Tenebrous ↠ Volturi Kings {1} ✓

02

"I feel killing the girl would cause our Rowan considerable distress," Marcus said softly. "Her tie to Bella is quite strong."

I did a mental backpedal. Our Rowan? What did he mean, our Rowan? What made him think he had any sort of claim over me? And why, despite all reason, did I not mind the term?

"If only it was Edward's intention to give her immortality," Aro said with a sigh. His eyes darted towards mine, which were scared, pleading, bouncing between him and Bella like some sort of rhythm.

"Bella will become one of us," Alice said suddenly. "I've seen it. I'll change her myself."

Aro stretched out a silent hand, and Alice gave my hand another, final squeeze before stepping forward, pulling off one of her gloves and placing it into Aro's hand. My gut churned uncomfortably at the action. The unidentified feeling made no sense, but things had ceased being logical from the moment I threw myself out of the shadows and into Felix's crosshairs.

"Mesmerizing. To see what you have seen before it has happened." Aro released Alice and stepped to Bella, reaching for her face. My jaw clenched at the gesture as Bella, uneasy, shied away from his hand. "Your gifts will make for an intriguing immortal, Isabella."

"And what shall be done of our mate, Aro?" Caius spoke, the attention of the kings coming to rest upon me once more.

No one besides Bella and myself seemed remotely startled at this sentence. His words sunk in and finally, I spoke. It wasn't close to eloquent - it wasn't even polite - but it burst out unbidden regardless. "Your what?"

"Your mates." It was Alice who spoke. "That's what I saw, when we were coming here. I was too focused on Edward to see what would occur if you came."

"And a good thing you didn't. You would be very sorry for trying to hide our mate from us," Caius said coldly. Aro hissed lightly.

"I'm your mate? All three of you?" I clarified. It did clear some things up, such as why Caius had reacted so violently to Felix targeting me. Still, it was an intimidating thought.

"Yes, dearest. It is unusual, certainly, but not unheard of," Marcus said gently, voice warm. He scared me the least out of the three kings - despite his vampiric nature, he had a vulnerable air about him, like a hawk with a broken wing. Though I wasn't exactly scared of Aro and Caius. Wary was perhaps a better term because the three together made me feel like I was wrapped in some sort of warm, protective cocoon.

It reminded me of the one clear memory I had left of my mother, a haze of trust and happiness and warmth. I shouldn't feel safe around them, I shouldn't, but I did, and that was proof enough of their claims. Regardless, they would keep me here. Hold me here far away from the Cullens, my family, against my will. I asked them about this, even though I was all but certain of their answer.

"Will I have to stay here?" I whispered. I didn't want to, however much the place felt like home. Not yet.

Aro looked torn, glancing at his brothers. Marcus' face was troubled, rather than conflicted, and Caius' was impassive, the only indicator of his thoughts being the worried gleam that flashed in his eyes.

"Come here, mia cara," Aro said warmly, stretching out a hand. He saw my hesitance. "I just want to get your thoughts, your reasoning behind wanting to leave us."

I didn't want him to see, I didn't want him to know of the horrors of my past and what haunted my dreams at night. I was struck by the fact that I didn't want him to see because it would cause him distress. I wanted to be hidden in darkness, but he would not be denied and I had no other choice. I placed my hand into his startlingly soft - but still icy cold - hand.

He looked surprised. "I see nothing. You never said Rowan was immune to your gifts as well, Edward."

"She's not, usually," Edward said cautiously. "But I can never hear her when she's hiding."

Aro released my hand from his grasp, and I missed the contact almost at once. Was this what having a mate was? Yearning for their touch, the feeling of home that they brought? If so, perhaps it wasn't so bad. I recalled the loving relationships of the Cullen couples. Those weren't so bad. Why should mine end up being any different? Still, everything was different. My future with them was impossible to say.

"Hiding. You're referring to her gift, I assume?" Aro asked.

Edward nodded. "Yes. But her silence is different from Bella's, like murky darkness rather than nothing at all."

"Fascinating," He murmured, before seeming to realize what Edward had stated - that I had directly, deliberately hidden my thoughts from him. I very nearly shied away when he reached out to wrap his hand around mine again, thoughts flashing towards the dark memories of my father, how he'd track me down in the darkness, grow far to close and backhand me hard enough that I would fall to the floor.

I woke at night with my cheek still stinging.

Aro dropped my hand as if burned, and I realized too late that I must have slipped my guard. He had seen my thoughts, felt my fear, knew the association of my father that I placed upon nearly all men, and for a moment I saw a flash of hurt cross his face. I didn't have to try very hard to connect the dots as to why - I had all but likened him to my father, after all. But it wasn't like I could help it. Self-preservation was something that was alive and well within me.

"No, we won't hold you here, not against your will," Aro said softly, tucking his hands behind his back. "You may leave with the Cullens and Bella, of course. But we will be visiting. You are our mate, after all."

I nodded slowly, and this seemed to be an acceptable response to him. "Thank you."

His lips quirked upwards into a slight smile. "Of course."

"If anything happens to her under your guard, anything at all, I will rip you all apart," Caius snarled at Edward and Alice.

Marcus placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Peace, Caius. You are all free to go, we will not keep you here any longer. Demetri will show you out."

Edward nodded, and I glanced back at the kings once more before the door was shut. Their red eyes were all trained on me, full of fear that they hadn't displayed before, and I was finally able to nail down what emotion I was feeling as we left the castle.

Guilt.

Edited 4/16/2021