Chapter Thirteen
Stretching like a lazy house cat both de-clawed and neutered I let the warmth of my bed surround me, lulling me in and out of peaceful slumbers. Light chuckles carried through the air and I decided - with a smile on my face - that I wouldn’t even bother to open my eyes. Not yet.
After basking in the warmth of the sun’s rays for a few more moments, relaxing the aching muscles that before last night I hadn’t known even existed, all the while thinking that life couldn’t possibly get much better. I snickered lightly to myself thinking naughtily that life, could in fact get much better once I wasn’t in such a fragile position, or hurting so much for that matter.
The smell of Jasmine and Persimmons followed by the soothing sounds of running water roused me from my less than delicate thoughts of a certain pale haired vampire in all his naked glory and I smirked idly chastising myself for already having a gutter brain that rivaled my most uncouth brother.
Stretch again once for good measure, I rose letting the tattered remains of what were once pristine bed linens fall to my hips, the warm morning air kiss my nude flesh as my hands went up over my head, cracking and popping as a loud yawn escaped my lips. I winced once, both in pleasure and pain reminding me again of the tantalizing night in bed I had just experienced. Yes, I was sore but I was so relaxed after the nights sleep I could have cared less if I was bruised from head to toe. I was warm, safe and had just made love to the most amazing man, again just hours ago. In other words I was in a complete, all encompassing bliss.
Looking over the carnage of the room a small very un-Bella like giggle escaped me, making me think that perhaps I should have gotten laid long ago, it seemed to do wonders for my mood. The bed, which I had at length mused was older than the entire Cullen family put together was nearly completely destroyed. The beautifully upholstered headboard ~ that I had held onto at one point in the night like my life depended on it was now shredded into long strips, that I could only guess came from Caius’s fingers when he had climaxed. That was one for the books! One of the tall white lacquered posts had been broken off and was discarded into the pile of broken wood that had come from the shattering of the door. The bedding had been reduced to nothing more than scraps of fabric and floating feathers. I smiled ruefully, musing that with Caius as an inhabitant, the Volturi must have a storage room of replacement doors somewhere, if the last few days where anything to go by, as I surveyed the ones barely handing on their hinges at the entrance to our rooms.
I rose, kicking my feet from the decimated linens and over the side of the ridiculously tall bed, my ankle slapping against the bed step with a painful thunk. It took less than a second for all hell to break loose all starting with the overly jubilant entrance of Emmett as he practically barreled down what was an already defeated set of double doors.
Still slightly caught somewhere in between day dreaming and horror I heard the tromping of footsteps somewhere down the hall. Figuring my guards to intercept I hardly thought to bother with covering myself. That was until I heard the unmistakable voice of my brother.
“Holy shit! Bella!” Emmett yelled, barging through the rubble.
I stared, unmoving and unblinking, a delayed reaction. One that comes when you really can’t believe what you’re seeing. I for one thought I had to be hallucinating, because there was no way possible for my brother to be here right now, no way possible he would come nosing to my room the morning after my lover had returned home, especially after the spectacle Caius’s return had crated. Of course he would, my mind berated me, slapping against my skull. It’s Emmett.
When my body had finally caught up with my mind, I screamed, scrambling to cover my naked skin as a thunderous roar sounded from the walls of my onsite bathroom. I shook every tile and stone in the room and was by far the loudest I had heard yet. Instantly I knew there would be trouble and Emmett and I both stopped cold and turned.
I barely caught sight of him before he had me covered under a pile of discarded blankets from the foot of the bed and took his protective stance in front of me. But what I had seen was magnificent. Dressed in simple black slacks and a white button down, sleeves rolled to the elbow like he didn’t want to soil them with something.
Lowering the covers to glower at my brother seemed an inadequate punishment but as it was I was still too busy fuming with embarrassment, it was all I had. Caius remained vigilant in his crouch to protect me from prying eyes, snarling and snapping as Emmett continued to look on with a mixture of shock and amusement. If I hadn’t still be very naked and buried in bed lines I might have smacked myself… or at least thrown something at the dumbass still smirking like he wasn’t a raw stake floating in the water with a vicious shark.
