Chapter 6

How am I so stupid?! Am I really just a glutton for punishment?!

Bella continued to silently berate herself as she mechanically walked alongside Aro as he guided her down the decorated winding hallways. The featherlight touches on the back of her hand sent small electrical currents through the burdensome appendage, up her arm to settle restlessly in her chest. Focusing her efforts on maintaining a semblance of self-control, she counted her breaths mentally as she felt his nails scrap teasingly against the thin skin on the inside of her wrist. She was pulled short in her focused calculations as Aro stopped in front of a pair of colossal ebony doors. Hammered gold was embedded in the periphery of its frame, the twisted decor miming serpentine figures. Blinking dazed doleful eyes upward at his sudden stop, she realized that they must have reached their destination as Aro grinned like a Cheshire Cat down at her before he lifted a hand to press against the lustrous wood.

"You seem distracted, piccolo uccello! What have you so lost in thought?"

"Oh! No...nothing! I just was thinking…about this book! I found it interesting."

Aro's amused reddened eyes flicked down to the handwritten book clenched to her chest with a deep rumbling chuckle as he opened the ornately decorated door wide and ushered her inside. From what she could tell the room was vast, though the majority of its details were cast in shadows from the heavy curtains obstructing the window's light. Aro pulled his arm away gently before clapping loudly once, the numerous lights immediately flaring to life across the span of the room, several golden scones decorated with meticulously etched vine work chased the darkness away as he strolled to the ceiling-length windows to tie back the heavy drapes.

Bella jumped slightly as he pivoted on his heel abruptly, he clasped his hands in front of him with an indulging smile.

"Please, make yourself at home! I will be back momentarily with some supplies. Chapter six is very enlightening if you want to peruse it though I must admit the information I utilized at the time was slightly dated."

Bella barely had time to open her mouth to question him before the room before her was empty. Glancing incredulously around the silent room, she noted that there were select few places in which to sit other than a large armchair facing an equally large fire hearth, a massive bed centered against the far wall overflowing with immaculate black bedding which she determinedly decided to ignore, and an antiqued chair that accompanied a desk which was methodically arranged with writing instruments, letters, and documents in precise stacks and groups. Deciding the desk was her safest bet, she gingerly sat on the finely upholstered chair at the large mahogany desk situated by the nearest window. Peering at her surroundings she studied the tall bookcases standing behind her which housed numerous other large tomes in various languages that sat perfectly organized by height, width, color, and size. Raising an eyebrow at the systematized pattern of organization, she laid her own book on the reflective desktop amongst the arranged writing utensils and distractedly flipped to chapter six.

She pursed her lips at the elegantly penned chapter title of Legami di Accoppiamento Vampirici before taking a moment to appreciate the penmanship. The flowing handwriting was beautiful and effortless in a way Bella couldn't hope to reproduce as she focused finally on the handwritten English excerpt at the bottom of the page.

Vampiric mating bonds are unbreakable. Per Pasa Abbas, circa Bulgaria 1811, of the Ottoman Empire, a shifter anti-vampiric supremacist who conducted studies on vampiric behavior, "Vampiric mates undergo the most unusual of transformations. Both parties have begun to share behaviorisms and mannerisms similar to the other despite being separated though observed demeanor is more erratic with longer disconnections. When brought together, however, subjects showed a stabilization of cataclysmal personal manifestations of behavior. Harm to one equally harms the other, albeit not in a physical sense. Such as the removal of one's eye does not result in the loss of vision of the other however, there appears to be a shared responsiveness of pain in an extraordinary exemplification. The stabilizing mechanism of the bond is abolished with the death of the partner, however with frightening consequences to the surviving mate. Reference Case 1.254.2, the experimentation of vampiric mating bonds between a captured unnamed male individual who displayed the ability of visual projection and his mate who was documented as having mere average talents. Upon the controlled elimination of the female of the mating party, the other exhibited intractable, destructive phantasmagoria of escalating severity. Subject was ultimately terminated."

