Story is on Ao3 under Fire is Everywhere

Bella P.o.V.

"What-" I wanted to ask him what he was doing here. He was a king after all. Searching for a human wasn't a job a king would do. Sudden pain hindered me in asking him. I cut off. Angrily at myself I grimaced and started again: "What is a vampire king doing in my hospital room?"

Caius stared down at me, my blanket still in his hand. It looked hilarious and if the situation wouldn't be that strange I would laugh. The answer the king of vampire kind gave me stopped that feeling: "I was send here to take you to Volterra. You are a witness in the trial of Edward Mason Cullen."

I froze and stared into this cold crimson-colored eyes. Then the name hit me and I hugged myself. Like every time the name fell and I didn't thought it only it was as if someone ripped my heart off. The hole opened again and I had the feeling that I couldn't breathe anymore. My heartbeat increased and tears welled up.

"What is he doing in Volterra?" I asked myself. Of course the vampires could hear me, damn vampire hearing! I felt the glares of three vampires burning in me. Oh, I shocked them. They weren't that used to my obvious tiredness of life like the Cullen's were when they left. Obviously I liked my life and I was kind of happy to sit here even with the wounds Victoria left on my skin but living with vampires was at times difficult. That they thought I didn't give a shit on my life had its origin in my behavior towards them. I never corrected them because sometimes I thought the same. I saw in the corner of my eye that Caius shook his head as if disagreeing on something.

"That's none of your business," he said to me after a while that felt like eternity.

I closed my eyes. If I ever stepped in the castle of the Volturi I was prey. They could kill me in a second and never think of me again. I had Charlie. He would miss me. And why should I throw my life away when Edward was kinda obvious not interested in me anymore?! Should he get killed! If he wished for it he sure had his reasons. Maybe he wanted to purify himself with this strange act. So let him go! I wasn't interested in him, he wasn't interested in me. If the vampires wanted to kill me they will have a lot of chances going by now. I wouldn't go with them! Not, if I had a little bit of self-determination in this!

"I won't go with you! It's non of my business as you said before. So why should I go there? If he like to get killed it's his decision! He left me, there is no reason why I should risk my life to save his!"

I looked up to the king. The other two vampires stood in my back but I didn't care. I was angry that they meant they just could rescue my ass and then tell me that I am going to be killed after I blamed Edward for telling me of vampires! Please, it wasn't even his fault. When I recalled it correctly I was the one who told Edward that I knew his secret. Jacob told me, just to blame another person. I put the things together and solved the puzzle like I did many others before. Just that this puzzle was quite difficult because the supernatural was involved.

The face of Caius displayed a lot of emotions. I wasn't quite sure if I interpreted them right. Happiness. I wondered why he should be happy that I argued with him. Confusion. That would be an emotion I would display, too. If I was a vampire king, almost three-thousand years old and a mere human like me would argue with him, I would be confused, too. But angry at the same time. Why should I bow to what the human tells me? But this emotion never showed up.

"You will come with us. You have no right to argue in this point." he stepped away and stretched his back. His body represented might. He was a king and with his body-language he stated to never forget what he was. I caught myself staring at him and admiring his beauty. Of course he was beautiful. The female vampire in my room, I turned around after a while just checking the gender, was like an angle. Her pale-brown hair was short-cut but even a Botticelli-angel would be ugly in comparison with her. If there was one thing I admired on every vampire it was the beauty. Even I could be beautiful if I was a vampire. But that would never happen.

Suddenly the vampire king smiled evil. "But I promise that no one would hurt you as long as you do what I say you to do."

"No!" I snapped before I could stop myself. "I won't come with you! And I'm quite bad at following orders! Ed- this goddamn idiot could tell you tons of stories in which I didn't obey one order he gave me! Just kill me or leave me alone. I-"

I stopped as I realized three vampires were staring at me with wide-opened eyes. Uncomfortable, I blushed and stared at my fingers which were entwined in the tick.

I thought about it and came to the conclusion that I had to go forward now. I had begun to tell my reasons now I had to finish.

"I don't want to have anything to do with the supernatural world anymore. Please. My dad will be heartbroken if I just leave. He would search for me all over the world" I whispered desperately.

Caius sat down by my side which caused the two vampires to gasp for air (which was unneeded, just telling if you forgot about it). He stroke my hair.

"I know that it's hard for you. But if you feel better about it we will tell him that you want to distance yourself from Edward. We'll tell him that you leave for an elite high school in Italy."

I looked up and stared into the crimson eyes of him.

"Why?" I whispered while I started to cry in the arms of a vampire king.

Update (10/09/22): Fixed grammar and spelling mistakes