Born in Flames / / C. Volturi

{23 An Unexpected Guest}

Adela Volturi

The murky forests surrounding Forks almost gloomed with a distinct sense of melancholy. The muted greens and browns are a stark difference from the sun of Italy, if I lied to myself just enough I might miss the sound of constant footfall and chatter that could be heard faintly from the castle walls. But even the most constant of sounds could be ignored once you've adapted. The air was fresher than what I am so used to at home due to the vast and seemingly endless forest that rooted itself home in Forks and if not due to the circumstances of our arrival I might consider it to be beautiful. But better yet than the deep greens and melancholy atmosphere of the small town was the company that I had with me, even if he did look slightly irritated.

"Oh, why are you so grumpy my love? If you keep looking like that you'll get wrinkles" I laughed at the permanent frown etched upon my mate's face. The second he crossed the border into Forks his entire mood shifted and it wasn't hard to guess why. The wrinkles seemed to smooth out under my fingers as I delicately traced his brow bone before my palms finally settled on his cheeks. So many people were used to the Caius that was merciless and stoic, but when he was relaxed and not playing the part of Volturi ruler. He has a very charming yet masculine sense of beauty. The small smile on his face with only the slightest of upturned lips was boyish yet complimented the maturity of his face. Only a few people were privy to the gentleness of Caius that existed beyond his facade and rage, but to get a glimpse of such was a gift worth treasuring. His lips felt cool against my inner wrist as he gently placed a kiss there, eyes much kinder than they had been moments before.

"I will no longer be 'grumpy' darling once we can leave this stupid matter behind and be done with it. Aro regards Carlisle's friendship too much we should have killed the girl already" He almost pouted, stance growing almost unnoticeably tense, his face lent ever so slightly further into my hands as if he were searching for comfort.

"I know Caius, but think of it this way, You the twins and I have the opportunity to uphold the law while also getting to be out of the stuffy castle for a while and I do agree that I would rather not be dealing with Carlisle's spawn, I like not being left to rot on a chair all day" I reasoned to my mate.

 The most noticeable feature about both Marcus and Aro were their distinctly milky eyes that were off-putting to even the most seasoned vampires, due to centuries of not needing to use their vampiric senses to do things like hunt, their eyes had changed, no longer as sharp or as alert as they had once been. While we did not get to leave the castle as much as the guard does, Caius and I still made enough of a habit of leaving that our eyes had stayed as red as the days we had turned. While the luxury of being a Volturi leader was like nothing else I had experienced in life before it, I could not imagine letting myself become vulnerable because of it. Not like Aro had let himself succumb to the pleasures that 'king' could offer.

"While I would never deny myself the pleasure of your company, I could think of far better things to be doing with my time, but for you my love, I'd endure it all, besides I think some of his spawn are in need of some personal lessons" he finished off in an almost growl and I know for a fact his irritation was aimed at a certain telepath. But I suppose all is in good time. I let myself enjoy the sweet comfort of my mate for just a moment longer before deciding that we should take our leave.

"Shall we then, I believe Alec and Jane should already be at the Cullen house awaiting our arrival" I held out my hand for my mate to take.

"The sooner the better"

Bella Swan

The atmosphere in the Cullen house was as dreary as Bella had ever felt it, worse than with James or even with Victoria's army. Jane had been sat smirking like she knew something that nobody else knew, which Bella supposed that she did. While her twin on the other hand was completely emotionless like he didn't care to see the Cullens at all. It was unnerving, to say the least, and all Bella could think about, running through her mind, was the stories that Edward had told her of the twins and the torture that they inflicted upon others. Rumours and tall tales had been spun over the course of their history, some embellished more than others, each one different from the last but with the same grizzly outcome. She could barely look at the blonde teenager without feeling the ache set into her bones and it made her want to crawl out of her skin to escape it. Edward's arm around her waist seemed to tighten every time she got a glance at Jane and it left Bella to wonder if he too was recalling the events in Italy.

Something happened completely inaudible to Bella's ears as each Cullen shifted almost in sync and the twins stood up straighter. "It would appear they have arrived" Jane smiled with a sadistic sense of glee, eyes training over the Cullens.

"They?" Edward asked almost scoldingly, eyes casting judgement upon the pair.

"'They' boy, and you'd do better to act with more respect next time" The male voice in question sent a shock of fear down every single person in the room. His voice was deep and rich, commanding in a way that made Bella know that he had experience being in control. Unlike Other vampires that Bella had seen, whose voices seemed alluring no matter what poisonous words were being spat out of them, this voice was oppressive and cold, almost telling her to submit. Bella recognised Adela within a second, her eyes having haunted her nightmares for weeks. But it seemed that no one had expected Caius, not even Alice who had been trying to keep an eye on Adela's decisions for the past three days.

Bella turned her eyes to Carlisle only to see a fear in them that she had never noticed before, although the rest of his being was poised in perfect posture, as he had always presented himself and being unshakeable. But his eyes were like nothing she had ever seen before.

"Hello Carlisle" Adela begun with a voice as smooth as silk "You of all people must know that I do not like being without my mate for long, and I do prefer the company of my family. But most of all I thought it would be better to involve more than one member of the court in my check-up. I wouldn't want to make any difficult decisions without seeking further council" her words were honeyed and deceivingly docile but her eyes were calculating and sharp.

Looking at the pair stood before them Bella couldn't help but notice just how well they looked together. Adela was stood with her head at perfect height to rest on Caius shoulder. The brooding blonde behind her was the perfect mirror image of power and authority, while she stood before him the image of composed grace and superiority.

But reminiscing on the words that Edward had told her months before Bella was painfully aware that this visit was going to end with their decision being final. A thought that terrified her deep in her core.

Thank you for reading~