A/N: Sorry for the long update; but this chapter well make up for it, I promise =] There well be a little flash back in this chapter (*** for flashback).
"Slowly Surely" belongs to Jill Scott
Slowly surely
I walk away from
Self-serving
Undeserving
Constantly hurting me love
Deserting me love
You said, I said, we said
But
Slowly surely
I walk away from
Confusing love
Misusing love
Abusing love
This can't be
~ Jill Scott
Slowly Surely
For the pass weeks Aaliyah had been waken up in a cold sweat and flustered. Each night was the same dream…sometimes it would only be her or one of them, and then it might be switched to two of them interchanging amongst them. But always all four of them in the same room but in different positions, angles, and speed; some nights the lovemaking is gentle and loving and other nights rough and controlling. Causing her serious heat flashes and unbridles thirst for more. She was frustrated mentally and physically these pass weeks, because of these damn dreams that seem to plague her nights with unrest.
At the age of twenty-eight Aaliyah had thought that she was too old to have any more wet dreams or the bodily functions of a sixteen year old. How sadly mistaken she was.
She wasn't the type of person to read the meaning of her dreams; however, she's been having the same repeated dreams for the past two weeks so that meant something.
She came to the conclusion that; one, it was a way for her body to tell her she need to have mind-blowing sex. Two, she spent too much timewith the Volturi Leaders or…and this was a serious big but… but what ifshe was sexually attracted to all three of them.
The first two conclusions were true; she needed to have mind-blowing sex and she did spend too much time with the Volturi Leaders to even experience any type of intercourse.
Yes, she knew that she was very much attracted to them emotionally, but this was the first time in her whole lifethat she found them sexually attractive.
It was common for people to be emotionally attracted to a person, but not sexually attractive to them, handsome or not. Aaliyah had always been surround by these very men all her life, so she was very much had a strong emotional attachment to them. Even when she was a teenager never did she have a wet dream about them.
Yes, she had imagined herself being with them, but she thought about being with them in a more emotive and mental depth than physical. And even those imaginings she was in denial for them to ever come true based on what she saw of them.
There was only one person she could speak about her situation too and that was her best friend Annalisa.
.
.
.
Annalisa was born and raised in the castle just like Aaliyah. They were close in age so gradually they were as close like sisters. Even though Aaliyah was in higher rank then Annalisa that never brought a bridge in their relationship. They both understood the working of the castle and they proceed by the rules of their ranks. But when the shift had ended they both were on equal footing.
Annalisa knew how hard Aaliyah work to keep everything in order in the castle and in the vampire world.
Even though the Volturi Leaders were the face and handle the bigger issues on the surface, it was really Aaliyah's family who dealt with the bigger and serious issues. Becoming the eyes and ears of the vampire world and keeping everything on record.
After all how do you think they knew before certain things took place?
Knowing this Annalisa didn't think much when Aaliyah would snap at her when she was in a foul mood. She understood that it was Aaliyah's way of letting out stress and tension that the job caused.
So she was empathic towards her, even now as she sat there listening to her friend stressing over her dreams about the Volturi Leaders.
It was the main source of gossip around the castle; everyone whether immortal or mortal knew how well and respecting that the Volturi Leaders treated Aaliyah.
The mortals in the castle; believe that all three leaders were having an affair with Aaliyah and with her power had the guards kill the secretaries when she felt they were trying to take her place in the leaders regard.
Which she found so very much humorist since her friend was freaking outover a dreamabout sleeping with the Volturi leaders. So that was a complete absurd lie. And plus she knew her friend, Aaliyah understood the saying don't shit where you eat.
The immortals believed that it was Aaliyah's highly developed observational skills or psychic abilitythat caused the leaders to be very protective of her. Annalisa never paid much attention to gossip.
But that didn't mean she was blind by the actions of the Leaders. Out of all the servants children in the castle Aaliyah was the only one who was never afraid of the Leaders when in contact with them.
Like the other children, Annalisa would always keep her eyes down or moved out the way when she saw one of the leaders coming even to this day she was still that way.
But not Aaliyah she was always singular in that regard…
"Okay if you guess this person move I will never doubt your powers again," said a girl of eight years of age. The child was that of a parceling doll in features and was in human expectations of pretty. Wearing a light pink jumper and a white shirt under it with three pink embodied flower in the center of the shirt.
Her soft fair hair was in two pigtails with large pink ribbons on each one. With glistening sapphire eyes of rapture towards another little girl around her age in hopes that the girls powers was indeed the very special powers that some of the gifted ones that lived in the castle had.
The girl next to her was the opposite; while the first little girl was a parceling doll she was one of those rare types of dolls that was priceless.
