Chapter 53 - And It Creeps On In To The Corners Of Your Soul
Amber's POV
Pulling up to what I can only describe as a living Renaissance dream. There before my eyes was a full-fledged castle. Right in the middle of this beautifully city with such amazingly historical architecture.
After a few seconds we're driving through some kind of gate and into an underground garage. As soon as we're parked, I'm already up and getting out of the van. The three older vamps gave a disapproving look that didn't sit well with me for a few reasons.
The main reason being that I seemed to want their approval, at least on some level. Their look of disapproval was so quick that I could have just been reading too much into it. Either way, I just shake it off.
Once I'm standing, I realize that I'm standing in front of a Lamborghini. I subtlety move my gaze around and in that moment I'm kind of intimidated by the amount of wealth surrounding me with the obnoxiously expensive collection of vehicles.
I never really cared about money or things in general, but seeing this many luxury vehicles and what little of this property that I've seen, I know that I'm not surrounded by money I'm surrounded by a totally different lifestyle than I could even imagine and that is startling.
I'm broken out of my thoughts as someone latches their hand through my arm. The dark-haired woman seems to beam at me as my arm automatically comes up so that I'm properly in position to escort her wherever it is that we are headed.
The long walk through the winding hallways seemed to fly by. Of course, it only seemed like a short walk since everything seemed to catch my attention. From the artwork on the walls to the wonderfully crafted stones.
We pass a few vampires and their odd reverence as our group passed had me pretty confused.
As we walked through a wide archway my attention is drawn to 3 men who even at this distance, I can feel the authority and power radiating off of them.
It didn't matter who they were I would not cower and even if I was feeling some trepidation and a healthy amount of fear, I wouldn't let anyone see it.
The man with long Dark hair seemed to sneer at me before locking eyes with me. I held his gaze head on in a manner that just screamed defiance.
What I wasn't expecting was the smirk that made its way onto his face. At the corner of my eyes, I quickly assessed the other 2 men who held grins of their own.
The man in the center stepped forward and held his arms out as he said "Welcome to Volturi Castle."
Peter's POV
The Volturi?!
My little sister sure knows how to keep things interesting.
I rubbed my temples for what seems like the millionth time since yesterday after Amber's phone call.
Currently Charlotte and I are on our way to Italy. What we're going to encounter once we get there is a mystery.
"You should call her again. We both know that you won't be able to focus till you check on her." Charlotte the ever-present voice of reasons tells me as she comes up behind me as she wraps her arms around me kissing my shoulder.
My hand comes out to stroke the side of her cheeks as I softly tell her, "My beacon of light that always guides me home." Then i softly kiss her as I continue, "You are absolutely right as always my love."
Charlotte simply gives me a smile as she lays her head on my back as she continues to hold me.
Amber answers on the 5th ring. "Peter? What is it? What's wrong?"
With a wince I realize that it's almost 4am in Italy and I just woke her up.
Charlotte chuckles and takes pity on me by telling Amber, "Sorry about waking you up honey. Peter just needed to hear your voice so he can reassure himself that you're still safe."
We both hear a groan on the other end of the line, "Yes I'm fine. Tired and grumpy, still kinda confused but fine."
There was a pause before Amber continued, "You'll be here by tonight, right?"
I smile as I pick up on the hopeful tone in Amber's voice. "Yes darling. We'll see you tonight."
"Good. Then I can go back to sleep now?" Amber asks with a hint of humor in her voice.
We both smile as we say together, "Yes. We love you. Goodnight."
Amber laughs softly as she replies, "I love you both. Night. Travel safely." Then hangs up.
"Feel better now?" Charlotte asks.
I did I really did.
Mike's POV
Why is it always something?
I'm man enough to admit I was terrified when I got the call from Amber then thanks to Peter's 'knowing thing' I received his call only a few minutes after Amber and I hung up, so he could elaborate more on the chaos that has become our lives.
Sadly, it took me almost 3 weeks to finally get leave to go to Italy.
I still didn't really know what I was walking into, but I would follow Amber straight through the gates of hell and vice versa, so here I am walking off the tarmac in The Darby Military Community Base. When I lock eyes with Amber all of my worry and stress seems to melt off of me as a huge grin light up my face as we race towards each other in a bone crushing hug.
You would think it had been years since we've seen each other and it sure as hell felt like years.
Once our exuberant reunion is over, we start making our way to what I'm assuming is Amber's vehicle. After a few steps I can't help but teasingly ask, "So how've you been Princess?"
Amber immediately groans and throws her hand over her face as she throws her head back to look at the sky. "Ugh! Please don't start that. I finally got everyone to stop calling me that and now it will be another 3 weeks of Princess Princess Princess!"
"Well it's your title right? So they aren't wrong." The rest of what I was going to say gets cut off with a pained grunt as Amber hits me in the arm.
