Mild smut in this chapter. I'll mark it with the Asterisk.
Athenodora gently knocks on Dean's door before letting herself in. Dean is pried from her thoughts of Caius by the sound, jolting in surprise and trying to hide the turmoil within.
"Thena, is everything alright?" Dean asks.
Athenodora gives a small, reassuring smile. "I just wanted to check on you. You've been in here for quite a while," she says softly, her eyes filled with concern. "I perhaps wondered if things had progressed with my hus-with Caius," she quickly corrects herself.
Dean sighs, running a hand through her hair. "I was just thinking about him," she says a little awkwardly. It felt so, so wrong to be talking about this with her. "With everything that's happened, it's a lot to process," she admits.
The blonde vampire steps closer, placing a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder. "I understand. It's been hard on all of us. But remember, we're here for you."
Dean sucks in a breath, steeling herself for the truth. She had to admit what she was feeling towards Caius, at least to his wife. To her, it was the respectful thing to do. The right thing to do. Perhaps Athenodora would get angry with her, or be disgusted. It would make things easier for Dean to walk away. All the while she's contemplating what to say, Thena looks at Dean with knowing eyes.
"I have...a confession," Dean says, her voice barely audible as she avoids looking into those crimson eyes. Thena raises a perfectly manicured eyebrow, waiting patiently for whatever it was Dean had to say. The human's cheeks flushed a beautiful pink and her heart raced in her chest. She smelled of fear, and it made Athenodora's mouth water. "I think I have...feelings...for Caius. We kissed. In my dreams," she added the last part quickly, still not able to meet Athenodora's eyes, fearing her response.
On the inside, Athenodora cringed, but on the outside, she smiled warmly, acceptingly. Her icy cold hand placed itself upon Dean's hand and gave it a little squeeze. "I always knew this day would come. Friends, then?"
Dean looked at Athenodora, her eyes wide with surprise. "You knew? You're not mad?" Of course she knew! How many times had Caius told her that this woman here, this strong, unmistakable Queen of Volterra, had known? She'd just never grasped how accepting she would be of the relationship. She'd never understood polyamory. She'd grown up to believe you'd find one person to be completely devoted to, no matter what. While she knew Caius didn't love Athenodora in the same way...she still felt like a homewrecker.
"Yes," Thena nodded. "The way you two look at each other is...well, he's always loved you. I could never amount to that. As long as we can be honest with each other, we remain friends."
Feelings and emotions she couldn't quite describe washed over her. Relief was among them, and she felt her shoulders sag with the weight of guilt being gently removed from them. "Thank you, Thena...I promise, I never meant to come between you two," she said earnestly.
Athenodora's smile grew warmer. "I know. Let's just take things one step at a time."
Dean nodded, a new sense of hope lighting up her blue eyes. "Friends," she agreed, squeezing Athenodora's hand in return.
~/~
"Where have you been?" Caius seethed as he paced back and forth in his art room. He resembled an angry albino panther, the way he prowled from one end of the room to the other. Athenodora was sitting on a plush white chair before him, wearing a short silver dress with cut outs and metal rings holding the top and bottom pieces together. Her right leg was crossed over her left, allowing the skirt to ride up scandalously.
She looked up at Caius, her expression calm despite his fury. "I was with Dean," she replied softly, her voice steady and unapologetic. "We were talking about some things that needed to be addressed."
Caius stopped pacing and glared at her. "Talking? About what?" He demanded, his eyes narrowing.
Athenodora met his gaze without flinching. "About us. About her feelings for you," she said plainly. "She confessed to me, and we had a long conversation."
Caius' face softened slightly, though his tension was still evident. "And?" He asked, his voice quieter now. He was almost...dare he admit...nervous?
"And we agreed to be honest with each other," Athenodora continued.
"Honest?" Caius scoffed. "You?"
"Yes, honest," she replied firmly. "I know it's hard to believe, but I meant every word. We can't keep secrets if we want to move forward."
Caius turned to her with a smile baring all his teeth. She was forgetting her place, clearly. "Oh, you want to know everything, do you?" He advanced on her, and though his smile was malicious, she didn't move a muscle as he invaded her personal space, his hands roughly grabbing her hips and forcing himself between her legs. "You want to know everything I do with her? Every where I touch her? You want to know how I say her name while she pleases me in ways you'll never be able to?"
Athenodora's eyes filled with a mixture of fear and defiance, a little bit of anger, and a little bit of excitement. She tilts her head up, his blonde hair brushing her cheeks softly as he glared down at her. Her own smile was wicked as she matched his energy. "I can be just as cruel as you, Caius," she promised. "That's why you kept me around for so long, isn't it? Because you can break me and I'll just heal. If you break her, she's gone. And I think this time around, you may get what you want. This time, if you break her, there's no do overs."
