𝐃𝐀𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐀 | volturi kings

chapter five | the golden gladiator vs the survivor

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the air hung thick with a sulfurous, acrid aroma, the stench of burnt flesh and hair searing into caius' nose. his lips twitch in delight as aro drags on his theatrics, reveling in the moon children's suffering. "i'll give you two the credit you deserve," he sneers, "you certainly made a bold statement."

heated chains cling to their blistering skin as they writhe in agony. caius smirks stabbing the woman over and over, ghastly screeches filling the illuminated cave. flames swirl and crack beneath their sizzling feet, casting shadows along the volturi's amused faces. the werewolves groan and whimper, skin melting and oozing blood from every pore.

"now," aro taunts, his voice dripping in contempt, "do tell me how you and your little mate managed to sneak past our borders so effortlessly. i must admit, i'm both embarrassed and impressed." a sharp chill shoot down the werewolves' spines as aro giggles manically. with swift, he snatches the bloody searing hand of the were-man and peers through his mind. his ruby red irises widen revealing glints of understanding, and his lips pull wide. "i see," he whispers.

the two quiver and ache as the flame's envelope them. aro eyes his quietly observing brother then back to the rogue beasts. "i'd like to offer you my gratitude, moon children. you've given me information worth the mess you've made. your death will be granted quicker for that."

caius snarls at the ravenette displeased with the verdict. aro waves his hand, "come now, brother. we don't have the time to waste playing with mutts." the blond continues his sharp glare as he beheads and stabs the wolves cursing their existence. marcus ignores caius' temper tantrum focusing on his scheming brother, "what did you see, aro?"

he turns smug with a sparkling gleam in his eyes, "the romanians are behind this act." caius snaps his attention, "impossible! those fools hold no power!"

"on the contrary, brother." aro grins relishing the anger caius radiates. "the romanians and children of the moon have a common foe, and it seems they were bold enough to make their move."

aro admits, he wasn't expecting vladimir and stefan to be as brazen as sending children of the moon to do their dirty work. he'll have demitri track those two down, but, for now, "demitri," he calls giddily, watching the wolves skin bubble and peel in the flames, "i think it's time to meet our survivor."

♡

it's a cold spring night and the rolling landscape is pitch black. the stars sparkle brightly in their absolute glory with no moon to outshine them and below the radiant abyss, a young girl lays asleep. the hem of her nightgown and feet stain with blood. unconscious, she twitches and trembles trapped in her nightmares.

the wind howls through the hills, trees sway and leaves rustle and emerging from the shadows comes a soft crunching of dirt treading gradually to the girl. a pair of sharp red eyes surveys her form carefully.

she's human, asleep, and wounded. his eyebrows furrow as the bible lying by her side captures his attention. he reaches down grabbing it, the scent of werewolf faint, but there. his eyes fall back to the quivering girl, it appears she wasn't infected- he'd be able to smell the beast in her, but that doesn't matter anyway.

he pockets the book and carefully picks her up like a bride, flashing away without a trace.

in mere minutes the esteemed tracker enters the throne room presenting the detainee. he holds the sleeping girl firm in his grasp in front of the three.

aro narrows all focus to the brunette, his footsteps tapping loudly to her. "is this our little survivor, demitri." aro already knew the answer, it was rhetorical. "how delightful," he coos.

his eyes glaze over her resting figure, there's something oddly alluring about this child. her scent is a mystery to him. he ogles in fascination as caius growls annoyed, "i thought we weren't going to waste time, aro?"

the ravenette ignores him. he studies the girl inch by inch, what is so special about you? a giddy sensation washes over him and his lips curl, "let's wait."

caius' teeth bare, "wait for what?! the human is tainted! let's rid her of once!" aro doesn't spare the man a moment, "not yet, brother. this child was spared. i want to know why." the blond rolls his eyes, "then violate her evocation and be done with this."

aro whips around, "where's the fun in that?" he smirks as caius shakes violently. "you're absurd. there's nothing impressive about humans." aro shoves the words off like he didn't even hear them in the first place.

meanwhile, marcus couldn't tear his eyes away from her. he wasn't listening to the mindless quarrels; all he saw was the girl with the golden strands linking him and his soul brothers together. he stilled trying to make sense of this revelation.

the golden string is sacred, and rare. how could this little child share such a divine bond with them? unease creeped throughout him. how can this be?

"marcus?" aro repeats with a dark glint in his eyes.

the awe-struck man snaps out of his trance and turns his attention to aro.

the throne room fell deathly silent. the only sounds being soft snores and the calm rhythmic heartbeat of aris. "what are you seeing, brother?" the man whispers curiously. how he loathes the air of secrecy that marcus sows.

marcus' eyes flicker back to the girl asking himself the same question. what is he seeing? golden strands are reserved for soulmates. is this truly? or a misunderstanding? the rarity of individuals claiming such a bond is already striking, but this child? all three of them- even in their old age... he was at a loss of words. "i'm not sure," he murmurs in disbelief.

aro's intrigue festers by the second with this mysterious survivor.

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