A sharp smile finally tugged at his lips, causing his dimples to deepen and making him look all the more innocent as he ignored his impending doom and continued to approach, waggling his eyebrows the entire way. “And what naughty, deplorable things have you been doing, eh, little sis?”
My mouth dropped open of its accords as he stared back at us the very picture of goodness and virtue, like he didn’t just ask me in front of my partner if we had just had sex. “Em!” I growled the mornings frustrations and my blush finally getting the better of me, shooting him a seething glance that promised all the pain that a newborn could muster to come. I didn’t care if I had to wait until after three torturous days of pain to exact my revenge, I would have it.
Caius, I noticed had somewhat relaxed his stance but had yet to fully rise from it. Looking slightly past him to the two frightened guards who I was sure would be held responsible for Emmett’s abrupt appearance, I couldn’t help but smile at the momentary shock that was plastered to their faces; their eyes darting from Emmett to me like a tennis match before settling me with a questioning look that I could only translate as ‘Do you want me to remove this idiot?’
I dismissed them quietly as I could as not to startle the man who seemed unable to do so at the moment. My face was nearly on fire by time the two bumbling guards had made the decision to leave and at least delay their deaths until Caius was more himself, though when I thought about it, I wasn’t really sure which one was scarier. Sure, Caius was frightening in his feral state but when my vampire was cool headed he was most calculating and he seemed the type to draw out punishment and enjoy inflicting them.
Rosalie dashed through the doors a moment later, almost appearing out of breath as she clutched her hand at the front of her ruffled shirt. “Em, what are you doing here?” she panted, leveling him with a glare that mirrored mine.
He looked back at her sheepishly, still ignoring the man in front of him that could easily reduce him to a pile of ashes within mere seconds. Honestly, I think it’s what saved his life. It was a classic showing of ‘I’m not a threat, no need to hurt me.’ He was boarder-line pouting as he jutted out his lip and replied. “Awe babe, I just wanted to see what nasty things Belly-Bear was up to.”
If that wasn’t enough to shred the last scraps of my dignity what followed surely was. He re-accounted his findings, my nakedness - to which Caius growled - and the bit about my idiot guards. I swear I had dismissed them quietly but perhaps not quietly enough for moments later he started belting out his own rendition of ‘God Save the Queen’ except he changed it up to ‘Long Live Queen Bella’. It was so horrible in fact that I was surprised that the only furniture that survived the exploits of last night - an alarmingly antique mirror, that hung on my vanity - didn’t crack under the strain. And I was more than positive I heard a couple of dogs in the city below baying back at him, as I could only imagine how horrible it sounded to them, not to mention some of the other sensitive eared folk in the general area.
Caius and Rosalie both had their hands affixed to their heads, cupping their ears as they scowled menacingly at my brother idiot who was still bellowing his fealty and devotion to his future queen.
It all ended when Caius growled and finally finding his voice bit out. “Enough, Juste que ça s'arrête!” (Just make it stop!) He turned to me then, his crimson eyes shining with horror in the morning sun. “Petit, how do you do it? The man is a bloodhound from Hades!”
“Patience and understanding,” I snarked. Holding the sheets a little tighter to my chest, least I set my demon off again by showing to much skin to another male.
“So what are you doing here, Em?” I asked as Caius shook his head, a smirk baring his fangs to join me on the bed. Eliciting a squeal when he pulled me up, blankets and all into his lap where he began affectionately laving at the soft tissue of my neck and shoulders.
Emmett shrugged, which I expected. “I already told you. I just wanted to see what you were doing. I didn’t expect you to still be all naked.”
With a roll of her eyes, Rosalie bit out. “So you just come barging into her room without knocking?” she scoffed. “And what was with the singing? I’m surprised Aro hasn’t given the order to have you destroyed yet.
