Till Death (Volturi / Twilight Fanfiction)

Chapter 44: Stories end, and Stories begin.

Hurried heels clicked against polished marble. Excitement electrified the very air. Heidi strode ahead confidently, clipboard in hand, a wide smile upon her face. Her lips were maroon, a color which seemed to suit her perfectly. Although, everything seemed to suit Heidi. She was simply very suitable. Strikingly beautiful.

It had been a very long few months. Heidi was always received rather well in her coven but today her presence was almost angelic. Which was ironic, considering what her area was. And what she brought in tow.

The crowd behind her was larger than usual. Aro called for a bit of indulgence this time around seeing as they had been unable to properly feed for such a long time. Maurice watched bitterly from his place lounging near the rounded ceiling as the doors opened. Heidi nearly skipped inside with how giddy she was. There was usually a ceremony about this part. Aro would rise from his throne, reveling in the mortal's awed gazes. Listening to their whispers on how elegant and pristine both this building and those that dwelled within were. He adored the attention.

Caius did not care for such theatrics.

In less than a moment, before the doors had been shut behind the crowd, Caius was up. As Aro began shifting his weight to stand Caius threw himself from his chair to the nearest mortal he could get his hands on. Athenadora draped herself into her husband's seat, awaiting her meal rather than hunting for it like an animal. Even in this small of an arena. Caius set forth with such force as to shatter the thin glass barrier between these undead and their murderous instincts. As he cast that first stone the rest of the guard soon followed. Quickly enough that Maurice had to glance down before the screams started, delayed by shock no doubt.

The habits of these immortals fascinated Maurice more when he had company outside of them. When he had other things to look forward to than spying upon the slightly more living inhabitants of the castle. With Remo gone Maurice found himself focusing more on these creatures. Aro was hesitant to feed, not out of any sympathy for the cull but out of frustration. He did enjoy putting on a show. His wife was quick, seemingly less interested in overpowering her prey. She took little joy in dominating the humans who had no chance at defending themselves anyhow. To her, it was simply mealtime and she left promptly after she'd had her fill.

What interested Maurice more, as they usually did, were the blondes. How Caius showed such joy in agony. Athenadora was similar to her husband in that, but she preferred to sit back and allow her husband to have his fun. When Caius found himself once more he delivered a writhing middle-aged man to his wife who delicately sunk her teeth into his flesh. The interaction was intense to witness, they never took eyes off one another as Athenadora satiated herself. 

Maurice never claimed to be a good man, in fact, he believed himself sinful enough to remain on earth rather than take his chances in the beyond. Yet he was never sadistic. Despite his overall disgust and bitter attitude toward them causing his death, Maurice found himself respecting the blondes most. If only because they did not hide what they were.

Honesty was always difficult to come by. Maurice was not well versed in it himself. Only partaking in it when it suited his own needs like with the girl. With Taylor. That name still brought a twist to Maurice's face. Because he was angry at being alone, yet could not be angry at Remo's leaving. He deserved better than this eternal purgatory. Maurice only wished that he had a bit more time.

But, that wish is not at all uncommon for the dead.