We scuffle a little and it's just like old times. No matter the time and the distance we always pick up right where we left off...best friends.
I manage to get Amber into a headlock for about 2 seconds before I'm yanked back by the scruff of my jacket.
With Amber's stern "Demetri." I'm released.
Amber looks apologetic unlike Mr. Overprotective.
"Mike, Demetri. Demetri, my brother Mike." After the introductions Amber says, "They're pretty protective, but we're learning boundaries aren't we." Amber says with a glare at the end towards Demetri.
Demetri for his part looks unapologetic, which I respect. His job is obviously to protect my sister, so how could I hold it against him?
We shake hands with a mutual respect towards each other.
"So it comes with your own protective detail?" I say with a thumb towards Demetri.
Demetri smiles as he replies for Amber, " I'm the 4th guard. This one has a habit of giving the slip whenever the feeling arises. That's why I was chosen."
At my confused look Demetri elaborated with a smile, "My gift is tracking. Even if I were to lose her, I would be able to find her quickly.
Annoyed Amber says "Yeah yeah yeah, let's get going" with a wave of her arms.
Demetri clicks his heels together with a bow of his head and responds "Yes, of course Princess"
I see a sly grin on Demetri's face as Amber groans again and throws her hands up in the air as she yells at me, "Damn it! See what you've started!" As she stalks off to the car.
Demetri and I laugh as we share a high five as we walked behind Amber.
I'm definitely liking these new vampires.
Amber's POV
It's a relief to finally have my brother back. I can't help but think over the whirlwind that has been the last few weeks as Mike and Demetri chat in the front seat.
- Flashback -
"Welcome to Volturi Castle." The regal man says with arms wide. "I am Aro Volturi."
When I don't respond and remain still, Aro gives another grin before nodding slightly and holding out his hand.
The woman holding my arm gives me a gentle squeeze before releasing me. The other two women's hands graze my back and arms as they walk towards the other men.
I remain standing in my default position when dealing with my anxiety of the unknown which is in a tall poised professional posture with my head up and chest out just waiting for whatever is going to come next.
What I didn't expect was for Aro to say, "Come daughter, meet your other parents."
Immediately it was like the wind got knocked out of me and I lose my tall straight posture as my shoulders sagged with shock.
I'm not really sure how long I stood there slack-jawed but eventually I regain my senses, but still I remained rooted in place.
I made sure to keep breathing as I gulped big amounts of air through my nose. The last thing that I needed was to pass out in front of these weird vampires.
I honestly couldn't tell you anything specific about that night. It was a mix of shock and confusion.
I was confused and shocked for the next few days...ok, fine! I'm still a little shocked and confused.
I managed to find more vampire bonded family and not just any bonded family. I found parents, three sets of them.
The Volturi Kings and Queens were my parents and with that I was no longer an orphan and I became, 'L'erede apparente'. In translation the 'The Heir Apparent' or 'The Heir' aka 'L'erede' for short.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.
That night and most of the next day I stayed in my room, which let's be honest was more like multiple rooms that was more like a small apartment.
Around 11am that next day my racing mind and pacing body was interrupted by a knock on my door. With a deep breathe I opened it to find Didyme holding a tray of food and behind her was the blonde from my kidnapping, Jane.
Refusing to be rude I opened the door fully and gestured for both of them to come in.
Though I was surprised when Jane remained standing on the opposite wall from the door. I quirked my eyebrow at her, "Would you like to come in?" I ask.
Jane opens her mouth to respond, but it's Didyme, who answers for her, "I was hoping that we could have brunch alone together. If that's alright with you?" She has such a hopeful look on her face that it cracks any resolve that I may have had.
I grab the tray from her arms as I nod towards the table with my head as I give her a small smile.
Over that breakfast I learned that Didyme and I share a similar 'gift'. Even though you can't really count mine as a gift.
Didyme's gift is happiness. Similarly to Lexi and how you can't help but feel better in his presence Didyme's gift can make someone feel grounded and content.
I know what you're thinking, she's using her gift on me?! I was worried about that as well, but that's not how it works, thank gosh.
It's hard to describe.
It does make people feel happy, but it's more like if someone is feeling unbalanced, she can level them off.
I would have assumed she was lying except I've felt what her powers can do. It was like a warm of light entering my body and that warmth spread throughout it finding all of the cracks and broken pieces.
While it didn't fix all those cracks or broken parts when the warmth retracted from my body it left behind a lingering warmth that helped fill in some of those gaps.
It was like all the heaviness and pain that I've carried for most of my life became lighter. It sure as hell didn't make them disappear, but it sure made me breathe easier.
That alone for me was a miracle. Didyme said that some of that was her gift and the rest of it was the family bond at work. Filling in the gaps with the bond's strength and love.