“Give him time,” Caius muttered under his breath.
I don’t know if it was the deep scowl on Rosalie’s face, the way Emmett was Bubba Gump-ing his way back into Rosalie’s good graces or the way my big, deadly vampire lover seemed to be sulking like a bruised ego, but I snapped. Laughing so hard that I nearly wet myself, I sat there doubled over in the bed, pointing at Emmett like he was my own personal showing of SNL Live.
It wasn’t until Alice and Jasper - who I wasn’t even aware had returned - came in looking more amused than concerned did I get myself under control enough to see the smile on Rosalie’s face or the singular cocked eyebrows of the rest of my family who had somehow entered without my notice. “Alright, alright, everyone out. Bella you still have to get ready, you have another meeting with the Brothers.” She commanded me in her all mighty pixie voice and it was all I could do not to laugh in her face.
It was oh-so tempting just to tell her to fuck off and take her dresses with her. I know it would give her the closet thing to a heart attack that vampire could experience and the look on her face would be priceless. But alas, as Jasper had returned it was time to discuss important things.
After excusing my blushing and very amused family out the door I turned to Caius and smiled. “Good morning.”
“Bonjour,” he returned, lifting me into his arms and burying his face into my messy bed-head. I struggled to wrap my legs around his waist as he carried me into my bathroom, laughing. “Do you wish to bathe, I know you must be sore?”
I nodded, blushing bright red as he set me on my feet and started to remove his clothes. “May I join you?” he asked sweetly and I think I may have melted into the floor.
Again I nodded, adding a flustered little, “Please.” into the mix. He smiled brightly, probably one of the most genuine smiles I had yet to see on the stoic pale haired god.
It happened to fast for me to comprehend. One minute he was standing before me, a single frosty digit stroking lightly from my clavicle, past the valley between my breasts and into newly charted territory. The next, I was leaned against his chest, the warm water of the tub surrounding us and his fingers burning a ecstasy trail around my clit.
It didn’t take long for me to cry out, pleading to him and to every god in the heavens for him to never stop. I tried to speak after but was silenced by a playful nip at my ear. “Shh, love. Relax.”
And relax I did. For the rest of the morning, in fact. After he had me crying out his name a second time we shared a bath. He washed me carefully, like I would brake if he were to apply more pressure than he was, though after last night we both knew the truth of it. Slow and easy caresses lulled me into a near euphoric sleep before he nudged me awake. “Come, petit. The water is cooling and there is much to discuss today.”
We wasted no time getting ready, after Caius insisted that he be the one to dry me, that is. As I watched him prepare for his day I found myself truly jealous of vampire speed, he was ready within moments. With a quick kiss to my waiting lips he departed, though he seemed loathing to do so and promised that after today’s discussion that we would be spending more time together.
With a shutter, I knew that somehow his promise was not a request, and I liked it.
~
An hour later I found myself walking through very familiar doors, familiar but not the same. I knew they had a room full of doors somewhere. I mused to myself.
It was a terrible sense of dread invade my senses as I entered and nine sets of eyes darted to me. With shaky legs I crossed the room to where Caius had held open his arms from a low chase and settled against his chest. No one said anything for the longest time but they didn’t have to, it was in the way that they started, it was in their eyes. Something had gone horribly wrong.
“What is it?” I asked, tears already burning down my cheeks.
Carlisle who looked like he might cry with me at any moment, knelt in front of me ignoring the low growl of warning from the newly mated male at my back. Holding my hands in his he took a breath. “Bella, you need to call Billy Black… something has happened in Forks.”
“W-what?” I asked, looking to him with pleading eyes as I prayed that everything was alright.
He sighed heavily before turning his eyes up at me. “Charlie, he’s been murdered.”
Ringing. Was something ringing? Everything was ringing.
My vision was swimming, distorting the sweet and caring faces of my family as the darkness gathered before me. I remember a argument breaking out between Caius and Jasper. Then as the world slipped away I thought to myself, Ignorance is bliss and so is the darkness.
