The Descent
by Laura Spudzmom
Chapter 19
A light, warm breeze fluttered through the skirt of my sundress as I wandered the winding path of the Volturi gardens, my fingers trailing through the fragrant blooms of a gardenia bush as I meandered past.
I’d been here for three days now and if possible, my emotions were even more conflicted than when I’d arrived.
After what had been revealed to all in the throne room, it was impossible for me to remain aloof in Caius’s presence, especially when I looked in his eyes. There was a deep pain there; put there by the woman he’d thought of as his closest friend—the woman he’d taken to wife centuries ago and refused to abandon for the noblest of reasons, even after finding his mate.
Such a thing, I knew, weighed on him heavily. He was hurting—profoundly—and I ached to ease his pain, but I couldn’t. To do so would mean casting Jasper aside—something I’d resolved never to do.
“Your bonds…they grieve you, young one.”
Whirling around, I bit back a gasp while placing a hand on my chest. “Marcus! Shit, you startled me.”
His brows rose as a smirk tugged his lips. “Forgive me, it wasn’t my intention,” he said as he took a seat on a nearby bench.
Taking a seat next to him, I shook my head. “It’s okay. I should pay more attention to my surroundings.”
He hummed his agreement. “It’s understandable, considering all that’s transpired. With such things to ponder, it’s no wonder you were lost in thought.”
I blinked and studied his serene expression as he gazed off in the distance. “You’ve known all this time, haven’t you?”
His brow arched as he looked at me. “Of course. It is my gift.”
I frowned. “And yet, you never said anything…why?”
“It is not my place to meddle, young one, something I learned long ago.”
“Even if doing so could prevent a lot of heartache?”
He chuckled and pinned me with his red, wizened gaze. “I have learned that meddling in matters of the heart is a most futile undertaking. Right or wrong, people will do what they want or what they feel they should. It matters very little what I say.”
I thought about that for a minute, considering how Caius refused to part with Athenadora even when he knew I was his mate, and realized just what Marcus meant. “I guess I see where you’re coming from,” I muttered.
A slow nod was his response. “How did you do it?” he asked after a moment of silence.
I tensed, waiting for the disapproval I was sure I would see in his gaze. When I met it however, his eyes were filled with nothing but patient curiosity. “A voodoo priestess, some of the she-dragon’s hair and Edward as a sacrifice.”
His brows inched up as he murmured, “Interesting. Especially so since you chose to free Major Whitlock instead of yourself.”
I frowned and plucked a nearby bloom from a bush, twirling in absently in my fingers while pondering what to say. “I’m not done yet.”
“Ah,” he said with a nod before looking at me. “Be careful, young one. Such rituals usually always come with a heavy price.”
My frown deepened. There it was—the major sticking point in all of this and the main reason my enthusiasm had stalled. One of us in this bond—either Caius or myself—was going to have to bear the pain of the broken bond and I just couldn’t find it within myself to put Caius through more pain.
Sure, he’d been the one to refuse to leave his wife for our bond, but he hadn’t done it out of contempt for me, but genuine regard for her, however misplaced his good will toward her turned out to be…
With a low growl, I clenched my fists. “God, I really hate that woman,” I seethed.
He glanced at me, his expression bemused. “Which one?”
“Athenadora,” I spat and he nodded, a wan smile curving his lips as his gaze roamed over the lengthening shadows cast by the sinking sun.
“You have made your decision,” he murmured before looking at me. “…but it pains you greatly.”
I felt my eyes sting with phantom tears and nodded. “I have and it does. There’s just no clean way to break this bond.” I looked at him and saw a similar pain in his eyes. “I am mate-bonded to Caius, and loath to hurt him…but I love Jasper freely.”
He nodded and focused back on the setting sun. “Have you spoken to him—your Major Whitlock?”
I dropped my head and shook it. “Not lately. He’s…upset with me. I kinda left without telling him where I was going or what I was doing.”
The silence stretched until he reached over and lightly squeezed my hand. “You should…and remember young one, pain is just as much a part of life as love is, and you are not responsible for the choices others have made,” he said before rising to walk back to the castle.
“Hey!” I called after a moment, and he turned, one brow quirked in question. “I thought you said you never meddled…”
A tiny smirk was his only response as he turned and walked away.
~o0o~
“You did what?!”
