Rose coloured eyes met her own as she sipped the hot cocoa the receptionist had brought her upon Alec's request, intent on warming her from within in addition to the outside after her trip into the cold the previous hours. Velvety warmth coated her mouth as she spoke. "Who will turn me this time?"
The dark haired boy paused in silent contemplation for a moment. "I believe Master Aro," he mused, before pausing again. "He has requested to see me tonight in order to discuss your transformation."
Her brows quirked as she surveyed him over the steaming rim of her mug, gripping the cup tightly with both hands as though it were a lifeline. She took another sip, savouring the warmth. "I have something to ask of you," a soft exhale slipped past her lips as she summoned the courage to speak her mind, placing the steaming cup down onto the antique table by the side of the chaise. He watched her, waiting for her to continue, with a barely concealed amusement as she licked her lips, the residual taste of the cocoa leaving a sweet and tingly taste behind.
"When I am turned, I will no longer be fragile, either of body, or mind." Eyes dropping to her knotted fingers, she exhaled softly once more before meeting those amused ruby orbs, which softened when her own met his gaze once more, a certain tenderness he only displayed for her, and for his sister, evident as he rested his sole, and undivided attention, upon her. "I wish to complete our bond, to beyours.Our bond has never been truly sealed, and I want to change that, if you wish to do so."
There was a pause, a deafening long silence, and ruby eyes softened further. A flash of movement too quick for her mundane eyes to comprehend, and he was in front of her, meeting her gaze with a reserved, yet hesitantly tender look. A cold hand found her own, before he spoke, his words carefully chosen as he spoke to her. "I wish for that, more than anything, but I will not put your life at risk, not for a few moments of pleasure, when eternity is there after a few short days. I have waited decades for you to be comfortable to be able to partake in such, and I won't risk your safety."
His words mulled over in her mind as he spoke them, the hidden message clear.The bond will be cemented when you are a vampire again, for now, you are too fragile. It made sense. Her blood smelled overly sweet to him. To attempt to be intimate, with that added temptation, not to mention that he would have to be in control of his strength, in order to ensure he did not break her spine with the simplest caress, could spell disaster. All of the turmoil, all the hardship, all the complete and utter chaos that had been their mating, would be for nothing.
The thought was a solemn one.
After another moment, another moment of letting his words sink in, her answer was clear. Nodding, the words flowed with ease. "I agree," she smiled softly, a rare sight in its own. An amused tilt of his lips answered her own. "And then eternity," he murmured back, and her smile softened a little, colouring dusting her pale cheeks.
"And then eternity."
Stone smashing against stone echoed around the room as they approached, and her heart increased in its speed as they drew closer to the training room. Her companion, Jane, looked in her direction, arching a perfect brow. "Nervous?"
She shook her head in reply, glancing down in barely concealed delight. "Excited," she corrected, the blonde giving an amused titter, rare enough as it was, as they entered the training room. Crimson eyes immediately snapped to their entrance as they took a stance against the far corner of the wall. A small gathering of twelve lower guard members, engaged in their mandatory combat training, watched them warily, eyes flickering between the two of them, as if expecting waves of pain and darkness to be directed towards sessions were always fun to witness, and when the blonde twin had come to pull her from the chambers she shared with Alec, bursting through the shared door that joined their chambers, unannounced, practically dragging her to witness the chaos, it had been easier to agree to come than fall into the clutches of a night terror. The vile dreams found her more often than not at nights now, her human imagination able to conjure up the most vile and traumatic scenes.
A sharp clap from Arcadius, the tall, ancient vampire, the head of the guard, and the brother to Lady Lysandra, pulled her from her thoughts, as well as pulled the crimson eyes of the vampires from themselves. He stood at the helm of the room, Laurentia stood slightly behind him, her hands clasped behind her back as she watched the reactions of the guard as he spoke. "Today, we will be eliminating those who cannot make the correct adjustments to their training as they have been instructed upon. This is not a social event, this is training. You were all selected for this position because you showed promise. If you have slacked, grown lenient, this is no longer a position for you, and your contract with the Volturi will be terminated. We do not run a socializing group." He gave another sharp clap, signalling the end of his speech. "With that said, we will begin." He snapped his fingers towards two vampires, a bulkier looking male, and a tall, albeit slim, woman. "Kristof, Alana, begin."
