Fondness for an Ancient Warrior

Fondness for an Ancient Warrior Part 12

Aro had both Caius and Illyana on edge. As long as they were at the castle, they could rarely avoid him. And each time either crossed his path, his face expressed his expectations, and his impatience that they hadn't been fulfilled.

Illyana begged Caius to take her home, but for his part, he dared not defy Aro, at least not yet. So he did his best to convince his mate to be patient herself. In the meantime, she got to know Demetri and Felix better. She would watch them work out and fight together in sparring matches. No matter who won, she would smile and clap. As former military, she appreciated their fighting skills, and watched them with great interest.

She asked them to show her some moves, but they were afraid of hurting her, thus making Master Caius angry. No matter how much she begged, they refused. Finally, they took turns showing her some moves in slow motion, just to share what they knew. Illyana laughed while doing things so slowly, but they had a point. It was still fun, and took her mind off more pressing concerns.

Illyana toured the castle, accompanied by either Felix or Demetri, or Caius when his presence wasn't required by Aro. He enjoyed showing off his weapons collection to her again or letting her browse the rather formidable library the Volturi maintained.

Finally, the day came when Caius surprised Illyana by telling her they could go back to the farm. She was so grateful and excited, she threw herself at her mate, hugging him and planting kisses on his face. "Thank god. I'm going nuts here. This castle is all well and good for the time you've lived here, but I hope you prefer what we have together at home."

He held her in his arms and kissed her. "Absolutely, my love. I never imagined being happy in any place other than here. I see I was wrong."

Smiling, Illyana said, "You mean in less majestic quarters. It's all right," she said when she saw he was about to protest. "Home is where the heart is. And you, my brave warrior, are my heart. I can wish for nothing more than you, our farm and our horses. Oh, and the nice young man we trust to watch it all for us."

Caius nuzzled his mate, equally excited to return home. He could handle his brother, but he had Illyana's safety to consider. Getting out from under Aro's thumb was necessary for them both.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Aro stopped Illyana in the corridor as she was returning to Caius' rooms to prepare to leave Volterra. "Illyana, my dear, I would very much like to visit your farm again. My first visit was all too brief, and my second visit was, shall we say, an unfortunate misunderstanding. Marcus told me you had given him an open invitation. I suppose my invitation was lost in the mail," he said, hoping some humour would make her more amenable.

Illyana had no desire for Aro to return to the farm with them, but she felt she had no choice. Surely Aro knew how unwelcome he was there. She gave him a forced smile. "We will all go then. Caius and I will take his car, and you and Marcus can follow in...whatever it is you drive." Illyana raised her brow at Aro, expecting something from the Volturi master to counter everything she had just said.

He merely said, "I will drive with Marcus. We will follow you and Caius. There, it's all settled." He gave her a smile, said they would see her later, and ran off down the corridor faster than her eyes could follow him.

Illyana had the feeling Aro was used to "settling" things for everyone. It was beginning to rankle, yet for Caius' sake, she had to keep her mouth shut in order to keep the peace.

Later, she and Caius drove to the farm in silence. He reached over and took hold of her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. She looked over at him and smiled weakly. She was about to host the most annoying person she had ever met at the place she considered her little piece of paradise. She could only hope Aro didn't plan to stay too long.