Aro sat back in his Italian leather chair, a frown tugging his lips at my outburst. I had just been returning from my walk in the gardens when he’d summoned me to his office to drop this proverbial bomb. “My dear Isabella, I’m quite sure you heard me, however, in the off chance that you did not, I will repeat myself…. I released the Cullens, Alice included, as I had no valid reason to hold them here any longer.”
We stared at each other for a moment before I dropped my gaze and growled. He chuckled. “My dear, I realize you harbor ill feelings toward them…” I snorted and he ignored it. “…but the Volturi cannot condemn people to the dungeons because of mere dislike. If we did, Caius would have filled the cells to bursting long ago!”
Flopping back into my chair, I nodded. “Fine. I get it.” I met his gaze squarely and leaned forward. “But, when the time comes, I won’t be stopped when I go after Alice Cullen, right?”
His lips thinned and he toyed with an elegant pen on his desk as he studied me. “I believe I shall look the other way should such an occasion come to pass.”
I smiled. “And if I call on Demetri?”
He rolled his eyes and flipped his hand. “Despite popular opinion, we do not own Demetri or any of our other members. He is free to assist whomever he chooses, as long as he remains loyal to the Volturi. I’ll even loan him use of the jet.”
I smirked and sat back. “It’s the least you can do for letting the little psycho go.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You are exasperating.”
I rose from my seat and smoothed the skirt of my dress. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
It was his turn to snort as I left his office, closing the door firmly behind me. I still wasn’t happy with this development, but with Aro’s assurance that the Volturi wouldn’t interfere and would even let Demetri help, I knew it would only be a matter of time when I would catch up with the psychic.
And time was something I now had an abundance of. Still, I was pissed—no doubt about it.
Slipping into Caius’s rooms, I breathed a sigh of relief at his absence and made my way to the bedroom to pack. It was time to get back to Jasper. Past time, really, especially since I hadn’t talked to him since the one tense conversation we’d had just after toasting Edward’s ass in New Orleans.
His silence, I had to admit, bothered me, but then again, I hadn’t exactly called him either….
With a frown tugging my lips, I stared at my phone where it lay on the nightstand before picking it up. Scrolling the contacts, I pressed send before I lost my nerve and held my breath as it connected and rang.
“Bella?” he answered on the third ring, his tone guarded and I smiled just hearing him.
“Hi Jay. How are you?”
“Can’t complain. You?”
“I’m okay, but I miss you.”
“Huh,” was all he said and my heart sank at his clipped tone. I mean, I knew he was probably hurt by what I’d done and my lack of communication, but come on….
“I’m sorry, Jay.”
“For what?”
I blew out a slow breath and ran a hand through my hair. “You’re not gonna make this easy, are you?”
He stayed silent for a long moment. “I’m not a mind reader, Bella, and I damn sure ain’t gonna try to guess what you wanna say, so either you come out with it, or this is gonna be a short conversation.”
I frowned, feeling my irritation from my earlier talk with Aro flare to life with the way this talk was going. “Fine, you stubborn ass. I’m sorry I left so abruptly without talking to you first. I’m sorry I didn’t let you in on what I was doing or where I was going, and I’m sorry I haven’t called since that one short conversation a few days ago. Was all of that specific enough for you, Major Whitlock, sir?”
A low chuckle was his response. “When ya comin’ home?”
I sagged with relief and allowed myself a smile while tracing the pattern on the bedspread with a finger. “I’m leaving tonight. Should be home sometime tomorrow. You gonna be there?”
I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “I’ll think about it.”
I snorted a chuckle. “If I promise to make it worth your while?”
“I reckon I can hang out here for a while…”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, darlin’.”
“Jasper?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I. . .I’ll see ya tomorrow, darlin’.”
The call disconnected and my heart ached more than a little bit at his lack of reciprocation, but I understood it. He’d been hurt so badly, for so many years and it wasn’t something you just got over in a few months.
I knew he loved me. I felt it every time we were together. But I think my latest excursion had spooked him more than he’d ever admit and that was something I should’ve thought of before putting him through it.
It was pretty obvious I had some making up to do when I got home, and in a weird way, I looked forward to it.
“So, this is it, then? You’re leaving?”
My head snapped up and I cursed myself yet again for not paying attention. “How long have you been there?”
He shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t leaning against the door-frame. “Long enough to hear your conversation.”
I frowned and set my phone aside. “Caius…”
“How could you?”
My brow pinched. “What?”