Her features were exotic that she would surly be a beauty when she grew. Her ebony locks could mock a raven as it ran wild cascading like a waterfall. A navy head with a giant bow resting on the side of it was placed in her locks keeping them at from her face. She wore navy shorts and a sleeveless blouse.
They were in the main hallway a place they weren't suppose to be at unless in the company of an adult. But Annalisa had been curious about Aaliyah's special powerand she wanted her friend to show them. The only way to show them was going to the big picture window that held the view of the whole city and the plaza below them. Which was held in the main hallway.
Aaliyah eyes scanned the person her friend was pointing at; it was a man he was on his cellphone. Telling by the way he bumped into people and missing steps he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. She could also see the man cloths were disheveled and his face was flush which meant he was heavily drunk, and this wasn't his first time. Then she looked at the people and the surroundings. Chairs were set out all over the place around the fountain.
And there were a lot of people out including children, which meant a lot of venders, were open. Someone was selling ice treats, which caused a serious of children to run around that certain vender. The tingly sensation started to come forth like so many times when she simply watch people and their actions she could see their next move before they even made it.
And she saw what was about to happen.
With her finger she pointed at a small group of rumbustious boys that where getting there ice treat.
"Those boys are going to run past the man, and as he tried to avoid them he's going to slip on the chairs and land in the fountain dropping his phone in the water," she said.
Both girls looked out the windows as the last of the boys was had their ice treat and started running in the direction of the heavily drunk man.
As they got close he moved to the side on to slip on a series of chairs his body wobble like a bird about to take on flight with his arms outstretched. But heavily drunk he ended up falling in the water.
A series of giggles took place with the girls who mocked the man by reenacting his movements.
Caught in their giggles the two little girls didn't know that they were being watched by the three leaders and five of their guards.
"That was great Aaliyah! I promise to never doubt your powers again," Annalisa said as she held out her pinky to her best friend.
Aaliyah took it within her pinky as they pinky swear and started to reenacted the drunk mans movement again which caused another series of giggles between them.
The giggles ended when the sound of someone cleared their throat.
The girls jumped in fright knowing that they had been caught the heat of being in trouble took hold of them as they turn their heads to the voice.
They're eyes were glued to that of The Volturi leaders and their guards. Annalisa had been warned by her mother about how to act in front of them whenever she was in the presence of them by herself. This was the first time that she was in their presence without her mother and she was petrified.
Aaliyah fear had been muted by some unknown feeling of familiarity of a different sort.She knew they were her Masters, but she had this feeling of security and warmth that flowed within her something like that of family.
Her powers had taken over her absorbing everything about these men before her. She could see the next move of each one and she could see their actions in future tense real good.
"That was a very marvelous trick you did there dear child," came the commanding soft voice of Aro. He stared at her with wonder and curiosity, while Aaliyah stared at him with an equally amount of curiosity herself.
He walked towards her his hand held out for her to touch hers.
"You don't have to see my thoughts," she said Aro stopped in his tracks and looked at the little girl.
"Your going to touch my hand to see all my memories…more importantly see my gift.All the while Master Marcus is noticing the bond that at this second is forming between us and Master Caius is annoyed for being left out in the dark…or that a human childis wasting crucial time."
The expression on all three immortals was the entire affirmative she knew that she was right and she continue.
"No time has been wasted Master's, your guards are on their way to speak with you about their mission. And everything has gone to plan."
Aro looked at the child hard with a critical look. More importantly the child's ability; it seemed as if she posses physic abilities and wonder how advance they were.
His musing was cut short when the silent sounds of footsteps those only immortals could possess.
His eyes moved from the child towards the direction to only face the very guards he and his brothers awaited to hear of their mission in the north.
Shock…was the only word to describe the emotion he felt. His eyes turned to his brothers who also masked the same emotion on their stoic faces.
His eyes scanned over back to the young one before him, he knew this was the only child of his faithful servant's the Amir's.
Excitement raised within him the type that he had only felt when he had found Jane and Alec so many years ago. Now he had found a new obsession that's in the form of this child. With the abilities that she so far displayed was incredible, but to think, as she grow older her abilities could become even more powerful.
The thought alone on the growing power that the Volturi would gain with this child's ability to see the future.
He was going to have to keep a very shape eye on the girl.
"Your name dear child?" he said holding his hand out.
"Aaliyah," as her small hands took his.
"Anna…Anna? Hello?" Annalisa looks up to see the very person her memory was about waving her hand in her face.
It might have been a long time ago but she knew that her friend life was going to tie in more with the three leaders then what Aaliyah thought she tried to portray.
