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Last updated/edited on 09/27/2024.
First Person POV: Astrid
When I received my breakfast the next morning, I saw there was a small black envelope on the tray with a dark red rose. It must have been from Aro, I smiled. I picked up the note and ripped open the seal to reveal elegant cursive script.
Meet me in my office when you are finished with your meal. I have something to discuss with you.
Sincerely, Aro
Well, that was unnerving... I thought for a second. What could he need to speak to me about? Was it something about our date? Considering the rough start, I was worried it might be. But I tried to calm my nerves; our date had ended spectacularly despite the start. Hopefully he just had something to inform me about.
I finished my breakfast in a hurry and headed to Aro's office. I knocked lightly on the office door and peeked in. Aro was speaking on the phone rapidly in Italian but gestured for me to enter. I closed the door behind me and moved towards one of the couches to wait until he finished his call. However, he sat in his leather desk chair and patted his lap for me to sit. I tentatively perched on his lap, and he began rubbing my knee with his free hand as he continued his conversation.
I listened to him as he spoke. I didn't know enough Italian to follow what he was saying, but his voice was so rich and deep, it sent pleasant tingles down my spine. I'd never heard him speak so much Italian either, he sounded incredibly sexy...
I tried to focus on what he was saying with the little Italian I knew, but he started rubbing further up my thigh and I struggled to concentrate. The room started to feel warmer, and I tried to shift discreetly in his lap, feeling a growing sense of anticipation in my stomach.
His hand inched up my thigh, fingers dipping past the seam of my dress. I drew in a breath as his thumb brushed along my inner thigh and felt a flash of pleasure in my lower stomach. I felt wetness spread through my panties and my face flushed as I realized how aroused I had gotten just listening to him.
I had little to no experience with sex, and I had definitely never been turned on enough for my body to respond as strongly as it was currently. While I had never been intimate with anyone, I had tried touching myself a couple times out of curiosity, but I always gave up because I could never bring myself to completion.
Aro's eyes met mine, twinkling with mirth and he grinned devilishly. Oh shit! He knew exactly where my mind was through our skin. In fact, he was probably drawing out his stupid phone call just to wind me up. I narrowed my eyes at him.
His thumb brushed my higher along inner thigh on the next pass, and I felt another rush of pleasure rush through my core. I was so close to stealing his phone and chucking it across the room.
When Aro took in breath to continue speaking, I watched his pupils dilate until they swallowed his irises fully.
He snapped something into the phone, hung up, and threw the device on his desk.
Giving me his full attention, he leaned towards me, bringing his lips to my ear.
"Quindi ti piace quando parlo italiano, angelo mio?" (Do you like when I speak Italian, my angel?) He purred.
I shivered in response and my heart sped up. I loved it when he called me angel…
I let out a shaky breath, I felt like this situation needed to speed up by a lot.
"Patience, angelo mio." He told me, his tone now husky.
He placed his other hand behind my neck, cradling my head in his hand. I looked up at him with half-lidded eyes and half parted lips.
"Bellissima" he whispered reverently.
Then he leaned down, achingly slow, and pressed his lips against mine. I couldn't help but let out a sigh as his lips touched mine, but I needed more. I pressed my chest against him and deepened the kiss. He plunged his tongue into my mouth, and I felt the vibration of his groan. Feeling emboldened I moved to straddle him with my knees on either side of his hips. I tensed at first, feeling him already hard against me but he distracted me by moving his mouth to my neck, placing kisses and occasional nips along my skin.
Instinctively, I rubbed my chest against him and moaned as my nipples rubbed against his suit jacket, sending sparks down to my core. I rocked my hips forward to relieve some of the pressure growing between my thighs and moaned as my swollen clit rubbed against his length. Aro placed his hands firmly on my hips, pushing up my dress. His thumbs started tracing circles at the apex of my thighs making me squirm. Then he pressed me firmly down and grinded his hips up against mine. I released a shrill cry; the pleasure was overwhelming.
"So sensitive…" Aro murmured.
He continued to lavish my neck with kisses and started to grind his hips against mine with lighter pressure than before. I moaned as he continued sliding his length against me and the pressure in my stomach built.
Somewhere in the back of my head I was embarrassed to be making so much noise, but the thought was completely overpowered by the feeling of Aro and what he was doing to me.
