Infinite Bliss || Volturi Kings

|20| LOVE

She woke up slowly. Damn, she couldn't even remember what she'd been dreaming about . . . nor could she remember falling asleep . . .

Eliana's eyes blinked open quickly as she scrambled into a more upright position. However, before she could go far, a hand was placed firmly on her shoulder which kept her still.

"Careful, amore. You'll only injure yourself further."

Her startled eyes gazed up into Aro's ones. It took her a disorientated few seconds, but she could feel something warm and wet just under her nose and near her mouth, as well as his hand holding her still by her neck. It was only once his other hand moved away with a damp white cloth that she saw the bloodstains smeared across it.

Her eyebrows drew together. "What . . .?"

He glanced down at the cloth and then back at her as he withdrew his hand from her neck. "You remember what happened."

It wasn't a question. "I'm not sure if remember is the right term," she answered, noting a numb feeling in her bottom lip. "So much happened at once . . ."

"The small coven we were dealing with grew unexpectedly violent," he explained, sitting beside her legs with her hand clasped in his. "I believe you were the main target in the scuffle. Caius held you back but, in the confusion of the moment, he lost sight of you, and you were somehow flung across the room by someone unknown."

"A-Are you okay?" she asked him worriedly.

He smiled fondly at her. Even in the state she was in, it was adorable how quick she was to check on him instead of herself.

"Yes, I am perfectly fine," he reassured her. "Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for yourself. I've been told it will take approximately 9 hours for the swelling to become unnoticeable, but for the time being," He reached into his pocket and revealed a small pink ice-pop, still completely frozen in its clear packaging, "I've also been told that this will help ease the pain."

She glanced down at the snack being given to her and then back at him. Then her gaze immediately returned to her hands as she became aware of her left arm decorated with a wrist brace.

"Oh, wow, jeez." She jumped a little.

Aro tried not to laugh endearingly at her small surprised reaction. "It took you that long to notice? It's only a small sprain, nothing severe, and that brace can be removed permanently in a week's time." While she continued to inspect the brace for herself, he opened the ice pop for her and handed it over to her. "Suck on that. It'll make you feel better."

She took a slow, reluctant lick of the ice pop. "I'm not a child, you know."

"So you say," he responded teasingly. "And how long is it going to take for you to realise where you are?"

"Wha-"

As soon as Eliana looked around her properly, she stopped talking. This room was completely unfamiliar, though designed in a very similar layout to Caius'. One of the main differences she noticed was the addition of a grand piano in the center of the room which had various sheets of music placed both on top of it and across the music stand.

"Where am I?" she asked bewilderedly.

"My quarters," he responded. "Maybe it was foolish of me to hope that the first time I'd see you in my bed would be in better circumstances than this-"

"Aro!"

"I was joking," he laughed. He moved so that he was directly beside her on top of the covers, with an arm around her shoulders. Very carefully, while balancing her ice pop in her hand, she turned to lean against his side. "I was only joking. But I was worried about you, you know."