"Yes?" she smiled
"Are you listening to me I don't know what to do. I've already feigned a sickness so I can avoid them until those blasted dreams stop," Aaliyah paced up and down her living room.
"Aaliyah it's perfectly normal for you to feel sexually attracted to them. You won't be the first or the last female in this castle that has wet dreams about the leaders," she laughed.
"That's it I'm not ever female in this castle. I've been around them I know how they are with women, especially human women."
"I haven't heard anything of the sort with Marcus," Annalisa said as she took a sip of her wine.
"Marcus no, but that's because of his grief and love for his late wife. I don't think any woman would ever be able to take her place in his regards. But Caius and Aro are a very different story," the very thought of it made her took a serious gulp of her wine.
Annalisa laughed…oh she knew the stories very well about Master Caius and Aro. She heard stories about them sharing women and even having threesomes. Some stories were pure made up by some of the women, while there were the few that taken part of it and lived to tell the tale. And of course Aaliyah told her the many few encounters when the secretaries were practically dragging there selves on the floor from living such an encounter.
"Aaliyah don't think so much on it…after all were talking about you. Never in all the years that I've known you had you did anything so reckless. It's practically beneath you."
"Now you're making me into this inhuman like being who has no concept of fun," she slumped down on the couch next to her friend.
"Well yeah," they both laughed.
"Really Liyah, you should do more reckless things in life after all when was the last time you had sex?"
"With Derek and that was two years ago when he came to Italy on business," she said refilling her and Anna's glass with wine.
"Wasn't that the night that Aro and Caius had the guards go look for you?" Annalisa laughed.
"Oh my god, I forgot that," she said shaking her head at the thought. It was so clear to her; she and her old college boyfriend had gone out for drinks, which of course lead them in the missionary position afterwards. The next morning as she entered the castle with three very unhappy campers and when they smelt another man on her.
Aaliyah laughed at the memory.
That day she understood that Caius had a even darker side to him then what he portrayed to the world, Aro had shown the true definition of being a total asshole, while Marcus had well been very distant to her.
They gave her the silent treatment for a good seven months…making her understand that they could hold a grudge longer then she thought was even possible.
"I thought we put that in the chest of things to not bring up," she eyed her friend.
"And anyway it's hard to do anything reckless when you have three immortals whose calling on you every single hour of the day."
"Have you ever thought that they might have feelings for you Aaliyah?" Aaliyah looked at her as if she gone crazy.
"Hear me out, you are by far the only humanwhose opinion matters to them, it's obvious that they care for your well being since they check on you and go out of their way to make you comfortable. Hell, they even buy you very expensive gifts."
"Anna…"
"No Anna, me, I have yet to seen any other human receiving million dollar worth of jewelry from the masters."
"Oh be quiet half those gifts were brought to me, during my birthday."
"And what about the just thought you might like thisor the this reminds me of you, and, this would look better-"
"Thank you Anna, but I think its more a friendship thing then a courting one," she laughed knowing that she was hitting a few points with her friend.
Aaliyah simply took a sip of her wine as she thought over what her friend said. Was it possible that the three leaders held some sort of deeper feelings towards her then the friendship they all held?
Caius was annoyed. Not the regular annoyance that everyone presume that went along with his personality. No, his annoyance was deeper then that it was coming from a place of worry over his mate. For the pass weeks he hadn't seen her, took in her calming scent, or simply enjoy her very presence.
Everything was at peace when Aaliyah was by him and his brother side. They could better tolerate each other even more when she was around them. He knew why he and his brothers couldn't see her and why she been faking an illness.
The very scent of her tantalizing scent that last afternoon made every emotion raise and the strong pull to mate her and complete their bond was all that his inner self kept screaming for him to do.
He needed to be with his mate, he and his brothers needed their mate. The unsatisfying sexual conquest with the tired human assistance was becoming mundane. Especially the new assistant Marie or Marian, whomever her name was he would prefer to be with his mate the only woman worth of such attention.
He couldn't hold in his irritation in any longer or the fact that he felt he was the only one that was experience such irritation. He was going to address this to his brothers and call them out on their own emotional state.
Coming to their private rooms, without any care he stormed within the room the banging noise of the large mahogany doors slamming against the outside walls. His loud interruption caught the attention of his brothers who were once looking over some documents. He eyed the room to notice a few guards one of them being Renate.
"Leave," silent and deadly the guards left the room except Renate who looked at him undecided on to stay or leave.
This further irritated him as he eyed the foolish immortal that his brother graced in his bed every now and then.
She stood boldly by Aro's side, this fueled Caius's annoyance. Taking a menacing step towards the female he took pleasure in her yelp of fear.
