TAINTED BLOOD (Aro Volturi X Reader)

Unanswered

The air hung heavy with the scent of old stone and unspoken tension. Marcus, his crimson eyes gleaming with an almost childlike glee, surveyed the room. The Volturi trial hall, once a symbol of Aro's chilling dominance, now felt different. Lighter, somehow. Freed.

He sat upon the Volturi throne, the cool, smooth surface a stark contrast to the warmth blooming within him. The familiar faces of the Volturi guard, usually stoic and unyielding, held a flicker of something new in their expressions – uncertainty, perhaps, or a hint of cautious hope. Aro, the puppet master, the architect of fear, was gone. His icy reign, his suffocating control, had been shattered.

Marcus, the normally stoic and contemplative vampire, felt a surge of almost unfamiliar emotion – triumph. He wasn't a creature of impulsive action, but the removal of Aro, the silent, insidious threat that had loomed over the Volturi for centuries, felt like a weight lifted from his very soul.

He ran a hand over the armrest, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Aro, with his manipulative whispers and insatiable thirst for power, had been a constant source of unease for Marcus. His telepathic abilities, once a tool of oppression, now felt like a conduit to a newfound peace. He could feel the subtle shifts in the guards' thoughts, the lingering fear mixed with a dawning sense of relief.

"He's gone," he murmured, the words a soft echo in the vast chamber. "Finally." He flicked a fang.

The silence that followed was pregnant with unspoken possibilities. The Volturi, for so long defined by Aro's iron will, were now adrift. Marcus knew the path ahead would be challenging. Rebuilding trust, establishing a new order, ensuring the Volturi's continued existence without the weight of Aro's tyranny – it would be a delicate dance.

But Marcus was ready. He had always been a pillar of strength, a source of unwavering justice within the Volturi. So, he thought of himself. Now, he was more than that. He was the leader, the architect of a new era. An era where the Volturi would be judged not by fear, but by fairness.

Fairness only to his Volturi and Marcus himself

He looked out at the guards, his gaze steady and reassuring. "The Volturi will endure," he declared, his voice resonating with a newfound authority. "We will adapt, we will rebuild, and we will forge a future worthy of our legacy."

And as the first rays of dawn crept through the high, arched windows, casting a warm glow upon the Volturi throne, Marcus knew that the Volturi, under his guidance, would rise from the ashes of Aro's reign, stronger and more just than ever before. His heart, usually a cold, unyielding organ, beat with a quiet, contented rhythm. He had done what needed to be done. He had brought an end to tyranny, and a new beginning had dawned.

Then the heavy door creaked open, revealing Caius. Marcus, his heart hammering against his ribs, instantly dismissed the guards with a curt wave of his hand. Their bewildered expressions were lost on him; all his focus was on the man who had just entered, the man whose arrival was expected since Marcus sent for him.

Caius strode forward. His steps were measured, confident, each one echoing in the cavernous space.

"Caius," Marcus' voice was low, a rumble that spoke of restrained fury, "Who knocked me out? And how did Aro manage to escape with that witch?" Caius cautiously ran through his thoughts. He already explained this to Marcus when he awoken. But, Marcus was playing now.

Caius' lips thinned into a straight line, his gaze unwavering. "Like I said, It was a member of the Volturi, Marcus. One of the lesser known, perhaps one who followed Aro's lead."

Marcus' brow furrowed. "A Volturi? Why would they do that? I am their new leader now. I made promises"

"Perhaps they were swayed by Aro's promises," Caius offered, his voice devoid of emotion. "Perhaps they saw a chance to further their own ambitions." Caius was lying through his teeth. He needed to. For Athenodora's sake.

Marcus' expression remained unconvinced. "Aro wouldn't have been able to get away with it without more help. And you were there, Caius. You were the closest to me when I fell." Caius could hear Marcus's protruding nail grinding into the wood of the Volturi seat.

Caius' heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic rhythm threatening to shatter the composure he so carefully cultivated. He could not, would not, acknowledge the truth. He couldn't bear to see the pain, the anger, the betrayal in Marcus' crimson eyes if he knew.

"I was disoriented, Marcus," Caius said, his voice barely a whisper. "I was preoccupied with ensuring the safety of the others. I did not see who struck you."

He forced a flicker of regret into his expression, hoping it would be enough to quell any further suspicions.

Marcus' gaze held Caius' for a long moment, a silent battle of wills unfolding between them. Finally, he let out a slow breath, the tension in his shoulders easing slightly. "Very well, Caius. I shall trust your assessment. But..." His voice hardened, "We will find this Volturi. And we will ensure Aro is brought to justice."

Caius nodded, a knot of guilt twisting in his stomach. He had lied, a transgression he rarely committed, yet he felt it was a necessary evil. He had protected the Volturi, ensured their continued reign, but at what cost? The weight of his deception pressed upon him, a heavy burden that threatened to crush him.

"Caius," Marcus spoke again, his voice low and gravelly, the only time Caius hated hearing his name. "Have you heard anything regarding Aro and... his witches whereabouts?"

Caius, his face a mask of stoic indifference, shook his head slowly. "No, Marcus. No news has reached us yet."

Marcus's gaze fell to the intricately carved floor. A day had bled into a week since Aro and Y/N had vanished.

"And Jane?" he pressed, his voice a whisper, the question laced with a desperate hope that flickered like a dying ember.

Caius's expression didn't waver, but a flicker of something, perhaps weariness, perhaps a hint of grim resignation, crossed his eyes. "Jane is... missing," he said, the words clipped and devoid of any warmth. Caius truly did not know where Jane went. He even searched the remain of various bodies.

The simple statement hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Missing. It was a word that carried with it a multitude of possibilities, each one sharper than the last. Had she been taken? Had she fled? Or was something far more sinister at play? Maybe Marcus already had her.

Marcus felt a cold dread settle in his stomach. Jane, with her potent power and volatile nature, was no ordinary vampire. Her disappearance couldn't be dismissed as a simple matter of wandering off. It was a sign, a tremor in the carefully constructed order of the Volturi. Marcus was now assuming Jane was with Aro. This made him snarl.

He looked at Caius. The usually unflappable Caius seemed burdened, his usual composure tinged with a barely perceptible unease.

Caius remained silent for a moment; his gaze fixed on some distant point in the trial room. Then, he spoke, his voice barely a breath. "Perhaps... perhaps this is a sign. A shift in the tides."

Marcus felt a shiver course down his spine. A shift in the tides. It was a chilling thought, a reminder that even the most powerful beings were subject to forces beyond their control.

The disappearance of Aro and Y/N, the unexplained absence of Jane, it was a storm brewing on the horizon, a storm that threatened to shatter the Volturi's carefully constructed world. Marcus's Volturi. And Marcus, was left to face the uncertainty, the growing dread, and the chilling possibility that Aro could return.