Bella slammed the book shut hard enough to cause several of Aro's organized pens to roll across his desk. With a rapidly thudding heart, she swallowed down the bile that had crept up her throat as she leaned back in the chair to stare at the unassuming book in front of her. People had experimented on vampires through those bonds. Those very same bonds that Marcus informed that she shared with his brother. These people watched and documented their scientific findings on causality by harming these incarcerated individuals like they were lab rats, and eventually decided to see what would happen if one variable was taken away. Steadying her stomach, she quickly tried to righten Aro's desk just as he made his way back into the room. Her face flushed scarlet in her embarrassment at the disorganization of his belongings as he ambled closer with keen eyes sweeping over its surface.

"La mia Isabella! Che bella vista! Seeing you sitting there."

Once again, Bella was at a loss of understanding the foreign words being directed at her though she picked up enough to know that he did not appear upset with her sitting at his desk.

"I am so sorry. I closed the book harder than I thought."

Aro's lips quirked into a humoring smile while he reached down to rotate the pen Bella had attempted to replace to its original location, in a ninety-degree angle so the point was angled downward and carefully moved his inkwell several millimeters to the right with a fingertip. Her assumption was that he must have some degree of obsessive-compulsive disorder which would explain the current scale of configuration of his personal belongings.

"No harm done, mio caro. An easy fix. Now let's get you all fixed up!"

A startled gasp slipped past Bella's lips as Aro angled the chair towards him with a nudge of the toe of his polished shoe against the leg of the seat. The position put her nearly knee to knee with the Volturi king who placed a tray carefully on his desk and smoothly applied hand sanitizer before unwrapping a pair of latex gloves.

"Wait…you're going to fix it? Where is Heidi?"

Aro let out a trickling laugh as he tilted his head to peer down at her flabbergasted expression. The thick dark tresses of his hair slipped forward as his smile widened while he reached for a syringe and a vial of clear liquid.

"Heidi is currently preoccupied. Though I assure you that I am more than capable of suturing a wound of this size."

Bella eyed the needle held delicately between Aro's fingers with apprehension as he injected air into the vial before slowly withdrawing the liquid within.

"You are trained in medicine?"

Aro chuckled loudly as he flicked his finger against the syringe to release the trapped air bubbled before capping it carefully to set it aside on the medical tray to pour another unlabeled liquid into a small shallow bowl to which he added a handful of cotton balls.

"I suppose you could say that. I have seen the thoughts and memories of countless physicians throughout my time, my dear friend Carlisle included. Such skills have become as familiar as walking to me. It is quite useful! Though my humble skills are not near on Caius's scale, it will do. Now this will be a little cold as I disinfect the wound."

Aro's long fingers grasped a set of forceps in which he lifted a saturated cotton ball to Bella's forehead. His movements were careful and measured as he tenderly brushed the soft cotton against the wound to remove the dried blood that had accumulated. Bella had never seen a vampire act so delicately with a human other than the Olympic coven's patriarch, even Edward's graceful playing of the piano keys paled in the fluid movements of the king's fingers and wrist.

Swallowing thickly as she watched him put aside the forceps to pick up the syringe once more, she mulled over his words.

"What do you mean by Caius' skills? It doesn't seem that he would bother with healing anyone."

The statement was filled with more bitterness than Bella had intended and she froze in alarm when she registered the abrasiveness of her words though Aro's spirited barking laugh eased her worry. The king even paused in removing the syringe's cap to giggle uncontrollably at her mean-spirited remark and Bella watched him with cautious eyes.

"I meant no offense! Just seems the opposite of what he likes to do, if you understand what I mean."

"Ah, il mio uccellino, you are charming. It is not a well-known fact but Caius does have an extraordinary ability to heal humans by mere touch. To him it is but a useless ability and therefore is not information that is often relayed in conversation. It has been quite a sore subject for him! As you perfectly deducted, Caius has little initiative to 'bother' with healing anyone, much less a human. He isn't even able to heal himself with his talent and realized he has the gift purely by chance. I joke that it was fate's cruel irony that such a surly individual was gifted with such capableness." Aro's lip lifted to reveal a sharp toothy edge as he winked at her playfully, "Let it be our little secret. My brother would not take kindly to me sharing his secrets. Now, you will feel a slight pinch and a burn as I inject the lidocaine into the surrounding tissues. Afterward, you shouldn't feel a thing!"