As the days passed I slowly saw the truth in her words as I got to know my new family.
Caius took awhile to figure out. He was such a grumpy man. Always either looking blank faced or outright scowling.
I wasn't sure where I stood with him, but it turns out that he's a big softy underneath. At least where his family is concerned. He reminded me a lot of my Grandpa Roar.
He was an ornery old man, but he was extremely loving and gentle with those he loved.
Aro, I found out had the gift of seeing people's past with a simple touch. He was also able to project what he saw to anyone else as long as he was touching them all at the same time that he was reading someone.
I was nervous that he would see my past for many different reasons. Having someone know little on see the true horrors of my past first hand was intimidating to say the least.
Surpringly Aro explained his gift before asking if I would be comfortable with him using his gift to read me.
I wasn't sure what would happen or if he would even respect my wishes as I simply said, "I would rather not Sir."
The only response he gave was a pout. I mean a full on legitimate pout.
It was kind of funny to see a vampire that was millenia old pouting.
The other 'vampire parents' full on laughed at Aro's dejected pout.
"Your Father is only upset that he now has to get information the long and hard way. No one has ever denied him before." His wife Sulpicia said as she lovingly rubbed her husband's chest in a comforting gesture.
Aro straightened up as he haughtly said, "That just means that I will now get to spend lots of quality time getting to know my daughter."
At seeing my unsure look he tried to reassure me by saying, "Don't worry Daughter I will respect your decision. I would never jeopardize my relationship and trust with you for something so inconsequential."
I had honestly thought that his word would only last for a short time, but everyday he proved me wrong. We played chess and cards and had long debates about politics and history and not once did he ever try and touch me to use his powers on me.
The other wives, my mothers, fussed over me almost constantly, making me meals and taking time to get to know me and shared their passions with me.
Athenodora took me for walks around the her garden. On our first walk I learned that she was a gifted fighter and we made plans to spar and work out together. Which we did every morning. Her garden was a great place to jog in the mornings.
Didyme loved books and history. We spent one whole day exploring her most prized possession, the library. It contained incredible books that time had long ago forgot.
She often told me fascination stories about history or adventures that she had been on, or my favorite, stories about the family and things that had happended over their many lifetimes together while I ate.
Sulpicia loved to sit with Aro and I late into the night as Aro and I played games or chatted about anything that passed through or minds. Even if she didn't usually join in on the card games or our livley discussions she liked to sit with us while she read or knitted.
It was nice and her calming presence was very soothing. I was finding that all of my parents seemed to give me a sense of calm.
The family bonds were becoming stronger and I was definitely starting to feel them fully.
In Marcus I found a kinship with almost immediately.
Marcus has the ability to see and understand bonds. Bonds had string like threads that everyone carried. It was fascinating learning about his power. He could even help you to see them for small amounts of time.
He taught me about the different strings that I had. I had numerous colored strings that came from my chest and they stretched out in all directions. Fascinated I tried to run my hands over them. It was like they were a holographic projection as my hands went right through them.
I had lots of blue in varying shades which apprently represented friendship and loyalty. The darker the blue the more loyal and strength of the friendship.
That went for all of the bonds. The brighter the color the stronger the bond or generally that's what they meant.
I had a few white ones which were family bonds. It was fascinating to see one white string going from my chest straight to Marcus'.
Marcus seemed to clench his jaw and grind his teeth when I asked about the numerous strings that almost seemed to be cut as they hung out from my chest as they only went a few feet out from my chest floating and drifting in the air as if they were swiming in water. It concerned me that they were black almost sickly looking.
Through gritted teeth, he explained that those are from death. The strings of death. The death of a loved one. They also are representative of pain, betrayals, anything that would cause a deep devastating wound to the soul.
There were so many of them that I had to explain my past to him. Once I got done with the 'highlights' I was surprised to be pulled firmly into his chest as he clung to me. His hug reminded me of Charlotte's hugs. Like if they hugged me well enough they could fuse all of my broken pieces back together.
What I failed to remember is that a Castle full of vampires meant that everyone heard our conversation and now knew about my past, or at least most of it.
It didn't bother me that they knew necessarily, but I generally don't talk about it, so it was kinda weird to have it so out in the open.
Once Marcus pulled back I took some steps back and went back to re-examining the strings on my chest. One string caught my attention. It was coming out dead center of my heart. I noticed that Marcus had one in the dead center of his heart as well.
Where his was a deep vibrant red, mine was more of an orange-ish brown.
When he realized what string had caught my attention he sighed and with a heavy comforting hand to my shoulder he guided me to the stairs at the bottom of the thrones.
As we took a seat he took a deep breathe.
"Those strings are the most sacred of bonds. Those are the stings of our Mates."
