EX FVMO // DEMETRI VOLTURI

fide nemini

 Nesting uncomfortably in a remote corner of her chest, Bella felt the trepid drumming of her heartbeats changing pattern as if a hummingbird was trying to escape its cage. Not like a crescendo, more like a wandering beast jolting in a quiet forest upon hearing the hunter's first shot. Her resolve, already so fragile from Edward's display of vulnerability, came tumbling down and died out with a last pathetic, shallow gasp for air. She sustained Jane's fierce gaze as best as she could and for as long as she felt capable of before Demetri got tired of their staring match and ended it with a heavy sigh.

"We do as instructed," he answered the tiny vampire though her question was no more than a taunt.

With that, he turned on his heel and went back to the hallway he came from. Felix returned alone to the reception and spared her a sideways glance accompanied by a playful smirk before he did the same, leaving Bella to follow after the twins. She did so once they started walking back into the hallway, hand in hand. She looked over her shoulder to catch sight of Gianna, but the human secretary was no longer at her desk.

The painful tension was dissolved, but she still felt it in the vampire's stiff manners and guarded posture. They were much too quiet, and she couldn't know if it was normal for them or caused by her presence. Because he seemed to care very little about the whole ordeal, Bella kept closer to Alec as they walked to wherever it was that they were instructed to go, but Jane seemed to have a problem with that. Her mean smile disappeared in a flash and her expression morphed into the resentful look of a bratty child. It did not escape Alec's notice.

"We are not supposed to scare her," he reminded her.

Jane merely huffed and looked ahead.

Unlike the humid stone maze that she had to enter when she arrived at the castle, this time the vampires guided her exclusively along the simple, well-lit corridors adorned by paintings and tapestries. The sturdy wooden doors scattered about their way remained closed until they reached the upper levels of the building. Tripping on the carpeted floors and shaking both from cold and undisguised fear, Bella was taken aback by the crashing wave of relief that engulfed her when they stopped in front of one of the simple doors. She should be anxious, she knew. That closed door was hiding something unknown, and she had no idea of the guards' instructions, but she was relieved that the walk to the unfamiliar room was so uneventful and silent.

What awaited her was an entirely different matter.

The door opened from the inside without any apparent signal from the vampires around her. The smell of old paper and furniture polish hit her as soon as the door swung open revealing a neatly organised study room. Underneath the strongest scents, she could also faintly smell flowers and dry leaves.

"Isabella! Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat."

Aro's resounding voice was unmistakable but she took a few seconds to spot him far back in the room, partially obscured from her view by a tall bookshelf. Dressed all in black, but without the undulating robes he wore before, he waved gracefully in her direction and a gentle breeze ruffled her hair. Looking around, she found herself alone with the vampire king. He smiled at her again and fixed the cuffs of his long sleeves before gesturing for her to sit down.

She swallowed nervously but the lump in her throat remained a bothersome reminder of her inadequacy. There was a tattered chair close to where she stood, so she took tentative steps into the room and hesitantly sat down on it. Aro nodded encouragingly, clasping his papery hands together, his warm smile never leaving his lips.

"How nice of you to join us. Thank you for taking up our offer."

There was an angry huff and Bella jumped in her seat.