He pushed off the door-frame and stalked toward me, pulling me up from the bed when he reached me, his hands holding my upper arms tightly as he stared into my face. “How could you even consider leaving now, after everything that’s happened?”
I tried to shrug him off, but he held tightly. “Nothing’s changed for me, Caius, not really.”
His nostrils flared. “Everything’s changed!” he insisted. “It’s clear to me now that Dora never really loved me. She loves being Queen, nothing more and her ambition is not a sufficient reason for me to stay with her.”
My brows shot up and I scoffed. “Pardon me if your enlightenment comes too late, but that’s just what it is—too late! I made myself clear from the beginning and you—you made a choice, Caius, and it wasn’t me, if you’ll recall.”
“I always wanted you—I begged you to stay with me…”
“Yes, but not as your wife!”
I managed to wrench one arm from his grasp, but he grabbed it again and pulled me flush to his body. “You’re mine Isabella, do you hear? You always have been,” he murmured as he leaned down to nip and kiss his mark on my neck.
“Caius, please don’t do this…” I begged even as I felt my resolve crumbling under the strain of the flaring bond. His hands roamed my back, one dipping low to hitch my leg up on his waist as he ground himself into my center.
“Please, Isabella…” he murmured against the sensitive place just under my ear. “…let me love you…show you just how good we are together…please…give me a chance…”
God, he felt good, and every instinct I had was screaming to submit, but then I thought of Jasper, and the picture of his face in my mind gave me the strength I needed.
Placing my hands flush against Caius’s chest, I pushed with most of my strength, causing him to release me and stumble back to keep his balance. He reached a hand out and I held one up to stop him. “No!” My voice trembled with conflicted emotion, but I had to do this, no matter the pain of it. “Things would be different if you had chosen me from the beginning, Caius, but you didn’t, and that’s not something I can overlook. I love Jasper, and I won’t abandon him. I won’t hurt him this way. He’s a good man, and he deserves someone who puts him first for once in this life—and for that matter, so do I, and he’s always done that. He’s always been there for me.”
He frowned, deeply. “He has Dora. She’ll go to him now that I’m divorcing her. She won’t have a choice…I’m not giving her a choice…”
“Their bond is broken,” I sneered. “He’s free of her and would probably kill her if she shows her face. I wouldn’t blame him if he did, after what she put him through.”
His fists clenched. “I don't care what they do with each other, but you are mine!” he roared. “I will fight to subdue you if I have to, Isabella. Please, don’t make that necessary,” he finished in a placating tone.
“Don’t threaten me,” I hissed while dropping into a semi-crouch. “Because I will fight you, and I think you’ll find I’m a bit more skilled than when you marked me.”
He smirked bitterly. “Ah yes, trained by the infamous Whitlocks,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. He dropped his head for a moment before glancing back up at me, his eyes filled with pain and resignation. “Relax cara mia…I will not fight you, nor will I stoop so low as to take you unwillingly.” He shook his head and ran a hand through his platinum locks. “So, this is it then? You’re set on leaving me for him?”
I stood from my crouch and swallowed the lump in my throat. “Yes. I choose him.”
I watched as he cast his gaze to the side and nodded. “Very well,” he murmured before reaching down to withdraw something from his boot. My breath caught as he straightened, allowing me to see a jewel-encrusted dagger in his hand. Before I could comment, he reached up, gathered a good portion of hair from the underside of his long locks and sliced it off.
“Caius…what…?”
He stepped forward and held out the hair to me, his eyes curiously sparkling with what looked like tears. “I believe you’ll be needing this,” he said with a sad smile, but as I reached for it, he drew it back. “All I ask in exchange is one last kiss.” He tossed the dagger on a nearby table and slowly drew me forward into his arms, the backs of his fingers tenderly tracing the side of my face.
My heart felt like it was cracking in two as his eyes searched mine for a moment before his mouth descended on mine, his lips soft but demanding as our kiss deepened. He groaned lowly as his tongue met mine and I buried a hand in his silky hair, pulling him impossibly close as we took each other in for the last time.
He ended the kiss with a soft peck as his thumb caressed the apple of my cheek, his eyes closed and sweet breath whispering over my lips as he spoke, “Per sempre , rimarrete nel mio cuore, la mia bella Isabella. (Forever, you will remain in my heart, my beautiful Isabella.)”
With that, he pressed the lock of his hair into my hand, turned and walked out.
