Fondness for an Ancient Warrior

Fondness for an Ancient Warrior Part 6

Caius was pacing the floor of the smaller throne room. He was supposed to be reading from one of the many tomes lying on the table that was set to the side of the room. Reading was the last thing on his mind.

"Brother, please sit down. You're making me quite nauseous."

Turning to scowl at Aro, Caius remarked quietly, "Your attempt at humour is not appreciated." He resumed his pacing, uncaring if it were to drive the ancient vampire to distraction. He had wanted to visit Illyana, but Aro had forbidden it.

"Caius, sit down now! I wish to speak with you."

Against his own wishes, Caius took the seat several feet away from Aro. "What have you to prate at me about now?"

"If it isn't one woman causing you distress, it's another. Brother, you cannot continue this involvement with this human. I won't permit it."

"You won't permit it? And there have been only two women in my current existence." Caius glared at his presumptuous coven brother. "Aro, she had agreed to the change. If you had agreed to her terms, this would have been done and over with."

Aro's eyes widened while he was deep in thought about the human female. While it was true she had agreed to be changed, she wanted to keep Caius to herself. That she had the audacity to give him orders, the leader of the Volturi, actually impressed Aro. But he still would not have it. He needed Caius here in Volterra. The human professed to loving Caius, and he seemed to match her feelings. It was Aro who had ordered his brother away from Volterra, so he was partly responsible for this involvement. What was so damned captivating about that insignificant house on that little piece of land? Aloud, he said, "I should have her farm burned to the ground."

Caius stood quickly, his chair falling over behind him. "Do not touch her home, brother, or I will make you very sorry." It was no idle threat. His red eyes blazed darker as he challenged Aro, who raised his hand.

"Calm yourself, brother. It was only a musing. I will not touch her little homestead. But it's up to you to convince her to join us here in Volterra, changed and compliant. Only then will it be done and over with." Aro had laid down the law, and that was that.

Caius had had enough. He left the throne room without a goodbye, eager to get away from Aro.

Once he had arrived at his chambers, Caius found his cell phone, and sitting on his bed against the headboard, he dialed Illyana's number. It had felt so long since he had seen her, when they had made love for the first time. He felt like a lovestruck human, ridiculous for a Volturi master, but he didn't care.

When she answered the phone, Caius smiled, saying, "Buongiorno mio amore. Come stai oggi?"

"Caius! Sto bene adesso. Will you be coming over today?" Just hearing his voice made her heart skip a beat. It was difficult not having his visits the last week, after the nearly everyday occurrence. They finally had a taste of each other, only to have his so-called brother end it. Ended, because she would never agree to his demands.

After a half minute of silence, Caius admitted to her that Aro had forbidden him to leave the castle.

She sighed, missing Caius more than she could tell him. "Will he always be this way? I'm afraid if I hold out too long, I'll wake up to a vampire at my throat, with no recourse but to die at that point."

"We argued about it again, love. He is steadfast. His agreement with you to consider things meant nothing apparently. As told to me, you must agree to live in Volterra as a vampire and compliant."

"Compliant? Does he not know me by now?" No, he didn't. In that moment, Illyana made up her mind. It was time to meet the devil on his own turf. "Caius, I'm going to be visiting Volterra today. Maybe I'll stop by."