He nibbled and kissed a sensitive spot right behind my ear while simultaneously giving a sharp thrust and I let out a sharp gasp and whimper at the intensity. The tightness in my stomach was becoming nearly unbearable. I clawed at the lapels of his suit jacket impatiently. Hearing my thoughts, his hips sped up creating even more friction.
I was so close when suddenly, Aro bit my neck. His bite was not hard enough to break the skin, but the mix of pleasure and pain sent me right over the edge. My body trembled and my back arched as I keened loudly, unable to hold it in. Aro continued lightly rocking against me, drawing out my orgasm as I mewled in pleasure. Then he held me against his chest soothingly as I came down.
As soon as I could form coherent thought again, I hid my face in the crook Aro's neck. I knew he could feel my embarrassment through our skin, but I couldn't believe I had lost control like that. What if someone had heard? I groaned, with vampire hearing it was likely that everyone in the castle knew what had just happened.
"Amore mio, you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Every room in the royal wing is sound proofed. And I quite enjoy the sounds you make." He reassured me with a cocky grin. I relaxed at the news but then realized that he was still hard beneath me. I considered trying to pleasure him, I had no former experience with the opposite sex, but I could certainly try. Aro interrupted my train of thought. "Relax piccola, just let me take care of you." I blushed harder and Aro let out a chuckle. Then he turned serious.
"You know I love you, Astrid, you're my queen." He told me.
I looked down, feeling awkward that I wasn't ready to return his sentiment. I had only ever said I love you to my family members and best friends.
"There's no pressure cara mia, you don't have to say it if you're not ready. I already know how I feel, and I'll wait for you to reciprocate."
I let my body relax back into him, why was he so perfect?
"I'm far from perfect, I assure you." he told me. "Now, as much fun as that was, I did ask you here for a reason." he said.
I lifted my head and waited for him to continue.
"There is a coven visiting soon, our Spanish allies. You'll have a larger group of guards with you during their visit, but I still want you to be careful around their coven members."
Did Aro not trust this coven? I wondered why they were visiting if they were dangerous.
"They are not dangerous, it's just that our alliance with them is not as close as it is with, for example, the French. We are allies out of mutual benefit but not necessarily friends. I don't want them to manipulate you, so I will attempt to limit their contact with you." he told me.
"Oh alright… so am I not supposed to talk to them?" I asked.
"No! Of course not. I don't control you; I'm just asking you to be cautious. The leader's mate in particular, has always been overly ambitious, and I worry that she or one of their other members may try to take advantage of your innocence."
I nodded. "Okay, but couldn't you try to get on better terms with them?"
Aro sighed. "Yes, perhaps I will make more of an effort to get on friendly terms with their coven. But one more thing, tesoro, while the Spanish are here, I need you to make sure to never lose sight of your guards. If you do get separated from them, please come and find me or the closest family member. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. Please, always protect yourself first."
"Okay, but what about you?" I asked and Aro chuckled.
"I appreciate the sentiment piccola, but I can protect myself. I have a few millennia worth of skill and experience. I've told the guard to prioritize your safety in case of an attack. If something happens, they have been told to remove you from the immediate area and secure you in the safe room along with Athenadora and Didyme."
"You have a safe room?" I asked.
"One floor below the basement we have a vault and safe room made of vampire-proof material. It can comfortably fit the entire family as well as the elite guard if necessary. And while Athenadora and Didyme are more than capable of holding their own in a fight, the easiest way to a vampire is through their mate. Therefore, we made it a priority to relocate them first. The wives are always targeted in attacks first for that reason and since you are human, you would be the perfect target."
I started to wonder what vampire-proof material was made of but was quickly distracted by Aro.
"I would like to take you out again tomorrow before the Spanish arrive - if you're up for it."
Time Skip
I walked back to my bedroom pondering what I should do with my day. For the first time since I had entered the castle, things were calm, and I had spare time. I paused and turned around to face my guards. Jane and Alec had been assigned to me today and both stood at attention.
"Jane, Alec, what would you be doing right now if you weren't guarding me?" I inquired.
They seemed confused but answered regardless.
"We guard the royal family when trials are held in court and in our free time we train with Demetri, the captain of the elite guard. There are also many different recreational rooms in the main wing that we visit occasionally."
"Is there training happening now?" I asked them.
"Yes, my lady." They replied in unison.
