, and I hesitantly kissed him back. The taste was different but not bad, kind of sweet and salty.
Feeling sated, I leaned back against Aro's chest and watched the rest of the opera from his lap.
Time Skip
As the limo pulled up to drop us off at the back entrance of the castle, I noticed through the window that there was an unfamiliar individual giving the guards a hard time. Once the limo parked, Aro flashed around to my side to open my door and help me out. He weaved his fingers with mine as we walked towards the entrance where the guards were stationed. As we approached, I saw that the unknown individual was a male and had red eyes, a vampire. He had pale olive skin, and a lanky build. Aro guided me behind him as we came to stand in front of the unknown vampire, his tall form concealing me from view.
"Aro! Just the man I was looking for. Your guards were quite evasive regarding my inquiries about where to find you. But I suppose I see can why now..." The vampire said with a smirk and lifted his head to get a look at me standing behind Aro. Aro moved to block me from view before addressing the vampire.
"Sebastian, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Aro replied civilly.
"Oh, I was in the area and figured I would stop by early." he said dismissively.
"Very well, go see one of my brothers then, I'm sure they can entertain you until the rest of your coven arrives." Aro said attempting to end the conversation.
"Of course, of course, now why don't you introduce me to your pet? I wasn't aware that the laws on keeping mortal slaves..."
Before Sebastian had even finished his statement, Aro signaled Jane.
Suddenly, Sebastian crumpled onto the ground, writhing, and screaming in pain. Aro stepped away from me and approached Sebastian, looming over his contorting body.
"This mortal is your new queen, and my long-awaited mate, Astrid. I will give you a pass this once because of your ignorance. But let me make myself clear, you will learn your place beneath her, or I will see to it that Jane entertains you in the dungeon for the duration of your coven's visit." He informed Sebastian with calm fury.
Aro returned to scoop me up and then ran me back to my suite in silence, leaving Sebastian behind to endure his torture.