Such Sweet Sorrow

Chapter Four

"Accompany me?" Aro nodded, and I found myself drawn to the contrast of our skin tones where his slender fingers met my wrist. I was sure I was as red as a tomato as this attractive yet dangerous man told me his plans to seduce me.

"Mhmm. Forks Washington. Rather off the beaten track don't you think?" Although Aro didn't look old at all, there was no way he could fit in as a high school student at Forks high, and I wondered what he would be doing with his day, and if he would hang off me constantly like Edward had. 

"Uhm, I don't mean to be rude at all- because I'm probably in shock right now, but I don't think you'd be able to pass as a senior like the Cullens did." He laughed again and this time I felt my eyes focus in on his throat. For a moment I wanted nothing else but to bite him, but I refrained from even moving. I had become accustomed to intrusive thoughts, and no longer paid them any mind.

"You can feel the pull, can't you, Mio Caro?" He said softly. I felt myself nodding. The hand that wasn't holding my wrist came up to cup the back of my neck, exposing the long column of my throat. Perhaps he wanted to bite me too. I winced at the action though, feeling stiff and bruised all over from the tumultuous past 24 hours. "Oh! You're hurt. I'm so sorry Isabella, this must be my fault." My mind was slightly foggy at this point, focused on the burning contact from his hands on me.

"No... It's fine. I'm uh, I'm actually just really clumsy." I tried to smile in a reassuring way, but Aro's delectable scent was pervading my senses. He smelled like a new book- which was an odd thing to smell like but as an avid book lover it was one of my favourite smells. "You're dazzling me." He smirked and the room faded away. The smug bastard knew it too. 

"Dazzling you?" He released his hold from my neck, but that was only a small reprieve because he pulled me flush against him, letting the arm he had still been holding fall over his lap. I don't know what came over me but I grabbed his hip, holding him close to me as he was holding me close to him. Aro chuckled and the rumble in his chest made my heart flutter. "I understand now. I'm terribly sorry for dazzling you my dear." I could hear the joy in his voice. Something told me he was not sorry at all.

--

The plane ride home was the most awkward 14 hours of my life. Aro had Alice, Edward, Jane, Demetri and myself take the private jet back to Washington State- it was a luxury I had never had before but the oppressive atmosphere of Alice and Edward staring daggers at the members of the volturi made me incredibly uncomfortable. Aro had spared no expense it seemed, after all thousands of years made acquiring a dragon's hoard of wealth incredibly easy. The Jet was furnished with a large television set and a bunch of sofas set quite far apart. I had taken a recliner towards the back of the plane, and Aro had taken the one opposite me. Though I felt incredibly embarrassed about my yearning for someone who was practically a stranger, I also really didn't mind when Aro's long legs stretched out to bump into my own, and our ankles touched. Edward really did mind though, because a low growl forced its way out of his throat before Alice could push him back down into his seat. With Jane there, there was nothing he could do, and you couldn't exactly fight in a plane either. I hoped that we'd land without someone  punching a hole in the plane.

Aro had let me borrow a book from his library. It was an old Jane Austen novel. All of the books in his library were old, but these were slightly newer than the leather bound vellum from 500 years ago. Those were the type of books you'd need air tight conditions and cotton gloves for, and I certainly wasn't going to get my grubby human hands all over priceless tomes. I couldn't quite get absorbed into the story though, because all Aro had done for the past 7 hours of the flight (and what he'd most likely do for the next 7) was stare at me, a strange expression on his face. If I didn't know any better, it looked like he had seen God, or gone on a particularly good trip. He looked at me reverently, and I shifted nervously under his intense gaze. Part of me wanted him to enjoy what he was looking at, but another part just wanted to be ignored so I can pretend I'm in regency England, where vampire politics didn't become my problem, and ex boyfriends weren't killing themselves in some poor remake of Shakespearean tragedy.