A soft breeze and movement to the left, and a pearly smile dazzled her as she glanced at the redhead. "Lovely of you to come watch, Olivia." A polite nod was directed at the smaller blonde to her right. "Jane."
The twin acknowledged her as the sound of stone hitting stone resumed, the cracking noise of limbs following. "Laurentia," ruby eyes surveyed the chaos before her before returning to the redhead. "I couldn't tolerate her moping in the room, so here we are," a frown marred her forehead. "I was notmoping," came the grumble. Two pairs of crimson eyes fell upon her face. "I wasyawning. I was tired." Her lips twisted down. "Sleep evades me currently."
An eyeroll answered her. "You will not be human much longer, Olivia. I believe my brother summoned Alec to discuss your transformation date, and from what I understand, there has been a most unusualrequestmade to my brother."
That caught her attention, and she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, worrying it. "An unusual request?" She echoed.
Laurentia gave a sly smile, basking in the fact she knew something the other two did not. "Yes. I am sure you will find out in due time, should my brother decide to grant such a request." A laugh like bells tumbled from her lips. "Although, I have never personally heard of Aro refusing Alec with anything, being his precious achievement and all, so I would quite personally be surprised if such a request were to be refused, no matter how unusual it is."
The blonde to her right made a noise of agreement under her breath, her lips moving, and Laurentia gave a nod to her left, a grumble leaving her own lips as she realised the two immortal women were talking at too low of a sound, and too fast of a pace, for her human ears to pick up on it. She grumbled again. "I am righthere,I know you are talking about me."
A titter came from the left. "Ah Olivia, you will be able to hear such again soon, my dear, I would not fret. It would drive me mad when Arcadius would do the same with the others, he did enjoy frustrating me."
A dazzling smile from the vampire across the room told her he was listening to their conversation, and the tender look her sent to the woman with the fiery hair did not go unnoticed. It was no secret, the love and devotion the two held for another, their love story one that was told like a legend in the castle, of how he had rescued her from the clutches of the Romanians, how he had observed her for weeks, captivated with her beauty, incensed with rage and fury when they had stolen her, how he had saved her as she faced death on the battlefield. It was a tale as romantic as one could get in their world, and something she too, unashamed to admit, had been in awe of when she heard. To find a love that driven and pure in their world was unheard of, especially within the Volturi.
Another arrival pulled her attention as the heavy doors pushed open once more, revealing the chocolate haired twin, his ruby eyes immediately seeking his sister, and herself out, and in a second, he was in front of her, holding his hand out. "You should be resting," his admonishment amused her, but she placed her hand in his, accepting the gentle embrace of his. Laurentia gave a soft sigh, albeit amused, beside her. "Us girls were having a lovely conversation, Aleczander, until you interrupted it." She mockingly shook her head. "I do wonder what you see in him sometimes, Olivia," she teased lightly, giving her a knowing look, a barely concealed, amused tilt of her lips accompanying it.
No words needed to be spoke, and none were, as they left the room, a farewell nod from Arcadius being the only farewell they received from the room as they exited into the corridor. Amused eyes looked down at her as they walked the cool corridors, a slight chill in the air. A shiver wracked her bones inwardly. "You will be in that room soon enough."
A roll of her eyes and she looked at him, "and I am sure you will enjoy training me again as you did long ago."
It wasn't until they returned to their room, that she turned, brows furrowed, remembering the earlier words spoken by the crimson haired woman. "What was meant by Laurentia when she said you made an unusual request to Master Aro?"
Pushing a nightgown into her arms, he shook his head. "I will tell you tomorrow, once Master Aro has considered it and given his response. He asked for time to mull it over, to deliberate. You will find out his decision when everyone else does."
Her lips twisted into a scowl. "You won't even tell me what you asked? Even if it concerns me?"
Lips half titled up, he shook his head. "No."
"That isn't fair."
A snort came from the boy. "As I believe you have told me in the past,life is not fair."
He was playing with her, but two could play at that game. Their earlier talk, about desires and wants, had been at the forefront of her mind, and as she stared at him, her fingers reached for the top button of the blouse she was wearing, nimbly undoing it.
The next one followed, and then the next, and the next, and the next,and the next one.