A light, warm breeze fluttered through the skirt of my sundress as I wandered the winding path of the Volturi gardens, my fingers trailing through the fragrant blooms of a gardenia bush as I meandered past.
I’d been here for three days now and if possible, my emotions were even more conflicted than when I’d arrived.
After what had been revealed to all in the throne room, it was impossible for me to remain aloof in Caius’s presence, especially when I looked in his eyes. There was a deep pain there; put there by the woman he’d thought of as his closest friend—the woman he’d taken to wife centuries ago and refused to abandon for the noblest of reasons, even after finding his mate.
Such a thing, I knew, weighed on him heavily. He was hurting—profoundly—and I ached to ease his pain, but I couldn’t. To do so would mean casting Jasper aside—something I’d resolved never to do.
“Your bonds…they grieve you, young one.”
Whirling around, I bit back a gasp while placing a hand on my chest. “Marcus! Shit, you startled me.”
His brows rose as a smirk tugged his lips. “Forgive me, it wasn’t my intention,” he said as he took a seat on a nearby bench.
Taking a seat next to him, I shook my head. “It’s okay. I should pay more attention to my surroundings.”
He hummed his agreement. “It’s understandable, considering all that’s transpired. With such things to ponder, it’s no wonder you were lost in thought.”
I blinked and studied his serene expression as he gazed off in the distance. “You’ve known all this time, haven’t you?”
His brow arched as he looked at me. “Of course. It is my gift.”
I frowned. “And yet, you never said anything…why?”
“It is not my place to meddle, young one, something I learned long ago.”
“Even if doing so could prevent a lot of heartache?”
He chuckled and pinned me with his red, wizened gaze. “I have learned that meddling in matters of the heart is a most futile undertaking. Right or wrong, people will do what they want or what they feel they should. It matters very little what I say.”
I thought about that for a minute, considering how Caius refused to part with Athenadora even when he knew I was his mate, and realized just what Marcus meant. “I guess I see where you’re coming from,” I muttered.
A slow nod was his response. “How did you do it?” he asked after a moment of silence.
I tensed, waiting for the disapproval I was sure I would see in his gaze. When I met it however, his eyes were filled with nothing but patient curiosity. “A voodoo priestess, some of the she-dragon’s hair and Edward as a sacrifice.”
His brows inched up as he murmured, “Interesting. Especially so since you chose to free Major Whitlock instead of yourself.”
I frowned and plucked a nearby bloom from a bush, twirling in absently in my fingers while pondering what to say. “I’m not done yet.”
“Ah,” he said with a nod before looking at me. “Be careful, young one. Such rituals usually always come with a heavy price.”
My frown deepened. There it was—the major sticking point in all of this and the main reason my enthusiasm had stalled. One of us in this bond—either Caius or myself—was going to have to bear the pain of the broken bond and I just couldn’t find it within myself to put Caius through more pain.
Sure, he’d been the one to refuse to leave his wife for our bond, but he hadn’t done it out of contempt for me, but genuine regard for her, however misplaced his good will toward her turned out to be…
With a low growl, I clenched my fists. “God, I really hate that woman,” I seethed.
He glanced at me, his expression bemused. “Which one?”
“Athenadora,” I spat and he nodded, a wan smile curving his lips as his gaze roamed over the lengthening shadows cast by the sinking sun.
“You have made your decision,” he murmured before looking at me. “…but it pains you greatly.”
I felt my eyes sting with phantom tears and nodded. “I have and it does. There’s just no clean way to break this bond.” I looked at him and saw a similar pain in his eyes. “I am mate-bonded to Caius, and loath to hurt him…but I love Jasper freely.”
He nodded and focused back on the setting sun. “Have you spoken to him—your Major Whitlock?”
I dropped my head and shook it. “Not lately. He’s…upset with me. I kinda left without telling him where I was going or what I was doing.”
The silence stretched until he reached over and lightly squeezed my hand. “You should…and remember young one, pain is just as much a part of life as love is, and you are not responsible for the choices others have made,” he said before rising to walk back to the castle.
“Hey!” I called after a moment, and he turned, one brow quirked in question. “I thought you said you never meddled…”
A tiny smirk was his only response as he turned and walked away.
~o0o~
“You did what?!”
Aro sat back in his Italian leather chair, a frown tugging his lips at my outburst. I had just been returning from my walk in the gardens when he’d summoned me to his office to drop this proverbial bomb. “My dear Isabella, I’m quite sure you heard me, however, in the off chance that you did not, I will repeat myself…. I released the Cullens, Alice included, as I had no valid reason to hold them here any longer.”
