Cerulean Star

Chapter 14: What's Wrong?

I looked into the ice blue eyes of six men that were chained up in the cage. The rage that seeped from their entire bodies was undeniable.

"Uncle. What have you done?" I needed to repeat myself because Aro seemed to be in his own little world. It was a world that was driven by power and he didn't care what he needed to do to stay in that world.

"Bella, everyone. Behold, the last remnant of the Children of the Moon. Thanks to some information I gleamed from James last night, we were able to determine that some still existed. They have agreed to offer some sort of protection."

I looked back into the eyes of the men in the cage. I couldn't understand why they didn't just break their chains. The chains wouldn't have been a problem for the werewolves that I knew back home. Every one of them had shoulder length blonde hair. Hadn't Jacob mentioned that the longer the hair, the shaggier the wolf? I wondered if that held the same for the Children of the Moon.

"Aro it is almost time." Demetri said behind me.

"Ahh yes, Bella, perhaps you should step back a bit." Aro made the suggestion but he instinctively pulled me behind him. I recoiled from his protection and Felix pulled me towards him.

After a matter of minutes, there was the sound of live electricity crackling through the air. My eyes focused on the men in the cage as they transformed into wolves. They weren't quite as colossal as the Quileute wolves back home, but they were still impressive.

"And why would they offer to help protect you from the Romanians, uncle?" I looked at Aro with a slight feeling of disgust. Sensing my mood, Aro sent everyone out of the dungeon except Demetri and Felix.

"Don't be so naïve Bella. The Romanians will be coming one day, and when they do, they'll come for you too. Whether you're a human or not. I'm confident that they won't succeed, and the extra muscle will be appreciated."

"We've convinced them that it was in their best interest to serve our purpose." Caius said with as much enthusiasm that Aro normally has on a regular basis. Which only meant that this was his idea.

"We should give them some privacy in case they want to change back." I was roughly escorted by Aro who took me from Felix's protection.

"My office now!" It was a harsh whisper from him, one that I'd never heard from him before, at least directed to me.

We walked in silence through the elaborate corridors that led to his office. Once inside, he slammed the door and stared at me for the longest of time.

Aro started pacing the floor about ten feet away from me, like he was scared to come near me. "What were you thinking? Questioning me like that in front of everyone." Aro started cursing in fluent Italian but he was speaking so fast I only caught bits and pieces.

"I'm sorry Aro. It will never happen again," was all I could say. I stood my ground and kept my eyes to the ground.

Rapidly, Aro was standing in front of me, taking an exaggerated whiff of my neck. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't just bite you now, and get it over with." I never once before had a reason to fear Aro until that point. Involuntarily the tears were rolling down my face, leaving salty trails that dripped to my shirt.

As if answering my prayers, there was a knock at the door. I turned to see who would be my savior, but Aro kept his nose at my neck. I could feel his teeth grazing the skin, and I was terrified that he'd just do it. My worst nightmare.

"Come in." Aro finally said through his teeth. He backed away slightly but he was still standing in front of me.

"Excuse me Master. I was wondering if I might speak with Isabella for a moment?" Felix stood at the door, and his face was strained. I struggled to back away from Aro a little bit more, but his grip around my waist was secure.