That jerk can heal people?! Him?!

It seemed a complete waste for a cruel man like Caius to be awarded such an amazing skill. Carlisle, yes. Caius, a resounding no. Bella would love to have the capacity to help others around her and was holding out the hope that she wouldn't become an embarrassment of a vampire. The slight sting of the needle caused her to fist her hands against her thighs and she closed her eyes tightly. A moment passed before she heard the slight metallic sound of something being set down before a cool caress of breath was felt against her temple and the light swipe of fingers against her clenched hands caused her to open her eyes in surprise to see Aro crouched in front of her blowing cold air against the sting of her wound. Finely manicured hands traced the shadow of veins on the back of her hands as he soothingly relaxed her hands to rest open against her thighs.

Bella felt like she couldn't breathe as she stared up into his hazy darkened gaze which lazily drifted over her face before meeting her own once more. The sensation of sinking into their crimson depths stirred the restless energy coiled underneath her breast and she unconsciously leaned forward toward those beguiling eyes though she felt him retreat slightly to gaze down at her with an unreadable expression.

"There now, the worst part is done. That was a little trick my mother utilized often when my sister or I would injure ourselves as children. Didn't do much to heal anything, but it was comforting nonetheless when she did it."

Bella sat back in her seat dazed, feeling tipsy over the potency of his spicy aroma. This was the first time he had mentioned his human family. It was such a normal action to do, to comfort one's child after some unfortunate accident. It was a humanizing statement that reminded Bella that each of the Volturi, including their kings, was once a human just like her and not these supernatural, all-powerful beings.

"Your mother? Do you remember your family?"

Aro's expression shifted minutely as he turned his eyes to the large portrait above the mantel that Bella had not noticed when she first entered. The painting showed a beautiful woman seated on a stone bench with intricately coiled dark hair and draped with flowing white linen. The artist had captured warm brown eyes which were creased in a wide smile similar to that of Aro's own that Bella had frequently witnessed. Standing beside her was a young boy, no older than twelve, who had his hand laid over the lady's shoulder with an identical bright smile and lively molten chocolate eyes, hair cut short near his shoulders, and dressed similarly in a tunic of light blue. Perched on the reclining lady's lap was a toddler-aged girl with wild curling black locks, a mischievous smile, and shining green eyes.

Aro's voice was fond as he gazed up at the painting before turning to pick up a pair of tweezers and returned to his task which now consisted of removing the threads left ruined by Caius' rough handling of her person.

"The memories have slowly faded over the centuries though I still remember things at times. I had that particular portrait commissioned several decades ago when I could still recall my mother's face. We were particularly close, my mother, sister, and I. Both had such an infectious laugh!"

Bella smiled gently at Aro's wistful expression as he picked up the needle and thread to start to sew the clean wound at her temple closed.

"You must get your laugh honestly then."

Aro's smile appeared genuine as he dragged his thumb lightly against her cheekbone before tucking a stray hair behind her ear and braced his hand carefully against her scalp to start suturing. Thankfully the lidocaine had numbed the area sufficiently and Bella could not feel the puncture of the needle. She passed the quiet moment watching Aro's facial features as he focused intently on his work.

"What about your father?"

Aro's hand froze in its fluid motion of pulling the thread taunt and Bella's brows furrowed at the sudden statuesque visage before Aro started moving again just as if he never paused to begin with.

Aro clipping off the end of the thread stopped Bella from pursuing the conversation further and she adverted her eyes back to the forgotten book on top of the desk before Aro's low voice drew her eyes back to his own.

"He received his due. Much like the gentleman you encountered last night."

Bella's back stiffened as memories flooded her mind of the spray of hot, red blood against her hands and forearms along with the sickening recollection of how easily the letter opener had slid into the belligerent man's neck. Her hands trembled as she wrapped her arms around herself and folded herself forward.