His eyes never wavered from hers as the silk dropped to the floor, but his resolve cracked, and he took a step forward, taking the nightgown from her hands, which he had placed there, and he gently touched her cheek. Soft murmurs crept into her ears from the left. "I know what you are doing, and it will not work. You cannot pull this information out of me, Olivia, not even with the most subtle reveal of your body." A heady sigh slipped from his lips as he finally took in her partially clothed torso, and he gave a murmur of his appreciation, a cold hand smoothing down her arm, eliciting goosebumps upon her skin. In a flash, the nightgown was over her head, concealing the temptation from view, from his ruby eyes. "I will see you in that way soon enough, and I would much rather savour seeing you until then." A soft pressure against the corner of her mouth, and she was like putty in his hands, her eyes sliding shut he turned her towards to the bed, intent on pushing her to get some rest.
"You must rest."
Waking up the next morning, or afternoon, was like waking up to having been hit with something heavy, her limbs felt like stone, weighed down, her lungs felt as though she were drowning, and a heavy exhaustion weighed her limbs.
It took over an hour for her to pull herself from the bed, and even then, it was to go to the bathroom, and bury her head rather promptly down the lavatory. Bile sprung from the depths of her stomach, the awful sound of her retching echoing around the room. It didn't take long before she was no longer alone, a small hand resting on her shoulder blades, steadying her as she swayed. A less than happy sound came from above her. "I did tell you that being out in the cold yesterday would not do your human form good, Olivia, I did forewarn you."
An agonised moan slipped past her lips as she sank to the tiled floor, intent on laying there to cool the burning fever that shook her limbs. Everything felt sticky, uncomfortable, and the long forgotten feeling of sickness wrecked her mortal body. Was this how it had felt all those years ago when she was human long ago? It was horrendous, twisting her insides from the inside. "Please spare me the 'I told you so', Jane. I feel dreadful."
The sound of the bedroom door opening captured her attention, cracking an eye out to witness Alec coming into the doorway of the bathroom, his lips in a hard line as she stared down at her. He looked quite upset, his mind obviously echoing that of his twin. With another groan, Olivia rolled onto her front, curling into a ball. The tiles of the bathroom floor were cool, and soothed the fire across her skin. Everything hurt, and it was awful. "Please, just let me stay here."
Cold tiles were replaced by sweat soaked sheets, and she grimaced, opening her eyes. The blonde stood in the corner of the room, barely concealing her sadistic amusement, whereas her brother looked less than impressed, and he retorted. "On the bathroom floor? I think not. You will stay in bed while I retrieve someone who can help heal you." He moved for the door, turning and fixing her with a look. "And youwillstay in that bed. There will be no moving from it, and Jane will place you back into it should you move."
Her own eyes narrowed, and the boy vanished, leaving her with the blonde, but sleep reclaimed her before she could utter a retort, dozing restlessly. It was only the feeling of something cold, did she then awaken, the mahogany haired woman giving her a rueful smile. "Now, had you been turned already, this illness would not be a problem," she mused loudly, eliciting a grumble from the dark haired twin in the corner, both of them stood there, watching.
Her limbs felt as though they were on fire, but this warmth was different to the fire of Jane's gift. It did not take a genius to recognise the fever that was sweeping through her body, which when coupled with the nausea, made for a rather dreadful feeling. The lethargy, the pain, the aches, it made her long for the fires of the venom once more, simply trading one pain for a more horrendous one.
Feeling weak in the presence of power and strength was humiliating.
Through hooded eyes, she watched as Chelsea mulled her over, the immortal humming as she mused inwardly. "Tis what the humans call 'flu', I believe. You will be fine in a few days, just rest and keep yourself hydrated." She looked between the sullen boy in the corner, and to his sister as she stood beside him. "If anything changes, retrieve me again."
The door to the room clicked shut behind her, silently echoing and covering the murmurs of the twins in the corner as they conversed in a tone too low for her human hearing to pick up. Red eyes instantly snapped to her as she readjusted herself, letting out a violent cough. In an instant, Alec was in front of her, his eyes tight at the sides. "You are to remain in bed, you heard the orders."
A soft sigh slipped past her lips as she gazed weakly up at him. "I'm too hot in these sheets, I feel like I'm boiling alive."