***SMUT****She reached up and grabbed his jaw roughly in her hand. "She may hold your heart, Caius...but I own your body." She kissed him deeply, harshly, violently. Caius' grip on her hips tightened as he gave in to her, her words sparking excitement through his entire body as he grinds himself against her, scooping her up and throwing everything off his desk as he slams her down on it hard enough to hear a crack in the wood. She turns to look at him, her golden curls falling across her smug face as she gazes at him with triumphant lustful eyes.
Caius undoes his belt with one hand while feeling her slick folds between her legs. She mewls, rocking her hips back against his hand as he expertly works that button he'd been pressing for nearly three thousand years. He pushed a finger inside of her, his eyes watching her reactions and how she responded to him as he pumped the digit in and out of her, then added a second to stretch her out a little more. Deciding it wasn't enough for him, he uses his free hand to slam her head down face first on the desk and leans forward to wrap his hand around her throat so tightly that cracks appear in her marble skin.
She moans loudly, his name coming from between her lips like a prayer as she begs him to take her, just the way she knows he likes. Take her hard, punish her, make her scream so that the entire castle could hear them. Caius brought her to the precipice of her pleasure, teetering on the edge of a powerful orgasm...watched as her eyes rolled back into her head as her body began to shudder...and then pulled away completely, taking it all away. ****NO SMUT***
"Caius," she snapped angrily, her eyes glaring at him as she bared her teeth in annoyance.
Caius simply stood up, buckling his belt back up in a calm fury as he never took his eyes off of her. "Did we learn a lesson today, wife?" He spits the last word as if it were a curse. Athenodora glares with all the hatred of a thousand suns.
"Maybe I should just leave, then? Let you be alone for the rest of your miserable life when she dies again, because of you."
With that, she stands up and struts out of the room, letting the door slam behind her. Caius stood there, his rage simmering beneath the surface, but he couldn't help feeling a twinge of fear at her words. The silence was deafening, and for a moment, he was left alone with his thoughts and the echo of the slamming door.
A few moments later, Aro and Marcus flit in, their eyes taking in the disaster of the art room with amused interest. "Redecorating, brother?" Aro jests.
"Funny," snaps Caius, not bothering to hold back his bad mood.
Aro allowed himself another giddy look around the room before turning serious once more. "We need to discus Arban and his coven," Aro began, his voice calm but firm. "Their actions are unpredictable, and we must decide on a course of action. We cannot have two rebellions. It will make us look weak."
Marcus nodded lazily, following along in agreement. "And there's the matter of Dean," he added, his voice a low timber of warmth as he said her name. Reverent and kind. "If she truly manages to summon this Hecate witch, it could complicate things further. We need to be prepared for any eventuality."
Caius stood still, having no response yet, so Aro continued to press on, moving forward to ensnare the blonde in his schemes.
"I know you're hoping for an end to this madness with your lady love, Caius, however we have no way to predict the outcome of her arrival." His eyes gleam with curiosity and concern, perhaps a bit of meddlesome mischief. "We must consider every possibility, including the potential threat Hecate herself poses. We cannot afford to be caught off guard. We need to gather more information about both her and Dean's powers and intentions. This situation, delicate as it is, is an unknown. I will not stand for either species putting ours in danger."
Caius bristled at the unsaid threat in Aro's tone. "If you mean to dispatch Dean just because you're afraid," he snarled, rounding on Aro and taking an almost uncontrolled step forward. "I won't let you."
Aro's eyes narrowed on him slightly, but he remained calm. "Brother, my concern is for the safety of our kind. Dean's actions, whether intentional or not, could have far-reaching consequences. We need to be certain of her intentions and the extent of her powers."
Marcus intervened, stepping between the two. "Let's not let this escalate. We all want the same thing: to protect our people. Caius, no one is suggesting we harm Dean without cause. But we must be prepared for every possibility."
Caius snarled once more, his glare kept it's heat as he moved his angry spotlight from brother to brother. "Fine," he snapped. "But know this, Aro: I will not stand by and let fear dictate our actions. Dean deserves a chance to prove herself."
Aro nodded, his expression softening slightly. "Very well. We will proceed with caution. Let us reach out to our most trusted allies and gather any information they might have. Perhaps that...Klaus bloke, in America." He pauses, heaving a wistful sigh as his gaze drifts towards the window. "If only we had Alice."
Caius rolls his eyes, ignoring Aro and waving him out the door. "Get out of my studio," he dismisses. Aro chuckles, amused as he is by his brothers bad mood.