"It was an accident."

"An accident that was necessary."

Aro turned to collect his supplies back onto the tray as Bella shook her head in disagreement. How could she justify taking someone's life? Her life was no greater than anyone else and the regret of lashing out ate at her conscious.

"Killing people is wrong. No matter the circumstance!"

Aro's pale face turned to look down at her with barely concealed derision as he lifted a single ebony eyebrow in challenge. Frustration bubbled up in Bella's gut at the near condescending glance just when she felt that she was starting to understand Aro more as a person versus Aro, the Volturi King. Aro's voice pitched low as he leaned a hip against the desk and crossed his arms across the wide expanse of his chest.

"No matter the circumstance? If you truly believe that then you have much to learn, piccolo uccello."

"Of course not! Who are we to hold judgment? Look at the Cullens! They live peacefully among humans without hurting anyone."

Aro's other eyebrow rose as well to meet the other as he adopted a near-pitying look that caused Bella to pause. A slight shake of his head made her feel as if she had stated the most idiotic belief though she knew that the Cullens were pure-hearted despite their flaws in handling Edward's emotional roller coaster of a personality. Each one of them, with perhaps the exception of Rosalie, had never been anything but overwhelmingly polite to her before her and Edward's split.

"Do you honestly believe that? Do you truly understand what the Olympic Coven does not like about us? Their only objection to my family is our diet, not how we handle our business or our dealings with others. As much as I consider Carlisle my dear friend, he is not a saint, mio caro."

She stood to her feet at his flippant evaluation of Carlisle. That man, more than anyone she knew, exemplified what it meant to have a peaceful co-existence. He was a doctor for heaven's sake! The man made a living taking care of others, not because he needed money, but because he wanted to!

"That is not true! Carlisle has always cared for others!"

Obviously sensing that Bella was not going to let the statement lie, Aro turned more to become more comfortable against the desk. Leaning his weight into it more fully, he stretched his long legs out in front of him to lightly rest one polished shoe on top of the other.

"Perhaps I was hasty in summarizing his character, though I will make no such excuses for his 'family'. Carlisle, the good doctor that he is, has never once attempted to stop us, or any of the other hundreds of traditional covens, from adopting our natural diet. Never once did he request us to stop consuming human blood and his only request, while residing here, was simply not to partake in its consumption. He never lifted a single finger to save those humans that entered our halls, not once. That inaction does not make him a 'bad' person, and he is not going to push his views on others when he knows it is our nature as a predator. Very much different than the fire and brimstone approach of dear Edward or the passive acceptance of the others to their coven leader's habits."

Bella shook her head violently at his insinuation, "That isn't right! I know them, they all share Carlisle's beliefs. That is why they joined that coven over the others, to begin with!"

Aro's lips tilted upward slightly as he leaned forward towards her causing her to inch backward to prevent his face from brushing up against hers. He cocked his head to the side as he considered her impassioned response, those midnight locks sliding forward once more to frame his angular face.

"Our dear Carlisle wanted so badly to avoid human blood that he created his own 'family' and you think that they all follow that animal-based diet because they believe in the gentle doctor's ideology? You would be quite incorrect, il mio piccolo."

Aro's thick scent of spice and aged text was making it difficult for Bella to maintain her thoughts. The addictive aroma rattled her senses and she had to push aside the urge to relent to the arrogant vampire in front of her. She made to respond, but Aro quickly cut her off as he reached forward quickly to curl a lock of her hair around his index finger.

"Your dear Edward decided to rebel against Carlisle for several years after his transformation despite the doctor's best intentions with his change. Did he ever tell you that he first started killing homeless drug addicts since no one would miss them? However, he found he didn't much care for the altered synthetic taste of their blood and turned his attention to other criminals, such as rapists, thieves, and murderers because they simply tasted better to him. He would use his gifts to read their thoughts and ultimately 'enact his own judgment of their eternal souls. He did not return to Carlisle because he felt what he did was wrong, he became bored and unfulfilled in his perceived God-like existence."

