Renesme's Dream

Chapter33: Midnight Snacl ((Aro's POV))

Hi everyone! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post this, my laptop got cyber aids, I had to wipe the hard drive, save my stories, then get my broken internet to work again. It's been a nightmare! But, as promised, here is the next chapter! Please comment! :)

Chapter 33: Midnight Snack ((Aro’s POV))

***Aro’s POV***

Midnight. I heard the bells in the tower ring loud and clear, their sound piercing the otherwise silent night.

“Aro? What is it?”

I turned over in bed, facing my wife with a sad smile. “Ben never checked in…meaning something has happened to him, and the Cullens are still alive. Their elimination lies in my hands now.”

“Your hands are more than capable of the task, Aro.” She encouraged.

“I know….but I do dread killing Carlisle. He was once a dear friend. I would have liked to have many of his coven join us here in Voltera, but the have left me no choice.” I sighed and donned my silk robe as I rose from bed. “I must consult the others, I will be back later. Go back to your reading, my love.” I leaned over and kissed her before leaving the room.

The guards outside my room snapped to attention as I passed them. New recruits-they always started out with such a military frame of mind. That diminished over the years. Unless we have company, things are generally very relaxed here.

I entered the main hall, ringing the servant’s bell as I approached my throne.

A young woman, new to my staff, hustled in. “Yes Master?”

“Awaken the others, and bring me a snack.”

“Yes, Master, right away.” She bowed and left quickly. I smiled briefly. One of the first things we teach new staff members is “Do not keep us waiting.”

After a few minutes, a cook from the kitchen came in, carrying a tray of fruits and cheeses with bread. “I was told to bring you a snack, Master.” He bowed low, keeping the tray perfectly balanced in his hand.

I approached him slowly. “Yes, thank you.” I took the tray and placed it on the table. “Do not leave yet.” I ordered him. He was half way to the door already.

“Do you require something else, Master?”

I smirked. “Yes. You see, unknown to the staff of this castle, I do not actually require food for nourishment.”

The man stared at me, puzzled. “Sir?”

“What I require,” I continued on. “Is blood. And lots of it. So, you see, when I asked for a snack, I did not mean the food.”

“What did you mean Master?”

I sighed. This one was a dunce. I laughed lightly, enjoying the scent of the    fear that was slowly starting to escalate in his eyes as realization dawned on him ever so slowly.

“You.”

Before the man could even turn to make for the door, I was in front of him, my hands easily gripping his shoulder.

I tuned out his screams of pain as I bit into his neck, my teeth tearing through his flesh like a stone through water. The blood was hot, running in a steady stream down my throat. A tingle of satisfaction began in my core and spread itself throughout my being. My eyes rolled into the back of my head. There was nothing like it, this feeling of instant gratification.

I drained the man, letting his corpse fall to the floor with a thud when I  finished.

The door swung open, and the servant girl entered to retrieve the body. “Mast Caius and Master Marcus are on their way, Master.” She grunted as she exerted all her strength into hauling the man’s lifeless frame through the doorway.

Moments later Caius and Marcus joined me.

“What is it?” Caius demanded. “What is so important at this hour?”

“Ben has not yet reported to me. He told me that if I had not heard from him by midnight tonight, then something had gone wrong in his plans, and it would fall to us to finish his work.”

They groaned. “Last time we went up against the Cullens, we ended up being humiliated!” Marcus fumed. “I do not enjoy the idea of attempting such a feat again.”

“Nor do I, especially as it pertains to Carlisle’s demise. I do not want to rush into an attack, we must wait and plan carefully if we are to succeed this time. We must also gather fighters of our own. Carlisle will undoubtedly have learned of our mission from Ben by now, and will have assembled fighters of his own. Once the Cullens are out of the way, the others will be much easier to conquer.”

“And then,” Caius said in a low voice, a scheming smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “The age of the Vampire will begin.”