We stared at each other for a moment before I dropped my gaze and growled. He chuckled. “My dear, I realize you harbor ill feelings toward them…” I snorted and he ignored it. “…but the Volturi cannot condemn people to the dungeons because of mere dislike. If we did, Caius would have filled the cells to bursting long ago!”
Flopping back into my chair, I nodded. “Fine. I get it.” I met his gaze squarely and leaned forward. “But, when the time comes, I won’t be stopped when I go after Alice Cullen, right?”
His lips thinned and he toyed with an elegant pen on his desk as he studied me. “I believe I shall look the other way should such an occasion come to pass.”
I smiled. “And if I call on Demetri?”
He rolled his eyes and flipped his hand. “Despite popular opinion, we do not own Demetri or any of our other members. He is free to assist whomever he chooses, as long as he remains loyal to the Volturi. I’ll even loan him use of the jet.”
I smirked and sat back. “It’s the least you can do for letting the little psycho go.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You are exasperating.”
I rose from my seat and smoothed the skirt of my dress. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
It was his turn to snort as I left his office, closing the door firmly behind me. I still wasn’t happy with this development, but with Aro’s assurance that the Volturi wouldn’t interfere and would even let Demetri help, I knew it would only be a matter of time when I would catch up with the psychic.
And time was something I now had an abundance of. Still, I was pissed—no doubt about it.
Slipping into Caius’s rooms, I breathed a sigh of relief at his absence and made my way to the bedroom to pack. It was time to get back to Jasper. Past time, really, especially since I hadn’t talked to him since the one tense conversation we’d had just after toasting Edward’s ass in New Orleans.
His silence, I had to admit, bothered me, but then again, I hadn’t exactly called him either….
With a frown tugging my lips, I stared at my phone where it lay on the nightstand before picking it up. Scrolling the contacts, I pressed send before I lost my nerve and held my breath as it connected and rang.
“Bella?” he answered on the third ring, his tone guarded and I smiled just hearing him.
“Hi Jay. How are you?”
“Can’t complain. You?”
“I’m okay, but I miss you.”
“Huh,” was all he said and my heart sank at his clipped tone. I mean, I knew he was probably hurt by what I’d done and my lack of communication, but come on….
“I’m sorry, Jay.”
“For what?”
I blew out a slow breath and ran a hand through my hair. “You’re not gonna make this easy, are you?”
He stayed silent for a long moment. “I’m not a mind reader, Bella, and I damn sure ain’t gonna try to guess what you wanna say, so either you come out with it, or this is gonna be a short conversation.”
I frowned, feeling my irritation from my earlier talk with Aro flare to life with the way this talk was going. “Fine, you stubborn ass. I’m sorry I left so abruptly without talking to you first. I’m sorry I didn’t let you in on what I was doing or where I was going, and I’m sorry I haven’t called since that one short conversation a few days ago. Was all of that specific enough for you, Major Whitlock, sir?”
A low chuckle was his response. “When ya comin’ home?”
I sagged with relief and allowed myself a smile while tracing the pattern on the bedspread with a finger. “I’m leaving tonight. Should be home sometime tomorrow. You gonna be there?”
I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. “I’ll think about it.”
I snorted a chuckle. “If I promise to make it worth your while?”
“I reckon I can hang out here for a while…”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, darlin’.”
“Jasper?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I. . .I’ll see ya tomorrow, darlin’.”
The call disconnected and my heart ached more than a little bit at his lack of reciprocation, but I understood it. He’d been hurt so badly, for so many years and it wasn’t something you just got over in a few months.
I knew he loved me. I felt it every time we were together. But I think my latest excursion had spooked him more than he’d ever admit and that was something I should’ve thought of before putting him through it.
It was pretty obvious I had some making up to do when I got home, and in a weird way, I looked forward to it.
“So, this is it, then? You’re leaving?”
My head snapped up and I cursed myself yet again for not paying attention. “How long have you been there?”
He shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t leaning against the door-frame. “Long enough to hear your conversation.”
I frowned and set my phone aside. “Caius…”
“How could you?”
My brow pinched. “What?”
He pushed off the door-frame and stalked toward me, pulling me up from the bed when he reached me, his hands holding my upper arms tightly as he stared into my face. “How could you even consider leaving now, after everything that’s happened?”