What proceeded was an informational dump of knowledge. Ussually I would love learning about something new and interesting, but with this knowledge came pain.
I learned the true extent of what a mate was, the sacredness of it, and the bond itself.
It was through this talk that I realized what while I thought that I had known what it meant when Charlotte and Peter had called eachother mates was very different to what it actually meant.
Where I thought with the glossy quick explanation that Peter had given me meant that vampires were like penguins and that they mate for life was far from the reality of what it truly meant.
While that is true it was so much more than that. It had my head spinning.
Someone to love, to have a love story like my parents, my grandparents, and my brother Peter and his love Charlotte.
Having and finding a true mate was everything that I ever wanted. Someone to truly love and accept me faults and all. My other half, someone to spend the rest of my life loving, cherishing, and experiencing all of the highs and lows with.
It took me awhile to get out of my head and for all the whirlwind of information to settle, but when it did, the look on Marcus' face had me worried.
The look had my heart sinking, because I knew deep in my heart that whatever had him looking at me with such a grimace was something that I wholeheartedly wasn't going to be happy about.
I bit the bullet and asked, "What's wrong with my mate string?"
I know my straightforwardness surprised him, but he also didn't seem too shocked by by directness either. "You are so much like your parents. I would imagine that your birth parents were much the same. Being straight forward is a family trait." He says with a soft chuckle and a pat to my knee.
"There's nothing wrong with you or your mate string." Marcus hesitates before he adds, "It does tell a story though."
He takes a ragged breathe before he starts. "Centuries ago, I thought that my precious Didyme had been killed. It tore me apart. I was so devastated that I became unresponsive and completely unaware of the surrounding world. Eventually your other father's snapped me out of it and got me to use my powers. It was then that I was able to see through the traitorous plot. My Didyme was alive, though my mate string was no longer a bright rich red, it was an off red, a sickly orangeish color. At least the half that came out of my chest. You see a mating bond will be that color for numerous reasons. If you had yet to meet your mate then a mating bond has yet to have had a chance to be formed. Another reason though rare, if a mate was to reject their mate and refuse the bond. Or in my case someone thinking that their mate has died."
He paused giving me a chance to digest the information before continuing, "I knew that Didyme was still alive, because the bond's string did not turn black and break. With renewed strength I poured myself into finding my love and I did." Marcus growled out the rest with a snarl, "Then your father's and I ripped the bastards responsible into piece and turned them into a pile of ash."
"Good." I said with venom and hate in my voice.
When Marcus looked at me with surprise at my intense conviction the only thing I said as an explanation of my behavior was, "No one messed with family."
That gained a full laugh from him as he wrapped me in a one armed hug as he pulled me into his side.
"Of course! It's the Volturi way!" Marcus said with glee and his fist tapped to his chest with pride.
We sat there for awhile just basking in the family bond. Eventually I pulled away because I had to ask, "How do I know if my mate has rejected me or if it's orange because I just haven't met my mate yet?"
Marcus hmm-ed before saying. Considering that the color is a brighter orange it is most likey that you haven't met them yet. If your mate had rejected you the color would be darker orange almost brownish orange. Since the orange is brighter that means that your mate is out there and that they love you. So the most likely scenario is that your mate is out there yet to be uncovered."
A multitude of emotions went through me and as a result flashed on my face.
Marcus hesitated before he cautiously asked, "Daughter, do you think that you found your mate? Did that mate reject you?!" Marcus asked with a voice full of shock and concern.
I realized that I was going to have to share my heartbreak and explain everything Rosalie related.
So I did, but like when I first told Peter and Charlotte I didn't name names or give details about specifics. Keeping things general like how Her dad worked at the SERE School but not that he was a Doctor.
Also like with Charlotte and Peter I made Marcus, and anyone else listening, promise that they wouldn't try any find out who they are or look into it. I didn't need anymore drama and I sure as hell didnt want to bring up the past. Especially when all I wanted was to move on with my life.
After what seemed like a half hour of pacing and either talking to himself or having a 'vampire conversation' with people around the castle, Marcus finally calmed down and came back and sat by me on the steps.
I gave him an are you ok look and when he only made a grunt noise I raised my eyebrow at him.
Marcus took a deep breath to steady himself before saying, "Fine. We won't dig into the past or try and find the woman or her family that hurt you. But that doesn't mean we're happy about it. " He said the last part with a lot of resignation and irritation.
It was very entertaining to see the loving concern not only with Marcus, but also with the rest of the Volturi and their overprotective behavior. It was a nice feeling being surrounded by such a big family and for that family to actually want me fully and wholeheartedly.
I'm jarred from my inner thoughts as we passed through the castle gate.
I smile to myself seeing Demetri and my brother getting along so well.
I couldn't wait for Mike to meet the rest of the people who are quickly become my family.