"Would you take me there? I'd like to watch."
They paused to look at each other and then nodded to me. They gestured down the hallway and took off at a brisk pace as I followed between them.
When we exited the east wing and entered the main wing, I noticed that there were vampires congregating in the halls. Just like last time, the guards stopped their conversations to acknowledge me and bow their heads as I passed by.
Jane and Alec led me through the main wing and took a right, informing me that we were now in the north wing which held the guard's quarters and training room. The north wing had hallways branching off frequently which were lined with private rooms for the guards stationed within the castle.
"Is this where you two live?" I asked.
"Yes, my lady. The elite guard quarters are coming up on the left."
I was curious to see what their rooms looked like, but I didn't want to overstep. We continued down to the end of the main hall where we reached a set of metal double doors. The twins pushed open the doors and we entered a large gymnasium. There were a few guards training individually but in the center of the room there was a small group of guards huddling in a circle. I identified the group as elite guards based on the charcoal gray of their cloaks and a few recognizable faces. Jane flashed away briefly and returned with a chair for me. I thanked her with a smile and sat down as Jane and Alec took their designated places on either side of me.
"You can join them if you want." I encouraged them.
Again, they silently communicated through a brief glance.
"Very well, my lady, but I must ask that you remain here so that you do not get hurt." Alec said.
"Of course, I'll stay put. Go ahead!" I told them. I figured that flanking me and waiting outside of my room all night was probably incredibly boring for them. The least I could do was let them blow off some steam. Plus, I was curious to see them train, so it was a win-win situation.
When Jane and Alec joined the group, Demetri looked over at me. I smiled and waved at him, and he flashed over to greet me.
"It is an honor to have you observe our training my lady." he told me while bowing his head.
"Oh, thank you Demetri. You can just pretend I'm not here though, please, carry on as usual." I replied.
"As you wish, my lady. We will be doing skirmishes today, so you will see pairs of vampires fighting one-on-one. They are allowed to use their gift as long as it remains non-lethal. And since we want to avoid severe injuries, instead of beheading an opponent, the goal is instead to hold the opponent's neck with both hands for three seconds."
He pointed out each member and informed me of their skill set and gift before returning to the group. The guard gathered as he called out instructions. Then, he clapped his hands, and the group broke up into a semicircle to give me a full view of the sparring.
First up was Alec and Felix. They slowly circled each other then suddenly, Felix launched himself forward at Alec. They tussled, flashing around faster than my human eyes could follow, and Felix appeared to be gaining the upper hand. Alec started using his gift to release a thick black fog, but Felix managed to pin Alec. After a second, I assumed that he had definitely won but , suddenly, Felix slumped over, numbed by Alec's fog. Alec took control and pinned Felix by the neck. Demetri declared Alec the winner after three seconds and then selected the next pair to spar.
Watching the spars inspired me. If I was going to be a vampire than I ought to learn how to protect myself. I knew that as a human I would never be able to hold my own against a vampire, but if I started training now I could get a head start. And maybe one of the gifted guards could help me learn to control my gift too.
I had watched about three more spars before Aro stormed into the training room clearly in a rage.
"What is the meaning of this?! Why is my mate in the training room? Explain yourselves. Now." He seethed at the elite guards. As Demetri stepped forward to speak, I quickly jumped up from my seat and rushed over. I wasn't about to let the guards take the fall for my request.
"I apologize Master Aro, Astrid was interested in watching us training and I thought it would be safe for her to view at a distance." Demetri explained.
"Did you forget that she is still human? She could have been injured! And Jane, Alec, why are you not guarding my mate? You are disobeying direct orders." Aro continued to shout.
"Aro!" I called when I reached him. "It's not their fault, please, I asked them to bring me here and I told Jane and Alec to join training. If you're going to be mad at anyone then be mad at me..."
Aro hesitated, and I took his hand so he could see the truth.
I'd like to learn to fight and use my gift. I thought to him.
When he saw my memories, he sighed.
"If you're truly interested in starting your training before you are turned then I will permit it. Jane, you will train Astrid in hand-to-hand combat. But let me make it clear; if she is returned to me with a single bruise or scrape, you will be held personally responsible. Demetri, you will train Astrid to hone her gift. But my warning stands for you as well, if she overexerts herself in your care, you will answer me." Aro ordered.