"I said leave" Caius hissed his fist closing and opening, the sudden urge to destroy flowing through him. "Or I will show you unimaginable pain."
With a deceivingly bored expression Aro looked up at his pet. "Dear Renate you know better than to set Caius off." He turned back to his documents. "You are dismissed."
With slumped shoulders she drifted towards the door but was stopped when an iron grip clamped down on her arm. Her body shook in fear at what the unpredictable King would do.
"Strike one" Caius snarled in her ear before pushing her away from himself as if she as fire itself.
Once the room was cleared of all unnecessary immortals, Caius took the time to observe his two "brothers". He watched as Aro's eyes shifted about the room, never staying on one thing for too long. The documents in his hand remained unread. His forefinger tapped against the table, a very human thing to do, making a rhythmless sound. Caius cocked his head noticing that Aro's usual pristine black suit held pieces of dust particles on it. This indicating that someone has had a temper tantrum with the stone walls of the castle.
Though to the outside world Aro looked to be just as strong and merciless , it took the keep eyes of Caius to see his true figure. Aro was slipping, his mind was distracted. He was…off.
Smirking at the new information that Aro's person has given him Caius turned his sharp eye to Marcus. Seeing his true state was harder however than Aro's since the immortal was always quiet and aloof. However this did not deter Caius, he merely looked closer at the unseen.
There…
Marcus's usually clouded emotionless eyes were glassy and aware. In a way the immortal looked alive. His whole body buzzing with energy, electrifying the room. His skin less pale and translucent. Marcus's body language no longer screaming bored and careless but calculating and conniving. He stared out the window yet unseeing of the world around him. The man was deep in thought, something Marcus' never was.
Done with his observations Caius spoke, "she's ready"
The room remained quiet seconds after the pronouncement. Sitting the documents down, Aro turned in his seat towards Caius with a raised brow. "Care to elaborate brother"
Rolling his eyes Caius decided to humor Aro knowing full well Aro knew who he was talking about. "Aaliyah, she's feeling the mating bond." Caius turned accusing eyes towards Marcus. "You should have known this before any of us."
Removing a long finger from beneath his chin Marcus turned lazy eyes towards Aro and Caius. "Aaliyah is indeed feeling the mating bond, the pull triggered."
Aro's eyes seemed to blaze fire. "Hmm seems our dear Aaliyah has finally awakened."
"We need to claim her, mark her, let her know now who she belongs to." Caius spoke with possessive eyes his mouth pooling with venom at the prospect of finally claiming his mate.
Aro's smirk was priceless showing pearly white teeth. "I don't believe I could have said so better myself brother."
Caius's body vibrated with energy, his body pulsed with strength. Aro though across the room felt the same energy.
"Tonight, we will do so tonight, before the day is out she will know that she is ours." Caius growled turning on his heel to head out of the room in search of his mate. Aro, papers forgotten, stood up following Caius's thoughts.
"We cannot claim her"
The single statement stopped both immortals in their tracks, their heads turned and a low snarl rumbling in their chest. Aro's possessiveness and controlling nature rearing its ugly head. He was not a man who liked to be told "no" to, whatever he desired he acquired simple as that.
"What did you say" Aro spoke in a light tone his eyes however blazing, wild and furious.
Marcus stood feet away from them unafraid of the two seething immortals. "I said, we cannot claim Aaliyah." Marcus said a slight growl in his own words. It was hard enough for him following the words he spoke now he has to repeat them as well. Marcus rarely felt anger but standing before his brothers it bubbled in the pit of his stomach.
"Why not" Caius snarled his voice slightly distorted by his growing rage. He wanted his mate, he wanted her so badly that he could practically taste her on his tongue, sweet and succulent.
"Her body may be ready for her mates but not her mind. Her body may accept us but her mind will not." Marcus spoke.
"Fine with me" Aro said in a shrugging tone. "Her mind will follow her body in time."
"I will make her mind accept me" Caius raged his tone still venomous and slightly demonic.
Marcus hissed shocking the other two at his ferocity. "You know Aaliyah better, her will power is the reason we were drawn to her in the first place. Have you no respect for the women we are mated to." Marcus scowled the two as if they were children. "How do you think she will feel if you two take her like drooling rabid dogs?" Marcus sneered. "She will reject us, you actions will affect me as well. She will reject us all."
"So what we wait" Aro spoke with a demeaning and sarcastic tone that sent most immortals running.
Sitting back into his seat, turning his back to the two immortals, he continued to think. His mind whirling with ideas, plans, and hopes. None knew the inner workings of the one called Marcus Volturi.
"Yes" His voice was deep and back to its usual calm and lazy tone. "She will be ready eventually, slowly…but surely."