Infinite Bliss || Volturi Kings

|11| TIRED GOODBYES

For the second time in her week-long stay, she unknowingly had visitors in her own room as she slept. The door was open with Aro and Caius standing inside while Marcus held it in place with his shoulder.

After a moment, Aro gestured towards her. "After you, brother."

"Me? Why must I be the one to wake her?" Caius argued quietly.

"Because I woke her up last time," Aro answered. "Besides, weren't you the one who was busy grovelling about missing her company? How does the saying go again? Ah yes." He grinned at him. "Beggars can't be choosers."

Caius wanted to go on for a lot longer with this argument, and he could very well have done so if the gradual rise in their volume hadn't subconsciously caught Eliana's attention. She let out a little grunt-like noise as her heartbeat slowly increased in pace, the usual telltale sign that a human was waking up. They watched her as she readjusted her head so that it was resting on the pillow she was clutching to herself.

Caius sighed and crouched down in front of her. "Svegliati, carina," he murmured, attempting to somehow soften his voice, not that his attempt made much of a difference.

"Hm?" Her eyelids slowly began to open a little, but once she saw him, she instantly closed them again. "5 more . . . 5 more minutes . . ."

"5 more minutes won't work this time," Aro interjected. "Not if you want to make it to Forks in time for your scheduled arrival there."

Eliana mumbled something that sounded like a garbled mixture of, "Sure," and "I don't care," before curling up deeper into her bed. Unfortunately for her, Caius' patience was far from saint-like, and the sheets were yanked away from her faster than she could properly process.

Registering the sudden cold on her bare legs due to her pyjama shorts, she glanced at the bareness of the bed and then back at the pillow she was still holding before curling up to it just as before. "You can't stop me," she breathed tiredly, her eyes closed, before letting out a yawn. "I can't be stopped . . ."

"You underestimate Caius' willpower," Aro remarked. "If I were him, my next move would be to roll you out of bed, and if all else fails, run you under a cold shower fully clothed. From my limited experience with humans, that seems to work a treat."

"My t-shirt is white," she replied. "I'd rather you didn't get it wet."

"Then cooperate and there is no issue," Caius retorted, and then scoffed. "Aro is correct. You do underestimate my willpower." No response. He sat down beside her. "If you are going to be disagreeable, could you at least have the decency to do so while upright?"

All he received in response to that was an eye roll.

"Brother, did I ever tell you that Eliana is ticklish?" She opened her eyes far enough to see Aro grin at her. He was evidently getting a lot of satisfaction out of this.

Rather grudgingly, Eliana shuffled upwards so that she was leaning back against the headboard of the bed, the pillow hugged to her chest. "Happy now?" She yawned. "What time is it?"

"5:02!" Aro jovially waved his phone in the air.

Eliana groaned and curled into herself. "For fuck's sake, let me sleep-"

Before her head could rest against her pillow again, Caius caught her by her arm and swiftly tugged her onto his lap. The pillow fell to the floor, but it seemed to be unneeded anyway since she simply substituted that for his chest.

"Don't go thinking that I won't carry you straight into that shower," he warned her. "Maybe I should wash your sailor's mouth out with soap while I'm at it."