Impressions of Three Men in Black

Impressions of Three Men in Black Part 2

Celeste lay on her bed, wrapped in the soft blankets she'd found there. She had fallen right to sleep last night, that's how tired she was. Having nothing to do, she assumed she could sleep in as long into the morning as she wanted.

In the middle of a pleasant dream, Celeste saw a pair of ruby red eyes looking at her in the darkness. She watched as the undefined figure moved closer to her. She suddenly felt cool lips on hers, gently kissing her. When she kissed the dream figure back, the kisses became more intense. When her eyes opened, she realized it was no dream. She pulled back sharply and tried to sound angrier than she felt. "Aro! What are you doing? Am I allowed no privacy in my own bedroom?"

When Aro had entered her room, he chided himself for invading Celeste's seclusion. This was her room, after all, and for her own use. But once he had spied her sleeping, her hair tousled around her face and her body curled on its side, he moved closer to her bed. He heard murmuring and was immediately drawn to her side. He leaned over Celeste, inhaling her natural scent not yet uncontaminated by deodorants and perfumes. Unable to control himself, he kissed her, a mere brushing over her lips, then smiling as he gazed on her natural beauty, he leaned in and kissed her again. He reveled in the fact she was returning his kisses, that is, until she had awakened.

"Aro, that was uncalled for." She looked around the room to see only Aro. No Caius. No Marcus. "Hmm, were you attempting to swoop in while your brothers were occupied elsewhere?" She laughed, ticking off one piece of information about the leader of the three men in black. He was competitive and not averse to cheating. She noticed his eyes were a darker crimson. Why, she wondered.

He sat on the edge of the bed, smiling down at her. Celeste raised herself up on one elbow, brushing the hair from her face with the other hand. "This is not acceptable bedroom decorum, Aro. I mean sneaking in here when Marcus and Caius are not around. I'm supposed to be shared, isn't that the rule?" She sighed heavily. "Look, we need to discuss what is expected of me, and very soon. I am observant and hardly stupid, so I need to know everything."

"I only came in to check on you, little one. You were murmuring in your sleep, and I couldn't help myself. Forgive me?" His red eyes never blinked while he gazed at her.

Celeste laughed low, wondering about the draw of these men to her. "I forgive you, but I must look a mess. How can you be attracted to that? At least let me have breakfast, take a quick shower and get dressed. I'll feel more presentable. Then we talk, ok?"

"Yes, we will talk, my dear." Aro reached out with a cold hand, brushing his knuckles lightly over her cheek. "I will have the chef fix you up a tray and send Felix with it. Until later." He took her free hand and kissed the palm. Then he was gone.

Celeste sat up, rubbing her arms of the goosebumps Aro had created with his touch. She had found she could not be upset at him for his invasion of her privacy. This was all too bizarre for her. Maybe it was just a dream, and she would awaken from it, probably feeling bereft if she did. She often had dreams of winning lots of money, only to find the minute a check arrived in her mail, she would wake up, feeling disappointed it was only a dream. Or she would dream of meeting a favourite celebrity and spending time with them, then awaken mid-fun, again feeling disappointed.

For all intents and purposes, she was enjoying this dream and wanted to see where it took her before she inevitably woke up.

It wasn't long before there was a knock on her door. She threw on a robe and ran to open it to see the tall young man from yesterday carrying a tray. "Good morning, Felix. Mmm...smells good." She recognized the sweet odour of pancakes and maple syrup with a side of bacon strips.

Felix set the tray on the desk, and waited a moment.

Celeste poured herself a cup of coffee from a white ceramic pitcher. She drank some of the hot liquid while perusing the food on the tray, then turned to the human-shaped tree. "Thank the chef for me please. It's wonderful. And thank you for the speedy delivery."