Bella's body stiffened in horror at the venom-laced words that left those perfect lips. It had to be lies! Edward, of all people, with his strong sense of justice would never have performed the atrocious acts Aro so easily accused him of. Edward had never harmed anyone, she was sure of it! In the back of her mind, however, a dark voice whispered asking how could she be so certain. She had never asked such a thing of her boyfriend, the thought had never crossed her mind with his adamant vocal damnation of other vampires that consumed human blood. Aro continued with his one-sided conversation despite her lack of response.

"As far as the others, Esme only follows their selective diet because it is her mate's wish. She follows him because she wants to please him, not because she thinks feeding off humans is wrong. She made it clear to our Edward that she had no qualms with her son feeding from you if it would satisfy his unending thirst for your essence as his la tua cantante. It is whatever Edward felt he needed at the time. Rosalie adheres to the diet the best, but she doesn't actually care for human life. She feeds from animals due to the misplaced desire to be as human as possible. She, much like her brother, resents what they have become. She doesn't care what traditional vampires do as long as she can pretend to still be alive. Her mate, Emmett, follows the diet for Rosalie's whims. If she would change to surviving off of humans, so would he without hesitation. Your friend Alice lives in an altered reality conjured up by her visions and her perceived need to act a certain way to stay loyal to Carlisle whom she feels indebted to. She would do whatever he wished for her to do, it is not out of any sense of wanting to spare human life. If Carlisle fed from humans, so would she. Jaspar, similar to Emmett, only follows the wishes of Alice as her mate though he violently craves to return to his prior ways. The Cullens were created to ease Carlisle's loneliness and to follow his ideals, and not one of them truly believes in his peaceful ideologies."

Bella nearly growled herself as she leaned forward into Aro's personal space at the end of his tirade. Her nose nearly brushed his own as heavy panting breaths burned her lungs while countless doubts manifested and plagued her mind.

"You don't know that! You don't know them! You have never even spoken to them, how would you know about their beliefs!?"

A near-deranged excitement flooded Aro's bloody gaze at her emboldened advancement and riled retort. His dark pupils impossibly widened making his eyes appear near black as he parted his lips to breathe in deeply as if trying to pull her anger into his very being. His hands gripped the edge of his desk tightly and Bella had the impression that he was a hair breath from reaching for her with those restless fingers that flexed against the wood. He let out a shuddering giggle as he leaned his sinful mouth closer to the shell of her ear.

"You are wrong again, il mio ingenuo campagno. If I am incorrect in these facts, then you should consider whose mind I gleaned this information from."

The anger left her in a rush, leaving her nearly dizzy in its wake as she comprehended the implication of his breathy words. He could read their minds and delve into their darkest thoughts and memories. He would have encountered Carlisle numerous times over the years, Edward twice during their little adventure, and Alice once. He would know, probably better than anyone, the Cullens's innermost secrets. Carefully guarded lies and convictions that Bella was never going to be privy to. Edward's powers had their limitations on a person's current thoughts, he couldn't access their memories unless the person was actively thinking about it. His telepathy could also be skewed slightly with false thoughts which Bella had personally witnessed in the brotherly interactions between the Cullen brothers, abet in a teasing manner. Aro's gift had no such limitations and for the first time, Bella was beginning to understand just how truly dangerous such an ability was.

Turning her face slowly, she focused on the manic eagerness broadcasted across Aro's handsome face out of the corner of her eye. He appeared nearly unhinged in his willingness to share his sinister interpretations of his harvested thoughts. His taboo observations spoken so simply as if he was discussing the weather made Bella realize he was wholly convinced of every word he spieled. Her voice wavered slightly as she leaned away from the eccentric man.

"I would like to return to my room now please, Mr. Aro…"

In a blink of an eye, Aro now stood upright in front of her with his hands clasped in front of him with a kindly smile, all traces of his apparent madness gone so quickly that Bella wasn't sure if she didn't imagine the altercation. The complete shift in his demeanor left her speechless and she stared at him dumbstruck. The man once more oozed the guise of a calm, benevolent Volturi king and Bella had to wonder which one was the true Aro.