Ruby eyes softened as they took in the thin sheen on sweat that covered her exposed skin, and he took a quick look back at his sister, her facial expression devoid of emotion as she watched the scene unfold before her. It always both intrigued and confused her whenever they talked in that silent, strange language that twins seemed to have, or rather, that these twins seem to have, but whatever he must have conveyed to his sister, made her start to move towards the door which connected their rooms via a shared living space with a sharp nod. In a move out of her character, Jane turned, fixing her with ruby red eyes, and she found herself steeling herself, almost expecting pain as was the norm, surprising her when none came, but rather, a short, sharp, "get well soon," came instead, startling her.
Before she could reply, the blonde was gone, and she instead looked at the vampire before her, bemused. "Where is Jane and what have you done with her?"
A rich chuckle filled the air as he peeled the covers back, also startling her. In a second, his cloak and jacket were also gone, leaving him in his slack trousers, and black button shirt. "She feels guilty she did not come to retrieve you out of the cold sooner." He murmured, and she balked as he took a seat into the bed beside her. Shaking her head, words fumbled. "W-what are you doing?" Her lips parted in surprise as he tucked her against him; the relief was instant. Cold flooded her clammy skin, and she exhaled heavily, a cold hand pressing against her back as he tucked her against him, using his cold to chase away the fire on her skin. "You said you feel as though you are boiling alive, and my skin is now cold to your touch, so you should feel more comfortable now."
She mulled over his words before settling into a comfortable silence with him, and he was right, it did help dull the fire over her skin. His previous words came back to the forefront of her mind, however. "Jane shouldn't feel guilty," she murmured softly, tucking her face into the soft fabric of his shirt. "I chose to be foolish and wander outside without appropriate clothing and in cold weather."
The soft hum above her vibrated through her curls. "Perhaps, but she found you two hours previous, and left you to your peace for that time. It was only when word reached her of how I was searching for you, did she then retrieve you. I believe she thought she was waiting for you to realise how your behaviour would reflect upon us both, but she did not take into account your stubbornness." An amused noise left his throat. "After decades of being in one another's company, I believe you may find she is less adverse to your presence now."
That caught her attention, and she looked up at him, intrigued. "How so?"
Smoothing his hand down her back in a gentle caress, that had she not of been ill, the gesture surely would have brought her body to life, he answered. "You spared her from a violent assault, Olivia. My sister and I did not have the best introduction to immortality, you know this, and while that time has long since faded in my memories, the violence we suffered, the torture, the assault, prior to burning at the stake has not. It has taken centuries to heal us both from it, and you spared Jane from being subjected to that particular type of violence once more. While my sister may not express it personally to you, she isthankful. I believe you may find a kinship with her once you are immortal once more, a friendship over time. You are to be sisters, and while I have always been there, there is stuff she does not tell me, but things she might tell to a sister, a confidant."
His words mulled around in her mind as she took them in.A kinship with Jane? She had been, almost,differentwith her as of late. It was a change, for sure, but after the decades of turmoil, a welcome one. She hummed. "I believe I would like that."
After another few pauses of silence, Alec spoke once more. "Master Aro made his decision as you were resting, regarding your immortality."
Tightening her grip on his shirt in anticipation, she closed her eyes, awaiting her fate. "Yes?"
She could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. "He has granted me special permission to turn you myself, ten days from now."
Turned her himself? Trying to sit up proved futile, for the boy holding her kept and iron clad grip on her, and he simply moved her back down so she was laid on her back, ruby eyes finding her own, amused. "Yourself?"
He nodded. "Yes, myself." He paused again, this time looking at her with heavy eyes, and he sighed softly, the soft smell of his scent washing over her, setting her body on fire with a different kind of fever. "I have never attempted it before, and after talking with the masters, and the dangers, and possibilities, if you would like me to, and toconsummate our bondin the moments before I return your immortality, I believe it will be safe to do so, so long as I gorge myself upon blood beforehand."
The care and consideration for her wellbeing, her care, her safety, made a soft smile creep upon her lips, and she nodded after a few moments. "That sounds perfect. Are you sure you will be comfortable?"
A chuckle left the mischievous boy above her. "I will be more than comfortable,amore, I assure you." The double meaning to his words did not go unnoticed, and she found herself laughing, even as she slipped into sleep, the fever making her eyes heavy, and the boy tucked her into him once more, intent on making her rest. "Now sleep, mio amore, for the days in which you do are far and few between." His words trickled off, into nothingness, as the darkness of sleep and slumber claimed her once more