I tried to shrug him off, but he held tightly. “Nothing’s changed for me, Caius, not really.”
His nostrils flared. “Everything’s changed!” he insisted. “It’s clear to me now that Dora never really loved me. She loves being Queen, nothing more and her ambition is not a sufficient reason for me to stay with her.”
My brows shot up and I scoffed. “Pardon me if your enlightenment comes too late, but that’s just what it is—too late! I made myself clear from the beginning and you—you made a choice, Caius, and it wasn’t me, if you’ll recall.”
“I always wanted you—I begged you to stay with me…”
“Yes, but not as your wife!”
I managed to wrench one arm from his grasp, but he grabbed it again and pulled me flush to his body. “You’re mine Isabella, do you hear? You always have been,” he murmured as he leaned down to nip and kiss his mark on my neck.
“Caius, please don’t do this…” I begged even as I felt my resolve crumbling under the strain of the flaring bond. His hands roamed my back, one dipping low to hitch my leg up on his waist as he ground himself into my center.
“Please, Isabella…” he murmured against the sensitive place just under my ear. “…let me love you…show you just how good we are together…please…give me a chance…”
God, he felt good, and every instinct I had was screaming to submit, but then I thought of Jasper, and the picture of his face in my mind gave me the strength I needed.
Placing my hands flush against Caius’s chest, I pushed with most of my strength, causing him to release me and stumble back to keep his balance. He reached a hand out and I held one up to stop him. “No!” My voice trembled with conflicted emotion, but I had to do this, no matter the pain of it. “Things would be different if you had chosen me from the beginning, Caius, but you didn’t, and that’s not something I can overlook. I love Jasper, and I won’t abandon him. I won’t hurt him this way. He’s a good man, and he deserves someone who puts him first for once in this life—and for that matter, so do I, and he’s always done that. He’s always been there for me.”
He frowned, deeply. “He has Dora. She’ll go to him now that I’m divorcing her. She won’t have a choice…I’m not giving her a choice…”
“Their bond is broken,” I sneered. “He’s free of her and would probably kill her if she shows her face. I wouldn’t blame him if he did, after what she put him through.”
His fists clenched. “I don't care what they do with each other, but you are mine!” he roared. “I will fight to subdue you if I have to, Isabella. Please, don’t make that necessary,” he finished in a placating tone.
“Don’t threaten me,” I hissed while dropping into a semi-crouch. “Because I will fight you, and I think you’ll find I’m a bit more skilled than when you marked me.”
He smirked bitterly. “Ah yes, trained by the infamous Whitlocks,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest. He dropped his head for a moment before glancing back up at me, his eyes filled with pain and resignation. “Relax cara mia…I will not fight you, nor will I stoop so low as to take you unwillingly.” He shook his head and ran a hand through his platinum locks. “So, this is it then? You’re set on leaving me for him?”
I stood from my crouch and swallowed the lump in my throat. “Yes. I choose him.”
I watched as he cast his gaze to the side and nodded. “Very well,” he murmured before reaching down to withdraw something from his boot. My breath caught as he straightened, allowing me to see a jewel-encrusted dagger in his hand. Before I could comment, he reached up, gathered a good portion of hair from the underside of his long locks and sliced it off.
“Caius…what…?”
He stepped forward and held out the hair to me, his eyes curiously sparkling with what looked like tears. “I believe you’ll be needing this,” he said with a sad smile, but as I reached for it, he drew it back. “All I ask in exchange is one last kiss.” He tossed the dagger on a nearby table and slowly drew me forward into his arms, the backs of his fingers tenderly tracing the side of my face.
My heart felt like it was cracking in two as his eyes searched mine for a moment before his mouth descended on mine, his lips soft but demanding as our kiss deepened. He groaned lowly as his tongue met mine and I buried a hand in his silky hair, pulling him impossibly close as we took each other in for the last time.
He ended the kiss with a soft peck as his thumb caressed the apple of my cheek, his eyes closed and sweet breath whispering over my lips as he spoke, “Per sempre , rimarrete nel mio cuore, la mia bella Isabella. (Forever, you will remain in my heart, my beautiful Isabella.)”
With that, he pressed the lock of his hair into my hand, turned and walked out.
DISCLAIMER: Twilight and its inclusive material is copyright to Stephenie Meyer. Original creation, including but not limited to plot and characters, is copyright to the respective authors of each story. No copyright infringement is intended.