"Of course, and please, it is just Aro! You must be ready for lunch after such an eventful morning. Go on now, I'll call Gianna to bring you something!"

What...the...hell...just happened?!

Aro picked up the book Bella had previously taken from the library and gently pressed it into her hands before he laid his own on her shoulders to steer her toward the suite's door. Bella wordlessly let him guide her to the large doors which he opened after a small squeeze to her shoulders.

"Felix!"

The aforementioned vampire materialized in front of them with a curious expression as he looked from his master down to the petite human. The behemoth of a man was also adorned in more casual attire for the day with a fitted black v-neck shirt and jeans. The Volturi guard pendant swung slightly at his chest as he focused his complete attention back on the silent king.

"Yes, Master Aro?"

"Please escort Isabella to her quarters for her meal. I will message Gianna to bring her something shortly."

Felix flashed a toothy smile down at Bella before he gave an exaggerated bow and held his hand out toward her.

"This way fair maiden!"

Bella rolled her eyes in exasperation at the guard's playful behavior but placed her hand within his own anyway. As Felix walked her down the hall discussing his latest training regimen for the evening, Bella cast her eyes back over her shoulder to Aro whose form was cast into the shadows of his doorway though appeared to be watching them quietly. An foreign overwhelming sense of loneliness flooded her chest though the sensation quickly dissipated as she turned the corner with the outspoken guardsman.

ARO POV

Aro stared at the withdrawing form of Bella and Felix before he shifted his now stoic gaze in the opposite direction of the hallway to the voluptuous blonde figure leaning against the far doorframe leading to the tower.

"Sulpicia."

The leggy woman gracefully straightened herself as she prowled towards the Volturi ruler with a flirty smile painted across red-tinged full lips. Her light teal blouse was stretched taunt and low across her ample bosom, her dark pencil skirt skin tight, and her Italian designed high heels clicked loudly against the stone. As she neared him, she trailed sharply manicured nails over his shoulder and down his sleeve before peering up at him through dark mascaraed lashes.

"Husband."

Aro withdrew himself from her searching hands in favor of retreating back into his quarters though he did leave the door open for the now pouting woman to follow behind him. Pulling his cell phone from his pocket, he typed a quick missive for Gianna regarding Bella's lunch before he tucked it away back into his inner pocket and turned to observe his wife who was looking over the discarded medical supplies on his desk with apparent distaste.

"What do you need Sulpicia? The alimony and divorce agreement has already been sent to your assistant per our agreement. I expect everything was to your satisfaction."

Sulpicia swung icy red eyes up to him at his callous remark though she swiftly schooled her expression into a more pleasant appearance as she swayed toward him once more.

"It is to my satisfaction, dear husband. As per our prenuptial agreements, I will graciously step aside in light of your newly found little human mate."

Sarcasm filled the bitter statement and Aro stiffened his shoulders at her minor slight against Bella though he did not feel like fighting with the mercurial female vampire when other things needed his attention.

"You knew our marriage was a contractual agreement since the time of your change. You were chosen to fill the role of my spouse in such a capacity until the time either one of us found our mates. You will be compensated handsomely for your efforts for the Volturi and you will be able to go enjoy your various lovers at your leisure now without holding up required appearances to our associates."

"Of course, Aro! I would say I am overdue for a much-needed vacation. However, I do have a request if possible. If you can find it within yourself, I would still like to accompany you to the Renaissance Soiree this weekend. As you know I have exhaustingly prepared a splendid event for the covens and the international dignitaries that have started to arrive. As your young mate is not yet experienced in such endeavors, I would like to see the completion of the soiree before leaving to ensure that everything goes smoothly."

Sulpicia's honeyed words were unconvincing, though he would admit that she had centuries worth of etiquette experience in dealing with their various associates at these types of events. At the same time, arrangements with Sulpicia usually proved to be tedious due to the woman's controlling and abrasive personality. In this instance, however, she was partially correct regarding Bella not being ready to assume the role of hostess for a party she did not even plan. To the gods, he was still working on the girl's attachment to the childish and emotional Cullen boy. She, unfortunately, was in no way near ready to take on something of this caliber without prior guidance.

"Very well. We will complete the soiree as previously arranged but you are to remain on your best behavior throughout its entirety. You will be respectful of Isabella. Do you understand? You are well aware of what will happen if you disregard this warning."

The model-like beauty frowned deeply at him, her jaw tightening, before she smiled widely and waved a hand disinterestedly in the air at his threat.

"Wouldn't dream of such a thing. Well, I will excuse myself to finish my preparations and discuss the final touches for our gowns with Athenodora. I wish you all the luck in the world, my love, in your chase."

Aro's eyes remained emotionless as he watched her leave before he snorted delicately. The woman was a menace that he should have taken care of a long time ago when her materialistic greed and manipulation escalated though her fiery ambition is partially what drew him to her in the first place. He had vainly hoped that his ex-wife would have discreetly relinquished her position as previously agreed, but her personality proved that unlikely.

Looks like I will need to address her more forcefully.

Brooding eyes shifted back to the portrait set carefully above his mantel to trace his mother and sister's faces as memories leaked into the forefront of his mind. His mother's muffled sobs and Didyme's cries as his father gripped the back of his shirt to throw him into the small storage room which was locked swiftly behind him. The resounding hammering of his fists against the roughly-grained wood echoed in his mind when his sister's wails turned pained and his mother's pleading, so hard that his hands bled. So helpless, so useless to prevent the unspeakable horrors bestowed on them. It felt like an eternity before his mother released him from his confinement, her face and visible chest a splattering of darkening purple hues. Even now Aro could clearly recall gazing up at her, his hands lying torn and bleeding in his lap in his kneeled position, the storage room door a grotesque display of long nail gouges from his failed escape and painted in his blood. His mother had sunk to her knees in front of him before she pulled his hands delicately into her own, tears streaming down her face. His memory shifted then to when he was newly transformed and glowering down at his pathetic father as he cowered in the corner.

"Τέρας! Έναςδαίμονας!"

The overwhelming pleasure Aro felt as he tore the despicable man's throat out was intoxicating. Pulling the gasping, dying man closer in a mockery of an embrace, Aro whispered softly as he stroked his father's hair back with his blood-soaked hands.

"Ότανκάποιοςεπικαλείταιένανδαίμονα, πρέπειναείναιπροετοιμασμένοςναακολουθήσειοθάνατος."

Aro had felt peace when he had ripped the man's head from his shoulders.

A new presence on the other side of his door drew him away from his memoirs and brought Aro back to his present. The familiar scent wafting to him soothed his restlessness and he called out a greeting to the silent individual.

"Enter Jane."

The door opened instantaneously and allowed the petite vampire to slip into the room before she bowed her head deeply to her master in respect. Aro had always been particularly fond of the twins since their induction into the Volturi, Jane particularly had consistently aimed for his approval, and he felt a near fatherly familiarity with the siblings.

"What do you have to report from Britain?"

Jane brought her shining red eyes up to meet her master's with childlike glee as she smiled widely at the anticipated news.

"Gabriel has agreed."

Piccolo Uccello-Little Bird

Legami di Accoppiamento Vampirici-Vampiric Mating Bonds

La mia Isabella-My Isabella

Che bella vista-Such a pretty sight

Mio Caro-My Dear

Il Mio Piccolo-My Little One

Il mio ingenuo campagno-My naïve mate

Τέρας!-Monster!

Ένας δαίμονας!-A demon!

Όταν κάποιος επικαλείται έναν δαίμονα, πρέπει να είναι προετοιμασμένος να ακολουθήσει ο θάνατος.- When one calls upon a demon, one must be prepared for death to follow.

Quotes:

When one calls upon a demon, one must be prepared for death to follow.-Margaret Rogerson

I would love to thank my beta, Rosario17, for all her help in proofreading and helping me sort all these interactions for the story.

All characters belong to Stephanie Meyers, I only own the plot.